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#but after learning his lore I can't hate him completely
pweachfwoge · 1 year
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I can't play genshin so I funnel my pain into the poor fool I'm fixated on, and rn that means Scaramouche takes the hit. Made 2 versions because I couldn't decide the shadow level. Gonna make so many more of this poor fool struggling while the fixation is hot!! - 🍮 
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thatfeelinwhenyou · 10 months
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HANDS ON YOU — 018
IN WHICH; ILAND 2 happened and you debuted first place as the leader of LUMIÉRE. Having been told that your group is involved in a lore crossover with ENHYPEN, you navigate work, friendship, and love while trying to make it in an industry filled with animosity and condemnation. When life throws you lemons, you gotta make lemonades chuck it right back!
smau + written (1.0k words)
❥・• chapter 18 — the elephant in the room
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You and Jungwon enter the practice room to find the rest of your members already warming up. Sensing the awkward atmosphere settling between the two groups, you exchange glances with Jungwon, knowing immediately that he feels just as worried and helpless as you do.
Maybe it's the tension or simply exhaustion from having just ended your promotions, while ENHYPEN is kickstarting theirs, but you can't shake off the feeling of unease that hung in the air.
As you observe ENHYPEN’s members stretching and going through their routine, you can't deny their talent and dedication. They're a force to be reckoned with, especially after their recent success with Bite Me. On the other hand, your group found quick success despite being relatively new, and it shows evidently that the pressure to maintain your position is starting to take its toll on your members as they stand rigidly in one corner of the room.
Amidst the silence, your eyes meet Heeseung's, and you feel a sense of comfort in the sole presence of your midnight buddy. "Good morning!" Sunoo beams as he notices you and Jungwon cautiously approaching the group.
Your leadership position shows through as your group mates sheepishly gather behind you, Mai even clinging onto your arm like a 5-year-old. You giggle, making a mental note to use this against them whenever they decide to try and overthrow you again.
"What's with the awkward glances? Weren't y'all throwing insults at each other in the group chat just last night?" Jungwon jokes and is thankfully well recieved by the members as Ray scoffs, and Jake scratches the back of his neck, joining in the laughter.
Before silence can creep back in, Son Sungdeuk, the performance director, walks in with a clipboard in hand. Memories of I-LAND flash through your mind, but you knew you weren’t alone as you notice the panic exchanged between your members and ENHYPEN.
You don't even realise when Heeseung silently slips beside you and takes hold of your hand, intertwining your fingers between your bodies, shielding it from the rest to see. You’d be lying if the action didn’t catch you by surprise, but you play it cool knowing that Heeseung himself seemed perfectly fine with it. You wonder if he is usually this touchy with the people he’s close with, and maybe that’s why it came so naturally for him.
“Did you sleep well last night?" He whispers loud enough for you to hear, and you subtly shake your head, indicating that you didn't get much sleep. He jokingly glares at you, and you playfully bump into his side when Mr Son starts talking.
"I'm going to pair you up, and we'll start learning the partner choreography-"
"Sorry, what?" Yuna voices her surprise at the news of doing partner work. "You heard him, bestie." Sunoo grumbles, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of dancing with colleagues who have established names of their own instead of professional dancers with half their faces covered.
"Did you or did you not see how fans completely butchered the poor dancers from Enhypen's recent comeback? Absolutely not.” Ray speaks her thoughts, and genuine laughter fills the room. She shyly retreats into herself as she realises everyone's attention is on her.
"As much as I hate to admit it, she's right. This is going to affect Lumière more than us," Jungwon says, reminding you that he's not just your mischievous partner-in-crime but also the dependable leader of Enhypen.
"The final decision has already been made, so there isn't much I can do. Besides, the fans have responded positively to Y/N and Jungwon's relationship. I'm sure they're eager to see more interactions," he adds only for Jungwon to clarify that your relationship is strictly platonic. Mr. Son chuckles, though still unsure about the nature of your bond with Jungwon.
Then, the names are called out and, lo and behold, you end up paired with Heeseung as the centre of the performance. The other pairings include Jay with Minjung, Sunghoon with Yoon, Ray and Jake, Jungwon and Aejeong, Yuna and Sunoo, and finally Ni-ki with Mai.
If you said the choreography was simple, you'd be lying. Maybe it was easy for Heeseung, but you find yourself struggling as dancing is surely not your strongest suit, nowhere near Mai's level of expertise at least. You remember how Jungwon had always coached you one-on-one back when you were training at SM, and that's how you initially grew close.
Lost in your thoughts, you don't realise where your mind has drifted until Heeseung gently places his palms against the small of your back, nudging you to regain your focus. "You okay, Y/N?" he asks with concern in his eyes.
"Yeah, just didn't get much rest last night. Don't worry about it," you lie, offering him a tight smile and even though Heeseung suspects something else is bothering you, he didn’t push you for it.
Meanwhile, you observe how everyone else seems to be warming up to their partners effortlessly, fitting together like pieces of a puzzle. As you watch the other members flawlessly execute their moves, a pang of insecurity washes over you and you can't help but feel like the odd one out, struggling to keep up with the rest of the group.
Just as you're about to let self-doubt consume you, Heeseung surprises you. He gently squeezes your waist, rubbing small circles on the side of your ribs as a subtle gesture of support and reassurance. You look up to see genuine concern shining through his eyes, and it’s in that moment you know Heeseung truly cares about you and your struggles.
It is also in that moment, as Heeseung’s palm rest against your waist that you realise how fast your heart is racing. It's unclear whether it's due to the physical exertion from dancing or the growing awareness of his touch. The combination of the adrenaline coursing through your veins and the warmth of his hand sends a wave of electrifying sensations through your body.
You can't help but wonder if he feels the same connection, the same pulsating energy between you. It's a fleeting thought that lingers in your mind, adding another layer of complexity to your already swirling emotions.
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♡。·˚˚· ·˚˚·。♡
authors note: any guesses who might 🩵 be? 😙😙😙 it’s ridiculous because i’m already finishing the smau in my drafts but i barely published half 🤡 i’ll probably speed up my posting schedule after i finish it so y’all won’t have to wait long! also double update later tonight!
taglist! open. @softiehee @annoyingbitch83 @hoontokki @aernx @lhees01 @flower0930 @harperwasstaken1 @haechansbbg
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katiekatdragon27 · 4 months
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To my other followers: I am so sorry.
To my two new followers: *comes out with silver platter* Here! Eat uuuuupppp~~~~
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This! *slams fists on table then slams face on table* This GODFORSAKEN MOVIE HAS ALTERED MY BRAIN CHEMISTRY I'M NOT JOKING.
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I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT KIND OF "RECLAIMING MY CHILDHOOD TRAUMA" MINDEST MY BRAIN WAS ON BUT THE OBSESSION WITH THIS PIECE IF MEDIA IS ACTUALLY SCARING ME-
Most stuff below. Lots of rambling.
So. Flatland. It's a good book, and an amazing f*cking movie. I love this goddamned movie so much bro. It's not even like a "good" good movie I just really like it for no reason.
Some lore I have with this book, since I want to talk about it.
I watched this movie the first time when I was in 6th grade. It scared me so bad that I had nightmares about it for a week. I hated the style of the 2D world and was so scared about the amount of murder that I psychologically blocked it all out.
Now in the present (as an adult in college), my friend brought up the movie for us to watch during a movie night. I was way more excited to watch it than I thought I would be (cuz of my previous encounter with it and wanting to "reclaim" the movie), but we only got 4 minutes in before my other friends got bored and decided to watch something else. I sorta dropped it for a bit after that before @/goosesartblog posted their ONE - Flatland crossover and 10000 emotions flew over me. I then proceeded to watch it with my siblings, who also did not care about the movie.
Now, it has become a lifestyle of watching it every single day. Every. Single. Day. It's bad. I can't stop.
And it's on YouTube for free.
AND the book is on YouTube as an audiobook AND the actual PDF book is just there to read.
PLEASE. I NEED PEOPLE TO NOT BE NORMAL WITH ME.
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Anyways, actual relevant doodles. These characters are A. Sphere (the objectively best character idgaf) and Carlton Cube(?). I saw something about them being John-locked and thought it was really funny. Also, I saw a meme about the two getting Starbucks or smth during the week I lingered, so here lol.
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Some more doodles of concept stuff. Actual A. Square art and some style testing, Hex doodle, and more A. Sphere bc I love him so much. His ass is gay idk if you think I'm wrong just look at him.
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Silly little idea I had about if Spherious *(the sphere from the other Flatland movie) and A. Sphere were in the same universe. It's unlikely, but I think Spherious would be the Messiah of 2000 and A. Sphere is the Messiah of 3000. They met at some point where their lives overlapped, and Spherious tried to give A. Sphere advice, to which he was completely ignored. A. Sphere's a bratty teen here and Spherious is a grandpa. They treat their apostles very differently.
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Another silly idea I had was that when A. Sphere "died", he was actually picked up by a 4D being named A. Tesseract. He stays with her until the war is over in his dimension, and he is able to see A. Square one last time during his hallucination (that's why A. Sphere's innards are seen). Also also, A. Sphere learns how to treat people better b/c of A. Tesseract and the 4th dimensions' more liberal views on expression and gender. Development for the stupid shiny solid.
Thank you for looking at this mindless rambling. If anyone knows of more Flatland media, please send it to me I'm starving. Expect more, and have a great day :)
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runes-menagerie · 5 months
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Analysis of Ascendant Astarion Part 1
WARNING!! This post contains spoilers for Act 3 of Balder's Gate 3. Specifically for one of the possible endings of 'The Pale Elf' companion questline along with the entirety of the Astarion romance plotline since I do reference earlier romance cutscenes.
This is the first of a series of dialogue analysis posts focusing on Ascendant Astarion. This part focuses on his dialogue as the ritual is being complete and the conversation you can have with him afterwards.
In this series I will be exploring several possible interpretations of his words based on the lore we are given in the game about the effects of Ascension.
To sum up that lore; we know it's an Infernal ritual connected to a pact made with Mephistopheles, an archdevil and ruler of one of the hells, and that the ritual is considered so profane that none have attempted it until now.
We also learn that there has been an abusive cycle going on between vampire masters and their spawn for centuries if not generations of vampires. Vellioth abused Cazador until he got powerful enough to kill Vellioth. Cazador abused Astarion until he got powerful enough to kill Cazador. Given that there was a specific name for this event, The Rite of Perfect Slaughter, it seems reasonable to assume that the cycle extends beyond these three.
Given Astarion's change in behaviors post Ascension I find it reasonable to conclude that the ritual has some effect on his mental state. This is something that I will explore in this post and expand on in later ones.
This is, of course, just my take and while you are free to agree or disagree, I will laugh at any hate sent my way. That said, I would love to have reasonable discussions on this topic and hear other viewpoints.
On to the analysis!
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(End of ritual dialogue)
"I... I can't feel it. That ache in my stomach, that hunger - it's gone. I'm free, I'm finally free! Oh it feels delicious."
-- I find it telling that the first thing he talks about post ritual is that he no longer feels the hunger for blood that he has since being turned. Knowing vampire lore it does make sense why he would react to this first since it would have been such a driving factor to his actions since being turned. Case in point, the whole romance with the player is kicked off by him being desperate enough for blood to try feeding from you.
-- His next thought is about being free, understandable considering everything we know about his life with Cazador and why he wanted Ascension in the first place.
-- So far no red flags or anything outside of what would be expected given how Astarion has acted in the game thus far.
(Possible player responses)
You did it! I can't believe you did it!
So... What now?
And? What can a Vampire Ascendant do?
Not sure I like the sound of that.
Prompt 1 "I did. We did. Come on, let's get out of here. I have a brand new world to explore."
-- To me this reads as being exited for what the future holds. Again that's to be expected given how heavily Cazador and this event have weighted on him.
Prompt 2 "Now we deal with the elder brain. I no longer require the parasite, so we can end this once and for all."
-- This response is more to analyze I feel. On one hand there's the implication that the only reason you hadn't gone after the elder brain yet is because of his parasite, we can see signs of him becoming more vain and self-centered here.
-- It could be argued that he was always vain and self-centered but when you look deeper into the things he's self-centered about, they are all related to keeping himself safe in one way or another. Something most people are self-centered about.
-- This bit of dialogue hints that he's starting to go beyond that normal amount of self-centeredness and into egotistical. On the other hand, it could be a reassurance to the player that if they had been holding off so he can have more time in the sun, that they don't need to worry about that anymore.
Prompt 3 "I think the answer to that is 'whatever they damn well please'. Come on, let's get out of here. I have a brand new world to explore."
-- Much the same as the last response, this one indicates some change in Astarion's thinking. Now this could be interpreted as him becoming becoming egotistical as with the last one. Or it could be interpreted as him riding the high of Ascending and killing Cazador, the rush of victory leading him to feel like he can do anything.
-- I personally feel the second is more likely given his questline as a whole and just how many events happen in quick succession once you enter Cazador's palace.
Prompt 4 "Oh don't worry, darling. I won't bite unless you ask very, very nicely. Come on, let's get out of here. I have a brand new world to explore."
-- This seems to somewhat mirror his words right after you find out he's a vampire and he's reassuring you that he's not a danger to you or the party.
-- At the same time this is more teasing and flirting than the previously mentioned event was. This could also be a hint of lead up towards the choices you have to make during the Ascendant romance scene which I will discuss more in the post focused on that event.
(Post Ascension conversation)
"This is it. The hopeless dream dreamt by all of my kind. I am the greatest vampire to ever walk this land. Even the Pale Knight would have knelt before me."
-- Here's another possible example of him becoming more egotistical post ritual. However, I believe that the same reasoning of him riding the high of Ascension could also apply here since the first two sentences are statements of fact no matter how vainly they're worded. The last line has the feel of a boast, something one might say after completing a difficult task. Which is essentially what just happened.
(Possible player responses)
You are magnificent.
Has your body changed?
you may have power, but your greatness is yet to be proven.
No more Cazador, isn't it a relief?
Prompt 1 "I felt so very little for so long... My edges dulled over the numb years rotting in the boudoir and kennels. Now I can hear it at last. See it at last. How all the lowly creatures of this plane are begging to serve. How to call upon them. Scurrying footpads in their safe-houses, rats below our feet in their filthy holes, the crows in the night above... They will obey. In you, too, I can tell... your heartbeat races... you hold your breath while I speak. You await my command. The world will stir in fear."
-- The first line very poetically explains how Astarion sees his pre-ritual self and likely how he secretly felt about himself this entire time. It certainly does fit with his growth as a person over the course of the game.
-- The next two sentences about how he can hear and see differently imply to me that the ritual might have had some effect on his senses. Especially combined with his comment about how dulled he felt before. This seems reasonable to me due to the fact that the Vampire Ascendant is suppose to be something greater than a normal vampire and we know that vampirism on its own enhances the senses.
-- His interpretation of what those enhanced senses are telling him however I believe is influenced by the ritual. Before this point he has talked about controlling others, primarily taking over the Absolute's cult before you learn what the Absolute is. So it isn't entirely out of character and could be an enhancement of thoughts he already had. That said, there could be more to it than that. Given that he drops the idea of controlling the Absolute if you don't Ascend him, it seems very likely that something about the ritual is influencing him. Now this could just be the high I've mentioned before and him feeling like he could do anything since this conversation takes place within minutes of him finishing the ritual.
-- Finally, his thoughts about the player. On the surface these comments could be seen as signs he's becoming controlling towards the player. But if we use the same thought process as above, it could simply be the high of the ritual causing him to misinterpret the player simply showing an interest in what he's saying and still calming from the fight that just happened.
Prompt 2 "Everything has changed... (goes back to prompt 1)"
-- Not much to analyze here that hasn't already been said previously.
Prompt 3 "Shh, Hush. Feel what is in the air. (goes back to prompt 1)"
-- Another example of either him trying to process the information of his new senses or his growing controlling tendancies.
Prompt 4 "Never again. I will not think about him. I don't even want to say his name."
-- I can't really blame Astarion for feeling this way about Cazador given everything we know he put Astarion through. I imagine that Spawn Astarion would have a similar reaction. Edit: I've been corrected that Spawn Astarion does have a very different reaction to Cazador being brought up.
(Possible player responses to Prompt 4)
1. You don't sound too happy
2. He can't hurt you anymore.
3. I suppose it can be left to the past.
(all lead to the prompt 2 response then to the following dialogue tree.)
-- Since all of these responses lead back to the same response as you get from Prompt 2 above, I'm not going to go into them too much.
All prompts lead to this set except prompt 4
1. Embrace it. Together this world will be ours.
2. I'm not afraid of you.
3. You're starting to scare me...
4. Come on, you're still the same Astarion, just stronger.
bullet 1 "Everything will be ours. Everything. I already hear the world whispering in sweet surrender. And I feel alive."
-- I feel this response is less indicative of how Astarion feels and more a response to the desires of the player. The player indicates a desire to rule and Astarion responds in kind.
-- I see two ways to interpret this response. Either Astarion feels the same way, possible given the previous comments during this conversation. Or, it indicates that his desires can be swayed by the player's. That was certainly true pre-ritual since with high enough approval he will stop disapproving of some choices the way he would if the approval rating was lower.
bullet 2 "You've been very brave, haven't you? You've done so much for me... Everything will be ours. Everything. I already hear the world whispering in sweet surrender. And I feel alive."
-- The first part of this response could be interpreted as condescending which would support the idea of his growing ego. Or it could be him acknowledging how scared the player likely was when Astarion was captured at the start of the Cazador fight. This feels reasonable since if you fail to defeat Cazador in time, Astarion would die with not chance of resurrection.
bullet 3 "Our lives will never be the same again. Everything will be ours. Everything. I already hear the world whispering in sweet surrender. And I feel alive."
-- The first part of this is a statement of fact. This choice does change both Astarion's life and the player's life with him. Whether this is a blessing or a curse is dependent on the player's choices after this point.
bullet 4 "Oh, I wouldn't be so sure. The very composition of my blood has been altered... Our lives will never be the same again. Everything will be ours. Everything. I already hear the world whispering in sweet surrender. And I feel alive."
-- The first part of this introduces a very interesting concept that isn't mentioned elsewhere. That Astarion's blood is now different on a fundamental level. It does make sense and also gives us more insight into just how deeply the ritual could have effected him.
(End of dialogues)
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Assessments
In conclusion I feel there are two distinct interpretations of these two sets of dialogue.
On interpretation is that the Ritual and the events leading up to it had a profound effect on Astarion's thought processes. His desire for power over others to protect himself was shifted to a desire for power for the sake of that power. His ego also seems to have been boosted although whether that is a side effect of the Infernal nature of the ritual or simply the fact that objectively he has become a higher form of life form. Whether that makes him 'better' than the other races isn't the topic of debate in this post. That said, he seems to believe he is in this interpretation.
Another is that while the Ritual and the events leading up to it did have an effect, it isn't one that's going to linger. Remember that these conversations happen within minutes of each other from the perspective of the characters involved. Meaning that Astarion has had no time yet to process any of this. Not all the memories being back in Cazador's palace brought up, not Cazador's death, not the implications of killing 7 thousand people, not his enhanced senses, and not any new power the ritual gave him.
In conclusion, I don't think we can read too much into who Ascendant Astarion is at this point because of the fact that everything would still be so very new to him and he's just been through the ordeal of a lifetime.
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skaruresonic · 3 months
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I like how people act like only SA2 and 06 are good portrayal
Y'all are sleeping on him and Metal in Rivals 2
But seriously, it's clear they don't think much of Shadow other than "SA2 nostalgia" and "Team Dark". His individual aspect is ignored, same for aggression and stoicness
Shadow's char arc also can't be understated
Heroes he wakes up, amnesiac. Only midway he starts questioning the doctor given the Shadow Androids seen at Bullet Station, but the priority for Omega and Neo Metal were huge. He's super quiet most of the game in terms of cutscenes
Shadow 05 his disassociation with the world was so big, he legit wasn't gonna save the people from Black Arms initially. Only cuz Black Doom told him he knew him and memories flashing back he shifts course to discover himself. Canon course he's mostly just getting Ems amongst the war effort. Fans hate it cuz the concept of noncanon endings being individually determined + gameplay fucking up how you can't restart mid path immediately, but Shadow's individualism is very strong. In the end he learns enough to realize he needs to move on, become a new person of himself
With that experience Battle GBA he sees himself but potentially worse in Emerl, and that scares him. He brashedly tries to stop it, but learns from Sonic, Rouge, and Emerl to accept himself, and other aspects of humanity. In the end he grows, to accept himself, and the betterment of humanity regardless how stupid they can be
With all that by 06 he's complete. He's no longer self doubting, and despite aggression and some ego, generally doesn't fuck around. His begruding comradery is own that is earned, but he'll still be civil at minimum. He calls out Meph for trying to trick him, he grew wise from when Black Doom tried that shit.
06, Rivals, and R2 shows that he's still closed off if it's distracting, but he's self invested in saving the world. Not for Maria (incidentally it and 06 show he has minimal personal qualms with Eggman, unlike Sonic if the priority is elsewhere, which given 05's gaslighting is interesting)
His interactions with Metal are great, a notable level of respect rising over the course of the game. He can respect Rouge, but isn't afraid to fight her if she's harming a mission. Interactions with Sonic and Knuckles are civil, though similarly if they distract, they'll be pushed out with fisticuffs
Colors DS he even accredits Sonic's abilities, of which Omega has trouble comprehending
Forces he says 1 thing to Infinite attempting to assasinate him that fans randomly act like he's an asshole cuz???, then spends the game helping in the war effort, trying to find Omega, and being civil to Sonic, 6 month oddity plot hole aside
Really the only bad canon to lore game rep of him is Free Riders, and that's mostly due to him having no real reason being there. If it's to show him actually enjoying his life something Knux tries after SA2 that fans don't like it kinda failed with how he very much doesn't want to be there
But overall fans can't accept him not being woobie, not slapped in a trio, not Maria angsty, or being individualistic. Or realize the entire arc he went through
I see people acting like he needs a mediator every appearance, and that's super insulting to his char dev and intelligence
06, Rivals, and R2 shows that he's still closed off if it's distracting, but he's self invested in saving the world. Not for Maria (incidentally it and 06 show he has minimal personal qualms with Eggman, unlike Sonic if the priority is elsewhere, which given 05's gaslighting is interesting)
Yeah. Which you'd think would suggest that Shadow is a naturally reticent person, but I guess that's not good enough for a certain number of folks.
---
Forces he says 1 thing to Infinite attempting to assasinate him that fans randomly act like he's an asshole cuz???, then spends the game helping in the war effort, trying to find Omega, and being civil to Sonic, 6 month oddity plot hole aside Because Shadow bullied poor tormented Infinite uwu. Never mind that Finny-boy didn't give a single shit that his squad got killed, and in fact seemed annoyed by it. You can tell no one in this Chili's finished Forces because nobody really talks about how he stuck around HQ at the end of Forces, an unusual departure from his typical habit of peacing out at the end of the game.
--- His interactions with Metal are great, a notable level of respect rising over the course of the game. He can respect Rouge, but isn't afraid to fight her if she's harming a mission. Interactions with Sonic and Knuckles are civil, though similarly if they distract, they'll be pushed out with fisticuffs Yeah, didn't Metal rip the Emerald out of his chest and Shadow was like "Don't do that, you'll destroy yourself?" Very interesting interaction. I also remember Shadow noting that Metal didn't receive a radio signal in the jungle. The fact that that tidbit takes place at the beginning of the game implies he began the game thinking of Metal as just a device and slowly came to view him as a partner through working with him.
Conversely, Shadow once threatened to knock Sonic out in Rivals 2 for nothing more than simply being in his way; it's not automatically OOC for him to be aggressive on occasion. It's actually pretty funny when people are like "Sonic and Shadow are besties" because Shadow threatens to beat Sonic's ass almost every time he claps eyes on the guy. xP
--- While I can't precisely vouch for or against '06!Shadow, it's more than a little illogical to clamor for more SA2!Shadow-esque characterization when A.) the guy is all about moving on and B.) he was essentially brainwashed for most of that game.
---
But overall fans can't accept him not being woobie, not slapped in a trio, not Maria angsty, or being individualistic. Or realize the entire arc he went through
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Which is ironic, because most of the games practically smack you upside the head with the idea that Shadow acts of his own accord. You'd almost have to ignore the games in order to claim he has friends and is besties with Team Dark, because despite his bonds with them, he's not attached to them at the hip.
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Personally speaking, Battle!Shadow is my favorite portrayal for a number of reasons. Shadow is still grappling with existential issues from past games, sure, but the game doesn't confine his personality to just that. The other characters treat him with respect even when he's being something of a dick. He's allowed to move on from his past in a much more organic and coherent way than in ShTH. He's given closure, and instead of simply discarding the past entirely as if it didn't matter, he manages to process and integrate it. He finally understands Gerald's wishes for him and his place in the world. He's able to give Emerl the last Chaos Emerald without the need to hang onto it in memory of Maria. And yet - I say this with nothing but the utmost affection - despite this character progression, he's still something of a petty little bitch. He barges in on Sonic and demands he hand over Emerl - no words bandied, as he's not a conversationalist. Rouge has to twist his arm for a thank you for dragging him home so he, you know, didn't die from being all "I can take them" (gets knocked out). He's every bit of "macho" that folks complain about in 2010-era Shadow, and all of this is presented in a largely neutral manner by the narrative. Shadow challenges you to fight everyone else before you throw down with him, because of course he does, he's the ultimate life form. When Emerl activates the Final Egg Blaster, his attitude is so gloom and doom that Rouge yells at him to brighten up. xP Even at the end of his story, when Emerl is waxing poetic about his Real Boy Emotions(tm), Shadow manages to remain prickly. His last words before bouncing? "This is ridiculous! I am leaving!"
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I love how Shadow is allowed to have flaws that make him legitimately dislikable and off-putting on some level. And the sense I get from the "'06 and SA2 are Peak Shadow" crowd is that these flaws wouldn't be present if we received the kind of characterization folks wanted. We'd have Shadow, but a sanitized version. (To be clear, it's not that I think '06!Shadow is bad, per se; he just seems to lack those rough edges that make Battle!Shadow so endearing to me.) We can't have Shadow flexing on his strength, otherwise he'd be too macho and arrogant. We can't have him boast about his superior abilities without it actually being overcompensation stemming from some sort of personal insecurity. We can't have him be misanthropic because that's mean and what about Maria, huh. (Yeah: what about Maria?) We can't have him be aggressive towards Sonic for even understandable reasons; we can't have him being a party pooper. Let him hug his friends, Sega. Let him crack jokes. At some point, you're just like "So do you even like Shadow, or...?"
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streets-in-paradise · 7 months
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We're Best Friends as Friends should be
Cult of Chucky oneshot
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Characters: Andy Barclay, Chucky
Warnings: Constant exposing to silly children shows used as some sort of phiscological torture method.
Summary: Andy accidentally discovers an alternative method to avenge his destroyed childhood. For most of the time he had been playing with Chucky in the bloody way he was taught by him, but he had still left to try making him suffer in the way of a child.
Note: Inspired by this post i saw and couldn't let go lol
Tags: @losersclubisms @series-thoughts I apologise to both of you in advance for this nonsense lol
Chucky loved to talk and his captor needed someone to talk to. Not all their conversations had to end in torture sessions, despite many eventually would, but Andy was learning a lot about him whenever he would let him talk. For instance, his complete ignorance of the lore of the Good Guy show lead him to an enlightening realization.
He had no idea about the very same thing he used to destroy his life and that had been never used against him. Chucky endured the physical damage knowing he had the upper hand in the mental, breaking the already broken child living in the memories of the sick man he had become.
Not for long, little Andy was going to have his turn to break him when his adult version would try his tools on him. The doll was forced to endure hours of watching episodes of the show he ruined for him along with his childhood over and over. Andy would set things very carefully so he would have no choice but to stare at the screen, often leaving him for hours. The goal was making that the song would become a trigger, just like it happened to him after Chucky came to his life.
The results were surprising and he continued experimenting, soon starting to switch shows. Most didn't even come from his childhood memories, but were considerably more annoying to the adult eye than the Good Guy show ever was. Andy wanted to make sure Chucky wouldn't get a single instant to be comfortable, even if he wouldn't be actively harming him at the time.
It didn't take him long to discover the one Chucky ended up hating the most.
" Ehh - Hoo!" He macabrely saluted the doll head. " Want some more? "
The screen was still displaying an endless cycle of Telletubies when he removed the gag.
" FUCK YOU, ANDY!!" Was the enraged answer his tease obtained. " IS THIS WHAT YOU CALL TORTURE? BE A MAN AND GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY, YOU PATHETIC LITTLE SHIT!"
Andy chuckled to himself, aware that he was just trying to provoke him into turning it off.
" ... But that would give you a distraction and that is exactly what you want. " He recalled, merciless. " Admit it, Chucky. You can't stand it anymore. You would prefer I would be burning you alive to keep watching."
" I'm getting used to it. Tinky Winky is a dumbass and Dipsy wakes up every morning choosing chaos. " The doll attempted to deny the obvious out of pride. " Laa-Laa is a bossy bitch and that whinny little shit of Po should be thrown off the cliff."
Andy gave him a skeptical smirk and pretended to carry on with his day careless for him, what made Chucky more impatient.
" I get it, when you were a kid I made you believe life with me was gonna be like Barney and I gave you Annabelle. Is that what this is about? Push down my throat all the lies i told you? "
The unexpected comment made the man stop in his tracks.
" Don't worry, Chuck! You are still on time to make it up. We are going to be the best of friends, just like you promised. "
It was a strongly ironical tease and it was about to get even more ironical.
" I love you, you love me. We are a happy family. " Andy began to sing." With a great big hug, and a kiss from me to you. Won't you say you love me too? "
On top of the uncomfortable time he was making him go through, Andy also wanted to ironically humilliate him and he was not going to allow it.
" Don't you fucking dare." Chucky warned, cutting him off. " Bring the flamethrower, I'm not gonna do that shit."
" I could bring noise cancelling headphones. " His captor warned. " Telletubies is all you are going to hear for the rest of the day ..."
If he could be honest, Chucky would rather be killed. Since that was not an option, he just kept an initial silence intending to conserve his pride.
" C'mon Chucky! " Andy insisted, in a tone that resembled a little bit to the children he once meet. " It's your line."
He didn't have much of a choice, not at that point, and the disgust in his face perfectly matched his dark singing.
" I love you, you love me. We're best friends like friends should be ..."
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cxcassii · 7 months
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About me ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚
Hi hi! I’m cassi or you can just call me cass
She/they pronouns
I will blog mostly about my writings/brain rots/art WIPs. Unapologetically unhinged abt eremika
Massively multifandom / multishipper. MAINLY fixated with eremika, presently. I’m into a lot of different things, though and I’m not choosey about stuff!
This blog is STRICTLY 18+ as I request minors do not interact.
dead dove/dark fic connoisseurs are welcomed
I’m down to talk about anything! NSFW/SFW so long as conversation is respectful.
Please, carefully read the tags of my fics before divulging! I tag all my works very specifically.
I do not take kindly to any forms of harassment, hate or bullying. Automatic block if you cross any of those three.
My asks are open!
All of my fics are located on Ao3 & this is my Twitter/X & instagram
Ao3 Fics
Healing In Your Pheromones — explicit, omegaverse au { on-going } — Alphas go into feral rut eruptions after a while if they’re continually nulled by suppressants. The dominants are transported to sanctums that are known as Rehabilitation Sanctuaries. Compounds are operated by omegan priestesses who perform pheromone therapy on the alphas brought in.
The ultimate theme is futile opposition of your destined mate. The healings of past trauma in said mate. Learning to allow what should come naturally.
Aka — there’s not enough em a/b/o au’s out there, so here! this is my contribution to the cause.
Eternally Yours — mature, rating will go up in future chapters, reincarnation/modern au { on-going } — It's been 2,000 years since Eren Jaeger was a titan shifter and unleashed the blood drenched madness of the rumbling upon the world. Now, in the year 2023, he's a twenty-four year old who lives with his best friend Armin. He goes about his days working as a pharmacy technician all while attempting to cope and come to terms with the loss of the loved ones he still remembers with clarity from his previous life. The atrocious sins of his past life he can never ever truly atone for.
But most of all, there's one person he simply can't forget: His former love of his life, Mikasa. It's when he's not actively searching for her that they cross paths once again, and their love will be tested when Eren learns that Mikasa not only doesn't remember their past life together, but is also seventeen years old.
Reincarnation au (+ slight age gap) ! Heed tags!
asking for it — explicit, modern au { completed/one-shot } — Eren and Mikasa have been married for five years. Eren has been gone on a business trip for a little over a month. Mikasa so lovingly welcomes him home.
A.K.A-the married hobo looking Eren x subby Mika au
Tale By The Sea — explicit, mermaid au { completed one-shot } — He never much believed in the lore of mermaids. Sure, he had heard plenty of exaggerated fables and tall tales. Eren was a pirate, yes, but that didn’t mean he inherently believed in all the ole folktales of the sea. The man’s main purpose was sailing nation to nation. Taking on odd jobs for treasures, riches, jewels and everything in between. He was a jack of all trades kind of pirate.
However, in a twist of fateful events;
Eren’s beliefs are tested shortly after taking on an odd job. Foolishly, he’d set sail alone. Subsequently, his ship crashed right into a beast of a storm. Thrusted into the chasm of the deep blue, his world goes black swiftly after the thunderous sea sinks his vessel.
Next thing Eren knows, he’s waking up staring straight into nearly sky blue, silvered eyes. A glimmering, shimmered tail whipping around a head full of lustrous raven locks.
“How goes it, human?”
“Uhm, y-yer a…”
“Yes, a mermaid. And I saved your life. That means you owe me one.”
Well, guess Eren be damned.
Maybe mermaids did exist.
Porcelain Menial — explicit, modern messy stripperKasa au { on-going / on hiatus } — Mikasa is 24, a stripper in the nighttime at her cousin Levi's night club, club Rose. It's during a lap dance does a certain long chestnut haired, tan man slip her a hefty amount of cash.
And she stumbles into that man again in the most unexpected way. Or what she thought was unexpected.
Eren Jaeger knew exactly what he was doing, how exactly he planned to get the stripper in his home.
( ^ messy writing in this one, as it’s my first multi-chap fic, be warned! )
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ystrike1 · 2 years
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I Tamed A Tyrant And Ran Away - By Yusoi (7/10)
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Here it is. The whole package. I should be happy. The art is beautiful. The yandere has layers. There's human experimentation, and reincarnation that sort of gets explained with magical lore later on. The romance is very slow burn, but I don't love it. I've had this on my reading list forever, but I can't give it a rating higher than an eight. I know it's good, but the author clearly padded the plot to make it longer...several times. You can skip about a quarter of the chapters and still understand what's happening. That's not good.
Charlize Ronan was perfect, but her family didn't love her. Her mother was the queen of high society. Her father desperately loved her mother, but then that perfect mother died giving birth to her. The cold Duke told his sons to ignore her, and he treated her like a bug even though she was talented. When she was chosen to become the Emperor's sword she was overjoyed. She thought she had finally earned their love.
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Sadly, the Emperor is evil. He sells and distributes drugs. He experiments on talented people. He turned Charlize into a sword. A legendary sword. A sword powerful enough to blow away demons. The sword has her living soul in it. Her soul lives for four hundred years in the blade. The empire stays corrupt and horrible. All of the owners of the blade suck. They use it for evil. Charlize prays for a chance to destroy the empire that created her.
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She gets that chance. Time turns back because somehow the magic that made her a sword connected her to a god(?) who listened to her plea for revenge. She doesn't just go back in time. Everything turns back. The evil empire can be destroyed, because the Emperor hasn't made his super sword yet. Charlize joins hands with the thirteenth prince. He's an aloof genius who really loves his mom. Charlize hangs out with him and his mom. They size each other up and become allies. Dylan didn't become Emperor in the past. He was a shadow Emperor who used people like toys. Charlize wants to use him to end the evil empire before it begins.
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She succeeds. Everything goes according to plan, but now Dylan is a little nuts. He hid his feelings well for a long time. He let Charlize use him. Under all of his cold genius he is soft. If you get on his good side you stay there. His mom earned his trust, so he was her most loyal protector until her weak constitution killed her. Charlize proves her worth to him quickly, and after that he falls in love, and that love darkens. I really didn't know he was completely crazy until about chapter forty. He seemed confused about his emotions, but he was acting.
He wanted Charlize the entire time.
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Charlize cannot forgive her family. Her father made her brothers torment her. They never hated her. They were just kids who didn't learn about empathy. Both of her brothers are sort of sheep, but they eventually go against their father. They give Charlize a birthday present. A gorgeous and rare flower. Nothing too crazy. The boys just want to show her they care, but then blood pours out of her mouth. She's deathly allergic to this one flower. Her father hid the allergy because it's an "embarrassing" weakness. This scene was awesome. It showed that real reconciliation isn't possible. Her brothers feel guilty, but it doesn't matter. They abused her for years. They know nothing about her. Their gifts and smiles can't fix years of physical and mental abuse.
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It was also a beautiful scene because Dylan acts the way you're supposed to act when someone you love dies in front of you. He freaks the hell out in front of everyone. He treats her himself, because he doesn't want the hyenas in the palace to know about her allergy. He stays by her side. Her brothers just kinda stand there shocked and they don't try to visit out of shame. The brothers aren't totally evil, but they aren't her brothers.
They don't deserve that.
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Charlize loved another man in her past, which is cool. She even admits it. The Duke is the same rank as her, and he's kind. After she got turned into a sword in the past he tried to look for her. He's an honest man, and he helps her rebel against the Emperor with Dylan. He also gives up on her in a mature way, when he realizes that she'll never choose him. I hope he finds happiness in a side chapter after the ending.
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Charlize and Dylan eventually hook up, like for real. They behave like competent adults about it. They are both mature and powerful. That makes them boring. The title of this story is I Tamed The Tyrant and Ran Away. Charlize doesn't actually run until chapter sixty. That is just Too Long. It also happens because of magic mumbo jumbo nonsense. The blossoming couple is perfectly happy after the Emperor dies but then boom.
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Oh no!
Charlize is connected to a god or goddess or whatever. There's a magic cult. Charlize feels compelled to kill Dylan because....um...magic. So, she has to leave the castle for his sake. Um. This is the title of the story, and it's not good. There was another reason why she could have chosen to run. Dylan promised to let Charlize kill the Emperor. He almost beheads the Emperor without her, because he's kind of jealous of his father, because Charlize is obsessed with him. He COULD HAVE gone against her wishes and beheaded the Emperor. Then Charlize could have run off enraged, because he stole the revenge she's been dreaming of for four hundred years. Then she could have eventually been captured by the new yandere Emperor.
That would have been great.
The cult plot is stupid and eyeroll worthy.
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The yandere moments do get really good. I should have made this clear. Charlize did some really fucked up things to Dylan. She made him dependant on her. She used the love he feels for his mother to gain his trust. She also uses him as a tool for revenge. When she leaves he doesn't freak out. He trusts her. She promised to stay with him. They slept together. She said she loves him. He thinks she left on a secret mission, so he patiently waits for her.
For three years.
She doesn't send a single letter.
He snaps and sends his knights out to find her and bring her to him.
(I'm not being a baby some of the arcs in this are incredibly boring. I've described the interesting stuff. Can't rate it higher. You can't make me.)
This isn't over yet but I'm not that invested anymore because my goodness the cult is so annoying....also the cult members are annoying...
.....ugh....
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bluegekk0 · 2 months
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Hi so I just found out about FPK au and I really like, especially all the lore it has. Also I have like 2 questions for you if you don't mind answering.
What is Ghost's personality like in your au, would they have a good relationship with Holly, Hornet, Grimm and FPK if given the chance?
How would FPK react to your oc Moss and what there relationship be like?
Anyway I hope you have a nice day!
Hi there!
• They're definitely a "no-nonsense" type, they don't waste time on unnecessary things and are very focused on their objective, whatever it is. Unfortunately, this kind of personality type also means that they don't really get attached to others - while not pure as intended, they're definitely closer to that definition than Holly. That being said, they're not completely oblivious or ignorant of others. If they stumble upon someone in need, they will try their best to help them, as long as it doesn't derail them from their main goal too much. Though if they survived after the defeat of The Radiance, I'm sure they'd be more likely to dedicate more time for those kinds of things, at least until they found another "main objective" so to speak. Perhaps helping others by itself would become that goal, so they would be very focused on doing that. This means that, no matter what, I don't think they would find much joy in a quiet, domestic life with a family. They have to travel, they can't just sit still in one spot, they have to do something. Perhaps they would visit the family from time to time, but it's clear that they would only stick around for a while before wandering away.
As for their relationship with the family, I'll start in the order you asked.
Holly - they'd definitely have the closest bond with them, simply because of the void that connects them. They can't speak, but they can still communicate between each other using void rumbling only they understand, so the two would definitely get along. Though, I do think they would disagree quite a lot on their values. Holly is very close to their family, it's one of the most important things for them, so they wouldn't understand Ghost's need to constantly travel alone. And likewise, Ghost would not be able to connect to Holly's love for the family, to them this kind of life is boring and they know they wouldn't be able to stand it.
Hornet - considering that they fought more than once, there is definitely a lot of respect, but also hesitation between them. It's safe to say that their relationship had a pretty rocky start, I mean, one tried to kill the other, so it's hard to find trust there. And similarly to Holly, Ghost wouldn't be able to understand why Hornet spends so much time in Dirtmouth instead of wandering around and exploring, though in Hornet's case it wouldn't be as strong of a dissociation since she does patrol Hallownest relatively often, so they have more in common. Hornet holds a lot of respect for them, though she also doesn't feel as close of a bond as she does with Holly, so their sibling-to-sibling relationship would be far more awkward.
Grimm - he asked them to help him with the ritual, and they failed to do so. I wouldn't say they'd feel guilty about it if they survived, but I do think they would avoid him for quite a while, likely to avoid his anger. They wouldn't understand his obsession with FPK and the family, but that is already a given considering what I said earlier. If they learned about Grimm's connection to The Radiance, perhaps they would find themselves skeptical of his intentions, so that would be another reason for them to avoid him. Of course, Grimm hates his sister probably more than anyone else in the family, so Ghost's suspicion would be unfounded. But since they wouldn't spend much time in Dirtmouth in the first place, they wouldn't see Grimm's softer side very often.
FPK - while it would be easy to assume that they hate his guts, they couldn't be more indifferent to him, which arguably stings even more. To them, he's nothing, just an obstacle in their path, they feel no love towards him, they don't care enough to hate him either. Any attempts on his part to apologize or have any kind of relationship would be met with coldness and complete lack of response on Ghost's part, so he would quickly give up. They do know that he's their father, but they haven't actually met him in person until they smacked him to get his fragment of King's Soul, and after that they would pay no attention to him, almost treating him like he doesn't exist. Perhaps some of this is rooted in hatred, but calling it that would be a bit of an overstatement. They would certainly avoid one another, which gives Ghost even more reasons to not really stick around for a long time.
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• Since, unlike Ghost, Moss is a lot less distant, I think they'd relationship would be much more pleasant. That said, they wouldn't really see him as their father, they're adopted by Sheo and the Nailsmith and so they see those two as their parents. But they were taught to be polite, and so they would extend that to FPK. It would be a little awkward to him, perhaps, but he would return the politeness and act kind towards them. It would give him some comfort to know that at least one of the vessels has a happy life with someone who cares for them, even if it should've been him who stepped up to do that. But there would be no bad blood between them, so that would be something he appreciates at the very least.
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cloudhymn · 4 months
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𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐎𝐍 𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐒 𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄:   𝘾𝙊𝙈𝙈𝙀𝙉𝙏𝘼𝙍𝙔.   (   1   /   2   )
i've been putting this quest off for so long that it feels strange to be writing the commentary on it now. even though i know the gist of what happens, and about the events that transpired after this i thought that i should finally get this over with to get the complete context. ( i also just really want to listen to samudrartha when i enter the parlour. )
it's literally one of the first lines in the quest but i have a feeling dan heng already feels incredibly strange about being referred to as " master dan heng. " to go from being imprisoned by the preceptors, restricted to such a degree as seen in his light cone art, being at the mercy of possible tormentors ( the same tormentors who imprisoned dan feng and subjected him to experiments that extracted his scales, horns, and bone marrow ) to being addressed with respect like that is so ... jarring. it would make him viscerally uncomfortable. it's sad really, how he's supposed to feel an affiliation to his kin, but even this could possibly sound backhanded in his head.
" i'm speaking with master dan heng. i'm afraid this doesn't involve you - please take your leave. " BITCH I AM ALREADY GETTING BAD VIBES. like if you know the history of the high elder, and what happened to dan feng / dan feng, would you even be surprised that he brought outside help ? why would you be surprised that he doesn't trust his own kin when his people kept him in the shackling prison for centuries ? i hate how entitled these people think they are to dan heng's time, and more important than that, the right to prioritise his own safety ??? especially when none of the vidyadhara have even attempted to make him feel safer after what he went through ? man, she is already so shifty.
huanxi calling bailu " simple and innocent " after we've already established that bailu has provided medical care for dying soldiers as well as the marastruck, has shown emotional intelligence regarding why people would be seeking out immortal life, and then calling her simple as if she isn't the best healer in the alchemy guild is atrocious and bad vibes already. i was so interested to do this quest because of the nuances i could find between how bailu is being treated and how dan feng might have been treated.
i know, i know i'm being biased but given all the misshapen clues as to what happened concerning the sedition i hate that the narrative is skewed against dan feng and we only get to learn about his story through vidyadhara that despised him. like, i know there are vidyadhara that supported his path because it's in the lore already. there are eggs in the lunarescent depths that talk about supporting dan feng to the bitter end, so where are these vidyadhara ? also how have we not met a preceptor in person yet ? idk, it's the start of the quest so maybe i'll come back to this. calling dan feng ' full of hubris ' and ' a tyrant ' when his crimes came out of seemingly nowhere ( i'm still of the opinion that they were set up ) doesn't really add up.
like, i am all for characters with flaws, but given all we know about dan feng, i find it hard to believe that he would endanger so many people on purpose. i could believe that he couldn't stand to let yingxing go, i believe that he was capable of a selfish act like that, but i can't believe that he would purposefully will death on so many vidyadhara. something is just not adding up.
i don't like.. if they wanted dan heng to be the high elder, then they shouldn't have locked him in the shackling prison. i fucking hate these people. i cannot believe the audacity of them to lock him in a prison for centuries and then expect him to take up the roles which had quite literally killed his last reincarnation. this was a role that had brought the line of imbibitor lunae's to madness. jing yuan was right when he said that dan feng was regarded as a hero or a villain, but not a person with thoughts and feelings. honestly, it's become very clear that they still don't regard dan heng as someone with thoughts and feelings considering the hell they put him through, and then the guilt tripping in order to co-erce him back into the same position despite how cruel they have been to him already. on top of that i don't want him anywhere near any of the preceptors, especially that fucker taoran.
i don't want bailu near any of these assholes either, like can we please get some pearlkeepers from ventium instated as her caretakers because it's becoming clear that so few of the vidyadhara on the luofu can be trusted.
" such a major matter as this is naturally up to the preceptor elders. " i'm sick of the preceptor elders. let them rot.
it does really pain me that both of dan feng's successors have gone through so, so much hardship : bailu seems to have undergone the same childhood that dan feng has, although seems to be lacking in the same destructive power. and dan heng being locked up for centuries in the shackling prison, the entire thing is so painful.
ah, another title, " your highness. " so the initial vidyadhara king / prince concepts are still true to some extent.
" shouldn't you ask bailu herself about this ? " > " miss bailu is young, naive, and easily manipulated by others. i worry that under the pressure fo others, she would be convinced into taking up too great a burden. " THEN LESSEN HER BURDEN ??? you're her nanny, fucking lessen the amount of homework she does, let her have playmates, let her have playtime in general. but also i don't want her in the high elder position either considering what they did to dan feng.
i know we're going to meet bailu but i also want to see the preceptor elders so i can throw hands.
even dan heng knows that he was meant to be an entirely new entity, but it was made apparent that the preceptors were tampering with the high elder succession. i feel like this should be illegal somehow. dan feng was meant to be absolved of his crimes, but the preceptors would tamper with the molting rebirth to ? make it so that the powers were passed on ? the memories ? the memories which can be accessed by the orb of abyssm ? i never understood this, i hope they can elaborate on this one day. i know the high elders have always looked the same, due to keeping the same memories, i wonder if it's also due to them dying early, due to keeping their old memories, putting them at higher risk of becoming marastruck.
luying being like, " return to being a nameless - stay out of the high elder succession. " so true bestie. done deal. we love to see it. okay so luying may be being hostile with us, but he is so right. i agree with him 100% lady bailu is kind and compassionate as a high elder, so can someone like, protect her please. luying is a real one, i don't care if he's telling us to go away, i like him. if it didn't mean leaving bailu behind, i would so follow his advice.
jing yuan 🥰🥰🥰
" haha, the power struggle between the preceptors and their high elder is a tale as old as time. and someone as powerful as dan feng, who was completely beyond their control, was enough for them to harbor a hidden rage. " god, i knew it. i like that the animosity between the preceptors and the high elder is common knowledge to the parties involved, because it really makes the possibility that the preceptors controlled the narrative concerning the sedition all the more real. there was absolutely foul play at hand when it came to the circulation of information, how future generations would come to learn about the sedition. the cruelty that dan feng went through was no doubt hidden, his followers silenced. the preceptors have gone about repeating their iron grip on the new high elder. it's exhausting. i hope one day they break this cycle of abuse.
𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐔𝐄𝐃.
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blanketorghost · 1 year
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Weeping Wisteria
-Yuu Fujisaki after his debut performance of Fuji Musume, 10 y.o
I've been slowly working on Yuu lore and how it'd affect the current twst story + his relationships and manerisms.
One of the things I've focused the most on is his childhood as an Onnagata trainee.
I think that to follow up on Yuu's literal " a genius that's god's punching bag" trope, I'd do a couple of retconning to his backstory. Most of these are minor changes, but methinks it will impact how he interacts with people— esp a couple NRC students.
(Base info pre-retcon about the Fujisaki clan can be found here)
To start off, Ataru (Yuu's father) would be laid off right before Yuu was born, meaning Yuu wouldn't have known a life before Kabuki training.
This would serve the purpose of reinforcing Yuu's belief that he himself is a bad omen or a bad luck magnet for people, as his family probably wouldn't have struggled so much if Yuu was not born.
Also, though it's common for women in JPN to be housewives after marrying, Yuu's mom, Kanna (環花), would probably also need to resume working if they're struggling. I think Kotonoha would also start tutoring underclassmen for some extra cash to help her parents out + save for college education. His family adores him and each other, of course. And would try to spend as much time together as possible, but sometimes it just can't be done.
This would change Yuu's upbringing in two major factors:
1. He would have spent a lot more time with both his grandfather and great-uncle, which would mean he'd be inducted in two very different sides of Kabuki + also very different, contrasting expectations of what he should be like.
2. He'd have to learn to be independent fairly quickly.
Hiroshi and Nagisa are complete opposites of each other. Whilst Hiroshi gives indiscriminately no matter how little he has, Nagisa is overzealous of the family's wealth─ both knowledge and resources.
Nagisa may have accepted his grandson back into the family, but he only accepted his grandson. He would pay for his education and help with Yuu's needs with a monthly allowance, but that would be it. The rest of the family would still be left to fend by themselves.
Yuu's not dumb, he would notice the difference. After all, why was he given expensive brand-name clothes and attended a prestigious academy that he had to be taken to and from with a private driver, whilst his sister shopped in thrift stores and went to their local public school by foot? Why did his dad never come pick him up from practice and was picked up by his uncle instead? Why were his parents so stressed about pinching pennies to pay next month's rent when grandpa's manor was full of empty rooms?
He would've caught on quick to his position as a very real bargaining chip to maintain his family's finantial stability.
So, I think that Yuu, even though he would grow to hate performing as an onnagata, would not quit Kabuki as soon as possible. In fact, I think he'd continue until high school, were he'd enter an indefinite hiatus just so he could have a normal teenage experience + focus on university before returning to perfom.
Also, I think with how close he is to his cousin Nagihiko, he would not want him to suffer under the stress of becoming the Fujisaki heir— at least not while their grandfather is alive and imposing such standards. He wants Nagihiko to have the carefree childhood Yuu was robbed of because of family politics.
Because of this fact, I think Yuu would be much more prone to sacrifice his happiness if it brought out a greater good. I don't think it's out of pure selflessness, though. He's very pragmatic about the pros and cons of things— and ifthe suffering of one ensures the happiness of many, he does not see any problem with it. I think he would also see his self value in what he is useful for, hence why he would eventually hone his abilities to the point of polymathy.
Then, there's uncle Hiroshi. God bless his man because he actually tried to give Yuu a normal childhood. Whenever he wasn't at his grandpa's slaving away at different subjects, he would be at his uncle's theater office or exploring the backrooms of the place. Hiroshi was a busy man, of course— he had his own business to run, but he did his best to keep him entrtained with what he could. He also was the one to notice Yuu's academic potential as the little bugger would rather read his uncles dusty finance and politic books than the fairytales and picture books he bought especially for him. Hiroshi would have been Yuu's biggest advocate, and since Ataru didn't have the money or leverage to fight back against Nagisa, I think Hiroshi would take that place instead. Hiroshi is described to be extremely generous to a fault, so, as a result, I think Yuu would've witnessed the various times his uncle was backstabbed and taken advantage of, yet still managed to rise back and continue working on his passion.
That's what Yuu's goal was before he got interloped; he wants to bide his time and keep his head down, so once he has enough strength and leverage himself, he can finally stand up for his family... or at least the side that genuinely cares about him.
Yuu loves and admires his uncle, but he does not want to be hurt as many as he was. So Yuu would end up being much more closed off and stand-offish than his own personal hero. He would be reluctant to have close friends and confidantes, effectively making most his relationships superficial except for maybe 3 or 4 close friends he holds very dear to him. None of which are from TWST. I think he's the type of friend that listens to all your problems and knows so much about you, but when you look back— Yuu's NRC friends would realize they don't know anything about him other than the very rare nuggets of trivia he allows them to have.
Yuu is also observant and patient. Let's be real for a second— Yuu is at an infinite disadvantage. He has no magic, no money, no family name, and his smarts can only get him so far in a world he knows nothing about. He knows he needs to play things safe if he wants to survive NRC and its students— at least until he finds something he can fight back with. Humans are endurance predators, after all. (He's still a piece of shit with a big mouth, though)
There's so much more I want to elaborate on, but much like Galatea, it'll take me a while organize all my word vomit. Either way, Yuu's backstory and family dynamics are something I have so much fun of thinking about, because his life was so rich before twst! He had friends, a family and responsibilities to take care of. It's both tragic and freeing that he got taken just at such a pivetal point in his life, where he would have to make the choice to continue living for others or start living for himself.
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ayrennaranaaldmeri · 7 months
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finished the game loved most of it but i have a small rant (donut read unless you did the part of wyll's quest that involves searching for something underground esp bc there will be spoilers about the emperor)
highkey insane and kind of brainless to me that the emperor will straight up betray you and fuck off to join the netherbrain of all things like a moron if you don't want to condemn an entire race of people to being a lich's pawns forever.
Yes I am trying to have my fucking cake and eat it too but fucking come on, this is the type of thing that should've been set up and determined by how you treated him throughout the game and there should've been a persuasion check to convince him to stay. It's insane bc there are serious pieces of lore about him that you can completely miss out on and that is fucking insane given what a main character he is lol, esp when some of these things I think could've been worked into some kind of relationship system or dialogue that would've served as persuasion checks to not make him just casually flip and do the thing he's just been avoiding for no fucking reason especially when you find out WHO HE ACTUALLY IS.
Wyll hints at the "change" in duke Stelmane and if you're mean to emperor squiddie when he wants to fuck he reveals the truth to you: that he was dementedly puppeteering his precious duke the whole time and they never had any kind of friendship or relationship. (This is also just what's in the descent into avernus blurb on Stelmane. A mindflayer induced a seizure in her and she's been waging a silent battle against the thing and can't break free or cry for help). (and his whole demeanour changes after he reveals this to you and he becomes a villain: YOU ARE MY PUPPET AND YOU WILL DO AS I SAY).
Oh and of course, if you do Wyll's quest and are sent to find Ansur you learn the truth, tentacle man is not just any old adventurer HE'S FUCKING BALDURAN. Does this make any impact on any of the final decisions or become relevant literally outside of that. NOOOPE. He murdered his best friend dragon who rescued him from the elder brain to begin with the first time and we can basically never talk about it again lol.
Like this one is especially egregious because it's not the outcome of you calling him a freak or anything, this is literally just the truth and his fucking origin story. You can't do at least one persuasion check on DUDE THIS YOUR FUCKING CITY. THAT YOU FOUNDED. WHAT THE FUCK.
Anyway I just feel like there are these big pieces of lore that should've informed how the emperor behaves and whether or not he betrays you. Why can't you say "remember Ansur?" or something idk. Like it takes all of two seconds for Orpheus to not turn on you, so he behaves exactly as Voss said he would. Throw in a difficult persuasion check for him too!! IDK!! I think it would've been better if they at least let you free him and THEN forced the ultimatum on you bc it would make the emperor look less like he's throwing a fucking temper tantrum and doing the one thing he absolutely never wanted to do because you absolutely have to trust him but heaven forbid you want a chance on something lol. At least it would make sense if he chose to act out of self preservation when the threat was direct instead of being like 'no he hates you pc, you're ugly to him, listen to meeee'
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lightlycareless · 7 months
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IM BACK i got so busy right around when the last chapter was posted but im HERE NOW. and ive been reading so much,, all the lore from chapter 36 was SO GOOD im so sad im late to it but ohhhhhmygod. so much going on there and setting up REALLY good parallels between y/n and naoya when it comes to their relationships w their parents. the way both of them had their mother slowly get more and more distant due to circumstances outside of their control/caused by some fucked up third party... ough... this also reveals so much DRAMA like WHO CURSED Y/N'S MOTHER?? im throwing hands. and thats such a fucked up TYPE of curse too the way it fucks with the personality/behavior-- someone REALLY hated her huh
but ohmygodmyGOD chapter 37 has SO MUCH going on. like just starting off with matsuo being. insufferable. man. can a woman not get a drink in this house.
the entirety of this chapter is SO rich with so much emotion... like the way they're finally feeling like a couple is so sweet?? i KNEW naoya had it in him to be nice, even if it does take being on his death-bed for it to happen..
THE WEDDING RING HE CARRIES THE RING ON A NECKLACE W HIM AUAHUGHEHGH,,, i cant even begin to describe how emotional that made me the last section of the chapter where they're just talking to each other for once means SO much after having read the last 36 chapters of animosity and standoffishness like they're FINALLY talking and like. seeing each other? as people? its SUCH a pivotal moment and at the same time so small and domestic its amazing
AND HES GOING TO TRY TO LET HER SEE HER FAMILY AGAIN?? that opens up SO much drama and so many questions like-- is he going to stick to that when he recovers? CAN he stick to that or like he said is he not in a position to negotiate that much? (would he help her sneak out or sneak in a way for her to see them somehow if it came to that?) what kind of interaction would that even BE for her to see them again after so long-- would it lead to them not wanting to let her leave/go back to the zenin estate? theyd for sure know somethings up.. my favorite couple is finally coupling. 12/10. still obsessed w them
Hello!!!
Awww, don't worry about it!! Ngl I was a bit like, I wonder if they liked it, maybe I finally scared them away lol, my perfectionism slowly killing me inside 😭 But really, the most important thing here is that you're ok, and that you liked the chapters!! ❤️❤️❤️
I'm telling you, I didn't mean to make it that way but how Naoya and Y/N ended up being similar to one another is... wow, perfection. And ironic haha Y/N hates Naoya so, so much, that she literally can't see him as anything else but like complete opposites I mean, if you were to tell her "Hey, the two of you have similar backgrounds" she'd be like "ew no wtf!!!"
Which is why she was so baffled to learn that it's true 😭 they share the pain of having loss a mother, and in some ways, being disliked by their own family.
Also, for Minako's curse... I don't intend to explore more about it, so I'll just say it was someone very, very jealous of her and her children. Someone that just wanted to see the family burn, you know? (LOL, it makes it seem like Eiichi had some secret admirer or something. Or maybe her?! Like the yandere type "If I can't have you, no one can!!" Oof, I hope not on either accounts)
Now onto chapter 37 :>
The way Matsuo's behavior did a 180 was... I don't know what I was expecting, for it to not happen?? Let's be real, that man as soon as he got a bit of power decided to abuse it. Probably some resentment towards Y/N and her staff, how happy they are and the good relationship they have with her or whatever. Honestly, I do not care about that man. (I wonder what Naoya's reaction will be once he figures out how he's been treating her... HMMM)
I'm so glad you liked the fluffy parts with Naoya hahahahah even though as you said, it's when he's sick... oh, I just hope it doesn't all go away when he's not sick anymore, you know? GOD this whole thing hurts me so much for Y/N hahahah like she's trying so desperately to hold onto the fact that maybe this is the change she was unwittingly hoping for, that Naoya finally woke up from his stupidity and decided to act like a proper husband.
Because more than leaving the house, I think she, very, very deep inside, wants this whole thing to work. I mean, who wouldn't... she grew up in a loving family where her mom and dad loved each other very, very much. It's only natural that she wants something like that too if it ever happened! And Naoya... oof, he's handsome, rich, and she doesn't have to put herself in danger in order to make a living. At that point it was a win-win... until his personality came out 💀💀💀 Anyways, it's difficult, but I WILL MAKE IT WORK. I PROMISE.
Also, if you liked their interactions on this chapter, I think you're going to like the next one 😏 (Idk if it's worth anything, but I always thought Naoya would be like Kang Dooshik from Pearl Boy when he's not being a raging misogynist)
As for the promise... that is something we'll see next chapter as well. What's going to happen with it and whatnot. I'm like Y/N right now, a bit shocked that it happened, but on edge to see if it's true 😭 after all, it's a pretty heavy promise to make ... but that is something only Naoya can choose.
I just hope all the pieces are falling in place (correctly, I mean HAHAH) for that one chapter!!! I can't wait to write it, I think we're like... 2/3 chapters away from it. I swear, everything that will happen next is leading to that moment.
And I gotta say, thank you for being patient with me 🥺❤️ I swear, everything that is happening leads to that. EVERYTHING!!!! I just hope it pays off!!!! If not, I'll disappear from the internet. The shame of it all.... hahaha.
Anyways, thank you so so much for coming back for another update! And don't worry about reading the chapters later! My story is intended to be entertaining, relaxing (yeah sure, look at all that angst) so read it whenever you can ❤️❤️❤️
Once again, thank you so much for your support 🥺❤️ I hope you continue to like the rest of the story!! Take care, and see you soon!!
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spotsupstuff · 8 months
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You said that Orion name came from a chocolate, and there are others that ask if it was based from the constellation one. But every time I see the name Orion I think of Orion Pax, the transformer one.
FKSKGMMCJVKSJ Orion Pax,,,, that's incredibly valid
heavens, Orion the Ittie Wishes he has had half as normal life as Orion Pax did, though if we r thinkin Prime Pax, the books especially, the privileged higher cycle guy thing at least stick. "I can't even go to the amusement park... :(" Pax said to a slave
see but Orion Pax's transformation to Opetimus Prime reminds me that while I was drawin Orion the Ittie for that one meme that started my design sesh yesterday, i was inevitably thinking bout his lore n shit n Damn
Orion tries to keep up his positive and smiley attitude as much post-the polar war, but anyone who served in war in amore personal n physical way won't be completely okay. there were lessons that one is guaranteed to learn and carry with them forever if they survive and Orion's life wasn't ever Too badly threatened (maybe there was an attack on his facilities a few times but yeah. boy big n valuable the opposing side wouldn't wanna completely destroy him)
so I'm thinkin that at the start of it all he served more as a mascot than anything. the soldiers kind of hated him for it cuz he just talks big game n does nothing. but Orion is a good, brave, protective person, so despite his Admin trying to warn him Not to, he begged the general on site to accept his overseers as spies/messangers for the troops. the general didn't want to at first, cuz Orion as an Iterator is a religious object and this could possibly damage him, which his Houses would Not like. but Orion begged on n reassured it will be fine, so the general accepted
so not only did Orion did stuff like run iterations on tactics (the more expected thing of him to do in this situation) he also personally beared witness to the horrors of wars on both sides. ended up striking camaraderie n feeling of brotherhood with the Eo's soldiers n the general became smth of a father figure. ended up understanding that wars are often not black and white and there isn't truly such a thing as really winning one
behind those smiling eyes is a terribly burdened man
and I'm Thinkin that his war-connected wisdom should absolutely show up in Saint-time and be a comfort to Notos. Orion would be ascended just before Sporadic. in a way, he gives Notos a certain kind of peace/reassurance that it would really need after ascending Haboob (That is pending)
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pen-observing · 10 months
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dottore anon here again! YOU'RE SO RIGHT, DOTTORE AS A CHARACTER IS SOO, HE'S SOOO<3 JUST CHEF'S KISS... hes such a cool villain, not to mention hes, i think, first actual real threat to the traveler. hes fascinating too, i remember how some1 said hes a living contradiction: wants recognition, but is arrogant, he wants to belong but he cant fit in, he craves love but is so cruel... just. screams. not to mention his sexy design
also, i did read ur other dott x reader works! right after finishing that manhwa au chapter i went looking for more works about dotty on ur profile hehe and they're amazing too!! it's just that that chapter has a special place in my heart<3
OH AND THAT DOTT X READER X AYATO IDEA SOUNDS SO COOL... at first i was like umm idk when i read that ayato is involved cause hes not my cup of tea, but ur synopsis got me so fascinated by it. i hope one day you'll write it<3 and tysm for telling me this too.. i feel honored. thank u i love u and i wish u plenty of inspiration for future works. kisses u mwah
i love u too and,,, i got kithes and i am sending them right back at you !!
Scara felt like a threat too but I personally was not worried bbout how the traveller would beat him BUT DOTTORE???? Oh we gon need something too special or for him to decide he wants to be defeated/wants to switch sides like,,, that man scares me !! ahn,,, the sexcy design <3333 Dottore my beloved better be playable and with good noises while climbing, lisafy that man
HE IS SUCH A CONTRADICTION I LOVE HIM. Dottore is so arrogant and talks about the TRUE values of what it means to be a scholar and a researcher but his ass was kicked out the Academiya yet he is so obsessed with it and the students of it like tighnari + nahida's whole role as someone who rules it in a way like.,, his ass can't let it go aaaa. and he has all this vast knowledge and he did what he did to extend his life yet he has no plans to learn knowledge of emotional intimacy and anything similar.
+ my fav dottore thing to think of often under the cut:
One of the most interesting pieces of lore about that ugly but beautiful man to me personally comes from nahida's story that serves as the allegory.
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i hope the screenshot is good enough,, anyway. He is called a lone monster and i always wonder is it the fact that he was the only one on that mission the reason why or because he feels no particular need for the Fatui. Sure the they became friends part can be seen as something just used to simplify the story but the thing is, later on he goes and removes his disguise and looks at his REFLECTION and calls himself a monster. Like, he is willing to ADMIT IT. It makes me think that what Dottore wanted was for someone to recognize him as a monster and for them to love him anyway because he was so different. He WANTS acceptance of some kind but hates when it is not the kind he imagines.
And the word SOLACE !! DOTTORE FOUND SOLACE !! when he saw this ugly kitten who was in no way a human. I partly think this was because Dottore could cling to some humanity in him that scara lacked completely but thats too.. i want to give him some benefit of the doubt that he was finally GLAD to have someone different like him; someone he wouldn't have to pretend around.
And all of this suffering he had waiting for his true reflection and all to be shown and accepted just made him MORE angry when this ugly cat had no issues with being different; when he didn't have to PRETEND to be something he isn't to be liked,,,it gives me,,, i don't know I just can't help but to cling on to this specific part when it comes to my dottore characterization and yes people can call it theory and wishful thinking but I think it will amount to a lot more.
DO YOU THINK ANYONE EVER EVER IN THEIR LIFE HAS COMFORTED THAT MAN TRULY? DO YOU?!! (goes insane)
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hydroxsalesman · 1 month
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As promised, my last thoughts regarding Elden Ring and certain characters/events/spoiler heavy things
A friend of mine told me that Gideon betrays you later on, and I have to say: that is the least surprising plot twist ever. :p Ignoring that I did Nepheli's questline that involved his Albinauric genocide campaign and him totally, absolutely NOT sending his pet edgelord after me, the guy wants to become Elden Lord. I want to be Elden Lord too. And I already got the feeling that he's not interested in sharing the throne with me.
I was more surprised to learn that Gurranq is important to the plot and one of the last few bosses that you fight. Granted, I already put two and two together when it comes to him being Maliketh given the lore descriptions for the stuff you get from him, the big ass Black Blade gargoyle guarding his house, and the allusions he made to committing some kind of sin... but still! I wasn't expecting one of my favorite quest givers to be an important storyline boss!
I was equally surprised to hear that Marika and Radagon are the same person... though I wasn't exactly shocked. My reaction was just "Oh, okay then." Because how am I supposed to react to this bit of information aside from being amused that Radagon cheated on his wife with himself?
I'm impressed with how much I've come to like Kenneth Haight. When I met him, I had him pegged for a funny, but dumb nobleman who'd be a pain in the ass until some monster would come and eat him/squish him like a bug. Instead, he's actually a genuinely good man who overcomes his prejudices against the Tarnished, takes his duties seriously, and is self aware enough to know that he simply isn't capable enough to keep Limgrave together after Godrick and the Shattering at large sent it straight down the shitter. I have a feeling that he, Lorenz Gloucester, and Ferdinand von Aegir would be really good friends if they ever met.
Also, I'm not ashamed to admit that I may have kind of a huge crush on Nepheli. Not only is she drop dead gorgeous, but she's a huge sweetheart and easily one of the nicest NPC's in the game. I'm glad she gets a happy ending after losing so many other friends to tragedy.
I tried to kill the Dung Eater the second I found him in the sewers, but I just can't kill him thanks to me sucking at Elden Ring the sewer you fight him in being a cramped, claustrophobic nightmare of a place. I found out ahead of time that if you help him, he'll end up murdering Boggart (or as some say, BROggart) so I decided to aggro them both so Dung Eater wouldn't kill him, and Boggart would be too angry to die just as a bit of insurance. Once I replay this game, I'll make sure to do a better job at protecting my seafood-cooking bro.
Speaking of the Dung Eater, I love and hate that guy. Hate because he's a vile, twisted, disgusting piece of shit, yet I also love his voice, his armor, and after spoiling myself on it, the fact that he's completely sincere when it comes to his warped outlook on life. He's fascinating, if nothing else... thought not fascinating enough to save him from getting killed. :p
Rykard might just be the first video game character to trigger my gag reflex. Not so much his fucked up snake body, but his weird gurgly psuedo-Palpatine voice and that nasty fleshy sword he pulls out of his throat. Is it weird that I respect him for that, though?
After clearing out the Deeproot Depths, I happened to notice growths that look a lot like Godwyn's eyes back in that one village where the first Tibia Mariner is. Thought it was cool, if seriously creepy.
Omens have dethroned Imps for being one of my least favorite enemies. I understand that they've got it rough, and that they're victims of some seriously awful prejudice... but it's hard to feel bad for them when they're more mobile than anything their size should be, take forever to kill, and leave you on death's door if they pull off their crazy suplex attack.
"I'm not Godrick! I'm my own character, Blodrick!" - Godefroy the Grafted, maybe
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