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sir-yeehaw-paws · 4 months

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i keep thinking about ocelot takarazuka i dont really see the influence like he just looks like a middle age guy with masc features manner and fashion so what do you think the artist actually meant? there's nothing feminine about ocelot like how does the "is that a man or woman" thing play in here cause i don't see it. He's not like raiden or raikov. He's just a guy 🧍‍♂️so how does the all female theatre thing apply

Hello Anon! Full, immediate disclosure, this answer is messy and disjointed. I probably don't even answer the question your asking end of the day, but I'll try my best.

I believe this is the post you're wondering about?

As I said in this earlier post I'm not a Japanese speaker, so I have to go on interpretation, and what has been offered by the translations available. I can't help but think there is going to be some sort of nuance missing as a result, but I'll do my best.

To start, I think you and I might have a slightly different view on masculine and feminine-to me the two concepts are pretty interchangeable, but I do understand where you're (probably, I don't know you personally after all) are coming from and that, no, Ocelot doesn't have many traditional 'feminine' characteristics.

You'll note that in the original post, Shinkawa refers to getting inspiration from the idea of 'women in their 40's (the age Ocelot almost is in MGSV)' and 'long, flashing eyelashes'. (My interpretation here is that by this, he means in the way long eyelashes that are considered sexy have an eye-catching flow to them. Sort of like how we can say 'fluttering lashes'. Intended to draw a person's gaze in, and command their presence).

Doing some cursory research tells me that the Takarazuka Revue (because Takarazuka is also a city in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.) is an all-female musical troupe located within that same city. Started in 1913, by Ichizō Kobayashi.

(I also got distracted by this version that is a performance of Casino Royale, so there's that)

Anyway, ahem.

"Kobayashi believed that it was the ideal spot to open an attraction of some kind that would boost train ticket sales and draw more business to Takarazuka. Since Western song and dance shows were becoming more popular and Kobayashi considered the kabuki theater to be old and elitist."

Throughout the article, there is also this;

"Takarazuka has had a profound influence on the history of anime and manga, especially shōjo manga.[27][28] Osamu Tezuka, a highly influential manga creator, grew up in the town of Takarazuka. His mother knew many of the Takarazuka actresses, and as a child he knew them and watched many of their performances"

I can assume that the performances have a lot of influence on media, and it's not uncommon for MGS to take inspiration. There could be an entire article on the things MGS takes inspiration from, even outside the most obvious like Escape from New York, character model bases, etc.

Cycling back to the original point, (there is also a video that exact post comes from, but I don't have the link on hand, on YouTube *no translations). I think that it's entirely possible Shinkawa took 'loose' inspiration, or a little more. I can see why and how he might've based Ocelot's look on the idea. (Loose shirt, tight pants, scarf open neck). But there is also the element of which Takarazuka is a performance, more than anything.

It's acting. Playing. Something Ocelot does all the time. Half of his time on screen, he's putting on some kind of performance. While this is something he does the least in MGSV, that never fully changes 100%. (And after all, he's also hypnotized for most of the plot). So there's a counter argument to be had that this is one of his greatest performances pre-MGS4. But that's a different post.

Ocelot presents/is masculine. But, he has longer eyelashes, his clothes are a little more 'free' than the standard military garb when he's allowed to choose his own outfit. (Again this is specifically MGSV Ocelot, though there's something to be said about his chosen attire being such a sharp 3 piece later on).

At the end of the day, maybe a way you can look at it is to say that, Shinkawa looked to Takarazuka when designing MGSV Ocelot to give him a sort of 'flow' to his looks. He was attracted to the idea of taking elements from Takarazuka, because Ocelot is a performer, and he sees some possibility for feminine additions in his looks *or* might've thought it more 'fitting' than Kabuki.

But again, I don't know if we see fully masculine and feminine the same way, (and maybe Shinkawa personally associates long eyelashes with sexy women; or women made up to look like men but with longer lashes) I can't know for sure myself. I think you would need a native or very good Japanese speaker to interpret it fully.

If I was to offer you a personal opinion-I can see it. I can see where there's a draw that one might have with the look, and where Shinkawa might've gotten said inspiration. But I am not entirely certain how to put that into words either? My perspective isn't going to be 1-to-1 of yours either.

Maybe someone else can interpret all this better than me, I definitely feel as if I've not done this justice at all. Because at the end of the day, I don't see a hard divide in masculine and feminine in Ocelot, but I think that you, Anon, see him as 100% masculine. But again, I can't speak for you and I am not sure.

#asks #answered asks #revolver ocelot #mgs #sorry anon this is probably the clumsiest ive ever answered an ask #i think there's too much thats open to interpretation to give you a clear cut answer like you might want but im not sure #maybe I'll come back to this later if i can think of a better way to explain it anon but i didn't want to leave you just hanging either #i also kept getting distracted by theater pictures so uh sorry about that #character posts: revolver ocelot

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anonymouscatloaf · 6 months

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"You know, he's the yin to my yang. He completes me."

So the funny part about Dan repeatedly calling Perry the yin to Doof's yang (besides the fact that he can just freestyle some Greek tragedy level bullshit about Doof & Perry's relationship on the fly for Radio Disney or an episode commentary track) is that at face value you might also be like, okay but why is Doof the "yang" (light) and Perry the "yin" (dark)?

I didn't say good vs evil because that's not what yin and yang are about. As a concept it's one of those terms from another language that have variable meanings in English depending on who's using it and why, but its most enduring interpretation - with the disclaimer that I am not a philosopher, just someone who is far too invested in overthinking relationships in a kid's cartoon - is the idea that they are opposing but complementary forces of the energy that the universe operates on.

It's a balance. According to Lao-Tzu, "everything is embedded in yin and embraces yang; through [vital energy] it reaches [harmony]". Two sides of the same coin, sun and moon, my other half - you get the idea. It's not hard to see why Perry and Doof are complementary but opposite; one can't exist without the other: Perry all but gives up evil when Doof has that brief dalliance with Peter; Perry has exactly two POV songs in the entire show and both of them relate to Doof, one of which explicitly states "[his] life, it seems, is empty" without Doof's scheming and he "gave [Perry's] life heroic cause"; and he straight up has no idea what to do with his life and makes the saddest platypus sound ever when Doof bans thwarting as Tri-Governor in LDOS.

On the other hand, Doof is a lot easier to see - partly because he actually talks (though Perry is actually one of the most facially expressive characters in the show - by necessity - though I digress). He's overt about his affections and very clingy (a result of childhood trauma and abuse/neglect by his parents) because Perry's his only real friend. He all but begs Perry to thwart him in that whale episode, he became really upset when Perry seemed to be helping him in the episode with the Dull-and-Boring-inator but was just using him to fix the problem with Phineas and Ferb, and he can't bear to leave Perry behind in Road to Danville, just to list a few sillier examples off the top of my head. Really, the entire B plot could be used as evidence.

(There's also the fun dynamic of Perry being an animal that has human-level sentience, and Doof being a human that was raised by animals - ocelots - during some of his formative years.)

So they're irrevocably intertwined. One of the most important characters in each other's life, according to Dan from SDCC 2015. The LDOS ending song even puts Perry smack dab in the middle of the Doofenshmirtz family with Heinz, Vanessa, and Norm - two other characters deeply wrapped up with Perry as a result of Doof himself. I mean, look at them:

Yeah, this was an excuse to make you look at one of my favorite scenes and witness Perry's hopelessly fond smile, not sorry.

Anyway, back to yin-yang. They were originally ascribed to just "day" and "night", and eventually came to also mean "movement" (because you work during the day), and "rest" (because you sleep at night). In terms of qi, they embody heaven and earth, and in the collection of essays of the Huainanzi, "yang is generated from yin and yin is generated from yang [...] sometimes there is life, sometimes there is death, that brings the myriad things to completion". Technical details of Chinese philosophy aside (which I'm sure exactly nobody is considering when they call someone the yin to their yang - it's really just the "you complete me" part), the words themselves also have various opposing definitions: positive/negative, active/passive, sun/moon, overt/covert, etc etc etc you get the idea.

In terms of their relationship, Doof has the more active role. He's one who makes the crazy inators and plots elaborate traps and monologues everyday; Perry usually just reacts to that accordingly. Doof play-acts at a lofty, larger-than-life "evil", while Perry keeps him grounded ("you are my rock" and "having you around just makes me feel, you know, safer"). Perry isn't necessarily a wholly passive character, but also, like, a lot of his plot is just Shit Happens and Perry Has to Deal With It. Doof is overt about his "evil" schemes and can't stand even white lies. Perry spends his entire life hiding aspects of himself and keeping secrets from his loved ones, and he has a whole song in CATU about being an unrecognized hero. One of these characters is living in the "dark" more than the other...

Doof is overflowing with emotions - most of them negative, but also love: so much so that his daughter feels smothered, because a lot of that love (while borne of good intentions) is misguided, and Doof fails to actually listen to her; it takes a few rocky starts (helped along by Perry himself) before they get to the point where Vanessa considers her dad a "misunderstood genius" and convinces him to give up evil. On the other hand, Perry keeps his cards close to his chest - it's not that he doesn't know how to emote (he clearly adores his boys in ATSD and he apparently is happy to hang out with Doof as a friend outside of his job enough that he has a whole wallet of photos of them just goofing off together), he doesn't because of necessity. He's better than anyone at separating his work life (fighting evil) from his pet life (pretending to be a mindless animal) from his personal life (how much he loves his family, watching his silly dramatic soaps, having a petty streak and sassing Monogram a bit, is genuine friends with Doof).

As a result, he is full of emotions he rarely gets to express - around the Flynn-Fletchers specifically, because Doof does know he's sentient, which is another reason I think they click. Doof gets the single-minded attention he never had; Perry gets the treatment as an equal he never had. They both gain a friendship, and a new sort of family. There's a part of their life imbalanced when the other isn't present.

The yin and the yang. They complete each other.

#phineas and ferb #perry the platypus #heinz doofenshmirtz #pnf #cat talks #this is why they are the most compelling characters/relationship in the show to me #the higher stakes of the B plot are fun and all but the characters are still what really get me #this ain't about the ship but like they're very queercoded too if you wanna go there #ii just think their characters are FASCINATING how they play off each other #how important they are to each other #anyway i have several exams coming up so obviously i wrote this instead

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casualtydept · 9 months

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one of my favourite things to come from the leaked mgsv script docs is this chart of what personal pronouns and forms of address the thought the characters should use for each other in japanese, so i thought i'd make an english/romaji version of it and provide some notes!

initial notes

to make it clearer to understand, the left column indicates the speaker, and the row along the top indicates the character being addressed. the top line in each cell is the second person pronoun they use for that person (first person in the case of the character talking about themselves), while the second row and below are how the character would call the other by name/title.

so first of all, this obviously doesn't fully reflect the final game, and there's still a lot of uncertainty over certain pronouns and names evident by all the ?s indicating the staff member(s) working on this weren't 100% confident in their assumption, or didn't make a guess at all. empty cells also indicate they thought a form of address simply wouldn't be used - code talker having no reason to ever talk to ishmael, or volgin never speaking to address anyone at all, for example.

something else to be aware of is the presence of a few unused names in here, namely geronimo for code talker, which was an early name for him presumably based on the real life apache leader. at this point in development they also seemed to be sticking with liquid for eli's form of address

there's also "neocon" as skull face's nickname for huey, which interestingly doesn't seem to come up anywhere else in any of the scripts! we can assume this is a play on his son's future nickname "otacon", while also referring to him as a neoconservative which is frankly so hilariously awful i can't help but feel we were robbed of this.

a crash course in japanese personal pronouns pt. 1

next i want to briefly explain what all of these pronouns mean, for those unfamiliar. this comes with a big disclaimer that i'm not japanese or even close to fluent in it, so do your own research if you're interested in this just in case i'm misrepresenting any of the incredibly specific cultural connotations everything in this language seems to have

俺 ore

most characters in the game use this when referring to themselves, it's an informal masculine pronoun that can emphasise masculinity or status around those with lesser status, although around close friends it has a different connotation of casual familiarity.

ore is used by snake, ishmael, miller, ocelot and liquid

僕 boku

this pronoun is used mostly by young boys, but can also be used by adults. it has connotations of humbleness, its use by older men suggesting they feel young. non-threatening and casual.

boku is used by both mantis and huey in each of the two contexts described above.

わたし watashi

your standard gender neutral formal first person pronoun. casually it's only really used by women, a man using it in a casual context suggests aloofness or a businesslike attitude.

quiet and skull face are the only characters that use watashi, you can interpret this as suggesting either formality or casualness for quiet, and the usual formality for skull face.

in the notes this is written in hiragana, rather than using the kanji 私, i'm unsure if this indicates anything in particular or perhaps was to avoid confusion with watakushi, the more formal variant of this pronoun which uses the same kanji.

わし washi

this is a mostly male pronoun, used frequently in fiction to represent your stereotypical old man character.

as such this is the pronoun code talker uses.

a crash course in japanese personal pronouns pt. 2

now for the second person pronouns.

real spoken japanese doesn't really use these pronouns as freely as we would with "you" in english, since in a conversation the "you" part of the sentence is usually implied from the context and using a pronoun puts specific emphasis on the other person in a way that can be seen as cold or rude.

i'll leave it up to you to see which characters use each of these towards others rather than listing them since many of them use different ones for different people depending on their relationship with each of them.

お前 omae

a very informal pronoun mostly used by men. as you can see this pairs with the first person ore, and has all the same connotations of status towards subordinates and casualness among peers. wikipedia says men use this towards lovers so... there's that i guess.

あなた anata and あんた anta

anata is the standard second polite form of "you", often used on forms or in ads when referring to someone in a general sense or used for someone you don't know anything about.

anata is almost exclusively used here by mantis, which fits his distanced nature.

anta is a shortened form of anata that is more informal, suggesting anything from contempt to familiarity, and stands out as rude in a strictly formal context. it can also be used to suggest a sense of defiance and disrespect of authority - as if the character respects the other to some degree, but not enough to use anata towards them.

anta is liquid's pronoun of choice for all characters but mantis, drawing on the latter connotation. it is also used variably by some of the main characters to refer to each other, suggesting their familiarity, rather than rudeness.

君 kimi

kimi is a reasonably informal pronoun used mostly by men to subordinates, or their equals. it can be rude when used to superiors or elders.

this pronoun tends to pair with the first person boku, and as such it get used both by huey and Mantis - although mantis only uses it for eli, demonstrating their closeness.

i find huey's use of it to be kind of a humorous way to draw attention to how convinced he is that they're all one big family and absolutely nobody here wants him dead or anything.

(zero isn't included in this sheet but he exclusively uses this pronoun in the tapes, referring to paz, skull face, kaz, ocelot and big boss with it. up to you if this is a blanket You Guys Are All My Subordinates thing or if it can suggest closeness with some of them)

貴様 kisama

less of a pronoun and more of a insult. often translated as "you bastard/son of a bitch/etc."

as you can imagine the only person they figured would use this was kaz to paz. so in this case i suppose "you spying bitch" would be the best translation.

i can't believe you read all of this

since this was made during development and reflects a lot of uncertainties and some unused ideas, i do want to go through the script and make an updated version of this with the pronouns used in the final version of the game just to have a complete resource. but for now i hope this proves interesting!

#mgs #metal gear solid #mgsv #not art #words #canon talk

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sopuu · 8 months

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I love your art so much, it's such an inspiration :D

2 questions about your champion au

First of all, Who would Romeo transform into after he forces Lukas and Jesse to fight? I would imagine Jesse because he needs that sort of power to do stuff to Beacontown. I could be wrong-

Second, would there be a confrontation scene in your au? Like that one scene in episode 5, Lukas confronted Jesse. Would that happen? I'm curious because Lukas also got teleported to the sunshine institute.

ooh ok so for the first, romeo still turns into jesse bc as you said he needs to have jesse's status as hero in residence to have the power to run the town as he wants- but i think this impacts jesse a lot more than it did in canon bc it literally happens right after he goes through the whole being romeo's perfect champion hell. like imagine going through all that, realising you've finally escaped and reunited with your friends, just to get hit with another immensely stressful situation that involves not only your friends but also your townspeople and possibly the world? everything just keeps getting worse for him

also i have this scene in my head where after romeo disappears and drops them all to the ground, the gang rushes to jesse to check up on him. but all he can do is sit there with his head in his hands, shakily mumbling that he needs a moment while he breaks down a little and processes everything. it's like he took one step forward and two steps backwards. the weight on his shoulders just got heavier and he's the only one who can lift it, but he's just...so, so tired. (everyone sits by him during this, and lukas gently wraps him into a hug, rubbing circles on his back until jesse feels better. once he's mentally caught up on everything he perks right up and frets over them instead, espcially lukas since he just had to fight him. typical jesse :,) ) i have no idea if i'll draw this later though so i'm putting this out there in case i don't sdjghf

for the second q, the confrontation still happens but this time it's with axel and olivia who's formed the dead enders (or whatever team name you chose in season 1). just like lukas they did that in hopes to remind "jesse" of what they, and most importantly he was like before they had any sort of fame, when they were just a bunch of nerds from a treehouse. also i kinda wanted to give them a more prominent role in the story since they barely had any screentime in s2 lol.

the difference between them and the ocelots tho is that the two aren't really fighters- not in the sense of power but in the sense that they didn't straightforwardly rebel against "jesse". some passive defiance was definitely there like telling him that he's not doing the right thing, but they didn't form the rebellion team until romeo threw them into the admin tower prison. that was their last straw and the final proof they needed to see that the new jesse no longer cared for them.

oughh this got so long im sorry ghfdjk. tl;dr, romeo still becomes jesse, and yes the confrontation happens but with axel and olivia. the thing about this au is that the major plot points stay the same: they go to jail, romeo terrorises beacontown, they find the weapon, romeo gets beat down etc- its just how they get there that's different. i just really like exploring how one small change in canon events affects everything else :]

#something something the butterfly effect and all #it's fun to think about!#asks #CJAU #and ty btw! super happy to know i've inspired someone!!#and also thanks for the au ask too! ik i dont always post stuff for it but i think about it often #so every time i get the occasional new tag or ask on the au i get excited #bc seeing someone's still interested in it is very reassuring haha

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fancyshooting · 9 months

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"YOU SEE THAT IN THE MOVIES?"

In the original release of MGS3, Para-Medic would talk about one of 39 different movies when the game was saved. Two of these were westerns. Copycat Ocelot models himself after the on-screen cowboys that appeared in the movies he was so obsessed with, emulating their shooting styles, dressing in Old West inspired outfits and at one point even adopting a stereotypical twang while speaking English. The concept of his character came about due to Kojima's love of Django (1966). His original design was inspired by the actor, Lee Van Cleef, renowned for his performance in the iconic "Dollars" trilogy. Being able to shoot his beret off during his boss battle in MGS3 is almost certainly a reference to a scene from For A Few Dollars More (1965). That same boss battle has tumbleweeds rolling, dust blowing and the option to engage in a standoff with him. He uses revolvers, engraved and otherwise. His gloves! His spurs! His horse! His moustache! "Draw"! There's so much about him that it doesn't need to be explained - Ocelot is THE cowboy character. The westerns Para-Medic mentions were no doubt chosen with him in mind.

1. A Fistful of Dollars (1964)

Para-Medic: "Snake, have you ever seen 'For a Fistful of Dollars'?"

Snake: "Nope, never."

Para-Medic: "It's a spaghetti western."

Snake: "Spaghetti western?"

Para-Medic "It's really cool. Especially the main character's stylish gunplay."

Snake: "Gunplay..."

Para-Medic: "I saw it in England on the major's recommendation, but it hasn't come out in the States yet. It's so cool! They'll bring it to America, I'm sure. You have to see it sometime."

Snake: "Sure."

This is the first movie in the Dollars trilogy (The third is The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, which is decidedly more popular but its inclusion would've been anachronistic as all the movies featured in MGS3 were released in or before the year 1964). Cultural significance is not the only reason for this selection. The protagonist, The Man With No Name - or "Joe" as he is referred to by the locals - is a drifter and skilled gunfighter who wanders into a small town dominated by two corrupt rival families. Without reciting the entire plot, Joe remains loyal only to himself and exploits both families in order to turn a profit. He assists, endangers and kills people of either allegiance. Making money isn't Ocelot's ultimate goal but he is, of course, infamous for his treachery, suspicious even to characters in the games. Joe is described as being uncomfortably intelligent for a hired grunt, much like Ocelot, whose preferred approach is to act as a simple stooge, feigning ignorance to his bosses, all the while observing and devising schemes to enact his secret plans.

In the end, Joe outsmarts and outlives the two families, having played a role in the downfall of them both. It's important to note that the town sheriff being a member of one of the families does not (in true cowboy fashion) sway Joe's decisions. Ocelot is similar in that he will not bow to authority simply because they wear a badge or have a title. Joe also seems to only trouble the people who "deserve it" - he sees the corrupt families as fair game, but shows no malice towards anyone else. In fact, he takes a risk and goes out of his way to reunite a captive woman with her family, which could be called noble. Ocelot considers himself noble (In MGSV, for example - "Assuming they see [Quiet] as a prisoner here, no, even more so if they do, she deserves to be treated humanely. I always thought our men were a bit more noble-minded".) and although he can be cruel, it seems to be reserved for those who, again, "deserve it", as in, they're already operating in a military environment. Every character Ocelot kills is either a war profiteer, a military operative or is corrupt in some way. In MGSV, he laments the effects of war on civilians and shares Big Boss' sentiment of, "You pick up a gun, and sooner or later you're going to hell". Ocelot describes the Venom Snake project as "a detour on [Venom's] journey to Hell". Venom is a man Ocelot must surely respect for protecting Big Boss but he still recognises him as a soldier. Not to say that Ocelot a good person but he is aware of the harm that he and those he encounters in the military and intelligence spheres inflict by engaging in direct combat and inciting violence through manipulation that results in prolonged conflict. He speaks mournfully about the cycle of vengeance that he and those like him feed into. Still, he finds it fulfilling because that's the life he was prepared for. For him, there is no alternative.

Anyway, Joe also uses a Colt .45 ("the greatest handgun ever made"), even against the main antagonist, who claims that a man with a rifle will always beat a man with a pistol. The antagonist's signature killing style is to aim for the heart, which is what Ocelot does in MGS2. There's also torture in this movie. And a cat.

2. The Magnificent Seven (1960)

Para-Medic: "Snake, have you seen 'The Magnificent Seven'?"

Snake: "Sorry."

Para-Medic: "It's a remake of the Japanese classic, 'The Seven Samurai', only in a western setting. This tiny Mexican village is attacked every year by bandits. Finally, the village elder can't stand it any longer and decides to hire someone to protect the village. Seven gunmen respond to the call. They teach the villagers how to shoot and prepare for the oncoming attack. But then, the enemy shows up at the village with a huge band."

Snake: "Then what happens?"

Para-Medic: "You'll just have to see it for yourself. I don't want to spoil it."

Snake: "...Oh."

Para-Medic: "Movies are only fun when you actually watch them. They're something you have to experience for yourself."

In this movie, the main character, Chris, rounds up six other gunfighters to help protect a farming village that is regularly ravaged by bandits. Major Ocelot is EXTREMELY reminiscent of Chico, the youngest of the seven. After witnessing Chris' impressive skills, Chico is amazed and becomes desperate to be recruited by Chris. As Chris searches for suitable candidates, Chico persists in following the growing gang around, even after becoming infuriated by what he perceives as a ridiculous, childish game (link to scene - the way he flounces off reminds me SO much of the scene where The Boss disassembles Ocelot's gun - "very young and very proud"!). Young Ocelot is just like Chico in that he is an inexperienced, volatile young man who is eager to impress someone he idolises. Snake and Chris both act as older role models who teach the rookies to temper their pride in order to become a better soldier/gunfighter.

This movie script excerpt shows Chico's youthful naivety, as well as the likely reason Ocelot is so fond of westerns:

Chico: "Villages like this, they make up a song about every big thing that happens. Sing them for years."

Chris Adams: "You think it's worth it?"

Chico: "Don't you?"

Chris Adams: "It's only a matter of knowing how to shoot a gun. Nothing big about that."

Chico: "Hey. How can you talk like this? Your gun has got you everything you have. Isn't that true? Hmm? Well, isn't that true?"

Vin: "Yeah, sure. Everything. After a while you can call bartenders and faro dealers by their first name - maybe two hundred of 'em! Rented rooms you live in - five hundred! Meals you eat in hash houses - a thousand! Home - none! Wife - none! Kids... none! Prospects - zero. Suppose I left anything out?"

Chris Adams: "Yeah. Places you're tied down to - none. People with a hold on you - none. Men you step aside for - none."

Lee: "Insults swallowed - none. Enemies - none."

Chris Adams: "No enemies?"

Lee: "Alive."

Chico: "Well. This is the kind of arithmetic I like."

Chris Adams: "Yeah. So did I at your age."

Here, Chico is primarily concerned with the glory of being a gunfighter, whereas the older men who have actually lived that life have a bleaker perspective. Young Ocelot also values his reputation, pridefully reminding the KGB soldiers at Rassvet: "That's Major Ocelot to you - and don't you forget it!"

The arrogance of youth puts Ocelot in danger more than once. Snake spares him after every encounter, explaining to EVA that Ocelot is "still young". Over the radio, Snake says that he doesn't think Ocelot is "any older than 18 or 19", which is younger than his actual age of 20. Snake is 29 in MGS3, whereas Ocelot has only been out of his teenage years for a few months. A nine-year gap at that age is massive in terms of maturity, which is why Snake assumes Ocelot is still just a teenager. In the MGS3 novel, it seems the devious aspect of Ocelot's character is toned down, with more of a focus on how immature he is instead. His youth is mentioned at every opportunity and his admiration for Snake surviving Volgin's torture is described as "naive". Like in the game, his emotions often get the better of him which could be seen as quite childish too, as could the way he looks for guidance and approval (checking his unit are laughing along with him, ditching the engraved revolver because Snake mocked it, etc.). One of his super cool and necessary gun juggling moments is even compared to a traditional Japanese children's game called "otedama" where beanbags are tossed and juggled - a literal child's game. Snake looks on Ocelot as The Boss looks on Snake: young, inexperienced and naive. This relationship connects Snake and Ocelot through The Boss: Ocelot is her biological son, Snake her spiritual son. The Boss was Snake's mentor, and he became Ocelot's.

These lines sum up the most likely reason for Ocelot's love of westerns:

"Places you're tied down to - none. People with a hold on you - none. Men you step aside for - none."

That kind of freedom is probably something that Ocelot, raised to be a tool by the Philosophers, has desired since a very young age. Watching westerns might have inspired some kind of hope that he could have that agency over his life one day, too.

There's also a scene where Chico infiltrates the enemy camp and returns with information, an act he later brags about. Ocelot is too cautious to brag about being a spy but he does have a high opinion of himself (on the surface). Chico makes a speech in the village, ringing a bell to demand everyone's attention, a grandiose display that matches Ocelot's cockiness and dramatic gestures. While alone in the woods, Chico encounters a docile bull and tries to play bullfighter with it ("Toro! Toro! Toro!" It doesn't respond.). He kisses his hand and places it on the bull, transferring the kiss indirectly as a symbol of his harmless intent. It's another example of the light-hearted playfulness that might be expected from a young person. Considering Ocelot's fondness for animals (particularly the markhor) and tendency to be playful, it's not difficult to imagine him acting in the same way.

3. Gunfight At The OK Corral (1957)

Para-Medic: "Hey, Snake. Ever seen Gunfight At The OK Corral?"

Snake: "No, I haven't."

Para-Medic: "It's a color western about a showdown between Wyatt Earp and the Clantons in Tombstone. I was touched by the friendship between Wyatt Earp, the lawman, and Doc Holliday, the man whose life he saved."

Snake: "Was it an American that Wyatt Earp had? I thought it might have been a Peacemaker."

Para-Medic: "What are you talking about?"

Snake: "Nothing. I was just thinking about the Single Action Army Ocelot-"

Para-Medic: "Snake. He's not Kirk Douglas."

Snake: "I know that."

This movie was only added to the 3DS version of MGS3 in 2012, so the main MGS story had already come to an end four years earlier in MGS4. Ocelot's life was over and his motivations were clear. As EVA says: he idolised Big Boss.

In this call, Para-Medic says to Snake, "[Ocelot's] not Kirk Douglas." Kirk Douglas plays Doc Holliday, making Snake Wyatt Earp. These are real-life historical figures but the following is solely based on the depictions of them in this movie.

Wyatt Earp is a virtuous lawman who crosses paths with crooked (but strangely refined) gambler, gunfighter and former dentist, Doc Holliday. Through circumstance and debt, they save each other's lives and develop a familiarity with other. Their friendship is unusual considering they operate on either side of the law. Similarly, Snake and Ocelot form a bond despite their opposing allegiances. Snake spares Ocelot's life multiple times and also saves him from falling debris during the motorcycle chase in MGS3. In the novel, Ocelot concludes that every instance of him and Snake evading death at each other's hands is fate. In the game, the only time Ocelot is "allowed" to shoot Snake is when his gun is loaded with a blank.

Doc becomes somewhat distracted by Earp, even to the point of arousing jealousy in his former brothel worker girlfriend. Both she and Doc are broadly considered to be socially undesirable. He tells her plainly that people like them "haven't mattered since the day [they] were born". Doc also expresses indifference when warned that he might be killed if he confronts another character (played by Lee Van Cleef!) who is hostile to him:

Bartender: "You act as if you want to get killed."

Doc Holliday: "Maybe I do."

He later tells Earp he would prefer to die in a gunfight rather than waste away "little by little".

Ocelot was always thrilled by combat. He refused to shuffle off and succumb to illness or allow old age to snuff him out. He found fulfilment in the brutal fistfight immediately before his death at age 70. It held great meaning for him to fight with an opponent he respected in the image of an aged Big Boss.

Like Doc Holliday, Ocelot holds himself in low regard, which is referenced in the MGS4 novel with the line about his "insignificant personality" and he certainly believes himself to be disposable given the damage he voluntarily inflicts on his mind. Ocelot does not value himself as an individual and instead lives his life devoted to Big Boss and his ideals.

Doc repeatedly refers to Earl as "preacher" which is again reminiscent of the relationship between Ocelot and Snake. Before Operation Snake Eater, Snake idolised his mentor, The Boss, who became elevated to something of a sacred figure after her death. Snake is The Boss' spiritual successor and acts as Ocelot's mentor. Ocelot respects and reveres him, and in MGSV, helps to further cement Big Boss as a battlefield legend, granting him an almost supernatural status akin to The Boss'. In the Japanese script for MGS3, Snake's initial advice to Ocelot is described as "preaching" and Para-Medic later calls it a "sermon".

Until that moment at Rassvet, Ocelot obeyed but likely didn't respect many people in his life. The Philosophers, who abducted him as a baby, raised him as a tool to carry out their orders. As a teenager, he is stationed at Groznyj Grad where his only role model is the sadistic Colonel Volgin, who rules his men with fear. Ocelot has never been allowed input into the direction of his life. He has never known his parents, never had stability and is obsessed with westerns, indicating that he longs for freedom. Snake encouraging him to use revolvers is hugely significant for Ocelot. Snake's advice to switch from modern standard gear to an outdated weapon is actually a recognition of Ocelot as an individual, something that he has likely never experienced. As a child of the Philosophers, he has been trained since birth to deceive and suppress his true emotions in order to make him a more effective spy. The revolver suits Ocelot's style and brings him genuine fulfilment, even though it's tactically obsolete. He was already wearing spurs at Rassvet and was able to procure at least three revolvers within a week. If he was interested in westerns and had easy access to revolvers, the fact that he wasn't suggests that he was suppressing part of his individuality. Ocelot looks up to Snake as a guiding figure after this.

Eventually, Doc falls deathly ill and becomes bedbound. Miserable in his weakened state, he learns that Earp's brother has been killed. On the day of the fight, he becomes invigorated and by sheer force of will, sets out to join Earp and his other brothers in avenging their sibling. He says, "If I'm going to die, at least let me die with the only friend I ever had."

Ocelot constantly risked his life for Big Boss and eventually died for him after the distinct impact of his words in 1964. He pushed the young Ocelot towards true freedom and helped him shape what little personal identity he had. He irreversibly changed the course of his life. No other person or organisation could ever do what Big Boss did for Ocelot and so were undeserving of his loyalty. Doc fighting alongside the Earp brothers is indicative of his relationship with Wyatt being so strong that it approaches the familal. Ocelot is first introduced in MGS1 as one of the "Sons of Big Boss" and then, after grafting Liquid Snake's forearm onto his elbow, can be partially described as a literal "son", which is explained in the MGS4 novel:

"He had been born an ocelot but was now—even if only in fiction—a snake. That might have been what he had always desired—to be the son of the warrior whom he respected more than anyone else."

The dynamic between Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday is similar to Snake and Ocelot in that their friendship is unexpected, strong and has elements of admiration and devotion. Earp is dedicated to his duty and inspires a loyalty in the notoriously devious Doc after displaying genuine decency and treating him fairly despite his reputation, a decision criticised by other characters. Snake plays a similar role for Ocelot throughout MGS3, where he consistently shows strength of character, skill and devotion to duty, even in extreme circumstances. Snake is also able to see past any prejudice he might be expected to have towards Ocelot as an enemy operative and reaches him on a personal level. Their budding friendship, like Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday's, is questioned by their respective associates and colleagues.

Doc's character shares multiple traits with the many iterations of Ocelot as he appears across the series: he is refined, duplicitous, cynical, a loner and a remarkable gunfighter. Wyatt Earp also says this to him:

"I hear you did some pretty fancy shooting, Doc."

The influence of all three westerns mentioned in MGS3 on Ocelot's character is clear: A Fistful of Dollars typified the shrewd cunning he is known for; The Magnificent Seven demonstrated his youthful pride and idolisation; and Gunfight At The OK Corral evoked the strong friendship and devotion that defined his life.

#metal gear solid #mgs #revolver ocelot #writing #these are all essential viewing for aspiring ocelot understanders

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nikikikiko · 2 months

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part 2 of chapter one is almost done for this fic so lets celebrate with some headcanons!

• Eugene has introduced Leofric to the family once, and Leofric stuck around for a little while before going back to his duties as an Earl. He and Leofric still exchange letters to catch up from time to time

• Gavus fell in love first, but Eugene fell in love harder. I think this is practically canon, but I want to like establish this bc i like it

• Gavus is too paranoid to keep contact with the guy who spoke to him while he was imprisoned, but he hopes that guy is doing well.

• Eugene and Gavus enjoy dancing together, but Eugene enjoys flourishing and showing it off a little while Gavus just enjoys the act

• That being said, Eugene did try to teach Lucilla how to dance and it ended up with her accidentally learning how to dance badly on purpose instead. The session devolved from proper skill to “do you wanna know how to do a sprinkler?” “YES.”

• Gavus and Liberta watching, throwing out comments and Eugene doesn’t need commentary from the peanut gallery thank you

• Liberta attempted to bake Once. Only one time.

• He ended up somehow making molten cookies and he swears they’re edible but not too sure chief that sounds pretty inedible to me

• He’s not allowed to bake anymore (ironic considering he cooks, but cooking with supervision is not baking unsupervised)

• Lucilla ate the molten cookies, rather she ate one

• She could confirm they were inedible and she’s pretty sure she chipped a tooth somewhere in that cookie

• Gavus does the laundry but Eugene mends the clothes. because Eugene cannot be trusted to remember which soaps are for which fabrics and to not mix whites with colored fabric.

• There is a suspiciously pink shirt lying around because of that

• Lucilla back at it again with her disney princess dreams this time she got:

• A deer

• An ocelot

• Two mice found in the kitchen

• A snake

• Another snake

• This snake’s poisonous Lucilla

• She found a squirrel

• Chipmunks she wanted to name Alvedon, Simone and Theodore

• And a rat

• Gavus and Eugene “where IDD YOY GET THESE????”

• Lucilla “the forest :]”

• She does not get to keep them (justice for Lucilla)

• Lucilla and Liberta DEFINITELY get into petty sibling squabbles (“She stole my hairbrush!” “Yeah well you weren’t using it right then and we share the same cooties so!” “It’s the etiquette of not stealing people’s hairbrushes, Lucilla!”)

#afk arena #afk eugene #afk gavus #afk lucilla #afk liberta #eugavus #gagene #Eugene likes to watch the sibling squabbles #theyre great for entertainment #some funny shit has been said during them too #pretty sure Lucilla once called Liberta the ugly duckling in response to him arguing he’s not a pigeonhead #Lucilla once got called Cheaper Robin Hood by Liberta #when things get too far #which they rarely do #gavus and eugene do step in #but it usually stops by the time the insults get so ridiculous both of the twins have to pause #because what the hell does ‘apple rotten arrow’ mean???#and sometimes its ‘the closest you get to a thought is the notion of an idea’ like what does that mean

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wc-confessions · 9 months

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Well, can we talk about Russian translation of the warrior names? It's gonna be a long post bc it's very different from the original and might be really weird.

So there is no translation for -kit suffix. Instead kittens have diminutive suffixes and their names are something like Little Snow (Snowkit).

Apprentice names may have -paw suffix, or may not. They also may have diminutive suffixes instead. For example, Bluepaw is Bluepaw, but Firepaw is Little Fire.

Also warrior name and apprentice name not always keep the same prefix. For example, Brackenpaw is Bracken, but Brackenfur is... Brown.

Most of the warrior names are translated without their suffixes. Sometimes they add suffixes that don't have any specific meaning and can't be translated on English (I guess?). Sometimes it's just straight up the translation of their prefixes only. I mean, Squirrelflight is simply Squirrel, Brambleclaw is Bramble, Dovewing is Dove, etc.

Often they change their prefixes for who knows why. So the translated names might have from little to no connection to the original ones. For example:

- Crowfeather is Rook

- Jayfeather is Sparrow

- Feathertail is Swallow

- Sorreltail is Lungwort

- Ivypool is Spark (I have no idea why)

- Meanwhile Sparkpelt is Firelight

In first arc name translation was really... weird. I mean:

- Ravenpaw is Burnt (why???)

- Dustpelt is Smoke

(kinda funny if you consider that they are brothers)

- Sandstorm is Sandstorm but her apprentice name was... Mustard. Yes, like the sauce (it's actually a plant with the same name)

- Graystripe is Steepflank (btw his apprentice name was ughhh... Ball)

- Darkstripe is Stakewall (do cats even know what is it?)

- Yellowfang is something like Pockmarked??? I don't really know how to correctly translate it, sorry

- Whitestorm is Blizzard

- Mousefur is Tuft (like, bunch of fur on cat ears or tail)

- Frostfur is Snow White (yes, like a Disney princess)

- Willowpelt is Blueeye

- Brindleface is Silver Fox

- Rosetail and Brightflower were firstly named as Viburnum and Nasturtium but then they changed it

- Mistyfoot is Invisible (actually, there is a noun in Russian that doesn't exist in English, and it means someone who is invisible)

- Leopardfur was Ocelot, but as leader she becomes Spotted Star (how boring)

Btw leader names almost always stay the same, so there are a few exceptions:

- Tallstar is Star Beam

- Raggedstar is Shred of Comet

- Crookedstar is Meteor

(yes, these two don't have "star" in their names)

- Tigerstar and Brokenstar are something like Starscratcher and Starbreaker (wow, evil)

- btw Tigerclaw is just Claw. No tiger.

Also -heart is often changed to -mane for some reason. For example, Fireheart is Firemane, Alderheart is Aldermane, Cinderheart is Cindermane. Tigerheart is Clawmane, if it even makes sense (his leader name is Clawstar, so no confusion between two Tigerstars).

And sometimes characters just keep the same name. For example, Ashfur as an apprentice and a warrior is Coal (or more like Little Coal, which is why nobody takes him seriously /hj)

#text #anonymous #warrior cats #confession

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lowkeyrobin · 2 months

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hi hi!! 🦕 back once again!! i just love your writing :) could i get somethin where the reader is in their first mcc and their cheerleader (can’t decide on who from the cricket crew, surprise me!!) is cheering them on either from the sidelines, they’re on the same team, or on opposite teams and their cheerleader is purposely throwing to increase readers chances of winning pretty please 🦕

(also, yes, 🦕 anon)

(also sorry for request spamming)

omg no dw ab req spamming at all! and welcome to the family 🦕 anon! thank you so much for the compliment <3 ; and I love love love this prompt, hope u enjoy !!! i mixed ur req up a little bc I had to do Freddie bc he's so fucking underrated (and I'm carrying the badlinu fanfiction atm so yk) and I also wanted to include a little friendship bit w tommy, tubbo & billzo and also include freddie 💪💪 (if anyone's interested I do have a badlinu x enby oc fanfic on my wattpad [lowkeyrobin] so hehehhw)

FREDDIE BADLINU ; MCC cheerleader

summary ; freddie, although not playing in MCC, cheers you on from the sidelines while you're paired with Tommy, Tubbo, and Ranboo. The three also throw you some extra chances to win for the group, considering last MCC went horrible for you, and they want you to actually have fun this time!

warnings ; language, fake noxcrew drama/hate, maybe me forgetting how mcc works...

word count ; 1.5k

masterlist

Freddie sits next to you, helping you set up before you start your stream. He sets your famous y/f/c water bottle on your desk and sets some small snacks down as well, paired with a sandwich and chips.

You focus on your monitors before starting your stream with the Starting Soon screen, deciding to start earlier than everyone to just chat and then hop into MCC when your teammates join the VC. You talk with Freddie for a moment, making sure you both had snacks, water, and were comfortable in your current clothes. You begin your stream, screaming as the starting soon screen fades out, revealing you two being loud and waving hello.

"Hi chat! I'm starting before everyone else just to talk and eat for a minute!"

"And I'm here!"

"No one cares about you, Freddie!"

"Jesus, okay"

After talking for a solid half hour and eating your sandwich, and interacting with chat, your teammates began to spill into the VC.

"What the fuck is up, Pink Penises!?" Tommy screams as he joins the voice call, being the last to join.

"Jesus fucking Christ, man! Turn your volume down!" You shout, quickly removing your headphones after cringing from the ear-splitting screaming.

"Bitch, you turn your volume down!-" Tommy shouts back, cutting himself off as he hears Molly in the other room yelling at him to quiet down some, as she was trying to watch a movie. "Nevermind, I'll turn my volume down..."

You, Tubbo and Ranboo laugh, and you hop onto the MCC server, making a remark about how this would be your last MCC if you got treated like shit again. Freddie puts his earbuds in and plugs them into his phone, joining the voice chat so he could hear his friends.

"Wait, no, I remember that they said it was because you were blindly following people and you lost fair and square but when I rewatched the clip the arrows never popped up for you!" Tubbo exclaims, recalling one of the moments during Ace Race from your last MCC.

"Yes, dude!" You exclaim, meeting up with the three and crouch-greeting Quackity and Niki, who were with the Olive Ocelots with Punz and Foolish. "You can literally see frame by frame, not once did the arrows appear. It wasn't even a glitch just on my end, they just didn't show up and I dunno how! Even Sapnap defended me because they didn't show up for him either! It stopped the whole thing for 10 minutes and they still wouldn't hear me out, I just wanted to clear my name!"

"They literally said it was your fault meanwhile it was a problem on their end. The whole fucking Ace Race and Hole In The Wall were stolen from you, dude" Tommy nods, going in 3rd person to show off your matching, recolored pink skins, "Funny how the two you trained hardest for, you came in last for due to "your computer lagging/glitching and how it isn't their fault"

"I'm not even mad about it, it's the fact they kept blaming me when it's not my fault that their dumbass texture packs kept breaking" You complain, "Anyways, hopefully this goes a bit better" You lightly smile, feeling Freddie pat your shoulder. "Tommy, look at your shirt in front 3rd"

Tommy switches his pov to 3rd person front, seeing the whole front of his shirt had a large, pink penis on it, thanks to you designing the recolored skin. "You're so fucked up!" He laughs

"I'm the best, I know, I know"

Hole In The Wall had begun, Freddie being your sensei as he sat beside you, shouting out directions and strategic moves for you.

"Go to the left! Left, left, left!"

"On the right, quick, quick!"

"Dude, you got fifth! I'm so proud of you!"

Parkour Tag was next, and Freddie was being your eyes while you focused on being away from everyone else.

"Sapnap is it! He's right behind you, go up the left side!"

"How do I make that jump? That's fucking impossible"

"Crouch at the edge of that, sprint and jump, aim for the closest one, you have to go straight then like curve it"

"Oh my God, fuck yeah! See! You did it!"

"Just spam space, trust me!"

Bingo But Fast was never your strong suit so you let Freddie take a break, letting your teammates try and win that one for you. No way in hell you were gonna be able to find slime balls or an iron axe. Freddie stream sniped Ranboo, seeing their card was similar to yours, not even knowing where to find half the stuff on the map.

"Some others are lost too, they loaded the wrong map I think, you can't get some of this stuff at all on this one"

"Noxcrew..." You put on your best Batman impression, staring into your camera, "When I find you, Noxcrew, when I find you!"

Of course, all the training for Ace Race didn't go to waste, and with Freddie becoming your actual cheerleader, chanting and all, you'd ended up coming in second place.

Sky Battle was hell, and it was basically only you and Tommy after Tubbo got himself nearly insta-killed and Ranboo made the bad idea to try and take on Philza.

The rest of MCC remained with the pink haired boy behind you acting as your cheerleader and helping you out a bit. But, he also made sure you were drinking enough water and weren't getting too stressed out or getting a little gamer raged, considering it wouldn't be good for your mental health.

"Drink the damn water, you're screaming your voice away"

"Nuh uh" You say as you chug down at least half of the refilled bottle.

As Dodgebolt came around, you and the rest of your team were stressed. You had to win against the Olive Ocelots, because a little Twitter drama happened due to your big mouth shit talking Ranboo for the bit. You really just didn't wanna pay them a hundred dollars today, not after that shit loss in Sands Of Time. You swore the other teams were playing shit over the fiasco of last MCC, but Tommy, Tubbo, Freddie and Ranboo all agreed that you were just fucking cracked at Minecraft this afternoon.

Over the course of the stream, Freddie had stolen some sunglasses for you, a Valentines Day stream prop, and had been wearing them for nearly an hour, and he, in boredom, found a pink sharpie and used it to draw a giant dick on your forehead. Tubbo did the same with a washable marker he had laying around, and you guys started a little cult in between games, trying to summon Ranboo and Tommy into it.

You turn around to Freddie, apparently your coach now, "What do you say, Coach?" You ask him, referencing every football movie ever.

"Center left-field, defense on right" He answers.

"What?- Dude, MCC, not American football!" Tubbo exclaims, jumping all over your screen as to speak to Freddie.

The two of you laugh, and you turn back to him. "What's the plan, who should I aim for, Fred?"

"Okay, I think Tommy should go for Foolish because it's a little obvious, and make sure you're the first out! Ranboo and Tubbo could go for either Niki or Punz, and leave Y/n for Quackity. Leave it obvious the first round but totally mix up the strategy"

"Hear that, Tommy? Be quick, shithead"

"I got it, I got it"

The first to three of five wins, and sadly, it wasn't Pink Penises, although it would've been a win to remember.

Freddie stands up and wraps you in a hug anyways, whispering compliments into your ear as you smile.

"Much more fun than last time, yeah?"

You nod.

"We got fuckin second?" Tommy looks almost shocked, not realizing you'd lost the final round.

"We got second place! Hell yeah!" Tubbo smiles, throwing his hands in the air

"Second is the first losers, Tubbo!" Tommy shouts

"Shut up Tommy, you're just a sore second place winner because Y/n carried the whole team, take the L" Ranboo remarks with a smug look, seeing you and Freddie cheering yourself on and dancing over the video call.

After the group had muted and calmed down some, you turn to Freddie and hug him. He warmly accepts the gesture, seeing you a little teary eyed.

"Thanks for being my coach, man, I'm gonna miss you"

He catches onto the bit, sniffling as he nods, "You'll always be a star, don't stop dreaming, man"

You guys dramatically hug again, wailing and sobbing as you do so.

"Why the fuck are they wailing?"

"I swear to God, do you not use your ears?"

"I just undefaned to say goodbye!"

"Use your psychopathic powers, Tommy"

"What!?"

"That's psychological, Tubbo"

"Psychology powers, use them!"

"I'm leaving, fuck all of you and fuck you Ranboo for losing the last round"