#bit of a long post

[thatboreddrake]

Ruthlessness is Mercy

Alright, so now that I've got my incoherent ravings and memes about Epic: the Musical, the Vengeance Saga out of the way, I have some THOUGHTS about the musical symbolism in this new album! Speaking specifically about Get in the Water.

Because really, this song is a reflection of Ruthlessness, the song in the Ocean Saga where Odysseus faces off against Poseidon for the first time.

These parallels can be seen even from the opening lines of each song. Think about Poseidon's opening in Ruthlessness:

"Odysseus of Ithaca Do you know who I am?"

(Okay, so this is technically the end of Keep Your Friends Closer, but still, it's Poseidon's introduction). But recall Poseidon's behavior and attitude here: he's loud, he's proud, he's bombastic, he's in-your-face. He addresses Odysseus by his name as an intentional callback to when he taunted Polyphemus. Contrast this against the opening line of Get in the Water:

"There you are, coward."

There's a familiarity here that isn't present in Ruthlessness. Of course there is, Odysseus has narrowly evaded Poseidon's wrath once before (twice if you count Storm), and he's had 10 years to stew on that failure. Both of them know what this is about, it's just about putting an end to unfinished business. Poseidon is not proud, he is not overly aggressive. He's much calmer here than he was in Ruthlessness.

This is even reflected in the music. Ruthlessness features a piano playing in triplet and trumpets to accompany Poseidon. The god of waves has come to bring retribution on the one who dared to harm his son. On the other hand, Get in the Water, features a much more synthetic sound, oscillating back and forth. This motif is used a lot in Epic to denote the presence or usage of godly powers (think Calypso's reveal of her nature in Love in Paradise). Furthermore, the piano is much slower, more menacing, more methodical. Poseidon is not acting in a heat of rage. As I said before, he's had a long time to think about this.

Poseidon's choice of words punctuates this point as well. He has a point to make in Ruthlessness. He's not just here to kill Ody and his crew, he's here to explain exactly what it is that they've done and why they deserve to die for it.

"I've gotta make you bleed, I need to see you drown But before you go, I need to make you learn how Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves"

It's not just about the fact that Odysseus got into a fight with Polyphemus. It almost seems that Poseidon couldn't care less about that. After all:

"I mean, you totally could have avoided all this had you just killed my son"

Poseidon's problem is not that Ody hurt his son, those things happen in the world of mythology. No, his issue is that Ody refused to finish the job. Instead of granting Polyphemus a quick death, he instead elects to "spare" him, leaving him to suffer a lifetime of agony to live with his blindness. Poseidon goes on and on about this (it is the main theme of the song after all).

But in Get in the Water? It's all about salvaging Poseidon's reputation and finishing what he started.

"I've got a reputation I've got a name to uphold So I can't go letting you walk or else the world forgets I'm cold"

By this point, Poseidon has killed hundreds of Odysseus's men and subjected him to horrible torment. By any normal metric, the debt has been repaid. Ody didn't kill Polyphemus, so strictly speaking there's no need to kill him necessarily. The lines listed above almost seem to be a callback to this line from Monster:

"Or does he keep us in check So we must respect him And now no one dares to piss him off?"

Anyway, by the time of Get in the Water it's no longer about avenging his son for Poseidon. In fact, Poseidon makes no mention of his son throughout the entire song! Granted, Poseidon threatens Telemachus with the same fate that Odysseus gave to Polyphemus, but this strikes me more as incentive for Odysseus than anything else. This is all about finishing his business with Odysseus, and Poseidon's command to Odysseus reflects this:

"Now get in the water"

Poseidon says this so nonchalantly. He almost sounds as tired of this feud as Odysseus is. In fact, it's not until the second half of the song that Poseidon regains a portion of the fury that he exudes throughout the entirety of Ruthlessness. And this culminates in the same command in both songs:

"Die"

And here's where the parallels get particularly interesting to me. Because both outbursts follow an attempt by Odysseus to assuage Poseidon's wrath. In Ruthlessness, he appeals to his men's relative innocence in the matter:

"Poseidon, we meant no harm We only hurt him to disarm him We took no pleasure in his pain We only wanted to escape"

Here, Poseidon's reaction is a realization that Odysseus has completely misunderstood the very nature of the interaction. He realizes that Odysseus is arguing out of ignorance, and so the reply does nothing to enrage him. He's not having fun with it like he was before, this is just something he has to do. And so:

"Ruthlessness is mercy Die"

Compare this with the same interaction in Get in the Water. Odysseus once again tries to encourage Poseidon to put the past behind them and move on. To forgive and forget.

"We're both hurting from losses So why not leave this here and just go home?"

Here again, Poseidon does not get angry from Odysseus's suggestion. He merely offers a defeated:

"I can't"

Misunderstanding Poseidon's quietude for passivity, Odysseus attempts to press his advantage, insinuating that, even if it seems impossible to Poseidon, it is still possible for him to learn how to forgive Odysseus.

"Maybe you could learn to forgive?"

And here's where Poseidon really snaps. Because for ten years, he's been waiting to kill the man who blinded his son and had the audacity to escape his retribution. Odysseus broke into his son's home, killed his sheep, and stabbed him in the eye. And now he thinks he can get away without getting his due consequences?

"No Ruthlessness is... Mercy upon... Ourselves Die"

In Ruthlessness, "Die" is a statement of fact. It's a sure thing that Odysseus will die, so Poseidon puts very little emotion behind it. It's a command, surely to be obeyed. In Get in the Water, however, "Die" is an exclamation of fury. Poseidon screams it out because, in that moment, he wants nothing more to kill Odysseus.

In Ruthlessness, Poseidon begins in a state of almost glee but ends in a state of resignation. He isn't enjoying it, but still it has to be done. In Get in the Water, however, Poseidon begins with a sense of quiet fury. There's no rage, no wild temper, he's just finally getting to do what he's waited to do for ten years. And yet, he ends with a greater feeling of anger and hatred towards Odysseus than is shown even in Ruthlessness. Because Ody was supposed to have learned his lesson. He was supposed to know better now. And yet he still wants to offer mercy, and expects his foe to do the same.

So yeah.

[heymeowmao]

一念关山 | A Journey to Love E26 ° Shifu, I finally found you.

[hugsandchaos]

Part Chao AU

Sonic Boom AU

In this AU, Shadow has one more trick up his sleeve as the ultimate life form. He already can’t be ended by several things, but when he realizes that there’s no escaping death, his “unconscious” part of the brain uses chaos energy to send him somewhere safe. Once he’s there, he lays down and curls up. An egg shell forms around him, just like a chao.

Inside the egg, his “old” body dies and breaks down for a “new” one to rebuild. Shadow’s new body is downsized to what looks like a 6 to 8 year old version of himself to make it easier for his body to when he hatches.

The process takes about 6 to 8 weeks. Warm to moderate temperatures are best for the process. In colder weather, the process will take longer because the chaos energy, which is largely responsible for the process, will also have to work on heating Little Shadow from the inside.

Once he’s out, Little Shadow doesn’t have a lot of memories. He knows how to speak Portuguese, his first language, and how to walk. He has a grasp on how to understand things and can put things together quickly for someone his age.

However, he doesn’t remember much from his past. He doesn’t remember what happened, but a part of his brain keeps a good idea of who’s “safe” and who’s not based off who he recognized as good or bad at the time of the incident, so he may be scared of whatever or whoever he considered the enemy when he became so hurt. This is why Little Shadow had conflicted feelings about Team Sonic.

Before he turned into an egg, he was still rivals with Sonic, but really thinking about how he and his friends help people (like he used to) and wondered if he was in the wrong.

Little Shadow wanted to trust them, but was hesitant and unsure if it was safe, so he just followed them at a distance at first. When they offered friendship (and food), he would flinch back if he thought they were going to hit him, but eventually got used to them. Once he learns to trust them, things really turn around in the long run.

Occasionally, he’d suddenly feel like he did something wrong. This is from when he realized he was in the wrong as an “adult”. Little Shadow would hug the nearest member and apologize over and over. When asked why, he replied honestly and said that he didn’t know, but he feels like he did something to hurt them and wants to apologize.

Another example of him not remembering what happened, but feeling the effects are loud noises. Specifically sudden banging noises. Little Shadow is terrified of them and starts searching for some kind of threat. He has to be near someone because he thinks they’re in danger and being near them brings him the comfort of knowing that they’re okay and that he can “protect them”. Thunderstorms aren’t fun at all for him.

Here’s two more examples because I really like this idea, okay?

Sticks took the longest to gain Little Shadow’s trust. He just kept feeling like he had to hide from her. This is because as an adult, Shadow saw and heard her rants about aliens coming to invade and do sick things. Being part alien, Shadow came to the conclusion that she was the last being he wanted to tell. He didn’t want to deal with endless questions and traps being littered everywhere on the island.

As an adult, it was more of an annoying inconvenience. As a child, it’s scary because he doesn’t remember what he doesn’t want her to know or why.

Little Shadow doesn’t trust Eggman. In fact, he pretty much hates him. End of story.

Shadow was lied to by Eggman and because he jumped to attack Sonic for something the blue hedgehog didn’t actually do (just Sonic in this AU), he’s really unhappy with him. By now, his patience with being lied to is very short, so no second chances either.

With Little Shadow, it’s on sight. Despite his small size, he’s surprisingly strong, and has punched Eggman across the room more than once. He will bite if Eggman tries to grab him. Little Shadow just has this constant suspicion of him and strongly dislikes him. He doesn’t believe a word he says.

He’s not sure why his instincts are like this, but he’s not arguing with them this time. Not when Eggman keeps hurting people.

Because Shadow was stupid enough to believe him at the time, Little Shadow apologizes after every Eggman fight. This time, he apologizes for thinking Eggman could be trusted. He’s not sure when he did or what about, just that he did and it was a lie.

Over the course of three months, Little Shadow will slowly get flashbacks. Viewing the Earth from space behind glass. Syringes being poked into his skin. Blaring alarms and a red hallway going dark. A human girl calmly carrying him down a white hall humming a tune. People in white coats cutting him to test his regeneration skills.

A bat calling him “honey”. A small creature that looked like him, but with small wings and a red ball on its head. A large robot helping him up. Being put in some kind of clear tube. Flashing red and blue lights. A feeling of longing for a home he can’t remember when he looks up at the stars.

Once these three months are up, Little Shadow will feel really sleepy and find a safe place to curl up and turn into an egg again. Another 4 to 6 weeks later and Shadow comes out as an adult. He remembers everything, including the time Team Sonic spent looking after him this time around. He remembers what they said, and what they really meant with some of the things they said.

Shadow is really considering trusting them now. He doesn’t want to approach them, though. He doesn’t know how. He hasn’t talked about something like that in many, many, many years. One might say… decades.

However, if he were to end up in the same situation again, perhaps going to Sonic and his friends wouldn’t be a bad idea…

That’s all! Bye! 👋

[weepingmilkshakedreamer]

fun fact f0r th0ze wh0 d0nt kn0w:

there waz a amateur surge0n rip0ff game called "crazy doctor" where y0u played az a d0ct0r named "Kevin" wh0 perf0rmez all kindz 0f surgeriez 0n different patientz with a b0x cutter [i d0nt really kn0w the game btw and I'm juzt n0w l00king int0 it but yeah. l0l]

alz0 the reaz0n why i can inztantly tell it'z a rip0ff 0f AS iz the hella 0bvi0uz similaritiez the game haz 2 it like the artztyle 0f it 4 example

like idk if thiz iz juzt me but yeah y0u can clearly zee the similaritiez here. l0l and hell even my b0i Kevin iz c0pying alanz p0ze here like it'z n0t even trying t0 hide the fact it'z a rip0ff 💀

alz0 adding thiz in here the dial0gue f0r crazy d0ct0r iz shit and lezz entertaining then the 0ne in AS cuz hey at leazt AS triez t0 have z0me hum0r in it [like h0w the game breakz the 4th wall at z0me p0intz which iz my fav gag 0f AS next 2 bleed g0ing "I'm not your nurse Alan!". l0l]

but anywayz adding thiz in here even the t00lz n h0w the sugeriez play 0ut have simularitez t0 AS specifically AS4 and/0r 3 [0r any verzi0n 0f AS i think cuz idk] like here are z0me m0re imagez f0r example

except f0r the fact the t00lz are different in CD and there'z different surgery f0rmatz n different characterz but again there are the similaritiez.

alz0 adding thiz in here cuz yeah: i shid y0u n0t bertha c0tt0n [CD character btw] iz literally the rip0ff verzi0n 0f 0ur girl Starla.

I'm n0t even kidding cuz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wju2hX5fno&list=PLdUyIANuJTeNlAE2yw2FQUXUz_nY4JvLB&index=11 specifically at the start 0f it but yeah.

alz0 that remindz me here'z a playlizt 0f the game i f0und after i remembered z0mething menti0ning it fr0m a p0zt 0n DA n deciding t0 l00k it up. l0l

but anywayz that'z all imma zay f0r n0w cuz again idk much ab0ut the game due t0 juzt l00king int0 it but yeah, I'll let y0u guyz kn0w if i find anything elze 0n it [alz0 feel free t0 make y0ur 0wn little rant 0n it cuz y0u'll pr0bably d0 a better j0b at explaining it then h0w i did]. l0l

[clg-loves-dogday]

Ya know what would be kinda funny?

Is if it turns out B.B.I. DogDay is an aroace, but not just anywhere on the two spectrums; specifically the kind of aroace that I am. Like, never had a crush on anyone ever, has had squishes (that's platonic attraction) on others instead, & hates the s-word.

Sorry, it's just...

Look, there's nothing inherently wrong with being romantically attracted to others or wanting to be in a romantic relationship, & there's nothing wrong with liking the s-word either. I know it's not common to be an aroace, & it's even less common to be an ace or aroace who hates the s-word.

We may not be common... but we do exist.

Since DogDay's romantic & s-word orientations have been neither confirmed nor denied (nor has the topic been mentioned for that matter) in the canon source material, & since I'm a wee little aroace who desperately craves representation in the media, I think it would be kinda cool if DogDay was like me in this regard. He could be even more relatable to me, & that would be neat! I know there's only a sliver of a chance he's like this, but it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility...

Sorry, sorry, I feel these feelings every time I get a new favorite fictional character whose romantic &/or s-word orientations are never brought up in canon. I start dreaming & sometimes even projecting like the little sillyhead I am...

I mean, just look at how I feel about the Score Creeper from the Unikitty! spin-off cartoon. Though, I think being an aroace suits him more clearly because we get to know him more than Dogday, lol.

... Okay, I'm done. •-•

[ravens-lodge]

HI!

Finally a post about my ocs If you're ever curious about my art and characters feel free to send an ask or something

Just a bit of background or little interesting bits about my characters, some are still a WIP and a lot of backgrounds and stuff will change around since this is where I just dump some info I’m working with until im satisfied lol

Name: Cyn (in game: Cynidic) Race: Human (male) Relationship: Trahearne Profession: Necromancer Notes: Priory scholar, retired Pact Commander, member of Dragons watch Originally the Pact Commander until giving that title and responsibility to Vrixsif after the death of Trahearne. He continued to stay apart of the group and help fight against the threat of the elder dragons but had begun to distance himself from everyone, leading to his biggest regret in becoming one of Jormags champions along side Ryland, although his corruption wasn't as strong. He was freed from jormags grasp on his mind before the dragons final fight and was found under the rubble alive with injuries to his arm and part of his face was rebranded by Aurene. After the defeat of Jormag and Primordus he has stepped away to continue his studies at the Durmand Priory library. 

oc tag: cyn

Name: Kyrus Fane  (in game: Kyrus Fane) (usually my main) Race: Human (male) Relationship: Verriks (its complicated, a slow burn since end end of pof) Profession: Thief, Deadeye/specter Notes: Bounty hunter, ex-Whispers agent, a loose member of dragons watch who soon became commander, Wayfinder Great at getting in and out of places without a trace, as well as getting information that he really shouldn't know. A Krytan nuisance and thorn in Logans side before he was asked that him and his small group help in the fight against Zhiatan, he agreed and stayed along side Cyn and Vricsif since, he would lend his daggers and rifle but staying distant from any sort of big team leading role as he preferred to do most of his work solo. Since Cyn left and despite his reluctance at first, he has become someone the group tends to look towards when Vrixsif isn't around to help smooth things over and stepped away after injuries. Shares the “commander” role/title with Vrixsif but hate’s being referred to as such.

oc tag: kyrus

Name: Verriks  (in game: Verriks) Race: Human (male) (Not from this Tyria) Relationship: Kyrus (its complicated, a slow burn since end end of pof) Profession: Revenant Notes: Dragons watch member, a skilled weapon/armoursmith He doesnt talk much about his past to others or where he’s from, only that he was found in the mists by Rytlock but the two haven’t said much about their time together while there. Verriks has helped out the commander and Rytlock whenever he can since. A big part in the PoF storyline with commander Vrixsif and Kyrus and during the fight against Balthazar. (Usually stays out of the main issues the commanders face but ended up with Kyrus in during SotO)

Name: Vrixsif Hrafsdottir  (in game: Vrixsif) Race: Norn (female) Relationship: Braham Profession: Thief, Deadeye/Specter Notes: Pact Commander, member/leader of Dragon's Watch, Champion of Aurene She and her sister Vivrein were were born to an owl Havroun mother and a raven shaman father. After slaying Issormir, cutting down Svanir and proving herself she was recruited into the order of whispers and soon undercover as a vigil member, and rising up in ranks. She soon met with an old acquaintance, Cyn, who she befriended during her short time gathering information from the priory. From there her future became mixed with the pact and was someone others relied on. She became pact commander when Cyn handed the responsibly over after Trehearnes death. She's been with Dragons Watch and by aurenes side since. Has been taking it easy back in the shiverpeaks after receiving serious injuries during the fight against the void and soo-won

oc tag: vrixsif

Name: Vivrein Hrafsdottir  (in game: Vivrein)  Race: Norn (female) Profession: Elementalist Notes: Traveler, Wanderer Left her home behind after hearing a call in her mind to head north, deeper into the far shiverpeaks. She stayed and helped the Kodan in the Bitterfrost and Bjora marches where she has lived most of her life. She had been trying to track Jormag and Drakkar until she was met with the Commander, Vrixsif, (during Icebrood saga), reuniting with her sister after many years and helping to take down the dragon together. oc tag: vivrein

Name: Morbrek  (in game: Morbrek) Race: Sylvari (male) Profession: Elementalist Notes: Vigil member

Laithian’s and Vennric’s pod twin, tallest of the three(wip)

oc tag: morbrek

Name: Vennric  (in game: Vennric) Race: Sylvari (male) Profession: Thief Notes: Whispers agent, ( AU Pact Commander, member/leader of Dragon's Watch, Champion of Aurene (wip)

Morbek’s and Laithian’s pod triplet (background wip, still needs to be edited)

oc tag: vennric

Name: Laithian  (in game: Laithian) Race: Sylvari (male) Profession: Warrior Notes: Vigil captain

Morbek’s and Vennric’s pod triplet (wip)

oc tag: laithian

Name: Dee  (in game: De Doss) Race: Asura (female) Profession: engineer Notes: Dynamics researcher Passionate about her work with portals and gates as well as the mists. Inspired and deep into the works of past researchers and engineers, she has taken over an old lab after some research on its whereabouts, she’s usually in there trying to fix an old mist gate or messing around with new gadgets and tools. A friend of Dion’s

Name: Dion (in game: Dion Venn) Race: Human appearance (Usually Male) Profession: Engineer Notes: A human like entity from the mists, his first interaction in years was with Dee, stepping out from the mists into Tyria from the broken gate in her lab. Spends most of his time with Dee, some days he disappears for hours only to be back at her side ready to help with whatever she needs. Questionable morals and mannerisms but has been under a watchful eye from Dee since he arrived. Has his own little lab room in a corner with permission from Dee He never removes his helmet

Name: Niev  (in game: Vricsif) Race: Sylvari (female) Relationship: Garrick Freysson Profession: Mesmer, Mirage Notes: Traveler, born from a different tree Niev is a sylvari who emerged from a secluded tree in the shiver peaks. She wandered through the snow for weeks only to be found by a norn, Garrick, on his long hunts up north. He helped her get her bearings after being nearly frozen stiff and after a few days she was fully ready to travel and experience the world she had seen in her dreams.

oc tag: niev

Name: Garrick freysson  (in game: Krivvis) Race: Norn (male) Relationship: Niev Profession: Ranger Notes: Hunter, Traveler A strong hunter and an amazing chef, although young he was respected greatly as a hunter by many He found Niev almost frozen solid deep in the shiver peaks on one of his long trips, after helping her, he brought her back to hoelbrak for extra care. He made a promise to her about her dream to explore all of tyria, it was something he had wanted to do but never had the reason until now, with an interesting new friend.

oc tag: garrick

Name: Viksion  (in game: Viksion) Race: Asura (male) Profession: Mesmer Notes: Inquest assassin Wants to watch the world burn. His hatred for most living on Tyria is painfully well known amongst those who've worked with him, especially to those he tried to use as test subjects. He was forcefully persuaded into the inquest by an old colleague and suffered under their heel after trying to leave when he was suppose to be used in a new experiment. Doesn't like to talk about himself much.

oc tag: viksion

Name: Evea rune (in game: Evearune) Race: Human (female) Profession: Elementalist Notes: Wanderer She has a habit of stumbling upon major events across Tryia by coincidence. She is usually deep in the study of any old book she can get her hands on, magic the gods and the elements are all she can focus on. Resolutely seeking something.

Name: Syvia Bloodgrace  (in game: Syvia Bloodgrace) Race: Charr (female) Relationship: Vivric Mistriven Profession: Necromancer Notes: Priory explorer (wip)

Name: Vivric Mistriven  (in game: Vivric) Race: Charr (female) Relationship: Syvia Bloodgrace Profession: Revenant Notes: Mercenary, Whispers lightbringer (wip)

oc tag: vivric

Name: Aenya  (in game: Gothic priestess)

Race: Human (female) Profession: Guardian Notes: Priestess of Grenth (wip)

oc tag: aenya

[artsymeeshee]

Here's the mini comic of Dipper's nightmare! I know the idea of Mabel being the one to have the nightmare about pushing the button has been played with before, but I wanted to explore that with Dipper. (Also sort of a way to include some bonding time with Stan). Plus I think they both benefit having a more serious talk like this.

[humming-fly]

I love how Gerald was trying to keep Shadow from spoiling anything about the future meanwhile literally everything Shadow says and does around Maria is the biggest death flag ever

[renewashere]

No time for existential crises! They've got opportunities ahead of them!

[hotdogmchiggin]

Company Mandated Fancy Fits on the Tulpar 😏

Also had to include the REAL star of the show (and a bonus)

Based off of this and this. Thank you very much joetastic for being inspirational 👍

The REAL reason this is late

[etoilesdeglace]

"Oh! Vax. Did you need something or…" "Mm, just a soak. Mind if I join you?"

[tomahachi12]

TW/ST: MISCARRAGE (implied)

[shadowtraveled]

"mithrun is the only real monsterfucker in dungeon meshi" is objectively the funniest bit you can get out of his everything, but in all seriousness i think his attraction to his love interest is deliberately overstated—and that makes sense, because romantic jealousy is a classic and digestible motive, which is explicitly what kabru was aiming for in condensing mithrun's backstory, and also because until chapter 94, mithrun wasn't willing to admit to the true nature of his desires.

but because romantic envy is both classic and digestible, it probably isn’t a unique enough or complicated enough desire to tempt a demon’s appetite. mithrun’s wish, as far as we can figure from kabru’s reduced retelling, was to have a life in which he had never become one of the canaries, and that carries like 3857 implications and desires within it. that’s delicious. his love interest acts as sort of a red herring to his motivation for making it, though. (side note: i'm saying "love interest" here because, keeping in mind that i barely speak japanese on a good day anymore, "想い人" is something i'd usually take as just kind of an old-fashioned and romantic way to refer to a lover, but in context i wonder if both the connotation of yearning and the vagueness are intentional, and i think this phrasing gets those aspects of it more effectively. anyway.)

mithrun considered his love interest to be untrustworthy. there was a minute where i thought that comment might be about a similar-looking elf (yugin, one of his squad members), but comparing the two…

the "sketchy" arrow is definitely referring to the elf we know as his love interest—the bangs go toward her right, she only has the one forehead ornament, and, most notably, her ears aren't notched.

every time she’s given a full-body depiction in his dungeon, she’s drawn as a chimera, with the body of a snake from the waist down. (side note: the “what if a dungeon has chimeras before reaching level 4?”/“then the dungeon lord is unstable” exchange just being mithrun grilling his past self alive is so funny. he’s so. but anyway) there are a couple things about this.

first, the snake part of the chimera appears to be modeled after some species of coral snake mimic

which, in the biology-for-fun manga, i… doubt is a coincidence, especially with the added context of the “untrustworthy” comment. the dungeon’s conjured illusion of mithrun’s love interest was a harmless copycat of a venomous original. for whatever reason, he felt this person was a threat and made up a "safe" version of her to be in a relationship with, and while it’s definitely possible to be attracted to or even love someone you find to be toxic and/or intimidating, when you take that into consideration alongside the configuration of her body, you get some interesting implications.

which brings us to our second point: if we assume that mithrun was not in fact fucking a snake, then sexual attraction, at least, was so far removed from his idea of a relationship with this person that he did not even bother to keep her dungeon copy human enough to maintain the illusion of the option of a sexual relationship. this is somewhat echoed in the depictions of their interactions, which also imply a frankly unexpected romantic distance. she kisses his cheek and he doesn't seem to react; she's at the edge of a narrow bed with only one set of pillows, on top of his blankets while he's underneath them.

the kiss is particularly interesting because it seems to contrast the text. kabru's narration tells us this was everything mithrun could have asked for, but mithrun is there looking unreadable to pensive, likely because this is right before the panel that makes it clear things in the dungeon are beginning to go wrong.

walking through this backwards for a minute, we have the physical barrier of his bedding and the spatial separation inherent in a bed made for one person, the emotional barrier of his mounting anxiety getting in the way of his ability to enjoy the affection he sought, and... the snake, which historically carries the connotation of temptation, yes, but also mistrust, barring physical intimacy. okay. ok. if a dungeon reflects the mentality of its lord, all of this might suggest that mithrun was not able to have any real desire for a relationship with this person. his unwillingness to be vulnerable or let another person in was insurmountable. but in that case, why was she such a focal point that she remained to the end, after his dungeon had stopped creating iterations of his friends to come and visit him? why would he get so upset over her meeting with his brother that he became lord of a dungeon about it?

well. mithrun's brother was also interested in her, probably genuinely. and mithrun had to win.

you have an older brother who your parents completely ignore, probably in part because he is chronically ill/disabled and almost definitely in part because he received a ton of recessive traits that resulted in rumors that he was an illegitimate child. you are aware, most likely because those same parents fucking told you, that you actually are an illegitimate child. but they keep you around because you had the good fortune of looking just like your mother. what can that possibly teach you but that you, like your brother, are disposable?

it's utterly unsurprising that mithrun, under these circumstances, developed a pathological need to be better than everyone around him. people don't keep you otherwise. i'd argue this is also why he says he looked down on everyone he knew while milsiril claims his dungeon reeked of feelings of inferiority—he sought out people's worst traits and prioritized them in his mind to protect his already extremely fragile sense of self-worth, and all the while he tried to be as likable and high-performing as he possibly could be. his parents disposed of him anyway, but even then he tried to keep up the performance. he was kind to everyone. he never once lost to a dungeon.

when he saw his "love interest" meeting up with his brother, what he saw was himself being replaced by a person his parents had always treated as worthless, and if that was what they thought of the child they'd kept, what value could anyone possibly see in the bastard they'd given away to die? mithrun and kabru tell the story like he wanted to win this unnamed elf's heart, but it was never about being with her. it was about cementing his worth, proving that he didn't deserve to be thrown away.

and so it's particularly cruel that his demon discarded him, too. but maybe it's also particularly gentle that, in the end, there was someone who refused to even consider giving up on him.

kui laid it out in three panels better than i could hope to.

yeah. it's love. you wanted to be loved, even when the only way you were able to understand it was through the desire to be wanted, and you wanted that so badly that the idea of being consumed felt like the promise of finally mattering to someone.

[weepingmilkshakedreamer]

AS1 dial0gue but it'z my au [Act 1 aka the part 1 0f thiz thing. l0l]

i've been thinking ab0ut making z0mething like thiz z0 uhh yeah here ya g0. l0l

Bleed: Oh sweet mother of God! I've killed a dead hobo!

Alan: I'm not dead you asshole! Argh... Quickly - you have to cut me open!

Bleed: Uh... I've got a pizza cutter!

After surgery

Bleed: So uhhh who are you sir?

Alan: My name is Alan probe.

Bleed: Can you teach me that- how to do surgery?

Alan: Teach surgery? I... I couldn't. Not again...

Bleed: Why not? I've got a bunch more tools in the van. And if that pool table over there doesn't scream operation, Then I don't know what does!

Alan: And who the fuck would want to be operated on by some washed-up old tramp and a god damn pizza boy?

*CRASH!!*

--------------------------------------------------------------

Tammy: Urrrr...

Bleed: Hello miss burglar! Fall through the window trying to rob our clinic i see?

Tammy: C... clinic?

Bleed: Yep! You're in luck- today's special is glass extraction!

After surgery

Tammy: Urgh... wow. Hey- do i recognize you?

Alan: Me?! Oh no no... I'm sure you couldn't!

Tammy: There was a doctor got himself into a heap of trouble a few years back... lotsa unexplained deaths.

Tammy: Then he just disappeared...

Alan: Ok that's enough of you now! Do come again.

*Alan pushez Tammy out of the Warehouse*

Bleed: Hmm. So uhh, was it true what she said? You're a doctor?

Alan: No! I mean, I used to...

Bleed: Can you teach me how to cut- I mean, help people?

Alan: Alright, Bleed. But we may have to improvise with the tools a little since the current layout we have is shit...

--------------------------------------------------------------

Claude: Hey i heard you boys were surgeons, can you guys help out here?

Bleed: Whoa! That porcupine has a hillbilly stuck on its ass!

Claude: I went to, uh, pick-up this here prickle-pig, but i done fell on it instead.

After surgery

Claude: That was pretty alright! I'm sure you can take my gratitude as a thank you!

*Claude leaves the Warehouse*

Bleed: So are you really the renegade doctor that burglar was talking about before?

Alan: Bleed, you have some real talent. I will continue to train you if it's what you really want...

Bleed: It's what I've ALWAYS wanted!

Alan: But I will only do so on the condition that we do not talk about my fucking past! It is uneventful and uninteresting, I assure you dumbass!

Bleed: Uhh... OK! You're the boss... uh- doc!

--------------------------------------------------------------

Cletus: I heard yew guys were surgeons of a kind, care to help out a friend... *Glug-glug-glug*

Bleed: Hello... Uhm are you drinking PAINT?!

Cletus: Doesn't say I shouldn't on the can! And that means a big fat payout from the paint company! Same goes for the nailgun maker who didn't mention I shouldn't shoot myself in the chest!

Bleed: One de-nailing coming right up sir!

After surgery

Cletus: yew guys are pretty good. Here - take my Buzzsaw as a kind thanks! I'm sure a pair of makeshift surgeons such as yewrselfves could use it!

Bleed: Aw hell yeah! Hey doc, you have anything you need amputating? cause I'll gladly remove it for you! Rrrm-rrrm!

Alan: (Sigh...)

--------------------------------------------------------------

Guts: I'm gus but fols call me "Guts". I was down at the bank, robbing... Uh, I mean, making a deposit And I slipped and fell on some bullets!

Bleed: Uhh... Ok? -

Guts: And what makes it worse is that I can't eats no more! Glaaaaargh!

Bleed: OH SWEET MOTHER OF-

Alan: WHAT THE FU-

Guts: See what I means? Can you guys take a look-see?

Bleed: (shudders and almost throws up) Ok let's see what's up...

After surgery

Guts: Ahhh... Dat's better! And there's nuttin' like a good clear-out to work up an appetite! The only hospital round here closed down a few years ago. Some nasty stuff went down there...

Alan: (shudder) Well, don't let us keep you!

Bleed: yeah that was honestly disgusting!

Guts: Right! T'anks again, fellas! I'll spread the word about you guys!

--------------------------------------------------------------

Trent: Hey your the Doctors my husband was talking about! you gotta help! You see i run the junkyard downtown - body disposals and whatnot...

Bleed: Car bodies? Or...

Bleed: Never mind!

Trent: I was down at the junkyard, Dealing with some scrap metal until I slipped and fell on it instead!

Bleed: We'll see what we can do.

After surgery

Trent: You guys are great! Thanks again!

Bleed: Well that was something! Goodbye now, Trent!

--------------------------------------------------------------

Jack: My nickname's "Lumbar" Jack. Partly becuase of my profession, but mainly because of my back, eh? It pains me something fearsome!

Bleed: Nurse! Anesthetic please!

Alan: Bleed I swear to god if you call me your nurse again, I will shove my foot so far up your ass you will have no idea!

Bleed: ...

Alan: ...

Bleed: Uhh... Can you at least get the Anesthetic?

Alan: (Groan...) Fine! Whatever!

After Surgery

Jack: That feels...

Jack: *CRACK!*

Jack: Oh yes! Ooh, I'll be back to wrestlin' bears and violating forests in no time!

Bleed: Right... well! Don't get the two confused! Have fun now!

--------------------------------------------------------------

Jimmy: Ta daaaa! Look in your pocket! Your watch is now gone! I stole it!

Alan: Wait WHAT?! YOU MOTHER- Wait. What the hell are you supposed to be!

Jimmy: JIMMY THE SPIDER! Cat-burglar extraordinaire!

Jimmy: I must have burgled, oh, five cats so far! Ha ha ha!

Alan: ....that's just down right awful

Jimmy: No, I'm just kidding. But I am totally SPIDER-LIKE!

Alan: Uh huh sure you are... Well bleeds running late so what do you want em to do when he gets here? Remove a part of your god damn brain to cure you of this weird god forsaken behavior?

Jimmy: No way! It's just that recently, some of my SPIDER MEALS have been... repeating on me.

Alan: gross... well say "Ah"!-

Bleed: Hey Alan! Sorry I'm late I've been... AH! SPIDER!

After surgery

Jimmy: Ah - that's much better!

Bleed: (shudder) Next time, why not try eating a spider to catch the flies?

Bleed: Or would that be like i don't know... cannibalism?

Jimmy: Ha! Yeah! Sure - eat a spider! Can you imagine someone coming in with a whole bunch of spiders running around inside them?

Bleed: OK YOU CAN LEAVE NOW! BEFORE YOU MAKE ME THROW UP FROM A IMAGE I DIDNT WANNA SEE!

Jimmy: Alright but before i go, have you guys ever considered going upscale? Maybe moving to the city?

Alan: Oh hell no! I much prefer the quiet life!

Bleed: But doc! think what we could do! There'd be loads more interesting stuff in the city!

Alan: I said no, Bleed!

*Jimmy leaves the Warehouse*

Bleed: But I still need more practice! Wouldn't moving to the city-

Alan: Bleed - you are a very talented young- or more middle aged man. In fact, you remind me of someone i used to work with...

Bleed: Really? You mentioned you worked with someone before! What happened to her?

Bleed: ...or was it a HIM?!

Alan: Never mind! Listen to me Bleed - you said you wanted my help. Fine, I will help you.

Alan: But all I want is a more quiet life! Out of the way! Is that clear?

Bleed: Yes.

Alan: Ok.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Pete: Ah hello guys! I've come into some right nice organs recently.

Pete: Seeing as my own organs are failing a bit, I was hoping you could swap my old organs with a new ones, like?

Pete: In return, I'll see you get all the juicy organs a young middle-aged surgeon could need!

Pete: Look at the tubes on that! glistening, they are!

Bleed: Let's do this!

After surgery

Pete: Amazing job you two! Tell me though, a place like this hardly fitting for people like you? isn't it?

Pete: There's plenty of work in the city! haven't you heard?

Pete: Some nutjob has started running around maiming people! terrible, it is!

Bleed: Doc, did you hear what that guy said? The city needs us!

Bleed: Please doc, I don't wanna be a pizza boy forever!

Bleed: And one day I wanna have my own surgery! for real! Please...

Bleed: And what about you!? Surely you must want something better for yourself!

Alan: I... I need to think. I'm going for a walk.

Bleed: Hey! Wait... doc...

--------------------------------------------------------------

Bleed: Man, I can't believe the doc left me on my own. What if some utter headcase comes in? I-

Penny: Bonsoir. I am Penny.

Penny: You are the pizza boy who operates with a spoon?

Bleed: Uh it's a Pizza cutter, actually.

Penny: Take up your spoon, my good man! I will be most interested to see what you find within me!

After surgery

Bleed: You were full of weird bugs but I killed them all.

Penny: Did you know the brighter and more beautiful the creature, the more extravagant and excruciating its poison?

Bleed: OK! Well that's great! Off you go now!

Bleed: ...

Guy: Hey you! Yeah you! I'm looking for someone!

Bleed: (Oh... he's hot!)

Bleed: Listen, whoever it is you're looking for, I think it may be me!

Guy: Euch! I wanted the surgeon! Goodbye!

Bleed: Hey wait! Wait come back!

Bleed: Argh! Dammit! This stupid uniform! How can anyone recognize me as a master surgeon when I'm wearing this thing?

Bleed: Man, where's the doc gotten to? I hope he's not gone off on another cough syrup bender and walked out in front of a car... again...

Alan: Bleed, I've been thinking... We should go to the city.

Bleed: Ha! Great! You know, this is just my day for good news! There was a really handsome guy here just now. He was looking for "the surgeon", Ha!

Bleed: Guess he didn't realize he'd found em! Woo!

Alan: A guy? My god... No, it couldn't be...

Bleed: Never mind that now! Let's get this show on the road!

[bastardlybonkers]

at what point does bumblebee start fluttering on purpose to make star jealous 😭

he can be a devious bug

first prev next

[henryscapon]

like, okay, i'm sure this scene has been talked about and dissected to pieces already in this fandom but. BUT. i need to put my two cents in or i will explode.

so, your lord and best friend has just admitted to you that if you die, he will be so beside himself with grief that he might just die too.

the game then gives you THIS option in response.

and you, the player, know how video games work. you know this is the press x for romance button. you expect henry to admit his feelings—a culmination of all the hints he's dropped from the heart options we've chosen before—and kiss him as soon as the button's been pressed.

except henry doesn't kiss hans.

instead, henry places his hand on hans' hand. it's the first moment of physical contact between them in the whole scene...but it's not a kiss. it's gentle. it's intimate. it's tiptoeing the line between comforting a friend and something more...

...but henry leaves it at that. and he gets up and goes to leave.

and in that moment of panic. in that split second of 'this might be the last time i'll ever see you again, please don't go' — it's hans that kisses henry.

and it's henry who pushes hans away.

this is—for all intents and purposes—the opposite of what we, the player, chose.

and to add insult to injury, henry looks conflicted.

he looks SO conflicted that hans believes he's fucked up royally.

that he has completely tarnished their final moments together by acting on impulse—by giving into temptation and desperation and feelings he can't even put into his own words—and henry must be disgusted by him.

and hans believes this because he watches henry turn his back to him. refusing to look at him. and head for the door.

but henry stops before he opens it. and i keep thinking back to the heart option we chose.

the player is not making the choice for henry to kiss hans. we are not forcing his hand.

the player is reminding henry what he's been telling himself throughout the entire game.

don't run away, henry.

kiss him. kiss him back.

so henry does.