#I am goddamn well going to get something fantastic out of it

[elephantbitterhead]

cranky cranky

I’m supposed to get my hair done some crazy color next week and right now I just hate all options & every picture I see is of a clown. The woman who does my hair (who is generally great & exceedingly generous to me) was talking about PINK (like a very pale pearly pink) and I was just . . . . do you not know me at all?

Or maybe she’s a genius and I’M the problematic anti-visionary here. I like the idea of crazy color but it seems like I see way too much ‘oooh-I’m-a-kooky-grandma’ purple or ‘whee-I’m-an-unhinged-40yo’ blue. Pastels seem like a bunch of influencer bunk. Silver is the only real contender at the moment.

If you have a terrible experience with a non-factory-issue hair color, please share it so I can add it to my considerations.

[moonstruckme]

could you do a poly!marauders with fem reader where reader doesn’t swear at all (or like REALLY rarely) and the boys are with her and something happens and she just starts cussing like a sailor and the boys are like O: ??where??did??that??come??from??

Thanks for requesting my love! This is not based at all on anything that's ever happened to me ofc (I've never cursed even once in my life and am a very attentive driver) but it was fun to write!!

cw: near-miss car accident

poly!marauders x fem!reader ♡ 820 words

“I can’t believe you keep the seat so far back,” you say, squinting into the rear view mirror. 

“Right?” James backs you up from where he’s gently massaging Remus’ knee in the backseat. “Moony, your height is an injustice to us all.” 

Sirius smirks out the passenger window. “I don’t mind it.” 

You laugh, glancing into the mirror to assess Remus’ countenance. He’s usually the one to drive the four of you around, but he’d woken up this morning with his knee aching and none of you had wanted to chance him getting a cramp or tweaking a muscle while he had his foot on the gas. He claims the pain isn’t bad and the rest of you are playing along, but his promises do little to reassure you. Remus’ tolerance is crazy high from years of aches, pains, and injuries, so him saying it doesn’t hurt very much is like when Sirius says he’ll be over in five minutes; he probably believes it to be true, but everyone else knows better. 

Remus’ lips are twisted slightly upward at your bantering, though, and when you scan his face for signs of tension or discomfort you don’t find any. He starts to lean onto James’ shoulder, then shoots back up, eyes widening. 

Sirius’ sharp inhale has you whipping your attention back out the windshield, where another car is trying to butt into the small space between your car and the one in front.

“Fucking fuck!” You hit the brakes and slam the butt of your hand into the horn, letting it blare until the intruding car swerves back into their lane. If you’d hit them, it would have been Sirius’ side colliding with the driver’s door. Your blood pounds in your ears. “What the hell, jackass? Stay in your own fucking lane!” You start to pass them, and the driver hastily puts down his phone, avoiding your gaze. “Yeah, how about we stay off our goddamn phones while we’re on the road? Fucking dumbass.” 

You blow out a harsh breath, refocusing on the traffic around you now that the danger has passed. The car has gone completely silent. “Oh no, Remus, did it hurt your knee when I braked, honey? I’m so sorry.” 

A beat, and then Remus clears his throat. “Uh, no.”

The tension doesn’t break. You wouldn’t blame the boys if they were still in shock from your near-miss, but the quiet is a bit unnerving. You’re fighting the urge to look over at Sirius or glance at Remus and James in the rear view mirror, not wanting to take your eyes off the road again. 

You jump when James asks, “What just happened?” at the same time as Sirius shouts “Fucking yeah, baby!” and holds up his hand for you to high-five. 

You barely brush it with your fingertips, hesitant and a bit wary. “What?”

“Dove,” Remus says hoarsely, “I’ve never heard that kind of language from you.” 

“Oh.” Your ears burn. “Yeah, sorry.” 

Sirius makes a sound that’s half startlement, half something else. You chance a look his way, and he’s grinning at you, mouth hanging slightly open. You think those might be stars in his eyes. “Don’t fucking apologize,” he laughs, sounding downright giddy. “That was great! Fantastic! I didn’t know you had this side to you, gorgeous.”

You shrink a bit in your seat, but there’s nowhere to go. You know if you check your mirror, you’ll find two more pairs of eyes staring at you from the backseat. “I don’t usually…well, you guys haven’t been around me while I’m driving before.” 

James guffaws. Sirius has begun to shake with silent laughter beside you. “Do you mean to tell me this happens every time you drive?” James asks.

“Not every time,” you say defensively. “They spooked me.” 

“They spooked you?” Sirius hoots from beside you, and now you can hear even Remus’ quiet chuckling. “Baby, I didn’t know you knew half those words! If that’s what happens when you drive, I want you behind the wheel every time.” 

“Oi,” Remus objects, but there’s no offense to be found in his tone. “It’s not like I don’t cuss.” 

“No,” James replies, reaching up to squeeze at your shoulders playfully, “but with you it’s not usually such a performance. That was a spectacle!” 

“I don’t know why you’re all so surprised,” you say, but you’re giggling now too, worse when Sirius joins in on James’ teasing, pinching at your side. “You all curse like sailors, you were bound to rub off on me eventually.” 

“It’s not like you’re not allowed to curse, dovey,” Remus says. “It’s just that we weren’t expecting it from you.” 

“And what, you’re gonna act like it’s our fault?” Sirius scoffs, poking you in the ribs and grinning when you squirm away. “As if any of us would ever say ‘fucking fuck.’ That’s an amateur's work, gorgeous. Can’t blame us for that one.” 

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

Eddie has strong feelings for Steve. Feelings he thought he had gotten rid of once Steve rescued him from hell. His hatred of him didn't even make sense, even before all of this. So, because he's a jock he has to be a jerk like all the rest? Eddie had made an assumption about him and Lucas just like they made about him. He hated that he had done that. It hadn't been his proudest moment. Now, those frustrating feelings are resurfacing, which is ridiculous because not only is he a good guy, but he is also a complete dork as well and he's so fucking great with the kids. He should be happy that he's friends with him, so why does his stomach feel like there's a bird trying to get out of its cage when he looks at Steve?

"Eddie, man, why are you scowling at me?" Steve asked.

He was hanging out with Steve, Robin, and Robin's girlfriend, Vickie. It was supposed to be a nice, casual get-together. Of course, Eddie had to ruin it.

"I hate you!" Eddie burst out.

There was silence in the living room as everyone stared at him. Steve looked hurt. Robin looked angry, and if Vickie wasn't holding her back, Eddie was sure she would rip out his throat with her bare hands.

"What?" Steve asked.

"It doesn't make any sense why I do, though!" Eddie burst out. "Because you're a great guy! Fantastic even! When I look at you, I get these feelings in my chest that annoy the fucking shit out of me. Everything about you is so fucking perfect like a goddamn prince out of a storybook! With your perfect hair, your perfect eyes, and your perfect teeth. My God, you're even great with the kids! When you talk about going out on dates, I hate that, too! I know you're just trying to do that to get over Nancy. Speaking of Nancy, I like her and all, but when I think about you two together, it makes my fucking skin scrawl! What the fuck is that? I mean, I like Nancy, but fuck, the idea of you two together makes me want to rip off my own eyebrows and eat them! Jesus H Christ! There's no reason for me to hate you, and yet somehow . . . Wait, why are you guys laughing?"

Vickie was giggling into Robin's shoulder while Robin laughed into a pillow. Steve was laughing with his hands over his eyes.

"He's so cute!" Vickie laughed.

"Why are you guys laughing at me?" Eddie asked. "Stop it!"

"You poor Dingus!" Robin laughed.

"What?!" Eddie asked.

"You like me, Eddie," Steve said.

"Yeah, I like you, but I also seem to hate you," he sighed.

"No, I mean, you like me," Steve said, standing up.

"You said that already," Eddie replied.

"Alright, can I do something so I can get my point across?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, do whatever you want to me, man," Eddie said and Steve grinned widely.

"Within reason, Steven!" Robin exclaimed.

Steve cupped his face and kissed him. Eddie gasped, a jolt of what felt like electricity shot through him. He liked it. The kiss was short and to the point. Steve pulled away.

"Oh, I like you! Oh, thank God! I thought I hated you! Wait, am I gay? No, I still like like girls. . .hold on, give me a minute," Eddie said, raising his finger to do invisible math in the air.

"You like this man, Steve?" Robin asked as they watched Eddie erase something.

"Oh, yeah," Steve replied.

"I've never actually seen someone figure out their sexuality before," Vickie said.

"Oh, I had a chance to do that with Steve. It was a wonderful experience. Definitely a lot less stupid than this," Robin said.

"I like both!" Eddie exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "And I like you!"

"I like both too, Eddie, and I like you too," Steve laughed. "I'm bisexual."

"Bi - sex - u - al," Eddie said like, drawing out the words, and he shook his head from side to side as if rolling the word around in his head. "Yes! Me too! Bisexual! Does this mean this is a double date now?"

Steve grinned, sat down on the love seat, and pulled him into his lap.

"Definitely," Steve said.

"Let me tell you, I feel this huge relief now that I know I like you," Eddie said. "I can't believe I thought I hated you!"

"Dingus!" Robin giggled.

"How long are you guys going to laugh at me about this?" Eddie pouted as Steve shook with laughter beneath him.

"Forever!"

Eddie buried his head into Steve’s neck as he laughed with them, sighing in contentment when Steve kissed his forehead.

[surely-sims]

SMALL SIMBLR SATURDAY SHOUTOUTS !!

AKA an excuse for me to yell about how much I love these incredible free CC creators and throw flowers at them.

@lumenniveus - LxN CC 🌹

LxN makes some of the most interesting, whimsical, and creative CC that i think the community at large is so lacking. Every time I load up his CC In my game I find myself smiling and laughing at all the love and little jokes he includes. Please Please Check out his stuff if you haven't already. I think he might be the most tragically slept on BB creators.

▶ Check out LxN Here!

@hamsterbellbelle 🌸

HamsterBelle is one of the most brilliant creators I've come across in this community. Not only is she crazy smart and makes some of the coolest cyberpunk CC I've ever seen, she is also a mind blowing builder and takes the time to write out some incredibly helpful tutorials. I've learned so much from her whether she knows or not haha. 🐹💖

▶ Check out HamsterBellBelle here!

@nolan-sims 🌼

Not only is Nolan a goddamn pillar of this community for many years but she's also an incredible, sweet, and wonderfully talented creator and friend. Her CC is always so well thought through, completely original, and lovingly detailed. We definitely don't deserve her. 😭💗

▶ Check out Nolan here!

BONUS ROUND: 💐

All these creators are amazing and I would carve their names into the stars but ya'll would shoot me if this post kept going and going down your dash that long.

⭐ @gilded-ghosts Amazing amazing vintage CC, thoughtful, beautiful original meshes and textures. ( X ) ⭐ @myshunosun Myshuno deserves all the hype and praise her CC gets. She's an absolutely lovely human and has saved my ass once or twice too. ( X ) ⭐ @dallasgirl79 DallasGirl makes the best heels your sims will ever wear. Hard stop. I will not be taking questions at this time. ( X ) ⭐ @doctorsimcraft A dear friend, an amazing writer, builder and maker of delightful vintage Build/Buy CC too. ( X ) ⭐ @vyxated HOLY FUCK. Vxyated is crazy intelligent. Their work with CAS rooms and now the new Rig Plus Helper is mind blowing. ( X ) ⭐ @adjusted-karma ( X ), @simmireen ( X ), @herecirm-warcry ( X ), @rebouks ( X ), @madebycoffee ( X ) Beautiful people, beautiful poses. Also Ireen runs @ts4-poses which is a goddamn godsend to this community. ⭐ @twentiethcenturysims ( X ), @chere-indolente ( X ) Fantastic Historical CC from two very good eggs. ⭐ @jellymoo ( X ), @laeska ( X ), @xldkx-cc ( X ) Three lovely and fantastically talented CAS creators that put a ton of thought and effort in going the extra mile with their CC and it absolutely shows. ⭐ @awingedllama Anna is smart, skilled, and deserves all the flowers she's gotten this year. We really do love to see it. ( X ) ⭐ @kamiiri Some of the best hairs that have ever graced my game. I am actually obsessed. ( X )

If I missed anyone I apologize, but please know every single free CC creator makes my heart grow a little bigger every day. 💖 And to my fellow Creators, Storytellers, Simmers - Go make weird shit, make something that makes you laugh, make something that brings you joy. Cause y'know what? That joy bleeds into your work and we can all see it and feel it. That joy is infectious and special and THAT is what makes this community worth being a part of.

xo, Anne 🦐

[riverofrainbows]

Ok so the black book episode.

I finally watched it.

It could have done with a double feature. There was so much going on. And it worked, emotionally, but it was a lot. The plot was so fucking condensed.

Fuck when they do something they do it right, don't they. The deaths of the three were fucking harrowing. No fanfare or dramatics, just realistic and dead.

I'm so goddamn impressed by Sophie playing 12 different people. I love her. I know she gets a lot of recognition, but she deserves some more. Holy shit her voice training skills must be off the rocks.

I thought they would have hired Quinn for the police officer, he looked kind of similar, and then i thought it was him and Tara. But with Sophie being on phone theatre, of course Nate was free.

I wonder how fast Sterling figured it out. I think about half a minute into the room with Nate. The rest was just playing along, and hesitating whether to actually go through with the con, while setting up an outcome for both decisions. Usually i really don't think he has it all immediately figured out, but usually he isn't at quite that high alert, and the target isn't that clear and big a deal.

It really should have been a double feature, or a movie length episode. There needed to be more time, to really lay it all out.

I like what they used as the contents and method of collection for the black book. I watched another show (can't remember which) where it was some unsourced collection of various evil people, and that was soo shady and frustrating.

I've come across a bunch of Sterling/Nate shipping by now, and I'm starting to agree. Like that is genuinely a love story for the ages. However i am firmly convinced that it is entirely mental and intellectual. I just really can't see them having any relationship type. Not that Sterling wouldn't fuck Nate but that's just Mark Sheppard's insane gay flirting aura. But mentally, those two are having mind sex, and are tragic soulmate lovers. Also because they have divorced vibes. I'm convinced of the headcanon that they were in a couple friendship driven/held up by their wives socialising, and played 6d time travel chess mind games over barbecue (aka having a mind sex love affair right in front of the salad) (but really low key because they wouldn't actually cheat on their wives).

The way the con failed and they died was really realistic and well done and really stressed me out :(((( not over that.

Also the way this confirmed the Hardison-Eliot ship (platonic or romantic) was. Very much canon thank you. Not to mention the "till my dying day". Like hello??? Also the ice cave and rundown job train scene having already confirmed the depth of Eliot-Parker's bond earlier in the season. (But toxic masculinity and being a show from 2009 impeding the Hardison-Eliot part till the last episode/them dying (rituals to touch other mens skin etc etc flashbacks to superhell love confession sth sth bury your gays (except they lived bitch)).

Also the setup with "do you think you could live a normal life" earlier in the season. Also², annotation to that one: Eliot talking about having to help Hardison's restaurant, as if Hardison didn't buy it for him.

I liked the part about order vs justice. Very 'keeping the peace with an abusive person causing more harm than upsetting status quo'.

It's a good ending for a show. Seriously, it's both end of an era and not destroying everything that was before. Still glad we got leverage redemption tho obviously.

Parker being the new mastermind is great

Her monologue ajsbsjjd. I was cackling so bad. It was a fantastic way to really cinematographically tie up the show though, and she is great for the job. Both Hardison (who already has enough to do) and Eliot (who really doesn't like leading) always get way too deep into stuff, including their respective jobs for it, which is one reason why they're so good though don't get me wrong.

Why did she have slicked back hair with no bangs, and weird eyeshadow :( Awful 1/10. One point for her clearly thinking she needs to put on hair gel for stepping into a Nate role for a con, like that is exactly a logic she would have.

Eliot's blue tinted glasses, love it.

I like that they're not having one of the guys do it just for misogyny reasons, and that at the same time her doing it is very well supported and set up by their characterisations, and not as some sort of disrespectful shoehorned girlboss feminism move. Which ends up with a woman being the new mastermind being actually well done too. Because they never do annoying stereotypes at leverage, and thank fuck for that.

I love that Sterling was there for the last episode. Also, i swear, getting used by Nate for a con (while getting something out of it himself) is a kink thing for him. It happens genuinely almost every goddamn time we see him, while he knows and actively plays along.

I want to see more of Sophies telephone theatre :(

How the fuck did they fake the car accident, they should have shown sth on it.

Only because i knew very securely that they were fine did i not get completely freaked out at Hardison lying there on the ground. And i never ever want to see Eliot gargle up blood ever again. :((((

I was 100% convinced that Parker can hold him with just one hand, i was so shocked. Honestly one of the first clues from the story itself that it was fake. Yes i have that much trust in her. Second clue was the balloon.

No actually, first clue was Nate looking at the cameras. Can't remember which first clue came first in the episode.

I thought Nate gave Sterling something when he distracted him from the trio, and clearly Sterling also thought so, he probably took like several seconds to check if he had gotten anything slipped into his pockets afterwards.

I wish we could have seen more of the "you lied to us?" conversation at the end. Not that that wasn't the tldr of it or needed change, but i want to see the whole conversation.

The tunnels were great. I again wish to have gotten even a crumb more information on that.

It might have done well, and I'm just throwing out ideas here, to be a two parter episode, they could have really used some extra space. The plot was really condensed.

It was q good episode, and a very good ending, something oh so rare in tv shows.

[milgram-tournament]

MILGRAM Best Song Tournament, Round 2, Match 3 MAGIC vs. MEME

Propaganda for both options under the cut!

Propaganda for MAGIC:

MAGIC MY BELOVED MAGIC!!! Its one of the best MVs in the entire series, even including T2. Magic is visually stunning and has some fantastic art direction but also is very clever in how it conveys its themes and ideas. Magic doesn't really hide anything from you, not really. It's all symbolic but it Tells You Things. It shows you the abuse, it shows you the cat. There's a fun little relationship going on here where, In Magic. Amane's pain and suffering isn't taken seriously by the people around her and the Audience we are discouraged to take it at face value due to the fictionalized nature of Magic. It's so cool. I'm so fond of the song as well, it's one of the best in the series purely cause of the Layers in it. The implications of this Inability to be good is seeped into Magic. Amane knows this isn't reality, Magic knows it's a show, she watches it at the end. And it's so Sad to me that even in her fictionalized happy world she Cannot be a good girl. It's a standard completely out of reach for her and that idea is just conveyed so well visually.

Im not even talking about the goddamn cat yet- the cat symbolism goes Deep. That cat is HER it has the same wounds Amane has in Purge March. I- I cant talk about the intertextuality of Purge March and Magic here this is Magic propaganda only- I- there's so much good stuff to Magic. I Re watched it over and over again. It has some the Best Writing and Visual Communication in Milgram and I will Die on this Hill.

---

shoutout to magic for having pretty props AND being vague as fuck about the crime! diversity win!

seriously though amane looks SO cute in it! the mv has such a pretty and colorful style and even with that it's able to show the horrors of what amane went through.

adding onto my last point. that scene where the cat is hyperventilating and you see the camera shaking???? that scene where the mascots find amane helping the cat and they're all standing over her? CHILLS. im repeating myself but the fact that they were able to portray the awful things amane went through in a genuinely emotional way while still keeping the cute cartoon look is soo impressive

there are SO many layers to itill the entire cartoony style making it look like a tv show… utilizing the cartoony effects and bright colors to show amane downplaying her own pain… the transformation after she gets punished barely changing anything to show just how manipulated she was from the start… ueueueue

ALSO ALSO ALSO THE SCENE AT THE END WITH AMANE STARING AT THE SCENE? OHHH ITS SO GOOD it adds such a feeling of dread and reminds you on top of this whole thing that all of this is truly horrifying! something is going on here!

this song is so catchy it gets stuck in my head CONSTANTLY

"Dear wise one, Am I worthy? Is it ok to spoil myself?" AMANE... UEUEUUEUE

the little ding sound effects in the instrumental?????

amanes voice is ADORABLE

THE INSTRUMENTAL IN THAT PART WHERE SHES HELPING THE CAT HAS THAT GODLY TYPE SOUND YOUD TYPICALLY ASSOCIATE WITH CHURCHES AND STUFF AND I DONT KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN IT PROPERLY BUT JUST RELISTEN TO IT AND YOU WILL KNOW WHAT I MEAN. ITS SUCH A NEAT DETAIL

i could go on about this mv for days but i am not a theorist unfortunately. just. magic sweep

Propaganda for MEME:

"MeMe is fantastic because it plays off the audience’s assumptions about Mikoto as a character and tells a “double story”. There’s layers to it and it’s deliberately deceptive in the way it presents the events out of order. Even the instrumentals themselves tell a story. The shift from piano in the second chorus climax is so good - and the way they combine in the last chorus, plus the addition of a violin culminates the song perfectly."

---

"For propaganda: I love meme so much because even the music alone tells as whole story. It goes from heavy metal to calm to heavy metal to calm and that happens a few times and then there’s an epic and creepy intermission with an amazing guitar and a scary of sound of Mikoto’s heavy breathing. And then the psychedelic music and BAM the final chorus. The final chorus of meme just gives me the absolute chills. Like it’s the calmer chorus we see earlier but with epic symphonic metal and an amazing build up and climax like it’s perfectly encapsulates a story through music alone I just love it so much. Also it’s literally called meme lmao."

---

"I could go on about the motifs in MeMe - like identity loss, living and dying, dreaming etc. It's a song, more than with any other character, about the inner self and what hides from the surface. Of the fear that comes with one's identity and place in the world being challenged and crumbling. The intricate designs on the tarot cards have so much depth to them"

[cellarspider]

Thanks to my rambling this weekend, I am overflowing with love for an MMO that hasn’t been in development since 2012, because goddamn the worldbuilding for the setting of City of Heroes and City of Villains was just superb.

Do you want an MMO that begins as a pastiche of superhero comics that lovingly, cheekily engages with its source material, building up a cohesive world where the fantastical stuff feels unexpectedly real and grounded in the society, more so than most of the comics it's inspired by? Do you want that, and then to watch it slowly, gently tip its backstory into existential, cosmic horror via genre critique?

I'm in no way kidding! More below the cut.

Well, part one of more, because there's a lot to unpack here.

A lot of new superhero continuities these days treats its central premise as an anomaly. For the most popular example, the MCU treats public knowledge of superheroes as something that started with Captain America in WWII. Before his exploits, the fantastical aspects of the setting were forgotten about and hidden from the world. The DCEU begins similarly with Wonder Woman in WWI, a member of a mythic society forgotten by time.

At first, Earth in City of Heroes seemed to go with a very similar premise, though it predates any of those movies: Superpowers were unknown to the general public until the early 1930s, when some people suddenly began gaining incredible new abilities, and mythical critters not seen since ancient times made themselves known.

But that’s just the basic sales pitch. As you dug into the setting and City of Villains expanded the lore, perspective shifted into something entertainingly stranger.

Everyone knew about Nemesis, the clockwork robot-making mastermind who'd terrorized Paragon City from the early 1930s, just when superheroes were first appearing on the scene. Turns out he was an immortal Prussian nobleman born who first went on an automaton-backed crime spree in 1820s, seemingly died when the British Navy bombarded his headquarters in Malta, then reappeared in the 1860s to supply the Confederate Army with mechanical cavalry until General Sherman shelled his mountaintop base on his march to North Carolina. Nobody was ever able to replicate what the did, and with his (apparent) death, he was no longer relevant after 1865. As of the 1930s, anyone who wasn’t a history buff had forgotten about him.

And sure, everyone knew there was an underground city of evil wizards, dead for long eons until they rose again to take human sacrifices from the surface world of Rhode Island (I’m still not over that). But actually, they were active in London during the Victorian mysticism craze, then moved their operations back to their homeland of subeterranean Rhode Island with the outbreak of World War I. They made the news across the continent. They got outlawed in multiple countries. They were a big deal, until the war took the attention off of them.

Hell, one of the people who fought all these weirdos was a random teenager who'd just... always been able to teleport and turn invisible, even prior to the '30s. He wasn't even a main character or anything! His parents knew, and tried to convince him to go get training. Teleportation training. Like y'do, with your socially awkward, teleporting kid.

This setting never actually had a mundane world that was unaware of the fantastical. The fantastical was normal. The arrival of superpowers in 1930 wasn’t a hard fork between history as we know it and theirs, or a reveal of some secret world that rational minds had long denied. It was just a dramatic escalation of what had already been happening, that everyone knew about. Armies of the 1800s had to develop anti-robot tactics. Alastair Crowley publicly dissed an actual wizard cult because they were dangerous competition. Parents worried over the mental health of their superpowered teens. That was normal.

The sheer numbers of fantastical events that started happening after 1930 were not normal. Or at least, not at first. People slowly adjusted over decades, as more and more young people grew up in a world that had always been that way.  

What nobody realized at that point was how the new normal bordered on a state of cosmic horror.

And that’s where the setting really starts interrogating its inspirations.

[livelaughghoul]

Logan Sargeant - Birth chart Analysis

Disclaimer: This is for entertainment purposes only, nothing observed or taken away from this should be considered fact. As a reminder, I know fuck all about Formula 1, I just like fast cars and have a dumb amount of knowledge of astrology and tarot. 

I need Logan to release his birthtime right now. I am on my knees, begging and screaming, for an accurate birthtime and location. I feel like his chart has a lot of balance to it, even with the dominance in the southern hemispheres. There is a lot of balance between the eastern/western hemispheres, which is a nice change of pace! He does have two planets in retrograde at his birth, which isn’t a big deal, but it’s Saturn and Jupiter that are retrograded, which I think can bring some challenges to the overall chart and lifetime. 

I did not go into the aspects of his chart, mainly because I ran out of time, but this is something that I plan on looking into on my own time. His chart is honestly really interesting in terms of logic vs. emotion. I got a lot of joy out of his chart, I feel like without knowing anything about him, I have a better understanding of some of the things I do read or hear about him. 

THE PLANETS:

Sun - Capricorn 

They could never make me hate you, Logan. You are a beautiful, Florida Man, and goddamn I will defend you in the trenches. Capricorn is one of those signs that screams ambition, practicality, and genuineness. It’s a sign that wants to be the best and push the limits. I think that no matter what is accomplished, it’s not going to be good enough. Logan is going to continue to strive for more because he feels that it is not enough. Most Capricorns are usually incredibly intelligent and super dedicated, they also love to plan ahead. I have this idea in my head that Logan has goals for certain ages, like this is how he is measuring success, ya know? Capricorn is super influenced by Saturn, so I'm pretty certain that Logan struggles with overthinking a lot he wants to make the right choice and take that responsibility, but he gets too inside of his head. Capricorns are almost always super funny, so I have no doubts that this man could make me snort because I’m laughing too hard. Either way, I love this placement, even if it’s prone to overthinking spirals. 

Moon - Pisces

Maybe it’s because of my toxic moon sign, but I truly do not like a Moon Pisces, at all. When the moon is in Pisces it’s usually telling of a compassionate and loyal person, but it’s also this incredibly indecisive and confusing nature that becomes frustrating. I absolutely can see this having a heavy influence on Logan and how he handles and addresses his own emotions, it’s an incredibly emotional placement, and the moon carries heavy emotional implications. It’s such a heavy emotionally focused placement that Logan reacts on emotions more than anything else, and he is probably overwhelmed by his emotions too. 

Rising - Aries

Now this is a placement I can get behind! I think that it brings a lot of balance to the over-emotional moon sign, so it’s easier to cope and handle those emotions instead of letting them completely overwhelm him. I love the almost abrupt nature of this rising as well because it’s one that speaks its mind, and doesn’t always mince words. He’s going to have a hard time biting his tongue. The downside of this placement is being accident-prone, which really does not bode well when your entire career is driving at ridiculous speeds. 

Mercury (Planet of intelligence) - Capricorn 

I am convinced that Logan would be a fantastic member of any strategy team. A Capricorn Mercury is almost methodical in its approach and almost calculating. There absolutely is a struggle between logic and emotion, because his chart has so much emotion to it, but I think that there is a lot of rational that comes into this placement.

Venus (Planet of love and pleasure) - Aquarius 

This is honestly one of the most gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss placements a Venus can be in, I hate it. It’s definitely loving and kind, but it’s also detached and there is such importance on the self and maintaining a sense of freedom and individual identity. It’s also one of the more jealous placements in my opinion, and considering how emotional his chart is, this has gotta be off the wall. 

Mars (Planet of physical energy) - Scorpio 

I think that this is one of the more understated Mars placements because its physical energy is more in the way that it is presented instead of brute strength. The Mars energy comes through in the ambition, the determination, the desire to be the best. When we pair this is the Venus placement, I think that there is an almost explosive nature to relationships. It’s got a strong emotional bond that almost plays into the physical nature of the relationship. It feels overwhelming, physical touch is important, and it can be borderline almost possessive. 

Jupiter (Planet of luck, optimism, and success) - Gemini

This is so funny to me because this placement emphasizes adventure and travel. I get the feeling that there is luck in terms of the career when it comes to traveling, but the career would be better somewhere that requires more communication or even intelligence. Yes, he absolutely is a great and undervalued driver, but I think that focus needs to shift elsewhere, still in the field, but maybe not necessarily driving.

Saturn (Planet of responsibility)  - Taurus

I usually don’t like when Saturn is in an earth sign, because it becomes almost dangerously stubborn. Logan does not know when to call it, he needs someone else to step in and remind him to calm down and take a break. He likely has a tendency to overwork himself to try and meet the standards that are being placed on him, and it’s causing more damage than benefit at this point. 

I want to wrap this man in a shock blanket, give him baked goods, and force him to take a fucking break. 

Uranus (Planet of change and originality) - Aquarius 

This is such a wonderful placement for Logan. I get the feeling that he has a lot of creative and almost challenging ideas that he wants to try and bring into reality. Some of these ideas don’t work out, like at all, but when he is able to properly implement these plans, they’re incredible. I do not believe that he is being utilized in any capacity, like, let this little Florida Man try his funky ideas! 

Neptune (Planet of mystery and illusion) - Aquarius 

I think that this placement is really interesting, but it could be that I don’t know anything about Logan. I think that there is a lot of focus on others than the self with this placement. I think that a lot of his placements and behaviors are indicative of sometimes bordering on selfish behavior, but Neptune almost completely changes that. There is a selfless nature to this placement, and I think that Logan likes that mystery of things. 

Pluto (Planet of death and rebirth) - Sagittarius 

This placement is one of the quicker placements for Pluto, so its influence isn’t massive. I do think that there is a huge importance for truth, loyalty, and the whole story. I think that Logan appreciates the truth of things, even if it’s something that he doesn’t want to hear. 

THE HOUSES:

Second house (house of Possessions) - Saturn 

I like this placement a lot actually, because there is a lot of patience here. Logan has a lot of patience, but can sometimes feel frustrated with how slowly the possessions come in. I don’t think that he is necessarily materialistic, but there is an appreciation for things when he feels comfortable enough purchasing things. He’s also definitely a gift-giver, like that, and physical touch has got to be his love language.  

Third house (house of Communication) - Jupiter 

Logan is a golden retriever, 100%. He is incredibly optimistic while maintaining a level of realism. I think a lot of it comes down to needing to keep busy to keep his mind busy, if there isn’t something happening, he might get agitated and become short. Travel is hugely beneficial as well like it brings a lot of benefit to the career and self.

Eighth house (house of Death, regeneration, and legacies) - Mars 

The eighth house is interesting, it’s one of my favorite houses but also one of my least favorites. Logan is passionate and incredibly hardworking, but I think that there is some danger to this. I get the sense that he tends to be taken advantage of.

Ninth house (house of Mental exploration) - Pluto 

Logan wants to know everything out there, he wants to know more about everything out there and deepen his understanding of the world, his career, and everything. He wants to know as much as he can to further himself and his career. He probably really enjoys being able to have deep conversations with those around him, like FaceTime with this man and let him go off. 

Tenth house (house of Career) - Sun and Mercury

WE LOVE TENTH HOUSE SUN, we love it. It’s the dedication to the career, to further the self, and overcoming obstacles in one's life. It’s a natural affinity to excel at the career of choice (even though I think there would be benefits from a career change). Mercury furthers this idea that I have that he would be better in some sort of strategy or commentary position because there is such a natural talent for communication and speech. 

Eleventh house (house of Hopes, dreams, and friends) - Venus, Uranus, and Neptune

Venus tells us that he has no trouble making friends, at all. He can draw people in with a cute little smile, and just forms connections with those around him. I do think that there is an overwhelming need to be accepted and liked by everyone, but I think that is largely due to Uranus. Uranus forms fast and strong bonds with others, especially if there is a mutual interest. Neptune is definitely a really good third placement here! It’s seriously such a good placement because I know Logan is a great and compassionate friend, he is so understanding of what his friends need and shows up for them. 

Twelfth house (house of Secrets and self-undoing) - Moon 

I don’t think that this is ideal at all, because his chart is so emotional, this just furthers that. I think that there is a lot of insecurity and hurt there. He may try to mask the hurt and harm from others, but it’s there and it isn’t always masked. I think we see the cracks in the mask more than he would prefer, but I think it’s beneficial. I think that these cracks make him more human.

[laugtherhyena]

Out of curiosity, Are you able to talk about all the characters in Danganronpa Another and what you do and don't like about them?

And out of curiosity, what is your opinion on the creator?

Be ready for a lot of rambling anon because you just opened the floodgates here.

Ok so first and foremost, I don't really feel much towards Linuj himself? That's sorta of a me thing where i tend to not care much about the creators of stuff i like so you'll never see me go like "wow i love this person they're fucking awesome" or "Goddamn that guy sucks" (unless said creator has done something genuinely awful, in that case obviously I'd dislike them) at most you see me go "that's wild" or complain about writing decisions and that's about it, none of that makes me inclined towards liking or disliking Linuj as a person. Tho as much as i rant about his games i gotta give credit where credit is due, the dude manages to make two whole games prey much all by himself and I respect that honestly.

Onto the opinions on the charcters, I'll just be doing the Dra folks because it's been years since i last went through Sdra2 and since I don't like that game nearly as much as a the first one i feel like whatever I've got to say about the characters would be really shallow in comparison to the first game's cast and that's like,, not fair? In my head?So yeah, sorry Sdra2 fans, maybe some other time.

Kiyoka Maki

Kiyoka is a character i genuinely love a lot because she feels like the most perfect execution of a first victim character in a Danganronpa type game, so much so that i am genuinely appalled that Linuj just randomly decided to pick her as the first victim like, what?? She fits that role so perfect that it genuinely feels as if she was created with the idea of being the first victim in mind rather than creating the character and only assigning the role later, from her personality, to character traits and even down to her design, everything works so well together that it's insane for me to think that he created the pinnacle of first victim characters pretty much accidentally.

Regardless, the way she was written and inserted into the story never fails to amaze me but i already went into more details about that here so go check that out cuz now i wanna take this time to talk about her as a standalone character instead of just her role in the story.

Because really, Kiyoka is such a funny character! She's just this silly girl that wants to chill out and hang out with her besties but she could also shoot you square in the face from several feet away. That immense discrepancy between her talent and personality is something i always found absolutely hilarious, tho if there's one thing i dislike about her is that i wish Linuj would have explained how she got into spining in the first place? Since it's such an out there talent that Kiyoka herself doesn't even like that I can't help but wonder how that happened. Not in a "the character NEEDED this" way, I'm just genuinely curious and I'd love to know how she got herself into that pickle.

Her interaction with everyone else in the cast are delight too, i love thinking about her and the sunshine trio going around and getting into stupid shenanigans and i think Linuj did a fantastic job writtring her and Ryutaro's relationship, it's a very realistic portrayal of sibling relationship which makes me really sad whenever i think back to ch6.5 and how Ryutaro will never be able to apologize to his sister. Fun fact! The ending segment of that chapter where we see him at Kiyoka's grave was the first time I've ever cried over anything that happened in these games.

Mitsuhiro Higa

Higa is in this weird spot where I don't dislike him but I don't like like him either, it's this limbo area where I'm way too indifferent to actively dislike him so he just exists there and I don't think about him like ever and that's pretty much it.

Seriously, it's hard for me to even think about way to say in terms of likes and dislikes when it comes to him because i just. Don't think about Higa-

One thing that sorta bothers me about him is how Linuj tried to make him a bit "heroic" in that one flashbacks sequence we see in Ch6 that shows how the class was captured. It's just comes out of nowhere and it's so jarring considering not even his FTEs try to paint Higa in a nicer light. It's also really weird to me how Kizuna, the other awful person in a similar vein as Higa, didn't got any of that treatment which is just,, off.

Kizuna Tomori

And speak of the devil! Kizuna Tomori my beloved, they could never make me hate you❤️

I actually got this question about Kizuna specifically a while ago, so go read that post so that I won have to repeat myself here.

Ayame Hatano

Do you guys know Dungeon meshi? Have you ever seen people talk about how they've improved their eating habits or are generally eating and cooking more often because of how much they like Senshi, whose main character traits revolve around proper nutrition and cooking? That's literally me but exercising frequently out of how much i love Ayame.

Honestly? I feel a little embarrassed getting to talk about my liking for her like this because this is a character that's only around for like 1/3 of the game at most? If you count flashbacks scenes and extra materials like the FTEs and the IF chapter. At the end of the day Ayame is by no means an incredibly complex character so I'm not here to ramble about how she's actually really a deep and intricately constructed character and you guys just don't see it because ultimately, she isn't.

The older i get the more i realize that this is the sort of character i tend to gravitate towards in any media i consume. Very rarely do i ever become this attached to characters who are super intricate and complex, let alone main characters, i feel like even simpler characters like Ayame who has pretty normal life in comparison to others from the cast and not a lot of crazy stuff going on in her backstory have things going for that the casual fan may not notice but are absolutely worth looking into.

And it's crazy because i like quite literally everything about Ayame from her character to her design, in fact, it was her design that initially brought my attention to her because Ayame's hair is one of my favorite hairstyles to see in any character design ever (specifically the little spiky parts on the side that stick up a little) so that immediately made me like this character a bit before i even knew anything about the game other than the death order and that it came before Sdra2. And for real, i think Ayame's design is really good, simple yet solid much like the character herself honestly.

While Ayame was always amongst one of my favorites characters from Dra, I was much more into Sdra2 back when i first got into the series so for a good while my liking for her wasn't as imense as it is nowadays, but it was definitely more than i liked any other character in the first game though i could never quite place my finger on why i liked her so damn much. It was only when i got back into the another series years later that i was hit with a wave of emotions as i remembered how much i adored this character and looking into her again with a better understanding of things made me finally piece together what made me love her so dearly. Spoiler alert, it went much beyond my dumb teenage self pointing at the phone screen and going like “she's just like me fr‼️” to the point that nowadays i really don't relate to Ayame as much as i used to back then, i guess a good term to describe her would be a comfort character of mine but that doesn't feel that right to me either? I think this level of attachment to a fictional character goes beyond that like she has a special place in my heart and I think by now I've rewatched Ch2 more than any other person in this fandom-

I think what i love the most about this character is the inherent contrast within her, one so prominent that it goes as far as blending into her sprites and expressions, she appears as a serious and maybe even a little intimidating person upon first impressions with Yuki and while those are indeed parts of her Ayame is also a caring girl with a huge heart she's just a little awkward.

She struggles quite often when it comes to communicating and socializing with her peers but i cannot stress enough just how much Ayame cares for her classmates even though she's not the best at showing that, and don't mean just Akane (though she's by far the person she was the closest to). In the Ch2 post trial we learn that Ayame had actually been affected pretty heavily by the first motive video the cast was given yet she kept it to herself which when taking into account how she wishes for the rest of the class to get along as she's leaving for her execution reads to me as Ayame genuinely caring for the others as well to the point she wanted them to see her as strong so that they could also remain strong amidst the despair, and if that isn't enough to show her care then just look at the fact that this girl went as far as reopening an old wound on her leg, one that brought her so much pain and despair in the past, as a means of apology to all of them in case she managed to win the class trial (+ i personally believe this was also a self inflicted punishment for killing Kizuna since Ayame is well aware that she could have tried to save her instead of leaving her to bleed out with a knife on her neck, but that's more on the interpretation side than in-game implications.)

And this is where the nuance of this character comes in because while Ayame is a good person at heart, and a courageous and determined one at that, she's not beyond being cruel and getting her hands dirty in order to protect those she loves, but amidst this desire there's also a heap of selfishness in her acts that Ayame herself admits in the post trial as being the reason why she didn't just admit she was the killer from the start. She killed to spare Akane's life from an unavoidable execution but at the same time she wasn't free from the urge to take that as a chance to leave hope's peak academy herself and that's just,, ough man i love when characters can be brutal yet kind, selfless and selfish at the same time and i think this conflicting aspect of hers is what truly makes this character special.

So much so that i feel like if you just look at chapter 2’s case purely from a “clean” perspective where Ayame wanted to save Akane and there's not much more to that then you're missing out on the most interesting aspect of both the trial and her character and if that's as deep as most viewers tend to interpret her actions then it's no wonder why she's commonly deemed not very memorable and tends to be reduced to her relationship with Akane.

Yes, what she did was noble and it truly showed just how much she cared for Akane when she was willing to give up her own life and dreams for the future if it meant sparing her from a terrible fate, but you can't just gloss over the fact that at the same time Ayame had the selfish desire to use that as an opportunity to escape, and most importantly in my opinion we shouldn't ignore the fact that this sacrifice came in the form or brutally murdering someone she had the opportunity to try saving. It's just as cruel as it is noble yet simultaneously intertwined with Ayame's own selfish desires and wow! This character makes me unwell❤️

So yeah, in conclusion i like Ayame a whole lot and i wish more people would acknowledge the fact that she's kinda of a little freak too.

Kakeru Yamaguchi

So Kakeru is a weird one, in concept i like him quite a bit! I love the gentle giant archetype and i think the idea of him switching into a more assertive and loud personality in trials is really cool, but much like Kakeru as a whole, that is pretty underutilized and results in a character that could have been so much better than what we actually got in game.

I get the feeling that Linuj didn't really know what to do with Kakeru, he had a handfuls of ideas but there was no proper execution for them and he so he was sorta just,, there for the ride. I think what bothers me the most is how dumb he is in the trials, sure, DR trials aren't at all similar to the real life ones he would have been used to going to due to his talent, but that doesn't excuse the fact that Kakeru is surprisingly dumb in both the trials he's in when he should at least be able to argue and bring more to the table than just be another one of the characters that goes "i don't get it" or says something blantantly wrong for Maeda to refute. + If he smarter than that then maybe he could have been one of the characters to oppose Tsurugi more directly, since he is a lawyer and Kinjo has his "all criminals are scum" mentality. It would have fit well in with the characters and storyline but because Kakeru is such a nothing burger that role ended up being passed to Kinji since he's one of the few smart characters in Dra.

Still, none of that makes me dislike him it's just a little disappointing and ultimately makes him one of the people I don't think about very often but he's still a pretty sweet dude who i think it's pretty silly and funny in his interaction with the others from the cast so yeah, he's neat :]

Kanata Inori

You know, Kanata wasn't a character i originally thought much about but the more i looked into her the more i started loving this character, simultaneously, i felt disapointed of how underutilized she was in the story, but I'll get into that later.

Kanata is just such a sweetheart and you can really feel how much she cares for everyone during her interactions with the cast during the storyline, she's also quite useful in the trials she was in seeing as she was able to perform autopsies and give Yuki information that he probably wouldn't have known otherwise which more often than not ends up being pretty decisive in figuring out who the culprit is. I also really enjoy her backstory and how Ando's kindness in working to save her life despite the borderline nonexistent chances of her making out alive inspired her in such a way that Kanata decided to pursue a medical career so she could bravely save people just like he saved her! They're one of the sweetest family relationships in this series in my opinion so much so i get so sad whenever i rewatch ch6.5 and get to the part where Ando talks about Kanata and how she's an amazing kid :(

Much like Kakeru, the one thing i dislike about this character is that she was ultimately underutilized in the story, but whereas Kakeru's came from the fact that his character is an unorganized mess of ideas, Kanata had things going for her, they just weren't shown through most of the time she was on screen for whatever reason. Seriously, why was she reduced to the emotional character who cries all the time? I get that she's very nice and cares a lot for her classmates but c'mon, she worked at a hospital she should be able to deal with the situation at least a little better instead of bawling her eyes out whenever something bad happened.

Kanata hit a yakuza member on the head in the middle of a gang fight so that she could treat him properly once, she can be fierce and assertive when the situation calls for it, so why did she never do that in the main story?? This is absolutely baffling to me because it genuinely does such a disservice to the character and can end up driving people away from learning more about, like if i wasn't writing for an AU where she was a major character during the time she was alive I don't think i would have looked deeper into this character and learned how incredible she is because the main story made me think of her as just "the emotional one who cries all the time".

I also feel like it was a missed opportunity to not have her being the one who died trying to save the other ch3 victim. Like c'mon, her backstory shows us how she can often put other's safety before her own, that would have fit so well.

Kinji Uehara

Just like Kakeru, he's also a character I don't think much about but that comes from personal preference rather than feeling as if he was underutilized in story. Kinji just isn't the kind of character i tend to pay much mind to and that's ok! I do think he's a pretty interesting character, with his deal with the orphanage and also being the traitor in the game, i also enjoy how he always made his opinions clear to everyone like when he left the group because he didn't agree with Tsurugi's way of going about things and how he stood up against him and called him out in his hypocrisy in the Ch3 post trial.

If there's one thing I don't like about Kinji's is how linuj structured his murder plan, his method are SO violent for a character who had a noble motive and wasn't just some kind of crazy serial killer. Kakeru's make sense, since he was trying to stop him as fast as he could but i just don't understand why he still went on to kill Kanata when he had already killed someone (which was all he needed to do according to his deal with Monokuma), we're never told that Kanata saw it was him who attacked her, so why did ge insist on killing her anyway? Just because he had the plan set already? A plan that was also uncharacteristically brutal for a guy like Kinji. Seriously, when i first spoiled myself of all deaths in this game i got to Ch3 and thought "oh so he's the token crazy serial killer character" and while i was happy that he wasn't that, it's jarring that he got so violent out of nowhere + his breakdown in trial also feels pretty out of character in my eyes.

Haruhiko Kobashikawa

See, Haru is a cool guy, him Satsuki and Teruya (for a good part of the game) are essentially DRA's comedic relief characters and I've always had a big soft spot for those in DR games, when my faves inevitably die really early it's there character's inclusion that keep me watching the rest of the game!.. And then they die and struggle to get myself to watch the final chapters because most of the remaining characters are people I don't care nearly as much for- (thank god Ch5 has Mikako and Teruya survived the whole game)

But the thing is, when it comes to Haru himself I don't actually have much to say about him? He reminds me a lot of Kiyoka in the sense that he's a pretty normal guy for his age with a really out there talent that he's crazy good at. I think where Haruhiko really shines is not in his actions during Ch4 (tho that was amazing too, i can totally see why this is so many people's favorite chapter/case in Dra), but in his interactions with the other character because pretty much every single one of them are just so endearing to watch, regardless he's just being a dumbass or getting into trouble, in fact! I quite enjoy how he's a little hot headed (not sure if that's the right term)? The dude stands his ground and is not afraid of getting into fights if something's bothering him a lot, tho his own shortcomings and paranoia can often get the best out of him and he'll be sorta of an asshole and makes him feel so real to me, like he's just some dumb teen bound to make mistakes in a dangerous situation like the killing game and i really like that.

If i had to think of one thing i dislike about him I'd say is how he was characterized in the Ch6 flashback segment, like, by that point him and Satsuki are a couple right? So why was he trying to hit on the random Kisaragi fundation worker? That's not necessary out of character for him, but it's really weird that he's doing that despite havinya girlfriend of her own (smh Haru, i expected better from you).

Satsuki Iranami

Satsuki isn't a character i talk about a lot but i like her a lot! Not only is she a genuinly funny character who i love seeing her interactions with pretty much anyone in the cast, but i find her relationship with her family and the way she goes about it really interesting. I think anyone who've seen Satsuki's FTEs can tell that her family is insanely abusive, creating an environment of making their kids compete and compare themselves to one another on who's the best clown and treating Satsuki like absolutely garbage since she's considered the worst of them. Hell, I'm pretty sure they only sent her to hope's peak so they could get rid of her since she was of age to attend which is just,, damn. This is a fucking awful place to grow up in.

Yet Satsuki herself isn't a sad person nor do we ever see her get really depressed and upset when talking about her family, at most she looks a little sad and, unfortunately, agrees with them that she's the worst of the clows while sticking to not crying or sulking about it, instead she goes on to keep being silly and joking around which has always striked me more as a coping mechanism instead of "Satsuki it's too stupid to realize how terrible her family situation is" because as goofy as she is i do get the feeling that she knows her situation is absolutely awful but doesn't know a great way to cope with it other than what she's already doing.

And this seeing this strange coping mechanism explains so much about the way she acts in the killing game, she keeps joking around even during trials or when faces with murder motives because she just wants to remain happy and tries to see if maybe doing so will lift up the spirits of her classmates as well. Not saying that this is by any means a healthy coping mechanism, like, no, Satsuki girl it's okay to cry and be upset over terrible things, be it her family situation or the killing game, but this is nevertheless the most fascinating aspect of this character to me.

And once you take that into accound, it makes perfect sense why she was choosen to be sorta the "hope beacon" of the cast in Ch4 because really, that's just what Satsuki's Been doing the whole game. Tho i do wish this aspect was given more of a spotlight even in Ch4 itself because on first watch (without going through her FTEs) it felt a little jarring to me how Satsuki "randomly" became really important, but i consider that more of a nippick in comparison to other things I've complained about here.

Yamato Kisaragi

Oh right, this guy! He exists in the same indifference limbo as Higa but only because I don't think about him that often (so much so i forget he exists sometimes) because whenever i do think about him he gets violently pushed onto the active dislike section. Which is really funny to me considering Yamato is the perfect and super cool genius guy of the first another game, and that's a big point on my lack of care for him. The game insists in telling us how awesome Yamato is, how all of his classmates like him and how much of a hero he was for try to save them both in the Ch6 flashback and in the IF chapter, and i think that's exactly what made me feel such insane annoyance/repulse towards this character to the point that I'll see him and just groan and roll my eyes.

He's a character the story actively wants us to like but he's just so bland and generic that this push just annoys me and i feel nothing towards him as a person, the fact that we barely see him be himself in the game doesn't help either since he died almost as soon as he's introduced and all we have are flashbacks, the other character's opinions/memories of the guy and his Ai version. And even when we do see Kisaragi be himself in the IF chapter, his role there is like,, textbook generic anime nice guy protag and i just feel?? Insane???

His bland ass is like a piece of wet cardboard to me that i see people point at and act like it's the coolest thing ever and i just look down at it in my hands and think, i don't get it. I don't see it.

And don't even get me started on how Linuj fucking side lined Mikako's role and character in favor of giving this guy the spotlight by having him come in as if he's the goddamn saving grace of the killing game and solve all the mysteries that were set and build up BY ANOTHER CHARACTER, because nooooooooooo we can't have Mikako do that, it has to be Kisaragi because he's THE. GUY. EVER. ISN'T HE JUST SO FUCKING AMAZING EVERYONE????????

This makes me. Genuinely so mad and since I'd rather not pop a vein while raging as i write this go look at this post if you wanted to see me ramble a little more on this part.

Wow, after this it's tricky for me to even think of a positive to say, uhm.. I guess his relationship with Mikako is nice? I do like how it genuinely seems like they care a lot for one another tho sometimes this care can come off the wrong way and lead to arguments between the two, like how Yamato was avoiding and being rude to Mikako during that flashback sequence i keep mentioning over and over even tho she could tell there was something wrong with him and just wanted to help. They're sweet and tragic when thinking about how they met their ends but I can't feel much on that regard seeing how many,, feelings. I have towards Yamato.

Mikako Kurokawa

You know i feel like we as a fandom don't talk enough about the horror that Mikako goes through during the killing game. She never lost her memories, she remembers these people being friends and having strong bonds with other another and she's just forced to sit there and watch as they forget everything and murder each other without knowing of what she knows, and if Mikako does as much as try to say a few words regarding what she knows her head already starts splitting into two and she'll have headaches so bad they'll make her pass out and puke blood. And that's without counting the fact that she's left completely in the dark about her brother's whereabouts through most of the game and when she does reunite with him is in the worst way possible because Yamato’s mental state is even worse than hers and he dies not long after with her being blamed for his murder. She had the worst time ever in that game and i feel like it really isn't an understatement to say she suffered through the whole thing.

And that's where Mikako's spirit really shines because despite all the pain she went through, both physical and mental, she always held onto hope and wanted to help her friends even if her options were incredibly limited. She cared for each and every single one of them to the point she even wanted to try and save Yuki and Akane even though she knew they were the masterminds because she thought that with their memories erased they could embrace hope as well and come out of that as better people, and in her very last moments she still wished to help the remaining characters and kept talking even though she knew it would kill her. That's such an insane level of courage and determination from her part that it never fails to impress me.

She's such an insane character I can't help but feel like we were robbed when she died, especially when it happened before she could unravel all the mysteries Mikako had help build up through the entirety of the game and instead we get her amazing and so cool brother doing that and getting all the spotlight instead of Mikako herself.. How nice.

But i think what bothers me the most about her death is that it was so?? Unnecessary?? Like, what did it do for her character arc? It feels like she died more because Linuj wanted her to die than because it felt fitting for the character’s journey to end where it did, and you can't tell me it wouldn't have been awesome to see her in Sdra2 and how she'd react learning that her shitty mother was one of the reason why that second killing game happened in the first place.

I explained my thoughts on Mikako's death in a nicer manner in this other post so please go check that out because I will never not be upset over her death in this game, especially when her execution ends in a way that she would have survived if she wasn't already dead by the time started.. that just felt like an unnecessary fuck you from Linuj’s part-

Akane Taira

Another character I've rambled about in the past and so don't feel like reiterating it all here (this post is getting REALLY long), so yeah, check it out but tldr, I think Akane is a really cool character and i think writing her so frequently in -2+2 has made me not only get a better understanding of her character but also like her a lot more too!

Yuki Maeda

As y'all know, Dra Yuki>>>>>>>>Sdra2 Yuki always and forever in my heart ❤️

Seriously, for someone who tends to really not give a fuck about the protagonists in DR games it genuinely surprised me how much i grew to enjoy Dra Yuki after i went through the game's full translation and realized “Woah! He isn't the same universal punching back as the Sdra2 one!” Because prior to that i was under the impression that both Yuki acted and were treated the exact same by the game's storyline and as you can probably tell I don't like Sdra2 Yuki all that much.

Dra Yuki differs because not only does the game not try to force the horrors upon him constantly but he feels very human in his actions, he's just some guy not the embodiment of good or a hope hype man so he's bound to get a little sick of this shit sometimes and make mistakes. We see this during Ch4 in his argument with Akane and also in Ch2 where he decides to break the groups trust by reading the secret note anyway which later comes back to bite him when the cast finds out, and this really stood out to me and made him instantly more interesting than other protags in my eyes, although I'm pretty sure this nuance of his character was done as a way to foreshadow his reveal as Utsuro/The mastermind.

Either ways, it ended up creating one of my favorite protags of any DR type game + i do really like the twist of the protagonists being the mastermind at the end of the day, it was something super unique by the time Dra first came out and it's still something i haven't seen be done in any other fangan (tho to be fair I don't look much into those anymore nowadays-)

It's hard for me to pick something i dislike about him since he's overall just a neat guy in my eyes but if i had to pull something I'd say he constantly taking Tsurugi's side feels kinda annoying at times? Sometimes it feels like he just glosses over some of the nasty stuff Kinjo says, like when he questioned why the group for kicking out Kinjo in Ch3 as if he hadn't just told Akane to kill herself right after she saw her best friend be grinded into minced meat. Like okay buddy i get that you see good in Kinjo and you wanna help him, but he really deserves to get a good slap in the face sometimes and the others are rightfully mad at him.

Utsuro

Not much to say here honestly, i feel like i like the idea of Utsuro and what he brings to the table in terms of world building, how his presence and powers affect the others around him and even the story itself. The idea of someone with insane luck powers he can't control that made his life miserable since he could achive literally anything with no effort and everyone he met only wanted to exploit said powers which led to him falling into the despair ideology since by that point it was the one thing that made him feel something it's just so,, wow man, thats some crazy angst and such an unique way to explore the borderline magical luck that exist in the DR franchise.

I love thinking about him in that vein but as a character?.. Erh, i really don't care nor think much about Utsuro at all. Which in a way, i suppose isn't all that different from how the world saw him in universe? How ironic.

Teruya Otori

By far my favorite out of the survious though I'm not sure how to explain why i like Teruya so much? I feel like part of it comes from the soft spot for comedic relief characters i talked about earlier and the rest from the way he was written in the story.

It's crazy because i feel like Teruya's writing in itself really highlights the changes in the way Linuj viewed and went about characters by the time he started working on Sdra2, i feel like if Teruya was a character that originated from that game he would be portrayed as a bad person who you shouldn't sympathize for even though he has his reasonings for acting the way he does sometimes, sorta like how Linuj tends to punish Hibiki even tho she was the bigger victim at the end of the way.

Just like Haruhiko he feels very real to me and his character arc through Dra has gotta be one of my favorites. Teruya is not a bad person, he's a good kid at heart but the severity of the situation they're in and the stuff that gets forced upon him gets to him a lot which leads to Teruya lashing out at his friends and doing some pretty bad things here and there, yet he's never portrayed as an awful person that shouldn't be forgiven or shit and he does change for the better at the end of the day. He went through a lot and came out bigger and stronger on the other side and is a shame this kind of character arc isn't properly used in Sdra2 since Linuj's mentality became so black and white out of nowhere.

I love this little guy, I'm so glad he survived the killing game though unfortunately the same can't be said for the second one but honestly? Teruya's entire role in that story was such a mess, and sometimes even a detriment to his character in my opinion, that nowadays I can't even feel that sad over his death anymore. While there are a handful of things that bother me a lot about it, like the amnesia plot just because Linuj seems to hate actually building up to things in that game and his entire role in ch4 (seriously. What was that. Why.), i think what i dislike the most is the fact that he ended up being permadead while Rei escaped the killing game fine.

I know Linuj actually gave a good explanation to why it happened (unlike Mikako's barely explained sudden brain explosion), but still, it feels like such a mean thing to do to someone who's been through so much and still tried his hardest while being in a dangerous and unpredictable situation. My guy was done dirty in that game.

Rei Mekaru and Tsurugi Kinjo

Grouping these two together because i feel like my opinions on both of them are not only pretty much the same but they also stem from the same place, so yeah-

Don't get me wrong, these two are very interesting characters and I'd argue they're one of the more complex ones in the cast as well, not only because they make it through both games but also because of their own personal backgrounds and how that shaky upbringing affected the kind of person they became as they grew older. With Tsurugi living under his father's black and white ideologies of criminals being deserving of death no matter what and falling deeper and deeper into that the more friends he loses during his life and Rei being abandoned (albeit unintentionally?) by her parents at an young age which led to her working hard to get where she's at now which not only made her quite used to being on her own but also loathe those who "take the easy" way and want all awnsers handed to them on a silver platter, which explains why she's so rude to the rest of the cast since she wants them to figure out stuff on their own too.

There's a lot to look into these characters and it makes sense why so many people like them a lot, I'm however not the biggest fan of this type of character (tho i feel like that lies more in their personality than anything else?) so i never looked much into them before i started writing DRA -2+2 and decided to look into everyone in the cast to get a better grip on their characters. And man, writing these two really did give me a newfound appreciation and love for them! They're such fun characters to write and have interacting with the rest of the cast. Tho i wouldn't by any means say i have a proper understanding of them, i feel like that's a bit out of my league still.

If there's one thing I'm not a big fan if is that i wish we would have seen more of those two in Sdra2 instead of them just having a major role in Ch6, AKA; the messiest chapter in this entire series. Like, would it have hurt that badly to not have the Void theather segments and instead cut to small scenes at the Kisaragi foundation showing what the characters are doing and how they're reacting and planing to go about interfering with Mikado's killing game? I feel like that would have been so much more interesting than watching Emma bother Hajime with bad puns while Nikei and Iroha continue being the same assholes they've always been + it would have made Tsurugi's backwards development less of a shock to see whenever Ch6 actually rolls around.

Anyways, to wrap up this massive post here's what i hope will be the definitive Carol Dra cast tierlist

[sephirthoughts]

If you dare, something I haven't seen much: vincent valentine & rufus shinra

I'm curious how you see them interacting. if you have a thought, go for it, otherwise providing options: 2, 5, 28, 34

OK! Vincent and Rufus! I got things you said (2)through your teeth, (5) didn't say at all (28)in the dark, and (34)whispered in my ear. I loved this prompt because it produced this absolutely ridiculous scene. Enjoy!

He sat in the dark, into the small hours of the morning. The office lights off, so the poisonous, green glow from the reactors could and must be appreciated to its fullest. So there was no glossing over the ugly reality. That Shinra was a machine that swallowed blood and spit out gold. That he was a petty autocrat, enthroned on a mountain of garbage. A dead man ruling an empire of bones. 

“You are not your father,” a man’s voice whispered, right into his ear.

His hand was instantly on his gun, but a cold, metal claw had already caught him by the throat, and was squeezing threateningly. His eyes flashed to Darkstar, whose monstrous bulk was coalescing amongst the inky shadows, fangs bared and crimson eyes ablaze. 

One look at the intruder, however, and the massive, demonic hound gave a high-pitched whine and cowered, like a whipped cur. Rufus glared disdainfully after the beast, as it slunk away, with both its tails between its legs. Some fucking guard dog.

“Are you reminding me, that I am not my father, or yourself?” he asked calmly, removing his hand from the stock of his gun, and placing it flat on his desk, with the other.

“You seem to need to be reminded,” the intruder answered.

Rufus sighed forbearingly. “If you were going to kill me, you would have, by now, so do you mind getting to what you want and sparing me the theatrics?”

“Said the man sitting alone, in the dark, at the top of a giant tower with his name written all over it.”

“It’s not money,” Rufus mused. “You’ve bypassed my security to get to me, which means you could easily have walked into a bank vault and taken what you wanted. No, you…you believe in your own righteousness. You have the stench of ideology, all over you. Let me guess, Avalanche? Is this an absolutely fantastic bit of irony?”

“Coffin wood.”

“I suppose y—what?” Rufus said, actually caught off-guard.

“It’s not ideology that you smell all over me, it’s coffin wood. And dry-rot.”

“Do you think convincing me that you’re deranged is going to further your goals, somehow?”

The man sounded offended. “I’m not deranged, I sleep in a coffin.”

“You’re not deranged…you sleep in a coffin. Can you hear yourself, when you speak?” Annoyed past the point of prudence, Rufus looked up at the man holding him by the neck and gave a start. “A Valentine?” he said aloud, before he could stop himself.

The man looked surprised. He also looked fucking magnificent. Rufus suppressed a scowl. These goddamned Valentines and their perfect genes. No wonder that lunatic Hojo was so obsessed with them. 

“How did you know?” asked the most obvious Valentine ever. 

“You look exactly like your father. And I’ve seen your personnel file. Employee profile: Valentine, Vincent,” he said, to no one in particular. 

A glowing holographic screen obediently materialized above the desk, displaying the HR file for Vincent Valentine, including a large, full-color photograph. Notably, the upper right corner of the file bore a stamp that read ‘DECEASED’ in red ink.

“Hm. I’m impressed you recognized me. I was so young in that photo.”

It took Rufus a full five seconds to comprehend that the man wasn’t joking. Then he was even more irritated. “Your hair is long now. That is literally the only difference. Are you absolutely certain you’re not deranged?”  

“Fairly certain.”

“Well then, Vincent Valentine, will you kindly tell me what the hell it is that you want, that has you in my office in the middle of the night, threatening my life, before I kill myself from exasperation?” 

The Valentine stepped back and pulled something out of the idiotic cloak that he was somehow making look amazing. Rufus stared at the object in blank disbelief. It was…it was one of those stupid robot cats, that Reeve was always playing with. 

“I came to return this,” the Valentine explained, which only raised more questions. “I wandered into the wrong office.”

Rufus pinched the bridge of his nose. “You wandered. Into. The wrong. Office.”

“Mn,” he nodded. “Sorry about that.”

“Then why, pray tell, did you grab me by the neck!”

“You would’ve shot me, if I hadn’t, and there would’ve been a big scene. I really don’t like noise.”

“And the creepy whispering, about me not being my father?”

“I already told you, you seemed like you needed to be reminded.”

“You were right about that, at least. Because if I were my father, you’d be dead already.”

“He didn’t have anything capable of killing me, any more than you do. If you knew of a way for me to die, I would welcome it. Not to be a bother, but could you direct me to Reeve Tuesti’s office, so I can return this thing? I’m getting sleepy and I’d really like to leave.”

“You have gone far off course,” Rufus informed him. “Director Tuesti’s office is three floors down on the—wait, no! I am not giving you directions! You are trespassing! And you just threatened my life! You may think you’re invinci—”

“Three floors down, got it,” the Valentine interrupted, with a solemn half-bow. “Thank you, Rudolph.”

“Fucking…Rudolph???” Rufus ground out, through clenched teeth.

He had officially had enough of this shit. He whipped out his gun and fired a shot, just in time to entirely miss the red-cloaked menace, as he vanished in a melodramatic, crimson whirl. God damn slippery vampire-ass Valentines!

He had his hand over the button to summon building security, when he thought the better of it, and drew it back. The last thing he needed was a gaggle of fools in here tromping around, tracking in dirt probably, failing to find anything, and publishing a description of a suspect that very much fit Count Dracula. People would say the new president was losing his mind, and hallucinating fairytale monsters. 

No, there was no use kicking up a fuss just to be humiliated. He’d send the Turks after the Valentine…in a little while. If he gave the man a head start, maybe he’d kill that annoyingly upright pain in the ass Reeve, while he was down there. Now, where was that stupid dog?

“Darkstar!” he shouted, into the cavernous blackness of his idiotically massive office. “You have five seconds to get over here and explain yourself!”

[NOTE: it's probably unclear, but (5) things you didn't say at all was Rufus' name. Vincent never said it because he called him the wrong one.]

[bengiyo]

Love Class 2 Eps 9 & 10 (Finale) Stray Thoughts

Last week, in keeping with the theme, I can barely remember what happened in the K-BLs. I know that the younger couples all basically came out to each other, and all three couples gave some decent kissing. I continue to enjoy J-min. I also am glad we resolved the situation with Kim An’s orphanage friend, because that was kinda fucked. The TA and artist are dealing with a misunderstanding that feels a little meaty, so I hope we have a good resolution moment for it. I’m glad Maru and Minwoo finally kissed about their problems.

Episode 9

I’m okay starting with Minwoo and Maru spooning.

Okay, it’s very sweet of Maru to recognize that Minwoo has loved him for a long time and stood by him through all the things Maru went through. I love him promising to be there with Minwoo now.

Kim An is shirtless in bed? How now brown cow.

Never mind, they’re handling business and getting it in.

Oh shit. Joo Hyuk’s friend read him on this park date goddamn.

Oh, was Joo Hyuk with the teacher that Sungmin often does chores for?

Looks like Maru’s tormenting of the manager worked.

Look at my girl finally finding a straight man to flirt with.

The professor was Joo Hyuk’s uncle? LOL

My man Sungmin is so resilient. He realized he’d embarrassed himself, cleared up the matter, and then asked for a date. That’s what I’m talking about!

Kim An and Lee Hyun are frolicking!!

I’m okay with everyone getting cute dates this episode.

I will never get tired of people expressing their feelings for each other clearly and directly, and then making out.

“You are obedient at important moments,” and  “Let’s have many important moments. I promise I’ll be a good boy,” what actually so hot.

I appreciate that there was probably a limit to how physically intimate they could get an idol like J-min to be in this show, and so they fed us with the sides. It’s something Thailand relied upon a lot for a while. J-min served well by being so talented in the early parts when I was struggling a bit. This show has struck a really nice balance after I settled into it.

I see you boys rolling around with each other and I know what that means. Nicely done, sirs.

I love that the tag is giving us the backstory for how Joo Hyuk fell for Sungmin. Unsurprisingly, Joo Hyuk was kind of a whiny drunk.

Episode 10

Now we’re on a Gays Only Camping Trip? Incredible.

This looks like so much fun omg.

These people have immaculate vibes. This is way better than whatever the fuck was going on in Our Skyy 2: Star in My Mind.

This supermarket trip is so cute holy shit.

You mean the tell me this is a gay bbq and they didn’t know they was all paired off? Gay people are so dumb.

I love this conversation between Minwoo and Lee Hyun about how Minwoo used to be jealous of Lee Hyun’s feelings.

This show is doing a really good job showing couples settling into each other in its finale.

Okay, deciding to no longer kiss in the shadows is such a baller gay thing to say that this show just earned half a point.

Okay this photo is really good.

Final Verdict: 8.5, This Was Cute as Hell. I want to thank @he-is-lightning-in-a-bottle for getting me to keep going with this show. I think it was a little hard to follow at first, but I had really satisfying outings with all of the characters here. It was kind of a grab bag of plots, but once I locked in I had a fantastic time. This was really fun, and a worthwhile watch. J-min has real talent and I was impressed by him.

[bouncybrain]

I don't interact with the HSR community so I'm just going to put the 2.2 spoilers here just in case because I'm so mad. I'm genuinely upset with the story. This is why I've had to take breaks going through Penacony it makes me feel like my brain is leaking and I need to rant about this at ass-o'clock

We got on Penacony and they were like "well nobody really knows all that much about the Watchmaker so like lol go find out" and then they took forever to get there.

I walked onto Penacony, looked straight at Misha, and went "what are you talking about I'm done I've found him what else do you want from me, can Dan Heng come back and play yet" because you're telling me they finally dropped us on Penacony with a storyline about "The Watchmaker's Legacy" and also just a guy with a pocket watch we hang out with in a weird dream place and thought they were being subtle? Why do I have to sit through all of this. Give us a skip button.

Repeatedly hammering information into the dialogue doesn't make for a good story, a good twist, a good hint, or even good character development/backstory reveals. There is no subtlety here. The only "mysteries" we have are just plot threads that they haven't given us any information about. Like "WOW WHAT'S THIS DEATH THING WOAHHHHHH" and then doing nothing about it until they're like "WHOOPS HAHA GALLAGHER DID IT??? WOW WHAT A SHOCK!" and then they're like "WOAH THAT'S SAM?????? CRAZY! I WONDER WHAT ELSE" and then dropping "SIKE THAT'S FIREFLY!" and now they're like "HEY REMEMBER MISHA HE WAS THE WATCHMAKER ALL ALONG ISN'T THAT WILD!" Where did the Gallagher-Death team come from? Why? There were no hints. Where did Sam being Firefly come from? Sure, having a Stellaron Hunter present makes sense, but what the fuck does this have to do with anything? I don't care. (Seeing Blade in a suit driving a car was nice though.) And, as stated, I already knew Misha was the fucking Watchmaker from the goddamn start.

Honkai: Star Rail's story could be so much better. Actually going through the story could be so much better. I am, surprisingly, capable of getting sucked into a game's story even when it has less intense gameplay than HSR. (I played "In Other Waters" around this time last year and it was fantastic! I enjoyed it a lot! Here's the link to the game on Steam if you're curious.) There's so much more to crafting a long, ongoing story with moving parts than simply dumping all relevant info in massive clumps while repeating said relevant info at any possible moment. I could critique a lot of the recent choices they make with their storytelling. I've been writing this rant while waiting TO FUCKING MOVE AGAIN. I already figured out everything they're telling me!

Just give me my new hat. And I want this next adventure to be with Dan Heng, please. Please. He pays attention and I don't have to explain something I figured out months ago.

[drivestraight]

HEYYYY LINEARITY IM DRUNK AF RN BUT JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT IVE BEEN READING YOUR FICS SINCE OBJECTS IN THE MIRROR CAME OUT AND IM SUCH A HUGE FAN!!! Now apologies for the capslock, but seriously you are a fantastic writer and I love everything you’ve written, so now I shall give my frankly irrelevant kudos, and general glazing. Firstly, objects in the mirror is such a great fic series??? but particularly “all to play for”??. like i love how you wrote charles as so determined and desperate for something that he feels like he must. i think he differs from max in that he HAS to win a championship, for his father, for jules and there’s just so many expectations and wants resting on his shoulders but throughout all of this I don’t think he truly knows what he desires. Max is so different, he’s constrained by so many expectations (mostly jos verstappen’s) but he’s completely opposite from charles in that he knows what he wants and I just love the last sentence, the first time i read it i screamed, then couldn’t get it out of my head of literal months. it’s so painfully ambiguous but i think that’s the true wonder of it, you don’t know as the reader if charles gets what he’s been sacrificing for, you don’t know if his bargain was worth it and this just gives me brocedes vibes in the best possible way. I still dream of this fic. NEXT ONTO WINNING MENTALITY, so this was the fic that introduced me to george russell and MAN was it painful in the best way possible. i love the concept of right person (???) WRONG TIME that permeates this like a particularly good syrup on vanilla cake. i just want to wrap russell up in an albon flavored hug but at the end you make it really clear that moving on was the right choice, even when it hurts and WOW this was so well written. man… i love the way you write max so so much. NOW TIME FOR HEART OUT, my absolute favorite slutty max fix GOD max you got to get it together!!! he won’t fix you and he won’t be your daddy please max it’s completely your choice but give poor charles a chance! this is one of the things you read once and can’t bring yourself to touch ever again because it’s so pure. love it. i am so goddamn tired and i’m sorry for ranting in your asks but three more fics to review/die over before i pass out. KITTY CONUNDRUM charles.. you gotta be more careful with packages from people! thankfully max is a cat person indeed (dogboy max when??? haha… unless) also charles trying to make max jealous in such a silly way and SUCCEEDING man charles you’re so adorable, never change. SECOND TO LAST he just turned in like i didn’t exist, OSCARLOS MY MUTUAL PLEASE PLEASE also i think it’s adorable how oscar thinks so clearly, in my mind i just imagine him mentally doing the dialup modem sound whenever he’s confused. NOW FINALLY RIGHT BEFORE I PASS (out! away! both!) YOUR NEWEST FIC OMG I WANTED TO DIE (affectionately) AFTER THAT CAR CRASH OF A RELATIONSHIP OSC YOU CARE BOTH TOO MUCH AND TOO LITTLE AND IT PHYSICALLY HURTS ME TO WATCH YOU. also lando please get your shit together, i know it’s uncharitable for me to say so but ugh m’boy… you deserve the world (and oscar) but back to oscar nooooo i just want to protect him from the world he’s so messed up in the best way and you can see that he’s just rolling with the punches which is working pretty well for him (f1 seat!) but he’s going against verstappen who 1. has a lot less to lose compared to him 2. is much more experienced with avoiding getting hit by consequences (ie. jos verstappen) and it’s gonna be osc who suffers!!! also every single max appearance i just imagined him doing the smug cat face and it cracked me up so much more then it should have. ALRIGHT, I HAVE TO LEAVE, THANK YOU FOR YOUR EXISTENCE AND HAVE A GREAT DAY!

tldr: i’m in love with your writing please marry me we can get twinklaren themed rings

first of all i literally gasped when i received this ask 😭❤️🥹

this response is going to be really really long so it'll go under a cut HAHA; sorry for the few days delay - i really wanted to make sure i did it justice because it was so lovely!

since objects in mirror came out!!! holy crap that's 20 whole months with me... and please it could never be irrelevant... i like all fic writers love compliments 😭 and god yeah... objects in mirror series was so crazy. i really did mean it when i put in the notes of leave no space that it was a labor of love. wasn't even in the f1 fandom/didn't really know anyone on f1blr or who liked f1 except for a handful of people etc, and was just silently writing the fic, and to this day i'm so astounded by the amount of people who like it + are still finding it and reading it and leaving lovely little messages. and god yeah posting this fic was so crazy to me because of the overwhelming instant response of so many many lovely comments. idk how to explain it that well, but the comments on all to play for especially are still something i read through every now and then. they're just very very meaningful and special, like overwhelmingly deep and detailed many of them were, tugged at my heartstrings etc. and the fic itself was just - such a labor that it made me so happy to know it paid off ten fold. thank you to everyone!!

and yeah. yeah. he could even eat a lion. does he?

i often thought about making a pt4 of the series but in all honesty i just really really really love where it all ends, a sort of ambiguity but unambiguity in a way - it all came full circle, and now all that's left is to win - but it was never really about that. i mean, it was all about that, but i guess the idea is that as you go through all the parts the world starts to expand and you start to get to know them as characters who aren't just racing machines, and they get to know each other as that too. with a lot of difficulties along the way and backsliding, especially in pt3. i really honestly don't think i could write a fic/series like objects in mirror again for f1. it was really one of those things you write when you're first getting into something, and sort of learning things along the way. the magic is all new and exciting and you want to get everything down on the page. not to say that i still don't have fun writing, it's just the sort of thing where you can only write certain things at certain levels of familiarity. writing objects in mirror for me was like, my own deep introduction into f1, learning how i loved it and what i loved about max and charles in that moment, etc. so i know i kind of sound like a broken record whenever i talk about it, but i feel honestly so happy that i could share that with an audience, and that people could go along with that hero's journey with me. blah blah blah it was also a part of me processing my own grief about my dad blah blah blah. anyway. no one cares about that part. thank you so much :)

and GOD. yeah man. winning mentality. another fic i was writing in complete silence lmao because i didn't think that Anyone would be interested in george/max fic at that point in time, and still to this day i feel like it's one of the fics i get the most, like, substantial comments on? not to say that there are unsubstantial comments, but the comments i get for winning mentality are usually meatier and more involved and it's so special to me to know that it, like, affected people and shit. a fun fact about that fic is that i almost ended it right before the final confrontation with alex. like i'd had that part written out dialogue-wise for a while but, after the "tell me something real" "i don't think i'm a very good person" part, i'd thought maybe it would be okay if the fic would end there, but BOY am i glad i didn't LOL. everyone seemed to love the "just because it will make a good story doesn't mean it needs to happen line" so much, and i love it a lot too.

girl max au! i had started writing this after i got back from my study abroad in greece (all to play for and winning mentality were the 2 fics i wrote while in greece... maybe my writing quality goes up when i'm in sunshine in a beautiful place near the water lmao. i gotta get out of nyc don't i), in like. highkey a month i don't remember very well... lots of partying and feeling awful the mornings after and writing girlmax was my way to cope with that during the day time LMAOOO. don't eat don't sleep just do it on repeat. and write girlmax during the day. it was so much fun to write, like it was just so much fun overall, and everyone also seemed to really enjoy bad at sex charles and hotgirl max. i love them so much too. i think about them all the time. hope they're doing well with their fat blonde babies

KITTY CHARLES FIC! yeah this fic was just completely fueled by the image of kittyboy charles and catlover max... since this is the latest (almost typed out last...) lestappen fic i've written, i feel like it was kind of, weirdly, the most developed version of them i've published - in that it's when i was most familiar with the dynamics, and it kind of felt like riding a bike. so much to the extent that i could kind of just, like, take it a little further. focus less on Them as individuals, go on automatic, and focus more on their dynamic and what i like about them: the physicality, the impulsiveness, the push and pull, the awkward conversations, the unfamiliarity, the barriers between them, etc. but the grounded understanding that when it matters they know each other better than anyone else. i think it came out quite nicely :)

carcar fic... man you're really hitting all the highlights of my f1 writing career LOL. yeah man. that one was also a big surprise to me. first off in how well it was received (i don't think i'd had a fic that instantly popular since objects in mirror series), and second of all how much fun i had while writing it (i say as if i didn't feel like i was covered in blood and thorns the entire way writing the second half LOL). it was a pleasure so i'm very happy you & many others enjoyed

last but not at all least, landoscar/norstappen fic. yeah man. yeahhh. when i was posting the fic + making my tumblr post about it i was like... i feel like i'm misrepresenting this as a cool fun casual threesome fic when in reality lksjf;lkdsjf man was it an emotional mess between the three of them. oscar cares both too much and too little. you're so right. he deeply deeply cares but he cares so much that he just shoots himself in the foot all the time. won't settle for halves. something i think about a lot in fic is this whole idea of "miscommunication" and "reciprocated feelings." it's a minor quip of mine, when in fic 2 people clearly like each other but they miscommunicate + prolong the getting together for the sole reason of "he doesn't like me back!" obviously i'm not saying that's bad and inherently worse, but i think it's really interesting when you go deeper than that. there's the indecision, and the uncertainty, of course, but there's also the consequences, worries about compatibility, and other things getting in the way, whether that's other people or a championship (re: objects in mirror and winning mentality are two good other examples i think where this was driven home) that might get in the way. i really love the idea of love triangles that aren't classic love triangles. people you have feelings for, maybe not necessarily romantic feelings, but feelings that are still substantial and earth-shattering, that get in the way of your relationships developing with other people. insecurities, being an outsider, hesitation. the physicality of it too, the discrepancy vs what you let on in your head and in your actions, and what you really want, how it's all perceived by other people - like mark said. oscar wants it more than anyone, but if he knew oscar any less, he'd think he didn't want it at all.

and yeah. max was just so funny to me during all of this. of course it's not so simple that he doesn't care about lando/doesn't have any stakes in anything that's happening - he's possessive with lando and casually cruel with oscar, overtly flippant, etc. and that could be explored more BUT ALSO it's just so funny. bro wanted his threesome so bad and was just driving over all of oscar's feelings 💀 me when i'm max verstappen.

ANYWAY. thank you for this lovely lovely ask ❤️

and thank you again HAHA i think it comes down to me hating dragging things out, so i feel like things eventually come to a natural stopping point in my fics, especially because i usually only ever have one "impetus" going on in a fic so they never end up having to be fleshed out for too long before they're resolved.

thank you thank you ahhhh this was such a lovely and special anon to get 🥹🥹🥹

[littlemisssquiggles]

...So about the SIXTH episode of RWBY V9...

This is the episode where I think my general opinion will probably get me in trouble with a certain community within the FNDM. Already you can probably tell where I’m about to go with this knowing exactly what happened in today’s episode if you saw. But; since I’ve always did my best to remain honest in my remark posts, I’m just going to come right out and say what I have to say regarding this episode. Specifically a certain moment in it.

[SPOILERS AHEAD! NUFF SAID]

Something to be said about the Bees...

If you were expecting me to gush over the big Bumblebee confession and kiss that was dropped today then I’m going to have to disappoint some of you. I mean…I knew it was going to happen eventually given all the hints that were dropped this season and even prior to it even in the promotional material like the volume poster.

However; despite expecting it…I’m sorry ya'll but I didn't care for the major Bumblebee moment at all.

If anything, the moment left me rolling my eyes and feeling genuinely annoyed that the showrunners chose to dedicate a portion of the episode to this rather than anything else.

Outside of the setup, the visuals and the music (I really loved the little theme that was playing throughout the moment), if it were any other ship---a ship that was better developed, this moment would've had me over the moon. 

Being the hopeless romantic that I am with a shipping heart that’s bigger than I am tall, I should’ve loved this moment! I WANTED to love this moment because, not gonna lie, it got me a little bit during the build up bits. But only because it was such a ridiculously sweet, tender moment and as I said, the set up was fantastic.

It should be a crime to give me such a beautifully executed confession scene with all the fixings and waste it on a ship that I don’t care about.

The fact that this, compared to other shipping moments that came before, was wasted on the Bees---I just felt nothing for it.

And before anyone jumps down my throat and calls me names, let me just counter by saying this one thing:

My issue with Bumblebee as a romantic pairing has NEVER been the fact that it's LGBTQ (and I genuinely hate seeing this accusation used every time someone so much as criticize this ship).

Good writing is very, very important to me. It’s what I look for the most in every piece of media I consume from books to TV shows to movies, etc. In the case of stories with important character bonds and romantic subplots, the writing backing said relationships between characters is what matters foremost to this squiggle meister.

To put it bluntly, I could give two shits whether a character relationship is straight or queer. Just tell a goddamn good story because a good story will make any character or character connection---be it straight or LGBTQ---worth getting invested in.

This is my gripe with Yang and Blake’s so-called romantic journey. The development of these two leading ladies from strangers to friends to lovers has not been a good story or at least not a well-written one for me from the start.

There has been some noticeable bumps in the road to get us to the highlight of today’s episode where Yang and Blake profess their love for one another and then seal it with a kiss.

And while the more vocally passionate supporters of this ship would often like to disregard/flat out deny the humble beginnings of the Bees, I simply cannot because I pay too much attention to the writing in the story of RWBY.

My main gripe with the Bees has always been in its execution; the way the show chose to go about writing and portraying this pair. It never felt natural to me. It always felt forced because rather than actually backing the Bees with good writing, the writers felt that suddenly shoving them together after 5 seasons of focusing on another Blake ship and then shoehorning little nuggets of Bees into moments where the timing felt off was enough.

Spoilers. It wasn’t. Not everyone bought into the Bee romance. Myself included. 

This episode, sadly, only proved to further my point.

I was more invested in the other part of Episode 6---the part that focused on Jaune's story as the Rusted Knight.

I honestly was expecting this episode to be the one where Ruby finally has her breaking point. The way the CRWBY members were telling everyone to avoid spoilers prior to today’s episode over on Twitter, I felt like this was going to be the pinnacle episode where that happened.

But no. Turns out the highlight of episode 6 was the Bee kiss and…again, as I’ll reiterate, it did nothing for me.

The rest of the episode...

While the Bee shippers can have their fun gushing about the Bee moment and that alone, for me, I was more invested in the non-Bee related aspect of the episode.

The fact that Alyx's adventures in the Ever After were indeed true. The fact that Alyx wasn't entirely the “kind protagonist” as she was made out to be in her own story. The fact that she had a brother that she willingly sacrificed to the Tree as a means of returning home. The fact that the Tree is actually dangerous. The fact that the Curious Cat pulled a Kyube from Madoka Magica and is not the friendly ally we pegged it to be (Or at least that is what we're being led to believe)

All of these reveals interested me far more than the Bee kiss and I wanted more from that part of the episode.

Personally I'm still willing to put my fate in the Curious Cat. It did seem genuinely saddened after it parted ways with Ruby, Weiss and Jaune.

A part of me is still willing to believe that in the end, the Curious Cat will do something good for Ruby to get her and her friends home. I wish to hold out on that, mainly because I do like the Curious Cat as a character.

Another part I thought was interesting was the part in the beginning---the part where Jaune ended up on the beach and destroyed the strange clock-shaped fruit that he discovered on the strange tree.

While the episode didn’t say more about that part, it does make me wonder something most curious.

Did Jaune unknowingly mess up/turn back time in the Ever After by destroying the clock fruit?

I mean, it would explain how he was able to meet Alyx and her brother Luis in the past? Clearly Alyx's story took place in the past long before RWBYJ were born if her story was one they grew up with, right?

So interestingly enough…Jaune’s future is Alyx past? Because Jaune met Alyx and her brother in the past but Jaune is from the future after Alyx long completed her adventures in the Ever After and returned home?

I dunno bout ya’ll but I found that twist to be kind of cool. So basically Jaune lived on the Ever After for quite some time given his maturity. But again, Jaune is from the future but met a character from the past.

That makes me wonder something---the mysterious time fruit that Jaune found and destroyed---is there more of it? Could that be an alternative to helping RWBYJ return home safely to Remnant without needing to go to the Tree?

Because as we were made well aware of, the Tree is not quite a tree of life but more so a Tree of Death---another nice twist. However, there is one aspect of it that does remain to be true despite the Curious Cat’s trickery. It does seem like the Tree has the power to return non-Afterans to Remnant but through some kind of sacrifice.

It seems like in order to go back to Remnant, a sacrifice needs to be made?

If Alyx was required to possibly kill and offer her brother up to the Tree of Death to return home to Remant, what if...RWBYJ would have to do something similar?

Imagine if...in the end, Ruby is the one to remain back in the Ever After while her friends go home without her?

What if...Ruby is met with the same ultimatum from the Tree of Death as Alyx? Give up something precious to her in order to go home?

But unlike Alyx who was selfish in her final choice, what if...Ruby doesn't do this? Obviously Ruby would never give up her friends/loved ones the way Alyx did in her story.

What if...Ruby does the opposite of Alyx and sacrifices herself so that her friends may go home without her.

And unlike Alyx who was the lone survivor of the Ever After who wrote her own brother out of her story and her life essentially, what if…Weiss, Blake, Yang and Jaune all return to Remnant and are forced to carry on Ruby’s legacy because back home on Remnant, it would be as if Ruby never existed. Written out of the story.

This makes me think back to the last thing Cinder said to Ruby before leaving her to drop with Neo.

Cinder told Ruby that things would be better if she had never been born. So perhaps, this was a foreshadow to Ruby’s “death”.

Ruby’s existence will be erased, much like Luis.

Or..what if...and this is a big IF, there is another unknown twist to the story of Alyx.

What if…Alyx was never the author of “The Girl Who Fell Through the World”?

What if…the person who told Alyx’s story was in fact her brother Luis?

Hear me out on this one folks because I’m about to drop a big theory here.

What if…back on Remnant, Alyx always has a strained relationship with her brother from the jump and always secretly resented him in a way because as siblings, the two were constantly compared with Luis being the more favourable of the two children since he was the kinder of the two.

Imagine if...growing up Alyx suffered a childhood where she was always told be “more like her brother” and it was this resentment that Alyx brought with her into the Ever After.

What if...when Alyx tried to sacrifice Luis, the Tree of Death pulled a switcheroo, sending Luis back home instead while Alyx remained trapped in the Ever After forever.

It is said in the story that when Alyx returned to Remnant, she wasn't the same person anymore.

So what if... when Luis returned home to Remnant, he wasn’t Luis anymore. He had become Alyx, taking her place in the world while the real Alyx was written out of existence and replaced by Luis.

Or perhaps Luis remained as he was but he was left completely heartbroken by the events. Of losing his sister the way he did. Of leaving her behind the way he did. Perhaps Luis loved his sister dearly and being the kind person that he was depicted to be, Luis chose to carry on his sister’s legacy by writing a book about their adventures where she was the main hero---therefore, Alyx would forever be remembered as a good person because that’s how Luis---the brother she hated--- wanted her---the sister he loved---- to be remembered?

That’s my theory.

Luis became the true author of “The Girl Who Fell Through the World” while Alyx either was eaten by the Jabberwalker or became the Jabberwalker.

I feel the real Alyx was cursed to be forever trapped in the Ever After, becoming known as a monster amongst the inhabitants because that seems to be the type of person Alyx really was---

A monster who would give up her own loved ones to escape the imaginary fairytale world only to wind up becoming a prisoner of it.

That’s my hunch for now and my biggest takeway from this episode.

That being said, this is all I have to say on EP6.

~LMS (2023)

[give-soup-please]

So... why do you like the narrator so much?

oh- oh bud, you've opened a can of worms here.

first, his ego. i dunno how it was accomplished, but somehow he comes off as charming more than anyone else. he boasts about how great his own work is, and instead of being repulsed or rolling my eyes (which is usually what happens when i run across egotistical characters) i am thinking to myself, 'yeah! praise your own work! you deserve it!' dude's got an ego the size of a planet, and it's hilarious.

secondly, his earnestness. he wants more than anything else, to pull of a successful story and receive adoration from an audience. if you mess around in the expo long enough he'll talk about how he has so many things he wants to show 'you' (interpretation is in the air on whether or not he's talking to stanley, or us. or both?) he wants this story of his to work so bad, and at his more tender moments (like the memory zone pre... horrors... he genuinely wants to make his audience happy. and speaking of tenderness-

third, that secret hidden side of him. now, this is open to interpretation more than anything else, but there are moments- very small and easily missable moments- that proves this guy has a heart of some kind. when he talks about being happy during the zending, him letting us into an area- THAT HE HID FROM THE DEVELOPERS!!!!!- the fucking french song about the memory zone?????? there is something honest to god tender in him that makes me go feral. i always wonder how he'd operate as a friend to someone outside the context of the parable, which is one of the focus points of the longfic of mine.

fourth, his voice. Kevan Brighting really knocked the performance out of the park, and his range is undeniable. they found a VA who can be sweet, manipulative, malicious, and snarky without overdoing it. he has the range, darling. and uh- y'know,,, i've always loved someone who can rock a nice baritone. goddamn. zoo wee, his voice is lovely, and i could listen to it all day. not everyone liked ultra deluxe for one reason or another, but i was just overjoyed to get more dialogue from him. i think there's two, maybe three hours of extra content, and oooooogh, it really filled a need.

fifth, his snark and sarcasm. i could talk at length all day about this aspect of him. he's so goddamn funny. the way he repeatedly roasts us is fantastic, and driving him off script again and again is a never ending source of entertainment for someone who tends to overreact to characters getting 'burned'. you should have seen me the first time i read pride and prejudice, there are some delicious moments of snark that i used to shout about.

sixth, he's a fucking dork with a poor understanding of humanity. from the uranium line in the demo to the guitar song when you fall out of a window, this dude is a dramatic dork, and i love him for it. this goes hand in hand with his people pleasing tendencies, and i just wanna hug him so bad.

seventh, his relatability. i write a lot, and some struggles are universal among writers. his desire for praise, his frustrations when a script doesn't go to plan, and at the end of the figurine ending, when he talks about his need for companionship and loneliness? as someone who doesn't socialize IRL that often, and who has used fictional characters as both a means of escape and as company during rough times in my life, i've never felt a click that strong with a character before. i felt like i understood him so well in that moment.

eighth, (8!) i just empathize with him so much. the poor bastard is stuck in an eternal loop, doomed by the narrative that he himself constructed. this dude desires freedom so much but can never quite have it due to the structure of his story and his own flaws of being unable to let go- (both his story and negative feedback)- he's an utterly tragic character which is why my fic focuses on giving him an actual happy ending.

anyway, there's eight reasons for you. give me a few hours and i'm sure i could come up with eight more.

someone needs to give this dude a blanket and a hot drink. he's been through too much. and truth be told, besides his overly antagonistic side which crops up in a few endings, i don't think there's a single aspect of him i don't like. i dunno man, i'm pretty soft hearted, and there are days i just want to give him a hug and say, 'you are so loved, you have no idea. you have millions of fans, and i'm one of your biggest'

he's my blorbo, my scrungly, my scrimblo, my beloved, my anchor. 10/10, best boy.

[lets-get-kraken-boys]

BUCCHIGIRI?! Rant

This show could have been so great. It could have been my everything. It was so cute when I first discovered it. The character designs are PHENOMENAL, the setting in fantastic, the colors are so vibrant and gorgeous—it is a visual masterpiece. Every character is so interesting, the story is actually engaging and cute. IT IS ALSO SO GAY OMG I LOVE IT! The men are all over each other and Ara-chan every episode, I’m not even making this shit up. It could have been so amazing.

But they ruined it.

They failed me and my love because of one character.

Mahoro Jin.

This girl…when you first see her is so adorable, so sweet. It’s unassuming. She’s got the whole heart aesthetic going on, lots of pink—instantly I was thinking about all the cute figures that were going to come out for her and how she was going to become a fav character of mine! She’s a nice soft character who you’re like “Oh! She’s a very cute love interest for this anime. I can’t wait to see where their love goes!” And all is well. For the first half of episode one. Then…all hell breaks loose when we meet Marito, her brother.

Don’t get me wrong, I ADORE Marito!!! Marito is a stunning character and I love him to death, I am obsessed. He’s so handsome and I love his vibes. However…I am not the only one who is obsessed with him.

THIS 👏🏻 CHICK 👏🏻 ROMANTICALLY 👏🏻 LOVES 👏🏻 HER 👏🏻 BROTHER 👏🏻

🥲

I haven’t been this disappointed in such a long time. Why? Why does anime do this to us? Why does it hurt me in such a violent and awful way? Why does it take so much from me? Literally cried after it was revelaved that she wants on her brother to LOVE and fight for her. Nearly threw up.

She was a great character and then we saw the truth, and it’s all inc*st with her now. GROSS. Every sentence that comes out of her goddamn mouth is about this man that I love(d, depending if I can stomach more of this God forsaken relationship) and it’s weirding me tf out. She appears in every other scene and quite literally ONLY talks about him. It’s so fucking disappointing. I think she’s only had one or two sentences that had nothing to do with her brother after we were introduced to him, and that’s fucking sad.

If I were to revamp this series, I would immediately change her character. Don’t get me wrong, I would keep her as a character because she has a great design, but make her want/talk about something ANYTHING else. If she had any other interests to share and, ya know, wasn’t looking to bang her sibling, it would have been fine! It’s vile that the author literally only uses her to remind everyone that she’s obsessed with her brother and wants to ROMANTICALLY be involved with him.

The ONLY redeeming thing is that Marito doesn’t return her feelings AT ALL. But it’s not helping my cringing at all. It makes the experience so fucking awful. Every time I try to enjoy it again, she’s rears her ugly head around and starts yapping.

I wanted to like this show so fucking bad…but her behavior ruins it so much that I can’t watch it.

It breaks my heart to see such promising new animes rely so heavily on these overused DISGUSTING themes when there is LITERALLY NO GODDAMN NEED FOR THEM!!! They weird everyone out, and you shit on a perfectly wonderful story by adding it. I wish they’d stop to let this go.

Sorry that was a long rant, but I had to let the people know my thoughts and violent feelings on this. I want to smack this author so bad, my hand is ITCHING for the opportunity one day.

Rest in piss, Bucchigiri.