#characters with parent issues and their substitute parents my beloveds <3
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Since Life is Strange 2 is finally fully released, I let myself to write a probably not-so-short review of the complete season. The momentum for such a summary is already gone I presume but it took me a moment to finally digest and find the proper words to describe what I think and feel about this production. Following the game from the start, I patiently waited to look at the story as a whole, hoping to find an explanation for tons of burning questions and satisfying outcomes to my choices and decisions. Unfortunately, most of those didn’t happen, therefore I present you with a piece that is not very favorable towards the newest Dontnod production, harsh in places but honest. Please, do not read if you really enjoyed the story of the two brothers and find it meaningful and important, not burdened with any fallacy. Life is way too short to read reviews that just leave you frustrated.
Remember the scene in Life is Strange season one (I still hate the fact that I have to separate different instances of the franchise calling them seasons), when Max summoned by an enormous plasma TV in Victoria’s room fantasizes about watching “Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within” on it? “I like this movie, I don’t care what everybody says,” getting protective about her preferences, the little freckle leaves the room soon after, never gifting us with any explanation as to why she indeed values this animation so much or why it was an important statement. It was never brought back again, it will never matter, becoming simply a meme material or a trigger for snarky comments from Twitch streamers and YouTubers. I watched the said movie a long time ago, recalling only two things about it: the breathtaking animation of hair at the beginning and the fact that the main male character looked like Ben Affleck. The rest of the story fell into obscurity before the end credits hit the screen. I reached for this title only because I was interested in anything video games related, and the name of the popular franchise was more than enough.
The same thing goes for Life is Strange 2.
Just like the mentioned FF: The Spirits Within, the second instance of the beloved series is more of an animation than an interactive experience. Recently, plenty of video games, overwhelmed by finally reachable technology of smooth mocaps, facial expressions, hyper-realistic locations, and scanned people as characters, turned into an alley dedicated to B-class movies. From adventures by David Cage to Death Stranding, video games started to flip their working template, replacing the actual action with long animations, not the other way around. With scattered gameplay, sometimes forced as if the developers reminded themselves at the last minute that this product is supposed to be interactive, they raise an eyebrow at best, and boil your blood with the lack of creativity at its worst. Life Is Strange 2 follows this trend with astonishing enthusiasm and to the core. Even regarding this particular genre that’s supposed to focus on narrative, it barely stands as a walking simulator becoming a hardly watchable TV series — a road trip story where walking is limited.
Well, shit.
The gameplay in Life is Strange 2 is nonexistent. To be frank, riveting action-packed sequences were never a trademark of the series, but a blatant lack of any didn’t make this experience any better. With the first one, the rewind power allowed the player to actually be part of the narrative. The second, where Sean just serves as a witness to his brother’s actions, plays more like a full motion picture. An enormous amount of un-skippable cut-scenes change LIS2 into a tedious, dragging journey straight from the worst selection of buy 1 get 3 free Z-class movies. The music and the mastery in creating an atmosphere that rose Dontnod to international fame due to widespread acclaim can’t save those sequences either. It almost feels like their own creation so enchanted the development team that they ignored all the red flags and clumsy solutions to immerse in the world themselves, treating the actual player as a lesser evil, throwing them a bone just to claim it is a video game format. To no surprise, most of the items the player interacts with don’t matter at all and don’t serve any purpose either to foreshadow an upcoming outcome, present exposition to the world, or be in any way helpful.
The lack of superpower is not an issue here though. Before the Storm met the expectations with way more grace, proving that a story doesn’t need a lot of strange in life to grip and hold its audience for hours. Watching a superhero growing up is an interesting premise, but a hell of a challenge to execute and execute well. Some stories like “Little Man Tate” translate to a brilliant film, but don’t necessarily work as games, after the planning stage or first Game Design Document. The references regarding the first game also remain scattered and uneven, tossed on the pile with a heap of faith that devoted fans would notice, but without a purpose in mind.
Even if I sound harsh, I do believe that Dontnod wanted to deliver the best story possible, but Life is Strange 2 feels even too big to absorb or fill with details. Captain Spirit, not necessarily my cup of tea either, was in my opinion way more coherent, as the creative team felt more comfortable with such a small scope of a product. Everything falls into place after careful exploration, makes more sense with every minute. The mystery about the mother, an alumnus of Blackwell Academy, and an admirer of Jefferson’s work is a solid premise that didn’t raise expectations up the roof nor overpromise. The mystery of yet another mother, this time Life is Strange 2, played for over 3 and a half episodes, falls flat in comparison and ends in the disappointing question “that’s it?”
No, that’s not it. There’s more to it.
Life is Strange 1 was mocked as Tumblr: The Game, while the second instance could easily pass as Twitter: The Animated Series. The writers didn’t challenge themselves or the audience to answer the question of why certain people voted for Donald Trump, or why they would do it yet again. The only reason presented in the story is quite simplistic and obvious – because they are evil, deplorable people, not worth listening to. They are the worst. We are better. Issues of being harangued by foreigners about domestic policies and troubles of your own country are a brewing can of worms I wouldn’t like to touch at the moment. Still, this particular stance, which serves as painful generalization that every single republican voter in the US is foul, can be forged only by someone who either lives in a bubble or doesn’t live here at all. Simply because we all have parents, grandparents, relatives, friends, or co-workers who decided to elect the actual prescient to power. Some of them are racists, disgusting, and horrible personas, and some just belong to the scared of change, confused and manipulated crowd that don’t accept the fast-paced transformation nor the need for a revolution. We coexist together, arguing and fighting, especially during holiday breaks, but even if it costs me a headache, I wouldn’t call them evil. Millions of people voted for Trump, but only a few wouldn’t spit on a swastika if confronted with the Nazi banner.
It’s even more painful when you understand what kind of message was sewed into the stitches of a shattered story. There was no ill will, or at least I don’t think so, but an honest, genuine need to express the concern about modern America. Unfortunately, when executed, this concern changed into another yell or discourse by the family table during an argument with your racist uncle. An open discussion in a game community that unifies both left and right supporters equally by their love for this form of entertainment would be appreciated by many, just like after playing LIS1, a handful of people changed their views on LGBT issues.
Instead of a lesson that had to be experienced, we got a lecture about morality and tolerance, contradicting itself constantly and nonchalantly following the well-known tropes NOT in a sarcastic and admirable way known from Saturday Night Live, but in a lazy and sometimes even clumsy substitute of a dramatic format. The political landscape painted in LIS2 is caricatural, unforgiving, harsh like a deserted wasteland with a few peaceful oases to stop at, but shies over its own existence, not willing to thoroughly discuss the dreadful weather. Guess what? The sand won’t change into greener pastures only because you close your eyes, putting your imagination to work. Donald Trump might not be re-elected for a second term, but his supporters will stay in place, even more conflicted by the other side. It’s a brave decision to deliver such a punitive story but such a cowardice to break its pillars, hoping that the general public wouldn’t notice or get distracted when things get too heated up.
The lack of subtlety forced scene by scene is even more polarizing. There is no peaceful dialogue with the other side as if it couldn’t exist in this world. There is no change of heart or a path to do so. Sometimes it feels like the only message that LIS2 writers wanted to provide was to find your own, peaceful and liberal hermitage, either among hipsters in the Redwood forest, driving a car that your ‘family with money but no soul’ had bought you or move to a trailer park filled with artistic souls in Nowhere, Arizona. Any contact with the outside world can hurt you and your feelings. Drop off the grid or die. The end.
No discussion.
The efforts of trying to understand the motivation behind even the most dreadful character of the first game, got lost in preparation for the second. LIS2 builds a higher wall between two political sides, than any other game released after Trump became the president of the United States and desperately wants to keep it erected, ignoring the crumbling foundations of such. A proverbial river you shall not cross nor build bridges over since the only outcome would end up in death, destruction, or you and your young brother getting hurt.
I’m familiar with the discussion about LIS2, especially with a shouting match that if you do not like this instance, you are therefore a racist pig, a disgusting person without a soul, conscience, or working brain that doesn’t understand the situation and never will. On the contrary. In my humble opinion, we deserve a better discussion, better stories, better representation, not sticking to whatever is presented because it’s brave enough or was never approached before. I disagree with the stance that a Latino, bisexual main character is enough to close your eyes, omitting all problems that this title tries to shun, riding its high horse. No. Those topics are way too crucial to just walk past, setting for less with your head down, thanking for the game industry to take notice. You the player deserve better, even if you don’t struggle with specific issues on a daily basis. And after playing LIS2, you may feel so good about yourself, stating that an effort was made but it it wasn’t made enough.
I expected more. I wanted Dontnod to do more, and frankly, I feel silly putting so much faith in them and supporting their efforts. Armed with resources provided by Square Enix, I’m sure they are aware of the fact that most of their audience is quite young and wouldn’t mind a lesson or message about what to do amidst troubled times. Well, Dontnod doesn’t have any but warns you that voicing your opinion or being different may end up in disaster. Outraged, they just yell at the news, angry about what our reality has changed into, but nothing comes out of it. It’s all right, though. Our parents do the same thing. We started to do the same thing, but instead of complaining to family members, we have Twitter.
While Life is Strange 2 tries really hard to come across as a realistic and raw portrait of the US at the end of the decade, they didn’t have enough courage to show realistic obstacles two runaways would be faced with. The brothers do meet a handful of bigots and racists, but the rest of the fellow travelers help them beyond understanding or hidden agenda. Sean and Daniel never really struggle to find a place to stay or a warm meal, usually complaining on or off the screen just before the game mercifully provides them with a solution. There’s no trap they can fall into, no ambiguous characters that promise one thing and then demand something in return. It’s very honorable for Brody to pay for a place to stay, but if an adult man gave young kids a key to a motel room, I would consider a way more sinister outcome. It’s not even about Brody himself, since good people exist, just like the racist ones, but the boys not even once are put in a realistic, scary situation created by a supposed ally. If somebody is helpful, this person is always decent, offering them a job, a ride, some food or money. The bad people wear red hats and yell racist slurs. America by Dontnod is simple to navigate but raw and painful when not necessary and fairy-tale-like when it could teach an actual lesson. Running away from home is not so hazardous because of Trump supporters but because you can end up dead in a ravine, being robbed and raped. It’s not the first and surely not the last time when the developers feared to touch any topic of sexual abuse with a ten-foot pole, but then the journey plays more like a vacation than a desperate escape. Sean gets beaten-up a few times, loses his eye due to a brawl, but it doesn’t affect him at all in the long run. When Daniel finally gets kidnapped, it’s not an Epstein-like circle, dealing with human trafficking, but a religious cult that worships him. The first option, even if it feels like a stretch, is unfortunately way more realistic than the latter.
Preaching to the choir is not the biggest sin this game commits though. That brings me to the most discussed theme of the production, which is education.
With all due respect to the developers, writers, and designers, Life is Strange 2 in this aspect falls flat as a discovery of a Sunday father, who is responsible for taking his kid to the zoo and struggles to find any common ground with his offspring, either trying to crack jokes about famous pop-culture phenomena or talk about food discussing their next favorite meal. The said father is trying his best though, perfectly aware that it’s his only chance to teach his son a thing or two, but doesn’t know exactly where to start, torn apart between buying more ice cream and throwing a fit about a stain on the carpet. The father doesn’t even like kids that much and can’t translate his lessons into an engaging play that would be memorized forever, rolling his eyes and counting the days to his kid’s graduation so they could share a beer or two and talk about adult things. Now, any effort to explain how the world works seems to be in vain, therefore a waste of his precious time. Leaving the emotional approach aside, the father doesn’t have to cuddle with his kid when he’s scared, bullied, traumatized or asks millions of questions about the future or present, because the full-time mother is waiting at home willing to replace him in this duty. The mother, knowing that her ex-partner sucks big time at talking about feelings, will be the one who will hold the kid, patiently explaining that the boogieman does not exist, playing pirates, or stay late at night to distract his sorrows. The kid will never discuss his fears with his dad though, trying so hard to impress his male parent. He will never know, and it’s fine. The mother is going to do the job while he can deliver a once a week entertainment along with the lines of ultimate wisdom that most likely will be forgotten anyway.
This is not raising a kid, it’s nursing them like a fragile plant in a flowerpot, focusing on water, sun, and fertilizer, but discarding the emotional background, hoping that somebody else would take care of such issues if things go south.
Sean can’t raise his brother well, simply because he is immature and will stay immature for the rest of the game. There is no moment when he truly goes through a transformation changing from a boy to a man, a fully grown-up adult who takes responsibility for his actions and makes sacrifices for the sake of the greater good. No, surrendering in a fight in the church doesn’t serve as one, neither does the first sexual experience. He doesn’t wonder even once if the hastily constructed plan is benefiting Daniel, forcing it to the last minutes of the game, taking the separation as the worst thing that could happen. There’s no spark of a tragedy like in “The Road” when a father gives up his son to strangers for the sake of saving him. Sean doesn’t care, presenting no character development across the board, merely pushing forward. If there are doubts, they disappear in the blink of an eye when the next cut-scene takes place.
I understand that such a young lad as Sean wouldn’t know how to raise a kid, especially if having no model to rely on. However, a part of growing pains is developing the awareness that we know way less than we assumed. That said, Sean Diaz is always assuming he is right, not asking for advice regarding Daniel even once. Apparently, it’s not something that he’s interested in or ever will be. If Life is Strange 2 wants to pass as a coming of age story, it falls on its face before it even starts.
Moreover, locked in the auto-driven plot, Sean cannot grow up and gain a new perspective; otherwise, the story wouldn’t reach its big, explosion-packed finale of crossing the border. His desperate efforts of influencing his brother usually converge to order him around, feed him with half-truths or simply leave him in the dark when convenient. I didn’t see any difference or change in Sean’s approach from episode one when he scolded his brother, annoyed for his party plans being interrupted, and in episode three, when he reacts similarly, for the sake of spending time alone with the chosen love interest. There’s no deep thought, no wonder about his own wrongdoings expressed to his brother, no faults admitted, no fallacies explained, with one life-threating situation after another. From an illegal weed growing farm, to destroying police stations, Sean just follows the road, paved by the writers, oblivious to the harm done to his younger sibling, as if Daniel simply forgets the morally gray choices, growing his moral spine entirely on performing chores. Washing the dishes and peeling potatoes does not make us better people but understanding a perspective so different than our own does. Thanks to Sean, Daniel expands his world, but it’s a very one-sided perspective, focusing on always praised, hippie-style liberties, and disregarding every option that requires any code of conduct, as represented by the grandparents. While the older brother forces the younger one to keep up with the designed tasks, he never discusses the issues that really matter. In episode 3, the youngster gets involved in a heist, a robbery, but after it fails, costing Sean his eye and the possible death of some of their companions, this is never mentioned. Mexico, a plan that is hardly a plan at all, is supposed to be an answer to all the questions and doubts. El Dorado of knowledge.
This is not how you raise a dog, not to mention a child.
There is no emotional bond, no special ties between the brothers, except a few problematic moments that play mostly on simple connection forged by blood, not by circumstances. Sean worries about Daniel because he’s his brother, but the player starts to wonder quite quickly why and what for. Reminiscing about old times gets nailed down to a few lines about the comforts and amenities of a life long gone. The tough topics, such as grieving after personally witnessing their father’s death, are mentioned scarcely and without much emphasis, as if serving only as a reminder to the player, but not a poignant struggle. Same goes with the dog, their friends mutilated at the end of the weed farm chapter, Chris (aka captain spirit) who is mentioned just before the end credits of the second episode, and tons of others. On top of it, the scattered and not so often dialogue lines about putting people in danger refer only to the good folk, siding with the brothers, not to humankind in general. Killing a police officer or knocking down a gas station owner are just natural ways of how things work in America, honorable deeds since it’s apparently perfectly fine for a kid to attempt a homicide if people are mean.
What a brave story.
Chloe Price had been suffering for five years after William, her beloved father, died in a car crash. For Sean and Daniel, there is no grief to experience, but a memory to share with a plan to erect a monument in the future. Esteban Diaz is a plot device, a symbol of inequality, but not a family member. Even a dream sequence with his guest appearance lacks the impact of the subconscious conversations we’ve seen in Before the Storm. It just simply doesn’t matter.
I can’t believe I have to say this but the relatable part about LIS1 wasn’t the tornado, just like in LIS2 crossing the border is its weakest point, but it’s those small moments, gestures, quick smiles in passing, the atmosphere and a breath of fresh air when a line, sometimes silly, got dropped. In the most recent story, there is not a single line worth quoting, memorizing, or discussing. And please, don’t bring up “awesome possum” again. It’s literally taken from The Lego Movie song.
The brothers, just like Thelma and Louise, decide to leave everything behind, throwing away the life as they knew it and forging their own future despite all odds. Although, when the two desperate women drive off the cliff committing suicide, chased by the armed forces, there is nothing to explain as the audience fully understands their reasoning. Their will of life was strong, but the path they followed was too steep to return. Without any help or support, confronted with brutal honesty and the world’s cruelty around them, it is the best possible solution. The story of the two brothers, even if it tries to echo the iconic movie, couldn’t be more different. Despite resources at their disposal, family members that do care about their wellbeing, the whole community rising in protest in their hometown, they risk everything for the sake of getting back to the land they don’t even know. Their Mexican heritage is also mentioned just as an exposition, and, as we learn in the very last episode, just before the ending that Daniel doesn’t speak Spanish. So why do the stubborn Diaz brothers despite all odds travel to Mexico? Because.
Canada was too close, I guess.
Last but not least, let’s talk about sex, because why the hell not. A lot of fans or admirers of the previous instances howled across all social media about how much they miss Max and Chloe. I don’t really think it’s the case, but those two girls symbolize something that LIS2 has a tremendous problem with. There’s no emotional connection between the characters the brothers meet along the way, especially the ones that really should matter. Even the love interests feel more like nagging choices than anything else, an experiment during a camping trip, not something that would last or could be fantasized about. Instead of nerve-wracking decisions such as if you’re supposed to kiss Rachel, hold her hand, or the ecstatic discovery (for PriceFielders, but it was ecstatic, right?) that Chloe changed her phone’s background, we are instead presented with a lineup of sexual experiences, that maybe trail-blaze the road when it comes to topics tackled by a video game, but fall into obscurity as an emotional construction. There is no build-up between Sean and Finn as everything develops to a kiss in one conversation, and Cassidy has fewer lines than Victoria Chase before she invites Sean to her tent. We watch it as we watched it before, trying to get attached, feel something, but the only thing we remember was how much it touched us years ago when we played a different game but with a similar title. The sex scene, relatable or not, is stripped from the emotional intimacy and is as sensitively challenging as a dog being killed.
Character development doesn’t move an inch even if Sean, a surrogate father to his brother, lost his virginity to an older girl. There’s no single thought in his head that he might conceive his own offspring during this short but probably memorable experience. There’s not a single line except for the satisfaction of some female parts finally discovered. Oh, dashing explorer, will you ever learn?
It’s sad. I did want to like this game and gave it plenty of chances like no other titles ever. I’ve made excuses for the poor execution, technical problems, with the whiny voice acting that was driving me up the wall, plot twists written (I think) on a lunch break, and so on, but I couldn’t stand it. It’s a hard pass when it comes to a video game in general, not to mention the story, script, and everything else. Life is Strange season one; a low-budget production, was the first step to create a masterpiece that LIS2 might’ve been able to become. The second season didn’t learn much from LIS1’s mistakes, additionally exchanging the well-known beauty for a garbage fire, ignoring all the warning signs along the way. Delivering a story that tackles such important topics, it slides between the checkmarks on the board of issues, mentioning conversion therapy, religion, gayness, illegal immigration, and a spiral of crimes but never elaborating on any of them. There is no meat and potatoes presented on the plate of events, but just a sticky, sweet gravy with nothing underneath that leaves you not only hungry but frustrated, willing to call the chef and yell at the waiter. The trick is that unless you were living under a rock, there are tons of other productions in different media that give those themes justice, carefully unfolding all the aspects, giving voice to both sides. The fact that it’s the first video game having an affair with serious issues doesn’t matter. I don’t believe that anybody who consumes any kind of other media like decent books, movies, or TV shows can remain blind to the problems of Life is Strange 2, claiming it to be a good story. It’s not.
So here we are, girls, boys, and beyond. Life is Strange 2 with its broken mechanics, story, characters, and spirit slowly but surely will be forgotten. It’s Dontnod’s Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within that you might love to watch or play on your brand-new TV, despite what everybody else would say, omitting any valid or invalid criticism, but unfortunately, it won’t change the general optics about this particular piece of media. A lost chance or recklessness created a convoluted mess and with a heart beating in the wrong place. You might praise Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, get excited about it since it’s a free world, free country (and even if it’s not, no one will take this ersatz of such liberty) and don’t let anybody tell you what to love. The problem is, that most likely the only thing that people will remember about this production is that the main male character looked like Ben Affleck and the hair animation was dope. Everything else won’t matter.
The same thing goes, unfortunately, for Life is Strange 2, subtitle: The Spirits Without.
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✨Masterlist ✨
Characters I make headcanons of and details about the matchups!
—Normal Headcanons:
Candy Pop (1) (2)
Jason the toymaker
The X (1) (2)
Clockwork
Ben Drowned (1) (2)
Ticci Toby (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
Slenderman
Splendorman
Trenderman
Offenderman (1) (2) (3) (4)
The Puppeteer (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
Dr. Smiley (1) (2) (3) (4)
Bloody Painter (1) (2) (3)
KageKao (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
Jane Arkensaw
Jane Richardson
Judge Angels
Zachary Gibson (1) (2)
The Roadwalker
Sally Williams (1) (2)
Nina the Killer (1) (2)
Laughing Jack (1)
Photography
Liu Hodek
—Special Events' Headcanons:
Pride month special!
Valentine's Day special!
Bloody Painter’s Birthday!
Christmas special!
Quarantine kicking everyone’s ass.
—Angst Headcanons:
Emra
Toby finds out that his mother is Slenderman's daughter.
Candy Pop’s relation to his sexuality.
Jason the toymaker relation to his sexuality.
Candy Pop knowing that Jason hates him or finds him annoying.
What does Jason the toymaker or Laughing Jack thinks of Sally since they hate children?
Judge Angels discovering that her father was an Incubus and therefore she’s a cambion (half demon).
Judge Angels meeting her Incubus father.
Ticci Toby’s, Zachary Gibson’s, Jason’s, The rake’s, and Judge Angels’ conflicts when it comes to sex.
Eyeless Jack being able to smell blood and ends up finding out that his beloved is hurt but doesn’t want help.
Toby and Hoodie as dads.
Proxies finding out someone has been stalking/harassing their lover.
Aphasia as one of the symptoms of Slenderman’s sickness and how it affects his proxies.
Laughing Jack mental health and how he deals with loneliness.
Offenderman dealing with someone flirting with him without being under his spell.
Toby reencountering an old friend he had before Slenderman abducted him and finding out they were looking for him since he went missing.
—The ideal person to deal with___:
The X
Jason the toymaker
Candy Pop
The Puppeteer
Clockwork
—Fluff Headcanons:
How would Dr.Smiley react to his lover calling him handsome and that they love him?
What would Dr. Smiley's reaction to his lover drawing him?
Offenderman with his lover.
(General fluff) Slenderman
Slenderman with an autistic lover.
Slenderman with a partner that likes to play with his tentacles.
Slenderman with an autistic lover.
Offenderman and Laughing Jack with an autistic lover.
Jason the toymaker with his beloved.
Candy Pop with an autistic lover.
Jason the toymaker with an obsessive partner.
Candy Pop with his lover.
Jason the toymaker when he finds someone who also makes toys.
Kagekao teaching Japanese to his partner.
Masky/Tim taking care of his lover with migraines.
Jason the toymaker taking care of his lover with migraines.
The X speaking in Russian to his beloved.
Puppeteer with his partner/Bloody Painter with his partner.
Bloody Painter + Puppeteer + their lover.
What traits does Dr. Smiley look in a partner?
Emra with her lover.
Masky with a partner with Sensory processing disorder.
Hoodie with his lover.
Slender brothers as kids.
Ben drowned with a partner with social anxiety.
(General fluff) Clockwork.
(General fluff) Jane Arkensaw.
Liu Hodek with his lover.
Werewolf Masky with his beloved one.
Jason the toymaker as a (substitute) teacher.
Candy Pop as a teacher.
Jason with a depressed and insecure lover.
Candy Pop’s lover trying to get his mallet.
Judge Angels with a mom partner.
Brian/Hoodie with a sick lover.
Offenderman with a sweet and goofy lover.
Sally and Eyeless Jack having a sibling relationship.
Offenderman being awkward about falling in love instead of lust.
Offenderman with a lover that has intense emotions.
Judge Angels being a cupid during Valentine’s Day!
Jason with a lover that has anger issues.
Alex and Jay during a thunderstorm.
Dr. Smiley general fluff.
Bloody Painter with a male lover.
Bloody Painter with a blind lover.
Liu Hodek x Judge Angels
Offenderman comforting his sad lover.
Candy Pop with a lover that's often really cheery but will snap and become aggressive when mad.
Ben Drowned with a lover who loves seeing him play videogames and helps him with trivia/problems.
Offenderman x Kagekao
Kagekao with a lover who has never watched anime before.
Offenderman with an affection-starved lover.
Masky and Hoodie being Toby’s adoptive parents.
Dimitri (The X) dealing with a sensory overload partner.
Offenderman with a lover who doesn’t drink alcohol.
Puppeteer’s puppet collection.
Offenderman x Kagekao.
—SFW & NSFW Headcanons:
Jeff Hodek and Ben Drowned with a kinky goth s/o.
Eyeless Jack
Masky
Slenderman x Jeff Hodek
Offenderman x Kagekao
—Lime Headcanons:
Dr. Smiley's reaction to knowing his lover has Daddy and Kitten play kink.
The X and his tentacle kink.
Shiro x The X.
Spicy The X's headcanons.
Which of the slender brothers were the first one to lose their virginity?
Would Slenderman have a mouth?
—NSFW Headcanons:
Ben Drowned
Skully/Jay
Dr. Smiley
Laughing Jack (1) (2)
Clockwork
Jane Arkensaw
Jeff with a submissive lover.
The Rake
Candy Pop with a shy lover.
The Puppeteer
Slenderman
Puppeteer and Slenderman as a couple.
Hoodie x Ticci Toby
Bloody Painter x Tim
Slender brothers’ favorite kinks.
— Answering some specific questions from my Headcanon’s:
Why does Dr. Smiley like Science Fiction?
Why does Dr. Smiley hate teens?
Why does Puppeteer hate teens?
Would Bloody Painter and Clockwork get along because of their passion for art?
Does Slenderman have a mouth?
What do other demons think of Kagekao?
Which powers(’sickness’) each Slenderbro has?
—Creepypasta Fusions headcanons!
Liu Hodek + The Puppeteer
Candy Pop + Jason the toymaker
Clockwork + Photography
Dr. Smiley + Eyeless Jack
Ticci Toby + Ben Drowned
Offenderman + Laughing Jack
Emra Amelia + The Puppeteer
—A to Z - NSFW Headcanons:
The X
Ben Drowned
Eyeless Jack
Dr. Smiley
Ticci Toby
Slenderman
Splendorman
Trenderman
Offenderman
Jeff Hodek
Laughing Jack
Bloody Painter
Jason the toymaker
Kagekao
Jane Arkensaw
— Zoomorphic AU:
Jason the toymaker as a half-cat
Jason half cat sketches
—School AU:
Characters and their position list
— Revolutionary Cyberpunk AU:
Soon ~
—Some stuff I wrote:
Porcelain Walls (Candy Pop/Jason the toymaker One-Shot Fic)
Drunk Talk (Offenderman/Bartender!Reader One-Shot Fic)
—Headcanons with them all:
What emotion do they think is the strongest?
What book genre do like (most) to read?
What would their spirit animal be?
What are their favorite and least favorite food?
According to them, why do they kill?
Which of them are ticklish?
Which of them have dirty thoughts?
Which of them are more affectionate towards their lover?
Which of them flirts more towards their friend or partner?
Would they kill for love?
Which of them are more disgusted with life?
What do they do in their free time?
How much do they sleep?
Their strangest kinks.
They taking care of their sick lover.
Their favorites songs and bands/artists.
How do they ask/sign that they want to have sex with their lover?
What do they find about kids?
What do they find about teenagers?
Which of them would use acrylic nails?
Who are they in a classroom?
What do they think of people who wear a lot of piercings and tattoos?
What can make them cry?
What would they appreciate someone doing for them if they were sick?
Which of them are meme lords?
Which of them snores, heavy breathes or just looks dead when they sleep?
Do they prefer dogs, cats, or both?
Their nationality.
Which of them likes most to cuddle with their lover when going to sleep.
Their Harry Potter houses.
Their favorite season.
Which pastas like to paint their nails.
Which of them prefer foreplay rather than penetration during sex.
Creeps on a plane.
Do they cosplay? Or are they interested in it?
Which of them are most protective of their loved ones.
Creepypasta characters as Greek gods.
—Their reaction to:
Accidentally walking into someone taking a shower.
Their partner using kitty underwear when they are going to get laid.
Their lover having to study hard to a test.
Seeing their lover having a panic attack or being depressed.
Seeing anybody in a panic crisis.
Seeing a girl wearing a bikini.
Their best friend talking to a stranger.
Seeing a kid being bullied.
Kids fighting.
Walking into someone masturbating in the middle of the living room.
Seeing a stranger caressing their lover.
Someone else liking their “crush”.
Their partner’s TPM.
Their lover (who is from a different country) speaking their native language when tired/angry.
Finding their beloved’s dead body.
Finding their beloved’s dead body (but it was a prank.)
Their partner calling them “daddy/mommy” for the first time.
Their lover saying they love them for the first time.
Having a partner who is a Spirit/Ghost.
Their beloved who had their cat that ran away.
Knowing their best friend was hanging out with their best friend’s lover.
Knowing their lover would have to go through delicate surgery.
Their friends asking if they can sleep in their room because they had a nightmare.
Having sex for the first time.
Their lover getting scared during a thunderstorm.
Their partner feeling insecure about themselves from time to time and has alexithymia.
Someone setting a firework off in the house.
Liu showing up with a teacup-sized kitten saying that he’s gonna keep them.
Proxys finding out someone has been stalking/harassing their lover.
Their lover feeling cold.
Having a partner that wants to go into the military.
Finding out someone they thought was neutral, or even hated them, was actually looking out for them.
Discovering that Toby and Hoodie do drag secretly.
Seeing their s/o sad, tired, and done with everything.
(In a school) seeing a new student in their classroom.
Their lover being sad, tired, and done with everything.
A lover that smokes (cigarettes).
Waking up with changed sex.
A partner who is learning to speak another language.
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[MISC] Official texts on Lelouch & C.C.'s relationship
A compilation of excerpts from old magazines and illustration books (released somewhere around 2007-2008) that depict relationship of Lelouch and C.C. in character’s description, poem, monologue, etc. Source.
■ Graphics Zero Illustration Book
A contract between a witch and a devil.
The witch gives power to the devil, and is on the side of the devil.
The devil fulfills the witch’s wish, and is on the side of the witch.
People don't know the devil's anguish, only the witch knows.
People don't know the witch's loneliness, only the devil knows.
When the horizon is stained with blood and everything is changed
The contract between the devil and the witch does not change.
The devil is on the side of the witch, the witch is on the side of the devil.
■ Graphic Zero Illustration Book
The supernatural that grant the power of king GEASS. An immortal who will resuscitate even if her head is shot by a bullet - that is C.C..
Lelouch doesn’t know who C.C. is and where she comes from. Even though she has an appearance of a human, it’s uncertain whether she is part of mankind. While keeping a human appearance, she uses magical power upon others. In medieval Europe such being was called “witch”, and being feared of. The fear of unknown existence soon converted into aversion. It’s not hard to imagine that in the past years she has been exposed to people’s hatred and persecution.
That’s why she is happy. The unexpected word of gratitude from Lelouch. Even though it’s clumsy, but that’s precisely why his sincere feelings are conveyed. She wants Lelouch to call her “true name”. “C.C” is just a code name. “Witch” is also not C.C.’s name. “Only a human”, at the time when her tears are able to flow just like an ordinary girl, her “true name” is...
■ Lelouch’s monologue from Graphics Ashford Illustration Book
What’s with that woman! I thought her head was shot with a gun, but she was actually still alive. Rudely turned up at someone’s house and lived there. Saying unnecessary things to Nunnally...
When did we ‘promise to share the future’? We met only once, didn’t we?
She’s selfish, doesn’t listen to what other has to say, untidy, changes clothes in front of people, wanders around the school as she please. Why does she always eat pizza anyway? And she pays for them with my card! I'm reaching my limit!!!
Also at the school festival some times ago, because the world's biggest pizza ended in a failure, she was in bad mood and haughtily said "Do it all over again!" Who does she think she is?!
Sigh, there is no end talking about her bad points. Let's stop...
Well, I’m grateful. Thanks to this power she gave, Geass, my plan has been greatly ahead of schedule. She also saved my life. An indispensable existence... though her sense of clothes is the worst.
This is no good... I’m not making any sense. At times like this should I order pizza to feel better?
■ Megami Magazine April 2007 Issue
A witch in a human body that hides loneliness.
'C.C.' is not a human-like name. It might be like a curse for her.
No matter how deep her wounds are she would not die, an eternally young girl who cannot live in the same time as human.
Every time her name is called, she’s reminded of how different she’s from human.
Sometimes there are parts of C.C. that frowns upon her likeness to human.
And yet she also tinkers with the kiss shared between Shirley and Lelouch. Such act is far from being ‘humane’.
Perhaps the real C.C. is the one who drops tears of delight when Lelouch called her real name.
Perhaps that’s why she embraces Lelouch who killed Euphemia and comforts him.
From now on, it’s unknown what fate awaits Lelouch and C.C.
However, there is no doubt that C.C. is near Lelouch.
And rather than the contract, it would be because of her heart...
■ Newtype September 2007 Issue
When he signed a contract with the girl, the boy did not know anything.
The girl's loneliness. The fate he should live.
Every time he exercises the King's power, GEASS, that’s given by the girl.
His sins piled up, his dreams lost, his future closed.
Still, the boy burns to ambition. He can not turn back.
Only the girl knows everything.
Lelouch and C.C... Only two people in the world...
When they’re only one step further from achieving their goal
What hindered their path was his only best friend.
And so the boy and the girl became accomplices of the past and solitude.
Both the contract and the power of the king are different, each with its own intention.
Even if that feeling is a transient one...
■ Lelouch’s monologue from Code Geass Novel: R2 TURN-3. 1-Evolution, reinterpretation of their scene in Turn 15 (gif related).
I’m ‘too kind’? What stupid words!
Who's the one being ‘too kind’ here?
C.C., when you first made contract with me, you didn’t reveal anything. I was afraid that I was nothing more than a tool to end your eternal life. But now I know your weakness that differs you from the nun, the Code bearer from your past; you are too kind. No matter where you go, even when your body is immortal, your heart is still that of human. Whenever you make a contract, at first you have no feelings for your contractor. However after spending some time together with them, you change. As your heart longs for love the most, the girl longing for love would appear. You become confused, and finally come to conclusion: as long as the contractor grows to hate you*, they would leave you on their own. This way, you wouldn’t have to assign the same pain to them as the nun did to you. How stupid. You are really an idiot. Then why make contract? Wouldn’t it be meaningless? How could you have feelings for the person you intended to use?
Here’s one thing I can tell you clearly.
"Don’t underestimate me, C.C.!
Do you think I didn’t know your weakness?
Do you think I fell for your cheap ploys?
For being manipulated by you, do you think I would hate you?”
(then followed by "Don’t die while looking like that!” just like in the TV version.)
■ Lelouch’s monologue from Megami Magazine August 2008 Issue
Deprived of the power of immortality and returned to be an ordinary woman....
Even though we made a contract that says we’ll be together forever, are you leaving me alone, C.C.?
Though it certainly doesn’t feel bad to be called ‘Master’, but thinking about it now, folding the clothes you tossed wherever, paying for pizzas you ordered without permission, it actually never feels bad at all.
Is that C.C. no longer coming back?
■ Excerpt from Code Geass Novel: R2 TURN-4. 2-Truth, continuation of their conversation in Lelouch’s room in Turn 23.
‘I do not want to lose this man.’
Thought C.C. without any hesitancy. There’s a way for her not to lose him. However, he wouldn’t want to use this method, and even she... did not want to. Then what should she do? C.C. hadn’t come to understand the way of the world, even when she had lived for who knows how many years she still didn’t understand, had no way of knowing what is right and what is wrong, but she was sure of one thing. That he, the man named Lelouch Lamperouge, would not stop running toward death. He chose this path on his own will. He’s like a horse that couldn’t be stopped. She wanted to blame him, but couldn’t... She wanted to cry, but couldn’t.
So...
"Lelouch."
He said "Hm," in response.
"Do you remember, that time in Narita?"
C.C. asked a bit out of the blue, that Lelouch felt a little confused. "Why suddenly..."
She leaned on his back, then continued, "Why snow is white?"
There’s an instant blank, before Lelouch immediately answered, "Because it forgot its original color."
"Then do you remember, Lelouch? Your original color."
"Stupid question," he replied, finally back to his conceited tone. "I am me, I would never forget."
"Is that so..."
"What about you, C.C.? Do you remember your original color?"
"Who knows, but -"
"But?"
"At least right now, my color is your color, Lelouch."
Silence came. Then Lelouch laughed softly. "You selfish."
"Of course," she wanted to cry a little - but instead, her face revealed a smile from the bottom of her heart, "it’s because I’m C.C."
■ C.C.’s character description from guidebook Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 The Complete
When C.C. found Lelouch in Shinjuku, she gave him Geass to save him from a dire situation. To Lelouch who's devoted to fight for his desire and got intoxicated by the mighty power of Geass, C.C. declared, "You and I are accomplices." It is a self-defense measure born from her experience with Mao. Surprisingly, Lelouch kept respecting the position of an accomplice. C.C. was asked to act as his substitute or negotiator, but not even once she’s asked to act as his mother or lover. With Lelouch, C.C. learned the position of equal "partner" for the first time.
Lelouch who promised to make her wish comes true despite the unfair conditions, became a special existence for C.C. When C.C. was trying to protect him in exchange for her life, Lelouch hoped for her to live and repeatedly said "I will surely make you smile!". To answer his feelings, C.C. sealed her code and resisted Charles. She simply believed in Lelouch.
Her trust wasn’t betrayed. Even when she lost her memory, Lelouch's kindness to her didn’t change. Even when he was prepared to kill his beloved younger sister, he didn’t hold a grudge to her. Perhaps that is why C.C. is prepared to live for a long time. "Go quick, and then come back. You’re going to make me smile, right?" These are C.C.’s words to a partner she finally met after hundreds years, a powerful “promise”.
■ C.C.’s message for Lelouch from COMPLETE BEST: My Elegant Flower of Evil
At the beginning of everything, I should have warned you.
That the power of the king would isolate you.
You will lose your friends, differ from your childhood friend, and get betrayed by your subordinates.
Your parents will disappear from your sight, your siblings will disappear along with dew.
Oh, what a terrible toil.
How pitiful.
And now, this solitude is your only companion.
Nobody would want to embrace you who’s smeared in blood.
Many people have casted stones at you,
and as a retaliation, would you trample over them?
No one noticed the wailing you secretly let out in your heart at the time.
Oh, how pitiful you are. To the sight of you, my wound throbbed gently.
Now, you’re dear to me because you’re too pitiful.
Every time the piercing wounds on your tender heart increase,
why does my solitude get healed little by little?
The whole world is casting you with stones, showering you with insults.
That is something I have experienced from this world.
Without realizing, you take share of my solitude.
Without knowing, you feel hurt as you think of me, and shoulder my sins.
It’s as if you are a poisonous lycoris flower blooming from the graveyard.
Only I know of its elegance.
Note:
(*) In the novel, it’s explained that one of the reasons C.C. sent Lelouch into her memory (and not just him, but many of her past contractors) is to make them hate her by showing them that she would ultimately betray them just like the nun did her. That is, if they haven’t hated her yet for ruining their life by giving them Geass.
Visit Index for other translations of Code Geass materials.
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