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aroaceleovaldez · 1 year

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im rick rordian ur right nico is autistic

okay i know this is a silly goofy haha and I could just respond to this "so true thank you rick" but i haven't talked about this in awhile and i feel like it again since this is apparently an under-recognized topic -

Nico is, in the books, autistic-coded! This is not a headcanon thing I personally have, there is textual and contextual evidence that he is purposefully autistic-coded.

The main point for this is that the first series featured a very overt theme about awareness for learning disabilities, particularly in the first three books. Obviously The Lightning Thief focuses primarily on characters with ADHD/dyslexia - Percy and Annabeth (since we don't actually know if Grover has adhd/dyslexia or not). But in Sea of Monsters the scope begins expanding and we have Tyson as a major character, who is very clearly coded as having down syndrome.

Then in Titan's Curse we have Nico, who upon introduction is very stereotypically autistic - He's immediately introduced as having a clear hyperfixation, missing social cues or otherwise behaving socially inappropriately/having difficulty with empathy and emotions, getting easily emotional particularly due to change, relying heavily on familiar things/people for stability, etc etc. And this is clearly described as being different to standard demigod ADHD. Especially given TTC was written in the mid-2000s, this is basically neon arrows pointing at Nico saying "look! This kid's autistic!" except not explicitly saying that, just like nobody explicitly ever said Tyson has down syndrome (or Percy having PTSD from Gabe, or Reyna being ace, or etc etc etc) - because that's what coding is. It's implying it without explicitly stating it. That doesn't mean it's not canon, it's just you have to actually read between the lines of the text to go "ah, okay, this is what this character has going on."

And this isn't just a thing that goes away with Nico's character - it's a basis for Nico's characterization for the rest of the series and into the next two series as well. He continues to explicitly have difficulty with emotions and social cues. He continues to reference having hyperfixations (mythomagic, pirates). Heck, we even get more notes about him having both sensory aversions (touch, potentially implied also bright colors/lights, etc) and being sensory-seeking (wearing oversized layers often, seeking out clothing with specific patterns [skeletons/skulls], etc), and stimming (twisting skull ring) later on.

So yeah, Rick Riordan, I am right, Nico is autistic. Because you wrote it in your books, very clearly. You just didn't explicitly say "autistic." And you didn't have to, because the point is for people to figure it out on their own.

#pjo #riordanverse #nico di angelo #analysis #i need to make a ''Nico is Autistic'' tag #ask #Anonymous #cause i talk about this a lot #and a lot of people seem to be of the misconception that i'm talking about it like it's a headcanon when it's not - it's in the books!#so i should probably consolidate my ramblings at some point #autistic nico #< there we go this has a tag now #autism

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snow--berry · 5 months

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Random CoD headcanons

Characters: Roach, Horangi and König

Roach

Mute, ever since he was a child. Knows BSL for obvious reasons and is very willing to teach.

He's still trying to teach Soap, but it's not very successful. (Inspired by hurrraaid's falconry AU and Soap struggling to learn BSL there)

May or may not be autistic, I haven't decided yet, but he probably is.

Squish his face! Squish his face!

He goes by he/him and they/them.

Definitely has freckles.

Roach and Ghost grew up together, I don't make the rules. So like 90% of the CoD fandom, I'll blatantly ignore the canon.

He's a chaotic gremlin. He hides in the vents and you can't do anything about it.

Will steal your food at lunch.

Especially if you shit talk him or people he cares for.

Roach has stolen Ghost's food for fun a couple of times and given it to Soap.

He insults you in BSL when you piss him off and you probably will not know unless you're Ghost or Price. Or Gaz maybe.

If you know BSL he'll probably tease you, because he knows most people won't understand. And because this man just loves chaos. Especially if he's the cause of it.

He's the type of person to draw on your face if you're asleep early during a sleep over.

Roach isn't as short as most people think.

Stares.

I don't think he'd be as interested in football as Price, for example, is.

He's hard to get rid of, just like a real roach. Whether's he's being super loyal or making your life hell depends on what you may, or may not, have done.

Horangi

He bites. You will never be able to change my mind on this.

He's also attempted to bite König through the mask couple of times.

Also not as short as people usually make him out to be. Still shorter than Ghost though.

New recruits are dared to put a tiger-ear headband on his head to test their bravery.

He grew accustomed to it and usually tries to ignore it.

Definitly has ADHD.

And is a nightmare to be around when he's out of his meds.

Horangi comes off as really impatient. Idk why.

He struggled with learning English.

Acts like a cat, will push stuff off of tables just because he can.

I know what I said about him not being short, but if he was he'd totally climb cupboards and shelves if he had to to reach things.

Sassy as hell for no reason.

His face looks very squishable to me. He'd probably try to bite if I tried but it'd be worth a shot.

I feel like he'd kinda hate K-Pop because of some/most of the stereotypes that come with it.

Probably should not be allowed to drive.

Total cat person.

König

He's insecure about his accent.

In addition to being (canonly) socially anxious, I think he has autism as well.

I feel like he'd go non-verbal when he's overwhelmed or having a sensory overload.

He likes making German and Austrian dishes.

He doesn't handle spice very well and almost died (at least that's what he claims) when eating Korean food once and now refuses to eat it when Horangi offers.

He gets a bit upset when people confuse Austrians for Germans, mush them together or similar. Even if it's a common thing.

König has an accent while speaking German as well, because Germans and Austrians (can) sound very different from eachother. Especially in slang and general vocabulary.

I headcanon him with blonde, shoulder-length hair.

And a scarred face.

He also has a squishable face. All three of them do.

König has freckles as well, but only in summer and only a few.

Probably has eye bags.

Also stares, but by accident.

I think König gets flustered easily, for some reason.

That's all for now! Have a nice day/night! :)

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andreal831 · 25 days

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I feel guilty: In some ways, I feel Hayley and the Mikaelsons set up Hope to fail. Now, with canon included, I think Hope did find her way - but ironically feel like her story should have been "Klaus, Hayley, and Elijah are what the remaining family tied to Hope but with the three dead - Hope is on her own, and having to navigate a world where she loves her dad but everyone is just as entitled to hate him and come into conflict with that". (Sorry, that's a long one). Basically because of how morally dubious the TVD gang (+ Dorian) could be - it makes sense that they know to separate Klaus's actions from Hope - but what about those who did not have that luxury and only remember a monster that was Klaus? I would use Tyler's story, but in a vague gesture: Hope needs to earn someone's trust after her father (or other relatives) brutalized them and has no way to defend or justify it. Essentially getting someone's trust for her as "Only Hope" and not the surname she's connected to. Or the more common arc, Hope realizing just because she loves her family doesn't mean she can overwrite the centuries of cruel history they left behind.

I'm not saying the Mikaelsons didn't love Hope, but Hope is unique (not just as a tribrid but the only living blood relative who hasn't been alive for a millennia) and had pressure on her that shouldn't be there. Hayley loved her, but should have warned her that living in a town that still had - living - people her dad fought with and hurt should have taken precedence over keeping a torch lit for their relationship. Klaus had his chance to be someone in this world, now Hope has to live in it and make something of herself - in his name or by herself.

(Sorry if this comes off anti. While I have anti thoughts and do like Hope, I think she could have stood to have a better characterized arc.)

I'll start by prefacing this and say that I haven't seen much of Legacies, I only know a lot of the show from edits.

But I agree that the show did a pretty terrible job with really diving into the cycle of trauma and pressures that were put on Hope since before she was even born. They were so focused on making Klaus redeemable and centering Hope around Klaus that they didn't allow for her character to have the development she needed.

I really like what I know about Hope's character and I even look past the wild hoops the writers had to jump through to make her existence possible. But for a show that centered around a magical, miracle baby, they sidelined her character a lot. The writers were so focused on setting up Legacies that they forgot to give the characters the development that was necessary for it to get there.

People love to say that Klaus broke the cycle of abuse with Hope, but he didn't. It just manifested in a different way. He never physically harmed her, but he neglected, abandoned, and emotionally harmed her repeatedly. This trauma is something that Hope doesn't even get to work through.

Hope at 7 years old seems more or less well adjusted. I think Hayley did a good job protecting her from everything. She missed her family in an abstract way because she didn't truly understand what she was missing. She had Hayley and Mary. Klaus allowing himself to be captured and held prisoner was the best thing he ever did for Hope. She was able to live for seven years safe and loved. I may get hate for it, but Hope was better off living as a Marshall away from the Mikaelsons.

I don't necessarily think Hayley was wrong for letting Hope grow up believing the best in her family. At that point, Hope was very isolated. She deserved to have a childhood without it being taken away by the Mikaelsons. But I do think Hayley should have had more conversations with her as she got older, especially if she was going to a school where it was likely to come up.

As soon as she is back with the Mikaelsons, her life once again revolved around what she can do for Klaus. I'm not saying they all didn't love Hope, but she was never allowed to just exist. The fact that she used to keep points when she was "good" or "bad" shows just how much she felt it. She had to be perfect because if she wasn't, she wouldn't be worth their sacrifice or Klaus might slip back into a terrible person.

I've talked about it before, but sending Hope to the Salvatore School made no sense to me. She was safer in New Orleans. She had her mother's pack, he vampires would protect her for Josh and Marcel, Vincent wouldn't let anything happen to her, and she had her mother. Hayley sending her daughter away to boarding school for most of the year made zero sense. I watched the first few episodes of Legacies before TO and I genuinely thought they all died when she was a child because of how she acted with Alaric and the twins. She desperately wanted a family, something Hayley had done a great job providing in the past, but sending her away to school made Hope feel neglected. She was already being neglected by Klaus, she didn't need to feel abandoned by both parents.

And, as you said, she is sent to a school that is run by a man who hates her father, in a town full of people who hate her whole family. She had to listen to people talking about how awful they were, and it was all warranted, which makes it worse for her. She didn't get to attempt to process that on her own. She had to do it while constantly being compared to her family. Alaric was always using it as a way to punish her. The adults clearly were not mature enough to separate Hope from what her family did and they had no business being in charge of her.

The entire terrible legacy of the Mikaelsons was put on Hope's shoulder and the show just ignored that trauma because if they didn't, they would have to admit that Klaus wasn't redeemed, everyone just moved on. So then the people who didn't just move on look like the bad guys. Alaric had every right to hate Klaus, Tyler would have every right to hate both of Hayley and Klaus. They don't owe the Mikaelsons anything, but it is also not fair that Hope has to take the brunt of their anger because Klaus died and got away with literal murder. Hope was a child and shouldn't have had to work to prove herself. She deserved love and support and understanding, like every other child. She deserved to have the space and support to sort out her feelings toward her family, the good and the bad. She deserved to yell at Klaus for abandoning her, to be angry at Elijah for putting that pressure on her, to be angry at her aunts and uncles for abandoning her after her parents died. She deserved to figure out who she was outside of the legacy of pain and torment her family left behind, but as far as I can tell, she is never given that time. All of this would have given her character more depth. Coming to the realization that her family were terrible people but she still loved them is a hard pill to swallow, but it was something she needed to come to terms with. Glorifying Klaus and erasing Hayley, did very little for her development except to play on Klaus' popularity for views.

I love the Mikaelsons but each and every one of them were terrible at being family and terrible people. Hope suffered because of this.

Thanks for the ask! Sorry if I just went on a tangent and didn't fully answer your question.

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its-gettin-weird · 1 month

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"Both Lye of Gourmet, Roy of Bizarre Eating! Know absolu~tely nothing! From one to the next, thoughtlessly unbridledly eating messily like a bunch of idiots...... For our sake, who are locked up here and don't have the freedom to choose? Don't make us laugh, hopeless siblings ~tsu!"

I literally had no idea what to do for the gluttony trio, but I did know that I wanted them to have matching outfits because (I assume) they’re triplets and I thought it would be cute :) I made their outfits similar to Rui’s in canon outfit, with some elements of the three great demon beasts that each of them respectively represent (their ‘animals’ are also represented in their soul gems!) . Where Lye’s shawl comes together looks like a whale’s tail + the whale on his back, Rui’s bunnies on her socks, and Roy’s scarf being like a snake and his weapon being like snake fangs. Their weapons are a variation on the traditional witch cult dagger that Lye typically uses, but each of them have different kinds of knives: Lye has a corner tang wrist knife (because in his canon outfit his knives are tied to his hands), Roy has a pika knife meant to resemble snake fangs, and Rui has a push dagger that looks the most like the witch cult daggers. I gave them color schemes based on their eyes, so I decided to make Roy more yellow-green because of how his eyes are depicted in the light novel as yellow and green. I also made Rui’s skin tone slightly darker to make her look a bit more like her brothers but still standing out / kind of different.

The authority from a wish doc says that Rui’s wish is ‘to become happy’ and ‘to go outside’, but doesn’t really expand on what the boys’ wishes would be, and Rui’s whole situation with being stuck in the Corridor of Memories so she wouldn’t have a physical soul gem is confusing to navigate in this au, especially since I haven’t read the novels yet. So for now what I’m going to say is that the boys wished to be able to make Rui happy by getting her other people’s memories according to their own philosophies (Lye quality, Roy quantity), and the wish Rui would make would be to go outside and that’s how she would get into the physical world like she does in the novels. I still think that she would have her ‘authority’ though because of her brothers’ wishes and would still be able to possess them.

#re zero #re zero kara hajimeru isekai seikatsu #re zero starting life in another world #re zero fan art #pmmm #puella magi madoka magica #madoka magica #pmmm fanart #puella magi madoka magica fanart #madoka magica fanart #lye batenkaitos #lye re zero #roy alphard #roy re zero #rui arneb #rui re zero #gluttony re zero

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wolfclaire · 3 months

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How would you think the story would've played out if a different Gem got transported into the games, and I'm not limiting it to just the Afterlife Gems. Like if either Empires Season Gems met Pearl instead of Spider, especially Season 2 Esmp Gem, considering she's essentially the opposite of Pearl in a way?? Sun imagery with butterfly wings and the pointed ears on her skin implies she'd look/be something like a sun elf yet also unlike Pearl she's in almost complete control of her own fate and what 'games' she plays by hopping different universes and LARPing as whatever character she wants. Season one Gem can also be interesting, especially if it's near the end of the season or after the end of the season. Season one Gem getting transported into a death game where her people who look like her friends who are either missing or dead in her eyes messed up in ways they weren't before and one of your closest friends aka Pearl seems so sad and gone from the cheerful queen you knew her as. Also I choose to believe that S1!Gem is at least passively or actively aware of differing timelines cause of her reaction from when she met S2!Sausage and I think she was aware that she basically just three Evil Sausage into a little mirror of her own universe which would be like an alternate ones, I'm kinda reaching, especially since I haven't rewatched Empires S1 yet, but still I can't resist the angst of Gem knowing that these aren't her friends but still desperately trying to hold onto them like they are because the rapture happened so suddenly and abruptly when things were finally looking better and she doesn't wanna accept things. I also can't resist what would be the DL cast's reaction to these two, especially Pearl and maybe Grian

Ngl I really wonder what would be Pearl's and Grian's opinion/impression of them if it were either of them transferred and not Spider Gem

Sorry for rambling I've just been thinking about this a lot and sorry if it doesn't make sense or if it's even in character-

-Sun anon, still happy birthday also <3

Okay...let me just put this into seperated questions...cause this got potential. So ES1 and ES2 Gems would be probably totally different with the reaction to Pearl and everything happening.

ES1 Gem, post rapture (or during rapture), has basically nothing left. No kingdom, no friends, she only has her magic, Violet and fWhip. She didn't "roleplay", she isn't "LARPing", everything happening to her is real, and hurtful. If she was the one transported into the games, she would find familiarity with Pearl, but she would know something is wrong. She is The Headmistres of Crystal Cliffs, she is The Grand Wizard, she would notice Pearl's acting strange (Red stuff) and her and others memories being off.

ES2 Gem, however, wouldn't think of this "transportation" as a big deal at first. I don't think she would take it seriously at the start, as "it's just a game" or "it's just LARPing". She couldn't understand in canon why nobody else (except Pixlriffs and Oli) didn't think of anything as a big deal...she only thought they were good actors in a way. It would take Pearl's death for her to realize that this "game" is not as innocent as she might have thought...

As for Grians and Pearl's reaction? Well...

Grian wouldn't mind ES2 Gem, she looks like a guilable little princess that he can wrap around his finger... But ES1 Gem? Oh, that would be dissaster. He can tell this one is smart, he can tell she has powers on her side... He would try to get rid of her asap, even going as far as killing her himself.

Pearl, on the other hand, would feel a little weirded out by any of those two. ES1 Gem is nice....strangely overly nice, for some reason... And ES2 Gem doesn't seem to take anything seriously...she is very carefree for someone who shouldn't have unlimited lives (Grey names don't work with the same rules as those in from the specific world)

There is a lot of Angst potential, just in a different favour than what my version with Spider Gem has to offer :)

#alone together #alone together ask #anon ask #sun anon #geminitay #pearlescentmoon #grian #spider gem #wizard gem #princess gem #empires smp

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vividstardustrevolution · 7 months

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Fun fact: Futa is *not* the canon system character in MILGRAM!

...Neither is Yuno...

[Text Transcription: "Let's just do it, please smile?"]

...Haruka's not either...

[Text Transcription: "My loneliness was desired"]

...nope, not Shidou either...

Amane isn't canonically a system either, but I definitely understand the people who think she might be or headcanon her as such, especially after "The Purge March".

[Text Transcription 1: "It's the beginning of a most wonderful day"]

[Text Transcription 2: "With pure, unsullied body and soul,"]

No, Kazui's not the canon system either.

[Text Transcription: "All these memories and you Only if I could erase them"]

Where, then...?

Ah, I found him!

Hi Mikoto!

[Text Transcription 1: "It's like what's wrong isn't wrong"]

[Text Transcription 2: "I'm already the fake one"]

...but y'know, it is kinda funny that at least 7/10 of the MILGRAM prisoners have two versions of themselves on screen interacting with each other (I don't remember Muu, Mahiru, or Kotoko having scenes like that, but let me know if I'm wrong, and Kotoko still has Deep Cover coming, too), and yet only one of them is a canon system. Yes, you can explain Haruka and Amane's as self-abuse and dissociation, Futa's, Shidou's, and Kazui's as dissociation, and Yuno as compartmentalizing herself and how she acts around different people, but still.

It's interesting how it's only seemingly portrayed negatively with Mikoto, too, although to be fair, Haruka and Amane both hurt the other versions of themselves in their interactions (Haruka looks down on and pushes and chokes the younger version of himself, and Amane looks down on herself and sends herself into the water), but...still, that feels different from Mikoto's case. Maybe it's because in the cases of 010203050708, we know that the other them they're interacting with is still them, but in Mikoto's case, we don't know that. Haruka, Yuno, Futa, Shidou, Kazui, and Amane's "other selves" aren't treated as evil (or, if they are, it's not to the same extent that we see Mikoto's alter (or alters, if you're one of the people who believes in one of the Trikoto theories out there) treated as evil and inhuman).

Now, I do think that you can argue in good faith that part of why Mikoto's DID gets demonized so hard in MeMe is because Mikoto is slowly coming to the realization that he's a system and has some internalized ableism to deal with regarding that (because internalized ableism isn't uncommon regardless of the disorder involved; it's not true for every system that there's internalized ableism, but it makes sense for Mikoto "I'm just a normal guy; what do you mean I'm a murderer?" Kayano). However, I don't think that completely explains the demonization that Mikoto deals with. We see it with his interactions with Kotoko. That interrogation answer where Shidou says, "Since Mikoto became 'like that,' the smoking group stopped really interacting," shows that Shidou seems to be uncomfortable with Mikoto now that his DID has been outed. The fact that Haruka is the only person who willingly interacted with Mikoto since trial two started (the only other person Mikoto has interacted with is Kotoko, and he was the one who approached her because similar to him, everyone is avoiding the fuck out of Kotoko) shows that most people are avoiding Mikoto. (Granted, Mikoto was kind of an ass to Futa and Amane, and Mahiru was busy not fucking dying, but what about the rest of the group?) In fact, the fact that the characters are treating Mikoto (who, while kind of a jerk, has not physically attacked anyone as far as we know and only fought Kotoko in self-defense) the same way they're treating Kotoko (who literally attacked three people, damaged Futa's eye with her baton, nearly killed Mahiru, attacked Mikoto, and is generally an asshole (/affectionate) and has been an asshole to all but two people in the cast) is telling me that the majority of the cast sees him the same way they see her - threatening and dangerous - and it's likely that he's seen as dangerous mostly because of his DID. Even Haruka, who literally threatened to kill himself, has been checked on by two people - Futa and Muu.

...Does that seem fucked up to anyone else - that the characters seen as "dangerous," and especially Mikoto, who is being treated as a danger mostly because of his DID, are isolated and not being interacted with or checked on by most of the cast (because we all know damn well that Kotoko has not interacted with anyone since trial two started other than to chastize Kazui and tell Mikoto his existence is a crime)?

...I dunno where I'm going with this. I'm just...kinda just dumping my thoughts out and seeing where it goes.

#milgram #choking #haruka sakurai #mikoto kayano #kotoko yuzuriha #fuuta kajiyama #amane momose #shidou kirisaki #kazui mukuhara #yuno kashiki #milgram analysis #Honestly it's more me rambling than anything else.#Anyway I will stop now and go attempt to catch up on schoolwork like a responsible law student.#I do want to hear people's thoughts though.#MILGRAM ableism #CW choking #threatened suicide #CW suicide threat #(Not my suicide threat Haruka's suicide threat)

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cinnamon-girl-writes · 26 days

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what should've been (you) . . . geto x reader

he can't leave without you, or: geto tries to convince you to come with him after he defects from jujutsu.

angst, geto x reader, set during gojo's past arc, canon compliant

by @cinnamon-girl-writes

Two months. That's how long it's been since you've seen Suguru last.

You'll never forget the moment Yaga called the second years into his office to deliver the news that an entire village had been massacred by your best friend. The boy you'd devoted yourself to for the past two years of your life.

Yaga had given the three of you specific orders not to go after him, particularly for Gojo, who likes to fix everything by himself. And since then, you'd been forced to carry on like everything normal. Attending classes, training your technique, spending your weekends with your friend group that was one short.

You'd almost forgot about him-- no, not forgotten, you could never forget-- you'd almost been able to think about anything else when one afternoon, you used your day off to go shopping in Harajuku district alone. Shoko encouraged you, saying it would be therapeutic to have some time to yourself. Everyone, including her, knew that you were taking this extremely hard.

How could he just leave, with no warning? He had seemed a little off for the past couple of months, but nothing unusual for a jujutsu sorcerer; you had figured the job was just getting to him. But he was still gone, and you were still figuring out your life without him.

Obviously, you and Suguru weren't anything official. In the lives you had, it wasn't wise to get too close to the people around you. Things happen, people die. Time and distance can do things to people, especially once you got attached.

But you refused to say that it was nothing. The way you shared a cup of black coffee at midnight when neither of you could sleep. Lying sprawled out on the grass next to eachother after an exhausting training session, both of you being too worn out to get off the ground. The way he held you after Haibara died. He may have forgotten the way you felt, but you never would. You couldn't.

The train comes to a stop at your station. You gather your few belongings and exit the train, climbing the steps into the sunlit day. It was nice outside, crisp and refreshing. You found yourself being immensly grateful for the fresh air.

Your first stop was a small boutique you'd found online that specialized in handmade items. You'd been looking forward to going there for weeks and you found your spirits lifting. Unfortunately, the shop was a few miles away from your train stop, so you'd have to walk.

You made your way down the crowded sidewalk, being sure to stay on the correct side so not to interfere with the traffic. It seemed like the city was busier than usual today, bustling with families and tourists and groups of teenagers out shopping on the nice day.

You come to a stop at the traffic light, taking in how many people there are. You wonder about each of their stories; do they have families? Friends, jobs?

"Y/n."

A voice calls your name from behind you. It's deep and rich and warm as summer air.

You turn. You know that voice, and it knows you. Suguru.

And there he stands, just a few feet in front of you, his long black hair falling down his back. You take note of his new hairstyle; before, it was almost always up.

Of course, lots of things are different than before.

A small grin begins to play upon his lips. "I've been wanting to see you. It seems you've appeared at the perfect time."

The light turns for pedestrians to walk. The world shifts around you, and yet you can't find yourself able to move.

"How have you been?" he asks.

What? What kind of question is that? That's what you say to your best friend girlfriend soulmate friend after leaving and commiting genocide?

And you hate yourself for it, but you can't leave. You can't ignore him and walk away and not listen.

Your brain screams at you to demand answers, but you don't.

A pause. "I miss you."

His smile seemed to falter a little then. What was he thinking?

"About that, there's something I'd like to ask you," he muses, smile returning. "Can we go somewhere a little more comfortable?"

Against your better judgement, you follow him down the sidewalk, staying a few steps behind him. You want to reach out for his hand. You don't.

You end up in a small restaurant with white paint on the exterior and wide, framed windows. He finds a table near the back, informing the waiter that you'll need a few minutes before ordering.

"I've been wanting to invite you to join me."

To join him? In commiting crimes against innocent people? You want to. You want to say yes, to leave here with him. You think that, if you never saw Jujutsu High again, you'd be alright as long as you were with Suguru.

He wanted you. He came back for you. He didn't do that for anyone else. A part of you wanted to be happy, but you knew you couldn't trust him.

"Suguru," you paused for a second, looking in his eyes. You searched them for some sign of cruelty, something to tell you that this was all just some elaborate trap. You found none. "You know I can't."

"But don't you want to?" He leaned in, "I want you by my side. I want to fix this world with you there."

"You killed innocent people!" you retaliate. "And I loved you! I wanted to spend every minute of my life with you. But I can't love a murderer."

He winces. You know you're words have hurt him because he has no response.

He stands. "There was a time when I loved you too. But I've moved on. I have better things in my life now." And just as quickly as he came, he strode out of the cafe and was gone.

You couldn't breathe, you couldn't think. You felt like your mind was completely blank. Tides of pain crashed into you and you feel yourself shaking. You couldn't go back to school like this. How could you tell Gojo that his best friend had come to you and not him? That there wasn't some mistake, there wasn't a catch? That he was truly never coming back?

So you stay there, folded over the table with your hands covering your eyes. This was your final goodbye.

#jjk x reader #jujutsu kaisen #geto jjk #jjk geto #geto x reader #getou x reader #suguru getou #gojo satoru #shoko ieri #getou suguru x reader #jjk suguru #jujutsu geto #jujutsu kaisen geto #geto #geto suguru #jujutsu kaisen suguru

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olderthannetfic · 4 months

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https://www.tumblr.com/olderthannetfic/739283879438991360/if-im-posting-a-fic-about-a-poly-pairing-is-it?source=share

You're absolutely right about poly ships, but in general with supporting ships I think "would people searching for JUST this pairing be interested?" is a good litmus test. That's often what I ask myself when trying to decide if a B-couple should be tagged as their own ship or should go in additional tags.

By the way, if a couple just shows up briefly or otherwise has a really small role such that people there for *JUST* that couple wouldn't be interested, PLEASE put it in additional tags rather than ship tags for the love of god! So many people don't seem to understand this is an option, and perhaps those kinds of people aren't the kind to read your blog, lol, but I still want to say it. Someone in the replies was talking about a poly fic that constantly updated with a bunch of chapters, clogging their ship tag where it's just two of the people in one of the poly ships, not a focus itself. My tag has like FOUR different regularly-updating, multi-chapter fics right now where it's tagged as "background ship" clogging it! I hate it so much. This is especially common and agonizing if you're in the fandom for one of the less-popular canon ships, since they're so often in the background of some more popular couple. I was in a fandom where an only-really-popular-as-support F/F canon couple was my OTP, and most of their tags was fics focusing on the more popular M/M and F/M couples where my OTP were there for like, maybe a paragraph at most. And people never tagged it in a way that made it clear if it was that or something that might genuinely feature them. Agony! I know you can use "otp: true" but I'm not averse to a good fic with multiple ships where my OTP actually matters in it!

On that note, I wonder if it's ever polite to maybe make a note of it in comments? I'd probably do that anonymously, but especially when you see people who are relatively new to AO3, I wonder if they just don't realize that that's what they should do in these cases. I wonder how many people just don't realize that "putting ships in the additional tags" is an option, and are thinking of tagging more in a Tumblr "indicate the ship is there so people who don't want to see it at all avoid" way than a "tags are for finding it if you WANT it" way.

Yeah, for real.

In most of my fandoms, side ships shouldn't be tagged most of the time just because of the typical posting dynamics. Fics that really merit that b-plot ship tag are rare.

In other ones (BTS, I'm looking at you), there's shittons of fics featuring like three separate ships, all of which have significant page time even if one is the lead. Even the "rare" ships aren't that rare unless it's a specific OT4, so it's not that annoying to me when something else is in the ship tag.

But The Untamed? Get your damn juggernaut tag out of my rarepair so I can use otp:true!!!

And yes, tons of people think AO3 tags are for warning people away or for tagging every single ingredient, not for making a fic findable.

They are wrong and they should feel bad.

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bluegekk0 · 5 months

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Mossbag made a new video 'Exploring the Pale King's Anatomy' and the first thing I thought about was you. lol

Hahahah yeah I think FPK is a little bit too out there anatomy wise to ever be considered by Mossbag. From what I've seen he mostly stuck to an analysis similar to what Mebi did, which makes perfect sense for the canon.

---

I go fully with the idea that most of the characters in the AU have actual skeletal structures, which is probably a bit unusual since from what I noticed most people stick to a more insect like direction. Makes sense I guess, though I'm still in the "bug is just a term and doesn't necessarily mean they're insects, some of them are just inspired by real life bugs" camp. Perhaps one of the first civilizations was actually more insect-like in origin, so the term "bug" stuck around even for species that are far more similar to other IRL animal groups. Or maybe "bug" in their universe has a completely different etymological origin so it doesn't even mean anything close to "insect". I mean, it is just three letters, so it just being a coincidence that it means "insect" in the English language is definitely a possibility. It's not like there are no words across languages who look the same but have different meanings, right?

So in the AU, "bug" is just a general term to use for everyone in the language used in Hallownest (and possibly more, if they come from the same language family), like "person" is for us.

The downside: well, it gets a little tiring having to explain my interpretation, since it isn't something a lot of people think (at least to my knowledge), and you could argue it's more convoluted than in needs to be (probably true). The upside is that, if it is such a broad term, then it doesn't discriminate against anyone in their world who doesn't look like an insect. Everyone gets called "a bug", regardless of their anatomy, their species and their ancestry. Which definitely fits FPK's wish to unite everyone under his rule (and because he looks nothing like an insect himself), though I don't think he was the one who started using the term that way, it just happened to fit his vision.

Of course, I won't go arguing about this cause I realize it is a bit of an unpopular take, but for the AU that's what I'm going with. Which means that every time someone calls my AU characters (especially FPK and Grimm) "insects", part of me is like... Have you seen them? I keep it to myself and it doesn't actually bother me, I just think it's a bit funny to see people call my very clearly mammal looking Grimm an insect, probably just because that's what they're used to haha

---

But I got a little carried away. I might check the video in full one day, though I tend to stay away from canon-friendly analyses these days. Not because I think my interpretations are better, no, I think they're all valid, it's just hard for me to separate my own thoughts from such interpretations, especially if they're very different to what I envisioned. Makes me go "no that's not how I see it at all" instead of just reading through it as its own thing. Does that make sense? I hope it does, and I hope it doesn't come off as rude or dismissive. My brain is just a bit hard to cooperate with 😭

Though I will say, I do appreciate Mossbag pointing out that Wyrm is a term connected to dragons and other reptiles, and not just worms. I guess that's one thing FPK has in common with that analysis. That, and having bones i suppose, though I haven't watched the entire video so I only know that Mossbag mentioned bones, I don't know what his final conclusion was.

#ask stuff #feral pk au #au worldbuilding #<- kinda? cause i talk about the term bug in the au #save #fpk

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vahvah · 6 months

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I really don't understand people who love Gin and hate Kaname at the same time. No, really, think about this for a second before you go back to your blind, fanatical love for cute boys (of course, I'll go back to that too).

Gin acted like a bastard, hurting people, killing, dooming people to death for about a hundred years because, well, as a child he saw what Aizen's minions did to Rangiku (almost sapped her powers as a soul). He realized that Aizen is a dangerous, cruel psychopath who poses a threat to three worlds. Honestly, I don’t remember canonical materials on whether Aizen shared with Gin the truth about the structure of the three worlds (about the Soul King as a puppet of Squad Zero, etc.), but even if Gin knew how ugly the setting of Bleach is - I believe he believed that putting him in the hands of Aizen, who did not care about the lives of civilians and even loyal subordinates, would be madness. His motivation makes sense, it shouldn't be reduced JUST to revenge for Rangiku, especially since she survived.

On the other hand, Kakyo (Tousen's friend/lover, in case you didn't know) didn't survive. Tokinada killed her (and the other shinigami), not for the sake of a higher goal that “justifies” the means, but because he was a sick bastard who liked to torture and kill, just like that. Yes, he also knew the truth about the Soul King, but he handled it differently than Aizen. And, well, being a vicious aristocrat, he used every opportunity provided by the clan to avoid punishment, and he was FAR from the only one of his kind. Kaname was trampled, the Soul Society system literally shouted in his face about its injustice, and Aizen was the only one who extended a helping hand to him. Aizen trusted Kaname, and Tousen asked him to kill himself so that he would never end up on the side of the Gotei 13.

(I think Aizen trusted Gin too, because at the moment of his betrayal, he actually looks shocked - it was not part of his plan lol).

I think Kaname and Gin were very similar and both suffered similar sins and can be understood.

#bleach #kaname tousen #gin ichimaru #sosuke aizen #bleach meta

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caitlynmeow · 5 months

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Since you did Bela, can you do the the two remaining sisters for your prompt ?

Give me a character and I will answer:

Why I like them:

Daniela is the baby of the family and it shows because she's such a brat who doesn't listen to anything or anyone she has no problems arguing with Bela right in front of their mother because she knows that Alcina is not going to say anything about it. She's also different from her sisters and I think this is really what gives her that distinctive personality and you can't just not love that, you know? Like, the girls are vicious hunters and Daniela especially has little impulse control (slashing that maid's face with a knife just because) but she's actually more tame and the weakest hunter out of the three. She has her own hobbies, she'd much rather be reading or looking after her flowers (she takes that very seriously) than go out and hunt. It made her weaker, which is why Alcina locked her up in the library to protect her because while she dotes on her youngest, she knows when things are about to get serious and that's when mama gets all protective. Cassandra- I love how fucking dramatic she is???? Waving that handkerchief is what did it for me I just knew this one is different and I was right. She's a brat, but unlike Daniela she doesn't keep to herself. Bela is appalled by the mess Cassandra caused in the cellars because this is just her brand. Chasing Ethan around going all "rawr" and literally just messing with him? Pure gold. I also live how her dramatic ass makes her flies scream when her mother is nearby just so that Alcina can make an entrance. You can easily tell she's a handful and the fact that their mother chose her to team up with tells you a lot. Alcina literally just lets her play and have fun, but she gets all serious and scolds her when it's needed. Idk but honestly Cassandra is the one who's closest to Alcina and she lives for the drama.

Why I don’t:

Doesn't apply. They're adorable cinnamon rolls who did nothing wrong their whole lives.

Favorite episode (scene if movie):

I loved Daniela arguing with Bela the most because yes this is obviously the baby and she's not afraid to run her mouth.

My favorite is how excited Cassandra gets when her mother is around like girlie is just beaming and literally just bouncing in excitement???? So precious.

Favorite season/movie:

Long live Castle Dimitrescu.

Favorite line:

Daniela: "Ugh! Ow, so mean!" Cassandra: "Look forward to what mother has in store for you."

Favorite outfit:

I think Daniela would rock any crop top. Cassandra in any type of skinny jeans is just too hot for us mortals to handle.

Head Canon

Daniela:

1- She loves her sisters!! She argues with them a lot, and she always feels like they don't take her seriously but she cannot imagine living without them. 2- Despite her personality, she actually doesn't like anything related to horror and gets scared easily. 3- She has an innocent mindset. She doesn't always assume the worst about people, often taking their word at face value which can end her in bad situations because she does fall for these things (its also because she's eager to help) 4- She admires her mother greatly, hoping that one day she can grow up and be just as pretty. 5- She loves pranks and practical jokes! She pulls them on anybody, doesn't matter if its a family member or a staff member. Bored Daniela is going to have her fun one way or another.

Cassandra:

1- She loves souvenirs! Like whether in game or any AU, she's the one who just loves to have a reminder. In the game she literally says that, and she often keeps hair and nails of her victims because hey why not, you know? I think she'd be the same in modern AU like any place they visit Cass is the one raiding these souvenir shops buying heaps of things she doesn't really need. 2- Cassandra is sensitive! And ironically, she's the one who is more guarded (esp with her feelings) so it's not easy to tell. But those who really know her know exactly her fragile her emotions are. 3- She is possessive. What's hers is hers and girlie doesn't like to share anything. 4- She gives off left-handed energy so I will confidently say that she's left handed. 5- She is a big introvert!! She prefers keeping to herself and recharging her social battery at home as opposed to being out all the time. Despite her wild chaotic energy, Cassandra needs her quiet time to find her balance again.

Unpopular opinion:

Daniela actually has more self preservation instincts than her sisters. She's the only sister who runs into hiding when the window is open because she knows she can't fight like that. So she does the right thing (unlike her sisters who just charge in not caring that they're freezing to death) So I really think she's the more sensible one who actually thinks before acting. Cassandra: She-- How do I say this, she enjoys being part of a family? With her especially, she's never alone. Alcina is literally with her, and she talks about calling Bela and she even call out to her sisters. I think this goes back to her being more sensitive which means she's more emotional than the others and really holds her family dear. She's always talking about them and being with them. She literally was never alone during the castle section like Alcina knows which daughter constantly needs her presence and we can all see that. It's just that Cassandra is actually a huge family person but she's good at hiding so only her mom and sisters know about it.

A wish:

;w; can we pls get a dlc with their lives in the castle before Ethan happened.

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen:

Nope, been there done that. They still live in my heart though. Canon? I don't know her.

5 words to best describe them:

Daniela: funny - smart - resourceful - spoiled - quick to anger Cassandra: drama queen - sentimental - hunter - sassy - mama's girl

My nickname for them:

Daniela: Dani- baby Cassandra: Cass - Cassie

#thank you for sending this one in!!#i love talking about these girls lol #meme #house dimitrescu #cassandra dimitrescu #daniela dimitrescu #re8 #headcanon #alcina dimitrescu #resident evil village #resident evil 8

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bonefall · 11 months

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I actually really like what you’re doing with Crowfeather, he feels a bit like a foil to Bramblestar almost. They’re both prophesied Sundrown Patrol cats who end up being awful fathers and bad people. But, Crowfeather matures and changes his behavior. He can never fix what’s already broken, he’ll never be close to Breezepelt or his Grandkits, but Can still become a better person, and he’s still willing to put in the work to change.

Bramble is the opposite. He never matures, he changes for the worse. He looks at the broken shards of his relationships with Squirrel and The Three and instead of attempting to fix it he doubles down and drags the remains through the mud. He gets a second chance to be a good father, now to Spark and Alder, and without care or hesitation he tears opportunity apart. What’s already broken can never be fixed, but unlike Crowfeather he will never be willing to change just for the sake of being better.

Exactly, like... my intentions aren't to 'redeem' every bad parent or family member, or totally erase how they hurt their kids. I think it's especially important to show situations that can't be fixed, and people who never do get better.

But you don't have to be 'rewarded' with a person's time or attention to make that effort worth it. Being a better person has its rewards in the new bonds you can forge, and the meaning you can find in other things. You're never too far gone to be unworthy of happiness and fulfillment, even if there are things that will never be the same.

I think being like Bramble is a very lonely experience. It sucks to be like that. People end up drifting away from mistreatment, which just prompts the abuser to claw harder and hold on tighter to what they haven't already lost, in an endless loop. It's really sad AND infuriating, it's like watching someone try to fill a vertical hole with tears and blood.

It was really helpful to me in my own life to realize that, that a person can be hurting, and that still doesn't mean you personally need to give them the time of day. Real pain and trauma in the heart of someone who's hurting you does not entitle them. They can even be trying to make amends-- you don't need to be their salvation. Regret is just how wisdom turns a wound into a scar, y'know?

But anyway, glad to know that my Crowf changes are going over smoothly. I was a bit worried of the response, since I'm both trying to establish he has some serious differences from canon to establish he could be a competent leader AND still keep that he was an abusive father. I hope I'm hitting a good balance.

#I think canon crow should be an AWFUL leader #Like. The sort of person who really should not be around power #Even if he is trying to make amends and improve #I don't think power is something to 'deserve' I think it's something that should go to the most qualified #TNP bothers me a lot that it concludes Yes Brambleclaw Bad-At-Judgement DESERVES power #because it Proves Everyone Wrong about him #Like... no. No you shouldn't get power just to Prove Em Wrong #You should get power because you have good judgement and make a good leader. Something Bramble actively disproved #And by all accounts Canon Crow has never been able to see the bigger picture without serious effort #But unfortunately no one else in WindClan is like... a recognizable person #with well-defined traits #Even Heathertail has become weirdly bland since having children which sucks #I miss Heatherstar leader of DarkClan give that sassy little weasel back to me #''I found the hideout so I get to be leader'' literally cannot argue with that. go off queen #bone babble #tw abuse

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dooplissss · 2 months

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i saw your tags on that post, can you tell me about the homestuck quadrants? i was hugely into homestuck like 10 years ago but i’ve forgotten almost everything. i want to remember the ancient ways

* cracks knuckles >:) *

Matesprit ❤️ is easy, its just what humans see as romance and true love etc. One of the two reproductive quadrants, yadda yadda you get it.

Examples: - Morticia <3 Gomez - Ruby <3 Sapphire - Darcy <3 Elizabeth, with arguably some grey/black romance thru the story but thats what makes it so enduring

Moirails ♦️ is my personal favorite quadrant and is fairly straightforward, tho the canon definition is different from fanon. In fanon, its interpreted basically as best friends/queerplatonic, which, yeah, can and usually does happen with that proximity and thats why I love it, but in canon its more a power balance to prevent violence and death, typically with one figure reining back a more chaotic one. When applying to humans and other fandoms tho its better to lean toward the slightly fanon interpretation since Alternia's violent culture is so different from ours.

Examples: - Nepeta <> Equius - Aziraphale <> Crowley (obvi the situation is changing but lets leave this here) - Dean <> Castiel (obvi i'm team matesprit but canonically they belong here up til cas declares his love) - Joel <> Ellie (this is a strictly platonic quadrant dw) - Caleb <> Nott/Veth (I want to shake liam and sam so bad and explain that the relationship they were looking for was right here and they didnt have to awkwardly choose between romance and friendship)

Auspictice ♣️is the one everyone gets wrong and drives me the most insane. It's a tricky and very specific balancing dynamic thats hard to find, except maybe on the CW. Canonically, its a group of three people, two (left and right leaves) want to outright kill each other. This does not make them kismesis, I cannot stress that enough, kismesis don't want each other dead, but we'll get there in a sec. The third person is meant to prevent them from killing each other, being the mediator. Its rare for this dynamic to not be outright toxic, esp in human examples, but its a healthy option on Alternia to prevent unnecessary murder. I think this dynamic is meant to be temporary tho, even in that culture, as it weighs on the mediator a lot.

Examples: - Eridan <3< Sollux ^ Feferi, unfortunately unsuccessful showing how difficult and straining this relationship type is (also everyone who said eridan and sollux were kismesis owes me $5, I'll become a millionaire instantly) - Edward <3< Jacob ^ Bella - Pearl <3< Greg ^ Steven, a happy ending example of an auspictice (ignore the ptsd)

Kismesis ♠️is. man where do I begin. its so good. its such a fun dynamic, especially when you have a pairing that gets it just right. Kismesis is perfect enemies, arch-rivals that share a mutual respect and drive each other to improve themselves to better outwit their opponent. Its when a captain sees one of their ships on fire and smiles, knowing just who did it. Its tipping your opponents head up by the tip of a sword. Its the bad guy showing up at your doorstep because theres no one else they trust more than their greatest nemesis. Its the other reproductive quadrant because its just as deep and passionate as true love, and it can in fact switch between love and hate very easily and often.

Examples: - Quark <3< Odo (imo the BEST non-homestuck example) - Batman <3< Joker (friend hates when i say this but i'm right, esp with lego batman) - Xavier <3< Magneto - Light <3< L - God <3< Satan, why not lmao

I wish homestuck was seen as less cringe bc the quadrants are SOOO FUN to apply to ships and dynamics in other fandoms and contexts. At the same time, people get the quadrants wrong constantly, especially between kismesis and auspictice. And the quadrants aren't static, you don't have to lock a ship in just one forever! feelings change and very easily turn from black to red to black again, its all so complicated and fun to watch.

Hope all this makes sense lmao, thanks for the ask!

#i am. very opinionated and a stickler for the definitions clearly #homestuck #ask

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aloesarchives · 6 months

Text

Kengan Omega Thoughts

I finally caught up with Kengan Omega now and I... Um, What?

*Spoilers for the lastest chapter!*

I know I shouldn't be rooting for him because he's supposed to be a villain but for all things under the fucking sun he's hot. Look at him, he's pretty for being over like a hundred years old or some thing like that. Fucking aging like mf wine, jesus christ.

Mukaku dying is good because while he did care to some extent, he was overall terrible person. It's funny how he could've done something if he actually never gave up when dark Niko defected to the worm if he still trained our Niko and try to stop the worm. But his flaw of giving up when he knew he lost probably got him to where he was. Plus his motives to kill and get rid of the worm wasn't for virtue or the greater good, it was to get revenge on the connector for murdering his clan which resulted in him having people die because he instigated them.

It sort of falls under the theme of conviction, tenacity, and motive that Kengan has. People with strong convictions and wholeheartedly believing in their motives to fight gives them power and strength in matches and training.

Just something I noticed when reading the "save Ryuki from the inside" arc in the manga. (which I left of from)

If this chapter came out early 2022 or 3 years ago, I would be frothing at the mouth right now seeing Joji and Waka interact. I'm happy that it's canon that the two of them actually know each other. Dude, even Waka knows Joji is a troublemaker, lol. Though I'm out of my Joji and Wakatsuki phase, I still love them dearly. Especially Joji, the man is funny, empty-headed, nonchalant. I personally want to thank Sandrovich for including Joji more in Omega and making him as comic relief. He so himbo-coded, I love it.

Ugh, I love them so much! They have come a long way since the beginning of Omega. I'm so happy for them. Ohma, Ryuki, and Koga, nice development and growth.

I'm sorry, but this fucking panel had me cackling. I know it's meant to be serious and all but it reminds me all too much of this picture below:

Dude, you know it's serious when four of the most powerful people are in an absolute state of shock. The Worm and the Death Dealers don't play around. But I kinda wish they didn't make Shen be this over powered because we don't know who's gonna beat him. I mean, they already stated that Lolong, Agito, nor Raian could defeat him. Hell, we don't know what happened to Ohma since he witness that even the fangs of Metsudo are no match for him. I mean, it'll probably go down to more of Koga fighting him if anything but he'll get his butt handed to him. I wouldn't be surprised if Ryuki fights Shen because it's hinted that there are more then one connector since Mukaku put two and two after realizing that Ohma looked more like Ryuki then with Shen. I think it would be fun to hear that Ohma is a clone of Ryuki and Ryuki is a connector but was sealed away in one of those tube thingys in like the movies. That could explain why he doesn't remember much of his past besides training with Mukaku unlike Ohma who was remembers being a child in the inside.

So we know that Ohma is definitely a clone. Unsure if he's a clone of Ryuki and unsure if Ryuki is a connector himself. I guess we'll wait and see because it seems like the Omega is getting close to the end, like 75% done.

Nogi really is playing with fire and a hydrogen bomb. I understand and like his spirit. But Idemitsu makes a good point about all of this. I also liked how his reaction of shock is different from Yamashita, Nogi, and Katahara. Obviously it's shock but more of like "What the fuck? What the hell just happened?" versus the three's reaction being "Oh my fucking God, how did this fucking happened? What are we up against?" Idemitsu was aware of the worm and of its existence but only recently interacted with them. Whereas Nogi and Yamashita know what they are up against and how dangerous they are to the entire world. Katahara, on top of the two, has even experienced the Worm and even seen their atrocities as he had came across a Gu ritual where he ended up meeting Agito as he was the only survivor.

I just wanna see how this all goes down and what will happen to Ohma and Ryuki.

#kengan omega #kengan ashura #wakatsuki takeshi #tokita ohma #ryuki gaoh #koga narushima #Shen Wulong #kengan thoughts

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sapphire-weapon · 9 months

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Hi! Sorry if this counts as shitstirring... But you got me thinking... Do you really think that someone really needs to play the games in order to fully understand the story? Or is watching them and reading up on them enough? Thanks, and sorry!!!

Don't be sorry. This is a valid question that deserves an honest answer.

There's nuance to this. This isn't just a simple "yes or no" question.

Do I think that you need to play the games to understand the story? No, I don't. Resident Evil's story is not difficult (though, you'd never know that, looking at the fandom). It's very easy to watch the games and movies, go "ok I got it", and move on.

Do I think that you need to play the games to be considered an authority on the canon? 100%, absolutely. And I'll tell you why.

We spend a lot of time talking about narrative direction and storytelling devices and the use of tropes and cinematography here on this blog, but the one thing that we really need to keep in mind at all times is that Resident Evil is a game first and a story second. This has been the design philosophy since the series's conception. This is why RE4 OG's story was slapped together in three weeks. This is why RE5 was the way that it was. This is why RE7 is what RE7 turned out to be.

The narrative of Resident Evil is not something that exists separately or divorced from its gameplay. In fact, the opposite is true. RE's story is not only influenced by its gameplay, it actually -- in some cases -- is directly written as a result of its gameplay.

I've talked about the story behind RE4's development before, but.

Was RE6's story borderline incomprehensible, and did it jump approximately sixteen sharks? Yes. Was that the main reason why RE6 failed? Absolutely fucking not. Not even close.

RE6 turned out the way that it did because RE6 was developed and released during a time in which the biggest moneymakers in the AAA game space were brown & bloom multiplayer shooters. Capcom wanted in on that gravy train.

RE5 sought to take the award-winning formula that RE4 developed and add a multiplayer element to it in order to initially chase that trend, and RE5 for a very long time was the highest-selling Resident Evil title ever made.

Capcom looked at that and took it to mean that it was RE5's added multiplayer element that made it so successful. They weren't exactly wrong, either. RE5, for a lot of people, was like a version of RE4 that you could play with your friends.

Wesker was not killed in RE5 because Capcom thought it was an appropriate time narratively to kill him. Wesker's death was a symbolic one -- it was the death of the "old" Resident Evil -- the death of the slow, plodding, single player experience that the entire AAA industry had convinced themselves was no longer viable monetarily and not what players wanted. This was especially true for RE, after the unprecedented success of the more action-focused RE4 changed the entire third person shooter genre forever.

By the time we reach RE6, Capcom is all on on this. Three campaigns, all with co-op, all of which play differently. Chris's story is what Chris's story is in RE6 because Capcom knew that most players were probably going to reach for his campaign first, considering he was the protagonist of the most recent release and, therefore, the most recognizable to players who maybe weren't necessarily super familiar with RE. They specifically wanted Chris's campaign to feel like a traditional third person shooter in order to get new players hooked, because Capcom was convinced that that's what a majority of gamers at the time in general wanted.

Leon's story is what Leon's story is in RE6 because it was designed specifically to cater to people who loved RE4 and would reach for him first over Chris. So, they gave Leon a female partner (Helena in place of Ashley) and a slower, more traditional horror setting (while still being action-oriented), and they tried to kill two birds with one stone by having Ada running around and also being the damsel in distress, so to speak, to replicate the "save the princess" plotline from RE4.

But the biggest issue with all of this was that it turned the design philosophy of the game into "how can we sell this?" over trying to just make a good horror game -- and it showed. Capcom cut a hell of a lot of corners in terms of pacing and level design and enemy design and enemy variety in favor of focusing on the combat system (which was never adequately explained and had its nuances lost on approximately 80% of the playerbase), the netcode, and making the game's story as easy to consume and digest as possible while chasing specific market trends.

RE6 didn't go super hard on Aeon because the writing staff was just so ~dedicated to the ship~. RE6 went hard on Aeon because they wanted Leon to look heroic and save the girl just like he did in RE4 but didn't want to create another Ashley after how universally hated she was. Knowing that is how I say so confidently that Remake is retconning Aeon -- it's because the ship itself was never the point. They used it as a gameplay contrivance that they thought would help sell RE6, and it blew up in their faces. So now they're trying something new.

The actual experience of playing Resident Evil 6 was downright miserable to a vast majority of the fanbase because it was a soulless, hackneyed mess that didn't even have the decency to bother giving itself a spooky atmosphere. It was an uninspired series of long hallways filled with bullet sponge enemies and literally nothing else.

So, when the story was stupid and fan favorites like Leon felt like they got screwed over on top of all of that because the same design philosophy of "make this as mass marketable as possible" bled into the story from the gameplay, that was just the shit icing on the shit cake.

People probably would have been much more forgiving of RE6's story if the game design itself was better. Or, conversely, people would've been much more forgiving of RE6's game design if the story was super compelling.

But RE6 was neither.

And so RE7 was Capcom's way of trying to re-learn how to do pacing, level design, and atmosphere. The gameplay was the most important thing. That's why they didn't even bother using the legacy characters and created Ethan and the Bakers. The legacy characters would've been a distraction. They had to fix things one step at a time: gameplay first, story second.

That's why RE7 is RE7 and why we have only seen Leon in CGI movies and not games since 6 (Remakes not withstanding). RE7 fixed the gameplay, and Vendetta, ID, and DI served to reconfigure and redefine Leon's character, and I'm more than sure that they're going to try to finally blend those things together in RE9.

And if you don't play the fucking games, and if you don't fucking understand how the games industry works, you're not going to have any of that fucking context going into your meta analysis.

That's why braindead motherfuckers in this fandom look at that stupid remark made about how the one director thought that Leon and Ashley holding hands during RE4make's gameplay made them look "too close" and they read way too much into it -- it's because the spoken words of the directors are all they have to go off of, and they don't realize what a bad gameplay decision having Leon and Ashley hold hands would have been.

If you don't play the fucking game, you don't know that the half-second it takes for Leon to switch from his knife to his gun can mean the difference between taking a hit or not -- and so you would have no reason to think of how annoying it would be to add yet another half-second delay to Leon drawing his gun if he had to disengage from Ashley first. If you fuck with the normal gameplay loop with something that only happens when Ashley is with you, it will make the player start to resent Ashley, and that's the opposite of what the devs wanted to do -- which is what the fucking conversation in the interview was about in the first place!

That is far more likely the reason why the handholding was cut. And while that decision was being made, it was probably pointed out that having them hold hands made it look like they were on a date -- and that's absolutely not the tone/atmosphere that this game was going for. That is far more likely what was meant by "too close."

It had nothing to do with ensuring that the players perceived Leon and Ashley's relationship as platonic. It had everything to do with tone and atmosphere and the pacing of the normal gameplay loop. It's just that "*juts a thumb in his direction* This guy thought it made them look too close" was a way fucking easier explanation of what they probably thought was a really fucking unimportant anecdote about a character animation that didn't matter.

But if you don't play the games, you won't know that.

If you don't play the games, Word of God is all you have to go on. That's why people who don't play the games insist on all Word of God being explicit canon. It's because they can't use the games themselves as a baseline -- and that gives them a skewed, fucked up perspective of what Resident Evil is trying to do and be and accomplish.

This kind of shit is constantly in my head when I'm writing my meta and trying to predict where a game's story will go next.

I pull my meta directly from the games, because that is what Resident Evil is. It is a series of games that are trying to be good games first and interesting stories second.

And if you don't understand that, you have no business calling yourself an authority on the canon.

#resident evil #meta analysis #sorry for the long rant #but i wanted to be crystal goddamn clear about this #resident evil's story does not exist in a vacuum #and if your intention is to pick it apart and analyze it you need to be starting where the games themselves start #and that's the gameplay

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