#this got long oops

[otherpigeon]

[feroluce]

While he doesn't quite confirm it in canon (he could technically still just be kidding about BOTH parts and his right eye is fine), I love the thought that Boothill actually did lose his right eye based on his "Knowledge" voiceline.

Because after this line, I actually did go back to rewatch his trailer, and yeah. Even when Boothill is literally flipped upside-down, his bangs stay in place. We never see the right side of his face to confirm it one way or the other.

EDIT: So it turns out you CAN see juuuust enough of his right eye under his hair in-game to confirm it's there and looks the same as his left. I am going to promptly file this under canon things I choose to ignore because hc is more fun, but wanted to add this in because I don't like spreading misinformation. Thank @ultigoblin for the info everyone!

And obviously being a Galaxy Ranger comes with a lot of opportunities to lose body parts. Especially given the people he's after, I would not be surprised at all to find out Boothill lost it in some bounty hunting gone wrong haha

But my personal favorite thought is that he lost it during the rebellion on Aeragan-Epharshel.

Boothill brushes aside what happened to his home, he'll openly say it's gone now but after that he just kinda moves on. He doesn't say what happened to it, and I'm sure he would gloss over the loss of his body and his eye the same way. And combined with how he always talks about himself as a Galaxy Ranger, always about the here and now, I feel like it's kinda easy to forget sometimes that oh, right.

This guy fought in warfare.

His character stories don't go into detail either, but it IS described as guerilla warfare. And it makes it clear there was a large technology gap between the IPC and Aeragan-Epharshel. It's possible they didn't have the means for things like cybernetic prosthetics- or if they did, it would have become harder to implement them during a rebellion, with the IPC breathing down their necks.

And I feel like in order to have a cybernetic prosthetic put in, the wound probably has to be healed a certain way. Like it takes medical intervention. There's a whole plan and procedure for it. And especially if Aeragan-Epharshel didn't have that technology in the first place, Boothill wouldn't have had the chance to heal it that way. Like it healed fine, just not in a way that allowed a cybernetic replacement.

So when one of the IPC shot out his right eye (with a "warning shot" of all things), it was pretty much already a given that he was going to be blind on that side from then on.

When he forced the procedure to change his body, there was nothing they could do for that empty right socket. To this day, it's still sealed over with a patch...probably with something rude drawn on it smzjmsmsks

And even though Hoyo is always giving really cool unrealistic designs for eyes, I do like to think his left eye is a cybernetic- that's what the crosshair is there for. It's to make sure Boothill's aim stays consistent and as good as it is when he's in top shape, even through pain or hindered vision. Like it's an aide, yes, but the skill is all his from years of hard work.

But even with all the replacements, all of the upgrades.

Behind that crosshair, he made sure to keep the natural color of his own eyes.

[docterzerocare]

Just read a very good joel centic fic with a very cool concept (Joel's Inferno by NiceCupOfAngst on ao3 go check it out fr) and a certain line has got my brain going

Joel and Scott are such foils, like its been known their connection with joel always trying to kill scott and the whole burning walls thing but also generally thinking about their relationships per seasons, they mirror eachother in a fascinating way (full disclosure this probably isnt a new thought but it just clicked in my brain ok lmao)

In 3rd life we establish joels lone wolf motif and start exploring his loneliness, having no one but his wolves really (only a few shoddy alliances that really dont last long), while scott gets married (and widowed which is connected in my brain but idk how to articulate rn)

In last life joel is arguably his loneliest, trying to have allies, friends, but the red haze cuts them short or not trustworthy, his longest allyship being made with red grian - while scott goes red out of loyalty to his allies (refusing to boogey kill them) and wins but alone (just him and his axolotl no one but his wolves)

Then double life is almost an inverse of their usual foiling, with joel finally having an ally that sticks around to the very end and scott having a more antagonistic soulbond, theres even something to be said about joel trying to save etho from the lava of the trapped portal but its too late, and scott sacraficing the win to pearl, both of their last actions being for anothers benefit but one fails (i feel like the ive connectes the dots meme frfr)

In limited life, we get joel wanting to sacrifice himself for a teammate but not getting to, and scott not intending to be a sacrafice (for once smh) but still being one for his teammate to win (also not really related but i kinda made the connection between the ll axolotl and 3l wolves before so my brain connected this too, fannon wise this is also a season where theyre very axolotl and wolf coded lol)

I havent actually finished their perspectives of secret life and i havent watched real life (yet) so i cant say much there so imma move on but you see the vision right

Anyway onto wildlife (from the perspective of someone who watched only joel and gems pov so far) theyre so connected like joel has gone all in on maintaining allies and being fiercely loyal to gem, like how scott in the first seasons prioritized loyalty to his allies, then joel brings attention to the fact that him always targeting scott dooms him so hes not going to do that - the fact that the seasons theyve won are the seasons theyve pulled attention to being loyal no matter the cost

Plus little bonus of them being allied with gem and pearl respectively and shiney duos whole situation

Idk if ive conveyed everything welk but yall see the vision right????

[clansunsharp]

My friend Cosma and I did a hatchling swap recently, where we traded a child of our progens to live in each others' clans as a ward. Mulvany isn't exactly fitting in with the warriors of Clan Sunsharp, but he's still making his parents proud as a budding maritime archaeologist.

[mintedwitcher]

So where do they go with Eddie from here? Because it’s clear he’s never going to get over Shannon

Therapy. A LOT of specialised therapy.

He can eventually move beyond the hold that Shannon's memory has over him right now. Remember it's only been five years since she died, and they were married for a long time, they were highschool sweethearts. Eddie loved her, and she loved him, and no matter the faults in their relationship, that fact still holds true.

But it's going to take a lot of therapy and time to fully heal from the wound that Shannon's loss has caused in his heart.

This is why I've been saying that Eddie needs to be single, and that he needs to learn how to be fully comfortable and at peace as a single man - not just as a single dad, but as his own individual person.

How is he meant to hold a healthy relationship when half of his heart is in the past?

It'll take time. It'll hurt a hell of a lot more, but as we just saw, Eddie has more repressed trauma in regards to Shannon's death - and Shannon in general - than he ever admitted to before. He doesn't know how to cope with her death, because he never got closure. He never got to grieve - properly grieve - the end of their relationship before she died. And he'll never have the chance to do that as long as he's chasing these other women, desperate to fill the void Shannon left behind.

He's dealt with his anger at her. Now he has to deal with his grief over her leaving him and then dying. He has to find a way to cope with all of this.

Smoothing things over, patching the proverbial wall here is not the solution. Because the holes are still there. And all it'll take is one misplaced hand to send the whole thing crumbling in again.

Eddie needs to rip down that wall, right down to its foundations, and build anew. That is the only way he will be able to move forward in a healthy way.

And then, maybe one day when his meddling aunt sets him up on another blind date, maybe his first thought won't be "I can't marry her."

[lili-loves-whump]

aah don't we love prompt spam

"Second place is just a title for the first loser"

that that as you will :)

asdfghjkjhgfds ok yes we do

lili-loves-whump presents:

Loser

Hero stumbled down the track, breathing heavy. Their hands were shaking, and the edges of their vision was swimming and heavy.

"Hero??"

Hero walked faster, legs pumping, lungs burning. They didn't want to talk to Villain now. They didn't ever want to talk to Villain ever again. They were sick and tired of everyone just worrying-

"Where are you going, Hero?"

Someone was holding their arm. Hero snarled. They didn't want anybody to touch them- not Villain, not Sidekick, not Superhero. "Get away from me!" they cried, yanking their wrist away.

The sun was too bright, it hurt their eyes. They lifted their arms to shield their eyes. When was it so bright? Hero looked around, the movement made their head spin. What was going on with them- where did Villain go?

"Villain," they choked out, throat constricting.

"I'm here, Hero. You worry too much." Villain whispered, wrapping them in a hug. Their limbs were too heavy, and Hero leaned on Villains shoulder.

They were on the ground. Why was Hero on the the ground? The red rubber from the track prickled at their expose skin. Everyone else from the track competition had left long ago.

"Why am I on the ground?" Hero cried out, trying to sit up. They didn't have the strength.

"God, Hero, you're a bag of bones. What has the Agency been feeding you, you big loser?"

Flashes of white sparked Hero's vision. No, they can't be there again. Superhero wasn't even here, dammit. And yet, in their mind's eye, Hero watched them loom over their weak body, still slick and hot with adrenaline.

"Second place is first loser in disguise, Hero," they'd sneered. "What ill it take to be first? Get up. We're doing another kilometre."

Hero shot to their feet. Black dots sparked in their vision as they moved. "No," they squealed, shuffling away. Their head hurt, and their superset felt like it was three sizes too big. Were they always this tiny? They couldn't remember...

"Hero, it's okay. Let me help you. Who hurt you?"

Villain's face was dark, and stayed in focus even when Hero' vision tilted. The last thing they saw were the criminals eyes glinting dangerously in the summer sun.

[artsycrapfromsai]

What's been your favorite character arc for Amaryllis while you've played her?

Hewwo!

Hmm... That's a toughie. its hard to choose!

💕 one of them is about her and this Inquisition, who are all anti magic and magical creatures. They tend to just go and kill anything touched by it, including Brightmaids like Amy.

And that kinda traumatizes her a little, because she grew up learning that these people exist, and even having them hunt her down as a child, but the way these people kill those like her without any remorse and take horns and such as trophies - they don't see her as a person.

And it kinda eats at her for a while, and makes her depressed at some moments, because of that feeling of being looked at as just an inhuman thing to destroy just because she exists

But after some time, battles won, and experience, she gains more confidence and self righteous anger and is able to push past those feelings and fight/kill the man mainly responsible for them (alongside her compsnions, who experienced similar)

So that was really satisfying, bc Amy spent so much of her life hidden from this threat and becoming strong enough to defend herself, and then truly faced that uncaring evil for the first time, and like. Nothing can really prepare you for that, even when you try. But she got past it and came out the other end satisfied with herself and her actions and her own abilities

💕 another favorite of mine is Amy in regards to Percy. Because she and him were growing closer and closer- they initially started out antagonist at worst, neutral at best. But then they become friends, and maybe something more

And that's when Percival betrays the group, and sends them into the void (something he deeply regrets, which is something he never does. It wasn't a plan for them, but someone else, and he knew the risk, but went through with it anyway, and ended up with the deepest regret of his life)

And for Amy and co., Time is passing, years go by, and when they finally return to Percy and the others, time hasn't passed there.

So it's basically still right after that betrayal

And Amy spends a lot of those years away thinking about it, why it happened (it was pre- determined because the world would end otherwise), how it happened, if she should still trust him, why she still cared about him, why it hurt so much- thinking through all these scenarios about it, and agonizing about it, because she's the only person who actually got to know Percy as a person, because he hid himself from everyone else

In the end, she couldn't gain any sort of conclusion until she returned. And she wouldn't even know if the Percival she returned to would the same one she got to know and get close to, because another Percival from another timeline (Percy B) asked her to give his memories to this Percival (Percy A), because they explain all about the way his life has been manipulated and for what purpose and why.

But those memories would also change him into someone else with both sets of memories (Percy C), and there was a very real chance that her friend might have just vanished into a completely different person, and she was terrified about that

It was all a really complicated situation, with so many conflicting emotions (sadness, betrayal, regret, affection, yearning, fear...), where Amy was hurt by a man she cared about, but she finds out it wasn't entirely his decision, but she might not even have a chance to talk with him before she lost him again

That was her first real experience with betrayal and complicated feelings like that, and it was really fun to play with and explore those emotions.

In the end, Amy decided that while she loved Percy, it's his choice to choose who he'll become, and she'll respect that, bc everything else in his life has been someone else's choice.

But she still needed a genuine apology from him for what he did, because she wasn't just going to accept and forgive and move on. She deserved an apology and proof he regretted his actions and that he meant it- and he gave her that by sacrificing his hand to save her from being killed. No hesitation, it was her life or his hand, and it was an easy choice to make. And he further proved it by saying that he doesn't mourn losing the hand that hurt her so badly.

Them getting together was a really long and complicated character arc for both, and it was really fun to play with those deep and painful emotions - but I'm just glad they're together now and they can have fun, silly relationship stuff now lol

[oh-surprise-its-me]

R/J prompt: In the locker room just after training, the topic of Jamie leaving Man City to go do a reality show comes up and Jamie casually mentions how he had been contemplating ending it all right before he said yes to doing Lust Conquers All because his dad was insufferable, he hated being with Man City despite Pep and the lads being really nice, and just overall miserable with everything. Like he was about to hang himself or take a whole bunch of pain pills when the call from his agent came. Everyone is appalled and devastated, Ted goes full dad mode because of his own history with his dad, and Roy goes berserk and super protective. Jamie's just so confused by how deeply everyone's affected, not comprehending how much he's actually loved

Aw you trying to make us all cry tonight? Challenge excepted.

tw suicidal thoughts/implied actions

Jamie laughed along the rest of the guys, doing the dating show was stupid. He can’t honestly say he’s upset that he didn’t get invited to the “lust on love island” version, pissed that fucking Liam got an invite and not him but not jealous like the guys are making it seem.

“Yeah mate it was dumb but it was a bit better then me taking all the pills I could find I guess.” He says casually with a shrug towards the rest of them while digging through his locker.

He doesn’t hear laughter like he expected so he turns, everyone is staring at him, he didn’t even say anything wrong this time.

He can see Teds hands shaking. Uhoh maybe he made Ted mad. That’s really hard to do. Maybe they are angry at him for laughing about being a slut. He’s not a slut anymore he’s got Roy he doesn’t need to be. But maybe they think he’d cheat. That’s a possibility. But he never would and really thought the guys knew him well enough to know he’d never do that to anyone he’s dated.

He can’t look at Roy. Too scared to know how the man he loves looks, Jamie being chicken once again but willing to live with it if their relationship lasts past tonight.

He looks at everyone else.

But the odd part of this is no one looks mad.

He steals glances at everyone, he knows what Sam looks like mad, he knows how furious Colin can look up close, Isaac is terrifying when he wants to be.

None of them look like that. But Ted comes walking towards him with such speed that Jamie can’t help but flinch. It’s ingrained into who he is to flinch when someone moves too fast.

He prepares himself for a shake or a slap that he logically knows isn’t coming. He doesn’t get either of those though. He gets a slammed back into his locker by a bone crushing hug. Oh.

He slowly pats Teds back. Unsure what to do in this moment he’s found himself thrust into. Ted pulls away but keeps a death grip on Jamie’s shoulders.

“Do you feel that way now.”

Jamie blinks, “what way coach..”

Ted looks like he’s about to cry. Shit.

“The pills Jamie. Do you want to take them.”

Jamie glances over Ted’s shoulder, he looks at Roy for the first time since this all started. Roy has tears in his eyes. Fuck. What did Jamie do wrong.

“Answer Lasso, Jamie. Answer him right now.”

God Roy looks really stressed. “No?”

“Is that a positive no or a maybe no.”

Jamie doesn’t quite understand the difference there but he decides to go with a positive no. When he says that it’s like everyone in the room let’s put a collective breath.

Roy walks over to where Jamie is still being held by Ted. He pulls the coach off of Jamie and gently passes him to Beard. He in turn takes Jamie’s hand.

Shit Jamie must’ve really fucked it if Roy is being affectionate at work still.

��Alright everyone you are scaring me what did I do wrong.”

They all start talking at once, “you wanted to take-?” “Pills Jamie wha-?” “Jamie are you still feeling tha-?” “Did we make you feel that way-?” “Are you okay now-?”

“Woah lads!” Jamie puts one hand out in front to make them all stop talking. Roy squeezes his hand, “Jamie, what everyone is trying to say is do you still want to end it.” Roy coughs. “End your life.”

Jamie blinks, oh, that’s what they are freaked about.

“No? Haven’t felt that way since I came back here? It’s really not that big of a deal everyone feels that way sometimes.”

Ted shakes his head from where Beard and Trent are each holding a hand. “No kiddo not everyone feels that way. No one should ever feel that way.”

“Alright everyone my place one hour. We are having an impromptu movie night. OUT.”

Everyone nods at Roy they all pass by Jamie, each one saying something like they love him or pat him on the shoulder. Colin, Sam and Ted drag him into a hug. Fuck even Trent pats his shoulder on the way out.

Once it’s just him and Roy again he turns to Roy. “What happened there. Why did people freak.”

Roy tilts his head back, great going Jamie you made your boyfriend cry again. Roy pulls Jamie into a hug, resting his head on top of Jamie’s.

“You just told everyone you wanted to kill yourself. I think they all had very valid reactions. I’m currently trying to manage my own reaction.”

“That’s it??”

Roy pulls back. “That’s it? What do you mean that’s it Jamie? It’s you. It’s your life. We all love you. We all care. Fuck Jamie I love you.”

Jamie nods, “well yeah now I know that. That’s why I’m fine now and it’s in the past.”

Roy shakes his head. “No baby. You’ve gotta talk to somebody about this. We can’t fix this one on our own.” Jamie reaches up and wipes away where tears have gone onto Roy’s face. “Course if that’s what’ll make you all feel better?”

Roy leans down and kisses Jamie, “I love you, we can talk more later, but we gotta prepare for the movie night I just decided to throw at our house.”

Jamie bounces up to kiss Roy one more time before they leave.

Maybe talking about it will make it better. It certainly can’t make it worse.

[slime-gods]

"I may have been the boy who cried wolf, but I will not cry for you."

fallen grizzly redraw! I got inspired and felt like redrawing the old one I made back in January 2021:

yeah,,, the backgrounds on both aren't the best but honestly I think the fact that grizzly is bigger in the redraw just makes the blocky shapes okay since he covers most of it lol

there's also details that got cut off by other aspects like a small cut + earring on his right ear, his wings are clipped (I did take a pic of that: )

I was going to go with the bat ish like wings again like in the og drawing, but honestly I didn't really like them so I went with the "fallen angel" type thing and had them appear clipped (so in lore/theory you could say the other three clipped his wings before sending him down to hell/the nether habfk)

also tried to make his wings look disheveled and like they haven't been preened ever since he fell

one last ramble lmao but I love how the pose turned out compared to the old one

I wanted grizzly to be just batshit angry and in the video he's got a long ass sword so a sword that long being held by one hand technically wouldn't work- so over the shoulder two hands it is :3c

I did record me drawing this so sometime soon I will get that edited and uploaded! ill likely make a reblog of this post with the link

[devoted-assassin]

lol well it's cause I noticed you posting about them recently and wanted to talk to a fellow fan! plus, your blog title yeah. those headcanons are cute! I guess I'll keep asking you things if you don't mind? what are your fave quotes from each of them, individually and to each other?

Yeah, L/N kinda held me hostage recently, so I’m usually just posting incoherently here 😭

I’m always here to talk about them!

I’m not great at remembering exact quotes, but Ichika’s terrible attempt at a pun always sticks with me.

Ichika: you’re so down to earth, Shiho.

Ichika: or should I say down to play bass?

Shiho: was that supposed to be funny?

Ichika: was it not?

For something more serious, I just got around to reading Shiho’s fes story this morning, and this quote where she gets so defensive of the npcs shit talking the others is pretty sweet.

For Saki, another goofy one off the top of my head is in a recent card story, she teases Shiho for being now shorter than her by like 1 cm, then she talks about how she’s gonna overthrow Ichika next lmao.

And I can’t remember the exact quote, but Honami standing up for the band against their label manger guy in little bravers was a great moment — especially for a character that had such a tough time standing up for herself. Her collapsing afterwards like “did I really just do that” is so real pfttt.

Also this:

As for the whole group, I always love when they reminisce about their childhood together — as someone whose had some of the same friends since I was five, there’s something just so special about those that share so many memories with you as a kid. It’s definitely a different type of bond, and they speak so fondly of each other from when they were kids.

[emc2beans]

druid and rogue for any of ur characters!

Hmm, Isolde time.

Druid: How does your muse interact with the natural world? Are they good with animals? Plants? Do they keep any pets?

Isolde does not love nature. It's pretty, sure, and a great subject for painting, but she'd gladly go the rest of her days without sleeping outside.

When it comes to domesticated animals, she generally does alright but wild animals are a nuisance more than anything. She's actually pretty good with houseplants and prefers them to the idea of having a pet.

Rogue: How secretive is your muse? What are they secretive about? What would it take for your muse to spill their secrets?

Before Shadowbringers, Isolde is secretive about a lot of things. Where she goes, what she does when she just vanishes for days at a time, and why she disappears in the first place are the big ones. She's also constantly lying in order to manipulate people into doing what she wants or otherwise being so vague that questioning her is more trouble than it's worth.

After Shadowbringers, once Isolde has committed herself to becoming less of a shitty person, the biggest secrets she keeps are how much she remembers about Allag and anything regarding Azem's crystal.

With Allag, what she doesn't talk about is the fact that she does remember how she died and the events leading to that end. I won't get into that here though.

With Azem's crystal, she has sifted through some of the memories in there and has found that they feel like her memories, not that of someone else like how Gwynedd sees them. This may have something to do with Isolde's fetus-body originally being a vessel for Calliope's (Azem's) soul as per Emet-Selch's attempts to create another Unsundered. Of course, Calliope's soul would then shatter spectacularly, leaving Isolde irreversibly fucked up from birth and allowing for a shard of Azem to exist on the Source in the distant future as well as in other reflections. The idea that she and Calliope may still be kind of the same person gives Isolde a minor identity crisis every time she thinks about it.

The only people Isolde has allowed herself to confide in are G'raha and Gwynedd (and Krile to a lesser extent). She trusts G'raha with her life and all of her secrets, knowing that he would rather help her than judge her.

Gwynedd is someone she leans on when the pressure or stress of something is too great for her to handle alone. The best example of this is that Isolde tells Gwyn she's scared of having to face Zenos again because she wants to keep on the path of becoming a better person and worries that fighting Zenos will bring back all the behaviors she's trying to fix. This then ties into Gwyn sending Isolde back to the Ragnarok with the Scions before facing the Endsinger, because Gwyn knows their star will still need a Warrior of Light and believes that Isolde has the capacity to become that hero should Gwyn not make it back.

[ethtyn]

synnie my beloved friend, have this incredible gif from me (that also made me laugh which im hoping it does to u too) that represents me every time you show up on my dash or in my notifs :D

HOW ARE YOU THOUGH?? how's life treating you? i hope you're doing good <3 i miss seeing your incredibly epic posts (<- me being dramatic)

ashy i need u to know that i was once again saving this for a time when i had the energy to answer and then fuCKING FORGOT TO i am so sorry. i ALSO need u to know that this gif does indeed make me laugh every time i see it and when i first got this message i showed it to all of my coworkers like "LOOK WHAT MY FRIEND SENT ME ISN'T IT FUNNY". they are very sweet about me being a weirdo about the gay people in my phone <3

I AM OKAY AND I HOPE U ARE GOOD TOO!!! quite frankly the Naruto hyperfixation got my ass again and i've just been capital T Tired so that's why i haven't been posting much lately 😔 i am hoping Etho in MCC lights my fandom ass UP and i get to start posting here sincerely again soon bc this blog has been such a delight to have started, mostly bc i got to meet ppl like u who are so sweet and kind <333

ANYWAY i hope u don't mind me posting this reply publically bc other ppl probably also have been like "synnie where the fuck are u" so this can function as a "hey i exist i just have a fuckass brain per usual xoxo" for everyone lmfao

ily ashy ty as always for ur cute messages i appreciate u sm 😭💖

[annierosaart]

15 and 16, for the latest OC questions?

15. How often does your OC “zone out” or do things on autopilot and how severe have the problems that have arisen from that been?

Very often, usually when doing monotonous work such as paperwork or organizing; but when she's tired (which is. Frequently), they do zone out even when it's not that simple.

The biggest problem that's caused is when making experimental drugs-- she's in charge of the Chemistry department first and foremost when they're not being a commander, and a lot of their work is experimenting with Originium treatments.

Going on auto-pilot when exhausted once caused her to make an entire dosage of medicine with no memory of how, or what went into it. Which is extremely dangerous of course, for a variety of reasons.

She could've disposed of it at any time, but curiosity got the better of them, and not wanting to make others her guinea pig, she tested it on herself, to... Bad results. The fact she only got severely ill was a miracle, to be frank.

16. How strong or weak is your OC’s Impulse control? What’s the worst thing that happened because of their Impulsivity or inability to be so?

Her impulse control varies a lot depending on her mood. Regularly, it's decent enough; she'll go with a questionable idea or two from Aak, but it's mostly harmless. Manic episodes, however, make it so, so much worse.

Her lack of impulse control during said episodes has caused her to do this to Kal'tsit when she was feeding, a necessity given her vampire physiology, meaning she was doing Ivy a favor, only for Ivy to betray that trust; as well as to consume inhuman amounts of sanity supplements to get as much work done as possible.

The absolute worst thing had to be during Babel, however. When her desire to serve and save Theresa combined with a weakened mental state led to her impulsively giving everything they had to Babel's mission.

That broke her.

And ended in a dead king, a dismantled Babel, and a permanently rotted Ivy.

Thanks for asking!!

[goldenteaset]

…So I finished La Salut…there were things I really wanted to enjoy but couldn’t, and things I didn’t enjoy at all (sometimes things don’t need explaining!). And then suddenly the emotions worked again and I actually cried, repeatedly! I now have even more thoughts about “divine mantles” and how various characters in Virche learn to embody or discard them…but 0 coherence. ^^;

That said, I couldn’t get into Adolphe that much. I felt for him, but it’s the same feeling as from a distant acquaintance that you see sometimes on his way to Job at Location. There's a lot of implications to him that are interesting: how he's structured his whole life around Ceres and what that means for his sanity, his horror at Relivers, etc., but the writers are so committed to him being Normal (tm) that those aren't touched on as much. This is what happens when you put Ankou and everyone else right next to him. Poor guy…his more snide faces are extremely good though. Hopefully later playthroughs will make him more endearing!

...Actually I do have more thoughts, oops. First the "aw man :(" and then the "YAAAAAY" under the cut:

The "Aw, Man :(" which isn't "bad" so much as disappointing:

Please imagine with me a version of this story where Ankou is the God/Watchman of Death he proclaims himself to be. Imagine everyone else, terrified of dying, suddenly being able to ask about the Afterlife, even if the answers are vague. (Can't have everyone get too hyped to die!) Wouldn't that have been unique and gothic-ly fun? I still like the actual answer on some level, but I wanted this too.

On that note, an actual dislike: I viscerally hate Ankou being embarrassed about acting the part of Watchman of Death. It felt born from a place of love for the Drifter, Yves and Ceres, so for him to feel so negatively toward it? Awful.

Less awful and more confusing: Ankou says he uses "smoke bombs", but none of his previous exits imply smoke. All the more reason to pretend it's only canon here!

The "Queen's genes" (ha, rhyme) thing really did amount to nothing, huh? I don't understand why it's here and that rankles.

Every time some variant of the line "Ceres is a plant/lycoris" comes up I feel like the Six-Fingered Man from The Princess Bride while Inigo Montoya does his revenge speech ad nauseam. "STOP SAYING THAT!"

Seriously though, I can handle Ceres being like a lycoris, akin to, etc. But something about "is a plant" is so inherently funny/brain-breaking that I'm no longer thinking of all this as a metaphor, but an actual, physical part of her, and it just doesn't gel. ;_;

It feels like there were two plots going on in this route: The Royal Family and Adolphe VS Ankou, and frankly I wound up more invested in the former. This isn't the first time it's happened, it won't be the last, but I still was drumming my fingers a little waiting for things to switch back.

I was really hoping the bouquet confession would lead to an option to choose Adolphe or Ankou (or both), because it felt like Adolphe was passing the baton over to Ceres in that moment. But nope! :(

Yves and Lucas' mini-endings in this route's Salvation ending were so wonderful I now have 0 desire to play their actual Salvation routes. Oops!

The "YAAAAAY", which I hope is self-explanatory:

Dahut's reveal? Literally iconic, as was the final scene between him and Salome. Loved his revenge, loved his friendship toward Nadia, loved how he unwittingly gave Lucas the hope he needed to make his first steps toward freedom, etc.

All the love interests working together to save Ceres! Also self-explanatory.

Adolphe and Ankou's banter and arguments, down to their voices being similar, was so funny and also sad post-reveal. It reminds me a lot of Archer and Shirou in F/SN's Unlimited Blade Works route, but better crafted I think. YMMV.

Capuchine KABOOM! (I find him rather morbidly cute, so his frustrated scream pre-explosion gave me both catharsis and a weird sort of cuteness aggression. Again, Scien, again!)

On a more serious note, Scien and Lucas having to interact and him being able to help Lucas on the road to recovery was really sweet. They were both great in this route.

Hugo/Yves are my OTP now, actually. That love realization from Hugo was just too good, ditto them traveling together. Please let there be scenes of their road trip in the fandisc!

The aforementioned inconsistency and embarrassment aside, Ankou being revealed as Adolphe was masterfully done. Loved the Drifter planting those stories of him in the past and then those stories helping to keep Ceres alive in the future. The images of him collapsing among the ever-growing lycorises along with the voice acting made me cry!

THE BOUQUET. All that subtle build-up over the routes (this one included) culminating in that one gorgeous CG. Ankou choosing of his own accord to take up the mantle of Watchman of Death, fulfilling that now-old fairytale and closing the cycle for good. ;v;

Hearing Lucas' voice post-ending also made me cry, but happily this time. He's alive and well! He's free! Nadia has a cane now! AAAAAA

Scien ripping up the time travel research letter. Yes. YES. I don't know how to explain it, but something about the way he's written, whether antagonistic or anti-heroic, just gives me such joy.

Ceres flustering Adolphe at the end, and their kiss. Again, I still don't quite buy their romance, but like Ankou I'm glad she's able to smile from the bottom of her heart.

...And that's it! Now to choose whose Salvation route to do first, Matthis or Scien's.

[intcthatgoodnight]

@serpcntes: " tell me what i can do to help. " ( insom!peter @ elle )

It was clear to almost anyone who saw her that Elle was … overwhelmed, to say the least. This wasn’t an entirely new feeling for her. Elle had always been the type to push herself past her own limits. And even when her father became Iron Man and the world around her steadily got stranger and more dangerous, she still continued to push herself with a straight spine and stiff upper lip. But this was a different kind of overwhelmed. This was losing five years, losing her father, and gaining a sister, all in a matter of moments. Elle had never felt so unmoored. It had been months since the Blip and she still felt lost.

Elle shook her head, pulling herself out of the downward spiral of her thoughts. She tried to smile at Peter, but it was belittled by the dark circles under her eyes and the exhausted look she had. “I don’t think there’s anything you can do … I mean, I appreciate it, really, I just need to adjust. I am adjusting, just slower than I would like.”

[ss-trashboat]

hi friends, i have finally made my way actually back home in my apartment, and am still absolutely fucking reeling from this weekend AH

the revolver show was so much fun my goodness. the crowd was so enjoyable and i very much added to the nonsense. learned some new faces i had never seen before, yelled for my bois, tried to avoid an anxiety attack in a death match (i'm not very good with them and i forgot it was on the card or i would have peaced out for it), but all in all an incredible show

BUT BUT. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING

AFTER ALMOST TWO YEARS, WE GOT HIM. i was able to give him the drawing, which he immediately recognized and said "so YOU'RE the one who's been making all these" and i almost combusted. told him i had been waiting years for this moment and HE SAID HE HAD BEEN SAVING THE ARTS FOR YEARS LIKE. I'M GONNA CRY AGAIN THINKING ABOUT IT. he was so sweet, absolutely loved the drawing, and gia said she had a frame all ready for it. gia was also the cutest bean i adore her so much. we screamed the old lady chocolate voice from spongebob together, and i mentioned that it was my birthday and she hoped i was having the best day i cri ; ;

AND BEY. HE WAS SO EXCITED FOR THE STICKER I CAN'T. his whole face lit up when i handed it to him and he said he was gonna message me after seeing it on twitter asking for one AH. and he ended up sharing it on insta stories, which i found out the next day and cried. gotta make him one just for him next time it was so cute

also said hi to alan my beloved during intermission (literally finished a sketch of him during it to give him lol) which was after the deathmatch so bless him once again for being the cure to my anxiety. i hadn't gotten to see him wrestle yet so that was really nice to cross off finally

but yeah this was. top birthday so far. not really sure how we could honestly top it LOL, but such an amazing time. survived flying for the first time, got to cross another state off with ohio (also technically north carolina too as i had a layover in charlotte but fuck that airport), and got to see a show for a company i hadn't yet. would absolutely do it again in a heartbeat ~