#They almost had us in the first half

[vynegar]

"Albie" (main story 11-21)

At the end of Episode 11 (Part 1), we find out that "Albie" is simply a name that Vyn made up on the spot when Rosa asked. He may have been inspired by his own birth name, Vilhelm Richard Albert de Haspran.

In Chinese, Vyn choose the name "阿明". "阿" is a prefix used to form nicknames, "明" can be a name but also means "bright, clear". In Vyn's Romantic Rail Getaway card "Food for Thought", he tells us the meaning of his name:

You can see the character 明 appear in the word 明亮 ("bright"), although 明 is such a common character that I wouldn't say that this Chinese text alone is enough is sufficient evidence to show the connection between the two names. It's the way that the "Albie" and "阿明" happen to coincide in the name "Albert", which made me take note of Vyn's "careless" choice in name.

If the Chinese name was intended to subtly reference "Albert", I can certainly imagine imagine this as one way to preserve that reference through translation, even if it becomes more obvious. We do have an example of the translation preserving plot-relevant wordplay in a name: Lowe Leare ("Lowly"), originally 萧仁 ("小人", both pronounced "xiao ren" but with different tones). However, there's also an incident of a plot-relevant name being missed through translation, though it was in an event (not the main story) that probably foreshadowed a distant plot point and had infamously bad translation issues.

Anyway, it remains possible that "Albie" is a coincidence. However, after Vyn and Rosa wrap up their conversation about Albie's name, the narration makes a comment on the importance of that moment:

It isn't until the whole case is settled that you are surprised to realize something... You had briefly touched on the key to cracking the case at this very moment.

...which at least gives me enough confidence to not feel silly writing up a whole post about it. We've only seen part of this case, and there's a lot of mystery still surrounding Vyn's behavior so I don't have any definitive hypotheses on why Vyn might have chosen his own name for Albie. Is there something that made Vyn seen himself in Albie? Did the delinquent's attitude remind Vyn of the cruel, stratified world that he was born in? Is he reminded of how people who have imperfections will be tossed aside and abandoned? I guess we'll see when part 2 of this episode is released.

#tears of themis #vyn richter #tot vyn #tears of themis analysis #mo yi #tot translation #thoughts of themis #was the ''albie'' reference really obvious or not?? i honestly have no idea. but it only clicked for me bc i was staring at both versions o #text side-by-side and i was like. WAIT A MINUTE. #doing fan translations is fun bc even after there's an official translation; you might read something almost 2.5 years later that triggers #some deep memories (bc u took so so long to translate and had to agonize over every single word choice oh my god) #god i did my first translations two and a half years ago. sounds CRAZY when you put it like that #but honestly great experience 10/10 i'm always wishing i could go back to that time. also nothing makes me feel more powerful than when i k #know i have an easily searchable script of certain cards thanks to my own translation. it was SO EASY to find that RRG excerpt #hmm should i crosspost to the themis subreddit. i do have an account but i use it mostly to talk about console otome games

[theoryofwhatnow]

crafting the game

(this has been in my drafts for ages)

#i've been thinking about the boys game a lot. #the event at the end of the movie that most of us first recognized as the cycle #(or at least most of whom i've interacted with after first finishing the film) #I'm gonna be honest this all started because i was making an edit #but that's neither here nor there. #Essentially i was confused about *the game* #and was wondering whether nigel won or lost before i realized i was looking at it all wrong #duh #Nigel was talking about the creation of the game that he would contribute to #not how it's played #which only became glaringly obvious to me after i'd sat there with my thoughts for almost a half hour #(give me a break i'm not stupid i've just had a rough few weeks) #Everybody played their part perfectly the schools order begins to fall apart #(alex headmaster's son leaves. nigel grandmaster's son dead alongside his parents. etc.) #the valiant hero forsakes the religious organization (McKenzie) #and everyone else takes their place unknowingly simply through existing. #Alex finds another boy and so it begins. #Finally out of death grief suffering and ruined sanity; the game starts but we don't ever see it. #start with a Jack and then fabricate the game #like minds #nigel colbie #alex forbes #murderous intent

[orangepajamas]

god I hate him *[holds him very gently]*

#it really is easy to despise him in the first half of the game #he literally had us in the first half #not gonna lie #but it's also almost like #he's an allegory for people that you expect should care about you #like family #but they're also the most critical of your flaws #shakdjskdj #this game has everything #disco elysium #disco elysium fanart #jean vicquemare #jean vicquemare gender envy all day everyday #artists on tumblr #fanart #de #jean heron vicquemare #man with sunglasses #sketches #harry du bois #kim kitsuragi

[darubyprincx]

[Image ID in alt text.]

the wax and sweat-stained hand of the king

#ray's tag #mcyt #empires smp #empires smp s1 #the copper king #pixlriffs #you guys are never going to believe what i painted in class today instead of focusing on my schoolwork #anyways im vibing with procreate even if i couldnt find the undo button for the first day and a half after using it #the hand and arm was painted directly over an image of a hand and arm in the same position btw #i almost had the hand shading on LOCK and then i fumbled the bag so hard yall dont even know. #anyways heehoo riffs #keys' art

[swordsandspectacles]

A little gift for @cigarettesandinevitablebetrayal who did the equivalent of letting off a small explosion in the group chat with some first escape vs bad end parallels.

And the visuals it inspired were like! Really fucking good!!! So. Started scribbling.

#Rashad basri #fhr #fallen hero #fallen hero spoilers #insofar as tattoos etc (which I almost forgot!!) #fallen hero sidestep #sadbh art #fun trivia and facts: #there are blue specks around Rashad in the bottom half to very slightly mimic stars but you have to zoom in a lot to find them #Rashad had a little ‘halo’ in the bottom panel that’s got #kinda to mimic the Galaxy up top #and uhh the Gradient map I used to add some nice saturation at the end is the same one I used drawing the heartbreak suit for the first time #oh also it’s the same Rashad just flipped with eyes repainted and a little bespoke scribbling on the hair #in case that wasn’t obvious #sadly no speedpaint bc the canvas is TOO fuckin LONG and the details are fiddly enough that it wouldn’t be fun to watch #alas

[sysig]

Cool guys, measured in C° (Patreon)

#Doodles #Fionna and Cake #Adventure Time #Simon Petrikov #Winter King #Mostly leftover doodles at this point - chilling (lol) #Ughhh I'm so frustrated by the first one because I'm so pleased with it but it's from a plot thread I had to cut because it suuuuucked lol #I mean it's not Terrible and I probably could reuse it elsewhere but it super doesn't fit into the timeline I drew it at >:P Rude #If I reuse it he'll look different! Ugh! The whole point is that he's cute Exactly Like That! #I got really into draw half-Winterized/Ice Kingified Simon for a bit and gosh heck his design - it never misses! Gorgeous #The rest was mostly around speculating Winter's senses returning after Everything - would it all happen at once? I don't think so ♪ #I've seen one interpretation that he kept his long hair but not the facial hair :0 It's interesting to be sure! #I like the idea of him having to kinda build everything back - even if it's able to be done quickly he still has to excavate himself! #Just shoops his facial hair back inside his body egh wouldn't it be easier to just cut it lol #What's the fun in magic if you can't use it for weird stuff ♪ #It was fun to draw his facial hair in stages as well haha ♫ Scraggly #Also thinking about him just a touch more in my own style - I made his tongue purpley in the silly BDG shitpost I made but still thinking! #I really like the versions of him that look frostbitten or at least with that bruised look on his knuckles and so on #Something like a nice purple lip gloss - tips of his ears - maybe even around his eyes - definitely his cheeks and knuckles #Making him look almost dead....I mean he's not an elemental :) He's a human who's only real lifeline is The Crown :) #Making him look a little more dead than Simon - it feels fitting #Speaking of - just a couple silly Simon doodles to round off #I'm too used to drawing butts as part of like exaggerated poses :P I'd like to practice a bit more #Him and Spamton lol what Is it with glasses'd long-nosed characters linked to ice magic lately having asses larger than their self worth lol

[youremyonlyhope]

Weird intense sertraline dreams are super real side effect.

#zoloft #sertraline #i just took a nap from like 9pm-ish to 11pm #i had a dream with a whole bunch of youtubers in it and i have no clue why #i think i made up like half of them just from names i've heard while others were people i either still watch or just used to watch #and there were LEVELS to this dream that i didn't even fully realize until like 30 minutes after waking up #like one youtuber was being called by another name yet they still had drama with another who was there #and it took me remembering the dream to realize that that drama was somewhat real but the different name made me not notice at first #it was WEIRD. also at one point i was living in like a campus or something but there were different climates like every 20 feet #like snow but also multiple pools and a weird like rollercoaster but you walk/slide in it... this is vaguely still coming back to me #also a weird sauna i was in then someone helped me out of it #and LITERALLY as if i was playing the sims i felt my consciousness almost like press buttons to change the POV #and the 'camera' left my eyes and moved to the outside of the sauna so i watched the person carry my sleeping body out #and i'm just NOW remembering that part and being like... what... i mean i literally intentionally changed the camera controls of my dream #guys i am hennaing my hair i was supposed to rinse it out at like 10:30ish but slept through that so i've had it in for an extra hour #which is fine. i like the more intense color. but i've been slowly remembering bits and pieces of this dream #for the last 45 minutes and it's so weird i need to somewhat document it #because it was like 4 different plotlines and the youtuber one was only one of them and the campus thing was another #oh my god i just remembered clark baxtresser from starkid was in the campus part and he was singing and i was like chasing him #through the rollercoaster (or maybe just sliding behind him?) and singing along and i think i dreamt that part due to VHS Christmas Carol #that JUST came back to me. that was such a weird aspect. i think i thought it was weird even in the moment. #i haven't remembered most of the weird sertraline dreams so i'm glad i put down bits of this one

[evankinard]

I've been waiting for my organic chemistry final grade for a week and a half and it was never posted but i just checked my transcript and the final grades for the semester have been submitted ig???what kind of sick mind game???????

#they almost had us in the first half ngl #but we lived to see another day #and so did the 4.0 #user rain shut up about me never shutting up about my gpa i bled for that thing k

[rascheln]

“Look!” Steve dives with his arms into the blanket cover until he finds the insides of its corners and stretches them apart in front of him. “I’m a blanket ghost!”

Emily giggles and attempts the same. With most of her body getting covered in the process, she looks like a tiny moving pile of bumblebee fabric. “Daddy, I’m a blanket ghost too!” comes her muffled voice from where she’s buried her grin in the fabric. 

“Ohh, you are! The cutest ghost of them all.” Steve does an exaggerated shudder when a high pitched “boo” emerges from the fabrc, follwed by more laughter.

“What now?” she peeks at Steve.

“Now!” he dramatically raises his hands, stiff fingers keeping the fabric taut. “We will transform the ghost.”

With a covered hand, his pointed gesture at their bare blankets gains a certain hilarity. “We find the corners of our blanket.” He demonstrates for Emily how he grabs each blanket corner through the sheet and waits for her as she carefully imitates him. “And then we shake. Shake the ghost off!” Their blanket covers fall down as more laughter falls from his daughter’s mouth. It takes a bit more effort for her, so he slows his own progress while he watches her vigorously shake and takes in her beaming smile.

“Oh, I get it.” She looks at the ends of their blankets, where they can now simply zip the covers closed. “So that’s why you keep the covers inside-out.”

“Looks like I haven’t missed bedtime.” Billy’s voice floats into the bedroom from the doorway. Steve turns and drinks in his husband leaned against the doorframe. Still in his striped work shirt, tie undone and his feet bare. There’s a soft expression on his face as he watches them. 

“Papa!” Emily yells and climbs over their blankets and her mattress to hug him at breakneck speed. He lifts her up and holds her close as she wraps around him like a koala. “Hey there, starlight.”

it’s a great ending to an already peaceful day. Steve knows how little billy enjoys working overtime. How much Emily misses him reading her bedtime stories, even if she doesn’t mind singing lullabies with Steve. A glance from Billy makes him put down his own blanket and come closer, till a warm arm draws him into a hug that smells of Billy’s cologne and Emily’s strawverry-scented shampoo. He’s filled to the brim with a joy he can barely put into words in that moment. It’s a good evening. 

#harringrove #harringrove txt #i found this in my notes and clearly wrote it half asleep but it was almost fully finished so! #domestic fluff!!! #also i just checked my blog and my first post about what name i wanted to give their daughter was over a year ago sdfghjk #kidfic #ALSO also i'm PRETTY sure blanket covers aren't as much a Thing in the states?? #but if random US writers can superimpose their country's stores and school systems and whatnot into fic #without doing a lick of research #(whereas i've had to painstakingly research way too much about the US) #i think i can get awyy with imbibing fic with sth that doesn't technically fit once in a while into my own work #as a treat to myself

[thetimelordbatgirl]

All I got from my nan's today is that you shouldn't let me in a book shop as someone whose town lost their only book shop.

#me initally: 'just go into one and be done-' #me first five minutes into leaving the pub on a timer as i had to be back in time for the food: 'ooh the other book shop-' #as its a cafe/book place #so got legend of zelda manga there with some other stuff i spotted #and then uh on way to second book shop i saw a toothless plushie in a charity shop window and for £2.99 i had to get him #and then finally in second book shop i almost grabbed a fnaf book with two books on the half price deal #but uh ended up putting fnaf book back when i saw a third half price book i liked the looks of #and got to till and uh got told i could get a fourth one cause of the deal #so somehow left my nans today with five books and some small stuff and a toothless plushie #in terms of my nans? ehhhh she liked my hair at least #says i look better with short hair #and i aint gonna argue as its easier to manage with my thick hair #plus found out shes been watching transformers so guess both mood there #though only con is her acting like we have to get rid of some of our cats and parents lying to her they will #when in reality i had to go outside and tell dad i will go half-way with getting three netured and chipped #as all our cats are outdoor cats #but my mental health wasnt drained so guess thats a pro #only time it did get drained was when our trains all cancelled on us cause of industral action and mom got upset and stuff #uncle took us down and back home tho so

[stardestroyer81]

Y'all want a Paper Mario-styled drawing of Micah Koopa? 💖✨⭐

#Star's Art #Micah Koopa #Super Mario #Paper Mario #Koopsona #Coolness #Remember how a mere two posts ago that I said I'd draw my koopsona in the actual Paper Mario style? #Well... SURPRISE!!!! 💖 #I wanted to save this post for this Thursday at the earliest seeing that I've been posting a lot about this koopa lately #But after some thought I decided to just post it today because I REALLY want my sister Stephanie to see this #I am so proud of this piece that I just couldn't WAIT to show it to everyone!! #I actually had a draft of this drawing going around the time I first showed my koopsona off here #But I ended up finishing it in almost one sitting and a half because... truth be told... #It is RIDICULOUSLY fun to draw in Paper Mario's artstyle and I've yet again mastered a style on my first attempt XD #I was so certain that the shading style of the Paper Mario series (And the Mario franchise in general) would be a nightmare #But after realizing the trick used to pull it off I was able to finish this quite quickly! #I also heavily referenced TTYD's Koopa Troopa sprite sheet over on Spriter's Resource to draw this #Seeing as that game's sprites are assembled from pieces so there were plenty of assets to go off of #I wanted this to initially look more like that game's key art without the white outline and paper texture... #... but honestly I think it looks a whole lot more perfect leaning in toward how modern Paper Mario's style looks! #You can consider this the definitive reference for my koopsona because I doubt I can top this #... well... that is until I inevitably draw her again #To think a few days ago I couldn't draw Koopas and now I've completely MASTERED it with this piece!!!

[drewsaturday]

ngl as much as i think media has Some responsibilities dependent upon its intended audience and the real world context surrounding it, i am so tired of hearing words like romanticization/fetishization/glorification/etc because of how much responsibility it removes from the viewer to use critical thought, at least in the ways i feel i often see them used

#txt #and half the time the criticisms are totally ignorant to the genre/context like... #oh no! this thing is being FETISHIZED? you'd better tell me the exact book and author so i know to totally avoid it #and not seek it out right after we bid farewell! #such a shame this piece of media is now my entire source of understanding of the world so i will think everything in it #is a-ok to repeat authentically in real life! #SO awful that the narrator thinks things someone in that situation might actually believe rather than having #therapy-esque mental conversations with themself to let us all know this is bad and wrong! #it's almost as though watching a character lose themself in a situation without the self awareness we'd #exhibit in the real world is why people are interested in this kind of media in the first place! #too bad you didn't have the option to simply stop engaging with it once you realized it wasn't for you #and had to go on a whole campaign against its existence bc you're not its target audience!

[hanabeeri]

okay i dont drink anymore but i feel like singing metal gear songs would be so much fun after some cocktails ahaha

#i wont drink though #my poor liver #never again 💀 #also the last time i had a caipirinha in a hookah bar i almost threw up because the guy barely put any lime and soda in it was straight up #cachaca with some ice #NOT EVEN CANE SUGAR can you believe #which you know.. is not the worst thing that you could drink but then again after that one time i tested my limits on accident after drinki #g half a bottle of vodka on an empty stomach then trying to eat bread to cushion the effects but it not working it really is the worst thin #for me ahahaha #the entire world spun that night and my head spun with it. i was laying on a soft and big bed and had to hold on for dear life because the #pinning didnt stop. during the night i had to pee but the toilet was occupied by my friends bf who fell asleep on the toilet. after he woke #up my friend went first and meanwhile i was talking to her bf and he was still drunk and he went 'hanabeeri nooo dont go to bed alone come #cuddle with us' and i had to stop myself from laughing because it was very cute. after my successful trip to the toilet i went to bed. #to this day i get teased by my older siblings about this night. as if they didnt do worse things at a younger age </3

[judahdenose]

I fully believe that Total Drama's biggest crime was not changing it's cast every season.

#from judah's brain #total drama #i think if Action and World Tour had new casts with a few favorites returned Revenge and Pahkitew would probably have been better receivef #i rewatched the First 3 seasons recently and i think Action is my favorite but i think World Tour is the best #i don't think the drama in Action is very good and i think they could have better custom tailored a cast to that setting #i think action should have had an all new cast and then later on Owen being added back in should stay the same #i also watched all of revenge of the island last night and i have thoughts #i didn't like it overall i think #i liked some parts of the cast #wish Zoey had personality lol i read afterwards that she was supposed to be the indie girl and that just didn't come up #which is not good for your final 3 #idk coming off of World Tour where almost every vote off feels earned it feels bad in Revenge where it feels like Scott is just destroying #i think the 13 episode seasons are also a limiting format and its sad to see that they're continuing with that even now #please tell me Ridonkulus Race is good? #i liked Dakota coming back as an intern but wasnt a huge fan of her being a competitor again #Also i get why they did it but i did not like the return of the legacy characters except for maybe izzy? Ezekiel should be dead #i think if the season had been 26 episodes it would have given more time to get used to the characters #i don't get why it wasn't #like i thought when i heard that it was because All Stars was produced as the second half of season 4 #but it wasnt! it was produced as the first half of season 5! #which makes less sense because why would you producers all stars as the first half of a season if you're planning on introducing a new cast #that you could add to all stars in the back half #Pahkitew should be Switched with All Stars what happened #why does revenge only have 13 episodes #even like 2-4 extras would have helped the season a lot #and i know that's not how they green light things #but its not like they were trying to reach syndication anymore they had already got there with Action #if Revenge had been 26 episodes they would have been able to package it and World Tour together for syndication #i dont understand the buisness decisions here

[evankinard]

got As on all my finals and kept my 4.0 for another semester

#this was a close one yall they almost had us in the first half ngl #but also #NOT ON MY WATCH #NOT. ON. MY. WATCH.