riyatheobsessing

[riyatheobsessing]

Door Appreciation

I was thinking about Door. By, erm...The standards of the D family, he's actually quite a good parent!

He's physically affectionate with Boy, rather than being "traditional" and kind of distant with his son. He's unafraid to show concern for him.

He's quite honest with him; he doesn't try to shield him from the truth for the sake of peace of mind. This is probably also partly because in these situations, underestimating how fucked you are will get you killed, but I think it also shows that he respects him. He treats him as being intelligent and capable enough to be told exactly how it is. He isn't the kind of parent that raises their child on heavy condescension and infantilisation. Although, Boy is 11, so, you know, a bit more being treated like an 11 year old might be in order, but, you know, by the standards of this family's way of life, not bad.

He isn't the kind of parent that raises their child on negative reinforcement. When Boy does something well, he praises him. He encourages his skills, interests and sense of humour. He rewards him when he does well. He's not the kind of parent that rules by shame and judgement, causing their children to grow up feeling inadequate and like they're never good enough. His way of parenting is far healthier than that, and I think it shows in the ways Boy is mostly quite open about himself, like freely showing the family his writing and sharing interests such as gaming with them.

Also, again, by the standards of the D family, he shows concern for Boy's mental health. While he does seem to equate being able to get through it with being "strong", he doesn't seem to hold it against Boy that he's having difficulties, or view it as some failing.

Despite bringing Boy into hunting and teaching him how to use a gun, letting him drink booze, etc, he does have concern for Boy's childhood innocence, and he supports his interests like any good parent would do.

TL;DR: Door looks like he kind of smells of BO, but I think he's a good dad by the standards of the D family. His relationship with Boy is super cute and I love them.

[riyatheobsessing]

Thinking about it, even if he doesn't die immediately, how the hell are they going to explain this? You can't just swan into a hospital with a guy missing a limb and not have questions raised! And it's not like they can explain what actually happened.

Even if the garou aren't going to kill them, people walking into a hospital talking about the supernatural could easily get back to kindred ears, and then they start looking into what you know, and then before you know it you're dead meat.

[riyatheobsessing]

I’m so glad I came across hunter the parenting when I returned to WoD recently. I don’t know how else to describe it other than ‘sincere’. I can tell people creating it are full of love for the source material while also having a healthy and clear vision of its problems and stuff that didn’t age well and striking that balance is imo so important for creators.

It has so much of what I adore about WoD. And it also feels so accessible to people who don’t know about it. It helped me get both my husband and best friend into that universe. (It’s fucking ogre for them. They are invested. And my crimes will continue.)

And frankly, it was a huge push for me and my friends to start working on our own vtm game. It IS a scary endeavour and I am mortified at the thought of disappointing the incredible creatives that got involved with us to work on it, but I’m also incredibly excited to contribute something to the world I have loved since I was a little shit kid of a goth.

Also, on a far more personal level, big D means so much to me as a middle eastern guy. Like, seeing a middle eastern man be portrayed with so much love and life, makes me so happy. I’m so unused to seeing us depicted this way in any media, really.

It’s been such a positive thing to watch and rewatch and to share, and I’m just so grateful it exists.

[riyatheobsessing]

So, this image was uploaded on Alfabusa's channel. The caption is:

"JUNE 19, 2005 HANGING OUT"

I don't think it's been stated officially, but I was under the assumption the giant in the background of this photo was Anton. And, judging by the size, I also assumed the giant in this 2005 photo was him. But if that's the case....It doesn't line up.

The family photo from Norfolk Island was in 1988. Anton either didn't survive the incident, or was taken by the Fae.

Assuming the giant is Anton, and it's also him in the 2005 photo, the timeline doesn't make any sense. So....Maybe I've said all that to come to the conclusion that, logically, this big guy can't be Anton? Either that, or it's an encounter Big-D was somehow made to forget. But it seems unlikely it's not him; other than the similar size, the meta logic of it - especially after them posting concept art of the 1988 version of the cast just a few days ago - makes it seem really unlikely.

So....Right now, I'd have to guess it's Anton, and Big-D somehow forgot the meeting. Or perhaps it's even something he wasn't initially aware of?

Compare the lighting. Big-D is brightly lit, it seems, but the figure is in gloom. It kind of looks like a ghost photo. In which case, I wonder what Big-D was really pointing at.

There's just not enough to make anything solid, but plenty enough to speculate with. How fun!

[riyatheobsessing]

Side point. Look how fucking cute she is while flying across the room!

The flailing arms are adorable.

EXTREMELY late to the party on this but when kitten saw matilda in crinos there was no fear, no delirium, no nothing. just “OPEN FIRE” followed by a hail of bullets. which could mean nothing

[riyatheobsessing]

She did seem to be under the effects of Delirium, looking at her eyes. Attacking like a lunatic is also supposedly one of the possible reactions to Delirium; see Slackjaw for another example.

EXTREMELY late to the party on this but when kitten saw matilda in crinos there was no fear, no delirium, no nothing. just “OPEN FIRE” followed by a hail of bullets. which could mean nothing

[riyatheobsessing]

So, Matilda seemed to have a habit of peppering in truths to the things she said. Like pointing out the dresser with her claw marks and bloody maid outfit in it, or admitting she was in the security room.

Makes me wonder if when she said this, it was her slipping in a truth, too. She'd count, after all, so if the ghoul was one of the four, it would make it right to say "monsters".

[riyatheobsessing]

Hunter the parenting dadoods...

[riyatheobsessing]

Oh yeah, no, he's fucked.

The Hunter Data Isn't Destroyed.

Now, call me an obsessive, but I was thinking about Chapter 5 again earlier, and decided to look at a particular detail.

Look at where the floppy disc is. Then look at the bullet.

It didn't hit!

The data was on top of the palm of her hand, in poor Git's hand. The bullet destroyed her wrist joint - that's the opposite end of the hand. It seems to me like her wrist and hand were the most damaged there; even her thumb is intact, or at least enough to still be attached to her palm. The hunter data wasn't hit; rather than being destroyed, it seems more likely it was just flung away by her hand violently coming apart.

In other words, it's still in play.

Also, Git is totally dead, right? Like....Big bit of pipe stuck through your chest, just slightly north of your heart? Not super survivable before you have a hand ripped off.

[riyatheobsessing]

The Hunter Data Isn't Destroyed.

Now, call me an obsessive, but I was thinking about Chapter 5 again earlier, and decided to look at a particular detail.

Look at where the floppy disc is. Then look at the bullet.

It didn't hit!

The data was on top of the palm of her hand, in poor Git's hand. The bullet destroyed her wrist joint - that's the opposite end of the hand. It seems to me like her wrist and hand were the most damaged there; even her thumb is intact, or at least enough to still be attached to her palm. The hunter data wasn't hit; rather than being destroyed, it seems more likely it was just flung away by her hand violently coming apart.

In other words, it's still in play.

Also, Git is totally dead, right? Like....Big bit of pipe stuck through your chest, just slightly north of your heart? Not super survivable before you have a hand ripped off.

[riyatheobsessing]

About Horse's Prophecy

I was thinking about what it might mean, and had some ideas.

"What. Is. It. Thoust. See...? Doth Thine eyes... See it... Oracle? Gaze into... mine Crimson Miasma. Thine Faeder laid bare... Dessicated on the rocks by thy hand... The Abbot, will know.

That's definitely referring to Door. Of course, rather than literal bareness, it probably means he himself will be revealed; his secrets spilled, his vulnerabilities exposed. Dessicated on the rocks sounds rather more literal and violent, though....

Of Two, One Falls... One rises. Damnation. The third eye opens. His Suet will feed and warm her gullet. The Abbot, will know.

Remember in Boy's story, how his OC that's totally not a self-insert had a twin brother who turns evil?

Yeah, I reckon this is that. I reckon Boy has a brother we haven't seen, and he based that character on him. This part of the prophecy refers to the two brothers. The third eye opening could easily be a reference to Boy himself being able to see stuff in Horse's blood; a third eye is commonly associated with supernatural sight, such as being able to see spirits, visions, etc. Not to mention Horse referring to him as Oracle.

The Patriarch, in mastering Luna, ends hamstrung... He will wish death upon his flesh... But no mercy shall be given, for none he hath gave. The rising three shall signal wars end. Woe and triumph. The Abbot, will know.

This part worries me. It sounds like Big D will defeat the garou, but he's not going to end up in a good situation. "His flesh" could either mean he'll be put in a fate where death is preferable, or it could mean like "one's own flesh and blood". In which case, it would mean wanting one of his children to die.

I'd reckon the former is more likely; something like, he's able to defeat the werewolves, but is punished in some way. And since he didn't show any mercy to them on his warpath (to get Marckus back, most likely), he's given none in return.

I've no idea what the "rising three" could be, but I assume the war it references is the war that the garou are fighting against the Wyrm and its forces. Perhaps, if we assume they're surviving while the others are killed, it refers to Marckus, Boy and Kitten?

From them... Bloodshed. Armageddon for all. Kine, Kindred, Garou, Milklings, Elohim. In the light they all will—"

This is just the apocalypse. Or rather, a world-ending scenario. As I understand it, the World of Darkness was originally sent out with several different end of the world scenarios. Like one where the Wyrm and the Weaver reunite and make everything over, one where the humans find out about the vampires and it becomes an all out war, etc. That part of the prophecy sounds very much like that kind of scenario. Not a copy from the book, but the same level of catastrophe.

I'm really hoping that I'm miles away on all of this, because I really like them and want them to all be alive and well at the end, damnit. But it doesn't sound good, and the credits have always implied they have a bad end waiting for them. And Hunters aren't known for growing old and dying a natural, peaceful death....

[riyatheobsessing]

I want to make some fanart, but my skills are no good right now, so instead I'm going to post a headcanon.

I like to think Kitten is on the autistic spectrum. It being his special interest would explain why he knows so much folklore and can rattle it all off at will, as well as being apologetic about it, since a lot of people on the spectrum can easily talk at length about things they're interested in only to realise the people around them were annoyed, and become self-conscious of expressing their interests, as Kitten does with Marckus. Plus - while it's not a prerequisite to understanding them - it would also contribute to why he's so understanding with Marckus' attention span problems; neurodivergent people often get other neurodivergent people a little bit more than if they were neurotypical, because their experiences have some similarities.

Plus, it would be an in-universe explanation for why he's always coverered up. Some people on the spectrum have problems with certain types or levels of stimuli, such as bright lights, loud noises, strong colours, certain textures, and/or may have unusually sensitive senses. They may only feel comfortable in certain kinds of clothes, or feel unusually uncomfortable compared to neurodivergent people if they're not wearing them. That could account for why he's always covered up so much.

I know the out of universe reason is it basically being a way of translating his TTS version always being in his armour, but it's nice to imagine reasons why in the story as well.

I like to think that he feels quite uncomfortable being undressed/uncovered usually, and only feels okay with it around a very small number of people, of which Marckus is, of course, one.

A comparable character that comes to mind is Gin from Kimi ga Shine (Your Turn to Die), who, as I recall, dresses the way he does because it's the only way he feels comfortable, and is stated to be autistic. Remembering him actually made me consider that about Kitten.

TL;DR: I reckon Kitten is on the autistic spectrum but it's just a headcanon.