#snow symbolizes purity or something right?

[mrs-gauche]

I beat Veilguard.

It's 4am. I'm a mess. I'm in tears.

[k9punkout]

it's that time again

here's my analysis on the Anakt Garden artificial flowers and what they represent to the characters and story overall

the anakt flowers are consistently featured on screen throughout alnst, whether it's in the videos, official art, or the comics. they can't be shown that often if not to mean something, especially in a show as detail oriented and heavy in symbolism as alnst.

okay so there's been this theory running around that these flowers had hidden cameras in them used to monitor the children.

in the artbook, that theory was proven to be true.

so we know now that the anakt flowers are secretly cameras. seemingly innocent and beautiful decorations are used to spy on the children, a testament to the fact that they had no right to privacy, that their lives were not their own.

the fact that mizi ADORED those flowers but had no idea of their true purpose is reflective of her dream to sing in alnst. something idealized and gorgeous, but with darkness residing just beneath its exterior. she sees the world through rose colored lenses and is unaware of the evil that lurks just beneath her favorite things/dreams.

her reality is way more disturbing than she realizes, the aliens are way more cruel and invasive than what she expects, and her love for the spy devices disguised as flowers shows just that.

im not too sure if sua KNEW about the cameras, but she knew about the Snow Thing, so im gonna assume she knew abt the cameras too.

her letting mizi play with the flowers without telling her a thing and even allowing her to craft flower crowns out of them is an example of her deliberate avoidance of the truth behind alnst. through mizi's joy, she forgets about the harsh reality they live in, and escapes through that.

whenever mizi's holding them, the flowers almost look real.

the fact that she lets mizi give her flower crowns and put them on her head, and does the same in turn... she's willingly giving in to the system to keep mizi's blind-sighted joy alive. dooming them both because she can't bring herself to break the bliss.

as for till. he initially began to like the flowers because mizi likes them. till has always liked pretty things.

his talent being floral art, even if the flowers are spy devices... sort of reminds me of one of his coping mechanisms--making art that's representative of his pain.

he takes something terrible or twisted and reforms it into something pretty. something that can be appreciated rather than avoided.

(page 59 of the artbook has a quote referring to till that reads: “When I couldn't sleep because of insomnia, I could only fall asleep by squeezing out my physical strength with creation. I like to doodle, so I doodle anywhere, and I often write poetry (mainly about mizi) to support my emotions.”)

in comparison to many of the other ways till uses his hands (fighting, breaking things, playing loud and powerful melodies, etc), the way he handles the flowers is methodical. gentle. precise and careful.

we're shown his kinder side for the first time THROUGH a flower, too.

he knows his illusion is particularly fragile, so he does all he can to not mar it before getting lost in it. he uses it as a distraction.

till tends to trail behind mizi and sua with flower crowns/chains of his own because he wants to play with them as well, but he rarely makes the move to approach them.

at the end of the day, the false reality, the illusion of purity, is not till's to keep. no matter how peaceful the garden may seem, there will come a period of time when till has to go back. when he must be reminded that his body doesn't belong to him.

ivan never had much interest in the flowers. in fact, he was more often shown breaking them or stomping on them rather than playing with them. (whether that's because he KNEW about the cameras or simply because he wanted to piss till off (or both) im still iffy on but there's that)

ivan has always been the most connected to reality out of the group. he sought no form of escapism, in fact, he frowned upon it (he says mizi's optimism is too much for him at times, and criticized sua for living in a wonderland despite knowing how it will inevitably end. for nurturing mizi's innocence for so long and then shattering it in the cruelest way.)

he fell in love with till, who had no choice but to face reality head on and he relates to sua, who's also had her fate sealed by the society she lives in. he's very honest to himself about these facts.

he doesn't run from suffering, having been exposed to it since infancy. no point in avoiding the truth if it's being perpetually shoved in your face all the time. he keeps it real.

no interest in the flowers, no interest in a plastic paradise. (i could find a way to tie this to that one acrylic stand of ivan eating a flower but i think that's just a silly doodle. nothing SUPER DUPER deep about it.)

(look at him. what is his PROBLEM <3)

as for the overarching meaning, flowers in general tend to symbolize innocence, purity and beauty. by that logic, FAKE flowers would symbolize a fabrication of purity.

a flower that is not only fake, but used as a spying/restriction device, a tool of oppression, symbolizes a prison painted as a paradise--such is the world of Anakt Garden.

[seramilla]

May I propose that for a fun twist, that when Vaggie goes dress shopping with her mamá and hermanas she tries every single thing but the white just gives her the ick reminding her of Heaven a bit too much. So Carmilla picks out something unconventional for her. A red and black wedding dress…one that has a slit going up to her thigh that shows off the black lacey wedding garter.

Before meeting Charlie, the thought of "marriage" and "Vaggie" in the same sentence had never computed in Vaggie's mind. Even when she and Charlie had started dating, she hadn't been sure marriage was in the stars for her. It seemed like something other people did, but not her. But then Charlie had proposed to her, and Vaggie's entire outlook had been turned on its head. Vaggie had of course said yes, and now it's up to her to figure out what that means for herself.

The only problem is, Vaggie has no idea how to plan for a wedding, or what to even wear, for that matter. She's never been to one, and has no idea what the ceremony even entails. Thankfully, she now has a mother who had been married at one point when she was alive, and two older sisters more than willing to provide an...age-appropriate opinion, so that Carmilla doesn't get carried away, as mothers are often wont to do.

Don't get her wrong, Vaggie values Carmilla's opinion...she just thinks Odette and Clara might provide some much-needed...perspective. Carmilla was married a long time ago...and times have changed since then.

Case in point: Carmilla is old-school, and drags Vaggie, who is very nearly on the verge of puking, through a boutique stacked floor to ceiling with the most gaudy white and white-adjacent wedding gowns Vaggie thinks she's ever seen. Carmilla says it's tradition, and just the way things are usually done. White has been the color of choice for brides for generations of women -- mostly for reasons like tradition, symbolism, personal preference, and just carrying down the same outfits from generation to generation.

The only problem is, Vaggie hates white. Hates it. It reminds her of Heaven and empty platitudes and purity culture and asshole nobles who had called her and the other Exorcists "ruffians" for not embracing the typical snow-white and pastel attire adorned by almost everyone else up there.

Vaggie tries on a few white and lighter-colored dresses, because she loves Carmilla, and a part of her really wants Carmilla's approval in this. But after about the fourth or fifth one, she can feel the bile creeping up the back of her throat at the thought of trying on another. When Carmilla tries to shove the next dress into her arms, Vaggie puts her foot down.

"Mama!" Vaggie huffs, pushing the next dress away. "Look...I really appreciate you wanting to help me, but I just don't like any of this stuff. Isn't there something that doesn't make me look so...angelic?"

"Give it up, Mama," Clara says, doing her best not to laugh at Carmilla's "How-Dare-You!" expression. Odette covers her mouth in amusement, also trying not to laugh. The overlord is simply doing her best...but Carmilla can be a little overbearing when it comes to shopping with her daughters. She has very strong opinions. Odette and Clara had tried to warn Vaggie beforehand, but the fallen angel is clearly discovering it now.

Carmilla sighs heavily. "All right. What colors do you want?"

Vaggie twiddles her fingers. It's a little embarrassing...but ever since meeting Charlie, the red aesthetic just does it for her. They both wear it so often at the hotel, that it's just become a part of her outfit rotation. She mentions to Carmilla, "Something red?"

Carmilla, "Hmmms" under her breath, looking around the store until something catches her eye. She then drags Clara and Odette along with her, as if to gauge their opinion on whatever she's found. A few minutes later, her mother and sisters return with a few different pieces. Carmilla likes one in particular more than the others...but again, Odette and Clara override her, saying there's way too many sequins and lace, and it's not flattering on Vaggie at all. They make their own suggestions, taking Vaggie's preferences into consideration.

Ultimately, Vaggie settles on a gorgeous red wedding dress, with black around the bust and inner lining, and a slit going up the side to expose a black lace garter underneath. Vaggie blushes to herself, just knowing instinctively Charlie will love it. Charlie loves red on her. She makes a mental note to help Charlie find a sexy red suit to match.

Odette and Clara go on the hunt for some matching accessories, and Vaggie honestly just wants to hug the two of them. Carmilla means well...and she did manage to find a pair of banger shoes to go along with the dress...but her sisters had really stepped up for her, in more ways than one. All in all, the family works together to make this process as enjoyable as possible, and come away with something that Vaggie, and Charlie, will appreciate for the rest of their lives.

Vaggie decides that even though she isn't much of a shopper, it's nice to be able to spend time together as a family like this. Even with all the little quirks and annoyances that go along with it. She will take the good and the bad. Because it's all part and parcel of finally having what she's always wanted most -- people who love her.

[tothisemptiness]

Golden Hour: Part 2 Analysis Series Part II: "Ice On My Teeth" MV

Hey everyone! Welcome to the second part of my analysis series of this comeback. In this post I will be analizing the Ice On My Teeth MV step by step. Please watch it before you read this post so that you can follow along easier. If you would like to see the other parts of this series you can find them below:

Part I: Golden Hour: Part 2 Diaries

Part III: The Chess Piece Theory

Bonus Part: Character Studies

Meet Counter-TEEZ

Author's Note: This must be what Atiny felt like when "Say My Name" MV first came out because dude I understand nothing and I have nothing at my hands. I only know that ATEEZ MVs have a pattern of representing future events especially when they are filmed at the early stages of their respective story arcs, like "Say My Name" and "Answer". Therefore, I think this MV takes place during a plot point that will be revealed to us in a future diary and we will be able to make perfect sense of it then.

First off we see the towel turn from white to black. I am hitting you so hard with a theory right off the bat. Now, let's settle that the ATEEZ we see in this MV is represented by the color black. They wear all black except for some scenes of HJ and San and according to the members are chess pieces theory, the ATEEZ in this MV are the black pieces. Who is the white one? Z's regime is characterized by white uniforms, sure. Who else wears all white though?

These guys.

Also these guys. We can basically conclude that the ATEEZ we've known from the start are characterized by white, which symbolizes purity and ingenuity. It is very fitting considering their youth and noble goals.

Then who is this ATEEZ, why are they black and why are they against our ATEEZ? I genuinely don't know. For now I will be calling them Counter-TEEZ which will make more sense as I proceed with this analysis.

The ring kissing move is usually part of patriarchal establishments, or at least groups with heavy hierarchy. When compared to Black Pirates, this isn't very anarchist of them.

Snow. Keep this in mind, it will come up later. I also want to point out how, except for group shots and a single shot that is immediately followed by a group shot at the same setting, Hongjoong is always alone in this MV, he doesn't interact with his groupmates at all.

A broken mirror. We know this is an important symbol because it also shows up on the D-Day poster. Mirrors are symbols of self-perception and identity, this was the main reason why in Z's regime people were impeded from seeing their reflection in any way. Here, the mirror is broken. This may indicate ATEEZ's own identities are somehow distorted in this MV, further supporting my Counter-TEEZ theory. Notice how a chandelier appears in the background, which is also in the poster? Also keep that in mind.

We said that Counter-TEEZ are the black pieces. I imagine the tennis player army and the ballerinas to be their pawns because otherwise what would the tennis players' presence even mean. Interestingly, they are dressed in all white with just a black ski mask. I don't exactly know what this means, but it means something.

More chandeliers! San is pulling himself up using the chandelier but it barely budges. Gravity seems to be fucked since normal weight doesn't apply here. Another instance of weaker gravity in the MV is when Hongjoong floats in front of a neo-classical painting. Tumblr won't let me add more photos, just look at my icon. Usually we think stuff like this happen in the dream sequences, so this must be a dream sequence. Except we don't have the bright colors or extra-absurd imagery. Do you remember where else we see mention of fucked gravity?

"Halazia". The MV very likely takes place around the time of "Halazia" or at least after the event that caused the world to lose its gravity.

Excuse the shitty GIF, I did my best putting it up here, just focus on the move. The footwork is a Charleston move, which was a dance very popular during the Roaring 20s. Also HJ's flapper-esque styling belongs to the same era. The Roaring 20s was a period in the US characterized by the American Dream and extravagancy that showed off your wealth. Does the theme sound similar? "IOMT" in itself also shows us extravagant displays of wealth: a giant mansion, way too many chandeliers, diamond covered jewellery everywhere, a classical car on the dinner table... Is this dance move or HJ's clothes plot relevant? Not really, but it is fun to notice and draw parallels from! They also subtly reinforce the themes very well while keeping the artistic touches.

Especially in this part of the MV Yunho looks more in control even over other members and fills in HJ's absence in the leadership. Yunho taking on the role of the leader and HJ being isolated from the rest is also something we see in "Halazia". I usually don't like relating songs directly to the lore but ATEEZ have established that they actually tell the story through their music, so I will consider some lyrics. Yunho basically stops the puppet show Yeosang puts on for the press saying "How do we look?". What was Yeosang about to disclose that Yunho worried about their image? And why through a puppet<*

Yeosang is once again likened to a little bird. Let's draw some parallels between the MV, lyrics and the established lore. Other than this, we hear "Halazia" mention a little bird that is silenced:

"Mm, the little blue bird that lost its voice

I can hear the whispers

The beginnings of a deep echo

The voice that will overturn the world"

In the diary analysis post, we had established that thinking of YS as the blue bird seems like a reasonable idea now. When do we see YS being disregarded when he speaks? When he speaks to his father about his dreams. When he asks members about Sopro again and again. When he goes against WY's idea of starting again. We are so focused on WY but nobody verbally supports YS then, WY at least has Jongho support the idea even a bit. I doubt the theme of disregarding YS's words will end here. Furthermore, we see that he is becoming more and more central to the lore than he's ever been. I will come back to this point.

I need someone to help me understand if he is saying something clever or if he is just saying "WE ATE!!!".

There is a tied tic-tac-toe game between a white and a black player. I will start stretching this out to symbolize something. I think the white player (both in chess and in tic-tac-toe) is the original ATEEZ that lives on passion and dreams while the black player is Counter-TEEZ that live with the desire for money and other materialistic stuff. The reason they are in a tie is without money, they can't do their art but to make money they must compromise from their dreams, however what would the money they earn this way mean if they can't use it for progressing towards their dream? There is a blackish gray cat walking around the game. Wooyoung's symbolic animal is a black cat, so I think it symbolizes him trying to find a way out of this game. Both in this game and in chess whites start first and it also applies to this theory: before they ever thought of money they were already chasing their dreams, the need and desire for money came later on.

Jongho seems to stand in the middle of what looks like a medieval chandelier, with two fallen chandeliers beside him. I know I talk a lot about the chandeliers but they just keep appearing and falling down out of nowhere. I swear I am going somewhere with this topic, I just want to leave it for the end where I can talk about it more comprehensively. For now, I have 2 small theories that explain them:

They represent Counter-TEEZ's greed for extreme wealth falling apart

In "Halazia" not only do we see gravity weaken, we also see it coming back (the floating metal ball San pulls falls down). For all we know the gravity may also get stronger in this case. Then the chandeliers that hang from the ceiling may get unnaturally heavier and fall off from the ceiling since they hang from there with a support system fit for a lighter weight.

Return of bouncing yellow cars. Why though? Why put a recurring image like this? It doesn't even fit the aesthetic or the mood of this MV. Also we see that there are also full black pawns, so the white ones with black masks aren't the only ones. However, these ones aren't dressed up like artists or sports players but more like businessmen or a mob.

The song isn't even about this bro.

Yuh. I have no idea what kind of scheme requires this. I can only trust it will be revealed in the upcoming diaries

Yunho is showing the doctor something like an X-Ray scan of... the mansion? How do mansions have X-Ray scans? Who is the doctor? Why is he so scared of this and why does Yunho look like he is threatening him? Stuff that I hope we will find out in (checks old MV and diary dates) 2 years... fuck.

Is this a generic antique lighter or is it specifically made for this MV with a special meaning to the logo on the lighter? Someone help.

Arson and homicide all at once. 4 questions come to mind:

Why were all those furniture outside?

Why did Jongho pull them all in from a small window on the top floor?

Why did they burn them all outside after taking them in?

Why burn the doctor too?

The destruction of art, something normal ATEEZ covets and puts effort and money in keeping alive, is a theme previously explored in "MATZ", generally considered as a Halazia-related content. Too early to say anything, but I believe Counter-TEEZ may be walking along the same line as MATZ there. Speaking of fire and "Halazia", they prefer to destroy the images of Halateez using fire there.

I don't know if anyone else noticed but they don't put cookies at the end of MVs anymore :(

Loose threads to tie

There are a few elements I left to discuss here so that I won't be tied to a singular part of the MV or the song to discuss them.

I mentioned the chandeliers so much but pianos are also a recurring element in the MV. I believe it is the only musical instrument to show up (despite violins being the focal part of the song).

As I point out the chandeliers fall an abnormal amount of times. When San hangs from one, when Seonghwa claps his hands during his rap, two-three are already fallen while Jongho sings the second pre-chorus. Where else in ATEEZ's videography do chandeliers (fallen or not) and pianos come up? "Halazia".

There are 3 fallen chandeliers and one still standing just in this room. This is an absurd amount of chandeliers for a room of this size btw. In the back we also notice a piano. Not a grand piano like in here, but the pattern is still here.

Where else?

"Answer", which coincidentially (?) starts with a piano melody that has nothing to do with the song itself. Other elements that parallel "Answer" are the presence of snow and the images on the D-Day poster: glasses, a table ornate with candles, chandelier (again), and a mirror. In "Answer" we see an overwhelming amount of mirrors, both full size and as shards. The room HJ is in looks similar enough to that of "Answer" but smaller and not exactly the same. The theme of glasses also come up in "IOMT"s lyrics like "How many glasses? Woo, eight total", even though in "Answer" we see twice the amount. While I am so sure "IOMT" relates directly to "Halazia", I'm not sure how it links to "Answer", but the parallels are there, and out of all the images in the music video they chose the ones that were previously seen a lot in "Answer".

Yeosang Interlude

Another topic is the mansion itself. It feels like an exaggerated version of Yeosang's villa. Below are all the descriptions of the villa:

An antique villa, far removed from the city center and hidden by lush trees

A large table in the dining room

“The dining room let out into a short hallway that connected to the living room.”

Large windows framed by curtains

An antique cabinet is next to the window with a familiar frame and a broken glass object

The location, the hallway we see Seonghwa in that is narrow but seemingly endless in length, the absurdly large dining table that can fit a car on top of it, and the room where we see the Cromer and Sopro is likely the study where we see Jongho (with the large window and antique furniture). The mansion has a lot of artwork in it. Yeosang is an investor who also invests in art, taking on the historical "patron" role. Especially in the previous centuries, patrons would commission artists for artwork that they would exhibit in their own houses, so Yeosang having many artworks in his villa is a very fitting thing for his character. However, as I said, the mansion isn't directly YS's villa, it is an exaggerated image of it. Speaking of the parallels between the villa and the MV, the line "How many glasses? Woo, eight total" may also refer to the dinner scene in the diaries.

The backtrack of this song has violins as its focus. As we mentioned before, ATEEZ uses music to link their stories together. Violins don't come up in the songs, but they come up in "Halazia"s prologue, right after the blue bird flies away. Violins are also representative of Yeosang. "IOMT" basically combines all of Yeosang's imagery in one MV and gives us a good reason to think that he will be central to the story from now on.

Aside from not being able to speak, the little blue bird is also seen guiding Seonghwa to the white-clothed people in "Halazia"s prologue and epilogue. I will theorize a little on Yeosang's role here. He was the only member who explicitly went against Wooyoung in the diaries, saying their lives aren't failures just because they aren't chasing their first dream now. After Wooyoung uses Sopro, I think Yeosang will be the first member to break out of its effect (because he is much less tied down to this old dream than any of the other members, shown by only him being able to refuse the idea immediately) and will try to wake others up but he will, again, either be disregarded or downright shut down by the members who are caught up in its effect, mimicking the silenced blue bird. In this process, he will take on a guiding role for the group and his success will start a series of events that will change ATEEZ's universe completely. In this arc if Wooyoung is the voice of the heart Yeosang will be that of reason. Finally, I think Yeosang will first be able to wake Seonghwa up, leading him to the "Be Free" bracelet will trigger this as seen in the Epilogue, and moving from there will wake the others up with a similar method.

I hope I didn't miss anything but it is currently 3 AM so I very likely did. This has been a very detailed analysis and I couldn't even talk about some details I would like to because I can't really make sense of them. If I remember anything else I will come back and edit this post. If you took the time to read until here thank you very much and see you soon with the remaining parts of the analysis since I still have some themes in this comeback that I would like to discuss <3

[artist-issues]

You’re right about one thing: most Disney movies Pre-The Little Mermaid do not follow this same formula. The problem is, Wish tried to.

But that’s why I didn’t include them in my examples. And it’s also why I’m not going to answer your questions (well thought-out) because they are questions asked as if the classics are meant to be part of that formula and miss the mark. They’re not meant to be part of that formula. Pre-The Little Mermaid and it’s smash success, the formula looked a little more like this:

The main character is in bad circumstances but their virtue sees them through. All three of Walt Disney’s trilogy princesses, like Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora, are in bad circumstances. I don’t need to explain how. But I will see, everything hinges on their virtue. The same virtue of purity and innocence that makes Snow White so beautiful and appealing (and ultimately saves her) is what the Evil Queen (who is obsessed with facades and appearances, anything but pure) tries to kill her for. Cinderella’s virtue, (her commitment to being good and kind, symbolized by her beauty) which is what ultimately saves her, is what makes Lady a Tremaine hate her and suppress her. Aurora is beloved (she represents a woman who is treated as worthwhile and precious by those around her) and it is jealousy of that love, being hateful toward anything good, that causes Maleficent to curse her. It’s also what saves her. Wish pretended to pay homage to these movies, but by having a main character who is heroic because she fights something literal rather than being heroic simply because she is the embodiment of a virtue makes her more like Renaissance-era princesses and their formula. But she fails at that too. (I’d also like to say; a lot of Renaissance princesses have this same element to them, too. Ariel’s faith in who she knows Eric to be is a virtue that winds up seeing her through. Belle’s self-sacrificial love winds up seeing her through. Jasmine’s open-hearted trust, Tiana’s commitment to doing things the right way, Mulan’s compassion: all of those things wind up seeing them through, too. They just learn more than the classic-era princesses do. They’re dynamic characters. The classic ones were static.)

The villain is meant to oppose the main character’s virtue. This is only slightly different, but again, it has more to do with being a part of the “bad circumstances” that the hero is in. Maleficent is introduced as a character who destroys good things, things that people love, out of spite. Fauna reminds Merrywhether that “she always kills your lovely flowers.” Why? Just because Maleficent is all about the destruction of the good (more on that in your point about scenery.) Whereas every other character is about protecting Aurora (who symbolizes good.) The Evil Queen is, again, all about hiding what she really is under a facade of beauty (or a hag) to destroy the open-hearted purity and innocence Snow White embodies. Lady Tremaine is cruel and goes out of her way to make things harder for Cinderella, who is kind and goes out of her way to make things easier for people she doesn’t have to serve—mice, for example. Magnifico is supposed to oppose the main character’s virtue, or, if he’s following the path of the Renaissance formula (which his slightly more in-depth character background suggested) he’s supposed to oppose the film’s main theme. I have seen the main theme of Wish as “The power to make your wishes come true is in you; you don’t need to trust a higher power.” So sure. Magnifico kind of opposes that. Remember, I said, Magnifico is the strongest character in Wish, but because of the laziness and lazy concept, it’s not saying much.

The sidekicks are meant to make the story funnier while shining a light on the hero’s virtue. This is because early-Disney sidekicks were still the tie between funny Merry Melody-style cartoons and the new genre of feature-length stories Disney was still inventing at the time. So they’re given more screen time than the average sidekicks of the Renaissance, because Walt and the studio thought audiences would find them more entertaining than the actual title characters. But they still tie the sidekicks in as something that shines a light on the hero’s virtue. I think you just have the wrong characters billed as “sidekicks” in your explanation. The Dwarfs are more the sidekicks in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs than the animals really are (though the animals still shine a light on something about Snow’s virtue. See my thoughts on the bluebird here if you’re interested.) They’re self-serving and selfish, and easily frightened. They learn to be braver and more self-sacrificial from her example. Cinderella and the mice, I’ve already mentioned that. Sleeping Beauty, the sidekicks are the three good fairies. Again, already mentioned how they’ve shined a light on the hero’s virtue. But the thing is, Wish doesn’t capitalize on this formula, either. Not even Star. The closest Star gets to having anything to do with Asha’s character traits is that toward the end, she starts saying, “I know what you’re thinking” because the idea is that she’s more in tune with “the stardust in herself.” But that’s not Star shining a light on her by anything he does, or learns. It’s just exposition on Asha’s part. It would have been better if she was too reliant on him, then learned she didn’t need to be—or if he had fallen from the sky because he was somehow bad at granting wishes, or better, didn’t care about granting wishes, and then his time spent with Asha teaches him to care. None of that good stuff happens though.

The setting is still supposed to teach you something about the characters and the main idea. What’s convenient is that you say “except for Maleficent’s domain and Cinderella’s.” Well, wait, why “except for?” That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Maleficent is all about destruction, and her castle that she actively lives in is in crumbling ruins. Cinderella’s castle is beautiful, but full of wide spaces, because the idea is that 1) it’s less confining and more open than the home that’s become her prison, and 2) the King, who is the character that spends the most time in the castle, is supposed to be feeling lonely in the echoing rooms. Sleeping Beauty’s setting is in no way identical to Snow White’s, visually, but thematically is what we’re talking about, and it’s not there, either. Snow White’s forest shingles shape depending on what truth she’s focusing on; when she’s only focusing on the possibility of danger, it’s monstrous. When she scolds herself for giving in to fear and goes back to being positive that the one who loves her will come for her, it’s beautiful, and she likes it and finds it full of friends. Aurora’s forest isn’t like that at all. For one thing, it’s drawn in neat, orderly lines (in contrast with Maleficent’s domain.) For another, it’s meant to be layers of protective hedges—which open up when Aurora meets Prince Philip, and he literally leads her in a dance that takes her farther away from the sheltered part and toward more open spaces, until they’re looking out at where she belongs and will end up: the castle. Wish doesn’t do any of this. The closest it gets, again, is King Magnifico’s study, and that is a poor excuse for what it should be accomplishing. But I won’t repeat myself.

I appreciate your thoughts, and I’m glad for the opportunity to explain myself more clearly. However, I don’t think you’ve proven why Wish should be thought of more positively by pointing any of this out.

Whether it’s paying homage to the classic formula by using the Renaissance formula, or both, it does a lazy, slipshod job at best, and a subversive job at worst. I have other posts detailing how, that have less to do with the formula approach.

Disney doesn't need to change "the formula." That's the last thing that Wish proves.

What Wish proves is that "the formula" only works when you know why the ingredients are in it, and you use them the correct way.

The Princess Character is meant to wish for only half of the movie's message, and go through an adventure that teaches her what the other half is; what her dream was missing. Ariel dreamed of understanding but she was missing love. Tiana dreamed of achieving her goals but she was missing faith. Jasmine dreamed of freedom but she was missing trust. Belle dreamed of adventure but she was missing being understood.

The Villain is meant to highlight the opposite of the movie's message. Jafar gets what he wants through trickery and manipulation; that's the opposite of Aladdin's "truth will set you free" message, and he gets imprisoned in a lamp. Scar thinks being a King is having his way all the time and can't learn from his past of living in Mufasa's shadow; that's the opposite of The Lion King's "Let the past remind you of your responsibility to selflessness." Gaston loves only himself and is always obsessed with appearances; that's the opposite of Beauty & the Beast's "true love is found within a heart of self-sacrifice." That's what makes them such good villains. (and that clear direction is what drives good villain songs, since Magnifico's is what everyone is talking about)

The sidekick is supposed to compare/contrast with the main character's qualities. Abu is a greedy thief, which is what everyone in Agrabah thinks Aladdin is; when he scolds Abu and teaches him selflessness, it shows us who Aladdin actually is. Flounder is easily frightened and looks at the glass half-full; when Ariel coaxes him and leads by example, we see her bravery and positivity reflected in Flounder's tiny character arc. Timon & Pumbaa do whatever they want all day just like young Simba always dreamed of; when Simba goes to live with them, he finds that "getting his way all the time" makes him forget who he really is and feel empty.

The setting is supposed to show off the characters and highlight the movie's message. Rapunzel's tower is designed to be pretty on the inside because of her influence; if it were too dark and prison-shaped, we'd wonder why she didn't work up the courage to leave sooner. Just like how Quasimodo has made his corner of the bell-tower beautiful, too; they're taught the world is cruel and they're not strong enough for it, but they make their own worlds beautiful enough to hint that that's wrong right from the start. Ariel's grotto is shaped like a tower with no roof so that she only has one window to the forbidden Surface, and it's the light that comes from that forbidden world into her dark grotto which literally makes her able to see human things differently. Tiana's apartment has no interesting features except her father's picture, a perfectly made bed, a drawer with no extra outfits but stuffed with tip money, and only two dresses; both of which are for work.

None of that is happening in Wish, because they didn't know why the formula ingredients are there. Disney needs to understand and return to the formula the right way; forgetting it was what got them here.

Asha learns nothing to add to her dream, unless you count "the power to grant wishes is in me." Which you shouldn't, because we didn't even know she was confused about that until the animals sang a song that was completely off-topic and she had the chance to jump in and sing "I'm a Star!"

Magnifico does not demonstrate the opposite of Wish's message effectively because his character has nothing to do with a philosophy against making wishes, and everything to do with power. (He is the strongest character in the film. But because the message and core concept of what wishes are are so bad, that's not saying much.)

Valentino, and Asha's friends, do not highlight anything about her character through compare/contrast. Valentino is brave and all over the place. Her friends are seven-dwarfs parodies. Happy, Doc, Sneezy, Dopey, Bashful, Sleepy, Grumpy. None of that contrasts with Asha's vague characterization of "cares too much." None of it compares to that characterization, either.

The setting is empty. There are no interesting details that teach you something about any of the characters. None in Asha's home, none in the neat-and-tidy one-dimensional forest, none in the Rosas square, and none in the bland, empty castle. Magnifico's study is the closest anything gets; there's a loose concept that all of Asha's friends have to work together to open the roof, and take a leap of faith to weigh the pulley system down. Unfortunately, none of these characters is shown struggling to work together, OR to take leaps of faith, at all, before this point.

The ingredients of the formula are in Wish. They're just not being used correctly. This is how not to use the formula; it's not the formulas fault. If it ain't broke. They should never have let people convince them to try and fix it.

[saey707]

Spirit blossom Thresh x fem!reader please

✿ Prompt: The spirit of obsession, Thresh, wants to preserve your mortal innocence ✿

♡ champion focus: thresh ♡ tw: slight nsfw, obsession ♡ Fem reader

Author’s Note: Thank you for suggesting! Since this request was unspecified I went with something a tinier bit naughty for Spirit Blossom! Thresh. Also! This work is not a female reader, but the reader is implied to be feminine ☆〜（ゝ。∂）Enjoy!

Purity was frequently symbolized by the color white. Untouched, like fresh, moonlit snow. It was delicate, frail, and blameless even... It was the color Thresh used to describe you.

You were a tender, ivory blossom, something much more divine than that of any other mortal spirit that crossed the realm. From the moment Thresh’s lantern itched to taste your soul, he knew he had to have you. He knew he couldn’t allow you to stray down the same monotonous path that damned fox led all those other souls on... No, not you. 

In the eyes of the spirit realm’s cruel warden, you had so much potential. And Thresh always had a taste for the finer things, things with potential and endless opportunity, things that were shapable to his every desire and ill thought. It was not a mere passion of his, but an obsession. 

But you... Oh, you were more than he could have ever imagined. You were an angel to him, something he observed to be pure of heart, full of happiness and light. You were blessed. And blessed souls were the souls that had fulfilling lives, full of happiness and endearing memories, the ones who would be led down the path of nirvana. Sweet paradise...

How disgusted it made the spirit of obsession, how bitter a taste it was on his tongue. Paradise and nirvana... More like a privilege in Thresh's eyes. Something his poor, lost souls could never attain...

But, fear not, little soul. Even you who are as blessed as the moon's light could still find comfort inside his lantern...

Unlike the occasional mistakes he’s made as a father to all his spirits, Thresh was positive you wouldn’t be one of them... And he would perfectly manipulate you right into his loving arms.

Thresh pinned your half-naked figure down by the neck, against the plush and cloud-like cushioning, leering over your beautiful, untouched form. Your back was facing him, allowing him the perfect, view of your vulnerable, bare skin, as well as every deliciously feminine curve that outlined your figure.

The demon's large, tendril-like fingers pinning you by the nape of your neck began to slowly rub your bare skin, stopping just above your posterior. The slight scraping of his nails against your back sent shivers down your spine, Thresh admiring how sensitive to the touch you were.

He began to rub your hip, the massive being propping himself up behind you.

"You're gorgeous..." He praised you.

You were barely able to feel his wispy breath against the side of your face, but it was enough to leave you desperate and longing for him to panegyrize and admire you even more.

He yanked your body to turn the other way, your arms instinctively moving up to cover your bare breasts, only for him to stop you.

His sadistic and devilish eyes lured you right in, causing you to drop your arms, one hand against your collarbone, the other sprawled out beside you.

Thresh dragged his nail against your jawline, craning his neck forward to lean in, meeting you face to face.

"Tell me you like it here..." He brushed his lips against your chin.

"I like it here..." You responded shortly thereafter.

Your cheeks were flushed a perfect pink, edging him on.

"And... tell me you want to stay here with me..."

He was half shocked to hear himself request for you to say that, but even more so when you brought a hand up to tenderly caress his cheek, your lithe fingers brushing deep purple locks past his pointed ears.

"...I want to stay here with you..."

You beamed at him, the spirit sinking into your light-hearted touch. No matter how hard the spirit tried to study your face for any signs of imperfections or fear, your steady composure and certainty to remain by his side... Almost frightened himself.

"You... are the most peculiar soul I have ever come across." He commented, his ears ringing happily with your authentic laughter.

"I would hope that's a good thing, Spirit..."

Your lips barely grazed against his own, Thresh shutting his eyes.

And... For the first time in a long time, the sadistic spirit of obsession smiled.

"Perhaps not all bad... Though, I do find your purity... Enticing."

You were everything and more, pulling him along to the brink of insanity with your gentle smiles and loving grasp.

All that he wanted, everything he couldn’t have, sprawled out perfectly before him. Yet... Beneath him, he envisioned you so beautifully terrified. Scared underneath his hold, his scornful eyes taunting you. The gentle whisper of words making him wonder... What to do with you...

He chuckled, tapping his nail against his cheek.

How can he think such salacious thoughts about a soul? What in his right mind was torturing him to think so lasciviously?

How horrible was he for wanting you already? To ravage that purity and uncertainty, tainting you and your chances of ever attaining that sickening paradise.

He gnawed away at his own thoughts and temptations to just fuck you right now, making you scream and purr out his name every time he slammed into you..! Would you say his name? Or perhaps something more unexpected? Oh, Thresh certainly wouldn't mind if you decided to call him father if you wished...

"It's insatiable... My hunger. At the same time I cannot find myself wishing to consume you. It's as if you're... Lacking something vital."

Such a statement left you uneasy, Thresh reeling in his own thoughts right before you. It left you to wonder... What was on his mind?

You could only watch in the brevity of it all, torturously observing how Thresh's mind swirled with ideas, his facial expressions contorting into unreadable states that left you wondering what ideas he was conjuring up.

And the longer you reeled...

The more terrified you felt beneath his sadistic stare.

It was as if you were becoming more aware of the impending doom that was beginning to unfold and reveal it's truth right before your eyes.

"Maybe... We should... Stop and have a meal then..." You shakily suggested, the demon grabbed at your chin to shut you up. He could feel the slight tremble of your breath and the way your eyes dilated as soon as he grabbed you.

And oh how he loved it...

There it was! The sweet, beautiful fear upon his little soul's face was the secret sauce!

"Ah ah ah~ Don't try take back your words now, we're just getting started." Thresh spoke lowly, barely suppressing the maniacal giggles by gnawing his fanged teeth into his index finger.

However, when you began to squirm underneath his confines, he shook his head.

"Oh, don't worry, little one... I'll be gentle..."

He would make sure he would be the only man that would ever get to touch you and hold you so intensely, so much so that you would be sublimely meek and eager to meet his tender-loving cruelty.

Because you were a white lily ensnared in the cold hands of the devil himself... and he sure as hell wasn't going to let you go.

"For now..."

[blurryface-never-left]

Pur•ity

There's something oddly fascinating about a particular outfit that Blurryface appears in. In the sea of various dark clothes, there's one that seems to stand out from the crowd. The snow white hoodie, over a button-up and finished off by an identical white pair of trousers. A stark contrast against the charcoal black that coats the skin of their hands and neck, with the addition of ruby red swimming in their irises. This white, the color that symbolizes purity and innocence, ironically being donned by an entity that prides itself on eradicating just that.

Like a taunt, or mockery. Or even more malicious, a disguise. A wolf in sheeps clothing if you will. A perfect fit to appear to introduce itself in, if they were to try to slide their way into your psyche. At your lowest moment, the perfect time to strike. When your vision is too blurred by the overwhelming rush of tears in the midst of a panic attack, you'll be more likely to miss the inky black of their hands as they take you in, brushing your hair or rubbing circles on your back to soothe your anxiety. An anxiety they'd never admit was amplified by their infestation that they already started in your mind. You can only take in the comforting, safety of the white hoodie you'd cry into. You'll develop a trust with your new, otherworldly friend before you could correlate the red eyes and shadows with anything malevolent.

After all, how can they be dangerous? With how they keep you company, when your friends slowly begin to fade from your life, or how they're willing to stay and listen to you spill your flaws and downfalls to them. They do it because they care..

A friend. An odd, eerie even, shadowed friend. They have your best interest in mind. So when they suggest relieving your stress with a razor blade, or satiate your anxiety by encouraging you to stay home, away from the terrifying world, you can assure its from a place of support.

Right?

[isolatedbubble]

Romance in MXTX, Priest, and SHL

MXTX: Flower, Wine and Dreamworld

The romance in MXTX's works is like flower that grows in ice and snow; colorful, bright and hopelessly romantic, blossoms in misery and hardships.

It features a distinct "us against the world" mindset, depicting love as the only constant in the world. It's an eternal "dreamworld" detached from worldly matters, the perfect escapism as well as a source of strengths in the face of cruel reality.

Both MDZS and TGCF are a critique of mob mentality.

The contrast between CQL and MDZS is very interesting. While the former ends with LWJ taking charge, and therefore changing the world for the better, the novel ends with wangxian isolating themselves from grand politics and focusing more on helping individuals as recluse. It has an essentially pessimistic attitude towards the morality & intelligence of the collective. 

TGCF takes a slightly more optimistic approach, featuring the crowd being courageous under the right circumstances. However, both works share a similar undertone: putting one’s absolute faith in the collective is dangerous, whereas unconditional trust and devotion can be only found in one-to-one connection

MXTX herself compares MDZS and TGCF to 花间一壶酒 (A cup of wine among flowers), MDZS being the wine and TGCF being flower. She also compares MDZS to 风��夜归人, the person returning home from snow and wind, and TGCF to 红泥小火炉, a small red furnace.

Priest: Breezing Wind and Burning Iron

The romance in priest's works is more complicated. It's the most gentle in its normal state, when it is rational and collected, in which case it's like the breezing wind, soothing, sweet and light-hearted. It gives the individuals more incentive to achieve their individual and/or societal vision, as well as more reason to value their own lives & well-being.

In Faraway Wanderers, the most distinct feature of WenZhou relationship is how in naturally sync they are, and how comfortable & smooth their dynamic is. They both have past burden, but it doesn’t matter, because they bring simple joy, understanding and happiness in each other’s lives.

In Sha Po Lang and The Guardian, the ML’s lingering love for the MC motivates them to become better version of themselves, to care about others, and to form a holistic vision about bettering society. 

In The Defective, Lin Jingheng(MC) explicitly said that Lu Bixing(ML) is the only meaning in his life. He had little incentive to care about his own life after his revenge plan fell apart. LBX helped him reconnect with his inner idealism, and gave him a reason value his life.

When the passion and fiery energy manifests itself, however, the romance is like burning iron, blood and fire. It isn’t actually toxic or unhealthy, but it's not pure and innocent either; in this case, it strives for something deeper and more intense, never content with the past or the present. The sheer intensity of relationship is like a double-edged sword, walking the fine line between unconditional devotion and dangerous obsession. 

SHL: Spring Water and Healing Open Wounds

The romance in SHL is like "spring water"; it's warm, gentle, nurturing. It breaks through the boundary between individuals to bring the couple closer to each other, taking them back to a utopia of their childhood dream, away from social pressure and responsibility. The theme central to their relationship is “salvation”: how love is able to bring people back to integrity.

Both drama wkx and drama zzs have lots of regret about their past sins and wrongdoings. Four Seasons Manor is essentially a metaphor for purity, acceptance and the safety of childhood home. How to make drama wkx open up and accept this safe harbor as his home is one of the most significant plot-lines of the show.

SHL couple is way more emotionally vulnerable and expressive. A significant part of SHL arc is healing the wounds in an open and honest way. They cuddle and confide in each other way more often, talk about their shameful past and even cry about their regrets in front of one another, which is very rare among MXTX/Priest works.

The heat of the relationship sometimes gets too hot and even burns; in other words, there are constant miscommunications, conflicts and misunderstandings in the relationship. However, they can never let each other go, because it's the only source of warmth left for them in their hopeless lives filled with regrets and guilt.

Similarities and Differences

*Note that this is not a SHL/TYK comparison. TYK is kind of an “unorthodox” priest novel; you will know what I mean if you have read 3+ of her works. 

Relationship Dynamic & Narrative:  

In MXTX’s works, the concept of “romance” itself is divined; and the characters are illustration of the ideal of “undying love”. People are made for one another, to complete one another. Her works use colorful symbolism (silver butterflies, the emperor’s smile, the 3 thousand lanterns, etc.) to depict this romanticized ideal of love. 

For MXTX, the romanticization of “destined love” is one of the most recurring themes of her novels. Therefore, the readers look at their relationship through rose-color glasses. Obsession is usually framed in a jolly & romantic light, and doesn’t feature much tension or stress, and has less negative or unhealthy undertone. 

In most of priest’s works and SHL, soulmates are not born but made, so they have to figure out how their relationship works step by step. Therefore the narrative is less of a “rosy picture”. 

Priest has a habit of using derogatory terms to describe relationships that are mostly healthy, but somewhat “bloody” and edgy, full of excessive passion and obsession. The most common phrase is “爱生忧怖”, a Buddhist term meaning “love results in worry and fear”. 

SHL obviously has to be more subtle in expressing love. That said, drama WenZhou are way more emotionally vulnerable and expressive than their novel counterparts, as well as most Priest & MXTX characters. They have a dramatic falling out once in a while, even towards the end. They barely fit the Chinese definition of Zhiji (to know me/to understand one another), but are “lovers” who are buried deep in their passion instead. 

Past, Future and Evolvement: 

In SHL, characters are encouraged to treasure past impressions that are thrown in figurative “wrappings”, whose luster is derived from age-old experiences (Psychological Types, Carl Jung). In other words, they are encouraged to root their love in a shared past, a Utopia of innocence. 

The contrast between The Defective and Word of Honor is very interesting to observe. Both involve long separation, and the suffering and personality changes hat comes from it.   SHL narrative frames their innocent childhood as something to cling to and return to. Drama WKX is encouraged to accept his identity as Four Seasons Manor disciple because it was part of his childhood past. This is a significant part of drama WenZhou relationship.

In The Defective, the narrative doesn't encourage the couple to dwell on the past that much. On the contrary, the all-knowing AI explicitly discouraged the MC from “comparing past to present”. They are advised to accept changes, however painful it might be, and build a better, more equal dynamic out of it, evolving from one-sided pandering to fighting side-by-side.  

In Priest’s novels, the characters rarely return to something in the past, but look into the future. Change is usually framed as inherently beneficial, albeit usually painful and rocky, the implication being that you need to constantly strive for something better.  

Sha Po Lang is a good example of this, with Gu Yun’s changing attitude towards Chang Geng after he as he matures, gradually showing his intelligence in politics. CG starts referring to GY as Zixi instead of YiFu is also a sign of this change---to see him as equal rather than a parental figure & protector.

The Defective is even more obvious in this regard, with both parties uncomfortable with the change initially, but gradually adjusting to the changes during their 16-year separation. The ML also stops calling MC by his surname “Lin”, as a sign of viewing him as equal. 

In MXTX’s works, change in personality or relationship dynamic is neither framed as painful or good. It just happens. It’s a natural flow that take place when it does. Their relationships are rarely challenged by change. They are objectively at a better place compared to their past, but it’s merely the result of a series of events rather than a deliberate choice or struggle.  

WangXian’s relationship naturally changes over time after WWX’s rebirth, but neither of them really struggles with the change. 

Xie Lian doesn’t even recognize Hua Cheng as the someone from his past, so they start out as friends getting to know each other. 

Salvation and Changing one another: 

Priest herself stated in an interview that she doesn’t believe in the concept of salvation, since people have the inner capacity to be their own savior. Therefore, priest characters usually don’t actively try to change their partner’s morals or personality. Some might be willingly influenced by their partner, but there’s rarely an element of moral condemnation. Even when there is a conflict between different values, the options are 1) to reconcile them by choosing the middle ground 2) to maintain their independence and tackle it with nuance 3) to break up.

On surface level, Mo Du/Silent Reading is about Luo Wenzhou being Fei Du’s salvation. However, as LWZ pointed out himself, Fei Du would’ve been a good person at heart with or without his influence. 

In The Defective, when Lu Bixing mistakenly thought Lin Jingheng stayed in the Eighth Galaxy against his own wishes because of their relationship, and that their priorities are irreconcilable, he even thought about breaking up. Of course he was not serious about it, but this showcased that he would never try to change LJH’s convictions. 

In SHL, however, the concept of salvation is central to the theme. Some find it strange that SHL make drama zzs the more “moral” one of the two, despite his action being more objectively questionable. In fact, the only reason he get framed as more “moral” is that he admitted his fault sooner, and therefore could guide drama wkx’s path back to salvation: to recognize the goodness in people, make peace with external world, to clear his name in Jianghu, and to follow due process with his revenge plan to avoid collateral damages. 

“I tried to change you, but you end up changing me”, said drama ZZS. This relationship dynamic is never present in any of priest’s works I’ve read. Priest characters don’t *try* to change one another. 

Does MXTX believe in salvation? Hard to tell. One could argue that Hua Cheng would have be way more amoral and even immoral if it hadn’t been for XL. This is complicated and is a topic for another time.

However, it is certain that MXTX MCs don’t condemn each other morally. “The orthodox one defending their unorthodox partner in front of the world” is a common wuxia trope, but the way MXTX novels approach it is very different from SHL. 

HuaLian never had a serious falling out about being on different sides. Even when they disagree, they respect each other and love each other exactly the way they are. Hua Cheng didn’t approve of Xie Lian saving Mu Qing, but he didn’t interfere with Xie Lian’s decision. Xie Lian feels responsible for helping Shi Qingxuan in Blackwater arc, but he is perfectly fine with HC helping He Xuan keep secrets. In several cases where they have different values, they are able to make it work with ease.

LWJ never *morally* condemned WWX for his action, and never once objected to WWX practicing demonic cultivation after his rebirth. In fact, LWJ never objected to WWX’s morals; in their previous life he was worried about his safety, and struggled with what to do about certain situations due to his family background, but difference in morality is not an issue for them. 

The “righteous” one does not feel the need to guide their unorthodox partner or to be their salvation with regards to integrity. 

*The similarity & differences part is a bit messy and some points are not fleshed-out. Sorry about that. 

**I don’t claim to have the right interpretation. The lens by which we see different styles of romance is ultimately subjective. 

[zorkaya-moved]

@c4rdsharp​

Years have passed since Zarina last stepped onto the soil of Yokohama, this port city didn’t change as much as she expected it to change in the last couple of years. How long ago did this maiden in white descended here? Even before the infamous Dragon Head Conflict, even before the previous boss of Port Mafia have gone full insane. What a fun time it was to hear about, the people she stationed here under her own rule have partially died and only some remained alive, still reporting from the inside of Port Mafia and the shadows of Yokohama. 

Under the name of Anna Akhmatova - the hitman and the hunter, a beast of Russia - she would travel the streets of this small yet big city, a paradox in its own way. She loved this city, it always had something fun happening here and she indulged in each story like it was the five star meal presented to her, the one who was chained by the contract between her and the ‘limitation’. As of now, she is dressed in another white dress with a small purse over her shoulder with a golden chain while her hair braided in a thick yet loose braid over her shoulder with a golden leaf crown. She is the embodiment of ethereal beauty, her white dress won’t be tainted by the droplets of blood and dirt - she is the beast of winter, the one who had never let her target escape. This color - this pristine white - was a symbolism of divinity combined with white, the opposite of what Port Mafia wore in colors. 

She was known as the gem collector, as a woman of charms, as blank state that could become whatever one wished for her to become. A maiden of purity, a maiden of temptation, a maiden of destruction. No information about her past, no information about her [truth] and no information about her birthright. Akin to snow, the mystery covered her entire being aside from the spoils of war: the swift disposition of orders, the quick and clean finish, the ability to lead when she was told to do so. Many would think of her as nothing but a tool, so be it. It was better than for fools to be prepared for any of her moves, she had freedom in having the world think she’s a tool in the hands of Russian underworld... and now Port Mafia. The beast in chains gifted to Yokohama in order to catch Dostoevsky, but how safe it was to give the beast to another organization? Only time will tell. 

It seemed that the proof of her [chained] self was enough to send her to another syndicate working with Port Mafia. A smaller family with its own territory. She knew of their struggles, the Gandor family wasn’t that hard to let slip by after all the hardships it went through, especially with such a young capo. A fun story, it was indeed a fun story she wanted to witness with her own eyes. What kind of young man would lead this script? What kind of performance should she give to become a part of this spectacle? After all, tonight she is here to investigate and to learn, to meet and to become acquainted so the future won’t cause troubles in her job... along with her side jobs. 

His face isn’t hard to find. The photo and the description were enough for her golden gaze to find the one who was supposed to act as her ‘supervisor’ ([leash holder, prison guard]). Mori must’ve spoken about how he must not let the silver-haired woman out of his sight until she proves to be a truly trustworthy and valuable tool as she was told to be. Anna (Zarina) waves her hand at the man, approaching right away in a more hurried manner as if she was nervous to be late. 

“Thank you for making your time for me, Mr. Gandor. Anna Akhmatova at your service,” she offers him a polite bow, her smile charming and friendly as she continues. “I believe Boss told you that I am to follow you today for work, yes? I was told to give you one of these.” Without hesitation, she took out a black metallic ring. Her [chain], her [limitation], her [leash]. “I’m sure you will not need it, but this is a security measure created specifically to hold me obedient. Boss holds all others. It works well, you can test it but it only allows two commands a day.” She spoke so calmly, the dehumanization from the Russian underworld seemed to make her accept this so easily to the one who looks at her from the side without knowing the truth of the inside. 

The silver-haired maiden remains soft and mellow, her friendly smile is beautiful and so is her outfit, but how she speaks the words she does.

[alexanderwesker]

It’s been well established that purple is the color of the Gods and Divinity, do you have any World building symbolism/cultural associations for other colors?

I actually have (and I'm sad I can't use html anymore in the tumblr post editor cause I would have loved to color the various words in their color). Here are some of them: Red: Because of its connection with the color of blood, is mostly used as the color of Sacrifice, since to use potent magic you have to give a blood sacrifice. (So you can see it used on the robes of Mages and Enchanters renowned for their potent enchantments). (Dark Red is also used to symbolize the Nether and its Violent Gods) Blue: is the color of the Ocean as such, it's usually considered bringer of Good Luck to paint the lower portion of a ship in blue, both to ensure that the waves will not see the ship as something foreign to destroy and to not scare the fishes for fishermen's ships. Dark Blue though is a colour connected with the danger of the Deep Ocean, if someone is robed, or has an article of clothing that is Dark Blue(also called Deep Blue) it means that that person is dangerous and wants others to know. Light Blue being the color of the Sky is the color dedicated to the Sky Gods, as such you wont ever see anyone wear it not wanting to attract the attentions of the Gods of Games and Madness onto them. (People with Light Blue eyes are considered blesses/cursed by the Sky Gods, as such people either avoid them or try to have them as allies to have their, supposed, inner madness on their side instead than against them) Green: has both good and bad meanings; The darker the green the more it's connected to the fertility of the land, the lighter and brighter it is connected with the God of Chaos. And you'll never see a single soul wear the neon green of the Sovereign, even the followers of the God of Chaos use a grass green for their robes, worried that any brighter would bring the ire of the God because of their attempt to 'imitate them' Gold: Just like in our world, gold is precious. So it is seen as a colour that indicated that something or someone is precious to someone else. It is also a sign of purity and that the person is considered altruist and not plagued by greed if something gold is gifted to them. Golden on the other hand, is seen as a symbol of greed. Because it is an oxtentation of something that isn't really as precious as it seemes. White: is the color of snow, and it is mostly used to represent Death. Though in some prefectures it is also used to indicate purity of spirit. Black: is the color of rich earth, so it's seen as a symbol of Life. It's also the color of coal that fuels fires that save from the cold of winter. It is also not rare to see the window sill and the underside of a door smeared in coal dust during winter in the belief that that will help ward off the cold. (There are also others but I can't think of them right off my head so feel free to ask more about it, and I hope you liked this answer)

[depressedacadamia]

Book Review on The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Overall, this book took my heart, smashed it into pieces and then proceeded to burn them. Suzanne Collins does an excellent job at portraying Coriolanus as a conflicted protagonist from the start; in doing so, she manages to make the reader feel sympathy for him. Thus when Snow starts acting up, the reader feels obliged to stand by his side and you yourself feel conflicted- similar to the protagonist.

This by far is one of the best books I've ever read due to the turning of the main character. He starts out as a guy who hates The Hunger Games and the war and over the course of the book, he starts to do small things that would be seen as immoral. By the end of the book, he's betrayed and gotten his best friend killed, killed the mayor's daughter, attempted to abandon and then kill his girlfriend. By the very end, we are met with the cruel and infamous President Snow that is featured in The Hunger Games trilogy. I think this turning of character is done well by Collins because by the end of the book the reader hates the acts that Coriolanus has performed but it's still hard to hate Coriolanus himself after getting such a beautifully written backstory.

I think another reason I loved this book was because it explained the background of the Hanging Tree song. I absolutely loved the song and the second I read the first 2 verses in this book and how it was written, I could just tell that Coriolanus was going to do something bad. I think the writing behind the character Lucy Gray was splendidly done and it reminded me of Luna Lovegood. I think the reason why Snow is pitied in this book is partly due to Lucy Gray. Lucy Gray is a character with morals- strong ones that she firmly believes in. Snow, as established by the end of the book, is an immoral character so the fact that these two characters have any sort of interest in each other, a love interest especially, really allows us to connect to Snow and sympathise for him- maybe even root for him. It's a complete juxtaposition of the characters as well. Lucy Gray and Coriolanus Snow are complete opposites and yet they are attracted to each other. It really displays how Corionlanus needed someone with a different perspective and for all his life that person was Sejanus. When he starts growing away from Sejanus, he turns to Lucy Gray. Snow is constantly selfish, as seen in the manner in which he uses people. Alas, in the end, Snow did try and kill Lucy Gray and then proceeded to run away. While his rebellious acts at the beginning seemed to be the right thing, we as readers witness how all along these acts were all for him, not Sejanus or Lucy Gray.

Oh my goodness, lets not forget the insight behind the white roses over here! Finally, we get the entire backstory to the roses and I think because of that, the symbolisation of them is emphasised. At first, the roses are seen (in the Hunger Games trilogy) as a malicious part of Snow’s personality- a sign of revenge. The white rose was a symbol of purity and innocence - something that President Snow clearly isn’t. To add on to my point, his name is Coriolanus Snow . The irony is unfathomable; his surname and symbol both suggest purity and yet he is the complete opposite. I’d also like to quickly talk about his first name, Coriolanus. For those who don’t know, Coriolanus was a Roman general who thought he was a bit too great and became an enemy of Rome. The fact that his name is the name of a traitor and his second name is Snow immediately foreshadows that he will become a traitor. Later on in the book, Snow disobeys many Capitol rules and is forced to become a peacekeeper where he breaks more rules and then tries to kill his own girlfriend. The inability to maintain loyalty to one side further suggests that Snow is indecisive and only does what is best for him in a certain situation. The white roses symbolise that he is deceiving due to the fact that white roses mean much more than just purity. The complete juxtaposition of character compared to his name and symbol further highlights the manipulative tendencies as well as his need to maintain a flawless public image. It really illustrates his desire to appear as a person of the people. However, White roses are also a symbol of death. This complete oxymoron of purity and death fits in well with Snow’s malicious behaviour. The white roses are alluring- something that one cannot help but be attracted to however once you pick the rose, you are more than likely to die. This perfectly sums up the characteristics of Snow. The roses are a trap, similar to his cunning and crafty behaviour. Snow’s white roses symbolize his obsession over maintaining a perfect public image all while manipulating those around him and destroying those he wants gone, in an elegant and discreet manner.

If I were to improve this book, I'd say there is a part in the middle where it just loses its mojo. I had to put down the book for a few days because I genuinely couldn't manage to continue paying attention to the book. While the mass majority of this book is very fast paced and full of plot twists- the middle just slows down- Of course, it's okay for book to do that and often times, the book itself often benefits from it but I felt that right here it didn't very well. Coriolanus is a peacekeeper and what else is new? I just felt like I was waiting for something that was never going to come. However, I kept reading and thank God for that. Sejanus's death was the saddest death scene I've ever read. I think the fact that we as reader don't know if Sejanus knows whether Snow betrayed him or not makes the death so meaningful. His last words is him calling out for his mother- who we know loves him very much. Lucy Gray is there mourning. Coriolanus is mourning and yet the whole time he is still thinking about himself. Does Sejanus know what he did? Does anyone else know? Worst of all, after Sejanus dies, one of Snow's first thoughts is that he is safe from the Capitol ever finding out what happens. This just goes to prove Coriolanus's selfish and immoral nature. But the ending of this book is what put the cherry on top for me. I think a specific part of the epilogue in particular got to me. It was went we find out that the Plinths and the Snows are kind of one big family now. In particular, Strabo treating Coriolanus like his own son. Earlier in the book it's mentioned that Strabo would much rather Coriolanus to be his son rather than his actual child, Sejanus. I think it is simply so heartbreaking to see Strabo treat Coriolanus like his son when he didn't treat Sejanus in the same way. At the end it is strongly hinted that Coriolanus poisoned Dean Highbottom which once and for all settles Snow's true nature. It reveals the truth that Coriolanus will kill for power and that he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. He just like his father Crassus- the person who stole Dean's idea of the Hunger Games and actually pitched it (despite Dean's subjections to it). Manipulative, deceiving and ruthless, Coriolanus Snow is the evil protagonist and Collins ends the book with a classic overarching loop. In the first Hunger Games book, Snow was evil, and now at the end of the last book ( well, that we know of), Snow has been portrayed in many different lights and has returned to the one that suited him most. Being a villain.

[the-writers-bookshelf]

For Fab Friday have a snippet of my skyrim fanfic i've been working on lately (and neglecting for a much longer time)

She held up a single hand for the dremora to stop as she did, and ignoring it’s curious look, she reached into one of the many pouches attached to her belt and pulled out a polished mahogany case. Flipping the lid open with her thumb revealed a deep blue sapphire swirling with faint traces of arcane energy in one slot, a vibrant gold topaz the color of sunlight through honey in another, a dark amethyst with tiny arcane symbols carved into each tiny facet, and finally an empty slot.

Closing the organic eye she still had, she reached up with her free hand to the ruby embedded in her otherwise empty eye socket, and with some coaxing of magic and with practiced fingers, she plucked it straight out of her skull, hissing under her breath at the familiar pain that came with switching every time, a pain she got used to a long time ago.

“Damn,” she grumbled, shaking her head slowly and blinking a few times to get used to the strange emptiness in her skull. It was funny the ways she forgot about the presence eyes could have until she plopped it out and the socket was left hollow instead. If she left it out for a while, she’d easily get used to the lack of presence again, but she had use for a different one now, and so she put the ruby back into the empty slot it belonged in before pulling the sapphire out.

Shifting where she stood, Jura subtly put the daedra lurking behind her into her remaining eye’s line of sight as she held the sapphire up to eye level. Even though the dremora was securely bound by her magic, that didn’t mean she trusted it. Only a fool would trust a daedra for any reason.

Betrayal, after all, was in their nature.

Without sparing the dremora a direct look, she tenderly shoved the sapphire into her empty socket, blue wisps of magicka swirling around her fingertips as she oh so carefully eased it in with magic, and though the unnatural pressure made her socket itch, she remained silent as she closed her eyes, clenching them shut to allow her mind time to get reacquainted with the enchantment etched into the stone.

When she opened her eyes, a subtle azure haze misted over her vision, both magical and natural, and through the stone walls of the cave, she could see the glowing outline of two sources of life. One stood straight and tall, and through her magic she could see each and every movement it made. She watched as it paced from side to side, arms outstretched wide and gesticulating like a madman, both pointing towards the other source of life and then to itself, as well as to something off to the side that she couldn’t see. Her magic easily picked up on its hostility, as whoever the living being was, its life gave off a glow of red, red like freshly spilt blood splattered against snow.

The other glowing life form, a vibrant, iridescent blue like the purest magicka, laid sprawled on the ground, as still as dead autumn leaves lining the bottom of a lake. The form didn’t stir in the slightest despite the other living being’s ranting, which Jura could hear herself as she crept closer to the lights, slinking through the stone halls as stealthily as she could when she was about as graceful as a drunk, one legged Nord wasted on mead and moonsugar.

She followed the inane rambling, something about the purity of blood and the honor of dying for such a cause, to a wooden door sectioning off part of the cave. Jura rolled her eyes so hard she thought the magical one might pop right out of her skull.

A door. Really? Like that’s actually going to do much? It doesn’t even have a lock on it! No matter how ridiculous it seemed some necromancers could be, someway, somehow another one always managed to catch her completely off guard by some of the inane ideas they’d come up with to try and protect themselves.

“A wooden door.” Jura scoffed under her breath, lips pulling back into a quiet snarl as she reared her fist back, golden flames springing to life in her palm. “As if that’s enough to stop me.”

This is...SO awesome!!! I know absolutely nothing about Skyrim but this sucked me in RIGHT from the start and held my attention the whole way!! Fantastic job!!! Keep chipping away at it! You're doing GREAT! :D

[rosemary-morgan]

HC´s - Your first date

(You are in no relationship, but there is clearly love in the air 🖤)

(Please, excuse my mistakes. You know that english isn´t my native language 🙈)

Javier Escuella

How he is preparing:

Javier pays great attention to his appearance. After all, he wants to be the most handsome man for you. His hair is perfect, his mustache perfectly trimmed.

Javier even applies perfume on his skin. But not too much, after all, he wants to smell pleasant.

Javier is in a good mood all day long. The others see from his proud attitude and the constant smile on his face that there is something different about him. But he keeps this sweet secret for himself.

Your date:

Javier will bring you white jasmine. This beautiful flower stands for sweet love. Your story started early. Javier had spent a lot of time with you, flirted with you. You have stolen his heart.

Your tender femininity makes Javier's heart beating like crazy!

With Javier, you go to the lake to enjoy your time together. He wants to impress you with his voice and singing - And of course, he succeeds!

Javier gives you lessons in fishing.

The perfect opportunity to get closer to you!

His hand strokes your arm gently, his hand encloses yours, and your feminine scent is pure sin for him!

Of course, Javier spends a lot of time teaching you something.

After fishing, you will roast the fish on a bonfire. And after your delicious meal, you decide to swim in the lake.

Suddenly and in a very natural way, you will get closer. 

“Mi rosa... I have to confess, that I am very attracted to you!”

Javier doesn't hesitate long after these words but kisses you gently.

His kiss is tender at first, but as soon as he realizes that you like it, he becomes more passionate and you sigh with pleasure - It´s perfect

Artrhur Morgan

How he is preparing:

Arthur is very excited! He's looking forward to this date, but it's been a long time since he last had a date with a woman.

What kind of gift should he bring you?

He will ask Josiah Trelawny for help.

Josiah will help him find the perfect outfit for the first date.

From Josiah, he will also receive some tips on romance and how a gentleman should behave.

Your date:

Arthur brings you flowers that he picked himself from the field. Pink tulips. These stand for love, and the deep affection that Arthur feels for you.

You go on a trip to Strawberry. The area around that place is just beautiful! Blue sky, the most beautiful birds, and crystal clear rivers.

There you have a picnic together. You eat fresh fruit and nuts, drinking wine together.

During the picnic you laugh together, touching each other tenderly. Everything so innocent. Arthur had no idea, but he is good at flirting. He finds the right words to flatter you.

Your first kiss happens when Arthur takes you home on his horse.

He rides very slowly. He wants to enjoy the last few moments he can spend with you.

At some point, Arthur decides to stop in the middle of the road. Your giggle just confirms that you were more than happy with what he was doing. "May I kiss you, darling?" he asked. And without hesitation, you turn your face to him, looking deep into his incredibly beautiful eyes before your lips touch tenderly.

You will remember this beautful day for a long time.

John Marston

How he is preparing:

John is a little nervous. He wants to do everything right.

Finally! A day without the curious eyes of the other gang members! Only you and him alone!

He can't wait to spend his time with you! He is in a fantastic mood, and some of the gang members are wondering if John accidentally drank his tea with the wrong herbs this morning.

Of course, John thinks that it is none of the others' business, why he is so happy.

He won´t say a single word.

John puts on his usual clothes.

Your date:

John also doesn´t forget to bring your flowers.

He brings you yellow gerberas. He wants to tell you that your presence is a light for him. Everything becomes more beautiful through you, and he enjoys being with you.

You go out for a ride together

You compete. The winner can wish for what he or she wants.

John will do everything to win this competition! As a winner, he wants a kiss from your sweet lips.

But you win the race!

But with your victory, it suddenly starts to rain heavily, yet it doesn't stop you from getting your prize from John.

You look up at him, the summer rain soaked you both completely - It is very erotic and exciting. "I won, Marston." "Is that so?" He chuckles softly, and you reach for his wet shirt, pulling him closer. "I'll get my price!"

Your kiss surprises John, but he doesn't hesitate for a moment to return your tenderness. He places his arms around your delicate body, and in the rain, you kiss passionately.

Charles Smith

How he is preparing:

Charles is very relaxed.

He doesn't plan what to say or what to do to impress you. Everything will happen naturally.

He knows that he will have a good time with you. And you know about his quiet, reserved nature.

Charles bought white lilies for you. These white flowers symbolize his undoubted love for you. So it also stands for purity and innocence.

Charles is completely mesmerized by you.

Your date:

You go to Amabrino - Grizzlies East.

It is one of the most beautiful and quietest places Charles knows. The mountains, the crystal clear lakes, and rivers are very beautiful.

Here in the mountains, you have a picnic together. You talk about your past, about your wishes, and Charles opens up to you, telling you about his life.

Charles and you become very close. Here and there, gentle touches and soft flirting.

Your charming smile fills his heart with joy.

Charles made a flower crown or you. 

"Charles, it´s beautiful!" "Not half as beautiful as you are, Y/N." Hearing his calm and gentle voice was the most beautiful melody for your ears.

When Charles puts the crown on you, he leans forward and kisses your cheek tenderly. But even this strong-willed man can´t resist your sweet lips - He brings your hearts together with a gentle kiss.

Josiah Trelawny

How he is preparing:

Josiah is a self-confident man, yet he is very nervous to meet such a wonderful lady like you!

He dresses as always very noble. Josiah wants to be the most handsome man for you.

Josiah arranges everything for a perfect date. 

Your date:

Josiah has a bouquet of red roses for you. He is in love with you, and he adores you!

Josiah takes you to one of the most elegant restaurants in Saint-Denis.

You sit together on the terrace, and during your dinner, you can see the beautiful lights of the city.

You have never had dinner at this quality before! And you've never tried a more noble wine like this one - just delicious!

Josiah looks you in the eye all the time. Your eyes were full of love and affection while he´s holding your hands.

After that delicious dinner, he will take you to a carriage to show you Saint-Denis by night.

Suddenly, while you are sitting in the carriage, it starts to snow. Nobody knew where this snow came from, but it is so romantic!

"Are you cold, my dear?" You don´t need to answer him, because he is a gentleman, and he knows what to do.

He lovingly puts his coat over your shoulders, and you immediately snuggle against the charming magician.

When you looked up at him, and your eyes sparkling like two stars, Josiah couldn't help but kiss your pretty lips...

[milk-and-violets]

thinkin bout how hozier canonically met & likes the oh hellos

dm me if you want the story. anyways now that I have your attention

here’s my lyric analysis of boreas the album, starting with cold

when the feeling leaves you / it moves so slow / like the loose change from your front pocket / you don’t even feel it go

okay so the metaphor of numbness??? they went off, a delightful way to kick off the north wind/winter album. the line about “loose change” we’ll discuss later but it also has a kinda spicy parallel to the resistance to change discussed in lapis lazuli.

when the bitter creeps in / to bite you whole / a spectre unreflected, oh / it keeps you cold

the imagery of “a spectre unreflected” something unseen that creeps up on you, also mirroring the line in “Glowing” about “a moon alight/reflecting fully” the opposite of the shadow that tries to numb and engulf you.

when you keep your linens / like virgin snow /  like a blanket of white / unbroken by the soil below

these lines, especially the use of the word ‘linens’ and ‘virgin’ evoke feelings of cloistered and forced “purity,” like someone trying to keep the “messy” world out of their life. the lines about “a blanket of white/unbroken by the soil below” create a contrast between the cold, untouched (and thus isolated) snow and the soil. there’s the acknowledgment that the snow is only covering up the soil, which still sleeps beneath it, and also an allusion to the ‘rich soil’ line in Boreas. even in the attempts to block out sources of change and growth, the singer realizes seems to imply that it’s a weak attempt.

the sound don’t carry / won’t rise or fall / it damps the racket, chokes it back / a strangle hold

the imagery of the snow dampening the sound of “the racket” is a powerful metaphor. the reference to “choking it back / a stranglehold” definitely gives the sense that along with the chaos of the world right now, this “racket” could refer to the anger and pain specifically in black communities that have been the source of protests and rallies in recent months. there are those who struggle to deal with addressing these issues on top of the stress of the world in general, but in allowing themselves to be numbed to this, they are participating in the violent silencing of these issues.

well, you paved your hades / with precious stone / made an heirloom to patricians and the / rich alone

these lines seem to be chastising the person addressed, lamenting the choices that have led to their current state. the reference to hades- the afterlife, specifically being their hades, which is in essence the monument to their whole life- is a very strong one. in this case, it’s described as an “heirloom to patricians and the / rich alone.” their life is no longer theirs, but has been made into part of the legacy of the powerful (patricians literally being a reference to the ruling class of ancient Rome) and the wealthy. the word alone here both emphasizes how it is nothing but this and also the references the isolation of the addressee. 

by allowing yourself to become numb to things that matter, simply because they are difficult to deal with, is directly serving the interests of those in power. and while it may benefit you in the short term, it means that the legacy of your life will be one that serves no one but them.

and the toll for the crossing / I’d owe Charon / would atrophy a half of me / the heart of gold

here, the singer notes that allowing themselves to “cross over” into the cold numbness (which is literally equated to death), while it may be safe/comfortable, it would cost half of their whole being. in this case, they say that the cost would in fact atrophy them- the loss of something inherent and importantly vital. lastly, the describe this cost, the thing they’d have to give up, as a “heart of gold” which mirrors the references to wealth while also being a symbol of goodness and the ability to love/feel.

well, I’m not quite ready / to turn to bone / to petrify the shred of life / I’m holding onto

here, the singer defines their unwillingness to succumb to the cold. furthermore, they note that doing so would be not only to ‘atrophy’ but to literally be fossilized and to ‘petrify’ the shred of life within them. this creates a very interesting feeling that their own sheer will is protecting something precious that’s not only a part of them but something they are responsible for maintaining. the “turn to bone” verse parallels the link in “Lapis Lazuli” when the singer says “it’s either the growing is slow / or it cuts to the bone”. in this case, there would be nothing to cut away to, as all the human tenderness would have been lost.

there’s no peace to upset / that spirit’s flown / this ossified philosophizing’s / getting old

this line brings to mind arguments people make against engaging in discourse or protesting about important issues- they want to keep the peace or don’t want to create a ‘fuss’. here, the singer argues that this peace isn’t even already upset- it’s gone. furthermore, accusations of violence and anger being “ungodlike” are met with a statement that instead, the violence people are fighting against, and the refusal of people to act in support of them has driven the spirit/god out of these spaces. the last line addresses the tendency of people trying to avoid making a statement/acting to argue about theoretical or philosophical topics- often efforts that would be considered derailing or even outright ignoring the issue. here, the singer refers to these behaviors as “ossified”- having hardened or turned into bone- people who do these things have already fallen to what the singer hopes to avoid, and as they say are “getting old,” soon to be left in the past with the other petrified remnants.

[fantasyinvader]

@fireemblems24

Since @teaveetamer already posted their document on the game, I figured I’m going to go ahead as well since I promised you I’d do this. Part of it is me being impatient and just want to get writing this over with, I’ll admit, but it’s better than something I scribble at the last minute.

Okay, let’s start off with something simple. The route split. There is a meaning behind this you might not be aware of. See, Byleth’s personal class isn’t the Enlightened One in the original text. It’s Nirvana.  While it does take some cues from Hindu tradition, namely fusing with the Creator God...dess, in Three Houses it’s tied to a more Buddhist outlook. Namely, the duality between enlightenment and ignorance.

Let me explain. In Buddhist tradition, when he was attempting to reach Nirvana, a being called Mara tried to tempt Buddha away from that using his daughters. In their mythology, Mara represents spiritual death and among other things making bad things look good. However, the story goes that Buddha did not fall for the trap and in order to celebrate this a flag is used as the symbol. This is known as the Banner of Victory.

In Silver Snow, Byleth is presented with a flag. Not only does this flag appear as the route’s save icon, it’s also confirmed to be the game’s Fire Emblem. In addition, the developers have also said that the worldbuilding of Three Houses was done to support Silver Snow. Silver Snow is supposed to represent truth.

But what does that mean for Crimson Flower? It’s meant to be this path of temptation. Even the Japanese name for the route reflects this, as Safflowers don’t represent love like the red rose mentioned in the opening theme but rather attraction. Attraction and used in bouquets to say “I’m trying to attract you.” Even in the game itself, the choices that unlock CF are presented as changing the story.

What’s more, there’s implications.After joining Edelgard’s army, a NPC will talk about how he doesn’t think he should believe everything she says. This is way after Kostas dying, saying he should never have listened to her. There’s another NPC who, in the Japanese, heavily implies Edelgard is using propaganda to try and sway the unsupportive public to her side. We have the aftermath of Arianrhod, with her lying to the Black Eagles. Hell, the full version of the game’s theme song reveals she lied to Byleth during the events of White Clouds. Likewise, there’s a lot of little tidbits hidden in the route that imply it is far less heroic than it initially appears. Stuff like how Edelgard is starving her people to wage this war, how she abandoned the war she started for five years to search for Byleth, how she’s still using Crest Beasts, the fact the troops you liberated at Brigid were Imperial troops rather than Brigid militia like in the other routes (and notice how Catherine says “we just asked Brigid to not support the Empire” in contrast to Petra saying they’re forcing Brigid to join them? Other routes reveal that Brigid would join Rhea in a heartbeat if Petra wasn’t under Edelgard’s control), all optional but they’re there. Just like how her route has endings that contradict each other all over the place, talking about giving the people liberty while Hubert’s imply it’s a police state killing those who don’t accept their new overlord. Or how the Church is still around post-war, just under Edelgard’s control. Or how Byleth’s solo ending makes it still sound like they can use the Sword of the Creator, while the Jeritza ending shows them using the Sword of Seiros. Various bits of information floating around the game also debunk her narrative, if you know where to look. Crests and the Church don’t have as much power as she makes them out to, the Empire was founded on meritocracy but those in charge used their power to oppress the masses, and the Empire’s split with the Church happened because the Southern Church rebelled against their leadership and was crushed by the emperor at the time.

There’s so much evidence that things are changing in Fodlan, with new power structures and attempted reforms, while the Japanese text makes it clear Edelgard wants to put things back to how they used to be. She’s not a reformer, she seeking restoration of the Empire.

Even Byleth’s romance with Edelgard is suspect in the Japanese text. Ferdinand and Hubert’s paired ending makes it clear that Edelgard is jealous of how close they are, while her supports with Byleth flat out say Byleth has become more distant (and likely undoing their development during White Clouds). In addition, Japanese Hubert and Byleth’s support ends with Hubert saying they can be two particular birds flying alongside the eagle that is Edelgard. This bird is from Chinese mythology, representing eternal love...and bringing death, destruction and misery. It has very negative implications, hence why using the mandarin duck is seen as more appropriate since it also means love without any of the other stuff.

CF is the path of ignorance. Hell, the Japanese script says as much when Dimitri calls you out on walking the path of the beast. Nirvana is meant to be extinguishing the flames of hatred, greed and ignorance within yourself, while the path of the beast is one of hatred, greed and ignorance. CF is the antithesis of what Byleth’s story is supposed to be, hence why they lose their powers in it’s ending and aren’t a leader in Fodlan despite having proven themselves capable of the task. Instead, various endings show Edelgard restoring the nobility, albeit with far more control over them. Hell, the Japanese script uses the words conquest a lot more than the English one, the devs even referring to it as such while Silver Snow is the Empire Route and that part of the meaning behind CF is simply getting rid of those who stand in your way. Nothing about liberty or humanity, just Edelgard taking all power for herself.

Or in other words, she’s the hegemon that’s referred to in Byleth’s CF title. This was actually confirmed to be a reference to China’s Mandate of Heaven, and is meant to stand in contrast to Azure Moon. The gist is that unlike the Divine Right of Kings, where a leader has a right to rule given to them by God and everyone else can just suck it up, the Mandate treats their rule as a privilege. If you’re a cruel leader, corrupt,you put yourself ahead of your subjects, or just simply an oppressive tyrant, then you’re walking the path of the Hegemon. The Heavens will then give signs to the people, telling them they need to overthrow you and install a new leader. That’s what Edelgard is supposed to represent, and her route has confirmed rebellions against her. Ironically, her portrait at the end of CF is based off of Napoleon’s coronation portrait, which was meant to emphasize his own divine right to rule. That hand staff is supposed to represent being given God’s approval to rule, it’s call the Staff of Justice...except what we see in the game is inverted from the real thing.

Meanwhile, Dimitri’s path is that of the Righteous Kings. He’s a benevolent leader, one who puts the people first, giving them power and by overthrowing Edelgard he enacted justice. Dimitri at the end of AM and during CF is meant to be the good king, while Edelgard is always the tyrant. Hell, the terms for these in Japanese are used as expressions. Hegemon has very negative implications, like a power-tripping middle manager, while Righteous King has positive ones and can even be used to say a particular way of doing things is the proper way to do things.

Also worth noting that Azure Moon is the only route where you can pretty much save everyone sans Edelgard, Hubert and Jeritza. It seems to be the route that most emphasizes compassion over learning the full truth (hence, it doesn’t feature the flag like SS/VW).

Hell, the same final boss theme plays at the end of CF and AM. It’s Edelgard’s theme, using her own musical cues and stuff. Rhea might be the final boss of CF, but the music makes Edelgard the bad guy. Likewise, there’s many cues in the game linking Rhea with light/dawn and Edelgard with shadows/darkness, even Rhea’s lilies represent purity compared to Edelgard’s safflower.

Claude also has light based symbolism, and the devs confirmed he’s a good guy. He’s supposed to be Fodlan’s new guiding light after Rhea dies and the collapse of Fodlan’s institutions. In essence, he’s a direct contrast to Edelgard. While Edelgard thinks she knows everything and won’t change her mind, Claude learns the real truth and his views change with the route (mostly implied due to his supports). Claude reveals said truth, while Edelgard will keep pushing lies that suit her. The endings were Edelgard loyalists and TWSITD rise up to try and retake Fodlan are less hidden than the rebellions against Edelgard. Claude treats Byleth as an equal, whereas Edelgard pulls rank and says she can only see them as an equal when they propose. Claude doesn’t fall for attempts by TWSITD to turn him against the Church in VW, which creates the impression that they were the ones responsible for turning Edelgard against Rhea for simply being not human.

Claude is legit, especially considering the fraud that is Edelgard. You can’t save everyone as Claude, since the story prioritizes the truth (with SS being in the middle) but there’s a case to be made that it’s meant to be Claude’s path to his own form of enlightenment so he can be your true equal and partner.

So, that’s kinda it. Each of the three main routes are meant to contrast CF in some way. AM is more focused on compassion and saving Dimitri from himself, at the cost of learning the full truth. VW pushes the truth more, but you’re not able to save those you could in other routes. SS is somewhere in the middle, where you can save everyone you take into your class, Rhea if you have supports with her, and Dedue if you can keep him alive. The language the devs used makes them all out to be hero routes, whereas CF is the villain route once you dig under the surface. It’s the route of lies, it leads to tyranny, it lacks sincere compassion, but it doesn’t tell you that because you’re meant to be ignorant because you decided to join her. You put Edelgard ahead of the good of Fodlan, leaving it in darkness while she talks about being it’s light.

The main thrust of the game is SS vs. CF, but VW and AM serve to further illustrate why CF is the wrong way of doing things.

The devs took it a step further in the Nintendo Dream interview. Take all of what I just said, and consider the fact they wanted the players to immerse themselves in Fodlan. They want people to see all the evidence against Edelgard, hence why fighting her = Enlightenment. BUT they also talked about wanting to play a trick on players, and when people complained about how hard it was to “walk with Edelgard” during testing they made it easier to access CF. CF is the trick my friend, it’s the player thinking they’re the good guy when in reality they’re playing the game’s villain route.

[beforetheflowers]

Poinsettia

SPNAdventCalendar2020 prompt: day 13, poinsettia

Read complete on AO3!

Ok, I’m a little late with this, but here we go. Read the first half below the cut!

Hunters might not get paid for doing their jobs, but it was not uncommon to receive gifts of appreciation. These gifts ranged from invitations to sit down for a home-cooked meal, boxes of snacks and drinks, a good bottle of scotch, gift cards to restaurants… actually, the gifts took the form of food quite often. 

It was curious, this human impulse to show their love by feeding each other. Taking care of each other’s most basic need, giving the blessing of not needing to worry about where the next meal was coming from. 

Though angels did not, as a rule, feel hunger, Castiel understood it intimately. He’d been human quite a few times in the last decade, and he knew the dull ache that could only be filled by sinking his teeth into something delicious.   

Of course, Castiel made a point of breaking heaven’s rules. He never told Dean this, but occasionally he would fly out into a field or forest and let his grace drain into the Earth, depleting his own power so that he could become something close to human. It wasn’t easy to do in winter; someone would probably get suspicious if a grove of trees suddenly sprouted greenery under their blankets of snow, but he made it work. 

Let’s just say that a particular river in Kansas was full of incredibly vigorous fish, and leave it at that.

Draining his power in that way allowed Castiel to experience mortality with Dean. His vessel aged, so subtly that Dean hadn’t even noticed yet, but Cas was determined to grow old with him. They had their eternal youth to look forward to in the afterlife. 

It also allowed him to feel human drives; hunger, thirst, desire, pain. All the risks and rewards of freedom.  

Castiel also felt that taking care of the Earth was a proper angelic duty. He wasn’t interested in being an agent of fate, or a tool in Chuck’s arsenal. But blessing the Earth with life gave him great joy and contentment in his role as an angel. His grace was a gift he could give to wild things. 

So, although Castiel understood humanity’s gift-giving impulse on a personal level, he found it quaint and charming nevertheless. In times of hardship, humans reached out for each other instead of turning away, they gave more generously instead of less. Despite the flaws of their species, Castiel believed they were good at their core. He wasn’t sure he could say the same about angels.

The winter holidays seemed to motivate humans to give more than any other season. Perhaps it was simply the darkness and lack of plant growth in winter that pushed them to share resources, but… they took care of each other.

Cas was, however, sometimes baffled at their choice of gifts. 

One day in late November, he had gone grocery shopping while Dean was at work and had seen rows and rows of tiny replicas of popular fictional characters, stuffed animals in unnatural colors, pink models of kitchens, and even boxes of toys that weren’t assembled yet. How any of these objects helped humans survive winter, Cas didn’t know. 

Musing about the nature of humanity along the ends of the toy aisles, he had walked past a little red creature that started singing at him. He finished his shopping quickly after that. 

Also in November, Cas had received another bewildering gift from a family he had saved from a poltergeist. Dean had been at work again when Cas heard a strange report on the police scanner; officers had responded to a call about a strange man smashing up the neighbor’s house while everyone was out. 

When they had arrived, they found all the doors and windows closed and locked. Inside was indeed smashed up; the dining table was broken down the middle, stuffing was ripped from the couches, glass littered the floor from shattered picture frames and ceramic decorations. There was nobody in the house.

The mom left work right away after the cops notified her, and - Cas perused the subsequent report - she had mentioned instances of paintings falling off the walls, doors slamming, furniture being moved, but nothing close to the destruction of that day. The police had chalked it up to a very clever home invader and told the family to invest in a better security system. 

A security system wouldn’t work against a poltergeist, if indeed that was what the family was dealing with. 

Cas packed a duffle bag with ghost-hunting paraphernalia and teleported to the end of the family’s driveway. The family had been unwilling to trust him at first - apparently, they didn’t appreciate blunt honesty - but when the sun went down and the poltergeist started hurling knives around the kitchen, they welcomed Cas back inside, where he made quick work of the poltergeist. 

As it turned out, they had recently purchased a painting of a sunset from a charity auction. All seemed normal until Cas tore off the paper backing, revealing the signature of the painter; it was not created by some local artist as the family had assumed, but by someone who went down in history as a serial killer. The alizarin crimson was fortified with actual human blood, and the victim had become a restless spirit, tethered to the painting and unable to rest. 

Cas burned the painting and the spirit finally moved on. In their gratitude, the family had insisted he take home the apple pie that had been cooling on the counter and shoved a plant into his hands. Arms full of ghost-hunting equipment and the family’s generous gifts, Cas left, waiting until he reached the cover of shadows before teleporting home. 

The pie was a good gift because it made sense. Food. And a dessert at that, a delectable treat. Dean especially would like it. But the plant?

It had broad red leaves with tiny yellow blooms in the center. The lower leaves were dark green. A poinsettia. 

The Aztecs had cultivated this plant for its usefulness as medication and dye, but surely the family didn’t expect him to use it for those purposes. Of course, Cas knew about its association with Christ. Legend held that an angel encouraged a girl in Mexico to give a gift, no matter how plain, for Christ’s birthday. She gathered a bouquet of roadside weeds, but when she placed them on the altar, they became the blazing red, star-shaped leaves of the poinsettia. 

Cas had no idea which angel had performed that particular miracle, but it sounded on-brand for the heavenly host. Most angels only helped humanity when it served the glory of the Lord. Or maybe Cas was just a cynic. 

Either way, it didn’t explain why the family had given him one. They didn’t know he was an angel, right? The plant symbolized sacrifice, success, happiness, or purity; was it perhaps a wish that he would experience one of these? He’d take success or happiness, but he’d sacrificed far too much already, and he was so far beyond purity that it was almost a joke. 

Dean was already home when Cas, bypassing the struggle of opening the door with his hands full, teleported into the kitchen. 

“Hello, Dean.”

Flinching mightily, Dean nearly flipped the contents of the pan straight onto the floor. He chuckled weakly when he saw who it was. “Jesus Christ, man. Could you try knocking first, or something?”

“My hands were full,” Cas explained, finally setting everything down. He put the pie and the plant on the table and returned the duffle bag back to its place in the basement before returning to Dean. 

The smell that pervaded the house was wonderful; garlic and rosemary under the scent of sizzling steak. Cas’s stomach growled, and he realized he hadn’t eaten since yesterday. It was easy for an angel to lose track of such things, but Dean always took care of him. 

“Have a glass of wine,” Dean said, handing him a cab sauv. He leaned his back against the counter, watching Cas and his cooking at the same time. “Tell me about your day, baby.” 

Cas told him about the poltergeist and the gratitude of the family. “I don’t understand why they gave me this plant,” he ended the story, brushing one soft, red leaf between his fingertips.  

“What do you mean? It’s a poinsettia.” 

“Yes. It’s a holy symbol that often represents the crucifixion in the Western, Christian tradition. Why would they want to remind me of that? It was a horrible event, really. A man died.”    

Dean gave him that look, half exasperation, half amusement, that usually meant Cas had failed to understand some social norm. “People always give each other poinsettias around Christmas. It doesn’t really have any deep symbolic meaning these days, it’s just pretty to look at.”

Well, that was certainly true. It was a vibrant little thing, with plush crimson leaves and yellow center, like it was both reaching out for the sun and reflecting it deep within. Cas could feel the life buzzing inside it, drawing water and nutrients from the soil and exhaling oxygen through its broad leaves. 

It was a good gift, he decided with a little smile. 

But that wasn’t the end of it...