miniaturegardengirl

[miniaturegardengirl]

Not sure if this was asked before, but what’s your favorite plot twist (or the one you think was the best written) in EC?

I've written about the Elluka-is-Levia twist before--genuinely I think that's the best one. I won't make another long essay about it but I think it added a ton of depth and really turned the series on its head.

Close second would be the Margarita-is-Eve twist. I adore it. I know a lot of fans come away from all this thinking the story unfairly maligns Eve but I really, really enjoy her as a villain. There was something so creepy about discovering that everything you knew about a character was wrong, that this part of the backstory which had up until this point been distant and far removed from the rest of the series was actually still relevant the whole time. It was Eve's debut in the novels, you know, not counting her other identities. Revealing that she had deceived not just Elluka but the reader as well.

It's true there are some parts of it that don't 100% work--I don't know what the deal was with Platonic, and she didn't sound particularly like Eve when speaking to Mikulia in her head--but there's so many elements that line up with it, I do truly think it was planned all the way back in the Daughter of Evil series, if not from the start. "Mikulia" being callous enough to murder her own child, the way the Sloth doll has been described as the "mother" of all sins, Irina carving it to look like Eve...It's one of those "the truth was staring you in the face all along" type reveals, but it just hadn't occurred to anyone as the kind of thing that could happen in-universe.

And it's one of those twists that's just. Not as easy to enjoy now that the cat's out of the bag, you know? Everyone takes for granted that Eve is the demon of Sloth, that most of the contracts in the series are unique in how they occur. But the twist completely changed how we (I, at least) viewed the series. The Seven Deadly Sins series frames itself as very formulaic with its first two books; contractor gets a demon vessel, makes contract, bad shit happens, they die and Elluka shows up too late to make any meaningful intervention or retrieve the vessel. The Sloth novel sets itself up as following this same formula. Only, we discover that there was never any demon and there was no contractor either. It was the spirit of a human mage instead, driven mad by living as a demon for centuries. It completely broke the formula.

And this also came at a time when the identities of the demons as a whole were largely unknown to us, so they were viewed as more monstrous beings (because all we knew was their corrupted animal forms). This made it stand out more that Eve was actually human, and thus not one of them. New fans of course know that the demons were all originally Second Period denizens, so Eve no longer feels like as much of an anomaly. I once had an anon ask what the line "false sin" meant in Crimes and Punishments because to their knowledge it was only "revealed" that Eve wasn't part of the original demon lineup in the OSS novels--No!!! it's referring to the twist of the Sloth novel! Argh!!!

Anyway, apologies for the long essay on that one. Another twist that I deeply enjoy and is absolutely ruined for all new fans forever is the reveal that Irina is the red cat, not the mage whose shoulder it perches on. The thing is that her (narratively) first host, Abyss IR, being an old woman gave her a semi-plausible reason to have history with the immortal Elluka, and it played into stereotypes about "evil old crones" besides (even Arkatoir talks smack about her for being old and creepy, which is doubly tragic in hindsight given that this was an innocent woman being controlled for who knows how long). And not knowing that it's actually the cat that's the problem creates a lot of mystery and tension with plot points like Elluka being "possessed" by Abyss, Mikina taking in the red cat later, etc. The beginning of the fourth novel starts with the heroes heading to Marlon to confront a great conspiracy that they believe Abyss IR is at the head of, and then when they get there they discover that she fucking died offscreen! Brilliant! Completely ruined by knowing the truth ahead of time!

[miniaturegardengirl]

HELLO AGAIN EVILLIOUS CHRONICLES FANDOM

[miniaturegardengirl]

[miniaturegardengirl]

[ THE EVILLIOUS TAROT PROJECT ]

17. The Star

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[miniaturegardengirl]

ec

[miniaturegardengirl]

thought tumblr would appreciate my silly memes

[miniaturegardengirl]

[miniaturegardengirl]

someone should study the calming effect Miniature Garden Girl has on me

[miniaturegardengirl]

I've probably posted about this before but one thing that I think is so interesting is how two dimensional Arth's presentation is in That King Was Born From Mud, and at this point I have to believe it's intentional.

In that song Mothy def portrays Arth's conquest as pure selfless liberation, a war fought "out of love" and "justice" that he'll keep fighting in "even if all the people of the world are tormented by despair." Though of course he never really mentions who Arth loves, and who he is fighting for aside from his nuclear family, and of course his children weren't born until after the establishment of the nation of Lucifenia iirc. Meanwhile in the songs about the Three Heroes, their moral ambiguity is stressed. Neomaria of the Inverted Gravestone emphasized Mariam's identity as a murderer and childhood environment where she was raised to be a killer as key to her character even with amnesia, and why she is good as a hero. Swear an Oath on That Bridge accentuates Elluka Clockworker's apathy for those around her and capricious decision making that irrevocably impacted the lives of many. And of course A Hero's Armor is Always Crimson is the most explicit of all, with the core themes being the alternate way to frame a "war hero"-- as a "war criminal," and constant discussion of Leonhart's crimes involving indiscriminate slaughter and kidnapping among others. All of the heroes are desensitized to the lives of some and the murder they commit, while believing they value life and are fighting for righteous reasons, and are complicated people with political goals.

So personally I think it would make zero sense for Mothy to unilaterally praise Arth and genuinely intend the song to be taken at face value-- ie, he really is a Good Guy, a Selfless Leader who conquered a region but for a good reason! I think his song is meant to be understood as his own justification for his actions, and is permeated with his viewpoint. The fact that it situates his love for humanity alongside his inhuman nature is a central theme I think. He really does love humanity, and he does genuinely believe it is right to instigating a bloody war in order to promote a new government system with him at the top so he can help everyone perfectly. Well, those who are still alive of course. Idk I think a lot of people don't contextualize his song with that of the other heroes.

[miniaturegardengirl]

[ THE EVILLIOUS TAROT PROJECT ]

16. The Tower

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[miniaturegardengirl]

"im going dollmode" i say before collapsing limply into the chair and staring blankly into the distance with my mouth slightly agape, completely unresponsive

[miniaturegardengirl]

I think this is the worst thing Irina has done.

[miniaturegardengirl]

I'm reading the Gift From the Princess Who Brought Sleep novel for the first time and--

WHAT DO YOU MEAN MARGARITA IS 16. SHE IS A WIDOW. SHE HAS PRESUMABLY BEEN MARRIED FOR A WHILE. HER FATHER HAD HER MARRIED AS A CHILD (13-14?????) NOT IN SCHOOL NO JOB LIVING WITH AN ADULT MAN AND HE TRADED HER FOR A NOBLE TITLE FOR HIS FAMILY AND HER HUSBAND AND FATHER HAVE CONTROL OF HER FINANCES.

AND YOURE TELLING ME

SHE IS SUPPOSED TO BE EVIL?????????

[miniaturegardengirl]

i love evillious posts that would look like word salad from the perspective of people who arent fans

[miniaturegardengirl]

All my Evillious Chronicles HC designs so far

I’m still missing vocaloids that didn’t appear a lot, like Iroha, Lily, etc. I’ll make everyone eventually!

[miniaturegardengirl]

okay so i know i posted about this on my twitter like a month ago but whatever did you guys know daughter of evil brioche actually existed at one point because. Oh my god

[miniaturegardengirl]

And now my Vocaloid hyperfixation has catalyzed an Evillious Chronicles hyperfixation. That means it's time for another poll.