#but it doesn't really matter because it's not a 1:1 adaptation

[flysafepapi]

I'm not the only one that thinks we might get to see Louis' family again soon, right?

Because yeah, the last time he saw Grace was at the cemetery and she was very clear that she was going to tell her kids and anyone else that he died too, but she didn't say she was going to stop talking about him altogether, and her kids were definitely old enough to remember, and he didn't hesitate to go into very specific detail about everything, some of which is extremely verifiable and stuff that Grace would've talked to family members about

It makes sense, right? Like most of the world believes that it's just fiction that was written as if it's fact, and they wouldn't look deeper into it because to them it's just a fun read or whatever

But like, imagine your sister texts you about this new book she'd been reading that she thinks you might like, so you decide to check it out, and at first nothing seems off but then you read about stuff that sounds vaguely familiar like you've heard it before, but you can't quite put your finger on why everything seems familiar, and then you get to the part about what happened to Paul, and the tap dancing at Grace's wedding, etc, stuff that you probably would've heard about before, and you go "hold on a goddamn minute, I remember grandma telling me this story about her mother" or directly from Grace herself depending on how old they are, idk I didn't research ages

like there's no way they wouldn't try to get into contact, right? I would for sure, I'd have so many questions

[manikas-whims]

request for LADS

what if u have to fake date the guys for some reason but its starts becomin difficult for ur heart cuz you start catching feelings

thank you 🙏

thanks for this request! ♡ i went a lil overboard with this LOL. WARNING ⚠️ long post..

Fake Dating the Love and Deepspace men but you catch feelings pt. 1

ZAYNE

❄️ Tara keeps trying to set you up with one of her colleagues, and no matter how subtle she acts about it, you're getting tired of it. Thus, you come to this decision! You request Zayne to play your fake boyfriend for a while.

❄️ The matter of his own feelings aside, Zayne just thinks that fake dating someone to avoid potential dates is incredibly crazy. “You can simply ask your friend to stop.”

❄️ His suggestion is baffling. You feel like an idiot for ignoring the obvious solution. But only a moment later realize that even asking her to stop won't likely deter Tara. At least not until she sees you with a person better than any of her chosen candidates.

❄️ So you decide to let go of the little self-respect you have and beg Zayne to do this for you. He is amused by this ridiculous proposition but agrees nonetheless since he can never really say no to you.

❄️ It's an amazing experience cause Zayne is the perfect boyfriend anyone could ever ask for— handsome, smart, caring, strict when needed, protective and very accommodating.

❄️ The first time Tara meets him, her eyes literally glow with admiration. And she pats your back like a proud aunt, winking suggestively as she does so.

❄️ However, Zayne has always been great at adapting to the situations at hand and soon your arrangement starts becoming a bit of a problem for your delicate heart.

❄️ It is one thing to show him off to your colleagues. But Zayne has started doing stuff like dropping you home everyday after work, his only explanation being “that's what he would do if he was your REAL boyfriend”.

❄️ And this isn't all. He's taking breaks in the afternoon to have lunch with you everyday and make sure you don't miss any meals. He slips your hand inside his coat pocket on particularly colder days. He even focuses on the little things like wiping a coffee stain from your bottom lip or gently pushing the stray strands of hair behind your ear. All this while, his explanation is: it's what he would do if he were your real boyfriend. And you aren't sure your heart will manage long if this goes on.

❄️ The real issue arises when one of your colleagues point out how they've never seen you kiss. And this makes Tara perk-up too.

❄️ In your defense, you spout some nonsense about how Zayne is kinda shy by nature and doesn't believe in PDA much. “When we're alone, he's very passionate.”

❄️ This leads to Tara and a bunch of colleagues secretly tailing you when Zayne comes to pick you up one evening. For they also wanna see this passionate side of him.

❄️ “Um..Zayne, can we kiss?” You whisper, your eyes averted, and fingers fiddling in nervousness. Its not that you are worried about the "kissing" part. Thats easy. You are actually worried about kissing Zayne.

❄️ As for Zayne, he is confused and shocked at first. Even blushes a little. But thanks to his perceptive nature, he quickly spots your colleagues and understands.

❄️ So as you clumsily teeter closer to him and raise yourself on your feet to reach his height, he chuckles at your efforts as well as the pained expression on your face.

❄️ “Relax.” He commands and magically, his words do calm your nerves a little.

❄️ He smiles then, his big arms wrapping smoothly around your waist as he lowers his head and lets his lips gently linger against yours, igniting a desire within you.

❄️ When he finally pulls back moments later, you nearly loose your footing.

❄️ This is it. The last shred of your sanity blown away. It may have only been a few moments but the kiss leaves an impact on you. Your heart can't take it anymore. Because you enjoyed the kiss more than you should have. And its made you realise that you may have actual feelings for Zayne.

XAVIER

⭐ There's this creepy resident at your apartment complex who's been trying to make moves on you but he's just been so nice and subtle about it that you have no idea how to turn him down. Thus, instead of that, you ask Xavier to play your fake boyfriend for a while.

⭐ “This doesn't seem like a good idea.” He says, hesitantly scratching his cheek.

⭐ Xavier also believes beating the shit out of the guy is a better option, and a permanent solution. But again, you can't do that because the guy hasn't actually done anything threatening or concerning. Thus, any sort of unwarranted violence against such a guy will only result in more problems for Xavier and You.

⭐ So Xavier sighs, and nods with a smile. “Fine. What do you need me to do?”

⭐ “Just do things only a boyfriend would do whenever that guy is around.” You tell him and he nods.

⭐ And so it starts with you dragging Xavier out for morning laps and evening walks around the complex, and you always make sure to hold onto Xavier's arm whenever you spot the strange guy.

⭐ But as the days go by, you sense as if Xavier may be a little too good at his new job.

⭐ One evening as you are working out at the gym on the top floor of the apartment complex, the guy walks in and approaches you. To your annoyance, he begins his usual small talk. But he's barely strung two words together when you feel the warmth of a hand gliding along your waist.

⭐ You look up to find Xavier, his clothes sweaty from workout. He tucks his chin on top off your head, his arm around your waist tightening ever so slightly. “Do you know this guy?”

⭐ It takes a moment for you to realise you're gawking! At the same guy you had asked to pretend to be your boyfriend. And it's not just his fingers stroking circles on your belly but also the way his voice sounds more intimate!??

⭐ Quickly, you compose yourself and stammer a response. “N-Not really. He's a resident just like us.”

⭐ And with that said, you're being steered out of the gym, Xavier's arm never leaving your waist.

⭐ Ever since you've known him, he rarely breaches your personal space without permission. A gentleman through and through. It's you who's been messing with his hair, squishing his cheeks and poking his chest to tease him all this time.

⭐ But ever since you asked him to play boyfriend, he's the one initiating skinship at the most unexpected moments. It's as if this fake dating arrangement has given him a free pass to do everything he usually holds back from.

⭐ Now he holds your hand whenever you're walking together, idly plays with your hair strands when hanging out at your place, and ALWAYS makes sure his arms are around your waist or face nuzzling your neck in the presence of that strange guy.

⭐ You may have been the one who requested him to do this but you aren't so sure about this whole thing anymore.

⭐ A few weeks have passed but the guy is persistent. Now he's always trying to find you when he's sure Xavier won't be around.

⭐ “It's not working. We need to do something more convincing.” You say in a deflated tone. You and Xavier are standing in the hallway of your floor, having just returned from a mission.

⭐ And that creep is lurking at the end of the floor by the elevator, waiting for Xavier to leave so he can ask you out yet again.

⭐ Xavier tucks a hand under his chin, his nose scrunching in thought. “Something more you say..”

⭐ Then in the very next moment, he pushes you against your own apartment door, a hand coming to rest upon it to keep you in place; his other hand gently cradles your face, arching it slightly before he presses his lips against your own.

⭐ Only a moment later he pulls away, then kisses you again. This time with more fervor than needed to fake it. And when he breaks the kiss again, his lips gravitate towards your neck.

⭐ “Xa..Xavier..?” You're stunned. You're not even sure how you are meant to react.

⭐ Xavier pushes away from you slightly and turns his head, his gaze directed right at the strange man. “She’s mine.” He asserts.

⭐ The man is as shocked as you are and immediately runs away.

⭐ Xavier looks back at you and flashes his usual soft smile. “This should convince him enough.”

⭐ Seriously!? Who cares about that guy anymore? Your heart is the most convinced that you may possibly be falling for Xavier.

RAFAYEL

🌊 “Miss Bodyguard, would you like to date me?” Rafayel asks one day out of the blue, and you are left feeling equal parts flustered and confused because WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!?

🌊 He enjoys watching you trying to act nonchalant when your fidgety movements and flushed cheeks clearly tell him otherwise.

🌊 Finally he explains how he has accumulated quite the fanbase, thanks to not just his art but his gorgeous looks. And now these same loving fans are becoming slightly toxic with how they stalk him around, making it impossible for him to even go out in peace. Aa such, he wants to promote you from the position of his bodyguard to fake girlfriend.

🌊 You don't like the sound of it. You can already smell trouble from afar but you know he'll keep pestering until you relent. So you agree to it in the end.

🌊 Only later you realise what you've actually gotten yourself into.

🌊 Rafayel is already kinda clingy by nature but now that you've agreed to his dating charade, he's fully taking advantage of it.

🌊 Everytime he drags you out to a public spot, he makes sure that the two of you hold hands. And rather than going to places that may inspire him for his paintings, he drags you to expensive fashion brands stores.

🌊 Even as you refuse to let him buy any of it, he makes you try on the outfits for hours, making you turn this way and that, asking you to pose in specific ways as he snaps numerous photographs (which he'll definitely use as reference for his portraits of you). And just when you think it's over with all the fancy clothes, he makes you try on footwear next.

🌊 He's also buying you all these gifts you never asked for. He's basically spoiling you with things you can't otherwise afford.

🌊 He's also posting a lot of cringe yet cutesy couple photos with you on his social media accounts.

🌊 And you may not admit it but you are beginning to enjoy being spoilt like this.

🌊 Weeks pass without you even realising. This arrangement is becoming more and more dangerous for your heart. Because lets be honest Rafayel may be enjoying playing around with you like this but the same can't be said for you. You know that if this goes on any longer, your heart is bound to make space for him.

🌊 “How much longer do we need to keep this up?” You ask one day.

🌊 He merely winks at you. “Just a little longer.”

🌊 You try your best to keep your emotions in check. You just need to endure him and his charm for a little longer. Heck! You kill wanderers for a living so the matters of heart shouldn't be anymore difficult than that. Right? Right?

🌊 Oh how foolish you are.

🌊 It happens during a private gala Rafayel is invited to and of course as his “girlfriend”, you're supposed to go with him.

🌊 That, and the other reason being this crazy musician who will be there. Apparently she's been hitting on Rafayel for a while now, and your appearance may finally make her retreat.

🌊 So there, amidst the crowd of snobbish strangers, Rafayel asks you for a dance. And in the dim glow of the hall, paired with a slow, romantic tune, he feels closer than he is. And it happens..your resolve falters.

🌊 He wiggles a brow towards the corner of the room, and surely enough, you spot the aforementioned crazy musician. Indeed, she doesn't seem very happy with the way Rafayel has his arms around you.

🌊 And to deliberately spur her further, he lowers his head. His breath is ticklish along your skin as he whispers in your ear. “You’ve moved along quite well to my tune. You're a good dancer.”

🌊 For some reason, you don't like those words. Rafayel complimenting you so freely cannot be a good sign.

🌊 “Just endure a little longer, Miss Bodyguard. Tonight will be the last run of this charade.”

🌊 Then he tucks a lose strand of hair behind your ear and leans his face in, his lips gently brushing along yours before pressing harder.

🌊 The kiss is slow and lingering, just like the song being played. But it seems that the moment you begin to give in and truly relish it, the moment ends. He pulls away and smiles.

🌊 Yet you can't muster enough strength to smile back for its happened. Your resolve is broken. Your heart has already reserved the best spot for him. And you aren't ready to let go of this charade any time soon..

here's [PART 2]

i have 4-5 more LADS requests to finish. i'm working on them and will post them soon ✌️😊

THANKS FOR READING ♡

SEND ME REQUESTS FOR LOVE & DEEPSPACE HEADCANONS VIA ASKS.

» MASTERLIST «

[always-just-red]

Hi! Hope you're having a good day!

Just found your blog yesterday and read Onychinus' Finest. I've been STARVED of Kieran and Luke fics, not enough people appreciate them, so I come with a request! (Most of what I'll say is totally optional. I believe in the author's creative vision overall so if something doesn't fit feel free to change and adapt whatever you'd like.)

Either hunter or assassin MC, where they're at a mission, and they're ambushed. One of the twins gets hurt protecting her, maybe even taken, and she just goes on a rampage to get him back. They've never quite seen her so protective and yet so vengeful. She might go by herself? When Sylus wants to plan ahead properly since his own miscalculations lead them to get attacked in the first place. The twins are loyal to him, the other brother won't go without his permission despise his brother being missing or hurt. I'm just picturing her finding a broken mask, half of it missing (she's never seen their faces before.)

Happy ending. 🥺 Just fluffy you know? I want the twins melting into her, one with gratitude for finding his brother and the other just with disbelief and affection that she's do all this for him.

Special mention to any heads on her lap like overgrown puppies, just holding her close. They're sweet boys I think, especially if their guard and masks are finally down.

You can take this as platonic or romantic, she could be with Sylus and still have grown to really care and look out for the twins, or she could love them. (I don't know which ones angstier)

Thank you for even considering this even if you decide it's not worth your time!

AAAAAAA HEY!! You had such a vision for this and it was so fun to work with-- I hope it's everything you imagined! You've always been so so so supportive and kind, so I low-key went all-out on this, that's half the reason it took so long. 😭😭 Think this is my longest fic so far oh my gosh? Love it though, all the action scenes took me RIGHT back to my Assassin's Creed fanfic writing days haha Anyway! This is set in the same canon as the last fic because I loved that dynamic ngl. Not a direct sequel though!

Beneath The Mask

Luke and Kieran x Reader 🎭

Part 1 | Part 2

Summary: Sylus and Kieran are useless, as always, so you take matters into your own hands

Genre: angst + fluff + ACTION!! *karate chops*

Warnings/Additional tags: f!reader, nonMC!reader, platonic Sylus x reader, swearing, descriptions of violence, injury, broken bones, killing (don't @ reader, she wants her man back!!), but also some humour 😌

| Word count: 4.6k | Masterlist | Opt-in to my taglist here!

Disclaimer: Characters belong to Love and Deepspace. All work is my own, so please don't repost or plagiarise!

Sometimes, you think you’re the only member of Onychinus who isn’t completely out of their mind.

You’d think it was Sylus, your indomitable leader. Smiles-with-a-knife-at-his-throat Sylus. Has-the-situation-completely-in-hand Sylus. It used to inspire you: that crimson gaze of his, always alight with a fire that’s never, ever, quite out of control.

How does he do it? You’d wonder in awe, like a wide-eyed child enthralled by a magic trick.

How does he do it? You’re wiser, now. You know it’s a lie, now, but you still can’t see through it. It’s driving you mad.

You watch as the man works away at a large, glass monitor, his fingers gliding across the screen with their usual grace. You get glimpses: names, faces, contacts. He’s testing the cords of his network— an intricate web— and he’s hoping someone’s caught something he can sink his teeth into.

He’s been at this for two hours, ever since you dragged yourselves back here with your tails between your legs. There’s a gash on his forehead that hasn’t yet healed, and the blood is still drying, dark on his face. Has he thought to heal it? Or— there’s a smudge on his finger— does he like his guilt a little warmer to the touch?

“We need an order, boss,” you seethe, because you’re tired of standing beside him, unacknowledged.

“You have your order.” He types out a message. Dismisses another. “Wait.”

“I meant an order that isn’t complete bullshit.”

He shoots you a glance, his eyes embers of warning. “Careful, sweetie. You forget yourself.”

Your fists ball. “Oh, spare me.”

“What would you have me do?” he mutters, gaze returning to the screen. He isn’t rising to the challenge, or should you say— stooping to it. He’s so goddamn noble.

“They have Luke, Sylus.”

“I know.”

“So let’s fucking do something! Let’s go back, let’s get him. They caught us off-guard last time, that’s all. They got their hands on some Ever tech, so what? We know that, now. They don’t stand a chance if we just—”

“Charge in there, guns blazing?” Sylus finishes for you, lips curled in derision.

It sounds stupid out loud, and he wants you to hear it. You do; you don’t care. “We don’t need all of this,” you beseech, your hand waving over the monitor. “We have you, boss.”

“Me?” he chuckles, and it’s so, so bitter.

Is that the guilt you’ve been looking for? It isn’t enough. His eyes are still pools of calm— spilt blood, unreciprocated. How does he do it?

“We have to do something,” you say limply. “Please, I can’t… I can’t do this, Sylus. All this nothing. Tell me what to do. I’ll go back alone if I have to. Just say the word and I’ll—”

“Look at this,” he interrupts, stepping away from the screen so that you can take his place before it.

It’s an order, even if it isn’t the one you want. You roll your eyes as you obey, and you begin to scour the intel he’s gathered. Eyewitness accounts, rumours, surveillance footage— some courtesy of Mephisto— and it’s all centred around two things. One: the aspiring new gang you’d set out to dismantle earlier, and two: a link to Ever. A solid link to Ever. 

“They didn’t steal Ever’s tech,” you release on a sigh of understanding. “They’re working together.”

“Mmm.” Sylus’s hand clears the screen before you. “We should have known. I should have known.”

Your mind is so caught-up by the revelation that you almost miss the confession.

“This was my mistake,” he continues, watching you. “And you are all my responsibility. Believe me…” He taps the screen and live surveillance footage springs up: an outside view of the compound you’d raided earlier. “I want to burn that place to the ground as much as you do.”

But… “No collateral damage,” you murmur, eyeing the guards on patrol.

“No collateral damage,” Sylus nods. “Do you trust me?”

“I trust you, boss.”

And maybe he is burning with just as much anger. Maybe the fear is making his heart drum, and the guilt making his skin crawl. It’s the same, old trick, isn’t it? Done to death:

The mask without a mask— just where does he hide all that?

Maybe he doesn’t.

There’s only so much faith you can have in something you can’t see.

…

Clink.

You slot a bullet into the magazine of your pistol, then follow it up with another. Clink. Then another. Clink. You’ve never relished this quiet— not like Sylus does. To him it’s an art. To you: a chore. You glance about the armoury, and you’ve never resented your shelves of options quite like this before. Antiques. Prototypes. So many means of dealing death.

You’ve never seen the beauty in it, but a shot through the heart means something different to Sylus than it does to the rest of you. It can be intimate. Symbolic. He can die for something, someone, and he can do it over, and over, and over again. How poetic.

You holster your loaded weapon, then reach for another.

“What’re you doing?”

The voice makes you jump. “Gods, Kieran. You want a bullet through your head?”

“No.” He misses the meaning of your words. “Why— wanna shoot me?”

“Right now?” you ask cynically.  

He laughs like he hasn’t got a care in the world. Liar. You’ve finished loading the second gun so you slide it across the table to him wordlessly. The beak of his mask lowers as he regards it; he doesn’t pick it up.

“You’re being weird,” he says after a moment. “It’s cool. I like it.”

You roll your eyes, wandering over to a rack of weapon attachments. There are different sights. Silencers. (Is that how you want to play this? Quiet?) “I’m going back for Luke,” you state as you muse it over. “You want in, or not?”

The rest is implied: Sylus doesn’t know. He isn’t coming. All of that’s evident from the fact that you’re here, rifling through his precious collection, and not ensnared in the tendrils of his Evol somewhere. A toddler could connect the dots. Kieran will get there. Give him a minute.

It takes half a minute. “I’m sorry,” he mumbles. An ambiguous apology.

“It’s fine, Kieran.” He was never going to come with you. “I can do this alone. I can—”

A weight lands on you, tackling you into the weapons rack, and you land on the floor amongst the attachments you’d just been perusing so calmly. The weight stays on you, pinning you: hands are on your wrists, twisting you around. “Kieran!” you protest.

The man pulls away, leaving you slumped in your new, uncomfortable seat.

“Wha—” You try to stand up but you’re jolted back; your wrist is fixed to something. You turn your head, eyes widening as they fall on the pair of handcuffs you’ve been restrained with. They’re padded— lined with a soft, velvety material. “Where the hell did you get these?”

“Boss’s room. Luke and I had a bet,” Kieran shrugs, now towering over you.

“You win?”

“Heh. Yeah.”

You’re still trying to squeeze your hand out of the cuffs. You pry at them. Twist and wriggle your fingers— none of it’s any use. You glance up at Kieran, admitting defeat with a sigh. He brushes his hands together in a ‘job well done’ sort of gesture, his eyes fixed on you, well— you have to imagine they are.

Instead of windows to the soul you’re faced with red-glass imitations, impossible to read, and you’re tired of all the guessing.  

“How do you do it?” you ask with a quiet desperation. “How do you act like everything’s fine?”

“Boss will come up with a plan,” the twin says simply, like he hasn’t really thought about it.

“And what if it takes too long? What if we’re too late? I mean… think of all the shit he knows, Kieran. Everything about us, about boss— it’s priceless. Do you really think they’re holding back?”

Kieran huffs. “You worried he’ll snitch or something?”

“I’m worried they’re hurting him!” you snap. “What the hell is wrong with you!? He’s your brother! He could be dead and you’re acting like, like..”

Your voice trails off as you gaze up at him hopelessly. There’s nothing to see— no tension in his body, no harsher rise and fall to his chest, betraying a nervous, racing heart. All the usual signs are missing. He isn’t shifting on his feet like he does when he’s anxious. Is he that good at pretending, or…

Does he really not care?

You shake your head, looking down at the floor; you’re so sick of red eyes. He’s crazy. Sylus is crazy.

There’s nothing for it, then.

“You know what?” you chuckle dryly, under your breath. “Maybe you’re right. This isn’t all bad, I mean… when’s the last time you and I had any one-to-one time, huh?”

Kieran is silent. He lowers himself slowly until he’s crouched before you— forearms resting on his knees. His head tilts inquisitively: Go on.

“Maybe,” you lilt, “this is an opportunity.” You’re practically whispering, and the man leans in, not wanting to miss a word. Your free hand reaches for a horn of his hood and you use it to pull him closer; he doesn’t even resist. “How about we…” you speak into his ear, “go look through Luke’s stuff?”

Kieran draws back, those false eyes meeting yours with an intensity that makes you think, for a second, that you’ve gone too far.

“You’re the best,” he breathes out, suddenly fiddling with the handcuffs, slotting the key into the lock. “Just… the absolute best.”  

Got him.

The cuff springs open and you’re on top of him, tackling him to the ground and pinning his arms by the side of his head before he can think to stop you. “Oh,” he grumbles, going still beneath you, and it sounds like his eyes are narrowing, “you’re not the best. You’re sneaky.”

His compliance lasts all of a second, and then he’s fighting back— using his strength to throw you off balance and wrench his wrists free. He rolls on top of you, trapping you just as effectively as you’d done him, and he laughs like a child, having ever so much fun.

With a grunt of effort, you manage to push him aside. You turn onto your stomach, scrabbling away as you look for space, opportunity, and— if you’re being honest— something you can throw at him. A hand connects with your shoulder and you thrust your elbow backwards on instinct. It hits something hard.

“Ah, shit! Wait, wait, wait… time out.”

You freeze instantly.

Kieran’s voice is different; it’s acquired a clarity that tells you his mask his away from his face. Don’t move. You stare down at the floor with a patience that’s almost sacred. He’s taking a while, though…

“You ok?” you ask.

“Yeah.” His voice is different again, like he’s holding his nose. “Nosebleed.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

“It’s cool.”

You sit up with your legs crossed while you wait, but your eyes are still trained downwards. You can hear Kieran’s breath, a little ways behind you— so much clearer without the mask— and the intimacy is always sobering. Realising he’s vulnerable, knowable, and all you have to do is turn around. 

He doesn’t rush, though: doesn’t scramble to pull the mask back down, or insist you keep looking away. The silence, the stillness— all of it is trust.

There’s movement in the corner of your eye; he’s set the mask down on the ground while he bleeds.

“I’m worried too,” he admits softly, and you’re not sure what’s more foreign: his voice, unhindered, or the honesty it carries. You don’t want to scare either away, so you do nothing. There’s more: “I can’t leave boss, though. Who else has he got?”

“The hunter?”

“Nah,” he dismisses. “She’s hot stuff, y’know? A lot of players in that game.” He taps at his mask idly. “Heard one of them’s a doctor.”

You’re quiet again. Thinking.

“Boss always has our back,” Kieran asserts. “We have to look out for him too… That’s the job, right?”

He’s not really asking you; you came to this late, after all. It was their job long before it was yours.

You’ve nothing to do but look at your hands and listen, biding your time. The passing seconds are still restless, useless, but the sensation slips when you feel hands on your waist, pulling you back. Kieran’s arms wrap around you. His chin settles on your shoulder, and you close your eyes.

“Stay,” he says. “Please?”

His pain is harder to sit with than your own. Minutes ago, this was something you wanted. Now it’s just another wound you don’t know how to stitch up; too deep, too late.

You let your head rest against his, but you don’t say a word.

…

This was easier when you were relying on Mephisto’s guidance and not hazy, disjointed memories. The last time you were here you were running, Kieran at your side and Sylus not far ahead. You weren’t thinking about what corners you turned or what directions you travelled; you were thinking about everything behind you. Shouts. Gunshots. The subtler rush of your leader’s Evol, still crackling, still faltering, courtesy of whatever technology your attackers had managed to appropriate.

It all happened so quickly.

Every corridor feels longer, now. Each moment— slow. Your body is aching. You’ve lost count of how many encounters you’ve had, but there’s a new bruise or scrape for every body in your wake. None of it has been easy. You ran out of bullets just getting inside this damn place, and the rest has been messier: up-close and personal.

You’re catching your breath, so you toe the rifle of your last adversary, lying a short way from their limp, open hand. They never got a chance to use it, and you were lucky; it would have been loud. Every guard in this run-down labyrinth is looking for you. The last thing you need is to send out a homing beacon.

Glance around. Try to work out your bearings.

This was once a police station. Old-world. Eroded beyond recognition, almost. These places were the first to fall victim to the backwards evolution of the N109 Zone. The bones are the same, but the skin is different. Every wall is scrawled with anti-Association sentiments.

It makes you smile, despite everything.

Your footsteps are deliberately quiet as you carry on down the corridor, turning into the next room— you’ve been tackling them one-by-one. There’s a narrower corridor before the room opens out, and then…

Cells.

A short line of them— five in total. Your heart wants to beat faster with hope, but your mind is holding it back: insisting this is wrong. It seems abandoned. Forgotten. You walk by the first cell, and then the second. Nothing. The third. Nothing.

There’s a sound behind you, and you almost don’t hear it. You spin, only to find a hand wrapped around your throat, tight and unforgiving. A guard thrusts you up against the red-brick column that divides two cells, and you’d cry out in pain, but there’s no breath to carry it. Your eyes water. You try to prise the hand away, and it’s desperation that possesses you— not skill or experience.

You kick out and hit nothing, but the second time, you catch the man’s shin. He shouts, his grip failing just enough for you to slip your fingers beneath his. A few seconds of advantage. You grasp his wrist, using your other hand to wrench his forefinger backwards— crack. He staggers with a cry and then you’re dodging his frenzied attempts to recapture you: weaving behind him, seizing the back of his neck. Your foot trips his. He’s teetering, off-balance, and you use the momentum to crash his head against a bar of the cell.

Metal rings out. Flesh splits.

The guard crumples at your feet and you almost go down with him. Your lungs are pulling for so much air that it makes your throat sting. Adrenaline laps your limbs, celebrating in sheer, ecstatic disbelief; you’re alive.

Someone wolf-whistles and you swear you feel everything stop.

Your gaze shoots up, lit by hope, but it’s quickly snuffed out. A young man is watching you from the fourth cell, his arms threaded through the bars. There’s a shameless grin as his eyes flit over you. All of you.

“Fuck off,” you sneer as you step over the guard. You turn to leave.

“Rude.”

Your eyes go wide. You spin back. “Luke?”

The man cocks his head like you’ve asked a trick question. “... Yeah?” It takes a drawn-out moment of you staring at him, motionless, for him to recognise your confusion. “Oh, right. Here—” he draws up his hood and the horns are missing, so he emulates them with pointed fingers— “this help?”

You lunge forwards, trapping him in a hug through the bars of his cell; you barely notice the separation. He chuckles as he hugs you back: “Miss me?”

“Yeah,” you exhale in relief, even though he was definitely setting you up for a joke. You break away from him, forcing yourself to look at anything but his face. Gods, his face. Pretend you don’t already want to look again. “Are you hurt?” you ask. “Did they—”

“Nope!” he interrupts with what sounds like a smile. “I told them everything.”

You glance up; you can’t help it.

He winks at you. “I lied. Glad you got here before they figured that out, though. Sheesh, that would not have been fun.” His hands wrap around the bars. “Can you get me out of here?” He tugs at them. “Pleeease?”

Right. “Yeah.” You glance around. You just need to find the—

“Key’s with the dead guy,” Luke says. “What a jerk, huh?”

It still feels like there are hands on your throat. “Totally.” You wander over to the body, bending down to rummage through the man’s pockets. After a brief search, you produce the key.

Luke slow claps. “My hero.”

You laugh softly as you return to the cell, unlocking the door and pushing it open. The twin strides through, giving a little bow as he passes, then stretches his arms like he’s just been set free from a much smaller cage.

“So…” He speaks in a sing-song sort of voice, sniffing the air like it’s sweeter. “Where’re boss and Kieran?”

“Um. Home?”

Luke narrows his eyes at you— vaguely resembling the slits of his missing mask. “You went rogue?”

You wince. “I did go rogue.”

You’re still being studied warily. Luke has raised an eyebrow and it’s so starkly expressive; is this a look he gives you often? You have a feeling it is. Then he shrugs and it’s gone. “That’s hot,” he quips. He crouches down beside the dead guard, lifting the body and puppeteering one of the arms to wave at you. “Look— this is gonna be you when boss finds out.”

You cross your arms. Luke laughs, dropping the man back down with a thud. “Just you and me then?” he clarifies, holding a hand out to you.

Are you supposed to know what to do with it? “You and me,” you confirm. Your hand goes out too.  

Luke slaps it gently one way, then another. He entangles your fingers. Pulls back. Does a few more slaps in sporadic directions, and— is this a secret handshake? You don’t have a secret handshake.

“Nice,” he beams once the ritual is complete. “Let’s go, let's go!”

…

Luke is hanging close to the wall across from you, waiting— listening— as you both brace yourselves behind the turn of yet another corridor of the rival base. He sneaks glances around the corner.

“Anyone there?” you whisper.

He shakes his head, but he doesn’t look at you. He doesn’t press on, either, because it’s odd; you’d both thought you’d heard something. This isn’t your usual strategy— playing it safe. You don’t think you’ve ever seen Luke err on the side of caution, but he’s concentrating, even closing his eyes so he can listen harder.

You take advantage of the moment in a way you shouldn’t: letting your gaze linger on his face. Even with his hood up— shadows lowered like a veil— he’s still a stranger to you. You want to know him; you know him already. He’s been smiling at your jokes forever, but tell him one now, and it’ll be the first time.

His eyes open, meeting yours. Could he sense you watching? He grins, poking his tongue out at you.

“Stop it.”

“You stop it,” he retorts. The coast must be clear, for he comes away from the wall and rounds the corner with a spring in his gait.

You sigh as you stand to follow him. One less-enthusiastic step forward, and something snakes around your ankle. Your gaze drops like a stone, but it isn’t fast enough. You’re hauled into the air, voice failing, vision swimming as the world flips upside-down and you’re strung up from the ceiling. “Luke!” you manage in warning.

Are those his footsteps, coming back? You’re facing the wrong way and you try to lift the lower half of your body so you can reach for your ankle, but you’re already exhausted. Your muscles burn. After a few, futile inches, you give up, going limp.

There are footsteps behind you. “Oh, hey boss!” Luke exclaims.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

An unwitting pendulum: you can’t keep your body from turning, ever so slowly, until you’re staring the right way down the corridor. You can’t see much of it, though.

Sylus is in front of you, so close that you can almost feel the heat of his eyes.

“Hey, boss,” you echo reluctantly.

He says nothing, and behind him, Luke slides a gloating finger across his own throat: you’re dead! And you’re turning, still. Sylus lifts a hand to the top of your head and swivels you back to him. “What happened to that trust of yours, sweetie? Hmm?”

You half-laugh, nervous. He doesn’t seem quite as amused.

Releasing your head, he steps back with a huff of disappointment as you start a slow rotation once more. He taps a finger to his chin pensively, like you’re a masterpiece he’s convinced might be a forgery, now that he’s looking more closely. “Reckless little thing, aren’t you?” he tuts.

There’s maybe a smile, but it’s short-lived; the dark rope around your ankle whips you into the air. You shriek with shock as you lose all bearings, all vision, all sense of reality. You’re falling.

Someone catches you.

“My reckless little thing,” Luke grins, jostling you into a more secure position in his arms. “Mine.”

You want to protest, but your breath is gone.

“You can’t afford her,” Sylus speaks over his shoulder; he’s already taken the lead in guiding you out of here. Mephisto squawks somewhere up ahead, appearing in a cloud of smoke and feathers.

Luke gives a defensive hmph as he holds you tighter. Then he smiles down at you, and though it’s new, you know it’s far from the first time, and even further from the last.

…

“Are we really doing this?” you ask Sylus sceptically.

“Lighten up, sweetie.” He clicks his fingers.

Not far from you, currently oblivious to your presence, Kieran stands at the door of your leader’s study, still waiting for an order. The air above him changes: it swirls with a dark, scarlet mist. Luke drops out of it, landing straight on his twin’s back.

“What the—” Kieran splutters, but his brother’s arms are over his shoulders, around his neck. “Get off!” he squeaks out.

“No way. I was a prisoner,” Luke chortles. “You have to be super nice to me. Carry me everywhere. Boss said so.”

“He did not!”

And with those words, Kieran flips his other half the rest of the way over his shoulder; Luke lands on the ground with an unceremonious splat. All four limbs are sprawled. “Ow!” he whines.

Sylus has already strode the rest of the way into the room. “Play nice,” he scolds as he steps over Luke, then passes by Kieran.

“Yes, boss!” they chime, stilling obediently as the older man disappears into his study. The moment the doors close behind him, Kieran throws himself down. He wrestles with Luke, both of them laughing and rolling around as they try to hurt each-other.

It makes you think of those old, vintage cartoons you used to see on TV. You can just picture the cloud of dust, the colourful stars and shapes flying with every traded punch. Idiots.

You leave them to it, slinging yourself down on a couch and closing your eyes. Gods, you want to sleep. There’s blood dried to your hands and face, but you’ll shower later. There are grazes and cuts still bleeding, but you’ll tend to them later. Everything can wait.

The room has gone quiet. Too quiet; you open your eyes.

Luke and Kieran stand in front of you ominously, their figures symmetrical. The illusion of reflection is broken by Luke’s absent mask, but his eyes are just as unreadable.

“What?” you cave.

“You went rogue,” Kieran states, and his brother is nodding gravely, like this is a very serious infraction.

You smile. “I did go rogue.” More shameless than last time. “I got a free pass, though. Luke said it was hot.”

Kieran’s mask turns to face his twin, slow and resentful. Luke shrugs. “What? It was.”

There’s an impasse: long enough to make you think they’re having some kind of secret discussion. Both twins look at you. You smile sheepishly. You don’t think you’ll ever really know the entirety of what goes on in those heads, but it’s for the best. You value your sanity.

“You went rogue,” Kieran carries on, as if his speech had never been interrupted, and his authority not just completely undercut. He moves closer, slinking down beside you, and Luke plays the part of his mirror image. “There will have to be a… punishment.”

The word is elongated for effect, and it’s remarkably similar to Kieran’s ‘ghost voice’— which you know, thanks to the time he roped you into that ‘the base is haunted!’ prank. (Sylus did not, in fact, fall for it.)

“Bring it,” you murmur, closing your eyes again. “I just stormed a whole enemy base single-handed. I think I can handle the two of—”

Your voice meanders to a stop as Kieran nuzzles against you. His mask is off; you feel the soft of his face and the bridge of his nose. His breath is light on your neck. You smile, slipping deeper into your seat and then his embrace as his arms go around you. He’s warm. Really warm.

There’s a weight— Luke’s head on your lap— and he hugs you too, arms lower around your waist. His breath tickles your stomach. You hum in contentment, running your hands through his hair. 

He's safe. You're all safe.

They were never going to say thank you; it’s not in their nature. Their language isn't superficial. It isn’t words spoken aloud or feelings worn on the face— it can’t be. A smile is too easily read by the rest of the world, but a smile behind a mask? It’s private. Reserved only for those who’ve learnt to hear it in your voice, or see it in the way your body relaxes when you hold someone you care for.

A language of tiny, intimate details.

Kieran has never nestled his face quite so closely against you. You don’t think you’ve ever known Luke go so long without talking.

[grogumaximus]

Driving Style Secrets Episode 1: Max Verstappen | Edd Straw and Mark Hughes

Edd: (...) So as a starting point, let's just have a basic overview of how Max Verstappen drives. And then perhaps we can explore some of the details of that as we go on.

Mark: Yeah, well, as we say, it depends upon lots of different things, and it's important not to get too dogmatic about it, especially with Max, because he is very, very adaptable, and he does think a lot about it, and especially with his sim racing, he's constantly comparing techniques in a way that you don't have time to do in the real thing. So he does employ a lot of different styles, but he does have a preferred technique, which is, you normally see it in slow to medium speed corner entries. It's fairly early into the turn with a bit of braking overlap, so he's building up the cornering force as he's reducing the braking. Lots of momentum really meshes those two elements of braking and lateral forces together, a bit like Lando Norris in fact. Then once he's got the speed down and the brakes are off, sometimes there's a second bite of the steering when the car's more ready to accept it to get that last little bit of turn. But it's more dynamic than with most other drivers. It's like he's more keyed into the moment, keyed into the grip and the balance of the car in that moment. And he can feel it earlier and adapt what he's doing sort of moment by moment. So if the grip's not there as he's trying to build up the cornering force with the braking force, he'll maybe reduce the braking a little bit and turn in a little bit later, just trying to get that front tire to wake up and respond. And it's a very adaptable technique. It comes into play when the limitation of the car changes between the front and rear tires. As the tires wear and the fuel load comes down, it allows you to be more flexible. And I think because he's got that instant sort of adaptation, that flexibility gives you lap times more consistency. So because he's constantly adapting to what the car and the tires and the track surface are doing.

Edd: I would say if you want to see some of that adaptability showcased, the Suzuka pole lap on board from this year is quite a good example in terms of how it's not kind of a lap of perfection and precision, but it's a lap of perfection in terms of responding to what the car needs and trying to drive around some of the limitations. And I think that's a really, really good showcase of what he can do. But I think one of the important things with Max is he does have phenomenal sensitivity in terms of being able to Feel what the car is doing and interpret that feedback really really fast because that's what it comes down to doesn't it? You've got an input in terms of all of that that feel and information you're getting you've got to process that as close to instantaneously as possible and nothing happens instantaneously and then you've got to transition that into an output and It's not I mean you could talk about it being reactive and in a way it is but it's not like you know it's quite easy to drive a car reacting well after the event and that's how you can get quite a spectacular driving style when the car's all over the place and you might think wow that's brilliant but actually these days that that doesn't work because the way the cars are once you get into that really obvious sort of sideways sliding or whatever you've long since ruined whatever corner you're particularly in but that to me seems at the heart of Verstappen's ability just just the pure mechanics of it and then the pure mental processing of it to absorb that and then transition it into an output in what's a matter of a tenth of a second.

Mark: Yeah, and I think part of that is because he's not even having to think about it because he's thought about it so much in advance. He doesn't do anything else almost. In between races, he's on the sim and if he's not sim racing, he's actually using his sim to try and replicate real situations. And you saw that in 2015, when he went around the outside of Blanchimont, of Felipe Nasr. And that was a move that nobody had seen be pulled off before, but he practiced it and practiced and practiced it on the sim. And for the first like 50 times or something, he practiced it. He couldn't get it to work, but he did find a way of making it work. And so when that situation presented itself, it was already there, it was already built in. And it's the same with his, how he reacts to any changes in the grip and things like that. It is partly intuitive and partly built in, but it's also partly just already there just through repetition, through repetition, which has been one of the great motifs of his career, you know, instilled in him by Jos. It's just a graft of doing it over and over and over until you get perfect at it. And you see him described as being very at ease with the car oversteering. And that's just another manifestation of the same thing. It's that same sensitivity, because all he needs is to get that initial response into the corner. But the tipping point, really, where you get the quick rotation, but you then lose time through the rear sliding as a result of the quick rotation. So there's a very, very narrow sweet spot in the middle where you don't lose that time, but you have got the quick rotation. And it's not always there. The car doesn't always give you it, or the tires don't always give you it, but he's better at finding it. The narrower it is, the more difficult it becomes, and he's better than anybody else at finding that. So if the car starts to over-rotate, he can feel it so early. And because of that lovely feel, just as it's starting to rotate too much, he'll change how much braking or steering he's doing. And in that way, that's how he can just have the rear of the car dancing around him and still keep momentum. You know, we saw qualifying turn one in Miami. He had that moment at turn one, a quick oversteer snap because the tyres weren't quite ready. But he maintains the momentum. It doesn't, it isn't just a, oh, that's the lap ruined. He just does the corner in a different way. Michael Schumacher used to do the same thing. It's very similar in that regard. But he's actually so good at that. that it sometimes misleads the team and at least twice Red Bull have headed too far in that direction with their car development until even he's found it too much. But it's been at a point sort of half a season later than the other driver, Alex Albon or Sergio Perez, have been pointing the problem out.

Edd: It's interesting you mention Schumacher because I do see there's similarities there. It's that kind of responsiveness of the car. I remember years ago doing an interview with Johnny Herbert, who of course was Michael Schumacher's teammate at Benetton, the end of 94 and in 95 and he said that you have this car that's very very pointy you know the kind of like the turning moment of the car is sort of miles in front of the car and it turns in really responsibly and he said what Schumacher could do that he couldn't was calculate how to deal with that rear end and stop it turning into a slide and it just it just astounded him in terms of what Schumacher could do and it's similar with Verstappen the cars have changed a bit You can't go quite as far down that path these days as Schumacher did, but it's still there. In fact, there's a quote from Max Verstappen I think is worth throwing in about his driving style, where he just said, I like a pointy car, but with a rear end that is just stable enough to have a controlled balance. I like a strong front end. I don't like understeer. It's just killing the whole feel of the car. But yes, a strong front end with a rear that's just on edge. But then, of course, you still need that rear to rely. And I think this is When we're talking about what I'd say the broadest brush stroke on Verstappen, about liking having that responsive rear, this is where I like to talk about tolerances. And it's that ability to have the rear that moves and rotates enough and then just be able to control it. And I don't see any other driver on the grid who can go as far into that as Verstappen can. And as a general rule, as a driver, that's going to be the quickest way to do things because you've got the responsiveness and driving a car through a corner, it's all about rotating it, that's your key thing, rotating it with as little time loss as possible so that you can then gun it on down the straight having got through the corner, not lengthen the corner, keep the corner at a sensible overall length and that's what it's all about with him and getting that entry phase correct but it's not achieved as you said by being last of the late breakers because he isn't, Pierre Gasly learned that he was trying to catch up with Verstappen when they were teammates by braking later under rotating and then he kept complaining about poor traction on exit because he had more lock on he was trying to turn still turn the car more because he hadn't done that rotation so for me that's that's critical with Verstappen and that's something that you can't it's very, very hard to replicate, isn't it? Because it's been learned over those decades, that hard baking, all of that subconscious processing into yourself, which has been done, he's been doing, he's been building up since he first drove a car at what, the age of four?

Mark: Yeah, that's right. And I think it is partly learned, but I think it's also partly intuitive. Just some people are wired up in a more suitable way than others. And that essentially is why one guy is quicker than another. Doesn't make them better necessarily, but it forms the foundation, the basic foundation of some drivers is just higher because of that basic physiology, so I think in Max you have the ultimate in both, you have the ultimate DNA from his race and driver parents probably, and then just the insanely intense way that he was trained by Jos in the early days. And I think, you know, it wouldn't have worked if Max hadn't bought into it. And he obviously has bought into it in a massive way and he doesn't want to do anything else or hasn't wanted to do anything else. So, yeah, you see this perfect synergy of nature and nurture.

Edd: Exactly. And I think that word synergy is important because although we have certain innate characteristics and skills, like you talk about the ability to sense from kind of the lower spine, some of that area comes from, but you have to refine it and work on it and use it. And that's all the stuff that just gets plugged into the subconscious processing. And it just allows you to do what you do to calculate it. So he certainly, I mean, I know there's criticism and I completely get it in terms of, the elements of what Max was sort of put through when he was karting by Jos pushing him. But, and you address this in the book, that's, whether you like it or not, that was the experience that Max had that has played a part across the board in terms of making what he is today for better or worse. So he's almost a unique case in terms of the nurture element of the equation, I would say. And therefore, I think even if you wanted to, like, grow your perfect racing driver, I feel like that Max is kind of in such a unique position in terms of how it happened to racing driver parents, plus Jos feeding in his way of doing things, all of the mistakes that he made in his career. Right from the start, he talked about how he wanted to make sure Max had the knowledge he didn't have, because Jos was very much a driver with great, great potential that ultimately wasn't delivered on. And Max is almost the, well, he's got that same potential, but it's been delivered on in spades.

Mark: Yeah, exactly. And I think also not to be underestimated is that he was brought up living in the karting environment. You know, Jos at that time was making his living from running kart, running karting teams, preparing kart engines. Max lived in that environment right from the start. He didn't know any other environment. So I think It's different even from other kids who have started very early, but their parents have had a conventional life outside of the kids racing. It's beyond even that. So every little tiny area of advantage, every little thing, thing that he'd learned from, you know, the specific tools you need in that environment and in karting. And it's a very, it's very highly specialized area of racing. The things which you need to know, which don't, don't apply to any, anything else actually, once you've got out of karting. So you've got a shortcut, you've got a shortcut through all that instantly. And I think that's not to be underestimated either.

Edd: One of the things that's always struck me about Max, I mean, we've both watched him for endless hours from trackside over the past, well, going back to 2014. In fact, I can remember we were both watching at the Esses, weren't we, when he had his first FP1 in Toro Rosso. I think I was on one side of the track, you were on the other. And I remember seeing him there. the experimentation through the laps. You could see he was changing his approach to the corner, refining it. And I don't know about you, but I saw him continue to do that for a few years, certainly around 2018 time. He was still doing it. If you watched on Friday in FP1, you'd see that experimentation. But it seems to me that as the experience has grown, that experimentation phase has gotten narrower and narrower and narrower to the point where, to all intents and purposes, it almost doesn't exist, does it? He is responding immediately, like first flying lap of a weekend. He's adapting to the car and he's seeing the limitations and then pushing back at the team saying, right, this is what we need to do. This is the area that's weak. And that's been an area of kind of evolution with him that I've seen most obviously trackside in that that experimentation has just become almost invisible because it's done in the first few corners almost.

Mark: Yeah, and I think this is part of what I was saying earlier on about the levels of thought and preparation that he's doing in between races. He's just soaked in it. He's thinking of it all the time. And it'd be very tempting to think when you get to the level of someone like Max that, okay, I've mastered this craft now. But he doesn't ever seem to think that. He just seems to think there's always more things you can find. And as you say, as you refine that, it becomes less visible on the outside, but he's clearly still doing it. And I think then it would be interesting to see how long he could just maintain, he's obviously found this sweet spot now, how long he would be doing that before he would have difficulty in adapting to a new formula, a new way of driving. Something like what Lewis Hamilton has probably been experiencing for the last few years with these regulations, because they don't suit the way he naturally drives, but he's not. He doesn't apply the same level of immersion, I don't think, in the technicalities as Max does. He knows exactly what he needs and can feel it. But I think with Max, he's always He's always thinking about it and he can change technique from one corner to another or one set of tires to another. It's almost as like he has certain trigger points in his brain already and as soon as it happens he recognizes it and acts. And that can only come from lots of deep analysis and deep thought and trying things out, which he does in the virtual world.

Edd: How about limitations? Obviously, we've seen times when teammates have been closer, say when the car is understeering. There were times when Perez got closer. Do you see that as something that Verstappen struggles with, or do you just see it that it just limits him and it just lets mere mortals get close?

Mark: Exactly that. I don't think, you know, when the car is just understeering all the way through a corner and that's the basic trait of the car, well, it's really easy. You know, there's not much difference a great driver can make from a good one in that situation. It's like, you know, playing noughts and crosses against Einstein rather than trying to play him at chess or something. It's just, you know, he'd have half a chance, wouldn't he?

Edd: That's a great analogy.

Mark: I like that one. It's just, it puts a ceiling, puts a false ceiling on the great drivers if you just dumb the car down. And that's what understeer does, it dumbs the car down, makes it easy, makes it not particularly satisfying to drive, but it's relatively easy to get to its limit. So I don't think it's a limitation of Max. that he's not as much quicker than ordinary drivers when he's in an understeery car. I just think that that's the car putting a false ceiling on his ability.

Edd: And also an understeery car is kind of at the extreme other end. That thing I was talking about earlier with when the rear instability is such that people can't cope with it, but an understeery car can give you plenty of confidence, but it just slows you down. That's just the way it works. And I think that's an important thing to note when we're talking generally about driving styles. Not all driving styles are equal. You will fundamentally, a car that has got that rear instability, provided it's the right level of it, provided everything else works with the car, it will be quicker than a car that's a bit understeering. So it's not about driver preference, making the difference in terms of the car needing to suit them, it will just limit them, which is why I think the whole argument about the car being made for Verstappen is more complicated because he allows you to go to places where the car's quicker, but it's trickier. That can bring its own problems, but it's just the way it works. But I think it's worth talking about other limitations that may happen with Verstappen. That point I made there about the fact it can push the car into slightly difficult places where perhaps the team underestimates how much how much difficulty has been engineered into it and doesn't take seriously problems and also his kind of mentality in the car. We haven't seen it this year but there were times last year when he was getting a little bit agitated, hungry I guess is the great example where I feel he compromised himself in the race just by getting too angry about everything. So those are kind of the two areas where maybe you can make the case that there is a limitation. How do you see it?

Mark: Yeah, I think his emotions, sometimes he struggles to control his emotions when things aren't going well. And probably the best example of the opposite of that, of someone who can control their emotions perfectly is Oscar Piastri. And that can pay dividends in all sorts of ways. And so, yes, I think you could probably point to a handful of races over the years that Max has got less than he could have done had he controlled his emotions better. But at the same time, maybe that emotion is what's pushing him on to achieve what he does. So it's probably just the other edge of the same coin.

Edd: That's very true. You can't pick and choose. qualities and characteristics necessarily can you they that it's rare that it's binary that oh this is all bad sometimes some negative comes with the net good and I think that's certainly the case with Verstappen. I think we should talk about his wet driving as well because wet weather driving By its nature, it has to be to an extent reactive in terms of the track can change from corner to corner, from lap to lap, in terms of the amount of water that's down and how it's been moved around. We've seen some great wet weather performances from him in the past. I guess that famous one at Interlagos all those years ago is one that often springs to mind. But I guess the wet is a very pure manifestation of Max's qualities, isn't it? Because I always think you have to improvise a little bit more in the wet, don't you?

Mark: Yeah, exactly. And it's about improvisation, but it's also about knowledge and his knowledge of where the rubber is and therefore which bits to avoid and how it's so much more, how it's such a different line to the dry line. That's one of those things that he instantly knows because he's thought about it beforehand. and has experienced it so many times and has taken note of what happens. So it's partly that, and it's part reactive. We talked about the feel that he has, just that intuitive feel. It also applies to not just the lateral and the brake, and it applies to the throttle as well, of course. And the engineers, when they first start working with them, they all say, God, he's got amazing feel for where the traction limit of the car is. His throttle foot is almost glued to where the traction limit is. It's uncanny. So you combine that feel for where the lateral grip is and how quickly attuned he is to changes in grip. And that means he's just devastating in the wet. And, you know, part of that is confidence as well. He knows how good he's going to be, and therefore that sort of becomes self-fulfilling to an extent.

Edd: Yeah, I think that's a good point. And that traction sensitivity, as I like to call it, is so valuable. And probably only Charles Leclerc, I would argue, of the drivers we're talking about is on a similar level to Max in terms of that, because he's fantastic on that score as well. But I think it's worth briefly mentioning braking as well, because he's not last of the late breakers, but he's capable of being it. And I think braking technique and brake feel in these cars, it's probably the area that most consistently astounds me with these drivers. And F1 drivers are generally astounding in many ways. But if you think about what you're trying to do when you brake, It's a rock-hard brake pedal for a start. You don't have much feel, particularly with these cars, with the anti-dive and that kind of thing. And then on top of that, you have the interaction with the downforce, which is huge in that you're not just responding to the grip, but you're trying to cross-reference that with the expected change to the car as the downforce reduces, as you reduce the pressure. And there's so many factors going into that. Verstappen's phenomenal at that as well.

Mark: Yes. So the grip is decreasing at a very, I mean, the downforce squares with speed. So it's coming down at the square root of the speed. So you can imagine how quick that is, how much less downforce you're getting as the speed comes down as you're braking. So you– It can't be calculated, it has to be feel, it's happening so fast. So you have to have a perfect feel for where that grip is through your foot. And as you say, the latest cars with so much anti-dive and the suspension really loses you some of that feel. So yeah, it then becomes even more important to be sensitive to it because it's not giving you as much feedback, the pedals are not giving you as much feedback. And yes, but even some idea of how difficult the current Red Bull is, he's having difficulty with lock and brakes. We saw that a couple of times in Miami. We've seen it in the previous races as well. We've seen Yuki Tsunoda in particular struggling with it. So that's clearly an area that's limiting him. especially as the things change during the race, as the grip level changes and the balance changes and things.

Edd: Yeah, and that's important. You need a car that you can actually feel properly and actually adapt to that because, as you talked about, his braking phase, you know, braking isn't fundamentally about slowing the car. I mean, obviously it is, but it's also about manipulating the car, isn't it? And getting everything perfectly set for that turn in. point, which is what makes it so important. And it's another area that Verstappen is very, very good at. And I think doubly so with these cars, actually, that's– that's so, so, so important. And it's why I think it's one of the key reasons why it's so hard for his teammates to do what he does, because it's almost counterintuitive, because the driver kind of wants to push on a bit and try a little bit harder and kind of naturally that takes your mind to a break a little bit later, carry the speed in and That's not really what it's about. So, again, you're not trying to push yourself in terms of just that sheer attack of the corner. To do what Verstappen does, you have to push yourself in terms of that manipulation and the way you kind of get the perfect attitude of the car as you turn into the corner. And not just that, but also in terms of where your aerosensor pressure is for given phases of the corner. There's just every part of this art. There's so many things to calculate and respond to. Verstappen himself has his limits, but he seems to do all of that better than anyone.

Mark: Yeah. I mean, every speed of corner, every track temperature, every state of the tires, every car, it's different every time, you know? So it's never, the corner is never going to be exactly the same. Even the same corner is never going to be exactly the same, but in different speeds of corners, the technique will be completely different. If a hairpin, for example, that doesn't have very much a long straight afterwards, if it's a hairpin and just a short, like China, for example, turn 14, you've just got a little stretch between the exit of that hairpin and then the next corner. It'll be all about late braking and that's where the lap time will be and you don't need to worry too much about the exit and you'll see Max being the latest of the late then and you'll see him being able to outbrake people in there. We saw that spectacular in his very first Grand Prix there in 2015. He could just brake later than anybody else and still keep the wheels from locking. So that's what I said earlier on, you've got to be quite careful about being dogmatic in terms of what terms you're using. Because yes, he can be if that's what's required, but he's very attuned to what's required and what's usually required in more conventional corners. is, as you say, to get that rotation as efficiently done as possible. So with the ultimate trade-off between the quick direction change, I'm not losing any time through the rear getting upset.

Edd: And I know people are going to be crying out at us to talk about this. It's kind of adjacent to driving style, but we can talk about the racecraft element, because I think this is the area where Max probably gets the most criticism. And by racecraft, in this case, talking about the wheel-to-wheel stuff. Do you think that's an area where he can be weak in some elements? Obviously, he's a very hard racer. He knows the passing limitations in terms of the guidelines. He certainly pushes those limits. But do you think that's an area where he maybe oversteps the mark, potentially to his own detriment?

Mark: Occasionally. I think probably if you looked at it statistically, he's come out better more often than he's come out worse as a result of, if you look at any of his marginal weight from a sporting perspective, if you say that, ooh, that was either past the line of the regulations or pushing up very close to them. I think his success ratio would be pretty high. Whether that's how you should go racing, I mean, that's the perspective of the outsider, isn't it? That's those looking in, making their own judgments on that, and then everybody would be their own. So, yeah, I don't want to get moralistic about the way he chooses to race, but it is extremely aggressive. And as you say, understands instantly the implications of any guideline. You saw with Norris in Miami, which is all to do about the latest guideline for 25 that the drivers agreed with the stewards about if you can get to the apex with your front axle ahead of the attacking driver on the outside, ahead of his mirror, then you don't have to leave a car's width on the exit. As long as you can get there ahead of him, then you can run him off the road effectively. And that's what he did. there was no regulation come back from that. Whether that's the way you should race, particularly on a corner where there's an element of danger there, the runoff sort of comes up to a point and there's a wall there, but he acted upon that. He was the victim of that same regulation in Jeddah, where Oscar Piastri used it to his advantage. But the difference there, of course, was that the corner geometry allowed you to rejoin in the lead, whereas Norris couldn't do that because the circuit was going the other way from where he was on the runoff, you know, the other direction. So there wasn't a shortcut there, he was going the long way around. Yeah, Max is always the first to understand the implications of a rule change and many of the regulations that have been changed are as a result of Max pushing the limit.

Edd: Let's bring it to a bit of a conclusion now. In terms of what Max offers, in terms of his driving style, his ability, do you think he's the best driver in Formula 1 currently?

Mark: Oh, unquestionably. I think as a combination, yeah, he's not always the best. And I don't agree with Franz Tost saying he's got three tenths on everybody. He hasn't. There are certain... Yeah, nobody has that. There are certain situations where Charles Leclerc could be faster. There are certain situations where Lando Norris could be just as fast, for example. But as an overall combination and looking at it in the round, yeah, he's got a way higher score than anybody else.

Edd: Yeah, very, very much. I think if you had to pick a driver to race for your life, I think most would choose Max Verstappen, wouldn't they, because of what he's achieved. And I think I'd certainly agree he's the best driver currently, and it's always difficult when the careers are still going, but he's certainly in the debate for greatest ever already, I would say, and that's a debate for another time, maybe 10, 15 years down the line. It'll probably be a debate that's raging in 50 years or 100 years time, but a fascinating driver, and it's been great to dissect in some detail his style and his approach, and we hope that people have enjoyed hearing a little bit what we've seen and observed and learned about Max Verstappen over the years. (...)

[supremefloof]

episode 6 thoughts: DANG

Shang Chao is one of the characters of all time. spoilers below! this post is also very long.

THESE DANG ENERGY DRINKS ARE IMPORTANT! This shot is symbolic of something!

these could be "Electro Energy" brand drinks (the brand mentioned later to show how Yang Cheng E-soul is costing money for Mighty Glory).

Is that a "no. 8" or a "no. 0"? 8 would make sense but there's problems with that, those being -> 1. is E-soul still rank number eight here? and 2.:

the trailer shows that this drink belongs to X, with the character presumably meaning 1,0, or some really sadistic way of writing X. (secret, even more sadistic evil third thing is that that's like, a three or something and the timeline is fucked). the drink NEXT to it belongs to E-soul (maybe those are electro energy). So, maybe this drink means that E-soul is X in Year 36. ofc, we have no idea what time this trailer takes place.

it looks like this stupid extremely hard to read borderline secret code font (/hj) is going to be a frequent occurrence! hopefully somebody with more dedication than me can decode it fully at some point.

background ads continue to be very intriguing. where exactly does this take place? we got "langley & co booksellers", "malibu surf shop", alongside chinese signs. probably a lot are just easter eggs but very fun!

In the interrogation room, I really interpreted YC's animated flashback sequence as a panic attack.

he's stuck on two ends from "nothing" to "way too much". He doesn't feel he belongs on either, and yet he's self-internalized a bunch of stuff at the same time. he's like lin ling on trauma steroids.

I like Xia Qing (i think thats her name?) better than I thought I would. girl knows what she wants and drops hints! she's also the most normal well adjusted person I've seen in this entire show.

i really, genuinely for the love of god hope those criminals weren't telling the truth about YC hiring them. If time travel theory is real I'm flipping a table. I dislike time travel theory but I can't put my finger on why.

SHANG CHAO IS SO SUSPICIOUS. even including what happens to him he shows up at exactly the right time with exactly the right stuff. He's weirdly super invested. I don't think he's evil but I think we are going to see his motivations/backstory in the next episode (and yes. singular next e-soul episode). we still don't know why Pomelo/you zi was kidnapped!!

Some guesses are that he really wants to differentiate himself from his dad, which is why he jumps at the chance to market Yang Cheng.

or yk. he's gay. who knows

OG E-Soul. first of all, YEESH he just trains shirtless covered in scars and doesn't wear anything under the suit 😭interestingly, he wears a mask all the time but doesn't care about his agent/manager/General Business Blonde Guy seeing him train shirtless and armless.

blonde dude got some nerve talking to this guy like that when he's one-arming like 200 pounds in front of him 💀

he seems unconcerned with whether people trust New E-soul, because nobody could mistake the two. this really lines up with the idea that he's old as Dirt and did some insane feat.

However, Mighty Glory doesn't see it that way because it's about money. TBHX absolutely is providing commentary on capitalism and the commercialization of heroes. (ie. an old symbol of institution brought down by the new age and adapted into something else that matches the ideas of the time) The contrast of a living legend like E-soul and his relationship with Mighty Glory + the media made me feel like Mighty Glory built itself around him with dubious implications for his opinions on the matter.

E-Soul hasn't fought people in a while! so my theory that he's retired is right so far.

ENLIGHTER!!!!! this felt like a crossover cameo but logically the episodes are only a few years apart. Enlighter seems like a big deal here though! Did he used to be higher ranked a few years ago and fell off in Lin Ling's era? ...why did he snap. that's not going to be important is it. brainrot brainrot

TBHX is also for sure highlighting how the transition into the digital age is effecting the Trust System, saying how E-soul had to do so much more work than YC. I wonder how the nuances of the Trust system were different before the spread of the internet. TBHX is a modern show, set in modern times and made to be extremely relevant to current world issues!

our running ideas about Trust seem spot-on so far. YC is getting a fraction of E-souls power. meaning E-Soul is really, really powerful! even though he's not doing anything right now.

SURVIVORS GUILT, PT 2. the similarities between the traumatic events of Yang Cheng's childhood to now are insane. holy shit poor guy

is someone gonna get dramatically shot every episode????? why??? at least Moon is not unique in this regard. hide your side characters nobody is safe 😭

twenty tumblr notes on this shot being wayyy too significant for my emotional health

I DON'T TRUST THE TIMELINE. I DON'T TRUST THE TIMELINE. E-SOUL PV IS SO INSANELY STRANGE.

[evilminji]

Behold! o/ The Face Of Benevolent Evil!

Mr. Principle! A professional hero and educator!

Also possibly some sort of stoat hybrid! Certainly a chimera of Japanese fauna! With the Quirk High Specs, he is one of, if not THE, smartest beings on the planet of which he resides! With a background perfectly justifying a decent into hatred and villiany, he instead chose to channel his incredible world shaking intellect into the shaping of future generations!

He likes to fuck with people!

For FUNSIES~☆!

What can he say? It keeps a man young and mentally stimulated! Plus the hysterical screaming of his staff and students is HILARIOUS. He can even argue it makes for good reaction training! Unforseen situations, children! React!!! *psychotic chortling*

Mmmmm, yes. We all have our trauma responses. Ways we deal with them. He should probably find other means... but he won't! Tea and tormenting the student body make for good future heroes, you know! They adapt!

But! You may ask! Why am I introducing you to this... *polite yet somehow deeply threatening smile* c-completely sane and normal individual!? Esteemed educator that he is! Ha ha...

A good and not at a under threat question!

Villains? Are fuuuuuckin STUPID!

Doesn't matter how many PHDs you possess! In fact! That makes it WORSE! You moron! You absolute fool! No traveling circus would have you, you sub-rate CLOWN of a jingle jangle dunce jester! You have a god damn PHD! Possibly MULTIPLE PHD!

And you thought "ooooh I should go into cwiiiiime~☆"?

Do you hear yourself when you talk? DO YOU?! Ooooh boohoo. They won't let you study what you WANT to study. It's called an ETHICS BOARD. And YEAH, NO SHIT! Maybe get over it and keep you fucked up fantasies to your SELF.

Or? If you REALLY can't hold it in? Lay the ground work like EVERYONE FUCKING ELSE! You're not special! Everyone wants to play god! It's FUN! They let you have the COOL toys! But you have to EARN that shit! Not jump straight from graduation to "fucked up superscience"!

And? If it's NOT the Ethics Board? But just some bureaucrat on a power trip? You don't have to fucking STAY. This? This RIGHT HERE? Is why I-Island fucking EXSISTS.

APPLY.

They are SO MANY countries you could move too. SO MANY other labs. You actual DUMBASS.

But NO! You decided to commit to a fucked up underground Villian Lab. As though HUNTING THOSE isn't the PERSONAL fucking passion project of THE SMARTEST BEING IN JAPAN. Frankly? You deserve this. You deserve this and our school doesn't know you. Never heard of you. You whoms't?

Coulda changed the world. But instead all you did was piss of The Fuzzy White Demon Lord of UA. Rest in pieces. *click*

*sound of doors smashing open*

*violent Raid Upon Your Labs noises*

But! You may ask? What's IN the Lab?

What MAKES this a DP crossover?

I like your question asking spirit! Good one! And the answer? You know what's better then ONE(1) Nedzu? A second one that you can ACTUALLY control this time! After all! You could consider Mr. Principle a prototype. A proof of concept, if you will. If you were able to make ANOTHER.....

Well, you would set off EVERY. SINGLE. ALARM. Nedzu has set up!

All of them!

Because he don't PLAY THAT.

He has long last trauma from the labs and is the SOLE FUCKING SURVIVOR. There WERE others. They Did Not make it. And their slow agonizing deaths are carved into his brain for the rest of his life. Truely "The living shall envy the dead"; it was a place that made hell seem merciful.

When he declare Never Again?

He fucking MEANT Never Again. He will BURN your empires to ash, with you in them. No More Labs.

So :) You can IMAGINE :) HOW HAPPY HE IS :)

That someone out there is trying to RECREATE his SUPER traumatic childhood, on ANOTHER CHILD. Ha ha! Gonna be a second Nedzu huh? Planning to torture HIM like you did me, HUH? Shove him in a cage and treat him like an animal? Force him to watch as the others die? Collars and whips and cattle prods? Mazes?!

Nedzu may lose his shit.

Juuuuust a little bit.

But if anyone there knows what good for them? They saw NOTHING. What's a little PTSD flashback between friends? Now what is the baby?

Smashcut to said baby!

Because it was a TEAM effort, Danny was successful in "Nuh Uh!"ing out of Rulership. But NOT out of governance. Since he DID help. He's a Councilman now. It's? Not as bad as it could be, honestly. Since it's opened the Zone up to a more democratic system.

Still held by "kick the ass of the person you wanna replace" but still!

Babysteps.

Thing is? There was apparently this weird? Leak? Like a couple hundred years ago, in this one area, that was never addressed. Everyone just moved their doors and stuff. Treated it like the floors flooded. But now that they HAVE someone to complain too?

They all want their territories back.

"Go fix it!" What are we? Janitors?

Danny looses the rock, paper, scissors competition. He's pretty sure Boxy cheated. But like? Dude has a kid to go home too, so Danny doesn't fight him to hard on this. Uuuuuugh. Just remember the Spider-Man motto. Great power~ blah blah blaaaah~

And? Wow is it fucked out there.

The whole PLANET has to be limnal as FUCK. Yikes.

Problem is? When he and his team (Because YES, he HAS learned from his mistakes, Jazz.) get close to the... frankly the Zone here looks like distorted spiderwebbing. With him leading the charge, obviously.

....something happens.

It's... it's not a portal. Wrong color. It's like someone USED the weird spiderwebbing effect to... to reach INTO the Zone? But they are severally Limnal. Clawed hands, blue tint. But that's not the problem.

No, the problem.

The Horror.

The thing that his team can only watch on in agonized terror as it plays out... is that hand? It shoots out of nowhere. Ghostlike in the Zone. Meaning it must be living. And PLUNGES directly into Danny's chest to wrap around his core.

Time seems to slow.

He can't even scream in pain. At the violation. His team, acquaintances, yes, but friendly ones. Can not even cry out in horror, as they watch their friend and team lead be butchered before them. Before that uncaring hand is ripping back. Perfect ice and starlight in its uncaring grip.

For a terrible moment... he is in two places at once.

Then he is crushed in a burning grip. Like molten bars. Watching his own body dissolve into nothing in an instant, pain and horror still etched upon his face. The beginnings of screams ripping from his team as they jerk away from the nightmarish threat.

Then he can not think at all.

He... he TRIES. Knows he has been captured. Is certainly not the sort to give up easily. But... he's so tired. His body feels? Weird. Not wrong, per say. It's HIS. But... small and weird. Like he's shape shifted into a new form and hasn't adjusted yet.

....

.......

...........

He's getting really sick of all the goop against his whiskers and in his ears. It feels WEIRD against his fu- WAIT a second... did those assholes shove him into an animal? Why?! To contain him? Ha! Jokes on them! He's DONE THIS before!

For FUN!

He once spent a whole ass summer as a tiny dragon just 'CAUSE!

Unfortunately, said assholes notice him waking up. Dump him in a glorified hamster cage. But like.... a SHITTY "I don't care about the pet I bought" hamster cage. Dude. And he's naked.

Is that Japanese? Ooooh! It IS! Thank you, Tucker's Weeb phase.

......actually, never mind. Lotta dehumanizing language there, my guys. What is this? The GIW international? You couldn't even give me PANTS? Swear to God, call me an "it" ONE more time and the next time I have to go? I am going to aim through the bars at your-! *alarms going off*

....wasn't me.

I mean, be all means, ha ha and get fucked, but? Wasn't me. Oh hey! Some one exploded the doo-

AND? In Lab 4?

Nedzu finds a child with fluffy, ungroomed black and white fur, and the curious yet cautious eyes of a survivor. They are the most magnificent green, pale and luminous they glow in the laboratories lighting. Paws too big for his small frame, delicate ears on the swivel, equally large. Yet to grow into either. Adolescent, at best.

He watches the child take him in. Note his features and the chaos behind him. The injured scientist under his feet. Come to him conclusion. Nedzu will not rush him. Now that he... he stand the chance to be the hero he himself never had. It is a strange feeling. At once cathartic and unbearably painful.

He is given the equivalent of a cheerful grin, as the lad points the the lock on the cage. Is asked if he happened to bring a spare pair of pants. He can not help his amused chortle as he makes quick work of the lock. The unbearable RELIEF he feels.

He... he was not too late.

These monsters had no chance to crush the boy's light. To make a monster of him, like they did with him. He survived his laboratory, his hell. But not all of him left that terrible place. He knows that. Some innocence, some goodness, died alone in the dark. But here? He insured there would be no chance.

With amusement, he watches the boy turn the lab upside down until he finds spare scrubs. Triumphant, he then considers his own, tiny claws. Dismisses them. Attempts to hop up on a chair to retrieve something sharp. It? Is unbearably cute. To watch him rip and shred, problem solve. His little mind churning away. Whiskers twitching as his eyes dart around, considering his options.

Nedzu offers one of his spare knives.

Watches him light up.

Adorable~

@legitimatesatanspawn @hdgnj @nerdpoe @babbling-babull @lolottes

[tobiasdrake]

Oh shit, the reboot of Ranma 1/2 has begun airing on Netflix. I am here for this.

Like a lot of people with gender stuff, Ranma 1/2 was a major part of my formative years. It was the first anime I ever saw outside of dubbed TV broadcasts, before I really understood what anime was. And the first anime I liked so much that I ravenously devoured the manga it was adapting.

To this day, I often find myself thinking back to it. Ranma 1/2 had a lot to say about societally-enforced toxic masculinity, and also about intrinsic gender identity that doesn't change even when the body fails to match.

In a way, it was kind of ahead of its time. It came to us in a time when a lot of genderbending stuff was like, "Okay, if your body turns female, then you're a girl. If your body turns male, then you're a boy. Whatever your body looks like at the moment, that's your gender, those are your pronouns. Now let's come up with a cute little name for what we should call your opposite-gender self when you flip!"

But here was Ranma 1/2 saying, "Ranma Saotome is a man. It does not matter if his body is female or male; he is always a man at heart." He never misses an opportunity to correct people who misgender him - or to seek a cure for the gender dysphoria that his curse routinely inflicts on him.

But he also has extremely rigid beliefs about masculinity and femininity; Beliefs that cage him in a prison of his own mind. He's not ashamed, at times, to take advantage of his curse in order to indulge in things that men "are not allowed to do".

Small things like sitting around an ice cream parlor enjoying a sundae. Real Men (TM) don't eat ice cream! Ranma is proud of his masculinity, but is also a slave to it. He is proud of his gender identity regardless of the shape of his body, but nonetheless cross-dresses to escape from the gendered pressures he places on himself.

And he gave a lot of fans their trans awakening. For a lot of people, myself included, Ranma Saotome was their first experience with the idea that assigned-sex did not have to be the absolute truth of your identity. Many fans took tremendous inspiration from Ranma's curse, and carried their own interpretation of Ranma with them in their heart as they went.

The fandom is overflowing with transfem Ranmas and genderfluid Ranmas and nonbinary Ranmas, because that is what this character meant to the LGBT community of his day.

He may not have been perfect - In fact, when you get right down to it, he's basically just a macho cis regularly forced into drag for comedic effect; This is not Gay Shakespeare - but he left a mark on the community. He was a key that unlocked the identities of a lot of us.

So it's with both excitement and also a degree of trepidation that I say, "Welcome back to modern pop culture, Ranma 1/2."

[lemonhemlock]

the thing is i don't care about how hard it must be for the hotd writers to adapt from book to screen with budget and time limitations (even though i am historically sympathetic enough to these difficulties and i do understand the need to make changes to fit the story in a different medium)

but what i see as understandable excuses would be shoddy cgi or costumes and less impactful action scenes or even fewer action scenes/battles. which we already got anyway, the only battle (rook's rest) is humdrum and rather spiritless. to a certain extent, i can even excuse cutting out characters or merging them or simplifying storylines.

be that as it may, the fact of the matter is that, even the scenes which should have cost the least amount of money in this whole production, i.e. the sitting-around-in-rooms-talking genre of scenes for which GoT became famous, SUCK. the politics in this show are non-existent. the characters' motivations are so wishy-washy to the point of parody. the character arcs look like they were settled via a game of russian roulette. the S2 version of characters doesn't make sense as a progression of their own S1 canon.

and this has nothing to do with money OR time constraints. it plainly only has to do with bad writing. a talented writer can absolutely have a canon-divergent vision and an understandable desire to adapt their own vision. but they have to recognise if they have the TIME or the BUDGET to bring that canon-divergent vision to life, if they can sufficiently commit to integrating those changes in a way that feels organic to the characters. IF NOT, THEN DON'T DO IT.

i get it if they're big rhaenicent stans or if they really, really like this version of alicent that lives in their heards, the one that would ditch her kids in favour of rhaenyra or if they're so enamoured by the idea of heroic rhaenyra (and that's just scratching the surface when it comes to all the points the show fumbled). but if they don't and can't fit those changes in a way that doesn't destroy the logic of the narrative, in a way that doesn't leave other characters hanging dry with no motivation left to carry out the plot points they have to hit, they should have had the maturity to drop those ideas and settle on something else that could have been easier to film with the resources available.

i said it before and i'll say it again: 1) whether fans are satisfied with the changes made to the source material and 2) whether those changes make sense in the context of the show are two separate issues that apologists sometimes try to merge in other to muddle what the actual problem is. "oh you're just mad because it's not book canon" or "you're mad because your headcanons diverge" or "we had logistics limitations" are not pertinent responses to critiquing the integrity of the show's storyline!

so i hope the writers and executives see all these criticisms and choke because they did a piss-poor job of everything and turned S2 into a goddamn hack operation

[gingermintpepper]

I haven't read the Odyssey so I'm asking you. Are you telling me besides Athena, Apollo was the god who helped Odysseus and his family the most? Indirectly at least.

If that's true it's really a missed opportunity in EPIC.

No, no, the god who assists Odysseus the most after Athena is unquestionably Zeus.

Zeus genuinely has no problems with Odysseus and makes it very clear that he finds the man brilliant and would have already had him home and safe if he had his way, but he makes it clear that he's deferring to Poseidon who actually has the problem with Odysseus because, ultimately, the sea is Poseidon's domain and kingdom and Zeus doesn't intend to step on his brother's toes.

(Od. Book 1 trans. Robert Fitzgerald)

I'd definitely give third place to Apollo however. The big bug-bear about Apollo in the Odyssey is just that he's much less tangible than Athena or even Hermes who appears to Odysseus multiple times to help guide him/give him proclamations. His presence is everywhere though; like I've previously mentioned (and like he did with Jason) it's Apollo protecting Odysseus from Poseidon as he sails the sea after Odysseus blinds Polyphemus. It's also Apollo keeping Telemachus safe. His most vital role by far is when Odysseus returns to Ithaca in time for the challenge that will determine the next king. Not only is it a shooting contest whose first hurdle is to string a bow, the challenge itself takes place on a festival day for Apollo. Athena is there with Odysseus and Telemachus physically, but Apollo is looking after them in spirit, sending signs and signals to keep Telemachus especially safe.

(Od. Book 15, Telemachus warns about the state of Odysseus' house to Theoclymenus, a son of one of Apollo's prophets.)

There's also the fact that Odysseus makes sure to pray to Apollo before he attempts to string the bow:

(Od. Book 21. Beggar-Odysseus petitions to shoot his shot)

Likewise, before he slays the first suitor, Odysseus again prays for Apollo's guidance and gaze to guide his arrows:

(Od. Book 22. Odysseus commits the first of many (divinely-sanctioned) murders)

Also, as an additional thing, have Telemachus invoking Zeus, Athena and Apollo that he could see the suitors have their asses beat:

(Od. Book 18. Telemachus excitedly gushes to him mom about his cool new friend (Odysseus. Odysseus is the friend.)

There's a lot of minimisation of Apollo's role in the Odyssey because it isn't as bright and showy as his role was in the Iliad but hey, even there people tend to minimise how truly present Apollo is for the duration of the war when they're doing adaptations. Within Epic, the stage is already more than set for both Apollo and Athena to be there at the advent of Odysseus' revenge but none of that matters if that's not the creator's intention, y'know?

[ohwolfling]

There is nothing in Cyberpunk 2077 that suggests that Johnny Silverhand is 100% a liar or changing details in a way that would make the outlandish theories I see make sense.

1. CDPR adapted a TTRPG for their video game's narrative. Changes they made were made first and foremost for that purpose. While there are nods to canon that they don't use or changed, those are mostly easter eggs and not a grand conspiracy. Cyberpunk 2077 has a lot of intentional bread crumbing that people refuse to engage with but then turn around and Pepe Silvia for the sake of being edgy mostly.

2. On top of that, TTRPGs are made to be constantly adaptable for their table, which would at times include changing "canon."

I say this because if you refuse to engage with that, you can tap out. You're not gonna enjoy this and I don't want to argue with you. I'm just

✨️chit chatting✨️.

Anyway,

Johnny Silverhand becomes a polarizing figure to so many of y'all because you suffer from No Nuance disease. It's not an accident that Johnny is full of contradictions. It's not an accident that the story is full of people who both love Johnny and deeply resent him. That's the story!

To an extent, Alt, Rogue, & Kerry feel betrayed by Johnny because he was always going to do this.

"This" being cash in on a deathwish. If you yourself don't have a deathwish, then loving someone who does is immensely frustrating. Alt wasn't fucking around on the Net to the point of Arasaka noticing casually. Alt mirrors Johnny and would've done something revolutionary had NetWatch & Arasaka not figured her out & Arasaka weaponized her. Rogue doesn't (potentially) go down with you in the end for nostalgia's sake and doesn't go out in 2023 because Johnny's just her buddy. Rogue and Johnny share core beliefs. Rogue just didn't think dying would do any good and has no interest in being tortured by Arasaka or any other corpo or government agency (and I think it's reasonable to assume that after Johnny's death she did experience some of that, she didn't "sell out" for funsies after watching Johnny slip from her hands & Smasher stomp Johnny). Kerry is so fucking terrified of dying that he's living as a parody of himself and whatever the papers tell him to be if you never engage with him.

I see people argue back and forth about Johnny not really caring about stopping Arasaka and just wanting revenge for Alt, Johnny not really caring about Alt and just wanting to blow up Arasaka tower.

Hey, man, it can be both.

Johnny is physically and mentally disabled. He has a prosthetic arm, Arasaka brand, from a corporation that fuels the fucking war he found himself in and the dystopian hellscape he's struggling to navigate. Johnny knows first hand what this mass militarization means because he lived in it (and Adam Smasher is the anti-Johnny.) I don't know why it's a leap to think his guilt and grief over Alt might've been the final nail in the "If I'm going to do it, I need to be really sure it matters" coffin. For that grief and guilt on top of everything else to be the thing that makes him go, it has to be now. I have to try. I can't keep doing this.

The game itself confirms for you that JOHNNY WAS RIGHT ABOUT ARASAKA AND THE STATE OF NUSA! ABOUT THE WORLD! His rants are all factual. The writing he saw on the wall is now regular news bulletin. Like great writers of the cyberpunk genre, Johnny isn't a prophet but he is a guy who said, "this is what happens if we don't regulate, slow, or stop actions x, y, z by corporations, government entities, and rich people."

The thing Johnny is full of shit about is himself. The thing Johnny is full of shit about is that he can somehow want to save the world or die trying without risking hurting others or getting hurt himself. He's avoidant, violent, and terrified. The "narcissism," mean quips, and casually dehumanizing language is armor. And if you engage with Johnny, you see the mask slip a lot. He'll even take the mask off a few times (the sunglasses are so crucial to his characterization actually, such a symbol).

Cyberpunk 2077 has two large, sweeping themes that are most prevalent -

🔸️No individual can be big enough or woke enough or make a big enough spectacle to stop government and corporate sanctioned dystopia

🔸️the only thing you have is each other

and ALL OF IT is delivered in a wrapper of grief and loss.

Jackie doesn't die just to hurt your feelings. Jackie dies so that you and Johnny are on the same playing field. Lazarus and Orpheus.

Obsessing over an imagined central theme of "actually it was all Morgan Blackhand because on reddit Mike Pondsmith said" is just... I don't think you like Cyberpunk 2077. I don't think you processed a single thing in it. I'm not yucking your yum if that's fun for you to think about (I have my own means of putting Blackhand in a microwave) but this kind of... militant obsession with an alternate history in a game so full of its own stuff is brainrot.

[mazeinthemiroh]

Soft thought; skz with a shy and introverted s/o? 🥺 lllike I think

Like I think it’d be so cute and adorable 💓

stray kids with a shy s/o

genre: fluffy af

warnings: none

please like and reblog if you enjoy <3

chan

thinks your adorable

lowkey likes to make you flustered

squishes your cheeks 24/7

supports you in social situations

encourages you to interact with different people but doesn't push you out of your comfort zone

very loving and attentive to your needs

minho

teases you

has a triumphant smirk on his face when he makes you flustered

and making flustered is very much a goal for him

but even with all this teasing, he sticks with you in most social situations

claiming it's to support you but really he needs you jsut as much as you need him

changbin

protective

loud about his love for you

always has an arm around you

or a hand touching you in some way

to give you some physical reassurance in social situations if you're uncomfortable or anything

thinks your adorand babies you in private <3333

hyunjin

enjoys the comfortable silences you share

lowkey protective of you, looking out for you when needed

plays with your hair in public

can sense when you're feeling overwhelmed and need him to be with you or not

can't help but coo over you when you blush at his romantic tendencies

jisung

he's your comfort person

very attentive

does cringy aegyo to make you laugh to distract you when you're in a busy setting

sticks by your side in social situations

"hey, wanna get out of here?"

he knows when you're at your limit and is adaptable to your needs

felix

is a little bit of a shy bean himself :))

but he takes the role of taking care of you because he knows your shyer than him

and he thinks it's adorable

just so find of you

gives you a lot of cuddles and physical reassurance in general, no matter what situation

seungmin

your on the shy side and he's on the quieter side

so comfortable silences are often shared between he two of you

he enjoys your peaceful company and you find comfort in him

he doesn't stress or overwhelm you in every way

so doesn't take advantage of your shyness

jeongin

teases you a little for your shyness

when you blush over something he has said, he will poke your cheeks cutely

which makes you blush even more

but if anyone makes you uncomfortable or takes advantage of you in anyway, he's ready to throw hands

your no. 1 defender!

[blooming-cecilia]

i don't know dahlia all that well yet since i've yet to play the interlude (i'm waiting for miss erika's lines to be patched in 🙂‍↕️🤞)

buuut based on the vibes i've been getting...

in the context of lunasmr's wedding audio, i feel like if dahlia ever found out his bestie venti here got married WITHOUT any officiant or witness? he would set off and FORCE him to get a proper ceremony at the church lmfao 😭

i can see it happening post honeymoon audio, once windblume and venti get back to their normal lives

venti's at the tavern as usual but still kinda riding the wedding bliss. while on break from his Very Exhausting job of entertaining the masses, he's chosen to sit with a bunch of his tavern buddies and dahlia. everyone at that point has noted how extra happy the bard is that night, and venti accidentally says the truth without realizing it's consequences, happily yapping about his marriage and honeymoon bc hehe hes very in love so why wouldnt he yap about getting married to his beloved <33

and everyone's just ?!?! but dahlia. ohhh dahlia. he's appalled and after a few moments of silence just sets off on venti. what do you MEAN you got married. with no officiant? no other witnesses?? just both of you??? your marriage isn't OFFICIAL YOU FOOL

venti realizes his mistake and tries to get him off his back but nope! dahlia's not having any of that! he WILL have a proper ceremony This wednesday (aka, the Latest gap in his schedule) and NO he cannot get out of this.

doesn't matter if he knows venti's barbatos or not, dahlia feels like someone who would tell off someone even if they're above him in whatever rank. as long as there's something wrong, he WILL correct it. so there really is no other option but to comply 🤡

sooooo venti has no choice but to tell his beloved windblume that uhhh Well. that second wedding he promised them they'd have if they wanted?? Guess It's Happening Now

and even then it's like, the barest minimum wedding with the deacon and two other witnesses (one from each side)

(unless his windblume wanted to invite more folks of course!)

all because he's annoyed about having to been told to do another wedding just because he was told it wasn't leGaLLy biNdinG 🙄😒

grumbles about it to his windblume as they both get ready that fateful wednesday morning,

"i'm literally god. i should be allowed to legalize my own marriage. why does the church have to approve of MY MARRIAGE. shouldn't have said it with dahlia around, i knew he was gonna nag ..."

"to be fair, he's got a point. i did try to tell you."

"NOT YOU TOO >:("

windblume kisses his cheek and tries to soothe their (soon to be?) husband, barely holding back a laugh.

"well, aren't you glad to be able to marry me again? you were the one excited about having a bunch of weddings!"

the pout from venti's face falls into a small smile.

"that's about the only good thing from this whole nonsense, anyway."

he leans over to kiss his beloved,

"you know i'd marry you every day if i could, my love."

bonus: the best man

let me preface this by saying that because it's mondstadt and because i say so, i believe any person can be elected as a primary attendant/witness regardless of gender. so, i think venti could (and would) have chosen literally anyone available (lol) for his side

but i think it would be funny if he chose diluc as his best man

i was mostly thinking of this in the context of my yumeship, but also? he would probably be chosen because he:

1) knows who venti is so he likely understands the full context of this out of the blue wedding

2) he can roll with the punches and adapt fairly easily

3) venti has a sense of humor

i'm imagining him just dropping by the winery and asking like, "heyyy master diluc, r u free this wednesday? yeah?? ok can u come for a little thing i got going on at the church, promise it won't take up too much of your time <3 k thx see u!!!"

just making it sound super casual like he's asking to hang out. which was super sus already especially with that location. but he got no other clue on why, so he just gets there and BOOM. it was. a weddign . and he's. venti's best man?????????

was So confused getting there early and seeing an unimpressed dahlia waiting. he thinks he got it wrong and was gonna apologize but THEN dahlia goes,

"are you one of his witnesses"

".. what?"

"the bard and [windblume]'s wedding. are you their witness"

(realization)

"...............yes"

and he just sits there waiting along with windblume's chosen witness while inwardly groaning and cursing out venti in his head

not because he had to play best man. he wouldn't have minded. but he would have preferred to have been told he was attending a wedding!! he should have been in a nice proper suit rn!!

he doesn't even have a gift for the couple! though he supposed that can always come later, it still feels wrong to be THIS unprepared and it's on what he thought was gonna be a Perfectly Normal Wednesday Afternoon

somebody save him

[casual-tarot]

Hidden Strengths and How to Use Them

Let me know what pile you picked!

Pile 1

Your strengths:

You're an all-rounder, you have many different skills and talents. You may be able to pick up on things fast, or maybe your just have a natural talent for these things. No matter the reason, the fact stands, you are an incredibly multifaceted person.

You're adaptable, you can handle change with an ease many wouldn't be able to handle, even if it's difficult for you. What's scary to others, may be beautiful to you. Change doesn't effect you the way it does others and that makes you able to handle these new situations with ease.

Negativity from others doesn't stop you. People can doubt you, tell you you'll fail, or even simply warn you against the risks you're taking. It doesn't stop you, you hear them and you keep going anyway, risks and all.

You're able to hold a lot on your plate with ease. Now while you shouldn't overwork yourself or take on more then you can handle, you can actually handle quite a lot. Tasks that build up and would burden others don't actually seem to effect youvall that much. You're even pretty good at keeping your work load in check, making sure not to take on too much or stretching yourself too thin. But be weary anyway, we're all human, and sometimes you don't realize you've taken too much_///////

How to use them:

All-rounder: Use your various skills to call others to actions. You already know what you're doing and how to do it efficiently, you can use those skills to help others build their own. Become a mentor, a teacher, or even just an encouraging figure in their life. You're skills can really aid someone else. Alternatively, if you don't work well with/teaching people, you can hone/grow your skills and monetize off of them. Whether that be getting a job in that field, some version of self employment, or simply something as simple as a side hustle, you can use your various skills to earn a decent amount of cash for your pockets. You have what it takes to back it up after all.

Adaptability to Change: You have the innate ability to help others handle these changes as well. You may become a sort if guiding light for others, whether that be by helping them get on their feet, or simply showing them a new perspective, you can aid these people. For yourself however, you are able to see every change, every metaphorical death in your life, as an opportunity, a way to grow. Because you see change from a different perspective, you have a sort of birds eye view of the situation, making you able to see all outcomes easier, good and bad. The difference with you however is that you don't usually let anyone negative outcomes get to you. This means you are able to get up and start working on a solution, or simply that you're already rearing yourself to not give up and finding the positives. Lost a job? Well you hated that job anyway, time to find something you actually enjoy. Ruined your favorite journal? It was full and messy anyway, this is your chance to start fresh! This is how your mind works, which is why it's so easy for you to navigate change. And in doing that, it makes life easier on you, the world doesn't weigh so heavy on your shoulders. Keep that up.

Negativity Doesn't Stop You: Similar to the point above, you are able to handle negativity with grace. Let's be honest, the world is rife with people always trying to ee the worst of any situation, and that can be exhausting. But you are different. People may try and bring you down, even unintentionally, but you don't let it get to you. In doing this, you are able to become the king of your own destiny. You have the ability to power through anything simply because you're already able to power through people's negative words, which hold more power then we think. Upheaval and tragedies, which destroy others, don't weigh as heavily on you. Instead you are able to get back on your feet and begin work again, or help others onto theirs. With this skill comes great opportunities, simply because you are able to leave all those negative words behind.

Ability to Handle a Lot: Because you are able to take on so much, it inadvertently means you have some form of time/priority management skills, even if you dont see it in yourself. Whether you need to build up that skill consciously, or simply want to make things easier on yourself, you have the skills to do that. You've got a good balancing act going on, and its in that balance that you can become more efficient, or ease the burden. Find time in your busy schedule and work on learning what needs more attention and what doesn't, learn when to give someone else the task and when to ask for help. In the end, this will not only give you more time on your hands, but ease your workload and help boost whatever it is you were working towards in the first place. Know when to go for it and take on more, and when to ease back and plan. This will be the best way to boost your general productivity without wearing yourself out.

Bonus Message:

Signs & Confirmation: Libra, Gemini, Cancer, North Node, Waxing Gibbous, Cresent moon, Moon, Noth star, luck number 4, 4 leaf clover, 4, 44, 444, 9, 9 of swords, 99, 999, 6, 66, 666, 6 sided dice, Wings, Freedom, feathers, Angel wings, Birds, Flying Insects, Bug wings, The forest, See the forest for its trees, Hearts, Love, Elephant, An elephant never forgets, Kings, Royalty, 3rd eye, Open/opening your 3rd eye, Pride, Chameleon, Camouflage & blending in, Lizards

Pile 2

Your Strengths:

You have the innate ability to see the truth in any situation. If someone is lying, you can tell. If you are deceiving yourself, you catch yourself and focus your way of thinking. If there's some decision to be made, and everyone around you is telling you to choose one thing, you will be able to tell what the right choice for you is. It's like you can see straight through a person or situation, and look directly at what the universe(or whatever you believe) is trying to tell you.

Similar to the point above, you can see through to people's intentions. It's like you cut them open and can see their heart directly. People can't get anything past you. Even if it's something innocuous, like lying so they can secretly buy you a gift, you can tell, you immediately know what's going on. You can also seem to see what direction people will go in based on their heart, good or bad. In that vein, you know who comes into your life bringing good or bad intentions, and are therefore able to cut them out/let them in quickly and with good judgement.

So far all your cards seem to say very similar things, you can see through to the truth. In this case, you're able to be realistic about a situation. You don't get carried away with your hopes or imagination, you don't let them get out of control and morph into delusion. You are grounded in reality and can see when things will pan out in a way that allows you to be hopeful, and when you need to keep your expectations in check. You have a lot of eyes on you, expecting you to do great things or fail miserably, but those eyes, those expectations, they don't matter to you. You know what will happen, not them. And you know how to keep yourself from falling, even if things don't work out the way you wanted them to, because you understand how to stay grounded.

Despite everything else, despite expectations and seeing any negative intentions, when you trust something or someone, when you trust yourself, you go all in. Your heart tells you to fly and you listen. In doing so, people are usually surprised at how well things work out for you.Nothing can stop you because you know that you're right, you're doing the right thing, you're trusting the right people. You know that when your gut or your heart tell you it's time to go, to get started, it's time.

How to use them:

You can see the truth: Because of your ability to see through anything and get right to it's core, you are able to realistically see all possibilities without worrying about what's right, who's lying, are you making a mistake. You can sit down with yourself and feel out a situation. You can listen to your gut and understand what routes to take based on what you know. In turn you can actually help others see these truths too, people may come to you for general advice or a realistic look on a situation. You are able to help those around you because of this gift, if you choose to. You also have the ability to keep these facts to yourself if you believe someone is undeserving of such knowledge.

Seeing peoples intentions: You can cut through bullshit, plain and simple. You are not blind to someone's deceit, therefore people can't pull anything over you. And while you're not immune to deceit and manipulation, you definitely have a sixth sense for when someone aims to bring you, or those around you, harm. Because of this, you can cut people out before they get a chance to do any real harm to you. These people may not like it, but their opinions dont matter to you anyway. On the other side of things, when someone good and honest enters your life, you are able to see and choose to keep them near. In your knowing, you can sit down and choose to make a new friend(or more).

Your Realism: As I said before, you know how to see through any situation, and can see when you are at risk of deceiving even yourself. Because of this, you can see opportunities for what they are. If something seems to good to be true, you take a moment with yourself to evaluate, and can come to a realistic, honest conclusion. You see every possibility, and can therefore make a good, educated estimation on the situation. So when something good does present itself, you know you can trust yourself to take that leap and land safely.

You trust yourself: When you take those leaps of faith, you do so confidently, knowing you have all the information you need to make that decision properly. This is your unadulterated passion, and it is powerful. When you let yourself go like this, nothing can stop you. Let yourself be carried away by this feeling, as it brings endless opportunities for you. While being realistic is a good trait to have, never let go of the pure pride you feel when you throw yourself into something you trust. It will bring only good things in the end.

(And sometimes blind faith can be a good thing, but you know that already, don't you?)

Bonus message:

Signs and Confirmation: Taurus, Gemini, Aquarius, Libra, Neptune, Venus, Poseidon, Aphrodite, 6, Sex, 2, 22, 222, 2 of cups, the lovers, North Node, Pluto, The Sun, New Moon, No Moon, 8, 888, Dionysus, Clouds, Cloudy days, Overcast, No Rain, Pentacles, 3 of Pentacles, a single leaf, decaying leaves, shopping, purses, honeycomb, seahorses, The sea, dragonflies, bunnies/rabbits, the mad rabbit, clocks, keys, lockets, Generosity, charity, 7, 77, 777

Pile 3

Your strengths:

Your confidence, even without pulling any cards i can tell this is the shamelessly confidant pile, and pulling cards only confirmed that. You know your worth and and your power, and you're not afraid to show it. You're also very wise and astute.

You're ready for anything. Nothing that hits you can ever truly bring you down. And no matter what, you're always ready to get back up, or to fight back.

You are able to understand that not everything works out for you, and thats its ok! You know that even though one door closes, another will open. Sometimes things are meant to fail, sometimes you're not meant for something, but you never let it bring you down. You're always ready to move on and get to the next opportunity.

Words hurt, and you let yourself feel that hurt. While others try to brush off their pain or play it off like it's no big deal, you allow yourself to feel that pain fully. Because of that, you are able to heal and move on faster then others. Where other people may dwell, or take ages to even think about their emotions, you're already moving past it. You are very in tune with your emotions, and you don't fear them like others might.

How to use them:

Your confidence: With you unrelenting self belief comes many opportunities. You're self confidence allows you to not only find these opportunities, but to also take them for yourself without shame or guilt. You also have the ability to take on a leadership role if you desire it. Your confidence in yourself makes you a strong and dependable leader, always someone other can rely on and someone who makes good, well thought out, decisions. Besides all of that, your confidence also simply helps you boost your self esteem. Rely on that unrelenting belief when you begin to doubt yourself, and be forgiving to yourself. Remember that you are amazing, and nothing can stop you!

You stand strong: Not many things can bring you down, and even when they do, you always manage to get back up. Use this to fight back, even when it's tough. Your resilience will pay off in the end. With it will come new opportunities and grand rewards. I could be something as simple as a finished project, or as big as a major promotion. The key here is to rely on that part of yourself, that ability to never give up, to always rise from teh ashes, even when things get hard. You can do thsi! Remember that!

Failure isn't the end for you: You are the keeper of your own destiny, and you know deep down that just because something doesn't work out, doesn't mean it's the end of the world. You are confident, self assured, you are that boss bitch(someone must need to hear that haha!), you can get through anything. Focus on that, focus on the future, focus on what this failure could bring to you. Every failure brings new opportunities and chances to learn. Weigh these losses with the wins that begin you sprinkle your way, and soon you'll realize that the good far outweighs the bad. You always rise from these ashes, use those ashes to build your way out of any pit. All experience is good experience, yes, even failure.

Your Ability to Feel: In dwelling in the negative emotions you feel, you allow yourself the emotional intelligence needed to move on. You may also be able to help others through their difficult emotions because of this, or you'll be able to understand when to ask for help and let someone else help shoulder the burden with you. This all helps you grow and mature as a person, always let yourself feel your emotions this way. Keep growing and keep letting your emotions flow.

(Note that you reading was the shortest, I feel maybe you already knew all this, and didn't need to hear it. I hope it helps remind you of your greatness anyway!)

Bonus Messages:

Signs and Confirmation: Aquarius, Cancer, Taurus, Leo, North Node of the Moon, 8, 888, stars, stars in the sky, constellations, Pentacles, Full Moon, 2, 22, 222, Waxing Gibbous Moon, Zeus, Hades, Persephone, Mars, Mercury, Pluto, The color red, 4, 44, 444

Normally I pull charms and just say whatever comes out and anything related to the charms, but you guys got so many i figured it'd be easier to just how you a picture(click to see the full picture)

Key points based on charms: Poseidon, the sea, Paris, Air Bending, The Element of Air, Fairies, Faith is key, Wise like an owl, You are somebody's anchor, Squirrel on an branch(because that specific charm was flipped over in the picture lol), Mermaids, Goldfish, Artemis, A deer, Epic the musical(specifically the song "Ruthlessness")

[gold-pavilion]

Belonging and humanity (some more Ivan thoughts)

There's a big difference between knowing for a fact that you're a human being and getting to FEEL part of humankind. That's a thing that I feel Ivan sorely lacked. Some of his issues can definitely be traced back to it.

There's three things we know for certain about Ivan's early childhood nowadays, so let me start from those:

There were other humans around him in the slums, at least other children (for now it doesn't seem there were adults around, or none who would approach or care for the children).

However, we also know Ivan did not learn social behavior properly; for example, how or when to smile.

Going by the lonely tone of the song Nowhere and its emphasis on having no one, plus the previous point, we can infer there was no meaningful social contact with any people he knew/saw.

Ivan has been described as someone who is always learning to survive and his time in the slums must've been the same, after all; it's most likely that the other kids were competition to him (for food or other resources), threats or simply strangers with whom connections were never made.

That's to say, there were humans around Ivan but no "human community".

And that's the thing: take someone who went through a critical developmental stage with no one to care for or be cared by, learn social behavior with or practice the emotional exercises of understanding and empathy - ask that someone what "being a part of humankind" feels like, and what can he even make of it? It must not mean much more than categorizing a species, no feeling involved. And anyway, what difference does it make if there's anything else to say or not?

It's not like those are easy questions. None of the ALNST cast, with all their limitations, would be able to respond comprehensively.

But it changes things, the differences are there.

There are things that Till knows, from having a mother, learning from her and being enriched emotionally by their interaction, that I don't think he could describe but certainly has within him. Or Hyuna, who had a brother to feel that family bond and sense of community with, learning all sorts of positive social skills and having a heart full of room for empathy as she always looked out for the little Other Person next to her.

Beyond knowing their species, they know what it MEANS to be the rare and amazing human creature from these experiences of connecting, teaching, being taught, holding things in common, giving and receiving love. On an instinctual level they accessed what it feels like to be "part of humankind", which is so cool about them!!

Then you have cases like Mizi being too trusting of aliens because she was raised to feel community with one, Sua being mostly withdrawn because she didn't have a lot of warmth and community around her, Luka who was deprived of everything and then clung too hard to his first proper bond...

And Ivan, with his empty circumstances. There are a million things Ivan didn't learn and doesn't KNOW he lacked.

Of course that with his background he'd end up 1: being defensive by nature, having selfish tendencies, trouble processing emotion and socially weird habits and 2: feeling like a twisted being because of it, which is such a core aspect of his character. A human with less humanity but no idea why or how.

He adapted himself a lot once adopted, of course, and caught up an even bigger lot in his time in Anakt Garden. But I don't think he ever understood why he was "more twisted than others" and honestly, his intelligence and observance doesn't do him any favors on that front; on the contrary, I think it made him more aware of the gaps between him and other people.

And I really have to wonder if his experiences around the segyein are all that different, emotionally speaking.

I mean, of course objectively they have to be, but… his adopted life was a matter of observing his new environment, feeling like an absolute stranger because he's another species, but learning and adapting as quickly as possible in order to make himself a desirable pet that would be kept around. His experience being sent to Anakt and put in a human group was, again, feeling like a stranger because he's different to others of his own species, but learning and adapting as quickly as possible, eventually making himself an "acceptable", charming, absolutely cagey but near-perfect man. He succeeded both times.

He never did get rid of that awareness of being "twisted", though. After all, he also didn't unlearn all his survival patterns or fix the weak spots in his emotional development. As much as he progressed, the sense of not quite belonging and the faint relationship with his own humanity stayed. (With one big exception, but I'll leave that thought for the end of this ramble.)

In a way, I feel like this is exactly what made him so successful in segyein society as far as he lived. So adaptable that beyond being a good pet, he could also be trusted with and hold down an actual job, decent (faked or not, still good) relationships with segyein and, if he had any chance of survival, probably the capacity to live in their society with moderate perks.

Being an adaptable stranger who belonged nowhere in the first place… I think it's what made him more willing, more capable and more okay with mixing with the segyein like that, paired with his intelligence to pull it off.

No human pride to sacrifice. Not much humanity in the first place.

Except for the one noteworthy exception that shifted Ivan's growth: his relationship with Till.

Not only did Till embody things that Ivan lacked, which fascinated him from the start, but through his bond with him Ivan developed a lot of those traits and sensitivities that constitute peak humanity. It's a bit of the "love will make you human" trope, but on god does it apply. Ivan learned to care, to feel and to love, at times selfishly, at times messily. Buth he got pretty good at it; so much that love made him selfless and sacrificial in the end. He became a little more human for the object of his feelings. It didn't't erase all his struggles or fix his issues at large, but it was a lot. Of course he'd die thanking Till.

Anyway, that's all I wanted to get off my chest!

Humanity is a tough theme with Ivan, so I hope my thoughts about it were an interesting read.

The usual disclaimer: I've talked about 1 aspect of Ivan in this post, which does not mean this is all there is to his character or that I aim to invalidate other aspects. Just rotating this one in my head.

[hadesisqueer]

I like Zaheer as a villain but he is so overrated tbh. Not only because he's not as smart as neither him or people think he is —if he were, he wouldn't have prevented facing Korra in a fair fight only for at the end being like "Oh, Korra, we're poisoning you so we can force the Avatar State and kill you in it; I'm sure that straight up telling you that and therefore giving you a heads up instead of taking you by surprise —like Azula did with Aang— will not matter at all because you totally won't be able to defend yourself after we trigger a literal defense mechanism that gives you the power of a God. Yeah the chains will totally stop that from happening because they're platinum so you totally won't break free even though the Avatar State also enhances your already impressive physical strength." Definitely that was not his smartest move.

It's because they put him as one of the top Airbenders in the franchise and like. That's not true lmao. Zaheer was a good Airbender compared to most of the New Air Nation but tbh you can't compare a guy who was already a skilled martial artist and who was adapting his skills to Airbending to a random guy from Ba Sing Se named Wang who's 38 years old who just got Airbending and hasn't done any martial arts before in his life. Most of Zaheer's advantage in fights comes from 1) him being already a skilled figher 2) people being taken by surprise because they didn't know he was an Airbender 3) people not being used to fighting Airbenders 4) him not holding back unlike most Airbenders. You think he's impressive for suffocating the Earth Queen? All Airbenders with a bit of training probably have the ability to do that (Gyatso literally did that against a whole battalion of Comet Firebenders), they simply choose not to because it goes against their ideals.

Airbending Zaheer could deal with average and a bit above average-good benders/fighters (like White Lotus members or Kya; Kya was a healer, not actually a fighter, and the White Lotus are talented and all but you can't compare those guys in Korra to the main crew lmao) due to his martial arts skills that adapt well with Airbending. He was talented, okay. He defeated Tonraq on top of a mountain while Tonraq had a limited access to water, cool. Now, him being one of Top Best Benders of the franchise? No lmao, most actual Top Benders TM like Iroh, Jianzhu or Amon could probably deal with him pretty easily. The rest of his Red Lotus pals could beat him. He is not even one of the best Airbenders, so don't put him in that top; he just got Airbending, he's talented but there is no comparison. You really think this guy is anywhere close to Gyatso? Kelsang? Aang?! Zaheer wasn't even at Book 1 Aang level. Zaheer needed to gang up with the rest of the Red Lotus against Tenzin because he was kicking his ass and Tenzin wasn't even breaking a sweat while doing so lmao. You put him against an actual Master and he gets bodied. Book 3 Korra would mope the floor with him with Waterbending and she could probably deal with him with just Airbending. Post Book 4 Korra could probably mope the floor with him with just Airbending. The only thing Zaheer does that makes him stand out against any other Airbender with more experience than Random Guy Wang or literal children is that he doesn't hold back like most Airbenders and that he learnt how to fly. And the flying thing, as impressive as it was, was less of a talent thing and more about that he could do it because he didn't have any earthly attachments anymore.

Zaheer was a great antagonist. I really liked him as a character, he was very interesting, his philosophy was interesting, to me he was the best antagonist in all of TLOK along with Amon and just behind Azula and Yun as my fave antagonist in the franchise. And he was talented and skilled, and a threat. But he is just not as powerful as some people make him out to be imo and that's it. Actual Top Tier Benders could eat him for breakfast.

[moonblossom7]

SATAN(obey me) HEADCANONS

contains some Satan x mc

📗he smells like old books and smoke. No one knows what the smoke smell comes from,they've never seen him with cigarettes and as far as they know he isn't outdoorsy enough to have campfires that often.

📗bro's a historical romance girly. He doesn't think most of them are particularly good,but he can't stop watching and reading them.

📗I think he had a dress making hobby for a while. There are two ways I think it could have started,u can pick which you like best. 1) a book he read got adapted into a TV show and he hated the costumes so bad that he decided to see if he could do it better. 2)(I always think about this with a plus sized or disabled MC in mind,but it works for any) MC couldn't find clothes that made them comfortable while also looking even half decent,so he took matters in to his own hands. He needs his sweetheart to be as happy as possible.

📗his favorite fruit is mango,specifically when it's a little overripe.

📗he literally can NOT watch horror movies. It's not that they scare him,he just gets really annoyed by it. If it isn't the inaccuracies,it's the bad writing,and if it isn't bad writing it's weird camera work that give him motion sickness

📗he's a big fan of the Orpheus and Eurydice story,it makes him sappy

📗does not like Pride and Predjudice(2005). He has never got past the ten minute mark,because he genuinely cannot decipher anything that is said because of all the talking over each other and stuff. ( I am projecting. Auditory processing issues lmao)

📗he watched Nana with Leviathan. I think he was trying to find common interests,and then the drama kept him hooked.

📗has a very dark academia meets shoujo boy aesthetic. I dunno,I think he's very earth tones and also pastel greens and blues.