#the facade is failing

[practicalsolutions]

Tfw you need to talk to a guy who is literally in the room, but he's doing that whispering thing with the other coworkers where they're probably just hanging out and talking about non work related things. I would rather wait for him to walk out of the room and send an email than try to find a pause in their extremely quiet conversation. Especially when they get even quieter when they notice me nearby. 🤔

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

STAY STRONG GAYMERS WE'RE ALMOST THERE

[dailyloopdeloop]

DAY 71: shy

[roboneco]

I want gun to win just because the image of the crew heads having a third meeting with yugin afterwards is hilarious. They will either stay stoic during it like every other time after getting their shit wrecked OR they all will be experiencing different stages of grief visibly. Both are hilarious outcomes

[tillman]

Trying to talk to anyone about zato one is just this image playing on repeat in my head

[heartofarcanum]

I’m trying so hard to articulate how entranced i am by his more volatile behavior. Like something something a mask of calm he tries so hard to keep in place over a sea of roiling volatile emotions that are so close to the surface and that always manage to break free despite his desperate attempts at control because at the end of the day he’s still just an incredibly emotional boy obsessed with love and respect and constantly denied them no matter what he does something something

[truly-quirkless]

[ @themultiversebundle || DM'd to plot!]

It had been a relatively normal day..as normal as things got, now that Yagi and Fin had somewhat(?) befriended a strange Quirk-holder kid who went by 'Cody'. It had been maybe a week since the teen had started crashing in an empty dorm in the faculty's dorm building, and the two were out and about. They had gone to buy groceries since their supplies were getting low, and it was such a bright, peaceful day...

Until an explosion rang out from a nearby street. Almost on instinct, the two were rushing over- Fin with a hand on their hidden pocket knife, and Yagi on his own recently-acquired pocket knife (he may have been retired, but Hell if he'd go down without a fight). The two paused, however, as they came across the street in question... And the child currently going haywire.

"We needa calm that kid down...!" Before more damage was done. The duo let go of their handles,- Yagi rushing to knock a civilian out of the way before he could get crushed by a light pole, while Fin shot forward- hands latching onto two youths that were standing stock-still, staring at the scene.

"Y'gotta move, kids!"

[a-star-that-burns-brightly]

It's always funny (in a /pos way) seeing fanart and posts that portray David as some evil puppeteering mastermind Like I think we need a moment to talk about just how shitty of a liar David actually is lmao

[sankttealeaf]

i fear i may have to write a horrible ending where gortash does anything he can to get rue's memories back

rue, exhausted from her sleep being plagued with night terrors from her past, hating the taste of noblestalk now, stuck in a room with no windows and the only person she properly gets to see is gortash... thats enough to drive anyone to the brink of madness

rue "just let me die" lastname vs enver "you wouldnt say that - try it again" gortash

i think its gone past him wanting her memories back and has dipped into him molding her into what he wants. thats a fun concept. whats better than having a bhaalspawn willingly at your side? when you leash it up and let it become the weapon you desire, of course!

theres no good ending that involves them both!!!!! not at all!!!!

[trainingdummyrabbit]

[SURFS INSIDE OF THE ASKBOX AGAIN] hello i am Here to ask about what the Hell do magpie and luci have going on. Considering the whole Thing. magpie's watch being important to him and how luci is associated with the backwards clock. That Kind of Ordeal ^<^

hai . i am so capable of being normal about this. lie.

ok so im once again going to be At It, some mix btwn scattered notes and infodumping and me just saying words You Get It. i have Not been talking abt them as much as i think abt them, theyre another dynamic that haunts me to death. you understand. anyway; ~28 paragraphs.

so first i should Probably actually go over magpie as a character bc i. somehow. dont think i have. at all. so ^_^

magpie, our funny little manager, is introduced mostly as a negligible character. honestly? he just kind of sucked. shows up to be really annoying before dipping again, yapping just because he can, mostly. hes set up entirely to be some 'rich completely-inept asshole climbing the corporate ladder,' acting like hes So In Touch With Everyone (but still blatantly comes across as a complete and total narc). this is on purpose. magpie is a liar.

none of that is true, and he simply plays up the role so that people dont really suspect anything of him. actually, hes not supposed to be the manager at all. at his core, hes actually just. some guy from the backstreets people hire to do misc dirty work-- delivering information, just so happening to mess up in places that takes attention away from someone else, poking his nose places it doesnt belong-- hes got the look and charisma of someone who can be trusted, and he plays it up Hard. multiple times.

he has several different presentations he cycles through to get people to see him a certain way. he is Very Good at his job. he Hates his job. so much so, in fact, that after a particularly. messy. instance, he dropped off the map entirely to figure out some way-- any way at all-- to regain some sort of stability. (to stop the inevitability of harm even a little bit, even just once. (to make up for it all, maybe.))

so. yeah! magpie lies. a lot. he doesnt really care for status or the company as a whole at all-- originally it was just t cause problems for people he views as In Power, but like… fuck dude theres a LOT of people who Just Work Here, and if he went through with just Causing Problems like he thought he was going to, well. oof. so. change of plans! honestly now hes just trying to find some way to Get Everyone The Fuck Out Of Here.

he plays the part, and he snoops. he pretends not to notice shit he Definitely shouldnt be allowing (but like… if it makes shit easier for them, then yknow..) and pretty much just… lets people treat him however. because ultimately his act is Annoying and Untrustworthy yes, but also Completely Nonthreatening. people will let him get away with a LOT of shit with the excuse that he is "kinda stupid" and "doesnt know what hes doing." and well, yknow. whatever works! there is no way this can backfire <33

. so his thing with luci.

luci also generally sticks to her role as just kinda. yknow. Managerial Guide. at least to start out with. shes just figuring shit out yknow. and honestly, nobody really catches onto her being like… Conscious. except for Magpie. because he would always make dumb little quips and jokes at her out of habit-- yknow, like one talks to a particularly unruly printer or something-- and then she would respond in kind. like… snarking back enough to be like Okay Theres No Way Someone Just Programmed That In There Right. and not just that, she'd return with her Own little quips and questions, then act as though she didn't.

magpie originally takes this as a kind of "haha ok thats kind of fucked, at least thats something Super Illegal against these guys we can use if we need to" but then. unfortunately. the thing about magpie is that, against his own instincts, he cares for people. a Lot. he doesnt much enjoy watching people in danger-- and most certainly doesnt want to cause any of that Himself, he's over that.

which is to say: he Instantly gets attached. he cant really say it, but he counts her as as much of a person as anyone else is pretty much instantly, despite him knowing he really really shouldnt be doing that this is so stupid he cant just jump to conclusions like that and if anyone finds out theyre all So Dead. but he cant :( he cant help it… hes just a lil guy and luci is very obviously doing a horrible fucking job at hiding the fact that shes like… conscious. and he has a role to play up too, so its not like he can Do anything, especially since shes part of the damn facility's system and can probably get into contact with important people really easily..

so for a while, its just. luci thinking shes doing a great job at slinking around and playing the manager for a fool the whole time, and magpie fully aware but pretending not to notice and trying to just make things passively easier for her to figure herself out without anyone noticing. its insufferable. because theyre both Correct and Entirely Wrong about each other.

luci completely falls for his Dumb Manager facade and plays the part accordingly, playing around with him because its convenient and kind of funny, she also happens to be the only one who catches on that he is Not Supposed To Fucking Be Here, but plays along because, again, convenient. easy enough scapegoat if she needs it. meanwhile magpie clocks onto her Instantly, but Completely misses the fact that she isnt just innocently futzing around like he thinks she is. he somehow completely trusts her, so much so that despite being the only person who could possibly figure out her Scheming he just. completely rules it out. i really have to reiterate, they are So fucking insufferable.

it isnt until past halfway through th fucking game that luci catches on that magpie's front is . well, a front. and she is genuinely insulted she never caught on. its so fucking funny. and then things get kinda complicated bc like… [waves hands around] story events…..

luci kinda functions as a sorta "final boss" for the whole thing, in heavy quotes. ihavent decided exactly how itll go yet, but. waves hand around. the point is that shes kind of directly responsible for a LOT of people dying, and also kind of for directly threatening Them as well. but the thing is, she hinges Immensely deeply on the idea of Relevancy. because her own nature is so fickle and fragile, shes insistent on making a strong Impression of herself-- as this is what she feels like will root her into reality. something much like how abnormalities function-- ideas dont really ever die, and neither do they. and Thats what she wants more than anything.

so. while it wasnt exactly her entire Goal from the start, if she can cement herself as a Villain, then sure. whatever. it could be fun! and she plays it up. as she is wont to do.

that whole thing is important because of th fact that like.. the only person who Doesnt immediately believe that image of her IS magpie. like… yeah hes kinda had th rug pulled out from under him completely (and its kind of true that if he'd been a little more observant that he could have literally stopped all of this.. he tries not to think about it too hard.) but he also just… god, despite everything he still hates the idea of having to do anything to her.

it takes him a while to figure out why, but its because he's ALSO immediately able to call out her bluff. AGAIN. due to being pretty much the only person that talks to her directly (and.. genuinely ??? kind of??) he can tell when she is intentionally hiding something. she is very deliberately playing up the Idea of what a villain Is, goading everyone on, but he knows damn well what shes about. the issue is that it isnt wholly untrue either.

its like. yeah she intentionally hurt a lot of people, and will probably keep doing that if someone doesnt Do something about her (like everyone else wants to do…) but also… well to put it bluntly, again, she wants little more than simply to be able to Live.

shes purposefully putting herself into a role in order to get what she wants, confident that she can do whatever she wants with no consequence, and treats the entire thing as a weird little game. she doesnt really hold any malice in her heart, she just. she's just desperate and deeply, deeply confused.

shes not good, but shes not evil either. she is JUST stupid. she doesnt know what shes doing and will do just about anything to hide that fact because she hates the feeling of not having control over these things. something she Also tries to hide. honestly hes not really sure if she even notices it herself.

at this point luci has literally never had to deal with the consequences for her actions so this is quite literally the Peak of her hubris arc. to put it in a way, shes convinced she understands how the story goes and can change it how she wants, and she Does Not and Cannot. her arc is essentially trying to assign narrative significance to things in the hopes that it Fulfills something in her. it does not. instead she just has a bunch of problems she caused herself. oops. oh well <33 and its not like magpie doesnt try!! unfortunately its a little hard to talk someone down when theyre Actively Trying To Kill You, and also when theyve completely resigned themself to this sort of Only One Of Us Can Survive ultimatum.

which is to say luci keeps collecting death flags and well. oops <333 which kind of ends with magpie being literally the only person who knows that luci was ever anything other than that Antagonistic Presence she insisted on being (because she would rather have committed fully to that than to ever reveal that maybe, just a little, she was terrified of what would happen otherwise..)

but most importantly, luci ends up being Another Person that magpie couldn't help. its not like he couldve DONE anything, she would've refused anything and everything regardless, its just. man. god. ugh. that… that sucked. its not like he has a horrible track record of repeatedly failing to save people or anything… lol lmao………

so hey, the watch, right?

its something he got from one of his little jobs. last one he ever took, actually. he'd never say it was really a Moral way to make it day to day, but like, what Was, right? nothing was Really moral, everyone just kinda did what they had to; so like, no need to worry about it right? no time for all that. but then you pay a little too much attention, slip up a little, get to know someone a little too much; learn they're pretty much exactly like you are. someone with wants and hopes, little preferences and stories they get excited to share.

and then you get the guy killed. part of the plan from the start, of course, but like... he was Right There. its different when you have to look em in the eyes when you do it, yknow?

magpie's key running emotion is Guilt. he spent so long trying to avoid facing the reality of who he was and what he was doing, but unfortunately it catches up to him Big Time. he's just deceptively good at acting as though that isn't the case. no time to slow down, after all. he couldnt Afford to do anything else. honestly? his entire stunt with lcorp wasnt even something he Thought about too hard. it was stupid and impulsive and he knows it, but now he's Here, and he Has to do something. it has to be something, he can't just let it go. can't just let them go. (some part of him hopes that at the very least when it Does all backfire on him, at least it'd help somebody in the process...)

the watch is a reminder. something kind of absentmindedly tossed at him by the guy who put him on the job as a little something extra, (or in other words, something they didnt bother to want to deal with.) and then it turns out, it was just some petty fuckoff disagreement between them that started th whole thing! but its cool because he gives you the dead guy's watch "to sell for at least a little extra, as a tip." right. of course. yeah, that's... yeah, thanks. great!

he cleaned it and fixed it up and he keeps it as a memento. a little "hey dont fuck up again ok buddy?" a little "you could literally die at any time so like just remember that ok buddy?" ... an "at least let me honor this somehow before karma comes back and inevitably kicks my ass." equal parts reminder and weight to bear. sentimental piece and confession of guilt.

luci's ordeal with backwards clock is a mostly out-of-narrative subject-- assigning her abnos to thematically tie with for funsies. the clock is, wouldnt you guess it, linked with her experience with regret. its... very, very complicated to explain, especially because of the fact that 1) shes already so goddamn hard to decipher and 2) she is Also fully incapable of processing it for what it is.

which... kind of brings me to the whole Thing. magpie is plainly, fully aware that trusting luci in the way that he is is by all means a horrible, horrible idea. she's made it abundantly, repeatedly clear she will simply do whatever benefits her most at any given point. but all magpie can really see is someone struggling just a few paces behind him, exactly somewhere he has been, something he remembers incredibly clearly. as stupid as it may be, he wants to help her. he wants her to be able to find herself, confront what she refuses to acknowledge, give her a fighting chance.

he cant stand the idea of letting someone slip through his fingers like that. it's... its complicated, but its something he wants to stand by. luci just doesnt get it. she still holds a grudge towards him after everything, an odd caution knowing that he just. knows things about her. has seen her for what she is, further than she can bear to acknowledge herself, as bad of a job as she's doing hiding it. luci will continue to refuse any opening he gives to her, but he will continue to offer the option, time and time again.

. anyway heres some images.

[hirookouji]

context: rumors start circulating that midorima has a high chance to get selected in the nba draft so everybody starts talking abt his relationships w gom members who are already in the nba. leading to midorima making a clarification on twitter (he's clearly joking bc he loves them all)

[wobster109]

Here's me, running around Dewlight Pavilion and Clock Studios Theme Park, of course as Dr. Ratio, idly retracing our steps leading to Aventurine's grand stage while feeling a bit lost.

Dr. Ratio himself would never. He'd probably berate me for wasting time and not solving my problems 😅🥺😭 If I were a gambling fellow (😭 too soon), and I were betting on one thing (all or nothing? AUGH 😭), it would be that Dr. Ratio is out there right now researching something. Either how to retrieve someone from the other side, or how to get himself sent there, or the answers to the Watchmaker's legacy and all the hinted mysteries (so that the journey is no longer needed).

I have a feeling, though, that Nihility's path is closed to him. He's too filled-with-purpose. It shines out of everything he does, so bright one can hardly bear to look at him. (Maybe that's why he wears the head? Like Zeus in disguise - to save mortals from blinding themselves by gazing upon him? I'm rambling.) He's all, even a life marked by failure is a life worth living, and then he runs about saving planets and curing diseases, and even saving random researchers on a space station whose own master couldn't be bothered to care for them. There isn't a shred of Nihility in him.

So he won't be able to corner Acheron and ask her to send him there. He'll have to walk some other path. I just want to see what.

[oxbowreality]

my therapist is so bad with lgbt stuff but ughhh it's so hard to find a decent therapist

[dutybcrne]

I love the idea of Diluc and Addie, maybe Elzer, being the only ones who would KNOW immediately the difference between Kaeya and a doppelgänger by sheer grace of the fact that the Kaeya that reacts first to mere WORDS of them recounting a most embarrassing childhood tale would be enough of an indication

[buttercupart]

let's play humans & monsters

[cappurrccino]

I feel like the little kitty in a "hang in there!" motivational poster, except I'm acutely aware of the passage of time from my place on the wall, but unable to do anything about the fact that I am trapped here and the office I was put up in has been long abandoned