#also even though it feels like an entirely different game out of consideration

[probablygayattorneys]

So, unfortunately I have a rare medical condition that the professionals call “fucked in the head”

(Okay, that’s not quite true, but we have neither the time nor I the desire to lay out my full health history)

Meaning that I have trouble remembering entire stretches of my life, so while I have vivid knowledge that I played most puzzle games from the early aughts, I don’t have a whole lot of memories of the games themselves, so as I embark on yet another journey to rechart the territory of something I know I loved (Trace Memory), I thought I would pause for a second to write down what I think I remember and then later we can look back and see if I was right or not!

Let’s take a second to take stock of what I remember

-Ashley’s aunt telling her nobody remembers things that happen when they’re three

-There’s a ghost boy named D

-I thiiiiink there’s multiple endings, and one involves D moving on and one involves him stuck on Blood Edward Island forever

-There’s a puzzle that involves a piano (though I might be conflating that with the crazy piano monster from Super Mario 64, since I played both in my formative years)

-At one point you have to remember the identity of the person from your bad dream, even though Ashley’s aunt says it’s not a real memory

-………….I think that’s it.

Not much to go off of, huh?

[b1rds3ye]

AAAA i loved that 141 + masked reader one!! omg you're filling my head with mask ideas now...

what if reader had one of those LED masks that showed different facial expressions? just walking around going ":D" ":]" "^-^" "?" ">:(" as a substitute of their real expressions. omfg imagine them coming back from a mission and price is praising them on their work or smth and they just hit him with the "uwu"

I'm glad so many people are liking the prompt, I had a lot of fun with it too!! This is very much giving me Watch Dogs 2 Wrench but also Rina Tennoji omg there are so many legendary masked characters-

The rest of the 141 were confused at first. While the mask provided anonymity, there was also the benefit of hiding facial information to an enemy. But now with these LEDs your emotions could be read like an open book, but ultimately they found it endearing.

Soap in particular loves your mask. Johnny loves surprising you to generate "!"s over the eyes and finds himself smiling every time your mask switches to a new emotion. As demolition expert, he prides himself over the one time he got you so riled up that an error message flashed across your mask. He's also genuinely curious about the mask and will gladly try to help if there are any technical difficulties or if you want a hardware upgrade. He's also the most unnerved out of the 141 if you ever turn the LEDs off, immediately by your side to comfort you as he can no longer read your mood.

Gaz doesn't often provoke you but he does find himself snickering whenever your expressions change from others. It's also an easy way for Kyle to keep track of how you're feeling, even when no one's around your mask automatically goes ";-;" when you're feeling down and he'll check up on you. Whenever he does make a joke though, he's immediately looking to your mask to see if someone will appreciate his humour. He also wishes you turned off your mask more during missions, the little angry face your mask makes isn't intimidating in the slightest and he can't risk getting distracted cooing over you during an op.

Ghost is very curious. Your own mask has him wondering if his own needs a bit of an upgrade - perhaps an LED skull mask with a moving lower jaw. Simon's heart warms up a bit at how you've picked a mask that's still so comically expressive, he enjoys interacting with someone that's so upfront with their emotions. He won't admit it but he finds it cute how your mask goes "-_-" whenever he says one of his horrendous "military humour" jokes. He's considerate of your mask and ensures that there is no water or liquids nearby.

Price's first concern was practicality (how the hell were you going to use night-vision?) but once the mask seems to work without a hitch, he now checks on your mask to not only gauge your mood but as a visual indicator of the overall atmosphere among the rest of the task force. You're now his favourite person to praise. He doesn't give it freely of course, but most of his subordinates will try to hide their smiles as they glow under his praise as they keep up their tough soldier persona. You though? The sudden "! o !" and then consequential "^_^" as you walk away with a hop in your step is probably the sweetest thing he's seen in his entire military career.

It's all fun and games until you turn off the LEDs - usually done in dark/covert missions or when you're interrogating the enemy. That's when you're truly unreadable, a masked terror. As you eliminate enemies in close combat the last thing they will see is their own face contorted into absolute terror as it is faintly reflected like a memory against the bottomless darkness of your visor.

Masked Reader Masterlist Call of Duty Masterlist

[ryker-writes]

Hello! May I request a reader who likes to use a weighted blanket when stressed or have a bad dream, but when that gets ruined or disappeared, they try to convince their bf to lay on them instead? Sorry if I worded this weirdly. This with Idia, Malleus, Leona, and Jack? 💜

Hello again 💜 anon! I hope you're doing well!

Request rules and Masterlists

Idia:

w h a t

you want physical contact????

congratulations, you broke him

it would definitely take a lot of convincing to get Idia to lay on you, but he understands the stress and how amazing a weighted blanket can be

so eventually, he may give in

but he's SUPER awkward about it

he doesn't know what to do, where to look, where to put his hands, and he's so nervous and flustered the entire time

expect him to continue playing games while he's laying on you

but you can watch him play that way!

he will buy you another weighted blanket later though to save himself from having to be so flustered like that again

Malleus:

he's a bit confused at your request at first, but who is he to deny his favorite child of man?

Malleus loves laying on you and being that close to you so he's a happy dragon

but he's VERY careful when laying on you because he doesn't want to accidentally hurt you with his weight or horns

he's very careful and considerate about any request you make and will listen to anything you want

he very much enjoys it though and loves spending the time with you

be careful because he will want to be your weighted blanket from now on like he will fully replace yours

he won't buy you another. He is the weighted blanket now.

(Sebek is having a breakdown when he finds out about this)

Leona:

yeah okay

he doesn't question it or anything and just goes straight to you to laydown

do not expect to be able to get up for the next 2-3 hours

to be honest, he probably lays on you normally so this is no different

you're his best pillow and he loves you

he actually takes this as your response to stress and anytime you're stressed he will just come lay on you without a word

you will never need another weighted blanket with him around

he's not only laying on top of you but he is fully wrapped around you and you're not allowed to move

he may or may not say later that he needs you to be his weighted blanket so you'll lay on him

Jack:

Jack is a very loving and supportive boyfriend, but he's so confused at your request

you're probably gonna have to explain how the weighted blanket helps and how he can help

once you do he's fully willing to help! (even though he's blushing)

he wants to do anything that will make you feel better so he'll help of course

but he's also worried that he might accidentally hurt you or crush you with his weight

once you start showing signs that you're feeling better his worries disappear

even though he's a bit flustered he loves being this close to you and you can even see his tail wagging side to side slowly

he'd be happy to do this again if you ever needed him to, but if you want a new weighed blanket he's happy to get you one too

[pippin-katz]

You know, everyone says that Edwin is a brat, but I have to disagree. Edwin is a bitch, 100% but he's not a brat. You know who is a brat?

CHARLES.

Think about this for a second!

Charles tells the little girl that Edwin’s thing is to “play hard ball” as he’s about to do it, being cheeky and giving away the game. They save Crystal, find out she has some sort of amnesia, and he immediately says she can stay at their office without asking Edwin if it’s okay. And Edwin doesn’t even argue! He’s like, "okay, we don’t usually do that, what the hell, but guess this is a thing right now”.

They bring her back to their office, and he tries to explain that this it’s a bad idea, but notably tries to whisper so as not to wake her up. Even though Edwin doesn't like her and doesn't want her there, he's considerate. Edwin’s entire routine and safe space has been upended by this living girl, so he’s understandably stressed and in a bad mood, but Charles is like, “you’re being bitchy, so I’m gonna go out with Crystal”. They get back and Edwin’s still upset, and then Charles is like, “btw she’s gonna stay” without asking Edwin AGAIN! And AGAIN he doesn’t argue! He immediately asks how long she’s staying for!

Then Crystal reads Becky’s poster and Charles wants to go overseas for a living client, which is all new and Edwin even says that it’s all happening too fast, and they STILL GO! Charles throws Edwin's own worries about Death back at him despite brushing him off earlier, and pulls the guilt trip card of letting Becky die, in front of Crystal, and fucking smiles because he knows he’s won.

And Edwin? He just fucking sighs.

And then once they’re in Port Townsend, Charles sides with Crystal at every turn. He tells Crystal they can find a different way to get the information when the entire point of bringing her was for her powers. He calls Edwin a show-off when he mirror hops, and says it not as an insult, but also without his usual fondness. He says himself that possessing the living "sets off all sorts of alarm bells in the Afterlife", proceeds to do it anyway, then brushes off Edwin’s worries of the consequences. When Crystal yells at them about being scared, he puts her feelings above Edwin’s, who has already been pushed completely out of his comfort zone, and is taking an extra personal risk getting involved with a demon considering he’s on the run from Hell. Even when Crystal’s revealed to have lied about David, and Edwin’s having a complete breakdown, Charles still brings it back around to Crystal.

And this is all just the FIRST EPISODE!!

They are both totally devoted to each other, unquestioningly, but Charles has Edwin literally wrapped around his finger. There's nothing he could ask him to do that he would refuse. He might bitch about it or resist it initially, but he always does what Charles wants in the end.

And Charles seems oblivious and all too aware at the same time. I don't think he has a grasp of how much Edwin would do or how far Edwin would go for him. But he smiles at him and knows he'll cave, and he uses that.

If one of them is a brat, it's fucking Charles.

[mxlissaliss]

Happy Mother's Day ft. Hades, Poseidon and Adam (RoR)

Notes: Just some headcanons of your sweet self choosing thoughtful gifts for your momma with the company of your dad, yippee. A bit too long, perhaps.

• That's it, and Happy Mother's Day y'all!

☠️ Hades

-These kinds of events were considerably insignificant for the Gods. They were immortal beings that have existed for eons, entire lifetimes of knowledge and infinite experience.

- Not for Hades, though, because both he and Persephone were so in love with you the moment you were born that, all of a sudden, counting the days started to make sense.

- Every year for Mother's Day, both you and Hades would work together to get Persephone a ton of presents that you knew she'd love.

- However, this year things went a little differently.

- There you were, walking through your private garden, meticulously picking different flowers for a beautiful bouquet you wanted to make for her, going through each one to examine it carefully. Your fingers inspected the petals, their texture, their color, how they smelled… Oh, and that was just a little detail. A servant behind you was carrying at least six bags filled with jewelry, perfumes, sweets and even more flowery gifts for you angel of a mother!

- And guess what, out of all those presents, your father had only chosen two. The rest of the contents inside those bags remained a mystery to him because an emergency meeting delayed his arrival to the shopping spree, and you already had those bags when he made an appearance.

- Speaking of your father, he was standing a few meters away from you, observing from afar. To say that he was shocked would have been an understatement.

- He was FLABBERGASTED because how in all of Helheim did you manage to outthink him when it came to choosing gifts? And for his beloved wife, no less?! Nonsense! He married Persephone eons ago and knew her better than anyone else, he was absolutely sure! So, uh…

- How the hell did you think of all those other gifts?

- Alright, you were as witty and thoughtful as him, that much he knew. His chest would swell with a warm feeling of pride whenever you managed to beat him at a chess game, or hold a discussion about usually difficult-to-talk-about subjects without stuttering at all.

- He also knew that you guys had similar taste for an awful lot of things, such as music, art, colors, decoration, literature, history, and so on. But even so, how could you possibly think so quickly about this huge amount of things for your mother when he couldn't?

- Wait, no, he was not going to act like a competitive idiot with his daughter. After all, he had promised Persephone last night to take her out for a fancy dinner, then an intimate walk through Helheim and, lastly, some fun time alone in their bedchambers.

- Still! Did you get the advantage because he was too focused on his endless workload that he somehow neglected a part of this special day for his beloved? Or was he finally getting old and doomed to be beat from now on by his own youngling?

- Oh, the sheer horror…

“Papaaa, is someone home?” You waved your hand before his eyes with a raised eyebrow, not knowing why your father seemed so out of it for a moment there. That was uncharacteristic of him.

Hades blinked a couple of times and sighed heavily, before cracking his serious expression with a proud smirk that made you smile, “It seems that you have surpassed your old man this year with the presents. Good to see, my child.”

You stared at him for a minute or two, before waving a dismissive hand with slightly colored cheeks, “Oh, no, none of that. You just wrote down the list of gifts for this year and left it unattended on your desk. Cerberus brought it to me last night thinking that it was a list of chores, and I came to realize after reading it that most of your ideas were the same as my own. Crazy, isn't it?”

- Oh, so that was it. He had to laugh loudly at that because it was so simple it became a joke.

- By the time you made it home, Persephone barely had a chance to speak before you jumped straight into her arms, grinning widely.

- Hades followed behind, handing her half of the gifts while you gave her the other half.

- In the end, the majority of the gifts you chose were the same ones he wanted to buy first, which earned you a hearty laugh and some head pats.

- Cerberus, of course, also received his well-deserved snuggles and belly rubs. What a good hellhound.

- While your mother opened her presents in delight, you recalled your father's words earlier today on the way home.

“It seems that we had the same ideas, huh? Well, let's just say that it all came from your wallet this year… Next time, though, it will be my treat.”

🌊 Poseidon

- Mother's Day? Gifts? Dinner date? What the heck were you even saying?

- Your father was known for a lot of things, but if you ever had to list the most important ones, you'd go with: first of all, a very busy man; second, a serious, powerful deity that rules his domain with an iron fist. Never doubts, never stutters and won't ever stand for any kind of bullshit; and third, an a*hole.

- You loved him, you really did, and you knew it was mutual. Out of all his offspring, you were the only one that he openly cared for (Triton also made it into that list, but not nearly as close as you).

- You also knew that he loved Amphitrite despite his apparent inability to show it. It was difficult to understand until you reached a more mature age, but even so, you couldn't help but wonder why out of all his brothers, your father was the worst when it came to being affectionate.

- This God could be so stubborn and irrational sometimes, he immediately declined all the offers you did without time for explanations.

- Nevertheless, all you had to do was use your ridiculously adorable and convincing puppy-dog-eyes to get him to go shopping for gifts with you a day before the occasion.

- The things is, presents have become an almost insignificant thing for your father, and you couldn't blame him for it, in a way.

- Wealthy like no other, feared and respected by every single deity out there, it was tacit that anything and everything would get straight into his hands should he ever ask for it. So… Choosing gifts for Amphitrite was not easy because it probably didn't even cross his mind. He could get her anything she wanted, whenever she wanted, so what was the point of doing it for a specific day?

- On your side, you had very good ideas and got a rather large selection of gifts for your beloved mother. She wasn't all that complicated to please, really. Handmade details and useful presents were her favorite, and you already had those prepared months back in your chambers.

- But your father was having a rather… Difficult time with this entire ordeal. You could say it was almost comical to see him glaring at a necklace made of blue pearls, as if it would burn from his gaze alone.

- Though, more than disgust or contempt, it was a look of condescension.

“Papa,” you approached him with a little smile, trying not to laugh at his expression, “I can tell you're having a hard time choosing something for mom… Need any help?”

- No response, he simply scoffed and turned around, leaving you alone with the servants at the boutique.

- Whatever, you kind of expected a reaction of sorts so you just shrugged it off and continued to look around for more presents. Your mother deserved to be spoiled, and everything was going as planned.

- Except for one little surprise you definitely did not foresee for the night; your father, sitting at his desk with a painfully focused expression as he inserted a new pearl in the thin, delicate and almost invisible silk threads. The gems gleamed with a soft blue light, but they also had this purple tone to them that turned pink at a certain angle. It was so beautiful…

- Wait, was he making a necklace? Ooooh, so that was it. He was glaring at the jewelry earlier today because he thought he could do better than that. Typical move from your tyrant of a father.

- But what made for a truly heartwarming sight was the tiny hint of a smile on his otherwise stoic face when he finished the necklet and held it up against the moonlight that entered through the skylight, and how he made sure to set it down gently inside a small gift-box that he grabbed from a drawer.

- Once again, you simply smiled and quietly leaned against the doorframe, not making a sound as to not disrupt his little moment.

- You immediately knew that your mother was going to be elated to receive a handmade gift from her usually cold husband.

- … Well, even if you knew that he was most likely going to deny the love allegations and hide it all behind a predictable “doing it out of pride and not because he knew that his wife liked handcrafted details” bullshit argument.

- The gift was what mattered, anyways!

🍃 Adam

- Quite the opposite from the other two, your father was even more excited than you at the prospect of Mother's Day.

- He loved Eve so dearly that any excuse to spoil her rotten with riches and gifts was valid. And you thought the same, because your sweet mother deserved it.

- However, Adam always ended up making it feel like a competition, which wouldn’t have been so bad if it weren't for the fact that he's always loved to rub it on your face every time he felt like he won.

- But this year? You wouldn’t let it happen again. You had enough!

- You grabbed your bag, your absurdly long list titled “present ideas for mama Eve A.K.A. Best Mama Ever” and headed out.

- … Welp.

- Time skip to six hours later, you had practically run through almost every single store your could find, and always came out with at least two items.

- Purse? Empty. List? Overdone. Brain? Fried? Blood circulation? Cut short because of all the heavy bags you were carrying. What's it called? Yeah, a successful shopping trip.

- Life was all sparkles, birds chirping and smiles, until…

“What?! You did not just get all of that for your mother!” That was your father's voice, and much to your utter surprise, he was holding lesser amount of items in his own arms (barely two or three bags less than you, actually).

“Papa! Do you need help carrying th-“ you paused, taking a few seconds to process the sight in front of you before an almost wicked smirk formed on your face. “Hah! I win, you old man! Time is up and I got mama the most things!”

- Adam was visibly irked by your mockery, but you were right, time was up because Eve was probably home waiting for the two of you, and taking extra time to get her more stuff would only allow you to go home to her faster. Crap.

- … You guessed right again. A race, which ended up in a tie after you both slammed the front doors open at the same time and with the same intensity (insanity).

“Mama!”

“My love!”

- At the sound of your voices, Eve came downstairs immediately. She was getting ready to go out after Cain and Abel suggested to go out for dinner, to celebrate the special day as a family.

- And oh, how beautiful she looked with her long, blonde hair styled up with soft curls, wearing a mesmerizing emerald green dress, and her angelic smile that always managed to outshine the sun itself.

- Your mother was the most beautiful woman in the universe, and both you and your father sighed contently at the sight of her.

“You are finally home! I was starting to get worried wh- ah!” Before Eve could continue, you shoved a flower bouquet in her arms while Adam quickly stood behind his wife, holding up her hair momentarily to put on a beautiful necklace with a leaf charm on her snow-white neck.

- Just like that, twenty more minutes passed, with you and your father practically burying your mom under her gifts one by one, until she had to laugh at the absurdity of it all. The two of you looked so comically concentrated on the gifts that all Eve could was grin warmly while being showered with your gentle (not really) affections.

- The sound of her laugh was enough to snap you out of your little trance, and seeing Eve so happy, overwhelmed with joy, you two finally toned it down a bit.

- In the end, you looked up at your dad and laughed in sync, not caring anymore about your silly little competition. At least, not for the time being. All that mattered was that your mother was happy and ready to enjoy a fancy meal and some quality time in family.

- Next year, though, you were definitely going to crush that old man of yours.

[blues824]

Idia shroud with a s/o that is his arrange fiancée that is that descendant of Persephone 💖 is graceful and considerate. Although seemingly innocent, she is not one to be toyed with as she holds the capability to stand up for herself and do what is right as she is ruthless to those who had/ have wronged her..

But both of them love each other dearly depending on the situation both have a soft spot for each other but never play favourites ** cough** Persephone!S/O **cough** she will and has put Idia back into his place! Even if he is or isn't in his blot form! Last time she was mad mad... Idia unlocked a new fear.. his soon to be wifey once she turns 18! (She is currently 17) always a year behind him! :3

You will never know how excited I have been to do this. Female Reader who is not Yuu.

Idia Shroud

Your parents had agreed that you both would be wed once you turned 18. But you weren’t against it at all. Ever since you both were children, you both were happy that you would be married to each other. It was a young love that we only see in Disney movies nowadays… oh wait… this is Disney.

Throughout the years, you both went to the same schools. You would spend a lot of time at his family’s house so that you could learn more about his family’s business. After all, if you were to become his wife, you would be co-owner of the company alongside your future husband.

Idia was wholeheartedly in love with you. You were graceful, you were kind, it was kind of impossible for him not to fall for you. At his family’s estate, you had started a garden so that you could eat a bit cleaner. Your power over plants really fascinated your fiance. 

Ortho became a younger brother figure to you. Idia finds himself super flustered whenever he sees you two hanging out. You spend a lot of time outside due to the nature of your powers, and Ortho also loves spending time outside so it works out. It was at your pleading that your fiance spent more time outside as well. But you knew that the curse on his family prevented him from spending too much time away from blot.

Then, you both got accepted into Night Raven College, one year apart of course. The unfortunate part is that you were accepted into different dormitories. He was a part of the Ignihyde dorm when you were accepted into the Pomefiore dorm. The eldest Shroud sibling had to admit that you looked absolutely beautiful in your dorm uniform.

If you ever adjust his dorm uniform, like the jacket for example, he will get flustered to a whole other degree. The non-existent distance between you two overwhelms him a bit. Then you grab his jacket lapels and pull him into a kiss. Bro turned more red than Elmo.

He does get a bit jealous when you tell him that you have a gardening club meeting and can’t meet up with him. However, he feels crappy when he has a board game club meeting and therefore can’t meet up with you. This puts your relationship in a bit of a distant stage, but ‘distance makes the heart grow fonder’.

Now, there’s the matter of his overblot. It was fiance against fiance in this situation, because you teamed up with Yuu and Grim as well as the other First Years. You were quick to shut him down though, catching him in a snapdragon and watching him struggle within. 

In the infirmary, you were waiting for him to wake up. Once he did, you almost squeezed and kissed the life out of him. But before he had the chance to reciprocate your affection, you slapped him and started yelling at him for how he almost killed himself, Ortho, and everyone involved in the battle.

Bro has never been more scared in his entire life. He could consider it a near-death experience just facing the fire of your fury. You went from kissing him from relief to scolding him out of anger that he just started tearing up and apologizing. This made you feel bad and you wrapped your arms around his torso as you laid on him.

Whenever you lay on him, but the way, you place your hand beside your head on his chest. There, he sees the engagement ring that he gave you while you were a senior in high school and he was a freshman in college. His wife-to-be was always one year behind him.

By the way, you both show obvious favoritism towards each other. Not a lot of people are allowed at the Ignihyde dorm, but you definitely are for obvious reasons. Then, in your dorm, even though you aren’t the Housewarden, Vil does allow you to stay the night over in Idia’s room because you have earned it.

[hamartia-grander]

Of the many things that I could complain about regarding Bg3, this one being less important but still annoying to me, the fact that Wyll and Karlach leave your party no matter what if you attack the grove (or, hell, that any character leaves your party permanently when the threat of being instantly mind-flayer'd still exists) frustrates me.

Let's not look at it from a D&D standpoint, even, because this is ultimately a video game, not a ttrpg - though I'd argue that in real D&D, the fact that no single player would be in charge of everything and that there's way more room for personalised routes would add nuance to this. But from a video game standpoint, removing vital characters due to decisions rather than death as a means of consequence for a player's actions drastically lowers the quality of the playthrough. You're not just missing out on lovely characters like Karlach and Wyll (who are also my favourite characters but that's beside the point), you're losing entire segments of the story, you're losing a great amount of depth from the story, just to pursue different choices.

Larian fails in the "evil" routes because they very obviously just punish the player for being excessively "evil" (not even discussing the dark urge here, just a regular playthrough), and scrape away chunks of the story rather than creatively working the narrative around different decisions the player could make. Like, I can roll deception or persuasion to keep Gale in the party after raiding the grove, but I can't do the same for Wyll or Karlach? The game teaches us that as soon as we leave the radius of the prism, the protection of the Guardian who is actively holding back the Absolute's commands to have us turned into mind flayers, we are instantly turned into mind flayers. And yet they don't account for that when having other characters leave the party. They tried making a branching narrative where the characters feel like D&D players but without the actual autonomy and personhood behind the characters that makes D&D so complex and enjoyable.

Not to mention it's EASILY a cop out to stop having to write for these characters in an evil playthrough. Like, oh, rather than spend more time considering how Wyll and Karlach would respond to these decisions down the line, rather than fleshing out their own struggles with their morals not aligning with their actions, Larian just wrote them out of the story entirely. But, despite having the same kind of moral crisis, Gale can stay... Hm...

And again, you could tell me all you want about how it "makes sense" for Karlach and Wyll to leave as a result of this, and I'd agree with you, but my point is not that it doesn't make sense, it's that they've established there's SO much more at stake here than our morals. By removing two entire characters from the storyline without any consideration for nuance, they are only punishing us for pursuing "bad" routes. I'm tired of it.

[moonshynecybin]

do you have any thoughts on girl marc? and specifically if her being a girl would have made her do certain things differently bc (presumably) she would have faced a lot of shit in the other classes due to being a woman

every thought I have is like that could be true but also the complete opposite, the only thing I'm confident in is that she would be earth shatteringly hot. like I'm talking fuuuucking crazy gorgeous

there's that picture of marc on the podium in aragon in 2019? girl marc would have killed people

see i have a little trouble with getting into the nitty gritty ‘how would x rider fare as a woman’ of it all because. well there are no women in the grid. and i don’t think that’s because generationally talented motogp superstars is a trait defined by being a cis guy. so if we are doing the gender swap i’m gonna have to like. pantomime these guys experiencing sexism which is an interesting cognitive dissonance to inhabit. like i’m not against a good old horny time (and i think a lot of the time it’s women who imagine these scenarios as a mechanism to like. fill a void that exists in the sport in the first place. would we write as many gender swaps like this if there WERE simply women in the premiere class ??) but it is something i think about, so i’m gonna start there. just as a lil food for thought. interesting sociological phenomenon in sports fandom that i have some complex feelings about. not bad not great.

that all being SAID. wheee fun time. um marc as girl. marc. winning above everything but image always at least a consideration. loves to be hot isn’t the MOST concerned with entirely fitting in a gender box about it as he’s gotten older though he’s still pretty conforming. hmm. i think marc starts her career like long hair straightened compulsively smiling at everybody no matter how sexist they get and. the same sort of murderously crazy on the race track.

i ALSO think. marc’s racing behavior has already earned him a significant amount of haters worldwide even BEFORE sepang-gate and he is a handsome white man. uh oh ! like i think this marc learns a lil earlier a lil harder the lesson that you cannot always care what everyone thinks of you even when it rips you up inside and is in fact significantly traumatic. like people were being WILDLY homophobic to marc in 2015 i cannot imagine how bad it would be for him if he was a girl. but uhhhh all this to say i think she gets a sexy undercut post sepang (it was 2015/16. the only option.) and stops straightening her hair. i also think she hardens up a little more. even less friends even more alex. instagram game would be an absolute MINEFIELD bc it’s one thing to post your own slut back and hole out 9000x as a man it is ANOTHERRRR to do it as a public figure who is a WOMAN. especially coupled with that quote from marc when he was younger about how he didn’t like it when people told him to look sexy in pictures (before he realized he could control that himself on his insta shdhgdgs). in that vein. marc’s catastrophic control issues also interesting. perception wise. good lord. controversial queen

it’s also like. what if you’re the chosen one but aren’t. because he wouldn’t be if he were a girl. would her family pin their financial future on teen marc? would they prioritize alex instead? would marc have to take a different route to the premiere class? would she be the first option for casey stoner’s bike? how much worse would the sepang fallout be? what would marc do to keep winning? keep competing? would it be enough ? like there’s a LOT.

[itsblasttothepast]

I just wanna say that you defending Checo is the best part of my day.

This whole situation is tiring and I really would love for RBR to finally make some official decisions because I have had enough of all the speculations and people saying Sergio will be out even though he has a contract and he said multiple times he will be back after the break.

I don't understand why people think him and Max hate each other (more so why RBR posting Max/Daniel video or them flying together to Monaco where they both live would be a proof of that) when they said over and over again that they have a good relationship and Max is defending Checo every weekend - I doubt PR could force him to do that, he doesn't look like the type to play into PR games.

The whole "Daniel vs Sergio" is a horrible situation made worse by media and the "fans" because I don't see them acting any different around each other (though the whole incident with Daniel's team spreading rumours still gives me an ick) and I don't know why being friends with Max is somehow taken into consideration???? Like Daniel is his best friend on the grid, he said that many many times and because of that he can't like Checo? Where's the logic? It's very preschool to say that: "he's my best friend and only mine and he can't be friends with anyone else". Ridiculous.

It was fine for a moment but it turned really toxic rather quickly and it's disgusting, it is possible to like a driver without hating their competitors. Also, I don't think Daniel proved himself enough to take the seat mid season, (Yuki beaten him almost always) and it wouldn't make sense to reverse all the progress Sergio made to put the entire WCC on an unknown. But I agree Checo needs to do better - he had a terrible luck lately and made some mistakes but he wasn't that bad, not sure what it is because he was flying in quali and then got fucked over with the strategy but he deserves a fair chance (and please don't get me started on the whole "they fired Pierre and Alex for less" because it's a completely different situation - they were not fighting for the top spot then)

Sorry for the rant, I'm just really sick of this situation.

(Also because apparently it's important in the whole debate somehow - I am a Checo fan, I'm indifferent towards Daniel and RBR and I am from Europe)

Don't worry anon, I love good rants, particularly from Checo fans, you are amazing, and I hug you so hard!

I do agree Checo has made mistakes, but he was improving. It's something I can't understand, some practices he's really good, and then qualy ends awfully and has to make it up in the race. In this race in particularly, I do blame RBR for the drop in places. Checo complained about the energy thing (I only know the words in Spanish, sorry, but something about needing power because he was too slow) and the tyre thing... I think Horner knows they fucked up, because he said that 'this race won't have an impact in Checo's future in RBR', whatever, I don't believe you Horner. Yesterday in qualy, he almost stays at Q2 because his engineer made a mistake, the team is having a hard time with the strategies and it shows, particularly with Checo.

I'm with you, RBR needs to just say something about this instead of letting everyone (press, haters and fans of other drivers) run wild with the rumours.

The fact that people still believe Max hates Checo baffles me. They say he has to act like this because PR stuff, but Max is Max. Let's remember their divorce in 2022, shots were fired, frosty things during PR... they really think Max would just pretend for PR? Particularly the touchy feely way he is with Checo? But whatever, they can think that, if only didn't mean spewing shit about Checo, but no, they have to say nasty things about him.

I understand how you feel anon, and feel free to share your thoughts here, is a Checo fans Space for all of us, loving that you are european, I'm biased because the press is mean, but I know Checo has fans there, so glad to meet (sorta) one of them!

So anon, being a Checo fan:

[ctheathy]

hello,could you make me a order of sh tails x reader but a psycho reader pls

Secret History Tails w/ psychopathic!Darling

Secret History Tails x Reader

General+Fluff Headcanons

Short Concept

Author’s note : Oh goodness gracious, yall have no idea the struggle I went through to try and write down the proper differences between Tails’ sociopathy, the darling’s psychopathy and make it work with one another💀

Okay, so instead of fitting the stereotypical agenda [Stab stab, murder, hysterical laughing... That], I again went for a more unique and realistic aspect on psychopathic behaviour

Wanted to change things up a little for once in a while, so for my og lovers; SH Tails back from Secret Histories was chosen

SH Tails/Reader [Romantic Tendencies]

[Gender-neutral Darling|Female Darling|Male Darling]

Potential ⚠️TWs⚠️ :

Sociopathic behaviour • Psychopathic behaviour • Murder • Dysfunctional work from Tails • Implied manipulation

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We all know that this version of Tails has always been a little bit... Off. And definitely more on the unique side when it comes to any of the variants we’ve faced. He’d pretty unstable, that’s to say the least. Most screentime of his has already shown that he’s rather on the irresponsible side whenever it comes to his actions as well; causing chaos by throwing his intentions left and right, and dipping when being faced with the consequences. Creating his own little game in a sense of self gain and in order to get his goal succeeded, which at that time was holding the title of being Sonic’s best and only friend, feeling no remorse in removing whoever’s existence to get what he wants. But despite the clear target he’s had right from the start, there’s also been someone else who has briefly been catching his attention.

You two would have likely met around the main events of secret histories, when everybody got introduced to him, when all wasn’t brought into the danger zone just yet. And even while Sonic has continued flooding his erratic mind for a long time, he had always found you intriguing in a way, but for the longest time he couldn't put his mind to what it was that interested him so badly. Though questioning himself up until this point, his mesmerization with you had actually given quite a sense balance to him and his consciousness. Instead of the one-sided unhealthy attachment he had grown towards the blue blur, he was now able to connect with another in a more beneficial way for the both of you. You’d always notice the two tailed fox observing and just staring at you from a distance, but he never actually went out of his way to speak to you. Perhaps the denial for taking interest in another creature instead of just the well-known hero himself finding itself in the picture once again. But there ended up being one single occurrence that changed his entire point of view on this, a natural response that specifically stood out to him and connected all the dots in his mind.

His killings. He’s never actually felt uncertain when doing any of the dirty work, even considerably feeling proud of oneself when his efforts resulted into the final state that he oh-so desired. He was used to the horrified expressions lingering around the place whenever the now deformed body was found, but something that caught his eye even more so is how much your responses seemed to lack emotion despite it being highly inappropriate considering the circumstances. Usually traumatism would be all around visible in the discoverer’s eyes, but for you that had never been the case in the first place. The only thing you’d oftentimes let out being a mere “oh...” and although your facial features made a clear effort to contort in concern, no tears ever seemed to fall.

This was the absolute limit for the mobian. Not only didn’t you seem care much about your “friends’” little lives deep under that facade you tried keeping up to blend in in society, but you also weren’t fazed by any of the destruction he had caused? It had felt like a massive sensation of both relief and recognition for the fox, someone whom he could relate to on another level. This acknowledgement of similarities between you two having given him that one little push he needed to become just as endearing torwards you. He’d specifically encourage you in behaving the way you genuinely feel. It certainly cannot be a pleasant job to keep these disgusting masks plastered on your face all the time, and he truly wants to see you act on anything you may experience, feeling as if there’s much more to you other than making yourself out to be as the average person to “blend in” in such a hideous group of citizens.

Psychopaths are often known to lack both experience and the ability to connect with others, which could have lead to slight bumps in both of your bond with one another at first hand. Tails, however, is still quite the patient mobian; making sure to give you plenty of time to get accustomed to these new forms of relationships and to prevent being pushy about anything. Due to how much you both can see yourselves in eachother, Tails’ appearance could really be one of the best things that could have ever happened for you. Knowing how much he wouldn’t care for any of the things you’d do as long as you’re enjoying yourself either; he’d do quite literally anything to cover up for any unsavoury acts you might have caused in the present; as he is literally none the better himself.

Maintaining an actual relationship that could be considered real and trustworthy is immensely difficult for you, and though he is positive you do love him in your own way; do consider keeping up with any insecurity streaks that may appear in the fox from time to time. As even if you’re not affected by the extremes of emotions coming from another and the exposure to literal bodies laying numbly on the cold floor, you don’t want to know how unstable he can actually get.

On a different note though, he does understand what goes around in your head and the things you might be going through because of it; Even if truthfully saying, you don’t know any better. Your position causes a lot restrictions and other poor confinements for both yourself and those around you. But he couldn’t care less about them. You’re his main priority, and he doesn’t enjoy seeing you being talked down upon and complaints being thrown your way by some some pathetic observer’s life. Who are they to judge you based on first-time encounters anyways? Can’t they see how absolutely spectacular you are?? And he wouldn’t be the slightest bit of hesitant when rigging anything that might be on them at current timing, feeling zero regret when the reports of yet another discomposed body being found finds itself on the news. Feeling eerily lucky in a way that it is you who this work is being done for. He had already gotten a scolding by the other teammates and even Sonic himself, but even he knows he could get away with pretty much anything in your case. And he isn't planning on quitting these wrongdoings anytime soon as long as it could ensure your safety and satisfaction.

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[shirleydanders]

“Reunion”

CHARACTERS: River Cartwright x James ‘Spider’ Webb

SUMMARY: It’s been about a month of silent hospital visits before River hears that Spider’s awake. He goes to see him and their game, as ever, is on.

WORD COUNT: 1,664

WARNINGS: Angst, violent imagery, bad language, deep, deep sadness and weird dudes.

NOTES: This is kind of a fix-it fic because I refuse to accept Spider’s death as laid out in either the book or the show. Also, I tried to do a bit of a character study into why River is so pathetic and Spider is such a fucked up little freak, so I hope you enjoy that.

River knows how it feels. To be worth more vivisected than whole. Maybe he can sympathise. There’s something more compelling about his destruction than the half-life he’s slipping through.

So loneliness will always be preferable to the feeling of being sifted through for something more valuable. He watches as the light in everyone’s eyes dies on contact with him. He carries on talking even though no one’s listening. He was made a pawn, but the game’s over.

He knows he’ll let his guard down eventually. Sooner or later, he’ll offer himself to someone, to be broken down into those familiar disembodied bits. He can feel useful then, if only for a moment.

Pathetic, that’s what most people would call it. River has given up trying to justify himself. He doesn’t have the energy. He’s half a person; half the vital functions. His thoughts dissolve as soon as they arrive. Any emotion feels a hundred miles away. If he does catch up, it’s already petered out.

He thinks about his mother briefly. How she left him on his granddad’s doorstep at seven. Well, of course she did. She could see it, even then. He’s always been a ghost.

He thinks that’s why he doesn’t stay whole for long. Whatever he is isn’t worth being saved, not even an entire being in the first place. And haunting people is so painful. So he lets them take him apart. All the pieces. Until he’s just a husk, and they’ve slinked away.

Spider’s anxieties are different altogether. He is sure of his importance; knows he’s needed. But the idea that someone could overtake what he’s managed to achieve makes him sick. The constant need to sabotage, to prove himself above others. He marks his card as one of the elite, but the conviction he embodies it with doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

Taverner never liked him. He doesn’t need her to, so long as she doesn’t like anyone else either. But she did before. She liked River. So when she came with the request to ruin him, a Shakespearean betrayal, he’d done what he had to. There was no place for him but the top of the food chain.

It’s never bothered him. There’s always someone undeserving in the place he should be. Who was the one weeping, smeared across the floor in the torture resistance training? Not him, that’s for sure.

It’s not personal. What River is or isn’t to him has never even been a consideration. It’s London Rules, as it always has been. Covering your arse is a lot easier when you can push someone down to do it for you.

When they meet again, for the first time since Spider woke from his coma, there is that stilted silence – the great unsaid. That has always been a game they played. There’d always been a hushed nature to their… relationship. Before the resentment kicked in, there was something else that was keeping them apart.

Now, even the love’s gone, but the distance remains unchanged. They’re too incompatible for that to be overcome.

Nevertheless, they are drawn together every single time.

River is the first to speak.

‘Long time, no see.’

Spider nods – a smile, half expressed, half tangled up in another moment, resting on his lips. He catches River’s insinuation. That Spider hadn’t seen him, even though he’d visited.

‘You gonna use that against me? The coma?’

‘Well, I’ve never been in one.’

The pair laugh, acidicly.

‘Never too late to try something new.’

The thin veil of playfulness shatters. They both wilt, as though resigning themselves to the opposite. It is too late. It’s all too late, and too messy, and too much.

‘That’s the last time I ask your lot for a favour.’

‘Yeah, well, we’re slow horses,’ River replies, teeth grinding slightly as he forces it out, ‘what did you expect?’

‘I would’ve thought not letting people get shot while you’re running security is common practice, even among your kind.’

They both know they’re not here to speak as though they’re on the record, in some unseen competition. They want to be candid. To possibly even be vulnerable. The trouble is, someone’s got to break first. Spider had never knowingly broken in his life. Ah, but River…

‘I thought you were gonna die.’

Spider’s eyes snap up to River, quiet satisfaction setting his lips in a smile.

‘That was never on the cards.’

‘Be fucking serious, I…’ River began with the anger that only really expresses itself for Spider. Every other inconvenience he felt was par for the course, worth little more reaction than an eye roll, but Spider is the one who gets under his skin. It’s impressive, really, how instantly he can boil River’s blood. He starts again, softer. ‘It just made me think about training.’

The glint in Spider’s eyes extinguishes itself.

‘You know, they say that when you’re in a coma, you’re aware of everything around you. That wasn’t true for me.’ Spider begins the observation in a cold, guarded way. As though armouring up in the terrible event of his vulnerability.

‘I heard nothing. Saw nothing. One minute I was awake, the next minute I was awake again. Nothing in between.’ There’s a pause, as he draws breath like a gun. ‘It’s what I imagine your life’s like at Slough House.’

River looks at him, really looks. If this is a joke at his expense, it hasn’t landed. Spider’s as serious as a heart attack, his words grave.

‘And, so what? You– you feel sorry for me?’

Spider just looks away. Maybe he thought about training too. What they had been through– only for Spider to leave his legacy in blood on a marble floor. For River to still experience a living death, everyday. Maybe he considered how sitting at that desk must feel to someone with the world to give.

Or maybe not.

The blood’s up again in River’s ears. His cheeks are beet red and his jaw aches from clenching. So much has changed. So much has stayed the same. They walk a hall of broken mirrors; a corridor leading to the abstract nothing. The walk had almost ended for Spider, but he clung on. If only to throw River ahead of him.

Why does River continue the cycle? Why is he even here? A voice in the back of his head answers:

Because he’s the only one who knows what to do with the bits you break down into.

‘I haven’t missed you being such a prick.’ River is serious when he says it, but it’s an evasion. It’s pointless too. Spider can see it for the hubris it is.

‘Cartwright,’ River hates when Spider calls him by his surname. Like an old schoolmaster. It’s loaded with association, too. His grandfather, the super spy, and him, Cartwright the Younger. The disappointment. The black sheep no-one had the decency to send to slaughter. ‘They tell me Taverner’s coming down. You might wanna make yourself scarce.’

Something like vengeance flashes in River’s eyes. How sweet it feels when the upper hand begins to guide you.

‘If they’re sending her down in person, there’ll be two choices.’

He let that hang. Maybe Spider had already considered this.

Maybe not.

‘I don’t choose Slough House.’

‘Didn’t think you would.’

‘As a new expert on fates worse than death–’

‘Yes, fine.’

It irks River. That, even while lying in a hospital bed, Spider still commands the room. His confidence, misplaced though it is, is like a dagger between River’s shoulder blades. The first piece begins to come away.

‘When will you be discharged?’

‘End of the week, all being well. Few more tests.’ He’s vague, lest River mistake his condition for any sort of weakness. It was simply a matter of record keeping that he had been shot. Dodging death in a manner almost offensive, and powering ahead like he still has the world at his feet.

Only, it’s starting to settle in. What River had said. When one choice is Slough House, the other is quit the Service. There’s no route back to the Park. This isn’t the minor blip he’s pretending it is. This is as good a death as he’ll ever get.

River might feel sorry for him. Under all the resentment, there might be a tiny sliver of him that wouldn’t wish his life on anyone else. Especially Spider, for some reason.

They sit in their torturous silence. When they built their walls, they’d been too close to see that they’d hemmed each other in with them. Stuck in a hellish limbo between saying nothing and saying everything. The goodwill between them, if it ever had existed – in the liminal ‘before’ – had run dry. There remained only an itch, like a phantom feeling for something that could still exist, but never will again. River needs to be broken down, and James needs to consume him. That was the unspoken order of things. But, to admit it would be the worst betrayal. Instead they sit, in this prison of their own making, thinking of what life would look like, as if they didn’t already know.

‘I’m gonna go.’ As River turns to his coat, he finds the forgotten bouquet beneath it. Spider’s eyes widen. ‘Oh, yeah. I got you these.’ He extracts them, now more than slightly squashed, and hands them to Spider. ‘Lilies, in case you’d died.’

Receiving them now, Spider knows what he should say. He’s opened up a clear line of sight. You got me flowers, you pathetic fuck? But he can’t. Some unseen chain snags around his neck. He holds the flowers, plastic crinkling as he turns them over in his hands.

‘I wouldn’t make it that easy for you.’

River finds himself smiling, despite himself. Despite everything.

‘I’m sure.’ He throws on his coat. ‘Give Taverner my love and… erm– enjoy unemployment!’

‘Fuck you, River.’

‘Fuck you, Spider.’

And although they both wish it weren’t, the world as they’d always known it is back.

[cursed-man-prayers]

High Infidelity is about Miss Americana.

Notes before we begin: First, I can’t post screenshots from the doc bc Netflix, but I have pulled direct quotes and rewatched scenes over and over as I wrote this analysis. The more I watched, the more this theory made sense.

Second, while I obviously don’t know what Taylor Swift’s relationship with her dad is like, the clips in Miss American plus the song tolerate it are enough to convince me that he’s not/wouldn’t be accepting of Taylor being queer. There’s a reason she’s a mama’s girl. This is a Scott Swift hate account.

Let’s begin

Verse One

Lock broken,

A common interpretation of this lyric is the invasion of privacy that is someone reading your diary/journal. Having a locked diary is also something most common with young girls (only girls get privacy, sorry lads), and in Miss Americana, the first diary that Taylor shows in the first scene while she says the first words of the film is a diary that has a lock, and there’s also a closeup of another diary with a lock, as well as the words “bitch session.” There’s also the very common trope/reality of parents reading your diary. Speaking from personal experience, this can genuinely be traumatic, especially taking into consideration the next two words.

Slur Spoken

Seeing as Taylor is a white woman, I genuinely don’t know how else this can be interpreted besides a homophobic slur being spoken. $!u and b*!tch are derogatory, but that’s not the same thing as being a slur. Also, I’m not going to justify the “she’s talking about slurring words while drunk!!” interpretation bc that makes less sense than thinking the slur is “whore.” (I think the diary I mentioned that says “bitch session” is further proof that Taylor doesn’t consider ‘bitch’ to be a slur, even though she has called out the misogynistic way men use it in music.)

Wound open, game token

The person who is breaking this lock and speaking this slur and opening this wound is using Taylor’s pain as a means to get a prize. “You play stupid games you win stupid prizes” (MAATHBP), “You knew you won, so what’s the point of keeping score?” (hoax).

I didn't know you were keeping count

In the Man music video, during the tennis match, Scott Swift is playing the scorekeeper. This line is repeated multiple times in the song. The context of the repetition does change and develop throughout the song.

Rain soaking, blind hoping

I think this refers to the Lover era and how Taylor was not able to come out (specifically that video where she’s talking about ME! and looks sad as shit). I think it’s also a reference to Midnight Rain, rain being a metaphor for unexpected, unseen change, and also the isolation of staying hidden.

You said I was freeloading / I didn't know you were keeping count

As someone with a dad, I can confirm that this is very dad-coded. Like, I can’t think of a context in Taylor’s life where a romantic partner would’ve said this to her, especially considering how idk, rich and successful she’s been since she was a teenager? While I don’t think her dad would ever be justified in saying this to her either, it could be a reference to him throwing his role in her career in her face, the way we see in Miss Americana.

Chorus

This is where things come together in terms of being about Miss Americana.

High infidelity / Put on your records and regret me / I bent the truth too far tonight / I was dancing around, dancing around it

In order to produce a consumable product (the Lover journals) around her and her art, she had to dance around the full truth. The entries were meticulously chosen and most likely edited. In Miss Americana, the segment where she “comes out” as a democrat feels like it might’ve been a different kind of coming out story, especially when you factor in the creation of You Need To Calm Down. It comes across as extremely personal, and while there are multiple factors leading to the experience being emotionally charged for Taylor, I do think that her own queerness is one of those factors. The entire documentary feels like she’s dancing around a bent truth.

Put on your headphones and burn my city

Putting on headphones is shorthand for ignoring someone. “Burn my city” in the context of how Taylor equates her (former) lover with *a certain city* feels like an indication that the subject of the song did something to sabotage and burn down the relationship. I think this is a reference to how her career and the people controlling it (such as her father, but others as well) ruined the love she’s been singing about since reputation.

Your picket fence is sharp as knives

This also goes back to Midnight Rain (“my town was a wasteland, full of cages, full of fences”)

I was dancing around, dancing around it

Taylor has used dancing as a literary device throughout her discography. I believe it’s typically a metaphor for queerness.

Post Chorus

Do you really want to know where I was April 29th?

This goes back to the diaries from Miss Americana. This is Taylor being confronted about a journal entry from an April 29th where she wrote something gay. When *her dad* saw it, it led to a slur being spoken.

Do I really have to chart the constellations in his eyes?

This refers to the segment in Miss Americana that is allegedly all about Joe. Call It What You Want plays over a montage of videos filmed by an unseen lover. The only clip actually featuring Joe in the entire film is a single moment where Taylor and Joe look vaguely excited to see each other after one of the Rep shows. The way she wrote and sung this line makes it seem like charting constellations in some dude’s eyes is the last thing she wants to do.

Verse Two

Storm coming, good husband / Bad omen / Dragged my feet right down the aisle

This very much sounds like Taylor being forced to be romantically linked in a traditional, heterosexual way. The storm coming and bad omen are what led to her being pushed into this, likely the media storm that happened in 2016. It ties together the lines about pickets fences and how the rain referenced in the first verse is connected to Midnight Rain, because, as we learned with the very first track on Midnights, Taylor is not interested in 1950’s shit.

At the house lonely,

“To a house not a home all alone ‘cause nobody’s there,” Dear Reader

good money,

“the jokes weren’t funny, I took the money” from YOYOK is just one example of how the money comes at the cost of herself and who she is and her worth as a human being…

I'd pay if you'd just know me / Seemed like the right thing at the time

…but now she’s regretting paying that price, wishing that she could be truly known. It seemed like the right thing, but she’s realizing that it wasn’t. Alternatively, she regrets coming out to her and the price she now has to pay of knowing his love was conditional. She paid the price for being known. Also, during the clips that play during the segment allegedly about Joe, Taylor is singing Call It What You Want, specifically the lyric “At least I did one thing right” which is… devastating in this context. She also says:

But I wasn’t happy in the way that I was trained to be happy…It was happiness without anyone else’s input. It was just, we were happy.

Anyway she doesn’t seem happy anymore.

Pre Chorus

You know there's many different ways that you can kill the one you love / The slowest way is never loving them enough

This creates a strong connection to tolerate it. I feel like this lyric is the thesis of that song. Again, this is a very dad-coded lyric. It’s the slow realization that a parent’s love can be conditional. It’s like when a queer kid comes out and a parent says “I still love you, but…” There’s other contexts where that phrase could exist, but it’s an extremely common queer experience.

Do you really want to know where I was April 29th? / Do I really have to tell you how he brought me back to life?

I think this could refer to the narrative of Joe Alwyn being William Bowery (which is suspect at best and criminal at worst). She has to say that Joe helped her write devastating breakup songs like exile and champagne problems to keep up the narrative that they are in a VERY HAPPY relationship.

The next new lyric is in the third chorus and let’s just say I have thoughts about it.

Put on your records and regret meeting me

THIS LYRIC HAS BEEN DRIVING ME MAD FOR THREE MONTHS. In the other choruses she says “regret me,” but she changes it here to be “regret meeting me” in the last chorus. “Regret me” implies regretting the existence of Taylor Swift. It’s the people credited with kick-starting her career (such as her father!!!) putting on your records, a double-entendre for her albums + the awards and accolades she has earned for those albums. But! In this chorus! The lyric is! Regret meeting me! The promo for Midnights focused heavily on “meet me at midnight,” the concept that she would be showing who she really is with the album, so much so that people thought she might be coming out with this album. While I think this lyric is a reference to that narrative and the fear that her fans won’t get her or won’t like her after listening to Midnights, I also think it is about how her dad regrets learning who she really is, and how he therefore IGNORES IT by listening to the albums she wrote about me. This is the only lyric in the chorus that changes, and it’s seemingly such a small change, a single word added to the line, but that’s what makes it so massive. Because why would she change this lyric if not to completely change the meaning of the line? It’s drawing a distinction between regretting someone’s existence and regretting knowing the truth about them.

Oh, there's many different ways that you can kill the one you love

And it's never enough, it's never enough

I think the phrasing here implies that Taylor feels like she can never be good enough to earn the love she needs and deserves. This ties it, again, to the intro of Miss Americana where she’s going through her diaries and talks about how her main goal in life was to be a good girl.

Outro

The entire first chorus is repeated, and we have a new perspective.

You said I was freeloading

When it comes to this line specifically, I think it refers to the conversation about Taylor’s desire to speak publicly about politics, in which her dad throws in her face how he hired armored cars, essentially saying that she owes him something. It’s just phrased in an odd way and it makes everyone uncomfy.

I didn't know you were keeping count / But oh, you were keeping count

The repetition of the first chorus at the end of the song implies that this song is cyclical. It’s a loop that she’s trapped in. (If you put this song on repeat and turn up the crossfade, you can listen on a seamless loop). Tolerate It does the same thing. Repetition also draws attention to the lyrics while recontextualizing them. The last lyric (“but oh, you were keeping count”) is this acknowledgment that her relationship with this person was/is transactional.

What about the name of the song?

Okay, I’m convinced the only reason anyone would ever think this is a song about cheating is because of the title. Obviously, the primary definition of the word infidelity is cheating on a romantic or sexual partner. Nothing else in the song indicated cheating. SO. OBVIOUSLY. I GOOGLED. THE DEFINITION. TO SEE. WHAT. AN ALTERNATIVE. MIGHT. BE

unbelief in a particular religion, especially Christianity.

Jesus Fucking CHrist. Taylor Swift has called herself a Christian, and she has also written songs with overt religious themes, typically borrowing from Christianity specifically (Don’t Blame Me; False God; Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve; Soon You’ll Get Better). While I know that you can be queer and Christian, it is not unreasonable to conclude that coming out as queer to a conservative Christian (parent) would be considered a lack of belief in Christianity. Infidelity literally means “unfaithful.” To many people, Christianity and queerness are unreconcilable, to the point that they believe accepting yourself as queer can lead to you going to hell. While they won’t say this outloud, many Christians put “homosexuality” into a higher category of sin, meaning that being queer is HIGHLY UNCHRISTIAN, HIGHLY UNFAITHFUL, HIGH INFIDELITY.

One last thing. Miss Americana was released at midnight PST. Which is 3am EST. High Infidelity is a 3am track. So, yeah.

tl;dr

High Infidelity is about being considered unfaithful for being who you are. It’s about dying slowly because you are not loved (enough) for who you are. It’s about how the lies you’ve been forced to tell have forced you to be unfaithful to yourself. It’s about Miss Americana.

[misc-obeyme]

I'm not sure if you're the right person to ask, but I want to hear your opinion on this.

So it's obvious that all the Demon brothers (+Dateables) have a crush on MC. Having said that, I think that even if some of the Demon brothers might get upset if MC decided to date one of them, they would still likely accept rejection and support whoever MC began a relationship with.

But here's something I've been wondering; Do you think Satan might get even more upset if MC chooses Lucifer over him? Satan already despises Lucifer, and he frequently draws comparisons between the two. He also finds it intolerable to think of himself as Lucifer's creation. I wonder if Satan's hatred for Lucifer might increase if that were to happen? Satan would never realise what Lucifer possessed that he did not. So I'm thinking he would merely let out his rage in his room, feeling somewhat betrayed by Mc's choice. This could be a good angsty story.

Well, anon, I'm certainly happy to give my opinion on just about anything OM related, so I'll do my best!

And yes, I do think Satan would be more upset if MC chooses Lucifer over him. In fact, I'm fairly certain this concept has been implied in canon? I can't remember anything specific, but for some reason that feels like something that's happened. If someone remembers, please let me know!

Anyway, from a writer's standpoint, considering Satan's character, I think it depends on the situation.

As it is in the game, all the brothers seem to be equally smitten with MC while MC doesn't ever choose one of them and tries to divide their attention among them. In this situation, if MC decided to choose Lucifer without any kind of evidence of their impending decision, I do think Satan would be upset about it more than he would be if MC chose one of his other brothers. It'd be like if it was anybody else, I see him being kind of like, okay weird choice, but I support you. Whereas if it was Lucifer, I see him being like OKAY. I support you, but WHY. Like he'd want to know what MC sees in Lucifer and he might even think MC is making a mistake. I could almost see him trying to talk them out of it.

But if you're writing a story about this and the MC has some build up that delves deeper into their relationships with both Lucifer and Satan, then you can kind of go a couple different ways with it.

For instance, if MC has a really close relationship with both of them and it kinda seems like they could go either way, I think Satan would be really upset. Like the other brothers aren't even in consideration and it's really just down to Satan and Lucifer? I think he'd be heartbroken, but also angry. And he'd demand to know why.

But if you had a situation where it was like more unrequited on Satan's side, like MC was likely going to choose Lucifer from the start, I think he'd be less angry about it. He'd have time to see it happening and probably would ask MC about it but in a more calm way because it'd be before MC actually made their choice.

Of course these are fictional characters and i really believe you can make them do whatever you want. If you wanted to write a story where MC chose Lucifer and Satan was cool with it, you could do that. It'd require an entire character arc that explains why Satan wouldn't be upset, though. But it's certainly possible. Anything is possible.

tl;dr yes I think Satan would be more upset if MC chose Lucifer. I hope that helps!

[shadowxamyweek]

Hey I know you don’t like the Archie sonic that much, and that is understandable, but I would implore you to at least read Sonic universe 59-62. It is fucking awesome, and you don’t have to read the rest of Archie to understand what is going on. It made me bow to the king.

Hey @sharkrad08222222! I didn't forget this ask, I just needed a day off to sit down and read XD

Honstly, I'm glad you sent this in. You're right- I'm not the biggest fan of Archie, but I've got to give credit where credit is due- Shadow Fall is a lot of fun. If anyone else would like to read it, you should check out this Applebees gift card. ( @biolizardboils I'm never gonna get over that joke XD)

So anyway, here's Shadow Fall

As an aside, I'm really glad that many of the original Archie Sonic crew were able to move over to jobs at IDW and stay on Sonic. I cannot imagine the horror of watching that whole... everything... happen. As someone who has been in a similar (abet still different) position within my own field, it's a genuine nightmare. Furthermore, the fact that many who made that move from Archie to IDW are still there, and that we haven't heard any ill-will from those who have since left/retired- maybe it's the optimist in me, but I want to believe that everyone's doing okay at IDW, and that's good.

Anyway, you didn't ask, but I decided to kinda make this *a thing.* So many people, myself included, sometimes squint at Archie/IDW and go eeeeeeeeh a lot. That does the entire story a disservice though. There's so much fun in these comics. Better yet, you can feel when the comic team is having fun, too. There's moments where the dialog or the art is just immaculate and you can tell that people were really excited about these parts. It's a joy to see.

So, I'm gonna talk about some of the joys I saw in this, or things I just really liked and kinda would like to see again.

1- Shadow and Team Dark's relation to G.U.N.

I like this. I like this a lot. I like Shadow not being afraid to be a snarky bitch, I like the fact that Shadow doesn't really enjoy working with G.U.N, I like the fact that G.U.N doesn't trust Shadow let alone the rest of Team Dark really. It's an alliance by necessity. Each member of Team Dark stays together because they WANT to stay together, but they only stay with G.U.N because, for one reason or another, they have deemed that their best possible option for now. There's a palpable tension that has a lot of history and can still be used in really fun ways like this. I deeply enjoy it.

Speaking of Team Dark-!

2- We Love a Bunch of Freaks

You're honor, that's a family. I love the dynamics. I love the trust and camaraderie and banter. I love the way they rely on one another and make sure to be there for one another. They took what is visible in the games and cranked it up to a 12, but it feels natural, especially when you take into consideration just how LONG these comics had gone on for. I talk about the history between Team Dark and G.U.N, but there is a history between Shadow, Rouge, and Omega as individual people too, let alone being a team under the thumb of a military force.

This is love right here, and I love it.

3- I Missed the Critter Smiling

Shadow smiles... so much in Archie. I love it. And for those of you who are confused and might think this is out of character, I point again to SA2. He smiles rather frequently in that game, even if it's a smile that says 'oh I'm going to enjoy beating your ass.' He also smiles a bit in Heros, Battle, Rivals, and SHtH05, though not as much.

4- The Art, Story, and OCs are Fun

The art is FUN! That first set of panels in particular- I love that. What a clever way to set that up! That's what I mean by you can feel that people were enjoying themselves working on this! Plus, this comic doesn't shy away from horror. I know we got that (beautifully done I might ad) in the Zombot arc, Scrapnik Island spinoff, and Dr. Starline with Surge and Kit. Like, whoever liked horror and had the inspiration for this stuff at Archie either made the transfer to IDW or heavily influenced some of the people on that team, because it's the same vibe. It's a classic, timeless sort of horror that I enjoy most, and it's very palpable here.

As an aside, they did a REALLY good job of making you like these new characters off the drop. I'm not saying I don't like the OCs of IDW (although I don't like Lanolin and, frankly, I don't think I'm SUPPOSE to like Lanolin. She's that perfect example of wanting more to be right than she does to help and I LOVE THAT because you get those people even in the best of causes but anyway). Eclipse though? As soon as that freak showed up on page and I read what he was saying, I loved the little gremlin. You feel for him, and for the Black Arms, which is excellent. They are still CLEARLY the bad guys- they don't HAVE to eat people, they CHOOSE to- but like... damn- you wish there was a way to make things right, and when you watch it all fall apart, you grieve a little. I'm sure if I read more of Archie I'd find more OC's I was meh about but it's just something I was thinking about as I kept going back and looking at Eclipse's body language and facial expressions. Like- look at this bugger-

He lobbied on Shadow's behalf for Black Death to NOT kill him because he so desperately wanted a 'big brother' who could join his 'family' and meet all the new babies and everything. He wanted so badly for Shadow to like him and like being with the Black Arms and make a new life and lkajsdfl;jasd augh....

5- Shadow feels like Shadow

Oh fuck yes.

Mind you, there are other times in Archie where the characters DON'T feel like a natural progression of their game counterparts. I've seen and read moments where Archie Shadow feels very... wrong... but in this? You're 100% right. They are VERY themself in this and it's a treat, a little hard candy for the soul to suck on. I am delighted.

6- It's The Little Things

Maybe it's just because I get the volumes and not the individual comics, but I don't see the fanart submissions or the Q&As. You use to find those sorts of things in all kinds of publications. I remember when I was getting my first game magazines in the mail, there would be stuff like that. It was always fun to page through.

I would adore if they brought those back, but I can also see why they wouldn't. While I think the fandom has gotten much more relaxed in some ways, in others, it's still nutty and weird and, frankly, a little terrible sometimes, but maybe that's just all fandoms. I dunno.

Anyway, it was nice to see that sort of stuff again. I missed it <3

So yeah, this was a lot of fun to read

Thanks again for the recommendation. I deeply enjoyed it.

It's wild too, because there are so many people who are now a part of Sonic's comic history that I remember on here just... goofing off. @bumblekast's Ian Flynn went from working as a writer at Archie to being a head writer at IDW, but I remember reading random posts of theirs online. @chibijenhen and @spiritsonic I remember being on Deviantart and following them. I remember finding bits and pieces of @tysonhesse's work online. I just, all these people, kinda showing me that, if I wanted, I could give a shot at tossing my hat into that ring, too. I ended up going a different way career wise, but now, I'm seeing all these awesome people AGAIN in an online space I'm in and going, 'You know... maybe I can try this for real.'

I don't know. It's just... it's been giving me a lot of hope, and hope is nice, especially when you're stubborn enough to foster it and give it reason to grow.

Maybe one day, that'll be my name in the credits, if I work hard and I'm lucky.

Keep your fingers crossed for me, yeah? <3

[elftwink]

been learning to play ironsworn (gritty fantasy ttrpg which you can play with a gm but is mostly suited for solo or small group co-op gmless play) after having the rulebook pdf for several years (stars finally aligned to remove invisible thing blocking me from reading it idk) because i'm on another solo ttrpg kick & i don't know what took me so long to get around to this game because it genuinely is exactly what i was looking for. years ago when i was playing through solo 5e modules i should have just been playing ironsworn (believe it or not, 5e isn't very suited to solo play and is extremely clunky when you try lol).

also though i have dabbled in some other solo ttrpgs, a considerable amount of them are journaling games which is fun but imo considerably more work (usually by the time i'm a quarter of the way through the journal entry, i know how to entire scene played out and i want to move on to the next gameplay thing, so i get frustrated and bored quickly. it feels like when you solve a level in a video game but don't have the coordination to pull off the necessary move so you have to spend 20 extra minutes doing something you already figured out), so i really appreciate like not needing to write something for the game to progress (ive been taking notes for my own record since im playing solo and thus am not really out loud roleplaying the way you do in a group, but i definitely could do that instead and not take notes and the game would still function perfectly)

& ive been playing by myself but also in the past ive played a lot of ttrpgs in very small groups which has been other games but is mostly dnd and like. we also should have been playing ironsworn so that having a gm was not necessary. have definitely played games where we had to adapt the rules soooo much to do something that is just base game included in ironsworn. plus it's rules-light enough to do pretty complex moves that pose difficulties in bulkier games (ever introduced someone to dnd and they tell you they want to do a sick backflip and catch something and then attack and you have to tell them that will require several different consecutive rolls and some creative liberties with how the rules are 'supposed' to let you move? you can just Do That in ironsworn. use the strike move and describe it. done!)

the one thing is that although it's rules-light enough to theoretically play any setting or genre (some with more difficulty than others), ive found so far that like... the grittiness and sense of threat is very built into the mechanics so that would be sort of difficult to work around or change (but i think it's great from a game design perspective). what i mean is like, okay: you start with 5 max hp. there isn't really a way to raise this max hp, you just slowly gain abilities (assets) that make you less likely to have to lose the hp in the first place, or that make it easier to recover. when you encounter foes, you rank them on a scale of 1 -5, and enemies on the lowest side of this scale do one harm to you, while enemies on the highest side do five harm to you. so even though encountering an epic enemy won't always be deadly due to the assets you have, they are ALWAYS capable of taking you down to 0 hp with one good hit. so the feeling of threat is much more present compared to games where your character starts to be able to just tank and push through a failure or huge threat.

admittedly also i'm playing solo, im still learning how to balance combat, and also i built a character who has NO combat talents and iron (the close quarters fighting stat) is one of my lowest stats so i personally am under much more threat than if you built a character who knew how to fight or who could do deadly harm. but also the other thing about combat is it's extremely difficult to maintain control of the fight; you have to score a strong hit to do it on basically all moves, and there's a really limited pool of moves available when you don't have the initiative, and obviously none of them really favour you. i don't know that this makes combat genuinely more difficult, but it does make you feel like the fight is always about to spiral out of your control. every second you let it drag without decisive action feels like it brings you closer to dying. like i said, this is a feature of the game design and not a problem in any way. just thinking about it because when i was initially learning i was going to try to supplant it into a homebrew fantasy world of my own but the tone just wouldn't be right. and that it is somewhat difficult to replicate the kind of worlds that i typically play or run for dnd, which tend to lean somewhat sillier and definitely much higher fantasy

but i like to try new things and tbh especially in dnd i find that i very rarely feel that sense of threat and when i do feel it, it has nothing at all to do with the actual mechanics and reality of the combat and everything to do with how well the dm sells it to me and makes it sound and feel scary and dangerous. which is a testament to what a good gm can do for you but i do appreciate the threat feeling more built-in and also being actually real.

[ponett]

here's another slarpg Q&A roundup from my retrospring! this contains light spoilers for the game

in the past you've gone over how tall each of the main party are, so lemme ask you this instead: How tall are Beverly and Faith?

faith is 6'6". she is very tall. beverly's sprite is probably larger, but that's more a matter of NPC sprites generally being big rather than an indication of her actual height. i'd say she's only supposed to be around 6', give or take

What cartoons does pepper like

bartholomew only lets her watch ones that will be a bad influence on her like invader zim

We know Claire drinks, what about the rest of the Novas?

jodie and allison will drink some at social gatherings. melody tends not to, though, so if they're out together allison will usually limit herself so melody doesn't feel out of place

How do you feel about fanworks of slarpg? Specifically, which mediums would you be okay with fanworks existing in, and how do you feel about people using assets from the game?

fanworks of basically all kinds are encouraged! there's already a (very small) fangame about melody's cat in the works and i think that rules. considering my own roots as a fanartist and fangame creator i think it would be lame of me to discourage that

that being said, a few simple stipulations:

1) i ask people hold off on any sort of mass-produced merch like t-shirts or pins. custom items, commissioning someone to draw the cast, a small run of prints sold at a con table, etc. are fine by me, but i may end up making merch myself and bee and i need to make a living off of this game. when we're an operation this small, putting up a bunch of slarpg designs on redbubble could be a problem for me

2) please do not use visual assets from slarpg (including edits of my sprites) in a commercial product. using them in a mod or a freeware fangame is fine, though

3) if you do make a fangame or mod or whatever, please make sure it's clearly stated that it's unofficial, and also please don't just publicly distribute the entire game for free (modded or otherwise)

Between the 3 types of paladin Melody can become what one is the one that you pick for her?

i do a different one every playthrough >:)

From a story perspective, not a mechanical one: was polyamory ever a consideration for the party members in SLARPG? Can you see any polyamorous relationships working well between main-cast members, even if only for a little while?

i would be lying if i said this was a thing i had never considered, at least a little. it was never a serious plan for the game, but as the story and the character dynamics beyond the main couples evolved there were definitely scenes where i looked at what i'd written and went "oh people are gonna ship this, huh." i definitely see it in my own writing, believe me

the main thing is just that i don't entirely know how i would go about writing poly relationships in a satisfying way. for one i've never been part of a poly relationship, so i can't write from my own experiences there. but also i feel my strongest writing tends to focus on pairs of characters (hence all the one-on-one scenes in slarpg), so it becomes trickier when, for example, a character has two partners. i'd worry about making one more important than the other in terms of narrative focus just because of how i write. i could easily see a version of events where certain characters start dating certain other characters on top of their canon partners, though. i just don't know if it's something that i'd ever really explore myself

but i guess that's what fanfic is for

what's your favorite joke in SLARPG that got left on the cutting room floor?

i really wanted to find a way to make "irony poisoning" a status ailment but could never figure out a good way to do so

how long has claire been on hrt?

i actually couldn't say if claire is on hormones. if she is it hasn't been for as long as melody (who's been on hrt for several years by the start of the game)

I noticed your game seems very deliberate on exactly how it approaches the topic of sex and suggestive content. Obviously it wanted to avoid being "horny furry bait game." But, it also avoided being aggressively chaste as well. It struck a careful balance, where it gives the impression that it's something characters do and think about, but isn't the focus of the story so it stays incidental. Was there ever much consideration on the exact tone in this regard? Or did you just do what felt like a good fit?

this was absolutely something i thought about a LOT. perhaps more than people realize!

i mean for one, yes, the problem of people assuming the game was just furry porn based on the title was always an issue. (not that there's anything wrong with furry porn games, this just isn't one.) the game's origins as a successor to an old fangame also presented an issue, because i was worried that people who knew about the old project but hadn't actually played it might, like, assume that it was extremely horny if i pushed things in slarpg too far? which could, in turn, color peoples' perception of slarpg. they're very distinct projects to me, but i'll never escape the reductive perception of them being Literally The Same Game

at the same time, i started work on the game at age 21 and finished it almost age 29, and in that period my feelings about what i wanted to make and also the attitudes in the wider queer community shifted a lot. there's been pushback against the idea that queer media always needs to be "wholesome" and "pure," with conflicting attitudes about the "wholesome games" marketing label in the indie scene mixing with very valid fears about puritanism growing in the queer community online - stuff like the perpetual "kink at pride" fearmongering. and i didn't want to be seen as being part of some push to erase the sex from sexuality or whatever. even beyond that, i've always kind of rankled at the "cute aesthetic = wholesome" thing. i worried about the idea that the game was "wholesome" and all fluff leading to people getting upset at the more intense parts of the story. and also, just, you know. the characters are all in their 20s. i think it would be weird if they didn't know what sex or alcohol or swear words or whatever were. i think they'd become less relatable and real if it was too sanitized

but of course the flipside is that it's a 16-bit jrpg throwback game and i was absolutely overthinking how much people expected adult themes to be touched upon, queer subject matter or no. i think i struck a good balance in the end where it's lightly acknowledged without disrupting the expected tone of the genre. i'm glad it's speaking to people

(why yes i struggle with RSD how can you tell)

How seriously does Allison take caring for her sword(s)? As an unabashed ADHD sword lesbian myself I gotta say it's a not insignificant amount of (very fulfilling) work.

i think her natural inclination would be to be a little careless with them, but countless lectures from jodie have instilled a sense of responsibility in her when it comes to taking proper care of her weapons

I ask this with no weird intentions - characters like Melody and Jodie have no paw pads on their hands, but do they have them on their feet?

you know what? sure. why not

how did faith get such a big job at 24? did she know someone... is there nepotism in this world. I demand accountability.

faith was always an overachiever and was basically training throughout her teens and early 20s to become guardian. when she put herself out there as a candidate she was already generally popular with the community for her skill with magic and her work ethic, so it wasn't hard for her to win the election in a small town like greenridge

Were there any plans during development for Allison or the other two to meet or confront Harmony in the Astral Plane? Or was she always just meant to be exclusive to Melody's character arc?

the entirety of what was planned for harmony is there in the game

is the city shown in the intro supposed to be brightport?

not necessarily! the identity of the city in the intro is unspecified, although brightport definitely looks something like that

Jodie’s theme from when she was gonna be a dog (apparently?) has a very different feel to it. Was her puppysona a very different character than the danger kitten? Or was her intro in the story simply different?

i was still just figuring out jodie as a character at the time - both her design AND her personality - so bee didn't have the most complete information to work off of when trying to write the fourth character theme

i think initially she was going to perhaps be somewhat more brash, being the one Actually Qualified Adventurer on the team who's surprised that her friends made it so far without her, and she would've been exasperated with claire's shenanigans instead of enabling them. she was also intended to be more of a foil to melody, seeming to be (from melody's perspective) the person everyone compares her to. which might be why i thought to make her a canid? this juxtaposition between the two is still an element in the game, but it's more subtle and i rarely draw direct attention to it. and she was intended to be much more bullheaded, with her arc revolving around her running off and picking a fight that really didn't need to be picked off-screen to set up a side quest that was completely cut

obviously a lot of this doesn't sound very much like jodie at all! she was the character i struggled to nail down the most. if she was too brash and critical of claire's decisions then she'd have way too much overlap with allison, so instead she became claire's best friend who's supportive and trusting to a fault, and who's also the most earnest and straightforward member of the team