i dont know if your asks/requests are open so please feel free to ignore this (also if it makes you uncomfortable) but could you do batboys seeing you after a big event taking all the stuff off, like getting unready ig

my bf saw me peeling off my boob tape and heard me scream then said that im never allowed to wear that dress again 😭😭

Not the boob tape 💀sorry for taking so long and Dick and Jason were the only ones my little overworked brain could think of for this one. 🐿️🦦

Dick

‘Would you like some help with that?’ He’d ask cheekily from behind you.

‘You just want an excuse to see me naked, perv.’ You replied, pushing him away by the face with a smile.

‘Twas only a suggestion my love.’ Dick laughed as he raised his hands in defence.

‘Yeah a suggestion of which would allow you to see me naked.’ You reiterated as you sat yourself on the edge of the bed to take off your shoes that had been killing your feet the entire night.

Dick pouted. ‘Is that all you see me, your sweet beloved partner, as an undignified pervert with no sense of control over my urges?’ He inquired as he crossed his arms over his chest.

‘Would you like an honest answer to that?’ You asked rhetorically.

‘Would you at least let me message your feet at least?’ Dick pleaded, ‘they must’ve been killing you sweetheart and I know how much you love my full body massages.’ He adds with a little wink, causing you to throw a pillow at him for that suggestive remark before going back to massaging your foot, only to be unable to reach the spots that were killing you the most.

Annoyed, tired and fed up, you then presented Dick with your foot and watched as his face practically light up. ‘Go on then since you’re so eager to please.’

Dick smirked. ‘Don’t I always?’

You pointed warningly at him. ‘Keep this up and I’m going to revoke some of your privileges.’

Dick only smiled as he knelt before you, kissing your exposed knee as his hands trailed up and down your leg before holding your foot. ‘I’m sure after this you’ll retract that statement.’ He confidently tells you and you scoff. ‘Oh yeah? I highly doubt-fuck that’s the spot.’ You groaned as Dick began to massage you foot, finding the source of your discomfort almost immediately.

‘Take back your statement yet my sweet?’ Dick asked teasingly as he peppered your leg with kisses as his chants worked their magic on your foot, easing the aches, the pains and whatever else they could find with ease.

‘Shut up and manage my feet Boy Wonder.’ You replied, pushing a hand through his hair, tugging at it playfully as you allowed yourself to fall backwards and into the bed bellow, unaware of Dick’s staring.

Even as you lied there half undressed you looked like heaven incarnate to him. Tonight had been a big one for the both of you but Dick thought you did wonderful and looked stunning at the same time, however he loved the you he got to see when it was just the two of you, it was a moment where he realised how lucky he was to get to see you like this and he would do anything to keep having as long as you’d stay with him; something he hoped would be the case for a long, long time.

Jason stands in the doorway and watches you get undressed with a fondness in his eyes.

He loves watching you undress already but seeing you undress after a big event that he was forced to attend was something else entirely.

He couldn’t put his finger on it but watching you undress after a long day had become Jason’s favourite thing to do, it tickled a part of him that grew up wanting to watch his partner get ready for the day ahead just as much as watching them get undressed and ready for bed.

He loved getting to see you undress as he got to admire what others couldn’t and he couldn’t help but feel prideful and happy about that. He, Jason Todd, got to see you in a way that others could never begin to understand.

You saw him watching you in the reflective surface of the mirror and couldn’t help but chuckle at the soft look upon his face as butterflies fluttered within your stomach. ‘Can I help you there handsome?’ You asked.

‘Sorry sweetheart, you’re just so beautiful and gorgeous.’ Jason says with a dopey smile stretching across his face.

‘Jay, I’m half naked.’ You chuckled, feeling your cheeks heat up under his gaze, it wasn’t your fault that you managed to have quite possibly the most sweetest, most beautiful man in Gotham calling you all theses sweet things as though it was as easy as breathing.

Jason shrugs. ‘Doesn’t change the fact that you’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen, half naked or not.’

You didn’t know it was possible to smile harder than you did at that moment, but you somehow managed to as you could almost feel your face split in half from your own smile. ‘That’s high praise coming from the most handsome, most beautiful man I’ve ever laid my eyes upon.’ You replied, looking back at him in time to see him take a deep breath as he walked over to you, hovering his hands over your bare shoulders before you felt the warmth of his palms warm up your shoulders.

‘Well that’s high praise coming from you chipmunk.’ Jason murmured as he kisses your cheek, resting his head atop of one of his hands on your shoulder, looking at your reflection with so much love and affection thst you swore you could’ve melted to a puddle in an instant. ‘Now how about you let me help you out of this thing and we can dress comfortably and head to bed for some cuddles, how does that sound.’ Jason adds and you couldn’t help but lean into him, tiredness making its home within your bones.

‘That sounds like heaven to me.’ You told him, kissing his cheek.

Meowdy Saint! ^^ lolol hello hello o/ hope you are doing good!!

So this masterpiece of a game has been invading my mind with ZERO chill lately which directly translated to me coming up with a TON of questions orz I really didn't realize how many I ended up compiling lol

If you don't feel like answering this many please feel absolutely free to ignore this ask or only answer the ones you like the most, the last thing I want is for you to feel overwhelmed! ^^

ALRIGHT LET'S-A GO

-do Rendacted's memories remain intact when he resets the day or do his wipe too with everyone else's? Also is there an in-universe answer for why he has these glitchy powers or is he just Built Different™?

-if angel made it VERY clear that they would be mad asf and prolly even start hating and leave Ren/[REDACTED] if he were to hurt their friends(or killing people bc this man needs to chill fr), would he listen to them? Bc I know that if he touches Violet, Elanor, Kiara or god forbid Moth I'm personally deleting his kneecaps 🥰

-since it seems to me that Ren/[REDACTED] is only kinda meh at cooking I was wondering if he actually made the not burnt pancakes in day 3 or if he had some store bought ones that he passed off as his own lol

-does he know how to give massages? :00

-during day 1, how did Ren come up with a book on the local flora?? It seems like such a random topic to pick when put on the spot without already having a genuine interest in it lmao

-if I understood correctly Maple should be Jae's dog right?? Did you have a specific breed or age in mind when creating her? I got curious because in my head she automatically popped up as a young australian shepherd to match with Jae's hyperactive dumbass energy lol❀⸜(˶´ ˘ `˶)⸝❀

-staying on the dog topic lol, in day 1 when angel gets up from the couch to get Ren the inflatable mattress(iirc) and he follows right behind them i immediately thought he acted like a puppy lmao. So would he mind being called 'puppy' as a pet name?

(I am not sure if this⬇️ questions falls under character deaths, if it does I really apologize and absolutely feel free to ignore it ^^)

-from an ask from last year it seems [REDACTED] would ultimately kill angel if there was ultimately not way to enter in their life?? Gotta say I was very taken aback by this, would this still be the case after a year of building more to his character? (Ok I went back to check the ask again but I can't for the life of me find it anymore maybe I dreamt it up idk😭😭 im really sorry if that is the case jdkslajdl)

-uuhh I know there is already a lot in this ask(im seriously sorry orz), but I was wondering if we will eventually get an SFW alphabet for Ren/[REDACTED] for the folks who don't care about the nasty 👉👈

-THIS IS THE LAST THING I PROMISE 👹 will there be a guide to get all the endings? I'm not sure if there is one already and in that case I missed it 100%

Also I find it ironic how the fandom is trying to find out every single aspect of Ren/[REDACTED]'s character the same way he must do with angel lmao

ALRIGHT THATS ALL IM SO SORRY FOR ASKING SO MUCH THE REN BRAINROT HOURS ARE SO REAL IM LOSING BRAINCELLS orz Remember to take care of yourself drink water and take breaks!! ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧

(Also sorry if some phrases don't make sense, english isn't my first language as I am 🤌 lolol)

✦゜ANSWERED: Under da cut because this got long >:3

-do Rendacted's memories remain intact when he resets the day or do his wipe too with everyone else's? Also is there an in-universe answer for why he has these glitchy powers or is he just Built Different™? Ren's memories remain intact!! I mean... He remembers each time you get a bad end and sometimes says something different... >:3 There is also an in-universe reason as to why he has his abilities — I won't spoil anything, but his real name (along with River's and one other character) have a reeeeally big tell. But what this tell is is for me to know and you to find out >:3

-if angel made it VERY clear that they would be mad asf and prolly even start hating and leave Ren/[REDACTED] if he were to hurt their friends(or killing people bc this man needs to chill fr), would he listen to them? Bc I know that if he touches Violet, Elanor, Kiara or god forbid Moth I'm personally deleting his kneecaps 🥰 Ren (and by extension [REDACTED]) knows not to harm anyone if he knows you won't like it — and even then — he won't actively show that murderous side of him in the first place. To Angel, Ren is just a timid, normal guy.

-since it seems to me that Ren/[REDACTED] is only kinda meh at cooking I was wondering if he actually made the not burnt pancakes in day 3 or if he had some store bought ones that he passed off as his own lol Ren is actually good at cooking, he's just a bit out of touch since he doesn't normally cook for himself! It's normally microwave meals or takeout for him... ^^; And yes, Ren did burn and burn the pancakes in Day 3 — he was distracted by something on his phone :3

Bonus cut Day 3 content: I took out the scene where Ren started to profusely apologise for burning the pancake because he often had to cook when he was younger. Given the dynamic of his family and the environment he grew up in, Ren didn't have much room to make mistakes ;n; I cut this scene out because I felt bad ksgskd So y'all get to have flustered, happy Ren instead!!

-does he know how to give massages? :00 If that was one of Angel's interests or desires, then sure!! ^^

-during day 1, how did Ren come up with a book on the local flora?? It seems like such a random topic to pick when put on the spot without already having a genuine interest in it lmao Someone else likes flora too, and it sure would be funny if Ren (eventually) starts to mimic certain traits and interests of the person you have the highest affinity/relationship points with in order to make himself look more appealing… >:3c

-if I understood correctly Maple should be Jae's dog right?? Did you have a specific breed or age in mind when creating her? I got curious because in my head she automatically popped up as a young australian shepherd to match with Jae's hyperactive dumbass energy lol❀⸜(˶´ ˘ `˶)⸝❀ It was mentioned in Jae's lore post (I'll link it here once I find it), but Maple is a Labrador! (Leon would be Jae's Australian Shepherd hehe) In my mind, Maple is only 2 or 3 years old, but that wouldn't really fit the official timeframe... ^^; Jae adopted Maple during high school so he wouldn't feel lonely at home, and it's been over 6+ years since then.... hgdshjg

-staying on the dog topic lol, in day 1 when angel gets up from the couch to get Ren the inflatable mattress(iirc) and he follows right behind them i immediately thought he acted like a puppy lmao. So would he mind being called 'puppy' as a pet name? Angel affectionately calls Ren a puppy during the scene in Day 1 where they meet up after work, so that nickname definitely could work!

-from an ask from last year it seems [REDACTED] would ultimately kill angel if there was ultimately not way to enter in their life?? Gotta say I was very taken aback by this, would this still be the case after a year of building more to his character? (Ok I went back to check the ask again but I can't for the life of me find it anymore maybe I dreamt it up idk😭😭 im really sorry if that is the case jdkslajdl) aaa I think you might be mistaking that ask for something else? ;v; [REDACTED] would NEVER harm Angel in any capacity, and they're a very patient person. Even if it took decades for Angel to fall in love with him, they'll wait.

-uuhh I know there is already a lot in this ask(im seriously sorry orz), but I was wondering if we will eventually get an SFW alphabet for Ren/[REDACTED] for the folks who don't care about the nasty 👉👈 You're fine!! And I'm open to doing that! I'll add it to my list hehe

-THIS IS THE LAST THING I PROMISE 👹 will there be a guide to get all the endings? I'm not sure if there is one already and in that case I missed it 100% I've shared a spreadsheet that lists all the available choices, the points you earn from each of them, and the endings you can get — however it's only available on Discord and I don't really want to share it outside of the server and potentially put it in the hands of minors. Sorry!!

Also I find it ironic how the fandom is trying to find out every single aspect of Ren/[REDACTED]'s character the same way he must do with angel lmao Hehe >:3 There's a loooot of lore that won't ever be mentioned in the game (since it doesn't seem fitting/I don't see a reason to), so I'm happy to provide it here!

fandom misogyny is so rampant because you would expect the character who destroys an orphanage infront of said orphans (despite being an orphan themself and understanding how awful that upbringing can be) and said to them they'd rather see them all put down then leach of kiryu's generosity for daring to raise orphans i guess, and also literally slaps haruka, to be more universally disliked than the character who does tell haruka they'd stop funding the orphanage if she failed and does kinda gaslight kiryu into believing his kids are better off without him but does so genuinely believing that kiryu leaving would be better for the kids future and does it because they do want to see haruka's dream flourish.

like they're both characters who involve in some way threatening the orphanage (again. one is far worse like it's not even a comparison but again people like mine more) and both have a similar strike of being mean, like mirei with her gaslighting in her first scene and mine with his everything (which is far more of his screentime then mirei ftr like it's one SCENE FOR HER.) and one is the villain of the game and one is absolutely not the villain of the game.

but one is a woman so she's obviously worse even though the narrative both gives mine and mirei sympathy (but apparently that's an only an issue for mirei)

like kiryu reaches through to mine and gets him to realize what he become was wrong and that he can change. and also through learning mine was like this because he grew up unloved by the world around him and believing he had to make something of himself or else the world would never accept him and he does embrace the ideals of the world around him. he believes that orphans have to make something by themselves because that was how he has to grow up; if that wasn't the way the world worked, then how come mine never had anyone looking out for him after his father figure died until he met daigo? (still very wrong for what he did. like not an excuse making this clear)

and his story hinges on him realizing he was also wrong for believing the world was just cruel and for becoming cruel in return. the reason why he was so alone was because of who he was, how he treated people, how he treated the oprhanage for example. like the narrative calls him out for this while also having him learn he was wrong. that's where the sympathy comes from.

and for mirei it's through the fact that she does understand firsthand that your idol career cannot function if there is a yakuza member in your life because hers was destroyed the moment her marriage got out (not even getting into the fact that majima hurt her and he should've never been with her) so of course she believes kiryu cannot exist as haruka's father for her dream to function, and basically convinces him to leave by saying his kids are better off without him and that if he leaves, she'd fund the orphanage so no kid has to abandon their dreams of their future to help keep the orphanage affloat. because you know kiryu can't keep it affloat himself with his yakuza background.

this is wrong of course, like kiryu is their father and being forced out of his kids lives through blackmail is wrong, but her reasons are far more understandable than mine's are, see her own history with the idol industry and the fact she does care about the kids and specifically haruka as the narrative later evolves. and again she barely does anything compared to every villain in the series like her grand act of being so awful and the worst is getting kiryu to leave her kids by promising she'd fund the orphanage if he left. which. comparatively is nothing compared to mine (you can not like that choice sure, but objectively it's not nearly as bad like not in the slightest)

but no, mine is the universally beloved character for the most part and mirei is demonized to no end. when he's the villain of y3 and what he does is both far worse and his reasons for aren't excusable at all and he has to learn he's wrong, mirei doesn't.

like I've seen people say like she's the true villain of the game and how dare the game make you sympathise with her because you know a woman can't be mean or be flawed. even though what she does isn't nearly as bad, like objectively compared to the actual villains who've killed people, and mine specifically as the other character most wrapped up in the orphanage. like mirei barely does anything compared to literally every yakuza antang but she gets all the hate for being a woman who dares to be mean in her first appearance.

not a part 2, but here's a prequel to this sanuso comic I did last month !!! (takes place the night before ,, technically after the first three panels)

OK SO HERES THE THING REGARDING AZIRAPHALE’S CHOICE

It seems that people seem to keep characterizing Aziraphale’s choice at the end to accept Metatron's proposal as him believing that Heaven is good or that he is supportive of Heaven’s plans, that he likes and wants to be a part of Heaven. But I feel, personally, that this is not entirely true. 

Aziraphale has been shown, both in Season 1 but ESPECIALLY in Season 2, to disapprove of what heaven believes is right/good. He, instead, actively chooses to divert heavens plans time and time again to do what he believes to be right and good.

And for most of this time, he and Crowley together work to not do what Heaven or Hell believe is correct but what THEY feel is correct. (Even if sometimes it takes a shift in POV, or potential damnation, for that event to occur.) 

So, when Metatron offers him a high position in Heaven, I do not believe he accepts it because he is supportive of the ways of Heaven necessarily but more-so that this might be an opportunity within to prevent or change the devastating actions Heaven takes (which he has witnessed first hand). 

The reason he wants for Crowley to join him in Heaven is because he wants Crowley by his side. Because that it what they have always done. For millenniums, Aziraphale and Crowley together have worked to deviate the plans of Heaven (and Hell), to do instead what is not good or right by the ideals of their respective head offices, but what the two of them believe is good or right for humanity.

He is not asking Crowley to join him in Heaven because he thinks there is something wrong with Crowley (as it seems a few people have suggested), he has always believed Crowley to be lovely and kind - both when he was an angel and a demon. He does not feel that Crowley is wrong or incomplete or anything of the sort. Aziraphale is asking Crowley to come with, he wants Crowley to help him. He sees this as a chance to do what they have always done, but perhaps with more power. Maybe this time they can prevent it. Maybe this time they can keep humanity safe. 

It is also interesting to note that Aziraphale has, within the dreaded last 10 minutes (lol pain), multiple moments of hesitation. The first is right before Metatron and Aziraphale leave the bookshop. He begins to presumably say something along the lines of “I think I... [made a mistake],” but looks out the window to where Crowley must be and corrects himself in Metatron’s presence. I think this is probably the most we can see Aziraphale’s true personal desire which is to be with Crowley. To stay on Earth. To live a life that he loves with the person (entity??) he loves. But here, before he can say what he truly wants, he puts on a face and marches on. It felt here to me, that Aziraphale is doing what he feels is a duty. He is putting aside his desires to go to Heaven, in hopes of being able to help humanity (NOT help Heaven). 

Once outside, we are revealed a pretty vital piece of information. 

METATRON: I can’t think of a better angel, to wrap things up, and put into motion the next step in the great plan. 

AZIRAPHALE: Um, yes, you mentioned that. Can I know what it is?

OKAY SO FIRST. When Metatron proposed this to Aziraphale, he said that Aziraphale would be putting the next part of the great plan into motion. So I dunno about you guys but I absolutely think this was probably an alarm bell in Aziraphale’s head given what the previous step was (the Apocalypse). But understanding that this is what Metatron told Aziraphale that led to Aziraphale accepting to go with him, furthers the idea that Aziraphale is going to Heaven to try and prevent or deviate what is going to happen. He is not just going because Heaven has suddenly started talking to him again. This though, I feel, makes this all the more sad. Aziraphale is pushing down his personal desires for his notions of ‘the greater good’ aka protecting humanity as it seems.  

The second moment of hesitation comes just before Aziraphale steps into the elevator, just after he is told that what he is slated to help with in Heaven is The Second Coming. He looks towards Crowley and (understandably) hesitates - because in reality, this is NOT what he wants. Ideally, he doesn’t want to be involved with Heaven, especially not alone (finally and truly alone now too... He never has fit in with the other angels has he?). But, Metatron has just told him of the next great plan, The Second Coming, and he has the realization that - despite how much he may not actually want this, despite having to leave without the love of his life by his side - he NEEDS to go. He needs to try and stop it, he needs to try and divert Heaven’s plan. And though it may not be right, he feels he needs to divert it within Heaven. Maybe then he can prevent another atrocity, maybe then he can protect the lives on Earth that he loves. He feels as though that’s his duty. So, for the second time, he fakes a smile and follows Metatron into the elevator. 

Aziraphale believes (despite how much he may want to stay) that in order to try and stop disaster, in order to save lives, he has to go even if it pains him.

(Sorry if this was like super incoherent, this show melted my brain into Nickelodeon Gak.)

You mentioned the deal w seeds in the plane au — what IS the deal w seeds in this au, if you don’t mind me asking?? 👀

bwah okay its not that much different from canon. they were still a deep space colonization fleet but in this au their mission was technically a success

seeds established an research outpost on no mans land to study the planet and test it for potential permanent habitation in the future. basically the fall doesnt happen. or at least not when and how it does in canon

vash and nai were born when seeds began constructing proper long term facilities on the surface

2 years later the research facilities have turned into small cities, terraforming projects kicked into gear and a decent human population was slowly being woken up from cold sleep. the colonization mission for this fleet was deemed a success

the twins were part of a project testing independent plant capabilities and the utility potential of reality bending (the ability to both power and control machines and expanding the storage capacity of small fast aircraft for transportation efficiency), later named project gemini in their honor. during that time the jets g-01 and g-02 and their prototype engines were constructed

at some point nai found detailed info on the project and noticed the discrepancy in their unit numbers, their engines being numbered 02 and 03 in the blueprints. more digging led to the discovery of tesla and her fate as an integrated part of the fleets onboard ai, knives went mad and began plotting the downfall of humanity. over a few weeks he secretly gained control over the local aircraft fleet and one of the production lines and launched an assault on the main ships in orbit

the one man war against seeds (and poor vash, who was caught in the crossfire, not wanting to fight either of them and trying to stop them from fighting each other) lasts a few decades and only ceases when nai shoots his brother out of the sky by accident

by then little was left of the original seeds project, losing the battle in the end. the sky and desert are a graveyard of ships and aircraft a century later. most of humanity doesnt remember the project or know what happened. a majority of the population abandoned seeds and fled the facilities to establish their own settlements during the war

and thats the deal with seeds! i think? did it explain anything? i got so caught up in writing this that i wrote down some of the early plot dhgfjhdfg

I think we as a fandom don't talk enough about Aira being Hiiro's fan—y'know, as an idol.

It might be because most people don't read the main story, or because it's not blatantly stated in there like other things, but it's something I think is a very unique facet about their relationship.

As we know, Aira separates his professional life and his personal life a lot. He will wait in line to shake hands with Hiyori Tomoe and buy a dozen CDs just to have a couple of extra minutes just talk to him, even though he can do this at any time since they're both idols living in the ES dorms and friends from the same circle.

And while this is admittedly silly from Aira's part, he truly sees this something serious and actually, he's kind of justified in thinking this way? He takes pride in being an idol otaku, and he wants to play as fair as possible with fellow fans, he doesn't want to take advantage of the fact that he's living and working alongside these super stars, and in my eyes that just shows how pure-hearted and honest he is.

With that in mind, it would be obvious to conclude that Aira would be a fan of his unitmates. He's definitely a fan of Tatsumi and Mayoi, but it's explicitly said in the MS that Aira is a fan of Hiiro.

This is from episode 89, "Grace"

(this episode may or may have not changed my brain chemistry forever lol)

Here, Aira makes the statement that he wants to protect Hiiro as an idol.

Hiiro is new to this world; he's a rookie, he's unpolished, far from perfect, but he's brimming with potential and he shines brightly on stage regardless of his imperfections — especially to Aira's eyes, and Aira wants to protect that, he wants to keep Hiiro's shine, and to help him grow and become the great idol Aira sees in him.

And I just can't express how much this means to me??? To their relationship??? This is why I can't understand people who say Aira doesn't care about Hiiro (these are opinions I've read way too often on twitter...), when Aira more than anyone wants to protect him not only as a person (like when he comforts him, cheers him up and motivates him after Rinne disowns him), but also as an idol. Aira trusts in Hiiro the idol. He sees his potential and he admires him deeply — not only as a fellow idol or as a friend, but as a fan.

And what gets me is the wording Aira uses here. He talks about wanting to protect Hiiro, to defend him. This is stated in another chapter and I don't remember exactly where (I believe it's one of the last episodes of the MS, but please correct me if I'm mistaken), but Aira states that he wants to protect Hiiro's purity — and this can be interpreted many ways, be it in that he wants to protect Hiiro's innocence as in his personality trait (his endearing naivety, his trusting and friendly nature, his endless curiosity, his earnestness and sincerity), or his purity as an idol, in the sense that because Hiiro is an idol, he has an appearance to keep, he has to be shining and to be pure and beautiful all the time (because that's the image idols give to the world, to their fans; the image that gives countless of people like Aira hope); this can include protecting Hiiro from the darker sides of the industry, such as toxic fans, unhealthy relationships with fame, corrupted producers or people from the industry, among other things. Aira seems to be aware of these issues (as he mentions in the second chapter of the main story, see below), so it makes sense that he wants to shield Hiiro, who knows absolutely nothing about this industry or the city, from those things.

Episode 24, "Suspicious"

And personally, I think Aira means both. He wants to protect Hiiro's purity as a person: he wants to protect the cheerful and positive Hiiro he knows and loves and admires (Aira himself states this. Multiple times. So much so that Aira often comments about how uncomfortable he feels when Hiiro is gloomy or troubled, that he is always the first to ask what is wrong or if something is bothering him.... but talking about Aira's high perceptiveness for Hiiro's emotions is a topic for another day) — but he also wants to protect Hiiro as an idol, wants to protect the immaculate image he gives to the world and to his fans, because Aira loves him, the same way he loves an idol from a fan standpoint. And he hopes that by protecting this purity, Hiiro will grow to be the talented and shining idol Aira knows he can be.

And what gets me is that after thinking of Hiiro this way, Aira snaps out of his self-deprecating thoughts and decides to give his best in the Ullambana (episode 89). Aira literally overcame his insecurities because of Hiiro. Thinking of having to do his best and keep working hard in order to keep up with him and with Alkaloid gave him the strength he needed to stop spiraling down his own insecurities and focus his efforts into something that was worth it: in keeping Alkaloid alive, and keeping Hiiro The Idol alive, because Aira believes he will become an idol that will soothe, delight and captivate hearts of many like Aira in the future — and Aira has to become an accomplished idol and a strong person if he is to be next to him on stage to protect him and to help him grow.

-

I say a lot, mostly jokingly between my friends, that Aira is the biggest HiiroP... but after writing this whole post, I realize I'm not so far off from this assumption. Aira loves Hiiro as a friend, we all know and understand that, but what is often overlooked is that Aira—who divides his professional and personal life so strictly—recognizes the rookie, unpolished, but talented Hiiro as an idol, and he wants to see him grow and succeed not only as his friend and unitmate, but also as a fan. Hiiro is so shining and wonderful on stage that it awakens the idol-ota instinct on Aira, it brings him back to his roots where he watched and admired idols from afar and inspired and soothed his lonely heart. And honestly? I think this is terribly wholesome, if not incredibly beautiful, and I'm getting emotional over hiiai once again, so I'm going to finish the essay here. Thanks for reading ahdjfk

Honestly, I think one of the biggest ways that we can see how much Wilson's cancer diagnosis affected House was through the whole ticket scenario. Obviously, House plays pranks, he always has, it's nothing new. But since getting out of prison, he has been so careful not to violate his parol. Don't get me wrong, he was upset that in his mind, Foreman was trying to replace Wilson, but I don't think that's why he reacted the way he did. At least not fully. He wasn't completely sure that his actions would lead to the damage that they did, but House isn't stupid, he had to have known that it was a possibility. He acted rashly and impulsively and tried to play off his actions like it was just a joke. We see all throughout the show that when House feels cornered, he lashes out and hurts himself and the people around him. I think he acted out because he was scared and he didn't know how to cope with it, so he did what he always does and became destructive. Like I said, House is an extremely smart man, I refuse to believe that he didn't consider that his actions would result in the destruction that they did. And it makes me wonder if it was House's way of punishing himself or if it was his attempt at hiding. If he was sent to prison, he would be leaving Wilson involuntarily, so he could pretend like it wasn't his fault. He wouldn't have to face the situation or watch as Wilson got sicker and sicker and eventually die. Instead, he could sit in a jail cell and pretend like everything was fine and avoid it all. Or maybe he blamed himself. Maybe he felt guilty. Maybe he felt like he didn't deserve to be there for Wilson in his final months, and he thought Wilson deserved better then him, so sending himself back to jail was the kindest way to separate them so that Wilson could be surrounded by others. He could've blamed himself for not realizing Wilson was sick because he never even considered it until Wilson told him. I can just see him beating himself up over the idea that, who doesn't realize their best friend is sick with cancer? How could he possibly have missed it? Was he truly that self-centered and selfish that he paid so little attention to his best friend that he completely missed the fact that he was dying? Or maybe he thought back to all the times he screwed Wilson over, and all the times he hurt him and manipulated him, and he thought that Wilson deserved better in his final months. I'm not sure which it was exactly, and maybe it was something else entirely, but I believe with all my heart that Gregory House, whether consciously or unconsciously, was trying to get himself sent back to prison, before he changed his mind and realized that he wanted to, needed to, be there for Wilson.

Ok FOR REAL Theory Time!!! Gonna be massive spoilers plus mention of bugs/fungus! So I'm calling this the Mold Theory And what is the Mold? It's the black stuff under Home! (Mold under a house is very suiting, right?) The Mold has contaminated Every single thing that the Restoration team has found! The team talks about the envelopes, the antiques, and the artwork found for Welcome Home and how it is alwasys Wet and covered in Grime. The stuff that is "Growing" all over the found items... Staff must wear gloves or they will get covered in it

You can see it all over the gloves, the Walls, and even the Website Itself! It's also been shown on the restored art prior to the update. But one unfortunate person seems to have touched it. and that is.. The Question Answerer! (The head person of the Restoration team is also most likely infected) Now what this Mold does is, It seems to have an effect of the person's mental state. Causing them to see and hear things, as well as having lucid nightmares and an overwhelming urge to draw spirals. From the very moment of contact, it seems to have effect "When I Unwrapped the first letter, I felt it. I heard it. Open Open Open. I want it out, I'm Going to get it Out" Instant Hallucinations and Obsession! Now I'm going to be Comparing this Mold to a Real fungus called Cordyceps, or the Zombie-Ant Fungus. It is a fungus that can control BUGS (familar themes right?) and take over their minds, forcing them to act unnaturally and wander far in order to spread itself! ~Similarily~ this Mold can take control of the Host's mind as well. The "Spores" that it is trying to spread are the drawings of the spirals/eyes. And the more eyes are Drawn, the more Wally can SEE. Wally has made it truly apparent that he can see us through any rendition of his eyes. "I've seen you every time you've looked into my eyes" "I have more eyes than I did before, you know how to draw eyes You draw mine, many times. I know it is thanks to you, Neighbor.. That I can see.. but it is still.. I can't see" He is giving us instructions.. "You have work to do" -Giving us instrustions on how to draw an eye... "Please Open, Let me In" Now I find this last instruction very funny He doesn't say "Let me Out" No... He says "Let me IN" Into What? What are we Opening? Our doors?Our EYES? our Mind? our Heart?? I think that could be exactly it!!! Letting him.... into You!!! (The collective You) Isn't that Funny? A Funny little thought?! The Puppet becoming the Puppeteer! ooh hee hee hoo hoo I think I'm very clever about that! But there are so many themes of Strings/Control/Scripts That I simply couldn't help myself! Now does that mean I think Wally is Evil? Absolutely NOT I LOVE Wally, and hey, what's a bit of mind control between Neighbors? <333 I'll borrow a cup of sugar and you can borrow my sanity! That's what Neighbors are for! <3 Jokes aside, No I Do NOT think Wally is Evil!! No, he might become a Puppeteer over the Real world... (and It might be for good reason, to save his friends and himself) but he is still very much a Puppet himself. Literally and Figuratively, And the Real Mastermind behind the strings is... Home!

Afterall? Isn't that where the Mold is coming from? From Down Below? Below Home?

This image gives me BIG TIME Obediance vibes Reporting/Worship/Subjugation I very much see Wally as the Lure of a very big Angler Fish.. The bait, the perfect little puppet that has captured our hearts and led us by the hand into Welcome Home. Isn't that very much how it has gone in real life? (Oh I KNOW I got the Mold BAD!!! ahahaha) (I can't stop drawing himmm!!! :3c ) But this is where my rambling stops, Until Next Time! I will just say that: The Relationship between Home and Wally (And by extension, YOU) Is a Strange one for sure! And I cant wait to see it further! And Just one more extra note on this whole Fungus thing.. Did you know that the BIGGEST Organism on the entire Earth.. Is a Mushroom? It is because they are connected through their Roots... (Down Below) and Houses kinda are shaped like musrooms... I will Leave it at That! Ahahahaha!

hi! i was wondering, why are some cars faster than others? what makes red bull different from other teams when they're all subject to the same reg changes? is it just due to their resources or a lack thereof?

hello! i will try to answer this the best that i can with my limited tech knowledge and vocabulary <3

tldr; basically, yes, there is a difference between the teams' performance cause by the variation in the amounts of money, sponsors and overall resources. but as certain teams have showed time n time again (eh-em scuderia ferrari), it's not just about having money but what you do with it; largely when it comes to aero development and the wiggle room the regs give

first things first, while the regs are same for all teams, the way the regs are interpreted by the teams differ largely. everything from the floor to the wings to the nuts and bolts can be customised by the teams. Some choices work in their favour, others not so much.

something to remember is that, while building a f1 car, you're always choosing to sacrifice one thing or another. for example, during the merc domination era, their cars were rarely ever following another due to always qualifying in the top 2. that's how they designed their car then; to lead, not to follow. which means that when they did have to follow another their car, their aerodynamics struggled and the car got much harder to drive. but that's a risk they chose to take because they knew that their car had good qualifying pace.

the teams try to build a car that suits to all tracks; ones with mostly slow speed corners or fast speed corners or mid. long straights or not. all that jazz. the ideal car is one that can do well or at least relatively well in all of these tracks. but as last year showed, even the best developed cars (rip rb19 u will always be famous) will struggle on some tracks (singapore; marina bay circuit; heartbreaker). it is extremely hard to be able to build a car that's always in the top 2, and often, it requires other teams massively fucking up their interpretation of the regs and the parts and features they believe makes for a fast f1 car.

a BIG part of setting up and building a car is having drivers that can give you feedback on how the cars act and react on the track. the simulators are great and helpful but they cannot be compared to the feeling of being in the actual car, going 300 miles an hour and feeling it in your bones. time and time again, it's been seen that teams who have ignored their drivers' suggestions on what to change about the car (lewis @ merc since the last two years) have suffered a decline in the quality of their machines.

all of this comes down to the development of the car and the people involved in developing said car. of course the resources matter but the development philosophy (especially when it comes to what they do with their aero package) often plays the biggest part.

but to come to the resources part,

sponsorships, the finishing position in the wcc; the price money that comes along with it, and whether the team is backed by an engine manufacturer/major brand does give that monetary boost that leads to massive differences in lap time on track. for one, it influences the people you can hire; right from the drivers to the strategists and aerodynamicists. talent comes with a massive price tag in f1.

with teams with lesser sponsors (for eg, haas), there also comes the limitation of not being able to afford extra, spare engines or front/rear wings which can then limit and lead to a drop in the car's performance. while rbr can afford to switch out their PU if it's not giving them peek performance, williams or haas cannot do that simply because of not having enough money to be able to buy another engine from the manufacturer.

f1 is trying to decrease the difference between the teams' performance based on access to resources with adding a cost cap and giving more aero development time to the teams that finish lower in the constructors championship. but so far, it doesn't seem to have made too much of a difference to the finishing order. although, the gaps between the teams in terms of lap times has come down significantly.

i have to mention (thank u @epylonia for reminding me of this) that merc has definitely struggled since the cost cap was put in place. do with that what u will <3

also, i cannot write an essay without bringing up adrian newey. there have been talks of him retiring since 2016 but rbr has kept a deathgrip on him and paid a good amount (10 milli dollars/year) to do so. that man is a genius and rbr is fucking lucky to be able to have him/afford him.

 Not to be negative or a hater, but I personally don't find some of emilia's  seemingly "adorkble idiotic airhead" moments and related speeches "cute" or "funny" rather...cringe and baffling. it seems like tappei simply doesn't understand the difference between a naive person and someone with an extremely low IQ, maybe tappei tried to create some comedy with that way to show emilia's dorky charm but honestly it's SUCKS unfortunately that big troll seems to be very stubborn to portray emilia that way over and over and over again without finding it kinda problematic at all, and honestly it's starting to piss me off about him. I know that emilia actually has a lot of smart moments in the story, but for some reason I just can't get into characters like her despite her kindness and thoughtfulness as well as other wonderful qualities,sorry.

hi anon!! thanks for the ask, this is something that i think a lot, actually. the thing with rezero is that it has a few glaring major flaws and then all the smaller flaws stem from those things. and by major, it is major. its genuinely problematic. i dont use that word lightly. and emilia is one of those characters that suffers from it the most, especially when shes rezeros deuteragonist. but you wouldnt know that from the way tappei treats her sometimes.

also uh quick disclaimer i hope no one kills me for my opinions in this ask haah i promise ill explain.

i will preface this off by saying - yeah, emilias one of my favorite characters in all of rezero actually. shes one of my favorite characters of all time in general too.

tappei does do some things right with her - her base character is lovely, her backstory is complex and explains so much of the foundation of her character, her role in the story is fascinating, her arc 4 development is amazingly written imo, her kindness despite all the pain shes been through due to factors out of her control is very admirable... to me personally, shes someone i can relate to and a character that i love a lot. i see her and i understand why subaru wants to help and protect her so bad because she truly is a sweet person trying her best but she is continually fucked over. i want her to succeed!! i want her to struggle but eventually prove everyone whos ever been against her wrong!! i want her to find true happiness and grow and change as a person!!

but at the same time shes not just fucked over in universe. shes fucked over by the way tappei writes her, because he keeps dropping the ball when it comes to these things. so i really understand anon a lot for not being able to get into emilia, and i also really understand anon because i too am getting a little pissed off at tappeis writing sometimes hah. so in regards to not being able to get into emilia for some reason—yeah, i think theres a lot of reasons for this due to how tappei writes rezero.

for example. emilias “dorkiness” is sometimes good. and then sometimes its bad because tappei wants to keep making her “stupid” and “childish” in very insulting ways. having a low iq and being childish isnt bad. the way tappei treats it in his story is.

rezero in general is kind of weird in its treatment of women in that it has all these varied female characters with unique backstories, personalities, motivations, etc etc. there will almost always be a great foundation for all these characters, but tappei will continually do things to ruin it a bit down the line and waste potential. or there will be flaws from conception that get worse over time. its a huge mixed bag.

and its also really obvious again in media like this because if youre paying attention, its very easy to notice that male characters will always get more attention and more consistently higher quality writing compared to the female characters.

(warning ahead for more discussion of rezero's misogyny and tendency to sexualize children, by the way)

tappei's poor writing with women also kind of applies to children. because treatment of children and women in rezero are very intricately linked. im gonna explain this in a hopefully handy and useful and understandable list that goes through a lot of tappeis usual tropes regarding children and women in rezero:

tappei continually writing excerpts that go way too in depth about womens and young girls breasts and bodies in general in very objectifying ways. im gonna be entirely honest a good number of sentences in rezero belong on r/menwritingwomen. why do we need to keep hearing about their body parts like this? ESPECIALLY when it comes to the children. its frankly disgusting.

women/girls who are in love / involved with an older man in some capacity, likely highly dependent on him in some way, sometimes this will become their main motivation (examples of this include emilia (YEAH. EMILIA.), rem, petra, ram, frederica, liliana, yorna.............). like yeah i know guys in rezero arent exempt from (co)dependency or some form of obsession, but kind of telling that theyre still extremely fleshed out characters outside of it, right? (key examples include subaru, otto, and roswaal.)

^^ adding onto this. age gap romances. tappei did that thing where he shoehorned emilia being "mentally 14" or whatever, and also even if roswaal wasnt centuries old he still practically raised ram since she was a child (she literally helps dress him in the anime?? like shes seen taking his underwear to him???). clind also is an adult who knew frederica as a child and clind is. something else. also in a recent arc 8 madeline moment where she and balleroy have a romance-coded scene together and its like? even if shes not a child, SHE LOOKS LIKE ONE. BALLEROY IS A GROWN ASS MAN.

creepy men who are into kids but tappei justifies it in universe because theyre not actually into kids, but everything about their behavior would be creepy and wrong either way (clind and kiritaka come to mind)

female characters who are more submissive and soft hearted so clearly this means they need to be protected all the time and they cant make decisions on their own. lets talk over them a whole bunch and control them. and yeah this is a purposeful writing choice that leads to character development and narratively calling out this behavior (we see this with arc 3 emisuba conflict) but then tappei keeps doing it after the fact anyway without batting an eye. this is so so painfully clear with emilia especially. her whole character is about trying to break out of that mold but then tappei (and subaru, due to the nature of rbd + his own goals, and also puck, who hasnt been completely called out for being a shit dad yet) keeps shoving her back into it

^^ infantilizing female characters in general........ like realistically speaking emilias lack of sex education is extremely dangerous. its not funny. lack of sex ed in real life often leads to serious consequences. she nearly gets sold into slavery in frozen bonds, and iirc there are implications of what kind of slavery it is. and also her being mentally 14 makes no sense, is highly insulting, and its completely unnecessary. if tappei wants to hold off on emisuba romantic development, he already has the explanation of theyre too busy for that right now and also not mentally ready for it yet, but theyre still extremely close with each other.

^^ adding onto this there are several female characters in rezero that are airheaded. subarus mom, naoko. emilia. medium. shaula is another big example of this also. shes sexually harassed (at. at best iirc.) Multiple Times and it feels a little too brushed aside. on top of her repeatedly being sexualized with her design and her behavior, apparently, on top of being airheaded. there is a consistent pattern of infantilizing and sexualizing some of these characters and its Frustrating. having multiple characters with similar personalities isnt bad at all of course, but im putting this on the list because as anon said, tappei is problematic with this when it comes to female characters. yeah, subarus mom is well written. but emilia? shaula? its so painfully clear to see. he cant write a naive character without being a little gross about it.

sexualizing children in general. schult apparently helps priscilla get dressed iirc and also is. iirc. into priscilla's feet????? ....... and then you have typhon, whos skirt is so disturbingly see through that the anime fixed her design, and louis, who makes a few sexual comments in arc 6. also excerpts talking about petras chest. excerpts talking about anastasias body in a manner that feels both infantilizing and sexualized once again... weird comments in arc 8 regarding child subaru iirc, etc...

female characters who get overshadowed by others even when theyre supposed to be the focus. anastasia gets replaced by echidna for almost if not all of the entirety of arc 6. vollachia saga has been so hectic that priscilla hasnt really gotten much if at all major development. emilia for the entirety of rezero. crusch for the entirety of rezero AND her own centric ex novel. crusch will be in pain and severely injured and the narrative will focus more on how this affects anyone but her. and again, i know its a possibility that these characters may develop in the future. but stuff like ana getting replaced by her scarf for all of arc 6 + emilias entire existence as a character is sad imo T^T let them shine!! please!! i also know these characters also have side stories, especially anastasia and priscilla have great ones, and a lot of ss are required reading now but there needs to be more of them in main story content. im very glad that anastasias appeared again for arc 8.

rem and louis/spica getting "reset" in their development while other female characters are stagnant. they didnt actually grow and change, tappei just cheated by gluttonying rem and resetting louis's mind to a toddler. they went from Point A to Point B in an instant, there wasnt any actual development there. this might change in the future, but imo reading about rem and louis in arc 7-8 can genuinely be a bit of a slog because they didnt actual develop. we were cheated out of that. and of course tappei has to juggle multiple characters and characters will take turns having development, naturally, which such a big cast, but characters like emilia fall by a wayside far too often. she hasnt had major development since arc 4 even though she is. again. the deuteragonist. that was four arcs ago. certain female characters, i feel, have to deal with the cons of this character arc system more often.

male characters whos behavior isnt called out enough sometimes. roswaal’s relationship with ram. kiritaka. clind. puck still needs to be called out more in canon i think wjdnd. also al making comments about priscillas breasts or iirc creepy comments about schult being a shota and other things of that vein. honestly priscilla doesnt behead that guy Enough.

male counterparts with the same exact themes as their female characters will always have higher quality writing.

(of course theres exceptions to all of these—female characters like echidna are fascinating and well-written, theres several other female characters that are great too, etc, but theyre exceptions. theyre not the norm.)

ill also elaborate on that last point more here regarding male counterparts.

emilia and rem are big examples of this. we have very handy male counterparts for certain important aspects of emilia and rem's characters that are far better written because theyre guys and tappei cant write women at a consistent quality. of course emilia and rem both parallel subaru, but im gonna get more into what i think is their stronger Foils in certain aspects—

reinhard and otto.

im a fan of reinhard, otto, emilia, and rem. but the thing is, reinhard and otto have some very similar traits to emilia and rem respectively.

reinhard is guilt ridden, blamed for things out of his control, has some learned helplessness, deals with being controlled by others and trying not to crumble under the weight of the world’s expectations, has Intense Family Trauma also triggered by pandora (remember what happens to petelgeuse? remember the fortuna=sirius theory? remember elior forest?), and a deep seated trauma regarding Hurting Others. and also a generally soft demeanor and deep seated loneliness. its no coincidence that reinhard and emilia in pride if also parallel each other—emilia the half devil turned “hero”, and reinhard, the hero who falls from grace.

otto has less similarities with rem than reinhard does with emilia but to keep this short. otto and rems major motivations are being devoted to subaru. but the thing with reinhard and otto is that they dont have the pitfalls that emilia and rems characters do—the infantilizing and other problematic details, poorly written/choppy development, etc. with reinhard and otto it feels more consistent, like their time on screen is well-used and respectful to who they are as characters and it satisfies us enough to take a break from them until tappei brings them back into the spotlight again.

i cant say the same for emilia and rem.

tappei cant even write emilias naivete and stunted emotional growth (which is due to trauma and pucks poor parenting) without infantilizing her, while tappei effortlessly writes reinhard being emotionally stunted due to trauma, poor parenting, and his DPs. you dont see reinhard with cringeworthy dialogue T^T

its just kind of insulting how there is so much you could explore with characters like emilia lacking agency because others keep taking it away. her airheadedness, her naivete—shes been shaped by her environment and trauma too, those character traits stem from these things as well. how do you lead a camp and become king and grow as a person when youre in the shadow of a witch who nearly destroyed the world? when thats what people often see you as? how do you move forward when your family and people have been ruined by things you couldnt control? when your father figure has failed you in all sorts of ways? when even your closest friends talk over you and try to dictate you? when you and your loved ones keep getting in danger because of all these horrible people that keep pinning the blame on you? thats awful. i cant even blame emilia for being a little empty in the head after all that. i cant even blame her in general.

and then theres the horror of subarus rbd because emilia is his main motivation. like thatd be a nightmare come true for anyone—while subaru is good intentioned, he is yet another person stealing emilias agency. yeah, most of it in his case is understandable because emilia keeps being targeted from factors outside of her control, but its still awful. emilia quite literally has had very little will of her own for all of rezero but i have my doubts on whether tappei will actually explore it or not because he cant even write emilia dialogue right sometimes!!

its baffling to me. arc 3-4 were all about how emilia is her own person and she needs to leave the nest and grow but then tappei backpedals on it by the time we get to arc 8. again, it feels a bit insulting T^T which is why all the “dorky” emilia dialogue stings even more. its salt in the wound. i am getting a little annoyed after four arcs of seeing that pop up time and time again in between all the other well-written stuff, yeah. including other emilia moments because i did enjoy her more active moments in arcs 5+!!

tappei just needs to stop treating emilia like she cant do anything by herself T^T the core problem with his treatment of her is that he usually goes shes naive so basically shes a kind of useless child and so she cant understand anything or have any choices of her own without being scrutinized, peer reviewed, and micromanaged by all the men around her 👍

theres also this excerpt that i think a lot thats from the tsuchigumo side story (aka the three idiots set out!: earth spider episode side story) where one of rezero's female characters, a girl named marone lisbon, says -

marone also appears for like two seconds in side stories that not everyones gonna read, so she didnt have enough time to get "ruined". so to speak.

but yeah. this dialogue reminds me of what couldve been. it has all these themes and all these feelings that apply to SO MANY female characters in rezero, especially emilia. it proves even further that tappei is more than capable of writing good female characters. and we already know that tappei is more than capable of writing well-written characters.

but ultimately i just dont trust his writing sometimes because he can never consistently keep the quality up with writing characters because either theres too much going on so things fall by the wayside sometimes, or theres sexism, or tappeis inability to be normal about kids sneaks in again!!!

however i love rezero a lot. its an important piece of media to me, and i dont intend to leave this fandom for a While atm. but i think its important to recognize when media gets things Wrong, and rezero has a good chunk of flaws. and rezeros english fandom being the way it is does make me hesitate to bring up rezeros flaws in the sense of. yeah its rooted in sexism. and weirdness about kids.

but ultimately im very very cautiously hopeful to see what happens to emilia from here. hopefully she does have more development soon? but all in all—yeah anon on this one is speaking facts and i agree a lot.

also sorry if i got a bit intense with this response akdndnd i just feel very passionately about this. tappei stop being weird about women and kids challenge please T^T anyway im gonna finish off this ask with a meme i made.

yeah so thats why emilias writing is very iffy and also why a bunch of other female character writing in rezero is a bit iffy also 👍

Hi im new to the mechanisms. Do you have any suggestions on what i should listen to first.

I don’t know that there is necessarily a 100% correct order to go in (and if anyone has a better suggestion lmk!) but this is the way i would probably recommend?

(it ended up kinda long so,,)

Definitely start with the main 4 stories, I like to listen to them just in the order they were released (just personal preference, the stories aren’t interrelated so you can just pick whichever interests you most and go from there if you like!) so Once Upon a Time (In Space) > Ulysses Dies at Dawn > High Noon Over Camelot > The Bifrost Incident

Then do volumes 1 & 2 of Tales to Be Told, only because they have a lot of songs relating to the main 4 albums and I think they make more sense if you listen to them after. also they have some backstory for some of the mechs!!! Gunpowder Tim vs The Moon Kaiser is my all time fav

(this is 100% optional but. if you enjoy reading, i would highlyyy recommend checking out the fiction they have posted on the mechs website!! Its more backstory for the mechanisms and a ton more world building and extra storys its a super good read if you like that sort of thing! They also have the stories sorted by which album they relate to, so you could read them after each related album if you wanted)

and Then you listen to Death to The Mechanisms, for maximum emotional damage now that you’re invested :,^)

I find the whole "what makes a Loki a Loki" running theme so amazingly tragic, like.

"We’re destined to lose" "A Loki survives", etc. anyway, after rewatching Loki, reading some comics / books [the President Loki + journey into mystery series, as well as AOA and some of the immortal Thor] I’ve come to my own .. equally tragic conclusion.

What makes a Loki a *Loki* is the fact they lose everyone close to them, without fail, everytime. Sylvie’s whole timeline was ‘reset’ In journey into mystery [S1] Kid Loki says his nexus event was "Killing Thor" [total bullshit btw, they didn’t directly kill Thor, however, I digress.] , even after Kid Loki, classic Loki, boastful Loki and Ali Loki group together, they’re still split apart. [justice for Kid Loki btw, I love them so much and they’re so sad, little fella]

Boastful Loki betrays them, Classic Loki dies to Alioth for his glorious purpose, leaving only classic Loki + Alligator Loki [croki if you will], THEY. LOSE. EVERYONE. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

Other Lokis, the ones who were pruned clearly lost everyone because .. they’re, well, Variants.

The ending to the show with Loki leaving everyone is further proof, and im almost certain that if I look into every Loki variant, every comic, whatever, it can and will have the same outcome. Sif said it, and I’m saying it. "You are alone, and you always will be."

What makes a Loki a Loki is that they’re destined to be alone, in the end, anyway.

Why do you think hawk let tim bottom him when he was so adamant no one ever would? I’ve been so curious since watching it, he was so in control but around tim he crumbled 🥹

I love that you said "he's so in control" because that's really key to Hawk's character and how he expresses his sexuality.

I think Hawk being so determined about only topping wasn't just about the physical or pleasure element. It's not only that he wanted to be in control of the physical aspects. He's definitely naturally dominant and really enjoys being a dom top. But it's not like he couldn't ever enjoy bottoming — he certainly did with Tim.

But that would mean some physical "vulnerability", and physical vulnerability probably wasn't any different from emotional vulnerability in Hawk's mind. And in order to protect his job, his reputation, and his family, he could not risk any emotional vulnerability at all with the strangers he usually fucked. So in addition to total emotional control (not letting anyone in, not even telling them his name), he also kept total physical control at all times. That was the only way he felt somewhat safe. I think he wouldn't have enjoyed bottoming with any other guy, because of his personality and the strict protections he built up over time, he would've felt too vulnerable and exposed to have any fun.

Tim is the one exception to all of this.

Hawk let Tim do it because he trusted him. Tim was the only person who knew Hawk long enough and well enough. And he did fall in love with Tim during the 50s. There are so many scenes where Hawk's looking at Tim with such deep, deep emotion in his eyes. It's clear that he loved him. So if it would happen with anyone, it would be Tim.

And it happens within a very specific context. They have just reconnected after years apart. Tim went to the army to get away from Hawk, but it didn't change how they feel when they're together. They think they're going to work at the state department together again, and it will be just like the old days—only better, now that the M Unit can't hurt them. When Tim fucked him, Hawk could feel close to him in a whole new way. He didn't have to manage and worry and keep control anymore.

Hawk offered because he wanted to show Tim that he was special to him. That he loved him. That he missed him. That he wanted him to stay. That this time, maybe things could be different. That he could finally be vulnerable with Tim, more than ever before.

But most of all that he loved him.

any thots on shinra and izaya? :3

IM SO SORRY I FORGOT TO ANSWER THIS GJKGD

I wanted to type up this like, long heartfelt post because these two make me insane in the membrane. I love them platonic and romantic both because either way at the core of their relationship there is a tragedy of two people who could've been inseparable, and then separated.

And I think it's a TRAVESTY that they didn't animate the breakdown Izaya had at the thought of Shinra dropping him. It makes the scene where Shinra waxes poetic about Izaya being fragile in the last arc make sense the way it just doesn't in the anime.

I dont think anything speaks on my thoughts better than my Actual thoughts during my last Durarara phase so! Have the raw screenshots :] ft. Friends

TLDR:

Hi I’m curious what exactly do you mean by bingmei being extremely good at communication? I haven’t read sv in quite some time and don’t remember many of his interactions with anyone other than sqq

Oh goody, I have validation to discuss this! First and foremost, I am studying western communication so I will be doing more general explanations when discussing theories. Second, the translated work I will be discussing is the Scum Villain Self Saving System; Seven Seas Entertainment translation. This is for clarification purposes on examples I will be using to explain what I mean. As for person being studied, I will only be discussing Lou Binghe's (Bingmei for the majority) communication style.

Alright, first off we will be discussing how Lou Binghe speaks to others. This is important because not all communication is *verbal* communication. Going in a chronological order for LBH's communication towards SQQ we see a very specific communication verbal style. LBH uses I-messages (or owned messages) to specifically state how he feels and how he hopes to fix or continue this in the future. Not unusual for students to use towards their teachers, as this is polite to do. However we can see that this continues even as LBH get's angrier with SQQ.

In the very first meeting, SQQ asks how LBH is doing with his cultivation and LBH says, "This disciple is stupid and still...failed to understand." (pg. 30, book 1) which is a perfect example of the I-message set up LBH has. "This disciple" is a statement of possession in his wording, what he is saying is that this statement is true of his own knowledge. "is stupid" is the modifier of this statement and "failed to understand" is the content. Essentially he is purposefully giving a statement that is non aggressive in communication theory of interpersonal relationships. Later, during the carriage incident before the Skinner Demon arc LBH also gives a non-aggressive statement towards Ming Fan "I wouldn't dare" (pg. 53, Book 1). This being another I-statement (added as it is known that SQQ is watching).

"Ning Yingying-shijie went with me to the city's market earlier today, Luo Binghe said. "Once evening fell, I urged Shijie to return, but she refused--then somehow she suddenly vanished. This disciple...searched the entire street once but couldn't find her, and he could only come to plead with Shizun for help."

This is another good example of said I-message use, LBH (even panicked) starts this by explaining the I-message owners (the people who know this info) and says "Ning Yingying-shijie" and "me" in a non aggressive statement opener. By then continuing to explain the situation and modified the information by his own feelings on the matter. By stating that evening fell and that she vanished, he is giving information (content) to SQQ but modifies it by stating that LBH "urged Shijie to return" and "searched" and "plead" he is modifying the information to suggest that he did his best and needs help in a non threatening manner. Another example of this is during the Skinner incident aftermath, where LBH asks SQQ if he may know the reason SQQ used him as bait. Upon given the promise that he would not die, he states, "If this disciple could give up his life for Shizun, it would be an honor." Once again this is a modified statement meant to be nonthreatening in communication theory. Now that we have gone over this era of LBH, lets jump to Meng Mo to explore the Dream sequence verbal communication.

A slight variation from the previous Communication! This era of LBH has made an assumption over SQQ's past actions and now is a tad looser than previous communication events. Instead of being timid with his questions, LBH specifically asks every single question he can to SQQ to verify whats happening and to gather more information. He continues, however to use the same I-mesage format for most sentences towards SQQ. Any and all variation of these statements are towards enemies (Sha Hauling's Demons, and Meng Mo) and when SQQ is harmed. LBH will give more aggressive statements that *demand* information, but rarely does he insult or do anything more aggressive than that in speech. The only times he has done so at this point are in defense of SQQ's life, as at that point he had been under the assumption he was dying. Skipping waaay ahead lets discuss verbal communication in the Abyss scene, as everything up to this point is very similar and does not have an emotional charge to it that would suggest a change in speech.

Noticeably, his speech pattern doesn't change but we get a new message type in this! A you-message are usually aggressive in communication style as you are stating something about someone else that might not be true, however in this instance it is a true statement. Probably implying that LBH would not have stated such a thing if he was not sure of what he was saying about SQQ. He states, "But Shizun, you said before that just as people can be good or bad, demons can be good or evil" which is a you-message with the content being people and demons with modifier being good, bad, and evil. Hes basically using past words to clarify an assumption in this instance, which isn't necessarily a wrong thing to do but there are better ways to ask this. He even continues this by saying, "But you said..." at a later part. Ending this scene he says, "Shizun, do you really want to kill me?" all around this scene is a rather good example of what I mean by LBH being a good communicator! Hes sticking to asking clarifying statements, and using I-messages to explain whats going on. Not only that, but hes not in the wrong for this scene and doesnt know that SQQ is agreeing with him in his mind. (pp. 248-249, book 1).

Lets skip to the next book and discuss the Jinlan City incident. Which I can say with immediate disdain, is when Xin Mo comes out to play in LBHs speech patterns. Before the abyss, LBH used a lot of I-messages and only stated things he knew to be true about himself (what he felt) and what he knew about others (information shared or told to him by said individual). Afterwards, due to both Xin Mo and trauma, we have an individual who uses a lot more you-messages and makes a lot more assumptions about individuals around him. He still asks a lot of clarifying questions/statements however, and even makes some of his more aggressive you statements tilted in such a way that SQQ could deny it.

Examples of what I just said appear in the chase scene: "No, I should say, a relentless hatred towards me." (pg. 54, book 2). and "Does Shizun honestly think that I would kill, burn, massacre cities, and inevitably topple countries just because of that half of my lineage?" (pg. 55, Book 2)

Its also the first time we get something new new from LBH, he starts insulting people in book 2! Towards SQQ he says, "Utter hypocrisy!" which is a major first for a lot of LBHs speech patterns. If he did insult people before this, he did so in a polite conventional way (email style lmao). Speeding up to get to the prison scene, there are more notable moments in the accusation stage where LBH continues to use more you messages to state what he does know about SQQ. This reads more along the lines as a defense, and a way to subtly imply that he wants to make sure he wasn't misunderstanding SQQ previously. As all you message statements he uses tend to be more questioning in nature (unless about how LBH was treated or taught by SQQ specifically).

In the prison scene, LBH states direct facts to LPM (its in a month, what are you doing, etc.) while towards SQQ he asks more clarifying questions about why he did what he did and what he wants. Its only after being refused answers that he reverts back to using more I-messages. "I knew the answer, but I still asked Shizun. I'm so stupid." (pg. 100, book 2) (Again with the stupid comment, it would appear to be a theme).

In the confrontation on rooftop scene, a tad too long for me to quote if we wish to get to emotional bids and nonverbal communication in this post, LBH is spitting mad and Xin Mo is active to an absurd degree because of backlash. This also has an affect on LBH! (something I will continue to point out because I am losing my mind over fanfic after fanfic acting like LBH is always yandere girlfriend mode 24/7. Hes not!!! Its literally Xin mo!!) He states his feelings over his past, and what he felt towards SQQ at that moment in mostly aggressive style communication. This being a lot of yous and a lot of accusation speech. This leads to the explosion and Xin Mo being cleared from LBH. He almost immediately starts using only I-messages again and clearly goes into shock, but he does revert back from you messages at this point.

Ironically, I found that when LBH is talking to himself (presumably) he only uses you messages because he thinks hes talking out what he knows to himself. As such, he does not worry about being polite at all before he kisses SQQ in his dreams. Its only after that he uses an I-message towards SQQ, and its more or a clarification statement. At around this point in the novel we get a healthy does of what a stable Xin Mo carrying LBH, and its someone who uses equal amount of you and I messages.

Going to book 3, we'll just go over his ending monologue/breakdown because. Listen, we're a few pages into this and I highly doubt anyones going to read this far. I feel like Peerless Cucumber absolutely wailing about PIDW latest chapter, this is an absurd post.

Anyway, towards absolute desolation, we will start discussing this segment with "Is that so? But I don't trust Shizun anymore." (pg. 287, book 3). Almost every line in this segment is a picture perfect communication breakdown on what and why LBH feels the way he does in an interpresonal relationship. He specifically states how he feels about SQQ, how this happened, why this feeling specifically, and what this means for them now. He then states how he feels about himself, and why! This is very important, because this is the basis of solid verbal communication. LBH even states how they can continue and how all this can be fixed. Of course, none of this is healthy but hey! It's theoretical good communication, not healthy communication (the major issue I see in this fandom is differentiating the two). It's after this last breakdown that he defaults to I-messages for the majority of the Ridge arc. It becomes more childish as time goes on, I will admit, but Xin Mo is full influence on LBH at this moment in time. It's after the papapa to save the world that we see something interesting, LBH goes back almost fully to just I-message speech pattern. This is notable because this is after everything intense happened and he has had time to think it over. Before now, when left to his own devices and forced to reckon with SQQ almost dying he would revert to you-message centric speech patterns but this is after Xin Mo. Since this is no longer a factor, LBH has taken to falling back towards his disciple era speech patterns. Basically, LBH has begun to take on a healthier and theoretical amazing communication technique because this is forcing SQQ (and others) to acknowledge the scenario and feelings of the matter.

Now getting onto Emotional bids! This is something LBH does almost the entire three books, any and all times LBH has stated "Shizun" by itself was an emotional bid. (emotional bids being an act or word usage to get your relationship pattern to acknowledge you or to showcase that they care about you). It's important to note that LBH's main way of emotional bids is verbal, he almost never goes the physical route for emotional bids. Yes, he does use physical means to make SQQ pay attention to him but this is more along the lines of staying in the conversation than acknowledging LBH specifically as someone SQQ cares for. Its only during the hand holding time that LBH uses an emotional bid in such a way, its also why it hurt LBH a lot more when SQQ seemingly turned away from it. Of LBH and SQQ, LBH uses the most emotional bids and lets SQQ respond to them in anyway. SQQ is, however, an idiot and doesn't notice most of them or actively misreads them. Its actually funny how many times I can count an emotional bid that SQQ ignores in a chapter (more than 10).

Nonverbal communication, ah how I hate thee in this instance, it covers 60-90% of human communication. LBH is more of a verbal communicator but also does use haptics and proxemics to communicate. Touch and distance, he uses these to insinuate different scenes and feelings on SQQ as a whole. Basically, LBH uses verbal communication to clarify but uses touch and distance to set tone for this communication exchange.

Now, what does LBH do wrong in communication? Strangley enough he does one thing very wrong despite the fact that he asks for clarification communication a lot. He mind reads (the act of assuming what someone is thinking) a lot because of the mixed signals he gets from SQQ. SQQ lacks the ability to verbally communicate certain things because of the system, this makes LBH have to decode a lot of nonverbal communication in hopes of understanding things. He fails. A lot. This is fair to him, but this is the main problem that facilitates the miscommunication of the entire series. Both LBH and SQQ think they know the other better than they do, and thus lead to problems when they actually do try to communicate with the other. Frustrating! I know!

TLDR; LBH as a whole is a theoretical good communicator with a slight assumption problem, but I didn't say that its healthy communication :3