petrawood - Tumblr blog

[petrawood]

Man, Invitation To Wine is, much like certain parts of Who Is Real?, very Wuxia, but way WAY more Wuxia. 

Ok, first of all, I need to explain a little something: Wuxia and telenovelas are literally the same thing, except latinos like love triangles and figuring out who the baby’s true father is more than sick kung fu, which, as a latino myself, I’ll take the L for, I think China’s on the right here, hence why I watched Wuxia practically every day when I was a teen. But essentially, if you put aside that specific difference, Wuxia and telenovelas are the same damn thing: “We have underlying drama, everyone’s connected, and there’s twist after twist”.

And Invitation To Wine is quite damn literally that and I love it. The synopsis to it has you thinking “oh boy, Ling is gonna do some crazy shit…!” but then the event is Mr. Lee coming across like three different Wuxia movies, concluding in him being dragged in the middle of a deathmatch involving a retired swordsman and a pole-fighter consumed by revenge, Mr. Nothing (a Wuxia protag from another story altogether) practically getting in a fistfight with an earth-bending cop, and Miss Du trying to make her dad (the retired swordsman) fail at a job, but only a little, ALL the while the lord of the area, a taciturn man and good friend of Mr. Lee, courts another high-ranking court member in the most ancient of manners as they flirt with all the enthusiasm of teen with a Red Bull addiction yet all the initiative of a bear hibernating, so they sit there, smoldering in the most polite sexual tension possible, ALL THE WHILE Miss Ning, the high-ranking official, realizes something is up so she hires an Australian bounty hunter to steal from him to help him, which is as Wuxia as it fucking gets (sans the Australian bit, they hire Korean mercs instead). It gets SO WUXIA at one point that Dusk steps in and just puts them in timeout for like five days (painting time) because she’s more of a telenovela person I guess.

Mr. Lee was supposed to deliver one damn cup and instead ends up in the middle of a Venn Diagram of three different Wuxias, and the moment he gets SOME breathing space thanks to Dusk’s Spell Of Stop Fucking Fighting, the damn cup turns out to be cursed and takes over his body, but ONLY in the dream realm, and then they play Go (known as Weiqi in China), and Lee fucking sucks at it, and loses so bad he wins, so the evil god in the cup loses, and when he comes back to the realm of the living, the Wuxia (triple) sort of resolved itself, but THEN the super evil dragon god awakens, but not really, so they beat it, but not really, and then Ling is like “hey what’s up man” and Nian is like “hey man we gotta do something about that” and Ling is like “really?” and Nian is like “yeah” and Ling is like “fuck, man, you make a great point, let’s do this shit” and THEN some old dude shows up and he’s the Oldest and Dudest so the sisters actually listen to him, and what does he have to say? “Nian, I need a civil engineer so work I’m gonna commission you” and she’s like “shit alright man” oh btw he casually mentions there’s some dude that’s 738 years old fighting superdemons in the north of Yan? But that’s irrelevant, anyways, Nian is a civil engineer now.

So in the end, Mr. Lee, like Luigi, wins by doing nothing (the action, not the dude). He didn’t even fight once. He’s one of the damn 6 stars in the banners! We know he’s got hands! And he was involved in three Wuxias and one god-possession at the same time and didn’t even show off a single move! What a legend.

What I’m trying to say is that Invitation To Wine is the golden standard of writing.

[petrawood]

Just Some Guy subgenres

Shalem -> Wants to desperately be Just Some Guy, runs at full speed every day so his backstory can’t catch up to him.

Mr. Nothing -> Insists he’s Just Some Guy, but he inevitably drifts closer and closer to his backstory, which does not pursue him, because it knows that, with time, Mr. Nothing will come to it by himself.

Jaye -> Actually, genuinely believes he’s Just Some Guy, has deep connections to the most important, influential, and powerful individuals of several large organizations, but is unaware of it.

Lee -> Blackbelt Just Some Guy, has become incredibly well-versed in dodging his backstory and not getting put in situations, and when he is put in situations, manages to navigate his way through. Is surrounded by people with backstories, and is incredibly well connected.

Lumen -> Is actually Just Some Guy, please help him.

[petrawood]

@nathanwpyle

I literally love this.

I couldn't stop laughing for 20 minutes.

No joke.

[petrawood]

Love how tumblr has its own folk stories. Yeah the God of Arepo we’ve all heard the story and we all still cry about it. Yeah that one about the woman locked up for centuries finally getting free. That one about the witch who would marry anyone who could get her house key from her cat and it’s revealed she IS the cat after the narrator befriends the cat.

[petrawood]

My Twitter TL just did the FUNNIEST thing

[petrawood]

People are bemused that other people are finding the Ghoul from Fallout 2024 sexy. 'But why??? He looks like a corpse! He has no nose!!!!!'

My friends. My friends. Clearly you have not encountered the fandom for The Phantom of the Opera.

[petrawood]

why exactly is jaye not just a normal guy? are his fish filleting skills actually signs of being a genetic freak and i'm not normal or something?

Jaye has connections to the deep criminal underbelly of Lungmen, and by deep I mean almost familial, but the thing is, he doesn't really know it. He is the disciple-slash-adopted son of Uncle Tung, a famous chef who happens to also be deeply involved with several of the most powerful figures of Lungmen's criminal world. Tung taught him how to cook, particularly sushi, but also taught him how to fight, just in case, which Jaye considers "oh, you know, the basics, just in case someone tries to start something, to defend myself" when in fact Tung taught him Ultimate Knifefighting 30000 and built his already naturally strong and sturdy Ursus body into a machine of pure shredded muscle, which is why he can just actually shove his arm up the ass of pretty much anybody and wear them like Kermit the Frog if he wants. But as far as he's concerned, he's just "good for self-defense". He has no idea he's as strong and skilled as he is.

Through Uncle Tung he is also close to Lin Kojui AKA the Rat Freaking King, the giant rat that makes all of the rules in said criminal underworld, except he doesn't know that his kind, nice, old uncle Kojui is actually the Rat King, just that he is an old friend and frequent customer of Tung's.

On the other side of the coin, he is also related to Lee's Detective Agency, as he is good friends with Waai Fu and apparently also friend or at least close enough to the agency as a whole (his own Files state that Lee's agency are regulars of his) that it was due to Jaye "disappearing" from his usual spot in Lungmen for three days in a row that got Mr. Lee himself curious about where he could've gone, getting concerned that something might have happened to him. It's THIS event that directly resulted, as per Lee's Files, in Lee calling up the Rat freaking King himself, asking "hey man, where's our collective son?" and Kojui pointing at Rhodes Island. So, it is directly because of Jaye's connection to Lee that the agency's partnership with Rhodes Island exists in the first place, after Lee went to check with his own eyes if he was alright.

Besides all of this, because of his extremely intimidating appearance -- mean looking resting face, ripped, skilled with knives -- people often mistook him for a triad, which got him in trouble here and there when other triads thought he was an outsider trying to stir up trouble, or simply, with normal citizens who simply thought he was a bad guy to be avoided. Jaye is apparently notorious enough that Hoshiguma looked into him, and what did Hoshiguma find? Well, that Jaye really, really is just a normal ass guy who happens to have every underworld connection ever, but is not even remotely aware of it. His friend, Waai Fu, being an actual vigilante that beats the shit out of triads on sight at night on Lungmen, being seen with him, only reinforces people's judgment of him, as apparently many people think he is the leader of maybe several gangs and that Waai Fu is a martial arts master under his employ, when the reality is, Waai Fu is just bros with this dude and happens to enjoy one inch punching criminals in her free time. All he knows is that she's a vigilante but that's fine.

All of this made Hoshiguma think "holy shit" and referred him to Rhodes Island not because she thought he'd make a good combatant, but rather, out of concern for the guy.

There's a bit more to him as a whole, but to summarize:

Jaye has deep, personal connections to the Rat King.

Jaye has deep, personal connections to Lee's Detective Agency.

Jaye has connections to the Lungmen Guard Department.

Jaye was taught to fight (and cook) by a personal friend and enforcer of the Rat King.

Jaye does not realize any of this.

Unlike Mr. Nothing or Shalem, who are very well aware of how very not normal they are, Jaye really thinks he's just an average cook and sushi chef, and has no idea that his incredible fighting skill (rated "Excellent" by Rhodes Island standards) is not normal citizen-grade, nor that he actually can get in contact, if he so wished and knew, with virtually the highest echelons of power on both ends of the table in Lungmen as a whole. Jaye could potentially literally just call up the Rat King if he wanted, he just doesn't know he can, and even if he did, it's likely he wouldn't, as his Files and Waai Fu both state that despite looking the way he does, he's actually a really nice guy who likes to read books and practice his cooking, and who really thinks he's just doing his 9 to 5 nowadays, except for some reason Hoshiguma referred him to a god damn Private Military Company that cosplays as a pharmaceuticals company, so now he has less time to cook in between clashing blades with Sarkaz Swordmasters and soloing Big Bob in the creepy fucked up castle that Phantom decided to go crazy inside of.

[petrawood]

I like to think that Jaye's curse of "resting triad face" follows him onto the battlefield with RI.

Imagine you are some clueless mercenary running into an ordinary Rhode Island squad, and you see: the One True Inheritor of the Sarkaz Crown with all the terrifying abilities that entails, a half-lucid Abyssal Hunter with a monstrous capacity for violence who knows nothing but her orders and the target in front of her, 2 elite operators hand picked by an ageless (possibly immortal) scientist to participate in fate-of-the-world level incidents, a widly feared assassin trained from a young age and known for always reaching her target with whatever means are available no matter how brutal, the strongest woman in all of Sargon who thus far really has been able to solve all of her problems with violence but still chooses not to, and the fragment of an actual dragon god.

Unfortunately, since they just look like: an adorable little cautus teen (Amiya), a polite and demure-though slightly creepy nun (Specter), Terra's first ever e-boy (Elysium), a couple of hot feline ladies-one in a swimsuit for some reason (Blaze and Schwarz), some overly aggressive medic personnel (Gavial), and someone who you swear looks exactly like that one terrible movie director (Nian), you are not terribly alarmed.

But then you look a little to the left, and there's just This Guy standing there. This Stone Cold, Dead Eyed, shredded as hell ursus man holding a goddamn kitchen knife like some serial killer.

He Stares. Right. Through. You.

[petrawood]

* Watches the first episode of the Fallout tv series *

* Slides into Tumblr *

So.

The Ghoul, am I right?

[petrawood]

I just realized something.

During his interview, Ivan talks a LOT about doing photoshoots and filming a commercial, as well as all the deals with different brands he has signed and is collaborating with.

So, supposing that all those photos and commercials take time to edit, and therefore wouldn't be published until after Round 6...

Guys, Till is going to walk around and see images of Ivan at every corner, looking at him- but unable to tell that he, at last, is looking back

:(

Edit: I FOUND THE FANART

So. Ivantill.

[petrawood]

losing my shit on how till literally never looks at ivan unless theyre actively fighting, like even in the flashback

and then during the song its the same thing

all ivan wants is for till to acknowledge him, just to look at him for even one second, give him a second thought- but he cant even do that

so then ivan does the fucking makout/choking sacrifice thing- "oh isnt he a hypocrite for getting mad at sua for doing the same thing?" no, because he was mad at sua because she knew what she would do would hurt mizi because she loved her.

ivan doesnt think sacrificing himself will hurt till, because till will never love him. HE KNOWS THIS AND YET HE STILL SACRIFICES HIMSELF FOR SOMEONE HE THINKS WILL NEVER LOVE HIM

AND EVEN NOW TILL WONT LOOK AT HIM

and then once he's certain till is safe, he gives him one last, real, selfish kiss

a last ditch admission of his love before

till finally looks at him, just too late

IM LOSING MY GODDAMN MIND GUYS ISTG

[petrawood]

I'm screaming because 1) I LOVE Gallagher and go slightly feral every time I read something about him and 2) I had some disconected pieces of info running around in my head and now I feel like they have clicked together into something somewhat cohesive!

So, I you don't mind, I am taking this post hostage to expand onto what I think could be Gallagher's origin/backstory!

(Because I love talking about him!)

I actually think Gallagher could be one of the Hound Statues! This theory has already been shared a couple of times, but I feel like it ties a bunch of stuff together!

To begin with, Gallagher is actually pretty honest about being a dog, or at the very least extremelly dog-like. He says that he doesn't like chocolate (famously bad for dogs), when talking about Misha he remarks that at his age he was biting everyone (again, like a dog would do as a puppy, or when stressed, considering Gallagher's possible difficult background), he catches a "whiff" out of Sunday and straight-up growling.

He also seems to turn from a dog tackling Misha in reality to the Gallagher persona in the Dreamscaoe during his appearance in the White Night video.

But, why do I think he is a Hound Statue (HS from now on) in particular?

The first very obvious clue is that during his character segment in the 2.1 livestream there are HSs in the background, which might be a not-so-subtle clue to his true nature. This might seem like a thematic element (since he's part of the Bloodhound Family), but after thinking about it there might have been more connections.

HSs are somewhat of an anomaly in Penacony. It seems like most people can't see them, and they banish as soon as you notice them. In the meantime, they stay in several spots of the dreamscape or the dream, with only one of them appearing in reality, inside the Trailblazer's room. When you find them, all of them seem to be surrounded by an unsettling aura before banishing.

The quotes that appear with the HSs are:

"The Hound's glassy eyes emit a sanguine glow, creating an eerie sensation. As you attempt to touch the statue, it suddenly vanishes into thin air" "A cold presence catches your attention. Ir is a statue of a Hound. For a moment, you are startled as the Hound's presence appears less stable. The next moment, it gets consumed by the distorted Memory Zone" "The Hound silently observes you and the burgeoning dreams- even though it is merely a statue. As your eyes meet, the Hound swiftly departs into the depths of the Memory Zone" "The Houn chooses to remain in silence amidts the lively and joyful dream. Upon realizing that you have noticed it, the Hound swiftly vanishes" "Faint traces of unspoken thoughts are discernible in the Hound's gaze- relief, loneliness, and sorrow... but why? Lost in thought, you fail to notice the absence of the grizzled Hound" - Note that this HS is the one that appears in the A Child's Dream zone! The quotes found in that room are the following ones:

(Floating words)???: I will definitely keep it safe. (Floating words)???: I promise you, Mikhail... (Floating words)???: So, you need to keep yourself safe, too... (Floating words)???: This is an origami bird I made for you... Waiting Bird: Chirp! Chirp chirp! Waiting Bird: Chirp...? The red bird jumps out eagerly, but it seems you aren't the person it's waiting for. The bird ruffles its feathers in disappointment and flies away.

Moreover, during the Cosmodyssey event, there is no encounter involving Gallagher (suspicious, since there is an encounter for almost every singke figure in the game), but instead there is one about a HS, in which it is referred as a flesh and bone Dobermann. The encounter is as follows:

A mood strikes you — you wish to experience everyday life in the streets beyond Penacony's hotel. The towering luxury hotel that can always be seen from the narrow, gloomy alleys prevents you from getting lost. Just as you prepare to return to your temporary abode, a taut and dexterous, but aging Doberman dog blocks your path. Its eyes are just as crimson as the patch of tufted fur underneath its jaw. a) Try approaching the Doberman to interact with it. Peppy really likes you, and so does the Doberman. The Doberman does not resist you. Don't wash your clothes — that'll make Peppy jealous when you get back to the space station. The Doberman instantly takes off. The Dobermann seems to know you ain't a threat, and disappears into the winding depths of the alley. The Doberman attempts to intimidate you. The strange Doberman instantly bares its fangs and emits a low growl. b) Observe the situation in case the dog attacks. Don't move unless the enemy does. This Doberman isn't as friendly as Peppy. The Doberman gets closer to you. The Doberman approaches cautiously, sniffs your scent, and then disappears into the alley. The Doberman runs away. The Dobermann seems to know you ain't a threat, and disappears into the winding depths of the alley.

What is interesting about this interaction is that it happens outside of the Hotel, and therefore in reality, so it supports the theory that Gallagher is an actual houns (in this case, a dobermann) outside of the dreams. This doberman is also described simmilarly to how Gallagher presents himself: still strong and cappable, but aging and past his prime.

But how does it all tie into your theory?

I believe the Watchmaker is able to create memes, and that he has been using that ability to show the real story of what happened in Penacony. Gallagher already tells us that Clockie and his companions are drawn from real history, as well as mentioning Hanu, a prisioner that was part of the IPC prision that became Penacony:

But everything has a price, and sweet dreams are no exception. In the end, the dream world was unable to alleviate the suffering of prisoners in reality. One of the prisoners broke free from the IPC's shackles and fought for freedom… Gallagher: …He is Hanu Hanunue, the great leader of Dreamville, the great peacemaker, and the faithful companion of the underdogs. So, the character "Hanu" is based on a real-life person? So that Clockie cartoon is actually a documentary. Gallagher: History is always written by the winners. However, it's undeniable that Clockie is an animation that draws from Penacony's actual history. Gallagher: These characters not only exist in Dreamville but also in the distant past. Once you realize this... you'll understand why we're here.

So, a prisioner that is thematically connected to hounds and that participated in the fight for freedom againts the IPC.

Now, take a look into this part of Gallagher's IV character story:

He reminisces about the golden years when he yearned for freedom despite his captivity. Together, they fought against oppression, entrusting their lives to one another. They dreamed of a free land. They might die any moment, yet acted as if they already held countless wonderful tomorrows within their grasp. However, there were not enough of them to fight back. Familiar friends perished one by one. Ideals crumbled, and atrocities prevailed...

Makes you think, doesn't it?

I believe that the Watchmaker, in an attempt to record his history, created memes with the memories of his companions in them, amongst them Clokie and KO, with the character Hanu and the Doberman/Hound Statue representing Hanunue, making them, in a way, "children" of the Watchmaker.

But, after many years of watching over the people of Penacony as a statue, the Doberman started to take note of their habits, and to create his own "human" identity absorving their traits of the people he observed, using the resulting "person" to "inflitrate" The Family.

That's why the HSs are all over the Dream watching the people before vanishing without being noticed, they are (or it is, it is possible only one that jumps around) a meme that surveys people and taked their traits...

... and Gallagher's character stories are actually the "reports" written by the Hound Statue's surveyance. After all, the HS watches people have dreams...

"The Hound silently observes you and the burgeoning dreams- even though it is merely a statue. As your eyes meet, the Hound swiftly departs into the depths of the Memory Zone" "The Houn chooses to remain in silence amidts the lively and joyful dream. Upon realizing that you have noticed it, the Hound swiftly vanishes"

And Gallagher does too.

"There is only happiness in the sweet dream, which forms its greatest misfortune. These disillusioned individuals in the dream are terrified of The Family chasing them away.

He also talks about observing Woolsey...

Yet such a man won the admiration and respect of the Bloodhound Family members — this is probably related to the scar etched across his face.

... when there is a HS in the Chidren's Dream, where you can find a mission item that you have to hand over to Woolsey, who is located right in front of it.

There are probably more clues, but I haven't investigated enough yet!

I might post this theory another day in Reddit after editing it btw! I hope you don't mind!

So, to sum it up with a TLDR:

I think that the Watchmaker creates memes to preserve the memories/identities of his companions during the prisioner's liberation, and one of those memes is a Hound that shows up as either a normal Dobermann or a Hound Statue all aorund Penacony and the Dreamscape / The Dream. After a while, and probablt after whatever happened with the Watchmaker, that Hound decided to start observing people from the shadows, "absorving" their identities and dreams and memories and traits to form the "person" that is Gallagher, in order to infiltrate The Family and leading to the events in the game.

hsr spoilers // a video adaptation of my gallagher theories - some new stuff as well as some amendments :3

[petrawood]

Since the DLC trailer came out, I have been checking the Elden Ring characters and lore and remembering how much I like Mohg and Miquella once more.

But... a lot of people say that their "relationship" is disgusting and deeply problematic, and I mean, looking at the canon yeah, it is oh my god.

So, I started thinking. Why do I like their relationship so much?

And I realized that of COURSE I was going to like them. I mean, you are looking at a person who watched Beauty and the Beast over and over again when growing up, is in love with the myth of Hades and Persephone and got completely obsessed with The Phantom of the Opera for several years.

What I mean to say is, stories of people who embody Life and Beauty being trapped by a Monster who embodies Death and Ugliness, but learning to love them while going through a personal journey of self-descovery while the Monster finds love and kindness for the first time are my JAM, you know?

So yeah, I like to imagine Miquella breaking through his curse and obtaining the adult body he desires, and even through trials and suffering learning to know Mohg so both of them can discover new things about themselves and each other together.

I know the canon is messed up, but honestly? Their relationship is GREAT for fanfics and character studies.

Btw, Mohg and Miquella are really similar to Hades and Persephone, and I'll die on that hill. Just think about it!

[petrawood]

[petrawood]

[petrawood]

Okay, so I just checked QSMP and took a look into what Cellbit, Slimecicle and Etoiles are doing.

This are my conclusions based on roughly 2 minutes of screentime and pure unadulterated vibes:

Cellbit: Laser-focused, mind working one hundred miles a minute, shit has to be done and it has to be done FAST, every bit of information like the time left and porcentages is displayed onscreen this is SURVIVAL, this is a WAR pEOPLE.

Slime: Slightly pale, hair on disarray, tired gaze, steely gaze. This man is a soldier who has bled on the battlefield but still marches forward, he knows what needs to be done and come hell, high water or pure tiredness he WILL do it.

Etoiles: Just chillin' man

UPDATE EDIT: CHARLIE SLIMECICLE JUST HAD A MENTAL BREAKDOWN