#Even though this isn't really a situation I have that much control over I'd still feel shitty if I just completely went along with it

[krafterwrites]

Fuckkkkk my parents just mentioned taking the family to see Sonic 3 when it comes out

[spiegelgestalt]

Some stray observations and speculations before the new episodes come out

Vi has yet to win a major victory in the undercity. Also since the time skip someone contemplated/tried to kill her in every battle. She truly doesnt fit into Zaun anymore

Sevika on the other has gotten two victories in the last three episodes. Working together with jinx truly benefits her (and in retrospect: vi lost the bar battle even though she beat sevika because jinx intervened)

Caitlyn has currently a really important story arc and I hope they stick the ending. Caitlyn runs into another savior dilemma: you go into a situation full of good intentions and well meant plans and the fuckers screw you over, hurt you and hurt the people around you. This is an experience a lot of well meaning helpers have. And I still think that while her reaction is understandable it's not correct. I come back to Cassandra's sentence: the people in the undercity deserve to breathe. Because it's such bullshit. It's your industries that caused that, you produced that smog - you should clean it up - it's common sense - but Cassandra frames it as a favor and now that the people on the undercity aren't sufficiently grateful that favor is revoked

Ambessa strokes the cheek of a child who got hurt by the smog. That child looks like a young Viktor. And once again I'm struck by the fact that it piltover expected Zaun to just accept this and how much piltover freaks out over attacks that did just a fraction of the damage piltover did to zaun

Caitlyn got a letter from Ambessa during a grieving process. I really hope that they don't just blame the whole thing on Ambessa/foreign influence and call it a day (currently they are doing pretty well)

If you take the songs into consideration and interpret them as expressions of the two cities you notice that piltover is still not understanding. They think they can get this problem back under control with violence while Zaun is saying: yeah come and kill me I don't even care anymore. But I will hurt you as much as I can in the process

Arcane is in part about generational violence and it's very telling that it's especially the young characters who are all for the violence happening (cute enforcer girl and cute street urchin)

I have to say it somewhere: Caitlyn isn't ready for jinx, piltover isn't ready for jinx I'm not even sure if Ambessa is ready for jinx.

I kinda want to write a meta about Ekko/Viktor as the two people who try to help the undercity within the system and how they are both screwed over. Viktors findings are taken for piltover and used against Zaun and ekko is a) in danger to suffer the same fate (I have thoughts about heimerdinger you all) b) in danger to lose all he has built because of something piltover did

I think I'm one of the few people who didn't think that indepence for Zaun was the solution to everything. I think it was to little to late. also jinx is all about making piltover eat the consequences of their actions. Shes quite literally zauns curse. But I also think that ist sevika who truly wants war. (note the raining metaphor some people noticed. Everytime a person from piltover got rained on it was because of something jinx/powder did)

Heimerdinger is gearing up to repeat his own cycle by plucking another street urchin from the undercity. After Viktor he got Jayce and now he wants Ekko. I can't help but notice that neither Jayce nor Victor benefited from his teachings

One day I will write about arcane relationship to Disney and the little mermaid and the og little mermaid but in short: Viktor is the little mermaid who loses his voice, doesn't get the prince and dies in the end, silco is very heavily Ursula coded (just look at his introduction!! )

If anyone wants me to go deeper into any of this observations feel free to ask me. I'd be happy to.

[new-tella-us]

Seduce Me Situations(?)

Cause I'm bored!

You probably notice the question mark. That's because this technically isn't a Seduce Me Situation but more of just personality expansion in the formatting of a Seduce Me Situation and there is a situation at the end so I'm gunna keep the title.

The "situation" of the morning is: "What are the boys + Mika's toxic trait?" And I'm not talk about some small flaw like clumsiness, or nail biting. Nor am I talking about mental health issues like depression or anxiety (although personality traits that might be enhanced by mental health issues are still on the table). No. I'm talking about traits that would make the character unlikeable if it was too much of their personality.

Everyone has toxic traits, it's the amount of personality it takes up and how aware of it you are that determines if you are still a likeable person with that trait. (Also this post ended up longer than I thought it would be)

James- His condescension. If you asked James himself why he's so hard on his brothers, he would say that he simply thinks they can do better. And he's....80% correct but, that 20% and what you would see from the outside is a man with a superiority complex. To an extent, he thinks he's better than his brothers and people in general and that tends to show every once in a while. His brothers have learnt from early that if you ask James for any form of help for a mistake you made, a comment or a lecture is basically guaranteed. It's something he learnt from Istorae and it's very hard to unlearn.

Erik- His objectification. Erik is a notorious flirt and a lover of beautiful things. He had to be, it's all his mother ever taught him. He would flirt with any person that seemed susceptible to his charms and use them to get what he wanted, usually energy. But on Earth? That doesn't always work. Cultures clash with some of his more... raunchy comments and it can lead to him sounding like he only cares about their body. Women of today are more likely to catch onto that and get angry or scared, Mika being perfect proof of that.

Sam- His wrath. Stemming from the years of disillusionment he's had towards everything, he's gained a cold and angry disposition towards the world. He hasn't fully learnt to control his rage, blaming it on being more brute than the others. And why wouldn't he do that? Everyone else blames his brute side or just sees him as a brute. In actuality, plenty of full brutes know how to control their rage, Sergeant for example. He can get angry and speaks loud but he doesn't lose control of himself. It's really the fact that only Dracae has even tried to reel Sam's temper in that caused him to grow up so angry.

Matthew- His envy. (Now, according to Michaela, Damien would be more envy than Matthew so this is my Matthew we're talking about. Which is canon Matthew adjacent but not exact. Okay? Okay.) I think Damien is more jealousy but true ENVY is wanting what someone else has. Being angry that you don't have what you think you deserve whether or not you've earned it. And doesn't that just sound like Matthew? Or at least what Aezera was trying to turn Matthew into. Matthew held onto some of those teachings and became somewhat bitter that the others, mainly James, were seen as more fit for the throne. He always wanted to usurp James in something. And on the rare occasions he does, he might be a bit of a gloat about it.

Damien- His possessiveness. He might have a sympathetic reason for being so possessive but it's still a toxic trait. Growing up, he had no control of anything. Not himself, not anyone else, not even his mind reading. That might have been why, when he finally does get control, he at least feels the temptation to completely over step. His intentions are mostly pure, like James, I'd say maybe 90% but 10% might be just the love of control. Neither reasons matter, the result is the same, he crosses boundaries and isn't quick to trust or like anyone close to the people he loves. Though, to his defense, he is probably the most aware of his toxic trait and tries his hardest to quell his urges.

Mika- Her stubbornness. This sounds like a boring answer in comparison to the rest but it really isn't. There is, of course, a good to being stubborn. She's not a sheep that could be led into any direction with sweet enough words. However, when I say this girl is stubborn, I mean it. For if she had to change her mind or opinion, she would have to think about why. Introspection is this girl's worst nightmare as she has a natural tendency to spiral and a lot of inner darkness she hides under lock and key. If she was to think about why she believes something or if she should, she might unlock that darkness and be forced to think about more unpleasant things and she isn't willing to do that. Plus, she's prideful and has a love of being right (kinda like James tbh) so admitting that she's wrong might hurt her ego more than she's willing to take. This is a trait she got directly from her father.

Do these toxic traits ever clash? Of course they do! For simplicity sake, I'll talk about when each boy's trait clash with Mika's stubbornness and how they would eventually fix it while in a relationship.

James and Mika bickered occasionally even while dating. Their similar need to be right made both unwilling to yield. And sometimes, neither party is wrong. There was one argument where James's point was Mika being too reckless but Mika wasn't listening. Mika's point was that she didn't know how seriously to take James as he has a tendency to be bossy but James didn't agree. Both are correct but neither approached the situation right and eventually James backed off so things don't get heated. How they would eventually fix these fights was by having a genuine talk about what they did and didn't like about each other. Course neither of them liked to hear their own flaws but hearing it in a calm voice from a lover that clearly wasn't trying to hurt them made it easier to hear.

Erik overstepped Mika's boundaries in his route. In his culture, comments about someone's body were seen as compliments, but in hers it's sleazy and uncomfortable. To get his true ending, Mika has to tell him that but you do have the option to just make Mika leave. And sometimes Mika just does that. How they would fix that was by Mika admitting how Erik's comments make her feel. It would require her to put down her stubbornness and be vulnerable. And she's not good with that. She doesn't like "letting" a man's words affect her so much but, they do. And when Erik hears her honest opinions, the flirtation turns to a more honest personality.

Like James, Sam tends to butt heads with Mika's stubbornness as when she decides you're wrong, she won't listen. However, unlike James, there is no "walking away to cool down". Things have gotten heated before. Not often mind you and never violent but there has been at least one screaming match and it ended in Mika calling Sam a "brutish asshole", telling him to fuck off, and walking away. Then Sam punched the wall, leaving a dent. Needless to say, the solution was therapy for them both because they both realized how in the wrong they became. You don't use your partner's insecurities as an insult and you don't break your partner's wall! That dent is still there as a constant reminder to never let themselves go that far again.

Matthew has objectified Mika before.... but not in the way you think. Remember, Matthew's major issue is envy and he wants to usurp his brothers in anything so if he's dating Mika, he's the first of his brothers to have a girlfriend. (or I guess for them, he's the first to "start a courtship". I don't think they "date" in the demon world) And he would brag about it. It's one of the few goals that he got to first, even ahead of James. But when you do that enough, especially in front of Mika, it might come off less like you love her and more like you gained a "First Place Prize". It didn't make Mika feel good and put a dent in their relationship once Matthew finally figured it out. If Mika said something, this might have been fixed earlier. To fix this, Matthew stopped all the bragging and focused more on Mika's needs though it would take a while to break past her stubborn shell again.

Damien has tried to limit Mika's freedoms. Think of some of the things a possessive boyfriend might say or do. Encouraging getting one of those location trackers for your phone, being distrusting of all Mika's friends, asking her where she's going and for how long and "Is it really safe to stay out that late?", "Do you have to be gone for that long?", "We had something planned remember?"(No they didn't), "With those friends? Are you sure?", "Do you want me to come with you?" etc... Innocent questions individually, a little possessive when combined. Did this plan work? No. Mika knew what was going on. But it made her slowly take his words less seriously until he would mention legit concerns and she dismissed him. That got her in some trouble. Solution? Once again THERAPY. Especially for Damien. Not even for his possessiveness specifically, just his issues.

Now keep in mind, these events took up a small part of their relationship and were fixed fairly quickly. The Post Demon War couples are far more mature and unified than the Post Otome couples.

[esosage]

God i need more movie robotnik angst! Like my man is prime angst material and theres just not enough for him!

Need him to be sobbing, and crying, and haveing a mental breakdown.

Especially when it involves stone, since it forces him to let his walls down, and bear his soul to the other man wether he likes it or not. Which could really offer some interesting developments in their relationship.

I can see movie eggman being very antsy after he has a mental break down infront of stone, since he's primarily waiting for the other to either take advantage of him or leave him. Since thats probobly what he's experienced in relationships up till now (with the whole trust issues thing.)

Infact, i'd say he gets so antsy that he becomes a self fulfilling profocy. Being so pent up, and not beliveing stone has anything but maliciouse intent twards him now, he lashes out at the other. Saying some real horrible shit in an attempt to push him away before stone can hurt him.

He ends up secretly regretting it after the fact. He tries to convince himself that its better this way, or that he doesn't care, or that he likes hurting the other, in attempt to cover up that guilt, but he knows deep down that its just not true. Even so, that doesnt stop him from returning back to old habbits to cope with being in a very unframiliar situation: aka him being a dick. Maybe not directly to stone this time, but by avoiding him. He isn't really angry at stone, more so angry at himself, but he doesnt have the emotional intelligence to recognize that. So he tries to put up walls. In his mind hes gotten far to attached to stone and needs to cut the other man out before he has a one up over him, or uses robotniks emotions against him. But robotnik just cant do it. He cant force himself to get rid of stone, he cant force himself to just fire the man, because stone is the only person who takes care of robotnik.

Now, robotnik doesnt think that stone genuinlly cares for him, he doesnt think anyone is capable of that, but stone does give him attention. Attention, that he despretly seeks and searches for. Infact, stone has probobly cared for robotnik, more than anyone else before. Which isnt a high bar, since robotnik isn't exactly a likeable person, but its still a very big thing for a robotnnik. Because in his whole life, stone is one of the very few people who has cared about him somewhat, and managed to stick around him for this long without gwtting tired of his bulshit. And as someone who has been longing and desperate for attention their entire life, who craves it, robotnik just cant give stone up. Regardless of if stone huets him or not, because he doesn't think he'll find anyone else who will care for him as much as stone does.

Of course, he never acknowledges this, because to him, saying that he needs the agent on such a deep level is admitting to being weak. Since he's supposed to be untouchable (and perfect.) And he much less has enough emotional intelligence to understand this, so he puts up walls instead, in the hopes that stone will do it for him. That stone, just like everyone else, will get sick of his bullshit and leave. (He doesnt really want this in reality. But because he's in such an unframilar situation, hes resorting back to old habbits and lashing out to feel more incontrol. Because theres nothing robotnik hates more, than not being in control, because in his mind, if hes not incontrol then he's going to get hurt.)

Thankfully for robotnik though, stone is crazy and refuses to leave. He might have before robotnik had the mental breakdown, since he didnt belive the doctor genuinlly cared about him before then, but after the mental breakdown, he knows that the doctor cares about him more than he's letting on. So he refuses to leave, because he knows somethings up with the doctor, and he's not going until its fixed. Careing more about robotniks wellbeing than his own, (regardless of how unhealthy it is.)

This confuses to robotnik till no end, and sets his mind down another spiral. Because normally, your mean to people and they leave, but stone isn't doing that...... why? Thats the part that catches robotnik up the most: the why. In robotniks mind, he's an asshole, he knows he is, he plays into it sometimes, and thusly he thinks nobody can care about him. That because he's a horrible person, and because, in his mind, he'll never be anything but one, its simply impossible for anyone to care, much less love him. So he doesnt think stone is capable of loveing him. Which begs the question of why stone is staying.

If stone doesn't love him, and has every reason to leave him right now outside of the pay, why stay? Does he want revenge? Does he have a card up his sleeve? Is he trying to take robotnik down? Is that why he's been more nosey lately?

All of those are questions floating in robotniks head. His trust issues takeing his anxiety twards the issue and going wild. Which naturally sends robotnik down a paranoid spyral.

All of this, culminates in another argument. Stone demanding to know whats wrong, and robotnik eventually slipping up in the moment, and admiting that he thinks stone hates him, and is trying to sabatouge him.

The agent vehemently goes against this motion, claiming he would never tries that, and that he doesn't hate robotnik. Of course, due to his trust issues, robotnik doesnt buy it. Combating this with the "facts" he has gathered thus far. Asking why stone would stay with him otherwise if it wasn't to gain something.

Another thing the agent opposes, stuttering over his words to avoid saying the obviouse, but just enough to hopefully convince robotnik when he says he cares. Though robotnik keeps pushing back, still not buyinh it.

And exaughsted, stone just screams out rhe truth in the hopes that it will get through the others thick skull. Admiting that he loves robotnik, and thats why he stays, because he cares about him dammit!

This leaves robotnik floored, he doesn't belive it at first, can't fathom the thought of someone actually being in love with someone like him outside of what he can give them (relationships arw transactional in his mind,) but hes putting up a lot less ressistancdñe than before. And while he doesnt want ot admit it, logically speaking, it would explain t a lot of things.

Eventually robotnik does something slightly emotionally intelligent for once in his damn life, and asks for a moment, (he doesnt say its to prosess his emotions, but its deffinetly implied,) and he asks stone to leave.

This obviously leaves the other anxiouse, wondering if he did something wrong in admiting his feelings, but he complies. Thr two on their own to process everything..

They end up haveing a conversation about it later once they've calmed down, (something stone had to initiate,) and it ends up being productive! The two of them planning a path forward for the both of them (with no romance by robotniks request) and they begin to work on things.. very slowly yes, and with a lot of cognitive disonence on robotniks part (he still cant admit that he cares, much less loces stone yet, even if he does,) but its progress and stone is satisfied with it.

Anyhow, sorry i went on a ramble, my thoughts decided to just go this way lol. Regardless, my point still stands, robotnik is a very deep and interesting character, and deserves to ve explored more. And also deserves a hell of a lot more angst.

Thank you for listening to my bullshit.

[crypt-void]

So I have this bit, right? It's been a while since I've done it, but if I bring it up with my friends, they can still easily understand or remember the joke.

It's called the Dan Rules. It's often comedically egotistical and vain and was made because out of our little group, it was a joke that I am (as an act) an eccetric (maybe enigmatic if I'm feeling fancy) person who does whatever the hell I want.

If people thought to question my behavior, it was often quickly followed with a "that's just Dan" from my friends and easily dismissed. Sure, some of my boldness was probably left over from my middle school years, where I felt I had to lean into my weirdness completely so people would see me more as a joke than a freak.

But then I found myself in a safe, accepting environment, one where the need to bite and snarl and run away never came. I waited a while for it to arrive for me to feel the need to play the part of the fool for my newfound companions entertainment. It shocked me when I was left with genuine love and compassion. I leaned out of self-deprecating humor and completely into the (very obviously joking and fake) role of an egotistical short and angry ruler. For fucks sake we still have the name of the group chat as "Dantopia". I still did the bit to entertain my friends, to keep them laughing at my antics. But this time, it was accompanied by my own laughter. I enjoyed a new sense of freedom it brought.

The Dan Rules came out of when we were messing around, and I'd lean into this foolish king role, and I would proclaim something insane or childish. A popular one was, "Dan is never wrong." Often followed by a warranted scoff.

But the second rule is a good one, I think, one that really shone through as a reminder that I am not now who I was before.

"I do what I want."

I hadn't had much freedom before I met my current group of friends. I was quiet and kept quiet at times. I felt muzzled and chained, and as if I was a dog because someone forced a collar around my throat and pulled me on a leash.

It wasn't only that I didn't have the choice of self-expression, though. I'd also seen what happened to people who gave too much into reckless. I grew up with the weight of their actions carried on my shoulders, and while I have always been bold in my identity and beliefs, I was quiet and still when presented the opportunities to escape from situations where people kicked me down for who I was. I feared what would happen if I left my old group. Ironically, this fear led me to be isolated.

I found myself almost completely alone in the pandemic, and my only saving grace was a new school with new people. New people who didn't tell me to shut up or that I was ugly or that I needed to stop acting like an animal or they'd treat me like one. Instead, I met friends who handled me gently and taught me it was okay to hug just as it's okay to bark, and they welcomed me. I felt at home. I felt as if I knew myself completely.

So, with the second rule, which I still follow to this day, I added a private note.

"I do what I want. Because I can trust myself to."

Know thyself

I can trust myself to bark or scowl or growl just as much as I can to love and kiss and hug. I can stay aware of what is and isn't good and how much or how little I can trust someone. I can be bold and loving all at once and welcome others with open arms and flashing fangs.

I am in complete control over myself, and even when I am doing something so I can see my friends laugh, I am also doing it because I can, and I do what I want.

[to-thelakes]

I'm watching Moon Knight (again) to help me go to sleep and I've rewatched episode 1 so so many times on nights like tonight but I still absolutely adore all the little details.

Like, okay so when Steven wakes up in the Alps (I think that's where it is), Khonshu says "go to sleep, worm" and okay, first watch and without knowing the context of Jake existing, that makes sense. Khonshu doesn't like Steven which we learn more and more as the series goes on but then he says a few lines later "the idiot's in control" in that same scene in the Alps.

There is such a clear shift in attitude between 'go to sleep, worm' and 'The idiot's in control' and it's so obvious on a rewatch that Khonshu is talking to two different people with each line.

He's referring to Jake as 'worm' and he thinks that telling him to simply 'go back to sleep' would work because Jake is aware of the alters and their situation. Although from the brief glimpses we get of Jake, we know that he is an... interesting guy yet we can gather that he at least has some sort of alliance/respect/something going on with Khonshu. However, when he realises it's Steven, it's not hostility in the same way. It's more exasperated frustration. He's mad at Marc for letting Steven suddenly appear rather than being annoyed at Jake for making a random appearance. The way that the dialogue is written just exposes so much on a rewatch.

But going back to Jake/Khonshu even if they do have some respect, it's also pretty obvious that Khonshu does not want Jake around. I'd speculate that that's probably because if Marc loses time when he knows that he's not in London as Steven, that would create suspicion. Suspicion that Khonshu wouldn't want because that would put their avatar/God relationship at risk.

Though, I also suspect that Khonshu and Jake probably were working together but Marc never became aware because Jake worked at nights (maybe why Steven is so goddamn tired) or simply took over while Marc thought that Steven was in control.

I know that the Moon Knight portrayal is not the most accurate DiD portrayal but from my research, there's this whole idea of like different levels of awareness. Like the blackouts for Steven are because he initially has no awareness of the other alters. Then when Steven and Marc black-out, it's because neither of them are aware that there is a third alter aka Jake. Which means that Jake can do things for Khonshu while Marc believes that he is in London and neither Marc nor Steven would be aware.

I'm kind of just rambling about the show at this point but also, what I find really interesting every time I rewatch is the date thing. So, right, if Marc was the one that set-up the date why would he let Steven stand her up without saying anything to her? Marc isn't exactly the best guy when it comes to romance but he is incredibly protective over Steven because he wants to protect him from Khonshu. So, why in the world would he let the whole date rejection thing happen?

Because it wasn't Marc. It was Jake. Jake asked out Steven's colleague and that also makes sense why they went to a steak place. Jake doesn't give a f*ck about Steven's veganism while Marc absolutely would. Marc wants to protect Steven so he wouldn't make such a silly mistake.

But Jake would. Honestly, at this point, convinced that Jake just wanted to fuck with the Moonboys and Khonshu just played along.

I don't know.

I always find the dynamics of the Moonboys so interesting and I love how even when you rewatch it, there are new little discoveries that you can make. Like there was so much love, thought and attention put into this show?? It makes me SO SO happy.

This show honestly means the world to me and excuse the ramble/rant but I just love talking about my Moonboys and I never really get to speculate or discuss the show. I talk about it with my dad but being at uni means that I do not get to ramble at him as often. So, tumblr gets it instead.

But yeah, they're my (not very) astute observations about my beloved Moon Knight

[aishangotome]

Alfons Sylvatica: Chapter 7

Chapter 6

♡———♡

Kate: Haa...

It's been a day since the incident at the back of the tavern...

(I tried asking the other members of the Crown for Alfons's weaknesses, but...)

(All I got were responses like "I can't think of anything.")

No dislikes in terms of food.

He'll eat anything, no matter how bad it tastes or looks, even if it seems like it'll make him sick.

"His stomach is a bottomless pit," Lord Elbert told me.

(I figured that if he didn't have any dislikes, maybe someone he cares about who he wouldn't want to disappoint would be his weakness.)

(I thought that might be Lord Elbert...)

But William said that damaging Lord Elbert's trust wouldn't hurt Alfons.

According to him:

William: For Alfons, trust from others is nothing but a troublesome burden.

William: In the first place, it would be difficult to damage Elbert's trust in Alfons.

(I wonder what about that character-wrecked guy that has such a hold on Lord Elbert's heart.)

(They're not quite like master and servant. More like childhood friends...)

The nature of their relationship is still unclear, and the mystery only deepens.

(I asked other people too, but I couldn't get a clear answer...)

Harrison: A special person for Al?

Harrison: I don't know. Maybe he doesn't have a specific partner?

Liam: I only know about his playmates... Sorry I can't be of more help.

(I haven't been able to ask Jude and Ellis, who are always out of the castle, yet.)

Kate: I guess I have to investigate him directly...

As I mutter to myself, Roger, who has just entered the dining hall, smiles wryly.

Roger: You're a stubborn one, lil lady.

Kate: Roger... I'm so sorry for what happened yesterday. I must have been a real sight to behold.

Roger: Oh, don't worry about it.

Roger: It was pretty funny watching you run away after being drugged and getting into a compromising situation. But then you came back with renewed determination.

Kate: Well...

(I'd rather not be reminded of that...)

My face flushed, and Roger lifted the corners of his mouth in a teasing way.

Roger: I don't mind a woman with a fighting spirit.

(... He can say things like that so casually.)

Kate: You're quite the player yourself, aren't you, Roger?

Roger: Haha, not as reckless as Al. I choose my partners.

(He doesn't deny it... In fact,--)

His words implied that "Alfons doesn't choose his partners."

(Last night, the man in the suspicious room said, "You've been through some tough times, too, haven't you?")

That overlapped with something Alfons had told me before.

--bedroom flashback--

Alfons: Life is a tragedy. You need an escape, don't you?

Alfons: All you have to do is paint over everything that's scary and sad with fun things and forget about it.

--end of flashback--

(The back of the tavern... is it an escape to paint over fear and anxiety?)

--In that case, the people who gather there must be people who are facing something difficult.

That's the condition for becoming Alfons' "playmate".

(Maybe the reason Alfons became my "imaginary lover" was...)

Roger: So, lil lady, what would you do if I told you that guy's weakness doesn't really exist?

Kate: Eh?

Roger: He doesn't have anything important, and he won't get hurt no matter how much you insult, despise, anger, or hate him.

Roger: If he doesn't care about you and doesn't have the will to live in reality, what would you do?

(Doesn't have the will to live in reality...)

What came to mind was a hollow smile that looked like he was laughing but wasn't.

(If that's what Alfons is thinking...)

--CHOICES--

It might be pitiful

It's sad

It's lonely

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

Kate: That's... kind of lonely.

Roger: Heh, lonely, is it?

Roger: --"I'm in trouble because I can't control him without a weakness," isn't that what you said?

Kate: Eh!? Ah, well, that's true, but...

(…Why did I think that?)

(Maybe, perhaps…)

It might be because I remembered his cold smile.

That expression, like he was nowhere even though he was right in front of me.

(If Alfons had been laughing genuinely)

(I probably wouldn't have been so concerned about him.)

Roger: ... By the way, I heard he's going to East End tonight.

Kate: Eh? Is it a mission?

Roger: No. From what I saw, it seems like his irregular hobby.

With that, Roger grins, as if he can see through my next move.

Roger: If you follow him, you might learn a little more about him.

-

(... But Roger said he would come with me!)

Roger: Well, I'll just kill some time around here.

Kate: Eh?

Roger: Don't worry, I'll hear you if anything happens.

As soon as we arrived in town, Roger disappeared into a nearby tavern, and I was left to follow Alfons alone.

(I didn't really go around this area much even when I was a letter carrier...)

I walked cautiously through a place that couldn't be called safe, trying not to lose sight of his raven hair that blended into the darkness.

(Is this...?)

The place Alfons had entered was an abandoned warehouse filled with nothing but scrap metal.

As soon as he arrived, people started to gather around him, and in no time, a crowd had formed.

(What on earth...?)

My heart pounded with indescribable anxiety as I watched the strange scene from the shadows.

Alfons: Now, now, don't be so impatient... One at a time, in order.

Alfons touched their necks in a practiced manner and whispered something.

(Is he using his ability?)

(Is he showing them something with it?)

The people in the crowd started to make ecstatic expressions as they were whispered to, and they started to walk around unsteadily, or laugh and cry on the spot... They looked like they were under the influence of illegal drugs or some kind of illusion.

(Why is Alfons doing this...?)

He looked like a merciful Virgin Mary, listening to each person's story and then giving them an illusion with his palm outstretched.

Alfons: ...

I couldn't look away, I just held my breath.

After sending everyone into an illusion, his gray eyes met mine.

Alfons: ... Instead of trembling like a stranger over there, why don't you come over here? It's lonely.

Kate: ...!

Kate: Oh no... I've been found.

Alfons: Since you've found me, there's nothing to be done.

Emerging from behind the wall where he was hiding, he elegantly crossed his legs on a roadside crate and tapped it twice.

Kate: ...

With a determined step, she approaches him.

She sits down on the crate and...

Alfons: You've come all this way to find my weakness, haven't you?

Alfons: You must be madly in love with me by now.

Kate: No, it's not like that!

Alfons: Hehe, you don't have to be so embarrassed.

Alfons teases me, and I blush and deny it.

I feel relieved by the exchange that has somehow become part of our daily routine... and confused at the same time.

When I look ahead, I see people wandering around with ecstatic expressions on their faces.

I don't feel scared at all to be next to the mastermind behind this spectacle.

Kate: What is this... exactly?

Alfons: As you can see, I'm showing you. Convenient illusions.

Alfons: For those who have lost loved ones, a brief reunion with their phantoms.

Alfons: For those who are struggling, a temporary utopia.

Kate: ... Is it okay to use your powers on ordinary people without a second thought?

The existence of the "Cursed Ones" and their abilities are supposed to be top secret.

Alfons: Aha! You're so serious.

But he laughed it off with a mischievous smile.

Alfons: I've been doing this since before I joined the Crown.

Alfons: It's not like I can be told to stop now, just because it's classified.

Alfons: Everyone knows it's an illusion, and they come here seeking an escape.

Kate: Did these people know that Alfons was coming?

Kate: Was there some kind of... agreement?

Alfons: No way! I don't make promises, it's too much trouble.

Alfons: I am an illusion that you may never meet again.

(An illusion that I may never meet again...)

Alfons: Even so, "I may meet you again."

Alfons: "There may be a moment of salvation."

Alfons: Such expectations are necessary to crawl through a reality that continues to be bleak.

His theatrical voice flutters down from above my head along with the light that spills through the gaps in the warehouse ceiling.

Under that light, he wore a clown's mask of a smile.

Alfons: ... Isn't it shallow, pitiful, and lovable?

That's one way to look at it.

( ... But it's not like that)

His tone and gaze were completely different from that of someone looking down on someone else with a sense of superiority.

(What I feel from Alfons is...)

A deep, thirsty resignation that he understands how futile this act is, and a feeling that is neither pity nor compassion for the people who cling to it.

When I look at his profile––my chest tightens.

(Why...?)

Alfons: ............

I silently watched Alfons, who was still smiling, when---.

???: ... It's been a while.

Alfons: Oh, well, what a rare guest.

A man in shabby clothes approaches.

Man with sharp eyes: I heard rumors, but... are you really doing this?

Alfons: Yes, sometimes.

He has a beard, but judging by his walk and voice, he is probably the same age as Alfons.

The way he speaks casually is one-sided, but it's as if he's a friend.

(Who is this guy...? )

The smell of alcohol wafts over me as he gets closer.

Man with sharp eyes: What's your name these days? Lord Alfons, the aristocrat? ... What a joke!

The man who approached him suddenly raises his voice.

Kate: ––!?

He raises his hand and grabs Alfons by the collar and pins him against the wall.

Alfons: Oh, oh... what a passionate greeting. Are you that type?

Alfons tilts his head slowly and raises his hands in surrender.

Man with sharp eyes: You got in good with a pedo doctor, got out of the slum, and now you're acting like a noble with a maid?

Man with sharp eyes: You're making fun of me...!

(Got out of the slum...? )

.

.

.

.

.

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Chapter 8

If you’d like to support my translations, feel free to buy me a coffee here! :)

[zeezelweazel]

Valorant| Going against your omega double|

____________________________

I'm so obsessed with the women in this game even though I won't ever touch it :)

Characters included : Jett, Neon, Killjoy, Raze

______________________________________

• Jett •

This was brought up in conversation many times before and Jett had always boasted about how she's going to be totally unaffected.

"Pfft what? Why would it matter if it has my girlfriend's face? It's still an enemy from omega earth. And not my girlfriend at all. There's no way I'd fall for something like that."

Now the time has come for Jett to regret her words.

It's her responsibility to push forward and clear a path for Killjoy so she can defuse the spike while Sage is covering their back. And thank god Sage is there because everything went south really quickly.

It went horrible so fast not even Jett herself could react. One moment she had shot enemy Neon with one of her kunai and the next she was tackled into the ground.

Your double had her pinned using their hips as they pulled out a knife to stab her. Jett's hands were completely free and yet she didn't do anything with them. She was truly frozen, lamely laying there, waiting to get stabbed.

Thankfully for her Killjoy had sent one of her bots to help out. Your double wasn't expecting it so they got defeated with one shot.

Jett is pretty embarrassed by the hole thing, she never wants to bring it up, not even to you.

Also she might be a little shaken up. Just a little.

• Neon •

Much like Jett, Neon didn't think this occasion would affect her at all. She's very confident in her abilities in battle and she trusts herself to get the job done no matter who she has to fight to achieve that.

She forgot that you even had an omega double by the time it happened. It had been so long since you started dating, even longer since she joined the protocol, and yet she's never seen your omega double on a mission.

But today you were on a mission, all right.

You had practically obliterated their entire squad, reaping through their defenses and heading for the site to plant the spike. Before she even knew it, all of her teammates were out of the equation.

It was you against her.

Now, you and Neon had had your fair share of training sessions together so she knew how your powers worked. She also had a basic idea of your advantages and disadvantages but this wasn't you she was fighting.

It may look like you but Neon knows this isn't her girlfriend she's facing.

And yet...

When it all came down to it she hesitated. She had a clear shot, you hadn't even seen her coming but when she looked at your face Neon couldn't bring herself to shoot. Thankfully a half dead and limping Reyna was there to finish the mission. Neon winced when she locked eyes with her mentor.

She was in for one hell of a lecture.

• Killjoy •

The german genius has thought of every possibility and outcome imaginable when it comes to the protocol's missions. She knows very well the possibility she might have to face you in battle is very real.

Even though Killjoy is aware of the chances she still has no real way of preparing and that's what scares her the most.

Will she do it without a problem? Will she hesitate? Will she freeze? Will she kill you and then die of guilt?

She truly can't predict the outcome of such a meeting.

The next mission was the fateful one and the worst part was that both your double and hers were there.

At first everything was fine. Her bots were able to do their job and the situation appeared to be controlled by the other agents. It was only after you injured Yoru that things started to shift and before she knew it they were loosing the fight. That's when she understood what position that left her in. It became necessary for her kill you.

Killjoy was moving towards you as mechanically as her bots and managed to shoot you in the lungs. All was fine until she heard her own voice panicked and shaking, calling out for you. She peaked over the crate she was hiding behind to see her double cradling your injured form in her chest. Tears were clouding her eyes as she desperately called for Sage.

Killjoy couldn't bare to see this, fully knowing that she could be in her double's position. When she returned from this mission you noticed Killjoy was more clingy that usual but you didn't dare ask anything.

• Raze •

Raze was the one who voiced her concern over a predicament like this. You were quick to reassure her but it did little to ease her worries.

Every time she stepped into battle she let out a breath of relief at your absence.

It's not like Raze feels any sort of sympathy for the enemy. It's just different when it comes to you. No matter which earth, you still look the same. Same beautiful eyes and undoubtedly soft hair. How can she be expected to kill you?

In the midst of the battle, Raze would not hesitate.

Turns out that even though she had worries they never stopped her from doing what needed to be done.

She was going to defuse the spike even if you're the one she has to kill to get to it. The fight wasn't particularly easy. It fascinated Raze a little. How even though you look the same and you sound the same and you have the same powers you're a totally different person. Raze has never seen you use your abilities like this in battle. Your omega double had a completely different fighting style.

Of course this didn't faze her at all. She still came out on top. Spyke defused, mission complete. Easy.

Until the adrenaline rush came to an end and she actually thought back to the battle. Her brain had decided to torture her by constantly replaying the memory of her shooting you in the head.

Raze would need your support after this encounter. She knows she's being childish but it can't be helped. She just killed someone who looks exactly like her lover so give her a break.

____________________________________________________

[kitsune-oji]

Hi! I saw that post of the 22nd of August when you asked if anyone had ideas for fics, could I suggest a fic where Mammon comforts a gn MC who is scared to death after an horror game marathon with Levi but tries to hide it?

I hope I respected the rules and this made sense, English isn't my first language.

I wish you the best of days.

With You

I don't have to feel scared

Thank you for this cute idea!! Your English is very good, don't worry :) it's not my first language either btw. I hope you like it ✨

Mammon x/& gn! Mc (you/yours)

Word count: 653

Warnings/Tags: comfort, fluff, Reader being scared after playing horror games and being a bit shy

It was fun, it really was. You enjoyed playing with Levi and the fact that it was a horror game was alright too. While you were there, even though you jumped and yelled and held on tightly to the blanket in your lap or the controller, you weren't too scared.

But now it was different.

Levi wasn't next to you anymore, yelping and saying you scared him by getting scared yourself. You didn't have anything to focus on, no goal in a game to work towards. Somehow, not actually being in such a suspenseful situation made it worse.

The darkness of the corridor, the endless silence stretching on until you got to your room. Every little creaking sound made you flinch and look around, as if expecting something to jump out from the next corner and see something crawl away in the corner of your eye.

Sort of stupid, wasn't it? When you lived in a house with demons, one would think you wouldn't get scared so easily anymore. Unfortunately it didn't work that way.

Your room felt cold and uninviting when you stepped over the threshold. Even turning the light on didn't save you from the uncomfortable, anxious feeling in your gut. Images from the game kept flashing through your mind, scary scenes replaying again and again to the point you feared they would actually manifest in real life.

You couldn't be alone. Not right now. Should you go back to Levi? Maybe not, you weren't sure. Either way, you needed someone around you, so you quickly walked out of your room again and screeched when suddenly there was someone right in front of you.

Mammon held his ears and shot you a look you couldn't quite place. It wasn't happy at least.

"It's just me, what the hell is your problem? Damn that hurt..."

Despite his choice of words, he didn't sound too angry. You tried to calm your racing heart.

"I noticed ya weren't with Levi anymore so I thought I'd come over. What's with the screaming? I don't look that horrible."

He really didn't. Mammon was like a sight for sore eyes, his mere presence made you feel better already. Yet your hands still shook.

"I'm sorry, I-, there's just, I wasn't, I'm just a bit.. jumpy right now", you stuttered, trailing off and looking at Mammon's reaction tentatively.

His eyebrows lifted and you could basically see a lightbuld over his head lighting up.

"What, yer scared cause of some dumb video game? Why did ya play it then?"

"I wasn't that scared when we actually played it, it's just, now that everything is quiet I keep thinking about it..."

He blinked, then looked to the side and scratched his neck, stepping from one foot onto the other.

"Ya know...", he started, "If you want me to keep you company, you just gotta say it."

You tugged on one of his sleeves until he looked at you again and nodded. There was a pause before Mammon took your hand from his sleeve and held it in his own instead. Looking straight ahead, he marched towards his room with you. You could see the tips of his ears twitching slightly.

Once you were in his room, Mammon put on one of his action movies. The sounds of racing, explosions, gunfire and talking was much better than the suffocating silence from before. You crawled under the blanket with him and he tugged you close to his side when you leaned against his shoulder.

Like this, all the fear from before felt so far away. Like a distant dream.

Slowly, you closed your eyes and took in Mammon's scent, the sounds of the movie, the gentle rise and fall of his chest, the warmth of his arm securely around you. With your own demon, you didn't have to fear anything else coming to hurt you. He would be stronger than them all.

[2n2n]

with no ability to really know what is going to happen or has happened, what would be my own ideal ...

I would love the Clockeepers to have had a hubris and just be fucking obliterated or sublimated into whatever Amane has going on, powerless. I would love for the twist to be that they just don't really have a simple ripcord to pull like Akane thinks. I like Amane and Tsukasa as such disruptors, the likes of which the system has no good plan for controlling, especially with Nene-chan acting together with them, with all her special powers. I'm not sure if it's plausible at all though, given Akane still has his yorishiro from the clockkeepers.... <- but we still don't know what really happens to a yorishiro that is 'taken over' by another 'mystery'.... other than that Mitsuba just didn't seem to have one anymore at all, so he clearly didn't longterm inherit the Tengu's in a meaningful way (though in Hell of Mirrors, Hanako seemed to briefly still believe they could strip the ceiling yorishiro to fix things? So is there a holdover period? would having a new yorishiro have just made Mitsuba more stable/powerful ? did his bond to the Tengu's gradually lessen ? was it still technically there, bonding him to the system of Mysteries at all, just not ... well? he definitely had his own properties due to his condition after all, much like how everything about Hanako isn't a result of being a mystery, but a result of his specific situation...)

anyway. Mitsuba's situation is obviously waiting in the wings for a proper explanation (it wouldn't have been introduced at the end of the Festival otherwise... Iro-sensei does pick things back up later)... which makes me suspect it will come into play in some way.... even just in service to an explanation ... I also think learning something about the usurping of yorishiro would be verrrryyy valuable for analyzing Tsukasa...

anyway (a second time). I'd love Akane to not have the sway he thinks he does in this situation. Everyone got pretty owned by the Clockkeepers last round, we've already proven their Big Power so, no need to do that a second time.

[cookinguptales]

Excited to see that you watched vampterview! You always have such fun and interesting commentary on stuff. No pressure of course but I'd look forward to any Sarah takes you might have on it 👀

Who knows? Maybe! I'm about to go on a three-week road trip, but we'll see how much time I have!

I'm still digesting a bit, I'll admit, and I really don't know what's already been discussed to death in the fandom. Personally, my academic interests were always really focused on stories, how we tell them, how we internalize them, and how we can't help but put ourselves, our experiences, and our biases into our retellings of them. To be loved is to be changed when memories of us live in the hearts of others, y'know?

So... I'd say that I was really interested in the ways they played with unreliable narrators in the series. How the concept of the sanctity of primary sources was really dismantled. Because they were all primary sources and they were all telling completely different stories! Whether it was due to misremembering, bias, or literal mind control, even the written sources simply could not be trusted.

I remember there was this really formative experience for me was when I was 16 years old and taking summer classes at UChicago. I was studying Egyptology there, which meant I was spending a lot of time at the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (formerly the OI) studying and translating the artifacts there.

I don't remember all the details (though I guess I could probably pin down the particulars if I combed through their collections) but I remember seeing two ancient accounts of the same war written by both sides -- and both accounts claimed victory. And, y'know, whether each side had a different definition of victory or whether someone was just straight-up lying... I mean. It brings up the idea of an unreliable narrator on a massive historical scale.

Sometimes, particularly with older historical events, we're only going to have scattered archaeological fragments that we can piece together. Sometimes we have to do a lot of guessing and detective work to come to any conclusion at all. And historically, we have prioritized written accounts over all other forms of evidence. But, y'know... people lie. Or they misremember. Or they misconstrue. Reconstructing history not just through first-person accounts but by looking at other evidence and questioning those accounts is crucial. And even then, we'll probably never find any objective "truth," if objective truth even exists in a situation like that.

So... like, an unreliable narrator is nothing new in media. But framing it through Daniel, who is a nonfiction writer trying to make sense of all of these different testimonies to construct an actual historical narrative... That made it really interesting to me. It wasn't just all of these different vampires stating their truths. It was Daniel trying to sort through all of the misdirection to find out what actually happened. And the show makes it clear that, while he gets close, he'll probably never know all the details for sure. It simply isn't possible.

So IWTV, to me, was a really interesting look at the impossibility of constructing an objective historical narrative, especially when speaking about very old events with few sources. You have mentally ill vampires who are several decades removed from the events in question, you have contemporaneous (but very biased) journal entries, you have newspaper clippings written by journalists who had very little information, you have artifacts that may (or may not!) confirm certain testimonies...

idk. I guess while I do have thoughts about the characters and their motivations, I was more interested in the way that things were framed and presented in the show. I thought that was really neat.

[internetmisfitsworld]

"What if Perseus is Makarov's father??" I said, jokingly.

And so begins my quest of finding whether or not how logical this theory could be.

And well...

I don't think it's a joke anymore lmao.

It really is unsettling how truly similar they are.

In certain ways.

Before we begin, let's clarify something here.

Since AV de-aged reboot Makarov, this theory only make sense if you pair Perseus with the OG Makarov. Why? Because Perseus died of cancer in 1983.

Since we have yet to know how old is the new Makarov, I'm gonna assumed he's around Price's age. At least I hope so. Idk how I'm gonna feel if they decides to make him late 20s. He's gotta be born either in 1985 or younger than that. At least that's what he looks like. So, there's no way Perseus could be his father.

Now, the OG Makarov though......

Let's go through this points by points.

He was born in 1970. October 4th, to be precise (at least according to Soap's journal). There's no indication or mentioned siblings in his record. Parents or whatsoever. I have my own personal HC on this but that's another essay.

Perseus himself doesn't have any canon date of birth and place of birth. Let's assume he was born in, maybe, around the year of 1918. I was gonna go ahead and make him the same age as Adler (1937). But according to this modelling mugshot pose he pulls photo,

If he looks this scrumptious old during 1960, then he's gotta be at least 42 years old. That would make him 52 when baby Mak was born in 1970.

"Isn't he a little old to be a dad at that age?" Uhhh not really. Especially given his situation, my dude was constantly on the move busy doing spy shit all over the world. He was young, patriotic. So, perhaps domestic life wasn't exactly on his mind at the time being or just haven't found the one yet. My guess is, he found someone in 1968/1969 yada yada fall in love yada yada get married yada yada and boom baby Mak was born in 1970. Whether they settled for one kid or more, that's up to your interpretation.

Now, in terms of looks, I don't think they're exactly copy paste. We know that Mak has Heterochromia. Perseus had blue eyes and Makarov's mama must've had green eyes.

If we want to compare their pictures, let's start with in-game model.

Ehhh I'd say they score about 75-80% in terms of appearance alikeness. Big ass forehead? Check ✅️

Now, if you put Perseus real life model and Makarov MW3 model..

Yeah okay score about 95%. Especially the eyebrow scrunch thing.

Perseus was 6 ft'2. Our boi on the other hand was 5 ft'11. My dude did not inherit the tall genes unfortunately.

Perseus and Makarov both had comradeship with Imran Zakhaev.

Zakhaev looked up to Perseus, claiming him to be "a mentor, having played a part in radicalizing his attitude towards the West."

As for Makarov, we know how much he looked up to Zakhaev. He did took him in during the lowest point of his life and gave him a purpose. Something he lost when he was forced to discharge from the military. Zakhaev's protégé. Zakhaev's executioner.

However, Perseus and Mak share one common trait; their methods were frowned upon by Zakhaev.

"Imran, however, soon realized the danger of Perseus's ideas. Believing Perseus's actions would turn the world against the Soviet Union, he prevented Perseus from taking control of a facility in Verdansk, where a chemical agent called NOVA-4 was produced."

"While Zakhaev was grateful to Makarov for saving his life on the day of his assassination attempt, he also kept him in check, possibly due to the fear of Makarov's extreme methods and ambitions, which later proved correct."

It boggles my mind that Zakhaev have the patience to continously kept Makarov's in check for 15 years of their partnership. He's aware of how terrifyingly brutal he is and even though it clearly bothered him, he still kept him around.

This is one of the key points that makes me wonder if Makarov is not just a nobody that he picked off the underworld. Maybe him being Perseus's son is what drives Zakhaev to mentor him and stick with it till the end. Well, at least as long as he could control him. I had no doubt that if Makarov push Zakhaev too far and shows signs of being too out of control, he'll be dead way before Price could wrung his neck.

Speaking of methods,

"Perseus' true plan was to detonate all the American nukes across Europe and have the United States take the fall. Perseus wanted to rebuild Russia from the ashes."

"Makarov's scheme was to initiate the global conflict of World War III, and that was accomplished by massacring a Russian airport and making it look like the US was involved. Later on, he would attempt to nuke all of Europe for Russia to fully invade and rebuild from the ashes."

See the resemblance?

Their speech pattern really parallel each other;

Perseus: Today, we reshape the world.

Makarov: Today, we show the world our true strength.

Perseus: Our motherland is lead by cowards and weaklings.

Makarov: Now our country is run by squabbling lackeys and politicians who can hardly be called patriots.

Perseus: The superpowers will fall, victims of their own greed and corruption.

Makarov: The corrupt talk; while our brothers and sons spill their own blood.

Perseus: We will rebuild Greater Russia from the ashes.

Makarov: Russia will take all of Europe, even if it must stand upon a pile of ashes.

Perseus: They sleep soundly at night, knowing they put on a good parade - but they lack the will to do what must be done.

Makarov: Our enemies believe that they alone dictate the course of history, but all it takes is the will of a single man.

Perseus: The others, however, are still out there. I will finish them off if I have to.

Makarov: I will not rest until I have killed or captured the men who killed Imran Zakhaev.

Perseus: (to Bell) You remember my face don't you?

Makarov: (to Vorshevsky) You know who I am?

Perseus: But have no doubt. These are but temporary losses. We are just getting started, my friend.

Makarov: The road to our future begins here, my friend.

So in conclusion, it seems that the possibility of them being father and son is really plausible so far.

[thefirstknife]

I'd honestly rather see TFS delayed *further* than see the employees have to crunch, especially crunch for an extended period of time. Or have to rework or cut massive amounts of content. It's the finale of the arc, and is probably going to be a deciding factor for many if they stick with the series or bow out once the arc is finished. I'd really rather they be given enough time especially now to compensate for all the layoffs

Yeah same. I'd gladly wait longer to make sure that the remaining staff isn't overworked and pushed over their limits.

Genuinely devastating for everyone here. People who were laid off put everything into their work, for years. Who knows how many people were ripped out of projects in the middle of development. And then those that remain have to continue, with a lack of people, completely demoralised, but they have to push on because this is the finale of something both the devs worked on for a decade and the players have been looking forward to for a decade. Like, how do you even continue working in these conditions.

And the worst is, they have to. Destiny is the only thing making money for Bungie. They have no other games. Until Marathon comes out and is successful enough, they can't let go of Destiny. So there has to be something going on for Destiny even after TFS, and I just don't know how they'll manage that. I definitely don't want the remaining employees to be put into horrible working conditions to make the only content that finances Bungie.

Also, I doubt that we'll ever know the details of how this happened. Sony must be a big part of this, but I don't want to let Bungie off the hook here. Just to make that clear. People have spoken about poor management at the top (one of the first who said this was A_Dmg) which makes sense given how INSANE it is for Bungie to put themselves into a situation where they have no say and no control over this. Even if the decision for layoffs came straight from Sony, the fact that Bungie has no agency to say no means that the deal some execs willingly signed with Sony was bad. Either they willingly signed a bad deal or they're fully responsible for layoffs. It comes down to the same thing essentially. No matter how bad this is from Sony's part, Bungie entered this contract with them, even after bad experiences with two previous corpos (seen people commenting how they should've stayed with Microsoft or Activision, and like I'm sorry but both of those corpos also had massive layoffs too. There's no difference).

I'm sure we'll know more in the coming months. For now, I'd recommend not to stress too much about something that may or may not happen. If you're unsure about any future content, just don't buy it until we know more. There's no need to preorder, though I'm currently not sure if former/remaining employees have made any comments about how cancelling preorders might affect them. I'm a little wary of advocating for cancelling preorders simply because I'm concerned for how this might affect the remaining workers. I'd definitely hold off from it for now until we know something more, but it's up to anyone. If you're unsure about where this is going, don't rush into any purchase. Emotions are super high right now and everyone is anxious and disappointed. I'd recommend letting things cool down a little first since it's not even been 24 hours.

It would genuinely be absolutely bizarre for Sony or Bungie or both of them to suddenly decide they're pulling the plug on an insanely successful game that makes them money actively. Like purely from a business perspective of a greedy capitalist, there's no sense or logic in all of this being a way to just end the game while it's still making bucks. Especially since they're working on another game that won't be done until (projected) 2025.

And finally, video game industry needs unions, NOW.

[doctor-badadvice]

You know, I often make fun of Bishop, as one does. I call him a man of strong fashion opinions, a nerd and a wretched little gremlin. It’s all part of the process and it’s necessary when you end up liking an idiot of his caliber.

I’ve talked about his personality before. Yes, it’s very black and white (and red) under many aspects. I made a whole post about how that affects his outfits throughout the show.

Though when it comes to relationships, it isn't all so straightforward. Bishop has obviously invested all his charisma points in intimidation. This definitely helps him work as a villain, but his short temper and ingrained need to feel in control of the situation often get in the way of his objective.

Having to deal with people isn’t easy for him. Almost impossible, even. He can spit some raw lines but it also took some real effort to stop himself from strangling the president, which may not be the best course of action, you know?

The only situations in which we see him succeed to some extent are whatever concerns his organization since there is standardization. Times change and so do people. Keeping up with new costumes over the decades is time consuming but military practices? Those rarely change.

Bishop is obviously a good leader. His men execute his orders without questioning and with the highest professionalism, despite the occasional threat of being subjected to unspeakable experiments in case of failure. He also historically enjoyed the respect of at least one president, where again he just has to act like a good agent to get what he wants. Yes, the fake invasion counts in this regard since it proved to the president just what a good investment EPF was.

He even keeps Baxter in line for the most part since they have a very clear deal they both surprisingly stick to (though Baxter has a major hand in this since he knows what’s the amount of snark he can afford on the workplace).

Anything else is a disaster. Romance would be a tragedy from the very first moment. Friendship? We know how that went. Becoming a good person?

Yes, about that.

Bishop’s presidential outfit is extremely accurate. He’s not the man he once was. He has changed his methods and he sees aliens as people he can negotiate with and manipulate when fit. His work has fundamentally changed, as in he at least tries to create something which not only Earth will benefit from.

But he also has a whole room dedicated to spying on everyone through satellites and he personally leads the rescue mission at the Moonbase. The agent never really left, he just comes out whenever Earth is directly threatened.

Do I think that Bishop is still evil in FF then? Not quite.

Having done my fair share of writing for this nerd, I'd say it's somewhere in the middle. Specifically it's a mix of an opportunistic person seeing the chance for a different approach and most importantly, accepting that's actually possible, and a character who was born in part as a critique to real life events that were happening at the time of the show.

At the time of FF, the bigger picture kind of guy has started down a path of good but he still only relatively cares about other people. The public is obviously up there on the list since he has a public image to curate now. Aliens are more or less people. Turtles and random rich teenagers can pick fights with evil (very stupid) shapeshifting aliens if they can make themselves useful. Baxter deserves a second chance despite the little dissection prank he tried to pull.

Still, I can't say it's all Bishop's fault because when you think about it, his two most formative life experiences were both very traumatic events. The alien abducting him right after he got wounded on the battlefield set him off on a path of paranoia and blind revenge. The lab experiment that almost killed both him and Baxter and a symbolic act of kindness diverted him on a more open-minded path, even if the paranoia is still very much there.

Add that Bishop spent like 65% of his life under the military and it's no wonder even when he's genuinely making an effort, he still comes off as manipulative.

Head of State specifically deserves a whole analysis of its own that I might just do at some point because it's a fun episode. But in brief, I think Bishop, in his heavily skewed perception, genuinely considers Baxter as an old friend. He feels remorse for leaving him to die and he actually wants to make up for it.

But again, agent and president are still the same person, even if they may be one clone away from each other. Bishop both resents Baxter for chasing him and the dissection thing (you bet that brought a lot of trauma back. I wouldn't be surprised if people were left wondering what could have possibly prompted the president to take a short period of rest for the first time since ever), and cherishes that the scientist is still alive.

He's just not the best at showing it. But what can you do. Even the most peaceful person will be a bit messed up after living for so long. Bishop has been through really traumatic stuff and definitely wasn't encouraged to be anything but an efficient sadistic bastard for a good while. Even when relearning how to behave around people, he couldn't exactly explain what he has been through so at best, Bishop had to sit on his own and design new procedures like “smile, bring a gift, write a nice speech about friendship and respect”, or “introduce a problem and make it so the one in front of you will suggest the solution you want while thinking they came up with it to ensure they will care”. Or even, “traumatized people need reassurance and physical comfort. I guess I'll have to pet the talking brain and offer him a job”.

If anything, 2105 might be a bit too early. Bishop is still consolidating the PGA, there's no way to get him to work on himself some more.

Perhaps, in a better timeline, FF would have received a second season with a real seasonal arc all about redemption. There's a certain other set of clones who could have benefited from it as well.

[originalgenshinscenarios]

Monthly special: Variable Barricade crossover!

I joked that I'd finish it on Miko's birthday- to actually finish it on her birthday lol. Anyways this isn't exactly proofread because I honestly just wanted to post it already. I get that's it's messy and all over the place but that's how things are when I try to make a short chapter out of something that should've been multiple chapters where I go into more detail with the issues, but if I did that we would never have this thing finished ever.

If you want to join the taglist just send an ask or dm me!

Reader here is female and has established background.

Cw: Age gap (Reader is 18 and the ladies are ages 20-24)

|First Chapter|

<= Previous chapter | Next chapter (Common route) =>

You're slowly starting to understand Miko, she started to become your place of comfort even with your routine. Now she had helped you see things you were too stubborn to notice.

But what will you do about it?

Miko's part one: chapter 2- Like a bird in a cage.

Another weekend has made its round as you slowly get used to everyone being around. Although you still don't enjoy this situation, at least you don't feel scared as much anymore. You feel more like you have 4 obnoxious roommates rather than having 4 women competing for your heart.

"Y/N, can you come here please?" Miko asked as she patted the place right next to her on the couch as soon as you went downstairs. She didn't even look up from her book and she already knew that it was you who's here which is quite impressive. Perhaps it was just luck, or perhaps you were the only one who hasn't left your room yet. Regardless you were curious what could she want from you.

"What is it Miko?" you ask as you approached her, you didn't sit down though as you could only spare a moment for her.

"I was just wondering if you'd like to go out today, I found a nice store for us to go to. It sells quite adorable accessories so I figured it'd be to your liking" she smiled "They certainly piqued my interest, so I wouldn't want you missing out on it" she didn't look like she was teasing you.

"Pardon my intrusion miss Miko, while I do think it's a lovely offer, don't you think that such items aren't suitable for a L/N heir?" before you got a chance to respond, Thoma joined in the conversation. It seems like he knew what store she had in mind. But you aren't really surprised by his reaction, it's not the first time he has controlled your wardrobe. So far his judgment was right, so you never really complained about it. However, Miko had a different opinion on it.

"And Why is that? It's just something she can have in private. I'm not saying that she has to do serious business wearing these accessories" her mood shifted too, her smile changed into a more judgemental look as she spoke to your butler.

"I don't think you understand, being an heir it's something you can take a break from" as true as it was, you honestly just wanted to leave this conversation.

"It's okay Miko. I don't think there's anything I'd like to wear anyways, but thanks for the offer" you decided to cut the argument short. It definitely wasn't going anywhere and frankly you wouldn't want to see it going any further.

It's not like you had the time to go today anyways, because you and Ayaka had plans.

-

When you came back home you went to Miko's room for your usual "fluffy therapy". It was a little different this time, because it was clear that she was still annoyed if not furious.

"Are you still thinking about what happened in the morning..?" you decided to be direct, you saw no point in changing the topic for it to gradually change into what you truly wanted to discuss.

"Not really. It's… something else entirely actually. Although I'd be lying if I said that Thoma didn't upset me" she sighed "But it doesn't matter. After all now I get you all to myself" she winks, her good spirits quickly coming back to her "I actually did get you a little something" she took out a small bird keychain. It was… adorable.

"Thank you but-"

"No need to thank me or refuse the gift. I don't expect you to attach it to anything" she stopped you before you had the chance to bring up what Thoma had said.

"Then why bother giving me this..?" you're happy that you don't need to turn it down but, at the same time what were you supposed to do with it?

"Y/N, not every item is going to serve its destined purpose set by the producer. Besides, I just wanted you to have a little something that would remind you of me. So as long as you don't throw it away, I'm fine with whatever you do with it" she explained, putting her hand on your shoulder.

"Oh… Thank you, I'll be sure to take care of it" you felt a little speechless by what she had said. The first sentence was definitely not just about the keychain, you know it's her way of nudging you in the right direction. But, it's not something you're willing to agree to. You are a responsible young woman, therefore you're not interested in such idealistic talk of a perfect world.

"I believe keeping it out of Thoma's sight is a perfect way to do just that" she laughed "Or not, I think it'd be funny to start hearing how bad of an influence I have on you"

"Those aren't exactly Thoma's ideals you know, he's just following orders for the most part" it's important for you to clear it up before anything. You don't want her to get any weird ideas, after all even if he sometimes acts against you in the end he's your ally. You could always count on him, so you're aware that he does everything in your best interest… but the situation with suitors is that one exception where you're still mad about him keeping it secret.

"If that's what you want to believe, I won't push my opinion on it any further" she was definitely disappointed by your defense "Let's not talk about it, we got a little distracted and now it's time to resume what you came here for originally, okay?" you nod, as you don't want to continue it either. Now it was your time to relax.

Still, there was one feeling of doubt playing around with your heart, and you didn't even know what you were doubting to begin with. In the end you allowed yourself to forget it, but you have the feeling that if you continue your relationship with Miko you will eventually find your answer.

-

You ended up not attaching the keychain to anything, but you do have it with yourself and occasionally glance at it for a moment. You're not even sure why. But it is rather adorable, so it'd be a shame to just let it gather dust in your room.

"Destined purpose huh..?" you mutter to yourself. It was clear that Miko was talking more about you than this little bird… but why do you care? Just because she got some way of getting close to you, it's not like it makes her understand you completely. Her gesture is nice, but in no way she can dictate what to think. You're happy with how things are, sure sometimes you get upset over how things are but you're strong. You're a L/N and you take pride in that.

"Greetings Y/N" Ayaka walked up to you. You almost forgot that you were at school… Regardless she looked at the object of your previous attention "That's quite an adorable keychain, where did you get it?"

"It's a gift" you didn't want to lie. But now you are bound to have a talk about your progress.

"Oh! Is it from one of the suitors? From who exactly?" she smiles "It's very nice of her, don't you agree?"

"It's from Miko. And well, I'm not sure if she did it for me, or if she wanted to upset Thoma instead" honestly you thought about the second opinion just now. It made sense.

"But Thoma isn't the type to get upset so easily. Especially over things like that" you knew she'd bring it up.

"You tell me, it's just that the two had an argument that morning about what I'm allowed to wear. With how Miko is, he probably thought she'd buy me something too cute to tease me" you pause for a moment "Besides, she doesn't know Thoma in a way either of us do. So she probably thought that her ignoring his advice would be her winning"

"So I'm guessing you haven't explained the situation?"

"I did, but just so she doesn't get any weird ideas. It's not my responsibility to make sure the suitors get along with Thoma" if anything it's in their favor to do that on their own.

"I guess you're right" she looked a bit troubled "I'm surprised Thoma even stood up to her. I remember how he talked to me about her when it was all starting" given how easily Thoma gets along with everyone you were quite surprised to hear it. Ayaka had no reason to lie though, so you didn't question her mention.

"Look at me, I was scared of them too but I'm slowly getting used to it"

"That's good to hear, but I still think there might be something more to it…" she trailed off for a second "But uhm… don't mind me! I was just thinking out loud, I wouldn't want you to feel paranoid for no reason"

"You can't just say stuff like that and expect me to not think about it!" you immediately started to think what could she even mean.

"Sorry Y/N but really, it's just a random thought I had. You don't have anything to worry about really!" she looked panicked a little as she realized her poor choice of words.

"You're not making this any better Ayaka…" you sigh. You know she's trying but that seed of doubt made it's way to you, and it won't be something you could get rid of easily. Especially since Ayaka does have her suspicions and she admits to them.

"I know…" she looked down "But it wasn't anything serious. I just wondered why Miko and Thoma have that pointless war going on" she tried to clear it up, but it was too late for you to not overthink it. She must've had something more specific on her mind and shortened it for a reason.

-

Next day, Ayaka's words kept haunting you. Just what did she mean? What did she want to say? Even if it was just her imagination, she should just tell you her "theory" because now you're overthinking it. What could Miko have against Thoma, or the other way around? Why does it matter? What are they hiding from you? These never ending questions are really driving you insane. To get your answers though you can't just be straightforward about it. You need a plan to get just the information you need. Which won't be easy. Miko definitely would know your intentions before you even speak… same with Thoma now that you think about it. You really had no way to go about it.

As you were slowly giving up, you heard Miko's voice. She was talking to someone over the phone and seems to not have noticed you "Oh please, you don't need to go that far now" her voice sounded troubled and it caused you to worry "You'll do what!? I had no idea you'd be this desperate" she sighed as she continued to listen "Alright, I get it. Just give me some time. I promise everything will be done on time" before she hangs up you leave the area. You wouldn't want her to know that you were eavesdropping. Still, her conversation concerned you. What if she was being threatened? It sounded like that. Even if she seemed calm it's still Miko, she probably put on a brave face. You need to help her… but she probably won't be willing to talk.

-

You couldn't get this out of your head so you decided to talk with the rest. Maybe they would be able to help.

"Have you talked to Miko first? Maybe you misunderstood the situation" Ningguang was the first one to point it out.

"I'm not sure if she'd tell me the truth" you answer.

"Makes sense, a lot of people tend to avoid asking for help in situations like these" Yelan nods "But Miko isn't like other people, I'm sure that even if she's being threatened she has some sort of a plan" she adds.

"Yeah I agree, she'll probably end up playing the person who threatened her" Eula said with an annoyed tone.

"I can definitely see it too" Ningguang now seemed less concerned as she laughed lightly "Whoever chose her to pick on is probably regretting it now" with that the atmosphere of the conversation switched… and you didn't like that.

"Do you think she might be acting dumb? Or is she straight up just insufferable?" Yelan asked, clearly holding back a chuckle.

"My bet is that she's a mix of both and acts accordingly to what the other side says" Eula rolled her eyes.

As they continued to talk like that you could feel the anger in you growing…

|"How dare you say things like that!?" (Romance)|

"Just why do you think this is something you can joke about!?" the look on your face was mixed with disappointment and fury "Miko might be in danger and all you can think of is how SHE'S inconvenient to THEM?" the room fell silent "Come on, tell me. Why do you think that this is okay?" you look at them with your arms crossed.

The actual reason for them being quiet though… wasn't your shaming "I see that you're concerned about me. That's really sweet but… why?"

|"That's not the point…" (Reason)|

"Look, I'm pretty sure that she can handle herself. But I still would like us to talk to her about it" you sigh at how they think this is appropriate time to joke "She sounded like she wasn't in the biggest trouble but I'd still prefer to make sure"

"Then why make such a gathering instead of talking to me directly hm..?"

-----

You turn to see Miko smirking "Go on, I'm listening"

As caught off guard as you were, you had to speak the truth "I overheard your conversation on the phone"

"And what about it? I was just speaking to one of the former writers I used to help. I can hardly see how that could be worrisome" she shrugged "Unless you took that completely out of context. Then I must say you have quite the imagination to make it out into something like that"

You were glad that she was alright… but it almost sounded like she was mocking you. It made you regret worrying for her "I see, in that case I apologize for the misunderstanding" you say gracefully but on the inside you felt extremely embarrassed. You turned and left the scene. Nobody followed after you, which you appreciated.

What is it with you making things into such a mess? What's the deal with this constant overthinking? First was that "war" and now this. This whole suitor situation is making you even more paranoid with each day and now you can see it.

"Y/N?" it definitely wasn't Thoma's voice "I know I'm not supposed to be here, but I was worried because of how you left" you could clearly hear Miko from the other side of the doors.

|If you picked romance options the most|

You have no idea what to do. You don't want to let her in, so you just peek your head out "You have nothing to worry about"

"Oh really? Then care to explain why you act like we're back at square one?" she sighed "You still don't understand your own feelings, do you?"

"Because you're the expert, aren't you?" your sarcastic tone was sharp, but she remained unphased.

"I don't claim as such, but it's not hard to tell that you're lost" she didn't attempt to enter your room. But from the look on her face it looked more like she wanted you to come out instead.

She doesn't ask that of you, and yet you still chose to do just that "Listen, I appreciate that you care enough to continue reaching out" you pause for a moment as you want to once again arrange your words in your mind before you speak "But I want to be the one to explain my feelings to me. I don't need any directions, and I most certainly don't want you to treat me like I'm here to amuse you with my somewhat naive behavior"

"I understand, thank you for telling me" her smile was somewhat sinister… "I suppose that means I don't have anything else to say to you. See you later then" she leaves without your answer once again.

|If you picked reason options the most|

You're done with her for today. It's not that you're really mad at her… but more in need of a break. You remain quiet, wanting to see if she'll respect your boundary.

From the other side you couldn't hear any more sounds other than faint footsteps getting quieter with each second. She must've left so now you got to calm down at your own peace. It was nice of her to worry, and even better that she gave you the space you needed.

-----

In the end, whatever you do you can't understand her intentions. She probably thinks of it as a game, and yet you find yourself hoping that you're wrong in thinking so. She managed to get herself close to you, but it doesn't mean that you trust her. As sweet as her gestures are, you could only see it as tricks. Then again, anything your suitors do could be considered as such.

So all you can do now is to keep your eyes open.

-- TAGLIST:

@audre-falrose @frozengenderfluid @watamehorns @bebeluvvv @fandangotales @yumi-genshin-writer

[sokkastyles]

What do you think of the argument that Zuko was hurting/abusing Azula by making her speak with Ozai in The Search? Obviously she shouldn't be near him or speak to him, but it's being used as an argument to "prove" that Zuko is abusive to Azula, so I'd love to know what you think.

I agree that she shouldn't be speaking to him, but Zuko didn't "make" her, he told her openly and honestly why he wanted her to, and she agreed to it. He even asked her what she wanted as a reward, and she refused that. Of course she's being sarcastic when she says helping the "firelord" is reward enough. She agrees because she wants to speak to Ozai.

Now, just because she wants to speak to her father and is still loyal to him doesn't mean Ozai isn't abusing her, but Zuko is not abusing her. Ozai is the one who is using Azula's continued loyalty to him for his own selfish gain. Zuko wanted her to get information from Ozai about their mother, who he also thought she cared about finding because Azula told him she wanted to find Ursa, too. He has no idea what's really going on because 1) Azula lies to him about it, and 2) Ozai is still controlling Zuko, too. He's just using Azula to do it.

Zuko doesn't have any control over Ozai's psychological hold over Azula, especially when Azula can and does manipulate Zuko in order to get closer to Ozai.

And that last panel of Ozai tells you all you need to know about who has the power in this situation. Zuko may be firelord but he's also still a kid, and the psychological effects of being made to be the scapegoat in his family don't just go away because he has that hair piece.

And from Zuko's perspective, this is just how Azula and Ozai always made him feel, like they had this secret relationship that he isn't in on. And Azula acts like he's mistreating her by denying her that. Notice what Zuko says about how they haven't seen each other in a year and it's "not the best of circumstances." He expects them to be happy to talk to each other, because he knows they've always had a close relationship that he hasn't had with either of them. He apologizes for the fact that they aren't meeting under the best of circumstances and haven't been able to talk to each other for a year, like it's his fault. The irony should not be lost on us, especially considering how he's been personally victimized by them. This is such a heartbreakingly realistic picture of how hard it is for an abuse victim to break out of that cycle of blame, even when they know on an intellectual level that it isn't logical.

Azula wants this. Not that what Azula wants is the same thing as what she needs, but Zuko can't be a good judge of that, either, when he's still trying to come to grips with how they were raised himself. Just because Azula loves Ozai and, like him, blames Zuko for her current circumstances, doesn't mean that Ozai isn't abusive to her, that's true, but Zuko isn't privy to that, he only sees his sister and father making him feel bad for separating them. Think about Zuko's headspace here, how he says he feels disconnected from his family, and now Azula is telling him he should let her and their father, who in his eyes have always had the loving relationship he craved, talk alone, with dignity. That he's wrong to deny them that. Cruel, even. Of course Zuko, who has always wanted his family's love, whose father and sister have always been able to blame him for the family's dysfunction, is going to believe it and take responsibility for it, even though part of the reason they've been separated is for his own protection.

There's actually multiple layers going on here. Ozai is manipulating Azula but he's manipulating Zuko, too, and getting Azula to manipulate Zuko for him, which is also how it's always been.

Zuko is not a psychologist, he's a traumatized teenager whose abusers still very much have that hold on him. And he can't save Azula from Ozai when Azula doesn't want to be saved and is still perfectly willing to hurt and manipulate her brother for her father's favor.

I often see Azula stans engaging in this fantasy where they insist Azula is actually much more self aware than she is, that she hates Ozai and would never go back to him willingly, even though she continually does. And, I mean, I get where the desire for that comes from. Of course we want to see an abused kid be free from their abuser, and it's painful to see Azula acting like she's won a victory when we know she's just letting Ozai pull her deeper into his web, and that this ultimately will not give her the happiness she wants and needs. But the utter contempt that these stans will show for Zuko at the same time just shows a stunning lack of empathy or understanding for abuse victims. I have seen many, many posts about how Zuko is so awful and stupid for even thinking that Azula and Ozai have this great relationship when that is what Azula thinks, too, and wants Zuko to think. Posts that paint Azula as the only one who truly understands how awful Ozai treated her, when she's the one who understands it the least. Posts that act like she'd be over here telling Zuko off for thinking she's got the perfect life, when canon Azula would heartily agree and then belittle her brother for not being as good as her. It is, ironically, another way that they need her to be the smartest and bestest at everything, and it's completely missing the point of Azula's entire narrative again.

And the thing is, this isn't just about having empathy for Zuko. If you so desperately need Azula to realize that Ozai abused her in order to feel sympathy for her, if you need her to be the hero who punches her abuser, then you don't have real empathy for her as a victim, either. So of course you don't have empathy for Zuko when he can't save his sister from his father.

The other thing is that Azula not realizing that Ozai abused her is also the reason why she doesn't realize her own behavior is a problem, either. Of course she doesn't realize that she needs to change in any way when she modeled her behavior off of Ozai, who she thinks is great.