#she doesn't want to go Into the game with her friend. she wants her friend to pull away from the game with her

[gyaru-tau]

Ok so I seriously love this post and I've been thinking about it all the time now because on its own with no basis provided it is already just a rock fucking solid analysis, but I just want to point out the extent to which this is true because it's probably completely intentional. There is so much Susie protagonistism going on that its actually unreal.

In chapter 1, there is tons of emphasis on Susie being this chapter's ""betrayal"" in heavy quotation marks, having her run off with lancer to cause trouble for Kris and Ralsei, which of course results in not only her solo interaction with lancer, but also her short monologue against King at the end. Chapter 1's instances of Susie protagonist-isms are small, but they plant the necessary seeds for later. Chapter 2 is of course less focused on Susie, but more on Noelle; a character who is of course incredibly compelling in her own right... But for our purposes, she also just so happens to be a character who is very obviously going to be Susie's love interest. It of course results in another instance of Susie getting her own solo scene with Noelle where they bond in the Ferris wheel. This obviously isn't to insinuate that Noelle is going to be sidelined in the future, I feel like it would go against a lot of stuff for that to be the case. But I don't think that and her importance in this analysis have to be mutually exclusive here. Chapter 3 opens with Susie having a bit of a fakeout monologue with Ralsei as he explains that darkners aren't real, with her response being very typically hopeful and of the "never give up on your friends" ilk, before Tenna interrupts them of course. BUT she ends up still getting her moment twice in the end; with her basically sharing a small chunk of her tragic backstory with Tenna to give him hope that he won't be abandoned, and of course, her cool ass hero moment in the battle against the knight when you actually win and earn the shadow crystal.

Like tell me this isn't fire as hell protagonist type shit. Literally aura farming.

AND CHAPTER 4. If there was any single chapter in this game that I had at my disposal to use as proof for this it would be chapter 4. Before we even enter the dark world, Susie gets to have more character moments with Noelle where she not only finds the code separate to Kris experiencing the horrors, but gets a coolguy moment when she tells Carol that she's taking Noelle to the festival.

In the dark world itself, right off the bat she meets a mentor. This is just straight up the the hero's journey now. Gerson is the most blatant a mentor can get, and it, YET AGAIN. Results in not only a solo cutscene for Susie, but another solo battle where she learns a valuable lesson and grows more confident in her skills. And ON THE TOPIC OF SAID SKILLS, she has her entire short subplot of her trying to heal, and eventually being the one to think outside the box and heal Jackenstein with Gerson's help.

Once we reach Susie's dark world (Important sidenote: SHE MADE A DARK WORLD), the prophecy tells us about each hero, albeit out of order. It doesn't take much time to realize that if you put the prophecy listing the heroes in the intended order, it singles out Susie as being not one of the heroes (her alleged slot is more likely Noelle's), but rather something different entirely. Something that is given more importance than the others, though, we don't quite know what that is yet. Gerson calls her the dragon, but what this implies is still unclear.

She, yet again, gets a handful of monologues. One with Ralsei when she blows up at him for keeping stuff secret from her and Kris, two before and I believe during the fight with the titan, and of course, one when she sees the final prophecy before we get a chance to.

I don't completely know where I'm going with this, but I just wanted to draw a giant red circle over all of this now because I know for certain this is all going to have importance later. It also makes me think more about how Kris' own protagonist moments feel more like the actions you'd see from the cold secondary protagonist as they slowly warm up to the rest of the cast. Like when they play the piano, it shows us a vulnerable side of their character that the others didn't know was there to begin with (and not to mention it ALSO gives us yet ANOTHER Susie monologue if we pick the right dialogue while in the regular church).

idk how to end a post like this and I'm sure there's stuff im missing but ummmm yea thats it banger post my man

increasingly interested in the fact that Susie is the stock rpg protagonist growing with the power of friendship and defying fate, and we're playing as the party member who does the inevitable third act betrayal instead

[kedreeva]

I think one of the funner things about Kpop Demon Hunters is that the relationship between Rumi and Jinu doesn't HAVE to be read as romance. It can be, of course, and most people will read it that way, and it may be intended to be... but actually it isn't integral to everything else they are, nor to the choices they make. Whether it's romantic or not doesn't change how meaningful it is, and in fact in this case actually feels as if romance would lessen it all.

Let me explain.

Behind a cut because spoilers.

We learn right at the start that Jinu is a 400 year old demon that, according to the demon king, has never - not in /400 years/ - done anything that didn't serve himself. Which is the whole reason he's a demon- because he literally threw his own mother and sister under the bus to go live in the palace.

And for 400 years, he's believed that, well, y'know, he's guilty. Which he is! He did do the thing, and he HAS put himself first for four centuries. But he also believes it is his nature that landed him there, not his choices. And you can't change your nature. The scorpion always stings the frog.

Then this 20-something kid turns up, and everyone's at a fork in the road with her. Either Rumi succeeds and turns the honmoon golden and all the demons are fucked (trapped in the demon world forever with no humans to feed on) or someone stops her and is the savior of the demons. Perfect opportunity to form a demon boy band and wallop the hunters but good at their own game, and if he can leverage it to get something he wants, well, it's in his nature.

At the start, he's totally on board with this plan. Plain as day he's amused that he can get under her skin. He's just fucking around. Like, if he loses he's no worse off than before and if he wins then he gets acclaim and fortune. Literally no downside here. She's just one more human he can destroy to get something he wants. He actually fights her in the bathhouse that first showdown, claws out and everything.

AND THEN.

And then he sees her Patterns, the mark of the demon king on her skin.

He has to RAPIDLY come to terms with the fact that this random-ass human is... actually not human. That she is at least part demon. And she is hunting demons. Which is NOT in a demon's nature. And he's GOT to know more, and he can't do that if she's found out by her friends and has to deal with that (also maybe she'll owe him one for not exposing her).

Because OBVIOUSLY she must just be covering up her true nature for some reason. So he pries, and he teases her, and over and over finds that... actually she's just a good person.

But more than that, she believes he can be a good person. HE knows he can't be a good person - 400 years of history has shown him that, it's in his nature! - but... maybe actually he wants to believe her. Maybe he wants to pretend for a little while that he could be good, if she will lead the way. "I'll make sure the Saja Boys lose tonight," he tells her. Until Gwi-Ma gets to him again, reminds him that he can't be anything else but a demon, that he would have told her the truth if he really thought he could be free if he was himself.

400 years of buckling under the weight of his guilt wins out, and he turns on her.

She's exposed. Her friends reject her. Her fans turn to him and the honmoon dissolves. Even her godmother turns on her. Whens he finds him, she asks him why he did it, and he rejects her, too. He tries to tell her the same thing he was told- she's a demon. He can't change his nature and neither can she, so just give in, because you can't fight it. All he deserves is the suffering he's earned, it's all demons deserve. All she deserves. She has nothing except every reason to turn into a demon and join them. To turn on all the humans who deserted her and serve herself.

And at his final show, he watches from the stage as Gwi-Ma stands tall and proud of brighter than he's been in centuries and mocks her where she stands in the shadows, Gwi-Ma attempts to use her worst fears against her: she cannot save herself, her friends and fans have all seen her for who she truly is, the honmoon she was supposed to turn gold is gone.

And he watches as she agrees.

And he watches as she says none of it matters. It doesn't matter that she's part demon. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks of her. It doesn't matter what has been done in the past- she's going to forge a new honmoon now, she's going to fight back now, she is going to protect others now.

Can you even imagine.

The Good Place had it right: What matters isn’t if people are good or bad. What matters is if they’re trying to be better today than they were yesterday.

She's told him all through the story. You can be good, you can be good, you made mistakes, but you can be good. You can choose to be good. "that's the funny thing about hope, no one else gets to decide if you feel it." And she stands in the shadows and agrees that everything has gone wrong, but she puts her foot and and pushes back anyway because no one else gets to tell her it's hopeless. She made mistakes, but what matters is not those choices, it's the next choices.

And the next choice she makes is to kick Gwi-Ma's ass.

And for the first time in 400 years, this guy does something that isn't self-serving. He puts himself between Gwi-Ma and Rumi. He knows damn well he's not going to survive it. He knows that if he doesn't, Gwi-Ma will reward him for being instrumental to the success of the demons taking over the world and getting rid of the hunters. But he's watched her choose to act in ways counter to her nature, to be who she WANTS to be, and she's told him he can do that if he wants, and this is the last chance he's going to get either way.

So he takes it, and she doesn't tell him she loves him- she tells him she wanted to save him. Part of her had wrapped up his freedom in the definition of success. She needed to save him because "If there's no hope for you, then what hope is there for me?" Saving him had become a part of saving herself. Saving him had become a part of saving the world because she wants him to be in her world- literally, in her world and not the demon world.

But she did save him. She gave him hope. She showed him that he can choose to be good. That his past only matters if he lets it control him. You can't change your past, can't destroy your shame, but you can choose to do better. You can be good NOW.

And he chooses to.

Maybe he doesn't believe he can be good, but maybe he hopes. Maybe he hopes he can give her the chance he didn't get, to be good.

We see the way souls light up. We see how they make connections. The honmoon is all about connection. She's already forged the honmoon anew when she reconnected to her best friends. They forged the shield, and he gives his soul to her instead of Gwi-Ma so that she can forge a blade as strong as both their souls together, and she immediately uses it cleave the demon king in half.

Are you kidding me? That's totally killer imagery.

And right after she went to her godmother and asked to be killed before she hurts what she swore to protect. After we see how she has been told her whole life that what she is, it's shameful and she needs to change to be worth anything. She can only be someone once her patterns are gone.

And he hands over his soul to her because that isn't true. She's someone NOW. She matters NOW. She wanted to set him free, and she did. There was hope for him, and there is hope for her.

idk man, idk. romance is good and all, but "well of COURSE he would do that because they're in love" feels like a cop out. It feels like "of COURSE this would happen because that's the nature of love" in a movie whose whole thing is that a person's choices are more powerful than their nature.

Maybe he was in love, maybe she was. I don't think it matters. What matters is that they both finally chose freedom together. They showed one another how to be free of the thing that has trapped them for so long, and in doing so, saved each other.

[m1ssunderstanding]

do you think john and paul were hooking up in the 70s at all? i know so much abt the mclennon 60s timeline but the 70s is a bit foggier to me

Anything's possible, man. I think the whole seventies are generally portrayed and perceived as much more antagonistic than it actually was. I do think the actual fucking was a lot more sparse than the sixties obviously but the mutual obsession and the closeness and friendship and attraction and desire to be and work together was just as present in the seventies as all the bitterness and miscommunicated and competitiveness and jealously and lawsuits and mind games were.

They were together a lot more than is generally acknowledged in the seventies and I bet they were together a lot more than we know about even. And let's be real, if those two couldn't be lovers they'd never be friends. So it's likely that at least some of the time they fucked.

70: 0% chance of fucking. Paul is really hoping he ods up in Scotland and John is screaming his guts out in an institution. They're not speaking. They don't see each other.

71: they technically could've (John doesn't move to NY until August and Paul would've been in London part of the time) but I doubt it. Someone correct me if we have more information but I think they didn't really see much of each other in this year. John did send Paul the tape of their deca audition with a lovey note for Christmas so things weren't all antagonism, but still very rocky. And I believe he invited Paul to play live with him but Paul wouldn't because of Klein.

72: maybe. In January, Linda and Paul flew to NY to visit John and Yoko at their new place. Then John invited them to play live together and even said Klein wouldn't be involved if Paul didn't want. (I don't know how that would've looked legally) But we have no idea whether Paul responded to that telegram, only that he didn't go and that after that he went on the wings tour of Europe. But John was very much not permanently pissed at him because then we get the elephants memory story of John regularly taking 90+minutes out of a recording session for SINYC to chit chat with Paul on the phone. And the thing is. If they're that friendly, the McCartneys probably visiting John and Yoko on their way to Linda's dad's house. Which being rich and being big on family, they probably did more often than is documented.

73: Probably not. January of this year is when John yelled at Yoko during a party that he wished he was back with Paul. This is also the year (might even be the same party idk) that he got mad at her and grabbed some woman and went into a nearby bedroom and fucked her and everyone knew what was going on etc. Late 73 is the start of the lost weekend. But! Even though emotionally they would've been there imo it was physically impossible because Paul wasn't allowed into the US and John wasn't allowed out. I did hear they tried to meet at the Canada border just to see each other in person, so maybe? That would be something they would do, I don't know.

74: Definitely. As soon as he was legally allowed to, Paul was tapping that ass I guarantee. May acts like there's something she's not allowed to disclose about John and Paul during this time and the agreed upon timeline for their meetings does not match their locations so there's something sneaky going on.

75: Definitely. Again, with May Pang. I definitely recommend her book. It's one of my favorite Beatles books. Paul just randomly knows they've moved into a new apartment (again in NY where Paul and Linda visit all the time anyway) knows their number and shows up to hang out with John. John's so stoked for New Orleans. He's popping out songs left and right, he's giddy and goofy. He's talking about getting a house with May. He can't wait to get that bussy.

76: Probably not. John and Paul remained on good terms despite John not showing up to New Orleans and breaking Paul's tender heart. (His excuse is a baby. Like Paul's not going to eat that up. He was born with milk in his tits I swear.) But even though they're buddies, I have a hard time believing they fucked when they met up in 76 with the whole snl story and all that. While I do actually buy that Linda might've supported them hooking up (we can get into that mess later) I don't think Yoko wanted that, at least at this point in their marriage where they're trying to be a nuclear family with Sean and all that. I really doubt, after she's just taken him back and had his baby, that Yoko would've let him be alone with Paul. So unless John went in disguise to a Wings over America concert -- which was decidedly Not his mental state that year -- it's extremely unlikely.

77: Doubt it. I don't know too much about 77 other than that was the year John wrote many of those extremely love-sick and beautiful and depressing ballads and made self recorded journal entries about not wanting to get out of bed unless it was to jump out the window. Paul also took this year "off" so Linda could have James in peace and he could more actively participate in child rearing and housework while she healed from pregnancy and birth. This was probably the start of the "we just talked about bread and cats and babies" phonecalls. Idk maybe there was some sad->sweet phone sex in there somewhere.

78: Bit more likely. Sean was turning two at this point, and as a mom of a two year old I can tell you two is WAY better than one or zero. So, while John of course had nannies and house keepers to help, I'm sure his mental state still improved with Sean's development. Meanwhile, Paul's London Town was a flop numerically and critically, which probably helped things between them to be honest. Also, this is where I think Yoko was starting to get over John and wasn't around much. So any time the McCartneys were in New York to visit Lee, it's possible.

79: Probably. And this is just me being insane, but when Paul tells interviewers he showed his homemade tapes that would become McCartney 2 to "someone" and that "someone" said 'oh this is your new album' and Paul said 'no I was just messing around' and that "someone" said 'No. That's your new album'. And Paul went, 'yeah you're right' and put it out. I mean, that's just obviously John. Nobody talks to Paul like that except John. Nobody else has the balls and Paul wouldn't respect anyone else that way. So this is where -- I think -- the secret Montauk meetings probably started. We also know Paul and Linda visited John and Yoko again at the end of 79 right before they went to Japan. So it could've happened then too.

80: Definitely. See my post about secret late seventies meetings for an explanation here. If you don't know what I'm talking about, message me or comment or whatever and I'll send it your way:)

[queenie-ofthe-void]

Love Island Steddie would never survive Casa Amor (unhappy Steddie, Ronance; bittersweet Stobin)

Steve, sent away to Casa, would ignore all of the Bombshells that make a move on him. He’s too happy with Eddie to risk losing him. They’ve only been together for a week, but it’s more than Steve could’ve asked for, even if they had met outside the show.

Plus, Steve’s seen previous seasons, so he’s fully aware Eddie and the rest of his friends at the Villa will get sent a video of what’s going on at Casa. Steve doesn’t want to get himself into trouble, so he plays the games as best he can, chats with everyone that pulls him, but always sleeps in the daybeds with Robin.

Eddie, back at the Villa, gets a video of Steve chatting with ALL of the Bombshells, doling out hugs, smiling when the Bombshells say he's stunning. He watches as Steve kisses multiple women in a game of truth or dare. Most of them were quick, but still. Eddie can't handle it, and the insecurity eats him alive.

Of course the show sends in Billy, a boy who's almost an exact replica of Steve, with just a bit of an extra edge, like Eddie. Eddie falls right into his charm, sharing a bed on the first night, and when Billy makes a move, Eddie just follows his lead, fully convinced Steve's head's been turned toward someone else..

After the three days, Steve return to the villa with a smile on his face and roses in hand, only to be greeted to the sight of Billy's arm wrapped around Eddie's waist. Out of all the contestants, everyone thought they'd make it.

Except Nancy, who’s shocked. She spent her time at the Villa convincing Eddie that Steve’s head would turn, because if it happened with her when Eddie showed up, it could definitely happen again.

Now she doesn't know what to do. She waited for Robin, and Robin waited for her. Except now Robin won't speak to her, irate and devastated to find out Nancy’s shit talked Robin’s best friend behind their back and broke up his relationship.

The new Bombshells try Steve again for the next few days, but nothing’s the same. He can't stand watching Eddie and Billy together, and he sleeps on the daybeds again. Eddie puts up a good front, clinging to Billy every chance he gets, but can't keep the tears at bay when he's with his friends.

Finally, Steve announces he's leaving the Villa. Everyone knows he's the most successful of the contestants, an established supermodel with an inheritance who just broke into TV acting. He really was here for love, not money.

But Eddie's a car mechanic, and he could use the winner's rewards to pay off old debts. So he decides to stay, yet refuses to say goodbye as Steve leaves the Villa with Robin in tow, who couldn’t forgive Nancy for what happened. She came here looking for love but found a platonic connection she knows will last for a lifetime. Steve and Robin, more heartbroken than they’ve ever been, leave the Villa hand in hand. They might not be in love, but she's his and he's hers.

[chara-cat5]

lads isekai au: q/a!

reader is gender neutral, warning: swearing, mdni

masterlist

first 1

latest 12

--------------------------------------------------------

hello loves!!

just wanted to explain a bit about a few things, clear things up.

affinity!!

for the affinity system, you start out at 1 when you meet the boys. based on the interaction, i decide how much they gain.

character's like zayne and caleb start out hight because they knew you before the story (see chapter 5 for details).

something to note for chapter 7 onward is the color coding. (god i hope it shows up for everyone. it shows op for me on and off app, so i'm assuming here).

rafayel is pink, xavier is green, zayne is blue, sylus is red and caleb is orange.

i will stick with putting their names and corresponding affinity levels in these colors.

so to make it clear, chapter 7's affinity level is associated with xavier.

another factor to level changes is also the increasingly glitchy system.

their current levels (as of chapter 8) are as follows:

rafayel- 1 (haven't seen the poor fishy in a hot minute. worry not raf lovers, he shall return eventually. every time i think about him, i get distracted, i'm sorry!!)

xavier- 10 (it may seem quick, but you've been training with him, plus system glitches.)

zayne- 5 (purely from early memories. to him, you met him sometime in middle school, with him in high school, so it's not like you knew him long.)

sylus- 3 (this is despite all his misgivings. he doesn't trust you, yet the level is still increasing...)

caleb- 10 (he thinks of you as a family friend.)

fabricated memory

when i say, "you knew caleb and zayne before," i mean in their world and their memory. you did not actually live this life.

what do you know vs what are you meant to know?

you know everything you might know as a player of love and deepspace the video game. thats from the main story to character myths. so sylus being a dragon? common knowledge, right? you are aware.

you are not meant to know practically anything about the love interests. as mia/ mc's friend, your meant to play a role closer to tara or even another love interest. mostly unaware of the others. sylus would be skye to you, caleb is dead, rafayel is just some famous, rich artist (not a fish🐟)

but of course, you're isekaied, so that's kinda out the window...

evol

your evol is plant based. little powers that stem from this is your ability to sense memories from within plants (ch 5). you are gonna be tied to plants for the duration of this fic.

i did a little search search and from what i understand, resonating is a mia/mc skill. it said her evol makes her work as a sort of battery, basically increasing (or decreasing in cases like zayne's ice overtaking him) the output of our lovely men. so, that is how i'm going to treat it. so in the case of our fight with sylus's assistance, you both fired your separate evols in the same direction at the same time. this worked in breaking the wanderer's shield.

part of this is i do not want to take mia/mc's fire. she is still a important character here, you aren't here to really replace her...

i'm really trying to balance everyone's power, not make you a weak rock but also not make you op.

other questions!

ask away, my lovelies!! i will answer what you may ask in the comments.

if any questions are really major and not spoilers (aka plot points) i will add them here in an edit along with answering in the comments.

any, this has been my ted talk, i need to sleep. (my nocturnal habits persist!!)

thank you for reading and enjoying my writing!!

-chara <3

[chlosallow]

✶⋆.˚ introducing... introvert!matt

matt, matthew. 22 ⋆˚࿔

very loud with the right people. shy. loves cats. closed off when he's upset. wants to call/facetime all the time. reassuring. gets embarrassed super easily. flirty when the time comes to it. stutters a little. likes to take things slow. hard to express feelings. loves complimenting. drinks and smokes. sabrina carpenter. gamer boy. goes with the flow.

✶⋆.˚ sweetheart!reader

tilly, matilda. 20 ⋆˚࿔

ocean eyes. the beach. sleeps when upset. sketches her feelings. loves to bake. gift giving and physical touch. overthinker. likes to collect funko pops. super shy around cameras. hides real laugh. super insecure. takes things a bit fast. people pleaser. music is life. very observant. gets sad over small things. likes talking things out. isn't very good at communicating.

"what are we?" she whispers through the phone, breaking the silence, her voice echoing in matt's ears, making his ears perk up.

he lifts his head up from his game, attention immediately on her completely. he sets down his controller and takes his headset off, letting it rest on the back of his neck.

"what do you mean?" he whispers back, watching as she sits at her desk, glasses on, pencil in hand and the side of her hand covered in led from her sketching.

"i mean... what are we doing? like-"

he just stares, eyes soft as he watches thoughts go through her mind, her brows furrowed, eyes drifting like she's looking off to a script.

but after a second, her eyes meet his again and her heart stops. she lets out a sigh and quickly shakes her head, a small embarrassed smile spreads on her lips as she looks down at her sketch. of him.

"nevermind... it was a stupid question. s'jus late at night, y'know? so you know how my mind works.. or doesn't work" she blabbers, her mind running miles per hour as her skin crawls.

"we're friends, yeah?" he cuts her off, his eyes still soft as ever, watching her carefully.

she looks back up at her phone, eyes widening and swallowing hard, nodding awkwardly.

"yeah- friends, duh.."

friends. friends who flirt, do everything together - even when they weren't physically together. just.. friends.

[robigeddon]

Deltarune Yap session: trying to figure out Kris's psychology and other stuff (ch3&ch4spoilers)

TL;DR: Kris is morally gray

I replayed chapter 3 and 4 because I didn't get to see the secret green rooms and other stuff, but i realize that it doesn't matter at what time you're playing deltarune OR undertale, there's something you just keep digging in and end up in confusion, a fun kind of confusion, and it makes me appreciate tobyfox as a writter

I LOVE kris, they're like, my baby, i guide them, help them make friends, fight, act, but also, I understand 100% if kris hates the soul, because it means they can't be alone for a second, which to me is like... a very respectful boundary, privacy. yet the soul (or "me"/us/the player) is greedy enough to even make their own decisions and create either embarrassing situations or things kris wouldn't do because "it's funny",, reasonable to be mad and take a moment to beat the shit out of that thing that controls you, even if it doesn't make it stop, it kinda feels good to get a bit of rage out?

no matter what "good" decisions you do, kris won't like you

every time they have interactions with other characters, it doesn't matter to me if they're wholesome or funny, it's not kris, it's us, I could kinda say susie is friends with the player rather than kris, because its our thoughts between two options finding what's better or what's funnier, or intentionally, what's worse, as queen said actually, kris doesn't have opinions because we practically can't allow them to

but also, even tho I love this child and their psychological issues, they're a mysterious little shit, respectfully and seriously, BUT LET ME EXPLAIN

in the last S-rank room game (idk how to refer to these) when you go to the shelter in the mini game, kris is trying to go back against your decision, they don't want the player to open the shelter or see what's inside, they don't want the player, or well, they don't want ANYONE to see what's inside, because of how they "sabotage" the clue-searching at noelle's house, BUT ALSO they're scared of the soul (somehow)

there's either two scenes that could happen in this last minigame at the very end

1. If you move the tiny kris close to susie when she joins the room, they'll drag susie to them because the tiny kris has a sword, and thinks it could hurt her or kill her, it makes them anxious and even hyperventilate, what's important to me is that kris actually has an expression of fear or shock

2. when the tiny kris is out of the screen and walks to kris, they throw the controller and back up if you keep getting close, and they get spooked by the sword (i would assume)

to me, throwing the controller was like "yo what the fuck????"

when tenna "dies" (not really) and faces the roaring knight, the only option as acting with kris is "hold breath," while susie doesn't want to act, and ralsei is trying to, and when you do that (hold breath) it says kris is smiling

and if you check, kris actually just pretends by pointing at a distance or saying that they learned nothing because probably kris already knows about the knight

but what i checked from a video is where, if susie and ralsei are downed and only kris is up, there's a very.. weird or rare conclusion? but I find it also interesting

while kris works under the knight's orders, if all three have a decent or full hp, kris's attack is very low and practically useless while susie and ralsei's are as usual. and as another important highlight, kris is the only one that is standing after being equally hit, so now, with susie and ralsei down, kris's attack is higher now

when I checked comments on the video, it said that it was possibly because kris is pissed that the knight for hurting them because in these two new chapters, kris has grown more friendly, they don't like hugs or hugging (more like they don't like asgore's hugs, but still, they're don't seem to be a hugging person) and still somehow at the end of chapter 4, they hug ralsei as comforting them

so if 2+2=4, kris isn't entirely bad, but also not entirely nice, there's valid reasons to be bad, the disruption of their own peace because the player is there all the time, and taking the soul out causes them pain and tires them into collapsing, so they need to co-exist even if both don't like eachother, they give up on their hobby (playing piano), only if we're not controlling them, they'll play, but they'll also get tired and stop

but also, hiding the truth of what they're doing while the soul is locked or in a cage, leaves us with the thought that kris is evil and is manipulating susie into thinking that they're in their side, when very clearly, kris is the one causing the dark fountain because they're not allowing us to really beat the knight

but also, kris is still a child. even with all that "kris is evil" stuff, don't forget they had (for me at least) and stressful childhood, being the only human trying to fit in a town of monsters, plus, we get from tenna that toriel and asgore had issues and were constantly fighting, which as any kid, they'll have a little resentment, a little rage there that happens to stress them, as for being "evil", kris fighting the roaring knight showed up scared or resentful at it, even working with it

SO! conclusion:

Kris is morally gray

they do stuff that makes us think they're bad, and they will betray us or their friends, but they also have wholesome interactions with them, like going to QC's dinner and joking a little with susie by drawing her on the window (and also the cute little chat they had where susie lets us know kris is smiling at her like toriel did) drinking juice very.. excitedly, even protecting her in a fight with a gerson statue.. thingy..

that's all, because i love yapping, and I will never stop if I keep going, I just love games that make me think (i started writing at 10 pm, now it's 12am, whaaattt

[askagamedev]

So I know its a youtuber thing and pretty ill-informed but do you have any opinions on Stop Killing Games or on the end of mmos and live service games.

Let me tell you a completely unrelated story to the question you asked me.

My six-year-old niece desperately wants a talking pet unicorn with a rainbow mane named Elsa to be her best friend. I don't think she's ever going to get a pet unicorn that meets her standards, but that fact doesn't stop her from wanting it. She's also likely to yell mean things at anyone who tells her that unicorns aren't real. How much she wants Elsa or how popular such a pet would be among her classmates has no bearing on how feasible such an ask actually is.

On a completely unrelated topic, I think the intention behind Stop Killing Games is noble and I share the sentiment - I wish there were some way to preserve playable versions of all games.

[Join us on Discord] and/or [Support us on Patreon]

Got a burning question you want answered?

Short questions: Ask a Game Dev on Twitter

Short questions: Ask a Game Dev on BlueSky

Long questions: Ask a Game Dev on Tumblr

Frequent Questions: The FAQ

[kandyscorner]

It feels wrong sending this on a Saturday considering its Jason's day...

But I can't get Tim and mean!reader out of my mind. Like she's not a mean-girl kind of mean, more like a highly irritable kind of mean. It's not really golden retriever energy X black cat energy dynamic, I don't see Tim as a golden retriever bf (that's more Dick), but more like very level headed and even tempered german shepherd. Reader is very Kate from 10 Things I Hate About You (an absolutely masterpiece imo). So Tim and Reader actually used to hate each other in highschool but ended up together years after. His friends like to poke the dragon, especially when they're around the speedsters like Wally and Bart, and all it takes is a single hand on her arm to calm her down, and everyone just coos at how sweet they are together. Very fire and ice, but the ice is to cool the fire down rather than to ice her out. She's very much ready to tear the waiter to pieces for putting tomatos on his burger and he's just like "babe, I can just take them off" about the whole thing. She's super competitive (which is why they hated each other in highschool) so his job during game night is to keep her from flipping a table. She calls him Birdie as a nickname but it actually comes from when she used to call him Bird-Brain in highschool, ahhhh young love 😍

Anyways, idk where I'm going with that its not really a request, just thought I'd share my thoughts on them and their dynamic. Feel free to add your own too if you have any!

@herodedicatedblog

This was so fun to write. It's game night with the core four (I love them and i also wanted to try my hand in writing them too). I love 10 things I hate about you but I couldn't figure out how to write an accurate Kate like personality, so I hope this works. Enjoy!!

_____

“I'm going to gut you like a fish and then I'm going to saute your organs with onions and force it down Kon's throat.” You say flatly glaring at Bart across the table. 

Despite your threat, he just grins. Kon guffs at your statement and defensively sets his cards, tipping his sunglasses to peer at you.

“Why're you going to make me eat his organs? We're not even on the same team?” He complains. You give him a pointed look  before casting a glance at Cassie for support. She just shakes her head.

“You're both cheating together, dummy” you say like it's obvious because it is.

“Says you!” Bart spouts, vanishes for a second and reappears with a chocolate bar, “where's your proof?”

“How about the idiot that chose to wear reflective sunglasses during a game? We've literally watched Kon’s cards swap out without him playing.” You gesture to said round glasses and watch the superboys brows lift in surprise.

“Oh really look who's cheating now,” Bart points an accusatory finger. You toss your cards on the table and stand.

“That's it's speedster. Your guts are going into the frying pan.”

Before you can toss yourself across the table at the boy who couldn't seem bothered by the whole situation, a hand presses into your low back. It drags across your hip, willing you to sit.

“It's just a game, sweets. If they're going to be stupid about cheating, I say let them.” The fire upset in your chest simmers at Tim's words, at his touch. The three other players at the table share a look as you settle back down in your chair.

“Great leader you are,” you huff, “what happened to integrity and honesty?” 

“Aren't those the same thing?” You glare lightly at Cassie. She's supposed to be on your side. You turn back to continue your complaint at Tim.

“You're supposed to be setting a good example, birdie, not letting them walk all over us.”

Tim doesn't say anything at the moment and offers you French fries from his plate. You look at the plate then back at Tim. He lifts a brow at you. You finally take a fry but still stare him down. 

“Babe, it's uno,” he says calmly and you settle fully in your seat and pick up your thrown cards.

“No dignity, I swear,” you mumble as you draw the four cards the two cheaters had cursed you with. 

The game continues on, Kon very purposely keeping his sunglasses off but him and Bart continue to make faces at each other that tells you they are still very much cheating.

Tim’s hand settles on your thigh pressed to his, massaging at the fat of it, and he presses his plate of fries closer for you to share. By the time the game is up, kon shockingly (not really) winning, your upset fuse has withered and you've cozied up against tim. 

Kon and Bart dance about the win, loudly admitting that, “Yes! We were cheating, suckers!” 

Tim leans over and kisses at the corner of your pout before mumbling against the skin of your cheek about the ergonomics of cheating during a game of uno. You weren't really listening nor paying attention to your environment around you. You were too enamored by Tim and his affection, that the thoughts leached from your mind.

“That’s gross, get a room!” you blink back into the moment at Bart’s words and find them staring at you and Tim down with varying faces of disgust.

“You guys used to be so entertaining to be around. I miss your passionate bickering.” Kon laments as he puts his glass back on. 

Cassie nods in agreement, “Now you guys just cuddle, it's boring.” despite her words there’s a smile on her lips, a knowing tease there. After all, she was part of the reason you two were together.

“I can’t complain,” Bart settles in his chair propping his feet up on the table, “My guts aren’t in a frying pan right now thanks to Tim.”

You shake your head at all them but before you can offer any weak condolences, Tim speaks.

“Don't worry, Kon. We’re still passionate, just where you can’t see.” it takes a moment before differing layered looks of horror and disgust cross features.

“Timothy Drake!” you smack his arm for the comment, your neck burning at the accurate insinuation and the embarrassment.

“I retract my non-complain and side with that’s disgusting. Keep that to yourself.” Bart says, faking a gag. 

TIm is unbothered by the entire thing. He grins at you with what most would assume is ego but you see the way his eyes glimmer. It was a tease, a jab at you to get you riled up, just the way he liked you. He liked when you were petty, liked it better when it was directed at him and you two were alone because then he can watch you melt like putty. You weren’t alone now but he was sure it wouldn't take long for your friends to filter out. 

“I’m going to get ice cream,” Cassie interrupts Bart’s excessive fake dry heaving. He and Kon perk up at the quiet offer.

“Take us with you please! They’re staring into each other's eyes and we don't want to be here for what follows.” Kon pleads with her and she happily obliges. The silence that follows their absence is canny but it doesn’t matter because Kon was right. You two were distinctly distracted staring into each other's eyes.

“I can't believe you would say that to them. There’s such a thing as too much information, Birdie.” you poke at his ribs in disapproval and he catches your hand dragging it up to his face to kiss at your wrist. You half melt  and Tim moves his kiss up your arm. He moves the rest of your arm to sit on his shoulder. 

It's when he draws in close, noses bumping that he watches you turn into a puddle, limp and hazy. He finally presses his lips to yours. A pleased hum escapes you but you nip a little harsh at his lip. He hisses as he pulls back giving you a disgruntled look.

“Don’t cheat,” you tell him. He scoffs ready to argue but you cut him off, “You can’t always kiss me and hope I forget,” you pause, “but for now it works.”

You drag him back and honestly how could he argue with that.

_____

Masterlist

Make a request!

[theoriginalriffles]

klance fic recs pt.2 (as of June 2025)

to see my first rec list, go here. organized by word count <3

You can't even light blunts in space by hayleykiyoko // 5k // Canon

writer's synopsis:

After Lance is in a healing pod for record-breaking time, Keith is surprised to see him come out different.

my notes: basically, Lance loses his memory in the pod, and the paladins make Keith be the one to take care of him. this fic is genuinely so funny and cute, Lance is such a lovable shithead here. ps there's no actual weed usage here lol.

To All Seven Moons and Back by UndimmableSpark // 5k // Canon

writer's synopsis:

While exploring a rainy planet with an abundance of moon related culture, Keith does his best to puzzle out how Lance feels about him.

my notes: sooooo sweet and precious and silly. neurodivergent Keith you've got my heart 4ever!!

you're my pepsi-cola, I'm your coca-cola by laallomri // 9k // AU

writer's synopsis: “Are those Victoria’s Secret?” Keith freezes. He can’t tell if it’s judgmental, or curious, or—what—but he turns, slowly, and faces the boy. He looks normal. Not like he’s going to say something rude about the origin of Keith’s pajama pants. “Yeah,” he says cautiously. “My friend got them but they didn’t fit. They were on clearance so she couldn’t return them, so I use them instead.” (Keith really hopes confirming this isn’t a bad move—) “Aw, man,” the boy says, and Keith only has the barest second to panic before: “My sister likes their pajamas so I was hoping to get them for her for Christmas. But I guess if it was on clearance they might not be selling them anymore.” College AU/(Sort Of) Soulmate AU

my notes: we got trans keith, we got romellura, we got subverted soulmate au, we got awkward sweet pining. AKA it's a banger! this one was so tender and teenager-y i loved it.

i don't wanna let you love somebody else but me by ericawrites, killproof // 16k // AU

writers synopsis:

A stellar collision is the coming together of two stars caused by gravity, gravitational radiation, or other mechanisms not well understood. Any stars in the universe can collide. Keith and Lance do.

my notes: okay that synopsis doesn't set you up super well for what this fic actually is, but it's a celebrity au that has a mixed media format (transcripts, interviews, social media posts, as well as prose) that focuses on coming out, fan interaction, and our classic one-sided-rivals to friends to lovers. this was soooo 2018 but soooo sweet and funny.

Critical Hit by orphan_account // 21k // AU

writer's synopsis:

It’s the year 1986 and Lance just wants to do three things- 1. Hang out with his friends, 2. Maintain his high scores at the Dreamworks Arcade, and 3. Live life like a Hughes movie, not necessarily in that order. Everything’s going to plan until some asshole called ‘Firelord’ get’s the high score on Lance’s best game- Voltron: Legendary Defenders. And now? Well now, it’s on.

my notes: i loooove a good highschool fic + this has a great retro feel + stoner keith (my current obsession)!!! the rivalry dynamic was so good in this and I loved the pidge/hunk/lance friendship. too good!

hey, mom, i met a boy by mothpoem // 30k // Canon Divergence

writer's synopsis:

“Sweetheart,” says Lance, his hair longer, his shoulders broader, the slope of his nose uneven now where it didn’t used to be, “you don’t know the half of it.”

my notes: i have so many thoughts about this one but: if you've ever wanted to know what Keith saw on the space whale? yup. this is 30k of that. and almost all of it is Lance, ofc. beautiful prose and great humor just- yes.

A Rioting Blue by heavily_caffeinated // 30k // Canon

writer's synopsis:

As they broke into the ship, sliding quietly along a shockingly understaffed storage deck, no one thought to grab Lance. To touch base, maybe mention that the priority was the prisoners of higher standing with bigger pockets, which required a level of secrecy and nonchalance. And this requirement would need him to contain his emotions throughout the mission, even if his teammates were to fall or get injured. Even if he found Keith and wasn’t pleased with his treatment. He would need to remain calm. The monarchs were the priority. This lack of forethought led to what is considered one of the worst intergalactic shipwrecks of all time. After all, Keith Kogane was always Lance’s first priority. *** After Keith is abducted, Lance fights to get on a Blades mission to break into a Galran ship imprisoning hundreds. He keeps his own mission to himself. Step 1: follow orders until he can’t. Step 2: find Keith in the prison and break him out. Step 3: kill anything that slows him down. 

my notes: i realized that I hadn't really read much angst this month so i picked this one out of my marked for later folder and JESUS. wow. great choice. i need more of the paladins getting angry/vengeful/violent/lowkey crazy and this absolutely served that. the lance yearn was insanely well done. A+

and then... an honorary mention. not a klance fic, but so good I had to share.

Before The World Was Big by sh_ootingstarzz // 2k // Pre-Canon

writer's synopsis:

He’ll never be seven again; he’ll never be seven again, laughing in the backseat of his Dad’s pickup truck, and that terrifies him. Or growing up—in all the wrong ways.

my notes: literally so good. get ready to cry about Keith, like, hard. we got the mommy issues, daddy issues, religious issues, internalized homophobia, just slap, slap, slap, slap, ur dead and ur crying. ATE IT UP.

[keelt9]

Devil In Disguise (1-5)

A/N: Again I forgot to post on different days. 😌

The smell of books and coffee with a slight fragrance of vanilla got right to her nose the moment Y/N crossed the crystal doors, with a plain smile and a bag full with 5 manuscripts, all already marked and ready to work on it.

The route to her office was full of praises of how good she looks and the way vacations suit perfectly to her; with one complaint, she didn’t seem tanner than 2 months ago.

“Wait, wait, a minute.” Violet, a friend alias the best accomplice, stops when they crossed paths in front of her office. “Who are you, pretty lady?”

Y/N giggles, hugging Violet. Yeah, two months ago, Y/N was a mess, a teary girl buried in tissues and chocolates. The break up with her boyfriend, a 3 year relationship ends when the guy decided they were taking things too fast after an innocent question if it was the time to move togher.

“I hate to say it, but… You were right.” Y/N splits seeing Violet eyes. “He’s a jerk.”

Violet nods fervently. “A jackass, an asshole and believe me I had other more detailed words abou it.” Both friends laughed. “Now, even though I could stay here talking with you, vacations are over and work is waiting.”

“Y/N…” The assistant of her boss reached them with her classic notebook in her hand checking her notes. “He wants to see you in 10 minutes, please.”

Y/N smiles seeing the woman walk away searching for the next victim.

Violet smiles at her. “Told you.”

After 1 hour and 43 minutes, along with a strange-detailed explanation of the reason why they need her and more questions than normally. Y/N had Tim Nix, her boss, with a proper team in front of her, observing her like they could miss to say some type of information; Y/N feels like a piece of chest, in a game she didn’t even know was playing.

“Can I ask you something?” Y/N pondered, quickly responded by <Of course> <Anything you need> and <Please> “Why are you looking at me like I already said no?”

Tim scoff, if he ever questions himself, why 3 years ago he hired her; every reunion, work or talk with her is enough for that doubt to disappear. 

“Don’t take my words wrong but…” She opened the elegant folder in front of her. “This is anything unusual, a biography of someone who is… probably too shy, insanely rich or polemic enough, for the manager wants to keep in control of his/her words, is for what you pay me for.”

Y/N is the master in this kind of job after a crazy but profitable beginning with a small column in a newspaper every Thursday, along with Tim finding the golden mine for her; she became a ghost writer, being in charge of every controversial book, post or article. Y/N doesn't ask more than the essentials until she meets face to face who will be, like she likes to call, her new partner in crime. 

“There is an important detail we need to tell you.” Tim mentions as her eyes go to him. “The number.”

“The number?” Y/N is officially confused. “Of what?”

One of the persons in charge of accounting, slid a piece of paper. “I feel like I’m a dealer or something like that.”

Y/N turns the paper as her eyes go round and open, the ceros behind the 8 is insane, all in the room smiles as she rubs her eyes.

“You forget a dot.” Y/N asks, seeing the woman in front of her shakes her head. “Who is this person?”

Wednesday night, Violet is helping Y/N to pack for what her boss called the “Contract week.” They will be a week out, arranging the things they need. After a quiver “Yes” moving her eyes side to side of the big table, all shakes her hand with a satisfied smile on their faces, however they want to act fast before she can regret it. 

“I mean with that amount of money, I won’t have that face.” Violet insists, seeing Y/N. The way her eyes are stuck to the floor, her mind probably is far away from the suitcase open and the sushi next to them. 

“That’s what scares me.” Y/N fold the last pair of jeans. “What if it is creepy or something worse?” Y/N scoffed when she saw the photo next to the night table.

She and her dad last Christmas in her grandma house after she gave them her classic gift, a massive scarf that easily can wrap you. Any of them could predict that the long hours she spent alone in the garden with a book in her hand would lead her to where she’s now.

“Then make sure to add one more zero.” Violet dipped her sushi in the soy sauce. “Plus once the contract details are fully explained you can say no, so go, find out what is all about and take a decision, ok?”

Y/N closed her suitcase and put it on the floor. “Ok.”

The room is imposing by itself; big cristal walls at her left and white walls at her right with curious paintings and dark green plants in the corners, 6 folders over the black table; Y/N, Tim and the lawyer of the editorial sitting as they wait. 

Y/N is rolling her pen silently among her hands as the loud sound of a car makes her jump, before the big doors open, 3 men walk in, speaking in a different language before greeting them politely.

And there she is…Max takes a deep breath before shaking her hand. After 2 years he wonders what she looks like, well, being honest 7 months ago he found out the name under the column is girl, however his mind now has a clue of what she looks like.

“I guess you're the writer.” Max holds her hand as she narrows her eyes for the twist smile on his face. “It’s a pleasure, even though your sharp words won’t say it from me.”

Y/N observes Tim with a confused eyes. 

“I’m sorry what?” Y/N takes her hand back as Max puts his around his waist.

He recites from memory with sarcastic histrionics. “A champion with a bare self-control that is easily replaced by his ego. Full of talent but the intelligence must be somewhere off the track.”

Y/N turns white as a ghost, shallowing strong what seems to be a rock in her throat; now she knows clearly who is in front of her.

The one and only, multiple champion Max Verstappen. 

Do you remember about the crazy began? Well, that’s who she started, so let’s take a quick look at what happen two years ago.

“Does it make sense?” Y/N asks spinning on the chair of her desk while Violet reads on the other side her column about the young driver who just won a F1 championship yesterday.

Violet whistles as she lays back in her chair. “I see why your column is the favorite.” Violet smiles seeing the girl in front of her. She had barely 9 months working there and she writes with the precision of an eagle.

Months ago when Tim let her in charge of a brutal honest with a touch of polemic column in the sport seccion, Violet bet he won’t believe she will fit like a glove. Who can tell that cute girl that arrives stumbling as she looks for her CV in the only folder she had in her hands could be so devilish?

“I mean the last part is…brilliant, I love it.” Violet exclaimed. “I mean the guy probably won’t but hey, this is your spark.” 

Y/N takes another gummy in her mouth clicking the “Send” button as she smirks.

Back to the present where the room is full of men as Y/N is fighting for getting the color back to her face… 

Y/N a dry fake laugh came from her. “One of my latest columns, as you can see I wasn’t good enough to be there.” 

Tim furrowed his eyebrows, because that strong and honest writing was what pulled her out of there but he quickly guessed it was her way to lighten the mood around the room.

“Oh no please, don’t be modest.” Max mentions sitting in the chair in front of her. “That’s why you are here.” 

One of the strange man's pulls her chair so she can sit under the scrutiny eyes of each one of them in the room. “You convinced me.”

Y/N crossed her hands in front of her face.

“You got me. I want you to write my story.” Max smiles when she closes her eyes tightly after hearing him. 

The random morning when his manager appeared in his apartment with the idea of writing his story, he already had clear words which could summarize it: success, sacrifice and controversy. Max calls him crazy, when he tries to convince him that all he just needs to do is just speak with the person who will deal with the writing thing Max still refuses, until he suggests they will hire anyone he wants, he just needs to say yes and a name. 

Max has one single person in his mind, the hideous writer of that column. Now, a bad, polemic or sensationalist article doesn't affect him. Although two years ago, his pride was hurt, someone dared to call him dumb and with any sign of self-control, if his multiple championships can't be convinced, he will make sure that person sees it and writes about it. 

It’s a game he’s decided to play. 

For whatever the meeting lasts, Y/N constantly presses her pen against her forehead, in her mind preparing her speech for rejecting the offer. She hasn’t heard about that young driver after the column was published, her interest lost in the second she read it again; but with the small researched she did of that driver was enough for remember, he has a type of anger issue, hates to lose and well, he’s a guy who is better to keep away.

“Y/N?” Tim asks to see her after the Verstappen team ends their presentation about what they want and under what circumstance all will be deveolped. “What do you say?”

Y/N listened at the distance not putting so much attention but she had her answer. Never in a million years.

“Well, I'm thankful for the opportunity, however, I don’t believe I’m the writer you are looking for.” Y/N begins. “You need someone who travels around the world…”

“We’ll pay for it.” Max interrupts her as she fakes a tight smile. 

“Ok.” Y/N takes a deep breath. “I have a lot of work and obviously you need my full time and attention to…”

“Mr. Nix mentions he can cover you for the time you need.” One more time the blue eye guy.

Y/N gives desperate eyes to Tim, he speaks too soon. “Right.” Y/N put the pen on the table. “I have a very special place where I prefer to work, I’m sorry but, only under that…”

“Say it and you will have it.” Max takes a paper and a pen, ready to write.

“OMG! Do you really want me there, huh?” Y/N exclaimed, tossing her hair.

Max presses a smile as his eyes close. “I said that, I want you.” 

Y/N hates the fucking calm way of he’s voice, and the hideous confidence in every single move, she bets even his blinks are full of pride. 

The silence that follows lets all in the room in a different shot, only Max with his eyes stuck to the girl in front of her; he cages her, in his mind wondering, what if feels like being the one is unable to say something?

Y/N takes a deep breath, hating herself for what she’s about to do. “Ok, I’ll do it.”

Max softly punched the table as he opened the folder with the contract ready, his sign waiting for hers, Y/N scoff seeing her name and the line above it. 

Y/N takes her pen tight, signing the contract, then has Max’s hands in front of her. “I’m dying to work with you.”

Y/N fakes a smile, taking his hand tightly. He wants to play, well, she will make sure by the end of the month he quits his own game.

[brrowse]

"Thank you"

Ellie!bestfriend & reader

⊹ ࣪ ˖ A/N : helloooo so this is the first time me writing fanfictions so please lmk if i wrote it bad lol 😭 and i don't even know if I'll continue this one buttt if you'll like it guys...

You and Ellie always were just friends, not even thinking about something else. But somewhere in your soul you knew that she felt feeling that you can't feel towards your friends. You've been noticing it every time she hugged you or was too close. When she was texting you at late night, asking you to come over.

Everytime she asked you to come over, Ellie was hoping for something more than just a friendly hug, laughing and playing some games on her PlayStation. But you, you never ever thought of kissing your best friend. You've never thought if it's okay.

Ellie always were like this. Flirting with every girl that flirted with her first. But with you it was different. Like she really meant it and not just played with you. When you saw her being with anyone else, how she laughed and didn't look at you, you thought of how happy she feels. Everytime. It doesn't matter if you're around or you're not here. But Ellie? When you weren't around, she probably was worried if you're okay, if you're eating well.

It was an evening of Friday. Like 5pm. You and Ellie were with your best friends. Jesse and Dina who were dating each other. You walked to the kitchen, leaving these three on the couch in the living room. You poured some water in your cup and stood in the doorway as you watched them playing Uno and laughing at each other. Especially Ellie. Your eyes were glued on her. But, then, you looked away and got lost in you thoughts.

Meanwhile, Ellie noticed your presence and looked at you, she was too distracted by your beauty that she didn't even notice that Dina and Jesse were yelling at her.

"Williams! It's your turn!" Dina yelled and looked in the direction where Ellie was already looking. At you. As Dina and Jesse noticed her stare, they both chuckled and looked at each other. "Oooh, so when will you two make out?"

"Shut up. I was just.. dissociating. Nevermind." Ellie looked back at the table with cards when you returned to the kitchen and put the glass back at the shelf. They continued to play.

"Fucking losers. You two don't even know how to play. I'm too good in this." Jesse snapped it, when threw his last card on the table. He then looked at you and raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you play with us?"

You flinched a little at his words and then smiled softly. "You'll yell at me like you yell at them. I'm too bad in this." You shrugged and sat on the couch beside Ellie and watched them play further.

At this time, Ellie was looking only at you and you never noticed it. When you sat beside her, she moved a little closer, so your bodies touched a bit.

Hours passed and Dina took a bottle from the shelfe, as you all were on the kitchen. It was expensive wine. And then she pulled out with a smirk a bottle of whiskey.

You already knew, she wanted to drink too much, so she wouldn't even think straight. You looked at Ellie that was already chuckling and rubbing her eyes. And then you looked at Jesse, that stood up and took the bottle of whiskey and started to dance with it in his hands.

"Guys, you're too awkward. Stop." You laughed and closed your eyes because of the awkwardness of their dances.

"We're having fun. Are you a what? Fun police?" They looked offended and then sat down at the table beside you and Ellie. "You're going to drink, right?" Dina looked at you and Ellie with a smirk.

Ellie slowly nodded and then looked at you. You nodded too.

Dina took four glasses and poured wine in the glasses. As she poured it, Jesse immediately took the glass in his hand and stood up.

"For the lovebirds!" He looked at you and Ellie with a serious face. You and Dina laughed. But Ellie was still. Not even a smile, she was looking at you.

You couldn't not feel the gaze she gave you, so you drank a little of the wine and looked back at her. Her stare was too serious, not like others. Not like the one she would give you when you teased her, when you was in the most gorgeous dress. It was too different.

"You okay?" You were a little concerned, and then Ellie smiled and took a sip of wine too.

"Yeah, just... whatever. Nevermind."

You looked at the clock as hours passed. It was now 12am. Whiskey and wine were in fourth of you. Jesse and Dina were too drunk so they fell asleep. You were scrolling through your phone. But Ellie. She looked like she was completely sober. Like not a sip of alcohol was in her.

"You know.." She started and you looked at her as fast as you could. "I really hate to admit it, I put my pride on the line." She continued, as you raised your eyebrow. Your reaction was a little unreadable.

"What?" This hit your head and made you feel sober. But still, you couldn't understand her.

"When I met you, I knew it, I'd thank you for your time" She looked you into eyes and leaned in. She obviously wanted a kiss.

You didn't move away at first and froze. Ellie took this as "Yes" and leaned in much closer. But then.. you moved away, almost stood up.

"Ellie.. this.. this is not right. You're too drunk. You don't know what you're doing."

She looked dissapointed and stood up too. "I know what I'm doing. I wanted to do it since the day we met."

"But.. we're friends. I can't do it.. sorry." You left the kitchen and went to the bedroom, locking it from inside. As you fell on the bed, you fell asleep in a second.

At the morning, as you unlocked your door, you didn't find anyone in the apartment. Only one person was there. Ellie Williams. As you saw her, the thoughts of last night hit you. You stepped back from the place where you were. But it was too late. She turned her head and saw you.

Ellie looked at you with a disappointment yet hope in her eyes.

"Hey."

"Where are others?" You looked around.

"That's the first thing you want to ask me after what happened?"

You completely froze. And then she stood up from the couch and walked to you. Not close, just enough for you to see her face.

"What do you want to hear from me about that night?"

"What do you feel?" She rubbed her neck, but her face was still neutral. Like she didn't care at all.

"I feel like it's wrong. Friends don't kiss randomly." You finally unfroze and sat on the nearby chair. "I don't want to lose a friend like you, Ellie. But it's not right."

You rubbed your eyes and looked up at her again.

"Choose... being just friends. Without any benefits or anything else or.. just.. leave."

At the words that you spat, she choked on the air. "You're serious? Just tell me you're joking."

You shook your head and waited for the answer. "So.. what do you choose? If you won't make it up, I'll choose it myself."

[dykedvonte]

One of my mutuals opinions is the "bro code" thing, that Curly is one of those guys who wouldn't care about the victim because the perpetrator is his friend and I'm really banging my head on the wall like that other anon. I've only played through the game once but Curly's behaviour/reactions etc read completely different from the "bro code" thing and I have to wonder if my mutual and I even played the same game.. like the constant digs at him from Jimmy, his body language in his face reveal and so on like you mentioned in your post. While this game is a little different obviously, it kind of reminded of a point in Alice Madness Returns that makes it very clear that Alice's pain blinded her to the abuse of the other children and her failure to act earlier because of it. Curly is guilty of a similar inaction but it doesn't change the fact he was a victim of Jimmy too. I don't think I can look at it any other way because both of these games have really stuck with me.

I genuinely think it really is the idea that people want a simple easy to blame problem and the idea that the only relatable victims of abuse are those that "surpass" it or do a lot to help others. When it comes to victims, especially those that don't fit the typical demographics, who either accidently perpetuate it, enable it or aren't ideal in some way shape or form, people jump to ignore what they went through as it's easier than dealing with those conflicting sentiments.

The bro-code conversation in Mouthwashing stems from a concept I generally dislike that there had to be something about Curly that made him meet or keep being friends with someone like Jimmy. I think people genuinely underestimate how many like decent and good people just know an asshole or are friends with someone who is really bad outside of their view/established dynamics. The game makes it clear none of the inaction against Jimmy is because of a lack of care, it is a lack of understanding from the privaleged postions they have as men to not have to worry about what Anya does/went through and the type of extremes men like Jimmy will go through to cover it up. They are all too preoccupied in their own strifes.

Another thing I see being oversaturated the idea that you have to be a freak, misanthrope or have a disorder to do the thing Jimmy does. The game is an escalation, it's a spiral that I don't see people comment on that Jimmy was not likely having the mood swings and episodes of rage/frustration we were seeing in the game. This is after they all start experiencing the worst moments in their lives that he got THAT openly bad. Of course, this is just my interpretation but much like in real life, people that go to extremes like that usually live mundane lives. It's a pressure cooker affect to where the stress made them pop. It's self inflicted but still the case.

I really think people need to be more willing to acknowledge that not everything needs to be an extreme or in black and white or easy to understand. It doesn't need to be happy or have an answer or solution, especially in the cases where the abused sadly helps perpetuate what they experience. It's not he should've known better from experience or shouldn't he have known what could've happened because victims tend to not like to think in matters of the worst. Not to mention, especially in cases of abuse where it feels so personally directed that you don't expect to happen to someone else.

[ryllen]

I MISSED THE WAY YUU RAISED HER VOICE TBHHH she is very sweet when she does that and gets mad~

[hilacopter]

probably a very very hot take on this website but I kind of hate the fandom culture of taking two characters (not always but usually same sex) with a very deep or strong bond and going "omg they're so queercoded" "they're literally canon" when like 90% of the time the things they do yes, show a deep devotion to one another, but could just very much be read as platonic love. it's very amatonormative imo and paints romance as the ultimate and deepest form of love rather than just another type of it that can be equally as strong as platonicity.

[kaidanalenkosprmanager]

Sophie Oliveira-Shepard Alenko-Oliveira and Kaidan Alenko-Oliveira - ME3 (3/?) "What would I do without you?" "You'll never have to find out." Mass Effect 3: Legendary Edition (2021)