#headcanon tag tbt.

[shadowedstaff]

as bouncing off my jim - claire gets a septum piercing in honour of draal. where jim wears a false septum piercing (partially because he doesn't like it long term and affects his breathing since his nose shape did change drastically) but claire doesn't have those issues - so they proudly wear the piercing in honour of their fallen friend.

[pistolslinger]

whatever. in my head jesper and nadia and adrik are pals eventually. whenever leoni visits kerch to see jesper, she brings nadia and adrik along, and jesper gets to show them all the normal tourist-y stuff in ketterdam but they also spend loads of time in the zemeni districts just enjoying the food n theatres n going shopping. jesper introduces them to his zemeni friends there, and ofc there's always an open invite for them to come spend time at the faheys farm

[pvnkshooter-a]

𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝?

knuckles

it feels as though you have fought every day of your life. sometimes, you cannot even tell how much of the blood on your hands is your own... and how much comes from those who've tried to hurt those you defend. you deserve the gentleness of a kiss to your bruised knuckles and broken skin, a reminder that you are not only made of violence.

𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲: @thewolvs 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠: @tthebanished / @wildernesslost, @kidoftheblxckhole, @perfectionreached, @misquigley @thrillor & whoever wants to do it tag me so i can see!

[ripcrispyblonde]

the way that jess will always pull your whole government name out to scold you

[grievedifferent]

CHRIS 4 JOSH? let's talk about it ... and let's be honest.

read more for length only, it's all pretty sfw and non-triggering content.

speaking with otter first and foremost, here are her thoughts on the matter:

for context, she has a degree in video game art & design, so she knows the entire pipeline for how video games were and are made currently. she actually graduated like right around when UD came out, so this is perfect because she also helped me understand some of the modeling and why the original game is just honestly more fluid in mechanics versus the remake, so i've been giving the remake a pass in a lot of big ways and just sort of accepting everything else as is in conjunction with the original game (and in our case, the 2013 prototype).

basically, she said it originally looked like this is what likely happened: a texture artist was given permission to do a heart, someone else or that same artist put in CHRIS + JOSH and basically whoever was in charge of them (i have no names for this) likely said "you absolutely cannot confirm a fan ship, it's not happening" which is why it became CHRIS 4 JOSH. otter was explaining how the 4 looks a little off like it wasn't there originally but more of something to replace what was underneath. like a 4 covering a +.

still likely meant to be a joke, maybe it could go so far as to that texture artist shipping it, but either way, it was never going to make it into the official game as a way to be interpreted as josh and chris are canon. i know the app contradicts one major thing for chris and ash because the game itself literally confirms they both like each other in various scenes and context clues and all of that content we get in-game for them.

based on my own time being in school for video games, this makes a lot of sense. i might not have finished, but i did learn this lol. so, what she's saying is pretty on point. that's how companies are, even if it's "supermassive" ... they are working under sony.

so, does it mean anything? not really. i know this was probably huge for the other side of the UD fandom (i see it being two sides: rpc and non-rpc, which can be similar but are generally very different ... in-between those spaces are typically the fanfic writers and then the sub-genre of reader insert fanfic writers if that makes sense? anyways). but it really means nothing.

it's just a little easter egg. if we want to look into it at all? it was likely done by chris (otherwise it would say josh 4 chris if it was from josh), and also ... i know this sounds probably so lame, but that's just how guys are. they act like that, especially if you're super comfortable with a long-term friend. people have probably wondered about it based on how close and jokey they can act, they don't seem like the type to "shy away" from any sort of intimacy, especially for a joke, and idk, they're just like that? that's pretty normal.

HOWEVER ... where this gets even more interesting for me is this part: bringing in the 2011-2013 prototype, the game that was being pumped out for demos and such before supermassive did an entire rehaul of the original 2010 game (so, this is not london studio's project anymore, it hasn't been for a while, and their original iteration actually had hannah and josh as a couple named hannah and clayton).

why is this interesting? i've mentioned before several things about that prototype specifically: a) mike and chris never changed from design to actor, they were always solid (so it's weird to not even consider using their old voice banks for new content for the 2024 remake but okay??), b) this had originally intended (all the way back to london studio) to really be a "couples game" that "couples play together", giving the controller back and forth, and c) the fact that sam clearly liked josh in the original iteration, josh did not feel the same, but he had basically the same relationship with chris, who seemed to still like ash and vice versa, but josh also had a pretty high energy by comparison both in general to rami's josh and also to specifically chris in comparison to (that verison of) sam.

let's dig into 'c' a bit more. the sam and josh problem. it's not really a "problem" but i think there's somewhat of a general misunderstanding as to what their relationship is realistically like based on their connections and affiliations over what is sort of "expected of them".

here's what we know for facts:

sam and josh know each other, we can maybe assume from childhood or middle school era, but long enough for sam to be considered hannah's best friend.

which brings me to my next point: sam is hannah's best friend, not josh's. not even "hannah and beth's best friend". she is hannah's best friend. this is josh's little sister's best friend. i have to reiterate this because i see this huge sort of blackhole when it comes to this fact about sam and hannah. this is literally sam's entire tagline! even the game sort of forgets that sometimes? sam actually somewhat harshly criticizes hannah in her bedroom, something that is only open to sam and no one else. i'm not sure where this idea that sam is there for josh when she should be there for hannah. you can also tell sam and josh weren't that close over that year because she needs chris to confirm that a) this entire getting back together is a good idea and b) if josh is doing okay. if they were close, wouldn't she know? also, josh wasn't that close to anyone besides seemingly chris? which sort of makes sense but even he only lets chris see certain sides of himself. so, they aren't as close as people i think mistake them to be.

they were supposed to have something one-sided in the prototype before the finalized release. in the protoype, sam likes josh, but josh seems to not reciprocate. it's heavily hinted at when she flirts with him in the scene at the lodge door, which is very different but also somewhat the same as the version we get.

the finalized verison of sam (ie "hayden-sam") doesn't seem to have a crush on josh ("rami-josh") ... at least, from what i can tell. i think she actually feels somewhat uncomfortable around him, if we're being honest. maybe not before the prank, we can see they are comfortable together briefly in the new snapshots on the camera, but after? definitely so. this makes sense. they are somewhat avoiding each other. why would she go back there? both hannah and beth are dead, leaving josh.

finally: josh is hannah's older brother, thus acts as an older brother to the group ... sam included. this is literally in josh's characterization.

so, delving into probably headcanon territory here, and i'm not even going into my own sam headcanons ... basically, i think sam sees josh as an older brother and josh sees sam as a little sister figure. ik ik it's boring.

hear me out here: i think this was done simply because there are so many couples in the game already, which is so funny because it was supposed to be a couple's game but then got changed to a sort of "play alone or pass the controller".

now? UD is meant to be played either on your own or between multiple people, you can assign one person to each person you're playing with or just split the cast up the way otter and i do. it's more liberal and intentional to be that way versus its original intention. think about it: when you really start actually playing, there are two for sure couples, one maybe "will they won't they", and then two that aren't dating. that does feel more realistic just in general in a friend group, doesn't it? people date each other, break up, bring new members in, etc, but not everyone always dates everyone all the time.

also, i think just blanketed, supermassive wasn't even considering that likely at least one of those characters is probably gay or bisexual. until dawn is only so deep because it can only go so deep, and if they were going to go deep? it was going down the mental illness rabbit hole along with the background story they were trying to flesh together coupled with the mo-cap technology they were working with.

also, not to be that person, but life is strange came out in 2013 and kind of nailed it, right? they had their own set of issues they tackled incredibly well, whereas it doesn't really fit into UD. UD is about being a true "classic horror" story with the heavy use of intentional character tropes. so, give UD some grace here, i'd say.

cause let's get real for a second: there were so many last-minute changes while holding onto the threads of what they wanted. some stuff from the prototype for example is pretty shot-for-shot or word-for-word and some is super different. like ... im sorry, but the wolves aren't in the prototype (just as an example), so you can see how fast they decided to put those in because those wolves are literally broken animals.

back to sam and josh: taking my own headcanons aside, i don't think it's impossible to headcanon sam having a crush on josh at any point in her life that she knew him pre-UD. it's not uncommon, of course. he's classic older brother, he's fun, he's cute, he's friendly, and he's always around. again, while i think at least narratively they took that aspect of sam's character out when they cast hayden (she gives a much different, honestly better vibe for sam from the original actress, whereas ashley is like the same ngl), there is something to be said about not saying anything, i suppose. i just don't see it as something that was meant to be noticed, if that makes sense. not that it's not fitting? i guess?

but it's how josh feels, more the position he's in, that i sort of get caught up in why i'm sometimes hesitant with outright sam/josh with no plotting beforehand (as if it's canon). josh is the older brother. for him, there's sort of some lines he feels he isn't supposed to cross, trust he isn't supposed to break, and just sort of general boundaries? like, age isn't necessarily his factor here, it's literally how they met and how they know each other. it would be likely hurtful to hannah, probably awkward? i imagine?

so, is josh willing to cross his sister's comfort like that? yes, he lies to her ... about his mental health. it's never implied anywhere else that josh lies to hannah or beth about anything else. also, we can argue it's the parents hiding it from his sister's, wanting them to have a certain view of their brother.

then, post-death, we know there's a huge change in their relationship. josh and sam become distant, as i've discussed above.

with a lot of plotting and specifics, i could do it. just blanketed? or like ... how i see these characters without anyone else's interpretations in consideration? like just playing the game as is without even considering rpc? i don't see it.

so, what about josh and chris then? i'm not going to lie, i've only even recently come around to the idea, and even that comes off to me as still one-sided if it were ever even considered. likely? it would have been chris like ash, ash like chris, josh maybe likes chris? but that's so pushing it to assume supermassive would imply, though it's actually more sound for inferences in the prototype.

the chemistry josh and chris have is very natural. we can give that partially to the actors, of course, and partially to the writing. they have known each other a long time, and i've talked about it above how that's just how these types of guys are sometimes. they're just comfortable with each other.

so, even i'm just writing general headcanons without taking anyone else's specific interpretation in mind? i see it like this:

josh and chris? best friends from childhood.

chris and ash? the intended "will they / won't they" of the game.

josh and sam? older brother figure to younger sister figure (ie the friendship that can form with this type of bond, but likely nothing else).

but josh flirts with sam, remember? he infers he'd help her with the bath. he also calls mike and jess pornstars, says he wants to get friendly with ashley in the snow (and calls her a sleeper hit), etc. he's pretty mouthy about that sort of thing. it's just how he is. i guarantee if that were jessica in the bath, he'd say the same thing, and might even be more persistent about it (given that jessica is more playful than sam in that regard). however, were that emily in the bath? not a chance, he probably wouldn't have said anything tbh. i also write sam as a lesbian.

okay, so this is all "canon and great" and everything ... but what about me? what are my personal ships?

i can see so many with josh. i think that he's probably more gay than straight. he sees himself as open-minded.

does he lean more towards men or women? privately: sexually and romantically speaking, men. socially: women.

i have it that he chooses the "women make me uncomfortable" option when i play. i think this makes sense for josh.

why do women make him uncomfortable, but he socially pursues them? is he actually attracted to women? what is his sexuality for real? so, why women: it's socially understandable and acceptable. it's what he's relied on since puberty / actively encouraged to pursue since dating was on the table. he's with such a "bro" crowd — and so bro-coded both in being written that way narratively speaking while also just self-imposing that sort of role to himself ... while also naturally filling that role. his sexuality with labels: bisexual with a heavier male leaning preference, would be considered more demisexual when it comes to women. he is attracted to men romantically and sexually, and he is attracted to women, but there has to be a relationship fostered for it to be more romantic than sexual. i think he's fooled around with girls, but never had penetrative sex with them. he's likely never been with a guy, as he's very closeted, despite this being his active preference. women intimidate josh and make him uncomfortable.

further on him being more closeted despite being in the industry: josh has his family's reputation to consider. the world doesn't always agree that being bisexual is natural and non-offensive. he would be outright just called and labeled gay (which isn't entirely inaccurate but is not accurate). it could hurt his family. this isn't 2024, this is the 2010s, and yes it was getting "big" in the way we see acceptance now, but it wasn't so seen. people were (and still are) hiding. think of it like this: if josh has to hide his mental illness the way he does, he's likely having to hide his sexuality.

i think that's why the traits we do see in josh are so exacerbated because he has to stifle so much of himself down that the parts he's allowed to express become the loudest to hear.

all of that to get us here: my ships for josh.

personally? again, no other interpretations are considered necessarily, just ships i like based on various things from simply aesthetics to actual connections i can see them having.

what about chris/josh? honestly? i never even considered it until recently, and now that i have, it seems more obviously (if anything) one-sided by josh (the giver) to chris (the receiver). i don't think chris has ever consciously thought about it. josh (probably) has. as a default, however, i write them as bros. i do genuinely love their friendship. that being said, i do like it as a ship. i don't write my main plotlines with that in mind, though.

quickly: if anything, i think chris is the most compatible for josh (and vice versa). there is a lot of game evidence to support this, but that's for its own post.

josh/ashley -> this had always been my previous top ship for josh, but as more context becomes available via the remake and data mining the game, my opinions have swayed a bit, but i will always love joshley. it's a demi thing with them, i think. i also think josh is kind of jealous of ashley's relationship with chris (chapter 2 is called jealousy, and yes, that refers to the matt-mike-em-jess stuff but could be inferred to the trio), yet actively supports his bro, so doesn't really "get in the way". in fact, he encourages it.

josh/ashley/chris -> i see this as mostly ashley dating both chris and josh, maybe josh having some feelings for chris? from there, it's open-ended, but it's mostly "ashley has two boyfriends", and i am here for that. i love her.

additionally, i do ship chris/ashley. i like that josh is actively trying to get them together, and i think while it's for "nefarious reasons" or whatever you want to say when we see it in-game, josh is acting as a direct reflection to how he always has been ... so we can assume he's always been trying to get chris to make the move on ash.

josh/jess -> this is primarily aesthetically speaking, i think they just would look good together? opposites attract? pre-prank of hannah, it's definitely that ... opposites attract. he's not really her type, lbr, but she's probably his type in the way she's pretty ... but she is also intimidating to him. it's funny because, ultimately, that sort of confession to mike that jess gives about her insecurities would be very understood by josh (and actually matt, who i see as insecure), and i like all three of those boys with jess. yes, i hold jess accountable for the prank, but just character traits and such? i can see some vibes here. also! a lot of my fondness for this ship probably comes from post!verse stuff, like retribution, etc. honestly, i just like these two together not even romantically? i just want to see more of them interacting idk josh and jess are very contrasting characters that could go really well or horribly wrong together. also, i just have to say that i feel like there was some genuine interest when jess suggested that josh might be flirting with her and mike (jokingly) asked to basically have a threesome together, like she was kind of into it ngl.

why none of the other UD boys with josh? like mike and matt? we don't really see too much matt and josh unfortunately. i'm also a huge matt/jess shipper idk but i just don't see matt and josh being compatible, and i also write matt ... and i also write matt as straight, so. there's that aspect. but generally? i don't see it.

so, no em and josh? i literally do not have enough canonically to go by to even say what their default dynamic is like! they never talk!! like ever. so ... once i can establish with an emily writer what that is, i'd be more down to clown.

i can't with mike, either. i love mike btw, literally no shade to him, i don't think josh is the right fit for mike either by any means. mike is great at "handling" josh at his worst in a crisis (kind of? idk it depends sort of on the choices you make, but i get his vibe, i do get it) to get him from points a to b, but that's about it. mike also just comes off as very straight (to me).

all of that to say this: i generally write things as they are from the game unless there's a pretty good clue, inference, or some sort of thread i can unravel to make something make sense. it has to make sense for me, i'm just that type of person.

but ... with the right chemistry, plotting, and a bit of time? anything can happen. just because i default see something one way doesn't mean that i cannot be convinced otherwise ... or still hold that belief for the game itself but write enough development that i love something else in an rp sense. i'm a very "this is game, this is rp" and then from there, i take from the game to make the rp experience more game-like. does that make sense? did any of this make sense?

[razorfst]

okay but child andrei went to sleep under the stars most likely on clear and warm nights when he was living on the streets of romania. no doubt he learned in his own way that constellations were which, spoke up to them as if they were friends because who else could he talk to? if it wasn't the dogs wandering the streets, it was the stars.

[bastardborne]

one day i will expand on his scars but as of right now i offer the fact that at some point during a battle when he was in his early hundreds, an opponent managed to get a few inches of a blade in his throat. upon disarming that opponent, the blade took a turn and slashed downwards until it cut just a little past his collar bone. from impact, cassian suffered a fracture in his throat that damaged his vocal chords ( and almost took his life ). during healing, he wasn't able to speak without it causing him pain -- though, after a few months of rehab and rest, he regained his ability to speak. not without consequence, cassian's speaking voice has a gravelly, thundecrack rumble to it, and he still suffers from pain in his throat after long days or battles ect. he does his best to take care of them and has check ins with the family healer to make sure that he's doing so properly

[captainseamech]

All jokes aside... High Tide knows he needs to take care of himself more, but he just doesn’t know how to do it or who to reach out to. Due to how he was treated before, he mostly sees himself as the ‘stoic figure that doesn’t deserve / need help or reassurance from anyone that isn’t.’ Is this a toxic way of thinking? Yes, but sadly, that’s what he believed to be true but never voices it out ever, because he knows people have their sheer amount of problems to deal with and thinks he shouldn’t bother them with his ‘useless ramble / crying out loud.’ Of course, he might shortly talk it out, but never go too deep into that topic to prevent himself from speaking more than he should.

If someone, anyone even, is willing to let him know it’s okay to vent about his problems... He’ll absolutely shatter, like a mask made out of the strongest material possible somehow finding it had a weak spot and falling apart all at once. High Tide never thought that a mech as old as he was needed comfort, needed to be heard, needed to know how to properly let go... He always struggled with his own feelings, but he will be absolutely helpless and weak if he was allowed to let it all out.

His main problem, aside from everything that surrounded him, is regarding death. Not the concept of it, but the fact people around him died a lot of times in the past, people he knew, people he was friends with... and people he loved, too. Falling to pieces and offlining all around him either because they got caught by war... or by his own hands, in a way or another. Guilt surrounds him everyday, every time, non-stop in his mind. Remorse constantly stabbing him in his spark, a tiny voice in his processor making him feel like an irredeemable monster for being such a strong being capable of murdering each and everyone.

High Tide is strong. High Tide is very strong, even. A soldier, an experienced captain, a mentor, a mech that can get what he wants when he wants, a mech that can easily shield anyone and take a large amount of damage to protect those in need.

And yet... all it takes to break him, is someone with good intentions asking “are you okay?” with the sweetest and calmest of voices.

[shinsoku]

in today's news i want to talk about grimmjow a muse that i struggle with a good deal, but that isn't what we are here for today except for where he was during the quincy empire's invasion of hueco mundo. to put it simply he was tasked with fleeing ( which is unlike grimmjow to run from a fight ) except it was directly from harribel whom he was ordered to do so. which if didn't know you do know now that she is one out of say three...or four of the espada / arancar that he respects as they're all ' monsters '. the mutual respect doesn't even extend from their time as espada or their so-called numbers given to them by aizen, only power and strength, the will to survive in a land of monster eaters. there is likely more to it depending on the writer of harribel all that i will say is he takes neliell with him..and regrettably her fraccion who absolutely thinks are annoying. grimmjow flees with neliell to live and fight another day but that doesn't stop him from spilling any and all quincy blood in his way. in fact i imagine he gets ambushed and literally yeets neliell away she's a small child and unlikely to ever make it on their radar. whether she was thrown into a garganta to the mortal realm or that was of neliels doing i haven't figured out. though he definitely returns the favor by ending quilqe thus saving sado, kisuke, and inoue. is this a headcanon or offical canon? the answer is yes. he also after dealing wtih the ambush returned to the camps of quincy and brutally murdered every single member. not for his own kind but because he simply wanted too, monsters don't need to take revenge, but they do hunt and eviscerate.

[firepiloted]

Tommy knew he was gay around the time he started middle school. When all of his friends were talking about the latest hot model or actress, Tommy had to play along and pretend he agreed. When he was asked which actress he wanted to have sex with, he'd always pick one that he knew would be acceptable to the group. Someone they all wanted to "do." He joined in and laughed when they would call each other gay for showing even a small amount of weakness.

And he hated himself for being attracted to other boys. When he was 16, he had his first girlfriend. They made out in the backseat of his car but didn't do any more than that. They dated a year before breaking it off. She never mentioned to anyone that he had difficulty "getting it up" and he was grateful for it.

Not long after, his dad got a new assignment and they were off to a new city.

When he joined the army, it was much of the same and he pushed his sexuality even deeper down. He was 21 when he and his buddies went to a brothel and he lost his virginity to a very understanding prostitute. She assured him that he wasn't the first army boy she'd had who wasn't attracted to women. She helped him work up a story he could tell his friends.

The first time he was with a man, he was stationed in Germany and went out with a small group. They all lost track of each other at some point and Tommy struck up a conversation with a gorgeous man from England. He was a few years older and Tommy didn't realize he was flirting until the man asked him if he wanted to go home with him. He spent the night and returned to base feeling both lighter and full of dread. There was no way he'd be able to be open with it. Not with the rules surrounding same sex relationships in the army.

He found freedom when he put in to be a pilot. What was once a hobby when he was younger, became his career in the army. Flying the helicopters through dangerous territory. Helping get men and women in out of combat gave him the purpose he so desperately needed.

Years later, after he left the army, he found his way to Los Angeles. He worked odd jobs, locking the part of himself he hated tightly away. When he saw an advertisement that recruits were needed for the Los Angeles Fire Department, he decided to give it a go. Almost to his surprise, he made the cut and was assigned to the 118. Meeting Captain Gerrard, Tommy knew he was going to have to make himself part of the boy's club if he was going to survive.

[pistolslinger]

jesper has so many friends in the zemeni district. i cant imagine he'd hang on to 3mil kruge without doing smth for the ppl he's met out there, specifically all his fav businesses and the services that zemeni locals frequent the most. kerch took so much from novyi zem and continues to try n take more bites out of it, and i cant imagine jesper ever letting that slide, not w/o handing pieces of kerch back to the ppl who deserve it, whether thats helping get kerch businesses OFF zemeni land (w/ wylan n the dregs' help) or by supporting the zemeni district himself as it continues to grow alongside him

[pvnkshooter-a]

alright guys here’s my headcanon about nat and mosh pits!

even before the crash nat obviously loved going to shows/gigs especially ones at smaller venues and smaller local shows where she would really get in the crowd with everyone and get in here for the music. of course music for nat has always been a huge escape and something she’s relied on to get her through low emotional states and traumatic experiences but once nat realised these shows and these mosh pits was a safe space for her to let out her complex and unbridled emotion she got kind of addicted to the feeling. addicted to the adrenaline rush that came with pushing up into strangers and being so close to so many people who didn’t know her or judge her because all they cared about was the music as much as she did. for nat this became a really good way to get rid of all her anger or shit she didn’t want to confront.

why is this?

because a mosh pit is contained & controlled violence. violence that she can participate in that is both in this context socially acceptable and void of any actual rage toward anything specific. this was about channeling the anger she felt.

participating in this ritual of the mosh pit and participating in this kind of violence in this way was about subverting he chaotic and uncontrolled violence other home life.

this definitely continued after they were rescued from the wilderness. this even combined with drugs often once she was back from the wilderness because the drugs were her reckless coping mechanism. something she couldn’t really seem to function without most of the time post rescue.

[tealbeats-archived]

Let’s talk about Ezreal’s abandonment issues.

The death of his parents had really given Ezreal some nasty Abandonment issues throughout his life.

There’s an understanding that they died on the job, but with him being at such a young age when it happened, when the letters stopped coming, when his parents were claimed to be missing and bodies not recovered and the sudden adoption/permanent custody from his uncle, it blossomed some abandonment issues, especially because even twelve years later, their bodies still were never recovered and they are still ‘missing’. On one hand Ezreal believes they’re dead ( they are ), but because of their status he also has something clawing at his brain that makes him think they just straight up abandoned him with his uncle for whatever reason.

It’s because of this that Ezreal is so outgoing. That he is so over the top and tries to be everybody’s friend for the most part. Why he latches himself onto the other Heartsteel boys like his life depends on it. Because he’s afraid other people will just leave, too. But if he keeps their lives interesting by being spontaneous & obnoxious, perhaps they’ll find him interesting enough to stay.

This also makes dating VERY HARD. Ezreal and dating is complicated. Fucking around is one thing because he can have a ‘no strings attached’ mentality, but when he actually develops feelings for someone, that gets really scary. If they reject him? Abandonment issues. Break up with him? Abandonment issues. So he gets insufferable in a way that he sort of hopes would push people away—and if they go, he knows it wasn’t worth it. If they stay, he gives it a chance, but he comes off as clingy because of it, and he can be really anxious at times when he does something ( esp cause his love languages are acts of service/physical affection ) because he doesn’t want to seem as ‘too much’ or push his partner away if they’re in a good place because he constantly feels like he’s walking on eggshells with himself. Is he giving too much? Is he too affectionate? It’ll put him in a spiral sometimes.

[grievedifferent]

i've talked about josh's "incidents at school" (both reported ones on his record and ones not reported / not indicated in-game) as being "disturbances" such as primarily fights followed by class disruptions (talking to himself, distracting others, arguing with teachers, generally displaying behavior not understood by his peers or teachers, or displaying behavior enough to get him sent to the office (principals and counselors)).

i've also commented on how it's kind of ironic that he is so protective yet he and chris both have the lowest bravery stats despite both displaying a lot of individual bravery. i don't think josh being scared of the things he's seeing as a way of lacking bravery. outside of what he is dealing with internally, he outwardly is pretty brave.

i've remarked many times on how he can act brave for sam or more cowardly depending on the player choice for sam, but ultimately, no matter what, he acts brave with her by separating her from "the threat". above, we can see he has no problems jumping into a fight to dissolve it, even though he (likely) anticipated this fight to happen (relying on this separation that needed to occur for his plans with mike and jess by either being through mike and matt having tension or emily and jess fighting).

we know he intends to separate them because he mentions in either dialogue branch that he told mike previously about this guest cabin.

josh is also a master of microexpressions. these are intentionally placed within the game. he does a very foretelling microexpression with sam, which is also in the remake and the original release, meaning it's intentional. you can see that here.

below, we have a microexpression from josh just after the matt-mike fight after telling mike to go to the guest cabin:

it's a subtle shift, but his expression before are much different, more in the moment, but this is a quick frame change that shows him more confident, not quite smirking (but somewhat close), as if appeased with the outcome. he wanted this to happen.

[ofweave]

the canon post-end for my blog is the professor dekarios route. gale retrieves the crown for mystra in order to get rid of the orb but refuses to become her chosen once more; he continues to be a wizard and thus remains connected to her through the weave—unaware that even if he wanted to he couldn't cut himself off the weave regardless—but any personal relationship between them is lost forever. a part of gale will always love and revere her because he cannot separate the goddess from the weave, but any active worship is a thing of the past. whether he acknowledges and comes to terms with how twisted that whole relationship was in the first place will vary, though.

[deathchasing]

romance & relationship headcanons!

@simulamortem asked: 3, 4, 8

3. has your muse been mainly attracted to men, women, non-binary people, another identity not specified, or an even split (between two, many, or all of the options specified)?

Gender has very little, if any, influence on his attraction to people. He does tend to subconsciously behave perhaps a bit more shyly/tamely around feminine people, and more willing to act out of turn around masc-leaning individuals. Have fun psychoanalyzing that. But he's a bro, essentially, and if you're a bro he'll treat you like a bro.

So even split I guess, but like most people gender does play a small role in how he'll behave around others.

4. does your muse find any specific features particularly attractive?

Besides the obvious connotations of being drawn to danger, he's really into people with confidence, drive, patience, and control. He can't really work with people who are flighty, who have flimsy or weak principles, or who lack leadership. Despite what he may babble to you about being a wildcard, guidance turns all the right gears in his head.

If it wasn't obvious by now, physical features don't play much of a role in what he finds attractive, though the more capable you look of snapping him in half like dry pasta, the more likely he is to show active interest. Being aesthetically pleasing is a bonus but not a necessity by any means. Also he's a size queen so being hung or strapped af scores you top marks sorry I don't make the rules. Basically physical features are moot except for a few very specific things that get him going.

8. is your muse a good kisser? are they experienced or inexperienced?

'Good' is probably subjective, but he's got the experience. I would say he's sloppy and eager, but impatient, and his hopeless oral fixation does not help his frantic technique in the slightest. Also, he bites.