you're the one person i refuse to lose

@hummingsylph on twitter nikki / dom / bee 25 he/she/they aw shit here we go again...

[beesfordays]

i was tagged by @raphfish for the character theme challenge!!! thank you owowowo

Character Theme

What instrumental track would play in the background of your character's story during their most meaningful moments? 

my dnd oc Elei (Cyrus Elei Fairmorn) is... all about love, i think. and all the ways love can present and the many insane, irrational, and awful things we do for love, but also the many wonderful and beautiful things we can create with love and through love! they are faith and deception, joy and grief, false hope and genuine hope

that said, elei's "badass" or "climactic" music wouldnt necessarily be something cool or powerful. it can be as hopeful and joyful as this song:

or as slowly boiling and terrifying as this one:

BUT! i think the most quintessential elei song would be this longing, crooning love song, that talks about missing an old life, an old dream, an old simplicity, while also accepting that there's much more than what they thought there was to life, and that it's okay to keep moving forward while holding these old things in their heart. thank u cö shu nie for this masterpiece:

both the feelings these songs evoke and the lyrics are relevant to elei ngl. they are a tangled, complex mess of a person full of love and faith and all that entails, and i really want to do them justice 💞

anyway! tagging @studiokhara for this challenge :3

[afterthelambs]

February 3: the most cruel thing Maruki did to Joker

February 2 is infamous for obvious reasons, but it's only the day Joker finds out the truth about Akechi. February 3 is the day he actually loses him. I wanna talk about the other tragedy of February 3, specifically how it relates to Maruki. TLDR at the end if you don't wanna read.

Based on the journal notes in Maruki's palace, this is Rumi's birthday. It's also the day Maruki loses her.

Maruki is an unreliable narrator. He's not like the other palace rulers where you can take what they say at face value. Remember that he has no shadow, so he consciously omits the specifics of Rumi's story. It's only by finding the video tapes and these hidden journals that the Phantom Thieves piece it together on their own. It makes sense he wouldn't want to discuss it, since it's a painful memory.

The truth is at least 50% of Maruki's motivation is the pain and guilt of what happened to Rumi. That's an exact statistic btw: there are 6 journals total and the first 3 are entirely about Rumi. Even the last journal ends with a dedication to her. When he and Joker have that boxing match on the bridge, he specifically screams HER name.

There's a misconception in the fandom that Maruki is this selfless savior who only cares about helping others. In reality, his motives are complicated. He does care about others (which is why he was researching this topic long before this. Maruki's empathy is a core part of his character, I'm not denying that), but the reason he goes to such LENGTHS is because of personal traumas. Had the 2/3 tragedy not happened, he never would have taken things that far. Love and trauma make people do crazy things.

To him, February 3 is a day of heartbreak that marks the loss of his true love. This palace's deadline is basically some fucked up birthday gift from a grieving man to his ex-fiancée to alleviate the guilt of not being able to save her. He wants to overrule that by making it the day he saves everyone instead.

But it wasn't enough for him to deal with suffering on his own. Just like on the bridge of the final fight, he had to drag Joker down with him. By setting this as the deadline, Maruki guaranteed that this would be a day of heartbreak for Joker too. From now on, Joker has to live with the guilt of letting Akechi die again on February 3, just like Maruki with Rumi.

And Maruki knew what he was doing there. The dialogue below shows that Maruki speaks from personal experience when it comes to losing someone to unjust circumstances. Even Joker calls it out:

What's even more telling is that after discussing Rumi, Maruki immediately segues the convo to Akechi. He knows how traumatizing that experience was for Joker and he exploits the hell out of it, with leading questions and a knowing tone, nudging him to relive those moments.

That's what these black and white flashbacks cutting in between the dialogue are supposed to be. They're not just a refresher for the player— Joker himself is recalling those moments in real time.

Maruki spends the entire conversation putting the burden on Joker ("YOU were the guiding light to my research. YOU showed me the way"). Putting the life of a loved one in the hands of a teenager is a morbid and heavy thing. That is the most cruel thing Maruki has ever done because he's fully aware of how this hurts Joker. Because love and trauma make people do crazy things, like doom the entire world just to give their loved one another chance at life. Maruki knew this would work on Joker because it worked on him.

That brings us to Akechi and his role in all this. Maruki never got to ask Rumi what she wanted. She was incapacitated so he made the decision for her. That's not the case with Joker and Akechi, who are actually able to discuss it. Akechi directs the burden onto himself instead ("I will carve MY OWN path", "a betrayal of MY wishes"). Look at the difference in phrasing:

"Joker leads the way" vs "Akechi goes his own way." I don't even know if Akechi realizes he's doing it, but he's countering Maruki's manipulation tactics by taking some of the burden off. This way, Joker isn't chosing to let him die. He's just letting Akechi choose his own fate.

Not that this is much of a consolation though. It's still Akechi's life in the balance. Joker STILL has to lose his deepest wish and live with that decision. And it was Maruki who did that to him.

TLDR: Maruki did everything in his power to guarantee that February 3 will not just be his traumatizing anniversary of heartbreak, but Joker's too. He made use of every manipulation tactic in the book to get Joker to fold, even if it meant inflicting the same pain he went through onto an innocent kid.

[magemg]

To: 👓

[magemg]

Case of the stolen specs, the aftermath

[magemg]

Always.

[magemg]

The cherry blossom season is almost over.

[magemg]

Drawing flustered Noct was very enjoyable for me. 

[magemg]

I wonder if Ignis is secretly ticklish, Noct would take advantages of that to tease his beloved advisor.

[magemg]

First (secret) kiss Ignoct Week Day 4: First Time

[magemg]

Ignoct Week Day 1: Falling in Love

[magemg]

🍴🎣

[magemg]

Happy white day, @dark-ruby-regalia!! You requested for slice of life older ignoct so I went with ‘The King is hard at work so as the Senior Advisor, Ignis is doing his best to help him”. Or maybe, Ignis is actually distracting him 😂. But I’m sorry if it’s not ‘slice of life’ enough!💦

Thank you @ignoctgiftexchange for the awesome project!

[magemg]

You won’t be going alone

[verycharismaticdragon]

okay so since nobody else jumped to make this, here we go

(there's a 'see results' option for those who did read svsss at the end of the poll btw!)

If you haven't read Scum Villain's Self-Saving System: which of these is FALSE?

character's dad is a fan of a famous porn ballad starring his son and son-in-law

a succubus fortune teller told MC at least 5 men are in love with him

MC told ML that if he was his mom, he would never abort him

having extremely bad sex was instrumental for saving the world

straight harem novel protagonist experienced a gay awakening

character played hot potato with his own half-naked corpse

character told his love interest to call him ‘daddy’. not for kinky reasons

3 different demons made one character drink their blood on 5 separate occasions

character who thinks ‘beat them up 3 times a day’ is flirting got his man

i have read scum villain / see results

Voting ended onJul 5, 2023

(also i ask humbly to reblog if this poll caught your fancy. because most of my followers are from danmei fandoms and likely have read svsss)

[yudon32]

The execution of Lady Furina de Fontaine

[papertrlck]

a Trans Akechi comic focusing on gender dysphoria

[theexistentiallyqueer]

I promised that I would compile a list of fic recs so here we go.

hungry, thirsty roots by coolkidroland (T) - This is it kids, this is the fic that turned me into a goroboy. Goro has a palace AU, shuake with a side of okujima, and easily my favorite Goro redemption stories. I have reread this at least ten times. I just reread it last week. (Make sure you read all three works in the series.)

l’appel du vide by xov (M) - I didn’t think I would need to list the single most popular shuake fic ever written, but some people I’ve talked to have never heard of it and listen, this fic will change your life. New Game+, Akira has a palace, bigtime slow burn, an Akira who flirts with anything that moves but specifically with Goro any time he moves. I have no idea where the plot is going but it is definitely going PLACES. Xov updates at a glacier’s pace but it is so, so, so beyond worth it.

cover your tracks by prosodiical (T) - What if Akira and Goro had met earlier? Like the first time Goro walks into the Metaverse, for example.

ᚴᚱᚨᚴᚱᚷᚨᛚᛞᚱ (Krákrgaldr) by songofproserpine (M) - Goro has a palace AU, and that palace is dripping with Norse mythology references written with carefully crafted care. A lot of v good literary horror up in this Big Bang Burger tonight.

it takes a village by shouldbeworking (M) - New Game+, but all the phantom thieves are playing and Goro hasn’t got a clue. Their absolute DISASTER Goro is one of my favorites.

false start by xov (M) - Goro is older and married to the man he loves. Just kidding! Haha…unless…? Everything Xov touches is gold.

a study in distress by xov (G) - No powers AU where Akira went to Goro’s high school. Akira is thirsting big time and Goro is very dumb.

start again at your beginning by joisbishmyoga (T) - The kids pull off the long con but have some caveats on the takedown. Sojiro POV.

on the way by chashmish (T) - One of several fics about Akira giving Goro a haircut, because we are simple people with simple wants and like Goro being vulnerable by letting the guy he tried to kill put a blade near his neck.

the level knife by relationshipcrimes (G) - Another fic about Akira giving Goro a haircut, because we are simple people with simple wants.

the soul signal by relationshipcrimes (G) - Literally the only soul mate AU fic I have ever read and boy am I glad that I did.

the devil’s details by relationshipcrimes (G) - Goro goes to prison in Akira’s stead.

the pleasure game by relationshipcrimes (T) - We are simple people with simple wants and one of those wants is fics where Akira and Goro are hooking up in game despite knowing it’s a very bad idea (the thirst wants what the thirst wants).

a multitude of deaths, and a world for the two of us alone by deplore (M) - Goro survives, but god, at what cost? A very good breakdown of how actually becoming a murderer in your formative years really fucks you up, doesn’t it. Warnings for dream sequences of intimate partner violence.

the collective by deplore (M) - A series of drabbles, some of which are darker than others. Ch 4 has sexual content.

to err is human by katraa (E) - Akira and Goro flirt-quote philosophy at each other and then have sex. You know, as boys do.

push & pull by aizawashouta (E) - Goro has a lot of emotional hangups and Ren has the patience of a saint, honestly. Get your boy a therapist.

spring cleaning by deplore (G) - Goro waits for Akira to come home. Post-game, Goro lives (obviously).

come light undying by chashmish (G) - Drabble collection. Tell chashmish thank you.

skeptic by chashmish (G) - Goro has some hot takes about Akira’s personality.

actor out of work by chashmish (T) - Akira is having clandestine makeout sessions with the boy he knows is planning to kill him. It’s fine. Everything is fine.

with mournful tread by yustiel (G) - A very dark, very depressing New Game+.

sunny with a chance of storms by mysecretfanmoments & suggestivescribe (E) - Akira is a thirsty motherfucker on main. 

go home by prosodiical (T) - Goro survives and feels messy about it.

it’s a long life, better pinch yourself by tnevmucric (G) - The love confession Atlus robbed us of.

a stupid shelter, like an umbrella against lightning by tnevmucric (T) - Set during Royal but has no Royal spoilers on account of being written before the game even came out.