#post sb where he still deals with it

[puhpandas]

(the week would take place leading up to ggys 1st anniversary this year (February 29th to March 7th))

!!(PLEASE only vote if you would participate in the week. if you wouldnt create anything press the results button. this poll is purely for people who would 100% join the week and draw fanart/write fics for one or the other)!!

#this is still hypothetical #but im genuinely considering hosting a fan week for ggy so #if there is interest i will 100% consider it more #if it were ggy theres a chance there could be a prompt centered around its characters #so potentially beckory if youd choose to do that #ggy promts could be centered around everything involving him #like glitchtrap mimic vanny his experiences being mind controlled #post ggy aus #post sb where he still deals with it #etc #and if beckory then the prompts would all be centered around purely them #and their relationship #pandas.txt #pandas talks

[burnedwriter]

N.N.N Harbinger special!

A/n:i have had so many problems with this fic i swear,this is a reupload of the fic due to my blog being shadow banned and my post getting community labeled,i have an ao3 account now where i will upload my fics there too

A/n:it happened again this is the 3rd time im reuploading this fic im so done with tumblr sb has to be reporting my posts at this point

Warnings:mention of experimentation,suggestive content,teasing,rough fucking,!afab reader

A/n:im not responsible for what people read

💉Dottore

💉he would accept the challenge only to experiment on himself.we are talking about dottore afterall.He was curious to see the effects that it had on his body.

💉he will even tell you to tease him a bit to see if the there any diferent effects.

💉this man sees everything as an opportunity for an experiment and suprisingly enough he made it through the whole month

💉until one day,you were approached by a fatui agent.

''lord dottore requests your assistance!''He said monotonely

and with that you got up from your seat and headed towards dottore's office.Knoking the door before entering,you closed the door behind you,he had his chair turned back at the door but as soon as he heard the door close he turned his chair to face you.

you always felt like a deer in headlights to his presence making your whole body freeze in place

''you requested my assistance,how's the experiment going sir?''you said cowardly

making himself comfortable he placed his elbows on his desk as the tips of his fingers touched eachether creating a sophisticated pose

''the experiment went great dear,but there is one last thing i want you to help me with.....how about you show me what that beautiful mouth of yours can do other than talking''

🐋tartaglia/childe

🐋When you told this man about the challenge,he acceted imediatly without any hesitation.Childe loves challenging his abilities in every way he can.

🐋But what he didnt expect was how hard it would be with you around him

🐋he lasted until day 15 and failed in the most clitche way possible

🐋You heard him call you from the living room,so you quickly threw a towel over yourself as you just came out of the shower and headed to the living room.

''what is it ajax?''you asked confused as you saw him stand still before you

his cheecks flashed red as he continued to stare at your half covered body

''you look really beautiful like this''his voice trembling almost like he fell in love again

coming closer to you he wrapped his arms around your waist closing the distance between you

You saw his gaze turn from soft to a lustful one,as his hands slithered down your ass massaging it softly and earning a low moan from you

"How about we take this to the bedroom hm"

👿Scaramouche

👿When you told him about the challenge he thought it was stupid but....he accepted it only because hehas a big ego about himself and wants to prove its not that hard

👿So of course you took it upon yourself and decided to tease him a bit just to step up the difficulty for him.

👿Pretending you dropped your pen and picking it up only to flash scara with a glimse of your panties,or another thing you did to tease him was grinding yourself against his crotch every time you sat on his lap and when he confroted you about it,you tried to pay it off as coincidence

That was the last straw for him

"Are you satisfied now slut" he hissed threw his teeth as he pounded into your core as he had you pinned with your legs next to your head

"Trying so hard to get my attention"he said continuing his merciless pace

By that you knew you were in for a long night

👖Pantalone

👖 Pantalone is different from the rest of the harbingers.He will agree to participate in the challenge under one condition,if you too joined

👖By accepting the deal you sealed your fate in he worst case possible

👖Pantalone didnt seem to break by your teasing even if it did hes impossible to read under that charming smile of his

👖Pantalone's teasing though...made you wish this month to be over already

👖He would brush his hands with yours everytime he passed you or he will whisper dirty things in your ear every chance he got just to see you cheeks glow red

👖Finally you had enough of his teasing,putting your ego aside you went straight to his office,upon entering you closed the door behind you

Pantalone lifted his head off of the paper work only to realise it was you

"Hello darling,is there anything you need?"

Bitting your lip as your face started to heat up from embarassment

"Oh!i see...you finally gave in,too bad we have to try next year again"he let out a teasing laugh as a sly smile started to form

You were in for a treat

#genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #genshin impact x you #genshin smut #childe x reader #childe x you #dottore x reader #dottore smut #scaramouche x you #scaramouche smut #scaramouche x reader #genshin tartaglia x reader #tartaglia smut #tartaglia x reader #tartaglia x you #wanderer x reader #wanderer x you #pantalone x you #pantalone #regrator x reader #genshin impact wanderer #wanderer x y/n #pantalone x reader

[lnkedmyheart]

The cool thing about skk to me is that despite me joking most of the time when I say there is no way to read them as "just enemies" or "just friends" its actually true. Out of all the relationships in bsd, all of them can be clearly labelled as something and you get a pretty good picture of what their dynamic would be. Like with sskk you can say enemies to best friends and it would be right because they did start out as legit enemies who are growing to trust and care for each other and it's a lot more clearly defined where they stand with each other in universe even if Atsushi doesn't quite understand it. Aku cares about him whatever way you want to see it in he has grown to care about him. You can define what Fukumori and fukfuku are, you can even define what rimlaine were even if that is by virtue of us already knowing that they were based on a real couple. And even with Dazai you can clearly define his relationship with Kunikida (work partners and friends), Oda (dearest friend), Ango (close friend that he has some animosity towards but really still cares for him).

But you can't quite place skk in a neat little box because they don't make it clear. Their words constantly contradict their actions when it comes to each other. They have each other in their dislikes but they are both weirdly obsessive about each other. They understand each other to a ridiculous extent, they trust each other way too much, they have more faith in the other's humanity than in their own. They act like vitriolic best friends but claim to despise each other. And I have honestly not seen Dazai be this physically affectionate with anyone. Even their descriptor for each other is simply "partner" which is such an ambiguous term cause it can mean anything from work partners, partner in crime, romantic partner (based on rimlaine's whole partner situation considering their whole...thing) and so on. And it doesn't help that aside from Chuuya once, nobody actually acknowledges that their partnership ever ended, including Fyodor. Even Dazai refuses to use the word ex.

I used to wonder how Chuuya's friendships and relationship would play out in contrast but with 15 and sb it's clear that Chuuya does struggle to fully warm up to people and tends to be more reserved with his affection, so his dynamic with Dazai post sc makes a lot of sense.

The only other dynamic in canon with this much ambiguity is Fyolai but there at least you have some attempt at explaining Nikolai's side of things. For how in your face skk's closeness is we don't actually know what their deal actually is outside of some kind of intense friendship .

Is this just my long and convoluted way of saying I really wanna know what happened between stormbringer and dragon head as well as before dark era? Yes. This isn't particularly in any sense supposed to push some romantic dynamic on them, all I'm saying is their dynamic is such an enigma.

#I'm rambling today. #my uterus is being a hoe

[embarrassinglastwords]

A LONG POST ABOUT CHUUYA DREAMING BECAUSE WHY NOT

i know it’s already a popular belief that he does dream but i still see things saying he doesn’t every now and then so here’s my reasoning on why he does

but TLDR: chuuya does dream, he just can’t remember them bc of trauma

So first-

“It's unlikely that people never dream. It's far more likely to have issues with REM sleep, memory recall, or other sleep disturbances” and pairing that with this SB quote

and considering that 16 year old Chuuya only has 8 years worth of memories with the 8 years he doesn't remember being full of pain and suffering, it’s not unlikely his brain has just blocked it all out

Freud believed that the unconscious expresses itself in dreams as a way of resolving repressed or unwanted emotions. Our brain is essentially working out problems while we sleep. and, still talking about SB Chuuya, he has 8 years worth of pain to work out.

and even tho he isn't in that environment (the lab) anymore he still works in a very stressful setting. adding his sheep days and new pm job to those missing years he only has memories of pain and suffering for his brain to work through. there's lots of theories on the actual /purpose/ of dreams.

"Dreams are used to regulate emotion, like dealing with fears; to consolidate memory, replaying things from your day to help remember them; to solve, or on the other hand to forget, real-world problems”

continuing my point from above, think about the emotions he would have to regulate, the fears he'd have to deal with, and the memories that would be replayed. In addition to impacting our sleep quality and quantity, trauma can have an impact on our dreams.

“PTSD sufferers often wake from sleep with the covers torn off, or may even find themselves on the floor. Some remember in precise detail what they've dreamt; while others wake with no memory of a dream”

Now I know it's not canon but i refuse to believe a character like Chuuya doesn't have PTSD and as stated here it's common for people with PTSD to either vividly remember dreams, or not remember them at all.

A quote from SB i thought was cool

He woke up and had clearly experienced some strong emotion. and going back to the PTSD point as well as the fact that dreams work out memories he very well could have been dreaming of N, or anytime in the 8 years he has no memories. So when he woke up from such a distressing dream, obviously he was sweating and worked up.

All of this is mostly focused on SB/16 yr old Chuuya but I think it's likely Chuuya still goes through this.

The lab, the Sheep, the Port Mafia, he's never had /fun/ memories your average person would have. So even though he is happier and better now he still has a high stress job where he loses people and get's hurt often.

Long story short, chuuya does dream lmao.

OKAY THATS ALL at the small chance someone is still reading ty! i hope this made sense😭 and like i said i know this isn’t a new thought, most chuuya fans believe he does dream, but i had to share

#bsd #bungo stray dogs #nakahara chuuya #stormbringer #bsd analysis #batposting #posting all my fav posts on here and twt💀

[cenobittten]

Gregory is sus: A Security Breach analysis

A spoilery leak-informed introduction to why I am doing this - for theorists & hardcore fans

A non-spoilery link to all analysis parts - coming soon.

No spoilers, game evidence only

PART ONE - GAME OPENING

So, from the beginning of the game, Gregory always puzzled me. So much so that I have been building a theory for a whole year based on him being sus.

Join me as I rewatch the game and highlight some things you may have missed.

Today, we'll cover the opening of the game up until the start of daycare. You may think there isn't much to say here but… surprisingly the game opening does a LOT of heavy lifting with setup. So much so that I boldly promise that you'll be given enough to realise Gregory is sus af by the end of this post.

The game's opening never made sense to me. From a storytelling perspective, why would SW have the game open with us in Freddy's room? Out of all the beautiful game settings they could have opened with, you start in a tiny room side room. Things are already confusing. Gregory has mysteriously come from Freddy's hatch - he claims he crawled in there when Freddy was asleep. That was extremely suspicious and my writer's senses were tingling. I had a suspicion that this was a writing technique called "In medias res", where the narrative begins partway through the story in the middle of the action and that this might be a clue in and of itself.

Protip: I highly recommend rewatching the opening to Security Breach before reading this or clicking the accompanying clips. Dialogue tone is extremely important.

The clues

(Covers 1-4)

1: Gregory hiding in Freddy's hatch:

Lets start at the very beginning. Now, what kid in their right mind climbs into a switched off animatronic? Especially after it has been glitching wildly on stage? Most kids would find the prospect terrifying but Gregory seems surprisingly unbothered by it. What or who is he hiding from? What drove him to hide somewhere so dangerous?

The mystery goes deeper though. To solve it, we need to channel our inner Benoit Blanc. Time to play detective:

Gregory claims he got into Freddy's hatch while he was sleeping

However, Freddy was on stage when he glitched. Presumably he was still on the stage when he switched off.

We know from the Fazwatch note 'Party Foul' that Freddy was out of commission for the rest of the day. He missed a kid's birthday party.

This means we have at least several hours between Freddy crashing and the game starting. This presumably means there could have been time where Freddy was out of action/asleep and Gregory could have climbed into him as he said.

When though? Freddy malfunctioned in public view in front of a big audience. There is no way he could have got into Freddy without someone noticing unless no one was around. He would have been stopped by staff. And presumably, Freddy was transported by a staff member back to his own room. When could Gregory have snuck in?

This is where SB fans say 'Simple. He got into Freddy's room and snuck in there'! Now, its possible I am wrong here but I think the game is hinting at that being impossible. Why? The game goes out of its way to tell us Freddy can't get out of his room. His door is locked, requiring someone with a party pass to open it from the outside. If Gregory has no security badges at all, how could he have gotten into Freddy's room independently? How did he get the chance?

This made me wonder if Gregory was lying and covering up how he'd come to be inside Freddy. By its own, this line of thinking is a bit thin but stay with me and you'll see why I made a big deal about this.

Quite the puzzle. Reminds me of the old 'locked door' mysteries! It also raises the question: Was Gregory actually already inside Freddy before he glitched? Could he even be the reason for said malfunction?

2: Gregory's narrative set up:

I also want to point out that we see no hint of Gregory's backstory or how he came to be in the Pizzaplex. Despite being a lost kid in a shut-down Pizzaplex, he isn't upset or scared. He doesn't talk about wanting to go home. From a storytelling perspective, this immediately stood out.

3: Gregory's rude introduction:

Gregory's first line of dialogue is "Shh! WILL YOU SHUT UP?!". Kinda rude for a lost kid, huh? He's scared of Vanessa the Security Guard coming over, sure. But why? If he hasn't at least met Vanessa in passing before, how does he know she is 'trying to get him'? Either Vanessa has shown herself to be a threat to him (which she shows no sign of to the player) or Gregory is hiding something or making an excuse. I also noted that he almost sounds frustrated and annoyed at Freddy for asking questions.

4: NO RECORD OF GREGORY:

This clue is super important! Freddy scans Gregory. He has no guest profile. He then asks for Gregory's name. Freddy proceeds to try and notify the main office and he receives a connection error. Ergo, there is no way that anyone else in the Pizzaplex can or should know his name. Remember this.

5: Gregory makes accusations/deflects:

Omg I titled this clip wrong lol. GREGORY'S REACTION TO VANESSA

Gregory immediately blames Freddy's connection problems on 'her'. "She cut you off", "She's trying to get to me. She's not going to let you call for help until she finds me." The player presumes he's talking about Vanessa.

Freddy responds with "Who? Your Mother?"

I personally think this is the game foreshadowing but that's for another theory.

It's telling that we never get an answer in-game. Gregory distracts by talking about footsteps approaching. This could be read as deflection.

6: G's reaction to Vanessa:

Freddy tells him it's the security guard and 'she can help!. Gregory responds in a panicked way. "NO, NO, I don't trust her." "I don't know who she is but she's trying to get me!"

Again, what is going on here? Think back. Gregory just said he doesn't know her but earlier he 'knew' that she'd cut communications and that Vanessa was after him. Why doesn't he trust her? (At this point, my mind was whirring. Things don't add up.)

Unless, of course, he's referring to a different 'she'...

7: Gregory expresses no verbal desire to exit the pizzaplex:

This fact gets lost in the Fazwatch intro sequence but - believe it or not - it is Freddy who prompts the walk to the main entrance. Gregory says nothing about escaping, leaving or his motivation at all. Why? That's rather plot convenient.

8: Freddy assumes Gregory has a party pass:

After climbing out of Freddy's room via the vents, Gregory tries but fails to open Freddy's door. He needs a party pass.

Freddy says: "Apologies, I assumed you had one already…" Why would Freddy assume this given Gregory didn't have a guest profile? Well, because Freddy knows Gregory could not have entered his room without it. Again, a surprisingly telling dialogue choice.

Freddy sends Gregory to find a complimentary pass in the lobby so he can get Freddy out of his room.

Clue 9: Gregory's dialogue reminds players of Afton:

Party pass achieved, Gregory reunites with Freddy. Freddy says that he has figured out how to get Gregory out of the Pizzaplex and says he'll take him to the main entrance. Freddy proceeds to suggest that Gregory travels in this cakehatch.

Gregory says yes: "But you better be careful moving around, I don't want to be crushed and twisted into a meat pretzel."

This could be taken as innocent fear but… it's delivered a little dryly for that. The imagery reminds the player of Springtrap. And the fear is sort of belated, isn't it? Given he already hid in there earlier.

Clue 10: Freddy's sudden detour to First Aid:

I don't know how else to explain it but Freddy starts behaving quite strangely as soon as he exits his room with Gregory in his hatch. He says about taking Gregory to the main entrance, they need to hurry before the doors shut. Then unexpectedly Freddy announces randomly that "You are broken" and he makes an impromptu trip to first aid despite Gregory's protests that he is 'fine' and they "Don't have time".

The first aid room, as it happens, is located in the Staff-only utility tunnels in a dark room with danger signs and sparking wires. Bit odd, huh? Why isn't First Aid in one of the guest areas? This doesn't seem like a typical place to bring customers.

Plot happens:

As soon as the duo get to the First Aid Station, they are interrupted by Vanessa. Gregory hides while Vanessa tells Freddy off. The following scene plays out:

Vanessa: Freddy! You're supposed to be on lockdown.

Freddy: Officer Vanessa! I do not know how I got here!

Vanessa: Well you totally blew it tonight you know. Your system crashed and you ruined the show. Now Parts and Service have you on reduced power! They said it's a safety precaution. Just one more thing to deal with...

Freddy: I apologize.

Vanessa: Ok... Look, we're like 15 minutes from closing and some kid is sneaking around backstage. If you see anything notify me immediately, I already alerted the others. Now go back to your room.

This is important context and establishes a few things. "Parts and Services" have put Freddy on reduced power, meaning he requires recharging every hour. Additionally, Vanessa at least appears to know very little about Gregory other than the fact that he exists.

Gregory says: "I told you she was after me."

This voice line implies that Gregory and Vanessa have at least had one run in with each other.

Freddy promises: "I said nothing. I will keep you safe. Let's go."

11: Gregory doesn't receive any first aid:

I kid you not, I laughed the first time I realised this. After all the fuss that was made, Freddy doesn't even look Gregory over. They just leave immediately. Is this a plot oversight or a clue?

Unrelated(?) detail you may have missed:

As Freddy and Gregory move through the Utility Tunnels, Freddy explains they link to every area of the building.

Freddy says: Fazer Blast, Monty Golf, Roxy Raceway, they are all accessible to S.T.A.F.F - with high enough clearance of course. Guests are never allowed down here but yours is a... special situation.

This scene provides confirmation that the First Aid Station Freddy took Gregory to isn't usually used by guests. Hmmm.

Additionally, there's another notable piece of flavour text. The S.T.A.F.F bots need security clearance to go around the building. Why? If S.T.A.F.F bots are just generic AI/personality-less robots, why would they need individual security clearance?

It's also worth noting that - as this line is delivered - we pass a scene behind a chain link fence. It is of three S.T.A.F.F bots standing around a broken colleague.

Then, a short walk later, this poster is displayed: "100% of fatal accidents involve human beings."

It feels like Steel Wool might be trying to imply something here.

Plot:

About two seconds later, Freddy draws to a halt because he ran out of power. So helpful. Gregory is on his own again but Freddy promises to direct him via the Fazwatch. Gregory sets off for the main entrance.

12: Animatronic dialogue:

Gregory wanders around a bit and triggers a playable cutscene where Roxy, Chica and Monty begin to chase him.

I'm going to cheat slightly here and use this as an opportunity not only to review their dialogue in this scene but their wandering around dialogue as it boils down to the same point.

During the chase, the animatronics say the following.

Monty: There you are! (Friendly tone, like he's found you after playing hide and seek)

Roxy: Are you lost? (Dry voice, could be read as sarcasm or a genuine question. Ambiguous)

Chica: Lost boy over here! (Singsong)

You can also find the rest of their dialogue text and audio here.

None of these voice lines sound threatening at all. They sound pretty reasonable on the whole honestly. In some cases, they even sound friendly or like they are just doing the task assigned to them as part of a Pizzaplex lost kid protocol. Or directions from Vanny/Vanessa/an unseen force. But whatever is driving them, they don't seem very murdery.

Some patroling dialogue lines that stuck out to me:

Monty: "You can hide but you can't hide!", "Hey kid, come on out! We're only tryin' to help." (That first one… what does Monty mean?)

Chica: "Your family is looking for you.", "Your parents want you to follow me.", "Don't worry, you're safe with me." (How does Chica know who Gregory's parents/family are?)

Roxy: "Why are you hiding from me?", "Hey kid, come on out. We're only trying to help.", "I can help." (Roxy has some more spiteful-sounding dialogue like "Sneak away, little coward" and "Nobody will miss you" but none sound threatening or aggressive)

Plot again:

Gregory escapes but doesn't make it to the door in time.

"How unfortunate Gregory. You missed your chance but there is still hope. You should be able to escape when the security doors reopen at 6:00am. Until then, keep moving and try not to draw attention to yourself, there is another way out. I will help you find it. I promise."

13: Chica knows Gregory's name:

So now, Gregory begins to find a means to upgrade his Party Pass so he can enter the Pizzaplex. During this time, Chica patrols the area.

Hey, remember how I pointed out that:

Gregory has no guest profile?

Freddy couldnt access the mainframe to report his name?

Ergo, there is no way that anyone other than Freddy who can know Gregory's name?

THEN HOW DOES CHICA KNOW GREGORY'S NAME?

Before people say "Vanessa hears Gregory's name through the Fazwatch via Freddy." That scene happened at 2am. This clip is LITERALLY from 12am moments after the door shut. It's several hours before that scene even happens. Vanessa is still calling him 'little boy' and 'some kid'.

How was this missed by much of the fandom? Well, I have a theory. In Matpat's GT live playthrough pre-release day patch, I'm pretty sure Chica has a different set of voice lines. As far as I can see, she also never says Gregory's name at 12am. But on Markiplier's - post patch - playthrough, she says it continuously. There are even different iterations of her saying Gregory's name, one of which is reminiscient of the special voicebox screech used to access the Burntrap boss fight.

This was my jaw drop moment while watching my second playthrough of Security Breach. How does Chica know Gregory's name? In that moment, I 'knew' that Gregory could not be unknown to Chica. He knew more than he was letting on and I was on the lookout for more inconsistencies.

And I realised Chica is super important - after all, Chica's beak has always been lore significant.

14: Freddy's strange response to Gregory's gift magnet:

Gregory goes to find an item with which to 'hack' the Party Pass machine. He finds a 'Free Mystery Gift' box conveniently located in the gift shop. He opens it to find - in his own words "a crappy Mr. Hippo fridge magnet. Lame"

Freddy responds to his magnet disappointment with: "I am sorry, Gregory. I am truly sorry."

He sounds as if someone just died. What is this dialogue? Who says that in response to a kid expressing dismay at getting a character magnet they don't like?!

15: Freddy's tone deaf response to a setback

After this, Freddy directs Gregory to use the magnet "hack" the machine to get a party pass. The machine unexpectedly spits out a Daycare pass instead.

Gregory is dismayed but Freddy says, "That's good news" as if totally tone-deaf. He does not explain WHY it is good news, just tells Gregory to meet him there. It's almost like he is stalling for time...

Are you convinced something doesn't add up yet? Let me know in the comments! I'll add additional notes to this section if anyone has any questions/suggestions/evidence.

Next time, we'll move on to Daycare and the clues will start to add up...

#CenoFNAF #fnaf #fnaf gregory #fnaf ggy #fnaf theory #fnaf lore #fnaf sb #fnaf security breach #security breach #game theory #game analysis #plot analysis #five nights at freddy's

[monty-glasses-roxy]

I don't think he dropped Cassie and I still think it was entirely Freddy's fault for what happened to the others in SB.

ive actually never heard this take before and im fascinated by it (/pos), have you posted something explaining it before? ^w^

I've talked about it a lot a while back but I can't for the life of me find the posts so I'll explain it here for you.

Firstly, lemme just say that I'm well aware the reason why these things are the way they are, is because it's a game. It has to give you objectives to complete and ways to stop you from progressing too fast, or going where the devs don't want you to go. A lot of this is just game design not being properly justified as things that make sense in-universe, which is fine, it just unintentionally frames Freddy in a different light when you really look at it.

SO

Lets get the quick one out of the way... Freddy has full access to everywhere in the main Plex. Every door opens for him, and not Gregory. It's the rules that you may only go into those areas with the right pass, and whilst Freddy ignores this in the first five minutes of the game and several times afterwards, he solidly stands by these rules for most things. Freddy could have literally just opened the VIP fire exit for him, but chose not to. He could have also taken Gregory into any other area of the Plex without requiring a pass, but chooses not to for seemingly no reason. The only time he's ever given an actual reason for why he can't go somewhere with Gregory is when he says he won't be able to stop dancing if he goes to the Fazcade where DJ is. If take him there, nothing actually happens though so like... okay then.

Of course, if he went everywhere with Gregory and opened all the doors for him, the game would be over in minutes unless they had another reason for it. It does give you the idea that he's a little hypocritical though, and picks and chooses which rules to follow and when. He won't go into Fazerblast with Gregory because that's cheating, but he's fine with Gregory upgrading him even though one wrong move could kill him. It's an odd choice to make, ya know?

More relevant to how he's responsible for what happened to the other animatronics, he literally just doesn't do anything. Gregory is a child making shitty decisions because he's a child, and literally no one has suggested there could be another way to him. He can't see another way to deal with this other than to destroy Roxy, Monty and Chica, and upgrade Freddy so he can access more areas. In this situation, Freddy is the responsible adult. It's his job to keep Gregory safe and get him out of the Pizzaplex. And then not only does he not get Gregory out, he stays completely silent as Gregory destroys them.

Freddy says his friends are acting differently to normal, so he knows something is wrong, but he doesn't choose to investigate or try to help them. He knows what Gregory is doing, because he can still see his friends walking around after they've had their parts stolen. He recognises that the voicebox upgrade Gregory has given him is Chica's voicebox, and Gregory straight up tells him that his new eyes are Roxy's. He might not know how he did these things or if he wasn't just being opportunistic when accidents happened, but given it happened three times in a row and Freddy knows where two out of three parts came from, it really doesn't take a genius here.

He knows what's happening and that there's something wrong with them, but he doesn't make any moves to stop it or find out what's happening. Instead, he lets Gregory carry on doing what he's doing, and leaves him completely unattended in a Pizzaplex full of murderous animatronics for the majority of the night. If he really doesn't know what Gregory is doing, then the point still stands that maybe he shouldn't be leaving a child unattended when there's several animatronics and a furry trying to kill said child.

AND early on, Freddy suggests that if he had claws like Monty, he would be able to break through the chained gates. Now, it may not have been intentional to put the idea in Gregory's head, but his tone is just a little bit off to me when he says it.

This is why I feel the events of Security Breach were entirely Freddy's fault. He could have stopped Gregory at any moment during that night, could have gotten him out safely, and could have stayed with him more to keep him safe, but he didn't. He helps only when Gregory calls for it, and does basically nothing else to help for the entire game. He barely even reacts to Gregory stealing everyone's parts. There's no "why would you do that?" or anything. He asks where Gregory got Chica's voicebox and then doesn't question it again. There was no one else there to question it, no one else there to help and no one else there to stop him, the responsibility was entirely on Freddy.

To add insult to injury, we now know the canon ending is the one where he left the Pizzaplex with Gregory and Vanessa. He was the only one that could see the others were acting weird, and he literally just up and left them. For no obvious reason either which makes it worse to me honestly.

Again, a lot of this can be explained by the fact this is a game, but it's a very interesting angle for Freddy. Was Bonnie's disappearance enough to splinter the group so badly Freddy no longer cared? Does he genuinely think he's doing everything he can to help? Is he up to shit whenever Gregory isn't nearby? Is he under the influence of something else, like say, a Mimic? Is he still somewhat under Vanny's control and only have limited awareness of what's happening? Does safe mode limit his critical thinking skills or is he just like this?

It's something that can be worked with for sure and it's where my interpretation of Freddy stems from. Gregory could have chosen differently, yes, but it was Freddy's responsibility to help him find an alternative before anyone got hurt, and he chose not to. That's just the long and the short of it, and I feel it makes him a little more interesting as a character.

#fnaf security breach #not in the freddy tag for... obvious reasons. #but yeah I'm not the biggest fan of Freddy #I don't hate him or anything he's just very meh to me and the popular interpretation is just as meh to me as well #but I DO find this interesting! #frustrating to try and come up for a reason WHY he would act like this but generally speaking? #it's interesting! it adds a different dimension to the band and their relationships to each other #but also adds several layers of unfairness and injustice to Freddy's line of thinking #an inequality that Fazbear is very familiar with I'd say. one that could arguably value profit over people #and that's interesting to me! but you HAVE to look at it from HIS point of view. #profit would mean something different to him than it would your average human being #when an animatronic isn't profitable they're not gonna be kept around. being profitable keeps them alive #which adds ANOTHER dimension to it all that's very interesting! #could just be because he's a bear and they tend to not be that interested in their cubs after a certain age #gregory could just be past that age threshold lmao #anyway yeah hope this clears it up for you! #pop rox answers #long post

[iphoenixrising]

Broken Trust: Chapter 3

I’ve had this done for months, but originally I wanted to do an epic follower post with tons of fics. That seems like it might happen eventually, but until it does, here’s the next part of utter angst. 

“Explain complication to me,” Gar makes it slow, mentally already preparing himself for news bad enough to make their SB look this wrecked.

“He...he’s missing some memory,” Bart glances through the glass where their Robin is deeply asleep after being in a coma for a week. “He thinks he’s still, you know, the other Robin.”

Raven’s spine straightens and her eyes move to the sleeping vigilante as well, “we need to get him to a real doctor immediately. The Tower can give us reports, his vitals, but none of us are medically trained enough to deal with an injury of his magnitude. We need to know if he shall recover or not.”

“You want to tell Grayson,” Kon rubs the bridge of his nose. “Tim wouldn’t want that.”

“Well,” Cassie is biting on her lower lip, “if he’s really lost his memory of the last few years...he actually might.”

“We know Leslie Thompkins, and that’s who they would take him to anyway. We can call her directly.” Bart shrugs, trying to make it look careless. 

“Whoa, whoa, okay. Let’s all just calm down and think about this,” Gar puts up a hand, before the YJ trio starts to come back at him, “because Rave is right, and getting someone qualified here to check out Tim, who is now the worst trope we’ve ever had to deal with, is priority one. We don’t know if he’s, you know, gonna get his memory back, or if we’ve got a teenage Rob to deal with. Like, permanently. Or...until he grows...up?” His hands waffle back and forth at how to really explain it.

“What Gar is trying to say,” Raven sighs, cape fluttering as she crosses her arms, “is that we are out of our depth, and any delay on our part could hinder Tim’s recovery, in whatever form that may take.”

“We want the best for him, too,” Gar cuts in, taking some of the tension from Kon’s shoulders and Bart’s back. “But if he’s that far back, then our bud is absolutely going to ask for Dick or Bats eventually. We’ll have to lie to him to keep him here, even if that’s what he wanted before the accident. But, like, it’s still Tim, and he’s going to sniff it out of us in a hot minute. So, how are we supposed to handle that?”

The silence is deafening, but Kon still hears it, the steady rhythm thrumming in his best friend’s chest, not the half-stutter a split second before the gun–

"We tell him the truth." Is what spills out of his mouth. “We tell him he isn’t that Rob anymore, but he’s still our Rob. We tell him he’d want to stay with us for a while instead of in Gotham.”

“What do we say when he asks why, Kon?” Cassie pleads, eyes going to the bed and back. “Are we going to tell him about the League of Assassins and Batman getting lost in time and–”

“He’s still a detective, dude,” Gar throws in, “if he wants to find out bad enough, he will. Pretty much Batman, right?”

“It’ll be better in the long run if we tell him up front.” Bart shrugs, “ask him to stay until he’s looked through all his own hidden files from the last year before he goes anywhere near Gotham. Then, be there for whatever the fallout might be.”

Realistically, at this juncture in Tim's vigilante career, he still believes in Grayson, in Gotham, in what he thinks the Bats stood for. Telling him what they knew, then sending him off to find out the gritty details is going to be the worst part – the eventual spiral just waiting to happen.

Bart and Kon exchange a knowing look between them while Gar does the same with Raven, and it looks like the division is pretty equal. Someone is going to have to be the tie-breaker. 

Cassie rubs at the tension headache starting behind her right eye, staring through the glass like Tim’s lax body could give her the real right answer here. At this time of his life, what he can access of his memories, would tell him Bruce and Dick would be the best option, but the Tim she’s known the last few years would rather lose another semi-important body part than go near Wayne Manor.

The answer really should have been what would be best for him to recover but the nagging part is asking what Tim would want once he gets his memory back.

(If he ever does...and honestly, he might be happier this way.)

“Before we make any choices,” Kon’s voice is soft and hesitant, his arms folding over his chest, hands gripping hard into his own biceps, “there’s something I should tell everyone. It’s...not going to be easy to hear, but I think it might help make this decision.”

**

A few days after the unsettling video chat with Titan’s Tower, a messenger brings a letter to Wayne Manor.

B doesn’t open it right away, not recognizing the return address on the front. He’s busy on the phone with Diana, trying to get her to talk to Cassie so he can at least get some footage, some vitals, some scans, some part of the backstory, anything to indicate why Tim is apparently in a coma. 

He doesn’t even remember the letter until Jay is stomping through the door of the Manor, looking pale, almost sick. 

Neither Bruce or Alfred get in a word when a box is thrown at their feet, red and black Kevlar spilling out, the hint of a metal bandolier. 

“Why the fuck would he send that, B? What the motherfuck–”

“Master Jason,” Alfred gives Bruce a pointed look and steps closer to the younger vigilante’s side, “perhaps a bit of tea is in order, and we can look at the evidence with a clear head and warm belly.”

“Alf,” and it’s there in those blue eyes, a helluva lot of guilt.

“Come then, Young Sir. You will help put the kettle on, won’t you?”

Bruce kneels to take a closer look at the box as Alfred leads Jay toward the kitchen, listening to the soft back-and-forth while he gingerly pulls what’s apparently the Red Robin suit spilling out of the box. 

Since he really is the World’s Greatest Detective, Bruce looks the suit over critically for any tears or bullet holes, any other indication the suit had been tampered with. Some reason why it was sent to the Red Hood. 

(Instead of to him, B thinks a little desperately.)

Some hidden message.

The note flutters to his feet from the folds of leather and Kevlar, and something in his stomach starts to turn on pure instinct. Tim in a coma, his suit sent to Jason, the Titans dodgy about what happened. None of the evidence was adding up to anything other than a catastrophe. 

Jason,

You were right. It never should have been me after all.

T

The scrawl is familiar, the swoop of the g and straight edges making up the final T. 

The note is gently put down on his desk for later analysis even though he knows Tim’s handwriting like he knows his own. He quickly searches the suit, utility belt, harness, gloves, and the cape/cowl combo–

(no gauntlets, no wrist computer.)

He finds worn spots in the over-armor from fists and weapons, marks on the leather from gauntlets, bullets, and blades, the cowl patched on half of the face protector. 

Utility belt has some dents and dings, but is still polished and buffed, a few hinges obviously fixed based on the nearly imperceptible scratches between the sections. The harness has taken the worst of the beating, and Bruce has to wonder if it was from Tim...or Jason. 

While voices come from the kitchen and the kettle finally whistles through the hall, Bruce makes his way back to his desk, sitting down heavily with the suit laying in his hands, the detective trying to find something he may have overlooked, a clue in the suit that could give him answers he can’t get from hacking Tim’s own system–

(his last notes made in the Batcomputer were more than a year old, something about Ra’s and research on artifacts Bruce had left through the timestream hoping his Robin would find them, wouldn’t give up on him)

–when he glances up at the white envelope still there from earlier where he’d carelessly tossed it. 

He lays the suit over his lap, takes up the envelope with footsteps approaching. That nagging feeling doesn’t go away when he splits it open. Inside a sheaf of paperwork, standard introductory letter, and a...key?

His eyes skim the essentials while Alfred lays the tea tray down, humming at whatever Jay is saying while he serves. And just like he’d never been away, like all those years hadn’t existed, Jason Todd comes around his desk and plants his ass on the immaculate surface of the desk beside Bruce with no second-guessing. Sits there with his palms curled around the worn edges, feet idly swinging a lot closer to the ground than back when he was fifteen and the most adorable punk kid Bruce had ever met. 

The swoop of his hair and hard edges of his jaw, the wider set of shoulders and chest, all of that gets hazy in Bruce’s eye for a long, bittersweet moment when he can look back on the early years and see the same kid with a chip on his shoulder and so much heart sitting in the same spot. For Jay to come back to the Manor, to sit in this place so he can look at both Bruce and Alfred from his vantage point, is wonderfully nostalgic, and Bruce might just have a half-smile on his face instead of concentrating on what his second son is saying.

“Came ta the one nice place I got in Gotham, ya feel me here? Ain’t nobody got those deets, not Dickie, not Kory n’ Roy.”

Bruce is shaken from his nostalgia when Alfred offers him the first cup and saucer. He has to empty his hands of the paperwork to accept, take a sip before interjecting, “you mean the loft apartment in Mid-Town? The one off 48th and Grand? Third floor, three bedrooms, two baths?”

It’s enough to see Jay’s jaw abruptly shut and those eyes narrow down at B’s half-smirk.

“All right, wise ass. Suppose it ain’t that hard ta figure.” The pout, lower lip sticking out, makes his heart even warmer, a needed distraction when he’s been worried about Tim since the talk with the Titans.

“Tim’s a detective, Jay, just like the rest of you.” Bruce wiggles a brow while he takes another sip, watching his former Robin chuff back. 

“Don’t ‘splain what th’ hell he means, B. Never said a word ta that lil’ asshole ‘bout being Red Robin. He was outta Gotham more n’ he was in what when he was in that name. S’ pretty sure he was gonna keep this one anyhow.”

“Perhaps Master Tim,” Alfred interjects gently from his other side, “has taken some of your...less than generous criticisms to heart, Master Jason.”

Jason’s eyes grow shuddered, his jaw tightening. “I know I said some shit ta that kid inna past, Alf. Alla that shit was about the R.”

“And how would Master Timothy know things have changed, young sir? Considering the Red Robin moniker was also once yours and Master Dick’s, it would be a logical conclusion.”

“So...so’s he just...givin’ it up?” Jason looks up at B and Alf, eyebrows squished together. 

“Apparently,” B sips his tea again.

The guilt is there in his eyes, but the detective is hovering just a little closer, “He sent back the Red Robin suit, then somehow gets himself in a coma? Dunno ‘bout chu, but this don’t seem like a co-inky-dink, you feel me here, B?”

“Master Timothy...always has a plan,” Alfred shoots them a look, one brow arched. “Regardless of how he received such a grievous injury, it would not surprise me if this package perchance has been waiting to be sent for quite some time. Well, if the date on the stamp is any indication.”

And another mystery to unravel in the story leading them up to one former Robin currently in critical condition.

“Been waiting fer the right time or some shit, Alf, and alla rest is just universal bad timing? I don’t buy it.” Jason's eyes are drawn to the suit laying over B's lap, "we know he wasn't working a case. No baddies had 'im, no team ups, nuthin'. No reason someone made him send it."

"You're right. This was Tim's call to send it. His handwriting on the note, postage from Midtown Gotham where we believe his apartment is, no trace of tampering with his systems…"

"So," Jay starts slowly, "Baby Bird is trying ta feel out another name, one what ain't gotta history?"

"Don't tell Dick about the note," B says absently instead of answering, already aware how much his oldest blames himself for Tim pretty much leaving the Manor. 

"Yeah, yeah. Don’t make ‘im feel like more of a shit head. And what ‘bout Timmy?"

"We need more evidence, dear boy." Alfred, in a moment of leisure, drank his own tea, eyes for the packaging while he thought. 

"Agreed," Bruce takes up the suit and the note. "Once Victor cracks his systems and nav, we'll have more to go on."

"Dunno why ya just don't pull a fuckin' Dark Knight n' take the League ta the Tower."

"Clark would never be okay with that."

"He'd still do it if’n ya asked."

“Probably, but it’s not a precedent we can set. The Titans are autonomous, which means I can’t just demand they let me in unless it’s possibly world-ending. The JLA might back me because it’s Tim, but...”

“I getcha. S’ not an easy sitch,” Jay shakes his head a little, glad he doesn’t have to put up with the fucking politics dealing with a team like the Justice League. S'why he enjoyed working with first Kory and Roy, then Artemis and Biz. All of them make the hardest part fighting dirt bags fun without politics. 

"It just means I have to be sneakier than normal."

"World better look out. Batman's on the warpath." 

"One of my kids is in a coma," he sighs as it comes out, “I went off the deep-end when it was Dick, and then when it was you, and then Damian...because all of you are my sons. Contrary to popular belief, I love all of you equally. I don’t have a favorite, Jaylad.”

Jay looks away, shakes his head with a little smirk on his face, “simmer down, BatDad. ‘Least we know his people won’t let nothing happen ta ‘im.”

“I’ve known those kids for years. They won’t compromise him just to keep me out of it,” and Bruce knows it, knows if he keeps his ear close enough to the ground, he’s going to find more answers, “If it’s too much for them to handle, they’re going to call someone else in.”

“And I trust you will be waiting for if they do, Sir.”

“Always have a plan, Alfred.”

“Very good, then. In the meantime, I shall attempt to teach Master Damian the more intricate uses of Geometry and then tackle the blood stain on Master Dick’s shirts. Hopefully at least one of those tasks should prove successful.” With that cheeky rejoiner, the butler takes the empty teapot and tray, moves with purpose as the rest of the household must keep sallying forth. As always, when Master Bruce gets distracted, Alfred strives to pick-up the slack around the Manor. 

After the butler leaves with his own plan, Bruce’s eyes flutter back over the paperwork and the key attached to a standard, plastic fob labeled with Tim’s own handwriting. His thumb absently rubs over one of the worn spots.

“Least Alf’s got it t’gether. How ‘bout chu, B? Whadda the next steps?”

Looking up at that raised brow, this man overlaid with his teenage brawler, his bibliophile, his poet, Bruce doesn’t realize he’s smiling that gentle smile when he shakes his head fondly.

But his eyes fall back down to the sheaf of papers and key.

“First thing, I need to run some analysis on this suit, find out if there’s anything to indicate it might not have come from Tim. Or, find definitive proof it is from him, not one of his enemies. There could be trace elements to tell me what he was doing before he sent it, possibly lead up to whoever put him in a coma.” 

“S’ a good plan. If this ‘un is the last suit he wore, might gedda better idea why he sent it back,” and the way Jay’s eyes darken when he gazes over the suit, looks away with the guilt written all over his face. 

“Well, since you’re here, you might as well help out. Maybe you want to run the spectro analyzer this time, huh?”

“Why Batsy, I thought ya’d never ask,” that grin, the little hop off his desk, right foot still kicking off, is enough motivation to get Bruce moving. 

He folds the suit gently in half, scoops up the key and paperwork he will eventually get around to reading more closely (probably after the analysis on the paper composition and fingerprinting). Jay has the harness and utility belt back in the box, the thing tucked under his arm while he waits. 

And it’s a whole different Dynamic Duo taking the stairs down to the Cave,making a plan together, and it’s easier than either would have thought possible.

**

“Follow my finger please,” Epione, Chief Healer to the Amazons, requests the young man in the bed before her. 

“I don’t know how you managed to pull this off,” Kon is leaning toward Cassie, talking to her out of the side of his mouth, “but you? Are literally the best ever.”

With a sigh, she watches Tim follow orders. He responds to her questions, and allows Epione to unwind the bandage around his head to check the wound.

“You’re the one that didn’t want me calling Leslie Thompkins, remember? This is the best I could do on short notice. Luckily, Epione was willing to leave the island for an emergency.”

“Will she tell Queen Hippolyta? Or Diana?” Bart doesn’t look away from Tim, can’t seem to make himself since Kon told them the truth.

“If the Queen orders her, then yes, she will. She’s a loyal subject,” Cassie shrugs, “but again, best I could do last minute. Kon was right after all, if we didn’t want to tip off Batman, we couldn’t bring Dr. Thompkins here.”

“We’ll have to take the chance. Besides, we might get lucky if Epione can do whatever hand-wavy magic she can do and tell us more about his memory loss than an ordinary doctor.”

“She has hundreds of years of experience and literal Gods on her side, Kon. She’s a warrior and a healer, not a Magic-8 Ball.”

“At this point, we’ll take whatever help she can offer.” Gar interjects, arms crossed tightly over his chest while he watches. 

His heart breaks a little when Tim catches them watching on the other side of the glass in the viewing room and waves with a small smile while Epione gently touches his injury. Raven knowingly lays a hand at the small of his back in support, still wondering if they’re doing the right thing by keeping Dick in the dark about all of it. 

“When he came back in that cowl, he was...different. More than just dark, you know? I think the whole thing, everyone dying, losing Robin, all of it pretty much broke him, and that’s why he tried...he…”

“Kon, what are you trying to tell us?” She remembers the tight knot of anxiety in her chest, trying to dismiss what she believes to be impossible. Not Tim, not one of the more level-headed Robins.

“He had a gun,” and the half-Kryptonian’s shoulders shake, his eyes spilling over, “he-he had a gun and told me to leave him there, to walk away, like I could just leave him to do it! But I wasn’t-I wasn’t fast enough and he fired–”

The strangled noise out of Bart matches the look of horror on his face, “he tried to kill himself?”

“If I hadn’t heard his heart speed up, I would have been too late,” and Kon’s knees go out, his immense strength not keeping him from sinking down to the floor while his chest hitches.

Cassie’s mouth opens, but no sounds come out. Her eyes go to the still boy in the bed while Gar, Bart, and Raven crowd around Kon because he finally breaks down…

“Agreed,” Raven sighs, “I believe Epione will be able to give us a better understanding of Tim’s condition. Then, we may better be able to–” she pauses before she says make decisions he would want “–help.”

Kon’s jaw tightens, his shoulders bunching under his t-shirt, “I can’t believe you still want to tell the Bats after what they did. Don’t you get it? They drove him to this, Rachel.”

“Not on purpose, Kon,” Raven argues gently.

“Grayson maybe,” Bart doesn’t look at any of them, “but I don’t want him anywhere near the newest Robin. B and Dick, fine, but Damian? Jason Todd? We can’t let him go back to Gotham with those two ready to try again.”

“That’s logical,” Kon agrees with his jaw tight, “I’m still not on board with Grayson getting a second chance. Him? He’s probably Tim’s jumping off point, so fuck that guy.”

Cassie takes a moment, listening to the talk, watching Epione talk to Tim during her assessment. She gently leads their Robin to lie back, helping him lift his feet back on the medical bed. Her hands aren’t glowing or anything, but Cassie can still feel the warm ebb and flow of power from behind the glass when Tim closes his eyes, and Epione lays her hands over them.

“C’mon, dude!” Gar is looking at the super helplessly, “I get how upset you are, ‘kay? Like, I totally get you. If I had been the one to walk in on my best friend about to shoot himself, I would be pretty screwed up about it, too. But Kon, bro, you know Dick would never want Tim hurt, not for anything. They’re brothers, have been for, like, years, man. He’s put himself in danger for Tim a hundred times. The Bats have a credo all their own!”

Bart’s head swivels, eyes narrowing, “sure, sure, G. But, it was pretty easy for that to change once Tim wasn’t Robin anymore, right? Maybe Grayson only gives a fuck about whoever is wearing the tunic at the time. I mean, look at how well their brotherly bond turned out for Tim and Jason Todd.”

Garfield and Rachel both look like they’ve been struck, “dude, that’s so far beyond fucked up–”

“Don’t shoot the messenger,” Bart shrugs, unrepentant. “I’m fine with Plan C, which is to take Tim to a safe house far away from everyone and let him figure out the truth as much as he can before he can make a decision to go anywhere. He’s sure as hell not putting on a cape anytime soon.”

“We’re only going to be able to hold off the Batman for so long,” Cassie interjects. “Gar’s family technically owning the Tower is a flimsy excuse at best, but I didn’t have time for a better bluff. Still, he’s going to find a way to get to Tim whether we want it or not. That is, if we don’t at least tell him what’s going on.”

Kon’s sigh is irritated at best.

“Kon,” she stresses, finally looking away from Tim, “it’s Batman. The best we can do is delay him because we’re certainly not going to stop him. The best thing we can do is try to control what he knows.”

“What is your suggestion?” Raven asks quietly.

“We talk to him. Just him. He has to leave all the former Robins out of it. We tell him what we know so far, that Kon found Tim injured and brought him to the Tower. That we didn’t contact him for the exact reasons we gave them on the last call. That Tim has woken up, his vitals are good, his injury is healing, that we’ve contacted experienced medical assistance,” she waves a vague hand toward Epione bending over their friend, “and that we’re very sure he wouldn’t want to return to Gotham after apparently feeling so far left out of the family, none of them even knew where he was.”

Bart’s epic frown is enough of an answer.

“I know,” Cassie placates quietly, “but, he was lost in time when everything went down, so as far as I’m concerned, Batman is the person that deserves to know what happened. Damian, Dick, and Jason pushed Tim to–” she swallows, blinks rapidly to dispel the moisture in her eyes, “–to try ending his life. So, I don’t give a shit about them. Bruce, though...Bruce probably still cares.”

Cassie looks from Bart and Kon to Raven and Garfield, “so, we’re going to compromise. Kon, Bart, if we don’t go to someone in Gotham, Rave and Gar are probably going to go to Dick whether Tim would want that or not. Rave, Gar, if you go to Dick and he shows up here, Bart and Kon will probably take Tim out of the Tower to who knows where. We want to avoid our Robin getting hurt, so we’re going to go to B. That’s the compromise.”

For long moments, the four regard her silently, considering the plan.

“Guys?”

Tim’s voice through the intercom gains immediate attention.

Epione is gathering her things, so the assessment is apparently over.

“It’s time we talk.” And the slight bite to his tone, the old vigilante they all knew and loved, the guy that was on fucking top of his game when he was in the red, gold, and green, is there in an older, more beaten, more broken body.

Giving up the ghost, Kon and Bart visibly steel themselves. Raven and Gar squeeze hands, bringing up the rear while Cassie stays where she stands, looking at him with her heart in her throat and her instincts rising to the fore.

Still, someone has to call Batman, and that someone is going to be her.

**

“You will recover fully,” Epione tells him after she’s touched his forehead and done something to make his head stop aching so badly. “Of this, I am positive. How quickly is up to you, I’m afraid. I cannot give you a specific timeline.”

The Amazon squeezes his wrist, her smile sympathetic. “An injury such as this will take time.” 

“My memory will come back eventually?” Because just laying back like this is starting to get old. Seriously. 

When she visibly hesitates, a sharp spike of oh shit shoots up his spine.

“Tim…”

“Tell me. Whatever you’re going to say, is that why they’re–” and he motions with a turn of his chin to the directions of the blacked out observation window “–out there having a conversation?”

Because just by the look on their faces when they filed out the door on Epione’s order, he knows they’re talking about him, about this, about what decisions they think they’re going to make for him.

Yeah, no. That’s not how it works.

He’s Rob, remember? Guy with the plans?

“I believe,” Epione is hesitant, glancing toward the darkened glass, “they are divided on how best to handle what you should be told. However, that is only my guess.”

He hums, eyes sliding from the glass and back to her, “and my memory?”

Her eyes crinkle at the edges, “if you truly desire to remember, Tim, then you shall. Whether or not you regain those lost years is purely up to you, and no other. Medicine cannot give it to you.”

Well, if that’s how it’s got to be, maybe he got hit with some alien ray gun or a magic spell / curse? 

(Not that it’s something unexpected. Those Young Justice days were packed.)

“Okay, then all I can do for now is heal and do my best to remember,” he fills in for her benefit because honestly, he’s a busy vigilante. Who has time to wait around?

(He still has boxes to unpack now that’s he back in the Manor. Then, he’s got to find Cassandra after he brought David Cain to the oil field in what he thought was saving her from the League of Assassins just to find out she’s leading the League of Assassins...)

“Somehow, I don’t believe you will actually do that,” Epione muses, gathering her things, which pretty much consisted of herbs, mortar and pestle, and a whole lot of Amazon awesomeness.

He grins a little, “I don’t know. My best friends are alive, so I’m probably not going far from the Tower for a while. Batman will have to protect Gotham without me for a while.”

Yeah, but he really needs to check-in at least. Is pretty surprised he hasn’t had a visitor slip in through some flaw in their security. Wonders if his adoption paperwork has gone through yet, if it’s really okay to start calling himself Tim Drake-Wayne now or not.

Epione’s expression changes, just a little, a tiny bit, not enough to really mean anything. But, welp, he’s a pretty good detective at this point in the vigilante game. 

His eyes slide subtly back to his teammates talking animatedly outside the room, makes a note to get to a workstation later when they left him alone for at least five minutes, check the footage out and see what the fuss is about. Somehow, this feels more grave than just him getting hurt during a fight that he totally has no memory of, or any trip to Titan’s Tower in the last year. 

“It would be the most beneficial for you,” Epione starts slowly, “to do what is most comfortable. Be where you feel safe and secure. That will be crucial in recovering your memory.”

Tim’s eyes slowly go back to her, “where I’m most comfortable, huh?”

She slings her bag over her shoulder, “yes. If you need anything, even to...talk, please come to Paradise Island. We may not be fully integrated with the outside world, but you would be welcome there. Do you understand, Tim?”

And for some reason, the way she offers makes his stomach clench with some impending dread.

“I will, thank-you again.” 

She turns and his eyes are all for the huddled group now looking contrite at their feet while Cassie speaks, crosses her arms over her chest, expression grim.

Tim reaches for the intercom button close to the medi-bed, “Guys?” Before they turn back to the observation window, Tim’s eyes slide up to the vent above the door in consideration. He shakes it out because first thing is first: he need to enough evidence to make a plan.

“It’s time we talk.”

**

“This is Oracle.”

Bruce Wayne pulls the Batsuit on in a familiar progression. Armored bodysuit and boots, utility belt and sundries, gloves and gauntlets. 

He’s alone in the Cave for the moment, his mind working all the evidence. 

Earlier this evening, he, Jay, and Damian made their way to the outskirts of Gotham to a storage facility and took a look inside a specific locker, the one with the key delivered to him from who is legitimately Tim’s lawyer.

(And the gut feeling, the impending something badawfulhorrible is waiting on the other side of this, is only overshadowed by the slowly mounting evidence his detective brain is putting together. None of it is good. This? This is all preparation for something, like Tim completing some kind of bucket list.)

Once he’d taken a moment to do more than skim over the introductory letter and following paperwork, a stab of dread knotted up in his chest, something palpable enough for Jason to grab his elbow and steady him while he read.

The well thought-out plan on infiltrating Titan’s Towers to set-up their own brand of surveillance along with the long, long list of known affiliates for all the members of the Titans, Jay’s brilliant work, waylayed when Bruce realized what it is exactly he’s holding.

Mr. Wayne,

The following documents in your possession have been sent under the stipulation that Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne, your adopted son, has been out of contact with my office for over 30 days. 

While I would not normally have a time-specific task like this on my agenda, Mr. Drake-Wayne was very adamant these documents must be sent if I had not heard from him in a month’s time. The importance of the Wayne Enterprise stock ownership is crucial enough for me to send them to you for safeguarding as instructed. 

The key included is to a storage locker by Dixon Docks. You will find the address and locker number enclosed. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me at your convenience. 

As the legal counsel stated, Bruce is holding several signed, witnessed, notarized sheets of paper returning the controlling stock in Wayne Enterprises back to him, Tim’s signature like a slash across the page. With this, the board would side with him becoming the CEO again.

(Dammit.)

The worrying factor that drives him to call the lawyer, handing the papers and key over to Jay, is the fact Tim’s been out-of-contact for a month. A quick call to Tam Fox verifies that theory. 

This is more than Tim changing his name, giving Jay the Red Robin suit before he’s suddenly comatose in Titan’s Tower. 

This is something terrifyingly more permanent. 

Jason had been pragmatic about it, grabbing B’s hand and hauling both of the back up the winding staircase into the Manor proper while the analysis on the suit still ran and samples were being reviewed. 

“Alf! We’re going onna ride. Gotta check out some storage locker by th’ docks, west side ‘a the city.”

Damian literally appears out of nowhere, holding a half-eaten veggie wrap, calmly watching their progression from the kitchen doorway. 

“Why are we going to a storage locker now? Should this not wait until night?”

“This ain’t a Dynamic Duo moment, Demon,” Jason breezes right past the kid, “knowin’ you, it ain’t gonna be yer cuppa tea anyhow.”

Those eyes narrow as Damian follows them to the garage, taking his last few bites. “If you do not better explain, I will accompany you regardless.” 

“Well. Shotgun, fucker. Get cha ass in gear.”

Damian pauses, mouth open in shock. He hadn’t expected Todd to acquiesce but covers it up by lifting his chin and snatching his jacket on the way out.

**

The key fits in a standard Masterlock. 

Disappointed, the vigilantes eye all around the storage facility, finding two fake security cameras, and an in case of emergency, call someone who cares sticker by the policy listing. 

The door slides up with the weakest push, no reinforcements, very not Tim’s usual brand of paranoia.

Bruce grabs the first box that catches his eye, one that has something scrawled on the side. 

He nearly chokes when he removes the lid, and it’s all kinds of red and black – the suit the color of Tim’s grief. But, the shuriken R glints in the daylight, a reminder.

“Oh,” Bruce breathes out, that terrible knot in his chest getting tighter. 

None of it got any better.

The storage unit is full of old files, Tim’s hardcopies of things. Some boxes have post-it notes in Tim’s terrible scrawl, short and sweet–

Burn this box

You might need these

Give to the Titans

Old Bludhaven Records for N

Pictures Burn this

Legal 

In less than an hour, Bruce finds himself on his knees beside two boxes, pulling out intimate pieces of Tim’s life, holding them in his hands, looking down at the very few candid shots of him in the red, gold, and green, standing with his arms around Impulse and Superboy, back when he was with Young Justice. Him making goofy faces with Nightwing over his shoulder against the backdrop of Gotham. B recognizes it as the Wallstone Apartments. 

He cracks open one of the Burn this boxes and comes face-to-face with Jack and Janet Drake’s wedding album. 

Jay sets up real cameras while Damian quietly puts a few necessary boxes in the trunk of the car. B stands outside the storage unit talking to Alfred on his mobile, his tone clipped and precise. They would come back tomorrow after patrol was over with a truck and empty the damn thing. There was plenty of storage for all of it in the Manor where it could be safe. Nothing, nothing was to be burned or thrown away. These were Tim’s things, and one day, he’d need them again.

(Or so Bruce fervently hopes.)

The three of them are quiet on the drive back, thinking deeply about the life packed in boxes and stuffed in bags. The busted old utility belts and torn capes, the pictures from the streets below, blobs that could be the Dynamic Duo of yesterday, before Tim ever stepped into the boots. The ticket stubs from important movies, a set of keys to the carriage house. R decals that were the same ones B himself put on the fender of the Red Bird. 

Suiting up after seeing all that, Bruce Wayne has to dig deep to pull up the Batman before the cowl goes on.

Luckily, O is the one that interrupts his night.

“This is Oracle.”

“I’m here. What’s on for tonight?” The deep growl isn’t quite there yet, and there’s an obvious pause like Barbara notices.

“You’ve got a call actually. It’s Wonder Girl from Titan’s Tower.”

That gains his attention because she must be calling to tell him Tim’s awake, and hopefully, maybe asked his team to let them back in Gotham know he was okay.  

“Understood. Put her through.”

“You got it, boss. Call me back when you hit Mid-Town.”

The click is minute as he’s pulling on gloves and gauntlets, surprised when the camera on the big computer flashes red in warning.

He approves the request, and Cassie Sandsmark appears on his screen, looking wrung-out, quiet and sad. His heart almost stops, stuttering in his chest painfully.

“Wonder Girl, how is he?”

When she notices her screen, she visibly perks up a little, looking around the Batcave as if to make sure he’s the only one in the frame.

“He’s...awake. Disoriented.”

“Let me talk to him.”

“I promised the team I would talk to you on neutral terms first,” she sits up straighter, looking up at the camera instead of at her screen. “And not with your other partners around. Is it just us?”

This is not boding well, and he immediately starts ticking off, “Nightwing and Robin are heading to the docks to check out tonight’s drop. Red Hood is at the Narrows on patrol. Black Bat is in Hong Kong. Batgirl and Signal are heading to investigate a cold call on the police line.”

With that, B pulls up a chair and slides the cowl away from his face, becoming Bruce again just that fast. “It’s just us, Cassie. Tell me what happened to Tim.”

She seems to steel herself a little, “So...so, I just found this out, and I think you should know. Before this, Tim hasn’t been back to the Tower as a member of the team since he was Robin, he hasn’t been on the roster since he took up the new name. I thought he needed space, so I was okay letting him do his thing as Red Robin. A few days ago, Kon found him and brought him to the Tower to treat his injury. That’s how he got here. The reason Kon brought him here instead of to Gotham is because the injury appears to be… self-inflicted.”

She pauses, gives him a moment to let that sink in, “the majority of us agree it’s very likely because of the last two years. Tim’s gone through...a lot, and most of it came after Dick Grayson fired him. So, we aren’t convinced coming back to Gotham would help him recover. In fact, Bart and Kon are sure it could even hinder his recovery, and none of us want that.”

Bruce feels frozen to his chair, feels something bitter and cold when he thinks of the suit sent to Jay, the locker full of boxes already labeled, the important things that meant nothing more than ashes. And it’s too much evidence glaring him in the face, saying your son tried to commit suicide for him not to feel anything but immediately sick. 

“Cassie, he–”

“I argued for just telling you because someone there should know,” her tone is wavery and she suddenly looks away from the camera, rapidly blinking. “Raven and Gar wanted to tell Dick, but Bart and Kon...are Bart and Kon. If Dick shows up here anytime in the near future–”

“They’re going to take him and disappear,” because with this information, his whole world is suddenly tilted, disoriented.

“Yes,” she fills in softly, “same with Damian and Jason. They’ve tried to kill him more than once, and we aren’t going to give them another shot. I don’t care if you say they’re part of the family now, or if Dick says Damian has calmed down the whole murder vibe. They helped push Tim to-to…” she looks away from the camera, blinking rapidly, clearly shaken. “S-so we aren’t letting them near him, or Jason or Dick. Not until– not for a while, anyway.” 

(Cassie closes her mouth with a sharp clack because she’d almost said, not until he can defend himself against them. The real bitch is, Tim probably could even as he is now, but he wouldn’t know why he’d need to, even with Jason Todd...)

“I understand. I don’t...agree, but I understand,” and Bruce’s heart aches with it, with how shuttered Jay’s expression will turn once he learns why Tim won’t be coming back to the Manor for his recuperation, how Dami will tt, but will be silent and sad, will snap at him and Dick and Alfred for days.

(Because his youngest still hasn’t figured out how to navigate the depths of his emotions, still can’t explain or show it then things hurt him. They’ve come so far this last year, but still miles to go.)

“Thank-you,” and when the current leader of the Titans looks back up at him, Bruce can’t help but pick up on the visible ticks.

“There’s more you aren’t telling me.” Is an absolute statement.

Her eyes move away, another tell. “Yes.”

“Anything you can tell me now?”

“...not on an open line.”

“Then at least let me, just me, maybe Alfred, come see him. Cassie, please.”

And in the Tower, having this little discussion with a very scary vigilante that looks more approachable without the cowl, that looks just like her mom had when she found out Cassie found the jackpot of superpowers, Wonder Girl can’t help but give in.

Her sigh is deep enough to lift her chest, “Okay. Okay, only you. The Tower is on lock-down for anyone else.” 

The Caped Crusader feels relief literally down to his boots, “thank-you. When?”

“Give me a day or so at least. We’ve got someone here looking over Tim’s injury, so two days max, and you can see him.”

“Perfect,” and B is already making plans. After patrol tonight, he’s throwing things together and riding up to his safehouse in San Francisco. He’s going to take the boys aside and explain how it is, make sure they’ve got the city before he’s off. “I should be in San Francisco in the morning. You can use Tim’s phone to call my cell.”

She blinks at him delicately and the turn of her smile looks slightly bitter, “yeah, we checked them already. All four of his phones. Believe me when I say he doesn’t have your cell number in any of them. And, unfortunately, I don’t have permission to call the Bat Cave through our systems. Why do you think I went through Oracle to contact you?”

“Oh,” is all Bruce can think to say. None of them?

Suddenly, seeing Tim is more of a priority.

**

Breaking into his nest in Titan’s Tower proves there’s definitely something off because he knows where all the pressure traps are in the vents, crawling his way here is a blaring alarm that something is up. A bunch of his traps are gone, and there’s only one that doesn’t look like it’s been there for a while. 

Tim gives himself about eight minutes before Bart comes back from the bathroom and finds him gone from the Med-Bay, but Tim has already deduced there’s something the team isn’t telling him, so he’s going to figure it out for himself.

(He asked for his celly last night after Epione left, but Bart said it got dusted against the last baddie. And he doesn’t already have another? Do they even know him?)

Considering some of the crazy baddies they’ve come across in their time as Young Justice and now as the new Titans team, he wouldn’t be shocked if some mind-controlling jerk hijacked everyone’s higher brain functions for a while. So, in the interest of good crime fighting, he’s going to do his research with or without team approval.

His system takes way, way too long to boot-up, and while he’s waiting, he scopes out the Nest for more clues. He’s got no idea where the wine coolers in the fridge came from and has to hack around for a while to get the new code to his door. The bed is stripped bare and the whole place, his living area, kitchen, bedroom, workshop, all of it...isn’t marked. 

Someone had removed all the R tags from his things. 

His hidden niche in the closet is completely empty, all his extra Robin suits are just gone. The places for extra utility belts, red under suits, reinforced tights, all of it is...gone.

He has a moment of panic, but pops up a section of floor deeper in the closet. Luckily, he gets one of his OG suits, red, gold, and green for the win.

(It’s even more emotional because Kon is back, Bart is back, Steph is back, so he can toss the red and black R, can go back to the original him. He can go back to the best times of his life–)

The tights fit but are too...short? Covered up by his boots and it’s fine. The tunic is snug enough to tell him the suit is really old because there’s no way he could have filled out this much and gotten two extra inches since the last time he wore this one. 

(But, it’s been almost six months since Dad died, since Kon was gone, and the phone fell out of his hands with the news of Bart. Six months and the world went to absolute shit. The mistake between him and Cassie, almost putting DNA in a damn Lazarus Pit but luckily, Dick pulled him back to sanity before he could do something he’d never be able to take back.)

His utility belt doesn’t fit, and he’s tisking at himself when he’s in the workshop to quickly add two more sections before it goes around his waist. It takes some time to ignore the pull in his shoulders, but he eventually makes it back to his system, surprised no one’s pounding on the door yet. 

The burner phones are still in a drawer below empty blast caps, and he turns one on to warm up while he works.

It takes probably a minute longer than he’d like, to get the belt ready and slap on a domino, feel more like he can take whatever is going on out there. But when he stands up again, cape at his ankles, he feels like Robin. 

His system bings with notifications and he moves out of the workshop, boots making soft noises on the carpet. He passes the pictures of the Young Justice team, the Titans team before everything crashed hard, even one of him standing by the memorial to the second Robin, Jason Todd. 

(You know, before he crashed the Tower and tried to slit Tim’s throat. Not like he’s bitter about it. Not. At. All.)

He sees how many updates he needs to run with wide eyes behind the whiteout, but the final piece is when he catches the date in the upper left-hand corner, and all his plans go right out the window.   

#winter writes #or finally posts #broken trust #tim drake #bart allen #conner kent #cassie sandsmark #garfield logan #raven dc #bruce wayne #jason todd #my fic #my writing #the feels man the FEELS

[dirtyvulture]

😎 I had an amazing dinner and holiday with my family and got to face time with my older sister and brother in law ( we also got to see her cute baby bump) so I am just so happy. I hope everyone had an amazing and safe holiday.

I will tell you this , people back in the 1800s didn’t put pictures in wallets like they do now . Pictures were a big deal because they were so expensive so those pictures had to be super important and were typically just put in frames . And they were typically big in size too, but they put pictures in locket necklaces for the ladies and for the gentleman they were placed in a pocket watch. I fully believe that John Howlett had the picture of both John and R while she was much younger ( the picture is the one I described in the last post , the one historical photo of that father holding his son and both having the biggest smiles and them “ goofing off” ) like 6 or maybe 8 ( R’s mutation hit when she was the ages between ten and thirteen like the other media wolverines did) in the pocket watch he was always wearing as it was one of his most prized possessions. I don’t believe or see Elizabeth wearing a locket with a picture of her daughter or the man she was cheating on ( her husband John) with the grounds keeper ( Thomas Logan) . I also don’t believe or see R WANTING ANY pictures of her mother but she would want all of her father’s pictures ( even if she had to face seeing her mother’s harsh and cold face) . R wouldn’t have the time or resources to take any of the photos of the family, of her father, or mother ( which she wouldn’t even want) because she and the Howlett family were blinded by Thomas Logan invading the estate at night while R was sleeping and killing John . R was then forced out and on the run , she could have taken the pocket watch while she was over her father’s ( John’s ) body before running. All the photos were lost and possibly found over time and possibly brought to the school where Nat sees them but didn’t know it was of R’s parents and of R’s family. Nobody did , Hell R doesn’t even remember them or her family. R doesn’t even know old exactly she is .

So R took off that night with her father John’s( She called him papa so it was her papa’s pocket watch) pocket watch and keep it close and tight with her, it was her most prized possession and one of the highest sentimental value . She may have learned that nothing is permanent and not to hold onto things too tightly but her papa’s watch was always the exception to the rule, She probably doesn’t even used it as a watch but just opened it to look at the face of her papa and remember a time when she was really happy. The watch could have been broken inside or just stopped working but the picture was kept intact and that is all R ever cared about. Then …….. Project X happened and R lost all of her memories but that old weird ass sliver pocket watch with all the  intricate details over the front and back of the piece as well as the odd engraving of the initials of J.E.H ( John Edward Howlett ) on the front means the absolute world to her and she doesn’t know why but it just FEELS IMPORTANT and that rule of nothing being permit and too sentimental to let go of doesn’t seem to ply to it , that it is an  exception to that rule. If though R has never once opened ( that she remembers ) it to see what is in inside it. R leaves it at the school as a promise of coming back to retrieve the watch as it is something that R would NEVER LEAVE BEHIND.

The last bits of the post and as a side not I don’t know if the canonical middle name is Edward , it just sounds historically accurate and it flows well to together. R was and still is (just cause the man has been dead for nearly two centuries and R doesn’t remember him doesn’t mean R doesn’t still love her dad )a daddy’s girl. In honor of Thanksgiving I will leave with a fluffy head canon of SB and Nat doing a family dinner with SB’s sister and her family ( this doesn’t have to be a thanksgiving dinner , just a dinner that the Sister insisted upon Nat being apart of because Nat is apart of the family).

SB was basically ban from cooking, setting up and contributing to the meal in any way , shape or form. It isn’t because SB is bad or clumsy in the kitchen, on the contrary SB is actually a really good cook and loves cooking for and helping cook with loved ones . It is just that with SB still in recovery and not being at full strength or able to stand up for long periods of time…. Sister would hate for SB to push themselves into being of  service which she knows SB would do that because she knows her sibling very well. That makes a very sad beef because they can’t do anything to help or make things easier for the people that SB loves so Sister buts SB on baby watching duty. Basically Sb has to hang out with their niece or nephew ( Watching Bluey , drawing, coloring, cuddling and whatever else) while Nat , sister and In Law move about fixing and preparing dinner and also coming into the living room with SB and Baby to hang out while waiting for food to be done. At one point they Face time Yelena who is away on deployment and Nat is so happy talking to her sister and introducing everyone ( besides SB ) and Yelena losing her mind over the baby and because of how cute they are ( and how cute Yelena knows Nat finds SB holding and enacting with baby. Yelena also knows that her big sister’s stance on NEVER having children changed REALL QUICK seeing SB with a baby or kids). After everyone ate and people were cleaning up ( again SB was band from helping) Nat walked into the living room to find a sound asleep SB on the couch with an equally sound asleep baby on SB’s chest . Both Nat and Sister cooed and of course took pictures.

As promised I will try and move forward to SB au thoughts ( even though there not very many at the moment) . But be warned one of my thoughts of the SB au could be very angsty. I also have a question, we mentioned Kate very briefly in the SB au and how SB , YELENA and Kate are a chaos trio . But is Kate in a branch of Military, in the same branch as Yelena? ( I think we decided that Yelena is in the marines) And what is the relationship between Kate and Yelena?

One very last thing and this is something that I forgot to mention. When Nat was looking at Elizabeth Howlett and saw nothing but the cold harshness in her face and eyes . It was a face and eyes that reminded her of madam B ( that bicth that Nat had that graduation ceremony and “ I have no place in this world” conversation with in the AOU flashbacks. She was in charge or one of the people in charge of red room widow training) or that of other widows on the job ….. hell even her own eyes before she escaped and met R.

Glad you had an excellent holiday, anon! I did too :)

Thank you again for educating us. ❤️ Without spoiling too much, I will say that R knows more about her past than you probably think, only because Professor X helped dig up files and do some consensual mind-reading on her. So not all her childhood memories were lost.

And look at you blessing us with a Sergeant Beef headcanon in the same post!

I love the idea that SB is actually a good cook, since they kind of struck me as someone who would be bumbling and unhelpful in the kitchen lol. Putting SB on baby duty seems like the best call, and you know Nat would be all over them for it.

Hmm...we've had some pretty angsty SB thoughts already, but please bring them over lol. I know we've only mentioned it in these extra headcanons, but Kate strikes me as an Air Force kind of person. I'd like to think that her and Yelena met before they enlisted and separated ways, but maintain a very close friendship still (although Kate is potentially interested in Yelena as more than a friend, but Yelena is kind of dumb and oblivious like SB so she doesn't realize it for a long time).

#😎 anon #vulture answers #sergeant beef au #darkest knight au

[sapphire-writes]

Okay, since you're invested and Im too lazy to study for my Theory presentation tomorrow (but somehow awake enough to do this- God gives his hardest battles to his stronger soldiers) let's go! I also realised after writing this whole thing that it's too long to be an ask but i couldnt copy it as a post and.. ive come too far for anything else! ch.3

“Found him,” Aemond said.  Aegon trails behind him, looking disheveled.  “Where was he?” Baela asks.  Aemond glances around the room.  “Y/N here?” 

MY BABY!!!! he knows it's gonna devastate her to be yet again faced with aegon's complete disregard and shitting all over their relationship and still he's being so careful and tactful and thoughtful!

His tongue pokes at his cheek, as he watches you. His sapphire eye catches the light from the kitchen, sending geometric shapes on the wall.

this was such a good line tho! like, you can imagine the little light shapes around the room moving around whenever he tilts his head or turns his head. such a good visual! (the V on the sweatpants as well but for now im keeping it classy)

“She’s single, I’m single,” he says, no growls, at you, “it's not a big fucking deal.”

imagine having to defend to your crush why you fake shagged sb and having to argue that you're not dating anyone so you're allowed to have ALL the fun!! Yay such joy!!

also btw!! why lie in the first place? just to spite her? maybe......... to see how she would react?.... i mean... there's a saying in my native language : "you fish with empty nets hoping to get full ones" dude was baiting her? wishfully baiting her? crossing his fingers baiting her? and it fucking worked too? what a mad lad

“Fuck, Aemond,” you want to keep yelling at him. You want a reaction from him, some remorse, something besides that cold look, “you really are heartless.”

Aemond turns his head to you, purple and sapphire eye aglow with anger. He pushes off the counter, striding towards you. 

“Go to bed, Y/N,” he says in a voice dripping with disdain, “you’re not my friend, you’re not my girlfriend. Stop acting like one.”

“I’m not staying.” A flicker of confusion dances across his sharp features.  “Why?” [...] Aemond stays eerily still. His eye searches your face, taking in the look of acceptance that follows the words you speak. 

“So after the party, you won’t have to deal with me anymore,” you tell him, the bitterness evident in your voice. 

see previous gif

Aemond’s eyes light up as you fail to answer, the beginning of a smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth.  [...] There is a look in Aemond’s eye, reminiscent of a rabid dog.

no comment... i just love those lines... pay no attention to me

I have to wonder... how many times in the past had Aemond fantasized about waking up, going to the kitchen to have his morning coffee and toast and whatever and then her showing up, all warm and lazy from her sleep. how many times did he do the do thinking about lifting her on that very counter and fucking her just like he did irl? because you know since those mornings have been established as a sort of "them" time, you know he latched onto that and used it as jerking off material.. also those morning showers? i bet you my left lung he did. (please dear author.. what Does he think about while getting himself off?) also you have to love how open and responsive and vocal he is! all the love! all the kisses!!!

He fucking ripped your stockings holy shit. 

you know he'd been thinking of doing that for a looong ass while

Aemond blinks to look up at you, drinking in the hedonistic expression on your face. 

i love it when dreams come true. very heartwarming ya know....

“You gonna cum for me?” he asks, his voice rough as gravel.

God, you want to smack that stupid self-indulgent look off his face.

if only she realized how much he risked -like emotionally- by kissing her and making that first move...

now some ch. 1 because i MUST

Aemond nods, flagging down the bartender.  “Yeah 'cause you’re acting like an idiot.” [...] “No you’re an idiot,” he faces you, a sick smile on his face. He often gets that wild look in his eye when you start arguing. 

it's the attention.. he's a lovesick fool. pay him no mind

“You’re a very smart girl,” he says leaning closer, “but you’re not acting like one.” “You don’t get it,” you tell him[...] Aemond chuckles [...] “I live with you fuckers,” he says, taking a sip from his drink, “I know everything that goes on, princess.” [...] “Don’t you think you deserve better?” [...] “You’re not my friend Aemond,” you snap, “you’ve made that quite clear the past couple of years. So stop acting like one.” His eyes bore into yours. [...] He doesn’t say anything, he only hums deep within the back of his throat before tearing his gaze from you. 

and one last line from ch, 4

Aemond’s silk shirt is open at the top, revealing his chest. He wears a different chain tonight, nothing hanging from it. You swallow hard.

let the chain be a main character! it has all the potential, we want her, we love her, she is stunning, amazing, showstopping...

IM LIVING FOR THIS COMMENTARY FRIEND 🫶🏻

As for lying about Rhaena: yeah he lied, knowing it would start a fight, he was totally baiting her. He just went along with it because she was like "seriously?? you fucked Rhaena??"

You've hit the nail on the HEAD! As for what he thinks of when he ya know 💦 😏 ofc he's thinking about the reader, those moments in the kitchen, the moments when they argue just grabbing the back of her neck and kissing her, breaking all his rules and going for it.

and then he finally does 🥹

#down in flames #sapphire answers

[myreia]

1 or 17 for Aureia? 👀

Thank you, Rue! 💗

17. What is the worst thing you have put your OC through story-wise?

Ooooo, well, outside of XIV plot events in general, it would be Aureia's backstory and her behaviour throughout most of Heavensward and Stormblood.

Her backstory, briefly:

She and her twin, Kallias, were born in Corvos to military research scientists working for the Garlean military. They were moved around a lot as children as their parents were moved from post to post, following orders from their superiors. When Aureia's natural magical talents manifested, she was told to suppress them as her parents didn't want her to cause problems for them or their place in the military. There were talks of her eventually becoming an Imperial signifier, but her mother had a whole different idea.

Throughout their teen years, Aureia (then under her birth name, Kira) were groomed to be operatives. Their team was sanctioned for operation when they were 18, a process which involved passing the scrutiny and testing of Zenos. They spent almost a decade in the field working against Garlemald's enemies until the Calamity - the massive amount of life lost made her question her upbringing and everything she knew, eventually leading her to defect. She fought Kallias personally the night she left, and thought she fatally wounded him.

She fled to Eorzea, shed her identity and her history, took up the name Aureia Malathar and landed in Ul'dah to hide among the refugees. Her early days in the city were spent in fear that her former unit would track her down and kill her for defecting. That confrontation didn't occur until well after she was established as the Warrior of Light.

As for HW and SB, I keep pressing the "make it worse" button because she's an absolute mess.

Losing the Scions and getting exiled from the one place she called home really did a number on her and it had ramifications for her mental health throughout most of HW base. Sidurgu is one of the few people she actually forms a bond with in HW; there's a bit of confused feelings there that neither of them act on since she's too afraid of a relationship to actually do anything with it.

By the HW patches, she is very emotionally confused, uncertain where she stands with Thancred, watching Aymeric fall in love with her although she can't understand why. She and Thancred spend a good amount of time being generally nasty to each other. She starts a relationship with Aymeric because she pushes herself to do so; while she cares about him a great deal, the relationship was always a little uneven because he loved her more than she loved him.

Fast-forward to Stormblood. Aureia's filled with righteous rage, desperate to kill Zenos since he symbolizes her past to her, and she's got it in her head that if she kills him, then she kills her past and Kira can stay dead for good. When that doesn't happen, she ends up in a downwards spiral. She pushes Aymeric away; their relationship doesn't formally end, but it is strained.

She has a very brief fling with Fordola, one of the only people she has opened up to about her past and with whom she can actually be herself. It's a one-time thing that happens accidentally because her mind is in a really bad spot, but she's wracked with guilt about it because she and Aymeric are on such rocky ground and she still loves him, but she doesn't know how to talk to him anymore.

She spends a significant amount of time with Sidurgu and Rielle inbetween SB patches. He's a breath of fresh air, she loves Rielle dearly and is deeply protective of her (relates a little too much with having a mother who wants you dead), and it's good to be isolated from all of the political ongoings. Her mind is its most clear when she is with them, but that also means that all of the buried feelings come bubbling back up. She and Sid have a very brief relationship before she calls it off because she doesn't want to hurt him and she knows that if they started anything in earnest, the foundation would always be cracked because she hasn't properly ended things with Aymeric.

The SB patches is when Aureia is at her absolute worst. She has a very hard time sorting out her emotions and figuring out where she stands when she's balancing who she is now against who she was formerly. It's all one big jumbled identity crisis and unfortunately people she loves very dearly get caught in the crossfire.

Some very hard truths need to come out before she can get better.

[edgy/misc ask meme]

#ffxiv #ffxiv wol #aureia malathar #oc tag #stormblood spoilers

[puhpandas]

Honestly you've probably gotten this ask or something similar before, but I offer you my Beckory crumbs anyway. Don't feel the need to post this or anything, I just wanted to rattle this off somewhere lol.

Lately I've been bouncing a concept around in my brain where Tony and Gregory are both controlled by Afton, which leaves Ellis and Monty as the heroes of the adjacent Security Breach.

Maybe instead of Tony presumably dying or at the very least getting attacked at the ending of GGY by Gregory, he's instead pulled into the same mind control and the two end up as partners in crime. Both boys subsequently go missing instead of continuing their daily lives, prompting Ellis to go searching for his best friends in the last place anyone had seen them at. There, he meets a decommissioned Monty Gator who, due to not being on because of Glamrock Bonnie's very abrupt (and painful) return to the spotlight, is the only one not controlled by the virus. They navigate through the Pizzaplex together similarly to how Gregory and Glamrock Freddy do in the game, which according to Monty has pretty much been flipped upside-down.

I wanna say Tony reappears pretty quickly, like a stand-in for Vanessa, but leaning more into the "deceptively kind" aspect, as he tries to trick Ellis into walking right into his death. Likewise Gregory, or GGY/Dr. Rabbit is the replacement for Vanny, and actively pursues Ellis with clear intentions. From there it's up to Ellis to either try and find a way to free his friends from their curse, or to end them, or even escape altogether without looking back. There's presumably a whole confrontation between Monty and Bonnie, Dr. Rabbit takes Freddy's head after they manage to decommission his body, Ellis does lots of reflecting through the course of the events on how he kinda acted shitty towards Tony and regrets letting him dig so deeply into things on his own to where he ended up like this.

Also had the thought on the topic of Tony and Gregory working as a sort of double "Vanessa/Vanny" unit respectively, Tony's costume would be a bear to play into the parallels between Fronnie and Beckory. Maybe Vanessa replaces Cassie, or hell, maybe even Crystal, Luis or Cassie's dad. Not sure, it's just my excuse to have an AU where Beckory are evil boyfriends and are shadowed by their equally as evil gay robotic parental figures. Is it cliché? Yeah, absolutely, but them both being mentally brainwashed and still simultaneously being able to finally navigate their feelings for one another is a really tasty concept to me.

AGH YES I've thought about a glitchtrapped tony au where he and Gregory are under the virus at the same time and have to deal with that and have little moments where they're free together and are able to be miserable and scared as themselves. of course Tony's name would be Tarbell. I've never done much with that au but man... this is making me think more about glitchtrapped tony

ellis protag with a monty plot with bonnie is so interesting and it gives screentime to everyone and everything. in my au I had Gregory accidentally free himself and then in sb he would want to free both tony and vanny who are working together against him but seeing glitchtrapped beckory in action next to eachother is a great idea

#pandas.txt #pandas talks #pandas asks #au #glitchtrapped tony #beckory #gregory #tony #ellis #monty

[meatmensch]

G!! TELL ME MORE ABOUT SUPERPSYCHNATURAL!!!

I have multiple Psych/SPN crossover WIPs but this one is just a lil' somethin' somethin' in which TFW are in Santa Barbra for a case. Bobby sent them on this case - he heard about it from Henry Spencer, who he became fishing buddies with after working a case in SB many years ago. They chat on the phone every once in a while and talk shop. Henry mentioned that his kid psychic was working this very strange case and Bobby was like...Oh? Perhaps I'll send some of my guys out to take a look at it (Henry thinks he's FBI).

Sam and Dean head out there and work with Shawn and Gus. They all annoy the hell out of each other. Sam and Dean are onto Shawn about being a fake psychic and Shawn and Gus are onto Sam and Dean about being fake FBI.

This is set in like S5 of SPN and S3 of Psych.

There are demons up in this bitch, and at some point, Juliet and Dean are cornered by them. Here's a snippet.

The demon left its vessel, and because it could not possess Dean, it turned to Detective O'Hara.

"Juliet!" Dean cried, as he watched the blackened soul move swiftly toward her body.

He had learned in recent days that she was not the kind of person to cower in fear of a fight, that she was brave, steadfast, and clever. But even the strongest, most seasoned fighters fall short when faced with such a new, unknown evil.

Just as the demon closed in on her, her expression changed. She tilted her head in confusion and wonder, her fear still present, but no longer a concern.

"Yes," she whispered, and white light was bursting from her eyes and mouth. Dean covered his eyes with his arm before the entire room was set ablaze with blinding angelic light.

Once Dean removed his face from the crook of his elbow, he saw that her posture was stiff, and her expression was stern.

"There's not enough room for the two of us. Find yourself another vessel, and I'll deal with you later," she said with an unwavering authority that Dean knew well.

"Cas?"

"Yes."

"What are you doing?"

"Saving Detective O'Hara, and you."

"You're MIA for months, and then you show up as Brittney Wilson?"

"I don't under - "

"Yeah, yeah, you haven't seen White Chicks. Seriously, why are you here?"

"The demons that are terrorizing this city are powerful, Dean. You, Sam, and a handful of regular humans will not be able to stop them on your own."

"...Okay, sure. But, man, why possess the poor chick?"

"She prayed for help, with what she thought would be her final thoughts. This seemed like a reasonable way to stop that demon from possessing her without her consent."

"Where's your other meat suit?"

"The body that was Jimmy Novak's is in your motel room."

"...Gross, dude. Anyway, I'm tired, and hungry, and in pain, and also hungry. Help me out with a little magic touch? Then we'll go to lunch?"

"Of course, Dean."

I began this WIP in late 2021 and haven't really touched it since. I hope to write and post a Psych/SPN crossover someday tho. <3

wip tag/ask game thing

#my posts #mail #spn #psych #psychnatural

[ofdarklands]

9 to 16 for mitr'a? 👁👁

job has been suspiciously silent today so here it is

PLEASE NOTE i am literally just starting the post sb quests so i can already tell where things will be changing... i don’t know how yet though...

under read more because long

9. How do they deal with their fame? Has it changed their relationship with their loved ones? Have they ever been tempted to use their fame for selfish reasons?

- he ignored it at first, slowly started to realize the size of it when people started opening doors to it, and hit him fully when aymeric walked in like ‘hearteyes motherfucker’ and accepted a deal because it was him. now, he tries to just power through the overblown reactions like he didn’t hear them. it does help that thanks to accidentaly creating himself a secret identity, he can just change clothes and posture and go be Just Some Dude*. still, he spends a good amount of his time listening to stories and histories and songs, he can intuit how these things work. the higher they go...

*as the hand/land classes quests continue though he’s actually starting to be recognized in different ways anyway which is somewhat annoying though

- his mother and sisters back in the black shroud have absolutely no clue as they haven’t seen him in years, and don’t actually know him that well anyway. if they knew about the wol thing the reaction would be something like... “him??? are you sure? his only topic is plants”

- i suppose he has used his ‘i am but a humble botanist’ license combined with his natural stealth to just wander into hostile fortresses and areas repeatedly and for various reasons, and doesn’t intend to stop

10. How do they deal with the pressure of being a or the Warrior of Light? Do they have a ritual to relax and recenter themselves?

the things is, his main job is botanist, closelly followed by, well, all the land/hand classes. he’s not even a registered adventurer. being the WoL has become an expensive, dangerous, high adrenaline hobby for him so generally, he is here because he wants to and is having a great time! really! if he dies it’s on him!

sometimes though you just gotta go and *grits teeth* rip out invasive weeds with great prejudice while imagining they’re lolorito and then hit some rocks for good measure. you know how it is

11. How do they deal with the knowledge that they’re not immortal but the world will always face some kind of danger? Have they made their peace with not being able to save everyone?

yeah, it’s fine. he’s doing it now, someone else did it before and eventually someone else will do it afterward, and in any case he’ll be dead. *victory sign emoji*

12. What do they think about redemption and forgiveness? Would they forgive an enemy? Would they forgive themselves?

there are things you can be forgiven but still have to pay for. but, yes, he supposes. if it helps

13. Of all the dungeons they explored and the trials they faced, which one left the best memories?

sky pirates sky pirates sky pirates. the ff14 version of an oldie dnd adventure. no thinking just kill stylish demons with the stylish pirate gang, and there’s a giant ship made of coffins and evil. baller. the scions never even learned about this one, this was a private party. the music was very good as well

he also, obviously, loved the arboretum. he goes back often, both there and to the sharlayan library. i mean, if they’re just gonna leave all those books lying there, don’t mind if he does right?

14. Is there any NPC from the game they would consider as a mentor?

a mentor? no, i don’t think so. he gets along great with cid? he does consider some people to be the Authorities in their Field though and as such what they say pretty much goes, but that’s not exactly mentorship

15. How do they feel about the Ascians?

fascinating hermit crab motherfuckers. how do they get to 10 thousand years old and make less interesting monologues than gaius and zenos and the... the crystal braves traitor fuck. they’re SO annoying to kill. where do they even keep coming from

16. Tell us about the two major events from MSQ that left the deepest emotional scars on your WoL.

1) well, for him, moenbryda's death, the end of the crystal tower raids and the Ul’dah Event all happened in the same week. so. that was a fun one! ul’dah confirmed for Worst Place, where not only is it dry, ugly, and unpleasant, but you also can’t trust anyone. he’s only willingly stepping there again if it’s for a primal

1+) after the hw poisoning he’s not ever eating or drinking something he hasn’t gathered and prepared himself ever again either. has become a master in seeming like he’s eating so he doesn’t offend. m’naago’s mom’s celebratory dinner has been his hardest test yet

2) he understands and respects self sacrifice, but, being the one jumping face first into danger is literally what he’s here for. maybe don’t everyone teleport into the death dimension at once leaving him on the run with 2 kids, or maybe just trip him and make him fall on his face instead of throwing themselves in front of the magic missile. please.

#don't @ me about 11 i am aware #he is not #yet #play: mitr’a #mitr'a

[ponds-of-ink]

I just watched Game Theory’s analysis of the Ruin Trailer for fun, but now I’ve got something to say. I am going to put my main thoughts for a certain section below for spoiler reasons, but the basis is that he’s close with it but I have to respectfully disagree with his conclusion.

So, when MatPat reached the mystery rabbit shot, he realized that the duality thing was an intentional motif and that green and purple was involved. After some inspection with SB TV and thinking back to who could possibly be associated with green, he came up with the idea that Charlie (due to the green wristband and the green eyes of the security puppet) and William (as Glitchtrap) are fighting over something.

And, while I see where he’s coming from there (as Charlie and Will being rivals dates all the way back to the Silver Eyes books and continued until Fazbear Frights Epilogue #7), I just cannot accept the second half of this idea. The duality and the green-and-purple stuff is great. Glad we’re on the same track there. But there’s a few details I want to consider.

(1) While Charlie is a good candidate for green association, the Puppet mask present in the Blob does not have lit eyes like the rest and seemingly has no tear streaks. If we are to take red eyes and tear streaks this as sign of Charlie’s presence, then it’s clear that she’s not back this time. Also, if I recall correctly, the only time she was really associated with green was in that one FNAF 6 mini-game and in the Silver Eyes graphic novels trilogy with the green jacket (which, fun fact, was originally a denim jacket in the book trilogy proper). If anything, the Puppet’s trademark black and white stripes would be a better indicator for her at the moment.

(2) Even if Charlie was the sole character that had green, why would she choose to haunt a rabbit? Wouldn’t something like Sun be a bit more likely, as it’s Puppet-like frame help her adjust faster? ..And make her able to focus on her mission more instead of more likely having memories of dealing with Scraptrap in FNAF 6?

(3) A better candidate would actually be Glitchtrap himself as a separate entity, given the whole Mimic situation (which I’m not going to delve into because this post is probably going to be rambling enough already). Considering the fact that he has been green-colored at least three times [one for the “repaired” version in Help Wanted, another after his whole merging attempt seemingly goes south, and the last this plush according to Princess Quest 3), it would make more sense to associate him with green rather than purple. Well... At certain points, that is. He does still have the purple motif, but it’s more of an accent color really.

(4) Also, given that the Steel Wool logos on SB TV are not perfect reflections of each other (and going opposite directions, as MatPat noted), then wouldn’t that line up with what’s implied with the Mimic if he is supposed to be Glitch [or at least the programming is]? He’s trying to impersonate someone who most likely is terrified and/or very reluctant to do what he used to do thanks to all that time in UCN. Sure, Glitch is doing a pretty good job keeping up that villainous legacy. The problem is: William might not want that legacy to be how he’s remembered. A strange take, I know, but it’s the best one I’ve got since the last time we know we saw Will was in UCN– And he was trapped in his own literal nightmarish landscape and screaming for Henry and Mike. That can’t be great for someone who’s been.. *checks notes* burned twice, self-cornered into a fatal robotic costume accident, and losing most of his family for varying reasons. Prideful though he is, all that building pain has got to have put him in his place by now. I would be mildly surprised if it didn’t.

(5) So, if this is the case, then that means we are dealing with a battle of identity here. And, as it was stated in a different Game Theory video, we might have to use William’s own memories to set him free. Make him remember everything else that happened in his life, then maybe help him come to terms with things... After taking down Glitchtrap, of course.

But, of course, this is all speculation until we get more info. I could be wrong, MatPat could be wrong, we both could be wrong. The point is this: Duality is a key theme at the moment, Afton is still involved somehow if we take the purple as a clue, and he might be fighting someone else in the same robotic body.

Oh, and uh, Elizabeth having green eyes does make it seem like she’d be a good candidate.. Until the same evidence for The Blob version of the Puppet shows up in its version of Baby. Besides, Circus Baby was always her thing– Even in the novel trilogy.

#william afton #fnaf ruin #game theory #fnaf theory #pond rambles #i have tried to do my research #cited my sources and such #again #he did good #but oh boy #this set off something in me

[mitchie02]

I literally saw sb on twitter posting a couple panels of Levi: (chap 136 where he tells Erwin he doesn't regret his decision; his sad face in Shinganshina on top of Erwin's corpse; the part Levi says he let Erwin die for personal reasons, etc) calling out on other shippers saying how could they still deny Eruri's romantic relationship according to these proofs. Could you please share your thoughts on this?

I call this a "two characters I want to be together interacted, so it must be romantic" situation.

chap 136 where he tells Erwin he doesn't regret his decision

Yes, he didn't regret his decision. Because Armin had the same look in his eyes as all his fallen comrades. I'm gonna leave those here:

I guess they think it's romantic 'cause Levi was addressing Erwin, at some points. But Levi is the image of a perfect soldier, who never fails to complete an order. If he wasn't haunted by not managing to kill Zeke twice, I would think he was out of character. When he told Erwin to give up on his dream and die, he made the decision for him. He has a hand in ordering a bunch of young soldiers to give their lives for humanity's sake. Think about Marlow, for example. Levi was hesitant to let him enroll. And then the boy died during his first mission. It's a lot to live with.

his sad face in Shinganshina on top of Erwin's corpse

He was sad when many others died. Why is romantic when it's Erwin and platonic for everyone else?

His face when Petra died:

When Nifa died:

When Hange told Mikasa about the inevitability of losing your loved ones :

When Sasha died:

When Hange died:

When he told the kids they need to kill Eren:

the part Levi says he let Erwin die for personal reasons

This, I can't debunk. If someone wants to believe Levi let Erwin go because he was so in love with him, fine.

All I can say is that Levi's decision was made after he remembered how Kenny was able to let go of his goal to gain power, had a selfless moment and gave the serum to Levi then died in peace. Floch's speech also contributed and the fact that Erwin let him decide that it's time to let the basement go and he made peace with that.

He let Erwin go so he wouldn't have to deal with the guilt of being the devil. Levi also let Hange go, despite the fact that he could've ordered Connie or Jean to go kill some colossal titans. But he knew Hange needed to fulfill the role of being commander.

calling out on other shippers saying how could they still deny Eruri's romantic relationship according to these proofs

And I can call their asses out for how disgusting their treatment of Levi ("He's a twink/Erwin's sugar baby/obsessed with Erwin/can't live without Erwin") and Erwin ("Erwin couldn't bear the though of Levi dying so he died for him.") is. Their proof always comes with some silly interpretations of Levi's and Erwin's interactions.

#ask #aot #snk #ship wars

[emetkoto]

does koto multiclass or just stick with one particular job? does emet-selch like to watch him fight, or have any preferences about seeing him use a particular weapon?

K'oto goes through multiple classes through the story!

When he first comes to Ul'dah it's to participate in the bloodsands as a gladiator to make money so naturally he started as GLA and specialized into PLD at the end of ARR where Nanamo presented him with a job stone since I don't fuck with making job quests canon it's too much writing and dealing with characters im not too attached to gjlkfsd..

Anyway he sticks with PLD through most of HW until after the vault at which point he has a bit of a crisis bc ohhh he's supposed to be a hero and he couldn't even save one man and he refuses to pick up his sword and shield again and estinen has to grab him by the scruff and knock some sense into him and force a lance into his hands (not a euphemism very literal) to get him to fight again so they could finish the plot of HW <3 so even tho it wasn't like official he was technically a DRG until after the final steps of faith where his pride has recovered and he can go back to PLD!

I thought about incorporating another job change for SB but I just cant come up with anything else that suits him so he sticks with PLD all the way through SB and it's post-patches and the first 3/4 of SHB! After Vauthy while he's talking to Ardbert they agree to fight together and all that and when they do the little fistbump idk. Ardberts knowledge of WAR is imbedded into K'otos PLD crystal or some shit anyway its an excuse for him to play WAR through amaurot and the dying gasp so i can keep in my tragic Ardbert betrayal moment (for K'otos own good or so he says) :) after that K'oto cant stand to see an axe so he's back to PLD again for post-patches and all of base EW!

When returning from Elpis tho as he's having his understandably massive breakdown on the floor of the ocular over what the fuck just happened he noticed smth on the floor and crawled over to it and it was Emet-Selch's convocation memory stone thing that Elidibus had left for him 🥺 K'oto took it with him and wore it as a necklace for the most part until after the end of EW but before patch 6.1 where he was looking through the memories on it again and was reminded (or discovered since ig his ktisis run would have him as a BLM) that Emet was what he knew in the present as a DRK and he started wondering if he'd be able to translate the techniques seen in Emet's memories into passable DRK skills and thus, it became his DRK job stone :) DRK is his main from 6.1 onwards into the foreseeable future! It's a way to help remember Emet and it kinda feels like they're fighting together, like Emet is guiding his hand and watching over him protecting him with mitigation spells hehe......since he learned it from Emet's memories for some spell casts he does sometimes find himself emulating Emet exactly and doing the stupid little snap and occasionally spawning a glyph during darkside that scares the shit out of his fellow trust members whenever it happens, it doesnt affect anything it's just part of him mimicking what he sees to make sure everything works lol

I can totally picture a homoerotic scene of Emet-Selch telling K'oto he'd look good wielding a mage's staff and that spells would sound so nice spoken with his voice <3 K'oto in general hates casting spells bc he has a hard time focusing and hates how he has to stand still to do it since he's always gotta be moving but y'know under Emet's guidance i think he could do it or get fucked trying!❤️💜

#words of mimi #ocs #koto tia #emetkoto