#(ITS NOT OFFICIAL IN SHOW THAT HE IS YET BUT ITS CANON IN MY HEAD)

[izzyizumi]

HOKUTO AMANOKAWA (CV/Seiyuu: Hiroki Takahashi) got a card AND WAS PROMO'D ALONGSIDE BLACKTAILMON UVER.??!!??!!!

[h0neysp1ce]

Hi! I was wondering if you could do my request? Could you any genshin boys (Mainly Neuvillette and Wriothesley, but if you want to do one, do Neuvillette) with a fem!reader who’s like robin from hsr? Like she’s a popular idol and is very famous?

Thanks for reading my request, and make sure to take care of yourself!

Nҽυʋιʅʅҽƚƚҽ x Iԃσʅ Fҽɱ! Rҽαԃҽɾ

Characters: Neuvillette, Fem! Reader Tags: Established Relationship, Fluff Constellation: Head canons, Scenarios/One Shots Warning(s): Spoilers for Neuvillette's character and Fontaine quests. DNI if you haven't played through the Fontaine Archon quests yet or interacted with Fontaine as a whole. There are spoilers! also there are French Pet names mentioned such as Mon Chéri, Mon trésor, and Mon Amour. Reader is Female Aligned , although its rough finding context clues of that (I'll edit later for any mistakes) mentions of other characters such as Seigiwinne, Lyney, and Lynette. Cringe Dialogue between you and Neuv?? sort of. Mentions of Deep kissing sessions but nothing over that??

A/N: Thank you to the person who requested this! It provided a fun challenge for my writing skills, which I enjoyed ^^ I wasn't sure if you meant headcanons or scenarios, so I included a mixture. And thank you do take care of yourself too! <3 (edited post)

word count: 1824

˚. ✦.˳·˖✶ ⋆.✧̣̇˚.˚. ✦.˳·˖✶ ⋆.✧̣̇˚.˚. ✦.˳·˖✶ ⋆.✧̣̇˚.˚. ✦.˳·˖✶ ⋆.✧̣̇˚.˚. ✦.˳·˖✶ ⋆.✧̣̇˚.

You had caught the eye of the Hydro Dragon in short...

➺ You and Neuvillette had started dating privately since you were both significant figures in Fontaine, him as the Chief of Justice and you as a popular Idol.

➺ The relationship is very discreet and private; the only person who knows would probably be Sigewinnie. You two had met at the Opera House during Lyney and Lynette's magic show.

To put it simply, you found yourself wanting to get away from the paparazzi. So, you put on a disguise and decided to visit the Opera House, curious about the magic show. However, you had no idea you would bump into the Chief of Justice.

𝒮𝒸𝑒𝓃𝒶𝓇𝒾𝑜 (1)

You took a seat beside the Chief of Justice without realizing who he was. Suddenly, a voice broke your train of thought.

"Excuse me- "

You turned to look, and it was Neuvillette himself. You almost freaked out, but you kept your composure.

"Monsieur Neuvillette—" your voice faltered mid-sentence.

"Ms. "Name" I presume?" he asked.

"How did you- "

"Don’t fret, Madam Name. I’m not going to blow your cover, so you can relax," he stated with a slight smile.

➺ From that point on, you two found ways to see each other—some coincidences and some deliberate. This is what strengthened your relationship the most.

➺ Your hometown is Fontaine, so when you’re not touring or performing, you’re relaxing at home.

➺Eventually, it was clear that you both had feelings for each other. Though it was awkward at first, you two made it official, and it went surprisingly well.

𝒮𝒸𝑒𝓃𝒶𝓇𝒾𝑜 (2)

You had just finished rehearsal for one of your concerts and had promised Neuvillette in advance that you would have a date and some tea together.

You hastily made your way to his office, gently opening the door and closing it behind you.

"Ah, Mon chéri—I presume rehearsals concluded ?" Neuvillette trailed off. He was at his desk, finalizing some paperwork when he looked up at you and gave a smile.

" Yes, Mon amour, they did," you responded. You made your way behind his desk, plopped down in his lap, and rested your head on his shoulder.

"Mon trésor," he murmured, taking one of your hands and kissing the back of it before bringing it to his cheek to bask in your warmth.

He trailed a few kisses from the edge of your palm to your wrist, his hand resting on top of yours.

You and he just sat like that for what seemed like a while until you broke the silence.

"Mon amour, how has work been going on your end, if I may ask?"

"It’s been very tedious, my dear "Name", but as the Chief of Justice, it’s my job," he said with a slight smile.

He looked at you with admiration and suddenly pulled you in for a sweet kiss that lasted a few moments. You both enjoyed the warmth and passion of the moment.

You pulled away first and giggled at how clingy he was being.

You shared a few more kisses before actually getting on with the date, which ended with you both drinking tea and discussing a multitude of topics.

➺ Neuvillette is a man who loves praise. He adores it when you compliment him and will do the same for you, admiring and praising you in every way. He definitely attends most of your concerts; unfortunately, he can’t make it to all of them because of his busy schedule with trials, paperwork, and his duties as the Chief of Justice. However, he always ensures to be your biggest supporter and fan.

➺He loves your voice. When you speak or sing, it’s like listening to an angel to him.

➺ He has been open about his true identity to you. In fact, he told you he was the Hydro Dragon on your second date. He didn’t want to hide it from you because he cares about you and values honesty in your relationship. At first, he was hesitant to tell you because he didn’t know how you would react, and he didn’t want to overwhelm you.

➺ This man even gave you a promise ring. You both have matching rings, though his is hidden under one of his gloves for obvious reasons related to Fontaine's never ending drama. He loves how you wear yours on display.

Interviewer: "Now, Ms. Name, can you tell me about the ring on your finger?" the interviewer asked curiously.

"Name:" “Oh, this is just a new piece of prized jewelry I wear. It’s an important piece and has a lot of value, that’s all I’ll say for now,” you replied.

➺ That’s the excuse to keep things concealed between you two, as you prefer to keep the relationship private.

➺ Sigewinne found out during tea time between her and Neuvilette , Neuvillette mentioned you, and she could tell from the way he spoke about you that you two were definitely an item. She always found you to be a lovely couple.

➺ Neuvillette loves when you return from your travels or tours. He enjoys when you find a comfy spot on his lap in his office while he’s going through files and paperwork. He might pull you closer and sneak in a few kisses and caresses while multitasking.

➺He is excellent at multitasking, confirmed.

➺ He admires you in every way. He finds you beautiful and sweet and feels you bring him so much joy. Whenever you’re around, this Hydro Dragon cries less, to put it simply.

➺ You’re good at easing each other’s stress. For you, you work with comforting him, and your comfort helps him relax when he’s been cooped up in his office for too long. On the other hand, he goes for a more delicate approach, like letting you sit on his lap or resting on the sofa in his office after a lot of rehearsals or concerts.

➺ He’s a physical touch and gift-giving man, and maybe just a bit into words of affirmation. He has a specific way of talking to you. Although he may not fully understand all human emotions, he really tries, and you’ve helped him understand them better.

➺ He loves your touches—your soft hands that fit so well in his, and when you cup his face, he’ll place his hands over yours if you do so for a while. He enjoys basking in your warmth, and he loves to litter your hands with kisses and trail up your hands and wrists. He wants to kiss your soft lips 24/7 and hold you passionately every chance he gets. You are precious to him.

➺ He is a well-mannered man with a lot of courtesy and respect towards you <3

➺ You and him do live together, but the location is kept private between you two.

➺ This man will eventually ask you to marry him—100% guaranteed.

➺ Just ask, and he makes some of your concerts. You tend to attend some of the trials he oversees, though you sit in the back so you’re not easily noticed.

➺ Things definitely grow passionate when you kiss, and it becomes very intimate. By the end, you’re either both slightly out of breath or Neuvillette is covered in kiss marks from your lipstick.

➺ You might think he would be bothered by lipstick stains and marks left on him, but he actually loves them, even though he has to clean them off before making a public appearance, which is rare unless it’s a trial or something.

➺ He’ll often give you his coat on the way home. His coat draped over you is something that makes him happy.

➺ They say dragons like treasure. You are, in fact, his treasure—more precisely, his “Mon trésor.”

➺ Being the Iudex in Fontaine, you know he’s fluent in French, so expect him to speak to you in French sometimes or give you French pet names of endearment.

➺ As an Idol, you have many die-hard fans. It’s not bad for the most part, but sometimes they can get out of hand.

➺ You’re famous to the point that the whole of Teyvat knows who you are at this point.

➺ You made a name for yourself early in your career and are a very successful Idol, beloved by many.

➺ Your music and songs are hits across the world of Teyvat. Lots of people talk about you a lot.

➺ Your Vision is Hydro, and during your performances, you use water techniques from your Vision to create cool effects at your concerts.

➺ Not only are you a hit as an Idol, but you also do interviews, modeling for photoshoots, and there is some merchandise with your face on it. However, you prefer to keep it minimal, as having your face on everything is a bit overwhelming at times.

➺ Yes, there are downsides to being an Idol - crazy fans and intrusive paparazzi, to name a few. But other than that, you love your career.

➺ With your Vision, when used during performances, it creates a trail of water, musical notes, and floating bubbles that sync with your voice and timing.

➺ Sometimes, Neuvillette will ask you to sing something for him when you’re alone, and you get shy and surprised, asking him why.

𝒮𝒸𝑒𝓃𝒶𝓇𝒾𝑜 (3)

"I'm running a  bit late," you said, glancing at the time.

"I’ll be back soon, mon amour," you kissed Neuvillette goodbye.

He smiled and pulled you in for one last kiss before you had to go, returning your goodbye kiss.

"I’ll see you later this evening, mon chéri. Remember dinner tonight," he said.

You grinned widely in return and turned to head off, getting ready for another one of your concerts. Unfortunately, Neuvillette was buried in paperwork, so he couldn’t attend this one. But he wished you all the best and good luck.

Later, you returned from your concert, kicking off your heels after entering the shared home you and Neuvillette have.

"Mon amour!" you called out.

"Yes, Mon trésor, I’m in the dining room," he replied.

You entered the dining room, which was dark except for the lit candles on the table.

A candlelit dinner? Your face flushed slightly red as you looked up to see Neuvillette sitting across the table with a wine glass in hand.

"Welcome home, dear "Name", he said.

"Neuvillette, you didn’t have to do all this..." you murmured as you walked over to him.

He pulled you into his lap the moment you reached him, holding you close for a moment before responding.

"Mon amour," he mumbled into your shoulder.

"My sweet Hydro Dragon..." You lightly ran a hand through his white fluffy locks, gently massaging his scalp.

You ended up staying there, chatting over dinner about your day and enjoying each other’s company.

A/N: Dialogue went brrr. I tried to be as creative and detailed as possible but it might be cringe at points. I’m still learning how to write so apologies for any awkward dialogue ;w;

. ✦.˳·˖✶ ⋆.✧̣̇˚.˚. ✦.˳·˖✶ ⋆.✧̣̇˚.˚. ✦.˳·˖✶ ⋆.✧̣̇˚.˚. ✦.˳·˖✶ ⋆.✧̣̇˚.˚. ✦.˳·˖✶ ⋆.✧̣̇˚.

[1moreff-creator]

DRDT + Milgram AU: Undercover (Introduction)

Finally succumbed to the Urges and came up with ideas for a full Danganronpa Despair Time - Milgram AU, and now I feel like sharing. This means giving each character a MV + VD concept (not a full VD though I ain’t writing that much dialogue, and not a full MV because who do you think I am), plus this Undercover post! I’m not sure if I’ll commit to this for a full three trials, or I’ll just drop it after just one, but I can guarantee I’ll do this trial in full. Feel free to make analysis posts (no pressure obvs), but also obvs don't expect this to be that good, I'm doing this for fun.

And if you come from the Milgram side, uh... have fun? I am curious about what people with no prior conceptions of these characters would think, but I do recommend DRDT if you haven't watched it (the overlap between the fandoms is non-trivial, I imagine you'll like it). If not, you should probably look up the character designs at least, but be wary that there will be DRDT spoilers.

As an obvious disclaimer just in case, I am not affiliated with either DRDT or Milgram in any way, this is just a fanmade AU done entirely for fun.

Basic Concept

Pretty simple. What if the 16 students of DRDT were prisoners in Milgram? This means they're all "murderers" by some loose definition of the word, implying most of their backstories must be changed to acommodate for that. For the prisoner pairs, I just paired them based on the Chapter 1 recap. The rest is pretty self-explanatory provided you know how Milgram works; three trials, vote Forgiven/Unforgiven, etc. I won't repeat it all here. You can go to the official Milgram YT channel for more information if you're not familiar.

Meet Es

Although they are of unspecified adult age, this universe’s Es is very similar to canon Es from the main series, at least in appearance. The only differences are red highlights in their hair, as well as sharp yellow eyes and taller height. They also wear arm sleeves on both their arms, being particularly adverse to people touching the left one, and their voice is slightly higher pitch. As for their personality… well, you’ll have to wait for the VDs, right? But as a heads up, they’re quite a bit nicer than canon Es, though they can still get pretty strict with the prisoners. 

(Can you tell who they’re connected to yet?)

Their uniform is the same as canon, including the band thing which in Milgram runes reads “reciffO eciloP”. The only difference is that their other band thing is longer and has the following runes:

(As a heads up, since there's no rune for 'q' I just used the rune for 'c/k' in its place. You probably don't need to translate it all to know what this says if you're familiar with DRDT lore)

Jackalope is replaced by DRDT canon MonoTV, no big changes to its personality. It still breaks the fourth wall and talks to an audience,which is odd for the prisoners (and Es) seeing as there is no audience in-universe (at least, that's what it claims). 

*Es’ VD is mostly the same, besides changes in dialogue caused by the difference in personalities. The only real difference is that there is no ‘extra cell.’

*Cover is still Hibana. 

Alright, let's get to the fun stuff.

Undercover

(It is highly recommended you know what the canon Undercover looks like before reading this, since a lot of it is pretty similar)

The opening is still the same minus Es' different appearance and MonoTV replacing Jackalope, and only starts changing when the prisoners begin showing up.

(Don’t- Don’t expect this to actually work as a song btw. I’m not insane enough to make that work)

UNDER Split in between decisions, my conscious is made up of torn stitches

Levi (01) holds a mostly neutral expression as he holds up his prisoner card, which displays his face alongside an image of an alleyway. His pose keeps changing slightly in smash cuts. Levi’s face darkens right before there’s a switch to the next prisoner.

(Note: I won’t mention the pose switching and the face on the card all the time, since that’s part of canon Undercover. Just assume it always repeats)

UNDER The beauty in simplicity, wilting with rising complexities

Arturo (02) has his chin up arrogantly at first, showing a prisoner card with a picture of a bathroom. He scoffs and turns around before the switch. 

UNDER A liar? No, that’s wrong! My honesty shines like a star in the night

David (03) (speaker persona) smiles nervously, rubbing at his cheek with a finger. His card shows a bedroom. He covers his face with his free hand, sighing before the switch.

UNDER A sinner? No, you’re kidding! I’m innocent as can be, just don’t mind the gaps

Whit (04) throws a cheeky grin to the camera, doing a finger gun with his free hand. His card shows a park. He nervously rubs the back of his neck before the switch.

(Note: Yes I gave him 04 because of the tetraphobia thing sue me-)

UNDER With a fury and a passion, unstoppable, show them your fangs

Ace (05) snarls at the camera. His card shows a city street. He throws it to the floor angrily before the switch. 

(Note: Sometimes I wasn't quite able to tie their talent to their murder, so it's either tangential to their story or has been replaced with something similar. I am mentioning this with Ace for... no reason in particular, sure, you'll believe that)

UNDER Your fears and anxieties, Respond to the stress, show me fight or flight

Nico (06) hides under the part of their cloak which looks like a scarf, peeking out nervously. Their card shows a locker room. They take a step back as the scene switches.

INSERT CHORUS HERE

UNDER Each existence is like no other, Lucky, unlucky, showtime reaches all

J (07) holds up her card with an unsatisfied expression. It shows a bridge surrounded by camera equipment. She rolls her eyes as the scene switches.

UNDER And yet, it’s all the same In the end, this wretched still life goes on

Rose (08) yawns as she holds up her card lazily. It shows a large dining room. The card slips from her hand as she falls asleep.

UNDER It’s too much, too much, I’m high strung, please forgive my sins

Hu (09) looks nervous, glancing around as if to find a place to hide. Her card shows a zither in a non-descript room. She drops her card, and closes her eyes with a pained expression, a hand on her chest. 

UNDER Please do condemn me, Bloodletting, the horror inside us is what makes me feel.

Veronika (10) spins and gives the camera a bright smile as she pulls out her card. It shows a rooftop. She throws the card in the air dramatically, laughing as it spins around and falls beside her. Her eyes fall back on the camera, and she smirks menacingly. 

UNDER  Unopposable, incontestable Merry kings, life’s queens, for me they bow down.

Arei (11) is sticking out her tongue and looking to the side dismissively. Her card shows a bowling alley. She laughs into her hand before the scene switch.

UNDER My weakness haunts me, Alarm bells are ringing, there's no going back.

Eden (12) fidgets with her hands, shaking nervously. She hides her face behind her card as she shows it, but her teary eyes are still visible over it. The card shows a bedroom full of clocks. She cries into her hands before the switch. 

INSERT CHORUS HERE

[The music winds down, a bridge of sorts. As it plays, a few scenes are shown, where only the characters’ silhouettes are visible, white noise covering them]

[01: A steaming kettle covers most of the foreground. In the background, Levi is seen sitting at a table, head slumped forward. Most of the table is visible, but no one else is in the frame]

[02: Arturo is seen to the left, holding a white turtle neck shirt in his hands. Behind him, an open suitcase sits on a bed, clothes splayed haphazardly around it]

[03: David stands alone on an empty stage, arms wide out. The spotlights are all on him. The entire stage and some of the front row seats are visible, with David’s silhouette only covering a small part in the center of the frame]

[04: A computer monitor covers almost the entire frame. There are countless photos and words, but they’re all too blurry to see, with the exception of a small message on top which reads “Analyzing profiles…” Whit is reflected on the screen, resting his head on one of his fists]

[05: Ace sits on a motorcycle, looking up and admiring the night sky which takes up most of the frame]

[06: Nico is crouched beside a cat, holding out a pink mouse toy for it to play with. Only their legs are visible, but there is a puddle of water under Nico]

[07: J has her palm spread out all over the screen, as if blocking the camera. There are flashes of light behind her, but the source is impossible to see]

[08: Rose sits slumped in a chair, hands on her face. All around her, dozens of canvases can be seen, painted entirely in black. Small bits of color poke out at the bottom, but no full paintings are visible]

[09: The camera is entirely focused on the top of a zither. Hu’s hand is visible, touching the strings with her plectra]

[10: Only Veronika’s footwear is visible over a dark floor. The rest of the scene is filled entirely by blood]

[11: Arei stands in front of a bathroom mirror. She’s holding the right side of her hair, the only part that’s visible. It looks very unevenly cut]

[12: Eden is holding her head in her hands, slumped over a work desk full of small machinery. Behind her are a multitude of analog clocks of various designs, all showing the same time; 6:00]

[13: Min is sitting on a chair, slumped forward and apparently collapsed over a notebook. A pen sits just beside her right hand. A bit of the writing can be seen, showing this:]

[The brown part being Min's hair. Don't make fun of me I'm using Paint and have zero art skills]

[14: Xander, the focus of the shot, stands in front of a crowd, standing on a simple chair. His fist is in the air, and so are the fists of everyone in the crowd]

[15: Charles is kneeling over a grave, the name on it hidden behind the silhouette. Charles is pulling at his hair with his hands. Other graves are visible around him, but the edges of the screen are darkened and it’s impossible to see them well]

[16: Teruko’s hand is reaching out to a black figure, this one without white noise. The figure is completely non-descript, more a simple shadow than a proper silhouette. Blinding white light surrounds this figure] 

UNDER No mistakes, no corrections, 100% Perfection, results shall not vary. 

Min (13) wears a neutral expression, and she holds her card perfectly upright. Her pose changes only to match the exact angles actual mugshots use. Her card shows an untidy bedroom. Before the switch, she lowers her hand, and looks briefly to the side, before turning back to the camera. When she does, her left eye flashes magenta behind her hair. 

UNDER Fighting for true justice, Stand strong, a reflection of the will of the many

Xander (14) is glaring at the camera, moving his card around flippantly. Said card shows a window overlooking an entire city. Xander throws the card away before throwing a punch at the screen.

UNDER Leave no room to hide, No hesitation, a chain reaction of truth unfolds

Charles (15) looks serious, if a bit annoyed as he holds up his card. It shows a laboratory table with several test tubes. He turns his back to the camera, adjusting his goggles, but gives one last, softer look behind him as the scene switches. 

UNDER Or shall the secrets remain? What lies beyond the lies, armageddon untold

Teruko (16) looks at the camera with cold eyes, but a hint of a frown on her lips. Her pose never changes; unlike everyone else, her segment is one continuous shot. It starts with her holding her card at an angle such that only her face is visible on it. She closes her eyes solemnly, before finally flipping her card around so only the backside is shown. It has the Milgram logo combined with the DRDT logo. She never shows the rest of the front of the card, as the scene switches moments after. 

[Pre-chorus, as the prisoners hold their hands to their mouths before a scene of them smiling plays. At the end, for a few frames, a white camellia blooms, before there’s a sudden shift in scenery as we hit the final chorus. All the prisoners’ silhouettes have a still shot each with Es, with a blood splatter always under the latter. The scene starts to focus on each individually]

[Levi’s punching Es in the face, Es thrown to the floor from the impact. Brass knuckles are barely visible on his hand. Levi’s shouting, as are all the other prisoners]

[Arturo is kneeling, facing away from Es. The latter is laying on the floor behind him in what would be a pretty uncomfortable position. Arturo is holding his head in his hands, his mouth visible from the side and open in a shout. One of Es’ shoes is off]

[David is holding Es by the neck of their shirt, shouting at their face (from now on I’ll stop clarifying that they’re shouting). The following symbol appears over where his eyes would be, glowing yellow: 正] EDIT: I forgot to mention one of Es’ shoes is off. RIP to the theorists I’m so sorry-

[Whit is pointing what looks to be a gun at Es, who is recoiling as if they’ve been shot in the heart]

[Ace is seen running, Es’ body falling to the ground beside him and twisting as if they’d been bumped into]

[Nico sits on top of Es’ back. With one of their hands, they’re grabbing onto Es’ hair and apparently pushing it forward. With the other they’re holding two ends of a wire firmly planted on Es’ neck]

[J stands normally, pointing what seems to be a remote control at Es. The latter is face-up on the floor, their limbs contorted in unnatural angles]

[Rose is standing, facing away from Es, who is kneeling and grabbing at their throat. A small jar sits beside them, the cap taken off]

[While standing, Hu is grabbing Es by the throat with both hands, blood coming from the Warden’s throat]

[Veronika is kneeling besides Es’ face-up body. Her hands are on her chest, and there is blood under her as well as the Warden. Meanwhile, Es’ limbs are contorted in unnatural ways, and one of their shoes is off]

[Arei is violently swinging a bowling ball at Es’ head, causing their body to twist around as it falls]

[Eden is standing, covering her eyes. Her right hand has a Ⅵ symbol glowing bright yellow. Es is uncomfortably laying face-up on the floor]

[Min is standing with her back turned to Es, who is kneeling on the floor and grasping at their neck. Min is shouting into a landline phone. Along her arm, an equation glows bright yellow:

ln(x³ - 2 . 13) = 0]

[Xander is grabbing Es’ shoulder, plunging a knife into their stomach]

[Es is standing neutrally, but there is still blood on the floor. A glowing yellow question mark floats above them. Charles is nowhere to be seen]

[Teruko is kneeling calmly besides Es, who is lying face-up with their hands crossed over their chest as if in a coffin. A question mark glows on Teruko's left hand. Teruko is the only prisoner besides Charles who is not screaming]

[The song winds down while a sped up and translucent version of the video plays in the background. A shadow begins growing in the middle, and for just a moment, two sharp yellow eyes stare at the camera from the center of the screen. The finale simply has Es exiting to the left as they do in canon Undercover]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And there's Undercover! How we feeling? Hope you enjoyed! Take care!

[muchanmocha]

for the ask game: i request till

(pretty please)

Ty for the ask anon! Doing this for Till really made me realize I feel things that I didn't even know I feel about him.

1. Why I like them

There's just something about how he's so in tune with his emotions. Till has hands down no filter in any way, shape, or form whatsoever and even his compulsion to express himself/his emotions through music as a medium is yet another way for him to further imprint his most authentic existence on the world.

Till is just unabashedly the truest form of himself at all times and watching him react so viscerally to the present feels liberating and infectious.

There's also a confidence he has (which I definitely have a post in the works about) that defines how he interacts with the world. Being a musical genius and a head above the others since his earliest years has consumed his entire life and identity. For better or for worse, his overwhelming confidence in himself and his capabilities is exactly why he confronts situations with no thoughts in his head and no plan except for "I can wing it."

The best part? He's right. He has the power and skill to back up his talk, to flatten his opponent with a song he pulls out on impulse, and it is so exhilarating when he pulls it off.

The worst part? He's wrong. Which leads me to the next section.

(Some of this references/d a Patreon note describing what goes on in his head, which I'll cover in more detail later in the aforementioned wip post.)

2. Why I don't

There is a sort of screwed perspective through which he sees the world, formulated by a naivety and overconfidence that's painful to watch.

He thought he was capable of handling anything on virtue of his strength and in being a genius and it's so understandable why when everything in a valued field came so easily to him in a way no one else can replicate.

But that makes it so much harder to watch when the train rams headlong into a cliff face it thought it could plow through — Till thought he could defy Alien Stage, but the horrors of Round 5, Round 6, and Round 7 showed him just how helpless he was in the face of it.

Because the answer was always no.

"No, what you currently have isn't enough to achieve what you wanted and I'm anguished you couldn't see that until it was too late."

3. Favorite lyrics

'Allow me, to the tips of your fingers'

'Allow me, to the ends of your feet'

4. Favorite frame/screenshot

I knowwww his face isn't even in here, I knooowwww

But god I love this one so much like lookit his fingers???? The precise placements???? The electricity sparking?????????? This shot is absolutely one of my favorites in Round 7 its so pretty and the motion is so cool and and and

5. Favorite outfit

On an objective level I like his Cure outfits best, but they're also the ones least like him so the outfit he wears in the Top 3 promo takes the cake.

We got an asymmetry situation??? Black top and red pants????? Off-shoulder???? And ok maybe I'm just really weak for high collar outfits.

6. Favorite official art

If this ain't the coolest poster in the bunch. I was so excited when I saw this one come in with the artbook. The angles??? The energy???? The movement???? Supreme.

7. Favorite canon fact

The fact that Till is always so uncomfy around Sua and doubly so when puberty hit everyone is so funny and cute to me I'm

I was *this close* to making this my choice for favorite official art

8. Favorite straight-up-not-canon headcanon

It's unlikely for a few different reasons but

Guys

Till is so ace

Like bruh has no fucking interest (pun unintended but appreciated)

9. Favorite song/cover

All-In

It was so hard to choose one over the other but yeah... yeah Till's All-In cover is so delightfully him.

10. Song I want them to cover

Drunk and Party

We've heard rebellious Till, depressed Till, and gunning for the win Till.

What I need now is "just a little tipsy" Till.

Think about it. He's all loosened up due to the alcohol, dominating the vibes of the bar through music, simultaneously revisiting old haunting memories and grounded in the cheer of the present.

Drunk and Party Till would be an older Till who's gone through a lot since Season 50 and I really really want to hear it

[madame-mortician]

Why the In Water ending is the most canon ending to Silent Hill 2

So Silent Hill 2 is in a weird spot with its endings, since it never got an official follow-up. Silent Hill 1 and 3 have canonical endings, and you can’t really argue that any other endings could be canon because of this. The closest thing to a “sequel” would be Silent Hill 4, since James’ father appears in it, and it takes place after Silent Hill 2.

Now the devs have stated that there is no canon ending, which technically works since again, James never shows up again. You could say any ending is canon, and it could work. Now the only “canon” thing we know about James after Silent Hill 2, is that he’s considered “missing” to the general public. What this means is either that he’s dead and his body hasn’t been found yet, or he’s disappeared.

Again, this can work with any ending you got, as you could just say he ran away in the Leave or Maria ending, so that doesn’t apply to my point. Let’s just say for now, he’s missing and continue.

I want to bring up is Pyramid Head. Masahiro Ito stated he designed Pyramid Head with the In Water ending in mind. Yes, this doesn’t confirm that that ending is the “true ending” but for somebody who is so adamant that Pyramid Head has to represent a specific thing and cannot be mishandled, it would be weird for him to design a character based on a specific ending that wouldn’t be canon. Now to be fair, I can’t tell where the In Water elements are, so it can’t be that noticeable but it’s his words not mine. (Maybe PH’s violent nature towards James represents James suicidal thoughts, which leads to In Water?)

Moving on, there is the Silent Hill 2 novel. Now, novel adaptations of games usually never work, especially games with multiple endings. Unless the game has multiple endings but a set, canon one is known then it’s usually difficult to choose an ending. Unless you wrote multiple endings and had the reader choose their own adventure, it would never work, you have to pick one. So what ending did the novel go with? In Water. Now take this with a grain of salt since the novel wasn’t written with any input from the develops as far as I’m aware, it was just a written adaptation, but it’s still an official book, and that’s the “canon ending” for it.

Now my last point, before I summarise. Silent Hill 4 was originally going to have James appear as a ghost. The concept art is the photo at the top of this post. Essentially, in the Otherworld, James would appear as a ghost haunting the apartments. We don’t know if he would be an enemy or just an Easter egg, since this was cut rather early in development and it obviously didn’t happen. It’s hard to use this as evidence since it was cut, but it was still considered, and with James’ father being in this game it implies a bigger connection. Now here’s the thing with this though… it’s not a representation of James, that wouldn’t make sense since Henry nor Walter or even Eileen knew James. This would’ve been the actual manifestation of James’ ghost. Like, this would’ve been him. Why is this important? Well that would mean he’s canonically dead then. Not missing. Dead.

Now taking all of the endings into consideration, James only dies in one. In Water. Unless you made up an excuse like, he died after the Maria ending, which is stupid. With James being canonically “missing” you could again, argue that he’s just in hiding, but if his literal ghost is showing up, that means he’s deceased. Since he only dies in the In Water ending that’s gotta be the most canon one then.

All of these things are small, but when put together it can’t just be a coincidence. Pyramid Head being designed with the idea that the In Water ending was going to be canon, James being “missing” in the present, James’ literal ghost showing up AND the official novelisation using the In Water ending. C’mon.

Now the reason I keep saying “most canon” is because it won’t be the definitive canon one. The devs have structured the game specifically so that every ending, EXCEPT for the 2 joke endings, could be canon, so if some random girl on Tumblr starts saying “Actually, the original developers of the game are wrong, this is the canon ending ☝️🤓” I sound stupid don’t I? The point is, there will never be a canon ending, because this game will never get a follow up. Sure we will continue to get Silent Hill games, but we’re never going to see James or his supporting cast again, so we can’t say what’s canon, and we never will. I’m just trying to say In Water is the most canon out of all of them, not that it is canon, in fact it’s not even my favourite ending. Mine is the Maria ending.

[rauhallinen-hauki]

so I finished the fic that I wrote about in its cover art posts. it is a dialogue heavy shepvance marriage proposal story. there isn't any hardcore violence or detailed erotica in it, so I can post it here without putting a mature label on it. it is also on ao3

I doubt this post will show up in the tags, but as always, warnings for past depression, mentioned suicidal ideation, a brief implication and mention of sex, and a single mention of masturbation in the text

about 6000 words under the "read more". I'm really sorry if the read more doesn't show up

An assumed epilogue

Summary

The Resistance's leading lady proposes to a former HECU corporal. Seemingly redundant conversations follow.

Notes

Set in a post-Combine occupation Earth after a hypothetical Half-Life 3. This hypothetical Half-Life 3 takes the storyline of Mark Laidlaw's Epistle 3, with the changes that Alyx doesn't kill Judith and that she and Gordon close the Combine's portals to Earth, both returning to it. The G-man is driven away by them and ultimately loses interest in Earth, so by extension, in his employees on it. Return to Ravenholm (Opposing Force's canceled sequel) happens, somewhere between Episode 2 and Half-Life 3. Adrian eventually ends up working for the Resistance, basically as a forest ranger.

I don't actually think any of that would happen in the real Half-Life 3 (if it ever comes out). Nor do I think Alyx and Adrian meeting each other, let alone being a couple, will ever happen officially. And this goes without saying, but neither do I think nor want my personal take on these characters and world to be the "definitive" or "canonical" interpretation.

Written for many reasons, but mainly because it helped me process some things I've been going through. Also written because these games and especially this pairing mean a lot to me. I wanted to see these characters getting to live in a relatively "happy ending" scenario. Or at least get them some closure. I had scrapped this fic for good, but upon revisiting it almost two months later, I revived and subsequently finished it in a couple of days. Doing so has brought me further closure in some things.

All possible corniness, purple prose, repetition or overuse of phrases and words, and general redundancy in the text is intentional.

Partially based on personal experiences.

***

  It's not that she needs to do this. She's been dating the Resistance's unofficial-official 'alien fauna* shepherd for almost three years now. Too little time for some, but enough for her to know that what is going on is something special. Even the Vortigaunts said it: it is a strong bond, vortal or not.

  It's not that this will make that bond better, or validate it, or whatever.

  No, she just thinks it'd be at least nice to ask. She wants to find out. Get the intrigue out of her head. But how?

  It's a sunny evening at White Forest. Alyx and Adrian are on a walk, talking. Alyx does most of the literal talking; Adrian leads the way. One of Alyx's hands holds one of Adrian's, caressing his knuckles with her thumb. Her free hand rests on her utility belt.

  But as they walk through these groves that they've walked a thousand times before, so familiar yet at this moment so alien – not in the way Xen or the Combine Overworld felt alien – Alyx's steps falter. The grasp on the belt tightens slightly.

  Between Alyx's stories, Adrian asks: "...Are you okay?"

  "Yes. Just a little tired," Alyx says with a smile, hesitantly letting go of Adrian's hand to readjust her headband. "Guess I'm still not used to this summer heat, huh?"

  "Mmm. Is that why you've been at the garage so much?"

  "Yeah."

  Adrian curiously raises an eyebrow, as if about to ask something else, but is reassured for the moment. He slows down his pace.

  They fall into a comfortable silence. But Alyx's heart flutters with the force of a hurricane. Her mind spins, a maelstrom of thoughts cascading onto it.

  She thinks about her father. How he was always there with great advice. She never got to ask him in detail how he felt when proposing. And how did mom feel? She thinks, despite how useless it is.

  If only they were both still here, when almost everyone, everything is...

  She takes deep breaths. Welcomes the clear, earthy air in her lungs. It rained last night. Not acid rain nor metallic shells filled with headcrabs. She stops thinking about her parents. She does, however, think about their wedding. About her father's and Dr. Kleiner's stories of a small party with some family and close friends.

  Maybe she and Adrian will do the same. Blast some Rainbow and Kyuss since the radio has been fixed, and since it can be used without fear of attracting unwanted attention. Go plant some zinnias. Ah, and gardenias. Adrian has always been fond of those.

  Well, of flowers in general. His gaze lingers on the blossoms speckling the trees' branches. Then it lingers on her. Like usual, he catches her staring.

  Alyx combs her hair with her fingers and winks at Adrian. Adrian looks away, faking sheepishness. Alyx grins. So...

  How do you ask a sweet guy like him how to marry you without coming off as too hyped up? I don't want to pressure him!

  Gordon answered her calmly in straightforward sign language: "Do what feels right, be honest with him like you always have." Other fellow rebels gave her words along the same lines of that. Barney casually rolled his eyes and said: "Just ask him already!"

  But how do you do it? Get on one knee, hope for the best? What if she overwhelms him, makes him uncomfortable...

  She thinks and overthinks, getting too ahead of herself... when she hasn't even asked.

  Come on, just enjoy the moment!

  The birds chirping in the trees. The soft breeze playing with her hair. The snarks chirping in the undergrowth. The soothing sound of Adrian's quiet, gas mask-filtered breathing.

  Then, something rustling. The glimmer of sapphires and amethysts inbetween the emerald thicket. They come to a halt, Alyx motioning with her hand for Adrian to come closer.

  A shock roach scuttles out of the bushes. Electricity makes its whole body jitter, overcharged as it is in the humid ground. Poor thing must be exhausted. Alyx stoops and takes a closer look.

  It doesn't seem hostile. Why would it be, when its species doesn't need to fight every second to survive anymore? Doesn't look like it'd want to attach itself to her arm either. It just shakes there, petrified in the shade of the bushes.

  You'll be fine. Everything's alright.

  Alyx carefully picks up the shock roach and gives it to Adrian. As much of an animal person as she is, she'd rather let the expert in bugs himself handle it.

  Adrian cradles the shock roach with one arm, his free hand petting it. Soon enough, the bug leans against his chest, buzzing with joy. The same hands that once wielded its species as a weapon now pet it with the gentleness of an angel. A brawny angel, whose strong arms know how to hold someone in their worst days.

  He's always been a hunk. But God, does he look great these days. Healthier. He's put on a few pounds. There's more energy in his steps. More of that glimmer behind the green lenses. Especially here.

  In the soft glow of the canopy-filtered sunlight, the forest's greens take on a myriad of shades. Camouflaging, mixing with the color palette of his helmet and vest's suspender straps. At a quick glance, it's like he's wearing a veil of leaves. He looks so happy. So at ease.

  The perfect moment doesn't exist. But if there was a right place at the right time, then this is it!

  Adrian puts the shock roach back on the ground. It scuttles off to adventure in the undergrowth.

  If he says no, then that's fine, too.

  Without making a sound, Alyx opens one of the utility belt's pouches, pulling something out. She holds it in her fist. "Adrian, I uh... I actually wanted to ask you something."

  He turns around to look at her. Notices the muted coldness in her tone. Subconsciously grabs the vest's straps, fidgeting with them.

  "I've been thinking lately. About lots of stuff. How fast time goes, how it flies." Alyx sighs. Same dialogue she's had with herself countless times on restless nights. The same she's managed to confide only bits and pieces of to Adrian before. "The Combine... that man in a suit... I know they're all gone. But..."

  She clutches her necklace with her free hand. She frowns. Always the same old crap rotting in the back of her mind.

  "Sometimes I just can't get it clear in my head. It's like... yesterday I was at the Borealis. Now I'm okay. We're fine. Everything's alright. And it's like I'm still not used to it."

  There is a gentle but firm touch on her shoulder. She swallows.

  "Alyx... are you really okay?"

  "I'll be alright. I'm just so damn tired." She has to stop looking into those green lenses. Into those beautiful eyes that beg for an answer she can't really explain nor give with her own gaze, so she looks down at the ground instead.

  Taking a deep breath, she welcomes the clear, earthy air in her lungs. Welcomes the sight of grass, leaves and dirt. Listens to that quiet, gas mask-filtered breathing.

  An exhale. "I know there was a lot of bullshit going on when we met."

  Most of what comes after are things she bothers to explain but not to delve too deep on. Partially because Adrian knows firsthand the type of struggle Alyx recalls – trying to move on when those you love are killed, almost dying yourself when the world faces a thousand interdimensional crises at once, said world surviving but being so ravaged it looks just like the way you feel after dealing or trying to deal with so many problems that counting them reads like a supply list, existential dread at that man in a suit, etc. Memories and thoughts that just won't shut up sometimes.

  And partially because Alyx is exhausted. Putting these last three years into words puts things into perspective: it's been rough.

  Not all has been bad. But good or bad, it's still been one big decision, or "big thing" or most often a big damn catastrophe after the other. And yes, life is cyclical. No peace and no strife last forever.

  But it can't always, always, always go so fast. Like running a marathon or climbing a tower when your lungs and limbs burn, and you gasp for air and it's like you're about to trip and fall, right? How do you live like that?

  She leans on him. "I can't keep up sometimes. It's too much."

  They fall into an otherwise comfortable silence, if it wasn't for her anxious breathing. His hand moves down from her shoulder to her waist. He pulls her close.

  "We'll figure it out" he says.

  "Yeah."

  A pause. Anxiety fading, she closes her eyes. Thinks. Probably overthinks a little, too.

  A smile teases her lips. "...Still though, I'm so glad we met when we did."

  He holds her a little closer in agreement.

  She clears her throat and opens her eyes. "Well, like I said, I've been thinking. What is it that I wanna do now, when all that's over?"

  Another pause. Why is it so hard to say the obvious all of a sudden?

  "Listen, I think you already know how I feel about you. About us. These past years have been... God, it's been amazing."

  Alyx turns to face Adrian, carefully pulling herself away. She gives him a small but warm smile. "I want to move on, make the most of what time I have left. Keep helping everyone around here. Well, everyone I can in general. 'Heal the Earth.'"

  This is so corny! But despite almost chuckling at the thought, she continues. "And I want to keep going on walks with you, holding you... just being with you..."

  Alyx's smile widens. She lets go of her necklace and cups Adrian's left cheek – her hand caressing the canister – and looks at him in the eyes. It's not uncomfortable. Not when she has finally decided, right now, what to say to that sweet, hunky unofficial-official Resistance shepherd. To that someone that has helped, helps, and will always help her figure it out.

  "What I'm really trying to ask is... Adrian..."

  Bringing her fist to her chest, she holds it up to him and opens it, a ring made out of scrap on her palm. Crafted in restless evenings thinking about him and all they have shared. She asks: "Do you want to marry me?"

  Before getting an answer, Alyx realizes that she should be on one knee. And isn't it supposed to go: Would you marry me?

  But that doesn't matter anymore.

  Adrian can only stare. He blinks. Blinks again. Only on the third or fourth time he blinks does realization dawn on him, eyes widening the longer he observes the ring. The why.

  Why she's been so much by herself at the garage. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Everyone needs their space and alone time. But now it makes sense why she's been vaguely distant lately.

  Why she's been so contemplative.

  Adrian carefully takes the ring, his hand holding Alyx's for a couple of seconds. Alyx brings her hands together, looking expectantly at him. Trying to guess the entirety of the face he's making under the mask.

  It's a simple design. She must've recycled parts from Combine structures, because the scrap metal has a subtle, strange silver sheen to it. He turns it. It's engraved with a pattern of delicate curves and hard edges. Resembling the petals, leaves and stems of a rose or a gardenia.

  It's gorgeous. Not only in the physical sense, but also for (or maybe because of) what it represents. He puts it on the middle finger of his right hand. Relishing its texture.

  Never in his dreams, not even in those his mind might've come across in the infinite void while "sleeping" in that astral Osprey, did he imagine this.

  Alyx. This funny, smart, brave, hot as hell... and yes, stubborn woman. This post-apocalyptic princess that sometimes can't process the new non-apocalyptic realm. This downright good person.

  "Honey?"

  Her, radiant in the golden sunlight permeating through the canopy, every detail he could get lost in highlighted. The streaks of red accentuating her hair, those subtle laugh lines, that mole at her collarbone. The sweetest smile. *Even when she's also been thinking about her most hellish days.

  Her, offering a piece of her art (herself) to him. Asking him to be hers.

  "Adrian?"

  Tears well up in his eyes. His heart beats in his ears, so loud he can barely hear his own quiet, gas mask-filtered sobbing. How did he ever get so lucky?

  "Adrian?!"

  "Y-yes! Yes! YES!"

  Adrian gazes into Alyx's eyes for a couple of seconds before wrapping his arms around her. And Alyx nimbly throws her arms around Adrian's neck before he can give her the tight (not too tight to hurt her) squeeze he's been holding back this whole evening.

  Bodies pressed tight together, they hug in a way resembling the ones in their sweatier, steamier moments. Not that this is a sexy situation. They just need to hold and squeeze and get good grips on each other right now.

  He leans down slightly and rests his head on her shoulder. Past the light armor that is the PCV, a tender touch settles between his shoulder blades. Trying and failing to stop his crying, he closes his eyes. Relishing the sensation.

  His hands roam her body, rubbing her back, massaging off any vestiges of anxiety. Until one hand stays on her lower back. The other holds the back of her head, his fingers running through her hair. She laughs.

  She smells so good. Of forest and sweat and a cool, specific scent. Holding and massaging and being held and massaged with the mask filtering but still taking her whole essence in... it all sends some kind of energy through him. He keeps sobbing.

  Birds and snarks sing in the distance. Then that warm, beautiful voice again. Although it sounds a bit brittle...

  "Take it easy."

  He sighs, tension leaving his muscles. His grip loosens. The hand on her lower back moves up. Stops at a spot in her worn jacket which has been further mended with duct tape. Over the hunter's wounds.

  He wasn't there for her when it happened. Not that he could've been; both unaware of each other's existence and all. Lost somewhere he can't really describe. But he still regrets it. Regretting leads to reminiscing about other regrets from around that time, in the very beginnings of their friendship. Never getting to meet Eli. Petty jealousy over Gordon. Feeling alienated without reason.

  But that's all over now. "Oh Alyx, I..."

  As he holds her, he decides (reminds himself). He couldn't do anything back then. But his regrets won't stop him from cherishing what they've built together. No enslaved alien creatures, nor inter-dimensional empires, not even that creepy government guy can change that.

  And although her own anxieties and regrets aren't something he can fight for her, he can help in dealing with them.

  Her hands on his chest, she tugs him closer somehow by the vest's straps. Heat radiates from her. And he gets completely lost in her embrace.

  "...Thanks," he manages to say. For telling him what has been bothering her, for the ring, for the hug, for everything. For so much he can't say since words won't suffice right now.

  She understands.

  Eventually, they break the hug and dry their tears. Adrian apologizes for getting overwhelmed. Alyx says it's okay and in turn apologizes for taking him "off-guard". Adrian nods.

  They continue their walk. Adrian recognizes the glade up ahead and explains which edge of the forest they're approaching. Alyx leads the way back to White Forest base.

  Between the tree trunks, the lake nestled in the middle of the mountains gradually comes into view. Its surface shimmers in the setting sunlight. A chill breeze flutters across the valley.

  "Man, is it weird..." Adrian thinks out loud, stretching.

  "What?"

  "Seeing the lake like this."

  Alyx observes the lake as well. The wind sketches the barest of ripples on it.

  "It just hits me sometimes how things change." Adrian chuckles softly. "I get sent to kill Gordon Freeman, and he ends up becoming one of my best friends. I want to beat some g-man to a bloody pulp. Now? I don't give a crap about him."

  Alyx brings a hand to her chin.

  "...I thought the sunset couldn't be calm again."

  They come to another halt. She meets his gaze. "What do you mean?"

  He looks away. He's never spoken this much in... hell, probably weeks. He's never been much of a talker in general. And he's told her the main facts before. Why tell the details?

  But she told him what's been bothering her. So maybe he should do the same. Even if that isn't the most romantic thing to reminisce about after being asked your hand in marriage.

  Adrian's voice comes out in a strangely clear tone. "The night before the mission at Black Mesa, my squad and I were having a long talk. Just shooting the shit I mean. Anyway, I don't remember how we got to the topic, but Jackson asked how we'd like to die."

  He stares at the lake again. "I guess in case the whole operation went FUBAR."

  "...Which it did," Alyx says. She can't help but think about failed attempts to overthrow the Combine over the years. About all these fellow rebels lost.

  Those from City 17 and Black Mesa East. Her father. Judith – God, what happened to Judith? Those she never knew, but who she knows would've been at her side too. Like her mother, or doctors Cross and Green. And maybe countless others whose stories never got told.

  Humans, Vortigaunts, literal or figurative animals, from Earth or Xen or anywhere else. In the end she ends up thinking about almost everyone; not only about those long gone but also about those still alive. About those in the wrong place at the wrong time.

  The chill breeze snaps her back to the moment. She stares at the lake again. It's so silent here, as if that gas mask-filtered breathing were the only sound of the valley.

  Adrian nods slowly. "Jackson said he wanted something explosive."

  "Ah, like an action hero. And what did you say?"

  "Freezing. I once heard it was like falling asleep. And that in the end, you'd feel warm." He wraps his arms around himself. "Then Tower said drowning was actually the peaceful way to go.

  ...Fast forward a bit. Or a lot. I get out of Ravenholm. Gri- Father Grigori sort of... you know..."

  "Exploded?" Alyx asks. She only knew the pastor in stories. Always amazing how much crazy stuff happened in Ravenholm. Crazy how Adrian was there too. What is it about quiet guys finding their way into these places?

  "...Yes. So there I was. Alone, tired as hell, walking through the woods surrounding the town as the sun set. Until I found a lake." Adrian pauses. Taking longer, deeper breaths. And he just keeps staring at the lake. Lost in thought.

  The more Alyx stares at the water, the more at peace she is with... something. It's hypnotic. Except it's conscious. Gingerly grabbing her necklace, she listens to Adrian as the lake is a puzzle to be solved. A machine she seemingly can't hack.

  Wow, it goes over and over and over again.

  The wind keeps sketching on the lake's shimmering surface. Its lines become more confident. Small circles and interlapping wisps. In water, the sky's purples, reds, oranges and pinks mirror, the setting sunlight dispersing. The wind draws in longer strokes. Jet black ink, brushpens dancing on a collage of amethysts, rubies, ambers and morganites speckled with fading gold.

  The more she stares at the lake, the more its surface resembles outer space. The more the wind's strokes of ink a complete darkness. Like cosmic voids between galaxies.

  It also resembles a certain figurative darkness, where the figurative gemstones lose their luster. There was a time – well, maybe more – when she wanted to swim in it. To get away from everything, escape from a wrong place and a wrong time.

  She and Gordon had returned from the Combine Overworld. The war that had waged through almost all her life was over. Except that in her heart it wasn't.

  Adrian trembles slightly. "...Everyone was gone. I had nowhere to go. No reason to go on living. So into the lake I went." His breathing hitches. An inaudible gasp before continuing. "I waded for a while. Thought my body could at least feed the pikes or ichthyosaurs. Maybe I could've swam a bit too."

  Alyx takes one of Adrian's hands and guides it to her waist. Adrian's breathing gradually slows down. He pulls her close, wrapping an arm around her while his free hand fidgets with the vest's straps. She leans on him and closes her eyes. Cracking the code.

  The darkness of the lake and the void. Same to the one in her fever dreams and nightmares of running in the woods, Advisors in hangars, vortexes of collapsing universes, citadels and black holes, trains and planes going nowhere in the nothingness.

  Some where the man in a suit said: Miss Vance, you can't afford this misery. It would have been far easier to accept an offer when given the chance. Let go of squandered investments. Sunk cost fallacy.

  Miss Vance. Will weeping over your father's corpse bring him back? Does the steel husk you call a pet really not know something is amiss... every time you insist you are alright? What would the Resistance think of their dear leader, unable to hold a coherent thought behind her reassuring smile? Hm. Is it a wonder nothing became of you and Doctor Freeman, even with the blessing of friends? Or was he always a mere indulgence, so you would feel no remorse now, here in your quarters, touching yourself to the thought of another silent man? Another squandered employee. Would this heal all of Corporal Shephard's pain? Are you healing yours?

  Does only thinking about everything fix anything? Can you keep up?

  Do you believe in living like this?

  She keeps holding her necklace, trying to focus on the warmth around her.

  Adrian keeps a steady arm wrapped around Alyx. "And then I stopped wading. There wasn't warmth in the sun. The water was so cold. Too cold. And maybe I was too anxious or hungry or both, since I got this killer bellyache." He sighs. "I... I couldn't do it."

  In the darkness of her room, at hours that didn't pass at night, she thought about sneaking to her nightstand, or to the base's communal kitchen or laundry room. Where it could've been her pistol or a myriad of knives or detergent that finally did the trick of swimming out of water.

  But she couldn't get out of bed. The hunter's wounds burnt as if she was being impaled all over again. But lying there, headaches and back pain tearing her apart, always felt like drowning on air.

  "...So I decided to circle the lake. A river sprang from it, I followed it. An dirt road ran parallel. I came across a busted up shack along the way... must've been rebels raided by the Combine. I stayed there a couple of days."

  The man in a suit kept talking. But despite feeling like she'd forever fall and drift through the void, her lungs and limbs burning, she always gasped for air and replied: No.

  Because in the darkness she also came to understand its cycle. After all those eternal nights came the cycle where she learned to keep moving and sleep again. To wake up and tell those in the wrong place at the wrong time: Guys, I need help.

  "Weird place. Birds sang at the exact same time every morning."

  Alyx giggles. She could fall asleep standing here, her head resting on Adrian's shoulder. "Any other critters living there?"

  Adrian nods. "There was this cave nearby. I saw antlions for the first time..."

  Alyx takes deep breaths and lets her senses refocus on the moment.

  As she opens her eyes, his words about the sunset make sense. Or rather, she understood them all along. She just had to remind herself.

  Adrian lets out a Phew!-sounding sigh. "A certain ex-Black Mesa security guard passed by the road." He almost chuckles as he gazes into the horizon. He still remembers the ex-security guard recognizing the HECU uniform. "We scared the hell out of each other."

  "Yeah, I think I know who you're talking about," Alyx says. "But anyone who knew Otis Laurey is a friend of his, right?"

  Adrian nods, vaguely sad. Insane how things work out once you talk them out first. "He said something about owing beers and that the alien apocalypse had ended for good. He also talked about the return of Gordon Freeman and this... Alyx Vance."

  He pauses again before returning to look at her. He has also reminded himself of certain facts. "Figured I could stay at the base for a while and meet some more people. You know the rest."

  She smiles. "Say Adrian, that day... what did you think of Alyx Vance when you saw her for the first time?"

  "That she was the most beautiful person I've ever seen. She still is."

  "Funny you say that. You've only gotten hunkier since!"

  He looks away for a second as his cheeks heat up. Never before has he been more thankful for the mask and helmet covering him.

  The winds strengthens. Still a breeze, but strong enough to dishevel Alyx a little. Adrian gently tucks some of her hair locks back into her headband. He combs her hair with his fingers before it turns into a gentle but firm touch on her shoulder.

  "...We're going in circles," he says in a whisper, ashamed of himself. He stares at his free hand. At the gleam of the ring in his fingers. "Why think about it now?"

  She thinks. Thinks about all that has led to this moment. Why she's been overthinking about shock roaches and water and literal and figurative stuff in proposing to her boyfriend.

  Well, even if she didn't need to do it, she wanted to marry him. It's a decision. A step. A beginning cycle, although it also isn't because sometimes it feels like they've been married for years. A paradox in of itself.

  But she thinks about a broader one. "Because to take the next step you gotta look back."

  He curiously raises an eyebrow.

  "I mean, everyone does that, right? Get all nostalgic? Focus on the hard stuff it took to get us here?"

  She attempts to explain it physically, her hands sweeping circles and pointing to the lake and doing whatever her nerves subconsciously tell them to do. "I get why you're all shy about it. We were depressed. Think of it like uh... the ripples of the wind on the lake. The circles. Our depression and us meeting are circles. They just happened to overlap!

  And sometimes in that overlap I go, 'Damn, how the hell did I pull this sweet, awesome guy? Why is he taking me out on walks and all when I actually suck ass at everything? He deserves someone better.' I was having some of those thoughts this morning. Not that we're depressed now, but..."

  "I... I know. I get these kinds of thoughts sometimes, too."

  "Yeah. But Adrian, there's nothing wrong with that. It's okay. Really. Remember the other circles overlapping. Us dating... is one big circle. There are so many ripples in there! Like this whole evening, for example."

  She presses her forehead against his helmet with a gentle thud. Staring down at his chest, she draws circles on it with her fingers. And for a moment, she feels a couple of years younger.

  "...Remember the day we started dating?" he asks. He feels a couple of years younger for a moment, too.

  The forest was golden brown, the sun was lost in the mist. She took him for a walk to the base's small gardens after a long workday. It was the evening she confronted him about a certain letter addressed to her. Where he confessed having written it, the confession within it. Where she confessed her own figurative letters – as in, the flirting over months – addressed to him. And she threw her arms around his neck, and he was as cold as the air and as hot as the...

  "How to forget it? It's like I'm there aaall over again," she says, partially thinking out loud in admiration of the sunset they're in. She sighs. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

  He holds her a little closer in agreement. Looks at her with more of that glimmer behind the green lenses.

  Everything wasn't suddenly, completely alright after that evening. But despite being in the latter half of autumn, the sun was warming up again. And little by little, the world would regain its luster.

  She smiles warmly, mirroring his hidden smile. Goddamn. What a beautiful, calm sunset it really is.

  And there was – is – always something to be learned and to be reminded of in their countless other shared cycles, too. Making up after those rare times they have a fight. In more frequent times, both spent after having casual or passionate sex. Speaking without words. Or when taking care of alien and terrestrial fauna together; or just in hanging around, or...

  Alyx places a hand on Adrian's belly and rubs it gingerly. Thinking about the Vortigaunts, how they channel electricity.

  The energy surrounding her when being revived from the hunter's wounds. As she woke up, for a couple of seconds, she saw Gordon aglow with a bright, orange light, mixing with the multicolored ones from the Vortigaunts.

  Right know she almost palpably senses Adrian's energy. It's so vibrant here. For a millisecond, she can see its light clearly: the soft, green glow she has felt countless times before.

  She imagines that she is sharing, giving some of her energy to to him. It's a corny thought, but that doesn't matter anymore.

  A gradient of golden and red light illuminates her palms for a millisecond.

  Eventually, after a long pause of once again simply relishing the moment, before either can suggest resuming their walk, they pull away from each other. The ground shakes. Thumping, although there aren't any antlions living in this beach.

  "Dog!" Alyx exclaims.

  From up on the hill cresting the lake, Dog sprints towards Alyx and Adrian. He must've gotten worried, so he personally came to see what's taking them so long to come back home. Time just slips away on walks.

  Dog takes a laughing Alyx into his forelegs, giving her a hug. About to properly greet Adrian as well, he notices the subtle gleam of the ring.

  He looks at Alyx, who just confirms something with a nod. And he shimmies in his entirety and stomps his forelegs on the ground, the rattling of his metallic frame like a triumphant giggle.

  "You know, Dog helped me decide what materials to use on the ring," Alyx says.

  "Really? I'm not surprised," Adrian says. He gives a few affectionate scratches and rubs to Dog's metallic frame, thanking him. The robot always had a sharp eye for seemingly "useless" things.

  Adrian's eyes widen in (late) realization. He looks sheepishly at Alyx. "Now I've got to make a ring for you. Maybe we could go collect scrap together next time?"

  "Sounds good to me. Dog?"

  The metal frame rattles harder. A small cloud of dirt forms at Dog's legs. Then it subsides as Dog calms down.

  "One condition though..." Alyx says, without planning to state an actual condition.

  "Mmm?"

  "Write something nice on it for me."

  Adrian freezes for a moment. He's never been much of awriter: most of his experience comes from keeping a diary back in his HECU days. He remembers how he managed to confess his feelings for Alyx on a letter, so long and so little time ago. How hard it was to make pencil kiss paper.

  But he still journals, although he isn't the same man he was back in his HECU days. Or the one he was three years ago. Hell, even the one he was less than a year ago. Yet at the same time he is still him. It must be some kind of paradox. Thankfully not a temporal one though.

  Adrian snaps out of his thoughts with a shrug. "Sure. Anything for my radiant wife..."

  He'll write this time too. It'll just be engraving words on metal instead of paper. Something fitting for her. Like the beauty of a zinnia, or the re- (he'll figure this out in due time).

  "Hey! What wife?" Alyx quips with her hands on her hips. "Didn't I tell you to take it easy? We haven't married yet, honey."

  Adrian looks away, but Alyx can tell that he is faking sheepishness. And despite Alyx's words, without noticing it, their conversation takes a turn towards planning their wedding. Dog sits transfixed by the brainstorming.

  Rainbow and Kyuss for the reception is a must. And while it'll be an "unofficial ceremony" with no dress code, Alyx says she'd like to wear a pretty dress under her jacket. Adrian considers attaching a veil to his helmet.

  Gordon had already promised to be a bridesman to Alyx. But it works out, since Barney once told Adrian to "just tell him when it all happens," and that he'd be his best man if needed; and that he'd take care of the drinks (he keeps owing beers to everyone). Kleiner is a party animal so he'll-

  In the back of his mind, he remembers some passages from his old diary. How he used to write about wanting adventure. Change, something exciting. And he got it. But it wasn't only about enlisting and boot camp, or the Resonance Cascade and Black Mesa, or all about race X and Xen, or Ravenholm and adapting to the new world.

  It's also about these walks, and all those other everyday little adventures among the bigger, overlapping ones (ripples, circles) along the way.

  ...Man, is ex-corporal Shephard lucky.

  Dog "barks" and motions with his forelegs towards the hill.

  "Okay, okay. Let's go before Magnusson gets antsy," Alyx says. There will be time to plan the wedding. "I bet Kleiner's already made tea for everyone."

  The night is young. Despite walking and standing all evening, Alyx and Adrian have full energy in their steps. Dog leads the way back to White Forest base through the lake's shoreline.

  One of Alyx's hands holds one of Adrian's, caressing his knuckles with her thumb.

  She observes their enlinked hands. The holes in his biker-styled tactical gloves. She brings his hand to her lips and kisses his bare knuckles.

  "You DO know that I love you, right?" she asks.

  He replies with an affirming, quiet chuckle and gently nuzzles his front voicemitter against her cheek, giving her a gas masked kiss. "...And I love you too."

  And all this is just one of the unforeseen consequences of the Resonance Cascade. Two paths that under impossible circumstances still crossed, the accident that screwed the world having brought them together.

  The Resonance Cascade was the worst and also the best thing to have ever happened to them. Another grand paradox in the struggle, wonder and gift that is life.

[sovonight]

i had a lot of opinions on xan's age in the mod to the point where i had a post in my drafts all written up about it, essentially just to say that xan should be younger. anyway this is that post

first off let me just put his canon portrait aside. seeing as how bg2 said "hey don't look at the old portraits, jaheira is blond and has slanted eyes now, and viconia is super hot," let's just disregard it as something that can and would probably have been retconned if xan had been brought back officially (especially since he was airbrushed in heroes of baldur's gate).

second off let's set aside all timeline considerations, because bioware doesn't care about timelines, and the video games certainly don't care about timelines, so i don't want to hear "but how could erevain reference xan's depressing attitude in iwd if xan was only in his fifties when erevain--" shhhh shh shh sh. it's okay. bioware forgot about elves when they stated that gorion's ward was 20 years old (and don't even get me started on the flimsy excuse that they're "physically adults" at 20, this is clearly a story meant for a protagonist who is emotionally considered a young adult for their race, elves are elf-20 when they leave candlekeep, thank you), the timeline issue is bigger than all of us.

now, to my point. in the bg2 mod xan's age is stated to be 263, but i disagree. here's why:

elf lore reasons (dnd loremasters avert your eyes):

according to a period-appropriate 2e text, 263 would put him in "old age". just... ruminate on that for a moment. does the bg2 mod remember that elves do still show physical signs of age? if he's 263, shouldn't xan be comfortably tucked away in a wizard tower by now? or like, just generally residing in the safety of his beloved evereska? i know forgotten realms is its own campaign world or whatever, but let’s just assume for a second that the cultural lore here can be directly translated over, because the book also says that not many elves choose to keep adventuring past adulthood. so what is xan doing still adventuring at the age of 263?

"but he's a greycloak!" putting aside how the "greycloaks" were invented solely for the video games so we know next to nothing about them, let's dig into that for a second. just because he's a greycloak doesn't mean he still has to be doing fieldwork. how is it that at 263, he hasn't already been offered some higher up position back at headquarters where he's the one coordinating who takes what missions where? it's not like he's bad at his job--both mods imply that he does well in his career. even if he's not one for management and really just excels in the field, the bg2 mod mentions that xan had a mentor in the greycloaks when he first started--so how is it that he's never mentored anyone else yet?

"sovo he's not good at his job he was literally captured by mulahey and held captive for a month" first of all how dare you, mulahey was a difficult fight with a full party and xan is just one sad little guy. second of all i kind of agree; rookie mistake to head in there completely alone. hmmm, wouldn't that invite you to place him closer to the beginning of his career...? one could even assume that this is his first big solo mission without his mentor...

xan himself

in the bg1 mod, his anecdotes are largely about his time as a student at the academy of magic & the death of his father as a child. to me, that says that he's still close to those periods in his life, and hasn't yet created many experiences beyond them. it's only in the bg2 mod, where his age of 263 is stated for the first time, that he starts telling anecdotes about past greycloak missions and lamenting about how old he is compared to charname.

confusingly, the bg2 mod also gives him a new voice that's rather young compared to his supposed age. yeah yeah i know it's a feat to get voice acting for a mod at all, and the perceived age of a voice is subjective, but it still strikes me as a weird choice that's at odds with the new narrative and dynamic that the mod is trying to push on xan and charname's relationship.

xan and charname's dynamic

in the bg1 mod, xan occasionally calls charname a child when he thinks she's being immature, naive, or optimistic (which is, to him, synonymous with naive). iirc, this is mainly in their earlier exchanges when they're getting to know each other, and charname says things that he thinks are ignorant or rub him the wrong way. this never stuck out to me because it's a usage that fits neatly into the fantasy setting, and it's not saying that he views her as a child. when he does comment on her age outright--like saying that she's surprisingly capable for someone so young--it points out that there's a gap in age between them, but it certainly never gave me the impression that it was on the scale of, like, 100+ years.

in bg1 the gap in life experience between them feels more balanced. xan has much more experience on the road, with adventuring and combat and loss, but he's clearly not... the most well-adjusted or well-rounded guy. he excels both academically and professionally, but his social ties are severely lacking for it--he's isolated, already an outcast before he ever even exiles himself. meanwhile, charname has been confined to candlekeep until adulthood, and so has very little real adventuring/combat experience, but (depending on your rp) has a much more generous view of the world than xan does, and has more long-lasting and close relationships with others (not just considering the game's companions, but the inhabitants of candlekeep).

i read xan's bg1 romance as, this is his first time being in love, ever. and he doesn't know what to do with himself, with these feelings that make his heart soar and sink and that comfort and frustrate him, to the point that his solution is to just up and leave the party. also, his justification for leaving is that he's afraid of what he's heard love will do to him--he's heard that in bonded couples, if one dies, the other will likely die of heartbreak. d'you see the picture i'm painting here?

meanwhile, in the bg2 mod, xan and charname's gap in life experience is newly defined and emphasized. a new array of conversation topics imply that xan was already past all of his firsts in life, including love. xan also now occasionally calls charname "silly girl" or "foolish girl" as some weird admonishment/term of endearment, which... i'm not a fan of, given the new emphasis on how he's so ~old and experienced~ and she's so ~young and innocent~. there's also a dialogue option i despise where charname can tell xan to focus on how young and beautiful she is to take his mind off things, and in another exchange there's an option that starts with an admonishment of "you're not my father," which given everything else that the mod has pushed forward, that comparison is kind of um, ew? charname and xan no longer feel like equal romantic partners to me in bg2, and when he calls her "foolish girl," i don't hear endearment--i hear a statement of perspective. to a 263 year old xan in bg2, she is just a girl, one year out from home.

the significance of 263

"but WHY is he 263," i hear you ask? well, it's simple. it's so simple that they literally stated it in the mod. you see, xan was apparently born in 1105 dr...the year of the guardian.

YES. YOU READ THAT RIGHT. the ONLY reason he's 263 is so that he could say he was born in the year of the guardian! you know, like how he's?? a guardian??? because of the moonblade?? OH, HOW CLEVER!

it’s just yet another way to tie everything about him back to the moonblade (which is funny, considering how he has such mixed feelings towards being a moonblade wielder, and how in the retcon happy ending, he's released from it, so, what's the point) and it’s kind of nonsensical too, because what, everyone who was born in that year turned out to be a guardian of some kind? surely not!

and in case you have any lingering doubts, you're pretty much told outright that the name was part of the reasoning because xan starts guessing charname's birth year.... based on her class. yes, he starts suggesting year names with "blade" or "shadow" in them if you're a thief class. and i thought he was supposed to be intelligent.

my fix

i prefer to think of xan as being 140, about halfway through the conventional adventuring age range of 110-174. this would put him as being born in 1228 dr, year of the tattered banners, which honestly, if you really want the name of the year to be tied to him in some way, "tattered banners" sounds worn and depressing enough to suit him. it’s a fitting age for him to be bleakly thinking that he’ll die before he ever reaches middle age bc the adventuring life will be the death of him, to still have his years as an academy student actively on his mind, and to act like he already knows everything about life without recognizing that he still has a lot to learn.

this may feel like a very simple and underwhelming answer for the journey we took to get here, and it is. really, though, i can't get over the year name reasoning. you know there's a "year of the trembling tree"? you know who also trembles? xa--

[thebunztalk]

Mimic story in sb theory!!!!

Uh spoilers maybe…it’s been 3/4 weeks tho

Before I start, I wanna say that I don’t believe Tales From The Pizzaplex is FULLY canon.

Yes, Mimic does exist but I don’t think his backstory and personality from the TFTP is canon, maybe there’s some aspects that Steelwool put into game!Mimic.

The proof for this, is that game!Mimic is slow. When Cassie gets chased by Mimic, she runs but her stamina drops faster than Gregory and runs slower while Mimic is even slower than Cassie. And book!Mimic hunted a group of teenagers which are faster than Cassie and yet Mimic killed the group like it was nothing…

Another proof is in TFTP, book!Mimic rips people heads and limbs off and in Ruin, Mimic’s jumpscare shows him grabbing Cassie’s head to rip her.

But when you actually look at both Mimic jumpscare

It looks like he’s trying to wack Cassie on the head instead of trying to grab or rip her and for the Mimic jumpscare without the suit, it looks like he’s putting his hand on front to Cassie’s face instead of his whole palm.

I also don’t believe GGY is canon, I mean sure, amnesia is a thing and Gregory could forgot about what he did

but then again…him being NATURALLY good at computer tech and hacking doesn’t really match to SB taken from his dialogue…

“I don’t know, it looks pretty complicated…”

It’s not that complicated actually, it’s just so much memorizing.

OK! Now let’s get officially started.

Staffbot Silo/Post it room

In my theory on Mimic, I said he’s the one writing these notes, Vanny created him for the purpose of a physical body for Glitchtrap but didn’t work, him kicking Freddy out of the main system and Mimic spying on Gregory through the caution bots/Patpats.

I’ve also talked about Mimic is the one scattered the retro cds for Gregory to find and him waiting in the fake Michael’s living room for Gregory to come see him because Mimic wants to get to know him better.

And from what you guess on the title, I want to tell about Mimic’s story before SB and in the middle of SB but let’s talk about this first.

Specifically the language. In TFTP The Mimic, a young kid named David and book!Mimic decides to make a hand sign language for Mimic to communicate

and when their father wrote in of what the language looks like…it looks like the image that I just showed you. Hopefully! I dunno, I never read TFTP but from what people said, the writing is very similar to the wall code.

Since I said that Mimic’s backstory isn’t canon how does this work? Well I said Vanny could’ve created Mimic and she is very smart, Vanny could be also the one created that hand sign language for game!Mimic to communicate better. But why?

Because in Ruin, you reach closer to the underground, Grimic’s voice sounds less human and more of a bunch of words that stuck together and when Cassie meets the real Mimic, he doesn’t speak (other than “I’m Gregory”) so that’s why Vanny created that language and in the notes you can read that was talking to someone. Like this

Now, was Mimic got put in the endo warehouse?

Maybe. Maybe, after Vanny realized that Mimic is its own being, she putted him in the warehouse with the other endos and from their walk/run cycles, it looks like they have a mimicking feature of their own…that they able to copy the Glamrocks’ AI and the wall/door to teach them. My proof that Mimic was there.

This would make sense, in a way that Vanny is trying to make Mimic just like Glitchtrap.

So I said in the beginning, that Mimic’s run cycle is very slow and he doesn’t copy the Glamrocks’ or Gregory’s.

So maybe Mimic is a slow learner when he was in the warehouse and from the post it notes, his writing is progressing to be a more steady one. So he just needs to take his time on learning how and what is surrounds him and that causes him to be a slow learner (autistic robot real).

Vanny notices this and decides to move Mimic down to Staffbot silo so the employees won’t get suspicious about Mimic and to learn at his own pace and give a lifetime supply of post it notes to Mimic.

From the look of the room, Mimic has been in the Staffbot silo for a while and he has of a more developed mind but he is still a child, he just wants to be grown up.

Connecting Caution bots

While Mimic have been staying in the Staffbot silo, employees starting to get a little too close to the truth then Vanny kills them, with her recent action being the message “All staff meeting”. That also happened to Glamrock Bonnie.

He must’ve trying to investigate about all the strange stuff that happened like the disappearances of children and the staff. The question is who Vanny used to kill Bonnie? Was it actually Monty? Roxy? Prototype Freddy? Or Mimic. If Mimic killed Bonnie, he either gotten pressured or told to just “decommission” Bonnie by Vanny. In the end, Mimic able to connect to the Patpats or he already did get connected and they’ve decommissioned Bonnie because he got to close to the truth.

Which I wanna say that the reason why, Bonnie’s eyes stopped glowing when you deactivate the Patpats is because Mimic must’ve felt guilty about killing him and decided to connect Bonnie with the Patpats too.

The start of SB

Mimic saw Gregory at his stay in the Pizzaplex through the Patpats. Mimic watched Gregory a few times when he’s trying to be in shelter, Gregory must’ve been staying in the Pizzaplex for at least two days that Mimic gets curious about him and his behavior.

Sadly, that has to end when Gregory gets caught by Vanny or Vanessa BUT Mimic has a plan, he wants to help Gregory get out of this mess then Freddy had an error moment when he saw Gregory and Vanny/Vanessa in the crowd but then he had full shut down because something kicked him out of the main system. Mimic kicked him out. That distracted Vanny/Vanessa that Gregory able to get out of their grasp.

Mimic wants to know Gregory more so he can’t just leave then he knows how to make Gregory stay little longer. Make a scavenger hunt! That’ll keep him busy. Mimic leaves the Staffbot silo but when he got out, he crashed into a bunch of boxes

He tried to put boxes in its place but he doesn’t have the time do this right now. Mimic searching for something to use in the scavenger hunt.

Now the retro cds can only be found by using Roxy’s eyes and since the Glamrocks and Mimic is connected to the AR system, Mimic could have found a bunch of data that’s complied into a cd and somehow Roxy’s eyes can make it into a reality.

Mimic found the retro cds through the AR world and scattered all of them in the Pizzaplex for Gregory to find.

Fake SL living room

Mimic is staying in the fake SL living room while Gregory’s doing his 6 hour adventure. He’s been watching Gregory in security cams and Patpats through the TV. Why did I said he watching Gregory through the TV?

Because in ruin, we can see a security footage of Gregory and Vanny so there’s a possibility that Mimic can see Gregory like this too.

Now does Mimic just sit and wait for Gregory to come and that’s it? No. I’m sure, Mimic helped Gregory along with Freddy but how?

The messages

Throughout the game, you can collect messages in the shape of a duffel bag that can help you or for lore reasons. So how Mimic can send the messages despite that in game, you’re collecting them yourself? Simple, that’s just a game mechanic.

In one of Freddy’s unused dialogues, he mentioned about one of the messages on how to get to the catwalks. So in game, you have to collect the messages but in story, Gregory got messages at random times but in certain places. And there’s this one place where you get the “PQ 1 maint” message. The first message that Gregory founds out about PQ

The same place where you can find Bonnie in Ruin (I’m on the 10 images limit but you know what I mean).

If Mimic send all of those messages to Gregory then why he sent the message about PQ despite the arcade machine could free Vanessa.

Maybe the Bonnie and all Staff meeting incident made Mimic realize something that what Vanny’s doing isn’t good or normal. Maybe he wants to free Vanny because he knew something was wrong and the only way to do that is playing PQ but it didn’t exactly work…

(I think the “HI DAVE” and “Better Employees” message was a message misread speedrun send accident or Mimic thinks it would be funny)

A challenge message

Back to fake SL living room, there’s this message behind the TV and I said that the language was created by Vanny so ONLY Vanny and Mimic knows about this language but what if i told you Mimic1/Glitchtrap also knows about it.

When you think about the translation of the message, it sounds like a taunt, a challenge.

Taken from the quote

“Break and mend, i built the breath. They hunt now, drawn to life. Not real, still keen. And frit and fraught with thought and zest and gest no blunt woes. Dodge, duck, flash, shoot, crawl, run, crash the vile band. Cry not, try not, do not hold out hope, no. Your life, your aim will save those with soul.”

“I built the breath. They hunt now”

That would make sense for Glitchtrap because he built the virus and Vanny put that into the Glamrocks causing them to be aggressive. Obviously, this message is for Gregory but it’s not message…it’s a challenge. A challenge for Gregory. Glitchtrap is taunting him to fight through the night and destroy the Glamrocks which Gregory did just that.

But how Glitchtrap able write that challenge despite he doesn’t have a physical body? Mimic also got affected by the virus in which cause Glitchtrap to control him and wrote that message. So here’s what happened

Mimic was helping and watching Gregory through the TV then he got glitched and errors, he dropped his popcorn (yes, I think Mimic was the one who carried two popcorns and eating it) Glitchtrap took control and wrote that code then he leaves and Vanny founds him.

Vanny hides Mimic to somewhere below the Staffbot silo and that place is Freddy Fazbear’s pizza place, that’s where Mimic’s story ends and y’know how it goes next,

Gregory and Freddy goes to Fazer Blast and Vanny disassemble Freddy, Gregory plays PQ 3 and freed Vanessa and which also “freed” Vanny and they eat ice cream together with Freddy being a head and Mimic saw that and he’s all sad, the 3 star fam are gone for awhile then they came back with Vanny created MXES and modified the AR world.

Now here is the interesting part

A story about a Mother and a Son

I’ll tell you one thing…there is not a single mother and son duo in the FNAF franchise. So either the mother and son is most likely a metaphor or it’s about Vanny and Mimic.

“Now i will tell you a story about a Mother and a little boy who lived alone in a cabin in the dark woods”

Vanny and Mimic lived in the Pizzaplex which they hide in dark places and the animatronics there seems aggressive.

“There was a monster in the woods but the Mother caught it and kept it locked in the basement”

The monster is Glitchtrap. Tape girl and Vanessa tries to trap Glitchtrap in different ways but the one thing about tape girl, that she had the option to delete her audio logs that was used as Glitchtrap’s hiding spot but she never deleted them…

“The monster always made scary noises at night. But the Mother would tell the boy not to worry because it could never get out. Then she would sing the boy a lullaby to sleep.”

The virus affected Glamrocks is seen killing their targets through the Patpats, Mimic asked Vanny about the disappearances but she told him not to worry/gaslighting him to not think about it.

“One day, the monster stopped growling. Instead, listened and learned the lullaby.”

Glitchtrap watched Mimic and learned the language that Mimic communicates with and used it to write the message.

“The next day when the Mother went out to find food, the monster sang the lullaby from the basement. The little boy heard the lullaby and opened the door…”

When Vanny got “freed”. The 3 star fam came back to the pizzaplex and put MXES in the underground.

MXES who is oddly similar to Glitchtrap is now the monster luring Mimic to the underground and trapped him there.

But wait…

Did MXES lured Mimic?

From most people’s theories, Gregory lured Mimic there because Mimic wants to meet Gregory. But what if Mimic’s messages to Cassie IS true.

In his first dialogues to Cassie, that SOMETHING grabbed him and he’s under the raceway and when MXES first appeared, Mimic told Cassie to “stay away from that thing”.

Then when Cassie talks to Mimic in the Monty gondolas maintenance room, Mimic said this

“I’ll explain it all when you get here. That thing is back! I gotta hide!”

It’s the fact that Mimic sounds very genuine when he’ll explain about how he can see what Cassie’s doing and he called someone “that thing”.

Was he referring to himself or to MXES because it would make sense that MXES is physically near Mimic.

Now, the very last thing to talk about

The elevator ending

In the chase scene, Mimic kept trying to run to Cassie. Maybe the reason why Mimic knocked Cassie out of consciousness was because he was desperate to have company especially when Gregory said that he’s been trapped for really long time.

Then if Mimic cut the elevator (as in destroyed the conduit) either he didn’t think that the elevator would fall or he’s so desperate that he’ll let Cassie get hurt on the way down…but I think I’ll choose that first one.

Conclusion?

Mimic is so tragic actually…same thing with book!Mimic. Anyways

AlsoiheadcanonedVannycalledMimicJimmysoMimic’sactualnameisJimmy

This theory is helped by @chaosnightgal

[beepersteeper]

I Will Always Find You -- Astarion x Tav -- There's No Arguing With That | part 6

Astarion and F!Tav live happily together for the remaining years she has, she refuses to be turned into a vampire because her faith says that her soul isn’t finished with its work yet. Tav dies of old age and leaves Astarion to put together the pieces of his broken heart. AN: Lord of Light lore taken and changed to fit the story's means. Not canonically accurate. TLDR story line stuff. This is an AU where Astarion ascends but isn't a power hungry bastard and Tav is able to help him continue healing. Wyll is immortal and the Duke. Karlach in my mind, if given a new engine would be able to live a lot longer than the usual tiefling. Another AN: idk if anyone wants tagged in this WIP but let me know. 

“Well, you look like you finally got some real rest.” Wyll says looking up from the desk.

“I did.” Astarion says fluffing his hair trying to get it to lay where he would like. “When is that meeting with the fists?”

“In about an hour and a half.” Wyll responds while putting papers into different folders for the meeting. “Are you still coming?” he asks to which Astarion nods. “Wonderful, you get to see me in action to see if you want to pass me the torch permanently.” he laughs handing Astarion a folder “This is everything I’m talking about and showing them. Just to keep them in check.”

“You've done great for thirty years, I don't need more convincing. Whenever you're ready, we'll start the process. But in the meantime let's go get under the Flaming Fists skin.” he laughs, turning out the door to get dressed. Once he was in his room he picked out a black and white embroidered suit with thin gold threads lining the seams and details. He threw it on the bed with a complimentary pair of loafers on the footlocker. He made his way to the washroom and preened his hair, adding pomade to keep his curls locked in place, when he was happy with every strand being in place he dabbed his bergamot-perfumed oil on his neck and wrist and turned to retrieve his suit when a knock was rapt on his door, a worker offering him his breakfast. He happily receives it and thanks the man at the door. He greedily drinks the warm red liquid before getting dressed. He smoothed his pants' legs after slipping his shoes on and looked in the mirror. And deciding if this was the suit he wanted to wear. It was. The black one is my favorite, my love. Tav would coo from behind him with her chin rested on his shoulder. It really lets your fair features just glow. He smiled and slipped his arms into the white button-down shirt and buttoned it and tucked the ends into his pants before adding the dark jacket, patting his pocket to check for his pocket rock and tidying himself one more time before leaving the room.

He meets Wyll in the hall by the front door. “It looks like Lord Ancunín is officially back!” Wyll jeers as Astarion turns in an ego-filled circle. “You've always known just when to clean up.”

“300 years of putting on a show.” Astarion flicks his wrist to look at his nails dramatically “It is nice to clean up now and again Wyll, you should really try it sometime.” he laughs at his own joke at Wyll.

“Funny.” Wyll responds, not amused and rolling his eyes. “Are you quite done?”

“Probably not.” Astarion laughs honestly, tucking his folder under his arm “But I am ready to leave.” The two walk out the door.

“I'm glad to hear all of your old snark flitting back to your tongue. As much as it pains me to say I have to admit I missed it.” Wyll groans at his admittance. 

Astarion smiles and shares a knowing look with Wyll “I'm still the same magnificent bastard that I've always been. He's just been buried beneath all of the grief I've been carrying. I am just feeling really good today.” he shrugs.

They make it to the Flaming Fist Headquarters and are seated around a small round table. Wyll is greeted first before the Head Fist notices that Astarion is seated there as well “Lord Ancunín. My apologies, I was unaware that we would be blessed with your presence today.”

“I decided that it was time to return. Just felt like the safety of my beloved city was at risk because of some information I was given in my absence." Astarion sneers at the muscular man standing opposite the table. “Tell me, are my suspicions accurate?”

“No, my lord. The city is as safe as it's ever been.” The man speaks quickly trying to quell any concerns that Astarions holds.

“Is that what your data says?” he turns to ask Wyll to take the lead.

“Not at all.” he feigns shock “Would you care to explain all of these contested arrests?” Wyll speaks in a stern tone handing a folder to the man.  They sit for the better part of 4 hours listening to the man explain arrest after arrest, and in turn, they explain why nearly all of them were done unlawfully. “You had better get your ranks in line, and quickly. It truly would be a shame if the Fist lost what is it…” he pauses for effect stroking his chin as if in deep thought “75% of its funding.”

“Absolutely Duke Ravenguard. You will find that the regime is put back in shape.” the man bows.

“It shouldn't need put back into shape.'' Astarion sighs, loudly placing his hand flat on the table admiring the ruby ring on his finger to seem like he is talking passively to the man. “Be sure that we don't have to have this conversation again.” he looks to Wyll who nods that he is finished with everything he has to say. Astarion waves the man away, his lip raised in disgust. The two see themselves out of the building and walk through town toward the palace.

“We make a pretty good team.” Wyll laughs heartily, shaking Astarion’s hand and pulling him into a half hug.

“That we do.” Astarion responds in kind, feeling a bit of a high from feeling that kind of power again.

“Are you sure you'd want to give that up?” Wyll asks unbuttoning his jacket and vest

“I guess I could see myself keeping some sort of stake in the game, but truly you do so much better than I would, you're diplomatic I just sneer down my nose at them until they give in. My attitude and willingness to bully anyone else in power would always be at your service.” They both laugh at the blatant self-awareness.

“Are you going to see Vira today?” Wyll asks in front of the palace.

“Yes.” Astarion smiles a big dumb grin “But you're not surprised by that.” he states, earning a laugh from his friend. “I'll see you later.” both wave to the other and walk their separate ways.  He walks quickly to the bookstore and walks in, each time feeling more natural than the last, and this time being greeted by Eyman.

“Well look at you, what's the occasion?” Eyman chuckles looking at him from behind the counter.

“I joined the Duke Ravenguard in court today.” Astarion shrugs, starting to unbutton his jacket when Vira turns the corner with a box in her hands. 

She trips over her feet as her eyes go wide and her mouth falls open to say “Well hello, Handsome.” He laughs at her display, catching the lid as it falls from the box.

“Gods above.” she says almost under her breath while setting the box down and putting her hand over her heart. “Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?” He does a quick playful turn for her, causing Eyman to groan like a dad and walk out the front door to “check the mail or something” he said. Astarion reaches for her hand and kisses her knuckles. “You are truly gorgeous.” she coos.

“If this is the reaction dressing like this gets me I just might have to do it more often.” he flirts still holding her hand close to his lips.

“You can't,” she whines playfully “That might very well kill me.” she smiles, leaning her body into his for a hug “Besides something is charming about being surprised by such a wonderful sight, I would hate to get used to this and miss out on thoroughly appreciating the view every time.”

He smiles and hugs her tight before letting her go, but not before she kisses him on his cheek. He blushes and cocks a crooked smile at her before taking off his jacket and hanging it on the back of a chair behind the counter.  He chuckles at himself peacocking in such a way, not disappointed by any stretch, just surprised to be enjoying it. When he turns back around he unbuttons his cuffs and begins rolling the sleeves up to his elbows he catches her looking, almost through him. “Everything alright, Darling?” he asks, adding one final fold to his sleeve. “I know that look, you’re a million miles away.”

She shakes her head slightly ridding herself of whatever she was thinking and smiles at him “Just thinking.” She shrugs and walks to meet him by the counter wrapping her arms around his torso and resting her head on his shoulder. “Just taking this all in case something happens, in case this is all just a dream that's too good to be true.” she smiles into his shoulder. “Gods you even smell amazing.” she groans “And here I am looking truly homely.” She motions to her black denim pants and cream ruffle tunic.

He leans himself onto the counter and wraps his arms around her shoulders pulling her tight to his chest holding most of her weight and whispers into her ear, making sure that she can hear him. “First, you are anything but homely. And nothing is going to happen, darling.” he assures “We are both very much here, and very much real.” he rocks her gently from side to side earning little giggles from her. With one hand between her shoulder blades, he slides his other hand on the side of her face, having his red eyes look into her green ones. “Are you sure that's all?” he asks.

“I’m sure,” she pushes her forehead against his and smiles shyly,  “just a bit of deja vu. I’m okay, I promise.”

“Okay,” he whispers, not wanting to push her. He smiles and looks behind her at the front door, making sure Eyman isn't walking in before he kisses her quickly, taking her by surprise. “As long as you're okay. Now what do you need help with?” he asks, moving his hands to her waist, still holding her body against his, to comfort her, he hopes.

“I have quite a few orders to pack, and need to find a place for the whole shipment, a new Introduction to the Weave Wizard Series.” she taps her hand on his chest and steps out of his hands to get into the box she had put on the counter to add “besides daddy is taking the afternoon off in a few, so we’ll have the bookstore to ourselves and I’m in charge.” she laughs bobbing her head from side to side exemplifying her sass.

“For the evening, Vira, don't let that go to your head.” Eyman says walking through the door “And don't go getting Little Star here into any trouble ‘having the bookstore to yourselves’.” he mocks and shakes his head. 

“Ugh Daddy.” she groans “We’re just going to be loading and unloading books, what trouble could we even get into.”

“Just because I’m an old man now, I wasn't always this way.” he laughs “All I’m saying is to be good.” he rolls his eyes and reaches for his jacket from the coat rack by the side door. “Are you staying for a while Astarion?” Eyman looks at him leaning on the counter still.

“I don't have any other plans.” he smirks, playing nonchalantly “As long as Vira wants my company I’ll be here.” he scans his eyes to Vira who is organizing the textbooks and his smirk melts into a smile.

“Then I am sure I'll see you when I get back.” Eyman laughs a belly laugh. He kisses Vira on her cheek and waves to them as he walks out the door. When the door latches Vira starts to walk toward Astarion and he holds up a hand to stop her just as the door opens again and Eyman peaks his head in and flips on the gas for outdoor light “I‘m just tuning this on so you don't have to. You kids have a good night.” They respond in kind and he leaves the door again. 

“How’d you know he would come right back?” she asks, laughing while walking to him with several books in her arms.

“Just kind of felt like he would. To make sure we’re not trying to do any dirty things in his bookstore.” he jokes, raising his eyebrows for effect. Vira groans and rolls her eyes in response pushing the stack of books into his arms and points to an open shelf. He laughs at himself and starts stacking the books where she says “Whatever you say, You are the one in charge.” He rolls his eyes mocking the way she does it.

“And don't you forget that.” she chuckles, prying open two more boxes and moving them next to the shelf to be unloaded.

“I’m positive you wouldn’t let me if I ever did.” he bumps his shoulder into her as she walks back to the counter. He continues to unload the crates.

“You're damn right.” she chuffs "By the way, where's your rock?” she smirks, hoping to have caught him unprepared considering he was more dressed up than usual.

“Inside pocket.” he grins and points toward his jacket. “You’re not going to get me. I've carried that thing for nearly 100 years.” he shakes his head and returns to his work. Out of the corner of his eye, he watches her pick up his jacket and finds the rock, sucking her teeth in disappointment. 

Vira brings one more box over and sits on the floor next to the boxes and starts handing him books to place on the shelves. They pass the time with idle chatter between customers eventually filling the shelves and move on to the orders of books to deliver tomorrow morning. Once they finish those orders it is time to close up the shop. Vira flips the sign to closed, locks the door, turns off the front light and closes all the blinds. Astarion flops himself onto a padded chair and picks up a book on the Lord of Light to read. Vira walks over to him moving the book slightly to see the cover. She hums after seeing the title and perches on the arm of the chair reading over his shoulder after blowing out all of the candles except the few around them.

“You can't be comfortable up there.” Astarion chuckles softly and pulls her onto his lap with her legs hanging over the arm of the chair, wrapping his arms around her to continue reading the book. “Have you read this one?” she shakes her head. They read the book together discussing different passages for more than an hour. Vira stops reading after a while and snuggles closer to Astarion pushing her face into the crook of his neck. She places soft kisses on the corner of his jaw before laying her head on his shoulder hugging him around his torso tucking her hands behind his back. “Darling, you’re falling asleep.” she hums a half-hearted response. “Don't you want to go to bed? Or at least get changed?” she groans, pushing her face into his neck. He giggles and rolls his eyes “Whatever you say.” before he closes the book and sets it on the table next to him. He shuffles his body slightly lower on the chair bracing their weight with his legs with his feet firmly planted on the floor. The movement earns a disgruntled groan from Vira. “Oh you’re fine darling.” he sighs. He wraps one arm over her thighs tucking his hand under to keep ahold of her when he ultimately falls asleep too. He rests his head on his free hand and closes his eyes. 

He smiles to himself at that moment. The irony is not lost on him. The night after he was finally willing to sleep in his bed again, he is choosing to rest in an uncomfortable chair, but happily so to be close to her. He feels Vira readjust herself to curl up closer to him. He as if by instinct tightens his hold on her to be sure she doesn't fall and squeezes her thigh 3 times. She sighs and weakly squeezes her hand on his back. Astarion feels her breath on his neck change as she falls asleep and the pattern of her breath lulls him to sleep. 

Astarion’s eyes shoot open when he hears the door handle jingle. He feels his breath getting faster. Sitting cautious he watches the door open slowly, and close again. Eyman. He relaxes again and closes his eyes wishing to still be asleep

“You crazy kids” Eyman whispers to himself looking at them curled up together on one chair. 

“She fell asleep and I didn't have the heart to move.” Astarion responds waving his hand that was holding his head. “What time is it?”

Eyman walks closer to talk still in a whisper “It's well past one.”

Astarion stretches his legs one at a time trying to regain more feeling in the limbs “I'll get her to bed and head home.” readying himself to stand.

“The second door on the right.” Eyman’s smile is clear in the flame's light “You're not going anywhere son, you get some rest too. I’ll see you both in the morning.”

Astarion stands holding Vira in his arms walking up the stairs behind Eyman. “I can go home, I'm not worried about the ruffians in this town, I’ve dealt with worse.”

They make it to the top of the steps and Eyman’s face meets his “We have that in common then. I'm not worried about them, I'm worried about you. And you’re not going to risk going home by yourself at this hour. Now stop being so damned modest and get yourselves situated and get some rest.” he says in a stern but careful tone. 

“Yes sir.” Astarion chuckles, “Thanks, Eyman.” He walks into the door sideways to be sure he wouldn't bump any part of her off the door frame. “Goodnight.”

Eyman sets a candle on the desk and walks further down the dark hall. 

Astarion lays Vira on the bed, carefully placing her head on the pillow. He gently tugs her boots off and places them by the door, he unlaces his own and puts them next to hers. He covers her form with a blanket before he situates himself in the desk chair and leans back onto his palm. He hears Eyman whisper-yelling from down the hall. “I know you're not trying to sleep in a bloody chair, Little Star. Lay down and get some rest, you look like you've not slept in days.” 

Astarion sighs and walks over to lay in Vira’s bed and thinks to himself for a moment while he unrolls his sleeves and unbuttons several buttons at the top of his shirt before ultimately lying himself down gently to not wake her up. He lays down tucking his hands under his head and closes his eyes. Before he can fall asleep he feels Vira roll onto her side and drape her arm and knee over his body and sighing contentedly. He slowly moves his hand from under his head and rests it on her back rubbing tender circles making sure she stays asleep. Sleep quickly finds him.

@zoeloveslotr @silverfangmarks @prudent-nerd

[triggerlil]

top 5 film recs

Putting a lot of thought into this a la film student so I'm just choosing some of the 5 best movies I've seen that I think also capture the beauty of film as an artistic medium.

In no particular order

Burning (Lee Chang-Dong, 2018)

Deliveryman Jongsu is out on a job when he runs into Haemi, a girl who once lived in his neighborhood. She asks if he’d mind looking after her cat while she’s away on a trip to Africa. On her return she introduces to Jongsu an enigmatic young man named Ben, who she met during her trip. And one day Ben tells Jongsu about his most unusual hobby… (Letterboxd)

A mesmerizing psychological thriller that totally gets in your head yet has a somewhat meandering pace that captures the drawn out nature of these sorts of stories in real life. Breathtaking cinematography. One of my top five and I think a must watch for fans of the genre and/or Korean cinema.

Sans Soleil (Chris Marker, 1983)

“He wrote me…” A woman narrates the thoughts of a world traveler, meditations on time and memory expressed in words and images from places as far-flung as Japan, Guinea-Bissau, Iceland, and San Francisco. (Letterboxd)

Experimental film at its finest this movie always blows my mind. Moving, contemplative, wonderous. Marker is also just a really important Dude in film history.

The Passion Of Joan of Arc (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1928)

A classic of the silent age, this film tells the story of the doomed but ultimately canonized 15th-century teenage warrior. On trial for claiming she’d spoken to God, Jeanne d’Arc is subjected to inhumane treatment and scare tactics at the hands of church court officials. Initially bullied into changing her story, Jeanne eventually opts for what she sees as the truth. Her punishment, a famously brutal execution, earns her perpetual martyrdom. (Letterboxd)

Fuck it silent film. Watched this with a church choir accompaniment and it left me stunned. The first silent film that gave me an oh moment. Reminds you that the medium can transcend so many barriers with so little. I also just think watching silent films or just really old movies is sooo important because it puts the new stuff in a different light sometimes to see the OG filmic storytelling devices.

Moonlight (Barry Jenkins, 2016)

The tender, heartbreaking story of a young man’s struggle to find himself, told across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love, while grappling with his own sexuality. (Letterboxd)

Genuinely believe it's one of the best movies made in the 21st century. Gut wrenching and poignant, great writing, beautiful colour grading, amazing casting, one of the best scores I've ever heard (Nicholas Britell stays WINNING I even own it on vinyl), it's just a show stopper for me and an amazing queer film. I think if you haven't seen this but you loved Sciamma's Portrait of a Lady on Fire they have very similar energies.

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (Yoshiaki Kawajiri, 2000)

D has been hired to track down Meier Link, a notoriously powerful vampire who has abducted a woman, Charlotte Elbourne. D’s orders are strict - find Charlotte, at any cost. For the first time, D faces serious competition. The Markus Brothers, a family of Vampire Hunters, were hired for the same bounty. D Must intercept Meier and conquer hostile forces on all sides in a deadly race against time. (Letterboxd)

Genuinely one of the only movies I think has accurately captured gothic vampire literature, it just has the VIBE of Dracula and Carmilla in a way no other movie has. It's not actually about those books, but I think it just has the essence that adaptations miss. A great example of the power of animation!!! (Also you can literally watch it for free on youtube soooo...)

If you read all these thank you for listening... hope I inspired you to watch even one of these suggestions ! My only regret is that I didn't include any lesbian cinema.

[ultraericthered]

MY GUIDE TO THE INCARNATIONS OF MALICE

DEMON KING DEMISE

Greater-Scope Villain of the entire franchise who originated the curse known as Malice that ensured great evil would always be plaguing Hyrule and going after the reincarnations and descendants of the Hero and the Goddess, the greatest of such evils being those who’d be born and reborn as vessels for the demon god’s undying hatred. 

Appeared only in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

Voiced in my head by Fred Tatasciore.

GANONDORF PROTO (DEMON KING GANON)

First incarnation of Demise’s Malice and the first Gerudo king to be born with the name of Ganondorf. A warlord who sought to conquer Hyrule during the founding days of the kingdom. Coveted the power of the Zonai Secret Stones, swore false fealty to King Rauru only to murder his wife and steal her Secret Stone, embraced the Malice and transform himself into a Demon King who led dark legions in an effort to conquer Hyrule until he was mummified and sealed by Rauru.

As it was his malice that leaked through the seal, reached Warrior King Ganon and created Calamity Ganon, he ironically has ended up as the first Ganon AND the last Ganon simultaneously; the Alpha and the Omega. Appears in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom

Voiced in the English dub by Matthew Mercer.

GANONDORF PRIME, THE GREAT KING OF EVIL

First reincarnation of the Malice, the OG Ganon who appeared in the most titles due to his timeline splintering into three divergeant paths.

Always starts off where we meet him in Ocarina of Time, but if exposed for his treachery while Link and Zelda are still children, his path is set towards Twilight Princess. If as the great King of Evil in the Bad Future, he kills Link and claims the whole Triforce, his path is set towards A Link To The Past, which itself is later followed by the Oracle games and A Link Between Worlds. But if Link is triumphant and Ganondorf is sealed into the Sacred Realm, his path is set towards The Wind Waker. He’s also appeared in Super Smash Bros. Voiced in my head by Tom Wyner (A Link To The Past, Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker, and Oracle of Ages/Seasons), Steve Blum (Twilight Princess), Len Carlson (Agahnim in A Link To The Past), and Sam Ramey (Ocarina of Time 3D).

GANON, PRINCE OF DARKNESS Second known Ganon reincarnation, born in a timeline many years after the original Ganondorf was killed for good in Twilight Princess. He only appeared in The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure.

Voiced in my head by Steve Blum.

WARRIOR KING GANON/CALAMITY GANON

Third known Ganon reincarnation, born into realities that aren’t considered official canon to Nintendo’s timeline, yet his physical form seems to have been what Demon King Ganon’s malice latched onto in order to make Calamity Ganon out of, as seen in Age of Calamity.

Appears in Hyrule Warrirors, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, and (kinda, sorta) The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Voiced in my head by Jamieson Price.

YUGA (YUGANON)

Lorule counterpart to Ganondorf who serves as the Big Bad of The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. A far more narcissistic and self-obsessed character than Ganondorf ever was, and is effete and mincing whereas Ganondorf is masculine and no-nonsense, keeping with the idea that Lorule is like a distorted mirror of Hyrule. Most impressively, he hijacks Ganon rather than the other way around!

Voiced in my head by Michael McKean.

DEMON KING MALADUS

Another incarnation of Demise’s Malice who appears as the Big Boss of The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. He is never fully explained.

GANONS WHO DON’T COUNT

Incarnations of the character appearing in The Legend of Zelda (1986 NES game), fan-made games, the CDI games, the 80s cartoon show, Cadence of Hyrule, and Animal Crossing.

Maybe this is blasphemy, but I personally do not think of the original NES game and its immediate oddball sequel, The Adventure of Link, as canonical to the rest of the series despite Nintendo’s insistence of shoving them neatly into a timeline. They stand out way too much as having no story in them aside from what’s All There In The Manual, and I’m supposed to believe that OG Ganon, in this timeline, was resurrected thrice over (Oracle games, A Link Between Worlds, and the original game) and THIS is how he gets done in once and for all? Nope, not having it. To me, the true final battle with Ganon in that timeline was the linked finale of the Oracle games, with Yuga’s later hijacking of his spirit being his final appearance and involvement. 

As for the others - the fan-made games and CDI games are obviously non-canonical and their Ganons barely a thing like him, the cartoon version is a Skeletor-esque idiot who’s just a boar man for no real reason, Cadence of Hyrule’s take is okay but not part of the timeline and a major Adaptational Wimp, and Animal Crossing? C’mon, that character is just a silly blue pig pretending to be his idol.

Last thing to note - with the canonical Ganons, I love that they go the whole sliding scale of evil villainy, in appropriate chronological order. Demon King Ganon, like Demise, is a pure evil Complete Monster. King of Evil Ganon is a Classic Villain whose resume of dark deeds is particularly heinous across all his appearances. Prince of Darkness Ganon is a Classic Villain who is bog standard and generically evil rather than truly heinous. Warrior King Ganon is a tactically gifted and charismatic Magnificent Bastard with even some Noble Demon qualities to him, and then what Calamity Ganon devolves into is pure Generic Doomsday Villain (just like original NES Ganon always was). Truly one of the greatest villains in all of video gaming indeed.

[ambiguouswren]

So nervous to post this & I'm still working out a few things but here's my Reverend Daughter Gideon head canons:

Gideon arrived at Drearburh just like in canon. The Reverend Father and Mother sacrificed 200 children just like canon.

Except this time it didn't yield a Necromantic Harrow. It fails. Gideon, however, unknowingly being the daughter of John at the time, started showed great Necromantic prowess very early on, whereas Harrow showed none. So having no other options and more out of desperation than want, Gideon is officially adopted as the Reverend Daughter and Harrow went into Cav training. Palleamena & Priamhark maybe still unalive themselves & Gideon puppets out of panic. I haven't worked that bit out yet.

Thus, Gideon was shown no love from the Reverend Father and Mother who were now living not just with the shame of sacrificing 200 of the children of the Ninth, but for it being an entire failure. Pushing that displeasure both on Gideon, the child they did not want, and Harrow, the child that represents their greatest failure and possible doom of the House. Gideon and Harrow obviously spend their whole lives taking it out on each other. Harrow funneled that rage into her sword work, wanting to be the best at something, Gideon learned to be a great Necromancer but still very much herself, so shenanigans ensued & people get frustrated with her. The dirty magazines ABSOLUTELY still find their way into her hands. Gideon doesn't WANT to be Reverend Daughter, but feels obligated to because they brought her up. She still desperately wants to be a cohort fighter but any time she tries to train the Nuns would pull her away to go back to Necromancy lessons. Harrow and Gideon still basically loath each other. Harrow angry that Gideon was the person she was supposed to be, & Gideon sour because she didn’t want or ask for any of this and feel reproachful that Harrow is so mad at her for something that’s so horrifically not her fault. Ortus is stuck between all this but is tied to a sense of duty (namely through parental pressures ), but he does like Gideon and I feel like they might kind of be friends? Or at least friendly. Gideon likes listening to his poetry then trying to convince him to make it more sexy. Aiglamine teaches Gideon some sword stuff when there’s a little free time, as the Reverend Daughter is still interested in it and its the only way that she can live out even a little of her dream, but she has to keep it more or less a secret. (Scene: Gideon offers to spar & Harrow just scoffs because she thinks Gideon has never touched a sword in her life. Gideon isn’t QUITE as good as Harrow but they both work up a sweat before Harrow inevitably gets her to the floor, which Gideon makes a very dirty joke about)

Crux hates Gideon and Gideon hates Crux, nothing changes there.

Crux can go touch grass but I appreciate he cares a bit for Nova. So this stays, obviously. Overall I think Gideon’s personality is the same. She still has dirty magazines tucked away, she still works out and has some buffness to her but more for aesthetic then survival like Canon Gideon did. Maybe a bit more lean than large. But she naturally has a bigger build (prob hereditary from Wake). Also she can’t get QUITE as bulky because of how Necromancy was stated to affect the body OR this is an AU and we do what we want because we love a buff Gideon. (or at least I do and this is my HC) I'm sure I'll think of more stuff as time goes by and ultimately this is just my take and all takes are valid. I just love this AU so much. Thank you for reading! Ahhhhhhhh

[cindydartist]

Why I think BotW fits as a sequel to TAoL

My lovely siblings let me rant Legend of Zelda timeline stuff to them and I figured, might as well post it here. Note: this is my own headcanon, NOT what I think Nintendo or anyone else HAS to follow. I know and recognize that neither BotW nor TotK are part of the official Zelda Timeline.

--

Currently, if I had to pick a spot for it [BotW] in the Canon timeline, I'd put it after The Adventure of Link (second released game) with LU nicknamed 'Hyrule' Link. Two main reasons for that:

1) Ganondorf the Man and Ganon the Beast

The Fallen timeline in which TAoL takes place is the only timeline where pig Ganon is the predominant form of Ganondorf. (Despite all the separate incarnations of Link and Zelda, Ganondorf… is kinda just one guy through all of it who refuses to die properly.)

This is due to him gaining the Triforce of Power AND KEEPING IT by killing the Hero of Time (hence why that timeline branch is referred to as the Fallen Hero or Downfall timeline). Ganondorf's beast form is always shown in the games as an overrun of power and a sacrifice/discarding of the 'human' in him. In the other two timelines, he is beaten in that form effectively immediately after transforming, therefore has no time to lose himself. He continues to keep his gerudo form in further sequels/successors. Not so in the Fallen timeline.

By the time we get to A Link to the Past, Ganondorf has been beast Ganon up to/after the imprisoning war, a last-ditch effort by a bunch of sages after the Hero of Time’s death. Some details are unique to Hyrule Historia book, but the sealing war is a key part of history for ALttP (and its sequels) due to the plot-related presence of those sages’ descendants.

Again, Ganon only shows up in beast form in this game and going forward. A secondary factor may be where he was sealed to: Ganondorf keeping the Triforce of Power for a hot minute also keeps the Sacred Realm (where the Triforce previously resided in OoT) transformed into the Dark World (also predominately featured in ALttP)

ALttP’s Link, LU nickname Legend, later has Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages. The goal of hidden antagonists Koume and Kotake is to resurrect Ganon. (This isn't exactly spoiler territory for either gameplay, but heads up I guess?) It succeeds -- partially. The Ganon brought back is mindless - only a force of destruction. Sound familiar??

Importantly, this all adds up to a potential Decomposition of Ganondorf the Man.

While Ganon does regain some strategic thinking in The Legend of Zelda I (Hyrule's first adventure), he remains in pig/beast form. And is killed again. Okay, technically it doesn't state killing, so it could be sealing away. Except. One of the most known things about Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is if you die enough times to get a game over, it states Ganon comes back, implied to be through spilling Link's/Hyrule's blood. Quote from the game’s English instruction manual “The key to Ganon’s return was the blood of Link – the valiant lad who overthrew the King of Evil. Ganon would be revived by sacrificing Link and sprinkling his blood on the ashes of Ganon.”

Revive? Blood ritual?? Ashes??? Sounds awfully like a resurrection ritual ta me.

Thus, with further decomposition of self through death and revival, especially if one counts how many times Hyrule’s predecessor Legend defeated Ganon as killing him, it makes perfect sense to me that a logical conclusion would be BotW Calamity Ganon. (Granted, I have not finished TotK’s history plot yet, so there may be arguments/evidence I am unaware of with how he got that way. Like his existence as Gerudo Ganondorf, but from my current info, that is in the far past, potentially after Skyward Sword. Sue me, I have a working theory the Zonai are evolved Remlits)

On to my SECOND reason:

2) My Own Personal Gratification ✨

The world of Zelda I and Zelda II is frankly post-apocalyptic. Ironically more so than ALttP which is the closest to the ACTUAL apocalyptic events that happened.

Perhaps it is important to note that ALttP explicitly confirms the idea that a previous unnamed hero failed to stop Ganondorf. And that years back IRL there was genuine reason to speculate that that previous hero was Hyrule. Now think about the blood ritual.

With the release of the official timeline, that theory is now only fanon. But the potential is still there. Currently there is no canonical sequel to Hyrule’s story. Legend’s adventures give evidence readable as foreshadowing that this is a timeline where the land itself has clearly degraded. The zora are ruthless enemies that will attack on sight. Natural water is acidic and damages. There are monsters who can take the form of hylians so no-one ever knows quite who is safe to trust.

Link’s/Hyrule’s story is beautiful because he is effectively hope that refuses to give up on a land falling apart. A synergy between selfless bravery and survival. One who sees hardiness in the weakened kingdom’s people and inspires them to try a little harder, be a little kinder, trust a little more.

For all we know, as long as there is a monster or member of the Cult of Ganon, he might be running forever. Will have to carry that risk for the rest of his life. For the sake of Hyrule’s people and future, how he lives as a hero is not enough; he must control how he dies.

 Is it strange to wish that the bountiful green land of BoTW is what his kingdom will eventually be? That, even if not in his lifetime, the Kingdom of Hyrule will continue on and find its feet again?

That’s how I see BotW. Even if Ganon manages to destroy Hyrule, it will always live on through its people. You can never take what was never takeable in the first place.

--

tldr; Pigman signifies Dementia and I want Hyrule!Link to have a happy freaking ending, okay?

[angel-gidget]

Facets of YJ: Rebirth's Gemworld

It occurs to me that if I ever want to write more post-YJ Rebirth stuff (as I’ve been meaning to do for the past couple years), I need to work out for myself what Amethyst’s canon with YJ is. It isn’t consistent in-universe, but I’m kind a cool with that. I would rather have multiple interesting yet somewhat contradictory canons than a hard-set bad canon.

But for my own story, I need to be somewhat decisive. And to recall what I’m working with… I need to re-read Young Justice Rebirth.

So here are some thoughts from taking a crack at Volume 1: Gemworld.

———

I know a lot of people in my feed were complaining about this title as it was running, but tbh, I’m kinda impressed by it. There’s a lot of world-building going on and some good emotional moments too. Could there be more? Sure. But the book is fun and doesn’t detest its own audience which is more than I can say for YJ: Dark Crisis.

I’m aware it’s not a popular opinion, though. Lots of people were very aghast at a lot of creative choices.

Gemworld Tidbit #1. Kon's time in the Gemworld. I think one big thing that ticked ppl of was that Kon had acquired a “wife” and “kid” while on Gemworld, but I thought the story line was by turns hilarious (for his teammates reactions) and sweet. The actual explanation that he was just pretending to be her husband to keep her safe from Opal’s guards was cute.

(And tbh, if it turned out that there was some unexplored UST between him and Lophi, heck. I’d be down to explore it. If DC is moving away from Kon/Cassie as a ship, then why not give this a whirl?)

(We see you giving Kon that sexy-intense-gaze-through-limply-hanging-bangs, Patrick Gleason. We appreciate.)

It also gives us one more member of YJ who’s now familiar with Gemworld, and from a very different perspective. Kon knows what it's like to live as a commoner in the bad part of town on Gemworld. Yet, he knows Amethyst by her reputation, and respects her for it. I like this tidbit.

Incorporate into personal fic canon? Yeah, probably.

I also love that the fricken… blend of his shirt is the thing that outs him to Carnelian.

For those of us who remember Carnelian from OG Amethyst, he really is that materialistic and obsessed with the technology of Earth. This whole panel is so freaking in-character, I cackled.

Gemworld Tidbit #2: The Gemworld is divided into “lighter houses” and “darker houses.” The darker houses are officially under Dark Opal, but the Lighter houses are supposed to be free and less oppressive, though Amy’s toung-lashing fights with the council of fellow “lighter houses” implies it ain’t that cut n’ dry.

I can see how it’s useful for conveying info quickly… but eh. The OG showed that while it boiled down to Opal vs. Everyone else, most houses were bullied into serving him and some were just more resistant than others.

Incorporate into personal fic canon? Probably nah.

I’m not really clear why Dark Opal sent a posse of minions to Metropolis to just… go fight Superman. Even after a re-read, I’m still hazy on that bit. Maybe Superman had a lil’ dimension hopping adventure off-panel and effed up some of Opal’s evil schemes? And Dark Opal just… collected kryponite hoping supes would show up again to receive his vengeance? But then he got impatient so he launched a FULL SCALE INVASION OF METROPOLIS? Okay. Yeah. He would. Mystery solved. Next.

Gemworld Tidbit Major Chonk of Info #3. Amy’s relationship with the Houses. So, in OG Amethyst, most the the houses genuinely WANT Amy to defeat Dark Opal. Her parents were major figureheads—and they died fighting him so bravely—but the rest of them have been beaten down into subservience. So Amy’s arrival heralds a renewed attempt at overthrowing the Big Bad, and they welcome her for it.

But in YJ Rebirth, they are so cowed by Opal’s influence, that the majority actually resent Amy for making waves.

She is also NOT the default leader. Like at all. Only head of her house, and even then, the council is debating banishing her from “The Gem” aka Gemworld once she’s out of the room. And at the end… they backstab her by actually doing so. Unannounced.

Incorporate into personal fic canon? I think I gotta. I like the OG dynamic better, but this is pretty darn plot relevant. Need to at least consider it.

Gemworld Tidbit #4. Ride-or-Die Turquoise and Backstabbing Emerald.

So OG Turquoise was v loyal indeed. It was a *bit* more complicated than "besties" in the 80's series, but it works as dynamic for them here.

As for Emerald... We only see ONE ruler of House Emerald here. OG had a Lady Mother and 3 princesses, all with very different narratives. The youngest sister was Amy's *actual* bestie. The next oldest was her friend. The eldest died before Amy could ever meet her, and the mom... went bonkers, died, resurrected, and became part of Amy's rogues gallery, going by the name of Fire Jade.

I'm thinking this is her. Bonus complications if Amy and her youngest daughter are *still* ultra-close friends.

Incorporate into personal fic canon? Yes.

(And tacking on so many details that aren't actually there.)

Gemworld Tidbit #5. Topaz is Dark Opal's minion.

So one of the invaders of Metropolis calls himself "Topaz" right before Tim kicks his ass.

The original Topaz? A lovable and bodacious prince that was always doing his best. And his best included opposing his sister, the elder heir to Topaz keep and the *actual* supporter of Dark Opal.

Incorporate into personal fic canon? Not as-is. Maybe make him tragically mind-whammied or something. But the real Prince Topas is loyal to House Amethyst, even if he's figured out that actually dating Amy is a terrible idea.

And that brings us to...

Gemworld Tidbit #6. No mention of Age-fluctuation. Anywhere.

OG Amethyst would have Amy shift from young teen to young adult, and even have that be a major plot point a la SHAZAM.

I get why it's gone. It removes a lot of writing headaches. But it does mean I would need to figure out some of her relationships from scratch.

Did she and Topaz still flirt? Did they break up for similar reasons? (I imply this is the case in Nurturing Camaraderie. That he mistook her for older/thought their age gap wasn't a big deal, and then ducked out when he realized he was wrong, very similar to what originally happened.)

Incorporate into personal fic canon? Yes. But Imma gonna overthink it to death.

Is Turquoise older than her? How much older? Is Emmy younger than her still? How much younger. What about Carnelian?

Gemworld Tidbit #7. sCiEnce NOT magic.

...

Incorporate into personal fic canon? No. Fuck this whole panel.

I signed on for some magic in my magical girl fantasy, dagnabbit.

Might have more thoughts later. But for now... yeah.

[just-a-re-blog]

ALRIGHT THAT’S IT—I’VE REACHED MY LIMIT! MY PATIENCE HAS RUN OUT!!

I’m sharing my Haikyuu!! Pokémon!AU because I’ve been seeing everyone else’s and now mine demands to break free of the confines of Google Docs!

To start, I’m just gonna post my thoughts on the Karasuno kids, but I have. A Lot Of Other Ideas.

As a universe note, I have done my best to reconcile the passage of time in the PokéAni world, the passage of time for us irl viewers who grew up watching it, and the canon passage of time in Haikyuu!! Why the hell would I do all of that?

✨Because my particular brand of autism demands that I establish those kinds of rules!✨

I also have a ton of quirky calculations I’ve done to figure out how many Pokémon it makes sense for everyone to have and how the evolution rates work because, again, my particular brand of autism demands that I establish those kinds of rules! But I’ll post those at a much later date.

The important info for now is that I’ve included the year everyone starts their journey, their home region (listed first and noted again with their starter/partner), plus other regions they’ve been to. My little imagining ultimately takes place with everyone congregated in Kalos in 2009, so Kalos is included for everyone.

Teams are in dex order within the order of the regions they were caught. So a Johto kid who goes to Hoenn has all their Johto catches listed in dex order before they have all of their Hoenn catches listed in dex order. (This is not a super important detail, but it is one that I would want to know in order to understand why an Applin is listed before a Roggenrola.) Also worth noting that some evolutions are listed earlier or later than their national dex number if an evolutionary stage was first introduced in a different regional dex (i.e., the retroactive addition of a baby Pokémon stage).

Last notation notes:

* — Evolved with Trainer through one previous stage

** — Evolved with Trainer through two previous stages

Without further ado!

Daichi (2006, Kanto, Unova, Kalos)

Trainer: Kanto: Charizard**

Type Preferences: Ground

Team: Charizard**, Raticate*, Fearow*, Sandslash*, Growlithe, Poliwrath**, Victreebel**, Onix, Rhyhorn, Pinsir, Tauros, Hoppip, Cherrim, Palpitoad, Sandile, Crustle*, Diggersby, Litleo

Daichi got a late start as a Trainer because of family matters and the care of his younger siblings, but he has more than made up for it with his disciplined approach; when the third-year guys challenged the Indigo League, he made it the farthest, and his Charmeleon partner was the last standing member of his team, despite the fact that it had not yet reached its final evolution

Suga (2004, Hoenn, Kanto, Unova, Kalos)

Trainer: Hoenn: Swampert**

Type Preferences: None

Team: Swampert**, Dustox**, Ludicolo**, Pelipper*, Skitty, Roserade*, Swalot*, Torkoal, Cacnea, Milotic*, Kecleon, Snorunt, Butterfree**, Gengar**, Exeggutor*, Tauros, Whimsicott, Foongus, Goomy, Carbink

Loves, and I mean LOVES, to catch the first Pokémon in an evolutionary line so that he can try to raise it through every stage—especially if it’s a split line; this is why, despite being the first of the third-years to set out, he doesn’t have that many Pokémon to show he had a head start; feels like someone who prefers to rotate his walking buddies so they don’t spend all their time in Pokéballs if he can help it

Asahi (2005, Johto, Kanto, Unova, Kalos)

Trainer: Johto: Audino, Meganium

Type Preferences: Normal Types

Team: Audino, Meganium, Ampharos*, Ambipom*, Sunflora, Quagsire*, Forretress*, Granbull*, Ursaring*, Piloswine*, Phanpy, Beedrill, Gloom*, Marowak*, Tauros (20), Happiny, Patrat, Minccino, Deerling, Bouffalant, Furfrou, Phantump

Despite being from Johto, his unofficial starting partner is actually an Audino that his older sister caught for him in her own travels; Asahi was really anxious about possibly breaking rules by having a “non-official Starter,” so his sister basically demanded Audino back, made him go get a regular-degular Starter, and then forced him to take Audino back, like “Congrats, now you’ve got two”; one of Asahi’s most notable moments in his journey thus far was when he and his friends went to the Safari Zone where Asahi ended up catching 22 Tauros, giving two to his friends, and getting his picture hung next to one of World Coronation Series Monarch Ash Ketchum in The Safari Zone offices (Ash caught 30 in The Safari Zone when he passed through)

Noya (2005, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos)

Trainer: Johto: Jolteon*

Type Preferences: Electric

Team: Jolteon*, Scyther, Gliscor*, Qwilfish, Skarmory, Electabuzz*, Magmar*, Nosepass, Electrike, Plusle, Minun, Dusclops*, Porygon, Luxio*, Bronzor*, Karrablast, Joltik, Galvantula, Binacle, Dedenne

Has a partner Jolteon that his grandfather raised as an Eevee alongside Yuu and then gave to him (yes, Noya does his hair Like That so that they can match); was inspired by Ash Ketchum to try and be the youngest guy to ever traverse the routes of every region—so he is speed-running the Pokémon world and having a great time with it

Tanaka (2006, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos)

Trainer: Hoenn: Honchkrow* (influenced by @devilcakebunny)

Type Preferences: Fighting

Team: Honchkrow*, Dodrio*, Houndoom*, Mightyena*, Ralts, Vigoroth*, Hariyama*, Carvanha, Relicanth, Mankey*, Cubone, Tyrogue, Snover, Kingler*, Scrafty*, Spritzee

His partner is a Murkrow that used to be part of Saeko’s crew, but he met Ryuu, and they became instant antagonists and also inseparable; please, he 158% has a Scrafty; met the Second Year Squad when Noya came through Hoenn and insisted that Ryuu join him on his trek to the Sinnoh Region; wants to take over Dewford Town’s Fighting-Type Gym one day

Ennoshita (2005, Sinnoh, Kalos)

Breeder: Sinnoh: Prinplup*

Type Preferences: None

Team: Prinplup*, Rapidash*, Hypno*, Dragonair*, Espeon*, Gallade*, Numel, Staraptor**, Glameow, Lucario*, Gible, Lumineon*, Flabébé

Ennoshita has had his heart set on breeding for his whole life—caretaking comes naturally to him, and he loves the challenge of puzzling out the best ways to care for Pokémon as members of their type, species, and as individuals; he’s very strict with the care of his Pokémon, and as such, he prefers to keep a comparatively small roster so he can give them each adequate attention and affection; a few of his Pokémon are definitely rescues; battling is harder for him, but he’s spent enough time with his Pokémon that he can communicate with them VERY effectively, which makes him a more dangerous opponent than people expect

Kinoshita (2005, Sinnoh, Kalos)

Coordinator: Sinnoh: Monferno*

Type Preferences: None

Team: Monferno*, Arbok*, Pikachu, Electrode*, Lickitung, Illumise, Bibarel*, Pachirisu, Shellos (West), Buneary, Chatot, Hippopotas, Skrelp, Bergmite

All of the Karasuno boys love their Pokémon dearly, but I think Kinoshita would have some of the highest friendship ratings out of anyone; this is just a fun assortment of little guys, most of whom you might not immediately picture as contest material, but Kinoshita sees a lot of potential in each of them; he’s gotten a lot of care tips from Ennoshita to help his team be their best, and while he has yet to become anything close to a Top Coordinator, he and his team do VERY well in the Performance Stage and have been steadily improving in the Battle Stage

Narita (2005, Sinnoh, Kalos)

Trainer: Sinnoh: Grotle*

Type Preferences: None

Team: Grotle*, Venomoth, Weavile*, Volbeat, Grumpig, Seviper, Absol, Floatzel, Bastiodon*, Shellos (East), Drifblim*, Mismagius, Clauncher

I cannot think of Narita without remembering that Furudate said, “This kid’s into some weird stuff,” so I literally just gave him a balance of totally normal dudes and funky little guys that feel underrepresented to me (vs., like, MatsuHana, who have, like, exclusively funky little guys)

Kageyama (2007, Galar, Kalos)

Trainer: Galar: Corvisquire*

Type Preferences: Dragon

Team: Corvisquire*, Vulpix, Slowking (Galarian)**, Weezing (Galarian), Zigzagoon (Galarian), Nuzleaf, Gabite*, Sawk, Deino, Drampa, Applin, Runerigus, Snom, Arctovish, Duraludon, Roggenrola, Tynamo, Swirlix, Noibat

@soyochii said Kageyama has Kazuyo’s Corviknight, and they were right, except that I’ve put a bit of a spin on it; picture, if you will, Kazuyo, his Corviknight, and two Corviknight eggs Kazuyo procures a little before Tobio is about to start on his Pokémon journey; Miwa, who was then competing in Kalos as a Performer, gets one, and Tobio gets the other so that the grandkids will always feel connected to home; Tobio hatches his and then takes Rookidee with him, and they train HARD together, though Rookidee is slow to evolve because—like trainer, like partner—he’s got some inner roadblocks to work through; they grieve together when, only a year into Tobio’s journey, they lose both Kazuyo and his Corviknight; just as Tobio is to Shoyo, so too Kags’ Corvisquire is instantly and adamantly frenemies with Shoyo’s Fletchinder, and it reaches its final evolution first just to stick it to them

Hinata (2006, Alola, Kalos)

Trainer: Alola: Fletchinder* (credit to @kimbapisnotsushi’s excellent takes)

Type Preferences: None

Team: Fletchinder*, Vulpix (Alolan), Geodude (Alolan), Marowak (Alolan), Blitzle, Pancham, Klefki, Crabrawler, Jangmo-o, Tangela, Scatterbug, Skiddo, Helioptile

So I did this because I feel like it’s exceptionally funny if Shoyo doesn’t realize that the Alolan variations of Pokémon are Alolan variations and totally thinks ALL Vulpix are Ice Types and ALL Digletts have hair and ALL Geodudes are half-Electric; additionally, the fact that Hinata grew up on the Island Trial system means that traditional Pokémon battles are not his forte, but he excels at creative problem-solving, which makes him a formidable foe on the battlefield; while there is a lot of merit to the idea that Hinata likes to specialize in a certain type like Fire or Flying, I just think about Hinata next to Ash, and I feel like their pure love of all Pokémon would unite them so deeply; Ash is in fact Shoyo’s Little Giant in this AU; Kageyama, King of Strategy, Appalled by Hinata’s Lack-Thereof, stuck around ‘cuz he really likes Shoyo’s Jangmo-o

Tsukishima (2006, Unova, Kalos)

Trainer: Unova: Servine*

Type Preferences: Rock & Poison

Team: Servine*, Nidorina*, Weepinbell*, Starmie*, Lunatone, Solrock, Croagunk, Purrloin, Pansear, Woobat, Maractus, Dwebble, Archen, Swanna*, Klank, Deino, Oddish, Bagon, Roselia

Kei aspired to be an Ace Trainer like his brother for years and years, but when he found out that Akiteru had been lying about beating the Icirrus and Opelucid gyms to earn Ace class status, his love and excitement about Pokemon was replaced by apathy; surprisingly, deep down, he’s a real Gotta-Catch-‘Em-All kid, but he keeps that desire a secret; does desperately want to study Unowns; courtesy of @volleybuoys, this kid DESPISES the Galar fossil system

Yamaguchi (2006, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos)

Trainer: Sinnoh: Grotle*

Type Preferences: Bug & Flying

Team: Grotle*, Wobuffet, Surskit, Burmy (Trash Cloak), Sudowoodo*, Delibird, Woobat, Swadloon*, Whirlipede*, Emolga, Pawniard, Ponyta, Heracross, Swablu, Skorupi

Tadashi started his journey in Sinnoh, selecting Turtwig as his new partner, and while Tadashi and Turtwig became fast friends, they struggled when it came to catching new Pokémon and battling; Tadashi quickly became the subject of teasing due to his small roster of Pokémon that lacked highly effective movesets; desperate to prove himself to all those who suspected he was not tough enough to be a trainer—including himself—Tadashi decided that he and his team would travel to Unova; a near-disastrous encounter outside Striaton City led to a fateful meeting with Tsukki, who saved him from a strong and aggressive Watchog (because I think it’s so funny that along that route, there’s level 5 Patrat in BW and level 60 Watchog in BW2); after studying alongside Tsukki at the Trainers’ School, the two took turns defeating the Striaton Gym and decided to continue traveling together to defeat the Nacrene Gym and so on and so forth

Kiyoko (2004, Unova, Kalos)

Trainer: Unova: Samurott**

Type Preferences: Ghost & Psychic

Team: Samurott**, Slowking**, Goldeen, Ariados, Shuckle, Kirlia*, Sableye, Mawile, Tropius, Chimecho, Sigilyph, Gothitelle, Duosion, Frillish, Litwick, Mandibuzz, Drowzee, Axew

Everyone in Kiyoko’s hometown assumed she would be a Breeder or a Coordinator or even move to Kalos to be a Performer because “Oh, you’re so beautiful! I’m sure you’ll do great bringing out the beauty of your Pokémon!” but she got sick of that real quick and said “How about I show you the fierceness of our battle strategies instead?”; so she trains primarily Psychic-types because they either look really weird or their beauty belies their awesome power; came SO, so close to beating the Elite Four in Unova

Yachi (2006, Alola, Kalos)

Trainer: Alola: Popplio

Type Preferences: Psychic & Fairy

Team: Popplio, Exeggutor (Alolan), Ledyba, Spinda, Snorunt, Mime Jr., Sigilyph, Garbodor*, Frillish, Elgyem, Flabébé, Doublade, Spritzee, Pumpkaboo (Average)

I’M GIVING YACHI THE ONLY LEGENDARY INTERACTION OF THE GANG BECAUSE SHE DESERVES IT; so she’s interacted with Cosmog because I want that to be true <3; courtesy of the Island Trial system, Yachi is another kid who excels at creative problem-solving but flounders a bit with battling, so she has a touch of imposter syndrome when it comes to calling herself a Trainer; but while she tends to forget all she knows if she is challenged to battle, she has a great mind for understanding the ins and outs of battle, so she’s coaching Shoyo to help him reach his goals of mastery; she’s evaluating her goals along the way, too, trying to figure out if being a Trainer is the right way for her to find herself

[29pageshomestuckeveryday]

Homestuck, page 1,931

[S] John: Reunite with your loving wife and daughter.

Song used: How Do I Live (Bunny Back in the Box Version) by Michael guy bowman

Storyboards: http://readmspa.org/storyboards/11931.swf.html

Author commentary:

Now we get to "watch" the goofy Con Air animation without the critical musical accompaniment, Bowman's cover of Trisha Yearwood's "How Do I Live." The animation experience is an emotional rollercoaster. A cumulative celebration, if you will, of Homestuck's whimsical essence and its uncompromising spirit of absurdity. Now, here in this book, examining the frames will be more of a somber, meditative practice. I invite you to quietly behold Nic Cage's face for several minutes. Reflect on his visage the way one shows reverence for a religious icon during moments of silence in a church. You will come to understand that this sequence doesn't need funny music at all, and your appreciation of the content will be all the richer for it. This does admirably explain how Rose and Jade got these bunnies as their Birth Objects. It wasn't their own attraction to the bunnies, which wouldn't have made a lot of sense. It was John's attraction to the idea of performing this stupid skit at a highly inappropriate moment, which resulted in them being shipped off to Earth with a couple of ratty bunnies, thus setting the stage for them to grow up and regift the bunnies back to John in the first place. The official Con Air bunny I own is not the [real one Nic Cage is holding]. That's the ruined one at the end of the movie. I don't know where that one is, or frankly, if it even survived the shoot. The one in my possession is the bunny still in its original package, which Nic Cage buys for his daughter at the beginning of the movie. I'm just assuming that at some point in the future, I will have to travel back in time and give Cage the bunny for him to use in the film in the first place. The skit is essentially complete once Rose gets the bunny. But Jade gets one too, as kind of an afterthought. John does have another bunny to spare, so why not? That way these three young ladies all go home with something nice. Jane, however, gets fuck all, since she's offscreen at the moment, having decided to crawl into a man's filthy hat. Karkat is being melodramatic and pretending not to enjoy every minute of this spectacle. We don't know it yet, or have the context for understanding what it means, but at this moment he has a hate crush on John. It was hate at first sight. Every morsel of conversation we have read between these two has been driven by these feelings. What he is doing here now, bonking his own head, is nothing more than an act of powerful sexual frustration. The scribbled sequence above is misleading. By the time the plane crashes into the giant guitar in Vegas, the sports car it was keeping in tow had long since been severed. Also, there's another floating arm. What a great place to sneak an arm in. Generally when I was retconning arms into the story, the more surreal and incomprehensible a location was for John's arm to show up, the better. Not only did this moment not even take place inside the canon of the comic, it didn't even take place in the canon of the movie. It truly happened nowhere. And yet, there is his arm. There is nothing remotely stupid about any of this. John, his name is Bubbles Von Salamancer now. Respect his new identity. Roxy seems to be really getting into that hug there. I think I did a tremendous job in seeding her overwhelming attraction to Egbert men here in Act 4. Stick this fact in your pipe and consider smoking it toward the end of Act 6. There's a part in Con Air when John Malkovich holds a gun up to the bunny during a tense moment and says don't move or the bunny gets it. Or something like that. The rowdy criminals like to keep things loose and fun up there on the jail plane, as you will know if you have seen the film, which you have, at least a hundred times. Don't deny it. At some point in this song cover, there's a guitar solo. But nobody is playing a guitar. It's just some guy making jackass noises with his mouth. So John here is working his air guitar to go along with that riff. Actually it make sense that a Hero of Breath would play an air guitar. I really do think of everything... It's incredible.