#wait but also. what if hes actually remembering other timelines this game is going to make me throw my phone at the wall | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

itsclydebitches · 4 months

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CLYDE. I was thinking about the RWBY vs Ace Ops fight again because it's one my least favourite moments in the entire show and I realised that Qrow/Clover/Robyn weren't part of the conversation prior, nor were they ever acknowledged. Nothing of the effect that "Hey, maybe we should wait for Qrow/Robyn/Clover's opinion on this plan before moving onwards, considering their experience and leadership skills?" before being shut down that time is of the essence and they can't wait for them. It just feels illogical to have the Ace Ops leader, Mantle's primary representative and the leader of the Happy Huntresses and one of James' closest allies be completely absence from one the most impactful turning points of the Volume. It feels they were either purposely left out arbitrarily for the sake of two poorly conceived fights or the writers just forgot...which wouldn't be the first time. This show is very...frustrating to say the least.

YEAH. The other day I was thinking about RWBY and ludonarrative dissonance in video games. Specifically, the number of action/adventure games I've played that have a, "OMG COMPLETE THIS MISSION IMMEDIATELY TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE SOMEONE IS GONNA DIE!!" narrative paired with a "Look at all these fun side quests populating the map, you should totally spend a month of in-game time leisurely exploring them" gameplay. RWBY feels similar to me (minus the interactive elements, obviously). The narrative continually pushes the urgency of the situation, but what the characters do don't align with that. Waiting in the mansion is the classic, go-to example of this, but it's also seen in questions like, "If the group is so concerned with the safety of the Relic why don't they.... put it in the vault?" and "If Qrow needs to speak to Ironwood so badly, why doesn't he just... go to Ironwood in handcuffs rather than starting a fight that, unforeseen airship crash or not, is gonna SUPER delay him getting there." Importantly, these moments go beyond the characters simply making impulsive, fallible, human decisions. It always feels like the writers haven't thought through the situation, or are so focused on one (badly chosen) outcome that they'll ignore all logic to get there.

So, same idea with this fight. I completely understand Ironwood's position because there is a clear line of logic here. Salem is about to attack, the group has consistently lied/undermined him, ergo he is removing a potential threat by locking them up until this battle/escape is complete. No one has to agree with him, but I think the reasoning makes sense both in general and for his specific character. (Which is also one of the reasons why I think some fans are willing to hear consider his side: his writing, however messy in other places, is leagues beyond the group's, particularly in the first half of the Atlas arc.) The girls though? They're all over the place. They don't want secrets but they're going to keep them from Ironwood. But they're also going to spill them all to Robyn, someone they don't know and shouldn't trust. They want to save everyone but have no idea how and can't/won't troubleshoot an answer. They're determined to unite the people but are simultaneously determined to solve their problems with a fight. They start said fight and then Ruby immediately tries to talk her way out of it again. And, as you say, they ignore that unity/experience/help available to them by not looping the others in because, supposedly, there's just no time... but then we have long scenes where they just sit around the mansion, tearfully bemoaning the fact that they don't know what to do and getting angry that no one has magically shown up to help.

I can EASILY picture a better-if-not-perfect scenario where the girls' decisions in that fight actually follow their proclaimed intentions AND the not-actually-very-critical timeline they have (because remember, even after all this Salem just sits there for an extended time.) What if Ruby ordered the team to let themselves get arrested and then we got a cool break out of jail scene? (I mean... Ruby blasts through Ironwood's steel doors that are meant to keep people in + they sneak into Atlas HQ. Clearly this would not have been difficult for them.) What if they ran into Qrow and Robyn while in their cells? Or what if they escaped, realized they needed their uncle, and started a help Mantle/find Qrow dual mission? What if instead of broadcasting a horrifying and near incomprehensible message to the whole world, they spoke to all their allies in Atlas about the plan they'd come up with, calling them together? Maybe coded so Cinder wouldn't understand. Maybe bluntly honest like a gauntlet throw-down: we know you're here, but we're ready for you this time.

Instead Ruby forgets she exists...

There are just SO many things you can do with that fight/the aftermath that don't completely undermine the themes, the tension, the proclaimed desires, and the narrative expectations. If there has to be a battle of ally vs. ally when Salem is on her way and half our villains are roaming the streets (god I can't emphasize that enough), why is everyone with the wrong person? Why isn't Robyn fighting the Ace Ops, her political enemy long before the girls showed up? Why isn't Qrow fighting Ironwood, the guy he (stupidly) blames for Clover's death? Why isn't Clover with his team? Why isn't Ruby facing Salem? Why the hell would you have Qrow team up with Tyrian?

As a side note, I've seen a resurgence of discussion about Ruby's breakdown in Volume 9 and everything above re-emphasizes for me just how much she HAS demanded this power and responsibility. "Hey, maybe we should wait for Qrow/Robyn/Clover's opinion on this plan before moving onwards, considering their experience and leadership skills?" is one of MANY considerations when weighing the question of whether Ruby has truly been burdened with the unwanted expectations of others... because they've never been unwanted and she has never down a thing to lessen that burden. She doesn't wait. She doesn't ask. She doesn't lean on others' experience and leadership. And this goes all the way back to Ruby responding, "Yes, I want to attend Beacon and take on all the responsibilities of that despite not being old enough," but there is also a LOT in the Atlas arc - right before her Volume 9 breakdown, literal hours in-world - where Ruby stood her ground and said, "No, we're doing this my way and my team, whether they've disagreed with this decision, or suggested this course of action in the first place, will ultimately follow me because I am the leader." She told Qrow to stand down and let her continue fighting Cordovin. She made the decision to lie to Ironwood and talked the others out of coming clean. She made the call to attack the Ace Ops instead of submitting to arrest. Using the Relic and dropping Atlas was a group suggestion, but Ruby sanctioned it. Based on literally 8 Volumes of content, if anyone HAD said no to her Ruby would not have listened to them. That is an overt, consistent characterization of hers.

And then Volume 9 expects me to feel bad because she's going, "Everyone expects me to take the lead"??? Like sure, in a very general, "That's indeed stressful no matter who's at the helm" sense, but Ruby has spent years at this point loudly yelling, "I'M THE PERSON YOU SHOULD LOOK TO AND I'LL FIX IT. IF YOU DON'T LIKE MY PLAN I'LL FIGHT YOU :)" Not roping Qrow and the others in is a part of all that. Not overtly on screen - we don't have a scene where Ruby goes, "We don't need to talk to them" - but the story doesn't think their input is important. We get the closeup on her smiling face when she thinks of using the Relic and then the others just inform Winter of what is happening when she happens to call. Major decisions in RWBY have often been collaborative when it comes to suggestions, but the final call is always Ruby. Whether we're talking about "This is my fight too!" when Qrow warns her to stay back, or using the Lamp's question when Ozpin is begging her not to, or shrugging off Yang's concern that she lied to Ironwood, or telling the whole damn world about Salem when numerous people with more experience than her have said, "That's a terrible idea" for generations, Ruby forcibly takes the lead and will not back down no matter who is asking that of her, or how they're asking. In fact, I'd say that is the most OVERT and CONSISTENT way in which she displays agency in this show (which, ugh).

#rwde #rwby #mymetas

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queen0fm0nsterz · 6 months

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Kinda random, but if the characters are supposed to abstract while the series is running, I believe Kinger or will be last, or won't and will try to protect the others.

He is a king after all, the king is the last piece to be captured in chess. I think every character kinda fits a chess piece, but I don't have enough brain power to assign everyone.

I really enjoy this idea in a vacuum, but I think that in the context of the plot as we know it now it might be a bit of a reach. We will have to wait and see. However I am very happy you compared Kinger to the actual king in chess because I think his behaviour somewhat reflects what a king in a game of chess actually does.

((For those who don't know: I'm an aspiring chess nerd, and I have been learning how to play the game to the best of my abilities. Prepare for an infodump.))

A king in chess is the most important piece of the board when it comes to protection: losing your king means checkmate, a.k.a losing the game. At the beginning of the game, the king is surrounded by the rest of the chess pieces which act as his defensors. This reminded me a bit of how Kinger tries to constantly keep himself in a pillow fort in an attempt to self preservate.

When it comes to moves, the king is a bit peculiar. In spite of being so important, the king can only move a single square per turn; however, unlike most other pieces, it can move in all directions. Ironically, it has the same mobility of a pawn, but the ability to go everywhere of the queen.

Kinger himself is a bit of a nutcase. He is wildly unpredicatble (can move on all directions), sprewing out words of genius and genuinely insightful information while also acting completely nonsensical. Two sides of a guy... but the thing here is that he rarely takes action himself. The only instance of him truly deciding to do something besides keeping his fort was when he played rock paper scissors with Gangle. He moves with... caution is not the right words as I doubt he even is able of being cautios, but that's the sentiment; he can only "move" once, so he has to make it count.

An interesting detail about the chess piece is that it usually remains unmoved until the chess game enters its endgame stage. That would be when few pieces are on the board. Looking at the members of the current gang vs the many previous players seen on the crossed out doors, we can infer that at this current moment in time in the timeline the metaphorical endgame is taking place right now. And now, according to Jax, is when Kinger decides to start spewing out information about the digital world which he had never disclosed before. We don't know for certain if it was even a conscious decision, but it's certainly peculiar.

Concluding this with a bit of a sad thought: we all know that between those who have (presumably) Abstracted, there was another chess character by the name of "Queenie".

Due to her name and appearence, many have assumed that she and Kinger were formerly in close ties with one another possibly even prior to them entering the Digital Circus.

I think this headcanon has merit: they share a theme, appearence and the title of royalty, so why not assume a relation between the two? It'd be terribly sweet and tragic considering how she ends up...

However, I must point out something here that I haven't seen anyone bring up: Queenie is the black queen. Kinger is the white king. On the chessboard, they would be enemies, playing on opposite sides. With this in mind, I remember that the creator of the series said that there won't be any canonical ships in the show; with this knowledge, let's take this a step forward... what if the reason there won't be any relationship from an in-universe stand point is because the circus itself does not allow any deep interpersonal relationships?

Even if they were together prior to getting into the circus, Kinger and Queenie can't be together -- and this is reflected on their designs: king and queen on opposing teams.

And the Queen is a very active piece on the chessboard. I have no doubt that Queenie tried to figure out a way to escape and ended up Abstracted because of it. Mh... Since the queen is usually the one who targets the opposing king due to how powerful she is in chess... I wonder if Kinger got attacked by her when she abstracted, leaving him scarred - not so much physically, but definitely mentally.

#the amazing digital circus #tadc #the amazing digital circus theory #tdac theory #tdac meta #kinger #tdac kinger #kinger tdac #queenie #tdac queenie #queenie tdac #the amazing digital circus kinger #kinger the amazing digital circus #{carols be normal about fictional characters challenge: impossible}

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mindfang-srevenge · 1 month

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Homestuck Kids and Which TMA Entity They're Associated With: A Second List By Static, with ADDITIONAL NOTATION That None Of This Is An Insult to Anyone

Read the first of these, featuring the OG troll gang: here

John: Desolation, and hear me out. Much like the argument I made for Sollux, everything gets ripped away from John over and over again. He loses his world, then his house, then his LIFE, then his DAD, then his FRIENDS, then his LIFE (again). John is continually losing everything he cares about, and it forms a weirdly core part of his character, especially considering the fact that he keeps repressing that loss and presenting a chipper face over it.

Rose: Eye. Rose is all about finding secrets (how she fell in with Doc Scratch) and breaking the game in the most interesting way possible. She stumbles across the game because she's looking for information about how to bring Jaspers back. She's constantly looking to shed light on secrets and discover answers, which is definitely eye-aligned. She's even willing to make a pact with the Horrorterrors to find out information about the Green Sun and the end of the game, which makes her an avatar in my book.

Dave: This might just be the overarching entity for all Time players, actually, but Dave-- much like Aradia-- is End aligned due to his reoccurring fascination with dead things. The man outright admits it several times-- he's just as fascinated by death as she is, with perhaps even a more morbid tilt than traditional archaeology. He's also a time traveler, which makes him continually privy to information about how the others will die unless he does something (with Davesprite as a noteable example). If he took on a more passive role (Knights are an active class) I think this might present itself a little more heavily, much like Aradia's connection is more prominent. Basically maybe aradia and dave should just hang outsometime they might be friends ahave we considered this yet hang on wait where are you going---

Jade: Vast, but heavily influenced by the Lonely. We can't talk about Jade without discussing the heavy influences that her isolation has had over her life, but her powers align so heavily with the Vast that that isolation takes on an entirely different context. She's separated from everyone but Bec by vast expanses of ocean. She has the ability to make things Vast or not-Vast by virtue of being a Space player. She is, once again, separated from everyone during the Yard by vast expanses of paradox space. She is continually alone, but in that alone-ness she's physically isolated, which overall pushes her from Lonely to a proper Vast categorization.

Jane: Extinction. In the alpha timeline, Jane is the herald of the end, but she's more than that. She's the heiress to CrockerCorp, the establishment that will eventually fucking TERRAFORM the entire earth-- which, if that doesn't classify as an extinction-level event, I don't know what does. Jane's also our introductory character for a dead session, wherein all of the consorts are literally extinct. Really the CrockerCorp stuff is more important, though-- Jane oftentimes remains loyal to the company, even going as far as to restart it on Earth C, despite what CrockerCorp has previously been responsible. She's constantly a herald of change, and death.

Roxy: Dark. It's low-hanging fruit, sure, but she's heavily textually involved with the obscuring of information. I DISTINCTLY REMEMBER, although I cannot find the text sources for it, that when she's drunk, Calliope can't see her, which is VERY Dark-aligned. Roxy's methods are also obscured, since she's a void player, and she's a Derse dreamer, which means her mental state is . . . also pretty dark, if just metaphorically. Due to her position in the retcon, as well, Roxy's past is obscured, lost to another universe entirely.

Dirk: This motherfucker is hard to sort, but in a pinch I think I'd say Stranger over Web. He does have definite ties to the Web-- if it were a thing in TMA, I'd say he serves both simultaneously, but that's a purely fanon construct so we're gonna play it safe. Dirk is constantly hiding his true self behind layers of masks, mirrors, and splinters. Nobody can every talk to the real Dirk Strider-- instead, they end up talking to Hal or DreamGhostDirk or some other similar entity. The puppet stuff draws into this, as well-- the original Lil Cal is Dirk's, before LE takes over the body, and Lil Cal is a horrorshow of Stranger imagery. (He's also just a horrorshow) Dirk is obsessed with building almost-human constructions (see Squarewave and Sawtooth), as well as hiding behind these constructs to conceal himself or his motives. Overall, Stranger, with heavy ties to the Web.

Jake: Lonely. Even when he's around people, Jake has trouble connecting. Whereas Jade is separated physically, Jake is also separated socially. He can't seem to make the relationship with Dirk ever work out (even if a chunk of that is Dirk's fault). He can't talk to Jane about anything, ever, especially that he's not interested in her.

#john egbert #rose lalonde #dave strider #jade harley #jane crocker #roxy lalonde #dirk strider #jake english #homestuck #mindfang-srevenge #tma

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tsukiyouyuis · 9 months

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Snow Light

Hi everyone:) I finally decided to post the one and only writing I did for Genshin! This was an old work I did back in January 2022 to commemorate one of my most valuable game experiences. (I started Genshin in December 2021)

Character: Diluc Ragnvindr

Pov: You = The traveler/Player self-inserted

Synopsis: You have always wanted to explore Dragonspine ever since you first arrived in Mondstadt, but the cold was too much for you to handle, unless you can go with someone who is warm enough…

Premise: Both you and Diluc are secretly having a crush on each other.

Timeline: Liyue archon quest. Post-Mondstadt archon quest + Diluc’s story quest.

Tags: SFW, fluff, confession, adventure, Diluc is sweet and caring

Please note:

This is a translated work. Please note that English is not my first language and I’ve never written a fic in English before. I tried my best for the translation and please bear with me if you find any mistakes.

No gender specific pronouns were used. However, “you” was implied to be a female at some point since it was written on my POV based on my true game experience.

The title of this work came from the song “Snow Light” by Kensho Ono (Diluc’s JP VA). For me, those lyrics are Diluc's words of confession. I put the translations at the end and you are very welcome to check out how I think Diluc confesses his love specifically in this context :)

I hope you enjoy reading this long story ^_^

After destroying another hilichurl’s camp, you suddenly feel tired of everything.

You silently put those materials into your bag and walk to the highest spot of the mountain. The sun at noon is quite dazzling and it is hurting your eyes a bit, but it does not prevent you from having a great view of the entire Liyue Harbor. No matter what happens, those bustling streets and crowds will always be there.

It has been a while since you left the city of freedom and came to this land of geo. You are having a lot of fun admiring the beautiful yet different scenery and cultural heritage. Meanwhile, you have also met a lot of weird people, which…did not really surprise you right after leaving Mondstadt. The most typical example would be the man who is accompanying you in your journey -- Zhongli, the consultant of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, who is extremely knowledgeable on almost everything, yet being totally clueless about money. Thanks to him, you always have to keep an eye on your mora to ensure that you and Paimon can still pay for your meals…

But this did not prevent you from growing interests for Liyue. In order to get to know this nation better, you have decided to do your daily commissions only here.

You haven’t been active in Mondstadt for quite a while.

Even so, you can easily to go back thanks to the teleport waypoints. Mondstadt is like a home for you. You know you can never actually leave there, especially after you have already crossed paths with too many people.

But there is only one main reason for you to keep going back and forth in two nations.

Every day, you would teleport back to Dawn Winery after finishing your activities. You would stroll around the statue of the seven, pick up a few windwheel asters, and look at the windmills of the city in distance. You would then go sit on the bench, enjoy the scent of grapes and wine. At the end, you would go inside the manor, and wait for the next day to begin.

The winery is open to the public all year round, but the maids and Elzer have basically acquiesced in you being there. Adelinde remembered all the books you like to read, and she would even prepare them for you beforehand. Almost every day, you would leave in the morning and come back in the evening, which made you feel like you are treating this place as a home more than the owner does.

However, you haven't seen Diluc since you worked together to resolve the stormterror issue. He seems rarely comes home. Sometimes he did come back, but you either happened to be away or have already fallen asleep in one of the guest rooms. You heard that he would occasionally work at the Angel’s Share as a bartender, so whenever you completed your commissions quickly enough, allowing you to come back earlier, you would always drop by. But only archons would know why you were unlucky enough to miss the redhead every single time. Instead, you did encounter that cavalry captain quite often. It always turned out that you were teased by him and had to ran away from the tavern with flushed cheeks.

Well known by everyone in Mondstadt, Diluc Ragnvindr is a handsome and wealthy gentleman, the highly respected young master of Dawn Winery. However, only a few know that he is also the “Darknight Hero” who protects the city every night. No matter using which identity, he will not be distracted by anything and always gets everything done perfectly. As far as you can remember, Diluc's expression has never changed dramatically, and coupled with his calm demeanor, it is not surprising if people say that he is grumpy or lacking emotion.

But that is not the case, you know it. When Paimon called him "Captain Pyro", he let out a disapproval grunt, but then acquiesced in this more nonsensical name after the tasteless title of "Darknight Hero". You spent quite a lot of time working with him during the stormterror attacks. Every night when you left the winery and said good night to him, he would look straight into your eyes and say "Alright, see you next time, I’ll make sure you get home safely." His soothing voice, his gentle tones, the tint of smile in his eyes…How can you ever forget those moments?

Yes, unknowingly, like many girls in Mondstadt, you have secretly fell in love with this prince of the dark night. Every day, you would spend quite a long time in Dawn Winery, scanning through the rows of books on the bookshelf with your fingertips, and then randomly pick one, sit down and read it carefully. Diluc is in charge of basically the entire alcohol industry in Mondstadt and probably half of Teyvat, the contents of his book collections are naturally about alcohol. You have heard from Conner saying that “Master Diluc has never read books in the winery, not even once…” But even so, your day-to-day habits have not changed, despite you don’t really understand the content by heart.

After all, this is the only way you can get close to Diluc without being able to meet him.

The dazzling sunshine pulls you out of your memories. You blink, and your eyes drift involuntarily to another direction – the direction of Dragonspine, which is the only place you haven’t explored in Mondstadt. Of course, it's not that you haven't tried, but the sheer cold was really beyond your ability to bear. Probably you will try again after you become stronger, or being able to master the pyro element, just like Diluc…

You can’t help but think of him again. Being a wielder of a pyro vision, he surely won’t be bothered by such coldness. He himself is as warm and bright as the morning sun, otherwise how can he dispel the shadow covering Mondstadt?

You sigh and open the map, trying to figure out how to kill the rest of the afternoon and hopefully, this will pull you out from all those fantasies about the redhead…

But a second later, you hear something behind you. Fear builds up in your chest instantly and you almost fall down. Thanks to the person who made the sound grabbed your arm, you did not fall off the cliff.

"I see…It seems like you are more easily to get nervous after gaining more experience."

That familiar voice makes you turn your head swiftly, and you see the face you have been thinking about all day and night. You can see the reflection of your flustered self in those ruby-like eyes.

"Oh! D-Diluc—uh, sir," you dodge his gaze, feeling the scorching heat spread from the back of your ears, "Ah...why you happen to be here?"

Diluc frowns slightly after hearing the honorific you deliberately added, but his tone is as calm as usual, "It doesn't matter where I am, right? This is nothing to be surprised about."

"But…we are in Liyue?" And on the top of a mountain with nothing but monsters and trees.

Anyone would find it strange that Master Diluc, who is dedicated to protecting Mondstadt day and night, appears in a place other than Mondstadt for no obvious reasons.

"..." Diluc freezes for a short moment, he then lets go of your arm, "This is not something you should worry about." Under your curious yet confused gaze, he slowly looks away and clears his throat, "…Please don't look at me like that."

"Ah, yes, I'm sorry!" You apologize in a panic, quickly adjusting your facial expression. But you accidentally see the blush of his ears. Before you had time to think about it, Diluc speaks again.

"There's no need to apologize.” He said, the slight embarrassment that was previously on his face is gone as if you were hallucinating, “How are you doing recently?"

"Eh? Um, well…" you are a little caught off guard, but still answer him with a smile, "I'm doing good, and I haven't been too busy with commissions recently. Thank you, Master Diluc, for your concern."

Diluc does not respond immediately, but his eyes soften, which is captured by you. A faint happiness fills your heart. You know that he is not simply being polite, but is genuinely caring about you.

"It's been a while since you and I have seen each other." After a short pause, he continued, "I heard from Adelinde that you would visit the winery every day. Did you encounter any difficulties?"

"Well...um...not really." You keep your gaze down, attempting to hide your embarrassment by fiddling with your own fingers. What are you supposed to tell him? Of course you can't just say that you want to stay at the house of your crush for… a little longer.

Diluc sighs, "It's alright if you don't want to tell me, but if you encounter any problems or have any needs, you can always come to me."

Ah, yes…He had said the same to you after the darknight hero incident. You did encounter a lot of problems when you first started your adventure, but you didn’t want to bother Diluc for such personal matters. After all, he is known as a busy person. So in the end you would always find a way to solve everything by yourself, even if you ended up getting yourself into more troubles, failing everything, or getting injured. After all, you dare not rely on others easily after parting from your sibling.

But these are actually excuses, you know that. After realizing that you had fell for Diluc, you didn’t know how to deal with your feeling, because you know it will never work out. You are an outlander, a traveler. After you find your sibling and reach the end of the journey, you will leave Teyvat, and you will leave him, probably forever.

You had tried to avoid him, thinking that in this way, your feelings would fade away as the time goes by.

But unfortunately, the effects were completely opposite. Your feelings towards him grew day by day until you couldn’t suppress them in any possible way. You couldn’t help but wanting to meet him. You want to stay with him, to talk with him, to travel with him, to rely on him…

You feel your face starts to burn as you are thinking about it, and you are so flustered that you don't know where to look. Diluc is standing right in front of you, and as you keep avoiding making eye contacts with him, your attention is caught by the vision attached to his belt. The pyro element glimmers in the glass bead, and that beautiful crimson color resembles the wielder’s eyes and hairs.

"Traveler?"

Diluc's puzzled voice is heard overhead, and you finally decide to look up and meet his eyes. At that moment, you suddenly accept the fact that no matter how hard you try to supress your feelings, it is useless, so there is no point to torture yourself like this. You already knew that it will never work out, so now you might as well follow your own inner thoughts.

"A-Actually, I have a matter that you could probably help me, Master Diluc." You try to calm yourself down, but you seem have lost your voice, "If it's possible..."

Diluc didn’t respond, and his expression stays the same, but obviously he is waiting for your next words.

"Could you…um, accompany me to Dragonspine...?"

You can’t help but to start panicking right after saying it. What if he rejects you? Once again, you find it is too hard to look him into the eyes, but it will be strange to lower your head suddenly. So you lock your eyes on the red gem on his bow tie and meanwhile, clasping your hands tightly behind your back, feeling that your palms are starting to sweat.

"Yes," Diluc agrees immediately, without even a hesitation. You look at him again in surprise, but you can see that he is confused. "But what are you going to do in Dragonspine? If you need any materials, I can find them for you directly."

"Ah, it has nothing to do with materials! It's just because I haven't really been there yet." Your respond excitedly, temporarily forgetting the shyness and embarrassment when facing Diluc. "I can’t master the pyro element at the moment, and it's just too cold there..."

Diluc looks into your shining eyes, the corners of his mouth are slightly raised, "I see, you are right. After all, you are an adventurer, and the joy of adventure always comes first."

His smile makes you lose your mind once again. Those feelings that have just been left behind came back to you in the blink of an eye.

A gentle gust of wind blows, Diluc looks at the blue sky, and you look at him. His crimson hairs is so beautiful under the sunshine, just as dazzling as the dawn.

“Let’s go.”

Dragonspine is still as beautiful as in your memory. The white snow covers every inch of the land, yet that’s not the only colour. The most conspicuous one is undoubtedly the red beam of the statue of the seven, which will be your destination today.

You follow Diluc silently. The sound of your boots stepping on the snow seems to be amplified many times. Even though you two had left the teleport waypoint for not even a minute, you already start to feel the sheer cold is devouring you.

"Here, take this," Diluc, who had been silent all this time, suddenly speaks. You are startled, while he hands over a red ore, "This is called the scarlet quartz, which can keep you warm temporarily."

The moment you take the scarlet quartz, it disappears as if melted by your body temperature. You suddenly feel a nice and warm aura surrounding you.

"Wow, this is amazing!" You look at your hands in surprise, "Thank you, Master Diluc!"

"No need. The effect of the quartz can only last for a while. So if you are still cold, just let me know any time." He responds, followed by a hesitant expression.

"... Diluc,” he speaks after a brief pause, “just...call me Diluc is fine."

His words make you stop everything you were doing and thinking but only to look at him. At your first glance, Diluc's face is still as unamazed as usual, but obviously he is trying you avoid your eyes. And probably your vision is not too well due to the snow, but you are pretty sure that you see a suspicious faint blush on his cheeks. Could it be because he was just too cold as well……?

"B-But..." You stammer, feeling the heat gradually creeping up your entire face. But before you can say anything else, a group of hilichuirls, those who have ice shields in their hands, appears out of nowhere.

Immediately, Diluc gushes forward. Crimson flames burst out along with his movements. Even you, who is a distance away from the battle, can feel that extreme heat mediating from him. The moment when you come back to your senses and get ready to help, the battle is over, leaving only the melted snow and fallen materials.

You stand there awkwardly. Of course, the main reason that you invited Diluc, who masters the pyro element, to accompany you to Dragonspine was because you wanted to rely on him a little. Something like this shouldn’t be surprising, but when it actually happens, you still feel really bad about your incapability.

Diluc puts away his claymore and turns to you. And as if he had seen through your mind, his expression softens, "It’s nothing."

Seeing that you are still standing in a daze, he hesitates for a moment, and then comes closer to you. He lightly pokes your forehead with his gloved fingertips, "Come on, just take the materials, and we'll move on, okay?"

"……Thank you." You whisper your gratitude, blushing, and trying your best to let your heart calm down from his touch and his words. Diluc's voice is still as gentle and soothing as ever, making you feel like you are floating on top of the cloud. His flames seem to have lingered onto the skin touched by him, It’s not a burning heat, but a warmth that flows into your heart.

Fortunately, there are not too many enemies popping out as you two are getting closer and closer to the statue. Or maybe, all kinds of hilichuirls are buried under Diluc's flames when you are too busy enjoying the scenery or collecting materials.

You have never stayed this close to him for such a long time. His flying red hairs, flames brought out by his claymore, all perfectly complement with the whiteness of the snow. You always stare at him subconsciously and have to spend at least few seconds to bring your mind back.

He is just like a tint of fire that keeps you warm in the snow, makes you feel incredibly safe, makes you can’t feel the cold seeping into your body.

And it isn't until you hadn't been close to any fire or the minerals of the scarlet quartz for quite a while that you realized that you were already freezing.

Unfortunately, this is a bad timing. Diluc is not by your side now. He asked you to wait for him a bit and then left. You look at the surroundings, the beautiful snow you were seeing before is now somehow shrouded in a layer of dark mist.

An inexplicable fear surges into your heart like a tide. The wind is freezing cold, whistling in your ears. You tightly wrap all of your clothes around your body, but still can’t stop the biting chill from pouring into your collar. It is not that you have never felt cold before, but you still get scared after seeing your breath condensed into visible white particles floating around you.

Your vision has started to blur, and your legs seem to have lost all the strength…You are about to fall down—

The wet and cold feeling of the snow does not come as you expected. Instead, you feel soft fabrics, surrounded by a faint aroma of grapes and firewood. It is so familiar and reassuring, it is your favorite smell...

"Careful!"

You are still cold, but the fear in your heart fades away instantly, just like ice being melted by fire. And as you gradually catch your breath, you slowly open your eyes, and find yourself leaning on Diluc's chest, with him gently encircling your waist.

Oh archons, this is way too close, and he is holding you in his arms. Normally, you surely would immediately jump away, flustering like a mass and wanting to die. But now you can’t even stand properly, and your brain is just not functioning. Diluc's clothes are as cold as the surrounding environment, but strangely, his embrace is so warm, warm enough to make you, a person who is cold and longing for warmth instinctively, want to stay like this forever.

But after you recover a little bit and feeling able to stand still, the unbelievable idea of "being held by Diluc in his arms" brings you back to reality again. Diluc obviously notices the change in you. He lets go of his hand, but then immediately takes off his coat and wraps it around you, almost covering your whole body.

"I’m sorry," he looks at you, obviously worried, "I shouldn't have left you alone."

"I was just looking for a place where we can rest. I should’ve taken you with me."

You shake your head, "No…no, please don’t apologize, Master Diluc. I know you will come back." But to be honest, you almost let your fear won after realizing that you couldn’t feel any other human being but yourself in this cold, empty, and completely silent place.

"..." Diluc does not answer directly but looks at you deeply. Something is in his eyes, but you can’t really tell what it is. He then holds your hand, "...Come with me."

He takes you to a spot with cooking ware and fire, which seems to be lightened just now. The whole area is surrounded by tall rocks that block most of the wind. Almost immediately, you start to feel your hand and face again as the warmth seeping into your frozen bones. Diluc makes sure you sit down near the fire, then he started to set up the cooking pot.

You stand up again as a reflex. You’ve already done this on your own so many times, even when you were injured badly enough that you could barely move. And besides, no matter what is happening, it is still hard to let the master of Dawn Winery to cook for you.

"Sit down and rest."

His slightly commanding tone makes you unable to disobey. You can only sit down again, obediently.

While fixing your gaze on Diluc, you let yourself completely immersed into his coat. The smell of firewood mixed with the faint aroma of grapes and wine is now surrounding you once again. You take a deep breath, recalling this smell from Dawn Winery, from the vineyard, from the books he read, pages he touched… At that moment, you feel like you are at home.

You observe Diluc once again. This is the first time you see clearly what are under his coat. A black shirt with a white vest, the belt that goes from his shoulder and connected to his waist… He has such a nice shape…If you look further downwards-

You are startled by what you are doing and immediately turn your head aside, squeezing your eyes shut.

Now you are really warmed up……

After having some warm soup, you feel much better. The snow seems to be lighter than before as you two set out on the road again. You can see that red beam of light is getting closer and closer to you.

Snow falls on Diluc's hairs and shoulders. His shirt is slightly disheveled by the wind. You suddenly remember his coat is still on you.

"Master Diluc, " You speak hesitantly, about to take it off, "Um… you must be cold, I'll give this back to-"

"You can wear it." He replies, "The pyro vision can minimize the impact of the coldness on my body." He puts the coat back on you, carefully feeling your body temperature, "You need to keep warm more than I do. If you fall down again, I will be very troubled."

Thus you get the following: A redhead wearing only a shirt and vest, walking in the heavy snow, followed by a small figure wrapped in a big black coat, which does not seem too inappropriate considered you are in Dragonspine, one of the most mysterious regions in Teyvat.

Fortunately, you two successfully end up arriving in front of the statue of the seven, and the last obstacle is a layer of ancient rime piled up at the bottom. You are just about to clear it with your normal attack as usual, but before you can do it, Diluc stops you, "Wait."

"You need to have the scarlet quartz to clear them." He explains, "The subzero climate here in Dragonspine makes normal attacks useless, even with pyro elemental infusion."

"I see…" You look around, trying to find the redness in the surrounding, "There it is!"

A minute later, you come back with the effect of scarlet quartz. The rime was successfully cleared away by your charged attack. The red glowing statue makes the surroundings extremely warm. You look up at the anemo archon, memories flooding back into your mind. Venti, Dvalin, the Holy Lyre, Stormterror’s Lair, Jean, and Diluc, who is standing right behind you at this moment…

You close your eyes and stretch out your hand, the last statue of the seven in the Mondstadt area will be lightened up soon—

...

Nothing happened?

You open your eyes, confused. Normally the statue should have been lit by your touch, yet it is still glowing red at this time. You also can't feel the anemo element at all...

"As what I expected…" Diluc sighs, and you turn to face him, "It’s probably because I am here. I think that our humble anemo archon can't tolerate other people disturbing you."

"What? No, it shouldn’t, it can’t be…" You stand there helplessly, with your hand still on the statue. After months, you are finally here, and the journey to here with the accompany of Diluc is an absolute treasure to you. And now everything will go wasted?

You feel like your tears are about to fall, "…I need to go back to square one and do everything all over again…?"

"No." Diluc says, "You have already reached this point successfully, there is no need to start over."

Through the flying snowflakes, you can still clearly see him. His eyes are soft, he is smiling at you…

The snow seems to become heavy again. Diluc’s red hairs are flying in the cold wind. You are trembling slightly, but your feet can’t move as if they have rooted in the ground. You can only stand there, letting a thin layer of wind and snow separate you and him.

"I believe you can do well on your own from now on." Diluc continues, his crimson eyes met yours, and he smiles again, obvious enough for you to see it clearly, "Today's journey was quite delightful, traveler."

"Wait, Di—" You shout his name, but is blinded by the sudden strong wind. However, after only a few seconds, the wind stops, and you are facing an empty space, just like nobody was there before.

You look around anxiously, but you can’t feel any other human being. At the same time, the statue emits a dazzling blue light. The anemo element pours into your palm. You look up at this last statue in Mondstadt, but without any excitement and joy as you have imagined.

You sit down leaning against the statue and letting the wind whistling in your ears. Diluc's sudden departure gave you a feeling of waking up from a dream. However, the aroma lingering around reminds you that what happened today was not a dream. You look down at the black coat you are still wearing, those luxurious golden patterns are slightly deformed in your hands.

You didn’t even get a chance to say thank you...

Suddenly, you no longer have any interest in staying in Dragonspine, at least for today. You open the map, and in the next second you are standing under the identical statue, but at Dawn Winery.

Night has fallen. The wind gently blows your hair. Unlike the ones in Dragonspine, it feels warm.

You take off the coat and hold it in your hand, start walking towards the winery. You mind hasn’t come back yet, but your legs just automatically bring you right to the front of the manor.

"Welcome back, Miss." As soon as you enter the main entrance, you are greeted by Adelinde. Her eyes then fall on the thing in your hand, and she smiles, "Looks like you finally met Master Diluc today."

"Well, that’s true..." You reply in a low voice. You are embarrassed. During all this time, Adelinde has not only allowed you to live here, but she would even prepare the breakfast for you, send you out every morning, and welcome you back in the evening. Obviously, her attitude towards you is no longer as simple as a "guest".

You want to give the coat to the head housemaid, but she says that you can put it directly in Diluc's room.

Your eyes widen in surprise. Although you two have already known each other very well, and you have lived here for so long, you are still, well, a guest, after all. It is definitely not appropriate to go directly into the room of the master.

"Master ordered a long time ago that you, Miss, is allowed to enter any room in the winery."

Well then in that case…

Diluc's room is next to his study on the second floor. You have passed by countless times, but now you are a little nervous about going in. After a moment of hesitation, you carefully open the door.

The lights in the room have already been turned on. In addition to that comfortable king-size bed, there is also a desk that is similar to his study but without many things on top, surrounded by tall bookshelves. The curtains are half drawn, and the night outside could be seen. The luxurious furnishing of the room resembles the entire manor, but you can see the owner reserved a style exclusive for himself. A few wax-sealed letters are sitting on the desk, waiting to be mailed. You stare at Diluc's beautiful handwriting, an image of him sitting there and signing his name appears in front of you. Gosh, he must be as elegant as usual…

After looking around the room, you realize that there is only one place to leave his coat without opening the closet. You approach the bed, hands resting on those soft sheets. You don’t know if you are just tired or still too excited from having a trip with Diluc, but ever since you entered his room, there has been a warmth surrounding you, which is the same feeling he gave you when you were in Dragonspine today. It feels like he is still with you…

And he would sleep on this bed…by himself, after calling a day.

You swiftly cover your burning cheeks, "Stop! What the hell am I thinking?"

However……

Looking at those neat beddings, a sadness comes into you. On top of running a huge business that brings so much work and responsibilities, Diluc is only a young man who is not even older than you. How many nights can he sleep on this bed without being exhausted or stressed out…?

It is already very late, and he hasn't come back yet. Seems like the darknight hero is working hard again. Your feel like your eyelids are becoming heavier and heavier, and your mind is full of the redhead when your eyes are shut completely…

You don’t know how long it has passed, but you smell the aroma of grapes and firewood again. It is so close to you, and you can’t help but want to get closer, and closer... You feel like you have returned to Dragonspine, with Diluc is standing in front of you. Snowflakes are flying around, but it is not cold at all, it is warm, as if you two are the only light in the snow.

"Just…call me Diluc is fine."

You know you are dreaming, but his voice, and his eyes looking at you, are still so realistic and gentle. Your feelings flood out of your heart like a tide, and you can’t hold them back anymore—

It is very late.

Right after the clock strikes the third time, the door of the manor is opened and closed silently. The darknight hero rests wearily against the wall for a while, and then he slowly goes upstairs.

When Diluc enters the room, the first thing he sees is you, who is sleeping soundly against the bed while still holding the coat for dear life. He is startled, but then quietly comes to your side.

The redhead chuckles silently, observing your sleeping face lovingly. If ever you are awake, you would definitely suspect that the Diluc in front of you is a counterfeit as he would never make a face like this.

Diluc takes off his gloves, carefully pulls out the crumpled coat in your arms, then gently carries you and puts you into his own bed. You are asleep during the whole process, completely unaware of what is happening.

The moonlight shines through the gap in the curtains and falls on the two of you. Diluc, who is now supposed to take a shower and rest, sits down on the edge of the bed and looks at you without a word.

The Honorary Knight of the Knights of Favonius is now active in Liyue. Such a well-known fact can no longer be a part of his “intelligence network”.

He knows, as a traveler, you will never stop your journey until you reach the final destination and find your sibling. You will not stay in one place because of a person, an event, or a difficult task. Diluc himself had the same type of goal as you, and had traveled all over the seven nations alone, so he naturally understands your convictions and perseverance better than anyone else.

But it is precisely this kind of him, who has always been walking alone in the darkness, that he has unknowingly gotten used to and fell in love with the feeling of having you by his side. Only after you left Mondstadt, Diluc realized that even the most ordinary things, like seeing you around or saying goodbye to you, could make him miss you. Before being totally aware of the reason behind it, he had already started to take the initiative to obtain your information and your daily commissions.

Of course, that was very easy for him to do. But over time, this feeling of him, so called "missing you", gradually became a little more different than what he expected, and he couldn’t really tell what it is.

But it feels just like those few sporadic fire lights in the cold and heavy snow, which look so insignificant considering those random fire sources in the entire Dragonspine. However, the scorching heat those fire brought could not be ignored.

Because it is the heat that can make people alive. It is the warmth that he would love to approach and embrace. It is the light that he has been fighting to reach.

He wants to see you. He is going to see you.

Clouds are covering the moon. Diluc continues fixing his gaze on your face. His eyes are flickering slightly in the darkness. He can’t help but to get closer to you—

"…hm……"

Your suddenly let out a light hum. Diluc’s hand stops in mid-air instantly, fingertips are only half an inch away from your face, but you don’t seem to be bothered by anything and just move your body a bit, still asleep. Some vague syllables are coming out from your parted lips, but for some reason, it seemed like you are really trying to speak properly.

Diluc leans down to you, trying to hear your little sleep talks—

"...Diluc..."

Your voice is like a whisper, yet the pronunciation is so clear and accurate that it doesn't seem to be any kind of sleep talks.

Diluc’s eyes widen slightly, obviously in shock. He stares at you as if he is going to drill a hole on your face. He was not expecting you would say his name, and finally, without the title.

Meanwhile, clouds fades away in the exact right timing. Your cheeks are pink under the moonlight, but there is still no sign of you waking up.

......

"Yes."

Although Diluc knows you can’t hear him, he still responds in his most soft voice ever.

"Diluc..."

"Yes, I'm here."

His hand moves again. He strokes your cheek, eyes full of affection for you.

"......"

You unconsciously rub your chin against his skin, pressing your lips against his wrist.

"I…love you."

"......!"

Diluc looks at you in disbelief, feeling his whole body starts to tremble. Your warm breath sprayed on his skin reminds him that you did actually say that.

At this moment, all of his feelings in his heart are transformed into the same feeling that you have towards him. How silly of him kept telling himself that he was “missing you”, but it has been completely different since archon knows how long ago. The throbbing emotions in his chest seemed to have thawed the ice surrounds his heart, and that heat and love is spread all over his body.

"I love...Diluc..."

Your voice fades, and you fall into a deep sleep again after a while, but the redhead in front of you is surely not able to fall asleep today, in any case.

While attempting to control the heart that is about to jump out of his chest, Diluc kisses your forehead, this time, without any hesitation.

"Me too."

The moon is once again covered by clouds, but the light that can penetrate the coldness and illuminate the night will never disappear again.

The end.

——————————❄️———————————

「Snow Light」

—— Diluc Ragnvindr (CV: Kensho Ono)

Disclaimer: This translation is credited to this blog. I made adjustments based on my own understanding of the Japanese language, and I tried to make the lyrics sound more colloquial and complete.

The townscape of where you live is on the other side of the blurry window. It is flickering in seven colors. It is sparkling hazily.

Every time when I run in a hurry, chilled to the bone, I always want to hug you tightly.

Snow light, snow breath, snow flakes...

Right now, like that snow, my feelings towards you cannot be hidden.

They are falling and piling up for you, in a sparkling white.

It is only to you whom I want to give warmth. I want to hold you more than anything else.

Imagine us sitting close together, smiling, and I'm taking you by the hand…

I won’t let you go, I want to protect you. This brand new feeling is gradually growing upon me.

You are purely white. You are just my Snow Light.

Where you are you right now? What are the scenery in your eyes?

I wish to know more. This is the first time I’m having this thought.

My monochrome world is being repainted by you. That is like a miracle.

Snow shade, snow drop, snow dome...

Even if like that snow being melted away right now, this feeling of me will never disappear.

I just want to tell you, I’m always missing you.

Imagine us sitting close together, bashfully, I'm ascertaining your existence with my hand, while we staring at each other with sincere eyes.

I won’t let you go, my heart won’t change. My feelings toward you are never enough.

It is falling and piling up non stop, you’re just my Snow Light.

Although I can’t shine as beautifully as you, if I could become your light, that alone would make me able to overcome everything.

No matter how long the night is, I will never let you feel cold.

Surely tomorrow there will be a silvery morning light. It will be dazzling, it will be lovely...

It is only to you whom I want to give warmth. I want to hold you more than anything else.

Imagine, us sitting close together, smiling, and I'm taking you by the hand…

I won’t let you go, I want to protect you. This brand new feeling gradually growing upon me.

You are purely white. You are my Snow Light

Forever, you are just my Snow Light.

Thank you for reading.

#genshin impact #genshin #genshin fluff #genshin x reader #diluc #diluc ragnvindr #diluc x reader #diluc ragnivindr x reader #translation #self insert

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amor-immortalem · 4 months

Text

So lesson 40’s here and season 2’s over huh? Let’s complain about it together

I’m simultaneously dissatisfied and satisfied with S2’s ending. I have negative feelings about the hard mode 40-8 in particular.

I feel like if this is actually the original timeline were back in, the brothers should have had a bigger reaction to MC’s return cuz like didn’t Solomon say that we just up and disappeared at the start of season 1 and the bros were a complete mess?

Makes me feel like something’s up- like the brothers’ perception of time has been altered or messed with in some way.

Initially I thought that Lucifer had seen the way his brothers and himself were suffering and wrought with worry for MC being missing so he asked Barbatos to cast a spell on them to kind of ease that by not making it seem so long that MC’s been gone and make it feel more like only a few days to months (or hell maybe he could’ve learnt to do it himself- this is Lucifer we’re talking about here) but now I’m not so sure and maybe we didn’t actually end up in the correct timeline. Or maybe this is all just nightbringer’s influence (cuz remember they’re all about leading others to happiness or something along those lines)

Either way I’m generally not a fan of it- I wanted that big sappy reunion with over the top dramatics with my favorite demons, damnit! I’ve been robbed!

Also where the fuck did Solomon go? he went through the rift in space time with us so shouldn’t there have at least been a small interaction with him when we arrived at the HOL even if it was along the lines of “oh good we’ve made it back in one piece, I’ll let you go inside and have some time to catch up with the brothers on your own. I’m gonna go debrief with Barbatos” or something?

And then there’s Nightbringer- or more specifically, their lack of presence within Season 2. When was the last time they’d even been mentioned in the story(lesson 21? 22? Were they ever mentioned at all after that?)

I know obvious answer is that Nightbringer=Barbatos (is it just me or was Barbs acting kinda… weird? Throughout the lesson??? He had me feeling like ‘this mf knows we time traveled don’t he?’) but anyway it feels like, for a character the game is literally named for, they’re not very important and front ‘n center…

Maybe S3 will be more focused on Nightbringer and whatever the hell’s going on with that weird ass reception from the brothers we got but for now we’ll just have to wait (I wouldn’t be surprised if solmare made us wait until April when the game hits its one year anniversary for S3 just like it played out in the OG game…)

Also also if the devs don’t hurry up and make 13, mephisto, and raphael dateable in S3 I’m going to riot. Lemme give my pretty wife kisses and take her on cute dates and shit. It’s been like 2 or 3 seasons since she was introduced! Whats the hold up?

My thoughts aren’t coherent anymore so I’ll stop but see y’all in April for Season 3

#obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me swd #obey me! shall we date?#obey me nightbringer #om! nightbringer

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myaoiboy · 3 months

Note

Can you try explain what you mean about Ocelot looking like a drag king in mgsv? I feel like your boyfriend in that I just. Don't see it? I'm trying to understand why Ocelot would even have that applied when he's always been just A Guy™

Okay so I'm going to try to do this without getting into Grad-Level 5D Queer Theory Media Criticism, but I also fully realize that in doing that, a lot of this is going to sound very much like I'm saying "Source: Just Trust Me Bro".

(anon i am SO sorry that you happen to be the first person to directly adress me about gender in MGS)

I also wanna be straight up front here and say that I'm not trying to imply that Ocelot is anything other than a guy, he's just also a guy who's playing a million roles (this is important) and lying to damn near everyone, including himself. He has some of the worst identity issues I've ever seen in a character, and that comes to a head in 4 where he literally isn't even *Ocelot* until the final moments of his life. So yes, for the sake of not writing War and Peace, I'm going to assume Ocelot is "just a guy" and come at this from a pure queer theory/media analysis standpoint, not a headcanon one.

So first it's really important to point out the order in which we see Ocelot through the series. In the timeline, the last time we see Ocelot before V is 3 (or PO which I haven't played due to its placement in canon-limbo, but Ocelot looks basically the same). So we see him go from A to B here.

I am going to say something potentially controversial: even before saw V ocelot, I thought 3 Ocelot looked like he was wearing drag *queen* makeup. I don't know whether it's intentional, or an attempt to circumvent the lower poly models and lower definition textures of the PS2, but the first image looks like someone who is going for a highly exaggerated, feminine cheek contour. Here's a few drag queens who, imo, do a very similar contour look:

Whether the color filter or the texturing of the PS2 or something else, the MGS3 version of Ocelot also has a look of mascara and frosted lipgloss (frosted lips being much more popular at the time of MGS3's original release than today, but alas).

So from that I was already very much primed to look for femininity in Ocelot's whole vibe. It was actually kind of jarring how much more rugged he is in V than in any of the previous games, to the extent that it sent up alarm bells in my head that something was going on.

I don't remember the moment that I went "hey, wait a minute," but it was certainly pretty early on. As someone who's been on tumblr a hella long time and remembers when we used to swap passing tips, the specific combination of facial features remind me of a very specific genre of "ftm makeup tutorials" that were also pretty contemporarily popular on tumblr. A very quick summary being mascara on the eyelashes and specific peach fuzz to give the impression of a squarer jaw and having more facial hair, as well as specific contouring to give a "masculine cheekbone." Most of these tips basically came directly from drag king makeup.

Gonna include some drag kings as well, some things to notice include the tendency towards using stubble as contouring and vice versa, the shaping of cheek contouring, and the tendency to accentuate mustache and sideburns.

I'm pretty bad at wording descriptions of hair and makeup so you'll have to forgive me for not going ham on explaining the similarities bc now we actually get to the interesting part which is: so fucking what? If this is true, if you take my word for it, what does it say about the text? If I want to make this argument to someone else, what can I say that will convince them that, even if it's not *intentional,* it's a valid and meaningful view of his character?

Like, you can make a character based on anything you want, but why does it matter whether Ocelot is based on drag either direction?

Ocelot's "drag"iness is multipurpose. One: he's queer. Like, I grant that he never comes out and says "I love 'Big "Naked 'John' Snake" Boss'" but we get a hell of a lot more confirmation that he's gay than we get straight confirmation for a lot of presumed-straight characters. I feel comfortable saying he's canon queer.

Two: it's a visual metaphor for being a double/triple agent. While he's literally performing several roles (KGB/GRU/CIA, or MSF/Real BB/US, or US/Patriots/BB, or anything in between), he's also visually playing two (or more) gender roles, a feminine man, a mannish woman, something neither or in-between. The implication of drag specifically is pretending to be something that he isn't (which he literally always is, holy shit, again, does he even know who he realiy is?).

And before anyone says "Well, if it's so important to his character, why did they wait until 3 to start doing it?" They didn't!!

This is THE most classically masculine that Ocelot ever looks. But there's still precious polygons invested into giving him long hair and a flowing coat. Working with sprites and low-poly models means having to very carefully select traits that you want to display on your character, and Ocelot's go into making him a cringefail cowboy.

The fact that he's a cowboy in itself is also pretty important to the whole gender/sexuality situation. I mean, Brokeback Mountain might not have been out yet, but the male-to-female ratio in the west meant a lot of men cozied up together on the frontier. Hell, hankey code comes from cowboy culture, with men wearing certain colors to announce who would take the "man" or "woman" role while square dancing.

I could go a lot into gender and how it works on a social/societal level in general and why that matters, but OOPS I have been writing this for a WHILE.

I was actually going to go a lot more into queer theory and gender in MGS in general but ngl, I could write a whole doctoral thesis on gender and how different characters perform or subvert gender. Because holy shit when you start peeling back the very thin macho facade of Kojima's work to do a feminist reading of it, boy howdy do you get. A whole lot to talk about. (ask me about death stranding sometime i dare you)

Basically what I'm trying to get across is that Ocelot has a lot of roles that he's playing and NOT playing, and more than a few of those are gender roles, which is very much visually symbolic of his character.

I am so sorry anon I have been thinking about him nonstop for a full year </3 I hope at least the first part of this answered your question about what features I see that scream drag to me.

#also i want to be SUPER clear that transvestigating real people would be fucked up #its always morally correct to transvestigate revolver ocelot #mgs #mgsv #mgs3 #mgs1 #ocelotposting #revolver ocelot #my analyses #analysis or something

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sanctum-of-ramshackle · 2 years

Text

It’s Play Time!

[TWST AU]: An MC/Yuu from the Indie Horror Game, Poppy Playtime.

[Synopsis]: In this timeline, a special little toy takes on an adventure through Twisted Wonderland.

Gender Neutral MC/Yuu (They/Them)

[(A/N)]: I saw someone mentioned the game mixed with an MC/Yuu. I’m writing my own interpretation as an AU and basing some from theory videos on YouTube. Credits goes to the anon on @/twistedoverbloat’s blog.

Back in their world, MC/Yuu was one of many researchers and other scientists working for Playtime Co.’s founder/creator/CEO, Elliot Ludwig.

They had an accident at the lab, causing them to be unconscious. MC/Yuu should have be taken to the hospital, but Ludwig and everyone decided to use their body for experiments; turning into a living toy as the size of Poppy.

This pushed them off the edge and decided to escape the lab so they can turn themselves in to the police and hopefully an investigation starts and prevent more experiments.

Then one day at the factory, Experiment 1006 escaped and caused a massacre. Since then, the factory was left abandoned with haunting memories.

After decades of being trapped within the factory’s walls, PP!MC/Yuu roamed through the halls, avoiding the other experiments as they’re on the loose. (They can also recognize them as one of the people working on the toys.) Of course they missed a step and fell into the abyss.

Waking up, they found themselves trapped in a coffin until Grim blows open the lid. They both scared each other.

“Unbelievable. An actual talking cat.”

“Who ya callin’ a cat, doll-face?!”

“Hey! It’s not my fault I got stuck in this body! I never ask for it!”

Then Crowley came to find the missing students. PP!MC/Yuu and Grim hid behind the coffin, waited for “that strange bird-man” to leave.

After he leaves, the two decided to follow him.

They were led to the a room filled with people in dark cloaks.

Just as Crowley was informing the Dark Mirror about the absent student, PP!MC/Yuu decides to speaks up.

“Excuse me! I think you’re looking for either one of us.”

Everyone looks down at the living toy.

“I know what you’re thinking. It seems weird to witness a living child’s toy and to be honest, I don’t know how you will react to me standing before you.”

Dead silence. Not a word spoken until Crowley breaks the tension.

“Are you supposed to be the missing student?”

“A student? I already graduated from my university. Honestly, where am I and how I got here?”

After the dorm sorting ceremony, Crowley kept asking PP!MC/Yuu with more questions.

“You’re telling me, I’m stuck in this world filled with magic? Like real magic?”

“Well, Night Raven College is one of the most prestigious academies in Twisted Wonderland.”

“…So like H*gw*arts?”

“What?”

Then after the misunderstanding is cleared up, Crowley “promised” to find their way back home. Until then, it seems PP!MC/Yuu has to stay in the Ramshackle dorm and might as well find a way to survive attending NRC.

Bonus: PP!MC/Yuu wants to keep Grim by their side as a student too because…

PP!MC/Yuu: He has nowhere else to go. Pleeeease let him stay. *Activates big teary puppy eyes*

Crowley: *Can’t resist the eyes* Fine, fine! That raccoon will stay.

PP!MC/Yuu: Alright!

Grim: Again, I’m not a raccoon!

[Main Street]

Ace: *Laughing at PP!MC/Yuu* You’re so small!

PP!MC/Yuu: *Kicks his shin hard*

Ace: Ow! Whatcha do that for?

PP!MC/Yuu: Just because I’m small doesn’t mean I can kick shit.

[Cafeteria]

[PP!MC/Yuu was telling stories of their old life.]

PP!MC/Yuu: I was an 90s kid. I remember one toy that gave me the creeps. Her huge hyper-realism eyes and stretchy limbs. Oh god, she’s nightmare fuel. When I started working at the company’s labs, my instincts were right after seeing the living being of childhood trauma.

Grim: Are ya gonna eat that? *Points at their food*

PP!MC/Yuu: You can have it. I don’t have to eat to survive as my digestive system is wired differently.

Deuce: So you never tried leaving your workplace?

PP!MC/Yuu: I have, but they caught me every single time. The final attempt was on the day one experiment escaped. I’ll never forget the screams of the co-workers.

Ace: *Lost his appetite* Did you have to tell these stories during lunch?

PP!MC/Yuu: *Shrugs* You were curious about my life before coming here, so yeah.

[Alchemy Class]

PP!MC/Yuu: *Brews the exact potion*

Crewel: Good job, puppy. You brew the correct potion for today’s assignment.

PP!MC/Yuu: Oh, it’s nothing. I was a researcher back home so it was easy to start. Especially familiarizing herbs.

Grim: Yahoo! We did it! *His tail swished accidentally knocks them off*

PP!MC/Yuu: AHH-! *Falls into the cauldron*

Crewel: *Sighs* I will start brewing a reversal potion.

[In the hallways]

PP!MC/Yuu: Listen here you…I can’t talk like this. Can someone pick me up?

Jack: *Lifts up PP!MC/Yuu to meet Sebek’s eye level*

PP!MC/Yuu: Thank you, Jack. Now listen here, you offensive cabbage-head!

Sebek: *Offended by the nickname* EXCUSE ME?!

[P.E.]

PP!MC/Yuu: Magic broomsticks? It’s one of many things I wished for as a kid.

Epel: Hop on. I’ll show you the tricks to riding one.

PP!MC/Yuu: Okay!

[Minutes later]

Epel: *Lands back on the field* How’d like your first ride?

PP!MC/Yuu: *Clenching onto Epel’s shoulders* NEVER FLY ME UP THERE AGAIN!

Epel: HUH?!

[Mini Lore: They discovered flying on magic broomsticks is not as fun as what H*rry P*tter did back in H*gw*arts.]

[Botanical Garden]

PP!MC/Yuu: *Walking by*

[Then PP!MC/Yuu hears a sounds of a crying child. They walked faster to find the source and sees the kid sitting on a bench bawling his eyes out.]

PP!MC/Yuu: *Walks towards the child and looks up* Hey, little one. Are you okay?

Cheka: *Sniffs and looks down* Hm?

PP!MC/Yuu: ‘It seems he’s calming down.’ I’m MC/Yuu. You look very sad. Tell me why you’re crying and maybe I can help you.

Cheka: *SNIFFS* I-I got lost and can’t find Oji-tan… *Tearing up again*

PP!MC/Yuu: ‘Oji-tan?’ Oh! Don’t cry anymore, little one. I see you’re looking for someone. Could you tell me who is the person you’re supposed to be with? Like hair color, eye color, or other features.

Cheka: My Oji-tan is tall, green eyes and has dark long hair.

PP!MC/Yuu: Leona? You’re looking for him. I think I know where he is.

Cheka: *Wipes his tears* Really?

PP!MC/Yuu: Of course!

Cheka: *Grabs PP!MC/Yuu and runs off to find his Oji-tan*

PP!MC/Yuu: Whoa! Wait!

Cheka: We are coming, Oji-tan!

[An hour later]

PP!MC/Yuu: Leona! How could you leave your nephew behind?

Leona: Oh, hey.

PP!MC/Yuu: Cheka was lost around the school and I was the one who found him. I mean where are his parents or some guardian?

Leona: Cheka wanted to see me.

PP!MC/Yuu: Okay, then where’s the responsible adult?

Leona: You.

PP!MC/Yuu: What?

Leona: You found him and since you claimed to be an adult. You’re looking out for him.

PP!MC/Yuu: *Grits their teeth in anger* Leona…

Cheka: Then can I play with you?

PP!MC/Yuu: Now wait a minute-

Leona: Of course you can. After all, they’re fun to play with.

Cheka: YEAH!

PP!MC/Yuu: LEONA!!!

[Then Cheka proceeds to play with PP!MC/Yuu during his stay. PP!MC/Yuu just thinks of bashing Leona with a toy hammer.]

[Heartstabyul]

PP!MC/Yuu: Back in my time, there wasn’t any smartphones or tablets you guys have now. I had a Nokia and other pagers for my old job. Now, ever since Crowley gave me a phone when Holiday Break started, I’m still unfamiliar with the technology.

Cater: Aww. Are you asking Cay-kun for his help?

PP!MC/Yuu: Yes, please. I only know how to texts others and I need to catch up.

Cater: Of course! I’ll show you everything you need for your phone. You can ask me anything.

PP!MC/Yuu: Alright, quick question. What is “IDGAF”? Ace texted those letters in a group chat he created for the first years.

Cater: Oh! That’s a bad phrase you don’t want to know.

PP!MC/Yuu: Cater, I’m an adult trapped in a toy’s body. What is it?

Cater: I don’t give a fuck.

PP!MC/Yuu: …Well, that was rude.

✨Reblogs help creators💫

#disney twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland #twst #twst au #twisted wonderland mc #twst mc #twisted wonderland yuu #twst yuu #poppy playtime #Toy!MC #Toy!Yuu #twisted wonderland headcanons #twst headcanons #twisted wonderland scenarios #twst scenarios #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader

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sxrrandomfanfics · 6 months

Text

I'm confused by the Psychonauts timeline. And I don't mean "Oh doesn't it take place in the 1980s cause of the second game having magazines?" vs "doesn't it take place in the 1800s because Fred validly being the great great great grandson of Napoleon Bonaparte and we can look up Napoleon's lineage and see that said great great great grandchildren lived in that age?" vs "Doesn't it take place in a futuristic 2000s because vibes?"

No no no no no.

I'm talking about what events took place in what order?

Like... Ford and Otto meet and decide to go to some place in the woods to study this thing called Psitanium. Many people think they dropped out of college but they could have also been like... geology majors...

And apparently Otto knew a hydrokinetic woman named Lucy from Grulovia so...

Mark that actually first in the timeline, Otto knew Lucy and knew a war was happening in Grulovia. Sometime after that, Otto and Ford meet and start studying Psitanium. Lucy's husband, Gelsin, dies in the war so she leaves. Leaving her sister behind.

Lucy and Ford start bonding long before other psychics join them, but then we don't know the exact order that people came in.

Compton, Cassie, and Bob are somewhere in the mix with Helmut being last but... which of them came first!? Was it Cassie who struggled to socialize with the others and only bonded with Ford? OR was it Compton because his psychic abilities were having trouble being honed and Ford was like- why don't we try to help? OR was it Bob who had no one else around and was probably aimlessly wandering or drunk? We don't know. Make it up yourself.

Helmut and Bob have a wedding, which... includes... Truman. Wait how old is Truman!? I thought he was younger than Augustus but Augustus is clearly around Raz's age (maybe older) in the memory vaults but now looks older than Truman.

Do we need to put THAT on the timeline, too!? *sigh* just... plot things out...

After that wedding the next point in the timeline is Lucrecia's return to Grulovia because the war eventually breaches its borders, and fearing for her sister's life, Lucrecia heads back. This is now a lot easier to plot out. Lucrecia heads back, turns the tide of war (pun intended), and becomes the War Minister under the Malik Crown. Lucrecia eventually creates mild floods at protests, and gains the moniker "Maligula" from either those of the crown, or the protestors. During this time, her letters start to no longer show up in the mail and Maligula gains a big name for herself (as we see with Psychic Times Magazine). The Deluge happens. Marona and Lazarus are killed and then she is left to succumb to her primal fight instincts that try to protect her from feeling the guilt and aiming her rage at those she blames to be the real cause of her sister's death. Other protestors, or even the crown. The Maliks flee, and after many militaries cannot get to Grulovia, they send in the small group of Psychics that have also probably been published in similar magazines (most likely thanks to Otto). The fight with Maligula happens, Helmut "dies," Ford "kills" Maligula, and he takes Maligula and Helmut's brain to the Heptadome.

Things get messy here again. Because while it may seem that Maligula's, Augustus's, and Ford's rewrites happened back to back in Helmut's memories of the incident, there's implications that it wasn't the case. Ford recalls at the end of "Tomb of the Sharkophogus" that "I had my Lucy back." This implies that he first used it to isolate Maligula. Afterall, it he remarks he had his Lucy. Ford goes on to say "But I knew the world would never forgive her. So I had to hide her somewhere safe."

Perhaps this was him still having her in the astrolaithe, BUT it could also be that he and Lucy came up with the plan of hiding her further from herself. Remember: Lucy accepted the name of Maligula before the Deluge (Cruller's Correspondence). It was even the name they featured her with on the Psychic magazine before the Deluge. But we don't know. This is a hole in our understanding. It's an even bigger hole with Raz saying that Ford was "the greatest leader the Psychonauts had ever seen," back in PN1 (before Maligula was the reason that Ford's mind became fucked up). Meaning that not only should Ford have at least a FEW missions under his belt, it would mean the back-to-back memory wipe makes no sense. But if the back-to-back memory wipe makes no sense then there would be no reason for Otto to have not known the brain in the jar was Helmut Fullbear! ESPECIALLY when Ford is supposedly out of it during Helmut's funeral and when Ford is at the founding of the Motherlobe.

Another hole in our understanding is even where Ford got the idea of the circus. Was it from Lazarus Aquato and his famous national aquatic circus that Augustus tells Raz about? Was it from the fact that the Galochios were supposed to have been a rival circus in the past? We don't get anything with that!

So what are we left with? I suppose it would have had to have been something like this - Ford rescues Lucy, but between all of her friends she believes she killed Helmut, as well as her sister. Possibly unable to deal with the grief, She begs Ford to help her redeem herself by saving Augustus. But Augustus, traumatized by the loss of his mother to his aunt rejects her until they're both locking their memories away. And then Ford... well there's another grey period.

What makes the MOST sense is that he was HAILED as the best leader the Psychonauts had because he was 1. The First, and 2. Took down Maligula. And basically immediately after tried to seal the memories of Lucy away with the Astrolaithe and accidentally broke his own mind by the time they had Helmut's funeral.

THEN we get into the New Leadership of the Psychonauts. Mostly led by Otto, but we also have Truman as the only other leader. Who is clearly old enough to have been at Helmut and Bob's wedding given the figments you can find in Bob's Bottles.

I'm guessing that Ford and Otto had their time as leaders, but when Cassie left, Truman was the one in charge. But that's only guess work. Truman could have just been leading the Psychonauts as the organization we know it since the beginning.

But the most IRRITATING part of the Psychonauts timeline is the current batch of agents. No, not Raz and the Juniors, I'm talking about the Senior Agents. The superstars.

Where did Sasha Nein, Milla Vodello, Hollis Forsythe, and Morceau Oleander come from?

Like... we know their backstories and where they were BEFORE the Psychonauts. But we only see Hollis recruited. And she's able to call the Psychonauts and get Truman to come on a mission to fix her mess.

But like... if the Psychonauts are just a phone call away, they're clearly established for the populous rather than the way they're called in like... the E3 reveal trailer by military. So HOW did she become SECOND HEAD? Who was Truman's second hand before her? Did he have one before her? Was this during a time that like... Otto and Compton were in charge?

Were Morceau, Sasha, and Milla already there? That would make the most sense, considering how popular and available the Psychonauts are. But then again, why would someone who got into the Psychonauts so late become the Second Head??

And it's not even that Hollis was an immediate field agent, as she dropped being a nurse and got a graduate degree in mathematics. So she either took off away from the Psychonauts and got that degree then came in later, or under the Psychonauts got her degree.

We don't have the order of half of the founding members, and we don't have the order of the modern psychonauts being recruited.

All. We have. Are Headcanons. And even then those clash a lot.

Like, I can say: "Oh I think Truman became leader fairly quickly thanks to his age being around 20s or 30s at the latest and Otto and Compton were struggling with trauma" but at the same time it's equally valid to say: "Ford was the leader who lost himself overtime rather than shattering immediately"

And sometimes that's great. But sometimes that can cause people to yell at one another.

What am I trying to get at?

Nothing I'm just neurodivergent about numbers and timelines are something I'm VERY neurodivergent for.

#psychonauts #psychonauts 2

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kazoosandfannypacks · 4 months

Note

📔

(Got one for Captain Swan?)

Indeed!

A while back, I thought it would be fun to write a soulmate au for Captain Swan, the kind where the first words your soulmate says to you are written on your wrists. This was while I was still on my first watchthrough of the show as wasn't as biased towards or against certain other characters or ships.

One thing I've always loved about Captain Swan is that both of them have been in love before, both of them have had heartbreaks, and both of them still had love waiting for them out there, and I really enjoyed that about them. So, for this au (not saying this is true in canon. but for THIS au) Killian and Milah were soulmates, and so were Emma and Neal. Usually, after your soulmate dies, the words on your wrist go away, and your wrist is left blank (unless you use a soulmate spell like Regina and Robin Hood or something.)

Anyways, in this version of the story, less than a year before the Dark Curse is cast, Killian randomly finds himself with a new soulmark on his wrist. This is strange, but he's a little too obsessed with his quest for vengeance to even care, really.

Flash forward to late season 3, Neal dies, and instead of Emma's wrist having a blank space on it, it now has words on it, something along the lines of "help me." Apparently, if you're the product of True Love, True Love will always find you, and another soulmate is somewhere out there for Emma. Of course, when you're the Savior, the first words someone says to you being a cry for help doesn't really narrow anything down, so she doesn't think too much of it, even when Mary Margaret gets a little nosy in her motherly way and has some suspicions of her own.

I started this au with the Killian and Milah fic and actually finished that one, but got stuck partway through the Swanfire fic bc I grew an intense disinterest in the ship, so I never got the chance to write the CaptainSwan part that I was most excited for before my interests jumped ship back into the Star Wars fandom. I have, however, written out the climactic plot twist of the au in a discord message, so since I probably won't finish writing this au, I'll put that under a readmore for you guys!

(Also P.S.! I've rambled more about this au here!)

~🏴‍☠️♥🦢~

Killian spent all of two years struggling with the fact that he loves Emma, but knowing that, even though he feels empty and incomplete without her, he remembers the first thing she said to him, and that's... that's not what was written on his wrist. Despite his feelings and how hard he's been chasing her down, this girl isn't the one.

Then, after spending two years fawning after her and following her like a little lost puppy, he followed her right through a time portal, and in order to save her from disappearing from existence and to send them both back to the future, he has to get Snow White's life back on track, which requires a ship, which requires Emma to stall his past self while he ducks out of the tavern to return to his ship and...

He freezes at the door on his way out as her familiar voice, albeit in a more flirtatious tone than she usually took with him, rolled through the tavern, a sultry whisper of "What are you boys playing?"

Normally, these words would mean nothing, nothing to him, not in this timeline anyways— but these words, the ones that flowed as if they were nothing, were the same words that were engraved in his mind- and furthermore, engraved on his wrist. He rolled his eyes and smiled as his biggest torment washed away like the tide.

As he walked to the harbor where his ship was at port, he smiled at the words on his wrist for the first time since he saw them.

"What are you boys playing" he read his wrist again to be sure, reading along with her voice that rattled in his mind.

"I know what game I'm playing." He thought, hiding the words behind his sleeve again. "I'm in this one for the long game."

~🏴‍☠️♥🦢~

📔 send me any book emoji and I'll tell you about a fanfic idea that I daydream about but haven't written

#once upon a time #ouat #kazzy writes #kazzy answers asks #killian jones #emma swan #captain swan #once upon a time season 3 #ouat soulmark au #otp: try something new darling

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samobservessonic · 3 months

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I can now say for sure that this is the final part of the biggest Sonic story in StC so far. Five parts is nothing to sniff at and everyone one has been an epic. This climax promises to go strong, with the threat of Metallix hanging over our heroes. Sonic learned at the end of the last issue that whatever he does in the past, it might not stop Metallix after all, yet still he has to take the Time Stone and go on blind faith alone

Anyone who’s played Sonic CD will be familiar with this mechanic. Although admittedly, I could rarely get it to work and have never managed to get the good ending myself lol…

Like in the game, after travelling back in time, Sonic needs to destroy these machines to create a good future. But there’s a few differences here for the sake of the story adaptation. The first being that the machine itself is growing into the Miracle Planet. I actually can’t remember if that was the case in the game or not, but it’s a cool addition either way and works with StC’s more brutal takes on the way Robotnik’s technology works. The second is that Sonic needs to go inside the machines to break them, which he can do by being shrunk down small. These two features had no connection to each other in the game, but I like that they’ve linked them here for a smoother story transition. And third…

…the machines are powered by the Time Stones, with removing them being what breaks the machine. It’s a neat way to work the Time Stones into the plot without including the special stages, which would’ve taken more time to establish Now that I think about it, the Time Stones replacing the star posts as Sonic’s method of travelling through time in the game is also good streamlining for the sake of the story

Also nixed from the story is the second machine you need to destroy, the Metal Sonic hologram, which in the game would make the small animals appear unafraid of Sonic once more. There’s really no need or extra time for that here, as Sonic warps back to face Metallix in the present day, just like he knows the past version of himself did before

Now Sonic is back here and after watching the scenes play out in the same way, we get to see what comes next. Except that he doesn’t know what’s coming next himself, as whatever he changed in the past hasn’t affected the future. But wait a moment…

…Oh come on, it wouldn’t be a dramatic reveal if the changes to the timeline happened instantly. With everything Robotnik built on the Miracle Planet (or infected it with?) now gone, no shrink ray means that Sonic is no longer small

Which also affects Metallix! Huh. I know Metallix comes back to StC in a big way (which again, mostly happened before my time), so I’m looking forward to seeing how that pans out. A lot more than our aromantic protagonist is looking forward to spending a month trapped with Amy, I reckon

And that wraps up our epic! I feel like I’ve said most of what I could already say to sum up while I was reading through - this story had the gravity that a Sonic CD adaptation deserved. It wasn’t afraid to change things up for the sake of adapting game mechanics into the comic more smoothly, but at the same time it really did show off a lot of what you could do in Sonic CD. It genuinely felt like this was a story written by someone who played and enjoyed Sonic CD and wanted to make a story out of it, as opposed to being a game tie-in that was mandated to be written

I suppose some could argue that the first two parts being about Captain Plunder could’ve been a separate story to the Sonic CD adaptation, but I am a Captain Plunder celebrater (which is a step up from being an apologist) and think that a big member of the StC rogues gallery deserved a big introduction, too

So yes, this feels like a big milestone in StC. We have two specials to cover before getting back to our next Sonic story in the main comic, but I’m sure that the momentum they’ve built up with this story arc will keep going after this short break Also, before I forget, I thought there was something to do with Porker Lewis on the Miracle Planet that happened in this arc, but either that happens in a different story or I'm just remembering it wrong. Just thought I'd say that, since I brought it up in one of the last issues

#sam observes sonic #sonic the comic #stc issue 28 #sonic the hedgehog #amy rose #metal sonic

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taruruchi · 9 months

Text

☆ Azul and Taruchi's relationship timeline !

⚘ [ TAGS ] #slowburn #fell first fell harder #ansgt #it's been seven and a half chapters why haven't they confessed yet #but i will break them #chapter 7 🙏

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄

Taruchi saw Azul and thought, "Man… He kinda scary." (Tbf she thought that about. Everyone) But also, "Wait, stop, he kinda pretty too"

Azul saw her and only went "??????" (as did the rest of nrc)

𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒𝐋𝐀𝐁𝐘𝐔𝐋 + 𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐖

Nothing happened, though Taruchi did wonder about him and tried to catch glimpses of him in the halls

Though it was more out of admiration and curiosity

𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐄

Taruchi probably died inside ngl. She had to give it to him—he pulled a very lawyer move. She did hate that fact too, because it meant more problems for her.

Remember when they spied on Azul?? Yeah… Yeah. She was totally not impressed at all, haha…

Anyways, she tried very, very hard to keep from hugging him after learning about his past. But she did offer many words of comfort. And died a little inside again when they went to the museum and that one scene happened. (pov the writer doesn't remember exactly what happened in the scene) She's thinking, "I probably don't like him and it's probably just admiration, right?" yet she still goes to the Mostro Lounge more often than she should

Azul probably just saw her as another problem. Did not understand why she was being so nice. "What is she trying to pull here?? Does she want some sort of compensation??" Yes. But nonetheless thankful. He probably offers her tiny discounts just as thanks, though he is wondering why she's there often.

𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐀

Taruchi: Dying Inside Pt. 2. She was honestly terrified when they came crashing into the Mostro Lounge. They're broke as hell, how are they gonna pay for damages??? Thankfully they agreed to help her and was once again Dying Inside when they all had to stay in that one room. She was internally giggling when they had to head back to Scarabia together. Genuinely impressed all over again. Like. "How does he knows all this stuff… Wow…" In total awe. Then she thinks about how much she'd owe Azul in the end and starts internally sobbing. (The writer doesn't remember if they owed him something) In the end, she's worried it's not just admiration

(I don't remember if this is canon or not but whatever) I think Azul would just consider this as his payment for causing so much trouble when he overblotted. I also think this is where he actually learns a bit more about her? (We ignore that Jade collects info on people) Through the lesson stuff, he learns she's smart and understands quickly. He's slowly starting to learn she's just genuinely nice. But he's still quite on guard around her, especially considering she knows his past.

𝐏𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐅𝐈𝐎𝐑𝐄

Taruchi is sad she's busy nowadays and is mostly stuck at Ramshackle. Meaning she doesn't go to Mostro Lounge anymore bc by the end of the day she's too tired. She knows it might be unlikely since he was so busy with the Lounge, but she hoped that Azul would be at the VDC.

Azul was wondering why she hasn’t been to Mostro Lounge lately then finds she’s been dragged to help with the VDC. He’s not sure how he feels, it’s weird. Later on, he decides he might as well drop by VDC to see the performance. After all, it was the entire reason they’d have more customers.

When the performance is done, they both see each other and talk for a bit… and they wind up spending the day just going around together. Azul goes back to his dorm more confused than before; meanwhile Taruchi is blushing all the way to her room and hides in her blanket. This night is sparkling don't you let it go I'm wonderstruck blushing all the way home

𝐈𝐆𝐍𝐈𝐇𝐘𝐃𝐄

Taruchi was in a classroom playing board games since the Board Game Club had met up. All of a sudden her friend and the lov— *coughing* her two friends are kidnapped??? She was RUNNING for a teacher but apparently other students were kidnapped too and she was friends with all of them. Maybe. Who knows about Leona

Oh, Rook is going after them? And Epel too? Well, count her in. She couldn’t do it on her own but she has two friends with her!! Me and the boys looking for classmates

The SHOCK when she discovers that one of her closest friends has done this. But also, so cool. But STILL how could he kidnap them all??

She’s relieved when she hears everyone is fine. Until it all goes downhill

When they finally meet up with everyone, it takes everything in Taruchi not to run to Azul and hug him… So she does that with everyone. But Leona. When she finally hugs Azul, it’s a little tighter and she says, “I’m so glad you’re okay.” Azul sighs and asks, “Now WHY would you come here willingly??” to which her response is “I wanted to save you. ...I mean— you as in everyone” and he shakes his head

When they have to split up, while Taruchi knows it’d be better to go with the Pomefiore group especially since they have two third-years, she desperately wants to go with Riddle and Azul. Rook sees that and he suggests that she go with them. “You’re both close to her and four in a group is a lot of people, hm?” Rook gives her a knowing smile and Taruchi smiles back.

She has to witness her two friends arguing and while their snide remarks make her let out a small giggle sometimes, she also tries to mediate. When they have to fight something, both of them jump forward to protect her so she's just 🧍‍♀️👍 At the part where they talk about their past and their dreams, she absolutely melts. She didn’t think she could admire Azul more than she did before, but apparently she was wrong. When they take a break and Azul talks about what he wants to do in the future, she listens so intently. And then he leans on her shoulder and falls asleep

She and Riddle whisper to each other: “Riddlehelpme” “What do you want me to do?? Move him??” “No, he might wake up!” “What then???” “I don’t know!! …Do you want to sleep too?” “No!”

Taruchi gets bored and she’s tired so she also falls asleep… leaning on Azul. Riddle tries to fall asleep but ends up leaning on Taruchi too.

They all wake up like o_o and pretend it didn’t happen

Then they have a wild ride. Literally. And their scene is over once Riddle gets white hair and Azul and Taruchi are panicking over that

Until later on the ride back to NRC where she’s staring at Riddle and trying to get used to it. Oh and also she and Azul desperately want to say something about what they’re feeling but they never get to it

𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐍𝐈𝐀

They… are closer and more awkward. Yeah, they interact more, but they can’t get through a conversation without internally freaking out and therefore making it end too soon.

Taruchi is regularly going to Mostro Lounge again. One day, she and Azul talk and she tells him that they found another clue on how to get her home. Their conversation goes: “So... The other first years and I have found a clue that gets me closer to going home (small smile)” “Oh! (smile) That's good news. I'm glad you'll finally be able to return to your world. (dying inside)” “Yeah, thank you (smiling but also dying inside)”

But you only need the light when it's burning low, only miss the sun when it starts to snow (<- the song genuinely made me cry) (Update: Guys nvm they're so Say Don't Go coded)

Taruchi realizes that it's only a matter of time before she leaves, so she decides she should try to get over her feelings! One goodbye was bad enough, this one would definitely be painful too. If she could make it less painful, the better. And no, you can't convince her to confess, she doesn't function that way

Azul also snaps into his senses and realizes he likes having her around and didn't want her to leave. It'd sting not seeing her at her usual table at the Lounge, not passing by in the hallways, not seeing her laugh in defeat as he once again takes all her money in Monopoly. But how is he supposed to tell her all that

[SPOILERS]

They meet again in Diasomnia during Lilia's going away party. Taruchi pretends she doesn't see Azul and continues talking to Lilia and the gang. Until Azul goes up to Lilia to say whatever he had to say, then she says hi and wanders off.

Azul finds her again and talks to her: “Hello, Taruchi. Are you enjoying the party?” “Oh, Azul. Hi. Yeah, there's a lot of people here. Though I'm sad Lilia's leaving.” “So am I. He's a good upperclassman. ...I've made an observation. Apologies if I'm wrong, but it seems like you're trying not to talk to me.” “N-no, not at all. Sorry if it seemed that way.” “It's all right...” (pause as he's thinking about if he should bring up his newly-discovered feelings, but it gets too awkward and she starts to leave) “Wait, Taruchi—”

Cue Malleys overblotting and putting everyone to sleep

The rest is dreaming and Azul isn't in it at all so!! To be continued!!

#☆ taruchi's writings ✍️#☆ 💙

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goddessofroyalty · 20 hours

Text

Fandom: Final Fantasy VII

Verse: Cloud is the Remnant’s carrier

Opened the scribble book to write another thing and found this in there that I kept meaning to type up and forgetting to. It’s also been long enough where I feel like this isn’t in the spoilers territory (which it still kind of isn’t because of how the game actually ended vs this being if Zack’s universe did get merged with the main one)

Tags: mpreg, omegaverse, implications of science fuckery

----------------

It’s weird returning to Elymira’s house after everything.

Aerith and Cloud aren’t upstairs comatose in their recovery from what happened to them. Instead they are right there in the living room – Aerith leaning on Cloud to whisper something in his ear that makes his eyes go wide and glance up at the stairs and back at Zack.

She seems to know what happened in the alternative timelines before they collapsed in on each other so Zack figures she is just telling Cloud about how Zack looked after them both. He pays it no mind how she puts her finger in front of her mouth in clear indication for Cloud not to say anything before grabbing hold of Tifa’s arm and leading her upstairs. She probably wants to show Tifa something in her room. Five years ago Zack wouldn’t have assumed the two of them would be friends but they seem to almost share thoughts at times with how close they are.

It’s nice to know Aerith isn’t as alone anymore.

“Thank you again for looking after my Marlene,” Barret says to Elmyra, drawing Zack back into the conversation as Cloud leans against one of the walls.

“It’s no bother,” Elmyra says. “She’s a sweet girl. A pleasure to look after. Unlike some other children.”

She looks over at Cloud at the comment and Spike just shrugs his shoulders not even meeting her gaze. Zack feels, far from the first time, like he’s missing out on something important.

“Well what do you expect with where they came from?” Barret jokes. “Ain’t no way they weren’t gonna’ be handfuls.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Elmyra says with the same awkward humor and Zack is about to ask what it is they are talking about when footsteps rush down the stairs.

“Daddy!” Marlene calls, throwing herself into Barret’s arms and the tough guide façade of his immediately melts as he wraps his daughter into a tight hug.

“Oh my baby girl I’ve missed you so much,” Barret practically sobs. And it’s sweet to see just how much he cares about his daughter.

The two eventually separates and Marlene goes over to where Cloud is. Waiting for him to kneel down to her height so she can talk to him at mostly the same leave.

“I made sure they were safe,” she says.” Nobody came after them.”

A flicker of surprise crosses Cloud’s face before it settles on a serious one.

“Thank you.”

Marlene nods at it before returning to her dad. She clings onto his leg before finally noticing Zack.

“Who are you?”

“What do you mean who am I?” Zack asks before remembering this isn’t the Marlene he lived with while waiting for Aerith and Cloud to wake up.

He kneels down in front of her because while she may not be the Marlene he remembers she clearly also likes when people talk to her at her level instead of down at her.

“I’m Zack Fair,” he says holding out his hand. “And, well, I don’t know if you will understand but I come from a world where things happened differently.”

“And you knew me?” Marlene asks, curious but firm.

“Sure did! I was kind of like you’re… uncle Zack.” Or close enough to it. And he kind of likes the idea of being called that.

“Uncle huh?” Cloud says and Zack’s a bit surprise he has any comment on it. “Want to meet your nephews then?”

“My nephews?” Zack doesn’t remember there being any other kids staying with Elmyra and even with all the timeline confusion he’s pretty sure he would.

Aerith and Tifa returning downstairs clarifies some of his confusion. Aerith carrying one crying silver-haired baby and Tifa two, more settled, ones.

“Wha-?”

“They’re mine,” Cloud says as he takes the baby off Aerith so she can relieve Tifa of one of the other two. His tone short in the way he talks when he doesn’t want more questions asked. “Hojo.”

“I-“ Zack doesn’t know if Hojo is a better explanation than the one he had immediately thought of when told that Cloud had three silver-haired babies. “Shit Spike.”

“No swearing around the kids!” Barret snaps like this situation doesn’t deserve much stronger curses than shit.

If Zack could he would revive even piece of shit scientist just to kill them himself. Hell, he might see if Aerith can pull some timeline strings so he can go kill some other version of the fucker to see if it will make him feel slightly better at not being able to prevent the asshole from ever getting his hands on Cloud.

Cloud just shrugs.

Zack supposes that’s the only response to give. What else is there to do with three babies clearly made from Sephiroth’s DNA? Give them back to Shinra for whatever lackeys of Hojo’s that are left alive to poke at and try and turn into the next generation of Shinra Super SOLDIERs?

“Okay.” It’s not like Zack’s gonna’ just leave them for Cloud to deal with alone even if it’s clear the others don’t plan on it either. “I’m not sure what to do with a baby but I’ll be the best uncle around.”

And maybe doing that will relieve him of his guild for everyone he failed.

#Cloud is the remnants carrier #Final Fantasy #Final Fantasy VII #FFVII #Final Fantasy mpreg #mpreg #Final Fantasy Omegaverse #omegaverse #Cloud Strife #zack fair #barret wallace #I accidently a ficlet

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katyspersonal · 9 months

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Damian and Mico cute headcanons 🙏

☁️ Damian would be 'fatherly' (or motherly? xd) partner for Mico, as he is somewhat older and is quite mature and more stable emotionally. Micolash could really find the most comfort in collected partner that could calm him down. Micolash can be an intense person! He had quite emotional problems, PTSD and nightmares even before the cosmic horrors, but Damian naturally would want to hold a person like this and tell them it will all be okay.

🐚 On the other hand, Damian's softness and caring attitude leaves him vulnerable for anxiety episodes. He has to watch all these darn kids go insane and is powerless to pull them back! But whereas Damian is very stoic person that is good at suppressing such feelings to be the "strong one" in any company, Micolash is a person he can open up about this vulnerable side to. Mico knows a lot about herbs and meds, and is able to make good tea, incense and other stuff to calm the nerves. So, he will take care of Damian, always able to identify when Damian is at his mental limit and not acting as his usual self. No one else is able to see past Damian's poker face like that! x)

☁️ They actually happen to share a lot of skills and knowledge. Both can cook well and love doing that, both love animals and can take care of them (sweet simpler times BEFORE Micolash would start switching heads of crows and dogs with one another ;-;), both have advanced medical skills, all that. Damian used to keep the vivarium at Byrgenwerth and using his biology knowledge to help with studying weird plantlife and fauna, but Micolash was a rare case when Damian had almost nothing to teach him...?

🐚 Them both being so similar in their life skills would make it not certain who does what chores, so they'd have to decide whose turn it is now through playing a game (from rock-paper-scissors to chess)! EXCEPT for cleaning. This one is always on Damian because Micolash is too lost in thoughts to watch his surroundings x)

☁️ Micolash would soon surpass Damian in his skills though, becoming way more advanced in both medicine and arcane. In my "official" timeline at some point the dynamic would slightly shift to Damian being more like a butler/bodyguard/assistant than a 'dad'! You might remember me depicting Damian helping Micolash to dress up for an event or kissing his hand. He is to Micolash what Yurie is to Rom, but he would not mind. In the 'nothing bad happened and everyone lives' or 'modern' AU, Damian would just straight up end in this role, taking care of Micolash's room, meals and schedule, whereas Micolash would be that wonky scientist type always too into his research to remember his basic needs.

🐚 Basically, they have potential for* both* very equal and supportive relationship and for more clearly distributed 'roles'. Which way it shifts just depends on how interested Micolash would be in healing and simple life pleasures, I bounce between two versions of this dynamic for this reason!

☁️ Perhaps not very 'cute' one, but Micolash would be rather possessive over Damian, feeling very uneasy if Damian gives a lot of attention to someone else. At least a couple of times, he pulled Damian away from someone that also needed his care and attention. This is usually the subject of their fights. Micolash becomes a LOT like a little baby when he gets jealous, just... straight up the vibe of a son of a single mother that will be upset if she tries to date someone because he wants her attention just to himself. Abandonment issues, man. I'd say although this is unhealthy, it is sort of... bittersweet reason for the fights? Sometimes Damian would manage to reassure Micolash that he is still the most loved person for him and he'd get to him as soon as he'd help that other friend/student/whatever. While waiting for Damian to be "all his" again, Micolash would become even more aloof than usual, spending the entire wait time making something nice for Damian (like a cake, a drawing, sewing him some cute shirt, etc). Not just for the sake of Damian, but for his own too, as that'd feel like connection while being separated.

🐚 They really love sea shells, both of them. If they could go to the beach properly, they'd collect a lot of them. And end up trashing their house with them, too, because none of them would have the heart to not hoard -_-" Collecting cool rocks is their second favourite thing. Basically, their 'dates' tend to be going on adventure somewhere to collect various wonders of nature! They legit need someone more reasonable to stop them and understand they do not need that much stuff hoarded xD

☁️ They have mismatched sleep schedules, like, very much so. So since there is a problem with going to bed at the same time, they read each other books before sleep! Damian will read him various stories, and Micolash would read him creepy ass scientifical research papers on experiments, surgery etc. Damian still sleeps like a baby tho because what matters is that Mico sounds genuinely excited and is sharing something he loves with him xD

_____________

Thank you for the ask!

#ask replies #bloodborne #bloodborne headcanons #micolash host of the nightmare #mensis scholar damian #damicolash #adorable.....#yeah less equal dynamic than say micoed but at the same time more wholesome?

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marshmallowprotection · 10 months

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KAAAAIT I just finished reading your fic Iris, and I just wanted to GUSH.

I absolutely loved how you handled the themes in the story. It felt so real and studied and had me completely wrapped up in it from start to end. The tension mixed with the tender moments had me hooked completely ahhhgg. I loved how the story explored different moments in the past interspersed with the present because it really do be like that when you're going through trauma omg. I also really loved seeing the exploration of all the loose ends that weren't really tied off in the secret endings, especially as they connected to the ways Another Story explored them.

Not gonna lie, goddd it got me thinking so hard about if MC in Another Story was actually Iris from your story... just if Ray had acted before they could join Mint Eye themself in the AS universe. Not me totally naming the in-game MC Iris moving forward because I am a huge sucker for the idea that they are soulmates that will find each other no matter the timeline...... ;_; 💞

Thank you for the incredible story!! I'm always excited to read your works, and I can't wait to go through more of them! I've been going through some rough stuff as of late, and your stories have been helping me a lot with that ❤️

Thank you for enjoying Iris! That story was an actual labor of love because ever since 2016, I wanted to write something about being Unknown's assistant, but I could never figure out how I wanted it to be. I'm glad I waited because I figured it out eventually, and I so very dearly love Unknown and SE Saeran as characters. I might be one of the resident Ray Stans, but make no mistake, I fell in love with those two at the beginning. I see myself in them. Which is why it was damn important to me to make sure I handled that situation right.

Iris is a reflection of what trauma does to you and to everyone around you. It's about what happens when you hurt people intentionally and unintentionally, and how you figure out just how to make something of your life after hitting rock bottom. Saeran's story is one that many can relate to, and I hope people see themselves in Iris when they're in the process of unpacking the story.

Shifting between the past and present was a very pointed plan. As Saeran remembers more and more of his past, the more he starts seeing what he did with Iris... the good, the bad, the ugly, and the beauty in it all. I do hope the little surprise with you know who at the end was worth it considering the story was building up to that from the get-go. I left little crumbs for that but I'm happy to hear someone liked that!

Iris is one of my favorite Reader-Insert characters.

Here, I'll give you a little fun fact from that story since you sent me a review. Did you know in the story I'm Saeran's therapist? Nobody has ever noticed that and I figured it's time to drop that fact.

#ask #creator kami #mystic messenger #mysme #mm #iris #saeran x reader #se saeran #saeran choi #choi saeran #mod kait

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salsa-di-pomodoro · 1 year

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About the Ingo + Arceus road trip: waitwaitwait, what do you mean by consequences in a trip to the future of his own timeline? 👀

Well, as i said it's nothing actually too concerning, just a setback. You see, since the last world he traveled long enough that he would take at least a week to fully recover from the strain of it that's what he should have done. But because of the knowledge that he is so very close to going home and finding Emmet and finally getting his answers, along with the added stress of trying not to see anything about the future (cause yeah that's going to be. Stressful. What if it's not something he wants to know?), he decided to leave earlier. He does not tell the future people of how long he should have rested. (They'll figure it out either way, looking at records of Ingo's many future (past?) Interviews 🥲. They're not going too upset over it though. They understand, they're just worried. They decide to keep a closer eye on any future fallers or interdimensional travelers they find.)

Either way, Arceus is understandably concerned over this fyi like they do care, they've spent the last few months with this guy and are pretty aware of his limits, but Ingo is really just... Tired. He insists over this, and they cave. They make sure to go particularly fast and be even more careful than usual this time, but of course they can't do everything.

Ingo gets only to see the shoreline of the forest underneath the entralink area and realize he made it before he gives in to his body and he passes out. He tells Arceus he's going to sleep, and they, not really knowing any better still (they're horrible at social interactions outside of divine intervention ಥ⁠‿⁠ಥ but hey what else was it going to be. They spend all their time doing who knows what managing the universe. This is just one arm after all.), trust him in that. They hang around in the faint way you'd imagine they were looking over Akari in the game, sort of looking over him and waiting for him to wake up and making sure he doesn't die. If he were to die now they would feel so upset over it. They became friends with Ingo over time (i don't think they will completely leave once he is settled in his life either; they're probably going to be a metaphorical call away :)), which is probably the closest they're ever going to get to being a Pokémon companion, something i believe they wished to experience if the battle with them at the end of the game tells me anything.

He is found by a family of zorua and zoroarks. They aren't used to seeing humans so far into the forest and got curious. Ingo's Pokémon, who were starting to get really worried (it has been a while since he went to 'sleep' by now), sense them and they decide someone should come out. The first one to do so is Ingo's alpha zoroark (the others are happy to know someone is out there helping Ingo and calm down for the moment. They do listen in though). It was particularly excited about getting to Unova, knowing it was the land its ancestors came from that was spoken of so longingly by the oldest zoroarks in the packs, the ones that still remembered when they were kits, leaving that place with their parents, following humans. It is immediatly blindsided by the sight of ALIVE zoruas and zoroarks, and for a moment it only revels in the knowledge they they are There, finally, before remembering why it was so impatient to get out. It finds it cannot wake up Ingo. And immediatly asks for help from the zoroark's family. The poor guys are incredibly confused and maybe a little afraid and or disturbed to see such a visibly scarred (i mean like. The red things) zoroark (also it's huge, cause its an alpha) and would really like to ask a few questions, but they accept either way. Why would they not, after all? (They do not know that in Hisui asking for help on behalf of a human to any Pokémon would be So dangerous)

So with a bit of help from some of Ingo's Pokémon they bring him back to their den. Arceus, whose full attention has been attracted by now, comes back in the right plane of existence, and once informed Ingo isn't waking up, promptly freaks out a little and wakes him themself, by using divine powers or something.

Ingo wakes up with a terrible, terrible sense of déjà vu and no idea of where he is or how he got there. He is terrified to realize he doesn't remember nearly anything.

Lmao SIKE i would never do that to him. He thinks he doesn't remember anything, but really he's just in that state where you wake up and don't even know who you are for a hot second, except he's exausted enough that he doesn't even realize he hasn't quite woken up completely and therefore will be in that state for a while, along with the added effect of the harsh travel causing a more serious version of the confusion effect Pokémon can get. Except he's a human so even that's different. So he's basically just tired and confused and panicking and the void travel temporarily blocked his memories. This time fr temporarily. He isn't thinking straight enough to realize he recognizes all the Pokémon in the room by name, but to be fair to him at this point he can barely move still, so.

Arceus, who is also internally panicking by now, decides that if Ingo truly once again doesn't remember anything they'll help him, this time not just out of duty, but because he is a friend and really, this is te first time they truly realize how much they've come to care for him, but if anything happened to him they'd truly grieve. They've only felt grief such as the one they re afraid of now, years and years ago, with the original hero. Ingo may not be the here but that doesn't matter.

So despite having no idea of how to do that, they decide to take a page out of Ingo's book, and decide that no matter what, they're going to fix this, just like he resolved to fix his situation, no matter what it took.

So they tell Ingo not to worry. They tell him to not try to force himself to remember, and they reassure him that he is going to be fine, they'll make sure of that. He has nothing to worry about. They tell him to go back to sleep.

And really, is anyone going to look in the face of a god, with the subconscious knowledge they they are your friend, telling you that you are going to be fine and NOT believe them?

Ingo goes back to sleep. When he wakes up next, a day later, he is still extremely tired, but he can move and think properly (courtesy of his Pokémon feeding him persim and lum berries ground into paste, also courtesy of the zoroark family's berry stash. They did not sign up for Arceus showing up in their den but there doesn't seem to be any danger and MAN are they curious by now), and finds that he can remember everything just fine. He finds by checking his (somewhat recently repaired) xtransreceiver that all the pictures and videos he took of the worlds he has been in match with what he remembers. He isn't missing any time. (Arceus is secretly SO relieved when he tells everyone this. They had been getting dirty looks by everyone when they refused to explain how exactly they were going to fix this, and they are glad he doesn't actually need their help. Also he's just their friend and they're glad he's fine.)

Ingo promptly starts trying to get up and leave to go home and has to be forcefully kept in the den so he doesn't overexert himself again. He has not learned anything from this experience. He needs so much therapy poor boy <3

(they can't keep him there for long though. The next day they depart, with a promise to go back to visit (Ingo's zoroark is so happy to have made a few friends already :) the zoruas love their weirdass new family member as well. They're so cool and weird :) they will not stop asking questions, as kids do.) and manage to get on the other side of lostlorn forest by the time it's night. It's not long to Nimbasa from there. The roads feel so familiar already, even this far from the city itself.)

(Chandelure has been feeling a disturbance in the force, but she knows not to leave. Ingo will get here soon. Emmet has noticed how chipper she has gotten in the last few days. He has also noticed how she tends to stare towards the wall, in one particular direction. He will not need to wait for much longer, he knows.)

Extras in the tags! Reblogs are very appreciated.

#are you curious about how Ingo's xtransreceiver was repaired? it happened during the Event :)#i have such a soft idea for how ingo and emmet reunite. but i cant write anymore hhhhhhh it's three am #btw arceus uses any pronouns in my headcanon! i just use they them cause its easier for me. idk how to use most neopronouns :/#ill make an effort eventually but absolutely not today at 3 am #man this was so much longer than i thought it would be #ingo + arceus roadtrip au #ingo #warden ingo #subway boss ingo #subway boss emmet #submas #chandelure #arceus #pokemon arceus #pokemon legends #pokemon legends arceus #zoroark #hisuian zoroark #yeah ill add those ones too #zorua #ppl seem to just forget about the entralink in fics. i will only be having it make a brief cameo here like this but it has sm potential #ughg i am so tired. if i need to add any tags i will do it tomorrow good night #blankshippers dni #thank u please

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