#too tired to spell check

[lost-in-fiction-like-ur-mom]

Hello! I would like to make a request about Dae-Ho, a character I love. I would like the story to show how Dae-Ho and the reader develop a special connection during the games, despite being on opposite sides. She is part of Thanos' team, but they still interact frequently. On one of those nights, they kiss and promise to get to know each other better once it's all over. However, that promise is not fulfilled because she dies in the carousel game.

I hope this story fits the bill. Happy holidays! <3

Anything Is Possible?

KANG DAE-HO X READER

Summary- You are number 230's, rapper Choi Su-bong, sister. Just because you are on 'Thanos Team', does that mean you can Dae-Ho cant get together? Will you survive long enough?

Warnings- Squid Games, Angst, mentions of blood, murder, and death

A/N- I combined this ask with another anon request, "badass reader and daeho! maybe she is related to 100 and that's why the romance is kind of forbidden but she doesn't agree with his actions and thinks daeho is very cute. I would love a first kiss between the two, which she initiated and he was all embarrassed but really excited" I hope y'all don't mind, they were very similar!

Word Count- 4,605

"What is your problem!" You found yourself yelling at your brother. While this was not uncommon, the situation surely was. Thanos the rapper, or just known as Choi Su-bong to you, had pushed several people down on purpose. This killed them in the Red light, Green light game.

"You killed them!" You continued, though he did not seem to care.

"Look, as far as 'The Thanos' is concerned, each body means more cash for MOI!" He spoke, uncaring.

"Oh, and if it was me, would you let me get shot!" You crossed your arms, eyeing him up and down.

He looked around, checking for any guards. He then slipped out his cross form under his shirt. You knew he had some kind of drug in there.

"Look, if it will shut you up, you can have one. But keep your mouth closed!" He ushered his cross in your direction. You rolled your eyes.

"I'd like to at least be aware of my surrounding in a death defying game!" "Shhh, Shhhh!" His face scrunched up as he looked at you, offended. He thought someone might have been drawn to your choice words.

You scoffed and walked off, sitting on the edge of a bed to catch a train of thought.

With a puff, you pressed your head into your hands. Could you really go on like this? Risking your life? Then it hit you, your life was over either way. Loan sharks were bound to kill you the second you left... Might as well go out with a bang?

The gruesome thought lingered until you felt the bed sink next to you.

"Thanos, I don't want to-" You looked up to not see your brother. Instead a man with a '388' on his jacket.

"Well I'm not sure who 'Thanos' is, but are you doing okay?" He looked genuinely concerned.

You started at him for a second, "Like fifty people just died..."

He faltered, "W-well yeah... Obviously you aren't okay... I just, I saw you arguing with that guy... The one with purple hair." You sigh again at his response. Well, this might be the last conversation you ever have. Why not be an open book!

"That's my brother. He thinks since he got one hit song, he can boss anyone around." You again rolled your eyes at the thought of him.

"Oh... I see. I-I have three older sisters, I know how it can get." He said, trying to offer you some sort of condolence.

You gave a side smile at him, appreciative of his efforts. "Thanks... What got you into these games?" You figured there's no reason for 'proper exchanges.' What was the point anymore?

He seemed ashamed at the question. "Sorry, if it makes you feel any better- I'm about 30 million won in debt. Some online crypto coin my brother swindled me into. Lost big time." You explained.

He shook his head, "No, no, its fine. See, I was a marine. Couldn't find a job after I got out. Guess I just got carried away with the wrong people... Got into some bad loans."

You gave a sympathetic face. "That sucks..." He just nodded sheepishly.

A silence fell between you two, but it wasn't awkward or annoying. It just...was.

"Well, uh, which are you going to vote?" He asked like it had been on the tip of his tongue all day.

As the Guards had told us earlier, we would get a chance to vote before the next game. Stay or Go.

"My brother seems pretty adamant on staying... And I honestly don't think it would be smart to piss him off anymore. He's got me in his little clique already." You didn't really know which one you would have chosen if the vote was anonymous.

He nodded in understanding. "I mean, I don't have a groupie or anything. But, you could stick with me if you wanted."

Your heart fluttered. Looking up at him, you seemed to just notice how handsome he was... Then reality hit.

"I deeply appreciate that... But I think you might have better odds without me. Choi- uh Thanos, would probably do something to you... I don't really want to risk it, I'm sorry." You knew that you really did want to be on his team, but you also knew how your brother was.

He had a slight look of defeat on his face, "I get it. I feel confident about the next game. I mean, if they're all children games, how hard can it be? I'll vote the same as you."

You agreed, "Then, maybe I can talk to Thanos? See if he wants another member?" You smiled at him.

He opened his mouth to speak, happily, but the two of you were interrupted when the pink guards came back in. Letting everyone know it was time to vote.

"See ya on the other side." You said, standing up to rejoin Thanos. Plus his newly acquired group of 3.

"Yes ma'am!" He responded, giving a small salute. You just laughed as you glanced at him a last time.

------------------------------------------

"Are you crazy!" Thanos whisper-yelled at you, turning the two of you away from the group. "Are you tryna embarrass me in front of my boys!" He scolded you like a child. His arms and shoulders going up.

"It's not that big of a deal, he was a marine, he could be good for us." Thanos just "tsked' in response.

"No. We are already perfecto. No more room." He said as-a-matter-of-fact. His arms making an 'X.'

You turned and looked at the two men staring at you. "Thanos, there are four of us in total. What if the next game is five players!"

"Huh, and what if its four! Then I'd be pushing YOU out, Cause of ya mouth." He made faces at you, then laughed loudly. "I'm just joking sistah! I'd only do that if you really pissed me off.... We are sticking to four." His expression turned serious.

"Fine."

At a mere coincidence, you turned around and saw '388' staring at you. You mouthed a 'sorry' and shook your head. Signalling Thanos said 'no.'

He nodded, then smiled at you anyways. At that, you watched him walk over and sit with a group of 'X's.

------------------------------------------

The lights soon went out. You laid back in your bed, trying to get some kind of sleep. It was useless, especially when you heard a 'psst' right next to you.

You turned your head, playing cool, even though it did startle you a bit. "Shh, It's just me." The voice rang familiar, and when you squinted your eyes in the dark your made out number 388's face. He was on his knees, crouched down next to your bed.

"What are you doing!" You whispered at him, sitting up quickly. Thanos and his two members were just a bed away.

"Shhhh, I have something to tell you." He said, his hands were waving slightly, a nervous tick.

You eyed him, moving closer. "What?"

"One of the guys has played these before. He said he won the games...That he knows which one is next."

Your hands rise to rub sleep from your eyes, "Really? You think he's telling the truth?"

With a frantic nod he continues, "It was the guy who knew about the Red light, Green light. Number 456."

You looked down, "Why are you telling me this..." You questioned, unaware of any kind of unconditional kindness.

"I want you to survive, why else?" You locked eyes with him. They were honest and pure.

"Well, what's the next game?" You didn't know how to respond to such generosity. For all he knew you would stab him in the back. Not that you could bring yourself to, not after he snuck over to tell you.

"He said its Dalgona. Ya know, the game where you scratch out the candy shape?" You knew the game, having played it in your youth.

"Make sure you pick the Triangle. It's the easiest one." You nodded.

At that, a shuffle made both of you turn your head. Thanos moved in his sleep, rolling over. His eyes were closed, but he was now facing you.

"You better go, in case he wakes up." You warned, not wanting any drama.

His head shook in agreeance, he raised to walk off.

"Wait!" You whispered, he looked back. "What's your name?"

"Dae-Ho. Dae-ho Kang."

"Thank you, Dae-ho..." The corners of your face rose, almost grinning at yourself saying his name.

He gave a small wave of his hand, another salute. You suppressed a giggle, and laid back down. Sleep came easier this time...

------------------------------------------

"Welcome to your second game, this game will be played in teams. Please divide into teams of five in the next ten minutes."

You looked around, Dalgona was not a team game. Had Dae-Ho lied to you? No, why else would he sneak over in the middle of the night. It didn't make sense. Maybe 456 was lying?

"Should have listened to me, now we have to find another person." You remarked to your brother, smugly.

"Trust trust, my skeptic sister. Thanos has got this under control!" He spoke about himself, immediately levitating to the closest attractive women. You, once again, found yourself rolling your eyes.

"Señorita, excuse me?" You wanted to physically face palm at his attempt at a pickup line.

------------------------------------------

Quickly enough, time selection was up. Everyone was orderly sat in their groups. Conveniently, Dae-Ho and his group sat behind you.

"Dae-Ho." You called, moving to be in his range of sight.

"Ahh, hey!" He said, excitedly. His demeanor changing from skittish when he saw you.

"So, what happened to Dalgona?" You asked, not blaming him- just curious.

He gave an unsure face, equally as confused. "He said the games must not be the same. I'm sorry."

"What for?" You beamed, knowing it was not his fault.

He laughed, "I guess I don't know.."

You just shook your head humorously. "Which game are you going to do?"

"Uhmm, Gong-Gi... My sister's played it a lot, so I'm used to it."

"They've got me doing spinning top. I was never any good at Gong-Gi." You made a glance to Thanos, he was high out of his mind. You caught him slipping Nam-Gyu a pill. He didn't notice you talking to Dae-Ho.

"I wish you the best of luck!" He gave a quick bow of the head.

------------------------------------------

The game went smoothly enough. Though, it took much longer than Red light, Green light. Watching all of the teams go one at a time was excruciating.

A handful of words exchanged with Dae-Ho while waiting was calming, it grounded you. He had nothing to gain by helping you, he simply did. It was flattering.

You and Dae-Ho had figured out that his team was going last. It was nerve-wracking to think about him not making it. No one had ever effected you like this before...

Eventually your team went, suffering frequent verbal degration from Thanos and Nam-Gyu. Thankfully your team made it with 8 seconds to spare. Too close for your comfort.

The worst part came when you had to wait. You felt like you could hear a large clock ticking right by your ear.

Would Dae-Ho's team make it? You didn't doubt his Gong-Gi skills, but he was dependent on the skills of his team mates as well. It was terrifying to think they were shot with not enough time to complete the games.

You couldn't bare Thanos bantering, he complained about every survivor. It just made you more paranoid about Dae-Ho's possible death.

Trying to settle your mind, you stepped away from your group, preferring to sit by yourself on the edge on the steps. You picked at your nails, praying he would make it.

Minutes and minutes went by. No one had come out in a while. Was the game finished? Did they die?

Just as you were about to return to your brother hopeless, one last group appeared.

A gasp left you as you watched Dae-Ho's team emerge. You stood up, cheering with a handful of other players. Your hands were clasped gleefully In front of you.

Dae-Ho's gaze was fixed on you, he chuckled. His first raised in victory.

You gave him a salute back.

------------------------------------------

You managed to slip away from Thanos. He was too busy hitting on Se-Mi. You were grateful for her, it took some of the pressure and attention off of you. You had to remember to thank her later.

"Dae-Ho!" You called out, he turned around and stepped away from his group.

"You were amazing! You went 'Wooshhh' and got the top first try!" He was practically bouncing on his heels. He mimicked the process of spinning a top with his hands and body.

"Thank you, Thank you." You pretended like you were bowing to an applauding audience.

"How did Gong-Gi go?" You asked, antsy. He rubbed the back on his neck.

He grinned deep, "Would you believe me if I said I got it first try too?"

Your face lit up, "Really!"

"I swear it!" He placed a hand across his chest.

You gave a quick clap to him, "I knew you could do it!"

You felt like a schoolgirl again. Talking to Dae-Ho made you feel like a blushing bride. He was such a ray of light and hope for you.

"What do you think the next game is?" He questioned, taking a seat on a step by the large doors.

You thought for a second, "I don't know, Maybe some kind of mind game. Since the last two have been really physical."

He nodded, "Yeah, maybe, maybe. Thats smart thinking."

You joined him on the step facing him. While you were about to change the conversation, you overheard a few people talk about what they were voting next. It reminded you of the real life-or-death situation you were in.

"So, d'ya think you're going to change your vote?" You became more solemn.

"...Yeah, I just... The others have convinced me. I mean, truly, I shouldn't have voted 'stay' in the first place..." He looked down, almost as if he had disappointed you.

"Honestly, Dae-Ho... I want to leave too... But, but, what if I press 'leave', and we still have to continue the games. Then Thanos would be pissed, and deep down I need him. He's still my brother." You hated the fact, but you were scared of what Thanos would do.

Dae-Ho thought for a moment. He mumbled something you didn't quite catch. "What?" He stood up.

"I can protect you. Honest. With my life." Your breath hitched, you stood up as well.

You shook your head, a lump forming in your throat. "Oh Dae-Ho... That's just the thing. I can't have you risking your life. Not for me."

He gently lifted your hands into his. "You are worth risking my life for."

"Dae-Ho, you don't even know my name." Your voice quivered.

He nodded quick, "Then lets change that. What's your name." You bit your bottom lip before telling him.

"Now, I can defend you from Thanos. He won't do anything to do." He ended with your name, it sounded angelic coming from his mouth.

"I'm sorry... I just... can't." You let go of his hands, fully set on walking away. But, he stopped you. He grasped your shoulder.

"Please don't go. I'll stop talking about it, I swear." He pleaded. He truly just wanted to be with you, he was content with you.

And you were with him.

You closed your eyes, shook your head. You fought off any kind of objection. "Okay."

The two of you talked and talked, time ran past. You no longer seemed to worry about the games, just that you knew you wanted to stay with Dae-Ho.

Until, the large doors opened and the pink guards once again announced a vote.

You said a quick 'goodbye' to Dae-ho, hoping the games wouldn't continue. Even if you never saw him again, at least he would be alive.

------------------------------------------

Much to your dismay, the games would continue another round. The vote wasn't even close this time. It was almost relieving, knowing that your vote was not the determining factor.

Once again, the lights went out to signify the night. You noticed teams were huddling together for protection, taking shifts and keeping watch. It was getting more serious as each hour went by. You could not find rest, feeling extremely uneasy.

While you tried to find some sort of reassurance in Thanos, he was fast asleep. You decided to take your chance and go see Dae-Ho. Just as he had done for you.

You knew the general area where his group was, but couldn't make out specific people in the dark. Not from your distance.

You racked up the nerve to quietly shuffle over. Your socks helping to muffle any noise.

"Shh, someone is coming." You heard a man whisper, it was 456. You could see the large numbers next to the 'O' on his jacket.

"I-is Dae-Ho with you..." You ask, shakily.

"And what do you want with him?" A man next to 456 spoke, defensively.

"I- Hes my friend, I need to talk to him." You tried, fiddling with your fingers.

"Yeah, Sure he is. You're probably trying to get in and take one of us out, huh!" The man 390 rose, acting like he was ready to fight.

You stepped back, "No, really, I swear I'm not!"

You heard your name, a confused Dae-Ho crawled out from under a bed. "Dae-Ho, please tell them in not trying to kill any of you."

"What?" He was still weary from sleep, rubbing his eyes. Once he saw the position you and 390 were in, He quickly stepped between the two of you.

"No, No, she wouldn't do that. Really, whatever shes saying she's telling the truth." Dae-Ho came to your rescue.

"Can we talk Dae-Ho?" You stepped closer to him, both of your hands gently resting on his arm. He nodded rapidly, stepping away from his group.

The two of you found a cluster of abandoned beds, and sat on the floor between them

"Are you okay? Did someone hurt you?" He looked you over for any visible infliction's.

"No, no I'm fine..." You pulled your knees to your chest. "I just wanted to see you." You felt silly once it left your lips.

His face flushed beet red, you could even tell in the dark. His hair falling in his face made you reach a hand out and brush it back. "O-oh"

"You never told me what you think the next game is, Dae-Ho." You needed a distraction.

He shook his head, like he was getting some thoughts out. "I have no idea... I just hope its an easy one. Gi-Hun, uh 456, said that they've already played Tug-of-war, Marbles, and some kind of glass stepping game. So, uh, I would assume none of those would repeat."

"I'm glad I missed Tug-of-war... That would mean the number of survivors would be half..." You thought.

He changed the subject, beginning with your name. "What's wrong? I know you said you wanted to see me, but, I guess I don't understand why."

"Dae-Ho, I don't really know why either. I just, wanted to be with you. I feel safe with you. I feel like I'm alone anytime you walk away..." You blinked away a stray tear.

Dae-Ho was lost in thought, he had thought his feelings weren't reciprocated. Maybe they were after all?

He didn't have time to speak, because you have lounged yourself forward in a burst of confidence. You wrapped your arms around his neck, and pushed him to the floor. He was laid on his back with you on top of him, as you pressed a hard kiss to his lips.

His eyes widened, his body went rigid. When you pulled away to look at him, he stammered. "I-I, Uhm."

At his reaction you pulled away quickly, "I'm so sorry, I thought-"

"Can you please do that again." He was now giddy, a fat smile on his face. Excitement radiated out of him. "A-are you sure.. You seemed so..."

"No, no, you just caught me off guard, please, please kiss me again." He scrambled to a sit, hoping you would come closer again.

With a refound joy, you moved closer. This time you went slow, making sure to bask in the moment. You once again wrapped your arms around Dea-Ho's neck, pulling him in for a kiss.

"You're perfect.." He mumbled against your lips. Though, he felt something wet on his face. He pulled away, his eyes soft, "Whats wrong?"

You sniffled, "Promise me. Promise me, that after everything is over, that we will find each other." You asked, pressing your cheek against his.

"I swear it, I swear we will meet after the games." He leaned in for another kiss.

------------------------------------------

"Welcome to your third game. The game you will be playing is Mingle."

Okay, this one seemed safe. You had a large group, this can work. You tried to be positive, you had someone to look forward to after the game.

"Heyyy, we'll be mingling together. Doesn't that sound like so much fun?" Thanos went on, trying to hype everyone up. The only one who was just as high as him was Nam-Gyu. It worried you that he wasn't fully aware of his surroundings, but at least he wasn't on your tail about everything.

"Please step onto the center platform. When the game starts, the platform will begin to rotate, and you will hear a number. You must form groups of that size, go into the rooms, and close the door within 30 seconds."

You nodded, understanding the rules. Everyone gathered to the platform. You noticed groups staying together, huddling close.

While following Thanos, you passed Dae-Ho's group, you caught his eye and gave him a small salute. It seemed the two of you now had an inside joke.

"Let the game, begin."

At the jump and pull of the platform, you almost lost your balance. You reached a hand out and held onto your brother. He looked over at you, for a split second he actually seemed like your brother. He was there for you.

That's until a muffled snort came from Nam-Gyu. Thanos pushed your hand off, laughing at you.

You sighed and thought of a smart remark, but the platform stopped spinning and a 'Ten' rang out.

Thanos laughed loudly, "We needa four!!" He screamed, shaking his face all about.

"Were four!" A man yelled back, and Thanos took off running. Your eyes widened and you ran after him. "Run, Hurry!" You yelled at Se-Mi, who had stopped to grab Min-Su.

Luckily everyone had made it to the room, just as the door shut the timer went off. The door locked shut. You peaked out of the doors small slit. You didn't see Dae-Ho. A good sign.

Multiple gunshots rang out, each making your body jolt.

"Ha Ha! My family! We did it!" Thanos bantered, clapping some of the men on their backs.

When the doors finally opened again, you looked around. You looked and looked for Dae-Ho. Finally sighing in relief when you saw him. He ran over to you.

"You're okay, thank God!" He hugged you, you held him tight.

You swallowed hard, "It's not over yet. I'll find you after the next round!" You said, quickly finding Thanos again.

"Yeahhhh! Easyyy!" Him and Nam-Gyu joked back and forth. They started dancing to the music as the platform started rotating again.

'Four'

Thanos stopped and looked at his group for a minute. "Gyeong-su, you're with me!" He grabbed his hand, pulling him.

"Damn!" Nam-Gyu said, gripping your arm and pulling you. While you were happy to be chosen, you were worried for Min-su and Se-Mi.

"Lets goooo!" Thanos yelled once we were all in the room.

"Thanos what was that! Gyeong-su over me!" You pointed your finger at him.

"I swear I thought I was pulling you! Besides, you gotta stop running your mouth. You made it, you're fine!"

You couldn't believe what he was saying. Sure, he talked a lot about leaving you. But it was always just talk? Right?

The door opened once again, you were thankful to be away from Thanos. Your new objective was to find Dae-Ho now.

This time, the second you saw him- you ran to him. You no longer cared about what Thanos thought, nor what he'd do.

"I'm so happy to see you." Dae-Ho mumbled into your hair, which his face had been shoved into right after you ran into his arms.

"I have to stay with you, Thanos tried to leave me. I can't make it with him." Dae-Ho didn't hesitate, and pulled you over to his group.

Though, Thanos didn't like that. "Yo, brotha. What're you doing with my sister!" He tried to shove Dae-Ho, but he was bigger and stronger.

The platform started to spin.

"Leave her alone, you obviously cant take care of your sister." He ushered you behind him.

"I don't know what you're talking about bro! I save her, shes only alive because of me and Nam-Gyu!" He argued, leaving out the crucial part of information where he wasn't the one who grabbed you.

"It doesn't matter anymore. I will keep her safe now, you can mind your own business and get along with Nam-Gyu."

They continued to yell and argue over the carousel's music, it was difficult to hear them. Until,

'Three'

Thanos gripped one of your arms, Dae-Ho held another.

"Thanos, let go!" You yelled, trying to pull from his grasp.

It was chaotic, screaming was heard around you. "Dae-Ho, this way!" Two men yelled out, Dae-Ho twisted his head but didn't move.

Your stomach dropped. You couldn't be the reason Dae-Ho would die. You were all running out of time.

"Dae-Ho, go. Please! I'll go with Thanos and Nam-Gyu!"

"I'm not leaving you!" He was adamant about protecting you. Damned everyone else.

"If you don't go, we will all die. Time is running out!" Dae-Ho battled internally, you let go of his hand.

"Go! It's okay, I'll see you in a minute!"

He didn't want to leave, he couldn't. But you made him. When he slowly walked backwards, you let out a relived sigh. You then turned to run with Thanos. Nam-Gyu was already in a room, his yelling ushering you two forward.

It was going to be okay, The three of you in a room. Everything was fine. There was time.

Until, Nam-Gyu moved out of the way... Gyeong-su was behind him... There was already two in the room. Thanos ran in, not thinking twice.

Your running came to a stop right outside of the door. Where Thanos himself had closed it on you.

A "NO!" Was heard from across the room. It was Dae-Ho. He tried to come to you, but he was too far.

Player 456 and player 001 were pulling him into a room. Forcing the door shut. You could see Dae-Ho looking out of the door slit, his hands peaking out as well.

You didn't turn to see what Thanos might have been doing. You didn't care. Not anymore.

You just wanted your last moment to be looking at the most handsome man you'd ever met. His soft eyes were filled with tears as he watched you.

You weren't upset, not scared, not nervous. Not anymore.

It would all be over soon.

You gave him one last salute before a loud bang rang out.

A/N- Not going to lie ya'll, I ate that up. But I still love hearing y'all's constructive criticism! Please LMK if you want to be added to my tag list, TYSM for reading!

Dae-Ho Taglist- @fuzzyscissorsmakerpie-blog @thethreeeyed-raven

[moookar]

The Architect and the Friar

[twisting-in-wonderland]

some misc twst + pkmn doodles that are in varying states of completion--

(wips under here lol)

[orphicachilles]

They can bond over this

prometheus design based on this post

[peoplecallmelucifer]

"Is the human dancing?"

"Doesn't look like a dance to me. Maybe a ritual?"

"Why don't we just ask"

"And potentially disturbe a ritual? You know wjat happened to Zaati when he decided to not be culturally sensitive"

"Yeah yeah, he got a spear thrown an inch of his face by a very angry Attra matriarch..... and now they are married."

" I'm just saying Dessa, If you wanna talk to him, stay close to cover"

Vakk was an asahole, But Dessa knew he had a point. So she aproached the sparing mat slowly while watching thw human performe his routine.

"Uum, excuse me" They said

" Huh?" The human said with a slightly startled reaction" OH! m i hogging the mat? Sorry. I'll be done in a minute or 2 if that's ok"

"No, that's allright. I just wanted to ask you as to what this ritual is" now relaxed Dessa said.

"Ritu- OH! yes this does look pretty ritualistic I guess. Mind I finish though?

" Oh no, not at all!"

The human just smiled and nodded, proceeding with his ritual. While Dessa kept watching.

And shortly after the human knelt slowly, put his forehead to the mat, slowly rose while obviously avoiding touching the amt with his hands, took a step backwards and boues the final time.

"Wooh!" He said, jumping in place. Conpletely shattering the calm demeenor he exuded not 10 second ago.

"Now, Propper introductions! I'm Teddy, I'm a translator and linguist with UN diplomatic core" the human said stretching his arm. A gesture of good will found in many species

"Dessa, amature xenoculturologist and medical officer on board this station" Dessa replied

"That explains your interest in my, ritul" Teddy added with a smile

"Well, yes. I find different beliefs and rituals other species performe intriguing. If you would be willing to explain I'd be greatfull." Dessa said trxing to be as cordial as her curiosity would allowe

"Please, talk more casually. I hear enough diplomatic talk a work as it is. And I'd be glad to explain." Teddy said

" What you saw was called Nage-no-kata it's a stric performance form made of 15 techniques of Judo. And Judo is a martial art I train"

Dessa looked confused " Military skill? Is my translator malfunctioning?"

"Yeah the translation pack still isn't up to speed with coloquialism and cultural elements. That's another reasons I preffere casual conversations lets me know what I'll need to work on in the future"

"Ok so. What would the proper translation be?"

"Well.." Teddy paused "either fighting sport or self defence skill"

"... so the translator wasn't wrong..."

"Technically not"

"And you humans .... made military grade combat into a sport" Dessa stated withoit a hint of wmotion

"Well no, the sport was develloped before" Teddy retorted

"Well... I don't know if that makes me feel more or less uneasy"

"Look it sounds bad if you phrase it like that but Judo has among the lowest rate of serious injury qmong human sports and among the highest percentage of highly educated people in its ranks"

"That ... sounds like a salesman pitch"

"Did it help calm you down though?"

"I ... guess? I stil don't understand why a linguist would need combat training"

"I actually started practicing as a teenager so I wasn't even a linguist-"

" you teach combat to kids?! And I tought Attra were militaristic" Dessa interrupted

"What I was gon a say is that Judo is ot just fighting it's a philosophy." Teddy retorted, seemingly finding this ordeal amusing

"Another sales pitch?" Dessa asked.

"Yup."

" I stand guard .... that's a coloquialism for I'm listening for my people"

"Noted" Teddy said before co ti uing his explenation

"As I said. JUDO is a philosophy. It's based of using the oponenta strenght against him. If pushed, you pull back, if pulled, you push. But it's also built upon respect. Towards the referees, towards your coach, towards your oponemt and even the mat you stand on during the match"

"That woukd be all thw bowing". Dessa persumed

"Correct!" Teddy said happily " you see, I used to be a troublemaket as a kid and gor cought shoplifting. The judge saw I was just a lost kid so he offered me a deal. I can get a record which would make getting a job much harder, or I can join his friends program that aimed to reform troublemakers" Teddy said with a melancolic look

"Ok so ... you were a criminal?" Desaa asked

"Basically, yeah"

"And what stopped you continuing doing crime is ...combat training"

"I guess."

"Oh we are talking about this more later over drinks!" Dessa said grinning from ear to ear

"Ok, but you're buying" Teddy added

[ochrearia]

And What Can We Do?

RAAAAHH I said I was gonna finish this stupid one-shot even if it killed me. Ough man my stomach huts so bad but the grind never stops. OCHRE WRITING A PROMPT WHERE YS ISN'T ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN IT? CRAZY

BFs in this one-shot: cs!BF (Beefer, mine), wyd!BF (Beef, Karl's), sfa!BF (Peacock, Shed's), Candy!BF (Blue, Slushgut's)

“You know, don’t you?”

Honestly, the Dinaurian coming to him to ask such a random question was the last thing Beef was expecting. He hadn’t exactly talked much to Beefer either, only small passing conversations compared to the ones he’d had with YS, Biff, or Bee. Kind of weird to think about, talking to one version of himself more than another. Nothing about this was normal anyway.

“Know… what?” Beef asked back, genuinely confused.

Beef had been more than happy to keep to himself in what had essentially become a big brother waiting room. YS wasn’t home, but that hadn’t stopped any of them from camping out at his place waiting for him to come back. It certainly didn’t stop them now. Peacock, Blue, Beefer, and him. A whole handful of BFs he’d talked to the least, probably.

Beefer pulled a face, his red eyes flicking between Peacock and Blue carefully before deciding to continue. “You know about YS. I keep seeing you stare a little too long at his back when he’s around. The others not here, they wouldn’t think anything of it. But the rest of us know better.”

Beef blanched, looking between the three. Blue and Peacock were looking almost confused back at the Dinaurian. Slightly unnerved curiosity on how he knew what he did.

“Dinaurian instinct, guys.” Beefer sighed. “The species I am now. From my world they have gone generations now disguising themselves as humans when they aren’t. Using technology to fool the eyes. I guess something about that made it into my DNA, making it so I can tell between humans and fake humans. I know the only human in this room is Beef.”

Well, that sure was a revelation. Beef hadn’t known there was more really outside of Beefer and YS. It was literally impossible to miss with the Dinaurian, and finding out YS was an angel was sheer luck of time and place. Well, Biff had been there too, but it seemed like he was way better at hiding his knowledge.

“Could’ve given a warning before outing us like that man.” Peacock complained with a raised eyebrow.

“We’re all friends here, are we not?” Beefer replied with a shrug. “I need to keep tabs on who knows and who doesn’t. It matters to me that we avoid comments about his lost wings, even by accident.”

“Beef is the only human in this room?” Blue spoke up, confused. “Wait… hold on, ignoring that for a minute, lost wings? He had wings and now he doesn’t?”

“I didn’t know that.” Peacock frowned. “I could tell he was an angel, angels can sense other angels. I had no idea he was Fallen.”

Beefer dragged his hands along his face in exasperation. “Well fuck. Okay. Guess you know now. It was a talking point when I came to him having an episode of body dysphoria. I think that’s what it’s called anyway. Beef, you had to have known that though right? I didn’t just run my stupid mouth?”

“No, I knew. But I didn’t want to say anything, the way I found out wasn’t really good.” Beef confirmed with a grimace. That day had been so stressful, from one breakdown to the next. “I don’t know if I should say my thoughts though. I have a really bad theory.”

“Dude you can’t headcanon real people.”

“That’s- Why is that what you thought I was doing?” Beef huffed. “See you knew he lost his wings. You clearly don’t know the manner of how he lost them.”

“What, and you do?” Beefer countered.

“If he’s Fallen, then it’s a pretty simple conclusion.” Shrugged Peacock. “The wings rot away, harmlessly. Physically harmlessly anyway. The angel has to deal with the loss for the rest of their life. I just don’t understand what the big guy did to get there.”

“Well…” Beef hesitated. Was this his place to talk about? It was only a theory, he wasn’t even sure if he was right. But the way those bumps felt, those were scars of a way more violent injury than just ‘rotting’. “I don’t think his wings rotted. I don’t think he did anything to get there.”

“How could someone as kind as YS end up Falling?” Blue wondered aloud. “Beef is probably right, he didn’t do anything. Everyone keeps talking about the things he’s done to help. He introduced me to all you guys! I don’t think there’s even a little bit of evil in his body.”

“Then how did he lose his wings then?” Peacock challenged. “And how are you so sure he didn’t Fall?”

“You’ve all gotten at least one hug from YS by now right? Have any of you actually thought to put your hands on his upper back? Well, don’t, he hates that and that’s how I found out. But like, before this conversation did any of you do that?” Beef asked.

The three shook their heads, wondering where he was going with this.

“He has bumps on his back.” Beef continued. “Scars of where his wings used to be. His over shirt is loose and wouldn’t highlight them but I felt them. Even for a moment I could tell those weren’t gentle scars. I guess I don’t know what kind of calling card would be left over after an angel’s wings rot but those bumps are violent. That was a traumatic injury. Not something painless, by how he reacted when I asked. I think… I think something ripped his wings off.”

Silence swept the room.

“...No.” Peacock decided almost desperately. “No, no that can’t be right. Angel wings are too strong for just anything to rip them out. That’s something I was told in my own world. That should be a universal thing, very few things are powerful enough to even do that.”

“Well… that’s still a chance.” Beef mumbled.

“There’s always going to be a stronger thing out there even if you think you’re at the top of the food chain.” Beefer hissed sourly. “Humans in my world, thinking they were top shit because they found a way to revive dinosaurs and make them their friends. Then the Dinaurians showed up. And then the Dinaurians were revealed to be fleeing an even bigger threat, a whole planet eater. Turned out that planet eater could be, and was, killed by a human. There’s always something, a way to defeat the ‘invulnerable’.”

“Why would anyone want to do that to him though?” Bue seemed visibly upset by this revelation. “Didn’t he already go through enough? He still hasn’t told any of us how his version of GF died, I’m guessing? Wouldn’t that have been traumatic enough? Why would someone make it exponentially worse?”

“That’s what I want to know.” Beef growled, feeling his anger flare. YS would tell him it wasn’t worth it, but he wasn’t here, and he was going to feel angry. “You didn’t see it. How badly he reacted when I asked one question. I asked what happened to him and it was like the world was fucking ending.”

“Fuck, how much has he gone through?” A loaded question, but now even Peacock was getting a bit miffed. He didn’t care about a lot, but the things he did care about he was fierce to protect. “Losing his girlfriend, not having a Pico, and now this? It’s a miracle he’s even still alive.”

Yeah, yeah it sure is. Beef thought bitterly. Too much had been accidentally revealed in the aftermath of him prodding about YS’s wing scars. Him deliriously breaking down even further to the point he’d called Biff over as backup. They’d cheered him up the best they could, all things considered. And then when he’d calmed down enough, the pure exhaustion made him blurt things neither should have heard him say. Talking about how angels were always cold when Beef had asked why he liked being warm so much.

Talking about I wanted to join her when Biff asked the last time he’d properly slept. I had a plan. Connect all these mes and then I’d be… I can’t now.

Maybe that wasn’t his story to tell. Beef had seen how devastated Biff had gotten hearing about him having a plan, never in his life had he seen the smaller one get so crushed and upset. If that had been his reaction, and how these guys were already acting with these theories… yeah, he couldn’t tell them.

“So then now what?” Blue asked, snapping Beef out of his thoughts. “He never talked about any of this. I don’t think he’d be happy about any of us knowing, but I don’t want to just pretend I’m clueless. Isn’t there something we can do to show support?”

“It sounds like the only time he actually admitted to anything was with me.” Beefer recounted. “Though even then it was indirect. He only actually said he’d lost his wings after I said it first as a theory. And I could tell it made him uncomfortable. That’s why I think making sure attention to it is avoided is probably the best bet.”

“So we’re not gonna tell him we know more than he thinks?” Peacock asked. “That seems really dishonest. If we tell him we can offer support better.”

“He doesn’t want any of us knowing to begin with!” Beef argued. “Only reason any of us know is because apparently this room is full of non-humans and I just happened to open my big fat mouth!”

“I’m still confused about the room full of non-humans thing…” Blue sheepishly said.

“How are you-? You know what, nevermind, that’s not urgent.” Beefer sighed, tail lashing. “Please, by all means tell him you know, I’m sure the distress of that conversation will be worth it. ‘Hey, you’ve been nothing but kind and caring and you do your absolute best to never hurt us, let me just hurt you real quick by telling you I know what you are and let you sit with that discomfort’.”

“Cheap shot.” Peacock countered.

“The options are pain and pain. Just pick one.” Beef grumbled with folded arms. “Either we tell him and he gets upset with us, or we don’t tell him and let him continue to deal with it alone with no direct support network.”

“Well that’s not true.” Blue insisted. “It’s not true! He has a support network, it’s us. We’re still going to be his support network even if we don’t know everything about him. He doesn’t know everything about us and still does loads to help. We can do that too!”

Blue had a point. YS wasn’t all-knowing, he’d said that several times at this point. He knows as much as he can observe, and by how much they all decided to tell him. He’s just another one of them, nothing completely different and overly special and that was okay. YS still managed to be a pillar of comfort and safety for all of them in different ways, why did they think that they couldn’t do the same? He was always so closely guarded of his problems but that didn’t mean they couldn’t be there for him.

“...Okay.” Beefer breathed finally. “Can we all agree on that at least? Just be there for him if anything happens, but we agree not to mention what we know if it’s clear that saying something would make it worse?”

“Fine.” Peacock conceded. “I don’t like the idea of hurting him by accident but I know lying can also cause that. I guess it’s just a lose-lose situation.”

“He’s obviously not ready to talk about what happened to him. We can’t force that, but we can be there for him. If anything else happens…” Beef was trying. He was always so worked up over being soft or vulnerable but YS had been slowly helping him change that. Hell, he was completely open and willing to be those things if the tall one needed it and that had been proven behind closed doors. It was still nagging at the back of his head that he was being embarrassingly protective of him around the others.

“Glad we agree then. That’s what I was aiming for by bringing this up.” Beefer admitted. “Constantly worried about him to be honest. As if I needed more things to worry about considering what the hell’s going on with me, but it’s impossible not to care about the guy.”

At least they could all agree to that statement too. 

[mac33cheese]

I've talked abt how what if saiki got severely injured to the point of not being able to fully heal himself post meteor or him straight up dieing

But what abt if he had to reset time again and using mind control to make it seem like the meteor isn't there ect. Basically the volcano time loop all over again.

I think he'd have an insane breakdown if he has to keep feeling the guilt of having to put everyone in a time loop, not allowing them to really grow up. But also sense we know that by the time the meteor cane he finally accepted himself n stuff, so like I think he would have an easier time mentally dealing with the meteor.

I think it would take just as long as the volcano arc tho. The volcano was country destroying, but the meteor is WORLD destroying. Even if he is better mentally he would definitely still have some sort of breakdown after another one or two more failed attempts. But it's likely he would at least have more support (that's if he were to finally explain his powers to his friends).

Anyways, I think that in the scenario that he had to make another time loop for the meteor, he would have panic attacks a month or so leading up to when he had to stop the meteor.

One last thing, with this idea AND him getting severally injured by the meteor... I got nothing else, that's just an idea

[why-the-heck-not]

at that weird stage where like ik it'll take only couple more hours and I'll be pretty much done with this thesis, but ohmygod. It's the boring "I'll cross that bridge when I get to it"-stuff. And now I got to it and the bridge is so boring !!!!!

[wordsandgears]

Midnight burger posting at midnight

In an Au where the EX “rescued” Ted (A.K.A hostage/ forced vacation as Casper puts it) along with Casper:

Casper’s whole thing with Ted is to get him out of his shell (he sees himself in Ted and hates that he can relate to the helplessness of determinism and its shackles, for he too once felt the burden of mundanity)

Ted’s adamant that someone is coming to get him and almost ejects them out into space in whatever vessel the EX was driving

(the EX is very good at holding people in place)

Every time they stop somewhere they have to wrangle him in, I picture Casper making a joke about needing to get one of those child leashes for him

That usually makes him so offended that he forgets about escaping and they can carry on with their journey

Wherever they are Ted has something to say about the state and the use of whatever planet/space object they’re on (Ted propaganda, always some sort of false)

Very unwelcome in red’s rectangle (should’ve stayed behind but is very untrustworthy)

Ted’s wild west persona would be a priest with a past more sullied than an oil spill in the ocean.

Escalating tensions with his tries of descalations of repeating laws and penal codes, not really playing along but also not not playing along.

Not as smooth as Casper and not as gung ho as Ex,

Like Casper in the before Throwing-Ava-into-deep-space times Ted would be adamantly against any “meaningless” detours that extend their time together.

Helping with the jailbreak cements the fact that Ted is a traitor, and a bittersweet (at lest in Ted standards) reunion makes him finally look back in his actions, though outwardly he acts the same to most

(except to Casper and Ex due to the fact that being that powerful and that old you could probably read anyone)

At the battle of time’s melody Ted is solemn yet abrasively uncooperative

There’s three ending for Ted in this Au. (1.like Canon he wonders the universe, by his own valuation) ((2.he gose with BurtBurt to simply see what’ll happen, maybe to gain some semblance of routine he once had)) (((3.and most outlandishly, he stays and raised plant babies with a sentient bush and inter dimensional robot)))

Character design

BurtBurt - I imagine she always wears a fur coat, like most people of her race she has three sets of arms, one set is always crossed and another always has a pen and paper in hand. Her hair has cartoony swirls at the ends and her skin is a very pale pink

Verge - basically double trouble from she-Ra but blue, wears the space equivalent of any weather survivalist gear. Color blind

Minski - a more human humanoid spider, looks human except for the six arms protruding out the back and eight pitch black eyes. Waits finely tailored suits.

Shell - looks like a bush, has holly berries growing on them sorta like a birthmark or defining characteristic

Ava - how I imagine manuela dominguez form the magnus archives, white lab coat, long straight thick black hair, brown skinned.

Gloria - a Mexican Justina Machado, long dark brown curly hair that reaches her back that’s always tied in a bun or ponytail, her outfits are always pristine and bright as if she just got them that day.

Casper - Jake Johnson, grey hairs

Leif - just Leif

Random thoughts

PolyBurger should be a thing - let the employees and the boss and the regular kiss while HR looks on in jovial disapproval.

[spotforme]

i am absolutely facinated by the differences between how Petersen and how Havers's personalities have been added to. they both have basically the same amount of time on screen and they do just as little both, except showcase a little bit of their relationship with Lister and the Captain. so like, how is it that Petersen's characterisation (in fics and such) ranges from 'the bastard who's always drunk and does nothing but unwanted pranks on everyone because he doesn't care' to 'Lister's most close and trusted friend with great empathy who sometimes even helps out Rimmer just to be nice' whereas i feel like Havers is always very close to the same 'professional, actually efficent and very caring but also very tortured by his office crush' i don't think i've ever seen him portayed as mean, even before series 5 came out, to me there was really no way of knowing if he was belitteling Captain's compotence inside his head when he stumbled for excample. but for Petersen, he is actually the one Lister pulls a prank on, he doesn't even raise a ruckus for Lister trying to ruin his date, but he's still potraid as downright evil sometimes, not to say there aren't some mellow friend Petersens there too, but that's my point; there's so much variation! it's so different from Havers

given the roughly the same amount of interactions i just find it interesting how Havers's personality was constructed in such a uniform way but Petersen's all over the place. i'm thinking what could be the difference? that Havers is considered a love interest? so people just wanted to constuct a fun fling for Captain even if it didn't have much basis? (it's actually pretty funny that they're not the duo that ended up kissing at their reunion). or is it something like there's much more widely spread discussion about Havers's personality than i imagine there would've been when Petersen was seen, thus making everyone's own first impression of him cement in their head? i honestly have no idea, i just find the differences between how people treat characters in such similiar situations interesting

[gwennevlis]

About Johan's Plan

Spoiler! Monster // cw: suicide mention

I finished Monster a few weeks ago, and there's always been a part of Johan's plan that I had difficulty understanding. He wanted to commit the "perfect suicide", meaning that no one will ever remember that he existed (because everyone who ever met him will be dead).

I get the "perfect" part, it ties back to the "Monster Who Didn't Have A Name" story: Johan, like the monster, would kill everyone he ever knew, and remain alone.

And that was my revelation. Because, why would Johan not want to survive? It was basically all he did until he was pulled out of Kinderheim 511, he is the man capable of surviving everyone else (if I remember correctly Dieter's foster father described him with similar words), and it's said multiple times during the anime that Johan would be capable of surviving everything. It almost feels like he was destined to, just like the Nameless Monster. And maybe that's exactly why he planned to die. Or wasn't reticent when Nina shot him.

He didn't want to end up alone.

When he was a child and all he had as company was a fairy tale book, when he knew (or convinced himself) that he was the monster and that he would make its same end, maybe he planned to prevent that. Because if he died with everyone who knew his name, he wouldn't have to be alone.

[theflyingfeeling]

tomorrow-me: I'd really appreciate it if you could drag your arse to the grocery store so that I won't have to get up early tomorrow morning to do it you know?

now-me, wrapped in a blanket with tears in my eyes: but I'm just a baby?? 😭

[arsene-ee]

I’d really like to hear about your Lone Wanderer if you’re up for it. 🙂

OMGGGG YESSSS

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ASKING <3 (fyi she is very self insert bc I want james to be my dad too T-T) Sorry if this is all over the place my brain just goes nyooooooom

So basically her name is Briar, I'm still not sure about her last name, I don't wanna give her a weird last name but I also don't want to give her a basic american last name (I'm not from the states so i have no idea what a good last name would be)

She is a work in progress character, I may have been playing fallout 3 since may but I just kept repeating the beginning lol so I didn't have a lot of character development for her until recently.

I gave her the same s.p.e.c.i.a.l. as james bc I thought it would be adorable outside the vault so

s-5 p-8 e-4 c-7 i-9 a-4 l-3

but recently I have been thinking about lowering intelligence and perception and raising charisma and luck, because I think that would be funny.

in every playthrough I do with her she gets the child at heart perk, so yeah she's a child at heart. her favourite settlement is actually Little Lamplight because 1: it looks cool af and 2: she likes teasing Mayor Maccready.

she's bisexual, but she never was in a relationship before or really felt anything towards her fellow vault inhabitants or anyone she met outside, how she discovered it shall remain a secret to us all (it were the gronak the barbarian comics)

she doesn't have any companions because they are very annoying when it comes to sneaking around (looking at you dogmeat and star paladdin cross)

she her favorite colour is pink.

She carries the teddy (the one from the toy box in "Baby Steps") around with her everywhere, as well as a bible which once belonged to Catherine and then belonged to James until finally she took it with her into the wasteland, although she herself is agnostic it means a lot to her.

I would love to be self indulgent and give her a phobia of dogs but i'm still unsure about it, and it would add a lot to her character because the wasteland is a scary place with actual monsters and her biggest fear being dogs would be interesting to say the least.

She definitely takes like 100% after james lookswise, well structure wise some of her facial features come from catherine but for the most part she's just james' mini me.

her birthday is the Lone Wander's canon birthday 13th of July 2258.

she is very high Karma (i legit cannot be mean to NPCs, I was so upset when I got low Karma for helping that one guy impress Sienna Pretovia)

she wears Jonas' glasses, she doesn't need glasses, but it's a sentimental thing...as well as a fashion statement.

speaking of jonas, he and her were up to mischief quite a lot, he was like an older brother/cousin to her and everytime she got into a fight with Butch she hoped it was jonas that would treat her because she loves to trash talk her classmates (and the overseer) and he tolerates it. (I LOVE JONAS SO DAMN MUCH!!!!!!!)

she scored clinical test subject on her G.O.A.T., which, in my understanding, is really cynical because it would force her dad to experiment on her (I have no idea what a clinical test subject actually does), she wanted to be a pip-boy programmer, she always thought Stanley's work and talk was interesting, she was really dissapointed with her result (honestly I'm pretty sure the results of the G.O.A.T. are actually predetermined by the overseer but that's just my opinion)

she ends up sacraficing herself for project purity, not because she doesn't like the botherhood of steel or something (actually she thinks they are sus but that's not important rn) and she also doesn't want someone else to sacrafice themself for it...her family started it so her family should end it to, that's kind of her way of thinking about it.

this sacrafice is also kind part of my idea of implementing her into fallout 4 (idc about nv tbh), thank you dr. li for becoming part of the institute, I mean Madision must feel horrible first two of her closest confidants die and then their daughter sacrafices herself for their life's (???) work, that must have left her with severe survivor's guilt so her creating a synth version of briar could be kinda her way to cope I guess, but I'm still not sure about this one lol (i just want my girl to interact with the now older maccready because i think that would be funny)

Like I said she's still a work in Progress character. ALSO ALSO I WANNA HEAR ABOUT YOUR LONE WANDERER TOO!!!

[princekirijo]

thinking about your post on gushing over persona designs and also a reply youve left on one of my posts before... >:3c would you wanna talk about your thoughts on 3rd tier p5 personas because id love to hear em

I WOULD ABSOLUTELY LOVE TO SHARE MY THOUGHTS THANK YOU LEAF >:3c

OK so like disclaimer: I have yet to get to the third semester in Royal myself (I am playing through the game at a snail's pace 😭) so this is more like my thoughts based on a) just the designs in general, b) the designs in the context of the characters and c) what context I do have of the third semester (I know most of it but obvs it will be different once I actually play it). Oh and of course these are all my personal opinions so that's just something to keep in my mind!

For a more general overview of the personas, I actually think the design principle behind these personas slaps so hard. The way that each of them are in a sense, the real, true version of the original character of the initial designs is actually amazing and such a perfect final form for the thieves (considering their whole thing is ripping off their masks they wear in society blah blah blah). And also each of them try to incorporate a part of the character into the persona design (I'll explain that a bit in a minute) is really really cool. However, as with anything there are designs that nail these ideas and then there are some that for me miss it. Overall though, I think they are a solid set of personas and in general I would say I like them as a collective (not as much as the initial and they slightly lose out to the second tier designs but not by much).

Now for a more detailed persona by persona breakdown:

Raoul: Oh boy. Raoul. OK this is tricky for me. As like a design I think he slaps so hard. He looks sleek, cool and I love his head and wing design, I think they continue on from Arsene's monster gentleman look well and bring a more modern vibe to the persona (which a lot of these personas seem to do). And I think its a fitting design for Joker (purely from an aesthetic point of view, I find it hard to comment on it from the point of "does this fit Joker's personality" because that's really down to player interpretation). But hoo boy. There's two major issues with him for me.

Obvious one is that he's a DLC Persona. Instant loss for me. It adds no sentimental factor to him as a Persona (i.e. no awakening scene), all you do is just pay however much it is for him and then bam you have a cool Persona. That was a huge missed opportunity on Atlus' part. However, this brings me into my second issue, is that even if he did have an awakening scene there is no way it would ever top Satanael. Like Satanael is such an underrated persona for me, its a shame he's underutilized in the games too, because like wow that awakening scene. Is there any bigger fuck you to a god then summoning the devil through the power of friendship and humanity's hope to shoot him in the face. Unparalleled. But back to Raoul I just don't think he tops Satanael and he's stuck in DLC which lessens his impact/importance for me even though he's probably one of my favorites design wise.

Diego: I actually really really like him. I don't know why but I appreciate the swagger this Persona has. I think what Diego does best is really capture Morgana as a character. He's cocky, confident, considers himself as a bit of a ladies man (Diego looks like a playboy sorry) and successfully brings a modern twist to Zorro (and you know fits the whole this is Zorro unmasked because well it is literally Zorro unmasked). I can see why the design wouldn't appeal to some people because admittedly it is a bit boring but all in all I think its a solid look.

William: Yeah William slaps. He's a great design. I really enjoy how he's a more punk (might not be the right word but that's the best I can think of rn), cool, sleek version of Captain Kidd. I think he really fits Ryuji in the sense that it actually looks like something Ryuji would wear lol. It fits as well with the whole "Ryuji embracing his role as the delinquent" and again as is with a lot of these designs, brings a modern twist to it. This doesn't really mean much but I really like the sleek boat that he rides on. It just looks cool and honestly that's how I feel about William. He just looks really cool and very Ryuji.

Celestine: My Ann bias might come through here but oh boy do I adore this design. I think out of all of them, this is the one that executes the third tier design principles the best. First: it's a really cool upgrade for Carmen, and it really looks like it was made for Ann. Like the confidence the swagger and yes there is the whole sexy dominatrix thing going on with her but to me it feels like this is much better executed. The men at the end of her pigtails is to be quite honest a really neat design and a nice continuation of the elements we see in the previous personas. Which brings me to my next point: this is one of the two best examples of another aspect of the third tier personas: the fact that they are shown to be a fusion of sorts between the previous two personas. I don't think the ones I've mentioned so far execute this as well as Celestine and one other I'll get to later do. The combination of the Hecate color palette and Carmen's features plus the elements of Ann herself (Celestine is very fashion model to me) is done so well that I actually think it's probably the best designed of all of them.

Gorokichi: Oh Gorokichi. I have seen two opinions on this persona: people either love him or they hate him. I am very much in the later camp. I really hate this design NOT because of the actual design itself but more so the design in context. Look on its own I love how flamboyant it is. The pink fur coat, the ridiculous heels, that Groose looking hair style it's honestly really fun and different. It looks like something out of Zoolander. This all being said, in context... no. Look Yusuke is a flamboyant character. He's an artist he's passionate we know this. But this persona is far too gaudy for him. Gorokichi looks extremely materialistic and honestly way too tacky for Yusuke. Idk I'm sure other Yusuke fans feel differently but for me I just think it's probably the most out of character of all the personas in terms of how the designs relate to the character. There's something about it that just doesn't sit right with me 🤷‍♂️ I will say though I think it does an OK job at being a fusion of Susanoo (who is by FAR the better design btw) and Goemon. Again all of that is just my personal opinion but I think this is probably the weakest of the third tier personas.

Agnes: OK after writing like essays for the others I'll be honest I don't have much to say about Agnes. Like it looks cool af it's a batmobile ass looking motorbike and I think it fits Makoto I just... don't have much else to say. I don't really understand the color scheme for this one I'll be honest considering that up until now Makoto's personas have primarily been blue so this black and gold combo kinda comes outta nowhere, but it's fine. It's just missing something for me.

Al Azif: Star Destroyer. OK but in all seriousness I like the design. Again not much to say, the sleek technology + hacker vibes obviously fit Futaba very well and all in all I like it. Like Agnes it's just kinda there for me. I will say though it does feel like a Pokemon evolution more than a fusion between the previous two. Like the Salamence line (creature -> ball -> powerful creature). Does this mean anything.

Lucy: OK I promise I'm not running out of steam or anything but again, Lucy is kinda just there for me. I've honestly been sitting here looking at it like "it looks cool. It looks like an upgraded Miladay. It's cool. Why a spy I don't know but its cool". And that about sums it up to be honest. I get that the figure she is based off of was a spy but like why a spy for Haru. Was this just a case of them going "well it looks kinda like a modern business woman and looks like a spy which is what Lucy is based on so a spy it is". Is that what's happening here.

Hereward: And here he is the main man himself. By FAR my favorite third tier Persona. Sorry Celestine I love you but have you seen this man. This Persona design hits the nail on the head. Is it a good representation of how Akechi has changed as a character? Yes absolutely (dark hero vibes). Is it a good combination of the previous two Personas? Without a shadow of a doubt knocks it outta the park. Does it fit with the initial Persona unmasked theme? Yes yes it does. I also wanna mention that I like the idea that Akechi awoke to Loki and Robin Hood at the same time (full credit for that idea goes to whoever drew that phenomenal artwork I am so sorry I can't remember their url) and Hereward being a really good combination of both of them leans into that idea nicely (that's more a coincidence tbh cause I don't think it's explicitly stated which one came first). Also this quote from the wiki really sums up how good I think Hereward's design is:

"In a similar vein to how Robin Hood's design was largely inspired by comic book hero Superman, Hereward's design may have been inspired by Batman, hence the black armor and the bat wing-like protrusions on the back of his head. This may be an allusion to Akechi's role in the third semester, symbolizing his transformation from a seemingly-altruistic hero to a feared warrior seeking to see through his own personal justice. It also can be seen as a visual combination of Robin Hood and Loki, incorporating the bow and weapon of the former and the dark aesthetics of the latter."

Ella: um. Yeah I gotta be honest on this one, I don't feel... qualified? enough to give my thoughts on her because I feel like I haven't fully grasped Sumire as a character. I think the whole Cinderella persona thing she has gong on is great and it fits what I understand of her story but as for Ella's design. Why a wedding dress. Like why. It looks appealing but like??? I don't know tbh 💀💀

And yeah that about sums up all my thoughts. I will say that like I feel my thoughts will change once I get the full story of the third semester because already I feel like a lot of these designs are missing (or I'm missing the context) some connection to the actual story of the third semester. Like these personas are supposed to represent the sort of wrapping up of the thieves character arcs and I feel like that aspect is, while the idea of the personas being based off of their original personas leans into this, ultimately underused. I don't know maybe my thoughts will change once I play it properly. Uh hope you had fun reading this because I've been typing for like an hour no joke 💀😭

[radioactive-earthshine]

I know DC won’t do it because they’re cowards, but in my heart of hearts, I know that if Kon had introduced Bart to the family as his bf, not only would Ma and Pa have loved him, Baby Martha would’ve loved him as her stepdad

Your heart is pure and correct. Bonus for Lophi having found a family too with Ma and Pa (we ain't killing her to prop Konbart up).

Ma and Pa would be delighted with Bart and their hearts would be at ease with him. It's never easy to be with a Super, loving them is easy yes, but dealing with the the dangers and complexities associated with them is something else entirely.

But seeing the way both Kon and Bart glow around each other as they celebrate each other's weirdness brings them joy. And they keep the pride stuff out a lot longer.

[screamingtheo]

Happy New Year!

I guess other people would now write something inspirational but I'm not good with words...

I tried sleeping through midnight but got woken up because my neighbors celebrated very loudly. I'm too lazy to tell them to be quite, so I just lay here and listen to their singing :)