#it's still not 1:1 to the canon designs but I've tried to place things in a way that make sense and fit into the building (sorta)

[5231045]

attempting to map out 221b

[teecupangel]

Hello dear angel. Hope you're fine and happy. I was checking out your blog and your Ezio android idea really got me. My brain just wnet to terminator Ezio. A new abstergo android designed and programed to hunt down assassins.

I think Ezio could be a real nightmare for everyone. I know he is a robot but sometimes he has vesions of his past. When he is on the feild killing and slaying his brothers and sisiters... he tries everytime to controll his hands but he just can't. He had to fix this. And when he is in facility he just sits and thinks that "Does god answers a machien's preyers?" Until oneday he got damaged and shuted down on the feild. Abstergo thought he was destroyed but he was in assassins' hideout. By Rebecca's idea to use his brain to access to abstergo's database. Everyone was thinking this is too risky but their gang did this anyway. When Ezio got online once more and saw Desmond... he knew him. He stared at him. And suddenly he talked. "I am your prophet" he said in a calm but confused at the same time.

So this is all I have. Feel free to chage whatever you didn't like. And I wouldn't mind some😈🔥🔞 If it is possible

Thanks for your i've found it recently. And i'm in love with it already.

(Thank you. I'm doing okay. I hope you're fine and happy as well :))

Android!Ezio is part of this Lunar Chronicles AU idea for those curious.

Oooohhh, so we’re keeping Ezio as a terminator-style android but without the time-traveling setup of the Terminator movies?

Okay, so Abstergo decided to give the whole android thing a try and they decided to use Ezio’s memories to create an Assassin Hunter.

For this to work, they would have to have access to Ezio’s memories in the first place.

So we have two main canon origin for those memories.

(1) Clay Kaczmarek

(2) Desmond Miles.

Desmond would have the more memories to include but Lucy would have had sent the data during the time Desmond was using the Animus to access Ezio’s memories. It would be too risky.

Or Desmond’s DNA that the Animus he used during Altaïr’s sessions could be used?

That would mean that Ezio the Android would have started operation on September 1 or sometime when Abstergo got Desmond’s DNA.

Clay’s DNA could mean an earlier boot up date but Clay’s genetic memories of Ezio ends earlier than Desmond. Perhaps somewhere in Brotherhood’s storyline so Ezio would know of Desmond BUT the memories Clay has access to will not include the memory of Ezio seeing Desmond’s face after touching Altaïr’s Apple in Masyaf.

I would still suggest we set him up to be born using Clay’s DNA because this gives us more time for Ezio to be active as an Assassin Hunter.

Not to mention, we can include a scene where Ezio was the one who raided the Farm on AC1 and, if you want to hammer some angst into this, perhaps he kills Desmond’s mother during the raid and Bill had been lying to his son about how she was safe and they would see her after AC3.

Perhaps the death of Desmond’s mother is what triggered the errors in his programming that could not be fixed.

There was something about Desmond’s mother facial structure that screamed familiar to him.

He didn’t know it yet but it was because Desmond looked a lot like his mother and Ezio’s memories screamed at the android.

He is transported to the Rome Facility for Vidic to look at after Lucy took Desmond to Rome hideout for the second phase of Project Siren and-

Ezio escaped.

He didn’t why but he left the facility, killing anyone who tried to stop him.

He travels to Monteriggioni and uses the secret passage in the abandoned mines.

He ends up slumped by the entrance of Auditore crypts and that’s how Desmond and Lucy found him.

Lucy, of course, is freaking out because she doesn’t understand what the android is doing here.

Rebecca recognized him immediately and wanted to pry open his head to check if there is any classified information that might help them.

And Desmond?

Desmond hates him.

Because he knows that this android was created using Ezio Auditore’s memories. It was the one that attacked the Farm.

It was a weapon that sullied Ezio Auditore’s name.

(… cue… uuhhh… protective-confused-android-and-angry-cold-assassin trope sprinkled with lots of angst and “what makes one human?” philosophical discussion that ends with EziDes???)

[benisaiber]

I made my edition of a Richas design, i tought i would post it on twitter but that place gives me chills. I was kinda lazy and just wanted the design out of my head so i didn't bother shading or making super clean lineart, it's the only thing i've drawn in about 4 months... art block it's still winning sadly. About the design:

Richas brazil shirt was canonically forever's, richas stated in one of his signs that when the brazillians found him forever gave him his shirt and that's why he walks around shirtless. I tried green and blue for his scales but i really loved the pink, i love how most people draw Richas to be very similar to felps, so i gave him the hair and i made it long so it resembles both forever and cellbit, the ties in his hair were a gift from Roier. And fun fact, Forever used to wear glasses but stopped at some point and idk why, that makes so 2 out of his five parents + his adm also wears glasses so i made the design that way, forever also used to wear braces, and so does richas admin, so i gave him braces. The red belt he has is a gift from quackity, and the necklace was a gift from tio bad and dapper, the prosthetic leg and braces were made by tazercraft but the glasses are mike's old ones. There is a friendship bracelet from pomme, and there is a bracelet for quackity, that he gave to Richas during his kidnapping. The belt and sword he carries used to be forever's, since the sword "Macetada" (he made another for himself called "Cacetada" after) that used to be forever's was given to him in his 1 month birthday.

Edit: you can inspire yourself with my design just give me the credit by linking my post please.

[lover-of-skellies]

smooch Horror

Giving him a healthy 6, all things considered :P

1) How dangerous is Horror/Axe's mouth? His teeth may not be sharp or jagged like they are in Crooks' case, but I feel like getting anywhere near his face is still an incredibly risky bet, so he only gets 1 point for this

2) Would Axe bite, and is he aggressive? Yes to both of those. We know he's a big food lover, and it was definitely canon that he really craved human flesh. He did try to resist the urge to eat Aliza, but without Crooks' intervention, he would've snapped and turned her into a snack without hesitation. That, paired with his violent tendencies and sort of unhinged personality make him a dangerous one, so biting could almost certainly be a given. With that in mind, he gets 0 points for this area

3) Are there any health hazards to the smoocher? The biting risk. That's all I've got. That, or you lose an arm like Aliza. The violent tendencies from before also result in points being docked from this qualification, since the violent tendency are also a health hazard and could very well result in physical harm being done, or at the very worst, death. For this section, I feel like he should get no points. Not being unfair to him, just thinking logically about everything

4) Does he have a sympathetic backstory? He lived underground, starving, with everyone relying on him to solve their problem with the core and get it running again. He still was persistent about keeping an eye out for his brother and the other monsters despite his much bigger responsibilities, and everything just kept bubbling over until he eventually snapped. That's not even counting the way Undyne betrayed him, either. Considering the storyline of Horrortale, yeah, I'm giving him 2 points for his sympathetic backstory

5) Does he deserve a smooch? He's a little grouchy and touchy with certain things, but he did try his best to help whoever he could, despite everyone's living conditions underground. He did hurt Aliza, but for the most part, he just kept a watchful eye on her, and we know he's helped get her out of some pretty sticky situations, too. He tries to resist his hunger for flesh as much as he can, but if I recall right, it'd been 7 years since he'd last eaten when Horrortale took place. The guy was starving. He was delusional and probably lowkey desperate for something to eat, and although taking Aliza's arm and tearing it off her body to eat it is definitely not a good thing to do, people will do very extreme things when they get desperate enough. All in all, he's been through hell and back a million times over. He's very rough around the edges, but he's at least somewhat deserving, so he gets 1 point

6) Is he cute or cool? His design jumps out at me a little bit more than others dye to his missing eye, his eye color being different, and the gaping hole in his skull. He's also got a big bone ax he's supposed to carry around, too. His design is simple, but very effective and not too flashy or anything. For this, he gets 2 points for coolness

His smooch-ability rating sits at a 6 out of 12. If you try to smooch him, I'd equate that to that alligator game that kids play, where you press the teeth one by one until it chomps down on your finger. There's a slim chance it'd go alright if he expected it and was cool with the idea, but there's also a decent risk of being bitten and severely injured

[wordsandrobots]

IBO reference notes on … the Gundams (part 1)

[Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Addendum 1]

Or: a spotter’s guide to the Calamity War.

[Note: I tried to post this twice today before figuring out that one of the images was causing it to be consigned to Tumblr oblivion. Apparently a shot of Lt. Crank's gloved hand was too racy for this site. Yeah.]

I said at the time that the fanfic Of Obsessions and Erotemes was written as an alternative to writing an essay expanding on my thoughts regarding the Gundams in Iron-Blooded Orphans. This is probably not strictly accurate, however, and I've been struck by the urge to take a figurative walk through the canonical examples out of the 72 Gundam frame type mobile suits.

I want to focus on the Gundams as they started out during the Calamity War, as far as that is possible, and what this says about the nature of the conflict. I will probably follow up at some point with notes on the mobile armours too, since they are the flip-side of this narrative. As I’ve had cause to mention before, I’m generally content with not knowing too much about the historical event that serves as the basis for IBO’s world-building. I think that adds rather than subtracts from the story. Still, it is fun to play with what we get and piece together an impression of what happened three hundred years prior to the series’ beginning.

For the purposes of not writing a post ten thousand words long, I’ve split the Gundams into three groups based on numerical position in the master list, which is of course taken from the Ars Goetia. Here, I will be drawing on Crowley’s edition.

All images shown here are either borrowed from the Gundam Wiki or are my own screenshots.

As with all my posts like this, spoilers are present for everything.

The Gundam frame

Let’s start with what is under the hood, to whit: the Gundam mobile suit frame.

I covered some of this in my post on the aesthetics of the mobile frame concept, but the most important detail about the Gundam type is how human-like its proportions are, in both limb structure and eye placement. Unlike other frames, this is intended from the start to be used with an Alaya-Vijana system, so designing it to more closely approximate the human form makes a great deal of sense.

At the same time, there is something fittingly demonic about the skeleton, down to the claw-like fingers. However it must be noted that this is specifically Barbatos’ frame; the talons on on the feet are not reflected on the others. Indeed, based on the design work for Kimaris and Flauros, the feet are the part that varies the most from machine to machine.

A Gundam’s power – both in the sense of motive force and superior strength – comes from the twin Ahab reactors making up its torso. It’s the only mobile weapon in Iron-Blooded Orphans confirmed to have multiple reactors, with the implication that this boosts the output beyond simply adding the two together. Indeed, when operating at full capacity against a mobile armour, Barbatos seems barely able to contain its own energies.

Ancillary material states Ahab reactors are made ‘on a plant near a fixed star’, implying a difficult process to begin with (or at least a factory in orbit of the sun). Synchronising the reactors so they run in parallel is adding extra complexity on top of that, which is one of the reasons Gundam construction is a lost art. These things are the peak of mobile suit design and have never been equalled since they quite literally saved the world.

A Gundam, then, is not merely another weapon. It is the maximisation of human capacity, allowing a pilot to exceed their bodily limitations to destroy an inhuman enemy. We don’t know for sure the Calamity War pilots ended up in the same sorry state as Mikazuki (though the taleof Agnika Kaieru’s spirit residing inside Bael carries some interesting implications). But we do know the Alaya-Vijnana places extraordinary pressure on human physiology by its very nature, and the Gundams themselves come with competing limiters as a result. One that disengages in proximity to a mobile armour, allowing the full force of the reactors to be unleashed; another that switches on at that point, to stop this burst of power immediately overwhelming the operator. Only by accepting the danger can the pilot proceed with their attack.

It’s a duality of ultimate strength and ultimate risk that makes the Gundam frames seem like suitably desperate creations. They are the demons that prevented total apocalypse, while consuming their pilots body and soul.

ASW-G-01 Bael

The first king of the Hell, and therefore presumably the first Gundam to have been constructed. From latter machines, there is the suggestion that deployment order did not match the numerical codes, so it isn’t entirely clear if we can solidly say they are numbered in the order they were built. But it seems reasonable to assume that this represents the start of Gundam operational history.

If we can take Bael to exist in the present exactly as it did in the War, it is a relatively simple affair, sporting nothing more flashy than a pair of wing-like boosters (I say wing-like purely because they are not functionally wings; they’re more an elaborate jet-pack). From a design point of view, Bael otherwise matches exactly to the template set by the series’ hero machine, Barbatos: the armour and thruster placement is identical and we may take this to be the default.

The combat philosophy behind this machine appears to be the same too: strike fast and strike sharp. It follows that Agnika Kaieru was the kind to lead from the front. Indeed, kit manual text makes it clear he was self-sufficient in battle, taking down mobile armours solely with his twin swords. Given McGillis holds his own against an entire fleet for a while, this doesn’t feel like a stretch and it certainly explains why the man became such a legend.

The symbol on Bael’s left shoulder is the original Gjallarhorn logo, which more directly presents the source of the organisation’s name: the horn that sounds Ragnarök. This would later be elaborated into the flag used in the present while remaining as a some sort of badge/pin or medal on officers’ uniforms. I find that fitting, that something simple would be built up over time into a grander image, disguising the root truth. In many ways, that sums up Bael’s place in history.

From the Ars Goetia:

The first Principal Spirit is a King ruling in the East, called Bael. He maketh thee to go Invisible. He ruleth over 66 Legions of Infernal Spirits. He appeareth in divers shapes, sometimes like a Cat, sometimes like a Toad, and sometimes like a Man, and sometimes all these forms at once. He speaketh hoarsely. This is his character which is used to be worn as a Lamen before him who calleth him forth, or else he will not do thee homage.

Notably, the sigil used for Gundam Bael’s interface does not simply replicate the 'canonical’ seal from the Ars Goetia but rather reinterprets it.

Clearly OG Gjallarhorn had graphic designers on staff. Also, Bael’s main console screen is of a uniquely narrow design, in a rather elaborate housing. It would seem the cockpits were refined for later models, simplifying things towards a standard pattern seen in Kimaris and Gusion that would itself go on to become the standard for Gjallarhorn 'suits.

ASW-G-04 Gamigin

Pretty much all we know about Gamigin is that it exists, it was originally piloted by Kalf Falk and it made it out of the Calamity War in one piece. Oh and someone in the armoury department was having a laugh the day they issued this Gundam its weapons.

Seriously though, if Bael is the default, this is a heavy-duty model. Gamigin looks a hell of a lot less manoeuvrable, even accounting for the extra thrusters built into its skirt, and its standard-sized arms appear positively weedy compared to the heft of the body and legs. Clearly though, that was a trade-off deemed acceptable for the sake of destructive capacity.

The giant Gatling gun speaks for itself, but the revolver axe is the more interesting item here. As silly as it looks, it’s represents the (presumed) earliest incorporation of Dàinsleif weaponry into a Gundam frame mobile suit.

'Dàinsleif’ is a term used to refer to anything that launches javelin-like projectiles at high speed with the intent of puncturing nano-laminate armour. It’s unclear if the present ban on their use extends to smaller-scale versions like this, which is a point-blank deployment of the technology.

The blunt side of that axe is designed to strike an enemy and fire a spike straight through it. Crude but effective. Or so we can assume given this machine was piloted by one of the first Seven Stars and therefore must have destroyed a great many mobile armours.

From the Ars Goetia (Samigina/Gamigin):

The Fourth Spirit is Samigina, a Great Marquis. He appeareth in the form of a little Horse or Ass, and then into Human shape doth he change himself at the Request of the Master. He speaketh with a hoarse voice. He ruleth over 30 Legions of Inferiors. He teaches all Liberal Sciences, and giveth account of Dead Souls that died in sin. And his Seal is this, which is to be worn before the Magician when he is Invocator, etc.

This is one of several demons with multiple names listed in the Ars Goetia. There doesn’t appear to be any pattern to which was picked as the ID for the corresponding Gundam.

ASW-G-08 Barbatos

Teiwaz are stated to have restored Barbatos to its original state so we can assume the 4th form represents the version that fought in the Calamity War. Given this, it likely used a katana in battle, as the sword Teiwaz provides bears the same logo as the 'suit and we know from their work on Flauros that Gundams store information about their own weaponry (see also Mikazuki’s sudden competence with it when he connects deeper to Barbatos).

Intriguingly, with the retroactive introduction of predecessor designs, it appears Barbatos takes cues from both Bael and Gamigin, which ties these three low-numbered models together nicely. It is also relatively unspecialised in comparison, lacking the features that mark out the previous two. When found, it had a small buckler shield built into a gauntlet on its left forearm, similar to those the 5th form in the series would use. However, there’s no indication if this was used as a mount for mortars like the later version, leaving us with a machine that appears to have been a simple melee combatant.

The absence of gimmicks showcases just how powerful Gundams are in comparison to other mobile suits, at a baseline. In any given fight during Season 1, Barbatos is faster, stronger, and more adaptable than its opposition, and while we see it built up with add-ons over the course of the series, those often seem to get in the way or provide only passing advantages.

Since my focus is on the Calamity War, I’m not going to go into any detail regarding the Lupus and Lupus Rex forms. But I will posit the idea Barbatos’ original pilot was of a different temperament to Mikazuki. If it is indeed their 'ghost’ who comes to his aid in Edmonton – some trace left behind in the system that allows him to understand the katana in the nick of time – they seem to have been a master of that weapon, favouring lethal precision, in stark contrast to Mikazuki’s gradual transformation into an animalistic, living weapon.

(The mace that Mikazuki leads with seems to have been something Maruba bought for possible use if he could ever get Barbatos running, rather than a relic of it previous operations.)

From the Ars Goetia:

The Eighth Spirit is Barbatos. He is a Great Duke, and appeareth when the Sun is in Sagittary, with four noble Kings and their companies of great troops. He giveth understanding of the singing of Birds, and of the Voices of other creatures, such as the barking of Dogs. He breaketh the Hidden Treasures open that have been laid by the Enchantments of Magicians. He is of the Order of Virtues, of which some part he retaineth still; and he knoweth all things Past, and to Come, and conciliateth Friends and those that be in Power. He ruleth over 30 Legions of Spirits. His Seal of Obedience is this, the which wear before thee as aforesaid.

Again, we see a redesign of the seal for Gundam Barbatos’ start-up sigil.

I like the choice to make the lines more dynamic.

ASW-G-11 Gusion

We don’t know if this is what Gusion started out looking like. Gusion was found in a debris zone and passed through various hands before it reached the Brewers, and we know the Brewers’ Man Rodis are custom jobs, more heavily armoured than standard Rodi frame models. On balance, this is probably something they cooked up to fit their requirements.

But gives us an idea of the limits of a Gundam frame’s flexibility. The arms and legs have been stretched outwards from the main body to accommodate the armour load-out. You can see a glimpse of the piston that operates the hip joint under the skirt in the image above, providing a sense of where the legs have been moved. Quite how this works is unclear since we only see the head exposed when the Turbines start deconstructing this form. The fact it does work emphasises just how far the Gundams can be reconfigured. The Turbines even go so far as installing extra arms into the Rebake version given to Akihiro, seemingly with no issues at all.

Gusion also provides an example of the fate suffered by quite a number of the Gundam frames: that of being lost and forgotten after battles during the Calamity War. The figure provided for how many frames are known to have survived is 26, but it’s unclear where that sits in the timeline of IBO canon, throughout which several Gundams are uncovered from previously hidden resting places. Certainly it appears only a minority of such 'suits remain in Gjallarhorn’s custody. While some have most likely been destroyed outright, many may still be drifting among debris fields or buried at the sites of battles from three hundred years ago.

It’s a neat conceit, leaving fertile ground for fanfiction or spin-offs to play on, and underscores that these machines belong to a bygone era most have forgotten about.

From the Ars Goetia:

The Eleventh Spirit in order is a great and strong Duke, called Gusion. He appeareth like a Xenopilus. He telleth all things, Past, Present and to Come, and showeth the meaning and resolution of all questions thou mayest ask. He conciliateth and reconcileth friendships, and giveth Honour and Dignity unto any. He ruleth over 40 Legions of Spirits. His Seal is this, the which wear as aforesaid.

The connection between the machine or pilot and the Ars Goetia descriptions is somewhat variable throughout this list. In some instances there’s nothing obvious at all. However, I love that Gusion bestows honour and dignity because of how beautifully it ties into Akihiro’s arc. This said … I don’t actually know what a 'Xenopilus’ is. My first thought was 'Xenopus’ and a frog motif certainly would explain Gundam Gusion’s appearance. But I don’t think that’s right? Answers on a postcard, please.

That’s where we’ll leave things for today. I will probably post the next instalment sometime tomorrow.

Other reference posts include:

IBO reference notes on … Gjallarhorn (Part 1)

IBO reference notes on … Gjallarhorn (Part 2)

IBO reference notes on … Gjallarhorn (corrigendum) [mainly covering my inability to recognise mythical wolves]

IBO reference notes on … three key Yamagi scenes

IBO reference notes on … three key Shino scenes

IBO reference notes on … three key Eugene scenes

IBO reference notes on … three key Ride scenes

IBO reference notes on … the tone of the setting

IBO reference notes on … character parallels and counterpoints

IBO reference notes on … a perfect villain

IBO reference notes on … Iron-Blooded Orphans: Gekko

IBO reference notes on … an act of unspeakable cruelty

IBO reference notes on … original(ish) characters [this one is mainly fanfic]

IBO reference notes on … Kudelia’s decisions

IBO reference notes on … assorted head-canons

IBO reference notes on … actual, proper original characters [explicit fanfic – as in, actually fanfic. None of them have turned up in the smut yet]

IBO reference notes on … the aesthetics of the mobile frame

IBO reference notes on … mobile suit designations

[kitsumidori]

BL3 Remix/Siren Song Lore Post

I couldn't think of a better way to title this but basically this is the rewrite I've been working on for quite awhile and I think it's good enough to post

The majority of the story is somewhat still intact with a few key differences. (More under the cut)

Pre-BL3 

Angel ended up surviving the Control Core assault but was left in critical condition, Lilith helped with her recovery to the point that she became Angel's new mom.

The Calypso twins are not sirens, instead they are Eternals and decided to impersonate as siren's to trick the masses into joining their cult, going so far as covering their rashes with makeup and making fake siren tattoos.

Ava is instead the phaseleach siren and actually came to Pandora because of a strange voice telling her to.

(This would take place when she was 10, so 3 years before BL3's story took off.)

Maya ended up staying in Pandora instead of going back to Athenas since after giving some thought, Athenas maybe her birth home, but all she remembers is being sheltered for most of her life and being used as a threat.

Like in canon, Maya takes Ava in, but more as a daughter rather than just an apprentice.

Tannis is still a siren like in canon, however since Angel is still alive with her powers still intact, Tannis has a different ability rather than phaseshift.

(That being called Phasesight)

Borderlands 3

Pandora 1

The Calypso's did to ambush Lilith, however Tyreen leached her a lot longer than canon, to the point where Lilith was left in a coma 

Fiona is here. While rebuilding the raider, Vaughn recommended a few people he knew with one of them being Fiona and let's just say that she and Lilith became more than just allies.

Fiona was at first staying in Pandora, but after Lilith was attacked she didn't want to leave her side and force herself into the ship while also in complete hysteric 

Prometheus 

Lor’s character is slightly altered, mainly his aggressiveness is toned down and he's way less rude that how he is in canon (still a bit stressed though)

Sasha's here, Malawan believed that she'd disappeared but in reality she was in hiding sabotaging Malawan’s plans.

Athenas

Mostly the same in canon instead with Ava tagging along with the Vault Hunter's since Maya did promise her that she can do a mission as long as she keeps her tattoos hidden from the monks and she'd stick with the Vault Hunter's.

Maya refuses to even step foot on Athenas, she only left the ship when she found out how to open the Anchorhold.

Shortly before, she found out that she was never abandoned by her parents, but was kidnapped by Sophis.

Prometheus 2

The storyline is the same as canon up until the vault of the Rampager.

Troy attempted to leach Maya's powers, but failed miserably and was stop by one of the Vault Hunter's

Maya survived with her powers intact and only suffered a broken wrist.

Troy…wellllll….he ended up getting shot in the head by Moze, killing him instantly (at first...)

This was also when the raiders found out that the Calypso were Eternals.

After that, the rest of the BL2 vault hunters join Sanctuary lll and let's just say…..they were pissed.

There basically family at that point and if you go after family, your making it personal

While everyone is arguing on what to do if they came across Tyreen again, Krieg kept silent, brainstorming with himself on what to do with that rat boy's sister if he sees her again.

Eden-6

By the time of the Eden-6 arc, Tyreen used her powers to revive Troy (basically the unused Evil Troy design)

Aurelia is still working with the raiders and is undercover, joining the C.O.V to get more info.

Troy still has a weird thing for her but unlike canon……she's not interested in him and think he's a creep (that and she straight up told him that she's a lesbian)

Pandora 2

The boss battle with Troy ends a little differently, instead of dying he tries to leach one of the VH's but was instead leached by Ava, leaving him dead.

Before she fucked of to somewhere else, Tyreen leached what's left of Troy, so some part of him is still with her.

Nekrotefayo 

The raiders still meet Typhon, but instead of how it played out in canon, everyone stops seeing him in a good light not only after learning that he's the father of the Calypso's, but that he's the reason on why the twins act like that and how casually he talks about his shitty parenting.

Maya and Krieg hated him instantly, not only for the fact that the only thing that Typhon values about his late wife involved sex, but also talked about it in front of a 13 year old.

Tannis still admired Typhon at first, but she started to see the cracks and is now both embarrassed and disgusted at all the praise she gave him.

Lilith had since awoken from her coma and wanted to join the Vault Hunter's trip to Nekrotefayo, much to the displease of the other raiders.

And let's just say that it's taking every amount of her strength to not straight up kill Typhon.

Pandora 3

From then on the storyline is the same as canon, up until the final cutscene where Lilith sacrifices herself after getting her powers back.

Instead of dying or going MIA, she survived thanks to the Watcher, but was gravely injured.

Once she has recovered, she announces that she's retiring and is making Maya the new leader of the Crimson Raiders.

Tyreen miraculously survived the battle. Everyone believes she's dead and she'd like to keep it that way.

[egg-emperor]

I want to offer a different perspective: Eggman loving Sage doesn't make him any less of a cruel evil monster. Plenty of REAL-LIFE dictators, terrorists, mob bosses, and other horribly cruel men had friends or family who they cared about - despite ruthlessly murdering anyone who stood in the way of their ambitions. Even if Eggman's #1 Dad now, he's still the guy who's willing to nuke cities, use sentient aliens as literal fuel, and try as hard as he can to end Sonic's miserable existence.

Yeah I know. I've even made sure to emphasize that point with my Casino AU Eggman, who actually does have the ability to genuinely care and love people in rare exceptions, but he also does many terrible crimes and is still very much a monster for the things he'll do. I actually can find the concept interesting, for a character to seem nice and loving and caring towards one person but a cold, heartless, murderous bastard to others. I can love it, even.

But that Eggman is alternate universe one for a reason, with it being one of the biggest differences with game canon Eggman. The reason I chose it and it works for Casino Egg is because I created him that way, so it makes more sense when he does. But game canon Eggman clearly wasn't, he's described as without a thought for anyone else, only does things with what's in it for him in mind, and he's deeply egotistical and selfish, it's his whole thing.

When selfishness and self centeredness is a powerful core trait that shows in everything he does, it makes him seem much too stubborn and unable for that development to ever work. I just can't feel that anybody could ever talk him into it/change him, let alone come to that conclusion on his own. It's not an impactful change because of how unrealistic and wrong it feels. Character development shouldn't erase such important core aspects like that.

After 30+ years with no blatant hinting towards it, it feels incredibly sudden and forced because they've made it obvious for so long that the selfishness and self centeredness runs deep in everything he does. It's one of the main reasons why he's evil and wants to take over the world. He wasn't shown to have the empathy to give a damn about anyone, in fact quite the opposite. Leaving it that long trying to suddenly change it decades later doesn't make sense.

It feels far too contradictory towards so many things he's said and done that all come to mind when I see what they've tried to turn him into and what he's always been. Yes, the point of character development can be to change things about them so it can do that but not every type of change works for every character. It feels wrong for Eggman because not only was he not designed to have that ability but they also didn't try to give it to him for decades.

I wouldn't care so much about him being some kind of a father figure if it was accurate. I still can't imagine the dynamic would be anything other than toxic because he doesn't have the care to be a good one when he's self centered and lacks empathy, or just something casual like when he calls himself Metal's dad in comics but it's casual and not presented as something seriously deep, sincere, and pure that makes him feel like a completely different person.

And with how often Eggman's evil is downplayed by fans already and he's woobified and changed heavily in fanon too to allow for cutesy stuff, I just know this is going to have another very harmful impact on his credibility for evil. It's going to make it even harder to emphasize to people how evil he is and the horrible things he's done without someone using it as a reason he's not so bad because it's always ignored and disregarded for cute stuff.

I wish it was only subtle in the story but when they act like it's some huge plot thing here he randomly suddenly genuinely cares for a creation after he's treated them so poorly for so long without a single care is weird and out of place. It feels like a lazy way to try to add sad dramatic plot point without caring about whether it suits the character at all or respect important core traits that make him who he is that they kept so faithful to for so long.

Had it been done in the right way that feels believable with the right actions and words, either with the more toxic dynamic or more casual one that isn't treated as some huge sincere thing, then I wouldn't be so upset. The best kind of character development and exploration is respecting key traits and working with them instead of taking them away- it gives it more impact and sense and takes more skill than something that feels forced and nonsensical.

Yes, some horrible people can care about someone else that much but Eggman has been far too much of an evil selfish self centered bastard lacking empathy and the ability to think or care about anyone else for too long for it to reasonably change now. Especially not when it's established as an important core trait that makes him who he is and gives reason for what he does. I just don't feel the change works like that with him in particular and it contradicts all he does and feels in a very bad way.

Also I know there's no way of telling yet but I'm kind of worried about whether they'll even keep writing him as evil as ever and keep treating him like the same guy that's done all those terrible catastrophic evil and destructive things in the games. I feel like I shouldn't get my hopes up and shouldn't be surprised if he's not treated as the big threat he's supposed to be when so many people favor the nice cute stuff over it. I'm just really worried about the impact this night have on everything else which makes me even more unhappy with it.

[missn11]

Top five VtM characters that are NOT LaCroix, Ming-Xiao, or Nines ;D

@ryttu3k lol damn! XD well I'll make it harder for me by also not having vtmb characters too! XD (and that includes Beckett which is a shame since you know he would've been on this listt!)

5.

Jan Pieterzoon, he's at number five since the best I've read about him was in the epilogue that wasn't by Gherbod Fleming and gave me a ton of feels. I really like the idea of a Ventrue that actually believes in the noble oblige the clan is meant to have, and the struggles he has to deal with his feeding restriction and having a sire that constantly mindwipes him and tricked him into destroying things that could've protected the world from Gehenna and how angry he was when he found out the truth. I have to admit I like his potential that is expanded on in fandom rather in canon XD

4.

Lettow Kaminsky from vtm: nightroad, I really enjoyed Lettow as a character and romance option in nightroad, it was refreshing to have a Camarilla Prince who was both a Gangrel and also trying his damnest to do right by those he was responsible for, even when things are falling apart or when things get harder and harder to be morally good. Of course he isn't morally perfect, he still has some shadiness but that'd what you need in order to survive in the World of Darkness, though he tries to be fair especially to the courier. Also his annoyed filled banter with Juilan is really funny! XD

3.

D’Angelo from vtm: Coteries of New York and Shadows of New York

D' Angelo was one of the higlights of my first playthrough of Coteries and honestly for me his story was one of the strongest in that game. I love that he narrates like an old noir detective(though in this case its him narrating like the main character of his novel) and he really does try to do the right thing even when it can backfire on him and remade himself to help cope with his unlife. He really is interesting and would love to see more of him in later games or in the New York by Night web series.

2.

Ecaterina the Wise more specially from Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption, although her place in vtm canon is really interesting too. I found Ecaterina an really interesting character in seeing how a person's idealism can take them into some messy places, and her understandable hatred does leave her to joining the Sabbat(which at the beginning weren't so bad but got worse as time went on). She definitely has the scholarly mindset of the older Brujah while also having the passion of the younger Brujah. In the dark ages parts of Redemption she was a sort of good sire to Christof (despite embracing him against his will and all) but its interesting how the years had changed her so much where to the point when they reunite in the modern nights, (we find out in the 'Bad ending' of Shadows of New York) she has Christof break Hana's jaw so she could be Ecaterina's double which is all kinds of screwed up.

1.

Julia Sowinski from vtm: shadows of new york

Julia is one of the most interesting and relatable protagonists I've played in a vtm game where you don't get to design your character. From her depression, her struggles in the world of darkness and her slowly troubled relationship with her human girlfriend Dakota, I couldn't help but feel for her and relate a little as well. I also enjoyed her sarcastic humor and her observations of the world around her, her interactions with the other characters, her banter and relationship with Qadir al-Asmai was the most enjoyable. There is a lot I could say but that would be getting into too many spoilers and I still need to play through the 'Good ending'

Phew, that was tricky but I hope this answered your question and this was fun to think through why I like each character a lot.

[booklovertwilight]

☕️ thoughts on different fanfiction sites perhaps? (AO3 vs Wattpad vs ffnet vs whatever else there is lol)

Hi friend! Sorry for the late reply, one of my posts blew up and the notification avalanche scared me off the site for a few days.

So I've been writing fanfic for *checks watch* 13 years now. I've posted it on AO3, Wattpad, FanFiction.net, Reddit, DeviantArt, YouTube comments sections, and blogs I set up myself. I'mma cover the first three individually, and do the others as a sort of collective.

I started off writing on FFnet back in 2009, and even back then I was aggravated by how much work it takes to do something as simple as post a new chapter. The UI to search for and read fic is fine, I guess, but as a prolific writer (I posted over a dozen stories on that site), the fact that it takes like ten steps to post a chapter is just Bad™. Like you have to 1) open your author profile 2) go to the side column and expand the 'works' tab 3) go to 'manage works' 4) scroll through your entire list of fics to find the one you want to add a chapter to 5) click the chapters list 6) click the add chapter button .... etc etc AAAAAAA. I have not written anything on the site in years and I still remember this stupid process. Btw the menus still look & act like this. In fucking 2022.

Wattpad is much nicer in terms of user interface. In fact it's got an option to add cover art which will be displayed front and centre along with the title and summary in search results, which, as a writer/artist who draws his own covers for his fics anyway, I thought was great. Generally, the process of posting new works / new chapters to existing works is a lot more seamless here than, actually, any other site on this list. It's also got this neat feature where you can comment on a fic line-by-line, by highlighting the text, which is a lot more user-friendly than having to copy the text and paste it in quote marks into a comment. But the nice UI/UX can't make up for the fact that -- at least in 2014, which was when I briefly tried writing there -- Wattpad was a cesspool of the most annoying human beings to ever exist. I wanted to post my writing to a community that would give me interesting comments and useful feedback, not write incoherently-spelled rants about how I was taking the source material too seriously. I lasted on Wattpad about 5 months.

After I quit FFnet and Wattpad I went around posting fic to a bunch of random forums, none of which really worked well because they hadn't been designed for that purpose. Posting long-form stories (which is pretty much all I write) to either Reddit or DeviantArt is an absolute nightmare of comment-section-linking. And posting fic to my own blog requires I have some way to bring people to see it, which is remarkably difficult to pull off and requires a lot of work. And on top of all that, there's no community, really, so you get whatever bottom-of-the-barrel internet trolls think it would be funny to harass you.

AO3 is where I post my fic now (@booklovertwilight on there too, in case there's still anyone following me who doesn't know that), and for good reason. I've tried a lot of stuff (perhaps too much stuff) and it's all-around better than anything else available. Its UI isn't the best, but it's manageable. Its site design is pretty good. But crucially, the community on there is just wonderful. Part of this is the fact that the Death Note fandom in specific is just a lovely place to be (nowadays), but even when I've posted fic for larger or more militant fanbases (*cough cough* Sword Art Online), even the criticisms have been coherent and well-thought-out. I felt less like I was being ridiculed in a school cafeteria and more like I was being given a constructive critique by a fellow english major.

There's also the factor of legal recourse. I used to write long disclaimers at the top of my FFnet stories saying things like "I make no money off all this, all rights belong to [creator of canon], please don't sue me I'm broke". Everyone did. I absolutely love the dignity in being able to post fic without having to grovel to the copyright overlords, knowing some lawyer I pay for with my yearly donations is doing it for me. The community is what brought me to AO3, but the legal safety is what's gonna keep me here.

Hope that answered your question, friend! Thank you very much for the ask, this was a lot of fun to think and talk about <3

[bluecloudious]

Here's a little rant about Kits and Zanaz canon, cause I have quite a few thoughts that I dunno what else to do with and my head was aching really bad (and I wanted to get smth done), so I decided to share some of the ones that I've been debating for a while (It's pretty long, be warned):

The TL;DR is just the thought names, I guess.

Thought nr 1: They are 100 percent a couple, even in the first comic I posted of them.

I've been thinking about this a lot, whether they were just best friends who had crushes on one another, or if they were just straight up a thing and, yeah. They're just a couple and have been for a while. The written story is now the AU where Zani chickened out of confessing his feelings for so long that he finally was given a deadline. Comics are the canon and in that canon, they got together shortly after becoming agents. Zani occasionally flirts with other people, but that's just kinda a part of his personality and Kits has grown used to it. Their shipname is Kitzan.

Thought nr 2: Kits has no self-confidence.

In the meeting comic I tried to make it a bit noticeable how unhappy he is with himself, but even after transitioning, that fact has only slightly changed. He is his preferred gender now, but he still isn't confident at all about his looks, his voice or what he says, despite how much Zanaz tries to convince him that he's fine. The only thing Zanaz has managed to stop Kits from doing is actually being self-destructive aka Kits starved himself for a while (also hinted at in the comic). That's why he's way chunkier now- cause his body stopped trusting him and gained fat afterwards. All of this isn't really visible or audible in any of the comics, because Kits isn't vocal about it at all. Zanaz is the only person who really even knows it/cares about it. It's also the base for his mostly detail-less design compared to Zani- he's trying not to stick out.

Thought nr 3: They both have a body count

Yeah, they've both killed before, which, for the world they live in, isn't really surprising. It was all in self-defence, don't worry. The amount of rogue agents and grunts that decide to deviate in a violent way is a pretty big percent, so they've had to encounter quite a few of them. Zanaz' preferred weapon is of course the handgun/glock and is the more experienced/lethal of the two. Kits on the other hand is more proficient with knives, his main weapon being a shaving knife he got from Zani. He hasn't had to use it much, but the few times he has, we're pretty desperate. Zanaz also has a body count in the other sense too, but you could probably tell that much already.

Thought nr 4: I still do not think they'll have a happy ending

Sorry, but the happy ending Kits and Zanaz I drew are just a part of an AU as well. There is no malicious reason for why I think they'll die. They just happen to get the short end of the stick, just like most members of the A.A.H.W. We are talking about an agency that has at least three(four if you count that one incident with 2bdamned) very proficient people constantly killing staff. There are so many deaths that they have to use clones, for pete's sake! The amount of time they've already managed to be alive for is quite impressive (I imagine about 3 years).

Thought nr 5: Zanaz is even more protective of his inner feelings than Kits is

Even though Zanaz is very blunt and honest about most things, even some considered private info to most, he is not actually open about how he feels. He hides his negative emotions as much as he possibly can, even from Kits. (This was briefly explored in the written story, also.) The only reason Kits knows this, is because he's caught Zani crying to himself in less visited areas of their main facility, once or twice. Even then he wouldn't say what's wrong, that's how stubborn he is. All Kits could really do when this happened, was hug him and pat his head.

Fun facts that I didn't know how to categorize:

Zanaz is a dog person and Kits is a cat person. They combine to become bird people. (Yes, this is my excuse to draw dog boy Zani at some point.)

Zanaz' and Kits' personalities are based off myself. Of course in an amplified way, but yeah, I relate to them a lot. (Others have claimed to relate as well, which is most pleasant.)

They get their shade colors from RGB. Regular agents have red, Zanaz has green and Kits has blue.

I occasionally draw them during my free time! Most of those pictures I will not be posting to Tumblr, however. Some cause they're just kinda sketches that I don't really see a point in posting and others are just straight up not Tumblr appropriate.

Kits and Zanaz had not dated anyone before each other. Kits cause of insecurity and Zanaz because he didn't want any commitment. They are still very loyal to each other, tho.

The main song I listen to whenever I draw Zanaz is Left Boy- Security Check. Kits doesn't have a song that I listen to and get his vibe, but I am still looking.

Bit of a bonus tangent too:

I'm sorry that most of these are negative. The funni bois are, ya know, funny, and I tend not to make media about them that isn't funny, but I wanted to blabber about how I think they are when not performing a punchline.

When I design characters, I never only think about the positive personality traits. I tend to instead think about what the negatives are, so I can figure out, how they handle it. How they cope and how they've grown from their negative experiences/emotions enchants me.

I've said this before, Kits and Zanaz got created on a whim, basically unintentionally. But, I grew attached to the two idiot agents with different color shades. Thus, I wanted to know more about them.

I think, by now, I've figured them out for the most part. (Thankfully I don't have to give them any family or nothing, cause they're both clones.)

Also, their color scheme is final. If you've noticed, they're shades have changed shade over time. Zanaz' got brighter, while Kits' got darker. The suit color is a random shade every time, cause I just choose a dark shade of gray via slider. Hair color hasn't changed at all, as far as I know. Only Good Ending Zani has darker hair, cause he had it colored.

And, speaking of the Good Ending AU, I don't think I know what to do with the concept. I try to think more into it, but my brain blanks. If anyone wants to draw or write about it, I would be completely fine with it. Might even consider it canon, if none of it conflicts with the established canon. Good Ending AU takes place in the far future, after all.

But, yeah, I think that's it. I'm kinda honestly surprised if anyone actually reads all of this, lol. I hope you found my long-ass tangent about my two silly gay MadCom OCs interesting :)))

[spicycreativity]

Soft-Shoe Shuffle - Ch 1

Chapter: 1/12 Rating: T (for language) Content Warnings: Canon-typical Remus content. This chapter only: alcohol use Characters: All Pairings: Moceit, background Prinxiety, background Intrulogical (yes I played a little game of "pair the spares") Additional Tags: Hey it's the fic I published on Anon because I was embarrassed of how utterly pretentious it is!, post-PoF, sickfic, dirty poetry, humor interspersed with philosophy and Janus-typical pontification, this is VERY speculative and will get Jossed in the future lmao Summary: After claiming his place in the Light and coming face-to-face with the consequences of his actions, Janus finds himself unwillingly re-calibrating his moral compass. For selfish reasons, of course. But one apology snowballs into several, and soon he's running around the Mindscape with a low-grade fever and a guilty conscience as he desperately tries to regain some sense of self. Oh, and he's definitely not falling in love with Patton, so don't even bring it up. One Last Note: I wrote this in an ADHD fugue state. It is HEAVILY influenced by Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, but there are also references to poetry and various other works of literature. I also deliberately used symbols, themes, and motifs. Most of them are pretty in your face except for the recurring ouroboros, which is used as a symbol of rebirth. ...Told you it was pretentious.

When you wake up to the promise of your dream world comin' true With one less friend to call on, was it someone that I knew? Away you will go sailing in a race among the ruins If you plan to face tomorrow, do it soon

Janus appeared in the Dark side of the Mindscape, elation swelling in his chest. Even the ringing headache and bitter taste in his mouth couldn't hollow the unfamiliar triumph that warmed him to the core. Caught up in his own thoughts, it took a moment for him to register the sight before him: Remus, upside-down on the couch, his brow furrowed and face an alarming shade of purple.

For a moment, Janus stood stock-still as he tried to get his bearings. He must have been more flustered than he'd realized-- He'd been aiming for his bedroom.

But here he was, staring down at Remus, who was definitely going to burst a blood vessel (or several) if he didn't flip over soon.

"That's not horrifying at all," Janus said, thinking it would be rude to dismiss Remus, especially since he had probably been eavesdropping. He had likely heard everything. Everything. Even the ugly parts.

"Do you remember when Thomas read that post about Nutty Putty Cave?" Remus asked in a strained, strangled voice. "That spelunker who died because he got stuck upside-down?"

"No," Janus said, before realizing his mistake. "Yes." He definitely wanted Remus to remind him of the gory details.

"That's what I thought," Remus said with a wicked grin.

Janus sighed through his nose. Remus, though he thrived on attention, seemed content enough to continue his experiment by himself. On the other hand, if Janus didn't bring up a certain insult he'd levied at Roman, Remus most certainly would, and at a time where it would cause the most upset and turmoil. Better for Janus to deal with it now, even if he would have to fight the tension pulling his muscles taut. He wanted to dance. He wanted to scream.

Hesitation proved to be Janus' downfall, and by the time he'd opened his mouth to broach the subject at hand, Remus had beaten him to the blow. "You're not usually this quiet, Oralboros. Snake got your tongue?"

Janus, again, sighed. Rather than answer, he doffed his hat, set it on the coffee table, and clumsily arranged himself upside-down next to Remus. The change in position immediately made his head throb. He ignored it. "I definitely meant it when I called you 'evil'."

Remus' eyes widened in faux-shock. "You called me evil ?" he shrieked, voice ringing out high and clear. "Me? How dare you. I'm an angel!"

At least Remus was taking it well. "Sarcasm is my thing," Janus said, realizing that he might make it out of this without having to properly apologize.

For some reason, Patton's face flashed into his mind, and a subsequent twinge of guilt made his tongue go sour. Fine. If there was ever a time to start telling uncomfortable truths… "But I am sorry I said that."

"Wow!" Remus laughed. "You must be upset." A red stain began to spill across his left eye. "You don't apologize."

"It’s not like I care about your feelings or anything." Janus would have liked to have drawn himself up to his full height, but it was impossible to do while upside-down. "As much as I'm enjoying watching your blood vessels slowly burst, would you please turn over before you hurt yourself? I've suffered enough psychological trauma for today."

"Oh, fine." Remus kicked his legs and landed neatly on his toes like a gymnast.

Janus, by contrast, got his arms tangled in his capelet and nearly folded himself in half before he found his balance again. "I meant to do that," he said, turning to grab his hat so Remus wouldn't see the blush on his face.

The sudden sensation of blood draining from his head made the room whirl. He steadied himself against Remus' shoulder until it slowed somewhat, but nothing could dampen the horrible ringing in his ears.

"Well," he said, adjusting his shirt. The sudden appearance of his conscience had taken the wind out of his sails more than he cared to admit, and all thoughts of dancing bled out of him along with a good deal of energy. "I'm not going to go scream into my pillows until I tire myself out."

"Being an agent of chaos is hard work," Remus said with a sage nod, "but that doesn't sound very relaxing, Mr Self Care."

"It's a form of meditation, if you think about it," Janus said.

Remus made a face. "You know I don't do that."

"...Meditate?"

"No, think."

"Ah. Well." Janus made only a token attempt to hide his fond smile. "Good night, Remus. Please stay up late and injure yourself."

"Can do, Snakeypoo.”

Janus turned. It was close enough, he might as well walk to his bedroom, especially considering how well his last attempt at appearing in it had gone.

The reason why that had been so difficult became apparent in mere moments. Janus froze in the hall and dropped to his knees at the giddy wave of horror and delight that made him too light-headed to stand.

He knelt in front of the empty stretch of wall where his door had been previously.  Heat flooded his face.

"Jay?" The rounded toes of Remus' boots appeared in his line of sight. Janus zeroed in on them, the mud splatters and stains on the soft leather. "You have an aneurysm or what?"

Janus, unable to speak, motioned for Remus to turn around. He couldn't deal with this right now.

"Ohhh," said Remus. "Well. Good luck with that ." He hauled Janus to his feet. "So you're a boner fide good guy now, huh?"

Janus stared over Remus' shoulder at the empty stretch of wall where his door used to be. "That depends entirely on who you ask."

Remus shrugged and rose up on his toes. "You can scream into my pillows instead, if you want."

"As tempting as that is…" Janus trailed off, his eyes still fixed on the wall. It was tempting, despite the constant chaos in Remus' room. But he'd have to face the Light side sooner or later. It wasn't like he could move his room back, not without psychologically damaging Thomas and undoing all the work he'd done. "I'm really looking forward to getting insulted some more."

"Alright," Remus said with a shrug. "Try not to throw me under the bus this time, alright? Unless it's a real bus…" His gaze became dreamy, unfocused. "And it's doing 50 in a school zone and there's a whole pack of screaming kids in the crosswalk--"

"Goodbye, Remus." Janus turned and left.

--

The barrier between the "dark" and the "light" sides of Thomas' brain had been a joint venture. It would have been there in some form no matter what, but it was Janus and Roman (with Patton's tacit blessing) who had worked to put up something more physical between them.

Janus ducked under the red curtain, trepidation percolating in his stomach, but what he found on the other side was anticlimactic to say the least: It was dead silent on this side of the barrier.

Janus wasn't sure what he'd been expecting. He knew by now that the so-called "Lights" had issues working out their interpersonal issues, and this most recent conflict wasn't the kind of thing you just got over. It did follow that they would all go off to lick their wounds for a time.

Hesitantly, toe-to-heel, Janus crept down the hall. It felt for all the world like he was sneaking around a vast hotel, right down to needlessly ornate design on the plush carpeting. That was probably Roman's doing.

Janus focused, trying to call the Mindscape to work for him. He wanted to go to his room.

The Mindscape listened. Janus turned a corner and found a row of doors stretching down yet another brightly-lit corridor. His eye was immediately drawn, not to the brilliant yellow of his own door, but to the figure huddled in front of it: Patton sat with his arms wrapped around his legs, forehead resting on his knees.

"Looking for someone?" Janus asked, slightly louder than necessary.

Patton jerked his head up. "Oh! Janus!" He plastered an unconvincing smile on his face. "You sure pop star-tled me."

Scaring Patton hadn't brought Janus nearly the level of schadenfreude he'd thought it would. He crossed his arms over his chest, extending a third to help Patton up. "Take your time getting to the point.”

"Oh." Patton accepted Janus' proffered hand and got to his feet. Warmth spilled from him, permeating the fabric of Janus' glove and gently heating his palm. "Well, it's just…" He took a deep breath. "I noticed your door and I thought-- Well, I wanted to make you feel welcome!"

A high-pitched tone resonated in Janus' skull. He bit down on the inside of his cheek to keep from wincing at the mounting pressure-pain-exhaustion in his temples. "Aren't you just a saint ." Patton's face fell. Janus fought the urge to swear aloud. He usually had a better handle on himself, and he knew better than to alienate potential allies. "I mean, thank you, Patton. Truly. I appreciate it." Patton had proven himself useful. Janus should at least cultivate that relationship, even if it meant a little discomfort.

"Have you eaten?" Patton asked. "It's a little late, but I could make something if you wanted." He paused. "Maybe we could play cards or something." Another pause. "O-only if you want to, I mean."

Janus let his face remain impassive even as he internally cringed at the idea of staying awake for even another second. It would be so easy to brush Patton off with a few honeyed words and disappear beyond the barrier of his door. But Patton had stood up for him today, or at least he'd tried to. Janus sighed. Quid pro quo. "That sounds like an utter waste of time."

"Are you… I'm sorry, sometimes I can't tell when you're…"

"Yes, Patton. That sounds lovely."

Patton actually hopped in place, an adorable little jig that absolutely didn't send a confusing little shockwave of fondness through Janus' ribcage. "Really?"

"Really," Janus lied.

He followed Patton down the hall into the living room, which opened into the dining room and the kitchen. Janus studied his surroundings, trying to take in as much as his exhausted faculties would allow. Even in the absence of other Sides, the living room felt warm and welcoming. All the lights were on, and they bathed everything in gentle golden light .

"You're awfully quiet," Patton said.

Janus shook himself. "I was just getting my bearings."

"I guess you've never really been over here, huh?" Pattton opened the refrigerator. Was he actually going to cook , instead of just manifesting something? How quaint. "Do you like grilled cheese?"

It had been a long, confusing day. Doublespeak came to Janus as naturally as breathing, but he was obviously running circles around Patton even when he wasn't trying to. "Yes," he said, hoping to telegraph his sincerity by not emoting at all.

It seemed to work. Patton studied him for a moment before turning back to the fridge. "Then that's what I'll make."

Janus took advantage of this temporary distraction to clamber onto one of the barstools. The slick velvet of his capelet tended to disagree with surfaces like wood and vinyl, and he needed a moment to arrange things so he didn't look as unbalanced as he felt.

He watched Patton work in the kitchen, a detached coolness washing out the scene. Quid pro quo, he reminded himself when he felt his facade begin to slip. He owed Patton this.

He certainly didn't feel the slightest twinge of guilt, that he had been the one to orchestrate this breakdown. Yes, the Light Sides had loaded the gun, but in the end it was Janus who had pulled the trigger.

He shook his head and thought about playing cards, good Bicycle playing cards with holes punched through them like they'd come from a casino. "What should we play?" he asked, pulling the deck from his breast pocket.

Patton looked up from the stovetop, his eyes flicking to the cards in Janus' hand. "Do you know Kings in the Corners?"

"Not personally, no."

Patton laughed, but there was something cold about it. "It's really simple," he said. "I'll show you how to play and you can tell me if you like it."

--

It was nearly impossible to cheat at Kings in the Corners. Janus doubted this had been a calculated measure on Patton's part, doubted he had the capacity for that kind of foresight, but he respected it just the same.

They played in funereal silence, staring each other down across the light wood of the dining room table. Janus, ill-inclined to take off his gloves, utilized a napkin to keep from staining them with melted butter from the grilled cheese Patton had made. Neither one of them smiled. Neither one of them spoke.

Janus pulled a card from the deck to indicate the end of his turn and glanced up at Patton. His face was somber, almost sorrowful, and it clashed against the gentle domesticity of the dining room, with its floral table runner and mismatched placemats.

Janus started to laugh.

"What is it?" Patton asked, cheeks darkening. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

Janus swallowed down another peal of laughter and cleared his throat, unable to wholly restrain the smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "You look like I’m holding you here at gunpoint." It was somewhat ironic, considering Janus was the one who felt like he couldn't leave.

"What?" Patton smiled, but it was more akin to an offering than an expression of joy.

"It’s not really funny. " Janus wasn’t quite sure how to make Patton understand.

Patton sat back with a sigh, placing his cards facedown on the table. "But I guess it is pretty funny, huh? In a really sad way."

Janus almost asked what was sad about it before realizing that Patton probably missed his friends. Instead he said, "Yes" and stifled a yawn behind his free hand.

"I'll make coffee!" Patton leapt to his feet and was off to the kitchen before Janus could so much as blink.

The newfound solitude made it that much harder for Janus to ignore his headache, which had only worsened in the hour or so he'd been playing cards with Patton. Despite the nonchalant facade he'd tried so hard to project, he'd been holding himself tense.

Maybe the night (or morning, at this point) would be easier to tolerate if he had, say, a bit of gold rum.

The corner of a flask dug into Janus' hip. He smiled.

"Just how late are you planning on staying up?" he asked Patton when the latter returned holding two mismatched mugs.

"Oh, I don't know," Patton said. Lied. He set a mug down in front of Janus and then resumed his seat, the cards forgotten by his elbow. "I'm… A little scared of what tomorrow will be like."

Janus eased the flask out of his pocket. "Rum?"

"Oh, um," Patton said, staring at the flask. "I don't know…"

Janus raised an eyebrow, working something out. He landed on it a millisecond later: Patton wanted to be convinced. Easy enough. Janus opened the flask and poured what he hoped was a shot into his own mug. It was black, he noticed, except for the yellow snake that wrapped around it, its tail firmly in its own mouth. Ouroboros. "Surely you don't intend to make me drink alone?"

As Janus had expected, Patton buckled the second he was pushed. "I guess not."

It was funny, Janus mused as he carefully tipped rum into Patton's coffee, how lying was only off-limits when Janus suggested it. Hilarious.

But now wasn't the time for bitterness, now was the time to repay the debt he owed Patton. "Cheers," he said, pocketing the flask once more.

"Cheers."

Janus sipped his coffee. "You put milk in this," he observed.

Patton's smile was surprisingly sly. "I know you want me to think you take it black. Virgil did too, at first. I know you ‘Dark Sides’ have an image you like to uphold."

"And how does Virgil take his coffee now?" Janus asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"With Snickers-flavored creamer."

"Well, I do take my coffee black," Janus lied.

Patton's smile never faltered. "We'll see, kid-- Uh, Janus."

"Patton," Janus said, before he could start thinking about the implications of Patton wanting to call him 'kiddo,' "you are planning on sleeping tonight, aren't you?"

"Maybe eventually," Patton said, suddenly unable to look Janus in the eye. "At some point."

"Tomorrow will come whether or not you sleep. It's definitely better to pull an all-nighter and feel like garbage instead of facing everything with a clear head."

"I know." Patton leaned forward so he could rest his head on his hand.

For a moment, Janus was tempted to mirror him. Sitting up straight was becoming quite the chore. "I know how the others love a calm, rational discussion."

"Oh, I wish." Patton's expression turned wistful.

Janus stifled a yawn behind his hand. He had half-expected the coffee to counteract the depressant effect of the alcohol, but all he had to show for the combination was a racing heart.

"I'll be fine out here if you want to go to bed," Patton said. Without seeming to realize he was doing it, he brought his hand to his mouth and bit down on his thumbnail.

It was a tempting offer. A day ago, Janus would have taken it. After all, it wasn't like he cared about Patton outside of professional courtesy. They weren't friends. But guilt nagged at him and wouldn't let him entertain the idea of abandoning Patton for longer than a second.

"That's a remarkable impression of a window," Janus said, waiting for Patton to look confused before elaborating, "I can see right through you."

"You got me." Patton smiled sadly. "That's something I've always admired about you, Janus."

Now it was Janus' turn to be confused. "What?"

"You're so… clever."

Janus narrowed his eyes. "Please do keep trying to change the subject."

"It's just… I don't want to have to lie there and, and think about today and everything I did wrong. I hurt Thomas. I hurt my friends." Patton's eyes were shiny behind his glasses; the unshed tears sparkled in the light when he locked eyes with Janus. "Aren't you going to think about the same thing?"

Anger flared, perhaps prematurely, in Janus' chest. "About what you did wrong today?"

"About what you did wrong," Patton said timidly.

"I," Janus said icily, "didn't do anything wrong." He stared Patton down across the table, jaw set, daring him to push back. Let him lecture and nag, let him prove that he hadn't changed no matter what he said.

But Patton only nodded, his face lined with misery. "Okay," he softly. "I think you're right, Janus. We should go to bed."

Janus thought about how much faster he could get to bed if the table was cleared, and all the dishes and cards vanished in a blink.

"Um, Janus?" Patton said.

"Yes?"

"I don't regret everything that happened today."

"Oh?"

Patton only nodded and sank out.

Janus made a beeline for his own room; better to find his way there on foot rather than risk appearing in the wrong spot.

Once inside, he looked around to ensure nothing was amiss, eyes roving over the dark wood of his bookshelves and desk, his mirrored closet doors, the leather armchairs across from his bed.

Everything was exactly as Janus had left it. He nodded, satisfied, set his hat on the nightstand, and sprawled out of top of the covers without bothering to further undress.

One hazy thought crawled to the surface of his mind before he fell asleep: At least he wouldn't be one of the regrets haunting Patton tonight.

[gffa]

your posts about the comics just reminded me of something that's been at the back of my head for a while: how do you view anakin's and obi-wan's relationship as padawan and master? i've seen people argue that it holds abusive elements since obi-wan (as an extension of the jedi council) doesn't help anakin with his trauma (or plays a part in fortifying it? possibly by things like making him call him master) and brushes his worries about the nightmares aside in aotc. (1/2)

i’m not really convinced by the latter since the movie doesn’t show any context for it, but i’d like to hear your thoughts about it. i’m really not prone to putting any blame on obi-wan personally or especially but he’s my favourite character and i tend to overlook his flaws :D (2/2)

THIS IS PROBABLY GOING TO BE LONG, sorry not sorry etc.  :D  I’m going to stick to a gen interpretation on them in this post (and, as always, I have no problem with people who are squicked by them as a pairing for whatever reasons!) and, while I haven’t read much at all in this line of commentary (nor do I care to), I have thoughts on the points you mentioned!During Attack of the Clones, our establishing shot of them, the one that tells us who these characters are now and how they relate to each other, ten years down the road from The Phantom Menace, is one of two people teasing each other and making each other laugh.  Obi-Wan sees that Anakin is nervous and so he makes a joke that’s very obviously something he wouldn’t misremember as a way to jolt Anakin out of his spiraling thoughts, he puts the weight of the joke on himself.  When they’re talking with Padme, Anakin is behaving like an absolute brat, he’s overstepping their authority, he’s promising things that aren’t theirs to promise, he’s acting up and actively disrespecting his teacher to impress someone rather than actually thinking things through.  And Obi-Wan doesn’t dress him down, he pretty much just gives him a WE WILL TALK ABOUT THIS IN THE CAR (TM @forcearama) response.We see that Anakin is getting ahead of himself–he says he can sense everything that’s going on in Padme’s bedroom, except he doesn’t.  The assassin centipedes are already crawling around and it’s not until a bit later that Anakin senses them.  The whole point is that Anakin is working himself into a state in an attempt to impress Padme and Obi-Wan is telling him to get ahold of himself–and then, afterwards, leans in and smiles, telling Anakin (who is upset that Padme doesn’t seem to see him in the same way he sees her), “She was pleased to see us.” to cheer Anakin up.We see, during the Obi-Wan & Anakin comic that Anakin is absolutely smitten with Obi-Wan, HE’S THE BEST is literally a thing Anakin says this close to having actual stars in his eyes.  Obi-Wan listens to Anakin, he takes his upcoming decision seriously, makes it clear that he’ll respect Anakin’s choice whichever way, even as he continues to help guide him.  We see that Obi-Wan is dedicated enough to Anakin that he would leave the Jedi Order with Anakin, if that’s what was necessary.  We see even through The Clone Wars that Obi-Wan gives Anakin his space, lets him be as independent as he can, but that Anakin still wants to go running to him, still calls him Master half of the time, showing us just how much Anakin still values that guidance, still values Obi-Wan’s presence in his life.

Back to Attack of the Clones, Anakin tells Obi-Wan NOTHING of his dreams other than that he’s having dreams.  He doesn’t say if they’re bad dreams (if they even were at this point, Anakin doesn’t look panicked, just wistful and like he misses her–the AOTC novelization said they were nightmares, but that was never from George), and Obi-Wan’s tone and face are deeply caring.  If this were any other situation, his advice would be right, especially for someone who is on the cusp of Knighthood, who would have entirely valid reasons to be dreaming things that he has issues with when he’s about to take a bit step forward in his independence.  It would really make sense if Obi-Wan was speaking from a place about his own dreams of Qui-Gon, which did pass in time, as they’re meant to.Further, we don’t have any context for what the Jedi did or didn’t do in regards to Anakin’s trauma.  We don’t even know when they found out about Anakin’s past, because we never see Qui-Gon tell them where Anakin came from (and Obi-Wan wasn’t there and he never mentions it later, despite that it would be a really good thing to bring up for why this is a bad idea of Qui-Gon’s, to try to get Anakin to be a Jedi) and nothing they say says they for sure knew.  And Anakin himself likely wouldn’t speak up about it, fearing that it would damage his chances in the eyes of his new caretakers–whether he’s right or not about that (and that’s a separate discussion, whether Anakin was a good fit for being a Jedi or not, it doesn’t make him bad if he’s not, just that it’s not the right path for him personally).Here’s the thing, though:  We see some pretty clear examples that Anakin refuses help.  Even setting aside the times in Legends where Obi-Wan did try to talk to him about it, we see Padme in Revenge of the Sith say that they should talk to Obi-Wan about this and Anakin shuts it down hard.  We see that he knows he shouldn’t want more, but he does and it’s because he does not want to change his mindset.  Someone who does not want to talk about these things (even with Padme! he doesn’t even seem to want to talk about the future of their baby, he avoids the subject at every turn, either not answering or changing topics, she is the one making plans) and someone who doesn’t think their mindset is wrong is a lot less likely to get help out of therapy (fandom’s often go-to suggestion for What Anakin Skywalker Needed) than someone who wants to change.  And I have tried getting people into therapy who don’t want to be there and it is not some magical fix it.  It only helps if you want it to help.Also as a side-note, nowhere in Immovable Objects of Star Wars History can I find an example of Anakin calling a slave owner “Master”.  That’s come up a few times in Legends (because people just automatically assume all slavery must follow a 1:1 relationship with US history’s chattel slavery) but never in canon itself as far as I’ve seen.  Anakin expresses no distaste at calling someone “Master” as any sort of indication that it has any negative associations. Is it something fans can play with?  Obviously!  And I have issues with the way slavery is presented in TPM, don’t get me wrong.  But “Master” is only ever used in the sense of a person with a highly developed skill/set of skills.  (eta: To clarify, because I worry some people need it, that does not negate that it was traumatic for Anakin or an absolutely horrifying thing, especially for a child!  But it’s still presented/not presented in specific ways.)But I’m getting side-tracked away from Obi-Wan and Anakin’s relationship.  Yes, they have conflict and issues, but both AOTC and ROTS set up their first scenes as ones that show us how much these two like each other, how much they care about each other, how well they work together.  Obi-Wan and Anakin laughing in the elevator, the kind words Obi-Wan has for him.  Obi-Wan and Anakin fighting together above Coruscant, their fighters MOVE IN SYNC with each other, Anakin refuses to leave Obi-Wan twice in the first half hour, Obi-Wan smiles at him, they bicker like old friends, they have their own special hand-signals.  The entire emotional climax is on their fight, which wouldn’t have any meaning if they didn’t love each other.  It wouldn’t mean anything if their relationship was awful and abusive and terrible in the first place.I’m not saying that Obi-Wan and Anakin’s relationship was perfect.  I do think Obi-Wan’s faith and belief in Anakin blinded him to the true depth of the cracks in his foundation–”He will not let me down.  He never has,” Obi-Wan says, absolutely believing this.  He believes in Anakin’s ability to come through, he shows that every time he puts his life in Anakin’s hands, trusts him to be there when Obi-Wan needs him to show up, that Anakin would never turn to the dark side, because he sees such good and brilliance and wonderfulness in Anakin.  He loves Anakin so much that he cannot see the truth about him.Anakin, in turn, cannot trust what Obi-Wan gives him, he cannot accept that Obi-Wan’s care and love for him are true, unless Obi-Wan’s practically shouting it from the rooftops.  Anakin is a bucket with a hole in the bottom, all that love and praise fills him up and then drains out again by the next day, so he needs more.  Even Padme constantly pouring love into him wasn’t enough to keep Anakin from believing that she’d betrayed him and turned on him, nothing was ever going to be enough for Anakin, and the war emotionally ground them all down and was designed to put strain on their relationship (literally on their relationship because Palpatine wanted Anakin’s relationships with both Obi-Wan and Padme brittle, because he had to whittle down those relationships or Anakin would never fall).But the whole reason we’re invested in it is because they loved each other, because they were so good together.  Because no one else could have done as well as Obi-Wan did with Anakin (I WILL FIGHT THE INTERNET ON THIS), Anakin would never have loved anyone as much as he loved Obi-Wan.  And what we do see of them in canon is littered with Obi-Wan thinking of Anakin and doing kind things for him, checking in on him, offering him support, telling Anakin that he’s proud of him, not taking another Padawan because his previous one still needs him.No relationship in Star Wars is perfect, it wouldn’t be an interesting story without conflict!  They make mistakes, they’re human, and often times they’re in a war that leaves them with little emotional reserves or they’re manipulated into positions where they have to make really shit choices.But they were so good together and there’s dozens of little moments to show the genuine care there, how genuinely good they were for each other, how they made each other better.

[wendiuh]

Hey hey hey question! 😄 I've been wanting to start the fate series for awhile, and there was one I had watched some time ago, but I've realized there is multiple series? I've noticed you like it so I was hoping you could help me figure out where to start, what order to go in...? Thanks in advance dearie!

You have no idea how happy i was to see this ask omg girl I’m in Fate hell. This will get lengthy, so beware haha. If you have any other questions, feel free to come to me! If it becomes too much reading (I think it’s like 1.5k words oops) just scroll to the bottom for the summary XD. I’ll put my essay explanation under the cut:

If you’re completely new to Fate, then allow me to explain how the story is set up structure-wise. It is split into 3 separate routes that start off from the same point. Each route has a set heroine/love interest and explore different aspects of the story and characters. These routes are viewed in the order of Fate, Unlimited Blade Works, and Heaven’s Feel. Fate focuses on the character Saber, UBW focuses on Tohsaka Rin, and HF focuses on Matou Sakura.

Now the first thing all faithful Fate watchers would say is to read the original visual novel. I, however, did not start with this, but it is easy to see why people recommend this first. The Nasuverse (the world of Fate and other related series, named after creater Kinoko Nasu) is a very, very detailed world that has so many aspects to it. Reading the original story will definitely provide the most helpful context. I am currently reading the VN now to get a better understanding of the universe, and it is pretty enjoyable, but can get pretty slow.

Fair warning, though. The original VN is an adult game, meaning it is somewhat gory and deals with adult themes (aka sex). There was a re-release of it without any sex scenes called Realta Nua. I wont provide any links on this post on how get the VN, but there’s definitely YouTube videos out there to help.

If sitting through 80+ hours of reading isn’t your thing, and I don’t blame you if it isn’t, then we must turn to the animes. That’s where things get complicated.

There are 3 currently accessible animes out there set in the Fate/sn universe. There’s the orginal anime from 2006 that “covers” the 1st route, Fate, and was made by Studio Deen. I’m going to refer to this as Deen/stay night. I put the word “covers” in quotes because many Fate fans view this adaptation as a disgrace. I didn’t watch it, but many say it tries too hard to cover the story of the visual novel and somewhat combines the routes. Basically, it tried to adapt all of the visual novel but under the cover of the route Fate. However, it does seem to serve as an okay introduction to the Fate universe in general since it is the first anime adaptation out there.

In terms of release date, next comes the famous adaptation of Fate/zero by ufotable. This is a prequel follows the events prior to the beginning of Fate/stay night, and is hands down a phenomenal series in general. Many view FZ as a classic and a wonderful story, but it does have a few spoilers in terms of some big revelations that happen in the Stay Night routes. If you want to watch an amazing series and you’re okay with some spoilers for the main series, start here. As for me, I didn’t start here because I wanted to save it for last because of how many people that praised it.

Finally comes the UBW anime (the series by ufotable. Not the movie!). Commonly known as Unlimited Budget Works for its beautiful animation, this series focuses on the VN’s second route. This was released after FZ, so I do think ufotable made this series thinking fans already watched the prequel. However, I did start with this series first. Though there were some confusing points, I was able to understand most of the anime and it was pretty good. It took a second watch for me to fully understand the plot, but that’s kind of how a lot of animes work. You never enjoy the full scope of the series until you rewatch it. Both this series and FZ got at least 3 times better when I rewatched it, and that is saying a lot considering how much I liked them the first time through.

So, which one do you start with and what order to watch it in? For the sake of chronology, watch Deen/stay night, then FZ, then UBW. If you want to skip Deen/stay night (which is okay to do), then it is up to you what you want to watch first.

In my opinion, watch UBW first, then FZ. This saves the more serious and dark series for last, which will make the transition to the tone of the upcoming Heaven’s Feel adaptation movies more smooth.

But I think either way you watch the series will still get you a good amount of exposure to the Nasuverse. It’s complicated to start, but once you’re in, it gets better. Heck, even if you don’t fully get immersed into the universe, the 2 ufotable animes are still stellar and carry heavy messages as well as are pretty much eye candy thanks to that animation quality.

But what about all those other things with “Fate/” stamped onto it?

There are a couple of other major Fate installments out there, but they are NOT taking place in the Stay night universe. They are AUs that overall expand the lore of the Nasuverse (and also give the creators some more money lol). These include:

Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA☆ILLYA - A magical girl AU that is extremely different from Fate/sn. I think one should watch this after they finish the Stay Night series, but don’t feel forced to watch it, for it is completely non-canon.

Fate/apocrypha - This anime is currently airing as of my writing of this post. It follows a parallel universe “what if” situation. If this one certain event in history happened differently, then the events of Stay Night turn into this. This deals with completely different characters and set up. I only watched a few episodes of this anime and found it is probably most enjoyable to those familiar with the Nasuverse.

Fate/extra - Another parallel universe series coming out. Just like Apocrypha, this deals with new characters in general.

Fate/hollow ataraxia - A sequel Visual Novel to the original Stay Night story. Same characters and world, but 6 months later. It is another adult VN game, so it’s pretty much half-lore expansion and half-fanservice. 

Fate/prototype - This is a 1-episode OVA of Kinoko Nasu’s first envision of the series. There are some minor differences lore-wise, and the characters are mainly the same, save for a few design differences and gender swaps.

Carnival Phantasm - Ever watch those “crack” videos on YouTube? Like “Fairy Tail Crack” or “Boku no Hero Academia Crack”? These videos take an anime and make jokes out of its content and have many, many memes. Well, Carnival Phantasm is exactly that. It combines many series of the Nasuverse (mainly the Fate/stay night series and Nasu’s other work, Tsukihime) and makes it into a joyful, cute, hilarious, and downright amazing anime. It is filled with inside jokes of the universe and has some spoilers, so save this anime for last. I did skip the Tsukihime skits simply because I didn’t get the jokes, but there’s a montage of all the Fate skits on YouTube here. This series is the source of many, many fandom memes. You don’t have to watch it, but it is so funny.

Fate/Grand Order - A 1-episode OVA that adapts the first storyline of the famous mobile game with the same name. It is another parallel universe of some sort. New characters with some familiar faces of the Stay Night universe. The game is currently released in Japan and North America on the iTunes and Google Play store. It may be a waifu and husbando collector, but it is so addicting…

To conclude, there really isn’t a right answer that I can give you. But here’s my suggestion (aka the way I watched the anime):

1. Watch the Unlimited Blade Works anime by ufotable.

2. Watch Fate/zero.

3. If you want to rewatch then watch the first season of the UBW anime again, then watch FZ again, then watch the second season of UBW. Totally optional, but a fun way to watch the 2 series imo.

4. If you are okay with spoilers for Heaven’s Feel, watch Carnival Phantasm for the Fate sketches. By spoilers I mean there are some jokes from that series that rooted from Heaven’s Feel, but you may only catch them if you squint. It never explicitly spoils the story.

5. Watch the Heaven’s Feel movies. Only 1 out of the 3 is currently out/coming out internationally in theaters, so I guess just try to watch the first 1 if it is available to you at this point?

Feel free to start the visual novel if you want. In regards to the other series I mentioned, they are optional as well.

If you watch UBW and FZ and feel that there are a lot of unanswered questions, then expect Heaven’s Feel to address those issues. Remember that even though the 3 routes are all different stories, they are written in a way that you don’t get the whole picture until you have completed all three routes (too bad the Fate route anime is completely butchered and unreliable plot-wise. But I think you can manage without it. It’s more of an introduction to the story than anything else.)

Hope you understood what I was saying! Again, please message me if you have any questions or just want to talk about the series with me! I am in absolute hell with this universe so don’t hesitate to talk to me!

[rainbowravioli]

(1/10) Hey, I've been thinking about something in regards to Yurio's character development and stuff that got cut from the story, and I want to know what you think, so I'm just going to anon spam you for a minute, if you don't mind? I'm sorry if it actually bugs you! I'm also sorry if I was actually over-thinking it. I just wanted someone else's thoughts on this because it wouldn't leave me alone.

(2/10) Okay, so Kubo said Yurio was the first character they created but he couldn’t pull the plot because his story is too tragic, and with the time constraints, they decided to just focus on the love around him that helps him grow. At first I thought, “Okay, that’s just part of the creative process, stuff can absolutely change before the final product comes out.” Then I realized they left too many hints of this backstory in and it causes a problem.(3/10) We know his family is poor due to the state of his grandpa’s truck (I believe someone on Tumblr pointed out it’s so old, you never see those models in Russia anymore) and the fact Yurio has been the sole provider of his family since his rookie days (via official bio). We know his parents aren’t heavily involved in his life because of the flashback in episode 2 or 3, his grandfather being the only family we actually see, and the only relative he thinks about during his Agape struggles.(4/10) Surely if he had a good relationship with his parents (or, if they were loving but are dead/gone and he missed them), then he would think of them more, right? And if he’s the sole provider of his family, then that means if they are around, they’re not working for whatever reason. Now THIS is the part that gets me, him being the sole provider of the family.(5/10) If they had left the “sole provider” bit out, we could assume Yurio either has a poor or stuck-in-the-past grandpa that he’s closer to than his parents because they’re not around much. Not all parents are that close to their children for one reason or another, or really get their children’s interests (Yuuri family is supportive of him, but it’s canon they don’t understand figure skating either). He wouldn’t think of them because they aren’t on the same page.(6/10) But the “sole provider since his rookie days” bit adds a whole ‘nother layer to his character. It tells us straight up he comes from a poor family where his parents either can’t or won’t work, his grandfather definitely doesn’t work because surely he would help out (his child and) grandchild if he could in that situation, and gives a new reason for his bad attitude and why he skates. Remember how Otabek said 10y/o Yurio had the eyes of a soldier? (7/10) Without this context we can just rub it off as a normal determination to win and Otabek’s love of war analogies. But with it, it gives us more insight. He probably had those soldier eyes and threw himself into skating hard without complaint until he made a name for himself because that’s the only way he knew to keep his family afloat. He needs to get to the top not just for himself but for his family’s financial stability. He’s such a brat partially because of the weight on his shoulders. (8/10) Unless you want to tell me he’s been washing dishes in a restaurant in his free time since he was 10 or so, I don’t see any other way he could be providing for his family. Anyway, if this had been fully incorporated into the story, I believe the way Yurio built new relationships and learned to rely on others would have been more impactful. (9/10) He’s basically been alone and worked hard for the sake of something that shouldn’t have been his responsibility in the first place, now he’s learning to open up more, to let agape in. The contrast between himself at the beginning and the end would have been more insightful. I can get why they would decide against this, though. There simply wasn’t enough time for it.(10/10) Leaving it at Yurio being a brat who might not have the best relationship with his parents, and simply wants to win and prove himself is fine. I think they tried to keep on this route by establishing that pre-Yuuri, he never took practice seriously. But by leaving the “sole provider” bit in his bio, it stays a part of his final character design, and it feels like a crucial part of him was left unexplored.

That’s a very good and interesting point you bring up anon! I never addressed that part of the official bio (also, correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought it said ‘main’ provider, not ‘sole’ provider, which carries a different weight) in my Yurio narrative breakdown though because…it never came up in the actual show. 

And it’s a shame, because like you said it would give an extra dimension to Yurio’s character and his motivations. It also adds nicely to the Victor parallel. We really don’t know a lot about Yurio’s family situation, but what we do know is very telling. His mother wasn’t/isn’t around. Apart from that reference Yurio never thinks of his parents. his grandfather is the only person he associates with unconditional love (and the only person who we see emotionally supporting Yurio in his skating). The only person Yurio was concerned about finding out he was in Japan was Yakov. Lilia tells him to pack his things, makes absolutely no mention of notifying his parents about coming to live with her. 

So yeah, Yurio’s family situation is not great. But it’s one thing to have that, and it’s another to have Yurio shoulder the responsibility of being the main provider for his family. Note I’m using main provider here, because sole provider really doesn’t fit with the way Yurio acts in the series. That’s a much bigger responsibility and pressure on his shoulders. If his family was depending solely on his skating to survive, Yurio wouldn’t slack off his training the way he does before feeling challenged by Yuuri. You can’t have both, “he had the eyes of a soldier because he was fighting for his family’s survival” and “I don’t have time to focus on training I’m on my phone what family?” at the same time, it doesn’t make for a consistent character. 

You’re right though, that if this had been fully incorporated and acknowledged in the story, Yurio’s agape narrative would be much more impactful and it would just add more depth and complexity to his character overall. It’s a shame they didn’t explore it. It would have been so easy to do that too. Just have Yurio think about it. I mean, Yurio already thinks a lot about his motivations to win in the show, it wouldn’t be hard to add that he was thinking about providing for his family too. As it stands, I can’t even fully acknowledge that detail as canon, part of the official bio or not, because it’s something that goes against the way Yurio is currently written a lot of times. 

He’s still a great character, and his current background works but yeah, wish they could have kept that detail in.