#please be kind and have fun guys

[bacchuschucklefuck]

class swap design masterpost for convenience (from top to bottom: bard!riz, cleric!gorgug, sorcerer!kristen, barbarian!fig, artificer!adaine, and rogue!fabian)

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

Ok, I think I have a pretty good idea of why a lot of Akechi's dialogue is... like that.

So, even before his confidant truly started, I noticed that he has a real knack for directing the flow of a conversation. This is very fitting for someone who is both a detective and skilled at interviews - when there is a topic and a goal, Akechi is in his element.

All this to say, he's actually kind of controlling when it comes to conversational flow. He probes for information, or turns the conversation around to a particular topic, usually the Phantom Thieves. He manages to take a few of Joker's dialogue options and spin them so they sound mildly incriminating in the context he's placed them in - the only way to truly get around this is to pick answers that feign indifference, and even then, that's more than a bit telling. He's clearly very good at this kind of thing.

But then, we get conversations where either Joker does something he didn't expect, or else he doesn't have a particular goal in mind - and the conversation stutters. In the first instance, Joker does something (a particularly egregious example is putting his glasses on him and fluffing his hair in rank 3) which both leaves him wrong-footed and no longer in perfect control of the situation. He just kind of... freezes, for awhile. It's hilarious. He has no idea how to respond.

He picks up control again in the phone call afterwards, having chosen to play into it, turning this "fooling the crowds" into a kind of game or secret between them. Nice save.

But in instances where there isn't an obvious topic and the goal is somewhat nebulous, for instance, that one Leblanc scene, it becomes pretty apparent that Akechi doesn't have the right "script" to go off of. Again, it's particularly notable in that scene, because I'm fairly sure he didn't have any specific reason to be at Leblanc, other than him looking for a quiet spot now that public opinion has turned on him. And because there isn't anything specific he's digging for, he kind of just ends up throwing things at the wall to see what will stick. Probing for any kind of recognizable reaction that he can jump on and work with, and that just doesn't really happen in this scene.

He references Sae, a woman in a respectable position, to Sojiro, but instead of that netting a welcome, it earns his ire, given Sae's recent actions against him. He then tries to greet Joker, his... rival? friend? enemy? person who at least seems to somewhat enjoy spending time with him? But Joker's responses are somewhat short, and Akechi practically wilts. He tries to commiserate by oversharing. He tries to involve Futaba and reaches out for the only topic of interest he can think of around "young people". He compliments the coffee. He compliments Joker. He tries to invoke that connection between them. None of it is really sticking, nor does it serve as a jumping off point for him to steer the conversation, or even really start one.

So, he basically just ends up having a one-sided chat with himself and then leaves. Hilarious. Also a little sad, if I'm being honest. It's really giving "guy with no friends who only knows how to speak to adults" energy. If there's no specific purpose to the exchange, or he is not in control of its direction, he seems to be kind of out of his depth. He succeeds only in being a little awkward and confusing, more than anything.

[kwillow]

This thought kept occuring to me but I finally realized that Theo reminds me a bit of Stuart Ullman from The Shining (the novel version)

Stuart Ullman (novel version) is not a character one would usually think to make a reference towards and I love you for that. I completely see your vision from this first paragraph.

This too. Theo IS a bit of a bastard. Thank god he's a broke hermit NEET so he doesn't have any employees who have to deal with him.

[ask2ps]

I love 2p japan

CHINA: 日本さえ恋がしたいということ、考えられないことではないねぇ。(It’s not unthinkable that even Japan would want love, right?)

JAPAN: 闭嘴。(Shut up.)

[gingermintpepper]

I do, in fact, enjoy drawing different variations of this moment. Mostly I just wanted to doodle some wrathful Apollo (and practice doodling more of Hyacinth's curls since I usually dodge colouring them LOL) Bonus doodle under the cut <3

:D

[starscelly]

Introducing up and coming punk band from Dallas: The Flying Stars !

[mademoiselle-cookie]

Is Étoiles a bad leader?

No. If you just wanted to know that, my answer is no. You don't have to read the rest.

So in my completely impartial and not at all biased opinion, I'm going to explain why we are actually lucky to have him as a leader. (it will probably poorly age)

But first yes, this question does not come out of nowhere. This first day was hell for the Green Team and their chat (at least Étoiles' chat). I was watching his stream before stopping before the “teamwork” part. If it had been later, I wouldn't have watched the VOD. I literally put the last stream in accelerated, because it wasn't pleasant to watch and Étoiles was clearly not having a good time. It ruined my good mood and I abandoned the stream on the 2nd day because I wasn't in a state to enjoy it, even though it seemed to be exactly like the solo part of Étoiles during the 1st day, but vocally with the Blue Team, so without the stress of teamwork.

I'm not saying that Étoiles is perfect. It is obvious that he was not elected for his leadership abilities, but because he is the strongest (and he is green). He is kind, doesn't like to impose himself, speaks softly and is an introvert whose social battery runs out quickly (I'm an introvert myself and let me tell you it goes down very quickly in stressful/in unusual company/unpleasant situations). It also often happened that the other players talked over him (except Fit, no? It seemed to annoy him)

But I attribute the majority of their difficulty to two points:

Lack of luck A) Decisions which are good on paper but the circumstances of the event make them bad

It's a survival game. Taking your time to prepare is super important if it's possible. It's literally what allows you to survive properly after that. The Green Team farmed items, obtained and enchanted armors and weapons, collected food, made sure everyone had what they needed, created a well-hidden base... They then left as a group because it is more cautious and stronger... The problem is that not everyone plays like that. The other teams were much weaker (at this moment) so the fights weren't tense at all, they got lost very often due to their numbers, the majority of interactions among teams took place while they were preparing so they arrived too late for that ...

B) Lack of balance

The Green Ninjas are way too strong. There is Étoiles, the strongest on the server who is used to this type of game, Fit, who is also used to this type of game but with even more experience, Roeir who is much stronger than he looks like… In comparison, the Red Team doesn't have half its team and those remaining are mostly lore players, not pvp or survival. What would it have cost to take Étoiles or Fit and trade him for a red player who never comes? There would have been fewer calm and experienced people among the Greens but a penalty is not a problem at this stage. Etoiles were just complaining that they were too strong and that it wasn't fun.

(And really, at least the Reds are with people they're used to being around (the Twitch Rivals members are all there except Etoiles) and they're the crowd's favorites. The Green Team is either people who know their stuff and are quite solitary (Fit and Etoiles) or don't come in general (Kameto), or won't come much anymore because it's not their type of game (Antoine and Ironmouse). So it's less fun to watch. Imbalance is not just in the difference in strength.)

C) Languages

It's like that for everyone but on the Green Team, only Fit is a Native English Speaker, the language that everyone uses. Finding words is complicated, understanding others is complicated, and all that, added to the stress, made the situation even more difficult than necessary.

Hell is other people A) It's stressful

The players were teleported to an unknown island completely run by a person who hates them and wants to make them suffer, without their stuff, with one less heart line, to save their children, taking into account that an (unknown) team is corrupted and its defeat means the death of some eggs. Survival games aren't for everyone either, so some really fall completely short. Game or not, it's a stressful situation. And humans don't perform well under stress, and that makes us more aggressive and difficult to get along with. For teamwork, it's a real obstacle.

B) These players do not meet often

Apart from a few exceptions, the members of the Green Team do not often hang out together. They get along well but are usually with other people. Obviously, the bonds are less strong, and the knowledge to understand and manage others is lesser.

C) It's the 1st day

The first day of an inherently stressful and frustrating event, where team members do not necessarily know each other well. Obviously it's a disaster. We rarely perform really good the first time. At least the Greens didn't kill each other or go crazy.

But honestly, we judge the Greens on their teamwork because they were the only ones to do it. The Blues were working, but mostly on their own, the Reds acting as a team but they did not really "work".

But why are we lucky to have Étoiles as a leader? Because he's the nicest. He wants to play fair. He apologizes after killing someone, didn't want to kill Tina because the fight was way too unfair, asked his team not to burn other people's stuff because it's really annoying. This team is the strongest on the easy server if they try. Étoiles almost won on the 2nd day while being all alone. He would have succeeded if Elquackity hadn't messed up (chances are it was done on purpose to boost the morale of the Red Team). Roier wants blood, so does Fit. Yet Étoiles managed to keep them calm enough to farm and maintain some morals. If he decided to be completely wild, it wouldn't be a pretty sight.

The Reds went completely crazy from day 1, while the Greens had enough preparations for a solid foundation when they reconnect. The Bolas might be the most fun to follow, but if you were stuck on the island, which team would you prefer? The crazy cannibals who eat each other or the strongest who help each other even if it’s boring?

[termagax]

re: "good girl" i think they say it once randomly as a joke and its just one of those things that gets him wayyy more than they expected it would. so now its their secret weapon and they use it very sparingly and every single time he gets super embarrassed about it but it works ill tell you what.

[greensaplinggrace]

🔥 I’m so curious any unpopular opinions you might have about Nikolai….

do you want me crucified? please nikolai is this fandom's baby 😭😭

I'm alksjdflks- neutral on Nikolai at the best of times and I dislike him at the worst of times.

as a character, I find him fun, but I also find the 'charming rogue' archetype tired when it comes to him. I don't necessarily hate the archetype, but for some reason the way bardugo leans on it so much to make nikolai appealing rubs me the wrong way. I think it's a cheap imitation of what could have been a better crafted character. the times I have found nikolai most appealing are when he's cunning, political, and practical - especially after he's infected by the merzost. I also really like how similar he actually is to the darkling in a lot of ways, that's compelling to me. but all of that just makes me neutral towards him.

what makes me often swing into dislike is his function within the narrative. he essentially serves as the White Savior, and even when he gives zoya power (which in itself is handled unrealistically), it is with the same functional plot power and armor of a White Savior. I don't like the way bardugo handled the grisha and the monarchy, and unfortunately nikolai is just too tied into it all.

but actually the biggest unpopular opinion about him for me is that I think he should have also been an antagonist. not only would it have actually given bardugo's message about 'men in power' a lot of weight, but it would have been a brilliant study in how being outcast and othered doesn't automatically make you bad, and how being loved and accepted (and actually charming lol - he would serve as a much better 'charming abuser in hiding' than the darkling) doesn't necessarily make you good.

because this scene -

“I’m telling you that if you want to be a leader, it’s time you started thinking and acting like one.”

“I’ve heard this before, you know, from the Darkling and his supporters. Be brutal. Be cruel. More lives will be saved in the long run.”

“Do you think I’m like the Darkling?” I studied him—the golden hair, the sharp uniform, those too-clever hazel eyes.

“No,” I said slowly. “I don’t think you are.” I rose to go join Mal. “But I’ve been wrong before.”

-is the perfect setup to such a plot, and it would have given actual weight to what bardugo was trying to convey about men and power. it also would have gotten rid of the white savior trope, cast a more realistic light on the vilification of her only activist for the oppressed minority, and added more complexity to all of the characters.

tl;dr - unpopular opinion: nikolai would have served better as another antagonist, and I think his narrative function was unpleasant

send me a 🔥 for an unpopular opinion (x)

[theworldisabrokenbonebutitishome]

Kang Yo Han is the walking embodiment of I'm Not Okay (I Promise) and relates to Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge far more than is healthy. In this essay I will-

[kelin-is-writing]

so i was bored at work once again which means more dabi thoughts than usual have accumulated xD

this time i thought about what would happen if you were to find dabi adding new staples to his already impressive collection :')

he never wanted you to see him do it since he was already ashamed enough that you had to see the little metal pieces holding him together on a daily basis.

so he always took care of adding new ones when you were either not at home or asleep. but this time you walked in on him while he sat in the shower with blood slowly streaming down his arms.

you had noticed that the burns there were slowly spreading but seeing him like this broke your heart. he looked so vulnerable in that moment and the guilty look on his face only made it worse.

he had expected you to be disgusted by the sight or to simply leave the bathroom again but instead you offered to help him so he wouldn't have to twist his arms to reach the back of his shoulders.

he didn't say anything the entire time even during the shower you took together after you were done to get the blood off of him and also when you helped him gently dry his back so you wouldn't pull on the new staples.

when you went to bed afterwards and you cuddled up to him you almost missed the quiet "i love you" - the first one he's ever said out loud to you.

- 🥛

PLEASE—

it would really mean the world to dabi if you help him out with all his medication/re-stapling process like– it gives him this sense of reassurance and relief, especially since he has always thought you would be disgusted only at the thought of touching him when he’s in that state, but in the moment the villain sees you not only helping him with his staples but also look his way with so much genuine worry mixed with love... he just can’t help falling for you more than he already has, no matter what you did you always shine so brightly in his eyes and make his insides a fluttering mess every single time.

you were taking off his loosened staples, to replace them with new ones, while disinfecting the holes with a worried frown and a small pout; dabi sees your expression and snorts “you’ve been doing this for a while now, so what’s that face my beautiful princess?”, you inhales sharply from your nose and swat him on the arm, getting a little whine from the boy who looked at you confused, eyes wide blinking furiously and mouth open in a curious grimace “no matter how many times i do this... the worry just doesn’t want to go away...”, was your answered as your upset expression changed into a worried and sad one, eyes slowly becoming teary as seconds went by, lower lip trembling “i can’t bear to see you hurt or in pain...”, you finished, voice cracking at the end as tears started to blurry your view and cascade long your cheeks. dabi felt a little pang of happiness inside his chest at knowing that he was this important to you, that though didn’t stop him from freaking out at seeing you cry so copiously “hey... hey love... hey, look at me, eyes on me baby...”, he whispered with a gentle tone that for a second he thought wasn’t his; when your eyes fixed on him with such a tenderness inside of them, the villain felt his heart start hammer hard inside his chest, you were too endearing and lovely for your own good seriously “seeing you cry hurts way more than getting all sewed up. that’s why don’t cry please, hm?”, that soft bittersweet expression dabi was making in that moment was totally new to you, but it made your heart feel like it was hanging over the black hole, it was pure anguish just like how seeing him like that felt to you since when he choosed to finally open up about his past.

you want this man to be happy so bad.

sniffling you nodded while resting an hand over his and leaning onto his warm comforting palm with a small peaceful smile on your lips, a smile that made his heart flutter and lips curl up in a pout as his cheeks turned a faint tint of pink; he was stunned once again by your beauty, you truly made him feel like a teenager.

dabi leaned toward you pressing his lips against yours in a kiss that took you aback for a second because... from it you could feel all the love, care and how important you are for him, it was so passionate only with a simple lips lock.

when he pulled away, the raven-haired boy moved a strand of your hair behind your ear before smirking, satisfied by your stunned expression “thank you for everything you do for me princess, i’m so fucking glad i’ve met you.”, at those words more tears started spilling from your eyes “you’re such a jerk! i just had stopped crying!”, you whined while pushing him slightly, which had dabi cackle, a genuine full teethes smile on his face “sorry baby, sorry. you’re just so damn cute i swear to god!”, he kept apologising while wrapping his arms around your shoulders, squishing you hard against his big warm chest “stop messing with me!”, this time a deep amused laugh vibrated through his chest and your ear, making your heart do a whole backflip from how much you adored it. he let out a long relieved sigh while looking in front of himself with a tender gaze and content smile on his lips, cheek resting on your head “i love you so fucking much y/n...”, you felt like crying again and dabi knew that, in fact his smiled widened, endeared “i love you so fucking much too...”, you cried out hugging him back and burying your face onto his chest, starting to cry silently while sobbing from time to time, making your boyfriend cackle once more and get in response “ow!” a smack on the back.

[chiropteracupola]

chill maritime beats to do the accounts to

[this is @benjhawkins's oc charlie fortune!]

[fancyshooting]

THOUGHTS ON A CHARACTER WE NEVER EVEN SEE

THIS IS VERY VERY VERY LONG. EVA (the real one) is now my OC. click at your own risk

everything that's been cobbled together here is based around the idea that ocelot's black armband is a symbol of mourning for EVA for this to be true, EVA would have to die before the virtuous mission, which took place on the 24th august 1964 so don't get attached to him...

DEFECTION

16-year old ADAM might have been feeling apprehensive about the daunting mission ahead of him. in south america, he spots an elusive creature called an ocelot and is intrigued by it. EVA, older and more experienced with espionage (spies are typically not as young as the exceptional legendary offspring that is ocelot, so presumably EVA is older. idk how much older but definitely an adult) uses this to reassure his young companion about the mission, comparing the behaviour expected of him as an agent to that of a wild ocelot's: stay undercover and blend in with your surroundings; don't trust anyone - you work alone; regardless of the duration of the mission, do not forget your goal - don't let your prey (in this case, the legacy) escape. this works especially well due to ADAM's belief that the rare ocelot sighting was fated (in mgs3 he seemingly believes in fate so to him, this sighting in south america is a sign of sorts. ocelots tend not to approach people but he got to see one? while en route to the most important mission of his life so far?? and it's an animal he can relate to as a spy!? fate!! btw what if the concept of fate, a predetermined course of events, was something imparted and reinforced by the philosophers to reduce the chance of him deviating from the life they have set out for him? not cool!)

it's rare for ocelot to show such a high degree of respect to another person, so EVA must have been important to him. we know nothing about their relationship - only that they were supposedly two NSA agents who defected together in 1960. the armband doesn't necessarily mean that they were friends but it does suggest that ocelot held him in high esteem. we can assume that the path of their defection went like this: US -> south america -> USSR. south america is home to the most noble of creatures: the ocelot. I like to think that this is where the "ocelot" codename was assigned

ADAM and EVA are then welcomed into the KGB. we aren't told how many years ocelot spent in the KGB before joining the GRU but we are told that only he, ADAM, has "infiltrated volgin's ranks." there is no mention of EVA, so presumably he remained in the KGB

IMPORTANT: I think EVA was a philosopher agent. ADAM and EVA's defection was a ruse to locate and retrieve the legacy. if ADAM knew, EVA must've known too. I think he acted in the same capacity as ocelot as an agent with multiple allegiances whose ultimate loyalty rested with the US. as a philosopher agent, he would have access to the same network of spies used by volgin and the boss. EVA, of the KGB, contacts volgin, of the GRU and tells him all about this incredible young KGB soldier who would be a great candidate for spetsnaz (in mgs3 it doesn't seem like volgin knows that ocelot has anything to do with the philosophers, so he's being presented as if he has no connections to them). also he's the son of a legendary war hero. volgin, who would normally not engage with a rival KGB man, listens to his fellow philosopher and then, pleased to have an impressionable young talent on his side, accepts. the KGB encourages this and takes it as a success - but it's an even bigger success for the US philosophers. ocelot is supported by the KGB, who believe he is working undercover on their behalf as a double agent. really, he's a triple agent working undercover for the CIA to find the legacy for the US philosophers. as volgin's protégé, he is one step closer to finding it

THE SORROW AND SOKOLOV

the ADAM and EVA defection happened in september 1960, so ocelot was barely sixteen. let's say he spent around a year and a half being trained by the KGB, then sent off to the GRU at age eighteen

in 1962, the year that ocelot turned eighteen, the boss and the sorrow were pit against each other by the philosophers. they were forced to act or else risk the life of their son. at the time, the sorrow worked in soviet intelligence, just as EVA did. EVA had links to the US philosophers, who had abducted baby ocelot when he was born. the boss, in the US, had no real confirmation that her son was still alive but the sorrow, in russia, could have known that one of the defectors had been sent off to work with the notoriously sadistic colonel volgin. EVA could have been the one to tell him that ADAM was his son. the sorrow knew the threat was credible so let the boss kill him. if the boss and the sorrow failed to act, ocelot would have suffered for it. it could've been that EVA would inform volgin of ocelot's status as a spy, which would guarantee him a slow, painful death (in peace walker it's said he would "suffer" rather than "be killed" but in this context what else would "suffer" mean? losing ocelot would mean the US philosophers would also lose their agent closest to the legacy... maybe it was an empty threat all along)

also in 1962 was the first defection attempt of sokolov. initially working under KGB supervision, he made contact with a CIA mole who relayed his request

KGB? CIA? could it have been EVA? maybe but what's important is that sokolov was brought back to the USSR and placed under increased security at okb-754, the sokolov research facility. EVA is here, at this facility. the US philosophers now have ADAM in the GRU hunting for the legacy and EVA in the KGB monitoring sokolov and his highly classified new weapon (zero says that the CIA only have vague information on the shagohod. there is "a weapon" presumed to be nuclear based on test site activity. if EVA was at okb-754, it could mean either the shagohod is so highly classified that he has no access to any relevant information or he is being selective with the information he passes back to the CIA. he's loyal to the US philosophers, not the CIA)

during the virtuous mission, all of the intel snake receives on sokolov's transferral to the abandoned factory in rassvet comes from the boss. zero says she's using intel channels from the war. a lot of those contacts are likely to be affiliated with the philosophers. there's no way for her to know the location of sokolov without being in contact with someone in the KGB. EVA, a fellow US philosopher agent, is stationed at okb-754 and knows exactly where sokolov has been moved to. ADAM is also in contact with EVA (both of them being stationed in tselinoyarsk makes for easier communication) and turns up at rassvet expecting to meet the boss. if ADAM, EVA, and the boss are all US philosopher agents, then the boss' false defection is an operation they were likely all involved in to some degree

BUT EVA WAS DEAD BEFORE THE VIRTUOUS MISSION!!!!

WHO DID THIS!?!?

it was eva💋🏍️🍜🍣🕶️🐕

it's getting more complicated. hold onto your beret

from now on:

EVA - ADAM's defection partner

eva - the fraudster

I'll try not to use their codenames together too much... not that it makes this any less convoluted B)

A FEMALE SPY!?

eva is an agent with the chinese philosophers. the development of the shagohod is probably on the radar of multiple intelligence organisations. she admits at the end of mgs3 that she was never an NSA or KGB agent, so how does she manage to infiltrate okb-754, a facility heavily guarded by the KGB? it's a black factory, a secret development site that is near impossible to stumble upon. she would need to be directed there by someone with the relevant knowledge. it could be that eva and EVA were working together at some point as philosopher agents

maybe EVA was having trouble with access to high level information concerning the shagohod. he knows that sokolov is estranged from his family and is deeply unhappy. EVA uses the philosopher spy network to request assistance. the russian philosophers would obviously oppose sharing sensitive information with their enemies, so are kept out of the loop. the US philosophers cannot send an agent quickly enough from overseas. the chinese philosophers have both an interest in the shagohod/legacy and geographical convenience. they send charm agent eva to prey on sokolov's loneliness, hoping to extract information on the new weapon to benefit both branches of the philosophers. EVA is presumably american (or at least lived a lot of his life there) and eva is indistinguishable from a native of the US, so she is sent in the hopes that her familiarity to the contact will make her more comfortable to work with

EVA helps eva infiltrate the facility as tatyana. glasses + a meek personality usually indicate a character involved in science/engineering, although kojima has referred to her specifically as "a secretary." this would be a much easier position to secure than something highly specialised

now eva is working at okb-754. she should be trying to get close to sokolov but it's unclear if sokolov actually knew her before operation snake eater. at ponizovje warehouse, when volgin electrocutes her, sokolov is upset. sokolov is a gentle character which might explain his distress... but he also calls her "tanya," a pet name that suggests an intimate relationship (only he and volgin refer to her as "tanya"). at this point, eva has probably told sokolov that she is a covert kgb agent and convinced him to go along with her cover as his mistress

in groznyj grad, sokolov tells snake that tatyana "made her way in here by becoming volgin's lover"

"here" might refer specifically to the colonel class wing, rather than groznyj grad. sokolov and snake also have this exchange:

"Snake: How long has Tatyana been here?

Sokolov: Only a few weeks.

Snake: A few days before the Virtuous Mission, then.

Sokolov: She said that Khrushchev sent her."

how can sokolov say that tatyana has been "here" (groznyj grad) for "a few weeks" when they were captured on the same day (i.e. he would have no idea about her arrival if he has never been at groznyj grad without her)? in this instance, "here" could refer to tselinoyarsk. this could mean that they were acquainted at okb-754, where she posed as a spy sent by Khrushchev

if EVA is involved with security, he can help eva get close to sokolov. her seduction of sokolov fails. no information on the shagohod is recovered. instead of returning with nothing, she is then ordered to charm EVA

when snake asks eva over the radio how she was able to procure western weapons from a vault that "should be under strict surveillance," she tells him: "even if I explained how I did it, you'd never be able to do it yourself."

eva is a charm agent. if she wants to access a restricted area, she will seduce the guard. operation snake eater shows that she had access to KGB equipment - the lipstick gun, the button camera and the transmitter she hid in granin's shoes. being close to EVA would allow her to occasionally bypass security and steal technology developed at the facility

VIRTUOUS MISSION

EVA (KGB) is in regular contact with ADAM (KGB + GRU). ADAM warns EVA of a planned GRU attack on okb-754 on the 24th of august. EVA tells eva, concerned for her safety. she then plans to be captured and taken back with the GRU to groznyj grad, the impregnable fortress. this is her best chance to get in. sokolov has already left the facility, so she lies to the attackers about being his mistress, relying on him to back her up later (not sure when exactly she shared this plan with him but he has to know before the ponizovje warehouse scene). this results in her being allowed to live to be held hostage as a work incentive for sokolov

on the 23rd, the day before the attack (saying this because ocelot is already wearing the black armband on the 24th, hours before the attack), eva opportunistically kills EVA, hoping his death will be pinned on the GRU (if EVA was involved with the boss' false defection/sokolov capture, then maybe ocelot expected communication the day/night before that was never received, so he knew something was wrong - EVA could not have withdrawn from a critical philosopher mission like this). eva is under orders similar to those she's following during operation snake eater: charm, use, then kill. killing EVA is a strategic move to harm the US philosophers by removing an agent and source of intel, putting the chinese philosophers in a better position to retrieve the legacy first

this is all tenuous... but this is the most tenuous: in the helicopter, when tatyana's lipstick gun is discovered, ocelot asks "are you KGB?" directly after this, he turns his back and stares outside with his arms crossed. he could be thinking about his recently dead comrade, who was stationed at the KGB facility in the area they are flying over. he only looks out for a moment before turning back. if EVA and ocelot had a good personal relationship as well as being colleagues, ocelot might have known about EVA working with a female agent from the chinese philosophers - this could be why at the end of mgs3 he knows that she is specifically a chinese agent (as well as equipment and shooting style etc. but I'm trying to construct a theory here)

OPERATION SNAKE EATER

snake's presence in tselinoyarsk is supposed to be detectable, so he is instructed to leave the drone that brought him in, which the boss later blows up. when the guards discover this evidence of a foreign aircraft landing, colonel volgin is alerted immediately. eva has been acting as tatyana for around a week, so is already close to volgin and hears that a foreign agent has entered soviet territory. while he is distracted by the threat of the enemy spy, she can slip away to meet snake. she seems to be able to travel back and forth from groznyj grad fairly quickly on her bike so she would be able to reach rassvet soon after hearing about snake's arrival. assuming EVA was working with ocelot and the boss, he would have known that rassvet - where ocelot expected the boss to be and where he's supposed to meet snake - was a possible rendezvous point. this could explain how eva knew to meet the infiltrator there during operation snake eater despite having no genuine involvement with the mission

snake is expecting to meet ADAM at rassvet but is told via radio that the CIA has been given no physical description and no specific location or time to meet up. when eva turns up, she apologises for being late. since EVA is dead, eva is now operating almost entirely on assumptions. she incorrectly guesses that the meeting had been scheduled for a specific time agreed by both parties. this should have been suspicious to snake. eva also mentions being sent by volgin, despite him having absolutely no involvement in the mission (she says this directly after snake asks about ADAM - eva doesn't know this is ocelot but maybe she knew ADAM was GRU because of EVA?). finally, she doesn't know the answer to "who are the patriots?" snake misses all three clues

EVA IS DEAD

at the end of mgs3, it's implied that eva killed EVA:

"The real ADAM never showed up at the meeting place, saving me the trouble of having to eliminate him."

she must have killed EVA in order to use his codename without causing confusion. the CIA names both ADAM and EVA as KGB agents trained "for exactly this kind of situation." ADAM is expected to make contact with snake but fails. we don't know if EVA was ever going to be assigned to operation snake eater but if he was, he also fails to make contact. neither of the KGB agents are able to reach snake. as far as the CIA is aware, eva is EVA and has successfully made contact with snake

the CIA is unaware that the real EVA has actually been dead for around a week. by the time the KGB was able to officially confirm EVA's death, the davy crockett had been fired, so relations between the USSR and the US were strained. the KGB chooses not to inform the US of EVA's death, even at the beginning of operation snake eater when he is expected to cooperate

ADAM cannot alert the CIA about eva being an imposter because the KGB are deliberately withholding the news of EVA's death. to announce that one of their agents has been assassinated by an unknown assailant would bring the security of the mission into question and put it in jeopardy. ADAM is still available anyway and so the KGB sees no need to inform the CIA of EVA's death as long as the mission can still be carried out. when zero tells snake about his KGB contact, he talks as if only ADAM has been enlisted to help. when eva appears instead, there is no cause for concern, as if it was always a possibility that EVA would be involved. the mission goes ahead with eva. whether or not EVA was supposed to help is unknown but directing snake to only one of two named agents suggests that EVA is unavailable for some reason (dead)

if EVA was alive, both he and ADAM would be able to confirm their lack of contact with snake to their superiors and eva would be identified as an enemy spy. EVA especially should have less trouble reporting this as he doesn't have to communicate with the KGB in secret, unlike ADAM, who has to hide his affiliation from the GRU

after EVA is killed, the KGB is hesitant to send ADAM to meet with snake while the assassin is still active. ADAM is told to postpone meeting up with snake in order to draw the enemy spy out. this might be why ocelot looked so irritated when he turned up the next morning - he had been anxious to meet snake again and taunt him with his very exciting new bullet pendant but was annoyed at having to wait. ocelot instead has to check for outside interference at the rendezvous point and brings his unit for backup, anticipating a hostile third party (ocelot expects to be able to speak with snake privately - if there is no spy, then snake will incapacitate his unit. if there is a spy, his unit will aid in the capture and escort to groznyj grad. it wouldn't take his entire unit to do that but ocelot would order it so he can speak to snake alone. he would probably insist to his unit that he has a personal score to settle and will catch up with them after he has disposed of the filthy american dog)

really, all ocelot has to say is "la li lu le lo" to let snake know that HE is his contact, not eva. he doesn't, probably out of pride, petty rivalry reasons and his runaway emotions but also possibly because he is under orders not to. then, he gets another lecture, run over by a motorcycle and flees. he doesn't get another chance to speak to snake privately again

CONCLUSION (FINALLY!!)

EVA:

agent of the philosophers

strong presence in ocelot's adolescent life; mentor

respected by ocelot

intelligence agent for multiple organisations

involved in the sorrow's death

killed by eva

wouldn't it be so typical of ocelot to form an attachment to someone who guides him but ultimately causes him harm? EVA might have played the role of mentor for ocelot before big boss:

ocelot looks up to EVA, who keeps him trapped under the control of the philosophers and is complicit in organising the death of one of his parents

ocelot looks up to big boss, who kills his remaining parent and who ocelot destroys his entire self for

THE END!! THANK YOU FOR READING!! o7

[tariah23]

[truly-morgan]

So I may or may not have binged Death By Dying and really enjoyed it. It's exactly the kind of vibe I love, crazy shit happening in a town where crazy shit is just, well, the usual. Same for Welcome To Night Vale (although I need to restart that one since I haven't listened to it in a while and had stopped far into the episodes).

Would anyone have any podcast with similar vibes to this one? I took notes from a couple of titles already, but am open to more suggestions in case maybe I don't get as hooked on those other ones.

-Where The Star Fell -I Am In Eskew -Neighbourly -Mayfair Watchers Society

also, due to the crossover with dbd I found that the SCP Archive could be interesting, but imma have to see how it looks.

Anyway, if anyone has suggestions with other podcasts that are similarly vibed as those, where the crazy and weirdness is just normal. Or something with some comedy horror. Am in a bit of a writing binge, but podcasts make for a great background when I draw and do other things.

[antiloquist]

Playing Lethal Company with randos when you're 20+