#i understand its purpose very well but just like. come on lol

[britneyshakespeare]

Henry VI: Come hither, England's hope. If secret powers Suggest the truth to my divining thoughts, This pretty lad will prove our country's bliss. His head by nature framed to wear a crown, His hand to wield a sceptre, and himself Likely in time to bless a regal throne. The little Henry, Earl of Richmond and the rest of the court: yeah ok that's a definitely normal thing to say.

[hauntingofhouses]

hi, it's me. the fic writer that uses culturally-specific idioms in a very different cultural time setting and keeps confusing words like reign and rein. this is my story.

[peanutheaddd]

new peanuthead au 😭😭😭😭 cant stop putting these beasts into situations

extras + au deets below cut

essentially this au is where current petey and older petey switch bodies and they get up to various shenanigans . LOL . theres not That much of a plot and not much rlly changes perse . its just a silly situation .

current petey is after he starts living w dog man long enough such that they got a routine going . atp petey secretly likes how domestically hes been living and he has Not been handling that revelation well LMFAOOOO

older petey is married (probs about 10 years atp) + he basically just sent lil petey off to college before the switch and he was handling it poorly . LMFAO me when im in a struggling competition and my opponent is petey t cat

lil petey saved him and petey knows that Very Very well. caring for him became his new purpose and helped him turn his life sround so now that lil peteys off living his own life hes kinda lost and it freaks him out really badly . he misses his son so damn bad bru 😭😭😭😭 bro was not prepared for empty nester depsair

thats why he gets so emotional in the comic LOL . seeing lil petey as a little baby again is basically a dream come true for him . he misses baby lil petey so bad 😭😭😭😭

the switch happens bc (current) petey makes some new body switching invention boogaloo and he thinks that it didnt work and calls it a day but it Did work it just took effect overnight instead of immediately like he had expected . also the body switching invention was across universes instead of within a single world like he had intended. LMFAO His stupid baka life 😭😭😭

older dog man is retired at this point. hes also kinda mellowed out bc hes older . older dogs are chiller and that applies to dog man too LMFAO . he doesnt have the stamina to be that high energy anymore

older dog man can recognize the switch almost Instantly bc peteys demeanor is waaaaayyy too different and too similar to how he used to act 15 years ago .

older dog man tries 2 be understanding and give petey space bc he knows that hes not his petey anymore but he gets separation enxiety really bad and he misses his petey Really Really bad. especially bc atp lil peteys not living w them anymore so he js feels Really lonely. my goat 😭😭😭😭

older petey is having the time of his life. his baby is a baby again and his body is light and he doesnt have back pain anymore and he doesnt need glasses to see . however he Knows his dog man gets separation anxiety and needs his daily quota of physical touch (never underestimate a mf whose love language is ohysical touch) and he knows that the past him would Not give him that . so he Is having a good time but hes also constantly worrying about how his dog man is doing .

current petey meets older lil petey at some point and he feels a crushing sense of despair about it 😭😭😭 in my mind dog man comforts him and tells him his petey also didnt handle lil petey growing up very well .

eventually the two peteys sync up the body switching thingy and go back to their og worlds . i assume when they switch back older peteys reached peace abt his empty nest despair probs thanks to lil petey . and current petey has a bit of a different perspective on both dog man And lil petey . smth smth valuing the time he has w them Now. yah. #corny but thats how i like it YAYYYYYY

lil petey can immediately tell that older petey isnt His papa . he can do that in canon so he can do it here too lol . id assume it kinda confuses him tho bc he can tell its petey but hes too different to be PETEY ygwim

ok thats it i think

[gabbiecasso]

Just me and my reflections on Shikatema

I've been weirdly hyperfixated recently on Shikamaru and Temari, and so I reflected a lot just to properly dissect the reasons myself because I initially couldn't really understand why I liked them when I was really young, more so as an adult (and as demi/ace) LOL so imma yap

As a demi, I've always struggled with romance themes. I always subtly feel like my circuits are frying when I watch anything romance or I often just plainly feel indifferent. Thankfully I managed to spot a few patterns by spending a lot of time in my head; one of them is that I prefer romance when it's not under the spotlight (idk I noticed I always prefer the side pairs more than the main pairs in any story HAHA) I guess that was one of the categories that Shikatema falls under.

I spent more than a decade watching/reading Naruto and it was enough time for me to have a close affinity with these characters and love them for creating such a huge impact in my childhood without the heavy emotional flairs that Naruto and the rest of characters put upfront. They ultimately became my two favorite characters in the series because I share the same traits and tendencies as them. It also wasn't a surprise that two of my favorite characters ended up together because their relationship was slowly developed and it didn't come off like shocking news.

Unlike the other pairs in Naruto where it seems to have characters fixating on someone or characters overshadowing the other, Shikatema operate on a level playing field. They're each strong leaders and strategists in their own right, both competent enough to recognize each other's strengths. They don't feel the need to change the other nor prove their worth. They're their own person and it clearly shows early in the series and even as it progresses to Shippuden.

I personally dislike being the center of anyone's attention or constantly feeding someone attention so I gravitate more to people who are deeply more passionate about purpose/duty/service/something more than about me and my presence. Shikatema has that dynamic where their relationship feels more like a partnership than a romance based on dependency. They both have important (political) roles in their own respective villages, and they know their purposes and the weight that they carry very well—which prolly explains why both are self-sufficient, independent, and capable. They both take their duties seriously and you don't see a scene where one craves for the other's attention (it’s funny how actively and arduously they work on their duty while in each other’s presence so you can definitely say they were literally there for (and with) each other as they fulfilled their roles as diplomat escort/advisor and diplomat/royalty)

Another that I value DEEPLY to my core is individuality, and I've always adored how Shikamaru and Temari preserve their individuality while still thriving together. It's one of the main factors why they see each other as equals and why none of them overpowers the other.

Shikamaru, laid-back and often understated, complements Temari’s directness and assertiveness. His relaxed demeanor helps her stay grounded and objective rather than just taunting in combat or in general LMFAO

Meanwhile, Temari, who is confident and comfortable taking charge, gives Shikamaru's abilities more buoyancy—she openly calls out his BS and he welcomes it because he knows how unassuming, and, at times, self-deprecating he can be. He never seeks the spotlight and often downplays his own abilities and it's where Temari's outspokenness fits the bill (this energy is also quite evident in Shikamaru Hiden)

Both characters also challenge gender norms (I'm inclined to believe that their characters' subtle sexism when they were first introduced in the series was part of the writing, there is an active discussion about this somewhere and I genuinely believe it has its purpose) Young Shikamaru yaps about her being too troublesome because she's incessantly outspoken/spunky. Young Temari yaps about him being too emotional because he didn't seem to receive emotional training.

Yet in the long run, Shikamaru's honesty and vulnerability allow Temari to soften up and witness the act of kindness by someone who wears his heart on his sleeve (which was first seen during the Sasuke retrieval arc at the hospital where Shikamaru had an emotional breakdown) and Temari's unwavering strength and energy nudges Shikamaru into action when he might otherwise hesitate (Temari often banters with him to make him commit to his decisions and not spend too much time in his head)

Both characters also have innate leadership. I noticed that one of my main attraction points is leadership (as an act of service girlie) and these two have that strong nature: Shikamaru leads with his introspective nature, while Temari leads with her assertive nature.

It was evident first during the Chunin exams when they were pitted against each other—both read their opponents exceptionally well and they both show a strong sense of battle awareness while keeping their cool and executing their strategies effectively. It's no surprise that Shikamaru was promoted Chunin and Temari was promoted Jonin & Ambassador (it wasn't clear when Temari was promoted, but in the early episodes of Shippuden, she was already a Jonin & Ambassador who frequently visits Konoha) They both learned to grow as leaders who first serve their people before themselves in their respective villages and it stretches further during the war arc where they serve not just people from their respective villages but the entire Alliance.

Both were also Chunin exam proctors, so ain't that great LOL I think it was one of the many factors why I never doubted their parenting (and Shikadai did grew up to be such a fine and disciplined shinobi with a strong moral code) Both did seem to question each other's parenting styles since Temari favors intense training while Shikamaru advocates leisure (which I believe is a great balance) but both parents have fostered Shikadai's agency; allowing him to come up with his own conclusions and decisions based on his critical thinking because both Shikamaru and Temari share the same values in their youth.

In the series, high intensity emotions are almost always present in every relationship but their relationship has a subdued nature—They don't need long stretches of dialogues to understand each other because all they needed was experiences, and a little observation and deduction.

They didn't need to prove their worth to each other (or to anyone honestly) because it's built on deep understanding rather than overt passion. Altho it had a different interpretation in the manga, both characters even agree that marriage is troublesome LOL (but welp)

Last one is that both are strategists. Chess is my sport and puzzles/tactical games that require mental effort has always been my comfort, I guess it's natural for me to gravitate to these two. (I like any strategic characters who also wear their heart on their sleeve)

They also approach strategy differently: Shikamaru’s intellect makes him highly logical and analytical, often relying on foresight to plan for every possible outcome. Temari is a decisive, action-oriented strategist; often has the courage to commit to a decision quickly. She also heavily thinks on the fly to understand an opponent's motive and naturally adapts.

This was again exhibited during the Chunin exams where Shikamaru's strategic skills allowed him to use his environment to his advantage while Temari displayed her adaptability and quick-thinking capabilities to counter Shikamaru's offenses since she's a heavy thinker herself.

Temari may not be as exceptionally creative as Shikamaru but she highly values intel, reason, and logic in order to come up with a counter. This was exactly the reason why her battle with Shikamaru was further stretched; up to the point where Shikamaru exhausted his chakra.

I deeply adore how both characters value planning, precision, and patience in combat while other characters in the story value power, tenacity, and speed. Irl, I value the same set of values as Shikatema in chess/games/puzzles and so I guess it’s no surprise. I get to just admire the intellectual aspect of their relationship where it allows them to not just connect emotionally but also challenge each other mentally in every screen time they had.

Thanks for coming to my yapping thread if you ever made it in the end LOL

[val-of-the-north]

Renna's identity and more Caria stuff

I think we have finally come to a satisfying conclusion on the identity of the Snowy Crone, aka Renna.

This came from a conversation with Qamarmoon (not on Tumblr, but check out the Blusky account [x]), who pointed out an interesting bit about her and the two sisters Rennala and Rellana. Together they appear to follow the triple deity format: Renna being the Crone, Renalla being the Mother, and Rellana being the Maiden. It's also worth pointing out that each facet of this Triple Goddess is also connected to moon phases.

It was also correctly pointed out that Snowy Crone must have known the Dark Moon if she was capable of teaching Ranni about it.

But the only ones we have seen capable of such contact with the moons appear to be part of Carian royalty.

The one exception may be the Nox... however, they seemed to have owned the Moonlight Altar in the past, as the Cathedral of Manus Celes shares architecture with the Church of Vows, an old Liurnian ruin intimately connected to the Nox and their rituals.

(My friend @katyspersonal also believes the Nox's Black Moon might have simply been an imitation they created, as it seems to have worked differently than the other moons we know of. For example, it wasn't just one person envisioning it, but multiple. It was also physically present underground and was even broken apart by Astel, while these other moons seem much more distant. It's not necessary to believe this in order for the whole theory I'm proposing to work, but if it's true it would certainly strengthen it lol)

In any case, Qamarmoon also posited that the three sisters might have indeed referred to Renna, Rennala and Rellana, and that Seluvis' Rise wasn't the only one that got its name changed, but Ranni's too, leaving Renna's as the only untouched one. Interestingly enough, it's also where you find the Snow Witch set.

The whole convo made me suddenly remember something I had always taken for granted... the Ice Crest Shield.

This small shield, found in Caria Manor, has a snowflake design that was said to be the crest of a Carian princess. Now, I had always assumed this was referring to Ranni, but I realized something. If it were, it wouldn't have been vague about it. When symbols and insignias are relevant to a specific Demigod or important person they are never spoken about like that... and besides, the crest should be found somewhere else related to Ranni herself if it was hers.

But it's not, and what really seals the deal for me is that Ranni's connection to the cold wasn't something well-known, as it came from her secret mentor, the Snowy Crone.

Ranni, for all intents and purposes, was a moon witch like her mother, earning the title of Lunar Princess.

Even Blaidd's blade was imbued with frost only when he vowed to never leave Ranni's side no matter what, walking that dark path with her. The cold seems intimately tied to her secret grim fate.

Even more damning, is that the Glintstone Sorcerers of the Lazuli Conspectus, a Carian-affiliated branch of the Academy of Raya Lucaria, wield the Ice Crest Shield.

However, the Conspectus more than likely predates Ranni by a long margin and seems to have no connection to her overall. Furthermore, the colors of their robes, while likened to the hues of a Full Moon, do contain white accents reminiscent of the Snow Witch set, which was Renna's before it was Ranni's.

So then, could it be that Renna is the Carian princess mentioned on that very shield? Maybe even Rennala and Rellana'a older sister! There seems to be quite a bit of evidence for it!

But, I understand if you are skeptical. After all, why wouldn't she be the Queen of Caria if she was the eldest daughter, or even mentioned at all? Better yet, how would it work if Caria as royalty was established by Rennala herself as stated by her Remembrance?

Let's start with the latter. I do not believe that statement is proof enough to come to such a conclusion. Don't get me wrong, it would be, if it weren't for the fact it's the only instance of this, and it's contradicted by so many other descriptions.

And you may say it's not true. The Stargazer Heirloom also implies the same. After all, it speaks of a young astrologer finding the Full Moon and becoming queen.

It does sound a lot like Rennala, right? But two small bits prevent it from being the case. The first one is the fact that it's engraved with a "legend". The only other heirloom with this description is that of the Two Fingers. Meanwhile, the two heirlooms depicting Radahn and Malenia, prominent figures of the current Lands Between, are said to be depicting "a scene from a heroic tale". Legend implies a certain degree of antiquity, which Rennala does not seem to possess.

The other detail, which is even more weighty, is that she is referred to as an astrologer. Astrologers were ancient people situated on the Mountaintops of the Giants and were once their neighbors. So close was their bond that they created a sword to honor it.

Some of the Carians, like Rellana, even believed that Fire and Moon should always be together, which is part of the reason she followed Messmer during his Crusade.

So the astrologers are the ancestors of the Carians... but they are not the only ones who descend from them. All Glintstone Sorcerers are descendants, in fact!

After all, it was an ancient astrologer who once envisioned the Founding Rain of Stars, basis of all Glintstone Sorceries and the foundation of the Academy of Raya Lucaria.

If Rennala had been that very astrologer girl in the legend, then she not only would have been incredibly ancient by now, but it would also mean she enchanted the academy immediately after its founding, since they'd be part of the same time period. This would leave them no room to develop the opposing beliefs that created the current friction between the two factions, which doesn't seem to be the implication.

The woman in the heirloom is most likely just Rennala's ancestor, who envisioned the Full Moon and changed the trajectory of her branch of astrologers forever.

This isn't the only thing against the idea Rennala is the sole founder of the house of Caria as well as its one queen! Counter-evidence comes in the form of several descriptions mentioning long-standing traditions involving princesses and matrimony... which wouldn't make sense if Rennala had been on the throne child-free with only her little sister for god knows how long...

In fact, another point towards the idea that Rennala was a princess herself once is her use of a particular ability, said to be employed by Carian princesses specifically. And she's the only Carian character to ever use this technique...

My very last bit of evidence is the fact she is also known as the "last Queen of Caria". A title given to her by her own daughter Ranni.

Now, there would be no point in making such a specification if she had been the ONLY queen of Caria up to that point. What makes more sense, coupled with everything else we have already talked about, is that she is the last queen in a long line of queens...

Simply put, I don't believe the Remembrance implies that she is the sole founder of the House of Caria. It is already considered a "house" after all, so it had the status of nobility at least, and noble houses, as you may know, aren't always in charge as rulers. Several houses contend for sovereignty, and it's often a cyclical thing.

Perhaps Rennala was simply the one to bring Caria back to its former heights by discovering the very same Full Moon that once uplifted her people long ago... this also means that multiple people can witness the same moon, which fits nicely with both Renna and Ranni envisioning the same celestial object.

This leads us back to the question of "what happened to Renna then, and how can she be the older sister if she didn't inherit the throne and Rennala did?".

I think the answer lies in the moon she had discovered. @katyspersonal proposed an idea some time ago, that the moons discovered by the Carian royals sort of foreshadow their eventual fate (It's mentioned in this post here [x] though it's mostly about a hypothetical Moon Goddess as a counterpart to the Fell God). It's something Qamarmoon also concluded independently, so I wouldn't say it's a nonsensical conclusion to draw.

The gist of it is that Rennala's Full Moon foreshadowed her union with the Erdtree, as the full moon is the result of its surface being bathed in the light of the sun, Rellana's Twin Moon foreshadowed her fate intertwining with Messmer, their two powers standing together, and Ranni's Dark Moon foreshadowed the lonesome occult path she'd have to walk to "obscure" the light of Grace.

The theme of celestial objects controlling the fate of all individuals is something quite prominent in the setting, so I'm pretty sold on this concept personally!

So yes, I believe Renna simply walked an occult path that led her to obscurity, maybe even of her own volition. To renounce her birthright in pursuit of something different... it's exactly what Rellana had done in an attempt to stand by Messmer's side.

It's also quite common for prominent figures to completely vanish in the Lands Between, as odd as it is to say. For example, we know that all the Demigod children of Marika who did not survive the Night of the Black Knives (minus Godwyn of course) have all but disappeared from history. We only know they existed, not what they did or accomplished. It's bizarre, to say the least...

Not to mention the entirety of the Land of Shadow, obscured and forgotten as an endless war is waged. Rellana too has had any mention of her having existed seemingly scrubbed from history, at least in the Lands Between.

Furthermore, it's exactly what Ranni did as well, erasing all of her steps and seemingly vanishing without a trace.

But what became of Renna then? Perhaps her insistence that Ranni fears the Dark Moon is from experience, and she doesn't want her to commit the same mistakes...

The two most prominent traits of the Snowy Crone are the blue skin and the four arms, features that remind me of the accursed followers of the Royal Revenants, often known as Wraith Callers due to the bells they use to attract vengeful spirits.

Interestingly enough, Liurnia has the biggest concentration of these guys out of all locations in the game. Most prominent for this theory is their large numbers in the Moonlight Altar, a place that's very relevant to all Carian royalty.

These beings are said to be all cursed, explaining their spectral, twisted forms. Now, I don't think Renna became like the ones we find in-game. They don't seem to hold any connection to the moon and ice, but rather to curses and wraiths. However, she might have died and been cursed in a similar manner, twisting her into a form closer to that Ranni's body is based on.

It's also worth pointing out that Ranni is the one who hands the Spirit Calling Bell to us, which is basically the good version of the Wraith Calling Bell that the Revenant Followers use. However, it's unclear why she wants to give it to Torrent's new master, so it might have not belonged to the Snowy Crone originally.

-

So in conclusion... the idea that the Snowy Crone was actually a princess of Caria named Renna, sister of Rennala and Rellana makes a surprising amount of sense! It neatly explains the crone's knowledge of the Dark Moon, the existence of the Three Sisters in general, the identity of the princess the ice crest was a symbol of, the suspiciously familiar name of Renna feeling just like she is part of the Carian family... it just works so well I think!

Finally. It's a conclusion I am satisfied with... Elden Ring feels very complex regarding most of the unseen people in the cast. Gently waiting for the day we can finally understand the Gloam-Eyed Queen too in such a satisfying manner. Then I will know peace lmao.

---UPDATE---

Ok, so this line from Iji was brought to my attention in the comments, mentioning Ranni as the "first heir in the Carian royal line".

This almost makes it sound like there weren't any heirs before her, which would invalidate literally everything I've said so far about Rennala not being the first Carian queen.

So I decided to check the Japanese script [x], and this line is as follows there: "カーリア王家正統の王女たるラニ様の、運命もまた同じはずです". The part we are gonna focus on is the one I've highlighted.

That doesn't translate to "the first heir in the Carian royal line" but rather "the legitimate princess (正統の王女) of the royal house of Caria (カーリア王家)".

This means that my argument is still safe and sound. Ranni is simply a legitimate heir to the throne, not the first one to be heir. There's also a possibility they didn't mean it to be taken literally, but you are never too sure with these decisions... so yeah, just thought I'd make an addendum so it's addressed in the post itself. I mean, not everyone reads the comments after all!

Okie, addendum over.

[ptolemaeaszns]

favorite sam looks

ok as usual not rated in any particular order bc my brain can’t do that and i’ve definitely forgotten some but here’s some that first come to mind. edit: ok so too vague a question for me clearly this got away from me a bit lmao. (also i made a rule to include no different versions of sam. just our sam. so no l!sam or wesson or anything)

naturally her psych ward swag is incredibly near and dear to my heart. she’s so incredibly distressed and whumpy and gorgeous how can you not adore her… the eyebags! the hand wrap! the scruff and disheveled hair! the all white! the single layer! mwah. was my pfp for a reason.

i really this green striped shirt and her gorgeous looong hair pushed behind the ears. great combo. feels very sam to me. i think the sam i draw often looks like this i feel like i channel her often.

this suit looks very nice on her and i think the tie is pretty. also she just looks incredibly adorable here. love her hair. very Girl in Suit.

this is basic but its a classic for GOOD reason. the tiny jacket and shirt + low hanging jeans + undies and tummy peaking out ? hello ??? ok miss cunt i see you.

god i love this one. first of all love that brown jacket and i love the deep blue shirt underneath as well. (second gif is a diff shirt but its a similar color and these are only two eps apart so i'll put them together.) her hair is of course darling here as well. what really tops it all off is her adorable sick little face w pink nose and eyebags... she looks so good sickly <3 she just looks very comfy to me like i really need to hug her it would fix me.

also kinda basic but i think there is absolutely something to be said of the brown carhartt jacket layered over her bedazzled denim twink mechanic fit. slay.

do i even need to say anything. you understand. she fits that shirt real nice. :)

thee simple gray tee... so soft and comfy looking. very nice boob exposure. i would like to snuggle with her. and perhaps use her ample bosom as a pillow. the second gif had to be added for scientific purposes.

simple gray shirt part dos. long sleeves edition.... even comfier. not to mention her sleepy disheveled-ness. precious.

really love this sweater, the details on the arms are cool and this is something i would 100% wear. i like to imagine this is the kind of thing sam often wore when at stanford.

i reallyyy like this blue shirt. the shirt my mini sam often wears is inspired by this one specifically. also i wanted to include this gif. slut waist cameo.

are you seeing this. beautiful woman in suit. i love you season 8 sam.

i love this green striped shirt (hi again) + green jacket combo. because she is just so beautiful in green and it really bring out her eyes. also her messy voluminous hair ofc.

her limp mommy bob and messed up face are so dear to me... battered wife core. not pictured here but her arm sling adds extra points.

sweaty + damp hair + athleisure. rare sam look. and im licking her clean. (love how that's more of a jared thing but he's just so undeniably sam here like that's not jared lol)

blue striped shirt and pink flannel. she looks beautiful in blue and pink what more can i say. very cute.

once again. Are You Seeing This. what the fuck......... her beautiful hair and sideburns.....

just keith the bartender in general really. she was so sexy...

love the brown polo over the long-sleeve. her early 2000s swag. those jeans are really cute too.

she just looks so Wife here. so Mama. i want to bring Her a tea and tuck her hair behind her ears. wow.

i love this flannel because its my favorite color combo brown and blue... also her Da Fog sickness and black eye really elevate the whole look (totally didnt pick this just bc of that ofc not...) so battered and lovely <3

the most basic of them all but her pilot fit is nothing to sneeze at. her two little jackets. her purple tee. baby.

and these. also. :)

this did not get away from me at all. anyways what was i talking about.

[cyb0rgv4mp1re]

Oh, the mirrors of Alt Cunningham and Vincent/Valerie.

Disclaimer: these are just ramblings and stray thoughts, take them with a grain of salt. I’m under no illusion that I’m a pro media analyzer or anything, I’m just heavily biased towards SilverV and like to think about my personal interpretations <3

I need a straight person (/j) to explain to me how they view Johnny and Alt because I think she’s a lovely, badass character but I feel like them being a “beautiful” and “tragic” love story is a manifestation of Johnny’s guilt more than it is reality. He loved her in some selfish manner but it what he has with Rogue is more meaningful to me and he was still a piece of shit to her.

(Edit: Oh! I should add! Johnny and Alt are a beautiful/tragic love story in many ways, I poorly articulated my meaning in this post. They don’t strike feelings of awe, of intensity for me personally— it isn’t, in my eyes, put under an aesthetically romantic lens that wrenches the heart. It’s sort of just sad and pathetic to me, much like Johnny. The whimsicality and gut twisting beauty comes with SilverV, again, to me personally.)

Interpreting Samurai’s songs is a mixture of in game understanding of events alongside their purpose in a greater narrative, so I do think they 100% can have different, multiple meanings. But “Never Fade Away” being exclusively about Alt even in Johnny’s mind is sooo debatable to me. If V lives, Johnny haunts them, and if Johnny lives, he haunts V. They never fade away from each other.

Not saying the song isn’t about her, just saying that I think it has a broader meaning and to *me* it will always remind me of Johnny/V more.

Not even just in a romantic manner— I truly like, love, adore that the nature of their relationship is up for interpretation to the player. They’re soulmates but in what manner, is up to you. Doomed, fated, hated, loved, whatever, they are entwined and there’s nothing to do about that.

Something I note and adore about Johnny Silverhand is his love of beauty, his worldview of doing things with an artist’s soul. We this see many times throughout the game. This helps bind the song together very well.

Johnny and V are literally, and metaphorically, a canvas of two faces. Fallen angels can have a few different meanings and invokes several meanings for me, pertaining to a mixture of different views of whom the three represent themselves to be and how they see each other. Johnny and V though, together, are a thing of beauty too. Art can also be a facade, and this is another thing that is addressed by Johnny (in Temperance ending, his advice to the kid about making music/his criticisms overall about shallow art in side quests.) Take that how you will.

Both V and Alt certainly pay the price of being in Johnny’s presence LOL. But, from the perspective of Johnny having loved them— he can lose both.

Now, for my favorite part of the song.

Alt is definitely a ghost of Johnny’s past who he sees in several contexts. Like I mentioned earlier, Johnny/V can also become ghosts to each other. As far as a demon that never leaves, I have two somewhat contradictory thoughts: One being, yes, Johnny comes back to beg his ex to save V’s life, even going beyond the Blackwall with her, making him a little roach ass demon who never leaves, but ultimately he is irrelevant to her as “Alt Cunningham” no longer exists. To V, however…he truly is a demon that doesn’t leave. Johnny is always there, slowly killing and overriding them. Indeed, a metal soul of rage and fear. I’d like to linger on fear, its placement that comes after rage. After the dissipation of anger comes the horror that is Johnny’s broken down psyche, the absolute nightmare that is the truth: he fades away in history. But never, never to V.

That one sin to cause the fall— Johnny’s sin of arrogance, and arguably V’s too, the heist. If not arrogance, at the very least, foolishness and being way in over their head. A literal fall happens in that sequence, and thus the start of their downward spiral into Johnny.

In Temperance, Johnny sees V everywhere, too. He hopes they’re out there. Listening. Watching. I think Johnny truly believes V is alive and with him in some way.

Boy.

Oh, the tarot cards. The lovers card doesn’t exclusively represent romance, it often represents decision, unity, life decisions. With tarot, the pairings of cards always adds to interpretations. The Major Arcana is a journey. Starting with the fool.

The lovers can also be interpreted as a challenging question for short term pleasure versus long term commitment. When you receive the lovers card during the heist, it’s so easy to think about the relation between V, Johnny & Alt. The achievement image depicts Johnny and Alt, yes! Which I think beautifully fits into the broad idea that she was Johnny’s passionate, self indulgent love that ultimately led to his death.

Big fan of this description from learntarot.com, adding the context of the Fool. Johnny and V are both the fool, they both experience this journey.(I’m not gonna even start on about Rouge being the Empress.)

Misty presenting the lovers card to V screamed to me over any other thought I had at the moment of playing. An opportunity for connection, presented to the Fool, a question to them in the ever uncertain future.

If I could offer credit for this interpretation, I would— but I forgot who I saw saying it and if it was even in tumblr. But:

Johnny/Alt are the lovers reversed, out of sync, out of harmony and calling to make better decisions. He doesn’t get the chance with her, but he does with V. They are a forced synergy that the player can either resist or embrace.

Johnny/V can be either. Depends on the player. When we see Johnny choose V’s health, offer his life, we see those “long term”, solid, selfless decisions come through. Therein lies balance. His journey lands in Temperance.

I do not think Johnny and Alt are fated, doomed soulmates. I think that’s what Johnny wants to tell himself to feel better. Even when he goes beyond the blackwall with Alt, there is pure uncertainty and it is for V, not for her. He isn’t going with her out of love, out of desire. It is necessity and she does not give a shit about him. I find it to be nothing but heart shattering. This isn’t analysis, but it’s why *I* can’t choose anything but the Temperance or suicide ending. It makes me genuinely want to throw up all over the bed when I think about the fact that neither of them can complete their journey unless they both die together, and Temperance marks me with the passion & hope Johnny exhibits for V. It is love in its purest form.

Long story short: THEY DRIVE ME FUCKING INSANE

[theempressofthenile]

The Signs & Romance.

Hey, so I've decided to share some views/thoughts I had on each sign placement whether it was sun,moon or venus. Please share your thoughts about the signs and their views on love! I'm open for the discussion. But yeah. I hope yall enjoy!

Cancer Suns romantic nature can express itself with leo partners easily. Believe it or not. It is because both tend to want the most out of passionate affairs and leo shows the playful side while cancers show the mystic, hidden side of romance. I believe these two to be really good at making love to each other as one is a representation of the sun (leo) and the other the moon. Also, cancer suns can get along with any leo placement, doesnt matter which one. They balance each other out very well.

Scorpio placements need water placements (other scorpios in particular) in order to truly be understood. It is because these placements are a mirror in their romantic life, for better or for worse. And they need someone who understands their darkness, let alone their karma.

Scorpio placements such as Venus, need a special romance with someone. Even if they though sleep around, there will always be someone out there for them, who shares the same amount of passion and intensity they crave. Not everyone will see this character, it is saved for only one person. And sometimes its just in their mind.

Pisces Venus need to write a book on the love affairs they have in their minds lol. Similar to the scorpio venus, they have room for only one love affair that could stand the test of time. This isn't 'real' persay, but romance with them isn't practical and they need others who can fit into their world, because the imagination is what will run far in their love life. If you can keep them from being bored, then you will have them for ages.

Cancer placements & scorpio placements are the tantra lovers. Their love can be so deep and profound, it will leave a mark on anyone they have that strong compatibility with.

Gemini placements making a square to your sun sign or venus can show a deep appreciation and charismatic nature on their part, believe it or not. They NEED tension or else it will be too smooth, too flowy. And before you ask, doesn't everybody want that? Why, yes.. But geminis are typically like this on their day to day anyways. That's just in their nature. They need something challenging to spark their interests. Ironically, they will love you a lot more if you beat them to the punch. ;)

Virgos & Scorpios can make for a gifted experience together. This is because these two placements form a natural sextile together. They know each others tics, and how to appreciate the flow of their being. Virgos will allow the scorpio their alone time and be the calm auras that they need when their facing certain phases of darkness. Scorpios will be the penetrating touch that the virgo needs when they're feeling. a little anxious. Both come together like the two serpents that they are and form a connection that is raw, powerful and unique.

Aries placements need lovers who are CONFIDENT. And if you're not this will not work out well. This is why they're great with leo and sag placements, and can do very well with scorpios. A little secret is that if your not confident in bed, you're not going to do well with them... And they'll run you like a train if you're not able to stand ten toes to them, let alone when they want to tear open your insides.

Libra suns & moons have the gifted ability to make anyone feel wanted and loved when their in their horizons. So much so, that their transparent nature can show up in their love for the individual of their choosing and bring them into a world they will never forget. If they have scorpio in their chart this could be a 1 of 1. They are choosy lovers like their virgo companions.

Taurus Suns, Moons & Venus need a lifetime partner. They just dont want anyone. Their sex game is crazy. They are the venusians and their true purpose in life is pleasure. Get you one of them lol. Tauruses need love that makes them forget their past. That calls them into a vacation that doesnt ask for them to leave the country. They need someone who is stable, fine, remarkable and has their self in control. Because taurus is always in control, and they need someone to take the steering wheel from time to time... if you know what I mean ;)

[qoldenskies]

Out of pure curiosity, would you ever be interested in writing cc “what if” scenarios? Anytime I see you answer a question like that (I.E, ‘what would the mid-curse cc!bros do if Donnie had a nightmare before the curse broke?’, ‘What would’ve changed if Raph hadn’t destroyed Sheldon’ to list a few), it makes me wonder how it would translate into your writing style (because you are a phenomenal writer and I metaphorically eat it up every single time)

tbhhh i would actually enjoy doing that, i just dont really have a good place to be able to archive things like that since i dont want to clog up my ao3 ... other people have written aus/what-ifs for cc though!! any chance to recommend the lovely work people have made for me i will take

seasidefantasies' canary continuity fix-it [2 works, 11k words] was originally written before i'd planned anything concrete for ode to eurydice and the universe's version of the invasion (i'd originally planned not to touch it!) so its only an au/what-if by technicality, but i think it counts here ... its essentially a world where the movie goes very close to canon, but donnie's the one to end up in the prison dimension. the second fic explores a little more of the emotional fallout of that and gives him a therapy animal :) as he DESERVES

the first chapter of whistle where you work [2k words] is a neat little hypothetical about raph letting donnie out of the closet in the middle of caged lungs. its very vividly written and heartbreaking. check out blood feathers while youre here too, it doesnt count for the purposes of this list but its fucking fantastic especially if you want some good cc!donnie hurt/comfort (which if youre here is statistically likely)

coughing up feathers [6k words, 3 chapters, unfinished] is a cc au about hypno coming to investigate why his mesmerism didn't work on leo, breaking into their home under the assumption they had some kind of mystic artifact, only to accidentally stumble upon donnie in the closet. he has no real choice but to rescue him and "hold him hostage" with warren to keep him safe, despite his protests, and hurt/comfort ensues :3 it's very lovely so far!

and of coooourse that's the last song you'll ever sing [14k words, 2 chapters, unfinished] is so, so fucking good. it posits the idea of donnie maintaining his ninpo at the end of caged lungs, and raph snapping his neck as a result. it's a harder one to read especially if you need a good healthy dose of comfort, but it so effectively plays off so many of the motifs in metaphors present in cc in such clever and emotionally evocative ways that i suddenly understand why people got so insane about my writing if this is how it made them feel LOL. only two chapters and its such a compelling emotional roller coaster!!

beating heart of a dead cat [38k words, 11 chapters, complete] is a crossover story abt a version of the non-cursed brothers, 6 months diverged from the events of caged lungs, hopping across universes in one of donnie's experiments and ending up stepping up to stop the curse. the suspense is so well-executed and the characters are written so well and impressively close to their canon voices that it makes me a little jealous. i need to rewatch the show more to get some of that SAUCE!!!

and recently the same person's written when a miner suffocates first [13k words], which is a what-if about the curse breaking for mikey early-- like, before the closet early, going off the idea that he drowns when he falls into the ocean. it is so, so good at making me feel upset on mikey's behalf, the manipulative behavior from raph and leo is teeth-grittingly anger-inducing in the best way. the whole thing also just depicts the more angry, passionate side of mikey's character in such a good way, it all feels so true to him!!!

anyways i believe im mutuals with everyone im recommending here so i hope this makes up for me being so fucking slow about commenting 😭😭😭😭😭. but check out their work if you like canary continuity fr ... and take it as a call-to-action, you are always free to expand off the ideas i bring to the table here if you'd like, or even come up with things of your own!! even if i start getting more into writing aus of my aus, i am so slow and inconsistent sometimes that some things may never see the light of day LMAO

[cindersnows]

i think as viewers we find it easy to sit back and judge each character until their motivations are explained to us in detail like with purple and king and chosen. even with victim its fairly easy to guess a portion of why she is doing this. and that's partially because avam is just made to be like that so all audiences can understand it and why the characters do what they do, and also partially because it's a little difficult to do more subtle storytelling when you can only express character feelings through their body language (and the body language has to be fairly exaggerated so that everyone can understand how the character is feeling).

so then as a result when we see green falling deep into the hole of social media it's easy to scoff and judge and say come on green, do better. we see it as him just getting too cocky again- look at green with his ego and his need to seem cool, he's sucking up to people again so he can get validation. and people understand that, they're even comparing his arc to purple, but they're forgetting to actually see things from his point of view.

like yeah. green was mean to yellow! and that was a kind of assholey thing to do, agreeing with people when they say yellow didn't do much. but like people do stupid shit all the time, especially to get approval. green hearting mean comments wasn't him on his villain arc, he probably barely thought about it. haven't you ever done anything without thinking or made a joke in bad taste. honestly it's a little ironic how quick people were to jump on him when he did something kind of mean, it reminded me of actual cancel culture! fascinating shit. we really are a part of the story.

anyways green started off as the weakest. he tries his best to be good at other things, first building, then music, but for some reason whenever he does well in something his friends get jealous or upset. (he pours himself into that thing and unintentionally ignore s or snaps at his friends--- its a repeating pattern at this point). it's mostly because their competitive spirit, something which is seen in a lighthearted manner but has gotten them killed or hurt on multiple occasions and i feel like they're going to have to address that at some point. whenever green sets boundaries, they're ignored, even if cg think they're just acting in the greater good.

hell, even purple, we've barely seen them interact after s3- who's to say purple wouldn't just scoff at him as well? she's already not very experienced with actual friendships (based on the way they just expected green to brush the betrayal off in parkour, they acted more like it was a small disagreement than a full on issue), so he may just assume this is how friends are.

basically the point of this is to say, no one ever celebrates his success. obviously he's competitive with his friends too, but having been at the bottom of the group from the start, he's visibly very insecure about this stuff, and having people attempt to kick him down during every success he gets (which he works very hard for) will lead to him needing validation from elsewhere. clearly, social media is supposed to give him this.

but like someone in the community pointed out, now he's appealing to hundreds of thousands of people instead of just 5 or 6. the praise is awesome, but seeing that people still have criticism of him just makes him throw himself into his work even more. it also probably functions as a form of escapism for him; he's so busy working, editing, writing, he barely even notices that his friends are avoiding him. it's possible he's purposely using youtube as a way to ignore his gut. anyways, blue's still willing to hang out and record with him, so what's the issue? (it's not as if blue is the least confrontational of the cg lol)

i have. been in this exact position. the moment you make anything, you're looking straight at the numbers. it becomes what you think of in the morning and during the creation process. you're skimming comments for keywords--- good, bad, more, less, etc. you listen even when you don't mean to. yeah maybe the guy was a little mean about one of my friends but ultimately it's just constructive criticism! it's not like she'll see this anyway. it's fine.

and yeah green needs to stop being so obsessive but i think he deserves to break down first. like what ash said--- he expresses his negative emotions the least out of everyone, he barely takes breaks, it's going to come crashing down. and i think when cg confront him about his behaviour he deserves to yell at them for the way he gets treated. it really hurts when all you are is the butt of the joke even when they mean it in a lighthearted way. if the arc just ends with green being knocked down a peg as usual, i will be very fucking upset because he's literally already at the bottom of the ladder, what more do you want?

[earlgreytea68]

I just finished a show on Netflix called "Envidiosa," and I loved it, which is unusual for me, since I usually get easily annoyed by most fiction these days.

I saw a lot of people complaining that the heroine was awful and selfish and horrible, and I was wondering what was wrong with me that I sympathized with her. Like, she made a bunch of bad decisions, but I always understood why she was making those decisions. The show, to me, really paid attention to its actual characters and how they would behave and what they would do. Also, the MC really spoke to me. She's a 40-year-old woman who feels like everyone else got the "perfect life" but her, which she defines as marriage and kids. The storyline of the show is more complex than that, but it really did resonate with me, because I am a single, childless woman in my 40s, and I am very happy, I don't want to suggest that I'm not, but I also know that I spend a lot a lot of years thinking I really NEEDED to get married and have kids, that that would of course be what my future had to look like, because that's what it looked like for everyone all around me and that's what society tells us, and I really felt for this MC struggling with her life not turning out the way it was "supposed to." I don't think we see enough characters out there really grappling with that in as much depth as this show did. Like, yeah, sometimes you DO feel like everyone shows up with nothing but good news and you're the only loser whose life isn't going well. Idk, maybe that's just a me thing but my twenties were a rough time and this really made me feel more seen but in a good way, like, yeah, I recognized this person and her struggle.

But then this show did something even more shocking and actually let the OTP, like, get to know each other and develop a relationship so that you could understand why they would want to be together????? This seems like the most basic element of a romcom but wow, almost NONE of them bother to actually do this, they just give you, like, a montage scene of the OTP walking on the beach together or playing a board game and they're like, "SEE, THEY'RE OBVIOUSLY PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER." This show took its time and the OTP had a bunch of scenes together where they actually had fun with each other and connected with each other and I was rooting for them so hard and really, I almost never root for the OTP of a romcom because usually I don't care about them at all lol.

Anyway, I was really, really impressed by this show. I didn't expect so much going in, but it was very thoughtful and well-done. Also, it was hilarious. I laughed so much. All of the characters were great and I loved all of them. I don't speak fluent Spanish but I understand enough to get by and the subtitling of this show is awful, there were so many jokes that I could hear in the original Spanish being spoken that just were lost in the subtitles, sigh, I wish they would have done a better job with that. But it's okay, because it didn't REALLY take away from the rest of the show.

Oh, also, the soundtrack was awesome, A+.

So, I very seldom recommend anything, as you know, I am the most difficult person in the world to please. And I can totally see how some people might hate this show, like, I get it, the MC is a lot to deal with. But I also really loved her and if you want a show about good characters behaving in a way that mostly makes sense and isn't just manipulated for plot purposes, this was a good one, PLUS it was funny, PLUS it had a decent ending (there's another season coming that makes me nervous but I was very satisfied with these two seasons). (And I HATE stupid contrivances to keep an OTP apart, I really do, and I was worried every once in a while that this show was veering off into that territory, but it always swerved its way back onto the track for me, mostly because it always was so rooted in the characters that I got what it was doing and going for, and again, it helped that EVERYONE seemed alike a fully imagined person on the canvase, not just the OTP.) (Well, the love triangle girl that the guy starts dating kind of bothered me but she was the only one.)

[blissfulbluee]

Just saw in your tags that you fw Junhun so I gotta come ask you for some Junhun thoughts 👀

- Player 016, as if anyone is shocked

Omg I’m so surprised I would have never guessed 😳

Idk something about junhun really calls out to me. I’m not usually big on age gap relationships but this one is nice. It has really really grown on me and i feel like you are at least 30% responsible for that lol.

(Jun-ho looking like he wants to eat Gi-hun, as always)

Okay, my Junhun thoughts and headcanons:

-I love that they can bond on their lives being ruined by Jun-ho’s bastard of a brother, lmao, even if In-ho’s identity isn’t exactly revealed

-I think they really match each others freak in so many ways. I feel like they both have the level of maturity to make it work, though they might have trauma get in the way.

-They have their similarities. They’re proactive and impulsive. When they have a goal, they’re all honed in on it to the point they ignore their own health and well being to reach these goals. They’re willing to risk their life for these things and for the people they love. LOOK. THEY COULD REALLY BENEFIT FROM TAKING CARE OF EACH OTHER OKAY!!!

-At first I think they’d both be hesitant. Gi-hun would definitely be the most uncomfortable. First of all, he sees anyone under, like, 35 as a kid. I can see him being very antsy about being heavily attracted to and falling in love with a 33 year old Jun-ho. He’s thinking “I’m nearly old enough to be this guys father, wtf am I doing.”

-Jun-ho would probably just be hesitant because at first he’s very tunnel visioned about relocating his brother, but then he realizes “oh wow i really think i want this old man.” Then it’s time to follow Gi-hun around like a lost puppy, much like the Jun-ho in your fic. I don’t know if he would let the age gap stop him, especially since he has probably been around a lot of people with the same amount of age gap due to his brother being the same age. He probably has had millions of conversations and even many friendships with people much older than him.

-I can’t help but think about how they literally would only have each other… like it would be hard to be able to tell people about that kind of trauma. Since they both have prior knowledge to everything, they skip all of that added mess. They can (kind of) go straight to the comfort and gentleness they need.

-I love the added angst of Jun-ho either never telling Gi-hun about his brother being the frontman or eventually breaking it to him. Oh, the betrayal?? Delicious.

-I think Gi-hun would forgive him, too. He’d rightfully be upset, I think. it would definitely be a bit of a rock in the relationship, but he would understand. That’s Jun-ho’s big brother, of course he would protect him.

-Which also brings me to this. THEYRE BOTH FUCKED UP. They have to do a lot of communicating to solve their issues but I think it may be hard for the both of them sometimes, especially Gi-hun. Gi-hun lost a lot of his willingness to open up unless it’s absolutely necessary, me thinks.

-But I think it has its potential to be like one of the healthiest of ships for Gi-hun and for Jun-ho. Jun-ho is one of the least toxic in Gi-hun’s harem, lol. I think he’d treat him right. Same for the other way around.

-I think they’d enjoy each other’s presence a lot. Quality time, ya know? They don’t even have to be doing anything. Just knowing the other is safe and there for them is what they need.

-coffee/smoke/bar dates…but its junho staring at gihun while he smokes or drinks.. junho just has m coffee or something, or just sips a little on his favorite alcohol. (whiskey or something other bullshit his brother likes probably because hes a fucking inho copycat if anything)

-junhun sharing clothes because they wear similar sizes and mix their clothes up accidentally. (if it’s purposeful on junhos part…we dont judge him okay…it goes unnoticed or unaddressed 😊)

-they eventually just share a pink motel room together, but junho makes gihun make renovations to their room so it’s more homey, lol.

-junho DEF does his best to get gihun to take care of himself and his space. the junhun meme going around “damn bitch you live like this?” yeah jun hos not letting it happen anymore, even if he’s also pretty depressed and traumatized.

-gihun is SO protective of him it’s almost suffocating, but lets be honest its not something junho isnt used to

-it’s really just sad tired dog energy central in their relationship, lmao.

Okay I hope that satiates you!!! Thanks so much for the ask. I am sorry I got so carried away…I love them a lot

[darkopsiian]

Do you like warhammer 40k?

yes. look at my OC's. tw // mentions of body horror and abuse //

i should probably mention as well; i've roleplayed all these characters lol.

This is Nockzius she's my tech priest oc who's a 20 year old biologis prodigy who has worked on Astartes, Xenos, and reversed dissected several daemons. She's a diagnosed psychopath but currently in an emotional down-spiral, because she found out that since she's a blank the Omnissiah cannot hear her. She's been beaten, betrayed, backstabbed and manipulated so many times. So because of this and several other instances of parental neglect from her father, she's completely engulfed in her own hatred and ravenous anger. Nockzius has gotten so close to insanity many times and I'm not surprised she hasn't completely lost it yet due to all the stress that she has to put up with.

This is Heilgard, she is my sister of silence. She was a training SoS during the Remembrancer program back in the 29th Millennium. During the program they had been attacked by a creature later discovered to be a slaugth, towards the very end of the campaign she had sacrificed her own life to fight and later spiritually consume the minor deity. Later on rejected taking the oath of silence as upon discovering the origins of the Slaugth she had assisted in forming a group of members who's sole purpose was to study the Warp. They are an outcasted group and would be considered heretics by law. Her blank radius is so powerful that she purposefully isolates herself in attempts to protect others from getting their soul annihilated just by being around her. Cats however are safe, and thus she surrounds herself with many of them. She is also my only character who canonically has autism.

This is the P.A., or the Pantheon as it calls itself. The Pantheon was a Super AI that used to operate an entire forge of a planet that made and sold thermo-weapons to nearby Noble Houses. But the planet later collapsed and became swarmed with techno barbarians, xenos, and rabid AI drones. The P.A. became dislodged from it's mainframe and had integrated itself into one of its many worker drones. This worker drone, carrying the consciousness of the Pantheon, had found and integrated itself into the body of a traveling noble named Alicia. The P.A. now wearing the flesh body of Alicia travels with a band of techno barbarians and attempting to sway them into getting her old body back. Alicia's body has long expired but her soul hasn't departed, so it's not uncommon for the voice box to occasionally malfunction and start talking like a human.

This is Oylmortiz my Mephirit Deathmark. Oyl had a severe irreversible malfunction during her transfusion, so regardless of how many times she dies and comes back, she can never speak. Her voice is permanently broken and she communicates primary through static chatter or beeping. Thankfully due to her job exclusively being a hitman, talking isn't that important. Her personal deathmark brothers have gotten very used to this and are able to understand her just fine. She is very loyal to her house and just wants to do her job. Despite all this she has the highest charisma stat out of all of my characters, I don't know how this happened. But the mute necron deathmark has the highest fellowship and it's the best ongoing joke I've had.

This is Hollowtye he's a BITCH. This mother fucking lord of CRINGE has decided halloween is his birthday and now it just IS. He's a greater daemon of hysteria and feeds off wide-spread chaos, which is why he enjoys halloween so much. But he's a fucking IDIOT. He has the highest intelligence score sure but that doesn't mean ANYTHING, HE'S A FUCKING IDIOT LMAO. He is NEVER invited to any Tzeentchian parties because they all despise him. He's a clown who fucks up the smallest plan yet somehow still comes out the winner, which is why tzeentch loves him so much but why everyone else hates him.

T̷͙̳͛͜h̷̠͂̊̚͜ǐ̸̥̬̼̫̿̓s̷͉̙̱̣̓̌̎ ̷̢͔͙̘͔̅̔͑̐ǐ̶͍͎̓s̷̗̐ ̶̺̥̊R̸̲̀̄̂͗̆͜ĕ̴͚́h̷̦̺̼̙̜́v̸̖̠͙̇͊̊̚ë̸̢̞̱̟̠́̅̒͐̅n̶͕͔̗͚͋͂̽i̸̝̰̝̇̓̓̈͜r̶̘̽̊̾̓́ ̸̳̹̪̽͘T̵͕̻̘͇̦́͂̑͝͝ȟ̴̝͍̙̬̭͘i̸̥͎̫̖͗̅͘s̸͍̻̙̯̺̃̐̇̀̾ ̶̮̺̤̻̖͛͌i̸̩͝s̵̺̀̉͜ ̷̨̹͇͆̃́͘̕W̸͚͉̬̱͋̅͊̍̂h̷͕̓̀i̵̬̩͍͛̔̚t̶̻̂̅͛̊e̴͈̳̿̕̕͠b̷͕͛̅a̴̦̜͐͒͋͘͘ȑ̸̰̱̜̜̪͒͋̑k̴̛̟̓̃͒͝ ̵̧̙̪̲̣̐͛͋͘T̶̪̳̟̎͐͜h̸̡̝̺̰̖͗̈́̑́i̷̠̯̱͓͊̋́̓̒s̵̰͈̃͌ ̵̧̈́͊͆͝į̷̟̺͇̘̀̿̆̈́͛s̵̻͛͒͛̆ ̴̧͍̰̃̆̍͘ͅT̸̞͈̪͇̓͜͝h̸̩͔̗̖͕͐̓͑͊ė̵̞̗͙͊́͝ ̷͖̤̎͜Ŗ̸̹͔̝̘̓ì̸̜͍̿ͅv̵̧̞͚̉͌e̶̝͆̐͂̑r̴̘͇̬̭͐̐̋m̴͈̜̮̅ā̷̩̖̺͝n̴͙͓̈́͂ ̵̪̍͜T̸̛̜̹̲̬̋͆̓̅h̷̹̔͌̕͜i̸̹̚s̴̺̼̰͠ ̵̢̥̠͉̖̏̾̓i̵̛̬̱̱͉̘̋s̷̯̟̙̋̈́͜ ̴̛͎͙̈̆T̶̘̮̹̦̹̓̈́h̸̩̭͇͚̑̂e̸̝͉̠̝̓ ̴̝̅͒̔̆B̵̮̼͚̉̐̄́é̷̡̨̤̩̃͗͆ã̶͇͍̈͘s̸̘͗̿ͅt̸̙̺͌͐̐̂̌ ̷̫̺͆͆̈͐́o̵̜̝̠̅f̵̢̧̠̲͉̀̇̈́̈̋ ̶̯̒́̏̈́͝ͅM̸͈̘͔̖̗̆̀̕ḛ̶͔͓̩͑̀r̸͚̈́̂̈́̄͜ć̶̠͙̜̿́͆̇ũ̴̜͇̌r̶̡̖̹̓̍̌̊y̶̼̖͝͝ ̸̡͍̤̐̚͘ṫ̷̛̟̭̘̄̽̈h̵͕͔͛̎e̵̗̤̗̍ͅ ̴̬̳̗̫͍̑v̴̡̯̘̝̫͊͋̾o̷͔͍̩͓͋̐͠i̶̪̤̕c̶͎̹͔̯̚e̶̠͖̅̄̕ş̷̔ ̷̫͑́̅̐͘t̴͚̯̍̋͗̍̉h̵̗̗̗͉̍͜e̶̛͕̩̱̎̈́̒̚y̸̥̹̳͆ ̶͚͂̀̈̒ẅ̵̪̗́̀̓̔̈́o̵̳͈̫͊́̓̄̚n̴̝̻͇̑̄͂͝͠'̸̧̾͋̆ț̸̈̓̓͘̕ ̷̛̫̬̃͘š̵̭̽̑t̵͎̻͙͙͉̅́̈́͐͝ŏ̷̜̎̚p̸̝̰̿̃̆͐̀

[witchofthesouls]

You're the first person I've come across who opened the for to these kinds of conversations, so might I propose that liquid energon is considered only for military, medical, or neonatal purposes on the colonies.

As you and many, many others have theorized, before the Quintassons and before the Thirteen began to die off, Cyberton most likely had an incredible complex biosphere that would make even our most diverse and most extreme seem bland. There would've been several generations who would've learned how to cultivate and forage and hunt on the surface and in the highest caverns and tunnels.

So assuming the Titans who became colonies took "pieces" of Cyberton when they left, they likely ended up preserving whole swathes of nature without actually intending to. Modern day Velocitrons and Camiens would thrive off "leave no footstep" culture as they hunt and move.

How horrific would the state of Cybertronians be to the colony denizens? Mechs who claim civility and order yet seem to lack any and all ability to actually feed themselves. What they will eat, they waste massive quantities, and they seem to be deeply suspicious of someone taking or sabotaging what little they can keep.

I think this could go a lotta ways.

Ohhh, I love worldbuilding like this. It just makes more sense to really delve into the differences between Cybertron and the Lost Colonies, besides "they got girls and no war lol."

Each of the Titan cities has a unique culture and cast, so it's a shame that it all got dropped or it didn't really tie neatly as it could had, so-

I'm going to make it make sense, even if I need to get the blender on canon lore to make a soup!

I did talk about some cultural differences and clashes between the Lost Colonies either through posts ('Caminus' and 'Titans' tags) or in the tags, and I had talked about how liquid Energon may have been playing a role of starvation rations. (Ehhh in TFP since they seem to be on a pure liquid diet, but it can be included in IDW/MTMTE).

But yeah, I can definitely see liquid Energon being used for medical, military, and neonatal usage. It would be interesting to explore differences and similarities in processing, storage, supplements, approach in distribution, and any associated folklore about it (i.e., Eukarians' farm-to-table fuel as it suits their beast-modes versus Velocitron and its pride over solar-derived Energon allowing them to delve into racing and research versus Caminus' recycling culture to mimick the Forge).

Funnily enough, the ones that develop the "Leave No Footsteps" as a whole would be the Eukarians as Chela left the planet's indigenous fauna relatively intact for beast-modes to be truly free. The tribes of Eukaris seem to mimic very early forms of civilizations along with hunter-gatherers. They're not ashamed to utilize the full scope of their alt-enhanced perception. Similar to how they adapted to their new home, the indigenous fauna adapted as well. Frightenly well to other Cybertronian perspectives; the Eukarians as a whole would be more familiar with different kinds of relationships with plants and animals, both the wild creatures and domesticated stocks. It would be interesting if the tribes managed to develop unique agricultural/livestock methods from each other (i.e., Fur Walkers are focused on ranching and semi-nodamic for their stocks versus Wave Walkers' aquaculture and mutual relationships with aquatic hunters or consumers to hunt and forage). Personally, I think the Eukarians would be the closest to understanding Earth's chaotic biomes and fauna. (Most definitely tensions with Cybertron via its Functionist society that Chela took his people to escape and the policies of organophobia, terra-forming, and stigma/discrimination against beast-modes and the nature.)

Velocitron came from scientists searching for fuel alternatives. Like, what if they tapped into the powerful solar rays that plagued the half the planet? In some ways, then modern Velocitron is a victim of its own success as the strong fuel basically led to too much excess energy and hyperfocus to point of ignoring all else, combined with their search for more fuel efficiency and race against the scorching suns, it's no surprise why racing became so dominant to the point Navitas was severely neglected. A meritocracy drenched heavy elitism as they're a highly educated group with a deep disdain for any frames deemed "too slow" or "too clunky."" They managed to figure out their own fuel issues. How the hell Cybertron with all of its resources to throw into their civil war couldn't? (On a side note, it would be absolutely hilarious and in-character if they snubbed Optimus and Megatron since they're not racers and weren't formally educated by Velocitron standards.)

Camiens, unlike many of the other Cybertronians, would actually forge mutual and positive ties with their organic neighbors via mercenary, exploration, and trade as Caminus deeply values social ties and community to the point that Cybertronians not raised in their city-state can be uncomfortable on how 'open' Camiens intermingle with one another as field byplay is a very used communication method. Caminus is situated in a planetary system that has immense raw resources but lacks the infrastructure that would have enticed the Galactic Alliance to add the space, and many are wary of the Quintesson's empire as they typically strip everything from planets via legal contracts or economic force. The work provided by offworlders allows the city-state to supplement their diet. They're a passionate and creative people, and it's seen on their takes on stretching out food as they blend whatever available to consume. So Depression meals, rural cooking, and recipes that channels 'End of Month' Food Challenge. (Most definitely have tensions with Cybertron as Camiens are appalled how distant and cold each mecha carries themselves in a strange self-imposed isolation as well as the sheer waste of fuel that happens, organophobia, and Functionist teachings as Camiens typically collect multiple skills and careers since everyone works.)

[beevean]

Hey there, idk if you still care about Omori, but I just want to ask you, since you're very critical. I'm not sure if it's just me, but I really don't know what to think about the Mari's ghost scene where she says she wants Sunny to forgive himself. What are your thoughts on it?

Personally, I don't like the trope of a deceased person coming back to forgive someone, especially their killer. Part of the tragedy of death is that you don't get to know how someone would've felt and what they would've thought. You don't get that catharsis. Death is final. Here, it just feels like she was there so the main character could feel better and move on, and that's the only reason she spoke at all.

Since this story does decide to bring her back for a scene, I wish she'd had more mixed feelings towards her brother. Not wanting him to be miserable forever, but still feeling a bitterness that he robbed her of a chance to live at all (and in such a stupid way, too). A single, normal and nuanced conversation between the two. Make her more human, you know?

Hello!

I don't have a strong hatred for OMORI and I rarely talk about it (in fact, this ask seems like it was meant to be sent to @woodchipp lol), but I don't like it, no. I find it extremely poorly written in its themes of self-forgiveness, because it's heavily deep into Protagonist Centered Morality. To be blunt, I care more about the people Sunny has hurt than Sunny himself, who does nothing to endear himself to me and a lot to make me find him hard to like as a person.

Anyway, I'm going to contradict myself soon lmao, because while I'm largely apathetic towards the game as a whole I despise the scene of Mari's ghost, even more so with the confirmation that it was not Sunny's imagination.

It's not even just the cheapness of Mari descending from heaven, nullifying the whole point of her death creating a vacuum in people's hearts. It's how absolutely vile I find that Mari's entire purpose in the real world is to reassure Sunny that she's not mad that he killed her. In fact, she may be the to blame!

Sunny is the one who destroyed the violin out of spite, flushing down the toilet thousands of dollars worth between buying it (it was a gift! A heartfelt gift that everyone worked hard on to buy for his ungrateful ass!) and eight months of efforts, not just his but Mari's as well, who just wanted to play at a recital and accepted her little bro to play with her despite their immense gap in practice. Sunny is the one who did not express himself with words or by running away, but chose to use physical violence on Mari because he got angry that she didn't appreciate enough what he did for her. Why is she the one apologizing for making him hit her? There's a line between "kind understanding big sis" and "battered wife"!

This scene is disgusting. It would be simply cheap if Mari actually killed herself, and Sunny lived for years being eaten by guilt for something he didn't do, but felt like it was his responsibility, something like "maybe Mari killed herself because I was a lousy brat of a brother, had I been better to her she would still be here". In that case, Mari descending from heaven to reassure Sunny would be unrealistic and childish, but in a way touching, in that "I wish this could happen in real life" way. The story would be less gritty and realistic, but sure, sometimes people want wish fulfillment, and OMORI as a whole is big for wish fulfillment ("aww don't you wish you had great friends like Sunny has <3"). But in the story we have? Mari's feelings over being killed by her own brother don't matter. Mari's feelings over having her body desecrated don't matter. Mari's feelings over her friends and boyfriend believing she killed herself, and unfairly blaming themselves, don't matter. What matters is Sunny's poor little conscience. It's all about Sunny. Mari as a person with her hopes and dreams and dignity can go fuck herself.

Notice how apparently she never appeared to her boyfriend who is still crying over her, or Aubrey who was almost like a sister to her and became a delinquent out of grief and abandonment issues. Nah, who cares about those chumps? Sunny's feelings are of the utmost priority! Can't have him feeling guilty over being violent, taking his sister's life over nothing, and then going along with a plan meant to make him look innocent, can we? Can't prove the Evil Depression right :)

If the whole story is Sunny deciding he's tired of feeling bad about himself and finding the strength to forgive himself for his crimes, why does he need constant reassurance from others? Why does he need Mari to literally come back from the dead to pat pat him on the head and saying more or less that she deserved being hurt for daring to push him for something he wanted? Why does he equate the others forgiving him for his lies with them being "good friends"? Why does the world have to bend backwards to soothe him?

(I think the story forgot that in this scene, it's not Basil talking, it's Sunny shoving words into his mouth in his own head. Makes "Basil's" claim that he has been nothing but a burden all the better, does it)

Well. I said I don't hate OMORI lol. And I don't, really, certainly not to Wood's extent. But this scene and the ending where Sunny gets to run away from the mess he made and all the hearts he broke and we're supposed to be happy for him genuinely piss me off.

anyway I'd just cut the whole scene entirely (Mari needs flashbacks to flesh her out, not visions postmortem), and I'll leave you with this wonderful thread about how Steven Universe deals with the finality of death, and the ache of not being able to talk with a deceased loved one ever again:

[pepper-m00n]

new proshot/recording of next to normal-- review+thoughts

(PLEASE tell me your thoughts whether you agree or disagree!!! )

basically: i dont like it as much as the original. hot take sorry! it feels washed out and bland-- "dear evan hansen-ified" even. i have lots of bias because i was LONG riding the next to normal train before it blew up again lol and i adore the original and this just didn't live up to it for me. the costumes and staging contribute to this-- i just dont think its as interesting-- plus the acting and singing doesn't seem to have the emotional depth found in the original. it almost seems to be more palatable (in a bad way, i like niche) and im kinda disappointed that this is the version everyone is talking about even if its bringing this wonderful show more attention. i hope it inspires new fans to seek out content from the original. jack wolfe is good, the cassie levy is hit or miss, im not a fan of the natalie. (WAY MORE DETAILS+ TLDR UNDER THE CUT)

social media is right, jack wolfe is in fact worth the hype, his "theres a world" might be my favorite song of this recording with "im alive (reprise)" and "i am the one (reprise)" coming very close. I love the depth of emotion he added to the charchter and he does a really good job at making us understand his purpose in the story though subtle layers. He brings a unique vocal tone that the rest of the cast doesn't quite have, and isn't afraid to sound unique to portray emotion. THRIVES in the second act particularly.

Cassie Levy is hit or miss for me but takes my second place, the songs when she lets her acting skills peek through like "why stay" stand out against her otherwise fairly boring basic belt imo. One of the reasons I love Alice Ripley's portrayal of Diana is that she embraces acting first and foremost and doesn't care if notes dont sound 'pretty' because it makes her songs emotionally impactful. Sometimes Cassie Levy does this well, like her part in "a light in the dark" was beautifully raw and genuine, but there were some songs like "i miss the mountains" and 'you don't know" that i would have liked more depth of emotion to them rather than just pretty singing. sometimes she is too pop song sometimes she is trying too hard sometimes she is absolutely perfect. I think she hits more of her groove in the middle of the show, but there are some moments where she almost seems 'too normal' and not as unstable as Diana has been played by other people. her misses are misses but her hits are hits!!!

Jamie Parker's acting is good even though his singing sounds like kermit the frog sometimes lol. overall he does a pretty good job and made some interesting choices, i just wasn't blown away.

I don't like the portrayal of Natalie at all-- she is doing too much from the beginning and doesn't build into anything, lacks subtlety, and seems too old for the character. this version of Natalie is unlikeable (pretty annoying imo lol) wich makes us lose the complexity of 'do we root for Natalie or Diana'? i wish she had more of the guarded persona that other Natalie's do really well-- everything just seems so overdramatic and surface level. The dynamic between Natalie and Diana in this version of the show isn't as captivating to me because it feels like there isn't as much push and pull from Natalie's end, I wish their moments together were more than just obvious resentment.

TLDR; overall this cast is just not as interesting to me-- the relationships between the characters are less complex and everything seems to have a 'normal' filter over it. its basic and doesn't have the intensity or uniqueness the original has. there are some highlights but this just doesn't do it for me overall, i don't think i would love next to normal as much as i do if i had seen this proshot before the original. preformances aside, i didn't like like the staging, production, lighting, and costuming as much because it just lacked soul to me. jack wolfe is worth watching clips of but otherwise i would say stick with the original if you want more emotional depth out of the show :)

songs I like as much or more than the original: theres a world, didn't i see this movie, wish i were here, sing a song for forgetting, aftershocks, why stay, im alive (reprise), i am the one (reprise)

also these are just my opinions!!! no hate to any of the preformers-- I would love to know other people's thoughts on this production!!!!