#because he can and will inflict a fate worse than death on them

[azurescaled-arch]

at what point would izumi determine a fight is pointless or otherwise a bad decision on his part to continue?

Unprompted Asks || Always Accepting! @knightshonour 

Truthfully? No fight would ever truly be pointless to him, because he knows he can outlast damn near everyone who would try to fight him. That being said, he will refuse to continue in the mortal realm and open a gate to a realm in between the realms in order to continue a fight. Namely, because he’s so powerful that using anything over his current suppressed power would be enough to cause extreme devastation on the world around him. So, if he feels that he has to unseal parts of his power, he’ll call it a lost cause and drag his opponent somewhere else so he can stop holding back.

[syluslnd]

Just read House Of Cards and it got me good ༼⁠;⁠´⁠༎ຶ⁠ ⁠۝ ⁠༎ຶ⁠༽ aksbsjsanoaksdjsnkasjian– *dead*

Anyways, can you make the continuation of that story?

(Tired of me being delusional so now it's his turn for him to be the one who is delusional)

From what I read, Sylus always in denial when his men sent every piece of her until the last moment he snapped. What if he goes back into being delusional then? That MC is still in bed with him. Or going to the arcade with her (clearly he go there alone because MC is ☠️)

How people inside there giving him a weird look because they see some disheveled man talking about he would buy the entire arcade (in the game. Canon.) for his beloved.

Thank you!! (⁠人⁠ ⁠•͈⁠ᴗ⁠•͈⁠)

pt 2 to this story

house of cards;shattered

(note-It makes me so happy you liked it so much that you needed a continuation🥹thank YOU & I hope you really like this, kisses xx)

────୨ৎ────

The days following the discovery of your body were a blur for Sylus. The once-cold and calculating leader of Onychinus was unraveling at the seams, haunted by a rage so consuming that it drowned out everything else.

The names of the men responsible for your death, those who dared to touch what was his, had been whispered to him by his remaining loyalists like and kieran,sylus wasted no time tracking them down.

He wanted them alive. He wanted them to feel pain-slow, excruciating pain, the kind that would make them beg for death long before he was willing to grant them that mercy.

The first man was found in a decrepit building, hidden away like a rat. Sylus didn't speak as he dragged the man into the basement of one of Onychinus's many safehouses. There was no need for words.

He was beyond talking. His mind buzzed with one singular thought: revenge.

The man was tied to a chair, blood already trickling down his face from where Sylus had struck him. Sylus circled him slowly, like a predator stalking its prey. The cold gleam of his knife reflected in the faint light and the man whimpered, begging for mercy.

"I wonder” Sylus muttered under his breath, his voice low "how long it'll take for you to break."

With a quick flick of his wrist, he slashed the man's arm, drawing a deep line across the skin. Blood welled up instantly, dripping to the floor in steady, rhythmic beats. The man screamed but Sylus barely heard it. His eyes were cold, unfeeling, even as the man squirmed in his restraints.

One cut turned into two. Two turned into ten.

Sylus worked methodically, slicing deeper each time, his hand steady, his mind eerily calm. He didn't rush. He savored each scream, each pathetic whimper. The man's blood coated Sylus's hands but he didn't care. He wasn't thinking about anything but the pain he wanted to inflict. Pain for pain.

Blood for blood.

He broke the man's fingers, one by one, relishing the sickening snap of bone beneath his grip. The man's pleas for mercy fell on deaf ears. Sylus didn't stop. He wouldn't stop until every single one of them paid for what they had done to you.

By the time the man finally succumbed to the pain, falling limp in the chair, Sylus had carved his face beyond recognition. Blood pooled at Sylus's feet, staining the floor. He stood there, panting heavily, his body covered in the man's blood, his chest heaving. But it wasn't enough. It wasn't nearly enough.

The second man suffered a worse fate. Sylus had perfected his technique by then. He used a blowtorch, searing the flesh from the man's arms and legs, watching as the skin blistered and peeled. The smell of burning flesh filled the room but Sylus didn't flinch.

His expression remained cold, detached, as if he were performing a routine task rather than torturing a man to death.

The man screamed so loudly that Sylus had to gag him but it didn't make a difference.

The man's eyes told him everything. He was terrified. Broken. A shell of what he had once been. Sylus took his time, dragging out the agony for hours, refusing to let the man pass out. When the man's legs were charred beyond repair, Sylus ended him with a single, swift cut to the throat.

But it still wasn't enough.

Each time he killed one of them, Sylus felt a strange emptiness settle over him. He had thought that their deaths would bring him peace. That they would give him closure. But all he felt was a gnawing, festering wound inside him—a hollow void that no amount of bloodshed could fill.

The final man was the one who had sent the message, the one who had orchestrated the whole thing. Sylus saved him for last. This time, he wasn't quick about it. He made sure the man felt every second of pain.

Sylus shattered his kneecaps with a crowbar, slowly, deliberately. The man writhed, trying to crawl away, but there was nowhere to go.

Sylus grabbed him by the hair, forcing him to look up.

"You think you've won?" Sylus hissed, his voice shaking with fury. "You think taking her from me made you powerful?"

The man spat blood, laughing through the pain. "She...was just...a toy..to you..."

The words hit harder than any physical blow could. Sylus's vision blurred with rage. He drove the crowbar into the man's ribs, one after another, each crack echoing in the cold room. The man choked on his own blood, gasping for breath but Sylus didn't stop. He kept hitting. Kept swinging. Until the man was nothing but a bloody, broken mess on the floor.

Finally, when the last man was dead, Sylus stood over the carnage, his breathing ragged. His hands, arms, even his face were stained with blood. But as he stared at the bodies, at the destruction he had wrought, something inside him cracked.

He had avenged you. He had made them suffer. But why did it feel so... hollow?

Then, something strange happened. A thought—no, a delusion-began to take root in his mind. You weren't really gone. You couldn't be. You were too strong for that.

Too stubborn. This had all been some elaborate trick, a twisted game to test him.

That was it. You had never been dead.

He just... needed to find you.

The next day, Sylus was smiling, genuinely smiling for the first time in what felt like an eternity. He was covered in dried blood but that didn't bother him. None of that mattered. What mattered was that he was going to see you.

He walked through the streets of Onychinus with a spring in his step, ignoring the wide-eyed stares and gasps from the people around him. The blood that clung to his clothes and skin was irrelevant. He was happy. He was going to take you out, like you had wanted. You were waiting for him. You always waited for him.

Sylus reached the arcade, stepping through the entrance with a grin. The bright lights and sounds surrounded him but all he saw was you, standing at the claw machine. You were there. Of course, you were there. You'd always be there.

"There you are, kitten" he said, his voice soft, almost tender. "I told you l'd be back."

But the arcade had fallen into a stunned silence. People stopped in their tracks, staring in shock and horror at the blood-covered man standing in the center of the room, talking to... no one.

Sylus didn't notice. He walked toward the claw machine, where he could see you in his mind, laughing at your failed attempts. "Let me help you this time" he chuckled, reaching out as if to guide your hand but his fingers grasped only air.

A child whispered to their mother, "Mommy, why is he talking to himself?"

The mother pulled the child closer, her face pale as she hurried them out of the arcade.

More people began to leave, their eyes darting to Sylus in fear but he remained oblivious, lost in his own delusion.

He leaned against the claw machine, his bloodstained hand leaving a smear on the glass. "You always get so worked up over these games, sweetie" he teased, his voice dripping with affection. "But I always knew you could win if you just had a little patience."

A man behind the counter fumbled with his phone, clearly calling the authorities. His hands shook as he kept his distance, terrified of the blood-soaked maniac who was clearly not in his right mind.

Sylus's eyes sparkled with something close to joy. "You're laughing at me, aren't you?" he said, his tone playful. "I can't help it. I just missed you."

In his mind, you were there. Smiling.

Laughing. Perfect, as you had always been.

But the truth was a far darker reality. He was alone, talking to nothing but empty air, the ghost of your presence haunting his fractured mind and the onlookers could only watch, horrified, as Sylus-the feared, ruthless leader of Onychinus-spoke to someone who no longer existed.

The doors to the arcade opened and the authorities arrived. But Sylus didn't notice.

He was too busy laughing with you, too consumed by the fantasy he had created, a world where you were still alive, still with him.

In the end, the tragedy wasn't just that you were gone. It was that Sylus had lost his mind trying to keep you alive in his own twisted way.

and the reality, cold and unforgiving, was that nothing could bring you back.

[brucewaynehater101]

Inspired by "Jason adopts Tim" fics on AO3, prompts by puppetmaster13u & others on here and that one AO3 fic where because Bruce told Jason pre-death he can take whatever is his and Robin is his it's fair game to nab Tim and the AO3 News Article fic where Red Hood decides the best revenge is tricking the world into thinking he's the Third Robin's dad, some of your posts—

—and my love for inhuman folks

Jason resurrects and he isn't human anymore. Dealer's pick on what he is precisely but he has become much more wary of just how fragile the lives of humans are

How fragile his own life may still be

+ he's got trauma piled on top of his fresh instincts and confusion on what happened after his death

Thus when carving his place as Red Hood, he is more vigilant in making Crime Alley a place where people don't just survive, but live and maybe even thrive.

Putting down threats like predators for good in death. But doing so too much will get Batman breathing down his neck

So he takes some inspiration from Batman after his death and before Tim to inflict some fates worse than death, and rubs it in the Bat's face whenever they face of against each other. "It's not killing B"

He tries—and due to trauma—fails to bring himself to kill Joker. Which crushes him with every crime the Joker (that he in a fucked up sense allowed) commits onwards

Onto the next best thing, acquiring wealth and asking for public donations all over Gotham to build up a sufficient bounty on Joker's head to draw in the most competent killers of them all

Whoever can kill and bring the Joker's remains as evidence gets the money, and the bounty price builds up over time

He'll even add more to the bounty time to time

Jason overworks himself on his Crime Alley to the point his own men compare him to a more benevolent Batman, one who doesn't need an emotional support child

"Could you elaborate on that? I had to spend time out of Gotham for a time and don't know what happened during that span of time"

Batman gave Robin to another

But he didn't revoke Jason's ownership, did he?

Humans are oh so fragile

He knows from experience

In classic not-human logic, that makes the new Baby Bird his now, no? Especially with Batman so incompetent as to depend on him

Titans Tower is not found with Tim bloody and broken

Titans Tower is found without Timothy Drake, and countless leads implicating several yet all seemingly frame job dead-ends

Penguins and Red Hood and Luthor. Joker and Two-Face and beyond

Red Hood is found in a meeting room by his men with a Third Robin—the Robin the city owes guilt and more to—in the Crimelords arms

"B always said that I could take what's mine whenever I want, and he never said it never extended to his . . . My kid. He's mine now . . . "

Words spreads in Gotham City. It spreads indeed

It's fitting, it's fitting. Inheritor of another's name, this Robin, this Red Hood is

Joker Junior and every other tragedy only solidifies Jason's resolve to keep and care for the kid

It's funny. Jason has barely felt human since he woke up from death, since he started overworking himself for his people

Now, with a baby brother in his life? With somebody to care for under his roof? Those domestic times he swore were killed alongside the Second Robin?

This is bliss

Jason feels a weight off his chest when his Merry Men sends a message that the Joker is dead, and the bounty has been sent to the killer

When Jason discovers the Fourth Robin, too dead and revived? when he finds her alive at all? Girl is getting snatched and doted on, especially if he finds her after she's had her baby

And I wouldn't be surprised if he tracked down her kid so she could have raise her baby herself and provided all the resources and support nessecery for it

[Daughter and grandchild acquired!]

When Damian comes and the Robin mantle is passed down onto him— yoinked by Jason again!

Damian is fuming because he wasn't told that this was part of being Robin!

=======

"If you're right that Batman is trapped in the timestream, that everyone is wrong about him being dead, before presenting this to the Justice League I think this should be a family discussion.

"Because I know otherwise I'd do everything in my power to let him die for real. Ensure nobody is the wiser that Bat could've been saved.

"And at least one of the Bats will disagree with me. And this is a scenario where everybody needs to have their input accounted for."

Oooh! All of this is fantastic, but I especially love the end.

The end combines a healthier approach to the BruceQuest with a trope I love: leaving Bruce in the timestream because fuck that guy. Regardless of what they decide, I'm glad Jason at least indicated it was an option.

I wonder where Dick and Cass are in all of this. I'm also curious about how Jason would react to the We Are Robins movement. Does he adopt every Robin or just those acknowledged by Batman?

[kerubimcrepin]

Liveblog: Wakfu Season 2 (episodes 13-16)

Episode 13 - The Night of the Thirsters

Proof Amalia and Joris are not close friends number 829342345: if she knew the alcohol he drinks and what he considers "a clean environment to live in" she'd get scared.

WoT twitter would kill Amalia.

I know it's more likely that both alcoholic and non-alcoholic bamboo milk exists, but the thought of everyone being a-ok with Yugo underage drinking makes me giggle for some reason. Ruel would fucking do that.

Are your villains 1. indestructible, 2. want to consume something that could theoretically fix them, 3. in the process, inflict a fate worse than death upon their victim, who 4. becomes one of them?

...Necromes were a missed opportunity. Shoulda called them Wakfu Thirsters instead.

Episode 14 - The Voice Thief

It's always sad to see the way the world has been devastated by Ogrest's Chaos.

FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...This says:

Her singing is so cute!

She is now fully bamboo milk-pilled. GOOD.

New Krosmoz music lore: We already know that vinyls and their players exist, as well as the fact that rock music exists (due to the fact that The Blues of a Hypermage (parody of the IRL song The Blues of a Buisinessman) exists).

Now we have the confirmation that metal bands are real.

Also, electric guitars are also real.

Mics are also real. (I am totally not noting all of this down because I want to write a "Joris, Kerubim, and Atcham go to karaoke" scene in one of my fics in the future, nuh-uh...)

Hummina hummina hummina bazooooooooing! eyes pop out AROOOOOOOOGA! jaw drops tongue rolls out WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF.

It's very rare to see, within the show, characters who differ from their usual class skin and hair colours, which is a shame. (I am 99% sure this is an iop due to his clothes and his hair pointing upwards)

Text behind Eva: rien ne sert de payer il faut en fuir / there is no point in paying, you have to run away

Text behind Amalia is too shielded to transcribe fully.

This is written in Brakmarian. It says:

This means that, metal music is stereotypically a Brakmarian form of music (big news: spoon found in kitchen)

I usually don't point this sort of stuff out but, man, this tavern is really well off. Not only is there a lot of food, there are also huge hot baths...

Also, once again, canalization and running water are real in this setting.

I choose to believe that this bubble thing is the Krosmoz equivalent of vaping because it's funny.

[blushing] Would!

Jpop is real in this setting, and someday, I will be able to prove to you, that Joris is a fan of it, using some proof besides "well ecaflips are kind of japanese-coded sometimes" and "it just makes sense."

Good rooms in taverns like these not only have hot baths but also fruit, candles, and drinks... [starts writing down "Joris, Kerubim and Atcham go to an expensive tavern and start talking about some convoluted topic, with vivid descriptions of delicious fruit-eating, how good the wine is, and how soft the bubbles in the bath are" in my fic self-indulgent scene ideas document. I can live my vacation fantasies vicariously through those three men]

Of course metal music from Brakmar is about the fact that the apocalypse caused inflation and that it's Good.

This says:

ourse

olle

m al

venu

Episode 15 - Wabbit Island

Hhh she is a very good artist.

[guy who is insane voice] This means that if I ever want to use the expression "canary in a coalmine" in a fic it'll be "tofu in a coalmine" instead.

The word Sayonara exists in Krosmoz which implies that some sort of fantasy Japanese is real. Big win.

Episode 16 - The Cursed Fountain

:(

While I usually talk a lot about character parallels between Yugo and Joris (these men who had to grow up far too fast will someday commit acts which no human being can be forgiven for in the name of goodness—-) there is a lot to be said about parallels betwen Eva and Joris.

They're both artistic, kind people who try to appear logic-driven (and sadly, they are both basically the wranglers/babysitters of their entire adventuring groups).

[megamuscle885-blog]

Severed - Worm Fanfiction Review

CW: Suicide and canon typical gore.

I don't think I've so eagerly anticipated an imaginary and, likely unwritten at the time of this post, scene in fanfiction than @heyitschartic's Severed. I've been following this series since it was posted three years ago. I'll avoid spoilers and the scene I'm imagining in question will be under the cut, but the basic premise is that Jack Slash chooses Skitter as his nominee during the Slaughterhouse 9 arc, rather than Oni Lee, who was disappointing, and Golem, who he later contrived the entire S9k arc for.

I will say that this work is a beautiful plunge into What Ifs which look all the more horrifying if you compare them against canon. You get flashback snippets of the S9 arc retold from a few perspectives before being thrust into post-GM, maybe pre-Ward? era with modern Skitter. I can certainly say that Severed blows all other S9!Taylors out of the water, Taylor is authentic in ways I haven't seen with anyone else. 10/10, each chapter is at it's absolute peak and it has 11 chapters as of this post. Each gut-punch has me anticipating the next chapter, only for the next chapter to explain why Taylor's friends and enemies hate her so much. I gasped when Tattletale said that to her. I strongly recommend Severed to anyone and everyone who hasn't already read it yet. Here's the link:

Oh wait does this count as the first of my Worm fanfic reviews--

So, I've read chapter 11 and I've been having Taylor and her clone rotating in my head endlessly, but the scene I'm anticipating is the one hinted at in Chapter where Defiant wants Taylor to go under the knife with Bonesaw again so Riley can fix all of Taylor's everything that is physically wrong with her, because her body is practically bio-tinkertech, even after they ripped almost everything else out.

I can only imagine Taylor reiterating that she refuses to be put under for the procedure, and using every moment to vent her anger and frustration on a Riley that is likely seeing marked improvement in her therapy (maybe). But Taylor keeps hitting her with blow after blow. "They'll never let you work on anyone else ever again, so you had better not kill me." and "Nobody will ever let you willingly touch them, I'm the only one who you can use your tinker abilities on, and that can change if I don't need you anymore." "If you ever find someone you can trick into letting you touch them, hold them, or even work on them, I'll kill them. It'd be better than the fate worse than death that letting you touch someone inflicts, and I should know, I'm living through it."

Maybe Chartic has something else planned, but I would like to see this Bonesaw cry. An unshakable, unmoved Taylor just heaps on the abuse through her own tears of pain, holding Riley hostage even as she roots through her guts to put her back together. It's very Taylor to fight through pain to force people to help her. The last time they saw each-other, Riley was doing well. I don't think she'll be doing very well after they meet again.

Maybe an overseeing team of surgeons and Capes become increasingly uncomfortable as Riley is tormented. They find themselves defending Bonesaw of all people, from one of her former victims too.

I'm sorry if this is unsolicited Chartic, but I can't wait to see their reunion, whatever form it takes. Severed's way of making Taylor suffer the consequences of her own actions, while invoking sympathy simultaneously with disgust at Taylor's betrayals; the depths she's sunken to, and then to finally wrap it up with shame and admonishment of her friends, turned victims, is masterful. How dare either they or I judge her for what she had to do to survive. Each chapter reveals that it got worse and worse. At some point, I suspect that (one of) the reasons that Taylor is being given such little leeway by the rest of the cast and remains constantly under the threat of harsh re-imprisonment or execution by vengeful kill-teams is because she somehow became the worst member of the Slaughterhouse Nine or even surpassed them in notoriety.

Tattletale telling Skitter to kill herself was such an insane scene that I stood up and covered my mouth. I was in disbelief. But knowing now that Skitter had betrayed the Undersiders to a slaughter by Mannequin (after having sacrificed her own father and, essentially, her own pre-cape life and innocence with him. The Taylor that she did not want to be, embracing the Skitter she chose to become) and then at some point caused the remainder of the Livsey family to kill themselves the same way Reggie did, with gunshot wounds, really clarifies that Taylor did something unforgivable. She exploited her friendship with Lisa to injure her in a way that can never be repaired. Lisa in canon never really had much to do with her parents ever again, but she probably didn't want them dead for neglecting Reggie.

I may edit this later, or reblog it, as new thoughts on the work come to me.

[margueritedaisies]

I just love drawing families of fictional characters, its interesting to think of how each sibling would look. I try to make them different from one another but at the same time maintain familial similarities.

Jinzha resembles their mom, Muzha their dad, and Nezha's a good mix of both.

Also get ready with some sibling dynamic rant, mostly relation HCs by me.

Enough with the parent child dynamic

I want sibling dynamic. Where these three come to terms on what happened between them. Specifically Muzha and Nezha's interaction is the one I want to see.

Tbh those two's fates in the myth reminded me of Hyakkimaru and Tahomaru in Dororo.

Like Nezha and Muzha had so much potential to gain solidarity with each other. Because Jinzha could never relate to them as the ignored or unwanted child. Muzha has that middle child stuggle fr.

Muzha is the one so eager to gain their fathers favor trying to meet Jinzha's level . Nezha wants nothing from his father so he makes himself worse.

Muzha's frustration with Nezha is that Nezha is rebellious, disrespectful of their dad

While Nezha's frustration to Muzha is that Muzha is so blinded and always struggling to achieve something so futile. Deep down he hates how Muzha is suffering this way but he wouldnt speak of it. This is why they always at odds.

They should make a movie focusin the Li brothers fr

Other than overusing the actual myths.

Fuck the ending from the original myth, they didnt even consider how the children felt from all the abuse. Not even mention of Muzha's death.

Enough Ao Bing, what about Muzha???

And the moral lesson is just about "respecting elders"?? The story still had so much to wrap up. How can you call this a family if there is some sort of hierarchal system. A family requires empathy to maintain that connection.

Tbh its kinda realistic

Families and siblings can still inflict trauma from each other .And a story based on reconcilation is a good way for this to be about family counselling.

I wanna see the "what ifs". It could be each brothers own story of self healing from the trauma caused on each other.

Maybe Im getting my hopes up too much, but it could be a development for them to forgive, start anew and an opportunity to connect and catch up on what they missed on each other.

Edit:

As for Jinzha he also has his own struggles as the eldest. Keeping up the station as the golden favored and perfect son. But its Asian family dynamics, which means hes in a lot of pressure. But he is mentally and emotionally strong. The brothers always busy on his studies ,future responsibilities and training to be able to spend time together. Their timetables seemed to be planned out to always not meet. Jinzha especially had less freetime. And if he ever came across any of his brothers, it was only one of them never both.

He doesnt mind being a buffer for the other two feuding but it does stress him out that it will never change. But he'll make sure to give time and attention to both of them as much as he can.

Other than keeping up his fathers expectations he also doesnt want to fail as a big brother to them🥺😭

Muzha and Nezha can see his efforts so they do not dare hold anything against him. Muzha still keeps his competitive attitude when Jinzha's around but accepts any offered kindness from Jinzha. While Nezha enjoys his company when he gets the chance.

Also because I tend to hold on to this little bit of bonding😭🥺🥺Jinzha trying to be the best big bro

Thinking of the contrast in the future where Jinzha was tasked to torture Nezha destroyed me😭😭😭What did Jinzha even feel while he had to do it??

Also here some Nezha with his hair down again

[ravenlly]

(Sun and Moon Show Rant #4: Ruin's Arguably The Most Tragic Character In The Series)

Buckle up guys, this is gonna be a long rant!

So, Ruin. He has basically become the most hated character in the series after Solar's death. I'm a Solar simp, believe me, so I understand why people are mad. But I don't hate Ruin for it. I don't hate Ruin at all. I'll explain more in this rant.

So, at first when Ruin was "cured" I was skeptical like everyone else. I mean not too long before he was injected he went on about how he was a good actor. I felt like this could be foreshadowing. In hindsight, I was correct. However, I actually fell for his ball pit shark, clumsy, unable-to-fix-things-but-trying antics (which one of my rant posts displays as an example IN FULL). When he revealed himself to not be that it took a few days to get used to his character, which was made harder by the fact he was responsible for Solar's death.

That said, I did have the theory that he was going to do things that Sun and Moon wouldn't like that possibly involved the Creator Council and I was right on the money with that theory and I was so happy! Kinda. I didn't like that Solar of all people had to die. I was just happy my theory was correct.

Anyway, I got used to this real side of him that has finally been revealed. Then, as I thought about it, and as more episodes passed, I realized how much I love Ruin as well as how tragic his life has been. He might just have the saddest backstory of any character in this series! Sure, he hasn't died yet (as far as we know), but he has suffered a fate much worse than dying.

So, now onto the part everyone is here for...

First of all, Ruin has had to deal with the trauma of slowly watching his friends succumb to a virus that he found out too late he was carrying. He watched as they turned against each other and as the world was sent into chaos because of the virus! By the sounds of it in the episode where Eclipse confronted him about why he was made, it sounds like Ruin didn't know why they were turning against each other at first and found out later. Keep in mind that he was the carrier of this virus, which means that he was carrying it without realizing it if this was the case.

So far, we can only theorize as to how he came to the point where he carried the virus and spread it to the other animatronics without meaning to. Someone pointed out that it was slightly implied his Creator didn't make it and someone else did. People assumed this to be Ruin, though with what we know about him he obviously didn't do it...right? Well, people have proposed the theory that the Creator somehow tricked him into making it and carrying it. From what we know about Creators, all of them are manipulative and have a way with words.

Anyway, so...yeah, he had to deal with watching his friends lose their minds and turn on one another, succumbing to a virus that ended up destroying his dimension. This was bad enough on its own but it obviously gets worse from there.

Ruin had to pretend to also be inflicted himself. He had to act like he didn't mind killing people. To put it in perspective: He had to pretend that he was a psychotic killer robot who killed and maimed people and animatronics for fun and games. When in reality, he didn't like it. Not one bit. He had to do this to survive and have his plans remain undetected. For years on end. He had to trick people into thinking this was what he was like and he had to kill just to prove it, when in reality he hated every second of what he did and currently hates himself for it.

On top of that, his body deteriorated and fell apart. That was just something he had to live with as part of his act. As a way to fit in with his now-deranged former friends who also turned on him because of their virus.

He had no choice but to pretend to be some deranged maniac who loved killing and had to deal with his friends slowly decaying physically and mentally, also while learning there wasn't much he could do for them in the end. However, he did learn that he could save other dimensions...by destroying the Creator Council. And this was a goal he had to work toward for a long, long time. He had to figure out how to kill all the Creators involved and when he did figure out a way to do so, the only thing he could come up with was to destroy 5,000 of their dimensions entirely and essentially kill off every single inhabitant of those dimensions. He couldn't think of another way but he knew they were too dangerous to keep alive and that 5,000 wasn't that big of a number when taken into consideration the infinite amount of dimensions that would have been affected by the Creator Council.

Maybe Ruin even thought that destroying the dimensions was a better fate for the ones that were destroyed than having their Creators ruin them themselves. Maybe he thought them just being destroyed in a fraction of a second was merciful for the dimensions, which would make sense after what he saw his own one go through.

He couldn't think of a way to get rid of the Creators without many casualties. Not only did he know this, but he also knew that those in other dimensions who were affected by these collapses would seek him out to kill him. He knew he'd have enemies after this. He knew anyone who had loved ones from those dimensions would lose them suddenly. But he had no other option. He thought about this and plotted this for years. He didn't want to make anyone else suffer but strongly believed that the consequences were worth getting rid of the Creator. He did this for the best interests of every other dimension that would have been affected by this council...which would have been way more if he hadn't stopped them.

Ruin never wanted another dimension to suffer the slow, violent fate of his own. On top of this, nobody would love him for it. He knew this. He knew that after he did this, everyone would hate him and that nobody would appreciate this and that most people he saved would obviously have no clue. To him, it was necessary to save others and he didn't care if it was a thankless act.

We also have to keep in mind the fact that he did this in a dimension where he began to be treated kindly (at least for the most part) by its inhabitants. Kinder than he believed he deserved, knowing what he had done and what he was going to do. Even though they kept him at an arm's length, he got to know Sun, Moon, Solar, Earth, and Lunar to a degree. Some of them mainly through observation. He knew they wouldn't approve of what he was doing and knew the only way to distract them was to bring back someone they feared and hated most, after having slowly been getting treated more and more kindly by them, knowing they believed they had spared his life after saving him from a cure. Yet he felt he had to bring back their greatest enemy to distract them. All while keeping the act of being innocent, clumsy, and just weird.

Before this, he had to make everyone fear interrupting his plans by resurrecting Bloomoon, someone he knew would maniacally kill everything in sight and had to pretend he shared their joy in doing so.

But, yeah, back to his relations with Sun and Moon...he began to clearly begin feeling some sort of fondness for them, I believe, because I have my doubts he would've even thought of keeping Solar alive when he had been under the "virus" persona. At that time, I don't think he felt any sort of kinship with them yet and would simply have continued to treat them as part of the necessary casualties without even bothering to think of sparing Solar from his equation... But after that, when he'd spent months around them and even got to the point of knocking Solar out and copying his code, I believe he did genuinely begin caring more than he would have liked given what he was planning. I believe that this is why he did try doing what he could to spare Solar and found out he couldn't no matter what he tried.

So, after failing to find a way to prevent Solar from being wiped out with the dimension, Ruin had to watch his family react to his death and watch them grieve. Not only did he wait for them to come so he could at least explain what he did, but he continued to face their grief and then allowed them to do what he liked. This leads me to...

He believed he would die. Then and there, he believed Moon would probably kill him or send Eclipse to kill him. If not, then he probably believed this would occur immediately after Moon copied his data. But Ruin surrendered himself entirely to him and his family. Keep in mind that this guy has magic. He could've done whatever he wanted to after this. But he handed himself in. Some people think that this could've been part of a different plan but...really? I don't think so. I mean, by all means, he could have gone off and done anything he wanted. Monitored everything from afar if he needed to. But he didn't. This shows further proof that he really, truly does lack self-interest. This is huge right now in determining whether or not he's truthful. Plus, everything else he has acted out so far has involved him suffering a bit as a result. This Ruin, the one who killed all the Creators and gave himself up to Sun and Moon and their family, is undoubtedly the real Ruin. We finally have him as who he is.

Adding onto the fact that he handed himself in, he now has to watch their grief up close even longer after believing he probably would be dead by now. He has to watch as they suffer Solar's loss and has to deal with being confronted and hated on as he stands completely still in his cell. He has admitted that he hates himself and that he wants to die, having no real reason to live now that he believes he has freed the universe from the Creators. Wanting them to hurry up and kill him already. Having no friends who are alive. I don't believe he expected to be alive this long. Since he admitted to feeling genuine guilt over the death of Solar and hating himself, it's safe to assume it must hit him hard inside being reminded of the things he felt he had to do. He didn't enjoy making others suffer or tricking others. He was just good at pretending and it was a skill he needed to get what he felt he had to do.

I think he didn't want to get close to the family and began to care for them more than he wanted to admit. He even admitted that made it harder for him to have to trick them, knowing that Moon was even thinking of considering him family. That would've been his last opportunity to have friends or family again and he gave it up completely for his goal.

Ruin is an anti-villain who did what he believed he had to for the good of others, despite it being in a way that was tragic and awful. He believed it to be the only way. He had to watch his friends die. He had to pretend to be maniacal and evil and enjoy killing for who knows how long...and imagine how his first kill felt when he had to do this!). When he finally dropped that act (which he was probably quite happy he had an excuse to do!), he had to pretend to be a clumsy family friend. He gave up the chance to truly have them as his family and friends to achieve his goal. He now has to sit in a cell, watching the grief of everyone around him, knowing he will be both hated and scorned for what he did, even giving himself up just to face their wrath because he deserves it. Waiting for his death. He believed it was for a good cause...even if he'll never, ever be recognized for it. Even if he knows he is going to be despised for as long as the universes exist, with no one who will appreciate what he did.

And that is just tragic.

You can also note that he sounds more and more worn down with each interaction he has in his cell.

Well, I wonder what will happen to him now. I feel like his story is not yet over and he will not get the death he yearns for. He's still important to the plot, I believe, and I feel like he still has potential that can be squeezed outta him!

I'm so curious to know what will happen to who I believe is the most tragic antagonist in the series. Character in the series. If he dies, I hope it's meaningful. He's such a good character!!

Edit: Oh, yeah, and he also mentioned knowing a thing about grieving with others. Bonus angst points

[mako-neexu]

“Y’know what? Someone really ought to stop Master. Because at this point? They’ll suffer somethin’ far worse than death.”

The Servants look at the young gunshooter with mixed expressions. Raised brows, tired faces, condescending smiles--

“And you don’t think her hundreds of Servants know that? Even Heracles once stopped Master from going out to train before pointing to her bed to rest a little more.” Hundred faces responds from the shadows, their outline barely visible against the dark corner.

“Of course I know.” The blond young man rolls his eyes as he watches their Master’s form clutching her hand with the command seals, screaming her Servants’ names as she lost them to the creature that advanced with terrifying speed.

What a mess. 

Even without thorough knowledge of magic, everyone could practically see that Fujimaru Ritsuka’s nervous system is barely supported by the hundreds and hundreds of blessings inside her body. 

At the same time, the lethal curses and poison inflicted by her own Servants just marginally fought back the impurities that do not belong to her body. 

What of her mental state? Billy catches sight of black flames rounding the corner, followed by a pair of bright butterfly wings.

Shit really is fucked if incomplete people, ghosts- weapons like them want to chain this human down to a bed and have them get a good eight-hours worth of rest. Vacation time outside of their bullshit shenanigans that cause the Master serious headache too.

Geronimo pursed his lips as he looks sadly at the Master who was crying yet growling out orders of attack, never letting her knees touch the ground with the Zemlupus boy protecting them from stray debris and onslaught, “All that we can do is support her no matter what. For that is her will, we must obey.” 

And as Servants with a contract, they are influenced by their Master to stand by her side even as something inside them keeps screaming to not let the single human who understood them like a mirror die.

“Billy the Kid, Geronimo, Kiyohime! You guys are up! Please head to the deck ASAP!” Da Vinci’s voice rang out from the intercom. Both Billy and Geronimo nodded to each other, before looking at the female berserker that donned a sad smile.

“In the entire time I’ve been here, not once did Master lie to me about anything.” She raises a hand to her heart, her amber eyes holding a kind of hurt they knew all too well, “Yet when I ask about her feelings and her thoughts, all she did was smile.”

And everyone in the room understood.

With a profound fondness for their friend, contractor, and Master, comes with a hatred that could rival the flames of hell itself. Hatred for her fate, for all the things she was forced to do, for all the things she was forced to become. The only thing they can do is grit their teeth and support their Master to the very end of her life.

Cursed to this kind of life, the only salvation they could think of for her is—

[studentinpursuitofclouds]

Hi! So you know how In the crimson badlands there are fallen warriors who are dead but attack you , can you write how those who go to/ are familiar with the crimson badlands would react to seeing the farmer, a close friend of theirs, as one of the fallen possessed warriors ? ( I’m referring to Alesia, Camilla, Jadu, Lance, Issac, Magnus, and anyone else related that I didn’t think of)

Dear God! Anon, this ask is sheer pain and suffering!... You son of a bitch, I'm in. And If I am destined to suffer from writing this headcanon, then I will drag everyone who wants to read it to the bottom with me. Suffer! Ahahahahahaha!

Anyway, enjoy and thanks for asking 😊

(PS: of course, I refuse to believe in this scenario, and my Farmer was on the verge of death in my story, but they are all good, fluff, puppies and nothing bad at all).

⚠️ Warning: angst, mention of deaths, blood and corpses.

_________________________________________

Isaac:

He knew that he shouldn't get attached to this stupid and annoying upstart from Stardew Valley. To this little dumb pup, always smiling, always trying to help everyone, always covered in mud and grass, to this... This... Damn it. Isaac's insides screamed that he shouldn't get attached to the Farmer. But he did not listen to his inner voice. And from that, the realization of loss hurt the heart more painfully than a knife. Maybe on the face, Isaac will keep his negligence, and even say a not too kind word towards the fallen Farmer, who, because of their stupidity, became another lost soul. But some of his close colleagues know that he is filled with grief and sadness. He lost too many people he could call friends... All the tears in the world won't be enough for every person Isaac has lost. But why did Farmer's death hurt so much more?...

Magnus:

When Magnus learned from colleagues about the fate of the recently missing Farmer, he cursed the day Camilla decided to show the Farmer this Yoba forgotten place. Even though they were gifted youth, they were still youth! Magnus yelled at Camilla for a very long time, accusing her of being partially responsible for their death... No, not death - even worse. After all, their friend, a young adept who gave hope, must wander in the form of a walking dead along with other damned. It will hurt him more if the Farmer was also his partner... Then Magnus is unlikely to forgive Camilla.

Lance:

Of course, Lance agreed to another patrol along with the other adventurers in the Crimson Baldlans, as they needed magical support. Of course he didn't lose his temper fighting the damned mummies and serpents. Of course, his hand didn’t waver as he struck down the fallen adventurer with his sword, a walking corpse that had already warped due to dark magic. Of course, he had already prepared his sword when another walking dead appeared among them, ready to attack. Of course he... what? No... This is... can't be... For the first time in his life, Lance was momentarily paralyzed. His friend, his ally, his... object of sighs?... stood in front of Lance, trying to get the words out. They spoke indistinctly, but Lance could recognize two words: "Sorry.... Run...." That's all they said before inflicting a serious wound on the pink-haired adventurer, which almost became fatal for Lance. While his colleagues were distracting, Lance managed to cast a teleportation spell for them all, and they immediately found themselves in Castle Village. Lance's colleagues immediately began to help him stop the bleeding and look for a healer, but he still couldn't get their face, their friend out of his head... Lance closed his eyes, hoping it was just a nightmare.

Marlon:

Marlon heard something fall and crack in his and Gil's room. He went to check and saw that there was a broken photo frame on the floor. Marlon picked it up, dropping the pieces, and looked at it for half a minute. It was a photo of him with Gil and the Farmer in front of their Adventurer's Guild that they recently took as a memento. Marlon usually did not believe in omens, but for some reason some bad feeling gurgled inside him. Unfortunately, his fears were confirmed by Alesia, who entered the Guild in the evening with bad news. Both Marlon and Gil were in complete shock, still not moving away from the realization that their next close friend fell victim to the damned desert. Old adventurer couldn't sleep tonight, and already wanted to get drunk to drown out the pain of loss. Gil didn't let him do it, trying not to leave his old one-eyed friend alone with grief.

Camilla:

It was quite rare when you could find Camilla out of sorts, but today was exactly that day. After an important meeting hosted by the Ministry of Magic, Camilla left conference hall irritated, not even bothering to joke in her usual manner. She refused to talk to anyone who wanted to ask her about something, and didn't even react to the strange tingling in her body, referring to this spoiled irritation. But suddenly, anxiety paralyzed her. She turned pale as a corpse, for Camilla felt the inception of some very strong dark magic. Stronger than even the energy from Apophis. Casting a protective spell on herself, Camilla moved from the cozy tower to the very heart of the Crimson Baldlans in an instant. The place where she felt this energy. And she gasped in horror. A living dead man was walking sideways nearby. Fallen warriors in these sands are already quite common, but it was a completely fresh corpse, the blood did not even have time to dry. And Camilla saw the corpse's face... Yoba, that tingle she felt earlier... She always felt the Farmer in the Crimson Baldlans, and always had time to save them if they were on the verge of death. But due to her irritation, malice and negligence at this very moment, she lost a friend and a budding mage warrior. She needs to make every effort now to stop a new threat that has not yet arisen. The Farmer was indeed very gifted in magic, such an uncontrolled flow of energy could even surpass even Camilla's with proper training. But this is not meant to be. Now Camilla can only stop the Farmer's torment and hope that they, up there, will be able to forgive her...

Alesia:

The day for Alesia was the same as the previous days: patrolling the walls of Castle Village, training recruits, and controlling monsters if there were too many near the main gates of the village. And so it was until a strange figure appeared not far from the walls. Alesia saw floods like those of fallen mummies, and realizing that this man was not alive, she fired an arrow from her bow to end the suffering of another lost soul. Only the arrow bounced off them like a spring. Alesia considered that she had missed, and more focusedly released another one. Still nothing. Looking closer with binoculars, she saw that this creature surrounded the barrier. But what struck her more was the face of this already dead man. With ugly scars and blood all over... But still recognizable. The Farmer, her dear friend... This desert spares no one. And although Alesia's heart broke from the loss, she did not lose her composure and immediately went to report to Camilla about the impending threat. For the Farmer was an unusual walking dead, with magic still preserved in their body, which could harm even more people, or even make a breach in the village's barrier.

[felixcloud6288]

Higurashi: Festival Accompanying Chapter 2

The first thing that came to mind as I read this chapter is the opening reminds me of how the very first chapter in this series opens.

Abducted by Demons chapter 1 opened with Keiichi waxing philosophy on the nature of repentance and forgiveness. If you're sorry, you should fix what you've done. If it's something that cannot be fixed, then forgiveness is even more important because the penitent has no way to move forward otherwise.

This has been a recurring theme in this story. This is after all a story about repentance, forgiveness, and second chances.

But Miyoko is subjected to the mental torture of hearing others scream "I'm sorry" in the hope they can sate the evils of their tormentors. She is not going to grow up with a healthy concept of repentance because to her it's what you say when you're powerless to fight back.

I'd love to know how this orphanage scam was set up. Like, was this set up after WWII or before? If it was set up before, did they set it up to avoid being sent to war? Are the staff war criminals who were involved in Nanjing or the Philippines and wanted to continue to enact atrocities on powerless people? Is the government money the main point of interest or is the chance at cruelty the primary purpose?

I think it's pretty obvious the Orphanage of Love doesn't exist. If it did and any child actually reached it, then this institute would likely face some amount of scrutiny.

The most optimal possibility is it's something the children came up with to give themselves hope or to put aside thoughts of what happened when other kids vanished one day. They'd say they escaped to the Orphanage of Love because the alternative is they were killed.

The worst possibility is the Orphanage of Love was created by the staff to give the kids a reason to try escaping. Then they'd have an excuse to hunt them for sport and inflict the cruelest possible punishments.

There's only a small chance at escaping this hell and Miyoko is putting her faith in a possibility that may not even exist. If she fails, then only death awaits her. In a way, she's acting like Rika is. Rika has no certainty there's anything for her beyond June 1983. But she's still willing to believe she can reach it even though it's only caused her to suffer worse than if she did nothing.

The girl in the imaginary scenario Eriko was talking about was wearing Miyoko's clothes. She is very much imagining what will happen to her.

That girl with the pigtails is so terrified. She has to cling onto the girl next to her as they prepare to escape.

I love how Miyoko bit the thumb of the very man who violently beat her when she first came here and it was specifically his right hand. Miyoko's father always pat her head with his right hand and that man used his right hand to beat Miyoko instead.

I hope that bite gets horribly infected and he dies a painful death.

Just like what happened to Rika over and over, Miyoko took an opportunity to change her fate. And while it first appeared she might succeed, fate has pulled the rug out from under her. She is lost and cannot find her way. She took a gamble at salvation finding the Orphanage of Love and has lost that gamble.

back

[sparrow-in-boots]

i can and will complain about the horrid treatment Desmond and Clay got in the games, but i certainly will NEVER forgive ubisoft for how dirty they did Daniel.

that man is brimming with potential. we had two comics showing how he was used as a tool by the templars, how all of his life was informed and affected by what they did to him as a child. how he was left on the side of the road without clothes or a name to him, bereft of support and answers to his hallucinations, which led him down a turbulent and traumatic life. how the one community and support he found, the same one that gave him a direction and goals and a sense of belonging was violently ripped away from him because in the end, even that was just a lie, another illusion. everything he worked for for years in the brotherhood, meant nothing, was nothing, because the templars caused him to burn that bridge and the moat and the castle all in one stab of a blade. and now, he has no choice but to throw it in with the people who ruined any and all chances he ever had of a normal or stable life. they are the ones with the animus and the drugs that he needs to continue to exist, much less function somewhat normally. he has no other choice but to surrender himself as a tool, and he's always desperate to prove himself useful because he knows that once he's not, he'll be discarded again, and that will be a fate worse than death for him. if the brotherhood doesn't get him, then the drugs and the violent outbursts caused by the hallucinations will.

he was - is - a perfect foil for Desmond, who has been treated as a pawn, by the assassins and the templars and the isu, he's just the right person to be at the right place at the right time, thanks to a sprawling line of causality that leads him solely to it. he was a tool before he was even born, the community he was born in treated him as such too and so he left. he condemned himself to an isolated and dangerous life to attempt to be a person and find self-actualization, and look how that turned out. sure he chose to stay with the brotherhood and help, but in the end was that really his choice or did the calculations just compute his willingness to it? did he ever have a choice at all or was it all just numbers on a tally of probability?

Daniel is the worst case scenario Desmond could have ended up as. A man used and abused to the point where he has no choice but to make his peace with the role that was decided for him. he's Desmond's shadow of the soul as it were. they are both just playing their roles and they both are more aware of it than most people could ever be. Desmond said it himself.

"It just keeps happening over and over." "What does?" "Everything..."

and to further expand on on the narrative foils, Daniel and Clay also are mirrors of each other. Both stepping stones on the grand scheme of things, ultimately disposable but never dismissable. But while Daniel became a victim of the Animus and his need for it to function, wanting to ditch it but unable to, Clay had no choice but to surrender himself to it in order to see his duty to the bitter end. Daniel can barely handle existing in the real world anymore, and Clay had to leave it to continue existing in the simulation. Neither ever wanted his, but they both needed to do it to make something, anything, of themselves and the pain that was inflicted upon them.

worst of all, the game seems aware of all that!! even setting the last mission's confrontation in the Animus chamber in Italy, the place and machine connecting the three men together. Desmond having to use the Animus as a barrier between himself and Daniel, the thing that doomed both Daniel and Clay being his one protection at the time... it was all setup so beautifully for a poignant meaningful scene between those two, maybe even a proper boss fight--!

but what do we get? an absurdly deus ex machina bleeding effect that turns Daniel into another chase assassination. No fighting back, no words, no discussion or debate. Not even a fucking confession cutscene. It's disgraceful, it's pathetic, and it's so, so offensive to your audience and the story you're writing.

[lu-sn]

so i've been thinking about vegaspete, and kinnporsche, and the parallels of abusive behavior for these two pairings.

cw: discussions of emotional, physical and generational abuse

both pairs start with one person in significant power over the other. kinn has just strongarmed porsche into becoming his employee, and vegas has imprisoned pete. they both then follow a remarkably similar set of events.

kinn and vegas force porsche (ep2-3) and pete (ep10-11) respectively through a combination of both physical and emotional abuse. this abuse is expected given the power dynamic.

kinn and vegas start to treat porsche (ep3-4) and pete (ep11-12) differently than they should be treating them. nicer, if you will.

kinn and vegas have a sexual encounter with porsche (ep4) and pete (ep12) respectively.

kinn and vegas enact physical and emotional abuse on porsche (ep5) and pete (ep13) again, after an ill-fated encounter with each of their fathers. however, the abuse hurts porsche and pete much deeper than before, not just because of the sexual encounter, but because of the emotional bond that served as a foundation for said encounter.

porsche and pete cannot bear it, and they leave kinn (ep5) and vegas (ep13).

kinn and vegas go looking for porsche (ep5) and pete (ep13) to apologize.

kinn (ep6) and vegas (ep14) apologize again, with more gravity.

kinn and vegas tell porsche (ep6) and pete (ep14) that they can and should leave.

the details vary. kinn tends more towards direct emotional abuse (telling porsche he's being treated just like everyone else / like nothing, demoting him and trading him away) and indirect physical abuse (punishing him via the bodyguard system). vegas is inflicting all kinds of abuse on pete, all by his own hands. but at their cores, the journeys look EXTREMELY similar.

and then, of course, they diverge.

at its heart, the vegaspete storyline in s1 is about the cycles of abuse, and what it means to break free of them. gun inflicts abuse on vegas, vegas turns around and inflicts it on pete. pete does not stand for this and leaves, which leads to vegas refusing to perpetuate his part of the cycle, thereby allowing pete to stay free -- but vegas is still trapped in the cycle by gun.

then gun gets killed.

through almost no action of his own, vegas is free. pete sees this, and understands what it means, whether consciously or subconsciously: pete can return to vegas. and pete can now trust fully that vegas will treat him well, since vegas is not trapped himself. pete won't have to be constantly looking over his shoulder for the next time gun sets vegas off.

vegas is so fucking lucky that he didn't have to break out of the cycle himself. if gun had continued to live, perhaps in a world where there was no coup, vegas could not have had both gun and pete. he would have had to choose, and choosing pete would have meant dethroning his father. fighting back against your abuser, when they are also your parent? an insurmountable task. suffice to say, it would have been terrible for vegas.

but, for better or for worse, korn took care of that for him. and now the vegaspete arc has reached its resolution. they've broken free. they can start healing.

kinn... kinn is very much not free.

and we kind of see the consequences of that through the latter half of the show. kinn loves porsche. i don't think there's any doubt about that. but that love doesn't stop kinn from occasionally treating porsche very poorly. he doesn't tell porsche anything about tawan, and porsche tries to do his best with the information he has -- and when it backfires horrendously, kinn asks porsche to apologize without taking any blame for himself.

i would consider this emotional abuse. and maybe you would disagree, but there's another very similar incident in the show that i think firmly counts as emotional abuse: korn lying to kinn about his death.

kinn thinks his dad is dead, and then days later his uncle comes to attack. kinn tries his level best to push through his grief and defend his household with little to no help. and after a terrifyingly high body count, kinn runs into a hidden room, and his dad is there, and his dad is alive, and his dad says nothing to him.

not a single acknowledgement of the fake death, let alone an apology. no blame assigned to korn. just kinn, alone, reeling from the fallout of his dad having lied to him in the most cruel way possible.

and why doesn't kinn protest this? well, for one, it's his dad. see previous statement about that kind of thing being extremely difficult. but two, and this is much worse, kinn probably believes that his dad was in the right. he's fallen for it, hook line and sinker. it was okay for korn to not trust him, to use him as a means to an end -- because korn is in charge, and korn knows what's right.

and this is the exact abuse kinn perpetuates to porsche for the tawan incident. he expects porsche to step in line. he doesn't think porsche is in the right to ask for mutual trust, because misplaced trust ruins plans. kinn is in charge, and kinn knows what's right.

cycles of abuse. over and over. and again, if gun had stayed alive, vegas may very well have been stuck in a similar position.

but here's another difference between the two couples, and i think it matters tremendously. pete left, and pete didn't come back until gun was dead. vegas might not have been free, but at least pete had escaped from the line of fire.

porsche left, and came back, and put himself right back into the cycle he had originally tried to run away from.

this is very much not good for porsche. kinn will continue to perpetuate the abuse korn inflicts on him, in between showering porsche with love. and it's going to really fuck with porsche, just like it did in ep5. the only options that could make porsche's life abuse-free are if he decides to walk away, or if korn dies. and korn is much, much harder to kill.

i don't think the kinnporsche storyline in s1 is necessarily about the cycles of abuse the same way it is for vegaspete. both kinn and porsche start the season ensnared separately, and they end it ensnared together. the kinnporsche arc in s1 is more about love and corruption.

but in order for porsche to be happy -- truly happy, he's going to have to break the cycle he's trapped in. and if he tries it, he'll be forcing kinn's hand. kinn will have to choose between korn and porsche.

and it's a choice kinn's not going to want to make.

[rurik-art]

“I could make him suffer.”

The sentence was the only warning Qibli got before a spectre of Darkstalker rose from the waves and up to him. Time itself seemed to slow around the shadowy dragon, locking Qibli into speaking with him. Despite this, he tried to call for Sunny, only for his words to fall on deaf ears.

He was closed off.

“Come now Qibli, let’s not involve the others.” Darkstalker tutted. “What I have to say is for your ears alone.”

“You tried to kill my son. I don’t care what you have to say.” Qibli snarled back.

“Yes, I did. But I decided to keep him alive. He’s got quite a fascinating mind, before he kicked me out.”  Darkstalker lay on the balcony on his side, head lifted and arms folded. Very much a seductive pose that Qibli wasn’t sure what was being accomplished by.

“Oh, well, thank you for deciding to not kill my son,” Qibli answered with venomous sarcasm. “Clearly, I can’t leave, so what do you want?”

“Like I said, I could make Chameleon suffer. He did do a lot of awful things. Does he really deserve that happy ending you sprouted?” Darkstalker tilted his head questioningly. “Or does he deserve exactly what he inflicted onto others?”

“I think anyone has the right to try and turn things around,” Qibli answered diplomatically. He had to keep his voice neutral. Any inflection and Darkstalker would use it. “Doesn’t mean we have to forgive them, as I said earlier. I know you were listening.”

“Huh. Well, that’s interesting, because none of you were willing to give me that chance.” Darkstalker leaned forward. “You showed me my soul and then put me away in a fate worse than death. That’s not very ‘right to try’ of you.” -- Scene from Broken Jade, which can be found here: https://t.co/x7tDsZmqkj

[thepurplewombat]

It occurs to me that part of the reason why people in fandom react so badly to JGY killing NMJ is misogyny.

Because like, he poisons him. And poison is a woman's weapon because women are, or were, often without any other weapons.

But actually it also just occurred to me that JGY is cast throughout his past in a very traditionally feminine type of way? Like, not explicitly but if you look at the way that he is dependent on the powerful men around him - JGS, NMJ, WRH - to give him status and some ability to affect his fate within the limits of what they allow...that's a feminine role! That is the role of a woman in a patriarchal society - dependent, with her reputation constantly on the edge of ruin. And being physically weaker and not as good at cultivation as the people around him also plays into that because he doesn't have the same kind of options another man might have in a similar situation - he's not in a position to go and make his fortune because he doesn't have the kind of skills or strength he'd need. Like, if WWX got sick of the Jiangs, he could absolutely go and make a good living as a rogue cultivator, but JGY? He can't do that - his options are either give up on cultivation altogether, or gain power in whatever way he can. In his case, in a way that is most often used by women in this kind of setup - ie, becoming important to important men.

And that's always been painted as such a negative thing (because the patriarchy! And because women wanting agency over their lives, livelihoods, and bodies is a Sign of the End Times!) that in part, JGY would already be subconsciously tainted in fandom's eyes. Even if he never killed NMJ. Even if he never killed anyone at all, he'd still be sus because he's a: following a traditionally feminine route to power which b: has traditionally been disdained (at some point I will talk about how 'gold digger' is an insult when for large parts of human history a woman's only path to financial security did in fact lie in marrying well).

And it's also interesting just how much of JGY's story is about sex when as far as we know the man had sex exactly once. And that's a feminine thing too! Like, he's tainted by his mother's profession and his father's reputation in a way that his father never is. He ends up married to his sister, which is somehow painted as his fault even though JGS is clearly at fault, he's harassed by his brother...the way JGY's life is affected by sex he isn't even having, by the rumors of it and his origins, that's a very feminine situation to be in, you know?

(at this point I want to take a moment to clarify that when I say feminine I'm not calling him a woman, I'm saying he occupies a role in the story that is traditionally assigned to women, and lives a life more like that of a woman in a patriarchal society than a man)

But anyway, back to NMJ and his death. So we have a big strong man lashing out physically against someone weaker than them, and eventually the big strong man dies and it turns out it was poison. And gasp! It's horrible! It's horrible in a way that NMJ swinging his sword around and threatening JGY's life doesn't seem to be for a lot of people.

But why is it that JGY's poisoning of NMJ is regarded so much more negatively than NMJ's repeated attempts to kill him? Is it just because he succeeded? Or is it maybe because poison is a woman's weapon? It's sneaky and underhanded and not 'honorable' but like, what were his other options? Challenge him to a duel?

Anyway I think I had a point but then I got distracted, but here's some closing words.

Throughout his life, JGY is put into situations that are traditionally inflicted on women, dependent on powerful men for his survival, and uses traditionally feminine means to ensure his survival when the powerful men he's beholden to turn on him. Maybe we should take a good long look at why his actions are viewed as worse than what anyone else in the story does.

[grollow]

(*tries to think of the weirdest combination I can*)

Grimm meets Lurien (before he became a dreamer)

- arcane-map

Half the prompts that I received are genuinely just "I want to see you write Grimm interacting with my blorbo" and I guess I'm here for it because some of them are greatly entertaining to me. Like this one. I saw an opportunity to write comedy and I took it. (With a splice of existential angst, because it wouldn't be me if I didn't include that. It's like adding garlic -- it always improves the dish.) I am sorry, Lurien, you do not deserve to have this man inflicted upon you.

mad world || AO3 or, "Every time Ashe writes Grimm, he becomes more and more cat-like"

The startled noise that escaped the Watcher was one of great entertainment to him.

He was dreaming. Soon, that would be all that he would ever do again – but not yet. Every time he slept, though, he had nightmares of what was to come. Fear was a natural response when faced with the promise of the inevitable. It was not death. In many regards, it was a fate worse than: to be forever trapped with a duty unending. 

Four of them would face that destiny. They walked into it knowingly. But to be afraid? That was normal, and dreams represented that fear.

How funny, then, that the Watcher dreamt of his spire. That he dreamt of painting forever. But if they went to the window, they would not see the City he loved so well. They would see endless expanses of nothingness. That was his real nightmare: that he would never be able to see it again. It was, unfortunately for him, going to come to pass.

But he made his choice.

He clearly did not expect his dreams to be interrupted, though.

But Grimm was bored. Certainly nightmares about being trapped were not entirely uncommon, but the Watcher’s genuinely consisted of just painting and pathologically avoiding the window, as if pretending he didn’t know what he was dreaming would somehow make it not actually real.

So he decided to intervene. Oh, the rule was: do not interfere in nightmares, they serve a purpose, let others live and learn from them. But it was his domain. He could do whatever he wished, and what he wished for was entertainment.

Seeing the Watcher practically jump out of his shell upon his appearance certainly fell under categorical ‘entertainment.’ 

“Who are –”

“Conversations should begin with a greeting, Watcher; I know you have better manners.”

“You just appear in my spire –”

“Your dream, actually. I am nowhere near your spire.” 

The mask he wore hid Lurien’s expression, but he thought that it was probably confused. Amused, Grimm rested his head against his hand and sprawled out further on the countertop. There was a vase there that the Watcher was painting originally – he’d simply moved it to take its place. And by move it, he really meant pushed it backwards.

When he shifted, it fell and broke.

(It was fine; they were in a dream. The real world one wasn’t broken~) 

“W-why are you – why – in my dream – she –”

“Wrong dream ruler. An easy mistake to make for the unacquainted, but I assure you that I am not the one that you fear. I am… a witness. A bystander. And you are of great fascination to me at the moment.”

Lurien looked around him, then said, “I was painting that vase.”

“I know. Now you can paint me instead.” 

He turned his head and Grimm hummed at him.

“Did you really… break into my dream… to ask for a free portrait?”

“Oh, darling, it is hardly free,” he answered. “Did you think I have done nothing else? Ah, but you do not know me. Go. To your window that you dread.”

Lurien froze and stared at him. He motioned idly with one hand. 

“Go. That is not a request. I can bring it to you, if you prefer, but mortals do so loathe when their dreams start twisting as clay before their eyes. Go, go. Tell me what you see.” 

The Watcher hesitated, but then bravely walked over to the window that he was clearly terrified of. When he stopped, the gasp was audible and he brought his hands up to it.

“The City. I can – I can see –”

“I cannot change your fate, but I can give you the dream you so long to have for one of your last nights free,” Grimm continued. “So you see? Have I not paid for my painting?” 

He slid off the counter and then went over to the window where Lurien was standing. He stopped at the side and looked out the glass panes next to the telescope. Falling rains danced like light across the glass, in spite of how dark it was outside. There were few details to admire, save for the rooftop architecture, and yet – yet –

“It’s beautiful, is it not?” Lurien asked, and his voice shook. “Our beautiful City.”

“Your sacrifice will help it stay that way longer,” he agreed, one claw coming up to brush over the glass idly. “You are afraid, though, of your fate.”

“... I am. I am a coward.” His head bowed.

Grimm hummed and then said, “Courage is not the absence of fear, friend. It is facing that fear and doing what needs to be done in spite of it. In this regard, are you not the epitome of bravery? To give all, for your king, for your kingdom, for the City that you love so?”

Lurien turned to look up at him, his mask guarding whatever expression he wore beneath it. He did not turn to face the smaller bug, but instead pressed his forehead to the glass to watch the rain fall. 

“Why did you change it for me? For a painting that you can’t keep? It is a dream, after all.”

A valid point, he thought. Lurien stepped away before he could answer and he heard the sound of the easel’s legs scraping the floor as it moved. 

“I am ever a slave to sentiment,” he answered.

And he would have plenty of his - and others’ - fear in the era to come. Why not grant him peace of mind while he could enjoy it?

“Do you have a name?” Lurien asked, moving his canvas to replace it with a blank one. “So that I know what to title the painting. Stay still.”

Really, by the window? He did not turn, but he did answer with, “You can call me whatever you like.”

It wouldn’t matter soon anyway. They would never see one another again.

[galaxyofhair]

Dishonored's Goofy Sense of Morality

I loved the Dishonored series for it's sandbox approach to stealth/infiltration, and I loved it's setting for being incredibly atmospheric and fascinating. Genuinely, it's one of the only steampunk-ish stories that I enjoy, typically steampunk is not my jam at all.

But something that I have never gotten over is how much I hate the way Dishonored's branching story moralizes at you about how you go about revenge in the most hypocritical way possible.

So like, the basic premise is sound, right? If you kill people, you're a bad person and the world becomes a worse place---and if you spare people, the world becomes a better place and you're a better person for it. And this dichotomy is expressed specifically through the rats in the city: The more bodies, the more the rats feed and multiply, the more plague.

That much I don't argue, when it's in a vacuum---but Dishonored doesn't exist in a vacuum, it exists in a world that is filled with a ridiculous number of evil people, as well as its fair share of institutionalized evil.

You can very quickly do the math in Dishonored and come to the point of realizing that A) Many of the people you spare deserve to die, and they are only more dangerous alive, and B) Sometimes the punishment you inflict while sparing their lives is more cruel than just killing them.

The first guy you whack is Overseer Campbell, and when you spare him he gets exiled into the city's underground---and later he shows up as a plague infected half-zombie person. So on the one hand, hooray---fascist religious zealot forced to endure the suffering he inflicted on so many others, but on the other hand---not hooray, now he's actively spreading the plague. How was turning him into a plague zombie less wrathful than just whacking him and burning the body?

The Twins are made mute, and sent to work in their own silver mines in you spare them---which again, is great, love that for them---but how is that fate better than just being dead? How is it spreading the plague less when I'm clearly just tossing folks into very unsanitary working conditions.

Lady Boyle is one of the more dubious ones, because you end up sort of trafficking her to another noble? Again, again---the bourgie getting some poetic justice is great, but I struggle to see how this is necessarily better than death---especially because Corvo is mostly just putting his victims in situations to die by some other means. Campbell will die of plague, the twins will almost certainly be worked to death or die in an accident, and I would bet that being turned into a housewife on a remote island, married off to some creepy lord stands a good chance of driving Lady Boyle to suicide.

If the game just let it go and let me do as I felt was right, I don't think I'd give it a second thought---but that it assigns one method as GOOD and the other as ~bad~ just strikes me as very fake, moralizing horseshit that is only included in the game because Bethesda needed a morality meter to finish out that Xbox 360 checklist they had going.

Not to mention: Many of the underlings in this game are also just, terrible people---and the rampant inequality and institutionalized evil of Dunwall would honestly be just a little less evil if there were fewer fascist pigs running around the streets. If you're discerning, there's definitely a couple guys in there who don't deserve to die, but for the most part they depict nearly all of the guards as---well, realistic, they're puppy-kicking, lying sacks of shit who assist with a coup, and virtually no qualms about murdering the civilian population using giant lightning machines.

So yeah, I don't see the moral benefit to leaving those folks alive when Corvo has the power to end their evil in a more permanent fashion. And I don't think that staying your blade and creating more living plague victims is any better than just killing them and maybe doing everyone the favor of proper disposal.

=====

How would I change that? I don't totally know because I don't know what the technical limitations of the console were: But if if we ignore technical limitations, and go for a pure story experience then I would add this:

The moral of the story is to not become like the people you are fighting against, so give Corvo more opportunities to save bystanders and civilians. Saving civilians helps reduce the risk of infection, and maybe you save one or two folks who is a friggin doctor along the way.

It's not whether or not you kill---it's whether or not you clean up the bodies. If Corvo kills somebody, he should be responsible for disintegrating or burning the body so that it can't become food for the rats.

Sparing evil nobles so that they might suffer worse fates should still be encouraged, eat the rich and all that---but in the case of Campbell there should have been a more obvious acknowledgement that killing him is better than letting him suffer and spread plague.

There should be an overarching theme of asking the player to look up from their small-picture revenge story towards the big-picture plague issue.

And lastly, and optionally, for hardmode lovers: The numbers of rats in the city is directly to how often you use your powers. Every time you use otherworldly power, rats spawn. Teleport is the least harmful, maybe one or two rats, no biggie if you're careful with it---but slowing time, or well... summoning rats obviously creates way more rats.

Why? Because it makes you realize that Corvo's powers are a shortcut, and letting Corvo trip-out on power, and take this shortcut to his revenge is sort of bad because ~that~ is the real indicator of whether or not Corvo is like the people he's revenging against.

If you can become lost in your revenge and forget to think about others, THAT's evil---if you take shortcuts, and don't care about the consequences of those shortcuts, THAT's evil. The difference between a good Corvo and a bad Corvo is the Corvo that remembers to look up, and clean up.

Conclusion:

I think I particularly hate this kind of game-story trying to moralize at you because at a certain point it feels like I am being punished for playing the game: They made this incredible sandbox and then told you that you can't play in it without ruining it for everyone, and that feels sorta shitty. Like, thanks Dishonored 2 for introducing some of the most badass FPS dueling I've ever seen and then telling me I'm a dick for using it because killing bad, trololololol. Thanks Dishonored 1 for making literally everyone else in the game an absolute ghoul, and then telling me I'm the dick when I decide they're better off dead.

There are better ways to asking your player to engage in the world that you created without telling them to not have fun.