#instead of the supposed grey morality of the games (it's not grey at all) and going on a crusade over who you romance

[mandalora]

It’s probably an inevitability of a franchise being this far reaching and this popular and this long lasting but it is so baffling how much of the wider star wars fanbase tries to “fix” star wars

[vbecker10]

I Dare You...

Pairing: Loki x female reader (Y/N) - established relationship

Summary: You and Loki are playing truth or dare and you think you found a dare he won't do.

A/N: Thanks @soubi001 for helping with the randomness of this one 💚 and to answer the question no one asked... no, this is not what I was supposed to be writing tonight 🫣

Loki sighs in defeat, "Very well."

"Wait, seriously?" you ask in disbelief. You were sure he wouldn't agree to this and you would finally win your hour long game of truth or dare.

"I told you, pet, I have no intentions of losing this game," he tells you with a mischievous grin.

"Fine... but you have to do it for ten seconds," you add a clause with your own calculating smile.

"Two," he counters quickly.

"Five," you cross your arms over your chest and sit back against the couch cushion.

"Two," he smiles as he leans closer to you.

"Seven," you roll your eyes and move your head slightly so he kisses your cheek instead of your lips as he intended.

"That's not how negotiations work," he chuckles and pulls back to look at you.

"Keep being annoying and I'll make it 30 seconds," you smile threateningly.

"I believe your lowest offer was five seconds," he says after a moment of silent consideration.

"Five," you nod your head in agreement.

"Brother," Loki calls for Thor's attention when he enters the common room, you wait in the hall where no one can see you.

"Loki, there you are," his older brother says cheerfully. "I thought you were seeing Y/N tonight."

"I am," Loki provides the shortest response possible and you try not to giggle, putting your hand over your mouth.

"Did you need something reindeer games?" Tony asks, annoyed that Loki interrupted their poker game.

Loki holds his hands behind his back and asks, "Thor, would you stand up for a moment?"

Thor looks at Loki then back at the other members of the team seated around the table. Tony shakes his head no adamantly while Steve and Clint shrug. Thor, being the ever trusting older brother, pushes his chair away from the table and stands to face Loki.

Before he can utter a sound, Loki pulls him into a tight hug.

"One Mississippi, two Mississippi-" you count quietly from your hidden spot just outside the doorway.

Thor's eyes go wide in shock and he doesn't move, his arms pinned to his sides with Loki's arms wrapped around him.

Tony reaches for his drink, his eyes fixed on the brothers and knocks the glass over, spilling it on his cards but no one notices.

Clint leans his chair back for a better view of the two Gods and Steve mumbles, "What the hell?"

"- Mississippi, five Mississippi," you giggle as Loki releases Thor and abruptly turns away.

"Loki, what-" Thor starts to ask but Loki leaves the room.

"I can't believe you actually did that," you tell him in shock.

"I do not like losing," he shrugs as you walk back towards your room together. "Plus, that will confuse all of them for weeks," he chuckles.

"Damnit, you're right," you sigh when you get to your room.

He smirks as he closes the door, "So darling, what will it be? Truth or dare?"

I hope you liked this!! Please like, share and comment if you did 💚💚 Please let me know if you want to be added to my taglist!

@soubi001 @mochie85 @lokiswife-dark-fox-queen @animnerd @cabingrlandrandomcrap @icytrickster17 @lokisgoodgirl @mischief2sarawr @stupidthoughtsinwriting @mjsthrillernp @holdmytesseract @lulubelle814 @goblingirlsarah @alexakeyloveloki @siconetribal @lokidokieokie @kneelingformyloki @jiyascepter @eleniblue @loreniscrying @muddyorbsblr @alyeskathewave @loz-3 @firedrakegirl @javagirl328 @princess-ofthe-pages @morally-grey-variant @soulpiercing @km-ffluv @glitterylokislut @biodegradable-glitter-fest

[alavestineneas]

Glass and mirrors

pairing: young!coriolanussnow x fem!reader summary: There is one thing the world needs to know about her: she didn't become a star overnight. She was born to be one. warnings: canon-typical violence, mentions of mental illness, narcissism, blonde men who need therapy, unhinged women, people in shitty relationships and toxic industries word count: 4.6k PART TWO IS HERE

author's note: Hello and welcome to our small community of people who have fallen victim to the charming (and evil) blonde man! This fic is heavily inspired by the edits of models that pop up on my ticktock feed every day. Shout out to them and the talented editors who bless my eyes with their creations. As for YN this time, prepare to be on quite a ride because she, surprise-surprise, is evil! In my head, there has to be at least one victor who feels no remorse at all; they can't all be morally good (and relatively sane) people. Also, the obsession with beauty in this fic is, in fact, intentional, so bear with me. Feel free to comment or insult the author in the comments, but only if you are creative with it. Enjoy and see you in part 2!

In all of her short childhood, she always loved mirrors. Her grandma used to joke about it with her old friends while they shared lunch at the factory: ''That empty-headed child wants to do nothing but stare at herself all day.'' The women would laugh, their raspy voices making the glid, already filled with toxic fumes to the brim, hotter. YN didn't mind; she would pretend not to hear them, clinging to the machinery in front of her instead. She would get out of here sooner or later, and she'd see whose laughter would be left echoing all through the narrow streets.

She wasn't born to rot in this place like these people were; YN was sure of that. Not with a face like hers, with manners she taught herself from the bright magic box in their cramped commune apartment, where a few times a year the government played the show. It was supposed to be a punishment, YN reminded herself each time, but it didn't look like one. She watched the children eat more food than she had seen in a month and then cry on the stage in front of millions. She wouldn't cry if she was there, that was for certain. People die every day here, but none of them get to dress up in the jewels provided by the wealthiest people she has ever seen.

It was funny how they had all the money in the world and still chose to dress so horribly. Mismatched fabrics and smudged colours on their faces, like the colours of the lake near her house—the factories polluted it with dyes, turning the water green, purple, and sometimes even pink. That's how she got her old grey dress to be such a pretty lavender colour. It didn't matter that everyone at school laughed at her, even Miss Kyla; she was horrendously ugly anyway, her hair resembling the colour of unwashed underwear. YN wore her dress with pride, mimicking the voice of the funny multicolour-haired man on the screen, chatting with long o's and a's.

That's how she ended up here, on the first floor of the newly renovated training centre, with a drink in her freshly manicured hand. She had two hours before her stylists would need her again—a time designated for sleep, which she apparently so greatly lacks. YN doesn't care; she went without sleep for much longer than two days. Instead, she does what she loves the most—turns on a shiny screen and watches the golden letters appear: the 15th Annual Hunger Games.

It starts with reaping, as always, but YN skips that part—she doesn't like seeing herself in those dirty rags, although, as papers would later state, ''nothing could make this girl ugly, even if a potato sack was put on her body.'' She likes interviews better. Luckily, the wait is not very long; soon enough, her favourite host pops up, his hair shimmering with sea green.

''And now, our dear viewers, I am more than pleased to announce our next tribute from District 1—please let her hear how excited we are to meet her!'' His voice booms through the theatre as the crowd erupts into applause.

YN moves gracefully, a beaming smile on her face matching that of a host. Her gloved hands wave at the supposed people in front of her as if they were guests at her birthday party. But most importantly, dress. The one she chose herself, arguing over it with her stylist for the last few hours, the one that fitted her perfectly. Capitol enough to appeal to the audience, district enough to highlight that she isn't one of them—she is something new, undiscovered, and worth keeping an eye on. It's almost not a dress at all—the sparkling, sheer fabric of beautiful white, with stars gathering at her chest and bottom to finish the ''almost naked'' look. And the crowd goes crazy for it. People shout, and the splashes of the cameras blinding her create a new melody that is so unfamiliar to YN's ears. Admiration. The thing she craved for so long.

''Alright, alright,'' Lucky Flickerman smiles, gesturing for the crowd to settle down. ''We don't want to scare her off now, do we?'' He turns to her, a microphone in hand. ''What's your name, sweetheart?''

''YN Y/L/N. And I am afraid you can't scare me off, no matter how hard you try. The thing is, I am here to stay,'' she jokes, cocking an eyebrow at the man beside her.

''Oh, how I love your confidence! Now tell me—we heard you are a volunteer—the first in the history of District 1! Are there any special ties to the girl who was supposed to stand here tonight, or what's going on?''

''Well, I was dying to see you in person, of course—no pun intended.''

Oh, there weren't any ties to the girl, or the boy, for that matter. No, YN simply wanted to go at her peak chance of winning—countless years of secret preparation in the factory; working a night shift after school and full days of weekends; hours of studying every plant and animal known to mankind—all to ensure that she wouldn't waste her chance like most kids here did.

''That's an honour coming from your lips; we are happy to see you in the Capitol, Miss Y/L/N. Since you came here by choice, what strategy are you planning on using in the arena? Maybe something tied to your district's craft?''

''If you promise to keep this between us, I'll confess—I will use my charms to make everyone fall in love with me and watch them fight by promising the winner a kiss—and then I will take it from there.'' YN turns to face the lights, staring directly into the camera for a few seconds. The crowd laughs once more, some going so far as to cheer and whistle in excitement. ''But in all honesty, I think I have a fair shot—I would win in a day if it meant the unlimited supply of those amazing cupcakes with sprinkles on top.''

''Well, in that case, you should definitely get a good rest this night—you are not the only one who got your eye on them! Ladies and gentlemen, prepare for the Cupcake Games tomorrow, and don't forget to sponsor this lovely girl right here if you want to see her win! And now, a short word from our sponsors.''

Cupcake jokes are still funny to her, even after two years, although she got sick of them a week after her victory and was just as sick of all the titles papers came up with to fit her into the candy girl box. It served her well, for which she is grateful; the sponsors did send her a shitton of things, although mostly useless.

Next is the introduction of everyone else; YN doesn't care to look at it for more than just a few seconds, speeding it up to maximum. It's boring to no end—how do Capitolees watch it every year with such excitement? She stops to look only when her face appears on the screen, covered in crimson blood.

She counted six canons when she finally stopped to take a breath in and look at her surroundings. That was about right, although YN didn't count how many times she pulled a knife out of somebody's still-warm body and lurched into another nearby. The sand soaked up the blood fast, she noticed, stepping over the pile of what used to be her competitors and walking towards the cone-shaped something. Nobody in sight—each one of the ''better'' kids is now dead without a chance to kill each other, to kill her, and ''others'' will die like flies under the hot sun of what looked like a desert. YN noticed that some even left behind the given jackets; she collected them before stepping into the Cornucopia, claiming them as her own. Not everyone grew up in hot factories, she thought to herself, so they have no chance of knowing how cold it gets at night.

YN doesn't like how the uniform looks on her; the T-shirt hangs around her frame too loosely. It's evident that she didn't eat enough back then, but it was tolerable. The dried blood looked worse; with her stoic face and eye colour, the streams looked too grotesque, almost unserious; it didn't fit the look she was going for. Her hands itch to wipe it before YN remembers that it's non-existent now—the girl on the screen is just a recording. She forwards a little more, looking for the commentary of the first night from the hosts—their excitement and praise never get old—but hears knocking at her door just as she is about to press play. YN glances at the clock—it's too early for the prep team, so it must be someone else—and turns off the TV just to be sure she heard it right.

When the knocking continues, she shouts a quick ''Come in,'' after checking her reflection on the now dark screen. ''Ah, Maggie!''

''How many times do I have to repeat that my name is Mags, not Maggie? Not Mags with fangs either, to be clear. Just Mags.''

''But everyone calls you that! And I want to be special,'' YN whines, laying back on the sofa.

It's Mags. YN likes Mags. Mags is the only girl besides her on the victors' list. Mags is the one who is always down to eat lunch together or to watch the new collection in the magazines. She is funny and down to earth, and, most importantly, Mags doesn't take bullshit from anyone.

''Even more special?'' Mags smiles, opening the fridge to look for something edible. There isn't much; they both know that YN would never eat something to ruin her figure. ''I saw your photoshoot on the street today. It's beautiful.''

''Thank you,'' YN smiles. She doesn't remember which one of her campaigns was supposed to air today, but it doesn't matter. ''Are you here for the promo again?''

The curly-haired woman nods, not looking up from the shelves. ''I hate it. I wish they would just leave me alone, so I can go home and forget about all of this.''

YN is always weirded out by such comments from Victor from 4 but never says anything. Not everyone was born to be in front of the camera; if that were the case, her talent wouldn't be so special anymore. ''It's our job, Maggie. They'll never leave us alone.''

''I know.'' Mags sighed, planting her body on the sofa beside her.

They are different, but YN thinks it's better that way. They are the same age, both 20, and that's about the only thing that ties them together. YN watches as her friend's chest rises and falls as she stares at the ceiling, her long, curly hair in some type of twist. YN would never style it like that, but Mags doesn't ask, so she stares at her in silence, trying her hardest not to compare them. She knows what type of conclusion will sparkle in her brain, but she doesn't want to admit it. Mags is her friend, her only good friend, so something inside YN fights hard to leave her alone. It's an unusual feeling, almost foreign, but YN wants to make an exception. She thinks Maggie deserves it.

''Are you okay?'' the woman asks her, finally snapping out of her trance. ''You are less talkative than usual.''

''Oh, yeah—just a little tired from work, that's it.''

Work. It's not the type of work people can really get tired from, and if anybody thinks otherwise, they never worked a day in District 1. Sometimes, YN can still feel the burning cloud of steam hitting her face when she closes her eyes. The work she does in Capitol is child's play—photoshoots, interviews, promotional campaigns, and runways. She is the only one with this kind of hectic schedule, the only one who is interesting enough for the general public to want to see her everywhere they go. Multiple shows a day wasn't uncommon; photoshoots until five a.m. were basically her usual routine; she did so many of them that she never remembered the brand name for more than an hour.

''Well, I hope I don't interrupt your me-time,'' Mags notes. ''Panem knows you need it. ''

''You worry too much about me. Better tell me about how life is in 4—anything new?''

There is probably nothing exciting, but it feels nice to listen to somebody talk with such love for their home as Mags does. It's also a great opportunity. YN catches every subtle expression and every movement of her friend with attentive eyes, making sure to parrot them later. She noticed from the recording today that her speech misses a certain effortlessness.

-

Curl and twist, curl and twist—YN has learned the pattern by now, sitting in front of the gigantic mirror, surrounded by a team of stylists. Hair, make-up, nails, and toes—five people work hand in hand for her to appear for two minutes on the long podium. The backstage is loud, and a lot is going on—last-minute changes, alterations, and quick touch-ups. YN doesn't bother to look around; she closes today like a face of the collection, and after she is done with this podium, the day is finally coming to an end.

''Oh, YN, darling, here you are!'' The bald man in his forties appears on the horizon of her peripheral vision, clasping his unnaturally white hands together. ''How are you doing, my little star? Anything you need?''

She is irritated to no end; her team booked seven shows for her today; she hadn't had anything to eat in the past six hours; and the loud music makes her head throb. But she doesn't voice any of that—nobody really wants to know how she is feeling.

Just like she guessed, the man doesn't wait for her response. ''There have been some changes in the order today, sweetheart. Jenovia will be closing today, and you will walk in her dress instead,'' the man says, turning to face her styling team. ''Change the hair to fit, and take off the blue in her make-up—it won't match. Good luck!''

''Do what he says,'' YN announces, her mouth twitching just a little. She is furious. To have that blonde bitch Jenovia walk in the best dress of the collection YN inspired? Over her dead body. Or, should she say, over Jenovia's? She will figure it out but do so later. Now there are only four girls before her, so she needs to be ready.

''Three, two, one! Go, go!'' the stage coordinator shouts, opening the curtain for her.

Right and left, hip and hand, followed by the strong clicking of her five-inch heels. The music is even louder here, with the beets vibrating through the runway and pouring into her bloodstream. She doesn't pay any attention to the glass floor underneath her. Surprisingly, her training before games helped her model more than one could guess. YN doesn't see anyone but the blinding lights lining the podium—not that she needs to see the hungry faces of the spectators. It doesn't matter what piece of fabric covers her body; they are looking at who wears it. Final pose at the centre—no smile is her go-to. Hold and turn is the golden rule.

''Here you are!'' One of the seamstresses grabs her hand, pulling her into a small, curtained space with countless clothes on racks. ''Calio wants you to hold a purse for the backstage photo and lose the belt. Where the fuck is the golden belt?'' she shouts, searching for one. ''Wait here; I'll go find it,'' she finally announces, running away before YN has the chance to suggest anything.

YN looks around, carefully moving the laying rags with her foot. She mentally goes over the outfits labelled with names, rating them one by one, until her eyes stop on the white dress. The closing dress, the one she was supposed to model. Underneath it are velvety black high boots.

The idea comes to her mind quickly: she steals a needle from the nearby table and carefully places it inside the shoes, making sure it looks like an accident.

''Finally,'' the woman returns with a belt in her hands, oblivious to YN's half-smile. ''Put it on and go; they are already waiting.''

''Of course, thanks.''

YN isn't sure how much time has passed before she hears a scream, standing up from her place in the corner with a blanket around her exposed shoulders. Surely enough, Jenovia is on the floor, crying crocodile tears—a needle inside her heel deep enough to make a few of the girls around her gag.

''What the fuck happened?'' It's Calio, the boss here; he was ordering her around before.

''I don't know,'' all the blonde girl can manage before bursting into tears one more time.

''Well, can you walk?'' he asks, kneeling to take a look.

''No,'' Jenovia whispers, her hand holding her bloodied foot.

The bald man sighed, more annoyed than concerned. ''We need a replacement. You,'' he points at YN. ''Take it off and change into the dress. Quick!''

YN does what she is told in no time; she doesn't want to wait until Jenovia suddenly gets better or the man finds a better-suited girl to close. After a few minutes, she is almost ready; she only needs the lipstick to finish it off.

''We don't have time!'' the man roars, dragging her to the exit. ''Here!'' He puffs out her hair and adjusts the layers of fake pearls covering her neck. ''Three, two, one! Go, fucking go!''

And go she does. A few steps on the runway, and she discovers that lipstick is still in her hands. YN puts it in the pocket of the enormously large black coat that hides the gorgeous white dress underneath. Step after step, her long black boots draw patterns on the glass. She will have no choice but to buy them; YN doesn't care if it's stupid. They helped her, so she will have them.

It's time for the final pose: YN takes out the lipstick from her pocket and applies it with two swift motions, blowing a kiss to the camera. It will definitely be a hit with the photographers. YN throws one last look before turning around and returning to the curtained exit. On her way back, when the lights lower to follow her back, she can see a little clearer. In the sea of vibrant hair colours and clothes, the platinum-blonde hair and a simple black suit stood out too much not to notice. There is only one person who could afford to look so simple—YN knows it. An opportunity of a lifetime.

She makes another stop in the middle of the podium, right in front of his seat. The coat slides off her shoulders effortlessly, and YN catches it just when the fabric is about to hit the floor. The crowd goes crazy, clapping and whistling at her tricks, but YN has no wish to entertain them any further. YN pauses for a moment, her eyes meeting icy-blue ones, before turning away and finishing the show. There is one thing the world needs to know about her: she didn't become a star overnight. She was born to be one.

-

Since the last show, she has done fifteen more—day after day, opening and closing. Her little trick got her where she wanted to be, with more money than one person could need in a lifetime and nowhere to spend it. Even now, standing in the long hallway of the training centre, she wears nothing she bought herself; all are gifted, sent, or handed by the adoring fans. Like a rag doll, with no say in how she looks or what she does, YN hears everyone say that it was ''a price of fame''. She doesn't think so; she was told what to do long before she tasted real butter on her toast.

The sliding door to her apartment moves almost without noise. While most victors complain that the lock system reminds them of prison, YN is grateful to have it. The thought of some crazy fanatic waiting for her in the dark isn't the most pleasant one. The designer bag finds its place on the floor, soon joined by the coat—room service will clean it up later. The heels slide off her feet quickly, leaving bloodied marks on her skin, but YN doesn't care enough to do something about them.

''Forgive me for joining you without an invitation.''

YN turns around, her hands grabbing the keys in her hands tighter. She mentally goes over her means of escape or fight—a mirror could easily be broken and used as a weapon; if necessary, she could also grab a nearby ottoman. The man in the chair doesn't look too impressed with her thought process. His lips curve into a smile, blue eyes staring at her with undivided attention. A suit, not very different from the one he wore at her show, was a deep brown colour.

''Mister President,'' YN breathes out, lowering her hand.

Coriolanus Snow. Light, almost white hair frames his face like a halo, with his suit hugging his waist just enough to highlight the broad shoulders. YN saw him on TV a couple of times, but seeing him in person was something entirely different. It's like the air shifts around him and changes with his presence.

''I believe we met before,'' he humours her, his eyes shining with mischief.

The light knocking on the door doesn't leave YN any time to answer. She presses a button near it, fixing her hair before opening it. YN tries to look as composed as possible without betraying her nerves—why was he here? ''Yes?''

''The dinner, Ma'am.'' the room service declares, pushing a cart in front of her.

YN nods, even though she didn't order one. ''Leave it here,'' she says, gesturing to the place nearby. When the door closes and she is alone with the man in her room again, her heart skips a beat.

''I took the liberty of ordering; I hope you don't mind.''

Even if she did, she knew better than to say anything. Instead, YN watched as the man stood up and took the dishes from the cart, placing them on the coffee table, before turning to her once more.

''Please, have a seat.''

She does what she is told, sitting down on her king-sized bed—the chair is already taken by him—and waits for the blonde man to start speaking. He doesn't right away, choosing to pour a glass of wine for her and himself.

YN watches the dark liquor pour into the glass, swirling with each drop. She isn't hungry—she rarely was—and the soup he ordered looks more like vomit than a dish, but she still takes the spoon and carefully places it into her mouth. Her lipstick stains the silverware with colour, leaving a small circle right at the end—that's when the man finally decides to speak.

''Dare I say I am a huge fan of your work ethic? Everyone who I've spoken to is very satisfied with your,'' he pauses, searching for the fitting word, ''dedication .''

''Thank you, Mister President,'' YN replies with a polite smile before returning to her soup. She watches him only from the corner of her eye. The way he cuts his steak with his ringed fingers and the way he places a small bite in his mouth before his lips close. There is a subtle roughness in his movements, a power play of some sort.

He catches her gaze and, for a moment, is silent. ''You probably wonder why I am here in the first place, outside of the amazing steak they cook here, of course. The thing is, Miss Y/L/N, that you are popular not only with the general public but with people higher in power as well. One may even say they fell in love with the way you present yourself.''

''I am pleased to know that, Mr. President, but I am only doing my job as a victor.''

''Then you will understand the weight of my dilemma. Those people who have served Panem all their lives faithfully usually don't ask for much recognition; they work because they want to build a better future for all of us. So, when they do ask for a small favour or two, I am more than happy to satisfy them. But recently, all they ask for is you .''

''I believe I don't quite understand. They want to meet me?''

''You can phrase it like that, yes. For a night or two, of course, with all expenses covered.''

It's heavy, the understanding of what Mister President really implies. The thought of someone's hand roaming her body brings her dinner up YN's throat. ''Why?'' Her voice is shakier than she would like, but she is more focused on composing the rising anger than noticing it.

''I am sorry, Miss Y/L/N, but I am afraid there is nothing I can do; I am greatly outnumbered. Unless,'' he starts but doesn't finish his sentence.

''Unless what?''

''Unless you are seen with me.''

His piercing blue eyes look at her, but there is nothing in them. Her chances are limited, and he knows it. There is something rogue in him beneath the veil of chivalry he offers. YN smiles at him. That's what this whole charade was about—he wants her. Coriolanus Snow, the most powerful man in the whole world, wants her.

''Of course, Mr. President. That's very generous of you.''

''Mister President is too official, don't you think, Miss Y/L/N? Perhaps we could find a more informal way of addressing each other?''

''Informal?'' YN asks, tilting her head to the side. If he wants her, he'll get her. ''What about Mister Snow?'' The buttons on her shirt are easy to manage—a few quick motions, and it slides off her shoulders onto the cream cover. ''Or, Sir Coriolanus?'' The pants are a little trickier, but YN learned that backstage, every second counts, so they soon also pool around her heels, the fabric hitting the floor with a slight thud.

The blonde man watches her intently, his eyes following every move of her hands. His legs are still spread wide on the lime-green chair as he slightly leans back. YN can't tell if he is enjoying her antics or not, but frankly, she doesn't care; she is enjoying it.  The way her shadow dances on the wall, the way the air shifts in the huge room, transforming it into a tiny stage. YN looks at him with mischief, with superiority, even. After all, she is the show here. Why not let Mr. Savior think it is for him?

''Come, Mister Snow,'' she says, throwing it in his face like a bone to the dog.

He doesn't have the haste to join her; on the contrary, he stands up painfully slowly. His tall figure almost seems to stretch as he raises, covering the floor lamp behind him fully. When he finally circles the table to stand above her, his presence is overwhelming. YN lets him stand between her legs, his unusually cold hand on her thigh.

''I prefer Coriolanus,'' he whispers in her ear, lowering himself enough to touch her ear with his velvety lips. He pulls away slightly, planting a kiss on her cheek instead. ''Have a most pleasant night, Miss Y/L/N.''

And then he walks away. YN watches as his figure disappears behind the sliding door before she lets out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Her gaze instinctively finds her reflection in the nearby mirror; there is no reason to shine if no one watches her.

[destinygoldenstar]

'Jax is an NPC'

Hm... ... ...

No.

It's a good theory, don't get me wrong, I see the evidence, I see where you're coming from.

But it's not a theory I agree with. Let me explain.

Caine's line "But if I start losing track of who's a human and who's an NPC who knows what could happen" is very vague as is. This could mean a whole lot of things.

I said this in another post of one of my own theories. I think it's possible that Caine could've killed a human player and his trauma of that was showing.

We know A.I's can shed traumatic emotions. Look at Gummigoo.

Now, yes, Caine couldn't 100% kill a human. Otherwise he would delete the abstractions. And it seems like human players abstract when they die and that's the only way they CAN die.

So therefore Caine having killed a human player should be thrown out as a possibility.

BUT. Hear me out.

Abstractions are shown to be able to glitch several in game objects because of their abstraction. And we actually do NOT see if all the abstractions look exactly the same as Kaufmo's abstraction.

They could very well not.

Going to biblical text, Caine was the first murderer and received a permanent consequence.

Could a permanent consequence be, idk, failing at your programmed job over and over again and be forced to watch these humans abstract and perish forever?

Especially if because of the human player death's abstraction glitch, is WHY the other human players cannot leave the game!

If you look at Pomni's room in one shot, there's a couple of blocks that are stacked from top to bottom 'ABXEL'.

Could it be that the human player Caine killed was named Abel?

But there is also the other possibility that somehow, there is an NPC among the circus. So let me explain my thought on that possibility.

I don't think it's possible.

I think Caine would've noticed, especially if he immediately recognized GummiGoo wasn't supposed to be there.

If one of the circus folks were an NPC, their figure would've appeared with the others in the backrooms.

Now, there is the possibility that it was placed somewhere else, that place is huge after all. So take that with a grain of salt.

I'm not completely eliminating the 'Jax is an NPC' theory.

I get the evidence. He's constantly breaking the fourth wall. But I think that more so has to do with what I’m about to say.

He has keys to people's rooms. I get that one. That is definitely sus as hell and I'm not denying it is sus.

He also ‘lacks human physics.’

So does everyone else in the cast. Pomni can stretch her body out like Elastagirl. Ragatha has stuffing instead of blood. Kinger has his own glitchy moments. Gangle has two faces. Zoobles body can fall apart.

I’m just saying. These are not human physics either. So Jax being able to keep in place whenever he wants being only a Jax thing is not too far fetched compared to all these other examples.

But I also think, and this is my opinion, that he's much more compelling as a character as a sociopathic human player that is beyond saving and MENTALLY cannot be humanized again.

What I mean by that is that while he is TECHNICALLY a human player, MENTALLY, he is so detached from his humanity and moral code often associated with humanity that he acts more NPC-like as a side effect.

Jax is not designed to be a morally grey character. He is written to be the least moral of the entire show.

It would be SO EASY to excuse those moral wrongdoings as 'well they were never human to begin with'.

But I think that's the lazy way out, and I think this show is smarter than that.

Because here is the thing, there ARE some really REALLY terrible humans. Evil humans in fact.

WHY they're so terrible varies, but that doesn't make them less terrible.

And yes while some terrible people can get redeemed if they themselves can, this is NOT absolute. There are people that are just plain beyond saving. So beyond saving that they ditch their moral code, a code drilled into the human mind, that they SEEM inhuman to humans who can't relate.

This is a very real psychological thing.

With how many morally grey characters get thrown around as compelling these days, Jax NOT being written that way and instead being written as the morally worst would naturally make people go 'he must not be human'.

In psychology, behavior like that doesn't physically inhumanize them, but it MENTALLY does, they behave in a set of rules so different from the normal that it's corrupt to the normal.

So I think he is a human player like the others. But his MENTALITY is not, so he ACTS NPC-like as a side effect to that mental loss.

Not every human is morally grey and get cozy redemption arcs. There are some truly awful people in the world with no redeemable qualities whatsoever. I like that he represents that. I like that there's a character on this show that acts as that huge wake-up call of 'Yeah some people just plain suck and you shouldn't have to deal with them.'

But while I don't think Jax being an NPC would be the best route to take. That is just my opinion and I am not the one writing the show. If that IS the route they are taking, I am fine with that so long as it is written with proper care. I could definitely be reading this wrong.

[cruyuu]

Yeah I hope sukuna gets a good ending. THAT fandom even liked sukuna despite all his crimes until he killed number 1 poll then suddenly they played the moral card, when they were even convinced GOJO would teach sukuna about love

And kenjaku even abused women eeeh

Honestly I want to see Sukuna smiles not smug, but a genuine smile for the first time, I don't want him to just make funny suffering faces and give those people more material

Hi, anon!

My gripes are not with the fandom (since I don't really care) but rather with the narrative itself. The story itself constantly says that there's no good or bad, but rather that everything is grey.

Like just look at 265 and what Yuuji says to Sukuna. Humans aren't purely good or evil. They're in shades of grey and all lives are created equal. They don't even have to serve a role, they can just exist. They exist outside of memory! (And this is coming from someone who couldn't hear his thoughts nor access his memory...)

At first, I thought it was weird that Yuuji was telling that to Sukuna if he's just going to kill him. Hell, he says he loathes him! So why the contradictory behavior? Why ask him to come back? Why not just kill him?

It is fitting for him to be at the receiving end of that whole speech only if he will live and only if the "end of the cycle of curses" is erasing the good versus bad (right versus wrong) dynamic which Sukuna and Yuuji embody (one has to die, the other live), but accepting the morally ambigious one. I don't know the end game plan and my thoughts are all over the place when it comes to canon because of that, so forgive me.

If Sukuna believes himself to be unworthy of living simply because of being selfish, of not caring for other people opinions and just living for the sake of living, then that explains his vehement anger towards Yuuji still allowing him to live. Because Yuuji hears and listens to other people's wishes and lives according to them, and hence he is considered morally righteous (both by society and by Sukuna), a total opposite of Sukuna. He's someone who's good and pure unlike himself. (But Yuuji himself says that is not the case and we, the readers, know because we've been following his story. He's morally grey more so than embodying pure good.)

The question which is asked is: Why isn't Sukuna condemned for not living according to what is right? Why isn't Yuuji passing judgement onto him? Why isn't he dead but is free to return to his body? He's the epitome of evil, he's a vile monster, he's the absolute worst contrasting Yuuji's absolute best, and if he continues to live he'll just cause more death and misery to Yuuji, so why isn't he dead?

And the answer is: "Because there's no strictly good or bad. I'm not playing the role of a hero and you're not playing the role of a bad guy. We're just ourselves."

Hence, Sukuna cannot be condemned even though he represents someone who deserves to be. This is why he's The Fallen. The one banished from Heaven. The one who's supposed to recieve punishment for his wicked deeds.

Well, if he's the Fallen, then Yuuji is as well which is cleverly illustrated in the narrative:

He did recieve punishment before, technically. That's why his body was destroyed and why he dwelled within the fingers and never made it out with a proper vessel. He was destroyed but he still survived, and managed to reincarnate himself in a different era which is not treating him the same as the one that did before. Instead of being met with distaste and caution, it's everything opposite. It's everything he can't understand. He's being praised, he's being loved, he's being lifted into Heaven again (and yet he ate his twin and was poor, so technically, he was somebody society wouldn't look at at all).

Yuuji was made to he his vessel, yet again, he's not what Sukuna expected. Instead of being perfect, he's a cage. Instead of being insignificant, he is strong. Instead of being a polar opposite, rejecting everything, he's just taking everything from Sukuna and being accepting, greeting him and interacting with him like he's an old friend despite the fact that they are enemies.

Do you see how everything is the opposite of itself? Quite amazing really.

This is why I love the idea of him surviving. He deserves a happy ending as much as everybody else because everybody was satisfied in the manga despite being selfish, cruel, whatever. If they can, then why can't he? If their mistakes can be forgiven, why can't his?

[naetaesarya]

Why do people in this fandom think the ending of the story is supposed to be miserable and nihilistic? Why do they think it’s supposed to be such a terrible ending? Then again… in the books hope and unity are always a consistent theme while the show just made everything gritty and dark and “everyone will always be torn apart”

Well, everyone in the show will be torn apart unless you're Sansa Stark 🫠

I think the feeling that the ending of ASOIAF will be miserable and nihilistic comes from the tone of the series, which is quite dark and miserable. It's not a straight good vs. evil or light vs. dark. Instead, it contains many shades of grey and the morality isn't really clear cut in many situations. Additionally, it's not a happy series. That said, there are moments of levity, love, and light amongst the massive pits of darkness though and GRRM has promised a bittersweet ending:

I think you need to have some hope… we all yearn for happy endings in a sense. Myself, I’m attracted to the bittersweet ending. People ask me how Game of Thrones is gonna end, and I’m not gonna tell them… but I always say to expect something bittersweet in the end. You can’t just fulfill a quest and then pretend life is perfect.

GRRM for Time, 2015

I think that's reflective of what GRRM says when it comes to his heroes:

With great power comes great responsibility, Stan Lee once wrote. Spidey's credo articulates the basic premise of every superhero universe, including ours. But Lord Acton wrote that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The tension between those two truths is where the drama comes in. My own heroes are the dreamers, those men and women who tried to make the world a better place than when they found it, whether in small ways or great ones. Some succeeded, some failed, most had mixed results... but it is the effort that's heroic, as I see it. Win or lose, I admire those who fight the good fight.

Source

We may not succeed, we may fail at some things, we may be imperfect, but the important thing is that we've tried... and when it comes to the future, we do need to have hope or otherwise, it's difficult to justify continuing to go forward.

Now, that does bring me to something I saw recently in the fandom regarding bittersweet and I've sadly seen it before... ----------

----------

"She" being Dany of course. No, I highly doubt GRRM means that the "bitter" of "bittersweet" will all be down to shit happening to Dany and to Dany alone (being sexually deceived, used, and exploited before she is murdered by Jon who, apparently, gets to "have his cake and eat it too") while the "sweet" will come from all the good happening to Starks. Convenient. Since when does GRRM write like that? Rewards blatantly villainous actions with no consequences?

It is for the characters to experience and question these emotions, not the readers? That's... literally how and where the story takes place.

Yikes. But that's what I think, that's where I think people believe the bitter ending comes from -- the dark tone the series generally has. I think GRRM is striving to mirror people and situations in real life or how he sees/imagines real life. Hope is an important factor.

[fantasyinvader]

I keep thinking about how people want the Agarthans to be victims. Not so much that people are saying they did nothing wrong, but a lesser evil compared to Rhea and the Nabateans. I'd ask myself why people would want such a thing, as even in the route where you side with them they're made out to be evil that will be exterminated, but I wouldn't have to think about why that as. The answer is simple, they validate Edelgard's killing of Rhea.

And, really, it fits with stuff I've seen since the game came out. The people claiming that despite Silver Snow and Verdant Wind being routes where big reveals to the lore are given to the player they, alongside Azure Moon, lie to the player and that Edelgard is the only one to tell them “the truth.” Or that said lore pops out of canon once the player decides to side with Edelgard. They want to ignore that the same route not only paints Edelgard as a liar often enough that a chapter titled “Lady of Deceit” begins and ends with her lying to her army, but also reveals that Edelgard herself knows that her source was an Agarthan puppet yet she is still clinging to that narrative. They'll claim it's all a matter of what the player believes to be true and tell people to disregard the game's creators saying that they built Fodlan to support the story of Silver Snow, and that while Flower is about believing something else, how that leads to not only mowing down everyone who stands in your way because of those beliefs but also ends up with tyranny and oppression under the path of supremacy.

Or we'll get people who ignore that Claude's route talks about how we need to let go of misconceptions we may have about others by getting to know them, and how Claude's misconceptions about the Church may have been caused by the Agarthans feeding him info to turn him against Rhea. No, instead Claude is a manipulative schemer who should have killed Rhea as his final boss after learning about her past and how his ancestors profited off the slaughter of her people, and that Golden Wildfire is who Claude really is and his good route.

Because people want to believe that Houses is this morally grey game, where everyone is a hero from their POV. But let's look at that. As mentioned, Claude's POV blaming the Church is ultimately framed as him having misconceptions, and once he got to know them he realized that Rhea didn't have to be his enemy in achieving his goals. Not only that, he realizes the Agarthans tried to manipulate him like he says they did to Edelgard, and ends up taking them out before finishing off Nemesis. Dimitri's POV is based on his survivor guilt and belief that he needs to live for the sake of avenging those who died. He grows out of this thanks to Byleth teaching him he needs to live for the sake of the living and for himself, all while taking the Agarthans out by complete accident while Edelgard's ideals are presented as demonic while Dimitri's beliefs make him a savior. Meanwhile, Edelgard's POV is based on what her father told her despite her knowing he was an Agarthan puppet. She can't be swayed her path as she tries to lie and manipulate those around her, and the world supports the route where Byleth leads the Black Eagles away from her influence (making it so that the Black Eagles are the only class who can get their story-related character development joining any other class). It's either that, or you ignore the world building to walk a path that is based around hadou, which has negative connotations especially when contrasted with oudou, which is what Dimitri's route is supposed to lead to.

You can ignore this growth if you play Hopes, but Hopes is supposed to show how much of an influence Byleth has on their class and is not supposed to replace that experience. Shez can't give Dimitri or Claude the character growth they would have gotten to see the problems with their POV, nor can they stop the Eagles from supporting Edelgard. Shez just seems to go with whatever the lord says, adapting to the route being played, and as such enables each lord's behavior. Not to mention that Shez is hinted to be from Agartha himself, and even then the Agarthan POV doesn't paint them in a positive light.

So, really, what are people saying when they want the Agarthans to be the sympathetic villains rather than the game wanting us to feel sorry for the Nabateans? That they feel the game not doing so is a flaw despite the Agarthans being so racist that they view everyone else as non-human animals and therefore it's okay to experiment on them? That we should support their genocide of the Nabateans because Edelgard said things used to be better despite the reveal that they're the ones who gave mankind Crests while making themselves out to be gods? We should still think that the Church are the bad guys when the Agarthans are the ones behind the experiments, Duscur, the death of Claude's uncle, and so much more? Or that Nemesis was a good king who was demonized by history rather than the power-hungry asshole he's depicted as, the only real misconceptiont here was that he ever was a hero in the first place rather than the tyrannical bandit he actually was.

In the end, it's just people not wanting to let go of their own misconceptions about Fodlan. They don't want to see Fodlan for how it really is. If anything, Houses can serve as a deconstruction of the idea of Death of the Author. It's a game with some very direct messages, but the routes where the player diverges away from those messages (Flower and the entirety of Three Hopes) it leads to bad endings because, at the end of the day, Fodlan was built around those messages. It was built about the need to see people for who they really are rather than who we think they are, as Edelgard being revealed not to be the heroine but rather the villain is the twist of the game who needs to be removed from power. Also that people supporting each other is a far better outcome than everyone being left to fend for themselves, especially when the people at the top use their power to benefit others. But it's up to people to do that themselves, to figure things out for themselves rather than fall into the trap.

Otherwise, we're left with people defending the likes of the Agarthans.

[but-a-humble-goon]

As are aware of Bruce's more negative character traits, who while not liking them doesn't dismiss them as a non canon aberration, you seem like the person to ask this question.

Do you think Gut's could be a good comparison as far as characters go in terms of being someone who is capable of great kindness & great cruelty, who is meant to be sympathetic but can at time horrify.

Obviously Guts having been written by one author for one story is a notably more coherent character. This is more of a general comparison if someone embodying two extremes & still making sense.

Guts in the Misty Valley arc could both save & be very cool towards a young child & be a source of comfort, but could also switch to holding a knife to that same child's throat to lure in an enemy for a surprise attack & still feel coherent.

Do you think a well written Batman could be handled as such, and or that Batman as he largely stands in terms of overall collective works could be regarded in a similar light?

I think the sheer insurmountable difference in the writing quality is what makes the comparison difficult. The way I'd describe it is Guts feels like an incredibly well written dark fucked up antihero and Batman feels like a very badly written morally grey goodguy. It's hard to reconcile Bruce's good with his bad because most of the time it genuinely feels like him being kind of a monster happens unintentionally thanks to writers just having no clue what they're doing. Like, clearly during the whole Stephanie War Games saga the audience was supposed to sympathize with Bruce over her but like... they sorta forgot to make him sympathetic and forgot to make Stephanie do anything bad besides being a teenaged girl so the result his he just comes across like a willfully abusive piece of shit motivated apparently by pure spite. Or, again, by pure misogyny if you take Chuck Dixon's word for it. Or whenever he's casually gleefully cruel to criminals and treats them like animals. Most of the time it doesn't feel like the story is commenting on Batman's own issues, it just kinda feels like it's being written by people who think the thoughtless brutality is okay and/or super cool actually and are using Bruce as a vicarious power fantasy. Or all the times they have him lash out with physical violence against his kids, do they actually get how screwed up and over the line that is? Because it feels more like the writers are just like "nah, it's cool, they're not his real kids so it doesn't count as child abuse, just regular abuse which is fine." I've said it before but it genuinely feels like writers think him just being Batman (the beloved childhood icon of whole generations) is a free pass to have him constantly act as awful as they feel like and never face consequences, learn any lessons or grow as a person while expecting everyone to still like him for some reason. I don't think there really is a way to square Batman's constant shittiness with the good person we're supposed to take him to be. Instead it just ends up feeling like there's two Batmans; one who's gruff, antisocial and scary but ultimately a hero who always means well... and another who is a totally incoherently horrible leech of a human being who everyone inexplicably has infinite patience for, presumably because they mistake him for the first guy. On the other hand, Berserk clearly at least understands that the extremes of bastardry Guts ends up going to are indeed extremes. They actually endeavor to make it make internal sense for the character. The dude is at any one time just barely clinging to his sanity after all the horrific shit he's lived through and every single time he tries to let his guard down and start healing the universe punishes him for it, leaving him broken all over again. He ends up being sympathetic because he's somehow only as much of a monster as he is. Even at his absolute darkest he's managed to hold on to even just the faintest glimmer of his humanity despite everything. Also to be perfectly honest, accounting for the sheer difference in quantity of content I would put money on Guts having a much higher proportional rate of humanizing moments of genuine kindness for contrast than Bruce does, even if he does also go a whole lot darker than Bruce ever has.

So if anything the comparison feels more like: here's what to do and here's what not to do.

[randomnameless]

To continue the woobified view of the Elites and my comparison of them to the Black Eagles :

Same for me regarding the BE, especially because they also literally fought Edelgard's troops in WC when you choose their house, and even if you don't, they definitely still would know that Edelgard dus nasty shits in WC.

The idea that media literacy is dead is quite fitting, because the idea that even rotten persons have loved ones/that having loved ones doesn't mean you're not rotten is a known thing, yet the Eagles and elites get a pass solely because "they genuinely believe in the cause" and "they love and care for each other"

Probably Fraldarius was as devoted to Nemesis as Ingrid to Dimitri, Lamine very well may have been as sassy as Dorothea, perhaps Goneril was as brave and endearing as Caspar, or Maurice was as loyal to his clan's interests as Petra to Brigid's happiness (through a strong bond to the Empire) but like the BE, they are butchers, who relished in the destruction of everything those against them hold dear, lap dogs and rabid curs of someone they definitely know have crushed innocents and scorn the very idea of peace except under their domination.

The only meaningful difference between Edelgard-following BE and the elites is that we can know more about the BE and we are forced to dislike cutting them down even as they refuse to let northern Fódlan alone.

Honestly I need a fanfiction where the BE are called out for that bullshit.

Yep!

That's the tone deaf feeling I got from Nopes, the Deers are hunting someone bcs their leader wants her dead for no reason, but Raph only comments on how hungry he is.

Uh, sure Raph, you're not the most thoughtful character in there, but come on? Some commentary or exposition on what you're doing? Hello KT? Can we have characters be challenged or even react to the events of screen instead of wondering what's for dinner/teatime?

No??

I wouldn't say it's an issue of media litteracy being dead, but more something in the lines of people being more and more "all or nothing" nowadays, without any nuance and conflating liking a character with the idea/image that might project on you : if I like ASOIAF's Cersei, I don't think everything she does is "justified", but modern fandom, I feel like some people would categorize you as a "good" or "bad" person based on the characters you like, and it's just... not what fandom is or was supposed to be imo, I'm here to nerd and gush about favourite characters, not write litteral essays about the Geneva Convention.

Corollary is what, imo, made the Fodlan fandom hell : some people really take "criticism" against a character personally - sure the way FE16 was written invites projection, but at the end of the day, making a Berning Fire Joke is, just, making a joke about a bunch of pixels, nothing more.

Back to the BEs, they can have a sense of camaraderie and genuinely support each other... as they tear apart "people because Supreme Leader told me to" and fight side by side with Bob the Carpented who was turned into Waldi the demonic beast.

Ferdie can skewer Flayn on her father's lance because she is "a creature that has plagued humanity for ages" even if they reached a C support before shit hit the fan - and still protect Mercedes and Bernie from their abusing Fathers. Does that make him a great guy? A nuanced guy?

I think the trope is called "even evil people have loved ones" or something like that?

I don't think so, but he is no random one note villain sycophant either - now, what is the more annoying with the Fodlan games is how this dichotomy is never called upon : everything is just a giant blob or Hresvelg Grey ("morally grey" but only applied to Supreme Leader) where no one really is angry at her, and all the "sacrifices" she's making are off-screen while the characters on-screen always moan about her "ReFoRmS" and "IdEaLs" without talking about the cost bar some milquetoast "but war bad". And no one, in the game, will ever throw this hypocrisy to their face - Gallant Ferdinand will dream about the Opera as he wipes off the blood of a young woman who just wanted to return to the only home she had.

Yay.

FWIW, some mutuals and I have nothing but pure lols about Doro's line in the non-CF routes being "we killed Ferdie professor :'(" because, hey, why should I care more about Ferdie than about random loldier 55 ? Rhea? Felix? Claude? Ignatz?

Maybe the Elites were really friends and became """"nice""" persons with time, to their families and loved ones ?

Does this magically erase what they did before? Will that "good" they did erase all the "wrongs" they have previously done? Will theyr forever escape the consequences of their actions?

In a game that depicts Flamey as a terrorist for 11 chapters only to drop that plot point by the window to moan, again, about her "IdEaLs", "consequences" are maybe something you can eat as a snack, or throw in a trashcan.

So following the rules of this verse, given how Supreme Leader never receives flak for her Flamey stunts, why should the Elites receive any for what they did? Look, Maurice calls Daphnel his friend, surely he is not that bad of a man? Well yeah, he might have seduced women and planted a lot of wild oats here'n'there, but he cares about his friends!

Jeritza likes ice creams and cats! Surely it's more important to paint him as a cat lover than to deal with all the consequences of his stunt as the Death Knight, kidnapping and implied rekting young woman while he was in GM, under Flamey's orders, right?

Calling it now, after eviscerating Seteth's older brother, Goneril might have melted in front of one of Rhea's kittens, and adopted the cat asap. Surely that makes Goneril a "good" character right? And forget the entire "genocided a bunch of hippies living isolated in their village" stuff?

I don't have fanfics recs where the BEs are called hypocrites, but I confess I don't read a lot of fanfics in the FE16 fandom because of all of the aforementioned issues.

[rawrsatthetree]

Idk how people can make dedicated content for their tav. I have a new Tav every month that I focus on and make a whole story for and ultimately drop for the next Tav to infect my mind.

Anyways my current Tav of the month is a human oath of devotion Paladin with an urchin background who’s an AU version of my dark urge where they aren’t a Bhaalspawn and got to grow up with their foster family instead.

Ala'onna (An Elven name that means keeper of harmony). 26 years old.

They were adopted by their dads, a 300 year old retired paladin dwarf and a 650 year old retired ranger elf, who run a bakery on the outskirts of Riften. They always dreamed of growing up to be an adventurer like their dads, inspired by their many bedtime tales. They spent their childhood running around the lower city and exploring the sewers getting into trouble while their Vul (dwarf dad) would sell baked goods from his cart. They got mixed up with some ruff kids and learned how to swindle and steal. One day a strange pale girl with even paler eyes joined their little group of would be thieves. Everything was fun and games until this strange girl killed one of their friends, pushing him from one of the high city walls and watching with glee as he splattered on the cobblestone below. They watched in anger as flaming fists just shrugged it off and refused to even acknowledge those most in need of protection. They vowed to work hard to become a real hero that would protect everyone who was in need, even those others deem unworthy of protection.

They were on their way back to the city after an adventure to check on their Vul and Ada when they got snatched up by the mindflayers.

When the party got to Baldur’s Gate they were super excited to introduce all the companions to their fathers however they had both decided come out of retirement and went off to fight the Absolute’s army.

They don’t recognize that the pale girl from their childhood was Orin but they do admit she seems hauntingly familiar. They were a bit too young to run around in the same circle as Karlach and a little too low-class to play with Wyll. They had bumped into Astarion before, on a night they were out far later than they were supposed to be, they were dared to pick pocket him since he looked wealthy and stupid. He frightened them off flashing his fangs and glowing red eyes threatening to drain them dry if they didn’t piss off. They refused to sleep alone for the next month waking up from nightmares of a vampire trying to bite them in their sleep. Astarion doesn't remember, but they do. They don't just recognize he's a vampire that night when he tried to bite them, but specifically the vampire that haunted their nightmares as a child.

They think they tread the line of an oath breaker but, for all their grey morality, they always stand up to evil. Even if their definition of evil is a little more fluid and grey. They try not to judge creatures based on what they are or people based on their background. "Stealing is ok, the real evil is the rich that let you starve"; "maybe goblins wouldn't be like that if people treated them with kindness and respect" that sort of thing. This does make them very naive, they're open mind getting in the way when they really shouldn't trust or give people a chance. They fight with themselves to see the good in the world, for them it's a choice they make, in spite of everything. They tend to shoulder too much, when bad things happen it's their fault. They should have been stronger, they should have been quicker, they should have known better.

They actually have a really low constitution for a paladin, it's only 11. Yes they still always use compel duel, yes they go down every other fight, yes Astarion is loosing his mind over his knight in shining armor with a death wish. They also have laughably low wisdom (8) and intelligence (9).

Growing up everyone thought they were actually half dwarf because they're 5'3" and kind of stocky. They're not really self conscious or anything, they know they're muscular (18 strength) and their chubbiness is just proof of being raised in a loving home with good food and lots of bread (their Vul taught them this).

They're Ada was a little more distant from them than their Vul that dotted on them constantly. Not that he didn't love them as much, but being 660 years old will make you a little distant or so their Vul told them. They wouldn't say they have daddy issues since their Vul is also their dad, more specifically they Elf daddy issues. They are embarrassingly desperate for attention and validation from specifically Elven men. Astarion is blissfully unaware of this, of course they want his approval that's what he's manipulating them for. Halsin however knows.

They're not fluent but they can speak and understand a bit of Elvish and Dwarfish as well as some thieves chant.

Their second highest stat is charisma and they love to sing. They swear they should have been a Bard but the schooling is much more expensive than some starter armor, a sword, and an oath.

[scalproie]

ngl i felt so sad when i learned that the mk story isn't about scorpion and sub-zero's rivalry. i feel like I would have gotten more into it if it was... there's also a weird disconnect between the gameplay and the actual story??? what do you mean these characters don't regularly disembowel each other?? they're supposed to be good guys????

I am BIASED as all fuck but litterally the best part of mk is when they focus on the borderline shakespearean storyline of the scorpion/sub zero rivalry, like yeah on a surface level its really silly but if you dare to dig a lil deeper, its a very compelling story about the rivalry of two clans, revenge, irony, deception, atonement, forgiveness, and even about fate considering how many times the three people involved have danced this dance.

But because mk wants to be dc sooo bad, they have to maintain the illusion of fairness in how the characters share the screentime, as opposed to a comic book approach where there is technically endless screentime to share and story to tell, a video game/movie/animated movie cost a lot more money, and as much as I love it, mk does suffer from a lack of focus as fuck (but then again, so does most fighting game lore until very recently with the most recent games that have a clear precise storyline)

The silver-lining about mk tho, is that it has 30 years of history behind it so if you choose to focus on a particular thing or dynamic, you have a pretty large amount of food to chew on.

As for the disconnect, yeah. mk's whole brand is the gore, its what made it famous back in the 90s, so to keep the brand, it has to keep the reputation of being as gorey in its presentation as possible even if the story itself has turned into smth more serious and fantastic instead. It does make every character morally grey tho bc yeah there are obvious "good guys" and "bad guys" but each and every one of them has the potential for incredible violence

[scary-ivy]

I honestly hate "Underfell" sooo much because in my opinion it fundamentally misses the whole point of Undertale.

"Oh what if these friendly monsters were all evil and edgy instead?" as if the monsters being befriendable instead of inherently evil wasn't the whole refreshing gimmick of the original game. And also missing the nuance that most of the characters in Undertale aren't just "friendly and good", most of them are morally grey and fully willing to kill a 5-year-old for the greater good. It's the fact that they're capable of doing awful things that makes winning their friendship in the good ending so rewarding.

"Oh well it's really just about having fun seeing what the characters would be like with evil villain aesthetics" THEY'RE ALREADY MONSTERS. Sans and Papyrus are fucking skeletons, Papyrus literally acts like a Saturday morning cartoon villain and Sans gets a lot of creepy moments. Undyne wears a spooky suit of armor and has snaggly fangs. Mettaton is literally playing the part of a killer robot. Asgore is supposed to be visually intimidating and takes design cues from the devil. Drenching these characters in a shitty black and red color scheme adds nothing. This whole AU just exists to give people an edgy dom Sans to draw rule 34 of, but like, Sans already had an edgy and dark side in canon. He's a depressed nihilist who only refrained from child murder because a milf told him not to kill kids. There was no good reason for this AU to exist.

[rattrapdadfigure]

Just had the best daydream/idea!!!

In transformers earthspark the kids feel smothered by all their parent figures/older siblings that they just want somewhere else to relax.

Imagine them happening upon Shockwave who has since recovered from his terrible brainwashing and torture by the autobot council all those eons ago. And he’s just… gardening and running through the fields, enjoying life for once. Feeling like he’s finally alive and in control.

And he accidentally adopts twitch, thrash, robby, and mo 💀 and they just hang out and garden 🥰

And Shockwave actually listens to them when they tell it their wants, needs, and feelings. He’s just a great dad-

“Your feelings are valid, it’s okay to be frustrated with me, with this situation.”

Just giving them solid advice and not being overbearing or judgmental like Optimus, Dot, and (maybe)Bee.

The kids parents don’t know they’re hanging out with another ex war criminal (Optimus, bee, and megatron + many others are also war criminals and idk why Autobots are so glorified lmao)

But Shockwave is not afraid if the parents know because there’s nothing wrong with their situation. He’s a responsible, caring, and genuine parent figure to them when their default parents are currently failing them. But the kids are scared of their default parents and just can’t handle the drama rn. So Shockwave supports their decisions.

But he also doesn’t move them around or try to hide or cover tracks. It just enjoys the time he has with them and they dance to music and play games like tag and make flower crowns and stuff!!! So wholesome, so cute!

Ofc their default parents would be mortified, understandably, you’d be really worried and want to know who is caring for your kids!!!

I can just imagine dot and Optimus finding out and forbidding them from seeing Shockwave. But the kids get really depressed and shut down because they couldn’t depend on their parents to begin with, how would they help now?

Anyways, all the parent figures: Optimus, dot, Alex, elita, megs, Bee, etc talk and they finally decide to let Shockwave see them for a short time.

So Shockwave shows up and the kids are elated! They run and give hugs and Shockwave is happy!! But then It tells the kids, “it was nice seeing you, even for a short time.” And the kids get confused/distressed. And now Shockwave has to explain to them that this was just a short visit and he doesn’t know when they’ll meet up again. It has to explain it to them!! Instead of their supposed parents!!! That’s messed up that the kids had to find out this way cuz the default parents can’t/won’t communicate properly. :((

So Robby, Mo, and Twitch get upset and start crying and Shockwave has to give them a goodbye hug and the human kiddos run back to the house and Twitch flies off, not wanting to stay. Thrash doesn’t move, but he’s obviously upset, tense. Shockwave asks him if he wants a goodbye hug and Thrash makes a sour face in general because he’s having a hard time coping. Shockwave understands this and is not upset, he is fine with Thrash being angry at him/the situation. Thrash is allowed his emotions.

So Shockwave has a little talk with the default parents.

“Why didn’t you explain to them what was going to happen? I don’t care what happens to me, but you need to prioritize their emotional health.”

Then the default parents get all defensive/possessive.

“Please, just listen to them. When they come to you don’t turn them away, they need you.”

So Shockwave gets ready to leave but then Thrash runs and gives him a hug. And then Shockwave leaves. :( Thrash goes to sit by the barn for some alone time but I wouldn’t be surprised if his default parents bothered him anyways even though he clearly communicates his needs. Just wouldn’t be surprised 🥲😑

Whoops!! I love the old morally grey single dad who is a great dad trope :’D

I also love Shockwave!! :))

[vigilskeep]

If you have any more thoughts on the masked empire please share! ♡

i think i appreciated the masked empire for its commitment to its portrayal of dark fantasy morality. it may be that my standards are simply low after the exhaustingly shallow and clumsy attempts at “grey morality” from the gaider novels, but i appreciated that it didn’t shy away from the violence inherent to who all these characters are. it didn’t pull its punches; this is a story that recognises the level of game the protagonists are playing and commits to the little guy getting crushed to further their goals. some of the most compelling parts of the novel in particular were its POV switches that allowed each character’s internal monologue to fully commit to their own view of the world however warped, trusting the reader to be an adult with reading comprehension who is going to pick up on that rather than just spelling out for you every time someone has a Bad Opinion. i also liked that it portrayed each character as having their own tightly held moral code, again no matter how warped their worldview is, so you can see how each of them justifies the way they operate

i have to admit it was a little galling to see a dedication to lgbt+ fans knowing that i was about to walk into dragon age’s 636372829th wlw pairing with an unhinged power dynamic full of manipulation and betrayal. but neither would i have wanted them to portray celene as other than the only thing an orlesian empress would be capable of being. i enjoyed the complexity of celene and briala’s dynamic and they were definitely the best written female characters in a dragon age novel i’ve read so far, but given that all the others were by gaider that’s not even an achievement, the bar was on the ground. i suppose it would come off better if we had healthier wlw representation elsewhere instead of this really uncomfortable pattern and almost nothing else

i didn’t particularly like its treatment of the dalish. that was the part where the book’s attempt at grey morality really stumbled for me and leaned way too far into dragon age’s tendency to assign every group random flaws in order to cheaply buy a scenario where there’s “no right answer”. its lack of sympathy towards their wariness, and its callousness towards violence against them, was very jarring and strange

[theseventhoffrostfall]

Because @mtndewloyalist-xvii volunteered himself to receive my fallout 4 sperg:

I've already discussed the ways I'd do the story structure as a whole, let alone the factions different, but if we're talking about more minor changes, I'd expand on companions and how they relate to and showcase the different factions.

In general, since the game is clearly going for a morally-grey scenario where each faction has its strong points and its weaknesses, I'd give each two companions-- one hardliner, and one moderate, someone that represents either the gentler, more humane, or alternatively more flawed side of a faction, or someone with less conviction who might even be swayed to leave it.

So, obviously, you start off with Garvey as the Minuteman hardliner. Completely altruistic, untiring about helping the people of the Commonwealth and not too hung up on keeping the Minutemen cohesive or supplied--as-is in the game, totally optimistic (admirably so, despite all of the shit that's thrown at him before the game starts) but that blinds him to the realities of the situation. So, presumably after retaking the Castle, you get let's say an old Pre-War Ghoul (if we wanna go for a bit more character spiciness, it might be a guy who served alongside the male PC at Anchorage, like it's the guy he was going to meet at the veteran's hall in the opening) who served in the previous incarnation of the Minutemen. A lot more cynical about how these things go, a lot more concerned with actually getting pay and provisions from allied settlements and building a command structure for the group. Still a good guy who wants to help the people, but with his feet more firmly on the ground when it comes to the details of running a militia.

Railroad, very easy. Deacon is the moderate, since even in the base game he espouses helping the people more and cultivating better relations, and he's the soft-touch sneaky bastard type. Bring in Glory as the hardliner, being a far more militant fuck-the-institute type who'd rather just murder her way to Synth liberation.

Brotherhood, Danse is the hardliner, the unquestioning, unflinching soldier who rarely if ever admits to any faults in the organization. Keep him as-is. Bring in someone, I wanna say a Scribe or other tinkering technician type (maybe Halen herself) who can act sort of as a Verona figure (just hopefully less obnoxious) who's loyal but wishes the Brotherhood could only be dicks maybe 40% of the time instead of 80

Institute, you'd need reworks across the board; there's no way the Institute works in any scenario without overhaul, but keep X6-88 as the hardliner, who pursues in his cold machine-fashion the goals of the institute (note: give the Institute actual goals), just rewrite him to be less of a petty fucking dick. Make him an evil character by all means, but he probably shouldn't revel so much in petty cruelty that he dislikes it when you give your dog a stimpack, if you intend for him to represent a faction that's not kitten-eating evil. Bring in a scientist type (maybe a cyborg, since they had no reason whatsoever to cancel that program) as the more idealistic counterpart who genuinely thinks the Institute is the best hope for the Commonwealth and is doing good--again, maybe they leave the faction in disgust, or are persuaded to remain and change it from within.

Of the "can't end the game with them, but represented anyway" factions:

Strong remains the Super Mutant Hardliner. I actually kind of like him, since he represents the culture, such as it is, of super mutants, with their odd collectivism and somewhat hopeful optimism in their own barbaric way, and he can stay that way. Maybe just make him a little more consistent--I'm aware he's supposed to be conflicted, but he just comes off as schizophrenic. Erikson, come the DLC, is the moderate. Wants to find a way for humans and mutants to coexist. Easy peasy.

Raiders: I've mentioned before that I figure Raiders are a two-tiered profession; you've got your average, scrap-armor and scavenged guns shmuck who's raiding for a few months because he had a bad harvest this year, someone forced by desperation or simply opportunistic in outlook; then you've got the hardened, quasi-tribal professionals with real armory skills/tooling and organization, like the Nuka-World raiders. This one's easy, too: Rewrite Cait so instead of an edgy weird nonsense pit fighter, she's an outright Raider. Still a junkie, still misanthropic and bitterly cynical, but as in the base game, can be steered away from that and put on a better path. She's the moderate, because the Hardliner is simply Gage as-is: a merciless Social Darwinist who exults in loot, domination and violence

[eros-vigilante]

octopath stories favorite to least favorite? !! including both 1 & 2 if u want!!!

hey. hi. hwat's up. i'm the #1 apologist/defender of the ot1 stories so it's more like tiers than ranking OK. this includes my biases.

mild spoilers for ot1

tier 1: cyrus & therion this one is obvious. biggest parts i like are how strongly cyrus' story indirectly characterizes him through how he makes very scary situations feel lower stakes bc he doesn't treat them very heavily (even if he should) / and how well written i think therion's thought process + Brain Problems are. specifically in the area where his healing is not linear. in fact with how he acts in cotc (summarized as: about as "friendly" as his early ch3 but not as much as ch4) it makes me think the events in ravus manor was a big push back for him and it wasn't only wellspring that gave him a kind of relapse or obstacle...

tier 2: primrose, h'aanit, alfyn. primrose is carried by her backstory imo. disclaimer i hate her visual (outfit) design but this is stories. and it's soo cool that the game does not dance (eheh.) around her being a sex worker nor does it imply she hates it or was forced into it. she chose to work in sunshade knowing what she was getting into because she decided it was her best chance at getting the information she needed. the job itself is neutral to her and its helgenish that's negative. i love h'aanit's story so much because it puts such a focus on her love for her adoptive father. she's super nonchalant about every incredible thing she does in her journey because "master has done jobs like these all the time." until she gets to the monster her father hasn't killed and even then she's like OK i need to go reunite with my fath- i mean mentor now. alfyn's is really good in theming & using foil characters to the fullest with vanessa, miguel, and ogen. really good at the nuance of the medical field and such.

tier 3: tressa, ophilia, olberic. to me no tier is that far below the above one i love them all so so much. so instead of rehashing the usual criticisms i'm gunna keep saying what i like about em. tressa's is well-suited to the coming-of-age theme while still keeping her in the context and stakes of the world. i think putting her in a port town was a great way to have her already be very well-versed in how to handle herself and conflict. ophilia's makes sense in her being 'bland' or her early chapters being too calm because like. that's kinda how she's been her entire life after joining the church. i think people just ignore lianna's part of the story beyond [major spoiler ahead] her being morally grey/temporarily antagonist because their dynamic is incredibly important to the story. lianna was always the one participating more directly in the church, delivering the sermons, and she was the one who was supposed to do the kindling. its their fathers illness that forces ophilia into that role that wasn't 'suited' to her because shes 'just' adopted, 'just' an orphan, 'just' a nice girl. also lianna's half of the story is about how people get coerced into joining cults so i dislike when she's reduced to a villain for being actively and intentionally manipulated (one of my friends didn't know, but mattias poisoned their father. he killed him, specifically to have power over his daugher/s. lianna wasn't decidedly turning to him for answers, he was pulling her along.) OK. i will be the first to admit that olberic's story is super weirdly paced but its a fun story. it escalates a little bit each chapter and ends with finality and closure. also ERHARDT ! !!!!!!! ERHARDT ERHARDT IS IN THIS ONE. we love that guy. i love that guy. olberic loves that guy.