#i don't think i've seen this particular image before

[rahuratna]

Synopsis: A lover's embrace is often all the comfort one needs. Your companions show you, through their touch, just how much your bond means to them.

[Lae'zel x Reader/Tav, Gale x Tav, Astarion x Tav cuddle headcanons]

Genres: Romance, fluff, humour, angst.

Dividers by: @saradika-graphics

(This turned out a lot more romantic and sentimental than the humour/fluff I'd planned. Either way, hope you enjoy it, lovely readers!)

Lae'zel: Dodge and Feint

In all fairness, you hadn't expected her to be party to softer forms of affection.

When all of this had started between you, it had been the result of a rather bold proposition after a difficult battle. Lae'zel had warmed to your fighting prowess, and your first time with her had reflected all of that desire, and more.

What you hadn't expected was the depth of respect, passion and acceptance you'd received from her, when you considered that in her eyes, you'd started off as a specimen of a weaker species with a nose that was too long for comfort.

If you'd been in her shoes, you're not sure you'd find yourself attractive.

Those thoughts aside, you'd found yourself wondering at times, whether you'd be able to persuade her to appreciate other things too. The softer side of affection, touch specifically, had always appealed to you.

You hadn't dared suggest as such to her yet, but you'd be lying if you hadn't fantasized about her strong arms holding you close, the tickle of her braids over your collarbone, the steady beat of her heart against your back.

But how to proceed?

Lae'zel was a tough nut to crack. You'd considered the direct approach; simply asking her outright for a cuddle. The images your mind threw up as a response made you choke on your tea. She might just coldly turn you down, and somehow, that seemed a lot worse than being punched in the face.

And yet ...

On a particular afternoon, after trekking through the mountains, your exhausted band had camped out on a rocky outcrop. The sky was an embroidered masterpiece above you, adorned with pearly stars stitched by some heavenly hand.

Blanket draped across your shoulders, you'd brought a steaming drink of mulled wine to Lae'zel, courtesy of Gale's stash of recipes. She'd glanced up at you silently, accepting the vessel.

You seated yourself beside her, before inching closer. She showed no sign of feeling the cold.

"The stars look beautiful tonight."

She turned her gaze upward, fingers curling tightly around the cup in her hand.

"I've seen the stars, up close. Most are chunks of cold, empty rock, without even the memory of a single soul's tread. They are beautiful, I suppose, in their loneliness."

Something in her description caught at your mind, causing you to glance sideways at her.

"And once you leave your tread on them? Do you think they retain some fondness of that moment?"

"Stars have no soul."

"And if they did?"

She snorted and took a sip of her drink.

"You ask the oddest questions."

"You seem to like them. Most of the time."

You offer a cheeky grin in response to her sharp look.

"You assume a great deal."

Emboldened, you shift up until your side is pressed to hers, before passing the blanket across her shoulders and tugging the end snugly back towards you, effectively wrapping you both within the soft, comfortable folds.

She didn't move, but raised her eyebrow at your actions.

"I don't recall saying that I was cold."

"Maybe you're not. Maybe you are. It's my job as your chosen partner to wrap you in a blanket either way."

"Hmm. More presumption. What do you gain from this? You'd feel warmer if the blanket was wrapped more firmly around just you."

Your voice grew softer, almost hoping she'd let the comment pass without acknowledgement.

"I like this better."

"This?"

"Being close to you."

She remained still and silent for the rest of the time, but you noted that she'd made no move to remove herself from your proximity.

In the course of your short relationship with her, you'd found that Lae'zel was highly observant, mentally recording a lot of the things you said and did, only to produce that knowledge later in the most unexpected ways.

A few days after that night camped on the mountain, she'd suggested a sparring session, with no weapons involved. You'd eagerly agreed, deciding that your hand-to-hand combat skills needed some practice.

Not that you'd appreciate being flung down into the dirt multiple times, but it was certainly better than being caught lacking in a decisive battle.

And Lae'zel had proven herself an efficient, if somewhat ruthless teacher.

You readied yourself for the session, stretching your muscles and hopping back and forth, limbering up. Lae'zel took a sip of water from her canteen before closing the top, joining you in the open glade near camp that you'd chosen for this session.

She didn't give you the grace of an easy start, as you knew she wouldn't. Her hands darted out, landing a series of sharp jabs against your ribs, so rapid that you didn't feel anything at first, but then the impact kicked in and you winced.

You took courage from the fact that just a month ago, you'd probably have been doubled over in pain. Lae'zel had certainly conditioned you well.

Regaining your balance, you swept your leg out, watching  as she nimbly leapt back. You hadn't managed to knock her over, but you'd put some space between you.

Circling, watching her follow your motions, you felt a shiver pass down your spine. Lae'zel's demeanour shifted, very subtly, during sparring. You gained a taste of the way she faced her opponents in battle, focused, predatory, a born hunter stalking its intended prey.

You feinted high and swung a blow that actually landed on her side. You felt the muscles of her abdomen clench, absorbing the impact before her hand closed around your wrist and she tugged sharply. The momentum behind your swing had you catapulting forward, off balance, right into her powerful hold.

Your feet left the ground, and you heard her grunt as you turned the tables, throwing your full weight back. She went down, but her hold on you never slackened.

Breathing hard, you squirmed in her grasp, but she stayed firm, one arm looped around your torso, keeping your arms trapped at your sides.

You huffed out a frustrated breath. You'd really thought you'd had her for a moment. More fool you.

Tilting your head back against her shoulder, you gave your concession.

"All right, this round goes to you."

"Are you surprised? You shouldn't be. It'll take much more training before you can best me."

"Thought I did get lucky for a moment there."

She remained silent, but you noticed that she hadn't released you from her hold.

"Lae'zel?"

"What is it?"

"Are we ... continuing?"

She didn't answer, but her grip around you loosened enough for you to free your arms. You turned slightly.

"Is everything all right?"

"Of course it is," she snapped.

"Then why have you stopped?"

Her put-upon sigh blew against the shell of your ear, warm, almost gentle.

"I thought you liked this."

"What? Being wrestled to the ground?"

"No, you imbecile! Being close to me."

The pieces suddenly slotted together in your head with stunning clarity.

She'd wanted to offer you physical proximity, and offering a sparring match in a secluded area, away from the prying eyes of others, had obviously been the logical conclusion in her mind.

You almost laughed, but then decided that this would be a very, very bad idea.

Instead, you sighed happily and leaned back in her embrace, head tucking beneath her chin.

"You thought right. I do like this."

"Hmph. So easily pleased. You should be glad I volunteered this training session. Otherwise, you'd just have to go without."

Her triumphant (rather smug) tone sparked a surge of something unbearable in your chest, a yearning you hadn't know you were capable of feeling.

How did she manage to do this to you?

Even with her clumsy, abrupt manner, her biting comments, her quick and sharp reprimands, her stand-offish nature, Lae'zel had somehow rendered herself so vulnerable to you.

You could feel it in the way she pressed her cheek to the top of your head, you could see it in the way she trusted you to lead her. You could sense it in the way her words reached you, always sincere and spoken from the purest of fires that burned within her, a warrior's constant in your cosmic equation.

And when her lips find yours, the latticework of the trees above you seem to open up further, exposing the arch of the sky, and your fingers find their way into her hair, sinking into the sweet hope of traversing that endless plane alongside her someday.

Gale: Materials and Method

"So, I've heard ... "

You downed the last of the healing potion and looked quizzically across at Gale.

He cleared his throat and stirred the pot with a little more vigour.

"I've heard ... no, read, a treatise on the healing power of touch. You know. To make you feel better after ... large and potentially traumatic events."

You grinned at him.

"And where did you find this treatise? Sharess's Caress?"

He shot you a reprimanding look, betrayed a little by the way his mouth twitched.

"Hmm. I don't think we're talking about the same written work on the subject of intimacy, although, dare I say, both have their merit."

You propped your chin on your hands, your breathing now a little easier as you felt the potion go to work on the bruising around your ribs.

The bandits you'd encountered in the hills had gone down fairly quickly to your party's combined attacks, but not before getting in a few blows of their own.

"So tell me, what does your treatise say?"

"Well, it speaks of the psychological benefits, all well researched, mind you, of maintaining skin to skin contact with someone you are already ... attached to. Someone you care for."

"And how are any of these things measurable?"

"Ah, through the release of certain hormones in the blood. Those can be measured."

"Is it really as simple as that?"

He was quiet for a time, gaze distracted.

"There was a time when I thought it was. That perhaps, love could be quantified. That its increments over time could be precisely measured by how much ... one gave. And how much was taken."

"And now?" you prompted him, gently.

"Now, I don't prescribe to the same school of thought."

He turned to you and smiled, that familiar warmth you'd come to associate with Gale's regard passing pleasantly over your features, as if touched by some invisible sun.

"Now ... well, I don't know what I believe. Let's just say that I'm ... open to conducting more research."

"Are you now?"

"Indeed, I am. A fortunate position to be in, don't you think?"

You laughed and watched him stir the stew for a while. You were fully aware of what he had done, setting out the offer for you, waiting patiently for you to turn it over in your hands, consider it from all angles, and decide if you'd give your consent or not.

In actuality, your mind had been made up some time ago.

"So, is there any way I could help you with your research?"

"There most certainly is."

His answer came a little too quickly, and your expression grew sly as you noticed the embarrassed flush steal up his neck.

"All right. Humour me, Master Gale. Where does all research begin?"

"With a question."

"How do I know if I'm asking the right one?"

"You have to refine it. Make it as concise as possible."

"Hmm. Here goes then. Gale, would you like to position your arms around me?"

"That's the wrong question. The real one should be- "

"About the benefits of embracing someone. I'm aware."

"Then - "

"Let's cut to the chase and begin experimenting?"

He uttered a soft laugh, one infinitely full of affection. Rising, he approached you with playful deliberation, pausing before you, one hand on his chin.

"I'm simply taking a moment to check whether you're ... receptive to my experiment."

You drew your knees together and raised your voice in a piteous falsetto.

"Oh, what foul Gods have sent this mountain breeze my way? I am so very cold. If only a warm and toasty man, of the scholarly persuasion, could come by and warm me."

Gale checked off a point on one of his fingers.

"It seems my services are required after all."

He resumed his steady pacing around your form.

"Next, I should observe the reactions before and after an embrace. Does it really have the intended effect, or can my subject survive quite well without it?"

You collapsed sideways across the log you were seated on.

"Oh, I am about to perish from this cold and loneliness. If only there was a man with a handsome beard, smelling slightly of stew, to come by and deliver sustenance to my soul."

"Ah. It seems they are both cold and lonely. A frightful combination, to be sure."

Gale was now right behind you, both hands coming to rest on your shoulders. His touch was light, but the weight of intention laid heavy across you both. He began to move his palms in soft soothing circles, beginning at the tops of your arms and slowly traversing the slope of your shoulders.

"Now, how does this feel?"

"Quite marvelous. I feel like I may be cured in no time."

"Never rush to conclusions like that. A true scholar would question the validity of what they feel in this moment. Does it really make you feel good?"

"Are you ... fishing for compliments under the guise of scientific inquiry?"

"I am merely following the method. Wiser men than me speak for its merits, you know."

"Well, wiser men seem to be beating about the bush an awful lot. It feels wonderful, Gale."

There was a pause before you felt him shift, the material of his trousers scraping across the log as he stepped over it and positioned himself in front of you. You took his outstretched hand, standing to face him.

"Looks like the spirit of experimentation is growing bolder."

He shook his head, shoulders heaving with silent laughter.

"You've played along wonderfully so far. Don't stop now."

"Oh, fine then."

You straightened and met his eye, shivering slightly in anticipation at what you'd seemingly kindled there.

"What next?"

"Put your hands on my shoulders."

When you complied, he stepped into your space, breath fanning along the flesh of your ear.

"And now for the final determination. The proving of my hypothesis, so to speak."

His arms slid around your waist, gentle, enclosing you in everything he was, his hold always considerate, but firm. You felt the light scratch of his beard against the side of your neck and inhaled sharply.

"And what is your hypothesis?"

"That this is most beneficial indeed."

"I have to agree."

You felt the curve of his lips against your skin, the tightening of his arms as he drew you close, enveloping you in his scent. Your hand found the nape of his neck, running up into the flow of his hair.

He inhaled deeply, taking you in, before he froze, gripping your waist and moving you a little further away. In the dim light, his eyes gleamed with amusement and chagrin.

"I do believe, in my desire to test this hypothesis, that I've managed to burn the stew."

Astarion: Practice makes perfect

He was staring again.

You could feel his gaze tracing along your skin, like molten threads of metal through a sword, fresh from the forge.

Making the journey from the Shadow-cursed lands (now no longer under the hold of Ketheric Thorm), had been slow at first. Your party was exhausted after the battle at Moonrise Towers.

Even though you had taken respite afterwards, the imperative nature of your mission to overthrow the Absolute was pressing. You compromised by setting a steady pace towards  Baldur's Gate, frequently stopping to rest and re-supply.

As occupied as your thoughts were with what awaited you in the city, there was another puzzle to be unraveled.

Astarion's recent behaviour.

Since your encounter with the drow blood merchant, Araj Oblodra, there had been some revelations in your relationship with him. Astarion had come clean about his original 'plan' to seduce you, and his own budding feelings that had put an end to it.

As much as you were still processing what it all meant, you couldn't help the spark of hope that

flared every time you looked at him and saw the genuine softness and affection, the well-concealed pleasure he took in your company.

And now, there was something new. This ... watchfulness, for want of a better term.

You couldn't make head or tail of it.

He seemed to be waiting to ambush you at every dark corner in camp, his flowery drawl snaring you every time you passed his tent. He sat with you while you ate, even considering his distaste for regular food. Sometimes, you'd check your clothing and find new embroidery or repairs, probably done in the dead of night.

All this was well and good. You could accept the attention, and lavish him with your own, but he seemed to be ... expecting something from you, and you couldn't possibly make out what it was.

It was obvious that he was growing rather impatient with your lack of discernment. Once, you'd given him a peck on the cheek to say good night and you'd spied the flash of hurt that had lingered in his eyes for a moment, covered up instantly with charm and wit.

It was bothering you to no end.

What did he want from you? Why wouldn't he come out and say it?

On one particular night, the thoughts he'd inspired left you tossing and turning, sleep evading you. Rolling onto your back, you stared at the roof of your tent.

Right. No answers there.

It was then that you heard it; a soft tread just outside. Raising your head slightly, you listened carefully, one hand inching beneath your bedroll for the knife you kept handy there.

The footsteps stopped, then started up again. You realised that the person was pacing. Up and down. To and fro. It went on for some time, with pauses in between.

You put the knife back.

No assassin would be this indecisive. And besides, you recognised that tread. Your senses had all but made it highly familiar.

You called softly into the night.

"Astarion?"

The footfalls stopped abruptly.

"I know you're there. Come inside. It's so cold out."

There was a pause before he pushed the flap aside and crawled in. The dim glow from the campfire filtered into your tent, outlining him in flickering shadow.

He sat cross-legged, silent.

You waited for a few seconds before inching across to him, wrapping your blanket around his shoulders and retreating.

He uttered a small sound of frustration.

"Why do you do that? I'm not made of glass you know."

You frowned. He sounded ... tired. A trifle bitter.

"Do what?"

"You know what."

"Astarion."

You took his hand, feeling his strong, cool fingers clench convulsively around yours.

"You need to speak to me. I really have no idea what's been troubling you."

"You ... it's ... why do you avoid me? What have I done wrong? Are you ... regretting being together with me? Is it not enough? I knew it couldn't be enough. Why else would you ... "

You held up a hand to stem the confused flow of words, bewildered.

"What are you talking about? I've never once avoided you. I love being with you. You know that."

He was watching you again, eyes flicking between yours, as if to catch some hint of insincerity.

He found none, of course. You felt some of the tension leave his body, but your question still remained unanswered.

"You need to tell me. Why do you think I avoid you? And when?"

He shifted, dropping your hand and taking a deep, bracing breath.

"Do you remember the night we ... spoke. After meeting with that drow merchant?"

"Of course."

"Well ... why haven't you come to my tent since then?"

He waved his hands wildly, as if to grasp answers from the air.

"I'm pretty certain that I don't smell bad, for an undead being. And I'm beautiful, that much goes without saying. My hair hasn't been at its best in recent times, I admit, but plant extracts are rather hard to come by in the Shadowlands, darling, and I - "

You snorted incredulously.

"Are you serious? You really think any of that would put me off you?"

"Well, obviously something has. You don't ... you haven't ... "

He cut off, head lowered, hands braced on his knees. This was evidently difficult for him.

Reaching out, you gently stroked his cheek, a flutter of something vital and warm surfacing as he leaned into your touch.

This foolish, foolish man.

But you had to choose your words carefully.

"Astarion, I haven't been avoiding you at all. I was just ... giving you space. You trusted me with the knowledge of everything you've had to endure. I wanted to let you ... come to me on your own terms and ... oh."

As soon as the words left your mouth, you realised what you'd done. Falling silent, you lowered your gaze.

He folded his arms.

"Oh indeed. You're truly dense at times, my sweet."

"But I - "

His finger laid itself across your lips as you opened your mouth to protest.

"Gods, you're the most lovely, silly, frustrating ... idiot I've ever had the misfortune to meet."

You scowled under his silencing finger, but the relief in his voice was so palpable that you couldn't help the smile that bloomed in quick succession. You reached up and caught his wrist, lowering his hand.

"So, you want me to ... not be quite as considerate of your space as I've been."

"One would think you'd get the idea, considering how I've been invading yours. Not your brightest moment, my love."

A laugh bubbled up in your throat.

"So that's what all of that was about."

"I'm so glad you noticed my bounteous desire for your company."

"All right then. Now that we've cleared the air ... what would you like me to do?"

He scoffed, some of his old panache returning. A welcome change.

"Honestly. Can you not remember a thing about that night?"

"Wait, what?"

"The thing you did."

"Eh?"

"Gods below, I've developed feelings for a deep rothé."

"Can you just tell me - "

"This," he hissed, before leaning forward and wrapping both arms around you. He released you almost instantly, observing your face with attentiveness. The firelight turned the ruby hue of his eyes to something darker, more desperate. In spite of his light-hearted banter, he was -

"Astarion."

Your voice was so full of tenderness, so soft, that you saw him flinch from it.

"Why didn't you just say so?"

"Well, it's not exactly - "

It was your turn to silence him, finger lightly grazing his lips. He took a shaky breath.

"What the fuck is this? Why is this so damnably difficult?"

"It's not. We just ... both of us just ... need to learn how to speak about things, I suppose. That's ... simple. Once you get the hang of it."

His voice had lowered to a whisper.

"It is?"

"Maybe. I'm not sure myself. But we'll start with this."

You held out your arms and he approached eagerly, slinging the blanket over both your shoulders. His unusually graceless movement pushed you off balance, and you tumbled back with a huff of amusement, tugging him down with you, his head knocking against the bridge of your nose.

"Ouch!"

"Lae'zel was right. Your nose is too big."

"What are your elbows made of? Gondian steel?"

"All the better to prod you with, my dear."

After a series of scuffling movements, you finally found yourself lying on your back, his head propped on your shoulder, just beneath your chin. Soft curls brushed your cheek as he shifted, his arm curling possessively around your body, leg sliding over yours.

His scent was familiar, breathtakingly so. It pervaded your senses, the sharp stringency of the soap at the Last Light Inn, the faint citrus essence of his hair cream, the smokiness of burning wood from where he'd sat too close to the fire.

You hadn't realised, until that moment, how you'd needed to hold him like this once again, the immediacy of his presence a comfort beyond words.

He raised his head slightly, mouth now on level with your ear. You felt the shift of muscle beneath his shirt, the slide of his hand against your ribs.

"Can we fall asleep like this? Every night?"

"We can."

"You ... really don't mind?"

You turned over, now facing him, your breath dancing across his lips.

In the dark, you couldn't see much detail, but you knew the lie of his features as well as the most well-traced map. Reaching up, you passed fingers lightly over his eyes, mouth, ears, nose, chin.

Your devstatingly handsome rogue. Your shadow dancer. Yours, in all his vulnerability, within these fragile canvas walls.

"I want to wake up to your face. On every morning until ... "

His lips silenced you, opening in unspoken passion against yours. When he parted from you, it was no loss. His entire body was pressed against the length of yours, and your arms had found their way around him again, holding him the way he had desired beyond anything.

"Don't. Don't say more. Just fall asleep with me."

"Just like that?"

You felt him smile into your hair.

"I suppose it''s simple, darling. Once you get the hang of it."

[hunniexox]

what you are breaking away from ● PAC

I've been feeling of late this strong urge to let go of a lot of things while simultaneously feeling as though I already have. Just as I am in this process, I feel there are others like me going through the same change.

This PAC is just to provide some insight into what you are breaking away from and some guidance on how to allow space for the new things and ways of being that is coming in.

Remember, you make your choices x

Decks used: The Wild Unknown Animal Spirit deck, Cats Rule the Earth deck, Rider Waite deck

Pile 1

Cards: The Frog, Six of Cups, Nine of Pentacles, Ace of Swords Rx

You're breaking away from what you thought your life was supposed to look like, and actively so. At this stage of your journey, you've gotten fed up with the inconsistency and plans not working out the way you want them to. The mental fog, not being able to stick to any plan you set, falling behind on your "goals".

Dreams you had as a child, don't fit in with the life you're living now. Dreams you had as a young teen, they seem so unrealistic now. Maybe the dream wasn't what you were meant to do or become, but it was how you were meant to feel doing it. You wanted to be happy, have purpose, live a life where you are content and have everything you need and want.

Look around you, surely you've gotten what you were desiring in some form or another but it's not making you feel the way you wanted about it. That can be frustrating; but don't take your frustration out on your younger self for dreaming of a certain life and don't say it's ridiculous, because it's not.

The life you wanted for yourself is not far fetched, it just looks a little different than the image in your head. When we are children, we don't have the awareness we do as adults. As adults, we know that there is a lot to consider. As a child, just thinking about the possibilities is enough to get excited.

Allow space for the new possibilities. Life wants to do a new thing for you, so change your focus and change your mindset, and you'll begin to feel excited about all the possibilities.

Pile 2

Cards: The Owl, Page of Swords, Page of Cups, The Moon

You definitely received an idea for something new this past full moon. You had dreams about it, you came across posts on social media, and you have been feeling the pull to do more research on this particular interest. Insecurities are present, as they have been many times before; you have a lot of intuitive nudges about things you should pursue and you're too shy to be seen doing it, but then you always regret not taking the step.

This time is different though; the feeling is so much stronger and it won't leave you alone. You keep seeing 1111! Confirming to start and you are on the right path. That's what you are moving toward, and breaking free from, the insecurity. You can do it. You dream about it all the time, you're having a lot of inspiration and ideas on how to take action.

Just do it, try out all the different ways of going about it, and eventually you will find your groove. You're not going to be perfect, and there's no need for you to be. Explore what has been inspiring you. Explore your current desires. Explore, explore, explore.

This inspiration could lead you to a new job that could really bring abundance into your life. Following this inspiration could bring in the fulfillment that you've been longing for all this time.

It's time to make those dreams a reality. You're breaking away from staying in the dream world and only thinking about what you're wanting to do. Now, you're actually going to do it.

Trust yourself and the universe will trust you with your dreams. Actually, it already has.

Pile 3

Cards: The Starfish, Six of Wands, Ten of Cups, Six of Swords Rx

You don't really want to break away from anything in your life. You're happy with almost everything in it. When these cards came up, the first image that came to mind was someone winning a beauty pageant – all the accolades, the overwhelming feeling of accomplishment, of achieving something you worked so hard for.

You're good at what you do, there's no need to break away. Maybe in your mind; but the universe is ever changing and growing, it's expanding. You do have the destiny mark for success. Whatever you touch can literally turn to gold. Everyone wants you around for the success your mere presence brings.

Lately, the tiny voice has been whispering, "Does anyone see my soul?"

You shove a sock in it every time it tries to speak.

The true question is: Do you want them to? That's difficult to answer, the image of yourself has already been built to a meticulous degree. Whether that is being the family favorite, being popular, or having a large social media following.

I wouldn't say force the change, but start to acknowledge that some part of you, even if it's a tiny one is not truly happy with the life you're currently living. Maybe you don't need to break away, maybe you just need to start letting your soul speak, even if you only do it in the middle of the night.

Remember, these things catch up with you. What was an idealistic life, will eventually change. When people no longer value your golden touch, what will you do? You are so much more than what you do for others or your influence. Let yourself be a human, give yourself a break from the stage.

[rhapsody-clown]

Guys please I am BEGGING you to pay more attention to the art you're reblogging

I've seen 2 different posts this week in the poolverine tag of stolen art and they both had over a hundred notes and no one calling them out.

The easiest way to tell is to compare the watermark/signature on the image with the username (no signature in combo with weird cropping is an immediate red flag). Here's one that I've seen recently making the rounds, I highlighted the signature and username to compare

They don't match. HOWEVER, there are artists whose signature is different than their user, and if you're not sure, check the blog. If they're an actual artist, you should be able to tell immediately because there will be other art pieces that match the signature and style. Art thieves tend to post multiple pictures as well, but the key differences are: the speed at which they post (your average artist isn't posting 3 different pieces back to back in the same day, at least not without an explanation), the signatures and watermarks of course, and noticeable differences in artstyle (and even artists who practice different styles are still gonna have tells that it's their art like the shapes, anatomy, coloring, shading are going to resemble each other)

Back to the example blog, let's look at their other posts.

The first was posted the same day as the poolverine piece, and not only is there no signature + obvious cropping, it's a completely different artstyle. There was no credit for the og artist on the post. The second also has a different signature and artstyle, and of course no credit to the original artist. We know now that this person has no problems with posting other people's art and letting people believe it's theirs.

One of the most common excuses these reposters give is that they found it on pinterest or some other site, where there was no credit, and wanted to share it anyway. Except it took me 3 SECONDS to find the artist of the poolverine art by reverse image searching, which you can find HERE. I unfortunately couldn't find the source for the Scarlet Witch art, but I did find the source of "Y/N's hero suit" HERE. Of course, not being able to find the source is even less of an excuse, because you should always get the artist's permission to repost, and you can't do that if you don't even know who the artist is.

This isn't meant to make you feel terrible for unknowingly reblogging stolen art, I understand that if you're just scrolling along it's easy to just reblog something you like without thinking, I've done this myself before, which is why I'm so particular about the art I reblog now. If you're willingly reblogging art that you know is stolen, then you're up there with the thief in your shittiness and you can go fuck yourself.

You shouldn't have to go sleuthing just to reblog art you like, but unfortunately the internet has shitty people that steal, so it's better to be safe than sorry.

[morlock-holmes]

Okay, guys, after reading a post by @centrally-unplanned I just took that ACX "AI Turing Test" that Scott Alexander did, and I am screaming, as the kids used to say.

You guys are way, way overthinking this.

I thought I would do better than average, and I guess I did; excluding three pictures I had seen before, I got 31/46 correct.

Not great if you're taking the SAT, but I feel like if I could call a roulette spin correctly 2 times out of 3 I could clean up in Vegas.

So, what is the secret of my amazing, D+ performance?

You have to look at the use of color and composition as tools to draw the eye to points of interest.

AI is really bad at this, when left to its own devices.

For example, here:

Part of the reason to suspect that this is AI is the "AI house style" and the bad hands that I literally only noticed right this exact second as I was typing this sentence. Even if the hands were rendered correctly, I would still clock this as AI.

The focal point of this piece ought to be the face of the woman and the little dragon she is looking at (Just noticed the dragon's wings don't match up either), but take off your glasses or squint at this for a second:

Your eye is being drawn by the bright gold sparkles on the lower right side of the piece. That particular bright gold is only in that spot on the image, but there's no reason to look there, it's just an upper arm and an elbow. The bright light source highlighting the woman's horn separates it out as a point of interest.

Meanwhile, the weird aurora streaming out of the woman's face on the left side means that it is blending in with the background.

In other words, the way the image is composed, and the subject matter suggest that your eye should be drawn here:

But the use of color suggests that you should look here:

That's a senseless place to draw the eye towards! It would be a really weird mistake for a human to make! In fact, I think there's a strong argument that the really close cropped picture of the face of the character is a strong improvement. It's still not a particularly good composition, but at least the color contrast now draws the eye to the proper points.

In fact, I would say that a good reason for my performance not being even better was this alarming statement at the start of the test:

I've tried to crop some pictures of both types into unusual shapes, so it won't be as easy as "everything that's in DALL-E's default aspect ratio is AI".

Uh...

So how about this one:

This is a lot better anatomically and in terms of the use of color and light to draw the eye towards sensible parts of the painting. The lighting makes pretty good sense in terms of coming from a particular direction and it also draws the eye to effectively to the face and the outstretched hand of the figure.

It's also a really flat and meaningless composition and subject matter that no renaissance artist would have chosen. What is this angel doing, exactly? Our eye is drawn to the face and hand, and the figure is looking off towards the left side, at, uh, what exactly?

But then I thought, "Well, maybe Scott chopped out a giant chunk of the picture, and this is just a detail from, like, the lower right eighth of some giant painting with three other figures that makes total sense"

This makes sense as a piece of a larger human made artwork, but if you tell me, "Nope, that's the whole thing and this is the original, un-cropped picture" I'd go, "Oh, AI, obviously.

All of the ones I had trouble with were AI art with good composition and use of color, and human ones with bad composition and use of color. For example, this one:

This has three solid points of interest arranged in an interesting relationship with different colors to block them out. I'd say the biggest tells are that the astronauts' feet are out of frame, which is a weird choice, and looking closely now, the landscape and smoke immediately to the right of the ship don't really make sense.

But again; I had to think, "Maybe Scott just cropped it weird and they had feet in the original picture."

Here's another problem:

StableDiffusion being bad at composition is such a known problem that there are a variety of tools which a person can use to manually block out the composition. In fact, let me try something.

I popped open Krita (Which now has a StableDiffusion plugin) and after literally dozens of generations and a couple of different models I landed on ZavyChromaXL with the following prompt:

concept art of two astronauts walking towards a spaceship on an alien planet, with a giant moon in th background, artstation, classic scifi, book cover

And this was the best I could do:

Not great, but Krita has a tool that lets you break an image into regions which each have different prompts, so I quickly blocked something out:

Each of those color blobs has a different part of the prompt, so the green region has "futuristic astronauts" the blue is the spaceship, the orange is the moon, grey is the ground and pink is the sky, which gives us:

Still way too much, so we can use Krita's adaptive patch tool and AI object removal to get:

I'm not saying it's high art, or even any good, but it's better than the stuff I was getting from a pure prompt, because a human did the composition.

But it's still so dominated by AI processes that it's fair to call it "AI Art".

Which makes me wonder how many of the AI pictures I called out as human made because one of the traits I was looking for, good composition, was in fact, actually made by a human.

[gin-juice-tonic]

And while I'm here a quick extremely vague note on another tbob journal page that i think is glaring. This is going to be discussing more of an art/style based element of a page.

The page that is entirely black with the giant red eldritch looking Bill Cipher drawn on it... That's just not a journal page.

We the audience are introduced to some pretty insane new powers of Bill's, much stronger/more intense than we've actually seen him use before, and to go with it is this weird detailed painting of him as an all powerful being looming over the page. That's a display for us, I don't believe Ford ever felt the need to draw that.

Compare it to what is essentially as close as journal 3 gets to this, the "My Muse was a Monster" page. Some pretty notable artistic differences:

-The J3 Monster page has a large portion of it covered in black scribbles, clearly made by Ford himself. The TBOB page just sort of... goes dark. Starting from the prior page, blackness comes from nowhere and takes over at the end of it as well as engulfs the eldritch Bill page next. This actually conjures up some pretty specific imagery from earlier in the book, now that I think of it...

(look familiar?)

-For the J3 Monster page, ford uses the same red pen he'd been using throughout the rest of the journal. For the TBOB page, the writing is done in... white. And the white glows. Somehow. The only other set of pages in TBOB where this happens is the sort of "blacklight" zombie set of pages. I'll avoid discussing those in particular, but I just wanted to point out those pages were at least very apparent in them mimicking the blacklight feeling, considering they're entirely shown in purple. That isn't the case for these eldritch pages. Ford uses white in the original J3 sparingly, for a few page titles and to touch up a few drawings. But he never uses it to write out full entries. You know who does write a lot in white though? In fact, who wrote a very solid chunk of his entire book in white? I'll give you a hint. His name starts with a "B" and he sucks.

-The J3 monster page doesn't contain any grandiose depictions of Bill. Just frantic scratchings of watchful and ominious eyes. The name I've given the eldritch bill page speaks for itself. And it takes up the ENTIRE page! I'd also like to add, a decent amount the art in the rest of the book of Bill is a lot... "scarier"? More grotesque? The style that this Bill is drawn in I'd say fits in a whole lot better with the images Bill shows to us throughout the other parts of TBOB than anything Ford has ever drawn in his journals.

All this to say, again, I think that page/set of pages have 100% the look and feel of something Bill created himself. To agree with Ford's words taped in near the end of TBOB, Bill's treating his book like it's his Dark Bible, He's making his presence Big and Scary, trying to get our attention. It has the same feeling as a lot of the other TBOB journal pages, he's making the "journal" more about HIM, his feelings, his powers, his essence, than about Ford.

Sorry for the lack of pictures! I hope you guys know which pages I mean.

[directdogman]

Hi, I hope you're having a decent day! I'm sorry if this is an invasive set of questions - feel free not to answer - but do you still actively like DSaF as your own creation, or is it more of a "it was fun while it lasted but i outgrew it and it's for the best to leave it behind" kind of project? Do you ever regret making the games? If you knew they would get so popular, is there anything you would have changed about them? Is there anywhere I could read more of your writing.

It fluctuates a bit. These last couple of years, I've really just been sorta nostalgic for it. I've seen a lot of people discuss those games being a source of comfort during bad times in their lives, people talking about how much the characters mean to them and it's hard not to smile when you see that.

It's a funny thing for close friends of yours to see people WITH fanmade DSaF merch out in the wild, or to watch a random youtube video and being hit with a DSaF reference outta nowhere. It happens from time to time, even today. On a few occasions, I've even had a person reference my work to me in real life and not realize who they were talking to, believe it or not. It's really fun to play dumb and get someone to explain your work to you like you don't know what it is.

I certainly didn't think any of that would happen when I first made the series, or even during development. I think the normal assumption would be to look at DSaF as it exists now and assume its release was a peak for it, but believe it or not, the official discord only had 30 people in it shortly before 3 dropped! The archive listing of the series (reposted to a single page after the series ended) is now sitting at over 1.1 MILLION downloads.

People kinda assume the true heyday of something is when it's new, when it's fresh and novel. For instance, some people look back at when FNaF itself was new and see that time as its peak because it had a lot of internet cultural relevance as big new indie thing on the block. But, raw numbers don't lie. The series has been continually growing since its conception and that growth has similarly bled over to its fan projects. This explains why DSaF, despite not having a new series release in almost 6 years, seems to be inexplicably growing.

Just recently, I saw someone post footage of a scene from DSaF 2 on Twitter, which got over 16k likes. People praised its writing and largely celebrated the scene. The ironic thing about that particular scene is that I remembered being unsure if it was good or not, so I showed it off in one of the FNaF community hubs. The response was broadly lukewarm to negative. Now, it's held up as one of the best scenes in those games. That's kind of the point I'm trying to make, my thoughts on the series have certainly changed with everyone's else with years of hindsight.

Heh. I'm not sure if I've talked about this in a long time, but y'know, the very first scene I implemented in-game was actually the very first Phone Guy scene in DSaF 1, more or less exactly how it appears in-game today. This was before I'd even written the bulk of the game. I was pretty unfamiliar with visual novels as a whole, pretty unsure if something like this would be palatable to a fandom that was really just used to sit 'n' survive stuff that were far more gameplay than text. I mean, there wasn't any FNaF fangames really LIKE DSaF before that point. Closest was FNaFb, a jokey turn based RPG made in the same engine.

The engine I made the game in is also not exactly fit for VNs out of the box either, and I wasn't 100% sure the idea would actually work. But, the very first time I added the image of the prize corner, Phone Guy, the audio of that iconic cheesy stock track and booted up a test screen, I had a little moment where I said "Oh. I think I'm onto something interesting here." I kinda remembering instantly realizing in that single moment how much potential the idea had. Over 8 years later, I still remember that moment like it was yesterday.

I think lately, that's the sort of stuff I think of when I see people coming to me and asking about the series. Yes, it's really rough around the edges, yes, there's jokes that've aged poorly. But, it is a source of comfort for people and entertains tens of thousands of people each month. And that's gotta count for something, right?

[miyagi-hokarate]

Hi❤️ do you think Daniel Larusso's skin color (brown) was one of the reasons why he was bullied in the kk1 movie? He was obviously not as rich as the other kids and was a working class kid, but do you think the bullying had something to do with the color of his skin? Especially in the 80s, I'm just assuming you're from America. So do you happen to know how he was perceived by people then and now? When I first watched the movie and I saw Daniel I instantly felt a connection because he was/is brown. I genuinely thought he was latino, Mexican, Indian or part of another minority group. Him winning was so satisfying to see. Also, do you think his less masculin and more feminine features are also what made people bully him? I would love to hear your interpretation!💙

Hohohohooo boy, we're gettin' to the good stuff: why Daniel is so bullyable 🙏 (← not praying; rubbing hands in evil glee)

In all seriousness, let's talk about it!

(under a Read More because it got LONG 🤡)

Watching The Karate Kid, the most apparent reason Daniel gets bullied and excluded by others is because of Johnny being threatened by his flirting with Ali and the violent beginning to their relationship. The Cobras terrorize him alongside Johnny because they're not only his friends, but because they're just as ruthless when it comes to people they've made enemies of. That being said, I could certainly say there is an argument to be made that the bullying Daniel experiences has an underlying racial and sexist subtext to it.

I've seen some anecdotal claims that people have confused/assumed Daniel to be a POC — not only because of his tan skintone, but also partially because of how much that combined with his dark hair + eyes would stand out next to pale or "sunkissed" blondes. While it's arguable how much Daniel was excluded and bullied CONSCIOUSLY because of such, I think it's fair to say that those physical qualities Daniel possessed helped to isolate him from his peers and further establish the loneliness Daniel struggled with due to Johnny's aggression.

I'd also like to bring up how, while it's treated as a joke these days, Italophobia was a more present issue during the 80s, especially for darker Italians (which would include Daniel). I'm not going to dig deep into the history of Italophobia in the US here, but "Italians aren't White" sentiments still existed during this era. And with such an obviously Italian surname as 'LaRusso', I can't imagine this slice of WASPy California HADN'T noticed. While not exactly the same as 'greaseball', you could catch Bobby calling Daniel a "sleazeball" during soccer tryouts. Stepping stones before you whipped out 'wop', Brown?

Additionally, I'd also like to make a point that, behind the scenes, it was also considered particular seeing Ralph Macchio and Elisabeth Shue together. According to Macchio, John Avildsen had one time stopped him once to say this:

While I don't imagine the director had meant it in a malicious way, his comment does point out the underlying "issue" present, seeing a girl who looks so much like the 'American Girl' archetype romantically paired with a visually striking dark Italian boy. I hate it when "ethnic" is used to describe something/someone, but it is often used as a way to distinguish when something/someone is clearly of a cultural/ethnic background that doesn't align perfectly with the cultural image of 'American' (which is a whole issue in and of itself, but that's a separate topic). In this case, I think Avildsen saw the striking peculiarity of, as he put it, the cannoli (Italian) with the strawberry shortcake (American), opposite ends of the bakery case. Avildsen may have been able to appreciate the balance (heh) made by their physical differences working in unison — and he's right, they do look terrific together — but I point this out because it reveals the perception of race and multiethnic relationships of the era that I'm sure is apparent in the universe of The Karate Kid as well. I'm sure some people in West Valley High were unlike Avildsen and thought there was something wrong with "a girl like her" to be with "a guy like him" that ran a different meaning besides the Hills vs. Reseda.

Furthermore, the racial subtext is not anything new about The Karate Kid. As early as 1984, it's been pointed out how Johnny and the Cobras were chosen to be (majorly) blonde and WASPy to contrast Daniel's "dark visage". Chad McQueen, the actor who portrayed Dutch, claimed Avildsen's desire for visual/racial contrast went as far as making it so that the naturally brunet McQueen bleached his hair — to reinforce the Cobras' "Aryan look".

The subtext is strong on this one.

It's undeniable that Daniel is a couple shades darker than most of the contemporaries his age. While The Karate Kid does not explicitly point towards Daniel's racial ambiguous looks or his evident Italian heritage upon further inspection, I could believe that those two qualities — which are associated and correlate with Daniel's East Coast, working class family background — further isolated Daniel from making friends after Johnny had placed a metaphorical 'kick me!' sign on his back.

Before I move onto the second question, I'd like to point out that Daniel bonds the closest with is Undeniable Person Of Color Mr. Miyagi, whose storyline centered much on isolation and alienation from others in California as well. Additionally, Daniel's first potential friend is Latino Freddy Fernandez, who shares Daniel's dark eyes and hair (and noticeably lacks the defining trait of blonde hair that Lucille points out so much about the state), as well as his history of being bullied.

Moving on, I'd say it's less obvious that Daniel's androgynous physical attributes play a role in the bullying he experiences, or at least it's discussed differently when talking about the film. At least for me, outside of Tumblr, the only time you'd hear somebody talk about Daniel's gender presentation or performance is less analytical and more... mocksome; blah blah blah Daniel is a wimp blah blah Daniel's a girly boy blah blah blah insert gay slur

This isn't anything new when it comes to insulting men/male characters people dislike, because it's been socially taught that a man's worst offense to his gender is not being man enough (whether because of a perceived lack of physical strength, leadership, masculine traits and qualities, heterosexual behavior, cisgender behavior, cisheteronormative interests and hobbies, sociability with other men, etc.). However, I think there is a noticeable and meaningful difference in the fact Daniel's often subject to ridicule, not only by audience reactions, but also in-universe as well (the subject at hand).

I know you only mentioned Daniel's physical characteristics, so I'll try not to talk so much on his actions and behavior as well, but they do accompany one another. A topic for another day.

I wouldn't necessarily say Daniel has more feminine features, but he does have certain ones that are generally associated with femininity (thicker lips, large eyes).

(I say only "associated", because the perception of masculinity and femininity changes so often throughout time and culture. While larger lips and eyes are considered universal qualities of femininity, certain other traits are far more complicated (for example, Daniel has long eyelashes. In fact, fanartists often emphasize his lashes. Long lashes are often considered feminine, even though men typically have longer, natural eyelashes than women. But because women have historically used products to emphasize their lashes, they're considered feminine))

Daniel of course was first bullied because Johnny felt threatened by his presence with Ali. However, I do believe he continued to be targeted by Johnny and the Cobras because of a variety of reasons, one of which is not helped that Daniel does not fit the mold of masculine male youth.

Because hey, if he isn't fitting in, or isn't fitting in right, he deserves to be punished for it! That's the attitude that permeats a lot of bullying behavior; noticing or seeking out qualities that transcend/transgress against societal expectations and punishing the person for it, whether they're doing it on purpose or not. I'm not even going to get into Reagan era of presidency, but he damn sure had a part on this mindset.

In the case with Daniel, he's perceived as transgressing a lot, according to Johnny; not only is he trying to make a move on Johnny's girl (except they had broken up by that point), got involved in places he didn't belong in (picked up Ali's stereo to give it back to her), sucked ass at fighting back against Johnny with only one stray sucker punch, and decided to keep showing his face around school and even the dojo like he belongs, but Daniel does all that looking like a girl! Let's beat his sissy ass up!!

Hell, you could see this in the infantilizing/feminizing nicknames he gets throughout The Karate Kid ('sweetheart', 'prima donna', 'Danielle', 'wimp', etc.). The Cobras are written to make it a point often to attack Daniel based on his perceived lack of masculinity (such as his supposed weakness) and equal it to femininity, and thus as something bad.

I could elaborate more on this and how it's further exacerbated by Daniel's perceived lack of masculinity due to his actions and behavior, buuuut I'll leave it at that lol.

Admittedly, I don't have as much to say on this topic compared to the racial subtext, simply because 1. Daniel's physical characteristics are rather surface-level and easy to understand upon sight in my opinion (just look at 'im), and 2. again, just trying to keep it about Daniel's physical characteristics. THAT BEING SAID: there's a lot to say about gender presentation, gender roles, and gender paradigms in The Karate Kid, even outside Daniel (though of course, as the main character, he gets a lot of the analysis surrounding him) — and while I love talking about this subject, I'd said quiiiiite enough for now ajdlkajfjskf

Overall, I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on the racial/sexist subtext of Daniel getting bullied! I know it was a lot, but it's something I think a lot of hafkkshfjks

[howtonerdoutovereverything]

An Analysis of the Black Parade - ALIVE! Promo Video + Analysis of the Long Live The Black Parade Promotional Material So Far

OK Y'ALL THE SCHOOL YEAR IS DONE AND MCR ARE AT IT AGAIN SO LET'S STRAP IN AND DO SOME THEORIZING

So, if you haven't seen it, MCR announced a show in Mexico City called Black Parade - ALIVE!, an obvious homage to their iconic The Black Parade Is Dead show in the city in 2007 that ended the Black Parade era and marked the last time they played the full album live. The video instantly caught my attention, as it seems to only further solidify that MCR's 2025 tour cycle is hinting at something much greater, perhaps a new story to tell interwoven with the established lore and legend of The Black Parade.

I also realized that I've yet to actually sit down and analyze the rest of the promo material surrounding the 2025 tour (in my defense, the first post was made on the same day my dad had brain surgery). I've been theorizing about MCR5 and all of the tour imagery since 2022 (I have a whole theory doc which I will share here and reference throughout this post), and a lot of this stuff seems to be confirming ideas I had even during the SWARM tour, including this new video.

So without any further ado, let's get into it. We'll go in chronological order, starting with the very first post made.

This post shows us a foggy cityscape with what looks like confetti in the air, with giant red letters that resemble MCR, but don't look quite like English. They seem to resemble Russian, but it has since been confirmed that this language was created by the band itself, although the Russian influence is definitely there.

As for the city, it also seems to resemble Europe or at least somewhere in Eastern Europe, perhaps more specifically in the 20th century. Notice the spires.

We can't ascertain much from just this image, so let's move on to the first video that announced the tour.

Immediately, that Russian/Eastern European vibe returns, with an ornate room and soldiers guarding a door. I tried looking for buildings that this could be and struggled, but then again, I don't think this is supposed to be an actual country. It's meant to just LOOK like a 20th-century Eastern European country run by a dictator.

Speaking of, we see that dictator walking down a hall with two other men.

I assume these men are advisors to the dictator, but am unsure if they are meant to be alluding to anyone in particular. I WILL say that the dude with the mustache sort of makes me think of the guy of the cover of Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge (he's wearing a red flower on his suit, and red flowers were a big part of the Revenge imagery). The flowers can even be seen a few shots later.

To me, the flowers look like red carnations, which symbolize romance, love, and passion. They also stand out amidst the mostly black, white, and brown surroundings. Perhaps this is intentional.

We see this woman with sunglasses and a coat sitting with a dog. Her outfit resembles an outfit Gerard wore on tour in 2023.

In my mind, this woman has a lot of power, perhaps related to war. Her dog seems tough and intimidating, like a guard dog. She also stands out pretty starkly from the others. But she is just sitting there, not involved in what the other men are doing. Perhaps she is pulling strings behind the scenes.

Finally, the dictator steps onto the balcony to address a cheering crowd within the same cityspace we saw in the first post. I know I mentioned buildings before, but this makes me think of the Palazzo Venezia in Italy, where Mussolini famously delivered his speeches from a similar balcony. I imagine this is an intentional homage to emphasize the dictatorship energy.

We see the name of the tour, "Long Live" The Black Parade. Why are the words "Long Live" in quotation marks? I have two answers. One: this could be a potential future song title. Two: It is a lie.

What do I mean? Remember that The Black Parade is a fictional band that supposedly filled in for MCR during the Black Parade tour, until they played their last show in 2007 and apparently died (hence The Black Parade Is Dead). So how could they be alive? Keep this thought in the back of your head; it will be important later.

Let's analyze the video caption.

"It has been seventeen years since The Black Parade was sent to the MOAT. In that time, a great Dictator has risen to power, bringing about "THE CONCRETE AGE"; a glorious time of stability and abundance in the history of DRAAG. His Grand Immortal Dictator wishes to celebrate our rich and storied culture, fine foods, and musical entertainments by welcoming you to these great demonstrations of power and resolve. And lending voice and song for the first time in six thousand two hundred and forty six days, their work privilege ceremoniously reinstated, will be His Grand Immortal Dictator's National Band...The Black Parade,"

There are several things of note here. First of all, the reference to seventeen years connects us back to The Black Parade Is Dead, as there is a seventeen-year gap between The Black Parade Is Dead and this tour being announced. Let's also pay attention to the specific number of days we are given: 6,246. Taking the day this video was posted, November 12th, 2024, and subtracting that number of days gives us October 7, 2007, AKA the day of The Black Parade Is Dead.

Second, what is the MOAT? It seems like an acronym for something, but the only thing I could find that was even tangentially related was "Missile on Aircraft Test". So I think this might be a fictional creation, and given the context, it sounds like a prison, perhaps a concentration camp, given the European dictator vibes. The Black Parade was supposedly sent there, probably because the music they were performing contradicted the growing dictatorship's goals. We then hear about a supposed "concrete age", which explains the barren buildings we see. All color and joy seems sucked out of the city. We get another acronym: DRAAG. I think this is a reference to a lyric in The End: "Here's my resignation, I'll serve it in drag". Perhaps DRAAG is a nation similar to the USSR, and is what The Black Parade was referring to.

The real question here is if The Black Parade were supposedly exiled for not aligning with the dictatorship's goals, then why are they being brought back? Perhaps as propaganda?

The next post shows us a clearer view of the dog we saw before, with the caption saying "Good Boy". It is once again in quotes, making me think that this could be another song title. This also reminds me of one of the drumheads from the reunion tour, which said "Sit. Stay. Beg." That, combined with the way its eyes are shining directly into the camera, makes me think this dog represents a couple of different things.

First, it represents war and violence against the people. Think police dogs being unleashed on protestors. This dog enacts the dictatorship's goals using sheer force, much like an army or large weapons could. This explains the almost evil eyes. However, it could also represent the common people themselves. "Good Boy" and "Sit. Stay. Beg." imply treating people like they are animals and forcing them to comply. This dog is just doing what it's told so it won't get hurt or punished, like any person in that situation would. We've yet to see this dog do anything really bad.

Then we have this post, "Long Live". Four men in different outfits. They could represent several things. Are they stand-ins for the four members of MCR? Are they simply the four currently in power within the dictatorship? Or are they representative of the four horsemen of the apocalypse? In the video that follows this post, "Opera", we see more of the men. One looks nervous, one coughs, one laughs, and one is silent. I could see the one who coughs representing Pestilence (sickness) and the silent one representing death (figures that embody death are typically silent). The woman with the sunglasses is also sitting behind them, further hinting that she's somehow involved (literally "behind this").

We then see an opera singer in an opulent dress walk in front of the men to perform. A piece that sounds a bit like an orchestral arrangement of Welcome To The Black Parade plays on a record player. But when she opens her mouth to sing, all that comes out is horrible screeching and industrial noise. I think I also hear screaming in there.

I think this could represent the dictatorship looking towards entertainment to distract them from the horrors they're enabling, only to have it spat back in their face. It could also represent how they view music: chaotic and uncontrollable. We also heard opera pieces during the reunion tour, particularly Casta Diva, a piece that tends to allude to impending doom and ruin. This could be a way of playing on that notion.

Next is "Feast", where we see a lavish meal being enjoyed by those in power. One crucial detail is that we see the dog being fed by one of the soldiers. If the dog is truly representative of war, this could represent how all of the dictatorship's assets are being invested in war and violence. In general, the feast seems to be highlighting the disparity between those in power and those not in power.

Finally, we have the thing I want to talk about that shook this whole thing up: The Black Parade - ALIVE!

We see what looks like an old news program broadcast from DRAAG, showing a statue of the dictator, a shot of the city, and a field, presumably to mislead the populace into thinking there is no famine or shortage of food, something real dictatorships commonly do. We see what looks like the logo of the news station before a news anchor starts speaking.

A couple of things. First, this footage looks like it comes from quite a few decades ago, when supposedly this is supposed to all be happening in modern times, given the dates (they're even referenced again in the report). Perhaps technology in DRAAG is severely outdated? Second, the news anchor calls the viewers "dragoshkas", confirming that the country is called DRAAG and thus its citizens are known as dragoshkas. Third, the footage is subtitled in Spanish, meaning this is being broadcast internationally and is not exclusive to DRAAG.

The news anchor references the Palace of Sport, a generic term used to refer to indoor sports venues built during the Soviet Union, like the Kyiv Palace of Sports in Ukraine. However, this term is also used in other countries, and in Spanish-speaking countries, the term is translated as Palacio de los Deportes. This is seen in the Spanish subtitles.

He tells us that The Black Parade "never returned" from their concert in Mexico City, as they perished in a fire during what was supposed to be their final performance.

This fire imagery is reminiscent of fire imagery shown during the reunion tour, specifically the "burning man" image on their merch truck, which looked very similar to this image. One of the drumheads also read "muy fuego" (a lot of fire), connecting to the concert being in Mexico. And during a noise jam, Gerard said, "I’m gonna set myself on fire, never mind, I want you to set me on fire".

As you might be realizing, this whole news report directly contradicts what we were told happened to The Black Parade. Weren't they sent to a prison by DRAAG? But obviously, they wouldn't want the public to know that, particularly those who saw them live in Mexico, as they'd be furious. So they made up this tragic story to take the heat off them (no pun intended). Not to mention, they can look like heroes by "discovering" that they're not dead at all.

This is also why I said that “Long Live” could be a lie. Maybe they really DID die and a fake band is being sent to perform. This makes me think that perhaps we’ll be seeing something reminiscent of this on this tour.

We then hear once again that it was the dictator's idea to bring back the band, along with the Cabinet of Operatic Retaliations. Could this be what those old men were a part of? Could "Opera" be a play on "Operatic"?

Finally, we see what looks like the national seal of DRAAG. The text is hard to make out, but we can see a deer holding an arrow while also being pierced by arrows. Deer represent grace, elegance, greatness, and innocence. In other words, everything DRAAG is not, but everything they want people to think they are. This deer clearly also represents prey, with it being hunted, but with the arrow in its mouth, it could also subtly represent how the hunted can become hunters (the people rising up), or conversely, how the hunters can become hunted (the dictatorship being overthrown).

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOK, that was a lot, but I know I still missed stuff. If you have any ideas or theories or details, or if you want to ask me questions, feel free to send me an ask! I'd love to talk more about this!

[thelasttoastbender]

In regard to Avatar: Seven Havens...

I've been keeping quiet about the Seven Havens announcement for a number of reasons, namely that we don't have very much to go on right now. I can see why it'd cause a lot of doom and gloom but we simply don't know enough to judge just yet. But given said doom and gloom, I wanted to say this...

A few months back, there were some rumored leaks talked about on some random website I never heard of, but which supposedly has a good track record with this stuff. The description given with the Seven Havens announcement - along with the *name* Seven Havens itself - confirms a lot about the early rumored leaks, but said leaks also had more to say, which is that this takes place in a near-future setting with hoverboards and not-automail prosthetic limbs, of which our lead protagonist has a prosthetic leg.

So in other words, Korra lived a long, full life before she died.

It also said in these leaks that nobody could tell which twin was the Avatar, so the White Lotus chose blindly and the twin they chose lived a life of luxury with expert training whereas the other is now living on the streets, alone, with her animal guide. But oops! She's the actual Avatar.

So to me, the fact the mistaken Avatar lived a life of luxury indicates the position is still held in super high regard. Which the rumored leaks also explain with their additional information, because Korra was the one who made the Seven Havens of the title by saving humanity from the unknown cataclysm.

So if all that checks out - which given how much of it HAS proven true in what was officially announced - I think it's just a poorly worded description that might be meant to foreshadow what the fake Avatar/other twin does to fuck up the world's image of the Avatar as opposed to any particular view of Korra.

Because by all rights, it sounds like in the rumored leaks that Korra is very much seen as a hero. She saved the world, or as much of it as she could, and stopped the cataclysm. Permanently? Temporarily? Who knows. I imagine that's what the show is about. But all this is to say - don't start mourning or jumping to conclusions yet.

What we have confirms and contradicts a lot of what was leaked, but what it confirms is *so* accurate I'm willing to believe this may just be bad assumptions on our part based off bad communication in that one image. We simply do not know enough about the show yet. We don't even have any key art, let alone a trailer. So let's wait before we start mourning Korra's legacy or turning on the writers.

[kaizokuou-ni-naru]

What's your opinion on the idea of the "chosen one" trope, and how it relates to Luffy in particular? Most of the controversy I've seen over Gear 5 seems to be about that specifically.

this is a really interesting question, and one i had to mull over for a bit! i think the idea of a 'chosen one' or 'destiny' more broadly can reasonably rub a lot of people the wrong way, especially in a story where freedom is such a strong thematic focus- the idea that luffy's actions might be preordained and not driven by his own will feels inherently wrong. (fortunately, i don't think they are.)

the short answer is that i think the use of prophecy in one piece works (at least for me) because it never feels like anyone else is making luffy's decisions for him. this is why it feels somewhat incorrect to me to call him a 'chosen one'- he very much makes all his choices himself.

there are prophecies surrounding him- about joy boy, about the dawn of the world, about nika- but luffy doesn't know about them, and if he did he wouldn't care. they don't define anything about him, how he acts, how he views himself. the world and narrative shapes itself around luffy, and not the other way around. you get the sense that even in the total absence of any prophecy surrounding luffy, he would still be doing the exact same thing he is doing because he only ever does exactly what he wants to do. he's as inevitable as the rising sun! the future changes to fit him!

one piece generally rejects the concept of unchangeable fate out of hand- if you tell luffy something can't be done he'll take it as a personal challenge- but it does have a lot to say about inherited will. i think it would be more accurate to say that all the strawhats and their allies, luffy especially, have in some way come to embody the inherited will and dreams of the people who came before them, whether they know it or not, both through their own experiences and because of who they already were as people.

like, the prophecies about luffy don't say he's destined to become the pirate king, or anything so specific as that. he decided on his own that he was going to do that, and that has always been his goal- to be completely free and have those he cares about be completely free. that's what he values. and it just so happens that that trait makes him fit the image of the liberator.

[ai-the-broccoli]

... Is Till's Part in "Cure" about Ivan?

now I'm really not sure about R2 in this regard (I've seen theories that it may be more about Ivan than it appears but I really haven't made up my mind on whether I agree or disagree), but what I do personally think is that Till's portion of "Cure" in R6 genuinely makes significantly more sense to me, lyrically, if it is -- at least partly -- about Ivan (consciously or subconsciously), than if it is 100% about Mizi and only Mizi from start to end, even though the MV only shows him thinking about Mizi as he sings the part.

let me explain:

Allow me, to the tips of your fingers Allow me, to the ends of your feet Dissolve me in your gaze I don't want to let you go Please, leave me scars Please, hurt me so that Not a single drop of me remains Let me drown in you

... idk, I feel like if this is indeed entirely about Mizi, Till must have made up a lot about their relationship in his mind by that point because it sounds kind of strange to me otherwise. Mainly because while they are sort of friends and have had friendly interactions, it seems that they are not especially close (based on Mizi's words about Till in the artbook), and what Till carries for her is a somewhat distant & idolizing crush sort of thing, which... isn't the sort of energy the lyrics gives?

Like. maybe this is just me, but I can view this portion two ways:

The singer is asking "you", the person being sang about, to hurt him, because he views "you" as someone who would indeed hurt them (e.g. maybe they have hurt him/harmed him/fought with him before; maybe they have a toxic or tumultuous relationship) and/or someone who is in a position where they have a reason/need to hurt him (e.g. going against each other on the Alien Stage); and/or,

The singer is asking "you", the person being sang about, to hurt him, because of his own self-loathing and depressive feelings -- but in this case this just. idk. to me at least, it sounds more like something you are more likely to sing about, like. someone you have been very close to at one point. e.g. a love interest or w/e, who has been in a romantic relationship or situationship or something in an ambiguous relationship with you -- or a closer friend, frenemy or someone like that, that you have complicated or untold feelings about. unless your idolized crush is someone you view as a person who would (hypothetically) hurt you, in which case it falls under 1... except Till's perception of Mizi just kinda doesn't feel that way to me

which. hmmm. idk because like Till's image of Mizi is someone kind, sweet, gentle, soft, comforting and angelic (even with the R5 stuff, we still see this in the way she's like in Till's eyes in Cure's MV), and she's an idol-like figure to him in that sense (and they are not... so 'close' that it feels like he would very naturally sing to her for her to hurt him out of self-flaggellation reasons), it has always been slightly jarring to me that he would sing about her like this, even back when I was sure he was singing about Mizi.

But if you interpret it as being about, or partly about, Ivan instead, then it feels more natural to me; they have a closer relationship, Ivan has hurt him/fought with him and stuff multiple times, and right now they are going against each other on the Alien Stage where the loser among them will be killed.

secondly:

Until these falling stars Are buried in the blur of time On your icy lips Read my soul Yes, my soul, oh, oh

If this is about Mizi: I guess it could be?? if "falling stars" are entirely metaphorical and/or refers to the rain actually... except, even in this case, I feel like it's very possible to interpret it as him subconsciously thinking of such a symbol / such imagery because of Ivan-related reasons.

If this is about Ivan: ...sorry what, "falling stars"? You mean like. a meteor shower?? Okay no yeah, that is literally a major memory he has with Ivan, not with Mizi. And this particular phrasing, "Until these falling stars / Are buried in the blur of time" does further suggest that this is very possibly about a memory that haunts him to this day. which. points to the meteor shower scene more than anything... yeah I honestly feel like this line ties back to Ivan no matter how I think about it.

in any case this is honestly just my opinion and I don't know if I'm right but. just a thought. I think Till might be singing a bit more about Ivan in "Cure" than it seems from a glance at the MV, even if he doesn't realize/acknowledge it himself

[tj-dragonblade]

[Connect 4 FIC] Mementos

Fandom: The Sandman Pairing: Dreamling Rated: G Word Count: 1243 Tags: fluff, pre-relationship, future fic, photography

Notes: For the @sandman-connect4 prompts Goldfish and Photography

Summary: Hob waxes nostalgic about an old hobby that's also his newest career.

On AO3

"Photography is such an amazing innovation, yeah?" Hob snaps another photo as he speaks, capturing the elegant swish of orange and white fins just breaking the pond's surface. "Still marvel over it, sometimes, used to it as I am."

"Indeed." Dream is drifting along at Hob's side, interested and attentive, and Hob knows by now that no one nearby will pay any attention to his ramblings so long as Dream is here with his notice-me-not aura. He's free to speak of whatever he likes without fear of being overheard.

"Couldn't imagine, first I heard of it—a device to take your portrait, without having to sit for a painter? Unthinkable! But it was true!" He snaps another pic as a particularly elegant fantail wriggles past a lily pad. "Couldn't wait to get a daguerreotype taken; I still have it, stored away for safekeeping, along with every other portrait I had done in the nineteenth century. They just kept refining and improving on the process—it was amazing, y'know? How marvelous, this ability to capture an image exactly as seen, and it just kept getting better. Had plans to show you the latest I'd had done at our meeting in 1889, if I hadn't put my foot in it first." He snaps another photo, two fish swimming past one another in a graceful floating of fins, and keeps right on talking before Dream can offer any commentary on that particular phase of their friendship. It's water under the bridge, done and gone and forgiven and he doesn't need an apology every time it comes up.

"And then personal-use cameras became a thing, and the tech just kept improving. It was so exciting to have the ability—I could just, y'know, pick up a camera and take pictures of whatever I liked! Any time! People I'd eventually have to leave behind, I could keep pictures now, if I wanted. Don't always, y'know, I've gotten very good at picking up and moving on when needed and not pulling a bunch of baggage after me, but it's nice sometimes to have those photos there to look back on when the memory starts to fade."

Dream makes a soft sound of agreement as Hob crouches by the edge of the pond, snapping a few rapid-fire shots from the new lower angle.

"And then Polaroids! Didn't even have to send those out, just wait a few minutes and wave it about a bit. Instant pictures. Fantastic. And then digital cameras? Phone cameras? Video, of course? Nowadays everybody's got hundreds of photos in their pocket at any given second, everyone can record or commemorate anything in their life that they want at a moment's notice, and I think that's just brilliant." He grunts as he rises back to his feet, steps away from the perimeter of the pond to capture a wider shot.

"Spent a lot of time on photography as a hobby, middle of last century," he continues as he works. "Amazing how accessible it was. Learned how to develop my own film, which lenses could do what, played with anything I could get my hands on. It was just so cool."

"It was this time as a hobbyist that led you to your current career choice, then," Dream says, in a tone of dawning understanding.

"Yeah, more or less." Teaching had lasted him another decade and a half after Dream's return before he'd needed to pull up roots and reinvent himself, and his old hobby had called to him. "With the trending interest in reviving analog photography it seemed a decent choice after retiring 'Professor Gadling'. Wasn't hard to get hired; most of what I shoot for the magazine's still digital—most of their subscription distribution is digital—but they've got an analog branch catering to collectors and enthusiasts and lucky for me I'm proficient in all of it."

"The luck perhaps belongs to your employer, in securing your skills," Dream offers, with one of those little smiles that Hob so loves to collect. He offers a grin of his own.

"I'll be sure to tell them you said so in my next appraisal."

"And do all of your assignments involve photographing fish?"

Hob laughs. "Nah, course not—it's a lifestyle-and-interest publication; I wind up shooting all sorts of things. This guy's been maintaining his ponds here for decades—probably knew that already, didn't you—and they wanted to do a feature on it. I was chuffed to get the assignment; I've been fascinated by pond building and maintenance for a few years now and I'm pleased to see this fabulous setup in person."

Dream says nothing, studying the pond in uncanny stillness as Hob takes a few more photos.

"Lovely creatures," he says at last.

"Aren't they?"

"They remind me of my sister."

"The one who—?" Hob makes a sweeping gesture with one hand meant to indicate himself and his whole still-alive thing.

"No; the youngest." Dream crouches, dangles fingertips in the water. "They often feature in the way that perception alters around her."

Hob waits to see if anything further is forthcoming, then tucks that small piece of information away to hopefully be expanded upon at a later date. He's learned much about Dream in the last couple decades by paying attention when these little dribs and drabs of personal information are offered and waiting patiently for the next.

He pauses in his photographing, glances sideways down at his friend. "What do their dreams look like, then? Do fish even sleep?"

"Not as such. Not as humans do." Dream wriggles his fingers, once, the surface rippling gently in their wake. "Their dreams are fleeting, gossamer; ephemeral wisps of comfortable waters, of safety, of plenty." There are fish approaching to nibble at Dream's fingertips, orandas and comets and ryukins; Hob watches for a moment then pulls out his phone and snaps a picture, for himself.

Dream catches the change of equipment, glances up with another of those little smiles—indulgent. Hob snaps again, pleased to have proof of that smile, pleased that Dream is present enough in the Waking today to be captured by the camera.

"Oh, look at this fellow," he says, motioning to a large black moor that is swimming up to investigate Dream's fingertips, and slips his phone back into his pocket.

"A beautiful specimen," Dream allows, holding perfectly still while the fish mouths at one finger and then another. "His color is exquisite."

Hob grins. "Must sense a fellow goth in you." He lifts his work camera again, snaps a few of the lovely black fish after Dream has reclaimed his hand.

"Perhaps." Dream's still got that little smile, and Hob remains absolutely delighted to see it.

"C'mon. Let's go see what Mr. Goldfish-Enthusiast has got in his koi pond, over here."

The rest of the afternoon passes pleasantly, more fish photographed, more stories of Hob's past told. And in his pocket, safe in his phone, there are two new pictures of Dream to remind him of his friend when absences stretch long, as they sometimes must. It is comforting, after everything and all these centuries, to know that he's allowed these mementos. He's confident by now that Dream will always return; they have met more in the last twenty years than in the six hundred before and Hob is elated that the friendship he'd recklessly claimed in 1889 has blossomed so wonderfully in truth.

But it's nice he's got the pictures to prove it.

= Started: 11/21/24 Drafted: 11/29/24 Posted: 11/30/24

[amethystjewel01]

Yuuna Platinum Birthday

Such amazing artworks on display…I hope one day to see my friends here as well!!

Voice Lines

Summon Line: This Museum is like a maze to me, but I'm excited to help around! I'll try my best not to get lost though ehe~

Groovy!: To sacrifice oneself to save another, to me that's the most honorable thing you can do. 

Home: I honestly love these suits, they really make my hair pop! Don't I look handsome?~

Home Idle 1: Hey, this skeleton guy…doesn't he look familiar? Just me? I swear I remember meeting someone like him before…

Home Idle 2: The colors for all of these are breathtaking, it's like staring at something from my childhood! I wonder how my elder sister would see these paintings…

Home Idle 3: Oh! Look at how cute these bunnies are! One looks like it's thumping! I can relate to stomping your foot when mad, t-though I don't do that all the time!

Home Idle [Login]: All of these paintings are exactly like how I've seen them in my dreams…huh? Oh nothing, just talking to myself.

Home Idle [Groovy]: The image of a caregiver trying their best even with their limitations…I feel like I can relate to that. Especially since I feel responsible for Yuuki and Yuuto, like an older sibling.

Home Tap 1: It doesn't seem like this particular area is viewed as often, weird. Must be because they aren't as big as the main seven?

Home Tap 2: Yuuto keeps staring at a particular painting…I think he's seriously contemplating on burning it…yeah we should get him away from that hall!!

Home Tap 3: You know I absolutely love how Briar Valley is depicted within these paintings of the various fae queens and kings. Maybe I could ask Tsunotaro about me coming with him to visit the place?

Home Tap 4: The way most of the guys are evilly smiling at certain paintings is really throwing me off…it’s kind of creeping me out.

Home Tap 5: Honestly, time usually passes by me easily. So seeing the exhibits that show a century of history, it reminds me of my own mortality. Then again I always try to forget since my childhood but sometimes life likes to remind you anyway!

Home Tap [Groovy]: Yuuki doesn't look too happy…was it because of what I said? I meant it 100% seriously. I’ll always use myself as a shield for those I care about!

Duo:

Yuuna: Yuuki! Let’s give them all we got!

Yuuki: No duh Yuuna.

Personal Story

[To be Unlocked Later]

[atamascolily]

Wow, okay, so I was so distracted by Kyubey hiding behind the blades of the fan (not visible in this particular frame) that I didn't notice the... cards? stickers? playbills? whatever the hell these things are attached to the glass, which I have circled in red. They look like the pages from the book of witches elsewhere in the trailer, and while the resolution is not great, you can see what looks like Anthony (rose witch's puffball minion)'s silhouette in the lower left above, and on the left in the book shot.

So what's going on here? I don't know, exactly, but I know I've seen something very much like in the Magia Record anime (also a Doroinu Curry production), in episode 17 where Madoka et. al go to Kamihama and find the emblem of the Magius everywhere.

Interestingly, Madoka uses using her soul gem ring (!!) to examine them by looking through it, which is something I don't think I'd ever seen before.

This scene is somewhat confusing in its framing and there's not much dialogue, so I'd need to rewatch it again to be sure I haven't missed anything, but Homura appears to do the same thing with her glasses, because we see a similar glow and then a shot from what appears to be her POV, showing that the "sticker" is a recruitment poster for the Magius (i.e., the same thing Madoka saw just a moment earlier except that Homura's glasses have a larger field of vision) and which is noticeably absent in any of the wide shots.

Which is really interesting when you remember one of the Clara Dolls doing something similar with a magnifying glass in the Walpurgis no Kaiten trailer.

And while this may or may not be connected with the Clara Doll eye (same lashes) on the air conditioning unit, you gotta wonder what are they looking at, and who might be leaving stickers with hidden messages of witches and familiars scattered around the city in the first place?

Based on what we've seen so far, I think one of the recurring visual motifs of Walpurgis no Kaiten will be "seeing things clearly"--or not, as the case may be--whether through mirrors, magnifying glasses, or directly, which also ties into the reflections/doubles imagery (and from there metaphorically to witches and hidden messages, two other recurring themes of the franchise). It's all connected.

While I have all the images in one place, I'd also like to point out the juxtaposition of fans (spinning circles, another recurring motif). Based on the context clues, the fans in the glass with the witch/familiar stickers are associated with the other Homura, while the fan with the Clara Doll eye and stitched together with pink packing tape and stickers with a goblet representing "fragile, handle with care" represent the original Homura, and their two contrasting systems. Combined with the broken cup on the table in the flooded cafe and the salamander being stabbed, I'm inclined to wonder if another theme at play here is that alterations to the representations of the system reflect the state of the system as a whole, as a visual metaphor for how Homura's (and her competitor(s)'?) world is impacted by events in the film. [Note what appears to be tape on the outside of the glass in the shot of the witch/familiar stickers and the fans, which suggests that doppelganger!Homura has had at least one setback.]

Now, given that metaphors also tend to be literal in Madoka Magica, this suggests that some kind of sympathetic magic is going to be a thing where there's an actual casual relationship between the two, but we'll have to see. This would, however, make the appearance of vandalism, graffiti or unwanted stickers far more intrusive--not just visual clutter on Homura's world, but an active threat to it, in addition to whatever other powers or messages they might carry.

[thistlebriar]

Okay, so, the TADC episode 5 teasers are absolutely crazy so far, and I'm gonna share my thoughts on what I think is going on here.

The theory that I've seen floating around that's closest to my theory is that Caine's trying to please everyone with his latest adventure, but everyone keeps complaining, which causes him to switch the premise of the adventure over and over. My take is similar, but I don't think it's necessarily everyone complaining.

In fact, I think it's just two people: Ragatha and Jax.

Okay so hear me out: In every single episode, we see them arguing with each other, sometimes multiple times in an episode. It's a running joke at this point- Ragatha yells at Jax, Jax denies he did anything, and they argue until one or both gets distracted. Heck, even in their character introductions, they look like they're about to start fighting after Jax trips Ragatha. And, given that this episode and episode 6 are supposed to be their "spotlight episodes", it's not too far fetched to say they'll be fighting a lot- especially since the two sharing their spotlight episodes probably means the episodes will be somewhat focused on their character dynamic. 

Now, lets look at the four adventures we've seen teasers of so far: Safari, Office, Baseball, and now Mafia.

The most obvious pattern I see here is with the first and last: both are violence-based adventures, with Jax front and center for their advertising. The safari one in particular only had Jax in it, except maybe Gangle getting mauled. Office and Baseball on the other hand, both seem to lean towards Ragatha. In the office promotional, Pomni may be the subject of the image, but we can see Ragatha in the background having a great time, in contrast with Pomni. As for baseball, we saw Ragatha try to teach Gangle how to play, so it's not too crazy to suggest that Ragatha might be planning to ask for a ballpark adventure.

In summary, I think the episode will be about the two fighting for control over what the adventure is, since they learned they can get Caine to change the adventure last episode. Given this episode is the "silly before the storm", I predict lots of antics and hijinks coming soon! :] All the negative feedback surely won't be good for Caine, though.

(I also think, in terms of character development, that the most important scene will happen in the baseball stadium setting, just because it's what we've gotten the most foreshadowing for (The shot of the unfinished stadium in that one promotional video, Gangle learning how to play softball). Maybe that's the adventure the two will settle on, or maybe the Big Character Moment like we've had in previous episodes will happen here? (Pomni's talk with Gummigoo, Kinger's talk with Pomni, Pomni helping Gangle and Gangle's scene in the parking lot... Hm, maybe it'll include a heartfelt one-on-one conversation of some kind with Pomni...) My bet's on Ragatha, if we get a Big Character Moment in this one, since the episode spotlight list originally divided her into episode 5 and Jax into episode 6.)

Tl;dr: I think Ragatha and Jax are going to be fighting over the adventure plot the whole time, and Caine will be doing his best to deal with it. I also think the baseball stadium is gonna be important.

[ghostingghostingghosted]

Maybe some one smarter than me already said this, but I think Tobias is following the way of Revelations in how the new Pope's era will unfold.

*Disclaimer: because I wasn't part of the Ghost fandom between Papas 1-3, and I haven't seen RHRN or much or the YouTube clips, take this with a grain of salt. Also if someone else already said/analyzed this, let me know.

*Also the Biblical quotes below come from the King James Bible, whether that's not accurate enough im sorry but idrc, I just needed things to make my point.*

Therefore, this only focuses on Copia and Perpetua as an outsider with limited knowledge on Catholic religion and whatever the hell Ghost has going on.

This is not meant to be taken seriously. Everything in this post is opinion and not factual. This is also not proofread or edited.

Ok, so Copia's themes. When he was a Cardinal, he emphasized disease ("Rats"), and the Plague specifically, as with the title "Dance Macabre."

For those who don't know, the original idea of Danse Macabre is an allegory of death (or personification of it), and the universality of death, much like a Momento Mori: it comes for everyone, king and peasant alike.

Danse Macabre was very popular during the Late Middle Ages. Wonder why? The Bubonic Plague, The Black Death was making its rounds throughout Europe. Anyone who was anyone - and nobodies, too - were dying from the Plague. Now, we look at the title of this album Prequelle (translation: Prequel.)

This obviously hits the mark on two things: the prequel to Copia's ascension to Papacy, and the Prequel to his second albulm (first as Papa), IMPERA.

IMPERA thematically represents the "Rise and fall of empires." This can literally mean what it says, but it can also mean death, too. Empires, much like people, also must remember Momento Mori: that they, too, will also die or "fall"; nothing is meant to last forever. And the people living in these empires experience death as well, whether that be figuratively (their homeland falling into ruin) and literally, as in genocides via war, lack of resources to support the populations of empires or - and stay with me in this - diseases wiping out entire empires.

How does Revelations fit with Copia? Easily we can say he embodies two of the riders of the Apocalypse: Plague (the first horse, originally known as Conquest but was changed over time), and as Death. Why? The beautiful song "Witch Image" (Prequelle album) with the lyric of him being on a pale white horse - Death.

Well, let's look at Revelations 6:7-9 "And now I saw a pale horse, and its rider’s name was Death. And there followed after him another horse whose rider’s name was Hell. They were given control of one-fourth of the earth, to kill with war and famine and disease and wild animals."

Copia fits Plague well for obvious reasons, but we can also fit him in as war/conquest as he, iirc, did kind of overthrow Papa Nihil and his brothers via killing them and becoming Papa IV; killing and overthrowing has historically been viewed as acts of war, so there's that for the bolded statement above. The wild animals part? Hunter's Moon because someone on this site said it was the perfect werewolf song and now it's all I can see when I hear that banger lol.

Anyway, where does Perpetua fit in all of this? Well. As a casual onlooker, all you ever hear about the Apocalypse are the four broken seals and the four riders of the Apocalypse. You never hear about the fifth one in Revelations 6:9-10.

"And when he broke open the fifth seal, I saw an altar, and underneath it all the souls of those who had been martyred for preaching the Word of God and for being faithful in their witnessing. 10 They called loudly to the Lord and said, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge the people of the earth for what they’ve done to us? When will you avenge our blood against those living on the earth?”

I've heard this particular Revelations passage being called, "The Cry of the Martyrs." This relates to Perpetua because many people - or Tobias, I can't figure out who said what or if it's just a fan theory - say this newest Album, SKELETA will focus more on saints and Martyrs and martyrdoms.

Here are now my connections: Papa V Perpetua is the fifth Pope, which shallowly connects him to the fifth seal. The fifth seal in Revelations specifically calls back to everyone who died from the previous broken seal, Seal 4 with Death and Hell following close behind. Those who died in the fifth seal want revenge on those still dwelling on earth.

People have pointed out Papa V Perpetua embodies the other Papa's through the designs in his Papal robe/costume. So that means he's representing or symbolizing the other Papas, who could be defined as Martyrs for "They died preaching the word of (Satan) and being faithful in their witnessing."

Is that why he has a skeleton design? Yes. He is representing the dead. So did all the Papas with their skeleton makeup, right? In a way, yes. But this Papa V is different. Why?

Papa V Perpetua takes on the look of a skeleton. Is he a Momento Mori, death personified? But who for? Copia's MOMENTO MORI personified!!

I think that's why a lot of people are rightly theorizing/predicting a deep connection between Copia and Papa V Perpetua, because there definitely is one.

However, I see the connection through the lenses of Revelations and previous albums: Copia is the rise and glory days of his empire, from being Cardinal to Papa IV to now IF; he's the one who overthrew established tradition and killed his kinsmen, the horseman of conquest/war but mostly disease and death. Perpetua that we've seen so far is the fall of Copia's empire, the phase that comes next in the lifecycle, the revenge of the martyrs, Momento Mori personified.

Anyway, in this post I plan to - jk. Hope those who read this enjoy and engage, I'd love to see everyone else's ideas about the new Ghost era and Papa V Perpetua!