Whispcrs

he gets pretty secretive about his home life if pressed further, but it’s clear that his parents struggled with paying the bills until he started raking in prize money from competitions. i think this little detail can

Damon’s only likes are the spring season and STUDYING. Neither of those are actual hobbies. In Desmond’s first hangout, when he asks what Damon does in his spare time, he’s actually in disbelief when Damon replies that he just… studies, and nothing else. But Damon still doesn’t see anything wrong with it, or in the same vein, how his talent “isn’t useful” like other people’s, so he can insult other people’s talents. This is probably because his talent has helped him and his family make money that they need to make ends meet, so Damon absolutely doesn’t view his talent as useless. Meanwhile, coming to Eden’s Garden Academy where he assumed everyone else would be in the same tooth-and-claw situation, he’s likely disgusted by how easy everyone else seems to have had it, and made it on such “useless” talents based on the way they conduct themselves rather than think individually about all the behind-the-scenes work each individual might be putting in.

Damon is incredibly egotistical but it’s likely an ego born out of pride for his own accomplishments, and it’s a pride that without, he has no identity. It really is implied that this Ultimate Talent is what changed the lives of Damon and his family. There’s all the reason’s OP listed, but few other things that stands out off the top of my head is when Damon mentions his parents designed his suit for him, and how Ingrid chooses Damon to help on laundry day because of how clean-kept he is. The homemade suit design honestly just has that sweetness to it that gives the idea the family is close, and it was possibly an achievement present for Damon (and even then it’s based around his Ultimate Talent), and meanwhile the laundry tidbit wouldn’t be so bad if we weren’t shown in the same breath how utterly incompetent Wolfgang was at the same task. While Wolfgang clearly hadn’t touched a washing machine in his life, Damon had no issues, and a judging expression on his face.

he gets pretty secretive about his home life if pressed further, but it’s clear that his parents struggled with paying the bills until he started raking in prize money from competitions. i think this little detail can

Imagine the next day with both of them in silence torn by the loss of the people closest to them in the killing game. Ingrid wants to desperate comfort Damon, but she can't even pull herself together properly anymore. Both aren't even fully dressed like they usually would be, it took them enough effort to get out of bed. They only have their collared shirts, pants and shoes on. Their hair is messy and unkept and it's obvious they have been crying without a wink of sleep. Images of Kai and Toshiko's last moments practically branded into their memory, unable to unsee everything. It's just them left in the dining room, there's nothing in front of them to eat or drink; their bodies only moved out of adapted routine.

It gets too much, Damon reaches out first surprisingly. His body leans limp against her, his hand gripping onto her short for a lifetime. Ingrid barely snaps out of it to realize what's happening. When she does, she couldn't stay strong anymore and breaks right in front of him. It's barely a hug, more so them leaning on each other and grasping whatever keeps them grounded. No words were exchanged, however the shared pain and trauma was heard in that silence.

And then Ingrid dies next. Her body was barely recognizable, it took the tablet to show that Ingrid was the mess all over the walls. Damon stared at it, locked into her portrait and her smile. That warm, supportive smile that was never faked, only strained after a while. He slowly dreaded to realize that he was forgetting her face, forgetting that warmth she had even when she was at her worst. Would they really be friends if they weren't trapped?

(can you tell I like cassidy and kai. lmao)

Hello! The Kai and Cassidy parallels are actually very interesting, so thanks for the ask! I got really into this one so strap in, this one is for you Kai and Cassidy fans.

The most critical difference is that Cassidy chose to become the Ultimate Pro-Gamer but Kai didn’t choose to become the Ultimate Influencer. Cassidy was able to build her platform as herself, but Kai built his completely anonymous. Kai never meant to ‘claim the fame’ so to speak, as he fully intended to keep the account anonymous and restricted to work- because his online fame was for work. Online fame meant work success, not personal success. Kai just needed money, his online fame was not born of a desire or passion for it. His fame is based purely around superficial, predictable and (most importantly) popular trends he was able to capitalize on. Cassidy, meanwhile, would choose when she streamed and what while being herself. It was a personal success and as money raked in, an unintentional work success. Fans who joined ‘Cassidy’s Comrades’ joined because they liked Cassidy, or enjoyed the gimmick she had invented herself. Cassidy has the creative and financial freedom to do as she pleases, unlike Kai.

And Cassidy’s content is also well received! She has millions upon millions of fans. They’re attracted to her passion for pro-gaming and streaming. Generally speaking, Cassidy has a good fanbase. However, Kai doesn’t. He has more haters than fans despite being the Ultimate Influencer, and those who are his fans are described as obsessive and defensive. Damon, in an FTE, says that Kai relies on them but they don’t rely on Kai- and that’s because Kai isn’t himself with his fans, but an empty vessel for social media trends. Cassidy knows she earned her Ultimate Streamer title, and is comfortable doing as she pleases with it. She knows she’s incredibly influential (as seen by her saying she consistently donates money), and I don’t doubt her influence in the gaming world either. Kai, though, doesn’t think he’s earned his Ultimate Influencer title, so he’s constantly trying to prove it to the world, his fans, and himself. He doesn’t see that he’s already earned his Ultimate title despite it taking an incredibly smart person to predict and even shift social trends.

Despite these differences in self-worth, types of fame, and how each character is perceived by the world, it’s also interesting that both dislike their Ultimates. Cassidy complains that many fans are constantly asking her to return to old content, but since Cassidy is a ‘genuine’ online personality, she can’t. She’s grown and isn’t that person anymore, or genuinely has no interest, meaning her audience is losing interest in her or perceiving her as boring. For someone like Cassidy, that’s disaster. Additionally, Cassidy says many people in the gaming community treat her like she’s above them, which she greatly dislikes. Cassidy is both too perfect and not enough. When Kai became the Ultimate Influencer, a scandal erupted immediately that got him sent a huge amount of online hate. However, it also got him a ton of online love that many deem worshippers. Again, Kai is both too perfect and not enough.

Both Cassidy and Kai also feel they are unable to make friends. Cassidy is unable to truly connect with anyone in the gaming space, as nobody sees her as an equal, or is using her for her Ultimate. She can ‘settle’ for a group, but not make real friends. Kai’s only friends are his fans. The scandal that started his Ultimate career ruined all his previous friendships, causing him to rely entirely on his fans for connection. His fans do not know Kai, they only know the Ultimate Influencer.

the ladybugs’ sgt pepper’s outfits