#i have another but it doesnt fit the theme

[cowardlycowboys]

looks at u with sad brown eyes

[fitzrove]

jfkfkdkddk i just realised it's gonna take me a couple months to release my video essay so maybe i'll just blurt out some of my tanz der vampire hot takes now

- ALFRED IS THE MAIN CHARACTER come on you guys,,, you can like and be interested in other characters but it's a problem when the show itself doesn't remember how it was written. The very structure of the show (music, dialogue, plot, scenes) rebels against trying to change this and productions that push him aside just end up jumbled and messy. It's literally a main reason Kunze hated Broadway Tanz

- tied to this, so many people view carpe noctem as this "haha weird random nightmare dance number, guess it was added to pad the runtime" like no... that is literally a way for the show to metaphorically recap and further develop the central themes of the show to the audience at the beginning of act 2... open your eyes...

- I'll take Kunze's "tdv is a musical symbolizing the fall of the berlin wall" (true take of his) over "a longterm relationship with krolock is the ultimate way for sarah to liberate herself" any day. 😭

[marklikely]

misogyny has people in a death grip because how the hell did we end up in a world where people think billy is the most important defining characteristic of a black christmas movie

[trivia-yandere]

omg i really enjoyed nefarious! 😭 jk was so yandere but i loved it! can i request another jk yandere with him wondering why the reader doesnt really like him as much? Thank u if you do!

hello! yes we can! (since you didn't really go into detail, we'll just come up with anything that seems to fit the "yandere" aspect)

this fic is a little (a lot) different than what we usually write in terms of smut - so warnings are of course applied!

the other woman

jungkook decides it's time to take matters into his own hands and figure out how to get you - his sweet, innocent girlfriend, to fuck him.

@sweetempathprunetree @momnomnom @darkuni63

writer: quay

word count: 3.989

warning: yandere/dark themes, non-con aphrodisiac intact, threesome, girl on girl, fingering, oral (m/f receiving), nipple sucking, kissing, jealousy, attempted blackmail, spitting, loss of virginity, scissoring, character death, manipulation,

“An aphrodisiac…?” Jungkook murmurs, a tilt of his head. “Are you sure?”

Mina, your friend, nods with a wide smile. “Y/N’s a little shy, you know? Maybe something like that could help her loosen up.”

Jungkook swallows, he isn’t sure himself. However, Mina was your friend - your best friend and someone you trusted with your life. 

Mina was the reason Jungkook and you met. Mina was someone Jungkook met through mutual friends that oftentimes mingled. The many times he met Mina, he has never seen you all but once - and one time was enough.

You stood out in the loud club, nearly clenching onto Mina like a scared puppy. You were dressed similar to her - tight dress that stopped just below your ass, heels that strapped up to your calves and light makeup. Only, you didn’t appear to be comfortable in what you were wearing like Mina.

Mina had introduced Jungkook to you after noticing the man was lingering. His eyes flickered to you every so often to catch your gaze - he never did. That’s when Mina had nearly pushed you into him, declaring that Jungkook - who she only knew through friends of friends and not personally - was an amazing person to talk to. In hindsight, Mina wanted to party and needed a reason to not have you clenching onto her the entirety of the night,

But Jungkook thanks Mina for allowing him to get to know you. You were closed off, only speaking when spoken to and could never hold his gaze for longer than three seconds. But Jungkook wasn’t phased - he wanted to know you more.

Months of pining and you finally agreed to a date with him. More months of dates and you finally agreed to be his girlfriend.

Now after a year since he first met you, Jungkook notes that you aren’t necessarily a touchy person. You would hug him and hold his hand. You would kiss him when he initiated it - but when it came to sex, you completely shut down. Jungkook was a man, yes, but not an asshole. He wouldn’t force you into anything you weren’t comfortable doing. He loved you enough to wait for when you were ready.

However, it never appeared to be a time you would be. Jungkook enjoyed the steamy makeout sessions - holding you down beneath him, rubbing his clothed cock against you while you were a moaning mess. But how long could he possibly wait when the sounds of your moans were so beautiful? Your skin so soft and your natural scent clogged his nostrils? He wanted nothing more than to have you as his in every way you’d allow him to.

That’s where Mina came in. Mina knew just how innocent and shy you were and she would find him a way to make you feel comfortable.

Jungkook wasn’t expecting an aphrodisiac to be one of them. But Mina was your friend and maybe, just maybe, this is the push you needed. Something to get you aroused enough that you would know he meant no harm when it comes to pleasuring you. Hell - if you would just open your legs and allow Jungkook to taste you, it would be enough for him (for now).

“How about we try tonight?” Mina suggests. “I know you guys have movie nights on Wednesdays.”

Jungkook nods. The both of you were off the following day and that meant that there was no specific time to end it. It was one of Jungkook’s favorite hangouts with you, as cheesy as it was.

“Okay, good.” Mina clicks her tongue. “I’ll come over uninvited,” Mina raises her left hand and does finger quotations. “and that’s when I’ll bring the pill.”

Jungkook swallows. He’s uncertain still but nods nonetheless.

Mina is your best friend and Jungkook could trust her - right?

“You don’t have to drink anymore, Y/N.” Jungkook assures, eyes darting to Mina who rolls her eyes.

“It’s supposed to be a fun night, right, Y/N? Don’t you feel like you’re having fun?”

You nod your head slightly at Mina. You glance at a worried Jungkook and ponder what in the world was going on between the two. Jungkook appeared worried and bothered by something while Mina - typical - had her nonchalant attitude.

“Just one more shot and we’ll go back to the movie, yea?” Mina nods and places a shot into your hands. She told Jungkook that she was going to crush the pill into one of your drinks - this being an alcoholic beverage worries him even more. But Mina assured that everything would be alright.

The shot burns your throat but you manage to not gag. Like promised, the three of you return back to the movie - not something neither you or Jungkook picked. Jungkook tended to go for superhero movies while you stuck to either comedy or the occasional thriller depending on your mood.

Mina chose a comedy - full of sexual acts. She had laid on the other side of your couch while you and Jungkook sat on the opposite end. Her eyes were fixed on the television, possibly working off the amount of alcohol she drank for the little amount of time she’s been here.

Jungkook doesn’t make his move until he notices your legs clench together. The aphrodisiac was working in full effect.

Jungkook doesn’t dive right in. He begins with light touches. His thumb strokes your hand and then he brings it to his lips and places a kiss upon it. He wraps an arm around your shoulders to bring you close to him and he’s kissing your head gently.

Jungkook feels accomplished when you don’t stiffen at his touch. A hand grips your thigh as his lips are kissing upon your neck.

“J-Jungkook.” your stutter causes Jungkook to groan and now bite your neck harshly. You yelp at the sudden action and now Jungkook’s hand dives between your legs fully. You were wearing the shorts you’d usually wear to sleep in - loose fitting that gave easy access. 

“Yes, baby?” Jungkook’s tongue licks your neck as his fingers toy with your clothed clit. He senses that you want to shut down and turn away, but the pleasure is consuming you. 

“I don’t feel…like myself.” you murmur to him, but Jungkook notes that you’re leaning upon him for easier access. “I feel different.”

Jungkook hums, his warm breath tickling your skin that causes goosebumps to litter throughout you. You shiver, unsure of what in the world was happening to you - and why you weren’t cowering away like you usually did when it came to Jungkook’s advances. 

“Do you feel good?” Jungkook asks, his fingers tapping your heat teasingly. Hesitantly, you nod, and Jungkook hums. “Then everything is alright.”

Jungkook plays with the hem of your shorts, finding his way inside of them. You stiffen, breathing hitching. You want to tell him to stop - but there’s no use. Jungkook’s already pushing your panties aside and touching your clit - you’re embarrassed to have him feel how wet you are. 

Your back arches a bit and gently, your eyes close. It felt weird being intimate with Jungkook - you never felt the need to ever go past a makeout session with him. However, it seems as though your body wanted something different.

The movie is nothing but background noise now. You moan - encouraged to do so by Jungkook who is whispering dirty words in your ears. He’s rubbing along onto your clit at a feverish pace that has your legs shaking. His tongue rubs up and down your neck, hell bent on leaving marks to have any and everyone knows that you were his.

“Does it feel good, Y/N?”

Your eyes snap open and in horror, you come face to face with Mina. She’s smiling at you, eyes staring right at your face. You had completely forgotten that she was still in the room - maybe your aroused mind figured (or hoped) that she was asleep.

“It’s okay. You guys don’t have to stop because of me.” Mina assures, flickering her eyes to Jungkook. “I just want to make sure you feel good, right Jungkook?”

Jungkook turns his eyes away from Mina, but nods. He’s unsure what she is doing here now. He no longer needed any assistance from her - he had you where he wanted you. Wet and willing.

“How about I help?” Mina suggests, and before you or Jungkook (especially Jungkook) can protest, Mina is pulling at your tank top. She lifts it over your head, not waiting for your permission. “It’s easier if you get naked.”

Jungkook removes his hands from your shorts and watches intently. He was curious - he was your boyfriend yes, but still a man. Sometimes a little girl on girl did turn him on - and he was interested in seeing how far you’d let Mina go.

Mina had you naked - that’s how far she went. You feel under pressure beneath Jungkook’s hungry gaze and Mina’s. The cool air tickles your shivering skin.

“Why do you look so scared?” Mina giggles and comes closer. “Here,” she lifts her own shirt from her body and hurls it across the living room. She’s left in a lacy red bra that doesn’t remain on. She hurls it in the direction of her shirt. “now we’re both exposed.”

Jungkook watches as your eyes widen at Mina’s exposed state. You lick your lips, legs clenching. 

“You trust me, right, Y/N?” Mina murmurs, crawling towards you. “We’re best friends.”

You nod.

Mina smiles. Her hand places itself on both sides of your face and she kisses your lips. 

Jungkook’s wearing basketball shorts, but even they feel tight. But how couldn’t they be?  You are completely naked while Mina is from the top up. You and her are both breast to breast while kissing. You’re stiff and awkward at first, but soon melt into the kiss. 

Mina sucks onto your tongue, hands roaming your body. She touches your thighs, rubbing up along your hips to your ribs until she reaches your breast. She squeezes them into her palms and giggles when you moan against her lips.

“Have you ever let Jungkook suck them?” Mina murmurs. Her fingers are twisting your nipples gently and you shake your head, growing hot with each passing second. “Come Jungkook. Don’t let me steal all the fun.” 

Mina turns you away from her and towards Jungkook. His eyes are dark and full of lust as he comes closer. The tent in his shorts don’t go unnoticed and without a warning, his lips are on your breast. Mina allows you to lay against her as Jungkook’s tongue swirls onto your nipples.

“Does it feel good?” Mina asks and when you nod, she coos at your cuteness. 

Jungkook suckles and kneed onto your breast as if his life depended on it. He was sure that if this is the farthest you’d be willing to go, that it’d be okay because he had the chance to taste a part of you he never had before. 

You’re leaking onto Jungkook’s couch, but neither you, Jungkook or Mina appeared to care. While Jungkook sucks on your breast, Mina’s hands are rubbing along your skin. She’s gentle and soothing, as if couching you through your intimacy. Her hands reach lower and lower, lips kissing the nape of your neck gently. 

“You’re wet, Y/N.” she murmurs against your skin. Her fingers are sliding along your clit, rubbing in an antagonizing slow motion. You gasp, legs widening as she continues. You were being overstimulated - never having two people dote on you at once on such sensitive areas of your body. 

“We need to pleasure Jungkook now.”

Upon hearing his name, Jungkook glances upwards. His tongue flickers onto your nipple slowly as he listens to Mina speak. 

“Have you ever given him a blow job?”

Mina knows the answer, but she has to be slow with you. You were a virgin, after all. Far too scared to give yourself to anyone and as your best friend, she’d help you through it. Sure it was taboo - but what were friends for?

“Sit back, Jungkook.” Mina says, and with a pop of your nipple from his lips, Jungkook sits back against the head of the couch eagerly. “Y/N, crawl towards Jungkook.”

Jungkook’s breath hitched at the sight of you. You were so obedient and cute. You sit between his legs, hot with embarrassment. Your ass arched in the air and he finds it hard where to set his eyes.

“Touch him. Take his cock out.” Mina giggles again. 

With shaky hands, you do as you’re told. You never touched Jungkook like this before and the intimacy is all too foreign to you.

Jungkook licks his lips when you take his cock out. Your hands are soft and your grip is firm, but he can still sense your hesitation. It’s long and girthy, veins pulsing with a tip that reminds you of a lollipop - so flush and red.

Mina wraps her hand around yours. She guides you through it. She tightens your grip over his cock and begins to thrust upwards until you establish it.

Jungkook widens his legs with a deep moan. His head pushes back against his couch cushions.

“Spit on the tip.”

You yelp, taken aback by her request. But Jungkook doesn’t go to protest Mina’s words. You do as you’re told, the salvia sliding down the base of length.

Now pump him a little faster.

Mina encourages you to do so, hand gently rubbing your ass. You do as you’re told once more, eyes widen with fascination that Jungkook was a stuttering and moaning mess beneath you. 

“Okay, now bring him into your mouth and begin to suck.” Mina murmurs behind you. Her hands were beginning to roam between your legs once more, two of her fingers rubbing your clit. “Start with the tip first until you get comfortable. Work your way down so you can take him fully.”

Jungkook feels his toes curling at the sensation of your wet and warm mouth. You do exactly as Mina says and twirl your tongue onto the base of his cock. It’s salty due to the pre-cum, but you find yourself actually enjoying this part.

You jump upon feeling a sensation between your legs. Mina’s tongue laps between your folds, causing your thighs to shake. You were new to this, so any form of intimacy was mind-blowing. 

Jungkook’s breathing heavy, moaning loudly when you attempt to take him entirely into your mouth. You bob your head just as his eyes flicker open to watch you - your eyes are filled with lust just as his ares and he knows the aphrodisiac is working wonders. His eyes catch Mina behind you and he knows that he won’t last long at the sight of both of you.

“I’m gonna cum, baby.” Jungkook pants, hand grasping your head to push you down onto his cock. You gag, tears pricking the corners of your eyes at his sudden thrusts.

Mina makes it her mission to assure that you cum along with Jungkook. She suckles onto your wet clit feverishly, head bobbing side to side while her tongue remains flat against it. Her free hands rub your ass to encourage you to do so.

Your thighs shake and you feel yourself coming undone, abdomen churning with an unfamiliar feeling. 

Your moaning sends Jungkook over the edge, your throat vibrating aggressively - Mina was making you cum and in return, you were doing the same.

Jungkook pulls out of your mouth to allow you to breathe. He wasn’t going to cum like this - no, it needed to be inside of you. He waited this long. You were nearly dripping all over Mina’s face and that should be him, but he wouldn’t complain.

“Are you ready to fuck her?” Mina asks, lifting herself from between your legs.

Jungkook nods hastily. 

Mina smiles and quickly, she pulls you back against her once more. “Open your legs, Y/N. Don’t be scared.”

Mina holds both of your legs apart and Jungkook swears that he could die with the sight of you. You’re so wet - dripping - and inviting. Your walls clench around nothing and though your eyes are frightened, there’s still a tint of lust laced in them.

“Come on Jungkook. It’s okay.” Mina encourages.

Mina lowers herself to look at you. She kisses your lips just as Jungkook begins to enter you. Your breathing hitches, but Mina doesn’t let go of your lips. You were a virgin and eventually needed to get over this. Jungkook was the perfect person to do this with. He was your boyfriend and seemingly loved you. He waited for you patiently, after all.

“I-It’s too much.” you murmur to Mina, but she shushes you. 

“She can take it, Jungkook.” Mina says to him and your eyes widen. Mina’s head was blocking Jungnkook’s view of your eyes, so he cannot see the frightened expression.

Jungkook’s pace quickens, thrusting deeply inside of you. Your eyes snap shut and when you’re about to scream at the pain, Mina places her lips upon you once more.

Your walls feel so heavenly around Jungkook that he doesn’t want to stop. You felt wonderful, just how he knew you would. So tight and warm - pussy made just for him.

Mina places her fingers upon your clit and rubs, attempting to calm you down and add your own pleasure while you are dealing with being stretched out. 

“Doesn’t it feel good, Y/N?” Mina says. It’s been five minutes of nonstop thrusting. Your thighs were being clenched by Jungkook’s embrace, surely leaving a mark. The sound of skin slapping echoes off of his living room walls, the credits of the movie now rolling in the background. 

Your eyes open only slightly. Mina’s finger quickens and you moan in response. The overstimulation has you cumming quickly, juices flowing out to coat Jungkook’s abdomen.

“She loves your cock, Jungkook!” Mina cackles, leaning back to finally have Jungkook see just how fucked out you were. Your eyes were unfocused and you laid limp upon Mina. She offers Jungkook an encouraging smile. “Cum inside of her like you wanted.”

Jungkook grunts. He leans down and places his forehead against yours, lips catching your own in a quick peck. “I love you so much, Y/N.” he whispers, thrust going sloppy as he was about to cum soon. He was overwhelmed with emotion - he finally had you wrapped around him. You and he were perfect for one another - you fit together like a perfect puzzle piece.

Jungkook cums deep inside of you, twitching and panting. He litters kisses against your face and remains still until he goes flaccid.

“I think you should start a shower.” Mina says after a moment. “You and her should get cleaned.”

Jungkook nods. He kisses your lips once more before removing himself from the top of you. 

“I’ll tell Y/N you drugged her.” Mina leans against the bathroom door with crossed arms. “Isn’t that…rape then?”

Jungkook swallows thickly. “It was your idea.” he hisses to Mina. 

“Yeah.” Mina laughs. “But who do you think she’d believe? She loves me.”

She loves me.

She loves me.

She loves me.

You loved her - Mina.

Jungkook understood now why you acted the way you have the entirety of the time he knew you. The two of you grew a bond, more of an emotional one. You relied on him with your feelings and vice versa, but you didn’t see him in the way you saw Mina. You loved Mina - saw her as the light of your life and someone you’d do anything for - be anything for.

Jungkook had walked in on the two of you. He felt as if he was intruding in his own home - but you didn’t know he was there. You were wrapped in a hug with Mina, so tightly that Jungkook couldn’t help but feel a jolt in his heart. The moment appeared intimate when the both of you kissed, naked bodies against one another.

Mina had locked eyes with Jungkook when she laid you down, legs wide. She had rubbed her own clit against yours, her eyes never leaving Jungkooks.

Your moans were louder with Mina - you were more vocal. It was as if you forgot he existed all together - that you weren’t in his home. 

You touched Mina without having her to tell you. Your hands roamed her body, clenching her breast. 

You spoke - and your words were what broke Jungkook. 

“I love you, Mina.” you had said. 

You never told Jungkook you loved him - not even back to him when he had confessed to you.

“She wouldn’t believe me.” Jungkook murmurs and Mina nods her head with a wide grin.

Mina had followed Jungkook into the restroom once you had come again, this time succumbing to slumber. She had dropped to her knees and prepared herself for him when he pushed her away. 

“You had no true intentions of helping me.” Jungkook spits. 

“I did.” Mina protests. “And you got what you wanted.”

Jungkook is taken aback by Mina’s tone. “I don’t just want sex with Y/N. I actually love her!” he hisses. He came to Mina for advice, not expecting to hear it. He should have never gone through with the aphrodisiac - what if you regret what happens when it wore off? The thought of him betraying you like this makes his heart hurt. 

Jungkook doesn’t want to lose you.

“You could have told me no.” Mina shrugs. Jungkook is in disbelief - she appears as if she doesn’t care. “But you didn’t. That makes you just as fucked up as me.”

Mina comes closer - still naked - and places a hand on his chest. 

“I won’t tell Y/N. I just want you to fuck me like you did her.” Mina speaks nonchalantly. “It shouldn’t be-”

Jungkook places both hands on Mina’s neck, her head slamming against the door of his bathroom.

Mina struggles, eyes wide with shock. Jungkook’s grip was tight and she found it hard to breathe.

“J-Jung-K-K-”

Jungkook squeezes harder, eyes hard and determined.

Jungkook loves you. He wasn’t going to allow Mina to ruin what you and he had - he could forgive you. You could grow to love him like he has for you. Once Mina was out the way then there wouldn't be anyone for you to love.

Jungkook was doing this for you. He had to rid your life of such evil. Mina wasn’t a friend to you - you were just a pawn in her game. She wanted him and used you to do so - and he allowed it. He would atone for his sins - but for now, he had to get rid of the biggest sinner there was.

Jungkook drops Mina,  lifeless body hitting the ground with a loud thump. He releases a deep sigh. Jungkook had to get rid of Mina - maybe his backyard would have to do. He was planning on renovating the property anyways and adding a deck.

Jungkook shushes you, hand stroking your back soothingly. “It’s nothing you did, Y/N.”

You shake your head, eyes wide with tears. “B-But…”

Jungkook shushes you once more.

It was now the next day and laid beside you was your cell phone, multiple texts from Mina displayed on it.

Mina 🥰: sorry I didn’t stay.

Mina 🥰: i don’t think I can forget what happened. I was drunk.

Mina 🥰: things are…awkward now for me. I’ll be keeping my distance from now on

Mina 🥰: don’t blame yourself. i just need some time to think things through

Jungkook inhales your scent and smiles to himself. 

Now he truly had you all to himself, and even if you didn’t love him now then it would be okay. You would grow to love him now that there was no competition in his way. Once you realized that Mina had abandoned you, who else could you possibly run to?

[uriekukistan]

i wanna talk about this thing gege said

i’ve seen a lot of people saying that this is a bad way to write a story, and i couldnt disagree more. from a writer’s perspective, there is no reason to kill off a character if it’s not going to have impact.

in any case, i think this reaction points out two things i’ve noticed about the jjk fandom.

i. jjk fans prioritize enjoyment of characters over the plot

which is fine, i guess. i’m not gonna begrudge any readers the space to enjoy their fav characters. however, what i disagree with is the constant trashing of gege and jjk as a story because the narrative doesnt treat the characters as you want it to.

i mostly talk about these things from the perspective of someone who has been writing for a while, so i will take a second to acknowledge from the reader perspective. it’s easy to get attached to characters and see them as real people in your life.

but they arent real people. they only exist for the author’s intentions. every time i see someone complain that “x character only died because plot” i just think “yes?” characters exist for the plot. they exist to serve the narrative. they live and die for the plot, and that isn’t a bad thing. this is a story. that is how stories work.

with characters like gojo or choso, it’s easy to look back and see their character arcs and how their ends fit their purpose in the story, but i think people get so caught up in wanting to fuck the character, or fanon, that they forget their original purpose is to do what gege wants them to do.

this is a war against the most powerful, most evil sorcerer in history. of course characters are going to die, and of course it’s going to be characters we love. it’s honestly unrealistic to expect anything else.

and i think it’s really disrespectful to say so many rude things to gege because he is thinking about the story he wants to tell, and not the story that best suits your favorite character.

ii. few people want to feel anything from what they’re reading anymore

which again, is totally fine, but maybe read something else?

tragic stories have existed and enjoyed immense popularity for millennia. and theres nothing wrong with that. there’s nothing wrong with authors intentionally stirring up their readers’ emotions.

i wanna bring attention to the origins of the words “tragedy” and “catharsis”

“tragedy” is a genre that stems from greek drama based on human suffering and the terrible or sorrowful events that befall the main character. the intention of of tragedy is to invoke “catharsis”

“catharsis” is commonly used to refer to the purification of thoughts and emotions by way of expressing them. in terms of tragedy, this refers to arousing a negative emotion with the intention of expelling it so the audience can walk away feeling relieved.

for all intents and purposes, jjk is a tragedy. it’s meant to make you feel sad. that’s gege’s intention. yet every time people feel upset by a specific event, they call “bad writing.” if anything, according to what jjk is, it’s good writing if you feel sad.

i have seen some people say that jjk wasn’t set up this way, and i disagree so strongly that it’s hard to comprehend.

jjk0 ends with gojo having to kill his best friend, his one and only. tragedy. yuuta’s story is tragic too, having cursed rika and accidentally isolated himself just because he didn’t want her to die.

jjk starts with yuuji faced with execution just because because he wanted to honor his grandfather’s dying wishes. within a handful of chapters, there’s yuuji’s “death” and junpei, and there’s a clear set up of tragedy and repeated loss, despite characters giving their best effort.

i could get into how this relates to my interpretation of the themes of jjk, and sharing burden/responsibility to be stronger together, but that’s another point.

tldr; the point of this post is to say that gege killing characters and making readers feel sad is not bad writing or a bad narrative choice. it’s true to his intentions and the essence of jjk. if you don’t like that, then don’t read. but there’s no reason to disrespect gege and his hard work just because it’s not your cup of tea

[witchygod]

Thinking about Kenji Sato Flanderization

I think certain scene with Kenji certainly stood out out about Kenji for fans, particularly the "do my own thing" and "I know it's been a long year but you got me now" scenes and I've noticed a trend where Kenji is characterized as well honestly a bit of an asshole, sometimes to an unlikable degree so let's talk about it.

I also think these scenes have paid into some instances of flanderization of Kenji's character. Yes he's a bit arrogant and witty but he's not as egotistical as everyone thinks- he's certainly not as RUDE as everyone seems to perceive him though he does have a temper. It should be noted his temper only seems to come through when he's extremely stressed or on the field- in conflict. He's very graceful in how he handles Ami's questions as wel. He only gets snarky with his coach because his coach approached him first with abundant hostility which I'm gonna be real- not the kind of behavior that is ideal, one could argue he was trying to weigh Kenji's value but with the context of Kenji being a world series player in America this is value as an athlete that should be proven already, if he's concerned about Kenji's arrogance that'd be another thing and while that's certainly AN issue but he admits it plainly what it is 'this is Japanese baseball not American' and Kenji responding to that with a bit of disrespect is extremely fair- and coming from his coach it very much paints the tone of how he's gonna be interacting with his teammates.

A large part of Kenji's rudeness is a direct result of hostility or an active defense from either invasive questions perceived attacks on how 'japanese he is'. This is not a subtle sub theme of his character mind you- he straight up admits to Ami that the reason he 'doesnt give a shit' is because he had to learn to because he was always being judged for being Japanese in America.

Let's not get it wrong though- Kenji is arrogant and egotistical because seriously who gives out their autograph without being prompted. These are some traits, but he's not entirely up his own ass, and he's not rude (Mama Sato raised a very good boy... Ultradad helped too) . Aside from when he was pissy with her for asking some extremely personal questions off the back at a press event- Kenji is extremely respectful of Ami, he makes sure to remember the reporters by their names not publicist and while he's not humble he's very sociable. Hell he's even polite talking to the Kaiju- actively taking a gentler tone of voice with Gigantron despite his frustrations (and increasing panic over the fact the KDF is going to kill her and he can't figure out how to stop it)- he's snarky with Mina but even then he isn't entirely dismissive of her, honestly he treats an AI more like family than a servant which is a big difference in attitude than most egotistical superheroes with ai companions.

Kenji is not the sort to be a womanizer hell he doesn't even seem the sort to attend parties unless he's forced to, it's pretty clear he's a bit of a loner- this is evident as much as there is never a mention to him missing his teammates in America and the fact the only person he has to talk to in Japan aside from his father is an acquaintance he's not even certain won't publish his personal conversations with. (She won't because she's a fucking professional with ethics which is also the reason that she's not a love interest God bless I love you Ami💕) He's overwhelmed by relearning how to fit in to Japan, dealing with the xenophobia,adjusting to the new culture of baseball become Ultraman deal with his daddy issues and mourning the disappearance of his mother- all things that heavily influence his attitude and a lot of times seem to be overlooked by people.

We take away one or two of those stressors Kenji goes from snarky and arrogant to a whole lot more sociable and pleasant. He's at his core a sensitive and confident individual who's just really passionate about baseball. He's kind enjoys teaching others about his special interest and is charismatic and bold despite being prone to holding people at arms length. Which is fair because he has a lot of dangerous secrets.

In short Kenji Sato is just a Mama's boy girl(jk)

In short Kenji Sato is a pretty complex character who suffers from a decent amount of emotional constipation and just straight up having no friends. He's respectful and kind and a bit sensitive which can make him seem pretty temperamental and he's prone to pushing people away at the first sign of hostility or when they overstep his boundaries. He's extremely stressed throughout the movie and adjusting to a lot of NEW, and the KDF/Kaiju trying to get chunks out of him and the pretty blatant xenophobia from the baseball scene (ill justified by him playing badly :/) doesn't help.

I also didn't mention much of his reluctance to being a hero and his irresponsibility to the role initially I realized and I think that should be its own subject because what's going on there is less a personality thing and more.... Directly correspondent to his relationship with his father, and the fact he was GROSSLY unprepared for the role. But I do want to note that his sense of responsibility is a lot stronger than people think because it doesn't really take a lot to convince him to do the right thing after Nobiranga's death. If he was still prone to inaction after this event I'd chalk it up to a personality defect but no he's pretty quick to make more of an effort as Ultraman after this, he saw the consequences of his actions and while he's gonna whine about it he does what he has to.

I may also go on a Rant Rant later about his coach and how the next movie really needs to try to save his character because he's shit at his job....

[fev3rish]

hellaur wife kenji sato fic and acc recs PLEASE MWAH MWAH MWAH 🤗🤗🤗

VIC’S FAVS ! kenji sato x reader

hiiii wifey<3 i know exactly who sent this. she’s a newer addition to the fandom and it is my duty to help her adjust 😇 this is a complete YAPATHON. by the way. i LOVE using any given oppurtunity i have to compliment writers because it’s like a win win situation to me. i get noticed by a cool writer and the writer knows someone enjoys their work like what thats so coolio

overall recommendations . . .

@luneariaa -> stepping into her account is like stepping into another dimension. i remember skimming through the kenji sato x reader tag while i was first settling into the fandom—before i was a writer myself—and they were one of the first writers i saw. their whole aesthetic and the way they format their writing, the way they write in general, is so beautiful and she’s such an underrated writer in the community! im also obsessed with their account theme it’s like a living visual stimboard on my phone. how do u do those silly little gif videos bby. im like one of ur biggest fans please notice me oh mg god pls PLEASE NOTICE ME PLEASE HAVE DINNER EITH ME PLEASE PLEASE (does a handstand) PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

@yzzart -> my inspiration hello 🙏 she’s the reason i actually started writing for ultraman! her kenji boyfriend headcanons were the first things that caught my attention, and it sparked a bunch of will to write in me. she lowkey got me out of a writing block that lasted almost one year and im forever thankful for her beautiful existence 💗 her usage of vocabulary is IMPRESSIVE. i don’t usually have to google the meanings of words but the first time i ever did was when i read her writing and i mean that in the most positive way possible. it is ALWAYS a green flag when a writer uses big words and uses them right. her writing prowess is EVIDENT. and she deserves every nice word people say about her she is such a GORGEOUS girl

@reyalvr -> my friend who doesnt know shes my friend btw. we both went through the avatar -> ultraman pipeline and i think its so funny ?? i distinctly remember reading her ao’nung fics and eating them up ALL the time. when i discovered her again, i was like “oh! that username seems familiar?” and it’s kind of peculiar because while i do remember reading her writing back when i was still @/victoirey, and enjoying it because she devoured everytime, i don’t know if she’s had the same username for like forever? i digress! whatever it is, her writing always has me hooked. like i physically CANNOT stop reading. it put me in this trance like state and im like so “woah!” when i experience it because usually i can’t sit still. she deserves all the hype shes gotten; her writing is the closest thing to perfect, everything about it is entrancing. from the storyline to the dialogue, it all just falls into place. the only thing that isn’t perfect, is the fact that it ends. like why cant u just like write forever boo… come on😡💗

@mitskicain -> i have her most recent works in my read later list. her previous twoshot lowkey had me all giggly! i kicked my feet while reading and i accidentally stubbed my toe onto the nearby table but the story was so great it quelled my pain immediately. she’s such a good writer and i LOVE her characterization of kenji like it genuinely makes me blush so hard. also her username? is that a reference to ethel cain in it? …if u see this, i love ethel cain. my fav song is unpunishable. ure so cool. also her blog is like so … how do i say, like organized? like she has a way of making everything fit and fall into place . literally even if its a MEME. she’ll make it fall into place because thats judt how skilled she is. also batter up is such a clever name idk why im so impressed whenever i see it on ur blog im like “woh. batter up….. name nice. i love the name kween” but overall shes SO FUCKING GOOOOOOD AUFH

my fav fics . . .

ultraman, ultrafine, ultramine ; “kenji sato, the man that you are.” / WORD? i fucking love this twoshot its so GOD ugh i gush everytime i read it user mitskicain you are so GOOD

cutely written by @mitskicain

when i was led to you … ; “kenji could get used to his routine, but, only with you by his side.” / grrrrrr grrrrr i 😡😡😡 punchign wall!!1! so good. always so good ysa

gorgeously written by @yzzart

she’s mine ; “catch me, i’ve fallen in love for the first time.” / me after entering the kenji sato characterization competition, seeing user reyalvr and user mitskicain: 🚪🚶‍♀️ so FUCKING YUMMY

extraordinarily written by @reyalvr

piece of art ; aka kenji and u go to the museum / my honest reaction:

flawlessly written by @luneariaa

mommys here ; reader takes the role of pretty baby emi’s mother🥺 / i haven’t read this in full yet, but from the first few paragraphs i already know its a good story!! I am literally so attracted to this authors writing style for some reason like wow…. beautifully written by @kiwiikato

kenji & baseball!critic reader ; okay so its not really a fic think of it as me recommending you a trailer for a movie im really excited to see because i LURK. and I LURK ON THIS BABES ACCOUNT AND IM READIN WHEN U LEAST EXPECT IT 👀 writing style is flawless, by the way, baby. you’re such a starling .

wonderfully written by @rieamena

labor of love ; I FUCKING LOVE KENJI SATO AUTHORS😭😭/ read this today and i went 🙏 . my hands clasped together in prayer. literally thank you god. i love this so much. spectacularly written by @jinwoosungs

that’s it from me my loves, if you actually did read this—thank you? that’s sweet? gimme a big ol kiss? and i hope you know that whether or not you’re on this list literally all you need to do if you want to get your works out there is send me an ASK and i will literally edit this post and add my fav work from you i will literally do it. to the authors i included and to the others i didn’t, your efforts are seen and appreciated. i know it is hard to write stories and it is so impressive that you’ve written in the first place. you are all so talented, and i just wanted to remind you of that fact<3

💋 kisses, v <3

[where-does-the-heart-lie]

A humble art study of this scene:

Additional design comments 👇

So like. Rebecca’s design is crazy. She has a little too much trust in… everything she’s wearing. I honestly dont mind her being so skimpy, i think it fits her narrative that shes being treated like basically dirt and she has the shittiest armor they could give her without her being straight up naked. But like,,, she can wear at least a little bit of fabric, right? And the armor she has doesnt really protect her most vital organ (heart), which is pretty much the point of armor, but i also understand the sentiment of not wanting any of her totties sliced clean off in battle. She has different priorities than i do and that is very evident, but i still wanted her to have just a liiitttle more coverage.

I thought a top like this would be pretty cute on her. Its got the gold, its covering her heart(kinda), it’ll show off the totties, and as an added bonus it’s only $9.99 on SHIEN’s website so it’s of little cost to the colosseum, and it also follows their theme of exploiting workers so double win for them. I like to think that a top like this was just a piece of scrap chain mail of another set of armor, like an arm pad or something, that she repurposed as her top.

Moving over to the pose:

Im so proud of this pose and i really wouldnt have done it without this website i used 👇

I love making striking poses like this in my art so I’m ecstatic that it came out so well! I didn’t expect to have so much fun making the poses either but it was a swell time!

That’s all, thanks for reading!

[imustbenuts]

theres a few ??? thing going on in trigun stampede that's explicitly japanese/sino-ish in culture but im entirely not sure what to make of it. 3 things.

Knives' birthname being settled as Kni/Nai,

JuLai's emblem symbolism,

and the Buddha Thread??? thing in ep 11 10

Knives' birthname is Kni and hm! ...無い?

this is specifically a stampede thing. nightow didnt give him this Kni name in his work, so i can only chalk this up to the stampede staff's deliberate decision. if you render it into japanese, it'd be Nai, and the immediate word i can think of is... 無い. meaning, Nothing, or Without.

it fits rather well considering stampede has officially placed an emphasis on his obsessive love towards his brother on his bio on their official site:

my TL:

Vash's twin brother. Possesses a cold and merciless personality. Filled with a hatred for humans, he masterminds an organization with a plan to massacre the entire human species. With abilities beyond human understanding, he has the power to destroy entire planets. He greatly loves his only younger twin brother, Vash to an obsessive degree.

interestingly, the word used for the obsessive love here specifically is 執着 shuuchaku, which has roots/association with the word Abhinivesha. from what i understand it is a mental state, a fear of death, and a desperation to cling onto life so much one becomes ignorant and causes their own suffering. and ignorance is another big core of what makes Knives' character tick.

so i feel like this has some pointers towards Knives, or even child Kni being nothing without his younger brother. (or it could just be a simpler play on the word naive lmao)

meanwhile for Vash there's not really anything japanese that jumps out at me, but some have pointed out his name sounds like the french word Vashe, used for female cattle. extremely passive and born for consumption and theres a lot to dissect in that direction but im not going there! his name is Knife and his brother is a cattle there's catholicism may your brain go brr.

theres more to the nothingness concept in buddhism that doesnt put it squarely in a negative category but lets talk about buddhism later. next:

JuLai's emblem

stared at this for a few seconds and yelled fuck me. this represents the twins, AND its the broken yin yang symbol:

:). hey look at that female thing popping up again--

Knives is evidently the light Yang, and Vash is the dark Yin. ngl this daoist thing is somewhat sexist but lets brush that over 2 thousand year old aspect aside for this post. for stampede's case we can clearly see what theming is going on especially for those in the know of the original work.

Knives is hella assertive to the point of echoing fascist eugenics nonsense, and Vash has that nurturing instinct that seems to pop in whenever there's a human child or people who needs help.

interestingly the planet No Man's Land has too much fugging sun and is too hostile for human life. to survive people have to live in the shade and turn to plants for counters to the harsh, hot celestial sun. so here if Knives is being the sun, hes also being hostile to human life, and meanwhile the feminine looking plants and Vash's personality plus actions are the only thing giving these people at chance at life. (also vash has the power of Dark Matter or something)

obviously, just like JuLai's broken symbol, the balance is completely and utterly out of whack. in daoism a broken balance is thought to cause a lot of suffering. in the finale, Vash doesnt have a single speck of white on him, and Knives doesn't have a single speck of black. this means there isn't a balance and they cant come to an agreement at all.

im gonna also point out here that vash's idea of co-existence even if accepted wouldnt be a permanent solution due to the dependents having limited lifespan. so through this lens, stampede seems to be saying that neither twin's ideas are really effective long term solution, tho Knives is completely unacceptable due to obvious genocidal reasons.

Buddha Thread

studio orange whaaat are you guys cooking over there... ok so. in ep 11, Knives drops Vash into the uhhh The Hell Pool, and Vash tries to get out of it with his wire and hangs for a bit. then we get a scene like this:

Knives proceeds to cut Vash's thread and he drops into The Hell Pool. and then the metaphorical SA scene happens.

i call it Buddha Thread but this can also be known as The Spider's Thread. there exists a story of The Spider's Thread that's very Japanese-Buddhist and well known over there.

the gist of this story is that Buddha lowers a single spider thread to a sinner in the deepest hell as a lifeline to get out, bc this heavy sinner had done a singular good deed of saving a spider he was about to crush with his foot. however, the thread is broken as a result of the sinner's selfishness yelling for the other sinners below him to let go, claiming this thread was his and his alone. the sinner having climbed halfway upwards the thread after great effort plunges back into the pits of hell. buddha having watched all of this reacts with sadness, and the days in paradise carry on as per usual.

and. digest that for a second. and then refer back to Knives and The Fall and this scene that plays later, when Vash's mind wipe begins proper:

fuck. me. knives is framed as a self proclaimed god in the loudest ways on multiple levels.

while these 3 aspect i just broke down explaining do not exist at least overtly in the original trigun, i thought it would be interesting to chew on in light of the overwhelming catholicism existing in the story.

there's some themes im also picking up from the original trigun that might be rooted in either buddhsim or japanese culture such as: the undeniable truth that yearning and hunger is part of the human living experience and to deny it is to deny living. but im not sure what to make of it bc A) not explicitly framed or explored as a buddhsim/japanese idea thing and B) catholicsm obv is the overwhelming theme of the entire work

idk what the heck studio orange is cooking exactly but. hm.

[cloudluvrrr]

what brings you here?

—18th century france brainrot

a/n: these r headcanons + drabbles :P doesnt make sense but hope u like it :D

-- neuvillette x heir(ess) reader (implied fem reader bc i love poofy dresses and accessories)

Souce d'espoir - Miharu Koshi ⋆ ˚｡

You were the heir of your familes fortune, their only child. Part of one of the big noble families in france.

Neuvillette is a politician, who spends most of his time away in his office. But somehow you two found each other and were to be wed.

-

-It benefitted both families so your family agreed.

-it took you awhile, you wanted to court a prince your age from another kingdom. Yet your family found him, of course it was terrible the first few times you'd met. Either refusing to see him altogether or just ignoring him. Eventually you warmed up to him, yet he was always loving towards you.

-he often sends you flowers from across the seas, dresses of the newest fashion, heels, anything you desire.

-

in your room as your maids tied up your corset and brushed your hair, eventually hearing a knock.

Your head perked up at the sound, "let them in". Your maids obeyed letting in your lover, as her smile widened. "what are you doing here?" you asked as your maids left you two alone. "and what have you got there?" you asked once more in a curious tone as he handed you a small box, "its a surprise for you".

It was of course a new broach with a small smile you placed it in the center of your dress. "You know me so well..." you admired the delicate broach in the mirror, as he took the laces to your corset. "may I?" he asked "oh! of course it slipped my mind" you nodded. Looking into the intricate mirror as he focused on lacing your corset.

"what brings out of your office neuvillette"

"you of course, why else?" he utters with a small chuckle kissing your bare shoulder.

"Wanted to see me before the party?"

"I wanted to make sure you wore the dress I'd imported" he replied in an amused tone, delicately lacing the dress.

"How could I not? it fits the theme perfectly" you say looking into the mirror, looking over at him "and your wearing the tie i got you" you added with a smile

"we're matching" he whispered kissing you.

-

-there are many tea parties, and extravagant parties celebrating your proposal and marriage.

-during those parties he'd often sneak you away to your private gardens.

-

Your arm around his elbow as you two walked in a comfortable silence around the moonlit garden. "Don't you think the parties are a little much Sir-" you stop yourself, you often have to remind yourself to not address him formally from now. He was your fiancé now "..neuvillette" you finish sheepishly looking away. He gave a chuckle and gently brought your gaze back to him "you forget don't you?"

"sometimes"

"more like all the time beloved"

"hush" you say with a small laugh as you hug his arm

"anything interesting today? Besides our marriage of course"

you ask, both of you coming to a stop at a small secluded area. "Not much, much of the politics are the same with the queen and all" he replied sitting beside you on the bench and admiring your features, as you settle your gaze onto the small pond with lilies delicately floating a top. "I see" you nod slowly as you played with the small ring on your finger. "nothing to worry your pretty little head about darling" he whispered against your outer ear, placing a gentle kiss on it. As you slightly flinch away "it tickles" you say slightly giggling

"does it?" he asked tilting his head and gently tracing the shape of your ear as you giggle moving away, and he continues to tease you until the party ended.

--

-he'd paid for the entire wedding, letting you have the wedding of your dreams. In return for perhaps not marrying the man of your dreams.

--

"you like this one" he asked in thought admiring the ring you'd chosen, for him to place on your finger on your special day.

"yes, its simple. Sapphires, on silver... Simple yet elegant.. It reminds me of you"

you said to yourself with a smile, comparing the ring to his clothes.

"is that all you think of me? Blue and silver beloved? Not a political figure, who can dictate your life? A simple man?" he asked taking the ring from you

"when you put it that wa-" you begin before he interrupts gently takes your chin and kisses your lips.

"if thats how you see me I don't quite mind"

--

-A year had passed since the announcement of your wedding, and now that day had passed. Your family had reserved a get away for you two, well they lent you their summer house for the next two weeks.

--

"Never thought i'd fall in love with you"

he'd looked up from his paper work, removing his reading glasses "what?"

"I wanted to choose my lover, not for my parents too. Yet here I am"

a small sigh coming from your lips as you face him. "I'm glad its you"

he gets up to stand by your side to admire the lake, as he pecked your lips.

"Was it my gifts that convinced you?"

"part of it" you laugh hugging his side and admiring the view, and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. And you wouldnt have it any other way.

-

Fun fact I never got past the raiden shogun fight in genshin BUT GYAT DAMN NEUVILLETTE 😍😍😍‼️‼️ i was inspired BY THIS ARTIST ON TWTIWER i love their art its so yummy. i dont play genshin anymore but OH MY GOD 😔😔😔 i had to whip out the wiki. ALSO I MADE IT AESTHETICC now i gotta edit all my dumb posts ugh

might expand on this idea pookies :P but hope u liked it <333

-- 💫

[puppyboymikeyway]

little mcr things in songs that i would drop to my knees for

THE GUITAR AT THE BEGINNING OF DISENCHANTED

ITS SO SWEET

'GET. UP. COWARD.'

'run run bunny run' in scarecrow and how it gradually gets louder until gerard is yelling

UHM?? MIKEYS LITTLE 'FUCKIN READY' IN VAMPIRE MONEY?? LIKE BBG PLEASE GIVE US MORE??

the start of kiss the ring?? like?? perfection??

the sweet little guitar part in demolition lovers at the start like go ray! play your silly little riff!

the bassline to planetary(go!)(i have never once called this song just 'planetary'. its always been planetary go to me) is super funky and i absolutely love it. and i remember mikey saying how that was the hardest bassline that hes played or stage or smt like that<3

THE SILLY LITTLE COWBOY THEME AT THE START OF HANG EM HIGH?? LIKE?? I LOVE IT BUT WHY??

that silly riff during dead! that sounds like woody the woodpecker

8 bitter years - 9 bitter years - 10 FUCKING YEARS

romance. all of it. fuck you if you dont like romance. i would die for this little thing

'dO YOU HAVE THE KEYS TO THE HOTEL-'

the peppy little drums at the start of cemetery drive

'sosendmyresignationtothebrideandthegroom'

'hair bACK, MOTHERFUCKER'

THE INTRO TO GIVE EM HELL KID WHERE ITS JUST MIKEY PLAYING AND YOU CAN REALLY HEAR THE BASSLINE. SHIVERS, BRO

also the bassline to headfirst for halos?? and the guitar at the start?? like i love this song too much??

at this point just bullets. all of it. the entire album. so underrated tbh. fuck anyone who doesnt like bullets

'YOU SHOULDVE RAISED A BABYGIRL I SHOULDVE BEEN A BETTER SON' absolute trans anthem right here, folks

the piano throughout blood is just so happy for no reason like hun, this is not the song for this-

the little 'ooooooooo's in all the angels

the howling in house of wolves??? like it fits so perfectly, guys(ive been informed its not howling??? at the beginning?? am i going crazy??)

'so shut your eyyyyess kiss me goodbyeeee and SLEEEEEEEEEEEPP' 10/10

i will never not love the guitar at the start of na na na and it sucks that the only version you can hear it alone and more isolated is the version off of mdnsy but thank god we at least have that version. i love the lil riff at the start<3

the kids from yesterday. all of it. the electro-themed start and then the sNARE- PHMYGOD GUYS. PLEASE DO NOT OVERLOOK THIS SONG

'from the earth to the morgue morgue morgue MOOOOOOOORRRRRRRGUE WELL TONIIIIGHT WILL IT EVER COOOME?'

ray and franks backing vocals during planetary!! the little wooahs! i love them!<3

the drums at the beginning of burn bright??

the way gerard sings television in boy division like 'teLAviSION'

'well it better be BLACK and it better be TIGHT and it better be JUST. MY. SIZE. - well it better be WHITE and it better be CUT and it better be JUST. MY. SIZE.'

WE DONT NEED ANOTHER SONG ABOUT CALIFORNIA. ALL OF IT. I LOVE THAT SONG AND NO ONE TALKS ABOUT IT.

'STOP AND STARE AT THE ACCIDENTS AND STARS THAT BORE YOU'

THATS MY FAVORITE MCR LYRIC GUYS

'louder than gods revolver and TWICE AS SHINY'

okay wait this list was longer than i intended but reblog with your favorite little snippets of mcr songs!!(i keep updating this i need to stop)(i updated it again help)(yet again another update for grammar)

[theriverbeyond]

It's crazy how well-crafted Hadestown is, like there aren't many shows out there that have equally strong messages artistically and politically. What do you think of the balancing of Hades as a character? Personally I love how it's shown that even after his reconnection with Persephone it's his clinging to the existing power structure that leads him to make the deal he does with Orpheus, so it isn't a clear-cut redemption - I think that is what makes it so neither his humanity nor the system he upholds feels hollow.

CRACKS KNUCKLES ok so on a character/thematic/narrative level I'm obsessed with Hades because the political compentary he represents feels so coherent and distinctly recodnizable to like, Figures and Systems Of Power that exist in the world right now

I really really really love how Hades specifically turns to industry because he is *lacking* genuine love/connection/care and using these material comforts trying to fill the void inside him -- "Lover, you were gone so long/ Lover, I was lonesome/ So I built a foundry/ In the ground beneath your feet" -- it feels very similar to how so much of modern life is Being Sold The Idea Of Love And Connection. We too turn to capitalism to replace genuine connection that is lacking in our lives, like how buying and being sold the aesthetics of community is easier than actually creating and being in community. Genuine affection and care vs the feeling of power as you wield it over others.

And Hades doing this only further alienates him from Persephone, and it becomes this vicious cycle of him creating and upholding a system that drives away any actual connection, which then of course only motivates him to Continue Onwards. His "Lover, when you see that glare/ Think of it as my despair for you" with Persephone responding "Lover, what have you become/ Coal cars and oil drums/ Warehouse walls and factory floors/ I don't know you anymore".

And re: Hades' redemption, I think the fascinating thing is he ISN'T redeemed. TO ME!! He gets to the point of redemption and then he turns away, which I think fits really well into the overarching theme of the show, as in, resisting the pull of capitalism feels impossible and often ends in tragedy but we should do it anyway, and also fits the PATTERN of the show, which is people getting to the doorstep of freedom and then turning around.

Specifically, when Orpheus asks "Can we go?" and Hades says "I don't know", that is his redemption point. He wants to help them, but he feels stuck, and trapped in this web he created and sat himself in the middle of. Can he break his own system? And Hades' personal tragedy is he gets SO CLOSE but then the Fates (or like, his own inner dialogue) come in and tempt him away. They make him Doubt -- "If you let him go/ Oh you're a spineless king/ And you'll never get em in line again". He is, at the end of the day, TOO trapped in the system he has created ("Whole damn nation's watching you"), too dependent on the workers he exploits that he doesn't see any other way to live. "That's the way the world is". Hades gets so close to letting them go before he turns around, because he decides that letting them go means letting himself go, and he no longer thinks that is possible.

He does let them try, though. "Give them a rope and they'll hang themselves" he does expect them to fail, because he doesnt himself have hope that another world is truly possible, but he knows Orpheus does. Even as he turns back I feel like he's saying. If you believe another world is possible, prove it. "Show the way so we believe"

And I'm just so obsessed with this sequence because like -- "Show the way so we can see/ Show the way the world could be/ If you can do it, so can she/ If she can do it, so can we/ Show the way" -- the unspoken here is that Hades is watching too, and this is a trial, and a test, and like. He can't break the system. He doesn't know how, he doesn't feel like it's possible. But he's watching, he can't not watch, and so that means like. Orpheus' effort is worth it. His believing is worth it. Even as they all fail, again and again and again, it's worth it.

[littledigits]

Random facts that may amuse you about the river episode of hilda

To be handed a script and then be like ' ok now lead your team to do the visuals' its like ,a wild experience so I want to share some of the weird things my brain latched onto .. For the door sequence, My pitch to our location and color designers was based off of a blacklight, under water themed mini-putt course I used to love when I was a kid. Just goes to show you can really pull inspiration from anywhere haha. I dont think anyone expected me to go that buck wild with it but I'm glad everyone was on board. anyway.. I lovingly called it Eugene's ' Putt Putt cave of doom ' . I wanted the doors to look kind of flat, like stage props ! The mini putt is STILL THERE BTW . look at this video. GOSH I MISS IT SO MUCH.

Anyway - It works great too because it allowed everyone to have the cooler blacklight palettes, where you can see Eugenes -true- colors. I wanted him to be duller outside of the water on purpose. Cuz hes just a lil old timey guy. A " slightly deranged Stan Laurel " , which was what i had in my pitch notes to the design team.

Heres another silly fact but we based part of the serpent off of the sarcastic fringehead cuz..look at it . its just like -AHHHHHHHHHH. It just waves its mouth infront of other fish and it looks scary but it doesnt DO ANYTHING. ( I think, biologists can correct me)

Also just in general I was vibing with the old..creatures on a map . Like. Of course we're going to give this serpent hooves. OF COURSE THIS SEA SERPENT NEEDS HOOVES. So the designers did a few rounds based off of way older illustrations.

The choice of shadow puppets was done to give Eugene an 'old timey' flavor. I really wanted him to feel more vaudeville and tap dancey - so the shadow puppets were to give him a..more modest intro. The adventures of prince achmed was an inspiration, because how old school animation can you get ! And it really backed up the use of bold colors. I wanted to save his BIGGEST performance to the end, also shout out to @castletoons who boarded this episode AND nailed the song sequence WITHOUT EVEN HAVING THE FINAL SONG?! It fit perfectly. It was fate.

oh , and if you felt a particular beetle juicey tone to this whole episode? You're not wrong ! While it wasnt on my mind when I was first working on visual concepts, our storyboard supervisor Jeff Bittle showed me this intro from the second season of the animated show. Everything zipping at the camera on this endless void ride was the perfect chaotic energy that really helped bring in that sinister tone.

UH SO YEAH I mean I could go on about some of the thought processes behind choices and stuff and honestly I dont want to get into the weeds with opening up a pandoras box on behind the scenes of hilda or whatever. But I thought this episode was a fun example to kind of share a bit of The entire team ran with this weird chaotic energy and I appreciate them so much for it. I'll always love this strange lil episode.

[familyagrestefanblog]

There is this ongoing thing with Adrien drawing back from kissing Marinette all the time, which at this point in "Collution" doesnt make sense anymore as him just 'backing out'. "Emotion" too brought this up already as legitimate issue Adrinette is going through that after the ending of "Adoration" every single time Adrinette tried to kiss, Adrien stopped it and even ran away.

This is a great opportunity for me to FINALLY talk about this massive subtext plot that started for real with the end of "Adoration" but up til now I didn't know from which angle I should approach an analysis post about it. This kissing detail being back and visually more elaborated on is EXACTLY what I needed!

In "Collusion" we see that Adrien's facial expression looks like as if an older order put in him is lighting up for a second preventing him from kissing her:

I mean, the shot composition is even purposfully leading your eyes towards Adrien's head with the background wall for example. It's clear who you're supposed to focus on the most.

"Emotion" already implied it through dialog but "Collusion" now pretty much proves that the one time on-screen we saw Adrien draw back from Marinette in "Emotion" wasn't merely caused by the damn phone (although this isnt the first time something weird happens with Adrien's phone this season) or an order somehow given in real time as one would assume, every single time after "Adoration" where Adrinette tried to kiss, Adrien seems to be stopped by an order Gabriel gave him after Gabriel turned Adrien into a puppet in the end scene and Marinette was so worried about if Adrien might be in danger in his home, but tried to remain hopeful:

This is something I figured for a while now. That we were supposed to feel exactly what Marinette is feeling here. She has no idea if Gabriel is doing something to Adrien and if its bad. She is the the outside person, she doesnt know whats happening in that house and she can't help Adrien once he's in it alone with his father. All she can do is hoping that there is another explaination.

Though that turns out to be wishful-thinking, because "Emotion" in fact has already told us that Gabriel did something to Adrien on this evening in "Adoration" after Adrien was forced back inside and Gabriel kept on and on twisting and using the ring while creeping backwards where WE know exactly that Adrien has just returned inside. They would have met in the foyer.

There is nothing far-fetched about a conversation having taken place once Marinette was gone and in my opinion it feels more like wishful denial to say that Gabriel 100% totally did not go to talk to his son. I mean, Adrinette was straight up about to have their first kiss right in Gabriel's view and that right after the events of "Protection", the episode right before "Adoration":

Re-enforcing to Adrien through harsher means to not be in a relationship with Marinette seems like a fitting punishment order Gabriel would pull after "Adoration's" horror show ending.

Give me a logical reason for why that wouldnt have been a realistic thing to happen? A reason that please isnt rooted in the logic of "we didnt see it when we followed Marinette's pov and therefore nothing happened". Cause I sure followed Marinette's pov and she ended this episode very alarmed and concerned.

Alarmed and concerned for a very good reason. The entirety of "Emotion" then goes on and on and ON about asking WHY Adrien is acting so weird and WHY he hasn't told Marinette about the Diamond Ball:

This question is a central theme all through the entire episode, and in the end the truth about Adrien's silence gets revealed.

Marinette herself has no idea and everyone else in this episode is also just giving their best guess of what makes the most sense for them. But that doesn't mean anybody actually got this right. And we know that because in the end Adrien outright SAYS that he didnt mention it because his father ORDERED him not to:

And then Adrien's and Gabriel's father son talk elaborates on that further from Gabriel's perspective:

I don't know what to tell you, it's right THERE. Adrien did not tell Marinette because Gabriel forbit it. It was an order Adrien couldnt go up against because it explicitly stated that Adrien is not allowed to tell Marinette specifically about the Diamond Ball. And as we saw in "Emotion" this order manifested in Adrien panicking around Marinette and lying in a way that at least somewhat still contained the truth:

I really find it upsetting when people victim-blame Adrien for not rebelling and "being brave" the way Félix and Kagami do (or even worse, compare him to Marinette who isnt a Sentihuman at all) because unlike them Adrien is not wearing his own amok AND is unfortunate enough to have both his parental figures wear them, so of course there are alot of direct interactions.

But if that one moment in "Collusin", where Adrien talks back at his father, indeed showcased Nathalie giving Adrien the means to really fight back for a moment by having laid her ring hand on Adrien's so one of his amoks would for the first time touch his skin and making it possible to nullify Gabriel's order depending on how passionately Adrien is against it, then this was a first taste of what Adrien would be like if he were given full control over himself:

Nathalie did that on purpose to protect Adrien from Gabriel and enable him to choose his own happiness as Emilie wished, which is what we saw moments before:

Adrien in "Emotion" and "Pretention" was not a 'coward', that is such disgusting victim-blaming against a person who is literally mind-controlled by their parent without even knowing it for their entire life. It's like giving Kagami shit for giving her amok back to her mother when Tomoe demands it, as if Kagami KNOWS that her ring holds her entire mental and physical autonomy. These poor children have it horrible enough being literally almost enslaved to their parents demands from the day they were born for some sort of sick purpose. Cool that Marinette doesn't have that problem at all and Félix doesn't have it anymore so THEY are able to do whatever they want, but they have no business being held as the golden standard.

This is about Kagami and Adrien who are still being taken advantage of and lied to ever since birth from the people who are supposed to love and protect them. Yes, they act weird and nerve-wreckingly sometimes and in ways that apparently dissappoints you because - of course - if you were a Sentihuman half enslaved and kept in the dark by your parent you would just choose to not have those problems, no biggie, but unfortunately Adrien and Kagami arent you.

They're weird and frustrated. Weird, frustrated, exhausted and abused little half-slaves, left in the dark and still minors so they cant escape anyway.

These things matter.

DETAILS matter.

Details like between the ending of "Adoration" and "Emotion" the episode has Marinette tell us that there was a time skip we didnt see in which Adrien has been acting very weird:

New and suspicious extremes MATTER.

Gabriel crossed a massive line by turning Adrien into a literal puppet at the end of "Adoration" seemingly for the first time from a further distance, since this seems to be the first time THIS happened in Adrien's head:

The fact alone that this was the instance where Gabriel crossed such a fundamental line is already a give-away that whatever is about to follow from Gabriel as Adrien's father from this moment onwards will be on an even more extreme layer of abusive. Which we know to be true from all the episodes afterwards.

But even if you wanna ignore all that, Marinette is then increasingly more worried about Adrien's safety in his home and everything regarding his father and has to truly face for the first time her underlying fear of "what if Gabriel isnt just a bad father?" and "What if Adrien is even being hurt in some way?" although she tried to approach it from deflecting angles until Gabriel talked to her in "Pretention".

But more and more Marinette is learning in what hellhole Adrien has been living in for all his life.

Because, you know, that is the case with highly abusive parents and its something one very likely has to face when one enteres a relationship. This is perfectly realistic, just the abuse method is fantasy. Something the show is not yet letting any of the children besides Félix know yet.

But we KNOW that Adrien is a Sentihuman at his abusive father's mercy and "Emotion" tells us that Marinette's concern at the end of "Adoration" was correct. Gabriel DID do something to Adrien but we, just like Marinette, couldnt fully see it because the biggest portion of the abuse happened behind closed doors as most abuse does. And Marinette, just like us, was left wondering what just happened to Adrien when she saw something disturbing happen to him which may stand in connection to his father.

And she, just like us, asks herself if he's even safe living with this man (no he isnt) when THIS is what happend to Adrien just being near his home and father:

And just like Marinette WE were supposed to find Adrien's silence after this concerning. Marinette read this correctly but she doesnt know yet how to properly interpret all of Adrien's types of silence and the family contexts surrounding it.

Adrien didnt tell Marinette about the Diamond Ball because Gabriel silenced his son, something that Adrien himself wouldnt properly recognize as such and only blames himself for as a failure on his part.

Who cares what the other characters' guesses are for why he didnt say anything? The only two people who truly know why Adrien didnt tell her are Adrien and Gabriel themselves because that's the abusive parent and his abused child. And that's the truth Marinette should be after. Not the one she prefers to be true and she is finally making good progress on that front.

And we can take the silencing in "Emotion" even further, because that wasn't the only time skip + silencing situation we had.

Just like in between "Adoration" and "Emotion", there is yet another significant time skip very cleverly handled - and almost hidden - between "Emotion" and "Pretention". We know that there is a time skip because once again Adrinette tells us:

Honestly, no doubt they will go back to these important time skips in season 6 or 7, there is so much important Marinette development for her love-related anxiety alone deliberately skipped before and after "Emotion" because of what it was entangled with. Not to mention everything else!

Optional rant ahead, I need to get this out of my system for a second: "Emotion" still barely makes sense and dont get me started on Félix! When do you think he fell in love with and stalked Kagami besides in the time skip? He wasnt in love with her before he found out at the diamond ball that she's like him, he probably barely made anything of her when he thought her to be a "normal human". Kagami and Marinette were not part of Felix' plan, Kagami he only just found out is a sentihuman too and therefore deserving of concideration for him, and Marinette wasnt even supposed to be there!

I swear, "Emotion" and the time skips before and afterwards are driving me crazy. I have to make a seperate post for the Felix and Amilie stuff alone and Adrien too was just plain weird in that episode with no proper explaination besides for the little amout that was required to make this work for Marinette's outsider perspective who doesnt know what's going on inside those families anyway. Félix apparently was gone for WEEKS and apparently both Adrien and Kagami knew that because they werent surprised hearing that and neither Gabriel nor Tomoe seemed to care that Amilie went off on Gabriel about it in infront of their children.

Félix was gone for weeks. Adrien knew it. And then we see Adrien immediately recognizing Félix as peacock miraculous holder even despite the magic; not being too surprised seeing Felix there transformed and AT ALL when he should be missing and is willing to go to him in a friendly enough and trusting manner despite that being weird too with no context! Félix is a completely new person who suddenly is aware that Adrien has always been a victim caught in a hellhole with Gabriel and what the fuck was that fake miraculous ring from Adrien Felix had?

Screw you, something happened there in this time skip before "Emotion" and we only got to see the tip of the ice berg! And screw this show for barely giving context for anything in "Emotion" yet because we are stuck with Marinette as main character and Adrien didnt wanted to involve her in his family shit because why would he?

*GROAN* I'm turning grey because of this damn show...

ANYWAY

What "Pretention" does very cleverly is picking up the same character goals established at the end of "Emotion" prior and starting this episode with it. But that doesnt mean at all that this is the next day. NOTHING about what Adrinette tells us about how Gabriel now breathes down their necks makes sense if this is merely the next day:

It's at the very least a couple of days and that's being VERY generous. I'm personally putting it at one week. That would mean Gabriel is being increasingly more of an ass for one school week where Adrinette has to get more and more creative (and Adrien ending up knowing when his father is busy) and at the beginning of the second Marinette has had it. One week is also a perfectly reasonable timeframe for the kids to put off talking to Gabriel and Tomoe while its also a realistic point in time where you would draw the line and motivate yourself again to finally do it.

Kagami's dialogue is the factor that very cleverly tricks the audience into thinking it can just be the next day since Kagami is "oh so much braver than Adrien who doesnt dare to talk to his father", which the episode then subverts by showing that Kagami rightfully fears her mother too and shouldnt be concidered less for it because Tomoe is an abusive hardass too who Kagami needs to be protected from as (her) child and Sentihuman who doesnt know she is one & the end of "Emotion" literally showed us Adrien talking to his father right after he told Marinette that he would try to convince him to have a heart-to-heart with her to clear up whatever he has against her:

Adrien did NOT fail to talk to his father after he said he would because we saw him do it right away. What he did "fail" to do though was mentioning towards the girls that he already talked with his father and tell them what Gabriel said - though that's understandable, Gabriel is being an irrational fuck; blaming the fiasco on Marinette when it's realistically on Félix - and to convince his father to talk to Marinette. But even for this Adrien's on-screen talk with Gabriel has the explaination for:

Did you pick up on the pattern too? That as well was an explicit order from Gabriel with the ring.

Adrien in "Pretention" didnt 'manage' to talk to his father again about him and Marinette so they can have a heart-to-heart because prior to that Gabriel forbit Adrien through an order to ever mention Marinette towards him again (and that means, since Adrinette didnt talk to Gabriel yet, Kagami in turn put off talking to her mother too)

So of course Adrien couldnt do it, which is why he went along with the only option he subconciously felt like he had left. Bringing Marinette to his father so SHE can talk to him by his side, forcing his father into a corner. Adrien unknowingly loopholed himself and out of Gabriel's order that's literally silencing him.

Details, time skips and circumstances matter.

So to bring this back to the failed Adrinette kissing in "Collution":

I'm pretty sure that from the ending of "Adoration" onwards we are now going to see a further and further escalation of ways for Gabriel to enforce his power over Adrien. Regularly just as his father (which is already bad enough) and also the ways in which Gabriel can hurt Adrien through the amok ring

- but in ways he can for now at least somewhat still hide from Nathalie, though no doubt this is going to end BADLY where even Nathalie cant help Adrien anymore as it was already established that Gabriel can absolutely do that and still cross so many more lines-

and in "Emotion" that already included silencing Adrien from letting Marinette know about the Diamond Ball and then not letting him talk about Marinette to him at all (for which I'm quite sure Nathalie touching Adrien with the amok ring in "Collution" helped Adrien break through that barrier because that WAS the first time he really talked ABOUT Marinette towards Gabriel since "Emotion" that isnt just him mentioning her name in logical situations or vaguely talking around the relationship topic like in "Pretention").

But I'm also betting that Gabriel odered Adrien to not kiss Marinette after he puppeteered Adrien back into the mansion in "Adoration" or some other variation of an official grand gesture that Adrien is in a relationship with her. Something that... yeah, DID indeed stop after "Protection", didn't it? (Ooh. That explains why the date was made such a big deal for Adrien's story through the parallels to Gabriel's and Emilie's date in the past in "Evolution"; that was the last time Adrien was able to do something like that...)

But poor Adrien of course does not know the true reason for why he's still hesitating to kiss Marinette even now in "Collusion". He must be so relieved that Marinette is reading it as him needing more time with her too to get comfortable enough to kiss. It's so rough watching all these episodes and seeing Adrien beat himself up and think so low of himself when he's literally being abused through mind-control. All I want is for Adrien to finally have his rings on his hand like Félix and Kagami get to. I just want my boy to be free :'(

[tofixtheshadows]

okay, if you're open to discussion, here's my view on why i think your mithrun take is somewhat reductive - prefacing this with yes, i understand you're talking about thematic positioning and not individual character motivations or goodness/badness, and no im not a particular stan of him or a kbms shipper or anything, if that helps you take this as discussion in good faith. (anon because i'll admit all the "ugh everyone who disagrees with me DOESNT KNOW HOW TO READ" does discourage from directly engaging!) yes, the elves are imperialist and yes the canaries are the primary arm we see of that in the story. yes, To A Point the violent manner that they, including mithrun, approach the problem of the dungeon is a reflection of this - it's not a coincidence that kui put this character ON this team. but when the discussion of it comes down to mithrun as the "representative" of this is where you lose me. in certain moments you could say he Acts as that, but it's not really the whole story of what his character is about or how he fits into the overall picture. multiple key moments are when mithrun notably acts AGAINST what the rest of the canaries would do, choosing to put (some amount of) trust in a tallman - we can have different reads on how much trust it is, but the effect definitely is that their approach is given a chance when normally the canaries do not allow that. the moment of asking kabru what he wants to do and following after laios, and Especially the moment of giving laios the go-ahead to try and defeat the demon, very much coming into conflict with flamela over it - in both of these scenes the other canaries represent the normal elven imperialist approach, and mithrun deviates from it. sure he thinks he regrets it a few minutes after the second one (because it did look like it failed, and because he's not exactly completely anti-imperialist either) - but in terms of what his character represents in the story, those moments are crucial to the ultimate "happy ending", and they're important TO the anti-imperialist theme that mithrun, the one with more personal reasons for being in the dungeon rather than simply being a canary & carrying out the empire's will because it's their job like the others, ISN'T acting on its side the whole time.

See this mentality is a little puzzling to me, because it treats my + others' speculation on the threat of imperialism in the story and Mithrun's role in it as if we created some sort of strict binary? As if he represents only this one singular thing, and doesn't share that role with anyone else, or that he needs to be condemned for it, etc. I don't think they're all passing around a "who represents imperialism and who subverts it" stick.

I mean, the story isn't very interested in that, is it? I believe in meeting a piece of media where it's at, which is why I'm not trying to hashtag cancel anyone over liking the elves or whatever. Dungeon Meshi is a story about ecosystems and food and hunger. It is very aware of the forces that create the situations around hunger, but ultimately it is mostly interested in food as the great leveler. We all need to eat and we all deserve to do so, even the people we might have considered enemies an hour ago.

The Canaries all get a seat at the literal and metaphorical table, even though, textually, they represent a world power whose monarch says, on page, that they are going to continue to monitor Melini and the people involved (this is a threat). Another story might not be forgiving of this. But Dungeon Meshi is not trying to be a political thriller, though as I've said, it is very aware of these things.

I, personally, am interested in the way Mithrun's story arc functions. If I talk about Mithrun, it's because he is a main character. Fleki, for example, is not a main character. Neither is Flamela. The Canaries are an antagonistic force (and not in a traditional "evil that needs to be defeated way", but antagonistic nonetheless!), but Mithrun is literally the representative of this force as the only one among them given a focus. And also because he is the captain of their squad. Even Flamela is only vice captain. Mithrun's motivations drive the Canaries as an entity in the story the same way his orders as their superior officer drive them as people.

So I am mostly interested in talking about violence, and to do that, I would be remiss to not touch on the circumstances that empower that violence. I cannot pretend like Mithrun does not arrive in the dungeon as the military officer of a first world power whose squad has the ability to arrest (and potentially execute) anyone they want, or that their success won't spell a de facto takeover of the region.

Does Mithrun care about that? No. I mean, I don't even think the other elves really care about that. It's kind of a moot point. They have a genuinely good reason for being in the dungeon and doing what they do, but they are still dangerous.

So when I touch on imperialism, which, again, is textually a part of the background of Dungeon Meshi, what I mean is: Mithrun's actions serve imperial interests regardless of his personal feelings, and they align with the threat of imperialism because oppression is inherently violent. That is where the comparison comes in.

If I were writing some sort of thesis on colonialism in Dunmeshi, I would say that the way Mithrun literally objectifies people- grabbing Kabru, ignoring his consent, using him as a projectile, brutalizing Thistle and Marcille- are physical manifestations of that inherent violence. The complacency of the other elves- their very punch clock villain natures- also serve the interests of imperialism. They're all in it together, they just disagree sometimes on the method. If Mithrun had gotten his way, the elves would have taken over the dungeon.

You are right that Mithrun comes into conflict with the other Canaries, and this is because Mithrun barely cares about sealing the dungeon. His one desire is his quest against the demon. This superficially aligns with the Canary's overall mission, but he will jeopardize that mission, the way he jeopardizes lives, for his personal goal. I don't really consider this an anti-imperialist metaphor even if it does eventually lead him to go against the Canaries' interests in trusting Laios. It's good he does that. It fits with the overall theme of disparate peoples uniting for the great leveler of hunger. Because, crucially, Mithrun agrees to it when Laios insists that he can defeat the demon. He isn't swayed by anything else. I do also think it's important that the one time he doesn't escalate to violence represents a moment of cooperation among these groups of people. We can say that Mithrun's self interest is better served by community than by state-sanctioned violence (and I do) but it doesn't cancel the rest of it out.

I'm also going to have to disagree with how much he trusts or respects Kabru. I would love if Mithrun did either, but the more I re-read the manga the less I'm sure of that. I think he sees Kabru as a useful tool. Again, I do not say this as a condemnation. I think Mithrun is nearly incapable of caring about anything else before the end of the story: I think his desire for the demon, his helpless hatred and self-immolating revenge, is so big that it blots out everything else for him. It's a tragedy. Mithrun is not entirely a rational actor, the way that someone in the grips of a debilitating addiction isn't.

You are free to disagree with me on this. I think I have an accurate reading on it, but I realize there is a lot of wiggle room.

My personal conclusion is that this

is a very long joke.

It sets you up to think that Kabru got through to him, that they are united against Laios, that they might have even achieved some level of camaraderie after their bottle episode.

Then Kabru and the Canaries show back up, and Kabru is ... handcuffed.

I didn't notice this the first time I read the manga! Kui does not draw any attention to the tiny magical cuffs, and the deliberately awkward way he holds his wrists for the next ten chapters didn't really hit for me until I had gone back over it. At this point I think it's supposed to tease how much Kabru is cooperating with the Canaries and how much of a threat he'll still poses to Laios.

It did not hit me until a second read that the punchline to this little arc is that Mithrun agreed to Kabru's idea because he had decided to use Kabru as bait. This is the equivalent of staking Kabru out to lure Laios and the others so that they'd let their guards down. Kabru looks very put out by it, he's still handcuffed, and he's got the surveillance state bird keeping him in line. This is not the situation of a guy who is trusted and respected by the person who put him in this situation. In hindsight, it almost makes Mithrun's agreement a joke in itself. "Oh, you wanna talk to Laios? Sure. Let's go do that. Hold still."

It recontextualized their time together for me. Made me notice how interested Mithrun was specifically in what Kabru had to say about this Laios guy.

You can kind of see the gears turning in his head. He correctly deduces that Laios is closest to the dungeon's heart. Therefore, reaching Laios will take him right to the demon. I don't think he actually cares about what Kabru wants. After all, Kabru says he wants to talk to Laios, and Mithrun doesn't let Kabru do that. He doesn't want to try Kabru's methods. He barely seems to think about Kabru at all.

We are treated to a three-chapter sequence of Mithrun and the other Canaries cornering a group of people they intend to arrest, interrogating them, intimidating them, and then Mithrun, especially, escalating the situation to near-lethal violence. Marcille releases the Winged Lion because she is menaced, talked down to, terrified, and injured. Even the other elves are appalled by how brutal and erratic Mithrun acts.

And that's what Mithrun's story is to me, actually. It's the very dark spiral that pain can send you down. It's about how his obsession is killing him. How it's keeping him from forming meaningful relationships. How it hurts the people around him and causes him to act cruelly. He cannot be reasoned with before he crashes and burns. If he had grown or changed as a person at all before the climax, his character arc would be less impactful. He has to tear through everything to get to the demon, look the demon in the face and be told point blank that he doesn't matter to it. He has to put all his energy into this path of violence to show how utterly impotent and self-destructive it is.

Dungeon Meshi understands the violence we all must do as living creatures. The inherent selfishness of killing and eating in order to survive, or fighting to protect yourself. It doesn't condemn that. It doesn't condemn the violence you do when you feel backed up against a wall either. But it does not reward this. Mithrun's all-consuming desire for revenge- and it is revenge, this is functionally a flailing quest for revenge even if he also wants to be finished off as a result- is as poisonous to him as the demon's bottomless appetite was to it.

Mithrun does not once stop to help anyone else during the climax. All the other characters converge to work together, even to put aside their enmity (like the elves and the orcs) to try and stop the threat. He doesn't turn away from his single-minded pursuit to help anyone, protect anyone, or heal anyone, though it's obvious that he could have done more good fighting by the others' sides rather than throwing himself at the demon over and over. Even the idea that he might help someone- the moment where he slaps Kabru out of a panic attack, but only because he genuinely wants to punish him- is treated as a joke.

It's only after all of this has occurred, and left him utterly empty, that Mithrun can stand up again as a new person. After he's looked into that yawning void straight on and realized what it meant to pursue it, where it was leading him. He gets up again because he agrees to share a meal. And because he agrees to help feed others.

Rage doesn't serve you. Community does. That's where his happy ending comes from. And maybe this is not the most thorough exploration of even this single topic, but I don't think I'm being reductive.

If I seem frustrated, it's because people have turned me into a ridiculous strawman because of these ideas, and then spent months shadowboxing that strawman while calling me a dumb pretentious cunt over it. This is often very funny, but even I have a tipping point. Good night.

[unalloyed-thoughts]

Miquella and Saint Trina: Talking about sleep and duality in Elden Ring.

The lands between is filled with quaint and unique characters, from the giant skeletons to the wraith calling revenants, Many of these characters have little lore to go off of which makes them very compelling to players who can only wonder what their stories are. Out of all of this characters, St. Trina stands out to me, for being a character thats tied to one of the big names in the setting yet so little is known about them. In this post i hope to touch on what i think of this character and the themes that surrounds them.

St. Trina is probably the most enigmatic and intriguing part of Miquella's story line, Described as a misteryous figure that appears in people's dreams, little to nothing is known about them in the current version of the game. Indeed, Trina harbors quite a lot of cut content which we will tackle later. But anyway if one thing is clear about their character is the following: Miquella is St. Trina. The game doesnt explicitly tell you but it drops little hints to help you reach that conclusion throughout the game. the first and most obvious is the lilies, Miquella has lilies tied to his name, and so does st trina, both of this lilies look almost completely identical and its no mere coincidence.

Another connection is the fact that Trina lilies are included in the drop pool of cleanrot knights, warriors that served under Malenia, and by extension, Miquella. After all it makes sense, Trina lilies are an item that dulls the senses, helping you sleep, and Scarlet rot is described as giving its victim terrible nightmares. Yet another connection comes in the form of a Fevor cookbook, Fevor was an individual who was completely obsessed with trina, it is said that he sought her out through his dreams. This cookbook is given to you by gideon after locating Mohgwyn palace, the place Miquella is located, but not only that, This cookbook gives you the recipe to craft the bewitching branch, an item made by Miquella.

Finally, Trina's torch is located in snowfield, an area tied to Miquella. Also, the albinauric archers located there drop trina arrows as part of their loot pool.

So with all that said its pretty clear that Trina and Miquella are the same individual, but in what way? Duality and the capacity to represent multiple aspects is a common theme in elden ring, We see many characters that have some form of alter ego or some deep connection to another character. Empyreans in particular, as stated by miyazaki in one of his interviews, Have the capacity to embody multiple aspects, this is seen most vividly in Marika, who shares her body with Radagon.

So there is a precedent for two completely different characters sharing the same body. So its not strange to see that the most common theory regarding Trina and Miquella is that they are different characters that share a body, after all Miquella's parents are Marika and Radagon, people who share this duality, it would only make sense for the son to share that same atribute with his parents when when we know he is also another character, in the form of Trina, that plus the meaning behind Trina's name, meaning "Triple", additionally it can also mean "pure". So Trina could easily fit as a third character existing in the sphere of the cursed empyrean twins, being the female counterpart to Miquella, much like Radagon is the male counterpart to Marika

Yet i also want to open another possibility, one of Miquella being trina in the most literal way, as in, Trina is nothing more than an alter ego that Miquella used while moonlighting through the lands between in peoples dreams. We see many different characters adopt alter ego's to carry out some duty before being revealed to be someone else, the earliest example is how Ranni introduces herself as Renna until we meet her and she reveals that she is in fact the lunar princess Ranni. Another early example is how morgott disguises himself as Margit, assuming the guise of the fell omen to protect leyndell and slay countless heroes during the shattering.

So we can see that all these characters carry on the theme of adopting multiple personalities and alter ego's to achieve a certain objective, of course these two characters carry out a certain naming scheme that Trina doesnt share, Margit is alot closer to Morgott than Trina is to Miquella name-wise. Yet there is a character whose alter ego has a completely different name, this one being Maliketh.

The first time we encounter Maliketh its through his alter ego, Gurranq, the beast clergy man, who seems to command different individuals to hunt out deathroot and deliver it to him so he can consume it. It isnt until the very end of the game that we learn that Gurranq is in fact Maliketh the black blade, Marika's shadowbound beast. So again, we see someone using a different identity to work on achieving a certain objective. So i think that this could be the case with trina, merely being a second identity used by Miquella to seek out something in the world of dreams, be it aiding those in despair or hunting for secrets. Another piece of evidence that may favour Trina being simply an alter ego is St Trina's sword, which says the following:

St. Trina is an enigmatic figure. Some say she is a comely young girl, others are sure he is a boy. The only certainty is that their appearance was as sudden as their disappearance.

I feel like a lot of people gloss over the Sword description, but i think its pretty important, even tho Fevor's cookbook describes Trina as female, the sword throws us a curve ball and explains how there isnt even a consensous on what this mysterious figure's gender is, only that they are a child (Much like we allready know Miquella is an eternal child) and that they dissappeared rather suddenly much like Miquella has also vanished (this could have happened at multiple times: when miquella encased himself in the cocoon, when he got captured by mohg or when he went into the lands of shadow). Their gender being unknown makes sense, Miquella is a young child with long flowing hair, he is naturally androgynous, so when witnessing his figure in your slumber, it would make sense that you wouldnt be able to tell exactly what or who you are looking at. Also the hilt of the sword depicts trina themselves, a figure with long flowing hair and long robes, much like how Miquella is depicted in statues in the game.

Another thing to consider is what i was saying before about the dual nature empyreans posess, one defining feature about them is how they are at odds with the other aspect they represent: -Ranni is at odds with her empyrean flesh and the fate forced upon her -Malenia is at odds with her rot and battles it throughout her life -Marika is at odds with Radagon, who whishes to perpetuate the golden order while Marika whishes to shatter it. Miquella seems to be the exception to the norm as Trina's and his motivations seem to overlap, particularly in cut content, Trina was much more linked to bringing peace and slumber to those afflicted with frenzy (particularly the merchant's, who would tell you in their cut content, which has been documented and can be found on youtube, that the song they play was once sung to them by Trina) and as we know, the only thing that can supress the flame of frenzy if inherited by the player is Miquella's needle.

In general sleep is shown to be Frenzy's opposite yet at the same time they share something in common.

If frenzy is the violent expression of despair and wish to turn that into a destructive force to bring an end to the world so despair no longer exists, sleep is a way of escaping the despair of the world, avoiding it by hiding in the world of dreams, where there is only peace. Of course not everything is sunshine and rainbows in the world of dreams, as sleep is described as addictive and all ecompassing, compared to a quagmire, it traps you, making you wish you never woke up, after all why would you? its safe in the realm of slumber.

I think the fact that Dreambrew, a drink made by Rhico, a cut NPC, using gathered dream mist is an alcoholic beverage is particularly telling of this. Much like real alcohol, its addictive and it makes you feel good, to the point that you begin to rely on it.

Reeling Rhico is also a particularly interesting cut npc, this charismatic fellow presents himself as a priest of Trina, promising to prepare dreambrew for us if we gather dream mist for him using Trina's orb. This draft of Trina's story forcused more on followers of trina indulging in people's secrets through slumber, which fits Miquella's character, who is described as an intellectual sort, seeking out new knowledge at every turn. Rhico has some pretty neat lines, like this one: "Drink is a wonderful teacher. Imbibe and you will understand; this world's delights, and its futility." More of what i was talking about earlier, through drinking dreambrew and engaging in sleep people feel tired of the real world and seek the quietud of slumber. If we progress Rhico's questline it bring us in the end to Miquella's cocoon, where Rhico reveals that he has been in fact looking for Miquella all this time, and drops us his famous monologue:

"Finally, I have found it!

St. Trina's, no, Lord Miquella's cadaver.

I have partaken of untold secrets.

Such that I might aid you, O Lord.

So please, I hope you can welcome your humble servant Rhico,

Into your dream, the world of your heart.

Indeed, I beg you grant my wish

That when you transcend from empyrean to god, allow me a place by your side." What i find interesting here (besides the entire text, gosh i wish Rhico was still in the game) is how he first talks about Trina but then corrects himself and adresses his master as Miquella, thats who he truly served in the end. he has been indulging in secrets all this time, probably how he found out Trina was Miquella. Trina was just that, a simple alter ego, Miquella was just playing an act in the end. Of course ill say this is all cut content, and could be completely different from the finished product. I just thought it was worth mentioning. So anyway thats about it for now, kind of a messy post. These are just my thoughts and they could be proven wrong by the upcoming dlc. We know that there are gonna be new sleep spells and the trailer showed a very clearly trina coded area with new trina lilies and even a boss of its own, so we are getting some definitive answers and im really looking forward to them!