#Me @ me: God jsut shut the fcuk-

[hoseas-angry-ghost]

YES YES YES I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR UR THEORIES

Hello anon! I am very surprised anyone wants to hear my chutney but here's my Strange Man Hot Take with some hopefully interesting info for curious parties:

To be honest, R* included so much misdirection around the Strange Man's identity (especially in RDR1) that I'm not *totally* convinced they're married to any one idea. RDR2 also complicated things by introducing new religions into Red Dead's world (Voodoo, Old Norse, etc.): he's no longer limited to just Christian / Western interpretations, as in RDR1, and it's possible R* might try to syncretise him with figures from other faiths (they did place Bayall Edge in Bayou Nwa, where most of the Voodoo stuff is).

At the same time, though, I think RDR2 actually narrowed things down somewhat in terms of the direction R* chose to take his character, and what we were shown of that. There's still a level of misdirection in RDR2, but IMO, it almost comes off as half-hearted in comparison to what was basically trolling in RDR1 -- it seems like they were a lot more focused on playing the "bad news" angle the second time round.

Based on what we know, and on the balance of things, I'm not convinced that the Strange Man is necessarily meant to be any one thing or figure, but I do think he's meant to fulfil some type of Satanic role within Red Dead's world, either in main or in part.

I won't compare and dissect other theories or anything, I just thought I'd list off some things that people might find interesting:

Armadillo. The deal between the Strange Man and Herbert Moon seems to be a pretty textbook Faustian bargain: Moon is offered earthly rewards ("happiness or two generations"), and although the price was (tellingly?) never specified, it seems like the recent Blood Money update for RDO all but confirmed that the cost was probably his soul. Although it's left ambiguous what Moon actually chose, the Armadillo curse was possibly an unforeseen (for Moon) consequence of the deal's terms, which would fit with similar tales of the devil or demon in question taking liberties with their end of the bargain.

In the files, there's some great audio of Moon off the shits and straight-up saying "I've made a deal with the devil, and I will never truly die!" It's possible this was cut for its own reasons (too overt?), but as a lot of stuff was apparently cut from Armadillo, I'm guessing it was either cut when Arthur in New Austin got cut, or it was part of something that R* didn't have time to implement in the epilogue. Either way, if it's not actually in the game then it's not technically canon, but it is an indication of what R* was thinking during development.

There's a lot of audio from the Armadillo townsfolk in general about devils and "devil curses," but the only thing I know of that definitely made it into the game is a line from the town crier ("Devil has the town in his hand").

There's audio of the Armadillo bartender saying "I heard the Tillworths made a deal with the devil to keep from gettin' sick! I don't wanna die any more than the next man, but ain't no safety worth a man's soul." Possibly idle gossip, but given Moon, possibly not.

RDO seemed to flirt with the idea of soul-selling a little bit with Old Man Jones' line "Well, this is America, so anything can be bought -- even souls," but then RDO pretty much just came right out and said it with Bluewater John in the Blood Money update. Bluewater John also apparently made a deal, almost definitely with the Strange Man (given the Moon deal and how close Bayall Edge is to all the drama); he was based on blues musician Robert Johnson and the myth that he sold his soul to the devil for mastery of the guitar. It's basically a rehash of the Moon deal, except it's... not subtle in its dialogue about deals, devils and souls.

"I GAVE EVERYTHING FOR ART, AND I LEARNED TOO MUCH AND NOTHING AT ALL" written on the wall at Bayall Edge also sounds like a reference to another one of these deals to me ("everything" being their soul, and "I learned too much and nothing at all" the foolishness of accepting eternal damnation for temporary knowledge). I think Bayall Edge might have originally belonged to a painter who struck a deal with the Strange Man for artistic skill, but then the Strange Man slowly possessed him or something -- which could be why some of the landscapes depict RDR1's I Know You locations, and why the writings on the wall kind of look like they deteriorate in quality. The puddle of blood at the foot of the portrait might also be linked to this somehow (whose is it?).

It's the deal-making for souls that really pushed the "devil" theory over the edge for me, because I can't think of whose wheelhouse that would be in except a devil's, or someone similarly malevolent.

Alternative name. The Strange Man's character model is called cs_mysteriousstranger in RDR2, and he's referred to as "the mysterious stranger" at least once in RDR1's in-game text. This could be a reference to The Mysterious Stranger, written by Mark Twain between 1897-1908, in which the stranger is a supernatural being called Satan. (At the end of the last version written, he tells the protagonist that nothing really exists and their lives are just a dream.)

Bayall Edge. Bayall Edge was possibly based on a Louisiana urban myth called the Devil's Toy Box, which is "described as a shack. From the outside, it is unappealing and average. ...The inside of the shack consists of floor-to-ceiling mirrors, including the walls. No one can last more than five minutes in this room. ...According to the legend, if you stood inside this mirror-room alone for too long, supposedly the devil would show up and steal your soul." The Strange Man does show up in the mirror eventually, and it's kind of curious that the paintings that change depending on your Honour act as metaphorical mirrors. This was also cut, but in the files, Arthur's drawing of the interior of Bayall Edge is unusually sloppy, like his faculties were impaired or something.

"Awful, fascinating and seductive". John writes this about Bayall Edge after the portrait is finished, and I think that's as good a description of something like the / a devil as any, but "seductive" is a big red flag for me, because it's such an odd choice of word and, from a Christian perspective, it's so loaded with connotations of evil and sin and temptation.

I Know You. Some have pointed out that I Know You in RDR1 resembles the Temptation of Christ, as it also takes place in three separate locations in the desert, and John is given moral tests in which he must choose between higher virtue or worldly vice. John is also, in a weird way, a kind of Christ-like figure in that he ultimately sacrifices his life for others. I do think the "temptation" in these encounters is very surreptitious but very much there ("Or rob her yourself" -- excuse me??), but they may also be operating on a Biblical definition of the word, i.e. a test or trial with the free choice of committing sin.

RDR1 dialogue. I don't want to get *too* much into this because I feel like we're all just getting punked in RDR1, but I think the Strange Man's dialogue broadly fits with something like a "devil" interpretation, or at least doesn't contradict it.

I'm thinking particularly of lines like "Damn you!" / "Yes, many have" (which would work metaphorically but also literally, given that the devil was thrown from heaven by God and his angels), and "I hope my boy turns out just like you" (of all the leading theories, I think Satan is the only figure who's popularly conceptualised as having a son, or prophesied to have a son -- God obviously had a son, but that ship kinda sailed).

I think the "accountant" line refers to Honour (which even uses an invisible numerical system), and how John's fate depends on the number of both good and bad acts he's committed throughout his life, and how these weigh against each other. If the Strange Man likes to collect souls, then he would have a vested interest in auditing you and seeing if your accounts are in the black or the red, as it were (and providing you with opportunities to push yourself further into the latter...), because if you're bankrupt, you're his.

Blind Man Cassidy. Interestingly, Cassidy seems to distinguish between "Death" and the Strange Man, implying that he's something else beyond his understanding: in one of Arthur's fortunes, after his TB diagnosis, he says "the man with no nose [Death] is coming for you," but in one of John's fortunes, he says "Two strangers seek thee: one from this world, perhaps one from another. One brings hatred; I'm not so sure what the other brings."

Arthur's cut dialogue. In the files, there's audio of Arthur having the exact same conversation with Herbert Moon as John in the epilogue, asking about the Strange Man picture because he "just seemed familiar". I think it's interesting that, like John, Arthur also would have apparently recognised the Strange Man despite (presumably) never seeing him before. Given how strong a theme morality is in Red Dead -- and how much both John and Arthur struggle with it -- my theory is that they find the Strange Man vaguely familiar because they're both familiar with the evil within themselves, or the potential for evil; and likewise, the Strange Man "knows" John because he embodies evil in some sense, so is aware of John's worst sins (like his involvement at Blackwater), or possibly even all of his sins (which would be, like, a lot).

Honourable mention: There's such a greater emphasis on conspiracies, myths, etc. in RDR2 that I half-wonder if the Strange Man's RDR2 incarnation was partly inspired by Hat Man (~excuse the link~ but often it's hard to find good sources for the kind of weird shit R* includes in their games).

ANYWAY, this got a little long but I hope someone found all this at least passably interesting. Thanks again for letting me ramble about the video game man, anon!

#The Strange Man #inbox #Me @ me: God jsut shut the fcuk-

[starivaille]

[geraskier barista au extras] jaskier w long hair

just saw joey batey with long hair and now i cant stop imagining jaskier with long hair where he ties it into a manbun in my geraskier barista au ,, or like he has short hair and then is too lazy to cut it later when geraskier have an established relationship so he has this long hair ??

shoving another “”keep reading”” here and i hope it works,, bc it’s a super long post and i sWear iT IS worTH It

and he ties it up during a live bar performance or at work at the cafe and geralt just kinda falls for hIm hard. all over again. and geralt jsut wont ever stop running his hands through it,,

and gOd the Hair pUlling they do to each other during sex?? gOd save us aLl,, it’s lIke a kInk they both would totally have for each oTher,, they just revel in how they can use it as a restraint and tease each other when they get to close,, or maybe they just have a thing for their hands all over each other and the fact they both now have long hair juSt made it way bEtter?? like it just rules up geralt in a whole different way and adds this dynamic in bed

(geralt dOesnt mind both hairstyles,, but he does love jaskier in his manbuns and long hair)

also when they’re outside,, the way their hair is just down?? w out the hair ties ??? and the way the SUNLIGHT HITS IT?? geralt’s is like spun silver and jaskier’s is like melted hOney??? sTunningly gOrgeOus !! or the way that snow falls on their hair ???

also ?? geralt sweeping jaskier’s hair when it’s all sweat damp to the side?? and jaskier doing the same??? to him ?? when they’re in bed?? and jaskier being like “”you’re rly beautiful geralt”” and he says it bc it’s true and he believes it but also bc he knows geralt has never seen himself that way and it’s his life mission to make sure geralt DOEs sEe him in th way that jaskier dOes

this is why jaskier has tons of photos of him (polaroids, photos on his phone even videos!! of any random moments!!) and he also writes songs abt him!! usually metaphors and he totallt has this one song called white wolf !! and sings abt its beauty and how it takes a unique eye to spot a white wolf with golden eyes in midst of the snowstorm,, always searching and searching for something, someone and irl that would be jaskier, his little lark, his little bird singing praises of him

not to mention geralt braiding jaskier’s hair out of boredom or after sex ?? anytime. of the. damn. day. when he feels like it, he will do it - but he mostly does it when they’re alone bc it’s their little thing.

also at some point ciri teaches jaskier how to braid hair bc jaskier never learnt how and he wants to see geralt w them and jAskier kinda combusts when he sees geralt in braids for the first time and he kinda is just a mess ??

tHen he would totally think out loud and be like fuck fCuk i’m iN loVe with aN acTual Angel!! and geralt just fucking scoffs and kisses the crook of jaskier’s neck and says, “i can never decide whether i like you quiet or loud.” and trust me thAt shit gets jaskier sO worked up their hair gets all messed up and they hAve to do another rOund and uGh they’re just so intimate w each other??

also they totally end up sharing hair ties and sometimes jaskier just steals getalt’s bc fuck it he’s sO so nOt bOthered

also can u imagine how geralt would totally be all over his jaskier,, bc jaskier is scared when he comes back home with his hair back short and he’s like,, “”jas, jaskier, shut up and just make me coffee.”

and jaskier kinda just smiles bc hE kNows that’s geralt’s way of saying shUt up you fool i love you in every way and ur hair doesn’t change it and sometime later,, geralt gets his cut-

which LEGIT SHOCKS eVeryone bc ciri and yen have never seen him cut his hair before bUT DAMN he looks real gOod,, and jaskier is like who the fuck are yOu and what have U DONE TO MY GERALT but its a joke and he just spends a night of running his hands though his hair and it feels so new and jaskier just whines about how he’s a bit sad over how he can’t pull his hair anymore or braid it.

there are talks of growing it back whilst they’re in bed at the end of the day talking about everything and nothing all at the same time. jaskier is like “”you better grow out your hair again,,””” “”ciri just taught me how to braid flowers through this yt tutorial”” and he rants abt the process until he falls asleep exhausted. geralt then pulls him in closer for a cuddle and soon enough, he falls asleep to the sound of jaskier’s soft snores.

#geralt x jaskier #geraskier #geralt #geralt of rivia #jaskier #dandelion #the witcher #the witcher netflix #barista au #coffeeshop au #musician au #my writing

[multitudinus-a-blog]

BIG FAT ENDGAME POST

MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT

so a majority of this is just going to be me yodeling out of my own asshole because i’m literally going fucking feral and have been for about three straight hours and i’ve literally cried myself to the point of almost fainting from dehydration anyways y’all been warned lmao

TONY FU GUKING CLAPPED BACK H A R D IN THE BEGINNING THE W A Y BOB DOWNEY JUS FUCKIGN WENT FOR THAT WHOLE FUCKING SCENE MEATY AS F  U C K ON MYG GYOD the way he said liar had me going into a damn near conniption fit rIGHT THERE

starting the movie off with jeremy renner and giving a shit about hawkeye in the movie.......big fat n*ce

SOMEHOW I FORGOT HE WAS MARRIED TO VELMA DINKLEY 

linda cardelini is so incredibly valid i caNT

 S C  C  OT T

HOLY FCUK

PAUL RUDD FUCKIGN FLEXED HUH

WHEN HE’S SEARCHIGN FOR CASSIE’S NAME IN THE GRAVEYARD YALL I ABOUT SHIT A B R I C K

‘ anyone seen a piece of shit van??? ’ 

so anyways when scott reunites with cassie and finds out that she’s grown up in the five years its been i coiuldn’t stop thinking of my own dad and that got even worse when tony goes out into the woods on his n pep’s lil lakeside cabin the way he’s interacting with mORGAN

MORGAN FUC VGKIN STARK

‘ mommy sent me to come rescue you ’ IM SO

GOD HIS FACE WHEN THEY SHOW UP TO HIS FUCKING HOUSE GOD I LVOE HIM

scott is DOING HIS BEST

‘ it’s nOT....like time traVEl its..........ok that’s exactly what it is ’ YFODSAUFDSKALL IDIOT i lov u

scott actually having MAJOR anxiety and being nervous, the way he paces, getting lost, speech patterns, ugH

am i even gonna be able to finish this post??? PROBABLY NOT

im literally already emotional all over again jsut thinking about it

god tony rly said fuck thanos rights 

steve rogers rly earned my respect in the course of this movie and that is one HELL of an uphill battle god bless america’s ass

that was just robert staring at evans’ ass for the hell of it dont lie to me there was NO ACTING REQUIRED

HULK MESH BRUCE IM SO!!!!!!!!!!!

thor was fuckgin beautifully done bc he’s fuckgin depressed and dealing with the repercussios of being a failure and id die for him oh mgyoD???!?!?! let him play fortnite shut the fuck up

as soon as bruce mentions thanos’ name you see how fuckign broken thor really is and i Felt That

THE WAY BRUCE SPEAKS TO THOR IS SO IMPORTANT ABOUT HOW MUCH HE VALUES HIM AND HOW MUCH MERIT HE HAS AND IM JUST A BIG FAT FUCKIGN MESS OVER JUST THE INTERACTIONS IN HIS LIL NEW ASGARD CABIN

ALSO TONY AND NEBULA PLAYING GAMES AND HIM TEACHING HER HOW TO AND ABT SPORTSMANSHIP AND WHEN SHE PROPS HIM UP WHEN HES SLEEPING AND PROBABLY THINKING HES GONNA DIE AND ACCEPTING THAT UNTIL CAROL SHOWS UP

THAT SHIT HURTED

i literally cant fuckgin procss everything that happened there was so fuc f gkin much

“““““““howard potts”““““““

PEPPER DID THAT DID THAT

IF Y’ALL EVER LEAVE PEPPER OUT OF SHIT AGAIN I SWEAR TO GOD I’LL END YOU MY FUC GKIN SELF

HOLY FUCK SHE WAS SO POWERFUL

UGH

WE STAN THE MARVEL QUEEN S

strange making direct eye contact with tony and tony fucking k n e w

in conclusion tony stark was, is, and always will be the absolute heart of the marvel cinematic universe we know and not even his death can change that

avengers Actual Literal Inarguable Proof That Tony Stark Has A Heart endgame

sAM!!! GETTING!!!! TO BE!!!! CAP!!!!! GOD!!!!! THATS WHAT I DESERVE

wong being the absolute LEGEND he is for like FIVE WHOLE SECONDS OF ME LOVING HIM IRREVOCABLY

jeremy renner getting the fucking respect he deserves lord in heaven i love clint barton so fuckgin mjuch dond tfuc gkin touc  h me

say what u want abt scarjo but my god she DID THAT did that

BRUCE REALIZING NATASHA WAS GONE MY ABSOLUTE H E A R T

I COULTN TELL FROM THE GIFS IF TONY WAS THE ONE SAYING HUH THIS IS NICE WHEN HE HUGGED PETER BC HONESTLY IT CAN GO BOTH WAYS AND FRANKLY THEY KILLED ME

peter saying tony

i want to fucking die

im taking legal custody of morgan edwin antoinette baby girl stark 

please watch this movie i’m literally beggin gyou

#endgame spoilers #endgame spoilers / #avengers endgame spoilers #avengers endgame spoilers / #avengers spoilers #avengers spoilers / #a4 spoilers #a4 spoilers /