#wow what an episode

[centaurianthropology]

Wow, tonight’s 4-Sided Dive was INTENSE.  There were so many character revelations, so many interesting thoughts about the most recent episodes, but I think my favorite recurring theme tonight was getting to see what Ashton actually thinks of so many different things, how wildly different their take is on a situation from anyone else’s, and how that informs their thoughts and actions.  Their thoughts on Laudna being aggressive projection to hide their jealousy over Laudna’s death ("It’s just proof that they love you and they don’t love me” oof) but at the same time being fiercely protective of her so it never has to happen again.  Caring so much about his new friends, but hating it because everything will leave the second he cares (so many of Ashton’s odd gestures of friendship like the breakfast sandwiches seem like an unconscious attempt to buy love because they don’t think they can get it genuinely).  Immediately jumping to the conclusion that the locket on the guard Orym killed was of a dead child, because the only reason anyone would want to kill the gods is because they got a raw deal (harkening back to his earlier discussion of the notion that if the gods are interventionist then they have decreed that some people just don’t get to be winners).  Being more afraid of FCG’s self-sacrificial tendencies than their ability to go killbot on everyone (they’re going to throw themselves into the fire and we’re all going to go after them and burn, essentially).

Just ... wow.  I am so fascinated by what goes on in Ashton’s head, because it’s so different to what I was thinking.  

Folk were saying that Ashton was just Tal getting to play Molly 2.0, when that couldn’t be further from the truth.  Molly embraced life and was a hedonist at heart.  Ashton almost resents living, and is convinced that they both deserve nothing good and are intensely jealous that other people get good things.  They think they deserve someone like Jiana Hexum.  They are both jealous of their friends and love them so much.  There is so much self-loathing packed into Ashton that they keep tightly hidden under a tough exterior.

Ashton isn’t the Molly of this campaign.  Ashton is the Beau of this campaign.

[dimension-20-every-introduction]

Everyone Introduced in Dimension 20′s Burrow's End episode 5

[dead-chela]

YOU GUYS EPISODE 8 WAS SOOOOO WILDDDDDDDDD

❗️❗️❗️episode 8 spoilers ❗️❗️❗️

KURT AND WOLVERINE FIGHT OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD WITH THE SWORDS AND THE CLAWS AND- THEYRE SO COOOOL

SUMMERS FAMILY I LOVE YOU Nathan being a grumbly teenager when Jean tells him to move his ass YES I LOVE IT MORE PLEASE

ALSO THE CAMEOS!!! THAT WAS SO FUN I legit missed a lotta the info they were dropping there cuz I was like WOW DR DOOM

CHARLES IS FINALLY BACK!

*magneto declares war on the human race*

Charles: I hope I’m not too late

BUT ITS OK CUZ THE TEAM IS GETTING BACK TOGETHER STORM IS JOINING THE PARTY WERE SO BACK BABEYYYYYYYY

[janamensch]

Princess Valla Valkyrion-Starborn, in honour of today’s episode!

[mamahersh]

@a-mag-a-day Righto, MAG 009!

So I remember a little bit from when I listened to this the first time: I was immediately curious because it was from the perspective of a serial killer's daughter. Like, obviously not a real serial killer's daughter, but the premise intrigued me as I used to listen to Sword and Scale true crime podcast when I would go to the gym. So already we had this gal who's had to face a lot of stigma in her life for things outside her control, and then she has to deal with the supernatural on top of that? Very interesting.

Alas, for all I started interested, I've forgotten most of her statement beyond the fact she was a daughter of a serial killer, and this in part was what pushed her into the Hunt if I remember right. I'm about to find out tho, so I'll get back to this…

So in summary, Julia's dad killed 41 people in service to the Dark to keep Julia safe after his wife (who was part of the People's Church of the Divine Host) was eaten by a creature of the Dark. He did this seemingly on behalf of the People's Church under the orders of Maxwell Rayner and was basically turned into a full time murderer funded by either the cult or Rayner himself. Of some note is that we know for sure that the last person Robert Montauk killed was a member of the cult, a Christopher Lorne (who I'm fairly certain is just a one off character). This opens up the floor to several questions:

Robert told Julia "it would soon be over" and then went to kill a cult member. At the same time, his house was attacked by the Dark, and Julia was only saved because Robert's sacrifice banished the creature seemingly. So the question is: were any of his other victims cult members or were they all innocents and this was Robert trying to sent a message to the cult?

Similarly, did he know that whatever he was doing would potentially put Julia at risk and cause her to feel like she needed to call the cops? (probably not honestly, or at least I don't think he expected her to call the cops. But, I wouldn't be surprised if he was planning on calling the cops on himself after he was done with the ritual.)

Also of note: this series of events were a good 10-13 years before the actual Dark Ritual. Could Robert have, in his own way, been trying to sabotage the plans of the cult from the inside out with his last sacrifice? Obviously Julia had never noticed anything weird happening with the shed previously at night, so potentially there was something different happening with this sacrifice.

Of final interest to me personally is we get a really good outline of what physical signs are associated with the Dark: extinguishing of lights and dark, muddy, "brackish" water and closed eyes. What's interesting to note is the addition of the polluted water in these signs. I wonder if that was pulled from popular Lovecraftian mythos imagery? Honestly, the Dark seems to most frequently pull from the Lovecraftian mythos, particularly surrounding Dagon and the fish people from "Shadow Over Innsmouth"; though the symbology and weird esoterica would be closer to something like "The Dunwich Horror" impo. However, I'm not well versed in horror, so perhaps there's another source of inspiration. I know even just pulling from games like "The Call of Cthulhu" would make just as much sense or even Silent Hill.

Anyways, I've wandered into the weeds. Needless to say, this was quite the episode and I had forgotten it entirely tbh. It's so interesting to go back and listen to these episodes again now that I know about the Fears and the larger cast of characters and see how they all connect to each other. Also, I think this might be the most credulous we've heard Mr. Jonathan Sims be for his end of Statement commentary.

[angel-derangement]

for the first time, I feel…

[polarsirens]

scrumptious scoundrels! … and just a bishop who’s wandered into a secret gathering.

[sparring-spirals]

oh this whole conversation and dynamic is fascinating. i love you. i hate the source of your power. you keep walking towards your power. do you love me? i love what you can do with your power. but not more than i love you. can you say the same?

you wouldn't lie to me again. would you. this isn't a one way road. im not feeding her, she's feeding me-

i don't understand.

if you can't reconcile with that, it's okay- *interrupts her with a kiss*

I'll never let you go. And if you need her. Then that's my answer.

(oh you two are fucked up fucked up. :'D)

[mixmangosmangoverse]

The discussion around the fandomization of the I/P conflict is so fucking relevant because why did I just see someone in a discord for a reaction channel that reacts to musicals and cartoons suggest them to react to the Columbia ""protests"" with a heart emoji as if it's another episode of their favorite show and SIX other people agreed with that

[liumilai]

[maggiecheungs]

"The path you must take has been prepared for you. You have no choice but to revolutionise the world."

REVOLUTIONARY GIRL UTENA 🌹 BLACK ROSE ARC

[roseyswords]

FULL MOON SPOILERS!!!!

So first of all..

I was not expecting to see the cherubs this episode. That... That was a big shock. Seeing them and their plotline was certainly interesting. It was funny seeing their reactions to just everything going on with Blitzø.

And speaking of Blitzø. Um fuck?! My heart that hurt!? "I think so highly of you. I didn't realize you think so little of me" like OUCH? I keep adding question marks to my sentences because my brain can't quite comprehend how it's feeling.

I find it really interesting that Blitzø brought up Stolas's imp butlers. This is a part that has stuck out with me really strongly. Cuz we've seen Stolas squeeze the shit outta one of them when angry on the phone with Stella. And it really makes me wonder just what kind of behavior has Blitzø exactly seen of Stolas interacting with his butlers. Because Stolas is a very rich man, who has only imps working for him and Blitzø noticed.

Which is funny because he notices literally nothing happening around him this whole episode. Which feels thematically relevant. He's always been oblivious to the more emotional side of Stolas's affection for him but that is also by design of how Stolas treats him. Remember Stolas is the same guy who used to get routinely bleeped due to his sheer level of hornyness. Blitzø has only ever seen their relationship through a sexual lens.

I also find it very interesting that he goes into that interaction already extremely worried and insecure and scared out of his mind that Stolas is tired of him. Which makes going in and being confronted with Stolas's emotions even more jarring and confusing for him. He's already coming in with an intense amount of anxiety with the singular goal of pleasing Stolas, which just highlights the unhealthyness of their dynamic that Stolas is trying to break away from.

Moving on to Stolas's mind for a bit. It has got to fucking hurt that when you finally put yourself out there emotionally and the other person immediately thinks you must be fucking with them. I think it really opened his eyes to how their relationship has truly been when Blitzø assumes that this serious conversation must just be some really weird roleplaying scenario.

And when Blitzø yells at him and reveals that he thinks of him as this rich pampered jerk, it is a startling difference of perception between the two of them that Stolas now has to contend with. It is so interesting to me how Stolas in this scenario is trying really hard to think about things from Blitzø's point of view in terms of how their deal must be affecting him, but he's also not prepared or emotionally equipped to think about how that must shape how Blitzø sees him as a person.

So overall that just leaves us with a lot of pain, and anguish, and a really beautiful episode.

And wow...that hurt.

[turtleblogatlast]

I am once again reiterating that Leo could and should be a figure skater because what are ice skates if not twin blades? What is dual blade swordsmanship if not a dance-like performance? Using the skates as blades themselves could let Leo make portals be his ice rink no? I rest my case. ⛸️

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Cannot Unsee. Cannot Unknow.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[dimension-20-every-introduction]

Everyone Introduced in Dimension 20′s Mentopolis episode 1

[the-eclectic-wonderer]

Oh my gosh Isaac Newton!!! My boy Isaac Newton committing atrocities against God and nature!! You’re doing amazing Isaac!!!