#despite each player having their own agendas

[captain-hawks]

tetsurou kuroo x f!reader

say it

summary: If you don't call him Tetsurou while you're having sex, you can still pretend this thing between you and Kuroo is casual, right? (Wrong.)

word count: 1.3k

content: Nekoma University!Kuroo, NSFW, 18+, smut, friends with benefits to lovers speed run, name kink, unprotected p in v, creampie, fingering, oral sex, this was going to be PWP but the feels said no

Be it on the court or off, there’s something to be said about Tetsurou Kuroo’s timing.

It’s how you found yourself so enamored by him in the first place, after all. Months ago, when your friends drug you along to your university's enormous gymnasium to watch the men’s volleyball team play a practice match with a local rival between classes, you didn’t think you knew enough about the sport to drum up much interest from your unassuming place in the back of the stands—until your eyes landed on a tall, loud player with the number ‘1’ adorned across his red jersey.

But it wasn’t just his height or the way he ceaselessly commanded Nekoma’s side of the court that kept your rapt attention, it was the way he moved. 

Tetsurou Kuroo—a name you caught your friends whispering after he scored a point that had the gathered crowd roaring in excitement—had a mesmerizing knack for timing his movements to make the most of each and every square inch of the court. 

And you?

You may have known shit all about volleyball, but fuck if just watching him didn’t set your heart racing. 

Sometimes you can’t help but laugh at the irony—the way Kuroo collided with you in a busy hallway days later, setting off a dangerously flirtatious chain of events that would eventually find the two of you tangled in his sheets, naked and sated and gasping for air. 

It was casual then; you went into this arrangement under no false pretenses. 

And...it’s still casual now, despite the fact that you know beyond a shadow of doubt that neither of you is fucking anyone else.

Despite the fact that you wake up in Kuroo’s bed more often than your own, to the point where rolling over in the morning to inhale the scent of your own laundry detergent on the pillowcase beside you feels almost wrong now.

Despite the fact that at one point or another, he suddenly made a habit of calling you after every one his away matches—just to talk, just to say goodnight. 

Despite the fact that, somewhere along the way, he started kissing you more softly. There are still hurried, frantic kisses, ones full of hunger and lust that leave your lips swollen and your thighs clenching with need, your entire body arching into his touch like a moth to a flame. But now, there are kisses without an agenda. Kisses with no beginning, middle, nor end. 

Just Kuroo’s mouth slotted against yours, a callused thumb brushing gently along the curve of your jaw.

But it’s casual, even if there’s a dull, quiet ache in your chest that protests otherwise each time his hands settle on your waist. 

And the completely, utterly, inarguably casual nature of your relationship is why you find yourself choking down the words you really want to say as Kuroo’s fingers curl inside of you right now, teeth digging into your bottom lip as you swallow down something that’s far too intimate for what this really is.

Tetsurou.

Tetsurou.

Tetsurou.

His given name is always caught in your throat at times like this, yearning to climb up your tongue and burst out through your teeth. 

Your name leaves his lips effortlessly, like it’s as easy as breathing. Like he hardly has to think twice. And the way his deep voice traverses each letter now, his lips slick with your arousal as he firmly slides his tongue over your clit? It drags down your spine with a white-hot, iron grip. 

It’s casual.

It’s fucking casual.

Your limbs are still trembling from the force of your first orgasm when he begins to ease his length into your entrance, your wet cunt welcoming the thick, familiar stretch of his cock. 

(You try not to think too hard about the fact that the exclusivity of your casual arrangement somehow led to this—no condom separating your tight, drenched walls from the leaking, pulsing need of his shaft.)

(And yet you still can’t fucking say it when you're like this with him, naked and vulnerable and wanting.)

(Tetsurou.)

(Tetsurou.)

Deep down, you know it’s because you’re scared.

You’re scared because he hasn’t mentioned the way you dance around it during sex. You’ve convinced yourself that despite how absolutely not casual this whole goddamn situation has become, the intimacy of using his name now is what will break the fragile glass of this façade you’ve both built. He’ll realize you’ve both grown too comfortable, too attached, roots burrowed and trapped beneath concrete. 

He’ll pluck you from his life like a hapless dandelion that’s sprouted between the unforgiving cracks in the sidewalk.

So even though his name is like a mantra in your mind as he cradles the side of your face, his hazel eyes trained on yours, black hair sticking up in every direction from the way you’d carded your fingers through it while his tongue was buried inside of you, you don’t say it.

“Kuroo,” you exhale as he drags his teeth down the side of your neck, mouthing at your collarbone while he rocks his hips into yours.

“Kuroo,” you gasp, while he rolls your pebbled nipples between his fingers and drives his cock into you so deeply you see stars.

“Kuroo,” you whimper, when his forehead falls against yours as his thrusts begin to grow sloppy.

And ever a man known for his timing, it’s then that Kuroo says it, with your sweat-slicked body writhing beneath his, voices hoarse and raw, your fingers digging into his back. 

“Tetsurou,” he breathes out, chest heaving against your own.

It catches you so off guard that all you can do is stare up at him in confusion, lips parted as his eyes search yours.

“Say it,” he implores, voice nearly breaking with desperation. “Please, say it.”

Warmth unravels in your chest like a sail catching in the wind, the insistence of your rapidly beating heart rattling against your ribcage. Kuroo’s nose brushes against your cheek before his mouth ghosts over your own, the beat of silence that stretches between you a yawning precipice.

“Tetsurou,” you finally whisper, a hot, wet tear sliding down your cheek. 

The mattress groans in protest as the world beneath you shifts, Kuroo swiftly tugging you upward into his lap. His lips chase the wet trail to the edge of your jaw while your legs curl around his waist, a jolt of pleasure searing through you as his cock slips even deeper inside of you.

“Say it again,” he murmurs, wrapping one strong arm around your body while the other cradles the back of your head. And with his chest pressed to yours, you can feel it—the way his own shuddering heart responds in kind. 

“Tetsurou.”

His breathing becomes ragged as he begins to fuck you with fervor, each pounding thrust upward punctuated by the sound of you crying out his name.

“Tetsurou.”

“Tetsurou.”

“TETSUROU!”

Your vision goes white as his dexterous fingers find their way back to your throbbing clit, massaging the pulsing, aching bundle of nerves while he swallows down your unabashed, sobbing moans, uncertain if you’re still screaming his name or just making unintelligible noises at this point. A heady, dizzying wave of pleasure pulls you under just as he buries himself inside of you to the hilt, the choking squeeze of your fluttering walls milking ropes of thick, hot cum from his cock and filling you to the brim.

He holds you tight as your breathing evens out and your shuddering limbs still, softening cock nestled snugly in the heat between your thighs, cum beginning to seep out and onto the sheets below. A hand caresses the side of your neck, fingertips grazing your ear as you lift your head from where it’s buried against the crook of his shoulder to find him looking at you with so much unabashed affection, your chest aches.

And your lips have only begun to form the shape of Tetsurou’s name once more when his mouth crashes back into yours.

— likes, comments, & reblogs are appreciated!

[alto-tenure]

Neku will always try to kill Shiki, and Neku will always spare Joshua.

Neku doesn't trust easily. He doesn't bond easily. This much is shown to the player throughout the first week -- he's not going to get along with Shiki that easily just because they have to trust each other. It's only after the attempted murder that Neku decides that he can fully trust Shiki, and Shiki chooses to forgive him in that moment. We can't tell him not to, despite our common sense being that we should stick with her. He will always fall for Uzuki's manipulation, and very nearly eliminate his own partner from the Game.

At the same time, at the end of the game, Neku will always choose mercy.

Trust your partner.

And he trusts Joshua in the end to not destroy Shibuya despite the fact that Joshua killed Neku for the sake of his own agenda and games -- just like Shiki trusted Neku after he nearly erased her himself.

It's about trust. It's about love.

And when both Shiki and Neku trust their partners after a betrayal, their partners trust them in return. Shiki becomes so vital to Neku that she's held hostage for most of the rest of the game, and Joshua brings everyone back from the dead.

Neku has his own bubble that he's not very inclined to let people into. But ultimately, when it comes down to it, he breaks them out of their bubbles, and lets them all into his.

It's about trust. It's about love.

[blackflash9]

Disclaimer: I'm open to be wrong, but these are just concerns I have. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I wouldn't say I hate AC Shadows for using Feudal Japan as its setting. It's an interesting period, and I've enjoyed several works set in that era. However, when it comes to Assassin's Creed, I don't exactly feel captivated by it. Despite its popularity within the community, the premise of Feudal Japan as a historical backdrop doesn't compel me.

Part of what makes the Crusades, the Italian Renaissance, the American Revolution, and the Golden Age of Piracy in past entries so engaging in the Assassin's Creed series was their inherently subversive nature. These periods were characterized by profound social, political, and ideological upheaval, which aligned perfectly with the series' themes of conspiracy and the notion that history is not always what it seems. During the Crusades, the player, like Altair, discovers that the Templars' true motives are far more complex and sinister than initially believed. The Italian Renaissance, with its flourishing art and culture, simultaneously harbors dark undercurrents of power struggles and hidden agendas, mirroring Ezio's journey of uncovering the truth behind his enemies' masks. The American Revolution, a time heralded as a fight for freedom, is revealed to be rife with manipulation and conflicting interests, challenging the player's perception of the Patriots' cause alongside Connor's own discoveries. These settings are rich with deception and multifaceted characters whose motivations often blur the lines between good and evil. They embody the series' core appeal: that history is a tapestry of hidden truths and subversive narratives. Each of these eras highlights how the Templars' and Assassins' conflict transcends simple good versus evil, encouraging players to question their assumptions about historical events and figures.

In contrast, while Feudal Japan is undoubtedly intriguing and has its own layers of complexity, it doesn't evoke the same immediate sense of clever subversion and hidden truths that the other settings did for me. The cultural and historical nuances of Feudal Japan might be rich and captivating, but they don't seem to resonate with the overarching themes of the Assassin's Creed series as strongly as the previous settings had. In the past, I've also detailed why recent entries just don't care to be authentic about the history it is set in, and I'm hoping that similar occurrences don't transpire within Shadows.

[bigsoftmarshmallow]

Continuation of Self Aware AU: So now they hear it every so often. The flirtations. The compliments. The endless musings of someone who genuinely likes him for not just his appearance, oh noooo the player goes on and on about everything, the personality, the power, his voice. Especially his voice. The Demon King is forced to hear this even when the "Hero" is out doing other things, plotlines and dungeons. How does the Ganondorfs (Wind Waker, Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, Hyrule Warriors, and Tears of the Kingdom) & Demise react?

The continuous stream of flirtations, compliments, and genuine admiration from the player, unaware that the Demon King can hear every word, would affect each of the Ganondorfs and Demise differently. Here's how they might react:

Wind Waker Ganondorf

Reaction: Wind Waker Ganondorf, who is introspective and has a tragic backstory, would be deeply conflicted by the player’s constant admiration. While he might initially dismiss it as nonsense, over time, the sincerity of the player’s feelings would begin to affect him in unexpected ways.

Thoughts and Scene: At first, Ganondorf tries to ignore the voice. He tells himself that it’s just another facet of this strange, unreal world—a distraction from his true goal. But as the days go on, the voice becomes impossible to ignore. The player’s musings, their admiration for not just his appearance but his personality and power, begin to seep into his thoughts.

He’s in the middle of his own machinations when he hears the player’s voice again, this time praising the depth of his voice. He pauses, his hand clenched into a fist.

“Why… do you say these things?” he murmurs to the empty air, knowing that the player can’t hear him. “What do you hope to gain?”

Despite himself, he starts to listen more closely. The sincerity in the player’s words, their genuine affection, begins to stir something within him—something he thought long dead. For a man who has lived through so much pain and betrayal, the idea that someone could admire him so deeply is both unsettling and strangely comforting.

Ocarina of Time Ganondorf

Reaction: Ocarina of Time Ganondorf would be highly suspicious of the player’s constant compliments and flirtations. He would struggle with the idea that someone could admire him without an ulterior motive, though over time, he might begin to grudgingly appreciate the attention.

Thoughts and Scene: Ganondorf paces in his throne room, the Hero off on another quest, while the player’s voice continues to fill his mind. Compliments about his power, his intelligence, his voice—all things he takes great pride in. But the idea that someone genuinely likes him for these things, without any hidden agenda, is difficult for him to accept.

“What game are you playing?” he snarls, glaring into the darkness. “What is your true aim?”

Yet, as time passes, the player’s words begin to wear down his defenses. The sincerity behind their voice, the admiration that seems to have no strings attached—it’s something he’s never experienced before. Against his better judgment, he starts to listen, a part of him almost looking forward to the next time the Hero appears, just to hear what the player will say next.

Twilight Princess Ganondorf

Reaction: Twilight Princess Ganondorf, who is proud and confident, would initially be amused by the player’s comments. Over time, though, he would come to relish the attention, finding a twisted sort of satisfaction in the knowledge that even his enemies can’t help but admire him.

Thoughts and Scene: Ganondorf smirks as he hears the player’s voice again, this time waxing poetic about the richness of his voice. He finds it amusing, almost laughable, that the one controlling his enemy could be so taken with him.

“So even you cannot resist my allure,” he muses, leaning back on his throne. “Pathetic… yet, I suppose there is some pleasure to be found in your admiration.”

As the days go on, he finds himself listening more intently, his smirk widening with each new compliment. The player’s voice becomes a constant presence, almost comforting in its persistence. Though he would never admit it, he begins to enjoy the attention, finding in it a new way to assert his dominance—knowing that even those who oppose him cannot deny his power and charisma.

Hyrule Warriors Ganondorf

Reaction: Hyrule Warriors Ganondorf would be both amused and flattered by the player’s endless admiration. He would take great pride in the fact that even someone controlling the Hero can’t help but be drawn to his power and presence, seeing it as proof of his superiority.

Thoughts and Scene: Ganondorf lets out a low chuckle as he hears the player’s voice praising him yet again. This time, they’re going on about the sheer power he exudes, how his very presence commands respect.

“Of course you admire me,” he says, his tone dripping with arrogance. “How could you not? Power like mine is irresistible, even to you.”

As the days go by, he begins to look forward to the player’s comments. Each time the Hero draws near, he waits to hear what new praise they’ll offer. It becomes a game to him, a way to feed his already immense ego. The fact that someone controlling his greatest enemy can’t help but be drawn to him is the ultimate proof of his dominance, and he relishes every moment of it.

Tears of the Kingdom Ganondorf

Reaction: Tears of the Kingdom Ganondorf, who is cunning and strategic, would initially be puzzled by the player’s constant praise. But as he realizes the depth of their admiration, he would begin to view it as another tool he could use to his advantage.

Thoughts and Scene: Ganondorf pauses in his plans, the Hero off on another adventure, while the player’s voice echoes in his mind. They’re praising his power, his intellect, his voice—all things he knows are formidable. But the idea that someone genuinely admires him for these traits is a new experience.

“What… do you hope to achieve with this flattery?” he wonders aloud, though he knows the player cannot hear him.

As time passes, he begins to see the player’s admiration as a potential asset. If he can somehow reach them, influence them, perhaps he can turn their admiration into something more tangible. The idea that he could sway the one controlling his enemy, even subtly, becomes a new challenge—one he is eager to explore.

Demise

Reaction: Demise would be completely baffled by the player’s constant praise. As a being of pure malice, the concept of someone admiring him for anything other than his power is entirely foreign. Over time, he might become slightly intrigued, though he would still view the player’s admiration with suspicion.

Thoughts and Scene: Demise’s fiery eyes narrow as he hears the player’s voice yet again. They’re talking about his power, his voice, even his appearance. It’s nonsense to him—how could anyone admire a being like him for anything other than the fear he instills?

“What madness is this?” he growls, his voice echoing in the emptiness around him. “You admire me? For what? My power, yes, but my voice? My presence? What do these things matter?”

Despite his confusion, he finds himself listening more closely each time the player speaks. The sincerity in their voice is strange, unsettling. It’s not something he’s used to, and he can’t quite understand it. But a part of him, deep down, is intrigued by the idea that even a being of pure malice like himself can inspire something other than fear.

Each of the Ganondorfs and Demise would react differently to the player’s constant, genuine admiration, reflecting their personalities and the way they view themselves. Whether it’s confusion, amusement, or a growing sense of intrigue, the player’s comments would gradually affect them in ways they never expected.

[blue-mint-winter]

Reading Fire and Blood - reign of king Viserys I:

Mysaria having a miscarriage in a storm at sea and Daemon's heart hardening - Idk, this passage made me really sad, they were lovers for years, it's impossible there were no feelings involved. I felt the tragedy in this whole situation. It seems like the show purposely downplayed all Daemon's relationships with women that weren't Rhaenyra.

Criston and Rhaenyra - WTF was really going on with them. I guess the show did a pretty good job to somehow explain the situation because the book is very murky as it presents two opposite versions of events - one that Rhaenyra's seduction was rejected by Criston and the other that Criston asked her to elope and got rejected. I'm leaning towards the version that Rhaenyra rejected Criston's proposal which is why he switched sides and killed Joffrey Lonmouth in the tourney.

I think Lyonel Strong was a political player - thrice-wed, thrice-widowed, studied in the Citadel, master of laws, he became Hand after Otto was fired for hectoring Viserys about succession. Lyonel's description also fits a schemer with his own agenda. What stuck out to me was that he argued to kill Daemon for treason (having sex with Rhaenyra). His son Harwin was one of Rhaenyra's suitors, so Lyonel probably wanted to get rid of Daemon as the most dangerous competition to her hand. Obviously his designs didn't work and she married Laenor, but the Strongs were well-positioned around her - Harwin became her sworn shield and later her lover, his sisters were her ladies, Larys joined the confessors so Strongs had influence over prisons and what was said in them. Despite her marriage to Laenor, Harwin stayed around and became the father of her 3 sons. What did she need 3 sons for? One was for the Iron Throne, one was the heir of Velaryons, but the third one? What if Lyonel's plan was to kill Laenor (when Daemon's around to conveniently take the blame), then marry Rhaenyra to Harwin, who would raise the boys as his stepsons and name the third son, Joffrey, as heir to Harrenhal? Then after Laenor's funeral Strongs are sent back to Harrenhal by Viserys and they die in a fire. It's assumed the real target was Harwin and various people are suspects, but getting rid of Lyonel seems more vital, especially for the Greens' cause, because Otto then came back as Hand. It's interesting that grandmaester Mellos cast suspicion on Viserys, but no one suspected Alicent or Otto, even though they benefited the most.

Viserys didn't want Alicent's blood on the throne but at the same time threatened Rhaenyra with making Aegon heir if she didn't marry Laenor who everyone knew was gay. He wanted her illegitimate son to inherit the throne, so Laenor's blood wasn't important to him, only the alliance with Velaryons. Also, Viserys refused Alicent's completely reasonable idea to marry Rhaenyra to Aegon, which would have united their claims and prevented war, even though in the book there were already marriages with 10 year age gap (Maegor/Ceryse, Rogar/Alyssa). Maybe Viserys as the dragonless king had a tactic of playing blacks and greens (and Daemon) against each other, so they would constantly seek his favour and never unite against him. That way he would ensure that he stayed in power as long as possible. Kudos to the show for giving a believable motivation to his character, because his actions are incomprehensible without knowing about his obsession with the prophecy.

Laena was fine when she gave birth to the twins in Pentos without any maesters, but when she's back on Driftmark - the child is born malformed, the maester is incompetent and Daemon has to bring maester Gerardys from Dragonstone but it's too late and she dies. Later the grandmaester is incompetent when Viserys cuts his hand and Daemon brings Gerardys in time to save Viserys' life from the spreading infection. Rhaenyra gives births only on Dragonstone and she and the children are fine. It seems that maesters' loyalties have an impact on the effectiveness of medical care they provide, which explains the argument between Alicent and Rhaenyra on who should be the next grandmaester, both wanting to bring in their loyalist.

It's comical that the book tries so hard to portray the fight between Aemond and his nephews as fair and between two evenly-matched sides. Aemond was 10 years old, his opponents were 6, 5 and 3 years old, even with wooden swords they had no chance of winning. It's like saying that two hobbits could defeat Boromir in a fight. I can't even count the youngest, Joffrey, as a threat, he was just a toddler. Aemond was clearly the bully in this situation and he wasn't pulling his punches.

Vaemond was beheaded and fed to Syrax!!! When his family complained to Viserys, they lost their tongues!

The last people who saw Viserys before his death were Helaena and her children and he told them a made up story about king Jaehaerys flying to the wall to fight giants and wargs. That was cute, I wish they did that in the show. In the book it seems Viserys had some cardiovascular disease caused by his lush lifestyle. Or he was poisoned.

[itsbenedict]

Two-Faced Jewel: Thunderbrush 15

Never Call It Piss Magic Again

A conwoman disguised as a noble and the delegation of university students studying her have arrived in the jungle city of Thunderbrush, ruled by ancient dryads and organized crime. Will they manage to stay uninvolved in shady conspiracies? (No.)

Story so far | Session log index | Previous session

Last time, the players extricated themselves from an awkward situation with some ghost dryad mafia protection racketeers, and hurried off to the local brothel to go cure a vampire of her vampirosity. They did a bang-up job of it, despite some close calls- and now it's time for them to decompress after a job well-done.

Also grapple with the nightmarish implications of Saelhen's powers. And drive Looseleaf to the brink of a complete mental breakdown vis-a-vis backstory trauma. And receive extremely troubling news about the Stump conspiracy's agenda. And have nightmares.

So, first order of business: the party needs to flirt with some NPCs. Saelhen manages to apologize for all the craziness that's been going on during this sports-watching date... while also being the smoothest operator in the world somehow. This prompts...

After some further ruthless ladykilling, Zzaiya flees the scene in a fit of embarrassment, unable to process the idea of someone being romantically interested in her. Allegedly, her house is nearby.

Meanwhile, Oliver is trying to put the moves on the recently-shirtless Sam Sweethoney...

...but runs into a brick wall of total obliviousness. Sam Sweethoney is seemingly incapable of realizing that anyone is ever being serious about anything, and takes incoming flirtation as a hilarious joke that he's in on.

While Oliver is striking out with the world's densest shirtless halfling tattoo artist, Looseleaf and Saelhen try to have a serious conversation about... all that shit that just happened.

The thing is... Saelhen's invested a great deal of emotional attachment into this thing that lets her turn invisible- for reasons that she'd prefer not be discussed in mixed company.

While they're in the middle of discussing how dangerous their personal magic powers are, and whether it's ethically permissible to use them at all... Oliver shows up, very curious about Looseleaf's magic powers.

Looseleaf is set on edge by this question.

Oliver is surprised about the apparent deadliness of teaching spirit magic- and has a billion follow-up questions, none of which please Looseleaf to hear.

Oliver keeps pressing... and Looseleaf explodes.

Looseleaf: "I don't fucking know, okay? I'm not a specialist in this! I was supposed to be an anthropologist before everything happened and now I am a mage wielding a near-extinct line of magic because nobody else can do it and so I have to figure out how to do all the things that THEY were supposed to be responsible for doing!" "I don't know! I'm relearning this from scratch! You want answers but I don't have any!" "Nobody has answers anymore!" By the end of it Looseleaf's speech is seeming… weirdly discongruous and jilted, each syllable coming out jerky and staccato. "You know what, you want it so badly, maybe you can actually learn and then I can go do other things with my worthless life-" Oliver Highhollow-Selby: Oliver is stepping backwards and looking scared/worried/horrified as Looseleaf is basically suddenly unraveling. Saelhen du Fishercrown: "Okay, well, it appears that question time might be over, pleasure to meet you, Mr. Highhollow, I think we are going to get something in your stomach, dear heart, and perhaps a nice bath and — save everything else for later, yes? Sounds good?"

Oliver tries to apologize and calm her down, but it doesn't go well.

Saelhen diplomatically defuses the situation, drawing attention to her own role in today's debacle to reduce tensions. Looseleaf apologizes to Oliver for her outburst, an olive branch is proffered... and then Looseleaf remembers she needs to change the subject.

Right! That situation! Looseleaf still doesn't divulge how she knows this, but Oliver's on the back foot and kind of has to trust her about this. He intends to report in to Evelyn at his nearest opportunity.

Still- it's getting late, and they happen to be at a place that is technically an inn (and brothel and live music venue and bar and grill and lesser temple of Karou), and the Sweethoneys are happy to put the party up for the night. But first... dinner! Vampire surgery is hungry work.

At the bar, they meet Dall, who's beyond relieved that her girlfriend is alive despite the odds. She treats them to drinks, and- after Looseleaf invoices her to the tune of two hundred gold- begins explaining the Iron Section incident that led to this whole vampire issue.

The Iron Section, Dall explains, was a mining division. Specifically the iron mining division, as the name implies. Dall tells you, with increasingly slurred speech, about the Iron Section incident. They had a mineshaft that was going deeper than usual- the kind of dig that risks unearthing monsters. As a result, the mineshaft was completely sealed off, and the workforce quarantined to the dig site for the duration of the expedition- until the entire shaft was cleared out and warded and declared safe. This isn't that unusual for dwarven mining companies- it's akin to going out on a lobster boat for a while, you get paid handsomely for the long and arduous multi-day work shift. The dig site was sealed off to ensure no one would come or go, besides the iron carts- and because of this, there wasn't much oversight, besides the foreman in charge and his subordinate management. Which means when the foreman somehow became a vampire- and was the first to become a vampire- there was no one above him to countermand his orders. Gelly had explained to her- the foreman cared about his workers, he didn't want them to die, so he didn't feed on them to the point of exsanguination- but when a vampire feeds on you without killing you, you get thralls. And he wasn't as heartless as Cabana Jim- when his thralls hungered, he didn't starve them half to death to keep them compliant. He fed them. And so it proceeded until the entire Iron Section was vampirized- and then they were out of blood. And so they got increasingly hungry and desperate and left the quarantine mine, in a sudden attack on the surface. This got the attention of the Ecumene of Harmony, led by bishop Celeste Yonder. The ecumene led a cleanup crew and killed them all.

Yeesh.

The party asks a few questions about the monster issue- which Dall isn't super knowledgeable about. Apparently if you dig deep enough, monsters can just spawn in the depths, in any sufficiently large hollow space deep underground. There's ways to block this from happening, but Dall can't quite remember what kind of magic is involved.

Afterwards, they hit the hay. Looseleaf, through a soul link, detects that Oyobi is coincidentally also in this establishment, upstairs in a private room with someone. Weird.

Looseleaf also takes some time to contact Miriko Watchwood via telepathy. Apparently, Miriko has "disposed of" Jess Chainer- by which she means, locking her up in a cell underneath the ghost dryad Ana, to have her life force fed upon. Miriko's met back up with her employer, and everything seems hunky-dory for her... but Looseleaf detects a wrong note.

Like... shouldn't Miriko be mad at her boss? The one who knew she was enslaved at Cabana Jim's, and used that as an opportunity to extract information from rich tourists instead of, say, rescuing her?

Miriko denies this.

Looseleaf gets a crit roll on Something's Fishy.

Trauma aside, the party tucks in for a good night's sleep.

Looseleaf has a dream.

Looseleaf has this same dream for the next few nights- each time a bit less obscured and difficult to remember. There is a last time that she has this dream, later on- at which point it is fully revealed. She's yet to discuss it with anyone, though.

Saelhen, by contrast, has this same dream, revealed from the very first time- but she can't remember it when she jolts awake in panic.

:) :) :)

Next time. Looseleaf and Oliver go to school and have a nice time and learn some things! That's all! Don't worry!

[meowmeowmessi]

and they're trying to take away from AlbicelesteTalk's credibility now just because they can't accept it 😭 like frst of all, it's not even their info, they're only reposting from the interview??? second, what did they expect lmao? yk that one cmvnga or whatever acc that's always posting shit about messi despite the 50 diff players in his carrd? they're the ones obsessed like be fr now. if your fave really is the best (lol) then why are you getting so worked up? reeks of insecure imo. i KNOW it's the face card more than anything (which i rly dont see im sorry but to each their own 😭😭) bc how can you genuinely look at both careers even only up to 24 and decide messi isn't better... don't even get started on the actual playing like??? he's not real and no one will ever compare, least of all someone who declined his 'dream club' for psg's bank account and look where that got him 🤥. also about the rent-free thing,,,,, he was asked in an interview and actually spoke pretty well about m*appe (i dont wanna potentially get jumped 😭) and y'all wanna pretend he insulted him or was salty just because he didn't say he's the best?? which he isn't???? again: reeks of insecure.

HE DID SPEAK WELL ABOUT MBAPPE gosh i totally forgot to mention this in my previous response shsjdjsk like of course he brought him up they were literally teammates back in PSG 😭 he literally said mbappe is a good kid why are yall acting like he murdered your dog be serious now 😭

i actually don't know who this cmvnga person is (and judging by what you're telling me maybe that's a good thing lmao i do appreciate retaining my braincells) but yeah i'm going to keep saying what i've always been saying: the recency bias regarding mbappe is insane. like, comparing mbappe to any version of messi is the closest thing you can come to blasphemy in football i think, or even sports in general, but especially if you're comparing him to what messi was like at his age: messi had FOUR ballon d'ors by the time he was 24. FOUR. and he won them back to back to back to back. i don't think people realize just how absolutely ridiculous that is. it's a record that's probably never going to get beaten in the history of football ever.

moreover, after his loss in the 2014 wc final, messi was an absolutely demon at club level- like a man on a mission. meanwhile this is mbappe after the wc:

(the 10 rating was in a match against psg ultras 😭 his own fanboys 😭)

face card aside, i do think another reason people latch onto mbappe is bc there hasn't been a black "it boy" like him in football? (do tell me if i'm wrong, though!) his fanbase has a noticable split (on social media at least) between ronaldo stans who jumped ship after his "fall from grace" (so to speak) and tiktok girlies who take the kpopification of football a bit too far 💀💀

bottom line is- messi's comparison only exists in pelé and maradona, and i think these weird fangirls and media outlets with their agendas aside, most people have actually accepted this fact now. and we can all thank la scaloneta for that. they actually saved football tbqh

[soraka-in-warhammer40k]

The image sure does take up a lot of space in your post, given it even in this context is utterly incomprehensible. Anyways, as I am in a mood to clown on you, let's have a lesson on digital culture, because your wildly projecting ass definetly needs one.

If we look back at the last decade of internet history there is no precedent for left-leaning circles going out and "colonize" literally anything. There certainly are left leaning circles, but they mostly stay with each other and don't feel the need to proselytize. You can see it on reddit, where you can forget r/sigmarxism even exists, despite being a sub that's over 40.000 users strong. You barely see tumblr posts reposted to reddit either. It's always the right-wingers who go out making a stink in places they don't belong, and they usually have their heads so far up their own arses that they could not imagine people doing things differently.

Agitation in a tendencially leftist circle commonly leads to internal action. This is the key difference. Spite is a powerful motivator for actual content creators and leads to an increase of fanart, fanfiction, and general engagement within the group. This stuff is also obviously CONTENT, which garners the attention of outsiders. To keep it short: The leftist 40k fan does not give a shit if gay space marines are canon or not, they just draw their OTP holding hands and kissing despite that. They don't care if femboy skitari are silly, they draw them as cute as they can regardless. This is purely internal content production for their audience and if it spills out (maybe due to the art being REALLY good), that's not colonization, that's literally content circulating within a digital space.

Agitation in a right-wing circle meanwhile is a completly different beast. In terms of content, they got no content. What is there to create when the circle runs entirely on ragebait, underlying asshole ideology, rampant strawmanning, and entitlement as a cultural foundation? The attention of the general audience will always go to the ones who actually make stuff, and low effort Wojack-Memes (formerly Rage Comics) and shitty AI-art are definetly not cutting it. No amount of internal action could help their group gain any traction, so agitation in right-wing spaces leads to external action, as there is another way to get attention: spam other places and do it so loudly it hopefully attracts like-minded assholes. Pretend you were the true fans all along instead of a sorry little splinter group. Make "both sides" memes to appeal to the centrist but actually just attempt to legitimize your own faction as a relevant player. Keep making statements of boycott, despite the fact you are literally not even a customer. Dox people! Send death threats to artists! Act like a Karen in the company emails! ANYTHING to drag the general audience down onto the same bullshit foundation that your pathetic circle runs on. It's mostly just prepetuating the cultural traditions of the 4chan corners these ugly circles spawned from, all built on the foundation of raiding and spamming as the only unifying community practice.

Unlike the content-producing leftist circle who is communicating in their own little bubble and occasionally drops out a piece of fanart or fanfiction that garners unexpected reach, the posting-sprees of the right-wingers have an agenda. And as i said before, they have their heads so far up their asses they think they are how everyone does it: thus "the Woke Agenda" (TM) as a concept was born. It's really just projections all the way down.

The truth is, there is no woke agenda. People don't post female custodes stuff and give it several thousand upvotes because they are trying to stick it to someone or want to make political statement (at least not intitally, but fuck you I will like the golden ladies even more now), they just really like female Custodes. People do not subscribe to any sort of wokeness - self-declared "anti-wokes" are just assholes no one wants to associate with. Getting told to fuck off by a bunch of people for posting your cringe is not a sign of you getting "lynched by the woke mob"; it's more akin to you having shat your pants in public and people really want you to leave becaue you REEK. There is no big conspiracy to colonize anything, because people, by default, want to have nothing to do with you.

You still forcing your way in despite expicitly not being welcome and antagonizing the people in the space... I'd say that certaily is "colonist" behavior. I think the term "tourist" is more fitting - it's like a bunch of drunk assholes who trash a place attempting to make it theirs because they think abroad they got no consequences, and then are whiny bitches when the locals tell them to piss off.

And oh are the locals sick of this shit. Digital communities have seen this sort of thing play out several times. The playbook is nothing new, and people are tired of it. Civil discussion has proven pointless, and so people resort to telling you lot to fuck off, and by my opinion that is a very good thing.

There is not a single right-wing community that ever contributed anything aside from stale ingroup-affirming low effort memes and ragebait, and as someone who likes seeing content for the things I like, I'll gladly stick with the supposed "wokes" on that one.

Seeing stuff like that at the top of r/grimdank warms my heart.

[hskinhome]

not two be a paiin but would ii be able two get a tarot for my 2ollux tiimeliine? (and iif you can, could you maybe iinclude 2omethiing about my quadrant2 iin there? iif that2 po22iible ii dont know iif iit ii2. but uh, ii thiink ii had 2omethiing wiith karkat, and pretty 2ure ii wa2 piitch wiith eriidan. but liike iif you cant iinclude anythiing about that iin the tarot than you can go ahead and iignore thii2 part lol)

This will be a super long reading, but I’ll get it done! I’ll use my go-to spread for your timeline and then the Shipping Wall spread and Matchmaker spread from this post for Karkat and Eridan, respectively!

———————————–

You (top card): Something about the kintype, more broad, sometimes obvious but it may still be overlooked

I got the reversed Nine of Swords, which symbolizes patience, unselfishness, and healing over time. In contrast with canon, you were kind and took time with others. You also could’ve had physical or mental trauma and had to take time recovering from it, or you helped someone recover.

———————————–

Home (left card): Something about your canon, can be general or specific

I got the reversed Ten of Swords, which symbolizes moderate success and profit, courage, victory against evil, and seeking higher assistance. You also could’ve beaten SGRUB/SBURB and/or defeated The Condesce in your timeline! This could’ve been done with Skaia’s knowledge, your denizen(s), or some other godly being.

———————————–

Heart (right card): Something fundamental about the kintype, something that makes you you

I got the upright Eight of Wands, which symbolizes swiftness, activity, great hope, great haste, travel, movement in a situation, and love. Despite being restricted to your fate as a Doom player, you were quite determined and had hope for your session's and friends' positive future. You could’ve been much more active in beating the game and helping in the dream bubbles.

———————————–

Cards 1 and 2 for your relationship with Karkat are the upright Temperance card and the reversed Nine of Cups, respectively. You and Karkat started by getting along well, working together, and possibly co-leading your session, which could be platonic, pale, or flushed. However, Karkat could’ve relied on you too much and had you do most of the work. This could’ve not been entirely his fault, as due to his mutant blood, he could’ve struggled with health issues or restrictions due to hiding his blood color.

———————————–

Cards 3 and 4 for your relationship with Karkat are the upright Devil card and Seven of Pentacles, respectively. Over time, your relationship started to deteriorate. You both struggled with mental and physical health, and Karkat could’ve gotten more anxious over the game's fate, so he stalled and tried to regain control.

———————————–

Cards 5 and 6 for your relationship with Karkat are the reversed Queen of Swords and the upright Five of Cups, respectively. As your relationship began to deteriorate, both of your mental health declined. You began to lose each other’s trust and started to treat each other more maliciously. Karkat desperately tried to make the relationship work, but it wouldn’t.

———————————–

Cards 7 and 8 for your relationship with Karkat are the upright Three of Swords and the reversed Ace of Cups, respectively. Your relationship ended messily, with frequent arguments and lots of teary eyes. Karkat was heartbroken, not wanting to change his way of leading and feeling disconnected from you and the rest of the group. His mental health especially struggled.

———————————–

Eridan’s traits in your relationship are the reversed King of Swords and the Death card. Eridan had his own agenda in your relationship. It’s possible there was an imminent (and successful) uprising on Alternia, and he saw you as a kismesis and a political pawn. He was using you for his gain behind your back and expected to have you next to him as you exercised your grip on the landdwellers.

———————————–

The reactions of your relationship with Eridan are the upright Seven of Swords and the reversed Two of Cups. You may have noticed Eridan’s motives, which fueled your pitch feelings for him even more. Your hatesnogs became more passionate, which may have caused him to invest less time in his plan and ultimately not complete it to the fullest extent.

———————————–

The final verdict on your relationship with Eridan is the upright Lovers card. Despite everything that plagued your relationship, at your core, you were deeply attracted to each other. The red flags were numerous, but you continued your relationship (with a possible red vacillation down the road).

———————————–

I know this reading leans more negative, but I hope it helps you anyway!

[linuxgamenews]

The Game of Fourtune will grant your deepest wish the Demo

The Game of Fourtune game of life and death has a playable Demo for Linux, Mac, and Windows PC. Which is the result of the work and effort from developer BlackLock Games. Which is working its way onto Steam. Everything is on the table for sixteen people. Each finds themselves in a goddess’ sick and twisted game of life and death. The Game of Fourtune is a visual novel that will lead players to second-guess their choices. Doing so as they help Clyde and Devon literally fight for their lives. Despite arriving together, these two heros may just find themselves separated. Working to play this twisted game having to fend for themselves. After all, it’s survival of the fittest. Those who make it through all four rounds, will get one wish granted. The Game of Fourtune will leave players wondering just how many people they are willing to hurt to come out a victor. A free demo is now available on Steam. This also includes support for Linux, Mac, and Windows PC. Which features nearly [insert estimate time] of gameplay. While allowing players to experience the first [insert estimated routes] of the game.

The Game of Fourtune Trailer (Linux, Mac, Windows PC)

Inspired by Netflix’s Original Series Alice in Borderland. The Game of Fourtune takes place in a complex world run by the Digits of Eden, an underground criminal organization. The game also requires players to fight, scheme, and outsmart one another. All due to survive a god’s deadly game. The Game of Fourtune has multiple routes, scenarios, and decisions. Since these will help to introduce the player to each of the 16 characters. Getting to know each character will reveal their reasons for taking part in the game. And will also help players solve the mystery behind the Digits of Eden. Players will take control of either Clyde Raveron or Devon Rhodes, who are best friends. Clyde is a sarcastic dishwasher at a local pizzeria. He’s an intelligent young man who is recently down on his luck. So he enters The Game of Fourtune in hopes to help his sickly mother. Devon, a line cook at the same pizzeria, balances out her best friend with her upbeat and positive attitude. As ar result, Devon joins the game only because Clyde needed a partner.

Features:

Character Driven Story: Play as Clyde and Devon as they figure out how to make it out of The Game of Fourtune alive. With 14 other players in this game, each with their own agenda, secrets, and goals. So you’ll have to remain alert, learning more about each of them along the way.

16 Unique Routes: Throughout the game, you will go on 16 unique routes for each character you meet. These routes will be split between the perspective of Clyde and Devon. These will also feature different games and interactions. Each route will reveal more about a character’s desires and their past. Including why they’re fighting for their life in The Game of Fourtune.

Puzzles and Death Games Galore: Each route has a variety of puzzles and death games to explore. Some are games of trust and chance. While others will test your ability to read your opponent or your teammates. Some are just flat-out brawls. You can never be certain of what kind of games await you!

Player Progress and Plans:

An Elegant and Expanding Flow Chart: Keep track of your progress through The Game of Fourtune using the flowchart system. A simple and elegant way to branch out to different paths. Then find what routes are yet to be discovered.

Uncover The Greater Plot and Mystery: Even among the death games, some characters are planning schemes and plots that go beyond The Game of Fourtune itself. Some for themselves, some for redemption, some for others in power. Unravel the mysteries, discover the participant's greater plans and how many of them are merely pawns as opposed to players. Maybe then, you'll be able to achieve the best ending possible.

The demo for The Game of Fourtune game of life and death is currently available on Steam for free. Plus the demo does offer native support for Linux, Mac, and Windows PC. The game is expected to have a full release in the Spring. Where there will be more than (estimated time) of gameplay.

[bloggerkeke]

Baby Boomers Vs Gen X Vs Gen Y Vs Gen Z. How Baby Boomers continue to rock in 2022?

Each generation is different in its own unique way. From values to lifestyles to beliefs, each group of people born within a certain period of time has its own distinct characteristics that differentiate it from the other generations. Let’s break down the differences between Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, Generation Z, and Generation Alpha.

Baby Boomers (1946-1964)

Baby Boomers are associated with traditional values such as hard work, respect for authority, and dedication to their jobs. They grew up in a time when there was more emphasis on personal relationships with colleagues at work than on technology. Baby Boomers tend to be more focused on job security and are less likely to take risks in their careers.

Generation X (1965-1980)

Gen X is known for being independent and self-reliant. They grew up before the digital age and witnessed huge changes in technology during their formative years. Gen Xers tend to be more tech-savvy than their predecessors and have embraced new technologies such as social media for both personal and professional use. They are also highly entrepreneurial and value creativity in the workplace.

Millennials (1981-1996) or Generation Y

Gen Y grew up surrounded by technology yet still value face-to-face interaction over virtual communication. They are often described as team players who prefer collaboration over competition and seek meaningful work that offers them a sense of purpose beyond just monetary gain. Millennials value flexibility in their schedules, including working remotely or flexible hours when needed.

Generation Z (1997-2012)

Gen Z is sometimes referred to as the “digital natives” thanks to their exposure to advanced technology at an early age—from smartphones to tablets—which they have used extensively throughout their lives. They prefer visual learning tools like YouTube videos over traditional methods like textbooks or lectures in school and tend to value practical knowledge over theoretical knowledge they can use in the real world right away. They are also highly resourceful when it comes to finding information online or using apps for everyday tasks such as ordering food or booking travel tickets online without going through a middleman agent.

Generation Alpha (2013 - present day)

Gen a is sometimes referred to as the “first digital natives” since they were born into a world already dominated by technology and social media platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok which they use every day for leisure activities but also for educational purposes such as researching topics related to school projects or keeping themselves updated about current events around the world that interest them specifically instead of having information spoon fed through television news channels controlled by adults with agendas of their own. Alphas tend towards empathy rather than competition when interacting with peers which makes them more capable of working together in teams than previous generations ever were before them. Alphas also have access to larger amounts of data due to advances made by cloud computing technologies which give them greater insight into problems they may encounter while trying out innovative solutions.

Each generation has its own unique set of traits that make it stand out from others; however, these traits should not be taken as definitive rules but rather as general guidelines that help us better understand how different generations view things differently from one another so we can find common ground among ourselves despite our generational differences. By understanding how each generation perceives life differently, we can bridge any gaps between us so we can all work together toward a better future. It's only then that true progress can be made! ��​​

Understanding Baby Boomers in the Workplace

Born between 1946 to 1964, baby boomers are the generation that helped shape our society. As members of the workforce, they have a unique perspective on how to pursue success, and their contributions should not be overlooked. In this blog post, we’ll take an in-depth look at this generation and explore their outlook on life and work, what challenges they face, why they are loyal to their employers, and how they can motivate younger generations.

Outlook on Life & Work

Baby Boomers are generally ambitious and hardworking people who believe in setting goals and working diligently to reach them. They tend to be more traditional than other generations when it comes to their approach to life and works; many prefer face-to-face communication over digital methods such as texting or emails. Furthermore, baby boomers often strive for financial stability before taking risks or pursuing more creative endeavors.

Challenges Faced at Work

Baby boomers may find themselves struggling with technology due to their lack of experience with newer technologies such as computers or social media platforms. They may also struggle with adapting to new ways of doing things as well as keeping up with the changing trends of the workplace. Additionally, ageism can also be an issue for baby boomers in the workplace; many employers may not see older workers as being able to keep up with the pace of younger employees.

Why Are Baby Boomers Loyal?

Baby Boomers are some of the most loyal employees out there – once they find a job that fits their needs, they will stay put until they retire or until something better comes along. This is due in part to their strong sense of commitment and dedication; once they’ve found a job that suits them, baby boomers will stick with it no matter what challenges arise along the way. Additionally, loyalty is something that this generation values highly; by staying loyal to one employer throughout their career, baby boomers demonstrate their commitment both personally and professionally.  

How Can Baby Boomers Motivate Younger Generations?

Baby boomers have a wealth of knowledge and experience that can prove invaluable when it comes to motivating younger generations. By sharing stories from their past successes (and failures), baby boomers can help instill confidence in younger generations so that these individuals can reach greater heights than ever before. Additionally, by providing mentorship opportunities for young employees, baby boomers can help foster growth within an organization while inspiring those around them.

Some of the Great Baby Boomers making it count in 2022

The baby boomer generation, born between 1946 and 1964, has a unique place in American history. This group of people has seen tremendous changes throughout their lives, from the advent of the internet to the birth of modern technology. In 2022, the baby boomers will be 78 years old or older, and some are still making significant contributions to society. Let's take a look at some of these amazing individuals and what they are doing in their later years.

1. John Kerry

Former Secretary of State John Kerry is now 78 years old but remains an active voice in politics. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board for World War Zero, an organization dedicated to fighting climate change. He also continues to work as a speaker and consultant on international relations and diplomacy issues. His long career in public service is impressive and inspiring for all generations. Kerry founded the John Winant Society at St. Paul's to debate the issues of the day; the Society still exists there. In 1960, while at St. Paul's, he played bass in a minor rock band called “The Electras” with six of his classmates. (Source: Wikipedia)

2. Gloria Steinem

Gloria Steinem is an American feminist, journalist, and social activist who was a leading figure in the women's rights movement in the 1960s and 1970s. She co-founded the feminist magazine Ms. in 1972 and has been a prominent voice in the fight for gender equality ever since. Steinem gave much of her time to political organizations and became an articulate advocate for the women's liberation movement. She participated in the founding of the Coalition of Labor Union Women, Voters for Choice, Women Against Pornography, and the Women's Media Center. (Source: Encyclopedia Britannica)

3. Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett is an American investor, business tycoon, and philanthropist. He is the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, one of the largest companies in the world. Buffett is also one of the richest people in the world, with a net worth of over $90 billion. Buffett had an uncanny interest in making money, and it led him to a long life of success and money-making. Buffett has over 65 years of experience in investing, and with it, he has become one of the most powerful leaders in the world.

Much of Buffet's lifetime giving—amounting to some $2 billion to $3 billion worth of stock annually in recent years—has gone to the Gates' foundation, which has put it to work on poverty and healthcare initiatives in developing countries and education in the U.S. (Source: Forbes.com)

Buffett's investment wisdom and quotes on how to be successful involve starting early, never losing money, and not letting your emotions get in the way. He is a big believer that people need to invest in themselves and think long-term to achieve their goals. (Source: fool.com)

4. Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show, which was the highest-rated daytime talk show in TV history. It ran for 25 years and was seen by millions of people around the world. Oprah has also been active in various philanthropic endeavors, most notably her work with child abuse prevention and education initiatives. In addition to her television success, Winfrey has also established herself as a successful businesswoman, with interests in film, television production, and magazine publishing. In addition to her business successes, Winfrey is also a noted philanthropist, having donated billions of dollars to various charitable causes.

5. Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos is an American technology entrepreneur and investor. He is the founder, chairman, and CEO of Amazon.com, one of the largest online retailers in the world. Bezos is also one of the richest people in the world, with a net worth of over $80 billion. Forbes estimates that Bezos has donated more than $2.4 billion to charity in his lifetime. He committed a total of $10 billion to his own climate non-profit, the Bezos Earth Fund, in 2020. As of November 2021, the fund had granted nearly $1 billion of that total. (Source: CNBC, 16 Nov 2022)

6. Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. She was appointed to the court by President Bill Clinton in 1993 and has served since then. Justice Ginsburg is considered to be a liberal voice on the court and has authored several important opinions on gender equality, including United States v. Virginia (1996), which struck down the Virginia Military Institute's male-only admissions policy. She took up the mantle of litigating gender inequality cases with measured, conservative baby steps, tackling one law at a time because she thought the radical change would be too much too soon. But still, Ginsburg was growing into her role as one of the 30 women pioneers who changed the world. (Source: Reader’s Digest, 11 Nov 2022)

7. Bill Gates

Bill Gates, 66, is an American business magnate, software developer, and philanthropist. He is the co-founder of Microsoft Corporation, one of the world's largest software companies. Gates is also one of the richest people in the world, with a net worth of over $100 billion - but no one can say that he isn’t trying to give back. The Microsoft co-founder has vowed to give away more than half of his fortune, and his charitable organization, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has given away $41.3 billion to various international and domestic causes to date. In the last five years, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is believed to have invested $1.7 billion in U.S. public education.

Bill Gates’ main impact on society was making computers personal, available, and easy to use for everyone. Before that computers were mega-complex machines that only trained people could handle. (Source: Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Oct 2022). He continues to serve as co-chairman for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which works to find solutions for global poverty and disease prevention. His philanthropic efforts have made him one of the most influential people in history.

8. Larry Ellison

Larry Ellison is an American businessman and philanthropist. He is the co-founder and executive chairman of Oracle Corporation, one of the largest software companies in the world. Under his leadership, Oracle grew from a start-up with three programmers into the largest supplier of database software and the second-largest supplier of business applications in the world. Ellison has a net worth of over $60 billion. (Source: Investopedia and Forbes.com)

9. Ellen DeGeneres

Ellen DeGeneres is an American comedian, actress, writer, producer, and television host. She is best known for her popular daytime talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which has won numerous awards over its 15-year run. Ellen has also been active in various charitable causes, including animal rights and LGBT rights. She supports over 50 charities and numerous humanitarian aid organizations and has won many awards for her charitable efforts. With Ben Affleck, DeGeneres launched the "Small Change Campaign" to benefit Feeding America. Ellen supports the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund through the American Red Cross. (Source: Look to the Stars, 2022)

10. Sonia Sotomayor

Sonia Sotomayor is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, having been appointed to the court by President Barack Obama in 2009. She is considered to be a liberal voice on the court and has authored several important opinions on issues such as affirmative action and same-sex marriage. During her Supreme Court tenure, Sotomayor has been identified with concern for the rights of defendants and criminal justice reform and is known for her impassioned dissents on issues of race, gender, and ethnic identity, including Schuette v. BAMN, Utah v. Strieff, and Trump v. Hawaii. (Source: Wikipedia)

11. Bonnie Raitt

Bonnie Raitt is an iconic singer-songwriter who has been performing since 1971 when she released her first album at age 19. Now 74 years old, she continues to tour around the world while maintaining her commitment to environmental causes like clean energy initiatives and sustainable agriculture projects. Her music has crossed generations and influenced countless other musicians over the decades. Raitt is one of the world's most talented female singers/songwriters/guitarists and has released seventeen studio albums and won a total of ten “Grammy Awards.” In the year 2000, she was inducted into the “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame”.

Bonnie is as known for her lifelong commitment to social activism as she is for her music. She has long been involved with the environmental movement, doing concerts around oil, nuclear power, mining, water, and forest protection since the mid-’70s. She was a founding member of MUSE (Musicians United for Safe Energy) which produced the historic concerts, album, and movie NO NUKES, and continues to work on the nuke issue as well as fighting to preserve our Ancient Forests. She also continues to work on issues of social justice and human rights, as well as royalty reform and music education. (Source: Various News articles)

Conclusion

The baby boomers are living proof that growing older doesn't mean slowing down or giving up on life’s passions—it means adapting with grace while continuing to make meaningful contributions to society well into our golden years. From politics to business to music, this amazing generation continues to inspire us all with their ambition and persistence despite any obstacles they may face along the way!

Baby Boomers play an important role within today’s workforce – from providing insight into traditional values and approaches towards work to offering mentorship opportunities for younger generations – this generation has been instrumental in shaping our modern world. With a unique outlook on life and work coupled with unwavering loyalty and commitment, baby Boomers provide tremendous value in any workplace environment. Whether you’re looking for wisdom or inspiration, baby Boomers provide a valuable resource that should not be overlooked.

[autumnslance]

The Watcher is also a construct made by Hydaelyn from a memory of a person, like the Twelve. And he says some things contradictory with other lore too (like whether or not Hydaelyn Herself is sundered or not is really unclear for various reasons and sourcing, and doesn't make a lot of sense given She had to be the one doing the sundering, is still the same person within the primal's heart, and how the Unsundered--especially Elidibus in his final moment in the Tower--speak about Her). The Watcher also didn't tell us about his connections to the Twelve, or what was going on there, until specifically asked. And he still intentionally held information back for the characters to learn on their own based on the Twelves' plans.

Weather on Elpis is strange all around; it's a constructed floating outpost. It also never rains there, despite how green it is. The interior of Ktisis has a TARDIS-like situation of multiple large environments and seeming to go into lower orbit by the time we're fighting Hermes (Meteion's flight seems to indicate it is outside, or that she could get outside, and yet finding a confluence to break open to let WoL escape is a major thing, and....?). Anyway, that they have environmental controls makes sense given the nature of the work on Elpis to stress test their creations to determine if they're ready for release into the world.

I don't think it outside possibility to say that Umbral weather allows the existing moon to be seen through whatever magical screening Elpis is using to keep its atmosphere and weather for the staff and creations, which is why we see it fade in and out instead of rising or setting normally. It still moves normally when it is visible; I've watched it too. And that it's "not a bug" is an interesting response to such a weird event.

It's also worth remembering that there are a LOT of times the characters say things that are contrary to one another, and to other evidence seen in the world. Sometimes it's a rework of earlier content. Sometimes it's a vagary of localization (how are they phrasing it in the other languages?). And in many cases, it's intentional. The writers don't want characters to be infallible, or always taken at face value. Which is...difficult, as that's 90% of what we're given, is dialogue and written lore. But it's all in universe, and characters are often wrong, misinformed, giving their own biased perspective, or saying things in a way that can be mis- or multiply- interpreted, often innocently, though some do blatantly lie. Emet-Selch in Shadowbringers doesn't outright lie, but he also admits to not being entirely honest, as he has his agenda and will withhold information, or give a skewed perspective (while pointing out Hydaelyn does the same), is wearing his own rose-colored glasses, and is mired in his sunk cost determination.

It gives the devs wiggle room to change things up or make up something new, and gives us as players room to play a few ways, though each of our headcanons and readings of those variable dialogues and events may not always agree.

Gee ffxiv it sure is a good thing that we have two moons and only the first one was a fucked up spaceship. I'm so glad the other moon is just a normal moon and not a fucked up spaceship. Hold on I have a weird rabbit creature (who lives on the normal moon) trying to talk to me. Okay. Alright. Hmm, I see... WAIT WHAT DO YOU MEAN THIS ONE IS ALSO A FUCKED UP SPACESHIP

[thevalleyisjolly]

Hey, remember the awful audio quality back in C1, especially with the liveshows and the Skype-in episodes, and how nobody blamed the cast for having loud reactions or said that they should stop yelling and shouting despite the literal blowouts?  Hey, remember when Percy used to take over every other group conversation and push for his ideas over the rest of the party’s suggestions, and people just went “Yeah, he’s being a dick, but that’s the type of person Percy is and Taliesin is doing a great job of role-playing as this character”?  Hey, remember when Joe Manganiello came in with a clearly evil PC with his own agenda who ultimately ended up betraying the party, but no one complained that Joe was making the cast uncomfortable and should leave the show?  Hey, remember when Kashaw was interested in Keyleth back in the early days of C1, and no one mocked him for pursuing a PC who wasn’t yet in any canon relationship but had hints of romance with other characters?

Gotta take another peek at those standards because they sure are looking doubled right now.  But hey, I’m sure those are the only reasons why people are criticizing Erika so much for things that other cast members and guests get away with and are even praised for.

Now, this might be a wee bit of a controversial take, but the Critical Role cast are in fact adults who have been playing D&D on and off the Internet for a long time and who have invited many guests to play with them.  They’ve spoken extensively about safe play environments as well as open communication both at and away from the table.  If anyone was uncomfortable even for a minute with someone’s character choices or play style, they’d bring it up off-camera.  If Matt thought a character concept wasn’t a good fit for the table or the story, he’d work with the player to develop something that was. Hell, Erika is a long-time personal friend whom most of them have played with before. If they didn't like how Erika played D&D, or weren't comfortable with something they did in-game, they're perfectly capable of having that discussion with each other as friends and professionals.

Y’know, you don’t have to like either Dusk or Erika, but you do have to examine how you’re talking about them because right now, a lot of the flack they get boils down to “I don’t like them for doing the exact same thing that white cast members are doing/have done, and I assume that because I dislike how they're playing D&D, they must also be making the cast uncomfortable.” And it does not matter whether you had any conscious racist intent or reasoning, because the impact of your words is singling out the sole nonbinary person of colour at the table and treating them as some kind of aggressive "threat" towards the white cast members, whom I will reiterate, are their long-time personal friends who invited them to play in this campaign in the first place.

[regallibellbright]

[ID: Two screenshots showing critical moments from The World Ends With You and Heaven Official's Blessing. On the left, Joshua and Neku stand across from each other in an ominous throne room, both holding guns. On the right, He Xuan and Shi Qingxuan look towards each other on a mottled red background. End ID]

So yeah, obviously this one's got context already, I don't NEED to add more. I'm doing it anyway because seriously these two. These two. Rewrite my brain forever, why don't you. This one's just under the cut for length but I felt free to go LONG.

Okay, so the thing with Joshua is that he is sketchy as hell from the moment we meet him. The World Ends With You is divided into three weeks, each with a different partner to our main protagonist Neku. We first meet Joshua in the second.

Well, we first PROPERLY meet Joshua. Sharp-eyed viewers, especially on replay, can spot him VERY briefly in the background of the scene where Neku first meets his first partner, Shiki. He's gone as soon as the cutscene showing them making a partnership is over. He has reasons for this, and a sharp-eyed viewer who DID manage to catch that at first is going to be on guard. The rest of us are on guard because when Neku goes to the statue of Hachiko, looking for a Partner, Joshua immediately waltzes in and forces a team with Neku before even introducing himself. "You seem like such a pro at this, I just... helped myself," he says afterwards. He's been watching Neku, despite the fact that Neku's supposed to be on another level of reality from the living - he's been trapped for over a week now in a purgatorial game for the dead, with the chance to come back to life for the winners.

This will be the theme of their relationship. Joshua is abrasive, smug, overly-familiar from about the word go, suspicious as hell, doesn't actually want to complete the missions they need to get through to survive in the Game, and could generally do with a punch in the face. Neku's not in a good mood, here, either - He and Shiki won last week (yesterday), but only Shiki was chosen to come back to life despite their working exclusively as a team. Worse, entering the Game for a chance to come back to life costs an entry fee that will only be returned on winning, on order of the Composer who runs the whole show. Shiki is Neku's fee this week - if he fails, he won't just be erased from existence, so will she. (When he tells this to Joshua, he gets a song on the world's tiniest violin. Actual quote.) And Shiki's really the only person he cares about, yet. When we met him, it was by him shouting, in a voiced cutscene, "Outta my face. You're blocking my view!" and declaring that he doesn't get people, never has, never will. Even the FONT for that manages to look aggressive. Getting stuck with this little shit tests Neku's nerves CONSTANTLY, and worse, it seems like Joshua's doing this on purpose. And then there's the other part.

Telling Neku he's been watching him's just the start. He seems to know details about how this game is run. And for some reason, Neku can read Joshua's mind - something players in this death game can do, but only on living people. And when Neku tries, he sees his own body, lying flat on his back in the middle of the street with a pin marking him as part of the death game falling onto him. Obvious question: What the hell does this kid know about Neku? And why does it seem like he was at the scene of Neku's death?

And YET. Simultaneously. Thanks to that week's Game Master having his own agenda, they've been left on their own for a while this week. With nothing further to do, even though Joshua doesn't want to do the game missions, he decides they're going to help some random people with their issues for the hell of it. A local ramen shop is abandoned because someone opened up a new store nearby and has an influencer shilling it? Well, why don't they see what they can do to attract new customers by giving him some inspiration? Some jerks are blocking their way to Udagawa because their microphone is missing and they want Neku and Joshua to solve it? Joshua gets surprisingly enthusiastic about playing detective, given how annoyed he usually is when his plans get delayed. He doesn't want to do the mission and play in what is essentially a Beyblade tournament with pins, but he seems to know a lot about the kids' TV show about said pin game, and we'll later find out he spent a week playing it when he had other things to do. He goes into a detailed rave over the ramen shop owner's special. And he and Neku are on surprisingly similar wavelengths:

Joshua: Everyone has their own little internal world-- a secret garden only they can enter. Each world follows its own internal logic-- individuality. And the logic of one world means nothing in another. ...Understanding other people isn't hard, Neku. It's impossible.

Neku: Yeah. (Even if I could, I wouldn't want to see inside other people. They can keep their secret gardens, thanks.)

--

With one critical difference:

Joshua: I was thinking. "Something different"... Maybe everyone in Shibuya is here searching, struggling for a peek into their neighbor's worlds. When those neighbors change, they get scared, feel they have to change themselves-- even what makes them who they are.

Neku: Right. You don't want to change, but you don't want to be left behind either.

Joshua: Of course not. We can't go through life alone. We're part of a community. We have to live by its rules. And the move we connect with people, the trickier those rules get.

Neku: Yeah, and the more people hold you back. Screw living in a world choked by rules. I'm living free. Like CAT. It's just easier on my own. Nobody else's baggage. Nobody else tying me down. ...People aren't meant to figure each other out.

Joshua: My thoughts exactly. I'd rather just get rid of them.

Neku: What?

Joshua: Same as you, Neku. Those headphones you wear say it all.

Neku: (Yeah, so what? I don't like other people. I've got no use for the next world over... so don't come barging in on mine. My own world's all I need... Unless...)

Neku might not like people, but he wouldn't go so far as to get rid of them anymore. He's starting to change. And the more he interacts with Joshua, the more he realizes that this isn't who he wants to be. He wants to get to know people by talking to them, not reading their minds, especially because the more he talks to others, the more he's starting to see they're all a lot deeper than he assumed. The gyaru girl who seems like a ditz and her surly-looking boyfriend, another player team? They're sweethearts, utterly devoted to each other, and when Neku can't save them, it hurts, even though they were technically competition. Shiki had a deep well of insecurity under the bubbly front she was trying to put on - her entry fee was her entire appearance, because her self-image issues were so messy. Another player, eventually Neku's third partner Beat, seems like a skater boy with more muscles than sense even when Neku partners with him, but he's been drowning in guilt for his sister's death and subsequent erasure - and has been keeping that in from the start, along with his insecurities from parental expectations he could never live up to. Throughout the game, no one's quite what they seemed to be on the surface, including Neku - he was introduced as an unlikable shit who you can't imagine coming to care for, but ultimately he's a pretty emotionally intuitive guy who knows how to help Shiki and Beat through their issues when they're sure it's hopeless. We the players are prime to assume, then, that Joshua's not as sketchy as we thought, maybe. And despite himself, even as he's wondering what Joshua knows, Neku still kind of likes this smug, misanthropic asshat. So do we.

The game's mentor figure, Mr. Hanekoma, knows Joshua, and explains a few details. For a start, he's been able to see the layer of reality where the game is played as a living person. That's left him pretty lonely, and could explain how he knows so many things he shouldn't... and may explain why he remembers Neku's death. Joshua has apparently decided he belongs here, not in the world of the living, and wants to take control of the Game as the Composer. (When he talks about what things were like there, he says normal life "felt like death" and that he's here because he wants to be. They don't go so far as to say outright he was suicidal, but it's obviously heavily implied even WITH the knowledge of a secret purgatorial death game, and it's one of the easiest reads of his actions as a whole through the game that he still is.) He admits he picked Neku because he saw how strong he was, who's to say he didn't kill Neku in the first place to GET a strong Partner? Especially when Neku reads his mind again and sees how Joshua got to that point - he ran into Neku holding a gun, and then Neku hears a gun go off and Joshua's gun is smoking. Neku eventually confronts him about the fact that Joshua seems to have killed him, after Joshua reveals he has mysteriously strong powers - which he claims are because he snuck into the game and is actually alive. Joshua's response to this accusation?

"Aww, Neku. You said you didn't remember! You sneaky little thing. So what if I did?... What if I am the one who killed you? You're going to do something about it?"

Neku can't. He can't get a new Partner - even if he tried, by this point in the game everyone else seems to have been killed by super-powerful monsters - and without one he's dead(er) and so is Shiki. So he struggles through the last few days thinking he's working with his murderer, and stays icily hostile to the guy.

Cue the last day of the game, where they fight the Game Master for the week and Neku suddenly gets another flash of memory. Joshua was there when he died, but so was the GM. And it looks like the GM shot first. And after they fight, he responds with a suicide attack, a massive flare that would take all three of them out. Neku thinks they're doomed, before Joshua smiles and pushes him out of the way and takes the blast instead, apparently trying to make things right with Neku after all the suspicion.

This hits Neku HARD. Even though Joshua was annoying and abrasive, he didn't deserve to die. And Neku regrets that his suspicions kept them from getting along, and made Joshua feel he had to sacrifice himself. Worse, because Joshua was in the game illegally, Neku has to play a third time, and the entry fee is "all the other Players." (He finds a loophole when a friend-turned-enemy decides that no, this whole being enemies thing sucks, and changes sides again.) With the game increasingly messed up, and the entire city falling under some kind of creepy mind control, he and Beat decide that the only thing for it is to replace the Composer and put Beat in charge. As the week progresses, they conclude that it was probably Mr. Hanekoma, who's been revealed as not just a mentor figure but Neku's idol, and who was also responsible for saving Beat back when his sister and partner got erased. We're coping with that apparent betrayal and fight the Composer's second-in-command, who seems increasingly agitated, when Joshua appears, talks to the guy like he knows him, and is promptly trapped by the guy in a last-ditch final boss fight before Neku or the players have time to ask what the hell is going on. But hey, we got attached to that little shit, too. We're happy Joshua's alive, even if we're incredibly confused at the moment. Neku wins. And we learn everything.

The second-in-command was responsible for the brainwashing, but had a reason for it: This was his last-ditch attempt to save the city from destruction by the Composer, and the whole thing was a game between them.

Since he lost, said second-in-command will be erased from existence same as any other game loser.

The Composer wasn't supposed to interfere directly, but to watch from the sidelines over a Player he'd chosen for this purpose. That Player was of course Neku.

And who's the Composer? Joshua freezes Beat and the now-returned Shiki and giggles as he says it was him all along, and Neku was his pawn for this whole "destroy the city" plan. He couldn't have won without Neku! Good job.

Oh, by the way. He never said he DIDN'T kill Neku, now did he? Here's the rest of his memory. The Game Master was aiming for him, not Neku, and trying to take his job. But Joshua took care of that by freezing the bullets in midair and promptly shot Neku. Hee hee.

(I'm not kidding here for those just tuning in who've never played it, the giggling after Neku realizes that nope, he was right the first time, Joshua killed him is literally in the game script.)

The players are reeling. The final boss was just defeated, but the entire critical context of the plot is only revealed in a twenty minute cutscene AFTERWARDS, and understanding what the hell actually happened requires a full replay to unlock a series of secret reports explaining what was going on on the sidelines. We were expecting it to be betrayal by mentor when we had the rug pulled out from under us YET AGAIN. (And he still has his own secrets, as those secret reports will detail.) Neku's reeling, too. There are so many revelations in such a short time frame. And we're ALL feeling betrayed. That sketchy first impression was right! And if anything, the situation's EVEN WORSE than we thought when it was just murder.

But Joshua is willing to let this come down to one last game. Winner gets to be the Composer. Neku knows the stakes - If Joshua wins, he's "already decided" what he'll do. So here's a gun. Joshua will count down to ten. And on zero, they shoot. He's already taken Neku's entry fee. He counts down. Neku cries and raises his gun, while Joshua's stays trained on Neku's the whole time.

And then Neku drops his gun. Joshua shoots anyway. The last thing Neku sees are Joshua and Hanekoma smiling down at him.

And then he wakes up in the street again, with no idea what the hell just happened.

And, because I can't resist adding this even though I forgot to add that reaction for Utena/Anthy and it's the reason why BOTH pairings live rent-free in my head forever how the betrayee reacts to it, we cut to a week later, as Neku reflects on what he's been through the last month. How hard it was to learn to trust people and have that trust broken. How much it's changed him into someone else. He addresses Joshua.

"I can't forgive you, but I trust you." And then he says how excited he is to have friends now, and how they're about to meet up for the first time in a week. See you there? he adds, hopefully.

And the credits roll, as the players all look at this game and realize they are never going to emotionally recover from that last twenty-minute emotional roller coaster, or the game as a whole.

Iconic Homoerotic Betrayal: Round 1

Round 1 Directory

Context for TWEWY below. Beefleaf fans, drop your summary in the reblogs.

You play as Neku Sakuraba in this video game, who is in the Reapers' Game, fighting for survival and partnering up and with amnesia. Turns out you're dead! He doesn't remember how he died. His first partner gets taken from him so he ends up partnered with Joshua for week two. He's an asshole and rude but also has hidden depth to him, and really connects with Neku (who remembers everything EXCEPT how he died, now).

At the end of week 2! Joshua dies for you! Takes a blow to save Neku's life!

And then at the end of the game he shows up a-okay and says HEY IM THE ONE WHO KILLED YOU, I PUT YOU IN THE GAME, YOU HAVE TO SHOOT AND KILL ME OR IM GOING TO DESTROY THIS CITY YOU'VE COME TO LOVE, AND ALL YOUR FRIENDS TOO, KILL ME OR I WILL RUIN EVERYTHING

(AND NEKU DOESN'T SHOOT, AND NEKU DOESN'T KILL HIM, AND JOSH CHANGES HIS MIND BECAUSE NEKU CARED ABOUT HIM ENOUGH TO SAVE *HIM* TOO)

Josh is also very flamboyant and teases neku gayly. I love them your honor

Extended summary for Josh/Neku. Excellent read:

Okay, buckle in, because we are going on a ride. Player One: Neku Sakuraba. Dead kid extraordinaire. He woke up in the Reaper's Game, a game hosted in Shibuya's Underground, or UG (essentially the afterlife, it's a plane of existence on top of the Realground, or RG, which is the plane of the living), where freshly-dead souls partner up and compete for a second chance at life, with no absolutely no memories of who or where he was, much less how he died. Still, together with his first partner, he managed to win the Reaper's Game... but was denied a second chance.

The Conductor, who runs the Game, told them that the Composer, essentially the god of the Underground, had decided only one of them could return to life, and that was his partner, so Neku re-entered the Game for a second week in a row. Enter Player Two: Yoshiya Kiryu, but Mother and Father call him Joshua and, well, he supposes Neku can call him Joshua, too, seeing as he's his dear, dear partner. Joshua is annoying, grating, the manifestation of all of Neku's worst traits, the thing he could be if he refuses to grow, and he's constantly giggling and flirting with Neku. He's definitely hiding something, and eventually admits that he's still alive, playing the Game of his own accord. His ultimate goal is to become the Composer, as whoever defeats the current one takes their place and Joshua's status as a living Player makes him significantly more powerful. Plus there's the issue of the current Game Master, who seems to have taken an interest in Neku and causes headaches whenever he's around.

Partway through the week, Neku receives a flash of memory, the memory of his death. He was shot, and Joshua was behind the trigger. This information leaves Neku in a difficult position, as he can't win the Reaper's Game without a partner, and in fact, if his partner is erased, so is he. And he needs to win because his partner the previous week was taken as his entry fee, he's playing for her and he doesn't know what will happen to her if he loses. So he has to get along with his murderer for the rest of the week. Joshua, meanwhile, gleefully dances around the subject, never quite confirming or denying whether he killed Neku, even when confronted.

On the final day, they have to defeat the Game Master in order to win, and just before the fight, Neku receives the same flash of memory as before... but this time, it continues. Joshua pulled the trigger, but Neku didn't die. He didn't shoot Neku; just behind him lurked the Game Master, holding up a gun of his own. Joshua never killed him, Neku realized. He had spent all week distrusting his partner, when all along, he had been trying to protect him. And after they defeat the Game Master in the present, he releases one last attack, one that would certainly erase both of them. But Joshua pushes Neku out of danger, taking on the full force of the attack himself, leaving Neku alone with the guilt, of his distrust having pushed Joshua to figuratively take the bullet for him.

And once again, Neku is forced to play the Game again, but this time, he teams up with his new partner to use the clues Joshua left them with to find the Composer themself and bring an end to all this. And they do! As the city falls into chaos around them, denizens of both the UG and RG falling victim to mind control that must be the Composer's doing, Neku and his partner fight until the last day, until the only thing standing between them and the Composer Himself is the Conductor. And just as the fight is about to begin, Neku hears that familiar giggle. Joshua is alive. He calls the Conductor by name. But Neku barely has time to process this, because the Conductor fuses with Joshua for one final battle. And in the rubble of that, as the Conductor teeters at the edge of erasure, he asks Joshua what will become of the city. It turns out, one month prior, the Conductor made a deal with the Composer, who thought Shibuya had become stagnant and needed to be destroyed before its negative influence spread elsewhere. The Conductor had a month to prove that the city wasn't worthless, to turn the people into something more suitable - thus the mind control. To make it fair, the Composer decided that He was going to play with a hand-picked proxy in His place. But the Conductor failed. As he dissolves, erased, Neku finally gets to ask Joshua what's going on. "Hee hee... It was me, Neku," Joshua says. "I'm Shibuya's Composer." And Neku was his proxy. Finally, he returns Neku's memory of his death in full - the Game Master raised his gun, but he wasn't aiming at Neku, he was aiming at Joshua. And every bullet he fired was frozen mid-air, until he was turned to turn tail and flee. Then Joshua turned his gun on Neku once more, and shot him.

And now, Joshua, the Composer of Shibuya, decides to give Neku one last chance. They'll have a duel, and whoever wins gets to decide the fate of Shibuya. Neku doesn't get the chance to agree or disagree; Joshua gives him a gun, and the countdown begins. 10... 9.... Joshua raises his gun, smirking. Like he doesn't care. Like their time as partners meant nothing. 8... 7... Neku cries. He just stares at the ground, gun in his hand, and cries. 6... The sorrow turns to rage, and Neku raises the gun, aiming at Joshua with shaking hands. His eyes squeezed shut. 5... 4... He can't do it. 3... 2... Despite everything Joshua has done, despite killing Neku, lying to him, manipulating him and forcing him to play his sick Game, faking his own death, forcing Neku into this situation, planning to erase the entire city... Neku can't shoot him. Joshua is his partner. And Neku trusts him. 1. He lowers the gun. BANG. A single gunshot rings out, and Neku falls to the floor. The last thing he sees as his eyes close is Joshua's smiling face.

If you got here, know that I was very tempted to put joshneku in a threeway duel with komahina and akeshu but decided to split things up a bit.

[thedreamermusing]

Bringing back Snape discourse again but I often see Snape compared to Draco or Regulus because they all joined the Death Eaters at similar ages and they're all pitted against each other in fandom 'who sucks the least' wars. But to do so honestly misinterprets and ignores what Rowling was trying to say with Snape's story.

Snape as a young man, was powerless, vulnerable and angry. He faced abuse at home from his father, from school (where he hoped things would be different) by the Marauders, and the biggest examples he ever had of people with power and privilege was them using it against others. In other words, Snape's powerlessness and vulnerability as a working class, ugly, but incredibly talented half-blood were used to radicalise and groom him. Rowling was making a specific point about Snape in how people who are disenfranchised and vulnerable fall prey to cults and bigoted movements. His reason for joining the Death Eaters is complicated. Unlike Draco and Regulus, he had experience with some terrible muggles. But while he held some amount of disdain for muggles as a child, he was still anxious to be friends with muggleborn Lily Evans and never speaks of her heritage with derision in their childhood flashbacks. So, he did not become truly radicalised until he went to Hogwarts.

What Snape wanted was to stop being a victim, to stop people from being able to hurt him, and the examples he'd seen then of people who weren't victims were abusers and bullies. So he sought out a movement of such people in the hopes that he could stop being weak. This is why he is contrasted directly with Voldemort and Harry-- all three of them are half-bloods raised in similar circumstances but all three had different reactions to their disenfranchisement.

Regulus and Draco on their other hand joined the Death Eaters from a position of privilege and power. Their motivation to join was ideological, based on a desire to further pureblood agendas. They never lacked power, having grown up in homes where they were told they were the best simply because of their blood. Malfoy was a bully at Hogwarts and even enjoyed the position of prefect despite his dubious behaviour. We don't know much about Regulus at Hogwarts but he was the seeker of the Quidditch team and Quidditch players tend to have a lot of social capital. In other words, while Regulus and Draco joined the Death Eaters to exert their own power and privilege, Snape joined the Death Eaters to escape from his own powerlessness and vulnerability. This is an important distinction to make and shows that they can't really be put in the same box of 'Young Death Eater who is deeply remorseful of his past'. This is also partly the reason, I am sure, that Snape was chosen to have the most amount of agency and action in his atonement. I think it was important to center how a vulnerable person was radicalised into a bigoted movement and was able to come out of it to actively aid the cause of the Light. It wouldn't have been as poignant if it was a rich, privileged, pureblooded person in his place, because then the message of how such groups prey on the vulnerable to redirect their anger at the wrong targets would not really exist.

[chameshida]

Little Nightmares and Player’s Surrogate

I don’t know if I should call this a theory but it’s the thing I’ve been thinking about in a while now. For this let’s call it a theory for now.

What I mean by Player surrogate is for when the character is vague or blank enough for the player to put themself into, or even if the character isn’t blank, Their characteristic and objective is in line with what the player is feel or doing in game at the current moment that both Character and Player fall in line with each other. So while LN characters of course have a life of their own that is different from player (Like player is obviosly not going to be some all powerful psychic kid with paperbag head or cannibalistic homocide in the kid apocalupse nightmare) and know something the player don’t but I purpose for this theory that through out both game the character feeling are fall in line with what the player is feeling and for that it might explain their action and feeling.

(Note: this has nothing to do with the meta aspect like “oh the player is the bad guy all along” undertale-esque but rather just using player as a device to examine characters.)

Start off in Chronological order; LN2. Mono was given description officially as someone protective and single-minded. Because this is a video game, the single minded aspect come into play with the game objective and how the player pushing forward. Secondly the game is giving the player Six as the companion character, Despite what Six may have done in the first game, it’s natural for the player to grow attach to the already establish protaganist and the companion character so their protectiveness and attachment toward Six would mirror Mono.

- Mono was thrown out of the TV, clueless of what happened pripr just like how the Player doesn’t know. All the exploration or the scary place and scary monsters. Mono and the player would share the similar thought on them.

- The player starts to notice Six’ odd behavior much like Mono

- both Mono and Player would feel the similar emotion upon seeing Monster Six the first time.

-  The player are condition to trust Six with all the Catching scene of each chapters as the game mechanic much like Mono would trust Six this make the betrayal hurt Mono the same way it hurt the player. The official twitter account hint that Mono want both “Revenge and second chance” and maybe that’s how the fan/player feel too. Some grow hateful for what Six has done, Some tries to justify it and hope they can be friend again, that’s probably both what Mono is feeling.

- If we want to go meta, starting the new game with that knowledge is Mono returning into new loop with memories intact.

Next up, LN1, and this is actually the reason why I make this theory, to examine Six. Without any knowledge in anything since this is the first game. The player are thrown into the unknown world of the Maw alongside Six which is why I think that:

- Six is as scared of this unknown dark mysterios maw as the player as she explore it.

- Six genuinely finds the nome cute and hug them without any ill intention or ulteriror motive just like the player.

- Six was surprised and clueless about the intensity of the hunger the first time it happens in the maw like the player. she too start to notice the escalation and pattern just like the player. The moment the rat got stuck in the trapped and she and the player would feel the similar emotion of “oh no I have to eat the rat didn’t I?”

-This lead to...The nome. Ok so play by play. You just escape the near death experience with the guest then your hunger start to act up, great. You painfully move your way forward for something to eat. You see the sausage and the cute nome giving it, Great you are save! You start moving forward to meet the nome

then you lose Control.

You can’t stop yourself, blinded by the unnatural hunger, and only regain control after the deed has already been done.

This is what I think is happening. That Six lose control, that every time the control being taken away from the player in the mini cut scene of Six eating something that’s her losing it. People said that the existance of the sausage in that scene suggest that Six is giving the option and she just simply not chosing it and choose the nome instead but with this player surrogate theory I think the existance of the sauage signify Six’s lack of choice. that there’s a choice Six thought she can have but her hunger just choosing it for her.

- For the lady at this point the player already know what’s coming when the hunger hit and the lady is right there. Six knows what have to be done too. 

Again, with the character having their own history and agenda and the player all have different history and agenda. Those feeling doesn’t have to be 100% line up but I think it can help suggest or explain the vague idea of what the character is feeling.

And that’s about it for this ‘theory’! TLDR; Player character may feel something similar to what the player feel and when the control is taken from the player the character is losing control too, (or act irrationally, super determine-ly like Mono marching into the tower)