#Maria I will never believe you aren't real

[crimescrimson]

Maria in Silent Hill 2 (2024)

[catsvrsdogscatswin]

SO ABOUT NOCTURNE S2 EH

I kept notes as I watched through it with my sibling, so here are some thoughts, followed by the more spoilery thoughts below the cut:

*The fight scenes were gorgeous and very fluid. Richter's use of magic is inventive as fuck and slightly terrifying after seeing Sypha blast her way through Wallachia with largely straightforward lances of ice and fire.

*Deeply thankful that they managed to create a believable, nay, plausible excuse for why Erzebet Bathory is a Hungarian woman with Egyptian goddess blood. She's being used as a vessel by Drolta, Sekhmet's High Priestess, and Drolta picked Erzebet because after decades of failing amongst her own people she was like "This is definitely the most bloodthirsty human I can find. A perfect match ❤️" Like oh okay so there was a REASON Drolta was always more interesting than Erzebet. It's her story Erzebet's just telling it for her.

*Speaking of which, loved Drolta's human backstory. She was struggling so hard (and successfully!) against such harsh odds and you don't normally see that when a human faces up against a supernatural entity for the first time.

*Olrox and Mizrak projecting their relationship insecurities onto vampire Tera was definitely not what I had on my Nocturne S2 bingo card, and yet.

*Last season had me willing to be convinced that Annette and Richter would become a thing and this season had me slapping the table and going "SOLD!" like an old-timey bidding war.

*Richter struggled valiantly to make a difference, and Alucard was right alongside him in the trenches, but this season still mostly belonged to Annette. Sorry lads, better luck next time.

"We are not bitter creatures. I'm not bitter," Olrox tells Tera, bitterly, because he is bitter about being dumped. No but seriously, him insisting to her (basically a complete stranger) that vampires aren't animals with animalistic impulse control and it's just "Mmmmm-hm. Real quick, what were Mizrak's most recent words to you? 'An animal that's lost its soul'?" Like boy you ain't subtle.

Drolta's resurrection. No thoughts. Just a constant stream of MOMMY? SORRY. MOMMY? SORRY. MOMMY? SORRY.

"She's a vampire! She cannot love!" Mizrak you need to check your baggage at the door you can't just drag it into a conversation like that. 

RICHTER'S ABSOLUTE DEER IN HEADLIGHTS EXPRESSION WHEN ANNETTE GRABS HIS HAND. BOY FROZE.

Was not expecting that one chick that Erzebet munched on last season to be alive, never mind a vampire, but go her I guess.

Speaking of which, the wlws were winning this season. Drolta and the female National Guard captain, Erzebet sitting on a throne with women literally gathered at her feet… and Drolta and Erzebet/Sekhmet, of course, because their whole attack dog/master and "you are my most special loyal perfect wife minion" and Drolta's centuries of loyalty to Sekhmet are just *chef's kiss*

Also on that note, Erzebet angrily telling Tera that she would never be Drolta is very funny because. like. at no point did Tera want to replace Drolta. She literally never asked to do that, Erzebet.

I like Erzebet's human design a lot better than the vampire one tbh. Solely for the hairstyle choices. 

"I'm here to make you a god. If you're worthy." "Of course I'm worthy." NO HESITATION WHATSOEVER LMFAO THE ARROGANCE OF THE ARISTOCRACY

Okay damn I was not expecting Maria to kill her dad. And certainly not midway through the season. 

Mizrak's panicked glance to the side as Juste talks about chastity vows. Lol. 

Alucard stumbling out of the water wet and dripping after getting smacked into the Seine had me and my sibling sharing a single understanding nod because we Knew it was there to make the Alucard girlies go feral. Well done Castlevania team.

Also what I'm gathering from this season is that Olrox becomes a pathetic wet cat when he falls in love with someone. Like he has been dogging Mizrak's steps incessantly since the breakup. Literally every time he can get away with it he's haunting that man's shadow. Olrox is two seconds and a dead pseudo-Messiah away from leaving dead things at Mizrak's feet and pawing sadly at his window as he cries to be let in.

Like Olrox is so catastrophically in love and obviously unable to leave Mizrak's side that when he told Mizrak he's leaving to go back home my sibling and I instantly looked at each other and went "So that's a fucking lie."

FIRST COUPLE KISS INTERRUPTED BY A SUDDEN EPIPHANY RICHTER YOUR LUCK IS ABSOLUTE SHIT

Maria was such an adorable baby holy shit. And her smug little look when she snatched the apple from Richter too. 

Alucard only saying he's been in love "countless times" is a cowardly cop-out of an answer. We could have had a polycule acknowledgment! We could have meant something!

Annette's possession look is an absolute serve but really we should expect nothing else from her. Also love how intricately her religion was depicted even if I had no idea who the three-faced dude was.

Speaking of Erzebet's hair, the fact her final Sekhmet form has like an entire extra bodymass's worth of hair had me giggling. There's so much of it. We've gone past lion's mane and overshot into "electrocuted Persian." She is fluffye.

"Not the first time you've saved my life" ELABORATE ON THAT ALUCARD?!

Tera being shadowed by the entity that the Abbot dealt with in the ending scene hello yes I am Fear. Nice hook for another season, though.

[sweetmariihs2]

So no one in the fandom is going to point this out?

(except for the fact that Malthus is a good person and has a somewhat healthy relationship with Hilda, differently from Frollo...)

Despite being religious figures (AND involved in politics), I have a list of comparisions of them at the end of the post. For now, let me mention the most important points

They tried to "cleanse the sins" of the girls they have romantic interests in (and the reason for this purification of sins would be because they considered these girls are "sinful and promiscuous")

These girls hate them and publicly defy their behavior (Esmeralda spits in Frollo's face while Hilda gets closer to Malthus' face)

They're both feeling this desire for the girls they deem as sinful, and this feeling (and the religious guilt) is eating them from inside

These girls can easily make them vulnerable, which is a unnusual feeling for both

They are jealous of the girls being exposed to other man (Esmeralda dancing, Hilda in the zone), and try to convince them to stop it

(This scene is not included in the disney movie, but it is in the 1939 movie and in the book - The people were waiting for Esmeralda to get on the stage and start dancing, and Frollo appears, hiding in the shadows, telling her he's madly in love with her and can't stand the sight of her dancing in front of other man. She ends up not obeying him, though! Went to dance anyway)

In the book and also in the musical of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, there is a scene where Frollo is just wandering through the streets of Paris, trying to deal with his conflicting feelings towards Esmeralda, and he hears the sound of music and dancing from the inside of a tavern.

"Frollo began to walk the streets night after night, unable to bring himself to return alone to his cold, dark chambers. He thought he saw her everywhere. Until one night, walking down an unknown alley... he heard the sound of distant music and laughter... coming from within a tavern called... La Pomme d'Eve!" (lyrics from the musical)

When he looks into the window he sees Esmeralda dancing, drinking and having fun, then he says "Brazen, lewd, and odious, this vile, depraved display... I cannot bear to watch and yet I cannot turn away..." (lyrics from the musical), which reminds me of Malthus always ending up in the bohemian zone and "accidentally" watching Hilda from afar, while he's against everything that is in that place. An angel on earth actually made an edit with this musical song making it seem like it was included in the movie, and it looks great! I just wanted to add this here because this edit deserves more recognition.

In the book, Frollo is a priest. He grew up in the church and never felt tempted by any woman... except for Esmeralda, what brings him to madness and eventually death. Got what he deserved tbh

Frollo sees himself as better than the others, just like the first lyrics of his song "Hellfire" say, "Beata Maria, you know I am a righteous man, of my virtue I am justly proud... Beata Maria, you know I'm so much purer than the common, vulgar, weak, licentious crowd...", which reminds me of the talk that Hilda has with Malthus, claiming that loving humanity is not the same as loving people, with real scent, color and sins. Of course, Malthus' pride is not as bad as Frollo's, but it is still a similarity

Both Hilda and Esmeralda are 100% publicly against Malthus and Frollo. They despise them, Hilda because Malthus wants to exorcise her and he is part of that political organization "of good manners" (or something like that), which goes against the bohemian area and disturbs the residents there using their faith. Esmeralda, however, hates Frollo because of the genocide he had been commiting against her people for decades, and she sees him as depraved and disgusting, especially after knowing that he is lusting after her. Both of the girls aren't afraid of speaking up about what they believe, making a fool out of both of Frollo's and Malthus' faces, which is something that the other people don't do. Both of them have a sense of speaking up for minorities and mistreated people.

And also while Esmeralda is kind to Quasimodo, the mistreated hunchback character, Hilda says that "ugly people have hearts too", willingly letting ugly guys have a chance with her.

Frollo keeps Esmeralda's shiny scarf while Malthus keeps Hilda's shoe. Both of the objects remind them of the girls they're "in love", make them feel religious guilt for feeling lust, and both of the objects are considered sinful (Hilda's shoe is considered too vulgar and Esmeralda's scarf was used during her sexy dance at the festival, and she teases Frollo with it in front of everyone)

Frollo burns Esmeralda's scarf (out of anger of her) and Malthus tries to burn Hilda's shoe, but ended up returning it to her.

They both refuse to call the girls by their names, calling them by pejorative nicknames instead, in Malthus case he calls Hilda "camellia, Magdalene (prostitute of the Bible), sinner" while Frollo calls Esmeralda "witch, the girl, gypsy girl"

This is not really about Malthus and Frollo, but when Hilda goes to the church, the priest tells her she shouldn't be there because she commited too many sins and she's in debt with God. In the Hunchback Of Notre Dame 1939 movie, Frollo finds Esmeralda praying and tells her that that church is not a place for her, aggressively shouts that she should leave and grabs her arm.

And what can I say about this song?

Notice how he ends up passing out because of his inner turmoil, which also happens to Malthus, when he's punishing himself and was found by the priest

As you guys probably know, Frollo and Esmeralda's character relationship and interactions are extremely unhealthy and toxic, while Malthus and Hilda are cute together and they're a recognized couple in the show. Frollo's feelings towards Esmeralda are just pure lust and hypocrisy, and he tries to burn her at the stake at the end, believing that her death will bring him some peace. They're not the same.

[knaveumineko]

Umineko Episode 1 Blog: Tea Party

For the first time since this blog began, I'm covering new content and I'm happy to report that Ryukishi wrote this scene to make fun of me specifically.

This Tea Party was initially framed as some kind of non-canon bonus scene, and of course we can't interpret its events entirely literally, but by the end it seems that this scene is cryptically revealing the fates of the grandchildren, who disappeared at the end of Episode 1. Of course, even when the game is keeping up it's cheerful facade, it should not escape our notice that the 6 people depicted here are Shannon, Kanon, Maria, George, Jessica and Battler: precisely the 6 people who are still alive at the end of Episode 1 (that we know of).

The game's pointed comments about how there's clearly a 19th person because of how Kanon died, and "wow I guess it was magic the whole time there's really no way around it," feel playful. I'm also very amused by the narrator dropping the facade of reliability and constantly mocking Battler's skepticism. We're all in on the joke now, so there's no reason to keep up the pretense that this scene is anything approaching an accurate depiction of events.

Also, we are going full tilt on the meta stuff here, aren't we? I'm sure you're all loving how Battler's constant half-baked speculations sound more or less exactly like me.

We get some new character profiles, an rather interestingly they only confirm the deaths of Jessica and George. Rather gruesomely at that. Maria is merely missing, and we never see her actually die. Presumably this is because she still needs to live long enough to write the message in a bottle. I wonder if this scene shaking her faith in the witch is what inspired her to write the story and beg someone to try and solve it. Battler also doesn't die, so who knows what's going on with him?

I was intruiged by Battler's "if you believe in a lie, it becomes the truth?" line. To me, it sounds like the grandchildren were approached by the "witch," with the resurrections serving as proof that magic is real. When Battler questioned it, the conversation morphed into a veiled threat: if the grandchildren know what's good for them, they will accept that it was magic and never dig into the true story of what happened on Rokkenjima. Battler doubles down and so the culprits decide they have no choice but to remove all of the witnesses, at which point Battler defends himself with the gun.

Something like that could work as an explanation for the grandchildren's fates, although I don't see how this narrative could explain Jessica and George being brutalised so horribly. We were told in the endscroll that their gory deaths really did happen.

The Tea Party is really beating us over the head with Beatrice's symbolic significance. Just like how the servants used to invoke her name, Beatrice is the God of the Gaps (with one 'a'). It's not that anything you can't explain gets blamed on her, but that Beatrice is the inexplicable. Any time you throw your hands up in the air and say it can't be solved, you bring Beatrice to life, and to defeat her you have to solve the case. She's the antagonist of mystery stories themselves.

I'm not sure how this ties in to her supposed power to "kill an individual endlessly". Perhaps Bernkastel's line sheds some light. She describes Beatrice as one who plays a dice game by never letting go of the dice, so whatever the roll could have been, she is not disappointed. Beatrice is a being that thrives off of ambiguity. The moment anything has a clear explanation she's helpless. In this sense, is her "endless" killing of an individual in reference to the seemingly limitless possibilities for how one of the bodies could have died?

Speaking of Bernkastel, the witch who looks a lot like that girl from Higaurashi (which I've never seen, so don't tell me if this resemblance matters), the description of her power reminds me a lot of that famous Sherlock Holmes quote "once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth." Bernkastel can make any potentiality into a certainty, so long as it is not impossible. In other words, she symbolises the process of elimination, so it makes sense that she's aligning herself more with those of us trying to solve the mystery. This symbolism also ties into her comment about her matchup with Beatrice: once you accept magic, you can no longer rule out the impossible, so the process of elmination doesn't work.

I'm not sure what Lambdadelta's deal is, but then we haven't seen her personally. If we want to interpret her through the mystery genre lens, one guess would be that she represents the point at which we can say for certain that a character is actually dead, rather than just faking somehow? She could also be a play on the anthropic principle: to solve a mystery we must tell a story about what happened, and this story must end with the person dead and the body in the state that it was found in. In other words, we proceed by "making that person's death into a certainty," taking it for granted that they're dead and rearranging all the other facts to fit that truth.

Bernkastel leaves us with some advice which basically amounts to telling us that Beatrice is a metaphor, but she also leaves us with something else interesting:

Umineko doesn't use all caps like this very often. The only other time I can remember is the scene where the narrator wants to make sure that the siblings really needed A LOT OF MONEY RIGHT NOW. I don't know if there's anything to that, but maybe there is.

Bernkastel also has an interesting line about preceiving us like a character on TV, so maybe there's going to be some kind of metaphor with witches standing in for viewers or authors at some point.

That's all for now. I didn't expect to have so much to write about 2 scenes, but they were important scenes indeed. Don't expect me to keep up this pace going forward!

I almost forgot to mention that Purgatorio reference right at the start. What's that about? Is Beatrice's name a reference to the Divine Comedy? I hope that doesn't end up being important, beyond Kinzo's pining after her being a reference to Dante's. If I didn't bother reading And Then There Were None for context after noticing the parallels, then I'm certainly not reading that.

The Main Menu is an aquarium now? What on Earth is Episode 2 even about?

[bethanydelleman]

sorry if this is a stupid question, but I was starting to write a story taking place in the regency era, and wanted to do a sort of cliche governess marries the widowed father of her charge. But I wasn't sure how old I should make the girl. My understanding was that a governess would only be needed until the girl debuted which could be as early as 15. as of now, I made the girl 14, as, due to her father being over protective he wouldn't allow her to debut until she was older anyways, but I wasn't sure how common it was to get a governess that would only be there for a few years. the governess is sort of desperate for a job, so even if its a bad deal, its okay. I also wasn't sure if the girls hadn't debuted if they could go to parties, or if she didn't debut she would still be considered a child and not allowed (including smaller family/friends get togethers). For this last one I'm trying to remember how the youngest sister is treated in sense and sensibility, but cannot recall.

Thirdly, I was curious how odd it would be for a governess to teach horseback riding. From what I was able to understand, it wasn't improper for ladies to learn sidesaddle, but I wasn't sure who would teach them, or how common it was.

sorry to use you as like, a focused google search, but I was having a heck of a time finding anything about the specifics of governesses. Usually it was all vague terms like "Until the daughters came of age"

Happy to help! Keep in mind that most of my help comes from novels from the time period.

If this is set in the Regency, not all girls "came out" at 15, it depended on a number of factors including if they had elder sisters. Jane Austen's heroines are never out before 17, Catherine Morland and Marianne Dashwood being the two youngest. It also depended on a girl's maturity, as everyone thinks the immature Lydia Bennet should not be out (she is 15). I believe Maria and Julia Bertram (Mansfield Park) aren't out until they are 20 and 19 respectively, and Maria says she'll learn from her governess until 17.

As for how long you would employ a governess, in Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë, Agnes is hired by a family with pretty old girls, the eldest being 16 and very near to coming out and the younger 14, but the family both wants and keeps a governess. This was similar to what happened in Anne's real life, by the way. Agnes is not dismissed from that position even after the elder sister marries, she leaves because her father is dying.

Also, if the father is widowed, he might keep the governess for longer if he could afford it. Miss Taylor, Emma's governess in Emma stayed until Emma was 21 and only left because she married. As Emma was the only daughter at home, Miss Taylor transitioned into being her companion and would probably have served as a sort of chaperone despite being unmarried. Men and women did a lot of activities separately, so having a paid "friend" around for your daughter wouldn't be unusual.

As for gatherings, it's likely that daughters are attending small gatherings once they are mature enough to be quiet. Margaret Dashwood is invited to dine at the park, she is 13, in Sense & Sensibility, but she is not invited to London, which would involve large parties. Fanny Price dines at the parsonage in Mansfield Park, which would count as a close friend, but Mary Crawford remains unsure if she is "out". Even the young Middleton children come out after dessert to greet the guests in Sense & Sensibility, though some of the company dislikes this suggesting it's either not common or the children were expected to behave better (they are 8 and under).

I know nothing about who taught horse riding to women. The only lessons in Jane Austen are an uncle for his niece (Fanny Price) and a guy teaching the girl he's attracted to (Edmund Bertram/Mary Crawford). Fanny muses that Mary's brother could have taught her.

Last consideration, I would consider the skills of your governess. If one is being hired for an older girl, she would need more advanced accomplishments. Can she play, draw, and do fancy work? Does she have good references? Is she old enough that it isn't crazy for her to be in charge of a teenager? (Like is she at least 20?)

Here is what Agnes's employer wants:

For the girls she seemed anxious only to render them as superficially attractive and showily accomplished as they could possibly be made, without present trouble or discomfort to themselves; and I was to act accordingly—to study and strive to amuse and oblige, instruct, refine, and polish, with the least possible exertion on their part, and no exercise of authority on mine. With regard to the two boys, it was much the same; only instead of accomplishments, I was to get the greatest possible quantity of Latin grammar and Valpy’s Delectus into their heads, in order to fit them for school—the greatest possible quantity at least without trouble to themselves. John might be a “little high-spirited,” and Charles might be a little “nervous and tedious—”

Agnes Grey, Ch 7

[buckyandgeraltsupremacy]

Not Alone (Joel Miller x Fem!Reader)

joel miller x fem!reader

when you find yourself completely alone, you might just have to look up to realize you aren't.

warnings: mentioned death of family members; injuries

author: sj

masterlist

part 2

---

You quite literally stumbled upon Jackson. You had been traveling with your younger brother and when he got bit it got ugly. You shot him but not before he some how broke your arm. You weren't bit but you sure did feel like your arm was falling off.

Even though it had been two days of travel since, you still hadn't quite processed the trauma. All you could focus on was that you now were unarmed (almost literally) without your gun that ran out of bullets, hadn't eaten since, and were in an extreme amount of pain.

You had just taken a stumble, head becoming dizzy from the lack of food that you had consumed when the Jackson patrol found you. You sobbed uncontrollably when you heard the horse hooves beating on the ground getting louder. You heard gun clicks.

"PLEASE!!!! I'm not infected!! I'm hurt!!" You looked up holding one arm up in the air. Your upper left arm felt like it was falling off and couldn't raise it.

"BOTH HANDS IN THE AIR!" A deep voice yelled.

"I can't. I think my arm is broken. I'm unarmed!! I have a gun but there's no bullets. You can take it if you don't believe me. I promise. I just need help." You pleaded. God you hoped these people were sane and didn't eat each other.

The next thing you knew, you were being helped onto a horse after being sniffed by a dog and led into town. You were instantly taken into a building and were seen by a doctor.

"Looks pretty broken to me. The lower part towards your wrist is definitely broken, but it looks like you muscles have been compensating for your wrist too much and thats why the pain is all the way up to your shoulder." You thanked the doctor and they wrapped your wrist and got you a make shift sling to rest your arm in.

The lady that escorted you to the doctor, Maria, led you out.

"We have a small house that is across the street from ours that isn't occupied yet. Dusty and untouched, but empty. I can bring over some clothes and lunch for you. I'll give you a small tour and then show you to your house.

And show you she did. This was amazing. You never realized how much you missed order until you were in it. And the stables and animals were amazing. The tour ended by knocking on a large house that was quite truthfully, gorgeous. She pointed across the street, "That's Tommy and I's house. Yours is next door to this one. I just want to introduce you to your neighbors real quick. This is Tommy's brother."

The door finally opened to reveal a young girl, probably an early teenager standing before you with a pony tail.

"Ellie. This is Y/n, your new neighbor. She just arrived today. I want to make sure she is well taken care of. Can you do that?" Maria asked, Ellie glancing to you. You smiled at her obvious trust of Maria. She then nodded.

"Yeah. Of course I fucking can. Whats with the sling?" She asked.

"I broke it." You replied with smile at the course language that casually slipped out of her mouth. You would've gotten reamed by your parents if you were her age.

"Where's Joel?" Maria asked Ellie. Instead of replying, Ellie instead screamed his name.

"What the fuck Ellie? I told you not to answer the door to strangers." A tall man with salt and pepper curls stomped down the stairs and came up behind Ellie. Ahh thats where the language came from.

"Maria isn't a stranger. And if I didn't answer the door, you'd never fucking hear any one knocking." Joel rolled his eyes, a quiet curse slipping from his lips under his breath. Unbeknownst to you, his eyes landed on you. You crinkled your eyes at Ellie, enjoying watching their interaction and how comfortable they seemed together. The bickering well coated in love and playfulness. You heart gave a little ache.

"Joel. This is Y/n."

"You just came in today didn't you?" He asked, remembering how you pleaded for help with tears streaming down your face. He swear he felt his heart crack a little with how much pain you seemed to be in and here you were smiling in front of him like you just won the lottery.

"Yeah. Nice to officially meet you. Both of you." You smiled, nodding at him and then nodding at Ellie. He watched your bright, but tired eyes glance between him and Ellie in front of you.

"I just wanted you to know, she'll be living next to you and wanted to make sure you'll keep an eye out for her." Maria looked at Joel with an extra piercing stare and he nodded. She cocked an eyebrow and he nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. We'll keep an eye out." He agreed.

"Good. Let's go and get you settled. I'll grab you some food that should last you the day too." Maria walked you down the steps and he noticed the shaky way you grabbed for the railing and you gently went down the steps.

He knew you came in alone, but wondered if you were completely alone. He knew the feeling and didn't like that you probably did too.

[danvolodar]

Pathologic and the Town's Russianness: 3

A close continuation of the previous part, this one will address a much narrower issue: the forms of address used in the Town.

I originally intended to write this up in the previous part, since signs of respect and politeness are closely linked to social class, but that part turned out long as it is. Still, keep that idea in mind when reading further.

If ever you tried to learn Russian, even the most basic parts, you must be aware it has two different pronouns for "you": a polite one (vy) and a familiar one (ty). It is of course not a unique feature for an Indo-European language: it's called "T-V distinction" and it's encountered in many other languages of the same group (and many other languages have their own ways to differentiate pronouns for the same purpose).

Not to send my non-Russian readers to read a whole wikipedia page, the basic idea behind the usage is the following. Vy is used for someone you are expected to respect: those older than you and those of higher social status. It is also the default way to address strangers, so it shows a certain distance. Ty is used for subordinates, those younger than you, and close family and friends (so it's still the one you'd use when addressing your grandma, for instance, even if she's much older than you - but that bit changed over time, there are examples in the literature of XIX-century Russians addressing their parents with a Vy).

Closely linked to that is the usage of particular name forms. A Russian name consists of a given name, a patronymic (the given name of the person's father in a special form, normally with an -ovich or -vich suffix attached), and a surname. So the Haruspex' full name would be Artemy Isidorovich Burakh. This system has been in use without much change for centuries - there were calls to change it during the Revolution, but in the end in remained unchanged (in reality - in Disco Elysium, if you remember, the Deserter has a matronymic: Iosef Lilianovich Dros). The polite way to address someone is with their name and patronymic, used for someone you'd use vy with. Using simply the given name is less polite (although it can be used both with ty and vy); and then finally there's the dimunitive name form used for close friends and family (so, the grandma from the example above you'd call "baba Katya", not "Ekaterina Matveevna").

Keeping all that in mind, let us now briefly examine the ways those conventions are used in Pathologic.

And it's going to be real brief because they aren't.

Or rather, the different name forms aren't used in their entirety. Characters remarkably rarely address each other by name, all in all, but when they do, it's either by the given name, or by the nickname. Artemy has to speak with a few figures of authority, such as Big Vlad, Georgiy Kain or Alexander Saburov, and even for the ones he has no reasons to despise (well, Georgiy the only one out of that list, I guess), he never uses a patronymic. Similarly, when talking with close friends (such as Rubin, Lara, Grief, or Dankovsky, depending on your interpretations), not a single time any of them use the dimunitives - even Grief, who otherwise has very casual, ostentatiously casual even, speech patterns.

Dimunitives also aren't used when talking with kids, but that can be explained away by none of them carrying names rather than nicknames. I believe Artemy is only acquainted with two kids with names that have well-known dimunitives in Russian: Capella and Maria Kaina. Needless to say, he uses dimunitives for neither.

T-V distinction, on the other hand, is used in the Russian version, and it carries a bit of meaning then. For instance, Saburov uses vy with Artemy at all times, other than when he thinks him a patricide and orders him jailed (and Artemy returns the favour, using ty when asking if he's delirious making that decision). Similarly, Aglaya and Artemy start out addressing each other with vy, then move to ty without discussing that. Georgiy and Artemy use vy for each other at all times, even if it would be acceptable to address the latter with ty since he's much younger. Artemy uses vy with Big Vlad, and he reciprocates, but adds "my boy" each time so it sounds rather sarcastic, and he switches to ty casually when the situation calls for that - same as Artemy does when accusing the man of treating the Kin like cattle.

Outside of the ruling families, the Haruspex only addresses Block, Lyuricheva and Dankovsky with vy, and he switches to ty half-way with the latter (which can be seen as them becoming friends, at last). It can be seen as a reflection of their social status and class, as discussed in the previous part.

But the funny thing is, almost nothing of that makes it into the English translation. There are two exceptions I know. First, where Big Vlad uses ty to address Artemy in Russian, in English he moves from the patronizing "my boy" to downright insulting "boy". Second, Dankovsky and Burakh discuss changing the pronouns used: the Bachelor says the Haruspex can use ty with him. The translation plays around it: Artemy swears, excuses himself, and Daniil says he has no need to limit himself in his presence.

I think it a very rare case of successfully translating the meaning in what otherwise is a translation that mangles the initial work badly.

So, summing this part up: the game uses none of the different terms of address found in Russian in its dialogs if it's played in English; it only uses one modality of the two commonly used if played in Russian.

[crusherthedoctor]

My hot take: Eggman doesn't get enough appreciation and he doesn't need to be something else to be good

What did you expect | Strongly agree | Agree | Neutral | Disagree | Strongly disagree

Calling Eggman underappreciated might sound bizarre on the surface, because how could one say that, right? He has plenty of fans. He gets loads of fanart. He's widely recognized as an iconic video game villain. Why would anyone claim that?

But when you stop to pay close attention, it's true. It's no secret that Sonic fans who frequently toss him aside in favor of other, "cooler" villains are all too common, even nowadays. It's no secret that fans of other IPs tend to look down on him, believing that this chicken-legged individual doesn't deserve to be in the same pantheon as the likes of Bowser and Ganondorf. It's no secret that fans like to paint him as something he's not out of the belief that it's the only way to flesh him out, and that he's one-dimensional as he is, even though they're perfectly fine with the villains who take his spotlight being one-dimensional for real. It's no secret that even those officially involved with the franchise seem to disregard him, given how many times he was upstaged in increasingly humiliating ways, and the way it's been brought back with a vengeance thanks to IDW and Frontiers.

Yet, even among fans who seemingly accept him as his real unrepentant self, there's sometimes an air of... patronization surrounding his discussion. Maybe I'm looking too deeply into certain phrasing, but when he's referred to as just a cackling baddie, or saying stuff like "after so many serious stories with epic god monsters, it's back to the good old simple days where it's just silly Eggman and his dumb plans"... you get the impression that he's not genuinely respected or seen as a credible and formidable antagonist. And for what? Because he loses to the hero? So do most villains. Because he has a goofy side? Other villains across fiction have that as well, some of them being praised specifically for it, so I don't understand why it's a bad thing here. Because the Time Eater had a so-so boss fight? As if the other 3D Super Sonic fights were much better.

The strange thing about fandom hijinks are their tendency to create opposite problems at the same time. In this case, while a lot has rightly been said about layered characters being simplified one way or the other by fans who aren't willing to see the full picture, things tend to go very differently when the character doesn't behave in an "obviously" layered manner. For all the internet's obsession with analyzing every angle of a character down to the bone, they swiftly throw that out the window when it's a wholly villain or a wholly good guy. Suddenly, what's there is never enough, they have to insert their own narratives that make no sense for the character in question, and it's welcomed with open arms instead of discouraged for missing the officially established layers. So you have Eggman being secretly good deep down, and caring about Maria for some reason, while Sonic is IDW's questionable idea of flawed even though he already had flaws to work with. Meet characters halfway they say, except for these ones apparently, becuse what canonical depth could they have amirite.

But anyway, I would never seriously say that I'm the only person on the planet who understands the ins and outs with Eggman's character, as that would be a very egotistical and Ken Penders-sounding thing to say lol. I'm just a fan who wants to do him justice with my fics, nothing more. But it really does feel next to impossible to find fans who are on the same wavelength in regards to him, because the amount of times where he's been misused or reduced to Sonic's frenemy is truly exasperating. You could argue that for basically any Sonic character at this point, but this has been going on a lot longer with Eggman than it has for probably any other cast member, with the possible exception of Amy, and even then, the issue surrounding her these days is completely different.

[clowning-raven-fanfics]

Emerald Promise: Chapter 1

Shadow's POV

They promise me she's alive.

I know it's just words - might as well be lies, since no real evidence has yet been presented to me. But I still can not dismiss it so easily.

I know what happened - I saw it. And I keep seeing it, be it in my dreams or just memories.

I saw her die.

I still can't wrap my head around her words. 

"Live, Shadow. Be happy."

Was I not happy? I was alive—truly alive—when you were there with me. Watching the stars, feeling the vastness of it all, with my best friend beside me. Now... everything feels hollow.

"Sayonara, Shadow... the Hedgehog"

I'd be better off dying that day instead.

"What do you think it's like on Earth?"

There was never any life outside of the ARK for me. My purpose, my entire reason for existing, healing her- ended as soon as the station got destroyed -

But. They promise me she is still alive. Maybe she really did survive that bullet? Maybe they'll let me see her. Maybe everything will be like it was before. I can hug her and say how I missed her. How glad I am that she's alright, that at least she is alright. How I wish it had been me instead. I failed you. Over and over, I failed.

And failed.

And failed.

And failed.

We can read those astronomy books before bed again. It's difficult to fall asleep without. That's the reason I'm still up right now.

I give up on sleep, turning to stare at the wall. Rest won't come, and if it does, the nightmares will follow. They always do. Too real, too vivid. Though since they are a mere replay of the event, I imagine that is to be expected. I'd prefer not to face those.

I sigh and then turn to almost fully hide my face in the pillow. It wasn't very soft, only barely, but it didn't bother me that much. The bed itself was much smaller than the one I had on the ARK. I can't believe it was just a few weeks ago that I last woke up on it.

A few weeks...

The soft hiss of the opening doors broke through my thoughts. I sat up quickly, glancing at the entrance, already certain who it would be.

"Project Shadow,"

I remained quiet, waiting for the commander to continue. That, and I resented the name he'd use for me. That I'd keep hearing these days. I knew it was technically correct, but back on the ARK, no one called me that. It felt foreign, unnatural.

Regarding not being accustomed to things - Not being around Maria in so long did not feel... right. Even when she'd be bedridden - when her sickness made her too weak to walk around and explain astronomy - I stayed by her side. I always had.

"I would like to discuss something with you."

Lost in spiralling thoughts, it felt as though I were sinking into a cold, raging sea. The commander's voice was a sharp tether, pulling me back to the surface. I gathered myself and prepared to speak.

"What is it?" I snapped, sitting up straighter, wary of his intentions. No matter what, I did not trust a single individual I encountered here. Let alone him.

"After careful consideration, we've decided to grant you more freedom. You'll be allowed to move around the facility - and, in time, even leave GUN grounds."

"..." I didn't reply, sensing there was a follow up to that statement, something that would justify the sudden freedom that was being offered to me on a plate. He must have seen through my silence, quickly furrowing his eyes in what I can only guess was irritation before continuing.

"On one condition: you accept a mission."

"You want me to work- for you?"

"For GUN. For humanity. For the safety of the planet. Call it what you like. But we both know those aren't your priorities. You want something else—don't you? Or am I mistaken? Perhaps you don't care for her after all."

"You—" I bit back my words, forcing myself to stay calm. I couldn't risk angering him, not with so much at stake.

Staring at the floor, I relented. "What do you need me to do?"

[sweetredbeans]

Just gonna randomly ramble some things here about the Sonic Movies okay cool. (PS. This is absolutely not meant to be mean if you didn't like the trailer: you are 100% allowed to dislike it. This is just me rambling my own thoughts ^v^)

I'm already immediately tired of people absolutely BLASTING the movies for choices that they don't like without actually thinking about why those choices might have been made.

Tom being a cop. Okay. What other Earth profession follows the stereotypical "hero" role (the role that Sonic fills in his games) any better? So, a profession where you are saving people from "bad guys" by beating them up. Because that is what Sonic does in Sonic 1. Follows Robotnik around and beats him up and rescues the people (flickies) he was being mean to. They clearly wanted to parallel that idea and yeah, Sonic doesn't like cops and that makes sense given who he is, but I can also look at the movie and go "Oh, they wanted that parallel for a reason and that's why they made that decision" not just because they want to engage in copaganda.

Why is Amy not here yet. Money. Plain and simple, guys. Amy doesn't sell as well as Shadow. Period. Sorry. And nobody knows if they'll get another movie after this. They might, yeah, but 3 movies in a franchise like this is already a lot, and 4 is REALLY a lot. Yes, it is being more common now for something to have 700 sequels, but it is VERY not guaranteed, and if they wanted to get more hype and make more money, then Shadow coming first makes WAY more sense. And trying to shoe-horn her into this movie would absolutely be a disservice to her personality and backstory, as well as Shadow's--they wouldn't be able to properly develop either of them in one 2.5 hour long movie.

Sonic is working for GUN so he must be pro-military. I reblogged a much better-worded post about this earlier, but I am HIGHLY inclined to believe that GUN is USING Sonic to get to Shadow by playing off something adjacent to "He's gonna destroy the world oh noooooo". Let's be real here: GUN would NEVER let Sonic go get Robotnik again, they blackbooked him HARD for a reason. So I am highly inclined to believe that while Sonic may START working for GUN because they ask for his help, they are not going to stay amicable for the whole movie (especially given the fact that we see soldiers around Maria's dead body and somebody is going to tell Sonic about that) But clearly they aren't going to give something like that away in the first 2 minute trailer guys.

Gerald is here. I don't have a great answer for this one aside from the fact that they needed someone to play Eggman's role from SA2, and Eggman himself isn't set up to do it. Theoretically, SOMEONE had to bust Shadow out of GUN prison, and having Gerald be a hologram or robot or something set up to take revenge on GUN later would make a lot of sense. It's also possible that he was also frozen or stasis-ified and got let out once GUN figured out Project Shadow still existed and then took his revenge idk we'll just have to see won't we?

This is just a random last point but...if you go back and watch the first trailers for either of the other Sonic movies, they are VERY different from what we actually saw and LOADS of stuff is either massively changed or majorly taken out of context so...that could be good or bad.

In conclusion: we'll just have to wait and see, but these are my thoughts and predictions woo!

[dykedvonte]

I am making grabby hands and begging for more of your lovely Benny HC’s pleeeeease

Okie Dokie!!! Kinda long so under the cut it is

Benny is baby-faced and mid-20s. I like the idea he was so roped into House's offer because he was and still is kinda young and impressionable. His lobes aren't fully cooked yet and it shows.

Short and just now getting stout. Being a wastelander means you stay kinda lean and now he takes a lot of opportunities to fill out and look bigger.

Weirdly naive. He can spot a lie/lair from a mile away but if you somehow can charm your way past that intuition he's all too trusting with you on personal matters. All boot riders are like this actually as they rarely are wary of someone considered their own.

Moves like a lizard, very still one moment and then fast/jittery the next. He's not very predictable outside of being a backstabber.

A hand talker who can't keep still or quiet for long. Gets bored easily which is why he never was the casino desk man.

Was just called Gecko before but mainly for his eyes and not the aforementioned behavior. Very cold and sharp like a Mojave golden Gecko but also pretty.

All his smiles are practiced. There's a certain menace his natural smile has, too many teeth, too big, too wild, too mocking. Kinda like a dog barring his teeth and combined with his eyes it's rather intimidating. All the fake smiles are coy and rather closed lip.

Doesn't like using guns but it gives him an edge. Likes to get in close and feel like he's earned the kill during a fight but he's got an image now...

Not religious and doesn't get organized religion. Part of House's doing as House of course would explain it as something superfluous but Benny's own opinions are more "If a god was real why would he make life suck this much ass"

Maria means nothing to him but is part of his image. Following the point below, what he got from House is like a uniform for him, even if he doesn't want to go back to it, it is physically comforting.

Got to choose his name from a list House gave him. Chairmen had the most things altered about them. Treats his name like a title more than anything, interestingly enough.

If he ever defected he would join the followers. They share a lot of viewpoints and he'd act as a spokesman vs anything else. He is a likable guy, just not a guy you can get close to while keeping a "likable" opinion of him.

Doesn't sleep that much. Not much to do with the plans he has but he is a wastelander at heart. The city while secure isn't what he's fully used to still and the lights/sounds keep him up

Emotionally repressed and doesn't know it. Has a hard time actually connecting with most people cause he struggles with determining if a relationship is serious. People are friends or FWB and little else cause it's never been important to his or the Chairmens' prosperity.

Follows Boot-Rider customs discreetly and says Chairmen shit for show. A lot of the family would tell you a big reason Boot-Rider traditions aren't gone is that he won't let them die even if they gotta be silent about them.

He's eerily people smart. Intelligence is subjective here as he's not book smart but he gets people he knows what they want to hear even if he doesn't genuinely believe it. The comic knows he pays attention to what makes people vulnerable and he's like idk FNV Heather Chandler. Not introspective at all though.

My last point for now is: Violent. Maybe a better word is intense but he lacks inhibition and temperament control in a lot of aspects. If he's forced a direction he kinda just runs wild even if he was taking it slow before. He has hard opinions and makes plans with a sense of finality to them and doesn't act until that's achievable. Like I'm sorry but he gets mean at you and whatever he say to Yes-Man about the khans must be crazy with how YM talks about them. He is so willing to get his hands dirty, I can imagine he misses being able to get messy.

This is not organized at all but these are major ways I see Benny. He's like borderline an oxymoron who avoids it by small margins. Everything about him can be explained even though we don't get a lot of personal info about him, we know his habits. He's a guy who has such a detailed facade you can't tell what his actual face is most of the time and when he does show it, it's only in very specific and wild scenarios it can be hard to say it's how he'd really be. I'll just say the opening of the comic with him fluctuating from motionlessly looking at Vegas, to calmly talking to Swank, to rage and settling on something almost like commercial charm when talking about murdering what is basically a family member is just so indicative of what Benny is and how I tend to characterize him in my head.

[silenthillmutual]

ongoing list of fics i enjoyed (current fandoms only) [so silent hill + bloodborne + pathologic]

i have not read every fic in the tag.

silent hill

1994 (T, 4k; TheIcyQueen); sh2 The town calls to people in its own way, managing to lure them in, more often than not. That isn't to say that its methods are unchanging, though--oh no. Silent Hill has many ways and many faces, and no two of its visitors will ever see it in quite the same light. A little peek into how the town might look for the characters of SH2.

art therapy (M, ongoing; stormyshark); harry/james An on-parole James Sunderland meets struggling single father Harry Mason in group art therapy. Takes place six years after the events of SH1 and SH2.

Box of Ash-turned Thoughts (T, <1k; Goldenocturne); alessa/claudia In here lies a collection of discarded emotions.

Complexities (T, 4k; bumblepuppy) eileen/henry Kind of sequel to Field of View. Eileen's straight up not having a good time.

familiarity (M, 5k; iwaslikenope); alex/travis Travis Grady encounters a familiar face in the same, familiar place. As it turns out, not everything familiar is a good thing - but maybe this time around he doesn't have to go through it alone.

It's time to let go.

Halogen Lamp (G, <1k; PhantomPiano); james She crawled out of the lake today.

Hanged Man (T, 4k; benignmilitancy); sh3 "We are all helpless without Her mercy." SH3 one-shot.

If Time Doesn't Heal Wounds, I'll Staple Them Together (G, 1k; orphan_account) harry & heather It's been six years since he escaped Silent Hill. An innocent question makes him realize he might not have moved on as well as he thought.

In This Silent Heaven (T, <1k; iwaslikenope); james/mary Three years long gone, and she sent me a letter.

It'll Last Longer (T, 4k; fret); eileen/henry Three pictures Henry takes of Eileen, and one that Eileen takes of him.

like nails in my feet (T, 1k; Riona); james/mary Maybe this is a love story that was doomed from the start.

Outbreak (M, 61k; UnlikeClockwork) "In memory of the sixty seven who died of illness and now sleep beneath the lake." -The Rosewater Memorial in Silent Hill The town of Silent Hill has long been known for strange events. In 2016, a virulent illness tears through the town, progressing rapidly through an array of horrific symptoms before the patients die. Worse, it has no identifiable cause. Epidemiologist Anna Garcia is sent to record everything she can about the sickness, in the hopes of tracing it to some point of origin, or discover something to combat it. She finds far more to the history of the town and its strange past.

Performative (T, 2k; 0plus2equals1, weatomicchildren); maria Maria is a walking, talking identity crisis. James is her audience of one. (Short fic exploring Maria's experiences in the main game.)

Restless Dreaming (T, <1k; TheIcyQueen); james/mary You'd do anything to see her again--anything. But have you looked right in front of you, James? Or behind you?

See? I'm Real. (T, 1k; TheIcyQueen); maria She wakes up cold and alone, with silence and memory lurking just outside of her periphery. She has to stay, despite her fear and her dread--she has to wait, to be patient, to just believe. Because she knows he's coming for her.

But he's looking for the her that isn't her at all.

Shadows And Fog (T, 3k; kcstories); dale cooper [twin peaks crossover] Whilst investigating a mysterious disappearance, Special Agent Dale Cooper finds himself in a strange, deserted town. (Twin Peaks/Silent Hill crossover)

swan song of the red god (T, 3k; larkspear); heather Heather becomes something she never wanted to be OR After all this time the town doesn't let her go OR Silent Hill dies, and maybe that's a good thing.

Wife | Mary Shepherd Sunderland (T, 1k; glitchbunni); james & mary Even so, I'm glad to be coming home. I've missed you terribly.

you (NR, <1k; goshozome); henry & walter you aren't a people person.

bloodborne

Ave Maria (T, 3k; xeboot); doll/maria After her defeat within The Hunter’s Nightmare, Maria awakens in place that she finds strangely familiar. She also finds herself conversing with something that is so disconcertingly similar to herself.

Charade (M, 5k; SassyCephalopod); laurence & micolash & gehrman Before the schism of the School of Mensis from the Healing Church, Micolash hunts for answers about what happened on the night Laurence and Gehrman beckoned the moon. He follows the trail of influence Gehrman left behind deep into the Vicar’s subconscious, through dreams of the shared stages of their lives. What exists at the end of their charade may be the knowledge he seeks, or it could be the undoing of them all.

cupio, careo (E, 4k; 0plus2equals1); hunter/valtr The hunter is having a hard time adjusting to being the new Leader of the League.

Do hunters dream of electric beasts? (E; sugarboat); alfred/hunter The Hunter finds an unopened summons to the forsaken Castle Cainhurst, and has more than the expected troubles locating its intended recipient.

Dressing for a Funeral (G, 4k; aurillium); gehrman & laurence On the colour red, and the first signs of the scourge.

EYE OF A BLOOD-DRUNK HUNTER (M, >1k; kirkhammer) It is a fate no hunter can escape

facile oceanum (T, 2k; 0plus2equals1); kos/maria Lady Maria is trapped within an aimless nightmare. She goes to Kos while her consciousness still remains.

Hide Your Face from Prophecy (T, 5k; Karanca); caryll & micolash [On the voices of the Great Ones and how they manifest, c. 1862]

In darkest shades (E, 2k; retrospectral); gascoigne/hunter It is not a conventional relationship you have with him; still, you find solace in familiarity.

Necrophoresis (T, 8k; SynthWave); laurence/micolash The clock is ticking. Micolash seeks Laurence after an experiment goes awry, but the Vicar is not as composed as he'd hoped.

Nietzsche is angry with me (M, 5k; captainjackspearow) "An eye bubbles to the forefront of the forehead. There is no face, just an amalgam of pain set upon a limp, dangling body.

Oh, she notes, blankly, as her vision begins to cloud-

-I’m beginning to see things."

of the beholder (E, 1k; retrospectral) gascoigne/hunter It’s obscene, truly, that a man like him should be brought to heel in such a way.

o, galatea (G, 2k; talionprinciple) He scrabbles at the stone beside her, bent over like a man gutted, scratching feebly, digging at nothing. At length he crumples to the ground, letting out a wounded, animal groan.

"...You are my punishment."

A Schism (T, 4k; Karnaca); laurence/micolash [A selection of letters exchanged between the Vicar of the Healing Church and the Headmaster of Mensis, 1875-1880]

Song of Blood (NR, 2k; happywalrider); gascoigne/viola Oh, to be sick on blood, like a hunter lusting for a hunt.

weep with them, as one in a trance (M, 3k; Azrioael) On a cold beach, Laurence and his associates parse through the guts of a god to find promises of divinity.

Maria begins to harbour doubt.

pathologic (starts here; below are newer)

and here it is (our final night alive) (T, 2k; Talinor) Worn and defeated by the trials of the Pest and those behind it, Daniil stays in the Cathedral.

Ce Verre Levé aux Prêtresses de Cypris ! (E, 2k; Creaturial); eva/yulia Eva invites herself in, welcomed without asking, slipping through like light. She brings her affinity for velvet and silk, for the twirls of incense, for the greens of twyrine; she brings her empyreal glow that fills Yulia’s house like a heart with blood. She likes Yulia's silver, pale hands on her hallowed, supernal skin; Yulia likes her solar touch, her constellations-eyes. They like to learn from each other — and quite a few more things.

Filling His Shoes (By Asking Them Nicely, Not By Cutting Off Your Toes) (G, 4k; omnipah) Observation: The Burakh family house is laid out incomprehensibly. Observation: Houses take after their owners, both in function and personality. Observation: Artemy’s arc is about not taking after his father, and instead forging his own path and deciding what it means to be himself. Conclusion: Artemy’s household is not shaped the same way as Isidor’s household.

Grief's Rehearsal (T, 4k; visceralVastation); artemy/daniil On paper, Artemy Burakh was no stranger to loss, having lost not only his brother at a young age, but also personally witnessed what felt like a veritable myriad of deaths during his service as a field medic. The death of his father was another story, only sinking in at a moment where he glimpses joy for the first time since returning home.

remind me of who you are (G, 1k; 4wholecats); kain family “I’ll miss you,” he tries again, louder. “And Victor. Mother and father too, of course.” “You said you weren’t going anywhere.” “I ought to say it. Just in case.”

Shedding Skin (M, 70k; Plaguedboar); artemy/daniil “He wounds, Cub. You are aware of that.”

“Yes. But he also heals. What we saw of him back then was also a reflection of us. He became what he needed to be in order to do his duties. We were hostile to one another, Stakh. Imagine how it was for us and how it was for an outsider… how it still is for an outsider.” Artemy looked down. It’s been months since the plague ended and still others treated Dankovsky like a stranger. He treated himself as a stranger. Calling him any other thing would have felt disingenuous... but it still felt wrong.

“Of course. Humans need to adapt to their surroundings to live and survive. But snakes do not adapt when their skins shed, nor do they become anew. They become more of what they already are.” Rubin spoke slowly, choosing his words with either care or caution while looking at Daniil’s signature coat on the rack.

sons of the commandment (T, 2k; actualkoschei); daniil & rubin There is no rest for Shabbat in the middle of a plague. No rest for the righteous or the wicked, or for Daniil Dankovsky or Stakh Rubin.

tempus edax rerum (T, 5k; Talinor); artemy/daniil Daniil Dankovsky doesn't have a firm grasp on time.

White Azaleas (T, 10k; LilliaLuna); capella, khan & notkin He does love her. Just… not as a husband should. Not how the husband of a Mistress should.

[my-name-is-bunnyfoxy]

~ Courting A Salamandrian ~

Courting a Salamandrian, or CAS for short, revolves around Raphael wanting to propose to Mona Lisa. They have been dating for many years and he believes it's time to take their relationship to the next step. However though, unfortunately for him, many obstacles come towards their way. Because a guy who's name literally starts with bish can't seem to handle happy couples and needs to be a controllive freak. Luckily everything works out in the end and Raphael and Mona lisa can finally have their wedding.

The fanfic was created by @fabuloustrash05

As of now, the fanfic is finally coming to it's end. With the epilogue yet to be released as of the time I'm writing this. This fanfic brought me immense amount of joy and it's probably one of the only real TMNT fanfics I enjoyed and stuck around to read. When I first discovered it, I didn't think much of it but then picked up on it. I red it from the beginning and ever since then I have waited patiently for every chapter to release. I can see that genuine passion was put into this work and this whole fanfic just felt like a love letter to the Ramona ship.

Overall in general just, I'm gonna be sad and upset after the fanfic is finished. Although I'm definetelly gonna come back and reread it whenever I have the time and or energy. I never thought to feel so many things over just one fanfic.

To Maria, a.k.a the creator, thank you for this. I can tell you are very passionate when it comes to how you write your fanfics, you clearly take it seriously, and I respect you for it. Even outside of being a writer, you are genuinely a wonderful person and I love talking to you and seeing your posts on my dashboard. Even when the fanfic finishes, I'm gonna stick around to read your other future fanfics. I gotta catch up with turtles in the roaring 20s ngl...

So uhm.. yeah-!

Amazing fanfic, I love it, even if you aren't a massive ramona shipper you can still enjoy the fanfic.

If you do want to read it, links are right here:

Anyways that's all for now. Until next time my dear bunnies and foxies. YEET-

[project-changeling-zero]

another issue i have with sonic prime - shadow the hedgehog. ( very long )

.

just gonna say this upfront - do not interact if you are a prime shadow fan and just want to insult or start an argument // debate with me in the comments.

.

ever since his debut in the show, shadow in sonic prime has been frequently called 'the best he's been written in years', well loved by a large majority of the prime fandom.

because of this popularity, i was under the belief that shadow was going to be more like how he's written in sa2, satbk, or sonic 06. i've since learned that many shadow fans ( that i've seen ) just like shadow on screen

which isn't necessarily a problem, but i think it's safe to say the sonic fandom has always been a mixed bag when it comes to critiques of the games and their contents ( ever since sa1, or even before that, to sonic frontiers, but i can't comment on the comics, as i've never read them ).

so, in hindsight, i should've proceeded with caution and not take popular opinion into high account.

anyway, i'll get to the point. shadow in sonic prime is one of the worst characterizations of shadow i've seen. i think the only one worse is shadow from the sonic boom universe.

shadow is quite frustrating in this show for a few reasons:

he loses the chaos emerald within five minutes of obtaining it, like an absolute idiot.

he antagonizes sonic every chance he gets and seems to believe the only way to resolve an issue is through violence or aggression. like, yes, of course, shadow, i totally wanna listen to you after you punched me in the face so hard that i literally suffered amnesia.

does next to nothing in the entire show ( up until, like, s3? ), but acts like he's needed.

insults sonic's friends for no reason ( originals and alters alike ).

somehow thought the tech was the only reason sonic could pass through the gateways when he literally saw sonic pass into new yolk before he got the tech. it'd be one thing if he knew sonic could pass regardless and figured the tech would help himself pass through, but he just ignored or forgot what he saw, i guess??? and this is never brought up again.

real question, what does sonic need him for again? even if shadow was never there, sonic would eventually come up with the plan on his own. it's not rocket science.

keeps insisting the alters aren't real people ( this is a problem of the show in general, esp where they go back and forth with sonic in particular, but it's extremely aggravating with shadow as, even if he was right, he's basically saying that sonic shouldn't care about the people that look like his friends, even if they're copies ).

last but not least, HE KEEPS BRINGING UP THAT HE'S THE ULTIMATE LIFEFORM, WHO FUCKING CARES, GET A LIFE-

( should i also mention how misleading it was for it to seem like shadow was concerned and trying to warn sonic about the shatteverse, only to immediately go on the assault when the two meet up? what the fuck? )

after i got my hopes up by the reviews and all the love for this show, this was just sad and annoying to watch. how many times is it gonna take for sega and any writers associated with them to get it?

shadow is not an overtly aggressive, hot-headed, domineering person. that was never what shadow was or was supposed to be.

shadow is a kind, loving person. yes, you might not see it from pretty much every canon media of him aside from a few select games, but that's who he was meant to be.

of course, in sa2, he did nearly destroy the world. the difference between that shadow and prime shadow is that, in sa2, he did it out of the love he had for maria and because his memories were affected, making him misremember what maria really wanted.

in his debut game, shadow is meant to be something akin to a guardian angel. the 'ultimate lifeform' meant wish fulfillment, immortality, healing. and to have shadow believe that sonic is the true ultimate lifeform instead speaks volumes of who he is and how he's changed in a considerably short amount of time.

in prime, shadow isn't any of these things. sure, he protects sonic every now and then, but for a while, i didn't even know if it was because he actually cared about sonic or if it was because it was necessary to get back home. the 'ultimate lifeform' doesn't mean anything to him or to this show. it's just to wave his big dick energy around. it shows he doesn't actually see anyone, let alone sonic, as his equal.

yes, shadow is standoffish, but it's not like he's ever been out of touch with emotions or relationships. i don't believe that it was because of maria's death that shadow had essentially 'shut down', but rather because he wanted to grant her wish as soon as possible. and even then, he saved rouge's life. while the game could've led us to believe it was because she had the chaos emeralds, they showed us that he just couldn't let her die if he could prevent it by showing that he couldn't save maria way back then.

this is what a lot of the games, and frankly, most of sonic media in general, seem to have entirely forgotten about shadow.

even as a child, it wasn't difficult for me to understand that shadow did care. that he does care. in fact, that's pretty much what drives him throughout his entire debut game, that he cares so much for maria, so much for her wish, and, eventually, so much for humanity.

i think the closest we've ever been to getting a characterization just like shadow in sa2 is in sonic 06. say what you will about the game, i personally like it ( i acknowledge it has a lot of flaws, but let me be ).

in sonic 06, shadow doesn't have any hostility with sonic. in fact, sonic gives a silent thanks to him for saving him from silver. and shadow proves that you don't have to tell your friends you love them in order for them to know, 'cause he loves rouge and omega in this game. he deeply cares about them and is noticeably disheartened when he discovers what becomes of omega in the future.

shadow doesn't become persuaded by mephiles' tactics to turn against humanity, even when he gives plausible ( but not 100% ) evidence that it is likely authorities would blame shadow for the downfall of humanity, due to his power. in fact, the only thing about any of that information that brings shadow pause is the fact omega would have been the one to arrest him in said future.

and to mephiles' face, he accepts the possibility humanity will turn on him head-on and tells him that he will choose his own fate, that he will fight like he always has, that he decides how his story ends.

i find it hilariously sad that the few games that gets shadow is a game largely hated by a majority of the sonic fandom ( this included me at some point, i'll admit ). i think i'm seeing a turnaround though, especially with P-06 in the works, so that's some good news.

but back to my main point, there's a reason why sa2 and s06 shadow work much better than prime shadow. because shadow honestly, truly, completely cares.

he saves rouge from prison island.

he works alongside sonic without a second thought.

he saves humanity from his own wrong-doings.

he acknowledges sonic's power.

he saves rouge from eggman.

he is upset about omega's possible future circumstances.

he protects sonic from silver.

he is aware of how much rouge cares for him.

he helps in bringing sonic back to life.

and he does all of these with little to no complaint, no sarcastic remarks, almost no attempt to hide his true feelings under a mask, none of that. shadow is completely true to himself. shadow doesn't only care about others, he cares enough about himself to know who and what he truly is and everything he's capable of.

like, goddamnit, shadow isn't my #1 favorite sonic character, but he's SO close in these specific games.

this is why prime shadow feels so hollow and dry in comparison. he's just devoid of almost everything that made shadow... well, shadow. and it's been like this for years!

i'm not sure why people are saying this is the 'best he's been written in years' when, for a long while, he was no different from a majority of his characterizations.

but, hey, he's better in s3, right?

well, yes, but we don't know why he's like that.

in s2, he had balls of steel for treating and talking to sonic the way he did, but now he's...

kinder? protective? actually listening? ( sort of, dude's still kinda stubborn )

what the hell happened???

did his sympathy finally kick in? did he get hit by a coconut and had amnesia for a while? was he one of infinite's copies ( honestly, i would've bought that )?

seriously, what happened?

yeah, obviously, s3 shadow still has flaws, but i think if they were established in s1 or s2 and slowly developed over the course of the show, he would've actually been a really good character.

not that the shadow i know would call the alters 'not real' anyway, but, y'know, for the prime universe and all that.

anyway, overall, i think shadow in sonic prime is one of the worst versions of shadow to date. in their efforts to make him cool ( i guess? ), they made him devoid of a lot of emotion and connection with the rest of the cast, but especially sonic.

completely pushing shipping aside, shadow and sonic do not have a healthy relationship in this show. i'm not going to ignore that sonic definitely has flaws in his writing, but the relationship is unhealthy from sonic's passiveness and shadow's aggressiveness.

due to this, i only like specific moments of prime sonadow, and all of them are in s3. which is saying something.

if it were me, i would've written shadow more true to the original, with my own minor creative liberties here and there, in terms of his personality.

with sonic, i would've made it so he's definitely more on the line of friendly allies with him, but not quite friends yet. throughout the show, their bond would've become stronger and stronger, with a lot of queer undertones ( c'mon, i'm gay and i like these little freaks, leave me be ) and mayhaps a romantically undertone ending, if i didn't wanna be bold about it? maybe? i'm as transparent as glass.

i absolutely would've included omega into the cast and make his relationships with omega and rouge very important to shadow and his character, 'cause HOW DARE YOU TAKE THAT AWAY?!

generally speaking, there's just a lot i would've changed about shadow if i was in charge of writing sonic prime, but alas...

i can only write fanfiction.

and yes, i'm absolutely serious.

thank you for reading this long, ridiculous rant with me about a popular character that is guaranteed to get me some flack in one way or another.

lemme know if you'd have done anything different with shadow's character in the prime universe, or if you have any questions!

[esdruxule]

Silent Hill 2: Not a Remake, a Rewording

A deep and personal transformative review analysis of the game through queer lenses.

Establishing Silent Hill 2 as a remake is a practical selling label: it works for the purpose of categorizing necessities and advertising spotlight, but is a disservice to what Bloober Team actually did with the original masterpiece and their own: It is for lack of a better audiovisual term: a Rewording.

Just as a rewording in a speaker's native language can sometimes convey ideas more effectively than a direct translation, the Silent Hill 2 remake sacrifices some of the game fidelity at a granular level to reconnect with its core themes and emotions through modern contextual frameworks.

Can we go a little faster?

(lyric on John Wayne by Lady Gaga)

I understand now the team's approach to the intro: to ease in action-players newcomers into the brutality of Silent Hill's psychological horror depth. I disagree however, I believe there shouldn't be such thing as easing one into a Horror Genre game, it's very tenet is the horror itself, and as such, one should be injected straight into said world. It's the new age modus operant but I disgress, it worked for most but almost put me off from giving it the chance it deserved. The voice acting and very own quality of animation scenes, the masterful change done in departing from the original game's dark, stoic, and suppressed artistic stylistic choices and James' own unique portrayal however were enough to make me feel conflicted about my very initial impression: How do they excel in some elements to comically fall short in others? They weren't, it was the easy in I mentioned, and mercifully James' fresh and genre & gender-pushing portrayal gripped me from the very first second to not let me commit the mistake of making my first limited impression being the final erroneous one.

Internet Killed the Video Star

(The Limosines Song)

Many pointed out the game departure from it's original signature and car chief marking dark stoic aesthetic. Many were against. Me included. The cutscenes are now infused with a vivacity thats seems on surface level, its own antagonist for the rest of horror it provides. Why would you want a grounded realism for a dark nightmare serie? Well Bloober Team did something else with it's adaptation and its absurd to compartimentalize as "modernization". See the reworded cut scenes aren't just realistic in graphs, organic in reaction and dynamic in interactions. You need to step back a level. A bit more. Careful with your head. Alright here we are: Bloober Team scrapped the dark stoics avatar that one could inject themselves into and raised a special 4th wall behind you while destroying the regular one in the front. The distinction is vital: cut scenes arent realism, they are realistic. You are watching a movie inside of it. James Sunderland was effectively squashed into a sheet of two dimensional story and John Herring read it and brought him to a tantalizing three dimensional level: a real breathing fictional man whose flesh you can see moving like never before. And don't forget that you are there with him. You can't escape his captive perfomance. In fact you will feel it in a whole new way.

See I'm here, I'm Real(istic)

(James is the new Meta-Maria)

James' first close-up shot: His defined jaw, covered in stubble, a pink lush mouth. His entire face: covered in droplets of water.This was an intentional setup as James as an attractive man, not a divergence from most of male protagonists, however soon, interesting further design and presentation choices start to impress themselves over:"Mary... could you really be in this town?"James new voice actor is a talented devil: his whispered purred performance hits all the correct hallmarks: from the start you know that James is a caring, naturally sensitive, inquisitive, and inherently sensual man. It feels intimate. It is the technique of ASMR that will be applied throughout the whole game to ensure the players will engage with James on a whole new level, unprecedented in terms of male protagonists:

He is a sexually guilty-ridden man and also, on this gender/genre bender version a meta/pseudo objectified sexual being, the establishing first shot close up, sets a visual sexual intimacy, a pictograma of how to associate his form with desire, his sultry voice affects directly players responsive autonomous system, his whining and crying as he stomps on monsters break the norm on the tough guy strength sonorous representation and further ties with his constant heavy breathing and groans: He is suppressing his thoughts about sex so much, it leaks into you.

And even if you are not sexually/gender inclined for the masculine presence he still exudes as a base: you are not immune to Mirror Arousal (Behavior) especially if you already come from the background of deeply identifying with the OG James, he was Mary, for this new one Maria:You will get hard, whether you are ready for it or not.

Everything changes, but somethings still the same:

As Silent Hill die hard fan of 19 years of twisted love and counting, I approached the game aesthetic hollistic choices from a puritan mindset: "Why is the city so wet, grubby and wind now? It is supposed to be in this limbo of conciouness, a geographic frozen dead body. It can't sing like an realistic abandoned city."It took a little *click* for me to grasp my own stupidity. It still is. A sacred ground. The energy of it a miasma so heavy that reality tears in its magnetic field, each person has their own vision of it, for Eddie is frozen: a body he has to keep killing again and again but still intact in its hurling inducing guilt. For Angela is always burning: her trauma makes her oscillate between hyper and repulsed sexual. She wants to have sex like most human beings, but that means has to let her body burn under another being rhythmic pressure, just like her father did.And for James is wind, grimmy grunge and wet. This is about sex. For James is always about sex. Love is about sex, death is about sex, guilt is about sex, sex is about sex.Even while kissing softly the insides of Mary thighs he was thinking about it. About how he should be more imposing, more above, more punitive perhaps. Like the figure he saw on the Museum.Now that made his groin burn. He wanted Mary to feel the same.

Fear amplified Arousal:

(fear-induced arousal turned on its head)

I wondered why the modernization was invoking such strong defensive reactions from the people who found it without flaws, their constant praise of graphics, combats, and atmosphere while refusing to elaborate on what other aspects be narrative, engaging, and visceral, only made sense after being mesmerized by the new James myself: It's impossible to process the fact that this game didn't just surpassed your expectations on adrenalin reward combative system and fear catharsis through contained virtual safety: it made you experience the fear induced arousal in an entire new level, you are not a victim of its horror, you are a protagonist of its twisted meta subtextual pornographic content: you made love with James and nobody, not even yourself can understand how special that was. It must have been the fight, the graphics, the scary sounds, because otherwise the admission of truth is too raw and self destroying of what you understand of horror games and your own self, what really made this game a masterpiece?There is one centrical upwarding member you keep ignoring like the sun. The orgasmic meat of it, James.

Maria

The Pink Herring

Maria has all the hallmarks of beauty: a hot body, an undeniable perfect ozempic face, thight clothing that allows you to stare at her big leather clad ass while escaping pyramid head. So why it didn't worked like before? Because she is no longer a the manifestation of "Born From a Wish" she is the "Dark Wish". This James pyramid head is less imposing, why? Because he is not his main punisher here, Maria is now. James resented the fact that Mary wasn't nor pretty and neither fuckable in the last days of her life, bit still he knew that was wrong. So wrong he would let it kill him. Maria sexiness is a sterile packaging, meant to lure the superficial appreciator, make him really believe that he still wants to fuck a blown up doll version of his wife. But this James doesn't. I believe he has subconsciously moved on from the love he felt for her and wants a new real woman to get involved with. I will let this up to interpretation and possibly another essay since is a complex angle but for me, James is no longer attracted to Maria, because who he wants in this version is Angela, trauma and all.

The Nine Layers of Hell

To wrap up this very long and indulgent essay I believe Bloober presented an even more charismatic layer with the time loops/layers/purgatory to this James. See, if the whole game was just about him realizing that he killed his wife, asking for forgiveness and saying there is nothing he can do to fix this, I would remain where I was with the OG: no there is no saying sorry, saying sorry is easy.But if we are indeed in a loop, if this infact is James second or eight run, this means something so much more alluring and beautiful about his character: He isn't saying he knows what he did is wrong, he crawling nine layers of hell, resetting his counciouness every new one he starts again to suffer through and deal with what he did, because when this James says he did something awful and is sorry for it, he means it.Someone here on ddit pointed out that each save is a layer, and with the fourth wall breaking aspect, this is further confirmed by the last one: Illness, mutilation, uglyness, reality, torment, anguish, suffering, despair and (the final boss itself).

Congratulations for Boobler Team on doing the amazing with so many set backs and missteps. I didn't expected my least favorite game to be this work of art, nor to make me fall in love with the one I most hated: a testament of their absolutely herculean feat.

[silent-raven13]

Omega Hobie

"Miles 3005 got himself an Omega!" Mimi said to Miles 1610, "Are you excited to meet him?" She giggles through her sentence.

"What? For real! Oh it's a guy Omega?" Miles 1610 asked being surprised while holding his smoothie.

The two went to visit Miles 3005, who's with Alpha and other variants. The tall dark skinned Alpha busy talking with his group until he spotted Miles 1610 and Mimi, he happily turns to them, "Hello, guys. What's up?"

"You have an Omega?" Mimi asked.

'Ha, yeah. It was bound to happen sooner or later. I honestly didn't expect to mate with one." Miles 3005 chuckles.

"Who is he?" Mimi asked.

"Relax, Mimi." Miles 1610 tries to calm his variant down. "What if his Omega is shy?"

"Yeah, he's a bit shy being called an Omega, he doesn't like to follow our second gender rules." Miles 3005 admits, "But we fell in love at first sight, I would say."

"Awe, that's so cute!" Mimi happily hug Miles 3005 being overjoyed, "You got yourself a boo!" She wraps her arms around her friend's left arm as they walk together. This Spider-woman loves being touchy with her friends often times, strangers would assume they are a couple.

Miles 1610 walks along, "Why a shy Omega? I never heard of that before. Is he...-" Miles was interrupted when they finally went into a portal to Miles 3005's world. The saw a fancy clean apartment, then suddenly a tall slim Hobie Brown with side dreads and a left shave undercut while wearing a rippled t-shirt with two color pants with one side being plaid fabric. "Who is she? Who the fuck are you two?" The Omega scowls holding a canned beer.

Mimi pouts, "We're his friends, man!"

"Easy, bae." Miles 3005 smiles at his Omega, "These are my variants, they came to see you."

"See me? Why? You didn't bother to ask?" Hobie 3005 sucked in his teeth being a bit annoyed. "You know, I don't like to be called an Omega. It's not my brand."

"I'm sorry, it's just word got around that me and you mated. Mimi always meets everyone's partners."

"That I do." She chuckles.

Miles 1610 looks at Hobie 3005's figures, he's thinner, and leaner than the other Hobie's he met before. Not to mention... he got hips? "Why is your body more feminine looking?" Miles stupidly ask before thinking.

"Miles!" Mimi gasps.

"Sorry, that came out rude." Miles 1610 said, "I just... are all Omegas like this?"

"Well, Miles 2020 and Miles 2023 do have hips from carrying pups. It's part of their Omega trait." Miles 3005 said. "My mate-" Hobie scrunched his nose, "It doesn't matter. Omega or not, it's all about how I let my body become the way it is. Come on, mate. I don't want to hear it anymore. Besides," Hobie 3005 sat on couch being exhausted, "I'm only staying here for a bit. I got no where to go." He put his dirty boots on his Alpha's coffee table.

Miles 1610 and Mimi glance at each other. "So you guys aren't together?" Mimi asked the Omega.

"No! It was all for sex." Hobie 3005 huffs with his arms crossed.

"Bae, stop lying. He been living with me for five months now." Miles 3005 said in a happy tone, "Last time, he came running to me when he heard about how I injured my shoulder."

"Oh right, with Dr. Octopus." Mimi nodded, "Yeah, I heard you dislocated your shoulder while saving a mother and child."

Hobie winced at the memory. Miles 1610 said, "Wow, that must've hurt."

"Yeah, Maria 289 had to put it back in place. It hurt a lot but it was fine."

"Oi, Mr. Hero!" Hobie got up to face his Alpha, "That shit wasn't funny. You scared the bloody hell out of me!"

"I'm sorry, bae."

Hobie pouted, "You promised you won't do that again! Remember that!" His Omega pheromones leaked of sweet cinnamon spices.

Mimi said, "So he is your mate!"

"I don't believe in labels," Hobie said, "But he is mine! My alpha." Suddenly his mood changed into protective Omega of his mate.

"Well, if you don't believe in this stuff why not let Miles date someone else-" Omega Hobie stood staring at his Alpha, "He's mine."

Miles 3005 chuckles, "Sorry guys, I'm taken."

Hobie 3005 held his Alpha's cheeks, "This right here is my man! We are in a relationship where our second gender isn't our main focus."

"Sounds complicated just to be different." Mimi rolled her eyes, "Just be happy he's your mate."

"NO! We are dating but not dating. He's my boyfriend but not my boyfriend." Hobie scowls.

"Well, I'm just confused." Miles 1610 said, "But welcome to the Punkflower team."

'Don't mind him, he's very chill once he's not in his heating state."

"He's in heat! Why didn't you tell us?" Mimi asked out loud, no wonder this Omega is so damn moody.

"Haha, I just noticed." Miles 3005 could seem his Omega's heat. Hobie merely pouts going back to his couch with a comfortable blanket for his nest.

"Shut up, Sunflower!" Hobie felt embarrassed.

Miles 3005 chuckles, "It's alright, mi amor. Mi vida, it'll be fine."

Miles 1610 saw Mimi took out her crossbody pocket tossing a condom at Hobie, "My gift to you, mate. Your gonna need it, since this heat and rut is gonna be wild." She can already tell they about to make a baby soon. "Come on, Miles. We should leave them alone."

"Haha, see ya guys. Use a lot of lube... I heard-" Hobie shrieks, "Shut up, man. I know, how to fuck!" He toss back the condom at them, but they already went into a portal to go back to normal. "Ohhh, they are bloody jerks."

"Stop, mi vida. You're just going in heat. I'll leave you alone soo-" Hobie whines, "Noooo! Stay with me. I need you here."

"Okay, mi vida." Miles 3005 kisses his boyfriend's cheek having to cuddle with him.

-6 months later-

Miles 2020, Miles 2023, Miles 1610 gawks at Omega Hobie 3005 having a swell belly. being introduced to the gang. "Ohh, so cute." Miles 2023 giggles.

"Welcome to the team!" Miles 2020 chuckles.

Omega Hobie huffs, "I don't believe in teams."

Hobie 138b tilted his head, "Sunflower, that's an Omega me?" He hugs his boyfriend being surprised.

"Yup," Miles 1610 giggles, "Isn't he cute."

"He's a bit shy..." His boyfriend said.

Omega Hobie stood next to his Alpha being more needy for him, wanting his attention. Miles 3005 wrap his arms around his Omega. An adorable purring from the Omega came from the back of his throat. Hobie 138c chuckles, "Oi, you really playing the Omega role."

"No, shut up. You fucking wanker." Hobie 3005 scowls at his variant.

Mimi giggles, "It's cute to see you pregnant. Look at that adorable belly. Miles, you excited to be a dad?"

"Yes, I am." Miles 3005 happily said, "My Omega makes me so happy."

"Awwweee!" All the Miles and Hobies said seeing how flustered the Omega punker looks.

"Stop, you jerks!" Hobie 3005 scowls then snuggle at his Alpha being embarrassed. His variants are cracking up at them.

Miles 3005 kisses his partner's forehead, "Awe, it's alright, mi amor." Happily comforting his Omega.