#sorry if you expected an in depth analysis from me

[kidovna]

Why do you think mike is bi?

I personally think that Mike did have a thing for El in s1, 2, and parts of s3, but started to realise that they weren’t really compatible as romantic partners once he started dating her (especially with her spying on him and dumping him publicly). I think Mike has a lot of issues with his current relationship with El but I don’t really think her being a girl is one of them.

Also, Mike being bi doesn’t take away from byler or add anything extra to mileven, so i don’t see why not? If the show proves me wrong and tells me Mike is indisputably gay, then obviously that is canon, because that is a possibility too. As of now, Mike doesn’t have a canon sexuality and I have a feeling that they won’t really go into it in s5

[hopelesslovebug]

What attracts you to fugio and naramis. Like, what really makes you see the ship and go “yeah, thats my thing!”

honestly i don't know it just clicked in my brain

i normally don't ship and these are the only two i ship in jjba (i don't really care for bruabba that much but i can't deny that they must have explored eachother bodies one time)

back when i had finished phf and was looking for more fugo content the fugio ship was really popular (i thought it was cute and i disliked -still do- fugonara -bad experience-) and it took me two days to fully ship them (i like to interprete everything that happens in va and phf as platonic for funnises)

and when i was reading fugio fics naramis was really popular in there too and it took me like a month for me to be insane about them

i like fugio because there's a lack of understanding, they don't fully understand eachother and both are scared of being vulnerable but they're still putting the effort and i like naramis because they are warm together, the world around them is cold but that doesn't matter they have each other, they can eat together and that's what truly matters

i don't know what my thing is but i guess...company ? being able to rest because you know someone is there ? ? but this doesn't apply to romantic ships only

[manikas-whims]

Under Deepspace

Chapter 01: To Begin, Story 02: Mysterious Light

From the first moment I saw him, I knew he'd be the one.

i had thought of playing it as unbiased, enjoying all the love interests interactions n such but right from the beginning Xavier began growing on me..

Another silver haired guy with a gorgeous face?

Ah shit! Here we go again..

the way he doesn't wake up when you pat him but he does when he hears the sound of the watch?

i think this is about how he'd rather deal with the mess himself than get more people involved/in danger..

He's also like: WHO THE FUCK DISTURBED MY PEACEFUL SLEEP!?

Ngl y'all the annoyance looks HOT 🥵 on him.. y'all can call me smitten or whatever but I'd love seeing more of this Xavier..

the second long gap where his expression goes from 🤨 to 🥺

you can see your face slowly registering in his suddenly roused, sleepy and addled brain..like OH IT'S YOU

I think (just my personal belief) that Xavier didn't intend to make direct contact with you. That his intention was to keep tabs on you from a certain distance. Like he found out you were preparing to become a Deepspace Hunter, and himself decided to work here a few years earlier on..even living in the same apartment complex as you but thats likely cuz most hunters live there..

And I think he would stayed low and kept watch over you from a distance but then on your very first mission, you encountered him by chance. I'M SORRY I'M A SUCKER FOR FATED ENCOUNTERS 😩✨

And then, he had no choice but to make direct contact/interact with you (and fall for you all over again..cause thats something he's incapable of controlling..)

Notices imminent danger!

✨STRIKES✨

y'all by this point, I was swooning 😩

the way he flinches due to the collar restraining his evol 😢

he may be used to it but the pain does affect him..

it must hurt a lot 😭

this is the expression of a man who's being targeted by innumerable organisations, wanderers being sent after him, he's probably surviving on take-outs and cup noodles, hasn't properly slept in days..

Add to that: you appearing out of nowhere so now he has to make sure to protect you, even though he trusts you can fight and protect yourself quite well..

And on top of that the collar on his neck is being a bitch!

So yeah..he's just going through it 😮‍💨

Right! Well. All good now.

Let's go and deal with that wanderer together.

Infold introduced this man right in the beginning and expected me to not completely be taken by him 😩

i’m trying to replay the story chapters, so expect more such posts about Xavier..these aren't gonna be entirely in-depth analysis but more of my commentary on how I felt when I played these chapters for the first time..

[safficranger]

Fake Scenarios In My Head #19

Alex lets the door click quietly into the lock behind her and slips off her high heels to keep the noise down. It's late. Later than she had planned.

Casey is half sitting, half lying on the sofa, nestled comfortably in the cushions, her body tilted slightly to one side. She has a book in one hand, resting lightly on her lap, and next to her is a notepad with a pencil that seems to have been dropped carelessly. Her head is tilted sideways against the soft pillow, and her eyes are closed. The slight rise and fall of her chest show she's breathing deeply and evenly, having fallen into a peaceful sleep.

Alex takes a few steps and sits beside her on the edge of the sofa. She gently brushes a strand of hair from her face that has fallen out of her messy bun, then reaches for the book and puts it aside with the notepad.

Casey sleepily opens her eyes a little. It takes her a few seconds to focus.

"Hey, honey," Alex says softly.

"Hi." Her voice is hoarse from sleep, her lips curving into a tired smile. "I wanted to wait...sorry."

"That's all right, darling. I came home later than I expected."

"I have..." she points to the notebook.

Alex picks it up and reads. There are some handwritten notes in keywords. One line is highlighted and a page number added, followed by a capital "Alex" with an exclamation mark.

She knows Casey loves books and loves to dive deep into different worlds. She also loves to collect the best scenes, special quotes, or exciting ideas in her notes. Often, she is bubbling over with enthusiasm and eager to share it. When they are both at home, Alex regularly enjoys a detailed retelling, including an analysis of these parts of the books. Many in-depth discussions have resulted from these conversations. When Alex is not at home, Casey helps herself by writing down the scenes in her notes so that she can retell them later. It warms Alex's heart that her girlfriend thinks of her in these moments and wants to share her excitement. She's pulled Alex in more than once, even though they don't always share the same taste in genres. But most of all, she just loves listening to her girlfriend talk about things that excite her, that make her eyes light up.

"You have to read..." she sits up a little and stretches, yawning.

"I will." Alex leans over and gives her a kiss on the cheek. "But first, let's get you to bed."

"I know it's not really your thing, but..."

Alex stops her gently, "It's really late, honey, and you're dead tired. I promise I'll read it and we can talk about it in detail tomorrow." She gives her another kiss. "Thank you for thinking of me!"

Casey smiles happily. "Get ready! I have a lot to say..."

Alex laughs. "I'm looking forward to it. And I'll have coffee ready!"

They both stand, Alex supporting her girlfriend as she sleepily makes her way to the bedroom. She helps her into bed, tucking the covers around her.

As Alex watches her drift off to sleep, she feels a wave of gratitude wash over her. She quietly whispers, "Good night, my love," before changing into some comfy clothes and then heading back into the living room. With a satisfied sigh, she picks up her Casey's notes and the book she referred to, finds the right page, and begins to read.

[judesmoonbeauty]

i love your theories on jude’s route and also your analysis of his words (the wedding event??? omg <3) so now i’m super curious to hear what your theories are in regards to him entering a relationship with kate 👀 like what would a confession of jude look like? or rather an acceptance of kate’s confession / her feelings? because i keep thinking of this one bond level chapter where kate told him she dreamt that jude said "i love you" and he just straight up said "wasn’t me. why are dreaming about other men" lmao and all the story events are either sorta pre-relationship or in-relationship. so how do you think the transition would look like? out of everyone jude truly seems like his own category haha and might stand out the most in comparison to the other main routes! the way he shows his love and care is always hidden behind other words so with him reading between the lines is so important… idk but i’d love to hear your thoughts!

Mild Spoilers from Events & Sexual content - MDNI

As usual, this is just for fun, we can't be dogmatic.

First, thanks for the ask, and I’m glad that you enjoyed my previous posts! I love this question, and sorry for the delay in responding, but I wanted to give it proper thought.

To start, I think it’s going to be a rough transition. Um, I feel like Jude is going to do everything he possibly can (no matter how crooked it is), to send Kate back home. I just feel the need to be prepared for A LOT of arguing between them at least in the first few chapters of their relationship.

Often times in his events (especially earlier ones), Jude is described as being cold, dispassionate. The Valentine’s Day CE -KissXXX- is an excellent example of this. So, I think he is definitely going to have a thick wall up, and I don’t expect him to be kind to her in any way.

I feel like there will be sexual intimacy between them, I don’t know how early on in the route, but I suspect that the first encounters will lack actual sentiment and emotional attachment. The island lust story is indicative of that (to me at least), they are together physically, but it’s more or less just to fill this sense of longing that they both have.

I can imagine a scenario where Jude says something spiteful and teasing to her about being “played” with by him, but she wouldn’t be able to handle it, and she’d be like, “Oh, wanna bet?” Cue the R18 scene. Then of course, the ending will have that emotional attachment when they are actually together….I’m hoping.

Now, in regards to who confesses to whom:

I could be SO wrong about this, but I really don’t see Jude confessing to Kate first. I’d love to see it, but knowing how much he goes through in his events (from intentionally sending her to an incorrect location for a mission, to trying to scare her into giving up), I doubt he’ll outright confess his feelings.

Of course, Jude’s Kate will have none of that.

It wouldn’t be surprising to me that Kate would confess to Jude first. His anniversary SE is what makes me think this. I’ve mentioned it somewhere before, but Kate tells Jude that they should just stick together because it’s too late. She reasons that she can’t ever return to a normal life anyway because people associate her with him now, and he gives in and signs her continuation contract.

Of a similar nature, I think she will tell him that they should stick together, of course with the bonus that she loves him.

I think that Jude will cave into the feelings that he’s been denying the entire time, and respond to Kate the way his VA - Kaito - said he would in an interview about Jude pre-game release:

“’The line, “If ya ever plan on runnin’ from me, ya better kill me first. ‘Cause if ya don’t, I ain’t lettin’ ya go till you’ve turned to nothin’ but bone and dust.’” This line really captures the depth of his love for the heroine, and how at that point, only death could keep him away from her. It felt like he was confessing to her that it was all or nothing, that he was putting his life in her hands.’”

Will we ever hear the word’s “I love you,” from Jude in the main story? Maybe, if Kate is on the verge of death, and he says "I love you" when he’s terrified that she might die, and doesn't want there to be any regrets??? Or perhaps in a future event after his main story???

I think his above line, coupled with his actions, will shine upon just how much he loves his beloved, Kate. As usual, it’ll be fun to see just how off the mark I am when his route hits.

[helloiamadrawer]

NEUTROPHIL SQUAD BF ANALYSIS

𝘜-1146

the kind hearted/cool headed bf, sure he may look emo but that's not the point. Always gives his honest opinion on everything, great to lend an ear if you to want to talk about your day or vent. Stumbles upon his words when he's around you for some reason (he thinks he's sick but he knows what he's feeling). would literally die/kill for you (well I think everyone in the WBC squad would ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯)

Love language: quality time because spending time with you seems to be the good part of his day it's really sweet, but from time to time when he's really slammed with work, he'll send one of his comrades to tell you that he's okay and still alive protecting the body and stuff.

Do they like PDA?/Fav. type: Not much of a fan but if you initiate it, he'll give you the okay. His fav type of pda would be hand-holding for sure

𝘜-4989

The fun, chaotic, creative bean of the group. First thing you thought of when you met him was If he's a neutrophil then why is he so damn cute? 🥺

Gives you his trinkets/self invented weapons as gifts (You invested in a weapon rack in your dorm for one or two of them but for the rest you had to put them in a chest/box). Makes you wonder how the heck he does it but yk 4-9 is mostly bending the rules 98% of the time when it comes to using unknown items as weapons 😂

He tells the most hilarious stories of how he gets stuck in the migration routes that he wouldn't dare tell his squad about.

The tension between your hand and his fluffy white hair is strong and he's aware of it. It's like this: you two are sitting together, your hand was soooo close to petting a side bang and then the second he turns his head to you, you dart your hand back and look the other way. So what does the clever 4989 do? He takes off his hat and threads his fingers through his hair before actually taking your hand and placing it on the top of his head. "You know, all you had to was ask, silly."he implied with a grin. annnnd now you're burning from embarrassment.

Whenever you see him smile or laugh it's like the sun to you, warm and full of energy.

Love language:physical affection (pda is def on the table for him)

𝘜-2626

The mysterious, alluring but caring bf, a bit of a playful stalker kind of vibe, but really is a soft boi compared to his bloodthirsty side when eliminating germs. So expect to be scared half to death for fun, he'd be the type to sneak up on you and say "boo." and you halfway jump out of your skin then after he'd be all "sorry, love you" and give you a quick kiss on the cheek then disappears until you run into him again to return the favor.

At times, you forget how you turned out to like him, no it's not the bangs that cover his face like a hentai protagonist, it's his acts of service and his calming voice that seems to soothe you when you're in the darkest depths of sadness to then distracting you from what you're doing because you think of him that much and you want to slap yourself silly. Ugh is he actually that attractive? the answer to that is yes.

Teasing is in his nature as a boyfriend, this neutrophil will text you good morning and then sending you videos and pictures of him covered in blood his last killing, and the caption would be 'spamming me covered in this stuff cuz u like it'. now wait just a goddamn minute..how did he know you liked that?? The pet names are two times more bold, you just want to go over wherever he is and hit him (playfully)

Love language: words of affirmation/quality time

𝘜-2048

Ugh. the flirty, bold but respectful of your space (not) bf. Such a cocky bastard. Thinks he's hot shit 🙄 (spoiler alert: he is. )He looks so stupid with those stupid side bangs and it makes him so stupidly...handsome, dammit!

Casanova head ass not making you blush commenting on how beautiful you look today when you literally wear the same outfit everyday (that will change shortly) and god the flirting, just shut him up with a kiss and that'll do (sometimes..)

Spoils you as in buys you your fav flavor of glucose/new clothes/stuff that could help you in situations if he wasn't there to save you: like a simple black garter belt and a small dagger as a date gift.

He has a bit low self esteem issues because of his past (being a chonky myelocyte back then) soon maybe comment on him how good he looks covered in blood and maybe he would look more cuter if he cleaned up lol either way he's great to you in every way :)

Love language:gift giving/physical affection I can see him trying to push your limit of how much pda you can take before it gets pretty noticeable asshole

𝘜-2001

thoughtful, mature but intriguing bf vibes, his eyes say a thousand words as your smile lit a thousand worlds within himself.

you two kind of started out a little awkward but then once you all started to know each other, it was starting to click. hes the type of bf to give you flowers on the first date kill me I can see him doing that ahhhhh

Like 1146, hand holding is fine, everything else is for in your dorm room okay maybe one hug here and there but that's the limit.

Has a secret sweet tooth but a sucker for coffee instead of tea, remembers your order exactly ☺️

Knows where you are if you "borrow" his jacket for fun and he'd be all chill with it but really he kind of needs it, sometimes you can turn it into a game with him to make it more fun before he heads off to work.

Love language:quality time/words of affirmation with a sprinkle of physical affection.

a/n: I am finally back!! and with a new hyperfixation too, may do a B cell x Memory cell thingy in the future so hope you enjoyed this first Cells At Work piece love y'all!! 💗💗

[princess-of-the-corner]

Sorry, adding onto that Weiss post I sent, eve n though you will likely see this one first XD

But one of the interesting things about the Schnee family is that each of the kids and Willow all subtly embody one of the four main trauma responses to abuse as a sort of underlying character trait that showed their overall trajectory and what they needed to overcome.

Willow Schnee, (The mother) embodied freeze, she had long since given up combatting Jac and fallen into an extended depression and addiction to wine. Though (Spoiler) she did begin planting cameras in the house to spy on hi, to gather evidence but didn't quite have the where with all to act on anything she had herself.

Winter Schnee, (One of the most elder sisters ever) Despite her intensely stern disposition and aggression, she actually embodies flight, going out of her way to avoid him whenever she can and quickly losing any semblance of self control when he's around as he still has his claws in her so to speak. She also unwittingly recreated the dynamic he wanted from her with General Ironwood. IE, she followed the general with utter devotion and loyalty until he was basically in the lowest depths of his descent to villainy. This is something she herself has become aware of since then.

Weiss Schnee, (Middle Child Syndrome) I already covered her, but she is primarily fight, though her leaving for Beacon & struggles when dragged back to the manor do show signs of flight and freeze. These latter two were tinged heavily by circumstance, IE needing to get away from him to build her own reputation & trauma from the Fall of Beacon. & also clearly took a lot of effort for Jac or a situation to bring out. While fighting comes naturally to Weiss, hence her being said to embody defiance.

Whitley Schnee, (Bratty baby) He is very much fawn, to the point where Jac clearly starts low key treating him more like staff than he ever did Weiss, cos that would just lead to fight. Whitley acts as door man, kind of a secretary and generally was expected to just follow Jac around, when he was wanted, and offer silent support and then disappear otherwise.

He was a bit more contentious with others, especially his siblings who he resented for leaving him with their parents (The show doesn't blame them for this, they were abused teens as well; its just made clear this is why he's so distrustful) but it was made clear he acts as he does because he thinks defying their father is a fools errand.

I would say Whitley is probably the closest to Chloe, fawning on an abusive parent, smug and even sharp tongued with others when he can get away with it, but clearly unhappy and when given the chance to do something worthwhile, does very well.

Conclusion?

I guess if you fused Adrien & Chloe you'd get Whitley and if you mixed some of Gabriel & Andre's worst traits you'd get Jac Schnee, while the other Schnee family members feel a bit too distinct to easily draw such a line too.

Fascinating and low-key reminds me of my analysis of the Todorokis. Which is funny because the ice theming is with both.

[my-midnight-musings-xoxo]

Major spoilers for MadK!

---

Dantenshou is one of my favorite characters, so I will yap about him! This isn’t a formal analysis by any means, (sorry!) I’d love to do an in-depth analysis one day though!!

The first time we meet Dantenshou is in his brothel, saving Makoto from being assaulted. He’s quickly shown to be motherly, given he’s birthed the incense children he has a soft spot for kids. 

In the next chapter, we see a conversation between Dantenshou and J with Dantenshou saying “...Of all the people you brought here thoughtlessly, not one of them…! It all ended with them going insane!” With J retailing saying Datenshou he didn’t, mocking him for being obedient and worrying when he was once a prince from a minor clan before leaving. Datenshou lashes out, muttering, “What are you dissatisfied about? I keep delivering don’t I…” befitting the worrying J mocked him for.

Dantenshou’s need, almost craving to please J is shown more than once. Many of these characters, if not all of them, could be described as tall children. They have power, status, and more, but at the heart of it, they are children forced to grow up too fast, unable to process their pain.

It’s a while before we see Dantenshou again, with him having lost his mind after betraying J, him being the first person to only add to his guilt. There’s a flashback with J and Dantenshou, looking quite young as J tells him, “What a good, obedient boy. Grow up into a powerful, influential demon and entertain me, okay?” Before this Dantenshoou exclaims, “I..I just did everything he wanted..” It’s made clear falling in love is fatal for demons, and I find this ironic because Datenshou uses scent to smother humans in love, becoming whoever they wish to make them addicted and unable to bear being away from him.

Chapters later after a client leaves Dantenshou and Fjord (another character I absolutely adore!) talk. Fjord brings up a past client who promised to free Datenshou if he was allowed to rip D to shreds, with Dantenshou replying with, “When people are sympathetic I just…” He’s often referred to as being nice, so human for a demon, clearly unchanging as he was as a child. In another flashback, it’s once again shown he was docile, loving J since he was young, letting J make him cry, and always doing what he was told. “You were so dedicated to J's expectations.” as he’s described by Shax, an old friend of J’s.

The moment Shax tells Dantenshou Makoto wasn’t bluffing about destroying J, he becomes enraged, immediately wanting to go see J with Shax stopping him. Dantenshou blames himself, proclaiming he wished he’d never been born.

There’s more to this scene but I want to talk about what happens after when Makoto is heading home while talking to Kiernan (another character I would love to yap about!). Makoto says, “...Talking with you guys makes me think about how alike you demons are to humans.” Kiernan asks what they look like to him. Makoto responds, “Fragile things bound by love.”

This applies to practically every character in this godforsaken manga, this masterpiece has so many quotable lines!! Ahem, almost done!

In the end, Shax and Dantenshou seem to be living peacefully, with little rafflesias joining them (the incense children) in quite the domestic scene.

You could argue he was the only one with a happy ending in that way.

As much as I want to do a Makoto analysis next, I’ll admit the thought is.. intimidating! He and J are two characters I love and want to do justice to, so if I ever do write an analysis for them it’s far off in the future unless I gain a surge of confidence one night! 

If you’ve read this far thanks for indulging in my rambles, it means a lot to me <3

Not sure what I’ll ramble about next, maybe Brutal? It’ll probably be another MadK post, hehe

[psychojetcocktail]

Alright, since my previous post about Vulpes was so positively perceived, heres a long post going more into detail about how I genuinely believe all members of Caesar’s Legion to be representative of real life romans.

I mean obviously a lot of named legionaries dont have a backstory in-game or are even mentioned outside of you interacting with them, but some of them, like Lucius, Aurelius, Vulpes, Lanius and (obviously) Caesar himself, are very similar to some actual real life people.

Like for example I’m gonna start with Aurelius. Yes there was in fact a roman leader called Aurelius, but Marcus Aurelius has not that many similarities with our in game character. Sure in a way he is helping Caesar rule, but as we can all tell and see Edward doesnt have a triumvirate. However, Aurelius is in a way similar to Octavian Augustus, the way he is put to sort of mirror how Caesar(Edward Sallow) rules, but on a smaller scale. (also, he looks very very similar to Octavian Augustus)

(I will take a moment to apologise because I am very barely educated on Sulla so, if anyone was hoping for an in depth analysis of Lucius, im sorry. However their identical names and even their facial features are similar too)

Lanius too has similarities to roman leaders like Nero and war tactician Hannibal, with his brutal and extremist approach of handling things. He also is similar to Nero since even if he didnt get chosen at random, people still regretted their decision to have him as a leader in one way or another.

And of course, Vulpes. He too was raised and praised by a man named Caesar. Told he was part of his family he doesn’t have, grew up around him and learned everything he knows from him. But the stoicism and sort of indifference he shows after Caesar dies(if you botch the surgery) has lead me to believe that he never fully cared. Yes sure I’m not here to only defend Vulpes’ actions and say he did no wrong. But it is very obvious that Caesar never treated him well, never showed him what he expected out of him. Vulpes has only been given orders to kill and to pillage since he was a child. And hate this man all you would like, people are still people.

In more ways than the way he was brought up is he similar to Brutus, he obviously cannot kill Caesar because killing him would have him exiled, and clearly he cares about the Legion so that would be a bad idea. So he waits and when you finally kill him, you can even see a tonal shift in his speech, the words he uses, he is obviously relieved to some extent. I dont think I’m just stating the obvious right now, so if you didn’t understand what I was getting at, thats fine. But I really do see Brutus in Vulpes, always have, even the way their names sound, even the way they both look, and I’m talking about the Vulpes depiction with white hair, he has a haircut similar to how the romans would wear it.

In conclusion, why do I think Brutus and Vulpes are so very similar? Because they both want to get rid of a man named Caesar and they both don’t want to do it to become leader instead.

[miztrixx]

KIMI GA SHINE - THE MASTER ANALYSIS - Chapter 1-1: The Chidouin Household (SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE GAME)

So, it's been a while huh. Sorry for not upholding my promise of about once per week, so many things happened over the winter that took up a lot of my time. If you knw me from Twitter, AO3 or Discord then you'll know I have a lot of projects that I'm running! One of which will be posted to this account soon atleast by February... But enough of all that. Let's get back to analysing YTTD and picking up right where we left off! The Chidouin household!

Right off the bat, suspense is built as the front door of the house seems to be unlocked and the lights are off. When you go inside, you see that the plant in the hallway is knocked down too. This is pretty basic creation of suspense for the horror genre, which YTTD is part of by the way (some people seem to forget that). But as soon as we enter the living room and turn on the lights...

The fact that Mrs. Chidouin was knocked out before Sara had reached her house is pretty interesting to me. Obviously it was done by someone from ASU-NARO and probably not but the question is who? Was it the same person who also left Sara's room key in the living room? Was it perhaps.... Mr. Chidouin? We know from later on that he's associated with ASU-NARO and the fact that he's nowhere to be seen at the beginning of the game brings suspicion to him. Mr. Chidouin and Mrs. Chidouin's dynamic is a forgotten but potentially interesting topic in YTTD. But enough of the speculation, let's talk briefly about Sara's reaction. There's not much to talk about other then it being another bit of humanizing dialogue for her and that her distress really hammers in the fact that. She is a 17 year old.

When we go back to the hallway, we get to see (surprise, surprise) Joe appear again! The most likely scenario for this is that Joe came back to check up on Sara, out of worry, and that he saw the front door was unlocked and thus entered to see if Sara was safe. Because that's the empathetic good friend character that he is built out to be. Furthermore, he takes control of the situation and starts to call the police, remaining pretty calm in the face of a dangerous situation. This is a re-occurring aspect and pillar of Joe's character which coats his empathetic core with a layer that adds depth. Sara's monologue shortly after about needing to do something also shows the guilt she has in situations where she is powerless and needs to rely on other people. She tries to be the one leading the situation in circumstances she wants to handle because that sort of behavior is the one people around her expect her to be. Later on in the Death Game, it's Keiji, Nao and others who have this expectation of her but pre-game, it's Mr. Chidouin.

As Sara goes upstairs and unlocks the door to her room with the key, she dashes in screaming for her dad to help. And as she does... three mysterious arms come to take her into the darkness :)

Guys, gals and non-binary pals. We have made it to the title card! And also the Death Game itself! Stay tuned for next week where we get to talk about.. the First Trial!

[k-s-morgan]

Hey ☺️ I hope u are well !!

I joined the Hannibal fandom a month ago and tbh it's the best decision I have ever made, haha.

Sorry for my English It's not my first language.

Ur metas and analysis are very informative and it is helping me understand the story better . I don't know if U have answered it but

I want to know what is love for Hannibal? Ofc he loves Will but for a person like Hannibal what does love mean and how does he love Will?? Also can you give me some examples of how much he loves Will ? Like how desperately if that's the correct.

Thanks in advance. Love u 💕

Hi! Thank you, and welcome to the fandom!

I think Hannibal undergoes several stages of love in the show. I believe Mads' version that Hannibal fell in love with Will the first time he saw him, only I think it was more like infatuation with the idea of what Will could become. Hannibal saw a potential partner in him, an equal, and he started planning a family with him from the very start - this is evident from how he used Abigail as their surrogate daughter to make Will take note of their closeness and think about his loneliness.

The more Hannibal got to know Will, the more solid and specific his feelings became. In S2, I think he's truly in love with the person Will is, but his love is more possessive, more blinding, more selfish. He's trying to be patient with Will, but his own feelings surface and dominate more and more often. This is why Hannibal chooses to willingly ignore the depth of betrayal he must suspect Will is still feeling, why he believes that Will is closer and more ready than he actually is. This is why, upon learning that Will was working with Jack, Hannibal takes it as the ultimate betrayal. He tries to give Will a chance, but once Will doesn't take it, he turns destructive. Nothing matters to him, not the phone call Will makes in Mizumono, not the fact that Will doesn't point the gun at him, not his words about him expecting Hannibal to have left and his "didn't I?" when Hannibal accuses him of not wanting his gift. Hannibal loves him, but his love is dark and more selfish.

In S3, after realizing he cannot live without Will, Hannibal arrives at the final stage of total submission. He nearly killed Will for wanting to take his freedom in S2; in S3, he willingly gives it up just for the chance that one day, Will might come back to him. It's the biggest gesture he could have ever made, the loudest "I love you" he could have said. This pattern of behavior doesn't change after this: Hannibal is willing to follow Will's plan in TWOTL, having no idea if Will is planning to kill him; he doesn't try to fight when Will takes them over the cliff. Hannibal's love became purer, stronger, more selfless. He's still darkly possessive, he still wants Will to stop fighting himself, but he's willing to sacrifice everything, from his freedom to his life, just for the opportunity to be close, whether in life or death. This is what I call desperate!

[elkkiel]

okay so i listened to the summoning and take me back to eden (it autoplayed so i figured i might as well listen it to it) and. wow. not what i expected at all! i'm a big fan of songs shifting genres and it looks like they do that for all of their songs so thats really cool!!

i would love to listen to any more reccomendations you have, since typically i enjoy music that's faster paced. i really really liked the summoning though, and the lyrics for take me back to eden. wow. like. WOW. i did research into their lore and it bangs so damn hard

thanks for the rec :)

(also, sorry about the a/b/o stuff with other fandoms :( i love talking about it for pwp reasons and socioeconomic theorizing reasons so my blog is a safe place for that stuff if you want :))

I am absolutely elated that you like what you've heard so far!!!! And also so so sorry for the rabbit hole you're going to fall down with these guys

I would honestly recommend the whole Take Me Back to Eden album as a new listener—I looped it for practically a month straight when I first found them haha. It's a great sampler of their range and by far the most refined, cohesive release of their main 3 LPs.  

Beyond just getting you to listen to a whole album in one sitting, here's some of their popular songs/singles:

(Btw, there's a TON of good live recordings for some of these as well; they sound just as good, if not better, on stage as they do in-studio)

Alkaline

This is the one with the sexy banner/mic stand stroking lol. It's a sensual, synth-y intro leading into a hell of a headbanger with chuggy guitars

The Summoning

Mentioning this for the live performances in particular. Vessel goes CRAZY with his live vocals, there's a huge drum solo in that atmospheric part, and a LOT of on-stage shenanigans to be had. It's the song that made them blow up HARD, and for a good reason.

Rain (ty @tonguetyd for the rec lol, here's a last-minute addition)

This is another great sample of Vessel's vocals, especially in the intro. It starts slower with the solo piano but gets really powerful in the second half. A personal and fan-favourite for sure!

Hypnosis

If you vibe with Alkaline, you'll vibe with Hypnosis. It's like ultra-concentrated, pathetic sopping wet paper towel levels of yearning with groovy, heavy breakdowns

The Offering

A setlist staple that'll make you want to dive headfirst into the nearest mosh pit. This is a good example of the music tying into the lore/story behind the band as well, if you're interested in that kind of lore analysis

Jaws

An oldie but a fan favourite! It might just be me but it kinda gives me Bring Me the Horizon vibes, so if you like them then you'll probably like Jaws as well

Vore

Yes, it's called Vore. Welcome to Sleep Token lol. It's one of their heaviest songs with lots of harsh vocals (Vessel really shows off his higher range here) and super groovy, dynamic instrumentals. Personal fave tbh, it's at the top of my Spotify repeats playlist

And finally, the lore 🥰🥰 I've only been here a short time and still have yet to discover a lot of their story, but here's an overview of the band history and lore, as well as an in-depth interview with Vessel from 2017. They like to add a lot of Easter eggs to their releases (they created a whole ass alphabet/cypher to go along with Take Me Back to Eden), and the fans go WILD with theories and analysis!

Anyways I'm gonna cut off the infodump there haha. Please let me know what you think and if you run across anything else (songs, lore, etc.) that you liked!!

(Also ty for the omega solidarity 😌 the sleep token fandom is so much fun and still exists in the same weirdo-freak realm as dtblr omegaverse-enthusiasts lol. There's just far less *actual* omegaverse here.

I've been spoiled by the sheer amount of a/b/o content and normalization in the dteam fandom that normal amounts of fandom a/b/o feel like total deprivation. If you ever feel like sharing I'm always down for theories and headcanons too btw. It's such a fun, complex trope and I love to see what others think)

[kaurwreck]

I find your takes very interesting. And it’s clear to see you’re very smart, educated and well read! Honestly good for you and I’m completely serious (intelligence is something to be proud of! And literary intelligence is impressive to me) But some of us, while educated are still not very smart and just enjoying manga. Like me personally, I’m not ashamed to admit it. I didn’t like reading in high school but whatever. I enjoy the bsd story and then search for different theories and analyses. It’s very cool to see especially in this fandom. Yes some people refuse to acknowledge, blatantly neglect what are real references and don’t think about it in depth. some people don’t care and some people do. I’m in the middle. I look to others bc I know I’m not smart of enough to make some of the more deeper connections. But it’s also not that serious. Idk what my point was but for it was not to be rude and I’m sorry if it may seem that way! Anyway happy analyzing 🫡

I appreciate your effort to be polite, and I hear you. I generally try to reserve my frustration for matters of cultural- or subject matter-based sensitivity and respect.

Otherwise, I offer what I have to say because I understand that my approach to media analysis is within its own niche, which means I have a perspective to contribute to the conversation. I think literary analysis not only benefits from but necessitates engaging with a multiplicity of lenses. In other words, I'm also just enjoying manga, and I don't expect others to enjoy manga the same way I do; I'd rather there be lots of different approaches than only a few.

That also means I decide how serious it is to me. I don't care how much anyone else values it, I value contextualizing literature a lot, and I'm going to be vocal about what I value. In turn, others can decide the weight of that for themselves. My strong opinions on the matter do not impose any obligations on anyone else to agree with me, nor do they have any bearing on anyone else's behavior.

But, this is the social blogging platform where I informally blog to decompress between work tasks and to occasionally sort through my thoughts on media. I'm going to occasionally botch my wording or say something that won't reflect the expansiveness of my intent. Or, like earlier today, I'll express frustration with matters that, to borrow your language, aren't that serious. Nevertheless, the same as the above still stands: you can take what you want from it, including nothing.

Thank you for the kind words about my intelligence, but I don't think there's any value judgment in being intelligent or enjoying reading. I also have dyscalculia and enjoy black sesame ice cream. These are all value neutral facets of my preferences and how I experience the world, not sources of pride. I'm proud of where I've made choices that nurture my values and where I've sought to engage, even if to grapple, with what I find interesting or challenging.

tl;dr: sometimes I'm going to be moody in public, and y'all are going to have to decide for yourselves how to cope.

[slightlyrebelliouswriter23]

Thoughts on Oak after reading the stolen heir?

DISCLAIMER: not everyone is going to like this and probably even less will agree, so keep in mind that this is just my opinion because you asked for it and i'm willing to give it. please take whatever measures you need to protect yourself and not start discourse about my opinion on my post.

i spoke about my thoughts on Oak a little in this post, but i'll go into more depth here.

i felt as if many of Oak's characteristics were plucked from his family and stitched to him without rhyme or reason.

like. do i find the fact that Oak trips and accidentally murders 11 people fucking hilarious? absolutely. no question. do i think this skill is at all supported by his personality, present actions, or what we are given of his background? absolutely not.

i think it makes sense that he would be schooled on how to use a sword, given Jude and Madoc's skills. i don't think it makes sense that neither of them would give him the time in their day to teach him less aggressive forms of defence (i mean really, what else is Madoc doing in exile that he can't teach his only son basic defence and de-escalation tactics when he clearly did so for Jude whilst in the middle of planning a coup d'état?), nor does it make sense that Oak would not request this of them if they didn't offer.

the Death Mode Activated aspect of his character was sort of just dropped on our heads like an anvil in a Road Runner episode. it left me going ??¿?¿¿ 😵‍💫 ?¿¿??¿ and it felt more like a plot device, or a way to make him stand out from the likes of Cardan (king of witticisms and being down bad for scary women), than something that would actually suit him.

and i expect this might be intentional, but to me, Holly made Oak extremely unrelatable. he's "devastatingly beautiful" (to apparently everyone else– the hooves are not an issue for me, but personally i could never get down with the blond hair thing), charming in a smarmy sort of way, an alleged lovetalker (or whatever it's called, i don't remember), an immortal prince (and soon-to-be king) of Faerie, and he's really really good at killing people.

already, there's too much going on there for my tastes.

but then you add in the fact that he doesn't want the throne for no reason other than he doesn't like the politicking involved, and yet he physically inserts himself between danger and other royals? intentionally?? sorry but you're already balls deep in court politics there, my guy.

in the end, i found i didn't have much sympathy for Oak, because when Suren dropped the bomb and bridled his ass, i was cheering her on. it was the best damn thing she did in the whole entire book. i was delighted, even, that she now has the opportunity to humble him in a way he's never been humbled before.

i genuinely hope most of my feelings regarding him change in the next book. i am rooting for this trajectory for him, because it's not as if i want to cavort in his misery. i just do (for now).

–Em 🖤🗡️

thoughts on Suren

more theories and analysis

[inconmess]

This episode was a good one, lore wise and other but I think I really love this conflict of interest between Laudna and Orym over Imogen cuz in a way, there is a misunderstanding but at the same time, both of them are not wrong.

Orym, at least I feel, while the way he worded it was cold, is more along the lines of "I need you to be here with us but at the same time I am pressurising you to go along with the opportunity if it presents itself because you are the main person with all the information." because Imogen is right, they are on a research mission, they are here to gather information and Imogen finding out the stuff she has, like Orym said, was information they didn't have a while ago. He also has the fear that after everything they have done, Imogen is kinda trying to give up on the main reason they are even here because she fears that she will be sucked into it, which is also real. He specifically states that he isn't expecting anyone to do anything but he is still pressurizing them because where they are, everything is unknown and they are dealing with something with high stakes, even if it may be a research mission. He is not onto only Imogen but everyone to give it their all.

But at the same time he does disregard a part of Imogen's fear of not being able to come back if she does give in the next time, because he doesn't understand how tempting the power actually is, cannot comprehend it because he isn't holding it, none of them are. They don't feel the pull and the temptation, the strain of rejecting the power and running away from it. She clearly states that she is trying to avoid it by running away, while standing on the very source of her powers. Like Orym said, she is fighting it. Even though it is a research mission, they are fighting and not just collecting information. It's just that Imogen's fight is both internal and external in a way no one understands and it doesn't help when others pressurize her into giving in to the power from which she cannot return back from.

There are stakes, high stakes for everyone involved. But each one's stakes have starkly diffferent motives and end results which the other doesn't understand/partly understands and the lack of communication hasn't set the boundaries straight and I love the conflict this is bearing :3

Imogen is right to fear about giving in. Orym is right in not sugarcoating the fact that she is their main gateway to gaining information due to her connection. But at the same time, Imogen's indecisiveness and Orym's lack of not conveying his thoughts in a much more tactically worded manner is causing distress and the others around them talking about how Imogen is the messiah is totally not helping, especially when they just came out of Fearne and everyone's insistence that she take the shard pressurizing her.

Edit: Sorry, kinda wrote this sleep deprived after two very long days so if it doesn't make sense or if I misunderstood something, I will correct it. But for now, this is my opinion on that particular scene

Edit: Rewatching the scene a couple of more times, I do understand it is a misunderstanding but at the same time, this post kinda made me miss writing and overanalyzing stuff, which I have not been doing for quite a while now due to time restraints so I am going to keep this as a reminder post of what I am missing when it comes to ways of destressing :3 I blame the psych student in me for the in depth analysis

[secretsofthestorymakers]

The Saga of Aren

I absolutely love Arendelle History, so when I read Forest of Shadows and learned about the Saga of Aren, I was so excited. The only thing that disappointed me was that we didn’t get the entire thing. So, being the obsessive overachiever that I am, I wrote my own idea of the rest of it. I worked super hard on this for like a month and a half, and I am so proud of how it turned out! I had never really written any poetry before, but I had more fun with it than I expected, and have even written a little more since (not Frozen related, sorry). I might post an in depth analysis later, but for now I’ll just say that I wrote this to be intentionally vague, and to represent Anna and Elsa’s story as well as Aren’s.

The parts in italics and quotes are from FoS, so were written by Kamila Benko. I wrote the rest. (With a few exceptions that are quotes from something else, noted at the end)

The Saga of Aren

By: Kamila Benko & SecretsOfTheStoryMakers

“A long time ago in a time before time, a great darkness swept over the land”

A dark fright came, the people fought, but could not make their stand

They fled their shores and took to the seas, their homeland all but lost

To Dark and Cold and Past and Fear, the silence and the frost

As ages passed and people still were trapped upon their ships

The storm roared on, there was no end to the sun’s total eclipse

They begged the earth, the wind, the flame, the oceans heard their cries

And from their unknown, watery depths a spirit did arise

The water spirit too, had felt the chill of endless night

It told the people, for a price, it could help bring back the light

The people were so fearful, urgently they did agree

In return they promised someday that the spirits would be free

As the earth’s ancient spirits have foretold, there will come a fearful age

All that live upon the earth will be trapped within dark’s cage

The sky will be shadow, fade away, as the spirits lose their song

The world needs a leader and protector, someone to right this wrong

To scale fear’s greatest precipice, as the mountain’s facade comes crashing

To face the fear with light’s greatest strength, upon past and present’s clashing

It comes on the world’s great eve of change, as the north wind’s song is turning

Beware what you may think you know, for “the past has a way of returning.*”

The mythic Nokk came to the end of the spirits’ prophecy

It bowed its head and flashed its eyes, returning to the sea

The people knew it spoke the truth, the world would be free again

They only needed a bridge, a bond, to let the light back in

They needed someone fearless, with love enough to light the dark

Only one of their number was brave enough to bear the spirits’ mark

“Young as the morning, as fierce as a twig, Aren stepped out onto the land”

He’d made his choice, to protect his people, against the dark he’d stand

And so Aren set off, alone as the sun, armed only with his love

His plan was simple; persuade the moon to make peace with the sun above

Night’s dark creatures of memories corrupted, tried to stop him on his quest

But Aren persevered, held on to love, despite fear’s every test

He scaled the greatest, northern mountain, and when he reached the top,

He called to the moon, showed her their pain, told her this night needed to stop

The moon felt remorseful, her tears fell to earth as she realized what she’d done

She crossed the sky, returning home, to find her sister sun

The moon and sun were reunited, together at long last

The sisters agreed they’d rule together, “the past was in the past**”

Their strengths combined would bring peace to the world, as the spirits had foretold

With a “yellow diamond, bright as an eye”, they made Aren a blade of gold

“Revolving moon and spinning sun forged a crescent blade

From light and dark within the heart, the burnished sword was made.

He raised it high above his head and smote the edge of land”

The curve of his blade struck the earth and carved the kingdom’s span

As he cracked the ancient, unbroken rock, Revolute began to glow

The earth’s core tremored, shaking, shifting, disrupting the water’s flow

“The sea rushed in as hidden power flowed from the gleaming sword

And shaped the rock and forest crown of the first majestic fjord!”

The people rejoiced as they came to the land and deemed it “Arendelle”

At last they’d returned, to summer’s embrace, where they’d forever dwell

“As revolving moon and spinning sun, once forged a crescent blade,***”

Forever may true love endure, “may the flags of Arendelle ever wave”

*This is a quote, but it is not stated to be in the Saga. It is the tagline of Forest of Shadows.

**This is a quote from Frozen (Let it Go to be specific), but it is not stated to be in the Saga.

***I slightly adjusted this line from what is said in the book. The direct quote is: “Revolving moon and spinning sun, forged a crescent blade.” Normally, I wouldn’t adjust the line that was directly stated, but this was only said once, by Anna, who also said “something something something something” for the first part of the next line. I’m just assuming that maybe she made a mistake with the first part she said too, since the line that she actually said is definitely in the Saga elsewhere.