#< because he's also mentioned a lot

[dee-in-the-box]

okay screw it, i'm doing it anyway

so, my friends, get ready for my AU Version of Blackjack. or, as he is also known:

The Physical Manifestation of The Tragedy of The Kennedy Siblings.

so, to give you an idea of how that ended up being one of his titles, let me go step-by-step with this:

when Jack first died, Blackjack first formed as a skin and bones, pale purple dog. he looked small too, like he was also not a full grown dog, either. yet another odd thing about him: his eyes were entirely white, and he had similar white tear tracks falling down his face. he looked...uncanny, to say the least.

he hung around Fredbear's for a little bit and ran into Dee. upon learning about what had happened to her, he grew angry. really angry. sure, Jack had checked the camera footage before he died and saw Henry leading her to the back, and thus had a clue of what happened...but now he knew for sure. and not only that, he knows details of what that SADISTIC FUCK did to his dear sister.

and he was pissed.

as more and more murders piled up over the years, Blackjack started turning a deeper and deeper purple, to the point he appeared to be a shadowy black color. it was almost like he was a Sponge of Suffering for Freddy's. his body was almost fog-like in the way it worked and appeared, wisps of his fur coming off of his body like smoke. his eyes glowed, and his tears actually felt wet. however, those that touched them discovered that the tears were scalding hot, as though they were heated by hellfire itself. every bark the dog released sounded angry, threatening, even if he was clearly happy or calm.

customers began to view Blackjack as Death Itself, coming to guide the souls of the missing children to the afterlife. oh, how Blackjack wishes that were his purpose.

(no, that job has been delegated to someone else)

it is after Peter dies that something...changes.

Peter, as he died, saw a shadowy dog run up to the Saferoom door after Henry closed it. the dog clawed on the door, snarling and growling at the man behind it. he sounded enraged, like he was cursing Henry out for his crimes, for even daring to hurt Peter or those children. Peter believed that this dog would guide him to the afterlife. he believed it to be Sparky.

(years later, as he recounts the story to Jack as a Phone Guy, he doesn't understand why Jack has an unnerved look on his face as he mentions the dog. the dog didn't seem bad; it actually seemed to want to help. so why does he act like the dog being there was a bad thing?)

Peter's death changed Blackjack. his every breath came out as a growl, he'd watch Henry from a distance, glaring at him and growling at him if he ever got to close. his words were garbled, and very few could understand the words with perfect clarity. but...something else happened, something that disturbed customers even more. the dog would howl, and a sound that many could only describe as "screams of the damned" would accompany it. however, some could pick out three distinct "voices" from the screaming.

a young girl, screaming bloody murder as she begged for two men, her brothers, most likely. a man, groaning in pain along with the sound of metal scraping on tile. the sound that rose above the other two, however, was the sound of another young man screaming in agony quite suddenly, only for it to be cut off as the other two rang out like an echo.

Henry just politely ignored Blackjack's existence. he wouldn't mess with Blackjack if Blackjack didn't mess with him.

after all, why would he bother with the spirit of a dog?

and then 1983 happened. he had simply stayed after hours to clean up after...well, simply put, some kids decided to shove a young boy in Fredbear's mouth.

he remembered hearing the sound of angry snarling behind him. he whipped around, only to find it standing behind him. Blackjack was growling and snarling at him, looking about ready to pounce and tear him to shreds where he stands. the dog howls, and suddenly Henry learns what everyone meant by "screams of the damned."

he hears them clearly. he recognizes at least two of the voices: a girl he murdered and a man whose death he was responsible for. the third...the third he didn't recognize, but was one he had a hunch about, given the context of the other two.

it was the voice of a man he left to die.

(he remembers. he remembers looking that man in the eyes as his life was slipping away from him. he remembers how that man looked up at him, and with all of the voice the man had left, he wheezed out "h..elp...m..e....." Henry remembers laughing in the man's face as he left him to die.)

(Henry remembers returning to that accursed suit and finding it blood-soaked....but scarily empty. because it shouldn't be empty, it's literally impossible for it to be. he was the only one who knew about...him. so how...?)

it hits Henry, the voices he's hearing.

Dee. Peter. Jack.

The Kennedy Siblings.

Henry doesn't get much time to process what that all must mean. he steps back from the clearly aggressive dog. turns out that small movement was a mistake.

Blackjack lunges at him, barking wildly and snarling. Henry braces himself; he'd not sure what a ghost dog would be capable of doing to a person.

he feels pain as the dog sinks its teeth into his skin, and he feels himself...sink? what-?

he finds himself in a place he could only describe as...The Void. he finds the dog standing in front of him, still snarling and growling at him. but...then something unexpected happened.

Blackjack spoke. and Henry knew exactly who this was.

he doesn't know why Jack's soul took the form of a dog. it's something he's never really seen before. with the exception of Dee (she'd take the form of either the puppet she was trapped in, or a regular human-shaped ghost). but....an animal? he'd never seen that before.

regardless, Blackjack practically cusses him out, angry about what Henry had done. to his sister, to his brother, to him. Henry left him to die. he framed him for his sister's murder. he killed everyone he loved.

but he wasn't going to kill him, not yet, anyway. death was too good for him, in Blackjack's eyes.

he left him to rot, believing that, eventually, enough time in The Void would cause Henry to die. because maybe he would still age. maybe he would start to waste away. something.

...safe to say, he was wrong.

it somehow made him stronger.

anyway, there's the timeline 'til about...maybe around DSAF 1? i dunno.

but yeah! Blackjack basically absorbs the Suffering Vibes™ at Freddy's locations and it ended up fueling him and his rage. he got fueled more by Dee and Peter's deaths, hence him being the embodiment/physical manifestation of The Tragedy of the Kennedy Siblings.

also, i did a Minor rewrite of how Blackjack works. i somewhat based him off of how i write Cassidy in the Fnaf Canon: Angry, Vengeful Older Sibling Who Lost Their Loved Ones AND Their Life To The Same Man, Who Lashes Out In Anger At What Happened, And Ends Up Making Bad Decisions In Order To Get Vengeance For Their Murder.

i mean. Jack was a young adult who had his younger sister get murdered by a man who (potentially at this point) was his boss, got framed for her murder, and then was left to die by that same boss. like...realistically speaking, while Blackjack might act all mysterious and wise (and to a certain extent he is), he's really just the soul or a scared, angry, and vengeful young man whose life was ruined for effectively no real reason. so i wanted that to come across more.

[sleepy-grav3]

Amity Park hates the Justice League but loves Red Hood and sometimes other heroes

A/n: I got this random idea so here it is. Oh, and this is good reveal AU ok?

-------

Due to the Justice League mocking them and ignoring their villain problems that were also publicly interdimensional problems, everyone hates the JL. It got worst with the GIW coming in, who blatantly went against the meta-laws (which included aliens, demons and so much more that weren't human from the beginning). They started to think the Justice League supported them.

In the Infinite Realms, however, there's a revenant that many adored and others respected. He did not hold back against criminals. Criminals that would rape, kill, traffic, sell drugs, and more to people. He especially didn't like when they brought kids into this. He'd avenge people the way they should've been: by promising that their abuser/killer/whatever wouldn't be able to do it again. And in the place they lived in, the only way for that to be possible was by major injury, heavy social outcasting, and/or death. Most prefer the 3rd.

And after how long the Amitians dealt with the attacks which eventually came to a slow once or twice a week type thing, they started opening their minds to the idea of coexistence. Well, further than they had. So when people started to cross over and start making their small haunts in their side of the veil, the Amitian's began to become aware of the popular hero Red Hood. He was part of the undead community, which was trustworthy in everyone's books.

So Amity Park started making merch. Most of it was for Team Phantom, but there was plenty for Red Hood as well. There were other heroes on the side, like for Superboy 1 (who they renamed to Supernova due to their hatred for Superman for 2 reasons, the obvious and that he rejected a mirror-born), and Raven (the half demon).

And with this coexistence, Team Phantom had noticed the positive feedback about killing in the name of vengeance. So they went on the offensive, and after a good year of that, the GIW lost funding for producing no results and just taking up resources. The acts were still there, but nobody enacted them in Amity, and nobody actually knew or believed them outside of the haunted city.

Then the Justice League find out about the hero group there due to tracking merchandise after they started to sell outside of the city. Superman was the guy everyone liked, so he was sent over. He immediately got thrown out and was now questioning who the heck Supernova was and when he rejected him.

Flash? Outcast. Everyone ignored and walked away from him. they had the police, who never did anything or even had to anymore, kick him out.

Green Lanter? Oh the poor guy. He had his ring taken away and thrown out of the city somehow. It took hours to find it.

Wonder Woman, they had to be ok with her. Not at first, but once Phantom had a talk with her and people learned that they were cousins through Clockwork (Kronos) and Pandora, they were ok. ish. Tolerated was the best word and she got the info back to the league.

The batfamily took a trip there, dragging Red Hood along somehow. And right when Red Hood was noticed, a crowd began to form as everyone practically worshipped him. There were many victims he had avenged and an Ancient (Lady Gotham) came and gave him the gifts she couldn't without scaring the guy.

At one point, the poor guy even cried.

[kindnessoverperfection]

Please, if you can, take a moment to read and share this because I feel like I'm screaming underwater.

NPD (Narcissistic Personality Disorder) stigma is rampant right now, and seems to be getting progressively worse. Everyone is using it as a buzzword in the worst ways possible, spreading misinformation and hatred against a real disorder.

I could go on a long time about how this happened, why it's factually incorrect (and what the disorder actually IS), why it's harmful, and the changes I'd like to see. But to keep this concise, I'll simply link to a few posts under the cut for further reading.

The point of this post is a plea. Please help stop the spread of stigma. Even in mental health communities, even around others with personality disorders, in neurodivergent "safe" spaces, other communities I thought people would be supportive in (e.g. trans support groups, progressive spaces in general), it keeps coming up. So I'm willing to bet that a lot of people on this site need to see this.

Because it's so hard to exist in this world.

My disorder already makes me feel as if I'm worthless and unlovable, like there's something inherently wrong and damaged about me. And it's so much harder to fight that and heal when my daily life consists of:

Laughing and spending time with my friends, doing my utmost best to connect and stay present and focused on them, trying to let my guards down and be real and believe I'm lovable- when suddenly they throw out the word "narcissist" to describe horrible people or someone they hate, or the conversation turns to how evil "people with narcissistic personality disorder" are. (Seriously, you don't know which of your friends might have NPD and feels like shit when you say those things & now knows that you'd hate them if you knew.)

Trying to look up "mental health positivity for people with npd", "mental health positivity cluster bs", only to find a) none of that, and b) more of the same old vile shit that makes me feel terrible about myself.

Having a hard time (which is constant at this point) and trying to look up resources for myself, only to again, find the same stigma. And no resources.

Not having any clue how to help myself, because even the mental health field is spitting so much vitriol at people with DISORDERS (who they're supposed to be helping!) that there's no solid research or therapy programs for people like me.

Losing close friends when they find out, despite us having had a good relationship before, and them KNOWING me and knowing that I'm not like the trending image of pwNPD. Because now they only see me through the lens of stigma and misinformation.

Hearing the same stigma come up literally wherever I go. Clubs. Meetings. Any online space. At the bus stop. At the mall. At a restaurant. At work. Buzzword of the year that everyone loooves loudly throwing around with their friends or over the phone. Feels awesome for me, makes my day so much better/s

I could go on for a long time, but I'm scared no one will read/rb this if it gets too much longer.

So please. Stop using the word "narcissist" as a synonym for "abusive".

Stop bringing up people you hate who you believe to have NPD because of a stigmatizing article full of misinformation whenever someone with actual NPD opens their mouth. (Imagine if people did that with any other disorder! "Hey, I'm autistic." "Oh... my old roommate screamed at me whenever I made noise around him, and didn't understand my needs, which seems like sensory overload and difficulty with social cues. He was definitely autistic. But as long as you're self-aware and always restraining your innate desire to be an abusive asshole, you're okay I guess, maybe." ...See how offensive and ignorant that is?)

Stop preventing healthcare for people with a disorder just because it's trendy to use us as a scapegoat.

If you got this far, thank you for reading, and please share this if you can. Further reading is under the cut.

NPD Criteria, re-written by someone who actually has NPD

Stigma in the DSM

Common perception of the DSM criteria vs how someone may actually experience them (Keep in mind that this is the way I personally experience these symptoms, and that presentation can vary a lot between individuals)

"Idk, the stigma is right though, because I've known a lot of people with NPD who are jerks, so I'm going to continue to support the blockage of treatment for this condition."

(All of these were written by me, because I didn't want to link to other folks' posts without permission, but if you want to add your own links in reblogs or replies please feel free <3)

[turtleblogatlast]

I think a lot about Leo standing up for his brothers in the things that really matter to them.

Like- Leo is the one who immediately pushes Mikey and Donnie into finding Raph the second it’s clear that their oldest brother is missing because he knows Raph can’t handle being separated like that.

Leo is the one who stands up for Mikey when Mikey wants to go on a solo mission, actively vouching for him and being the one to convince Raph into letting Mikey go, because being independent and proving himself just as capable of standing on his own two feet as everyone else means so much to Mikey.

And Leo defends Donnie’s honor in particular when his brothers’ intelligence is insulted because Leo is well aware of how important Donnie’s smarts are to him - and how important having those smarts valued and acknowledged is as well.

All this goes right into just how well Leo knows his brothers. For as much as he’ll tease or fight with them, he knows them, and he loves them.

[lena-in-her-mind-palace]

It is so, so important to me that people understand that Tim didn't figure out the bats because Dick was a "Show off". Like yes, Dick Grayson is the most flamboyant, dramatic ass man you will ever meet.

But the quadruple somersault? There's no way that was because dick was just showing off. Because you're telling me Bruce Wayne, who's so committed to hiding his identity that he literally acts like a completely different person out of the mask in public just to ward suspicion, would miss the fact that Robin regularly uses the flying Grayson's trademark move? There's literally no way.

In the comics we see Tim explain his deductive process to Dick and Alfred and they're both surprised impressed whatever. We don't see him explain it to Bruce. I think Bruce would be surprised and shocked that a 9 year old was able to put the pieces together but I don't think he'd be surprised that the quadruple somersault gave it away.

So if Bruce was possibly aware of such an obvious give away, why let it continue?

I'll tell you why.

It really comes down to the physics

So Dick was 9 when he started out right? That means the most he'd have likely weighed was 43kgs or roughly 95lbs in freedom units.

But Dick and both of his parents are gymnasts who tend to be smaller. So he was likely less than that.

In physics, rotating objects build up angular momentum (this is how bikes stay up right for example). The more rotation, the more momentum. And objects with less mass build up that momentum much faster than those that are heavier.

Robin constantly has to fight people who are nearly 3 times his size. I teach 8 year olds, they're tiny. A quadruple somersault for a small boy that weighs less than a hundred pounds is a brutal weapon. Especially if you add in the acceleration from gravity as he drops in from above.

And I can guarantee you this logic tracks because Dick literally utilizes this idea, without the somersault, in the 2009 teen titans cartoon.

Yeah, that's right. We're talking about the infamous knee drop.

Like it is borderline savage. Add in a quadruple somersault and the resulting force is nearly fatal. It's likely the main reason Batman would ever allow him to do it with the cape on.

Also, Dick landing feet first on the penguin in the first image probably gave the guy severe back issues

[racewinnerlandonorris]

he may not realistically be in the battle for the drivers championship anymore, however that doesn’t at all minimise just how proud i am of all lando has achieved this season. 3 wins (including his maiden), 7 poles, 12 podiums, leading his team to first place in the constructors championship, securing the most points of any mclaren driver in history. and that’s just on track, off it i am immensely proud of his growth too, from being someone who always saw everything as glass half full and was always so hard on himself, to the way he now talks in interviews you can see his confidence and belief in his own abilities has come on so far (as it should). it’s so nice to see how far he’s come from the little boy who started out in f1 so many years ago. maybe this year wasn’t his for the championship but mark my words, his time will come.

[bluegiragi]

konig: why was that attractive

support me on patreon (nsfw)

[front-facing-pokemon]

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

about that one lan qiren & jin guangshan art: .....does that mean wen ruohan has both or is he as flat as a board on the opposite? XD

Mans so flat they rotated him 90 degrees and he disappeared from the narrative.

[rockwgooglyeyes]

It's This Moment (or Nothing)

One of the biggest things that I have run into over the past day with Blink, Gone is the way that it feels incomplete and that is something I still stand by. This could be something completely purposeful, meant to illustrate that the round wasn't ever going to be a legitimate competition anyways, intended from the beginning as a lure for Hyuna and Mizi, to add extra emotional effect to the cliffhanger, or perhaps it really is one half of a wider whole (in a more localized sense than it being one part of the whole series, anyways). I don't really know which I think is more likely, at this point, because I'm not sure enough about any of my theories on that front to make real predictions. I still believe that Mizi will end up on her own when this all finished, all of the people she ever loved dead and gone, the bodies littered at her feet.

With the "special guests" I presume that Hyuna and Mizi will be forced to go up against each other. My friend Zen, (@verdantlights) said that hy thinks that it'll end up being a Hyunaluka round where Hyuna is set to win and then a Hyunamizi round where Hyuna is set to lose (edited because i got the order wrong and zen corrected me lmao). I agree with the idea that, at this point, it's damage control. They successfully lured Mizi (and by extension, Hyuna) in with Till, killed Till and now they're going to make their hostages perform for their lives, as is their brand.

One of the most interesting parts of Blink Gone, for me, is how this was presumably all planned from the start. Zen mentioned something that made me realize this yesterday, that this is the 50th season of Alien Stage. There's no way they would let it get this rowdy with rebels and disrupted rounds unless they were letting it happen, because it was planned from the start, because they were trying to tie up loose ends (Hyuna). Not only that but this round in particular was undoubtedly planned from the beginning, with the amount of preparation that went into it (the giant billboards of Ivan, the chanting of the crowd, the song itself). Till was ranked 2, it was always going to end up this way, Luka's superiority reinforced and his opponent dead on the floor. (btw I'm coming back to Luka. There's gonna be another fucking post just you wait). The way that they used Till's triggers against him, they drugged both of the performers but only gave Till enough to last him halfway through, forced Till to perform against Luka right after Round 6, where he lost one of the people in his life that was most important to him, and then rubbing salt into his horrible fresh wounds.

This is also one of the only rounds where Mizi is one of the POV characters that we have no mentions of Sua, at all. Perhaps that's merely because Mizi wasn't the focus and by extension, neither was Sua, but in another way, you could argue that it's because someone else was busy haunting the narrative: Ivan.

It kinda fucking hurts that the only way we really got to see Ivan was two ways- a direct flashback to the kiss from CURE, a explicit representation of the trauma that Ivan left Till with, and the billboards/Luka manipulations where he mimics Ivan in order to get Till on the back foot. And the thing is, it works. Ivan, despite his every intention otherwise, has become a trauma for Till, the way he thought he never could. To a degree, I was happy about this, because it proved Ivan wrong, that he would just be forgotten in a blink, but it hurts as well, because him only being used as a weapon against Till only reinforces his beliefs about himself that he is a monster and a negative impact on others. He would view himself being used against Till as a bad thing, that he hurt Till when he never intended to, rather than seeing it for what it is- an explicit sign that he was far more important to Till than he previously thought.

(Also something driving me up a wall right now is the way that one of my friend's described the lyrics of Blink, Gone as being in reference to the way that one moment Ivan was there, and the next he was gone, because Till took advantage of Ivan's presence and didn't know how much he needed it until it was gone and I'm sorry I'm going to go scream some more now.)

One thing I've talked about with friends a lot the past day is the way that, if Till is truly dead, then what was Ivan's character even for? And while narratively, it wouldn't make sense to kill TIll here with all of the potential he has and where his arc is going, one thing that @pwippy pointed out to me is how it makes a lot of sense thematically. Alien Stage is a universe full of suffering and pain for humans, forced to perform until they literally die on stage, all for the entertainment of the audience. It's not even meant as a way of exerting control or oppressing them, though it serves that purpose, because why would the seygein bother to oppress something that can't even fight back? Why go to the trouble of controlling something that is just a pet, whose cries are the fuel for a new age?

For Till to die now, reaching out for this glimmer of light when he is an animal caged, surrounded by enemies and bombarded with triggers of his suffering and pain, it would only be fitting. Another confirmation that life isn't fair, especially not in a system that is actively working against you and your attempts at happiness. Yet another sign that none of them were supposed to live very long, that even if they won, they wouldn't be around for much longer anyways. Now, it wouldn't necessarily be in character for Till, as he wants to live and he wants to fight, but he got to see one of the people he loved most in his dying moments, just like Sua and Ivan did. (Thank you this post for grabbing me by the throat and squeezing). In this world of pain and suffering, perhaps death is a mercy. If Till is truly dead, then he no longer a tool for his oppressors, he is free of their control. For Ivan and Sua both of their deaths were mercies to them- Ivan was able to die for the one he loved, as was Sua, and neither of them were forced to live in a world without their beloved.

So, while it might not be in character for Till to die, it makes sense within the themes and the established mechanisms of the universe, and it hammers home just how much more Mizi has to lose, even at this point where she thinks she's lost it all.

Mizi, who at the beginning, was the only one of these characters filled with innocence and hope, Mizi, the apparent protagonist of this story- at the end, she will be alone and she will know the true lengths of cruelty, with all that which she has ever loved destroyed.

[ceratedfish24]

I'm really not a ship person (nothing against shipping its just not for me usually) but something about Scott rarepairs really intrigue me

Scott rarepairs are so awesome. That’s a man who cares so deeply about those he loves and never expects to be loved back with the same caliber.

The people who he’s commonly paired with are the same people he hangs out with a lot, so they’re more inclined to be aggressive with him when not allied with him. That’s their friend! Of course they’re gonna mess with him.

The people in Scott rarepairs usually don’t talk with Scott as often, but they know his kind of humor because most of them hang out with Cleo and Gem a lot. They also tend to know from the life series that Scott is not a force to be reckoned with. That means that they have a lot of respect for Scott AND a lot of affection for people like Scott.

Something that helps is that Scott is one of the friendliest people in that social circle. I believe that myself, but I say it aloud because so many other people in that social circle have stated such, which is absolutely a testament to how pleasant Scott is to people. People are SO quick to get comfortable around Scott. Tango, Etho, Grian, Bdubs, and Skizz don’t get to talk to Scott very often, and yet they’ve all had on camera moments where they expressed how cool or sweet they find Scott to be.

“Scott’s awesome. Scott’s awesome.” - Tango during his 2nd MCC, which was at Twitchcon, when Scott found him to check on him and encourage him.

“We all need to have people we can trust no matter what’s going on. Bdubs… Scott…” - Etho during Secret Life to Cleo

“Scott is the only person on this server who I trust right now.” - Grian during Third Life

“A birthday party? That sounds- that sounds like Scott or Jimmy- no that’s Scott. Scott’s a very empathetic person.” - Bdubs answering a trivia question this past episode of the Life Series

“Smajor was this other… guy on the life series, and, every time I passed him, he’s kinda nice, and then we talked more and he’s really nice, and now I admire him, and now I like him, and now I- I really like this guy!” - Skizz on the Imp & Skizz podcast describing how he didn’t want to make connections with people for their clout when he joined Third Life, but he couldn’t help but be drawn to Scott. This is also, coincidentally, how crushes tend to develop, Skizzleman.

Scott is a very earnest and caring person, even in the life series, a death game, where that’s not particularly rewarded 100% of the time. Everybody has so much respect for Scott, both because they know that he’s a lot like Cleo and Gem and they have a lot of love and respect for Cleo and Gem and because their personal experiences with Scott have made it clear how sweet and competent he is.

I love Smajor rarepairs, because I’m not into relationships where one person is pulling all of the weight. A lot of mainstream Smajor ships reduce Scott to his relationship and let the other person have their own things going on. There tends to be a lot of focus on the other person, like they’re Scott’s whole world. Rarepairs tend to have Scott’s partner(s) treat him with reverence, which forces Scott to confront his insecurities, how he feels like he needs to earn other people’s affection.

Tango is immune to flirting, but he’s very responsive to Scott’s teasing and eager to banter with him. He doesn’t talk to Scott a lot, but he clearly really likes Scott and how earnest Scott is.

Etho absolutely thinks that Scott is incredible. You can see it in literally every single interaction they have. Etho and Scott probably talk the least out of everyone I mentioned, but I think Etho pays the most attention to Scott and has simply become endeared to him because he sees so much of Cleo and Gem in Scott.

Grian ALWAYS has a compliment for Scott. When he first met Scott, he didn’t trust Scott because “no one’s that happy”. When he learned that Scott’s just like that? Instantly loved Scott. How could you reject someone who’s clearly so happy just to spend time with you? He loves to tease Scott. I think he sees Scott as someone he can properly match wits with, what with how they both love to make short little games and are usually chaotic until they’re the least chaotic in a group and immediately become the responsible one.

Bdubs is terrified of Scott. There’s no other way to put it. Bdubs is more afraid of Scott than he is of Cleo and Gem. He commented during the fourth episode of Wild Life on how Scott is a really hard target. There was fear in his voice. He later tried to convince Tango not to go after him. He really didn’t want to upset Scott. He’s so traumatized after that game of tag. HOWEVER. Bdubs knows that Scott is a man of reason. Bdubs isn’t usually worried about attacking groups that his group is on neutral grounds with, because he knows that they’ll eventually attack him first if he doesn’t beat them to the punch. That’s how this game works. Scott doesn’t do that, and Bdubs has taken note of that and trusts that. Bdubs trusts Scott not to attack him without a reason.

Skizz? I could go on for HOURS about Skizz. Skizz has literally admitted to subconsciously treating Scott like he’s Impulse, who Skizz loves to death, who Skizz trusts when he can’t call anyone else, who Skizz kisses on the temple when they haven’t seen each other for a while. Skizz is a very kind person, but, in game, he’s not the most levelheaded person. Scott is both kind AND levelheaded, which Skizz has a lot of respect for. Scott doesn’t even have a temper to lose when it comes to verbal conversation. Hurt him or his friends and he’ll make you wish you hadn’t, sure, but words will never hurt him. I think Skizz honestly sees a lot of Impulse in Scott, whereas most people see Cleo. People compare Cleo to Scott, because they’re both petty and witty. Skizz compares Impulse to Scott because they’re both petty and survivalists. Skizz has commented many a time on how Scott is so much better than Skizz at PVP and how impressed he is that Scott can evade the entire server when they’re hunting him. Apparently, Skizz (and Impulse) thinks that Scott gives the BEST hugs. Apparently, Scott is the only person whose hugs make Skizz feel like he could fall asleep right then and there.

Another thing I’ve noticed about my favorite Smajor rarepairs is that they all love to make Scott laugh. When Tango teases Scott, it’s never about anything serious. It’s always to make Scott giggle. When he’s around Scott, Etho LOVES to do and say things that would make Cleo or Gem laugh, and they work on Scott too. It’s the “wet cat” behavior he emphasizes when he’s with Cleo and Gem, because he knows that it makes them laugh. Scott has never poked fun at Etho for being “washed up” or “a wet cat”, but he does laugh when Etho emphasizes the “lost puppy” behavior. Outside of the life series, Grian isn’t particularly interested in making Scott laugh, but he does like to impress Scott. When Grian knows Scott’s watching, he really challenges himself. I think it’s because he, himself, is very impressed with Scott. Bdubs absolutely loves to make Scott laugh. You can see it in Scott’s escape room videos. He says so many silly things just to get a reaction out of Scott. You CANNOT tell me that “Bdubs, there’s something in this room that will allow you to swim up lava” “the bed” “no, think something you can drink” “the lava” was genuine. I’m completely sure that Bdubs knew Scott meant that there was a hidden fire res potion but just wanted to be silly. Skizz LOVES Scott’s laugh. He’s said it before. Skizz loves to make Scott laugh so much. He loves hearing Scott’s laugh. It’s so giddy and full and joyous.

Maybe I’m projecting a little bit. As a lesbian, you can’t believe how grateful I am that the only traits my mother has ever asked me to find in a partner is 1) someone you can trust and 2) someone who makes you laugh. She doesn’t ask for my partner to be rich or cisgender or a man or conventionally attractive or of a certain race or religion. That’s kind of what makes me love Smajor rarepairs so much. They respect and trust Scott, and they love to make him laugh.

[ratatatastic]

the things ekky has done or said that i cant stop thinking about. the 4 minute cut.

[shmorp-mcdurgen]

An Analysis of Gman in Half Life: Alyx

HL:A Gman is by far the most interesting version of Gman I've seen and I've noticed so many details in his one interaction with Alyx, to the point I needed to make a full post about all the bullet points. (Note that this is MY personal interpretation, so it could be different from what was intended or what other people believe)

Starting from the very beginning, when Alyx asks whether Gman is Gordon Freeman or not, he responds in a kind of. Condescending way.

It's almost like he's amused by the fact he was mistaken for Gordon. not to mention the use of "Imprison" in the statement, almost as if he's not only making a snide remark towards Gordon, but also implying that even he sees Gordon's employment as "imprisonment". Not to mention the implication that it really does not take that much to hold Gordon captive in one way or another. Could also be literal, meaning Gordon isn't near powerful enough to require a full Vault be built around him.

A: "So. Who are you?"

Alyx asks a very simple question cause. why wouldn't she be confused? She expected a super-weapon; she expected Gordon Freeman, so when she found nothing but a man in a suit who straight up scoffs at the misunderstanding, of COURSE she'd want to ask questions. However, Gman only responds with:

Gman deflects the question, but rather than completely ignoring it, he simply leads it into a new question: "What can I offer you?"

He guides the conversation to a different topic, luring Alyx away from questioning who, or what, he is, whether it's because he doesn't want to (or can't) give an answer, or if it's because he simply wants the conversation to move forward rather than being caught on the nature of Gman himself.

G: "Some believe the fate of our world is Inflexible. My Employers disagree."

This statement is funny in an ironic way. he states that fate is flexible and can be changed, yet. When was the last time Gman didn't have full say on what can and will happen? By making everything go a very specific way, you CREATE fate.

G: "They authorize me to… nudge things in a particular direction from time to time. What would YOU want nudged, Ms. Vance?"

The use of word "Nudge" is an interesting way to describe changing things within the timeline. though something else that's interesting is his facial expressions during this moment.

He looks almost. Kind. but in a forced sort of way. It feels like he's expecting a certain answer from Alyx, and is just waiting for her to say it.

However, when she says she wants the combine off earth, his expression changes.

The change in expression implies that Alyx's answer was not the one he wanted or hoped for. Thus, he once again ignores what Alyx said and gives his own reasons for it.

G: "Ahhh. That would be a considerably large nudge. Too large, given the interests of my employers."

Rather than giving Alyx a second chance at a more reasonable request however, he instead says:

G: "What if I could offer you something you don't know you want?"

It finally clicks together why Gman's there: To make a deal. Whatever Alyx said before this moment was completely irrelevant. No matter what Alyx requested to have "Nudged", he would have brought up his own offer. He had already mapped out how the conversation was going to end even before Alyx had even begun speaking to him. It was just a matter of getting there.

Gman showing Alyx her fathers death was an intentional and targeted choice. Alyx is a little more naïve here than she is in HL2, not to mention her close relationship to Eli. Eli is one of the only people she has left at this point in her life, so. Why wouldn't she want to save him? This is exactly the reason Gman chose this event in particular above anything else, because he knew it was an offer Alyx would NEVER say no to. He knows Alyx more than she knows herself, and had already predicted the outcome of the situation. So, understandably, Alyx kills the Advisor in place of her father's life.

This line. This line is so interesting to me in particular. Rather than describing Eli as a "person" or "human", and describing the dead Advisor as something "alien", he refers to both as "entities." almost as if he sees both of them on the same wavelength of sorts. It implies Gman sees no difference between a human and an animal, or alien of some kind. Sees them all as simply that. Entities.

Yet another example of Gman deflecting the questions given to him, guiding the conversation instead towards Alyx herself.

G: "A previous hire has been unable — or unwilling — to perform the tasks laid before him. We have struggled to find a suitable replacement. Until now."

Him referring to Gordon in this way is interesting to me. Was the sudden wish to drop Gordon from employment due to the Vortigaunt intervention in HL2 Episode 1? Was it because Gordon was truly incapable of fulfilling certain "tasks"? Or maybe it was because Gordon was not as vulnerable to Gman's influence? It's unclear, and it's also not clear whether this means Gordon is fully free of Gman's control or not.

At this point it's made crystal clear that Alyx killing the advisor in place of her father was a contract she was signing, one she didn't even know she held the pen to. This was always going to be the outcome of the interaction, since the beginning. Everything Alyx had done up to that point was to help Gman and his "Employers" get further in their goals now that Gordon was deemed "Incapable". Nothing that Alyx could have done would've mattered; her "fate" was decided from the beginning.

Overall what I gather from this ending is a lot about Gman as a character. He never truly lies, yet he purposefully leaves out important details, such as the fact that reversing Eli's death wasn't without a price. He manipulates the conversation to fit his wants and needs, ignoring direct questions he sees as unimportant to his goals. And the thing is, he does it in a way that Alyx doesn't even seem to notice. He has played this game so many times that he knows exactly what moves to play. He knows the people he talks to more than they know themselves. He uses their worst fears against them to make them go to him for safety.

Judging by the things Gordon survived in Black Mesa, you can gauge he had a strong will to survive. So what better to do to seal a deal than to threaten that life he cares so much about? To tell him that the only other option was to go under Gman's employment else he face death itself? Alyx had such a strong connection to her father, so what better to do than to tell her that Eli will die if she doesn't do anything, luring her in to sign a contract without even knowing what she was signing?

Gman is a master manipulator, no better words for it. And he always manages to do it in such a way that you can barely even notice it happening. He never raises his voice. he never shows irritation or hostility aside from only one instance. Because why should he be frustrated? He's won even before the game started. And honestly that is frightening to me, cause it shows that he's done this many times before and knows just how to get what he and his "Employers" want, regardless of how it effects other people.

[bougiebutchbinch]

rotating..... her

(transfemme wade wilson)

[turtleblogatlast]

Something I’ve been thinking about lately is that small moment in “Air Turtle” where immediately after the Daves lose yet another game, Leo says how sorry he is and how he’s doing his best as the mascot. This moment is so short but it’s honestly jam-packed with a whole heap of characterization.

His need to apologize for things clearly not his fault - especially when it feels like he messes up the job he was given despite doing the best he can (the phrase “it’s not about you” takes a new meaning when this is one of the lessons to be learned from that - that he is not always solely responsible for things going wrong), his need to save face and make a connection with an older adult man in his life (something he consistently does throughout the series - he’s got a few daddy issues, always collecting potential father figures, it’s no wonder he jumps at the bit to keep rapport), and the way he sounds and looks and the words he chooses really pushes how he is just a kid (“Mr. the Dunk, I’m so sorry”).

Like I know it’s a one off moment that doesn’t truly mean much, but when put against the rest of the series it works really well with the rest of Leo’s established character and helps in solidifying later concepts as well.

[spineless-lobster]

Erm, listen baby, I’m into lots of different things, but war just isn’t one of them.

Not even five seconds into meeting this man and he’s already a certified freak I love you supergiant games thank you so much