#zero cure theory

[cardinalcyn]

so there's a theory going around r/precure

what if gaou isn't who he says he is?

it seems pretty unlikely to me.

but then again...

it'd be pretty fucking funny

[somecrappyclone]

I understand the concern but osteopath or a D.O.s ARE fully licensed and trained medical professionals. To be licensed they must go through the same criteria and must meet the same standards for practicing medicine. They are given the same training as M.D.s just with the additional osteopathic medical courses. They are absolutely fine to go to for other concerns as they are trained doctors and there is no pronounced difference between DOs and MDs in their care & cost.

Periodic reminder that you should never trust a chiropractor with your body under any circumstances

[scivors]

Andre Nikto head canons

We have little information about Niko but here's what I've gathered..

((Also I'd like to kindly add, hi, hello, my name is Mika and I am a Bosnian. The chances of me adding some accurate slav head canons are always high but never low!!🙏🏻 ALSO IM TERRIBLY OBSESSED WITH NIKTO SO IF ENJOY THIS AND YOU WANT DATING NIKTO HEAD CANONS PLEASE LET ME KNOWWW))

Genuine head canons:

Andre Nikto (Никто) is a (scary) Russian military man, roughly 193/194 centimetres (when you compare him to Simon's height) He suffers with acute dissociative disorder (better said DID) yet is still serving the military cause of how he preforms during battle.., so the military still views him as a ideal soldier for combat despite his disorder..

No hate but from what I've seen in some art works claiming it's his "face reveal" you people have to understand that under his mask, his face is disfigured.. so, no he won't be an attractive super model under that mask of his..

I don't think you people are aware how badass Nikto is as a character, almost SIMILAR as Ghost who's in the military for the same reason as everybody else, to risk their life.

Although judging by Nikto's voice lines, he doesn't care who he's killing..if it were up to him, if his teammates serve him zero purpose he'd care less if they die..(after all, you're just a target..) but being a professional, he can't allow that to happen to his teammates

If you look up closely, Nikto wears a military uniform that is different from everyone else with MP-0 written on it. Now if you don't know, MP stands for Military Police (enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state.) and zero next to it meaning "nothing" and this is important which is what Nikto refers himself as..

Yeah so about that..

I have a theory about Nikto's nickname

After being captured and brutally tortured with whatever sick tendency mister Z had in store for him. It was Mister Z that couldn't really get much Information about Andre.

They would start torturing him while repeating to Andre that he's nothing, he's no one, what he is is nothing but what he is is everything. Those words play in the back of his head and they never seen to go away.

(This is extremely relevant cause Mister Z tried to get to know a bit of Andre by looking through some research come to find his citizenship and language are censored making him a nobody. Keep in mind, if he found any information about Andre viewing from personal life etc. it will be used as blackmail..)

After recovering his scars and taken to therapy after 7 years he was diagnosed with DID

NOW moving on to the DID part

(What I said about the fact that people overlook Nikto's disorder, I mean it..

Some don't really write about his disorder which is fine but when someone does it gets messy. )

Alters aren't easy to deal with, it's actually gonna haunt you till the day that you die cause there's no cure for it. And in Nikto's case it's from PTSD and Nikto is very aware of his alters..

Let me tell you how Nikto's disorder affects him. Switching can be consensual, forced or triggered, Nikto values silence as much as the next person cause he's dealing with much inside his head already. The kind of guy that would "watch TV" while dissociating with a 100 yard glare with very slow blinking and a slight headache..

There are times where his personalities would correct him when hes referring to himself (example: I'm up..(his personality correctes him) WE'RE up..)

"He made us do this" (and other voice lines I can't recall..)

Maybe cut bits of an apple with a knife and eat it while watching TV..

He has medication prescribed for him but he didn't wanna depend on medications cause they're just drugs..they're nothing to him but just drugs..

He has dissociative amnesia too, sometimes he would wander around confused maybe even annoyed. The amnesia appears to be caused by traumatic or stressful experiences endured or witnessed..Although the forgotten information may be inaccessible to consciousness, it sometimes continues to influence behavior

Like I said he likes quiet people, someone who doesn't waste their air on small talk..

Example; don't really talk to him about the weather, unless you have something interesting to say but if the conversation is gonna go nowhere , don't talk..he finds that a waste of time

People assume just because he's Russian that he likes vodka, he doesn't like vodka...-He doesn't like any alcoholic beverage cause it makes his problems a lot worse,...maybe If you were lending him some as an offering, he'll take it but he has SOME self control, he's okay with coffee, though..

It's relevant cause he stays awake at late hours since he finds it difficult to sleep, he'll stay up late with no music, nothing, just a silent room. It doesn't matter if he tries the military tactic where you just close your eyes and turn off your thoughts, it's very different when you have voices screaming inside your head...

Despite everything he's still intelligent, so being smart + strength + sharp reflexes and you got yourself a criminal

Death doesn't phase him, but to him death is like sleeping, he's not scared of death considering that he's been through hell those past few months.

He likes the simple things, don't complicate anything..because he's quick with catching an attitude..be blunt and forward and stumble over your words..

Nikto shows confidence in the battlefield,just like König, except he has a high rush of adrenaline and will laugh at the enemies death.

Fun fact: in this one comic Price calls Nikto "psycho"

And it's without a doubt that he is one.., a sadistic, sociopathic, psychopath

After splitting, his alters can and will get more aggressive and do more harm and damage to others cause they're doing the most at protecting the host.. (depending on the alter, some wanna protect him while some wanna hurt him)

Oh by the way about the intelligence part, I mean he has a good good memory with remembering faces..

He doesn't like people looking at him funny, he'll get angry really fast and annoyed at the same time.., he won't show hesitation when it comes to approaching you and asking you what are you looking at (it's like trying to avoid eye contact with a homeless man Infront of a store, that's how scared you would be)

He's slow with jokes or any form of humor that you throw at him??? You'll be excited to tell him a joke, and when you do he just looks at you and tells you never to do that again..,or just straight up tell you he doesn't get it...??? and probably trying to explain it either he gets it or not he'll still tell you that it's not funny

He doesn't argue, or he does? Arguing with him will costs you avoiding getting objects thrown at you so you can get out of his sight..tragic, now you have a teammate that hates your guts and won't apologize for it.

[mentally-in-northern-italy]

a lover’s ruse — c.d. [1]

Summary: Your agonizing courtship and Cedric’s need to spite his ex are both ailments that have a very simple cure: a fake relationship, obviously.

⤷ [1] - in which prefect patrols end with a haphazard agreement being reached.

Requested: read the request here

Pairing: Cedric Diggory x fem!gryffindor!reader

Word Count: 3.9K

A/N: I'm so sorry guys. This has been such a long time coming, I'm not sure people are even waiting for this anymore. But this is the first part and I'm thinking of turning it into a full-fledged series. Second part of the fic WILL be out as soon as I'm done exams.

—

The first few dates were bearable enough  — if you squinted hard and counted the silence as a virtue. 

The next few were nothing short of painstakingly harrowing. And that’s being kind.

This one, however? It made you seriously contemplate lunging over the walls of the Astronomy Tower and meeting Death, himself, halfway. Little else could offer greater reprieve, in your mind, from this. 

The setting should’ve been romantic, in theory. The night was still, but not stiflingly so, and the moonlight danced around the top of the Tower teasingly, doing little to illuminate the dark. If he stepped into a crevice where the light didn’t reach his face and you tuned him out just enough, you might even call the view beautiful. But, you soon found out – only a few dates in – no view could be described as such when you have Trevor Selwyn standing next to you.

Trevor Selwyn should’ve been a perfect match, in theory. An avid member of the Sacred Twenty-Eight –  there was little else that could prove more pertinent to families, like yours, with snobby ideals of purity and the measures necessary to maintain it, generation after generation – a Slytherin, an athlete (he doesn’t like mentioning that he’s a substitute player, on his best days), and a prefect. And, as you soon found out – only one date in – he’s also an utter and complete idiot.

So, you should’ve said no, in theory. Kicked and flailed your arms like a petulant child, screamed and wailed and protested when your parents proposed a courtship between the two of you. You should’ve told Trevor himself that he possessed the tact of a Cornish Pixie and the wit of the dimmest of trolls. But, as you soon found out (after the wailing episode) – absolutely zero dates in – Trevor is nothing but persistent and your parents anything but unwavering in their resolve. 

“I’ve met the Minister once,” he remarks out of nowhere as he looks off, off of the edge of the tower with all the regality of an acclaimed emperor. 

You hum in response. You haven’t said a word all night and he hasn’t noticed a thing.

“Granted, I was only two but I recall the Minister telling my father –”

“I think I should head back, actually,” you interrupt before the anecdote can truly begin. There are a few things you’ve learned about Trevor so far but none of them are as glaringly consequential as this: if he starts talking about his father, he won’t be able to stop. Escapades from Uagadou, his adventures in Egypt warding off curses and serpents and the magical scrolls of Machu Picchu –

“Oh,” he furrows his brow as if deep in thought and you almost laugh. That boy has never had a thought in his life. 

“I don’t want to be late for prefect patrols is all,” a faux sweet lilt to your voice doesn’t do much to subdue the frown on his face. 

He nods curtly. “I’ll walk you back.”

Your refusal is automatic. “I think I’ll mana–”

“It’s no problem,” he starts walking towards the stairs and you’re left with no choice but to follow.

On any other occasion, the walk would’ve taken mere minutes. The hallways would’ve been something theatrical, a soft fusion of candlelight and the streaming moonlight at this time of night. With Selwyn by your side, however, the minutes seemed like hours, and the candlelit corridors, usually golden and warm, felt like the dull glow of a waiting room. Your shoulders ached from how stiffly you held herself as each step echoed louder than the last, as if the castle itself was sighing in disappointment and disdain.

“I had an enjoyable time tonight,” Trevor started when you finally reached and you tried your utter best to hide the discomfort when his clammy hand reached for yours. He brought it to his lips and pressed a single kiss on it before you gave him a tight-lipped smile. You expect him to then turn and go, to walk back down to his own common room but he stays standing there, his face blank. 

“Me too,” you smile, in hopes that this was the confirmation he was after. Another lesson you’ve learned about the boy has been this: nothing else pleases him as much as validation does. 

He gives some semblance of a smile back. You blink. The next thing you know he has started to lean in and his eyes are fluttering shut and his slightly puckered lips are mere inches from yours now and the ridiculousness of it all proves too much to bear – you guffaw in the most obnoxious way possible. A mixture of anger and hurt crosses his face before he retreats and you’re unsure of how to recover.

“I’m so sorry,” you cover your mouth and try to stop the laughter. “I– I just thought of a funny joke. I’m so–”

“Fix your hair, would you? It looked atrocious today,” he quips quickly to gain control of the situation back. The last thing you’ve learned about the enigma that Selwyn is is this: his superiority cannot be challenged. If it is, he will try to establish it again – by insulting you in the most seemingly hurtful manner. 

It doesn’t quite have the desired effect. You snort at his attempt and suddenly the laughter has returned. He exhales once out of his nose as he turns to go but not before calling out, “I will pick you up at the same time tomorrow night. Don’t be late.” 

The laughter dwindles at the thought of enduring this again. “I’m busy tomorrow!” 

“Don’t be late,” he calls again. 

“Charming,” you hear someone call from behind you and you can tell who it is without having to turn and look at his annoyingly perfect face. His clever quips usually carry the extraordinary ability to irk you to no end but after the night you’ve had, they seem especially akin to knives on a chalkboard. 

You can picture Cedric Diggory’s earnest yet irritating smile he seems to wear at all times, the kind that makes his honey-coloured eyes crinkle in the slightest way at the edges with no difficulty. You can picture his perfectly ironed robes, clad with pins and awards he has won over the years and his hair that falls in place like dominoes. There’s only ever one way to describe him: pristine. Always. 

Though you’d never cared much to exalt him to the status of an academic rival, it’d be foolish to call him anything else. He had a way about him that reeked of complete and utter competence at everything, which indubitably invited a certain degree of resentment from everyone. You were no exception.

And not only did the universe seem keen on making an already-horrible night worse by scheduling him as your prefect patrols partner tonight, it also seemed quite keen on wanting to humiliate you in front of him. 

“The gossip that you are, Diggory,” you huff with biting sarcasm as you finally turn to face him. “Using your patrols as a way to spy on unsuspecting young lovers. Classy.” The break of his grin is almost blinding and you have to avert your gaze to avoid damage to your visual field.

“Nothing else entertains me these days as much as your courtship, I’m afraid,” he jests, slipping an easy hand into his pocket. “If you need more time together, I understand. I’m perfectly capable of completing the patrols on my own tonight.”

With your face aflame, you shoot him a look and begrudgingly start walking beside him, arms crossed tightly over your chest like a shield and footsteps hitting stone a bit too sharply. 

“How kind of you.” You say curtly and make it a point to walk a few steps ahead of him. He doesn’t seem particularly perturbed by it: he follows a few steps behind you, but the smugness radiating off of him envelops you nonetheless. 

“You can laugh, you know,” you say again after a moment of silence. You have long-since learned that the best way to avoid embarrassment is to submit to it. You’ve been courting Selwyn long enough to know it – sheepish smiles exchanged with classmates when he pecks you on the cheek in the hallways, mortified but apologetic grimaces whenever he tries to clasp your hand in his as he walks you to your common room after supper. Judgment – if it must be served – is best served plainly. Overtly. 

He shakes his head in amusement as he finally catches up and walks in step with you. “Now, why would I laugh? That was the most romantic thing I’ve ever seen.” 

“That was humiliating,” you mutter under your breath before you can stop yourself. 

Cedric’s amused smile wavers as he glances at you with something you hope isn’t sympathy. And as much as you hate to say it, it wouldn’t be something you would put above him – for all the determined rebuttals and rivalries in class, Cedric has only ever been infuriatingly kind. “I think Selwyn might be a tad bit more humiliated than you, [Y/L/N].”

“Good. If he ever tries to kiss me again, I might hex him into oblivion and end up as a headline in the Daily Prophet.” 

His amusement returns and you’re glad. You’re not sure how to interact with him beyond the usual teasing remarks. “Would it be in bad taste to say that I'd quite want to see that?” His smile only grows when you roll your eyes. “Will you be doing that tomorrow night then? Shall I call the reporters?” 

You make a face. “You won’t be grinning that wide when I send a dementor after you from Azkaban, Diggory.”

“Send one after Selwyn. He’s in need of a good kiss.”

Your lips twitch at the joke and Cedric notices the slight movement. You press them together before a full-fledged smile can appear on your face and Cedric revels in it. “You’re not funny.”

“Yes, I’m sure Selwyn’s funnier,” Cedric teases. 

“Still not funny.” You take a few quicker steps to walk in front of him again, having had enough of his teasing for the night. 

He catches up again and has no particular difficulties keeping up, no matter how much you try to hasten your steps. “Forgive me for prying –”

“I won’t.”

“But, why Selwyn?” The question’s sincerity catches you off-guard.

“What?”

“I just mean – I find it hard to believe that you’re… devoid of options. So…why him?” He picks his words carefully, as if he’s weighing them in his mouth before letting them fall out. And perhaps it was due to the late hour or the undeniable warmth that Cedric’s eyes perpetually hold, but you actually considered giving him a sincere answer. 

“He’s–” you pause as you vow to yourself this would be the last display of vulnerability Cedric would be getting from you tonight. Your voice drops despite yourself, and you find your fingers fiddling with the edge of your sleeve. Something about Cedric’s quiet attention makes the truth feel heavier than usual. “He’s my parents’ choice. They want me to graduate with a prospect secured.”

His eyebrows wrinkle in confusion. “If a courtship is what you’re after, I’m sure you’d find better prospects in – pardon my bluntness – anyone else.” His teasing cadence has dropped altogether now and you wrinkle your own eyebrows in confusion as you consider the notion that Cedric might actually be trying to help you. 

“It doesn’t matter who–” you pause again. “I don’t plan on marrying him, Cedric.”

Cedric frowns. 

You go on, “I’m only ‘courting’ him until graduation to subdue my parents. I won’t marry him so it doesn’t matter who it is.” You squirm in guilt as Cedric stays frowning. “And I realize it’s cruel to string him along – I do – I just – I don’t know what else to do.” 

Cedric nods after a while – a slow, courteous nod that indicates he understands but wholly disagrees with whatever you’re saying. It’s a nod you’ve seen from him when he proposes a rebuttal to whatever alternate answer you’ve proposed in class, an alternate solution to a problem and admittedly, a much more pragmatic one.  He opens his mouth to voice it before the sound of giggles fill the empty hallways from around the corner.

You both exchange a prefectly look with each other, acknowledging the obvious student out of bed, awaiting a scolding for being out past curfew. Before you two can approach to see who it is, they turn the corner themselves.

“Evelyn,” Cedric breathes out in surprise as your gaze lands on the familiar brunette-haired girl in your year, her hands firmly clasped in Damien Avery’s, matching love-sick grins plastered on both faces and lipstick stains on the latter’s neck. With their hair dishevelled and robes askew, they blink in stunned silence.

You purse your lips as you look between the two, realization cresting at once. Though Cedric’s dating life was never a particular topic of interest, you immediately recognized the girl as his girlfriend, Evelyn Waters. 

Well, ex-girlfriend as of two weeks ago. 

“Ced,” his name falls from her smudged, lipstick-stained mouth softly, her eyes widening slightly. She hastily straightens out her robe and runs a hand through her hair. “I–”

Cedric clears his throat awkwardly as he shoots Avery a lingering glare. “It’s an hour past curfew–” He manages to get out, his voice unbelievably even. He keeps his eyes on Avery, not sparing Evelyn another glance. 

“I’m a prefect, Diggory. I think we’re fine,” Avery dismisses, stepping around him. He tugs at Evelyn’s hand.

Cedric steps in front of him again, towering over the shorter boy with ease. “Forty points from Slytherin,” he says simply, his eyes uncharacteristically stoic.

Avery scoffs and looks at Cedric in disbelief. “Yeah?” He sneers. “Are you going to take another forty for theft?” 

Cedric exhales heavily through his nose at the implication. The night air has suddenly chilled and the tension is so thick, it makes it hard to breathe.

“You know… considering…everything.” Avery smirks, gesturing subtly to Evelyn’s hand he still has clasped within his own. Evelyn watches the exchange silently.

“Considering everything, Avery,” you finally find your voice in the uncomfortable silence and step forward. “I’ll be taking another hundred points away from Slytherin for your misuse of prefect privileges. Expect to hear from Professor Snape tomorrow when I formally file a complaint.”

Avery turns to you, his goblin-green eyes staring into yours for a minute before he narrows them. “This isn’t your fight, [Y/L/N]. Stay out of it.”

“I think you,” you jab a hard finger at his chest, pushing him away slightly, “should stay out of the hallways after curfew. Now, if you’ll excuse us.” You grab Cedric’s arm and tear him away from the pair. 

He doesn’t protest when you begin to lead him down a random set of stairs to get away from the scene of the stiff confrontation. Cedric walks a few steps behind you wordlessly as you chance periodic glances to make sure he’s still following. After a few moments, you slow your gait so he can catch up with you.

“Hey,” you jostle him out of his thoughts which seemed to have permanently etched a furrow in his brows as he shuffled his feet across the stone floor.

He sighs, running a quick hand over his face and then stuffing it back into his pocket. “You didn’t have to enjoy that quite so much.”

You frown. “Enjoy what?”

“Do you not normally enjoy my humiliation?” He asks with a teasing lilt in his voice, but the humour stops short of his eyes. You can tell his mind is still stuck elsewhere, replaying that scene over and over. 

“I’m not a sadist like you,” you quip. 

He offers you a quick smile as if to confirm receipt of your well-intentioned humour, but doesn’t say much else. You walk in uneasy silence once again. 

“She’s an idiot,” you say finally. “Just– for the record.”

“Hm.” He smiles wryly again but his eyes hold a heaviness that you don’t like. You can tell the breakup took a greater toll on him than he has let on the past few weeks. And you’re not exactly sure why that weighs down on your heart.

“Seriously, Diggory,” you sigh. “She’s an idiot for breaking up with you and she’s an idiot for getting with Avery.”

He exhales a quiet laugh. “Yeah.” 

The heaviness still hung in the air despite your attempts at trying to provide Cedric an outlet to let out his frustration. You scoff internally at his staunch unwillingness to talk ill of anyone – not even his ex-girlfriend who moved on from him in a blink of an eye. You think again of Cedric’s genuine interest in your ‘Selwynian’ plight. You sigh once before shaking your head. Were you really about to help Cedric Diggory?

“You know what? You need to stop that.”

“Stop what?”

“Acting like it doesn’t bother you,” you hit him lightly on the arm. “It bothers you, right?”

He holds your gaze for a moment before nodding. “Yeah. Suppose it does.” He admits quietly.

“Do you want her back?” 

He frowns at the question. “What–”

“Do you?”

“Yes,” he breathes out after a while and looks away, as if embarrassed at the confession. You can tell he’s fidgeting with his pockets nervously. 

“Then, make her jealous,” you say. “I saw how she was looking at you. She knows she made a mistake. But she won’t admit it because that’s not how it works. Make her jealous and she’ll have to admit it. It’ll get it out of her.”

He looks at you in amusement. “I can’t tell if you’re trying to help me or sabotage me.”

You scoff. “Accept the generosity before I change my mind.”

He shakes his head with a bitter smile, clicking his tongue against his teeth quietly. “That won’t work, anyway.”

“It will,” you assert. “Trust me, Diggory. It will.” 

He shakes his head again. “I don’t even know how to–”

“Date someone else,” you supply easily.

“I don’t like anyone else.”

You shoot him an unimpressed look. “No shit. We already established that you still like Evelyn.”

“So, I ask out a girl I’m not actually interested in?” He asks in disbelief, discomfort evident on his face. 

“Yeah,” you shrug. 

He frowns and pauses, glancing at you with confusion. “That’s cruel beyond belief, [Y/L/N].”

His admonition makes you pause, too. The familiarity of the proposal strikes you at once. It was exactly what you were doing – stringing along a clueless Selwyn until graduation and then breaking his heart without a second thought. The cruelty of it all had always been a nagging thought – but its noise had been distant and dull. It was now ringing in your ears however, your skewed perception of morality hitting you at once.

“It’s not– cruel.” You try to tell yourself, more than him. “It–”

“It’s heartless,” he says again, matter-of-factly. “This, and what you’re doing to Selwyn, by the way.” 

You sigh at his moral policing. You knew he was right, but Selwyn was a problem for another night. 

“Fine,” you relent. “How about a girl who agrees to be your fake girlfriend?” 

He scoffs lightly. “If that were so easy to find, wouldn’t you have gotten a fake boyfriend already?”

You both stop walking at the same time, your footsteps coming to a screeching halt simultaneously. It was almost as if Cedric’s words had materialized and turned into physical roadblocks. His gaze slowly turns to you, honey-brown eyes landing on yours, but you’re already watching him in stunned realization. 

“[Y/L/N] –” he begins thoughtfully.

“No. No. Absolutely not.” That look in his eyes — the one like he’s already decided. Like he’s already seen this through to the end. It makes you nervous in a way you can’t name. You start walking ahead of him rather quickly but he catches up to you with no difficulty once again. His long strides match your pace perfectly.

“This was your idea–” He tries to reason again, the sound of hurried footsteps echoing off the walls as he chases after you with a walking stride.

“My idea– was not for us to do that–” you huff out as you keep up the pace, unrelenting.

He finally catches up to you and reaches for your arm, his hand closing gently around your elbow. The warmth of his touch sends a jolt through you, halting your steps more effectively than his words ever could. “It makes sense.”

You blink, momentarily thrown. “No–” 

“You won’t have to be needlessly cruel just to keep a prospect around–”

“Cedric.”

“And I won’t have to heartlessly pretend to like a girl who doesn’t know I’m pretending,” his hands find your shoulders. “It makes sense. You know it does.”

“I won’t–”

“And no more nightly dates with Selwyn,” he interrupts. “No more dodging his kisses.” 

That finally shuts you up. You shake your head though you can’t find the words to protest anymore. Cedric decides to sweeten the deal further.

“No life sentence in Azkaban, either.”

“Shut up.”

His lips tug upwards slightly and your eyes can’t help but catch on the movement. You let your eyes roam over his face — annoyingly symmetrical, irritatingly warm — and suddenly it hits you how easy it would be to fall into this lie. How dangerously tempting it is to pretend.

“No one would even believe it,” you say weakly. “We hate each other.”

“You mean you hate me?” He smiles dryly. “Because I don’t recall ever hating you.”

You avert your eyes before you start tracing his smile lines again with your gaze. “I just mean– we’re always at each other’s throats.” 

“That makes it more believable, don’t you think?” 

You shake your head, closing your eyes. “It’s a bad idea–”

You don’t get to finish your sentence before a familiar owl flies overhead and perches itself on the ledge next to you, clutching a letter. It doesn’t take long for you to realize who it’s from – the intricate green envelope and Selwyn family crest catching your eye immediately.

Cedric raises an eyebrow as he holds back a smirk. You grumble under your breath before plucking the letter from the owl begrudgingly. 

“Aren’t you going to open it?” He questions as he stifles a smile.

“No,” you huff in annoyance. “He … sends these every night. A ‘goodnight poem’, he calls them.”

Cedric doesn’t say anything, his grin already revealing he knows what your next words will be. 

You glance at the letter again — Selwyn’s cursive looping like a snake about to bite. What were you even doing?

You sigh, knowing exactly what this meant. “Fine. Let’s do it.” You cast the ignition spell, watching the green wax seal curl into smoke. “Let’s date.”

He blinks. “Wait — really?”

 “Don’t make me change my mind.”

 His grin returns, slow and lopsided. “Pretend to date,” he corrects.

“What?”

“We’re pretending,” he says cheekily, your cheeks aflame at his teasing cadence. "Don’t fall in love with me, [Y/L/N].”  

With a determined roll of your eyes, you turn on your heel. “As if, Diggory.”

Second part coming soon!

[oristian]

ELUCIEN | GWYNRIEL — MAASVERSE SPOILERS

I tend to see posts and videos from a multitude of people who seem to be reluctant to accept foreshadowing in the ACOTAR books—specifically regarding the endgame couples to finish out the overall series. As this post is simply beating a dead horse down, I find that it is very much needed as a specific group of people lack the capacity to understand the books.

Foreshadowing is not meant to be obvious. There are, of course, cases where it is relatively obvious, but only within the parameters of back-to-back scenes. Foreshadowing is meant to be picked up on, but to be fully understand later on in the story when everything comes to fruition. Examples of foreshadowing include color descriptions, specific use of language, emphasis on certain scenes, emphasis surrounding specific objects, et cetera. If something happens obviously and you can read the scene as-is, it is not foreshadowing.

I see many people who ship Elriel claim that there is buildup across the entire series that foreshadows why they will be endgame. As the books do not support that claim, it is outlandish and a spread of misinformation. Allow me to disprove this theory using the books alone:

— 🌸 ACOTAR: Zero interactions between Elain and Azriel as Azriel had not been introduced as a character yet. This book highlighted Feyre surmising that Elain would thrive within the Spring Court, that her sister enjoyed typical emissary work, and instead introduced Lucien as a character.

— 🦢 ACOMAF: This is the first book where Elain and Azriel met, as is this is where many Elriels like to claim that the Elriel build-up begins. However, this book says otherwise. Elain and Azriel’s first meeting is neutral, quiet conversation to ease a tense situation as Nesta/Feyre/Cassian/Rhys were creating an uncomfortable atmosphere and Elain meant to ease it. This book highlighted how in love Azriel was with Mor and how Elain was engaged to Grayson. Many Elriels also claim that the color of Elain’s dress in this first meeting—being cobalt—is indicative of endgame between she and Azriel. However, cobalt is also the signature color of Grayson’s family crest. Their interactions die out after that first meeting and instead focus on Feysand again. The throne room scene in Hybern also showed the beginning of Elucien and their mate bond, while Azriel was on the floor reaching for Mor. (I go more into this on my Tik Tok page: @oristian)

— 🔥 ACOWAR: When Feyre returns to the Night Court after her month in Spring, she finds that Elain has been within a catatonic state for the entirety of that month and has shown no signs of recovering—that is, until Lucien came along. Elain began eating and moving around once he came and after tugging on the mating bond, her visions first started showing. themselves. Everyone likes to credit Azriel for most of this, but all that Azriel did (take her to the garden) was suggested previously by Lucien. Lucien, who was not able to be alone with her due to Nesta and Feyre. Next, everyone tends to say that Azriel “saw” Elain when he named her power. “What we need is …” Contradicts such a thing. Naming a power does not cure someone of their trauma. Lucien is also canonically the first character to take Elain’s visions seriously and went in search of Vassa, ultimately finding Papa Archeron and creating an even deeper connection into the Koschei plot arc with Elain. This is also where we get the iconic half-step on the stair scene.

Elain is now kidnapped by the cauldron portraying itself as Graysen—Elain wanting so badly to be with her previous lover. This is a scene where many Elriels claim that it is supportive of Elriel being endgame. However, it is within character for Azriel to save someone, especially people close to him. Certainly, Elain being appreciative of being saved and kissing him on the cheek is cute, but that is not enough “foreshadowing” for an endgame. Next, Azriel hands her Truth Teller after Elain refused other weapons. Elain is hesitant and only agrees to take it once Feyre chimes in that she will not have to use it. Juxtapose this with Elain immediately giving it back after the battle is over, not saying a word, and instead falling into conversation with Lucien. Lucien, who is canonically the only character to credit her for assisting with ending the King of Hybern.

— 🌨️ ACOFAS: This is the buffer book that was meant to do two things: Establish Nessian as the next couple for the following book, and establish a clear love triangle between Azriel/Elain/Lucien. Elriels use this book to drive the idea of an Elriel endgame. While this book has scenes between Elain and Azriel, there is unfortunately no foreshadowing present enough to support that claim. This novella emphasizes, from a conversation between Rhys and Feyre, that Azriel may be inclined towards Elain due to her having traits that may remind him of his mother (Freud). We also have Solstice where Lucien brings Elain a gift—a gift that fully reflects her interests—Elain brings Azriel a gift, but Azriel does not bring Elain a gift. Azriel even questioning beforehand if he has to get the sisters a gift at all. Elain’s gift being superficial and more of a joke than anything truly meaningful to them as a relationship.

— 🗡️ ACOSF: The book that ended Elriel. We have this book set up as PRE-BONUS CHAPTER | BONUS CHAPTER | POST BONUS CHAPTER. In the pre-bonus chapter, we have a few scenes between Elain and Azriel that is a glance, or a very small interaction. The infamous scene that Elriels like to use to “prove” that his shadows actually like Elain is the scene where Cassian says that Nesta upset Elain and his shadows seemed poised to strike. His shadows reacted to his anger, not to Elain. Next, the Solstice scene where Azriel refused to be within the room due to the mating bond between Elain and Lucien and Nesta seeing that he was interested in Elain—which is never brought up again, however we do get a scene post bonus chapter of Nesta encouraging Gwyn and Azriel by calling him the “new ribbon.”

The bonus chapter ended Elriel officially as endgame. The chapter is told from Azriel’s POV and documents his lustful thoughts of Elain and how he wants a mate, hurt and confused why his brothers had two of the Archeron sisters and the third was given away to another male. Rhysand even asking Azriel what his plans are after seducing Elain and Azriel having none “past the fantasies he pleasures himself to.” This is also a chapter where Elriels like to claim that Elriel is a forbidden romance. ACOWAR Rhys clearly objects to this being the case. (I have a video on my Tik Tok going over this @oristian) The bonus chapter then moves to Azriel finding Gwyn, his shadows not warning him of her presence at the HoW. His shadows are curious about her and dance with her breath. Azriel then finds out that Elain rejected his necklace—the only Solstice gift that he has gotten her, and one he expressed as “nothing extraordinary”—and the next morning finds him re-gifting such to Gwyn. Azriel can picture her eyes lighting up at the gift and he smiles—this is also where mate language is used to describe the spark in his chest at the thought of her and the glow of the thought. “A thing of secret, lovely beauty.” A line that was used twice—one to describe the necklace, and another time to describe the thought of Gwyn.

Post bonus chapter has zero interactions between Elain and Azriel. The interactions between Azriel and Gwyn are charged and witty. Energetic. This is also where we see Azriel’s siphons glowing darker at the thought of the Valkyries in the Great Rite—the first instance that this has happened.

Next, we go into the last two remaining plot arcs: Koschei and Dusk Court. Both ACOSF and HOFAS have set Nesta up as the driver for the Dusk Court arc, with Azriel as the character to follow. With SJM’s Bloomsbury contract slating her to have two more main books with dual POV romantic interests, the Dusk Court arc book would only make sense having Gwyn and Azriel as the FMC and MMC of that arc. The Koschei arc has been carefully crafted for Elain and Lucien to be the FMC and MMC of that book, with both of them being set up for this since ACOWAR. Elain with her visions of Vassa, the lake, and Koschei’s black box, and Lucien being tied to Papa Archeron and Vassa and the mortals. (I have a video on my Tik Tok that goes more in depth with this @oristian)

— SUMMARY: Elain and Azriel do not have multiple books of foreshadowing, a Gwynriel and Elucien endgame is not fanservice, and the remaining two plot arcs do not support an Elriel endgame. If you have any problems with that, take it up with SJM.

[disgruntledgaycat]

This is really freaking random and I have no clue if this makes sense at all but I wanna share something I noticed about Mikey in TMNT 2012

Warning: Spoilers Ahead

I noticed that he's kind of always the first one to notice things but the last one to care about the things he notices, unless it follows some sort of crazy narrative like alien brains controlling mechs in skin suits, or squirrel aliens that seem exactly like the comic he's currently reading. I also find it interesting how Mikey's crazy theories are usually correct, yet none of his brothers ever believe him, even though technically he's rarely wrong. I was actually thinking about this before the episode where April's "Mom" mysteriously appears in the secret Krang basement. And seeing how suspicious Mikey was immediately basically confirmed my theory. If there's anything that seems off about this observation feel free to let me know or give any counter points, I'm always open to other ideas. Anyway, I feel like Mikey is way more observant than he lets on, he just genuinely doesn't care unless it's interesting. I think he also just sees things as they are, and he's not suspicious of things extremely out of the ordinary, for example with the sentient pizza. And despite being as.. Intellectually challenged as he is, Mikey can act very well on instinct, not only in dimension X did he survive extremely well, but in many other instances such as with the (excuse my terrible descriptions of the episodes) episode with the infection and the egg thing where Mikey was able to actually complete the cure without help, also when Mikey was modifying the retromutagen that Donnie was working on and miraculously solved the issue. Even though during scripting and writing this was probably purely for humor, I think it also shows that Mikey is really good at acting on pure instinct and using chaos and the unexpected to his advantage. I've seen a few other people talk about this but I really wanted to go more in depth on like his actions or whatever IDK I'm starting to forget how to use English. This rant probably makes zero sense because I am not rereading this before posting but whatever.

[morlock-holmes]

The Last Psychiatrist's book came out, which led me to two reviews, both of which call him out for saying stuff that is obviously crazy but both of which also contain incredibly bizarre statements just tossed out there with seemingly no self-consciousness about whether they are just as odd as anything TLP has written:

I'm just going to ignore those parts of Scott Alexander's review that are like that to focus on a pet peeve:

(The Bible describes very clearly what angels look like. Everyone agrees the Bible is the authority on angels, maybe the only primary source for them at all. All Western culture for 1500 years has been based around the Bible. There are hundreds of millions of people who take the Bible completely literally and read it every day. The Bible says - Revelations 22:18 - that if anyone changes the Bible in any way even by a single word they will be punished with eternal torture. And yet nobody’s mental image of an angel, nor any popular artistic depiction of an angel, has anything in common with the Biblical description. This is the highest-grade antimeme I feel comfortable using as an example; if you don’t see the fnords they can’t eat you.)

I mean that's... that's just definitely not the case.

Alexander links to this review by Zero HP Lovecraft (Whom I am unfamiliar with) who says,

I want to explain some things to you now that you probably feel deep in your bones but probably haven’t found the time to articulate. Whenever someone talks about “capitalism” like it’s a hostile alien living among us, they are either wittingly or unwittingly agitating for communism. They may not even realize it. Everyone feels some measure of discontent in their life and the lazy, fashionable scapegoat for this in current year america is “capitalism.” If you blame capitalism for your problems, no one will take it personally, and many of the other monkeys around you will make agreeable noises. But there is exactly one group of people who blames all their problems on capitalism, and that is communists. If you blame your problems on capitalism, you are a communist. If you talk about “late capitalism” or “late stage capitalism” you are (possibly unwittingly) claiming that the return of Christ glorious worker’s uprising is nigh, repent repent, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Georgius Christ is Floyd. There are two ways you can try to get out of this: the first is “yes, and” and the other is “no, but”. If you’re part of the first group, you’re irredeemable. Communism, much like being a woman, is a congenital condition, and it can’t be cured, though sometimes you can treat the symptoms. If you aren’t a communist, but you scapegoat or criticize capitalism, then you are at the least participating in communism, but it may not be your essential nature. The slur for these people is “neoliberal” — a word that means someone who likes communism in theory but is just slightly too pragmatic to ever get past second base with her. You’re the ones I’m trying to help. We can tell TLP is in this second group because although he talks about capitalism, he saves his worst vitriol for “the media,” which is a right wing dog whistle, just like talking about capitalism is left-wing dog whistle. When a man is sending you mixed signals, it means he himself is confused.

This is more batshit than anything that he quotes from TLP.

I'm trying to figure out if this means:

"Capitalism" is a word that refers to every possible human economic system other than communism, such that by definition the only possible alternative is communism;

"Capitalism" and particularly "Communism" are not specific historical economic systems, but in fact names for the exactly two economic systems that can exist;

Current technological or political realities ensure that it is literally impossible to create any economic systems other than capitalism or communism at this particular moment, such that opposition to one is de facto support of the other

The first two would be bizarre, and even the last is, uh, contentious but reading further this guy wasn't pulling a schtick, he's just a depressing John Bircher who knows that if he pretends that he's giving you some secret post-normie secret insight we'll just forget everything about American history. Guys, did you know that blacks are inferior to whites, and more criminal, that only super insightful insight porn writers have ever come up with such an out-of-left field crazy idea that no american normie could ever actually believe?

Honestly, fuck this depressing fascist. His ilk are going to be running the country soon, complaining about how hamstrung they are as they march people into camps. It's amazing how good he is at selling the most normie American bullshit as, like, forbidden knowledge that only the most enlightened masters have cued into.

Honestly his opinions seem to be:

Men have been feminized, and that's bad;

White racial pride has been atenuated, and that's bad;

Trans people are mutilating themselves, and need to be stopped;

Blacks are more criminal than whites, and need to be controlled

But sold as, like, this forbidden knowledge that only somebody as smart as him could come up with. It's amazing how these people will see a finger-wagging leftist and then decide that said leftist must be running American politics.

I am poorer for having read this dumb bitch.

[springtrappd]

Thoughts on the popular ‘vanny and ggy are viruses possessing Vanessa and Gregory’ theory?

but for real: it's not something that i necessarily i think won't happen, but one i hope doesn't happen. it perpetuates the exact kind of pop culture bullshit around identity (as a concept) that drives me up the wall & encourages some of the absolute worst, most boring takes on the characters and their situation possible. it has the exact same problem that i have with the vanny virus narrative as a whole, which is that it denies the characters agency & provides an easy fix for conflict. it wasn't them, the virus did it! they aren't complicated people, the virus did it! there's no need to be afraid because the virus did it! there are times when stories are like that are appropriate but this ain't exactly one of them.

(and note that even in the core 6 games, the animatronics -- despite being possessed by children -- are not portrayed as Secretly Good in that if you flip a magic switch they'll be safe to be around; they're children, yeah, but they're not kind children. you get their happy ending by treating them as such, but choosing to do so is a risk... and their happy ending isn't them being 'fixed' -- because what happened to them cannot be undone; rather, it's them having the chance to be happy. what purpose does having the glamrocks be infected with evilitis every time we see them serve, narratively? what would 'curing' them accomplish, if they're still trapped within the same dehumanising system?)

like. which is more abjectly horrifying: an inescapable spectre of the past recreating your childhood trauma by positioning itself as your abuser and manipulating you into committing horrible acts, the kind that leave you questioning who you are and the lengths you are willing to go to survive -- and if your survival is even worth anything at all, if it means inflicting similar suffering on others... or the Evil You being Evil. i know which one i'm interested in!

and like. it's not like the series has never grappled with anything similarly mature in the past; for all i hate tfc, the one thing about it that isn't incoherent is what it has to say about circus baby and charlie. you cannot hide behind "well it's for kids" or "well you can't expect that kind of thing from the series" when the shit explicitly meant for people who can't handle horror games Went There so hard it gave up on having a coherent plot for the sake of it.

really the only way i would accept something like that is if vanny was some kind of traumademon manifesting from, well, the trauma inflicted by the events of that story up until that point. the problem with that is that unless it all resolves with vanessa accepting her/purifying her/etc, externalising her like that just serves as another excuse to toss vanessa's relevancy out the window... and, yknow, the structure they've set up for themselves doesn't really allow for stories like that. you can't exactly do something deeply personal when you're dedicated to making everything as vague as possible -- for fear of ever actually saying something.

and ggy is dumb and stupid and i hate it because all it does is yoink vanessa's entire shtick without the pathos (vanessa is recreating the horrors of her own past by recreating the horrors of fazbears! what is gregory doing? being sad??) for absolutely zero reason. "gregory is possessed by Evil™️" is a lot less fun (and a lot less interesting in terms of his relationship to vanessa) than "gregory is a kid in a bad situation willing to make whatever choices he has to to survive". like. i usually see ggy brought up as a rebuttal to arguments abt him being fucked up for doing All That Shit to the glamrocks, but...... he isn't possessed? in sb?? that is the point??? if it's meant to be someone else why would his behaviour be the exact same???? if the virus is meant to make him act like the opposite of himself why is his opposite of "yes murder!" attempted murder????? what SIGNS even ARE THERE for ANY OF THIS I HATE ALL OF YOUUUUUUU

[j2x3e]

Louanna is the strongest character in the world of Re: Zero.

Title.

No, this isn't a crack theory. Let me cook.

For some context, let me reintroduce who Louanna is because no one read side stories.

Louanna Astrea, mother of Reinhard van Astrea and wife to Heinkel Astrea. Her only role in the story so far is to make the family drama worse by sleeping. She got this Sleepy Beauty condition which is NOT the same thing as being Gluttony'd. She has been sleeping for 18 years since Reinhard was 2 (as of arc 8).

As we all know, Reinhard is stated to be the strongest character by Tappei Nagatsuki in a Q&A (I use his full name here so it's more intimidating). And we all know how reliable the Q&A are with the existence of arc 7+1.

Tappei might not be lying straight up, but he could have been easily saying a half-truth because he is Echidna. (the only way to write a manipulative character is to be manipulative yourself)

Reinhard IS the strongest character, but only among the ones who are awake.

Reinhard's secret to his power has never been explained in the series other than Od Laguna simping over his rizz. We are supposed to take that as face value and believe it.

This is a trap set by Tappei. He wants all of you to think this way. Wakey wakey.

Reinhard is strong because Louanna is strong, this is all genetic. Have you ever wondered how this pathetically weak drunkard has a son this strong? Louanna is strong, that's why.

Tappei has been hiding her lores in the side stories because she is going to be as important as Clind, the holder of the Melocholy WF.

In fact, judging from how much Tappei is holding up her lores, it is not a far stretch to say that she have a bigger reveal. Which is that she is stronger than Reinhard, a character we all already knew to be the most powerful.

Q: "But dude, if this rando plot device vegetable is really the strongest, how did she even get the coma sickness?"

Reinhard has been stated to be a monster in the series for multiple times, it is often to describe his monstrous strength to be inhumane.

But what if it was to taken literally?

Reinhard isn't actually a human, because he IS a monster. Well, half-monster to be precise.

While Heinkel is a pathetic weak normie human, Louanna is an actual monster. She has even been alive to witness the Witch of Envy devour half of the world, in fact, she is Flugel. (But that's another post for another day.)

Louanna is at least 400yo, so her flow of time is different from normal humans. That's right, her 18 years of slumber is not a condition or anything, she was merely napping. So stop trying to cure her, stupid Heinkel, she is fine.

Still in doubt? Look at Heinkel. He's so durable in the story. He has survived too many blunt attacks to still be living. Do you know why? Louanna trained Heinkel well during the three years she was married to him and awake.

She constantly beat up Heinkel, hence strengthening his durability. Yes, I believe that Louanna is a husband-beater, judging by the personality of Flugel according to Shaula.

We all know that Heinkel is Isekai Subaru, and we all know how affectionate Subaru becomes with his abusers. That's why Heinkel still loves Louanna and tries to 'cure' her. He loves being beat up.

From a bad master to a bad mother. Flugel is male, you say? She can shapeshift, she is the strongest after all. In fact, she is Pandora. Have we seen Pandora and Louanna in the same room before? No, we haven't. Louanna=Flugel=Pandora.

TL;DR: Stop claiming Reinhard or Satella or Regulus or Subaru or Petra to be the strongest, Louanna is. Stop coping. See the truth, dude.

Source: trust me bro

[nanabansama]

Be Worried for Mitsuba

I've seen a frankly concerning number of people say they expect Mitsuba to be fine after what happened in Chapter 110, and as someone who isn't fully confident he will survive yet, it bothers me a bit! As such, I wanted to bring up a list of reasons why I think Mitsuba could be in danger, and why people might be in for a rude awakening depending on how things shape out.

First, I wanted to bring up something that I don't think a lot of people know about. It's the official tag line for Volume 20.

This is from the Square-Enix website. It says: 「最初でさいごの夜遊び。」

This translates as "Their first and last Night Out."

I don't know about you guys, but this gets my warning bells ringing. It's obviously talking about Kou and Mitsuba's date at the aquarium. So if that was their first and also last one, then...that doesn't sound very reassuring, does it?

Now, a popular theory I've seen going around is that Mitsuba will turn Kou into his yorishiro. And while I think this is a delightful idea, I don't think it will happen.

While yorishiro can take human form, the two cases we've seen (Sumire and Tsukasa) were dead by the time it happened. We don't know if it's possible for it to happen to someone who is still alive!

I also want to direct your attention to the first Clock Keepers arc, when Kou got aged up to around Teru's age.

If you remember, Nene, unlike Kou, was unable to be aged up by Mirai because she had no lifespan left. This basically confirms that Kou will survive until he's in high school, less his fate is changed.

Note that he has no visible yorishiro seal, too.

Now...it's not like he still can't become one! But how likely is it, really? Do we even know if a yorishiro can age? And do we know if someone can stop being a yorishiro? We haven't found a way to get rid of a yorishiro outside of destroying it yet. Tell me, how cheap would it be for Kou to become Mitsuba's yorishiro while facing zero of the consequences?

Honestly, I feel the whole concept of a yorishiro cop-out is a bit cheap, anyway...not that I want Mitsuba to die, but it feels cheesy for him to overcome this by just realizing how important Kou is to him, doesn't it? Couldn't we have done that in the Aquarium arc instead of having this pointless, drawn-out segue?

It seems that for all Mitsuba has done, it just hasn't been enough, tragic as it is. I do believe Mitsuba has found something important to him, or is at least starting to...but it's all too little, too late.

Anyway, has anyone thought about a way for Mitsuba to get out of this situation besides getting a yorishiro? It's worth mentioning that Natsuhiko implied only a school mystery with a yorishiro could survive contact with his cursed blood, but I can't help wondering if there's another option.

Mitsuba's body has a unique constitution, after all. He's a Frankenstein amalgamation of several different weak supernaturals given an identity by the sense of reason taken from the previous Mitsuba.

He falls apart if he doesn't eat. When this happens, he can restore himself by eating supernaturals. He also craves human flesh, which also might be able to heal him, but that obviously hasn't been tested yet.

So here's my question: Could Mitsuba eat enough supernaturals or humans to cure his body of the cursed blood? Would he...try to? It's not like there aren't plenty around him right now...

And then what happens? Even if he only ate the plantlike supernaturals, those were humans. They could've been saved, as proven by when Teru defeated one and restored her back to her human form in Chapter 104. If he hurt any of them, then what would that mean for Mitsuba? And how would Kou react? Just something to think about...

Changing subjects, I think the fact that the original Mitsuba Sousuke's mother is present is interesting, too. I feel like she's incredibly important to the events happening to Mitsuba right now--she's here for a reason, that's for sure. Whether that's anything that'll change his fate or not is another thing.

And just to be clear, while his concern for the previous Mitsuba Sousuke's mother is pretty cute, I don't think it's enough to create a yorishiro out of. Heck, even if he was the first Mitsuba, I don't think his bond with his mother was strong enough to manifest as a yorishiro. (No shade, of course.)

I did point out in my Chapter 110 Spoilers post that she could just be here to watch her son die again, which is an idea I still kind of like. It's a bit poetic, no? Or maybe she will somehow be able to meet him one last time and get closure. I can't say for sure, but I feel like ignoring Mitsuba's mom in this discussion at all is a dangerous pitfall...

In any case, I hope this convinced some of you to start worrying for Mitsuba's life.

Huh? Which Mitsuba, you ask?

Who knows...

[raayllum]

So

The Viren Heart Theory

Yesterday in the process of making a post about TDP's stage motif I noticed that as shortly after dream Soren vanishes, Viren's spotlight and surroundings - which were previously white and is white in all other scenes - turn red, which led to another meta on the connections between star, dark, and for lack of a better term, blood magic.

Highly recommend you read the latter meta, as it will be referenced here, but for a short summary:

Dark magic and star magic are both, as far as we can assume in the latter's case, are represented by differing shades of purple (dark purple and magenta/more pink purple, respectively). However, red is also used to represent possible implied combinations of dark and star magic: Aaravos' key with the dark magic sigil glows red in Callum's own dreamscape; Claudia walks into a red sea in her father's nightmares, signalling her continued use of dark magic and as a pawn of Aaravos; old sigils for dark magic concept art wise used to be drops of blood.

The combination is what we're going to talk about today, along with some other theories regarding Aaravos, his missing chest piece, and the Key of Aaravos, as well as how the series treats/handles hearts as like, a thing. (And no, this actually won't be that long for once, I promise.)

First things first: we have five spells, presumably, that involve dark magic, primal magic, and blood as a key ingredient:

Kim'Dael's blood drinking rejuvenation (*the only one we know of thus far that involves zero star magic)

The revenge spell. It involves dark magic ingredients (last breath of the victim), star magic (unicorn horn), and (human) blood.

The little bug pal spell. Viren uses dark magic ingredients (the rock), human blood (again), and it permits the transfer of a star arcanum creature (assumedly the portal itself on Aaravos' end is star magic, compressing space if not also time).

The ressurection spell. Claudia used numerous dark magic ingredients to get her father walking again. To make it permanent, it needed (most interestingly) either star magic (Sir Sparklepuff) OR human blood (of his line).

The Soren cure spell. This is presumptive, but we know the spell required dark magic as it brought forth Viren's corrupted face for the first time (circa the novelizations). We have reason to believe it involved Star magic.

And we have reason to believe (the red, anyone?) that it involved blood. Specifically, blood / a piece or total sum of Viren's literal heart.

Given that it's a dream sequence, it wasn't clear at first what Viren's rebuttal may have been referring to, but we do see him notoriously say he had no choice in saving Soren either ("I had to do something. I had to save him! I had no choice") so the phrasing/justifications line up. Furthermore, what we've learned from the Puzzle House / the novelizations, as well as Amaya's concerns in 1x05, come to new light with the fact that we know Viren coined Kpp'Ar and that he inherited the position of High Mage after his mentor's "mysterious disappearance":

K: Ha! No choice? You made the same choice you've always made. The one that gives you power.

V: You're wrong. I've always done what protects my family. However dangerous. However vile.

Now, we've heard this line before (hi 4x04) but this is the first time it 1) appears in S5 and 2) appears in the dream sequences, even if Viren has expressed similar sentiments that appear to be linked ("The path of fate is already chosen. Every step I took, I took because I had to"). However, thanks to the Book Two novelization, we know that Viren is harkening back to his last conversation with Kpp'Ar that was 1) about wanting to save Soren at any cost, which Claudia seems to have a rough estimate of happening, and 2) that presumably led to Kpp'Ar being coined because well - Kpp'Ar got in his way.

She had snuck into Kpp'Ar's "puzzle house" and was hiding in one of the passages when she overheard the angry yelling. She could still hear her father shouting at Kpp'Ar, "I will do anything to protect my family—however dangerous! However vile!" Little Claudia was scared, but she knew her father loved them more than anything. Claudia opened her eyes again. Then she did what she had to do [and killed the fawn].

So why the heart? Well, Kpp'Ar points to it very purposefully, it would make sense if it indicated an old wound (given the episode title, and that everyone else in Viren's dream sequences reveal or receive injuries/wounds this episode).

Viren becoming a much colder, crueler person after turning on one loved one, losing another, and then also being distant from his children to a degree... The symbolism would track so hard. And there is, of course, precedent in hearts being attacked or taken in particular ("My heart for Xadia").

(Soren stabbing Viren in precisely the place his father partially or totally devastated in order to save him 10+ years prior? Ironic and heartbreaking, give it to me.) And of course, Mr. Startouch himself, with the subject of his (assumed) missing chest piece being the core of my "The key of Aaravos holds his heart" theory that I developed in tandem with Viren's plan to use the Magma Titan's heart accordingly.

These two theories would be complementary, mind you. Aaravos having his heart torn out, or tearing it out himself to save someone he loved only to lose them anyway, providing parallels to Viren. Making them both more and less powerful simultaneously, accordingly. This also ties back into other considerations of the Flowers of Elarion (a motif interwoven into the actual Elarion poem where Aaravos is called the Midnight Star) / Laisar the Insidious tale shared between Moonshadow elves and Katolis, in which an elven thief takes what you value most / see as most precious but leaves behind a beautiful flower, hoping it would be "a fair exchange of beloved for beloved". One Heart for another.

TLDR; if Viren cut out/used his own heart partially as dark magic spell parts the symbolism would be out of this world and it'd be tragic AF + bonus possible Aaravos parallels. Wonderstorm please 🙏

[plantsandpies]

Posting my theory on how zeref’s curse works.

So, Zeref got the curse because he figured out how to bring back the dead. (He brought Natsu back after he killed all the people in the magic school? Temple? I have no idea what exactly it was but the magic place with all the old people). Mavis got it after she cast an uncompleted spell.

So it’s not related to the dead. I think since Mavis used an incomplete spell and Zeref messed with life and death, the curse isn’t about life and death like Zeref assumes. I think that’s the main thing it targets, but that’s not the only trigger. It’s messing with the balance of magic, people, and worlds.

By bringing back the dead, magic becomes unstable. It can be fixed (as there are gods and they probably fix that problem), but people need to be punished for their actions. So the curse comes into play.

Which is why Mavis got cursed. She didn’t bring Yuri back from the dead. He didn’t die, he just merged with the dragon. That’s why precht had to kill him in zero. He wasn’t dead, so Mavis wasn’t messing with life and death. But she used an incomplete spell that she hadn’t finished learning. By doing so she messed with Magic’s stability and was punished with the curse.

I also think romantic love isn’t the only way to die. Zeref specifically planned for Natsu to kill him even though he knew about the love thing (unless I misunderstood the show). So I think romantic love kills them and cures the curse. But other types of love (platonic/ familial) can kill them, but doesn’t cure it.

This is where I got the crack in my brain. I think that the curse still works for a while after death and after a loved one kills them they have to have like a ceremony. Like they burn the body or cut the head from the body and bury them deep into the ground a certain distance away from each other. Just something weird.

I think that putting a difference in what the different love does is interesting, and the romantic love reason (in my head) is because fairy tail has a ton of romance in it and that is generally what takes priority (which isn’t a bad thing but considering it’s whole thing is family is a bit weird). For example Natsu and Grey attacking each other after their loved ones get attacked/ killed. Jellal’s reaction to Erza being attacked as well as the thing in tenrou where he like gave her strength or something (it’s been a while since I’ve seen the show. Plus it’s like seven seasons. A lot happened). Plus most of the deaths being around romantic partners. So romance is the cure because of the show.

I also think (at least 400 years ago) that the curse is waaaaaaaaaaay more common than it seems. Like the magic teacher people warned him about it a lot and were worried. So they knew enough to know it’s a bad thing and what causes it. Also, Zeref knew what the cure was? If he was the only one who got it and the curse was thought of as like a myth, how did he know for sure Natsu could kill him? He was in a magic school so they probably had books on it, especially since their books are what helped him figure death out in the first place. So I think a ton of people had it because people love each other and a lot are desperate. So maybe not in the current time period, but at least 400 years ago, it had to have people with the curse before.

I also created a god system/mythology because I was bored. If anyone wants to hear that thing with literally no evidence and something that’s not really a headcanon because it’s all just made up in my head and has to do with a character only mentioned because of a curse. But if you want to read about, just ask.

[ovaruling]

@thebloodiestmary its idea is that fat should make up the largest percentage of your dietary intake, with as few carbs as possible. carbs are demonized to an extreme that has made them synonymous with “weight gain” and they’re treated like toxins or contaminants. there is an obsession to have as close to zero carbs as possible in your daily intake, although the general starting point tends to be “under 100g” as the novice and then graduates to “under 50g” as the intermediate.

most of the diet is, of course, animal products. high fat, slightly less high protein (excess protein is converted to glucose and thus evil), and minimal carbohydrates.

fiber, however, cancels out “bad” carbohydrates in this theory. if a food has 10g carbs, but 4g of those are fiber, then in the keto world that food contains 6g of “net carbs.” it is a crazy-making algebraic way of calculating your intake. and even though fiber is a focus, it is de-prioritized completely in this diet which is so full of animal protein and animal fat that i am not surprised to see many keto fanatics come out with bowel cancers or leaky gut or heart disease or high liver enzymes/fatty liver disease or gallbladder disease/gallstones.

the idea is no sugar, no carbs. as little glucose activity as possible.

people tend to lose weight on it usually because they are actually eating fewer calories than they usually would, but not realizing it. keto usually counts by macros, not by calories. in fact, it often discourages calorie tracking. this sounds promising, but it also means most people who lose so much weight with it don’t tend to realize that it’s because they’re in a large caloric deficit. it’s a scam! if you tracked your calories you’d probably realize you were in a deficit all along, and that THAT’S why you’re losing weight, not bc of some magical keto spell.

only eating meat and dairy and eggs will do that. meat and dairy and eggs are PRIMARY weight loss foods and always have been. keto fanatics feel smug because they’re eating bacon and steak and fried eggs and full-fat cheese, but they don’t realize how few calories they’re taking in by eliminating all other foods.

keto has a bad reputation for making its dieters paranoid about fruit, beans, whole grains, and even vegetables.

hardcore keto dieters barely get any of those in their diet. but they lose weight, so it must be healthy!

their boasting of “lower cholesterol” and “lower blood sugar” is almost certainly bc they are losing weight IN A CALORIC DEFICIT.

it is not possible to lose weight if you are not in a caloric deficit.

there is the famous “keto flu” onboarding stage where you feel sick and tired for about a week or sometimes more as you “wean” off of carbs. that is your body starving for nutrients lol. it’s starving. you feel sick and exhausted bc you have almost nothing going in.

and i can say this with confidence bc i fell for this diet hardcore when i was 20. i lost tons of weight eating “fatty” foods. what was actually happening was rabbit starvation—i was getting so much protein and so few other nutrients that i was actually starving myself.

it’s a poisonous diet, nothing more than a weight loss fad, wholly unsustainable, and wildly expensive btw.

any “benefit” that anyone claims comes from it is usually simply from the process of weight loss in a deficit if one’s original health problems (usually heart or diabetes related) were due to being overweight.

and yeah again i won’t even bother to get into what happens to one’s colon and bowels in general eating that many animal products and hormones and that much fat with little to no fiber. with all its parading of red meat and bacon and sausage and other cured meats, it’s a recipe for colon cancer, that’s all i’ll say.

it’s done so much damage to our understanding of food and balanced nutrition and it’s sneaky and dishonest in its ~famed results. it’s a fancy way of getting yourself into a caloric deficit, that’s all.

if all you ate in one day was a McDonald’s value meal at 1200 calories or whatever, you’d lose weight. you’d be in a deficit. keto makes you think it will be possible to consume 5000 calories of fatty fried foods and lose weight—but that literally is not what happens. you usually remain in a deficit because you’re starving trying to keep your carbs as low as possible. and you don’t notice it bc you’re not keeping track of calories, only grams of carbohydrates vs grams of fat.

so many topics exist on keto forums like “why am i not losing weight with keto?!” and answers will urge the user to eat less lmfao. or go on a “fat fast” to “get your body to prioritize burning fat as its primary source of energy” which is eating mostly like 90% fat as your intake majority with 0g of carbs. aka starvation.

you cannot train your body to “prioritize” fat as its primary source of energy. it will ALWAYS prefer carbohydrates as the most efficient and easily digestible source of fuel. the only way you can sustain “ketosis” (which is a dangerous medical condition btw) is by never feeding yourself enough carbs so that your body literally thinks it’s starving—BECAUSE IT IS!!!! you’re “burning fat” bc you are STARVING!!!!

and yeah. just. terrible for your gallbladder, your liver, your digestion, your heart, your inflammatory system, everything. horrific diet.

tl;dr—snake oil, low energy starvation recipe for bowel cancer!

[alicepao13]

Hudson and Rex S05E10 - One Wild Night - Part A

Double feature! I'm watching this tonight because there is no way I won't miss a few days of rewatch during the holidays.

Black letters in quotes: Actual show quotes.

Green letters in quotes: What I come up with my twisted brain.

We can be inside a stripper club in this show? Will that not create uncomfortable questions?

ON MY FAMILY FRIENDLY SHOW???

Small city problems lol. I've been through that, and honestly? Either be remote enough for me to not have to deal with a lot of people (and noise and nuisance) or be a big city where I can get coffee any time. Those in-between cities bother me when it comes to living long-term in them.

"It would be, if I actually were to wake up in the morning."

Poor Rex needs his beauty sleep.

Everyone is shocked. These two probably haven't had contradicting theories on a case since Charlie was suspecting Sarah's professor in S2.

Charlie trying to work out what's going on with Sarah with, like, zero clues.

Try not to kill each other.

I am impressed that CityTV managed to put the right episode after S05E09 and not do something idiotic like switch those two. That would have been embarrassing.

Nah, you'll have to work for it.

"What did you do now?"

Charlie is deeply disturbed. Your dog has many talents, okay?

In my headcanon, he's actually looking at the stripper, because that's way more fun than whatever's going on in his head.

They do... B12 shots to cure their hangover. Right.

lol play nice.

To be continued in Part B.

[badescapeartist-blog]

2

“Chess demands total concentration.” - Bobby Fischer 

That quote is simple, but important for two reasons. The first is that it is advice coming from–apparently–one of the best chess players ever. So I should probably turn off Netflix while I’m running through games. The second reason is that it falls in line closely with one of the main goals of my project.

In the last post, I gave a brief overview of the logistics of the project, which up to know have remained unchanged. I am still trying to play as much as I can. I am still reviewing my matches. I am still not looking up chess tutorials or theory. This post is not about the how of the project. It’s the why. 

For a long time now I have had problems focusing and staying on task. Especially if the task at hand isn’t something that I find particularly fun. Even when playing video games I find myself distracted by a video on my second monitor or a notification from my phone. I don’t think I have any sort of attention deficit disorder. Or if I do, it is very mild. 

I say that because there are many moments where I do stay on track and blast through my to-do list. Out of nowhere my brain seems to shift and I can dive deep into a task. But this is usually after blundering the better part of an hour, pruning distractions one by one until there is nothing left but what’s in front of me. It’s an amazing feeling nonetheless. After a few hours of working at that level of focus, there is a sort of afterglow of a job well done.

All that to say, I enjoy being able to focus but struggle to get into the right frame of mind for it. Ultimately the struggle stems from a hiatus I took from my post-secondary education a few years ago. In that time I obliterated any good-student habits I had before. This is where the game of chess comes into play.

Before I continue, I want to shed some light on the fact that my source is a biased one. This article works as an overview of the benefits of chess, but they are also selling subscriptions so it’s in their best interest to make the game look like a cure-all. It is a good place to start at least. 

The article linked above mentions multiple benefits from playing chess--but doesn't include sources--including brain exercise, cultivating creativity, confidence boost, even using it as an educational tool. But the one I’m most interested in is number four on that list: “Chess helps you focus.”

Even without scientific data to back up the claims, it does make sense. Just as the example in the article shows, you could be playing perfectly all game, losing zero important pieces and pressing the king into a corner. All it takes is one mistake for the game to fall apart. It was noticeable even in the few games I have played since starting on this project. Bobby Fischer tells no lies when he says that you have to stay focused. Not just on the important pieces, but on the board as a whole. It’s not enough to know where the queen is. I also have to pay attention to how the queen interacts with other pieces, and where they are in relation to the king, and so on and so forth. But the focus should really be on the big picture, the ultimate goal: a checkmate. 

Use all tools available, and use them to their fullest potential, to complete the goal. That is chess. It’s not possible if the mind is wandering and asking other questions. Getting a checkmate is paramount. That is why I want to learn chess. So that I can translate that to other areas of my life. Completing tasks without distractions means there is more time to do the fun things in life. 

Do I think being good at chess would be cool? Yes, I do. There’s no denying it. Does it also happen to be fun? Yes. But I do see potential for a real benefit and I think that’s reason enough to give it a shot. At least for 14 weeks.

[mint-icecreamie]

a-z of vocaloid related things

i got bored.

A:

vocaloids: ARSLOID, Aoki Lapis, ANRI, akita neru

songs:, aishite aishite aishite, ame to petra, aku no meshitsukai, ai no uta, aishiteitanoni, amedama, amygdala's rag doll, anonymous m, appetite of a people pleaser, antichlorobenzene

B:

songs: bitter choco decoration, bug, banana, bad∞end∞night, better off worse, binomi, blessing, brain fluid explosion girl, butcher vanity, butterfly on my right shoulder, baka baka baka!!, breaking things into pieces

C:

producers: chinozo, cosmo@bousou-p, crusher-p, circus-p, creep-p

songs: circus monster, court jester, cute na kanojo, candle queen, cocomelon, casino, 'cause i'm a liar, chelovek, cinderella, coin locker baby, cooler girl, copycat, cutlery

D:

producers: DECO*27, dennokop, daniwellp

vocaloids + utau: dex and daina, defoko

songs: dance of life, daughter of evil, dokuzu, DARLING, DARLING DANCE, Dear, disturbing chicken beets, drop pop candy, digital/physical heart, dizzy paranoia girl, denki yohou, daidaidai kirai

E:

producers: eve

vocaloids: eleanor forte

songs: enko shoujo, ECHO, egoist, ego rock, electric angel, encounter, erase or zero, EYE, ever∞lasting∞night

F:

vocaloids: flower, fukase

songs: failure girl, fake meme, fear garden, fire flower, flos, floating moonlight city, fox's wedding, fukkireta, feel empty!

G:

vocaloids - gumi, gackupo/gackpoid

producers: giga, glue, ghost

songs: ghost rule, god-ish, gomenne gomenne, goodbye sengen, gigantic otn, goodbye to a world, gracious

H:

producers: harumachigohan, hitoshizuku and yama, hachi

vocaloids: ✨HATSUNE MIKU!!!!!!✨

songs: heat abnormal, housewife radio, hello marina, haru no sekibaku, hatsune miku is going to beat you to death, hole dwelling, help me, erinnnnnn!!!, hiding from the truth, honey i'm home,

I:

producers: iyowa, inabakumori,

vocaloid: IA

songs: i nandesu, igaku, identity, i don't care who someone go out with me, ifuudoudou, i met an angel when i was down, i'm glad you're evil too, imigo no tamago, iNSaNiTY, it's a whole world

J:

songs: jinsei count, JOUOU, just a game, just a robot, just saying the body is honest, JUVENILE

K:

vocaloids + utau + cevio: KAITO, kasane teto, KAFU, kagamine rin, 🍌 KAGAMINE LEN!!!!!! 🍌

producers: kikuo, karikibear, kanaria, kid p, kawaii vocaloid

songs: kimi wa dekinai ko, kami no manimani, kokoro, konton boogie, kyofuu all back, kyu-kurarin, KING, koinu no carnival, kurumi ponchio, kara kara kara no kara

L:

vocaloids: 🍌LEN!! 🍌, luka, luo tianyi, leon and lola

songs: lagtrain, lost umbrella, lost one's weeping, love ka, lavie, lower one's eyes, liar dancer, lotus eater, last night good night, lightning hope, lucky me, lie lie lie

leek.

M:

vocaloids: megurine luka, MEIKO, moke, mayu, matcha kobayashi, miku, meme squad

producers: MARETU, mothy, mcki robyns-p

songs: migikata no chou, mesmerizer, monochrome dream eating baku, my r, miku, matryoshka, mind brand, m@gical cure! love shot!, miku no shoushitsu, medical anomaly

N:

vocaloid: neru

songs: nakakapagpabagabag, nazotoki, NAMIDA, newly edgy idols, nightmare, non-breath oblige, (not) a devil, novocaine, nyeh it's magic!, nyanyanyanya

O:

vocaloids: oliver, otomachi una

songs: okusuri nonde neyou, ochame kinou, okaasan, only somewhat seen, orange

P:

vocaloids: piko!

producers: powapowa_p, pepoyo, pinocchio-p

songs: plus boy, p.h, paradichlorobenzene, phony, patchwork staccatto, paiii sensation, paparazzi murder party, parasite, pascal beats, pathological facade, the peachy key, perfect nothing, propaganda

Q:

songs: queen, q-pole theory of evolution/Q極進化論

R:

producers: rerulili, ricedeity

songs: rabbit hole, rakuraku annrakushi, rolling girl, rin-chan now!, rainy boots, ready steady, realize, reckless battery burns, rendezvous, romeo and cinderella

btw ricedeity did animation for some mv's he pretty cool :D

S:

vocaloids: seeU, shian

producers: siinamota, sooichi, shikuira sougo, satsuki/32ki

songs: spice, seisou bakuretsu boy, sayonara hatsukoi, spider and the kitsune like lion, samsa, sand planet, secret garden, secret music, self inflicted achromatic, servant of evil, shinitai chan, shinkaisyouzo, shoujo rei, shoujo fuzei, SIU, snobbism, snooze, streaming heart, strobe last, strobe light, superhero, sweet devil

T:

vocaloids+utau: teto

songs: tsumugi uta, tawagoto speaker, tale of six trillion years and one night, telecaster b-boy, therefore you and me, tondemo wonderz, two faced-lovers

U:

vocaloids: una

songs: umiyuri kaiteitan, UTuber

V:

producers: vane lily

songs: villain, venom, vampire, vampire's∞pathoS

W:

producers: WONDERFUL☆OPPORTUNITY, wotaku,

songs: world is mine, white letter, why do i, white happy, where shall we go, witch hunt, wonder of wonder

X:

idfk.

Y:

songs: young girl a, yobanashi deceive, yoidoreshirazu, you are innocent monster, you are a worthless child, yababaina, yamiaka steroid, yamitsuki,

Z:

songs: zombie. (other than that i can't think)

i lost motivation halfway through and had to force myself to finish this ;-;