slipping into sleeping states ✩

They’re dry and tired sounding and mopey, but there’s wry humor there and they are more than willing to read a bitch. They're full of fun contradictions. They're a self-proclaimed pacifist in a ritual where they have to murder people, and they've clearly practiced with that gun. They're supposed to be secretive and in hiding, but they're one of the flashiest characters in the game. They're carrying what might very well be a full on biblical plague in a suitcase and laboring under the belief that they're the only possible person who can responsibly wield this power.

They’re a clever little weirdo whose entire play style reinforces that. You have to be a clever little weirdo yourself to make it work, or else you’ll either do fuckall or you'll get caught out by the enemy and punished pretty brutally.

Not to mention the Daddy Issues and the ambitious streak and the delightful way they try to justify their goals and the ritual to themself, or the way they go from concern they'll need forgiveness to outright gloating if you get enough kills. If you go on a kill streak, their corruption arc is happening in the game! That’s fun! (And implies that it wasn't that hard to get there, which brings us to how often they lie to themself, out loud where you can hear it, which is my very favorite thing about Pocket.)

Anyway, I can only assume the way to conclude that Pocket has no personality is by either a) not paying attention or b) only paying attention in the context of ships, because they do tend to be shipped with larger personalities than their own*. But this is of course the classic fandom mistake of thinking a character has less going on by virtue of them being quieter than another. (Or the classic fandom creator mistake of letting only one character hold the personality ball at a time, I guess, but I've seen plenty of people get them right.)

--

“You’re trying to distract me,” they protest.

He kisses them again, quicker this time. “Sure am. Is it working?”

“Maybe.” The tip of Shiv’s nose brushes theirs, and a smile fights its way past their defenses.

“Maybe,” Shiv repeats in mock offense. “Guess I gotta work harder then.”

His mouth closes in on theirs again, and this time he’s more determined. It’s not like the soft, sweet kisses before. He goes all in now, and their whole body responds to just the slide of his tongue. They can’t help but press against him, arms winding around his neck. He’ll have to hold them up if he keeps going; their knees are turning to rubber.

They have enough sense not to fight him when he guides them out of the kitchen. They don’t have far to go. They stumble when he pushes, landing on the couch, and he follows, pressing them onto their back and slotting a thigh between their legs.

sly sheep

I didn't touch my HC about Shiv having something fucky going on with him (unfortunately my HC got bastardized and it took me a long time to figure out how exactly and why lmao), but I still have idea that he's some third unknown entity, and then my brain connected two dots:

what if he has ''Devilman'' deal going on with him????

my coord from sunday of the great lace feat. lots of ponies!!!

“…If my father saw us like this he’d kill us both.” “Accordin’ to what you’ve said in the past, he’d do that anyway.”

Those teleporters amirite Bonus: