#like for a character with a dual light/dark motif

[bakedbananners]

all of spender’s fatal character flaws can be traced back to the fact that he’s a white guy born into generational wealth

[wiedzmacienia]

What are the core themes of your muse?

There's a variety of things that are explored and I want to explore with this character. I would say some of the core themes and motifs that are at the heart of her character are light vs dark, motherhood, blood, magic, war, conflict, duality, grey mortality, history, family, overcoming trauma, survival, and fighting for what one believes in. I'm sure there's more but some these seem to be the main keys of her character. Some of these themes tie directly into each other as well.

The theme of light vs dark is ever-present in a metaphorical and literal sense in Kasia's story. She is a witch like any other witch but her trauma has manifested itself into her magical affinity of darkness manipulation in the same way that it has light manipulation for her brother Kasper. Of course, these were affinities both twins held since they first accessed their magic but it wasn't until they were faced with the trauma's they were that their magic fully took shape in such a way, where the fashion in which their magic manifests is literally within these affinities. When Kasia wields magic it takes a physical shape in her shadows more often than not. Her shadows become an extension of herself, are how she senses the energy of the world around her, are an extension of her senses. They've become intrinsically tied to her whole being.

Darkness is an absence of light but one can not have darkness without the existence of light to be absent of. Kasia and her brother Kasper are dual sides of their magical power. They exist together and they are strongest when their powers work together. Kasper can heal and draw energy from the essence of light. But Kasia's magic draws from herself, from her spirit and the shadows. Darkness is the absence of light and so it takes from her because it can not find the light.

It also speaks to Kasia's dual nature. She can be kind and caring but she can also be wrath and ruthless when she needs to be. She can protect and seek a greater good but she can kill for that same reason. She can be capable of murder for that same reason. She will kill to protect what she deems should be protected. She will murder someone in cold blood if it means she is saving her family or in the name of her greater cause, maintaining the secret of the shadow world to protect all the innocent lives that are a part of it. She is willing to do dark things in the name of the light. To make the hard choices so that others don't have to blacken their souls with it. Kasia is the hero of some stories but she is the villain of others. She has a grey morality. And there is always conflict which spawns from this because guilt plays a factor, indifference can eat away at a person. She has to live with the lives she's taken and sometimes they haunt her but that doesn't mean she regrets that action she took. At least most of the time because to her, she's done these things for a greater purpose.

Blood is also an extremely core motif within her story. Blood is the ties that bind. It was the spilling of blood which brought her and Kasper back to life, raising them from the ashes of their deaths. The blood of their parents, the familial bind, and the blood of the people who took the twin's lives. It was the death of the man who courted her years later, his blood spilled which awakened the full force of her power as she unleashed it upon the murderers. It was blood which ties her to Dracu.la (@everythingheard). Her one of the first people he drank from. That he felt the presence of life in the blood. That offered her blood to him as a test for the Order and who shared in his blood without being turned. It was this experience which truly awakened her to the shadow world, to the world as a whole. Blood is lives and she experienced the weight of that knowledge. She will forever be tied to him in an almost familial way. A familial bind in blood.

It was the spilling of blood of her mentor Zalan, his sacrifice to save her, which brought her the feeling of loss of a father once more. Which shook her to her core and left her open to Baris' influence upon her. The pain and the sadness seeking something to take it away. It was the spilling of her blood as he bit her the night they buried Zalan's body that took her innocence. The one moment of weakness when she could not have had the ability or will or mindset to refuse, when she had given in in her grief and with the blood that flowed out of her neck truly took with it the girl she had been that had been filled with some stubborn form of light and innocence. Blood and magic mingled and washed over her, drawing her onto a dangerous path she had not the ability to fully see herself upon. It was the bond of blood which both corrupted her, and muddied her mind. But it was also a bond of blood which saved her when her connection with Drac.ula brought forth truth. Blood was lives and he could see what she could not. She had still been so young, even if her years were not. It was the spilling of blood, which parted her from Baris and him from the Order for years to come.

It was the spilling of blood upon the night her forces aligned with Washin.gton, enthralled Strig.oi attacking the camp which brought her face to face with Benjamin (@honorhearted). Which nearly took the life of the child he had come to see as his own and the blood of her friend who had saved the child and brought little Augustus into her life, pulling her and Benjamin together. It was their shared blood which awakened their connection, their souls calling together and finding each other at last when they conducted a ritual that required of them blood. It connected them, their lifeforce together. Completed the circle. Awakened their soulmate connection that death and time could not keep apart.

It was the spilling of blood, of Benjamin's blood when Baris returned and attacked him that sealed her ability to never be influenced by a stri.goi again. That finally broke any lasting influence Baris could ever have upon her. Because love was stronger than corruption, it was light, it was finding light in the darkness.

It was the spilling of blood when Katarzyna had been taken by the Order of the Cross, James' witch-hunting order, them torturing her and while she would not break to give them what they wanted, a part of her had broken as her blood spilled over her binds. It was the ties of blood bonds, which formed her team in the new century, strig.oi at her side as they worked for the Order and her spilling blood with dangerous indifference as she let the Order weld her for a century, thrust into her missions to numb and distract from the faith that had been taken from her. (And as a point of fact, blood is key to stri.goi and stri.goi are ever-present within her life. Even tying to her faith in that one of her closest allies is a stri.goi pastor.)

It would be the spilling of blood of her great (times many) grandchild that would bring a returned James into her life and with him a reincarnated Ben, for their bond awakened so long ago in blood had transcended time to reunite them. And it was her blood tie to her great (times many grand daughter too which had awakened faith and light and hope in her she had not known for so long.

And all this in part brings me to what I think is perhaps the biggest and most important theme in what makes up Kasia. Motherhood and family. To be a mother was never something Kasia had sought out. It was never something she had thought she deserved or felt was in the cards for her. It was something which had creeped up upon her without her even realizing it.

The child, Augustus, had awakened something in her in his innocence and light. He had brought out a side of her she had not shown in many years, as if his laugh and his smile and the way he looked at her with such awed wonder and acceptance and love had taken hold of the corruption she felt in her soul and washed it away. He brought her Benjamin and Benjamin brought her two beautiful children. And so many more through the orphanage they opened after the war. Family and being a mother let her see something in the world she had been blocked from for so long.

It gave her hope.

It made her feel alive.

It drove her forward and gave her a true purpose. It showed her life wasn't all war and strife but the love that existed in the simple action of reading to a room full of children. And even at her most broken it was love and family which maintained a flicker of herself. Which fought to the surface in the darkest of times. Which compelled her to make a different call when she could have given into the dark easily.

The memory of her children and of their children. It kept her alive, it kept her fighting, a part of the world she tried to distance herself from. And it is that desire to love, to be saved by it and grant it to those she cares for, to strive to be a mother and protect her children, to be better for them, that saves her, ultimately. it brings her back to the start, to finding who she used to be and who she can be again. It will save her life, love, when she seeks a means to have children again and confronts nature itself to do it. For without love-- family-- her fate would be dark and she would be lost but with it, she will eventually find the peace she's always longed for.

I'm sorry this got so long and really it feels like it ended up one long-winded ramble so I hope it makes sense. But this is my take on the core themes of who she is and what makes her up.

[theinfinitymarble]

Marble Bathroom Design Ideas for Your Home

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Create a focal point by using large-format marble slabs for an accent wall behind your vanity or shower. Italian Calacatta Gold or Arabescato Marble are excellent choices for their striking veining patterns. Idea: Backlight the marble wall for an added touch of luxury and a spa-like ambiance.

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For those who love intricate details, marble mosaics are an artistic way to incorporate luxury into your bathroom. Choose from geometric patterns or floral motifs to create a unique floor design. Perfect Pair: Combine mosaic floors with plain marble walls for a balanced aesthetic.

4. Dark Marble for Drama

If you prefer a bold and dramatic look, go for Italian Black Marble or Michelangelo Marble. Use these for your shower walls or countertops to create a sophisticated vibe. Style Tip: Complement dark marble with gold or brass fixtures to enhance the overall elegance.

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Combine two contrasting marble types, such as Volakas marble and Italian Grey Marble, for a striking dual-tone effect. This design works wonderfully for flooring, wall panels, or even vanity countertops.

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For a contemporary look, opt for clean lines and minimal patterns. Lasa White Marble is ideal for achieving a sleek and modern bathroom design. Bonus Tip: Use matte finishes for a softer, understated effect.

9. Marble Accessories

If a full marble bathroom isn’t your preference, you can still incorporate marble elements like soap dishes, trays, or planters. These small touches can tie your bathroom’s design together beautifully.

10. Outdoor Marble Bathrooms

For homes with open spaces, an outdoor marble bathroom is a bold and unique choice. Use weather-resistant marble like Makrana White Marble to create an exotic retreat. Add-On: Incorporate greenery and natural lighting for a perfect blend of luxury and nature.

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[the-storm-of-ruin]

Zilventi - Detailed Character Reference Sheet

**Name:** Zilventi

**Race:** High Elf/(Eastern) Dragon Beastman Hybrid

**Gender:** Female

**Age:** 800+

**Affiliation:** Laios' Party

**Best Friend:** Laios

**Arch Nemesis:** Thristle

**Love Interest:** Mithrun (He is secretly pining for her), Thristle (He's pretty toxic), Laios (I'm not sure he understands what he's feeling)

**Total Number of Deaths:** 124,522 (Record holder for the greatest number of unnatural deaths)

**Most Traumatic Dungeon Encounter:** Phoenix

**Best Known For:** Stealing a dragon egg to raise it as a pet (returned due to safety concerns).

---

**Physical Appearance:**

**Height:** Zilventi stands tall at 6'0", with an elegant, statuesque figure. Her presence is both commanding and graceful, a blend of elven refinement and draconic power.

**Hair:** Her hair is a shimmering cascade of black, streaked with strands that resemble fine, iridescent scales. It flows down to her waist, and in moments of intense emotion or when channeling magic, it almost appears to ripple with a life of its own. The texture is silky yet slightly thicker than typical elven hair, a testament to her draconic heritage. She tends to keep her hair in either a ponytail or a braid, she never changes the long, curtain bangs on the left side though.

**Eyes:** Zilventi's eyes are a vivid purpleish silver, with vertical slit pupils that give her a distinctly draconic gaze. Her eyes can glow faintly in the dark, casting an eerie, ethereal light when she is deep in thought or tapping into her draconic powers. When angry or casting powerful spells, her eyes burn with an intense, fiery glow.

**Skin:** Her skin is pale, almost like porcelain, giving her an otherworldly appearance. Scattered across her body are patches of smooth, dark purple dragon scales. These scales are primarily along her arms, legs, shoulders, and down her spine. The scales are highly resistant to damage and shimmer with a metallic sheen under the light.

**Markings:** Her body is adorned with intricate, silver tattoos that trace along her arms, back, and legs. These tattoos, inspired by ancient elven designs, glow faintly when she channels her magic. They are a visual manifestation of her dual heritage, resembling ancient elven script. Her most prominent marking is a large, swirling design on her back that symbolizes the eternal cycle of life and death—an ironic nod to her many resurrections.

**Ears:** Her ears are long, pointed, and slightly curved, typical of a High Elf. However, the tips are adorned with fine, delicate scales, a subtle reminder of her mixed heritage.

**Clothing:** Zilventi favors attire that blends elegance with practicality. Her typical outfit consists of a robe made from enchanted black and silver fabric, embroidered with intricate dragon motifs. The robe is light and airy, allowing for swift movement, and is enchanted to provide protection against both physical and magical attacks. Beneath her robe, she wears a form-fitting armor made from lightweight yet durable dragon scale mail and soft black dragon leather, tailored to accommodate her agile fighting style. Her boot are made for stealth.

**Accessories:** She wears a dragon claw pendant around her neck, a family heirloom believed to be from one of her ancestors. The claw is imbued with ancient magic and serves as both a protective charm and a focus for her draconic abilities. She also wears several rings and bracelets, each enchanted with different protective and enhancement spells. Zilventi carries a staff made from a rare wood, that takes the form of a tree, and a catrip wand with a hidden blade.

**Personality:**

**Brave & Reckless:** Zilventi is known for her fearless nature, often diving headfirst into danger without a second thought. Her recklessness is legendary, and her numerous deaths are a testament to her willingness to take risks. She thrives on the thrill of the unknown and the excitement of battle, often placing herself in harm’s way to protect her companions or satisfy her insatiable curiosity.

**Mischievous & Playful:** Zilventi has a mischievous streak, often teasing and playing pranks on her companions, especially Laios. Her sense of humor is sharp, and she enjoys making light of even the direst situations. However, her playful nature is also a defense mechanism, masking the pain and trauma of her many deaths. She often uses humor to deflect serious conversations or to lighten the mood after a difficult battle.

**Compassionate:** Despite her reckless and mischievous nature, Zilventi has a deep well of compassion. She cares deeply for her companions and is fiercely protective of them. Her attempt to raise a dragon egg as a pet is a reflection of her nurturing side and her desire to form deep, meaningful bonds. She is always the first to rush to a friend’s aid, even if it means putting herself in danger.

**Stoic & Resilient:** Having faced death more times than she can count, Zilventi has developed a stoic resilience. She has come to terms with the transient nature of life and is unafraid of death, viewing it as just another obstacle to overcome. However, the trauma of her many deaths, particularly her encounter with the phoenix, has left deep emotional scars. She hides her pain behind a mask of bravery and humor, refusing to let it slow her down.

**Curious & Knowledgeable:** Zilventi is driven by an insatiable curiosity. She is always eager to learn more about the dungeons they explore, the creatures they encounter, and the magic that binds their world. Her vast knowledge of dungeons, creatures, and magic makes her an invaluable asset to the party. However, her curiosity sometimes leads her into trouble, as she is often willing to take dangerous risks in the pursuit of knowledge.

**Background:**

Zilventi’s lineage is a rare and powerful blend of High Elf and Eastern Dragon Beastman. Born to a High Elf mother, a revered mage in her homeland, and a formidable Eastern Dragon Beastman father, Zilventi’s early life was a unique mixture of elven culture and draconic traditions. Her childhood was spent in the serene forests of her mother’s people, where she learned the art of elven magic, studied ancient lore, and honed her natural agility and grace.

However, her father’s draconic blood called to her from an early age, manifesting in her physical appearance and magical abilities. As a child, she would often find herself drawn to the mountains and caves, where she could feel the pull of her draconic heritage. Her father, a proud and powerful Eastern Dragon, taught her to embrace her dual nature, training her in the ways of the dragon—enhancing her physical abilities, honing her elemental powers, and nurturing her instinctual connection to the world around her.

As she grew older, Zilventi’s curiosity about her draconic heritage and her desire for adventure led her to leave her forest home and seek out the dungeons that held the mysteries of her ancestry. Her journey eventually led her to Laios' party, where she found both companionship and the thrill of exploration. Her unique abilities, combined with her deep knowledge of magic and creatures, made her an invaluable member of the team.

Zilventi’s most traumatic experience occurred during an encounter with a phoenix deep within a treacherous dungeon. The battle was fierce, and despite her formidable abilities, she was unable to withstand the creature’s relentless power. The encounter left her physically and emotionally scarred, as the phoenix’s flames burned away much of her skin, only for her to regenerate and die repeatedly in a cycle of agony. The experience forced her to confront the reality of her many deaths, leaving her with a deep fear of rebirth and a lingering wariness of fire.

Despite the trauma, Zilventi emerged from the encounter with renewed determination, vowing never to let her fear hold her back. She continues to push forward, driven by a desire to discover the secrets of her draconic lineage and to protect those she cares about.

Zilventi is perhaps best known for one particularly daring escapade where she stole a dragon egg from a dangerous dungeon. Her intention was to raise the dragon as a companion, believing that it would be a powerful ally and a connection to her draconic heritage. However, her party quickly realized the danger of raising a dragon and convinced her to return the egg. Though she agreed, Zilventi still dreams of one day raising a dragon and forging a bond with one of her kin.

**Abilities:**

**Elemental Magic Mastery:** Zilventi has a deep mastery of elemental magic, a skill inherited from her High Elf mother. She specializes in wind and earth magic, capable of manipulating the elements with ease. Her draconic blood also grants her control over fire and lightning, allowing her to unleash devastating attacks in battle. She can create powerful gusts of wind, summon protective barriers of earth, and call down lightning strikes with pinpoint accuracy.

**Draconic Power:** Zilventi’s draconic lineage grants her enhanced physical abilities, including heightened strength, speed, and endurance. She is incredibly agile, able to move with the grace and speed of both elf and dragon. Her senses are also heightened, particularly her sight and smell, making her an excellent scout and tracker.

**Regeneration:** One of Zilventi’s most unique abilities is her accelerated healing factor. Her draconic blood allows her to regenerate from injuries at a much faster rate than most beings. While not instantaneous, her regeneration can heal severe wounds in a matter of hours, though it is not powerful enough to prevent her many deaths in the face of overwhelming damage.

**Flight:** Zilventi possesses, retractable dragon wings that she can summon at will. These wings are strong enough for sustained flight and can be used for short bursts, allowing her to glide over obstacles or launch herself into the air for quick maneuvers. However, using her wings is physically taxing, and she can only maintain flight for short periods before needing to rest.

**Dragon’s Roar:** Zilventi has the ability to unleash a powerful roar imbued with draconic magic. This roar can stun enemies, create shockwaves, or even shatter weaker defenses. It is a rare ability that she uses sparingly, as it drains a significant amount of her energy.

**Role in the Party:**

Zilventi serves as both a versatile spellcaster and a frontline combatant in Laios' party. Her blend of elemental magic, draconic power, and physical prowess makes her a valuable asset in a variety of situations, whether the party is navigating treacherous terrain, facing off against dangerous monsters, or uncovering the secrets of ancient dungeons.

**Scout and Tracker:** With her heightened senses and keen instincts, Zilventi often takes on the role of the party's scout. Her sharp eyesight allows her to spot hidden traps, enemies, and pathways, while her sense of smell helps her track down creatures or locate rare ingredients within the dungeon. Her agility and speed enable her to quickly traverse difficult terrain, making her the first to explore new areas or lead the way through perilous environments.

**Frontline Combatant:** Zilventi's physical abilities and magical prowess make her a formidable frontline fighter. She is quick on her feet, able to dodge attacks and strike back with precision. Her elemental magic gives her the power to control the battlefield, using wind to knock enemies off balance, earth to create barriers or traps, and fire or lightning to deal heavy damage. In close combat, her draconic strength allows her to overpower opponents, while her scales provide additional protection.

**Magical Support:** In addition to her combat abilities, Zilventi also provides crucial magical support to her party. She can heal minor wounds with her magic, create protective barriers to shield her allies, and dispel harmful enchantments or curses. Her knowledge of ancient lore and magical creatures often proves invaluable when the party encounters mysterious artifacts or formidable foes.

**Morale Booster:** Zilventi's playful and mischievous personality helps to keep the party's spirits high, even in the darkest of dungeons. Her humor and lightheartedness provide a welcome relief from the constant dangers they face, and her unwavering bravery inspires her companions to push forward, no matter the odds. Her deep bond with Laios, in particular, makes her a source of comfort and strength for the party leader.

**Relationships:**

**Laios:** Zilventi shares a deep and unbreakable bond with Laios. As her best friend, Laios understands Zilventi's complexities better than anyone else. They share a mutual respect and trust that has been forged through countless battles and adventures. Zilventi often teases Laios, but she is fiercely protective of him, and her loyalty to him is unwavering. Laios, in turn, values Zilventi's courage and wisdom, often relying on her insights and instincts when making difficult decisions.

**Mithrun:** Though Zilventi is unaware of it, Mithrun secretly harbors deep feelings for her. He admires her strength, resilience, and the way she faces danger without hesitation. Zilventi, however, sees Mithrun as a reliable and skilled companion, but is oblivious to his romantic interest. The tension between them adds an undercurrent of unspoken emotions to their interactions, with Mithrun often going out of his way to protect or support her during their adventures.

**Thristle:** Thristle’s feelings for Zilventi are complicated by his own pride and the walls he’s built around himself. He’s not the type to openly express affection, and his feelings often come out in ways that are more aggressive than tender. This internal conflict adds a layer of tension to their interactions, as Thristle grapples with emotions he’s not used to dealing with.

**Other Party Members:** Zilventi is well-liked by the other members of the party, who appreciate her skills and her lively personality. Though her recklessness can sometimes cause frustration, they know that her heart is in the right place and that she would do anything to keep them safe. Her many deaths have also made her a figure of both awe and concern, as the party members grapple with the reality of her unique existence.

**Notable Traits:**

**Resilient Soul:** Zilventi’s numerous deaths have left her with an indomitable spirit. She has faced death more times than any other being, yet she continues to press forward, driven by a determination that is as much a part of her as her draconic blood. This resilience makes her fearless in the face of danger, but also gives her a deep understanding of loss and the value of life.

**Dragon’s Blood:** Her draconic heritage is a double-edged sword, granting her immense power but also setting her apart from both elves and dragons. She is often torn between her two worlds, struggling to reconcile her elven upbringing with her draconic instincts. This internal conflict drives her to explore her heritage further, seeking out dungeons and relics that might hold the key to understanding her true nature.

**Curiosity and Recklessness:** Zilventi’s insatiable curiosity is both her greatest strength and her greatest weakness. While it leads her to discover hidden secrets and uncover powerful magic, it also puts her in danger time and time again. Her willingness to take risks often results in her untimely demise, but she never lets fear hold her back, always ready to leap into the unknown.

**Inventory:**

**Dragon Claw Pendant:** A treasured heirloom from her father’s side, this pendant is a source of comfort and power for Zilventi. It enhances her draconic abilities and provides protection against magical attacks. The pendant is also a key to unlocking ancient draconic spells, though Zilventi has yet to fully understand its potential.

**Staff of Wanderlust:** Crafted from a rare wood, Zilventi’s staff is a weapon, a magical focus and a companion. Created out of the branch of a curious Treant, the staff is inlaid with a crystal at its top, usually hanging from it are feathers and ornaments found throughout her travels.

The staff is attuned to the elements, allowing her to channel her magic with greater precision and power. The crystal glows when she casts spells, and the staff can be used to create barriers, control the elements, or unleash devastating attacks.

The staff is a sentient chaotic good staff. The staff telepathically speaks with her and can speak, read and understand Common, Dwarvish, Half-foot and Elven tongue's.

When traveling the staff has a habit of humming travel songs and occasionally comments on note- worthy locations or sights. The staff has been imbued with the curiosity and wanderlust of the Treant it grew out off and all those that have wielded it since.

It seeks to see and learn as much of the world as possible. Conflict arises if it feels it is kept in one place for too long. When shown any particularly interesting or unique locations the staff might choose to reward her by sharing stories and secrets about places it has been or those it traveled with.

The staff has no name, but happily takes on any name it is given.

**Potions and Elixirs:** Zilventi carries a variety of potions and elixirs, many of which she creates herself using rare ingredients found in dungeons. These potions range from healing elixirs to enhance her regeneration to powerful brews that temporarily boost her magical abilities. She also carries antidotes and remedies for various dungeon hazards, ensuring that she is always prepared for the unexpected.

**Dragon Egg (Returned):** Though she no longer possesses it, the dragon egg that Zilventi once stole remains a significant part of her story. The egg was a symbol of her desire to connect with her draconic heritage, and its loss was a painful but necessary decision. She still dreams of one day raising a dragon, believing that it would be a powerful ally and a link to her ancestry.

**Future Aspirations:**

**Uncovering Her Heritage:** Zilventi’s journey is far from over. She continues to search for clues about her draconic lineage, hoping to uncover the secrets of her father’s people and understand the full extent of her powers. Her quest is driven by a desire to reconcile her dual nature and find her place in a world that often sees her as an outsider.

**Raising a Dragon:** Despite the failure of her first attempt, Zilventi still dreams of raising a dragon. She believes that forming a bond with a dragon would not only grant her a powerful ally but also bring her closer to understanding her draconic side. She is determined to find another dragon egg, one that she can keep and nurture without endangering her party.

**Overcoming Her Fears:** The encounter with the phoenix left Zilventi with a deep-seated fear of fire. Though she has faced countless deaths, the memory of being burned alive and repeatedly revived haunts her. She is determined to confront this fear and find a way to overcome the trauma it left behind, perhaps by seeking out the phoenix once more or by mastering her own draconic flames.

**Strengthening Bonds:** Zilventi values her relationships with her party members, especially Laios and Mithrun. She seeks to strengthen these bonds, knowing that their companionship is a source of strength and comfort in the dangerous world they navigate. Though she is unaware of Mithrun’s feelings, she may one day come to recognize and reciprocate them, adding a new dimension to their relationship.

**Summary:**

Zilventi is a character defined by contrasts—bravery and recklessness, compassion and mischief, elven grace and draconic power. Her journey is one of self-discovery, as she seeks to understand her unique heritage and carve out a place for herself in a world of dungeons, monsters, and magic. Despite her many deaths and the trauma she has endured, Zilventi remains a beacon of resilience and hope, always ready to face the next challenge with a smile on her face and fire in her heart.

[legthief]

one of my favorite things about hypmic is how integral hair colors are to the character design. their hair colors all mean something and they’re so deliberate.

yamada brothers all have black hair to match their normal ass names and remind you that they are, really, just normal kids.

samatoki and nemu have white hair to contrast them. i could talk forever about how samatoki and nemu are designed to directly contrast ichiro but that’s for another time. jyuto is the Normal One, hence the normal brown hair. rio is ginger just to remind you that he’s white lmao.

all the members of matenrou have dual-colored hair to match their dual personalities, with a more normal color of hair layered over the more absurd one. this is important, because their more socially acceptable personality is what they are more like most of the time. (they are autistic) people perceive them as completely normal functioning adults before finding out that they are, in fact, not at all normal.

ramuda is pink because of his chuoku affiliation BUT! there’s more! his hair is dual-colored, but fades to purple rather than having a hard switch from pink to purple. much like i said about matenrou, the dual hair color is indicative of a dual personality. ramuda’s dual personality is different from matenrou, however, because the distinction between his cute persona and his darker persona as his real self kind of doesn’t exist. instead of drunk jakurai, host hifumi, or angry doppo, which are all not the true personalities of the matenrou members, dark ramuda and cute ramuda are equally the real ramuda. gentaro has brown hair so not to clash with his clothing, but also to emphasize that he’s supposed to be more of a narrator-type character, to fade into the background and let the story unfold, to finish his brother’s work and then vanish as though he were never there. dice’s hair is blue to oppose chuoku’s pink and his mother, while still being a link to her, and to contrast ramuda.

kuko’s hair is red, and i like to believe that it’s supposed to be like fire, connecting him to his sun motif but also to ichiro, who is often associated with fire. i sound ridiculous, but let’s keep going. bringing back the dual-colored hair i talked about before, jyushi’s odd hair color is outside, completely opposite from matenrou. jyushi’s chuunibyou personality only appears around people he doesn’t know, or doesn’t feel comfortable around (like a mask. autism), so naturally his hair’s eccentric accents are outside, rather than inside. hitoya is yet another case of the Normal Guy, but this time i want to say it’s because of jakurai. hitoya’s hair color is so incredibly common and average, two words i believe hitoya hates. you know who has a unique hair color? jakurai. hitoya is average, jakurai is not. sorry i get more insane the further down the post goes.

sasara is like ramuda, and i hate to break it to you, but we don’t actually know sasara that well. he’s definitely a many-layered character, and the fact that he will hide what he’s thinking and put on the mask of a silly guy makes me believe that his hair going from dark to light is deliberate. rosho is yet another dual-colored hair case, but he’s special because he’s only got a few streaks of lighter purple. these few streaks sort of symbolize how he gets when he’s mad, or maybe even how he’s a completely different person speaking to a crowd versus speaking to an individual. there’s nothing i can say about rei that i didn’t cover with the buster bros.

this has been division all-stars posting with leg, stay tuned for more. i am writing this while incredibly tired so assume any error i make in my grammar or typing is a result of that.

[chromes-corner]

i keep asking 4 characters on the bingo thingy but i can’t help myself

so… dark cacao & caramel arrow ?

YOU ROTTED MY BRAIN SO BAD WITH THIS BOTH OF THESE ARE REALLY LONG

im doing caramel arrow first >:)

caramel arrow is fucking cool. i love her outfit so fucking much ughhhh its so pretty the black and white motif of the dc kingdom is my EVERYTHING!!!! AND HER FUCKING WEAPON???? DUAL BLADES THAT ATTACH INTO A BOW???? THATS LITERALLY WICKED I WANT ONE OF THOSE!!!! also i eat up strong female characters like theyre my last meal on earth i just adore her resolve and her loyalty and her STRENGTH shes a BOSS of the GIRL NATURE

despite me loving her so so much, i cant help but feel as though she got SHAFTED in the story relevance department. the only role she really plays in the 13-14 story is that shes the means by which gingergang infiltrates the castle. thats honestly all she really does???? and thats SO DISAPPOINTING!!!!!!!! she couldve been so much more!!!!!!!!!! not to mention how she acts when she finally finds dark cacao. instead of, i dont know, yelling at him for abandoning her and the rest of the kingdom and saying that his long-winded message of telling her to get help was fucking STUPID, she just kisses his ass and says “ok lets go fight!! i never gave up on you!!” LIKE DUDE SHOW SOME SELF-RESPECT AND SAY “HEY MY KING IM LOYAL TO YOU BUT YOURE FUCKING TERRIBLE AT THIS!!!”

THEY DIDNT EVEN LET HER GET REVENGE ON AFFOGATO LIKE GRRRR ok i get its rated like 12+ so they couldnt have her straight up murder him BUT STILL!!!!! she couldve put an arrow in that bitch’s back as he was running away. damn. caramel arrow should be allowed to murder because shes hot. but the recent bond story with her and affo is really fucking funny though so ill let this one slide.

 another thing is that i wanted to badly for her to have a one-on-one with dark choco the way he and dark cacao had. like, i wanted her to have a chance to ask him why. surely he doesnt have a vendetta against her like he did with his father???? he probably wouldve spoken with her, albeit briefly, considering she was literally his apprentice or something. we couldve learned so much about dark choco before the whole sword thing went down and about dark cacao back in those times. sighhhhh the girlboss was gatekeeped :( 

i really like her but once again she falls a little flat because the story doesnt give her a ton to do which sucks so hard :pensive: ily caramel arrow youre my homie forever <3

dark cacao the absolute MANWHORE second because I ACCIDENTALLY GOT CARRIED AWAY AND STARTED RANTING SO HARD IM SORRY

FULL RAMBLE UNDER THE CUT

i have very conflicting opinions about the king of not-my-problem. do I think he's hot? unabashedly. Do I think he's a terrible person? also unabashedly.

ill start with what i like. first off........ patrick seitz is a fucking phenomenal voice actor and GOD he really nails it with dark cacao. he's on my list of voices that i want to read me bedtime stories. second off, god am i a sucker for his design. the big chunky armor hits me right in my paladin soul. the color palette is so simple yet so striking, and i love how his violet-tinted grays and blacks contrast with his sons warmer tones. that's a neat little detail that really differentiates them and draws the generational line further beyond just ideals and alignment.

theres so much to fucking unpack about this man when it comes to personality and dialogue. i do NOT feel like going back and reading through that again until the emotional damage from the first time wears off, so just roll with me here. god FUCKING damn he actually got an entire arc for his personality and it STANDS OUT. pv and hb remained mostly static throughout their stories but dark cacao got the fucking special treatment and ughhhhh its so good.

i just...... excuse the pun but i adore how his soul jams theme is actually baked into his arc. with the other two ancients, it was their jams trait (light of truth and light of passion) that HELPED them finish their arcs, because they had both lost those things along the way and their journeys were about reacquiring pv's missing truth and hb's faded passion. with cacao, its his jam's trait, his own resolution was the very thing that was HINDERING him. he was so set in his ways BECAUSE he still had his strong resolution that he failed to realize that HE was the problem with his kingdom and his relationship with his son. god FUCKING damn that subversion from the norm WAS SO FUCKING REFRESHING AND I COULD GO ON ABOUT THIS FOREVER BUT I WONT!!!! THIS IS ALREADY SO LONG AND I HAVE ANOTHER THING TO GO OVER OK

okay so... theres something i really dont like about him. dark cacao is a terrible fucking king and dark choco was mostly in the right to try and make him change his ways (obviously he shouldn't have sought out a cursed sword to do so, as only bad things can come of that but still). all dark cacao could focus on was the wall. somewhere along the line he made it HIS burden alone to protect the world from the licorice sea, and because he put all his time and resources into that, others suffered because of it. his neglect is what caused the villages under the rule of his kingdom to waste away into ruin. hell, even citizens living in the CITADEL were suffering, for christs sake. resources were being depleted for this one project until there was nearly nothing left. my man may be earthbread's top emo model, but mans a FUCKING TERRIBLE KING. AND THE KICKER????????? NOT FUCKING ONCE DOES HE ACKNOWLEDGE THE DAMAGE HES DONE IN HIS NEGLECT!!!!!!!! NOT EVEN A FUCKING "HEY IM SORRY I BASICALLY ABANDONED EVERYONE BECAUSE I WAS TOO BUSY FIGHTING MY DEMONS FOR THIRTY YEARS" FUCKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hes cool in odyssey tho

BTW IF YOU READ THIS FAR HERE TAKE THIS SICK FUCKING PIECE OF ART FROM THE ART BOOK AS A THANK YOU FOR PUTTING UP WITH MY INSANE RAMBLINGS

[raliciel]

Gao’s Wardrobes (Not include: Riyo’s 4th Anniversary Gao | Escape Room Gao | CBC2019 Gao | From Lostbelt Vol.1 Special Costume Gao | Chinese 4th Anniversary Gao | Unused (Error) Gao Design in Material 8) References and Notes Under cut

1. There’s five official costumes, one in Material book, and one unofficial costume in Akira Hou (Official Character Designer)’s FGO fan artbook “RIGHT” , which available here, has been show in pic. Every costumes mention so far has been design and drawn by Hou herself.

2. Every costumes that Hou designed has to have at least flowers symbol or his sigil in the design, this are limited but not including 5th anniversary costume. However, the costume was already associated with maple leaves as his Travel Journal (5th anniversary) art and goods shown. The place present in the art is Momijidani park in Hiroshima.  2.1 The flower, as Hou mentioned in Material 8, is Buttercup. Artist note stated that Buttercups are bloomed around Changgong’s death time. Buttercup is also shown in his Noble Phantasm. 2.2 He also has moon motif in his design too, it’s showed in his 3rd ascension cloaks and Summer Bentenyi. According to his profile, it was unsure if he channels moon’s power for emitting light from his face. 2.3 According to Mandricardo in Old Li Shuwen’s interlude, Changgong was the moon and Mandricardo was softshell turtle. ‘Moon and Softshell turtle (月と鼈)’ is an idiom refers to something that look alike yet so different, like Chalk and Cheese. In the interlude Mandricardo was refer about how they’re both horsemen. 2.4 Yu Meiren also associated with Crimson Moon, being True Ancestor. But while she usually have red full moon and red Poppy, Changgong usually have golden crescent moon and golden Buttercup. 2.5 It’s not weird for ancient Chinese to worship the moon, in Chinese belief there’s also moon goddess name “Chang’e”. It’s not even weird when it come to Nasuverse having a character with moon motif either. 2.5.1 Junko’s voice: Chang’e, are you watching?

3. His undergarments are inspired by this. If you scroll down you’ll see the antique top undergarments that used since Song Dynasty. The record about Chinese male wearing ‘Topbar’ has been existed since Qin Dynasty, which it was normally worn in winter (TBH he should be wearing Liangdian). Chinese horsemen were also said to wear bottom undergarment to reduce friction between horse seat and crotch.  3.1 I added the leggings because it’s obvious he’s wearing them. 3.2 The reason I’m thinking he wears layers of undergarments is because his thighs in ascensions arts are slightly smaller than his summer Bentenyi sprite.

4. His unused design were changed to his 1st and 2nd ascension. It has “apron-like” cloth under his belt along with different bracelets pattern. anything else seem same. It has been reveal in sold Material 8 book copies and TM later apologies and releases the current design online. You can download the current reference sheet from here. 4.1 However, in Lostbelt arc 1st Opening, Gao’s bracelet has the same pattern he has in his old design, so I guess they were using the old one for animation guide. 4.2 Which also mean he meant to have dual swords in his old design.

5. There’s currently 3 designs for his horse, Original one, Summer one and Travel Journal one. His horse’s name is not yet to reveal.

6 Changgong always tends to have new costumes in game event with Yu Meiren. They have 4th anniversary, 5th anniversary, Chinese 4th anniversary and Summer costumes together.  6.1 While CBC2019, where Gao has new costume feature in his CE, suppose to be male-only in game event, Yu also debut her new costume in CE in female-only even Valentine 2019. 6.2 Also in 5th Anniversary PV where it show every Crypter team members having party, one of the animators in that scene said Akuta Hinako’s dress design are inspired by Gao Changgong’s scheme color.

7. His Festival wear (his real SWIMSUIT in 4th anniversary) come with towel. The fastening strap on his jacket written “SUPPORT 🌸 ARTS”, replacing emoji with Buttercup flower. He also has bottle according to Hou’s art in twitter but it got deleted. 7.1 His jacket also have Arts symbol on its left side, but in CE it got covered by his mask.

8. Gao’s sword sheath has his sigil on it, in the middle golden plate. 

9. It’s quite hard to see, but his Travel Journal costume has pattern on inner white Hanfu but the pattern is too vague for me. It become more obvious with Hou’s art in twitter but it also got deleted. Note that with that art the pattern still not detailed enough. 9.1 While Travel Journal costume full CE has his outer Hanfu more red-ish than his Ku trousers, in his acrylic good it actually has same color.

10. His Summer Bentenyi design is the only one that has different sigil design, having the Buttercup replaced with Siheyuan pattern. Buttercup is still presented on his sunglasses’ cord by the way. 10.1 Also in his horse design, while buttercup’s still there, we have white Hibiscus on its seat fabric. 10.2 White Hibiscus is also presented in his card art. 10.3 Summer Bentenyi also come with 2 different glasses, the normal glasses one have Yu Meiren forced him to wear herself in the story.

11 His casual wear design in Hou’s artbook have him holding the glasses, not wearing it. He also have sneakers with his sigil on them, too.

12 His “idle” costume is his 2nd ascension one. There’s one time he presented in his 3rd ascension when he received your chocolate. And one time that he use his 1st ascension when he was “brainwashed�� by Xu Fu. His injured sprite also based on his 2nd ascension too.  12.1 (CHALDEA SUMMER SPOILER) he got “Dark Lan” as his boss title while he’s being “brainwashed” too. 

13 Do you love this man?

I do

[battlekidx2]

The Symbolism and Motifs Behind Adora and Catra’s Designs/Looks

Adora 

(Hair down)

The biggest visual motif that is used for Adora is her hair. When she is Adora her hair being up symbolizes her being constrained by her destiny, obligations, responsibilities, past abuse, etc and every time she has a breakthrough or is freed from one of these her hair is let down. This first happens in Destiny part 2 when Adora breaks the sword and for the first time in 4 seasons Adora’s hair is down and she has “freed” herself from her horrible destiny. In season 5 this happens more frequently. In Save the Cat Adora’s hair comes out of her ponytail when she is saving Catra, when she has resolved herself to mend their relationship and reconnect. She has once again “freed” herself from the guilt and emotional pain that came from having to believe that Catra was lost, of being able to reconnect and keep childhood promises and make new ones. And another big one in Heart part 2 after Catra and Adora confess to each other her hair once again falls out of the ponytail symbolizing Adora finally being able to reach for a future that she wants and being “freed” from the obligations that she thought she had to neglect her needs and sacrifice herself for others. Adora’s hair coming loose is (clearly through the examples mentioned) meant to symbolize emotional breakthroughs that Adora has. Adora is a character that isn’t that in touch with her emotions and struggles to comprehend things beyond what she was raised for, battle and war, so each breakthrough is her gradually breaking free of her upbringing.

(She-ra’s look season 1-4)

(She-ra’s look in season 5)

It’s interesting to note that She-ra’s redesign follows the exact opposite motif with her hair, but symbolizes something similar. She-ra’s redesign looks a lot more like Adora does than her original design and this is meant to show how Adora has made she-ra her own. She-ra is no longer what the first ones intended, she is not the sword, she-ra is Adora. Another detail is how the new design incorporates certain aspects of each of the most important people in her life: the heart on her chest for Bow, the wings on her shoes for Glimmer, and her new mask for Catra. She-ra and her meaning have been altered by Adora and her experiences and I really love that fact. This is Adora taking back control over something that was supposed to be used to manipulate her. Which is a core part of her character because of the struggles she has with her abuse at shadow weaver’s hands. This is a part of the culmination of Adora’s arc of discovering she is more than what she can do for others. That her destiny, the destiny of she-ra, is in her own hands. That the manipulations of people trying to use her isn’t what has made Adora the person and hero she is today, but the personal connections she forged and her own personal drive to do what she believes is right.

Catra 

Season 1-3 look

season 4 (and beginning of season 5) look

Season 5 look

(under prime’s control)

(once she joins the rebellion)

One of my favorite recurring motifs with Catra is the literal mask that she wears and that in this season after she decides to save Glimmer the mask is gone from her design completely. The dark exterior that Catra uses to hide her feelings and pain is gone and she has finally decided to be true to herself. Same with her eyes. Catra has heterochromia which is used to outwardly display her dual nature and warring inner conflict between her love and hatred of Adora and in the 5th season it’s used to portray her struggle between self betterment and sliding into old habits and self destruction. This is shown very clearly in the episode “Taking Control”. Whenever Catra is lashing out at Adora she’s turned so that her blue eye is the only one in frame and when Catra is being vulnerable or showing regret her yellow eye is the one that’s in frame. When she decides to use the chip to discover Horde Prime’s plan and protect Adora her yellow eye is the one in frame further emphasizing her decision to change. I really liked this detail in the episode. There is also the very obvious one in the season 3 finale where the blue eye is the one covered by the corruption in season 3 symbolizing Catra’s decision to commit to her villain role. Her darkness had won over her light. And it comes full circle once again in the series finale. Once Catra makes the decision to go back for Adora and stands up to shadow weaver her blue eye is the one shown in side views. Showing that she has overcome what had been her biggest shortcoming in this series, pushing others away to protect herself.

I just really loved how they used Catra’s character design to its fullest and didn’t waste details. It’s really easy to just be like “wow this looks cool” and then do nothing with it, but the she-ra crew was like “wow this looks cool now let’s do something with it”. For example when Catra gets her redesign in season 4 her hair is a lot less poofy and her ear tufts are gone and it’s tied into her character progression. Catra got rid of her ear tufts because shadow weaver had used caressing them as a way to manipulate Catra and her feelings. Catra now associates them with negative emotions and weakness and wants to “cut off” any possibility of feeling that kind of emotional pain again. The darker colors of her clothes also reflect her decision in the previous season. Catra’s main colors before this season were much lighter reds, but now it’s a deep, dark red showing her descent into the darkness when she opened the portal and her denial. Her color scheme changes once again in season 5. Her shoulders have maintained the darker red, but the dark sleeves that she had are now gone making it so that the lighter reds overcome or overshadow the darker red symbolizing how the light inside of her has overcome the dark. Yet it’s still keeps the colors darker than season 1 because Catra has done things since then that have made it so that she can’t go back to being that same person before she committed her mistakes. She’s a much healthier person though and has come to accept her mistakes and try to move forward in a better healthier direction (again symbolized by the color of her clothes).

I also want to point out Catra’s design in save the cat. In Save the Cat Catra is in all white and grey with her hair slicked back perfectly in place. The more Catra comes to her senses and is freed from primes control the messier her hair gets. It is similar to Adora’s hair motif, but with Catra’s hair becoming messier it can also symbolize her embracing/remembering her mistakes and the messiness that comes from trying to move forward in a more positive direction. When brainwashed and under primes control she doesn’t even remember her mistakes because Prime has “washed” away the pain along with the memory. Also white is typically used to symbolize purity but in this context it feels very out of place. This isn’t who Catra is. The reason she goes back to the red is that once again it symbolizes her decisions and choices. Catra can’t undo the mistakes so she “wears” them and acknowledges them after this episode. This is why in the transition episode Catra is wearing grey undergarments. Catra isn’t at the point where she can face her mistakes even though she has admitted them, symbolized by the transfer from white to grey. Her clothing being undergarments alone shows how vulnerable and insecure Catra is feeling about these mistakes. The very next episode after she resolves to face her mistakes she goes back to her red color scheme, again with less of the dark red than in season 4 showing her decision to change and go down a “lighter” path.

[wickwrites]

Burning as a Motif for Humanity in Violet Evergarden

I think, when watching Violet Evergarden, most of us picked up on fire as a motif for Violet’s trauma – the violence and destruction she witnessed in the war, and the violence and destruction she engendered with her own hands. I’m not going to go into this too much because it’s all pretty self-explanatory, if not trite, but here are some quick examples of fire as a motif for her trauma just to lay the groundwork for the rest of the essay:

In frame 1 (episode 8), Violet draws first blood on the battlefield, and the once contained fire from the felled soldiers’ lanterns spread quickly through the forest, a symbol for how one small act of violence can cascade into large scale destruction. In frame 2, Gilbert stares at the carnage in front of him, horrified. In frame 3, the major is shot, and all we get to see is a screen of flames. In frame 4 (episode 12), Merkulov stares into a fire as he schemes about re-kindling the war.

I want to follow this (well trodden) opinion up with a more encompassing statement. That is, fire, in Violet Evergarden, is not limited to representing the destructive power of violence and trauma. Instead, it is a motif for humanity itself – an embodiment of the full range of experiences and emotions that make us human.  

To show this, I’m going to start off at the beginning of Violet’s journey, focusing on how her disconnect (from herself as well as others) is illustrated in episode one. For instance, her initial struggle to move her now mechanical arms as she sits in her hospital bed in the opening sequence is an excellent embodiment of her dissociation from her own body and lack of agency. I want to, however, focus on two scenes that are particularly relevant for our discussion:

First, the scene where Violet spills tea on her hand:

And second, the scene where Hodgins insists that Violet is burning:

These scenes are similar: in both, someone asserts that Violet must be in pain, specifically due to burning, and in both, Violet rejects that statement. In the first, however, that burning is physical. And in the second, that burning is emotional. Regardless, Violet is so removed from her own body that she is incapable of feeling either. Her mechanical hand is therefore an embodiment of her inhumanity (ie. her “dollness” or “weapon-ness”). Like her, it is cold, mechanical, insensitive, without life or agency. After all, up until now, all she’s been doing is killing on command, without the ability to think for herself, experience her own pain, or sympathize with her victims’ pain.

When the screen shows that Hodgins is indeed correct, that Violet is literally on fire (frame 1), that fire is depicted with restraint. Flames engulfs Violet’s body, but those flames are from a streetlamp enclosed in glass. It is controlled and distant. This encapsulates Violet’s current state; she is literally on fire, but that fire is so compartmentalized and suppressed, and she is so far removed from her own experience, that she is incapable of feeling it.

In frame 2, we are viewing Violet in a flashback, from Hodgin’s point of view. Although we’re offered a close up shot of her bloodied hands, we see, about two cuts later, that Hodgin is actually observing Violet from afar (frame 2.5). This distance demonstrates that he cannot bring himself to reach out to her, something that Hodgin confesses he feels guilty about literally 5 seconds later. They were, at that point in time, and perhaps even now, unable to connect.

In frames 3 and 4, Hodgin is speaking again. We get this super far shot of Violet’s body. The camera is straight on, objective, and unfeeling. This unsympathetic framing has two functions. First, it distances us from Violet. Our inability to see the details on her face and her relatively neutral body language gives us, the audience, no real way inidication her thoughts. Second, it distances Violet from herself. As someone who experiences dissociative symptoms from PTSD, this is a very poignant way of framing what it feels like to be removed from your own experience. Hodgin’s line, “You’ll understand what I’m saying one day. And, for the first time, you’ll notice all your burn scars,” further drives home the sense that Violet is completely estranged from herself. It almost feels like we are looking at her, from her own detached point of view.

We’re going to move on now, but we’ll get back to these frames later in the analysis, so hold onto them.

Throughout Violet’s journey, fire comes up again and again. Specifically, it shows up in moments of emotional intimacy, connection, and healing. Let’s see what I mean by this:

I have here a collection of moments that all occur at the same narrative point in their respective mini-stories: the moment where one character reaches out to another, sympathizes with them, and literally pulls them of their darkness. For example, frame 1 (episode 3) shows Violet bringing a letter from Luculia to her brother. It expresses Luculia’s gratitude and love for him, and ultimately mends their relationship. In frame 2 (episode 4), Violet and Iris share a moment of emotional intimacy and connection, which is the beginning of Iris’ story’s resolution. In frame 3 (episode 9), Violet’s suicidal despondency is interrupted by the mailman, bringing her a heartwarming letter from all her friends. In frame 4 (episode 11), Violet comforts a dying solder by a fireplace.

It’s not that other modes of lighting do not exist – modern looking lamps show up repeatedly in the show. Even Iris’ rural family has them, so I can reasonably assume that, no, the above moments do not all coincidentally use lamps because that’s all there is in this universe; the usage of fire during moments of catharsis is deliberate, and establishes that fire can also bring hope, kindness, and love.

Now that we’ve explored the dual nature of fire as both destructive/constructive, painful/cathartic, let’s go onto the thesis of my essay. Why do I say that being on fire is to be human? Let’s go back to the scene where Hodgin tells Violet she’s on fire (episode 1, on the left), and compare it to the scene where Violet finally realizes that Hodgin was right and that she is on fire (episode 7, on the right):

In these sequences, there is a notable shift in framing and perspective. In frame 1b, we finally get to see Violet’s blood-stained hands from her point of view, as opposed to from Hodgin’s point of view in 1a. Violet becomes aware of her past as an actual agent choosing to kill, shown through the first-person point of view. Similarly, the medium, straight on shot of Violet looking down at her hands (frame 2a) is replaced with an intimate first-person, close-up view (frame 2b). In shots 3a and 3b, the difference in framing is most pronounced. In 3a, we get this straight on, long shot. In frame 3b, the camera’s detachment is replaced by a claustrophobic closeness. While this framing does an excellent job at conveying the panicked feeling of “everything crashing down all at once”, it also demonstrates Violet’s new-found awareness of herself. While before, the camera was used to alienate, now it is used to create a sense of painful awareness and intimacy.

These series of shots are the first in the entire show, I believe, of Violet's body from her own point of view. Their co-incidence with her awakening self-awareness characterizes the state of “being in one’s body” as a precondition to self-connection, or more specifically, to Violet’s understanding of herself as neither a weapon nor a doll, but as a human. Correspondingly, this pivotal moment serves as a catalyst for her subsequent emotional development. From this episode on towards the finale, we’re launched into a heart wrenching sequence of events: Violet’s desperate grieving for Gilbert’s apparent death, her attempted suicide driven by newfound grief, and most importantly, Violet receiving her first written letter, an act that is strongly representative of genuine human connection. Following these events, Violet’s emotional connection to both herself and others only continues to grow; during her two final jobs of the story, she breaks down crying in response to the suffering of her clients, demonstrating a level of compassion—if not empathy—that she seems to have never been able to tap into before.

At the same time, Violet acquires a new sense of agency, making plot-driving decisions that no longer require other characters’ validations. Most poignantly, in episode 12, she chooses to stay on the train to fight Merkulov, explicitly going against Dietfried’s order for her to leave. Her reason?

She doesn’t want anyone to die anymore.

And it’s this moment, for me, that consolidated her as a character with true agency. Up until now, all her major decisions have been framed in relation to Gilbert: she killed in the war because Gilbert ordered her to, and she became an Auto Memories Doll because she wanted to understand Gilbert’s enigmatic “I love you”. Now, however, her motivation is purely her own—she fights, simply because she doesn’t want anyone else to die. It’s a line implies an intimate knowledge of loss. It’s a sentiment motivated by compassion. It’s a raw and extraordinarily human thing to say.

When Violet embarks on her journey to decipher Gilbert’s love, she is devoid of many traits we consider inherent and possibly even unique to being human—suffering, compassion, altruism, love, agency, and the interplay between them. As an Auto Memories Doll, she learns to live, experiencing all these emotions she had never had the luxury to experience before, and we quickly realize that she cannot know what love is without simultaneously wrestling with her trauma. She learns that yes, sometimes the fire destroys and sometimes it burns, but sometimes it thaws too, and you cannot have one without the other. You cannot choose what the fire does to you; you cannot choose what you want to feel. Thus, to be on fire is to know the anguish of its destruction, but it is also, and more importantly, to know the catharsis of human connection, to be the warm flame that pulls someone else out of the dark, to be pulled out of the dark yourself. To be on fire is to be human.

[shadow-guardian-anabiel]

Some ideas for that new hooded character

I don’t think that it’s yuga/another returning character that was previously a one off. A more common recurring character, like vaati or twinrova would make more sense to me? Or possibly Ghirahim, who looks somewhat similar to new hooded figure in terms of colors and aesthetic and would likely be able to use malice. and botw REALLY likes to steal from skyward sword, so. Maybe one of those characters. Of all of them, I think Ghirahim, twinrova, or vaati make the most sense, but all of them have issues (why the Gerudo/sheikah symbol for vaati or Ghirahim, why would either of them be back at all? Why only one if it’s twinrova, with no elemental motifs in sight?)

Also, we’re talking about the Gerudo symbol on the cloak but not the fact that with the addition of the other lines, it’s a pretty similar shape to the sheikah symbol. Combined with the fact that the braid looks a lot like impa’s from some other games, I feel like that means something.

Other people have already talked about the idea that the figure is possibly the fortune teller, but I’m going to talk about it again. They DEFINITELY look fortune teller-ish, but the main issue with that is that I don’t understand why the yiga/Ganon would tell hyrule about the divine beasts, or even that Ganon was coming back at all. I can’t see why rocks would affect Ganon’s ability to posses and then break out guardians and divine beasts. He was shown to raise the guardian towers that Zelda didn’t know how to, so needing the guardians out and about enough to warn his adversaries makes no sense.

The corrupted ancient core(?) (people are calling it that, but I’m not sure I agree that’s what it is) looks a lot like the gate of souls from Hyrule Warriors. This is a Hyrule Warriors game, so that might tie in somehow. Either way, if this character is playable that’s probably their weapon.

I doubt this character is a Gerudo. You can’t get part-gerudo in hyrule, so it’s impossible that’s the case, and they have neither yellow/green eyes nor red hair, and while the lighting is bad I’m pretty sure they’re pale too.

So maybe a yiga member? While sheikah in botw all have white hair, sheik’s being blonde in previous games has never been pointed out as odd, so that might be recent or blonde might be a rare, but not unheard of mutation. The Whole red eyes thing got thrown out the window in botw.

Another possibility is that like agahaim, this character is just a puppet for ganon’s will, or something like that. But that isn’t a particularly fun theory to talk about.

This last bit has zero evidence, I just came up with and liked it. So I think that the sheikah poet is going to have a role of some sort in age of calamity, and it’s been a headcanon of mine for awhile that they’re either yiga or ex-yiga, and part of teaching Kass to help the hero was an apology for that. It’s possible that’s totally off the mark, but if not I think there’s a possibility that mass’s teacher is either the hooded figure or the new, dual-wielding yiga with the cracked mask. A sheikah musician working for Ganon could be a nod to the oot manga, as well.

If it’s yuga I’ll eat my hat. If there was lorule overlap in AoC impa would have mentioned it.

EDIT: I forgot something I wanted to talk about.

Look at the bottom left of this screenshot. There’s a couple ideas of what that weird dark spot of shading on the face might be that I’ve had. (Tumblr isn’t letting me add text below the picture so just. Scroll down a bit then back up I guess)

1. It’s just some funky shading from a tree or something

2. It’s part of a marking

3. It was a mistake

4. It’s the edge of an incredibly wide smile or smirk.

5. This new character has an incredibly sharp facial shape, cheekbones included, compared to every other character in botw/aoc.

Theory five lends itself well to a theory that I doubt most people already falling in love with this character would like to be canon- the new character is fairly old.

As one of those people, I hope not.

[doomedandstoned]

Doors To No Where Drop Rowdy Grunge-Punk-Desert Spinner ‘Darkness Falls’

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

Review by Billy Goate

Before us is the latest record from Santa Cruz heavies DOORS TO NO WHERE, a band new to these pages but which has played alongside many of our favorite West Coast acts, including KooK, Worship, and Year of the Cobra. As May is Mental Health Awareness month, it's good timing to be introduced to 'Darkness Falls' (2021). "This came to me during the pandemic," says frontman Marc Lewis. "I was watching so many folks struggling from all walks of life. Struggle isn’t biased -- it can hit anyone."

The album lyrically was a concept album in a way on the topic of mental health and its impact. I'm truly passionate about this and want it not to be such a taboo thing to talk about or seen as a sign of weakness.

Composed during the pandemic's most clutching moments and recorded with Aaron Cooper of Pylon Productions, the album features longtime collaborators Marc Lewis (guitar, vox), Marc Prefontaine (bass), and Pete Testorff (drums).

"Lie, Lie, Lie," dashes off to a furious Foo Fighters pace as we begin the record, with Pete Testorff's fervor and panache paving the way for Marc Lewis to deliver the three word chorus with all the snarl of a man who just wants to break his rusty chains and run.

"The riff in Lie, Lie, Lie," Marc tells Doomed & Stoned, "was written off something I heard Pete doing one night during sound check. He was playing his whole kit and then doing those snare hits you hear at the beginning of the song."

There's some nice give-and-take between Marc Lewis' guitar and Marc Prefontaine's bass that betwixt the introduction and chorus. I didn't pick it up at first listen, but it definitely grabbed me the next several spins through.

The grungy lyrics match the pissed-off spirit of the music, as the song mourns the loss of a common reference denominator for truth, warning that in its absence there is division, calamity, and ruin. "Together we rise, together we fall." Marc amplifies these powerful moments for us:

This track centers around the idea of false power and how someone could start to believe their own lies and self-hype, while others could fall for it. It can become a toxic relationship or even a cult kind of thing.

It may be hard to remember this far into this surreal "pause" in our world's history, but we too were afraid, alone, and angry for much of the pandemic's wake -- especially in those uncertain early moments when we followed the spread of this strange disease from China to Italy and onto the shores of Seattle and New York.

Darkness Falls by Doors To No Where

The aptly named "Fade" comes next, presenting at a doom's crawl with a sombre arpeggiated motif that summons the spirit of Trouble and Saint Vitus. Or you might hear a twisted, doomed-up variation of Metallica's "Enter The Sandman" in that low-end omen. "Fade was built of the rolling riff and bend," Marc explains. "I wanted it fat and raunchy." Certainly Pale Divine and Dirty Grave come to mind as I seek to match the mood with bands of similar spirit.

Then comes the pained chorus: "Run, run baby," which Marc illuminates in a very personal light:

"Fade" is about a friend of mine who is no longer with us. She was a larger than life personality that was loved by all. She played the personna and role of the happy-go-lucky person. She thought that's why people loved her and why they were friends. She was actually really struggling with mental health and depression though. She would behave in a way that she thought people wanted her to behave, while she was actually suffering. Those around her did not realize her pain or that their influence was making things worse. For years she would self-medicate with drugs and alcohol and that was celebrated by those around her.

I had started to see signs of her pain and tried to reach out. Unfortunately, I was too late. Any time anyone would reach out for help, she would disappear. The chorus line “disappearing one” is a reference to her pushing away and hiding from help. When she passed (sucide) everyone spoke of how special she was and how much they loved her. I was angry and sad. Why didn't more folks try and help her? My perspective was that coddling her addictions and self-medicated escape helped her to the grave.

The lyrics “We all love to see you fade, but don’t you go away” and “We all love to see you soar, but don’t you fade away” are references to the idea that sometimes humans are selfish in their relationships. Meaning that someone may give me the attention and things I need without me being aware of the sacrifices the other person is making.

"Worship The Machine" is another hefty doomer, with some wild guitar noodling contrasted against a rhythm that is quite machine-like as it dances stoically along its predestined chordal path. "Worship The Machine was written to be heavy and groovy," the band notes. "We wanted it to have a certain feel that pushed hard, while still having that chugging along kinda vibe." Closing in on the three-minute mark, Pete turns loose on the drums like a man possessed and the intensity continues when the rest of the band joins in, taking us right across the finish line to a crashing conclusion.

Darkness Falls by Doors To No Where

"I wanna live, but I'm dying" are words I can certainly relate to, not just in 2020, but in 2021, where the lingering impact of such a global (and personal) disruption is still very much a struggle on the daily. Turns out, my intuition was not far from the lyrical intent: "This song is all about the addiction to social media and how it corresponds with one's self esteem, mood, and self-worth. The social media world has become this giant machine and some are literally addicted to it. It creates this tool of status. I think it has truly impacted how people feel about themselves and others."

"Got Mine" is up next and this one is the most punkish track yet. It reminds me a lot of Soundgarden's periodic forays into punk, with songs like "Nazi Driver," "Never Named," and "Kickstand." On this point, Marc is clear: "Got Mine is influenced by the fact that I love old punk rock. I love the energy and the attitude. We wanted it to be loose but with tight stops and control." As to its meaning, we're told:

This song is about a revolution with the main character being selfish and self serving. So the character is done with the revolution or fight once their needs and wants are met. They are not really looking out for the cause or to tackle bigger issues for the good of humanity. They are actually looking for what is best for them. The chorus refers to a cold heart and lack of empathy.

Darkness Falls by Doors To No Where

All you lovers of southern sludge will dig "Policy" with its Goatsnake meets Acid Bath groove and sassy guitar lead. Speaking of Soundgarden, I really dig the Kim Thayilesque breakdown and stinging solo two-minutes in, though some may draw parallels with Crowbar here. These are all, of course, points of reference to try to do the near impossible: put the emotional experience of one listener (e.g. yours truly) into words. In the end, it's up to you to listen and find a favorite of your own. For my money, "Policy" is where it's at. Check out the fantastic dual guitar interplay two-and-a-half minutes in! Down, eat your heart out.

"Policy" is another riff I wrote to play off of a groove I heard Pete do during warm ups. It's got a swing to it but punches hard. Almost a heartbeat if you will. The solo was a direct result of playing the drums.

This track touches on letting toxic people go from your life. At what point do you stop investing in someone's negative energy? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. It is the idea of surrounding yourself with people that want you to be the best version of yourself.

Up next: "Who Died", which summons all of the band's talents. Beginning with bursts of rapid-fire guitar picking set against a zombie-like beat and chorus, the song has something of a swampy feel. "I won't follow you!" Mr. Lewis shouts defiantly. I wasn't sure where the song would progress from there, and almost thought it was concluded at the false stop barely two-and-a-half minutes in. But the song rallies and the band pulls out its full force, with what sounds like the addition of the synth to present a layered effect that amplifies the intensity. I think this could have been developed even further, but sometimes brevity is the most appropriate option for a song.

"Who Died" was written off the chorus and intro. Zeppelin kinda riff. It's all about feel and giving the riffs room to breathe. This track is about the concept of thinking for yourself and not being an easy victim of mental or physical abuse.

The reverberating echoes of organ-sounding keyboards greet as "New Monster" takes its place next. We get our footing pretty quickly with a kind of "We Will Rock You" bass motif, but the song gets stranger and stranger as the seconds tick off. As with the previous track, there is a sudden atmospheric shift accompanied by furious strumming and ending on the swirling guitar theme we started with.

"Here we are, same ol' thing, round and round, 'ever again...I wanna run, I wanna breathe, I wanna live." This is, for me, perhaps the most relatable song on the record, lyrically speaking. This one especially gave off strong Prong vibes with its strong vocal lead, robust drumming, strong bass play, and industrial guitar feel.

"New Monster" was written in isolation and was originally an acoustic song. Even though the tempo is upbeat it's a dark and murky riff. We wanted the end out of the breakdown to hit hard. I imagine it building like a wave in the ocean.

Another track focusing on mental health with the idea of perseverance and to keep fighting, "New Monster" is the idea of not being perfect is actually perfect. We are all just floating on a giant rock in space and going through this thing called life together.

Darkness Falls by Doors To No Where

At last, we reach the record's namesake "Darkness Falls" -- the gem of this eight-pronged crown of thorns. I've always thought it was a great name. Darkness Falls is also the title of a 2003 movie about a malevolent tooth fairy, though I see no compelling reason to connect the film with either the song or record. I may not be too far off the mark, as Marc Lewis explains:

This concept came to me during the pandemic. I was watching so many folks struggling. All walks of life were struggling. Struggle isn’t biased and can hit anyone. “Please, please shine for me” and “Please, please glow again” reflect on how badly I wanted things to be better. For things to be ok. How I wanted those I love to be happy, safe and loved.

As it stands, Doors To No Where does a superior job of fleshing out the notion of "Darkness Falls" than previous contenders in any medium. The song stirs up a smokey, mysterious Near-Eastern ambience. Four minutes in and it's confirmed: there is indeed a synthesizer at play on Darkness Falls but its hypnotic effect in this song is interrupted by a screaming riffstorm and a gut full of churning bass. This song would make a great companion to "What The Hell Have I" by Alice in Chains. It also pairs well with Portland band A//TAR, whose metaphysical music we've also debuted in these pages.

"Darkness Falls" is special for another reason: Bob Balch of Fu Manchu and Big Scenic Nowhere was a guest on the album closer. "Him and I worked together on the track," Marc reflects. "He is a pro's pro and added so much to the vibe of the song. His playing and tone are phenomenal.

The new album Darkness Falls by Doors To No Where releases to the public on Friday, May 21st via Desert Records (pre-order here). This is its world premiere c/o Doomed and Stoned.

Give ear...

Doors To No Where · DARKNESS FALLS

Some Buzz

Featuring Marc Lewis (Guitars/Vocals), Pete Testorff (Drums) and Marc Prefontaine (Bass). Doors To No Where have been making music since 2010. Their sound is heavily influenced by Santa Cruz and the local beauty it offers along with the rich history of music. Doors To No Where have been called a stoner rock band but also touch on elements of punk, doom, metal and even grunge.

Growing up on a skateboard and surfing has played a huge part on the influences of the sounds Doors To No Where like to include.

The band has toured in and been honored to share the stage with bands like, Mondo Generator, Fatso Jetson, Fu Manchu, The Melvins and many more.

Doors To No Where will be releasing 'Darkness Falls' (2021) via Desert Records on May 21st 2021. The fourth studio album features eight tracks and a special guest appearance from Bob Balch (Fu Manchu). Staying true to their roots, 'Darkness Falls' is a combination of desert rock and punk influences. The band tracked and recorded the album in the unusual quarantine times of Covid-19.

Follow The Band

Get Their Music

[theoppositeofprofound]

Some thoughts about costuming for the Silm live-action adaptation I will never be allowed to make (because I’m not a film major). 

The Vanyar- Gauze! Filmy sheath dresses. Androgynous looks. Very instagram fairy vibes with some slices of ancient Egypt and Tang dynasty China. All pastel colors (to make the Noldor, our Main Characters, look more saturated). Lots of glowing accessories, some greenery, maybe a bit of natural crystal. Mod bobbed hair cuts and tight curls. Their hair is fully disco reflective glittery gold and their eye colors are not quite right. 

The Teleri- Similar color scheme to the Vanyar but with more texture. Lots of feathers, netting, rope, rough canvas. Salt stained trousers, open chested vests, suntans, a little more down to earth. Ocean hippies just vibing. They wear lots of pearls but also some coral for that pop of red at the throat and stomach like dripping blood. Wigs are a more natural silver or light brown, with beachy waves. Some silverwork accessories.

The Noldor- Rich colors, deep dyes, tight silhouettes. Hosiery and bodices, the trickier the piecework the better. Lots of embroidery, especially on Feanor’s side. Very dark hair in braids and loops; rigidly bound (for workplace safety). Horrible washed out eyes that should not be so silver pale.  

Finwe’s Brood: The Aman Years

(Skipping the obvious ones like Caranthir and Curufin)

Finwe- Wears purple to bridge the gap between his feuding kids, also because it’s regal. Gold and silver jewelry both. Layers!

Indis- Pale colors with Noldor tailoring, more fitted bodices and heavier fabric. Likes gold. 

Feanor- Has stolen all his fashion cues from what other people have told him of his mother (When we briefly see her she’s in a blood red all-needlepointed robe; nothing but looks even mostly dead). Likes bright red and silver, jewelry like armor, heavy geometric embroidery, and star motifs, when he isn’t dressing down.

Nerdanel- Neutral or earth tones, usually on the warmer, redder side of brown. Lots of leather work aprons and workshop approved boots. The occasional maroon dress. 

Fingolfin- Royal blue and gold! Much more courtly, very fitted and ornamented, with some layers like his dad. 

Anaire- Dark blue and black, favors a smooth and silky look that is starting to replace the more embroidery heavy Therindian styles. 

Findis- A Vanyarin girl, dresses in lots of loose, undyed fabric. 

Lalwen- Adventure clothes, in spiteful green because she doesn’t choose sides. (But a tealish green because she sure isn’t on Feanor’s). 

Finarfin- Paler Telerin elements with Noldor cuts and styles. All the jewelry.

Earwen- A feather shawl and either a dress from home or one she’s borrowed from Anaire, depending on the nature of the event. No jewelry. 

Maedhros- Starts out in satiny dark purples to mirror his grandfather then slowly moves into shades of scarlet that do nothing for his coloring (he looks very washed out). 

Maglor- Sexy musician clothes, lots of raspberry and carmine along with some scandalously tight hose. 

Celegorm- Bright red all the time, even in the forest. Bleaches his hair badly. Looks like a blood-soaked ghost. 

Curufin’s Wife- Very into silver, maybe some shades of sea green too. Red contrast is obvious.  

Ambarussa- Do not actually match full time but instead maintain a dual aesthetic composed entirely of hand-me-downs. Caranthir’s old ironheeled boots? Sure. Maglor’s horrible v-neck? Yeah, they’ll wear that.  

Fingon- A good son who copies his dad’s look but puts a fresher, more youthful twist on it. This is some blue and gold you can get into antics with. Beads and ribbons abound. Innovates in velvet. 

Turgon- Loves layering, loves very pale blues, loves quietly blending into the background of scenes. Ideally should match the architecture. 

Elenwe- Vanyarin pride even in the heart of Tirion, keeps her gauze and starlight vibes, though she streamlines it a little bit. Less dangling sashes and more semi-transparent gathered sleeves. She and Turgon obnoxiously color coordinate. 

Argon- To differentiate him from his brothers he has a very distinctive hairdo. Still unsure what that should be but it may involve the elven equivalent of Manic Panic for teen verisimilitude. 

Finrod- Silky rainbow with necklaces and earrings. Looser Telerin hairstyles. 

Angrod- More Telerin clothing and tight to the scalp Noldorin hairstyles. 

Aegnor- Mad scientist hair and ancient athleisure (leggings, short tunic, bright neon colors)

Galadriel- Combines all three of her heritages to create a look that’s mostly focused on well-tailored pale golden dresses and athletic culottes. Loves both a good tiara and a crown of braids. Looks more than a little like her grandma and leans into it.

On The Other Side of the Ocean

Morgoth- Sad man does not know how to dress, looks engulfed by his clothes. Too much going on! He’s huge, why is his horrible outfit even bigger. 

The Sindar- Grey and twilight! Dark blue, pale purple, moss green, all those good moody colors. Natural dyes and the softest shapes. Love to accessorize with live plants, small animals, the skulls of their enemies (only once in a while). Hair is long to demonstrate that you love and support Luthien and her choices, and then short to demonstrate that you love and support Luthien and her choices. 

Orcs- Too oppressed to even have a cool skull look going on at this point? The ones closest to Morgoth just wear these sad grey sacks and the most boring, vaguely modern body armor. You have to get pretty far out into the raiding parties before you start to get some good ‘bones of our enemies’ vibes. Evil is the death of art. 

Sauron- Ideally changes outfits as often as possible, practically, should probably have some set shifts he goes through. There’s the Fire Period, the Dragon Period, the Wolf Period, the Ghost Period. Lots of experimentation, lots of shapeshifting to fit the needs of the story. 

Humans- Beor’s folk do lots of embroidery (because they’re Noldor-lite.) They also bead and treasure gemstones over metals. Hador’s clan is fond of puffy shirts and loose white nightgowns to wear at dramatic moments-- also they tend to favor armor (and gilt and metalwork) the most. The Haladin love some textures, though they tend more towards leather, patchwork, uneven weaves, and quilting and are very handicraft-centric. 

Evolutions

Post Helcaraxe Fingolfin’s squad starts wearing a lot more white and fur and white fur, to signify their trials. Otherwise they maintain their courtly grandeur, meanwhile Feanor’s kids are devolving into low fantasy chic and then post-apocalyptic nightmare. Gondolin has its own fashion system. Finrod and his brothers slowly start to adopt more human fashion cues post-first contact. Meanwhile Galadriel is experimenting with Sindarin hairstyles and fabrics in the forest.

[bloodraven55]

V6 Soundtrack Review

Here it is... my more organised thoughts on the soundtrack. This is of course just my opinion, and music is very subjective, so feel free to disagree. I’ve covered each of the full songs including the acoustic and remixes individually, and then briefly mentioned some of my favourites from the instrumental pieces at the end since there are a lot of them and I’m not an expert on composition or anything.

Anyway... enjoy!

RISING

Rating: 9/10

Favourite lyric: Love’s the choice we made

Thoughts: I love the shimmering synths at the start and just the general energy. Especially the way the groove picks up with the second verse. Speaking of that part, Casey's deeper vocals there sound amazing. And the rapid beat of the bridge is a surprise but a very welcome one. The lyrics are very uplifting and I like the use of nature imagery. Maybe my favourite opening song.

MIRACLE

Rating: 9/10

Favourite lyric: Desire to preserve life/Is powering the light

Thoughts: I absolutely love the way the opening builds with the drums, piano and guitar combining. And Jeff and Casey's alternating vocals are brilliant. The brass touches are wonderful and very catchy. The creepy, almost discordant bridge is extremely chilling and I like the tonal shift a lot, especially with the way the upbeat section then takes over again almost like the song being taken back from pessimism. The lyrics perfectly embody the show's theme of hope in the face of adversity and they make me feel optimistic.

ONE THING

Rating: 9/10

Favourite lyric: A single light, a single friend/But you’ve made that end

Thoughts: I feel incredibly sad for Neo after this song. I think it was an excellent choice to give her a song since she has no voice or way of expressing her feelings in the show. It really gives her depth and makes me feel a lot of empathy for her. It has a good rhythm and a very memorable melody. I love the way the instrumentation cuts out on “What a sweet release/When you rest in peace” to really add to the impact of the line and emphasise the harmony of the vocals. Also Casey's overlapping vocals on the final chorus are a great addition to enhance the ending of the song. Apart from that the other thing I'm taking away from it is that Cinder is so very dead 😄

LIONISE

Rating: 8/10

Favourite lyric: Watch them fall as I am glorified

Thoughts: I really appreciate how dark and twisted this song sounds. It's the perfect match for Adam himself. Jeff's vocals are almost unhinged and nearly screeching at times, and it fits Adam's mindset well. The lyrics paint a very accurate portrait of how arrogant, narcissistic and self-centred Adam was and how he only wanted power for himself and revenge on all of humanity rather than to truly help the Faunus or to gain equality for them. In particular the shift from “we” to “I” over the course of the song is very clever and a good representation of that. All in all it's not one of my absolute favourites sonically but it's an interesting look into Adam's backstory and a very good track.

BIG METAL SHOE

Rating: 8/10

Favourite lyric: You would be great and terrible but only if you had a brain

Thoughts: The music box intro is wild but it's unique and it makes sense with the nursery rhyme/fairytale lyrics. The guitar riff kicks so much ass and this song just has an amazing groove. Again Casey and Jeff taking turns on the mic creates this wonderful back and forth exchange that really adds to the track. I love all the nursery rhyme and fairytale references in the words and given I didn't expect to like it that much I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I'm a fan of this song.

NEVERMORE

Rating: 10/10

Favourite lyric: Nevermore/You’ll torture my heart and my head

Thoughts: This song just contains so much relief and freedom and it makes me so emotional. Adam had haunted Blake and Yang for so long and they didn't want things to end the way they did but he left them no choice. This track just feels like a release of so much emotion for both of them and it's so intense. They've suffered a lot but now they can finally move forward together without that shadow hanging over them and it's a lot. The references to Lionise with the sole purpose of tearing it apart, plus the use of dialogue from the confrontation in the show, are all fantastic touches to make it even more meaningful too.

Musically, I love the mixture of Blake and Yang's individual styles/themes with the piano and the guitar and the sound of the song really lines up with the lyrics and creates this hugely cathartic anthem for them overcoming their personal demons. Especially the way the music softens and quiets as Blake looks back on her hopes for Adam and the WF that never came true before it kicks back in with a vengeance as she accepts what she has to do to end all the pain that he's caused.

INDOMITABLE

Rating: 10/10

Favourite lyric: Though our body is weak and breakable/The spirit is indomitable

Thoughts: I cried. A lot. It sounds breathtaking. Casey's performance is spectacular. You can feel how much everyone involved in the show and the song love Monty in every second—every note—and it's probably my favourite on the album. I don't know if I can say any more without getting emotional but yes, it’s absolutely beautiful.

FOREVER FALL

Rating: 9/10

Favourite lyric: You’re my forever fall

Thoughts: I cried at this one too. I miss Pyrrha. She didn't deserve the ending she got, but also she died doing what she felt she had to do and she wouldn't have regretted it. She was a true Huntress through and through. I feel so bad for Jaune as well. It's just a whole mess of emotions but it’s a gorgeous song.

ARMED AND READY (ACOUSTIC VERSION)

Rating: 10/10

Favourite lyric: There’s nothing that I won’t do for her

Thoughts: BEEHAW! Okay but seriously it's just crazy and hilarious and brilliant. It's so out there but Casey sells it completely and I love it. Her and Jeff's dual vocals on the chorus remind me of a father/daughter country duo and I can't. It was the last thing I anticipated but I am not complaining at all.

THE TRIUMPH (KAIRI REMIX)

Rating: 7/10

Favourite lyric: We’ll be the ones to touch the sun/The triumph will be ours!

Thoughts: Not much to say here. Remixes are very hit and miss for me but I quite enjoyed this one.

THE PATH TO ISOLATION (HEAVENVIEW REMIX)

Rating: 6/10

Favourite lyric: Mirror, help me/Who am I?

Thoughts: This is one of my favourite RWBY songs of all time in its original form but this version didn't completely do it for me. It just felt a bit weird to me but I didn't mind it, it just wasn't really my thing.

FAVOURITE INSTRUMENTALS

Protecting Each Other - every part of this is so powerful, but the triumphant reprise of the Nevermore melody near the end is what always gets me thought the melodies from This Time, Lionise and Armed and Ready and the choral vocals are great too.

Silver Eyes - it's very calming but those Red Like Roses and This Will Be the Day motifs have me fucked up.

A Delicate Balance - the almost ethereal vocals are awesome and it has a really grand feel that I like.

Our Creation - it's very mellow and chill for the most part but the sudden reprise of Divide and the eerie strings near the end caught me off guard in a good way.

Down the Cannon - it's just straight up badass with the guitar and the choir and the use of Bad Luck Charm is noice.

Trouble Aboard Argus Limited - it's just very epic and bombastic and it gets me hyped.

Flight to Atlas - it's a really nice closer with several character themes included and a cool dramatic ending.

Jaune's Arc - I love the way it swells and the hint of Rising at the end.

OVERALL RATING: 9/10

[tomasorban]

Agent and Patient of One Divine Act (from essay: Circumambulating the Alchemical Mysterium)

To illustrate the dynamics of this process and to conclude our circumambulations, let us have a look at a series of interrelated alchemical formulæ from Persian and Graeco-Egyptian antiquity—a series of formulas that not only persist in various permutations throughout the Graeco-Egyptian, Islamicate and European alchemicalcorpora, but which are also mirrored in the alchemical symbolism of the far east. As will be seen, these formulas all revolve around the image of the ouroboros: the beginningless serpent that swallows its own tail.

The image of the ouroboros itself can be traced as far back as the Egyptian mehen serpent (circa 1500 BCE). The complex historical origins of the ouroboric formulas, however (which are replete throughout the Graeco-Egyptian alchemical canon), are linked to a mysterious Persian magos named Ostanes, who allegedly passed the knowledge of his science on to the Greek philosopher, Democritus. The tradition linking Ostanes to Democritus was transmitted, some say invented, by the Hellenistic alchemist Bolus of Mendes (c. 200 BCE), who tells us that Ostanes was summoned from Hades in a rite of necromancy to divulge the secrets of his alchemical science. According to the text, Physika kai mystika, Ostanes directed his necromantic inquirer to the temple, where Democritus reportedly found the lost texts inside a pillar (stēlē). Intimating the explicitly self-reflexive nature of the alchemical process, the science of Ostanes preserved in these texts was distilled in the following formula:

nature delights in nature; nature overcomes nature; nature rules nature. hē physis tē physei terpetai, hē physis tēs physin nika, hē physis tēn physin kratei.

In support of this tradition, Synesius informs us that Democritus was ‘initiated into the mysteries by the great Ostanes in the temple of Memphis along with all the priests of Egypt’, while the Greek chronicler George Syncellus not only corroborates the presence of Ostanes in Egypt, but informs us that he was sent there to preside over the Egyptian priests. The motif appears to be further corroborated by the correspondence preserved in a water-damaged Syriac manuscript between a Persian magos called ‘Ostron’ (probably from āsrōn, ‘priest’) and an Egyptian philosopher by the name of Pebechius. Pebechius announces to Ostron that he has discovered the books of Ostanes, written in Persian, in Egypt, and he asks for Ostron’s assistance in translating them. The texts contain distinct alchemical references, including a series of inscriptions on ‘seven sacred stelæ [or tablets] of Hermes’ (foreshadowing the famous tabula smaragdina of Hermes Trismegistus), which are hidden behind seven portals, each associated with the seven planetary metals. After a lacuna in the manuscript, mention is made of a ‘dragon that eats its tail’, alongside ‘other works of art of a symbolic character’.

According to the formula of Ostanes, nature enjoys, conquers and rules herself like an ouroboric serpent. In order to understand what this formula means, we must comprehend its double character. This is most evocatively signalled in the quote from Cleopatra’s Chrysopoeia that we placed at the beginning of this chapter: ‘One is the serpent, which has its poison according to two compositions’. Cleopatra’s formula comes from a fascinating illustrated Greek manuscript depicting the dual-natured, self-returning serpent. Here, two inscriptions nested in concentric circles form a stylised ouroboros. The outer coil reads: ‘One [is] the all (hēn to pan), the source of all, and the culmination of all; if the all did not contain the all, it would be nothing’. The inner coil reads: ‘One is the serpent (ophis), which has its poison (ion) according to two compositions (synthēmata)’. At the centre of the circle are the Hellenistic symbols for sun, moon and mercury.

The line is an elaboration of the root formula, hēn to pan, ‘one [is] the all’, expressing the self-contained, self-reflexive, thus ‘Hermetically sealed’ character of the alchemical process. Perhaps the most revealing key to this formula is provided by the Egyptian alchemist, Zosimos of Panopolis—one of the earliest and most important figures of the western alchemical canon. In a text entitled ‘On the Divine/Sulphurous Water’ (Peri tou theiou hydatos), Zosimos prefaces a version of the ancient Democritian formula by saying that the divine water possesses ‘two natures’ but ‘one essence’ (dyo physeis, mia ousia): ‘It is the all, and from it the all [comes], and by it all [exists]’.

The theme of two alchemical natures as complimentary expressions of one underlying pan-unity would dominate alchemical symbolism right down to the early modern period. According to the overarching schematic of the alchemical perception, reality unfolds from a single essence that polarises itself into two natures: one that separates, and one that unites. The struggle and interplay of these two natures embody the twin processes active in the constitution of reality. Thus conceived, reality as such evolves from one primordial nature or ‘substance’, which polarises itself, acts upon itself, and reacts to its own activity to create the multiplicity of phenomena in which we are situated. Reality, according to this ouroboric perception, consists of one nature acting upon itself, dividing itself, multiplying itself, and finally returning to itself.

In the eastern alchemies, this same ‘double natured single essence’ is expressed in the simultaneous bi-unity and bi-polarity of masculine and feminine principles (Chinese yang-yin, Sanskrit shiva-shakti, Tibetan yab-yum, etc.), where the two gendered polarities represent the complementary aspects of an active-passive, mutually interpenetrating and inter-receiving integrum. Dual natures were thus seen to inform the dynamic of a unitary reality, a conception readily seen in the Taoist taijitu (‘chart of the supreme ultimate’) through the harmonious interplay of dark and light (yin-yang). In accordance with this symbolism, images of ancient Chinese tail-eating dragons are attested as early as the Zhou dynasty (ninth to sixth centuries, BCE). They signify the processes of duality and multiplicity emerging from and returning to its primordial unicity (the dao) through the separation and unification of opposites.

One notable example, dated to the Shang-Zhou dynasty (c. 1150-950 BCE) and preserved in London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, is fashioned from jade and coloured with cinnabar. The minerals are alchemically significant. Jade represents the principle of celestial immortality, while cinnabar (sulphur and mercury, components of the elixir) represent the two natures or polarities (yang-yin) that emerge from the primordial ground of being, and which must be refined and united in order to realise celestial immortality. The ouroboric form itself, moreover, is best understood as an augmentation of the exceedingly ancient bi discs (flat discs of jade with a hole in the centre). Dating back to Neolithic times, the bi discs possess a cosmological significance that remained influential down to the Warring States and Han periods. Specifically, they represent the idea of a heavenly covering (gaitian) revolving upon a central axis. The Chinese ouroboros is thus assimilated to the primordial, eternally circumambulating celestial unity, and like its Hellenistic counterpart, is imbued with two ‘poisons’ or natures.

Just as polarity emerges from the primordial ouroboric eternity, so too is it swallowed up by this eternity. The two alchemical phases, the cosmogonic emergence and its reabsorption, thus form two arcs of one cycle. Taoist alchemy proceeds precisely by the reversal of the cosmogony. The return from multiplicity to the primordial Tao thus constitutes the alchemical path.

These two arcs or orientations—one creative and the other de-creative—are pivotal for comprehending the seemingly opposing aims of alchemy across traditions. In some currents of alchemy, the art is explicitly connected with participation in the divine demiurgy and thus the catalysis of the cosmogonic process, whereas in other currents of alchemy it is precisely the reversal of the cosmogony and the reabsorption of creation into the primordial, pre-creative substratum that is sought. It is why practicing, laboratory alchemists begin with reincrudation (the reversion of a metal to its primordial, living state); it is what Sufi alchemists call ta’wil (the process of ‘interpretation’ by which a phenomenon is taken back to its creative source); and what Taoists alchemists call reversal (ni) or inversion (huan) of the normal order by which things come into existence (i.e. the reversal of the dao or ‘way’ by which the cosmogonic process instantiates itself). The two orientations go a long way to explaining the respective material and mystical emphases of alchemy, and when both arcs are understood as interrelated phases within a greater ouroboric cycle, the antinomy between the two can be resolved. The snake must destroy itself to create itself.

Through a fluid process of constant creation and dissolution towards an ever-present, primordial perfection, one encounters a series of polarities that, when engaged, transmuted and refined, lead back to the principle from which they originated. Like the fertile black earth, and like the god Osiris, the ouroboros represents the principle of regenerative death underpinning embodied existence. At the same time, however, it is also the principle of celestial deathlessness that transcends all earthly generation and corruption. While on one level, the divergent approaches may be understood as two phases within a single cycle, on another level they are actively and simultaneously conflicting. Indeed, it is precisely the tensionbetween them that is of interest, for it forms a ‘harmony of contraries’ in which opposition is actually integral to the greater constitution. Indeed, more than anything else, it is the Heraclitean principle of ‘counterstretched harmony’ (palintonos harmoniē), that provides the most convincing Ariadne’s thread out of the alchemical labyrinth.

The Hermetically sealed, ‘henadic’ ontology is both agent and patient of its own transmutation, which is effected precisely through the act of dismemberment (separation) and reunification (reintegration) according to what Zosimos calls ‘the rigour of harmony’ (systasin harmonias). Here, alchemical processes are not ‘operations with natures alien one from the other’; they are ‘one thing’, that is to say, ‘one nature, acting upon itself’:

One nature transforms itself. For all things are woven together and all things are taken apart and all things are mingled and all things combined and all things mixed and all things separated and all things are moistened and all things are dried and all things bud and all things blossom in the altar shaped like a bowl. For each, by method and by weight of the four elements, the interlacing and separation of the whole is accomplished for no bond can be made without method. The method is natural, breathing in and breathing out, keeping the orders of the method, increasing and decreasing. And all things by division and union come together in a harmony, the method not being neglected, the Nature is transformed. For the Nature, turning on itself, is changed. And the Nature is both the nature of the virtue and the bond of the world.

These ‘rigours of harmony’—in which all things are ‘mixed’ and ‘separated’, ‘woven together’ and ‘taken apart’, and which ‘by division and union come together in a harmony’—pertain to the most quintessential methods in the alchemical path to perfection. Generally speaking, transmutation towards perfection proceeds by means of separation (purification) and unification (reintegration), or in Empedoclean terms, ‘Love’ and ‘Strife’. This is as true of eastern as well as western alchemies, both of which proceed by separating and purifying the primordial polarities (the two poisons or natures, whether sun-moon, sulphur-mercury, yang-yin, and their many symbolic homologues) before recombining them in their purified forms (the cohabation or ‘chymical wedding’ in European alchemy; the formation of the ‘golden embryo’ in Taoist alchemy; the ‘union of wisdom and method’ in Tibetan alchemy, etc.) However in doing this, it is imperative to realise that alchemy is not creating something ‘new’; rather, it is ultimately seeking to render the pristine ontology—the nondual ground of being—present to living perception. This underscores a significant point, for in understanding the goal of alchemy as ‘perfection’, it must be realised that the perfection in question is not teleological, but perennial. That is to say, the originary or primordial nature does not exist in the future, nor should it be confused with the past; it is, in the words of Gebser, ever-present and ever-originating:

Origin is ever-present. It is not a beginning, since all beginning is linked with time. And the present is not just the ‘now’, today, the moment or a unit of time. It is ever-originating, an achievement of full integration and continuous renewal. Anyone able to ‘concretize’, i.e., to realize and effect the reality of origin and the present in its entirety, supersedes ‘beginning’ and ‘end’ and the mere here and now.

Whether this ever-present origin is cast in terms of the Taoist golden elixir (jindan), the Buddha-element of Tibetan alchemy (buddha-dhātu), or, in western alchemical cosmologies, as the logos or potential cosmos subsisting as both initium and telos in the originary chaos, many of the world’s alchemical traditions cohere in viewing the ‘goal’ of alchemy not as the creation of some future perfection, but as the rendering present of a pre-existent, eternal incorruptibility. Whether alchemy proceeds by ‘progress’ or ‘reversal’, the core of the process must not be understood as reversion or advancement in a rigidly temporal sense, but rather as a process of ‘polishing the mirror’. It is a purification of temporal accretions in order to let the boundless existentiating Urgrund shine forth in an unobstructed, uninhibited manner according to its innate, diaphanous nature.

Images:

1) Illustrations to pseudo-Cleopatra's Chrysopoeia (Aurifaction, or Gold-making), Codex Marcianus 

2) Detail: Stylised ouroboros from Cleopatra’s Chrysopoeia. The outer coil reads: ‘One [is] the all, the source of all, and the culmination of all; if the all did not contain the all, it would be nothing’. The inner coil reads: ‘One is the serpent, which has its poison according to two compositions’. Left-to-right, the symbols at the centre are the Hellenistic signs for moon, mercury and sun

3) Jade ouroboric dragon coloured with cinnabar, Shang-Zhou Dynasty, circa 1150–950 BCE. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

[flameswallower]

Normally I don't review magazines and anthologies in which I have a story, due to bias/conflict of interest. However, this is really an excellent anthology, and it's not getting a ton of buzz or anything, so I'm making an exception.

I truly enjoyed every other story in the collection-- there were no losers, nothing I felt was weak in comparison to the surrounding material, nothing that gave me that feeling of "I'm not sure if this isn't very good, or if I just don't understand what the author is going for", nothing that I could recognize as a well-crafted piece of fiction but still struggled to get through or disliked. Moreover, the stories are very harmonious. While each is quite distinct in style, there are overarching similarities of tone and theme, and certain motifs that seem to echo from story to story, that pull them together as a coherent whole.

I enjoyed all the stories, but I still had some standout favorites. I'll quickly go over them here:

Jaime Corbacho's "Honeymoon" is gorgeously written, with prose that’s emotive & full of sensory detail without coming across as purple or baroque. The writing isn’t challenging to read, it doesn’t call a ton of attention to itself, but it’s really well done. Corbacho writes about wild/feral animals in a way that conveys personality and evokes real awe-- she seems to have a clear-eyed love and respect for the natural world, in all its bloodiness and entanglement with human civilization. The real disturbing element here is that civilized world, the worlds of wealth and privilege within it, how the protagonist's family quietly, politely contorts itself to indulge & accommodate its abusive matriarch.

Sofia Samatar's "Contact Light" is on one hand, a pretty straightforward story about what if there was a prison colony on the moon. But it is also a quasi-surreal stream of consciousness character study written in simple, but dense, poetic, and often challenging language. One becomes disoriented along with the protagonist. The lunar setting is used extremely well as both a metaphor for the bleak conditions & ejection/quarantine from society experienced by prisoners in real life, & as a literal speculative fiction conceit. This might be the saddest and most emotionally moving story in the anthology, at least in my opinion.

Elwin Cotman's "The Debauch" is off the rails in all the best ways. This guy is having a total blast writing-- he swings for the fences with maximalist, excitable, intentionally purple prose that hearkens back equally to the Decadents and, like, Poppy Z. Brite. As you might expect, "The Debauch" tells the tale of a bisexual orgy that goes very wrong. Somehow, Cotman makes a gem-encrusted zombie unhinging its jaw to swallow a man’s head whole and the dirty kitchen of a pair of college girls equally hyperreal, grotesque, and emotionally weighted. The story becomes so fantastical, seemingly out of nowhere, in its climax that I can imagine some readers complaining of "randomness" or of not being sure what exactly is supposed to have happened. Personally, I didn't give a fuck! This rocks!! Heavy metal!!!!!! \m/

Sasha Geffen's "Pastiche" is one of those stories that’s simultaneously very dark and very warm/sweet; it’s a tough dual mode to pull off without watering down the darkness or making the sweetness seem sour and insincere, but Geffen sticks the landing. Some great matter-of-fact body horror here, too. & one of my favorite devices— a central premise that’s both an obvious metaphor (for at least one thing; likely for several, pulling at least triple-duty with its three-bodied protagonist) and a literal fact of life within the story that’s explored in its practical, everyday ramifications (from the comical to the horrific).

Meghan Lamb's "Mirror Translation" feels like a close cousin to “The Debauch” in some ways-- both are stories of strangers in strange lands, both have bisexual protagonists whose desire for a member of the same sex drives the plot, both deal prominently with feelings of alienation and ennui--, but where the latter is histrionic & flamboyant, the former is cool and restrained, evoking an atmosphere of loneliness, desperation, & ever-present menace long before anything crazy or weird happens. "Mirror Translation" also follows a more conventional/parseable narrative arc than "The Debauch", which may be a point in its favor or not depending on where you stand. Arguably, it’s “just” a vampire story— in the classic "vampire seduces vulnerable victim" mode of Carmilla-- but aspects of the execution are certainly unique! I like vampire stories, anyway.

Adam Golaski’s “Distant Signals” is…okay, bear with me…it’s a creepypasta, right? Like I’ve read several stories about "lost" or mysterious media on r/ nosleep with effectively the same premise/plot. The thing is, this time it’s extremely well-written & well-paced! Even once you know where this one’s going— & for me, that was pretty early— it’s tense, eerie, unsettling, and totally magnetic. Golaski knows exactly when to go into detail and when to hold back for the maximum shudder effect. This, more than maybe anything else in the collection, made me think “I have GOT to read more work by this guy”. Y’all! What if creepypastas were good!!! Calling Channel Zero fans!

Janalyn Guo's "Night Fragrance" has body horror, creepy flowers and fungi, ambiguous/ambivalent transformation, teen friendship, & the anxieties attendant on growing up with a mild physical disability. It’s very up my alley/in my wheelhouse, in other words. Although it uses some horror tropes, the mood is a lot more elegiac than eerie or disturbing, and I appreciated that, too. As with "Pastiche" there's real sweetness here, although Guo is more focused on the ways strange, threatening people and processes might be unexpectedly sympathetic or benevolent than Geffen, whose story hinges on the opposite phenomenon: an act of immense violence and betrayal by a person one has come to love and trust. The darkness of Geffen's story comes from the shadow cast by this betrayal, by the fact that it may be ameliorated but can never be erased or truly made right again. The darkness in Guo's comes from the sadness and uncertainty in all of life's transitional phases: each choice cuts us off from possible futures, each choice is a leap of faith into a place we cannot know until we arrive there, we will inevitably grow apart from some of our friends & become unable to understand them anymore, and there's no going back.

HEY!

The Mooncalves anthology, which I have a story in, is now available to order in hardback. The hardback is expensive, so I strongly encourage you to buy it if you have a bunch of disposable income. If you don't have a bunch of disposable income, I strongly advise you to wait a bit; there will be a much more affordable ebook edition.

Other authors featured in this anthology include Lisa Tuttle, Steve Rasnic Tem, Glen Hirshberg, Brian Evenson, Sofia Samatar, and Daniel Lavery. All the stories in the anthology are original to the anthology, and I'm really looking forward to reading the ones I didn't write!

[redtutel]

Rewatching Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi

Red is this movies color...that’s why people get so aggravate about it! It makes so much sense!

I’m glad I’m a nobody, people people get bullied and shamed for their opinions on this movie. People treat their opinions as facts when discussing this movie. I admit I might get aggrieve with my opinions too.

Last time I saw it, I loved it and disagreed with every complaint I read about it online. It might’ve help that I found spoilers, so certain twists didn’t throw me as off gaurd as it did other people Will I feel the same way? And even if I do, how will I rank this film? Time to find out.

I should really watch the commentary someday. I’d love to know what was in Rian Johnson’s head. Until then, this is my own, personal analysis

It’s very unique to have a Star Wars movie take place right after the previous one. Although given the nature of Force Awaken’s cliffhanger, it was necessary.

This movie definitely borrows for Empire Strikes Back, but not to the same extent. I’d argue it’s Empire backwards. The deuteragonist is out of commission and hope is bleak at the beginning, and we end on a siege  in a white planet with walkers. It might be a bit of a stretch, but I’m sticking to that mindset.

I love Poe’s sass. Anyone who says otherwise has no joy. It’s definitely in character (remember “so who talks first?”) And it shows he’s someone cocky who will mock his enemies to their faces. Plus its not like Star Wars hasn’t had humor like this before.

I like how the opening action sequence starts as a typical feel good action, but then casualties occur which are taken very seriously. And Poe gets chewed out for it too. 

Poe stars out the movie as scrappy, and will disobey orders in order to defeat the enemy. And then he ends it wiser, knowing that sometimes, it’s important to retreat and live to fight another day.

Much like Revenge of the Sith, this is a very dialogue and character driven movie, with not much action. And both movies make the action sequences they do have count.

The scene with Rose’s sister is fantastic. Like any good action sequence, it's all about reverals. She has a squad, but they all died and she’s by herself. She has to bomb the ship, but she crashes and falls, and can’t get up. The remotes to high to reach, so she kicks it down. But the remote lands too far away from her. But at the last second she manages to catch it, and scarifies herself to bomb the ship. It’s a fantastic mini showcase of this one of this movie’s biggest motifs: That no matter how bleak things get, there is still hope, and you have to fight in order to reach that hope.

The juxtaposition of the Resistance cheering and Leia sitting down in relief, only to get a look at the casualties is very clever. It shows that victory bought with lives is no true victory.

Snoke can drag Hux though the floor from a large distance. Classic sequel escalation. How clever.

Finn awakens after two years, yay! And his first words are “Rey!” How sweet. He doesn’t even care he’s still naked covered in medical equipment. All he care about is “Where’s Rey?” And for good reason. Last time he saw her, she was knocked out by Kylo Ren.

And we get the resolution of one of the greatest Star Wars cliffhangers of all time. Fans spent two years imagining what Luke would do next What he would say next. And he tosses the Lightsaber aside and walks away, creating a mystery as to how this once noble hero ended up a jaded old man milking disgusting manatee alien things.

Mark Hamill is a fantastic actor, and this is no exeaption. He’s equal parts funny and aggravating as a bitter old man, but there are moments where the classic Luke comes out, like when he sees R2-D2 and Yoda, or when he asks about Han.

I love how creative the creatures are in this movie. The Porgs are the merchandising stand-out sure, but there’s that ugly milk creature, those beasts of burden in Canto Bight and the Ice foxes. They’re all such creative designs.

“Where’s Han?” Oh how heartbreaking. Apparently there was a brief shot of him mourning that got cut, which is a major shame. I feel like the movie did a good enough job without it, but keeping it back in would’ve added so much. Ah, well.

Snoke really is the main villain of this movie. I think he has about as much screentime as the Emperor did in Return of the Jedi. So I’d say he fufilled his role well enough. He has nothing on Palpatine though, and in my eyes he’s the only character who I like less then their inspiration.

Kylo is maskless the whole movie. I feel like this symbolizes how we spend this movie getting to know the real him. The man behind the Vader impersonator. Kylo killed his father thinking it would fully turn him to the dark side, but he’s more regretful then every before.  And Snoke has lost his faith in him. Snoke’s lack of faith in Klyo is a nice way to differenciate him from Paltapinte by the way. 

...Wait, was the feelings of regret one of the reasons he lost the dual to Rey? I think Snoke is implying that. I also like how this is treated as an abnormality in-universe. Rey was unusually strong, and Kylo was unusually weak in that moment, and everybody acknowledges that fact and questions why.

Snoke sees Luke as the First Order’s greatest enemy, and Rey as “just a girl with a lightsaber.”

Luke on the other hand, no longer sees himself as a hero. “You think I came to the most unfindable place in the galaxy for no reason at all.” That is a good point, and something both Rey and the audience didn’t think though. 

Luke takes an interest in Rey after learning she’s force sensitive. Luke may have a hatred of the Jedi, but he still respects the Force.

“Where are you from?” “Nowhere” “Nobody’s from nowhere” “Jakku” “That is pretty much nowhere. Why are you here Rey from nowhere?” I love mentors that mix humor with wisdom. And Luke fills that role very well. Rey’s arc is about self discovery and introspection, and I love how Luke furthers it.

Rey is still a bit afraid of the Force, and doesn’t know what to make of it.

Is Leia reacting to the aftermath of the battle? Or can she see and Luke and Rey’s meeting isn’t going well. Probably both.

The First Order has a way to track the resistance no matter where they go, even at lightspeed. And they don’t have the fuel to make another jump. I think that’s a good new take on Star Wars space chases.

Although Leia wants to show Poe true military wisdom, she still has a soft spot for him, and for rouge tactics. I wonder if there’s any kind of work out there that depicts Leia seeing Poe as a replacement son. At least a fanfic would be nice.

Leia and Kylo sense each other. And although Kylo killed his father, he can’t bring himself to do the same to his mother. Another fantastic scene.

I used the word siege too soon. The Poe plot is one big medieval siege in space. The First Order is on the offensive, but can’t actually destroy the ship, and the Resistance is stuck in the defensive, with the crew having no choice but to stay inside and wait it out until the reach the new base. Again, a very creative concept.

After years and year of waiting, and subtly hinting at it with certain shots, Leia finally, finally, uses the Force. And she does so in a logical way, to push herself though the vacuum of space to safely get to a ship. And we even get her theme playing as she does that. Sure she looks like Mary Poppins, but a couple of months before the movie came out another science fantasy movie did that too, and we all agree Mary Poppins was cool. So I say, “She’s Mary Poppins Ya’ll!” And again, IT’S LEIA USING THE FORCE AFTER YEARS OF THAT DETAIL BEING POINTLESS! AND SHE USES IT TO SAVE HER LIFE! And after the death of Carrie Fisher, we need to savor what few awesome Leia moments we have left.

I love the scene of Chewbaca trying to eat a Porg but not being able to because they’ll looking at him. It’s hilarious.

Luke seeing R2 again is so adorable. And him using the classic Leia recording is such an effective use of nostalgia. Luke is in the same position Obi Wan all those years ago. And that finally convinces him to at least give the mentor thing a try, it not to convince Rey that the Jedi religion isn’t worth it.

Poor Ackbar was killed for the sake of Poe’s character development. Hondo serves her role as a hatable leader very well. She’s a stranger to both the audience and Poe, so we sympathies with Poe’s disobedience. And she’s an aggrieve purple haired woman, which would put any man on the defensive. But alas, she put too many real life men on the defensive, so they have a hard time accepting the fact she was right all along. I personally think it’s very clever to have the naysaying military leader actually be in the right. It’s a good way to teach Poe wisdom.

She said “We are the spark that will light the fire that will restore the Republic” first. I didn’t remember that. That’s so cool!

Once again, Finn is a deserter, albit a regretful one. But he still doesn’t believe the First Order can be stopped, and to be fair, not much happened in the fist movie to convince him otherwise.

Rose is an endearing character. She’s a maintenance person and not a fighter, so she looks up to heros like Finn. Finn doesn’t see himself as a hero, but to Rose, he’s someone who stood up to the first order, and without his information, they would’ve never been able to destroy Star Killer base. So the fact he wasn’t being a hero greatly upsets her, especially since this is a cause her sister died believing in.

Rose’s maintenance person background and Finn’s low ranking Stormtrooper background makes them the perfect team for their plan to stop the tracker. But Poe’s too proud to get Hondo’s input, so it’s a secret plan.

...Why do people call this plan a sidequest? Sure it fails, but it’s still a logical plan (considering the fact they don’t know the real plan). On the subject, why did Hodo not tell them the real plan? Because she doesn’t trust Poe to follow though with it. Was that a mistake? Seeing how she dies, it might have been. Plus knowing Poe, he probably would’ve preferred Finn’s plan anyway. And we the audience actually did know that the plan was to get to a new base and contact help earlier in the movie

I wish Maz had more screentime in this movie. Although given its set-up, there isn’t really a reason for her to do so. I hope she appears more in Rise of Skywalker

I LOVE the Force connection scene. It starts as a simple look at our hero and villain in the morning, cutting back and forth between them. Simple movie magic. But then...they both notice something at the same time...wait, they notice EACHOTHER! They’re seeing the cuts like we’re seeing the cuts, and then it’s cut as if they’re facing each other directly, even though they’ve obviously not, again playing with the medium of film and ah, it’s so awesome and clever!

I didn’t notice until the second time around (this is my third time watching this movie), Luke never gives the third lesson. Although to be fair, Star Wars protagonists have a history of leaving before their lessons are finished. Will Rise of Skywalker provide that third lesson.

I’m too lazy to quantify this, but I think Force Awakens had more jokes per minute. I don’t get why people act like it has Marvel movie comedy.

Out of all the Star Wars movies, this is the one I feel has the best Force lessons. Probably some of the best Force lessons in the series. We start off with way Rey (and the layman) know: It’s a power Jedi have that lets them control people and makes things float. And after little goofiness (which serve a purpose: Don’t physically reach out, emotionally and spiritually reach out), Luke shows how the Force isn’t a power people have, it’s the energy that binds the universe together. And I love how shots of nature from the island are used to depict the Force, and the nature of Life and Death and the Circle of Life and balance and darkness and light. And how the temptation of the Dark Side is showed as a pit, but a pit that has...something that draws you to it, even though you may never escape if you do.

The Force does not belong to the Jedi. The Jedi kind of sucked in the prequels, so Luke’s new philosophy is actually pretty awesome. 

“It offered you somthing you needed, and you didn’t even try and stop yourself” Did Rey use the Dark Side to win the fight? Does the Dark Side provide an attack buff? It make sense. The Dark Side does get all the good force powers, after all.

Both Rey and Ben Solo were naturally very gifted in the Force. And Luke fears Rey could be the next Kylo Ren if he trains her. How rational is that fear....to this day people aren’t sure. Maybe Rise of Skywalker will finally settle things

Oh, that how Finn and Rose made it. Poe convinced a look out to pull a “no signs of organic life,” but on purpose. And the Resistance does like Poe more then they do Hondo.

Ah, Rey’s curious about Finn too. Maybe I do ship it. But Finn and Rose and Rey might have Ben. Well, strong male/female friendships are rare, so the more the merrier.

Kylo wants to be a monster, and although Rey thinks so, seeing him call himself that makes her realize there’s more to him than he lets on.

Canto Bight. Although I agree the set design could use more Star Wars, there’s still a ton of great alien designs, and it is creative to show a “Hive of Scum and Villainy” for the Galaxy’s 1%. And I love how the music reflects that. Plus the rest of the movie has plenty of creativity to spare.

I forgot how long it took get to Canto Bight.

People also find the tone of the scene off putting, but I don’t mind. Probably because I’ve seen quit a bit of Clone Wars, which is found of mixing Star Wars with...whatever genre it feels like. Political Drama, Film Noir, Kaiju movies. This subplot is Star Wars meets heist movie.

The alien putting coins in BB-8 is voiced by Mark Hamill by the way. Once again proving himself to be a great voice actor.

Behind the glim and glammer of the rich, there’s cruelty and oppression. Finn was already aware of what Stormtroopers are capable of, but here he sees firsthand how even a beautiful part of the galaxy is tainted by it, even in a moment of peace. Rose believes in the cause and wants to fight for it, and seeing her determination makes Finn think that maybe he can too.

I can’t believe I’ve gone this long without talking about expectation subversion. I honestly think the movie does it right. Luke being old and bitter creates a mystery which leads to a fantastic character arc, for example. Finn and Rose find the codebreaker, but then they get arrested for parking violations (which yeah, is a bit silly, but so were the Ewoks)

Although Finn’s subplot is a bit weaker, it still provides some good thematic consistency, and provides a very good arc for Finn.

Since Luke is unhelpful, Rey uses the time to train herself in Lightsaber combat. And as always, she’s a fast learner when it comes to weaponry. 

Lesson two is Luke’s video essay on the prequels. And it’s a pretty good one. Luke followed the way of the Jedi and trained Ben from an early age, and like the Jedi he didn’t notice Ben’s fall to the dark side and Snoke’s corrupting influence until it was too late, and that lead to the creation of the next great darkside user.

Despite this, Rey still needs a mentor, and still believes in Luke, although that’s because Luke didn’t tell the whole truth.

The Resistance is loosing sip after ship, and tensions are rising. Why do people not like the Poe subplot? It’s also a great way to bring the stakes back to the Finn subplot, which admittedly got a bit silly

Once again, when things are bleak, Hope arrives in the form of a new master thief, in the form of DJ. Although DJ proves to be a false hope.

I love with mascot droids get to actually fight.

I admit my opinions aren’t entirely my own anymore, as I remember a video essay pointed out that the main trio all have characters pulling them to the light and to the dark this movie. Rey has Luke and Kylo, Finn and Rose and DJ. I don’t remember what they said about Poe, but I’d say he’s pulled to the light by Leia and Hondo, and pulled to the dark by his pride.

Rose and Finn’s interaction with the slave children help show how the Resistance is a spark, rather then just telling us like most Star Wars movies do.

I do wonder why they freed the horses and not the kids. I guess it’s because horses can actually run fast. Plus they need to create chaos to escape. The kids are cheering them on, though, so I guess its fine.

But more importantly, Finn gets a taste of what its like to save rescue something that’s not a close friend, and to tear down an oppressive system. He has his first inspiration to be a true selfless hero hero, rather than just someone trying to protect his friend. And Rose reminds him that the freedom gained in more important than the havok wreaked. It’s not worth it until people are actually saved, no matter how much damage the enemy sustained.

Luke is called to help by his sister, and ones to reach out to her.

Ah Ben Swolo. Equality after Slave Leia. And also a good showcase in how Rey and Kylo can’t control when they force bond, and it can even happen in awkward situations. And its funny.

Rey wishes she had a father like Han, and Ben just threw him away. Meanwhile Kylo remakes how Rey is always looking for her parents, even surrogate parents. I’ve noticed Kylo dodged the question about killing Han

And we get the shocking twist: Luke tired to kill his nephew to prevent the dark side.

“Let the past die, it’s the only way to become who you’re meant to be.” This is not the main theme of the movie, but Kylo is half right. Rey shouldn’t kill the past, but she should let it go, move on from her parents, and embrace the new family she has in the Resistance. Meanwhile Kylo keeps saying he’ll killing the past, but he’s working with people trying to bring it back, and he just gets more and more caught up in it, even after killing his father and trying to distance himself from his Vader aesthetic. 

I love the force case scene. As a kid I was in love with the endless mirror effect, and seeing it messed with, by having Rey’s reflection be out of synch, is such a cool moment. She’s trying to self reflect, but she hasn’t come to terms with herself. It also shows the vastness and confusing okay the Force. She tryes to find her parents, and sees...nothing. They’re truly gone, and all that’s left is herself. Which is her worst fear. She doesn’t want to be alone anymore. She wants a family.

And after Luke’s uncorperation and description, Chewbacca busy trying to contact the resistance, and Finn being far away, the only person she has to share her troubles with is Kylo. 

During all this time Force bonding, the two of them have gotten to know eachother’s struggles and insecurities. They truly sympathize and care about each other now. The are now friends and confidants. And with this newfound relationship, they truly believe that can turn the other to their side. This is one of my favorite Hero/Villain relationships ever. Dare I say, I like it even more the Luke and Darth Vader. Being father is son is fantastic of course, but the fact that Rey and Kylo formed this sort of bound without blood ties makes it also the more fascinating. Sure it was a part of Snoke’s plan, but it the relationship they built because of it was still genuine. 

They’re force bound has gotten so powerful, they can literally touch each other now. Seeing Kylo’s hand in Rey’s hut is such a strange and powerful image. And then Luke sees them together, which is even more shocking. And Luke is afraid Rey’s turn is inevitable.

And now we know the full story. Luke feared the darkness in Ben. And in a brief moment, he saw Kylo the same way he once saw Vader and Palpatine, and drew his blade. He realizes his mistake just as quickly, but it was still too late. Ben saw his master trying to kill him, and his turn to the darkside was complete. And it was all Luke’s fault. History repeated himself, and Luke was too full of shame to do anything about it. Sure he saved Vader’s soul, but he didn’t create Vader like he did Kylo. So it’s not like seeing his Uncle would stir conflict in Ben or anything. 

And Rey has now lost hope in Luke, for failed to even try to do what he did with his father. Although again, given the circumstances, I don’t like Luke can be the one to save Kylo. But neither is Rey. Maybe in the future?

I LOVE Yoda’s scene It’s probably the greatest Yoda moment of all time. Yoda actually agrees with Luke that the Jedi made mistakes, but he’s here to provide the true takeaway. Don’t run from failure, or try to kill the past. Instead, you should learn from the past failure, and with the knowledge, move on with your life. Remember both the glory of the past and the shame, and use them both as you move to the future. And I love how grumpy old Luke is 19 all over again when Yoda shows up. 

DJ provides a very fascinating perspective of the Star Wars universe. History repeats itself, so why bother carry which way the pendulum swings? After all, the people who financially succeeds are the ones you play both sides. He gives Finn the temptation to be apathetic to the fight against good and evil. “Live Free, don’t join.” That’s what Finn wanted at the beginning of the movie

I love Finn is defensive of Rose having to give up her sister’s keepsake. He’s a good person.

“Hope is like the Sun, if you only believe in it when you can see it, you’ll never make it though the night.” Another great message of this movie is the importance of having Faith.

And turns out, Poe actually does hate Hondo’s plan, and since he talked smack, she’s not inclined to listen to him either.

“If you see Finn before I do tell him...” I love their friendship.

And finally, Kylo and Rey meet in the flesh. But as Luke says, things don’t go the way they think.

It’s pretty clever and Finn and Rey spend the climax in the same place, 

And when Poe does tell Hondo the plan, she hates it.

The iron gag is a pretty silly fake out, as well as an homage to the modelwork of the old films.

The evil BB-8 was in a lot of merch. But he’s barely in the movie.

Kylo and Rey are both right about what they’re about to do. But they did it a lot sooner than expected, and didn’t realize that their team up would be short lived.

DJ is a snake, but I love that he gives Rose her trinket back. It shows that he’s not heartless

After do so well, the plan suddenly all falls apart. It’s Reversal, which as fall as I know, is an element of good storytelling. The plan goes awry, and the characters have to deal with what to do now.

Leia is here to set Poe straight. 

After losses should be avoided, Hondo’s sacrifice shows that  sometimes they’re necessary. The import thing is having the discretion to tell.

Maybe Rey’s strong in the Force because the Force needed a champion of Light to combat the rising darkness.

Snoke was behind the mind meld the whole time. His plan is kind of sexist come to think of it. He doesn’t think it’ll work because of human empathy, but because Kylo is a handsome, tortured bad boy. Seems fitting given his appearance and a disgusting old man. Or maybe I’m overthinking it. Anyway, he’s swinging Rey like a ragdoll using the force, showing that she’s not all powerful like the haters think

And unlike most rouges, DJ is selfish ‘till the end. Things are bleaker and bleaker. The plan not only failed, it cost more lives that it would’ve otherwise if Poe had just had faith in his commanders.

I love how Rey trying to get her lightsaber, only for Snoke to just bring it back and humiliate her. 

Snoke’s plan is pretty okay, but he’s not nothing on Palpatine’s chessmasterness, even ignoring the prequels. For one thing, no matter who one Luke vs Vader, Palpatine still wins.

“He ignites to and kills his true enemy.” How very true. I got spoiled that Snoke would die in this movie, and my first thought was “Woah, that’s cool.”

Seeing Kylo and Rey fight side by side is just awesome.

Finn sees DJ’s  desire for self preservation (and in turn his old desire for such), and disgusting, and shows just how much he’s grown.

I think Snoke dying is a good example of subverting expectations. Darth Vader always said “I’m going to overthrow the empire and rule with my family.” But Kylo Ren actually does it. But he still doesn’t turn to the light side. He’s now the man in charge, Kylo Ren, the villain we truly care about is now the main villain (well, until Palpatine pulled a Ganon), and I am excited to see where that goes

Rey’s parents were nobodies who sold her off. Rewatching Force Awakening, that makes perfect sense. It’s a great reveal of “I am your father.” It’s equally as devastating while being something different

Seeing Kylo and Rey fighting over the Skywalker lightsaber and then it breaking is such a cool moment. It shows that the Star Wars legacy is breaking, but the future is all the more exciting for it.

Destroying a ship with a smaller hyperspace ship. Awesome. Why don’t they do it more often? Because no writer thought to. Not to mention suicide bombing is wrong so good guys won’t do it, and it’s expensive so bad guys won’t do that.

Finn vs Phasma is short but a very satisfying moment for Finn. He stood up to his old boss, he’s using the TR-8R weapon, and has one of my favorite Star Wars lines “You were always scum.” “Rebel scum.”

Hux definitely doesn’t approve of Kylo the same way he does of Snoke. The’s bound to be tension in the First Order’s chain of command, and I’m excited to see that unfold.

The climax at the Star Wars Fanbase (Salt) Plant is so fantastic. Hope leaves are constantly rising and falling, but the Heroes maintain faith despite that. The Resistance is corned, and they have no choice but to fight with outdate equipment. The Red and white is so lovely, it’s no wonder it was in the source material.

The Resistance are completely overwhelmed, but the Millennium Falcon is here! With Rey, Chewbacca and a Porg

The canon scene is a great showcase of character development. Poe now has the wisdom to know when the pull back and live to fight another day. And Finn now has the selflessness to try and sacrifice his life for the sack of the Resistance. But at the same time, Finn still needs to know that it’s not all about killing the bad guys no matter the cost. It’s about trying you best to save what you love as well.

Finn and Rose have a good friendship, but the kiss kind of comes out of nowhere. They not exactly Han and Leia, but hey, at least they’re not Anakin and Padme

Hope is diminished. The battle is lost (but thankfully not every life). And there’s not getting rescued. But then out of nowhere, comes the New Hope himself.

I can’t help but hear My Hero Academia music when Luke appears in this scene. He’s is the Galaxy’s Symbol of Peace!

“No one’s every really gone.” I forgot that line was in this movie. It’s so sweet to see Luke and Leia reunited after so long.

Seeing Luke fills the heros with awe, the villains with dread, and Kylo with irrational fury.

Comparing Kylo’s reaction to Han vs Luke, and you can see why Luke can’t be the one to save him.

Luke just brushing it off. Awesome.

Luke holds back the entire First Order without striking even once. A Jedi uses the Force for defence after all.

When back into the cave, Poe noticed that some foxes are getting in or out. When all hope seems lost, have faith and keep looking and sometimes you can find it.

Hope is found with the exist, but its lost when the opening’s too small. But then Rey uses the force and create an exist. She created hope. She has become the Galaxy’s New Hope (or the Awakening of the Force)

“Every word you just said was wrong.” I love that line, and how it took on a brand new meaning.

Finn and Rey’s reunion is so touching. The duo’s back together again after all this time.

“Strike me down in angry and I’ll always be with you, just like your father.” An amazing twist on a classic Star Wars moment. Luke’s death will just make Kylo less and less stable in his conviction to the darkness.

And Luke has committed his final act of heroism, and his final sacrifice. Protecting what he loved instead of fighting what he hated. Making sure that hope and rebellion remained in the galaxy. But astral projection comes at a great cost. And Leia and Rey can sense it.

Ending Luke’s life with the moment that introduced him. With him looking toward twin suns, dreaming about the future. But as a Force Ghost, I doubt this is the end of his story.

Rey and Kylo having one last Force bound moment before going their separate ways. Kylo is the Suprime Leader, and Rey is off to be the galaxy’s New Hope (or Awakening of the Force).

It’s nice for Poe and Rey to finally meet

All that’s left of the Resistance fits on just one ship. The Star Wars ship. Rey has lightsaber parts and the sacred texts. All she needs to be the next force using hero.

Although Luke is dead, his legend lives on, continuing to spread hope throughout the galaxy. And the Force is still very much alive, for there will always be dreamers connected to it. And we get shown proof that the Resistance is a spark.

Overall, I still love this movie. I disagree with every complaint people have about it. And while not every joke lands, it’s far from the first movie to make that mistake. Plus the ones that do land really land. I love the character development and philosophy, and although it’s slower, every action sequence is amazing and entertaining.