#feels like I keep getting more unhinged with my analyzes

[mapoeggplant]

skip to loafer chapter 56 analyze + brief shima study // spoilers

summer vacation is over, which means we’re all coming back to tokyo. for some, it’s time to bask in the memories they created, however for others, the harsh reality comes creeping in again.

one thing that i absolutely love about takamatsu’s way of constructing a chapter is how she easily mixes the youth of the characters (the girls talking about crushes) with the obscure subplot she has been creating up to now (shima’s backstory). the change between subjects isn’t harsh or out of place: everything happens in a simple flow, ending in a calm scene to tie it all together.

so, let’s start from the youth: it’s amazing to see how mitsumi was the step that the other three girls needed to finally be free enough to be a teenage girl, something they prevented themselves from being before. she’s the one who manages to ease their worries and let them be free to talk about things teenage girls should be talking about — and they decided to choose one of the cutest subjects ever: crushes!! makoto being the one to bring this subject up just shows how she grew and how much she trusts the girls, since she was always apprehensive to touch on certain subjects. and this talk was the perfect opportunity for mitsumi to get a little more courage to talk about her relationship with shima with the girls, and choosing to do that in tokyo shows how much she cares about shima, since she doesn’t want the girls to think badly about him at any point.

ok, now let’s jump to the subplot, the one that i love to analyze so much. well, we all know that i had a gut feeling that shima didn’t say anything about the trip to his mother — first because we saw nao-chan talking to all the parents, minus shima’s, and second because, by the little we know about shima’s mom, it’s easy to say that she would never allow shima to go there empty handed. so i can’t say that i was surprised by the outcome of the confrontation. 

i think first i have to focus a lot on shima's reaction towards his mother. the scene opens with shima entering his room and noticing that things were not the way that he left before the trip, showing from the beginning a breach of trust. even if his mother had the best of intentions (like, for example, keeping her son's room tidy), it is difficult for shima to understand this act as something affectionate and not as a way of showing that she doesn't trust him.

after that, we have the big showdown. there is no way to defend shima in anyway with the way he acted and what he did. he traveled miles from his mother, without her having any idea about it. this is extremely dangerous, any parent would be desperate to receive news like this after days. i don't blame her, on the contrary: i think she’s more than correct in confronting him about this.

but for shima, this concern doesn't come from a loving side, from a worried mother. shima still sees his mother as that manipulative and controlling person he grew up with and had so many conflicts with, so hearing all of this only a desperate need to get out of this situation as fast as possible. she already broke her son's trust as soon as he entered the house, so it's very easy for him to assume that this is another one of her controlling attitudes.

but there is an interesting point in all this. after the fight, shima begins to reflect on her mother's changes and asks a very important question: am i still mad at her or am i just being stubborn, like a child who expects something in return?

this shows a maturity in his character, as it is the first time he stops to analyze what all this means inside his chest. would it be rebellion? love? distrust? a cry for help?

shima's relationship with his mother is still something that requires a lot of growth and development for it to make a significant change. in my opinion, it won't happen now or in 5 chapters, but much later, something like an ending to shima's arc, a way to embrace all of his growth. it’s as if she represents the beginning and end of his journey.

aside from his mother, now we have two new pieces to this puzzle: the unknown man and a very new image of shima (the image of him walking with other boys, on the panel where he thinks about his feelings towards his mother). what we have left is to have an idea of how many pieces we still need to assemble the final image. what happened? who was responsible? is this the man who ruined it all? or he was just another victim of the circumstances?

(something that is not related to these questions but that made me think was the fact that ririka sent him the photo. could this be a form of provocation or just a way of finding comfort?).

crabs are no longer shima's only concern at the moment. his harsh and difficult reality came back to the surface with full force. and i, who thought we were close to the climax of his arc, am shocked to realize that we are nowhere near halfway there.

to finish: mitsumi's speech about how tokyo is finally being a new home for her. this is something that makes me so happy, that brings me so much peace, especially with nao-chan's happy and relaxed face next to her. tokyo is finally mitsumi's second home, and she's happy to be able to return to it.

another month and another amazing chapter, another reason to be so excited for what's to come. this is takamatsu-sensei's power. thank you for reading me rambling and for all the nice messages you guys have been sending me 💛 it means the world!!

#chapter analyze #skip to loafer #skip and loafer #skip to loafer chapter 56 #chapter 56 analyze #mitsumi iwakura #sousuke shima #feels like I keep getting more unhinged with my analyzes #like you don't have to write all of this girl #calm down #anyways I can't #I love them too much #no one gets shima like me sorry (by voices in my head) #and I'm still stuck in sensei's basement #duckmetas

[ineffablydelighted]

[How exploring the Ineffable Husbands' dynamic in Good Omens can help us figure out what the show/book is all about, Part 1/?]

Also called: This human has, apparently, too much time on her hands and will be trying to Effable the Ineffable for [...] hours.

Ah, Hello! 👋

I'm ineffably delighted to meet you all! 😇

Let's cut to the chase and bear with me as we try together to analyze further the subject of the day:

Aziraphale is in love with Crowley and I am pretty sure he is aware of that fact BUT 

[yes, there is a "but", do not erase me from the Book of Life just yet, let me explain first, homie 🥺] 

I do not believe he can comprehend WHY he is just yet, and what that would mean for him in terms of... well... EVERYTHING he ever stood for.

It will also be the perfect roots to answer the biggest question yet :

What is Good Omens all about, exactly?

[Yeah, it's a tough one. When I say "bear with me", I really insist on the fact that it will be LONG. I will try my best to make it fun to read and to allow some "natural breaks" but know that I would appreciate your unshared attention if you're willing to give it to me. 😇]

Although, would you have the chance to ask him about it (probably looking at a cup of tea as we would all do in Earthy fashion), Aziraphale would have somewhat of an answer to give you, probably in the range of:

"Because, deep down, Crowley is the nicest being I've ever known."

Is it false? No, Crowley IS nice. Swaggeringly nice, occasionally unhinged, but still. Nice.

And that is somewhat the core of the... "problem" for our soon-to-be Supreme Archangel [Yep, the pain is still fresh, thanks for asking, you're welcome for reminding you 😭👍] because, as much as Crowley learned nuances due to past experiences (Falling being, most likely, the most traumatic one,) Aziraphale remains bound to think in absolutes. And everything relates to THIS perfect meme right there:

[Whoever you are, person/entity who has done that, you have forever my utmost gratitude and respect]

I'm far from bringing anything new to the table here, but to Aziraphale, Crowley should NOT have fallen in the first place. Because of how nice he is. Crowley IS an angel, to him. In fact, I'll go even further by stating that, to Aziraphale,

Crowley is more of an Angel than ANY Angel in the "Main Office."

Let's present our other contestants, shall we?

When he ruled, Gabriel was an absolute a** and had an ego the size of, idk, at least A DOZEN GALAXIES. He made Aziraphale feel like... well... poop most of the time they interacted.

That is why, in S2 when Gabriel/Jim tells him "I love you", Aziraphale, even being and considering himself a "creature of love", happens to be utterly unable to either reciprocate or take the compliment. At this moment, later enhanced when he reminds himself of the Job case, he realizes he is able to feel, if not hatred, NOT love NOR admiration for somebody he should somewhat consider a role model.

That is very important for Aziraphale's present and future character development, especially considering Gabriel/Jim's own fate, so please keep that in mind.

Michael? Oh God, Same if not worse: too condescending and ambitious in the wrong way to inspire anything nice to anybody.

Sandalphon just does what they are told but can totally throw a punch if necessary.

Uriel is mostly cold, occasionally cruel, and can also be physically threatening.

[I love the actress, though. Gloria Obianyo deserves a Ph.D. in Resting Bitch Facing for her performance in Good Omens alone and I'm here for it.]

S2 Saraqael seems to be more layered but has also been hurtful to Aziraphale (especially when she ironized that he couldn't possibly be the 25-Lazarii-magnitude-miracle caster).

Overall, S1 Aziraphale refers to the "Main Office" Angels as "BAD ANGELS!" after their hostile encounter. We could see from his face he would have wanted to use harsher words but couldn't get past his forgiving, decent nature.

Before we talk any furfur-ther [Am I proud of this so-called pun? A-BSOLUTELEH 😎🤭], let's add a really important stone/layer to our favorite Angel's thinking: to him, it is simple maths:

GOOD = RIGHT, BAD = WRONG

And let's save it for later, shall we?

[Killgrave dear is just here to remind you you can take a break anytime to drink a glass of Talisker if you'd like, or, more so, if HE'd like. Also because that character is THE best David Tennant role on television - 10th Doctor being the worthy third, I let you guess which character is our second now - and I might have wanted to use this gif just to be able to say that, who knows? *whispers* Mysssteryyyy...]

Anyway.

To a being like Aziraphale, who mostly thinks in dichotomy, being an Angel requires one main requirement: being GOOD.

[Buy a farrrrrm and be good! Not just "pretendy" good but. properly. GOOD! - NO, I couldn't find the gif and YES, I'm mad about it, but since I'm also unable to make one myself, I'll just shut it.]

That is why he refers to the Main Office Archangels as simply being BAD.

At that moment, they had been mean to him, threatening, and, by doing so, they became somewhat active in Hell's Armageddon project. Making them "bad" angels, but, more so:

Bad at BEING Angels.

Aziraphale, on the other hand, is, at heart, the penultimate goody-two-shoes: he does feel bad about himself whenever he does something bad/wrong such as lying (it has started to change, and I'll nuance that statement another time, but you get the grip).

He is constantly scared he might fall whenever he somewhat defies God's will or the idea he built in his head of what an Angel should be(have).

But have you paid attention to how his "Angelmates" NEVER seem to CARE about their own displays of, let's say "unconventional characteristics" for what should be the highest "Representatives of the sole concept of Good"?

Have you ever seen Gabriel or Michael being self-conscious about their narcissism and condescending tendencies? Uriel about their coldness? Saraqael about their sarcastic nature? Any of them about their use of violence? Of course not! They seem to be perfectly fine with it!

They own their characteristics, good AND bad.

Aziraphale does not.

Aziraphale is... soft. Even if he, at times, expresses regrets to be just that, he also applies it to his Angelic nature.

You know who else is soft?

Crowley.

Crowley is soft because he cannot kill children and takes it upon himself to LITERALLY DEFY BOTH GOD AND SATAN'S WILL TO SAVE SAID CHILDREN, including two annoying ones [especially the one who DARED to hit on Aziraphale but that is a topic for another day]

[MASSIVE Bildad the Shuhite fangirl here, consider yourselves warned.]

Crowley is soft because he cannot even kill GOATS.

Defying both God's and Satan's will to save kids? Yeah, eventually, okay.

Defying God's and Satan's will to save goats? Man, that's so effingly. more. powerful.

[Oh, look! A bird flying, normal thingy, nothing to see here, buh-bye!]

Crowley is soft because he proposes/"tempts" Aziraphale to "eat a spot of lunch", especially whenever his Angel experiences stress.

We have barely seen him eat, which might indicate he does not have such a strong taste for it personally. He only goes to the Ritz to enjoy Aziraphale's company and to watch him happily eat scrumptious, comforting foods.

[Okay, also because it morphed into a proper kink at some point but that is NOT today's subject, so stop trying to make me deviate from it! 😣]

Oh, and, before you bring that up, no, the alcohol motive is not relevant since he can, in all probability have a glass of Talisker in ANY sort of pub/restaurant in London.

[As a proper peated whisky lover who happens to be French, let me tell you this is NOT the case in my country and I'm super duper jealous of you, lads.]

Crowley is soft because he takes care of both Gabriel and Aziraphale's bookshop, even if it is clear he loathes the first and expressingly said he would not be a bookseller "even at gunpoint."

And, by "taking care of", know that I MEAN IT: he kept an eye on Jim, didn't wake him up when he heard him snore, answered any question he had, no matter how seemingly stupid they were [Even if Crowley, of all beings, cannot be anything but a raging "There is no stupid question, only stupid answers" representative] and offered him hot cocoa. As for the Booksho-P[uhhhhh *exhales in asthma*], he attempted to repair Jim's messy ordering twice and meticulously rearranged the place after ✨the Ball✨

[What do you mean, "he also Killgraved him into jumping out of the window?" HE ALSO STOPPED HIM FROM DOING SO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. #NotBiasedInTheSlghtestIndividual]

Crowley is soft because he shares his Bentley with Aziraphale. Which is a VERY. BIG. DEAL. considering it was, at the time, HIS LAST ONE AND ONLY PRIZED POSSESSION.

[Should I mention that the Bentley FALLS IN LOVE with Aziraphale or is debating on whether or not that falls into the Oedipian complex territory off-topic? Yes, I'll see myself out.]

Crowley is soft because he rescues Aziraphale on countless occasions, even though, 99% of the time, that is pretty much unnecessary.

For real, guys: if Aziraphale had been discorporated in the course of his 6000+ years on Earth at any other given moment BUT on the eve of THE WAR with a capital "W", nobody in Heaven would have flinched.

[I do have a theory, though: maybe being re-incorporated takes quite a long time, which would have meant too many years apart from each other, hence the growing Damsel in Distress kink in Aziraphale, idk THAT IS NOT TODAY's SUBJECT, OKAY?!]

Also, Crowley is soft because "doing that makes him so happy".

Do you know who is supposedly "so happy" to save living things, aka GOD'S CREATIONS? Angels.

Crowley is soft because he rescues Aziraphale even when it is ACTUALLY ENDANGERING for both of them

He risked: his life, his pretty comfortable position "he carved out for himself", both his Earthy and Infernal homes sort of speak, AND EVEN HIS CAR to save his Angel's bottom/help him out in the direst situations (like stopping time to stop SATAN HIMSELF.)

[Also his past/present/future existence altogether, but the Bentley is more important, as I'm sure we'll all agree.]

[That is a Class A Protective/Helpful Husband, right there.]

Crowley is soft because he encourages Aziraphale to follow his passion for ✨prestidigitation✨

Even though he is pretty... amateurish at it. Not only does he encourage him, but he also HELPS him when he accepts to be his dashing assistant on stage.

[Yes, he does tell S1 Aziraphale to stop doing magic because he "has no idea how demeaning that is" but I'm pretty sure it was BECAUSE of S2 1941's events. Also, #WeStan1941Crowley here.]

Crowley is soft because he works pretty hard to make two humans he barely knows fall in love.

Yes, he also does it to cover his and Aziraphale's 25-Lazarii-magnitude-miracle lie BUT don't tell me his amazed expression when he thought he was about to witness Nina and Maggie actually falling for each other was not the purest, sincerest of all.

Finally, even if I could come up with more examples,

Crowley is soft because he saved Aziraphale's books JUST because he KNEW and CARED that Aziraphale CARED about said books.

That also, in Michael Sheen's very own opinion [as stated by Neil Gaiman in S1 GO DVD commentary], shared by many fans, and myself very much included, marks the moment

Aziraphale falls in love with Crowley.

[I DARE you to tell me THIS is NOT THE LOOK OF LOVE PERSONIFIED, go on, fight meh.]

So. WHY did it happen at that moment in particular? Well, because, first of all:

As a proper Jane Austen fan, Aziraphale is a slow burner.

Also, to him, an actual Angel, love is everywhere, so differentiating one love from another might be more difficult for somebody who can feel it whether or not it is even their own.

BUT [have you started getting used to my "but"s yet or should I harass you some more?] Let's go back in time to see how every previous encounter (that we know of) led to that pinnacle, shall we?

[Oh and, YES, this sort of essay will be long, and NO, I had no idea how much it would be when I started writing it, and still haven't, tbh 🤷‍♀️]

During part 2, we will also dive a little bit deeper into what Good Omens is all about.

[Yeah... I figured we would all need a break at this point.]

More on that later, then!

Hope I kept your interest at a reasonable peak. See you soon, Angels ❤

Need help to find the rest of this analysis? I've got you covered! Follow me, Angel 😇

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#Ineffable Husbands #Good Omens analysis #Good Omens #Good Omens S2 #Aziraphale in love #Good Omens theory #Aziraphale #Crowley #Aziracrow #Effable the Ineffable #Philosophy #Good Omens is a philosophical essay disguised as comedic/satyric/romantic Fiction and I am here to prove it #A maniac woke up one morning and decided to overanalyze everything about her current favorite thing #even though that will not help her control her hyperfixation in the slightest #also too many hashtags but you know I have issues already

[ryuichirou]

can we get an in depth analysis on why you see certain twst characters as top or bottom? i’m very curious to see what goes on in those minds of the both of you. always enjoy the content, that’s why im asking 💕💕💕 also merry christmas/happy holidays!!!

Anon! Happy New Year (very belated) and sorry for the wait <3

I’m so happy you enjoy our content, and I’m glad you’re interested! But to be honest, it’s a bit of a difficult question to answer. The “decision” isn’t usually a result of any deep thinking, it’s just the “vibes” and “feels” we get. Well, I’ve mentioned it in this post, and you’ve probably read it already: there are certain types of characters that are more likely for us to be seen as tops or bottoms, but even this isn’t necessarily a very thought-out thing. It’s an emotional thing, plus kinship with some characters, plus us liking certain ship dynamics… I guess we just have a radar based on our own preferences lol So for every character the main and the true reason behind our choice is simply “oh I really want them to top/to bottom”.

Keeping that in mind, I’ll try to analyze characters a bit more!

Oh and one more thing about kinship: let’s be honest we all associate ourselves with characters to a certain degree, so it actually also plays a huge role for us. Since Katsu and I have certain preferences ourselves, and we approach and dive into ships together, there is a lot of “he’s just like me for real” going on. I’m saying it now because otherwise this whole list is going to just me going “Ortho is a top because he is MEEEEEEEEE and I want to fuck Idia hence he is a bottom” and “this one is Katsu Katsu is this one this one is so similar to Katsu oh my lawd” and “Katsu finds the tweels super hot” over and over and over again lol Still, I apologize in advance.

(This post is going to be super long…)

Riddle – Oh he’s such a tsundere and I’m weak for tsunderes… I think I mentioned it in our replies yesterday: Riddle is our sheltered homeschooled kid at his first party. I love howtight and strict he tries to be, and that deep inside he’s just a crying little kid craving for fun things to happen to him. The whole “he is so aggressively against fun, but in actuality he would love it if he got fucked by someone” works very well with him. And he’s just so cute when he gets mad..!!

Ace – oh my god he is a douchebag. If a character is a douchebag, we are very likely to consider him being a top lol You’ll definitely notice this trend. He has these vibes of “that one classmate” and has just enough of a “just your average” energy to be read as just your average guy who lazes around, plays videogames and masturbates…  like just some anime protag? But he isn’t surrounded by a harem of girls, he doesn’t even like girls, he has to embrace the fact that he wants to fuck his best friend lol AND HE IS A MASSIVE DOUCHEBAG and that makes him insufferable, and in our book it means he’s a top.

Deuce – not every character who is a softie would automatically be a bottom, but this one is. In all honesty, Deuce is such a sweetheart bimbo that we just can’t help but want him to bottom. Especially with him having a delinquent era, and Ace (since he is the main boy we ship him with) just being a douche with no real criminal past (lol), it’s fun when Deuce just surrenders to Ace and gets vulnerable because being fucked by Ace feels too good.

Trey – the idea of him being super in love with Riddle and wanting to get intimate with him for the longest time, craving him almost in a feral way, but restraining himself because he doesn’t want to scare him away, is like… way too good of a trope. Plus, he looks like a firefighter/stripper who also bakes, and despite the fact that we don’t really like the trope of a man who’s going to take care of his lover, Trey has this unhingeness that makes him a lovely top to play with. He tries so hard to be gentle…

Cater – it’s a bit vaguer with him, we don’t pay enough attention to Cater and don’t have ships with him, but in theory, he seems to be someone who takes the initiative (i.e. flirts), even if this whole shtick is fake; and we usually get top vibes from characters with this attitude.

Leona – he’s just more fun when he bottoms. It’s his one redeeming quality… He is good-looking and sexy, and him being a pissy pillow princess who demands attention just works better for us than him being a cocky top – the latter would probably make him super unlikeable for us simply because of his attitude. It’s a bit difficult to explain.

Ruggie – mostly because we ship him with Leona and Jamil, and also because giving him some “power” just feels like a nice way to balance out some of the shit he goes through. Plus, a skinny and kind of weak hyena boy mounting other characters and being good at sex? That’s poetry.

Jack – he’s a big horny pup!! You might’ve noticed it by following us, but we really like earnest tops who can’t control their feelings and urges, and Jack works super well with that trope. Plus, he is a wolfboy, and we wouldn’t pass on an opportunity to use it, come on.

Octatrio – Katsu wants to fuck them more than I do  I don’t know, the more we think about it, the more it makes sense to us that all three of them are silly dysfunctional tops. All three of them are assertive, aggressive in their own ways, capricious and have this “I can touch you however I want, but don’t you dare touch me” that feels more relatable than I care to admit lol It’s a very top trait for us.

Azul – it’s so easy to just consider him a bottom (no shade towards those who do, obviously), but he is so interesting as a top?? With his mannerisms, insecurities, over-the-top-ness, flamboyant nature: this whole image just reeks of red flags, and Azul is extremely good in this role of a toxic boyfriend… who is also very sentimental and romantic but just can’t allow himself to express it because he wants to always either be a charming gent or an absolute alpha. All of these sides of Azul are true – he is a dominant young man who likes to be in charge, but he could also get cutely upset and embarrassed. What a top.

Jade and Floyd – these two have such an apologetic dominant energy, so many hot surprisingly cruel moments. Like I mentioned when talking about the trio, they are capricious (even more-so than Azul), they see the rest of the cast as their playground and they enjoy being an uncompromising force way too much. Well, we really love them being an uncompromising force. Not to mention how creepy and big they are. It’s too much of a treat… The only thing that’s better than a 2 meters tall (and about 3 meters long if merform) sexy fish is two of those.

Kalim – aggressive “just like me for real” yelling aside, he’s just too much of an innocent dork. Dorks are just like douchebags – we tend to see them a certain way lol I know I called Deuce a bimbo just a couple of minutes ago, but Kalim has a different vibe? He’s not a bimbo, he’s just… a bit of an oblivious block who doesn’t get hints lol But he is also quite stubborn, which makes it very interesting when he suddenly gets very specific urges and expresses them. He fits the trope of the top who is helpless when horny super nicely.

Jamil – my personal bias is super strong with this one oof 0 days since the last time I was horny for Jamil; the whole thing just suits him way too much. Be it Jamil in his basketball form or Jamil in silks and golden chains, he always has so much natural sex appeal that it’s both aesthetically pleasing and a fun thing to play with story-wise. Well it’s obvious, we honestly do it a lot in our Jamil-related content. Plus, the fact that he could be very seductive and “feminine”… while also not really being feminine and having an athletic build and a deep voice. It’s very good.

Vil – this one is also filled with my personal bias lol But even then, Vil just looks too good in this position?? The Queen must be pleased and pleasured?? But also chased down and abused because dark themes and all??  I’m also way too into the fact that Vil is very strong and gets into fights all the time: it’s this combination of him being stoic and passionate and easily angered, snarky and genuine and cute, but also? He gives off massive “oneesan” type and I’m powerless against those. Plus let’s be honest, if there is one person at NRC who actively bottoms and is very comfortable with this fact, it has to be Vil.

Rook – the reasoning for this one is a combination of my reasoning for the Tweels and for Kalim lol A psychotic assertive weirdo who is at the same time weirdly oblivious but also scarily all-knowing, plus he’s super horny all the time and flirts with everyone… we have this bingo card thing for Katsu’s type that we fill sometimes for fun, and, if I remember correctly, Rook almost checked all the boxes. His unhingeness, his knowledge and his power gives him a lot of top sex appeal for us. By the way, the fact that he is also a fucking chunk of meat? I can’t get over the fact that Rook is bulkier than Trey.

Epel – He’s small and stupid and cute… Just like Deuce, he’s also a bimbo but a more feisty one. Plus! His inner conflict makes it even better! With Epel being not wanting to be perceived as feminine, but also enjoying being a bottom, and finding some empowerment in being a bottom, and then attempting to be a power bottom but also failing because he has no experience whatsoever, but still having this bratty spunk and eagerness to try everything. He was built for this lol

Idia – I JUST LOVE HIM WAY TOO MUCH but also? Speaking of someone who checks off all the boxes: Idia is perfect. He is so easily freaked out, but also snarky and nasty and a smart-ass and at the same time super cute and isn’t really into romance and stuff but also deeply romantic and in general he’s just a giggling shaking crying mess, it really is perfection. He’s just… so much fun when he bottoms? This is why almost all the time I draw him he’s overwhelmed with emotions when other people just do things with him: Idia is kind of the sweetest victim to torment. His face, his scrawny body, his hair, his pathetic little face and his teeth – all of it just yells “bottom” to me. I think I stopped making sense at some point here lol

Ortho – his adoration towards Idia is the most relatable thing in the world lol We have a very deep connection with these two. But we also really like the fact that it’s kind of unexpected for Ortho to take the top position? But once you start noticing how strict he could be with Idia and how pushy he is sometimes, it ends up feeling way too natural. But also the idea of someone being so cute and short but also being one of the most powerful tops in the cast is an amusing concept that we love a lot. Plus, he is a robot, so once again, we wouldn’t miss an opportunity to play around with this idea.

Lilia – similarly to Ortho, we just love the idea of a small and cute top. It’s fun, unexpected and empowering lol Especially considering how much Lilia likes to be cute and to emphasize his own cuteness with long sleeves and tiny shorts. We really love how tiny top/tall bottom look visually, but also Lilia’s personality has such a strong dominant vibe that we absolutely love. As a bonus, sometimes Lilia feels like a “pervy ossan” type. Dirty grandpa… + I didn’t think we would push the “Lilia has a big dick” jokes so far that they would become a default for our content, but honestly? If the shoe fits…

Malleus – oh the great confusing one that confuses us no longer. Malleus is very flirty, but with the way he flirts, I always feel some kind of provocation. Like he tosses the ball to another person and expects them to make their move. He’s a prince after all, his job is to enjoy the suitor’s advances and get pleased and amused by them. Or to get pissed off and send them flying. I don’t know, Malleus has such strong demanding bottom vibes to us, and with how pretty he looks when he bottoms, it’s a shame that he doesn’t get drawn like that more often. His tail needs to be rubbed in all the good places…

Silver – he is so desperately selfless and loyal and a bit oblivious, you kind of get an urge to take advantage of him when you look at him. And by “you” I mean mostly me lol And him being sleepy only enhances this feeling. He seems so… helpless, as if you could be very mean to him, both as an artist and as his top (oh lucky ones). And he’s way too pretty… Come on, white eyelashes and pretty sleepy eyes and silky hair???

Sebek – SEBEK. He is so loud and obnoxious and stupid AND A DOUCHE who ALSO HAS NO CONTROL OVER HIS OWN URGES so based on everything you’ve read in his post so far, I think you can see why he’s perfect lol Sebek is also a great example of a character being a top but not necessarily being the one in charge… but still being dominant? Sebek has such strong beliefs in hierarchy that it’s honestly very amusing to think about scenarios in which he would act so unworthily towards his liege, but technically not breaking the chain of command because Malleus allowed this… it would fry his brain. And we love it a lot. Plus, half-fae anatomy is an amazing asset to play with.

I’m sorry, I think I started to sound very horny half way through lol

#replies

[comradekatara]

if this comes off as a really weird and pretentious ask please just delete it but since iirc you've been in this fandom since 2019 or before 2019 i need to know . how do you deal with such in bad faith takes ??? i scroll & move on & filter tags as much as i can but it's astounding how anybody from any corner of this fandom will have piss poor takes whether they support canon or fanon

lmao not a bad question at all. some background context feels necessary: i’ve been very into atla since i was a kid, and before i used this blog i talked about it (and lok, because korrasami melted my brain) a lot on my primary blogs. in november 2018 i convinced my friend to start watching atla, and she got extremely into it. we talked about atla every day for months. eventually, my friend started this blog in summer of 2019 to talk about atla and invited me to join. it was mostly a repository for our inside jokes and for me to post the fanart i had been drawing on my phone. it was really just a space for our circle of mutuals to have some laffs.

the atla fandom was very small at the time so we were really one of the only blogs actively talking about the show. by complete accident, however, some of our posts got popular, and we accrued quite a bit of a following. we didn’t really know what to do with all the attention (some of it extremely negative and unhinged at that), and it would only get worse after “the atla renaissance.” we got more followers than we knew what to do with, at which we considered just abandoning the blog. my friend did, and handed over the reins to me.

for her, atla was a recent interest that had soured after the fandom became too much to handle, but for me it was an interest that had endured since childhood, and i found that despite all the negative attention, i still really enjoyed having a space where i could unpack my feelings towards this thing that felt like such a significant cultural touchstone, feelings towards characters i had been so deeply moved by for so long, and i enjoyed making art on a consistent basis for an actively receptive audience who praised my skills as an (extremely amateur) artist.

i’ve been drawing atla characters for a very long time, long before i had this blog, but it feels like the incentive to draw for an audience is what motivated me to improve my art over the years, so that’s genuinely been a really nice thing. and i enjoy analyzing art, literature, and media, so trying to pick apart one single text (or multiple connected texts if you wanna bring in lok, the comics, and the novels) for so long is very fun for me.

however, as much as i’ve tried to avoid engaging with bad faith takes, i am nonetheless aware that there is a not insignificant contingent of the fandom who viscerally hate my guts for whatever reason. it’s definitely less prevalent in my daily life now that the fandom is less active (cannot begin to emphasize enough how much the atlassaince ruined my life), but at the time a lot of people wanted to make their hatred of this blog known, loudly. which, especially when you’re in the middle of a lockdown and you cannot leave your room for fear of possibly dying, is not a great feeling.

that’s not really what you’re asking, but since i have had to deal with “bad faith takes” in the most personal possible way, my advice would simply be to try to shut it out. i follow maybe two or three atla blogs, and they are blogs that do not interact with the larger fandom. i do not seek out what other blogs have to say, and confine my scope to my friends and responding to my inbox.

for some reason, atla does seem to be a bad opinions factory, but actively seeking out those opinions is simply not conducive to one’s mental health or a productive use of time, which is why i keep to myself and try to mind my own business. i cannot control how i am perceived, which i am viscerally reminded of every time i see someone reblog an older post from this blog that i didn’t even make (and sometimes straight up do not agree with), but i try to remind myself that this literally has no bearing on my material existence whatsoever, and bad posts aren’t real they can’t hurt you <3

#making this nonrebloggable for obvious reasons #dogsinspaces #asks #housekeeping #running this blog has been such a strange surreal experience #but also. i am just minding my own business it’s fine. this is fine.

[gregrulzok]

What are your top 10 favorite media, like from books, anime/manga, movies, tv series, etc (if you feel like listing multiple) of all time? Feel free if you want to write the reasons or not of why you love them....

Now THIIIIS is way different from asking me my favourite characters.

When it comes to characters, I tend to be heavily analytical and critical. When it comes to media... Well, you'll see. Whatever the case please note that these pieces of media being my favourite doesn't mean I necessarily recommend them. There's things I love with my whole heart that I wouldn't inflict upon my mortal enemy. You've been warned.

I'm also purposefully omitting some of my favourite pieces of media to shine a spotlight on ones I don't really get to talk about, or just want more people to know about (sorry, Berserk)

I'll try and keep these ones spoiler free, since I'm thinking of them more as recommendations! NSFW media will be marked with a *, but I won't go into anything explicit here. Please look up media mindfully and with discression, some of these may be triggering.

Thank you for the ask and I'm sorry for the ridiculous lengths of information you're about to witness !

Dungeon Meshi

Lets start with a safe one. A simple one. An expected one.

Yes, Dungeon Meshi IS that good.

Dungeon Meshi is a beautifully drawn manga that starts out slow, whimsical and almost slice-of-life-y, and then descents into utter madness so slowly and skillfully that by the time you blink you're in another dimension.

The world building in this series is second to none - everything makes sense and nothing is handwaved. The genuine and honest passion in the way the world feels alive is palpable, and despite its realism it never loses its magical feeling.

The characters are charming, lovable, realistic, and complex. Each of them have an inner world to tap into, each of them feels like a real person you could hold a conversation with and would WANT to hold a conversation with. Here I'll also proudly announce that we get zero (0) gratuitous fanservice, zero (0) characters who exist as a punchline, and guaranteed Sexy-Lamp Free !

The plot... Fuck, man. The plot is the most honest and bare faced look at some of the most nuanced subjects in the world (desire, ambition, love, death, survival, trauma, neurodivergence) wrapped up in a way that feels simple, grounded and real.

It also sincerely began to heal my relationship with food. I don't think I've ever seen the subjects of cooking, eating, health, weight and body diversity portrayed so well in such an empathetic, understanding and caring way in any piece of media. Body positivity is not so much a focus, but rather an undercurrent in the whole manga.

Whew ! With one objectively good piece of media out of the way, let's move on to something more unhinged, such as ...

Honestly I can't begin to imagine what kind of person WOULDN'T enjoy Dungeon Meshi. Do yourself a favour and read it.

Cats (1998)

Cats. The Broadway musical cats. One of the longest running musicals in the world, award winning, famously bashed and hated, recently revorked into a horrible film that was even more bashed and hated, the beautiful, glorious wonderful disaster of my heart - Cats.

Specifically, the 1998 film version.

...It's so hard for me to explain this one.

At some point, while watching Cats for the second time (for a reason I cannot explain), some neurons fired the wrong direction in my brain and now I have a pathological obsession, to the point where I can name each and every single Godforsaken cat in this show, including the ones that don't even appear in the credits.

Cats. What am I even supposed to say here, like, genuinely. It's cats.

Well, here's the thing - the choreography and acting direction in this fucking musical is genuinely breathtaking. It takes a few watches for it to fully click, but once it does, I sincerely believe that Cats is one of the most endlessly fascinating pieces of media to analyze. What you have to understand about Cats is that every single character (with very few exceptions) is on screen basically for the entire show. And so while you're watching the dancing in the foreground (which is beautiful on its own), every single cat in the background is just ... There. Moving, interacting, portraying characteristics that are never stated, never so much as focused on - but you can see them. You can see the kittens playing with each-other, you can see the elders gossiping, you can see small bits and gags you won't catch your first time, or second, or fifth. You can see how rowdy Tumblebrutus and Pouncival are, you can see how excitable Electra is, you can see the quiet dignity of Coricopat and Tantomile, the friendship between Jellylorum and Jennyanydots. There's always new little bits of background characterisation you can catch, pretty much regardless of how many times you've seen it.

In that way, Cats is feels the most alive, the most ever changing and evolving. I'm completely enraptured by it and if you do want to watch it, I recommend watching it as many times as you can stomach, because your first time through it'll glide right off you like water off a duck.

Chainsaw Man (Public Safety Arc)*

The first time I finished reading Chainsaw Man, I stared at my phone for a straight minute, then started sobbing. The next morning, I drank alcohol for the first time.

I wish that was a joke.

I'll admit I'm not up to date on the second arc of Chainsaw Man - it honestly got away from me a little and I'm not entirely sure I'll be finishing it.

But that doesn't take away from the fact that the first arc is one of the most tightly written, beautiful, emotional stories I've ever read.

Sure, it's fun and funny. Sure, it's cool in it's action scenes. Sure, the art direction is absolutely breathtaking. Sure, the character design and worldbuilding are interesting and detailed.

But at its heart the core appeal of CSM, to me, is the way it speaks about trauma, abuse, assault, isolation, fear, and desire. Chainsaw Man is painfully down to earth in a gritty, real way, and while it is extremely dark, it's also uplifting and hopefull in a way a lot of dark media isn't.

Chainsaw Man makes you feel tiny, helpless in a massive world. Chainsaw Man puts you up against horrors both tangible and fantastical, and then it looks you in the eyes and says "Hey. You aren't weak. You aren't useless. The world is scary, the world is cruel, the world is harsh, but that doesn't mean you can't fight it. That doesn't mean there isn't hope".

I really don't know how else to describe it without going into spoilers. It's genuinely moving.

Arcane

Arcane is a beautiful tragedy that has no right being as impactful as it is for being a goddamn League of Legends adaptation, of all things.

The art direction in Arcane is absolutely insane - Taking a page from Into the SpiderVerse (which is another favourite of mine), it blends 3D animation with a 2D-esque art style and fully 2D effects to bring what I genuinely believe to be one of the best looking shows in the world to life. And that's not all !

Arcane is infinitely nuanced. Between it's multiple plots it introduces many, many characters, all of whom have their own wants, needs, goals, ambitions, fears, flaws and trauma, and it clashes them together beautifully. Nothing in Arcane feels like an afterthought to me, I think the most fantastic thing about it is how expertly it weaves all these different storylines together. Everything ties into something else, everything affects something else, the story changes based on every little movement of our main characters and by the time it unfolds you realize that there's nothing that could really be done to change it because EVERYTHING lead to this.

It's a tragedy in the best way possible.

Attack on Titan

I don't care what anyone says - Attack on Titan is one of the best Anime ever put on screen.

I am a person that grew up in a colonized, war-torn country. Part of our land is still occupied, and our occupants are currently seeking refuge in our city and acting like this is their vacation resort. My people have been marginalized, demonized, dismissed, our culture has been erased and we have been fed more propaganda than I can count.

And I say this because I think being in this situation lends me a pretty good perspective of what AoT is:

Propaganda. The first two seasons of Attack on Titan are literally an extended propaganda film, meant to trick and decieve the viewer into siding with the protagonists, and dismissing their enemies as mere monsters.

If I go any deeper into that statement, there will inevitably be spoilers, so I'll cap it off with this:

There are no easy answers in war. There are no heroes and no villains, there are no good guys and bad guys, and there are no winners. There is only deception, control, and death.

I've never seen a piece of fiction capture the true, real horror of war quite as well as Attack on Titan does.

Death Parade

Everybodyyyyyyy put your hands upppppp

Death Parade is the show I go to rewatch when I have nothing else to rewatch.

It is a soft, yet painful look at human nature. It's an exploration of what makes a person good or bad, and whether such things even exist. It brings into question the very nature of humanity, whether there's such a thing as being good or bad, whether our character is formed by our circumstances or our behaviour, and how those things should be judged. It asks what it means to have emotions, to have feelings, and how your own personal emotions and biased factor into how you assess other people - whether it's more unfair to judge someone objectively without empathy, or subjectively with your own narrow, biased worldview.

All of that wrapped in a beautiful aesthetic, and a somber, subtle love story. Not even necessarily a romantic one - just pure love.

Highly, highly recommend.

Oyasumi Punpun*

Oyasumi Punpun is the most direct, honest, unfiltered, unbiased look at a human being's psyche I've ever seen.

It's also one of the most triggering bits of media on here, so proceed with caution.

Oyasumi Punpun follows the life of a single boy from his childhood, through his adulthood. Every single hardship, every single setback, every victory, every memorable experience, is shown to us through the lense of his own eyes. His childhood innocence, his teenage cynicism, his adolescent hopelessness, his own naivete, his own trauma, his own biased colour the way we view the world around him.

It genuinely makes you feel like you are wearing his skin and living his life through him.

Its disturbing, uncomfortable, dark, scary, and it's funny, hopeful, and just plain bizarre.

Great Pretender

Alright, back to light-hearted things !!!

Great Pretender might be the funniest show I've ever seen, to me, personally. Its bright, saturated, expressive animation compliments the absolute insanity of this show perfectly.

The most basic premise is that Great Pretender is about two con artists desperately trying to out-con each-other, and then it all goes downhill from there. It sets up so much of its payoff in such tiny little ways that by the time I got to the end I'd be beating myself up for missing a completely innocuous detail like a characters fucking watch, because it was actually a hint towards the overall plotline.

Its clever, it's funny, it keeps you on your toes, and it can be genuinely heartfelt and delightfully homoerotic to boot !!

It's absolutely worth the watch. Please give us season two. Please. PLEASE.

Dark Heaven*

Dark Heaven is what I'd recommend to someone if they told me they liked reading BL.

As a gay man in an interracial relationship, I've yet to find a piece of media that is quite so open direct, brutal and honest about the kids of issues that gay people, people of color, and people in interracial relationships can face.

To that end - it's extremely triggering if you're sensitive to those particular topics, as well as some other things. I'd very much recommend looking up a list of triggers first if you want to read it because it does get very, very dark. (And very NSFW). (Right from chapter one)?

But yeah - Dark Heaven is a beautiful, engaging, and at times very fluffy and humorous romance between two men, that is heavily overlaid with real actual issues people face every day (and some people don't face every day, but are nonetheless very real). It's honest, soft, and uplifting where it needs to be, despite not sugarcoating absolutely anything. It also does us the wonderful favour of not fetishizing gay men, not playing into weird creepy stereotypes, and not turning their relationship into something to gawk at.

And now, the one, the only, the piece of media that captured my heart and soul and will never ever let go:

Warrior Cats

Fucking Warrior Cats.

I have read every single book in the series. The series with over 100 books (depending on how you count them). Every official piece of media, I have consumed.

I've been reading this book series since I was 11. I've loved, cherished, lived and breathed it. I keep up with them to this day. I recently completed a chronological re-read. I've made OCs. I've roleplayed it in person and online - in fact I've been a mod in a DeviantArt roleplay group.

I HAVE A GODDAMN EXCELL SPREADSHEET WHERE I ANALYZE THE STATISTICS OF THE WARRIOR CATS NAMING SYSTEM

"Oh wow, sounds like the series is really good" WRONG

Warrior Cats is one of the worst written series I've ever read. It's poorly paced, it's full of plotholes, most characters are pieces of cardboard with a furry coat. It's dumb, nonsensical, inconsistent, and infuriating. It preaches the worst lessons I've ever heard, it's full of nothing but wasted potential, and I could honestly count the number of books I'd consider to be genuinely good on both of my hands.

Out of a 100. I've read a fucking hundred of these. Send help.

Why do I do this to myself? Why do I read them?

Because I'm autistic and my brain is holding me hostage.

Against my better judgement, I have such a deep and genuine love for this series, for the characters, for the content mostly created by the fans, for the world building.

And every single time one of these fucking cats dies, I end up tearing up.

I love Warrior Cats and you can pry it from my cold, dead hands.

...

And that's IT !!!

Thank you again for the ask, and thanks if you read it this far !! You can really tell which ones of these I'm currently hyperfixated on haha.

Again please practice discression in looking these up - I have absolutely no triggers, and so don't think twice about consuming really dark and heavy pieces of media. This is also why I didn't just opt to put in my own trigger warnings - because I don't know everything that could be potentially triggering, and I don't want to give off the impression that you know everything you need to, in case i missed anything.

Be careful and be safe !

#dungeon meshi #cats 1998 #chainsaw man #arcane #attack on titan #death parade #oyasumi punpun #great pretender #dark heaven #warrior cats #warriors

[mrs-gauche]

The “Flip it” Theory

(I’m sorry, it’s like 3am and I couldn’t come up with a better title. lol)

So.. Here’s another fun little DA tinfoil hat theory that you might have already heard about, but I don’t think I’ve seen it discussed on here before? It also probably sounds super unhinged, but at this point, can we even get any more unhinged in terms of theories? lol So, we might as well just embrace it. It’s just one of those theories that simply won’t leave my mind (especially when trying to sleep at 3am lol), so writing it down will hopefully put it to rest. 😁

Okay, so we all know that, in the Fade, the laws of gravity or physics in general don’t really apply and are all over the place, right? There’s no real sense of time or space, no real “up” or “down” as the Fade does not follow any rules of the waking world and is somewhat shaped by whatever the person dreaming expects reality to look like or quote, “is reflected by the mind of the living”.

So when we see the Inquisitor fall into Fade in “Here Lies the Abyss”, it’s even emphasized by how the camera movement in-game and the environment in the Fade has to “adjust” according to how the Inquisitor expects gravity to work, or rather, what the world’s supposed to look like to us, meaning the sky has to be up and the ground has to be down. lol

Additionally in Trespasser, we see that, not only is the Vir Dirthara scattered all over the place, but in parts also completely flipped upside down.

(I’m so sorry btw, I just now realized that looking at these gifs for too long can make you feel super dizzy. lol)

The reason I’m pointing this out, is because it keeps reminding me, for one, of this mural.

Of course, since this mural was first shown in the teaser trailer in 2020 and has been thoroughly analyzed by the fandom, it seems pretty clear by now that, with the way this mural is composed, particularly with the two upside down figures, BioWare intentionally encourages us to look at this image upside down. What’s even more intriguing to me, seeing as the Dread Wolf appears to break into the Black City here, “releasing” the raw magic of the Fade with its non existent rules of reality to the waking world and in doing so, figuratively and in some respects quite literally “turning the world upside down”.

Though while most people seem to focus on the two figures here (that are most definitely the two remaining Evanuris still sleeping/imprisoned or something like that, but that’s not the topic of this post lol), you might have heard of this other crazy theory suggesting that, when looking at this mural upside down, the shape of the Dread Wolf appears to roughly resemble that of a mountain.

(I warned you this leans VERY heavy on the tinfoil hat, but please don’t leave yet lol) Okay so, as far as I understand it, the theory suggests a potential connection to a particular mountain mentioned in the lore, called Belenas.

In a legend of the Avvar, it is said that Korth the Mountain-Father kept his throne at the peak of the mountain Belenas, which “lay at the center of the world”. The tale goes as follows:

Korth took his heart out of his chest and hid it within the Frostback Mountains to avoid being weakened by love. When his lack of heart turned him bitter and cruel, the Lady of the Skies sent her children to retrieve it. Though after all her children had failed to do so, the ptarmigan volunteered for the search. The Lady refused to give the tiny bird her blessing, as she thought the mountains was too fierce, but the ptarmigan succeeded where everyone else had failed. It found and freed the heart, allowing it to jump back into Korth's chest, where Hakkon Wintersbreath bound it once again. For her great deed, the ptarmigan was honored by the gods.

When Korth grew tired of heroes barging into his hall to claim the honors they thought they were due for climbing the mountain of the gods, he spoke to the Lady of the Skies, who then lifted Belenas from the earth into her realm, so no one could reach it anymore.

Legend says that Belenas was eventually destroyed during a battle between Korth and the serpent Nathramar, leaving only a vast crater behind that the Lady of the Skies “filled with her tears” and formed what we now know as Lake Calenhad.

Okay, so there’s a lot to dissect here, so I try to make it as brief as possible, but in short, people have noticed a number of intriguing parallels to different pieces of elven lore and theories in this tale, or what could be interpreted as such.

So I’m going to try and take this on one by one. Let’s start with this:

- Korth’s throne sits at the peak of mountain Belenas, at “the center of the world”.

- When looking at the mural from the teaser upside down again, it places the Black City (or the “Maker’s throne”, if you will) at the “peak” of the Dread Wolf shaped “mountain”. It is also known that the Black City sits at “the center of the Fade”, where no one is able to reach it.

- Korth takes his heart out of his chest and hides it within the Frostback Mountains. When his lack of heart turns him bitter and cruel, the Lady of the Skies sends her children to retrieve it.

- If we put in “Titan” for Korth and “Mythal” for the Lady of the Skies, this part is kinda reminiscent of what we know (or suspect) of Mythal, her conquering of the Titans (which would be the Frostback mountains in this comparison) and the theory of the ancient elves killing the Titans and obtaining their hearts, enabling them to create the foci/orbs/vessels of dreams that gives them god like powers. So Mythal sends out her “children”/army in the attempt to conquer the Titan and obtain its heart.

- After all the Lady’s children fail, the ptarmigan volunteers for the search. She refuses to give the tiny bird her blessing, as she thinks the mountains are too fierce, but the ptarmigan succeeds and retrieves the heart.

- Now, this part might be a bit of a reach, but when taking this even further and comparing this whole story to Mythal’s war against the Titans, looking at this tiny little nondescript bird defying the odds and ultimately leading the Lady of the Skies to “victory”, am I the only one who’s a little reminded of Greek mythology here (which, as I’ve mentioned numerous times before now, seems to be at least partially BioWare’s inspiration for the ancient elves), and how in Greek mythology, the Olympians’ victory over the (literal) Titans was the result of a cunning trick devised by Prometheus, who deserted from the Titans’ army beforehand.

And I know I’m certainly not the only one to have noticed a lot of odd similarities between the role of good old Prometheus in mythology and our very divisive Mr wanna-be-Wisdom Pride, aka Solas.

- For her great deed in retrieving Korth’s heart, the ptarmigan is honored by the gods.

- So while we’re at it, why not just compare the little bird to Solas then and assume that, for helping Mythal in her victory over the Titans and obtaining its heart, Solas is somehow honored and elevated to the status of godhood or at least into some sort of exclusive circle of those who the Evanuris trusted the most. (And even rewarded with his own orb, maybe? Might this be what we’re seeing in the mural depicting a Titan’s death?)

- When Korth grows tired of heroes barging into his hall to claim the honors of the gods, the Lady of the Skies lifts Belenas from the earth into her realm, so no one can reach it anymore.

- Now it gets a bit tricky.. If we take this part of the tale as Mythal “lifting” the now dead Titan into her own realm, meaning the sky, maybe it’s nothing more than a metaphor for Mythal mining the Titans’ blood and using the lyrium for her own empire (the creation of bodies for spirits?). Or maybe she literally lifted part of a dead Titan’s body into the sky and used it as a “cornerstone” to build the empire’s capital city Arlathan on top of it.

Which, again, would actually explain why the Black City *cough* Arlathan *cough* is depicted on top of the “mountain” in the 2020 upside down mural. Especially when adding that last part “so no one can reach it”, you know, just like the Black City can’t be reached within the Fade.

- Belenas was eventually destroyed during a battle between Korth and the serpent Nathramar, leaving only a vast crater behind that the Lady of the Skies “filled with her tears” and formed what we now know as Lake Calenhad.

- Again, this part could be interpreted in many different ways. I’ve seen theories spanning from Solas creating the Veil causing the magical floating Arlathan to fall from the sky and destroying the mountain in the process, to the Lady’s “tears” actually being Mythal’s (Great dragon) blood that somehow dripped in the lake when she was murdered, which is why centuries later, the actual Calenhad Theirin would gain special powers when he made a bargain with an old witch (Flemeth?) and drank from said lake.

So yeah, as you can see, there’s a lot to take from all this as far as unhinged tinfoil theories and strange parallels go. lol

And with all of this in mind, I’d like to look at the Black City in the 2020 teaser mural again, as you also might have notice that, in addition to the whole mountain shaped Dread Wolf, when turned upside down, the Black City appears to keep the silhouette of a city, no matter how you look at it?

In fact, a lot of depictions we’ve seen of the Black City share this rather oddly shaped silhouette.

There’s also this stained glass, depicting the city upside down and in both gold and black.

I actually don’t know what to take from all this. It’s just something I’ve noticed while gathering images. lol

But while we’re at it and flipping everything on its head now.. lol While I was looking at all the Trespasser murals again, I also noticed that, when flipped upside down, two of the murals actually form a full circle when put together.

And ohh, would you look at that, there’s the “mountain” (Titan) at the bottom again with the Black City “on top” of it, just like the mural in the 2020 teaser when flipped upside down?? 😂 (Also interesting parallel to note with Solas holding the orb(?) on both the left side of each mural.)

Now, I know I sound super unhinged and I actually don’t think this is supposed to mean anything and it’s probably just a crazy coincidence (..right??), but.... what IF we just go full on tinfoil here now and assume that it IS actually supposed to be looked at this way......

In all the murals we’ve seen thus far, the circle was always assumed to represent the Veil, right? So when looking at it this way, it would put the Titan inside the Fade within the Veil beneath the Black City, right?

So.. Here’s my crazy idea...

Even though we know the Fade is an ever-changing place not bound to any rules of reality or a set geography.. What if the rocky landscapes we see in the “raw Fade” are actually all part of a sleeping/dead Titan(s)?

And while we are looking at these rocks again, am I the only one reminded of the structures seen in the deepest level of the The Descent dlc, a gargantuan cavern located in the so called “Wellspring” within a Titan, which is grouped at the expedition table as a location within “the Uncharted Abyss”.

“The Abyss”, also called the Void in different cultures, myths and historical texts in DA lore, is said to be a place whose location is undefined, but believed to be somewhere within the Fade, “empty places between dreams” (or, according to Solas, the place where spirits are reborn).

So if we go back to the Wellspring again, where we’re looking at what appears to be a literal abyss, a vast sea of clouds.. What we expected to be the deepest and darkest place in the world is revealed to be a bright, seemingly endless “sky” beneath the earth, or rather a Titan.

And with all this in mind, it’s even more intriguing now to go back to the beginning of this post, where we established that, in the Fade, the sky is not set to be “above” or “beneath”. It all depends on the expectation or perspective of the beholder.

(And btw, funnily enough, I actually encountered a bug once at the Wellspring that made it look like the sky was actually “falling down” on me. lol)

And lastly, in relation to all of this, I also want to point out this little quote, said by Flemeth in DA2:

“The world fears the inevitable plummet into the abyss.”

While we all know our favorite old witch likes to be overly ambiguous and cryptic in her phrasing, maybe we should take this quote more literal than we previously thought? lol Maybe, with the Veil collapsing some way or another and the angry tainted Titans awakened, the world might literally lose its so called ��Pillars of the Earth”, plummeting into the endless void we’ve seen in The Descent.....

Well, shit.

Anyway, I’m afraid that’s all I had to say lol, and if you actually made it this far, thank you so much for engaging in this insanity. 😁 (And sorry if this turned out to be a total waste of your time. 😂)

Though I do have to mention, what actually prompted me to write this post in the first place, was seeing how some people are expecting Solas to be at the White Spire now after reading the synopsis of the upcoming comic series “The Missing” (if you want to know why, skip to the end of this post lol). The White Spire being an Antivan mountain with a very particular shape (at least according to this illustrated map of Thedas that came with every copy of Tevinter Nights).

(I can see where this thing got its name from. lol It almost reminds me of a volcano? 😂)

Which just so happens to ALSO kinda resemble the shape of the “upside down mountain” shaped Dread Wolf from the 2020 mural....

So.. take from this information whatever you like, because I don’t know anything anymore... My head hurts from all this spinning. I’m out. 🥴

#tinfoil time #trespasser #solas #mythal #da4 #dragon age 4 #this is probably the most tinfoil I'll ever get lol #but this one is so much fun to think about for some reason 😂 #anyway good night lol

[quoganenthusiast]

okay I’m gonna do my best to explain all my thoughts on the “Quinn running away” theories without rambling- I’ve been hyperfixated on this specific topic for a few days because I have SO many thoughts and there’s SO many theories floating around there- like seriously so many… The main two I keep seeing though are “Quinn is having second thoughts/cold feet about marrying Logan” and “Quinn is overwhelmed by how over the top/perfect the wedding is and wants something more relaxed so she runs away”

I want to preface this by saying these are all my personal opinions and thoughts and obviously I have no idea what's actually going to happen in the movie and I could be completely wrong in absolutely everything I'm saying. This is just based off my years of analyzing these characters and having my own theories and thoughts about them and from the last week of analyzing the trailer.

First theory: Quinn is scared to marry Logan. I don’t believe it for a second and I never have. There’s just no evidence to support that at all. In every single shot we see of Quinn and Logan together in the trailer, they look disgustingly in love and happy and they’re hanging all over each other. And why after 15 years, probably months of planning, multiple wedding related events, etc would Quinn suddenly change her mind at the altar. I’m not saying that hasn’t happened and that it can’t, I just don’t think it would make much sense. I don’t believe she’s running out on Logan.

Second theory: Quinn is overwhelmed by how over the top and extravagant the wedding is and feels like it’s not right for them so she runs away from the wedding, not from Logan specifically.

I’ll admit, this theory has merit and it’s one that I could be interested in seeing play out and I entertained it for like half a day but the more I thought about it, the less it started to make sense to me. I’m really about to show how unhinged I am and have been towards this trailer 💀 I don’t really buy into this theory because I don’t see Quinn being the kind of girl that would just stay quiet and not voice her opinions and state what she wanted, especially about something as important as her wedding day. And Logan would also know her well enough to know what she would and wouldn’t want. Like off the bat this theory, to me, insinuates that Quinn and Logan are the kind of couple that don’t really communicate and we know that’s not the case. Also, even if the wedding plans did start to become too much for Quinn during the midst of it all, I don’t see her waiting until the day of the wedding to be like “nah this is too much”. Because it does look like she’s in the official wedding dress when she’s running. We see two dresses in the trailer, the one she’s running in and the strapless one that the statue/cake/whatever it is is based on. She’s wearing that dress in the same scene we see the statue in. So if the theory is Quinn is overwhelmed, runs out, Logan proposes again, then a second more toned down wedding, then I feel like the dresses should be switched?? And again, in all the shots we see of them, Quinn looks incredibly happy. Idk this theory just unravels for me the more I think about it.

I’m actually kind of thinking that that scene really isn’t even anything major and it was included in the trailer as a red herring to get us talking lmao

Also, I think it would make sense narrative wise to have Quinn and Logan be stable and comfortable AND still maddeningly in love to like offset/parallel how much of a mess Zoey’s life is and help push her into deciding what she really wants.

Does any of this make any sense?? 💀 anyways that’s my where my thoughts have been regarding this topic. I can’t wait to find out what’s actually happening though omg

#quinn and logan #Logan and Quinn #Quogan #Zoey 101 #Zoey 101 movie #Zoey 102 #Zoey 102 movie #Erin sanders #Matt underwood #Matthew underwood #Logan Reese #Quinn Pensky

[suspicious-whumping-egg]

Hi I really want to write but I don't really know how and I don't know how to start but I'm also really worried that people would judge me can you just help me and give me some tips

Hey anon! First of all there’s no right or wrong way to write! Good writing usually shares common characteristics like figurative language, literary devices, a strong plot, characters, and theme, etc, but different people like different things and if you write what you love, you’ll find your audience. There always may be people who judge you but that doesn’t mean their opinions are more relevant than those of who enjoy your writing, and those people may just not be your target audience. What’s important is that you genuinely enjoy writing it, because if you write to cater to an imaginary audience (or even a real one), you might find yourself losing passion or interest in the project while becoming more and more stressed, losing the audience your writing may have attracted if you’d just written what you enjoyed. Expanding your comfort zone is good, of course, but do it on your own terms, and know that you don’t need to treat all online writing advice like a rule, but a guideline. Writing advice, good, mediocre, and otherwise, can be a good tool regardless if you use it, because analyzing why someone might have come up with this advice or what they were going for can also lead you to develop more of your own helpful processes. I.e. back when people tried to avoid using the word “said” nearly at all because they didn’t want to repeat it— the goal ofc was to keep from being tedious and repetitive, but sometimes it’s best to keep it at “said” instead of trying to use different or more complicated words that don’t fit the point of the advice makes sense, even if the actual advice doesn’t.

Now, if you’re interested in having more detail or (literary) strength to your writing I definitely recommend researching literary devices, plot structure, character development methods, how to develop and communicate a theme, etc. What’s also very important is making sure you know how people in general work, if you’re looking for realism in your characters, so looking at some general psychology concepts can be helpful. If you’re looking to write with some type of structure, it can help to plan plot diagrams, write out character bios, etc. If you prefer to just let it all marinate in your mind and dump it out on the page, that’s great too! Discord can also be a nice medium because it gives the record keeping of the former but instead of structured documents, it’s just unhinged rants to your friends that still give you more concrete ideas. Personally I’m a bit more of the second type, although my avoidance of making documents or diagrams for my plot and characters does mean I have to do a lot of thinking, remembering, and planning in my head in order to keep a strong plot, proper character development, etc.

Last but not least, don’t be too hard on yourself! Many people you see writing, including on tumblr, have been doing so for a long time. I’ve been writing for maybe three years, and the first things I wrote were for my eyes only (and maybe those of a select few) and I certainly didn’t post it. Writing is a craft, and like any other, it takes time to develop and grow. There may be some rough spots at first, and that doesn’t mean you should give up. And if you do post it, remember that numbers do not equal worth. Many of us know the feeling of working super hard on a piece to only get a scatter of likes, maybe a reblog or two. But if you find yourself writing as a way of getting notes, or feeling like notes dictate the worth of your writing, it can be a good idea to keep writing but not posting it. Although taking a break can also be good and healthy! The best writing doesn’t often come when you sit down and force yourself to write, and trying to forge yourself to write when you’re not vibing it can sometimes just be more frustrating and can exacerbate burnout. Personally, when I have writer’s block, or anytime I’m trying to write, I spend a lot of time just thinking and daydreaming about scenarios until I feel that excitement and motivation to write again.

If you’d like more advice, feel free to send another ask or dm me here or at blue.e on discord! Happy writing <33

#writing advice

[dragons-bones]

I'm looking at my current to-do list for Fallen London and feeling a bit like Charlie Day in the Pepito conspiracy scene with just how absolutely unhinged it looks:

hunt three Seven-Throated Warblers to steal three Hillmovers from their nests

pop out of Parabola and into the University Laboratory, do the experiment to raise Kataleptic Toxicology Studies to 2

stay at the lab to do analyze the False-Snake I picked up back during the railway extension to Jericho Locks, then extend that study in order to acquire a copy of A Complete Account of Toads, Frogs, and Other Croaking Beasts

stumble out of the lab, take the train to Ealing Gardens, and throw self into Helicon House to get Shapeling Studies to 2, then grind up Shapeling Arts so it's at unmodified 7

take the train back to London, fall into the Bone Market, badger best buddy the Bohemian Sculptress to make me some ivory femurs in exchange for all these Parabolan Orange-Apples I have

add some more joints to my current skeleton frame, stick the femurs on it, declare the abomination An Amphibian, and go sell it to Mrs Plenty for a disgusting amount of Hinterland Scrip which will hopefully cover most of my railway building needs for the next few station builds

think for half a minute about switching Ali's profession to Licentiate for free headless skeletons and just stick Bright Brass Skulls on them to sell to the Constable instead, but the Midnighter's bribery ability is currently too useful for me during Railway Board meetings to keep the Bishop of Saint Fiacre in line

is any of this efficient? probably not. do I care? also no.

also in the meantime as I wait for my reactions to refresh, I'm writing about how when the Clay Highwayman asked Ali if she would like to take a ride around his hideout on The Best Girl (AKA The Beast), she looked him dead in the instead and said, "I'd rather ride you," and this is how the highwaymen all discovered their seven-foot tall boss could, in fact, blush.

#of course when ali was kidnapped for ransom #she took one look at the clay highwayman and went 'yes. that one. gimme.' #if it's of age and can give consent then ali will fuck it

[stormyoceans]

Did you see the cast's reaction to the trailer? Did you see how emotional they got? (cause same). Did you see backaof saying they're not gonna get together easily? (crying screaming throwing up) Did you see mark saying that backaof loves making us cry? (wbk mark-- we're already crying)

I am vibrating with EXCITEMENT. Also i keep thinking of the OST and i can't wait for it to be released! Aside from how beautiful it is-- i can already imagine myself putting it on repeat for months, i hope it gives us more scenes to dissect and analyze and obsess over lmao. I think it'll come out by next Wednesday? I hope sooner tho!

I DID SEE IT!!!!!!! AND TBH IM STILL TRYING TO COME TO TERMS WITH THE FACT THAT LIKE. WE'RE GETTING CONTENT??? WITH ALREADY AVAILABLE SUBTITLES??? AND THERE'S MORE TO COME WITH THE OST AND OTHER KIND OF PROMOTION??? IM SO NOT USED TO IT BUT WE'RE REALLY LIVING IN THE LAST TWILIGHT ERA NOW AND I COULD NOT BE HAPPIER

also i would love to comment the entire video but i feel like i still can't put any coherent thought together so here are some random considerations:

1) jimmysea are always so serious every time they have to watch the trailer for one of their series, we really never get much of a reaction out of them and for some reason i find that pretty endearing???? like they always put everything they have in what they do so of course they would concentrate on what they're watching so intently that they actually forget to comment or react;

2) WE LOVE MARK PARKIN NR. 1 JIMMYSEA SPOKESPERSON AND HYPE MAN;

3) i guess we could have imagined that morkday wouldn't get to be together so easily but actually hearing p'aof saying it....... MAIMING BITING GNAWING GNASHING KICKING SCREAMING. i love what mark said tho, that "despite all the drama, those two hold on tight to each other's hands and love". it makes me believe that, no matter the pain and the hardships, they will never let go, and that's what matters the most;

4) NAMTAN'S GOWN SUSPICIOUSLY LOOKS LIKE A WEDDING ONE SO I NEED TO REVISE MY ENTIRE THEORY ABOUT THE AIRPORT SCENE;

5) i have been waiting for doctor jimmy “unhinged method actor who is all about the process” jitaraphol potiwihok to make a come back and HE DID NOT DISAPPOINT

GUESS HE HAD SOME RESIDUAL ACTS OF SERVICE FROM MORK IN HIM. HE WAS SO PROUD OF SURPRISING SEA WITH THE ONE PALM DISTANCE AT THE END TOO

OKAY SORRY this is already so long and incredibly messy but GOD YES I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE OST TO BE RELEASED!!!!!!! i get chills every single time the song starts and it really contributed turning the trailer into the masterpiece that it is!!!!! idk if i should make any predictions at this point but one last clownery for old time's sake (i say as if i won't be clowning with theories every single week from now on): OST COMING OUT ON MONDAY LET'S GO!!!!!!!!

#SORRY THIS IS A MESS AND IT'S PROBABLY MY CUE TO LEAVE #BUT I LOVED THE CAST REACTING TO THE TRAILER AND IM SO EXCITED AND ALL-OVER THE PLACE ABOUT EVERYTHING I FEEL LIKE I CAN BARELY KEEP UP #THANK YOU FOR BEING SO PATIENT WITH ME #last twilight the series #jimmysea #hsfavoriteworlds #m: ask

[fukuwatchesbl]

OFTS thoughts (- I don’t have a title)

Here, I’ll talk about the characters and their relationships. I’m not really trying to analyze them, it’s more about how I perceive them so far (as of episode 3).

First, let me get it out of my system, but I don’t think there’s a clear villain in this show, nor a mastermind. I think we’re supposed to take the characters (mostly) as they’re presented, with blatant flaws. If these characters are dishonest, it’s mainly with themselves or with each other, not with the audience.

1. The core friendship

From the start, Cheum, Boston, Ray and Mew’s friendship felt off to me, but in retrospect, more than off, it’s imperfect. While this can read as a euphemism after last Saturday, there are scenes with both working and broken bonds between them. The good: making sure everyone gets home, Boston and Ray's go-to person being Mew (in ep1: Boston gives his number to Nick for his phone repair, Ray calls him right after exiting Sand’s flat), Mew 2nd go-to person is Ray (but only after he met Top), the way they know who will not do the assignment and who is good with each part of the job. The bad: Boston throwing under the bus both Ray and Mew to get Top, the peer pressure to lose one's virginity, their teacher foreshadowing comments…

Honestly, if it wasn’t for Boston’s unhinged behaviour, their friendship might have a chance to last. (it still might)

2. But that’s not Boston.

Boston looks everyone down, and what he wants, he gets. He doesn’t mind twisting the truth (Top) or gaslighting people around (Nick). He’s also someone who sees everything through the lens of sex. His value is established by the number of partner he has, by how they want to come back for more, and how he had them first and can get them back whenever.

It looks like this lens might also impact his assumptions about others’ relationships. While we now know for a fact Mew and Ray kissed, I highly doubt they had sex. But, at this point, I feel Boston sincerely believe they did. Maybe he saw them getting together in a room. And what else could they have done together if not fuck? This is why Boston keeps looking at them with suspicion. He thinks they’re lying/hiding/hypocrites, but HE sees them, HE is no dupe.

3. Mew the virgin

I wouldn’t be surprised if Mew ended up being demisexual. But, let's talk about how so many of us see him as mastermind, and... I don't. Or, at least, not yet.

Did he make sure their school project would secure his future? Yes, I agree with this. It's his idea, and he's aware how much Ray cares for him, and, to some extant, he's profiting from it. Did he take top's 3-months-limit as a form of challenge? Probably (unless he's demi, then the scene take a slightly different tone). BUT, that's it. I strongly believe the rest can be taken at face value.

Well... until he'll decide to confront Top about cheating on him. Because, then we get to this (I think):

And I still don't know if that smile is Mew feeling reassured, knowing he has the upper hand in their relationship, or planning revenge.

4. Top, a much frailer top-tier

Not gonna lie, I love his character. He looks like a basic (wo)manizer at first, but he's showing some cracks that make me want to know more. Of all the characters, he is one of the most adjusted when comparing who he thinks he is and who he says he is. But that doesn't always mean he lets others see all parts of him.

He had zero problem sharing his childhood trauma with Mew or openly taking sleeping pills, but whatever that dude, Beam, is to him is out of line. And Beam stating he knows Top both in and out of bed? What do you mean OUT?

Also, that clip of his confrontation with Mew (see above), shows Top crying. Do I think Top and Mew are opposites? Maybe. I mean: Mew is reserved, sexless, composed, while Top is in-the-open (mostly), sexfull, emotive. And gosh are we going to see emotions from Top next week. His carefully worked façade is falling in favor of anger and jealousy. Mostly (and wrongly) directed at Sand.

5. Sand, the only really adjusted person?

Well, adjusted only if you consider the men, because so far the women are rocking it better than everybody else. But he has his shit together at least. No trauma in view, very done with bullshit in general, discreet where needed (did you sleep with Boston??), know his own value...

Honestly, the only mystery is what happened between him and Top. Like some others, I feel there must be another person in between them. My wild theory is it's Cheum's lil bro 🤡🤡🤡

6. Atom, who the fuck are you?

Atom, played by Title Kirati, is Cheum little brother. He just got introduced in the last episode, but I have no idea how he connects to the rest of the story (thus my wild theory). We know he's a comm arts student (a link to Nick?). The reason I think he'll impact, in some way, the story is his presence in the opening credits and 1 micro-second in the trailer.

7. Nick, stalker with gentle heart

To be fair, Nick is not the only character with stalker behaviour. Boston shows it with his habit of taking pictures of his lovers in intimate moments, and the picture of Ray/Mew's kiss. Ray also who follows Sand, and Mew who admits he could very much go pry in his lover's phone given the chance.

But Nick is not the poor bunny we thought he is. His stalker behaviour is present from the start with the invasion of privacy on Boston's phone, which would be illegal in many countries, and now the taping of Boston's car (illegal too). But there's also the cameras he suggests to Boston for their pool party. No one was asking for video and sound recording, but he suggested it as if it was perfectly normal. (btw, did Drake use this kind of camera? Could we get both revenge porn and/or commercial sex tapes?)

8. Ray, he'll break some heart, his or yours, or both

So, where do I start here. By the obvious? Falling out of love is complicated, it’s a process partly built on bad habits. Sometimes, you might even start falling in love again before being fully done with said process. I think this is happening to Ray. But I also think Ray has been lying to others for so long to hide the true extent of his pain, that he has difficulties acknowledging the burgeoning feelings he has for Sand. There’s a reason why both Mew and Yo perceive them better than he does.

There are other things to mention about him. The drinking issue, the call to mental health lack of care, his blackouts habit. And that one is really an habit that has found him waking up in random people beds with no memory of what happened in the night. He didn't go presuming he and Sand had sex that very first night out of nowhere. I'm not gonna lie, it scares me that this can be someone's real life experience. It brings back that time when a coworker told me that really I should have a blackout once (on purpose): "it's a great experience". "Great" said with no sarcasm nor joking tone. It still gives me the chill.

Anyway, I'll stop here, sadly I have not much to say about the women in the series. I wish they were more present, and as messy as their male counterparts, but that doesn't look like it'll be the case. The writers and directors are focusing specifically on mlm experiences, something as intimate to them as to the main characters.

#only friends the series #long post #ofts meta #meta #hopefully I won't have forgotten to erase a formatting note

[blackberryandpeppermint]

I’m watching the ace attorney live action movie so you’re gonna have to hear my unhinged thoughts. Liveblog under the cut

God they made the whole spirit channeling sequence look horrifying. I heard that the movie was directed by a horror director and I can definitely see it. Also I love the detail that Mia and Maya were there it just makes it that much sadder. And the implication that Gregory intentionally lied to protect Miles ooof.

Love the parallels between Miles’s and Phoenix’s trials with miles being calm and collected and Phoenix being a hot mess. Also the Dee Vasquez cameo and the turnabout samurai reference. Also the trash confetti lol

I love that Von Karma randomly has a horse skull. Also the foreshadowing of him rubbing his shoulder.

Ooh I like getting to see Mia investigate dl6

Steel samurai jumpscare + Phoenix and Larry friendship

Phoenix why on earth would you pick up the murder weapon with your bare hands. Also Gumshoe!

The childhood flashback my heart 🥹🥹

Damn they really emphasize how grim the three day trial system is. Also von karma in the gallery is a nice touch

I know that the projector dropping was supposed to be dramatic but it was so over the top it made me laugh

What the fuck did they do to my boi red white. They made him emo😭😭. Also making him a reporter instead of a ceo is an interesting choice but clearly they wanted to simplify the case so the could focus on dl6

I love that dystopian future projector ™️ is apparently controlled by dramatic finger snaps and desk slams

And now he has a megaphone because reasons.

Phoenix screaming and tossing papers everywhere seems very in character

The project also comes with trumpet effects and virtual and real confetti good to know. Also maya sitting there deadpan with the confetti is way funnier than it should be

How did they manage to make the blue badger more terrifying

Damn Maya braking down and yelling at white was heart wrenching. Let Maya be angry 2k16

Ooh Phoenix and Maya deciding to investigate dl6 for Mia’s sake is the good shit.

The evidence room? The weapon a piece of evidence? Interesting. Wonder why they changed it since the circumstances of dl6 are so vital to the aa universe. Maybe they wanted to add suspense for longtime fans?

Also damn that cut to yogi and edgeworth

Of course the blue badger has a matching umbrella also him holding it for gumshoe lol

Also what is going on with Maya’s scarf

Lotta’s bedazzled camera. Love hippie lotta

Von karma and Phoenix awkwardly shaking hands

Edgeworth’s face when lotta said she wanted to be a witness

Nessie… well it is gourd lake… Gourdy!!!

What’s going on with Redd white lol. Why is he so edgy

“My cravat does not flutter” everyone collapses in shock

I appreciate that the high tech projects can be used as projectiles

Did yogi keep Polly in a fucking locker

The fucking tv in the flashback

How did they make dl6 even more convoluted

Phoenix talking very slowly to draw out the verdict is once again very in character

The empty husk of the blue badger inexplicably showing up to stop the verdict is the scariest thing I’ve seen in a long time

Polly shitting on the floor and demanding food while Phoenix tries to question her

The look on his face when Polly climbs on him

Damn I feel so bad for Yogi he didn’t deserve all that

Also the scene where he burned off his fingerprints was brutal

Also him training Polly the bird to say I love you so he could pretend his wife was still there was heartbreaking

Love Maya dramatically playing piano in the background

Phoenix shitting himself at Mia’s appearance

Von karmas motives make a lot less sense without the penalty

Larry crouching in anticipation lol

Paper stack ex machina

God damn that’s convoluted

Man is there anything that the future projected can’t do. Now it has bullet analyzing lasers

Also the gun firing because it bounced of yogis back is so stupid and so fucking funny

What the fuck is going on with those camera cuts with Von karma’s breakdown

Larry playing with the confetti is cute

I love the detail of the poor workers that have to sweep up the confetti

Phoenix wanting to take on yogis defense is really sweet and such a good characterization choice

Music swells on the worlds most homosexual handshake

Them yelling at Larry lol

Mayas suitcase is cute :)

Gay eye contact

Jamming ninja and engarde cameo at the very end

And one final objection to round us out

Overall I enjoyed it it was a fun time. Definitely super over the top but it’s ace attorney so it comes with the name. There was some things I didn’t like like the changing of the circumstances of dl6 and the lack of development with phoenix and Maya’s friendship but overall it was enjoyable

#ace attorney #gay lawyer game #ace attorney movie #liveblog #do I have a liveblog tag? #peppermint liveblogs #<there #it’s almost 3 am perphas I should sleep #long post

[stillness-in-green]

u know, pardon if this is out of the blue bc i was looking at my old reblogs posts and found ur analysis (?? breakdown???) of mcgillis from gundam ibo and was wondering if u ever posted one for both gaelio and ein (either separately or together) bc I couldnt find any in my own reblogs (yes i know its been like 5 years or something pls let me live)

Heya!  Sadly, no, I never got around to the Gaelio essay, and while it’s still something I’d like to write one of these days, it would definitely need to wait for a series rewatch.  I’d also rather want to watch it bearing in mind that Gaelio was intended just to die at the end of Season 1, and consider what that means for his—and likely Ein’s, as I suppose there’s no reason to bring in the Type-E if it weren’t for Gaelio—arcs that they got that second chance.

But, that’s not to say I’ve never posted any meta about Gaelio or Ein.  I’d highlight these:

This one about the Bauduin family trio.

This one talking about the parallels Gaelio was drawing when he took the name Vidar.  Written rather early in the second season, a little ways before the Hashmal arc, so not all the theorizing about the extended mythology is correct, but all the stuff about Gaelio himself was on-point.

This one briefly analyzing the showrunners' post-series claim that Gaelio could only walk because of the Type-E, which was destroyed in the finale, hence his being in the wheelchair in the epilogue. It's a little disjointed, largely because I liked the first half of the proposition but thought the second half didn't match what we saw in the show at all, and was further a poor explanation for, if not the wheelchair, certainly the hospital gown. I wasn't as clear as I could have been in distinguishing my responses to the two aspects. But I do still like the idea that Gaelio was paralyzed at the end of Season One, even if the in-show evidence doesn't always track with it, and that post goes a bit into why.

As to Ein, I've written less meta on him.  This is the only one I'd particularly note, leading with a reply to an ask about Mikazuki, but ending with some talk about Ein, his unusual-for-the-show moral framework of sinfulness, and where he might have picked it up.

Just to note, I frequently call him things like "unhinged zealot," but I do so with 100% fondness.  I love Ein, but I love him from the position of believing that he was a closet whack job destined to go wildly off-course as soon as something unbalanced him from his tightly controlled spin.

(Below-the-cut bonus!  Impromptu meta blurb!)

Ein needed a grounded, steady superior to keep him stable, which Lieutenant Crank, with his age-honed composure, was well-equipped to handle.  Gaelio being more malleable in nature left him open to being influenced by Ein's extremism, which then allowed Ein to get up to all sorts of taboo nonsense, with Gaelio following him down out of a cocktail of personal loyalty, admiration, and a sense of debt.  I largely view them as having enabled each other to get worse, but specifically what broke down was their physical condition (as with Ein's steady deterioration from Regular Able-Bodied Dude to Ghost In the Machine) and their sense of morality (Gaelio's surgery to use the Type-E despite his clearly established Earth Sphere revulsion for body modification).  Their relationship, conversely, only ever got more intimate.

In short, I think Gaelio and Ein's feelings for each other were very positive in how they experienced/perceived them, but their priorities (Ein's hatred of Tekkadan, Gaelio wrangling with McGillis’s betrayal, the Gjallarhorn influence on both of their values) meant that what could have been a pretty darn wholesome and uplifting relationship instead locked them into a spiral of pursuing what they thought the other wanted, in ways that got wholly out of hand in almost no time at all.  Great in terms of dynamic relationships,(1) not so great in terms of bonds that would help them both make it to the end of the series intact.

Really, it's probably only thanks to Julietta that Gaelio made it to the epilogue in any remotely well-adjusted fashion.

(Disclaimer: I recall a statement being made at some point that the writers intended Type-E to not have any real cognitive capability left, that it was basically just unusually gruesome backup processing power.  I am further aware that Gailio probably just called the system by name because Gaelio was a capital-R Romantic.  However, with no evidence in the canon one way or the other, I am not about to let either of those facts stop me from headcanoning the shit out of Ein’s ongoing presence in the Type-E.  It’s just tastier that way, you see.)

That all said, you can find more of the above takes in fanfic I wrote for the series if you’d like. Here’s a link to all the stuff on my AO3 involving Gaelio and/or Gaelio+Ein.  There’s also this little Rustal POV on Gaelio and Macky that never made it to AO3 because I never got around to writing the second part of it.

Thanks for the ask, and the interest!

---

1:  So long as you don’t need your ships to be eligible for the Tumblr Purity Brigade Stamp of Approval, anyway.

#gundam ibo #gaelio bauduin #ein dalton #gaelio x ein is 100% my favorite gaelio ship and it's 1000% because of how deliciously fucked up the type-e is #i can vaguely remember talking with the BF early on in season two about what would have happened to ein post-edmonton #ha ha wouldn't it be fucked up if--? #AND IT WAS MORE FUCKED UP THAN I EVER GUESSED #A++++ #my writing

[eisforeidolon]

Trying to navigate the spn fandom with the Jared and Jensen hate has not been easy. I have decided just to enjoy the projects they do I'm interested in and ignore the rest. How have you managed to keep so level headed with the constant craziness and infighting amongst the various fan groups? I always appreciate your thorough replies to asks.

Thanks, anon! Although I'm not always as level-headed as I'd like to be, there are a couple of things that I try to do and remember to keep from getting too wound up about anything that goes on in the various factions.

First, I try to remember that it's just fandom and sometimes fandom is pretty fucking blinkered or just straight up dumb. Especially when we're talking about the opinion of some random blog in their own space, what does it really matter? Opinions, assholes, etc. And that's when it's even a take you can actually consider seriously. Some of the shit like complaining about the way Jensen poses for pictures or Jared sits on chairs is just so inconsequential, absurdly petty, and childish? I really do just find it more funny than anything. Like, you're so determined at that point to fixate on hating an actor you've resorted to analyzing that for something to be buttmad about? LOL, okay.

It's a lot harder to not steam over the crap that gets sent directly to the actors - like the creepy fetishistic RPF posted on the SM of Jensen and his business/projects, the suicide bait/death threats to Jared, and the attempts to slander both Js with faux social justice bullshit. Which, first, mostly come from hellers who we have years of knowing are Like That (a lot of what made the aftermath of prequelgate so hard was the seemingly sudden schism of it). For that stuff, I generally figure J2 are probably not personally regularly wading through the sewer that is their SM, so hopefully a lot of it goes unseen. I also figure that they're mature enough and have good enough support to see that fandom has some unhinged people in it who are acting out for attention and it's not really about them. Furthermore, outsiders with a working brain are going to see it for exactly what it is - butthurt, entitled fans that need to get a fucking grip. That doesn't make it not creepy, not hurtful, or remotely fucking okay, but knowing most of it probably isn't hitting its mark and won't generally move beyond the fandom does help a bit. Especially in the context of knowing that you can't actually stop it because twitter really is for trolls and assholes. They can always make more accounts.

Second, when I really can't get something out of my head, because I keep seeing it over and over again, or one thing or another just sticks in my craw for some reason? I post about it. Sitting down and organizing my thoughts "on paper" seems like it helps me feel like I've dealt with it, in a way? I can't stop bad takes, but I can make it clear that there are obvious other takes which exist and make my best case for why my take is better - or at least a reasonable alternative. That's actually what lead me to make a blog way way back in the beginning, just constant annoyance at really bad takes analyzing the show. I knew then I wasn't going to change the minds of detestiel truthers and I know now I'm not going to change the minds of hardcore J haters, but there are a lot more people in fandom than just the extremists and it can help to see that you're not alone in disagreeing with opinions that can seem overly ubiquitous.

Third, when I still can't get away from something, or even one of the petty things hits particularly hard on an already bad day? I walk away for a bit. Stay only on blogs I know don't play into the drama. Do something else that takes enough of my focus to keep me off tumblr for at least a few hours/days - read or work on fanfic, play the sims, rewatch a canon. Come back after I've had a chance to cool off and remember that it really is just fandumb.

#askboxery #anonymous #anti actor stans #long post

[azure-clockwork]

Way to tell us your groundbreaking original opinion shared by only more than half the fandom in a "better than everyone" tone despite being an extremely surface level analysis.

Like damn, I'm not arguing with you and I'm sorry for the rude sarcasm, but you gotta understand that post like yours keep popping once in a while in the characters tag ( despite having all discourse tag and discourse-prone blog blocked ) when they don't add anything to the discussion. Three Houses is such an interesting game to analyze so if you're going to do discourse, at least get a bit in depth!

Because yes, you're complaining about the discourse but your post is just... participating in the discourse, just in the average "centrist" fe3h fandom way for a lack of a better word. If you hate it so much why add your grain of salt in it? You're the same as the annoying Edelgard/Dimitri/Claude you're speaking about! I mean at least some of them at least provide interesting analysis about the game within rant.

At least tag your post the next time, because even some of the worst lord stan have the decency to do that.

Sorry you got my rant, but your post was the drop that makes the ocean of badly tagged similar takes overflow my discourse limit. Three Houses discourse sucks hard in every form it takes. Still, have a good day at least.

Okok I did say I was asking for this so, fair

First, sincerely, how would you like me to have tagged this? This is an honest question to which I don't actually know the answer, and I'll go back and edit the tags cuz I don't want to bug more people (and kinda the only reason I'm replying because otherwise I feel like engaging is kinda not what I wanna be doing with my life nor yours, but sadly my brain doesn't shut its trap once I start thinking so I feel compelled to share with the class). Actually, you can skip the rest of this if you don't wanna bother lol

Secondly, I just wanted to be funny because I think that accusing fire emblem characters of war crimes is amusing. I recognize that the Geneva Convention sorta breaks apart the moment magic or crests or dark beasts or gambits come into play, and it's also not what people mean when they say 'Dimitri did war crimes' or 'Edelgard is a war criminal', but I think its hilarious to do anyways. When I see people making arguments about characters and using the term 'war criminal', roughly half of my brain starts laughing about how teeeeechnically using that one gambit with the poison barrels counts as criminal, regardless of if I agree or disagree with the argument made. And I'm memeing on myself here too (or at least trying to): "Jay is gay for Edelgard" is a truly terrible justification to base decisions of morality on . I'd argue that picking a house/the church based on attraction to the lord/Rhea is a sillier motive than a numerical tally of official violations of the Geneva Convention.

I really didn't want this to come across as Discourse tm because I don't want it to be; I just wanted turn my own desire to make a list of every single 'technically a war crime' into something semi amusing, because nobody actually wants to sit and read far too many words about how technically if you recruit and deploy Cyril to rescue Flayn (which is before his 15th birthday by like a month) that makes you a war criminal.

If you want my actual opinion (because making you scroll back thru my blog to read the unhinged rants I came up with while deciding between crimson flower and silver snow would be kinda a dick move), fe3h is a messy, morally grey game regardless of your chosen route. You have to make rough choices, kill your friends and former students, and stand by while everyone, including your allies, does terrible things. For me, I bonded really hard with most of the cast fairly quickly because white clouds let me feel like I was doing the worlds best job teaching my kids. And then you have to kill them. You cannot save them all. It broke me a little. The first student I killed, perma-killed, with the music dropping out and all, was Hilda during the Deirdru fight against her and Claude. It was an accident; she died on enemy phase, and I was out of Divine Pulse charges. She wasn't even a requirement for victory. That was the cost of taking Deirdru; that was the cost of waging war. I lay awake that night thinking about how if I had a different sword equipped I couldn't have counterattacked her from 2 tiles away, or if I had done less damage, or tanked a hit, or--

I'm not arguing that every route is equally morally reprehensible, but I think it matters quite a bit that every route makes you complicit in some terrible things. For several reasons, I'm a big fan of crimson flower (I Do Not Like The Church and I also agree with all of the characters who would like to do away with the nobility and crest systems), but that's tempered by the weight of the actions of Those Who Slither. I am continually unsure of just how much I feel the weight of TWSitD's actions falls on Edelgard herself, and I vacillate between "she didn't really have any other options to cause any kind of change from her position, so an uneasy alliance with TWSitD was the lesser of two evils" and "she bears a significant chunk of responsibility for all of their actions, including Jeralt's death". And I have similar, albeit often less strong thoughts about the rest of the characters. Nobody is operating with the full picture, the characters are all massively blinded by their emotions, and everyone makes choices between what they think is the lesser of a few evils. While the exact number of war crimes is irrelevant because whoops, the Geneva Convention doesn't exist in Fodlan and war crimes aren't the only immoral things you can do, thinking about what means are justified by which ends and who bears the responsibility for what acts is actually a really important part of the game for me.

I guess at the end of the day, I walk away from this game believing the war should not have had to happen. But the world doesn't run on shoulds and should nots (in Fodlan or irl), so the best we can do is make choices based on what we do know, and to do our best to help people with the tools we have. I personally land on crimson flower in the end, but I think the real beauty of Three Houses is just how hard it makes that choice.

Ok, I'm done blabbing; just tell me how I ought to tag this to avoid bugging people and I'll be on my way. I mean this sincerely: have a nice day yourself, and sorry to have annoyed you!

[obsidiangx]

I will keep complaining about Getter Robo High's translation status until someone does the whole thing or I die, whichever happens first. It's not terribly long as manga goes, and has high quality raws easily accessible online. It may seem confusing as to why I care so much about a manga I can't read, considering dubiously canon Getter spinoffs can be extremely hit or miss. Let's go over the bullet points:

"High" is a strange romanization of "Hai," a mahjong reference. Not only is this a strangely mahjong-oriented mecha manga, but the three main characters are adults. It is not in high school, as the name would imply.

This is the only Getter manga I know of that stars three women (rather than men) as the Getter Machine pilots. They are a feral gambling addict, a sadako-styled horror ghost, and a buff robot woman.

The robos are genuinely unhinged but rad feminized variations on the original designs. As a mecha fan I say this with my whole heart, these really feel like someone wanted to fuck the robot, and I love them for it. Speaking of which,

Drill Jill.

Back when I was a teenager, I read quite a lot of hentai scanlated on the internet platonically. My first tumblr was actually an immature, edgy and frankly nasty little hentai blog that I'm happy to have nothing to do with anymore. But that means that when a particular name pops up on the art for an official Getter Robo manga, I have a fun little story to tell you.

Drill Jill is a hentai author, first and foremost. I won't speak to his character, because I don't speak japanese, but know that he specializes in noncon (or "mind break" as the online hentai community would call it) manga. Specifically, he often replaces violence with sex scenes, expressing a battle or argument physically, with a clear victor and plot resolution at the end.

The thing that makes his name really memorable to me, however, is his paneling. Granted, some pages are difficult to follow, with the busyness of the art and complete irreverence for panel borders, but their flow usually remains intact. At times, it can really feel like every single page has something to appreciate and analyze. I haven't found another artist who does it quite like this, in any genre of comics.

I can't say for sure, but I'm guessing that Drill Jill was hired to do the art for Getter Robo Hai because of his multi-chapter genderbent Getter Robo doujin, in which girl versions of the three original Getter Machine pilots get into some situations i'm sure you can predict if you've been reading up to this point. But a love for more than just weird fucking bleeds in through the edges of each chapter.

Hopefully it's immediately obvious here: Getter 3 reaching for the third panel. The beam blasting through the entire second page. The sword cutting through two panels, foreshadowing itself. These are CONSECUTIVE pages. The ero scenes are over in this chapter, but so much was still poured into these moments.

It's a hard sell to recommend people hentai, much less this kind of potentially upsetting hentai, just to gush at its paneling and page composition. So I'd like to have something a little more safe for work to suggest, and a cool robot story as well.

Keep in mind as well that Getter Robo Hai is drawn by Drill Jill, but it is not written by him. Rather, the story is by Bingo Morihashi, the scenario writer for Devil May Cry 3, 4, and 5. I'm not enough of a fan of that series to really gush over it in this post, but that may be an interesting lil detail for u (;. It's the writer and artist together who make this comic what it is, and folks who don't speak Japanese don't have access to that right now.

If you still don't care, maybe you never will. That's fine, we all have our own passions. If you do care, YELL WITH ME, SPREAD THE WORD, RAISE FUNDS FOR TRANSLATOR COMMISSIONS, FORCE EVERYONE TO LOOK AT GETTER 1'S FAT ASS AND BANKO BENIMARU'S SHARK TEETH.

Thanks for reading! After all my talk about paneling and writing, I still would just really like to read a cool robot story about evil women. I think everyone deserves that. So I'll leave you on the last two translated pages of Getter Robo High as of this post. This is what we're missing.

#getter robo #devil may cry #manga #super robots #mecha #mahjong