#which really doesn't say good things about the health of the save file does it?

[victorluvsalice]

-->Once all the gnomes were back in position, it was time to get everyone started on all the various chores that needed to be done! I had Alice get up, clean more spoiled food out of the fridge (while I remembered “Smiler’s cheese!” and quickly put that IN the fridge – fortunately it still had like a day to go before it went off), then go kick a creepy doll in the greenhouse before harvesting the prairie grass in Moory’s pen (just found one turquoise crystal hiding in there today). Victor, meanwhile, finished clearing up the gnome mess in the greenhouse and opening all the remaining seed packets I could find around the lot (looked like a haul of mainly lemons and spinach), and got to his tending – vacuuming weeds, spraying bugs, etc, etc. Smiler, for their part, finished up Marm’s enhancements before being sent to clean the chicken coop, recycle everyone's accumulated trash piles, and to rake up all the leaves around the yard (since, well, there were a lot of them!). And Marm, now that he was feeling a little more durable (with his latest enhancement, durability in fact decays about 10% slower now, which is nice), hovered over to the living room to put out the fireplace (which somebody had lit yesterday, or possibly the day before, in-game) and get to know Shadow. The two got along quite well, so I had Marm go and take Shadow on a short walk –

And went “you know what, we haven’t done any fun animal treat stuff in a bit” and had Alice take the Fishy Protein Treat and the Pumpkin Treat from Victor’s inventory to feed one of the brown hens and Moory the cow respectively! Alice unfortunately didn’t do a great job of giving the Fishy Protein Treat to the chickens, pouring it OUTSIDE their pen – I moved the treat pile into the pecking area in the hopes that SOMEBODY would eat it. Happily, after a short break to brush Surprise, she did much better in giving Moory her Pumpkin Treat, and – after a quick pet to keep the cow happy – got herself a nice bottle of pumpkin spice milk along with the regular milk. :) She also grabbed the eggs, since she was in the neighborhood – two regular, one hatchable. Not too shabby!

-->And with THAT all done, it was time to make some treats for the upcoming food sale! I already knew I wanted the gang to take the batch of blueberry bagels Victor had made earlier from the fridge – however, when I checked out the plate of banana split waffles in there, I found that they were very close to going off. I thus set them on the counter so Alice could quickly clean them up after they spoiled, and had Alice instead get a batch of pumpkin spice waffles and some more batches of dough started. Annoyingly, the stand mixer broke right after it was finished mixing up the dough – and after Alice repaired it, she suddenly got an inexplicable fear of death, despite the fact that, as far as I could see, she didn’t get shocked by the damn thing at all. O.o Well, all right, being afraid of death is just a natural part of existence. I’ll figure out how to help her work through her fear later! (Too bad The Sims 4 doesn’t offer the “go on a mental trip through Wonderland to confront your worries” option. :p)

While that was going on, Victor finished his tending and super-sold the greenhouse – I tried then to have him go in and make an apple pie for the sale, but he couldn’t do so until Alice finished fixing the mixer so he could get the dough out of it (an apple pie needs two batches, and we only had one available). I thus had him eat some forbidden candy instead to keep his energy up for the trip – can’t have him falling asleep in the middle of the sale! I also got a notice that Shadow (still on her walk with Marm) was getting pretty hungry, so I had the pair come back to the house and stop under the tree in the front yard so I could get Marm to call her to eat at one of the pet food bowls –

-->Except that Marm wouldn’t do it. The action just lingered uselessly just outside their queue. Puzzled, I had Alice try to call the dog over instead – but Shadow wouldn’t come, instead wandering over to the obstacle course. Frustrated, I sent Alice out there (after taking a moment to start the laundry washing again, since the game was telling me the clothes inside were still in a “Used” state) to give the dog a treat while I tried to have Marm read a book for his aspiration –

And still no go. This robot WOULD NOT move. I could not figure out why – he wasn’t FROZEN frozen, as he kept doing various idle animations and his charge continued to decay, but he just wouldn’t do anything I told him to do. *shakehead* Save file is not doing good, man...

-->Anyway – once Victor retrieved his dough and successfully baked his apple pie, I checked over everyone’s inventory, then gave Smiler the blueberry bagels from the fridge, the apple pie, Alice’s pumpkin spice waffles, and the pumpkin spice milk she’d gotten before from Moory. This was a pretty good spread, all told, but I wanted to have one more thing available for potential customers to eat, so I had Victor make a loaf of cheesy bread with some of the remaining dough while Smiler and Alice bantered and chatted under the front yard tree and Marm continued to idle uselessly. Thanks to the power of prepped ingredients, the loaf didn’t take long to bake at all, and once it was done, I moved it to Smiler’s inventory, then had Smiler make the call to have all the humanoid Sims hit up Copperdale’s Lakeview Library (hoping that it would force Marm to move...) –

[archivalofsins]

It's nice to think of kindness- Wrong which Milgram character would kill you and why?

(Before we get into it, none of these are meant to be theories on what the prisoners did or why. These are just incredibly general statements on why they may possibly kill you with some references to canon. I don't want someone taking this thing I wrote for fun too seriously.)

Haruka: You take up all the attention even though you swear you don't. Then complain to him or near him about how unfair all this is and overbearing it feels to be fawned over all the time. He thinks it's bad to hate you, but you're pressing all the wrong buttons.

Yuno: You keep fawning over her. Well, not her actually, just whatever you decide to project onto her. It's at a point that she's certain you've made a completely different version of her up to love and she the person doesn't matter. She's kind of fine with it. You're clearly having fun, and who is she to be a kill joy. But you keep bothering her based on conclusions you jumped to and she's running out of patience.

Futa: You pretend like you care a lot about doing the right thing online. You know all the buzz words and playing the caring saint is second nature to you. Your reputation is spotless and from experience he knows that means you've probably got the worst shit in your closet. That you might be a hypocrite who puts on this nice rule abiding front just to excuse harassing others under the guise of anonymity. He's not entirely sure but he's dealt with enough bad actors to kind of see a pattern. It's none of his business though unless you point that sort of attention at him or someone he cares about. Which luckily you haven't, right?

Mu: You were just such bullied kid material. I mean look at you- Being the nail that stuck up and her the hammer that hit you back down. It could be for a lot of reasons. You're bad at reading the mood or you're good at it but just don't care to play along and indulge her. You're uppity and think things should work in some purely righteous or good way. You just can't let the people around you have fun. Why are you being so mean and judgmental, huh? It's not like Mu did anything wrong? Honestly, I think you kinda deserve this one- She's been nothing but nice and accepting of you and your whims but suddenly you wanted a high horse to ride when it came to hers. It's like you only care about something being wrong when it's convenient for you. It's either wrong when everyone does it or no one. Fair is fair, after all.

Shidou: I'm sorry you needed medical care and came to this private organ harvesting farm disguised as a hospital. It sucks that you came here for an out of your control health emergency, but he just can't help himself. Maybe this time, what he's trying to do will work out. You won't be alive to know, though. Take some solace in knowing he probably won't even remember your name after the paperwork is filed. This truly was a random act and nothing personal. Well, unless... No, it's best not to say. At least then you can pass on without the knowledge that your life was weighed like cattle for a state fair. Maybe your inferior existence can save another's superior one. Then your life will have really meant something even after all that. You just need to hurry up and die already so he can check.

Mahiru: You know I should feel bad for you, but how did you even start this? No, seriously? How did you manage to get Mahiru's attention. Even you don't know, it's not like you're particularly interesting. Honestly, you wouldn't even say you did anything that nice, just the bare minimum. Well, whatever you did, I guess you better keep it up. Who knows what will happen when she loses interest- Huh, where'd you go? Hmm... weird. They're probably fine.

Kazui: No. Man, you really have a bad habit of saying that word to the wrong sort of person, huh? That's unfortunate. It gets more and more difficult to let a person down easy these days. But damn didn't think you'd get killed over it. Well... Now you know how women at bars feel.

Mikoto: Is it really self-defense if all a person is defending is their reputation. I mean all it takes is a few ridiculous accusations to ruin a person's entire life these days. So, maybe- just maybe you should have shut the fuck up. Don't worry you won't be able to talk for much longer. His problem and you will disappear at the exact same time.

Kotoko: Why are you evil? Less than human in every way? Oh, I'm not asking that seriously. These are just the things you'd be wondering when she hunts you down until you have nowhere else to run. Everyone makes mistakes from time to time, but you didn't think any of yours would make you deserving of something like this. But a crime is a crime. Evil is evil. This is just what happens when the same punishment is used across the board. You just never thought that board would include you.

[panaramic-art]

Greetings! Also just here for the fish boy, but I do have more information.

In the game play, you go through a series of sequential randomly generating rooms, some of my favorites being called high security containment rooms, I believe. They hold a bunch of fun little eastereggs from other things.

As void stated, you have to counter monsters like eyefestation and the angler. Here's a list of what I have off the top of my head!

Angler: a very simple run and go enemy, you know he's coming when the lights flash, and you can hear him screaming too. To escape him, hide in one of the many lockers spread around the facility! It's recommended you wait until the room shakes to climb in, too early and you could be forced out due to claustrophobia.

The angler also has 4 variants!

Pinky: she acts the same as angler, but she doesn't make the lights flash, so you have to listen for her to know she's coming. (They all have distinct sounds!)

Blitz: he's FAST. Basically, as soon as you know he's coming, GET INTO A LOCKER. Dude is quick, trust me.

Frogger: just as his name suggests, he bounces. He'll go through the room, then turn around and come back. After that get out of the locker, BUT BE CAREFUL. Stay by the locker for a bit just in case he comes through a third time. You can not get through all three runs before claustrophobia gets you, so definitely take that break after go 2

Chainsmoker: he fills the room with a green gas before coming through, and it'll remain as he moves through and after. He's the slowest of all 5, which almost makes him the most dangerous of the bunch, since the gas causes your claustrophobia to happen quicker, meaning if you get into the locker too soon you could be forced out before he leaves.

All of these leave the room pitch black once they're gone.

Now, the lockers arnt entirely trustworthy either. Occasionally they could have in them what's called "puddles of void mass". These creatures will grab and eat you if you try climbing into a locker they're in. If you're in a group though, you can be saved if your companions act quick enough, since they take a bit to digest you. Now, how do you tell a safe locker vs a dangerous one? One way to tell is by the very obvious glowing eyes you can see in the upper locker slits! If sight isn't your strong suit, however, then just stand next to one and you'll be able to hear breathing! They are also the ONLY monster that can kill you in the room you start in, basically room 0. If you do, Sebastian is very sassy about it lol.

(Oh yeah, when you die you wake up at a table across from a shadow shrouded Sebastian who laughs at you and tells you how not to die again by giving you the file on your killer. It's redacted at the start, but with each subsequent death at the hands of the same monster you unlock more of the file.)

Next are the squiddles! They're these big pitch black squids that float in a room (no water needed). They're easy to avoid, just keep your distance and don't shine light on them. The problem is you can't really see them unless you get close, as their face and sucker's will slowly start to glow as they get agitated, and you need to quickly get away before you get jumpscared. They won't kill you though, I believe. From what I remember they just do damage, so unless you're already low on health you should survive. You also won't get their file unless they finish you off.

Speaking of monsters that just deal damage, the good people! Now, from my understanding, this is just one entity, maybe 2 im not sure... However, it does absorb people into it so.. a multitude in one fun meaty package! They appear in rooms that have more than one door. One door is the correct one that will alow you to advance, and the other one has the good people behind it, ready to attack. "BUT THE DOORS ARE NUMBERED! SHOULDNT IT BE EASY TO TELL WHICH ONE IS FORWARD?" You may be saying. And yes, it should! Only the correct door should have a number. HOWEVER, the good people have a friend. A wonderful little ai called p.Ai.nter. he has control of the facility and pampers with the number screens to make them look identical. There are a couple ways to tell which one is the right door however. You can get up close to the door, this is the only situation where the door doesn't auto open once you're within like 3 feet of it, and listen. If you hear breathing or other sounds, it's the wrong door, if there's nothing then it's the right door. Also, if the number flickers or sparks at all, then it's the wrong door. The right door number will be solid with no sparks. The good people do not kill you, they only do just over half health.

Next is one I know a bit less about, pandemonium. I know they make lights flicker like the angler, but they're way harder to hide from. Because they have amazing vision and they will be fuckin on your ass if they spot you at all. If you hide in a locker, then it'll initiate a mini game where you have to keep a dot in a circle in order to keep pandemonium out. They're made of meat that is in a constant rate of decay, so they replenish their body by eating.

Back to P.Ai.nter, I love that little guy, but he can fuck you up! Along with helping the good people, he can shut doors to lock you in windowed rooms as eyefestation (void explained her pretty good) stares you down, then you need to just out last her. He also controls the site's turrets, which you need to avoid as you go through their room. There is always an off switch, though sometimes it's easier to get to than other times, so some people don't bother. If you want to collect those files for sebby though then it's worth the effort, as long as you know how to stay out of their light.

Speaking of lights, there's also the searchlights!! They only appear twice in the game, I believe. Once in the warehouse and then at the very end. These guys are BIG and SCARRY. they're whales I believe, but they have tentacles they can use to grab you. They're called searchlight because of the big spotlight like lights they cast down onto the room. Get caught and you are DEAD. dragged up into the sky and eaten. Doesn't help that you have to fix generators which keeps you in place during their section. Gotta be careful.

Next I'll talk about someone who's not an enemy, just for a break. Occasionally around the facility you can find these red remotes. Interact with it, and for the next two real world days you'll have a red imaginary friend! She's great in my opinion, though she scared the crap out of me first time I played. She won't hurt you, she's just going to stand at a respectful distance where she's always visible, even through walls. Sometimes she'll even speak to you!!

OK, next I wanna talk about Mr.Loope. no idea what he is, he's just some mystery green entity. You'll only ever see him if you're playing in a group and you get left behind. He's there to take you from a despairing room and throw you back up to the front of the group, doing a random amount of damage from 1-99 (you get 100 hp). The only way to avoid him is to yell at your group for leaving you behind and hope they don't do it again.

There's also the multi monster, who's rare and I don't know much about. I know he has similar tactics to the angler, but other than that I don't know much, I just know you need to hide fast.

The wall dwellers are another I don't know well, you know there's one in the room with you if there's a human shaped hole in the wall, and if you hear footsteps behind you TUEN AROUND because that's them. Once you look at them they'll vanish, I think. Or just leave you alone. Either way, that's how you keep them from killing you.

There's also the oxygen rooms that have a random chance of being hostile, if I heard correctly. It's this room with a a massive tree, grass, and human shaped bushes! There's a chance for these bushes to move and try to get you, your only escape is out running them and getting out of the oxygen rooms.

And that.. is everyone I remember off the top of my head!! There's some easteregg monsters like baldi from baldis basic, but I don't really care about them.

Bonus: there's a jumpsuit you can get called "the slaugher jumpsuit". Yes it's based off William, I wear it in the game :)

Can someone explain pleasure. All I know Is it's the game about the fish guy who used to be a guy guy until the bad guy made him fish.

[scover-va]

i did mean reggie but now im curious about the barry reginald hcs

*evilly rubs hands together* >:)

Alright SO! I got most of these hcs down in an unfinished fic of mine, and have been able to properly develop my hcs for Barry in the rp im doing with my gf, so I got plenty to talk about

So, Barry had been a single father to his son, who's unnamed because me and my gf decided Lionel's dad is an asshole and he doesnt deserve a name, Barry's wife (Susannah, name based off the in game file name for the Rootbeer Tender theme, Oh_Susannah, which is shortened in the official soundtrack as just being,,,t h a t 3 letter word) having died shortly after giving birth due to health complications. I might change the reason for her death but that's the current idea.

One night when Lionel's dad was ~3, Barry had left his son with a babysitter so he could go for a night out with some coworkers (he was. talked into it. after lots of talking). Weeeell things took a turn for the worse, and Barry was attacked in an alleyway, having originally been left to slowly die. Well, our good friend mister satan himself, aka Lou Natas finds him. He offers, in exchange for Barry's soul, he heals Barry's wounds so he can get home to his son. Barry only agrees because he doesn't want his son to be an orphan.

The two dont see each other for a while after that. When Barry's in his late 40's or so, Lionel's born. And seeing how Lionel's parents suck at the whole parenting thing (despite barry trying his best to get them to STOP being shitty parents), Barry pretty much ends up becoming Lionel's parental figure. Like. Barry calls him son and Lionel calls him dad.

He and Lou eventually bump into each other again, and Lou insists on chatting, and also insists on exchanging numbers. Barry begrudgingly agrees, and they go on with their lives, with Lou contacing Barry often to chat. Much better than talking to his annoying ass demon employees who can't do their jobs to save their fucking lives.

Anyways, moving on from Lou being a shitty boss, he eventually calls Barry asking for a favour, that he needs something retrieved for him. He even offers to give Barry his soul back. Barry agrees, and then ten seconds later finds out he’s stealing files from the Russian government. But he’s already agreed, so he isn’t allowed to chicken out now. By Barry’s request, Lou gives him one last month before they head to Russia.

At the end of that month, the Wilkinson-Snill family gets a call the morning after he leaves saying that Barry died overnight. Lou creates a fake body for the funeral and everything.

Meanwhile, Barry’s arriving in Russia with Lou, who insisted on tagging along. Only reason Lou needed help is because the Russian gov. Is already witch-hunting his ass so he can’t go near them. Barry’s wishing he really was dead right now.

They stay in a cabin together, and Barry starts working out by a nearby, frozen over pond. Because he’s basically a spy, he might as well be able to defend himself.

Well, Lou, the idiot devil he is, ends up catching feelings. The relationship is rather short lived, since Barry’s too good of a person to be able to comfortably date Lou, and it’s just kinda. Very awkward. At this point, Lou can’t run his game business, Gamefuna, overseas anymore. He heads back, visiting Barry every so often to check up on his process. At this point, Gamefuna’s purchased and butchered the SWK franchise.

Barry does eventually manage to get the OLD_DATA, getting it safely contained on a floppy disk. Well, the Russian government finds out, and now the cops are fuckin looking for him. He manages to ship off the floppy disk in a large box of them to one of Lou’s acquaintances, Kaminski, before getting shot and killed. Secrets of Legendaria bombs a few weeks later.

To add onto that, because I have a personal timeline of events that fit into any dmg content I make, progress on Inscryption starts at around the same time as Waste World. And Lionel still thinks his grandpa died of health issues.

[makeste]

I read the meta you reposted about anyone being able to become a hero, and I would just like to give some thoughts. I agree it is wrong to think in terms of good vs bad victims and measure everyone as the same. Just because Shoto never killed anyone in response to his abuse and Toya did doesn't mean that Toya was always an evil person looking for an excuse to break bad. Different people break from different things.

these are all good, well-reasoned points, anon, but I disagree with a few of them. let me try to explain.

so the thing about this whole atonement process is that it’s hugely complex, and there isn’t really any kind of roadmap for Endeavor to follow when it comes to trying to make things right. I actually appreciate that his arc is written in such a way that his epiphany doesn’t just happen all at once, and you can see how his approach gradually turns from one that’s still mostly selfish and centered on him, to one that’s actually focused on his kids and what they need. you can see the stages he progresses through as the series goes on.

1. I’d argue that it all starts when he first gets yelled at by Deku (“Todoroki isn’t you!”). he realizes that maybe this kid has got a point, and that treating his son as an extension of him rather than as his own person might just be sorta shitty. so he files that away, but we don’t really see much of a change in him yet.

2. then a few months later he gets thrust into the #1 hero role, which has the interesting psychological effect of forcing him to see past himself and his ego for perhaps the first time in his life. he suddenly finds himself in this position as the new Symbol, and starts to feel the responsibility of that, and it basically triggers the entire rest of his redemption arc. because once he starts looking outside himself, he starts to realize the impact his actions have on other people, including his family. for the first time, he starts looking at the situation with fresh eyes, and realizes how much he’s hurt them.

3. quick little detour here, I feel like it’s important to note that Endeavor -- like many abusers -- actually does love his family and never intentionally set out to hurt them. but the problem is that he is so self-centered for most of his life that he never stops to consider that his family and his kids don’t simply exist to serve his own purposes. he abuses Shouto during his training but I’ll bet you he himself never thought of it as actual abuse, just him being hard on him in order to toughen him up. he thinks he’s doing what’s best for Shouto by making him strong in the hopes that he’ll one day surpass All Might, because that’s always been his goal, and so he just unilaterally decides that should be Shouto’s goal too. he wants the best for him, but it never enters his mind to consider that his son is his own person who, gasp, might not actually want the same things that Endeavor wants. btw I should clarify that absolutely none of this excuses anything he does, holy shit. but I feel like it’s important to mention, because many people complain that the change in Endeavor happens too abruptly and is too unrealistic, but I don’t think that’s true at all. it’s just that people don’t like to acknowledge that abusers are still human (meaning that anyone can become one if they’re not careful to consider how they treat others). Endeavor’s actions are monstrous, but they stem from realistic places, and I think that it’s a very well-thought-out character arc.

4. and so basically, once that change finally starts happening, it’s not that he suddenly starts loving his kids all of a sudden out of nowhere. it’s that he finally starts loving them for their own sake, rather than his. for the first time, he starts loving them selflessly rather than selfishly. and it’s not a change that just happens overnight, because he is so used to everything revolving around him that even after he starts realizing what he’s doing wrong, it still takes him a while to break free from those patterns.

5. and so for example, he suddenly becomes wildly supportive of Shouto and his training and attempts to go full-blown helicopter parent. because clearly that’s what Shouto needs, right?? all those years he was trying to make him into his own personal mini-me rather than loving his son for who he was and supporting him as his own person. and so we see him hounding Shouto in texts to let him teach him his Ultimate Technique (but not because he wants him to surpass All Might, but because he just wants him to be the best hero he can be! it’s different now!), and attending his training sessions to cheer him on from the stands like an obnoxious soccer mom. and afterwards he tells him he’s proud of him, and that he wants to become someone Shouto can be proud of.

6. so you can see there’s some progress at this point, but at the same time he’s still making a lot of the same mistakes. his intentions by this point have genuinely changed! but he’s still looking at the situation from his own point of view, and not taking into consideration how his son feels about the forced attempts at reconciliation. he’s thinking ‘I was a shit father, I need to make it up to him by being supportive.’ but he doesn’t stop to consider that Shouto might not WANT his support by this stage in the game; that he might, in fact, not want anything to do with him at all.

7. and this doesn’t change until after his battle at Fukuoka, when he has dinner with his family and Natsuo blows up at him. he basically lays it all out on the table, but this is the most important part:

I am willing to bet that he did not, in fact, get it until pretty much that moment, actually. because up until this point, he’s been doing exactly as Natsuo said -- trying to make nice, trying to show that he’s changed, and to be a good father now. but he doesn’t stop to consider (a) just how much hurt he really has caused them, and (b) just how impossible it is to simply erase all of that. the pain Natsuo’s expressing here isn’t something people can simply get over. and I don’t think Enji realizes until this moment that he was still going about this in the wrong way.

8. and that, lastly, is what finally leads to this:

he finally realizes that it’s not about him. and apologizes, but makes it clear that Natsuo does not have to forgive him, and that he doesn’t want to burden him by making him feel otherwise. he acknowledges Natsuo’s feelings, acknowledges the pain he’s caused, and realizes that what he and the others need is space. and this is when he makes the decision to build the new home for them and Rei, so that they can finally start to move on -- without him, if that’s what it takes.

so this is basically the progression of Endeavor’s redemption arc up to this point. and I’m sorry it took so long to recap, I didn’t mean for it to lol, but there were a lot of parts I didn’t want to just gloss over. so now, here are a few last points I want to make about his arc.

1. first off, it’s important to consider the timeline here. when making your point earlier, you talked about Endeavor building the new home for his kids, but how “on the other hand” he kept trying to force his relationship with Shouto. however the order of these things is switched around. because Endeavor building the house is something that happens at the end of his arc. and in fact we have not seen him try to force anything with Shouto since then. this is important to acknowledge because it shows that he is learning and that it’s not just an insincere case of one step forward, two steps back. the progress he’s making here is genuine; he really is trying not to be selfish anymore.

2. I know I said “the end” of his arc just now, but in fact we have no reason to believe that this is the end of it. every time I see an argument about “well why hasn’t he done this yet, or why hasn’t he said this”, I wonder why people assume that just because he hasn’t done it yet, it means we’re never going to see it. for instance, he still hasn’t apologized to Shouto specifically for the way he abused him all those years. but just because we haven’t seen it yet doesn’t mean that it won’t happen.

3. fandom has this tendency, when it comes to characters they don’t like and don’t want to see redeemed, to continuously move the goalposts so that no matter what that character does and how much they change, they can continue to justify why it’s not enough. I’m going to take a quick break from Endeavor and use Bakugou as the example here instead, since I think it’s easier to summarize.

“Bakugou is such an asshole, all he cares about is himself, he’s definitely going to become a villain.”

[Bakugou refuses to join the villains] “well whatever, he’s still a jerk, just look at how he can’t even work together with others and refuses to help anyone.”

[Bakugou learns to Win and Save, and unlocks the Power of Teamwork] “well whatever, he still doesn’t care about anyone else. look at how he’s still an asshole to Deku even now.”

[Bakugou starts helping Deku train and learn how to control OFA] “whatever, that’s literally the bare minimum, there’s still no proof that he even cares about him.”

[Bakugou literally takes a life-threatening blow to save Deku] “whatever, it’s like he said, his body moved on its own so there’s still no proof he really cares.”

[Bakugou wakes up from a two-day coma, immediately asks about Deku’s health, and rushes to his bedside] “whatever, I don’t know why everyone is making such a fuss over it, he hasn’t even apologized to him yet.”

and so on and so forth. and I guarantee that once he finally does apologize, it will then shift to “well why couldn’t he just have done that in the first place.” but you get my point.

basically, there are certain characters whose redemption arcs fandom will actively continue to deny no matter what. Bakugou is one of those characters, and so is Endeavor. and I’m not saying that in order to call those people out, because everyone has their own boundaries of forgiveness, and I don’t have the right to dictate anyone else’s, just like they don’t have the right to dictate mine. everyone has their own line, and where it’s drawn is different for each person. like for me, the one particular character who can fuck off for all eternity as far as I’m concerned is Overhaul (although I admit I am still curious to see what Horikoshi has planned for him post-prison break in spite of all that). and there are a lot of other people for whom Endeavor crosses their own personal line. and you know what, that’s fine.

but here’s the thing -- if you actually want to debate his redemption arc with people, you should be willing to do so in good faith. meaning that if you really do think Endeavor is unforgiveable (and I’m speaking now in general terms, not addressing you specifically anon), just go ahead and say so! but don’t come up with an arbitrary list of criteria that he needs to meet in order to qualify for redemption, only to keep on adding more and more items to the list. and most importantly, don’t assume that your criteria are the only valid criteria and that you can speak for everyone else. and especially don’t act like you have a right to go around slapping people with labels like “abuse apologist” just because they don’t share the same opinions as you about a fictional character.

anyway! so as usual, a post that I originally meant to be only a few paragraphs long turned out to be a whole damn essay, I apologize. but anyways anon, basically I share the same opinion as you as far as the mindset that Endeavor needs to have for his atonement (i.e. that it’s not about him). however, I think he’s made more progress than this ask gives him credit for, and I don’t think any of it has been fake. that being said, it’s still a process, and his biggest tests are yet to come. whatever ends up happening, I hope the outcome ends up being one that the rest of his family can find peace with.

[mantra4ia]

Debris: speculation and what we know so far about...

Bryan

The character is from Texas, has no siblings, and his parents are both alive.

He served in MARSOC (Marine Special Forces) in Afghanistan, where he was in a military prison in some capacity (officer or detainee unclear, but an alternate reality he's called a war criminal, so he's likely detained).

FWIW, I'm a little surprised that in an alternative reality Bryan wasn't a part of Influx. He shares a similar kind of backstory with Anson Ash.

He carries a baseball on the plane like a momento stress ball (1x03).

He eats...a lot, literally thinks with his stomach, seemingly indiscriminately (#you could just pull up a chair to the buffet). Stale Peeps, weeks old sandwiches, rewarmed burritos, anything from the minibar, etc. Maybe he was a smoker in the time before and it killed his sense of taste. Or he just has an iron stomach from his time on active duty. In any case, food seems to be his unconditional OTP. I request a GIF supercut.

He seems to know a bunch of field operatives (Lester, Sharon, John the ME, Muntz, Beck from containment) from various Orbital teams, perhaps even worked cases with a few, along with everyone in Maddox's office. He's very cordial so presumably he likes them, but in stark contrast at least half seem to decidedly dislike him with baiting antagonism, some openly hostile. Sharon: "why are you smirking at me Bryan?" Muntz, the Laghari lab tech: "I've come across plenty like you...men who play by their own rules." Beck: "They only send in the A-team when they want the agents to survive...easy for you to say, I'm the one who had to tell his wife". No wonder he feels a bit ostracized. Perhaps his reputation (impulsive?) proceeds him or perhaps he's been labeled an "unlucky" partner that misfortune follows so he gets kept at a distance?

The exception to the above seems to be Gary Garcia, the former scientist that helps hide George. May be former partners if the audio during credit rolls is any indication, and knows about Bryan's health / injections. They appear close. Perhaps because they share a mentality: both presumably injured in their line of work at Orbital, and they know what it means to have to rely on yourself.

When we meet Finola and Bryan, it seems like they've been working together for a few weeks, stateside at least (Finola's quote 1x02: Been here 3 weeks, feels like 3 years) and that he's had at least two Orbital partners prior, one (Julian / Jules) that died on duty, and the other creepy Dutch guy still living, Niels. How many more partners has he been through? Is it protocol that they get reassigned/shuffled so often to follow the debris, or so as not to form attachments "This job is about being alone, it's supposed to be...we're a blip in other people's lives", or does his personality not play well with others, like from the pilot when he tells Finola "it's been a long time since I've worked with somebody who's looked at me like another human being."

Also in 1x01 when Bryan says, "So are we now saying the debris pulled [Kieran] from the ground and added meat to his bones" and Finola says no, he was cremated, Bryan looks almost disappointed like he was momentarily more hopeful than pragmatic. At first I thought this was just a lead up to introducing the fact that George Jones was alive, but maybe another plot point is that Bryan has lost someone in duty he wants back.

He carries a picture in his front pocket of a woman with some Persian/ Farsi(?) or Urdu(?) written on the back. It's hard to tell by the script, it could be neither. When confronted by that, his clone says "I can't let it go." Old flame that was lost? Or a partner of a fallen service member killed in action —I've lost brothers— that he couldn't save (is that part of Bryan's dark guilt / grief)? Civilian casualty of a Marine mission? In the pilot when he tells Isla "you have to tell her how much you need her, I know from experience...You will not be able to forgive yourself if you don't" is Bryan thinking of this woman?

EDIT: considering the next episode is called "Asalah," which could be a woman's name, maybe that's part of the text on the back of the photo. Pure speculation.

He counts on himself to be level and composed when it comes to his emotions and apologizes when he isn't. He loses that composure in the pilot when Isla talks about family therapy and fighting with her mother after Kieran's death: "I knew someone like her once." Was Bryan referring to himself, has he been through post-service therapy? Perhaps he developed a rift with his family or left home at an early age like she did?

Bryan would be great at pub trivia night. He always seems to have an odd fact ready about NASA tech, native legends, an article about a historical building that he read, Fleetwood PA, etc. He doesn't seem the type to keep facts on standby to impress, so perhaps he's a secret bibliophile even though Finola hassles him for not reading case files.

"Fin: Maybe we should run some more tests before we continue/ Bryan: I will cut bait if you want to / Fin; let's just look out for each other" 1x02 Bryan seems more cautious than impulsive, he does a good job of listening to Finola's concerns. Is that from experience? Did he get overconfident, mishandle debris, and get permanently injured, hence the frequent blood work and injections?

"This man saved my life." Why does Bryan trust Maddox implicitly? And when Maddox says in 1x07 "Investigate quietly. I want to keep the lights off. I don't want to lose anymore lives, Bryan, okay?" is that a word of warning specially for him? Does he have a body count? (see afforementioned question of frequent work partners turnover and having an unlucky reputation)

Bryan in protective of Finola when the CIA taps her apartment. It's the straw that turns his allegiance from his agency to his partner.

I still can't place why Bryan carries a baseball — it seems like it could be a red herring, but I can't get over the visual of Maddox playing catch with Dario and reading into it as some sort of surrogate bond — or why he has a chain around his neck (1x05). It's not service tags and probably not a ring, it's some kind of pendant: a large loop encircling a dull, perhaps tarnished, gray metallic disc. A patron saint? A piece of shrapnel? A piece of debris? Unclear, but it definitely has texture or an etching.

Top Bryan Quotes

"That's the job. Impossible." 1x01 Pilot

"We are supposed to be blips in these people's lives, not memories." 1x04 In Universe

"It's been a long time since I've worked with somebody who's looked at me like another human being." 1x01

"Zippo lighters, Pyrex glassware, Crayola crayons, and of course Peeps. Insane for peeps, cracklike...we owe the people of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania a great deal of gratitude and I am not afraid to say it." 1x02 You Are Not Alone

"I've been thinking, [about] Finola.. if MI6 knew her father was still alive they would take her out of here. We need to get home before this becomes an issue...this is going to affect her." 1x03 Solar Winds, when he's not sure how her father will affect her empathetic-based decision-making

Craig: "You hated the creepy Dutch guy." / Bryan: "He was adorable."

"Well, one of my tips for survival, Muntz, is always let the other guy touch the debris first." 1x03 So is that what happened to Garcia?

To Finola "I realize I tend to forget that there's still magic to discover in the world. But not you." 1x03

"There are things that you understand about life that I don't, and I respect that. But there are things that I know that you will not find very palatable...I am going to focus on the people that we're saving and not the ones that we can't." 1x04

"If we don't act, we might not be able to stop the terraforming. There's no way we're going to be able to win all these, and I know that every cell in your body right now is screaming for you to do what you think is right. I need you to go against that. I need you to trust me." 1x04

"Finola's capable. I trust her instincts." 1x08 Spaceman

"I'm running on sugar and coffee for the rest of the day" 1x07 You Can Call Her Caroline, but really isn't that Bryan everyday?

"When I tell you that I understand, it's not empty...I lost brothers. It destroys families. There are people who can help you with what you're going through right now...There is a way to get back from this pain. I was where you were, and the darkness almost ended me. And somebody put out his hand... I want to be there for you." 1x07

"I'm trying to get back to someone. It's very important to me." 1x09 Do You Know Icarus?