#ive been sitting on this a while

[lucabyte]

"So what's the weirdest possible first (second) impression Loop could make on the party in postcanon?" "Yeah, that, probably."

+ Bonus

theyre just standing there in direct party order while this happens. normal tuesday.

[monteruu]

caught in the blinding light of public perception

[image id: digital illustration of arataka reigen from mob psycho 100. he is caught in an unstable pose with his arms raised for balance and is looking over his shoulder at the viewer with an uneasy expression. his tie is flailing in front of him as if he were falling. a bright yellow light illuminates him from above and the edges of his body and casts the rest of him in black shadow. red is an accent color around his head and the background. end image id.]

[ihaveforgortoomany]

Greetings Comrade! Proceeds to flesh out the dumb au running in my head.

Heres a more complete layout of the Possessed! Vertin AU (maybe another name) (this is long)

Didnt expect a squad swipe lmao. Generally I imagine everyone more or less come out alive since its Vertin, even if shes being possessed by Arcana and has assess to her skills she wouldnt be able to properly utilise the mass power of Arcana

(So think Engima's statement on humans attempting to use the ritual initially, like overloading a household appliance: here Vertin is a tiny light bulb hooked to a plane's engine. Arcana made Vertin use Schneider's gun, while probably a way to manipulate Vertin, I think Vertin is limited in Arcane range)

(Also it draws out everything and yes I spent too long thinking about this au)

So uh heres a couple stuff on that battle between Vertin and the suitcase. (Not all because thats 60+ people and we know not everyone is there and its a surprise attack)

Most severely injured: Madam Z (no one goes unscathed, well mostly) Sonetto, probably the main team so think Regulus and Druvis

Scenerios: (i think if its Arcana shes probably gonna mess with everyone because its Arcana)

(If you have Schnieder alive in this scenario then Arcana is deffo recreating that scene again but ten times worse)

Idk why this thought has been running around but: Kakania hostage situation, because ofc Arcana can manipluate probably the most unstable member of the suitcase Isolde and therefore force everyone into a stalemate.

(This is bordering fic wow) consider this the scene in Book 6 but Kakania's life is on the line, maybe shes disarmed and coincidentally her gun ends up with Isolde and Marcus is there. (Yeah i write essays not fics so do what you will).

Arcana possessing Vertin probably just gives her access to all her trauma so probably threatens Madam Z with it (Breakaway Incident stuff).

Outcome Im suggesting here is that Vertin is restrained, and as a last ditch attempt to save Vertin is AS, since we know multiple ppl can enter the same one with Lilya and Sonetto doing that training one in Book 4 - this is Mesmer Jr's part in this.

(Why not immediate execution? Remember this is pandora's box you are threatening to release, its no longer 5 or so people, is much much more and more sources and abilities available - a stalemate between the suitcase and Foundation is agreed to attempt to save Vertin or execute her if anything goes wrong)

This becomes basically a Persona plot (or PTN Black Ring or Limbus the Sinner's memories when they approach a Golden Bough) , enter Vertin's mind and eradicate Arcana in there. Maybe the AS takes the form of Three Doors, probably have Sonetto, Regulus maybe Lilya and / or Matilda enter. Maybe go all crazy and say they meet the voices (the Old Man and Grandma) chilling out in there, maybe their existence retains shreds of Vertin holding on. Maybe in memory both Matilda and Sonetto find out the truth to the Breakaway Incident.

Im an optimist! They do remove Arcana (ofc she doesnt die) but this is a pyrrhic victory. More is lost than gained, whatever happens next is unclear, whether Vertin will be sane or Team Timekeeper could be restored. (Ill leave it open ended enough maybe someone can transcribe this plot into a fic, because deffo I cannot)

Have fun

Greetings!

I offer the possessed! Vertin AU (inspired by @cheemken 's AU and ideas on Twitter)

Arcana already wants Vertin for some reason so this post 1.9 is an AU that somehow Vertin is infected during that final battle and slowly loses to Arcana.

Kinda the Manus infected Vertin possession by Arcana where she slowly infects Vertin, like the subtle infection where only people like TF, Madam Z, Sonetto and probably Mesmer Jr and Matilda notice personality changes in Vertin until right in the middle of Foundation Headquarters all hell breaks loose. Maybe a critical point with Constantine bringing up the Breakaway Incident that finally sends Vertin over the edge.

Consider an all out battle with suitcase and co. Plus the threat of a higher up using the Scorching Heart Incantation to just eliminate Vertin as she becomes the greatest threat to the Foundation.

(Vertin gets the Manus drip ofc ofc)

Outcome? Up to you.

(I really can go really angsty with this, like Sonetto getting injured by Vertin probably will send her over the edge)

But again up to you 👍

Bites you, hard.

Comrade, what the fuck is this? (Starts thinking about the outcome)

You know me, lover of Slight angst and hurt/comfort.

On the POSITIVE side, like the good ending, Vertin is able to get out of Arcana's possession. After the whole fight against everyone in the suitcase - final boss style, Vertin's connection with Arcana breaks because Arcana wants it to. Much like with Schneider, after having destroyed so much, injured so many people and ruined everything for her and the others, she is released.

There's Sonetto lying on the floor, holding the wounds caused by Vertin's arcane skills given by Arcana, deep wounds I must add. There's Mesmer Jr in a corner, unable to participate because she doesn't trust her Arcane ability and then there's Matilda, unconscious maybe alive maybe dead, the reason why Sonetto is still alive is her.

And there's The Foundation pointing their guns at Vertin, there's Madam Z unable to do anything, there's Tooth Fairy with a face worse than simple pain. Everyone has no idea what to do, then, she gets taken by the Foundation.

The people in the suitcase are being taken care of, Team Timekeeper no longer exists because there is no Timekeeper, they become soldiers of different branches of the foundation. There's a couple of dead bodies in those. Those who tried to get close to Vertin to stop her never made it too far, the healers are doing their best to bring them back, healing the wounded and treating the traumatized.

It's a mess, really. And Vertin is sealed until they're able to take care of Arcana, and maybe, she might not be released.

But it's the good ending, because she's alive and despite what has happened, there's still a silver chance to repair what has been broken, to severe that connection with Arcana.

And perhaps the deaths of her close friends, Matilda who gave her life away (we all know that if she had the chance to save Sonetto she would jump), she would feel insanely guilty.

As for the bad ending, however... Not a lot get the privilege to live. Vertin doesn't go back because she's Arcana's priced pawn, and she needs her for more moves. So they're gone, most of them either way. The British branch of the foundation in shambles, those who managed to survive are trying to save Vertin. It's too late though, Vertin will never be the same as long as Arcana has her claws around her.

It's the end.

[archivebottles]

"You don't need to worry about me. I can take care of myself now."

[slavhew]

jakey + dirkjake sandwiched between my organic chem notes. a poem in there somewhere

[12u3ie]

I love the bisexual red-headed girl on Hermitcraft with a habit of killing people. and the other bisexual red-headed girl on Hermitcraft with a habit of killing people.

[dottie-n-stripes]

linus has always needed his tightknit friendgroup!! i call them the chums. my philosophy with crafting them all was making it feel like they are a sitcom ensemble and it's been so fun putting them in situations together. i had a blast designing these sea creachers in a splatoony way and i'm super proud of how they came out, i hope u enjoy them too!!

[mozzarellamint]

good luck with that man

[gammagoop]

save me heavypaint studies save me

joel speedpaint below cut :] i have the others too but i can only put one video in a tumblr post </3

[baconplasm]

(hands them over)

[bluegiragi]

do something (on purpose)

support me on patreon (nsfw)

[shaadowmilkcookie]

One of Shadow Milk’s many prop replicas of himself, left behind. Even though the eyes are forever staring straight into the distance… Oddly enough, you still feel like you’re being watched.

But surely, though, it won’t hurt to take it home and touch up the colours, right? :)

[nonomives]

Dude I LOVE, with my whole HEART and SOUL, how you draw. If you don’t mind a request I would love to see your take on either Rainbow Factory Wally or EnA Wally! I honestly think either (or both!) would look wonderful in your style!

(if you see this I hope you have a wonderful day/night/any other time!)

Both seems pretty good--

RF!Wally: dodozoi on tiktok

ENA!Wally: @eechytooru

[todayisafridaynight]

[ezlo-x]

[kkoct-ik]

PLEASE explain ur shin DID thoughts I wanna know so bad

boy am i glad you asked (LONG POST)

prefacing by saying the sou DID headcanon is very special to me to the point that i talk about it as if it is canon. i know it is not canon. i'm not arguing that this is what these moments mean, i'm arguing this is an interpretation that i really enjoy, and this interpretation of sou's character speaks to the DID experience Unnervingly well.

i use sou & shin interchangebly, they are parts of the same person, but generally i say sou for during the death game and shin for before.

so. first.

the important bit — sou's dissociation from shin tsukimi

during his first trial, shin tsukimi is given the winning percentages. there he learns that 'shin tsukimi' cannot survive the death game.

to escape shin tsukimi's weakness and inevitable death, shin abandons him, and instead takes on the name and certain characteristics of midori, to build a new self — sou hiyori. he disowns his identity as shin tsukimi to psychologically escape from his fate, so that he can psychologically survive in this moment and keep living.

a part of DID is the repression and disowning of the weak and hurting parts of you, and in turn outwardly becoming & functioning as someone or something else that can survive.

sou very literally dissociates from the weak parts of his identity and becomes & functions as someone else to survive.

and that's the absolute basis of the headcanon. turn back now if you want to. the rest is me slowly losing my sanity.

me slowly losing my sanity

so. listen. here's the thing. theres a lot more in sous behaviour that you could interpret as DID if you know where to look.

it's not quite as simple as "there are two of him: shin tsukimi (who was weak, easily manipulated, and incredibly scared) and sou hiyori (who is not that)". there are quite a few more moving parts to this guy, and also a lot of grey areas where his identity breaks down and develops over the course of the game.

the sou we first meet is timid, but not particularly vulnerable: polite, but observant. you get the vibe he is silently taking note of everything you do, because he is. during the first main game, he takes control of the discussion by claiming to be the Keymaster, both securing his survival, and giving himself a level of control over the discussions.

when the information he found on the laptop and his attempts to throw suspicion on Sara causes everyone to doubt him, he begins to panic. he brings up the moment Nao hit him - something that must have been triggering to him, considering what defines 'sou hiyori' is that he is not weak like shin tsukimi is.

i like to think in this moment a subconcious part of him realises that the present sou hiyori is not removed enough from shin tsukimi to be free of danger. despite his distance, he's weak enough to be attacked - he could have been killed, and now he's at the mercy of the masses.

his protective parts and mechanisms need to kick in at 200%. so they do.

under the pressure sou snaps and goes into a a very aggressive protector part. sou projects outwards his vulnerability complex, calling everybody else 'weaklings' who are going to die (reinforcing his dissociation from shin tsukimi). he suddenly openly rejects the value of trust and human cooperation, in an attempt to make himself seem untouchable and entirely in control.

section: sou's protector part

i love this guy so i marked out a section just to break down his protective mechanisms. this is a direct continuation from the paragraph i just ended.

after his first instance in the first main game, sou's protector part (easily spotted by his fucking mastermind persona) appears multiple times to cover up moments of vulnerability. it makes him out to be a liar, but it also makes him seem incredibly calculating and dangerous, which works just fine for him.

during the token trade game, sou 'fakes' amnesia to avoid being singled out for his actions during the first main game. he reverts back to his polite & timid demeanour for a portion of the chapter, and also sleeps for a large portion of it (due to his sickness). but to allow himself this leeway (either to play up or let slip his weakness) he employs protective mechanisms: he enthusiastically tells Sara that his memory loss was a lie, and that he's been playing them all for fools. he intentionally gives her the impression that every moment of weakness he has let slip or otherwise is part of an elaborate plot.

whether this is purely for the sake of managing how the person he fears most percieves him, or because in this part he is genuinely so disconnected from his vulnerable parts and weakness that he refuses to acknowledge it was real, is up to interpretation to me. but i do love how many layers of lies and contradiction he symbolises.

(i choose to believe his amnesia was a genuine moment of vulnerability, because the scene makes me So Happy if i read it as a vulnerable part slipping through the cracks, who's entirely disconnected from the stressful events of the main game and is genuinely terrified. i like to think his later claim it was a lie was because he could not risk Sara genuinely witnessing his repressed weakness that he swore he disowned at the door. but i digress)

he has a similar 'moment of weakness' during the second main game, where he makes it more explicit that he is not necessarily him telling the truth when he says his earlier weakness was a lie. he relies on other's confusion and the fact people think he is one step ahead of them to protect himself.

he continues to employ his mastermind persona even after the shin tsukimi reveal - although its effect is somewhat lost now that everybody knows that he has vulnerable parts (and people he loves) to protect, and that his persona exists for their sake, not because it's his true personality.

mfw when the ego protection mechanism crumbles because i was vulnerable once and now my protector part hates me.

section: shadow sou

i was going to immediately follow onto shinai and what we can learn from him, but i want to clarify shadow sou first.

the long and short of it is i think he's the closest thing we have to a midori introject. while you could argue sou hiyori has introjected traits (which he most certainly does: he takes his name for christ's sake), i think shadow sou most explicitly takes after him, especially if you read soushin as an emotionally abusive relationship.

(lingo: what is an introject? an introject is an alter who represents internalised traits and figures. for example, if you had a personality who treated you like your mother treated you, and reinforces the beliefs you internalised from her, that would be an introject of your mother. they do not have to be accurate to the real person's personality; they only echo how you saw and internalised them.)

shadow sou speaks with sou like an familiar but condescending friend, comments on sou no longer being shin, and exists to reinforce shin's feeling of weakness. midori encourages shin to become the person you want to be; shadow sou is the one to pressure shin into becoming someone else. midori is a 'scary friend' of shin's, shadow sou physically frightens and attacks shin during his moment of panic.

as far as we know, we never meet shadow sou from Sara's point of view, so i interpret him as a more internal alter. there's a lot to play off with sou's / shin's / shadow sou's relationship: i think they are soooo cute. i just wanted to point out the similarities between him and midori.

section: shinaiiiiiiii: what can he tell us?

ok yaay onto shinai. although not strictly a version of sou (not his repressed weak personality, not his polite but wary personality, not his masterminding ego protection personality, and not his internal shadow self), because he is a computer program, he does give us a certain perspective on who sou used to be.

disclaimer: we know shinai was trained by midori's love poetry, and thus you can argue his personality could be slightly altered to be more suited to midori's purposes. for the sake of this section we will take things with a grain of salt: it's what shinai can suggest about shin, not tell.

shinai gives us the impression that shin tsukimi was polite, had somewhat low self esteem, and was conflicted on midori: on one hand, he scared him a lot, but on the other, he considered him close, and they spent a lot of time together.

during the maple boss fight, shinai sobs for midori to help him. i get the impression that despite being afraid of him, shin still relied on midori for security and reassurance (sou's lantern dialogue to corroborate).

my friend suggested that shinai's / sou's conflicting accounts (with part of him being afraid of midori, and the other seeking assurance from him) could in itself imply that shin (even before the game even began) is made up of two alters with opposing attachment styles. i dont disagree.

sou vs the shinai test data

this one will be short i promise.

i really like sou's morbid interest in the shinai test data. and i know the joke is that it's love poetry and sou is embarassed and repulsed by how midori saw him, especially now that he knows how cruel midori can be, but the scene also spoke to me as a dissociative person; there is nothing more viscerally uncomfortable than learning about things you did as a different personality. it messes with your brain, because it was you, but it also wasn't you - it can't be you, you don't remember it, and it's not the kind of thing you would do, but you did - and so your dissociative rejection signals go absolutely insane. so i like this tiny scene for personal reasons.

and thatse it (i think). i think i said it all.

tl;dr:

this is my headcanon :33 or well. a graphic i made a few months ago as i was solidifying the headcanon. some minor things ive changed my opinion on / perception of since but it gets the idea across.

that said i fully support any other interpreted sou hiyori systems. go fuckin wild. i spoke to a friend a bit ago about their personal DID sou take and i had so much fun.

thank you for hearing me out