#//combat will probably be necessary. but death less so

[jitarossun]

Smoke and Sparks

CHAPTER FIVE

Summary : On the bridge between Piltover and Zaun, Silco and Sevika have taken you aside, a knife at your throat, so you have no means of escape.

TW : Injuries, death threats, violence, strangulation, use of Y/N

Pairing : Silco x fem!reader / Sevika x fem!reader / Salo x fem!reader

Words count : 3.7k

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With the edge of the blade against your neck, you couldn't move at the risk of cutting your own skin, Silco looked at you sideways, his presence giving off a dangerous, terrifying aura. He took a few steps forward, stopping in front of you to look you straight in the eye. Silco may not have been physically imposing, but his presence was enough to make you feel uneasy, in danger.

Your eyes drift below your neck, to the hand holding the blade, then to the muscular arm coming from behind you. Those muscles, that tan skin, that imposing presence, you could have recognized her among thousands. It was Sevika, still at Silco's side after so many years.

If you had a chance of beating Silco in hand-to-hand combat and then running away, there was no way you could beat Sevika. She was taller, more muscular and a far more skilled fighter than you, and even with one arm missing, she'd probably overpower you in no time.

Sevika pressed the blade a little harder against your soft, fragile skin, a little whine escaping from your throat, you closed your eyes, expecting the worst, fear coursing through your whole body.

“Looks like the little lamb got lost and left the meadow.”

Little lamb, that's what Silco called you, he said you reminded him of that, strayed, lost, harmless. And rightly so, you always tried to avoid getting into fights, unlike the others who were much less patient and much more bloodthirsty. You never really got into fights, although sometimes you were itching to put certain people in their place, like Salo for example.

And that's where your nickname came from, he called you that so much that for a while you thought he'd really forgotten your first name.

“Open your eyes Y/N and look at me”.

Of course you did, but now is not the time to disobey her or even Sevika, or you'd probably pay dearly.

Your eyes landed on his, one blue and one orange, surrounded by scars. He sometimes took the time to hide his scars, you told yourself it was so as not to frighten Jinx or Powder, whatever, you never really talked to her.

“I think we need to talk, I'm sure we have a lot to talk about.”

“I-I must explain- I-”

Silco took your face in his hands, raising it a little as he looked down at you, a wry smile playing across his face.

“Are you going to tell me the truth, or are you going to lie like you lied to Finn?”

All of a sudden, it was as if time had stopped and your blood ran cold, a chill ran through your body on top of the coolness of the night, only the rain still seemed able to move around you, and that had accelerated, the rain was falling in torrents around the three of you, alone, on the bridge.

Then you realized that a man as powerful as him had to know everything anyway, so you abandoned the idea of running away or lying again, and with a sigh, you answered in a calmer, softer, more composed voice: “I just didn't want to drag out the conversation and get into trouble with him...”

“Because you'd rather have trouble with me, Y/N?”

“No! that's not what I meant!”

Silco let go of your face and nodded to Sevika, who lowered her knife, taking a step backwards and putting her cloak back on with a flick of her arm.

“We should take her back to Zaun and remind her where she came from!” exclaimed Sevika in her loud voice in an angry tone before Silco replied.

“I don't think that would be necessary, she's planning to tell us the truth now, isn't she?”

His gaze turned to you and very quickly you nodded, his smile never leaving his face as Sevika gritted her teeth as she spoke.

“This is ridiculous, we don't argue with people who betray us by associating with councilors!”

Your blood ran cold once again, your throat tightened and thousands of questions went through your head. How could they possibly know? You hadn't told anyone, and it wouldn't be in Salo's interest to reveal that. You were in the worst possible situation, being caught in so many lies and problems, it was frightening. And above all, you regretted ever having crossed Salo's path. Because if all this had happened, it was his fault, and you'd never have found yourself in such a situation without the deal you'd made with him.

Caught in the trap, it was time to assume everything, to confess everything, anyway, they probably already knew everything, but the question of how they knew was the predominant one.

But before you could speak, Silco did. “If we need to teach her a lesson, we're not going to make a pointless trip to Zaun for it when we can say it right here, on this bridge, with no one around to save her.”

These words made Sevika smirk and you felt nauseous, you didn't know what was worse between the threat, the fact that he was talking about you as if you weren't there, or as if you were an object.

Silco looked at you, still a smile on his face, softer, but hiding great vices, he took a step back, putting his hands behind his back.

“Come on, don't make that face little lamb, I'm sure you've got great things to tell me”

Your gaze shifted from Sevika to Silco, from Silco to Sevika, you were for obvious reasons on your guard, even though you knew you were trapped.

“Speak.” Sevika said sharply. You gulped, your throat constricted, you stammered out a few words.

“Where do you want me to start?”

This time it was Silco who spoke, his smile definitely gone to give way to a darker, more serious expression.

“You live in Piltover don't you?”

“At the academy, yes, I have a room there...”

“And what’s your job now? If you have one at least.”

“I work in a workshop and teach from time to time”

“For what purpose?”

“I'm trying-” you gulped again, it's raining, your hair is starting to flatten against your forehead, your clothes are stuck to your skin, but yet you feel immense warmth, as if you're going to faint. “I'm working on Hextech with two other people, trying to create or advance projects that might help people...”

“Ah with that famous man of progress whose name has travelled all over Runeterra hasn't it?”

“Yes and with someone else.”

A moment of silence passed, you clearly weren't feeling well, your head was spinning, the more time passed, the hotter you got, the rain poured down more and more around you and became loud enough to force you to speak louder than usual, but also and above all loud enough to create ringing in your ears. Or maybe it was that feeling of unease that was taking up more and more space inside you.

“So you're hiding nothing but good intentions?”

You stumbled back, your back hitting one of the pillars, you put your hands behind you, resting it on that same pillar, that dizziness beginning to win.

“I- No that's not all”

“We're listening”

“I have... some kind of pact with a councilor, but I swear he's forcing me, he's threatening me, otherwise I would never have agreed.”

These words made Silco laugh.

"No choice? You always have a choice, little lamb, you just don't make the right decisions. I've known you to be much more... clever."

Silco approached you while Sevika observed the scene with the same smirk, arms crossed. You looked up at the man in front of you as he was towering you.

“Y/N, Finn told me everything, and I have other sources, I know you're plotting with a certain Salo, but I can't know the nature of your exchanges, but that's just as well because you were planning to tell me.”

“Silco, I'm telling the truth, I swear, I'm being forced to do this...”

“To do what, Y/N?”

"To do some kind of... spying, but not on you, on the undercity in general. He's a nutcase, he tells me he wants to get ahead of the other councilors... Silco I swear the only reason I came to Piltover was to help my brothers and sisters in Zaun... I've never had any bad intentions towards anyone, I know I left in a hurry but please understand, this was a golden opportunity to fulfill my dreams."

And once again silence fell, Sevika and Silco looked at each other, communicating silently for a brief moment, surely thinking and debating whether to believe you and leave you alone or not.

"Good." You didn't know what was going to happen to you, but it didn't take long for you to find out.

With a sudden gesture, Sevika threw her arm around your neck, strangling you in the crook of her arm, your breathing suddenly cut off as drops of blood mixed with rain ran down her arm. You felt so bad that you hadn't noticed that the knife that had stuck to you a few minutes earlier had cut your skin and that little drops of blood were running down your collarbone and into your t-shirt.

Your hands went straight to Sevika's arm, desperately trying to get her to let go so you could breathe properly again. Silco's hand grabbed your hair, which he pulled with brutal force, forcing you to look him in the eye even though he was only inches from your face.

"We'll give you the benefit of the doubt little lamb, given that you've always been honest and competent, I'll let you live this time, even though I've had others killed for far less than you've done. But you better make sure I never cross your path in Zaun again, in which case things will happen to you that you don't want to. Go on with your little life in Piltover, but never try to come back and stay away from the councilors, it doesn't suit you."

Sevika tightened her arm around your neck. Your breathing totally cut off, your face was starting to turn red, your lips purple, you felt like your eyes were going to pop out of their sockets, the wound on your neck was bleeding more and more while stinging as you tried to gasp for air.

“Am I clear Y/N?”

You just nodded with what little strength you had left, feeling you weren't going to last much longer, as Silco nodded again to Sevika who let go of you.

You collapsed to the ground in a tiny puddle, your knees slamming against the stone of the bridge, your fall throwing water droplets around you. Breathing heavily, you were catching as much air as you could, holding your throat in one hand as the blood mixed with the water and fell onto your lap, staining your soaked pants and toga.

The two acolytes looked down at you before Silco left, Sevika automatically following. Their silhouettes faded as they moved away, the rain and mist making them disappear little by little.

Now alone on the bridge in the rain, you lay on the ground, mentally, emotionally and physically exhausted. Lying on your back, you threw one of your arms over your face to keep the rainwater from getting into your eyes, while your free hand was placed on your chest, your heart beating at a speed you'd never known.

This time, unable to hold back your tears, you stiffened for a few seconds, feeling that sob going up your throat before you let it escape along with your tears that ran down your temples.

At your wits' end, you wondered how you were going to get out of this situation when everything told you there was no way out.

You stayed on the ground for a while before sitting up, hearing the storm approaching in the distance. With a blank stare, you stood up, your waterlogged toga making it difficult to move forward, but it didn't matter to you at the time. You walked slowly, your gaze fixed on the ground, your footsteps heavy in the pretty but empty streets of Piltover as the darkness of night took more and more space. With a heavy heart, you walked unaware of your surroundings. It was as if you were walking in an infinite dark room where there was nothing in your way, where the only thing you could do was walk, without really knowing where it was going to take you. Neither the rain, nor the physical pain, nor the environment around you seemed to exist, there was only you and the exhaustion that now seemed intrinsically linked to you.

It was time to go back to your room, and this time, for real, without interruption, and never leave it again.

A few days had passed. You'd stayed in your room, needing time to yourself, to take care of yourself, you hadn't left your room once. Not to go to the workshop, not to see Salo, not to go for a walk or get some fresh air. You told yourself there was no point. After all, your fridge was full enough that you didn't need to go to the market, you had potable water, a functional shower, you could open the window to get fresh air in your room, you had a washing machine and a dryer, everything you needed to isolate yourself from the world.

But your fridge was starting to run low, which you didn't like at all; it was impossible for you to go out, but at the same time your stomach was screaming for food. Your last really good meal was the day before yesterday at noon, and today, as dinnertime approached, the little nibbles here and there weren't enough.

You grunted as you opened your fridge, noticing that you'd never seen it so empty. Rubbing your forehead, you turned to your closet and pulled out some simple, comfortable clothes.

But just as you were rinsing your freshly brushed teeth, a heavy knocking sounded at your door, making you jump in fright at the noise.

"Open this door! We know you're in there!"

That kind of tone, that kind of order, that kind of brutality, who else could be there but one or more Enforcers.

You spat the water into your mouth, wiped it away and headed for your door, opening it slowly to see the faces of three Enforcers who clearly weren't there to deliver good news. In fact, having Enforcers at your door was already very bad news.

“Y/N, please follow us” The man in the middle of the two spoke, tall, slim, wearing the typical dark blue uniform of Piltover's law enforcement whose logo adorned the chests of the two men and the woman in front of you.

But the one in the middle wasn't just anyone, you recognized him because, who didn't?

It was Marcus, the sheriff, the captain of the Enforcers. His brown eyes showed no emotion, only sternness.

Without a word, you followed them. The evening made the corridors empty and dark. But even in the darkness, with your eyes closed and no sound at all, you could have recognized this path easily. The three of you were heading straight for Salo's office. This didn't even surprise you, you'd even suspected it, it's true that he'd asked you to come back to his office the next day before you left the other day. And it's also true that you hadn't done so. You hadn't forgotten, you just didn't feel like seeing him. But if it's not you coming to him, it's him coming to you. At least he'll send people to bring you to him.

In front of the doors, Marcus knocked and opened the door without even waiting for Salo's reply, he entered and with a simple nod between the two men, there you were, thrust into the office of the man who had summoned you, standing in front of a chair itself in front of the councilor's desk, the Enforcers away, it was once again just between him and you.

“I thought I'd asked you to come back to my office the other day, but maybe I was dreaming.” He smirked before continuing, “Or maybe you just weren't listening at all and thought you could duck me like that without a word.”

“You say hello to start with when you're even remotely polite.”

Your dry, mocking tone made his smirk disappear, replaced by a scowl.

“Don't tell me what I should or shouldn't do, you're not in a position of power here.”

“I'm more than fed up with you and your ridiculous power.”

“Oh, personally, I never have enough fun where you're concerned, I must say you're pretty fun to piss off.”

Your hands were behind your back, your nails digging into your skin as you tried not to snap and yell at him, which would get you into more trouble than you realize.

“What do you want from me this time?”

“Y/N, you disappeared for several jo-”

Salo stopped, his eyes looking lower than your face, brows furrowed, eyes squinted, he seemed to have frozen in place.

“What?” You simply asked, hoping to get an answer as to what was troubling him. But you got none. Instead, he stood up and advanced towards you, towering you slightly as he was a bit taller than you.

“Who did this to you?” He said as he gently touched your chin, gently turning your head so as not to hurt you more than you already were. His eyes were fixed on the wounds in your neck. The knife had left a nice, straight cut in your neck that had since begun to heal, leaving a crust over the blade's path. The stranglehold you'd suffered had left a bruise still quite visible all along your neck, following the path of the cut and making it even more prominent than if you'd had nothing. All those wounds were caused by Sevika, her blade and her arm, under Silco's orders. This moment left big marks, both physically and mentally.

For a moment, you gazed into his eyes, while he looked at your wounded skin. Then, suddenly, his green eyes found yours and a strange feeling ran through your body, a shiver, not of fear, not of cold, but something else you couldn't describe. Your pupils dilated slightly but you shook your head and took a step back, his hand falling back down his body.

“It's nothing, I had... an altercation with someone but-”

But Salo didn't give you time to finish, one of his hands grabbed one of your arms to stop you from backing away again and his free hand grabbed your chin again, firmer this time and tilted your head again to reveal your wounds.

"Y/N, who dared to do this to you? Did you see what you've got on your neck?"

You tried to back away but it was impossible, he had you firmly in his grasp and you had no chance of escape. Exactly what kind of muscle was this man hiding under that uniform? You'd taken him for someone physically weak, but maybe he had more strength than you thought.

"None of your business! Get your hands off me! Who do you think you are?!"

But it had no effect on him other than strengthening his grip on you.

"You have to tell me, did you get caught in the undercity? Who did this to you? Tell me Y/N, is it because of that stupid mission I gave you?"

You didn't understand what was going on. Was the man who'd been making your life hell lately and couldn't stand you suddenly showing signs of concern about your condition?

With a sudden gesture that took him off guard, you managed to step back. A beat of silence passed between the two of you.

Then Salo slammed you against his office door.

His hands wrapped firmly around your biceps, you gasped at the unexpected movement, his face very close to yours, he looked at you as if he were mad. You were even thinking at the time that he was.

Your eyes open wide, you look at him, not knowing what to do.

"Y/N. I need to know who did this to you. Tell me."

This time, the concern was clear in his voice, but it was mixed with something else you couldn't determine.

"And why are you so interested in this? What's going to change?"

These questions made Salo sigh, letting go of your arms but still not taking any step back. He closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them again, his gaze having left behind all signs of concern, replaced by a calm and gentleness you'd never seen before, you thought his eyes could forever only be filled with hatred, condescension and antipathy. But once again, you realized you'd been wrong.

In a soft voice no higher than a whisper, Salo spoke, still close to your face.

"I think we need to talk, Y/N. Come back here tomorrow at dawn and I'll take you to a beautiful place where we can talk in total tranquility. You won't be disappointed, I promise."

And that's how you found yourself at night, your gaze staring at the ceiling of your room, unable to sleep. It was late at night, probably already 3 a.m., but sleep wouldn't come to you, only Salo and his words, his promise spinning around in your head like a spell. You hadn't even eaten, despite  going to the supermarket after leaving Salo's office.

Salo.

His name wouldn't leave your little inner voice, which seemed to have no intention of forgetting it.

Eventually, your eyes closed on their own, the image of Salo's eyes and the sound of his voice and words slowly accompanying you into a deep sleep.

[thedoomedhometown]

Doma Castle from FFVI: Magical, Chemical, or Both?

The event: In FFVI, when the Gestahlian Empire decides to invade Doma Castle, a castle situated on a river moat with water running under it, Kefka decides to poison the entire castle via the water supply rather than engage in combat, therefore engaging in an act of chemical warfare.

The water of the river changes color (at least as well as we can see in pixel art), and people begin to succumb to the poison, with those closest to the river - the guards and such - falling first. Those in lower levels of the castle itself proceed to die, with effects ascending quickly but also dissipating quickly outdoors, while collecting indoors: the king is fatally poisoned, but a guard walking down through it survives long enough to die and, when the character Cyan runs downstairs, he seems relatively unaffected in that he doesn't show effects.

The analysis: First, let's just get the simplest Occam's razor out of the way, because that's not the point of this kind of analysis, but I'll acknowledge it once again for the sake of those who somehow missed the pinned post, the description, and everything else, to save you the effort of leaving such a low-effort comment and looking like a troll

Simplest Occam's razor: "It's only a game, a Wizard Did It , it was just magic, and Cyan had plot armor because him dying would have meant the end of the game."

Bad-faith Occam's razor: The above, but add "and it says SOMETHING about you that you'd put this much thought into it"

I am fully aware of both arguments, and I recognize the validity of the first as a possible and indeed probably the most likely interpretation. (it is, indeed, a game and a piece of fiction, the writers probably didn't care or if they did didn't expect anyone else to, it was just magic to advance the plot).

That said: if you're still here reading this, I assume you came for the deeper analysis. Then join me below the cut, to take apart the events of Doma Castle, as described above.

The geography alone is the first clue we would be looking at here: a moat of water likely connected to a water system of some sort, and the water color was changed. This would point to whatever substance/action was involved being capable of reacting with water. While the pixel depiction is purple, we'll just assume the color change could have been to any color because depicting simple muddiness or cloudiness would not have been able to depict well.

That contact with the poisoned water or consumption of it was not necessary to kill points to the next point: whatever went into the water had to be a substance that converted to a toxic vapor when combined with the water, or that displaced breathable air and created dead air.

Also, the deaths progressed inward and upward, yet dispersed quickly. The only character that died from exposure at the highest point indoors was the king, who was already older and weaker, and Cyan was either unaffected or less affected. This shows that whatever was involved was something that collected at ground level, blew through the castle, and dispersed with ventilation as it did, only strongly affecting weaker persons indoors once it reached height.

Generally, this would mean the substance either created dead air at low heights but didn't wholly displace oxygen the higher up and more indoors the characters were - similar to carbon dioxide in the real life disaster of [TW: graphic descriptions of real human death due to asphyxiant gas exposure] Lake Nyos's limnic eruption

OR

was a chemical substance that reacts with water, similar to the chemical "accident" due to utter negligence at [TW: graphic and very traumatizing depictions of real human death due to toxic chemical exposure, racism, corporate greed so bad it is indistinguishable from malice, enraging content] Bhopal, India involving the reactive chemical methyl isocyanate. [Interestingly enough, I wonder if, seeing with the name of the character involved, Cyan, this was actually partial inspiration if any of the canon writers knew of it? Although that is super speculative, and I do not have any proof of it!]

And this brings me to something to a theoretical way the characters could have survived the disaster -aside from having gas masks or other proper PPE - if you want to do an alternate take - those at the top of the castle should have moved indoors and sealed off the outside as much as they could immediately, and those already indoors should have moved upward and inward to the last of the safely breathable air for the time being, waiting for the concentration to disperse enough that moving down and out away from the water would be safer.

The geography was also probably what helped contribute to the survival of anyone who made it out and downward after such as Cyan - the flowing water and wind would have both contributed to dispersing either carbon dioxide and restoring survivable oxygen levels and/or dispersing MIC to a survivable level of immediate exposure, which, as time passed, would have made the source area that he ran past safer than the inside of the castle for a long period of time, where confined spaces would have remained "dead space" or toxic levels of MIC would have collected in less ventilated areas. By choosing evacuation rather than continuing to hole up in the castle once the outdoor amount had dispersed to a less-fatal level, even if inadvertently to go join the fight against the troops following up after the poisoning, he likely saved his own life.

So one takeaway I want to offer here is that even sometimes just the few smallest clues in your writing of a disaster can indicate what it is, what caused it, and what it does. You don't need to do an entire infodump like this analysis - just pick a few consistent things, a few consistent threads that can be picked out under examination. For example, the detail that the water changed color pointed out water reactivity as a component and that the guard near it died first followed how exposure generally works - e.g. had the king died first, or characters at distance died first like some random on the other side of the planet, that would have made this just "who cares, a wizard did it" rather than something that, the more you look at it, becomes an even deeper and more horrifying thing just because even a few, possibly research-informed, details were included, just enough to make it make a degree of sense.]

And because I want to offer some advice that might help you if you ever are unlucky enough to suffer a Bhopal or an East Palestine or [TW for lots of descriptions of human suffering and death] any of the other innumerable chemical accidents that have happened in the real world (since in the real world, you are FAR more likely to be the victim of corporate greed and unsafe practices than a psychopathic clown supervillain who won't stop at anything) OR if you're writing the survival or aftermath of a chemical-related disaster in a story of your own: If you see/smell something unusual or see a mist or fog or smoke - especially after a nearby explosion or fire or in a closed, confined space - and/or if you feel suddenly, overwhelmingly ill, or you see other people who seem unconscious or dead especially in a closed confined space or near it - Move as far away from the dead/dying/more severely ill as possible, do not go to help them because you will likely join them rather than be of any help. ideally upwind and into the closest, tallest indoor space with clean air, turn off HVAC systems, and wait for instructions on when/if to evacuate.]

[starlostlix]

Fukuchi is a 'tragic hero' and how his narrative on the page parallels that of the current manga narrative

[Sorry for the bulky title I didn't know how to phrase it with any less words.]

Anyone who has seen my post probably knows how interested i've been in the writing of Fukuzawa and Fukuchi in recent chapters, and I've just recently had an idea (inspired by a post by @starlightshadowsworld about Fukuchi and Fukuzawa) that Fukuchi is in some ways a 'tragic hero', mostly inspired by Macbeth (I have studied Macbeth like 3 separate times in school I think it may stick with me forever in some way).

So a tragic hero is usually a central character of a story, someone who is noble yet experiences a tragic downfall linked to a fatal flaw in their character. But some antagonists can also be tragic heroes. A tragic hero has to be virtuous to gain audience sympathy, have a tragic flaw that leads to their downfall, and suffer a reversal of fortune.

- So where does this apply to Fukuchi?

Fukuchi can be considered virtuous - he has goals of world peace, he's portrayed as a hero in his movies and to the people of the world, and he has his willingness to give up his life as part of his plan - which can all lead to the anime audience/manga reader and the people of the BSD universe feeling sympathy for him.

He also has his fatal flaws - he works with untrustworthy people like Fyodor to try and make his plan work (ultimately leading to his plan failing and him being turned into a weapon), and he displays a sense of cruelty despite his personal limit of 500 deaths for his plan. I do think that his ability itself is also a fatal flaw - his ability (being able to strengthen any weapon by 100x) is inherently made for combat and destruction, and goes directly against his ideals of world peace. In fact, the reason Fyodor needed him in the first place was his ability. In universe, his bloodlust and his own friendship with Fukuzawa would be seen as his fatal flaw, as may be written on the page.

Then the reversal of fortune. His original plan was to die and world peace to be achieved via the page from that. Instead Fyodor uses him as part of the Tripolar singularity and he is now the vessel of the Divine being that threatens to destroy everything around it - and goes directly against his ideas of peace. But that is OUR narrative - the people of the BSD universe were to have the narrative of Fukuchi being defeated in battle by his own friend, his bloodlust luring him to his own defeat.

But being a 'tragic hero' is to mean that his actions are inherently flawed, much like Macbeth being willing to shed so much blood for his own gain. Fukuchi's actions put the world in danger, even with his noble goals of world peace, and it is his flaws and actions that have led to the world being in such a dangerous situation - leaving it vulnerable to not only manipulatiors like Fyodor, but possible corruption via a potential dictatorship. His ideas were overly optimistic and doesn't account for these potential disasters enough (and no, placing Fukuzawa as leader does not solve this issue - what about who comes after? will they be as kind? and even then he's just shouldered his dear friend with a huge burden he didn't want in the slightest. i'd argue that's also another flaw of his - not having the necessary compassion to consider the effects his plan may have on fukuzawa, teruko and others involved and seeing that his goals may not be worth those.)

- So Fukuchi clearly hits all those boxes, but why do you keep mention the in-universe BSD population?

Well the main idea is that the narrative we see in the manga parallels that of the one the people of the BSD universe would see.

Fukuchi (his body now possessed by the Divine being) is creating all out destruction in Yokohama, with no reason or remorse for it. It is likely that this is how Fukuchi, if the page took effect when he was defeated, would be viewed by the public for his actions with the Vampirism and the One Order. Nothing more than a mindless monster, where his bloodlust is his fatal flaw, rather than his ability and his trust in the wrong people.

This is why i theorise that the final blow to kill the Divine being/Fukuchi will be done by Fukuzawa - preserving the effects of the page and playing out exactly like the page would have predicted. Essentially I also see the narrative of the page being applied to defeating the Divine being instead of just Fukuchi.

In addition, the people of the BSD universe would have had sympathy for him until this point. Not just Fukuzawa and Teruko, but all his fans who enjoyed his movies and the soldiers and politicians who idolised him. Whilst the current manga narrative has some attempts at evoking sympathy for him, most of the fanbase don't feel sympathetic to him (which flips the narrative presented in-universe).

[So essentially the current narrative we the reader see is possibly mirroring the one already written on the page - at least that's what I'm trying to say (i'm kind of confusing myself trying to write this, I had a point but it's kind of slipping my mind when I try to explain better). I hope this makes sense to at least one person lmao. This has been in my drafts for a bit so I hope it still makes some sense.]

[allen-kunekune]

Day 6 : Cigarettes - Flowers - Knives

Leon wasn't surprised by the smoky taste against his lips. Anything else would have shocked him; he was sure his lips couldn't taste of anything other than a fire both powerful and reassuring.

Leon didn't know why he got so close to the other man, risking ruining a rare moment of calm. It wasn't something he should do, whether on a mission or elsewhere. Leon shouldn't have done it now. But he felt that death could come at any moment, whether from the parasite pulsing in his chest or the endless hordes of infected since his arrival.

The mines seemed to descend ever deeper. Leon began to doubt there was a second exit, but Luis promised another way out, and Leon had no choice but to believe him. It became more than an obligation to follow the other man.

The American agent didn't know when trust had developed between him and the former scientist. Maybe it was from seeing Luis act as if everything would be fine and genuinely believing that Leon would stop the horror unfolding there. As if he would save Ashley and Luis.

Leon relied on Luis to watch his back as they fought against the nameless hordes of former villagers. The man proved useful in combat. Leon even started laughing at his jokes while waiting in a cabin for a particularly strong rain to pass, hindering their search. Perhaps because, despite his doubts, Luis was one of the few who seemed to care about their survival. Luis kept promising to do everything to save them, believing Leon could help.

How Luis remained so optimistic, making the trials less burdensome, was a total mystery to Leon. Despite the situation, Luis managed not to panic as any civilian would. Leon didn't know why, but it comforted him. He wanted more.

As the mines dragged on with numerous rocky passages, another break was necessary. As usual, Luis pulled out one of his cigarettes, letting the tobacco smell fill their makeshift shelter. It was a real addiction. Leon had seen many veterans unable to manage stress without a cigarette or a beer. This was probably the secret to Luis's optimism. Leon watched him, realizing he wanted to get Luis out of there, regardless of his connections with Umbrella.

He truly wanted to leave with Ashley and Luis. He wanted to know the other man beyond brief rests in shelters, which were too short to even ease their muscles before running again.

That's probably why he didn't use the moment of calm to count his ammo and reload his weapons. Leon watched Luis’s lips close around the cigarette, drawing in the smoke and wondering if his skin would taste of nicotine. Could Leon become addicted with just one kiss? He barely realized he had moved forward when Luis exhaled smoke, setting the cigarette aside.

Leon was the first surprised to feel other lips on his.

The kiss was just like Luis: warm, tender, with a hint of tobacco as the cigarette fell to the ground. Leon didn't expect Luis to respond. It went further than he could have imagined. They were interrupted by cries and footsteps. Visitors were arriving, and they couldn't afford to ignore them. Leon could think about why he did it later.

The smoky taste was drowned out by blood as Leon kissed Luis a second time. This time there was no hesitation. The bleeding had to be stopped, and Luis was no longer breathing. There was nothing tender or sweet. Leon should have reacted faster, not gotten lost in Luis’s smile after finding the exit, and stayed alert. Leon should have protected him from that knife.

Regret wouldn't change the amount of blood staining Leon's hands. Regrets wouldn't bring back the dead.

The flowers in his hands would never match the vibrant tones of Luis, so Leon chose perfectly white lilies. He hoped Luis would like them despite everything. Some said flowers held as many meanings as there were people in the world.

They weren't really the kind of flowers to give to a man once wanted by several countries and barely cleared of all charges. Nor to a man recovering painfully from multiple surgeries. But Leon was rewarded with a kiss as the flowers were placed in a vase beside the others.

Another kiss that always had that unique smoky taste, despite the absence of a cigarette this time.

This is probably my longest story for this week. At first I wanted to make a little story for each theme, and finally I merged everything.

I hope it will please, and thank you for all the previous feedback! I am so happy to see that it pleased!

[blackjackkent]

If Rakha were a sensible person unmoved by compulsions beyond her understanding, she would get out of Lorroakan's vault with the Annals of Karsus while the getting is good.

However, she is none of those things, so instead, numerous doors and even more traps later, she winds up staring at:

I think on some level, Rakha knows this is not a smart idea. Her earlier attempt to read the Necromancy of Thay left her with a hell of a headache and took basically every ounce of mental fortitude she possessed not to let whatever power it contains run roughshod over her.

But still... she's curious. And she's certainly gained more control of her power in the intervening months, perhaps enough to make use of whatever new answers are to be found in this new book.

Gale, bless him, is almost certainly all for this ill-advised venture. Minthara could not, I suspect, care less one way or the other. Wyll and Jaheira (who just got finished listening to Rakha and Gale having an academic discussion about overthrowing the gods) are both Displeased and each angling themselves into a position to tackle Rakha to the ground and knock the book out of her hands if it should become necessary.

The actual process of reading the Codex, though, turns out to be mildly anticlimactic:

Oops.

("Very well done, cub," Jaheira says sardonically. "Did I not tell you this was a path to trouble?"

Minthara gives a casual wave with one hand; radiant energy spills from her fingertips, dispelling the curse. "She is alive and has gained the knowledge she needs," the drow says casually. "I fail to see the problem."

"Of course you do," says Jaheira sourly.)

Having read the codex, Rakha can now, after two full acts, finally once again examine the book she's been carting around in her inventory (the game won't even let me put it in a container!) since Moonhaven.

Narrator: The book radiates power, but the words you read in the Codex echo in your mind, guiding your eyes safely across the page. The once-indecipherable glyphs now feel dangerously familiar, promising unholy power to those who can take it.

Once again, Rakha's interest here is not really about power (holy or otherwise) for its own sake. But this is a tome of magic, one that has been taunting her with its secrets for weeks on weeks. Her magic is the one thing that is hers, with no touch of the beast. And she will bend this bit, too, to her understanding.

[SAVING THROW] Read on and wrest the book's power from it.

Narrator: As you parse the strange glyphs, you can feel the book resisting. Ghostly voices whisper at you from the dark, probing and fighting your mind. But your will is iron and you brush past these shades of the past, devouring every secret the book has to offer. You see now, life and death are malleable as clay, to be bent and reshaped by your will. By your power.

Narrator: But as you close the book, a nagging doubt whispers in your mind. What consequences will there be for calling the dead from their rest?

-----

Interesting.

I had to check the wiki to figure out exactly what we got out of this. We actually get a couple of buffs from managing to read the book fully.

Rakha has unlocked a spell called "Danse Macabre" that allows her to summon four ghouls into combat with her:

She also now has a permanent buff called "Tharchiate Vigor" which appeared when Minthara dispelled the "Tharchiate Withering" curse, which gives her 20 temporary hit points on long rest.

So. Pretty damn good for a book we've been hauling around for two acts.

I don't really think Rakha is deeply enthused about using this spell - at least not to any degree more than she's enthused about the rest of her arsenal. I did speculate, a while back, that the beast urge in her head probably has a natural dislike for necromancy, since reviving a dead body is the opposite of killing a living one. So in that sense, using a necromantic spell like this is an act of miniature rebellion against the dark corners of her own mind.

But she still prefers throwing fire at people's faces. XD

[yuri-for-businesswomen]

do you think disabled people of any age should be sterilised if they might die or need more assistance raising kids? like i half see your point about geriatric fathers, but i really disagree with most of it having seen parents who use powerchairs or have a higher risk of premature death. some choices are bad and that's fine to point out and discuss, but not to remove the ability to make that choice. don't accuse me of defending men please, i'm really referring to things that will primarily be used to hurt women.

i see where you are coming from. first off, i was half joking, because giving the government this kind of power (to legally sterilise groups of people meeting certain characteristics) is something that we have to be very careful with because it borders on eugenics so its not really something i see myself advocating for. it would probably be better if this was just a bigger conversation with more social pushback.

however, im generally of the conviction that child safety and wellbeing is more important than a lot of other things and that we dont prioritise it enough. in the case of disabled parents i feel like it would be more useful to support them accordingly, maybe appoint another legal guardian as an additional parent or something.

im generally leaning towards antinatalism but not politically, i dont think the government should intervene with birthrates, but i think we need a radical cultural shift when it comes to childraising. i think a lot of people should refrain from having children for various reasons and we should move away from treating having children as some sort of necessary milestone/obligation/calling/next logical step/personal fulfillment or something everyone is destined to do at some point in their lives. and we need to move away from that idea that parents are the ultimate authority/the nuclear family model. how other people raise their kids IS everyones business because these kids are members of society first of all, and secondly this model enforces inequality because it makes children fully dependent on their parents which fosters abuse and is also unfair because different people have very different parenting skills, abilities and approaches. i think society would be a lot better if less people decided to have children and childless people would be supporting them, a more community based approach to childraising. its good for kids to have trusted adults outside their family and its good for parents to have a strong social network alleviating the pressure and effort of childcare, especially if the relationship does not work out.

to sum it up, no i dont think legally taking away the ability to have children is feasible, but i think a lot of people have kids for egoistic reasons and i find it irresponsible. to combat that, we need a radical change in how having and raising children is promoted and practiced.

[aristoteliancomplacency]

Here’s an excerpt from my definitely real forthcoming book: The Fucking Academic Shade I Have Stumbled On Whilst Making Wikipedia Marginally Less Shit:

‘The Greeks attributed to Thales a great many discoveries and achievements. Few, if any, of these can be said to rest on thoroughly reliable testimony, most of them being the ascriptions of commentators and compiler who lived anything from 700 to I,000 years after his death-a period of time equivalent to that between William the Conqueror and the present day. Inevitably there also accumulated round the name of Thales, as round that of Pythagoras (the two being often confused), a number of anecdotes of varying plausibility and of no historical worth whatsoever. These and the achievements credited to Thales have, of course, been painstakingly brought together by Hermann Diels in Der Fragmente der Vorsokratiker. Useful and necessary (though not entirely comprehensive) as this work undoubtedly is, it nevertheless has probably contributed as much as any other book to the exaggerated and false view of Thales which we meet in so many modern histories of science or philosophy, and which it is the purpose of this article to combat.

[belovedcorvid]

“For one human being to love another human being: that is perhaps the most difficult task that has been given to us, the ultimate, the final problem and proof, the work for which all other work is merely preparation.” ♥

❣︎ 𝓑𝓮𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓭 𝓒𝓸𝓻𝓿𝓲𝓭 :: an independent, head-canon driven, semi-selective portrayal of Donquixote Rocinante - code name Corazón - from Eiichiro Oda's One Piece. 18+, please read rules prior to reaching out. Loved to Death by Rabbit / Rory (31, he/him). Explores themes of:

defining love and family; breaking cycles of violence; sacrifice for others; how trauma lingers; defining the self outside of the expectations of others; and careful plans breaking apart.

❣︎ EST October 2023 - Remodeled July 2024

❣︎ 𝓐𝓯𝓯𝓲𝓵𝓲𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓼 ::

gumpistol / cptnslog | mingos / code01746 | sleeplesswork | aamaranthiine | onepiecc | intothewildsea | ryathenautykitsune

❣︎ | Meme Tag | Verses ( Mobile Friendly ) | Portrayal Notes | Promo | Thread Tracker |

❣︎ 𝓜𝓸𝓫𝓲𝓵𝓮 𝓡𝓾𝓵𝓮𝓼 𝓤𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻 𝓒𝓾𝓽 ::

| mun |

Rabbit (or Rory) :: he/him :: 31 :: someplace in the northern US Activity Level :: Low and Random ( medical field + chronic illness )  I’ve written intermittently on Tumblr for the last 10-ish(?) years, so if we’ve met before then it’s great to see you again! If we’ve never met, then it’s nice to meet you! I like getting to know the people I write with, so hit me up if you’d like. In my spare time when I’m not doing this, I enjoy TTRPGs and building miniatures.  I’m probably sick right now.

-

| speed and posting style |

Anyone who’s played with me before knows that I’m the slowest guy. I used to worry over this a lot, but this most recent bout with illness has made me re-evaluate how I want to look at time here and stress about this less. I’m going to answer things when I can and keep a tracker so I can see everything and not drop things on accident, but I’m going to treat it less like a deadline. If you want to carry on a thing and don’t mind if I take weeks, let’s do it! If you prefer a partner that’s quicker, I’m not the guy for you.

I tend to write multi-paragraph style, with small text but otherwise minimal formatting. I use icons sometimes, but not always. If you would prefer I use normal text size / no images / etc, let me know - I can accommodate these things. 

-

| breadth of work |

One Piece is huge - I’m not fully caught up, but I am through Rocinante’s bit! I’m still very sad we only got to have him around for a little while, and may or may not make verses to explore alternatives to that.

But! If you want to chat about the manga or the anime in general, I’m all about it.

-

| fundamentals |

I’m not even sure if it’s necessary to add any more, but of course: it’s not cool to godmod, control other people’s characters, kill each other without discussing combat first, badger people for speedy replies, engage in callout culture, etc. Please be a nice human.

Not interested in interacting with people that engage in racist or homophobic / aphobic behaviour. Also not interested in looking at ships for this character that involve incest or large age gaps. I will not write Doffy and Cora as a romantic relationship, and I will not write Cora and Law or any similarly aged characters that way either.

-

| tags and content warnings |

I will always, always, always tag triggers for you, especially if you list them in your rules page. If I miss one, or if you’d like me to tag something new, shoot me a message so I can add it to my tags! Violence and other NSFW content types will always be tagged and thrown under a cut.

Triggers for me: Please tag all images of dental injuries with ‘teeth tw’ or something similar. I have just about every iteration blacklisted. Additionally, please tag all content involving a/b/o threads/art/etc and, for lack of a less loaded word, ‘x humanoid character has/gets/is ‘cursed’ with x animal traits/whatever now’ threads/etc as well. I have just about every iteration of both of these blacklisted (I think). Any general a/b/o tag will work just fine; for the latter, I suggest ‘animal traits tw’ or ‘zoomorphism tw’. If you post this that’s fine, but I might not be able to follow you. Deeply personal reasons for me as an individual and as a professional / animal advocate - For clarity: hybrid or shapeshifter characters that actively deal with their hybridity and its consequences are not the same thing. I have a problem when humans put on animal characteristics like costumes for aesthetic purposes / kink / amusement / etc.

-

| shipping |

Writer and character are both of age, so shipping is fine as long as the other character and writer are of age as well. I will not write with underage muns at all, full stop.

I don’t really foresee myself shipping this character much, but if we’ve interacted and you ship a thing, whether it be romantic or platonic, you should let me know. I usually can’t see that sort of thing.

-

| asks |

Asks are neat. I try to answer them all, but again : I’m a slow guy and Tumblr eats them sometimes. If I can’t come up with a good response for what you sent me, I’ll let you know so we can do something else instead.

If I answered an ask of yours and you’d like to respond / make it a thread, that’s awesome! I just ask that you put your reply in a new thread and @ me rather than reblogging the original ask.

-

| memes |

I have a complicated relationship with writing games. I love them in concept and love getting to send my friends things and answer questions / draw prompts / etc, but the havoc they bring to my notes can make it impossible for me to run a blog. Please don’t reblog memes from me if you don’t follow me, or if we don’t interact - makes it too easy to lose replies when notes are a mess.

[ridiasfangirlings]

Hi! So I've seen a lot of people call Munakata "manipulative" and I was wondering why he's called that? i've seen the anime, the movie and 7 stories and i didn't get that impression from him. the closest thing i can think of is when he is being kind of cruel about kusuhara's death to zenjou, saying how it was necessary for s4, but i don't see that as him being manipulative? it's definitely not a scene where he is portrayed as a nice person- he is disregarding zenjou's feelings by saying that kusuhara's death was necessary for s4's progress, which i personally see as cruel, but not manipulative.

(just gonna put a small disclaimer: i haven't read the k novels completely yet. i've read some chapters, though i definitely read them out of order)

When it comes to Munakata I think of him as manipulative in the sense that he’s good at reading people and turning situations to his advantage, he’s not necessarily sinister in his motives but he does know how to make things go his way. In Side Blue the novel originally did seem to dance around the idea of Munakata being responsible for or planning Kusuhara’s death and I don’t think that was the case, while he does turn it to his advantage (as he discusses with Fushimi in DOB, he’s made his S4 ‘more complete’ thanks to that missing piece) I don’t think it was at all his intention in having Kusuhara join the Special Forces. That said I think Munakata does show his manipulative tendencies in Side Blue with the entire rest of the Kusuhara situation. We know Munakata wanted Zenjoh in S4 — the only members of Habari’s S4 who he not only wanted but wanted in a combat position — and Zenjoh himself chose to go to the Records office. When Kusuhara presents the opportunity though Munakata uses that to get Zenjoh to be more active in S4, in training Kusuhara, and at the same time I think Munakata’s ulterior motive here was that if Zenjoh wouldn’t be his contingency then Kusuhara could fill that space. He doesn’t inform either of them of this (though I think Zenjoh probably suspected) and uses Kusuhara’s sincere desire to follow him in order to move that piece to the space he wants it. 

For another more clearly laid out situation there’s also what happens with the twins in LSW. At Fushimi’s installation he notes that Munakata deliberately says some words which stir up dissatisfaction in the ranks (when Fushimi mocks the pledge he’s supposed to say and Munakata notes that those who just said it out of duty without thinking may be the less trustworthy ones). Later on after the twins are captured it’s mentioned that Munakata used this situation to both root out the enemy factions within S4 and secure his hold more strongly as its head, basically deliberately provoking the remnants of Habari’s clan that were dissatisfied with him and using that to be rid of them. In this case it’s pretty clear that he was manipulating his enemies in order to get them to show themselves, because Munakata decided this was the best way to kill two birds with one stone.

I think you could argue he also does manipulate Fushimi to some degree, not necessarily in a malicious way but more that he recognizes Fushimi isn’t happy in Homra and uses that to his advantage to get Fushimi to make a choice that he might not have been actively willing to do otherwise. There’s technically no reason Munakata needs to meet with Fushimi in the S4 van for example — Munakata gives one, but it’s not something he couldn’t have discussed more officially with Kusanagi — but Munakata pretty clearly has a reason for wanting to speak one on one with Fushimi beyond any official business. That Fushimi fits better in S4 and was unhappy in Homra doesn’t really change that Munakata was the one most actively trying to get things into position where Fushimi would be comfortable admitting he wants to change clans. This doesn’t make Munakata a bad person and he certainly didn’t ‘make’ Fushimi do anything but again, Munakata looked at the situation and carefully moved his pieces so that everything would turn out the way he considered most advantageous. 

[paladin-of-nerd-fandom65]

Pretty good answers, you can take a break from answering my questions they aren’t going anywhere lol take as long as you need :)

1: some ppl give the superfamily different “abilities” instead of the typical kryptonian power set to separate them, besides Chris does the rest of the family have different powers? For example I can see Jon having super saiyan red/orange hair that can boost his heat vision or can create a mini sun to heal or boost his family’s power.

2: since Chris likes spider-man, does he ever “web swing” across the city using his dark powers? Plus tie up bad guys using the dark powers too? I can see him tying up bad guys by the feet upside down hanging from a lamp post and spinning them around XD

3: any thoughts of making the duo wear matching outfits with the starburst name/logo on the front?

4: does mar’i do the same stuff as Jake like in previous asks? Does slapstick like the three stooges, aims for the crotch on a 10, uses the Nightwing sticks, etc…

5: let’s say Kon/Tim is sleeping on the couch, what would they do as a prank? Draw on their face, fart on their face, put shaving cream on their hand and tickle their nose with something, belly flop on top of them, etc…

6: not a question but a fanfic idea: overusing the Nightwing entity causes Chris to act similar to Spider-Man while wearing the venom suit creating a meaner & maybe evil Chris; Jake and Chris battle it out in the rain with Chris brutally hurting Jake close to death. Right before he delivers the killing blow, Chris has flashbacks of him and Jake doing fun stuff, Chris at the last second takes back control and holds Jake and cries that he is sorry.

1. Well Conner canonically has what’s called Tactile Telekinesis which allows him to hold a whole variety of objects and items with his mind in mid air, Kara can also probably channel a bio electric aura around her for an extra layer protection against energy or even magic attacks even though it can mess around with her heat vision abilities and finally to say Mon El, he had the ability to detect points on either a humanoid body or on select architecture that he can use to either strike or climb up (akin to Karnak from the Inhumans). The sole one whose powers are somewhat either enhanced or a near copy of Clark’s power set is Jon.

2. More likely it’s Jake who uses his grappling hooks akin to swing Spidey style as his ability of flight isn’t as pronounced as his sister’s. Any flight he achieves has to have a running and dropping start to them; basically any short flight he gets being a sort of natural wing suit on him. Now as for Chris webbing up crooks of all sorts via the shadows on their legs, I can probably see that in addition to a sticky note left for the cops to pick up says crooks that reads “Bad Guy(s)” just like how his teacher Dick does it

3. While a certain possibility for very rare occasions like say an actual multiverse Crisus event, they wear enough blue on their individual outfits already and yet those respective splashes of burnt orange and yellow keep them distinct. So, matching outfits is possible but not entirely probable and necessary.

4. A little bit but she has her own tiny touches and takes things that distinguish her from her brother. Mainly shed lean more on sitcom snark and ‘high brow’ comedy akin to what Grandpa Alfred showed her (Probably shows including “Blackadder” and “Are You Being Served?”) as opposed to slapstick. For her combat prowess, less likely to go from hits below the belt but a tad bit more vicious in taking down villains and she primarily uses her starbolts and enhanced strength along with Tamaranean fighting styles her Mother taught her and back

5. Jake’s go to mischief technique in these cases is a trick her sister and him have learn from their Father since the latter was all too fond of doing it during his days at the circus; take a small marker and doodle of silly and funny drawings on any part of the sleeping person that’s sticks out of the blankets. Chris quickly picked up on it ever since he was about 8 and anytime either of them happened to be awake first thing in the morning can their respective Uncle for Jake and Big Brother for Chris are dead asleep, they’ll wake up later to find some ink on them. And it’s not just the faces either….let’s just say if they to wear socks that night, there’s a 50/50 chance that those socks would be off them and sure enough there’s some doodles there as well.

6. It’s certainly a tempting enough story arc I can see happening with a minor tweak or two. Mainly, it’s the Flamebird entity being tapped into by Thara Ak Var that tends on being the berserker of the two ancient deities due to its more appropriately firery nature as opposed to the more cold and dark Nightwing. That said, I see Chris losing control of his powers and temperament being a consequence of all of the Nightwing entity’s bearers since mere mortals, even Kryptonians, aren’t immune to the entity’s presence affecting their minds with continuous overuse overtime. So with that, Chris after the battle makes a vow to no longer solely rely on the Nightwing entity for emergencies during superhero fights. The entity itself understands this and even encourages Chris to find other ways to save the day of possible.

Thanks for your patience, friend. It’s appreciated @gothicghost2000

[nightiingaled]

Warning Sign | Tae-mi & Cass

Blackwatch Years Tae-mi when a mission goes awry. Trigger warnings for mentions of blood, momentary gore & near-death. @quick-drawn

The desert is alive with the sound of gunfire.

“One left!”

Tae-mi Jin is in the process of placing her final clip into her gun, licking her lips and whispering a soft prayer. She has her back against a collapsed stone wall, long worn from time.

“You’re talking about targets, right?”

Across from her – on the other side of the crumbling entryway into the long-destroyed building – Jesse McCree aims and misses one of the remaining soldiers creeping closer and closer to their position.

“Not with that aim!”

“You’re one to talk!”

Sure enough, the moment Tae attempts to take a shot at one of the soldiers, they open fire in her direction, and she misses her shot as she takes cover once again. She grumbles something to herself, but she knows that of the two of them she is the weaker link here.

Gunfights have never been her thing. Hand-to-hand, close combat has always been where she excels, if her continued wins in the fighting rings had anything to say about it.

“You think if we ask nicely, they’ll line up easy to let us punch them out instead?”

She can hear him thinking across the space between them and it almost makes her laugh.

“Can you two take this a little seriously?” Commander Reyes’ voice cut through their radios with a crackle of faint static.

A tight-lipped smile stretches across Tae’s features despite everything. “Not to rush you, Commander, but how’s it coming?”

“We’re in the clear. Light them up!”

Tae gives Jesse a thumbs up, Jesse returning the gesture. Tae thumbs the detonator in her other hand, pressing it with more force than probably necessary. The ground rumbles around them as multiple bombs go off in a location less than a mile east. Tae can see the haze that has erupted in its place as she dives into her hideaway.

 There’s the sound of screaming and shouting of orders and suddenly the soldiers assaulting them are leaving hurriedly in two vehicles towards the direction of the compound in the distance.

“Can’t believe that worked.”

Tae laughs, having crawled out of the crevice in the wall and crossed to Jesse’s side of the entryway. She offers him a hand up which he accepts with a smile. “I owe that man a dri—”

Gunfire breaks out once again, shattering the moment. Tae throws herself back to the wall, dragging a startled Jesse with her. “Damnit,” she spits.

“What was that?” Reyes clips through.  

“They left someone behind. Can’t be many we got—Jesse!”

Jesse is semi-conscious, flopping over as his body struggles to hold itself upright.

“Flesh wound, sweetheart,” he murmurs, his eyes flickering open and then closed again.

Crimson red is seeping through holes in Jesse’s vest and Tae swallows thickly.

“Stay still.”

The building around them has gone quiet. Tae is sure they couldn’t have left more than three behind. They would send as many as possible to see to the supposed attack on the compound and the two agents had done their best to leave few to spare.

Tae slips her knives from their sheathes.

The first comes through the entryway – poor thing was practically bait. Tae takes him out at the knees, quite literally taking her knives and slicing away at the back of his legs. He lets out a wailing scream and collapses as the second comes around the right corner. Tae knocks the soldier’s aim down towards the ground with one arm, using the other to slice up under and into his jaw. She lets him keep the knife as she turns the other on the third soldier hurrying through the entryway to help. Again, and again and again she thrusts her knife into his chest until he’s blubbering blood all over her.

“Three,” she tells herself, “They left three.”

The fourth doesn’t exactly take her by surprise so much as uses a different approach than the others. He rushes through the doorway and subsequently towards Tae herself. Smaller than him and more practiced, she manages to dodge to the side. It isn’t enough. He launches himself at her and throws her to the ground. Tae doesn’t realize his hands on her throat until they suddenly aren’t she’s breathing fresh air again, ears ringing from the nearby gunshot.

She rolls the body off her, looking over at Jesse. The man is sheet white, but the grip on his gun is surprisingly steady.

“Thank you,” he says softly.

“What?”

“You say, ‘thank you’, sweetheart.”

“Don’t call me sweetheart,” she grumbles as she picks herself off the ground and hurries back over to his side. It’s at this moment that she realizes Reyes is still trying to make contact. His voice had become a distant buzz, a distraction she had to ignore for the time being.

“Jin, I swear to God if you don’t answer—”

“Sorry, sir. The pickup crew is cleared out, but McCree is injured.”

“Stay put. We’ll evac you as soon as we make the rendezvous.”

“Sir, I don’t think we have that kind of time. You still have miles ahead of you – we have a shorter distance we can hit the rendezvous at the same time.”  

While she’s talking, Tae is tearing spare fabric from the soldiers’ uniforms and her pants, wrapping the bandages around Jesse’s stomach, and tying them tight.

“Jin, don’t tell me you’re thinking of—”

“This isn’t a viable rendezvous point, sir. You said so yourself. We just blew up the safest landing zone for miles. And it’s going to be too Hot to land. It’s not worth the risk.”

“Jin, I mean it – do not leave your position.”

“Sorry sir, I’m getting nothing but static. I’ll meet you at the rendezvous.”

And then the line goes silent as she turns off her comms. Tae-mi reaches down, pulling Jesse up by both arms with a grunt and leaning him over her shoulder.

“Come on, Jess – we got a long walk ahead of us.”  

& & &

Tae didn’t doubt her logic, but she realizes that she might have misgauged how quickly she would be able to move with Jesse.  For what it was worth, he tries to help as much as he can. When he’s awake. But the man’s consciousness comes and goes. Here and there she catches him muttering to himself and wonders what delirium he finds himself in. She remembers him saving her so many years ago and it feels like only yesterday. To think she finally gets to return the favor – she hopes it’s worth it.

It's sad that even after all this time, she’s barely let him in. Barely let anyone in. It’s just her and her sister. The two of them have grown together in Blackwatch, different in multiple ways but so similar in so many others. What would it be like to lose him?

Tae swallows. No, she tells herself. Stop thinking like he’s dying.

But he is. He is dying. He’s dripping crimson through the makeshift bandages. He bled through the bandages, even after she ripped more of her pants to add to it. He’s bleeding into the remainder of her shirt, just bleeding and she can’t stop it. He’s paler than he was at the start and that is saying something. His sweat is almost drowning her.

“Gonna be sick…”

“Not on my shoulder you’re not.”

But she hopes it bodes well that he’s saying anything at all. He doesn’t get sick. They keep moving on.

There comes a point – as much as she hates it – that she must stop again, simply to rest. If she doesn’t her shoulder will give out. The two of them are covered in blood. Jesse has soaked through every bandage she’s thrown at him and down his pants. Tae has sacrificed everything but her tank top and enough of her pants they’ve become shorts. There’s no point making herself naked at this point – it’s not going to help, she knows.  

“…Behind…”

She has Jesse leaned against a rock ledge and she leans closer to him. “What’s up?”

A tongue licks slowly over his chapped lips. “Leave me…. behind.”

“Over my dead body.”

She reaches out to grab his arm, but he catches her wrist and holds it. His grip isn’t tight – he didn’t have the strength, but she doubts it would be even if he did. “Don’t die here….with me.”

“Neither of us is going to die, Jess.”

A crack creeps into her voice and she notices her fingers are starting to shake. She needs to get moving again before she can’t anymore, but Jesse’s other hand is touching her hair.

“You’re really pretty with this haircut, you know?”

“Jess – stop talking nonsense okay, let’s get out of here. You’re going to be okay. You’re gonna –”

He cups her jaw and leans forward, and Tae sees what comes next. She doesn’t stop it. It’s not the right time – it’s NEVER going to be the right time for her, but this is next level of not right. But what if they never get another chance?

Their lips meet and it’s so soft and weak on his end, but there’s still a fire behind it that she returns. Tae wraps her now free hands in his hair and leans him forward into the kiss, tears tracking down her worried features.

And then it’s over, but it remains abuzz within her. She thumbs his hair away from his eyes and sighs.  “I hope you didn’t think that was going to convince me to leave you, Jess,” she murmured. “Come on.”

& & &

She turns her comms back on the moment she sees the form of the helicopter growing nearer in the distance. To her surprise, Reyes does not immediately proceed to curses upon hearing her voice back on the radio.

“How’s he doing,” she hears instead and smiles softly to herself.

“Holding out.”

“We see you. We’ll meet you halfway.”

The group of agents do indeed meet them halfway with a stretcher. Jesse’s weight is transferred from her shoulder to someone else and Tae almost loses her balance at the loss. The realization of her own exhaustion settles on her, and it takes everything she has to keep walking towards the helicopter.

“Jin!”

Tae turns to see Commander Reyes approaching her at a brisk march. She swallows.

“Never ever and I mean ever pull that shit with me again, do you hear me?”

“Yes, sir.”

She turns away and keeps walking towards the ship before he calls her name once again. “Tae-mi…”

The woman turns back, and the Commander has a half-smile on his face. “Good job.”

She smiles back at him. “Yes, sir.”  

They pile into the ship as the medic works around them to try and stabilize Jesse.

Tae-mi clutches his hand the entire time. Tae-mi doesn’t care who sees at this point and no one says anything.

[therealchromodynamic]

@i-looktothe-stars Absolutely! Now, this was a full LL12 build at the time, made for a simple combat-based one-shot. I therefore feel the need to preface this by saying you're very, very unlikely to get a full campaign character to this level, but you can definitely tap into some of the Mimic Gun's real potential. This build used a little bit of homebrew (which I made myself actually; table-approved) but that homebrew stuff isn't really necessary for the build itself. The build was made very casually and somebody way smarter than me could probably make a way better version. Nevertheless: For the build's raw stats: LICENSES: Pegasus 3, Echolight 1, Silvershield 2, Death's Head 3, Napoleon 3. The standout unusual ones are the aforementioned homebrew ones; Echolight (Support/Striker scout frame focused on applying Lock-On) and Silvershield (Defender frame specialising in taking hits, absorbing AOE attacks, and removing debuffs), but the build easily works without their systems. CORE BONUSES: Lesson of the Held Image, Full-Subjectivity Sync, Superior By Design, Universal Compatibility HASE STATS: HULL: 2, AGILITY: 6, SYSTEMS: 6, ENGINEERING: 0 WEAPONS: Autogunx2 (Both Flex Mounts), Mimic Gun SYSTEMS: Sisyphus NHP (Pegasus 3), System Reinforcement Banner (Silvershield 2), Stasis Generator, Stasis Barrier (Napoleon 1 and 2), Intelligent Multitarget Module (Echolight 1), High-Stress Mag Clamps, Core Siphon, Kinetic Compensator (Death's Head 1, 2, 3). Our main focus is that MEME GUN. This bad boy counts as all weapon Types at once apart from Melee; CQB, Rifle, Launcher, Cannon, Nexus. Do note that the Mimic Gun CANNOT be modified by Weapon Mods or Core Bonuses; no Overpower Calibre or Paracausal Mod. Accordingly, to do as much fuckery at once with a single shot, you need to focus on the weapon-specific talents; Vanguard, Crack Shot, Stormbringer, Siege Specialist, and Centimane respectively. Mimic Gun is also the Heavy size, which means it can also benefit from Heavy Gunner. I personally would NOT recommend taking ALL of these Talents, as you won't be left with any points for anything else. The ones I took were Stormbringer 2, Centimane 3, and Heavy Gunner 3, which left me with Talent points left over for Brutal 3 (for those extra benefits on Crit) Leader 2 (for planning out manoeuvres with teammates for extra accuracy), and Spotter 2 (you'll be skirmishing a lot, leaving a Quick Action open for Lock-On shenanigans). My HASE stats ended up being 2/6/6/0; focusing on evasive survivability with high Evasion and E-Defense, but frankly the HASE stats matter less than usual with this build as it's almost entirely based on just the combination of Mimic Gun and those Talents. Lean into Systems more than anything else, though; with Mimic Gun's Skirmish taking up only half of your typically-available Quick Action economy, you have wiggle room for tech attacks, and the 10 Sensor Range of the Pegasus allows for tech attacking from a good distance. Core Bonuses chosen were Lesson of the Held Image (1 free Lock-On per round, works well with Spotter), Full Subjectivity Sync (stack that evasion on baybee), Superior By Design (Immunity to Impaired and +2 Heat Cap is a good buff for literally any build), and Universal Compatibility (couldn't quite work out what else to take) As with the HASE stats, these could easily be shifted around for something that works better for you, especially if you have Homebrew options available. ...this is getting longer than I anticipated so I'll have to split this into two posts. whoops

fondly recalling the time i stacked like 5 talents onto Mimic Gun and applying four different debuffs at once as well as knocking a bitch around

[frauleinandry]

finally finished my persona q playthrough! ultimately, i thought it did some things well and some things not so well, but it was definitely more of a positive experience than a negative one. i'd rate it 3/5 in general. detailed thoughts under the cut!

for a bit of context, i like persona 3 a lot, dislike 4, and have minimal experience with etrian odessey (played a demo, enjoyed it, but knew the lack of plot/characters would mean I wouldn't have fun playing 40+ hours of it). i wanted to get through this game and q2 before persona 5 tactica came out so i knew what to expect story-wise (though the chances of me finished q2 before november are pretty much non-existent now lmao).

starting with the plot, i thought most of it was good, but there were a couple of weaker aspects. the gradually escalating creepiness of the labyrinths up until the rei reveal was really well done, and i absolutely loved the twist with her character. the way the themes from personas 3 and 4 were combined was sublime - her rage and sadness was so poignant, and it definitely managed to tug at my heartstrings. zen's whole deal is interesting too - i find persona doesn't tend to implement its god characters very well, so he and chronos were a refreshing take on it.

on the flipside, i didn't particular enjoy the plotline related to the actual persona characters. i chose to play the p3 route to avoid as many teddie/yosuke shenanigans as i could, and the whole senpai vs kohei thing felt like a child had written it. it's basically what happen in p3 canon but shittier. it reeeeeeeally didn't help that they use the investigation team as an example of a 'good' team, since their dynamics are rancid. i also think persona q really could have done a lot more with the 'ps: you're gonna forget this once you leave' thing, as opposed to it being a one-note revelation in the epilogue.

moving on to the characters... hm. very mixed bag here. on the positive side, it gave shinjiro in particular some much needed screen time - he actually felt like a genuine member of SEES here, as opposed to the guy who shows up and is then killed off almost instantly. it also toned down yosuke's creepiness a lot, which. well, i ain't complaining. also, i'm very happy yu/minato actually get to have a personality here. tbh persona MCs would really benefit from being upgrade from silent protags into something more similar to fire emblem three hopes shez (though probably with a little bit less character than them).

at the same time, akihiko (and to a lesser degree chie) are utterly butchered, and the portrayal of numerous other characters feels very surface level. sure, the cast is too large to really flesh everyone out, but... nobody should be feeling blatantly OOC. zen and rei also didn't really feel like people until the end of the 4th labyrinth, which makes sense from a plot perspective, but is bad from an actually-getting-attached-to-them one. as good as i found their storyline, as individuals, they're both pretty forgettable. ultimately, i think the character writing is fine in the strolls/during the sillier moments, but falls apart during the serious ones.

gameplay, yet again, was another mixed bag. the dungeon crawling is a lot better than in persona 3/4, especially in the later labyrinths where FOE movement is a lot more complex. i enjoyed most of the puzzles, and the little character moments scattered around the levels were fun too. mapping was cute, even if it was a bit of a novelty - i can't see it working on the switch or anything, but the 3DS is a good console from things like that.

of course, here's where the '.... but' comes in. in persona q case, i comes in the form of the combat sucking ass. the boost system is irritating to wrangle, but a necessary evil if you want good personas/not to chew through tons of items. in the end, i used impure reach naoto to basically skip 90% of the fights. also, what the fuck was that chronos gimmick? like, don't get me wrong, the death timer was cool in theory, but when i first fought him i only had 3 revival items on me because i simply wasn't using them!! suffice to say, i had to fight him and the spider again, and was pretty unimpressed with that.

the game is also really hampered by not sharing party exp. there's no way to use every unit unless you do tons and tons of grinding (and who has the time for that in the year 2023), but you also get penalised for not training certain units too. i didn't unlock ultimate personas in my run-through since i benched yu after the second labyrinth and didn't want to spend ages levelling him up asdfghjkl.

there was one gameplay thing i thought persona q did really well though... and that was sub-personas! god, i fucking loved that idea. like, i love it to the degree that i'd legitimately prefer it in the mainline games over the current wildcard system - let's just say i made an excited post when i saw this feature was returning in tactica. it adds a level of customisation which means any character can shine with the right investment, and i just think that's neat.

[hyliasblame]

So who are you anyway

I Don't Know.

All I know is I am Angry and Terrified and I am Link's Fault. But he either Won't acknowledge it Or is Too Stupid to realize.

But I know if I Kill him I will stop Feeling these Things.

[primalsouls]

Inner Visions

i'll protect you from

all the things i've seen

tighnari x gn!reader

themes: general (for now)

warnings: mention of death, description of a death (poison mushrooms), ooc Tighnari (heavy possibility), let me know of any warning...

summary: Tighnari saw his life flashed before his eyes, once again, but it wasn't from the newly growing poison mushroom he had almost taken a bite out of.

notes: written after the Archon Quests. but im so forgetful 😭 i also did finished his story quest... but probably forgot about that, too lmao so ill definitely look into all that haha also tried to do a little layout thingy for this fic lmao

⌑ reblogs & feedback are appreciated here! ⌑

✿ some reader info ✿

has a third eye - uses to see future visions when activated, atm the third eye is a ◉ᵕ◉.... third eye is closed one haha...

a "deity"

third eye makes them lose energy

wields a polearm mainly but can use more than one weapon - hand-to-hand combat mostly preferred

more will be added once i remember haha

(divider (c) firefly-graphics)

A new series of poisonous mushrooms began to invade one of the cave systems in the Avidya Forest. As one of the Forest Rangers in the sea of grand trees, Tighnari took it upon himself to seek these new species out and pray to the Dendro Archon for the empty-headed adventurers to heed his warnings and lectures about these fungi once he got his hands on them and study them before anyone else come across them. 

"Master Tighnari, are you sure you could handle this on your own?" Collei asked, worry laced within her tone as she watched the fennec fox-hybrid ranger prepare himself a travel bag with all the necessary equipment he needed. Tighnari nodded his head towards the question, not sparing the green-haired girl a look as he dug through some cabinets for empty jars.

"Of course I can, Collei. These new specimens are a true hazard for anyone less experienced than me." Tighnari answered, stuffing the empty jars he found in one of his cabinets carefully into a new travel bag. Collei pouted. Brown-green eyes finally spare a single look towards her, a soft sigh leaving his lips as he slowed his movements. "I promise I won't try anything rash." He added, turning his body to face her completely. "And if I do need any help, I'll let Iraj know as he is near the cavern, afterall." Tighnari reassured the young girl before returning back to his preparations. 

Despite the reassurance she received from the forest watcher, Collei's mind was still not at ease. There was a deep feeling inside her chest, urging her to stop the other vision user from going to investigate the mysterious mushrooms. Though, part of her believed Tighnari would be fine. He was the forest watcher after all, having to study the forest and its ecosystem. There was no reason to doubt him. "Alright… Please be careful, Master." Collei said quietly, bowing her head before leaving the hut of the fox-hybrid. 

Tighnari let out a deep sigh. He appreciated Collei's concerns. She wasn't the only one worried about his sudden decision to investigate the growing problem within the Gandha Hill cavern. Aether and Paimon were the first to come across the fungi when they entered the cave for some lousy treasure. They were thankful Tighnari caught sight of them before they ventured further into the cave. 

It was the horrendous smell that caught Tighnari's attention when he first entered the cavern after spotting the traveler and his small flying companion head in. Just from the sight of it above the cliff looking over the ground of the cavern was enough to tell it was a new species of poison mushrooms along with the nauseating aroma.

"Hopefully this scarf could keep the smell away." Tighnari muttered as he picked up the two travel bags he prepared, pulling the scarf over his head, careful with his long ears, and pulling it over his nose. 

"Tighnari! There you are! Collei said you planned to go investigate the weird fungi we found. Do you need help? Aether here can come along!" Paimon exclaimed as she floated over to the forest watcher with the traveler walking up behind her, an apologetic look on his face. Tighnari winced at the loud voice of Paimon, his ears twitching down in displeasure. 

Shaking his head, he waved the duo off. "No, no, it's fine. Like I told Collei, this is a mission for me rather than those inexperienced. We don't know what the mushrooms and their effects do, which is why I have to be the one to check on them. Please, I appreciate your concerns but I would rather you guys stay safe here than follow me through with this investigation of mine." Tighnari stated firmly, giving the pair a small smile. "Just stay here with Collei, I promise I'll come back before the night falls." With those words out, Tighnari didn't wait any second longer and headed down the path leading towards the entrance of the Gandha Hill cavern. 

"Alright, Iraj, if anything happens in Gandharva Ville, please come get me." Tighnari said, looking over his shoulder towards the forest ranger who gave a firm nod. "And if anything happens to me, keep an ear out." 

"Yes, Master Tighnari! I'll do my best." Iraj declared with another firm nod.

Tighnari gave him a quick nod before turning to the entrance of the cavern. "Here goes nothing…" He muttered under his breath. 

The path leading to the ground of the cavern was shorter than he thought it would be. Tighnari peeked over the cliff. There they were. The new set of poison mushrooms huddled together in the small pool of water in front of the cliff. With careful steps, Tighnari made his way down to the ground level of the large cave. He looked around for any other potential threats in the area, his long ears seeking out for any small sound. Determined there was no other danger, Tighnari set a camp a few yards away from the pool of water. The equipment he had brought was set out nicely on top of a blanket beside the notebook and pen he brought to document any behavior from the fungi. 

With a huff, Tighnari sat on the rug he set up. He wanted to take the scarf off but he doubted he would be able to handle the stench of the fungus. Despite the short travel between the cave under Gandha Hill, it still exhausted the fox-hybrid out. It didn't take him long to rest well, either. Tighnari stood up from the ground and walked over to the starting crowd of the fungi after picking up his pen and notebook. "Hm… Aside from the horrible stench, it stands out with a rosy pink cap and a lilac stem. It seems to be covered with moss as well." Tighnari told no one, his eyes shifting between the notebook and the mushroom as he scribbled down his observations. 

"I wonder…" His words trailed off as Tighnari placed his pen and notebook down beside him. A gloved hand reached down and plugged one of the mushrooms out of the ground. Pulling the scarf down to his mouth, Tighnari grimaced at the aroma of the fungi invading his personal space, trying his damndest not to gag. "C'mon, Tighnari, tough it o-out…" He said through gritted teeth. His tail swung to get rid of somewhat of the stench as his hand neared the mushroom towards his slightly parted lips. His eyes were squinted. The top of the fungus looked weirdly spiraled. 

A flash pierced against his vision. Tighnari let out a yelp as he dropped the mushroom and quickly got back on his feet after backing away hurriedly from the small group of fungi. His eyes were widen with alert, his body tensed as he held his bow out to defend himself. He panted, his heart ready to jump out of his throat as it raced against his chest. 

"Wha—what…" Tighnari swallowed dryly as he glanced down at the mushroom he took out. There was no bite on it, so why did he see his life flashed before his eyes. Did the terrible smell finally get to his head!? Was he hallucinating from it? Tighnari was confused but upon closer observation he noticed the mushroom was pierced by a sharp… point of a trident… What?

Tighnari tensed his body once more. Where did the trident came from? There was no one here but himself. His fingers tightened around his bow. His ears were high alert for any sound.

"My, that was a close one, wasn't it?" An unfamiliar voice said above him coolly. Tighnari whipped his head around, his wide brown-green eyes landed on a figure who sat on the edge of the cliff. A frown creased his features. The forest watcher kept his weapon, taking a step back away from the new intruder. 

"Who are you!? In fact, what are you doing here!? This area is off limits at the moment." Tighnari stated, his eyes narrowed towards the figure. 

"What a strange way to say thank you…" The new face said as they raised a hand and snapped their fingers. Tighnari blinked as he glanced at their hand and towards the silver trident, which was no longer stabbing the mushroom he had in his hands moments before. "You should be lucky I was around the area to stop you from eating that deadly fungus." They added, hopping off the cliff and huffed when they landed a few feet away from Tighnari. Confusion swimmed in the forest watcher's eyes towards their words.

"What are you talking about? Were you the one who attacked me with that weapon?" 

"Attacking is a strong word… I like the word helping more."

Tighnari scoffed, not a single trace of his weapon being lower down. 

"Once again, who are you? Why did you atta—"

"Helped."

"Whatever! Why did you do that!?" Tighnari was growing frustrated. The figure tilted their head to one side, their disinterested eyes staring at Tighnari unnerving. 

"You were about to eat a deadly mushroom. I've saved you from meeting your end too soon." They stated with a shrug, a bored look on their face. Tighnari frowned. 

"How do you know they're deadly? What if it would just upset my stomach?" Tighnari retorted, his weapon faltering a bit.

"I've seen it… Your body wouldn't be discovered until further into the nighttime. By the time they find you, you'll be nothing but a wide eyed, purple lifeless body with moss growing out of your mouth." They said, their eyes glancing down at the mushroom which had slowly died out, withering away. Tighnari stared at them with a disturbed expression on his face. 

The forest watcher couldn't believe what he was hearing. There was no way any of that could happen. Letting out a laughable scoff, Tighnari put his weapon down. "Hah! Ye-yeah right… There's no way that would happen. What, did you—did you try it yourself and come back to life?" He mused, not believing a single word that came out of their mouth. The other stared at Tighnari, leaving him feeling uneasy. 

"No, I'm not stupid like you." Their words caught Tighnari off guard, his perplexed frown increasing further. "I figured you won't believe me… I've planned to just save you from your early fate and create a diversion to throw you off but I decided to stay and let you know what happened instead… I regret it now." They added, looking over at his small campsite. "By the way, Tighnari, do you always go around eating strange mushrooms?" Hearing his name rolled out their tongue made Tighnari freeze on the spot once more. 

"How do you know my name? I've never told you…" Tighnari said quietly, raising his bow once more. 

"Ah, how rude of me…" Ignoring his question, the figure crossed their arms over their chest. "I'm (Name)." They said with a small grin, . "And I can see your future." 

[just-a-creep-babe]

~Proxy Headcanons~

Now that I started writing for X-Virus, I wanted to elaborate on the proxy dynamics~ I’ve been having sO much fun expanding my version of the crp world, I hope y’all enjoy ^^

Requests are closed but commissions are open!

Masterlist: x

Alright, so Masky, Hoodie & Toby make up the main team of proxies

They’ve worked together the longest, have one of the best dynamics, and are the fastest, most effective & most reliable

Masky & Hoodie specifically are like Slender’s prized possessions

Getting them to submit was a long process—but the wait was definitely worth it

Their thorough corruption means that they’re permanently linked to The Operator, so they’re basically always on duty

All they know is work & their sense of undying loyalty to their boss

Slenderman does, of course, have countless other proxies scattered around the world

But their physical distance from him makes them slightly harder to control—and even those fully submitted to him are generally not as proactive as the main three

In the main trio’s team, each proxy has a specific set of skills necessary to get the jobs done

Masky tends to be the leader of the group

He’s good at giving orders, organizing the team, correcting misbehaviors—that kinda stuff

Once they’ve infiltrated a target’s dwelling, he’s also good at charging in & taking the victims down

Boy’s like,, very strong so he can easily knock people out & carry them wherever needed

On the other hand, his stamina is... not the best

He gets tired in combat pretty easily & sucks at chasing victims

The cigs don’t help tbh

Hoodie, on the other hand, is more-so the brains of the operations

He’s excellent at stalking, gathering intel, sneaking into various places, messing with victims’ minds, and coming up with plans to outsmart opponents

Masky’s the leader, but Hoodie’s the mastermind that pulls the strings from the shadows 

He’s just quieter, less strict & has more of a laid-back attitude, which doesn’t meld well with leadership

Finally, there’s Toby

He’s considered the “executioner” of the team

He’s probably the best fighter—mostly by virtue of not feeling pain & having lots of energy

Though this does mean he often gets taken out of action because he’s reckless & gets injured very often

Because he has excellent stamina, he’s also the best at chasing targets 

Toby’s also considered ~the wild card~

He’ll often disobey orders or “forget” the plan entirely

Which makes him harder to control, and which is why he butts heads with Masky so damn often

If he wasn’t so scatter-minded/prone to disobedience, he might ultimately become Slender’s favorite

Which stirs up even more conflict between him and Masky

Luckily, Hoodie’s a good mediator between the two

Overall, the trio’s relationship is... complicated

Toby looks up to Masky—and he lowkey sees his teammates as parental figures

Deep down, Masky also cares for Toby, so they have this weird family kind of dynamic alongside all the bickering, death-threats & near-constant fights

Ah well, I digress

The last proxy I wanted to mention is the most recent one I’ve started writing for; X-Virus

As I’ve stated before, because of the already established dynamic of the first team, he didn’t join the main trio

Instead, he works as a lone wolf, making him a sort of Jack-of-all-trades

He’s super resourceful, which might be his biggest strength

He’s still relatively fresh—but he’s young, hungry & eager to impress his new master

Slender sees a lot of potential in him, which is partly why the main trio’s so weary of him; they feel threatened by the new arrival because they most certainly don’t wanna lose their place to some fresh meat

But, honestly, Cody’s also concerned with a few of his own... personal projects, so he isn’t as dedicated to the job as he could be

If he was determined to do so, he might’ve won over Slender’s favor by now

Still, his time is yet to come; Slender hasn’t finished testing his limits—and he’s excited to see if he’ll eventually break

Other proxies, such as Kate the Chaser and Ani the Wight, for example, work for Slender but aren’t as close to him—both location and favoritism-wise

They usually operate from a distance and, like I mentioned, are more prone to failing missions, getting injured, disobeying, attempting to escape, and so on

They‘re generally less effective than the main team, but still, they have their uses

The amount of proxies Slender has is ultimately unknown—and their abilities/influence under The Operator vary, which is what makes Slender such an influential force in the over world

Surrounded by an army of pawns, the eldritch being is borderline untouchable

Few demons would dare threaten him—and his proxy make damn well sure of it