#I feel like infinite darkness also had a similar thing going on but I was drunk as shit watching that so I do not remember

[lordofthemushrooms]

I know the actual answer is probably ‘inconsistency’ but despite that I do think the RE timeline between all the games and the movies is weird and potentially interesting when it comes to Leon as a character. Damnation ends with Leon being completely disgusted with the government that he works for, but damnation happens before RE6. RE6 Leon while having elements of that in his character doesn’t portray it to the extent it would be. THEN Vendetta after 6 features Leon verily similarly disgusted by his job only for him then to still be doing it in Death Island. We obviously see very little behind the scenes with his life but we can assume they can’t hang Sherry over his head anymore to make him compliant. So what is it this time that’s keeping him there?

[escelia]

New Sibling Just Dropped

Or Danny gets willingly isekai'd into the DCU and gets a twin out of it.

I know I disappeared from the face of the earth for a bit there, and there's stuff I should probably be updating, but I come baring different stuff this time :D

Just started this for fun, and I have at least one other chapter of it done, but idk how long this bout of inspiration will last, so I'm just rolling with it for now.

@flamingpudding look! i pulled a jason todd and rose from the grave!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Danny was tired. The kind of tired you felt behind your eyes and in your bones, and weighed heavy with achievement. He was perched on the edge of a building in his ghost form looking over Amity Park with a soft smile as he watched Youngblood run through the park with human children, Cujo playfully on their heels. His galaxy cloak (which had been a coronation gift) billowed around his lap like a gas with stars twinkling inside. 

It had been a few years now since he took up the Crown of Fire and became High King of the Infinite Realms, and while he had accomplished many things since then, graduating from high school wasn't something on that list. It sucked that he wouldn't get to walk across the stage with Sam and Tucker, but in the face of all he'd been able to do for both Amity and the Infinite Realms, it was worth it. They coexisted now. There was still trouble every now and then, but Danny had helped the ghosts who insisted on staying in Amity Park find a place in their city where they could thrive.

Youngblood watched over the children of the city, Box Ghost started a box recycling center, Lunch Lady started a program to get food to families that couldn't afford it, and Pointdexter started reporting bullying at the school since he was already there. 

On the Realms' side, Danny shut down Walker's prison. Since it was his lair, he couldn't take it away from him completely, but it no longer housed the many ghosts the warden had considered "rule breakers." He'd given Walker a new set of rules to enforce and essentially took him under his wing as a royal soldier, kept under the close watch of Fight Knight, who'd defected from Pariah Dark so fast after his defeat that it was laughable. 

He'd done something similar with Skulker, though he was a harder case to crack. Unlike Walker, who was happy as long as he had a set of rules to enforce, Skulker wanted to keep hunting. He'd been recruited forcefully by Walker and Fright Knight after they caught him on his way to fight Danny again.

All in all, everything had begun to run smoothly now. The fatigue weighing on him reminded him that it had been hard to accomplish, and continuing to lead his double life hadn't made it any less exhausting. A cold breath rushed through his chest as he felt a familiar presence slide up next to him. 

"You didn't time out," Danny pointed out without looking to face the ghost beside him. Clockwork hummed in acknowledgment.

"Sometimes it's pleasant to watch time flow in person." It was Danny's turn to hum at him. 

"How are you feeling?" The Ancient asked thoughtfully. The younger ghost tilted his head pensively. 

"It's hard to say. I'm tired, but I'm happy. And also sad..." he paused to gather his thoughts. "I feel like I've done everything I needed to."

But not everything he wanted to do. 

"Go on," Clockwork pressed. The teenager did turn his head now to make a face at his mentor. If the guy knew how he felt and what he was going to say, why would he say it out loud? But the other just arched a brow at him and waited.

"Fine," he pouted. "I've spent so much time and energy finding places for everyone here. The GIW are gone, my parents stopped hunting ghosts, Jazz got into the psychology program at Stanford, Sam and Tucker are graduating today... I helped make that happen, I know I did! But they're moving on without me. They're growing up and I don't feel like I am."  

'I don't feel like I'm ready.'

Danny stopped to take a breath and wipe away the icy tears gathering in his eyes. He felt stupid for crying over it. He was 17 for Ancients' sake! Jazz would have told him he grew up too fast, but he still felt like a child. He had no idea what he was doing! And yet! And yet... he felt...

"But you also feel ancient, right? Like you've been around too long and seen too much?" Clockwork said as though he were reading from a script. Danny sulked. Stupid time ghost with his dumb Time Stream TV or whatever. 

"Yeah..."

"All Ancients feel that way. Though you may be feeling unbalanced in more ways than one because of how young you died and the fact you are half human."

"What do you mean?" Danny turned his whole body to face him now, tucking his knees under his chin and circling his arms around them. His cloak moved with him in inky black wisps and settled around him again like clouds of galaxies. 

Clockworks form shifted to that of a child.

"You feel young because you died young. However, it is the nature of humans to grow and change. While you may have died at 14, your childhood died before that. You yearn to grow and learn, while also being an incredibly powerful Ancient."

He supposed that made sense. He recalled all the years cleaning the lab before the portal had even been built, and the fighting and neglect (Jazz's words, not his) that spawned his disdain of Christmas even longer before. He wanted to go back to school. He wanted a reason to love Christmas. He wanted pets and family dinners that didn't come alive. He wanted to grow up properly.

"But you still want to help people," the ghost said as though Danny had been talking out loud or having his mind read. 

"I hate it when you do that," Danny complained. Clockwork just smiled smugly.

"I know." He laughed at the glare Danny threw him. 

"I have a proposition for you," the older ghost began. Danny perked up in intrigue. "I know of another earth dimension with some problems that need to be addressed. Your role as High King puts you in a position to be helpful."

"Their problem has to do with the Realms?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes. Ectoplasm from the Realms is pooling into what are referred to on their planet as Lazarus Pits. They are both helpful and harmful as they do not dissipate into the air so they continually collect and concentrate emotion, but they do sometimes revive the dead."

Danny grimaced in disgust at the thought of dunking a person into a stagnant pool of contaminated ectoplasm. "That sounds disgusting."

"Quite," Clockwork agreed. 

"So what's your proposition?"

"Well, if it is agreeable to you, I would like to de-age your physical form and place you with a family that's had dealings with the Pits firsthand. I've found them to be quite charming." 

"Ah, so you want me to go in undercover?" Danny couldn't help but roll his eyes a little. It wasn't a half bad idea. He could try his hand at childhood again and still get to handle his duties as King Phantom. Leading a double life again would be easy enough, it was just stepping from one role into another. 

"Not at all." Clockwork smiled knowingly. Danny was officially suspicious of his ghost guardian. "This planet has had all kinds of dealings with the occult, and even humans with superpowers isn't that unusual. While I would advise against telling anyone you are a king right away, you are in fact just that: a king. You may do what you wish." 

For an ancient and wise time ghost, Danny thought Clockwork was really shit at hiding his expressions. Though he tried to keep the grin off his face, Danny could clearly see the twitching of his lips and gleam in his eyes that promised the old man was scheming. 

But to get his childhood back. Or, at least a semblance of one... it deserved consideration. Danny looked back out at the cityscape again. Sam and Tucker... they were down there graduating from high school without him. He'd been the one to encourage them to pull away from Team Phantom activities to zero in on their studies, but he didn't regret it. Sam wanted to major in environmental science and Tucker wanted to go to MIT and he just didn't fit into those plans. After Jazz left for Stanford, his parents often forgot he was still there. He'd managed to convince them to study ghosts properly instead of hunting them, and with a little help from the "friendly ghost King Phantom" they were given a place to start. They dove into their research with the same excitement and fervor they'd had all their lives. Which of course meant he went days, sometimes weeks, without seeing them emerge from the lab. It was easy enough to slip past them to the portal while they were distracted. 

The point was that he'd started to feel his anchor to this city, to this realm, start to dissipate as the people who kept him there started to break away from him. He still loved them, wanted to protect them, but they were safe and happy now. He felt fulfilled in his task of protecting them, but there was a buzzing beneath his skin to do more. 

Danny took a deep and controlled breath. He didn't need it in his ghost form, but it felt good to feel his lungs stretch to fullness. 

"When would I start?" He asked finally. The straight face Clockwork had been trying to keep, and he really was so bad at it, finally broke into a wide grin. 

"Right now. Everything is already in place and your duties in the Realms will be taken care of in your absence." 

Danny smiled softly at his guardian. Clockwork sure had a funny way of showing it, but he cared so deeply for the boy next to him that when Danny responded with a bad pun, he couldn't even be annoyed. 

"Well, no time like the present!" He winked.

Clockwork chuckled, and with a flash of light, he sent Danny on his way. 

The more time the older ghost spent with his young ward, the more he appreciated him. The Danny he’d come to know was nothing like the Danny’s from other worlds he’d encountered while trying to prevent Dan from existing. His Danny was now truly one of a kind. None of the others, not even the ones that eventually turned into Dan, had been Ancients. There would never be another Danny like him, and every universe was adjusting to include him should he ever decide to visit them. He had a place in any world, should he choose, but Clockwork knew he was needed most in the one he’d sent him to. It would be truly entertaining to watch the young Ancient settle into his role there, and Clockwork was actually finding himself looking forward to it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was dark and quiet a long while before Danny opened his eyes. And when he did open them it got really loud and really bright really fast. It belatedly occurred to him that he should have asked like a billion more questions before agreeing to be iseaki’d into a different dimension to join a family he knew literally nothing about. 

There was shouting before someone in what looked like a ninja cult uniform shoved a knife into his hand and pushed him in the path of a person in a different uniform. The man in front of him was dressed in blue and black and wearing a mask that covered his eyes, but Danny could see the surprised shape of his mouth before it morphed into something like anger. And then he was being lunged at.

He shrieked as he dodged out of the way. Not his most graceful save, but whatever. His voice was a bit shrill and his center of gravity felt way off. He must have actually been de-aged! He wondered how old he was now. He still felt light on his feet thanks to his ghost half which felt blessedly intact. But the other guy was fast and he ducked into a roll just in time to dodge whatever weapon he was holding. This guy meant business, but he had no idea why he was trying to kill him. 

‘Great, thanks Grandfather Clock for throwing me right back into the good ol’ days,’ he thought sarcastically. Nobody had attacked him for no good reason like that since Walker and Fright caught Skulker mid hunt for the very last time. 

What he now saw was a baton swung down from overhead and Danny knew he wouldn't dodge it in time, so he caught it with the flat of the blade that had been shoved into his hands.

“Wait! Why are we fighting?” Danny yelled, panicked as the guy pushed more force into it. The man's face twisted into something like confusion for a moment and he backed off just the tiniest bit before the scuffing of shoes to his right had him looking over just in time to see another guy in a mask, this time in red, rushing at him. He threw his hands up in surrender. 

“Wait!” He shrieked before he was absolutely bodied sideways into the ground. 

Why was he doing this? He was half ghost, he could have just gone intangible and disappeared. He didn't have to be body slammed into the ground. Wasn't he a child now? Did that guy in red actually just slam a whole child into the ground? 

“Red, hold on! This one's different!” 

“What do you mean?” The guy Red asked. He was still pinning Danny to the ground.

“Yeah, what do you mean?” Danny asked breathlessly, then whimpered, “Someone please tell me what's going on!” 

The one hovering over him must have seen something on his face that convinced him to not try and kill him anymore, because he grabbed him by the collar and started dragging him along. 

“We'll take him in for questioning. Don't let Robin see him.”

“Who's Robin?!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been a long, arduous, and confusing journey from wherever they were to… well, wherever they were now. They'd blindfolded him for the transport so he still had no idea what was going on. He had learned that the guy with batons was Nightwing, and Red was actually Red Robin. The one they called Robin was a feral looking thing with swords, he was very small and stabby. Then there was Batman, and he totally threw off the whole bird theme but was easily the most intimidating. And that was all he knew so far. He'd been restrained at an interrogation table. 

Danny groaned and knocked his forehead onto the table. He really, really wished he'd asked Clockwork more questions. He'd at least been able to catch a glimpse of himself in the glass behind Batman. He looked like he was eleven or twelve again, which was not as young as he'd been expecting, but much more preferable than being a literal toddler. The group of people he’d been brought in by seemed to be heroes. They were all incredibly weary of him, but hadn’t gone out of their way to harm him since his capture. Though it was hard to call it a capture when there wasn’t a chase involved. 

“How old are you?” Batman asked suddenly. His voice was low and rough and somehow Danny could tell it didn't sound like that naturally. 

“Um, maybe eleven or twelve?” Danny replied carefully, picking up his head from the table and having the decency to look a little embarrassed. 

“And what's your name?” He looked like he was expecting something.

“My name is Danny, sir.” 

“Hmm…” 

It was quiet and awkward for a long moment.

“Why are you different from the other clones?” 

“Yeeeaaah, I'm not a clone.” Danny absolutely did not jump when the brute slammed the file folder shut in front of him. 

“We'll see what your DNA results have to say about that,” he said confidently before turning to leave, his cape dramatically flaring out behind him.

Sheesh, and he thought he’d had a flair for the dramatics.

‘Okay, time for some assessment,’ Danny thought to himself as he looked around the small closed room. It was soundproofed incredibly well. While he didn’t have super crazy hearing, it was enhanced by his ghost half, and combined with his other sharp senses, it tended to help him gather more information than others could. The most he could hear outside the room was a quiet hum of activity and nothing discernible. Still, he needed to decide how much he would say to these people. How much truth did he want to weave into his tale? These people clearly already had their own assumptions about him in mind, and while there was absolutely nothing wrong with being a clone, he knew he didn’t have what it took to keep up an act like that for long, which would just end up being awkward for everyone. 

He also would not be telling them about his status as Ghost King, per Clockwork’s suggestion. His captors seemed like the uptight sort, and revealing that he was a big, scary ghost monarch didn’t seem like it’d go over well. Telling them he was a halfa would probably get them off his back over the clone thing, at least. He went over the list in his head.

He was a halfa from another dimension, so he couldn’t be a clone.

He had no plans of fighting with anyone unless absolutely necessary. 

He did not have a way back to his other dimension. 

His name was Danny, and he didn’t have a family anymore.

He did not know why he was in the middle of whatever fight he woke up in. 

No, he didn’t know those people.

Danny must’ve been lost in thought for quite a while because his thoughts were interrupted by Batman bursting back through the door. The man’s demeanor had changed completely and he whipped off his cowl to reveal disheveled dark hair, blue eyes, and an expression of absolute heartbreak that accompanied his shuddering breaths. With the mask off, he reminded Danny a lot of his father. 

Batman searched his face and, much like Red Robin had before, seemed to notice something there. 

“She did it twice,” he muttered to himself. “Two of them this whole time and she didn’t tell me about either of them,” he said through gritted teeth. His frown deepened. Danny copied his frown. 

“Hey, are you okay?”

He still had no idea what was going on.

[ive-been-timebombed]

Part one

Danny is the daddy! And king- same thing.

Summoning rituals are the absolute worst. It happens too often and always ends up with one too many bruises.

Red Hood shifted on his knees and pulled at the rope that held his arms behind his back. He looked to Nightwing who was to the right of him in a similar situation only with more rope and tighter knots, he kept escaping so the cultists improvised. Red Hood looked back to the main excitement in the room and rolled his eyes at the idiotic scene.

A big circle of intricate lines and displays of many items. There were five displays, which Jason can only assume were offerings, one had a bag of food that looked similar to batburger. The second had what looked like a child’s school project on the solar system. The third held a map and a.. baby’s doll.? Jesus, what is this idiot summoning? The fourth was of a bright green liquid... Lazarus Pits? It was brighter than the actual pits and looked cleaner. Not to mention the bubbling was also missing from the vile of the pits. The last was a plant and a bag of sand... Jason gave up on trying to understand whatever the hell the fugly dude was trying to summon.

Speaking of.. the man that was scurrying around the circle looking at it making sure everything was good. He looked insane, with almost bright blue skin, black hair, and cultist-type robes. Not to mention the slight transparency of the man. Jason decided his name was gonna be Wickham.

“Oh finally! I’ll get to summon my king to this blasted world” Wickham stepped back from his summoning circle with a wicked grin, “If only my king didn’t have such strange needs to be summoned..” Wickham looked over to the vigilantes and moved in front of them his hands folding behind his back

“I guess you guys don’t know what I’m summoning do y’all?” Oh great.. he’s about to go on a rant.. “Don’t worry! You’ll find out soon!” Wickham turned to his circle again and stood in front of it. He got down to his knees bowing his head and bringing his hands together. He started to speak, a language Jason had never heard, and by the sounds of it neither had Dick.

The circle started to glow the Lazarus green. Jason felt like he couldn’t breathe. The weight of the ritual was suffocating, and despite feeling like he could grasp Wickham's words, they remained nonsensical.

Strangely enough, Jason couldn’t understand what he was feeling. It felt like longing for something that he never had.. like a warm hug from his father, Willis. He could feel excitement and yearning for the green to overcome the room and cover him in the comfort of.. the distant memory of singing and the cold of a rooftop.

_______________

Despite what many had assumed of Danny, he quite enjoyed the summonings. They weren’t too often and gave him an excuse to leave his boring meetings. When he felt the pull of a summons he grinned and waved to the idiot ghosts that were arguing in front of him and disappeared.

He opened his eyes seeing the usual scene of his summonings.. ignoring the strangely dressed mortals that were tied up near the wall.

“King of the Infinite Realms, Ancient of space and the unknown, Defeater of Pariah Dark, Honored of the Far Frozen, Knight of-“ The summoner listed off. Danny sighed he should really get rid of most of the titles..

“Blah- Blah- Blah. What do you want, Mortal..”Danny asked looking down at the summoner and hesitated at the end seeing the slight transparency of him..

The summoner stopped speaking and bowed further to the ground, “My King! I ask that you cleanse this cursed world and take it for your own! With me as your trust-“ Danny once again interrupted

“I’m good, already own this dimension. It’s only one of the infinite-“ Danny groaned before he froze.. this dimension.. it was his home dimension. The very same he was born in and dead. The same he protected with his undead life when ghosts invaded his town.. The same he left his child in to live in..

“My liege?” The summoner spoke up hesitantly glancing up at the halfa.

Danny didn’t bother to acknowledge the mortal. He was to distracted by the small very similar essence to his own only a few steps away. He looked to the tied up mortals and stared at the one that had a red helmet. The red helmet stared back his core begging for help and the support of its paternal core essence.

When Danny was first introduced to the idea of being king he was put in lessons by the many leaders around the realms. First was with Frostbite, the Leader of the Far Frozen, who taught him the biology and science behind ghost. Embarrassingly, he also had to sit through the sex talk once again. But from what he was taught when a ghost has a child or Ling short for Ghostling. That Ling would be connected to its parents or parent for ectoplasm as it would be to young to absorb ectoplasm on its own. The steady stream of ectoplasm would be used to power the young ghostlings core and nurture it to start absorbing ectoplasm on its own. The connection also helped the parent when they needed the location of their ling or just wanted to check up on them. The connection was like a cellphone that only connected to the child to the parent. It told them the location, needs, even if the Ling needed extra ectoplasm. It could be used for a call to come or even a scream for help.

When Danny was younger he had a kid.. the baby was an accident that he didn’t know about till it was left on his doorstep with a letter saying it was his. He called the kid his Baby JayJay short for Jason. He couldn’t feel a core inside the child so he assumed that Jay didn’t inherit his ghostly habits. So he didn’t form the connection between their cores, he didn’t want to hurt the still living soul of his baby by feeding it unneeded ectoplasm. Danny couldn’t stay in his dimension however.. due to the active laws against his kind. And he didn’t want to drag his child into something he didn’t need to be apart of. So he forced down his core wants and said goodbye to his baby JayJay. Then left for the infinite realms to be crowned and ever wondering what happened to his baby.

_________________

Jason couldn’t describe the feeling when he saw the being Wickham had summon finally appear.

It was a human body despite the many not human things. Their hair was a snow white and their eyes glowed a bright green. The clothes they wore had similarities of kings clothing it was a black with gold accents and a star covered cape. The cape floated like it went beyond gravity which Jason assume it did. The man had sharp canines and pointed ears. His hair floated similar to his cape, defying gravity. The feet of the being faded to invisible as it reached the floor. The glowing green flickering off to blue crown on the beings head drooped back a the being landed on the ground.

“King of the Infinite Realms, Ancient of space and the unknown, Defeater of Pariah Dark, Honored of the Far Frozen, Knight of-“ Wickham started before being interrupted by the being.. King Phantom?

“Blah- Blah- Blah. What do you want, Mortal..” The kings voice was echoey and smooth, Jason swore he heard the voice before.

“My King! I ask that you cleanse this cursed world and take it for your own! With me as your trust-“ Do Wickham was a stereotypical cultist. Only wanting one thing that will likely never gain. The being interrupted him again.

“I’m good, already own this dimension. It’s only one of the infinite-“ The king rolled their eyes before they froze their voice stopping with them. They were looking off into the distance so Jason could only guess the being realized something.

Wickhams voice felt muffled when Jason heard him as the being looked straight at him and Jason stared back.

[atamascolily]

Poor Sayaka is really going through it in Walpurgis no Kaiten. First, she loses her healing abilities and gets so badly beaten she has to wear bandages across her face, then her memories start coming back and she has to cope with the fact that her entire life is a lie and she should actually be dead. Talk about trauma!

This shot suggests to me that Sayaka will go on some sort of internal quest to confirm the truth. This show being what it is, it's difficult to say if this scene represents an "internal" journey into Sayaka's mindscape, similar to Homura's first awakening in Rebellion, which features a mosaic of mirrors, or if this is more "external" venture into the Law of Cycles, of which Sayaka is still technically a part, but it's probably "both/and" rather than "either/or". The blue color scheme makes me think the former, but the piles of books with information about witches makes me think the latter. Is the sculpture a representation of Sayaka or is it the "emptiness" of the Law of Cycles without a human avatar?

Comparable scene in Rebellion? Also, I just now noticed that either the mosaics are rotating around Homura, or something very strange is happening in space. Probably both!

I can't find the interview at the moment, but I recall someone at SHAFT discussing how girls taken by the Law of Cycles aren't running around in Valhalla, as fans once thought, but are asleep and unconscious. (Cf. Homura calling it "the salvation of oblivion" in her opening monologue in Rebellion.) In one of my fanfics (itself inspired by a gorgeous series of fanart), the Law of Cycles is an art museum; here, it looks like SHAFT has made it a library, with each "book" containing information about the infinite number of girls and witches in all the parallel universes Madokami oversees. There's a very "Library of Babel" feel to this shot from the trailer that fills me with glee.

It's unclear if the parallel universe thing will come up in Walpurgis no Kaiten, but people have already spotted Magia Record witches in the trailer, and the entire game takes place in a single aberrant timeline, so if it's in the library, the library has to contain everything. How this works when MR has the doppel system, I have no idea, but also MR likely didn't exist in its current state when Urobuchi originally wrote the WnK script in 2014-5, so this is just Inu Curry taking the opportunity to squeeze in some more witches they designed for the game.

However, the MR anime, which Doroinu directed, ends with the doppel system collapsing and Iroha giving the "book" that represents her story to Madokami, appropriately titled "Magia Record". The title of the episode is "No One Knows Our Record", the implication being that magical girls are completely unknown except to the Law of Cycles.

One detail I like is that the English title is "reflected" in dark witch runes like shadows.

This book had a different cover and design than the books we see in the WnK trailer, but I think the general idea is the same--these books contain information about the witches (remember, "Magia" is also the name of the music that plays during witch battles in the original series) and are thus "records" of their existence. We see more of the books in a different shot,and some covers are quite elaborate, and others are a simple gold border; none appear to be "named" like the Magia Record book, or at least their titles are not visible in this shot.

It sure looks like this girl is rifling through the books to find something, doesn't it? Hmm....

The shot of one of these books opening in the second WnK trailer and runes spilling out suggests that more witches have emerged to complicate matters for Homura and the main cast, though "how" and "why" are open questions at this point. However, it's unclear if the books actually contain the witches/familiars themselves or merely information about them.

I think this shot could appear in a cryptic opening sequence that retroactively explains the entire plot, similar to Homura's soul gem falling through the window at the beginning of Rebellion, although the background lighting suggests it takes place in the same "blue" location that Sayaka is in above. TBD!

Giving away the entire plot in the beginning, but in a way that isn't obvious until afterwards, is a Madoka Magica tradition at this point.

Anyway, this is all a very roundabout way of saying that I think that when Sayaka starts having flashbacks about Oktavia, she's going to the library to do some research! And what she finds there will confirm her worst suspicions and likely trigger a whole new personal crisis where her loyalties will be tested and she is going to have to make some difficult choices.

[thefirstknife]

You are so incredibly knowledgeable about this games lore and I feel like I am going crazy trying to find the answer to this. Maybe you know? Has there ever been an actual answer to why Osiris was so much more powerful than the rest and why he got the visions? Why was he the travelers favourite?

Honestly nobody really knows! Some Guardians just happen to be a lot more powerful and a lot of it definitely has to do with the personal choice to improve; as in, becoming a student and actively learning! Osiris chose to study with the Iron Lords. I'd also assume a Ghost has influence as well: Sagira too was very powerful.

Some of it might also have a lot to do with the amount of time he spent perfecting his skills. With the time dilation of the Infinite Forest, Osiris has lived an unfathomably long life and therefore had more time than most to get better.

Curiously though, he was already high above other Guardians even early on in his life. By early Dark Age, before studying with anyone, he was already using Dawnblade as we know it today. I'm personally of the opinion that he may have invented this in the first place, as the Dawnblade sword is fairly similar to his aesthetics and he used it so early.

Also way before the Infinite Forest, he was famous for the way he fought at Six Fronts; with his reflections. He was able to produce golden copies of himself that enabled him to watch every front in the battle. He was also able to teleport between them to quickly change his position and help on multiple fronts. This is an insane level of skill comparatively with other Guardians at the time. We still have no idea where and how he learned to do this. Or how it's done. There's also still unknown situation with this ability because at one point he specified a difference between "reflections" and "echoes," implying they're two different things:

[u.2:12] Reflections, Saint. I have no need for Echoes anymore. [u.1:13] What do you mean? What’s the difference? [u.2:13] One is a manifestation of Light. The other… reserved for Taken Kings. Better suited for traversing the Sundial because of what lies at its core.

Bestie. What does this mean.

As for visions.... Nobody knows. He claims that his visions are just things he analysed using the Infinite Forest, but he made the prophecies before he went to the Forest. He was exiled for them! Some of them also deal with paracausality, in particular the one about the Traveler waking up at the end of the Red War, something that the Forest would not be able to predict. You'd think this is a writing mistake or something, but it's not. This discrepancy is directly referenced in the lore as weird.

Osiris treats this as "it just be like this" but I personally do think that he's the Traveler's specialest little guy. And Sagira was too. However, was he really and why? Ultimately we don't know.

[just-a-space-nugget]

Half-Life: The Employer AU

@sepko1 ‘s Gordon Geeman (or Freeman Immortal) has inspired me to revisit my own “Gman Gordon.” Funny enough, I made my Gman Gordon around the same time Sepko’s came about so I’ve had to change a lot to my own cause well.. mine was REAL SIMILAR to their’s lmao! But I feel like mine is more than just a “Gman” if you feel me? Mine is more like “the employer” in my eyes.

I may make a small “Au” or something around him. It would involve Sepko’s Geeman and even a few other people’s “Gman” type characters. Just because well the nature of the characters is based around the idea of multiple “Gmen” type people, being the employees. Each Universe has its own “Gman” that maintains the universe and each individual timeline they contain.

But the Employer. Who is the Employer? The Employer is the one who oversees all Universes, all timelines, all employees. Wouldn’t it be interesting.. if the Employer turned out to be a Gordon Freeman? Possibly even the very first instance of Gordon to exist in the Half-Life Universe. The Gordon from the very first timeline. The one who set the president for all. That would be my “Gman Gordon”

I’ve posted this before but here is the og Drawing. I may do a new one.

More info below if you are interested in my thoughts and ideas.

He would wear an edgy version of Gordon’s Black Mesa Uniform. His glasses would be tinted to conceal his eyes. He also has an HEV suit he sometimes wears that is also in more dark edgy colors rather than orange to keep him hidden. He can be seen holding a black mesa brief case (like Gman) but is more commonly seen holding a Black Mesa clipboard with what feels like infinite paper but only appears to have two or three sheets on it at all times.

Depending on what he wants to look at or what he needs the second or next page of the clipboard changes. The first page is always the cover of the Black Mesa employee handbook.

He barely retains any of his original self. He purposefully suppresses his human side to keep himself focused on his job. He still has his own Universe. He no longer maintains it, instead he has left it in the hands of the og Gman who he employed long ago to keep it safe. He occasionally visits it. It serves as a place where he can go to think and feel “at home.” Deep inside he mourns his Universe. Mourns a time when he was still human. Now he knows that all instances of himself and the people he cares for despise him. Even though no one knows he is the “Employer” (except those he has employed) everyone always thinks the ideals of the many Gmen and their employer are working against them since they seem to have done nothing but harm their ways of life, emotions, and morals. Gordon The Employer has to face the fact that everyone he cared for now want him and his plans dead. When all he wishes to do is keep all timelines and Universes flowing. He wants to do what is best for each instance of everyone including himself.

After all if he had never made the choice to pull The Freeman into stasis for 20 years, who would stop the Combine? How would things have played out? Yes the choice to force Alyx into employment is morally wrong, but those are human morals. When it comes to the greater good of the universe and its timelines, human morals do not apply.

Time is not a concept that applies to The Employer. He is everywhere, anywhere, yet no where all at once. He is a singular entity but is sometimes referred to in the plural as “The Employers”

Alternative Universes and timelines of each are constantly appearing, constantly changing, evolving. The Employer must be able to handle the task of assigning each new universe with its own set of boundaries, key events each iteration of the first timeline must follow, and its very own Gman that must abide by these rules and maintain the new Universe accordingly. It is not an easy job, but he has done it since the beginning of time and deep at his core he is still a scientist, and scientists thrive in challenges such as these. And with each Universe came new challenges, new threats to his plans and to the plot each timeline should follow. As time goes on he realizes a pattern all instances of himself, Eli, Alyx, and in some cases Vortiguants have begun to rebel against his employees. A Little deviation from the core plot is not is not a big deal, things can be nudged to fix such things, but too much is seen as a threat and must be dealt with accordingly.

Each “Employee” or “Gman” must stem from somewhere. The Employer originally kept to a strict pattern of using different variations of the same “Gman” across universes. But eventually he saw the potential for employing those he cared for, especially ones from timelines where he saw they had potential. Slowly The Employer began to replace original “Gmen” with the newly trained and employed Employees. All was well, he even spoke with them individually, assisting (as best he could) with their transition from being human to a “Gman” including the emotional and mental strain that can cause. (However with his own emotionless habits it proved to be less than effective or comforting for the others.)

All was well. Until he decided to try and employ.. himself. And thats where Sepko’s Geeman comes in.

At first he does nothing but watch from a far. When the gman set to maintain and train the new Employee turns up missing, and his other Employees’ ties to the Universe are served, he has no choice but to personally intervene. For the first time since the beginning of time he has to step out of the shadows and introduce himself to the rest of the Half-Life Universe. Having no choice but to collaborate with the Alyx and Vortiguants of this Universe in order to come up with a solution. At first it does not go as planned. Everyone in the universe rejects him and attacks him. Never giving him a chance to introduce himself or speak. Simply mistaking him for the rouge employee.. or The Freeman Immortal. Having to actually interact with those he cared about for the first time in… a while.. is challenging. Not just for the obvious reasons but because it touched the side of him he had long since suppressed. The Gordon Freeman part of him.

[mazeinthemiroh]

Hiii, could I request Ateez reaction to another idol hitting on their idol partner? If not it's fine, take care!🤍😚

ateez reactions to an idol hitting on their s/o

genre: general, angst?

warnings: none

please like and reblog if you enjoy :]

hongjoong

yall already know what's about to go down. this possessive mfer isn't having ANY of it. if he's hearing about it after it has happened, his eyes will go dark. will make a mental note to be more touchy around you because clearly someone isn't getting the fact you're with him. if he's seeing this all unfold in front of him, however, he will immediately confront the idol and glare daggers into them he's so scary

seonghwa

doesn't really know how to respond at first. in his head he's like 'ofc they're being hit on because they're hot and awesome' so it only makes sense. still, he can't help but feel uncomfortable. and when he sees you becoming visibly more uneased with this situation, he comes to your rescue, coming over to wrap an arm around your shoulder, all the while smiling sweetly at the now bewildered idol in front of you.

yunho

he trusts you enough not to care too much. you're an adult; you can handle these situations yourself and he trusts you will set boundaries rather quickly. however, if he sees you getting uncomfortable or more hesitant, he'll come over to reassure you, joining in on the conversation as if he had been there the whole time, draping an arm around your waist as he makes a witty remark.

yeosang

feels a spark of jealousy and is kind of hurt that the idol would do such a thing, especially if they knew he was dating you. would feel a little hopeless at first as he watches from afar the flirting that is taking place. he has an internal debate with himself, two options: either stand by and watch this all happen, or do something about it. so in his frustration he decides to take matters into his own hands, simply dragging you away.

san

jokes on the person who would ever dare try and flirt with THE choi san's partner 💀 if they aren't aware already, they'll find out soon enough. san becomes obscenely touchy once he realises you've been hit on. will have his hand on your ass and be kissing you 95% of the time, lips either attached to your own or placed on your neck. you know exactly what he's doing and you let him do it anyways because it's hot hehe.

mingi

will probably talk to you about it afterwards. "what did they say to you?" "do you want me to talk to them? tell them to back off?" he wouldn't want to act on impulse at the moment in case he makes the situation first so this is why he wants to discuss it with you later. that doesn't mean he isn't feeling a surge of jealousy and confusion when he sees this all take place.

wooyoung

similar to wooyoung, he would get more touchy with you. also gets a bit snarky and tends to either avoid the other idol OR actively try to embarrass them or make them uncomfortable 🥰 he's petty sometimes and these types of situations make his pettiness come out infinitely more than expected. he's shameless with his sassiness and you appreciate that <3

jongho

another one you don't really want to mess with. except his probably more reasonable, lol. in fact he will find it quite amusing that someone had the audacity to flirt with his partner (if they know you guys are dating, of course.) if the idol doesn't know you're dating each other, jongho will likely be more lenient and give them the benefit of the doubt. he's not one to cause a scene.

[moth-bells]

Hi so, I dont know whenever I'm gonna be able to write or draw anything I like for my cryptids au, so I'm going to give you all literally all the lore and if I ever get to it, its already here.

It also doesnt always make perfect sense but I think that gives it charm and I'm not gonna run around in circles trying to make it perfect Gonna try and make this generally in timeline of events order

The earth is formed. From the dust of star dust rises two figures

They have no names and they were never born, forming from things they do not understand, yet know all too well

They are always at one another's side

They are both everything and nothing to one another

They witness eons together

Watching little specks shift and change and grow

They watch life and ease life along with hands that do what is needed without thought behind how it happens

They have purpose yet none here, witnesses

The duo watch as the earth fills with life only for it all to nearly vanish

They watch life persevere despite that

Those first peculiar humans, though without that name yet, come to be. So small and fragile, yet the two can see potential with these ones

They travel the globe, checking in on different places, seeing how the people so similar are slowly changing. They find it fascinating, though they feel this with other animals

One day, they realize many of these people that they've visited, perhaps assisted at times, and occasionally revisited, have places of worship

Neither of them understand, but they gather that these humans seem to look at them as higher than them. Gods.

Are they? They arent living in the same way as other beings. They cant die. They dont age and were never born.

If not gods, what are they then?

They dont know.

They do eventually move on, but one day, an unknown amount of years later, they return to one of these villages

The people, they do rejoice for their deities have graced them again

The duo decided to linger here longer than before.

One day, theres murmurs of malcontent floating

The two have witnessed battles, but stayed out of them.

They had never watched wars begin, the quiet wisps of smoke that would soon become flames

Now these two, unnatural as they are, were not infinitely strong.

Yes, they were stronger than many of these small humans, who were much smaller than them

But, if there were many humans against one of them, there was only so much that they could do

The humans, separated into factions, decided that one of the duo were a true god while the other was something evil and wrong.

Such is the way of humanity

The two realized they might have stayed too long now, deciding it was time to leave

It was too late for that now.

These two beings, nameless, named and renamed by many, but never calling each other by any.

Two who had been together since they were glints in an existence less universe

Were separated

Humans from either side took their 'rightful' god. Determined to use their worship against the other side.

The two beings were able to take some of them, desperately trying to not be taken away from the other.

They were not gods, though, not in the way these humans thought.

What they were was unknowable, but they still were not ever powerful.

With enough force, they were dragged away by the people who once looked at them equally

The one yellow as pollen was taken into a deep cavernous temple, locked into the darkness, with nothing within it. No escape. The entrance to this prison was sealed with a boulder.

He screamed for them to release him, but his words, something only his other understood, fell on deaf ears.

He pushed and clawed at the rock, but it was too heavy

These people believed their worship of isolation and fasting was pure and accepted by their god.

The other was left to a fate less horrendous, but equally lonely.

Tossed down into a pit, deep with only a manmade covering to hide it.

He as well demanded to be freed, but none of that was to come

These humans worshipped the sky at night that this being reminded them of, that being the only thing that he could see from his prison, though there was also a reminder in the daylight of who he was missing

The humans dropped food of animals down to him.

They werent able to starve to death, nor did they need to eat in the way animals and living things did, but it would give them extra energy if they needed it. No, they took in the rays of the star above them.

So, with the one in the pit, he received more that enough to keep him mobile.

The one in the cave, however...

centuries passed. Thousands and thousands of years

And they who have been here since before time itself, before knowing that of light and space and earth and death

They changed

Slowly, over time, of desperation and madness, and forces they themselves would never truly understand

They changed.

The cavern, where slowly less and less voices of prayer came, lost to a memory

Where eyes as blue as the sky became milky white

Where his mind grew blank with bleakness and its voice lost all form of words

Body became sharp and thin and twisted

Claws and teeth long and sharp.

In the pit, staring up at day and night as blood, and bodies of animal sacrifice fell upon him

One day, he accepted them, hoping for the strength needed to climb free

Eventually, it forgot why it was even down there.

And then the food stopped coming.

It had spent years and years, copying the shrieks and cries of a wounded animal, luring certain animals to the wide spaced grate above

It never felt hunger but it ached for the blood and rush that the meal provided

Its body became more wild, more dangerous

For some years its back ached until there was a weak flap of wings

Wings.

W i n g s.

Freedom.

The other was still trapped for sometime, having long forgotten what it was. What it was missing. Neither could remember but they could feel it

It would be sheer luck that some unfortunate children, merely teenagers, would come to that stone that their ancestors had made and laid there, not just a myth among them now.

That a god lay in the cave, dangerous and angry, locked away when it tried to turn against the people that worshiped it...or so they say the story goes

It would be their misfortune as they struggled to move the circular rock, that light from the evening setting sun would start to peek through inside

And something would come leaping out at them.

They fled from the monster, leaving one screaming to their fate to the creature so starved.

After, once its frenzy ended, it luckily took off into the forest surrounding it, away from the pain of the sun on its wide white eyes

It was fate, it would seem that they would find one another again

So changed by time and humanities unknowing cruelties

More animal than whatever they may have been to begin with

The winged one had found it one day, though not knowing fully why it was pulled toward it

The blind one, having changed even more in these years of freedom, lashed out at the new arrival

This, in turn, made the winged one defend itself.

They fought, clicking and screeching at one another until the teeth were dug into fur

Something clicked in this mindless mind that this thing was the same as itself.

They backed away from one another

Slowly, they reapproached...they chirred and cooed and inspected one another. One with sight the other with smell.

And they laid down together for the first time in forever

They wandered for some years, avoiding the creatures they felt compelled to hide from.

Until one day..

A small little voice spoke up at the blind one, not screaming or attacking with things that hurt

"Puppy..?"

[bamber344]

Prologue - Birth

next

masterlist

Finally going through with my promise to actually write this superhero living weapon whump story. Updates will probably be pretty slow and sporadic as finishing draft 1 of my book is my current priority, but once that's done i'll definitely focus on this during the downtime before editing starts. Also the series itself doesn't have an actual name yet but shhhhh i'm working on it

it's in 1st person pov for the main character as i felt her perspective would be more interesting from that pov. Other character povs will likely be 3rd person when we get to those.

this is just a prologue to get you situated in so it's pretty short but i hope it gets you excited for what's to come! let me know what you think! story begins below the cut.

CWs: Medical whump (technically), female whumpee, non-sexual nudity, confused whumpee, male whumper, blood mention, manipulation of a vulnerable person, living weapon whumpee, mysterious medical procedures, language barrier

The first thing I remember feeling was warm. It was all-encompassing, surrounding and pressing in on me. I was completely weightless, floating around in some infinite black void. Nothing existed but myself and the warmth, gently cradling me, lulling me to sleep. I let it take hold, and sank into the emptiness.

—

I opened my eyes for the first time, and discovered that the universe was Green. Like the warmth, it was all around me, clinging to my skin, suspending me in itself. There were shadows, flickering about somewhere deeper in, moving back and forth, tempting me. I wanted to go to them, but movement eluded me, and all I could do was reach out, uselessly grasping at the Green. It was then, with my arm stretched out in front of me, that I saw myself for the first time.

My bones were small, and my skin was translucent. 

That didn’t seem right.

Something inside of me started thumping quickly. I heard my very first sound; a shrill, high-pitched beep, piercing through the Green in time with the thumping. The shadows began moving quickly. Something was wrong. Something was wrong! I needed to escape! Get out! Get out get out get out get out getoutgetoutgetoutgetout get out get… out…

Calmness washed over me. My eyelids grew heavy. I closed them, shutting out the Green and returning to the dark.

—

COLD.

The Green was gone, replaced by blinding White. The warmth was a distant memory, torn apart by an all-encompassing cold biting my skin, now opaque as it always should’ve been. My whole body shivered and a terrible pain lit up inside of me, my limbs flailing limply against the hard surface I was pressed up against. I convulsed, and Green spilled out of my mouth, making way in my lungs for my very first breath.

Air rushed in through my throat and filled my chest. It still wasn’t quite enough, though. Another few coughs and it seemed like most of the Green had been expelled, leaving me panting and gasping for more precious oxygen, now that room had been made. It made me feel Awake. It made me feel Alive. It gave me the strength to lift myself to a seated position, curiously interacting with the way this new Universe worked outside of the Green. I was no longer suspended; I had to use my body to move, and to do that, I needed to learn how things worked.

The blurriness in my eyes cleared, and I discovered that the Universe was not entirely White, either. Yes, the White was abundant, but there were exceptions to it, like the things standing around me, observing. They had bodies of a similar shape to mine, with two legs and two arms and a torso and a head, but where my skin was bare and visible, most of theirs was obscured by more White, soft-looking wrappings and covers. They held things in their hands, and were making noises with their mouths, but none of it meant anything to me, so I moved on.

Something unexpectedly touched my shoulder and I spun, sweeping my arm out in alarm. There was a flash of Black and a splattering of Red and suddenly all of the things around me were screaming. I scrambled backwards as best I could, pushing and kicking my limbs off of the slippery floor to move myself away. The things moved away from me as well. That was good. I decided I didn’t like them.

My back hit a wall and I curled up, ready to lash out at any more of the White things with the Black that came out of my arm. It was still there, staining my usually tan skin from my hand to my elbow, with a tendril hanging from my wrist. I focused, and the tendril disappeared into smoke along with the remaining Black. Curious.

Enraptured as I was by my own strange ability to cover my hands in Black, I failed to notice the new figure approaching until they were right in front of me. My first instinct was to fight, to get the strange thing away from me, but when I looked upon them my body was filled with a strange sense of calm. I didn’t know how I knew it, but I knew that above all else, the thing in front of me was safe.

Their pale body was hidden by a blocky, navy blue covering, and their face was covered in wrinkles and divots. They reached out, cradling my cheek with a warm, calloused hand. I leaned into it, filled with an overwhelming feeling of safety. This was where the warmth I was missing was, ever since I left the Green.

The thing was making noises at me. I couldn’t understand them, but they didn’t seem to mind. They put a hand to their chest and repeated a specific noise, over and over. They sounded it slowly, making exaggerated movements with their mouth. Their teeth on their bottom lip; an open exclamation; their tongue between their teeth; and another, slightly less open exclamation. Compelled by my curiosity, I attempted to repeat it.

“Fffff…” I tried. “Fah…” My voice was raspy and weak in its first use. My tongue was thick and unresponsive. The movements of the thing were difficult to replicate, but they were patient as I practised, getting the hang of it. “Fah…ther. Father. Father!”

The thing smiled, and it was the greatest sight of my short existence. At that point I knew that I would do absolutely anything if it meant getting to see that smile directed at me again.

Taglist: @steelandblood @sapphicwhump @urnumber1star

Hope it wasn't too confusing! Obviously the protagonist currently doesn't really know what's going on at all, so I tried to translate that feeling through the prose. It won't usually be like that, so dw if you weren't feeling it. feel free to ask for clarification tho! Happy to answer any questions that don't spoil anything

feel free to reblog ;) it helps a lot!

[hellscapechrysanthemum]

Actually I'm gonna give another crummy rant about how Saint Germain was treated in Netflixvania (sorry for how this is gonna sound and more art is coming soon)

SPOILERS FOR CASTLEVANIA SEASON 3 AND 4

The way Saint Germain was portrayed in Netflixvania felt so petty and meanspirited.

In Castlevania Curse of Darkness, Saint Germain is a well-mannered, charming, and skilled gentleman time traveler who goes out of his way to prevent Hector from unknowingly going down a destructive path that would not only result in his death, but the resurrection of Count Dracula. He even combats Hector in an awesome boss battle! (Him and Aeon having clock tower stages for their arenas is part of their time traveler swagger I suppose). Not to mention him running circles around Zead!

In Netflixvania, he's portrayed as a travelling alchemist and magician, which at first isn't necessarily a bad thing. Season 3 had you watching and thinking "okay well this is just Saint Germain at the beginning, once he reunites with his loved one who is totally Aeon and they go into the Infinite Corridor then he'll become the cool time traveler we know!"

But instead his loved one turns out to be some worthless original character (the name "Adventure Lady" is so offensive in lacking creativity, I'm calling the poor lady "Ariadne"), he gets turned into an antagonist, and he doesn't even get a good portrayal as a villain! He gets a whole humiliating scene with Death gloating about what an idiot he is for trusting him as well as getting talked down by Greta!

The whole portrayal of him feels so petty, awful, and meanspirited, and it feels like as a character and villain Saint Germain was put through a whole procession of being embarrassed, mistreated, and humiliated in his on screen adaptation. Given how Warren Ellis treated Theo James through writing Hector's storyline in Netflixvania (all of which was the result of some petty dislike for the voice actor) , it wouldn't surprise me if there was some similar motivation with portraying Saint Germain.

It's even more saddening when you remember just like with Hector and Isaac, this is the first time since 2005 Saint Germain has had an actual appearance in Castlevania.

Overall it's just genuinely saddening to watch, especially given Saint Germain is arguably one of my all time favorite Castlevania characters and to see him get treated so badly in his portrayal just hurts.

(Also gotta love the audacity they had in showing us Saint Germain in his classic outfit as an Easter Egg. Thanks Warren /s)

[jillsandwhichs]

Golden

A Cleon Story , Chap 1 , Talking it out

Masterlist

Pairing: Claire Redfield and Leon Kennedy

Summary: Claire and Leon talk out how they feel about him not giving her the chip, they agree to eventually go to dinner

WC: 2.4k

Type: Sfw

Description of this series: What if Claire accepted that dinner invite from Leon after Infinite Darkness? How would it have went? Would their relationship have blossomed? All of your questions will be answered in this fanfiction. When Claire accepts Leon's invite, they go to dinner together. They have a lovely time together and open up to one another. They've never been this close before... Throughout their time of speaking, getting closer & their relationship maturing, the two of them find their feelings for one another... But don't fool yourself, this doesn't go on without any bumps in the road...

A/n: Hi! Hope you all enjoy. Please check out my masterlist, there's a lot of stuff there. You can get to know me, you can see the rules of my blog and then you can see all of my fanfictions. You'll be able to find the previous chapters to this fic and upcoming ones. You'll also be able to find my Wattpad & AO3. Comments, reblogs & likes are appreciated. Thank you

"I thought you called because you wanted to grab dinner." Leon sighed out, seeming a bit irritated with we Claire's words. When would she let up? Doesn't she get it? This is for her own good. Looking down at his side, Leon simply contemplated whether or not to grab it out. He truly does understand where she's coming from, but in his eyes, she can't have the chip. It's sacred. Even if she wants to make a copy.

Pulling it out, Leon let the chip rest in his hand as he gazed down at it, still thinking long and hard whilst Claire spoke. Not even listening to what she had to say, he interrupted her, "I can't." He stated, his tone cold and serious. He has to get this through her head. Claire gave him a nasty look, not quite knowing what to think of what he's just said. Leon's never been this way towards her, all stoic. This isn't the man she knows.

"So that's how it's going to be? You do things your way and I do things mine?" Claire denoted, her anger low yet present, the fact he wouldn't help is infuriating. Doesn't he want to help the public? How come he's so selfish? Leon just gave her a monotone stare, nodding slowly as he made eye contact with her. Claire felt her heart tighten slightly when he did that. How could he be this way towards her? This isn't Leon. "Okay... Fine..." Claire added on harshly, still appalled by his actions.

Claire turned around, trying to get away from him as soon as she could. She was so frustrated with him. He's changed, and most definitely not for the better. That outfit, that demeanor, his personality, none of it suits him. The man she met back in Raccoon City has flooded away with the past years, can she blame him though? Why would he hold onto his past self. But then again, why would he change into this? Both make no sense to her. She misses the compassionate Leon who had a sense of justice similar to hers.

"Claire!" Leon shouted out to her, but she didn't stop. She's had enough of his words. Just hearing his voice any longer will piss her off further. "Claire, listen to me, it's for your own sake!" He yelled out again, this time even louder, half of the city could've heard. She really wanted to keep walking, oh she did, but it's as if she was drawn to him, to hear him out and what is possible reasoning could be. It's probably garbage though. Either way, it's like she couldn't stop herself. She was attracted.

"What is? What's for my own sake, huh?" Claire questioned, her voice rowdy. She began to slowly but surely walk back towards him and he did the same, the two of them closing distance between them. "Claire, I understand you, I know you, you know I know you." Leon started, his words seeming all over the place. "But you have to understand, I can't." He said, this time his voice was so meaningful. Claire couldn't help but feel entranced by how genuine he seemed.

"Why? How come?" Claire asked of him, demanding an honest and truthful answer. Leon stood there, just looking her in the eye. "I wish I could let you, let you do what you feel is right, but I have to be the one to put an end to this. Claire, if I let you-" He paused before talking much more hushly. "If I let you have the chip or even make copies of it, who knows what could happen to you..." Leon stated, he seemed sincere. And he was. Leon really cares for Claire. Ever since they met in R.C, he's had a soft spot for her.

"Leon-" Claire began but she was cut off by him once again. "I know you think I've changed and yeah, I have, but not for the worst." He muttered, his body tensing up. "I've just got to see the world for what it truly is and Claire, it is not pretty so no, I'm not giving you the chip and it is for your own safety and if you don't like that, I honestly don't know what to tell you." He splurged the words out like paint.

Looking down at the black pavement, Claire breathed in deeply, still processing all of what Leon has just said to her. It's all so confusing. He's being so vague. She doesn't know how to feel about it all. "I trust you Leon but I want this info to get out to the public so the city and everywhere else is aware." Claire gandered back up, trying to seem relatable. Leon heaved. He sees where she's coming from. It's so hard to explain.

"Claire..." Leon spoke in a gentle tone, taking a small step towards her, closing distance even more. Claire's breath slightly broke as he did that. Something inside her made her wanna step even closer but she refrained. "I'm already in danger as it is." He confirmed to her. "But with the amount of security I have and the fact I work under President Graham it helps." He wasn't being fully truthful, but truthful enough.

If he lets the public know of what's on that chip, it could seriously damage not only him, but the President himself. It has to keep what is on there a top secret. Leon will always remain loyal to the President, the White House and the Government. Not even because he wants to, but because he has to. If he had no recollection of what was on the chip, he'd wanna release it to the public too. But he can't. So he gets it. He does.

"What's so dangerous about it?" Leon needed to keep his reply logical but not revealing. Claire is such an inquisitive woman. Leon admires it, but sometimes it goes a bit to far. "Well, if higher ups, even lowers, figure out who released the data, it could lead to some serious damage on your part - possibly death. Do you want that for yourself, Claire?" He whispered out, wanting to remain sleuth. She raised an eyebrow at his claim. Death? For protecting the public.

"Elaborate." "On the chip, there is a lot of dangerous information stored on it and let's say someone who was a part of what's on the chip figures out it's you. They would murder you, Claire." Leon scoffed out, getting pretty tired of explaining this to her. "I'm trying to save you from that." "I get it Leon." Claire murmured, her voice low, trying to figure this all out.

Was he being serious? They would track her down and kill her? All she wants to do is protect the people. Make them aware of the wrong doings going on behind the scenes. She wants that chip so badly - but she knows that won't happen. No matter how much she pleads with Leon, he won't give in. This is the new and 'improved' him. He claims he hasn't changed for the worst but this isn't the best he could be. He's cold, distant, off. He's not his true self currently.

His sense of justice has changed. Old Leon would've wanted to let the public know and not leave them out in the dark and now he's heavily dedicated to his line of work and what they do that he'll do anything he's told, even if it ruins things for him. That's selfless of him but also selfish at the same time. If he's correct about what he's saying, Claire will drop it. But it's hard to believe, what if these people don't come for her? What if there's nobody even left?

"I just..." Claire sighed deeply. "I care so much for the people who have absolutely no clue of what's going on." She looked him in the eyes, not breaking the contact. "I feel pity for them." "I know you do but sometimes there's literally nothing we can do." Leon shut her pity party down with reality. Deep down, she knows he's right. "Y'know, I'd be willing to die for that chip, for the world." "Don't speak like that." Leon's stature changed to be more upfront. Claire won't, he has nothing to worry about.

"But I won't, if it's that important to you that you keep it all to yourself, then fine... But Leon, sooner or later, the people have to know something. There are families out there who've lost those close to them and they're beyond confused!" Claire set her hand on his forearm, her other hand in it's cast. Leon melted at her touch, it was like a humanity switch. Now he felt all warm inside.

Leon gazed at her, his brown eyes weary as they were on hers. He felt bad. She was too good of a person. "Deal." Leon whispered, a soft chuckle coming out from him. He felt better. Better that they spoke about this - Even if his 'truth' wasn't honest. Maybe he is too loyal for his own good. It's not as if he wants to keep the truth from Claire but rather he has too, who knows what would happen if President Graham or the Government found out.

Claire stood there, not really knowing what to say now. Deep down, she felt anger still. She just wants the people to be safe. She removed her hand from his arm and looked back up at him. "Promise me you'll eventually release some sort of information or you'll do something major to protect the public, at least do that for me." Claire began her plead. Leon gave her a caring look, his true compassion showing. "I promise Claire." Leon spoke from the heart.

"Thank you, Leon." Claire responded, her upper lip covering her lower lip as if she was quivering. She'll admit, melancholy was a feeling she felt when he refused to help her but that sadness has changed into the better type - Gratefulness. Grateful that he's willing to release something, even if it's not much. "I appreciate the compromise." "Good." Leon replied, his voice once again husk but mainly due to his exhaustion. He was spent.

"What time is it?" Claire questioned him, glancing down at his watch. Leon had a puzzled look but checked it, it was almost six. "5:50." "Ok..." Claire moped, letting her blue side show more. "Is everything alright?" "Now, yes." Claire let out a small titter, she was also tired. "What a draining week." She laughed, it wasn't a humorous topic though. It was a laugh of stress. "Couldn't agree more." Leon nodded. "Honestly, I just wanna go home, feel my cozy bed and cuddle with my cat." Claire admitted. Leon snickered.

"I can't blame you there, you should head off, you deserve it." Leon said gently, his care for her clear as day. "What do you plan to do?" Claire asked. "Probably order some take out and sleep, I'm starving. He crossed his arms. "Maybe I should've taken you to dinner then." Claire joked, her eyes on his. "If only." Leon whispered to her. "Well... The offer wasn't standing but now, the offer stands... Maybe we can discuss all of this over dinner soon."

Leon was shocked by her words. He didn't expect that, but he was glad. Dinner... With Claire? That would be different. It would be nice. He always eats alone or with other agents he couldn't give two shits about. He and Claire could go somewhere peaceful and serene, somewhere uncommon. "That'd be fine by me." "Great." Claire chuckled, adjusting her broken arm, it was still sore. "Make sure you take care of that arm of yours." "Will do."

The two stood there in silence. They were both content with one another but both of them still had something deep down they wanted to say aloud but wouldn't. It felt like the air was tensing them up. They felt at a loss for words.

Leon spoke out, he honestly just needed to rest. "I'll let you head home now." He calmly spoke, being soft with her now rather than cold. "Okay well, I will. Just... You drive safe and get that food, yeah?" Claire giggled, slowly backing away. "I will." Leon responded with a light snicker. Claire nodded and turned away. Leon just watched as she walked off. Her hips swayed side to side, causing her red jacket to move around as well.

As he treaded away, she stopped for a moment, turning around and speaking a bit louder than usual. "And Leon... Like I said earlier... That outfit doesn't suit you." She smirked, waving goodbye and going up to her car. Leon took a look at his suit, ultimately agreeing with her. Yeah, this wasn't him. It's who he's been forced to become. The fact that Claire can see right passed him is freaky. She knows him a little to well.

Leon gave her one final nod before walking back through the entry gate and to his vehicle. His car was all black, tinted windows too, it made him feel safer owning it. He got into the driver's seat with a grunt, just sitting there and thinking about everything. This past week has been an absolute wreck with little to no good moments. Any of the more finer times he can think of, Claire is prominent in them. She's like a light. An attraction. It's odd to the man.

He pulled his seat belt down, buckling himself in. "Safety first." Leon soughed, fixing himself to be more comfortable. He adjusted the mirror to be more at his level and he turned the car on, begining to pull out of the parking lot. He hopes Claire was being serious about the dinner thing, he doesn't wanna seem like a fool when he messages her about it. The main reason he even wants to do it is so that they can talk about this whole week and even vent, it would be relieving to do so.

Pulling out onto the road, Leon turned the radio up, two hosts speaking about random bullshit he didn't care about. He just needed the noise to distract him. He began to drive on the busy streets, everyone rambling to head home from work, especially the main road. He couldn't get his mind off of Claire. He continuously wonders if she's okay, despite it being less than five minutes since they've parted ways.

He cares about her. She means a lot to him. Claire isn't just some girl, she's a life saver, a warrior. She went through hell back in Raccoon City with him, he could never thank her enough for sticking by his side.

He'll forever be grateful.

[giaffa]

Get to know me tag

I was tagged by @bich-the-moss, thank you! 💖 (and sorry for the late reply, I forgot this in my drafts 🙈)

Do you make your bed?

Yep, every morning.

If you could, would you go back to school?

I'm very fond of my high school memories but I wouldn't go back to waking up at 6:30 am every day. Hell world.

Can you parallel park?

Nope 🙈 I have a driver's license but I haven't driven since 2019.

A job you had that would surprise people?

I did one year of civil service to help the local associations of ex-partisans and ex-deportees digitalise their archives. I had the opportunity to interview a survivor of Auschwitz, and an old partisan who fought in the Italian Resistance during ww2.

Do you think aliens are real?

I think there's a good probability that we're not alone in an infinite universe.

Can you drive a manual car?

Theoretically? My driver's license says I can. In practice? Not driving for 5 years will make you forget everything.

What is your guilty pleasure?

You can do whatever you want forever and there's no guilty pleasures.

Tattoos?

I have a tiny treble clef tattoo on my wrist, I made it with some ink and a needle when I was 14 to match with some friends lol

I'd love to have more tattoos, but I'm always saving money for concert tickets.

Do you like puzzles?

I get easily bored with puzzles and board games, and my competitivity is almost nonexistent, so they're not all that fun to me. I enjoy them just if the shapes/colours feel interesting.

Any phobias?

I have arachnophobia but the problem isn't the spider, it's the web. With spiders in general my fight response kicks in and I usually get rid of them, but if I see a spiderweb (or something similar like processionary caterpillars) my flight response skyrockets off the charts.

Sometimes I also get anxious if I have a lot of physical mass over my head, like in caves or at the ground floor of a very tall building. It's not claustrophobia or speluncaphobia because I'm completely fine with tight or dark places, it's more similar to thalassophobia (which also gets to me sometimes).

Favorite childhood sport?

Fencing! I took a junior fencing class for 2 years when I was in middle school and it was super fun! I would've loved to keep attending but it was too expensive and the instructor was the most annoying person I've ever met.

First thing you wanted to be growing up?

A witch. I was convinced it was a legit career path, and tbh maybe I was right.

Do you talk to yourself?

Sometimes I do, but I usually prefer to sing or talk to my plants.

What movies do you adore?

Viktor und Viktoria, The Prestige, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Orlando, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.

Coffee or tea?

Tea <3

Favorite color?

Red + black + purple combination my beloved ❤️🖤💜

no pressure tags: @curiouscalembour @valleydoll777 @the-paisley @hurdygurdywizard @kissingmonsters @velvetlinedbox @mirillel @sleeeepy-demon

[khruschevshoe]

So, I'm watching The Timeless Children and it's weird, but I think I'm really down for this explanation of how Time Lord society came to be, this sort of dark backstory of Time Lord society, a society that we know is generally speaking rather pompous and morally corrupt to the point where it had to be destroyed along with the Daleks because they were threatening the universe, being founded on this kind of horrible thing that the doctor has to grapple with. Like, the whole backstory of the Timeless Child and Tecteun perfectly lines up with how we know Gallifrey and the Time Lords to be: ruthless, power-hungry, and manipulative while justifying themselves with the philosophy that they are "civilized." Like, there's some great themes there involving exploitation and abuse and propaganda and corruption and experimentation in the name of progress that would be really fun to dig into.

I just really hate the fact that the Timeless Child is the Doctor specifically, because it really takes away the agency of the character and makes them Universally Special in a way that really doesn't vibe with everything that's going on within every other aspect of the story and the franchise that we've come to know (this is a similar problem to how the Doctor was treated in Moffat's era, especially during 11, as some sort of god that every villain in the universe would be willing to come together to put away which really doesn’tmake sense if your consider the ideologies of the Cybermen, Daleks, and Sontarans for like even a second, much less the others).

The Doctor is a coward, who is way too curious for their own good, who is kind, who stole a magic box and ran away because of fear and curiosity and being fed up with Gallifreyan society and the Time Lords in general. They're the Doctor because of their choices and their flaws and their character strengths. They're not particularly special except for how they made themselves special, especially with the help of their friends and companions over the years.

(It also weirdly elevates them above the Master, in some ways, which I hate because the Master/Doctor rivalry is interesting because they're foils, they came from the same place, they're both a bit mad and the last of their kind and it doesn't have the same parallel flavor once you establish that the Doctor has infinite regenerations and is more genetically SpecialTM than the Master.)

Not sure if this makes sense, but this is mostly to say that I understand where Chibnall was trying to take the Timeless Child arc. I just feel that it only half-worked, at least for me personally.

[lightwise]

TBB S3 E13 Reaction

- Ooooh, Tantiss has light on it again for the first time since the beginning of the season 👀 that is hopeful. Omega’s presence is bringing light back to this desolate place

- We haven’t seen male scientists before have we?

- Scrunchy nose and scowly eyebrows. Baby girl is in full blown revenge mode 😎

- I have to point out that every time a tv show has characters be given perfectly fitting outfits in a new environment (especially something like a prison) it cracks me up to no end. There’s no way Omega and Bayrn sized prison jumpsuits were just laying around somewhere.

- Omega has grown SO MUCH 😭 physically, emotionally, rationally. At the start of this season she made that doll to keep herself sane and now she knows that she doesn’t even need to mention that fact to Eva. She is so confident and focused in her mission and in showing up as a leader and example for these kids. I’m so freaking proud of her

- And to juxtapose that with Bora Vio, where Omega was captured by Cad Bane and confronted by Fennec about her fears of becoming an experiment in a test tube—AND where she got herself out and where the boys could pick her up. Chefs kiss

- Echo!! I love their brotherly handshakes

- Hunter and Echo are not playing around sassing Rampart around lol.

- This shuttle looks very similar to the one Crosshair and Omega escaped in at the beginning of the season

- Why does Crosshair’s “yes” sound like someone screwed up on the sound mixing side? It’s so weirdly quiet and whispery

- The little tappy taps on the uniform and “I can’t wear this” “you’ve been demoted” I’m DYING 💀

- The grid layout of these prison cells reminds me of the Box episodes in TCW where Obi-Wan becomes Rako Hardeen

- Scalder is definitely trouble

- Yeah Emerie stand up for yourself and the kids!

- These kids voices 😭

- And Omega’s voice 😏 allll her training is paying off

- They stripped their armor 😭😭😭😭 all of their individuality and expressiveness gone. I do not like this

- Alright, I can see why the hair and beard trim is driving everyone wild, but it’s still not for me 😆. The bitchiness is endlessly entertaining though

- Okay this is now infinitely nerve-wracking

- Hunter putting his hand on Rampart’s shoulder and him immediately wiping it off is so hilarious 🤣. I think there is a modicum of respect that is established here though. Hunter is warning him but also giving him the clone sign of respect with the shoulder grasp. Rampart is still fastidious with his uniform but begrudgingly admits that he’s in on this mission even if it’s because he has no other choice, letting them know that he will handle himself properly.

- It’s interesting that many of the imperials this season have had beards. Last season most of them were blond and clean shaven, and now they’re dark haired and bearded. Coincidence? Trying to reuse facial models? An extra cold winter and Tarkin didn’t get his hands on the dress code protocols? 🤷🏻‍♀️

- I LOVE when the Empire is just flaunting one’s rank and bring an asshole to get things done. It works every time

- “I’ve missed this” 🤣 honestly it’s too bad Rampart isn’t willingly on the right side bc he would be steadily becoming hotter if he was

- Surely Echo appreciated the regulation drop 😅

- Ruh roh. Does no imperial ever see the “invite you into the ship and then hit you in the back of the head” thing coming??

- Echo’s always “working on” encryptions

- They’re going to have to go straight there?? 😱

- I have to say, I do feel for Rampart here. He genuinely didn’t sign up for this. Neither did the rest of them really but they don’t have a choice.

- “Wonderful. We’re all going to die” pls no 😭😭

- At no point did I ever worry that Rampart was going to give them up though. He might be pissed but he knows he’ll be sent directly back to prison if anyone in the empire recognizes him. He was sentenced by Palpatine himself. There’s no coming back from that. Whatever he chooses to do going forward, I think he knows it will have to be something he carves out himself, and trying to betray the Batch won’t help him at all in that process. Hopefully this remains true for the rest of the episodes.

- These overhead shots are insanely beautiful

- Bayrn is just a baby 🥺

- The perfect amount of suspense 😱 and Omega knows how to sound perfectly innocent

- Dr. Scalder is feeling like Nurse Ratched right now 👀

- “Our way out” “One way out” aghhhh let’s go!!

- And we get another “Echo is the baddest badass ARC Trooper ever” sequence and I LOVE it

- The droid chute lowers for the little mouse droid 🤣 adorable

- Echo 🤝 Omega doing what they need to do in the nick of time

- Wrecker wearing the tiny hat I can’t 😂😂😂

- Cue the hyperventilating

- This is so nerve-wracking

- Omg if Echo had gone out that way 😭

- “Negative” SIR 🥵 🥵 🥵

- In the last possible second!! The very warranted trust they have in Echo after all they’ve been through! Rampart’s quite reasonable fears and yet their crazy plan working as the Bad Batch does! And Crosshair catching Rampart so he doesn’t fall even though he doesn’t have to!

- I was officially white-knuckled by the end of this episode 😱💀

- Can we take a minute to appreciate Hunter’s leadership and piloting skills here? His choice to make this jump is insanely brave, his ability to fly has been proven to be capable and daring when needed, and his calm, proactive decision making that has largely been missing since their military days is back in full force. He’s on a mission and he’s not stopping until he gets his girl back for good.

[lost-technology]

Hey. Please please please don't do anything drastic. I know it seems really dark right now, and it is. Yesterday was a horrible day for everyone and it will continue to be hard as we all process. But it's so so so important that you keep on living through that.

One half of this that is absolutely true is that you need to keep on living to spite them. You need to live longer than him and laugh when he's gone. Your life in itself is resistance and that's infinitely valuable.

The other half is that, no matter if you believe this or not right now, the world would be darker without you. I mean this really and truly. I don't know you in real life so I can't speak to that, but you bring a lot of positivity and unique views to the trigun fandom. Your reblogs are how I found a lot of the trigun blogs I now follow. Your comments and discussions on Rem make me happy to read, just grinning in real life because someone cares so much about a character that needed more time. It's simple stuff really, but that's what's important. Even people you've never spoken to like me are positively impacted by your life. And that increases tenfold for people who know you in real life that you do speak to and that love you and want you around no matter if they say it out loud or not.

Please keep living. You bring something unique to this world and you're a nice person, which goes for a lot these days. And if you can't believe that, live for spite, just for now, and maybe the other stuff can come later.

Please live. I'm sorry for being so long winded but you really do have a much bigger impact than you could ever see without someone telling you and I want you to know.

We can all get through this and you're not alone. Being together is how we can find strength. So stay and be together with us. Please.

I'm sorry for the long ask. Just want to make sure you at least hear this stuff. You're important.

I do need to get on the phone with my therapist. It's just... I feel like the hits just keep on coming, neverending in my life. This hope to have the first ever Madame President and to not have a man in office (again) who shows all signs of going full fascist - it is bringing up grief in such a way that it seems to be bleeding into my lingering grief over a family-loss I had last year. I'm feeling similar ways. Last year, my nephew died (adult, just on the cusp of 40, my partner's nephew). He was my best friend, my gaming buddy and we were the three amigos on holidays and whatnot. We had him up for almost an entire year on Covid-lockdown living with us. He got me through my partner's heart-attacks when he had those in previous years. Matt was the one who broke the news to me that there was going to be a new Trigun anime because he knew I basically lived and breathed Trigun back in the day and still counted Vash as my personal hero. And then, in January '23, he was gone - cause of death unknown, probably his heart giving out - because he had some health issues. I basically had to go through that. I've been feeling like I've just gotten to pulling myself out of the muck of that, was just starting to feel better (with some random meloncholy still hitting me), and now I'm running into yet another big thing that's making me think "What is life even for?" - There's no justice here. I have no power. There is no rhyme or reason. I also lost a couple of aunts during Covid times, both eldery - one to the disease itself, another through something unrelated, both in 2021. I wasn't as close to them anymore, but it hurt. I had to go into inpatient psychiatric in 2021 because some misunderstandings, a huge fight, a dogpiling (of me) and a public tumblr callout post in one small niche area of the She-Ra fandom just made me lose it. I was accused of plagerism (not true. There was a misunderstanding with someone regarding idea-exchange and what I was allowed use in roleplays on a small roleplay discord. I did legit read things wrong, but it's not like I ganked someone's ideas for a publically available fanfic or was trying to "steal their characters" like they whined to everyone in the fandom about), but because anyone accuses of that, immedately everyone else will side with them and not even look further into it, I was suddenly losing friends - I freaked out, myself and got to harassing some people in a defensive snarl - and then some asshole had to take it off the discords and make it public, which meant I was shunned by an entire fandom and was basically told that I was human garbage and believed it. I did something untoward to myself and had a little hospital stay. The person who intervened to save my life was that now-deceased nephew. And so, I've just been going through hit after hit, some of it being hangover from "We all got crazy under Trump and under Trump's attempts to get back into power" and now... that's a thing again... I am also on Social Security / Disability and am worried about my future. I worked very hard to get it and it might go away. My partner was on the cusp of getting it until they raised the retirement age and who knows he might not get it. We might die freezing under a bridge, I don't know. There is always the question of "Well, now or later?" that looms in the mind. "Murdered by the State or go on my own terms?" I want to be brave like Vash and Rem, but they are fiction and I don't know if I am capable of their strength of heart. Thank you for talking to me.

[enginator2000]

What are your thoughts on Infidget (the ship of Infinite and Gadget the Wolf)?

i think its fine? i dont inherently dislike it or anything, and i dont mind seeing it from time to time. the only thing that i dont like is like, a lot of the shipping community's interpretations of it. and by that i mean the people that twinkify and feminize gadget into being a little wooby baby that cant do anything without his big strong man and infinite is just the stereotypical scary-on-the-outside soft-on-the-inside masc/male/im a man/im he him boyfriend. either that or gadget is fine and its just infinite who is extremely out of character. i had a lot of "he would not fucking say that" moments with infinite when infidget was at its most popular bc these kinds of depictions were everywhere and it was really annoying

the only version of infidget ive ever shipped was a lovers to friends to enemies to... somethings type deal where they dont go back to how they used to be by the end but its not vitriolic, they just outgrew each other in their own ways during the events of forces. that or their relationship cant get mended at all and theres no closure bc infinite dies or whatever like he did in canon. and i know this is the best version of infidget bc i made it up, thanks

i actually shipped it before forces even came out bc i thought that that was sort of the route that sonic team was going to take with tying the avatar into the story. it made sense to me for the avatar (or in this case gadget) to have some sort of previous history or connection with infinite bc in my onion, that makes their dynamic a little spicier and more compelling. in my version, gadget and infinite (then zero) used to be very close until zero started getting more involved with a local gang, the jackal squad, which began to drive a wedge between them until they got more and more distant from each other. and then some more time passes and gadget hasnt heard from zero for a long time and then the events of forces start. i think part of the idea was from this dialogue that we got to hear when footage of infinites second battle came out before the game itself:

(image text reads as infinite saying "and those eyes.. i feel like we've met before.")

-which implied that the avatar and infinite had history. which was technically true, but it was within the timeline of the game bc it turned out he was referring to like. the flashback cutscene of the avatar being too scared to fight back the first time they ran into infinite before joining the resistance, so it wasnt what i was hoping for

another reason iirc was uhhhh whatshisface? sega scourge on youtube? they made a theory video about infinite getting his mind wiped by the ruby or something and that added fuel to the fire. its a really cool concept and while i dont think that the avatar wanting to avenge those they lost is necessarily bad, i feel like its just kind of meh for the kind of story forces was trying to tell, what with the friendship-is-cool themes and whatnot. so i thought the avatar/gadgets arc was going to be we get to find out how they and infinite (or at least just the former lol) know each other, and how infinite became infinite in the first place, and gadget wanted to both help put a stop to everything but also get his friend back through, you guessed it, the power of friendship. hooray! i read a really good fic that was like that called til we touch the sun on a03 (that fic still makes me go insane thinking about it) that went with a sidestory for gadget that was quite similar to what i just described

plus the idea of infinite and gadget having shared a past but only one of them remembers it and now has to deal with a monster that looks like who they used to be but is no longer the same in every other regard due to them going dark side (willingly or unwillingly) is super angsty. and i like my ships raw and some degree of brutal for the soul. it keeps me young

but yeah im overall neutral. tl;dr: infidget is a fine ship, i just wish it had more canon-supported flavour and i wish the majority of shippers would stop writing infinite so poorly to make him fit properly into their milquetoast domestic fluff romances, but whatever. we all get enjoyment out of different things, even if theyre wrong :3 (for safety reasons i have to disclose that the previous statement was a joke)