#this is definitely not where i thought it was going to go but I'M KINDA HERE FOR IT?

[chronicsyd]

Actually, I’ve got a few redactions + Add on's about the long ass post on the S2 trailer I made a couple weeks ago.

So while I still think Vi painted the gauntlets black to disguise herself, I’m thinking the fight with Warwick damages them again because when Vi’s with Ekko here, they are different than how they first appeared. So Ekko and Heimerdinger could repair them before fighting Ambessa, also it would partially explain why he's here fighting with her at all (so to the anon that asked, yes i do agree that Ekko/Heimerdinger probably fixed them)

I’ve been seeing posts about Jinx kinda sorta “adopting” a kid in the new season (you can kinda see them in that clip with Smeech attacking Sevika) and there’s the scene with Undercity people surrounding Jinx having blue hair so my thoughts are now leaning more towards that this is that child in question than something having to do with Jinx or Powder herself. it would also explain Sevika's new look and such.

I'm SUCH an idiot but the gem imbedded in Viktor's wrist is most likely for the arm they showed back in S1, much like how they showed the gauntlets that Vi would eventually be using. I just didn't give the arm a second thought until now despite knowing The Machine Herald already had the third arm (insert face palm here...)

Back to the lines from Vi and Caitlyn from the announcement teaser 3 years ago, it's clear that they're talking about the temple fight that happens later on. Caitlyn has to see this through but she doesn't want to do it alone because she knows that she or Jinx is going to end up dead as a result; but Vi feels she needs to fight Jinx herself because we're probably going to see a bunch of stuff happen before the fight (like the Kiramman tent fight for example) because Vi says "no one else needs to get hurt", but at first I just thought that Vi was talking about Jinx's attack on the Council.

I'm still unsure who's in the orange that Ambessa's talking to because no ones signature color in Arcane has been orange as far as i know (it's been mainly reds, blues, whites, and golds) so I'm thinking that it's a hospital outfit of some sort (I could be wrong, but that's where my thoughts are towards) and she's talking to someone in Piltover that Can implement Martial Law and there's really only 3 examples that could do that: Caitlyn, Jayce, or Mel (if Mel happens to be alive of course. and I'm pretty sure the other Councilor's are about as dead as dogshit, or should be because besides Cassandra did you Really give a fuck about the rest of them?).

someone else pointed this out and I for the Life of me can't find their account but the lines on the floor point to this being Stillwater Hold, so at some point that's where Jinx's base of operations is, or she's just breaking them out but at least in this scene i don't think so.

I'm changing my stance on this, this is happening right before Act 3 (or more specifically, before we see her in the Ambessa fight). mainly because while the lighting is damn near impossible to make out, i think her hair is cut in this scene, she's also missing the ropes on her top. Mainly because when we see her with the finger prosthetic she still has her braids and that's Definitely happening post Act 1. so she's crying about something different from Silco here and I'm having a dreading idea on what it is...

I don't think Vi is carrying Cait on her shoulders, mainly because with the lighting the vest looks brown but when we see Caitlyn her vest is very clearly black. So not exactly sure who it is, I'm kinda thinking it's the blue fish guy (is Arcane gonna give us the names of Caitlyn's comrades yet?!) and the explosion we see with him isn't the same one that knocked Vi down. but that's just hypothetical, the only thing I'm Sure about is that Vi isn't carrying Caitlyn at least.

I have NO idea Why and I have NO credible sources on this but for some reason my brain keeps telling Sevika's dying. No i don't know the how or the when but it'd just be another tally of grief for Jinx (because we're probably going to see them get close despite their animosity back in S1) (and let's be real anyone that takes on even a Slight "parenting" role to Vi or Jinx is getting the axe, i don't make the rules)

So far the only thing I'm having trouble placing is uhhh everyone that Isn't Vi, Jinx or Caitlyn. because they've been Massively marketing the three of them but when it comes to people like Viktor and Jayce not a fucking clue. We got that clip of Ekko and Heimerdinger sneaking into Piltover where they probably do some sorta hextech experimenting but that's really the limit of my knowledge. I know the people I was confused about have to do with Viktor and the Glorious Evolution thing but other than that, I've really only got solid thoughts on our three ladies for the season.

Also it seems like tomorrow they're probably going to be showing us what they showed at the Annecy festival for pit fighter Vi back in June so... can't wait for that!

and that's what i got for now...

[ghouldtime]

Hiii it's me again lol

Okayokay, so I just finished reading your rant on the COD fandom's unique choice of pet names, and I'm gonna be straight up and say I'm going completely off topic and INSTEAD veer off to a side thing you pointed out to give my own opinion! This is a kinda hot take so I'm just screaming into the void hoping someone shares my thoughts 🖤

Sooo we all know the Ghost comics released alongside the OG MW2. I personally haven't read it due to the TWs but I've seen enough screenshots and summaries to get the gist of what happens. HOWEVER I believe those comics are only canon to 09 Ghost and doesn't apply to reboot Ghost, and this is what I meant about it being a hot take cuz almost everyone in the fandom agrees the comics happens for both. And I can definitely see why! I mean, we didn't exactly get any concrete backstory regarding reboot Ghost, so anything goes.

Where I stand on the line, I'm a firm believer of reboot Ghost being Just A Guy™️like he had a (relatively) chill childhood but there are some things that stay the same with the comics. Like Tommy scaring him with the skeleton mask when they were children, and Simon enlisting after the 9/11 attack (not sure if those are canon, it's just what I've heard so please correct me if I'm wrong). No abusive father, no Roba, no Christmas trauma. Sure it makes him less interesting but I find it pretty amusing how the person wearing a skull print balaclava has no real reason behind wearing it other than it looking cool lmao

Anyway, yap fest over! Hope you have a wonderful day/night and remember to hydrate! 🖤

- Biscuits 🌺

SALUTATIONS it's good to see you again, I hope you're doing swell as well :D 💚💚💚

Technically, what you're saying is true!

The '09 comics pair with the '09 character and are indeed cannon for only him as far as I'm aware (someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong). The reboot lacks a true significant backstory. As in, if you search it up, you basically get "he joined the SAS and is super cool and is great at doing cool soldier things and probably can do a sick backflip". What we know about the reboot is basically what we experience in game. And until we get either another game focusing on his earlier life or have confirmed scenes of it, we really don't know.

Personally, how I distinguish "Ghost" as a being is as three versions.

You have '09 Ghost. '09 Ghost is the one we experienced in the OG games and the comics. He's the dead one - and the one with the actual official backstory. Those are both cannon and are tied to him as a character.

You then have Reboot Ghost. Reboot Ghost is, as the name entails, the reboot alone. Basically, what we have of him and know of him is what we experience in game. Technically, we don't know his backstory and the full extent of his life. Is it similar to his '09 counterpart? We don't know. He's kinda the "What you see is what you get". There's some things implied with his dialog but most of his story is up for debate.

And then we have what I'm calling Fandom Ghost who is the most common variant. Fandom Ghost is neither the reboot nor the '09 version - he's a middle ground. He's what everyone is thinking of when you hear 'Ghost'. Usually how I've seen him portrayed is the reboot with the '09 backstory or some semblance of that.

(Side note: I know it's quite typical to specify when you're referring to '09 Ghost specifically because he does, of course, have a very different history and outcome. Not to mention, the dynamics with him and Soap are very different than in the reboot which is another reason why people usually clarify and go "This is who I mean")

I've never actually seen a TRUE reboot Ghost that wasn't fandom based or fanon in writing, now that I think about it. Probably because it's not that easy to write about a character in a limited sense where you don't know much about them and you have to stick to the limited material you're given.

A lot of COD operators lack a significant backstory outside of their military history. That's mainly done because they're videogame characters of a military, shooting focused game and they don't usually have the time to go into depth as to why that character is the way they are. They're primarily soldiers who are saving the world and playing their role. You might see snippets here and there but the focus isn't on their background or the inner workings of their character in a very personal way, aside from what is revealed on missions to add a natural perspective and make them see more human

Because it's not like in the middle of a life or death situation you're going to sit down and explain that you had a dog growing up, you had three sisters, your favorite drink is Baja Blast, and you have a lifelong fear of Burger King.

'09 Ghost, however, we GOT a backstory. We were given something to work with. Clinging to that or melding it with the reboot, who lacks a backstory, is what a lot do because it's trying to make use of the best source material we got until we can maybe get something else too. Personally I was a fan of that backstory because it DID add depth to him, significantly so. I liked it.

Additionally, I think a LOT of people go that route too because it's something that's quite easy to look up so they don't need to make something themselves

(This is an entire theory and me putting on my tinfoil hat: There's a lot of people in the COD fandom who are just here for the big beefy men and don't do their research, haven't played the games - they're just assuming things. And when they see the fandom Ghost, they just assume it's true, and it spreads when they write their own stories. I hope this doesn't read like I'm trying to gatekeep or 'HOW DARE YOU NOT KNOW EVERYTHING' or 'you're not a true fan unless-', cause I really really really do not care. Do what makes you happy, but I'm going to avoid reading what I feel mischaracterizes him for sexual purposes alone hardcore)

I also like to imagine that maybe the team doing the reboots has enough common sense too to not entirely scrap such a backstory as hey, it IS interesting, so there's a strong possibility that reboot might share some origins. Kidding, I'm being fully delusional here and know they won't do that and will likely just ruin it and I'm hoping they don't have a chance. I know any new one they come up with -like the writing in the last campaign -would be utter carbonated hot dog water and I do not trust them at alllllll. I'm refusing to accept reboot Soap's death but that's a rant for another time

That being said though, there's technically no correct backstory yet for Reboot! Ghost aside from what we already know. Anything that adds backstory or melds anything else to him is making him fanon/fandom!Ghost (which is by far the most common iteration and the one people default too)

I love when people give him, and other COD characters, happy or somewhat not dramatic backstories. They already have enough going on with the wars they're thrown in, I live for them having a scrap of happiness and normality. I can't blame people for not wanting to write or deal with heavy backstories and it's nice to see variety and is SO super valid.

But at the same time, I also do like his OG backstory, I love seeing when people dig deeper into the gritty stuff too, exploring that side of characters because not everyone has the best life growing up. And joining the military and when they join can be telling too about their home life

Variety is the variety of life and when there's not exactly a cannon, then I love seeing people make their own reasonings and conclusions and write fanfics with their own theories. It's SO fun to explore what other people think and it really results in some of the sweetest fics that dive more into depth than the official writing team ever could hope to

The Ghost that I write are usually AU Ghosts anyhow so it allows me more flexibility in what I write. BUT if I'm writing for Ghost, I do the blend where it has more of the '09's backstory but his reboot vibes. THAT BEING SAID

I love making him just, A Dude©, still despite that. Having a bad past doesn't make him any less of a person - nor does it make him this ultra mega tough dominant edgy sigma bad boy. He's literally just a GUY. Sure, he has extensive SAS experience and training to boot. Sure, he's easily one of their top soldiers. He's a stone cold killer when he's Ghost. He's there to do the job.

But Simon? Simon's just a dude, like everyone else - they all are at the end of the day. Sure, they have their own personal struggles and do have to go through a lot, but they're still people. He goes to the grocery store and is genuinely confused about all the options of milk now (how the hell did they milk HEMP). He still makes his bed and has to fight the fitted sheet to stay on, using his size and strength to force it in place before it can do 'the thing' that all fitted sheets somehow do. He bought a bird feeder so he could watch the wildlife as he drinks his tea for breakfast. Speaking of tea, he has a whole collection! And the good shit, you know he won't settle for any less.

He's just A DUDE© at the end of the day and I love those mundane things because hell, he needs them to still feel human and to be reminded exactly what he's fighting for

I just find it so silly and ridiculous when he's consistently like "I'M Batman: I AM THE NIGHT" sheer dramatic levels of broody in stories or when he's put in as this mega dommy bad boy who is 6'5", growling constantly, and is like the posterchild for a wattpad biketok fanfic.

Lmaooo be for real, he's out here doing arts and crafts to make his masks. He has a whole paint collection and everything. He went into the craft store for paint and came out with two new hobbies and no, I'm not listening to anyone who says otherwise

[yayforocs]

I Have Once Again Been Consumed By A Fic (Redstone and Skulk by @silverskye13

[disdaidal]

I wanna thank my irl friends who follow me here and also my beloved mutuals as well as followers who still send me kind messages and try to interact with me and my stuff even if I'm bad at doing it myself.

Honestly, things haven't been that great with me lately, so... it means a lot to me. Honestly. <3

[cherryys]

man it's the way even toji saw megumi as his "potential" first before seeing him as his actual son. he never took a step back and wondered if megumi would even want his potential or strength to define his life, if all megumi could've wanted was just a simple one with his father present.

[pandora15]

Angstpril 2023 Day 1 Prompt: Liar

tw: character having trouble breathing, open ending

Obi-Wan knew, from the moment that he agreed to take on this mission, that it would be difficult.

Faking his death, having to pretend to be someone he wasn't for the sake of his own survival, having to interact with the likes of Cad Bane and Count Dooku himself without getting his cover blown…

Well, he knew from the beginning that it would not be easy.

But none of that was as difficult as it was to return.

The transformation from Rako Hardeen back to his own body was uncomfortable — painful, leaving him shaky and somewhat feverish. The vocal emulator wreaked damage to his vocal chords, and Master Che had confirmed that there was likely some infection in his throat that she'd like to monitor over the coming days.

Which obviously meant that he was stuck in the Halls for now. It wasn't ideal, but considering the fact that he couldn't keep down most foods because of his throat and his entire body ached any time he tried to move at all, he supposed it made sense.

Obi-Wan didn't exactly like it, but even that wasn't the worst part.

Anakin wouldn't speak to him. On the ship when they were returning from Naboo, he'd maintained his distance, and once Obi-Wan had gotten his commlink back, he'd sent Anakin messages frequently, only to receive nothing.

Obi-Wan knew that the deception had upset Anakin. He understood why — more than most, he understood.

But he had hoped that Anakin would also understand why he did it.

"You lied to us," Anakin had said, when Obi-Wan had approached him on the ship. "What else have you lied to me about? Do you even care about any of us?"

Obi-Wan had no response to that — how could he, when he knew that Anakin was right? He did lie to them, after all.

And now he was here, alone, because he did what he knew to be right. Anakin wouldn't speak to him, Ahsoka wouldn't speak to him, Cody wouldn't speak to him, the Council wouldn't speak to him.

He'd succeeded on his mission, and yet —

He'd failed them all.

Letting out a sigh, Obi-Wan placed his commlink back on the table next to the bed. He winced as his throat spasmed at the rush of air, and then he coughed, bending forward slightly to gasp for air.

That seemed to trigger a chain reaction of sorts. The more he gasped for air, the more it irritated his throat, causing him to gasp even more. And the air wasn't even traveling down his throat properly, which meant that —

He couldn't breathe.

He couldn't breathe.

The room seemed to tilt on its axis around him as he shuddered and gasped and placed his forehead on his knees. There was a ringing noise, muffled by the blood rushing in his ears, followed by the sound of footsteps. Voices surrounded him, but he couldn't make them out, not until —

"Obi-Wan?" A hand on his shoulder, pushing him back until he was lying back again, head arching backward in a desperate reach for air. He couldn't speak, couldn't breathe, couldn't —

"Okay, okay, just hold on." The voice was gentle, soothing. "Your throat has swollen up too much. You're not getting enough air."

There were hands holding him down, the hiss of a hypospray, followed by the feeling of everything getting floaty and blurry, until…

His eyes snapped shut, and the memory of his lies that constantly plagued him faded away.

[fnafawoundleftbleedingau]

It's not a lot, but I've managed to write a few more pages of AWLB part 2 after barely being able to even open the doc it's in lately. I count that as a small, but nonetheless, good, little victory.

[ichorblossoms]

thinking abt grimm in a wedding dress

[annie-thyme]

and once again I am suddenly overwhelmed with an intense feeling of not really fitting into a gender

[omarwolaeth]

It's such a tiny innocuous thing that really doesn't matter, but I feel like calling duel monsters a children's card game (when it's fundamentally baked into everyday life, and your social existence is judged by what you play and how you play it so very intensely, for everyone in-universe) is an absolute injustice to what it is for that universe of people.

[volfoss]

Sanding progress going well :) I tried moving my dremel up and down at the smallest point and kind of carving away at the side and that helped a lot! I'm trying to keep the smaller clay bits but the bigger ones don't fit my vision so lol

[random2908]

My boss caught me alone on Friday and asked if I'd like a new side project.

I said this side project wasn't something I knew how to do, but that I was willing to learn. And that it was my understanding that physicists with the skill set for a project like this were very rare and in very high demand, and it would therefore probably be of benefit to the company to give me the time to learn to do this task. But that it would take time. He agreed, he would like to have an employee who could merge physics knowledge with this skill set, but it would take time.

He then said, what if I supervised a new-ish hire--who was hired for this exact skill set, but who isn't a physicist--instead? He went on to explain that the new hire was having trouble following directions, so he wanted to put him on a new project with a new supervisor, to give him a fresh start (possibly a last chance situation, but he didn't quite say that). And because he was having problems with following directions, and because he was not a physicist and this, ultimately, is a physics project, I would need to closely supervise him.

So, uh, that's a very different assignment. And admittedly my first thought was, "oh no, not again," because I think this is the third time in my career something like this has happened to me, where I've been handed a problem employee as a last resort, and it's never gone well.

Anyway, I said that in order to do a close supervision, I'd probably still have to learn the skill set myself to some degree, just to be able to answer questions and know what he was doing. (One time, in a similar situation, I didn't learn the skill set that my subordinate was supposed to be using, and it went especially poorly. But I didn't say that--best not to talk about my past failures.) At the end of the conversation, it seemed like my boss and I were in agreement that that's what we would try.

So, we'll see how this goes...

[haarute]

i'm sorry but as someone who is always trying to understand most things and most people, the reaction a lot of folks have of immediately dismissing something or jumping to an outrage without having a second to try to reflect on a situation or process empathy is something that i will never relate to and i consider to be a bad mentality to have if left unchecked actually

[linawritesocs]

riley's birthday ssr vignette + art!

yes, i didn't know how exactly to draw his ssr card, so i was like "you know what. sure maybe i can just draw something for their birthdays, but it doesn't have to be their cards". and i'm actually kinda proud of how it came out >:D you'll see it under the cut!

also, since riley is the last character to get a first birthday vignette this year ignoring those characters who didn't get anything last year like merrill or minnie, other vignettes are going to be the union ones! i really wanted to write something about seth interviewing those other ocs like angel or allen (SETH BEING DISGUSTED WITH ALLEN THE WHOLE TIME IS PURE COMEDY) but.. i think i should do it in a more canon way. and also i don't want to draw them wearing the same outfits, haha. but hey, maybe seth will still interview one of them! and he will definitely get his own birthday vignette too!

[ part 1 ]

[ savanaclaw dorm lounge - birthday venue ]

seth: riley-chan, happy birthday!

riley: ah, it's you, seth-san.. hello.

seth: aww, you look so cute today! i want to squish you so bad..

riley: .. squish? don't you mean "squeeze"? floyd-senpai says that word a lot, though i'm still not sure what he means by that.

seth: and it's probably for the best that you don't know that.

seth: anyway, how is our birthday boy doing? are you having fun?

riley: your microphone is so shiny..

seth: huh? wait, oh no, it still has the same design that i used for cater-chan's birthday!

riley: so you change your microphone's.. uh.. "theme" or "aesthetic" depending on who you're supposed to interview? how do you do that?

seth: yeah! for example, it had this flower theme when we celebrated avery-chan's birthday and i tried to make it as bright and colorful as possible for cater-chan's birthday!

riley: i see.. very impressive, seth-san. is it working though?

seth: it's covered in paint and glitter, riley-chan. this mic is NOT working.

riley: oh. for some reason it doesn't sound that impressive anymore.

seth: ".. is he disappointed?"

seth: anyway, about the question i asked you earlier-

riley: hm? you asked me something?

riley: oh, wait.. this is an interview, so you're probably supposed to ask questions, right? and i'm supposed to answer.

seth: y-yeah. so, about your birthday party..

riley: .. it's nice, i guess.

seth: you don't look so happy though.

riley: it's just.. i like spending time with other savanaclaw students, since most of them are scared of me or they just think i'm weird.

riley: but other students.. most of them think i'm "cute" and they refuse to leave me alone. i hate them.

seth: "h-how can these savanaclaw jocks be scared of YOU??"

seth: "wait, does this mean that he hates me too?"

riley: savanaclaw students are nice though. i like them.

seth: "i can hear vance-chan trying to make leona let him transfer to savanaclaw."

seth: are you having fun though?

riley: well.. the cake was nice. also i got to spend some time alone because i got a new bat as a birthday gift from one of the students and it made me so happy, i decided to carry it with me everywhere and others found it scary, so they just.. left me alone.

seth: "how am i supposed to tell that you're happy from your face expression??"

seth: i see, so you still got some alone time despite your popularity. that's good to hear.

riley: but then you came.

seth: o-oh.

seth: um.. wait, about the cake, where did other students get it? i don't think i know any savanaclaw students that are good at baking.. ah, they probably just bought it somewhere and didn't think too hard.

riley: oh.. by the "cake" i meant a cake-shaped soap they bought for me.

seth: HUH??

riley: it didn't taste like cake though. but it sure smelled like one.

seth: .. did you eat it, riley-chan.

riley: yeah. what about it?

seth: um?? aren't you supposed to feel sick after that??

riley: it's okay. i'm used to eating things that aren't.. uh.. "edible".

seth: .. can you give an example?

riley: well, dry leaves can be very crunchy. i like their texture. it's kind of like eating chips. grass is very tasty too.

riley: paper can be nice too. it can be very sharp though.. sometimes eating it can be a bit painful.

riley: also rocks-

seth: AND YOU NEVER FEEL SICK AFTER EATING ALL OF THAT??

riley: i told vance-kun about it before and he was just as confused as you at first, but then he said that i'm just "built different".

seth: .. i don't know if i should be concerned or amazed.

seth: "just what could possibly drive him to eating this kind of stuff?"

seth: "oh.. maybe his family's financial status wasn't that good so he had to get used to eating these things?"

[ part 2 ]

seth: oh, speaking of gifts, did you get anything from your family, riley-chan?

seth: if that's okay to ask, of course!

seth: "oh no.. what if they didn't have enough money to get him a gift.. this poor thing.. WAIT, I DIDN'T MEAN TO SAY HE'S POOR IN THAT WAY!"

riley: ah, they sent me a new phone, some new outfits to wear because they were concerned about me wearing my school uniform all the time, even when i go to sleep, a game console because they heard about me being close with vance-kun, actually, they sent me like three of them because they didn't know which one is the best..

seth: ...

riley: those gifts are fine, but my favorite has to be the crystals they got for me. they're very pretty.

riley: huh? is something wrong, seth-san?

seth: "I LITERALLY CAME UP WITH A TRAGIC BACKSTORY FOR HIM AND IT TURNS OUT THAT HE'S JUST AS SPOILED AS ALLEN!"

seth: "wait, it makes sense since they're cousins."

seth: um.. riley-chan.. i didn't know that your family was so rich..

riley: oh, my parents are just as rich as allen's, actually. i just don't talk about it that much, unlike him.

seth: i see. it's just that allen likes to spend A LOT of money. he usually spends it on expensive gifts, but he's also the kind of guy who goes "ah yes, it's IMPULSIVE PURCHASE TIME" whenever he's feeling sad.

riley: haha, that's just like allen. it's kind of cute of him to do that.

seth: "CUTE??"

seth: "ah, that's right, i kinda forgot that he basically worships his cousin.."

seth: i get him though, i can act like that sometimes too. riddle-chan is always there to stop me from doing that though.

riley: oh.. it doesn't sound like a good thing to do, you probably should spend your money more reasonably.

seth: "HE LITERALLY JUST PRAISED ALLEN FOR DOING EXACTLY THE SAME THING!"

seth: oh, what about your relationship with your parents? it looks like they love you a lot.

riley: ah.. they're nice. they can be a bit.. embarrassing though.

riley: they're the type of parents to loudly cheer for me when i'm playing sports.

seth: aww, that's so sweet! it's nice to hear that your parents are so supportive.

riley: sometimes i wish they could just leave me alone.

seth: "what's wrong with this kid.."

seth: anyway, what about the other gifts you got today?

riley: oh, ruggie-senpai was the one to get me a cake-shaped soap actually. he used leona-senpai's money, so it's like.. a gift from both of them, i guess.

riley: he looked so shocked when i started eating it though.. what's the deal with him judging me for doing that? i know he eats really weird things sometimes too!

seth: "ah, he's acting more like a true "spoiled rich kid" now."

riley: jack-kun also got me this night light, it's cactus-shaped. you can really see that it's a gift from jack-kun.

seth: it looks so cute!! do you like it?

riley: yes, i like it a lot. i'm glad that it's just a night light and not a real cactus, because i don't think i would be good at taking care of it. my memory is not that good and i get distracted often, so.. and i would be very sad if something happened to it.

seth: you could ask avery-chan for help though!

riley: ah.. avery-senpai is one of those students who think i'm scary.

seth: "it's because of his eyes and face expression, isn't it?.."

[ part 3 ]

seth: oh, oh, did you get anything from vance-chan?

riley: he wished me a happy birthday earlier, but he said that i will get a gift from him a bit later. he said that i should look forward to it and he thinks that i'll like it.

seth: ohh, so interesting~ i wonder what he got for you! it must be something very special!

riley: he probably just forgot about my birthday.

seth: w-why do you think so?

riley: because i mentioned my birthday a few days ago and he started acting really weird after that. he refused to spend time with me after that and he looked very nervous and he was like "OH, S-SORRY, I-I'M VERY B-BUSY TODAY, B-BYE!"

riley: i'm telling you, he probably forgot about it and remembered only when i mentioned it.

seth: "so even though he obviously has a crush on riley-chan, vance-chan still forgot about the gift.."

seth: hm, i wonder how you used to spend your birthday in the past. do you think this year's birthday party is more fun than the ones you had when you were a kid?

riley: i'm not really a fan of birthdays, actually.

riley: i hate being the center of attention and it gets even worse when it's my birthday.

riley: my parents always insisted on inviting all the neighborhood kids even though i never was friends with them and didn't care about them that much.

riley: they were so annoying.. i always wished they could just disappear..

riley: ahaha, sometimes i imagined something very bad happening to them in the middle of the birthday party and it made me so happy..

seth: "o-okay, he can be just as scary as his cousin."

seth: "wait, his cousin-"

seth: hey, did you get anything from allen today?

riley: ...

riley: i.. i didn't.

seth: "just as i expected."

seth: oh.. i'm sorry, riley-chan. i know that he doesn't really like you.

riley: he doesn't like me?

seth: well, yeah-

riley: so you're saying allen hates me?

seth: yeah, i thought it was obvious.

riley: ...

seth: a-are you about to cry-

riley: oh well, i guess i just have to make him like me then.

seth: um.. riley-chan, why are you so obsessed with your cousin?

seth: you know, it makes you look kinda creepy.

riley: oh, it's just..

riley: it's because he was the only child who never wanted to play with me, talk to me or do anything with me.

riley: hehe, meeting a kid like that was so exciting for someone like me who was loved by everyone..

riley: it's okay if he hates me. it's even more fun to make him notice me that way.

riley: i'm sure we will become friends one day.

seth: .. hey, riley-chan.

seth: so you thought allen was interesting because he was the only person who hated you, right?

riley: yes, what's so wrong about that?

seth: well, a lot of things, but.. why do you want him to like you then?

seth: do you wish to be loved or do you wish to be hated?

seth: are you sure that you really hate being the center of attention that much?

seth: or do you secretly enjoy making people become obsessed with you?

riley: ...

riley: i think it's time for you to go, seth-san.

seth: y-you're right.

seth: once again, happy birthday, riley-chan!

[ablednt]

Can't come over today I'm busy psychoanalyzing societies that don't actually exist, yeah tomorrow too, sorry

[just-let-me-see-accounts]

The following is mostly conjecture + draws from this post, which is now noncanon.

GOING INSANE OVER WALLY!!! He's so full of love he loves his friends so much which means that he is so WORRIED and TERRIFIED! Like, he is the first and only one so far to realise that their situation is not normal and that it's messed up. Nobody else knows.

And it just kind of happened one day. Something didn't make sense and then as the days went on less things made sense until he realised that something was seriously wrong.

And now it's up to him to find out what's wrong exactly, how much danger they're in, and what form that danger takes, exactly. Nobody else knows, it's just him, and he better find out the rules quick before anybody gets hurt.

Now he's stuck trying to figure out how to save everyone and keep them all safe. He's doing his best but clearly it's hard and long and he keeps hitting roadblocks, like how nobody answers the phone or lets him in.

Well, no actually. He has Home at least, there's that. I don't know what his relationship with Home is, they're obviously entangled with eachother, but I'm unsure if it's healthy. Are they giving a united front? Or are they only hurting eachother. Personally, I think they're in it together, since all of their interactions seem amiable so far.

But like, dude, Wally really seems he gets caught up in the "Oh god. They don't even know." dread spiral a lot. Like, he's grappling with the fact that their reality is wrong and they're all in danger and he's just supposed to? Go back? And hang out with everyone normally?

And yet, he can't tell anyone else about it, because he doesn't know what'll happen. What if they take it badly? What if the world they're trapped in retaliates? There's too many unknowns. He can't risk it.

Wonder if he knows any safe places to freak out about it. Home seems relatively safe, at least. But it's not like he can write this stuff down. What if someone finds it? He might write anyways. I bet he talks to Home a lot about their situation. Try to hash things out, make game plans.

What Wally's realised is obviously a huge weight on him, and it's affecting him day to day. He keeps spacing out when he hangs out with his friends. His usual quietness and non-expressive face are protecting him for now, but how long until someone notices that he's being off. One person is "all it takes".

Barnaby notices something in the last audio. He asks if everything is alright. We're nearing the end of the prologue. One person is all it takes. I worry about how Wally and Home will handle this. Will Wally be able to successfully deflect? Can they keep this going a little longer? Or will Barnaby come away knowing that something is wrong, and that Wally isn't telling him everything.

MAN IDK. As someone who's in a toxic/abusive home with siblings who are (or were, rather) oblivious to anything wrong, I relate to Wally heavily. Oh god, they don't even know. Not wanting to tell anyone because there are too many variables. Constantly worrying about how to make sure everyone stays safe and how to get everyone out of the situation. Spacing out a lot, because it's just too big. Even if you're not actively thinking about it, even if you're doing something fun and enjoying hanging out, for long stretches of time, even, it's something that lingers behind you. The context to everything.

It's just. I relate to him. A lot. And I truly hope he pulls off his plans flawlessly. But we know he won't. Things are going to get worse before they get better, if they get better at all.

I don't think Wally's a villain. I see him and I'm like "Oh, of course, he's just trying his best to get everyone to escape a bad situation".

He loves everyone!! He just wants everyone to be okay!! But it's hard and frustrating to figure out how to do that, and it can feel helpless sometimes. And doing all that while grappling with his very reality being a lie? Tough break!

Whether he makes bad decisions, whether intentionally or accidentally, in the name of this, however? That's a different story.