Sleep Deprived Otter 🍉

It's interesting how Mob made the player wear the jacket from Project Playtime. In game, I think its supposed to be an official merch from the factory so my headcanon is that the jacket was the Player's comfort jacket after loosing so many friends mysteriously in the factory 10 years ago. I think the Player wearing something casual but also relating to Playtime Co. indicate that although they've stopped working at the factory 10 years ago, they have never truly moved on. Hopefully, in Chapter 6, we'll finally learn their identity

The segments knew that Pantalone's true love is the OG Zandik. No matter how hard they tried, they could never make Pantalone smile just as OG Zandik used to make him smile. Full of love & softness, they could never see that again after OG died. Pantalone still treats them well, clearly favoured the segments above all other harbingers. Their proposals are always quick to be approved compared to the other harbingers (especially Sandrone).

But that only placed them as Pantalone's favourite colleagues. No matter how much mora Pantalone provides them, they know it's worth less than the love Pantalone had given to OG Zandik. Only 8 is satisfied with the current ordeal, Pantalone spoiled him as if he were that banker's child. But 8 is too young to understand what others are missing. 18 is old enough to understand, and he is jealous that 8 doesn't have to suffer like he does simply because that child could not ask for something he could not understand.

For 18, being a teenager for hundreds of years, the "one-sided love" hurts more than being rejected by his homeland.

For 20, being in love with an immortal 45 year old man puts him in a position of constantly working on "big" projects just to catch that man's attention.

For 45, he believes he has the most chance in getting Pantalone's love due to being the same age, but he still could not reach OG's level no matter how hard he tried.

65 has already made peace that Pantalone would never love him like he had love OG, so he just accepts whatever love Pantalone had left for him.

But 35...oh 35...even after hundreds of years, his jealousy only grew larger and larger. He did not regret getting rid of OG, he certainly did not regret getting rid of the other segments, even little 8 who craved a different kind of love from Pantalone but 35 did not care, Pantalone is his and his alone. Or so he thought.

Once again, Pantalone is not mad at him. Even after finding out what he had done, that man is still very warm towards him. 35 thought he could finally have Pantalone all to himself, but nothing changed. Pantalone still treats him like before, with a warm and welcoming presence, but there is a distance between them. A distance that Pantalone puts with the rest of the segments as well. OG Zandik is the only one that has ever closed that distance. To be defeated by a dead man, even after hundreds of years to win Pantalone's heart, 35 felt overpowered. Unlike the other segments, he knew he wasn't Zandik. He is just Dottore but never Zandik. He wanted Pantalone to love him as 35 year old Dottore segment, but he lost. Pantalone is forever in love with THE Zandik. Even when he possessed his looks, voice, body, and a part of Zandik's soul, Pantalone's loyalty lies with Zandik. The pain is worse than death. And he did, experiencing death. It's still less painful than knowing he is close to gaining the love of his beloved, but he will never achieve it.

When he lost his body and became just a bunch of data, he could sense the sorrow in his beloved's face. He didn't want to hurt Pantalone, but he knew that there was no way for a happy ending. He took away Pantalone's true love, and he must pay the price for that. He remembered his final conversation with Pantalone, and that man seemed to make peace with his current situation. He didn't seem to care that he would die in a few years due to insufficient stock of the elixir of immortality. 35 had hope that Pantalone would beg him to stay, maybe even shed a few tears, but none of that happened. Pantalone is just tired and accepts his goodbye. Thus, 35's remnants disappeared into the fire, with the rest of the segments dragging him down to suffer for eternity. As he and the rest are burning and melting away, he could have sworn he heard Pantalone's voice saying,

"Goodbye, Zandik"

Security Angel 🧡💜

Dottolone 💚💜

Imagine Pantalone holding lifeless 8 in his arms, where just a few minutes ago, happily talking about his new proposal.

He can't put the poor boy down, so he kept carrying the body until it was discovered that all of the Dottore segments are found lifeless except for one who's on a mission in Sumeru. Many assumed he must have something to do with this, but regardless, the segment bodies must be given a proper funeral, according to Pantalone, who arranged the entire thing for all of the segments.

It was a quiet funeral attended by Dottore's subordinates stationed in Snezhnaya. Other harbingers didn't bother to attend since Dottore is technically not fully gone, but Childe did stop by to give some flowers to 8's coffin. Pierro & Capitano later stopped by after the funeral to pay some final respect to 65, a segment they were quite fond of. It is not worth its own mourning period, though, as it's just his segments. Instead, there were some celebrations said to be done in the Palace since the surviving Dottore received two gnosis. But Pantalone wasn't in the mood for some celebrations.

To others, those may just be mere segments, copies of the real Dottore who is now long gone, but to Pantalone, those "copies" were his family, his community. The loss of the real Zandik still left a hole in his heart, but his segments at least filled the void. Even if they're not the real Zandik, they still carried a part of him. Especially 8, sweet 8, who light up his life with imaginative ideas and adorable proposals. He could still feel the warmth from 8's body leaving his arms. He wished he didn't have to let that little body go. He has wonderful memories with all of the segments. All of them have a special place in his heart, including the very segment that killed them all. He didn't know what to say when he met that Dottore. Should he shout? Tried to listen to that segment's reason? Maybe he should just give a cold shoulder for a month or so and cut all his funding. Or punch him in the face... Pantalone thought to himself as he was still sitting near 8's little coffin. He should just have them all buried, but he didn't think he had the right to do that without the surviving segments consent, so all of them are put inside coffins that can preserve their bodies for a while.

Waiting, he was waiting for what to do next. This all happened so fast. It felt like a nightmare that he desperately wanted to wake up from. It takes him back to when he lost the OG Zandik, but at least little 8 was with him, who was also missing the OG Zandik but had to dissect him for the elixir of immortality. Pantalone understood that, though secretly, it took him years to accept that. How is he supposed to accept this? He had many Dottores to accompany him before. Now, all that's left is just one, the most selfish one. Pantalone knew the possibility of this segment wanting to dissect all of these bodies is high, just as he does with the OG Zandik. Can Pantalone allow that? Must he allow that?

As he was thinking, footsteps approached him and, as he turned around, faced a familiar figure, which resembles the ones in the coffins. Dottore seemed to be happy to see him but stopped when he saw the coffins behind Pantalone. For once, he couldn't utter a word, especially after looking at Pantalone's sunken eyes. No, this is not a happy reunion. He wanted to celebrate his success in getting the 2 gnosis, but the one person he wanted to celebrate the most appeared to be disoriented. So he just stood there, possibly waiting for the consequences.

Pantalone most definitely knew that he's the cause. Oh, his "partner" must've been furious with him. It happened again. He will lose someone again. He just wanted to achieve his goals, but once again, he would be pushed away because of it. He will be rejected again. Pantalone stood up and walked towards him slowly. Dottore is ready. He's ready to be hurt, to be insulted, to be rejected, to be - he felt warmth instead.

Pantalone pulled him into a tight hug. Dottore took a few seconds to return the hug. This is not the first time Pantalone was being affectionate towards him, but why now? Shouldn't Pantalone be mad at him? Did he read the room wrong? This didn’t feel right, but he didn't want to say that it's wrong either.Pantalone looked at him in the eyes and cherished his face like it's the most precious thing in the world.

Anyway, the thread is very good, link below 👇