#ALSO MENTIONED 'LOVING YOU IN A LOSING GAME'

[devixncy]

Could you do a Thanos fic with a sweetheart reader. Just her being kind and talkative to everyone, and him supporting her: but also acting as a bodyguard and keeping anyone from taking advantage of her kindness. 

a/n: loooved this request, kinda hate how this turned out tho but i was writing this off of nyquil and whatever braincells i have left

✧ pairing: thanos/choi su-bong x sweetheart!reader

✧ content: fem reader implied, probably (def) ooc thanos, brief mention of drugs/alcohol/sex, mention of the games but deviates from the story line, basically post squid game au, swearing, tiny bit of violence, i think that's it??

✧ word count: 2.0k

All your life, you had been a bundle of joy. Your kindness radiated off of you wherever you went. There was nothing that made you happier than helping those in need, saying hello to people passing on the street, or picking flowers for strangers. You had been a victim of bullying as a young kid, and from there on out you vowed to never treat anyone else the way you were treated. Thus, you earned the nickname ‘sunshine’.

That’s why many were confused as to how you ended up with Thanos. Your bubbly personality and his arrogant, stubborn, cocky personality clashed like fire and water. That was how the two of you worked, though. You were his sun, and him your moon. You kept him sane on his worst days, the reason that he was on the road to giving up his habits of drinking and taking pills. It wasn’t easy, and it had been a long journey. His rapping career had taken a nosedive, losing most of his money to crypto scams and stupid decisions. Before he met you his life had revolved around meaningless sex and drugs, partying every weekend until his brain turned to mush and he couldn’t feel anything. 

During the games, though, you had captured his attention like no one else ever had. He had been mildly confused at first. 

“Hey, Señorita. Why don’t you come and join my team, yeah? I, Thanos the great, will keep you safe.” He and his partner, player 124, snickered. His cockiness didn’t bother you, though. You beamed, eyes lighting up as you were thrilled somebody wanted you to join them.

“Really? Yeah, for sure!” Your reply was genuine, throwing Thanos off. Most girls played hard to get, adding an element of thrill for him. He loved the chase, and for the first time there apparently was no chase. He and Nam-gyu exchanged confused glances, with the latter looking disappointed.

“Yeah, never mind. We can find somebody el-” Thanos was quick to shut Nam-gyu up, a grin adoring his face. He threw his arm around your shoulder, giving you a squeeze. 

“Why would we need anyone else when we have this beautiful flower right here?” Thanos replied as he looked at you with his pupils blown wide. Instead of being scared away, you felt sympathy tug at your heart. You could tell that the purple haired man was struggling, fighting demons that only he knew about. With that, you decided to stick with him. And it stayed that way through the rest of the games. He tried many advances, and was only met with sincerity. His constant unnecessary flirting was met with smiles and laughter from you, so carefree that it genuinely confused him even in his incredibly high state.

He continued to watch you during the games and within the dormitory, noticing as your small acts of kindness didn’t just apply to him. He saw you give some of your food to Jun-hee, insisting that she eat more. When tension arose between players, you were there trying to break it up and most of the time, it worked. You tried to be there for Min-su when you could tell he was scared. After so long, Thanos began to grow a soft spot for you, though he would never show it.

Once the games had disbanded as the vote to leave finally won, he spent many days with you lingering in the back of his mind.  He returned to his old habits, knowing it wasn’t like him to let his thoughts be consumed by a woman. His fascination with you really just stemmed from how you managed to be a beacon of light even in the darkest of times, and how even if you were feeling low it would be impossible for anyone to tell. Everyone else's needs came before your own. Eventually, he couldn’t take it anymore and decided to seek you out. 

Now, while his life was still anything but quiet, he had you. While he had a funny way of showing his appreciation most of the time (he still held that same arrogant personality that you had come to know during the games), deep down he was grateful to have someone like you in his life. He knew the kind of person you were, and he couldn’t believe you stuck by someone like him. You two were walking in the street and a fan came up to him? You would quietly step back, a smile on your lips as you watched them interact. He had a show? You were there front and center every single time, being his biggest supporter. He slipped up and took a pill? You didn’t look at him differently or hold any ill will towards him. You’d stay by his side, making sure he was okay and fussing over him until he came down. That never came without a stern lecture though, of course.

What he absolutely hated, however, was when people took advantage of your kindness. There were bad people out there, but you tried to see through it, always trying to find the good in everyone. He considered you a doormat at times; you let people walk all over you just because you had such a good heart.

The two of you were walking down the street late at night. He had his hood up and sunglasses on, trying to mask his identity even though it was dark out. A cigarette was held loosely between his fingers, lazily taking a puff every now and then. You walked by his side, your fingers intertwined with his free ones. He always had to be touching you in some way whether it was holding your hand, his arm around your shoulder, or sliding his finger into the belt loop of your jeans. The man did not care about PDA, he just wanted to show you off and let everyone know you were his any chance he got. 

He was stressed, wanting nothing more than to get back to your shared apartment. He couldn’t wait to unwind and get into bed with you, imagining as you put on one of his shirts that was far too big for your frame. While he was lost in thought, he noticed that your hand had slipped out of his. Turning around, he inwardly groaned as he noticed that you had stopped by a man on the ground. He stopped, watching the interaction warily. While he knew that you were too sweet for your own good, he supported it, just always keeping a watchful eye on the situation. 

You approached the man, frowning as you felt the chill in the air. No one should have to live like this, you thought. It completely saddened you. 

“Hello sir,” you spoke softly as you began to pull money out of your purse. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for him to be able to get some food and hopefully some water. You could smell the alcohol wafting off of him, making your nose scrunch but that didn’t deter you. “Here. I hope this helps.” You held out the money towards him. He eyed you suspiciously, snatching it out of your outstretched hand. Before you could pull your hand away, he grabbed your wrist. Your smile faltered slightly. 

“You think this is enough, bitch?” He sneered, clearly very intoxicated. His grip on your wrist tightened and you winced, trying to pull it away. “I know you have more in there. Let’s see what else you got, huh?” He went to reach for the straps of your purse with his other hand. 

“Hey, motherfucker! I’ll fucking kill you for that!” 

Thanos shouted from behind you, wasting no time in storming up and swiftly kicking the man. The impact was enough to cause him to let go of your wrist and you stumbled back, eyes wide in shock. Thanos delivered a punch, and then another one, and you couldn’t bear to watch anymore. You knew he actually would kill the guy.

“Su-bong!” You yelled out, grabbing his arm and pulling him away with all of your strength. His nostrils flared, seething as he snatched the money right back out of the man’s hand. Instantly, you shook your head, pulling the cash out of your boyfriend’s hand. “Don’t kick him while he’s down.” You said quietly as you placed the money back down by the man, not concerned as he was too busy trying to catch his breath after having the wind knocked out of him. Thanos rolled his eyes so hard they could’ve gotten stuck in the back of his head. He quickly pulled you away, gripping your upper arm. 

“This is why I hate the way that you are sometimes, sunshine,” He hissed, and his words stung only for a moment as you knew he didn’t really mean it. “What if I wasn’t with you, huh? Then what?” 

“I’m completely capable of taking care of myself, Su-bong.” You murmured, shaking your arm out of his grasp. You rubbed your wrist with your free hand, already being able to see the redness forming under the street lights. He grumbled, cursing as he grabbed your hand. 

“Let me see.” He inspected your wrist, anger bubbling to the surface again. He whipped around and glared at the guy on the ground, causing you to grab his shoulder and force him to keep walking. You knew his temper was like a ticking time bomb, especially when it came to anyone messing with you or even so much as looking at you the wrong way. 

“It’s okay, my love. I’m fine, we’re fine. My wrist is okay. Relax.” Your reassuring voice spoke quietly as he looked down at you, that painfully optimistic smile plastered on your face. He stopped walking and grabbed your face, smashing his lips onto yours. You reciprocated, kissing him back with a softness that rivaled his neediness. 

“You drive me absolutely crazy, you know that señorita?” He whispered, peppering kisses on your jawline and down your neck as you giggled and wrapped your arms around his neck. 

“I have to keep you on your toes somehow.” You joked as he wrapped his arms around your waist, lifting you off of the ground momentarily as he squeezed you. 

“You sure do, sweetheart. I just want you to be careful, you know? You're too…nice, for your own good. Can’t have anyone taking advantage of my beautiful flower.” He growled, picking you up and slinging you over his shoulder like it was nothing. Your giggling fit continued at his dramatics, although you didn’t protest. He didn’t show his protective side often so when he did you secretly loved it. 

“I’m not going anywhere, Su-bong. You don’t have to worry,” And god, he hoped you were right. You had become his lifeline, the very thing keeping him on this Earth. His past meant nothing when he had a future with you in it. “As long as I have Thanos the great as my bodyguard, I don't have to worry.” He rolled his eyes at that comment, his free hand coming up and smacking you on the ass. He heard you gasp and could almost feel the wind up as you did it back, making him chuckle. 

“Alright now, my sunshine. Let’s get you back to the safety of my bed.” He hadn’t put you down but you didn’t mind even if you were getting slightly lightheaded. You whispered an ‘I love you’, so quiet he almost didn’t catch it. He did, though, and his breath hitched. You knew he wasn’t good at showing his emotions, so whenever you did tell him you loved him you took no offense when he didn’t directly say it back. Most times, he deflected and would just answer with something along the lines of ‘yeah, you too’. He was far from the sappy type, the polar opposite of you. This time, however, you heard him loud and clear when he whispered it back. A jolt of shock ran through your body, not expecting this to be the moment he finally said what you’d been waiting to hear. 

“Wow, you must’ve really been worried about me, huh?” You couldn’t help but ruin the moment.

“Aye, don’t push it now. Next time I’ll stand by and let him rob you.”

[little-saw]

little + cg ! doey doughman headcanons !! ☆ *

Doey!! He's gummy and funny ^^ I really loved his character, and I was sad to see him go. Seeing his two different personalities and responses to being hurt made me feel really seen as someone who struggles with emotions. I think he's a flip, both a caregiver and little, respectively! Cws: mentions of trauma, tantrums, horror, sh, and multiple personalities.

Note: plural words may be used in relation to the 3 children inside his body.

Little ! Doey The Doughman

Doey is an impure regressor, when he feels big emotions, typically about playcare or his deaths.

Becomes aggressive, but if you find a way to reassure him, it isn't too hard to bring him to a soft and gentle state,

When regressed, Doey becomes much more curious, wandering about the toy factory in hopes of finding something new and interesting. Something as simple as a storage room brings a sense of joy to his little self.

He loves wearing different hats, makes him feel proper, and like his dad's.

Doey becomes like a big manatee, playful, giant, and gentle. He loves to play pretend with the other toys around. Mommy Long Legs will spend time with him, letting him have his own tries at the games in the game station.

Doey would have a comfort item, depending on who is fronting, a plushy, a fidget, etc. He loves to stim when holding his comfort item, rubbing his face against it like a cat. He does get frustrated when it smears clay over it.

Doey loves to goofily dance when little, especially having dance offs with the other toys.

Tea parties!! Doey loves to have tea parties with Kissy and Poppy ^^

When little, Doey has a tendency to express emotions more openly. Making him more likely to experience large amounts of joy, sadness, and anger.

When overstimulated, he will rip himself apart as a form of self-harm.

Cg ! Doey The Doughman

Doey naturally has a very nurturing nature. If he sees someone alone, he's quick to scoop them up. He looks out for all the little toys, making sure they're safe and happy. as well as offering reassurance when times are hard.

"Hey, pal! How bout' you come up with Doey so we can go color? Like that idea?"

Doey hosts storytimes in the safe zone. Originally, he'd read some children's books there, but after reading the same ones over and over, he's resorted to making up stories every night for his littles.

Doey's presence is comforting and gentle. He takes his time to get to know each of the toys and what they need. Letting littles squish his clay body as a stim, and offering big strong hugs to anyone who needs support.

Playfully guides his littles through games, giving them kisses if they managed to beat the game, and also giving them kisses if they lose.

Doey will let the toys pile up on him, rocking them soothingly back and forth as they settle into his soft and squishy body.

When with a cranky little, he will occasionally sing songs for his baby, using gentle lullabies and soft songs to lull them to sleep in the otherwise terrifying factory of murder.

[masastiy]

Just my rambling on this topic and an attempt to justify this "bandaid for poor writing", because I don't really see it like this. I don't think I've answered a lot of points that you had made, but just wanted to share my opinion. Also, the way I see Lucanis might not be the right or only one, I understand.

(If you answer this post with more arguments, I don't think I would be able to find the strength to reply you back any time soon, I'm very sorry in advance. I don't mean to be disrespectful, not at all, it's just hard for me to participate in discussions. Ugh, it took me almost a whole day to write this. I guess I just wanted to get it out of my head, it's been buzzing in there for a week.)

Also, if anyone else reads this, sorry in advance to anyone who played non-male Rook. I played as one, so it was natural for me to use respective pronouns.

All right, enough beating over the bush, I should get on with the main topic.

I, too, had my doubts about this romance at first, was unsure whether I should romance him or someone else. The progression with him did seem undercooked to me at first, the lack of !anticipated! ("not what I anticipated" doesn't mean "not right", though) response was almost maddening.

But then "Inner Demons" happened.

This very quest sold him to me utterly and completely, after it I had no intentions of romancing anyone ever again in this game. It explained to me a whole lot about him.

And the line "It's better I stay here than risk losing you" was one of the most important to me. Here is what it says, in my opinion: that he is trying not to get close to Rook, because he fears that he would, without a doubt in his mind, lose him eventually. So, during the first acts, he is just trying not to get involved, not to fall in love (but failing). Hence, in my opinion, his dialogues are not bugged, but he is purposefuly brushing off Rook's advances.

Why can't he outwardly reject Rook if he is afraid to get close to him?

"Old stale fear of disappointment".

I know that this feeling was mentioned in the context of his relationship with Caterina, but this fear definitely encompasses his whole life, it was irrevocably instilled into his cranium since he was little. To add salt to this injury that never healed, he fails to kill Ghillanain: he disappointed himself, he disappointed everyone around him. He is dealing with a lot of disappointment to add more. So he is afraid that, if he rejects Rook, it would make him even more disappointed in him. Moreover, if he rejects Rook, he would hurt him, and that in turn would make Lucanis even more disappointed in himself, add that salt to his already festering injury. He is just stuck in a whirpool of disappointment that he can't even take a breather.

He is afraid of reciprocating Rook's feelings, he is afraid of rejecting them. So, what is left for him?

To ignore them or brush them off with an impassive reply.

Perhaps he was hoping that the principle "If I ignore it, it will go away" might work. He was hoping that if Rook keeps hitting the wall, that if he sees that there is no hope for them sharing a future, Rook's feelings would eventually dwindle. Perhaps he hoped that Rook's feelings would prove superstitial, just Rook having fun at being a flirt, and would let go of them easily. But, to no awail.

That is why "he's just completely missing in Act 2", he had no reason to declare his feelings before he "broke out", so to speak, and allowed himself those feelings.

Anyway, I remember only one moment when he didn't deem Rook with any reply, and it's this one (I also included the "positive" option, because previously I only flirted with him, and now Lucanis' answer cracked me up).

After this I understand all the talk about Lucanis' microexpressions, because, the way he pursed his lips just a tiny bit and furrowed his brows a fraction says a lot, I think. I may be seeing things, but he does have some unique expressions, and this one does seem intentional. Although I understand why such a reaction may seem bugged with a follow up to a neutral response.

Also, here Rook's words sounded rather rhethorical, like they didn't need any reply.

"Yet, I'm still here".

What can you answer to it? "Good"? Too awkward. "I'm glad"? Too personal for Lucanis on that stage of their relationship. For me personally, this particular line just doesn't imply any reply.

Why is he not flustered when he is being flirted by Rook?

Because, I think, that as an assassin, he was trained and is rather skilled in the art of seduction, which is rather obvious in that almost-kiss scene, where it looked like his training kicked in for some reason, and it wasn't the real him. So he is not stuttering when Rook flirts because he sees and understands conventional flirting when it happens, he must have been introduced to it in his training, he must have used it on his targets, because, once again, it comes very natural to him. That is why he understands Rook's intentions - Rook's flirting is on point and obvious. Lucanis sees it and dismisses it. He does have the ability to read the room.

Then why is he flustered when Neve flirts?

Because, to me at least, her "flirting" seems extremely weird. From what I remember from her banter with him, her flirting is half-joking, half-threat, half-compliment in as many sentences. Perhaps it's my own demisexuality and awkwardness speaking, but I suspect a lot of people, even those who are open with their affections, would be at least a bit weirded out, because her intentions are rarely clear. It's like "are you trying to woo me, to insult me, or stab me?" So I wouldn't even call him flustered or embarassed with her, I don't think those are the right words. I'd call him confused and weirded out by her approach. And it shows in his replies to her. From my memory, some of his answers were as following: "I don't even know what to say" and "I was going to say 'thanks', but now I'm not sure". It's not in any way a romantic reply and an attempt to flirt back. At the same time, Rook's intentions are always clear: in his flirting with Lucanis he shows care and admiration, which are easy to catch on.

And to me, this is why the progression with Neve is different. It's easier to joke back and forth, than to face true, suffocating feelings, than to let someone in. It's easier to accept humour and nonchalant approach than sincere care, which Rook provides, since Lucanis seems to be a person who was not used to such thing. I think that he is afraid of true feelings and unpacking the baggage, so he closes off with Rook. But also, this is why, in my humble opinion, his relationship with Neve is never as important to him, as his relationship with Rook (I'm sorry to Nevecanis shippers). It seems more airy, less involved. After all, if you don't romance him, and don't get Inner Demons, he would want to separate from Spite even if he is with Neve.

Probably because he never truly let her in. And because Spite, who is a really important aspect in Lucanis' life, doesn't trust her. It's easier with her, which doesn't mean better.

I do agree that something is missing in his romance, though. Not an important aspect, but still. Like a tiny touch during their second coffee date would have been really appropriate, otherwise that scene with Lucanis howering over Rook seems rather awkward. Also, I'm almost convinced that they had kissed before, because the kiss that they shared during the romance scene doesn't seem like their first. They also should have had at least a tiny talk about Lucanis' inexperience. But other than that, the romance is rather refreshing. I think that it is intentional that way, and that the demisexual prism was there from the very start. Yeah, to some it may seem like it's an attempt to put on a bandaid after the fallout, to close the wound. But just some dialogues from the game say otherwise. Like this one, for example.

As for the concept arts - the scenes that weren't included... I'm not upset that they were cut off. Because my personal first thought, when I saw them, was that Lucanis was acting like some of kind of experienced hero-lover, which contrasts with the way I personally see him. Yeah, that sounds extremely biased, I know. But to me it seemed to be a little off with the whole inexperienced/demi aspect of him. Maybe it's just me, maybe in a relationship he would open up faster, I don't know. As for the scene with the gondola fight, I'm awfully grateful that it was cut off: Lucanis knows that Rook can't swim... yet he still purposefully pushes him into the water? That's a huge red flag for me. On the other hand, Rook can't swim, but still agrees to this dangerous affair? It's irrational. Besides, Rook on the concept is a lithe woman, Lucanis would have little trouble saving her from the water if she was to fall off. But my Rook is the tallest possible, plus-sized qunari... It would be extremely difficult to pull that save off, perhaps even impossible, and that scene's hasard and thoughtlessness would increase tenfold. So, the gondola fight seemes to me rather impossible with the variety of Rooks.

All in all, to me, his romance is one of those slow-burn ones that is affected by the trauma. His just happens to be more closed off because, unlike the characters who you had mentioned, he is also an assassin - let's not forget this ESSENTIAL detail and all the consequences this profession may imply (like, feelings are a liability), topped with a betrayal from someone important.

I just think that demisexuality comes in an abundance of flavors, peppered with various experiences from a partner. Demisexual person and a budding relationship with one is always different, just like any heterosexual, homosexual, and so on, so I don't really understand the comparison with the player's experience. I mean, it seems like you're saying that what we have with Lucanis is not a good representation of demisexuality, but I'd say that there is no appropriate and avowed template for depicting demisexuality, as well as any other relationship. Like, there is no "right way" for dealing with trauma, for example - the way a person dealt with their trauma in a movie might not be similar to the way the vewer of said movie dealt with the same trauma. And it's perfectly normal. The way you, me, or any other demisexual person behave or the way your relationship developed is not the only appropriate way for any other such relationship to develop. If the majority of demisexuals are easily flustered, it doesn't mean that everyone has to be. There is no "right way" to depict demisexuality. So, to me Lucanis seems to be just his own brand of closed-off and inexperienced demisexual.

As someone who is acepec, the whole demi Lucanis debacle just doesn't sit right with me. He has so many dialogues that just cut off suddenly, scenes that feel like they're missing (that missive in Act 2 where he talks about dealing with Spite once and for all that just became a completely different scene with Zara??) All the concept art for the romance that was never explored. The massive difference in relationship progression between Rookanis and Nevecanis in terms of both emotional and physical intimacy.

Lucanis' romance is so clearly incomplete even in a game where the romance arcs are sparse on the whole. His character without the romance feels incomplete as well - we get two or so big moments of characterisation and everything else is just the same scene about coffee repeated as infinitum.

I have no issue with a character being awkward and inexperienced, wanting to take things slow, not recognising flirtation or romantic cues, wanting to figure out their complicated situation before jumping into something. I am that person! It took 6 months after my partner and I acknowledged we had feelings for each other for us to start dating because I was not in the right place mentally to do so. Both of us are demi. Both of us have had very few previous experiences with romantic relationships. But that doesn't preclude a person from understanding or wanting emotional intimacy.

The Lucanis situation does not come across as 'he just doesn't have sexual attraction to Rook yet', it's just complete shutdown of conversation on all fronts (something he does not do with Neve, btw.) I too find flirting scary from people I don't know and agonised over it before my partner and I were together. This is not how he's written. His expressions do not reflect shock or awkwardness when Rook flirts, nor does his tone when he responds. Do you know when he does do this? With Neve right at the start of their banter. And he overcomes that shyness quickly. He just does not acknowledge Rook speaking at all the same way any video game character does when their conversation tree is bugged, the game decided to cut some response dialogue and just transitioned directly into the neutral follow-up line. He isn't rejecting emotional intimacy because of Spite and the Ossuary prison because during the ambient dialogue it's clear he's sharing that emotional intimacy with Neve waaaaay before Rook helps him.

I just want more of his writing. Where is he and his character in this story? He's so incredibly inaccessible to us. And I know people will say that characters do not have to be emotionally available to the player (which is true! A great example of this working well is Vivienne, who is warm but not directly open if befriended.) But that should then be a consistent character trait, and it's clearly not. In fact, Lucanis is incredibly declarative about his feelings for Rook romanced or not once you hit Act 3, he's just completely missing in Act 2. Which to me is a flaw in the game's structure. And that 'missing-ness' is being read as demisexuality instead of 'hey this character's writing is actually incomplete and needs restructuring and additional scenes.' Those additional scenes could very much be as awkward and non-romantic in tone as you please, but we needed more of them. Have Lucanis visit Treviso more often to do things other than drink coffee. Have him visit other locations as well! Teach Rook how to cook a local dish, the gondola fight we saw in the concept art. Deciding after the game's poor reception that a character who is clearly only 3/4s of a character, who is lacking in so much characterisation, is the demi character? That feels bad man. Demi characters should be written with just as much care and attention, should get to express themselves in as wide a variety of circumstances, show us more of themselves and how they interact with the world. The reality is that Lucanis has the weakest romance arc in the game, and posthumously attributing that to demisexuality feels like an indictment of acespec people's ability to read the room and express emotional intimacy rather than a true attempt at representing us.

Just as Cullen's heterosexuality and preference for elves and humans is in fact a game development constraint rather than a character writing decision, and Solas' heterosexuality was a result of running out of dev time to record voice lines and re-rig cutscenes, I think we should be able to acknowledge that this version of Lucanis is not a good representation of his character in multiple ways. And that is due primarily to the development cycle rather than writerly intention.

We've had beautiful slowburn romances that were also deeply affected by character trauma throughout the Bioware series. Lucanis' is (in its present state) not one of them. Leliana, Cullen, even Alistair. I think using demisexuality or even slowburn as an 'excuse' for Lucanis' incomplete character isn't a useful way to think about his writing.

Note: This post is purely about quality of writing wrt emotional intimacy. I have zero issue with virgin Lucanis and think that fits his wider writing. I also don't wish Lucanis to be someone he's not - Zevran or Davrin or some other flirty/dommy archetype. I just don't like the casual conflation of awkwardness and inexperience with asexuality. These things do go together but also I don't think we should use demisexuality as a bandaid for poor writing because it reflects poorly on our understanding of ourselves and the community.

[simplepotatofarmer]

Been looking through all your chicken posts because it’s actually really interesting to me and it got me thinking. What kind of chicken do you think c!dream would be? Or what kind would he like? I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone talk about it before 🤔

this is so up my ally, anon, thank you.

okay, so, there's a few options and some of them range from 'this would be funny' and 'i just think this works'. aesthetically, i'm looking at mostly white chickens since chickens aren't green and i'm going off the main colors of the skin! though honestly black would also work.

first, looks wise and because it'd be funny, i think a white silkie would be fun. the hens genuinely look like white blobs and i've actually drawn c!dream as one of these before simply because they look like a blob!

look at this chicken and tell me you don't see the vision.

as for breeds that i just feel like would be more fitting to him, that takes a little bit of time think about because overall, chickens are.... they're chickens! they can all be filled with rage and they can all be the sweetest little babies, y'know?

there's breeds that are deeply protective like the malay, thai game, and shamo. they were originally bred as fighting birds sadly but then people realized that they're actually just. good birds. they're aggressive towards other chickens sometimes but protective of their own flocks and can be very sweet towards their people. so i do feel like that would be a good choice though aesthetically they don't really match up since white isn't common. i do just love them, though, so i wanted to mention them.

(malay, above) (shamo, below)

another 'i want to mention these guys' moment is the appenzeller spitzhauben. appearance wise, they're more on point (the silver spangled is very cute and i love their combs). and they tend to be energetic and 'flighty'. they love people and their flocks but do spend time alone and despite their small size, they're good foragers who are always alert for predators.

but, being basic, i think my main pick would be a leghorn!

leghorns are wonderful, opinionated birds. they can be deeply friendly but also aggressive when they're annoyed. they're active and agile. they love to move and i've heard people who own them refer to them has having the 'zoomies' and also as 'occasionally insane'. if you get a well-bred one (meaning a heritage not industrial), they can be very tough! they can adapt to confinement but tend to kinda lose their minds a bit. they're also protective of their flock and curious.

i feel like if c!dream was a chicken, he realistically be a leghorn.

(yes, that's a hen, yes, i'm pushing my trans c!dream agenda here)

if i went for sheer funny, i would say salmon faverolle. personality wise they're.... well. most people describe them as 'quirky' or 'silly' and i find that's so accurate and also they're babies but well.

yeah.

[raincoatpng]

Link loses his arm and just... doesn't have an arm anymore AU. Thoughts??

Thinking about the end of the game when Rauru's spirit moves on and just takes his arm with him and NOW Link can't hold a sword, off balanced, having to re-learn how to do so many things. Starting with eating and getting dressed but then moving toward gardening, riding and grooming his horse, *climbing.* Luckily his fish boyfriend will carry him around but

Anyway. Been rattling that around in my head lately but I wanted to see what your big noggin would do with it!!!!

HI FRIEN!!! :D thank you for the wonderful ask lemme take a crack at this...

I've always thought it was a shame there wasn't any lasting consequences to the shit the characters go through in TOTK. I'm thinking about Zelda and the supposedly irreversible draconification but indeed also Link and his fucked up arm being brought back to normal like nothing happened. If it was a result of time reversal magic then surely they should have lost their memory of the game's events, which is an interesting concept but not the topic. Besides Link has gone through the amnesia thing already, so. Let's focus on the alternative which is: Link's fucked up arm indeed remains fucked up and he loses it altogether.

I think Link would take losing his arm horribly. He is an independant person at heart and suddenly losing so much autonomy would be like getting slapped in the face by a Hinox. Losing his ability to fight like before would be especially trying for him, I think. Not only is he independant, he's a protector. What good is he if he can't defend people? If him losing the use of his arm happens gradually as opposed to all at once, I feel like he wouldn't tell anyone until the last possible minute where he physically cannot move or feel his arm at all.

Purah would make a prosthetic for him, but that wouldn't magically make things go back to how they were. Even though Sheikah tech is cool as fuck and way more advanced than what we have in the real world, I don't think it could perfectly replicate a limb. Link would need some time to get used to it and that would be pretty frustrating for him.

As for the prosthetic itself, I imagine it would function in a similar way to the Divine Beasts. Now hear me out— I didn't see any steering wheels inside those things, so I think it's safe to assume the Champions piloted them via some sort of mind/spirit connection. So in Link's case, he'd have to force his own body to make this connection to this lifeless, inert metal thing, and that would be difficult for anyone – way more difficult than, say, being magically connected to the arm of a dead guy, cause at least that had been alive at some point.

Even when he does manage to make the connection, it still wouldn't be all that simple for him because he now has to learn to control it. Which would probably end up in embarassing or even potentially dangerous situations if the arm only obeys him half the time. (Imagine trying to keep a secret if your main mode of communication, sign language, has been hijacked by a limb that's intent on accomplishing your every thought and impulses! or, trying to sign something important when your prosthetic has decided to go limp and dead. And that's not even touching on how dangerous fighting or even cutting vegetables could become.)

By the time Link gets even halfway used to the prosthetic he's horribly out of practice in archery, climbing, horseriding, even cooking, and basically everything he enjoys doing, and that supremely pisses him off. OH and also. He's just gotten used to compensating for the unfamilar balance of having just the one arm and now he has a heavy metal thing strapped to him and he has to compensate all the opposite ways and it's a mess for him. Not to mention a lot of his horses aren't fond of this weird spooky new thing when he tries to pet them or offer them a snack, which is just the icing on the cake (not Epona though, she's a trooper and she loves carrots too much).

Now I know I've yapped a lot but this is where his support system comes in clutch (that said I'm not gonna describe every sage's reaction cause it pretty much boils down to worried but supportive and helping in their own way). Even though Link is a stubborn little shit who wants to do everything himself and keeps forgetting he's able to rely on his friends, Zelda does her best to help him day to day, even though she's dealing with her own trauma (and in my mind, the aftermath of being a dragon for fuck knows how long).

When they are together, Sidon makes a point to show Link how amazing he still is and always will be in his eyes – not because of things he can do but because he's so determined and never gives up. Neither Yona or Sidon are as skilled at healing magic as Mipha was, but they both try to soothe Link's phantom pain as much as they can, and Sidon has been learning a lot about his new powers while doing this, which is incidentally a convenient excuse – if you want to trick Link into letting you help him, you have to make him think he's the one helping you ;)

Okay that's all I've got!! hope this was a nice read despite how long this was :)

[ritz-writes]

okay so matcha on tiktok has ABSOLUTELY KILLED ME

I HAVENT THOUGHT ABOUT THE TRAITOR X BURN SONG IN SO LONG AND SHE JUST BRINGS IT UP WITH INEFFABLE DIVORCE AND IMMMMM

im clawing at my desk i am so unwell rn

[hellamorte]

do you ever think about how lucanis keeps losing and losing and losing — his entire life? losing his parents, losing his childhood because of the crow training, losing his freedom, his sleep, and one year of his life due to imprisonment. then the maker smiles upon him, and he's discovering something good (rook, the veilguard team, purpose), acquiring something back (his family, his life, his freedom, his job, his city), finding some peace in mundane things (coffee, cooking, taking care of others). it feels like the scales are finally moving, balancing — only for him to lose again. he loses caterina, he can lose his city to blight, he loses at weisshaupt, he loses grip on himself (thanks to spite), he loses control — he loses himself, piece by piece. rook can help lighten the load on his chest (thanks to spite), he gets caterina back, and breathing feels a little bit easier. but loss is not done with him. he loses illario, and it feels like losing a limb, a large piece of himself violently torn away. he's visibly shaken, but no one truly knows what it takes to string the assorted pieces of himself together and keep functioning. and then loss deals what seems like the final blow: some of his friends are dead or lost, and rook is gone, too. he failed; he only knows death, doesn't he? life only takes, and takes, and takes, giving only to tease and take it back. at that moment, he's falling apart completely — until they find rook, and there's a sliver of hope once again. the scales are moving, the team wins, they eventually go back to their lives — and that's when he realizes that the final blow is the life as the first talon.

[firstroseofspring]

memory, death and life as komerex zha, the perpetual game; klingon culture as depicted in the final reflection, by john m. ford

[quietwingsinthesky]

(@transmasc-rose)

Assassin's Creed question, you're the only other person I know who's played the games (+you like Lucy) dbfhdhb

When Rebecca says she hasn't seen Lucy in 7 years, do we know that that's when Abstergo approached her, or did that time include some of her college years?

I was watching Nyx play ac1, and Lucy was talking about how Abstergo approached her when she was at the end of her PhD (which was why I initially thought she was in her early 30s). If she was 17 when she was ending her PhD, she must have had one hell of an education.

(sorry if this sends twice, I clicked off the first time >:|)

I think canonically the timeline is that William Miles decides that they’re going to put her undercover at Abstergo, so he isolates her from the Brotherhood at 17 (meaning that why that was the last time Rebecca saw her, neither of them would have been allowed to contact each other except.) Then, presumably, she has like a little while between that and Abstergo hiring her for education.

Which is like. Still an extremely short window of time for her to have gotten her PhD, then gotten hired, then be high enough to work side by side with Vidic + get manipulated by him because of the isolation from the Brotherhood into turning to the Templars.

Also presumably the timeline is so scrunched here because they 1) did not plan any of this shit ahead of time and 2) god forbid a woman in a video game be in her 30s. but now it does lead to the delightful that she was barely an adult and cut off from her entire support system and in an extremely high stress environment when she “switched sides”! and by delightful, i mean horrifying! what the fuck! william miles were there not any fucking adult assassins you could have put in this situation instead! why did you use your child soldier as bait, mr miles!!!! I’M STARTING TO SEE WHY DESMOND RAN AWAY FROM HOME, SIR!!!!!!!

well. at least it also gives us evidence that lucy is canonically Really Fucking Smart. she did not “fall” for vidic’s lies because of incompetence or stupidity (<- do NOT read old assassin’s creed reddit threads about lucy. or new ones. the misogyny is palpable.) She’s exactly as capable and intelligent as she presents herself. She was just also the victim of being groomed by her boss for years. And because the games do not care about her, we just don’t get closure on any of this. Ever! I guess!

[todayisafridaynight]

would it be okay if u told me why u like aoki😭/gen😭😭😭😭BEEN TRYNA LIKE HIM FOR SO LONG I JUST CANTT but i love ur art so much so i still consume it otherwise lol

i liked tohru adachi in high school and tbh i think that alone is enough of an explanation for why i ended up liking aoki

[cosmosarcana]

i've gotten into outer worlds in like the last week and Parvati being wlw & ace has been the best thing in the story so far and i will die protecting her and helping her figure stuff out with Junlei

[violentlydefending]

genuinely always so shocked to see mirei hate. like literally god forbid women do anything.

[gilfrespecter]

Listening to coinstar by the growlers and thinking about mel so hard I get nauseous

Ridiculous stream of conscious in the tags apologies but not really

[pygmy--tyrant]

I am not and have never been a gamer but the more I hear about hades the more it sounds like it was created just to try and tempt me into the gaming world. everything I could have wanted from a game right down to the apparently well researched mythology is there. unfortunately my non-gamer identity is more than just a choice and I am genuinely just shit at it from zero practice otherwise I would have probably bought it by now

[mossyflowers]

Ultrakill has me in a deathgrip rn so I'll ramble abt it a bit here. Not sure if i'm gonna end up posting art or not tho because. Mechs hard to draw :(

But yeah GOD it's such a good game?? Rlly fun though it can get tricky if you don't have good reflexes, and some of the bosses. Oh man some of the bosses. Looking directly at Gabriel rn goddamn