#its a very fascinating game i love how people elaborate on it ^_^

[mapsofnonexistentplaces]

thank you for reminding me of darkest dungeon multiple times per day. it was comfort game during the DARKESTTTTTT DUNGEON TIMESSSS of my life (when i was like. 13.) and seeing new fanart and discussion be made for it in loads n loads to this day brings me immense joy. n youre always a joy to have on my dash cube!!! do u play more 1 or 2 nowadays btw!! also

post more alhazred. (pls)

YAYYY glad 2 hear it its a game ive known about for a while but only started casually playing like a year ago and in the past month or so ive gotten really into it and beat the first came a couple weeks ago :+) going through crimson court for the first time i literally have one more boss and ill finish the game. speaking of which ive dipped a little into dd2 but since i still have leftovers from dd1 and im considering doing a full achievement run its still not 'my game' as much as dd1 is. for reference my discord has looked like this recently

^status unrelated i just keep thinking about that post. anyway actually spent like 3 hours today playing dd2. starting to get used to it and unlocking more guys so im happy with it 👍

also YUUUP dont even worry about it i love that guy

[moonselune]

The game never really elaborated other than giving you the “everyone disapproves” messages when you let Volo pluck your eye from your skull on accident. How do you think the romanced companions would react to Tav with their new Ersatz eye?

ooo it was fun writing for those who weren't actually part of the camp by then, good request !

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Karlach:

You sat by the campfire, the flickering flames casting long shadows across your face. You felt the weight of your new ersatz eye, a strange and unsettling sensation that you were still getting used to. The camp had fallen silent, the rest of your companions busy with their own thoughts and tasks. Karlach, however, had been watching you closely ever since you had returned with the new eye.

She finally broke the silence, her deep voice carrying a hint of amusement.

"So, tell me, love—what possessed you to let Volo pluck out your eye and replace it with… that?" She gestured to your new, artificial eye with a wry smile.

You shrugged, trying to find the right words. "It seemed like a good idea at the time! Plus, it has its advantages. I can see things now that I couldn’t before."

Karlach chuckled, shaking her head. "Well, that was a bit silly, wasn't it?" She reached out, her hand warm and comforting as she cupped your cheek, her thumb brushing against the edge of your new eye. "But I have to admit, it gives you a certain… unique charm."

You smiled, leaning into her touch. "You think so?"

"Absolutely," she said, her eyes sparkling with affection. "It’s very you—bold, a little reckless, and definitely one-of-a-kind." She leaned in closer, her breath warm against your skin. "And if it helps you in battle, then it’s worth it. Just promise me you won’t let anyone else convince you to do something quite so drastic again, okay?"

You nodded, feeling a rush of warmth in your chest. "I promise."

Karlach’s smile widened, and she pressed a gentle kiss to your forehead. "Good. Now, in your words, let's go find some evil for you to smack"

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Minthara:

The air was tense as you approached Minthara, the stern drow warrior assessing you with her piercing gaze. You could feel her eyes on you, scrutinizing every detail of your altered appearance. When you finally stood before her, she reached out and grabbed your face with a firm, but not unkind, grip, turning your head this way and that to examine your new eye.

"You fool," she hissed, her voice low and filled with a mixture of anger and concern. "Why would you let that imbecile Volo mutilate you like this? I will miss your eye."

You took a deep breath, trying to keep your voice steady. "This eye allows me to see people who have turned themselves invisible. It gives us an advantage in battle."

Minthara’s eyes narrowed, and for a moment, you feared she would remain angry. But then, slowly, a smile spread across her face, transforming her stern expression into one of approval. "Is that so?"

You nodded, relief flooding through you. "Yes. It may look strange, but it’s useful."

Minthara’s grip on your face softened, and she let her hand slide down to rest on your shoulder.

"You always surprise me," she said, her voice tinged with admiration. "Your willingness to sacrifice for the sake of our mission is commendable. I suppose I can forgive you for this… folly."

You couldn’t help but smile at her words. You weren't going to dare correct her that you had done it as a last ditch effort to get the parasite out. "Thank you, Minthara."

She leaned in, her lips brushing against your ear as she whispered, "Just don’t make a habit of letting fools experiment on you. I need you whole and capable, not a collection of curiosities."

You chuckled softly, feeling the tension between you dissolve as she kissed your cheek. "I’ll keep that in mind."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Lae'zel:

The firelight danced across Lae'zel's face as she stared at you with a mixture of irritation and fascination. Her yellow eyes narrowed as she took in the sight of your new ersatz eye, her lips pressed into a thin line.

"You fool," she snapped, her voice tinged with frustration. "You let that bumbling idiot Volo pluck out your eye? Your own eye, the most reliable asset in battle? When we are already on our way to the creche!"

You winced, her words stinging despite the underlying concern you could sense. "It wasn’t exactly planned, Lae'zel. But this new eye… it has its advantages. I can see things now that I couldn't before."

Lae'zel crossed her arms, her expression still stern. "Your own eyes were more than capable. But if this ersatz eye gives you an edge, then I suppose it is not entirely worthless."

She stepped closer, her fingers brushing against your cheek as she inspected the new eye. Her touch was surprisingly gentle, her irritation melting into something softer. "It is strange, but… there is a certain appeal to it."

You raised an eyebrow, a small smile playing at your lips. "You find it sexy?"

Lae'zel huffed, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. "Do not misunderstand, it does not make you less of a fool. But yes, it has a certain… allure. Just do not let this happen again."

You nodded, relieved and somewhat amused by her reaction. "I’ll be more careful next time, I promise."

She leaned in, her lips brushing against yours in a brief, fierce kiss. "Good. Now, let us see how well you can fight with your new eye."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Shadowheart:

You found Shadowheart by the edge of the camp, her eyes reflecting in the sun as she turned to face you. Taking a deep breath, you revealed your new ersatz eye, waiting for her reaction.

She stared at you for a moment, her eyes widening in shock before narrowing in annoyance. Without warning, she lightly whacked you on the arm. "What were you thinking? Letting Volo pluck out your eye like that? That was incredibly stupid."

You rubbed your arm, feeling a mix of embarrassment and regret. "I didn’t mean for it to happen. But it does have some advantages, Shadowheart. I can see things now that I couldn’t before."

She sighed, her expression softening slightly. "I can’t heal your eye. You’re stuck with that ersatz one now. You should have come to me first."

You pouted, feeling the need for some sympathy. You draped yourself over her, resting your head on her shoulder. "Shadowheart, I didn’t mean to be reckless. Can I at least get some sympathy?"

She laughed, her annoyance melting into amusement. Pushing you off gently, she shook her head. "You’re impossible."

You continued to pout and whine, giving her your best puppy-dog eyes. Finally, she relented, pulling you into a hug. "Alright, alright. You look… pretty. Stupid, but pretty."

You smiled, feeling a rush of warmth at her words. "Thank you, my love"

She kissed you softly, her hands cupping your face. "Just promise me you won’t let anyone else experiment on you. I need you whole and safe."

"I promise," you murmured, holding her close. "I’ll be more careful from now on."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Jaheira:

The moment you revealed your new ersatz eye to Jaheira, her expression froze. Her eyes widened in shock, and she raised a hand as if to stop you from saying anything.

"Don't speak," she said sharply, pinching the bridge of her nose. You could see the internal struggle playing out across her face as she tried to collect herself. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, clearly fighting to maintain her composure.

For a few long moments, the only sound was the crackling of the campfire. Then, her eyes snapped open, and despite her earlier efforts, she couldn’t hold back any longer.

"What were you thinking?" she yelled, her voice a mix of anger and worry. "Letting Volo of all people pluck out your eye? Do you have any idea how reckless and foolish that was?"

You opened your mouth to respond, but she cut you off, her words coming out in a rush.

"You could have been blinded permanently! What if something had gone wrong? What if he had lobotomised you - although that may have improved that brain of yours!"

You stood there, feeling a mixture of guilt and helplessness. "I… I thought it might work, that it might get rid of the parasite. It gives me the ability to see things I couldn’t before."

Jaheira took another deep breath, her anger slowly subsiding into a weary resignation. She stepped closer, placing a hand on your cheek, her thumb brushing against it. "Just… promise me you won't do anything like that again without talking to me first."

You nodded, feeling the weight of her concern. "I promise, beloved. I’ll be more careful."

She sighed, pulling you into a tight embrace. "Good. I don’t want to lose you. You're too important to me."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Gale:

When you showed Gale your new ersatz eye, his reaction was immediate. His brows furrowed, and his mouth dropped open in disbelief.

"You let Volo pluck out your eye?" he asked, incredulous. "Are you out of your mind?"

You shifted uncomfortably, feeling the weight of his disapproval. "I didn't mean to let him pluck it out, it just... happened, when he was trying to get rid of the parasite. But! It gives me the ability to see things I couldn’t before."

Gale shook his head, launching into a rant. "Volo is a charlatan, a storyteller with a penchant for the dramatic. Trusting him with something as delicate and vital as your eye is beyond foolish. And to think he could remove the parasite?! What if it had gone wrong and you were left with no vision at all?"

As he continued, his voice growing more animated, he inadvertently let something slip, "And yet, despite the madness of it all, I have to admit, it’s… it's incredibly attractive in a strange, reckless sort of way."

You blinked, taken aback by his confession. A smile crept onto your face as you saw the realization dawn on his.

"Gale," you said softly, stepping closer, batting your eyelashes at him "you think my new eye is attractive?"

He stammered, momentarily thrown off his rant. "Well, I mean… it's not the point. You were still a fool to trust Volo, but… yes, there’s a certain allure to it."

You leaned in, silencing him with a kiss. His initial surprise melted into a deep, passionate response as he pulled you closer. When you finally pulled back, you whispered against his lips, "Thank you for caring, Gale. And for finding me attractive, even when I do foolish things."

He chuckled softly, resting his forehead against yours. "Just promise me, no more reckless decisions without consulting me first. I can't bear the thought of losing you."

"I promise," you replied, your heart swelling with affection. "I’ll be more careful from now on."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Astarion:

As you approached Astarion with your new ersatz eye, the night air seemed to still. He had stayed at camp whilst you and the others were exploring the grove, it had given you time to prepare for this moment. He was lounging casually, a goblet of blood (where it was sourced you did not want to know) in hand, when you revealed your altered appearance. His reaction was immediate and dramatic, his eyes widening in horror and surprise.

"By the gods, what have you done?!" Astarion yelped, his voice a mix of shock and disbelief. It was as if he had seen a ghost or been caught in a sudden, terrifying twist of fate. His reaction was so pronounced that you couldn’t help but feel a pang of annoyance.

You crossed your arms, frowning as you looked at him. "Astarion, really? I didn’t think it would be that shocking."

He flinched, his grip tightening around his goblet. "I—I'm sorry. I just wasn’t expecting it. You startled me, dear."

You started to turn away, feeling a mix of frustration and embarrassment. But Astarion quickly moved to stop you, placing a gentle hand on your arm. "Please, don’t go. I truly apologize for my reaction. I just… didn’t know how to handle it at first."

You looked at him, seeing the genuine remorse in his eyes. "It’s alright, Astarion. I suppose it was a bit sudden."

He sighed, pulling you into a tender embrace. "I should have been more composed. I’m just… well, shocked, darling. It is not everyday your dearest appears with a brand new eye. I apologise a thousand times over."

You softened at his touch, resting your head against his shoulder. "I’m not angry. Just a little embarrassed. But thank you for apologizing."

Astarion nuzzled into your neck, his voice warm against your skin. "I promise I’ll adjust. Your new eye is… striking. And it suits you, even if it did give me a fright."

You chuckled softly, feeling reassured by his embrace. "I’m glad you think so. It’s a bit different, but it has its uses."

"Well I simply cannot wait to see you put it to work my darling." Astarion smiled, pressing a kiss to your cheek, he was still in the doghouse but this was a promising start.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Wyll:

When you revealed your new ersatz eye to Wyll, his reaction was immediate. His eyes widened in shock, and he let out a low whistle.

“By the gods, you actually let Volo pluck out your eye?” His voice was a mix of disbelief and concern.

You hesitated, feeling a bit awkward under his gaze. “Well not exactly, but let's not focus on that right now. The eye lets me see things I couldn't before.”

"We will get back to that later." Wyll shook his head at you, a bemused expression on his face. He tilted his face as he took you in. “Foolish, but then again, I suppose I can’t say much. After all, I’ve done my fair share of reckless things.”

He managed a half-smile, stepping closer and placing a comforting hand on your shoulder.

“Welcome to the one-eye club,” he said, his tone softening. “You’re now part of a very exclusive group.”

You blinked, a bit surprised but touched by his attempt at lightening the mood. “I am honoured, you have my eternal thanks, my love.”

Wyll’s smile widened, and he pulled you into a gentle embrace. “You’re still my beloved, no matter how many eyes you have or don’t have. Just… try to avoid letting anyone else poke at your eye, alright?”

You chuckled softly, feeling a mix of relief and affection and you melted into his embrace. “I’ll keep that in mind, Wyll.”

"Good, now it looks like I have some competition for the prettiest member of the one-eyed club." Wyll murmurs, and you laugh, pulling away. Wyll kisses your forehead and smiles to you, "Fierce competition indeed."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Halsin:

When you revealed your new ersatz eye to Halsin, his reaction was immediate and deeply telling. His usually calm demeanor was replaced with a mixture of disappointment and concern. He drew in a sharp breath and let out a low, disapproving sigh. As he examined your altered appearance, his brow furrowed and he shook his head in disbelief, tsking softly under his breath.

"You let Volo perform such a risky procedure? Why would you trust someone like him with something so delicate?" Halsin’s voice was a mix of disbelief and frustration. His eyes were fixed on the artificial eye, assessing its placement and function with a critical eye.

Feeling a pang of guilt and embarrassment, you pouted, your shoulders drooping slightly as if you were a child being reprimanded. You reached out tentatively, wrapping your arms around Halsin in a heartfelt hug, hoping to mitigate the disappointment in his gaze.

"Please don’t be mad at me," you murmured against his chest, your voice muffled. "I thought it was a good idea at the time. I really didn’t think it would cause this much trouble."

Halsin’s expression softened, though his concern was still evident. He gently placed a hand on your back, the touch warm and reassuring.

"I’m not angry with you, my love," he said, his voice calm but firm. "I just wish you wouldn’t let hacks like Volo have their way with you. It’s not only reckless but downright dangerous. I care deeply about your well-being."

You tightened your embrace, nuzzling into his chest as if trying to seek comfort and solace. "I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause any trouble. I’ll try to be more careful next time," you said, your voice earnest and apologetic.

Halsin’s posture relaxed as he allowed himself a soft chuckle. He wrapped his arms around you more securely, drawing you into a protective embrace.

"I’m not truly mad, just worried," he admitted, his tone warm and gentle. "I don’t want to see you put yourself at risk. You’re far too important to me for that."

You looked up at him, your eyes reflecting a mixture of relief and affection. A small, hopeful smile tugged at your lips. "Thank you for understanding," you said, your voice filled with gratitude.

Halsin smiled back, his eyes softening as he leaned down to press a tender kiss to your forehead.

"Always," he murmured, his voice filled with sincerity. "Just promise me you’ll be more cautious in the future. I care too much about you to see you hurt, especially when it’s avoidable."

You nodded, feeling reassured by his comforting words and the warmth of his embrace. "I promise, Halsin," you said, your voice steady and sincere.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Hope you guys enjoyed it ! - Seluney xoxo

Keep this moonmaiden caffeinated x

[cowbeeboy]

Please… please elaborate on how they match eachothers nasty

okay omg hear me out. many ppl might say otherwise but guys, arthur is actually an introvert as well, and you can tell from many cutscenes and general interactions of him with people in the game, so him and charles are totally the type of dudes to sit down in complete silence for an entire afternoon, respectfully occupy themselves with their hobbies and just enjoy time together in silence. not always though bc as we’ve also seen in the game, they physically cant shut the fuck up when they’re together, so they’re either enjoying the silence, which is meaningful in its own way bc as a person who kins charles and loves to just shut the fuck up, it’s really hard to find people who can sit in silence with you and genuinely appreciate it without making it awkward, or constantly yapping. also omg they match each other’s wit. theyre both very silent and always standing in the background scary looking, yet they always have something smartass to say when they speak, threatening and not, and i think it’s adorable when they use their smart mouth on each other.

“any issues… shoot first, debate second.”

“i’m not gonna shoot for the sake of it.”

“survival’s for the sake of it. quit talking.”

“you started it.”

that one’s my favorite interaction of theirs for that exact reason. charles might be the most honorable character in the game and it’s fascinating the way he always challenges arthur in their time together.

the rest of my arguments are based on my headcanons and fics ive read. this is all i could think of to reference thats from the game.

[ultimaid]

I saw in a Kirumi post that you didn't like her trial 2 motivations. Can you elaborate more on that, I'm genuinely curious. Also, how would you write a blackened!Kirumi?

happy to answer!

disclaimer: i have not played or seen trial 2. i find it greatly upsetting and don’t think i’m ready to play it myself yet. everything i know about it comes from spoilers i’ve received and the game’s wiki. if i get a detail wrong, this is why.

my thoughts are basically that the motive itself doesn’t really seem to gel with why kirumi is a maid, why she does what she does. it’s like the love she has for others is completely lost. even at her cruelest, kirumi tries very hard to be kind, and that disappears when so many other people are involved.

it’s also just… so larger-than-life that it takes me out of the game. kirumi is a deeply human character and it feels like that humanity is lost in the outlandishness of her motive. i know part of the point of v3 is that it’s meant to be big and loud and kind of silly, but it feels like it diminishes the quiet humanity of kirumi to give her a motive that’s so absurd.

and!! it’s also just really boring! it doesn’t cut to her character’s core like some other motives do. kirumi’s core is that she is desperate to be cared for, and i want to see what happens when she reaches for that. not just a repeat of the same character we’ve already seen but at a larger scale. it’s like the game itself fell for the front she puts up.

how would i write a blackened kirumi? i’ve actually done it before, in my ao3 series the shakespearean tragedy of kirumi tojo. she kills ryoma in part because it’s a request from someone else, but also in part because she sees it as the only viable solution to her aching, all-consuming loneliness.

i think kirumi would do really, really well with a motive that gets to her heart. a motive that understands that she is deeply lonely, that she feels she needs to be perfect in order to be loved, that she wants to be loved more than anything in the world. killing because of a sense of duty is one thing, but killing because she sees it as the only way she’ll ever be cared for? that would be fascinating! it would be interesting! it would bare her soul to the player in a way the current game refuses to outside of her love hotel.

i just feel like there should be something in kirumi’s motivation that is driven by that deep desire to be cared for. it would make the case more interesting and would make her more interesting too. right now all we get is her facade taken to its logical extreme, but i want to see the scared little girl who’s terrified that nobody will ever love her.

i welcome any thoughts that anyone has!

[abimee]

i realize i need to post more stuff outside of my discord. anyway do you all wanna hear about my hades and azem dynamic

as with all things i love connecting althaea to next to normal. for reasons weve already discussed. but ive never really elaborated much on althaea's relationship with hades which is that of childhood friends but hades keeps creating his own wedge because he cant possibly fathom that he could be a problem for althaea because he sees himself as a sort of. not a protector but more like someone whos been with her so long that hes ''in this'' ?(whatever that may be) with her, a sort of ''weve both been walking the same way for so long that were partners in crime now'', but especially later on when the zodiark stuff starts happening and althaea starts going insane hades struggles to fathom that althaea is her own person with her own thoughts and decisions, purely because althaea feels betrayed by hades' choice in the convication matter, and when hades tries to have his cake (go against althaea's beliefs) and eat it too (stay her friend) he cant fathom why its making everything sort of horrible. Like okay this is based a chunk off of ''i am the one'' which in itself a whole thing but like. okay three steps back

this is going to be a 2 am tangent for sure [11:08 PM] okay so to unweave the woven thread of hades and althaea we need to head all the way back to near-childhood

althaea met hades when they were incredibly young: hades often was visiting there due to schools and what his parent did and so he was coralled to be with the only other child on the floating islands, who was althaea (minthe never came out of her room). I think emet is only a few years older than althaea (when shes 42 hes 46), so they meet when althaea is around 4 and hes 8; he originally didnt like her very much and hated being tied to a ''child'' (he always tried to play the mature older kid thing), while althaea was heavily fascinated by him and often tried to get him to talk to her. He spent a good chunk of time trying to just keep her out of his hair and ignore her, even going so far as to push her away or try to ''scare her off'' by getting in her face/acting really rude, but althaea didnt take no unless being clearly told no, and despite it all hades never Truly told her no/to back off ---- this is a common thing hades does, of acting one way but believing something else entirely, which will bite him in the ass eventually in other ways [11:18 PM] regardless, while ahdes never ''gives in'' in his eyes, he does start to actually ''''tolerate'''' althaea, including letting her tell him about the bugs shes seen and dragging him all over the place and trying to get him to play games she entirely made up but believe every child in amaurot plays Althaea, having no other kids to make friends with, and Hades, knowing she doesnt have any friends, do eventually become ''friends'', and when hades is old enough even makes the trips to elpis on his own to visit althaea more routinely, typically around age 10-11 while hades is liked within his schooling and amicable with others, his constant travelling to visit althaea makes it hard for him to maintain any other friendships (so he says), when really althaea doesnt ''need'' him to visit so often --- it becomes more for him than for her at some point, as despite how well-liked he is, he himself rarely makes the effort to make friends, and often relies on others approaching him to befriend him, and to expect them to get over his crusty exterior personality, which often makes most friendships fail and for him to be left to himself the only other friend he makes obvs is hythlodaeus, who did similar to althaea of basically getting into his space and refusing to leave unless hades explictly said so, which he never does; hes a magnet for people someone who weaponizes his self-percieved/created ineptitude (hythlodaeus) and someone who is genuinely inept (althaea)

through these formative years (him 8-14, althaea 4-10) for hades althaea grows to be his closest friend, and this is also when althaea is finally able to enter into amaurot/come down to the star for an education on behalf of venat and her mother, which means althaea is now visiting him while he is beginning his more rigorous educational advancement; he gets considered pretty early for something non-convicational, and gets a mentor who he follows alongside his studies. This is also when Althaea's flights of grandeur are pretty bad because a sudden change in enviroment has agitated a manic upswing, and through a series of events althaea basically flings herself off a basically swingset setup while hades isnt looking and cracks her head clean open on the landing hades, who is the only one there to witness this, has to deal with cradling althaea's head in his hands as her blood smears all over her face and drips into his lap, and he has to actually do something rather than just call for an adult, and carries althaea to the nearest sidewalk in hopes that someone will spot them (which luckily happens). Althaea has no memory of this event as the concussion caused an amnesiac episode that lead her to never recall what happened that day, and she makes a full recovery (the wound was thankfully no deeper than skin, and healed spotlessly). This did however leave a traumatic memory for Hades as he had to witness althaea laying on the ground with blood coming from her head, and that he remembers the feeling of its warmth in his hands, and that hes the only one who remembers --- not to mention the only one who tries to continously ''jog'' althaea's memory for it, while everyone tries to make him stop and to just pretend it never happened, since althaea doesnt remember. This will be the first case of hades' oncoming dynamic of often feeling like the ''only one'' who was there for althaea, or one who ''knows everything''

if you recall though, this is not the only time that althaea has been put in harms way: later she'll be chased by an animal in the woods on an escapade with venat and her sister minthe, and minthe had to protect her against said animal with her own body until venat caught up to them. This is a memory althaea Does recall, but Minthe does not put it on althaea nor make it a ''moment/memory'' minthe feels she needs althaea to recall herself to assuage minthe's own feelings on it. Minthe's trauma of this experience is only relative, but her own, and unlike Hades she does not require her sister to constantly confirm/affirm her savior-complex; Minthe is willing to take this burden onto herself without having to feel the ''satisfaction'' of althaea ''knowing'' shes shouldering this burden. If it makes sense, Hades in a way is always looking to be affirmed that he is caring for althaea/that he is burdening himself for her sake, like a need to be seen for his ''selfless'' act here, which doesnt manifest much elsewhere; while hes a standoffish person, he does have his intentions for his people, but specifically with althaea a sort of need of self-gratification manifests for reasons hes not fully sure of for a good chunk of time (but which will be realized later)

anyway. This is a sort of declaring moment in his life where besides all of that (the need to be affirmed that he is being self-burdening for althaeas sake), he does truly care for her. Theyre best friends forever by the time they hit their teens, and of course theres the entire thing with Althaea's treatment of her bipolar that ive chronicalled in here

so i think during thsi time where althaea is getting treatment hades feels sort of ''shut out'', as althaea is heavily barred post-treatement and basicaly only sees her family, the medical students, and venat; hythlodaeua and hades dont see her much this time, and when they do it's when althaea has undergone convulsive shock therapy and is having her ''eerily normal'' moment with amnesiac symptoms, and this randomly sort of sets off hades --- hes known althaea for years at this point, probably around 10-12 years (relative to amaurotine time), and he /knows/ althaea; he knows her as the flightly, crazy, fast-talking, imaginative, strange, colorful child who always had something to say and barely any time to say it and who had so much knowledge for the most random things yet struggled to recall basic concepts and often relied on others to help her out. To see his best friend suddenly….. be someone Else, someone who was quieter and calmer and spoke rationally and made eye contact and remembered her manners and the little details you told her last week felt… off. And hades couldnt help but partially make this about himself, not outwardly but definitely inwardly: he had no idea what was going on with his best friend, what they were doing to her in there and whaty these ''treatements'' were, and now a complete stranger was calling herself althaea and there was nothing he could do, him, the person whos supposed to be there for althaea and know everything about her and be her support, is now shut out and is now the one in the dark, who doesnt have any idea what happened, just like althaea not remembering the utter mental scar her bloodied head put into hades, and theres nobody he can talk to about this because this is althaea's ''choice'' and her life, hes all alone without even the one person whos /always/ there actually being /there/ --- althaea might be present, but this treatment ''took her away''

If we remember, this ''self'' of althaea was named Iphicles by althaea herself afterwards, but this information was never brought up to Hades. To him, Iphicles is a stranger that althaea was briefly, when he was ''abandoned'' and left alone in the dark while althaea goes through her treatement. I think Hades finds out eventually about what happened between althaea and her mother, and the fact that she was going under electroshock therapy, as when althaea was taken ''off'' this treatement and they awaited their relapse althaea was kept at home, but she was allowed visitors, of which is where hades finally gets to learn and be ''let in'', but this too is also a sort of mental scar for himself, one of the ''moments'' of althaea that he keeps in his mind always; the few months where the althaea he knew was taken away, and he was abandoned by her for ''going'' Like he is there for her in her relapse post-treatement cancelling, but it's one of those things that he feels hes forced to just ''move on'' from as this wasnt ever his fight, but it still had an effect on him, and the fact that he was once again (willingly) being burdened with caring for althaea, and he wants to be noticed for this, i guess in a way he wants to be seen as someone who carries a heavy weight, while also self-gratifying in that he is willingly taking this on. A sort of cognitive dissonance of ''people need to see how im burdening myself with caring for this ill child''/''i care for this person deeply and want to help her and be there for her''. A selfish/selfless double-side that he has that he never reconciles which, like a bunch of stuff im mentioning, WILL bite him in the ass later Post-relapse, when Althaea is back to being herself and she can finally ''move on'' with her plans to become the next azem, hades eventually condenses their friend circle together as Hythlodaeus hes been friends with althaea for a while and didnt realize that hades knew her as well, and in their teens they all begin to move as a unit; while hades is still studying under a mentor and about to head to one of the anyders, hythlodaeus is picked up by the current chief architect to study under her and potentially become an architect as well, while althaea is still following venat around and gaining experiences for a possible future as the next azem

during this time (their teens to mid-20s) hades is a steadfast friend and confidant to althaea, and by this point (their 20s) theyve known each other for two decades (amaurotine relative) and are practically an inseperable bond; hades has seen althaea at her highest and lowest, both in the traumatic sense and in that hades was there for when althaea went to the ocean for the first time, submitted her very first concept, came down with a horrible flu, cut her hair, tripped and broke her elbow, etc --- he was even a sort of confidant for hythlodaeus when they reveal that he has developed feelings for althaea, and is there to witness althaea and hythlodaeus start a relationship. He was there when althaea completed her apprenticeship, he was there when she was bestowed the seat of Azem, was there when she got married to hythlodaeus, was there to help her through every step not to mention like, emotionally. He was there for every manic high and euthymic limbo and dysphoric depression, was there when she'd lock herself in her bedroom and run through the pouring rain and when she stayed up until the sun rose developing 100 different types of ants, was there when she started having chronic night terrors or when she had a brief issue with her stomach he was even there when althaea had the ectopic pregnancy that nearly killed her but she herself chose to ''go through'' with it, hades and halmarut being the two to bear witness to althaea bleeding out on the tile floor as her body got ''rid'' of it

when the convocation tries to get althaea back onto some sort of medication, Hades is one of the major encouragements for it --- and this might seem strange, as when he was younger he didnt like the althaea that was when she was on the shock therapy, but the difference is that hades had matured and thought himself outgrown from the petty notions and ignorance he lived in as a kid ---- decades upon decades (amaurotine time, relative speaking they are in their 40s right now) of time with althaea and growing up had made him begin to wonder if perhaps althaea can have a better life if she re-try the treatement that pre-dated the shock therapy, if there was possibly a chance that althaea could be ''helped'', as hades goals switched from not just being ''there'' to take her burden, but to possibly alleviate/remove it entirely. The treatement, minus shock therapy, seems genuinely viable, and in hsi darkest moments he even thinks about a world where althaea was just slightly like that person he saw when they were younger --- if perhaps althaea would have a happier life is she was just a ''bit more normal'' like ''the rest of them''

this is the main meat of the sort of tension that arises when theyre grown: Hades had developed his ideas and ways of thinking, and while hes always seen althaea as at least partially an ''outsider'', as hades is ultimately a comformist to amaurotine ideals, he thought himself a sort of ''charitable'' person: again, that he ''burdens'' himself with loving and caring for this ''outsider'', this ''unwell'' deviance of societal norms --- much older now, hades has developed a sense that this can be corrected, that this doesnt have to 'be', that the treatement althaea experienced beforehand was traumatic and horrible, but theyve 'worked on it' and it can find 'alternative solutions'. At the end of the day, no matter how much hades is doing this with good intentions, similar to his stance with hermes, he sees behavior outside of the normal as something that can possibly be surpressed/altered/'treated', and that it would do the person good to help them 'overcome' this. Essentially, even though hades does care for althaea, he ultimately believes that it would be better if they were cured, or that what they have is always a burden [turns around] this is also partially developed because hades does ultimately form what he considers an attraction to althaea. It was a sort of inevitability that he would fall in love with her, at least he tells himself such, and so part of this thought process is the idea that if althaea could get 'better', then they could be 'happy' together. If you're curious how this works wrt her being married to hythlodaeus: althaea leads a very strange life, and while hades doesnt encroach on their marriage, it is also known that her ectopic pregnancy was between her and hermes and not her and hythlodaeus. she is not polymarous but she has also never cheated. Enjoy that anecdote as i return to the main point anyway Through all of this --- the pain, the concussion, the electroshock, the pregnancy, the near-deaths, the highs and lows, hades has always been there. ever since she was a little thing was he there, and hes planned on being there until the end ---- that is, until the first final days strikes and they have to develop a plan to subvert it, which eventually becomes the Zodiark project Hades of course is all for it. Althaea, of course, is entirely against both it and Venat's idea of sundering the star

but back to it. and this song

Hades is very firm in that Zodiark is what needs to happen, while Althaea is so firmly against it that she feels betrayed by everyone who agrees to it. This is due to a multitude of reasons, including the fact it sacrifices concepts and amaurotines, the fact that she feels theres another way the convication isnt seeing, and the fact that it requires her close friend elidibus to become its heart (as mitron refused loghrif being made it), and the fact that she feels powerless to stop any of this She eventuallty comes to flee her seat entirely and ''go missing'', but for the first few weeks of the plan developing Althaea sticks around, but she is so overcome with a sense of being betrayed by those she kept close that she quite literally cuts everyone off --- she tells Hades to his face that she cant look at him anymore for his choice and that she doesnt want him to ever contact her anymore which just absolutely sends this guy into a fit, like an astronomical one (as depicted in this song) ^, because how dare Althaea just burden him for all these years and then decide to just walk away from Him, to throw away all of his hard work and all the years he spent by her side, how dare Althaea make a choice for herself and not consider all that Hades had been put through for her --- he essentially in this moment devolves down into ''i willingly did all of these things you never asked me to do, you owe me to stay''

Hades never considered that he could ever do Althaea wrong, that Althaea would make her own choice, it sort of all comes out that Hades' perception of Althaea was a helpless, mentally ill deviant of society that should be greatful that someone like him loved and cared for her so much, and that she cant just leave him now and be her own person with her own choices, she has to come back here and recognize that he put so much time and effort into caring for her, someone so difficult to love, and that he needs to be rewarded for it, that he cant experience the reprocussions of his defensive personality and that he kept visualizing himself as a sort of protector/carer for althaea, and that he never developed an idea of althaea independent to his care

So althaea making a choice, to put her foot down and say to hades that shes leaving is unfathomable to him, hes spent Decades loving her and hes just being left in the dark again? As if althaea knew any of this, which she never did, because he never opened up about his feelings and so just intentionally burdened himself, and now feels owed But Althaea doesn't budge: for once in her life she is making a choice all her own, and while hades is unable to accept the consequences of his choices, Althaea is ready to accept hers, knowing shes ostracising herself from her major supports and is essentially being ''let loose'': but this is her choice, and she wants to have a choice in life already, she wants people to stop choosing for her and deciding everything without her, she doesnt hate elidibus for choosing to become the heart but instead for everyone else for choosing this path and forcing elidibus' hand for his people, she hates that this world Chooses for others, concept and man, and that theres so much that doesnt get a Choice, that she rarely gets them, that the few choices she got in life she had to physically kick and scream and fight for, that someone so close to her like hythlodaeus and hades and venat would spend so many years Choosing for her but then when she wants to make her own choice the option isnt there, she knows theres another way but nobody is letting Her Choose

so she makes a choice distinctly her own, and throws away everything shes ever had with the three of them: they all mean nothing to her, and she's going off to make her own choices and defy them, to prove that she wants to make her own decisions and all that it entails; its not that she wants to be right, she just wants to feel like she agrees with what shes doing, she wants to feel like a person that others are listening to instead of just hearing This, of course, makes hades ungodly amounts of angered, but this isnt his choice, and for once he is forced to reconcile that the point of loving someone is to respect their choice, even if it means not choosing you, and that he cant force althaea to Do anything he says --- she is her own person, and He chose to be by her side, and now hes made his choice, and he is experiencing the consequences of what he chose anyway we know the rest of that story. peace and love <3

[ultimateplaylistmaker]

waitttt can you elaborate on the similarities between taka and kokichi? it’s such an interesting comparison

*vibrates* YES I CAN ABSOLUTELY ELABORATE

Ishimaru and Kokichi are both white uniform wearing leaders, both of whom he see problems in society and around them and devote themselves to fixing it. They follow their own set of rules that while are completely comprehensible and understanding to them, tends to leave others in confusion. Both of them (likely) had somewhat tragic upbringings with Ishimaru living in poverty and kokichi (likely) having his own tragic backstory of his own. They're both people who when faced with a motive about keeping information secret immediately went "so we should share them all with everyone" Ishimaru unfortunately was shot down while Kokichi when being denied attempted to force it anyways because its just the right move.

Both have positions of power and ADMITTEDLY this one's more headcanon but I really think Kokichi would just straight up not like the talent system, Kokichi likes chaos and unpredictability, he would find the talent system fucking boring and I cannot be told otherwise. Kokichi's a smart boy who likes interesting things, not to mention he leads a group of people who likely aren't ultimates, you cannot tell me Kokichi would like a system that discriminates against most members of DICE.

You know who else CANONICALLY doesn't like the talent system? Kiyotaka Ishimaru, who has a LOT to say about how geniuses aren't real and how its effort that deserves to be rewarded instead. In the V3 bonus mode, Kokichi even finds Ishimaru's speeches interesting, even if he cloaks it in talk about how as an evil leader it's what he wants to destroy.

The only real true difference is that Ishimaru wants to change society from the INSIDE modeling a better behavior and enforcing change through the systems. While Kokichi wants to change society from the OUTSIDE, putting pressure on systems and actively showing their flaws as a mean to either make it bend and change, or crumple and fall apart.

So if they were able to come together under a common goal, they'd be pretty damn unstoppable as Ishimaru creates change and inspiration on the inside that can feed off the pressure and doubt that Kokichi provides. Plus I think they'd have a lot to learn from each other, Kokichi can help Ishimaru learn how to bend or even break rules for a greater purpose of changing the rules or revealing injustice, and Ishimaru can help give Kokichi a greater understanding of the inside of systems and why people would follow them

Plus could you IMAGINE those two in a debate? It would be fucking FASCINATING! I can just imagine them arguing philosophy and hegel and stoicism and the point of society and all that fun stuff as Kokichi runs from Ishimaru who is trying to give him a detention. It's a good dynamic! They're very similar people who came to different conclusions to achieve SIMILAR GOALS, I LOVE IT

Plus Ishimaru is very much not the top to just go "its just kokichi let it go" because Ishimaru is the kind of person who challenges Celeste to games constantly because he's determined to prove that by studying and skill he can beat her talent, because Ishimaru is one of the few people who sees through that talent isn't everything, he even says things like

"You(Makoto) and me, we're just normal people. We know what it means to have to make an effort."

"I figured this school would be full of geniuses. I mean, I thought everyone would be my enemy."

"So we have to work hard to build a society where those who put in the most effort are properly rewarded!"

"Effort is everything! That's the only way to fix anything in this world! And I have to prove that to all the ordinary people out there so they'll keep on trying!"

"I have to become the ordinary man who can surpass any genius!"

You can't tell me an ultimate with such an unusual mindset wouldn't capture Kokichi's attention, and you can't tell me Ishimaru wouldn't be able to see the sheer amount of effort Kokichi puts into things even if Kokichi tries to make it seem effortless. I think they could balance each other out really nicely, and push the other to improve and refine their beliefs and morality.

[raisinchallah]

everyone getting mad at the post saying oh things are queer coding not queerbait words have meaning well join me on this journey of watching teen wolf with me and see how the concepts blur again i feel like bait of the scale of teen wolf well thats often just gay people having fun which i do think is very funny and again what i think the divide between bait and coding is that if there are already gay characters it means theres potential and that they will more deliberately and directly walk up to the line characters will say am i gay do you think im gay like no they were inventing something new in the 2010s a special space in tv history i love queerbait i think its fun and fascinating it always makes the tv watching experience more entertaining anyways people saying these words at me over and over watch teen wolf you tell me what you think about the elaborate stiles asks or implies hes attracted to men or is gay but this is also done in a deliberate and leading manner that never gets any confirmation hmmm rorscharch test is this coding or bait answer me this cowards in my notes like sorry but coding has to be more subtle than that bait is a game its a dance its picking up breadcrumbs in like a theme park that leads u between the most entertaining rides its infinitely studyable and entertaining..

[zahai]

As someone who knows nothing about ai: the somnium files: what are your favorite things about ai: the somnium files? (the more you elaborate the better (<-said kicking my feet holding my head in my hands (i love hearing about people's favorire things)))

Oh my goodness me, a chance to ramble about one of my favorite games? How ever will I cope with such a situation??? I suppose... I must... Ramble!

And then I took that very literally and rambled a whole lot. I've put everything under a read more because this is just nonstop stream-of-consciousness and I'm mostly unapologetic. Enjoy!

Firstly, and really I do mean firstly, the ARG that launched with the game announcement! I've had a small interest in ARGs for the last ten or so years. Never anything relevant, weirdly enough (somehow I managed to completely dodge Gravity Falls until well after both its series AND post-series ARG had concluded), but having a new game by one of my favorite directors launch with him introducing us to his new virtual idol who he cared for deeply? Yeah I was hooked. A-Set, Uchikoshi's Virtual Star of the Internet, was a charmer. I found her annoying at first, but her weekly vlogs were a wonderful way to introduce us the players to some of the locations and cast members. There was also a twitter component where A-Set would interact with her in-world self-acclaimed Biggest Fan - Ota Matsushita - and real-world game director - Kotaro Uchikoshi - freely. I didn't and still don't have an account on that website, so I relied mostly on updates fed via discord bot for that.

This ARG was... Fascinating. I honestly highly recommend checking out, at the very least, A-Set's youtube channel. It barely scratches the surface of just how wacky things became (three additional characters eventually began participating in the ARG on twitter - Japanese A-Set, Japanese Ota Matsushita, and Japanese Kotaro Uchikoshi - only one of whom was really relevant in the end but they sure did make things confusing for a bit), but it covers more than enough to be intriguing on its own. And honestly? It made A-Set a more interesting character for me to consider on all of the routes I spent not hanging out with her.

Routes? That's right, this game has different endings! A handful of main endings, a couple of joke endings, a few bad ends scattered here and there. And it's pretty easy to figure out what route you're on because this game is.... A visual novel! Fully voice acted! Yeah I spent all that time up there rambling about an ARG that a majority of players didn't know about, didn't care about, or came too late to participate in, and only now am I actually going to tell you what kind of game Ai: The Somnium Files even is!

AITSF is a fully voice acted visual novel with multiple endings, starring not A-Set because she's too busy being a teenage internet idol, where you play as Horny Idiot Special Agent Kaname Date. The horny is important - trust me. Date's not alone out on the streets of Japan though, he's got a partner with him at all times who goes by the name of Aiba. I would say she's the brains to his foolishness, but we've all begun to realize the failings of AI and oh yeah! I should probably let you in on that little tidbit too, huh? Aiba, short for Ai-Ball, is an artificial intelligence housed inside of Date's left eye socket who has been his false eye and as his partner for the last five years. Sometimes she looks like a gelatinous hamster. I want. To hold her. So badly. So badly... ;-; I will never know the satisfaction of holding my own treasured eye in the palm of my hand, seeing myself reflected through an eye that is and is not my own, I will never feel her tiny little hamster feet trod across the palms of my hands as she lists off all the bugs she saw that day with her little cheers I will never be able to fail resisting the compulsion to put her in my mouth and swallow and thank everything for that because sometimes that gummy bear looks tasty even though she is literally the color of water and I wish I could tell you what it is but the best I can give you is a shrug and maybe a nickel.

So Date and his eye, Aiba, now that we finally have main characters for this game, are introduced to Problems almost faster than we are introduced to the characters themselves in-game. We've got a corpse on our hands (okay well actually it's in the saddle of a busted-down merry-go-round horse) and it's missing a left eye, and our Boss is looking none-too-pleased to be tromping around in the mud in her heels. From there, I'm sure you can imagine what Date's role is for the rest of this game. Find out who killed this woman, and figure out why everyone's so cagey about that case six years ago that this one is apparently so similar to.

We've got a job now, yay! How do we do it though, other than clicking on every single thing you can see on screen until every character runs out of dialogue, then panning the camera over six inches and repeating the process? There's also the generic "drive to X location" travel option, but neither dialogue decisions or travel choices impact how the story unfolds. That depends entirely on how you handle certain gameplay sections called Psyncs.

I hesitate on what to call psyncs other than what they are. It's not an interrogation, not in a traditional sense. Special Agent Kaname Date is a member of the Advanced Brain Investigation Squad of the Metropolitan Police Department. Members of ABIS use the psync machine to peer into the dreaming minds of people they're investigating in order to advance their investigations. Not great, but honestly probably one of the more ethical settings Uchikoshi has made up. I'm going to level with you - the insanely unethical bullshit that SHOULD NOT fly is most of the reason I come to Uchi games. They're fucking bizarre and there's NO way people signed off on it, and yet somehow????

During normal world investigation and interaction, Date takes the lead. He's got the bigger body of the Date-Aiba duo, and also the advantage of not being Some Annoying Blond Guy's Eye. Aiba will chime in whenever Date is too pervy, too annoying, or A BUG!!!! appears, and will also scatter in commentary to Date while he talks or looks about. During a Psync, this flips completely. Aiba's got herself a snazzy little Human Look, and everyone immediately dubbed her A Shrimp. A Shrimp Wife Who Has My Heart. I would die for her in any form. I love my hamster shrimp wife with glowing hair and a wig that I want to make some day I love her silly puns I lvoe her stupid faces I love how she teases I think it's so funny that she's decided to fuck with Date as part of her job I love how much she cares I lovve her I lvoe her so much she's everything and I would blow myself up for her no questions asked

sorry

anyways. Psyncing. Unethical, but fun! Aiba gets to explore and Date hangs back and plays the chatterbox role this time. For the most part. Aiba has six minutes to run around in whoever's brain, except not actually! Thanks to ABIS's tech guy, Pewter, time only passes normally while you're moving around. As long as you're standing still, time passes at a much, much slower rate. Psyncs are a dive into someone's dreams and psyche, so a wonderful way for a player to look at what makes a character tick. The choices you make in them decide how the story unwinds, and oh my goodness can it unwind. Before the game launched, back when all we had was the ARG's version of Ota (which actually is no different from how he is in game just so you know), I didn't like him. I didn't like him for my first several hours. I full-on sobbed at his ending because of just how HARD it went. And then I went to my next path thinking that surely this one wouldn't make me cry nearly as hard now that I'd gotten it all out early on the worst character, right?

I don't remember how many times I cried over this game and its characters. I'm tearing up now, just thinking of one of my favorite psyncs, one of my favorite somniums. and Now I'm realizing I never chained that final dot. Oops. You're Psynching into their Somnium. That's all. Sorry I forgot, I really didn't mean to. Anyways. The somniums get more and more complex the further in you get, and there were some that I replayed five or six times before I finally cracked them. They still feel good to go back and replay, actually! The complexity is just deep enough between wandering around investigating things, and figuring out how to wander around and investigate them again, but DIFFERENTLY. Because the choices you make set what path the investigation takes, with different paths revealing different clues.

Wonder what that's about.

I think I've just gone and summed up everything but the OST at this point instead of telling you what parts are my favorite. Truth be told? I love it all. Even the music. There's a lot of that, but I'm going to force myself to wrap this post up before the two hour mark even if it kills me and quite honestly there are a few tracks in there that have me tearing up just thinking about them. I'm also tireed of tearing up when I don't even have the game on.

I. I love the game's story. Not all of them, I don't really love any of the endings where Date winds up shot, but I love the big stories and the small. I love the depth and complexity to each individual ending, the way each one can hit differently once you've spent enough time turning them over, and the amount of care the charactters express through the game. They care about each other. Yes in found family no in found family say what you will but the connections between all the individual characters is just chef's kiss perfection. Every time I go back and replay aitsf I go down certain paths first because I care about their stories most. And I still cry.

If you read all this - holy shit. Thakls. I didn't make my deadline ): that's okay though, because I had fun. I'm gonna replay my game. I can't wait

BTW it's got a free demo and is available on pc, switch, ps4, and xboxone(I think? Idk how microsoft does their. naming)~

[fishareglorious]

i wonder if they're gonna elaborate on semmelweis' friendship with hofmann once she's playable. did they— [LOUD FOGHORN NOISE]

SEMMELWEIS SENMELWEIS SEMMWELSI

she’s on a first-name basis with her.

yuri...?

yeah she did kinda have to fight figuring out what is real and what's the product of the steadily frequent hallucinations caused by her chronic condition that also will kill her in several months time also while fighting the manus and all assorted arcane creatures in echoes in the mountain

ah heinrich....

wait wuh i thought we were in 1914. i think this exchange happened on jan 7 so new year has already passed so...???? im confused

also the storm can pass through the same area and timeline twice. hm. interesting.

she’s so incredibly sarcastic i love her

thats the last thing marcus ever wants to do

where is sonetto’s two star commandment v debuff when you need it...

it was probably bkornblume's two-target attack ngl

hearing her more fascinated and excited than anything angry is so silly of her

marcus: FUCK THIS SHIT IM OUT

if greta is the funniest person in vienna rn then kakania takes the place of the silliest billy here. shes such an incredibly fun character i feel sad remembering bluepoch's gonna put her through the emotional and mental wringer later on and into the angst meatgrinder next chapter

admittedly, marcus is very small (5'0 more or less from what i remember?) but you're only two years older than her, lmao. granted, i do treat people younger than me kind of like that so

her udimo is a parrot of course she’s as chatty as one lmfao

the fathersonisms between greta and marcus cannot be understated.

everything hurts in hindsight

aperion’s just a bunch of greek philosophical math weirdo nerds you’re not really missing alot. well except for the whole storm immunity thing ig

ohhhh so thats why aperion was bombed

greta is going to pop a vein she left marcus for almost an hour and now she’s broken like. two rules already

huh. are you sure marcus is of legal drinking age? granted, this is another country in another time so. wait hold on let me look

okay its perfectly fine for marcus to drink wine since the legal drinking age for non-spirit bevarages in austria is sixteen. im assuming that this law goes the same for 1914 austria.

this game makes me search the weirdest questions sometimes

on another line of thought, since her birthday actually happens later on in the story, is marcus sixteen here and turns seventeen on jan 12, or is she currently seventeen and turns eighteen on her birthday? probably the latter case. anyway, moving on.

WHITE WOMAN JUMPSCARE

literally she’s all in white and she’s white

kinda fruity summary

mmmmmmmmm i dont like this. i feel like this is setting itself up for a shitshow.

don't think marcus would ever be ready to actually lose you on her first ever mission.

chapter 4 is the epitome of the foundation politicking getting in the way of the better treatment of arcanists so yeah.

on another thought greta was quite biased negatively against arcanists in her report so i wonder when and how she had a change of heart. or was it just because the whole business of 77 and the manus arcanists raked on her badly that her frustration and prejudices bled through the report

finally playing chapter 6. i'm putting everything under cut for the sake of not spoiling people and because i might go off the shits.

anyways: i'll be bringing up the events that'll happen in the later stages constantly. also will mention chapter 7 (patch 1.9) spoilers in detail so watch out.

isolde on the torture chair once again.

since i like reading up on medical history i am curious a little bit on the actual historical accounts of EST. while im mainly more interested in the realm of epidemiology instead of neurosciences and general psychology stuff i might fall into a deep dive of this topic later lol. who knows.

.... eee. a sad truth.

ehm. not really.

ah were back for the regularly scheduled arcanist discrimination i guess

SLAYYYYY KAKANIA'S HERE

oh. yeah i forgot kakania's a med school dropout with a practice that's definitely not legal.

can't. hold schwartz against that sigmund freud was a... weird guy. especially with his oedipus complex thing

we back on laplace. also what the fuck is up with these guys. didn't matilda and sotheby run into one of of them covered in weird slime in The Star

MANUS MASKS????!!! WHAT THE FUCK STOP EXPERIMENTING WITH MANUS GOOP!??!?!!!

FUCK. IS THAT WHY PEOPLE STARTED TURNING INTO MANUS MONSTERS IN CHAP 7.

STOP THAT SHIT RIGHT NOW.

the forehead slap i just did can be heard all the way down the marinara ocean. like fuck offffffffffffff. luc's such a funny bastard she has the most serious robotic voice yet she does stupid comedic shit like this. i love you you funny tin woman

... at the expense of the majority of your staff? god with my knowledge on chapter 7 im constantly going 😬 here not going to lie.

!!!????? HE SHOVED A BALLPOINT INTO HIS EYE???? OH MY FUCKING GOD?

i kindave feel for medpoc if I was them i would be biting the shit out of lucy right now in utter frustration of her callousness

an unfortunate nickname for them, but that's semmelweis' team!

all we know from echoes in the mountain's story has set up quite some of the happenings for this chapter.

[fearofahumanplanet]

Updated Intro

My Cluster B-exclusive 18+ Discord server can be found here!

Yeah, so my first intro was Bad and I've gotten so much more involved on this site than I thought I would - so it's time to wipe time and do it all again!

Hello, I'm Jane Doe (not my real name - you'd be amazed how many people think so, but really, it's not). I'm a writer and a mouthy sufferer of several personality disorders, and both of these things have kind of become the focus of this blog (bc I can't help but vent in the middle of the night when I should be sleeping).

General Taglist: @aohendo, @athenswrites, @impaledlotus, @bardic-tales, @carefulpyro, @marinesocks, @writingpotato07, @hey-its-quill

MASTERLIST AND WIP INFO AT THE BOTTOM OF POST

This blog contains NSFW (18+) content - I don't really impose any limits on my writing, and it is and has always been an outlet for my trauma! You have been warned.

THIS BLOG IS AND ALWAYS WILL BE A SAFE PLACE FOR ALL LGBT+ & QUEER PEOPLE, ALL CLUSTER B DISORDERS (INCLUDING NPD & ASPD), ALL DISABLED PEOPLE (PHYSICALLY OR MENTALLY), ANYONE OF ANY RACE, ETC. IF YOU'RE A BIGOT IN ANY REGARD, FUCK RIGHT OFF.

Now that we're through with that...

A Little About Me

I am twenty-one years old & Irish-American, I use she/her & it/its pronouns, I am hella LGBT, and I am a loud & proud anarcho-communist

We are a system that suffer from a combination of severe symptoms from all Cluster B personality disorders, but most severely borderline personality disorder (BPD), antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). Outside of those I also suffer from dependent personality disorder (DPD), bulimia nervosa + ARFID, chronic insomnia, major depressive disorder, agoraphobia, CPTSD, and am autistic, & with this blog I have decided to make it everyone else's problem :P

I am open to DMs, asks, & tag games at all times! But I may take a bit to get back to you

If you'd like to beta read or just read any of my WIPs, let me know! I usually share PDFs when at least a couple drafts are finished

I have been studying English for about as long as I've lived and writing for about eight years, and I'd like to think I've become pretty damn good at these things. I love beta reading and helping to edit other people's works, so if you have a WIP and you'd like some help, feel free to contact me (ESPECIALLY if it fits snugly into my interests).

Outside of writing, I have a deep love for horror movies & games, video games (especially first-person shooters & roguelikes), HEMA, reading (of course), punk & metal music, snakes & dogs, psychology & philosophy, and staying awake long enough to make inadvised chaotic decisions without a worry. Recommend me music of any kind, please!

I have also devoted almost a decade of my life to studying mythology, theology, history & culture all around the world - I find these things endlessly fascinating, brilliant, and inspiring, and I am always eager to find out more about foreign cultures! If you need any help regarding mythology/theology (basically anything there) or specific parts of history (ask!) feel free to message or ask me!

Stuff Regarding My Writing

I am an all-around speculative/weird fiction writer, though I am willing to try literally anything if the idea intrigues me enough. That being said, almost all of my work returns to horror eventually, as it is my beloved and my most faithful muse. Besides horror, some of my other favorite genres to write include dark fantasy, urban fantasy, historical fiction, noir, & cyberpunk.

My writing style itself is a mix of a more casual style with more complex words & obscure references mixed in. My work tends to be quite bleak & dark in content, as it started as a coping mechanism for my trauma, but I don't believe in grimdark stories and I work to make sure there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, however dim. There is also, very frequently, stylized and detailed gore & elaborate, over-the-top action in my work.

My writing takes a very psychological, character-driven bent at all times - I feel no shame in having simpler plots so that I can focus on the mindsets of traumatized and fucked-up people. Mental health is a primary focus in all of my writing, and I tend to feature antiheroes or legitimate villains as protagonists.

Black-and-white morals are a thing of fiction in my work - with the rarest of exceptions, I strive to discard "good and evil" as constructs entirely and write human beings instead.

I usually write female protagonists and/or protagonists of marginalized & underrepresented groups. Everything I write will have some LGBT people somewhere, it's a guarantee.

Thanks to my areas of study, I also write a lot about mythology & theology - good luck finding a single project of mine that doesn't sneak in a reference to some god somewhere, if not straight up including them. I also really enjoy ancient literature and will frequently incorporate references or quotes from older epics. Drinking game: Take one shot every time I reference Dante's Inferno in something (don't actually do this for your own safety)

While my settings & stories tend to be very fantastical, I always seek to ground them in reality as much as I can and give them a grittier feel - combat in my stuff is a lot less cartoony and a lot more focused on broken bones and bloody bodies. I also write HEAVILY about real-world politics with an explicitly leftist anarchist view, so if that's not something you're prepared to deal with, I'd advise you turn around now.

My Current WIPs...

Karma Killer (full post here) - Slasher, Psychological Horror. In the fictional mountain town of Lake Leer, Colorado, a bullied teen named Kora Lynch is driven to suicide, only to be saved by a wrathful goddess and given a kabuki mask and the ability to know anyone's sins with a mere glance. Indebted to her new lord, Kora takes up the name of "Karma" and begins tormenting the people who drove her to die - only to start losing herself and her ideals with every bloody body she leaves behind her.

The Serpents They Stone (full post here) - Mythological Urban Fantasy, Cyberpunk. In an alternate version of our world where gods lived alongside humankind and brought them to a new level of technological prosperity, the dreaded World Serpent Jörmungandr reveals herself to have survived Ragnarok while rescuing her villainous old flame, the Phantom Queen Badb. Quickly finding herself pursued by the entire world for the prophecy that promises she will end the world, Jörmungandr dedicates herself to saving Badb from the "Black Pharaoh" that enslaves her - even as Badb is forcibly driven to remain sinister and create chaos.

Miasma (full post here) - Historical Dark Fantasy. Based on the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland & the later Black Death, the island of Ériu is besieged by the foreign Anglii and their High King is killed. His daughter, Hail, dies with him, but she is resurrected by the serpent goddess Corchen with one objective - to kill King Godric across the ocean, no matter the cost. Her mission soon intertwines with that of a mysterious plague doctor's, who seeks to stop an oncoming plague - one that could spell the end of all life.

Short Story Masterlist

D.N.R. (Character study about BPD) (full story here)

Ghost (Dungeon-punk horror) (full story here)

rusted from the rain. (Folk horror) (full story here)

[miekasa]

okay but what about airport!levi? he gives quiet businessman vibes sitting in his slacks and turtleneck

IN HIS TURTLENECK 😭😭 He would also be quiet and to himself, but not in the emo way. You got me thinking about all of them now, so here are my other thoughts about the boys at the airport.

Levi

He thinks the idea of separating classes on an airplane is beyond stupid, but if the flight is particularly long, or particularly packed, he’s not above paying for business class for a little extra personal space for the two of you.

When he doesn’t do that, tho, he never picks your guys’ seats ahead of time, so sometimes you’ll be separated. Good thing he’s also not above lying at the check-in desk, “I’m in Zone 1, could my wife be seated next to me so that we can board together?”

They respond with an “of course,” and move your seats together, and Levi walks back with a content nod of appreciation. You are not married, and marriage sucks about as much as class separation on a 30 foot long plane, but it has its benefits.

Masks on, regardless. No debates. Pandemic or not, the mask stays on. Do not perceive him, keep the pressurized air sharing to a minimum.

Doesn’t wander much in the airport. There’s nothing in there that he hasn’t seen already, except for the marked up prices on touristy t-shirts.

And if you wander, he’ll usually just sit in the waiting area to watch your bags while you window shop and do your thing. If you’re gone for more than 30 mins, he might call, under the pretenses of, “Making sure you didn’t get lost. You know that Starbucks was near gate 41 to the left, not the right, right?” Like he’s a comedian or something 🙄

He does encourage you to get snacks before you board, tho. Airplane food is gross, and he would much rather pay for a $13 sandwich that you can snack on later, than for you to have to eat mush.

He’s got a little portable mug he takes with him for when he’s wants to buy a hot drink before getting on his flight. It’s cute.

Doesn’t fall asleep on the plane ever. No matter how long the flight is—at most, he’ll take a quick power nap somewhere in the middle if it’s over 9 hours, but other than that, he’s good to go.

Doesn’t mind if you fall asleep, and he always adjusts your neck pillow to make sure you don’t get cramps.

Jean

Travel champion. This man loves being in the airport even though he’s convinced it’s a time capsule, he fucking loves it.

King of “your airport fashion matters, babe.” Not necessarily wearing a whole three piece suit, but he does put in a little effort; it’s not just the first pair of sweats he has laying around.

Swears coffee tastes better in the airport. It does not. That does not stop him from buying it. He should learn to quit tho, especially for someone who hates airplane bathrooms as much as he does.

Charming with all the security personnel and desk assistants. You could be checking in for a flight at 4am, and Jean’s got people smiling and cheery for their shifts.

Bitches about the selection of movies on the flight, and learns to just download his own ahead of time. Gets really startled when he’s watching something and the flight attendants try to grab his attention for food or drinks—the very loud, classic, Jean Kirstein “HUH?”

On that note, he also gets startled by the loudspeaker announcements in the airport. He doesn’t know why he has to hear about American Airlines flight 2170 to Cancun, when he is not on American Airlines flight 2170 to Cancun.

Not opposed to paying extra for better airplane food or drinks on the plane if it’s the right time of day. He always finds something to toast to, plus he likes to treat you whenever and wherever he can.

Takes care of your overhead luggage and helps out the people around him if he sees they’re struggling. Gets shy when you call him a gentleman for it, and he rubs his neck, grumbling, “I was just helping the line move a little faster.”

Great timing, generous, will pick up your checked bags for you, and already rented a car a week in advance: 10/10 travel buddy.

Porco

He doesn’t like planes and there’s no solid reason why—nothing bad happened to him as a kid, and it’s not even that rare unfortunate incidents freak him out or anything—something flying just makes him a bit uneasy.

He won’t say it though, and he tries to keep it together when you’re checking in, but you can tell he’s anxious once you’re sitting and waiting for your flight to board.

He’ll ask to switch seats if you have the window seat, because somehow the feeling of being boxed in between the plane wall/window and another person makes it feel more like a car than a plane and he’s okay with that.

Going to the airport is one of the few times he hair won’t be styled, and falls in his face a bit. He usually throws on a beanie to cover it up, but you think he looks pretty cute either way.

Can’t usually fall asleep and he hates it because he just sits there thinking about the worst for the entire duration of the flight. But when you travel with him for the first time and coax him into taking a nap it’s so much better.

It’s about the only time he’ll let himself be publicly babied by you; but it makes everything so much easier that he doesn’t even mind.

So now, whenever you get on flights, he just puts his hood up, lays his head on your shoulder and waits for the magic to happen.

Bonus: you’re traveling with his friends, and Pieck and Marcel past to your seats, surprised to see Porco fast asleep on your shoulder. Pieck squeals, going on about how you must be a wizard to have gotten him to nap, to which Marcel just shakes his head, “Nah, he’s just really in love with her. Look at his face, that’s the calmest he’s been since he was five.”

Connie

Loves the airport. Not an ounce of organization in his soul though. By that I mean, yeah, he’s probably forgotten his passport at home, or forgotten that a full size bottle of body wash cannot go into his carry-on luggage.

Forgets to wear shoes that easy to take off and is fumbling over himself after the security check trying to lace them back up or put them back on.

Likes for you guys to have coordinating sweatsuits, and even though you don’t travel super often, Connie’s got at least 3 pairs of them lined up for you guys.

Sweet enough to drop plans or rearrange his schedule to travel with you if you were originally gonna be alone. He knows you can handle yourself, but he doesn’t want for you to travel alone if you don’t have to, especially if you’re going someplace far and/or for an extended period of time.

He always finds breakfast food to eat before he gets on his flight (if you two even have time to spare for food that is). It could be 9pm, but Connie’s asking for a breakfast wrap.

Hates waiting in the little pre-flight area. Claims it’s boring as hell and that’s why there’s no reason to get there 3 hours early 🙄🙄

He always spends at least 30 minutes browsing all the movie and TV show options available on-board, loudly exclaiming in excitement when they have something cool to watch—only to fucking fall asleep 10 minutes later. Right on top of you when he was oh-so-excited to watch Madagascar 2.

Always steals the aisle seat, even if it’s yours. It’s probably for the best though, because he has to get up to pee at least twice, no matter how short your flight is.

Makes some cheeky remark about you meeting him in the bathroom. He doesn’t mean it... unless he does. Unfortunately, you’ve never... successfully been able to do that out of fear of being caught by the flight attendants, but there have been a few quickies in the “family” (“It’s ethical, because technically we’re participating in the act of making a family, babe”) bathroom before you boarded. It’s his fault, not yours.

Armin

He really likes planes, and traveling in general. I think trains would be his favorite mode of transportation, but airplanes are good too.

I hate to say it but he claps when the plane lands. I will not elaborate or defend my stance on this.

Prefers the window seat because he likes to look out at the clouds as he’s in the sky.

He took his passport photo a little before he cut his hair, so the security personnel always hold it up and flicker between his ID photo and his current appearance a few times before stamping it. It makes him a little embarrassed because he can’t tell if they think he looks better or worse and sometimes he’s really fighting for his life convincing them that that’s him in the picture 😭

Listens to music rather than downloading a movie or watching a show, and always brings wire headphones to the airport so that it’s easier to share and listen with you.

If you fall asleep on him first, he’ll likely fall asleep on you shortly after. If he’s tired enough, he’ll fall asleep first, though he’s somewhat embarrassed and disappointed because he wanted to see the descent and skyline outside.

When he’s not asleep or window-watching, he’s somewhat fidgety out of excitement, rather than nervousness. He’s excited to be traveling and looks forward to wherever you’re going, even if it is just a weekend long work trip.

Hates traveling alone, though. It just feels particularly lonely to him to be going someplace foreign without company by his side. So, he’ll call you at every checkpoint and send you updates.

He only ever buys two things in duty free: shot glasses with the name of the city/country you’re traveling to, and whatever variety of button down short-sleeves are available to him.

Erwin

You knew this was coming, but this man is absolutely at the airport 18 hours before your flight takes off, and he’s driving like a manic getting there, like you don’t have all the time in the world.

Fascinated by anything and everything in duty free. Definitely spends more money than necessary on your return flight on the grounds that he was getting a good deal.

Exchanges money in the airport and keeps cash in his fanny pack. There’s no traveling without the fanny pack.

Plays crossword puzzles on his phone on the plane, and it’s just about one of the only games he has. That and Candy Crush—I get the feeling he’d be on level 500+ of that game and he always knocks out at least 10 levels on a flight.

Always a little surprised when he feels his your head on his shoulder, but he says nothing, and acts like he didn’t even notice, but there’s a telling little smile on his face.

Takes the most foul selfies of him and your sleeping self. In his defense, he had the best intentions; but that angle was flattering nobody. It’s too bad he’d already paid for the in-flight wifi and sent it to Hange because now you’ll never live them down.

You could probably get him to put on a (skincare) face mask during your flight. He forgets to take it off tho, and if you don’t tell him, he’d fully walk through customs with it on his face.

Accidentally gets drunk because he doesn’t understand that just because he can handle several glasses of whiskey in his favorite bar on a Friday night, does not mean it will translate on a plane.

[polysyndetonaddictsupportgroup]

fic ask game, 2, 7, 17, 18?

2. What fanfic do you wish you got more response on?

this one's hard because i feel like the response on my fics so far has been like extremely generous. like i feel like the things i decide to hyperfixate on are like, dead characters who people don't really seek out fics for, like lisa castle or jack murdock, so i don't exactly expect a big response?

i'd probably pick porcelain chips, if i had to pick one. I loved porcelain chips. it's probably one of my favorite things i've written.

porcelain chips happened a bit on a whim, a bit because i couldn't figure out how to get across why peter was like that in the first step of kintsugi. like, so much of peter's motivations in pottery shards was a lot of moments that formed his subconscious and impacted him forever. frank wasn't going to fucking figure it out--one of the main conflicts in pottery shards was that frank and peter are very different people and they don't really understand each other either. But I don't think peter's emotionally processed his own motivations and life experiences in a way that's simply put into words. the first step of kintsugi is a very straightforward, traditional narrative. but peter's mindset was always this kind of dreamlike compilation of these little moments that sort of chipped away at him and made him who he was.

like, how can peter explain that he thinks the sound of his uncle's door closing on the day daredevil took down the NYPD carved its way into his brain, and it's never quite been buffed out again. ben is someone who's a monument in his mind, and he had a very quiet anger to him that Peter's constantly trying to understand and unravel. there's so much of peter wrapped up in the moment he realized the thoughtless cruelty of people who price epi-pens, of the constant worry around money, of how badly he just wanted ben to be proud of him. so porcelain chips became this very poetic series of snapshots that i loved. peter in the first step of kintsugi needed an origin story, and i'm really happy with the one in porcelain chips.

7. What’s a troupe you love to write?

okay so like. i'm very obviously an angst and hurt/comfort writer, but that's kind of broad.

it's ironic that i'm going to say these are my favorite tropes, considering it's nothing i have on my AO3, but i love fake dating with a twist. i've got this hugely elaborate BNHA Fake Dating AU--except it's more as like, All Might and Inko being fake bitter divorcees. I've got Captain America and Sam Wilson fake dating, I've got Captain America and Matt Murdock fake dating. It's to fight Nazis. I've got May and Natasha fake dating. It's also to fight Nazis. I've got jon and gerry and danny all fake dating to fight evil and get free desserts (not in nhthcth). god why have none of these seen the light of day yet.

17. Are there any writers and/of stories that you consider an influence?

so, Kurt Vonnegut is probably my favorite author of all time, and a lot of my style came from cramming pieces of his works by the handfuls in my own pockets and walking away very very quickly before security spotted me.

i read slaughterhouse five in high school, and the non-linear narrative structure became something that immediately became a hallmark of how i wrote. my favorite of his is cat's cradle. if you read anything of his, i'd suggest slaughterhouse five, cat's cradle, mother night, and--if you really like his style--breakfast of champions.

I think the biggest takeaway's of kurt vonnegut's style, besides extremely fascinating narrative structures, is 1) he's a masterclass in messy characters, and 2) he's a fucking genius at embracing the narrative he's in.

There is not a single character in Vonnegut's works that's truly good or likable. they're just people. they're understandable people, but they're people. there aren't heroes. there isn't nobility. just humans. i think a big core of vonnegut's works is the absence of the divine plan (read sirens of titan if you really want biting commentary in the absence of divine plan). people can be good, if they fucking go out and do it. the world is fixed or broken on our terms. so you get these horrible, ugly, messy portrayals of humanity that's weirdly hopeful at the same time.

but vonnegut's also visceral because he refuses to flinch. if you want to see how little of a narrative flinch instinct this man has, read breakfast of champions. like, there's this entire part of breakfast of champions where he includes a character's dick length in the descriptions. cat's cradle includes this entire thing about feet. he will have weird shit in his writing that lesser writers would flinch from as being too scandalous or alienating to the reader. it somehow underscores his point perfectly and makes for a visceral gut punch of a story.

Terry pratchett's discworld series is also a must-read that influenced my style a lot. he's also got a very serious-funny style. like, his books are hilarious, imaginative, and his style is incredibly distinctive and unique, an he has some very incisive commentary on the world that comes through a very funny story. absolutely amazing stories all around. read small gods, the rincewind storylines, and the night watch story lines.

neil gaiman's also one of my favorite authors of all time, and he's sort of got this amazing balance of these amazing, imaginative, mystical worlds, absolutely beautiful and poetic prose, humor, and compelling narrative structure. like, the man knows how to nail chekov's gun to the wall and convince you that it's just a decoration, nothing to see here. he's also really good at not having a flinch instinct in his writing, like vonnegut. neverwhere, american gods, and a short story compilation called fragile things are some of my favorites.

lastly, there was this one fanfiction i've already rec'd, but it's probably the fanfic that was most influential on my own writing. it's a mirror, darkly by silverpard, and some of the lines in it are just so hauntingly visceral that it really made understand in a second what the character's felt. like, their entire description of jack the ripper is probably something i've been chasing in writing for a long time.

18. Recommend someone else fic! (And tag them if they have a tumblr!)

I made a daredevil fic rec list here ages ago, renewing shoutout to these authors.

if it's magnus archives, i'd recommend terror management theory by @prismatic-et-al. it's a really interesting concept, and it's super well executed as well as beautifully written.

for marvel, i'd recommend Steve Rogers is (Not) A Good Influence by attackofthezee. I think they're @stevergrsno on tumblr now. it's so funny, and i absolutely love the characterization in it.

[bitter-sweet-coffee]

At the risk of swinging the bat into the hornets nest for you, what is IDW missing that makes Archie the better comic to you?

The fact Sega wasn't breathing down their throat constantly so they could do whatever the hell they wanted no matter how crazy or problematic? The romance plots? The family drama plots?

(Context that Izzy knows but might be important for anyone else seeing this: I like IDW a lot, but I also missed the boat on Archie. Never read it, intimidated by the idea of trying to catch up now, but I know crazy shit went down in it.)

i think the quickest way for me to explain it is that idw just feels very sterile and low stakes for me. the ocs are cute and all but they're concepts to me, not insanely fleshed out or *real* feeling (which has nothing to do with age btw)

i understand why a lot of people hate archie for having too many ocs or for having penders involved but like... that doesn't negate how crazy insane and fun and dark and elaborate the content was. i have so much to work with when i think of archie as a whole because they gave so much for me to fix or modernize or even just fantastic characters (imo) like mina and fiona and their version of the hooligan characters like 💕💕💕

here's the other thing though: i LOVED metal virus. a lot. it gave me espio back, made silver a character again, got as close as it supposedly could when making sonic traumatized, gave amy a fuckton of responsibility and maturity like she deserves, but also added a lot of depth and newfound appeal and appreciation of characters like cream and charmy and the babylon rogues. tangle and whisper naturally weaved themselves into this arc by having touching and angsty moments without blatantly trying to steal panel time or fan appeal from the secondary cast

my main criticism of metal virus? it takes the older dark robotisizing arc mainly known from archie and underground but takes away one significant thing: eggman being a competent and threatening villain. i LOVE evil eggman i think he deserves to be in control of something like the metal virus, but god forbid he have a skillfull bone in his body these days because now he's running from the virus just like the main cast! urgh,,, i think tinker was a fascinating moment but god i just can't stand idw eggman most of the time they make him way too pathetic so starline can make jokes about him and try to escalate things 💀

oh that's another thing, i think there's a lot of hypocrisy about the penders ocs in archie vs all the new idw characters because my initial response included a segment on how i feel like idw forces fans to love and worship every new addition to the cast even when there's little to no character development, but that feels like something everyone says about archie. i'll never forget when the preview of surge and kit came out and the fandom EXPLODED but like... i barely had anything to say? ME? SPEECHLESS BUT JUST OUT OF NEUTRALITY?!? yeah lol surge is mid to me and i can fairly but probably cruelly attribute almost all of her appeal to how everyone hates penders. oh and big pant cool. but her strength as a character is a result of the uproar caused by scourge and archie, not her own inherent value, which isn't fair in general but also not fair to her idk lol it feels like cheating.

anyways, i'd 1000% prefer messy and concerning/nauseating archie and its army of echidna ocs over the "mandate-restricted" idw which basically does the exact same thing as archie but watered down (including the ocs).

oh okay one more thing— the comics are meant to flesh out the secondary cast from the games because surprise! after 06 we don't get ensemble casts or playable characters other that sonic, so this is a compromise. SIKE! idw ocs are gonna hog panel time, and as much as i love characters like lanolin and belle (and obviously team sapphire) i literally gave up on reading idw regularly because there wasn't anything in it for me and if there was i'd hear it on tumblr and pirate the recent issue lol.

OKAY FINALLY, idgaf about comic beef i think people should enjoy whatever they want even if that means anti archie because like,,, i don't blame you. i just think that we've joked so much about "haha archie RANDOM and also PENDERS make archie BAD" but like... just because penders sucks ass it doesn't mean archie or even his work on archie is as bad as he is. archie actually has a lot of good stuff, and even the bad stuff is elaborate and interesting enough to warrant a rewrite or reinterpretation credit.

tldr; i just think idw is mid and peaked with metal arc which still had some fundamental flaws even if i loved it. i miss my funky archie cast tho

[ganymedesclock]

[enters the cat door.] Pale King? :)

PK is great because while we get a lot of impressions of what he's capable of, overwhelmingly his work is left for us, self-evident and finished, in such a state that we are not given hints on how he did it or what he did. This obviously has a lot of canon significance to who he is as a person-

(especially when the nature of much of that work is itself somewhat inscrutable; how exactly does he record his voice in whispering stones that only speak to certain parties when the rest of the setting is limited to actually writing things down?)

-but basically what it amounts to is that it's headcanons all the way down, baybey.

PK is... obsessed. This, to me, is the thing that stands out to me at an immediate glance of anything he was capable of. He fashions himself as a rational arbiter; possibly even a thing emotionless, unbiased, but really, it's obvious that certain ideas drove him so powerfully that anything, including unimaginable agonies and cruelties- barely factor. His mind as we explore it has very few guards that try to drive us out and kill us, few true barriers that stop us from moving forwards- but an enormous, vicious, whirling mechanism, beautiful and terrible, that polices every inch we move. You can proceed, the white palace says, if you're perfect. If your timing is perfect, if you never dare the metal teeth that surround you, if you choose exactly the right things and move only as the space is designed to move- and if you are willing to suffer, truly and awfully, then you can proceed, the palace is yours, it is open and the barest adversity will stop you.

This is not the mind of a person who lets things go easily. This is not the mind of a person who is actually detached. This is a beautiful machine, elaborate, precisely calibrated, and it makes miracles.

And it is, quite frankly, an absolute inhospitable nightmare. It might as well be the surface of the moon, not for alienness, but for the sheer ludicrous notion that anyone could live or love there. His mind is a haunted house to end all haunted houses; it'd be a fine locale to find in Silent Hill. The few rooms that actually seem like recollections of real places- the nursery, the workshop, the throne room- are all unsettling in different ways.

The nursery is the loveliest and also the most unattainable; a place for two people who are never coming back to the person who left them behind in the first place and didn't even set a chair for himself- the workshop is cluttered, creepy and miserable, nowhere you'd expect a god to make miracles; the throne room is bleak and dark, and has pillars set like fangs and the only chair so hard and uncomfortable it won't save your progress or give your player character a second of rest.

There is only one mention, anywhere in the game, of coldness associated with anything even adjacent to PK- the description of the pale ore characterizes it as "emanating an icy chill"- and when I remind myself of this, actually go looking for it, it shocks me. PK, to me, is so powerfully and intensely an ice person. Not just in the superficial senses- oh, he's cold, oh, he's callous, oh, he suppresses his emotions and opposes the fiery, sun-aligned Radiance; but that while neither of these gods have any ability to "get over it" whatsoever, the way they hold onto things is drastically polar opposite.

Radiance boils. Simmers. Screams and writhes and rages and pulses to her emotions. Those infected by her plague begin to feel as if they are burning alive the more her influence extends. She is a heat that stokes itself higher and higher and higher, to frenzy and fury, and the coldest it can get is if she methodically banks herself down to coals to pretend for a single utilitarian moment she's not as angry as she is, so she can whisper sweet words just long enough to coax someone onto the cinders.

PK... freezes over. He holds onto things perfectly, as if they never left, as if they never changed. When you walk over the nursery memory it looks just like White Lady could come by and put an infant Hollow in the cradle and sit down to rock them to sleep. It's so clean. So expectant. So empty.

And yet, there's something completely inhospitable to life about it. How could anyone live here? How could anyone be happy here? The game Silent Hill: Shattered Memories has a theme of a happy childhood frozen over in invading ice; that's very much what comes to mind here, even if Hollow's childhood was troubled long before they'd have anything to do with this room. PK ices over, is a person who stopped his own heart at one point just to serve another purpose and, superficially indifferently, left that body behind to rot without any sort of respect or acknowledgement. @rukafais drew a headcanon a very long time ago to the idea that PK could just will his own blood to stop flowing, and that's long one I've stuck with- a living person who is at odds with himself because of this absolute glacial inhospitality.

PK is also... clever. Inventive. One could almost argue too clever for his own good. If there's one way his obsessions are utterly unaffected by this ice and sense of detachment, it's that while Radiance is revolted by, fears and hates the void, PK... was fascinated by it. It's probably the most dangerous non-Radiance thing in the kingdom to him and yet he built his palace right next to the abyss; built a great lighthouse and a smaller alcove room that- unlike the spaces in his own mind- you can actually imagine him sitting, maybe for hours, maybe for days- just staring at the void sea. Dropping things into its grasp only to fetch them back out. Pouring it into shapes, and seeing how it held.

This also seems to convey itself in the shapes that his magic takes, or that similar pale white magic in other places (such as around the dreamers' monument) form; they are extremely intricate. Impossible filigrees of light that dangle in the air. Nowhere is this more obvious than the Pure Vessel fight, the moment where Hollow is remembering what they once were- at the point they were trying to be everything PK wanted of them, everything PK cares about. Hollow's attacks in that fight are beautiful. Ornate. The temporary spikes summoned from the ground have the same woven, 'watered' pattern that we see on the Pure Nail once Ghost acquires it.

So these ideas, of PK- icy stillness, obsessive detail, and insatiable curiosity- condensed for me a lot into how I imagine him fighting or handling situations. I imagine him as fighting with a spear very keenly- not just long reach, but that I associate PK very strongly in my mind with the concept of dissection and vivisection. Everything in its place, labeled, named, and known, consecrated by the light with identity and purpose- the hungry, predatory curiosity of a hunter picking apart prey, but with enough academic backing that they're looking for something more than the juiciest pieces to eat.

So, I imagine PK fighting with spears, and impaling or cutting implements... in that I imagine him fighting like a surgeon, pinning and mounting something or herding it into place.

[bacon-sandwich-of-dionysus]

Mandela Catalogue and the horror of not knowing 'why'

I'm gonna preface this by saying I impulsively scrawled this down on a whim- this is clumsy and prolly full of grammar mistakes. Sorry about that :/

I honestly have never encountered an analogue horror series that had an impact on me like Mandela Catalogue.

I'm a bit of an avid horror fan, so I am a little desensitised to the tropes, the scares and the stories. I think horror is actually quite a hard genre to write because it's very easy to fall into the formulaic way of doing things and also difficult to create a compelling story with the right amount of twists and turns, plus you're doing all this while also trying to actually scare people. Horror always seeks to make impact and because it's frantically firing rounds here, there and everywhere, it's really hard to hit the target.

This is where the Mandela Catalogue comes in... but I'll take a quick side to talk about another horror franchise so we can get a better idea of what the hell I'm getting at lol.

When the first FNAF game came out, I was enthralled by the horrific idea of dead children haunting animatronic suits, aimlessly wandering about in hopes of getting their revenge on their killer. The subject of the Purple Guy was such a massive topic way back when, that it was hard to avoid the character. Best of all though, it was hard to work out why he did it. Why did he commit such a heinous crime? What was he getting out of it? We didn't even know his name, let alone his personality, his reasoning or his face.

The mystery of 'why' was the biggest piece missing from the puzzle, teasing us at what we didn't know. And to add salt to the wound, what we didn't know outweighed what we did. 'Why were things they way they were? Why did the Purple Guy do what he did?' was what certainly frightened me back then.

An unanswered question is something I'll always find more terrifying. As humans, I think we're constantly wanting to rationalise everything- it's just who we are, we like explaining things away. So when someone or something commits an action out of the norm with no particular explanation, it frightens us.

'Why' is what made FNAF scary. And explaining that 'why' so elaborately has taken some of that horror away. Now, I'm still invested in FNAF and will always be happy to engage with new instalments, works and whatnot, but unfortunately, I'm not enjoying it as much as I used to because things have become so convoluted and entwined. Putting names to faces, family troubles and sci-fi concepts like Remnant, have kind of taken that grounded-horror-feel away from the original franchise. Now, that's not to say FNAF is a shadow of its former self, I just personally am not as into it as I once was, and I think that's because of the lack of mystery. I'm no longer asking 'why'. I'm more of just staring at the screen with knitted eyebrows as I wonder how the hell Fazbear Entertainment hasn't gone under already at this rate of innumerable scandals attributed to its name... maybe that company is just as stubborn as Afton, who knows.

Mandela Catalogue on the other hand, has exploited our fear of the unknown excellently. I am genuinely terrified of the main antagonist of this series, a.k.a Satan (though it is up for debate as to whether he is Satan, an alien or even fallen Gabriel but I'll be going along the lines that he's the devil).

Satan has always been a fascinating concept to me, partly because I've always been intrigued by the idea of something so ungodly even its own creator isn't really sure what to do with him, but also because we don't really know his whole story. Satan is hardly mentioned in the Bible, he's kind of elaborated on in other scriptures but again, not much is known about him other than that he's the bad guy and he's not gonna win in the end because no one can withstand the might of God.

Mandela Catalogue, uses that fear of unequivocal evil compounded with mystery to make Satan terrifying. What I love about the series is we don't see much of Satan and we don't know why the fuck he's doing what he's doing.

All we know us that he's executing his plan and we're bearing the brunt of it. And that's frightening on an existential level.

He knows what's going on, he's doing whatever he's doing, he knows why he's doing it and we don't.

That's how you do horror like this. You don't tell your audience 'why'.

Now, we can try to give some reasoning, using reference to previous depictions of Satan and also the Bible itself to suggest that maybe he's taking revenge on God, or maybe that he wants to be God, or that perhaps he's jealous that Jesus is the new favourite and lashing out at him, but we can't definitively take these reasons as gospel (pardon the pun :P).

That's what's so scary, we don't know why, we can't explain this and because we can't explain this... we can't predict, we can't prepare and we can't understand.

Mandela Catalogue exploits our need for reason to create a villain so terrifying that he hardly ever needs to show up- we can just behold his work and dread.

[ohmyasmodeus]

𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘮 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 ❖

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

♡ 𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘳 ; 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘵

✧   Sure, Lucifer is looking forward to appreciating art and the history behind each piece, but he finds himself much more excited to spend more time alone with you. History can be preserved, but every moment spent with you is simply irreplaceable; he ends up surprisingly spending more time gazing at you than admiring the artwork.

✧   You make him feel young again. In between displays, he sneaks kisses, mischievously pulling you away from the crowds just to hold you in his arms for a stolen moment. Lucifer adores the way you fall into his arms with soft laughter, and it makes him cradle your face between his gloved hands while he whispers about the way everyone looks at you like you’re a work of art.

“But do you?” You ask softly.

“I always do, ______.” Silhouetted by the gallery lights, he pulls you into a tender kiss full of emotion; a moment that no doubt belongs among the displays of beauty and immortality that surround you.

✧   Lucifer is the kind of person to actually read the little plaques beside the pieces that go into detail about the artist and the intentions behind their art. It takes a while for him to take it all in, but you don’t mind— it’s very cute to see him have to bend down and squint to read them.

✧   Your day hardly ends there. Even as he takes you home, he very much enjoys discussing your opinions on the works included in the gallery and the artists behind them. It’s Lucifer’s way of getting closer, trying to decipher how your mind works, how you view art pieces that are open to multiple interpretations. It’s his favourite part. He loves you and your brilliant mind.

♡ 𝘮𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘯 ; 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 / 𝘢𝘳𝘵

✧   Your demon is the definition of a kinaesthetic learner. Mammon fits right in with the kids that run around the place, tugging on your hand as he begs you to come play these games with him! He never wants to do anything without you and you end up being basically dragged around the museum. But it’s okay because he’s cute!

✧   While surrounded by so many people, it’s even easier for him to get flustered about affection. His cheeks flush red whenever he thinks too hard about holding your hand, whether it’s to bring you somewhere, or just to hold your hand for the sake of it. The back of his fingers brush against yours, making you smile.

“Hm? What do you want to show me?” you ask as you take his hand to intertwine your fingers with his.

Mammon fidgets with his free hand before shoving it into his jacket pocket, looking away with a brilliant blush. His voice is quiet as he mumbles, “N-nothing, I just… wanted to hold your hand. Or whatever.”

✧   He’s much smarter than people like to give him credit for at times, and surprises you with bits of information he picks up that you couldn’t understand. At the same time, it’s hard to stop him from gushing about how cool it was to see that chunk of sodium explode when dropped in water and how he wants to watch that over and over again.

✧   Mammon runs wild in the gift shop, especially at those little archaeology or mining kits that let you dig through hunks of sand that claim to contain a piece of gold. Of course, there are a million things the both of you want to buy for yourselves, but so little money to do so with. He settles for something small in the end, because he wants to be able to buy something small for his brothers too.

♡ 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 ; 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦

✧   From the beginning, Leviathan is absolutely fascinated. The calming atmosphere of the museum and being completely surrounded by his element makes Levi relax, even if he’d normally panic and try to hide from the people that walk along the exhibitions with you. But even then, you make sure to hold his hand just to reassure him a little more.

✧   Just like he rants about pretty much anything he has an interest in, Levi rants about the equipment on display and compares weapons or ships from different eras to each other, as if he’s talking about mere video game stats. It’s actually kind of hot to see him act like the Grand Admiral of hell’s navy is supposed to.

✧   Treat him like a Grand Admiral, actually. His brain totally short circuits when you lean into him and put a hand on his chest and gasp about how knowledgeable and strong he is.

“Oh captain, my captain!” you sing as you pepper his face in kisses, making him squirm in your arms. His face is beet red as he attempts to cover it with his hands.

“People are- they’re going to see us!” Levi whines.

You laugh and kiss him properly, arms wrapped around him tight. “That’s the point, baby! I like it when people know I’m yours.”

✧   He actually gets a little sad when he sees the bones of massive whales or the various preserved remains of sea life on display. They all feel like a part of him. At times, he feels like sea animals understand him much better than people do, and he has to give your hand a squeeze as the two of you through the section. At least he brightens up when you tell him that most of these specimens die a natural death or were cared for during their life.

♡ 𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘯 ; 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺

✧   His choice of museum goes without explanation. Humans are frail creatures that are essentially doomed to make the same mistakes again and again, despite a new era or millennia, but Satan still finds their history remarkable. He’s fascinated with seeing the butterfly effect ripple through time, sparking wars and conflicts. It makes him wonder about the universe’s decisions— especially the ones that brought you to him.

✧   Satan has always been more fond of reading the ancient texts on display or translating archaic inscriptions on bronze age charms, but when he’s with you, he finds himself more drawn to the elegant gowns and elaborately crafted jewellery on display. You always find his emerald eyes lingering on you, imagining what you would look like in something so grand. Your beauty stuns him in every way, especially with the way you smile at him while framed by the display’s lights.

✧   “I thought you wanted to learn,” you mumble with a quiet laugh into the kiss that Satan pulls you into. The two of you are wrapped in each other’s arms in the back of a crowded amphitheatre, making an attempt to watch a historical film.

In the darkness, Satan’s blush goes unseen, but you feel it in the heat of his face as you kiss him back eagerly. “I’ve learned enough about humans, ______. I want to focus on my favourite one now.”

You close your eyes, and so does he. History couldn’t matter less, not when it feels like the two of you are the only beings to exist, the only people that matter.

✧   Despite wanting to learn, Satan finds himself getting dragged into shenanigans with you as you voice historical figures with the goofiest accents and clown around with some of the interactive props. He laughs along and snaps a million pictures of you to keep, and he supposes that humans aren’t the only ones that make recurring mistakes. After all, he lets you loosen him up and lets you force your way into his heart time and time again, but he still can’t force himself to complain about it.

♡ 𝘢𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘶𝘴 ; 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘰𝘯

✧   Beauty in its different forms has always mesmerised Asmodeus. Museums have never been his thing, but with a fashion museum, you might just be able to change his mind. He goes between gushing about the textures and layering of different pieces to gushing about you and how amazing you look today!

✧   Asmo is always on top of the latest trends, but there’s something that always brings him back to the ostentatious allure of baroque and rococo dresses. He loves reading about the rise of these styles, but he would rather pull you along into a waltz as the quiet ambient music plays around you, the both of you giggling and referring to each other as ‘lord’ and ‘lady’.

✧   Or ‘your majesty’ and ‘my consort’...

✧   You, as always, expect him to pull you away somewhere quiet to make out and be general public nuisances, but Asmodeus surprises you this time. He’s far too busy taking pictures of you together and of just you alone, his amber gaze so soft as he contemplates your beauty. He ends up leaning in serenely as the two of you find yourselves alone together in a gallery.

“You’re gorgeous,” Asmo mumbles with a smile, delicately tucking a lock of your hair behind your ear. “There’s just something so magnetic about you, I can’t look away…”

“I don’t have to say it back because you know you’re handsome and your ego is big enough... but there’s nothing that can compare to how lovely your soul is.” You chuckle softly, resting a hand affectionately on the side of his face. Asmo rests his forehead against yours, wrapping his arms around the back of his neck with a delighted giggle, delighted in knowing that you see him beyond his superficialities and flaws.

✧   He buys you a set of jewellery from the gift shop, and not one of the cheap ones either. He splurges on one of the most expensive professionally made vintage sets because he really wants to daydream about you dancing with him in those rococo dresses, the most gorgeous royal couple in the world…

♡ 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘻𝘦𝘣𝘶𝘣 ; 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘵

✧   Delighted by the more colourful and almost bizarre applications of mixed-media art (think Yayoi Kusama), Beelzebub enjoys contemporary art the most. He’s easily fascinated with the elaborately abstract displays, and quietly wraps his arm around your waist as the two of you gawk at stunning larger-than-life works that probably get him a little hungry.

✧   He’s a respectful visitor and likes to stay silent so he doesn’t disturb the quiet atmosphere for everyone else appreciating the art. It ends up in him having to lean down and murmur softly in your ear when he has something to tell you, his warm arms pulling you into an embrace that you never want to leave.

✧   Workshops! Please bring Beel to the workshops because they’re his favourite part of museums. No matter how hungry he gets while putting in so much effort, he’ll sit still and work hard to make you something you can treasure.

“Do you like it?” he asks with a smile as he presents you with a little figurine version of one of the sculptures featured in the exhibition, hand painted by him. It’s easy to notice how the colours he picked out match your features. “It’s yours.”

“I love it, Beel! Oh, it’s wearing my coat and everything!” you gasp. The elated smile he gives you is absolutely priceless, and you can’t help but tiptoe to kiss him in thanks for his hard work.

Beel lets out a soft laugh and nuzzles his cheek into yours. “I really liked the art, but it felt like something was missing… Maybe the exhibition would’ve been a lot more beautiful if you were an art piece on display too.”

✧   Bringing him to a museum like that just might inspire him to create art by himself. After creating something for you, he feels hooked on it! You find him doodling a lot more on his homework and giving you the most endearing drawings of things you like, or his own hilarious renditions of what Lucifer looks like when he’s about to burst a blood vessel. Beel definitely has a hidden talent for caricatures.

♡ 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘳 ; 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺

✧   Humans? Belphegor has had enough of them for a lifetime and can’t be bothered with learning more about them, but natural history is something that captivates him. There’s a kind of innocent wonder in his eye as you lead him around the exhibitions, marvelling at the displayed remains of the massive creatures that came before, wondering how they evolved into the tiny little animals of today. (But it’s probably also morbid curiosity with the way he looks at preserved carcasses and skeletons.)

✧   But you’re an exception to him. He's tired of humans but never of you, even if he jokes about it at times. Even if he knows about most of the things on display, Belphie is still asking you to tell him about them because he just loves hearing your voice. Coupled with the soothing silence of the museum, it almost puts him to sleep.

✧   “Don’t fall asleep! You paid to watch this!” you whisper when Belphie rests his head on your shoulder. You want to pay attention to the dinosaurs beating the shit out of each other in the surprisingly well-rendered 3D documentary, but you can’t help but gaze at your boyfriend instead, and the way he looks in those dumb 3D glasses.

“I won’t,” he mumbles, rolling his eyes. “You’re warm.”

“You’re a little leech, you know that?” Despite your snarky tone, you lift up the partition between the theatre’s seats to let Belphie snuggle into you. Just like a leech, he’s immediately all over you with his arms wrapped tight around your waist, chuckling as he buries his face in your neck.

✧   You wouldn’t expect it, but he’s also the kind to go wild in the gift shop, albeit in more subtle ways— like staring really hard at something or carrying something only to put it down for you to get the hint. He ends up getting the both of you a big plushy to cuddle and name on the way home.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧