#idk what's the point to this I'm just thinking about him

[solidaritygaming-fanblog]

Okay I'm breaking down. Let's make this an au sure why not

AU NAMES im gay and indecisive so heres some of my ideas

Fragments Strung

Tick of the Hourglass (yall acting like E!Joel wouldnt pull a kahmunrah and stick E!Jimmy in an hourglass. also limited life references)

Black Dahlias (Dahlias symbolize devotion, but the black variety symbolizes betrayal)

Reminisce and Remember

Between the 'Twixt

MORE STUFF IDK IM TIRED

Liml!Jimmy and E!Joel are in ESMP2 world. It's mostly fluff and little interactions. E!Joel tries very hard to make sure no one brings up E!Jimmy (who has been missing for a few weeks at this point. whoops) because he doesn't want to ruin his relationship with Liml!Jimmy.

E!Jimmy and Liml!Joel are stuck in a random vanilla survival world. L!Joel has a terrible breakdown after seeing E!Jimmy and immediately hug-tackles him and cries on his shoulder. E!Jimmy is very confused, and is rather wary of L!Joel. They mostly wander around trying to find their way out, and are both too scared to settle down and build a proper base (until E!Jimmy is killed by Pillagers and L!Joel fucking loses it).

The story is set before the Hermitcraft cross over. Liml!Jimmy is taken from somewhere between the second episode and before his final death. Liml!Joel is explicitly spawned into the vanilla world (what I am calling the 'Twixt) immediately after his final death. E!Jimmy is missing for about two weeks before Liml!Jimmy appears in Stratos.

In the Twixt, L!Joel injures his arm on the first day. It remains wrapped in a bandage for much of the story. E!Jimmy's death to pillagers is the first death in the Twixt. Until that point, L!Joel believed it was hardcore mode. There are no more deaths after this, as they both just evade attacks and help save each other. L!Jimmy very much enjoys being in Stratos. It reminds him a lot of Bread Bridge and Skynet. E!Joel thinks, for a short while, that L!Jimmy is just E!Jimmy, with a different outfit and maybe amnesia. He avoids talking about Tumble Town and the toy fiascos because he thinks they will trigger memories, and doesn't want to ruin his chance to actually become Jimmy's friend. He still doesn't tell him (or tells him very slowly) because... yknow. That shit's kinda offputting. E!Joel uses his trident. E!Jimmy uses dual swords. L!Joel uses an axe. L!Jimmy doesn't use weapons often in the story, but usually uses a bow or crossbow. L!Jimmy and L!Joel both have chokers similar to bomb collars. They have small screens on them that display the time left. L!Joels displays the amount of time he had left upon death (or world removel) on a red background. L!Jimmy's displays all zero's on a gray background and blinks. He believes this is because he is in a world where whatever controls the time can not reach him- therefore, it reset. debating whether or not E!Jimmy should have a breakdown after learning all the details of what happened to L!Jimmy. "Do I look like him" style.

ill add more in the morning im super eepy

Do not let these two near each other. Oh my god the angst that would occur

[mother-giselles-hat]

Do you think Emmrich keeps a little notebook. Do you think when he was an uncertain young boy, terrified of the dark and the gloom and the inescapable inevitability of death being so very in front of him so shortly after a devastating loss, he needed an outlet? And perhaps an older, kinder Mourn Watch member who themselves did not choose their path but rather stumbled upon it gave the gangly youth before them a small collection of pages to work through his racing thoughts in?

I'm picturing clumsy doodles of flowers from graveyards that as one flips through the years of journals kept neatly on a personal bookshelf turn into masterful sketches worthy of publication in a scientific journal. Rough strokes with lots of pressure behind them, intent on getting the repeatedly written rituals correct so that he no longer has to reference a cheat sheet. Maybe even a list of names, pages upon pages worth crossed out until at last, underlined so strongly the pen tore through paper, we find the name Manfred.

And I like to think that he goes through at least a journal and a half while getting to speak with so many companions from so many parts of the world he has previously never dreamed of traveling to himself, not when there's so much to be done at home. Recipes are scrawled out in Bellara's and Lucanis' handwriting and pasted into the back. There are attempts at drawing the anatomy of Assan, a list of what snacks Halla like best courtesy of Davrin. Even a carefully curated, bullet-pointed selection of topics that seem to work best when trying to get Taash to let down their guard. And of course, a cross-sectioned diagram of the Yam-And-Jam-Slam.

And then, permit me if you will, the opportunity to ruminate on human Emmrich, on a day yet to pass, in which a romanced Rook that never violated their love's privacy finally feels brave enough to go through some of his untouched belongings to see what they want to keep, and finding such lovely records of their first months together. And despite the ache in their chest and the tightness in their throat, they don't stop at the first sign of something more, a little scribbled observation about how much sadness this Rook has in their eyes for someone so new to the field. And then they find the portraits, the loving detail put into the light of the fade reflecting off their cheekbones, their eyes. The carefully crafted notes on what sort of jewelry might do them justice, small scenes of a man, his beloved, and a skeleton strolling across sandy beaches, through shadowed forests, across snowy mountain peaks and through bustling city streets. Until they blink, wipe the tears from their eyes, reach the end of the last journal in what feels like mere minutes (but in all reality is probably something closer to hours).

The handwriting is less structured, the pen doesn't press quite so insistently as it once did. But the sentiment, the sincerity, of the final entry could only be his.

Death is not so frightening knowing how fiercely I have lived. Nothing it could take is greater than all I have been given.

Idk. Just wondering.

[melanielocke]

Tbh whatever Viktor is talking about doesn't even have anything to do with evolution. It's not even that he misunderstands evolution, he made up his own thing which is more related to transhumanism and calls that evolution.

Not only does evolution not have a destination, evolution also does not change living organisms, it's much slower than that. So when Viktor is healing people or changing into robots, that has literally nothing to do with evolution. Evolution would be if humans over a long time and many generations turned into his weird robot things because that's the best suited life form for the circumstances (nature's greatest force, forever in flux as Singed says, though I also find his statement a bit weird). Instead, Viktor decided that for humans not to suffer, they must be changed, and calls that glorious evolution, I think largely because that's his game catchphrase. Perhaps because it sounds cooler than glorious transhumanism? Glorious body modifications? Idk.

Perhaps he just calls it glorious evolution because he thought it sounded cool. It might also even be that he wasn't familiar with evolution theory at all (idk about the religious background but he is also making some more religious statements on how he believes in fate, and later he believes the glorious evolution is destined), and only singed knows about normal evolution since it's closer to his field. And then Viktor would use evolution as a much looser term for change, since linguistically evolution can be used in different contexts?

I'm not sure if he truly doesn't understand how evolution theory works (and considering Singed brings it up first, I do presume evolution theory exists in this world), or if he thinks, well, my way is better, but he really needs someone to talk sense into him because his ideas get progressively weirder over the season and letting him have such insane power with only people who worship him and a hexcore to talk to who validates all his weirdest ideas was a bad idea. Some humanities classes would also have helped, because while he understands what human suffering is like largely because of his own experiences, he doesn't understand people at all, and probably assumes what he wanted is what everyone else wants and also what they (and he) need (wrong on both counts).

Interestingly, when Viktor first brings up glorious evolution, he is still unwilling to go through with it (assuming it refers to using Vander to evolve himself, though I do think he also considered the healing he did for his followers glorious evolution), so I think he already had some of these ideas before he even died. Something that had absolutely nothing to do with evolution, but more with his own internalized ableism and believing he needed to fix himself to end his suffering/be worthy of love. He did want it at that point, he just wasn't willing to sacrifice someone else for it. He also only gave up on his hexcore research because it killed Sky. He cared it killed someone. He didn't care it turned his leg weird and purple and was willing to turn his entire body into that if it meant he was cured. (and I believe when he did sacrifice Vander, there was also no possibility of saving him anymore)

Anyway this got long but the conclusion is Viktor has no clue what he's talking about, I don't think he even knows what evolution is, and his entire ideology is shaped from his own internalized ableism and lack of understanding of humanity, and he slapped a cool catchphrase on top without knowing it actually means something else.

nothing viktor did was more peak engineer behavior than when he so confidently explained evolution wrong except for him confidently explaining evolution wrong while disagreeing with the guy who explained it correctly

[jamiehoney]

Because you’re not free

Sirius was sprawled on the bed, his fingers twitching against the sheets. Remus stood across the room, arms crossed, trying to hold on to whatever calm he had left.

“This is bullshit, Sirius,” Remus said, his voice tense but steady. “I can’t keep doing this, pretending it doesn’t mean a damn thing.”

Sirius scoffed, sitting up.

“Who said it doesn’t mean anything? Just because I’m not shouting it from the rooftops—”

“That you care about me?” Remus cut him off, stepping forward. “That you’re with me? Because honestly, sometimes I don’t even know if you are.”

Sirius narrowed his eyes defensively.

“Why the hell do you care so much what other people think? What difference does it make if they know?”

Remus laughed bitterly.

“Because, because you’re not free, Sirius. You hide behind all this bravado, but deep down... you’re fucking terrified.”

“I’m not scared!” Sirius snapped, his eyes flashing with something between anger and pain. “I don’t owe anyone anything—not you, not them.”

“It’s not about them, Sirius!” Remus shouted, his voice finally breaking through. “It’s about you. You’re too scared to be who you are, too scared to tell the world to fuck off and actually do something real.”

Sirius took a step back as if the words had physically hit him.

“And what the hell do you want me to do, Remus? March into the Great Hall and declare it to everyone?”

“No!” Remus yelled, pointing at Sirius’s chest. “I want you to declare it to yourself.”

The silence that followed was suffocating. Remus was breathing hard, his heart pounding in his chest. Sirius looked away, his fists clenched, but he didn’t say anything.

“I don’t want to be your secret, Sirius. Not anymore,” Remus said finally, his voice low and cracked. He grabbed his coat from the chair and turned toward the door.

“Go, then,” Sirius muttered, his voice rough. “If it’s so fucking easy for you.”

Remus hesitated for a moment but didn’t turn around. When the door closed behind him, Sirius sank back onto the bed, crushed by the weight of everything he couldn’t bring himself to say.

-------------------------------------------------- -------------

I did this watching Shameless, an argument between Ian and Mickey :c

idk if I'm going to keep writing here, continuous? :^

[mantequillamcwhoremick]

Mysterion in Chaos Plan

Upon request I'm gonna translate my elaborations on this post on Mysterion's design in my fic :> I wish I could actually present you guys with a drawn design but i haven't had time to draw lately plus all my attempts to draw him until now haven't been satisfactory to me, but I still wanna rant about my choices.

[Anyways, first things first, IF anyone ever is tempted to draw any fanart (giggles and kicks feet uncontrollably) I want y'all to know there's no pressure to stay true to these ideas. The descriptions & details for Mysterion's getup in my fic are purely practical, because design is a visual element that isn't considered in questions of practicality and realism. If you have any ideas you like better for his design, or if you feel like any of this is hindering your creative freedom, by all means throw this in the trash and do what you want instead. I love seeing people's individual creative interpretations and I don't wanna hinder anyone's creativity.]

Anyways, with that out of the way, let's get to it.

(from chapter 2 of Chaos Plan)

I'm a SUCKER for Miles Morales' silhouette as Spiderman in the first movie, and because both Mysterion and Spiderman are both vigilante/heroes with working class roots I love to find similarities between the two of them. So I'll be referring to Miles a few times in this post >:)

I like the idea of Kenny using really old maybe counterfeit brand basketball shorts that he used to wear to sleep or something. I'm not yet settled on the specific patterns/lines that I want them to be adorned with, so just for reference you can imagine something like this:

As for colors; I like the idea that these shorts might be the brightest part of his outfit as a reference to Kenny's dumbass "underwear over pants" design in canon.

His canon design is also the main reason I don't wanna give him just normal long pants, and instead stick with the Miles-Morales-type shorts-over-thermal leggins idea.

I like to think that Kenny got thermal ski underwear (pants and undershirt) from Kyle or Stan at some point for when they went camping (bc ain't no way Kenny would go skiing), and he just forgot to return it aka they forgot to ask for it back, so that's what he uses underneath his hoodie & shorts to keep warm.

For colors, I like the idea that they're a dark color to contrast the light-colored shorts but have lines similar to these in a neon green color. Just to add a fun something

And well, then there's his hoodie. Just a regular ol' hoodie, a dark one of course to blend in better into the night (dramatic ass bitch), dark purple like Mysterion's cape in canon except he has no cape because. well. realistically, impractical. But yeah, I imagine it to look a little makeshift, which is why I have Kenny spray-paint the question mark in the front (and an unmentioned "M" on the back of his hoodie) to give it that tacky look. Again, like Miles does his Spiderman costume in the first movie.

(screenshot from chapter 6 of Chaos Plan)

As for his pouch/fanny pack; I was very inspired by the type of clothes people who do parkour wear, and that shit has to be very light for maximum mobility. A utility belt wouldn't be the best choice for hip mobility, so a fanny pack he can slap across his chest and back would be the way to go. It just needs to be big enough to store some fireworks, a gun (the one he stole from Harris lmao), cigarettes and other miscellaneous things like a lighter, lock picks, his small knife, maybe a chapstick idk he definitely should

Something like this but, again, creative freedom is welcome.

And well, then there's Kenny's gloves (crucial!! bc it's cold as balls plus he CANNOT LEAVE FINGERPRINTS ANYWHERE!!), his mask, and a bandana to hold back his hair. Here's a really old shitty sketch I did once gashagdha (yes he has long hair that he has to tie together. I haven't mentioned this in the fic because i'm an idiot)

And well, for warmth & anonymity reasons I often describe him wearing a thermal tube scarf, kinda something like what I often see in Princess Kenny fanart to cover his mouth. But I haven't yet found a way to make this look cool in combination with the mask so maybe this will only stay in written word...

As for his shoes, I'm not really attached to any specific type but I do find it significant that they look like they're being held together by hopes and prayers. Tongue, collar and lining sticking out upward as the shoelaces wrap tight around the ankle to ensure it doesn't slip. Maybe duck-taped together at the tip or something. Listen, it's hard to buy new shoes when you don't want any purchases to get traced back to your identity, okay. He's forced to raw-dog this shit and we respect that.

Anyways that's it!! someday i'm going to edit this monster fic and all these details will be much clearer from the text alone, but for now we're running on the first version of the story so bear with me. I might do a similar post for Chaos too if I don't manage to draw him first :)

[ri-writes-if]

Man, I'm sad Az was so low in the poll last time I checked...

(TW suicide, for the next part of the ask)

Also, speaking of Az, all these angst asks about the Oracle dying... it makes me think that, if the roles were reversed, I don't think it would pan out any different for my Oracle than it does for Az? They may have quite different personalities, but also strong common points on very specific matters, like the matter of kids that I mentionned before and... well... this? Basically, considering the Oracle's background and what not, I feel like (mine specifically, that is) wouldn't be able to recover if his significant other died. Like, the madness would just strike full on, unless he'd decide to end it before it fully took grip, which to be honest is something I can see him doing. Because like... it's either going mad or dying. And I imagine he'd think there would be no return from that bout of madness anyway, so why prolong things instead of being reunited with the one he loves.

Don't be sad! Maybe they're not everyone's most beloved, but I don't love them less for that. They're the easiest to write for me, so they're def better than the others in my eyes 😂 (Maybe I should start an advertising campaign for them, idk)

That's so sad ☹️ 😭 I want them both alive and well and happy!! (not before I put them through the wringer, tho)

I still don't know if the cast will be able to die, but what you described might happen in the story... Maybe... Since I plan a bad ending if your sanity hits zero, perhaps I should make this ending accessible by other means 🤔 I'll note it down

[lazyjellyfish300]

YEARNING HAS REACHED FULL CAPACITY 😩😭🥹😩💕🥺

Rahuuuuuuuuu 😩😩😩

The angst hit me just right!!! Ohhhh I loveeee comfort fics. 💕🥹

"You will burn for him. You will swallow this agony for him. You will partake of this pain until you grow and grow and spread your incorporeal body across the horizon, too large for this flimsy room to contain. You will grow larger than the sun, even, swallowing all of his pain, even beyond the limits of any threshold you have known, because you - "

<- love him? 🥺🥺🥺🥺 OMG Rahu you mastered at channeling such a selfless love. An unconditional love. Loving to the point of self sacrifice. Kento is always putting his life before his, fics like these are sooo medicinal because we give him what he always deserved, someone who'd do the same for him.

"in spite of this fact, you know that there is a furrow carved in his brow. Even without touching him, you can feel tension radiate from muscles that are always ready to react. Those earnest eyes, always reflecting the dappled shade of a forest in the springtime, taking you in with a scrutiny that would produce the inevitable conclusion."

<- to be known is to be loved. You managed to encapsulate the intimate tenure of a relationship so well here 😩 knowing him so well that you can see him without seeing him. His face his eyes his brow. And the dappled shade of a forest in the springtime 🔥🔥🔥 suchhhh a poetic and creative description for the color brown. Spun from pure magic 🥺

"Oh, to be wrapped in this steady rhythm forever, to listen to the pulse of the resilient muscle beneath the cellular fabric that forms this man you love above all others. How could your mind still creep back to that hellish place when this was laid out before you, the banquet of his all-encompassing embrace?"

<- GODDDDDD and this is where my yearn-o-meter begins to beep at unsustainable levels. 😩😩😩😩This love that runs so deeply you feel it on a molecular level like he's woven into you.....my heart.... You also capture the aftermath of a nightmare SOOOO vividly. That fear that clings and lingers after you've just woken up where you're paralyzed, despite someone as comforting as Nanami right beside you. 😭😭

"You continue, voice loud in the hush of this room, the night so very, very still. Kento's heartbeat is the exception. It pounds with rebellious vitality under your palm." <-

OKAYYYY now I'm starting to go a little bit insane 😩😩😭😭 bc I love him and this writing so very much. He is alive. Fuck the canon. Kento Nanami lives. He lives because we say so. TY RAHU💕💕💕. TY WRITERS. He lives in all of us. Rebellious vitality. Ughhhhh. So gorgeous.

"If what you dreamed about really happened, and I was in a place you couldn't reach, then I would make sure that I would only ever think of you. If the man in your dream couldn't face you, then he wasn't me. It's that simple."

<- and once again I'm here wondering why someone who has never existed stirs my heart so deeply like this. 😩😩 He always knows just what to say. Nanami comfort is a whole different breed of comfort. I wonder if it's due to the tragic theme of his character, because it is so the opposite of his canon story. Idk. But I'm gonna simply bask in it. 💕💕🥰🥰

"A brave sun."

"Brave?"

"To try and outdo you."

<- standing ovation. 😭😭😭 I felt the love. Comfort, tenderness, feeling depth and emotion all wrapped up in the blanket of Rahu's writing. YOU DID THAT MADAM. YESSSS JUST YESSS 💕💕💕💐💐💐

Synopsis: (Reader x Nanami) In the aftermath of a disturbing dream, Kento enfolds you in the solace only he can bring.

Rated: T

Contents: Angst, Suspense, Romance.

Banner artwork: She Did Not Turn - David Inshaw (1974)

Dividers by: @rookthornesartistry

You dream that he is standing in a dried out field, far removed from anything familiar. The alien sun encroaches with terrifying proximity on the horizon, a red collosus, but you feel none of its warmth. It is as if no atmosphere exists around you here, nothing to carry minute traces of sensation from your skin to his across the quivering, paper thin stalks that stab through the earth.

Kento.

Yes, it's your voice, but you have no mouth with which to speak his name. Your presence is a muted one. It doesn't carry any weight here.

He stands, back towards you, and in spite of the chilling distance between your form and his, you can make out the tender part of his hair, which you've run your fingers through countless times when he lays his head in your lap. You can see the way he leans slightly to the left, his straight posture now and then giving way to an old knee injury that plagues him. You watch his hands clench and unclench, reflexively, as he does before setting his mind to a new task, a small gesture of readiness, of his eternal sense of duty.

Kento. What are you getting ready to face?

And why alone?

The stillness of the air is beginning to awaken a restless rebellion in your body. You need to be closer to him. You need to touch him, or that hungry, hungry sun will swallow him up, leaving no trace of him on this fallow ground.

No mouth. No fingers. No legs to carry you to him.

But isn't this how you've always felt? As if you're a powerless spectator, watching as the man you love above all others marches with steady inevitability towards a seething horizon that blows apart under any kind of scrutiny?

How fragile is the human form? How tender is the flesh? You can't help but think of such things, even when enfolded in the vital strength of his arms, even when the sweat of lovemaking cools on your skin and his, and the substantial weight of his body sinks against you, drawn in by the crushing gravity of your embrace.

At those times, you hold him close and wonder at how easily his strength could be shattered, at how frail the connecting web of bone, muscle and blood, everything that made up your Kento, truly was.

Was it monstrous to think that way? Was it so taboo to voice your fears, when you should be dwelling on the sunlit wash of his presence in your home, your bed, your arms?

Forward, forward, you must go further. Push yourself to your limits, as he always does.

The landscape is resolving into harsher shapes around you. Details creep along the edges of your vision, sinuous. There are floorboards beneath your spectral feet. You feel no sensation, but you know that the sun has hardened and bleached them with the same reverence it bestows to the bones of unknowable animals in a flat expanse of desert.

You are viewing Kento through a window, a stark rectangle in the wooden wall, framed in splinters. He is not moving, out there in that dry, dry field, and you wonder how he can bear the heat of that gigantic sun.

A terrible thought strikes you.

What if he is already gone? What if the skin has already been burned from his flesh? What if he cannot move as his muscles shrivel and scorch under that stupendous heat? What if he cannot turn to you, one final time, because he wants to spare you the sight of bone protruding from the remains of charred tissue?

No. No. You cannot let it be. You cannot watch him -

Tangible. Tangible is what you have become, through sheer force of will. You weave your own body into existence, because you must save him, you must reach him.

Kento hasn't moved, but the sun seems closer. It is closer. You have to do something. You have to act, and your helplessness will be no excuse when he is beyond your reach and that of everyone else he knows and cares for -

Your arm, or some half-formed semblance of it, plunges through the window. Something shatters. Sensation floods your mind, synapses flaring to life, their signals propelled with all the reckless fury of a charge on foot against cannon-fire.

It burns, it burns, it is pain, it is beyond anything you have ever endured, but endure it you will, because -

The answer comes to you, spoken somewhere in still-water depths that no sun can reach.

You will burn for him. You will swallow this agony for him. You will partake of this pain until you grow and grow and spread your incorporeal body across the horizon, too large for this flimsy room to contain. You will grow larger than the sun, even, swallowing all of his pain, even beyond the limits of any threshold you have known, because you -

Air enters your lungs in a frigid rush, and you sit up, chest heaving. Your thin nightdress stretches uncomfortably across your skin, and something trickles from your brow down across your eyelid. It stings, blurring your vision. You blink, once, twice.

Someone is calling your name.

There is a hand on your back, firm and grounding. Fingers sweep along your brow, removing the moisture that has collected there.

Kento.

You can barely summon the strength needed to turn and look at him.

There he is.

No scorched flesh, no red, cavernous eye sockets, the gleaming, white sanctuary of his ribs still encased in clean, undamaged tissue.

In the darkness of your bedroom, you can't make out the finer details. No otherworldly sunlight casts his features in stark lines on living canvas.

In spite of this fact, you know that there is a furrow carved in his brow. Even without touching him, you can feel tension radiate from muscles that are always ready to react. Those earnest eyes, always reflecting the dappled shade of a forest in the springtime, taking you in with a scrutiny that would produce the inevitable conclusion.

He doesn't ask you outright; he doesn't need to.

Instead, a hush descends over your senses as his arms come up and draw you close, so close, disregarding the sweat that still dampens your clothes.

Oh, to be wrapped in this steady rhythm forever, to listen to the pulse of the resilient muscle beneath the cellular fabric that forms this man you love above all others. How could your mind still creep back to that hellish place when this was laid out before you, the banquet of his all-encompassing embrace?

No fear can touch you here. No enemy can lay siege to him in this place, protected by the irrational and incontestable vow of sanctity that you have imposed on these four walls.

"Do you want to tell me what that was about?"

His voice stirs gently though your hair, each word laced with infinite tenderness. It almost breaks your resolve to retain control of yourself.

"I had a dream that you ... were far away."

His grip across your shoulder tightens. Kento has seen enough death and despair in the line of duty to fill in the shadowed spaces of that distant landscape himself.

You continue, voice loud in the hush of this room, the night so very, very still. Kento's heartbeat is the exception. It pounds with rebellious vitality under your palm.

"I had a dream that you were standing in a wide, open field. And that there was a giant ... sun in the sky. And it was about to burn everything up, including you. And me."

There is a heavy pause in which the tick of the clock on the nightstand strikes each second with a steel-clad fist.

When he does eventually speak, Kento's voice is low, his words unhurried, as if the reassurance he offers will embed itself in the eternal strata of his world and yours.

"And was I facing you, in this dream? Was I close to you?"

"No. You were ... turned towards the sun."

"Hm. Then that dream means nothing."

"Tell me why."

"If what you dreamed about really happened, and I was in a place you couldn't reach, then I would make sure that I would only ever think of you. If the man in your dream couldn't face you, then he wasn't me. It's that simple."

You can't help the way your lips curve secretly, hidden against the firm heat of his chest.

"Just a dream, then?"

"Hardly worth a single thought."

"Then it was a strange one. Especially that sun."

His head turns, lips pressed lightly against your forehead.

"A brave sun."

"Brave?"

"To try and outdo you."

[viktorrights]

I really have to commend you because you must have felt so much pressure and yet you completely stuck that landing in a way that I'm almost envious of as a writer. Everything had such a good payoff and made sense but it was like... FAAAAR from where I thought things were going to go.

AHHHH!!! THIS MEANS. SO MUCH. TO ME. BECAUSE IW AS VERY VERY VERY NERVOUS ABOUT IT. !!! I'm so glad people seem to think it works.

Spoilers i guess feels weird to warn ppl but I've been asked to so sdfjldkf

I always knew the ending was going to be Viktor making some big sort of romantic gesture. But I've been very resistant about making it a proposal out of fear of it being 'cliche' and maybe a little too soon.

But the more I sat on it, the more I realized that a proposal from viktor to jayce specifically was kind of exactly what I wanted to do with my story? And like? Cliche be damned if it works right? also cliche and tropes have always been something fun I've played with with this story so kldjfhsldk?

Viktor spends so much of the fic so afraid of their relationship in one way or another - so afraid of committing to things because of the fear of losing it or getting hurt again or hurting jayce. And Jayce is just - so unwaveringly committed and in love and brave, even sometimes to the point of not thinking of himself.

I needed an ending where there's a gesture - not just words because I think that's weaker - that would show 1. Viktor displaying a genuine growth through the choice to be brave and the choice to commit. And 2. For Jayce to receive one of those big romantic gestures and moments he's so effortlessly good at because he deserves them too. For him to be given not only something he's always dreamed of - but also the promise that Viktor's in this too.

Idk, that's kind of a very simplified way of talking about it I could probably write something very very annoying and long but im tired today lol.

[walkingstackofbooks]

Frankly, there should have been some sort of required explanatory paperwork and consent forms in DBIP - besides Zimmerman contacting Julian's parents, it always bothers me that everything else Julian has to do seems to just come up as they're going, and honestly, I'm not sure Julian would have agreed if he'd been given any forewarning on what it would all include.

(I mean quite honestly he's barely enthusiastic about any of it, and I kind of feel that if he hadn't felt that he *had* to given Zimmerman had already showed up on the station and launched into the "chance of a lifetime" spiel, he might well have declined even if he could have opted out of the parents thing.)

But I digress. The point is, what if Dr Zimmermann did email Julian the forms to sign off on - just, while Julian was in the Dominion Camp. And the changeling impersonator simply deleted the email (well, emails plural) because it was irrelevant.

So then you've got Zimmerman getting impatient to start his project (it's bad enough he has to model it on someone else, let alone waiting for them to even grace him with a reply) until eventually he decides oh fuck it, I'll just forge his signature to send to my superiors, it's not like he's going to refuse once I've explained in person.

And then it just... never comes up. No-one asks and he certainly doesn't feel the need to ask why Bashir had ignored him (and maybe he does overhear something about camp 371, which means he's definitely not going to bring the missing email up) and then by time anyone might have thought to question his ethics, if Julian ever did mention that he'd explicitly asked for Zimmerman to avoid his parents or what have you, the whole enhancements thing will have come out and it would probably just seem like Julian was being, idk, petty, if he ever tried to bring it up to the powers-that-be. Not that I think he would. But you know, even if a friend did try to persuade him, I can't see that approach bearing fruit.

And ugh, I'm just so angry on his behalf, because while the way it worked out was probably actually better in the long run than him keeping his secret forever/it coming out in some way where that plea deal wasn't able to be made, I'd really like Zimmerman to have faced SOME repercussions more than just, y'know, not getting with Leeta. (Not to downplay the that Rom, my hero, made to this episode of course. Thanks, Rom, for your service. You had the greatest of timings)

[cruyuu]

Since the official art of them came out, I've seen some very hilarious takes about Yuuji and Sukuna. Some people coping HARD. "Yuuji is forcing him" Well gee, since when can he force Sukuna to do anything? Or is Sukuna that powerless against him? Even in Yuuji's domain, Sukuna didn't have to catch a damn crayfish or do archery, but he did, mind you all this happened BEFORE Yuuji said he could kill him (and even when this happened, he had support from Nobara). He's like, "ahggg fine I GUESS I can do this" lmao. In the official art, he's the one leading the dance. For what reason? Gege didn't have to draw them with their fingers intertwined, with Sukuna's arm around Yuuji's waist, and yet. Why have all this with the snow falling around them? (Yes the cat might be pandering, that's another valid reason) Right after we have the epilogue with Yuuji saying he still likes the snow and it's special to him?

"B-but he doesn't like Yuuji!" Well Sukuna called Yuuji by his full name when he was turning to dust. Have we forgotten that that's an indication that Sukuna respects someone/a sorcerer? Is it not significant going from "brat" to "Itadori Yuuji"? I'm guessing this does not apply to Yuuji then lmao. Also, I'm not saying Sukuna loves him or likes him like he loves, idk, fighting. But he at least recognized Yuuji. Another thing is that people forget that Sukuna usually says one thing and does another. Isn't this what Mahito implied? He literally called Sukuna a liar and he was like "Yeah so lmao". Their change/development is subtle, but it's there. Isn't the end of the fight an indication of this? Actually, Sukuna had an existencial crisis during this BECAUSE of Yuuji lol. For all his faults, I think some of Gege's strongest points in JJK are Yuuji and Sukuna. Sorry for the long rant btw!

Hi anon! Let me rant along with you!

I'm not on that app but I did see several posts here on Tumblr about how "there's suddenly so many skit shippers don't these ppl know that's a horrible ship" like bruh. Do you not realize Yuuji came from a brain inhabiting his mother's corpse? That Yuuji isn't even human? Are they not aware they're reading a work which isn't suitable for children?

Most are coping because sukuita is a problematic ship yet it's getting a lot of spotlight. Hell, Gege had drawn them dancing in the snow together on love day. "Yet they're related!! How could Gege :(". Well... they could lol. They clearly don't give a shit (and I say good for them!)

That's also the big issue to these ppl. Idk if they ship Yuuji with someone else and are mad that his "reincarnated uncle (grand uncle)" got the lovely romantic official art. Let's also not forget that Yuuji practically promised his forever to Sukuna. The finger that he's missing is literally the marriage finger. Am I to blame for that? Nope. Gege wrote it like that and I'm just pointing it out.

Dunno why that's stopping them from shipping their Yuuji ships. If canon's an issue, just focus on non-canon. No need to go shit on skit shippers lmfao

As for the arguments you've mentioned:

"Yuuji is forcing him"

Yuuji had also forced him to become so obsessed with tearing down his ideals and forced him to be in his close proximity while he's fighting him. He also forced him to call him brat and constantly think about him even while fighting others. The power Yuuji holds is, after all, that strong. He even forced him to change his own viewpoint and got him to hold his waist in that official art because he's now capable of using abilities which allow him to control Sukuna's actions. 👍

"B-but he doesn't like Yuuji!"

I think the right sentence is: he's obsessed with hating him so much so that it can't even be about hate anymore, it has to be that he's just in denial and that he loves him. There's a thin line between love and hate, after all. Who in their right mind spends so much time talking and thinking with delight about how someone-who-they-hate's abilities had improved? Who in their right mind changes their ways after their enemy confesses that they'd like to spend forever with them?

Their change/development is subtle, but it's there. Isn't the end of the fight an indication of this? Actually, Sukuna had an existencial crisis during this BECAUSE of Yuuji lol. For all his faults, I think some of Gege's strongest points in JJK are Yuuji and Sukuna. Sorry for the long rant btw!

Nice points and no need to be sorry, anon. It's hilarious how some ppl can't see it and are actively ignoring it lol. These two are tied to each other and are totally in love and to say otherwise is just ridiculous imo.

[perfectwitchcrown]

Ekuoto 81 thoughts

Spoilers below! CWs: references to abuse, suicidal ideation/suicide

Before this week's chapter I had been wondering how we might see the Dante and Vergilius fight resolve since Dante had so clearly expressed that this was the end of the line chapters ago and Bel had just been defeated, but I somehow did not expect this to be what happened… :’)

Tbh I think he’s going to live if only bc I think that there was a reason we were shown that Vergilius has healing powers when he kissed Charlotte chapters ago. Maybe this is just cope tho lmao. On the other hand, I’d be really interested to see Priest’s (and Barbara and Leah, who were in France with Dante) reaction to Dante being dead so I’m torn lol.

I think it's interesting how often Dante's advice to fall in love from the first chapter has come up in the series, and how tonally different Priest vs Dante treat that moment in this chapter. Dante sort of broods on it and considers it a curse he's left on Priest, whereas Priest kind of brushes it off to Imuri as uncool advice from an unreliable adult. On the other hand, I think it’s super interesting that Priest seems to consider the hug Dante gave him as having saved his life as a child. In chapter three, when Priest saves the children in the aquarium, he similarly gives them a hug.

I’m sure a lot of it has to do w most of his experience with adults throughout his life involved physical pain (the abuse he suffered from his father, the abuse he suffered from the church, etc) so like I am sure positive physical contact was not something he really experienced. But also, this moment in the first chapter comes after Priest breaks down about how hard he finds living--outside of Bel, who Priest had forgotten about at this point, Dante was likely one of the first adults that actually listened to his cry for help as a child and saw his idealization of religious martyrdom that was really, at its core, suicidal ideation.

Dante’s whole thing about being tired of chasing Vergilius is interesting too. It uses the same language as when he spoke of his failure to chase after Vergilius in chapter 20. Vergilius naming himself Vergilius is also such a "come follow me" move since Virgil was Dante’s guide in Inferno. Interested to see how this shift in the dynamic affects Vergilius.

Also excited to see what happens w Marco next chapter. His relationship w Priest seems fascinating to me bc it’s kinda hard to tell what level of distance they have from each other. Marco completely idolizes him, and it’s also been mentioned that he was present at the previous offscreen exorcism of Mammon prior to the start of the series, and he’s also visible in a flashback panel to that exorcism. They've known each other for like three years then so it's kind of interesting how obsessive Marco is and how little he actually knows about Priest as a person for having known him for all that time.

Even in the first chapter we're shown that Marco's understanding of Priest is completely misguided, where he assumes Priest's studying the bible when he's actually reading poetry by Goethe and Song of Songs (the second of which is in the bible, but the unifying theme between the works he's reading is romantic love. Also, this is the dorkiest form of romantic texts for him to be interested in LMAO).

Also can’t wait to see what goes down w Leah Barbara and the others. While Marco looks pissed, Leah looks more worried than anything else, and Mikhail looks sort of solemn. Daniel sort of has resting bitch face so idk what’s going through his mind. Last we saw of them all, Leah and Barbara very much dodged mentioning that Imuri is a demon and said to focus on fighting the witches first. Now that they’ve clearly finished with that, I wonder if they’ve told the rest or if they’re still hiding it. Either way Marco would be pissed since Priest did work with Bel.

Anyways, what a chapter, I'm so excited to see what happens next chapter. If Imuri and Priest have to be on the run from the church for awhile I wonder if Imuri's friend Cass from the file extras might finally make an appearance...

[teecupangel]

We can make it work. Desmond was in New York before Season 1 so what we can do is make Bad Weather a neutral zone.

Something about Bad Weather debuffs everyone, a kind of dead zone that keeps everyone’s magic ‘diluted’.

Desmond doesn’t realize it until he started seeing ‘the other side’.

And it wasn’t that he started seeing first but he started hearing it. Desmond himself doesn’t realize it but it’s his Eagle Sense adapting to the environment. Because Desmond is trying to ignore his Assassin heritage, including the Eagle Vision so his senses had to adapt because he was a normal human in a ‘dangerous’ location.

So it’s a slow awakening and Kingston felt it. As far as he believes, Desmond was already a New Yorker even if the boy isn’t exactly acting like a native. He can feel the slow awakening so he starts going to the bar to keep an eye on the boy.

That’s how he learned of Desmond’s situation. A young adult just starting his journey, needing support but too shy (too ‘damaged) to ask for it.

And that’s how Desmond started to live with Kingston. “Until he can find a better place to live”

This way, we’ll have Kingston (and the rest of the characters that have been confirmed to be in New York and already ‘awakened’) to support his slow journey to becoming a part of the Unsleeping City while having a lot to play in terms of characters and storyline with the Bad Weather being both a neutral zone and acting similar to the DND beginner tavern.

I would suggest that they don’t. The main point of the Brotherhood is that they stay in the shadow to serve the light. The Hall of Heroes is a place of bright light.

What we can do is add ‘heroes’ there that actually had a close Assassin ally. If Desmond looks deep enough to the history of these heroes, there will be a bit of ‘inconsistency’ that Desmond would easily find (like “roll perception with advantage” type of situation) that would lead him to seeing Assassins throughout the ages helping those with the Questing Blade whether intentionally or a series of events that led them to find one another.

Will this lead to some kind of game mechanic between him and Mr March? Maybe. I’m thinking that Desmond has sneak attack bonuses if he’s attacking someone near Ricky or someone that has attacked (attempted to attack) Ricky.

The idea is Ricky’s light serves to hide Desmond in the shadows better.

This also means that this would transfer to Cody in season 2 and Cody will absolutely think Desmond is so cool, being an ‘edgelord’ assassin character. Desmond just sighs, not even bothering to remind Cody that he isn’t an edgelord “That would be my Syrian ancestor…”

OH GAME MECHANIC WISE!

Once Desmond gets the Bleeding Effect, after every turn, Desmond has to roll a d20.

1 – 5, he has a Bleeding Episode that last for 3 turns.

2 and 3, he rolls a d4, 1 is Altaïr, 2 is Ezio, 3 is Ratonhnhaké:ton and 4 is Haytham.

4, he (the player) gets to pick who he’s Bleeding as.

1, the gm picks. Only in 1 and 4 can Edward be picked.

Of course, each Bleed has their own stats and proficiency + skills.

Desmond himself is a Rogue Assassin with a bit of Ranger Gloom Stalker build.

Altaïr is a Rogue Soulknife with a bit of Conjuration Wizard (his spellbook is fixed and his summons have the same brew as usual but looks like Assassins in general XD)

Ezio is a Rogue Arcane Trickster (not sure what his second class is but I’m thinking something like Champion or Battle Master Fighter idk)

Ratonhnhaké:ton is a Ranger Gloom Stalker with his second class being Assassin Rogue, aka the invert of Desmond’s progression in some ways.

Haytham is a Conquest Paladin with a secondary class of being a Mastermind Rogue

Edward is a Swashbuckler Rogue (his secondary class will be Thief Rogue IF the gm allows it XD)

From @ddxcrow

(this one was me lol) in love with the idea of Desmond asking if Sophie could please take her nasty rat out of the bar. He knows where Kug has been (he has been there before). I'm also imagining the meta-narrative of this scenario where the table jokes abt "iwe need to find a Bart for Desmond to end. Is this one named bart. Can i roll to see if this one's named Bart" & when Desmond finally gets the last hit on something ally goes 'WAIT WE FORGOT TO ASK HIS NAME. WAS HIS NAME BART' & Lo. For the bit, it was. Bart Ender

(thank you for this ask! I had so much fun writing this one since I like making D&D ‘sheets’ for characters) Desmond would remember Kug. He’d just think that he was dreaming back then but, now that he sees him while awake (and sober), he’s just going to go with the flow hahahahaha

It would be so funny if the Bart Ender that they’ve been looking for was in Bad Weather the entire time, they just never asked his name XD

Been holding a thought on my brain for too long abt putting Desmond in Situations: have you watched Dimension 20's The Unsleeping City? At least s1. Bc 1) watch it, it's so good & 2) I specifically in this situation think abt Bad Weather being the normal version of the bar in Broadway that Kingston & Misty go to. Pre-canon Desmond seeing past the Umbral Arcana & getting involved in magic shenanigans..... Yeah.

You know his latent Eagle Vision is peeling out & seeing the magic shit happening in New York City. You KNOWWWWW. Please tell me one of your followers has been thinking this too.

I have good news for you, nonny, because I have just started watching Dimension 20 this year but I am a slow watcher so I’ve only gotten as far as the first 3 episodes of Unsleeping City season 2 (atm, I think my fav D20 moment is with the Bad Kids’ “Spring Break, I believe in you!” XD). I’m one of those few people who’s pathway to D&D and TTRPG is Oxventure→No Rolls Barred/Chaotic Neutral→Mystery Quest so I am absolutely late to the party XD

Anyway, for this one, we need to do a bit of housekeeping.

I’m basing this on the title of the opening theme New York 2006 because I think that’s the year Season 1 was set (feel free to correct me though)

This means that Desmond would be 19 at that point and we can push it that he’s already working in Bad Weather.

Now, I like the idea that Bad Weather is the normal version of the bar that Kingston and Misty goes to but, may I suggest an alternative?

An earlier possible way to add Desmond to all these shenanigans is to make Bad Weather one of the bars Sofia and Kugrash go to for their ‘hairy baby free drinks scam’.

Towards the end, maybe the last bar they go to, Desmond walks up to Sofia and requested that they leave because the big rat pet she had would make other customers uncomfortable.

Sofia and Kugrash are already drunk at this moment but they hear Desmond call Kugrash a rat and are like “you can see him???”.

Kugrash immediately remembers Desmond as one of the homeless kids he helped when Desmond first moved into the city and had clocked him as ‘strange’ because there was something about him that felt... not exactly magical but almost magical-adjacent.

This ends with Sofia and Kugrash inviting Desmond to their new party as a recruit (with Sofia thinking both (1) this boy needs someone in his life to take care of him and now I’m trying not to cry because my cheating (as far as she knows) husband and I never had kids and (2) maybe he and Pete can get along as newbies with me)

And that is how our Intrepid Heroes managed to recruit an Assassin Rogue who may or may not multiclass to Gloom Stalker in a different playstyle to Liam Wilhelmina.

.

Unorganized Notes:

This is a Desmond who doesn’t know about his destiny or his ancestors but his training on the Farm is so ingrained into him that it makes him a Rogue.

Because of his lack of knowledge, we can argue that he could turn into a Thief Rogue instead of Assassin in this one because he had never assassinated anyone before.

In terms of playstyle, he’d actually be more a close combat attacker that uses some kind of switchknife with sneak attack being part of 'bonus action: hide -> main action: sneak attack')

Another suggestion I have is for Desmond to subclass as Phantom, more because of ‘Whisper of the Dead’ where every short or long rest, he can gain one skill or tool proficiency and the flavor text describes it as one of the ghostly presence shares its knowledge to the user. Desmond has no idea what this means because this is pre-canon but this is actually his ancestors managing to create a link to him in some form thanks to the Umbral Arcana mixing with his ‘destiny’.

If you want Desmond to be given the illusion of choice and not be a Rogue, we can make him a Warlock ‘worshiping’ an unknown Fathomless. In this setup, they don’t know who Desmond’s patron is and Desmond himself just shrugs because he can do magic so that’s nice. Part of his deal is that he receives messages from his patron in the form of texts on his phone. They all come from an unknown number he can’t call and the texts are always like ‘The Scholar is pleased with your desire to learn about the history of this place’ or ‘The Prophet is worried of your health and asks that you requests your companions for a rest’ or ‘The Hunter suggests you still find a weapon even if you are using magic’ and this is some weird shit even for Kingston because it seems like Desmond has multiple patrons or maybe even an entire pantheon of unknown gods/beings.

Abstergo is going to be so fucked in this one because, by the time they try to kidnap Desmond, he’d probably be around level 10~12 and maybe even living with Pete in his apartment.

And yes. Desmond absolutely knows Ricky as Mister March as well XD

[eemamminy-art]

I was talking about this in a server but I wanted to put the thoughts here too

I think Zenos being the way he is stems so much from Emet-selch's beliefs that sundered people are lesser. Like it's the generational trauma that made Zenos that way in the sense of Solus' cruelty to Varis led to Varis' cruelty toward Zenos, but I also think that the loss of the ancient world and the contempt Emet-selch holds for humanity is also something he instilled in both Zenos and Varis. The notion that humanity is just inherently corrupt and evil, and that people will always resort to violence and harm toward one another because he's seen so many conflicts and nations that rose and fell over the millennia.

So in his kin, that sentiment is passed on. In Varis' case, he is aware of his grandfather being an ascian and is very much like, "I will be the exception to the rule, I will be the example of mankind standing above the ancients." Except, of course, Varis uses this mentality to justify some of the most horrific atrocities a person could commit, such as mass genocide through black rose, or killing his own family members in the civil war that followed Solus' death. Varis has this notion that he's an example of a "good" human, despite doing all of the terrible things that Emet-selch ascribes to humanity as a whole.

In Zenos' case, he was groomed to be a living weapon and has come out the other side of it with this bleak outlook. If humans are inherently cruel and evil and corrupt, why does anything matter? It made his baseline assume the worst in everyone, including himself, so his apathy is all-encompassing. There is no right or wrong, everyone kills everyone and it's all fucked up, so why bother trying to be "right"? What even are "right" and "wrong" anyway? It allows him to be someone who does horrific things, while searching for some kind of purpose or meaning. I wish we had gotten to see more of Fandaniel and Zenos interacting, because I think they are so similar in the sense of wanting for meaning and purpose but being so disillusioned with the world and with the cruelty of others that they themselves became cruel.

I think long before the "would you be happier had I a good reason?" speech and Alisaie's rebuttal to it, Zenos had this curious little seed embedded in him by his encounters with the warrior of light. It's not unlike how Lyse spends much of 4.0 both hating Fordola, and also being fiercely curious as to why she is the way she is and seeking to understand her. With Lyse though, she is guided by her strong sense of empathy and the notion that all of her people deserve their homeland returned to them regardless of their actions, while Zenos lacks empathy completely and up until now didn't really think about anyone, not even himself. But that curiosity is there, deep down, and I think it is a major driving force in keeping him going forward.

You could argue that Zenos' motivations are selfish: he does say himself that he is chasing the high of battle with a worthy opponent, and I think on some level that is true. But there is something deeper to it, something that really makes him question all he's known: "In that transcendent moment, what was it that I sought in you? And what was it that you sought in me?" He's seeking purpose, he's seeking the reason for what motivates people like the warrior of light to do good, and what "good" even is. It's so contrary to everything he's known, but it grabs hold of him until it becomes an obsession.

I think it's further elaborated on with some of Zero's story arc where she's learning about empathy, although her reasons for being that way are somewhat different from Zenos, I think they are similar on some level in that they can't really understand empathy or inherent goodness. She does eventually learn it, of course, and I'd like to think if given the chance to survive beyond the battle with the Endsinger, that Zenos could have gone on a similar journey too. That's what I envision anyway.

[the-way-astray]

i've seen a fair amount of people that have a take that's something along the lines of "alden isn't abusive/toxic/a bad parent but i like exploring that in fic, so i often characterize him like that anyway" and i'm so curious as to why these people are not extending this same purposeful character assassination to other parents, like grady, or even kesler, and why it seems to be an only alden thing /gen

[god-damnit-vinne]

hey do you ever think miu called kokichi a twink. i wonder how he would react to that

[thewardenisonthecase]

btw tw for talking about abuse

I've seen a lot online about how the game never mentions Caterina's abuse of Lucanis while he was growing up (being beaten and starved, which is mentioned in the Wigmaker Job) and I think there's a small mention to it if you're a crow (when asked, he says it was torture training under the first talon and that he resented her for a long time)

And while I do think part of the reason why this isn't brought up is just due to how sanitized this game is when it comes to the crows, I think I do understand why in world wise it's not possible to just be like hey lucanis, fuck your grandma.

It's really hard, loving someone who hurts you. Because you know they're hurting you and yet, you still love them. It's even harder when they're family.

Because its not like Lucanis doesn't know that she hurt him. He says so himself - he hated her, he resented her, and althought I do think him 'justifying' it by saying that at least it prepared him for the life of a crow, at least he still admits that it happened.

But the thing is that despite all this shit, she's still his grandmother. And like, yes, blood shouldn't excuse justifing this behaviour, I feel like it's cultural. Idk how spain or italy works when it comes to family, but here in brazil, you'll hear so many stories of physical abuse happening in families, and its still a situation like Lucanis - i hate them, i resent them, i love them, they're my family.

It's a...complicated situation and I think Lucanis's situation is made worst by the fact that he only has two family members alive and that he cannot let go of.

She beat him, she starved him, he hated and resented her, and he was afraid of dissapointing her, even if in her eyes, i don't think he could. I mean, he comes back an abomination and she still tenderly says 'my poor boy' when you rescue her in the Villa.

All in all...it's tought and I think that it would not be Rook's place to suddenly make Lucanis want to kill his grandma bc he wouldn't. Sorting out those feelings is something he has to do himself, and i'l almost glad the game doesn't make rook do a therapy session with him to talk about it.