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shadowshrike · 5 months

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The Curious Case of Halsin and Astarion's Ascension

For anyone who's occasionally poked around my stuff, you probably know that I found my Evil run of Baldur's Gate 3 (by which I mean my selfish run where I tried to gain as much power, wealth, and companion trust as I could) to be my most satisfying thus far. Part of that was the unique experience of having Halsin ask to join Tav and Astarion's relationship post-Ascension.

At the time, I said yes because it made sense for my character to "collect" an Archdruid. Out of character, I was tickled by the idea that Halsin confessed after Astarion became the new biggest bad in the land. Halsin was supposed to be a Good guy. Surely, either a possessive Astarion would be spitting mad about the arrangement, or Halsin would have second thoughts about Mr. Vampire Ascendent once he got a taste. I was ready for the drama.

It never came. In fact, the glimpses of their dynamic were so comfortable and playful that I was shocked.

Since then I've been doing a lot of thinking about Halsin and why he might act how he does throughout the Ascension storyline. I realize most of this can be handwaved with 'fanservicey romance writing.' That's true for parts of all romance paths, honestly, and I don't consider it a wholly bad thing given the game's goal to make you its center. However, I think being dismissive of the writing is not as much fun as building headcanons that work with any set of behaviors or lines you get.

So enjoy some theories pulled from datamined dialogue and my personal games. As always, this is completely hypothetical - I encourage everyone to write 'canon' in their personal playthroughs however they prefer.

Note: it's impossible to get all these lines in a single run due to some hinging on Astarion leaving and some may be bugged or near impossible to trigger. They're just being used to explore a character and dynamic that I don't see much of around fan spaces.

Halsin on the value of lives

To briefly set the stage, it's important to understand how Halsin views life and justice. He spells it out rather clearly if Kagha kills Arabella and her parents are also dead.

Halsin doesn't consider himself to be an arbiter of good and evil, only a steward of nature and its Balance. He highly values life. However, it's not him, the leader of the Grove, who is ultimately responsible for deciding Kagha's fate; it's the wronged parties or, barring that, nature itself who should decide her true punishment.

Halsin: As for the idol? It's nothing compared to a life. A mere object, next to one of nature's creations. I cannot absolve you, even if you are repentant. The girl's parents should have decided your fate, but they perished. Instead, nature will judge you. You are banished from this place - banished from everywhere the Oak Father's creations thrive.

But valuing the sanctity of life doesn't mean he doesn't also understand the importance of sacrifice. For example, if Wyll chooses his freedom over his father, Halsin counsels that it's a necessity to sacrifice to grow at times, no matter how unpleasant.

Halsin: You made a hard choice, Wyll. But not one that is unknown in nature. At times, a seedling must strangle the very tree that bore it, if it is to survive.

The price of 7000

So, Halsin's not a big fan of sacrificing life, yet understands that sometimes, people need to die for others to thrive.

But what about 7000 lives? A whole village worth?

That level of sacrifice sounds an awful lot like the day his life was destroyed by Ketheric and the Shadow Curse. A horrible event that haunted his every thought and deed for the next 100 years.

Within this context, it makes sense that all of his responses during the Ascension, whether Astarion does it or not, are focused on the price being paid. He usually emphasizes the sheer number of people affected and never discusses Astarion's potential evil (more on that later) or the undead nature of those lives.

Halsin: Stay your hand, Astarion. To sacrifice so many is a tyrant's ambition.

Halsin: All those lives snuffed out, just to grasp some power. That was craven - unnatural.

Halsin: Astarion resisted the allure of Cazador's would-be powers - and I am glad of it. Whatever he would have gained would have come at a great price.

The interesting part about this is, as an Archdruid of Silvanus, those undead lives should be considered an abomination. The Oath of Ancients oath break if you free the spawn reminds us of this. So Halsin's advice to save the spawn is not necessarily druidic advice - it is a personal opinion wrapped in flimsy druidic justifications.

He even recognizes undead as unnatural when you enter Cazador's home:

Halsin: A lair of undeath - most unnatural. We must tread carefully.

Yet about the spawn, who are undead and an intimate part of that unnaturalness, he says this about releasing them:

Halsin: Good - they deserve a chance at life. Nature will handle their fates from here.

Mercy for all monsters?

This is interesting to compare to another encounter with a smaller version of an eerily similar choice in Act III. The mindflayer in the Windmill - a person turned into a monster, much like a spawn. Allow it to live, and it may devour a family. In that case, Halsin says:

Halsin: We allowed this unnatural thing to live - now a whole family's worth of blood is on our hands.

He joins a host of other Good companions who curse themselves for showing mercy where it wasn't warranted. These are largely the same companions who would also save the spawn.

Karlach: This is our fault. These people died because of us. What were we thinking?

Wyll: Justice does not entail granting mercy to monsters. We should not have let this abomination go free.

Gale: A cruel conclusion to the mercy we showed, but hardly an unpredictable one. As long as it lives, so will its appetite.

The contradictory perspective taken during these two storylines shows the importance of emotional context in how we make decisions. For most, their traveling companion, who also has a tadpole, is the first vampire spawn they've ever met, while mindflayers have generally been the big evil this entire time. This could lead them to feel as though a horde of spawn may have enough humanity to need a chance, while a newborn Mindflayer should be exterminated on sight. Also, most of the other Good companions are relatively young and idealistic, so it makes sense that some may make foolhardy, heroic decisions.

But this encounter also begs the question: if these heroes are so distraught by having the blood of one family on their hands due to a single hungry mindflayer they saved, how could they justify letting 7000 starving monsters with unquenchable bloodlust free? Are they simply kind-hearted and short-sighted? Or maybe they're only optimistic about the hunger of vampire spawn, despite having personal examples of both a spawn and a mindflayer who manage their hunger equally ethically - by feeding on enemies and criminals.

Their naivety is driven home by Jaheira not being moved by the mindflayer or the spawn due to her extensive life experience. She believes in both cases that the greater mercy is to kill the creatures now.

(About the spawn) Jaheira: And what of the living they'll feast on, should they not prove as admirable as Astarion? They deserve a chance, too.

(About mindflayer) Jaheira: Look well. Our stupidity. Our price to pay.

Halsin is even older. He's a devout druid. He recognizes undead as unnatural. By all accounts, he should be on the same page as Jaheira to preserve the Balance. Yet in the face of that, he still advises to give the spawn a chance to live free, likely wreaking havoc wherever they need to feed.

I like to think this strange blind spot in his doctrine is due to a combination of Astarion's presence humanizing the unknown spawn, therefore making their unlives worthy of protection, and his own history as a genocide survivor creating an emotional reaction strong enough to override his usual wisdom. The price of a village is simply too devastating and personal for him to condone. No matter what letting 7000 ravenous undead free may mean.

Making the price worth it

Once you've ascended Astarion, you may be surprised that Halsin - generally a good man - is now steadfastly on Astarion's side. His reactions to the Gur conflict highlight this. If you side with Astarion against them, he's not happy, but resolute.

Halsin: An unfortunate battle... but I must stand by those I count as allies.

And if you decide Astarion is evil now and side with the Gur, Halsin doesn't seem to care about what Astarion has become, only that you allowed the sacrifice to happen and then let it go to waste:

Halsin: We allowed Astarion to sacrifice so many, only to just turn on him soon after? We should have stopped him sooner.

In contrast, many other companions call Ascended Astarion a monster, evil, or maniacal if you turn on him. They believe killing him at that point was the only right answer.

Karlach: It's done. It had to be done. Astarion was... out of control. Gods dammit. Look, he was an evil leech, but he was ours. I thought he'd changed. I was wrong. I always am these days.

Minsc: Do not mourn Astarion. The Gur are known to be a just and righteous people among the Rashemaar. They named Astarion monster, and so monster he was. Yes, Boo - even if he sometimes seemed a friend.

Gale: That's one scourge eliminated. A vampire with that much power would be a death sentence for this city. A pity Astarion didn't understand that. Or rather, didn't care.

Lae'zel: Astarion proved himself no less maniacal than his master. His death was a favour - to him, to us, and to the city.

Wyll: Hunt the monsters of the Sword Coast, protect the people - that was my promise. Killing Astarion was the right thing to do. I have to believe that. But I'm not proud of it. Not after... all this.

Ignoring Astarion's evil and telling you that you shouldn't have betrayed him may seem odd for a character who usually has a strong moral compass. Especially since Halsin doesn't tell you that you shouldn't have betrayed Shadowheart if you choose that path, though he's wary of that decision since you're handing her over to Sharrans. However, if Halsin's focus is on the 7000 lives and not on Astarion's personal kindness or cruelty, it makes more sense.

The people are gone. There is no taking back all those lost. So he's left with the need to make their sacrifice something other than a meaningless slaughter. The power for his companion must be worth it.

Halsin on Evil Astarion

You may be thinking, "Okay, but even if it's all about the mass sacrifice mimicking his own horrific past, shouldn't he still care about Astarion being Evil? He doesn't like evil acts at all!"

That's mostly true. Halsin certainly hates Shar for personal reasons and can get upset when you do cruel things. However, he's also potentially had a bit of a soft spot for Astarion since Act I, when you can decide the vampire spawn is evil and kill him or kick him out of camp.

His lines for this are actually shared with Karlach, Wyll, and Jaheira, according to the data. The uniqueness is primarily in his distraught line delivery.

If you kill Astarion, Halsin admits that he liked the guy even though he was a killer:

Halsin: Rest in peace, Astarion. You may have been a blood-thirsty murderer, but I liked you all the same.

And if you send him away, Halsin says this about Astarion being alone in the woods:

Halsin: He's someone else's problem now, anyway. Woods are full of boars. Maybe he'll learn his lesson and start hunting something that won't miss him when he goes.

His camp reactions immediately after Ascension mirror this attitude of concern rather than condemnation of evil. If Halsin speaks directly to Astarion, he sounds exasperated (the way Halsin says his name always makes me snicker) while Halsin once again brings up the idea of the price being paid.

Halsin: Astarion... you have ascended amongst the ranks of the undead. I can only hope that you do not come to regret the price that you paid.

However, the almost identical line if he's talking to another player character is delivered differently, particularly in how he says Astarion's name. It's more concerned than judgmental, implying that his frustration with Astarion is coming from a place of worry rather than pure anger.

Halsin: Astarion... he has ascended amongst the ranks of the undead. I can only hope that he does not come to regret the price that he paid.

This is particularly notable because it's in contrast to Shadowheart, who has a very similar line after her evil choice, but the emotion behind both sounds more similar to my ear.

After that initial comment, Halsin can banter with Ascended Astarion about how he's turned the player into a vampire spawn if there's a player romance. Unlike most of the other companions who can comment, such as Wyll and Gale, he expresses worry for both of them, not just the player. He also explicitly explains he has no intention of kink-shaming them, just warns about how dangerous having a master/thrall relationship can be if made real.

Halsin: To give oneself wholly, and to have a lover totally in your thrall...? A harmless game, until it becomes real. I worry for the two of you, Astarion. For your sake, I hope some of it is just a fantasy, deep in your heart.

But perhaps the most blatantly accepting we see him of Ascended Astarion is if they go to the Drow twins together. There are always some playful lines with one another if they're both present, but one is unique to Ascension if the player bites Halsin as a spawn during the scene. Halsin's response is light and delighted, acknowledging Astarion's role as not just a vampire, but the lead in your new relationship.

Halsin: Ha - tickles. See what a bad influence you are, Astarion?

Combine with Halsin's direct propositioning of Astarion if Astarion teases him about his night with the player, and there's a case for long-held attraction as well, regardless of alignment.

Astarion: I hear things got wild between you two. I hope no one was too badly mauled. Halsin: We're all in one piece. Perhaps you'll join us next time. Astarion: It's bad enough having one person with fangs trying to keep control of themselves. Two of us could be dangerous.

All these lines, taken together during times when others label Astarion a monster, suggest that Halsin accepts Astarion as a whole. He doesn't believe in trying to change people's nature, so maybe he sees any distasteful deeds as part of Astarion's, the same as an owlbear cub eating its mother might disgust some though it is completely natural.

It makes sense, then, that Halsin might be proud of Astarion for choosing morality or personal growth, but he isn't too bothered if that doesn't happen either. What line Astarion would have to cross to earn Halsin's true ire is unknown. The reverse is a much more complicated question (mostly because it's plausible that many of Astarion's lines are rooted in deception) that I may delve into another time.

Is this whole relationship a little ironic given that Halsin is The Selfless Good Druid and Astarion is The Selfish Evil Undead? Absolutely. But that's the fun of it, in my opinion. It adds depth to these characters in ways that rarely shine through during a singular playthrough, especially since very few will do the crazy thing I did with an Ascended Astarion + Halsin romance.

It sure makes for narrative fun, though.

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #halsin #ascended astarion #halstarion #analysis

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least-carpet · 4 months

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No, no, but now I want to read your ideas about how wwx is set to an implosion in 1-3 years. How do you get him there? In canon, he needed jyl's death, the wen siblings death, the world against him

Another neglected anon! Sorry for the late response and happy new year!

I actually think what we saw in terms of Wei Wuxian's devolution after Jiang Yanli's death qualifies as an explosion rather than an implosion, i.e. the force was directed outwards from the centre and killed whoever was in the blast radius. I don't think he'll do that.

I do think we see him implode earlier than that though, in the post-war period, where he drinks excessively (to the point that Wen Qing comments on it), he's unreliable, his moods are volatile, he self-isolates, etc.

To be fair, a certain amount of this is related to not having a golden core and practising demonic cultivation. However, I also tend to read it as a reaction to his war trauma, since self-medicating is a pretty normal response to surviving horrifying events?

Let me be clear that I don't think he always used alcohol like this—I think his partying as a teenager became a problem in adulthood. I think that was always a risk for him for a variety of reasons (we know that he survived becoming a homeless orphan and doesn't remember big chunks of his childhood, which tends to indicate trauma) but I don't think we see it happen until after the war, during which he saw and did some buckwild shit. I also don't know that he ever developed a physical dependence on alcohol, just that his post-war alcohol use looks pretty dysfunctional given its context and all the other choices he was making.

So. Given what we know about:

his behaviour in the post-war period;

his behaviour immediately post-resurrection, specifically that we see him desperately trying to avoid people, places, and situations that make him remember traumatic events from his first life;

his partner, specifically that Lan Wangji doesn't have a real barometer for what "normal" drinking looks like, and also has a tendency to enable Wei Wuxian;

where his partner lives, the extremely calm and controlled Cloud Recesses, where everything is on a strict schedule, therefore predictable and regular, and many activities Wei Wuxian likes are just not allowed—

We have a scenario where a person who thrives in exciting situations and likes working under pressure is living in place that is quiet, regular, and predictable. He is not supposed to drink there, but has a spouse who's willing to smuggle in as much alcohol as he wants. He has thus far throughout the story distracted himself from processing a long series of very traumatic events, and has only been willing to be in relationship with people who can't or won't hold him accountable. All of those feelings are waiting to explode out of the closet he's stuffed them in and fall on his head. And now he's often in a place where there's nothing fun to do...

Like, I think that it might take a minute, since the euphoria of new love will at least provide, you know, some positive feelings, which are their own distraction. (Plus all the sex! And night-hunting!) And Lan Wangji has many qualities that make him a real support to Wei Wuxian, and that might get him through that inevitable post-honeymoon period of quiet where all his feelings pop out and come for him. But I don't think that's going to be a fun experience for anyone?

TL;DR I think eventually he will have to stop running away and actually think about what he's lost, and we know what he does with Bad Feelings he doesn't want (excessive drinking, avoidance, withdrawal from loved ones). Grief and shame are gonna get you every time!

#anon asks #wei wuxian #lan wangji #wangxian #mdzs +#least-carpet thoughts #asks

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thecreaturecodex · 11 months

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What's your options on bugbears in Golorian being all serial killers or atleast obsessed with fear? I think that has room for, improvement. Definitely feels weird for them though.

I love it.

It's one of my favorite lore changes between D&D and Pathfinder. It makes bugbears feel less like "goblin, but giant". And Paizo has made it clear that some goblins mutate and just grow to Medium size, so you can have giant goblins if you want 'em.

@monstersdownthepath suggested that bugbears have a demonic taint to them. Despite their CE nature, I'd suggest sahkils instead. Bugbears are the Fear of Marauders, of Banditry, of Murder. Only they're mortal. But I bet a lot of their souls end up in Xilbaba when they die.

I imagine that small groups of bugbears are somewhere between bandit gangs and terrorist cells, roaming around and striking for maximum psychological impact as much as to get material goods. Larger communities would be like Halloweentown, only much less friendly. With running competitions for "most blood drained in a single evening". And adopting more terrible monsters into their numbers as Honorary Bugbears. Life's no fun without a good scare! If the Thing Hiding Under Your Stairs and The Shadow on the Moon At Night really wanted to kill you, and then looted your supplies and took over your village until the well runs dry or next year's crop doesn't plant itself. That's a bugbear clan.

I also love the implication in Ironfang Invasion, through characters like Scarvinious and Scabvistin (great naming convention too, IMO), that some, but not all, bugbears are envious of hobgoblins. They like the idea of civilization, of order and rigidity. And so they enlist. And because of their strength and power, they can succeed. If they "beat the bear" out, in Scabvistin's words.

So if you want to give bugbears another hook, here's my alternate, but not necessarily incompatible take. They're brood parasites. Because what's scarier than a baby that's not yours taking over your life?

We know that in Pathfinder canon, goblins and hobgoblins are both communal breeders (thanks to nursery locations in both Rise of the Runelords and Jade Regent). A mother bugbear sneaks into a goblin creche and leaves her baby behind, after killing one of the young and either eating it themselves or feeding it to Junior. The somewhat addlepated and mutation-prone goblins won't notice or mind a slightly hairier infant, right? And then the bugbear baby takes more than its fair share of resources, maybe knocks off a few of the other kids, and then either leaves the goblin colony at a young age in order to find more bugbears, or stays and muscles his way into a leadership position.

Doing the same to a hobgoblin community is riskier. The hobgoblins are much more in tune and observant. But in this case, it becomes more of a mutualistic relationship that could tip into parasitism on either end. Maybe the bugbear can get along in the hobgoblin village by learning discipline, or be content with the role of scavenger or brute. Or the bugbear could try to take over, if the hobgoblins are weak. And if the bugbear doesn't have the resources to survive and thrive, the hobgoblins send them off on a suicide mission.

And even though they only rely on other goblinoids for raising their young...most of the time, there are rumors that they do this to other peoples. Even if it happens once in a hundred years, everyone will know the story of how the Munson boy got very hairy and very big very quickly, and then slaughtered and spit-roasted the family dog when he was only 4? That kind of fear keeps the bugbears powerful. And makes the bugbears very happy.

#bugbear #pathfinder rpg #pathfinder 1e #pathfinder 2e #D&D #goblin #hobgoblin #goblinoid #ecology #brood parasite #plot hooks #did you hear the news about eddie munson?#could have been a werewolf of how keen his nose was and how big his sideburns grew #and then he burned down the family house and disappeared on his eighth birthday #you can still hear his laughin on the anniversary of that night #go to the ruins of the ol munson house if you don't believe me

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yanxidarlings · 4 months

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YANDERE POLY BROMIGOS HEADCANONS (ftwd)

because i took a break from ftwd at season 3 and i'm not confident enough to write for twd yet but i want angst and misery and want i it now

to refresh your memory the "bromigos" are brandon's group (brandon luke, derek, james mcallister, chris manawa) from season 2 that got chris killed. What can I say I like POS minor characters 🤡

BUT let's just say, hypothetically, instead of putting James down, they chuck him in the back of the truck and jus say "if he bleeds out he bleeds out if he doesn't he doesn't", but chris still crashes the truck and darling is there to prevent everyone's deaths 😮

• maybe the darling had followed travis and chris from madison's group or maybe they were apart of brandon's group. heck, they could even have been staying with the mexican guy at the farm. either way, they convince the others to spare the bullet and let nature take it's course with james.

• so the group packs up the truck and sets off. eventually chris gets his turn driving and that's when it all goes to shit. the vehicle smashes in a tree, flipping on it's side in the process, brandon and derek get out with pretty minor injuries, cuts to the head and a sprained wrist.

• james and chris on the other hand are doing pretty bad. on with shards of glass in his leg and the bone sticking out, the other with his gunshot wound worsened by the impact. the darling came out with a small concussion, having been in the back with james.

"look at them!, they're as good as dead. they'll be nothing but extra weight on us" brandon pointed his shotgun at james's head, ignoring the others plea's for mercy. m/n shot the other a sharp glare, raising his brows "oh. i get it" he sighed, lowering his pistol, "so if you were also injured you would hold up the same principle?"

"i'm not injured and since when have you been in char-" BANG. before brandon could finish his sentance, a loud crack sounded. and he was on the ground, his calf now covered in blood. "what the fuck man" "oh look there, derek, he's deadweight now, should we put him down?" m/n quipped, turning towards the only other uninjured member of the group, who was staring at him wide-eyed.

• shooting brandon might not have been the best decision in the long run, as walkers were slowly making their way towards the scene. derek was forced to help james and brandon hobble their way back to the farm - or the closest functioning vehicle. whilst m/n found a piece of tarp and dragged chris along on it.

• out of all of them, brandon hated m/n the most. who does he think he is? but he was also kind of weirdly attracted to the guy. if they weren't in the middle of an apocalypse he'd never even consider what he was nor would he find another male attractive. he'd used to make fun of the gay kids in highschool!

• but it's not like there are many options these days. at some point he tells the reader this, but all that came out of it was a concussion from the slap he received.

• his growing fondness evolved into obsession as the weeks go by and he begins to realise how much of an asset to the group the reader really is. he's the kind of person that would survive and thrive in this world, so much so that other survivors are going to want to steal him away from the group. like hell brandons going to let that happen.

• he used to think the other three were a bunch of gay sissy's, but now he too constantly grills the reader when he tries to go on runs, spends too much time alone or interacts with another survivor.

• after the whole crash fiasco, derek is straight up terrified of m/n. and is of the belief that he would belong in a mental hospital if society hadn't collapsed. as the only other uninjured member of the group, he's forced to take up alot of the slack. he goes on runs with and helps m/n secure the farm, he believes he's much closer to the reader because of this. which is what kickstarts his obsession.

• derek is under the belief that he's m/n's favourite of the group, otherwise he would have shot him as well, right? he does some mental gymnastics which arrive him at the assumption that m/n is definitely into him.

• wouldn't usually be his thing but nor would shooting people. the apocalypse changes you. so he kinda just starts.. acting like he's much closer to the reader than he actually is. mf takes his shirt off whilst on a run, thinking he's doing m/n a service.

• "put a shirt on" "it's boiling out here bro" "you might as well write walker bait on there"

• honestly james was into m/n after one look. it only got worse when he was saved from being put down twice. like derek he is fully under the impression that the reader is into him. but is much less subtle (if you could call derek's approach subtle).

• whenever m/n is attending to his wound, james is shamelessly flirting. and then he wonders why the reader is being less gentle when reapplying the gauze. he exaggerates his condition to the reader and is constantly demanding something "you couldn't look for something to drink when your out there? i'd share some with you ;)"

• when his injury starts to heal he only comes on more strong; unprompted 'bro hugs' (m/n could probably press charges), jumping on m/n during the middle of the night (and getting mistaken for a walker 😵), 'sharing' a piece of chocolate m/n brought him (the busted lip took two weeks to heal)

• but he takes it all in relative stride, and thinks m/n has some underlying psychological issues that need to be addressed.

• chris thinks m/n should have just killed the other three so it could just be the two of them. he hates sharing the readers attention with literally anything and anyone. but he's not exactly in a position to get rid of them, as the most injured out of the bunch.

• whilst he starts off as just possessive, as he gets more mobile and more obsessed with the darling, he becomes overwhelmingly violent. towards the others, towards the darling. he can't stand being rejected, and whilst the other three kind of just laugh the readers blatant disgust with their advances off, chris won't stand for it.

• "do you think your better than me?" chris jumps to the worst conclusions when m/n won't lay next to him, ect. you're planning on abandoning me just like my dad did, you're just using me to find your family, you're a sadistic piece of shit. he swings between shyly and violently affectionate, leaving m/n on the edge.

• out of all of them, chris is the quickest to go full-blown yandere. like brandon he becomes abhorrently possessive of m/n, knowing that there are probably better options out there for him.

• the only thing that keeps them, or chris and brandon, from killing everyone else in the group, is the knowledge that they have an advantage in numbers. brandon is well aware m/n could probably kill him 1 v 1 but 4 v 1 and m/n's chances of escaping are pretty slim.

• but just because they have silently agreed not to kill each other does not mean they have an active agreement. sure if they catch m/n trying to escape they'll break his arm but does anyone have a specific day they get to spend with him and is there any official relationship between m/n and any of them? not that m/n knows of.

• but it's not like any of them take no for an answer, no matter how many times they come onto him and get wrecked rejected they just go back stronger the next time. as a bunch of hormonal young men in the middle of mexico with no one else in sight the reader is kind of fucked here.

• now is the reader in any particular danger with this group? just a lil bit. nowhere near as much as other survivors they come across are. doesn't matter if m/n is compassionate and offers to take them in, he'll find them as walkers in the barn the next day.

• BUT on the brightside when it comes to decision making for the groups well being, you, dear reader, have the final say. they reluctantly recognise that they owe their livelihood to the reader for knowing a questionable amount of survival knowledge.

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shen-daozhang · 1 month

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ooh i saw your tags in the post about ppl hating female characters for the same things they love about male characters, and i thought about sqt vs jgy, so i wonder what you think about both of them! (if you feel like answering! it's not like a 1:1 comparison)

*vibrating* Yea I like those characters a normal amount why do you ask!! (Also I had a super busy week at work and I kept thinking about this ask and monologuing about it in my head, so thank you for the enrichment in my enclosure)

(very messy thoughts incoming!)

Ngl, I never considered how they are similar until this ask, and there are a lot of ways that they are! A background that includes abuse, being seen as less-than for the circumstances of their birth (SQT as a Butterfly Boned Beauty Feast, JGY as an illegitimate son of a sex worker), both gravitate towards powerful men to protect themselves, both are navigating the confines of society trying to move upwards, again, in order to protect themselves. Also both use torture (or at least the 0.5 timeline SQT does)! So that's a fun little similarity.

Now, a big difference is there is the element of revenge in JGY's actions on top of the base need to survive (and a desire to thrive in a world that looks down on you), and I think considering his intelligence he would have gotten away with his plans if not for the completely buckwild re-introduction of WWX back into the plot after his death. I personally think SQT is just focused on survival, and even when she is cruel to Chu Wanning in the 0.5 timeline, I believe she does so because considering TXJ's own treatment of CWN she thinks that is want he wants, and doing so will improve her standing with him (which, sidebar, I am always floored by people who hate on SQT for hurting CWN while they woobify TXJ). Her accusation of Ye Wangxi is only done in an attempt to survive, and I think should be viewed in the lens of the danger that Mo Ran's planted evidence places her in - she's a known Beauty Feast and you know in the world of Erha the second she is out from the protection of Nangong Si her life is likely literally over.

SQT is also just not as smart as JGY, which isn't a slight towards her, JGY is obviously brilliant on many fronts. But I think there is an element of SQT batting above her level, and that leads to her downfall in both timelines. Another glaring similarity is the fandom reaction to them and their actions being a smidge... shall I kick the hornets nest and say hypocritical especially when compared to the actions of the main character? Or other characters in the story who get woobified? (I will also throw Ye Bingchang from Till the End of the Moon into this category). At the end of the day, they are people who are just trying to survive in a deeply messed up world in the only way they know how. Now! Are they both innocent of any wrong-doing because of this? Of course not! That's what makes them interesting and why I gravitate towards these types of characters. The TL;DR: of this is essentially, "people doing fucked up stuff to survive in a world where you have to do fucked up things to survive? It's more likely than you think!"

I will say the fandom's feelings towards JGY has chilled a bit lately, but people were nasty towards him back in the day. Unfortunately, people still are towards SQT and I don't see that changing. I actually ended up including her in my 0.5 fic because I was tired of seeing fics that she either didn't appear at all OR was killed off in a way that was obviously done with malice on behalf of the author. Now she uh doesn't meet a happy end in either of my fics where she features but she's actually a character I really enjoyed writing, and I hope I did it with some sense of sympathy.

There was more I wanted to say but this is already long so I shall post this before it withers further in my drafts! <3

Also gonna link my own fics in case anyone is curious since I mentioned them. SQT appears as a character in this one here - my take on "hanahaki but worse" which has a sad ending - and her death is an inciting incident in this one, an AU where Chu Wanning is the one who got the flower and has become a zealot trying to cleanse the cultivation world (a WIP but I will finish it!).

#jin guangyao #meng yao #song qiutong

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stagred · 3 months

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MEDIA THAT INSPIRES MY VERSION OF ALASTOR!

Shawshank Redemption: Andy Dufresne. The themes of accepting your fate. Man imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit becomes a criminal to survive in prison, but still suffers immensely and makes close and passionate friends. Realizes that prison is where he thrives, yet craves freedom and spends nearly 20 years fighting for it

Candyman: Tony Todd's portrayal. Powerful, terrifying eldritch being. Tall, handsome, well dressed, eloquent. In a moment where bees are swarming in his mouth, he kisses the heroine with such divine passion that you almost forget the horror. But also themes of Black suffering, exacting revenge because you need to, not because you want to. Romance as a detriment, a disadvantage, not something to fight for.

SE7EN: Violent and creative crimes committed to force attrition. Embodying sin and punishing it. "People these days, you cant just tap them on the shoulder anymore. You have to hit them over the head with a sledgehammer. And then you'll find… you have their strict attention." Neon crosses, sex and debauchery, the underbelly of a city. The unnamed city that doesn't exist, but everyone can identify. "Mankind is good, and worth fighting for. I agree with the second part."

We Happy Few: Using happiness and suppression to hide your trauma. Attacking those who don't conform. The sinister fear behind every over-stretched smile. 60s vibes, but forever tainted by 30s and 40s events because the people never moved onward. Muttering to oneself in mourning of the memories you cant remember forgetting.

Bioshock: "No gods or kings, only man." Freedom of expression, but a violent hatred of the beings who control it regardless of the context they're in, like religion and education. Sander Cohen. Art at any cost. Transformation, puppets on strings, playing your part on a stage and diverting from the script. The neon glow of the 60s nightlife, but waterlogged and destroyed by time.

It Follows: A creeping monster that can only walk, but will never stop. Pass it on through acts of sex and debauchery. Vibrant red blood in a glowing blue pool from an entity you can't even see that you injured.

Matilda The Musical: Agatha Trunchbull. "The Smell Of Rebellion." Hatred of those weaker than you to an almost comical degree. Cleverness and loopholes in rules. Hurting people back, because why should you be the bigger person? "A contract is a contract is a contract!"

Carrie The Musical: Voice breaking during emotional numbers. "Eve Was Weak." Religious trauma manifesting physically. Covered in blood and surrounded by fire. "Mother was right."

The Shining: All work and no play makes Alastor a dull boy. Being held hostage by the narrative, regardless of if you're doomed by it. Blood cascading through the halls. "I'm not gonna hurt you… I'm just gonna bash your fucking brains in!" The empty ballroom, the bartender who isn't there.

The Green Mile: Killing a miracle. Percy Wetmore. Burning people alive just to see what might happen. Weeping as you sing "Cheek To Cheek" and face the reaper. Clutching the bodies of two little girls and crying to the heavens because it isn't fucking fair.

The Black Phone: The masks. "It's his favorite game: good boy, bad boy." The phone that doesn't work, and the calls that keep coming in. Little boys floating in the air, throats slit, begging for help. Jesus as a deity to worship for divination. The entire kitchen scene. (CW for child abuse)

Coraline: Forced smiles. Eating bugs like candy. "He pulled a looooong face, and Mother didn't like that." The Other Mother. "She'd love something to eat. / Mothers don't eat… daughters. / I dunno. how do you taste?" Watching victims through the dolls.

Welcome To Night Vale: The specific sense of melancholy and nostalgia that just listening to the podcast inflicts upon the listener. The radio host as the protector of the city.

The Princess and the Frog: Facilier. Friends on the other side. Voodoo in all its forms. "Fun thing about voodoo, Larry. Can't conjure a thing for myself."

#📻 alastor; headcanon.

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thoughtfulfoxllama · 7 months

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I kinda struggle with the "Family Proclamation," but not in the way most people do

"By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families." It's a small thing, and when I see quotes from the Proclamation, it skips this part over. But I can't

I'm left wondering "what's wrong with me." I want to be a good Father, and a good Priesthood Holder (neither of which I had growing up), but I want to be the parent staying home. Me & my wife discuss, and we go back & forth on this issue, but we won't even have kids for a few years. It shouldn't be an issue then, but it is

I love cleaning the house, making dinner, and all those those activities that would've been called "women's work" in the savage ages. I have trouble holding down a job, no matter how much I like it (in fact, I try harder when I dislike it, for some reason). And this leads me to ask "how can God love me as much as other people, when he made them according to his divine design, but makes me against it." It's like when I realized I was attracted to my best friend (who was also AMaB), and wondered why God made me that way

It's kind of a stupid thing to get hung up on. I was able to keep my testimony from the worst slander the Baptists could throw at me (and I mean dig deep for stuff like "Adam-God" or "Blood Atonement"), from my own discovery of bisexuality, from my Liberal politics, from literally being told I couldn't go to the Celestial Kingdom because I didn't want to be sealed to my abusive mother (fun fact, I first met my wife when I was crying about that particular gem), but I struggle with this!? And I still believe the Book of Mormon is true, and Joseph Smith was a Prophet (as well as Brigham & having the Apostolic Authority, reinforced by the Savior visiting Lorenzo Snow). So, is this a case of God wanting me to suffer, or the Church getting it wrong?

And there's ways around it. My wife says we fall under "Disability, death, or other circumstances," which "may necessitate individual adaptation" (I have ADHD, Autism (which is just self diagnosed for now), and Depression). My father says I'm "providing for the necessities by making sure my wife is able to not worry about home." Both, while possibly true, just don't strike with me. But why can't I accept them!?

Whatever the answer, I hold on to the Testimony I have, that men are that they might have joy. Not joy in some far off future, but here and now. That we are called to build Zion, and I will do my part (even if the part of Zion I'm called to is only found in my home. Or even if it's across the world). That the Savior is my perfect example, whether I stay at home, or go abroad

But, I'm hoping for an answer sooner rather than later. Obviously, I'm looking for Work (Amazon is firing me because their Health Leave policy is crap, and they should obviously make a guy who is regularly passing out work but heavy machinery that has killed people before), because damn it, I don't want my kids to survive, but thrive. I'll work as much as I can to save up for them, and for mine & my wife's retirement. But if we ultimately decide, when we have them, that I'll be the parent staying home with the kids, I don't want to be constantly consumed with thoughts that I'm defying God's will

(And I do understand how heartless this may sound to the Queer Mormon Community. I'm in a Straight passing marriage (to someone I'm actually attracted to), and will hopefully have kids one day. In the Church where we're constantly told that's the ideal. I am not trying to be whiny, or take attention from the issue of Queerphobia in the Church, because it is an issue, and people are obviously struggling more than me. I hope it doesn't come across like I'm entitled or trying to say I'm suffering on the same level as some other people. I'm sorry if it does, and I'll do better next time)

#mormon #lds #tumblrstake #queerstake #family proclamation #lds family #stay at home husband

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lewis-winters · 1 year

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If Easy Company is in a Zombie Apocalypse, what would be their choice of weapon and how will they fight?

1. Dick Winters

2. Lewis Nixon

3. Harry Welsh

4. Ronald Speirs

5. Carwood Lipton

6. Buck Compton

7. Don Malarkey

8. Joe Toye

9. Joe Liebgott

10. David Webster

Uhhhhhh last zombie media I consumed was Last of Us and there wasn't really much? zombie fighting in it (bc the focus was on the human condition)? so I am... gonna valiantly try.

1) Dick Winters - I mean. The man wants to be in control at all times. He has multiple weapons for sure. Rifle, of course, classic. But he has multiple knives hidden on his person and an emergency pistol in his belt. He probably prefers the knives + stealth, though, especially if zombies are attracted to sound. If he can kill quietly and quickly, he will. But he just strikes me as the kinda person who just. Would avoid places like cities or crowded towns in the first place and be very strategic about where they'd go? Sure, it's inevitable that you'd run into some festering, shambling corpse somewhere while hunting for supplies but if he has a choice, he will look for the road of least resistance. Even if it'll take twice as long.

2) Lewis Nixon - man's still alive? Dude, the boy has no will to live as it is. He barely survived the first wave by the skin of his teeth. Probably missing a hand after he got bit and Dick refused to watch him turn or murder him. Lewis did not fire a single bullet during the war what makes you think he'd be the same now? He has a knife. That's it. He barely knows how to use it, doesn't want to use it. When in the thick of an attack with the group, he's always in the middle, surrounded by the others, or at the back, where he's most protected. It's a group choice, because he's better at logistics and keeping everyone together. His whole mind is a map, he knows where they'd be safest for a time. Really good at sweet talking and trading with other groups too. He spends half the apocalypse drunk as all hell, but he's otherwise useful. When alone vs. zombies, he'd rather take his chances running.

3) Harry Welsh - something you can find in a gardening shed, probably. A machete? Or a pair of gardening sheers? something that, when you look at it, reminds you of home and is in great juxtaposition to all the gore dripping from it. maybe even a kitchen knife. or, if you want something really fun, a fireplace poker? or the body of a lamp. those long thin iron ones with a strong metal base? sans bulb and shade, dripping gore everywhere. he swings things around aimlessly, whatever gets caught in his path is an unlucky son of a bitch. there's a method to the madness, of course, but... well. even he doesn't know what it is just yet.

4) Ronald Speirs - my dude was in a military base when shit went down, buddy's in a TANK. ok, I kid, but yeah. Rifle. and various pistols........ lowkey? could see him as one of those. end-of-the-world conspiracy theorists pre-apocalypse, who was very much vindicated when the dead started to rise. man is THRIVING in this apocalypse, because he's a weirdo like that.

5) Carwood Lipton - huh. probably a repurposed javelin or something? i hesitate to say sword, because he's doesn't strike me as the sword type, but he definitely strikes me as a 'hit something very hard until the head caves in' kinda guy? or tbh just something boring and reliable, like a sawed off shot gun. he has only a limited number of bullets, so he's not gonna be using it a lot. I imagine when it's manageable, he's using the OH I KNOW. HE HAS AN AXE. YES. boy's from virginia he's a lumberjack for SURE. and that was the first thing he picked up the second the hordes started advancing. he uses the axe when it's manageable, but when the going gets tough, he gets everyone behind him and goes to take out as many as he can with his shotgun. but he works best with a team who has multiple other weapons, for sure. i could imagine him taking the forefront, whacking some zombies, and trusting explicitly those behind him who're offering support thru gun power, not to accidentally shoot him with a stray bullet while he's taking down zombies close range. it takes a lot of trust to do this, I feel. and he has a lot of it. maybe too much.

6) Buck Compton - BASEBALL BAT WRAPPED IN BARBED WIRE. NEED I SAY MORE. probably has a few grenades on him as well that he scrounged up. he's got a wicked aim.

7) Don Malarkey - man's still alive? he's barely holding on. he had a gun, but they took it away because they feared he was getting suicidal. he gets something back later on, maybe a revolver, but only a limited amount of bullets. he has a small k-bar knife. but that's about it. sometimes, a very primal rage takes over him, and he can do some damage with just his bare hands, but those moments grow fewer and farther between the more they go on. ya know? life's hard in the apocalypse. before all that of course, he used to be real good at mixing gunpowders and making home made pipe bombs. but ever since skip died. well.

8) Joe Toye - mans has a SWORD and you fucking KNOW IT. it can be anything your heart wants. a katana? sure! a broad sword? whatever you say goes babey! a fucking... claymore? YES!! ALRIGHT!!!! I'm too enthusiastic about this bc I am not above admitting I find Joe's arms hot. all I'm saying is those arms? made to swing around a sword. yes they are. and he's a fucking pro at it too, you just know he is. i dunno if he has his amputation before, or during the end of the world, but both paths have many implications to them, and they'd be interesting to explore.

9) Joe Liebgott - SO FUN FACT ROSS MCCALL WAS ACTUALLY IN FEAR THE WALKING DEAD his character gets shot and killed by Marines and then he turns into a zombie. poor guy got his throat slit. he just wanted to help :((( anyway. Lieb's designated get away driver of the group. his car is the weapon. he's run over HORDES of zombies before, and he'll do it again! he prolly keeps like a small handgun as protection when he's waiting outside for the rest of the group, keeping the engine going in case they need to make a quick getaway.

10) David Webster - a MIRACLE this boy is still alive. he took archery as an extra curicular while he was in Harvard, and he liked it enough to keep up with it until his 3rd year, when it all started. man is constantly picking up arrows after himself. scrounging for new ones. I say... in formation he's definitely at the back, with Nix and Don and they cover for him a lot since he's long distance. but in a pinch he can whack somebody good with his bow. one of those heavy duty hunting ones, too. on his own... well. he probably sticks to high places, or hidden spots where he can get a jump on zombies or anyone else, before they can get a jump on him.

#ask #dick winters #lewis nixon #harry welsh #ronald speirs #carwood lipton #buck compton #don malarkey #joe toye #joe liebgott #david webster #bob aus #bob hcs #zombie apocalypse au #DID I SAY I WAS GOING TO SLEEP I MEANT I'M GONNA STAY UP THINKING ABOUT THIS UNTIL I CAN'T NO MORE

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the-holy-ghosted · 8 months

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how would you like to respond to this ask with absolutely as much as you can possibly say about the terror. it does not need to be comprehensible. just say things until you can no longer say things. let it all out. or let some of it out and let the rest of it spill over into the tags of reblogged gifsets, i have no qualms with either. this is entirely to give you another avenue with which to go as feral as you would like. have fun!!

hey anon quite frankly i would love to start talking incessently about the terror and also im gonna kiss you on the lips for asking me to

one thing ive been thinking about a lot after rewatching the whole season maybe. three or four times now (i am not mentally sound) is just how much the theme throughout the show is Being Something You Are Not. and its such a gradual realization cause you start with one character but the more you think about it you realize how that theme affects everybody and everything about the show.

i read something in an analysis post written by somebody MUCH more eloquent than me about Silna and Crozier and the parallel of them being thrust into a responsibility they didn't want. Silna was forced into a role that she knew she could not handle and it fails on her! multiple times! despite having NOTHING to do with everything going wrong shes been shoved into everyone's field of vision as The One Responsible INCLUDING by her own community. and by all means she does try to fill those shoes but even Tuunbaq has a say and it doesn't want her. and by the time she tries again its already too late.

and Crozier's situation wasn't identical but it's very similar in the sense that he did not want to be here and do this. being the only one not volunteered, but *asked* to go on this expedition, having already not been what Sophia wanted but doing as she asks anyways. good grief the man is in the middle of writing his resignation letter to sir john when he gets mauled. and now hes got no choice and that ALSO fails on him and gets people hurt and eventually its too late for him to make anything better.

but once you notice it with somebody else its like oh! that's right! EVERYBODY is doing this. sir john wasn't anybody's choice to lead the expedition and in fact he is actively detrimental to everybody's safety with his choices. Fitzjames is not half the man he says he is and has actively been lying To Everybody about about who he is an his accomplishments Forever. Goodsir is NOT a doctor and despite how happy it seems to make him to be considered as such he knows its not true and all of that scientific knowledge ends up killing SO many people. Hickey thinks hes hot shit and thinks he can gain control of everybody else AND Tuunbaq and yet he can hardly even do his own dirty work and gets other people's hands dirty before he does it himself.

i mean if you think about it too even the landscape isn't what it seems. they all think its a conquerable land and then they get there and realize its not. and because of this, they assume that must mean there's no way to survive out there. except there IS. there IS wonder. it IS beautiful. life CAN thrive out there and it HAS they are just so hazardous and invasive to the environment that they don't get to see it!!! they don't see the wonder and they are trekking to their deaths amongst a COMPLETE lie. this isn't, like, News to anybody else who's watched the show i just noticed how it all connects everybody and it blew my mind a little bit

#the heron heareth #the heron speaketh #the terror #funny tags huh #thank you for opening an avenue for me to start talking like an insane person my friends are SO sick of hearing it LMAO #i have so many thoughts and feelings about this show this was just something that caught my attention recently #god i wrote a fucking essay huh. oh well #im going back to drawing now i think but im VERY glad for this ask anon u are recieving one thousand million kissies from me

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welcome-to-oslov · 2 months

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Just catching up Oslov Unraveled Ch2 and ugh in light of Ch37 All Kinds of Broken I still hate Besha so much! Can't believe that piece of shit is still kicking & one of only two who have a direct line to Janta during this time?!?! Hate to see bad people thriving!

He truly is such a narcissist or weakling sociopath or whatever, like how they are in real life: despite them being complete pieces of shit who are hurting people left & right without a care in the world, they keep doing things that make you sort of like or tolerate them. Good sense of humor. Cheery smile at the right time. Encourages you when they see you need it. Not hide their weakness so you feel pulled to kinda help them or feel sorry for them or underestimate them. Us the readers, and the characters in it.

And these kind of people are so damn confusing! Malsha is similar though more obvious in his evilness -- but at least the motivation is clear, so he's a bit easier for his victims to wrap their head around. It turns him on to hurt and degrade Tilrey, and he always needs more, so that's why he does what he does.

Besha though: sure, he has some fun, but for the most part he just doesn't give a single shit about anyone -- barely even himself. He just floats through life damaging people and leaving damage in his wake. 😡

I think you nailed why Besha is so hard to kill off! When he needs/wants to, he can really ingratiate himself. He is pretty observant of people, though less so of Tilrey in All Kinds of Broken, because he underestimates him until Tilrey finds a way to use his big secret against him.

I actually planned to kill off Besha in The Tinderbox, when Einara finds out about the mass murder he was a party to. But readers enjoyed him and so did I, so here he is! He’s approaching a level of playing all sides that will really test his ability to survive, though, let alone thrive. I think we’ll see him overplaying his hand in the end, because no one’s luck holds out forever.

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flosalatus · 11 months

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Role swap au rambling:

The crash was an accident, Vash still gave Nai the codes, Nai was going to, but hesitated at the last second. Something went wrong and they crashed anyway

Vash blamed Nai anyway, even if he insisted he didn't do it. They had a huge argument over it and Vash ran away.

A lot of his childhood goes the same as canon, actually. The main diferences being Nai isnt the bad guy here and just kind did his own thing IG and

Vash can't handle his trauma.

Vash turns 'bad guy' because his psyche just...snaps. Maybe theres a trigger, maybe not, but one day he decides he cant take it, humans dont deserve plants if they cant treat his sisters right. He takes things into his own hands.

So he starts taking them. He never directly harms a human, not unless pushed to, like if they threaten his life, shoot to kill first but;

Neither does he show care or remose to the state he's leaving them in by taking away their Plants. He reasons they'd be without one soon either way, since they're killing her. At least hes saving one life here. The important one. His sister could go on to help another town, one that will treat her better. The people here have proven beyond saving.

And that's another thing. If a town can prove to him they'll respect and look after a plant. He'll leave her there, help her heal if he needs to and keeps tabs on them, ready to take her away if they fail, but he doesn't just take perfectly healthy plants for no reason. He only takes the one already sick, dying from mistreatment.

Vash also quickly started to come across and amass 'followers'. People who saw him as some avenging angel giving out divine punishment. People who saw Vash and the Plants as divine beings, angels, deities even.

He never stopped them from worshiping him, pays little attention to what the cult does in his name to random people, as long as they do what he asks when he asks it of them.

He even has a little fun playing into it, letting himself look the part by presenting his plant nature far closer to the surface, wings and petals on constant display, his markings always visible and pulsing with energy. He wears very little if any clothes, though keeps a habit of using some of the smaller pairs of wings to keep his modesty for the most part.

He's kind in his cruelty. Gentle, even apologetic. He's never cross with the people he takes plants from, just acts sad and disapointed as he dooms them to starve.

Survival of the fittest, he remembers Rem teaching them. How ecosystems could only thrive in harmony. Isn't that all he's doing? Trying to advocate for that symbiotic peace?

#ʚ hc #Verse Lore

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the-a-j-universe · 5 months

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Would Yugi be able to survive and capture Kira?

Are we talking Yugi Yugi, or the other Yugi? If it's the latter, maybe, because even he doesn't know his own name and we don't know how the shinigami eyes would've interacted with the fact that he was possessing someone else. He certainly could have.

But, if we're talking little Yugi, I really don't think so, no.

There are two ways to look at this.

One, we mash their worlds together, and Yugi is a celeb, so his name is known, so he's dead as soon as he's a threat.

Or, two, he's just dropped into the DN universe where it strives for realism in any situation where the death note isn't involved, seeking to remain grounded, but Yugi thrives on main character shields and destiny and power of friendship, all of which is fun don't get me wrong, but it makes their universes fundamentally different to the point that they operate on different rules.

Even if we assume that Yugi was integrated into the DN world and understood its rules and mentalities, unless he was just a fundamentally different person than he is in his own canon, he would just be like one of the many well-meaning and perfectly competent characters who weren't suited to defeating Kira, and died.

Death Note just isn't a fair game, when you get right down to it. If L hadn't already been a secretive person before the killings started, would he have come so close to defeating Kira? No, I don't think so. Would his successors have won if they hadn't followed his example closely enough that their real names were hard to learn? No, I don't think so.

I won't say something so stupid as "Yugi would always win a fair game", because most of the games he won weren't fair, they were stacked against him, but they were always something where the mechanics could be learned as the game was ongoing without him immediately losing in one shot. He could always learn how he was being disadvantaged and work around it. The "game" that is the battle with Kira isn't even remotely that fair.

Now, in a more Yugioh style game, I think either Yugi would smoke Light, because he's basically just a more pompous, bitchier Kaiba.

#excellent question btw

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sarioh · 2 years

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i cant believe bdubs invented unintentional storytelling via minecraft death game with survival of the fittest season two and literally none of us give him credit for it im so mad LMAO

this is how i feel being one of the few people who has watched sotf LMAO. it's like a perfect middle ground between a uhc and the life series it's like if you took 3rd life and condensed it down into a single session. when you add proximity chat into anything it adds a human element that i think is endlessly interesting. when you are forced to see your competitors as a person rather than just a target it makes it really difficult not to complicate things at least a little bit. having to make the split second decision between Talk and Kill and seeing which players they will prioritize one option over the other with is so fun to watch. i wish there were a billion seasons tbh

spoilers below (bc peter hasn't seen season 2. and i ramble and it's long)

ok like... bdubs seeing doc and not hesitating to snipe him and kill him with a single shot. then shortly after seeing etho sorting through some chests through the trees and having the easiest clearest shot on him and choosing to reveal himself and talk instead of shooting. it's something that would never have happened if not for the very specific circumstances of the proximity chat. they don't even team, it's just the silent nod of 'im not going to kill you and you're not going to kill me, right?' and then carrying on with your life.

and idk !!! like it really explains so much about the life series and how they are with each other. in the context of a death game bdubs can be volatile and impulsive and mildly unpredictable and has a traitorous streak. etho is calculating and reserved and hard to read and people tend to be wary around him. but they're always patient and unnecessarily trusting with each other for no reason. they are always willing to compromise even when it doesn't make sense to within the frameworks of the game (sparing each other, splitting the snow fort, etc). somehow their dynamic thrives most in situations where they can threaten each other with death and play some mildly distressing game of cat and mouse but still make the conscious decision not to hurt each other in the end it's insane.

nothing has changed in 8 years except for the fact that I seriously can't imagine bdubs winning a life series ever and somehow he miraculously pulled thru in sotf LMAOOO. give bdubs a gun and he'll win the life series i stand by this. also can i just say the fact that half of bdubs' entire series is in pitch black bc he can't find night vision goggles was torturous and you're very strong for pushing through that LOL

#i would be surprised if there was ONE other person out there on tumblr who has seen bdubs sotf 2 #so i put it under the cut. but i love this series. i think im partial to season 1 but season 2 is a fun watch as well #i know lots of ppl have seen season 1 tho which im happy about. my propaganda was a success #sry for rambling JKGJSKA

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roseamongroses · 1 year

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SHURIRI! AMNESIA AU

it's about 5am and i havent slept so lemme write this rq before i pass out. shuriri! amnesia au. i barely know anything legitament about amnesia and i will not be researching it at this time because it is 5 am

queen ramonda dies ( IM SORRY OKAY) before shuri and them try to find the scientist

and in the midst of grief while fighting the fish people, shuri is severely injured at the bridge

she is saved by riri(who was nearby testing her latest gadgets) and is brought to the local hospital.

when she wakes she remembers nothing at all and due to the growing tensions/ potential for war back at wakanda they agree to let her stay in America to recover and laylow

(they also agree because amnesia! shuri doesn't really believe their story about the fish people and only really trusts riri at this point cause she was the last person shuri remembers

(angst because OUCH but theyll survive)

anyway shuri immediately sneaks out of the hospital and basically squats in riri's single room(ignore reality we're going off of fanfic reason ok)

(riri has accommodations since she started college so young + sensory issues among other things)

FEATURING:

shuri helping riri exploit the rich and lazy college students with their thriving homework business

shuri and riri pissing each other off cause being codependent and attached at the hip isn't always fun but they work through it

shuri gradually gains independence she starts working on some unresolved, internalized abelism as she's recovering physically and mentally from the attack. she starts sitting in some classes (she is excitable and the TAs lowkey hate her)

and there was only one bed

shuri decides one day in class that riri is just as interesting as science. she does not simply pine, she becomes a shameless flirt

riri not really believing shuri's advances/ shying away because of shuri's condition and how her view of riri has a savior may influence her opinions (she's had a crush on the princess since wakanda was first revealed to the world and she can't let her heart be crushed like that)

shuri discovering riri's exploits as ironheart

while all of this is going on imagine the fish people despretly trying to murk the two while the wakanda people protect them w/o shuriri noticing. looney toons type of activity in the background.

huh when is shuri getting her memories back??well funny story. shuri's actually been gradually regaining her memories back this entire time but she has been pretending that she has hasn't recovered them

why?well not only is she remembering the deaths of her father and brother (X2) all over again, her mama just died, her country is on the verge of war, and for the life of her shuri cannot figure out who made the device that detected the vibranium. she wasn't excatly running away from the issue, but she still hadn't accepted that this is her reality. DENIAL IS A

one day she encounters namor again. he confronts her, tries to make the same deal again and shes like "idk even know who the fuck made that". so he gives her a clue and shuri goes looking in riri's lab her next visit. and yeah she finds out. not a good day tbh

so does shuri turn her almost girlfriend into the fish cops? no. does she do something absolutely fucking stupid, yeah. so she leaves and makes the same deal with the fish people and gets yoinked underwater.funnily enough they end up yoinking riri too

ok in the cave jail riri and shuri fight about her marytrdom behavior. shuri accidentally reveals remembers everything and riri is flabergasted. absolutely befuddled. and insists that she shouldve left to go back to wakanda/ contact them sooner while shuri insists that she just couldn't. but wont explain why

yes they go to sleep mad.

shuri at somepoint is taken out so namor can do his weird friendship bracelet "become my queen" thing and shuri ALMOST considers it because riri is trapped, injured, and she wants to save her from being killed off.

but instead of outright agreeing she just plays along. until they can get medical care, more privilege's, etc.

this highkey looks like shuri getting courted and since riri and her are not excatly talking she cant explain the full situation yet (also guards be listening)

anyway riri is def jelly (broken arm and miss ma'am worried bout the fish man) and this leads to another arguement with shuri that somehow someway leads back to them flirting like how they did before the kidnapping

yes they kiss among other things. do they care that the guards are being nosy the entire time???a little bit

they agree to shuri continuing the game with namor to get them both out

except shuri realizes mid date that namor personally killed her mom and yeah its a wrap

from here use ur imagination and the wakanda forever movei tbh to end this BUT shuriri flirting. all throughout. they are disgusting and in love.

it is now 5:52am goodnight

#shuriri #shuri udaku #wakanda forever #riri williams #riri x shuri #headcanons #i hope this is legible god im sleepy #me paying my shuriri bills before passing out

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cactusringed · 6 months

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Can you ramble about the Boogeyman mechanic in particular cuz that was probably my favorite part of Last Life. The constant unrest that it created fhfjfjjfjfjjfdjjf

Franny u always respond to my pleas for asks I love u sm ur the best

The boogeyman mechanic is like one of the biggest answers to third life that last life provides - because the thing with third life is that it was relatively peaceful for a while - there was a lot of unrest caused by scar (and scarian in general) but also a general inability to truly act upon it, to the point ren felt the need to let martyn kill him so that he could enact proper war

The other big trend of third life is that allyships were very, very, very strong, and had no reasons to break. Everyone stayed with the person they found on day 1 and had little to no reason to leave them.

And then of course, there's the lack of balance between very skilled survival players and those who aren't used to play in a setting where their deaths matter. It's surprising that that issue didn't rise up as much in third life tbh, but it did enough to be recognised. There needed a way to balance the skill levels, so that we could just have 2 or 3 players on red whilst the rest was still on green and thriving.

The boogeyman mechanic is meant to help with pretty much all of this. Now the random life mechanics seems like it would be counterintuitive to the issue of balance, except that in that season lives are also made to be currencies, and knowing the players that were in the game, Grian or whoever came up with the mechanics themselves, knew what would happen, because the games at this point are specifically designed for the players themselves. And then, in case it still led to a lack of balance, you got the boogeyman. It means that even if you're in a team of greens, you can't just relax. Even if your allies are remarkably loyal, you may be at risk.

And it WORKED. there were so many heart wrenching betrayals and breaks of alliances over the boogeyman. It offers the players a chance to have fun with the narrative, too - a recognition that the narrative woven through their improv was a big draw to third life. It gives them the chance to crank it up to eleven, and makes greens and yellows able to feel included when the majority of the server is red and they, too, want to be part of the blood shed or just show that they need to be respected and feared. It stops players from remaining stuck and hidden within their alliances, and gives them reasons to branch out.

It's not in double life, because the gimmick of the season already worked to equalize the playing field: by linking random players together, it meant that an incredibly skilled player should, in theory, not be at too much of a advantage because they were still taking damage for two. Furthermore, because their lives were linked, it would be counter intuitive to have a mechanic that would push one to betray the other. It doesn't make sense. And I doubt they expected coupled to be close enough allies with each other for the boogey to make a difference between this kind of alliances. In general every player in double life is incredibly fragile, and it just wouldn't work to have the boogey there.

But then limited life rolls around and has one of the most fascinating gimmick yet - it's not just that it's about time, but that it's about gains and losses. The mechanics of limited life encourage players towards risk taking, because suddenly you're not limited to 3 (or more) lives, and you GAIN by being aggressive. It's also the only series that allows yellow to be aggressive towards greens, too. Limited life banks on players becoming desperate, and on pushing the ones that were passive even in last life to be aggressive at all costs. And it shows in the way people played it. Because if you don't kill as the boogey in last life and become red the next session, well you can still get someone to gift you a life, especially if you have an ally with many more lives than you. It's a relatively painless, and very equal exchange. But in limlife? If you're low on time, you have to take so much more from a player than you're receiving. The person you take time from will always lose double what they're giving you, boogey or otherwise. It makes life (or here, time) exchanges so much more desperate, means they need to be so much more calculated, and pushes boogeys to be so much more aggressive than they were even in last life. Because getting out of red, or just out of running out of time, is so much more difficult in limited life, you can't spit on a free hour even if it causes the victim to suffer. Similarly, it really, really makes the weight of your kill so much heavier.

Its such a fun mechanic to add and has so many effects on the psychology of play bro I love it so much

#I feel like none of this makes sense. Oops

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