#at least its my theory i haven't played 3 yet

[capisnotonfire]

Oh you know so much more than you let on, don't you.

[saltynsassy31]

Whats bothering about this grand festival me is the fact it has every reason to be the final fest

But, again, its been promoted as anything but that.

This season's catalogue has "thank you for playing" title. They are soon to release the switch 2, which is more the reason for them to start working on the next game now more than ever (and I am 99% sure we are getting a 4th game for many, many reason, but main one being that Splatoon has become Nintendo's new cash cow). Like the previous two games, it would have finished its 2 year run and they said they only had 2 years of content planned. The splatfest we are having next is the same one (according to a comment, I haven't checked this one yet) that they had in splatoon 1 before the final one.

It makes sense.

But something feels off.

And I'm wracking my brain over not having that final piece of the puzzle. Somethings missing and I can't seem to tell what that something is! Its frustrating, but we'll just have to see.

Because there are also reasons pointing to them doing it for at least another year. Things I found odd when I first noticed. Those being:

Off the Hook was added so much later, they missed better part of the special events like Splatoween and Frosty fest. It would be interesting if they brought it back one more round to see these two beloved characters have their chance to shine. They obviously know Off the Hook's popularity.

They introduced 2 new spaltfest mechanics way too late into the games life span, to the point we've got to enjoy it very little. It is odd also that they didn't add in sooner.

They only said they had two years PLANNED. Some people had speculated that they might do more.

Splatoon 1 only had two years because the Wii U was dying and they needed to quickly move to the next console. Splatoon 2 exists so that they could bring new stuff along side whay splatoon 1 already had. 2 years for splatoon 2 cuz, well, splatoon 2! Splatoon 3 brought in so many new things to the table. It be cathartic to have the final fest happen in the 3rd year of its life, a fitting end.

This fest is being pointed as "Grand Festival" and has only been said to celebrate the game's 2 year anniversary. Never once was it said to be its final.

Now, these aren't reasons enough to say they'll do more splatfests or catalogues. But it's something to keep in mind, at the very least.

The first point is a little iffy because, as much as I'd love to see reruns of it like many others; commercially, they'd want something new. We might be getting new outfits for EVERYONE if they do reruns, of just OtH.

Another theory is that this is technically the "final" fest, or at least the fest which choices affect the next game. But not the final fest of the game, the final fest might compliment this one. (Less likely, but a possibility to keep in mind)

I can't think of much else besides this, tbh. It's really driving me nuts here XD I like to be prepared for everything, so I've calculated this being the final fest since I first got the game 2 years ago. This is throwing me off incredibly hard 😫.

We'll just have to wait and see what they have planned. Splatoon 3 was already a huge change to the game, I wouldn't be surprised if they were trying to do something completely new and different after this Splatfest.

[emmalouloubean]

thoughts after ep 27

back before arc #3 started, I made a post of theories and predictions and things, and I already referenced it once, but here I am to reference it again (you don't have to go back and read that post, I'll reiterate all the important info here)

the two big things I'll bring up here are the politics of destroying the station of the Witch of the World's Heart and the tense collaboration between Mirara and Indri (warning: idk how to shut up so this is a little long)

I understand where they (Ame, Suvi, and Eursulon) are coming at with the numbers angle, but back in ep 15, Mirara said that the coven can act without unanimity and Grandma Wren said that they may act as they see fit without her approval. So I'm not sure how strong that argument is gonna be on its own. There is a difference between unanimity and majority, but I think that they might need something else on top of the issue with odd/even members.

Also in ep 15, Grandma Wren said that "there will be tremendous repercussions if you insinuate that any of the other stations are not incredibly significant to the nature of magic itself" and in Ep20, Sly tells Ame that "one of your sisters is going to make the argument that your existence threatens the nature of magic in the world of Umora. And the only way—in the majority of cases where you win that argument, you win it because in order to get rid of your station, they would probably magically have to get rid of another." I think the key points of both of these statements in the tie to magic, as if the thing that makes getting rid of a station in the coven is some sort of magical law/rule and not just a logistical one. I know Brennan was almost leading them away from that conclusion, but I really feel like they were onto something with the idea of balance. Plus, we haven't seen any of the "tremendous repercussions" that Grandma Wren mentioned. Maybe the repercussions are just Ame gets to take someone else with her, or maybe it's a bit of etiquette that Ame doesn't know yet and they're playing off her ignorance, like maybe Ame is allowed to do something in response and she doesn't know she's granted any sort of special reaction.

I'm actually pleasantly surprised that my theory that Indri is working with the Man in Black (MiB) seems to be coming true. I felt a little like the Pepe Silvia meme when I was coming up with it.

We got confirmation that the MiB is under Mirara's station and I think that based on Indri was talking during their argument that they are probably working together against the wizards. And by the transitive property, we can guess that Indri and the MiB are also allies.

I theorized Indri might be working with the MiB because one of the other titles for him is the Pilgrim Under the Stars, which implies that he moves around like people, walking around on the ground (at least to me). In the last memory Ame has in Ep15, Grandma Wren says that "he has been moving upon our world in a way that I cannot quite see" which I think we all clocked, but she also stated explicitly that it's only been like this recently (to quote directly: "for some time now, since you were a very little girl, in fact"). It's possible that perhaps the reason this changed was because Indri had aligned herself with the MiB and was aiding him in moving in a way that is no longer under the stars.

I wonder if Grandma Wren had somehow clocked this because in Ep2, Brennan said that "she sort of had a relationship with [the stars], like someone who spent time in their company" so maybe that's how she knew something was up or wrong with them. I wonder if she asked Steele for a book (the one about stars of the southern sky that was sent with Suvi along with the shape-changer diagrams) that categorized the stars or just listed them in an effort to compare the information of what the sky used to look like or how these things used to work with how they may have been changed by either Indri or MiB.

Let me know what you guys think! Were you guys surprised by the Mirara/Indri alliance reveal? I was a little caught off guard ngl, even though I've suspected Indri of not being on Ame's side before we even met her lol

[amypihcs]

HELLO! Hello dear friends! The end of my favourite story!

We're out and on the stakeout

Why, Holmes, you ALMOST sound apologetic! Well, apparently you're not only lucky because of no rain...

And Watson's descriptions are always oh so flattering and kind. Let's get him!

Lestrade! You're a volcano of good ideas tonight! And guy didn't have darkvision! He also rolled low on perception and stealth... A pity. Expecially since our boys rolled GREAT on stealth

Now tackle! Watson, focus on the prisoner, not on Holmes' 'bound of a tiger'. Watson and Holmes are very married in this story. Even more than usual! Hey, where did Holmes go?

Ah yes, the bust. Aaaaand Nothing into it.

Time to say bye bye to the burgled guy and get the fellow in a safe place.

Lestrade HAS the right idea. Also he's very proud of his mafia theory! How to find fault in it! Now, Mr Holmes, Could you explain please?

No, Lestrade, sorry, we're past out bedtimes! And i haven't found it all out yet, besides. Hope by tomorrow in the afternoon? There's brandy!

And this story is so pretty! Watson would LOVE to publish it. And i'm almost there to give him permission again (he'll steal the kiss i would put here in the cab or just as soon as they are home)

... 8 hours (more or less) of sleep later...

Lestrade hops by and gives the last infos about the arrested man. Holmes... smiles and nods. He has something else in his mind! Watson WHO KNOWS HIM SO WELL can clearly tell.

And he's also stimming hard until his other appointment comes! Time to buy bust 6 for like at least 10 times its value!

And the way Granada made this scene <3 Adore. Now, out of Holmes' very well slicked back hair, time for some DRAMA!

He's such a theatrical bitch (affictionate). CRASH! And here it is!

Friends: Shocked Applause: Got Cheeks: Blushing prettily Watson is very well impressed. A good day's work!

And now the total explanation follows

INCLUDING that Holmes doesn't let a bone case go if he's not satisfied, of course.

and then!

AND THEN!

THIS SCENE. I can SEE the Granada scene. The emotion in Holmes' eyes, the handshake at the end, Holmes' violin playing!

Indeed, he would be glad to shake Holmes by the hand.

[raayllum]

I keep thinking about the key of Aaravos because it is rarely mentioned at all since season 2. Law of Chekov Gun says it should have a big role eventually but we still don't know what it does. What do you think it does?

Barely mentioned since S2??

Oh, the Key's never been more relevant than in S4 my dear sweet anon (honestly may be worth doing a post just about it in that season since, somehow, I haven't yet and S6 is right around the corner)

The season I'd argue it has the least on screen relevance in S3 (it's there mostly for fun Xadian shenanigans in 3x02, and then isn't on screen at all until 3x08, in which its presence helps Callum realize he can use the moon opal necklace to hopefully help Rayla) and technically S5 due to lack of screentime, even though it looms over Callum relentlessly due to its Aaravos-dark magic-negative associations. There's a reason they use the pawn Callum intro, and that the pawn Callum intro has the Key in it at all (bc it did not Need to) in 4x04, honestly more importantly, 5x08.

In short, though:

I have 3-4 main ideas about what the cube may be / what it does. Some of these work under the assumption that Aaravos wants the cube back, but he may be totally disinterested in it, so there's some accommodation for that as well.

The Key isn't drawn to a place, but is drawn to Aaravos himself; it holds his memories (explaining how they knew his treachery) or his heart piece, and it'll help restore Aaravos to his full power

The Key holds a general quasar diamond, such as Laurelion's (if he and Aaravos aren't the same person lmao)

The Key was used to help humans develop dark magic and it doesn't do much else

The Key helps unlock the Star Nexus or to find wherever the other Startouch elves have gone, and can help Aaravos 'go home'

Honourary mentions: the Key is drawn to something in Elarion, the Key actually was a gift for Leola, the Key is also connected to deep magic (ties into the dark magic development honestly for me), etc etc.

I could also see the Key eventually being more positive - helping Callum more directly with magic or defeating Aaravos or something - but that'd largely be a subversion of the previous set up / symbolism, so if it did happen, it'd get pushed until like S7 or something. That said, I doubt it'll just have a positive subversion without serving a more negative purpose of some kind, first; it flashes a bright white light in the Pawn intro after all, and that just seems to indicate that Callum's going to play into Aaravos' hands regardless (and 'light'/white is often bad in TDP, anyway).

If you're interested in more Key of Aaravos thoughts I'd recommend checking out this tag, and these metas specifically:

Opposing Symbolism: Harrow and the Key of Aaravos (post-s4; mostly about how affectionately weird it was to use the key as a symbol in 2x08 of dark magic when Claudia's dark magic book is right there, but it makes more sense with S5 context of dark magic temptation and Aaravos)

The Key of Aaravos, a Formal Analysis (pre-s5; it's worth noting that rune placement symbolism does come into play, as 2x08 foreshadowed Callum's dark magic use in 5x08 and that it would be on Rayla's behalf)

Key to Aaravos' Heart Theory: S4 edition, S5 edition (the cube holds a quasar diamond, specifically Aaravos' chest piece)

Unlocks a Place of Great Power, an Elarion Analysis (the cube helped develop dark magic)

Rayla's weird associations with the Key of Aaravos (pre-S4 but S4 definitely added to it on god, since her associated-moon opal is what lights up the cube on the Bridge of Darkness, putting them in danger, and it's on her goddamn shoulder in her big dramatic 4x02 appearance)

[accirax]

Disventure Camp All Stars Power Ranking (Round 8)

It's yet again time to round up some power rankings. Will I slip at the start or slide my way to a perfect score?

In case you haven't seen my previous power rankings ( 5 | 6 | 7 ), the Power Ranking Format is essentially a way of ranking how well each player is doing in the game. So, in essence, this is a long form way of predicting who I think will be eliminated from the competition in the next episode. There will be spoilers for last week's episode (obviously) and its power ranking, so make sure to read that first if you don't want to be spoiled on how I ranked our last boot. If you want more clarification on the rules, that first post will help you out as well. Furthermore, I'm going to be spoiling the preview for next episode, so if you want to go in TOTALLY blind, save this for later. Let's go!

Recap - Ellie's Elimination

Current Point Total: 28 acquired/42 total

I should've stuck to my guns, dammit! Why couldn't this exact scenario have played out, like, two weeks ago, when I would've been totally right? Just another failing of my self doubts, I suppose. This time, I'll be sure to doubt those doubts.

Anyways, given that I've anticipated it for so long, Ellie's elimination is as unsurprising as it is understandable (which is "highly"). As I mentioned in my initial thoughts, I really like how they explained her elimination as the game being bad for her, because, it's true! It made it extra surprising that Ellie wasn't there for the Patreon readings-- more or less increasing her odds of rejoining the game later-- but, who knows what'll happen there. For now, I think this season will be fine without Ellie there to add her particular brand of spice, even if it helped to flesh out the season's palette while she was there.

Also, I finally put the boot in 10th place instead of 9th place :D I'm improving!

Trailer Analysis

Tom and Aiden will do... whatever the hell this is. My guess is that Tom is (lightheartedly) teasing Aiden about something regarding James. Maybe it's some kind of pivot after Aiden tries to press Tom further about his mysterious boyfriend?

Alec and Grett will join Riya sunning herself on the beach. This may be important if it's showing Yul being on the outs.

Gabby will yell at Tess, presumably confronting her over Ellie's elimination.

The way the shots before this one were cut together, it seems like Ashley and Riya (and, by extension, Magenta and Yellow) will argue with each other.

The challenge will be something involving a slip n slide track where contestants shoot a ball at the end. Notably, it seems that they don't start off holding the balls at the beginning of the track. Also, some contestants are shown sitting, while others are shown standing. Maybe there's a break point in the middle where they acquire the balls, and can switch between sitting and standing?

The thumbnail shot, which shows Tess and Ally arguing with someone. Based on the earlier content, my guess is Riya/the Yellow Team.

Jake, at least, will also attempt to throw a ball before the stop at the end illustrated by Grett. Some theories: 1) this is a desperate hail mary at the end of the challenge that Jake throws early to prevent Magenta from losing, 2) this is a desperate pass to either Ashley or Ally, who are standing ahead of Jake, at the end of the challenge to prevent Magenta from losing, or 3) this is Jake choosing to enable PvP and throw the ball at probably Aiden or Tom. Honestly, leaning towards #3.

"You think saying you're gay is something huge? Look what show we're on."

Trevor and Emily will continue their conversation regarding Trevor's feelings for Derek, and Trevor will (presumably) come to outwardly acknowledge those feelings as romantic, coming out to Emily as gay/bi. (Bi is the canon one as far as we last heard.) Emily is sitting on a picnic blanket, which implies that she decided to eat the picnic herself after Yul chose to abandon it. She's an icon for that and the quote itself.

There's a lot more camp life shown in this trailer than the last one. This definitely seems like it could be a short challenge, with more focus on interpersonal relationships and the fallout of last episode's elimination. That definitely gives me some material to work with, although, as always, it's gonna be at least a partial shot in the dark.

Power Ranking

#1: Ashley

I still think Ashley is totally safe. Why would Ally and Jake work together to eliminate her? It just doesn't make sense. Barring, like... a medical evacuation, Ashley will live to see another day. And, based on the trailer, it even seems like Ally would be the more likely medevac.

#2: Alec

I also still think that Alec is very likely to survive, because, similar to Ashley, it doesn't make any sense for Riya, Yul, and Grett to work together to eliminate him. I think the most likely path to an Alec boot would be if he and Riya try to vote for probably Yul, and Yul and Grett decide to vote for Alec, sending Alec home in whatever the tiebreaker would be this time. However, even in that fringe situation, I think that Yul and Grett would choose to vote for Riya over Alec, and that, narratively, Yul would probably lose the tiebreaker challenge. There's no way he'd win a tiebreaker twice, right? Especially with an injured foot?

I also want to draw attention to the fact that the three boots from S1 thus far have been Miriam, Fiore, and Ellie, in that order. First place, then second place, then third place. I do wonder if Alec, as S1's fourth place finisher, will pick up on that pattern and worry about it at all.

#3: Ally

An Ally boot would definitely be surprising. It's still possible that Ashley could choose to side with Jake over her, but I don't think that's the direction the story will take. Like, the intended message could be, "true friends will stick with you through thick and thin, so there's no reason to worry." However, I think that a better and probably more accurate moral to learn would be "if you always assume the worst in people, you'll drive even those who want the best for you away." AKA, I don't think that the narrative would want to reward Jake for slipping back into those old insecure habits by having Ashley cave under his whining.

The way that the writers have fleshed Ally out this season has been really nice, and I hope that her story doesn't end before the merge. Despite her placing sixth in S2 (the same place as, uh, Tom), I always forget that she made it late into the game. Probably because she wasn't bringing a whole lot to the table. Now she is, so let's hope that table doesn't fold under the weight of Jake bias.

#4: Grett

Y'know, I still don't really know what to do with Grett. The narrative as it stands could function without her-- the main plot line she's involved in at the moment is pretty self-contained, and could naturally disappear with her elimination-- but the Yellow Team really doesn't seem like they'd be gearing up to vote her out. Right now, she's a loyal and somewhat naive/subservient henchman, which is exactly what characters like Alec or Yul are looking for.

Due to that logic, I wound up being fairly confident that she won't be the next elimination. I hope she won't, because I really like Grett, both in S1 and DCAS. Then again, I really like pretty much everyone in DCAS, but the show just has to keep eliminating people! Why do we keep putting ourselves through this...?!

#5: Tom

The state of Cyan up until their next elimination is quite the interesting situation, indeed. Given that Aiden, Tom, and Tess already voted against Gabby last time, and Gabby made it clear to us that she doesn't plan on legitimately working with any of them anymore, Gabby is the obvious next elimination from that tribe. So, when considering the others, my main criteria is, "who would Gabby be the most likely to vote for in the case of her finding a totem?"

Given Gabby's character, I imagine that her vote would be decided by who she feels the most betrayed by/is the most angry at, as opposed to being a huge strategic play. All three of Aiden, Tom, and Tess have their arguments for being Gabby's biggest target, which I'll elaborate on in each of their individual sections.

For Tom, the argument is that Gabby would feel the most betrayed by him because he was actually one of her friends on S1, as opposed to Aiden and Tess, who she didn't know super well. She thought they were genuine friends, yet he was out there cackling over Ellie's elimination with the rest of them.

However, despite that personal element, I think that targeting Tom would be Gabby's least likely decision. I'd attribute Ellie's elimination as Aiden's move, and Tess was the facilitator that made it happen. Tom was just along for the ride. Although that hasn't stopped Gabby from holding a grudge in the past (pour one out for Dan), to me it seems like she'd have bigger fish to fry.

Additionally, I think that (other than possibly Gabby) Tom would be the worst Cyan character to lose at the moment, narratively speaking. If Tom is going to be eliminated, it would be much more satisfying for it to be the result of his own poor decisions (like what just happened to Ellie) than Gabby's random silver bullet. Between Jake, Aiden, and the lie Tom trapped himself in, it feels to me like the writers have more that they want to do with Tom yet.

#6: Tess

Alright, so, why would Gabby want to eliminate Tess? Well, Tess was the deciding vote between whether Ellie or Aiden would go home, and, by Gabby's reaction, she was pretty surprised by Tess' verdict. Therefore, Gabby could see Tess as having committed the greatest betrayal.

There is also a possibility that Gabby could manage to eliminate Tess without needing some sort of idol or advantage. At the very least, I'm sure it would be far easier for Gabby to convince Aiden and Tom to work together to eliminate Tess than to get either of Aiden and Tom to flip on each other. Aiden and Tom might go along with it if they were worried about Tess flipping on Cyan to vote with Magenta at the merge because of Ally, or something.

However, I still don't really think that Tess would be eliminated in this fashion. You could argue that her character arc is now complete upon her making the decision to side with the boys over Ellie, but personally, I don't think that's all they'd want to do with her. Down to this next episode's thumbnail, recent episodes have been rekindling the relationship between Tess and Ally, and making us look forward to seeing more happen between them (romantic or platonic). I want to believe that they'll make the merge together, so I hope Tess isn't eliminated here.

#7: Aiden

The answer as to why Gabby would choose to get Aiden out is obvious: he's the one that spearheaded the movement to eliminate Ellie. Out of everyone who is or even has been on the Cyan Team, Aiden is the one who Gabby has bonded with the least. Plus, Gabby could adopt the mentality of "I'll fulfill Ellie's dying wish (eliminating Aiden) or get eliminated trying." It's my gut feeling that if Gabby were to idol someone out this episode, Aiden would be her target of choice.

And, as I wrote about last episode, if James doesn't become a returning player, the writers have less of a direct reason to keep Aiden around. He's still a fan favorite as always, but, like... the name of the game this season is sending fan favorites home. Unless he makes the final 3 again (which, granted, is possible), he will be eliminated at some point. So, why not now?

Well, the reason is still his relationships with other characters, even the ones that aren't James. The last episode also drew attention back to Aiden's relationship with Riya, and heightened the animosity between him and Jake. While having his relationship with Ellie lead to his downfall would make sense, leaving his rivalries with Jake and especially Riya unfinished would be a waste, in my opinion. Those three are dying to have beef with each other at the merge. Now that Ellie's out, maybe Aiden can be my new merge boot, in a synthesized move between Riya and her allies and Jake and his allies. Boy, would that make Tom mad. Honestly, seems pretty legit...

#8: Gabby

I know I kinda promised @/thefandomenchantress that Gabby wouldn't be at the bottom of my power rankings anymore, and, well, she isn't! ... But she's still at the bottom of Cyan. Sorry! Let me explain myself.

Let's be clear: I don't actually think Gabby is going anywhere this episode. While it is possible, I think it would be pretty lame to get the audience all hyped up over a potential Gabby villain arc only to cut it short prematurely. I find it far more likely that she'll be in this game for the long haul, now.

However, if the Connor... and Fiore... and Ellie... boots have told me anything, it's that, if it seems like the entire tribe would really obviously send their votes towards one person, it's probably that person who would be going home. Given that no totem has yet been announced for this season, and Ellie already scoured the entire Cyan camp looking for one, I find it unlikely that Gabby would be able to suddenly produce an idol with which to save herself. Therefore, if Cyan goes to tribal again, Gabby would probably be eliminated. I just find it more likely that they won't.

But even beyond that, you can tell how much I feel like the writers wouldn't want to send Gabby home right now by how I stacked all of the Cyan team members on top of each other. If Cyan does go to tribal, somehow, maybe the writers would be planning some sort of trick to keep Gabby in the game and eliminate... one of the others. I'm pretty confident that everyone Gabby and upward will be safe in the upcoming episode, and that there are only three people at real risk of elimination. So, let's talk about them.

#9: Jake

If Magenta goes to tribal, I think Jake would be eliminated. He made a lot of enemies last episode, which is worrisome. Even beyond the direct implications of potentially making Ashley like him less, by making enemies on other teams, Jake has made it more likely that other contestants would be less likely to work with him come the merge. If Ashley could realize that, she would see that picking Jake over Ally would be bad gameplay.

Leaving Jake's relationships with Aiden and Tom somewhat unresolved would be unfortunate, but viable. I'm working a lot with that shot of Jake shooting the ball while seated, here. Let's say that, in a fit of jealousy, Jake does wind up shooting that ball at Aiden's head, but not in a way that makes Magenta win. That childish display causes Ashley to reevaluate Jake's character, and choose to vote with Ally. In that way, Aiden and Jake's hostility could still contribute to Jake's elimination without Aiden actually casting a vote for Jake. It would be really similar to how they used Jake and Ellie's relationship this season, honestly. Jake didn't get to directly vote Ellie out, but the way that Ellie obsessed over tearing the man down became part of Tess' logic.

Still, Jake is in ninth instead of lower down because he is so entrenched in plot lines and relationships. As I alluded to back in Ally's section, I do definitely get the sense that the writers have a lot of bias towards Jake as a character, given how much focus he's gotten in both S1 and DCAS. He's their special little blorbo. They can't just get rid of him now!

Much like Gabby, though, I'm not going to let my personal sense of narrative override what actually seems to be going down at the camps anymore. I wanted to put one representative from each tribe pretty close to the bottom in case of emergencies, and I think Jake is by far the easiest boot from that team if they do lose. There's a definite gulf between how likely I think it is that Gabby will be eliminated versus that Jake will be eliminated. However, there's a pretty big gulf between Jake and our last two for me, as well...

#10: Riya

and

#11: Yul

I feel like I kind of have to talk about these two together this time because of how I believe the episode is going to play out. So, what do I think will happen?

Well, basically, I think that this episode will result in a big decision point for Alec. At the beginning of the episode, we'll see that scene of him, Riya, and Grett all sunning themselves together, while Yul is off doing whatever Yul does. Then, we'll go to the challenge, where Riya will rile up the other teams and get them mad at her. The challenge will play out as it does, and, in some combination of Riya's tactics and Yul's injury, Yellow will lose. Thus, it'll be up for Alec to decide: is it time to get rid of Riya, or Yul?

Riya is a potential liability to Alec because of how her plans often result in the team losing. She's also very clearly in it for herself, and wouldn't hesitate to screw him over (just like Fiore did in S1). She represents the unfortunate blend of being dumb enough to play the game recklessly while also being smart enough that she might not blindly follow the leader with the same level of obedience that Yul or this iteration of Grett would. Working with her is dangerous. And yet, Alec seems to genuinely enjoy her company. With Fiore, Connor, and even Ellie now eliminated, friends are a commodity Alec is running low on. Would he really want to axe Riya, too? But, would he really let the notion of friendship stop him from doing what's best for his game?

Yul is the exact opposite. Alec has made it clear again and again that he thinks that Yul is a cruel and self-absorbed idiot. I'm sure he doesn't want to work with Yul more than he has to. But, does he have to? Yul and Grett currently have the advantage of coming as a pair, so if Alec wants any prayer of keeping his villains' alliance alive, he should probably keep around two allies instead of one. Yul himself nominated Alec as the leader last episode, unprompted. That level of power is hard to deny.

Despite Grett's connection to Yul, I think that Yul would be the more likely boot from this episode. 'Cause, guess what? Yul's rule of threes with Emily is over now! He fired her from that position, essentially ending that plot thread, which may be a hint that we might let him go soon. Without his earpiece, I could even see Yul saying something cruel to Grett in this episode that makes her decide to flip on him and potentially break up with him. Meanwhile, Riya still has her relationship with Aiden to provide intrigue if they ever meet up again.

It's also possible that Yul and Grett could vote for Riya, while Riya and Alec vote for Yul, resulting in a tie. However, as I said, I think that Yul would be set up to lose the tiebreaker this time around, thus making him this episode's boot anyways.

I've really enjoyed Yul's jokes this season, so I would definitely be sad to see him eliminated. I had been thinking about him as a potential (LOSING) finalist, so, if he doesn't go home this episode, maybe that could still happen. However, it feels to me that the writing is on the wall. If not for him, then, most likely for Riya.

Somehow, these power rankings keep getting shorter to write every time. It's almost like there are fewer variables to consider with each episode. I feel fairly confident that it's going to be Yul or Riya this time, so, hopefully that's another 10 or 11 points in the bag. See you next time!

[vivi-wtz]

If u haven't noticed yet, i am a woman of many opinions. And guess what i have a new theory/ opinion that i need to share. It's about criminal minds to be more specific about the relationship between Spencer Reid and Maeve in season 8 (SPOILER WARNING).

So in 8x10 of criminal minds, spencer said that Maeve wanted to meet him and that he doesn't care what she looks like because she is already the most beautiful girl to him. Here the clip from youtube:

And folks when I tell u this boy got me blushing by saying this, because its so uncommon that guys think u r beautiful no matter what... especially as a chubby girl who's been bullied most of her life, stuff like what spencer said just does things to u. And believe me i know what i'm talking about.

Anyway back on track. The line from spencer made me blush and mad at the same time, because this and the relationship with maeve had been so much more meaningful when it really didn't matter what maeve looks like. And don't get me wrong, i like maeve and i love the relationship between spencer and her but look a her.

she is a very beautiful and in fact very skinny white girl. and this is not meant in any body shaming way, i think she played the role of maeve very well. But folks as a chubby girl i am hurt whenever a show gives the opportunity for a female character to be not conventionally beautiful but still chooses the saves option. With the sentence from spencer "I don't care what she looks like, she is already the most beautiful girl to me" the show Producers had the opportunity to create an unconventionally beautiful maeve. Do i make sense? Like instead of choosing a skinny, white woman with long hair, they could have chosen and chubby, black woman with short hair (for example). This would just underline the sentence from spencer in 8x10 and it would show how much spencer doesn't care about the looks of women. But now it's like "No wonder genius boy doesn't care about her looks when she is that pretty even in society's eyes" yk? This ist just something i can't stop thinking about... i would have like it more, especially since the opportunity was given and different body types/ black representation is very important (at least in my eyes). In my opinion this would've make the relationship even more special and so uncommon and beautiful... idk just a thought. Could be wrong though.

Let me know that you think about this and whether or not my rambling made any sense.

ANYWAY i wish y'all a marvelous day, kissies!

BYE <3 <3

[enterpris]

An Education in Attraction, Chapter 5

Pairing: Reader x Gojo

Summary: It's spring when you start your Master's degree. As the flowers and leaves unfold, so too do your feeling for Gojo

Warnings: Light swearing (1x)

Previous Chapters: 1 2 3 4

Ao3: PlaidSparrow

After class on Wednesday, you walk with Kuzume and Saito across the campus.

“I think we should try the Gyudon Restaurant this weekend,” you say. It had just opened and one of the other teachers at the Eikaiwa school had raved about it to you last week.

“Ooo and then we can go out for drinks after!” You’ve learned that Kuzume subscribes to a ‘work hard, play hard’ mentality about the trials of grad school. 

“Could you make it after your lesson?” Saito asks as the three of you cross the street.

Instead of another session in the library, your group wanders into the botanic gardens and settles near some hydrangea shrubs just putting their buds out. The spot is further in, where you can just barely see the path and pond through the greenery. The May sun is a gentle caress, warm and sweet on your face, and a soft breeze leaves ripples in its wake on the surface of the pond.

“I can make it for dinner, as long as we don’t stay out too late,” you say. “I haven’t started next week’s reading yet.”

"The next chapter is so long," Kuzume huffs, "and it's being assigned with two other sections! They could at least schedule them one by one."

"And there's more in Learning Theories," Saito adds. 

“Shit, I almost forgot about that. There’s so much to do.” 

You sigh. You're still getting back into the rhythm of being a student again, and even with your days planned out, it’s easy to get worn out. Between the sheer volume of reading assigned and planning lessons for your own students, each day is a little overwhelming. 

Kuzume leans back on her elbows and looks up at the foliage. “Maybe I should have stuck with just playing the guitar. I am not looking forward to all the music theory assignments I’ll have to grade.”

“All subjects have tons of grading,” Saito waves her hand. “At least you’ll have some practical learning to break things up. I’ll be scoring essays forever.”

“I think lesson planning takes way longer than grading. But at least you can recycle some lessons,” you say.

“That’s true.” Saito runs her fingers through the soft grass in front of her. "At least there's no group work in Learning Theories. I can’t believe the professors assign such a large Curriculum project in our first term-"

Kuzume gasps. "I haven't even asked you yet!" She faces you and stares at you intently. "How are things going with Gojo?"

“Um,” You're not entirely sure how to answer that question. Both of the times you’d worked together outside of class Gojo had acted rudely, but you’re hesitant to say so. Even though he was the one acting poorly, it would be embarrassing to admit how he’d treated you. In class on Monday and Tuesday you’d resolutely ignored him, and you had resolved to work solo as much as possible to avoid any further insult. You look down at the grass to buy yourself a couple seconds to think.

 "He hasn’t really wanted to talk much. It hasn’t been going as well as I’d hoped." 

Saito's eyebrows raise. "Really?"

“Yea, he was honestly pretty rude the last time we met. He went out of his way to question my abilities and to tell me he’s finished two Master's already.”

"That’s awful! You wouldn’t think he’d need to show off with all he’s done.” 

"What else has he done?" You ask. 

“Maybe he just has a big head. I mean, if I was that gorgeous and smart too, I would be unstoppable,” Kuzume cuts in and laughs as the dappled sun falls on her face.

Saito answers your question. “He’s published a few papers and scientific studies. Gojo’s work is supposed to be pretty experimental and exciting, at least that’s what my father says. He’s a professor in the Physics department of the University and raves about Gojo’s work.”

Both girls are looking at you curiously now, and Kuzume's eyes shine as she leans towards you. They both seem to know a lot about him, and you feel behind. 

“His whole family are famous doctors and scientists. They’ve won awards and some have studied here. I think the University has a hall or something named in their honor.” Kuzume says. 

"Oh." You had no idea he'd done so much. You stare out through the branches at the water and reflect on what you know about him- admittedly it’s not a lot. He’s been aloof in your meetings and you haven’t really talked to him about anything outside academics.

“I didn’t know any of that,” you finish lamely. 

Kuzume and Saito look at each other. You are behind. The sun suddenly feels too warm on your face. A bird caws in the background and you hear another group of students walking past on the path- everything is grating on your nerves. 

“He’s just got a big reputation. He’s spoken on campus and at some of the other nearby universities in the past.” Saito says.

This is a lot to take in. You’d honestly figured Gojo just didn’t want to be paired with you, but if his academic prowess is common knowledge on campus, perhaps he wouldn’t want to be paired with anyone. Maybe he thinks I’m going to make him do all the work. You remember all of the fuss the first day of classes and things click.

“Wait, just how well known is he? Is that why people acted so wild on the first day?” If he’s getting hounded all the time or receives whispers every time he enters a room, you can see why he wouldn’t want to spend much time socializing. 

“Umm, well he’s pretty well known on campus. He completed one of his prior graduate programs here, so a lot of the professors are familiar with him.” Saito says. 

“And you’ve seen how handsome he is, so a lot of students know him too. He’s got kind of a reputation for being standoffish, but I was hoping you’d be able to get close to him with the project.” Kuzume frowns down at the grass.  

“God.” You lay back on the grass. At least you know more about your partner now- it should make working with him the rest of the term easier.

“No wonder he acts so weird.”

Kuzume and Saito laugh at that and the conversation drifts back to schoolwork. The workload of this particular program is more than any of you were really expecting, but the two girls beside you have made planning and studying bearable. You’re listening to your friends' complaints, but Gojo sits in the back of your mind like an itch you can’t quite reach. 

~*~

By the end of the week you are very ready for a break. 

You wake and go over your mental checklist for the weekend as you change and get ready. You’ve got to: finish another paper for Curriculum Design, read two more chapters in your Learning Theories class, and do an afternoon shift at the Eikaiwa school on Saturday. Sunday you've intentionally left unscheduled, hoping to catch some tv and let your brain rest. 

You trudge to class and gingerly slide into your usual seat next to Kuzume. Outside of the trip to the botanic gardens, you had reviewed course notes with her and Saito twice in the last week to keep abreast of all the assignments. She offers you a weak smile and you nod. You’re not the only one feeling drained from the weight of grad school responsibilities. 

Your professor enters and starts the lecture- today you’ll have a class discussion on workload expectations during the summer. It feels like an enormous topic to tackle on a Friday, and you hold in a sigh. 

Although there is a palpable tiredness in the room that wasn’t there at the beginning of the term, as you survey the room your classmates appear to be fully engaged in the professor’s description as she sets up the discussion. Gojo always seems to stand out. Besides his striking black outfits and ever-present shades, you've noticed he doesn't participate in class like your peers. He only shares if it's required, and neither lectures nor discussions seem to engage him. Not that you've been paying him any special attention.

You have noticed that he misses class a lot though. Besides being absent from half the first week, he's been gone from at least a class period the past two weeks as well. You're curious about how it will affect your project, even if you’re not writing with Gojo regularly. Usually schools don't allow this many absences. 

The professor concludes her introduction and gestures for the students of the class to share their experiences with summer homework. 

While extensive projects and assignments are commonplace during the short summer break in the Japanese school year, you rarely had anything to do over the summer except explore the neighborhood with your friends and wake up at 11am. Maybe you had a reading assignment due over the summer in high school, but it wasn’t really comparable to the in-depth learning common in the Japanese education system.

You’re likely the only one in the room who didn’t complete their high school in Japan.

Thankfully, your professor started on the opposite side of the classroom, so you have time to think. You comb your mind, trying to recall if there was ever a big, time intensive project you had to complete between grades. You're coming up blank. 

The first class you taught when you moved to Japan was during the summer. It's been years since you worked with that group, but you try to remember what students had said about their homework assignments. There had been complaints about book reports and worksheets. 

The man to your right just finished sharing his experience. You didn’t hear a word that he said and worse, you don’t have anything prepared for what you should say. The attention of the room has shifted to you already, so you’ll have to give it your best go. 

“Um, I don’t have personal experience with summer assignments. They aren’t very common in the United States between grades. Some parents do homeschooling, but most American students kind of take the summer off. It’s more play time than academic.”

Heat floods your cheeks. You can’t help but feel you’ve embarrassed yourself in front of the whole class. You swallow and turn to give your attention to Kuzume. She meets your eyes and gives you a small smile. It feels more like a lifeline. Her answer is an elegant recollection about a research project she completed in her third year of high school. 

The other students in the room finish sharing and your professor dives into details of the different kinds of assignments. You take some notes and resolve to ask Kuzume or Saito more about their experiences. The three of you had gotten close in these last few weeks.

Your mind is working, thinking about how else you can learn more about traditional summer assignments. You don’t even notice that Gojo’s gaze is stuck intently on you.

[mygeekcorner]

Book Ask game:

8, 20, 32, 44, 48, 54, 133, 135

8 a book you finished in one sitting

Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi, I think I devoured it in like 10 hours. Got a wicked sunburn but I couldn't put it down. It's the (mostly) stand-alone sequel to The Star-Touched Queen following her younger sister and her adventures as she ends up in the underworld. It has a much faster pace but just as beautiful writing and I'm very grateful to @imaginarydragonling for buying it for me when the library took to long to get it here <3

20 a book that got you out of a reading slump

The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman kicked me out of my novel paralysis when I finally picked it up after having left it on my shelf for like a year. Don't judge me, we all do it. But it was so easygoing and full of life and joy for the world of demons and corseted demon fighting they were telling us about and I think I read the first two in like a week and was then bouncing off the walls waiting for the last one to be released so I could know if my theories were correct. (They were, it's YA not rocket science. But that's still rewarding too)

32 your favourite nonfiction novel

Prins Solsken (Prince Sunlight) by Ebba L Levenhaupt, it's the published diary of Sophie von Fersen from when she was 17 to about 19, documenting her romance with Prince Fredrik Adolf. My grandmother had it and I would always read it when I came over so when I was in like 8th grade she gave it to me and I still think about certain diary entries from time to time

44 your favourite fantasy novel

Fuck this is so much harder than the next question since that's like 98% of the stuff I read, the selection pool is way too big lol. Since a certain boy wizards memory got tainted I don't have any one book that I'm quite as .. obsessed with .. so I'll just take something I really really enjoyed reading and haven't already talked about in this ask game. I really liked The Belgariad Series by David Eddings when I was growing up. I haven't actually read it in years now so I'm sorry for not going on as long a rant as it deserves, but I have a huge fondness for Garion and his Aunt Pol and one of these days I really should pick them up again.

48 your favourite sci-fi novel

I haven't read much sci-fi but I really did enjoy Neuromancer by William Gibson. My old DM lent it to me when we were going to start playing Neotech to get me in the right headspace for space adventures. Not really a genre I pick for myself but it's not bad, just something I'm unused to so it takes more brain-power to get what's happening than in fantasy where I'm more familiar with the tropes going on.

54 a book with the best opening line

Ok so like it's not the opening-opening line. But it's the last line of the prologue so I'm still saying it counts since it's how the story starts. It's from Elantris by Brandon Sanderson and it goes

Elantris was beautiful, once. It was called the city of the gods: a place of power, radiance and magic. Visitors say that the very stones glowed with an inner light, and that the city contained wondrous arcane marvels. At night, Elantris shone like a great silvery fire, visible even from a great distance. Yet, as magnificent as Elantris was, its inhabitants were more so. Their hair a brilliant white, their skin an almost metallic silver, the Elantrians seemed to shine like the city itself. Legends claim that they were immortal, or at least nearly so. Their bodies healed quickly, and they were blessed with great strength, insight, and speed. They could perform magics with a bare wave of the hand; men visited Elantris from all across Opelon to recieve Elantrian healings, food, or wisdom. They were divinities. And anyone could become one. The Shaod, it was called. The Transformation. It struck randomly - usually at night, during the mysterious hours when life slowed to rest. The Shaod could take beggar, craftsman, nobleman, or warrior. When it came, the fortunate person´s life ended and began anew; he would discard his old, munndane existence, and move to Elantris. Elantris, where he could live in bliss, rule in wisdom, and be worshipped for eternity. Eternity ended ten years ago.

That line, "Eternity ended ten years ago", lives in my head rent-free ever since I read it over a decade ago. I don't know, it just comes with such a gut punch but also intrigue, don't you just want to Know More? OwO

133 a book that you came across randomly and fell in love with

Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, I needed something to read while waiting for the bus and this was the only pocketbock I could afford that sounded somewhat cool. I've never picked a better bus-book in my life! Every line is perfect, the way it just flows and every line is more gorgeous than the one before? The way it builds up all the characters and environments and both breaks and heals your heart? Amazing, absolutely breathtaking.

135 recommend any book you like!

I had a good time reading old school fantasy when I was gifted The Magicians' Guild by Trudi Canavan a few years ago. Very classic story of a poor girl being taken in and showing them all that she's the best. And of course plenty of politics in the wizard tower, as it should be.

Thank you for indulging me in this!

[ga-yuu]

I see you are worried for ikegen future after the news about Ikerev. I mean, I was devastated. We haven't event gotten Blanc route yet. But... Maybe it's a sign that they will release ikegen in English? Or am I just crazy?

This is just my theory. Maybe they decided to shut down Ikemen revolution because they're planning on releasing a new game. Because like I said, Cybird must know when to stop. I know many fans still like the older games, but if they want to release new games in the future and if you want to play newer games, at some point both have to stop and move on, right? It's sad, but we can't do anything about it. At least we could say Ikerev survived more than 4 years I guess...it's copium...which is way better than what happened to Ikelive. No one even talked about that game when it was released and that survived for only 6 months or so. If you go to the Ikelive official website, you can read the interviews of the voice actors and it is so heartbreaking to see that they had so much planned for the game and its upcoming events but due to not gaining enough popularity it had to be shut down.

This comes to my second question, why Ikerev instead of Ikegen? Between the two, Ikerev is more popular than Ikegen. It even got an English release and has a larger fanbase than Ikegen. But I was confused as to what is the actual popularity benchmark. Some JP players (who, like me, were paranoid if ikegen would be next!) said that the popularity of their games is not only determined by the votes that are gained from the general election, but also from the merchandise purchased for each game and their revenue, as well. Because Cybird like any other company is greedy. Now I'm not saying that you should go spend your life savings on Ikemen genjiden to make it popular...No! The reason why I started this blog was to make people aware that this game exists. Because when I found out about this game, I saw no one on Tumblr posting about anything related to it. No fanarts, no fanfictions, heck! not even a rant post saying that 'Hey! Ikemen genjiden is shit. Don't play it'... So I tried the game myself to check if it was even worth my time and since then I've never uninstalled it. I started to write as many translations as I could because I know English players won't play the game until it has a global release and it's a painful process to sit down and translate each line. That's why I did the painful work so that you can guys somehow enjoy this game. I felt like if more people started playing the JP app, voting for the general election on their anniversary, answering their survey, etc will let them know that even English players are interested in their game. You don't have to buy their merchandise if you don't want to, but at least show some support by downloading the JP app and playing. Again! I'm not saying that waste all your time, 24 hours a day, playing this game. I'm just saying, if you want to support the game and enjoy more contents, play the Japanese app. Even if you don't understand what's going on, you can at least enjoy the spine-chilling soundtracks!

I already translated 3 main stories in my blog, @sakura-samsara is translating SHigehira and Yoichi's route, @yoshitsune1411 is doing the Kagetoki route. So check their blogs as well. If none of these are your favorite characters? No problem! I have a solution for that too. You can ask summary for each route from world-famous Ikemen writer @dear-mrs-otome herself. I'm sure she won't mind. (Please don't curse me @dear-mrs-otome for using your name...). If you're still complaining, use a translator! You guys didn't seem to mind playing the JP app of ikemen prince when it was released then why are you not doing the same thing for ikemen genjiden.

See, if you want Ikemen genjiden it has to be very popular and just because they shut down Ikerev doesn't mean that Ikegen's English release is possible. Because if they wanted it, they would have already done it.

Also, the other two people who send me some other questions relating to Ikemen genjiden...don't worry! I've already seen it, I'll answer it soon because I need some time to gather some facts about each character to give somewhat of an accurate answer. I'm also a little busy, right now. I'll upload it soon. So please bear with me.

[balleater]

because i'm bored and thinking about it, some things i've been thinking of in regards to what i personally would pick for some potential bells hells backup characters:

liam: liam has mentioned going for the main 4 old school rpg classes in the past so i think, in theory, the most likely would be a cleric. he's played a few in one shots but the same can be said about fighters before orym so i think its not an unlikely pick. like i mentioned before, arcana domain would be my personal pick for a cleric or knowledge domain since lore is a big thing this campaign, and he did just play a wizard so knowledge might be a little more likely of the two? also, super not sure if they'd go for another 2 cleric party. a lot of people have also brought up college of tragedy bard which would be an extremely funny pick as a backup character in my opinion.

my personal pick for him though would be a ranger because it's been So long and also i want one lmao. a ranger would also cover some of the bases orym did with high dex and high wisdom while also getting a little bit of healing potentially depending on spell choices.

ashley: i honestly have no idea if i could even pretend to predict what ashley would do lmao. bard was my top pick for her pre-exu trio in campaign 3 reveal so i think that would still work pretty well? i think college of creation would be extremely funny after the issues bells hells had with furniture super early in the campaign tbh. if she wants to continute to lean in to more rogue-adjacent things theres also college of whispers that has that vibe but i don't know if any colleges really stand out to me in terms of being fitting overall, it's mostly about skills and ability scores tbh.

also literally never gonna give up the chance to say i want a paladin because it's literally always true so like. that would also be a very sexy and cool option for her to choose.

marisha: at the moment she's the least likely of the three to need it so i haven't thought as much about hers. she's both not dead yet and has so much going on around her that could happen with external things as well as delilah so. y'know. but otherwise i think seeing marisha play an artificer or a wizard would be Very fun. we got a little bit of wizard with patia but i'd love to see her get more of a chance to do some fun fucked up wizard shit. i don't super have a preferred subclass for either, but i do think order of scribes wizard would be very fun.

[sepialunaris]

The Brother=Owl Beast or Brother=Hooty theory

So after noticing from a post about how the Gravesfield symbol has a mirrored position from the Emperor's coven sigil from this post.

I think its pretty much confirmed that Belos is Phillip, and he may be symbolized by the main spread wings, the top half of the the emperor's coven sigil thats present in many imagery and even evoked in his mask.

The spread wings seems to metaphorically 'stab' the folded wings, which could hint at Belos betraying his brother. Meanwhile the gravesfield logo also frames the folded wing bird in a gravestone, which could hint at Belos' brother being dead. And Belos being in the bottom of the gravestone maybe to hint how he was seen to be lesser in the human world.

Meanwhile the season 1 message spells: "Two witches now alone, two hearts of stone. A curse of feathers and mud, a betrayal of blood"

In Belos and his brother's case, the sigil seems to confirm the betrayal, and a curse of mud, while Eda has the curse of feathers, but with Lilith cursing her. But its also a possibility that the brother got the feathers curse, and is connected with 2 avian characters that we know, the Owl beast or Hooty.

Owl Beast

The brother could be the original Owl Beast which was captured by the Collector, as it is a separated sentient being and is a way to link Eda to Belos without making them related. However the Owl Beast theory has a lots of cons

In the story the Owl Beast's origins seems to be linked more with Vee and the Basilisks or King and his species, with them being wiped out mysteriously before the new order.

Its even possible that they come from a different realm witht the horse skeleton titan, or just outside the boiling isles.

Lilith also houses the consciousness of the Owl Beast. And it seems like sharing the curse replicates it instead of splitting it and the owl beast's consciousness in half. With the hint that Hunter is this brother's clone I doubt they would add another 'clone'

As said, Hunter is a 90% certainly a clone, which requires the bone of ortet from the brother. If he became the Owl beast I dont think Belos would be able to acquire it

The brother is the blurred photo by Jacob is shown to be with a Cardinal, meanwhile the photo of the gravesfield sigil shows a sparrow or a corvid. (Also this is taking assumption that Belos is Phillip, the right statue, who has a coat that does not reach his boots) So I doubt there would be 3 birds to symbolize him.

Hooty

Hooty... is an aluminium foil theory, but the lack of information makes less cons than the Owl Beast theory. He is a Bug-type house demon, yet his origins are mostly mysterious, and the onky piece we know he said is that "It all started with a hunt. Blood red skies" from Understanding Willow. Plus he is ancient, Amity hints he is possibly at least thousands of years old (tho if he is the brother then be should be in hundreds) He has a bird sigil on his roof that we haven't seen really discussed much in show. And it could be too far but there is a gag of Hooty liking to play with mud, which may be a reference to the curse. Plus he is the titular character, and I always feel there is something that is in store about him.

But the highlight for me is that he is also very flesh-based which reminds me of artificial magic from Belos and Hunter, which makes a thought cross my mind that Belos may also be alike with Hooty, as we never see him leave the castle and he seems to have omniscience within the castle, able to remotely control doors in Agony of a Witch. I have no idea how the giant heart would make sense in this equation (him feeding on keratin from Palistrum wood seems to be more tied to the mud curse that is destroying his form). So Hooty may have received the feathers curse and got tied into the Owl House like Belos with his castle, and that curse may be the same one created by the Collector, as his retelling of his past is veryyyy similar to Eda's vision of the owl beast getting captured, a hunt with blood red skies.

The cons of this theory is that... its reallyyyy out there. We lack much info about Hooty for me to think that its valid, and there are a few assumptions for Belos, but the thought crossed my head lmaoo.

[marlborodean]

here’s my analysis of a 14-yr-old supernatural episode

so remember that episode where sam fucked a werewolf? because he related to her unwilling monstrosity? well that episode is actually just about dean starting to come to grips with his childhood and his sexuality.

if you ship w/ncest do not interact. this post is not anti-sam either btw. 

content warning: discussions of childhood trauma, internalized homophobia, guns, killing. 

does include some images with Image Descriptions following them.

[ID: An over-the-shoulder close-up shot from the episode, focused on Madison, the werewolf, as she cries. Dean is standing behind her. They are both looking at Sam, whose shoulder is on the edge of the frame. End ID.]

Brief episode recap just in case u don’t remember. This ep is 2x17 “Heart.” Sam and Dean are hunting a werewolf. They discover that the woman they interviewed, Madison, is a werewolf (not THEE werewolf, but one of them). Sam develops a lil crush on her <3 I wrote the majority of this after watching it for the first time in almost SIX years, so i was just vibing the whole time UNTIL the last shot changed it all for me. So let me explain!

Three important points that i will refer back to:

1. The episode begins with Dean being excited to hunt a werewolf because "what about a human by day, a freak animal killing machine by moonlight don't you understand? I mean, werewolves are badass. We haven't seen one since we were kids."

2. Then the episode centers on Sam and his relationship with the werewolf woman and his own monstrosity: "[Dean: Sam, she's a monster and you're feeling sorry for her?] Maybe I understand her."

3. BUT THEN the last shot of the episode is of Dean crying as music plays (see below for the specific lyrics) and then Dean jumps at the sound of the gunshot. That's it! That's the end of the episode!

[ID: For all three screencaps, Dean is looking torturously sad. Each one is zoomed a little bit closer to his face than the last. In the last image, Dean sheds a single man tear. The captioned lyrics for the first one say "Relax, child, you were there." The second says "but only didn't realize" and the third says "and you were scared." End ID]

Even though the story is supposed to be about Sam and his monstrosity, and partly about his relationship w/romance since this is the first person he’s slept with since Jess died (at least with what is shown on screen)...the Dean Sandwich tells us otherwise. We're supposed to be taking away something about DEAN here. Like, that's the whole purpose behind the last shot focusing solely on Dean instead of Sam who is AT THAT MOMENT, KILLING THE GIRL HE HAS FEELINGS FOR. It's literally a heartbreaking, devastating, super traumatic thing for Sam to be going through, but instead we're watching Dean as a single tear slides down his face lmao. It's because this episode is about DEAN, and furthering his story.

Let’s not queer this just yet. The death of the werewolf is about/representing his loss of innocence. It's a violent disconnect from his childhood. Point # 1 shows that he is fascinated by werewolves because since he was a kid he thought they were badass, not to mention all the werewolf films he references throughout. Then, through the music lyrics over that last scene, they mirror that theme of childhood. They’ve done this before, having the diegetic music directly reference what the characters are going through. No different here: Dean is the child they’re referring to.

I have to reiterate that that's the last thing we hear before the gunshot cuts the music short and then the cut to black. "You were scared" is the last thing we hear before the gunshot, as Dean cries. ALSO I have to reiterate that Dean was looking forward to killing a werewolf and shooting it himself. So it's super fascinating that, not only is Sam the one that kills the werewolf, WE DON’T EVEN SEE IT HAPPEN.

[ID: A medium-close shot of Dean as he looks at Sam, who takes up the right half of the frame. The caption says, “Sammy, I got this one. I’ll do it.” End ID.]

Am i gonna have to say this now? The werewolf is a metaphor, okay? It's a metaphor for his innocence, which is long-dead, forever doomed. I mean, a lot of kids love werewolves because they ARE badass! It's a classic monster that anyone could easily obsess over, and with Dean's childhood it must've seemed even cooler, knowing they're real and having the power to kill this "mythical" beast. So the way he's looking forward to killing one is the way a child imagines themselves as a hero.

But what happens instead is a tragic mercy killing. It's flipping his fantasy completely on its head, and it makes Dean realize that.....his fantasies are just fantasies. They aren't real, never would be. There's nothing heroic about killing this werewolf. It's tragic as hell. When he offers to kill her himself, it's just to relieve Sam's burden, but he's reluctant still. Because, as he keeps saying, he doesn't want to be a hunter! He doesn't want this life! He's tired of killing! And that's also what he's mourning as he cries and startles at the gunshot. His fantasies will never be real and his childhood could never have been normal and he never got a chance to be a kid because being a hunter was thrust on him at such a young age. And now it feels inescapable.

[ID: A gif of the slow zoom on Dean’s face as the single tears slips down his cheek. He jumps at the gunshot, then blinks and his lip wobbles. End ID.]

So now we can queer it :-) Of course all monster stories can be easily queered, but werewolves are popularly queered. The first example that comes to mind is An American Werewolf in London (1981) isn’t an overtly queer film (though it is Jewish!) but it’s definitely read that way by a lot of people!! Anyway the film was directed by John Landis which JUST SO HAPPENS to be the pseudonym Dean goes by in this episode. hmm. (Also, interestingly, the BTVS ep where the first gay character comes out references this film too)

[ID: Sam and Dean are standing close to each other. Sam is in the foreground, not in focus. Dean, behind him, says, “Landis. And Detective Dante.” End ID.]

There’s this essay about the queer werewolf that you can read here (and they also talk about fandom in it! very fascinating), where they say in the intro: “the werewolf seems an obvious choice as a queer monster with its identity-disrupting hybridity, as well as its atavistic, and, thus, disallowable sexuality.” A lot like Kristeva’s theory of the abject body! which is popular in queer theory. 

This episode is then queering Sam—his attraction to the werewolf makes him abject—but it also queers Dean thru the way his attitude towards the werewolf transforms (get it?) throughout the ep. His desire and eagerness to kill the werewolves is obviously ingrained in him from John’s parenting. Consider what he said in 2x03 “Bloodlust”: “And the way he raised us, to hate those things—and man, I hate them, I do.” In conjunction with the monsters in the show being seen as queer allegories (the gorgon, as an example of an explicit comparison), Dean’s excitement to kill the werewolf can be read as internalized homophobia and repressing any of his own feelings. 

Remember, though, right before that line in “Bloodlust,” he also said, “What if we killed things that didn’t deserve killing?” He’s really beginning to question whether all monsters are bad, and what it means to kill them. Is he also questioning what he believes of queer people? What John believed of queer people? The loss of innocence and queering both slot together through that final shot, imo: he’s crying because he realizes his fantasies aren’t real, but he’s also mourning the fact that he never could have had the chance to grow up without John’s control, and now it’s forever tainted his worldview. What else could he have been without that? (The answer is evident in 4x17 “It’s a Terrible Life.”)

Dean was taught to hate queer people but he doesn't want to. He wants to get out of the life but it feels inescapable. He wants to kill a werewolf and then when he has the chance, he doesn't want to. He actually cries as it's killed. It scares him, having to confront that what he thought he knew was wrong, but he knows all the same that he’ll never have the chance to have grown up without that. 

[belongsinthetrash]

i’m like 70% sure this will have already been sent but i didn’t find anything when i checked so… omori for the fandom ask thing? if it HAS already been done i’m so sorry </3

Don't worry, Cultist, I haven't gotten that yet. Though knowing my blog's main demographic, I can see why you think that. Anyways, onto the list:

Blorbo - This is gonna be a reoccurring thing throughout this whole thing, but I have so many characters in this game that I constantly think of. But, to make it so it ain't just the entire main cast here, I'm gonna say that my blorbo is Hero. Hero's story of being emotionally strong to set an example of being a reliable older brother for the rest of the group to confide in while burying his own sadness from a loved one's death because he finds it to interfere with other's problems he needs to solve is... it's relatable to an extent, I'll say. Now, nearly all what I've said for Hero can be said for Kel, I'll admit, but I'm playing the role of their parents right now. Not to worry though, because Kel will find a spot...

Scrunkly - ...within here! Partly the reason I've put Kel in this category than compared to this one is not only because I'm admittedly an unapologetic Hero simp, but because Kel does have more traits that make him fit right in. A super caring nature for his friends, a naive brashness gets him into trouble but can't help but love, and an inferiority complex given to him from his parents' clear favoritism of his older brother make for a character that you have a hard time hating and an easy time wanting to protect. Don't get me started on how much he wanted to bring the group back together but couldn't because he felt he would make the situation worse, because I will cry right here and now.

Scrimblo Bimblo - This one is a toss up because the Main Group is super liked in comparison to others within the game, but I'd give this to the one within that same group that is never talked about as much: Mari. I do know that she isn't talked about as much due to Omocat glossing over her character to make her the "perfect girl" she is, but the bits of info we do get paint a picture of a young woman trying to uphold standards of being an overachiever and suffering as a result of it, with her seeing anything less as failure. And her story is as important to tell as all the others' are, but unfortunately isn't, because she needs to be seen as without flaws to tell the story of forgiveness the game wants. Ironic, in a way. Anyway, sorry for game critique, back to funnies.

Glup Shitto - Another difficult one because of how much I've overanalyzed this game to hell, but the Chimera/Experiment 667 always come to mind for me. Paraphrasing a post I made on it a while ago, the fact that it resembles the Big Yellow Cat (a literal god-like entity in Headspace's lore) always made my crack theory brain speculating about how the Slime Sisters (or just Marina) have attempted to create a replica to either play creator with the world or to overthrow the hegemony of Headspace. I understand that it has its inspiration in the real world, but I'm a sucker for failed revolt type stories so give me this at least.

Poor Little Meow Meow - The Maverick, almost no question. I firmly believe that The Maverick persona is the result of Mikhael having a bit of an identity crisis or even body issues, and that's translated into a toxic personality that is honestly just pitiable but in funny way. Despite that, I still do like the implications of his character and I find it a shame that most write him off as funny meme character (which he kinda is, but maybe a bit more analysis for him would be dream-like to me).

Horse Plinko - Bit of a strange one maybe, but I'd put Omori here. I do NOT see him to be a villian (as that feels a bit wrong to say to a flawed coping mechanism doing their job to the letter), but with how almost organized they are in sealing the truth away when it seeps out, I'm always yearning for stories where Omori is put on the ropes from the threats he faces. Be itthe Stranger, Black Space in general, or even unaccounted threats that could happen in the strange world of Headspace, I just love to see the mostly composed controller become panicked from the overwhelming sense of defeat... There might be something wrong with me for wanting that. Too bad.

Eeby Deeby - There are few contenders for this spot, most of them parents unsurprisingly, but I choose to put Aubrey's Mom here for the reasons of all the other parents being implied bad or just not as bad. Sunny's parents are vaguely neglectful, Kel and Hero's parents' worst crimes are just guilt tripping and harmful favoritism, Basil's parents are close to earning the spot with how distant they are from their only son that has been clearly affected by their cold connection with him, and Aubrey's Father is at minimum a deadbeat dad. Meanwhile, Aubrey's Mother has let her daughter live in a house of filth to fend for herself in, with little attention ever given to how she feels or what's going on with her. We are never given much of a look into the minds of the parents, but with the absence of concrete evidence, Aubrey's Mom has shown herself to be a selfish individual that has given her daughter hell.

[danwhobrowses]

One Piece Chapter 1023 - Initial Thoughts

15 Minutes is on the clock

Onigashima reaches the mainland and the fights continue on. Including the Wings of the King vs the Disasters of the Beast

Without further ado, let's get into it

Spoilers for Chapter 1023, Support the Official Release too

Vivi cover page is nice, proper Disney Princess action with Karoo being jealous birb again, but now I have worries because last we heard something went down with Alabasta...all those post-Reverie questions

Back to where we left off with the boys being back in town

Miyagi can you not ominously foreshadow Zoro's future pain please?

Kawamatsu's here to save Zoro from interference, and Hyou's telling the Yakuza not to get in the way of this fight

Marco though is a pensive Pineapple, taking a good long look at King as he recalls Whitebeard telling him about King's race living on the Red Line before the world nobles, Void Century and before stuff

Mention of Gods does fuel one of my old post fan theories, but also fuels that the WG kicked King's race out of the Red Line

Izo though out here saving Marco from being an easy target, tbh Marineford did show he was prone to a surprise attack

Asking Izo if they believe in God though in a raid that may lead to their deaths is kinda irreverent right now though huh?

Queen back to hyping themselves up though

Hm? Is there a limitation to Sanji's raid suit? Sanji's saying he feels weird

Zoro wasting no time to banter with it though, saving Sanji from King as Sanji returns the favour with Queen

Queen does make a valid point though, as much as Sanji expresses that he is unenhanced by Germa he can also set himself on fire, I do wonder if it is just part of that enhancement in there that he expresses as his 'fiery hot passion'

Lunarian though, that must be King's species' name: moon people again I bet which feeds my fan theories

Also since we mentioned Germa again what happened to them? Jimbei made it out after all and I wanna see me some alive and well Baeju

I would issue doubt on Queen's claim that their enhancements are beyond Vegapunk's, given how little we know of Vegapunk after all

King's got a special sword too, it can change its edge to be teethy which he used to ensnare Zoro's swords

Wado saves Zoro's face from eating King's spiked fist though

King does make a fair point though, traditional weapons are romanticized but a fight's about getting every advantage you can, Zoro at least respects that since King never claimed to be a Swordsman, while also reminding King that he could be a feral bastard too

Kinda gave me mini Mr. 1 fight vibes there

Oh here we go, potential Zoro lineage time

Kawamatsu and Hyou muse over how Zoro was like Ushimaru when he was young, even down to his style (though that could be more Shimotsuki Koushiro's doing since he's Zoro's master)

Also Ushimaru was Ryuma's direct descendant, which means that 1. Ryuma banged, 2. Swordsmanship runs in the blood and 3. Ryuma banged

Also Ryuma also had the one eye, and it does seem pretty mythical that a swordsman of similar skill and stature returns Shusui back to Wano (even though this should mean that Shusui would be Zoro's birthright and he was kinda forced into relinquishing it)

Also worth reminding that Kozaburo was Kuina's grandpa so there may only be loose relations if Zoro is a Shimotsuki too, we don't exactly know how Kozaburo and Ushimaru are related if it's by blood or clan, plus I still wonder about Tashigi

Over to Jack vs Inu though, and Jack's hybrid form is just...weird

I did not need to see an Elephant head with abs you know Oda!

Both are pretty tired, as Jack mocks Inu saying he has forgiven Zou for the Raizo stuff, since he already destroyed most of it

Inu though with the shoulder toss, reminding Jack that they had to make these sacrifices to get to here

But we're getting the epic speech, and the hole in the roof caused by Ashura's sacrifice is changing Inu back into Su Long

Same thing is happening with Neko, turning Su Long in front of Carrot and Wanda (who I guess are covering from the moon) as he stares down Perospero

And I'm glad Neko's pointing out that Pedro's sacrifice is valid. I truthfully always felt a bit iffy about people saying that Carrot's desire to avenge Pedro was ill-found because 'Pedro killed himself'. Had Pedro not sacrificed himself then Brook and Chopper would've been dead by candy and Big Mom would've obliterated the rest on the ship

Raizo and Megaforehead though prelude with the mention of maturity, that everyone - even the Akazaya - needed time to mature into who they wanted to be

Down to the surface though and the Heart Pirates are on high alert/panic, they think Kaido's here

But it's Momo, and he looks magnificent

Shinobu's aged him up to 28, the age he'd be had he not been leapt through time, but now she's upset he looks like Kaido

There's new fire in Momo's eyes though, the return ascent begins!

Can you feel that? It feels like the last stretch before the ultimate battle of Wano

Sanji and Zoro vs King and Queen hopefully will remain a tag bout, but I am curious as to King's abilities and what's affecting Sanji in terms of the raid suit. It's not bad to have a limitation but this is the first we've heard of it after seeing him use it 4 times. I don't hate Zoro being a Shimotsuki, though I do feel like we could've built to this, plus we're still lacking in the how.

One wonders what role Marco will now play, and whether Tiny Tiny Chopper is due to recover. We haven't heard from the others for a bit, nor CP0 nor Yamato. Our Pineapple does have unfinished business with Edward Weevil tbf so he could make it out, Izo may be a variable in that, they've yet to learn of Kiku's fate.

Also we never did see who that mystery person was did we? Still could be Hiyori

Marco's musing about gods does feel like we're gonna get more about King, and more lore of the world that Robin will love to soak up like a sponge, Oda have been leaving these seeds since Skypeia, and where there are Gods, there are Devils.

We are however getting major death flags from the minks, one last turn to Su Long to enable their efforts. I like how Ashura's sacrifice is not in vain because of this though, it makes me wonder if there's a slither of hope for Kin and Kiku. If anything though the minks will die from exhaustion rather than being defeated, Su Long eats away at you after all, it's probably gonna be traumatizing for Carrot a little but I hope we see some resolve out of her more like when she was in Zou and WCI, I still want her for Nakama.

And then the final coup de grace, giant dragon Momo, it's one hell of a panel and it means we're bringing Luffy back into the fight. But the extent of Momo's ripening is only in body remember, in mind he's still young. But now we have the setup for the final fight between Luffy and Kaido, I'll expect in that time we'll have to try and finish off everything else with the Akazaya, reconvening the Straw Hats, King, Queen, Big Mom, Kid, Law, Killer, Hawkins, Apoo and Drake.

Act's not over yet, less than 15 minutes until Onigashima Falls.

[megumu-iizunamaru]

TH17.5 Gouyoku Ibun Speculation & Talk

Hello everyone, happy Gouyoku Ibun release month! I'm going to write my thoughts about this game because it's been living rent free in my mind since they first teased it!!

The Story

So first off I want to talk about the story and what's it's going to be like. According to Zun's tweet; the game is going to have "the most devastating storyline you've ever seen." Now this could be just Zun hyping us up, but considering the plot of WBaWC, and how the yakuza are involved in this game too, the story could as well be devastating. Maybe not in the sense that a character is going to die or something lol.. but the events of the game are going to impact Gensokyo and future games. The inclusion of Kanako kinda supports my theory, because she has been involved in many storylines that have impacted Gensokyo a lot, like bringing nuclear energy to the realm, taking over Yokai Mountain and basically starting the religious "war".

The implied final boss of this game, Toutetsu, who is the leader of Gouyoku Alliance aka the eagle clan, is a Taotie which is a creature associated with greed. My guess is that Toutetsu is like a greedy businesswoman who will end up having some sort of business agreement with Kanako which will impact Gensokyo in some way or another. Will it be oil related? Who knows!

The Game

About the game itself, I think the game is going to have 6-8 stages per each character. It's a safe number to go with because every mainline game has 7 stages (excluding PCB and PoFV) and every spin-off game made by Tasofro has about 5 to 6 stages.

Judging by what we have seen in the demos and in the trailers, I think each stage has 2 bosses, which depend on the character you are playing. Stage 1 has Reimu or Marisa, stage 2 has Yamame or Kogasa and Stage 4 has Kanako or Murasa. The only stage without a known second boss is stage 3, but we haven't seen who Kanako or Murasa encounter in it yet.

Now it's possible that I could be totally wrong because we haven't seen who Kanako and Murasa encounter in the first stage and it would get very repetitive if you always have to fight Reimu or Marisa at the first stage.

Also if every stage except the final stage has 2 bosses, there would possibly be around 14 characters. But if I recall correctly, Zun said in a tweet (couldn't find the tweet so i could be wrong, sorry!) that the game is going to have a lot of characters, so it's possible.

The Characters

And that brings us to the remaining bosses, who could they be? I think it's safe to assume from what we've seen, the game focuses on the characters from MoF to UFO, so from 10 to 12. But it's very possible that characters from different games appear as well (mainly WBaWC because the game is related it). There seems to be a water theme going on as well.

So, I think the potential characters we will see are:

Parsee Mizuhashi: She is the bridge keeper of Former Hell and I think she is a fine candidate to be the other boss of stage 3. She is the only non-Chireiden character from SA we haven't seen yet, and she has connections to the Former Capital which is the location of the 3rd stage.

Komachi Onozuka: Now what would a Hell related, water themed game be without our beloved ferryman of the Sanzu River. Komachi has a lot potential to be a boss in this game because of its connections to Hell. Eiki asked Youmu about about Yachie, so I think Komachi could have started to do some investigating on her own (which also means skipping work).

Urumi Ushizaki: A water related oni? Perfect for 17.5! Meanwhile she may not have any known connections to the Former Hell or the underground, she could have a lovely cameo if there is a stage located at the Sanzu River. She works with extinct giant fish and plesiosaurs who would definitely be bothered by the oil gushing out of the ground. Could also work as a playable character.

Yachie Kicchou, Saki Kurokoma, Mayumi Joutoguu and Keiki Haniyasushin: I think it's most likely that at least one of these characters is going to appear. Yachie and Saki have a rivalry with Toutetsu, and Mayumi and Keiki oppose her.

If you ask me, Saki and Mayumi would be the most likely out of these four. Saki is already interested in visiting Gensokyo meanwhile Yachie is probably busy running the Beast Realm and being a horrible person in general. Mayumi and Keiki seem to have a very Youmu and Yuyuko like dynamic, so it makes sense Keiki would send her off to protect Gensokyo. But I wouldn't be surprised if Keiki decided to show up herself.

Characters that I personally would want: Seiga Kaku: She seems like a person who would be interested in the oil and imo she needs more screen time. Maybe she could have a competition with Yachie to see which is a nastier person.

Nue Houjuu: She needs more screen time!! she was so underutilized in the occult legend arc!! also she already is familiar with former hell and following Murasa around, so why not?

Hecatia Lapislazuli: Oh come on, who doesn't want to see Hecatia? It would be interesting to see her opinion on the Beast Realm and them kinda invading Gensokyo.

Eiki Shiki, Yamaxanadu: In my opinion it would be a wasted opportunity to not hear her thoughts about the Beast Realm, and it was already shown she had interest in Yachie.

Last Thoughts

I am VERY excited for this game. When I heard it was going to be related to WBaWC, I was already sold!

The inclusion of Kanako and Murasa was imo a very smart and nice move. Kanako always brings out these juicy lore things in Touhou and it's nice to see Murasa come back after 12 whole years.

I already love the music, and I am very excited to hear the rest. The stage backgrounds of this game look so nice and I am very into the art style of the character sprites.

Lastly but not certainly the least, I am more than excited to see Toutetsu. She sounds like an absolute bastard, which is a character type I LOVE. The yakuza were such a good addition to the cast, and having one do nasty things that would affect the story of the whole franchise sounds so interesting! Also her whole concept, an ancient beast being a yakuza ruling over a realm is SO good. As an art history nerd, I hope Zun includes bronze vessel aspects in her design.

I hope everyone enjoys Gouyoku Ibun once it releases! Tasofro worked on it so hard during the pandemic and I'm sure the game will be great!