#i mean. i guess it would make more sense for it to be a live animal LMFAOOO

[sokuroo]

𓆩♡𓆪 kuroo tetsurou x gender-neutral!reader — domestic fluff, established relationship!au; 0.59k.

[lover.] it’s with a sheepish smile and a hand tucked inside his pocket that kuroo tetsurou places the ring on the counter.

it’s a thin band of pale rose-gold. mock ivy, cut painfully carefully, curls around the frame—a startling likeness to the branch of ivy that creeps up the walls of his childhood home, out in the garden. the vines come to rest around a bright diamond. he had got it made three months ago, back when the idea of settling in and living life with you forever became more of a concrete structure and not a mere wooden foundation. 

it’s a beautiful ring—and that’s why kuroo can’t fault the jeweller for looking at him like he’s probably insane. 

“sir?” the store owner asks as placidly as possible. “may i know the reason for returning the ring?”

“it’s still within the warranty period, right?” kuroo shifts from one foot to the other, still sporting that same sheepish smile. 

“yes, yes, of course, but—” there’s a twitch to the jeweller’s eye that wasn’t there before— “was the ring not… satisfactory enough? did you face any problems? was it not cut to the correct size?”

“oh. um. no—not that i can tell,” he says mildly. “the ring’s pretty much perfect.”

he lifts his head up when he hears the sound of laughter ringing outside the glass windows of the jeweller’s shop. it’s a familiar tone, but if kuroo could hear it over and over again on loop, he would. what a sap, you’d say if he told you, and then you’d pull him down for a kiss, laughing against his lips. the thought makes him smile.

“—issues with the warranty. sir?” 

kuroo looks back at the owner, sheepish smile replaced by a more fond one. “sorry, i zoned out. could you please repeat what you said?”

“i was asking about keeping the ring for future purposes. it would cause no issues with the warranty.”

he tilts his head. “i’m sorry? what do you mean by future purposes?”

“did your partner not agree to marry you? isn’t that why you’re returning the ring, sir?” 

a flush creeps up kuroo’s neck. oh. so that’s what it must have looked like. he must appear like a heartbroken lover, if the pitying glance thrown towards him is any indication. the thought makes him chuckle.

sensing his lack of tact, the jeweller quickly backtracks. “ah… i’m sorry. that was rude of me. i just meant—”

“please, don’t worry about it,” kuroo waves him off. “i guess it does look like i’ve been rejected, huh?”

he drums his fingers on the countertop before leaning closer, giving the owner an impish wink. 

“wanna know the secret?” he whispers, and then pulls his free hand from his pocket. a silver band glints on his third finger, sitting snugly just above his knuckle. 

kuroo gestures to you from inside the shop. the jeweller follows his gaze. though your laugh cannot be heard through the transparent walls, the joy is clear on your face. you tip your head back ever-so slightly, nodding your head at what the local neighbourhood auntie says—she often sends over side dishes she’s prepared, and won’t take no for an answer; your fridge is always stocked thanks to her. you turn your head just then, and meet kuroo’s eyes—and if possible, your eyes light up just that little bit more, your smile widens by that tiny fraction, your posture straightens up by that small amount.

kuroo grins at you. he looks back at the jeweller. 

“the secret is,” he says, “someone proposed to me before i could.”

[blazeeblake]

Unsettling

Inspired by this post. I wrote this late at night, zoning out on cold medicine while attempting to recover from a booster shot, so I can’t vouch for the quality 😅:

Dinner had been going great as far as Buck could tell. He and Tommy were still in the figuring it out stage of things, but a meal with Chim and Maddie felt like a step in the right direction; at least, up until the moment his sister unsuspectingly guided the conversation into a minefield.

“So, Tommy,” she began between bites of salad, “I have to say, I was really surprised when my brother told me about your date — not so much in terms of the pronouns of it all, but because the way he told it, you were way more focused on Eddie when you two met.”

Tommy shrugged, pushing around the remainders of his own plate, “Course correction’s a skill you hone when you’re tangling with baby gays— not that I’m sure Eddie even counts in that department. At this rate he’s essentially embryonic. Like, indefinitely.” Maddie cocked her head to the side, whatever follow up she may have had fading away into a loaded silence that descended over the room.

“H-huh,” Chimney chuckled unevenly, “well, uh, I don’t want to speak for anyone that’s not here but I’m pretty sure—“

“Wait,” Buck interrupted, brows knitting together, “You were trying to date Eddie?”

“Uh, yeah,” Tommy replied, as if it was painfully obvious, “At least, until I realized where things stood with him, and then I—

“Course corrected?” Buck finished, “With me. Your second choice.”

“Oh, like I’m not your second choice. Seriously, Evan, don’t be dramatic.”

“Maddie, honey,” Chimney broke in, rising out of his seat, “why don’t we go get dessert ready?”

“Ready?” Maddie repeated, eyes darting between her brother and his date, “It’s already—“

“What are you talking about?” Buck pressed, far too preoccupied with his burgeoning confusion to notice Chimney coaxing his quietly protesting sister out of the room.

Tommy rolled his eyes, pointedly setting his fork down, “Oh come on. Eddie’s on a special level of oblivious— and I mean, no surprise there, Catholicism builds its closets nice and sturdy— but you can’t expect me to believe you’re just as clueless, Mr. Trying to get my attention by pulling another boy’s pigtails.”

“Wha— No,” Buck sputtered, his breath hitching strangely and tripping him up, “Th-that wasn’t about Eddie. He’s not even— and even if he was, we’re not… I mean, we wouldn’t.”

“Right, because you’re scared it would burst the little bubble you two live in where you can have your cake and call it normal friendship,” Tommy concluded, his tone once again gratingly matter of fact, “Face it. A relationship with Eddie is heavy lifting from any angle, so we both opted out for each other, no harm, no foul.” Buck blinked, momentarily stunned into silence as his mind tried and failed to construct a solid counter to the conclusion Tommy had all but thrown in his face. All of it made sense, perhaps more sense than the raw foundations of yet another relationship built on someone else’s initiative and his own need to reach for any degree of being wanted, no matter how scant. The truth of it all stung and made his heart beat faster than he could stand, but at the same time there was something freeing in all that chaos.

“He’s not,” Buck managed softly.

“Gay?” Tommy replied, “Right, and Elton John just needs to meet the right girl.”

Buck shook his head, “No, I mean, he’s not heavy lifting or whatever you said. If you think that, you don’t know him at all— a-and maybe you don’t know me either if you think I’d feel that way.”

“Ev—“

“It’s Buck. And if all of this was settling then I guess you were right the first time: I’m not ready.” Tommy eyed him for a beat before sighing and pushing his chair back from the table.

“At least you’re consistent,” he said as he stood and began making his way to the front door, “A little slow on the draw but still miles more self aware than your buddy. I’d say good luck pulling him out of Narnia, but I’m not gonna hold my breath.” Buck didn’t respond, instead opting to drop his gaze to the floor and let his racing thoughts drown out his surroundings until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m guessing you heard all that?” He asked.

“Sorry,” Maddie said, giving his arm a gentle squeeze, “The acoustics down here are pretty unforgiving, privacy-wise.

“Sorry I ruined dinner,” he muttered.

“Technically,” Maddie reasoned, “I started it, so—-“

“I vote we blame no Buckley or Hans ,” Chimney said, dropping into the seat Tommy had vacated, “and we call this a win because screw that guy. I’m all for second chances but that dude’s practically on his fourth and he just keeps blowing it.”

“What am i supposed to do now?” Buck asked, turning to look up at his sister.

Maddie offered him a small, tight-lipped smile, “it’s like I said before: whatever you need to do, you’ll do it in your own time.”

“Right, but what if I screw it all up? He’s going through so much right now already and I don’t want to be one more thing he has to deal with.”

“I mean, maybe him going through things is the silver lining, you know? He’s figuring out his future and there’s room for you to work out where—not if— you fit in all of that. Because, for what it’s worth, I can’t picture a scenario where you two don’t figure it out. I can’t promise it’ll go the way you want it to, but I think you owe it to each other to talk.”

Chimney nodded, “As a daily witness to you guys being… well, you, I second that. And who knows? Maybe it all does work out. You communicate instead of fighting in a supermarket or shoving each other on a basketball court, and before you know it, you’re up close and personal with that glorious mustache of his.”

“Oh, Howie,” Maddie scoffed, “that mustache is definitely just a phase. One that maybe proves my point, but a phase nonetheless.”

“You bite your tongue. It’s beautiful and here to stay.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Is there something you need to tell Eddie? Or, his facial hair?”

For the second time that evening, Buck let the conversation fade into the background of his thoughts; or rather, the one thought that all the rest had melded into.

He loved Eddie—was in love with Eddie— and as terrifying as it was, the truth of it loomed too large to be reburied or ignored. He didn’t know if time and talking were the remedies his family made them out to be, but if there was any chance at all in them, he was stubborn enough to find out. The way he saw it, he’d practically been holding his breath all this time without knowing anyway, so what was a little while longer if it meant Eddie at the finish line? Unlike a certain helicopter pilot, Buck had the stamina not to settle.

[myobsessionsspace]

https://www.tumblr.com/myobsessionsspace/762706692393795584/hello-now-that-weve-seen-all-eight-episodes-and?source=share

I agree with your thoughts here, especially the end paragraph. It’s not about affirming their romantic bond (bc actually that’s private) but just how important they are to each other, and whilst I would call that a ‘soft launch’ (though I dislike the term), and I do think that’s what they are doing, I get what you mean too.

I guess I don’t view it with a Korean lens, mainly bc I don’t consume any Korean content outside of BTS. I don’t value or pretend to understand how they view pretending to be queer acceptable, but it’s not acceptable to be actually queer. It’s outrageous. However, how I did view it was through an Army lens. If I was an Army who didn’t pay attention to them as a duo, because they are hardly lauded over, what is this show? And my take away is that they are the closet. I know Army see it, it’s why we see so many cultists and shippers spiralling right now. I also watched it with friends and my partner and they all saw the closeness and my partner (who doesn’t know them bc I don’t usually talk to them about bts) is sure they are together, just from watching episode 4 and later on 8 (they thought it was gay porn at one point but I digress).

I think that’s their intention, i am sure of it, it’s been building since chapter 2 and before, but yes, we as supporters see all of it. Their history. But the turning point to me from chapter 2 is firstly the book, the documentary, letter, their linked concepts and then the show and finally the enlistment. It’s a culmination of things that highlight them, just them two, as a duo, as something more than just two members of a 7 member band. The documentary highlighted this the most at first, given they were the only two featured together, it seemingly important for JK to be with Jimin whilst he told his story, the way it was edited amongst other members showing their homes and how they live alone. It was interesting at the time, then the travel show made it clear.

It’s the why of it, not just that it makes sense for it to be them who does the show. But why they did it (beyond wanting to spend time together) because although it does allow them to hide behind everything you’d said about what’s out there in SK anyway, it was still incredibly brave of them to make themselves vulnerable by showing their bond in such a way.

The main reason being they just cannot hide their intimacy, and anyone with a brain or experience of relationships can see this. It’s not necessarily the naked times in the hot tubs, it’s the small things, the domestic nature of their relationship, the intimacy is clear there, it’s how they care and how they are with each other, and yes they don’t have to say it with words, you can see it. It’s show and not tell, and I do think they knew this and wanted to be seen. And maybe Koreans themselves won’t see it bc they are blindsided but a lot of I Army are, bc we are all fans and they know this reaches all who want to see it, I think that’s why the first trip is in the US too, bc they were allowed to be themselves there, anonymous almost and they chose LGBT friendly places for a reason.

Then the enlistment also speaks volumes to me, it was obvious it was incredibly private to them (bc they didn’t say why they did it) but that’s the point, this is their real life we are talking about. They aren’t in in there as JK and JM of BTS, they are Jimin and Jungkook of Busan, fulfilling their duty as SK citizens. And they have gone together because they are each others safe space and home and this is what the show showed us, the why. Why they have done what they did. It lays it out for when they return, hopefully explains it to those who didn’t know or see how truly close they are, and hopefully they will be respectful of that.

That was my take away.

in response to this

Omg Yesss

Thank you lovely, for taking the time to put down your thoughts 🤌

💜

[kaibutsushidousha]

The Hundred Line gameplay footage from Tokyo Game Show

The original plan was to properly subtitle the video, but since the MTL plague seems to be already spreading, I guess I'll just post it as a script for a quicker release.

Takumi Sumino: Hm... Hmm...? W-where am I? (I woke up on a hard desk. My head is kinda hazy and slow...) A classroom? (Why am I here? Why was I sleeping on a desk? ...I can't remember much.) What was it... What happened before? (I moved my hazy head to check the classroom... and what I found were boys and girls hunching on their desks just like me.)

Eito Aozuki: Uh... Wh-what...?

Boy with penguin shirt: W-what the heck!? What's goin' on!?

[Skipped footage]

Takumi Sumino: (She means... him?) I wouldn't call him cute, but otherwise, yeah... that matches the description.

Eito Aozuki: Then would it be also him who brought us here?

Hiruko Shizuhara: Yes, it must have been the breathtakingly adorable mascot.

Tan girl: Huh? He's the one trapping us here!? What for!?

Darumi Amemiya: Kyohoho! Y'know, the obvious... Students of the same age waking up together in an unknown classroom they can't leave can only mean one thing: we're in for a death game! THE Killing Game is about to start in this school~!

Takumi Sumino: T-the Killing Game!?

Boy with penguin shirt: Why'd we have to kill each other!? I ain't killing anyone!

Darumi Amemiya: Yeaaah, found the first victim! That's totally a thing the first guy dead says!

Boy with penguin shirt: Stoooooooop!

Takumi Sumino: (And that's when it happened.)

[School chime]

Tan girl: Huh? W-what now?

Board screen: Self-introduction period. Introduce yourself to your future comrade-in-arms.

[Kodaka chooses Darumi]

Darumi Amemiya: Name's Darumi Amemiya... nice to meet you... Say, just between the two of us... Do you already know who you're after?

Takumi Sumino: What do you mean by "after"?

Darumi Amemiya: Your initial target in the Killing Game, duh. Just so you know, I don't mind if it's me. I mean, don't I look dumb? Like I'd fall for cheap bait? I sure as heck look like an easy kill!

Takumi Sumino: Hey... Do you seriously believe we're getting into a death game?

Darumi Amemiya: Uh, I do. Well, more hoping than believing. See... I always dreamed of being in a killing game. I've been a huge fan of the death game genre since I was really little...

Takumi Sumino: Yeah, but those are fictional. No one'd want to put their actual lives on the line.

[Kodaka chooses Yakushiji]

Takemaru Yakushiji: I'm called Takemaru Yakushiji. Just a warning before anything. Stay away from me when I snap. I tend to punch the closest thing nearby before I look at what it is. I try to stop it, but I can't.

Takumi Sumino: (What the hell... That's messed up...)

Takemaru Yakushiji: So, you also fought those monsters, right? Meaning you also got your transformation?

Takumi Sumino: Transformation...? Oh... yeah, I did. Nothing I remember about it makes any sense, though...

Takemaru Yakushiji: That was some badass stuff! Did ya feel the same way?

Takumi Sumino: Huh?

Takemaru Yakushiji: I feel like I became the superhero I wanted to be as a kid! The power felt AWESOME!

Takumi Sumino: I see... That's one way to look at it.

Takemaru Yakushiji: Though... I'm still worried about the Tokyo Apartments. You saw the size of the damage?

Takumi Sumino: Yeah... Lots of people getting attacked...

Takemaru Yakushiji: Maybe... There's still people under the rubble... Lost kids searchin' for their families... Geezers who can't move too well... Fuck! I need to go save 'em! I can't afford to be stuck here!

Takumi Sumino: I can't really tell if he's a savage or a nice guy...

[Kodaka chooses Hiruko]

Hiruko Shizuhara: I'm Hiruko Shizuhara. ...

Takumi Sumino: (That's it? I feel like I need to talk to her more. She's calmer than anyone else here, so maybe she knows something.) Hey, I have a question.

Hiruko Shizuhara: I already told you my name is Hiruko Shizuhara.

Takumi Sumino: I got that part. It's not about that. I think we should talk some more.

Hiruko Shizuhara: Talk...?

Takumi Sumino: Didn't you... also fight those monsters? What do you think they are? Do you think there's more of them?

Hiruko Shizuhara: Don't know. ...

Takumi Sumino: Huh!? Done already?

Hiruko Shizuhara: Discussing what we don't understand is a waste of everyone's time. Where's your common sense? You're wasting time. Our conversation is over. ...

Takumi Sumino: (She turned 180 to face away from me... Guess she doesn't want to say anything more.)

[Kodaka chooses Eito]

Eito Aozuki: Well, ain't we in for a pickle. My bladder fills up when things go south. If things get worse, I might leak myself.

[School chime]

Board screen: All troops, line up and salute SIREI!

Takemaru Yakushiji: There you are, you freakin' toy!

Darumi Amemiya: Yahoo! I've been waiting for this trope! The eccentric mascot you find in every death game!

SIREI: C'mon... Toy? Trope? Can we cut short this train of slander? You people are going to get me depressed... And I can't blame you, my entrance was wholly plagiarized... Still, a respectable commander needs to prove his worth at the critical moments. And you got a respectable commander here, called SIREI! Nice to meet you!

[Cut to the operation room]

Darumi Amemiya: Here's Takumi! Takumi is here!

Takemaru Yakushiji: So you joinin' the fight?

Takumi Sumino: Yeah, that's what I decided. The more people, the better, right?

Hiruko Shizuhara: Only if you can prove yourself an asset.

SIREI: Great! I knew you'd come! Your commander had faith in you!

Takumi Sumino: Don't give me that "faith" shit... I'm only here because you threatened me...

SIREI: Threat... What threat? That was just a warning. Fighting is your only option if you want to protect what matters to you.

Takumi Sumino: Tell me what you mean by that already...

SIREI: I'll tell you when the battle is over! First, we must defend this academy! I'll give everyone a Hemoanima Blade, permanently this time. You use it the same way you did back in the Tokyo Apartments. Just one stab to the heart will fill you with divine power! This should let you bring a glorious victory to our prestigious Last Defense Academy! Activate your Hemoanima and hop on this launching platform. It'll dump all of you on the schoolyard.

Hiruko Shizuhara: Where we'll slaughter the enemies. Get it moving already.

Takemaru Yakushiji: Fine by me...! Bring it on...!

Darumi Amemiya: Kyohohoho! Let's give it everything we got!

Takumi Sumino: ... (It'll be fine. We can do it. I just have to do it the same way I did it in Tokyo Apartments. Even I can handle that much.)

Karua Aimiya: It's fine, Takkun! I know you can do it! You can do anything!

Takumi Sumino: (Right...! I can do it...! I can do anything!)

SIREI: Now we move to the defensive battle! Bring all you have! If you lack power, bring also all you don't have! Kill them brutally, callously, tormentingly, thoroughly, and viscerally! Show time, it's a genocide party!

Takumi Sumino's tutorial screen

Takumi Sumino has an excellent balance between ATK and range. Also, Sumino's power enables Retries. Press the + button to restart a battle from the open menu.

Hiruko Shizuhara's tutorial screen

Hiruko Shizuhara has excellent ATK and gains additional ATK for the rest of the turn every time she kills an enemy. Try unleashing a powerful attack after you killed tons of lesser enemies!

Hiruko Shizuhara's first kill dialogue

Hiruko Shizuhara: These monsters are as ugly as the ones before, but their innards have a pretty color... I could get something beautiful out of splattering their guts and brains...

Takumi Sumino: Do you realize how freaky you sound?

Takemaru Yakushiji's tutorial screen

Takemaru Yakushiji has excellent mobility and DEF, and gains more Armor (temporary DEF) the further he moves. Try walking all over the battlefield and scatter lesser enemies along the way!

Darumi Amemiya's tutorial screen

Darumi Amemiya has excellent mid-ranged attacks. She swaps Skills between Normal and Fatigued moves, so try learning her more complex gimmicks!

Eito Aozuki's tutorial screen

Eito Aozuki gains a random buff (ATK+1, Armor+1, or Recover from Fatigue) after every action. Try prioritizing using him to let luck decide your fate!

[confoundedluna]

Here's just my analysis of every trophy from the UD remake, how they've changed, what's been removed, just my general thoughts on them because I'm super hyped for more information lmao

Trophies that are entirely unchanged - same requirements, same name, same level (platinum, gold, silver or bronze)

A Symphony of Horror - The platinum, technically different requirements I guess because of the new trophies under it, but its status as the platinum and everything else about it is the same so I'm counting it here

This Is THE End - Gold, they all die trophy

They All Live - Gold, they all live trophy

You Opened Their Eyes - Gold, Mystery Man clueline trophy

The Fateful Descent - Gold, 1952 clueline trophy

The Tale of The Two Sisters - Gold, Twins clueline trophy

You Let The Wrong One In! - Bronze, Chris or Ash opened the trapdoor in the mines

Trophies that are the same except their level has changed

The Skilful Wolf Man - Gold to silver, saving Wolfie trophy

The Psycho Path - Silver to bronze, attacking the Psycho as Sam or Ashley (vase or scissors, possibly the bat too in Sam's chase though I'm not sure on that)

Trophies that are the same but their name changed

Night of the Totem Hunter - Gold, is now called An Omen?, technically different since the Hunger totems were added, but it's the same idea of finding all of them so I'm counting it here

Trophies that changed name and level

Scream Too! - Silver to bronze, is now called Saw That Coming, Mike cuts off his fingers with the machete

Ashley Snaps - Silver to bronze, is now called Nightmare on Ash Street, technically changed in that the description is tonally very different and moves to the more sympathetic view of that situation over the original's description, which is very interesting in and of itself, but it's the same thing requirement wise so I'm counting it

Trophies that have been removed for the remake

The Quicker Man - Gold, all the boys survive, makes sense as you can easily get this at the same time as the They All Live trophy

Four Daughters Of Darkness - Gold, all the girls survive, same thing as the above trophy, though I'm more bummed about this one because I really like the name and referring to the girls with it

Don't Scare Jessica To Death - Silver, Jess survives the night, this has been kind of replaced by a couple of other trophies which I'll get to in a bit, I liked that she was the only one with a sole survivor trophy so again kinda bummed by its removal but oh well

Instant Inferno - Silver, Sam immediately runs to the switch, this one I imagine is because it's right at the end of chapter 10 and annoying to replay the whole thing for since you can't do a all live or all die run and get this, plus it's a little out of Sam's character in most people's opinions, which kinda aligns with the change to Ashley Snaps i think

Fatal Grudge - Bronze, Chris shoots Ash, I think this one again goes with the tonal change made to Ashley Snaps, and also means that following that path gets you one trophy as opposed to two

The Exorcism of Emily and Let eM In - Both bronze, either shooting Em if she got bitten or letting her live, grouping these together because they're the same situation but opposite outcomes/choices, it's very interesting to me they got rid of these two in favour for something else (which I'll again talk about further down)

New trophies added for the remake

It's Shining - Silver, collect all the new interactables, this one I'm excited for, I'm really intrigued to see what they added in, one other trophy kinda spoils that since i believe the item it mentioned isn't in the game already unless I'm forgetting seeing it?

We Need to Talk About Josh - Silver, achieved the best ending for Josh, this one has a lot of people excited based on the wording that he'll get a new ending where he can survive and make it off the mountain, and though my logical brain says that it's just gonna be for getting the journal and the ending where he turns, my Josh-loving brain would love to see a different ending for him!

The Cabin in the Blackwoods - Silver, completed a full playthrough, your bog-standard completion trophy, but I'm glad this and one other are the only ones and it isn't a chapter-by-chapter basis like some people were worried the trophies would be

Talk to eM - Silver, Emily slapped Ashley after the truth was revealed, I can only imagine this is replacing the other two because of what an iconic moment in the game it became within the fandom, and I appreciate that acknowledgement ngl, plus it's more incentive for players to keep Em alive in the basement as opposed to shooting her because they hate her, which I always like to see

When a Psycho Calls - Silver, Sam successfully escapes the Psycho, this one is like a 'yeah, this should have always been in the game' kind of addition to the trophy list, totally get this one being here, I like to see it

Blackwood Country - Silver, the group respected the wildlife of the mountain, I also like this one because it plays into the story and the background of the mountain, my guess is it's a series of not shooting the squirrel, not hitting the bird in the snowball fight, possibly choosing to comfort the dying deer that Mike and Jess find, not hitting the herd with the axe as Matt, and possibly not hitting Wolfie, though since his survival is its own trophy, he might not count

Fatal Destination - Silver, tried changing the past despite Dr Hill's warnings, this one is intriguing but I imagine it's solely for restarting and either replaying the full game, or just the prologue, since he already has a unique dialogue for starting the game again from the beginning (which, if someone has a clip of, please link it! I cannot find it!)

Only Others Left Alive - Silver, Matt and Jess only survive, I like this one giving some acknowledgement to the two that get pretty neglected by the game, it's part of the replacement for Jess's sole survivor one and gives Matt some respect too!

Carnival of Solitude - Bronze, shake the snow globe, this is the item I mentioned earlier that I cannot remember seeing in the original game? If it was there then my bad, but if it wasn't, I hope it's something either with like a cute picture of the Washingtons in it, or with a deer or butterfly in it and we find it in Hannah's room or something like that

Just Breathe - Bronze, Matt or Em successfully defended themselves with the flare gun, another one where you think 'yeah, this should have been in the game already', both are pretty hard shots to make iirc and deserve more acknowledgment outside of the butterfly effect they're part of

Our Host - Bronze, the Psycho's identity was revealed, this will ether be a general story progression trophy unlocked automatically when it happens, or may have something to do with finding everything in his workshop should Sam escape, though that's less likely

I Know What You Did Last Year - Bronze, completed the Prologue, the other general playthrough trophy, I like this one due to the rework and the expanded scenes that we'll get to see

Lodge Fever - Bronze, Matt and Em started separate confrontations in the lodge, this is I imagine for starting a fight with Mike as Matt but backing down before it reaches boiling point, so that Emily can come in and start her fight with Jess, so I'm intrigued by their choice to add this, though it could hint at the preorder DLC being added into the full game? maybe?

One Hour Selfie - Bronze, take a bad selfie with Jessica, this is a missable encounter on the cabin walk that I think can impact their relationship? it's got some funny dialogue and it's a cute little silly trophy so I like that they've put in something like that

Drag Me Through Hell - Bronze, Mike saved Jess without failing a QTE, the other half of the change to Jess's sole survivor trophy, this one is interesting as she can still die after, but can also live if you do miss a QTE - this is the most like. playing the game related trophy, if that makes sense? it's the most related to the actual controls of the game, and I wonder if you have to have certain settings or difficulty enabled to be able to achieve it or not

An American Survivor in Canada - Bronze, Mike successfully escapes the Sanatorium in Chapter 9, some people are theorising that Mike could have a new death now, which would be sick because his plot armour is atrocious, but again, I'm pretty sure this is just about him making it out of the building on his own, and Sam not needing to be in there to help him blow it up

Patient Sematary - Bronze, Mike picked up the odd figurine, another interactable spoiler, I've gone through all the clues and can't see anything like a figurine, so I'm really intrigued about this!

And that's everything! I've added a few of my thoughts throughout, I guess let me know what y'all think and if you have any other inputs? I just thought the changes and additions and removals were all super interesting, and I love getting to analyse and see if anything we don't know can be figured out from this stuff! And if anyone else has already done something like this then oh well lmao, this is my version

[totallyjustabunchofhocuspocus]

Fic Preview

A sneak peek of the next chapter of Come Away, O Human Child

He meets Shannon at the same restaurant they decided to end their marriage in less than a month ago.

It’s strange…he’s well aware of just how drastically your life can change in a short amount of time. How drastically everything can change in an instant. He’s had his own share of moments that changed everything—split seconds where the before and after were entirely different lives. Meeting Shannon. Her telling him she was pregnant. Holding Christopher for the first time. Getting shot down in Afghanistan.

Walking into the 118.

Meeting Buck.

He knows how drastically your life can change in a short amount of time, but Christopher’s birth is the only thing that has ever made him feel so much like a different person. He’s not the same man that he was the last time he and Shannon sat down together to talk. Shannon seems to sense it, watching him with sharp, curious eyes as they place their orders.

“How’s apartment hunting going?” he asks as soon as the runes woven into the fabric of the tablecloth flash blue and their drinks appear a moment later.

“Good. I’ve got it narrowed down to a couple of places—if you don’t mind, I’d like to sign Chris out of school early this Friday and take him with me for the walkthroughs. I want him to have a say in where he’ll be staying when he comes to visit. Thought we could take the weekend to see some of the sights, maybe get a fancy hotel room?”

Eddie nods, mentally flicking through the calendar of appointments and plans he has over the next few days. Chris has a doctor’s appointment early next week, but there’s nothing pressing. “Yeah, of course—he’ll love that.”

Shannon smiles at him, taking a sip of her drink and leaning back in her seat. She looks good—relaxed and happy in a way she really hasn’t been the last few months. He wonders if she sees the same in him, and it makes his heart ache for both of them. Trying so hard to do the right thing and just hurting themselves and each other doing it. And isn’t that just the story of their entire relationship?

“I’m glad things are going good for you,” he says, and sincerely means it. Shannon’s smile widens, and it strikes him how very much their son looks like her. He sees more of himself in Chris’s mannerisms and expressions, but in looks, he’s practically Shannon made over.

“Thanks, Eddie,” she says, and then tilts her head with that shrewd look that has always made him feel like no one would ever know him as well as this woman does. He knows that’s not true, now. Buck knows him every bit as well as Shannon ever did…knows him better in some ways, understands him on levels that Shannon was never able to reach no matter how hard she tried.

But Shannon knew him first. She will always be the first person who looked and saw him, he thinks.

“But I’m guessing you didn’t ask to meet up just to tell me you’re happy for me?” The runes on the tablecloth light up again, and they both sit back as their steaming plates appear—mushroom risotto for Shannon, salmon and asparagus for him. He stalls a moment by grabbing his fork and poking at the (perfectly done) fish before shrugging and nodding.

“Yeah,” he admits. “I’ve, uh, got something I want to talk to you about.”

Shannon raises an eyebrow at the serious tone of his voice. “Okay,” she says slowly.

“So, I know we haven’t really talked about, uh, how we want to handle it if…when…we want to maybe introduce someone. To Chris. Someone new.”

The other eyebrow shoots up, surprise and something a little hurt flashing across Shannon’s face. “You’ve already met someone?” she asks. “And you want to introduce them to our son? Eddie, we’re not even divorced yet!”

And oh…oh, yeah, okay, it sounds bad when she says it like that. “No! No, not like that—” He breaks off with a heavy sigh. “It’s…complicated,” he finishes lamely. Confusion joins the surprise and the hurt, and Eddie mentally throws his hands up. “It’s someone Christopher already knows—someone we see all the time. Nothing was going on while you and I were still…anyway, it’s new. For both of us. But I don’t want to try and sneak around Chris when we see this person so much. But we already talked about it, and we don’t want to do anything you’re not comfortable with. You’re his mom, Shan—you get a say in this.”

Shannon’s brow furrows, and she tilts her head slightly. “Who is it?” she asks.

“It’s Buck,” he says simply.

It surprises him a little, actually, how easy it is to say. They’ve kept it totally between them, this new…development in their relationship, agreeing that they don’t want to throw anymore hand grenades into their lives until everyone knows about Buck’s curse, and why he can’t try and get his magic back. They’d also agreed that Chris needs to know before anyone else in their immediate circle, and that Shannon needs to be a part of that conversation. It should feel bigger, he thinks, more momentous, telling someone else for the first time, let alone his soon-to-be ex-wife.

Like everything with Buck, though—every damn thing—Eddie finds that it just…fits. It’s easy, when it comes to Buck. The truly important things are always easy.

Shannon’s jaw actually drops, and she stares at him wide-eyed for a few seconds, before abruptly shaking her head. “Okay…is it weird that that’s not even in the top fifty of things I thought you were going to say and completely unsurprising?”

[rosakuma]

DRDT Ep 15 Thoughts and Analysis on The Culprit(HUGE SPOILERS)

Me thinking that Eden was the killer before this episode or thinking that Hu could still be the killer:

Okay so I owe Eden an apology, sorry girlie but at the time you just seemed really suspicious with how you been acting in some areas. Plus evidence at the time. But I also I guess I underestimated Ace here.

I’ll admit that like others, I was one of the people who thought Ace wouldn’t be able to do the murder because of his knowledge. But to be fair, I only thought about it because logically:

How would he commit murder or thought about how Nico’s method work right as he almost died!?

Why would be take the tape?

How did he get the fricken turpentine or take the clothes?

But I guess I didn't take in account of:

He might’ve just pretended to be unconscious longer

He would’ve thought of about the method more after the attempt

The tape was used to bandage his neck

He just stragulated Arei to death since he’s strong enough to do so(even though I'm still confused as shouldn’t he be weak from being malnourished?!) and just needed it look like a suicide to frame Nico.

I guess Eden, Teruko, and Hu left the old clothes alone in the dress up room

Like literally J was me when she said that earlier in the trial and I can't blame her, I thought it made sense too!

But god it still hurts that he’s the killer. I mean I’m going to be honest here y’all…I didn't get super attached to Ace until ep13 as while I did feel bad for him before of almost being murdered, it didn't hit me how bad his situation was…

Ace Markey I think(and this might just me me or controversial take) is the most tragic Danganronpa fangan killer out there with how much his life is tragic in this killing game. From what we got so far, Ace’s life before the killing game wasn't great. He felt like he had no control over it with being force into a career/talent he hates. That he can’t do anything else because he sucks at anything else. Being stuck with being good at his worse fear of horses. And from what we know little about the only person he could ever called his friend(Taylor), it seems that he lost the only person who gave a shit about him while stuck in that life he was given.

He honestly doesn't have anything to really go back to if his life would’ve still been bad, but maybe Ace just wanted to live. To live out of fear of dying young, of dying with noting he achieved that he could be proud of. Of dying alone and having lived an shitty life forced upon him(perhaps from his family) without having a chance to see if it was possible for him to get out of that life and his self sabotaging behavior.

I think the worse part of all of this is how this could’ve been avoided if not for Ace’s environment in the killing game causing this. With said environment being of these individuals:

Teruko(a bit)- If Teruko didn't saying how Ace would probably not make it in this killing game, he probably wouldn't have been starting to be paranoid about this.

Veronika- If Veronika never pointed out that Ace could be killed because of people targeting him for how he’s been of being hot headed and loud mouth, along with encouraging his paranoia. Ace wouldn’t have believe this to be true.

Nico- If Nico didn't take things far and try to kill Ace, rather than just talk to someone about Ace’s behavior towards him to where they could’ve talk it out or someone discipline him(but not kill him of course), then Ace would’ve never had his fears proven true. Nor would he have copied Nico’s murder method and try framing them and Eden (kinda ironic since Nico was trying to frame Hu before Ace did this).

Hu- If Hu would’ve just stop taking sides out of favoritism and cared about stopping Nico and Ace on both of their sides. Ace would’ve never done this nor would Nico. Actually she makes me the most piss at her as she f*cking still defended Nico AFTER THEY TRIED KILLING ACE AND EVEN IN THE TRIAL TOO WHEN THEY ADMITTED TO IT! I'm sorry, but I think this episode and trial made me a Hu hater. I don't hate her enough to want her dead of course, but she makes me furious how much trouble she cause. I hope she reflects from this after Ace is gone.

Arturo(technically)- Im putting him here as if Arturo never tried threatening Eden and causing Arei to bust in to save Eden, Ace would’ve never eavesdrop on them. Thus causing him to try to frame Eden.

David- And David…oh David, I hate the fact I actually believed in you for seeing Arei’s body first and thinking Eden was guilty. I may feel bad you lost Arei, but it's your f*cking fault because you decided to make everyone try to reveal their secrets and that just caused more harm than good. I'm glad that even if it bite him in the butt in the end, I am glad Ace revealed your secret you’re a lying scumbag piece of sh*t. Good luck with losing your career while coping with the fact you lost potentially the only person who ever understood you because you had to know everyone’s secrets :)

Sorry y’all Im just really emotional rn and angry at David and Hu

I think J said it best that with everyone never thought about the breaking point of someone. That maybe they took things too far and failed to prevent this.

But yet that still doesn't accuse murder. Ace knows that of course though and he still feels shitty about it. I'm sure Nico will have to live with the fact that even if they didn't get to kill Ace in the hand by their own hands, they still technically killed him anyways because thanks to their attempt, he got inspired and tried getting back at them because Ace never got the justice of them getting away consequence free. To be comforted and shown concern at the time he needed it most.

I can understand why Ace murder Arei as I feel like while he saw it as a good opportunity to frame two people and get away with it, I think he also did it because of how similar they are. Yet different

Ace knows that Arei wanted to change her ways and be better. With being reached out to by David and Eden, she felt hope that maybe she could be better despite still having doubts she could because of the impossible pillar to reach to be that. But even then, she still felt like she could change after finding out that David is a scumbag like her. Ace however felt that he couldn't change. He already felt like his life couldn't be before and with no one reaching a hand to him in this terrible situation. What else could he do? He can't change his job, his personality, his life…. He has no idea what to do with himself anymore

This got me thinking. Maybe…maybe in another timeline or universe, perhaps if Ace just heard the entire conversation between Arei and David. He could’ve realize it doesn't matter if he is a shitty person or he started out bad in a life he couldn't control. That he can become less shitty if he tried and hey! He’s not alone, Arei and David feels the same way. I think perhaps if Ace didn't jump the gun and killed Arei, she would’ve maybe tried reaching out to Ace. I mean, if she was able to see how David was a shitty person like her, I think she would’ve recognize Ace is too. Arei did take noticed how thanks to David making everyone share their secrets it just caused more trouble, one of the most noticable being Ace and Nico. It pains me thinking how Arei probably could’ve saved Ace if Ace wasn't doomed by everyone else and acted on paranoia. I at least hope before he dies, that maybe either Levi or Eden(god bless you Eden for feeling for him even tho he killed your potential bestie/maybe gf) can make him know that someone at least cared about him and remember his death as it affected them deeply.

Also I'm manifesting Arei and Ace being best friends/besties propaganda. Mostly to cope but also I think Arei would reach out to Ace and maybe in the afterlife, help him be less shitty with her together. Whether may it be for the rest of their afterlife or maybe their next lives💙❤️

I need this content as its going to take me a while to mourn his death and the emotional anguish this chapter put me through.

[island-ofthelost]

House MD hot takes

-Transmasc Chase > Transfemme Chase. Obviously everybody's headcanons are VALID AF but I feel like the only reasons people give is that "he likes to be pretty" when trans dudes can be pretty too :(. I can see both sides but transmasc chase just makes a lot more sense to me. I could write an essay.

-Wilson isn't autistic. He didn't "match House's autism UwU". Don't get me wrong there's definitely something going on up in that man's brain, but I'm thinking more on the mental health condition/personality disorder range than autism/adhd/etc.

-Foreman is sort of the least compelling member of the original team? I'm almost to the Taub/Thirteen/Kutner arc and so far I just haven't seem that much from him? I think House only hired him out of genuine respect as a doctor, which great obviously but not as interesting. He remains the same stoic, respectable doctor the whole time which is fine but not as interesting to watch as Cameron and Chase, with their "moral compass so strong it explodes" and "opportunistic traumatized yes man attitude" respectively. He's great as a guy, but just okay as a character. tbh I think the Euphoria episodes were made for the sole purpose of adding interest to the character.

-House was probably exactly the same before his injury, just not high all the time. I feel like that actually been emphasized in the show, but I always hear people talking about how he was probably much sweeter and a more lighthearted asshole beforehand and I think he just wasn't? People are allowed to have congenital jerkassery. I think he would still be a jerk even if he had a perfectly normal childhood.

-In a similar manner, I don't think House is as manipulative and cunning as people who view him as an edgy sigma tumblr sexyman like to think. I mean, obviously he is, but I think some of the stuff he says isn't with manipulative intent. I think he just genuinely lacks a social filter. He isn't Light Yagami for gods sakes.

-I doubt House and Wilson have ever fucked. SORRY. I'm a huge Hilson shipper but I just don't think it happened. pre series ending (yes I do know how it ends), even when they were living together, there was more important things for both of them, both in and out of their relationship. Also, at this point I'm guessing they both considered themselves heterosexual. It could have happened after the series ended I suppose because at that point I'm pretty sure they realized they were in love with each other, but Wilson was probably too busy dying of cancer.

-Start with Chase, end with Chase. I don't think Chase was very religious after he left the Catholic church. I mean he still sees himself that way which is valid and on the wiki and stuff, but I think most of his actions that point to that, like delivering last rites to a dead baby, are a byproduct of trauma if anything (trust me because religious trauma)

[glitchychara]

Amnesia

Tyler One Shot, 3,384 words

I really hate puzzles. It's weird, because I'm more of a problem solving girl, but puzzles just piss me off for some reason. I hate TVs too. I don't know what it is about them, but they just bug me. Mario's always watching some stupid thing on the TV, which kinda makes me wanna smash it to pieces with a hammer. Again, it makes no sense to me since I don't mind playing video games with them, even when I keep losing to everyone because I've never played before. It's just the TV in general, I guess. Although I recently learned my biggest trigger is TV static. I don't know why, but I get weird flashbacks everytime I hear it. Even though it was only once since I've been here. I started seeing images and they filled up my head and I didn't know what was going on and then someone reached out and I couldn't see who it was so I swung but it turned out to be Meggy so she blocked me and she asked me if I was okay and then-

And then I got up. And I left. And I came back a few hours later. And they never brought it up. Nor have I heard any TV static since. 

But anyways, Meggy and Smg4 took me to the doctor yesterday, which I don't know why a centaur would wanna be in the medical field, nor did I trust the guy, but at least he was gonna tell me exactly what was wrong with me….until he gave me my doctors note and it was literally a scribble. Like, excuse me sir, what the HELL is this supposed to be? Chicken scratch?? Anyways I gave it to the axolotl looking guy who was working at the pharmacy and somehow HE KNEW WHAT IT SAID?? I swear I'll NEVER understand doctors. Anyways, he gave me this bottle of pills and sent me on my merry way. Guess who STILL doesn't know what's wrong with her? Me :). So I figured I'd Google what the pills were for and guess what? Apparently I have something called “Amnesia” which, according to Google, means “permanent or temporary memory loss.” 

Huh??

add “doctors” and “pharmacists” to the list of things I hate.

I talked to Three recently, and he asked me if I was going to get my own house. I told him I didn't plan too. “Why not?” he asked, stacking cups next to the coffee machine. I shrugged and continued my task-cleaning out the new pastry display. “Smg4 lets me live in his guest room for free. Why would I wanna pay for a house?” He laughed and asked if I wanted to live with him forever. “Well, not forever, obviously. Just until I go home.” I replied, now adding pastries to the display case. “Tyler. About that…” I turned and looked at him, confused. It was the first time I've ever seen him look sad. “Tyler, you don't even know where you're from. How do you plan on getting home if you can't remember how you got here? Might as well get used to living in the Mushroom Kingdom, you know.” I rolled my eyes and ignored him. What would he know? I'm completely fine living in the castle. It's not like Smg4 does much anyways, other than making videos. Which he should make better, by the way. I mean, he lacks creativity, and a story in general. The whole point of making something is to entertain your audience. How is he going to do that if he's so focused on his “it doesn't have to be perfect” bs? I swear, some people don't deserve their fame, or money, or power or reviews or stars. 

5. stars.

What am I saying? I don't know anything about true art. I've never even made anything myself. Maybe those doctors were right.

Damn Amnesia…

(tagging @its-a-me-mango and @psychologistlemon bc I thought you guys being the doctor/pharmacist was funny)

[pinacoladamatata]

Man like. I really hope the theories about 'redeeming Solas' ending being to die/mirror his friend wisdom where he dies but will eventually get respawned as a 'new' him, aren't true. Because ngl that's. A very unappealing ending imo. Like that isn't worth the 10 year wait at all.

[gender-luster]

i need a spinoff of dead boy detectives about all the sad lonely gays the dbda left in port townsend (jenny, monty, the cat king)

[the-red-thread-that-strangles]

Alright. Let's talk about Akai's and Furuya's fighting styles, control, and the ferris wheel fight, featuring some tangents on professionalism.

The second reason is the implied: Akai is (in general, probably not in this situation, because he is going along with the fight Rei wants) a professional, and professionals do not fight. A professional will either ambush or assassinate (you know, like the sniping Akai is so well-known for), and generally do everything in his power to avoid a fight. It's about gaining the advantage, pressing and keeping it, to maintain control over the situation. For comparison, fights are between people of roughly equal footing, and fighting follows rules. As a person who lives in the world of actual violence, Akai does not need the fancy dances of a fighting sport, he needs his rifles, guns, and a self-defense technique for when things go really bad and personal. (Incidentally, a professional will also plan, won't let his emotions get in the way, stay calm, and keep working in bad conditions - we also see these traits in Akai.) I can remember two instances of Akai fighting (there might be more)- the ferris wheel fight, and the one time he knocked out the people after Yumi (and arguably, they didn't really have a chance and it wasn't really a fight). Other than that, he's just coordinating and providing tactical support.

Akai using Jeet Kune Do for fighting is an interesting choice. It's not as well-known as many other fighting styles (hell, it's not even a fighting style, it's a self defense technique and really more of a philosophy or a principle), but it has a couple of key values that characterize him well. First off, it's hugely individualistic. Practitioner's are encouraged to find their own way, to find what works for them, which really is Akai in a nutshell, doing what he wants. Secondly, it is described as a highly efficient way to fight. There are few, if any, rules to Jeet Kune Do, you're expected to use whatever technique will help you the most in the moment. For this reason, it is also highly adaptable, and requires an appropriate mindset to use. This latter point, I think, really mirrors the approach the FBI has in the series - do what you need to in order to get the results we want, at whatever the cost.

The fact that it's a self defense technique is important for two reasons: one is the immediate one for our context - Akai's defending himself from an angry Rei on the ferris wheel.

With all that out of the way, let's get into the ferris wheel fight, and what we learn about them there.

For contrast, let's look at Rei. It's almost funny how little professionalism Rei has compared to Akai, when it comes to the world they're living in. Rei's choice of fighting style is boxing, and he's practicing a rather straightforward, aggresive version, with barely any defense, at great personal risk. That point about professionals not letting their emotions get in their way? Well, either Rei has never heard it, or he's deliberately ignoring it. Either way, it really holds him back from gaining and maintaing control.

(I would be remiss not to point out that boxing is also done for show, fitting for this show-off.)

Boxing might honestly be good for Rei in order get out his anger and to up his pain tolerance, but for the purpose of keeping him alive, it sucks. It's up close, it's personal, and it's dirty (that tagline might as well describe Furuya himself). A threat who's gotten into that range is already a problem. Sure, usually - though not in this instance - he's also got his handgun, with its limited reach, limited firepower. For his purposes, it might suffice - he's not supposed to be a fighter, and the advantage of his gun is in its concealability. I suppose he gets a couple points in professionalism for that choice, and for often bringing back-up, whether he's working for the PSB or the BO. For what it's worth, he's also likely trained in Kendo or something similar, as we see in Wild Police Story, but he doesn't really use it. We see Rei fighting rarely, but it happens; with Matsuda at the beginning of WPS, casually inflicting violence on a kidnapper, and now here on the ferris wheel.

It's so interesting to me how they interact here.

Despite both of them bleeding, it starts to feel like Akai is in control, or at least not dated by the fighting - he gets Rei good with Jeet Kune Do's signature One Inch Punch, but has enough presence of mind to casually grabs him so he doesn't fall to his death (which gets him shoved off with a foot. Give Furuya an inch, and he'll try to take your head). Furuya's meanwhile clearly enjoying himself, might have even entered the zone, a sort of battlejoy/trance, asking for a second round (here we go again, this is a fight, with certain rules, like rounds), and Akai, well, he's beaten up, but it doesn't look like he'd surrender to get Furuya off his back - despite it being an option that would end the fight early. We see both of them smiling at points in this exchange, and I think it speaks to both of them, inherently, being thrillseekers. Putting all they are into the outcome of this fight against a dangerous enemy is a thrilling brush with mortality.

Them fighting at all, on top of the ferris wheel, is stupid, plain and simple. They expect the BO to show up any minute, and they'd better be in peak condition - instead they indulge in this fight. Really, it's Rei launching himself at Akai, who's mostly dodging and defending where necessary (I say indulge, because he is armed, and could probably escalate/end the fight early). Fights happen for a variety of reasons, usually social (because otherwise we'd be talking about violence, not a fight), and this implies Rei sees Akai as roughly equal/wants him to have a fair fighting chance, following the social contract of announcing his presence. He launches the attack, takes the initiative but the distance is so large, and he telegraphs his intentions clearly enough that his advantage is minimal.

Akai has the distinct disadvantage of carrying his rifle case, protecting its contents, because he'll need them later. He is, as the series lets us know, a capable fighter (described stronger as Masumi, who can deal with Ran, an established capable martial artist), and we can see it in this fight. He's reading Rei's movements and blocking most of the hits - for what it's worth, Rei's style seems more focused on quantity of attacks over quality. He does get Akai with some unconventional angles of attack (like swinging up into a kick from falling), and mostly this initial struggle is about them fighting for control.

When we cut back to the fight, they're still at it. I find it interesting that Akai tries to talk Rei down throughout the fight. Because the presence of mind necessary to form coherent sentences in a fight is not nothing, and the fact that he at least tries to go for a different solution is noteworthy, even if it is ultimately useless.

Then Conan calls Akai. This is in a small pause to the fight, because, surprise surprise, fighting takes effort (another reason professionals avoid it). It is really funny to me how Rei respects the rules of a fight, but he also sees an opportunity in his opponent's distraction, and seizes it (at the cost of also throwing himself down into a chasm, the self-sacrificial bastard).

Only at this point does it feel like Akai is taking the fight more seriously. I'd wager this is a) because Rei has displayed the willingness to destroy himself to take Akai with him, b) due to the enclosed space - less space to dodge and c) because at least he is aware time is ticking. They're both injured, and the enemy is coming soon. This fight better be over quick.

They only don't fight each other to the death because of Conan's timely intervention. He calls to Akai for help, and just like that, the conflict is resolved, for now. Akai wordlessly rejects Rei's request for a second round, which Rei just...accepts. Allows Akai that level of control, and the control of the flow of information (namely, they don't tell Conan they've been at it). It baffles me, but then again, I suppose it is a fight, the fight has rules, and, clearly, something more important takes precedence. Then again, this whole damn exchange makes no logical sense. Rei has sworn bloody revenge on Akai, who just saved his life today, and instead of doing something about the BO they're fighting a little. Logic is nowhere to be seen, all of this is emotional. On both sides.

I guess bonus points in professionalism for working together for the rest of the rest of the movie, even if they're sharing intel with/depending on a literal child for the solutions to their problem. It's a very unusual set of circumstances indubitably not covered by their training, granted, so what can you do (I'd still love for the adults in this universe to do their job, sue me).

Last point of note for the movie, in my opinion, is Akai waiting after all the chaos is over for Rei to spot him. Is this a case of checking in and simultaneously showing that he, too, made it out alive? He is clearly noticed by Rei, and only then walks away. And Rei just lets him. Akai is in control, in the end.

[thetwilightroadtonightfall]

1/2 So this is driving me crazy cause I only noticed it after my hundredth rewatch of khux, but do all the cutscenes involving the union leaders only take place in like 4~ish days? I know UX is suppose to take place over a year, but when looking at the cutscenes with just the union leaders I think I counted like 4 days lol. I think the first day is from when they meet in the graveyard to when they enter the foretellers chamber for the first time cause Skuld tells them "not the touch anything".

no yeah you’re on the right track here!!

We have no hard confirmation for the timeline of…any of the union leaders scenes, really. But we do know that a lot of the scenes do happen in tandem and consecutively or like you said, within the span of a few days. Let me follow things with you…

Shift Pride’s the tricky part because that could’ve happened at literally any point after they began working on the Spirit Pets. Could’ve been a week, a month, a year. I like to think at least 3 months passed offscreen to account for them settling into their new responsibilities, getting to know each other better, and Player going to some disney worlds in between. The way they talk in the Shift Pride scene also suggests that a “substantial” amount of time has passed since they met at the graveyard. Like for example, Ephemera asks if they all remember reading about Shift Pride in the rulebook. He wouldn’t be asking if that they’d all just read it a few days prior, you know what I mean?

Following along the next scenes…yeah, it checks out. Lauriam meets Elrena, then returns to the tower. Then I assume he meets Player later the day after, since Eph says he wants to spend the day with them (implying “an entire new day”). Then the glitches happen and Eph and Player go off to Game Central Station. I’d guesstimate Eph is there for the rest of that day, and returns to Daybreak later that night.

Everything that happens after Eph returns from GCS (aka the impostor leader stuff, Maleficent vs Lauriam, Lauriam’s breakdown) happens concurrently with the rest of Player’s time in Candy Kingdom, which could reasonably be an additional 1-2 days maybe? And then they return to Daybreak just in time for the fight against Darkness

The next possible timeskip we get is after Ven’s sacrifice, where he’s unconscious. I can’t imagine it’s more than a day though, since Darkness just informed them that the world is ending, so there’d be that sense of urgency to get the lifeboats and everything all set up. I’d say maybe a few hours passed. And everything that follows in the finale happens consecutively.

So if we wanna approximately add it up…the union leaders’ collective screen time would encapsulate a week or less than a week’s worth of in-universe time. (4 days like you said seems reasonable, I’m just overshooting it a bit to provide some leeway.)

So in conclusion, we only got to see about one week of the time the union leaders spent together. Which is really insane to think about if you ask me!!

[moe-broey]

Actually I need to know something. Because this only occurred to me when drawing the outfit. I always assumed the sheep in the boyish Farmer portrait was a plushie??? So I drew it like a plushie. But. Is that thing Alive???? Does it know it's alive???????

[jacqcrisis]

Why is everyone in this godforsaken camp sniffing my lizard?

[smol-tired-binch-blog]

hate how im now at a point where im legit like kicking my legs and grinning like an idiot over fictional characters SEND HELP