#this is just speculation

[akaebidon]

I want to provide a possible theory for the Green Prince: on a soul level, he and his partner might be the same being.

The primary basis for this theory is the description "Two children born entwined, apart," the shape of the Conjoined Heart, and Hornet's evaluation of them: "For one to love another so similar to themselves, is that selfless or vain?"

I believe they were meant to be born as a single individual, but due to various factors, they were born as two separate beings, hence described as "born entwined, apart." In a sense, they are the same bug, only complete when together; thus, the Conjoined Heart takes the shape of two leaf-like objects touching each other—it is the Green Prince's heart, but also his and his partner's heart. Perhaps it's two halves of the same being who fell in love: "For lovers born on beat exact" may not simply refer to them being born at the same time, but also imply that they are "too similar"—they love each other, but also love another version of themselves. This better explains why merely loving each other results in them being "forever cursed."

This theory makes Hornet's comment about them seem less harsh; she might simply be stating her objective interpretation (though somewhat sharp). It also explains why Team Cherry designed the Green Prince's story to end in death—without his partner, he can never be whole again; he cannot live alone, and only dying by his partner's side is true redemption for this character.

The Green Prince is destined to die, but I also emphasize that Hornet's actions are not some brutal atrocity, nor can they be called "assisted suicide" or "mercy killing." Hornet didn't take his heart to make him die. Killing him was not her goal; she was simply carrying out what she believed she should do in the process of saving Pharloom (whether collecting hearts or honing herself), and the Green Prince happened to use this as an opportunity to recall the beauty of the past—that's why he wasn't grateful to Hornet for invading his memories, but also not surprised, and didn't resist or struggle beforehand. The Green Prince simply used Hornet's actions to let her witness the most glorious moment of him and his partner, while conveniently achieving his own desired outcome—dying together with his partner.

[starcurtain]

Sometimes I think about the fact that we have absolutely no information on how long Aventurine actually spent in slavery.

He fled from the Avgin massacre as a young child, and we didn't see him again until he was a grown adult. I doubt he could have survived entirely on his own at that age and Sigonia's conditions seem too harsh for people to randomly adopt orphans, especially from a rival/outcast clan...

We do know that the master we see on screen was not his only master, because he was purchased from someone else, but we have no idea how many masters he had total before his final one, how many times he could have fled and been recaptured, how many times he was bought and sold...

We do know that Aventurine appears to have been kept on Sigonia or somewhere similarly tribal for those missing years, since his first request to the IPC is for Jade to take him to her "chief," but we don't even know how long Aventurine has been out of slavery. He doesn't look massively different in age from his "trial" with Jade to how he looks in-game now, and he did not rise through the IPC ranks over time like Topaz but won his role directly through his gamble with Jade and then later proving himself on Iymanika.

Basically, all this is leading to a big question: Is it possible that the Aventurine we know is only barely out of slavery? That there may be something like five years or fewer separating him from the wastelands of Sigonia? That he learned all these new behaviors, all this new information about how to operate as a free person in the universe, in what likely amounts to 2-3 years of Jade's guidance and his own hard work?

Man, what an incredible character. Really a standout among my very favorites.

[whosgameisit]

Hope daddy knight wasn’t the one who took the 50% pay cut😳 he’s better than this .

[ghirahimprotectionsquad]

Those who don't value themselves have a hard time valuing others as well. When someone sees themself as small and powerless, it can be hard for them to grasp how much weight their actions truly have.

Ghirahim believes what he has been told to believe about himself, that he is a weapon for someone else's use. So without his wielder around, what harm can he do, really?

Of course, we, as outsiders, see his power, and feel the impact of his words. But as experienced as Ghirahim is in the realms of swordplay and sorcery, he can come off as naive about how the world works, too. Talking about threads of fate and destiny, like everything is just a fated story. A story that Link is the hero in. And heros of stories like these don't get hurt by the actions of the villains, not really. They get up, save the day, and then brush all the hardships off and forget about them as they start their happily ever after.

Ghirahim does try to restrain himself, though. If you've read my analysis you'll know what I'm talking about. But there could still be a part of him deep down that believes the things he says and does don't really matter, since he has been told he isn't a person.

[clan-of-reaching-stars]

Not to hype irresponsibly, but do for NotN this year do we think we'll get effects? Sophie recolors? A new gene?

I'm personally hoping for Smirch on Thorntails, but we'll see.

[kafus]

wait aw man i have no proof for this but this blog got mistakenly deleted by staff a couple times on the basis of spam (as in a bot thought i was spamming, not staff) and i think after a few times of this happening for some reason they put me on some sort of whitelist because it hasn't happened in a long time. hopefully that doesn't happen on the new blog again LMAOOO

[purenguyening]

Been reading the Vengeful Spirit article on the Touhou Wiki and a line caught my eye:

As stated in Foul Detective Satori, when a vengeful spirit loses their grudge, they lose their power and by extension their existence. How Soga no Tojiko managed to bypass this is currently unknown.

I didn't really think too much of it but I always felt like Futo and Tojiko's character titles (The Hermit Nervous about Vengeful Spirits for Reasons and Ancient Ghost of Faded Grudge) was enough of a hint to explain how Tojiko "bypasses" this. Or, rather, in the sense she hasn't? A faded grudge to me just kinda tells me its not really dictating her day to day life, but she still has it.

So I'm assuming Tojiko still has a grudge against Futo, but it's not like, consuming her constantly. I think if you do bring it back up her resentment might flare back up, though.

[crazy-minded-girl]

I'm wondering if the reason his album wasn't released earlier was because his label had a problem with its theme and he had to fight for it. I mean his label did have a problem with him creating an only fans, so this wouldn't be a far cry from it.