#also disclaimer: using Shadow as a coping mechanism is 100% valid

[purplecatghostposts]

Adrien, having just learned about the Senti-Thing: I just… I barely feel like a person sometimes. Like this body isn’t mine. How do you deal with it?

Félix: My coping mechanisms won’t necessarily work for you. It helps to gain a new perspective however— surprisingly enough, some forms of fictional media help. Mewtwo for example.

Adrien: You used Mewtwo to cope?

Félix: No, I— it doesn’t matter. My point is that I’ll help where I can but I can’t fix your self-image issues. That’s a journey you need to take.

Adrien, mumbling: Might help if I knew how you did it though… *Notices Félix is hesitating. Sits up abruptly* Wait… Wait, is it embarrassing?

Félix, too quickly: What? No.

Adrien, catching on: It totally is. Tell me. Please?

Félix: Adrien, it doesn’t—

Adrien: You kept this a secret for ages, you owe me!

Félix, grimacing: …shadow the hedgehog…

Adrien, eyes widening and a startled laugh leaving him: What?

Félix, face turning red: I USED SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG TO COPE WITH THE NATURE OF MY EXISTENCE, IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR?

[chaoskalo]

//Headcanon prompt— talk about how black mask is another mask Akechi wears!

you know what. sure !

so, i think to understand the loki / black mask persona that akechi has in royal, we need to understand robin hood. usual disclaimers off these are simply my ramblings and hcs and may or may not line up 100% w/ the game but sh.

we won't touch a lot on the "robin hood is goro's idealized view of justice," because it's very been there done that everyone agrees that it's canon. also i'll warn you now, this really ended up just being me rambling about loki as well so. maybe i didn't really answer the question it's fine.

robin hood steals from the rich and gives to the poor, he has a heart of gold, he has a band of merry men and fellow thieves that he would trust with his life, he has a woman who loves him even if sometimes things are complicated... ultimately, robin hood has a happy life, a happy existence. on the other hand, akechi has basically just known pain and rejection his entire life. he's never had anyone who truly loved or cared about him, that wanted him around for more than a short time. robin hood isn't just a pillar of justice, it's the life he's secretly always wanted.

with that out of the way... let's talk about loki.

we'll cut to chase and try to not get too into the myths of loki as that is a topic for another day. long story short though, loki is the manifestation of akechi's rage. all of his feelings of being outcast, about needing to avenge his mother, on shido... everything is rolled into the trauma holding persona that calls him a little bitch in his mind. loki tells him to let go of all this false pretense that akechi is a good person, that he actually believes any of this bullshit he spews. he reminds akechi of the fact that his anger is so all consuming that it's suffocating him.

in royal, black mask basically acts like a feral little goblin, and while you can see this as akechi just showing his real self, and i do think that's a valid interpretation... consider what i just said about loki. loki encourages a very... something coping mechanism in akechi literally tearing apart shadows to vent all of that excess anger out. black mask isn't really a true personality, ie. his mental state is constantly being fucked with just by using loki's powers at all, with the constant maniacal laughter and general feral actions.

you can probably see what i'm getting at here, in that black mask really is just... the only way he knows how to deal with and cope with whats happened in his life for a very long time. and it cracks in the engine room too, where he can no longer hide behind bloodlust and countless shadows, where he has to stand there and be faced with how his plan is crumbling down around him despite his best effort.