#if she DOES she'd be one of the first to figure it out. bb would NOT smell like barnacles

[hershelwidget]

Yeah ok more bo I MEAN completely normal barnacleses. barnaci? barncle. barnanc NEVERMIND

In all seriousness I think the part BB loves most about being the Captain is that he’s got that big voice and confidence to match and it has FUN with it. Gets Extra when saying his catchphrases and stuff yk

Also some cute quirks it has <3 BB’s actually adorable I can’t even deny it anymore (either that or my old crush on Barnacles is acting up) COUGHS ANYWAYS

[thoughtfullyrainynightmare]

Thoughts on chapter 370 & 371

370 was, in my opinion, mostly about setting up the future events of the main battle, the BBs essentially just arriving to the scene and telling Asta to go ahead; that they can handle the clones. And that... for some reason the Clover castle needs to be in the skies for Lucius' plan to work (I guess JuLu really just is gonna climb the tree of Qliphoth and punch their celestial parent for missing out on parenting /j). But also just securing that Yuno and Asta as a duo are the only "real" threat to Lucius. Though I have to suspect that there is going to be some kind of a scene stating that they weren't alone, and were only able to do it because of the wonderful people and friends they met along the way.

(But I also gotta laugh at Auggie just chilling in his castle while there the apocalypse happening outside. Do the limits of this man's incompetence know no limits?)

Charlotte deciding that she can't die yet. My romantic heart wants to believe that it's partly because Sukehiro needs to talk to her about something, once the battle is over. But also for the very obvious reason of... the world being about to to end, and her being one of the people that stand in the way of it. Rill might just be able to soon paint his masterpiece.

Then...

MEREO

CLK

FUE

Oh gosh. I love how Tabs went from the pure battle into some lore! He gave an explanation to Mereo's decision to leave the capitol, and it was simply because she didn't think that she'd get to ... grow stronger, in the proper sense of the concept. Because growth exists outside of one's comfort zone, and she would have, most likely, been stronger than anyone she goes up against with just being comfortably at home. There wasn't enough to quench her thirst for ability, for knowledge. Life inside the castle walls just wasn't enough, because there was no challenge.

I can now really imagine how much that battle during The Tuesday of Blood and Fire meant for Mereoleona. It was one of the first, perhaps only, times when someone really, truly, engaged with her into a proper battle. She must've been ecstatic! Such a proud big sister!! And we always knew that she has fire in her heart, and she was going to make something out of herself, but even her, she couldn't quite make it on her own. She needed that push from the people behind her. They might have been weaker than she was, but they gave her the necessary nudge.

Then we have Morris, blabbering about how the most weak preach the most... and then goes to preach about how he was chosen by God. Well... I guess he can't appreciate the irony in it, but I can.

Fue arrives to the scene, when she's on the brink of realizing. After having shown some of his strength, and only to see the dead souls of their squad rise from the flames of hellfire that exists in Mereo's fire! She figures out her ultimate magic! And as she does, she declares that she wasn't waiting for anyone. She's going to charge ahead, with someone or without, because that's the only way to get stronger. To keep pushing the limits!!

Her soul is Fire! And she manifests that forth, into her body and gives body to the fallen souls. "You fools can't just die and think you'll get away with this!! That is not an excuse!" Like damn... what a mentality!

But these people were the ones who were not deterred by her training methods. They were afraid yes. They were aware of their weakness in comparison to her. But that was not an excuse for them to not push their own limits!! Mad respect. And Mereo grins. "This is the true shape of a human soul!" Something that burns with passion and bravery, charges forward and refuses to give in.

Like holy hell (pun intended)

And then she glances back with a mad grin, like something hell itself spat out.

I wouldn't be surprised if she becomes... like a fire spirit after this? I mean... Salamander is The Great Spirit of Fire, but he has a physical form. And Mereo is doing something similar, though at least between the Spare and Final arc, it seemed like she was able to still retain her body -body. I wonder if, but I also doubt, that it would be the same after the final arc. It might be that she'll become permanently a spirit. But... I honestly can't blame. Because that is not her death, even if it comes to that. It's her becoming.

If I wasn't afraid of Mereo before, I sure as damn am now (in a positive way)

That's my girl!

Hell yeah!

Burn baby buuuurrrrnnnn~

[hallibahar]

So I had been obsessed with Greek Mythology in like forever and my brain immediately went to this ridiculous Godly!Victors AU, some of them made so much sense then I kind of got...this

For the ones who doesn't know anything about mythology in detail or at all, I tried to summarise as blunt and vibe-y oriented as I could. Enjoy my brainchild

(All the Victors mentioned in this chaos belongs to @lorata)

Callista: Fun fact, she is the reason all of this au started. At first I thought of Aphrodite because, you know, Goddess of Love and Lust and Beauty who also has quite a vindictive nature in some of the myths. But then I realised Dionysus kind of suited her more; God of Wine, Theatre and Madness. He borned twice, turned men into dolphins and also had an insane cult...and I thought, you know what, Calli would absolutely rock as him--like, she parties with you hard but then you slightly, slightly get on her nerves and she reminds you why she is the embodiment of lunacy with one sharp gaze.

Nero: Hephaestus. Had a rough childhood -got thrown out of a window (by?? Well, in some myths Hera, some myths Zeus and sometimes both, you make up your mind) from Mount Olympus-, and is a blacksmith who likes to create things with his own hands, finding it soothing. He does not socialise much, kind of like the Eeyore of the immortals which I juxtaposed with Nero.

Emory: Low aggression, cares about the people, family, is really kind and understanding. She'd be excellent as Hestia. Hestia is the Goddess of Hearth and Home, who also is regarded as one of the kindest and most compassionate amongst all gods but she is also the first child of Rhea and Kronos; the first one who got eaten by her own father because of sheer prophecy, so she is fiercely protective as well. She also is really considerate; Hestia gave her throne to Dionysus -making him the newest and 12th Olympian- in order to prevent the potential war in her siblings.

Artemisia: Another fun albeit useless fact; I misread her name as Artemis, who is Goddess of the Hunt and Virginity when I first started reading wmbk--and it still is with me to this day. Let's leave the laughs aside, i think she'd be great as either Até: Goddess of Mischief and Reckless Impulse or as Hermes: God of Thieves, Travel and also Mischief as well. They are both her vibe to be honest and I love that for her.

Brutus: Persephone. Listen. I know this is unhinged but let me explain. She likes nature (Goddess of Spring, so obviously) but also had been abducted by Hades ->re: bb Brutus, who has a loving home -kind of like Demeter's, Persephone's mother, garden where she grew up safe and sound- going to Centre -Persephone going to Underworld, Hades' domain- and even though he turned out a Victor, he still has his mother's, Heidi's love -Persephone visits Demeter for six months, and stays with Hades six months, results in creating seasons. It's the vibes honestly. And we deserve Brutus covered up in flowers and be happy so how could I resist.

Adessa: Athena. I think this is self explanatory enough -someone needs to be the representative genius-, but also consider this: apart from being the Goddess of Wisdom, Athena is also Goddess of Warfare and Heroic Endeavor. She represents the intellectual and civilised side of the war but also is highly hot tempered even though she shows it by quiet but permanent action rather than showering people with emotions. (re: Athena turning Arachne into a spider and Adessa killing Nero's cougars after over 30 years of planning)

Ronan: Being the First Career Victor Ever™, he obviously was the hot topic back in the day; so Nike, who is the Goddess of Victory would be appropriate for him. But then I switched it to Ares, who is God of War and Courage would be better because: 1. There is a high chance of bb Ronan witnessing the war between the districts and Capitol, 2. Ares' sacred animal is a dog--so yeah, figures.

Lyme: This is as unhinged as Brutus' Persephone but...perhaps it's even more so; I think she would be Aphrodite, who, as I mentioned with Callista, is the Goddess of Love, Beauty and Lust (the third one is unrelated to Lyme but well). At first I was like; yeah, she'd be a war goddess probably, not that deep, then I went --oh, Aphrodite is Goddess of War as well then it just clicked. So my theory with Aphrodite, as in the most modern retellings of myths I see, she changes her appearance to people's ideal vision of beauty--which is pretty diverse (quick headcanon: in this au the first person who saw Lyme's true appearance, which is her canon look, is Nero--he cherishes his girl and says that he thinks the most beautiful thing is one being themselves) and Love because even though she went through an abusive household to the murder academy, she still loves in her own way, like people do. (re: Mentor Lyme with Misha, Claudius and Sloane)

Odin is not here because he is the Odin in the Norse mythology which I think was intentional.

So this means Hera as Hera and Iris as Iris because why not

So these are the main ones I have clear thoughts on, though I might add even more in the future or even write a few thousand words about this whole au because it intrigues me a lot.

[decimadeathing]

Which of the Snakes, if any, could defeat Walpurgisnacht?

How easy does Ocelot make it look in comparison?

Ooh, good question! It has been A While since I last touched Metal Gear, I still need to finish TPP lol - as a result, your answer might take a bit! I'm gonna assume our heroes can see Walpurgisnacht since it's boring to say "they all get blindsided and die the end"

I get the feeling that with BB being able to bench a fucking mech that one time in Peace Walker, at the very least he'd have the durability to just out-endure Walpurgis and beat her with brute force, if anybody - man might be a massive himbo but he gets results!

Considering Solid was able to defeat BB not once but twice (yes I know about the technicality there but Venom is pretty formidable too) I figure he might have a decently good shot of being able to beat Walpurgisnacht like BB, if he can figure out some sort of force multiplier!

Liquid is... well, Liquid. Man's got an IQ of like 170 just like Solid, but considering basic genetics is enough to defeat his brain somehow, and he lost to both V and Solid, I get the feeling Liquid alone is not gonna have a great time trying to save Mitakihara.

Solidus, it feels like it depends - On one hand, he lost to Raiden ultimately, on the other, he was the president at one point, but then the question would be if he's in office at the time of the Walpurgisnacht disaster so he can call in like, a nuke on the witch - From there the question becomes "will a nuke stop her?" and tbh, I actually don't know! (Before you say "well but what about those Scud looking thingies Homura used", those seem to be anti ship missiles used by the JSDF so they're likely an order of magnitude below a nuke)

Raiden is technically a snake too, and he's also a pretty interesting case because he displays similar durability to BB - in MGS4 at least he was able to stop a fucking boat with his cyborg powers after all not to mention the slicing a plane in half thing, so honestly he might be able to do it, especially with his katana from Revengeance!

Venom, again, I haven't completed his game (and especially considering I switched default V out for a girl because I interpret TPP as basically Deci Writes Dumb Fanfic: The Game, and a mostly-female Mother Base is basically my fantasy of being treated like a princess by a small army of lesbians) but like, he seems decently close to BB in terms of capabilities. I feel like he might have more trouble though, but like I haven't gotten to the Sahelanthropus fight so who knows! Maybe he can just caber-toss her into orbit or something!

Last but not least of our snake roster, we have The Boss! I know she's not technically a snake but she's my fave so I'm gonna include her! Obviously she'd win easily, since she is a girl and girls are magic, so being a Magical Girl in the first place is easy!* She's strong enough to beat Big Boss too, so if he could beat Walpurgis she could too by my reckoning!

Ocelot honestly strikes me as the kinda guy who would be smart enough to not get involved in the first place - his whole thing is trying to save BB after all, so a single city doesn't necessarily feel like something he'd be interested in saving in the first place unless it benefited him somehow. Since BB can probably defeat Walpurgisnacht, Ocelot would probably wind up just doing what he did in MGS3 where he supported Snake from the sidelines, in my opinion. On the other hand, if he had to save BB because he was incapacitated or something, we all know that six shots are more than enough to kill anything that moves, and Walpurgisnacht does move, so perhaps he'll find a way to ricochet his bullets for maximum damage!

All of this changes though, if you add in their allies - Liquid might be weak to suspicious heart attacks, but Liquid in REX becomes the same question of Solidus if he calls in a Minuteman III, but I think this answer is long and rambly enough already tbh

Thank you for the ask!

*(@ my fanfic mutuals, particularly degen, feel free to use this as inspiration lol)

[bloodboundsiege]

what was priya's wasted potential?

*cracks knuckles*

dude, I am so sorry, but you are about to get an essay.

So, generally, I think that as the BB writers intended, Priya is a fun villain and they did a good job making her be that. I kept her alive in my last BB playthrough and when she pops up in book 3, it's always a good time.

I think that generally speaking, people who don't get the Priya hype say that she's very one note, which I fully understand. I guess that to me, it's an interesting note in a potentially much more interesting song, and whenever PB went outside of that and expanded on her slightly as a character, I was always like "wait, no tell me more!" and then they wouldn't. 

So, with all of that said, here is why I think Priya could have been a super compelling character. 

Dubious Origins. From what we learn from Jameson's notes, there's barely a trace of her as a human, and while she claims to have been born and raised in the US, Jameson sometimes hears traces of a Mumbai accent when she talks. So, what does that leave us? That she's lying about where she came from and who she is. Which then raises the question....why? That implies a lot and seems like a very intentional detail. Most likely, she was born and raised in India. I completely understand maybe being vague about that in the 1920s, but I just find it surprising that she never came clean to anyone about that, and the fact that Jameson can't find much about her as a human leads me to the conclusion that she went out of her way to scrub any pre-vampire record of herself. And, in my opinion, that's really interesting. It would have been really cool to expand more on that, even with a single tapestry fragment, maybe around the circumstances she was in before she was Turned. Which leads me to my next points... 

Survivor First/"I always back the winning team." Jameson says in his notes that Priya is a survivor, and is not to be trusted because of that. She is only ever looking out for herself, and that's where her ruthlessness comes from. People aren't just...like that. I mean, sure some people are, but I really don't think there's much use in trying to armchair diagnose a character with scraps of information about who they are and where they came from. I also think that the crumbs that the BB writers left us felt very intentional, as I already mentioned. And even in comedic story beats Priya has, particularly in book 3, that mentality is still there. If you choose to spare Priya in book 2, her penultimate book 3 appearance has her showing up at the opera house, taking in the damage that MC has caused and the fact that she's now this supremely powerful being, and Priya just. Dips. Fully just "this is no longer worth it to me, I'm out." In that sense, I don't think Priya really has any true principles. Her priority is her comfort and her safety. You have to have some shit happen to you to have that kind of mentality: that you are your only priority, and that you need to look out for yourself. And based on the fact that she's super elusive about her life as a human to the point of lying about it (and maybe even going out of her way to get rid of any trace of her human life), I think she had some really fucked up shit happen in her life. 

Cunning. Remember when Vega was like "Adrian has something I don't: cunning." He was wrong. He didn't have shit. Priya has the cunning. Tinfoil hat on here, and this could just be the result of Bad Writing on the part of the BB writers, sort of just "fuck it, nobody's going to read too much into this" (they were wrong), but I have such a hard time believing that Jameson was like "Our best ally in the council is Priya." and Gaius was like "Yeah." (or vice versa). I think she figured it out herself. And if she didn't...I think the reason why somebody (probably Gaius, pre-coffin) trusted her enough to eventually bring her into the fold was because she'd already worked on them enough to get them to trust her. People don't just have the ability to do that. So again...what were the circumstances that led her to figure this out? How is she so cunning? 

Vega and Priya. I'm honestly not much of a Vega/Priya shipper. I think they made sense as a couple, and I've had to think about them a lot, but they don't particularly tug on my heartstrings a lot. I think Vega is fun, but I'm not particularly interested in him. But here's the thing...given what we're told, Vega just...deciding to turn Priya "out of affection" really doesn't make sense. Again, is it just the result of bad writing? Maybe. Probably. But I'm working with it. The idea that Vega would just be like "I'm down bad for this human girl I met, let me turn her into a vampire!" isn't particularly consistent with his character. Adrian describes him as a "lady killer" (literally) in book one, and it's clearly established that Vega won't do shit for anyone unless there's something in it for him. So, with turning Priya...what was in it for him? I have my own speculations about what might have gone down between Priya and Vega that I'm not getting into here because it comes into play in The Siege, but the point is, result of bad writing or not, it leaves a big question mark. And I think the BB writers could have done something really interesting with that. 

I completely get that when you're writing something, you want to tell a specific story, and clearly, the BB writing team wasn't particularly interested in expanding on Priya very much. That's fine. But for me personally, I think there was a lot to work with, and I wish they had. 

The very last thing I'll say is that I think Priya really could have slapped as a mid-series love interest. I don't know if Pixelberry has every actually done the whole "the fandom wants us to redeem this villain and make them an LI, so we'll do it," but I think she could have been a great contender for that. 

Priya is an extremely selfish person. I don't plan to hold back on that with her. With what I've written so far, what we see of Priya is pretty consistent with how she's portrayed in the original series, and I plan to develop her further. So, hypothetically, let's say that in book 2, the BB writing team decided to listen to the sapphics of the fandom and make Priya a love interest. They gave her an arc where she still does all of the shit she does in book 2--namely, betraying the Council and defecting to Gaius. But still, she has feelings for the MC, should you choose to romance her.

I think one of the best BB scenes is the way the MC dies. Like, no matter who you're romancing, it's really fucked up for them, in a very specific way. With Lily, it's the fact that you died in a way that's really similar to how she died. With Jax, it's the fact that you were killed with his sword, that he's viewed as the tool to protect people. With Adrian, it's the fact that he lost you in a way similar to how he lost his wife--the two women he's loved most in the world died in his arms. With Kamilah, it's the fact that the man she once loved killed the woman she loves. So, imagine that with Priya.  Priya betraying the Council isn't just framed as villainy. It's framed as this extremely selfish act that endangers millions of people and fractures your relationship with her. She's holding onto this possibility that maybe, just maybe, she can convince you that what matters is your safety, not everyone else's. Obviously, you don't listen to her, because you don't view the world the way that she does. 

And then, the one person that she's cared about since becoming a vampire is murdered as a result of her own selfishness. It would fit in beautifully with the rest of the story. 

...and there is always a part of me that will be super bummed that PB didn't go that route. 

Anyways. Apologies for the novel-length post, but I hope this answers your question. 

[just-another-wasteland-merc]

3, 9, 13, 15, & 24 for Em?

Hey, thanks bokatan! :D

3. Do they befriend all the companions (or try to)?

Em honestly tries. There are people she clashes with due to her kind personality, and some she really gels well with. The only person she outwardly clashes with would be Strong. She also doesn't really like Danse, per se, but she also realizes he's a victim after BB, and she shows him a little more grace after. Em appreciates Piper's enthusiasm to help someone, but she's already yelled at her about leaving Nat alone, which she can't let Piper do. Gage is... out of the question. I won't spoil what happens with them, but it's not pretty. She loves Longfellow though, enough to consider him a grandpa figure.

9. Lone Wanderer or always with a companion (or more)?

Em tries not to travel alone if she can help it. She usually has someone with her, and it's mainly Mac, followed very closely by Dogmeat, who comes along to the adventures that are safe for him (they sent him home for the Glowing Sea, for example). She does travel with Deacon a few times, and she'd be willing to travel with others, but Mac is safety to her, and she will usually stick with him.

13. What pre-war thing do they miss the most/what pre-war thing in magazines looks the most interesting to them?

Em mostly misses the convenience of travelling by car. It never bothered her to run to town to get some yarn, or to go pick up a few things. Now, it's a trip that has to be planned. Craft store run? Better get a list of all the things she needs. But honestly, she doesn't miss too much else, besides her meds. She wishes she had those.

15. Chems/booze/cannibalism/vices in general?

Em drinks a fair amount. She coped with alcohol, when she was able to sneak it, during her marriage, and it was something that dulled the pain for a while. It had a fairly good grip on her for a little bit, and after the Institute's destruction, she really loses herself in it as she spirals down, if she can get out of bed to go get it. That being said, she doesn't judge anyone for their own vices. The minute they ask for help, she's there, but she won't bug anyone about it (except Mac, and only if it's actually hurting him).

24. Did they enjoy the Shroud quests or think it was stupid?

I would say that the first one, she was fairly skeptical, especially when Mac (aka the Mister of Mystery) voiced his discontent, but once they started joking about it, the pair got more and more into character. It gave them something to laugh about for a little bit, until Kent got kidnapped. Then they both were like "oh, crap, this is serious". The act was cut fairly quickly.

Thanks for the ask! I had to type this out, my phone was absolutely not going to help me hahah.

[thoughtfullyrainynightmare]

Hello Laura! I hope you are enjoying your break from school (congratulations on finishing your exams as well too!) I’m sorry for sending in an additional ask. I’m not sure if you’re still taking them. If not please disregard, but they’re still open can you answer #20 for Henry, Finesse, and Langris please? I can’t believe I completely missed out on the friendship question the first time. Thank you so much dear! Wishing you well and a happy winter break. Cheers!! 💖

Hiya Acacia (again) sorry for taking a while with this! But here it is ^^'

Wishing you healthy and happy 2024!

20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn’t matter?

Henry has been done with the other BBs!

Henry

Finesse

Since we haven't seen Finesse a lot, and when we've seen her, it has (at least mostly) been in connection to the Space Brothers, who might be her friend in canon is up for debate. But I think someone like Fragil might be the kind of a person, who'd be an ideal friend to her. Because Finesse doesn't strike me as a particularly weak person. As in, sure, she's sick and due to it she can't just go outside and walk around or take trips, but when we're talking about the strength of a person, there's so much more to be taken into consideration that just physical strength. And similarly, Fragil isn't a weak person either.

But as Fragil is a knight, I imagine that she'd have all kinds of stories that she could tell to Finesse, who is more or less confined into her home, and who can only experience such adventures or places through books and stories. They'd both have noble upbringing, and would understand that aspect of each other's lives, and would so be able to engage in some idle gossip (which everyone does).

And, they're both, or they seem like, gentle people. Which I think would allow them to find a common tune even better

Langris

Langris is a bit difficult for me, because he seems like a "lone wolf" most of the time. So I think that someone like that would perhaps suit him the best. Or then someone who's the complete opposite in most traits, but Langris likes because they understand him well. Or something else that they have in common. Overall I believe that people need to have something in common, interests, personality traits, or alike, in order for them to be friends, not just aquiantances.

But as I try to think of every character that has the lone wolf -thing going on, I can only see it going into a "two alley cats fighting" -type of a scenario. So maybe someone who's a bit older, and has seen things, who could spare some advice to Langris from time to time?

Hmm... This is harder than I thought. Because Vanessa would be more of a big sister figure than a friend, and Zora.... Zora wouldn't spare words around him, which would most likely tick Langris off.

Y'know what? After a lot of character development from both parties, Solid might be able to connect with Langris. This is one of those things that one might need to write out, for it to be understandable, but both of them have shown willingness to change and be kinder towards their siblings, as well as own up to their mistakes. Bot have suffered because of their parents (though for Solid it's more Papa Silva and the loss of Acier, than being lead onto a certain path by both parents like with Langris). They both seem like, deep down, insecure people, who don't know what to do with themselves. And I think that if they sat down, and got to talking, like really talking, they might hit it off.

But as said, it's probably one of those things that would be needed to see in writing for it to make sense.