#&. what’s puzzling you is the nature of my game ( headcanon / modern. )

[trickstercaptain]

as ever it's always so weird to me to even think about a younger version of jack in a modern verse that is set post-social media/smartphone technology because, even in a verse where he grew up with it, i still don't think jack has any interest in that sort of stuff? he doesn't watch much tv, he doesn't really play video games, i reckon the smartphone he owns is pretty basic because he doesn't use half of the stuff that is on there. as vain and self-absorbed as he is, he's not insecure enough about his appearance to have an insta account and need the validation that it brings. i imagine the only social media presence he has aside from whatsapp is a twitter and perhaps a tiktok account because both of those appeal to his need to argue with strangers on the internet and his adhd brain respectively lmao

[lovelykhaleesiii]

OKAY! I'm fucking HERE...

So hear me out I got headcanons for canon wolf!aeg and modern wolf!aeg (based on my board aesthetics too). I shall do SFW now and NSFW in another ask.

Canon SFW

- he was afraid when he first got bit, like terrified on his first full moon and even more scared of telling his love what happened.

- when he first turns, he tries so hard not hurt anyone but he can't help it he's an animal now.

- he goes straight to his love the morning after and just pretends he got drunk and got in a fight.

- lovey finds out and he is DISTRAUGHT because he thinks they'll leave him.

- cue a very soft and sad puppy when they tell him they won't.

Modern SFW

- modern wolf aeg isn't quite as opposed to his wolf nature to me like...he isn't cruel but he doesn't shy from it.

- he doesn't hurt humans but will hunt animals.

- and if he's in an established relationship with his love, they know for sure.

- he comes home all muddy and bloody and they help clean him up and get him to sleep (hc that he's always exhausted after a turn).

- also he's much more scruffy and wolfy as a human for this one.

See you soon for part 2!!! 😘🐾🐺

LANA YOU ARE BLESSING ME TONIGHT 🥵😫

Canon!wolf!AEG would be SOOOO ANGSTY! I can imagine when he turns it’s like torture every time, cause they don’t have any remedies or practices to ease the transition. he’d be sooooo frightened to tell you but you piece the puzzle and when you stay by his side he is forever grateful.

Modern!wolf!aeg tho, is a different ball game…. he’d be so feral and cocky about his abilities 😌but he definitely doesn’t want you near him when he turns, he a) doesn’t want you in harms way b) he doesn’t want you to see him turn it’s quite grotesque.

[treeofnonsense]

Kasjory

4. Which one is more protective? Who needs to be 'protected'?

5. Describe their cozy night in.

6. Who would beg the other not to leave? Who has to leave to protect the other?

7. Would they build a pillow fort together just because?

30. Your OTP gets to pick out each other's outfits; what is each wearing?

36. Who's more likely to fire up the stove at 2am because the other woke up in the middle of the night hungry?

NOTE: For most of these, I'm describing my headcanons for late-stage Kasjory, like IBS onward. Some stuff might be different in like Season 1 when they're new to their relationship.

4. Which one is more protective? Who needs to be 'protected'?

Depends entirely on who you ask, because they both firmly believe that they're being entirely reasonable and the other one obviously needs to be protected. This has a 50/50 chance of happening at the beginning of any major battle.

(In reality: Kas is squishier but Jory runs headfirst into danger more often. They've both gotten their fair share of injuries and combat experience, so it's about even.)

5. Describe their cozy night in.

I think Kasjory would be a fan of puzzles, board games, cards, stuff like that given they're both curious people with a decent knowledge background. If they lived in modern times, they'd probably save up newspaper crosswords. Marjory gets way too competitive about it, while Kas is mostly there for the fun and social element. In the rare peaceful night in, they'll grab some food and wine, play a bunch of games, probably have a stupid fight over whatever Tyria's equivalent of Monopoly is, and then Kas will get tired and Jory will carry her up to bed and read to her until she falls asleep.

6. Who would beg the other not to leave? Who has to leave to protect the other?

Ohhhh man, I think they've both pulled this shit at one point or another. It's the nature of being a hero of Tyria, sadly. Most of the time when they claim to leave as protection they're actually kidding themselves, and they'd function way better as a team. Kas is definitely more LIKELY to be in the begging role, and less likely to leave, especially given Jory's typical response to emotional problems is to run away from them. There were definitely a few times in late Icebrood and shortly after Belinda's death where Kas felt pretty abandoned.

Of course, this is evened out by the one really big time Kas left Jory behind:

7. Would they build a pillow fort together just because?

Yes. Kas decides to do it on a lark and eventually talks Jory into helping. Jory then gets way too into making a "worthy" pillow fort, and they wind up with a pillow fortress. Which they then have to sleep in for three days because it's way too big and cool to destroy, and also all their bedding is tied up in it.

30. Your OTP gets to pick out each others' outfits; what is each wearing?

Hah, I know you answered this one about a year ago, and I agree with your assessment for Kasmeer. No way Jory would pass up turning her into the goth girlfriend of her dreams. I took a few creative liberties, made her taller because heels, and also gave her that little blood-ruby necklace thing I saw on the hellsite a while back, because it's too perfect.

I think Kas has a little more consideration for Jory's own fashion sense by putting her in a few darker colors - though it's jewel tones instead of black. Her hair is down because Kas loves to run her hands through it, and the sleeves are missing so all the muscles she's gained from wielding a greatsword are on display. She's got motifs of snakes and skulls woven in there. Beyond that though, Kas's biggest victory is managing to drag Jory out to some fancy party, something she'd never be caught dead doing otherwise.

36. Who's more likely to fire up the stove at 2 AM because the other woke up in the middle of the night hungry?

Kas is usually asleep by 2 AM, but if night owl Jory wants a midnight snack she knows she has to make it for two, because Kas will inexplicably wake up at the smell of food just to demand her portion. After all they've been through, they both wake up with nightmares fairly regularly, and it's not uncommon for them to shake the other awake for comfort, which often includes food or a cup of hot tea. If Kas is making the food it's going to be pancakes at 2 AM though, because breakfast food and dessert is basically all she knows how to make.

[groundbreakingdot872]

every time I see one your delicious headcanons, I get the sudden feeling that all of my writer’s block is going to flee from me for a few precious moments and I’ll suddenly find the Herculean strength to write something decent :)

your writing is so inspiring, it’s almost vicious! The way you tease out these tiny minuscule details into an entire life span of characterization, perfectly spotted with metaphors that make me Feel things it’s just … no words ironically

This idea of ‘Mother’ as this hulking, just massive presence held together as a teeth-clenched grit and an overpowering love translates so well into Merlin’s larger-than-life existence as an immortal and as Magic itself…

I think this is the missing peice of the puzzle, the final cornerstone in what makes Merlin such a interesting character, both in the way he’s cared for Arthur, Albion and all the rest of the millennia till the budding modern legend, and his omnipresence as fucking Emrys, Zeus-like on a hill- this just clicks

and I’m foaming at the mouth

‘the warmth of a hollowed-out carcass in winter’ where you can see every nerve and tissue defined in a space less than a millimeter from your eyeballs, but the reprimand is from not facing it, from not daring to look head-on at the undead membrane cloaking you, sheltering you, blanketing you as the snow falls as quiet and heavy as a dead man’s breath. And you come to terms with the instinctual and gripping nature of survival that protects you while it curses your cowardice.

He’s survival personified, the rising nape of ‘a provoked lioness’ that feels horrifyingly the same as the doom-fall of galaxies and the realization you might lose everything. And with the bitter palm-stained knowledge of having lost everything, he’s more vicious in the face of Dread and Despair than anyone, or anything else.

A ferocity that bares its teeth at the blinding web-weave of destiny and shrieks in a premature grief before anything’s even been lost, the idea that Magic is a second skin to the pull and push, moment to moment, death dance of Nature means he’s well aware of the consequences of losing the game

Mother is Overwhelming, a drowning roar instead of soft whispers, falling in the ears of men who might’ve been prophesied to live just a thimble of life time longer, if they’d hurried under the shelter of his arms. Instead of attempting to mewl in bravery like day-old chicks.

I’m- just fixating so hard on this idea of Merlin, Mother of Legend-born, and his offspring the children of Albion; every brave-hearted youth that might’ve pocketed his stories of Arthuriana and wanted to try their own hand at the ‘sword’ or the play of something greater- but like many curious and terribly naive scampering children, fallen prey to the watchful eyes of Something that Merlin tried his hardest to scare away.

A force equal and instrumental to Magic’s downfall, with Merlin as the Other, second Force. A deadly and cunning and grinning face, at the idea of Merlin’s love, the expansive darkness to his ever guiding light.

merlin is a mother-type character and it’s hard to explain that to people because they see chaos and murder and impulsivity and they think “that’s not motherly” (or else they mischaracterize him to fit their idea of motherly, which is an independent but equal issue) and i need you all to understand. when i say merlin is a mother-type character, i don’t mean the common perception of human mothers. i don’t mean the warmth of an embrace and the reliability of structure and the soothing of an unshakable figure. i mean the kind of “motherly” associated with wild, vicious animals. i mean the warmth of a hollowed carcass in winter and the harsh reprimand of something bigger and wiser than you trying to keep you alive against terrible odds and the vibrating single-minded ferocity that comes with a protective instinct so deep-seated that even something twice as large and just as hungry doesn’t stand a chance against the brighthot rage of fucking with something that should not be fucked with. because magic is a wild thing and merlin is magic as much as he is human and merlin’s motherly tendencies are every bit as feral as a provoked lioness. merlin is not a mother of humans, he’s a mother of the earth and humans just happen to inhabit it.

[deejadabbles]

Vampire Atem/Yami Alphabet Headcanons

Found this list of vamp-themes headcanons by @an-annyeoing-writer and I knew I had to do them for our favorite king-turned-spirit!

For those of you who read my Spells of Defiance series, these headcanons can be taken as 100% canon to that AU <3

A - Accident - would they turn someone to save their life?

Oof, already starting with a hard one. So, Atem is one of those vampires who hates his existence, he believes it’s a curse. However, he does still love and care for people deeply, and he knows that for many, life is sacred even if it’s a cursed life. I think in a moment of weakness, especially in his earlier years as a vampire, he might turn someone just because he’s desperate not to lose them, only to regret his decision later, especially if that someone is like him and hates what they’ve become. We all make mistakes, right?

B - Bite - how do they bite? Sensually, aggressively? Do they make it hurt or try to be gentle?

Atem is extremely gentle when he feeds off of people, always careful not to bite too deep or tear the skin more than needed, he even holds you and tries to soothe you with gentle strokes of his hands. Now, whether he tries to make it “sensual” or at all sexual...that’s a complicated topic. While Atem is almost always disgusted with himself when/while he feeds, he does recognize that there is a level of intimacy and even romance that can be connected with drinking blood, so sometimes he can be persuaded to make it a more sensual thing if you’re his lover. 

C - Control - do they take advantage of their powers?

That depends on who’s in the equation. I can see Atem using his new powers in order to bring justice to those he sees as wrong doers (like his season 0/early manga-self) as a way to make his vampire abilities useful, so from that angle he would “take advantage” of his powers. He might even get some small gratification in using his strength and speed to hunt down evil people, them cowering in fear is retribution for their wrong-doings, but even that’s not too over the top. Other than that, no, he doesn’t really use his powers for advantages over others.

D - Dangerous - how scary they can get? How bad things can they do? What’s their ethics?

So, while Atem does have a very strong moral code, Atem also has a temper, and said temper might be harder to control when he’s a vampire. Even when he’s not growling in anger, he can have this cold glare that could make bikers squeamish. There are moments, especially when he was a younger vampire, where he loses his temper and can get pretty scary. If you’re his loved one don’t worry too much, he would never lose control enough to hurt you, even though his yelling (and maybe throwing a thing or two) is pretty scary on it’s own. If you’re someone he sees a vermin though watch out, when he gets scary you’re probably going to end up dead or wishing you were dead.

E - Exchange - do they opt for blood bags or animal blood, if possible?

He opts for animal blood as often as he can. Sometimes he’ll hunt said animals himself but even that is a little too violent for his liking (Atem is a softie okay?!) so if he can go to a local butcher and get animal blood from them he’ll do it that way. He’s not fond of blood bags because A) they’re harder to acquire and B) having human blood in a cold plastic bag just makes him long for warm human blood and skin under his teeth more. Sure animal blood isn’t as sustaining for him, but Atem spent decades (maybe even centuries) figuring out how much animal blood he needs to consume in order to keep his blood lust under control so he’ll choose that over harming an innocent human.

Also, side note, if you live with him I hope you don’t have a sensitive sense of smell, because he heats up the blood on the stove to make it taste better and it can make the house stinky lol

F - First bite - on what occasion would they bite you for the first time?

Oooh that’s a good one. Like I said Atem has a very complicated relationship with feeding from his loved ones, especially his s/o, and he’s never going to ask you for your blood. So I’d say that not only would you have to offer your blood to him, but he would have to be out of other feeding options at the time. He knows that once he reaches a certain point of hunger he loses control and might kill you in a hunger-induced blood rage, so if drinking from you now, before he gets to that point, prevents that danger, he’d be willing to. Like I said above, Atem would be very gentle with you on that occasion, holding you close and stroking the skin around the bite mark to soothe any pain, and when he’s done he’d kiss the wound and the sore skin around it as amends.

The only other “first bite” scenario I can think of is if you spend months convincing him that you don’t mind (or even like) the occasional bite and finally convince him to drink your blood during an intimate moment, and again he’s very gentle and mindful of not hurting you.

G - Growl - are they more on the “civilized” side or do they enjoy hunting their prey down?

A bit of both, I guess? Since he tries not to drink from humans he’s more civilized in that way, but like I said before he does “hunt” evil people like an avenging dark angel, which he may get some small form of enjoyment from, so... 

H - Hate - how do they feel about their kind? About themselves?

It’s honestly pretty depressing how much self-loathing Atem harbors. He genuinely thinks he’s an abomination. It doesn’t help that in all his centuries of living, he’s met very few vampires who’re “good” like him. He’s also someone who’s on a high horse and if he met a vamp who didn’t kill human’s but also wasn’t self loathing like him, he’d look down on said vampire. I’m warning you now if you fall in love with him, his self-hatred is very upsetting and can be hard to deal with.

I - Intimacy - how fast would they let you close to them? Would they want to share with you what they are?

Surprisingly, I say it’s not that hard. See, even though Atem thinks he’s a monster and tries his best to stay away from people, he also craves companionship and love. Sure, he’s spent several chunks of his immortal life isolating himself in remote woods and tall mountains for decades at a time, but he always returns to humanity at some point. So if you show that you want to be close to him he’ll try to warn you or even scare you away a bit, but it won’t take too long to let you in. And yes, he’d share what he is with you if you started to get close to him, not only as a means to scare you away “before he can hurt you” but also so you know what you’re getting into by being near him.

J - Joke - would they do pranks on other people with the use of their powers?

Sometimes, yes. If he’s close to you, he’ll start to get comfortable and like teasing you, so he’ll do minor things like sneak up behind you soundlessly and jump scare you, or zoom past you to get to something before you and play keep-away. Also, he doesn’t do this one intentionally, but sometimes he’ll be sitting in a dark room, and when you walk in you just suddenly hear this voice calling out to you in the darkness, scaring the crap outta you lol

K - Key - what’s the way of making them open up to you?

Honestly just...continue to shove your friendship in his face. Like I said under “intimacy” he still craves relationships and companionship despite how much he fears hurting people. He may try to push you away at first but if you just continue to hang around him he’ll eventually stop trying to scare you away and start opening up to you little by little.

L - Life - do they wish they were human?

Absolutely. I can see Atem, ever the fixer of problems, spending the first few hundred years searching for a cure for his “condition” not just for himself but for others who view vampires the same way. He often thinks about what his life would have been if he hadn’t been turned, and daydreams about the possibility of becoming human again. 

M - Murder - would they kill someone while feeding? Have they ever done so?

Atem has killed while feeding, yes, but not voluntarily. I’m going with the general lore that vampires, when starved too long, can't control their bloodlust and Atem has killed while in that state. When he wakes with a limp, lifeless body in his arms, he’s a devastated wreck. Hurting innocent people is literally his living nightmare and the idea that his bloodlust can turn him into an animal sickens him. He would spend decades learning how much blood he needs to consume and how often, in order to keep that bloodlust from taking control.

N - Nature - do they justify their doings? Do they consider them natural?

Atem, the self-loathing martyr of a fanged prince, considering his bloodlust natural? LMAOOOO No. No he doesn’t, nor does he ever justify his actions. In fact, he uses the terrible things he’s done to justify why he shouldn’t be loved or even alive.

O - Odd - do they have any specific hobbies or habits?

Our gentle dark prince still loves games and puzzles, I think he’d like modern brain teasers that keep his mind sharp and un-ironically loves the puzzle games printed on the back of sunday newspapers, even though they aren’t hard (for him anyway). If you got close to him and showed him games he never got to play bc they’re multiplayers he’d honestly love you. He’d win most of the time, let's be honest, especially things like Clue, but his expression is just so cute and excited when you play his favorites that you’d lose 1000 times over just to see it.

P - Pain - are they sadistic? Do they enjoy what they do?

Nope. I think you all have the idea by now but Atem is one of the most self-loathing and gentle vampires you’d meet....or at least he’s gentle with you. Other vampires who hurt people for fun? Okay, I can see him being ever so slightly sadistic when dealing with creatures like that, he has no mercy for vampires who’ve embraced their monstrous curse, best you run the other way when he punishes them, else you may actually get a little frightened of him...

R - Roles - do they enjoy pretending to be normal people? How do they feel about leaving their life behind to start a new one?

I wouldn’t say that Atem pretends to be normal, in fact, the only part of his vampirism that he embraces is being an “other”, or rather, the aesthetic of being odd, something that most humans feel uneasy when confronted with. He’d see this as a good tool to keep people he may hurt away from him. He’s no stranger to stalking graveyards/cemeteries, creeping in the shadows in a way that has others scurrying past if they happen to spot him, basically anything that makes him seem creepy and makes others keep their distance. Ultimately it hurts him since he’s unexplainably lonely, but it hurts more to know he may hurt the humans he comes across. On the same note, leaving behind one life for another to avoid suspicion is a double-edged sword for him, while it reminds him how terribly lonely existence is, it’s good to keep those who might’ve grown close to him safe.

S - Scars - do they leave marks or try to make the wounds small and invisible?

If Atem feeds from someone voluntarily (as in, not in an animalistic state), he’ll do everything he can to not leave lasting marks. Leaving marks means more pain and we all know how much he hates causing pain to others. 

T - Turned - how were they turned?

In my fic, Marik turned Atem as a form of revenge, but otherwise, I could honestly see Atem being turned by any YGO villain. I say villain because him being cursed with this life by a villain (like Bakura for example, or maybe another minion of Zorc) kind of goes along with the original story’s need to punish Atem and cast him into darkness for things that ultimately weren’t his fault.

U - Universe - what’s their biggest wish that they can’t achieve as immortals?

Mostly just...being close to people without constantly worrying that he’ll hurt or kill them. I can also see Atem yeaning for the simple pleasure of growing old and dying with one's family. If he fell in love he would crave the ability to just settle down and grow old together. Hell, he’s even one of those morbid romantics who thinks couples dying within days of each other is sweet and wishes he could do that when he loses his lover to old age.

V - Vampire - would they turn you?

Man again with the hard ones! Oof, okay, so...If you asked Atem to turn you, he’d say no, reciting his monologue about how vampires are cursed vermin who shouldn’t even exist, even if you retained your humanity after the turn, he knows the deep reaches of this curse and what it will make you do, and he hates the idea of you going through what he has.

...However, much like in the very first headcanon on this list...Atem makes mistakes and has his weak moments. If your life ended unexpectedly, of you were taken from him suddenly, like attacked or in some fatal accident, he may turn you in a moment of weakness; a desperate need to cling to you taking over his better judgment. He’d hate himself after and the only way he’d ever feel okay with it, is if time proved that you retained your humanity. He would teach you how to control your blood lust so you don’t have to go through half the things he has, and only then would he be okay with what he did to you in his moment of weakness.

W - War - would they engage in fighting their own kind for the humanity’s sake?

Yes! No one even has to ask him, Atem basically thinks the only good thing he can do with his powers is to rid the world of other vampires. He’s basically an avenging angel who’ll hunt down any vampire who threatens a human.

Y - Yandere - would they become dangerous to you (their lover)?

For the most part, I’d say no. Atem is self-aware and emotionally intelligent enough to tell if he ever starts crossing lines into “unhealthy” territory, and if that ever happened, he’d literally run away. He would leave you in order to protect you, no matter how much it hurt. There may be one (literally ONE) incident where he does something to you that crosses the line, but he’d be instantly horrified and remove himself from your life, moving to the other side of the world with no means to follow him, if it meant protecting you from himself. Now the chances of this happening in the first place? Hard to say. I really don’t think Atem is unhinged or even violent enough for it to be likely, but, an argument could be made that after everything he’s gone through, Atem may start seeing you and his love for you in an obsessives, unhealthy way. Again though, even if this did happen he would realize it and run away before it can go too far.

Z - Zombie - are they on their way to losing sanity?

I don’t think so. Atem is as strong (mentally/emotionally) as they come. Maybe eventually, after millennia and millennia of constantly losing loved ones and dealing the the monster he’s become he would start losing his sanity, but that would take a long, long time. 

[kuro-ousama]

What do you think of Season 0 Yami vs DM Yami? Do you like one more? Like them in different ways? Like one’s role in the story better?

Oops, I'm so sorry... I wasn't online for these past days due to irl stuffs. Boy, you're in for a ride.

To answer this, I would assumed you were talking about their anime version and not the manga, so to be honest, I like DM version better, because Toei's anime only focused on the slice of life/ supernatural thing rather than plot progression, so there was no death-T, Shadi's game toned down, Bakura's boardgame was, um, well... Anyway, because the episodelistic (was that the word?) nature of ss0, Yami was more like a wraith that only appeared when Yugi's friends was in danger, rather than a foreshadow that he's an imprisoned spirit. 

I don’t get why people misinformed that “Yami Yugi was only an alter ego before Kazuki Takahashi decided to add Egyptian plot", and it annoyed me. The ancient plotline was already in planning, just probably in a different direction, but the intention of making Yami Yugi a ancient pharaoh was right there from the very start. This is a page from chapter 14, for example:

Here, what Shadi said was “まるで古代エジプトの王「フアラオ」の墓のようだ。。。！！！”, basic translation is “As if this is an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh's tomb”

The English translation cut out a couple of words, but eh, the foreshadow intention is still the same:

While SS0 had a different maze design, and Shadi had a different impression:

I mean Toei had a habit of adding filler and changing scenes (not that Gallop wasn't guilty of the same) but these little changes really made an impact on the storytelling. Compare it to DM version:

I mean, DM had loads of issues but at least they didn't butcher this foreshadow, thank goodness for that.

Like, I'm sure the author wanted you, the reader to connect these little dots and odds together before the big revelation:

“If Yugi and Yami are the same person, why is there two soul rooms?”

“One soul only have one soul room"

“But there are two soul room of two Yugis, because they are two completely different souls”

“If Yami Yugi is Yugi, his room must've been a darker version of Yugi's game room(if different personality counted as a different soul) , or he supposed to lurked in the shadow of Yugi's room (only one soul room per soul, established rule), but instead, it's a tomb/maze hybrid, with ancient designs that is unnatural for a simple modern alter ego”

“So, Yami Yugi came from ancient Egypt, not a dark personality that Yugi created on the spot when solving the puzzle"

Gallop's DM was more guilty of changing stuffs and filler arcs to add more duel in it, but Toei's series was specially guilty in taking stuffs out to add more comedy/slice of life fillers, examples are most of their anime: dragonball, sailormoon, one piece, saint seiya, must have been an 80-90 trend...

So when people said they liked ss0 Yami more and he should be that way in DM, and all of their reasoning was the same old “because he's a psycho murderer that burns people alive”.

And?

AND?

What else do you like about him? So you only liked ss0 for Yami’s memetic murderous status (Not to mention how terribly misinformed that was because there's only two chapter that involved fire out of 53 chapters of the first seven volumes, chemical explosion doesn’t count.)? Did you know Yami was only acting out on Yugi's anger? Did you know he didn't even aware he's a separate person? That's why he didn't react when Yugi got beat up, only when Yugi got angry at what ever villain of the week that he came out, like the Hulk. 

No, he also doesn't “protect" Yugi, he's Yugi's judgement stand-in, punish whomever hurt Yugi's friends, or himself, on Yugi's anger/ behave/ demand. Even in SS0, his attitude is soften over time, but it's not as apparent as the manga, due to them skipping or altering important arcs. 

Death T is an example, Yami's first character development, and the basis for Kaiba’s too, for that matter. When Yami's at the losing end, he was scared, he was lonely, and start distrusting himself, but the voices of encouragement from grandpa and Yugi's friends help him to continue the duel, to have trust, have faith, to believe.

The penalty games were supposed to make the victims reform, “you shouldn't do this anymore" kinda way, but it didn't work well with Kaiba, who had embraced Gozaburo’s teaching to heart. That's why Kaiba's chosen punishment was Mind Crush, to mend his own heart, and remember what he had discarded.

Yami Duelist Kingdom was “I want to save Grandpa, whatever it takes" (willing to sacrifice Kaiba in the process, aka what I coined the “Kiritsugu's ideals", means kill to save)

Yugi was “I want to save Grandpa, but I don't want someone else to die" (Unwillingness to let others die to complete his goal)

Their conflict of interest was suppose to be one of Yami's character development, and help him see beyond his choices, not just do or die. If Death-T and Bakura's game was about trust, then Duelist Kingdom was about trust and choices. Yami always believed he had no other options, so he had to do what he must. Yami didn't know that Mai would show up to repay Yugi’s star chips, so losing to Kaiba will be the end, and his grandpa would stay soulless for good, Yami  also didn't think about asking Yugi for his help against Pegasus, since the loser's soul would be imprisoned in a card, etc. If Yami was to look up, he'd had seen that he has options, not just one choice, but he didn't, that's why he had to learn it.

His fears kept him down, limited on what choice he can have, and in my headcanon, it's probably what made him sacrificed himself and seal himself in the puzzle, because he didn’t get to see any other options. DM anime did toned down a lot of Yami's character development, but well, at least it's better than what we got in SS0.

And so on so forth...

If you only have to compare the two anime, I like DM Yami better, ss0 is just a loose adaption that doesn't truly explore Yami's characterisation, or anyone else, really, for that matter. SS0 is entertaining to watch, if you need some slice of life/ supernatural/ monster of the week type of show, but characterisation wise, it's not good.

“Yeah but in SS0 Yami murdered people left and right, he's so evil I love it" 

[beautiesandheadcanons]

I've been planning this post for a while, but just haven't had a chance to sit down and compose it until now, so here we go! Also, my spell-checker absolutely hates me now, so you’re welcome.

This week, I wanted to talk about one of the most intriguing and unique races of Dragon Age. Other games, of course, have Elves and Dwarves a plenty, but the Qunari stand out as being a creation all of their own. While they may bear passing resemblances to other fantasy races (and even those are few and far between, from my person experience) between their looks, their language, and their culture, it makes for a complete experience separate from any other mythos.

The word "Qunari" is an interesting word in and of itself, because while most use it in general to refer to the race of grey-skinned, horned giants, it's only translated to mean "People of the Qun", and as a result there are those who are Qunari in race but don't follow the Qun's philosophy, and there are others who are not of the race but who convert to the Qun (they are typically referred to as Viddathari). Those of the race who are born outside the Qun's influence are known as Vashoth ("grey ones"), while those who rebel are known as Tal-Vashoth ("true grey ones"). Vashoth and Tal-Vashoth are terms that, in game, are used pretty interchangeably, but in experience there is a difference. Tal-Vashoth are rebels, usually fighting directly against the Qunari, while Vashoth simply exist outside of it.

The Qunari as a race descended from an unknown race of people known as Kossith, which predate the Qun philosophy. There was a settlement of them in the Korcari Wilds in southern Thedas, but they were overrun by darkspawn during the First Blight (and it's assumed the darkspawn's contact with them is what lead to the creation of ogres). While there is no records of what they looked like in relation to modern Qunari, it is said that they are different, not just in society. Why there was a split from Kossith to Qunari isn't completely clear (and possibly is shrouded in secrets for the purpose of propaganda, though that's just my personal opinion). What is known is that a Kossith philosopher, Ashkaari Koslun, developed a school of thought that became the basis of the Qun, the laws and guide that set down the rules of society for the Qunari, which is wildly different than any other in Thedas. Qunari do not marry or have families, but are bred and the children are raised and brought up in groups by Tamassrans. These Tamassrans also educate them and help to designate their roles in the society, which they are expected to fulfill to the letter. However, they don't see themselves as limited in their roles, they believe that from birth they are given a purpose in their nature and their lives are spent fulfilling that nature. To rebel against their nature is to rebel against order, is to become Tal-Vashoth, is to fall to chaos. Whenever they have led campaigns into Thedas for the purpose of conquering, they see themselves as liberators bringing the Qun to free them from their torment.

Their naming practices are the most unique in the game, because strictly speaking, Qunari don't have names in the traditional sense. They are assigned a series of numbers at birth - similar to a social security number of sorts - and their "name" is simply their profession. And, since their profession can change over time, with promotions and such (especially in, say, the military) then their "names" change as well (more on that later, as there is an interesting specific example).

Magic is seen as dangerous, and they treat mages far more severely than even the Chantry in southern Thedas (which, considering how abusive some Circles were, should tell you how seriously they treat it). Qunari mages are named Saarebas ("dangerous thing"), and their lips are sewn shut, their horns cut off, they are collared and shackled, and they are kept under strict control by a special soldier named Arvaarad ("holds back evil"). If at any point a Saarebas is separated from their Arvaarad, they are executed upon return because the danger that they have been possessed in the meantime is too great to them to risk. In Dragon Age 2, when Hawke escorts a lone Saarebas, if they fight for them then they are referred to as Basvaarad, a non-Qunari who controls a Saarebas (since "bas" is the Qunlat word for non-Qunari).

Physically, they are known as giants for a reason, since they stand taller than any other race in Thedas. While they commonly have grey skin and are usually called as such, their actual skin tone can vary, but is usually darker, like variations of gold or bronze (or even other colours, potentially, as we see in Inquisition). Most Qunari seem predisposed to having white hair, but that's by no means across the board. Their ears are pointed, but smaller than an Elf's ear typically is, and obviously their most prominent feature is their horns, which vary from Qunari to Qunari. Said horns have no nerves, so if they're damaged or even removed, that causes no problems. The horns are said to get irritated in some way (possibly itchy due to growth, at least that's my headcanon) and so they've developed a balm for themselves (otherwise I like to imagine a large, hulking Qunari rubbing their horns against a tree like a deer to relieve the sensation). However, not all born Qunari develop horns, and it seems the chances of that happening are akin to red hair occurring naturally in humans for us. Instead of being shunned or shamed, however, those without horns are revered as special and usually given high-ranking, prestigious roles in their society. For a race that is large and imposing and who typically sport horns, for them, not having horns is seen as scary or dangerous. This is the reason that Saarebas have their horns removed, as an indication of the danger they possess. In fact, the first Qunari we get to meet in the game is hornless, and if recruited, can become quite the powerhouse companion for the Warden.

In the first Dragon Age game, Origins, the first Qunari we get to encounter is Sten (which, again, is his title more than his name). He can be found locked in a cage in Lothering, imprisoned for slaughtering a family after waking up post-battle to find his sword missing (a shameful crime for a Qunari warrior, the consequence for which is execution). The Warden can free him or leave him to die, but there is no reason to leave a perfectly capable powerhouse warrior behind. He is very blunt, to the point, and obviously military born and bred from childhood. He is even puzzled by female-identifying fighters amoungst the group, as for Qunari society, warriors are male only (female Qunari who are adept at fighting are known as Aqun-Athlok, and enter the warrior caste as males and identify as such, since gender is a secondary trait that is considered less important than their duty to the Qun; again, Sten is obviously a fighter and not a philosopher and isn't as flexible in his thinking). Sten's personal quest involves retrieving his sword, which means after the Blight is over and he leaves the Warden's side, he can return to Qunari society without shame. If the Warden has a high enough approval, he'll even refer to them as "Kadan", a term normally associated in later games with a romantic connotation, but which simply means "where the heart lies" and can technically refer to close friends as well as a romance partner.

In Dragon Age 2, there are no Qunari companions, but there is a group of Qunari stranded in Kirkwall that is interacted with several times. They are headed by the Arishok, the general military leader for the Qunari people. At first, their staying there is chalked up to them waiting for a ship to come for them, however it's later revealed that the real reason they haven't left is because they have lost the Tome of Koslun and cannot return without it (which, surprise surprise, Hawke's pirate companion is involved in its theft). The Arishok, like Sten, is stoic and rigid and uncaring for the plight of Kirkwall itself. After spending a few years there, however, the chaos becomes too much for Arishok to handle and he leads his Qunari on a campaign through the city, executing the Viscount in front of the nobles and confronting Hawke, the protagonist of DA2. Hawke has a couple of ways of dealing with him, which include giving back the Tome of Koslun (which means giving up Isabella, the companion involved in its theft), they can fight Arishok and his company, or if Hawke has done enough to earn his favour as "basalit-an" (an outsider worthy of respect) or if Fenris is in the group, the Arishok can be encouraged to settle the matter in a duel one-on-one with Hawke. The duel itself is difficult, especially for squishier characters like mages, but from personal experience, a little strategy and patience can net a win over the Arishok, killing him and ending the Qunari hold on the city. Even if Arishok is given the tome and Isabella and leaves peacefully, however, Isabella later escapes with the Tome again and when he returns to the Qunari homeland of Par Vollen, he faces a court martial and is removed from his role as Arishok.

The interesting bit is, however Arishok is removed from his position, Sten from the previous game is given the role of Arishok, thus changing his name from Sten to Arishok. This can create a little confusion sometimes in referring to the characters, because Sten is no longer Sten at all and to Qunari he is Arishok only. As a result, in talking about him, the fandom has varied ways of referring to him. Some stick to more lore-friendly names - as in the Arishok post 9:34 (the year he was made Arishok), New Arishok, the Hornless Arishok - and others either make an amalgamation of the names such as Aristen or Stenishok, and others will just give him a nickname of their own to personally refer to him. We even get to see him as Arishok in the lovely comic “Dragon Age: Those Who Speak”, and I gotta say, he looks much better with the facial hair. 

In Inquisition, we get the first chance to not only romance a Qunari companion, but also play as a Qunari! If one chooses to play as the Qunari race, they are technically Qunari who were born outside the Qun are Vashoth (though the game keeps referring to them as Tal-Vashoth, as if they rebelled and rejected the Qun). Their default last name is Adaar, which means "weapon", which our lovely Qunari companion comments on appreciatively. As a Qunari, the class options are the same as most races, and the player can be a warrior, a mage, or a rogue, though Solas and Cullen are excluded from their romance options (Cullen is locked for female humans and Elves only, Solas is the most restrictive with female Elves only). There are also unique dialogue options that can both be selected and that can be heard both in direct conversation and in passing … and not all of it is friendly and accepting. I currently have two Qunari Inquisitors that I play with, one a female rogue assassin named Katari (in Qunlat, "one who brings death"), and the other a male mage necromancer named Talan (in Qunlat, "truth").

The Iron Bull, I admit, is the whole reason I bought Inquisition first, because I wanted to romance him. When the player meets him, he is heading a mercenary band called The Bull's Chargers. While he appears to initially be Vashoth or Tal-Vashoth, in truth he works as a spy for the Ben-Hassrath, an arm of Qunari society that act as enforces and protectors of their law and also disseminates information and even sends assassins. The Iron Bull is not his "name" under the Qun (he's known as Hissrad to them, "keeper of illusions" or, colloquially, "liar") and is simply a name he took for himself when sent to spy in southern Thedas. To his credit, he is upfront with the Inquisitor about this, and passes on information from the Qunari along with sending information back to them. As mentioned, he can be romanced, and race and gender does not matter to him. If the Inquisitor doesn't romance him or Dorian, however, and their party banter reaches a certain point, the game will put The Bull and Dorian in a romance of their own (known to fans as "Adoribull"). His personal quest involves a mission given by the Qunari to stop a shipment of red lyrium. At a critical point, the Inquisitor will have to make a decision to either sacrifice The Chargers and forge an alliance with the Qunari, or to save The Chargers and forgo the alliance. This has a large impact on his character, as if his company is saved, he is branded as Tal-Vashoth and he is expelled from the Qun and everything he knows, but if his company is sacrificed, he becomes even more loyal to the Qun. In game, only a few dialogue and cutscenes are different, but in the DLC Trespasser, if The Bull is Qun-loyal or if his quest wasn't done at all, then he will turn on the Inquisitor and the player will have no choice but to kill him, even if they are in a romance.

With Dragon Age 4 being hinted to take place in/near/around Tevinter (who is in a constant slap-fight of a war against the Qunari) it's my hope that we get more of a peek into both of these cultures that we don't get much of a glimpse of in game. While their society and how they work and function is far from perfect, I find it's an interesting juxtaposition from the other cultures present in Thedas, and thus a refreshing change of pace from a lore perspective. I also hope that the Qunari remains a playable race, as while I prefer playing as an Elf, being a tall, imposing Qunari is a lot of fun, too.

[slifers-executive-writer]

My Thoughts on the Potential Personality of a Certain Pharaoh We Never Met

Hey guys...It’s been a while since I wrote something about YGO specifically and well since that is the main focus of this blog, I thought I’d create another discussion. 

This particular tidbit (more like a brain fart to be completely honest) is from scrolling through this website and other social media pages and therefore stumbling on the fandom making their theories and headcanons on what Atem’s true personality is. I think we have all seen the jokes on how we as a fandom like to write him off as this super gay, suave, smooth talking, prideful king. The counter argument I often see is that he is socially awkward, fumbling serial killer, with an identity crisis. All of these claims tend to be backed up by people recalling numerous amounts of the original source material from Mr. Takahashi, but sometimes I wonder what could have been. 

Popular headcanons asides (that means we are not using any ships and/or made up assumptions with no basis), let’s talk about this for a minute. What has Kazuki provided and what can we assume about Atem’s actual character. Despite being a 200+ episode anime, several movies, and over 30 volumes of manga, our favorite author has left a lot to be desired from this guy. Once we’ve discussed the material, I’ll make a personal evaluation of what Atem could have been like had we been able to meet him after he had retrieved all his memories.

Okay so perhaps the fandom is right about one thing, Atem started out as a borderline serial killer. Well, according to the manga, he has got quite a bit of red on his ledger with multiple violent injuries/deaths by his hands.

Right at the moment Atem’s spirit was reawakened by Yugi completing the Millennium Puzzle, we have an individual very determined to protect his vessel at any cost. Of course not without his own enjoyment in participating in his “Dark Games”. So we can tell Atem is very protective of Yugi, his group of friends, and generally any other innocent bystanders. We can argue he is a little over protective via his deadly methods but I guess it’s the thought that counts right?

Luckily for Atem’s victims, he stops his magically mind-fucking bullshit after the Duelist Kingdom arc. He never explains why he stops. Perhaps it has to do with his development as a character to not be as ruthless in an attempt to comfort Yugi.  

One attribute Atem does not lose throughout the series is when confronted with any sort of enemy, we see Atem is very confident in his abilities. Another thing the fandom got right is well... he is quite the smooth talker. Despite being from a completely different era, this guy always knows what to say to enemies and rivals alike. Not to mention his motivational speeches to his friends are always quite powerful. If anything I would almost consider Atem a bit of a life coach. He more or less helped raise Yugi and company into the individuals they become. 

Along with giving everyone their moments of support, Atem does a pretty good job blending in with modern society despite being locked up in his own head for thousands of years. I find some individuals, thinking Atem is a complete fumbling socially awkward dork and well, maybe not so much. Sure he has his moments, I think we can all look back on the ‘Date’ episode, but we have to look at which version we are watching/reading. For the sake of accuracy I tend to interpret the Japanese material as it is closest to the manga. As I said, Atem isn’t perfect, he can be very blunt to people when they ask him for an opinion (or telling people it’s the end of the world if he doesn’t win a card game), but I certainly wouldn’t consider him completely ‘socially awkward’ in general. 

But honestly that can be a whole other essay and I’m just talking about basic character traits overall. Now let us discuss some of Atem’s flaws.

So to make things easier, let us list the flaws as they appeared in both manga and anime:

When Shadi was first introduced to us (manga), we got a glimpse of seeing our favorite dark spirit sweat in the heat of a shadow game. It was revealed that Atem knew little of his true identity and sharing a Yugi’s body meant, that the two would share each others emotions. Moreover, this spirit had fears and doubts just like the rest of us.

As time passes we see more of Atem’s doubts emerge as he becomes more comfortable with Yugi and company, and therefore he expresses his confusion about his past. Where did he come from and who is he and such. This guy needs to have a sense of purpose and being Yugi’s guardian is fine, but at the end of the day, it would be best for him to become his own person.

There is another interaction in the manga (and in the Japanese version of the anime) that I found interesting. When Atem addresses this identity issue and whether his time on this plain is limited, Yugi kind pushes it off as something he doesn’t want to think about. The kid does it again (god I can’t remember exactly which arc this is, I wanna say DOMA), Atem mentions the issue and Yugi says “You can have my memories”. 

For fans of the pairing (to be honest I’m a boring canon-ish shipper so not my cup of tea, but I get it...this scene is pretty gay) this moment is viewed as tender love and care but I can’t help but notice a pattern and another character flaw. We have a guy with no memories of his own and having an identity crisis but every time he wants to discuss this issue, his best friend tends to push it away. I understand Yugi’s reasoning, that Atem is basically the catalyst for all the good things to happen in his life, but the constant ignoring of the problem for the first half of the series is borderline toxic. Furthermore, it shows Atem is a bit of an enabler when it comes to Yugi. Unlike Joey who loudly addresses the behavior to Atem’s face, Yugi finds comfort in it and for both of them it only makes the journey harder for them in moments of separation.

Just something I thought I’d bring up since I don’t see a lot of people talking about moments of toxicity in this friendship. Not that it is a bad thing, I find it quite interesting and realistic. Not all relationships with people are perfect.

Last by certainly not least, Atem’s biggest character flaw, is he is one prideful son of a bitch. Yes, I said it. He likes to complain a lot about his rival (Kaiba) about the characteristic when he is also guilty of it. It’s always duelist pride this and duelist pride that, when a lot of the times this bullshit is what almost gets people killed. Atem’s pride kind of ties in with the ruthlessness of his character, where in the ride to victory he sometimes forgets the people he defeats are still humans beings. Take the incident with Arkana, it took Yugi switching back to keep the guy from getting his legs cut off. (Move out the way Jigsaw, Atem is gunning for your spot.) 

But his pride works against him when individuals such as Yami Bakura and Dartz use their words to question his morality. What would Atem do just to obtain victory? While our hero tends to grow from these experiences and beat the bad guys in the end, it does not negate the fact that the pharaoh’s greatest strength also tends to be his greatest weakness.

Okay so I’ve gotten most of Atem’s characteristics down pat before he retrieves his memories. In summary here is a list of some of his qualities I’ve gathered from the source material.

PROS

-protective & caring nature

-generally is confident in his abilities

-good with his words, knowing when to pick someone up and put his enemies down

-Adapts to modern customs and his friends pretty well, especially for someone locked up in a pendant for so long

-easily takes a leadership role (probably a projection of his kingship past) although he is often humble about his status as pharaoh

-his pride keeps his head held high and rises above all challenges

CONS

-let’s be real the guy is incredibly blunt (this could be a pro or con depending on preference)

-can be an enabler to Yugi at times

-ruthless nature (let’s be real his kill count is like 5+ people in the manga, probably more)

-has an overall identity crisis

-tends to put others above himself, which at times can be toxic or detrimental to his character

-his own pride can be used against him, placing fear and doubt into his mind (DOMA was a great example of this)

I feel like every time Takahashi draws him in a new movie, he just adds more flair and muscles (not that I’m complaining)

So now we come to a head and the big question is what are we missing out on? Perhaps one of the reasons Yu-Gi-Oh DM has so much fanfiction and forums about it is the general sense of emptiness the ending of the series left behind. I think dub Tea put it best, (these are not the exact words, I’ve already spent an hour writing this) Atem was leaving us just as we were getting to know him. Finally a season where we get to see him as his own character, and honestly him fighting bad guys and dying for it, was not the way a lot of us would have wanted to see him go. Instead he comes back to duel Yugi but Atem feels so stiff and mysterious. The guy doesn’t even talk to the poor girl crying in front of him. This isn’t a guy who just wanted to up and leave from the get go. But now that he got the information he wanted, suddenly he just says fuck it and gives a thumbs up walking into the light? Nah. I’m sorry to say the Yu-Gi-Oh is not on my top list of anime endings, but it can be one of saddest. 

I often wonder time and time again, what would have Atem been like around his friends. Maybe he would have more of a sense of humor (like he was with Mana). Would he have more wisdom? Would he be more charming? These are just a few question I and many others have about our favorite pharaoh. But hey that’s what we have headcanons for right?

Now some of you may be wondering, especially as a fanfic writer, what are my own headcanons about Atem? As I mentioned before I guess you can say I’m boring, I prefer canon-ish ships and I try to keep my headcanons as much in line with the source material as I can. Of course I add a tad of my own flair to it so it isn’t completely the same. If anything I try to fix so of the errors I see in the original. 

My headcanon for Atem (post memories): A lot of the qualities I mentioned before would most likely remain the same, if not positively amplified. He certainly wouldn’t be as ruthless as he used to be, the anime/manga has shown his growth from that. He would definitely still be very protective of those he cared about. Although I can’t help but think that after remembering his past, he would carry himself in a regal manner. Possibly even without him noticing because he was raised from birth to become a king. Considering the strong connection with his father, I can see the guy having a keen sense for family bonding, perhaps even wanting one of his own. It is traditional for pharaoh to want to pass on their legacy. I’m also sure we all like to think the guy would be incredibly charming, considering how he always seems to know exactly what to say. Although he would still be blunt with his statements, he isn’t one to lie or hold back. If you ask Atem a question you will get the truth and the honest truth. Pride and honesty are incredibly important to him. While he respects honesty, I can imagine he would like to keep personal matters to himself and not worry others. If anything he would rather stay quiet than create a lie. Lastly considering how humble he tends to be with the people around him and how he values everyone as equals, I can see Atem being very open-minded to try new things and explore various ideologies. He would not judge, or have prejudice. He would be accepting and encourage others to be who they are as long as they were good people.

 Okay so maybe he would be low-key nervous around pets lol.

Well, that was longer than I planned it to be, but thanks for reading all that if you did. Feel free to add to the conversation or blow up my inbox!

[zeravmeta]

Give me your absolute best YGO x Fate headcanons

Ah gee since ya asked so nicely heres my convoluted crossover AU. Also this got hella long so I'll add a readmore

-the protags would all wind up at Chaldea due to being summoned by the godly powers within their own universes (Egyptian Gods, Crimson Dragon, etc.) and are tasked with helping them. Yugi is pre Ceremonial Duel (for Atem), the rest are from post series

-Gudas just so used to all the weirdness surrounding them so they take it in stride. Holmes on the other hand is losing it because he fears they may have been some type of dimensional collapse. He freaks out further when some of the kids say "oh yeah that happens all the time". Da Vinci sets them up to assist Guda since they can use magic (at least half of them use magic and the other half literally fuse with duel monsters) without needing magic circuits (which interests her GREATLY) so she introduces them as a set of new masters to help.

-their decks are still with them but now instead of being confined to the game they can actually summon them as Familiars/Phantasmals, though they can only support a few at a time.

-most, if not all servants are suspicious of these new masters (guda is my favorite master i dont need another one), but its only initial waryness since these are actual kids like Guda and they default to Parent Mode. Theyre even more surprised to learn about the exploits within their own worlds.

Now onto some of the dynamics:

-Yugi would just be happy to meet all these heroes from history. He understands the seriousness of the situation and despite his initial kickback he'd be onboard to help. Atem would take this opportunity to ask around to see if any of these ancient heroes would know him (since pre ceremonial duel he'd know who he is from Mem World). The Pharaohs (Ozy, Nito, Cleo) would be surprised about a Pharoah they've never met before, and especially his divinity since he could summon three Egyptian Gods to aid him. He was from 3000 years in the past so Egypt was beginning in its decline, so such a modern (relatively) Pharoah holding such power would shock them, though in the end Ozymandias would still declare him one of his friends and theyd get along. Yugi would leave the Puzzle with the Pharoahs so they could speak while he went around meeting a bunch of the heroes. He'd love to play with some of the kids though he has earned his fair share of ire since the King of Games never loses on Game Night, Poker Night, or any other type of games. Yugi has more supportive abilities in his skillset for the ourposes of battle, while Atem can more freely use his shadow magic since he's being supplied.

-Judai is more nonplussed than anything. He was already wandering the world so for him this is just another checkpoint. He finds the ability to summon his monsters as familiars more convebiant than anything since he could already speak to them. Many of the magic users are particularly interested in his ability to talk to spirits since its a rare ability in general and usually limited to one type of phantasmal, not to mention empathetic abilities on their own are somewhat unheard of in Nasuverse. Yubel is a protective force around him and for combat training scenarios shes extremely hard to get around since her deflection ability, while hard to maintain when Yubel uses her final form, is pretty much on par with Lord Camelot in terms of defense. He's generally friendly but comes off as rude sometimes due to his general nonchalance. Gets along especially well with some of the more volatile servants like Berserkers and Avengers since his empathetic abilities are soothing to them.

-Yusei is cautious and guarded here. He has responsibilities in his own world he'd want to get back too, but doesn't have it in him to just leave. His D-Wheel somehow came along (Yuya shivers in the distance) with him, so Da Vinci did the only reasonable thing upon seeing a miniature perpetual motion machine and tried to impound it immediately for study. Yusei was happy to share his info and skills on Momentum and implementing it into Chaldeas energy systems, something that had Tesla and Edison proud since one so young was already (but only barely) supassing AC and DC. Holmes was also extremely interested in Clear Mind and the Crimson Dragin, since Yusei managed to consolidate his own concentration into pure evolutionary energy and may have accidentally interacted with an elder god in the process (kinda like Holmes). Yusei assures him the Crimson Dragon isn't evil and that its called Quetzalcoatl, which has Fate Quetz coming in and asking about herself, further complicating Yusei's confusion on the Crimson Dragon. For combat, he starts off supportive by swarming his field with low power monsters before suddenly summoning a more powerful one. With Over Top Clear Mind they become even more powerful and evolve on their own, so Stardust can become Shooting, but summoning Quasar is very dangerous since its extremely powerful but taxxing.

-Yuma is absolutely excited. Astral not so much. "Astral these are literal HEROES how can you not be excited!?" "Idk probably the part where they'll kill us if we take a wrong step?". Yuma loves to hang around servants like Drake, Shiki and Beowulf, and loves swapping stories of their adventures. Abigail heard about aliens and wonders if Yog Soghoth is an alien, but Yuma tells her that the Astrals and Barians are not like Yog Soggoth, even if Don Thousand as described kinda sounds like him. Astral can be seen since since Heroic Spirits are consolidations of magic while Astral was basically an energy being of the same type, and does float through the halls, occasionally scaring someone by mistake. He does get along with a mysterious woman in a kimono who seems to appear in the twilight hours, but he cant ever really remember her face. In combat Astral and Yuma can do their usual combination form which causes their Numbers to automatically Rank Up upon summoning, the higher the form the further they can rank.

-Yuya has it a bit rough at first. He just got out of a war and now he was being dragged into another? Thankfully he gets his bearings quickly but is still somewhat shaken. Some of the servants are wary around him because they can feel the distortion that exists within his soul, his three other versions, and the power that could trun him into the Supreme King once again still exists there even if Zarc has passed on. He gets along with Siegfried well enough, and they swap stories about how the expectations of others can lead you to ruin. The Alter Egos feel a kinship to him since he's also a consolidated personality rather than a full person, though he gets along best with the Celts. Cu, Scathach and Fergus all love to see his performances, but to them that just meant that they can put him through warrior training especially after they hear about the war he went through. Scathach insists that him running for his life while she chases is good training, while Cu agrees while running alongside him. In battle he uses his acrobatic prowess enhanced with a little bit of fortification/protection magic, and can summon all four of his dragons to help him. Since the other Yu Boys are stuck within Yuya, they occasionally trade places:

Yuto gets along with Archer and occasionally helps him out. Archer is sympathetic to the struggles he unerwent in his own world and makes sure to keep his spirits up while also trying to ignore the irony.Yugo and David have struck up a strange friendship since they both have the issue of mistaking people for their so. David sees Yugo talk about how even if his life was hard it was worth it for the people he loved and remembers his son fondly.Yuri is generally avoided since even after the merge he's still something of a wildcard, but he gets along well with Hans and Kiara of all people. Sometimes he'd share the stories of the training he underwent in Academia, how the Professor trained him to see people as toys and all the people he's hurt, how his dragon was his only friend and how itd protect him, and Hans couldn't help but hate his pessimistic attitude in expecting this while Kiara wouldn't really care too much but also wouldn't insult him by offering condolences. He knows he's become a monster and he won't deny or forget his mistakes, he'll simply try to do better.

-[note: Vrains suddenly had its ending announced for Sept.25 (i believe it may have been cancelled) so based on the episode title of 120 Yusaku and Ai will reunite and thats what im following here] Yusaku is skittish at best, downright invisible at worst. He doesn't want to be found, and even some of the Assassin Class servants have trouble tracking him down when needed. Ai managed to bring along a spare SOLtis body with him so he can walk around and physically interact with Yusaku. Even if they still had some tension between them they still cared about each other so they would keep each other company. It got real awkward when BB first showed up talking about being a sentient AI, so Ai immediatelt tried to befriend her, only to learn about her inhuman nature. While Ai may dislike that aspect of her, he knows from what happened with Roboppy that you cant forcibly change what you are, so he does his best to try and get along, which infuriates BB to no end since she feels like she's being talked down to. Yusaku as a programmer helps with most of Chaldeas regular workforce and he accomplishes hiding in plain sight by being the only master to interact more with the regular work staff than their servants. That being said, it doesn't change how some like Tamamo or Suzuka try to drag him out so he can meet some of the other servants. He gets along well with Kerry. Likely because they barely speak and share E Rank Luck.

[mutantsrisingrpg]

Congratulations DEAN! You’ve been accepted as JANUS with a FC change to CASEY DEIDRICK.

Dean, first let me say that when I saw an app from you in our inbox I screamed! Now, onto business. The way you created a backstory for Jackson that starts in Las Vegas and ends in Chicago kept me hanging on each and every word. I have to admit, the detail about how there’s only one form of identification with his true face and name was one of my favorite parts! I also loved how you broke name his name - it’s a little detail that went a long way in figuring out who Jackson is. We’re so excited to have you back on the dash and with our Janus! 

Welcome to Mutants Rising! Please read the checklist and submit your account within 24 hours.

NAME/ALIAS: Dean

PRONOUNS: She/her

AGE: 22

TIMEZONE & ACTIVITY LEVEL: GMT, fairly active

In Character Information:

DESIRED ROLE: Jackson Sawyer Raemers

GENDER/PRONOUNS: He/him

DETAILS & ANALYSIS: This is where you show us who the character is to you! The format of this doesn’t matter, whether it’s in bullet points or in para form, and can be as long as you’d like it to be. Feel free to get creative!

The name Jackson is a Scottish name. In Scottish the meaning of the name Jackson is: God has been gracious; has shown favour. Based on John or Jacques.

Sawyer was an English meaning, a occupational name for someone who earned his living by sawing wood, Middle English saghier, an agent derivative of sagh(en) ‘to saw’.

Raemers based on Ramer, The oldest form of the name is “Reinmar” or “Reginmar,” which literally meant “famous councillor.” Always prominent in social affairs.

He’s a walking contradiction, his mind never 100% made on a singular motive and distraction easily pulled him from one thing to the next. Jackson’s chaos is a subtle one, orchestrated solely for his own enjoyment until there’s reason to repel against something or someone. Opinionated in a way in which his argument could be swerved from one side the the other only because he wanted to play devil’s advocate and test other people’s beliefs because it gives him comfort to see witness the grey spots in other’s morals.

A lot of what he does was born from his own insecurities, the voice in the back of his head telling him that we were more worthless than the dirt on the bottom of his shoes. So he hides his true self carefully, uses masks of humour and then hides behind other peoples identities. Carefully packaging away his own demons with false confidence that couldn’t be questioned.

BIO:

Fraud and robberies became second nature, easier than breathing yet essential to keep his head from sinking below the water. It was ironic, how swift his own actions turned from survival to pure indulgence. Disordered violence increasingly becomes addictive due to the way it supplied him with a steady rush of endorphins. The taste of rebellion even more rewarding when it was fuelled by the very mutation that he’d been discriminated for his entire life. He’d unlocked his true potential, a criminal with the ability to morph fluidly from one appearance to the next.

He supposes it was a form of obsession, in contrast to his former self, an upbringing spent repressing his powers to appease his terrified parents who feared the opinion of the neighbourhood than what may become of their son by neglecting a key part of his identity. Living life as an outlaw, adorning himself in tourist t-shirts and tacky dollar store sunglasses was a vast improvement. A lifestyle that saw him existing out of the trunk of his car, mustard stains from a drive-thru burger discolouring the map which lay open on his passenger seat, red ink circling his next destination. He couldn’t picture himself living an average life, didn’t want to be another cog in a well oiled cooperate machine where he’d become just another number sat at a desk until he’d worked up enough hours to pay off a mortgage.

Jackson’s luck fell short, naturally, the second his car pulled into sin city. Las Vegas with the luminosity of neon lights and slot machines was the single worst decision he could have made. Worse than disowning his family, worse than his impulsive decision making when getting tattoos and maybe even worse than the time he’d shifted into the body of a girl scout in some desperate attempt of getting a dozen boxes of thin mints free of charge. But like a moth to a flame, it was the adrenaline that led him to do it. Shifting from one casino owner to the next, he’d committed fraud multiple times each night and donate the remainder of the money after he’d loaded up on hawaiian shirts and sugary snacks, to organisations working against mutant laws and discrimination. Like a modern day Robin Hood, only driving a rusted up old Chevrolet in dire need of a new paint job.

It’s a mixture of arrogance and a blimp in his concentration that causes it to all unravel. Facading as a beer bellied Elvis impersonator in one of the chapels, he’d spent the evening pick pocketing gambling money from unsuspecting intoxicated couples who’d been making poor life decisions. It was easy work which naturally meant he’d become sloppy, the sort of stupidity that lands him an evening in police custody and unable to show any identification on himself other than a driving license that matches his true appearance. Jackson Sawyer Raemers, born November 22nd in the state of Arizona, an individual with an outstanding warrant for his arrest and a suspected mutant. There’s no court trial, no mention of imprisonment or bail. Instead he’s transported overnight to a medical research facility, sedated and left to answer for his crimes in what he would deem to be the pits of hell.

He’s carefully monitored, pumped with medication and used as a lab rat for illnesses to watch how his mutation may help him to recover- if at all. Cut open and stitched together again, regular interviews for insights on his ability and encouraged with rewards to see how far he could push his powers under supervision. Of course those rewards never met anything more exciting than a pudding cup with lunch or a ten minute stoll in the security monitored outdoor area. The three years he’s trapped there he learns a few things about himself and his mutation; no matter how many times they tried they couldn’t replicate it in a tube, even with the ability of cell reconstruction this hadn’t granted him immunity from the common cold and pudding cups definitely weren’t worth the amount effort he’d been putting in for them.

It was entirely by chance that a group of enraged mutants in the facility had grouped together to form a riot. The building caught up in an intentional blaze that triggered cell doors to swing open and allow their occupants to vacate. With such a perfect diversion in place, Jackson takes his opportunity to escape by shifting into the appearance of one of the women who had been treating him. Able to use her fingerprints to unlock the exit, the first thing he does is hot wires the Mercedes in the parking lot and takes off back on the road. They say old habits die hard, much could be said the same for Jackson. How easily he fell back into his old games of identity theft as if three years worth of reflection had taught him nothing.

He returns to what he does best, only now it was personal, the lust of rebellion replaced with spite for those who had been disceting him like a science project. Jackson spends his time examining the faces that appear in the media voice against mutant rights and the research entrepreneurs that treated as nothing more than a paycheck. It’s how he finds himself in Chicago, rumoured a place that was almost a santuary for mutants where he’d be able to meet like minded individuals. And of course, it’s how he finds The Jem Family. He’s still not entirely sure why Damien had taken a liking towards him, his only redeemable factor being that he was reckless enough to not question any given orders in which other members may shudder at. It was an overwhelming sense of finally belonging to something, that he’d mattered outside of his own world and could really make a difference.  

EXPANDED CONNECTIONS:

Luca Medoza: He finds them entertaining, his own laid back rebellion in contrast to something much bolder. Subtle versus out right in your face. He’d spend a lot of time with Luca, telling her what had happened in the latest true crime series he’d been watching and not minding too much when the only thing she picks up on was that he’d spent 10 hours straight binge watching on Netflix again.

Neve Kaplan: She’s the first person in a long time that he doesn’t hide any aspect of himself from. He let her see every aspect of his personality, the gritty details and forbidden secrets he hadn’t dared to share with anyone else. For a while she’d been his home, the missing part of the puzzle that could take the bitterness away and ease his own reckless behaviours, until she’s gone. It still stings when he see’s her, but it’s also a pleasant reminder that at least what he’d felt had been real.

Cain Douglas: He gets pleasure out of his visits and will show up even if the damage is nothing spectacular. He’s absolutely rolled up with a paper cut before and made it out as if he’d lost a limb over texts on his way there. Jackson gets most his kicks from aggravating the hell out of people and with Cain it was almost too easy. Although when he is genuinely hurt it does become a little more difficult of Cain to take him seriously with all the jokes he plays. Sometimes he’ll fake an injury just to get some advice, doctors and therapists are basically the same thing, right?

EXTRA: This section is completely optional. You can add anything here such as: more para samples, headcanons, mock blogs, edits, playlists, etc. Please note that because it is optional, putting everything or nothing in this section will not be a determining factor in your application. This is just for fun!

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/dean_ie/janus/

Tag: https://stereotypicalcancerwrites.tumblr.com/tagged/ch:%20jackson%20raemers

-Jackson is obsessed with snacking, or any opportunity to stuff his face with food really. He’ll take it personal if you go out for a meal and he doesn’t get an invite.

-He can’t function without a morning coffee. 3 shots served black with one spoonful of sugar. He’ll have another at noon because he’s a night owl and eternally paying the price.

-He has a fear of blood, it makes him feel dizzy and he’s absolutely the worst person to have around if you were in a serious injury. He’d pass out before you would.

-Jackson can sing The Element Song by Tom Lehrer perfectly from memory.

-He has a habit of seeing the world from a very cynical perspective and is always anticipating the worst to happen in any given situation. It allows him to feel less surprised or out of control when things do turn sour.

-Jackson has a doberman named Bella, as in Bella Swan- he was trying to be funny

-He doesn’t trust easily and as a result he’s pretty distant. He’s always got a guard up and is very reluctant to let people into his life as most people that have seen the real him have resulted in negative connotation.

-He is allergic to shellfish so if someone wanted to kill him…

-He is always using humour and bad behaviour as a defense mechanism from people getting too close to see the real him.

-He had a stutter as a kid due to low self-esteem. It occasionally comes back when he’s stressed or upset. It’s one of the giveaways for his shapeshifting.

-Jackson is a reckless driver

-He’s obsessed with 1970s music

-Jackson is a hoarder, he collects a lot of pointless stuff like the top of bottle caps, funny slogan tshirts and cheap sunglasses from dollar stores

-He hates having to dress up formally, he feels like it draws attention to him and not in a funny showing off sort of way

-He has numerous tattoos and none of them were what you’d consider ‘good’, they’re shitty or only there to illustrate some pun or memory of a drunken evening. He’s upset some of the scars from the research facility have beheaded a hulahooping stick men on his leg.

ANYTHING ELSE: Did you have any questions or any changes you wanted to discuss with us beforehand?

FC change to Casey Deidrick

[homespork-review]

Spork Introduction

CHEL: Hi! I go by Chel, they or she pronouns, and I’m the one spearheading this project. I still like at least a fair percentage of Homestuck, but after the ending disappointed me a great deal, I got bitter, and when Hussie pissed me off further by Godwinning himself, I decided to do something about it. I’m no longer angry about it, but I felt I’d benefit from picking out what I hate from what I love so I can focus on the latter without annoyance getting in the way, and also to benefit my own writing efforts.

BRIGHT: Howdy! I’m Bright, and I got into Homestuck fairly recently. After ploughing through the archive and digesting for a while, I realised that I was thoroughly annoyed by how something enjoyable had fallen apart so comprehensively. I am looking forward to the time-honoured practice of ripping the story apart to identify its weak points and shout at them.

FAILURE ARTIST: Hello, I’m Failure Artist (call me FA for short), she/her/herself pronouns, and I’m so old-school they burned the school down. I was introduced to Homestuck via Something Awful’s Webcomic thread. I checked the old mspadventures.com site and the latest update was [S] John: Bite Apple. After watching that bizarre piece of animation, I had to know what the hell happened before then. I found I enjoyed the wit of the comic though I didn’t really care much about the plot. It was only when Act 5 came around that I became a serious fan. I currently have 122 Homestuck works on Archive of Our Own. I have a lot of free time, you see. I am very disappointed in how Homestuck ended. Possibly there was no completely satisfactory way it could end but it still could have been better. I feel like Hussie was a juggler who threw a lot of balls into the air and ignored them as they fell to the ground and some fans think not catching them was a master move since you’d expect he’d try to catch at least one. Sadly, lots of the problems with the ending are embedded deep within the canon.

TIER: Hi hi. I am Tier, a very late newcomer to the wonderful world of Homestuck (2018 reader!) and average fan overall. I love this webcomic to bits, but the low points are deep and I enjoy seeking out what the heck went wrong. Not particularly analytical myself, hope that's cool!

CHEL: Cool by us! We’ve already done plenty of analysing before we started, as you may realise from my Tumblr’s “homestuck ending hate” tag (at @chelonianmobile).

FAILURE ARTIST: But let’s put that aside for a moment and talk about the good stuff. 

Homestuck is incredibly innovative. It is the first true webcomic. It’s not just a print comic posted online. It uses not just still images and words but also animation, music, and interactive games.

Homestuck is the latest adventure in the series MS Paint Adventures. MS Paint Adventures started as a forum adventure. In forum adventures, the OP acts as a sort of Dungeon Master and other forum members give them prompts. Andrew Hussie’s previous works under MS Paint Adventures were Jailbreak (which is little more than Hussie dicking with the prompters in scatological ways), Bard’s Quest (Choose-your-own-adventure), and the actually-completed Problem Sleuth. Problem Sleuth lacks the music and animation and despite the weird physics shenanigans is a simpler story than Homestuck. The characters aren’t even two dimensional.

Homestuck (and the previous MS Paint Adventures minus Bard’s Quest) are set up like adventure games. Adventure games are where the player is a protagonist in a story and are usually focused on puzzle-solving though sometimes there’s combat. In the beginning, these games were purely text. The player would type what they wanted to do and the game would spout back text describing it - assuming the computer parser understood you.

CHEL: Oh god, I HATED that. I wasn’t around for the heyday but I’ve played a couple and

Pale Luna

was barely an exaggeration (horror warning).

FAILURE ARTIST: As graphics improved, adventure games started using them, but the commands were still in text. Only later was the point-and-click interface created and players didn’t have to guess what exact sentence the computer wanted them to type. Homestuck and the other MS Paint Adventures play with that frustration while paying tribute to the genre. The game within the comic uses RPG elements but the comic itself is set up like those good ol’ adventure games. In the beginning, Homestuck was guided by commands from forum members. Even after he closed the suggestion box, he used memes and fanon created by readers.

CHEL: How good an idea this was varies, as we’ll be showing.

We probably don’t need to describe Homestuck much more. Everyone here who hasn’t read it will doubtless have heard of it. Almost everyone with a Tumblr will have seen fanart, almost anyone at a convention will have seen cosplay. Shoutouts have been made to it in professional works such as the cartoon Steven Universe, and the Avengers fandom latched onto “caw caw motherfuckers” as a catchphrase for Hawkeye to the point that it’s now often forgotten it didn’t originate from there.

FAILURE ARTIST: The Homestuck fandom term “sadstuck” for depressing stories/headcanons somehow leaked into other fandoms. Using second-person is actually cool now and not just for awkward reader fics. Astrology will never be the same again.

CHEL: Now, in the interests of fairness, we will say that when Homestuck is good, it’s amazing, and it’s good often. The characters at least start out appealing and are all immediately distinguishable; even with the typing quirks stripped, it’s easy to tell who said what. The magic system is one of the coolest I’ve ever seen, who doesn’t love classpecting themselves and their faves? Hussie also shows a lot of talent for the complex meta and time travel weirdness, and it is fascinating to watch a timeline thread unfurl. And whatever else one says, it’s a fascinating story that’s captivated millions. I think it is deserving of its title as a modern classic.

However, as the years have passed, we have ended up noticing problems, big and small, and they nagged at us until we decided it had to be dissected. Our intention here isn’t to tear apart something we loathe entirely. It’s to take a complex work and pick out what works from what doesn’t. As I said, when Homestuck is good, it’s very very good. But when it’s bad, we get problems of every scale from various offensive comments to dragging pace to characters ignoring problems and solutions right under their noses to an absolute collapse of every theme and statement the comic stood for before.

The comic is ludicrously long; eight thousand pages, or thereabouts, to be specific. Officially one of the longest works of fiction in the English language, in fact. Naturally, we can’t riff that word by word in any timeframe short of decades, and we can’t include every picture, even if that was permitted under copyright law. Instead, as comics have been done here before, we’ll recap most of the time, and include sections of dialogue and pictures when particularly relevant to a point.

Here are the counts we’ll be using, possibly to be added to later if we find we forgot anything. Most of these counts will only start to climb post-Act 5, but we’ll be keeping track of them from the beginning. Most of them could have been fixed with a decent editor, which is sadly a hazard of webcomics, but still frustrating to read.

TIER: Note: we started this endeavor months before the thought of a "technically not but still we'll count it" set of canon epilogues were a twinkle in the eyes of the fandom. That is, by the way, a whole 'nother can of worms that will be dealt with at a later date if that ever comes around. We're judging Homestuck the Webcomic as a whole, so no after the credits stuff is to be noted for whatever reason.

ALL THE LUCK - Vriska Serket constantly gets a pass or gets favored over every other character. This count is added to every time she pulls some shenanigans with which others wouldn’t get away. ARE YOU TRYING TO BE FUNNY? - Sometimes it’s not entirely clear whether a thing is supposed to be taken seriously or not. We don’t require hand-holding through every joke, but when, for example, we’re supposed to take one instance of violence seriously while a similar case is supposed to be funny, this count goes up. CALL CPA PLEASE - Instances of creepy sexual behaviour (and perhaps particularly gratuitous acts of violence) from the thirteen-year-old cast. Now, mileage may vary on this one. We won’t pretend that thirteen-year-olds are perfect pure angels, especially thirteen-year-olds growing up in what is openly supposed to be a nightmarish dystopia. However, when full pages focus on said behaviour, there comes a point of it being very uncomfortable to read. Clarification: does not refer to cases where the adults do something heinous, this is strictly when the kids do. CLOCKWORK PROBLEMATYKKS - When an offensive joke or comment is made, particularly when not justified by the personality of the character involved, or presented in the narration as being okay. GET ON WITH IT! - When the pace drags. ‘Nuff said. Hazard of the format, but it makes archive bingeing very annoying. GORE GALORE - For unnecessary and/or excessive torture porn which is treated less seriously because it features troll characters, and therefore less “realistic” blood colours. HOW NOT TO WRITE A WEBCOMIC - When the comic does something mentioned in How Not To Write A Novel, and it isn’t justified by the webcomic format. HURRY UP AND DO NOTHING - Characters repeatedly neglect to do something about or even react to terrible happenings, either because they don’t care even if they should or they forget they have the capacity. Not necessarily anything to do with their magical powers, either - characters ignore personal problems that are right under their noses, too. IN HATE WITH MY CREATION - For reasons that are unclear, Hussie chose to create characters he apparently hated writing, or at least ignored in favour of others. Every time he’s clearly disrespecting one of his own characters, this goes up, whether it’s by nerfing their powers or changing their personalities. RELATIONSHIP GOALS? - Romantic relationships in particular get fumbled quite often. Ship Teasing is used with skill, but that skill tends to be lost when the characters actually hook up. Fumbled friendships and family relations can also come under this heading. SEND THEM TO THE SLAMMER - When characters other than Vriska get away with something morally questionable. Covers everything from sexual harassment to not trying to save people from the apocalypse. SOME OF MY BEST FRIENDS - Later on in Homestuck’s run, Hussie tried to make up for the offensive humour and casual -isms counted by Clockwork Problematykks above. How successful he was at this varied. This count goes up whenever an attempt at progressivism is waved in front of the reader but doesn’t stand up under scrutiny. WHAT IS HAPPENING?? - When the already confusing plot kicks it up a notch. Admittedly this is as much a selling point of the comic as it is an issue, but either way, we’re going to keep track. Points will be added to when it gets confusing, and taken away when a previous confusing thing is explained adequately. WHITE SBURB POSTMODERNISM - What is shown about Alternia repeatedly contradicts what we’re told about how different it is from Earth. For example, trolls still use heteronormative terms even after it’s established they reproduce bisexually, and the demonstration of the class structure doesn’t always add up. This count goes up every time that happens. It also goes up every time something happens which strongly implies Hussie was envisioning the human kids as white, despite his later claims that they were always supposed to be “aracial”, and every time their economic statuses don’t add up either.

[trickstercaptain]

@hargrovetm sent a meme: name a few of their favourite pieces of popular culture.

12. name a few of their favourite pieces of popular culture.

okay so this is the part where i call Jack out for having extremely limited interest in popular culture from the 1990s onwards lmao. there's a reason why I've always thought it made sense for Jack to grow up in the 70s/80s and that's because he's into a lot of older movies and tv shows — I think in a modern setting you could easily bring up any recent cultural phenomenon like, idk, GoT or something and he'd have no fucking clue what you're talking about lmaooo. Jack doesn't pay attention to popular culture, he's just interested in his own specific niches.

but some of his faves, in no particular order and not an exhaustive list, are: grease ( yes, his bisexual awakening ), the indiana jones movies, ghostbusters, knight rider, dallas ( l m a o ), saturday night fever, back to the future, mamma mia ( i hate him ), the oceans movies, blackadder, baywatch ( again, l m a o ), the x files. more generally, he enjoys true crime documentaries and is also pretty prone to watching trashy reality tv too. he also reads widely and really enjoys a lot of 19th century and 20th century fiction ( stuff that he would not be able to read in his canon ) and in all honesty is much more likely to be reading than he would watching tv or movies. so it's not even that he's a film snob, it's just a medium that doesn't interest him as much as reading.

when it comes to popular, nerdy culture, I can tell you that he has seen the original star wars trilogy once and did not care for it ( and hasn't watched any since ), he never bothered to read lotr and therefore did not watch the movies ( I think medieval fantasy in general doesn't interest him, he prefers adventure/action stuff hence why indiana jones makes the shortlist of his favourite pieces of popular culture ), he's never picked up a comic book in his life and does not intend to start now, so has zero interest in superheroes, and I can't really see him being all that into video games either ? board games, sure, but probably only a passing interest in video games. he's not nerd material, basically — unless you want to talk about shakespeare.

[gamebunny-advance]

I'd like to read more about your personal interpretations of Pac & Watch. Your drawings about them have so much personality... apparently Pac is still married? May you please expand about their relationship? (Pac's, Ms.'s, and G&W's)

Huh, I don’t usually (if ever) get asked about my headcanons like this, but I’ll be happy to talk about them! 

I guess since you’re asking about all three, I’ll tell ya everything, but it’s probably gonna be a long and boring read. I’m not really the fanfic writing type, so this might also kinda be disjointed. Sorry in advance!

Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man

Pac-Man (real name “Puck”) met Ms. Pac-Man (real name “Pepper”) in Pactown when she was a showgirl.  A long time ago Pepper used to live as a man (deadname *“Otto”), but after hearing about the adventures of “Pac-Man” (I consider this to be more of a title than an actual name. There have been many Pac-Mans over the years, and Puck is just one of them) decided to adopt the title for herself as a performer. Soon word of “Ms. Pac-Man” spreads far and wide, eventually reaching Puck who decides to check-out the Pac who’s also claimed his title. Upon his arrival to Pactown from Pac Village, he’s attacked by the ghost gang who is also attacking Pepper. Together they fend them off and gradually fall in love. Eventually Pepper retires from being a performer to settle down and raise a family with Puck (adopting two kids: Junior and Baby). Occasionally they cross paths with the ghost gang and other evils, but they’re happy with having a simple home life together.

Relationship-wise they are very much in love with each other. Despite being older (over 30) they still act like newly-weds, always holding each other’s hands in public and calling each other pet names and kissing. Lots and lots of kissing. It embarresses their kids to no end. When Pac-Man went to join smash for a while, they both got kinda lonely without each other, but Ms. Pac-Man still visits often and when she can’t she sends lots of letters and homemade meals to him.

*This part is inspired by real life. I figure it’s a well known story among Pac-Man fans, but the original Ms. Pac-Man game is actually based on a ROM hack called “Crazy Otto”. I believe what happened was that Midway (The NA distributors of Pac-Man) bought the ROM then converted it to be a direct sequel to Pac-Man. I thought that it would be interesting to incorporate that history into Ms. Pac-Man’s backstory. Originally I didn’t even headcanon Ms. Pac-Man as the same species/race as Pac-Man because the original sprites are so different, but I decided that that was a little too complicated for something like this. ^^;

Ms. Pac-Man’s previous job as a performer in the big city is based on how she was depicted in the original ads for the game, usually being shown as a glamorous figure with a strong attitude. Pac-Man coming from a small town is mostly based on the Pac-Man World/Pac-Man the New Adventures canon, where it looks like the Pac family is based in a rural/suburban town. I wanted there to be a more natural progression from Ms.Pac-Man’s original “independant woman” attitude to becoming a domestic housewife. She still has all of her original spunk (she’s even still a little flirtatious out of habit), but they’re still completely devoted to each other and would never assume that the other is being unfaithful in any way (and neither ever have been).

Pac-Man and Mr. Game & Watch

When Pac-Man joined smash, he kinda felt a *little* out of touch everyone. Although there have been modern Pac-Man games most of the Pac-Men(?) in those games are actually different people. Puck is the “Classic” Pac-Man and doesn’t really have the know-how of his more modern colleges. He even finds it difficult to relate to Mario who is only a year younger than Pac because their experience gap is so large. 

Although originally puzzled with meeting someone who is still 2-D, when Pac-Man meets Mr. Game & Watch, he feels an instant sense of nostalgia and they both bond over their mutual out-of-touchness. However, Mr. Game & Watch isn’t just out of touch with the times, he’s out of touch with how to function as a normal person. Despite appearing humanoid, G&W is very alien to this world. How he even crossed dimensions is a mystery even to himself, but now that he’s here, adjusting has been difficult. 

He hasn’t fully developed a lot of concepts like good and evil. Basically, he has trouble with any intangible concept and has a very black and white way of thinking. He isn’t emotionless per say (he knows when he’s happy or when he’s upset someone, etc.), but there’s a lot he doesn’t know/understand about feelings and morality. He lacks tact and is bad at communicating with people, so he doesn’t have very many friends among the smashers. This gets Pac’s dad-instincts to kick in and he eventually starts trying to help G&W learn how to properly express himself (a task that’s being shared with Princess Peach).

Once when Ms.Pac-Man came to visit, G&W got curious about their relationship. Although he was kinda familiar with the concept of “love”, having heard about it from Peach, he had never seen it expressed in such a way before, so he began emulating the Pacs to test out his new concept of “love” (mostly the kissing). G&W has a habit of emulating anything that interests him to gain experience, so he wound up making romantic gestures to anyone that he “loved” (which is anyone who he considers even remotely important to him, including Pac-Man). Of course this isn’t appropriate in most situations, but pretty much everyone knows that he does it because he doesn’t know any better, so no one takes it seriously. After being taught about the different kinds of love and how to “properly” express it (specifically the difference between romantic and platonic love), he determines that his feelings for most of this friends is actually platonic, but is still happy to have made any friends at all. There is one person that he has romantic feelings for, but that’s a different story.

Since then their friendship has been riddled with discussions of the good old days with the occasional snarky banter. They get along pretty well and Pac-Man has learned to accept most of G&W’s quirks. Even after learning about his involvement in the Subspace Army, Pac is still happy to be friends with G&W. What happened happened, but right now they’re best friends and it’s gonna take a lot to change that.

So yeah, that’s the gist of it! I don’t really ship a romantic Pac & Watch because I feel like it messes with established canon too much (namely that Pac-Man is married and has kids), but I do like the idea of them being very close to each other. They both have relationships with some of the other smash characters, but you only asked about the Pacs and Mr. Game & Watch, so I’ll leave it at this for now.

If you want to know anything else, then feel free to ask me.

[ygospamproduction]

Hey there! First off: I am loving your writing and have this tumblr bookmarked for new stuff. :D One thing I wonder about your headcanons is how you think about the conflicting parts of Atem once he has his memory back in full. Does he become a different person when those memories are returned? How does God-King Pharaoh Atem (always so serious) blend with secretly-goofy puzzle nerd who loves card games? What's his afterlife experience look like?

Okay, first of– thank you so much, anon! I’m so glad you’re enjoying my stories! It’s a huge treat for me to provide them, but in large part because others enjoy them, too. :) So awesome.

Second of all… that is a very, very, very good question, and… difficult to answer, for various reasons. You have to tackle how Atem getting his memories back mentally works, if he got those memories back during the canon series, who Pharaoh Atem was in life, and your last question- the afterlife experience.

The trouble is, canon really doesn’t answer the first three at all.

Sure, the anime put in a lot of flashback scenes of his childhood, but in the manga at least? We never hear from or witness the living Pharaoh Atem, ever. “I’ve been waiting for you, Siamun,” is the only active dialogue supplied, when he saved Sugoroku in his tomb. We get little hints here and there in the memory world, but pretty much all of them come from a) Priest Set, through the lens of B) Yami no Bakura… neither of which I consider unbiased sources.

So who was Pharaoh Atem? You say he was always serious, but what are we truly drawing from? The only thing I think we can say with complete certainty is he sacrificed his life to stop Zorc. 

So, we don’t have a good clear idea of what Pharaoh Atem was like… that makes it hard to consider how that person would blend with the Puzzle spirit we all know and love. And even if we did– would it be some sort of straight fusion of past and present memories? Would those previous memories really be capable of overriding or circumventing his far more recent experiences to any real degree, given his time with Yuugi and his friends is far fresher? Who knows.

But you asked for my head canons… which I only want to give sparingly, because honestly? Gambling With Destiny is going to have my take on this… eventually. We will at some point see a modern-day Atem with full memories intact. 

The short version for now, though, is that I take the reincarnation repeats of major characters and personalities in canon (Siamun vs Sugoroku, Set vs Seto, etc.) to mean that, be it fate or the nature of the soul, people reborn tend to behave similarly across lives- just with variations based on their experiences and particular roles and foci. So, I think an Atem with his pharaoh memories back wouldn’t be a different man, he’d just… he’d have new layers to his personality. They wouldn’t negate the parts of him we know, and it certainly wouldn’t be some sort of ‘there are two Atems now, the present and the past in conflict’ scenario. He’s one person. It’d be more like… I dunno, I just imagine him feeling that same sort of surrealism I did when I walked into my grandparents’ house after 10 years being away, and it’s all empty, but I remember it all perfectly? And I’m just standing there stuck between a very vivid memory of my perspective then vs now, you know?

But yes… and I won’t say much on how he would change, but the Atem of my headcanon world, with his memory intact? That guy’s definitely a lot… sadder, in his way. Burdened. Never mind the angst I throw at him personally– You don’t rule people with the conviction it would take to die for them without walking away with a heavy weight on your shoulders.

But, the afterlife… this one is just ODD in terms of what DSOD showed us, honestly, but I like the idea of taking the Ancient Egyptian image of the afterlife, and applying it here. That is, that they are actually living, so to speak. The Ancient Egyptians took food and servant statues and stuff into their tombs because they thought/hoped the afterlife was actually just a ‘better variation’ of their regular life. They eat, sleep, work, dance, everything, just the same… but in nice clothes all the time and junk. xD And DSoD kind of backed this to what we saw? So I think Atem is ruling in the afterlife- in some sense. Some sort of… out of time, sense. The only way I can really unify it all in my head is that the afterlife of YuGiOh bends to your expectations of it to a degree- that it’s what you think it would be. So, probably other pharaohs and other kings and other people are all out there in the afterlife somewhere ruling their own ‘Egypts’ or living their own ‘lives’ or whatever.

…It’s massive and overwhelming and confusing to consider, really.

Because honestly- do you think Atem would just sit on a throne all day and be like ‘ah, here is my peace. I’m good now. Let me just watch over everyone’. Hell no. I don’t know what he’d be up to, but you know he’s kicking someone’s ass in a battle or game somewhere on the other side. And sometimes it’s not just Kaiba’s.

[nutriyumaddict]

L, M, and R!

L- Teasing: Ohhhh, teasing! They both like to mess with one another a bit, that is for sure.

In addition to pretending he wanted her to take his last name when they got married, Ben also once got Leslie believing that Kale was voted the official vegetable of Indiana in a special state legislative session (it was not, Indiana does not have an official state vegetable, only a state pie).

Leslie sometimes (almost always) teases Ben about how much she loves his butt and actually, the Top 10 Ben’s Butt 2012 slideshow that she put together that one time, actually started out the night before, when they were in bed and she was teasing him about how she was going to put that together and send it to the Huffington Post. He didn’t believe that she would actually do that, plus he was blushing so adorably that she just had to.

The teasing is always good natured and some things are generally off limits - Icetown, her recall, sadness baths, hoarding.M- Modern au:I’m a little unsure of this one, since Parks is already contemporary, but I feel like in every AU I ever write, my headcanon is always that Ben is kind of unhappy and stuck in a rut and then he meets Leslie Knope and she always makes him a better person and gives him direction and melts his heart with her passion and positivity. Whether he’s a zombie or a time traveler or a Doctor Who or a man who doesn’t have any holiday spirit.

She always brings him joy and gives him a home.R- Lazy days:     

Look, Ben enjoys lazy days. He likes to plan a whole schedule of movies and board games and wine drinking. That’s one of the only ways he can get Leslie on board for a lazy day– with the promise of a schedule ;-)

She definitely loves her job and working hard, but honestly, she’s come to appreciate hanging around the house with Ben and snuggling on the couch with some documentary on TV and a glass or two of wine.

Sunday is usually the official lazy day. Pajamas until at least nine, pancakes or waffles (a few times, they made both because she couldn’t decide which she was in the mood for), newspaper articles, crossword puzzles, word jumbles, TV marathons–it’s honestly a slightly busy lazy day situation, but this is Leslie Knope and Ben Wyatt we’re talking about.

But usually, at some point in the late morning/early afternoon he’ll coax her back upstairs to bed for a “nap” if you know what I mean (and I’m sure you do). ;-)

[sevenlockets]

A REALLY LONG  CHARACTER  SURVEY.

RULES.  repost , don’t  reblog  ! tag  10  ! good  luck  ! TAGGED.  @deathonheels - thank you so much ! TAGGING.  Anyone else who hasn’t been tagged already & wants to do it!!

FULL NAME :  Elias Ward ALIAS :  Undertaker AGE :  Physically, he is perpetually 33.  In Kuroshitsuji’s canon timeframe (1889) he would be 686.  As of 2017, he would be 814. BIRTHDAY : November 20th, 1203.  (Death Day: November 13th, 1237) ETHNIC GROUP : English & some Italian (he, like most people in the village where he was born, still carried the genes of the region’s historic Roman invaders.) NATIONALITY : English LANGUAGE / S : English, obviously.  In addition, he knows quite a few others- for a while in the 1700′s, learning languages became his favorite hobby.  A full list would include Japanese (I consider this actual canon rather than just headcanon, since his Sotoba are all in Japanese- I’m assuming those mean something to him and he doesn’t just carry them around for aesthetics), German, Russian, Chinese, Italian, Spanish, Arabic, and Latin.   SEXUAL ORIENTATION : He’s just attracted to whomever he happens to be attracted to.  He has slept with both men and women (though he does tend to prefer the latter), and doesn’t see why people get so hung up on labels- why deny yourself variety? ROMANTIC ORIENTATION :  I suppose the fitting word would be demiromantic?   RELATIONSHIP STATUS :  The short answer is that, he is in a serious, loving, and soulbound relationship with @maxabre .  //  However, there is a longer answer, given different time frames are a factor.  As of canon (1889), he is technically single; but he does not think of himself as such- he still sees himself as being involved with his lost love, Claudia Phantomhive, and refuses to even consider moving on since he hopes to resurrect her.  As years go on though, he begins to realize this is a futile pursuit, and eventually accepts, much to his sorrow, that this is an impossible task, even for him.  Around 1910, he and Grell begin a purely sexual relationship (for the full story of their relationship, click here- I am just giving the status/timeline), but by the end of the 30′s, the two had finally admitted — both to themselves and one another — that they had fallen deeply in love.  This little paragraph is already much too long, so I won’t give all the details here, but they had some very, very serious troubles, resulting in a split of about 30 years- however, as of the present day, they are back together and even happier than before.   CLASS :  I don’t quite know how to place him in terms of social class.  He has no title or formal recognition, but he does, even in modern day, have close ties to England’s villainous nobles.  In addition, he has accumulated quite a bit of money over the years, though he does not live in such a manner as to overtly display it.   HOME TOWN / AREA :  A small village near the city of Exeter in southern England. CURRENT HOME : London, England. PROFESSION :  In his human life, he farmed, as did everyone else in his village.  After ending his life, he worked for the Dispatch as a collections officer up until 1835.  After deserting the Dispatch, he wedged himself into the most interesting group of humans he could manage to find; AKA the villainous nobles, where he offered his services to various members of the group, primarily as an informant (and guard with supernatural abilities) in exchange for a place to live (and hide from any officers of the Dispatch).  Eventually, he himself became an honorary member of the Villainous Nobles, and he still, even into modern day, occasionally will provide them information or aid (these sort of people know not to ask questions regarding how long he’s been around).  In the late 1870′s, he began work as a mortician- he told the other Villainous Nobles this was to serve as a front for his duties as an informant.  However, it was, in actuality, a front for his front- he wanted to start tinkering with souls, cinematic records, and corpses in secret- and what better place to do it than a mortuary?  This went on for quite some time, only coming to an end after after the events of Campania, when he did not go back to his funeral parlor, but instead focused fully on his bizarre doll projects and other ongoing plans.  Only after 1905 or so did he take up a profession again (this time as a doctor), and only did so to distract himself from the slowly dawning realization that he had ultimately failed with the dolls, and thus in his efforts to bring back his loved ones.  Though no matter the reason he began with it, he thoroughly enjoyed working as a doctor- and continued to work in different types of medicine — under aliases and in varied practices and hospitals across the massive city, all thanks to forged documentations provided by his contacts within the Villainous Nobles — up until the early 1980′s.  Again, this is already far too long so I won’t explain here, but he did not work formally again until the early 00′s, when he found himself a job as a biology professor at a small university.  Though this too started only as a way to occupy his mind and distract himself, he does enjoy his work as a professor, and is one to the present day!

PHYSICAL.

HAIR :  Extremely long, thick, silver-white hair that reaches down to below his hips.   EYES : Like any Shinigami, he has two-colored eyes, with a yellow ring on the inside and a green one on the outside.  In more modern times, he chooses to wear solid forest-green colored contacts while he is out and about, so he does not have to hide his eyes constantly as he does in canon.  His eyes are his defining feature, and I don’t think many would hesitate to call them beautiful- they are deep-set and visibly intelligent.  They naturally display pride and playfulness, but also carry an undeniable sadness in them.  His eyebrows are very thin, fine, and the same white-blonde color as his hair, so it often appears as though he has none.  His eyelashes are, again, that same white color, but they are long and full- if you are standing close to him, it’s hard not to notice them. FACE : Heart-shaped, with a prominent, pointed nose.  LIPS :  Full, and much paler than most people’s, though still a slight pinkish-tan color.  COMPLEXION :  Extremely pale, nearly translucent skin.   BLEMISHES : His skin is entirely clear of any ‘blemishes’, even things such as freckles, moles, or birthmarks, he has none of. SCARS : What he lacks in blemishes, he surely makes up for in scars, which stand out as a tan, almost mauve sort of color.  His entire body is very noticeably scarred in various places, from his face and neck to his legs and fingers.  The largest of them are on his back and stomach, some running over his shoulders.  He has more scars in modern verses than canon ones, none new directly on his face, though there is a wide, vertical one on the left side of his neck now- the rest are usually concealed by clothes. TATTOOS :  From about 1990 onwards, he was a tattoo on his right side of several lengths of intertwining thorns.  It extends from his ribs down to just below his hip.

HEIGHT : 6′2 / 188 cm   WEIGHT : 162 llbs / 73.5 kg BUILD :  Slender, yet visibly strong. FEATURES : I’m not sure if this exactly counts as a ‘feature’, but given his completely white skin & hair & eyelashes and everything, I’ve thought before that maybe he has albinism (his eyes are only green & yellow because of his status as a Reaper).  Just for reference, here are some photos / of / albino / people.  See what I mean? ALLERGIES : I don’t think Reapers have to worry about allergies, haha. USUAL HAIR STYLE : As a reaper, he most often wore it tied back with a black ribbon in a long ponytail.  In canon, he simply wears it loose and down, with his bangs purposefully across his eyes. In modern verse, he almost always wears it up in a sort of bun, with a few loose, shorter locks in front to frame his face. USUAL FACE LOOK :  In public, almost always has an amused or smug look on his face, usually because he is either interested in what he’s doing/talking about, trying to amuse himself by thinking up a puzzle or game to pass the time, or he is secretly listening in on someone else’s conversation and is trying not to laugh.  In private, that same look sometimes appears on his face, but more often than not it is a contemplative look- with no outside stimulus, he always finds himself completely lost in thought with incredible ease. USUAL CLOTHING : We all know what he wears in canon, but his style is all the sorts of things found in my wardrobe tag!  All in all, he prefers to stay with more expensive, textured fabrics, and darker colors.  He also likes to be more covered up than exposed, even in warmer temperatures.  Accessories are something he is quite fond of- he’s usually earring at least one set of earrings, and sometimes rings, bracelets, or necklaces.

FAMILY.

(Just as a note, I don’t believe Reapers can remember anything of their human lives.  However, I have been thinking about his human life recently, so I am happy to provide details!)

FATHER :  Aylwin Ward MOTHER :  Agnes Ward SIBLINGS :  None surviving.  For two weeks when he was six years old, he had a baby brother named Bartholomew- but like so many of the time, the infant died of a mixture of illness and birth complications. EXTENDED FAMILY :  He had several cousins, aunts, and uncles in his village growing up. NAME MEANING / S :  ‘Elias’ is an alternate translation of ‘Elijah’, an Old Testament prophet.  I originally just picked this name because it was the one I liked best off of a list of 13th century English names I had found, but looking further into it- I’m interested.  Coincidentally, Elijah is actually credited with the first recorded instance of raising the dead in scripture!  ‘Ward’ (his surname) means ‘guardian’ or ‘watchman’. HISTORICAL CONNECTION :  None

FAVORITES.

HOLIDAY :  He really enjoys Christmas time, but thinks Halloween is the most fun!  And April Fool’s Day. MONTH : February SEASON : Winter PLACE :  His home, as long as @maxabre is there too.  If home doesn’t count, he does enjoy going to public spaces like city parks, coffee shops, or certain pubs if the atmosphere is right. WEATHER :  He loves clear nights, when the stars are visible- though he misses seeing the sky as it used to be, without all the light pollution.  Pouring rain is also something that tends to put him in a more peaceful state of mind, so he enjoys that. SOUND :  @maxabre’s laugh, and the way she talks when she’s excited about something.  Wind and rain, and any music he keeps in his collection. SCENT / S :  Pine, smoke from a woodfire, Lillies, cooking food, books. TASTE / S : He looooves most sweets- but gingersnap cookies and cinnamon rolls are some of his favorites!  Outside of desserts though, he loves East Asian and Mediterranean cuisine the most. FEEL / S :  Soft, plush blankets are his favorite.  He doesn’t get cold easily at all (like any Reaper), but has throw blankets all over his house simply because he likes the feeling of them. ANIMAL / S : He likes snakes, birds, cats, dogs, and spiders! COLORS :  Purple, Black, Green, Gray

PSYCHOLOGY.

FEAR / S : In canon, the only thing he fears is his plans failing- he is far past his breaking point, and holds nothing above the success of his projects. As of modern day, he most fears losing Grell again, for any reason.  Another huge fear of his is forgetting his children’s faces, voices, etc.  Third would be getting captured again by the Dispatch, but that’s way behind those others. ASPIRATION / S : Honestly?  The thing he desires most — in any verse — is to be with people he loves and who love him in return- which has always been an incredibly hard combination for him to find.  In direct contrast to his (at best) indifferent and (at worst) cruel instincts toward most people, he takes great joy in caring for the people he loves- that’s what he most wants to do. POSITIVE TRAITS : (copied from my about page)  Incredibly intelligent. Well-read, observant, and multitalented. Confident and a critical thinker. With those he loves, his devotion is deep and unfaltering to the point of mimicking religious intensity. He is creative, persistent, and resourceful.   NEGATIVE TRAITS : (copied from my about page)  Unstable, calculated, obsessive, and extremely selfish. Notorious manipulator- even to those he loves. He refuses to let things go. He is willing to do anything to get what he wants, no matter how many people may be hurt in the process. Deceitful. ZODIAC : Scorpio TEMPERAMENT :   Choleric.   SOUL TYPE / S :  Leader came in first, followed by Thinker in second! VICE HABIT / S :  He will drink often, and has used things like tobacco and drugs before (primarily as a way to alleviate boredom), but he really does not have too many “vice habits” in the traditional sense.  Would ‘using people’ count?  If so, he certainly makes a habit of that- for both amusement and advancement. VIRTUES / VICES: As for virtues, I would say Patience, Courage, Intellect, and Determination are his best.  Vices?  Selfishness, Deceit, Stubbornness, and Pride are his worst. FAITH : Oh boy.  His relationship to faith and religion probably warrants its own post, to say it‘s complex is a gross understatement.  For starters, he believes in God, Satan, Heaven, and Hell.  He hates Devils because they are the cause of all misery- that view of his has never changed.  As for God, it’s a bit deeper.  He used to be quite a religious man- he grew up with religion in his human life, and even into his days as a reaper he used to love and trust God.  He was even grateful at first not to have been sent directly to Hell for his sin of suicide, and he would often hope and pray to find his forgiveness.  But over the centuries of serving his penance faithfully as a Reaper, he came to feel more and more that God had no intention of ever forgiving him, and that he had been completely tricked and lied to about God’s ‘infinite’ love and mercy.  He wondered if maybe the Dispatch was actually Hell instead of purgatory for people like him, where they had to live with false promise of finding eventual absolution and Heaven.  Eventually he came to hate God because he feels betrayed, hurt, and — ultimately — forgotten by Him.   GHOSTS ? : He thinks he’s seen ghosts before.  In reality, they were hallucinations, and on some level he knows that- but he chooses to believe they were ghosts. AFTERLIFE ? : Well, he’s in his afterlife, so yes he believes in it, haha! REINCARNATION ? : Nah.  He knows what happens to the dead.  He does thinks it’s a cool concept though! ALIENS ? :  He thinks aliens are an interesting idea, though even if they do exist, he does not believe it is any form of intelligent life- as he’s never seen or even heard of alien souls from anyone in the afterlife. EDUCATION LEVEL : Technically, the only formal education he has ever received was from the Dispatch.  In everything else, he is self-taught!

EXTRA.

TALENTS :  Most of his skills come from practice, rather than instinctual talent.  With so long to hone them, it makes sense that they would feel and appear to come naturally by now!  However, some talents that he was born with include his ability to think and learn quickly, his ability to read people, and his physical agility. BAD AT :  Letting things go, coping with his emotions/keeping himself in a good mental state.  Any sort of empathy (with rare exceptions) is virtually impossible for him. TURN ONS :  Grell, basically.  Mentally:  Someone with interesting ideas and perspectives.  Someone who is strong in their own right, but needs him at the same time.  Someone who can make him smile and laugh.  Someone not afraid to show a great deal of affection- he needs that.  Physically:   Mischievous eyes and smiles are a plus.  Soft lips, a toned body, well-kept skin and hair.  A nice butt, waist, and/or chest is always appreciated.  He also loves cute noses and freckles.   TURN OFFS :  Mentally: Stupid people are a major turn off (though he does appreciate how easily they can be manipulated).  People who accept the world at face value.  People who refuse to question authority.  People who get hung up on things like rules/labels/black and white morality/etc.  Quite hypocritically, he’s not fond of liars.  Physically:   He is fairly shallow in these regards, if you have anything but a face and body he finds both interesting and visually pleasing, he is turned off entirely.  Being weak is just as bad.  He is not a fan of slobby people at all, either.  HOBBIES :  Reading and/or studying various things is his go-to hobby (usually some kind of scientific topic, but he’s a fast reader and can manage to get through just about anything).  But there’s also drawing, playing the piano, talking to strangers just to how many secrets he can pry out of them, and finding new ways to make himself laugh.

TROPES :

Mad Scientist

Manipulative Bastard

Dangerous Deserter

The Mourning After or The Lost Lenore

In modern verse, however, “The Lost Lenore”/”The Mourning After” no longer directly applies, and in its place would be a mutually-assured variant of the Love Redeems trope with @maxabre.

Knowledge Broker

Nightmare Fetishist

I’m really shocked there’s no page on TV tropes (at least that I can find) for something like the “Lost My Family” or “Tragic Family Man” trope (à la Sweeney Todd), but yeah, that!

I already have too many here, but I’ll toss in For the Evulz and/or Yandere, depending on his cocktail of motivations in canon.  I’m willing to bet there’s a least a little of both.

AESTHETIC TAGS. 

 Graveyards, masks, laboratories, autopsies, books, Winter, smug smiles, mourning jewelry.

FC INFO.

MAIN FC / S : Himself, from the manga! ALT FC / S : none as of yet OLDER FC / S : none as of yet YOUNGER FC / S : I’m kinda iffy on this but I think Xerses Break from Pandora Hearts would look something like him as a young teenager! VOICE CLAIM / S : I actually LOVE the deep ‘real’ voice Junichi Suwabe gave him in Book of Atlantic.  So, that one!  Just try to imagine it in English.  I haven’t heard his real voice in the English dub yet, so I can’t judge it!   GENDERBENT  FC / S : none as of yet