#they also have still killed a lot of people though. directly and indirectly

[verdemoth]

i got invited into @skies-seas space headworld a while back and offered my beloved immortal space captain from spore 2008. and then it took me several months to finalize a design for them/their species

Captain Sondetten was once just a guy, but is now a spaceship puppeting around a clone of their old body. This is because they made the mistake of captaining the first expedition beyond their home star, and the first to encounter sapient alien life. Now they are not a person to the empire, they’re a living symbol progress and expansion and conquest and they can’t be allowed to die. So when they did, solutions were found. [more under readmore]

Several centuries later, Sondetten is still kicking. The same mind, more or less. They’ve accumulated so many memories that after a certain point, it was easier to transfer their mind into servers aboard their ship. Easier for the empire to maintain digital backups for when the ship is destroyed and needs to be rebuilt. Easier to filter out extraneous data that would only take up valuable space.

Son’s none too thrilled with their lot in life. Everything they do has political consequences that can make or break an alliance. Despite their influence they can’t do anything to change their situation. They don’t recognize the world they were born on. They can’t remember the names or faces of their countless dead friends. They’ve mostly stopped making friends, as no one else can understand fully what they’ve experienced. They’re a ghost haunting their own ship, which is more their true self now than the flesh they wear for the sake of being presentable.

In this shared setting, Son finally snapped and went rogue. They broke into a memory bank to hastily download a big file of that old ‘extraneous data’ (not a clean install, it’s not totally coherent or chronological but they’re glad to have the chance to invite old ghosts back in), then they made their exit and wrecked some shit on the way out, vanishing off to the other side of the galaxy. Son may have been a pacifist once but they’ve long since grown desensitized to violence.

There’s nothing stopping the empire from making another Sondetten, and becoming even more selective with what memories are returned to them to prevent this from happening again. But that’s a problem for that Sondetten, not this one. This Sondetten finally got away, and is for the first time in a long time somewhat mortal. They can make another body clone given enough time if the current one is killed, but if their ship is destroyed there will be no one to rebuild it and restore these memories. This Son will end if the ship dies, which is a novel experience.

In the meantime they’re trying to figure out how life works now in a place where they’re not being strangled by their own legacy. They arrive into the plot as just the ship with severe hull damage and some very atypical technology. They find themself put up as a grand prize to be won in some competition, which is not exactly what they were hoping for. They decide to play along for a time in hopes of getting free repairs, and only reveal themself as a sapient being when some folks try snooping into their memory servers or cloning process.

~ Anyway i made this species in spore in like 2012 or something? they were one of my main playthroughs and Sondetten is my go to when i’m playing the space stage :]

the original Maaydes + Sondie in game

i’ve been trying to draw/design the species but it took me sooooooo long to settle on what i wanted! the initial concept was marsupial + bird but it evolved past that. there’s plenty of thylacine in the jaw range of motion & general posture/body anatomy, but also some rodent proportions and upright posture. head cones from great crested grebe and austroraptor. wing anatomy and proportions are pterosaur, a single long digit supporting a membrane. with a wing covering of moth like scales. also a bit of pangolin but it’s more obvious on some subspecies than on Sond here

the idea is that the predecessors of this species had some kind of fur like covering, which over time changed into fused structures somewhere between a scale and a feather? they’re primarily equipped for insulation and ornamentation (colourful) but the wing scales help to provide lift, and there are larger variations that provide effective armour. stomach ‘plumage’ is more similar to the original ‘fur’

[chasingwhitebunnies]

I feel a bit silly writing this because I’m sure other people must have but I’ve not seen anything about it

(SPOILERS - I’ll also tag)

I really love how we see Coriolanus’s character descent into who he becomes through each of his kills

His first kill is Bobbin. It was self-defence, kill-or-be-killed. If he hadn’t done it, he probably would have been killed himself, but this sticks with him. Coriolanus is horrified when he realises he took someone’s life. He thinks about it for a long time.

His next kill is Mayfair Lipp, the mayor’s daughter. It’s not self-defence, but he sees it that way. In a way, he’s got a point. She would have reported him, and he would have been hanged. So would Lucy Gray, so he shot her. This time, however, he had a choice. Maybe not much choice, but it was there. He chose to shoot her, but it doesn’t affect him anywhere near as much as Bobbin’s death

The third is the hardest. He doesn’t pull the trigger or tie the noose, but he might as well have. He betrays Sejanus. Sejanus who loves him like a brother. Sejanus who he has known since they were children. He made the decision in a moment and he questions himself afterwards, but he still made that choice. He reasons to himself internally that it was necessary and Sejanus was bound to get himself in trouble, anyway, right? Right? So it’s okay. But it’s not okay. The blood is on his hands and he keeps thinking of the moments they spent together before the betrayal. He benefits from his death and is rewarded for his loyalty. How ironic

Next is Lucy Gray. Possibly. For argument’s sake, let’s say he did kill her. He calls out for her, his gun slung over his shoulder. He realises how she might be scared, the gun sending the wrong message… but he doesn’t put it back. He brings it with him, not to use it, he tells himself. He would never use it, definitely not. He just… wants to talk some sense into her. As soon as the snake bites him, he abandons all pretence. Even though he admitted moments ago he understood why she would be scared, now she’s the enemy. Now she has to pay. How dare she. Not even an hour ago, he had plans to run away with her. He claimed he loved her. They were going to be together. Now, he’s chasing her through the trees with a gun in his hands and he’s screaming for her to show herself. He shoots a lot. When he thinks he finally got her, he’s pleased. It was her own fault, he tells himself, for the snake trick. Even afterwards, when he finds out that the snake wasn’t venomous - which Lucy Gray definitely would have known and therefore was only intended to slow him down - he doesn’t have a single moment of regret. The only thing he regrets is falling for her in the first place and he swears he’ll never do it again. His heart is stone. Frozen like snow.

Finally, his last kill (before the ones that take place once this book ends) is Dean Highbottom. This is the first kill that is not made in a split-second. This is premeditated. He carefully adds just enough rat poison to the morphling, sure to wear gloves, and sets his plan in motion. He has every opportunity to change his mind, to not resort to violent means. Not only does he not regret it, he feels proud. Excited, even. He hopes Dean Highbottom will know it was him that killed him

By the epilogue, Snow has gotten over (or buried deep enough) what guilt he had over Sejanus enough to use the Plinths’ grief to his advantage without any conflicting feelings. He’s convinced himself Lucy Gray was the villain who played him, when she was just a sixteen-year-old girl who was forced into a terrible situation. As we know, he goes on to directly and indirectly kill thousands between TBOSAS and THG, too many. I doubt he remembers most of them, just nameless, faceless children. He doesn’t care anymore, not like he did the first time

The whole world is his Arena. Snow lands on top until it melts

[i-am-a-fan]

I saw a post talking about how there’s a deep mischaracterization of Mk in the fandom specifically about his monkey form and I’m here to dissect it. (WIth doodles!)

Tldr: Will Mk end up hurting his family in season 5 due to his new Monkey form? Most likely no, but it is possible that he indirectly hurts them by not understanding the limits of his power.

First things first let’s collect a list of attributes that we know Mk has from past seasons. This will serve as a spine or checklist to see if certain actions are possible. A thing to keep in mind though is the ranking of each attribute as the writers of LMK wrote there are characters as complex and sometimes abandon certain character values if their center value is threatened. 

Mk’s character value list (in my opinion) is as follows: 

-Family 

-Strength 

-Freedom 

-Dependability 

with family and strength being so close to each other, so sometimes strength ends up as Mk’s main concern. Of course, all of these end up mixing at times and in the first seasons we see the mixing of these values gets him in trouble 

Desiring the freedom of choice over listening to Wukong (Pig Pong Panic). Wanting to be dependable but overestimating his strength (Duplication). Wanting to be strong but forgets his family in the process (shadow play). Eventually, he gets his priorities in check and has ended up sticking to this list for most of seasons 3 and 4. 

Now his flaws (in no particular order): 

Impulsivity 

Forgetfulness 

Stubbornness 

Blind devotion 

He’s overcome a lot of these when he was forced to learn them in season 3. His stubbornness to not tell anyone what was happening with the LBD got people hurt. His impulsivity with his actions ended up crashing the ship, and almost sold his family to a goldfish demon.

(Text: Mk's Fault, Good Intentions, Trying mentor)

So he’s had to come up with methods of working around that. Mk’s blind devotion to Wukong almost got Mei killed, and we see how he changes because of it. At the end of season 3, Mk doesn’t explicitly say that he sees Wukong in a new light but he heavily implies it with the metaphor of a bowl of noodles. 

So… Will Mk go crazy and end up hurting his friends? 

I highly doubt it. While I toyed with the idea, Mk is a lot smarter than the fandom usually gives him credit for. He knows Wukong is flawed, and he still trusts in him because he knows Wukong is trying. Mk has faith in Wukong’s strength and the fact that Wukong also heavily values family, even if his isolation makes it a lot harder for him to do so. Just rewatch the ending of season 3 where Wukong apologizes to Mk and watch as Mk comes to the realization that Wukong is trying so hard to make up for his past. (They also drive this point home in season 4 with how disappointed Wukong sounds at himself for not finding Mk in the scroll in the season finale.) 

(Text: He's flawed and trying, Has to accept harsh reality, Dissociating Coping mechanism)

So what about Mk’s impulsivity? I doubt that’d be something that directly harms his friends. He’s worked on his impulsivity by working with others (Redson in season 3 and Mei’s planning in season 4) to help fill in the gaps in his plans. In order for his impulsivity to harm others, you’d have to break that family value first or raise that value of strength and freedom. Most likely this flaw can manifest in Mk overdoing his Monkey form ™  and sending a shockwave that accidentally hurts the people around him.  Probably manifesting either in training or while having fun with Mei (think about how Mk was in the Bad Weather episode). 

Okay, what if Mk is tricked into it like he was in Season 4 (back to the flaw of blind devotion)? Mk has spent every season backstabbed by someone he trusted. We see him snap at Azure after he finds out that he was going to keep Wukong in the scroll. He snaps at Macaque in season 4. It’s safe to say that he’s learned, at least partially, to not trust others so blindly. Mk is also supposed to have gotten the “skill of self-reflection” in “Revenge of the Spider Queen” but his reflecting has mostly just impacted the other flaws. 

(Text: Side note, Monkey Mk doesn't have a nose)

But there is one possibility I toy with, bottled up emotions. Mk has extremely big emotions but hates showing any emotion that can be seen as negative. He loves being happy and he’s not afraid to show it, but as soon as those emotions turn to doubt, anger, or sadness he bottles them up fast. He knows he can rely on his family, but he’s stubborn and thinks that his emotions aren’t worth that hassle. Take the ending of season 3 where Mk states that “he tries not to think too hard” about his own place in the universe, which could be due to a fear of losing the value of freedom if he has a specific role to play in the universe.

(Text: Guys He's so avoidant, forced to think about his identity, 18-early 20's and Identity crisis)

It’s worsened by the fact that every. other. character. avoids. their. emotions. No other characters in this series are open about their emotions except Tang and Sandy. And from season 3 (and a bit of season 4) we know that Mk doesn’t view Tang in an extremely positive light.

Not exactly negative, but his admiration lies more on the rest of the team. Macaque points this out in season 2 stating in “Shadow Play” that Mk should talk out his insecurities, but no one else does that. 

That being said Mk isn’t entirely forgetful either. Macaque was a season 1 villain with his betrayal going through season 3. Mk’s high value of family, and flaw of blind devotion, make him want to give him a chance as Macaque’s past is connected with Wukong’s. HOWEVER, Mk is also stubborn and hasn’t forgiven Macaque’s actions. That’s why he snaps, plus the fact that Macaque is terrible at direct communication. Like I said before, Mk won’t directly hurt anyone he cares about, but if his monkey form is highly connected with his emotions (as most magic tends to be) having those bottled-up insecurities might accidentally cause Mk to unleash more power than he means to.

(Text: Normal, Fed up Meter, rage (on jar))

I have no idea where season 5 is going to go, but I’m so excited about the possibilities. 

(Text: Terrified of his actions hurting his family. UNSTABLE!!!)

[i-still-mask-because]

in the wake of all this new information during COVID, do you feel that maybe we should all just be masking all the time, COVID of no COVID? I mean it can't be the only airborne disease out there and immunocompromised ppl have always and will always exist so like. Following that thinking even if we don't have COVID we could still be risking other people's health (and lives) with other diseases we may have right? Idk I'm stressing a lot about this do I just need to wear a mask outside forever cos. Masks mess with my breathing and sensory issues and stuff but. I don't wanna?? Kill people by accident??? Aaaaa

Hello, thanks for reaching out about this.

I saw this ask about a month ago, and I needed time to think about how I'd respond to it (so I want to thank you for the patience!).

I'll try to answer all of this to the best of my ability, and I thought I'd answer this by going backwards (responding to the last things you said and then moving up with responding to the first things you said).

Everything is below the cut because this is very long!

First I'll try to summarize what I think you're asking here:

"Vulnerable people exist in this world all around me, therefore does this mean I'm constantly posing a threat to those vulnerable people's safety when I don't mask? The thought of this brings me feelings of stress, fear, and anxiety."

I find this is hard to answer candidly without risking stressing out you or anyone else who's aware of the consequences of their choice not to mask. Nonetheless, my honest answer is: yes, choosing not to mask means risking the lives and safety of vulnerable people, i.e. the disabled, immunocompromised, elderly, children & babies, and those that intersect those groups. That risk can take place directly (such as interacting with an immunocompromised elder) or indirectly (such as interacting with the parent of a disabled child).

I also want to add that it's not only those groups that need protecting. I firmly believe that regardless of your age and/or whether or not you self-identify as disabled or immunocompromised that everyone is at risk of the long-term consequences of this rapidly mutating, vascular, and immunosuppressive virus. No one is invincible to this, and I'll add: not even if you're vaccinated (still get vaccinated if you can, but know that you can still catch covid & develop long covid regardless of your vaccination status).

1. "Masks mess with my breathing and sensory issues."

I understand how that can be difficult to deal with, trust me. There are specific masks (such as most standard KN95s) that irritate the hell out of my face after a certain point. The way those specific masks brush against the hairs of my cheeks just make me want to rip the mask off my face completely. Finding alternatives has been a lifesaver, and they've allowed me to get through the day without wanting to maul someone lol. I don't know what masks you have tried out already, so I'll just recommend the one's I like as well as the one's I've heard good reviews on from people that also have sensory issues:

NIOSH 3m Aura N95 Respirators

Flo Mask

GATA Mask (Haven't tried this one yet, but I've heard a LOT of people say this has been a game changer for them because of how comfortable it is & how it doesn't trigger much sensory issues at all due to its silicone material. Probably the only con I've heard is the chance of the build up of moisture in the mask after a long period of use & water possibly dripping on your face— this happens to me sometimes with my Flo Mask. Edit on Sept. 26, 2023: I tried GATA Mask, and I personally have a tough time getting a comfortable fit & seal with it, even when getting the small/medium size for adults to see if it'll make a difference, and the nose bridge shape not fitting well for me is a huge con. Customer service is just suggesting I spend more, so I'll just give this one a break, for now at least. A lot of other people seem to like it though.)

Halyard FLUIDSHIELD [ASTM Level 3] Mask (My mom works in a hospital, and these are masks she brings home from work. They're VERY comfortable for me, especially when I'm masking at home. I recommend finding a way to tighten the loops that go around your ears to prevent as much gaps around the mask as possible. If tight loops hurt your ears easily, I recommend a mask brace.)

O2 Nose Filters (I haven't tried these out yet as well, but I've seen videos demonstrating how effective these are at filtering out SOOO many unseen particles. I don't recommend using these alone of course, because there's still a risk of inhaling harmful aerosols through your mouth. I would recommend using this as a reinforcement of the protective measures you take. For example: adding on a comfortable surgical mask— ideally one with a high filtration efficiency like the previous suggestion— with the nose filters. I think these nose filters would be great if you're removing your mask real quick to take a sip of water or if you're outdoors with enough distance from crowded areas & groups.)

In the ideal world, more people would mask during this on-going pandemic so those that deal with sensory issues and/or those that straight-up can't wear a mask due to medical reasons wouldn't have to worry so much about choosing between existing & risking their health. For now, we just have to find alternatives.

2. "Do I need to wear a mask outside forever?"

My answer to this is: yes until further notice. There's no foreseeable end to this pandemic right now, but it would be worth the patience to wait for adequate tech, treatment, and cures for covid-19 to be released before even thinking about getting loose with masking.

Societal mandates have been dropped way too soon, and public health in regards to covid-19 is being forced on us as an individual responsibility. As a consequence, this gives this rapidly mutating virus a lot of wiggle room to spread and do whatever it wants. This means doctors and experts don't have much answers yet for adequate treatment because there's a MAJOR lack of containment (such as masking & quarantining) and documentation (such as testing & reporting). This isn't to say there hasn't been any advancements whatsoever: for example, Washington University just developed a breath test for covid that gives results in just 1 minute! This is great news! And this is just one reason why it's very necessary for those who can mask to mask, so scientists are given more time to roll out helpful solutions & tools sooner.

Another thing I'll add is if you're symptomatic and/or are positive for covid, you should 100% be wearing a mask no matter what, point blank period. I say "and/or" because it is VERY much possible to have covid and not experience any symptoms at all; this is a major reason why it's necessary to mask up in public consistently, because you can't always know who you bump into that may have covid or not.

3. "Even if we don't have covid, we could still be risking other people's health (and lives) with other diseases we may have right?"

Yes, there is a possibility of spreading airborne diseases to vulnerable people unknowingly— without the protective & preventative tools that is.

I can only speak for America because that's the cultural zeitgeist I grew up in, but: I feel like many of us can agree that, unless you worked in a healthcare setting, what was "normal" (in America) before 2020 when it came to airborne illness prevention was definitely not the regular use of a mask. American health education mainly taught us if we're coughing & sneezing to try to do so in a tissue or into your elbow, as well as frequently wash our hands. That doesn't account for the way air actually works though. For instance, if someone with the common cold coughed into the inside of their elbow, the particles they coughed out are still able to linger in the air because their elbow isn't creating a tight seal around their mouth (their elbow may have caught the droplets from their cough— which are bigger & heavier— but the smaller, lighter aerosols would just spread around similar to how smoke does); it's the difference between 😪 vs 😶‍🌫️. The only sure way for the germs they've coughed out to be blocked from spreading to other people is if they wear a well-fitted, quality mask/respirator.

I feel like health education from a young age should include the benefits of masking; that way it would be easier to adapt to the need to put on a mask to protect ourselves & others as a collective. It would be phenomenal & wonderful if we as a collective were used to masking the same way we're used to putting on socks before putting on our shoes.

4. "Immunocompromised people have always and will always exist"

Yes, that is true. And that means necessary measures taken to protect them, as well as other vulnerable people, should be the standard.

5. "[Covid] can't be the only airborne disease out there"

Of course not. There's plenty of them. However, not all airborne diseases are the same, nor should they be treated as such. What's been observed in regards to the long-term effects of covid is not at all the same with other airborne diseases. Covid is a highly contagious virus that is more than just a respiratory disease. Its goal is to attack your immune system, nervous system, heart, brain, and/or other vital organs. That's what viruses do. They act smart and sneaky, and they have the capability to trigger illnesses in your body that you may not have had pre-infection:

Chickenpox is known to lead to shingles

Epstein-Barr is known to lead to mono

HPV is known to lead to cancer

Covid-19 has been found to lead to:

POTS

ME/CFS

Stroke & Heart attack

Alzheimer's

Dementia

"Brain Fog"; Memory & Concentration Problems

The list goes on, and these are only what we know of. Covid may not be the only airborne disease, but it definitely is a dangerous one with serious, long-term negative effects.

6. "Do you feel that we should all be masking all the time, whether or not covid-19 exists?"

In regards to masking with the existence of covid:

Yes. Masking is a vital method in the prevention of catching & spreading covid-19, because it is primarily spread through the air.

In regards to masking without the existence of covid:

See my answer for number 3, and also: given the fact wearing a mask can only do more good than harm for most folks, I don't see why not. Imagine a world where we don't have to worry about flu season or allergy season anymore because those aerosols are filtered out from consistent mask wearing. Sounds like the dream to me lol.

-

I hope this made sense! If anyone has anything they'd like to add to answer anon's questions, please feel free to share!

Thank you for reading 😷

[funnycreatortimetravel]

It has to be said.

Discussing Chara's character on Twitter/Reddit is so fucking draining. A lot of people on there are so obsessed with them to the point where they'll get UPSET when people have different headcanons, which is weird because Chara's character and personality are meant to be purposefully vague (not necessarily for self insertion, but yes, Chara is supposed to be somewhat aligned with the player.)

Any discussion about Chara on Twitter automatically goes either 1 of 2 ways, Chara HAS to be portrayed as a reflection of the player without any nuance, or fuck that, here are some things about Chara's character that spawned into existence that have to be there because Chara is an innocent angel who did no wrong.

It's literally along the lines of:

Person on Twitter: "I hate how (insert fan creation of Undertale media) portrayed Chara!"

Other Person: "Really? Why do you say that?"

Og Person: "Because Chara was being mean to Asriel and that was never shown explicitly! Just because Asriel said they weren't the best person doesn't mean that Chara was ever mean or anything!"

Like...you realize there's this thing called nuance? It's literally gone from "I dislike that Chara is being portrayed as the one responsible for genocide when canonically the game calls out the player for what they did directly," to, "Ah man, you got this interpretation of a character who's supposed to be very vague wrong even though it's implied that it was the case in game."

I'm not saying that Chara was straight-up abusive toward Asriel or anything, I know for a fact that they loved him, but it's implied that Chara hurt him in a multitude of ways that affected him even after his death and his descent into madness. Their hatred of others rubbed off on Asriel indirectly, regardless of their true intentions.

It's almost concerning the level of just...defensiveness of Chara's character that people will be willing to go to, and I completely get loving a character to the point of obsession, but there's a difference between loving a character and wanting to talk about them to completely shutting down any conversation of said character because you believe it to "not be accurate," when all it was was just differing headcanons and nothing was too seriously different from the lore.

And I know this is because of the dreaded Undertale Reconciliation/Overcorrection that happened as of late where people got tired of everyone portraying Chara as this evil demon who killed everyone (and I did too), but holy shit, the pendulum swung to the other side entirely.

No, Chara is not solely responsible for the genocide route, no, Chara isn't an evil demon who deserves hell, no, Chara isn't to blame for the player's actions, yes Chara is a young child, and yes, it's implied they were mistreated/abused by humans, which also may be connected to Chara's inexplicit sui*ide attempt and yes, Chara did what they did because they believed it to be the right thing (or at least for revenge/justice), not because they're inherently evil.

However, Chara still got themselves and Asriel killed and Chara still wanted to kill the humans of the village while knowing that Asriel did not want to, which goes beyond being able to avoid accountability. Yes, Chara was aggressive toward Asriel and caused him indirect harm by instilling a negative viewpoint of the world due to their hurt. Chara has had hatred already embedded into them that was then acted upon by the player in the genocide route, and Chara knows this. Hurt people hurt people, and that's the case here.

"Kill or be killed," is the mentality that Chara instilled into Asriel before they both died. Chara could've walked away from the human village at any time and saved before themselves and Asriel, but because Chara wanted to hurt the villagers, it cost both of them their lives. Chara had no qualms about dying for the sake of their goal, but their biggest mistake was looping Asriel into it even when he was struggling against them.

Undertale's lesson, of course, is not Kill or be killed, it's way more nuanced and morally grey than that. The entire point of the game was to go against the mentality that Flowey believed, that Chara indirectly stood for. No matter how you spin it, Chara trying to use their full power against villagers was morally wrong and Asriel had to suffer due to his hesitation to hurt all of those people. If Frisk/Player is morally wrong for the genocide route, then Chara was morally wrong at that moment for trying to kill those villagers, regardless of their intentions to free the monsters. Of course, it is Asgore's fault for putting so much stress on such a young child as the singular hope for the monsters, and I know the humans were wrong for killing Asriel/Chara, but Chara was fully prepared to take seven lives once they reached the surface, therefore making the humans' reactions fully justified.

Asgore killed humans who ended up in his land and there's an argument for that, but then the same can be said for the villagers killing the Asriel/Chara alamgatation that undeniably was going to harm them. If anything, the humans were MORE justified in their reaction than Asgore killing those six children.

Chara's hatred for humanity was always stressed even more than their desire for monsters to be free. Whether or not Chara wants to "punish the player for what they've done to monsters" has always seemed very disingenuous to me because Chara (not the player) finishes off the remainder of the world at the end of the genocide routes. Yes, Chara is meant to be a sort of retribution for the player for their heinous actions, but specifically because they care about Monsterkind? Eh, I never really bought that.

Chara is heavily implied to be the narrator sure, but that alone doesn't make or break other people's headcanons. The game, while it is caused by Chara's actions for better or worse, doesn't have to be all about them. No, you can't blame Chara for the genocide route, but you also, by the same logic, have to give the player credit for the Pacifist route.

Screaming, "No, no, it's the PLAYER'S FAULT," for the 100th time shuts down any room to talk about Chara's moral greyness. Yes, we know it was the player, but that's...kind of the point. The player isn't an inherently evil entity, it depends entirely on the route and your actions. Almost like...Chara? (You picking up what I'm trying to put down?)

So here's everything we know about Chara in the most unbiased way I can put it. Chara was a child who was implied to have been abused or otherwise alienated from their village and for reasons that may be related to that, caused their hatred for humanity and their heavily implied suicide attempt. Instead of dying like they probably expected, they were founded by the Prince of the Monsters Asriel Dreemurr, and taken into the Dreemurr family where they became a part of the family at the beginning of 201x.

As depicted in Temmie Chang's concept art, Chara enjoyed their time with the family as evidenced by their depiction.

Chara is stated to have the ability to make a "creepy face," and is heavily implied to be a bit of a prankster toward Asriel. Chara and Asriel continued to bond and it's heavily noted that Asriel likes seeing Chara smile, and they smile quite easily around Asriel. Chara filled the Underground with a sense of hope during their stay, and it's stated that Asgore applied that expectation to them for better or worse. After Chara and Asriel tried making a pie using buttercup flowers not knowing it was poisonous, they unknowingly made Asgore incredibly sick to which Chara laughed it off. Whether or not it was a sadist laugh or a nervous laugh is up for debate, however, it's clear the buttercups making Asgore sick was a sort of revelation for Chara.

Chara developed a plan to obtain human souls, and it's implied they pressured Asriel into said plan. They had the sense enough to know that they didn't want the details of the plan on VHS as evident when they tell Asriel to stop recording. They purposely ingested buttercups knowing it would kill them, alluding again to their more suicidal/sacrificial nature, and then had Asriel absorb their soul. It's stated they wished to see the flowers of their village once again, but whether or not it was a ploy to make it seem as though Asriel killed them is, again, up for debate.

Chara wanted to attack the villagers and use their full power to obtain the souls. Whether or not they actually wanted to free the monsters or not, or it was moreso for revenge of how the village treated them isn't entirely clear, but regardless, their hatred of humanity has been heavily stressed up to this point. Asriel, of course, didn't want to kill the villagers which caused both of them to be killed, instilling the "kill or be killed," mentality that Flowey lives by.

It's clear that Flowey regrets his decision to not attack the humans as whenever Frisk aborts a genocide route, Flowey admonishes them by saying they "almost had it," clearly paralleled to the fact that he feels as though he aborted the original plan for massacre onto that village.

Flowey blames himself for what happened to him and Chara and it's clear his being soulless has ruined or at least changed his perception of morality as he no longer cares about what was right, but his sole survival. He also acknowledges that Chara was the reason behind his philosophical change even after death. After the Pacifist route in which Chara, if them being the narrator during all routes is true, has gone through philosophical changes themselves following the events of the game in which the "kill or be killed," mentality is uprooted by Frisk, the player and their friends.

After the pacifist route, Asriel acknowleges the fact that Chara wasn't the greatest person and says that Frisk is the type of friend he wished he had back then, showcasing that a lot his positive and negative feelings toward Chara were self projected. He also acknowledges that a lot of Chara's behavior came from a place of hatred and unhappiness before they fell, hinting at mistreatment. Chara's actions were what kick started a large portion of the story and in their wake, they left a lot of unresolved threads and hurt feelings and miscommunication. But they also left a large sense of hope that the monsters clearly still feel.

It's clear that Asriel did not want to kill anyone regardless of his desire to free the monsters. Chara is fine with, or at the very least, isn't all too conflicted about killing others for the "sake of the greater good," but whether or not they were doing it solely to free monsters is purposely left vague. Chara has no qualms about killing themselves for the sake of a plan, killing others while using their brother's body, or going against what their brother wants for the sake of their goal. Chara likely knew that Asriel was hesitant, but because they were too caught up, was willing to overlook it or was hoping that Asriel would do what he needed to once the time arose.

Chara and Asriel are both children. One had to go through indescribable pain and the other wanted to ease that pain, even if it meant they would have to take the lives of people when they didn't want to. Chara, more than their love for monsters, felt a burning hatred for humans and was willing to take said hatred out on an entire village rather than just killing the seven people and living. Asriel's hesitation to commit a massacre is understandable, especially given that he is a child and hasn't experienced the same mistreatment as Chara.

Following that, Asriel and them both die to which Asriel takes an interesting stance and blames himself rather than blaming Chara for trying to destroy the village when their original plan was just to get seven souls, even as Flowey. He almost has a kinship with Chara, calling themselves monsters of sorts, but in reality, he's just self-projecting his negative feelings.

During the events of the Pacifist route, Frisk and the Player essentially have to undo the mistakes of Chara and Asriel to save Asriel from the unfortunate circumstance that he was put into, both figuratively and literally saving his soul and putting Chara to rest.

However, during the genocide route, we instead reinforce the idea that killing is morally right to Chara. I know a lot of people say that Chara was only influenced by the player in the genocide route, but I believe that all the player did was simply reinforce the belief that was already instilled into Chara. Chara never had any qualms about killing even without the player influencing them, and now, without their soul, all the player has done is feed the fire of Chara's hatred and animosity for not only humanity but life itself. The hatred and leaning toward killing has always existed within Chara, it's just up to the player whether or not we want to follow and reinforce those beliefs or show the traumatized children that there's a different way.

[sweettjrose]

Something I find really interesting is this panel from "Mickey Mouse Outwits the Phantom Blot" where the Phantom Blot explains why he didn't straight up kill Mickey even though he clearly overpowered him multiple times and could easily do so.

I think this moment is interesting because it kind of adds a bit of depth to him beyond a generic killer/criminal. Plus it isn't that he is against death in general (as he still puts Mickey into traps with the intention of killing him) but directly being involved where he can see the person dying. What is even more interesting is how people interpret it.

Some people see it as a oddly wimpy moment for the Phantom Blot, with even some just straight up ignoring it.

Some interpret it solely from a Doylist perspective where they understand that the real reason Blot can't kill Mickey is because the story would be over and Disney probably wouldn't be okay with their main character being killed off.

Some take it at straight up face value that he doesn't like to kill, because he doesn't like to see things die and that's it. Just as he said.

And some people even add some element to expand on him as a character such as having some kind of phobia related to blood and gore or even a traumatic experience with death to further expand why he isn't comfortable directly killing someone.

Personally, I like to interpret it as a reflection of a key part of the Phantom Blot's character: His lack of accountability. If there is one thing that is common in many interpretations of the Blot is his refusal to answer for his criminal actions. His first thought when being placed in prison is usually to escape rather than reflect on what he did. And I feel like his aversion to directly killing someone is connected. When he indirectly kills someone in a different location. It is out of sight and out of mind. He can just easily move on to his next criminal action without even a care in the world. But that becomes a bit harder when he is more directly involved.

I like the idea that he constantly tries to separate himself from fault. You even kind of see this in the original comic in how he will sometimes place the blame on Mickey for getting involved instead of him trying to kill him. And while you could say he is just teasing Mickey, you could also see it as him trying to justify his actions. He tries to put up mental barriers to protect himself truly understanding the harm of his actions. And I feel like a part of him knows that if he were to ever directly end a life that it would be a lot harder for him to justify in his mind. He would no longer be able to just ignore it. Any mental barriers he made would crumble.

I also kind of wonder if death also reminds him how vulnerable he actually is. That no matter how skilled and above everyone else he thinks he is. He is not free from the eventuality that is death. That is one thing everyone has in common no matter who you are. His entire criminal career could end before he even achieves the amount of fame and success that he wants. He could be gone from this world and even worse completely forgotten in the sands of time.

[annymation]

for the asks requests:

1: DARIO BACKSTORY NOW

2: I wanna hear abt bravo

3: Florian reaction to everything

4: SYMBOLISM. PLEASE. 🍽️

Oh I actually didn't expect for all of these to be asked all of the same time, as they're kinda long answers... Specially number 3. But I can work with that :)

I think you guys might really like what's down here:

1- What Did Dario Not Tell Them At The Campfire

So when asked if he had any bad experiences with the king, Dario just answered he'd rather not talk about it. The reason isn't because Magnifico did something to him directly, but rather indirectly. See, Dario's dad is the royal announcer and his mother is a singer, both jobs that require their voices, and they value their voices a lot, while Dario was born with a speech impediment.

One day, Dario overheard them talking in their room, and they said how they hoped when Dario turned 18 he'd wish for the king to give him a voice.

Now, to some that may seem like a good wish, "who wouldn't want to have a voice?" you may ask, thing is that most disabled people don't want to be changed, what they want is to be accepted. Obviously though I can't speak for the whole ASL community, however I did study the basics of sign language in college, and my teacher, who is deaf, taught us about deaf culture, and how you shouldn't assume someone WANTS to be like you, to be "Fixed".

Dario didn't want to change himself, but in that moment he felt like his parents saw him as someone broken and hoped the king could fix him...

So yeah I didn't have him explain all that because it's way too depressing even for me.

2- Where Did Bravo Come From

A more wholesome little story with our faaaaaaavorite evil duo! Yay!

So, Amaya often goes to the woods to get ingredients for her potions, mushrooms, herbs, animal parts, you name it. She goes alone, just wearing a hooded cloak so she's not recognized.

One day, during her foraging, she heard a sound coming from behind her:

"Miirrrau!"

It was a quiet, growly meow

And she kept hearing it over and over, like it was asking for help. Now although the queen has a heart as cold as ice, she felt moved by the tiny cries, so she followed them into the woods.

And here's what she found:

"Awwwwwwwn~" Her iced heart melted at the sight of what she thought was a little kitten "Are you lost, little one?"

"Miaurrr!" the kitten had a weirdly growly voice, but still high pitched like any kitten, he seemed to be scared and lost, looking for him mom

"Don't fret, you're safe now" she takes him and puts him in her basket full of mushrooms "I'll take you to your new home. Heh heh heh my love will have quite the surprise when he sees you"

So she goes back to the palace, Magnifico is busy changing some wishes when she arrives

"Daaaaarliiiiing~ Look what I found in the woods today!" She says showing him the kitten

Magnifico looks quite surprised, although he has seen Amaya do some REALLY messed up things, he never thought she'd use a whole kitten as a potion ingredient

"Hmmm... How nice dear, but uh- If you don't mind me asking- What kind of potion requires a kitten sacrifice?" He asks smiling, trying to be supportive of her weird hobbies

"SACRIFICE???" She holds the kitten close to her, looking very offended that her husband would imply that "I don't want to kill him! I want to keep him!"

"OOOOOH I see, I see. That makes more sense" The king says kinda relieved

(They have murdered and ruined the lives of millions, but they draw the line at killing a kitten)

"Well then, if that's your desire then he's all yours, my beldam. But don't expect me to take care of him as well" He said

And that basically went like one of those "Dad said he didn't want the dog" memes, because Magnifico really liked the cat and took care of him just as much as Amaya.

They named him "Bravo" because it's both what you say to cheer for someone after a performance, and their whole thing is that they're constantly acting to their people, and also means angry in Spanish, and the kitten often looked grumpy.

But as time went on, and Bravo grew... They noticed he just wouldn't stop growing. And soon enough they realized... That wasn't a cat, that was a lynx.

And thats how the situation went from good to GREAT!

Like, they just raised their own killing machine without even knowing it was a killing machine, they were beyond ecstatic, they were running around like "YES YES YEEEES!!!" ya feel me?

3- How Florian Reacts To Everything

Now, to answer this one, I'll tell you a story... About something that happened in the chapter "Into The Eye Of The Storm".

Something that happened from Magnifico's perspective... After he got struck by lightning.

So let me set the scene.

...

He felt excruciating pain he never imagine possible course through his body, and light was all he could see.

Until it wasn't.

Everything went black.

Magnifico shot his eyes open, and all he could see was a dark emptiness surrounding him, and feel water beneath his feet.

The king looked around completely lost, one moment he was in the storm with that star, and in the next he was here... His staff wasn't with him, he was powerless.

He hears a voice

"Huh... Took much longer than I would've liked, but oh well, looks like you finally got what you deserved."

Magnus gets startled by the voice coming from all around him, but tries to hide his fear by masking it with anger "Who's there?!" he demands to know

"Really? After just 25 years you've already forgotten my voice?" The youthful but voice says, bitterness dripping from his tone. Magnifico's eyes widen as he indeed starts to recognize the voice... The voice he celebrated he'd never would have to hear all those years ago. The figure starts to manifest itself in front of him as it says "But then again, you never were the type to listen much, were you, Mag?" Florian calls him by the nickname he used to affectionally call his older sibling.

Magnus sees his younger brother floating in front of him, but the expression on his face is one the king has never seen before. Florian was always happy, always kind and sympathetic, innocent, he was like the personification of sunshine itself. Now? Now his expression was so full of hatred, hiding behind a mocking smile, like Florian has been waiting for this a long time.

"See you grew a beard heh heh you look just like dad" The spirit jokes

Magnifico is staring at the apparition before him with wide eyes, his mind is racing, trying to make sense of any of this, how could he go from fighting with the star to thi-... Wait... He remembers something he read about wishing stars, they have the power to give people dreams... He must have been knocked out and the star is trying to play a trick on him... Yeah, that's gotta be it.

He smiles thinking he just figured this all out "Hahah guilt tripping? Really? Didn't think that was your style, Aster, I'm almost impresse-"

"You died." Florian just gives it to him straight.

Magnifico freezes.

"You flew too close to the sun brother, or rather, too close to the storm." The spirit explains, and starts to float circles around his older brother "And soon, your soul will completely leave this plane, and I will finally rest in peace knowing MY people are free from you." The spirit speaks almost spitting on Magnus face, emphasizing how the people of Rosas are his people, his kingdom that Magnus stole.

But the older brother is almost blocking out the sound of his voice, too busy processing that if what he's saying is true then... "Amaya... It can't end like this, I can't leave her no-"

"HAH! That's what you worry about? That wretched witch?!" Florian now has a mocking smile on his face, it's a smile Magnifico has never seen from his caring little brother in life... It doesn't even look like him anymore.

"DON'T YOU DARE CALL HER THAT!" He yells, now starting to accept that yes, that is indeed his brother's ghost, and he's enraged to see him again.

"Pretty sure I get to call the woman who poisoned me whatever I want." Florian says nonchalantly

"Tsk not our fault you made it so easy" the older brother smirks, trying to come out on top of the situation "I mean, a random mystery woman shows up out of nowhere, and you just invites her to be the royal potion maker? What did you think was gonna happe-"

"I thought you'd finally be happy." Florian interrupts him with a serious expression, Magnus stops talking and stares at him confused, so Florian continues "When you first locked eyes with her, I saw a spark in you... A gleam of happiness you never shown in all the years we lived together... I knew you were in love with her... THATS why I let her stay." He explains with every word dripping with bitterness "I thought "Finally, my big brother won't be so lonely and angry all the time! Love will surely make him move on from the fact he wasn't meant to be king!"" Florian makes a slightly more high pitched and cheerful voice as if to mimic how he used to sound like when he was alive "Hahah It's quite the tragic comedy, ain't it? I helped in your union... Unaware I was digging my own grave."

"... And do you think I care? We would've ended up together regardless. And I would take the crown that is RIGHTFULLY MINE regardless of whatever you did!" Magnus exclaims. If he's really dead and this is just the limbo between the land of the living and the after life, then he might as well take this opportunity to let out everything he wanted to tell his little brat of a brother all those years "The throne was MY RIGHT! But he said "NoOooO son! You must learn magic! So you may grant their wishes" WELL what if I don't WANT to grant all their whiny little pleas, like I'm some kind of SERVANT?! I wanted to follow my own path! I dreamed of being a good king! But then YOU showed up!"

"Sorry for being born, I guess" Florian says sarcastically

"YEARS watching them give you everything I ever wanted... I was pushed aside like I was NOTHING." Magnus sounds more and more deranged as he begins to smile sadistically at his brother "WELL GUESS WHAT! Now I "grant" more wishes than YOU and all of those old fools EVER DID! The people ADORE ME! And no one even remembers you!" Magnus spats out like he just won this argument, Florian is raising one eyebrow, looking at him like this is quite pathetic. The older king walks closer to him with a grin "So, how does it feel huh? Knowing your legacy will forever be "Just King Magnifico's little brother that fell ill and died""

Florian looks at him serious for a moment, before smiling confident again "I never did it to be remembered, I did it because I wanted to make my people happy, and I can rest easy knowing I did just that... While you lived a meaningless life, trying soooo desperately to make everyone love you, hoping that would make it up for the years you were ignored... Did it work?" Magnus looks shocked by those words, he tries to respond but Florian doesn't let him "Of course it didn't, you'll never be satisfied. And now, as if making my people suffer all these years wasn't enough, you try to steal the magic of a star, but oh-oh that didn't work, it got you killed in the most foolish way possible!... Now it won't be long until people find out the truth, then NO ONE will "Adore you" nor "Remember you"." Florian smiles widely as he asks "So, how does it feel huh? Knowing your legacy will forever be... Nothing."

Magnus has no words... His brother had never spoken to him like that... No one has ever spoken to him like that.

Florian looks satisfied, but he already know that... Unfortunately, Magnus time hasn't come just yet

"*sigh* Karma really does work in mysterious ways... Looks like the witch comes to your rescue, Mag... Again." Florian says with his arms crossed.

Magnus doesn't understand what he's talking about "Wha-"

"When you get back, if you even remember any of this... Tell Amaya that I lied, her tea tasted terrible." He says with a cheeky grin while waving his brother goodbye.

Magnus feels him sink into the water beneath his feet. He screams and-

His eyes are shot open.

He gasps for air.

Amaya brought him back from the dead with her kiss.

...

So yeah, that's dead Florian, his personality is waaaay different when he was alive by the way, but I enjoyed writing someone that can spit some facts on Magnifico's face.

4- Symbolism

I've wrote a whole lot in this, so I'll just end on a simple note:

I like the symbolism of Asha's family always being with her, from her wearing her mother's cloak and her ability to draw being what saved her, to her singing to inspire the people like her father, and playing her grandfather's mandolin, it really feels like even though they weren't THERE they were essential characters in her journey. And I'm proud of this little detail.

There's more juicy symbolism but now I'm exhausted from writing because MY GOSH Florian was intense, I really got into the mindset of a 20 year old that got murdered by the brother he once admired and I don't feel well. OOF. Imma take a break lmao

Thank you for the ask and

Thank You For Reading!

[k-martins]

Hello.... What do you think are Fushiguro and Itadori’s greatest personality strengths and weaknesses? Why? What do you love about their dynamic? Thanks if you want to answer....

Hello! Sorry for the delay in responding.

That's a good question, thanks for submitting it.

Well, I'll start with Yuji. I think his strong point (which was currently pointed out even by Sukuna) is his unshakable humanity. He is always willing to be a stronger version of himself, to evolve as a sorcerer and a person, to protect those he loves. No matter how many times Yuji falls, he will always get up and fight again to protect those he loves most. His willpower is impressive and one of the reasons why he hasn't lost control of his emotions yet, something Nanamin and Todo pointed out as being useless as a sorcerer (I felt like a proud mother seeing him fighting Sukuna so seriously, no. letting the memory of Nanami and Higuruma's "death" affect him, something that would have happened in his times in Shibuya.) I think this is what makes his character to the general public so good and easy to love.

Now, his weak point is certainly the great empathy he feels for people. Don't get me wrong, empathetic and kind characters are my favorites in any media, but Yuji takes it to a very high level. He feels guilty about things that are often not his fault directly (such as the large flow of curses that arose after he ate Sukuna's finger or the deaths caused in Shibuya). The empathy he feels for people makes him forget about saving his own skin (as happened in juvie, as Yuji sacrificed himself to save Megumi and Nobara and only managed to make things worse by, well, leaving sukuna free to kill him and cause harm to Megumi) and consequently puts her friends in danger. This is so real that even external characters have to state that he is not to blame, like Panda saying that Yaga died post-shibuya and Yuta hiding that Toge lost his arm when Sukuna expanded the domain, although it is pointless since Yuji is so trapped in the request from his grandfather who cannot bear to be responsible - directly and indirectly - for the deaths of innocent people.

In Megumi's case, I think his strong point is his wit and maturity. He is a very focused sorcerer who quickly analyzes situations and draws up logical plans to win. Even though she seems cold and distant, Megumi always thinks of others when he makes a plan and puts the safety of others above his own - something very similar to Yuji. His intelligence is what makes a character trustworthy, so much so that he was already going out on missions alone, he was praised by Nanami and Nobara and Yuji trust him a lot when it comes to having a plan. However, his weak point is, as Gojo said, his mentality. Megumi has serious self-esteem issues that end up affecting how he interacts with the other characters, remaining distant and stoic, and how he fights - always saving Mahoraga as a last resort because we know what happens when he summons him. He cannot see himself as powerful, so he does not fight much when facing a powerful enemy, using Mahoraga to secure a victory. He doesn't consider himself important to others, so much so that, despite thinking about Yuji when he's about to die in Shibuya, he doesn't regret his decision. This is Megumi's weakest point and it is for this reason that he still cannot suppress Sukuna like Yuji did. Megumi gave up everything when Tsumiki died (which is understandable) and is now just waiting for someone to kill Sukuna (I doubt he's waiting for salvation and I believe a "there's nothing left to be saved" moment could happen soon)

When it comes to dynamics, I love how Yuji and Megumi complement each other perfectly, which reflects in their fighting style. Megumi is a long-range fighter, while Yuji is a melee opponent. Yuji is muscular and Megumi is intelligent. And they're also a lot of fun to follow, both in battle and in their interactions. Going further, I really like how Yuji always claims that Megumi is someone who is smart, kind and trustworthy, valuing those little details that Megumi doesn't seem to notice (in fact, I really believe that Yuji is much more observant than most people he thinks, because that alone explains how he noticed Osawa's cute handwriting and the way she eats fish; my boy may be slow, but he's not a complete idiot). I also really like how Megumi always takes care of Yuji, whether it's making sure he's okay and thinking of ways so they don't have to kill in the slaughter game, and giving Yuji meaning to continue living ("so start by saving me, Itadori ", a real glue to repair the crack in Yuji's conviction and humanity).

Anyway, I think that's it. I'm a little tired because I woke up early lmao. Thanks again for submitting this question. It was fun and I love talking about my boys.

[sweettsubaki]

Bakugo needs to die for there to be any stakes left in mha

Do you personally think Bakugou is just that important to all the characters in the manga or to all the audience for his death to be the only stake possible ?

Also why Bakugou ? Why not Deku ? Why not SHouto. You know what ? Shark Girl is actually one of the only characters I haven't seen anybody give any hate to so logically, her would her death impact more people ?

More seriously though which definition of stakes are you going with ? In a narrative setting "Stakes are the risks, impacts, and rewards of a character's choices, which make audiences care about the story." According to the Cambringe dictionary, the general definition of stakes is this: "If you have a stake in something, it is important to you because you have a personal interest or involvement in it". Because I wasn't joking that much.

Now I'm not gonna disagree that Bakugou is important. As someone who has loved his character for 8 going on 9 years now and who has shipped BakuDeku both in a queerplatonic way and in a romantic way because of how he was written as this important piece of Deku's character, I completely agree that Bakugou definitely has this high of an importance in the story.

In order to work though, Stakes in storytelling are heavily linked to the themes and goals of the story.

Now would losing the boy he can only call "Kacchan" impact Izuku in deep and horrible ways ? Most definitely. Would he still consider he and the others became great heroes if said boy died and Izuku could not save him ? No.

And this isn't a small detail, this is an important piece of narration that's repeated at least twice in the story (and even widened to people other than Izuku).

This stake you're talking about does not work in the story because it would be the dumbest writing mistake Horikoshi would have made in it. It would be the most basic yet important inconsistancy he would have made in the story. Is that stake more important than the actual story he's telling ? I thought GoT s8 had finally taught people it's a very dumb thing to want. And in comparison it would make GoT s8 seem well written.

Because all this is not even counting the themes as well as Bakugou's role as a deuteragonist. What are the themes, ideas and goals of the story ? Showing people coming together. People helping people. People inspiring people. People impacting, both directly and indirectly, people's lives. Individualism and collectivism in their extremes hurt literally everybody. You need to find a middle ground. Society needs to change because individulas aren't enough to change a system, People are worth more than what they can give to others, ect... All these represented by two boys who needed to learn how to communicate and who will complete their journey by holding hands.

That's why a duo of protagonists works better than a single protagonist. Bakugou represents individualism while Deku represents collectivism. Then they reverse it. Now that they've both experienced each extreme, they need to join each other in the middle and finally fucking hold hands.

Now Horikoshi isn't a genius storyteller, he is far from perfect and in the symbolism vs concrete storytelling theory, he definitely works better with the symbolism part but he is still generally pretty good at storytelling in general. He is in the genre of Shonen, specifically an Action and Comedy. While he is inspired by superhero comics and uses a lot of their tropes, he also criticizes many of them. And that includes the very type of narrative device you suggest. Because the truth is that unless it fits the themes, killing a character is about as useful as letting them go on vacation.

Which is why I suggest "knowing whether Hawks' goal of creating a society where heroes aren't needed and can go on vacation will allow Izuku and Bakugou to get one to visit Mahoro and Kazuma for their honeymoon" as a more interesting stake for me personally ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[dingoat]

ghost: for best girl and also my boy crow

Ghost: Who or what haunts your OC? What happened? How do they live with their ghosts?

Ooooh. Well! Ahuska is absolutely haunted by the people she's killed (or in Blakk's case, almost killed), which is a list that grows longer the more of her memory she regains. She was, initially, a very successful Imperial project, taken out every full moon and dropped conveniently close to her target for the night, then tidied up by her handler and (courtesy of a chemical inhibitor) left with no memory of the incident come morning.

She's hurt people in so many different ways while wolfed out; directly, through her command/control word conditioning, indirectly as a by-product of the berserk rage she flies into in the proximity of Force sensitives (hellooo, Havoc squad, and more recently a poor Jedi padawan), and, in the case of Blakk, quite purposefully while driven to a point of absolute fury and despair, lashing out with no thought beyond the present.

Of course- she has since broken free from several different instances of captivity and is on the road to recovery, but it's a long, slow, painful road. While she does intend to get complete control of herself back and work toward making amends for those she's hurt, right now she's actually doing a very good job of not dealing/living with her ghosts at all and is diving head first into the absolute forget-about-the-world distraction that is Thirteen. The temptation to run away and pretend none of it ever happened is strong.

Crow, meanwhile, I think is haunted most by people left behind. Sure, he's basically made a career out of switching sides, deserting and defecting as it suited him and somehow always managing to be just skilful and charming enough to get away with it...

But at the end of the day, there are some faces that are hard to shake. A big one would be Lyrisal, his original Republic army captain, who is still locked up in Belsavis (as far as he knows) after their first major desertion. There's a lot of guilt wrapped up there, especially with his current position and (relative) freedom with Imperial Intelligence. Another, of course, is Fynta, his captain the second time around during his stint in Havoc 2.0. Ultimately, (this version of) Fynta's relentless desire for revenge against Ahuska pushed him away, and made it all the easier for him to be lured to the other side by the monster hawkbat, but he had loved the squad a great deal and sometimes catches himself wondering if things couldn't have gone differently.

I think his main coping strategy for actually living with his ghosts is telling himself that 'one day' he will actually find a way to do something about them, though he really has no idea how exactly to go about breaking someone out of Belsavis (without causing trouble to rain down on the people he cares about) or, even more difficult, to enact some sort of reconciliation between Fynta and Ahuska. Ahuska is still wanted after all (though technically deceased as far as official records go), and he's pretty sure Fynta would shoot either of them on sight.

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

cw: mentions of fatphobia, body image issues, gendered beauty standards

hey sex witch! love and appreciate your sex ed posts and the resources you've shared. i noticed that you've answered some asks about becoming more comfortable with expressing sexual attraction, and finding ways to see yourself as desirable -- i was wondering if you had any similar thoughts about becoming more comfortable with other people expressing attraction to you, especially verbally. it's something i'd really like to start enjoying in a casual way (i'm more okay with it within a long-term relationship or a kink dynamic, partly because it's something i can negotiate), but it's pretty consistently something that feels "off" for me and kills my interest. i don't want to react that way! i actively want to enjoy it, especially with people i otherwise like and connect with, and i feel like i might enjoy it a lot someday if the circumstances were right or if i changed my mindset/framing. plus, i know that i really like complimenting people i'm attracted to (if i know that they like it and i know what it means to them), and i'd like that to be a mutual thing.

to be clear, i haven't experienced sexual trauma, i'm nondysphoric (transmasc), and i'd say that i really like my appearance (in a nonsexual/aesthetic sense), so i think i can rule out a few of the common reasons that people feel this way. others have suggested that i might be aspec/demisexual when i've talked about my experiences, but i've gone through that particular questioning process before (and identified as aroace/"not interested" for most of my life), and i feel like it's probably something else.

i think a significant part of the problem is that when people have flirted with me/said that i'm physically attractive, they've usually referenced beauty standards that i'm both very opposed to and which are at odds with my sexuality and what i see as beautiful. i'm a guy who's always been viewed as thin and as having a "conventionally androgynous" (?) body type, and i've generally been attracted to people with body types and/or presentations that are noticeably different from mine -- that includes feminine-presenting people, fat and chubby people, and trans and gnc people who present in ways that combine masculinity and femininity. i've pretty much never been attracted to men who look like me. but when people compliment me on my appearance, they often compliment my body type or size directly or indirectly, and i feel like there's a certain undertone of "i'm labeling you as attractive because you don't look like Those People." i don't want to be around that attitude, and i don't find it flattering or "nice."

i generally wouldn't want to assume that a person who uses these compliments actually has extremely normative views on sex, is fatphobic, etc., and i believe that attraction is morally neutral no matter what your "type" is. it's not like i don't have specific preferences myself, though i probably have some biases that i'm not yet aware of. the whole idea of people being attracted to you because of aspects of your appearance that you didn't choose is...inherently messy, i think. i also know that in most cases, i can just leave, or ask people not to talk about me in these terms. but i still find the whole thing alienating and off-putting, to such an extent that i feel disconnected from most discussions and portrayals of sexuality, especially re: attraction to men. and that's on top of having to deal with the very common assumption that it's a universal experience for women and trans people to hate their bodies and want certain types of validation (but that's kind of a separate issue that i won't get into here).

do you have any thoughts on how to navigate this? i feel like i might be missing something important, but maybe i just need to understand and accept what doesn't work for me.

thanks!

hi anon,

I hate to be so brief when you've presented me with a veritable novella, but listen: you've already answered your own question here.

if I'm reading this right sounds like what you're experiencing isn't an issue of disliking compliments because you lack self esteem, but disliking compliments that are focusing on your body in ways that you don't enjoy. the problem in this scenario really isn't on your end. no matter how well-meaning people might be, you're not under any obligation to make yourself enjoy compliments that make you uneasy, and I'm certainly not going to be the person who tries to tell you how considering I operate my own life almost entirely around the notion that if it sucks, one must hit da bricks ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

you already said it yourself: if you don't like the way someone talks to you, especially if they're someone you'd like to continue having a relationship and building rapport with, the best move is to ask them not to talk about you that way. (if they're someone you'll never see again and don't give a shit about, by all means just blow it off.) if they're not cool with that boundary, awesome! you've learned something very important about them and can terminate that potential relationship immediately.

[viric-dreams]

It’s pretty well-established by now that I have a lot of fun dunking on Roberts and all of his problems and neuroses, but he does actually have several positive traits going for him:

• He has a very realistic sense of his strengths and weaknesses, and will not hesitate to go to someone with more knowledge in a topic for advice. He’ll also freely admit when there’s something he doesn’t know.

• If he believes he’s made a mistake, he has no problem admitting he made the wrong call and pivoting to a new strategy. He tends to have good objectivity when it comes to his own opinions and the surrounding facts and doesn’t get stuck in a rut or warp things to fit his already existing view.

• He’s creative—often problem-solving outside of the box. This is especially impressive considering the rigid and traditional navy structure he grew up surrounded by. Fortunately, this was something that the Commodore valued, and a lot of why he holds Roberts in such high regard.

• His memory is very good for dates and projects, and he can keep track of a dozen projects and their respective statuses at once (though keeps meticulous notes on it all regardless).

• Roberts doesn’t hold grudges. If he doesn’t get along with someone he’ll either avoid interaction with them or be distant and polite if forced to interact professionally. He’s also quick to forgive and move past things. There have been instances where emotions get the better of him and he reacts vindictively, but these are extreme scenarios where often all other options have been exhausted.

• He would trap and carry the bug out of his house rather than kill it. If it bites him, well, it’s scared—that’s not its fault. He doesn’t like violence and does his best to avoid it. That’s not to say he hasn’t enacted plenty of it, either directly or indirectly, and still has no problems sleeping at night, but if it’s avoidable he will try to avoid it.

• He doesn’t lie. He finds it overly complicated and bound to lead to trouble in the future. That isn’t to say that he’s not opaque, but you’re far more likely to get an “I’m not answering that” as a response, rather than any sort of untruth.

• Loves a good joke, particularly in the vein of slapstick humour, or an especially awful pun.

The Dreaded 27 reputation has overshadowed and obscured a lot of what he’s really like for the most part, and the average sequencer who’s had limited interactions with him tends to see him as the fun-killer, reaming you out for not meeting some standard or another, and some horrific horror stories in the back of your mind about the things he’s done to people that make you maybe reconsider how you approach the task you’re doing (or not doing) lest you meet a same fate.

Several of these traits (as well as a couple of less healthy ones) are direct products of getting dawnblasted at point blank range when they first turned the Machine on. Or rather, they’re traits he already had but ended up exacerbated by the Dawn Machine’s influence (ease at moving on from conflict in the aim of a greater goal, the depth of his dedication to the Commodore, and his tendency to ignore or deliberately push past his own limits for the sake of furthering the Work). I’m still rolling around how that would affect Nite, allegedly free of the Machine’s influence. If anything, it might make him someone slightly more self-serving and concerned with his own comfort? As his relationship with the LoN faction and January deepen, I think his ego and ambition get in the way of that objectivity and will eventually be his downfall.

[ohlookitsthearkhamknight]

In honor of Pride Month I think its fair to absolutely lose it over these panels again

Everytime I get back to these panels its just so overwheming.

Over the entire series we see Slade love and be loved but it doesnt really last does it? All these women even addi but it never lasts it always dies out. They or Slade always leaves. Someone always leaves be it on purpose or not.

Except Wintergreen.

Out of all of them hell even Addi herself sometimes, Wintergreen has dealt with SO much shit from slade directly and or indirectly.

He of all people has more than enough reason to leave, turn around and never come back. He could leave him, rat him out, hell even kill him but he doesnt. Through everything he stays. Even when he has every reason even when it kills him. And thats just not something you see. I mean srsly. Show me another comic from that time period that had a man who at times could be horrible that had a bestfriend someone who stuck through everything for them. Someone who even without labeling it LOVED them. Because be honest with yourself. You dont stick with someone forever, be there for them for everything if you dont care, if you don't love them. And it could be platonic it could be more who cares. Its still insanely obvicous that Slade snd Billy cared so much about each other that even people around them, EVEN PAT WHO WAS ROMANTICALLY INVOLVED WITH SLADE AT THE TIME SAW IT.

Another thing about these 2 pages that will ALWAYS have me losing it is the conversation between pat and slade and the last 3 panels afterwards.

The conversation: Slade asks Pat to tell him about billy. Not only does he ask what kind of man he is the one question that stands out to me is "were we really that close". Then Pat answers that they were so close that it didnt even seem like just friends anymore because of how much they cared for each other. because be honest. It would have to take a lot of love to deal with what they deal with. She even adds that billy cares for him more than a friend and also says not in a fatherly way either. Even mentions if she didn't know any better she would think they were gay.

Panel 1: Slade and Pat sleep together after the entire conversation. The thing is the entire conversation leading up to them sleeping together was not about pat, its not about her and Slade, no its about Slade and WINTERGREEN. Even after everything said and done Slade doesnt talk. Pat just falls alseep after.

Panel 2: still no words are said but with a sleeping pat we see a wide awake slade. Hes obviously thinking but about what. Hes turned toward the right looking ahead deep in thought and this is where the 3rd panel rips my heart into pieces

Panel 3: Wintergreen is also wide awake in bed. Unlike slade though he isnt turned toward the right no he is turned toward the left. Almost as if he and slade are staring at each other. Still while no words are said nothing is written its very obvious this means something. It means alot. An entire conversation. Thinking about their closness. Their relationship. What they mean to each other.

And the most heartbreaking thing here. Is that Slade doesnt remember Wintergreen in this moment. When asked pat could have said something like. Oh. Bestfriend. Father figure. But no. She told the truth. She told as how everyone saw it. Wintergreen was more than just s friend. He loved slade. And however that may be taken HE LOVED SLADE. And Slade loved him.

There are so many more examples i could bring up. So many more times that showed how much there was between these 2. I wish this was something comic writers understood today. To make 2 characters and their relationship so interesting you have to show its good and bad sides. You need to show how they complete each other. How they help and mold each other. Even right here with unwritten words we see so much emotion. We see all the unwritten words. We see such a strong bond that you dont have to guess about anything. Another thing today is that this is before times were more accepting and i do truely wonder if this were to be written today what they could do with it. What would become of them. Because i think we can all agree slade is at his very best when with wintergreen. A common theme. Without wintergreen Slade just cant exist. Deathstroke can but slade needs his friend thats more than just a friend. He needs someone he loves. He needs his compass. And at this point billy doesnt just represent morals. He represents the very thing about slade. Love. Whether that be family friend whatever. How ever you look at it. Slades very thing is his love. For everyone around him. Its what makes him, him. Its what makes and breaks Slade and Deathstroke.

Anyways 3am rant over. Dont like it move on.

[eric-cartman-my-beloved]

Why Scott is a Better Rival for Eric than Kyle

Obligatory disclaimer: these are my thoughts, not meant to offend anyone, etcetera, etcetera… and just my opinion. Feel free to have your own, or to disagree.

  Even though I have these numbered, they’re not necessarily in order of importance.

Also, for this post I’m counting “Tenorman’s Revenge” as canon.

1. Scott is a larger threat

In his initial appearance in STMD Scott might not have seemed more than a quick-witted but simple bully who scammed a younger kid for $10, but upon his return in season 14 and in the video game released a couple of years later, he proved to be much more than that.

  Not only did he re-organize the Ginger Separatist Movement and picked it up from where Eric had left it, basically making the other gingers his servants, he also made dozens of fully functional robots (some of them maybe even more than 10 feet in height and some having a completely realistic human appearance). 

  Of course over the course of the series Kyle has proven to be smart a lot of times too, but when it comes to going up against Eric he doesn’t seem to have the motivation or the ability to gather as many resources or as much help to fight against him.

2. Kyle is somewhat overused

(Boy, if I’m getting backlash about something here it’s going to be this…)

25 years is a lot. During these 25 years Eric has had a handful of schemes that directly or indirectly involved Kyle. Whenever an episode is centered around a fight between Eric and Kyle it basically comes down to a format where Eric has a scheme of sorts and Kyle tries to stop him because he believes it’s morally wrong (and or rare occasions Kyle concedes because he teams up with Eric, like in the Crack Baby Athletic Association).

Sure, it can be an entertaining formula, but with South Park having so many seasons it’s bound to get repetitive at some point – if it hasn’t already, for some people.

In the meantime, Scott has not appeared in the show since season 14 (almost for 13 years) while his last words before he disappeared promised a return. Any time for him to be brought back would be convenient, and there are dozens of possibilities a plot with him could turn out. There are still so many things to explore with his character, so many routes that can be taken, so much depth that can be given to him.

On top of that, Scott’s and Kyle’s motives for going up against Eric are vastly different, so I do think such a change would be refreshing. Usually Kyle objects to Eric’s plans because they clash with his morality, while Scott seemed uncaring about morality from the start, and now has a vendetta to settle with Eric.

Which brings me to my next point.

3. Scott’s rivalry with Eric is more personal

Yes, Eric and Kyle have been “friends” for years, they’ve been through a lot together, but a big part of their rivalry is Eric insulting Kyle and Kyle defending himself, or Kyle trying to stop a scheme that has hurt or exploited people. Such actions on Kyle’s part do not have as much of a direct correlation to Eric as Scott’s actions do.

Ever since STMD, it’s clear that Scott has made it his life’s goal to get his revenge for what Eric did to him. Everything he does involves (or aims to involve) Eric some way or another. He doesn’t seem to care what Eric does outside of having killed his parents. He doesn’t care about what Eric’s moral code is outside of him, unlike Kyle, who mostly tries to defend both himself and any other people Eric intends to harm in some way, like Heidi.

On top of that, after 201, we also know that Eric and Scott are brothers, so there’s another layer that makes their dispute even more personal, while Kyle has no relation to Eric.

4. The payoffs with Scott are higher

Be it Eric’s complete victory in STMD or any of Scott’s (thus far) unsuccessful attempts at revenge, the stakes are higher, and the overall experience as a viewer gives you the impression of being more grandiose.

The second (and last) time he appeared in the show he gathered almost half the town to witness Eric’s reaction as he revealed who his real father is – a mystery discussed since season 1, a question that had been nagging Eric nearly his whole life. Even when he did something as childish as to steal Eric’s Xbox hard-drive, in order for Eric to get it back he had to fight Scott’s army of robots, had to chase him quite literally to Hell, Heaven and back.

In one of the episodes that depicts Eric and Kyle’s relationship well, Tonsil Trouble, all Kyle did was threaten to “break everything Eric owns”, when he learned Eric had just infected him with AIDS. The most “extreme” action he has taken against Eric that comes to mind is the plan he constructed in the end of Le Petit Tourette. (But I could be wrong, you can let me know if there’s something more.) In any case, his plans are still not quite on Scott’s level.

5. Scott’s dynamic with Eric is more unique than Kyle’s with Eric

Unpopular opinion, I know.

A lot of people find it difficult to define Eric’s relationship with Kyle. They’ve been hanging out together ever since they’ve been in pre-school, yet Eric hates Kyle, and it’s obvious Kyle more often than not does not enjoy having him around. It’s safe to say Eric is obsessed with Kyle at times, while Kyle for the most part does not interact with him unless he is somehow forced to, directly or indirectly. Despite all that, they have saved each other’s lives in the past.

It certainly is a special dynamic these two have, and one that can be pretty satisfying to watch. But it isn’t unheard of. Half-friends half-enemies (bear with me for simplifying it down to that) are not new as a trope or as a dynamic.

But Scott and Eric?

I don’t know about you, but I struggle think of a hate relationship as intense as theirs, especially one between siblings. Eric’s dislike for Scott was so strong it made him hate all ginger people, while Scott has let his persistence with revenge take over his life. He had to be treated in a mental hospital because of what Eric did to him, and it looks like he has since been unable to think of anything else besides him.

If Scott hadn’t pushed Eric as far as he did and Eric didn’t end up feeding him his parents, Scott probably wouldn’t have discovered their biological relationship in the first place. They’re brothers, yet they’ve never had an ounce of brotherly love for each other and most likely never will. They’ve never shared what could even be remotely considered a civil family moment. They only emotion they feel towards one another is unadulterated hate. Eric (a pretty lonely child, if the conversations he had with his stuffed animals are anything to go by) learns he has a brother, yet he is also the person Eric hates because he has humiliated and tricked him in the past, while said brother wants nothing more to do with him than to kill him.

They’d both do absolutely anything to destroy each other, and taking everything else into consideration, I do believe this is a dynamic that at least is much rarer.

   +Bonus:

I also love Scott very much and I need to see him come back again. (I like him much better than Kyle.)

     And I don’t think his return should equal the obligatory erasure of Kyle’s interactions with Eric. Maybe they could both team up to fight against Scott.

     Or the three of them would make up for a funny rival triangle: with Eric being obsessed with Kyle and Scott being obsessed with Eric, but Eric being mostly indifferent towards him, unless he becomes quite the serious problem, and he has no choice but to confront him.

Plus, I guess I’m just a bit tired of seeing a lot of people saying that Kyle is Eric’s “one true rival”.

[fandom-fae]

i just realized something-

my current most favorite characters are pan from ouat and misa amane and like. they fit so well actually bc misa is actually very similarly loyal to light as felix is to pan, but the difference between pan and light is that pan actually appreciated and valued felix’s loyalty and like yeah felix’s loyalty to pan was his downfall directly, and misa’s loyalty to light was only indirectly her downfall but still.

like i’ve often thought that misa and pan would get along well but this realization opened a whole new can of worms tbh

and another thing- we don’t canonically know the reason why felix is so loyal to pan, but i’ve often seen the reason being headcanoned as pan having “saved” felix from a worse fate/life he had before neverland and this is such a good parallel as well to misa and light bc misa also views light as her savior because he killed her family’s killer

and then there’s the aspect of self-sacrifice from both misa and felix. misa’s is definitely giving up part of her lifespan in making the eye deal for light and felix’s is getting captured and then quite literally losing his heart to pan.

like felix and misa have so many similarities. it makes so so so much sense that i always ahd that feeling that she’d get along well with pan bc she is so similar to the literal person pan loves most in the world.

however, now that i’m thinking about it- misa could *not* fill felix’s role in pan’s story. she is very loyal and could be equally devoted to pan, and she would want to be useful- but where felix does exactly as told and never disagrees and doesn’t seem to expect anything in return, misa very much does demand things in return- for her it’s always been pretty transactional with light, like she will be loyal to him and let him use her as a pawn, but only if he pretends to be the boyfriend she wants. and then even outside of that, misa is a much more active person- even if she was shelved in some parts of the story, there were quite a few times when she took initiative and acted on her own to influence the plot. felix’s actions are not that independent; there are a few things that could be argued to be his choices, but i doubt that they weren’t influenced by pan at all. everything felix does always directly ties in to pan’s plans, he doesn’t disrupt them like misa disrupts light’s plans when she feels like it.

and then on top of that, felix and light would not mesh well at all. light is too cold for felix to project such savior thoughts onto him and light probably would not want another person to be so heavily devoted to him (he already didn’t want misa). however, light might’ve liked felix more than misa- felix didn’t ask for anything in return for his loyalty and he didn’t go out and do things he wasn’t “supposed to” ever. in that regard, felix reminds me more of mikami- but mikami wasn’t really loyal to light, he was loyal to kira (who just so happened to be light. if you know what i mean-) and also mikami still didn’t do everything as light wanted. felix never so much as even questioned pan, never had a shred of doubt. mikami did doubt kira and that’s (imo) a big part of why they failed (ofc i’m not trying to discredit near here, if it hadn’t been for him and mello, light couldn’t have been stopped)

anyway. another difference between light and pan: light was after his idealistic goals, pan was after immortality and power; yet it was light who had a god complex, not pan, even though pan’s goals are frankly much more like trying to become a god- especially since gods in ouat are exactly that: basically immortal and very powerful.

and then light was always so cynical and critical of everything and everyone around him (with very few exceptions like sayu), meanwhile pan was mostly just having fun and messing with people both just bc he can and to literally move his own plan forward.

they both strategized a lot and imo seeing a mind game between light and pan would’ve been incredibly interesting- even if light would’ve lost very quickly for many reasons (like obviously, pan has an advantage because he has magical powers and pan is very good at taunting people and pushing their buttons and light tends to make more mistakes when he's angry or getting cocky when someone challenges him).

also another aspect actually- light is at the start of death note just a high schooler, he's 17 and yet he always feels like he's above everyone around him and like he's smarter and more wise and stuff- meanwhile pan is hundreds of years old and used to be very well into adulthood before he came to neverland and became pan and embraced youth- he actually was older and did actually have more experience than most of the people he was up against- technically all of them since he’s obviously also older than rumple, but rumple and neal and hook were at least in a similar age range, but pan never actually showed any feelings of superiority because of that. he did get cocky and overconfident sometimes, just like light, but it was never about his age. isn’t that such an interesting parallel? the teen who feels more wise than everyone around him and the centuries old trickster who doesn’t even really acknowledge that his experience could be an advantage

and one last thing. their downfalls: light’s makes sense and it was because he was outsmarted in combination with one of his pawns making a mistake - pan’s was out of character because he was previously shown as much more capable than he suddenly acted whenever the heroes got the upper hand. (i’ll write a post on that soon, maybe on my sideblog but i’ll link it here when/if i do)

anyway i don’t know why i’m comparing characters from completely different franchises and genres with each other but yeah i’m done for now

[once-vel]

copy-pasted from my cohost. i have been doing some thinking and i thought to myself "what if zakri had dealt with the whole prophet deal better?" and i have come to the conclusion that he kills more people

under the cut because it's loooong.

instead of going through a hell of a years long emotional rollarcoaster he makes the connection of "if i say no velzie will just find another way to get me to do it, or they will make someone else do it, no chance in hell it would be that easy to circumvent all of this. plus there could be unimaginable consequences if i piss off velzie by saying no. so... no point in fighting, i guess" and starts working on being like, okay with it from the get go. except this time he actually gets somewhere with it. coming to terms with and accepting your very terrible fate speedrun

one difference between this timeline and the main timeline is his demeanor is entirely different. the emotional rollercoaster does not happen so his personality never really changes. he stays genuinely gentle and charismatic. he never adopts the rude and mean persona because. well what's the point? being generally likable is convenient. also something something "well i am going to do/have already done enough awful things, may as well be kind to those i can"

now i did say he kills more people. what better way to come to terms with your fate of god telling you to do things like this than, well, getting comfortable with hurting people? he sure would rather not be doing this but well gotta get it done somehow. it's pretty much always carefully planned and indirect, though. sucks! but whatever. you do what you gotta do. notably, he still becomes a surface runner, and the person he gets killed dies the same way, but in this timeline it was more intentional. hence why it doesn't Completely Shatter Him in this timeline.

anyway then collapse happens and the thing with unnamed kiv goes different. he wouldn't even slightly bother with getting them indirectly killed, no he does that shit directly and he does it without flinching. knew he'd have to do this and has already forced himself to comprehend how real everything is, so? just part of the job. something something "why are you doing this?? you used to be so kind..!" / "oh, if you knew why i was doing this, you would understand i am being as kind as i can"

he definitely would really absolutely rather not be doing all this but he's been much more successful at forcibly repressing every single feeling like that here, so. he also gets a little bit sadistic after a while (he is aware of this and has intentionally worked to make it worse). don't worry about it

also while he didn't have concrete proof he would die this timeline, i feel he would have been able to go "hm, my visions cut off after a certain point. i would not be surprised if velzie just decided to kill me at some point". and who knows? maybe this is one of the few timelines where he is allowed to truly survive. maybe velzie took his loyalty and rewarded it. not like it matters either way as this timeline never happens anyway. sure his loyalty is fun but it's nothing compared to making him suffer the whole time

i want to emphasize again that even in this route he's not like... horrible and evil. i mean he sure has done a lot more wrong in this timeline but it was still ultimately because velzie went "look at these horrible things im going to make you to" and he went "damn if velzie is telling me this then i probably dont get a choice. might as well make it easy on myself and fuck myself up in advance" and got to work. and he's kind here!! his kindness is genuine! he's not faking it! he genuinely wants the best for everyone. it's just that, you know, gestures to velzie

as with all other alternate universes/timelines though this is completely noncanon. i call this specific variety of timeline "what... could have been..?" (question marks included)