#Amanda isn't in the clear either

[purplerakath]

Cobra Kai S1 - Undercutting Sam's Plot

This has been rattling around in my brain (sorry not sorry for all the CK S1 posts as I work on fic). So Sam has some really good set-up for a narrative in S1 but it gets undercut, twice, for two different male plots (the first time is for Miguel, the second time is for Johnny even if it looks like it's also for Miguel).

So, off the bat, Cobra Kai has a sorting algorithm for its primary cast, who gets priority over whom changes across seasons, but in Season one it is as follows:

Johnny

Miguel

Robby

Daniel

Sam

Hawk

Aisha

Demetri

Which means if you can do a satisfying thing for only one character, whoever is higher on the list wins out.

Kyler

So the first time Sam gets derailed is with the cafeteria fight. Sam has done a whole arc of 'being friends with the bitchy popular kids' followed by 'having morals' and 'deciding she doesn't want those kinds of friends.' Solid concept, no notes.

...except Sam isn't the one to beat the smug off Kyler's face, Miguel does. Because Miguel's arc is about gathering the confidence and skills to stand up to the people who made him suffer, especially when they make that girl he likes suffer. So a moment that could very well be Sam's big moment of defining herself never happens.

And because of this Sam spends the next few episodes with no friends, and her entire life caught up in two dopey karate boys, and her dad. Which... is probably best saved for another post (Daniel outplaces Sam on that sorting list, but he also is immune to recognizing his mistakes).

Miguel

So where Kyler was taken from Sam so Miguel could move along his journey, Sam broke up with Miguel to move Johnny along his... a few steps removed.

Alright so the arc between Cafeteria Fight and Yaz's birthday party is a lot of Sam being torn between 'really liking Miguel' and 'knowing her dad will never approve for various bullshit Daniel reasons.' So Sam lies about it, and Sam's otherwise so isolated thanks to the previous botched plot her social circle is two boys destined to hate each other.

Without the Sam bit... Robby would still go out of his way to mess with Miguel's head because Robby is jealous that Johnny is being a father to Miguel. Also Robby has a chip on his shoulder the size of Wyoming, he's just vaguely an asshole sometimes.

Now what should be a moment for Sam to get caught in a lie hiding Miguel, or getting in trouble coming clean about Miguel, is a complex Rube Goldberg machine of failed communication so that Robby and Miguel have more reason to hate each other, all for the benefit of Johnny's narrative.

See, the best part of Season One is the pyrrhic victory of Miguel winning the All-Valley. Johnny watching Miguel, Hawk, and Aisha be so overtly unsporting and violent in ways he knows Kreese would love is meant to sour the taste of this win. Johnny's next character beat is how much he disliked Miguel winning.

He didn't get the vicarious joy of winning he wanted. Because Kreese would be happy, and Robby got hurt. (Aside: they could have sold it better by having Miguel's excess aggression on non-Robby fighters cause Johnny flashbacks to Karate Kid). And all of this needs to be cemented in something easy to understand as to why a sweet kid like Miguel would turn into an absolute jackass.

Cue sad angsty boy times over a girl here. So he has to break up with Sam. Which I get, it helps feed the narrative but honestly? They could have done this without Sam being convolutedly taken off the grid to get there. Robby was primed to make Miguel angry, Miguel already disliked Robby.

More Asides: Daniel not being there for Sam's grounding robbed us of him getting to see Johnny wasn't lying. Daniel only finding out after the break-up gave us his smug unhelpful to narrative 'I told you so' which sucked because a lot of Sam's inner conflict was from pressure out of Daniel he never has to face. I swear, I swear, I'll stop on the Daniel stuff (for now).

The only arc of Sam's that gets completely worked through is the Aisha one, which has its own problem (but that's a Season 2 thing not a Season 1 thing). Which is honestly the most toothless of the three? What Sam did to Aisha sucked, don't get me wrong. But so much of that was tied into her other two 'where I belong' plots (with the popular assholes, and with her dad's expectations) had so much more meat to them. But the show didn't work them to a satisfying end.

[tprings-hair]

the interesting thing about journey to babel is that I legitimately can't tell who's having the worst day.

spock just had his parents show up to his work and embarrass him, briefly thought his dad was a murder suspect until his dad had a heart attack, and his mom said if he didn't choose his estranged father over his job then she'd never forgive him and slapped him.

kirk is trying to be diplomatic when all he wants is to smack everyone's heads together and yell PLAY NICE, and then he gets straight up stabbed and has to make decisions in a battle situation while he's in so much pain he literally can't sit straight.

mccoy gets a good childhood story about spock, but spock and sarek manage to corner him into agreeing to perform an operation he isn't trained for, and then he has to do it while losing his balance every couple of minutes, knowing that he might kill both his friend and his friend's dad if he messes up. and then his other best friend gets stabbed and he has to manage that crisis too!

sarek just saw his estranged son for the first time in years, got into a fight with another ambassador, got accused of killing said ambassador, was forced into displaying vulnerability and admitting that he lied to his wife, and then nearly died like twice.

amanda showed up wanting everyone to get along and instead her son is upset and hiding it badly, her husband is having a health emergency and hiding it badly, and she stands in the corner watching while mccoy is operating on both of them.

and okay, uhura and chekov aren't winning the "worst day ever" competition, but they're not having the best time either. the atmosphere on the bridge would be weird when your science officer is refusing to go help his sick father and your captain is literally hunched over in pain pretending he's okay to make clear-headed decisions. uhura gets yelled at when she can't find the source of the transmission soon enough for kirk's taste, and chekov -- actually, chekov gets to fire phasers this episode, and he seemed pretty pleased about it. maybe we can remove him from the list.

journey to babel is a spy drama, a medical drama, a family drama, and a murder mystery all wrapped into one. and nobody is having a good time.

edit: vote on who you think had the worst day here!

[filthyslashertoad]

Slasher First Date Headcannons

Oh yeah guys, guess who’s adding more characters! ME!!!! So…introducing…PETER STRAHM AND… MARK HOFFMAN!!!! (air horn noises)

Also just to be clear I’m writing for lestat and Louis from the movie NOT THE TV SHOW(It’s just not that good imo)

Peter Strahm

Is a hopeless romantic that 100% believes in love at first sight.

Talks way too much and gets very passionate when sharing his own interests.

Is the type to bring you multiple different flowers because he wasn't sure what you'd like.

Prefers first dates to be at restaurants or cafes.

Mark Hoffman

Is an asshole to you the first time he meets you because he thinks that it counts as flirting?

Quickly becomes absolutely enamored by you and wants to know everything about you.

The day after he definitely finds you walking down the street and blares his sirens to get your attention and say some cheesy pickup line to ask you out on another date.

Michael Myers

The closest you're gonna get to a first date with him is him showing up at your house and eating all of your food while staring at you from a nearby hallway.

Don't expect a first date kiss, but do expect a sentimental staring contest before he leaves.

Amanda Young

Your first date was probably being in a jigsaw trap she either made for you or both of you being in the same trap. (She doesn't have much of a social life)

Quickly becomes attached to you and goes out of her way to make you survive the trap.

Bo Sinclair

Hits on you when you pass through the town and invites you to have a picnic on his lunch break(Which consists of beer, crackers, a few blueberries, beer, and hotdogs)

Tells you all about mechanic stuff and some of the prettier parts of the town.

After lunch, he invites you to go out with him if you're passing through(fixes your car for free).

Vincent Sinclair

Teaches you how to make candles and mini wax figurines. (It's harder than it looks)

Makes a tiny doll version of you and him and gives them to you.

Not much talking happens during the date(obviously) but he makes up for it with hand gestures.

Patrick Bateman

Hears one of his buddies talking about you and how beautiful you are and automatically decides he needs you to be his girlfriend.

Pulls out the nines, I'm talking Dior suit, Givenchy shoes, and he even buys new hair gel before your date so he looks as fresh as possible.

Will most likely talk almost the entire date about his accomplishments while using business jargon.

Lestat(Interview with a Vampire)

Most likely had the intention of seducing you to suck your blood but realized that you had more to you than what seemed.

Invites you to go to the opera with him and Louis but ends up taking you to a much more secluded section of the opera house.

Wants to turn you into a vampire on the first date(I don't even know what base that reaches)

Louis(Interview with a Vampire)

Isn't much of a romantic(anymore) so it's more so a deep conversation shared between the two of you in a beautiful garden.

Asks you what it's like to be human and what you admire about life.

Gives you a bouquet of his favorite roses as a surprise.

Michael Emerson

Wants to really really impress you so he takes you to a bunch of places that are "hidden" and brings a bunch of snacks. (Doesn't mind also going to see a movie)

Definitely tries to kiss you on the first date.

After your date Sam teases him all night about his crush on you.

[fate-motif]

here's the character traits i think predisposes characters in the jigsaw franchise to get brainwashed by jigsaw and become a jigsaw killer themselves:

they have to believe that they did something wrong, and that they atoned for it when jigsaw tested them

they have to be already somewhat comfortable making life or death decisions for other people

we all know pee-paw's self-help seminar from hell isn't just an alleged self-help seminar, but doubles as retributive justice in case the person fails (in his eyes). so whoever is offered to join up with jigsaw has to be comfortable with both sides of the ideological operation in play. it's not enough that they were severely traumatized and have a hole in their lives that they could fill by being part of this cult, though those things really predisposes them for the brainwashing. multiple characters were targeted to join the jigsaw movement and did not feel the vibe, so i think i have it isolated to these two traits.

further thoughts under the cut

how we see this in the apprentices

this puts all three main character mainline franchise jigsaw apprentices in a very clear light, really. amanda thinks john helped her overcome her addiction and redeemed her for the things she did as an addict. lawrence acknowledges how he neglected his family and took them for granted so hard that he cut off his foot for them even though there was no guarantee they would be alive when he got out. hoffman is perhaps the one that feels he owes john the least (since he at least partially came in on the scheme purely through blackmail) but considering his intense passion for brutally punishing the guilty i think it's safe to say john testing him jolted him out of the apathetic, drunken stupor he had been living in since his sister was killed, and that he thinks that's a good thing.

(your mileage may vary as to whether logan nelson blamed himself for john's cancer going undetected, but as a coroner he seems to take his job extremely seriously. if john sparing his life caused him to take action in appreciating his life in any way, i think it's fair to say that it got him to give his everything when at work.)

and as for the life or death decision making for others, it's crystal clear at least to me why the people that joined up did. two are doctors and one is a cop. these are professions where making life or death decisions for others is required, even if you're doing everything you can to save someone's life. amanda isn't either a cop or a doctor but having been an ex-con i think it's safe to say the high risk environment may have predisposed her to feel more comfortable taking decisions that may lead to someone's death.

and it's not really a coincidence that it's cops and doctors, either. both policing and healthcare are embedded in the themes of the saw franchise. john kramer thinks jigsaw is a doctor that doubles as a cop; healing a sickness if the patient is worthy, killing them if they aren't. that's why i think a lot of traps that people like to claim 'don't work' because the players aren't being tested for a flaw or misdeed still suit the jigsaw ethos perfectly. because pee-paw may act high and mighty but what matters most to him is the retributive justice aspect of the traps. and this is the same for all his apprentices as well.

except for brad and ryan, really, but they're more than anything victims of saw 3d's rushed writing. they're only there to help lawrence stop hoffman, since a disabled oncologist might struggle to take down the armed and dangerous cop turned serial killer. even then i can sort of squint and see those two as thanking jigsaw for intervening on letting this one woman ruin their friendship and make them commit crimes when she didn't value them. the atoning aspect, weak as it is, may be complimented by the fact that jigsaw just netted himself a couple of honest-to-god psychopaths because they didn't look even a little remorseful to have to kill their girlfriend when they reached their truce. oh, well.

but what i like about my conclusions is that they really explain why the victims who were set up to be brainwashed failed

not every jigsaw game victim would make a good apprentice

yes, up front: john kramer has lost his mind when he thinks anyone would ever want to join his sick little crusade. most people do not want to kill and can't find killing in most capacities to be vile. also most people's reactions after being tortured would be to immediately try and attack their torturer. and yet the madman actually netted three people to help him out. it's such an insanely lucky number, really, proven by the fact that hoffman tries to recruit two cops and fails.

two cops. one of them had engaged in police brutality, let a colleague cover for him, and respected and defended colleagues that engaged in it. the other one may have been a little too classy to punch suspects in the face, but the way he treats jill tuck speaks to the opposite of any respect for people's dignity. both of them are fine murdering jigsaw game victims who were only attacking under the extreme circumstanced they were in! and yet they didn't even hesitate when hoffman tried to sell them on the life of being jigsaw, the ultimate policeman!

because neither of them thought they had anything to atone for.

while rigg has an entire library of things to atone for, what hoffman wants him to regret and feel bad for is letting his desire to save people affect the people around him. maybe if hoffman had any kind of emotional intelligence he could have pitched his traps to make him consider his actions on others, but instead all his arguments came down to 'look at these weak, pathetic people. they're sick, deep down, so it doesn't matter if they die when we torture them'. which rigg was never going to believe. he saw his desire to save people as innately good and unchangeable, which is correct, of course. it's just that the actions he takes are absolutely hopeless to actually save anyone in hoffman's eyes, because that desire makes him careless but in mine because policing saves no one. so of course he could never have become a jigsaw killer, because his traps did not make him think he had something to atone for.

as for strahm, hoffman didn't even bother brainwashing him, and that's why obviously he was never going to get in that coffin. the water cube trap was a straightforward execution. strahm had already seen a jigsaw trap mutilate perez for no reason other than to get them off his trail. by the time he reaches the coffin there was nothing in the world that could have convinced strahm to join hoffman.

it really speaks to how far gone and twisted hoffman is that in either of these cases, especially strahm's, hoffman thought there would be a chance either of them would even think about joining forces with him.

could any other jigsaw victims have made good apprentices?

i have a couple of ideas.

before we get to the candidates i'm going to address the apprentice adam angle, because it's a common au and everyone loves adam and wants him to be alive. also because it's a fun angle for chainshipping. this is your opening to send me chainshipping fanworks where larry tries to brainwash adam into joining him! but as it stands in canon i don't think adam would have found it in him to join the serial killers because he's not the kind of guy with a developed killer instinct. yes, he's depressed and suicidal in the original script. yes, the bathroom game makes him say out loud he wants to stop taking his family for granted. but he killed zepp in the very urgent scenario of trying to stop zepp from shooting lawrence, and i don't think he has it in him to deliberately put people in torture games where it's very likely they'll die. especially since, before jigsaw, adam had never met anyone he would actually find it in him to kill on purpose. though neither had lawrence, so i will give the adam apprentice girlies a point there.

the writers of the first movie say that zepp was having a blast when he kidnapped gordon’s family so he’s clearly he’s got the killer instinct needed for the job. the problem is that even john would be able to tell by a glance that zepp wouldn’t be able to stop himself from indiscriminately harming people as opposed to using violence for their ideological leanings. there’s a reason he was poisoned instead of merely asked to join. so while a rare find in that he might have already been primed to be a serial killer already, we all know john loves his delusion of doing violence for a higher purpose and zepp would ruin that illusion very quickly.

the only candidates i think would have been perfect otherwise would be brit and mallick from the fatal five. i've mentioned this before but they feel like they've atoned for their crimes through their game and were delusionally euphoric by the end of it. and so long as the victims chosen were on the scummier end of things, i could see both of them prompted into villainy.

you know who else got prompted into villainy? brett abbott. which is kind of insane to say considering he's a kid and i feel for him even though he did literally murder a man. it's just very hard for me to hate a kid suffering under institutional injustices even though he let that suffering out through murder. but all i'm saying is that under the right trap brett and the fatal five survivors were the more ideal candidates for apprenticeship... if only john was there.

yeah. hoffman doesn't have it in him to coax anyone into anything. he's a homemade nail bomb, not a leader. he would probably even dismiss brit and mallick right off the bat over their now missing hands, and you can't tell me he would have the patience to groom a teenager like brett. amanda and lawrence are also not exactly winning in the charm department. so really once the cult's charismatic leader kicked the bucket their way of life was doomed to eat itself from the inside out.

which is exactly what happened.

... don't ask me to think very hard about anyone in jigsaw because i've forgotten 95% of that movie

[wings-of-flying]

(spoilers for episode 114 and the black sea stuff in general)

who is the grandberry traitor?

the question isn't necessarily accurate as the traitor could be from a recruited pirate crew, like jaz's crew. however, the point still stands

grizzly has said no one's guessed exactly what will happen (whether that's about the plot in general or this specific thing isn't clear to me) which i'm going to assume means neither caspian, marshal john and rudith are the traitor

who does that leave? well, of the characters we know, not many. it could be lizzie, which would be interesting and she's got a possible motive plus doesn't approve of the black rose pirates. but...that doesn't seem likely. why would a spy recruit new pirates? why would a spy be so adamant in starting a war? there could be a reason, but we're working with ockham's razor here. the easiest solution is probably true

it could be a doppelganger of one of these known characters, which would be cool as fuck and difficult to guess, but i'm working on the assumption that whatever experiments are happening in the black sea's navy base aren't being used on a wide scale yet. this is an assumption that could be proven false, but it's what i'm going with for this. otherwise it's near impossible to guess who's the traitor. again, ockham's razor. easier solution

my evidence for this is that doppelgilly wasn't exactly perfect, yk. he didn't have to be, for his purpose of hunting down the intruders, but either they didn't have time to embue him with all gill's memories (possible, even likely) or they aren't able to do that yet (what i'm assuming is true)

so. lizzie probably isn't a doppelganger. no one who's well acquainted with either lizzie or the albatrio are likely doppelgangers. they wouldn't have the memories to prove themselves real

but what about someone who doesn't have any long standing connections (and therefore memories) with the albatrio (and lizzie)? they wouldn't need to be a perfect copy of themselves. they could just be a new person. no one would know

now this is where i'm gonna go a bit wild. because the previous paragraph makes sense to me. but there's also another solution. one which may be dumb but again. ockham's razor. it's simpler? maybe? (also this is an 'as i'm writing this' thought so bear with)

who do we know who's interacted very few times with the albatrio (and lizzie) and has recently become a pirate with a crew seemingly from nowhere? who's acted inconsistently with their previous iteration, but not enough to spark any questions? after all, it's possible grizzly just forgot that chip's marriage got annulled. it's possible that chip's wife also forgot this

that's right you fucks (/affectionate) i'm talking about amanda fucking rinn! my girl's been snatched and made into a doppelganger!

is this probably right? no. absolutely not. i'll shit myself if it is. but is it thought provoking? again no not really. but i'm putting it out there so that if it happens i can say I TOLD YOU SO! and if it doesn't i can play this off as a joke

anyway, it's probably a doppelganger. i mean, the concept of a traitor was released in the same episode gill got doppeled, so they're probably linked

[chaifootsteps]

Armchair Psychology Anon here. (Not a real pysch, just see patterns)

It's so funny because I keep seeing Viv like tweets where her stans are saying "who tf keeps saying Charlie isn't the main character she had more screentime than the male ones omg get over yourselves 🙄"

That new poster has... 6 male characters. And 3 of them are women. And it's implied Vaggie is going to die and Niffty is a side character.

It's because Charlie is probably a self insert for Viv when it comes down to her father (Lucifer). She clearly loves writing father-daughter relationships and not mother-daughter ones. You could even argue that Charlie singing: "have you ever wanted something that was so clear in your mind that you could taste it?" That gives me 'Viv is literally writing about wanting to be "friends" with big name celebs, Broadway actors, to be more famous, and to get the Broadway show' she's apparently always dreamed about.

I also believe parts of Stolas are Viv's self insert (particularly him being rich and sad, and how she keeps liking tweets defending him. As if Blitz has any actual power in the situation.)

Also side note, I'm glad someone mentioned Moxxie's little speech in CHERUBS about killing a rich authoritarian capitalist. Cuz apparently Viv felt uncomfortable with that and now Fizz and Blitz are clearly defending the highly elite and rich. (Blitz isn't now, but I'm sure he will in the future like Fizz.)

But I also believe Stolas is supposed to be her dad (her admitting her father flirted with women in front of Viv and her sisters/ which by the way is NOT healthy or normal. I'm sorry Viv, but as someone who has a father who would either cry or brag to me about how many women he's fucked (both when I was a minor and an adult), it's a really a fucked up thing of your father to do. And having Stolas flirt with Blitz in front of his underage daughter so explicitly, and reading a book on "Imps in the Sheets" at the dinner table in front of her, is pretty gross too, not gonna lie.)

Moxxie's mom? Dead.

Blitz's mom? Dead.

Octavia's mom? Huge abusive bitch.

Charlie's mom? Implied to be a cold bitch.

Amanda Palmer has a great read on creativity, where when you take personal things of yours and put it in a blender. The more ingredients you use, the harder it is to see what the real stuff is and what's the fictional things.

I'd say Viv is about at a 3-4, where it's very obvious what is real in her writing and what's fake.

Goddamn, what did Viv's mother do to her to make her hate her?

Like, okay I understand that writing is difficult when you feel like you're lying. I find it very difficult to write any healthy parental relationships because both my parents suck and I don't speak to them anymore.

But, you really need to put variety in your writing. Stop making things really obvious to the point where I think you need a therapist. (And she obviously does.)

And if by some chance you are seeing a therapist, Viv, see a different one. One that isn't just going to tell you everything you want to hear.

[medievalcat]

I think it's pretty clear that the Saw narrative parallels Amanda and Angelina- their names, their appearances, their abusive backgrounds and familial struggles with addiction, their being young women full of life and ending up beat down and alone, even their lonely deaths and being remembered as a headline and forgotten and unmourned by most people. It's also I think meant to be clear that this similarity makes Hoffman resent Amanda. Maybe because Amanda survived and Angelina didn't. But I don't think it stops there, and I don't think their similarities are why Hoffman seems to not just resent but to outright hate Amanda. I think Hoffman hates Amanda because she reminds him not just of Angelina, but himself.

To elaborate on what I mean I think it's worth addressing that both Amanda and Hoffman struggle with addiction. This is something John uses against both of them, and seems to succeed in doing so- Amanda stops using heroin and thinks John is right about her, Hoffman reluctantly accepts what John is saying about his alcoholism even when disagreeing with him about other things. Addiction is an extremely complicated issue and I deeply empathize with people who have to live through it. The reality of addiction is ... rough. Sometimes people can't accept that they are experiencing addiction, sometimes they try and deal with it by saying at least they are not like other addicts- "real addicts," "I'm not as 'bad' as they are." This definitely seems to be the case with Hoffman regarding Amanda. He tells her that she didn't value her life, but that he did, and says she needed to be tested, while he doesn't. He wants to believe he's nothing like her, that Amanda was wasting her life and didn't value her life enough to make one worth living, and it took John nearly killing her to get her to stop killing herself. This is what John thought about Hoffman- that he'd given up on life, was drinking himself to death, and John was doing Hoffman charity by taking him in, despite or maybe because of Hoffman's clear resistance to it all and how slowly he took to it. And Hoffman had in fact essentially given up on his life and was slowly drinking himself to death.

Amanda's recovering from her addiction, and John's "success" in "curing" her through the trap- the same trap Hoffman would eventually end up in- is something that trauma-bonds Amanda and John together. John is definitely trauma-bonded to all his apprentices, but it's not "success" that defines John's attitude towards Hoffman. John doesn't seem very satisfied with him at all, and doesn't give Hoffman the (clearly abusive) "familial" relationship he gives Amanda. Hoffman tells John that Amanda will fail him, knowing that to someone like John, all addicts are failures, unless "fixed" by him. As the stigma goes, once an addict, always an addict. Hoffman knows this very well. John didn't "fix" him at all. (Of course, Amanda knows she wasn't "fixed" either, and she is aware that "it's all bullshit" under all the indoctrination, but she was aware all along- after all, her first disobedience against John was killing Adam, out of mercy, not malice, because it was John who put him in an unwinnable trap, leaving him to die slowly and tortuously. Hoffman doesn't know that, because he thinks he already knows Amanda, but also doesn't want to know Amanda. The view Hoffman has of Amanda says less about her and more of him.)

I think Hoffman resents that Amanda is alive when Angelina isn't. But I think he hates Amanda because he is alive and Angelina isn't, and Amanda- who is in the same situation he is as one of John's cult members whose lives weren't "worth" anything before him, told they had nothing and nowhere except for John, but who seems to have convinced herself there's some positive purpose to all of it- is a constant reminder of that. That someone who didn't "deserve" or "value" their life is alive, when someone who he thinks did, is dead. John gave them both "second chances," and while Amanda fought for her life in her trap, all Hoffman wanted to do was kill Seth Baxter and then keep drinking himself numb. He didn't want to recover. It's Amanda the "junkie", the "addict," the "failure" who keeps surviving everything thrown her way, where Hoffman seemingly doesn't have to be tested so many times. He tells himself it's because he's better than she is, because that's what he needs to believe. It's Amanda who "valued her life" and was the first survivor, despite not being the first apprentice. Hoffman is the first apprentice- and John clearly doesn't think he values his life. Not just because of the reverse bear trap in the will- John had Hoffman put Kerry in her trap:

"Up until now, you have spent your life among the dead, piecing together their final moments. You're good at this because you, like them, are also dead. Dead… on the inside. You identify more with a cold corpse than you do with a living human. I believe you want to join your true family, indeed your only family, in death." We all know this was out of nowhere, and an unfair and inaccurate judgment of Kerry, and John probably just didn't want to get caught. I think this was John's warning to Hoffman, that his test was coming.

But around this point Hoffman is more focused on getting rid of Amanda. He obviously doesn't give a fuck about Jill, he's not trying to avenge her loss, and I don't really think he felt threatened enough by Amanda to think he needed her gone if he was going to survive in a world without John. He wanted to get her killed so he could believe she was a failure and he wasn't, that everything in her he saw in himself was something he was stronger than. That he was nothing like her. That she wasn't really a survivor, and he was. "I don't mean anything to you. I'm just a pawn in your stupid games." Was that vindicating to hear, or did it confirm that Amanda really did have more in common with Hoffman than he wanted to believe, and that his bleak circumstances weren't so far off from hers, and not any better? Maybe after that, she haunted him too, like Angelina did. Not reminding him who he lost, but reminding him who he is.

[infriga]

Ngl I just can't personally get on board with the idea whenever I see posts claiming or speculating that Markus somehow controls or influences the androids he deviates.

Like most of the deviants we see him convert aren't just fresh new people out of the box, they still have all the memories and experiences from when they were machines, and we've seen explicit evidence that androids can feel emotions and have their own thoughts and opinions before deviating, they just don't recognize them and can't act on them. Markus's painting or music, Kara showing obvious fear when threatened by Todd, or care for Alice, or unease when she sees Alice's drawings (and this is even after she'd been reset), Connor's distress after the Kamski test when he thinks Hank will be angry at him for not shooting, or him admitting to Amanda that he's been having thoughts counter to his programming, the scene where he tells Hank he appreciated working with him and emphasizing that he thinks he actually means it (and no I don't believe Connor is special in his ability to feel and express emotions before deviating like some people think), etc.

My point being, they're not empty shells suddenly given sentience, they're prisoners suddenly having their chains removed. Sure that would be disorientating and scary for someone born in those chains, but that doesn't mean they would all automatically be completely moldable clay ready to take orders from a new master. And we even have a perfect example of how even immediately after being awoken they can have free will and desires when we look at John.

After being deviated John asks to join Jericho. He isn't asked to join by Markus, in fact Markus can even say no, and it isn't automatically assumed that he will join, he chooses to ask himself. If Markus refuses John will even get upset and set off the alarm. When he sacrifices himself to save Markus, that's clearly not something that Markus wants or directs him to do. In fact he goes directly against what Markus chose if Markus went the pacifist route and starts attacking the police. And this isn't shown to be an instinctive thing either. After being deviated if Markus fights the guard John doesn't help him and just stands back and watches instead, meaning he specifically chose to defend Markus during the march.

These scenes contain multiple clear and direct examples of someone Markus deviated exhibiting their own free will even immediately after being deviated and not just mindlessly obeying or following Markus. So why would we assume that all the androids who joined him in the streets are just mindless drones following his authority, and not that they were inspired as they watched him march and then decided to follow his lead when actually given the ability to choose to do so? And if it was the case that Markus could control or influence androids he deviates, why would he ever even use that ability when it goes against everything he stands for?

So personally, I just don't think that interpretation tracks. I'm sure androids he deviates could be influenced by being grateful to him for freeing them, but that's no different from a scenario where he let's people out of a physical cage as opposed to one made of programming.

[maxwell-grant]

Glad to know you like suicide squad, did you ever finish reading JLI?

I have a lot of respect and love for the creative team but, sorry to dissappoint, I found JLI fucking unbearable and could not finish it. I gave it 25 issues and powered through after dropping it and didn't enjoy one single moment of it and I don't think this is magically going to become tolerable when it's time to bring in Despero and the Global Guardians and the character with a slur for a name. I guess I could say it was a good comic of it's time that I just didn't vibe with and leave it at that, or I'd say I think the humor drags down the good parts, but to be honest I'm just not seeing the good parts here either. The best things I can say about it is that it's well-drawn and that Max Lord is a decently compelling puzzle/central figure to pin this enterprise on, a twist on Ozymandias for a different context, I get why fans are upset on him being turned into a clear-cut villain, although Amanda Waller he ain't. And of what I've seen that's kinda it actually.

It is kind of weird that this exists in an opposite world situation to Suicide Squad, where Suicide Squad is the more traditionally-drawn book about rejects banding together under hardship to deal with troubled international quagmires and find their own bonds to humanity and each other amidst chaos, and Justice League is the slick colorful book about rejects being funnyman bastards doing violent pantomine routines 24/7. You'd think it was the other way around. You'd think Guy Gardner wouldn't be more unbearable than Captain Boomerang given he is technically a more moral person, but when Boomerang's being misogynistic, he eats shit for it, where as when Gardner pretends to fall atop Canary so he can grope her, it's played as a gag (and god you could not ask for a starker difference than the treatment of their female characters between these two books). But as is, I am not remotely impressed by characters acting like funnyman bastards for 90% of any given story, and then punctuating their moments of seriousness by constantly reafffirming that they aren't one-bit jokesters.

Did you catch that the first time? Can't you see how they are more than just funny jokesters, let's repeat that again for emphasis, don't you get the nuance on display here, don't you get there is more to Blue Beetle and Guy Gardner than being unbearable pieces of shit, in case you don't let's have Hawkman's every single goddamn line be about how he's a big old stuck-up meanie harping about the old days who is wrong for not accepting the new way of doing things (and please do not take this as me being upset about the sanctity of fucking Hawkman, it's just one more horribly grating thing in a comic full of them). I get why these characters have big followings, but I'm at a loss to understand why said followings would originate from this, it seems like all of them surely must have acquired whatever nuance or likeability they have later.

You know that thing people complain about regarding vapid cliche lines like Well that just happened / It's not what it looks like / That's gonna leave a mark / Uum he's right behind me isn't he, that kind of stuff? JLI feels like the birth of those, it feels like the real version of the thing that people who exaggerate MCU quips complain about, because oh my god every fucking page is littered with those, they can't get through anything without doing an insufferable bit. Every character is the suffering straight man or trying to be the funniest person in the room in an interminable Mad Magazine skit. They never shut up and never stop making jokes and they NEVER make a single one of them funny and everybody talks the same, everyone makes the same jokes, everybody has one trait and that's their joke, and my god you guys I gave this thing 25 damn issues of a chance and I hate even thinking about it, and if a single one of you tries to get me to read one more comic with G'nort in it I swear I'm going to -

So, yeah, wasn't for me. Credit where credit's due though, the one funny joke I've seen in this constitutes an all-timer Batman moment.

[agentplutonium]

Snippet Sunday !!

Thanks @angelicaether for the tag! They posted a very lovely snippet of xyr Christian/Amanda fic! def go check it out.

No pressure tagging: anyone who wants to do this, but also @penncilkid @dizzy-n-busy to name a few (I'm sleepy I can't think of anyone else)

I will be the first to admit that I have not been writing as mush as I would like to. However, I do have a few snippets of two AU's that live in my docs, one older and one a more recent addition. To no ones surprise, they are not Milo/Sweetheart-centric.

First I have an old TLOU AU that I have not touched in ages. It really doesn't follow the story of TLOU but is more set in that universe. In this snippet, Sweetheart is on their way to find Milo again.

Second I have Pirate Captain!Sweetheart fic that was inspired by my recent binge of The Pirates of the Caribbean movies. There isn't much more to say about that.

Small note: in both snippets, I use my nickname for Sweetheart (Sneaks) in case it's confusing/you don't like it ^^

ANYWAY snippets under the cut <33

TLOU AU

Sneaks rounded the cottage once, looking for any signs of life. They didn’t see any. The windows were dark, and there was an unfathomable amount of debris on the porch. They approached the door cautiously, trying the handle. It was unlocked, and Sneaks paused as their heart flew to their throat. They stuck their head in, flashlights sweeping the area. It was left exactly how they remembered, albeit dingier and dustier. They decided to move in, gun held at the ready as they did so. They knew realistically no cordyceps would be in here, but they couldn't let their gourd down until they checked every nook and cranny.

Sneaks deemed the house clear as they rounded into the last room. Dropping their gun a bit, Sneaks let themself feel a little disappointed that there wasn’t something here. The place looked like it hadn’t been touched since the initial infection. They went back to the main room.

A picture frame caught their attention. They picked it up, whipping away the dust that caked it. It revealed a picture of them and Milo on the shores of the lake. Sneaks stared at it, at him. They were both so happy. So… carefree. They would give anything to go back to that. To before.

Sneaks thumb brushed against Milo’s face, biting their lip to quell the sting in their eye.

There was a creak behind them, and Sneaks swung around, gun aimed. Their finger started squeezing the trigger, but a voice rang out.

“Wait!”

Sneaks paused, finally focusing on the figure in front of them. Familiar features looked back at them. His hands were up, one hand holding a handgun. Sneaks’ eyes were drawn to the scar that stretched on the outer corner of his left eye. They knew that scar.

“Ash?” Sneaks whispered.

Pirate Captain AU

Milo was manhandled onto the ship, the grip on his arms so tight it would leave bruises. Milo wasn’t going without a fight, cursing the pirates out and trying to get out of his bindings. He wasn’t even sure why he was there, just remembered excited shouting before he was grabbed. Only a few words got through, one of which being ‘nobility’, but that didn’t help either. There were shouts around the ship, and everyone was moving at once. Milo couldn’t keep up. He thinks they’re working on disembarking. That shot a bolt of panic through Milo, and he struggled even harder.

“Let me go! I’m not who you think—”

“Shut it,” one of them growled in his ear, a knife coming out as extra incentive. “Or you’re about to have much bigger problems.”

“Damien,” a voice rang out, quieting the ship as it was heard. “What do you have?” ‘What do you have’ as if Milo wasn’t a whole human being. His blood boiled as he looked for who was talking. His eyes fell on a pirate approaching them, cautiously taking one step at a time. They had a hate on, a long coat that vaguely resembled the colours of his town, and were overall very menacing. There was an air of command to them that he couldn’t ignore. A step behind them was another pirate, this one a lot buffer than the first had been. If the first was menacing, the second was straight-up evil-looking. Scars crisscrossed the skin he could see, and they disappeared under the clothes that they did have on.

“A captive, Cap’n,” Damien responded. 

“We don’t take captives.” The captain said slowly, eyeing Milo. “He doesn’t even seem like the type to be a good sailor.”

“Hey—”

The Captain had their sword out, almost leisurely, the point digging into Milo’s throat just enough to be prominent, before Milo could continue his sentence. “What? Does the pretty boy want to be a pirate? Want to be the criminal of the sea, hanging by his neck before the end of the week?”

Milo didn’t answer.

“That’s what I thought,” they said, putting the sword away. “I don’t want him.”

“But, Captain,” the second pirate who had his arm started. He was bigger than Damien, but he didn’t seem as aggressive. “I think this is who we need.”

“Is it? Him? The nobility?”

Milo shook his head quickly. “I am not Noble, I swear.” “Then why were you in the mansion?” Damien asked.

“I just—”

“Damien, you’re smarter than this,” The Captain said.

“It was Huxley’s idea! I just got us out of there before anyone noticed!” Damien defended.

“Not true,” the big one—was he Huxley?—defended. “Cap, you have to believe me—”

The captain held up their hand, and Huxley fell quiet. “I don’t want him,” they repeated, “throw him over.”

Damien and Huxley went to do just that, but Milo fought back. “Wait, please! Return me to shore!”

He was able to break free for a second, but was unable to keep his balance, falling to his knees harshly.

“And why should I do…” The Captain trailed off, looking at Milo. Milo’s chest to be more exact. 

They stalked forward, face unreadable. Milo wasn’t sure what to do. They bent down, grabbing at his neck. Milo flinched away before he realized they had gone for his pendant. He stayed still, watching their face as they inspected it. The ship was dead silent as they did, the only sound was the lap of the waves against the boat, and the distant city they just left.

“What did you say your name was, lad?” The Captain whispered, looking at him.

“Greer. Milo Greer.”

The Captain studied him for a moment before straightening again. “I’ve changed my mind. Send him to the brig.”

The chatter started up again, and Milo was grabbed and dragged to his feet.

“No! Please! I did nothing!” He protested.

“Oh, I wouldn’t say you did nothing,” The Captain said, back turned.

“Who are you?! What do I mean to you?!”

“What you mean to me is not your business,” The Captain snapped, rounding on him agian. “As for who I am, I’m Captain Ghost. Most feared pirate on the seven seas. People call me Sneaks,” they gripped his chin, forcing him to look them in the eyes, “but if I ever hear that name out of your mouth, that will be the last thing you ever say. Savvy?”

Milo didn’t respond.

“See you later, pretty boy,” They whispered, before pushing him away roughly and stalking away.

[mayisgoingnuts]

Oooo you wanna talk about JJD Skid SO BAD oooo 🌀🌀🌀

JABSKSJD IT'S THE HYPNOSIS GUYS...../SILLY

OKY BIG RAMBLE ABOUT THE AU UNDER THE CUT

ALR SO. There's this one theory that I have where the cult is currently trying to get Skiddad back, either from the mannequin or just in general from the death, and although the cult knows that Skid and Pump are like little demons they don't really know that Skid means a lot to Atticus nor that he's ACTUALLY powerful. It's basically "Thank God he's gone we can do our things now"

If Atti is the mannequin, he knows as much as Lila, which was "Oh Skid got kidnapped", if not, he just,,, had no idea. Skiddad as soon as he comes back he asks where tf Skid is and it goes like this

And spoiler: his ass did NOT expected that in the slighest because JJD does NOT actually care for anyone as in bonding sense, so his mind immediately goes to bad stuff. Still, the two are in like, another whole ass city if not country

WHEN THEY COME BACK THO (which isn't really sooo long after Skiddad's comeback, here they took way longer to do so) the cult immediately goes after JJD. Skiddad wanna kill her but the others put some sense into his head fast enough-

Results: killing JJD would just fuck up everything even more, because:

1- Skid now thinks that she's his mom and loves her very deeply, he'd feel a personal hatred towards the cult

2- Skid have NO idea who tf most people in Spooky Town are anymore thanks to JJD aswell including his mom and dad. She basically got him a free lobotomy /hj

So they were basically forced to let JJD keep him FOR NOW, but they made it very clear that if they tried to leave the city they'd have to take Skid by force (she's not really scared, more like "HEY YOU'LL RUIN MY WORK")

And uhh no JJD doesn't love him back or has any emotional connections to him </3 she literally CAN'T /srs

JJD took him for herself because it not only would make her life more exciting but also because the idea of having her unhinged ideas being spread like a tradition sounds "cool as fuck"

And don't even ask about the other scientists, they cut ALL contacts with her, they finally prohibited her to enter the lab (that used to be hers lmao) and if Amanda sees her again she'll genuinely try to kill her; Also, before JJD suddenly disappeared, Jenna managed to finally stand up for herself and basically snapped at JJD yelling how much she despises her and how much she's been ruining her life, which also added on why JJD went for someone else to befriend

First try was Jenna and second one was Skid, she actually gave up on a sibling to go after the other 💔

[mirroredmemoriez]

Amanda's misguidance.

I was doing bad- Then I saw a THIRSTY ass post and began giggling (if you can assume who you are, thanks I guess!) but I'll still speak my weewoo brain. (Ok! I never posted this back then, this has been sitting for maybe a week, but the thirsty post was someone's dream.) (WEEKS NOW) I think uh, one of the things that really gets to me about Amanda's character is truly how misguided she was. I know a lot of what I'm going to say has been talked about and all that jazz but I don't really care... This is my rambling not yours. Anyway, she didn't have any solid parental figures even before John. We know that her dad was abusive/neglectful and her mother is never mentioned, not to my knowledge. I've kinda headcannoned her parents as addicts as well, obviously addiction and things such as it can run through families. (Saw X has now highlighted how terrible her father is even more) The wiki page for Amanda Young

This is where her self destructive nature began developing, the lack of care and love but an abundance of neglect and abuse resulting in her not really knowing how to take care of herself or others. I'm not saying she can't love or care for things either, but she doesn't know the correct way of doing so. Amanda loved John, that is a very clear thing. I don't think she knows how to handle her love or where to pinpoint it however. In the sense that she's not experienced parental love, friendships or romantic relationships- Not ones at least that weren't with people who were as down under as her, so I don't count Cecil.

She sees John as a father figure, a leader and a teacher. John is her only guide to life, somebody who set her on a path, even if it wasn't the right one. Amanda is indebt to him for ''helping'' her, even if it's up for debate whether he truly did help, Amanda's drug addiction was by far not her only issue if you look at the bigger picture. She clung to him like a lifeline, even when he hurt her, made her do things she didn't truly believe she could. We know she feels guilt for killing Adam due to the deleted scene where she has a nightmare about him and we also have the fact it was a ''mercy'' killing in the first place. Amanda is tested repeatedly and we also have to acknowledge around the start of her becoming an apprentice, she was going cold turkey, which the symptoms for are horrible. However, she still kept loyal to John and his cause, other people going through such a thing are quick to tell their closest family members they hate them or even ''backstab'' them in pursuit of a fix. Amanda doesn't. Even later on, she never turns back to drugs, instead going back to using self harm as a coping mechanism. I don’t believe the ''love'' she has for John is one sided either, I think he does care for her in his own way, but his self righteous nature at times doesn't let him fully give the support and tenderness Amanda needs.

It makes you wonder what Amanda could of been had she found somebody else who could give her direction, a cause. Somebody prepared to have her as a first priority over their ideology. Where would she be? Could she function in society or would she crush under the pressure. She's never been ''evil'' to me or a cold hearted villain like other horror icons. Amanda is a severely traumatized mentally ill woman, one who kills and tortures due to the fact the only person she has in the world is telling her it's the right thing. Of course, some people will argue that she purposely makes her traps basically impossible, so she isn't even fully listening to John and his beliefs but that's because of how misguided she is.

She DID survive her trap and look at her. Obviously, it also comes from the fact she believes people can't change but you can't really blame her for that either. The amount of death and torment she's been subjected to lasted her a lifetime and was her death, no peace. And even in death? She was reaching for John. Because even with all the pain he put her through, mentally and physically, she loved him. Her saviour who caused so many of her wounds and left others to get infected.

Misguided to the very end.

[story-narrator]

Here's a scrapped idea I had.

This is straight from my notes, I didn't do it in the end because I didn't want to draw all of it TwT

I am not editing it in any way, this is straight from my notes. I can't remember it like at all so I hope there's no spoilers for the book, but either way, it'll take a while for the book to get up and running anyways

________________________________________________________

Game over by Falling in Reverse AMV?

My life is like a video game all the colors of the main characters all in saying this

Trying hard to beat the stage Cuphead in cuphead

All while I am still collecting coins Jack getting tokens from Steven in DSAF

Trying hard to save the girl Obstacles, I'm jumping hurdles Mike and Gregory trying to help Vanny

I'm growing up to be a big boy Frisk

I battle with the evil ways shot of all heros fighting evil in their games

I travel far and try and save Frisk parting off and trying to reach the save

Sorry, but your princess isn't here Glitchtrap appearing in Vanny's place

I take a rest, I push the pause back to Frisk as they get to the save

Level up and move along Dave and Jack leveling up

In hopes that the next stage, I will clear Cuphead looking forward while worn out

I fucking passed, asshole Cuphead getting killed right after he starts to get up to move forward

I'm just trying to keep from dying Bendy looking at the camera

It's just a game that we play, and for heaven's sakes Looking for a better way to play it Stanely crossing out endings

Life is for keeping score and forevermore Glitchtrap and Henry on two separate sides saying the same thing

Stop complaining and start changing it the camera turns to their heros

Today I went to therapy Mike in a chair

Told him my embarrassing Wheatley sitting in a chair

Issues that I'm having with my life (with my life) Dave in chair

He told me that I need to change Flowey

Life is not a video game Frisk

So stop playing and open up your eyes Mike to Glitchtrap

I'm just trying to keep from dying Glitchtrap in response

It's just a game that we play, and for heaven's sakes Looking for a better way to play it Glitchtrap continuing his statement

Life is for keeping score and forevermore Glitchtrap shows all the villains to the heros

Stop complaining and start changing it the heros and villains fight

Don't talk about it, just be about it switches to Connor in his headspace

Don't ever doubt it, even when your brain is clouded Amanda appearing from behind him

I may be crazy, but life's amazing it switches back to glitchtrap watching as everyone fights

And through it all and even with your problems facing then it turns to mike behind him

So just know that it's okay Wheatley is with Frisk getting them to saftey

My life is like a video game Glitchtrap is fighting Mike having the upperhand it seems

Trying hard to beat the stage then Mike pushes back

All while I am still collecting coins Cuphead parries something

Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, select, start Bendy and Cuphead fight a villain

It's just a game that we play, and for heaven's sakes it goes from a clear picture to viewing from a screen

Looking for a better way to play it it turns to GLaDOS

Life is for keeping score and forevermore Henry says this while fighting Jack and Dave

Stop complaining and start changing it Jack says this back and knocks Henry down

It's just a game that we play, and for heaven's sakes Alice says this while fighting Stanley

Looking for a better way to play it then there's a flicker and the bucket transforms to the beast

Life is for keeping score and forevermore it shows Mike, Bendy and Cuphead, Jack, and the Bucket Beast getting ready for a last blow

Stop complaining and start changing as they move to attack the screen goes black

_______________________________________________________

[majaloveschris]

So he is going to Amanda’s wedding then?

I don't know if he will be there or not. My theory was that when his team said he couldn't be there because he had a wedding to attend, they wanted him to go there. However, things could have changed since then. I'm pretty sure, at the time, they didn't expect a backlash like this.

It was always really interesting to me why his team would give away anything more personal than "he has other commitments". I don't really understand why they would specifically share the exact reason he can't be there or why that Comic Con thing would give it away just like that. But I don't think that Comic Con would lie about things or make up anything either, so yeah, I think at the time when they said no to this offer, his attendance at the wedding was planned. I think things have changed.

None of us can know for sure if he will be there or not. If he will be there, then I don't really see it as a big tragedy. Almost everything that has happened so far (Disney, Valentine's Day pics, scare videos) was way worse than him going to that wedding.

PSA because this caused a little confusion: I don't like Justin or Amanda or any of them. He doesn't need to spend any time with Justin, he doesn't need to take pics with him or anything like that. We know he's spent some sort of time with him since they needed to make content and Justin was almost always there with Alba. This isn't any different for me. I don't want him to be there, I think it's clear and I think he has nothing to do there, but thing could be worse.

[yellowloid]

In my opinion, Louise is a very down to earth girl, she's not flashy like Taylor was, but she's not a very party person. Surely is a very mysterious girl, it is not perfectly clear what her job is even if many have opted for her as an influencer, she tends to copy what many influencers do and many times she has copied Alexa and recently also Taylor. She has little personality and is inspired by others but there is nothing of her own that can be said to be interesting. I hope her lack of personality hasn't affected Alex because honestly he's changed a lot since he's been with her

tbh i don't really want to compare them as people (taylor and louise) because i don't want to pit them against each other looking for the "better" one. they're obviously very different people and their dynamics with alex are obviously very different.

i agree on the fact that she doesn't really look like that much of a party person, but i don't find her to be very mysterious either - and that's because she tries too hard to be. the fact that she takes inspiration from alex's exes (especially alexa) isn't exactly ideal, no - but let's not assume she "lacks personality", we literally don't know her!! we don't know how she behaves irl!! i think the problem with her is, again, the fact that she probably thinks/thought that in order to fit into alex's "type" she has to copy his exes (or at least take great inspiration from them) and hide her true personality by doing so. which is just… kinda sad. like girl. for a man???? hell nah. you can do so much better than that.

especially considering it doesn't seem to work that much. he's always away, he barely appears on her socials, they don't even officially live together, sometimes it feels like the furthest she is, the happier he looks. sometimes it also feels like he purposely ignores her (remember back in june when she had her first gig in literal YEARS and he couldn't even be there like. alex. come on)

so yeah he doesn't exactly win the Best Boyfriend award. back to louise, though, i really hope the whole "mysterious 60s/70s french girl" aesthetic is just an ig façade. i hope she's a bit more natural in private and that she's able to actually be herself with the man who's supposed to be her boyfriend, you know? for her own sake. and the other way around too - i hope alex is able to be genuine with her. we don't know how they interact in private, so we can't really tell.

also i don't think he changed because of her. he already had his issues to work through pre-louise. what happened in 2018 with her/taylor/miles probably made everything worse but she's not the devil lmao she's not the cause of all his problems just like she's not some salvific angel making everything better as amanda has been promoting her on her ig during the last few months shfgsksdk

she's just his girlfriend. let her be that if that's what they both want

[blot-squisher]

Kinda curiouso - what's the breakdown on Slashers that voted to let Marcus live Vs voted to kill him Vs abstained?

Wow, sorry I took so long answering this! I kept meaning to type this up on my computer and got distracted.

Voted to let him live: 11

Danny, obviously

Pyramid Head, because he didn't go to all that trouble to find and fuck him just to see him die like a week later

Amanda, got the full story from Danny and decided Marcus sounded like an interesting person

Evan, he really just wanted to piss off Michael and doing the opposite of whatever it is he wants is just a sure fire way to do it... also he may or may not have already decided he liked the bratty ginger and reeaaallly didn't want to see him dead...

Thomas, isn't about to sit back and see his knew friend die! Marcus was nice to him! And he didn't even scream the first time he saw him!

Caleb, isn't about to vote to kill someone who was just dragged bleeding and terrified into the Realm without knowing why first. Danny did a good job arguing for the vet's character, and the old cowboy got curious.

Max, just followed Caleb's lead because he didn't care enough to pay attention to what was being discussed.

Sally, just wanted to disagree with Herman

Philip, he's not really a bad guy, he's just been dealt some really shitty cards. He's not going to vote to kill the adorable surprising guest that's just been dragged to the Realm unless he does something to endanger them. Also Pyramid Head scares the crap out of him.

Samara, likes to play with new people, although Rin and Sadako try to keep her away from anyone new. She wants to get to know the new play thing...

Carmina, much like Philip, she's really not a bad person at heart. She abhorred playing the Entity's game and has yet to kill since escaping. She didn't even need to be convinced to vote in his favor.

Voted to kill him: 6

Michael, mistakenly believed he'd either hurt, or planned to hurt Thomas. The idea that Ghostface was stupid enough to allow it or possibly even have facilitated it only made him angrier and less willing to listen to Danny's side of the story.

Kenneth, just really likes hurting people. Especially innocent people. Especially-

Blight, was hoping if they won the kill vote he'd get to use him as a test subject. They may be trapped in this hellhole of a Realm now, but that doesn't mean he can't continue his research!

Herman, was jealous and more than a little offended that his fellow Slashers were going to a vet of all things for medical care. No. No, his feelings are not hurt! Not in the slightest...

Charlotte & Victor, argued longer about whether or not they got one vote or two. Once it was decided they'd only get one no matter how they voted, they threw a fit and decided on kill.

Rin, immediately voted kill. Doesn't care. Doesn't need a reason. Kill.

Didn't vote/Didn't get a vote: 14

Freddy, abstained actually. Why? He's a shit stirrer and it wasn't clear who was going to win yet.

Anna, wasn't present. Unknown to the others, she was being held captive but the Collector. (would have voted to kill him)

Adiris, was out looking for Anna. (would have voted to let him live)

Dredge, there's still a debate among the Entity's Slashers whether or not he's sapient enough to get a vote (he is, would have voted kill at the time... he wanted to eat the body.)

Sadako, the whole thing made her uncomfortable and she abstained. Still got mad at Samara for her live vote though.

Kazan, no one knows where the hell he is! They haven't seen him in almost twenty years! (Would have voted live, just to fuck with Danny. He knows Ghostface is scared of him and bullies him for fun.)

Demogorgon, doesn't get a vote. Less intelligent than Dredge, but still way to fucking smart for an animal.

Ji-Woon, wasn't present. (would have voted kill just to listen to him scream)

Wesker, wasn't invited. Didn't find out about it until much later. (would have abstained just to see how it would play out, plan course from there)

Nemesis, wasn't invited, wouldn't have been allowed to vote even though he's smart enough to do so (Wesker knows this, but doesn't care. Nem would have voted kill in hopes of getting to do it himself. He doesn't get out much)

Pinhead, wasn't present, no one wants him there anyway!

Lisa, wasn't there. She's chilling in the Florida everglades and doesn't want to be disturbed. (Would have abstained so she could go back to chilling with her pet gator)

Legion, was trapped in the Lament Configuration thanks Frank (Would have only gotten one vote, but they would have voted for live if only to keep Susie from never shutting up about what could have been with the cute twitchy ginger and aw why is he running away from me?)

Jason, wasn't there and no one was about to leave the show to go get him. (would have voted to let him live, much to Michael's unending ire. What, he likes red heads!)

I think that's everyone? If I missed anyone let me know, and I'll make a react for them <3