#but having a sense of finality and like. a conclusion. instead of him just disappearing

[copiasblair]

imperium came on in my car and i immediately burst into tears so i'm coping okay i think

#i'm fine #i don't know it's like yes. he's fine. for now. but i'm still never going to see him again #and like. i knew that that's whyyyy i fucking. spent so much money and flew a state over to see him. #because i knew i wouldn't get another chance #but still. it's hitting now. the reality of it i guess #like yes ghost will go on tour but copia won't be there. #and like. i don't know. this sounds awful but him dying maybe would've been a better outcome? #well not better...i don't know how to phrase this #but having a sense of finality and like. a conclusion. instead of him just disappearing #i don't know i don't know my feelings are all over the place #the happiness with him not dying has kind of faded and everything else has hit so i'm just. in a very weird headspace right now #whatever he lives on forever in my mind palace it's fine #what do you have to say doll?

[aurumacadicus]

159 or 139 for the ficlet please!

(Also, do these numbers correspond or a prompt or are we just winging it here, curious minds would like to know how this lottery is working 🧐)

These numbers correspond to a prompt set which I can post a link to after this is done but I wanted the randomness of it. No offense but you guys always go for the same prompts (which don't get me wrong, make sense for the characters/my writing) but I wanted to stretch some writing muscles!!!! So I anonymized the list :3c

--

Steve groaned when he realized he couldn't ignore the constant pinging of his phone anymore. It had well and truly rung through his half-dozing state. He pushed himself up, popping each vertebrae as he attempted to blink the sleep out of his eyes, then yawned, loud, and scrubbed at his eyes.

He took a glance around his room, then squinted in confusion when he saw his lamp had been knocked off the bedside table, there was a... sock? On the ceiling fan? And the ceiling fan was askew, the edges of the blades scraping the paint off on one side and nearly low enough to clip his hair on the other. He stared at it, mouth hanging open in confusion, especially as it finally registered that it was not a sock hanging from the fan, but a ripped pair of tights.

Steve grabbed his phone, still staring at the tights, as he wondered how, exactly, they'd been ripped right down the middle of the crotch and where, exactly, the other half was. He found it as he rolled onto his back to check his phone, one end tied to the foot board of his bed, the other tied around his ankle. He blinked slowly, then thumbed his phone open, peering at the notifications.

[Bucky] If you don't respond, I'm calling the cops

Steve blinked again, then sent a simple 'responding' and scrolled up to see what was going on. He came to the conclusion that he'd disappeared halfway through a party. Bucky and Natasha's engagement party, maybe? They were celebrating something, he remembered. The first messages has been teasing, calling him a curmudgeonly old man, then jokes about him getting lucky, then concern as he'd never replied to any of them. He flipped back to Bucky's messages.

[Me] Yo what happened My lamp's broken? And my ceiling fan? I'm tied to the bed kinda.

He looked around again just for good measure, then did a double-take at his sheets. He snapped a picture and sent it along as well.

[Me] Also, my bed has glitter in it for reasons I do not recall.

Bucky's response came only a few seconds later.

[Bucky] Oh my god the stripper??????????????! I wondered what happened to him!!!!!!

"The stripper?" Steve asked, squinting at the screen in confusion.

The door to his bathroom opened, and a man stepped out, naked as the day he was born. He was beautifully damp. He had a towel wrapped around his hair. Steve understood, suddenly, why half a pair of tights were on the ceiling fan. He immediately wanted to fuck this man so athletically that the other half snapped off his leg and flew onto the ceiling fan too.

"I ordered breakfast," the man said casually, pulling a duffel bag from... somewhere. "It should be here in about fifteen minutes. I'm Tony, by the way," he added, picking a pair of briefs out of the bag.

"You don't have to put those on, Tony," Steve offered, instead of doing the polite thing of offering his name back, or asking if he wanted anything else.

Tony let out a bark of laughter. "Just as charming as last night," he teased, shaking his head.

God, Steve hoped he'd been charming last night. "So... were we introduced last night?" he asked carefully. "And you thought I forgot your name?"

"I was introduced as Bambi last night," Tony said, offering him a smirk. "And you waxed poetic about my big brown eyes until I basically had no choice but to fall into bed with you."

"Bambi," Steve repeated, and then, louder, "Ooooh, Bambi." Suddenly he remembered exactly what had happened last night, up to and including how his room had gotten messed up, and it had started with Tony finally asking, 'Does that make you Faline? Or are you more of a Ronno?' and Steve just picking him up and carrying him toward the door as Tony giggled in his arms.

Well. Food was coming. He'd have time to convince Tony he was more than just a fan of brown eyes. Tony had a cheeky smile. He found those always seemed to get him into trouble in the best way.

#aurumacadicus answers #saving-stark #1-161 stony ficlet challenge #stony

[quartercirclejab]

i have some thoughts about the Dyne sequence in FFVII Rebirth. spoilers for FFVIIR under the cut, and trigger warning for discussion and depictions of suicide

i feel like the way the scene is rewritten goes out of its way to undercut Dyne's agency, and to soften the blow of what he ultimately chooses to do

in the original, he makes reference to Eleanor's voice- the memory of her forgiving nature having become an extension of his own, now at war with his desire to blame Barret for everything that he's lost

in Rebirth, this is rewritten as Dyne being "mad with grief" in a more literal sense, with the scene reframed to imply he's seeing figures that aren't there, and is conversing with them

the decision to tweak his characterization from someone who's been driven to the brink by despair and regret to a more generic kind of cartoonish insanity feels like an attempt to explain away the self-destructive (and understandable) spiral that he's clearly been on since Barret left Corel

the battle itself reflects this, too. in the original, it's a solemn, solitary duel between Barret and Dyne, reminiscent of an old west duel, or the final act of an operatic tragedy. the landscape is stark, and the sudden disappearance of the rest of the party forces a feeling of desperate isolation- the isolation Barret and Dyne themselves surely felt, and which now ironically forces them to fight one another

the way Rebirth handles this starts out promisingly enough. it's still a duel, and that feeling of isolation is still there, but with a distinctly modern twist- with plenty of cover to duck behind and both combatants using their weapons on full auto, it feels less like a climactic western duel and more like the final shootout of a contemporary action-thriller... less "Unforgiven", more "John Wick." it's largely a function of how Rebirth handles the original's mechanics in a more general sense, and i have to say, it works for me. it's more hectic than the original, but the emotion is still there- a fight that runs hot, while the original runs cold

but of course, because it's a modern FF, it couldn't stay an understated duel- it has to be an overlong set piece with a whole second phase, during which Dyne reveals an unsettling new power that is implied to have further altered his already unstable mind

this pushes the battle away from being a somber, clear-eyed fight for revenge and into "Old Yeller" territory- an attempt to make the player feel justified in putting Dyne down

finally, the conclusion of the sequence: Dyne's fateful choice

in both versions, the revelation that Marlene is alive sends Dyne even further into despair, as he feels he's spilled too much innocent blood to be a father, and that Marlene was unlikely to remember him even if that weren't the case. in the original, he's unable to live with the weight of that, and he chooses to jump to his death. in Rebirth, the sudden convenient appearance of a horde of Shinra troopers shakes him out of his grief and sends him flying into a rage, giving him the opportunity to choose a more ambiguous "suicide by cop"

robbing Dyne of the decision to take his own life and instead having it come at the hands of nameless Shinra troopers undercuts the final tragedy of Corel, and the tragic contrast between Dyne and Barret. Dyne thinks that the violence he's committed in the name of vengeance makes him unfit to be a father, and unfit to live, but Barret says himself that he doesn't believe his own hands are any cleaner- the guilt over trying to raise Marlene while fighting Shinra as the leader of Avalanche is a contradiction Barret has been grappling with since the game began, and witnessing Dyne's suicide only deepens his personal crisis. Rebirth's change to the scene arguably reaffirms Barret's belief in the suicidal pursuit of vengeance, rather than causing him to question it, because Shinra has now stolen from him the chance to save his best friend. it's just another tally in the ledger that wants balancing, and another cup of gasoline on the conflagration that threatens to swallow Barret whole

the change also absolves Dyne himself, who had the chance to see Marlene again and try to rebuild his life, but decided he wasn't strong enough to face that challenge. in taking the decision to die out of Dyne's hands, the player's allowed to see him as just another victim of Shinra's cruelty, one who might have redeemed himself if he hadn't been tragically gunned down. a layer of the game's complexity and emotional depth is stripped away

i don't know. Rebirth's take is certainly more cinematic, in some ways, but i wish they'd handled it differently

#Barret Wallace #Dyne #Final Fantasy VII Rebirth #Final Fantasy VII #FFVII #FFVIIR #jab plays remake

[ectonurites]

Now that we’re halfway through it what are your thoughts on Kon’s solo?

I've been enjoying it! I think it's been fun so far—I do think that letting Kon have a story where he's out on his own just doing a classic little adventure like this rather than... something super tethered to the greater DCU/its continuity messes is refreshing after the last few years he's had.

Like I definitely don't want him isolated from all his friends in space forever or anything like that, but I think him getting to do this on his own right now is cool. I think the thing Porter seems to be going for with Kon 'chasing after the glory days'/trying to find some shred of his old life to cling onto (even if it's just a space imitation of it) is definitely interesting and like... makes enough sense to me for him and where he's at after The Everything.

I just gave this 'how Kon has changed across the eras' post of mine from a while back (fall 2021, so written shortly after the whole Suicide Squad Match Ordeal™) a re-read and something I was talking about at the end was how after all the experiences he's had he has looped back around to embracing aspects of his old self (that he'd been pushing away for a long time because of 2000's-era Trauma And Angst) and I think this current book is definitely like, playing with that.

What I was talking about in that post ended mostly after YJ 2019 though—his state of mind at that point being more or less 'okay I'm back now let's goooooo!!!!!' before The Horrors of realizing he came back to a world that really had moved on without him for years really set in. Like, he knew about that by the end of YJ 2019, but I think he needed to sit on it for a bit and see it firsthand... also even though I know the book was a mess and not well received, I think we should still acknowledge Dark Crisis: Young Justice—where he got a firsthand taste of the olden 90's 'I hadn't died yet, I hadn't disappeared yet, I hadn't been replaced yet' days in Mickey's dream world. After experiencing that and getting some reality checks from the rest of the team, he knows he can't seriously just go back, you can't go back to the past like that... but...

The new understanding of himself he'd achieved just before/while stuck on Gemworld—where we saw he was making active choices about who he's gonna be based on what he wants rather than Clark-based expectations or anyone else's input, and where he was rolling with the changes and circumstances that had been thrown at him—has been thrown SERIOUSLY out of whack!

So rather than it being that 'he's returning to aspects of who he used to be while incorporating the experience and maturity he's gained along the way over the years' situation from YJ 2019, it's started warping into 'he's regressing back to the safety of being the Metropolis Kid/his 90's era self just out in space this time so TECHNICALLY it's DIFFERENT'. Which I think is an interesting approach! And him acting completely and totally in denial of that being what he's doing (even though it's clear he knows damn well it is) is also totally in line with classic Kon—thinking back to the Young Justice (1998) #7 camping trip LMAO.

But like, the thing is, Superboy: The Man of Tomorrow #1 started with an editor's note clarifying it takes place before Action Comics #1051 which began the new family-focused era of the book... that Kon is very obviously present for.

So we already know he's gonna figure out that there is a place for him back on earth and that he doesn't need to completely regress and try to relive his past somewhere else, he can just be himself and carve out his own path at home and have a place within the family. We're not stuck guessing about what Kon's fate is gonna be after the fact—instead, this book gets to focus on this journey he's going through and we're along for the ride to see how he's gonna finally reach that conclusion! Which is fun!

Anyways, that was a lot of word dumping—Kon just gets me going man, you know he always does—but in conclusion: I'm enjoying the book overall, it has definitely kept me as a Kon fan engaged, and I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes!

+ as much as ideologically I am opposed to DC Round Robin, I'm definitely (at this point anyways) glad that this book got to exist.

#dc spoilers #tuesday spoilers

[submissivekillers]

Norman with an over confident but bad at flirting reader?

(love ur stuff btw)

y/n: has absolutely negative rizz norman: ohhh i can't not fuck them

in all seriousness after considering it.... i kinda feel like this is the ideal pairing for norman?

like, norman is a very pretty man. he probably has been hit on before. but because of The Problems, straightforward flirting - especially if it's sexual in tone - just makes him awkward at best, and completely shut down at worst (until mother bates comes out.) the flirt in turn either ends up unsettled by him or dead (or both)

but when you hit him with the silliest line he's ever heard, the sheer combination of flattery, confusion, and amusement manages to override all of that ingrained fear and shame and he just. laughs?

and MAYBE that be kind of ego crushing, except that he's still pink around the ears and hiding his face in his hands, and even when he sobers up enough to finish checking you in he's got this sweet, almost surprised grin on his face, like he'd forgotten how good laughter felt

so. obviously you're going to have to keep flirting with him, if it means he'll smile at you like that again

crucially, there's never any sense of pressure that accompanies your flirting. in fact, for a long time i think norman would operate under the assumption that you don't mean anything by it - you just seem so pleased whenever you get him giggling and clutching his sides, and you never make a single move to indicate you want anything more, so? clearly you're just a very friendly person who likes making people laugh, and he's nothing special

of course, you are So Very Into Him and screaming internally every time you get tongue-tied and end up spouting out some insane pick-up line instead of just telling him how you feel goddamnit -

but that's also fine, in a way, because from what norman shares with you about his past the last thing you'd ever want to do is make him feel trapped by your affection, and because you still get to see that cute grin. so you learn not to mind

i think norman would really admire your confidence; you seem to move through the world so easily, whereas he has so much weighing him down. he worries sometimes that he's too boring for you, plain and shy and still fighting that voice in his ear that tells him to make you disappear. but when he expresses those thoughts to you - lightly, trying to make a joke but getting a lil too self-deprecating with it - you get so earnest, taking his hands in yours and looking at him with warm, clear eyes

you tell him how happy you are to have met him, how much you admire his dedication to the motel and to becoming a better man, how you love hearing him chatter about his new taxidermy project or the strangers who pass through the hotel, and norman starts to realize that all that terrible flirting did mean something

naturally, the pick-up lines don't stop once the two of you finally make it past the pining stage. if anything, an established relationship just makes you lay it on even thicker - but it also means norman can just kiss you to quiet you down, an arrangement that neither of you have a problem with

MAJOR bonus points if, despite all your bluster, you melt whenever the attention is returned. you catch norman on a good day when he feels bold enough to respond with some teasing of his own, and you respond by turning into a blushing, stuttering mess? oh, he's hooked

local motel owner becomes absolute menace, more news at 6

in conclusion, norman bates will let you hit if you're goofy

#norman bates x reader #slasher x reader #horror imagines #slasher imagines #sfw #i love him so much oh my god #will now be incorporating this into the norman/reader/ash fic I've been working on for months brb #there are a couple ways to interpret bad at flirting but i went with 'cheesy and ridiculous' bc that is the way i am bad at flirting #silly jesters of the world unite

[kaisers-house-of-desires]

So I have an odd request, pertaining to Ghirahim. While I am very much attracted to him, it's a weird kind of thing where I'm also very frustrated with him. Would you mind maybe writing something where it's more of a homoerotic rivalry than anything? If not, that is literally entirely fair. My personal thoughts are something along the lines of "pinning him against the wall and kissing him if it'll make him shut up for five seconds, and definitely for no other reason than that yep"

Ah I think I see what you mean, reader. A type of love/hate yes?

You find him quite attractive but shit you want to wipe that smug smirk off his face.

You want to knock him down a peg or two in a sense.

I think this will be fun~

Title: Just Shut Up

Characters: Ghirahim x m!/gn!reader

Contains: boss battle fight, make out

Fandom: Legend of Zelda

Full request below the cut

All characters are 18+

MINORS, FEM ALIGNED, AGELESS/BLANK BLOGS DNI

Reblogs > likes

The sound of metal clashing with metal rang throughout the air.

Ghirahim's sword clanged with your own, the demon looming over you nearly every chance he got. Each time he came close to striking you down, you would dodge or use your shield, and everytime you came close to the same conclusion, Ghirahim would disappear, only to reappear some feet away with a counter attack.

This would go on for some time, leading you to believe there was no way of beating him, and your time was simply being wasted. Amongst the clashing, Ghirahim would shoot an insult on occasion, as if he was tugging at your nerves. His voice was growing annoying, and you vowed to shut him up soon so you didn't have to hear the grating sound. However, one unexpected swipe of your feet, and Ghirahim had you flat on your back, his rapier-like sword pointing down at you.

"How dull...and here I was expecting a challenge." He was mocking you again, already seeing victory in his eyes, but you wouldn't stand or that...or take it lying down for that matter.

Using the shield to knock his sword to the side, you rolled away, pivoting yourself to a kneeling position. Ghirahim sighed, irritation evident on his face. This browless gaze sharpened, as if he wished he could pierce you with his gaze. Instead, he lunged, his anger clouding his judgement.

"Oh will you just fall already?!"

This was your chance!

With one final clash, your sword swiped his, and with the momentum Ghirahim had, you spun him into the wall, his back hitting the brick with a thud and a groan escaping from his throat. The metal of your sword was mere centimeters away from his neck, and the demon, for once, was stunned.

"Y-You..."

Oh no. No no he had spent all his time talking, now you'd finally get the chance to shut him up.

Your lips locked with his, heat blossoming from the connection. He wanted to push away, but his shock overrode his anger, and he remained in place.

Seconds felt like minutes, but you were soon to pull away, the two of you panting lightly aganst each other.

"For five seconds..." you breathed, staring up at the other with flushed cheeks. "Can you just shut up?" Before he could utter a rebuttal, your lips reconnected, silencing him once more.

The Demon Lord would be lying if he said he hated this. On the contrary, the power struggle was quite fun in his eyes. He would prefer to be on the other end of the sword, but this would have to do for now.

#kaisers house of desires #x reader #legend of zelda #the legend of zelda #x gender neutral reader #x gn y/n #x y/n #ghirahim #lord ghirahim #gender neutral reader

[good-beans]

This is depressing but I have a HC that Fuuta’s mother had died shortly after she and his father divorced, and his dad never told him nor his sister about it.

HEY. HEYYYYY. 😭 I GUESS I’LL JUST CRY THEN

From a thematic standpoint this makes me crazy because one of Fuuta’s big themes is invasion of privacy (stalking/doxxing someone and now being afraid of prying eyes) – so such a major gap in information is extra painful. It would be so easy for him to look her up and find out what happened! He could have the whole story in a few minutes, with a few clicks! But he doesn’t, and his father knew he wouldn’t. Whatever happened between her and the Kajiyama family was bad enough that Fuuta refuses to look into her at all. It’s clear he’s emotionally avoidant, and it’d make sense that he avoids any thoughts of her after she’s gone. This makes his interrogation question even more heartbreaking, since he’s finally facing his emotions head-on, no matter how painful they may be. He’s finally growing and changing and ready to admit to his failures/needs, and it’s waaaay too late. 

On the other hand, you mentioned a version where she dies while he's in Milgram, neither of them aware of what's happening to the other. I am so emotional about the prisoners’ families on the outside ;---;

Even if they aren’t great support systems, it breaks my heart thinking of them worrying themselves sick over their loved one’s sudden disappearance. I don’t think Yuno’s family knew about her nighttime activities, but either way their young daughter is gone and there’s so many horrible possibilities it could have been. If the Kusunoki parents heard that Muu’s friend was stabbed and their teen daughter was missing, what awful conclusions must they come to about her getting killed/kidnapped? Shidou’s relatives and coworkers hear about the accident, and then never hear back from him. They know what kind of mindset he was in, and know what that means. Similarly, when Mahiru’s family hears her boyfriend’s body was recovered after a suicide, and no one has heard from their daughter, there’s really one likely outcome. Mikoto promises to come home, but he never shows. His sister cries reading reports of bloody murders at the train station where he makes his daily commute. Kotoko’s family (and maybe Lucky herself) know that she got involved with a powerful family accused of kidnapping. So when she’s gone without a trace, they must be wracked with grief that they finally got their revenge. 

All that to say, Fuuta’s family is equally heartbroken when their son, just having turned twenty a few days ago, doesn’t make it home to celebrate. His mother gets her first call from the family in years, and instead of good news, they tell her that her little boy is gone. I don’t know how you pictured her dying, but if she was in a bad state now, this could definitely be the thing that pushes her over the edge. Now, when Fuuta returns to his life, he’ll discover another death that happened “because” of him. Even if his father and sister don’t blame him for disappearing, I can’t imagine him shrugging off that guilt so easily…

In conclusion. OUCH.

#milgram #fuuta kajiyama #and most of the others mentioned #(i didnt name everyone but i think it applies to all of them) #WAAHH thank you im SAD ;----; #i am unwell about that question where he says he wants to see his mom #hes young!!!! freshly 20!!!! he both would miss his parents/be immediately missed if disappearing like that #so to have her die before he can see her again??? to finally be ready to accept her love and its too late??? #its always too late for him..... #posts that make me inconsolable over milgram characters #tw suicide

[munv]

𝗪𝗔𝗦 𝗜 𝗗𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗜𝗡 𝗔 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘? I know ya'll missed me frfr im on life support and I've been sick for a week straight..hospitals are nice man (somewhat)

𝗬𝗼𝘂 allowed him to lay on you before your back started to ache from the uncomfortable position you were in. You opened your eyes to find him staring at you with something in his eyes you couldn't quite distinguish. Something close to slight possessiveness you dare say swirled in his eyes before they disappeared in a second.

"We should get going now," you said making move to get up, "the others might be waiting for us by now."  He slowly got off of you before you noticed the male next to you was a bit too silent for comfort.

You'd understand though, if you had kissed someone who you only got to know for less than a week you'd be contemplating your feelings too.

Making haste you grabbed his hand and started to get a move on, "enough pondering! We can do that later"  

You all were at your last stop for the day at the beach once again. Riko and Gojo decided it'd be only fair to get crepes to end off the day and you could've sworn they were basically shining like the idiots they were.

Along with kuromi the two settled on buying the crepes instead to "surprise" you and geto. With much hesitance you let them off the hook coming to the conclusion that it was much deserved after everything that has happened.

Now here you were, walking along the beach side trying to make sense of what was happening. "You look like you have a lot on your mind" he said from beside you. Turning to look at him with a shocked expression you noticed he wasn't sparing you a glance. 

Stopping in your tracks you kicked a rock and looked to the side where the sun was setting, suguru stopped walking and glanced at you with a raised brow waiting for you to say something. 

"Y'know..I'll be honest. Suguru..I want to save Riko." There was silence for a hot minute. "What do you mean by that?" He took a step closer. "I don't want her to die, think about it suguru. She has so much to live for and yet she's so young   Giving up her future for a bunch of people."  You side eyed him for a second before fully tuning to him. "Why are giving up our futures? I'm starting to wonder what we're fighting for"

He took a minute to let everything you said soak in "I.." "I think.."

As much as you all enjoyed your trip it was finally time to go, It was around 8AM when you all bid farewell to the small little paradise. The small adventure you had with your group had almost come to a close, however it was time to take the final steps into the school. With you and Satoru's  techniques on just to make sure things were safe the entire trip. 

Yet, something felt off, there was this feeling you got that didn't quite sit well with you. Was it that you were finally going to lose your little sister? no, besides that. You felt as if someone's eyes were preying on you, the entire trip you felt this way actually but you didn't make haste to chase after the feeling. Too afraid that if you strayed too far from the time you could be spending with your friends you wouldn't have such a luxury in the future. 

"Y/n-san, is there something wrong?" suguru asked looking at you. You had been silent half the time back without going for any sly remarks against him and Gojo which he can tell isn't normal despite knowing you for that short amount of time. "do you need to rest?" he stopped walking and took your hand gently, 'he was worried' you noted. Ever since what happened back at the beach you two grew unmistakably closer.  "yeah.. I'm fine, just a bit exhausted y'know" you smiled softly at him. 

Before you could notice, you all were at the final step at long last. "Good work everyone" you checked your phone and it was around the same time yaga sent you all to get back. Perfect

You slowly started to deactivate your technique along with satoru, riko was on your back since at the last staircase she proclaimed she was dying and needed her wonderful elder sister's love and attention. Kuroi had taken out a handkerchief from her pocket and moved to the other side of your shoulder where riko was, delicately wiping the sweat off her forehead; she then moved along to yours which earned her thanks from you. "what a relief.." your younger sister mumbled out with the last piece of energy she had

"it truly is," kuroi said with a small grateful smile. You properly fixed riko on your back before turning to gojo. "I suppose we should get a move on then..I don't think we should of kept everyone waiting as long as we have so far" with a sigh

"satoru" gojo picked up and looked at his best friend who held a hand on his hip. He conjured up a smile and took that as a sign to keep talking, "you worked really hard this time" he let it sink in before sighing along with, "I never want to get stuck babysitting a brat ever again" his eyes stopped glowing signaling that he finally deactivated his technique as well. "hah?" riko looked over to him from your shoulder with irritation getting ready to bicker again. 

You and gojo haven't been avoiding one another per se, 'it's just a bit awkward after the kiss and all'. Is what you opted to tell yourself instead. crunch

Something was wrong again..you could really feel it this time, it's as if..something had finally revealed itself and the feeling made you sick to your stomach. Shakoly turning to wear the sound emitted from your face morphed into something of shock. Blood but whos? It couldn't have been Kuroi, no way that was possible since she was right beside you..and it couldn't have been suguru either, so who-

oh

You could've thrown up right there if it wasn't for the fact that riko was on your back. Drip, drip, drip

It was the sound of his blood falling. 

"this..isn't.." 'possible' is what you should be saying, but how can you deny the reality in front of you? Gojo slowly turned to the man behind him, the man who had impaled a whole-ass sword in him. the man you had sensed but could never really put a finger on. "have we met before" a nervous smile decorated his face and sweat ran down his temple. 

"Don't worry about it" his eyes then opened with the most smug look on his face "I'm terrible at remembering guys' names, too." You were still shocked but your main priority was Riko 

With the way that man was acting, you could tell gojo wasn't his only target. In an instant his feet were swept off the ground by satoru's technique, along with suguru who sent oneof his curses at him with a wave of the hand. The worm(?) flew up into the sky and devoured him in one gulp, leading to it falling right onto a small little bumpy patch of grass at the side. Suguru ran over to his best friend in worry "Satoru!" yet he held up a hand against him with a smile "i'm fine..my technique didn't make it in time but at least it didn't get any vitals" he made haste to stand up.

He stopped to look at you and suguru, "you three focus on getting riko to tegen-sama" He started to stretch 

"Ill deal with this guy.." 

"Satoru.." he muttered under his breath, but before he could say anything else you already started to get the move on with kuroi. "Suguru!" your voice caught his attention "Let's go! we can come back for him later!" you yelled out already running with riko on your back. 

So many thoughts started to swirl in your head all at once. Even when the man revealed himself you felt as if something was still watching you. It wasn't right to dispel your worries after what just happened, but you still had to prioritize riko first. 'hopefully..nothing else bad happens' 

TAG-LIST: @tabbycake @vduxx @thebigcheez @sattosugu @96jnie @sammyiguess @bao-yu-sarah-morningstar-wang-9 @boo-kugo @vile-woman @itsmekalou @tojisworm69 @bbynday @whats-humanity-lol

A/N: working on my mini event as we speak gang, on that grind. im hurrying this up cause Shibuya arc is out and im catching up with the series

#{-muxis writes #x reader #x y/n #headcanons #headcanon #oneshots #jjk series #jjk x reader #jjk s2 spoilers #jjk s2 #jjk x you #gojo satoru #geto suguru #riko amanai #star plasma vessel #shoko ieiri #jjk manga spoilers #gojo satoru x reader #suguru geto x reader #geto x gojo x reader #jjk 2006 #young gojo #young geto #jjk headcanons #toji fushiguro #older sibling reader jjk #riko amanai x reader #jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu tech #young shoko

[the-king-andthe-lionheart]

There was this line in the book [Fire and Blood] that always fascinated me. Daemon's wife, the Lady Rhea Royce of Runestone fell off her horse and her skull was crushed in the fall. And I read that and was like, "that's such a weird detail to include with no context around it. [...] Obviously Daemon went home and murdered his wife." 

Ryan Condal said this after episode 5, and I want to examine it.  Mostly because I think this is the wrong conclusion to make, and I have wholeheartedly disagreed with the interpretation that Daemon killed his wife even before I really cared about him as a character.  So I want to look at the entirety of this passage:

A year later, in 115 AC, there came a tragic mishap, of the sort that shapes the destiny of kingdoms: the “bronze bitch” of Runestone, Lady Rhea Royce, fell from her horse whilst hawking and cracked her skull upon a stone.  She lingered for nine days before finally feeling well enough to leave her bed…only to collapse and die within an hour of rising.  A raven was duly sent to Storm’s End, and Lord Baratheon dispatched a messenger by ship to Bloodstone, where Prince Daemon was still struggling to defend his meagre kingdom against the men of the Triarchy and their Dornish allies.  Daemon flew at once for the Vale.  “To put my wife to rest,” he said, though more like it was in the hopes of laying claim to her lands, castles, and incomes.  In that he failed; Runestone passed instead to Lady Rhea’s nephew, and when Daemon made appeal to the Eyrie, not only was his claim dismissed, but Lady Jeyne warned him that his presence in the Vale was unwelcome. (Pg. 374, Fire and Blood)

So now I want to argue against the notion that Daemon killed his wife.  

The Source:

Fire and Blood is a biased source of history written by Archmaester Gyldayn during the reign of Robert Baratheon, who uses several historical sources that may or may not be true in his recounting of Targaryen history.  Maester’s learn their craft at the Citadel in Oldtown where the Hightowers are Lords, and it is said that the Citadel was founded by Prince Peremore the Twisted, the second son of King Uthor of the High Tower.  The Citadel has always been incredibly loyal to the Hightowers.  The Starry Sept in Oldtown was also built by Lord Triston Hightower, in honor of his mentor and earlier regent, Septon Robeson.  The Faith of the Seven has always had issues with Targaryen’s.  Oldtown in general just seems to have issues with Targaryen’s.  Once you read Fire and Blood, one thing is for certain, during the Dance of the Dragon’s Daemon is painted in a really bad light, and he’s accused of killing a lot of people even though some of them make no sense.  The telling of Fire and Blood is pro-Green.  And yet….Daemon was not accused in Fire and Blood for killing his wife, Rhea Royce, unlike all of the other accusations of deaths thrown at him, so let’s get into the reason why he couldn’t have done this.

Daemon was nowhere near the Vale when Rhea Royce died.  He was all the way in the Stepstones.  I’ve seen people say that he could have easily flown on Caraxes and immediately disappear after killing Rhea, but why didn’t anyone see his dragon if this is true?  And I’ve seen people say that maybe Daemon hired a Catspaw or an assassin to kill Rhea Royce, and I have to question why they would leave Rhea Royce alive?  Rhea Royce survived for 9 days after cracking her head, and was actually awake.  If someone tried to kill her then why didn’t she say so?  Now let’s argue that she doesn’t remember her attack, like Bran doesn’t remember who pushed him from the tower, but I still have to question why Daemon or an assassin would leave Rhea alive?  Surely Daemon has enough money to employ a good assassin?  Maybe not a Faceless Man, but someone skilled enough and ruthless enough to do the job right.  After all, we aren’t talking about someone who would make the same mistake as the literal 12 year old Joffrey Baratheon in the main series.  However, I have to question why Daemon would do this now?  Why wait so long to kill his wife in the books?  Daemon married Rhea Royce in 97 AC and Rhea dies in 115 AC so why did it take 18-19 years for Daemon to do this?  It’s obvious they never got along, so why not cut his losses a couple of years in, and then marry someone he actually likes/loves or stay a bachelor for a few years?  Like I don’t even think you can argue that he was just waiting around for Rhaenyra, because why?  Rhaenyra was born the same year he got married, 97 AC.  So if he was waiting for Rhaenyra, why not cut his losses earlier in order for him to try to wed Rhaenyra as soon as she flowered?  Instead Rhea Royce’s death comes after the rumors of Daemon and Rhaenyra being sexual together AND Rhaenyra was already wed at this time to Laenor Velaryon as they married in 114 AC.  And let’s not forget that as soon as Daemon left the Stepstones he began courting Laena Velaryon and then wed her.  It really doesn’t sound like he was doing what was depicted in the show - killing Rhea to try to wed Rhaenyra.

I also don’t think it’s an odd detail to say that Rhea Royce fell in a hunting accident and cracked her head without context, after all we get none of the gritty details about Aemma Arryn’s death beyond the fact she died in childbirth.  It’s not like it says one way or another if Aemma died from childbed fever or hemorrhaging or a c-section.  I’m not even sure what Ryan Condal thought was weird about that statement.  My guess is that he doesn’t realize how dangerous horses and horseriding can be.  I grew up around horses and people who ride horses.  It’s typical for people who regularly ride to get injured in some way by horses.  When I was a kid, my mom’s horse reared up and smacked my mom in the face, knocking out a couple of her teeth and she had to have stitches.  I’ve been around people who have broken their ribs, hurt their backs, broken their collarbones, etc. all from riding horses.  Horses are also animals that can spook easily.  And let’s not forget that the Vale is rocky terrain.  It’s more than plausible to get thrown from a 800-1500 pound horse and smack your head on a rock, cracking your skull.  Even the most expert of riders can be thrown from a horse at any time.  HORSERIDING IS DANGEROUS!  Now if you don’t believe me I’ll give you some facts:

Each year, horse riders are injured, hospitalized or killed as a result of horse-related accidents and injuries.  Despite technological advancements in equestrian safety equipment, horse riding continues to be found more dangerous than motorcycling, skiing, football, and rugby.   Whilst injury can occur simply from handling horses, falling from a horse constitutes a dangerous fall from height, possibly at speed.  A rider’s head can be elevated up to 3 meters (9.84 feet) from the ground and horses can travel at speeds around 50 kilometers (31 miles) an hour. source

Now let’s look at some motorcycle accident statistics in America:

There were 89,000 motorcycle accident injuries.

45% of motorcycle accidents result in more than a minor injury.  

There were 4,985 motorcycle deaths in 2018.

4.24% of all motorcycle accidents are fatal.

80% of all motorcycle crashes result in injury or death. 

Now let’s look at how common head (and other) injuries are from horse related accidents:

Head injuries are associated with approximately 60% of all equestrian deaths and 18% of equestrian injuries.  

Aside from death, brain injury survivors may suffer personality changes, intellectual and memory impairment, or epilepsy.

Head injuries are associated with approximately 60% of all equestrian deaths and 18% of equestrian injuries.  

Aside from death, brain injury survivors may suffer personality changes, intellectual and memory impairment, or epilepsy.  

Falling or being thrown from a horse accounts for the majority of mounted injuries, while being kicked or trodden on, accounts for most dismounted injuries.

Dismounted injuries require hospitalization approximately 42% of the time, while mounted injuries require hospitalization in only 30% of incidents.

Fractures, soft tissue damage, and head injuries are the most common types of injuries inflicted by horses.

The arm, leg and head/face are the most common body parts to be injured. source

It is not outside the realm of possibility that Rhea Royce did die from being thrown from a horse, thus smacking her head on a rock and dying 9 days later.  It is more than likely, because like I said even the most expert of horse riders can be thrown from a spooked horse and die.  I also want to mention how incredibly unlikely Rhea Royce was hawking alone.  Lord’s and especially Lady’s in her position would not go off alone, and usually hunting/hawking is a social sport for both men in women in our real medieval world.  Rhea should have had other ladies and attendants with her.  It would be incredibly weird, and awfully plot convenient for a noble woman to be off hawking alone in a territory surrounded by dangerous mountain clans.  The fact that Daemon isn’t outright accused by the source, tells me that there were witnesses to this event.

I completely disagree with Ryan’s interpretation of this part of the text.  It seems to me this is a man who didn’t check his facts on how dangerous horses can be or look at the context in which this could have happened.  It’s obvious, he pretty much considers Daemon more of a villain than a truly gray character at this point in the show, which is incredibly unfortunate considering this quote:

Over the centuries, House Targaryen has produced both great men and monsters.  Prince Daemon was both.  In his day there was not a man so admired, so beloved, and so reviled in all of Westeros.  He was made of light and darkness in equal parts.  To some he was a hero, to others the blackest of villains. (Fire and Blood)

So far we haven’t seen much of Daemon’s light in the show, and there are certain photos from trailers that suggest Daemon is going to go around killing more people that are “in his way”.  I can only hope that we will see more nuance for his character in the writing of the show going forward, that doesn’t entirely depend on Matt Smith’s acting to make him seem more complex.  Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate the show, so far I am loving it overall, but that doesn’t mean I can’t have criticisms, and so far my biggest criticism is the whitewashing of Alicent and Otto in the first 5 episodes to make them “more sympathetic and complex” while not even bothering to do the same for the characters that make up Team Black, yet more of them are surprisingly still complex and sympathetic even with flaws!  Shock.  Gasp.  And I’m not saying I expected Daemon to be whitewashed, I didn’t.  Daemon isn’t some poor little meow meow.  However, I expected him to be more of a middling gray character, rather than utterly chaotic and murderous, character with invented impotency problems.  I love me my gray characters, so I wouldn’t EVER want Daemon to be whitewashed by the narrative.  However, showing Daemon killing a bunch of people now in the story, I fear, is only going to cheapen a hugely significant event he orchestrates out of obvious grief and anger most likely in the beginning of S2.  But not only that, in my opinion the whole opening scene of episode 5 was not only poorly written but poorly edited and directed.  It was confusing.  At most they should have left Rhea Royce’s death open to interpretation like Daemon’s supposed “heir for a day” comment about whether he actually said it or not and in what tone and context.  I mean we already knew that Viserys exiled him back to the Vale, so in my opinion I think at the very least it should have been left off screen with the next time we see Daemon sauntering into Rhaenyra’s wedding.  And frankly, they could have used that five minutes to further establish the future relationships we’ll be seeing in the 10 year time jump.  And while I’m not a book purist, I just don’t see the point in re-interpreting and actively creating a different scene when you honestly can’t argue about the way Rhea Royce died.  In the show Rhea Royce was paralyzed, and Daemon obviously killed her immediately with a rock, but in the books Rhea Royce lingered for 9 days before dying, and she wasn’t paralyzed, as she was walking around the hour before she died.  So why completely reinvent this part of the story?  I’m sure you all will counter that they changed Aemma Arryn’s death, by her having a c-section, but that’s not the same.  We didn’t get any details beyond “when Queen Aemma was brought to bed in Maegor’s Holdfast and died whilst giving birth to the son [...]”  There are no details here saying one way or another how Aemma died in childbirth.  It could be easily said she did have a c-section, so it’s not an entirely new thing they created.  Aemma still died in childbirth, when Rhea Royce obviously instead died the day she encountered Daemon, despite lingering for 9 days in the books.  Maybe if the interpretation and the scene had been written and filmed better, I’d be more forgiving, as I’m fairly forgiving of most of their decisions, but I just think re-imaging this scene to be something so different than what was depicted in the books, regardless of unreliable narrators (which honestly doesn’t count when it comes to straightforward causes of death, because why lie about things like this, when it’s obvious they aren’t trying to blame someone for the fall?).

So regardless of my own opinions about how the scene was written, directed, and edited, and how Daemon has been being portrayed so far, I really hope I’ve convinced you all, or at least gave you food for thought, that it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Rhea Royce in fact did get thrown from her horse, and sustained a serious head injury from the fall.  As it’s definitely more common than I think Ryan Condal knows.

#daemon targaryen #house of the dragon #hotd #asoiaf #a song of ice and fire

[mooncurses]

Ok I've never read the books so this is movie-related only, but I find it interesting how smeyer was SO CLOSE to creating the best story of vampiric found family galore but she instead went for the most weirdass characterization I've ever seen just to push Bella and Edward's love story.

Like we all see how depressed Bella is after moving to Forks. She feels abandoned by her mother, can't connect with her father and all of her classmates seem to be too carefree for her to relate to them. She looks like she is coming to terms with the idea that her life will be forever miserable in that small town. BUT THEN she finds out about the local incestuous family that looks like it's made up of real size porcelain dolls and she is genuinely interested in something other than books for the first time in weeks.

When she and Edward get paired up in biology class and he acts so weird and rude she is not only offended but curious to find out why, and the fact that she can't confront Edward about it because he suddenly disappears from school only makes him and his family even more suspicious to her. Also the fact that there is a good chance that his strange behavior was directly triggered by her, someone who usually tries to make herself anonymous, bugs her and puzzles her at the same time. The curiosity is so much that she doesn't even consider forgetting about it, planning to actually take an active role in this situation to go and talk to him to find out what his deal is.

HOWEVER when Edward comes back to school he is somehow even more awkward than before as he does a 180 in the way he treats her and for some obscure reason starts trying too much to get to know her. Now, for a teenager to have one of the cool kids take an interest in you is a very validating experience, but in this case it only adds to the weird aura that surrounds the Cullens in the first place, because the whole succession of events makes no sense at all. Sure, Edward looks neurodivergent (I've decided that he is, but that's not important here) and his siblings too only interact between themselves and individually seem to have peculiarities of their own, so it could be nothing important. But at this point Bella is also slowly starting to notice weird things about this family that point at much more disturbing conclusions than simple social awkwardness or eccentric character. She goes full cryptid amateur on Edward and quickly figures out that he is indeed a weird little guy, but that he is also a vampire and so is his family. After she confronts him about it, Edward tells her that he can't stay away anymore because she's just too attractive as a snack and also as a social experiment for him (yk, since she is the only person he is motivated to have an actual conversation with because he can't just read her mind as he does with everyone else). The depressed boy is now officially obsessed with this random cryptid loving girl. I believe that at this point Bella is too, but on a more intellectual level than him: she simply feels like she has found something that will finally give her dull small-town life a kick and she's not giving it up, no matter if she gets eaten in the process.

So now the two depressed kids hang out all the time and cherish their time together by providing each other with mutual entertainment. Edward therefore decides that he wants to introduce her to his family, both because he is putting all of them at risk by getting close to Bella and an explanation is probably due, and also because he wants to make it clear that this is the best time he's had since he was turned so they just better accept the fact or die mad about it.

Now the Cullens just generally let them be because they know that Edward is a sexually repressed and depressed oddball. Also Carlisle and Esme probably insisted for their kids to attend high school while in Forks because their understanding of humanity sucks after all those years of only frequenting each other so they wanted them to relearn how to interact with the human world in a safe and routinized environment. But up until now none of them actually made any fucking effort, so they decide that since Edward is the first to give socializing a shot in this sense he gets to keep his human. Also Bella seems to be ok with them being undead and it's not like anyone in Forks would believe the word of the new girl anyway.

So far so good. Nice basis for an interesting development and cool characters. HOWEVER, this is the point in the movie where things start to get OH so basic and lots of opportunities to explore cool themes just get swiped under the rug of cheap and unnecessary romance.

Like just imagine. We could have gotten something along the lines of Bella slowly getting to know Edward and the whole family better instead of swooning over him for no understandable reason (he looks crusty af I'm sorry, like I love the guy but he is not boyfriend material, his skin literally looks like mozzarella and he is stalkerish of Bella in a way that she could only have accepted out of sheer academic interest for his nature as a vampire, while on the other hand finding him SO intense as a person). Bella could have been free to develop her interest in cryptids while also finally feeling like she is part of something bigger and learning to feel confident. On a practical level she could also have provided for the entire family and Edward in particular the human equivalent of what Alice is for Jasper, a person that provides reassurance for the vampires to feel confident about their capacity to control their urges and loosen up a little. Her humanity could have also played a rehabilitating factor not only for the younger Cullens but for Esme and Carlisle as well, since all of them have lost touch with some parts of their mortality actually, and they confess to struggle to grow as people because of this.

Basically what I'm envisioning is a Bella Swan therapy dog human AU, you could say. After some time spent with the Cullens she could have also started to envy their immortality bc to have an ultrastable family dynamic is exactly what Bella thinks she needs to finally be okay. And if she pushed the matter, the Cullens would ofc refuse bc they know how big of a loss it is to no longer be human. However Bella being insecure as she is would probably register their refusal as them being patronizing and lowkey not really valuing her as a person, maybe only wanting her around bc the fact that she is human brings something to the table for them, so her turning into a vampire would mean that they could no longer make use of that. This if better explored could have provided a realistic introduction of the central conflict underlying the whole series in a much better way than just Bella wanting Edward to turn her bc she as a 17 yo was for some reason in such a hurry to become immortal because she didn't want to grow old while he stayed young ???? Like sorry but to have Bella actually age a little like the fine wine she is before even thinking of making her a vampire would have been SOOO much better. Just imagine if Bella got to grow older than all of the Cullens before being transformed and this was the reason why she is so good at controlling her urges.

OH and letting the story take this course could have easily created a better slow burn for Edward and Bella in the first place. Like at first Bella could have felt merely protective of Edward and not returned his feelings, possibly while pursuing a relationship with Jacob instead. But then as he learns to not see her as a captivating anomaly but as a person and starts acting normally around her instead of stalking her, she could have slowly started to allow him to get closer. In this way, Edward could have been the submissive toyboy that he is in peace, but also behave like an equilibrated person by giving Bella space to explore relationships with other people.

TL;DR: The saga could have been a vampiric coming of age drama with the struggle between the volatile but evolving nature of mortality vs. the stable but sterile nature of the undead as a central theme. Of course tho smeyer had to go for the cringest way possible to barely allude at this idea. Smh.

#twilight #bella swan #edward cullen #rosalie hale #carlisle cullen #esme cullen #jasper hale #emmet cullen #alice cullen #twilight saga #smeyer #twilight au

[talesofsorrowandofruin]

Relationship Snippet Tag

No one tagged me. I’ve just written two Phileo scenes for Houses Full of Deceit and I want to share them :D

The first one, AKA “it’s a beautiful day in Enniskillen and you are a horrible assassin”:

When Phil answered the door she expected to see the postman. She did not expect to come face-to-face with Seo Yo-han. Especially when she hadn’t known he was in the country.

“Oh! Hello,” she said, bemused. He’d brought someone with him. Someone who hung around in the background with his hat pulled down over his eyes. Phil jumped to the most likely conclusion. “Are you investigating another murder?”

“Yes and no,” Yo-han said, which didn’t make much sense. “I’ve brought, ahem, someone who needs a safe place to stay. For a few days.”

Phil gave him a Look. It was the sort of Look meant to say, If you think I'm going to take in a random stranger who is possibly involved in a crime at a minute’s notice, you’ve got another think coming. She opted for a more tactful remark. “I’m sorry, you must have written but I haven’t got your letter.”

“We didn’t write,” the stranger said. His voice was familiar. Very familiar.

Yo-han wisely stepped out of the way. Phil marched up to the “stranger” with a grim expression.

He continued to speak, but his voice grew more unsteady with each word. “We didn’t have... time... to write... because...” He trailed off as Phil stopped in front of him. He pushed his hat back to reveal his face.

It had been three years since she’d seen him. His hair was dyed brown. He had either grown a moustache or was wearing a fake one. He was thinner than she remembered. But there was still no mistaking him.

Leopold Colman smiled sheepishly. “Hello, Miss Patton.”

Phil stared at him.

Then she punched him in the face.

“’Hello, Miss Patton’?” she repeated furiously as Leopold staggered back. “You killed my aunt, got me arrested and could damn well have got me hanged, then you disappear for years, rarely answer my letters, and when you finally come back all you can say is ‘Hello, Miss Patton’?”

“I answered your letters as often as I got them,” Leopold protested. “I don’t exactly have a permanent address.”

“No, you’re too busy touring the world and killing people!”

The second one, AKA “what’s in a name?”:

“What is your real name?” Phil asked curiously.

Leo was silent for so long that she thought she’d offended him. When she looked over she saw he had his face scrunched up in a ridiculously-adorable thoughtful expression.

“I don’t know,” he said at last. Phil’s eyebrows shot up. He hurried to explain. “I was never christened. Everyone at the... er... everyone around my mother just called me “boy”. My mother called me Jack one day and Pete the next. I assume she meant to name me John Peter. I couldn’t exactly ask her. She... had a disease. That damaged her mind. Some days she didn’t recognise me at all.”

Phil didn’t know what to say to that. ‘And I thought my childhood was bad’ was too tactless.

“Where did Leopold Colman come from, then?” she asked instead.

“I just liked the sound of Leopold, and I got Colman from a mustard jar*.”

*Colman’s mustard, founded in 1814 and still produced today. (Out of universe Leo’s surname comes from Ronald Colman, but he hadn’t become famous yet in the 1890s, so I had to find a different namesake for Leo to choose in-universe.)

Tagging @elshells, @akindofmagictoo, @eccaiia, @late-to-the-fandom, and anyone else who wants to do this! :D

Adding Deceit’s taglist: @lightgriffinsect, @oh-no-another-idea, @kittensartswriting (Let me know if you want to be added to/removed from the taglist!)

#tag game #writing #my writing #my WIPs #WIP: deceit #the case files of seo yo han

[wildkitte]

Creusa must die

I have been a little bit obsessed with Creusa’s character ever since I first translated Aeneid in my first ever text course in university 5 years ago (dear god). Her disappearance, Aeneas’ devastated, mad dash to find her and her final appearance as a ghost have been haunting me for all these years without an end in sight. Apparently not everyone shares this obsession, as there is comparatively little research on her (if we compare to Dido or Camilla – perhaps only Lavinia is as ignored as Creusa is and she at least has Ursula K. Le Guin batting for her), and even my professor said: “Creusa just dies, but it doesn’t really matter why she does”.

But it does matter! Creusa’s disappearance is the only way the Aeneid can happen! Creusa’s death is the only way Aeneas is free to perform his duty to Rome! Creusa must die, so Rome can be born!

It’s interpretation time, baby.

In a way Creusa is the perfect wife – for both Aeneas and also in the sense of Augustan values. She is loyal to her husband, she has performed her duty as a wife, bearing a son for Aeneas. Creusa is also the one to remind Aeneas to fulfill his duty as paterfamilias and protect his family instead of seeking death in the carnage of Troy (see 2.675-678).  Rivoltella’s article La Morte Di Creusa E Didone Nell’Eneide Ed Il Motivo Del ‘Seguito Amoroso’ details the motif of following (sequor) in the Aeneid and touches on this topic of Creusa as the ideal wife.

Now... You can probably imagine how devastated I am that I have apparently not saved anywhere the summarized translation my prof provided for me of Rivoltella’s article (there’s also interesting stuff about ‘following’ as an erotic motif in archaic Roman literature but also in later erotic poetry, i.e. Catullus – it’s a really good article, shame I can’t understand Italian). If you want to read it, it can be found here – if I remembered smth incorrectly I’ll be forever ashamed

But from memory: in the Greek marriage tradition, the place of the wife is at home. When man goes to war, wife stays behind (as a mirror to the Aeneid, we can raise Penelope from the Odyssey – she stays behind, waiting for Odysseus for 20 years, staying loyal to him by staying where he left her), and the battlefield is traditionally the place of a man. Roman marriage tradition is different in this sense, or at least attitudes had shifted a little by the time Vergil was writing the Aeneid. The duty of the wife was to support her husband, which then developed into wives leaving the household to follow their husbands to previously male-dominated places – for example, the battlefield (at least Julia the Elder, Augustus’ daughter, apparently travelled to meet Agrippa where he was campaigning when they were married - almost died because of a flash flood on the way too, funnily enough in Ilium).

From this perspective Creusa is kind of best of both worlds: she both follows her husband to exile, following him as a sign of ultimate loyalty – but with her death, her ghost is kept in Troy “by the gods’ Great Mother”, and so she stays, like a good wife should, at home, tending to the corpse of Troy forever. Creusa, with her sacrifice, performs pietas – duty to the gods (delivering the prophecy), duty to the country (ensuring the founding of Rome and continuation of the legacy of Troy), and towards family (convincing Aeneas to stay with his family, demanding he care for their child, and sending him away to his journey).

Rivoltella suggests that Creusa even “over-sacrifices” herself – she is ready to follow her husband to peril, while also ultimately staying in Troy, so devoted to her husband she is ready to sacrifice herself for his fate. Keith (2000) suggests that “if Aeneas seals the success of his imperial mission with the ‘sacrifice’ of Turnus at the conclusion of the poem (12.950-2), he inaugurates the epic project over the ghostly shade of his wife.” Creusa’s death and her prophecy is the catalyst for Aeneas’ entire journey, the final push out of Troy.

There’s also of course the fact that without the loss of Creusa, Aeneas could not love Dido. Dido and Aeneas are inherently connected by tragedy, widowhood – I do not think Dido could have opened her heart to Aeneas, or that Cupid’s attack on her would have been as effective, without this connector, the devastating premature loss of their spouses. But Creusa has also given Aeneas something Dido has not and can never give: a son, a child to continue the line. That she has given Aeneas a son is something that already puts her “above” Dido in a way – Dido has not birthed any heirs, does not even have a little Iulus to remember Aeneas by as he leaves. Creusa’s son will be the one to continue the great line of Trojan kings and become the founder of the glorious line of Roman people. In this way, too, Creusa has fulfilled her duty to both Aeneas and the future Roman empire.

Creusa’s prophecy can’t happen without her death either: she promises him “a royal wife” waiting in Hesperia, and naturally Aeneas can’t marry Lavinia if Creusa is still alive (and same would apply to Dido, if they had ever been married – sorry Dido).

Creusa is actively an obstacle for Aeneas’ fate, and like user @cakemoney​ BRILLIANTLY pointed out:

[ID: tumblr tags #aeneid daily #something something from a character standpoint juno is an antagonist because she just hates his ass #from a metaphor standpoint juno is the antagonist because devotion to family / duty to your spouse is? an obstacle? #that aeneas must overcome / cast aside in order to found the roman empire? hhhhhhh. End ID]

I am literally eating my hands, this is such a good observation. Marriage is an obstacle in Aeneas’ fate! If he stays in Troy for Creusa, if he stays with Dido, he can’t fulfill his duty. And so, he must be miserable for the rest of his life (my prof pointed out that he seems to accept Lavinia as his wife out of obligation, yet another thing that has been decided for him, and at this point he is simply too tired to resist).

My best friend started reading the Aeneid after I had talked their ear off about it for the past year, and just finished book 2 with this brilliant observation: Creusa acts as a metaphor for Troy itself. Just like Aeneas goes back to her, and she is already gone, so is Aeneas’ struggle to found Troy over and over again doomed, because Troy is now ashes and forever out of reach (no matter how much he wants to embrace it, manus effugit imago…).

Creusa died the moment the Greeks breached the city gates and yet Aeneas drags her memory across the Mediterranean, planting cities that never grow, shadows of the former kingdom and what once was, a pale imitation of what he lost that night. “There in store for you happy days,” Creusa tells him, but I think that ship has already sailed.

So Creusa must die, as does Troy, so that fate can be fulfilled. She must die so Aeneas has to do what gods have set out for him to do. Creusa is Troy – she must burn so Aeneas can leave, and yet he spends all of his journey dragging her corpse behind him, never free of the ghost that disappeared to thin air in his arms.

And that’s all folks, my final Creusa post! Thank you for indulging with my analysis of my favourite Aeneid blorbo, I shall cease tormenting the tag with my rabid dog energy (at least until she gets mentioned again lmao). Your tags have been absolutely wonderful btw, and like said, if you have more Creusa articles for me or want just want to rave about her, PLEASE DO!

Here finally the promised reading list:

Grillo L., 2010, Leaving Troy and Creusa: Reflections on Aeneas’ Flight, CAMWS 106, 43–68.

Hughes L., 1997, Vergil’s Creusa and Iliad 6, Mnemosyne 50, 401–423.

Keith A. M., 2000, Over Her Dead Body, Engendering Rome: Women in Latin Epic, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 101–131.

Perkell C., 1981, On Creusa, Dido, and the Quality of Victory in Virgil’s Aeneid, Women’s Studies 8, 201–223.

Perkell C., 2021, Creusa and Dido Revisited, Vergilius 67, 117–138.

Rivoltella M., 2002, La Morte Di Creusa E Didone Nell’Eneide Ed Il Motivo Del ’Seguito Amoroso’, Aevum Gennaio-Aprile 2002, Anno 76, 81–100.

#creusa #aeneid daily #the aeneid #wildkitte #this post is a little all over the place bc this is the stuff i was forced to cut out of the final thesis #this isn't linguistics this is literary analysis said my prof and it's true #im still a bit miffed #so i haven't really done my reading properly since march. sorry #hope you've all enjoyed my creusa insanity this week!

[zombiboon]

A Genjutsu Date with Itachi .

I couldn't sleep, and seeing a campfire scene led me to listening campfire ambience + lo-fi playlists and then that led me to writing this at 1AM. Unedited bc I'm lazy.

Warnings: None Characters: Itachi Uchiha, Kisame (Briefly Mentioned) Tags: gn! reader, fluff, sleepless nights, campfires, nicknames/couple pet names Date Posted: may 10th, 2022

The pitter-patter of the rain absorbed all your attention; it had for a while now. You had been staring out the window for what felt like hours now, staring endlessly into the nightly rainstorm with you only separated from the wind chills and downpour by the walls of the hotel. You adjusted the blanket around your shoulders, tugging it back around you for more comfort. 

Kisame’s snores reached your ears, surprisingly delicate for a man of his stature. You envied his ability to just… pass out the moment his head hit a pillow. 

“Darling?” 

Itachi’s calm voice was quieter than usual— likely to keep the silence for the lone sleeping person in the room. You turned to Itachi, seeing him sat up in his futon, his Akatsuki cloak hung over his shoulders. His eyes were black for once, no longer that striking crimson red of the Sharingan; even he needed proper rest. You mutter a soft apology for waking him but he was quick to shake his head. “You haven’t.”

He crawled out of his futon and walked over to you, footsteps silent as ever as he once was trained to do so. He sat on the window’s bench, across from you, causing you to tuck in your knees. “You haven’t gone to bed at all tonight, what’s keeping you up?”

To be honest, you don’t have a clue; you weren’t able to take a nap, and you weren’t sick, you just couldn’t sleep. Thankfully, you didn’t need to explain. Itachi reached his hand out, letting his thin and calloused fingers soothingly rub your hand in comfort. “Then, what do you think will help?”

You took a glance over towards him, taking in his features which were half lit in the moonlight. His slim, striking eyes that only seemed to soften in that specific way around you, his heavy tear-troughs, and his subtle smile, only noticeable by the corners of his lips. You took a quick glance back outside, exhaling sharply through your lips as you gazed down towards the endless forest outside. There was something tempting about heading out there, starting a fire and sitting in front of it until daybreak. You clenched onto the edges of your blanket as you stated, “A date.”

He seemed taken aback by your request, lips parting in surprise. But he followed your eyes, gazing out into an open area in the forest; the perfect place for a campfire. His lips pressed firmly into a line. “Darling, it’s pouring out there, you’d get a cold.” In Itachi fashion, of course his mind remained on solely you instead of including himself. “And a fire wouldn’t last in the rain.”

You shrunk at his words, a little disappointed but you expected it. “That doesn’t mean we cannot have a date by a campfire.” His words caused you to perk right back up with intrigue and some subtle excitement as you eagerly waited to listen to his idea. He leaned in and cupped your cheek, thumb dragging across your skin. He tilted your head upwards, bringing your eyes to meet his. No longer were his eyes the onyx black, now they returned to that crimson shade that always seemed to shine in the shadows. 

The world around you twisted and distorted— there was no need for subtleness when you’d come to the conclusion quickly anyways. The hotel room faded away as the real world disappeared, your senses departing from reality. The next thing you heard was the howling of wind and crickets chirping in the distance, but the main thing that attracted your attention was the crackling and popping sound in front of you, accompanied by a nice warmth. You finally let your eyes flutter open, you have no idea when you closed them but you did. 

You sat on a half log bench in the middle of a forest, a lively fire burned bright in front of you, lighting the area with a warm light; its embers and smoke glided towards the starry sky. You caught on to the smaller things such as the faint flow of a river in the distance, or how a raven would flap its wings and fly off into the sky, blending into the purple hues of the night. Admittedly, you couldn’t stop the smile from your face. Even if it was another one of Itachi’s genjutsus, it was calm and relaxing, it brought your soul to ease. 

As you relaxed, leaning forward, you heard subtle footsteps behind you. You tore your eyes away from the dancing flames just in time to see Itachi stepping over the log bench then sitting down beside you. “Was this what you imagined?” he questioned. When you nodded in response, he smiled. “Good.”

He swung something over you, his Akatsuki cloak, and he wrapped his arm around your shoulder. With a small press of his fingers, he guided you to resting against him, head laying on his shoulder. His hand gently rubbed your shoulder, comforting you. “Enjoy the warmth, my darling… And get your rest…” he whispered softly.

#itachi uchiha #itachi x reader #itachi x y/n #naruto imagines #uchiha #naruto #akatsuki #fluff #soft

[queerfables]

911 season 5 part 2

5x03

Gosh this is so scary, I hope Harry is OK!!

He's out of the car, I'm so proud of him

Holy fuck, Bobby

Yeah, when Athena sent him back to work I thought that was a bad idea. As if he's not freaking out too.

LOL Athena shot off his dick?? That's fucking hilarious

Oh man this is a great scene, with Michael breaking down and Athena calming him down. Two great actors doing their all.

Oh Harry was so smart getting the lady to film

Harry!! He's safe!!!

Lmfao of course the power comes back now

Oh Ana knows what's happening

"I thought it would work"

Oh Maddie. This is rough.

5x04

Oh Chimney is not okay

Oh jeeze they've mixed up the girls, haven't they? She wasn't telling them her name she was trying to ask about her friend T_T

Oh Chimney. That was a beautiful scene, him talking about Maddie and the baby and how scared he is and him feeling like he wasn't there for Maddie enough

Yeah, the girls got mixed up and they told the parents their daughter was alive and she's not OOF

Hen I don't think you should be the one to do this

Oh I'm so emotional about them hugging the other parents

Oh God this is horrible

I wondered if Buck had spoken to Maddie. He seemed remarkably calm about her disappearing again

Oh no this is cute, Harry and May talking about their stuff together

Harry telling May to be mean to the mean lady at work, delightful

Hen and Chimney are such important besties. I love their relationship so much.

5x05

Athena what the FUCK

You just hit your kid that is NOT OK

I have enjoyed this episode but I haven't had much to say about it

5x06

Oooh another name I recognise as being a good Buddie-sode

Wait is that Mark Pellegrino?

Hi there familiar face

Oh shit did Buck and Eddie just get kidnapped?

Sorry that "escort" just seemed super shady

Haha omg yessssss

Oh they're so pretty when they have guns on them

Aaaah Buck just got hit in the face protesting against them threatening Christopher I'm so!!

This is a great set up

Oh jeeze they took the transponder out of the ambulance

No one knows where Buck and Eddie are. delightful.

Jeeze I hope Probie makes it out ok

Buck does not want to leave Eddie in that ambulance

Aaah so it should be good news that the police ambushed them but of course EDDIE IS STILL IN THE AMBULANCE

Hostage situation baybeeeeee

Oh man his demand is empathetic and impossible, what a great narrative device

Lmfao oh no he's won over Eddie with his sob story I love this

Oh Eddie he's not coming out

God, Buck's face when the gun went off. Running outside screaming Eddie's name!!!

This is a great episode

Ugh Eddie and Christopher being soft at the end

5x07

Buried alive again!!! Great trope. I hope someone from the 118 has it happen to them next

Oh he's OK thank goodness

Hey it's detective friend!! Looking cool with his badass throat scar

"That was weird right" "No comment" I love Taylor, and everyone else's antagonism towards her

Honestly they're kind of making her too nice, I would like her vulnerable side to go back to being a little more hidden. I like her best when she's a bitch.

I'm really enjoying Taylor and Lou trying to solve this case in tandem

Ok I think I've got it. My sense was that the guy wasn't just cagey when talking about how he ended up buried, he was nervous or guilty about something. My guess is that he was trying to kill and bury someone out in the woods, possibly this missing wife, but they got the jump on him and buried him instead

Oh they've come to opposite conclusions I love that

It's gotta be something else then

Maybe it's the guy she's having an affair with?

"I'm so confused" that's hilarious

Okay listen I was feeling super moved about Harry going back to the house where Jeffrey took him, but when he fell through the floor two feet from the wall he almost died inside I couldn't help but laugh. That house really has it out for him.

Oh I'm really happy Harry has someone he can talk to who he feels like understands him finally.

Oh Harry I'm so proud of him for dealing with this

5x08

"I'm going there" Wow that's one way to discuss a life changing international move with the guy you've been living with for over a year

Oh they are really soft though

Omg he's gonna propose!!! T_T

"Now I'm gonna have three dads. Father's day is gonna suck." Lmfao aw Harry you're so cute

Oh Michael's whole family helping him is so cute. I bet none of them could have imagined it being like this back in season one when everything was so painful and new.

An explosion?????

Oh no I'm gonna cry this new big brother is so sweet. But also this is why you don't tell kids that looking after another person is their responsibility, because they will take it VERY seriously and maybe put themselves in danger trying and never forgive themselves if they can't

All of the firefighters evacuating the babies is very cute even though it's scary

Oh no the big brother is looking after his baby sister T_T

I don't think that is room 318. It didn't look like a 3. Maybe a backwards E? Could it be a reflection?

Eddie and Buck doing stupid reckless things together to save people <3

Yeah ok now I'm sure they got the wrong room. Those kids aren't dead!!

Ugh Buck talking Eddie through it T_T

See!! They're OK!!!

Told you!! Reflection!!!

Crying with laughter over Bobbie high key proposing to David for Michael

Oh no Athena is so sad Michael is leaving

Ugh this montage saying goodbye to him is making me tear up. I knew he was leaving but I'm still saaaaad. I really loved the character, it won't be the same without him.

5x09

Omg I hope these two ladies have a thing, they're cute. Gabbi and Chloe.

Oh they are definitely flirting

This is a hell of a meet cute

LOL ATHENA check who is at the door before you start flirting with them

"Tay" that's a cute nickname

It's fun that we're getting an episode with a focus on Hen's mum

"My Abuela would eat this up, she loves a good telanovela" "Oh, cause you don't?" Love when Buck and Eddie dunk on each other in a way that shows how much they know each other

Awwww Buck showed up for Taylor even though she said not to

Aaah the ladies from the start of the episode

Jesus for a moment I thought Buck's only reaction to Taylor saying "I love you" was gonna be "Good" thank goodness the boy has some sense

That was a cute episode

#911 abc

[themattress]

One Villainous Scene - Father and Son

The manga adaptation of Neon Genesis Evangelion is my personal favorite version of the story, and one of many reasons for that is the depiction of Gendo Ikari. During the climax of the series, one particular scene shared between Gendo and his son Shinji especially stands out, as it’s the moment the cold, remote Gendo finally opens up with how he truly feels.

This scene encapsulates everything about Gendo and how twisted he is. When you get down to it, he’s really a lot like Shinji - growing up unloved by his father, leading him to develop his own deep sense of self-loathing, and he allowed himself to become twisted by it. Yui came into his life and her love touched him deeply, almost to the point where he could have gone down a better path....but only if he had let Yui’s love for him open himself up to loving himself. Unfortunately, he didn’t do this. He instead deified Yui, placing her on a pedestal and making his own emotional well-being entirely dependent on her and her love for him. This led him to become jealous of his own infant son when Yui began showing him more attention. And then it led him to madness once Yui disappeared; her soul sealed inside of Eva Unit 01.

Gendo’s own elevating of Yui as this light from God ended up boomeranging on him, as when he lost Yui he naturally turned to God when it came to finding someone or something to blame. And this led him down the rabbit hole of seeking revenge upon God...by hijacking SEELE’s insane, self-righteous plan for humanity and using it to ascend to godhood himself, thus becoming able to retrieve Yui’s soul and then rule over humanity by her side. Once Gendo is no longer a man, he will never have to fear losing anything again, he will never have to fear feeling hurt again. It’s horrifying. It’s evil. But it’s also understandable. That’s what makes Gendo such a great villain: you get why he came to the conclusion that he did even if you don’t agree with it, and you can’t deny that his villainy comes from a place of great inner pain. You hate him, but you also pity him. He’s not a monster; he’s all too human.

So much of his dynamic with his son Shinji also becomes apparent in this scene. “For you, I have never felt love”. These words can be taken at face value; Gendo’s attitude toward Shinji across the whole series certainly backs it up. However, how then do you explain his insistence at letting all of these feelings out at Shinji for the express purpose of making Shinji understand him? And beyond that, to get Shinji to join him in seeking revenge upon God and the world, and to ultimately reunite with Yui? If he just resents Shinji for hogging Yui’s love, then why bring him aboard this plan that would result in Shinji still receiving that love? And just look at his body language, which starts off aggressive but then becomes almost gentle, kneeling down alongside Shinji and softly holding his hands to both sides of his head.

Clearly, Gendo does love Shinji....or at the very least, possesses the subconscious desire TO love him, but his conscious self refuses to act upon it, since if he loves Shinji, what would happen if Shinji got taken away from him like Yui was? He’s too afraid of that pain to risk it. And that’s what makes him such an effective foil to Shinji, who ultimately overcomes this fear and understand that as imperfect as the world and humanity are, everything will turn out all right if you can engage with them from a place of self-love. Rather than aim to ascend to godhood, Shinji learns to be content just being a vulnerable human being. It’s a character arc that wouldn’t be nearly as effective without Gendo to serve as a dark and tragic contrast.

#Evangelion #Gendo Ikari #Evil #Analysis #One Villainous Scene

[sir-yeehaw-paws]

MGSV: The Official Guide

*Please note that although this is the MGSV guidebook, the two sections of MGSV (These being Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain) are denoted by their respective titles. Thus, at times there is specific notation as The Phantom Pain,  or Ground Zeroes, within the text. This is true of the guide)

Transcription by: @swooshywoo​

The top of the page is titled “WHO IS ISHMAEL?”

There is a note at the beginning.

“Note

At the request of Konami, we cannot conclusively reveal the exact truth about Ishmael’s identity here. This final thread of the full Metal Gear Solid V narrative is actually revealed in a special post-story “secret” mission, and acts as a reward for truly dedicated players. Instead, this section examines available evidence acquired prior to the secret mission.”

The main article is as follows.

“When Bis Boss awakes from his nine-year coma, he is assisted (indeed, saved) by a mysterious man called Ishmael –  the occupant of the other bed in the two-person ward. Ishmael has bandages on his face, so we can never tell for sure who he is, but his voice is eerily, immediately familiar. When Big Boss asks who he is, Ishmael enigmatically replies:

‘Who am I? You’re talking to yourself. Been watching over you for nine years, and… call me Ishmael.’

Towards the end of the prologue, where Big Boss escapes from the hospital in Cyprus, Ishmael disappears after the ambulance they are riding in crashes. Big Boss leaves the vehicle and is soon rescued by Ocelot – but Ishmael is nowhere to be found.

The most obvious explanation would be that Ishmael does not exist. A mere figment of Big Boss’s imagination, Ishmael is a device conjured up by a mind struggling to cope with both rediscovered consciousness and the desperate need to escape the chaos at the hospital. In a sense, Ishmael could be his survival instinct in corporeal form. This idea is backed up by a variety of factors: the way that Ishmael vanishes like a ghost; the fact that the hospital staff never seem to address or acknowledge Ishmael’s presence next to Big Boss in the opening scenes; his assertion that Big Boss is talking to himself when asked who he is; and the most salient detail, that he appears to have the exact same voice as Big Boss. All of these clues combine to suggest that Ishmael might be a hallucination that Big Boss uses to inspire his incredible escape, against all odds.

Were it that simple! There are many moments in the prologue that make it clear that Ishmael is undoubtedly real. Quiet, when she arrives to assassinate Big Boss in the hospital, has a short radio conversation where she acknowledges Ishmael’s existence: ‘Not yet. The patient in the next bed saw my face’, she says. If she can see a patent next to Big Boss, it means there actually is one and everything about the defeat of this assassin suggests a second party. Secondly, during the ambulance escape, Big Boss is clearly seated in the passenger seat on the left, with Ishmael driving on the right hand side – which makes perfect sense only if Ishmael is a real person, as right-hand drive vehicles are the norm in Cyprus, just as in Great Britain. Hallucinations might be a useful source of gestures, advice and motivation, but they certainly can’t accelerate, steer and shift gears at high speed – and the same could be said of anyone riding shotgun with an imaginary friend at the wheel. Finally, when Big Boss later asks Ocelot about the identity of the man who helped him escape from Cyprus, Ocelot pointedly ignores the question – something that will raise alarm bells for all players familiar with the ways and wiles of that particular character.

If Ishmael really exists, the question is: who is he? Though it is impossible to solve this enigma with absolute certainty until a secret mission is unlocked by fulfilling very specific late-game requirements at the end of Metal Gear Solid V, huge clues can actually be found in the closing cutscenes of the Ground Zeroes episodes and – in extended form – in the Phantom Pain reveal trailer released in 2011.

The first key clue is that the on-board medic who removes the first bomb implanted in Paz’s body has a very similar (practically identical) voice as Bog Boss. He only speaks a few words during these scenes, but the evidence is irrefutable: his voice is at least a close match.

A second clue can be seen when this medic deliberately sacrifices himself and shields Big Boss from the detonation of the second explosive that was implanted in Paz’s body. His behavior is not surprising given that he must be one of Big Boss’s most trusted men, which you can easily surmise from his presence on a critical operation. As a consequence, you would expect the medic – and not Big Boss – to have suffered the brunt of the shrapnel impacts. The man that takes center-stage in the The Phantom Pain – Ahab –  clearly has a huge and unmistakable piece of shrapnel protruding from his skull, an object that apparently cannot be removed without causing irreparable brain damage. Which leads us to…”

Page one ends, page two begins.

A third and decisive clue is revealed during the scene that follows the crash of Big Boss’s chopper, set in a nearby medical facility. In this, Miller is badly wounded but conscious. Big Boss, on the other hand, still in his outfit from Operation Ground Zeroes, is on the brink of death. The huge, nuclear-grade reveal that is made in this cutscene lasts for no more than a couple of seconds, which is why so many fans will have missed it. Big Boss’s face is briefly seen, and it most definitely does not feature a piece of shrapnel evocative of a horn on the right-hand side of his head.

A final clue comes from Miller in that very cutscene, seconds after Big Boss’s face is shown. Miller asks the doctors: “How is he doing?” to which the doctors reply that Big Boss is stabilized but in a coma. And at this point, Miller adds: “What about him?” clearly talking about a third patient in the room, just off-camera in the foreground. Who else could that man be, other than the on-board medic who sacrificed himself to protect Big Boss – the medic whose body must be riddled with shrapnel from his position at the open side door after the explosion and during the moment of impact?

For long-serving series fans, the fact that Ishmael’s corner of the room is decorated with a distinctive flower with white petals – the Star-of-Bethlehem, inextricably associated with The Boss – will be seen as a smoking gun. The single vase positioned close to Ahab’s bed is moved there by a nurse: itself a potential clue.

There are more hints scattered in the Phantom Pain main storyline for those who pay close attention. For instance, when Emmerich sees Big Boss for the first time, in the hangar where he is rescued, he looks closely at his face and appears dubious that he really is Big Boss, as if something about him doesn’t quite add up. Something similar appears to occur when Ahab retrieves Volgin’s body in Chapter 2: a moment of recognition that seemingly quells the flames of the Man on Fire. Most tellingly of all, when Ahab first encounters the “phantom” Paz at Mother Base, there are clearly two versions of Big Boss on board the helicopter during his hallucination.

Another example is found during the scene where Ocelot interrogates Eli – someone who we can safely assume to be Liquid Snake, one of the three clones created in the “Les Enfants Terribles” project – after the latter facilitates the escape of child soldiers from Mother Base. When Eli asks where Big Boss is, Ocelot replies: “I told you, your father’s not here”, even though Ahab is watching the scene on the other side of a one-way mirror. Perhaps even more tellingly, a genetic test performed on Ahab leads to negative results. It is implausible that such a test would fail to establish a connection between Eli and Big Boss since they are clones – yet another hint at Ahab’s true identity.

#mgs #mgsv #guidebook #mgsv guidebook post 4 #nate scans #swooshy transcription #photo with text