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#something something forced affection as a control tactic etc etc etc
yandere-writer-momo · 2 months
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Thinking about a Yandere Demon Lord. This is Part 1.
Yandere Head Canons:
Defying Destiny
Yandere Demon Lord x Isekai Saintess Reader x Yandere Hero
TW: Voyeurism, stalking, Somniaphilia, dacryphillia, dark content, etc
Part 2
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You were surprised to be alive after your cold fiancé pushed you into oncoming traffic when you got into an argument with him… all you had wanted was for him to show you that he loved you, but instead he killed you. Yet your life didn’t end… no. Far from it.
Rather than waking up in the supposed after life, you woke up in the Rerenth Kingdom. A fantasy kingdom in a magical world plagued with problems written in fiction novels. And the emperor explained to you, no, demanded that you to take on your role as Saintess to save them from the Demon King.
The demon king was now your enemy. Defeating him was the only way for you to go home… but did you even want to do that? In your last life and in this one, you were merely another unhappy pawn. The silk robes and dazzling abilities did nothing to shield you from the harsh reality of what your life has become once more… would you ever truly be free? Would you ever truly be happy?
The servants often spoke of the monstrous Demon King who controlled the forces of darkness that sought to destroy the light. A demonic entity none of the people in this kingdom had ever truly seen with their own eyes, but they believed him to be out there… how else were they to explain the supernatural happenings that plagued their kingdom? This entire ordeal made little sense to you since you hadn’t seen many disputes between humans and demons unless they were over territory. Vast majority of the time, it was humans that ventured into the demonic lands anyways. Was this perhaps some propaganda tactic? You didn’t know and you didn’t question it, you simply wanted to retire to a peaceful life.
It took a few weeks for you to be able to control your new holy power, but you were able to now harness it for barriers and for healing. Abilities that would be useless without a hero… a fact that the citizens soon realized so they began to devise another plan. To summon a hero!
Another few weeks passed by and they successfully summoned a valiant hero by the name of Reinhardt. His chiseled face was constantly covered by the taxidermied lion mask that adorned his face. The man was massive and intimidating, yet you couldn’t help but feel there was something familiar about him. You couldn’t place a finger on who he could possibly be since you didn’t know anyone else with an imposing stature like his but that gut feeling never left you.
Reinhardt would often glance you up and down when he thought you weren’t looking. His green eyes would bore into yours until you felt as if you’d be set ablaze. He was terrifying to you. Especially now that you were on a journey with him to defeat the demon king… along with a fox beastwoman fighter and an elven mage who had joined your party due to the emperor’s order. The Emperor didn’t see you to be enough aid to the hero on this important quest.
Both adventurers were quite rude to you at first since you had no offensive abilities. They often fawned over the hero who blatantly ignored their affections to instead watch over you like a hawk. A fact the two women didn’t really enjoy, but they accepted it as the weeks melted into months. And you still didn’t know their names since they never told you (and Reinhardt never spoke).
The three of them often fought and killed monsters and demons while you protected the supplies and healed their injuries. It upset you that your party ambushed them since the enemies usually were unarmed. Majority of the time, it was a one-sided slaughter. An endless bloodbath that you had no power to stop.
You often lied to your peers about monsters hiding, unaware that your small act of kindness would lead to a snowball effect in the future. You had now caught the eye of an entity much stronger than you and the hero’s party… all because you were merciful. You were kind and sweet. A true saintess.
Your softness had made your peers joke about you being a cry baby. The elven mage and beastwoman often jabbed their elbows into your side to joke about the tears you’d cry because they thought you were scared. The dense women never realized your tears were for the innocent monsters they slaughtered on a day to day basis too. You were never scared of the demons or monsters, you were scared of them.
Yet Reinhardt nipped the subtle bullying in the bud by shoving the other two adventures away from you with his strong arms. He always made sure you were safe before he offered his body for healing… which he’d just make gesture at you with his hands rather than speak. It seemed he was fond of you, a fondness you didn’t understand since he never spoke to you.
Reinhardt would often pick you up without asking you and tuck you into the crook of his large arm. It bothered you that he never took off his mask, but he had quite an attractive jawline with the slightest bit of stubble. There was not a doubt in your mind that Reinhardt was likely an attractive man, but that didn’t matter. Since he was creepy.
Reinhardt never uttered a word to you but would always dutifully stand by your side (or carry you like some sort of damsel). He often reminded you of your ex fiancé with his stoic demeanor and his bewitching green eyes. And the staring. You swore you felt bare under his gaze even if you had multiple layers on.
And it wasn’t just his eyes you felt on you, you swore there was someone else watching you in the shadows and the possibility of you having another stalker made your skin crawl. Had you finally gone insane from having Reinhardt be around you 24/7? Or was there something sinister amiss?
Maybe that’s why Reinhardt so dutifully clung to you? Whether his protection was out of obligation or simply because he lusted for you, his presence did little to ease the extra set of eyes. In fact, he made it worse.
Wherever you were, Reinhardt was never far. He was with you when you bathed to stand guard. He was carrying you if you couldn’t keep up with him and the rest of the hero’s party. Reinhardt even began to stay in your tent with you…
He didn’t utter a word when he watched over you whenever you had nightmares. Reinhardt never woke you up from the horrific dreams of the man with pitch black hair and sharp talons pulling you into his lap and having his way with you. No, Reinhardt instead dragged his tongue down your tear stricken face in delight.
Reinhardt knew his actions were wrong, but he couldn’t help but fawn over your helpless form. You were so weak without his protection… you were a lamb sent to a slaughter that luckily had a herding dog with you. You should be grateful Reinhardt had such an intense interest in you, otherwise you could have perished earlier on at the goblin camps. Or those other two party members would have likely broken a few of your bones from rough housing. You were a frail bird that needed to be locked up at all times and Reinhardt was willing to be the one to do that! He would keep you safe, even if it took you years to understand even an ounce of his magnitude of feelings for you. He was a patient man!
It wasn’t uncommon for you to wake up in your tent with Reindhart’s imposing form standing over you ominously. You’d cry every single time, but he’d make no move to comfort you. Only stare.
Over the last four weeks, you begin to receive little trinkets in your tent on the daily. Delicacies that Reinhardt would immediately pitch once he saw them, but it filled you with anxiety that he was not the one slipping you those gifts… who on earth could be gifting you such pretty rocks and wild flowers?
You were flattered, just the tiniest bit, by the small, temporary gifts. They were much more welcomed than the iron grip of Reinhardt’s arms. Even though the sender made you anxious, it was nice to know that someone took you into consideration. It was a small action that filled you with hope. Perhaps you would be saved from this fate?
Shame you didn’t understand just how much those tiny gifts upset the hero. Your eyes should only be on him. Your entire purpose should revolve around him. Reinhardt wanted to find the individual who sent you these gifts so he could rip them limb from limb. You belonged to him and he would show you that you had no way of escaping him. You were going to be his bride! Whether you liked it or not, the hero had chosen you as his destined one!
Recently, you’d wake up to him laying beside you in your tent with his large arms wrapped around you. His Roman nose buried into the crook of your neck. This was far worse than him lingering in your tent since he had become so physical.
And your peers did nothing about his harassment of you. To them, it was cute that the hero was so ‘enamored’ with the Saintess! You’ve even heard whispers of how the emperor will no doubt arrange a marriage between the two of you once the four of you eliminated the demon king. It terrified you even more because you knew you’d have little say in the matter… your life was spiraling out of your own control once more. This time, into the arms of some brute with attachment issues. You didn’t want to marry another emotionally constipated man! You wanted to have freedom!
You often cried yourself to sleep which only made Reinhardt even more overbearing. He now would press kisses to your cheeks and cuddle his body into yours. Even in your dreams, you couldn’t escape this massive man. If only you could be saved…
And when you drifted off into an unnaturally heavy sleep, your barriers deactivated. An action that allowed the Demon King to finally slip into your party’s camp and take what he wanted. You.
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itshermocrates · 24 days
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POISON- Ep. 4 Analysis
I have no idea if someone has already done something like this but these two unfortunate souls have been in my mind since I watched the show TWO WEEKS AGO. So I'm gonna share with you this personal analysis of what we saw during the Poison scene in Ep. 4 of Hazbin Hotel.
Again, I don’t know if anyone has already talked about this (I’m not very active on tumblr), but I think that what we see as Angel sings Poison is made not only to tell us how the relationship Angel has with Valentino is but ALSO how it came to be thanks to everything that's happening on screen while he's singing.
Of course the lyrics are also important so I’ll make some reference to those as well, but I’ll focus mainly on what we see. Since I can only add 30 pics in this post this will be a bit difficult but I will try my best.
SOME CONTENT WARNINGS! I'm not sure if this is even necessary but anyways,,, Pychological abuse, abuse, violence, domestic violence, drugs, addiction, sex work, dubius consent, sexual violence, abusive relationship, unhealthy power dynamics, angst, suicidal ideas (hinted), etc.
Now, without further ado, let's begin!
Before the song, Valentino and Angel have a fight in his dressing room. I want to start here because during that fight Angel gets a black eye and we get to see how the walls of his room are filled, not only by security cameras, but also by a lot of eyes that follow Angel wherever he goes inside the room. We will see more of these eyes soon enough.
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After that fight Angel sends Charlie back home and we see a bit more of what we could expect from Valentino with his manipulation tactics. The sweet tone and the praise as he embraces Angel from behind, too close and too intimate considering he will be soon forcing him to go back to work.
These are the tricks every abuser uses to manipulate and control the people around them, and it’s what Valentino uses all the time with Angel.
This is the behavior of an abusive boyfriend, a dynamic they have in the present, but once Poison starts, we are presented with their backstory. Now we will get to see how that dynamic is even possible, how these two ended up together and how their relationship started and evolved.
Valentino sits next to the movie director and everyone starts moving to prepare the scene they are about to film. He is the one in control here, the one calling for action again and deciding who does what and when. And just like that we see how Angel's black eye is concealed by makeup, erasing the marks of what had just happened and metaphorically erasing the violence of the relationship he is in now.
Angel closes his eyes in displeasure, focusing on what Valentino wants from him. When he opens his eyes again, his expression is completely different, this Angel without bruises, is not only a version of him from minutes ago, before the fight with Val, or even prior to the abuse… This is the Angel before Valentino.
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He walks backwards, as if he was going back in time, moving easily with the playful shamelessness that characterized him back then. When he sings “I’m not above a love to cash in” he was most likely referring to his past as a sex worker or at least, as someone who didn’t mind to sell his affections to get what he needed/wanted. During this time, he would most likely go clubbing every night, since it offered a good way to earn easy money while he had a great time, partying, drinking, consuming…
Angel probably was the type of person who used those who desired him to get whatever he wanted, a game he knew how to play. Even if it could get risky or inconvenient, he was a free soul, he was still in control of what he did or didn't do with all those people, so at the end of the day, he always won. That’s what he believes as he playfully lays back on the setting’s bed again.
That had always been true after all, or at least it was until he came across someone that beated him at his own game. Someone who would take that freedom and control over his own body away from him.
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His expression changes again to one of terror when a shadow looms over his body from outside the frame. That’s the silhouette of the men he was previously filming with, but we can also imagine that this figure suddenly changing the way he moves, reacts and feels, was meant to represent Valentino.
After the other actors surround him, and the scene fades to black, we are shown what could have been Angel's previous workplace. A stripclub where he danced for money and probably engaged in sex work in a somewhat safe and controlled environment. Back then he had become popular enough to be "the star" of his own show, and a performer good enough to get a reputation that would eventually reach the ears of one of the most powerful overlords in that district.
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Valentino discovered him maybe by chance, or maybe not. Maybe he had heard of Angel Dust and wanted to see for himself if this dancer was as good and pretty as all those people said. And after watching him perform Valentino was the furthest from disappointed, he had enjoyed the show so much that he decided to take a closer look at this Angel Dust’s skills.
He approaches him, maybe as a client, or maybe just as a guy interested in what he had to offer, and although Angel doesn't trust him at first, he ends up entering his game.
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He was just another man who wanted to fuck him, one that had enough money to spoil him all he had ever wanted and more. It was quite the opportunity for someone as low in the food chain as him, and Angel had already played with rich men like Valentino before, he knew what he was doing.
So Angel took the bait, and had sex with Valentino. Probably a blowjob in that same club he danced at that served as a test for Valentino.
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Now we have a scene with two Valentinos, one that is about to get head from Angel with a video camera on his hand, and another Val standing behind the cameras and lights of what we now know to be another movie set. The first Val we saw, extending his hand before Angel when he finished his performance, was the Val of his past, the one he sucked off the night they met. That was someone Angel thought to be somewhat honest, or, at the very least a man he heavily underestimated.
It's the playful man that winks seductively at him in the set from afar with those red hot eyes he fell for, the same that quickly turns into a different guy with similar clothes (red jacket and white fur) now recording him on set. Someone who quickly became a stranger to Angel, just as he is for us, since we can’t even see his face.
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The second Val it's the real one, the one standing next to the movie director watching everything with calculating eyes and a dangerous smile. That's the man who told Angel all those red hot lies he believed to be true, and the one judging with this first meeting if the spider was a worthy investment or not.
Angel proves to be good enough. Valentino likes him, and after that night he starts to actively pursue Angel but he didn’t do that as a simple client. He can tell Angel isn't a common whore, he has talent, charisma and he's been playing this game for long enough to know all the tricks. One can only become so successful in this world knowing how to play their cards well.
It’s obvious then what he has to do to turn Angel into his next movie star. Valentino needs to make him fall in love with him and make him believe that Valentino can love him just as much. This is exactly what he is going to do.
On screen we see how Valentino's sex pollen (he's a moth guys, it has to be sex pollen) starts to fill the scene, and as it expands it engulfs Angel, making us know just how captivated, how absorbed he will end up being.
Note: I know there’s a theory that says that Valentino’s power comes from his saliva or something like that and I haven’t read it or anything, but I do believe the smoke/fog that surrounds him has the same effect as the “sex pollen” trope. Or at least it’s similar.
The red fog expands all over the frame, emphasizing Valentino’s overpowering skills and charisma. When it clears, we see Angel in a different place while he sings the second line of the lyrics “What’s the worst part of this hell, I can only blame myself”.
His expression is one of pure anguish and regret, and he’s saying this while standing in front of Valentino in his apartment. He's talking about how naive he was for believing all of Valentino's lies, to truly believe that what he felt for Angel was love. He blames himself for buying this love story and falling for him so hard it made him very easy to manipulate. He regrets not having seen it before it was too late.
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Because when Valentino’s back appears at the left corner of the frame, with an extended hand and smoke-made chains, it’s Angel the one who finally cuts the distance and accepts the chains Val is offering him.
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Angel was too blinded by Valentino’s courting, by his sweet words and lovely gestures, but also by the constant push and pull of their dynamic, the flirting, the teases, the seduction. He loved the attention and he loved the sense of control, of power, he could feel when he was with Valentino, an overlord no less, a demon so rich and powerful he could have anyone he could have ever wanted. But Val had chosen him, him of all people.
This brief initial moment represents the regret he feels when he remembers how it all started, when Angel thinks about the beginning of their relationship, a time when everything seemed fine and their sexual chemistry made him lose all sense of reason. Because with Val everything ended up leading him to his bed.
After this short display of regret, we are presented a sequence made to represent the fantasy Angel indulged himself in, an illusion tinted in pink colors and fun costumes. This is the story Valentino had carefully created for him to make him fall in love with him, a story that made the spider feel so good when he was by his side, he could easily excuse any warning sign in his sight.
Because Angel would obviously want to be with Valentino when all he knew about him was his lover persona, a facade that portrayed him as a passionate lover and playful partner, his (soon to be) poison.
They had fun and even when Valentino showed little fragments of his true intentions and personality, Angel was too blinded to notice that he was starting to lose the very game he had considered himself a master of. Valentino and the relationship Angel had with him was addictive, so it didn't matter what happened, Angel always came back. You can think of this as the result of Valentino’s sex pollen, his charisma or a combination of both, depending on what flavor of angst is your favorite.
What we can know for sure, is that they were both performers in their own ways, both players in the game of love, so Angel could have excused and normalized a lot of things he shouldn't have. Knowing their line of work, of course that they could get a bit too intense every now and then, of course things could get a bit out of hand between them, they were just sooo dramatic.
It was that rollercoaster of emotions, the raw intensity of it all what ended up hooking Angel so much. The playfulness that could get a bit dangerous really fast, even if the Valentino he thought he knew would never really hurt him. Right?
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A few little details I like about this sequence are the way we get to see Valentino’s home in the background and how the colors of his clothes and body are darker than usual but still lighter in comparison to what we will see in the following scenes, indicating how this was still the “nice” version of Valentino.
In the same way, Angel is playing with the chains bounding his wrists together, not his neck (yet), telling us that he’s playing with fire, quite literally dancing with the idea of being owned by Val, but he is still a free soul. In this moment he was falling hard and quick for Valentino’s lies, but he wasn’t his captive yet.
He’s having fun while being manhandled by Valentino, both physically and emotionally, but he still thinks of it as a game, another part of their sex life and how they naturally work as a couple. It’s exciting, it’s new and Angel loves it.
Not knowing that the longer he stays the more power is giving Val over him. Valentino is starting to show his true colors, in these last frames we can see that his figure is getting darker as Angel is slowly discovering the manipulative side of Val, the controlling and abusive nature he had been hiding from the spider since the beginning.
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The push and pull continues as we see their silhouettes dancing, even if in reality this is Valentino pulling from his side of the chain to keep Angel close, to keep him with him.
After the shadows sequence, we get back to the playfulness Angel had shown when he took the chains for himself and started to tease Valentino. Only that this time, Val’s colors are darker and his touch more possessive, more aggressive. He’s groping him and even choking him while Angel sings “I made my choice and every night I’m living like there’s no tomorrow” with a grin, showing us how this was still a game for him.
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He made his choice staying with Val because he loved him and he thought he was loved in return, when the moth had been only toying with him from the moment they first saw each other. This is Angel’s greatest regret, the fact that he truly believed Val’s lies, that despite all the warning signs he kept choosing him over and over again.
Choosing to stay, to kneel before Val, to obey him with the promise of a new wave of pleasure, a new high. Just as Valentino wanted him to do as we can see the vicious smile he wears during this entire sequence.
I think the next couple of seconds tells us how, for a while, they were together and Angel was still able to keep his job at the club. He was still allowed to see his friends (his coworkers most likely) and spend time with them, while Valentino made sure to feed all his previous bad habits and addictions, giving him gifts (we know Fat Nuggets was a gift from Val), a lot of money he could spend on a whim and eventually, probably the substances to use as well.
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The smile on his face, the smugness of it, makes me think he’s telling his friends about this rich guy that pampers him in every way and treats him like a prince. He has found the ultimate Sugar Daddy, a man that has changed his life forever in the best way possible. Now he can have whatever he wants, party for days without having to worry about not having enough money to eat at the end of the month or a place to stay.
Angel would have used drugs before, maybe occasionally, maybe only at parties, maybe to get the worst bits of his job done, maybe he was already a bit of an addict, but it’s now, when he has the means to consume every night that he definitely becomes one.
Valentino made sure of it.
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During this time, Valentino would secure the control he had over Angel, weakening his mind and will by worsening his addiction problem while continuing convincing him of how much he loved him. The parties were incredible, the sex was amazing, and Angel felt on top of the world at every moment. He was “living like there’s no tomorrow” without realizing the higher he raised above the ground, the hardest would be his fall.
And maybe this is just me over analyzing a kinky moment, but after this, after Valentino bites Angel causing him a wince of pain and maybe even making him bleed, everything changes.
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They are having sex, far from the flashing lights, they are together as Anthony and Val, as the real person who oftenly hides behind his stage persona. The person who is deeply in love with Valentino, who is vulnerable and allows his lover to hurt him however he wants because he trusts that the pleasure that follows will be worth it.
But after that bite, he’s no longer in bed with Val, he's in the same bed from the very beginning of this music video, surrounded by lights, disoriented and confused… As if he was expecting Valentino to be between his legs and not this stranger.
When he finally comes to his senses and sits, we hear for the first time the line “My story’s gonna end with me dead from your poison”. This was the beginning of the end of their honeymoon phase and the point of no return. Valentino had considered Angel weakened enough to take a step further, and a new part of him is finally uncovered when he carefully introduces Angel to the porn industry. He would do so (probably) while Angel was too intoxicated and definitely too blindly in love to know what he was doing.
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Valentino becomes this overwhelming shadow that covers Angel’s body, a silhouette he can’t escape from, and when we are shown what Angel sees, we can no longer see the color of Valentino’s clothes. His colorful persona, his facade of playful lover it’s no longer in place, he has stopped pretending and acting as the good boyfriend the spider had always wanted. Now before Angel there’s only the demon that owns thousands of souls, a vicious drooling smile and sharp red eyes. An overlord to fear and be intimidated by.
The background is filled with filming equipment, and even if Valentino’s body language is meant to appear welcoming, Angel feels terrified. This is not the Valentino he knew, and now he is completely trapped. He can’t refuse now, this is a choice he is being forced to make even if his soul still technically belongs to him.
After being pressured, Angel becomes part of this industry, and although he doesn’t really like it, he still trusts Valentino enough to not run away. The overlord can be scary, but he still believes that he’s safe with him, that if Val is by his side nothing wrong could ever happen to him. And after all, he had done sex work before, right? What difference did it make to fuck strangers for money in front of a camera now?
He’s not comfortable, and every day that intimidating side of Valentino that wasn’t really there before grows darker, fiercer and scarier. Angel had seen the ugliness of Valentino before, as a man, as a possessive boyfriend, as a controlling partner, but never as the powerful demon he truly was. So he still obeys Val and features in a few movies of his choice.
We can see these doubts, Angel’s discomfort and even a bit of his trust in Valentino at the beginning of the next sequence, when they appear on the set of a different movie.
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Angel was a performer, he had faked his own pleasure before, he could do it again now, and he could do it while earning way more money. He could do so, because he knew Valentino was there, guiding him, helping him, making sure his lover was safe. He always thought that Val was looking out for him, making sure he was getting the right roles in the right movies, the right contracts, and when he was nervous, Valentino was right by his side to comfort him.
But Valentino had never cared about Angel’s safety. And once Angel started to voice his doubts or show his discomfort, he made sure he couldn’t do it for much longer. The comfort Angel sought for was quickly replaced by something chemical, something that eased his nerves but also left him dazed and disoriented.
It was then that Valentino drugged him, tricked him and made him sign the contract that would leave him with only half a soul inside his chest.
Valentino had fed Angel’s addiction for a long time, adding to the mix not only the illusion of a love story, but also his own drug, his sex pollen, something that numbed the spider’s mind enough to go through all the things Valentino wanted him to do in front of the camera. Oftenly Angel was left too intoxicated to respond, too vulnerable and weak. In his last moments of lucidity he always could see Valentino, his lover, the man he thought would always take care of him, turning his back to him and leave him.
Valentino is the last thing he sees before everything fades to black around him, before he disappears. He’s no longer Anthony or Angel Dust, the stage persona, now the lines between those two different identities blurry beyond repair, and the person he becomes is a little more Angel Dust and a lot less Anthony.
I don’t think that it was just a coincidence that they used a BDSM scene to represent the moment Angel definitely lost control of his actions, his body and most likely also his soul. BDSM is all about power dynamics and the control that’s exchanged between consenting partners, only that, in this case, Angel didn’t really have a choice and there was no consent. This lack of control and safety is emphasized precisely by the type of session Angel is forced into.
He’s restrained in every way possible, he’s tied up, a blindfold covers his eyes and a gag is forced onto his mouth, one that would prevent him from closing it no matter how much he tried. He has no way to end the scene, no way to say a safeword, to complain or to stop what other people do with him or to him.
This is meant to represent the moment he signed the contract, and how he felt every time he entered the set of a new movie after he signed it. He stopped being his own person, he had disappeared, and what had been left of him was nothing but a sex toy for Valentino to control in each of his productions.
Now we see the Angel Dust that survived this state of numbness and dissociation, the one that has consumed Anthony just so he could keep himself alive.
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While Angel Dust dances, seemingly enjoying the show, performing as he has always done, in the background screens we see what’s left of Anthony, of the boy feeling trapped and used with no single way out of it. This is accompanied by more fragments of that BDSM scene that changed it all, since that was a traumatic event that repeats itself in Angel’s mind every time Valentino forces him into a new role, a new movie, a new lie.
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These frames show us not only the stress Angel is feeling, but also how Valentino is always there to exploit his body in the way he deems more profitable. We know this because he appears in between Angel’s anguish, but also because the same eyes that covered his dressing room walls are in the background while someone fucks Angel from behind.
While this happens we hear again “I made my choice”, a reminder of Angel’s regrets, shame and guilt. In addition the line “Every night I’m living like there’s no tomorrow” now has slightly changed, indicating the shift in Angel’s life and condition as no longer a free soul. What we hear now is  “Every night I’m wasted like there’s no tomorrow”.
Where once he was happy, he’s now desperate, begging to get a way out.
We see a bit more of the playful performer, Angel Dust, and the pain of Anthony in the background before Valentino approaches him again like a great imposing figure, putting an end to his show.
The second Angel notices Valentino, distress becomes clear all over his face. He points to the left, outside of what we can see, and when he tries to escape, Valentino grabs him and pulls him closer.
He has finally come face to face with the real Valentino in all his twisted glory and he wants to run away. He knows now that what they had wasn’t love, it had never been, and it’s painful. But he’s afraid of Valentino, he can’t do anything to escape his contract and he now belongs to him (at least while they’re on set).
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That last frame with Valentino embracing him, a vicious smile on his face in contrast with Angel’s terrified expression puts an end to their story, to the narration of how they came to be what they are now. After that, we are presented to the aftermath, the Angel that’s no longer intoxicated by his poison and can only dread the many past choices he would like to change.
He is now fully aware that there’s no way out of his hell, that for as long as he is alive he will be Valentino’s toy. He’s destroyed in every way, his mind is a mess too dependent on the drugs Valentino has been feeding him to properly think, and his body has stopped to feel as his own a long time ago.
How could he consider that pile of bones, fur and chemically loosen up muscles as his own? He’s disgusted, drowning in this feeling of helplessness.
And he’s even more grossed out when he notices the remains of Valentino’s poison, his drug, still lingering on his tongue. He’s so lost, he doesn’t even recognize himself. This is not where he was supposed to be, he shouldn’t be in Valentino’s apartment, he doesn’t want to be there anymore.
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The substance that once had brought him so much joy, such a delicious bliss, now slips past his lips burning his skin like acid. The itch reminds him of the reason why he’s there, and he can only feel pain. The only cause for most of his problems had always been his addiction. To Val, the sex they had, his poison, the drugs he bought for him…
No matter how hard he tries to get used to this life he has with Val now, he simply can’t do it. It doesn’t matter how many movies he appears in, they are never enough, they will never be enough for the overlord. Because he’s nothing but a tool to make Valentino and the other Vs even richer and more powerful.
That’s Valentino’s business and what initially made him get close to Vox. They complimented each other and together they felt capable of ruling Hell like that was their birthright. A power Angel would never get to know firsthand, because for Valentino he was nothing but another whore to use, exploit and eventually discard.
Angel is sick of it, is tired of living a life he hates, a lonely life full of pain and abuse, all caused by the person he loved the most.
He has spent years trapped in the V Tower, watched by the countless cameras placed in every wall and every corner of his prison. Even when he’s not on set, controlled by Valentino and his team, he feels Vox lenses following all of his movements, and despite the luxury he lives in, every day he goes to sleep wishing to never wake up.
That's all, folks. I hope you liked it, or at least got as sad as I felt while analyzing this. Again this is all what I could understand from that segment of the episode I don't know if y'all already knew this but I did wanted to share it. If you liked this check my bird app account bc there is where I spend most of my online time or my Ao3 profile, although I post mostly Skfs content now <3
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kloppinthekop · 1 month
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Hi Amy!🥰
🍄🦋🪲 - for the ask game
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🍄 ⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings
Okay, the latest thing that popped into my head for Domitrent is that… surprisingly Domi is often quite shy in the bedroom? Or maybe “shy” isn’t the right word but… coquettish, perhaps. Like, he knows what he wants and he is going to get what he wants, but sometimes he’ll play it off like he’s just waiting for Trent to dictate the play (so to speak). A lot of bashful glances, maybe hiding his face in Trent’s neck—or even outside of the bedroom, burrowing his face into Trent’s hoodie when they are sitting on the couch or whatever. I think it would be his way of getting more affection, especially out of someone more stoic like Trent. If he acts all shy and almost a little submissive, it forces Trent to take on a more dominant role, and therefore Domi will get more love and affection than if he took control the whole time.
🦋 ⇢ share something that has been on your heart and mind lately 
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how I very often get obsessed about a certain thing—whether it’s a ship, or a music artist or album, or a particular painting, etc.—but when it comes to people I find it very hard to connect on a deep level? Like it’s weird because I can connect so very deeply to an idea I have about some stranger, some random footballer whom I will never ever meet, and like I’ll twist my brain in circles trying to delve into their perceived psyche or horoscope and such… but then there’s some kind of disconnect with IRL humans. I think maybe it’s because I’m afraid to let other people know too much about me, so it makes it harder to then learn things about them too. I am very not good at being vulnerable, because it is very scary. I’m trying to be better about it and like actually chat more freely with people, but I am 100% not a natural at it!
(Also I think I’ve been trying to work this out in fic form lately, this theme of not being able to communicate one’s inner feelings, especially in my most recent chapter of Dream Come True…)
Anyways, sorry to get all heavy/psychosocial on main lol 🤷🏻‍♀️
🪲 ⇢ add 50 words to your current wip and share the paragraph here
“Some time between all the talking and the touching, Jarell thinks he’s only gone and fallen in love with the man. Was it inevitable? Maybe. Ill-advised? Quite possibly. But more and more often Jarell finds himself staring at Virgil, wondering what it would be like to have his hands on him in another situation, to be talked through something more than just team tactics and positions on the field…”
Wheeeee- thanks Meb! 💕🫶
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egg-emperor · 9 months
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Eggman is a highly manipulative character, this has been known since S3&K. it's one of his biggest most dangerous skills that's been recurring in the series ever since. I'm fascinated by the ways he can take advantage of people mentally and emotionally with mind games, trickery, and spotting vulnerability in others whether they're gullible, naive, soft, kind, try to see the good in people, have amnesia, etc, he sees it as an opportunity to strike and use it to his selfish advantage, sometimes even spitting in their face and mocking them for believing him/having the heart to do what they thought was helping him
it's cold, cruel, and heartless but that's what makes it interesting to explore his tactics, the skill and effort it takes to get his words and actions deeply embedded into one's psyche and have the desires affect on them to shape them into the person he wants them to be and/or make them do what he wants. it's also interesting to explore how it affects his victims. if my analysis, hcs, and writing involving it are disturbing then it means I'm doing something right and portraying it as dark and twisted as it really is. I want to get that across, which is far from endorsing or glorifying it.
the power he can have over others minds in this way is a dark but great example of how intelligent he is because he knows just how to control someone using only his actions and words that affect them on a mental and physical level, just as much as he can do it physically by force. it's another of the many things that makes him so dangerous and so big of a threat. that even a terrible man like him knows how to fake care for them and their best interests and benefits and tell them what they want to hear to create false security. or twist the truth and shut down their doubts until they believe it
I have done a lot of analysis of all the times he's done this and the tactics he uses in the games and I appreciate everyone who allows me to share my analysis/hcs/and concepts involving it here without making bad faith assumptions about me as a person for having an interest in exploring how the perpetrator's mind works just as much as their victim's in fiction because the psychology of it is fascinating
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bowiebond · 2 years
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Okay this was more of a "hey wouldnt it be funny if” thought because there is no way this can fit in a canon timeline, but imagine Steve having three supernatural/Upside Down affected, superpowered boyfriends that love him and protect him
1. Post-Flayed!Billy: regains control outside of the hive mind but retains his black veins and badass super strength (he is the biggest and physically strongest of the bfs), probably also his ability to sense those like El when she tries to remote view him or sense MF shenanigans like Will
2. Vampire!Eddie: came back from the dead post season 4; paler skinned and red eyes, cute sharp fangs and claws, pointy ears, and maybe he folded bat wings too?? Depends on how freaky he could be lol I think he has a little enhanced vampire strength and speed too; the fastest/most agile of the bfs
3. Superpowered!Jonathan: El got powers, I’m a “Will Byers has powers” truther who thinks he was born with them, let's apply that to Jonathan too lol; whatever powers are up to you, like one could go telekinesis like Henry, El, and the test subjects, or something else like telepathy, force fields etc; the most ‘magicky’ bf I guess haha
Imagine the carnage if some or all end up fighting each other over something small and Steve gets annoyed, bc his freaky bfs have the abilities to absolutely level Hawkins together if they wanted to but instead they’re fighting over who gets to cuddle with him that day
(But also imagine when someone or something threatens Steve and that’s when they all kick into gear together to protect their bb)
I never thought of superpowered Jonathan omg, I love that so much??? Also love the idea of them fighting over Steve’s attention and time because all three of them are actually very hotheaded. Billy is the most obvious, but Jonathan is a ball of rage if you push his buttons and Eddie screams all the time and definitely knows how to throw a good right hook and run cause of his prison father ✨
So Billy having strength, Eddie being agile and Jonathan being the shield? You got a top class party according to Eddie, and Steve is their heart of gold paladin who is willing to get his face smashed in for his boyfriends but usually gets saved from that fate 😂
The shenanigans though, god. Billy tinging black instead “green” when he’s jealous and Jonathan constantly rolling his eyes at the other two because they’re the most argumentative. They’re a power team against him thought because Jonathan is as sneaky as a snake when it comes to getting on Steve’s good side while Eddie and Billy shout over something stupid. All three of them love metal and rock and Steve just has to suffer with their tastes, least he be hissed at by Eddie every time he tries to turn the player off.
Billy knows how to push Jonathan’s buttons and it usually ends with him stuck to the ceiling by one of his dome shields until Steve finds him and asks Jonathan to let him down, saying it’s too early for this shit. Jonathan usually complies once he wrangles out a half-hearted apology from the blond.
The idea of Eddie with pointy ears and little fangs ahhh; his big old wings he keeps tucked against his back <3 they almost brush his feet because they’re thin and need the girth to make up for his weight, but he uses them as blankets during movie night more often than not. Perfect cuddle tactic because Eddie loves cuddling, Steve centric or not
Also, I think Eddie refuses to feed off any boyfriend except Steve because Jonathan and Billy taste awful. Billy more so. His blood is essentially dead and the only thing keeping him alive is Billy’s own sheer willpower (that’s a lie, they have no idea how he’s standing, but they have theories and jokes). Jonathan just tastes weird, probably because all the chemicals in his blood are just inherently different due to his body rewiring to handle his power. Will and El are similar in that regard, but Eddie isn’t tempted to snack on them unlike he’s boyfriends. So Steve is his go to nibble, but it’s fine because Steve loves neck kisses and basically counts it as the same just a lot more intense ✨
I love the thought of anyone fucking with Steve, whether it’s government or just customers at work, and having his own literal gang of monster boyfriends to scare people off. Just a glare is enough for regular people, but government gets the hint when Eddie flies one of them up a little too high and cackles, threatening to drop them while Jonathan barely breaks a sweat shielding off bullets, Billy’s veins coloring like ink and grinning like an absolute maniac before he slams someone into the floor. Steve is just there trying not to be arrest, screaming at them to quit it and nothing really changing because all three of them are overtly protective and enjoying it a little too much. Jonathan’s the only one who can chill out on command, even if he grumbles, which often leads to him having to bring the other two back to their morals.
They work well together as a polycule and are very happy with their regular human boyfriend who works a boring 9-5 and spends the rest of his time giving them all his attention <3
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ask-e123-omega · 1 year
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(//OOC: The friend of mine that inspired me to run this ask blog recently filled out a character questionnaire for the character she plays, and it was such a damn good questionnaire that I just had to fill it out for Omega. Long post beneath the cut of me dumping my headcanons for this robot:)
How aware is your character of their thought processes? Do they think about why they do what they do (however accurately)? Do they care about self-analysis?
Ooh, complicated question, since Omega can look into his own memory banks and literally review his own thought processes on a whim. But does this mean he's good at it? Not really. Upon reviewing an impulsive decision, he's more likely to remark "RAGE PROTOCOLS WERE RUNNING AS NORMAL" instead of sitting down and puzzling out why he was so enraged and how it affected the outcome of his decision.
That being said, he's all about self-analysis. He's constantly reviewing old data to try and gain an edge over his enemies. He's just terrible at admitting when he's made a mistake, so he doesn't really learn from it.
Is your character more likely to think they can overcome something even when they can't or to feel helpless even when they aren't?
This overconfident motherfucker thinks he can solo the entire Eggman empire on an average day, so take a guess.
But when everything's on the last straw, it isn't always ego that convinces him he can overcome the impossible. It's also a steely determination, a sort of "I have to do it or I die. There is no other option," if you will. When failure is not an option, he simply erases it from his processor. He's similar to Sonic in this regard.
What's one thing they're overconfident about? What's one thing they're under-confident about?
Overconfident about? It would be intuitive to say "his abilities", but that's actually not the case. He is a scarily competent killing machine. What he's actually most overconfident about is his strategic planning. He's the Ultimate Robot: Of Course He Can Succeed In Any Tactical Situation, so he clearly doesn't need to think about setting himself up for success before engaging. You don't need to reposition if there's no more enemies left to force you out of position. You don't need to hide if there's no one left to see you. Right?
Underconfident about? His social skills. He considers his skill with people to be barely passable enough to get him where he needs to be, but he can be more charismatic than he realizes. He's got a higher understanding of cognitive empathy than he thinks he does due to his observational tendencies.
How aware of and in control of their physical presence are they? Could they ever be caught with their clothes inside-out or spinach in their teeth? Do they ever stop paying attention to where they're walking or hit things when gesturing?
Omega used to be terrible- constantly crashing into things, crushing furniture, etc. Spending the first year or so of his life locked in a cramped basement left him unpracticed with movement. Not only that, but the world outside is so much more fragile than he is. It took him time to learn the strengths of common household materials and the height/width tolerances of things like doors. Nowadays, he's pretty good with spaces he's familiar with. Put him in an environment he's never been in before, like a grandmother's house or something, and he might start running into and breaking things again.
As for hygiene stuff, he's pretty on top of it. He's got sensors all over his body, including his blind spots. Shadow tried to stick a note on his back once. It didn't work- he detected it immediately.
How good are they at accurately assigning blame? Do they think everything is their fault? That nothing is?
Nothing is Omega's fault, ever.
With exactly one exception: if avoiding blame would make Eggman look more competent. If Eggman got away because he missed his shot, he'll begrudgingly admit he missed his shot rather than make up anything outrageous to justify how Eggman avoided it.
(He'll be pissed at himself for weeks afterwards, of course.)
Name something from your character's past that affects their behavior now in a way they don't realize and something that affects them in a way they do realize.
Omega can't stand being alone, especially in rooms with the door closed. He can do it if he's got a distraction, such as a videogame, but even then he'll still leave the window open to hear the sounds of people from outside. This is directly because he spent the first year of his life trapped in the same room alone. He has no idea that he's this sensitive about it and will deny it if someone pointed it out.
The part of his trauma that he does choose to acknowledge and externalize is the obvious one: he hates his creator and goes out of his way to disrespect him every chance he gets.
Does your character overcompensate for anything?
His whole "Ultimate Robot" schtick is to overcompensate for the fact that he was discarded by his creator. If he's the best at what he does, then no one will ever throw him away ever again.
Does your character believe they're chronically lucky/unlucky? Why?
Chronically unlucky. Eggman always seems to get away. His inferior robots keep coming. Could this be because Omega isn't strong enough to take them on alone? No, Never! It's because of the mistakes of others or just plain bad chance, that's all!
Does your character have an inner monologue? Are their thoughts about themselves more frequently positive or critical?
Nope, no inner monologue, but you bet that his post-action reviews are nothing but complimentary about himself unless he physically malfunctions.
Are there any values or beliefs your character espouses but doesn't live up to?
Omega has stated since day one that he's superior to organic beings due to being a robot. . . but he doesn't exactly believe it anymore. His respect for certain organics has debunked that line of logic, though he's too prideful to admit it now.
How good at reading people is your character, usually? Do they think they're better or worse at it than they are?
He's actually pretty damn decent at it, especially when it comes to his teammates. He's one of the few people on the planet who could have a good guess at what's going on in Shadow's head at any given time, for one. While organic social/emotional cues weren't intuitive for him, he learned them by doing "post-action" reviews for any social interactions he had. Combine this with a flawless memory and a willingness to research anything he gets stuck on, and he's got more capacity for that sort of thing than you might expect from a killer robot.
Of course, he doesn't value this skill nor advertise that he has it, so he thinks he's worse at it than he actually is.
(So why'd he bother learning? Initially, it was to understand Eggman to be better at killing him. Then it morphed into a desire to understand and eventually take care of his organic teammates, though he'd never admit that straight.)
What sorts of things does your character use to evaluate someone they've just met—clothes, looks, attitude? Is there anything (besides bad behavior) that will give them a kneejerk dislike of a stranger? A kneejerk affection?
Physical aptitude. Omega is quick to categorize organics into "pathetic civilians" or "potential assets" based on muscle mass, how many weapons they have, etc. (Other robots don't get the privilege of categorization- they're labeled "inferior", regardless of traits.)
Kneejerk dislike is, of course, if the person makes any sort of respectful/complimentary statement about Eggman, even if unintentional. Other kneejerk dislikes include people who suggest diplomacy as a solution to any problem.
Kneejerk affection is if the person is capable of mass destruction. With weapons or superpowers, doesn't matter.
Would you say your character is too trusting, not trusting enough, or juuuust right?
Not trusting enough. He assumes that everyone other than himself or a tiny handful of his friends are incompetent idiots who can't be trusted with anything. He's very guarded with strangers even after they prove their worth.
How susceptible is your character to perceiving or treating others like surrogate parents or children (or some other specific familial role)? Why?
Not at all! The only concept of "family" he has is from Rouge and Shadow, and he only know of that term because those two use it sometimes. He doesn't understand why such a designation would matter, what difference being a "family" might make versus just being close to someone.
Can they easily tell when someone is hitting on them?
Nope! He'd conflate any flirting attempts with Rouge's typical "flirty" banter, which she does platonically. Not that he's ever been hit on before. It'd be funny as hell to see someone try.
How sensitive are they to passive aggression or backhanded compliments? Do they ever read too much into things?
It's a 50/50 shot if he notices the passive aggressiveness from someone (higher if it's Shadow or Rouge), but if he does, he gets irritated about it. He'll tell the offending person that they're a coward for not stating their problem with him directly. (He will never employ passive aggressiveness himself unless being directly aggressive to someone will severely hinder him from achieving his goals- the GUN director has been on the receiving end of many half-assed tasks and disinterested "AFFIRMATIVES".)
He takes backhanded compliments completely straight- "thank you" and all. He loves frustrating people by giving off the impression that he doesn't recognize the back-handedness.
Does your character project anything in particular onto other people—thinking everyone is scheming because they're always scheming themselves, for example?
If you squint, Omega projects his own sense of individuality onto people. He believes that he is more different and unique from everyone else than he actually is. . . and that other people find each other similarly unknowable.
Are the standards your character holds other people to higher, lower, or equal to the standards they hold themselves to? Do they notice that?
Omega holds others to an equal standard as he does himself. . . the problem being that he's holding organic people up to robot standards. He expects everyone to have superhuman pain tolerance, catastrophic destructive capabilities, and utter determination to accomplish the mission, because he'd expect no less of himself.
Is this still incredibly self-centered and a dick move? YES. Is this toxic and harmful to both himself and everyone around him? Absolutely. Does he realize that he's doing this? Not really! He's not reflective enough to realize that he bases his standard of competency on his own expectations for himself.
How noticeable is your character? Do they stand out or fade into the background? Is that intentional or innate?
Omega's an absolute standout. Being a sentient war machine tends to do that, but it's also very intentional. He speaks loudly and often. He interjects himself into conversations, providing opinions that were unasked for. He moves with vigor and gusto. The last thing he wants to be is ignored.
What's the first thing they want other people to notice about them? Is that what most people actually usually notice?
He wants other people to see that he's a large, dangerous, competent killing machine, and he will viciously defend this image. This is indeed the first thing people notice due to both his frame and his efforts.
Besides just being more formal in formal settings, do they ever change how they behave around specific people? Is it on purpose? What happens if they're in the room with two of those people at the same time?
When he's around organics that he's used to seeing often, such as the regular GUN grunts, or especially his teammates, he tends to relax the effort of keeping up his reputation. He gets a bit softer, a bit more understanding, though it takes a trained eye to spot the change. It also means that his mischievous streak comes out, and there's nothing he loves more than subverting the expectation that he can't be funny. This is on purpose. In his mind, he's already proved that he's the "Ultimate Robot" to these specific meatbags, and therefore doesn't need to expend as much effort to keep them convinced.
If anyone else is in the room, though, he's back to trying to dominate every social interaction to prove that he's superior.
Does your character wish people perceived them differently than they do? Do they have any qualities they wish got more recognition? Is there anything about your character's background or personality that they try to hide but can't?
He HATES being perceived as nonsentient. However, even that's preferable to being perceived as an "Eggman Robot", a title he can't seem to outrun no matter how hard he tries. The decision to keep his paint job the same red-and-yellow as most other Badniks was not a decision he made lightly; he figures that instead of changing it, he'll simply eliminate all other Eggman robots with the color scheme until he's the only one left, making it so that the colors will be associated with only him.
As for what he'd like to get recognition more often, he'd appreciate being seen as competent for once. He's not blind to the way everyone assumes him to be a liability on missions just because he doesn't do stealth or subtlety.
Does your character come across the way they intend to come across—cool when they're trying to be cool, intimidating when they're trying to be intimidating—or is there a mismatch?
There's a pretty clear match, if only because his goal is to seem brusque and intimidating at all times, even when he's being more caring. The only time there's a mismatch is when he's doing so deliberately for the purpose of humor, and that mismatch will always be "coming off way more intense than he actually means to be".
If someone hated your character for no apparent reason, how would they take it? Would they try to change their minds? Could they live without knowing why?
Omega would wear it as a badge of honor and brag to everyone about it. . . but he'd be absolutely unable to live without knowing why. He wants to make sure you're hating him for the right reason (his personality) and not for the wrong reason (being built by Eggman).
What if someone openly adored your character for no apparent reason? Flattering or uncomfortable?
Finally, someone who appreciates the Ultimate Robot! That person would get 'favorite meatbag' status.
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i-cant-sing · 3 years
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Yandere Viktor Nikiforov Headcanons
No anime character will ever be as beautiful as him. I said what I said 😤
Check out my MASTERLIST for more!
Yandere Viktor Nikifirov:
He's a manipulative and possessive yandere.
He doesn't know what exactly pulled him towards you, maybe its the way you carry yourself or the way you don't care about what others think of you. Whatever the reason may be, you have caught his eye.
Once he enters into your life, say goodbye to any and all personal space. Even before you guys are dating, he's always touching you. An arm around your waist, hands holding yours, soft pecks to your cheeks, etc. You don't think anything of it, not noticing how he doesn't even let anyone else come close to you.
Viktor's extremely observant. He'll be quick to find your weaknesses and insecurities. Every little detail is going to help him control you.
He can pretty much read your thoughts. Viktor will use that against you. He’ll be quick to figure out all of your likes, dislikes, interests, fears, traumas, everything. He knows you better than you know yourself.
He's a master manipulator. It doesn't matter if you don't like him or want to go out with him, because he will manipulate you into dating him. He would make you think like this was your idea, like you are the one who is all over him, obsessed with him and that you should be grateful that he's even giving you the time of the day. Don’t be surprised when you develop an inferiority complex.
I don’t blame anyone falling for him. He’s very charming and charismatic, and his kind, yet calculating eyes give no sign of a sinister, ulterior motive. He's Russia's pride, the golden boy. No one could ever suspect him of harbouring malicious intentions.
Viktor’s very self aware. He knows his limits, his abilities, what and how he can achieve the desired results. So, he knows exactly what to do to get you to do stuff for him. He knows how to play with your feelings, how to touch you, how to make you willing. 
He has very specific requirements for what he looks in a darling. And it doesn’t matter that you’re the exact opposite of his dream s/o, he’ll make you change. He’ll train you, tailor you to his tastes. The worst part is that you won’t even realise what he’s doing until its too late. 
Being so successful from a young age, he is quite rich. So he's always buying you these expensive gifts and you're not allowed to refuse them. He justs wants his baby to be spoiled. Honestly, they're just another tactic to keep you bound to him. You're not going to be ungrateful, right?
He’ll control every part of your life, no matter how insignificant. What clothes to wear, how to style your hair, what to eat, what colour should be your favourite, etc. Soon you won’t even be able to make a single a decision for yourself without your mind wandering to Viktor’s approval.
He likes making decisions for you. He wants to control every aspect of your life. And if you ever try to disagree with him, he'll be quick to gaslight you. His usually kind eyes will turn cold and uncaring in an instant and he'll crowd you as he asks you why you don't love him? Do you not trust your loyal, generous, fucking perfect boyfriend?
Viktor wants you to be present at all his games and practices. Whatever your engagements are, they are to be pushed back. That’s how it is. His needs before yours. Him before you.
He’s quite possessive of you. Viktor will make sure that you as well as everyone else know who you belong to. He hates it when you mention other people, no matter the gender. He wants to be the only one in your heart, mind and life. So he will definitely try to isolate you, going as far as to lock you inside his home with no way of contacting the outside world.
He likes showing you off. His perfect, little pet. And the way he keeps his arms around your waist, fools everyone into thinking that he’s in love with you. They always miss how scared you look, how you don’t let your eyes wander around anywhere but him, let alone leave his side, not even for a second. They don’t see how fake his smile is, or how he wants to slit everyone's throats who talks to you.
In front of public eyes or the paparazzi, he has taught you how to act. Wear his clothes, cheer him on, kiss him passionately, then bury your face in his chest. And then he will move his arms around you, letting his coat hide your cute face as he laughs charmingly at the shy, little thing you are.
Look, he's a narcissist yandere who's unhealthily possessive of you and wants you to be completely dependent on him for anything and everything, and will then also rub his forced affection in your face, telling you how you lucky you are to have someone as perfect as him in your life.
While his psychological punishments are enough to keep you in line, sometimes he does require the use of physical force. With all the years of skating, he knows exactly which muscle to pull or position your legs at angle that causes excruciating pain. Sometimes your ankle will only be sprained, but he’s not above breaking it either. He needs to tame his little kitten sometimes, you know?
In his own messed up way, he kind of does love you. He'll have his soft moments with you, moments where you forget about his bad side. He'll kiss you softly, hold you in his lap as he runs his hands through your hair. And when you're asleep, he'll become vulnerable and he'll mumble the loving words that you crave.
Will definitely make you skate with him. There's just something about seeing you in that tiny, pastel pink figure skating skirt, that just barely hides the curves of your cute butt. Doesn’t matter if you don't know how to skate, he'll be more than happy to teach you. Hands on your hips to steady you, he'll push himself against you, his large form completely engulfing you,and he coos in your ear about how well you're doing. He knows you thrive on his praise. 
“You’re doing so good, princess. So good for me. Maybe I should reward you tonight, hmm?”
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Got some exciting Todoroki clan stuff coming up. Stay tuned! 💞💞
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bunchofstraydogs · 3 years
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Dazai Osamu character breakdown as I understand him
Meaning that this might be inaccurate and your opinion and visage of him might differ from mine, which is just fine. We perceive the world and the people around us through our experiences and expectations. I'm curious to know how you guys see a complex character like Dazai, just please respect everyone's opinions.
Warning: Manga plot mentions, s2 spoilers, BEAST light novel spoilers, Dazai Osamu
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Dazai Osamu was introduced into the scene of Bungou Stray Dogs at 14 when Mori found him.
Even at that young age, Dazai had suicidal tendencies and had been wrapped in bandages similarly as he is in the present. Already dealing with too much trauma for a child his age, the fire is fuelled as he was forced to bear witness to the death of the Port Mafia boss at the hands of Mori, the person that took him under his wing. To use him; which was becoming very apparent to Osamu if he hadn't been aware since the start. Now, I'm not saying that death of the previous boss left a particular scar on Samu, he even agrees with it and is something he himself would have done. But that that is the scene that bore fruit of the following quotes:
"Or could it be that you're afraid, Mori-san? That one day i will slit your throat and take over as the boss?"
followed by
"Everyone seems suspicious to those who have an axe to grind."
This tells us right away that he can tell what type of person you are just from the way you perceive your surroundings, which is logical, but not something many think too deep into.
Even less who have their evaluations of others on point like he does. And he has to, since Dazai's plan is always to understand his allies, his enemies, possible allies and possible enemies. He also takes into account important neutral parties that can still, in one way or another, affect the outcome of his plans or decide to align with one side out of common interest. After comes realising the main goals, along with side achievements (just in case some of those maim his allies or ruin the future plans he made) of every party. Taking in their morals and motivation, and being familiar with the ground the confrontation will happen on, he now has the view of the whole chess board and it's pieces in his head. He moves his allies in the right places, knowing how they'll react in the situation to come, and awaits the enemies with open fire arms. He was tought to think like that. At all times. Mori made sure of it. You know how specialists never really stop thinking in their areas of expertise, like doctors, for example, will naturally notice people's posture and look for scoliosis or whatever? How your foot hits the floor, if you're walking straight, your knees and shoulders, etc. Same for Dazai. His brain maps out person's expressions, reactions, choices, personality, etc. in great detail. I'm pretty sure he has eidetic memory, if his conversations in manga with Fyodor are anything to go by.
Another thing his brain does is think of worst possible outcomes.
Not in a fear of what if things go wrong, but as a possible route. He uses it to determine how big of a threat the opposing force is and what steps they'll have to take to achieve that. Knowing that, he'll know how to intercept them. Also, like everything else, it's not something he can control since we're talking about thought process here and that's just how his brain works. Can't magically turn that off. It's especially annoying to him when he's genuinely enjoying himself with, let's say, ADA members and then his brain goes brrr.
•"A lot happened recently and we're a torn in many people's eyes." *Tanizaki and Atsushi drinking punch* "There's a possibility, while a small one, about 8% at this very moment, but as time goes on will increase, that an organisation outside of Yokohama decided we're an unavoidable threat and poisoned the drinks. Don't drink that. Nothing will happen, they'll wake up tomorrow in pristine condition don't drink th-"
Yeah, i feel bad for him too.
He has PTSD and insomnia, besides the hectic brain,
so he's not getting proper amount of rest. Actually, he drinks almost every night by himself at home. Pretty sure it's canon as well, because if you search for a picture of him in his room, you'll see him surrounded by multiple bottles. Two of the PTSD symptoms are hallucinations and night terrors (no, that is not the same as a nightmare). What people usually do is use opium to cause hallucinations in a safe environment so that there's little chance of them happening uncontrolled. He's probably using alcohol to numb himself while he's reminiscing, since if he does still have hallucinations after years having passed by (which isn't impossible), they're probably few and far between. Not saying there's no chance he isn't using opium. He would know where to get what he needs, after all.
Osamu's haunted by his own actions as well, not just by trauma caused to him.
At an uncountable amount of occasions, he found himself looking into a mirror and not really comprehending his image. It was like dissociation. Looking through a fog at what's supposed to be your carbon copy, but not knowing all of your features perfectly, so whatever you're seeing could only be an impostor, yet you're not sure because that would take comprehending physical proof of your life to the fullest and how it works and he just... can't. He can but he doesn't want to. He already knows he's despicable and broken, doesn't really feel the need to see just how much. He can't, for all his perfect memory, remember the faces of the people he has killed. He hadn't even seen all of them, but he was responsible for their demise. Causing havoc and misfortune in general through other crimes besides murder as well. We've seen his expression when he listened in on Atsushi talking to Kyouka over the earpiece how the 35 deaths don't matter anymore. He knows they do and he knows that the change of heart won't justify what he's they've done. Ango thought him to value each life. But he also knows that even murderers can change and become good. Oda did that. It's also what's keeping him in the agency.
When Oda died, his last words mentioned that Dazai doesn't care about good or bad and that was correct for Dazai Osamu back then. I genuinely think that his present self does mind the difference.
He believes in necessary evil and will do dark shit to get the good outcome he's envisioned.
He doesn't separate outlaws and lawful people, however.
He knows that generally speaking, the line is thin and easy to cross and that many were born or forced into the situations they are. Those that fight the life thrown at them are an exception, not a rule. That's also why he likes Atsushi, probably the main reason. The boy has every right to hate the world and yet. Dazai is envious, he doesn't really have the same capacity.
I want now to talk about why does Dazai Osamu do what Dazai Osamu does.
The reason he attempts suicide, joined the mafia, made friends at all, is because for all his intelligence and observations, ability to understand others, he doesn't really understand himself.
He doesn't understand his worth. He doesn't understand his purpose. In all of that confusion, he finds no reason to live. He laughs but can't get the high, he bruises but can't fully heal. In all of the things people find happiness in he can't feel joy from. He is emotionally stunted. He thinks too logically. He doesn't understand actions out of emotions because to him, it doesn't make sense. Emotions cloud your mind and when you're not thinking straight, you make mistakes. Plain and simple. He just accepts it, that most people simply cannot control themselves and prefer lashing out instead of methodical approach. All the better for him, he has leverage. Even when he does act on impulse, which is incredibly rare and not as explosive and dramatic, his brain rationalises it as to why his actions were a good way to go. And if his reaction was one that bore fruit, than it was a tactical one.
"If you place yourself somewhere close to raw emotions, where you're exposed to raw violence and death, instinct and desire, you can brush against man's true nature. I though that way i could find a reason to live somehow."
From this, i can tell that he was hoping that, in a situation where he's pushed far enough, he'd realise what's important to him, what he wants to protect or destroy, what's one thing he wouldn't want to leave unsettled before dying. What is that one thing he'd regret dying before achieving? What should he fight death for. What is worth living on for? To him, it doesn't matter if that something is good or evil as long as he gets to keep it in his life.
It seems he hadn't found it exactly, but is satisfied with what he has for now, in the agency, to just keep going. But he still tries to commit suicide, hoping that one day, when the clear picture of the world around him is fading away, when he's becoming light headed from the lack of oxygen, when he's loosing control over his body and thoughts don't seem to flow well, there will be one thing, anyone, screaming at him to fight it. New day new chances. It didn't happen today, better luck tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow and tomo-.
Now, like Mori, Dazai feels the need to, at all times, be in control of the situation. Including people.
That means no one, but perhaps Ranpo due to his own abnormal intellect, is aware of their own role. They know their mission, but they're not expecting to be given that particular one because they'll come across an obstacle they would react to in a way that would satisfy Osamu's plans.
Dazai Osamu is more of a chemist, than a chess player, if you ask me.
Throwing different people into the mix, under different conditions at different times and is noting down their reactions in safe surrounding if possible, so that when the time calls for it, he'll be able to make a perfect concoction for the predicament. A chemist and his substances; A chess player and his pawns; A puppeteer and his puppets. Now, Dazai is meticulous and never rash, but like everyone else (except effin Lovecraft what is he even) he's only human and he bleeds when he falls down and humans aren't perfect. He isn't always right. That means he makes mistakes. The issue with big shot players that control the board is that, when they fall down, everyone on their side crashes and burns as well. So the day Dazai fucks up everyone else will follow because of lack of insight on their part that's completely out of their control. All it takes is for him to underestimate or overestimate one person and chaos ensues. There is no such thing as happy little accidents small mistakes for someone like him. I have crippling anxiety and a sole thought that one hiccup could blow up in everyone's face... damn. I would try committing suicide myself. But it's his fault, he brought upon himself an obligation and pressure like that. To be fair, it was Mori that drilled that type of thinking where no one should know what you plan because they can't ruin what they don't know If they turn against you, they can't stop you.
For his own sake, and everyone else's, Dazai needs to learn how to show his cards and share the burden.
Again, going back to the emotionally stunted guy that has commitment issues (where he either can't commit or can't let go) trope.
He never outright does something good for someone where people would acknowledge it, he uses his underhanded tactics here as well.
He casually makes himself look like a bad guy, an asshole, to conveniently move attention from the inner turmoil a person is struggling with to a present problem at hand that they can fix and let their frustrations out on. But he hopes that, one day, someone just might notice his intentions for what they are and do the unspeakable- see through him.
"I'm a very private person. You don't ask, i don't tell."
Yes, and your whole existence is just a huge cry for help. He wants to be asked. He's begging for attention. A specific type of attention. One that will see him without making him feel imposed on. One that will understand his sins without making a big deal out of it. Accept him as a person he is, makes him feel like one as well. Makes him feel alive. Makes him feel... period.
The day he finds that thing is the day he completely turns his life around and fully dedicates to it. It's where the part of not being able to let go commitment issue ensues.
Since Oda's death he's been secretly keeping an eye out on possible ways to bring him back. If you've read Beast AU you know that when Dazai gets his hands on the book, he'll create a universe where Oda doesn't die. Should he find an ability user that can bring back the dead, just tell him what it will take, he's ready to destroy his own soul for it and if that isn't enough, well, he'll have no hesitation ruining theirs. After all, BEAST!Dazai Osamu never actually met Odasaku, he just had the memories he'd gotten from his canon self and that was enough for him to do everything he did.
He's incredibly selfish and has a weird come in but the door is a wall dynamic he rolls with in his self imposed solitude.
It's like the walls of the space in my brain are ugly and terrifying, so i closed off the entrance to keep myself in. I'm doing you a favour but please break the wall down and tell me it's okay to come out i don't want to be here-
Happy little thoughts woah woah yeah~
That's what i got from what I've seen of him. I may have missed some things, some things might prove to be wrong as the series progress further, but yeah.
There is, however, one more thing i want to put out here. Since Dazai was already like this before Mori found him, that begs to question as to why? What happened to him?
Now, since the characters are based on real people, is it crazy to say that Dazai Osamu has had a horrible childhood because of his father? Real life Dazai was terrified of his dad and was very intimidated by him. He always tried to stay in his good graces out of fear of punishment. Neither of his parents felt like a parent to him, actually. His father didn't care and his mother was often ill, but did care for him when she could. Both of them died eventually.
This could be the plot Kafka based Dazai's background on, but we'll have to wait and see.
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sarasa-cat · 2 years
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I have wanted to write something — fiction, nonfiction, not certain, probably both, probably many — about the ways in which so called “meritocratic” systems set up all women for a big fucking disappointment.
If I had a dollar for all of the fields/disciplines and professions in which I have either seen and/or been subject to sexism first hand, have been told fully plausible or verifiable stories by others, or have read scientific studies that give light to how much sexism there actually is, well, all those dollars might begin making up for the direct and indirect economic disparities I have experienced.
But, something I think important — and incredibly insidious — are the ways in which teen and 20-some women have been sold this meritocratic myth since the onset of modern feminism’s initial legal wins (greater reproductive control and criminalization of spousal rape, anti-discrimination/anti-sexism laws regarding renting property or having a bank account and credit card in one’s own name, not getting fired for pregnancy, access to elite universities, ability to take legal action against sexual harassment or gender discrimination, etc etc etc). Sure, legal wins mean that you are allowed to be in the room but social forces do everything they can to push you back out. The meritocracy is a lie.
And, honestly, sexism is used to sell that meritocratic myth because actual solidarity would threaten to topple this myth of fairness. Gaslight. Gatekeep. Girlboss.
Worse, younger women — women in their late teens and 20s — who are striving or successful early on can be very susceptible to the myth, thus they start thinking that they are “different” from other women. That’s just the age old tactic of divide and conquer. And I swear that the forces of sexism are working harder and harder to derail women’s careers at earlier ages now than how it was in the 90s and the pre-economic-collapse 00s.
So.
When I now see young people, especially young women, claiming that if they don’t make it and do THE BIG CAREER DEFINING THING by age 21 (how?!) or 25-27 they are finished, and turning 30 is death, I suspect I understand quite a few aspects of why they think that. That fear of falling behind is real because women know how much economic cost is involved in catching up, assuming catching up ever happens.
Obviously, I don’t agree that 30 is too old for anything, ffs. If anything, I actually have more power (and far more experience and maturity) to do whatever the fuck I want career-wise & life-wise now that I am beginning to age into the realm of increasing invisibility. But I get the angst that younger women feel. I might no longer be subject to that specific flavor of angst but I can look out my window and see it rather clearly. And I saw sexism all around me since childhood regardless of the “be anything you want to be” post-second wave feminist message.
It enrages me deeply to think about how different my entire lifepath and career path would have been had I been born a different gender. And it engages me that I think about how much angst young women feel right now about Making It. It enrages me that there is far too much truth in the fact that hitting 30 causes all sorts of not-that-subtle sexism to LEGALLY sideline or slow-track women’s careers. And that hitting any age higher than 39 often means a women is viewed as “overqualified” and “too expensive/too demanding” a hire and, in certain male-dominated careers, “just a bad culture fit.”
And don’t even get me started on how this affects women who aren’t cultural clones of Marissa Mayer. All the -isms come out mighty quickly and the shit I have actually heard people say in managerial positions do indeed blatantly cross into discrimination law suit territory.
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mybg3notebook · 3 years
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Gale: Hypothesis and Analogies – Part 1
Here, I compile several hypotheses that are pretty common to find around, expressing my opinion on them and showing what EA has given us so far to justify them or not. 
Disclaimer Game Version: All these analyses were written up to the game version v4.1.104.3536 (Early access). As long as new content is added, and as long as I have free time for that, I will try to keep updating this information. Written in June 2021.
Disclaimer about interpretations of Real Life concepts: I’m not a fan of bringing real life issues into plain analogies/allegories in a game which intention in doing so was not made explicit, but the fandom seems to like this aspect and therefore I would like to share those opinions here as well since some seems reasonable despite not being of my taste. This topic may be sensitive for some people. Be aware of it.
Hypothesis: Gale was groomed
Concept
Grooming is building a relationship, trust, and emotional connection with a child or young person (and sometimes their family as well) to lower the child's inhibitions with the objective of sexual abuse. Grooming allows offenders to slowly overcome natural boundaries long before sexual abuse occurs. On the surface, grooming a child can look like a close relationship between the offending adult, the targeted child and (potentially) the child’s caregivers. The grooming process is often misleading because the offender may be well-known or highly regarded in the community. As a result, it’s easy to trust them. Although grooming is more common among children, it may happen with adults too, especially in work environments.
Stages: First, perpetrators may target and exploit a child’s perceived vulnerabilities: emotional neediness, isolation, neglect, a chaotic home life, or lack of parental oversight, etc. They work to gain the trust of parents/caregivers to lower suspicion.
Once the perpetrator begins to fill the child's needs, they may assume a more important role in the child's life. Perpetrators utilize tactics such as gift giving, flattery, gifting money, and meeting other basic needs. Tactics may also include increased attention and affection towards the targeted child. The perpetrator uses isolation tactics to reinforce their relationship with the child by creating situations in which they are alone together or by cultivating a sense that they love and understand the child in a way that others, even their parents, cannot. 
Once emotional dependence and trust have been built, the perpetrator progressively sexualizes the relationship. When sexual abuse is occurring, perpetrators commonly use emotional manipulation; they make the child believe they are the only person who can meet their emotional and material needs. The child may feel that the loss of the relationship, or the consequences of exposing it, will be more damaging and humiliating than continuing the unhealthy relationship. 
Behavioural consequence
The consequences on victims of grooming tend to be very different depending on the victim's age, personality, and psychology, but some broad leftover traits or behaviours can be summarised as:
They are too eager to please and have a great avoidance of angering others.
Big desire for privacy: they know others will not understand what they lived.
The victim becomes withdrawn, or they may seem troubled by something but unwilling to talk about it. Alternatively, their emotions might become more volatile.
They tend to be unaware of the abuse for a long while even after the relationship ended. 
If they are aware, they tend to display shame and embarrassment for what happened.
They can suffer abandonment issues depending on the way this relationship ended. 
They tend to develop difficulties to maintain relationships.
This situation tends to be particularly invisible or dismissed for men and boys due to social norms about masculinity.
Inside the context of BG3
First, it's important to estimate Gale's age. More or less the fandom agrees he is currently (1492DR) in his early 30s. Mystra returned in 1479DR (read the post about "Mystra and her Chosen ones" for details), so Mystra may have lured Gale into serving her as Chosen when he was around 17 years old (this depends on every player’s perception of Gale’s age)
This gives us a good estimation of the context: When Mystra returned thanks to Elminster—who gave her most of his Silver Fire—she immediately started to strengthen her network of Chosen ones and to work on repairing the Weave to its original state. Due to this unique context, Gale may have been observed by Mystra as a precious asset: a very young wizard who could not only control the Weave but compose it: a great skill to repair a still weak Weave. Furthermore, in the novel Dead Masks (1491DR), it is stated that the best way to cast a spell with a weakened Weave is to "twist" it instead of using it for tapping into the Raw Magic. In this book it is not clear if this is a skill that only Chosen ones have, but it has a strong similarity with Gale's skills.
Although we don't know much about Gale's childhood, if he was neglected or not as a child to be more easily lured by the Goddess, we can agree that it's most likely that Mystra has been watching him as a potential candidate since a child. Gale explicitly says: "I’ve been in touch with the Weave for as long as I can remember". And as far as Forgotten Realms lore goes, Weave and Mystra are the same. We also know that this is a common behaviour of Mystra who has been watching precocious, skilful wizards before choosing them for her goals: for example, Midnight. 
When Gale reached an age that could be considered a "(very) young man", she seduced him, using his passion and love for Magic to lure him. She offered him a deep connection with her and with the Weave: with Magic itself. After seeing Gale's passion for magic, it is understandable that he—as a teenager or a young man—must have been dazzled by her and her proposal. We know that, in the novel Elminster: a mage in the making, she offered to Elminster exactly what he wanted the most: power to make his revenge possible . By the end of the encounter, Elminster became “charmed” by her despite hating her throughout all his life, turning into her devotee. This situation can be interpreted as another example of how Mystra works: she seems to lure her potential Chosen with the promise of giving them what they are most passionate about.
Once Mystra slept with her Chosen, and imbued her divine essence on them, she left them to their own devices, making them wait for her commands. In Elminster’s and Sammaster ‘s case, both were put under tests, being forced—by their own drive to please the Goddess—to develop more magic and personal skills to serve her. In the process, both developed an obsession for her. Elminster's seems to be less self-destructive than Sammaster's, but the latter could be understandable since he always suffered from madness. My point is, the pattern continues with Gale: driven by this obsession of wanting Mystra close, to please her, Gale tried to control an ancient magic, and failed, being abandoned by Mystra due to this mistake.
Gale, according to this interpretation as a victim of grooming, is still stuck in the process: he wants to please Mystra, wants to right his wrongs, even though in some scenes he seems to have been over her, in others he still seems to be very attached to her (it's hard to know which is the most accurate since it's EA and Gale was rushed), he keeps all this trouble in private because he knows nobody will understand.
Unlike an adult who realised he was victim of grooming, Gale seems to be still not over that relationship, showing many of the behavioural consequences: 
Gale is a person who is always eager to please and avoid confrontations. If there is no choice he will use violent means, but he will always push for diplomatic approaches [1,2]. This trait seems to favour this interpretation.
He has a strong sense of privacy to the point that he is considered "shady". A lot of that desire for privacy may come from the fact that he knows no one will understand the unique relationship he had with a bigger entity. This can be seen by choosing the meanest options during the Weave and the Loss. Despite his many troubles, he remains secretive, acknowledging that "some things can't be spoken". 
He is completely unaware of having been a victim of such power imbalance. He doesn't see abuse in it, and he is not performative about this fact, since he is very private on the topic until very late in game.
Nobody can deny his abandonment issues (which are even explicitly pointed out in the dev's notes) [20]
We can infer, by all the information given, that Mystra has been his first (and presumably only) relationship so far, giving a possible hint that he may have decided not to enter another relationship again or may have felt apprehensive about it (even though I personally think this impediment is mainly caused by the “orb”).
I don't completely subscribe to this interpretation because I don’t think Mystra’s main goal has been sexual abuse, but the creation of servants and devotees that allow her to expand her power. To do so, she uses sex as part of the “ritual” that transforms certain mortals into Chosen Ones. The way in which this is indirectly explained in the novels makes me remember the concept of Zeus and his abuse of mortals: he spreads part of his divinity in the form of demi-god offspring. In Mystra’s case, she seems to leave part of her divinity in the Chosen one that slept with her: the “seed” of semi-divinity. 
However, it’s not clear if sleeping with her Chosen ones is a procedure she always does. Her daughters may have inherited her divinity when she conceived them while possessing a mortal body, but other female Chosen Ones seemed to be out of this process. Ed Greedwood also has a constant discourse in his novels where he explains that magic is “better” understood or much easily wielded by females because “they are connected to their emotions” and another stereotype of this kind. What seems to be clear is that Forgotten Realm lore hides as much as possible its queerness, and when it comes to Mystra, this habit of sleeping with her Chosen seems to apply (or at least make it more explicit) only to male mortals. So in short, her main goal was to catch another useful mortal to her group of Chosen Ones, and to do so, she lured Gale with all what she could offer. I also believe gods are gods, and they are immensely overpowered and entitled to do whatever they want in this fantasy world. They don't follow mortal rules, so they may have little scruples to do anything they see necessary to achieve their own goals, no matter if the consequences of their actions affect children, teenagers, or adults. 
Mystra in particular has been a very neutral goddess (due to her many rebirths), not particularly cruel as an evil deity could be, but not completely selfless either: she has conceived her daughters using a mortal vessel who previously gave her consent but without knowing the consequences of giving birth each year for a decade while containing a goddess inside. Mystra also profited off of Sammaster's madness (some Harpers who wrote Sammaster’s reports suspect she could have been able to cure him): she may have actively decided not to in order to let his genius madness increase her realm of power/magic. Therefore, Mystra may have had little scruples to use a very young Gale enamoured with magic to turn him into another Chosen whose skills could fix the Weave given the context that it had been severely weakened after the Spellplague. So the grooming is not completely misplaced in my opinion.
Gale's Chosen selection process is not different to what we can read in the book of the Cult of the Dragon, where Sammaster became obsessed with Mystra after sleeping with her and developed metamagic as a consequence to impress her. Or in the novel Elminster, the making of a mage, where Elmister originally despised Mystra and every magic user. However, after being in her presence, he fell for her charm, and never could get over his "love" for her, suffering a lot of painful circumstances to just be a "good devotee" and serve her.
Mystra is written in most novels as the living allegory of the beautiful "mean" woman who will always ask for more from her poor captivated men, but she will never be completely satisfied, no matter how much they sacrifice. She acknowledges the effort, but she is always asking for more. Only with Elminster she actively tried to save him from the Hells, showing, for a change, that her Chosen can be a bit more than mere pawns in the big game of divine power. However, it's important to highlight that the last rebirth of Mystra has changed her: in the novel Dead Masks some of the Seven Sisters explicitly say that Mystra has turned paranoid, asking each of her Chosen to do missions that the others cannot know. She has become more secretive and cryptic than ever. 
Mystra's actions seem to have worse connotation if we think that she can have visions of the future, as she had when she decided that Sammaster had to be her Chosen: she had foresaw the death of another Chosen and she wanted him to fill that vacuum before the event happened. So she may have foreseen Gale’s actions in his naive way to impress her. Maybe she wanted him to do it, so she could have a new piece of magic in her realm. But this is mere speculation, we will need the full release of the game to have the answer.
As I explained, despite not being a fan of it, the interpretation of grooming is not a bad one. It fits mostly if it's applied to a teenage boy, and probably it would have been taken a bit more seriously and less prone to jokes inside the fandom if Gale were a female character and Mystra a male God. 
Hypothesis: Gale has abandonment Issues
Concept
Abandonment issues arise when an individual has a strong fear of losing loved ones. A fear of abandonment is a form of anxiety. It often begins in childhood when a child experiences a traumatic loss. Children who go through this experience may then begin to fear losing other important people in their lives. Some individuals continue to fear abandonment as they grow older. Although it is less common, abandonment issues can also sometimes begin in adulthood. 
The loss often stems from a trauma, such as a death or divorce. Emotional abandonment, where a parent or caregiver is physically present but emotionally absent, may also give rise to abandonment issues later in life. It is not clear what makes one person develop this fear, since not all humans who have experienced similar losses do it. Trauma — potentially from abuse or poverty — may play a role, as may the level of emotional support that a person receives following a loss. These issues can have a significant effect on a person’s life and relationships because they fear that the other person will leave them at any moment. 
Behavioural signs/consequences
Being overly eager to please ( a “people pleaser”) 
Pushing others away to avoid rejection
Jealousy of the partner or the others when in a relationship.
Trouble trusting their partner's intentions.
Feeling insecure about their relationships.
Codependency
Need for continuous reassurance that others love them and will stay with them
Persisting in unhealthy relationships
Inability to maintain relationships: or moving quickly from one relationship to another or sabotaging them
Inside the context of BG3
I'm not going to explain this in great detail since it's spread in most of the posts I’ve done about Gale's analysis. What it's clear is that Gale has a constant fear for abandonment once he starts caring for Tav as a friend or/and lover, and this fear makes him prone to do things of poor taste. This fear seems to make him look for acceptance that only through a night of intimacy can give him. This information is apparently in the book he read, making us guess that his experience with relationships is rather poor if nonexistent. Dev's notes also reinforce the idea that Gale fears abandonment:
Gale: It is my truth, finally revealed. It is this folly that led Mystra to abandon me completely. I can only hope you won’t abandon me as well. After all we’ve been through. After the night we spent together. Surely we can brave even this side by side Dev's note: Solemn. Full of yearning, his news will not lead to him being abandoned by the player. 
Gale: Loyalty is such a… such a very rare commodity. Dev's note: The reference to loyalty foreshadows Mystra leaving him. 
So far in EA, we can see that Gale checks some behavioural consequences of this fear: he is always eager to please, approaching Tav with courtesy and jovial manners, only displaying his most acidic side to a Tav whose actions are evil. In that case, Gale cares little if Tav leaves him. With the Loss scene we can see that it is hard for him to give his trust to others, pushing them away because they would not understand the grave mistake he made. His trust demands constant progression from the Stew scene, to the Weave, to the Loss scene. If he is romanced, he asks several times if Tav is thinking of the Weave moment. When Tav asks him this question, Gale will deflect, always asking back to have Tav’s answer first before giving his: it could be interpreted as Gale looking for constant reassurance in the blooming relationship. 
However, in my opinion, the best situation that shows his abandonment issues is during our meeting with Gandrel. Gale disapproves of handing over Astarion, by telling Tav about an anecdote of a dog turning old and mean: how his friend got rid of the animal just because it was an inconvenience. This is very curious since Gale's mistrust for Astarion is not a secret: he stated many times that Astarion is a danger to the group, and his wickedness causes him to strongly dislike him. The reason for this is quite obvious if we see both lists of approvals: mostly what one approves the other disapproves. Despite all this, Gale strongly judges Tav for handing Astarion over, and his disapproval for doing it shows that Gale is not lying on the matter: the meta-knowledge is trustworthy information. 
This can be understood better when Tav defends Astarion against Gandrel: Gale approves twice of defending him. If Astarion is not in the group when meeting the monster hunter, the first approval happens when Tav recognises that Astarion is part of their companions/friends (therefore, Tav is showing care for their group). The second approval happens when Tav reinforces their loyalty to Astarion insisting that they won’t give his location (this is a clear display of loyalty that Gale acknowledges as rare. See the post of "Gale Hypotheses- Part 2", section: "Proposition to Cheat" for more details). Although Gale will explicitly question this decision, he secretly approved it (the approvals we saw are meta-knowledge: only the player sees them). Considering the undeniable context that Gale deeply dislikes Astarion, we may interpret this as Gale seeing in Tav a loyal person who will not abandon someone they care for, even if that person endangers them. Loyalty is something that resounds deeply in Gale due to his abandonment issues. 
 Another detail on this matter can be seen during the party. If Tav arranges spending the night with a companion and then asks (non-romanced) Gale the same, he will answer:
Gale: You are all too quick to abandon the one you promised yourself to. It’s not a quality I admire.
This line shows that first, Gale is not interested in casual sex; he needs the connection that the Weave provides and Tav’s explicit, previous romantic interest in it. Second, when Gale is romanced but Tav sleeps with someone else, Gale will not interfere in that affair, but he may not like it (due to his, I suppose, jealous comment since he doesn’t display an approval penalty for this). However, he seems to equate loyalty with commitment, understanding that affair as a fling but believing he still holds the romantic interest of Tav, hence his proposition the next day. More details in the post of "Gale Hypotheses- Part 2", section: "Proposition to Cheat".
---------
Sources for both parts:
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( 5V)
Some concepts were summarised from: https://melcrowecounsellor.com www.d2l.org/child-grooming-signs-behavior-awareness/
This post was written in June 2021. → For more Gale: Analysis Series Index
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thestupidhelmet · 3 years
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So, I need some advice. I'm writing a jackie/eric fic, and I'm at the point where Kelso finds out. In your in opinion how do you think Kelso would react? I know he felt angry betrayed, when he found out Hyde and Jackie were together. But I can't help but feel he would feel even worse if it was Eric and Jackie that were together. Side note, I want to write a scene where Eric punches Kelso for calling Jackie a name. Do you think that would be out of character for him?
Hi!
Sounds like you've written a lot of the story already. The main point to consider is this: Eric's motivation for punching Kelso has to be real to Eric's character. Otherwise, it's character manipulation, forcing a character to behave a certain way to fit the plot you want instead of letting the plot arise naturally from the characters' personalities and choices.
For a non-canon, OOC ship like Jackie/Eric to work, everything else about the characters in the story must be in-character for it to be believable -- in my estimation, at least.
Below, you'll find an analysis of the characters re: Kelso reacting to Hyde or Eric dating Jackie and a sample in-character E/J/K fanfic plot that would lead organically to Eric punching Kelso.
I don't think Jackie dating Eric would be worse for Kelso than Jackie dating Hyde. Kelso and Hyde were partners in crime before Kelso dated Jackie and quite close. Once Jackie came into the picture, Hyde and Kelso's friendship / relationship deteriorated rapidly.
That's not to say Kelso still wouldn't feel betrayed, but the sense of betrayal would stem partly from different reasons.
Jackie choosing Hyde over Kelso is a major blow to Kelso's ego and self-esteem. We learn explicitly in "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You" (5x14) that Kelso feels deeply humiliated by Jackie dating Hyde, as if it's a message to the whole town that Hyde is better looking, a better lover, and all-around better person than Kelso.
With Jackie choosing Eric over Kelso, Kelso would be in more denial over it than he is over Jackie and Hyde dating at first. He'd think Eric and Jackie aren't actually dating but that Eric is trying to get back at him for sleeping with Eric's sister (Laurie) and Jackie is playing along.
What makes Kelso believe Jackie and Hyde are together is catching them kiss. Even if Kelso were to see Eric and Jackie kissing, I think he'd still be in denial. "Wow, they're really putting everything into this burn, huh?" he'd say to Fez.
So the first obstacle, if wanting to write Kelso in-character for your fic, is getting Kelso actually to believe Eric and Jackie's romance is real.
Once he does, Kelso's tactics against Eric would be totally different than they are against Hyde. With Hyde, Kelso was always aggressive and violent -- even before either of them dated Jackie. Their friendship was quite physical (not sexual), fighting when they got into arguments, etc. (See the flashback where they meet Fez in "Class Picture" [4x20]). With Eric, Kelso would try "diplomacy" and talking.
Kelso would demand answers from Eric then try to convince Eric that Jackie isn't the girl for him. He'd probably warn Eric against all the negative experiences Kelso had (from Kelso's subjective POV, obviously) when dating Jackie, how it affected his self-esteem, that her controlling behavior and insults "drove him" to cheating.
"She'll make a cheater out of you, too," Kelso would say as a warning, "but that's not you. Don't let her turn you into someone you're not. 'Cause she will."
Eric, of course, would counter that Kelso would've cheated on his first girlfriend, whether she were Jackie or not. "You always had the hots for my sister. Once she ... had her way with you, you weren't going to stay faithful. And you made out with Pam Macy before that! You're a cheater, Kelso. Jackie didn't turn you into one."
Eric walks away from this conversation with Kelso shouting after him, "You just wait and see, Eric. You'll cheat, just like me! You should've stuck with Donna!"
Once "diplomacy" fails, Kelso would do everything he could to have Jackie catch Eric in compromising situation with other women. He'd do this very, very badly with hilarious results.
Eric's motivation for punching Kelso likely wouldn't come from Kelso insulting Jackie. Eric has insulted Jackie in so many ways, so many times that I don't believe this would be enough. Eric is more of a talker than a physical fighter, and he can be very cutting with his words. The times Eric has gotten physical is when he's drunk and upset over believing he'd killed his grandmother ("Grandma's Dead" [1x23]); he's looking for a fight because of his feelings of guilt and shame, and he starts one with a jerk at a bar. The second time happens in "Street Fighting Man" (7x14) when a football fan who'd been a jerk during a Packers game eventually insults Eric's dad.
But Kelso is one of Eric's oldest friends, and Eric likely does feel some sense of responsibility and guilt toward him (and Hyde if Jackie also dated Hyde in your story) for dating Jackie. So Kelso would have to hurt Jackie badly for Eric to get physical. Not just insults. Something that hurts Jackie on a deep level, like actually succeeding in convincing Jackie that Eric isn't in love with her but has been using her to get over Donna, that Eric and Donna reconciled a few weeks ago -- and now he's cheating on Donna with Jackie "for a little while longer, just in case things don't work out with Donna."
Jackie doesn't want to believe him, but Kelso's been hinting at this idea for a while. Even conversations Donna and Eric have had with Jackie separately add to Jackie's insecurity about this. Then Jackie catches Eric and Donna in an embrace. In impulse and anger, she breaks up their hug, shouts at Eric that she always feared being "the other woman," and that she never thought Eric would turn her into one. She doesn't let either Eric or Donna explain. She leaves.
Eric goes to find Jackie only to find Kelso. Kelso is very smug about all of this, saying, "See? I told you Jackie would make you a cheater." Eric, very distraught about losing Jackie -- knowing how badly Jackie's heart and self-esteem was broken by being cheated on by Kelso, how Eric promised her he's a serial monogamist; once he's in love, he's devoted, etc. -- shouts his anger and fears at Kelso.
Kelso, though, reacts entitled and self-satisfied. He's entirely dismissive of Jackie's feelings, which are Eric's main concern (besides, of course, losing the woman he loves). This is what could get Eric to punch Kelso, in Kelso's smug, self-satisfied face. "You son of a bitch!" and POW!
All right, so this is how I would approach this scenario in a Jackie/Eric fic. 😅 Whether I ship a couple or not, I'm all about fidelity to the characters' personalities. What they might actually say or do given a certain situation, conflict, or stressor.
You're free to use elements of the above plot with total permission. I'd strongly recommend using your own dialogue, however because that's writing in my voice not yours (not to mention plagiarizing). If you do use elements of the plot I came up with, thanking me (MistyMountainHop) for the help / advice in an author's note would not be unappreciated. 😊
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ikemen-girl · 3 years
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Hello, sweety! I don't know if you're currently taking up request or not (please don't mind this ask if you're not doing it right now ^^). I'm a teacher and seeing how Mitsuhide teaches MC in his route, may I request you for a HC of Mitsuhide finds out that his MC is a teacher as well in her future life? I really want to know how he would react on that. Thank you for visiting my blog beforehand and hoping you a wonderful upcoming weekend! ✨🍀
Hellooooo dear 😍😍♥️♥️, thank you very much for this interesting request 🥰💗! I am also aspiring to become a teacher in few years so I am very glad to meet you😍😍! And I would like to say that you are an amazing artist👏🙌! I hope you also have a great weekend💃🌹! So, here we go😉~
Ikesen Headcanon⚔💗
Mitsuhide reacting to a MC being a Teacher👩‍🏫:
You loved teaching children😍❤ but you ended up in the sengoku era while travelling to Kyoto on a school trip with your students & other teachers leaving a very good life in the modern era😩 & accidentally saved Nobunaga's life to your surprise & Mitsuhide took a special interest in you👀 & his mind-reading skills used to freak you out😨.
You were honestly terrified after stepping on the battlefield for the first time in your life😱 when you have been always surrounded by the laughter & twinkling eyes of children and you were missing it terribly😭, to top it all, the shock of seeing a man die infront of your eyes was too overwhelming, so you fell unconscious😵 & Mitsuhide carried you back in Azuchi Castle.
"Starting from tomorrow, I will be your teacher, little mouse, for the subject matters, I think, tactics, equestrianism, self defense, firearms seems a good start😏!", said Mitsuhide with a huge smirk on his face.
"I hope you will be a good pupil, little mouse🐭!", said Mitsuhide as he stood and gave you a head-pat.
"Pffffttttt, I am waiting for that moment", you murmured, chuckling to yourself🤭.
"Did you say something?", asked Mitsuhide turning back to look at her.
"I am looking forward for tomorrow, Mitsuhide-sensei, goodnight😅!", she straighten up with a slight bow. Mitsuhide smiled at her🙂 and goes outside the room.
"His smile creeps me out, well, nevermind. I am excited to see the surprise on his face tomorrow😁", she let out a huge grin.
"Before starting up on the actual studies, I would like to test your knowledge base, here is your questions sheet, fill it up, little mouse📝!", said Mitsuhide as he gave her the question paper with a smirk on his face😏.
You took it, pretending to be afraid of the test making him amused, "Go on, little mouse, it's not that difficult, I assure you!", he said with a amused grin on his face😄. As you look down at the questions on Japanese literature, history & general knowledge, on the inside, you were so happy 💃while on the outside, you kept a face of a child who is horrified at the thought of giving an exam😱.
You submitted your answer sheet to him and as Mitsuhide scanned it, his eyes went wide with shock😲, he was NOT expecting this at all. You honestly wished that you have a camera 📷 to capture his expression which was so funny to say the least. Each & every answer was correct💯.
"How😳?", it's the only word that came out his mouth. You couldn't control anymore & burst out laughing loudly🤣. "Because I am also a teacher, Mitsuhide👩‍🏫", you said with a proud look on your face. "What😳?", he was left speechless once again which only made it harder for you to control your laughter.
"You really surprised me there, little mouse😅!", Mitsuhide laughs along with you to hide his flustered expression. "So, what do you teach🤔?", he asked, curious to know about you.
"Let's see, I mainly teach japanese literature & history, apart from it, I am well versed in general knowledge, english literature, I love art, psychology, etc, so if any child wants to learn it, I teach these skills to them as well with full excitement as being around them & seeing them grow in their lives makes me so happy🤩❤!", you said with a biggest smile on your face🥰 & eyes shining with happiness since you came to this era👀✨. Mitsuhide was, to be very honest, awestruck seeing your genuine happiness☺️.
As much as Mitsuhide didn't want to interrupt you, but he grew suspicious of your origin as being this educated in this era was surprisingly rare especially in something like english literature🤔. "Who are you & where are you from, mysterious little mouse? Tell me all your secrets, little one", he asked, narrowing his gaze at you👀.
You froze for a moment😳 as you knew very well that you have raised his suspicions when you were rambling non-stop😬 & you couldn't lie or else you will be in huge trouble😓. "Why should I tell you when you are also a potential "traitor" in Oda forces infront of everyone, hm?", you asked jokingly trying to avoid the question😅. "Little mouse, I am used to prying out the secrets and I would not prefer to use the same techniques on you", he said with a frown on his face🤨 unknown to him but you noticed the discomfort in his expression & sighed.
So you showed him your purse👜 and told him everything about yourself as Mitsuhide listened patiently. "So our little mouse came from 500 years in the future, it's hard to believe but you have proof with yourself, now I can see the reason how you are so innocent & untouched by the realities of this time", said Mitsuhide with a amused smirk😏.
"I have only told you the truth, rest is up to you to believe in me", you said with a pout☹.
"Don't pout, I believe in you, little one, as you have been a very nice girl, I will treat you with tea & sweets🍵🍡 as a reward, little mouse", Mitsuhide said caressing your cheek with his thumb😏. You honestly couldn't stop yourself from smiling after hearing the offer😍.
Mitsuhide was overcome with affection for her as she believed in him as a person despite having her doubts and confided in him with everything, he made a secret vow to himself to protect her from everything❤.
You both went to the teahouse together & suddenly Kyubei called Mitsuhide for giving some urgent information. Mitsuhide excused himself for a moment while you were happily eating your sweets😍, but then, you heard some men were talking bad things about him behind his back & you couldn't stand seeing & listening something wrong so you strongly defended him infront of them😡, not caring for the fact that you had no weapons on yourself, one of the men tried to hit you but Mitsuhide arrived in time to rescue you from them😎.
So this started the strong feeling of love in heart of Mitsuhide towards you😍💓💞 as nobody has ever done something like this for him, he was so impressed by the fact that you strongly stood for your values proving your strength of sense of justice as a teacher & a good person by heart☺️💯.
He continued training you in survival skills like self defense, horseriding, shooting as you were already were well-versed in theory. In exchange, you would definitely teach him english literature & tell him about many fascinating things about the human mind & everything you know about future along with many other things😍, you both loved spending time with each other and always look forward to such meetings everyday.
Once, you were well trained in these skills, you gave your gratitude towards your "teacher" Mitsuhide by gifting him a very beautiful portrait✍❤ of him playing with his pet fox, Chimaki🦊. He couldn't resist hugging you tightly the moment, he laid his eyes on it🤗💗. You yourself was the biggest & the most precious gift for him in his life but your gift made him the most happiest person💓😢, he would definitely try to hide his happiness with a amused smirk & headpat but you can see through his facade that he is genuinely happy🥰. He would definitely put the portrait in such a place where everyone could see his little mouse's amazing skills😎😏.
After facing many difficulties together, you both confessed your feelings towards each other💐 and you both were a lovely couple infront of everyone😍👫💗.
You would both use knowledge of english as a medium for infiltration as spies together in other territories🧐. Surprisingly, a language, i.e., english, became a special kind of exchange & secret code between you☺️ and Mitsuhide😏 as you both would often converse in english infront of other warlords much to their surprise & confusion🙄😳🤔.
As you were always willing to stay by his side, he used to take you along to infiltrate certain places, your skill of art would definitely come as a big help for Mitsuhide💯, as you could easily draw the suspects making his workload way more easier than it was before✍😌.
In exchange, Mitsuhide would always make sure that you were not uncomfortable in such investigation trips, he would always give you tips in dancing, singing, acting, etc 🤗 and also expect loads of teasings while he is at it, fufufufu😘.
You both being the best teachers around in Azuchi would definitely use this opportunity to teach as many children as possible who don't have access to proper education without asking for anything in return as you both did it for your own self-satisfaction & happiness in your free times💛. Mitsuhide generally taught the skills of self defense🤼‍♂️, weaponry🔫, etc while you would educate the kids in literatures, general knowledge & art👩‍🏫. Children would also always look forward to meeting both of you everyday🥰❤🤗. It became one of your most favourite & productive ways to spend time with each other❤. Children also ships you both together, mind you👀❤🤭!
Mitsuhide loved the way your eyes sparkles with happiness👀✨ whenever you are around the children🥰😘❤ and can't help falling more deeply in love with you😍💓.
He would always praise you infront of everyone, everytime he gets a chance😏. Cue warlords- We know that already, Mitsuhide, you just told us🤦‍♂️. Mitsuhide: Hooooh~But not that...😏 endless praise begins & he shuts up only when you take him outside the council room dying of embarrasment😳🙈🤦‍♀️ to which he only laughs loudly🤣😏.
Mitsuhide would often call you "my brilliant little mouse💯🐭!", as his way of showing affection towards you💗😏. Cue you blushing deep shade of red tomato and running away from him😳🙈🍅.
Extra~
"You really love her, huh?", asked Hideyoshi as he was walking down the hallways😆. "Obviously, I love her with all my heart💗, she is the brightest star of my life🌟!", said Mitsuhide, his eyes filled with love and a beautiful smile on his face.
"Was that a genuine smile on your face, Mitsuhide?!", exclaimed Hideyoshi, shocked😲.
"My, My, Hideyoshi, I don't have any idea what you are talking about😏", said Mitsuhide as he realised that his facade broke their for a moment out of his love for you. Hideyoshi *eye twitch* : whatever🙄!
Mitsuhide then went looking for you to tease and shower you with all his love & affection❤😏.
Hope, you all enjoyed it❤😍🤗. Comments are appreciated😇!
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cordiibus · 3 years
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SHAMARA’S ABILITIES.
i wanted to make a more detailed description for the mutatis individuals ( shamara , shuni , red , & cielo ) of the abilities they have. also with how it worked in the dynamic of the group they were in.  
ROLE.
SHAMARA. the leader of the group mutatis 22. her alias was phobia in her early years before changing to plague. they were the ones giving the final orders and deciding who ran what missions. usually teamed up with shuni and gami. shamara would lead the group into the location and proceed with fighting first, other’s usually followed and pick up whatever targets she didn’t get. 
 ABILITIES.
MENTAL MANIPULATION. the first ability that they discovered. this is seen as an illusion base power. the ability allowing her to put the person under a form of hypnosis. though unable to control the person while they’re under the ability, she is able to access the person’s darkest memories this way. with that knowledge they force them to recall the darker events while placing them inside daydream-like illusions. the person themselves won’t be able to leave the daydream until they either die within the daydream -- thus dying in real time -- or when shamara releases the magic. the drawbacks being that she needed to have her full focus on keeping them in the trance and she could only do it up to 3 people at a time. it’s also a close range ability, she needs to be nearly face to face with the person she’s using this power on. it’s also time consuming and emotionally draining. 
PHOBIA SHIFTING. a secondary ability that came from the first. once knowing the person’s fear, she would be able to shift into it in real time. this usually was their tactic as she wouldn’t have to keep her concentration on holding the person under the trance. however, the drawbacks being that the fear needed to be something physical/tangible ( mainly a person and/or animal ). fear of things like heights, hurricanes, etc ... weren’t well enough for her to be able to shift into. it is also another close range attack, one that can be only used one person at a time. 
DECAY. one of the abilities that came later in life with further experimentation. it was an offering to give her a more range in fighting. the power allows her to disintegrate whatever she touches with only her right hand. the touch can spread until something stops it ( ie. she touches a person and they cut off the arm she had touch, or a liquid form coming into contact with it ). it’s an ability that was much more harder for her to control as she was more of a mental player than physical. however with practice, they were able to get a decide hold of it. being able to decide when the decay would stop and just who would be affected by it. drawbacks would include how unstable it can become if shamara doesn’t focus on it. also the activation of the ability can be spontaneous, so she wears a glove on her right hand as a precaution.
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bones-sprouts · 3 years
Text
a post to explain my ramblings so you aren't all confused by my constant vagueposting:
Fundy, Ranboo, and Karl all have lore in which an unknown force is causing problems in both their memory and their perception of reality. Furthermore, there are other similar forces in the smp, like the cause of Puffy's crash, Quackity's reason for needing the revive book (yes he won the bet i will die on this hill) the egg, etc.
It's my belief that all of these forces are one in the same, and that it's all going to collide into a final battle for not only the smp, but for the sanity of many of it's members.
What do i think this force is? Well, i have a few thoughts.
Option 1) Dream
This seems like the most obvious answer. Dream is a character we don't know much about. We don't even know for sure that he's mortal. He also has tactics that line up with a lot of the server's 'forces' (seemingly friendly at first, but gaslights and has bad intentions)
But.
It just. Doesn't line up with what he's said and done during the prison arc. We see him beginning to experiment with the revival process. We see him begin to believe himself to be a god, the newfound power driving him to a new level of bonkers. This just.. doesn't seem like he behavior of someone who controls time, memory, and reality itself.
Sure, you could argue that he's just playing 5d chess and playing us all for fools, but that just feels.. cheap.
Option 2) Schlatt
(this whole post is /rp, i don't condone the actions of the cc)
Schlatt's an interesting one, because he's been a complete mystery since day one.
We know he showed up to hijack the election. We know he was an alcoholic and a smoker. We know he died of a heart attack. That's... pretty much it. It leaves a LOT unaccounted for. Where did he come from? Why did he chase power only to not use it for much? Most importantly, how did he get the revive book?
His death always seemed.. hollow. Empty. Wrong. Like there was meant to be more. And then we learned he knew revival. Does this mean he's plotting something? What other powers could he be hiding?
Plus, as MatPat once said, he's something of a karmic force of nature himself.
Option 3) DreamXD
I don't have much in canon evidence for this one, but it would be an interesting plot line!
Everyone coming together to fight God Himself would honestly be a fun arc
Plus, it would be interesting to see the contrast of Mr. god complex himself and Literally God
Option 4) Georgenotfound
Georgenotfound.
Option 5) Tommy
I don't think that this one will be canon, but there are some interesting things regarding Tommy's character vs the other plot relevant characters.
Tommy provides an interesting contrast with most of the other plot relevant characters, in that he's.. normal.
Not normal in the sense that he's not gone though anything, he's struggled as much, if not more, then the rest of the characters. But he doesn't have an altered or erased memory, he doesn't have a warped reality, he doesn't even have any interesting features.
He stands out because he's completely and utterly normal. Just some orphan who's along for the ride like everyone else. Yet, he's repeatedly singled out, he's repeatedly been the one to be immune to every force that's thrown his way. He isn't affected by the egg. Dream himself voiced his frustrations about not getting him to comply.
Is this because he truly does have an ability that we haven't seen yet? Is his normalcy the key to why he's immune to these forces? Is it truly just because he's too stubborn to listen to anything?
Or is it because he's the one truly in charge in the end, whether or not he realizes it? Is it because, near the end of s2, something in him finally snapped?
So yeah! that's my big boy theory! If you saw this week i posted it halfway done, no you didn't! 💛
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bigskydreaming · 3 years
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I don’t often muse upon PJO, but when I do, its random as hell. 
Anyway, tonight’s thought (singular, also: derogatory, as in very possibly a mistake) is about exploring aspects of the Greek gods that are extrapolations of like, what they’d be like in the modern world instead of just in terms of their ancient myths.....and how that might widen the scope of their demigod children and their powers.
Like take Hephaestus for instance. God of the forge and fire, of invention and artifice......now widen the scope on those things through the lens of the modern age.....might he also be considered the god of modern science, not just in terms of things like engineering and technology, but also physics, chemistry? Or would those things fall more under Athena’s purview......unless you separated them into finer divisions. Like, you could consider Athena’s overview of knowledge and wisdom to make her the goddess of science and higher learning or whatever in general........OR you could separate it like.....Hephaestus is the god of natural or physical sciences like physics and chemistry, and Athena is the goddess of not just wisdom and tactics but things like psychology, computer sciences, etc.
Or OR get Dionysus up in there too, and make it like Hephaestus is the god of chemistry, of chemical reactions and the like, Athena is the goddess of physics, of the most full and complete understanding of the physical universe via things like the unified field theory and its comprising forces of electromagnetism, strong and weak nuclear force, etc, and then Dionysus the god of biology, hmmmm.....
Cuz imagine then, demigod children of Hephaestus, where instead of pyrokinesis, some get powers like transmuting elements.......oh man, the things you could do with that??? Not just lead into gold but they’d be terrors in battle because they could transmute the very air someone breathes into chlorine gas, blood into acid, flesh into stone. Or using that power defensively, making them able to keep guns from firing by dampening the chemical reaction that comes from igniting gunpowder, or just knocking someone out or putting them to sleep by just tanking their metabolic reactions. Mingling magic with modern know-how and creating their own version of truth serums by turning the water someone drinks into something akin to sodium pentathol when just brushing their fingers against someone’s glass, or rendering all drugs or toxins that might have been slipped into their drink null and void by transmuting them into harmless H20. 
(I know that Luke was mentioned briefly as being good at making potions aka alchemy due to being a son of Hermes, but frankly, transmutation as a mastery of the periodic table makes waaaaay more sense for Hephaestus’ kids, I’m just saying. And plus the Greeks didn’t so much consider Hermes an actual god of alchemy as they more just kinda viewed him as their god of all things miscellaneous and tended to lump anything they didn’t have particularly strong feelings about and/or a grasp of under his umbrella. Hermes was really just the patron god of being random as fuck and oh great gods of Olympus I have no idea what I want to do with my life, give me a sign. Hermes: poofs into existence on their shoulder and says SOUNDS LIKE YOU NEED TO GO BE GAY AND DO CRIME YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST, DIVINE MANDATE, LETS GOOOOOOO).
Give children of Athena more practical applications for being heirs to her wisdom, knowledge and strategic acumen by also giving her dominion in the modern age over humanity’s quest to better understand the universe we live in and all its rules, the ins and outs of the laws that govern reality itself.......thus Annabeth and others’ potential acumen for magic being here not the end result of them stepping on Hecate and her kids’ toes, but rather more a function of making them the embodiment of ‘magic is just sufficiently advanced technology’ as they - via an innate and heightened understanding of the very nature of the physical universe - find holes in the fabric of space and time that let them slip from Point A to Point B as easily as crossing the street, play tricks with gravity and relativity and things that leave others baffled and amazed and them just shrugging and being like its all in the wrist, dude, and also, the fact that our mom just GETS reality in a way that everyone else will still be playing catch-up to a thousand years from now.
Children of Dionysus (yes I know he barely has any shhh we’re not paying attention to the series we’re just musing on demigod powers here) who combine the godhood of grapes and revelry with loud music and laughter......the way music can help with plant growth, because music is essentially just VIBRATIONS and vibrations stimulate activity in plant cells in a variety of ways.....and thus similar to Mr. D’s tricks with controlling vines and rapidly growing plants, AND his ability to affect the psyches of others, which is described as inflicting or curing madness and I’m like ehhhh do we have to describe it thus though.....put all that in a pot, shake it, not stir, and abrakadabra, alakazam, other psychic pokemon random Psyduck shout-out and voila! ALL of that could be afixed to and made the end product of godly and demigodly control and manipulation of vibrations, cuz Dionysus is literally the god of just vibing in all its infinite forms.....and thus its all just about how vibrations affect plant life on a cellular level, how they can affect brain chemistry in a variety of ways, triggering a lot of the more primal centers/functions of the brain, etc. You kids are driving me crazy, he’d yell at his demigod kids, and they’re like umm wow, like ACK CHOO UGHLY, father, welcome to the 21st century, all we’re really doing is directly stimulating the prefrontal cortex of your cerebellum with our banging rock music, and its making you angy, what about it?
And speaking of actually, if we and by we I mean me cuz I am and its wheee, are theorizing about Athena’s brood getting to be all magical wunderkind whizkids with their scientific acumen and divine cheat-sheets for the physical universe, maybe Aphrodite and her kids could snatch up those psychology and psychiatry job titles instead. Love, desire, also things like obsession, hyper-fixation......is Cabin Mighty Aphrodite really just pheromone central or are its campers more like magical dopamine and serotonin factories just pumping out good vibes all around them, being like come hang out, its free brain juice. Like, imagine kids of Aphrodite who just by their mere presence could help the legions of ADHD demigods focus better, concentrate easier, get shit done because the goddess of passion and her children like....have the gift of helping people to more productively pursue their passions in ALL forms, not just the physical desires they hold for others but the passions they hold for arts and crafts and sports and y’know, saving the world on magical coming-of-age quests when their milkshakes bring all the monsters to the yard. 
And then Ares not just as a god of war and conflict, but of entropy....the tendency of the universe to trend towards disorder, randomness, uncertainty....the kind of things that so often incite or enflame conflict......but applied at large not just to interpersonal dynamics but to the world itself. With his children possessing demigod abilities that disrupt or weaken bonds, both in the form of emotional ties between allies and commitments towards various ideals or courses of action, but also the ability to PHYSICALLY weaken bonds, resulting in an enemy’s weapon falling apart at a touch, or increasing the instability or volatility of an object so it blows up akin to how Gambit of the X-Men’s powers work and can turn even playing cards into a weapon, etc, etc.
And don’t even get me started on Hermes! No, seriously, don’t. Mostly because I haven’t thought that one through yet and I got nothing. I mean I got some things but they are nebulous and have yet to spring forth fully formed from my head like Athena from the fuckhead of Zeus, that absolute fuckhead of legend and yore. In my defense though, I haven’t like, eaten any primordial goddesses of thought and memory, so.......like, idk, I’m taking the longer route here I guess.
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lesbian-octoling · 3 years
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The After FAQ
Q: I’m not 18, but I’m going to be very soon! Can I still sign up?
A: You have to be 18+ at the time of submitting your form. If you are 18: you can submit a form! If you’re 17, you can’t. If you’re going to be 18 a few months after the start date, you’re welcome to join as a spectator, but it will be too late to join in as a player. Apologies :(
Q: When will spectators be allowed to join?
A: We’re not sure when or how we’re going to open it up to spectators, but it will happen! It’s gonna be a lot less intensive than player apps- basically ‘are you 18 and can you send a social media to verify it’. It WILL be before we start though, and unlike player apps, spectator apps will never close!
Q: What are you looking for in terms of RP quality and length?
A: Answered in detail here! TLDR, we’re looking for quality over quantity. We are still looking for high-quality roleplayers… though high quality doesn’t always mean super active or super long/fancy responses each time- quality means 'fun to roleplay with’!
Q: How many people will you be accepting?
A: This depends on several factors, including if I have a lot of people playing 2 characters vs 1 character, what characters I think could mesh well, and also my mental state whenever the application accepting times rolls around (it's easier to manage less people, though more can be potentially more fun). I'm shooting for around 10-15 people max, and about 20-30 characters max. I'm just gonna eyeball it when the time comes.
Q: How will characters be chosen, and will there be any preference/bias?
A: Players will be chosen on a lot of factors, mostly on their passion for their characters, quality of writing, and if their character is already taken or not. There is no purposeful bias towards OCs, canon characters, etc.
Q: How ‘close do canon’ do my interpretations of canon characters have to be? Can I deviate from canon?
A: Yes, you can deviate from canon! I go into more detail here, but TLDR: Characters are 100% open to player interpretation and even redesigns. The only 'limit' is that they have to be recognizable as their original character to some extent. Otherwise, go crazy go stupid!
Q: Help! I messed something up on my form!
A: That’s ok! You can edit it.
Q: You mentioned these inklings will be partially xeno/bio-based- what exactly is the anatomy here?
A: Yep! The setting is semi-xeno, but not extreme. There’s a visual guide here if you’d like, but I recommend reading the rest of this anyway. Some of the details include the fact that ALL inkfish (inklings, octolings, and any other cepahlopods) are:
Humanoid (no mantles or oddly shaped limbs)
Have (usually white) beaks, not teeth
Often have freckles/colored splotches, and small glowing freckles/spots
Have white ‘meat’ and blue blood, but are supported by pressurized ink in place of bones
Clean water does not kill them- but they have very porous, fragile skin that means they can absorb dirty water/mutagen quickly to make them sick, and their skin can be torn by enough of a pressurized blast of water (think a power washer or high-power hose).
The main differences between inklings and octolings (aside form the obvious like ears and masks) are:
Inklings have purely round/circular pupils, while octolings have pupils that can widen/contract between horizontal and round
Inklings have thin, catlike retractable claws/’hooks’, while octolings have thicker claws that are more of a hard extension of the finger
Inkling hair is NOT prehensile- it’s mostly made of fat. It cannot feel pain, and only bleeds a little bit. This makes them better at storing nutrients. However, octoling tentacles ARE prehensile, can feel pain, and will bleed heavily if cut- but they have little fat storage on them.
For non-inkfish characters, just about anything is up for grabs (within reason).
Q: What if my characters have a feature that isn’t supported by these headcanons?
A: This is sort of a case-by-case basis. Generally, your base character will have to fit the qualifications above just for consistency’s sake across all players. If your character has a unique feature- IE, strangely shaped pupils, tail, etc- that you want to keep, there’s a possibility that they could be already partially mutated, but managed to keep their sanity.
This has a lot of pros and cons- pros include unique features and potentially abilities (tail for balance, good vision, extra long claws, quills)... but it also means they’re only one tiny accident away from becoming fully mutated, while other players have that health buffer. If that happens, you lose control of your character for the duration they’re mutated. This isn’t even bringing up the potential discrimination they may face IC, as many people are wary of partial mutants.
If you want to do this, or aren’t sure, feel free to message me with the details.
Q: Can I play a non-inkling/octoling species?
A: Yes! You can play as any species that fits into the settings of splatoon! Most marine animals are fair game, including marine invertibrates and fishes. Sapient marine mammals are iffy, as they’re technically canon by a one-off line. I will accept fully marine mammals such as dolphins and narwals, but not semi-aquatic animals, such as sea otters. Some ideas of accepted species includes: shrimps, jellies, nudibranches, eels, any saltwater fishes, urchins, salmonids, etc.
I also will not be allowing sapient reptiles, birds, land/semi-aquatic mammals, or land invertebrates. Also, I won’t be accepting ‘magical’ (Ghosts, cryptids, etc) or unrealistic hybrid creatures (An eel/inkling hybrid born naturally, salmonlings), as this is a slightly more realistic as opposed to fantastic setting.
Q: But if I play a non-cephalopod character, how will they fight with ink?
A: Good news! Ink isn’t the main weapon here.
Ink is used as a weapon still, but less offensively and more tactically. Having a small ink gun on hand is useful for making quick getaways, distracting/stalling mutants, and even spraying it in their face as a distraction, deterrent, or to blind them if you do go to attack. For most mutants, however, ink will not kill or ‘splat’ them, as not all mutants are inklings mutants. Plus, it would be unfair to non-inkfish characters.
Physical weapons such as bats, knives, and guns (and even some weirder stuff like swords, bows, etc)  are going to be your go-to, like any apocalypse, though ink weaponry in addition can be a big boon in a battle.
This is also a good time to mention that while we don’t have specific stats or anything, your character’s species will affect how they fight and are impacted by fights.
Inkfish are very fast and can jump very high, are extremely resistant to blunt force trauma, and can use ink... but are very weak to slicing/piercing things and chemicals/mutagen because of their thin skin. Urchins can’t use ink and may be slow, but have potentially toxic spines and hard skin that resists piercing damage. Shrimp might have a fragile exoskeleton and not a lot of natural weapons, but it makes them very resistant to chemical and mutagen splashes. It’s all good stuff to keep in mind!
Q: Can I know more about the mutants?
A: Yes, to an extent! There’s some info on the mutants here.
Q: Can I know more about the mutagen?
A: Yes, to an extent! There’s some more info on mutagen here.
Q: There’s a lot of questionable/offensive/weird content in Coroika. Will this be allowed/what elements of coroika will there be?
A: The short answer is ‘only some minor elements will be taken, and all weird/offensive stuff MUST be retconned or addressed’. We’re mostly going to be supporting the game’s canon, NOT the comic’s canon. I go into this more detail here, which I suggest you read if you plan on playing a Coroika character.
Q: Who are the mods?
A: Myself and @bubblegum-spaceboy​ are the main two mods who will be doing the bulk of the important NPC/world stuff!
However, we have two sub-mods who helped create the server/concepts, and will also be there to help out with little stuff if neither of us are available, and play some minor NPCs. These two are @bombcollar​, and my friend Emmy who doesn’t really use tumblr lol.
Help! My question isn’t answered here!
Feel free to send in an ask or a message, and I’ll respond as best I can :D
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