#I found funny that they used pronouns to mark the gender of characters given that sign languages don't have gendered pronouns

[motsimages]

Watching the Time Quangle in Dublin shows, I noticed that they had a sign interpreter on stage.

First of all, I don't know how much she was paid, but she wasn't paid enough, I hope that she at least had her (ideally) 2 colleagues for support and rest*.

Second of all, so many missed chances of making her the spotlight for all the scatological or sexual jokes. If you don't speak any sign language, you can't imagine how explicit everything is in sign language. I leave you this stand up with a sign language interpreter to see the world of possibilities we could have had (from minute 1:20 or so if you don't want to see it all).

There are barely no euphemisms because you have to show what you mean with your hands and your face. If you rewatch these shows, pleeeeaaaaase, imagine how you would make some of the jokes with your hands, body and face. You're welcome.

Also, like poor interpreter because all the preparation she could have had (if any at all) is looking up if there are existing signs for D&D things**, names of characters and their abilities (what the fuck do you do with Cody's sword name). And if there aren't, making them up, very likely on the spot.

*that's how good SL interpreting should be done, with 3 interpreters taking turns: one for interpreting, one for giving her help when she forgets something or can't find the right word, one for resting in between the other two quite taxing activities.

**I looked up on youtube to see if someone had made a video about it. I found a couple in BSL and ASL but not much at all. I will put here a video of people playing DnD in ASL, with 2 deaf people. For example, minute 30:03 to see how they give a name to an NPC (which the interpreter in Dublin would have to have done in advance or as it happens). This video is interesting because the master is not superfluent in ASL and one of the players is an interpreter, so she interprets to help better communicate between the master and the players. In minute 31:00 the master is speaking, one of the deaf players is checking his sheet and the interpreter calls his attention because there is no point in interpreting if they are not watching:

[courfeyracs-swordcane]

lots of questions for alonzo (although i'd be interested to know all of these for any of the ballad brothers characters):

🎮 Video Game Controller - what are three of your oc's favorite hobbies?

🖊 Ballpoint Pen - does your oc have any tattoos? do they want any (more) tattoos?

🩹 Adhesive Bandaid - does your oc have any physical and/or mental disabilities?

💯 Hundred Points Symbol - share three random facts about your oc that others may not know.

🌈 Rainbow - what is your oc's sexual orientation/gender identity? what pronouns do they use?

🐶 Dog Face - does your oc have any pets?

🍎 Red Apple - where was your oc born? do they still live in/around their place of birth or do they live somewhere else? how do they feel about their birthplace?

❤️ Red Heart - what are three of your oc's positive traits?

🤍 White Heart - what are three of your oc's neutral/questionable traits?

💔 Broken Heart - what are three of your oc's negative traits?

💛 Yellow Heart - how many languages does your oc speak? what language(s) are they learning, if any?

🖤 Black Heart - has your oc killed or seriously wounded anyone before? have they even broken someone's heart and/or broken someone's trust?

🎂 Birthday Cake - when is your oc's birthday? how old are they? what are their sun, moon, and rising signs (if known)? what about their tarot card, ruling planet, and ruling number (if known)? do they fit the typical traits of these sun, moon, and rising signs?

😊 Smiling Face With Smiling Eyes - what are your oc's career/general life desires? what do they want to get the most out of life?

🤓 Smiling Face With Glasses - is your oc chatty or quiet? are they at ease in social situations, or are they more shy?

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family With Mother, Father, Son, And Daughter - how many people are in your oc's immediate family? how many people are in your oc's extended family? do they have aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc? who in their family are the closest with? are they close with their birth family, or do they have a found family?

YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER ALL OF THESE!!

OKAY IT TOOK ME A WHILE (and I’m still working through the last set) bUT.

🎮 Video Game Controller - what are three of your oc's favorite hobbies?

Oh god. Well. I mean first and foremost this is definitely not a guy who wants anyone to think he has hobbies. He’s very particular about What Anyone is Allowed To Know About Him at Any Given Time (hint. It’s not very much.)

That being said. Things he does that aren’t his job.

1. Sneak out to go sit in the corner of the room his sister is squatting in and bicker.

2. Sneak out to go hang out in the doorway of his kind-of boyfriend’s horrifyingly poorly ventilated necromancy basement lab and try and convince them to go touch grass or smth (he will not go in)

3. I think he plays like fuckin handball or smth

🖊 Ballpoint Pen - does your oc have any tattoos? do they want any (more) tattoos?

He does not! Not comfortable with identifying marks like that and also not really capable of that kind of self expression? I think if he had anything he felt strongly enough about he might get one but he doesn’t really. have that. (or if Ari came up with something stupid and funny enough they could definitely talk him into getting a tattoo. For the bit.)

He’s got piercings tho!!! Several in his ears and one eyebrow!

🩹 Adhesive Bandaid - does your oc have any physical and/or mental disabilities?

There’s definitely SOMETHING wrong with him in the brain! Unsure exactly what it is yet but I’m thinking he’s probably just like. really REALLY good at masking?

I think he’s the least physically disabled one in the thing so far? Like. Kyrie definitely did not come out of All That unscathed. One of Punk’s eyes is fucked up (thanks Kyrie)(<— lore that exists as of literally right now). Ari lives in a fucked up basement that’s full of entirely unventilated toxic fumes and they literally do not fucking go outside ever, which has definitely Had An Effect on both their brain and their little twink body (negative).

Also I think when Alonzo dies that kind of sticks around afterwards? He came back right but he gets hella chest pains/can’t always breathe (comes and goes)

💯 Hundred Points Symbol - share three random facts about your oc that others may not know.

(THIS ONE I JUST DONT HAVE I THINK IM SORRY)(it really depends on the others at hand— this guy is a fully different person in different situations/around different people)(Kyrie doesn’t know much about the years she was gone besides that they were Bad. Ari doesn’t know anything about what/how much he’s invested in anything. Punk probably knows him the best (on account of the Proximity) and they don’t know hardly any facts about him at all)

🌈 Rainbow - what is your oc's sexual orientation/gender identity? what pronouns do they use?

Ok on the reference spreadsheet I have to keep all my lore straight he’s listed as ‘Gender: seriously??’ and ‘sexuality: ace’ but to get more specific he’s trans his pronouns are he/they and he’s biromantic asexual except he’s also on the aro spectrum because I can’t write characters who aren’t lmaoooo. And the repression.

🐶 Dog Face - does your oc have any pets?

Okay I think that would fix him but no he does not on account of the organization he works for owns pretty much everything he has including his apartment and the clothes on his back and adding anything he’d be genuinely upset about losing into that mix is would be out of the question

🍎 Red Apple - where was your oc born? do they still live in/around their place of birth or do they live somewhere else? how do they feel about their birthplace?

The whole thing takes place in an as-yet unnamed city(-state)!!! I’m still figuring out exactly how shit worked in Kyrie and his childhood but they were definitely both born there and I don’t think either of them has ever really been anywhere else. Kyrie might have gotten to travel occasionally when she was the organization’s golden girl but like. Didn’t get to be anywhere for any meaningful length of time.

As for how he feels, I think he’s very pragmatic about it? It’s the only place he’s ever been and a lot of it sucks but not all of it. It’s fine.

❤️ Red Heart - what are three one of your oc's positive traits?

1. He’s always been the one with the braincell! When he was younger, before Kyrie left, it manifested mostly as being a Very Bright Kid with a Lot Of Anxiety and now it’s more of a. ‘I am the only bitch in this goddamn story with an OUNCE of common sense can you guys not fucking THINK???’ <— guy who is drastically underestimating his capability for dumbassery but still.

🤍 White Heart - what are three one of your oc's neutral/questionable traits?

1. Very very good at talking! I wouldn’t necessarily call him charismatic but he’s very good at just like. casual small talk? He’s got that ‘I will make an exception because he seems very polite’ swag

💔 Broken Heart - what are three one of your oc's negative traits?

1. Repressed as hell in literally every way possible. Allergic to anything genuine and open and vulnerable. He’s constantly playing 3D chess against himself and everyone around him to make sure nothing gets too close. And he is doing all of this while thinking he came out pretty healthy and well adjusted.

🖤 Black Heart - has your oc killed or seriously wounded anyone before? have they even broken someone's heart and/or broken someone's trust?

He has definitely both killed and seriously wounded people! He does that on a regular basis that’s literally his job <3 and he’s very good at it <3

For the second half, I don’t think so? The only people who’s trust he’s breaking are people who are not really emotionally invested in him (organization higher-ups at large) or people who expected this from the beginning (Punk).

Kyrie was definitely pretty fucked up about him joining up w the organization (/just like. Generally how he turned out, esp with it being Really Obvious to anyone who knows either of them that He Grew Up Just Like The Sister He Remembered)(Kyrie at the time having been 18 and angry and trapped in a very small life and desperate to be anything worth taking notice of) but I don’t know if I’d call that a broken heart issue? It did give her lots of issues about letting anyone help her/get themselves involved in her Overthrow The Government efforts tho <3

🎂 Birthday Cake - when is your oc's birthday? how old are they? what are their sun, moon, and rising signs (if known)? what about their tarot card, ruling planet, and ruling number (if known)? do they fit the typical traits of these sun, moon, and rising signs?

Oh shit! Okay that’s one I’ll have to come back to when I have a little more worldbuilding in place I think since I’m gonna hazard a guess that they don’t have the same months or zodiacs BUT he’s 25 (Ari is also 25, Kyrie is 29, and Punk is like mid 30s)

😊 Smiling Face With Smiling Eyes - what are your oc's career/general life desires? what do they want to get the most out of life?

WELL. first of all this is not a guy with general life or career desires— his plan was basically to Be Like Kyrie and then he did that (got the same job at the organization) and now he’s technically a hostage there (he doesn’t really give a shit but it’s not a situation that especially allows for Goals)

🤓 Smiling Face With Glasses - is your oc chatty or quiet? are they at ease in social situations, or are they more shy?

I think he falls on the quieter end? Like he’s notably EXCELLENT at small talk but he definitely defaults more to sitting back and just watching.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family With Mother, Father, Son, And Daughter - how many people are in your oc's immediate family? how many people are in your oc's extended family? do they have aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc? who in their family are the closest with? are they close with their birth family, or do they have a found family?

Still working out What The Deal Is There Exactly, but it’s always been just him and Kyrie! and they get a little found family together but that’s like. The point of the story here

[foxtricksterwriting]

MC; Jesse

Author's Note; THIS MAN has been kicking my ass. I've never had so much trouble trying to name one of my characters EVER. Take him please /j

Credits: This a MC for The Deal, found @thedeal-if

Preferred Name: Jesper Warner (".....??? Oh right, ahem, do you need something?")

Alias: Jesse ("I prefer Jesse, if we're not being too formal with each other.")

Gender + Pronouns: man + he/him

More About Him; At first glance, he's broody and stoic, rarely showing others how he feels. He doesn't like most people, preferring to either be alone or in the company of his close friends. Jesse does go out of his way to show his friends that he cares, usually by trying to spend time with them. He's blunt about his opinions, good and bad.

He likes teasing his friends and loved ones; this is one of the only things about him that hasn't changed from when he was a teen. He can be surprisingly gentle with this, but usually can't help himself. Jesse has surprisingly poor impulse control, most of the time just barely able to stop himself before he does something stupidly dangerous.

Jesse takes pride in his art, to the point of bragging about himself and his abilities. Really he's a prideful person in general, taking pride in his friends and family and their abilities. He can be a bit annoying about it. If his crush/love interest remarks on this he'll try to start some sort of banter with them, with varying degrees of success...

Fun Facts

Pinterest here

He romances Dante and Nathan. Debating about having him romance Josh as well

He's so used to being called Jesse that he sometimes forgets his name is actually Jesper.

Has a soft spot for mischievous people, even he's not quite sure why.

He does sculpting and pottery, he loves sculpting faces. He sketches too, but greatly prefers his sculpting. Has a little fantasy of making a full body sculpture of his lover(s) in the same vein as the greek sculptures he's seen in museums. ("Maybe one of my lovers would end up in a museum some hundred years in the future. Ha, that's an artists dream, isn't it?")

There's like a fifty/fifty chance of his clothes having dried clay on them at any given moment.

Messy man. His workspaces are disasters, as is his room. He somehow knows where everything is. Gets mad when someone tries to organize his mess.

Has two beauty marks on his right shoulder that looks like vampire bite marks, he thinks its a little funny and jokes about vampires being real and being a vampire himself.

He was a Christian at some point, he's not anymore. Some of the imagery he still finds cool(like the angels, both humanoid and not).

Tends to call his loved ones petnames, like calling his sister angel. If anyone points it out he gets embarrassed since it's largely subconscious. If someone points out what he calls his crush/love interest he gets really flustered. ("Huh? No, n-no I did not! Stop laughing!!")

On that note, he calls Josh lovey. Not even in a romantic way. Would call Nathan casanova or romeo in a sarcastic way at first, then it'd become his petname. He'd also call Dante darling, probably on accident the first time. His default petnames are dear and hun.

He's not really developed, character-wise. I need a bit more time to flesh him out.

[mistabullets]

ok that dirty talk with fugo and the make up sex made me feel some type of way man, can you write a scenario for that? thanks homie

Riunione

Characters: Pannacotta Fugo x Reader

Word Count: 1.4k

Summary: It's been a while since you last saw Fugo but your reunion doesn't go out as planned.

Content Warning: n/s/f/w, aged up characters, makeup sex, coming side arguing cw, mentions of death cw, spoilers for part 5, gender neutral reader and pronouns.

Note: God, this took me ages to finish and I’m so sorry.

It had been two weeks since you last spoke to Fugo and his words still played with your mind over and over, like a record. Just thinking about him hurts and you ponder if things can easily go back to normal.

Bruno... Narancia... Abbacchio. They’re all gone.

You told him he should have come. That deciding to kick it back and remain in Naples had crushed your soul and made you questioned if he had truly loved you or your self-made family. His reasonings flew over your head, you were being sunk by a heavy heart in a sea of uncertainty. He promised to remain with you.

Of course, the blonde man proceeded to flip his shit, slamming his fist down on the table, splitting the furnished wood in half. You flinched and squeezed your eyes shut, instinctively pulling away from the small destruction and the ruins of his kitchen table. “I told you it was fucking suicidal—they understood the consequences, even Narancia! You even understood that yet you went anyway, so how do you think I felt?!” This was the first time he ever yelled at you with such venom and his words poisoned you.

Before rage could further consume Fugo, he had noticed your tears swelling and his battered knuckles. And before he can say anything else, an apology for behaving in such a way, you were already grabbing for your things and heading out the door. He attempted to follow after, explaining that’s not what he meant, that was happy you were okay... but you just couldn’t tolerate being in your (ex? you didn’t know anymore) boyfriend’s presence. Before storming out of the door, you turned toward back to your former lover, wanting to have the satisfaction of saying the last words, despite it never helping.

“Fuck off, Fugo! They didn’t die in vain!” you spat one last time before slamming the door and rushing back to your vehicle. You cried all the way home as the argument looped in your head...

**

Your mind lingered to another realm, dissociating from the cold side of your bed which used to be filled by Fugo’s warm body. At this point, it was a waiting game; who would break first and apologize. The phone was next to you at the bedside yet you only received concerned calls from your fellow gangsters. You were disappointed to see a different number on the caller ID and found yourself longing to hear the familiar voice, rough around the edges, attempting to keep composure. But you didn’t see yourself at fault! He had said such cruel words... and that was only the tip of the iceberg, frozen around your heart with so many negative emotions, all stemming from that day. When Bruno betrayed the former don of Passione...

But you wanted to melt and thaw out your miserable heart. Even if you were hurt by Fugo’s actions, you still loved him. You missed all of the wisdom he taught you, how safe you felt by his side and the passion which danced in his lavender eyes, quietly declaring his love and adoration for you with just a look. Abbacchio would have told you to suck it and apologize, saying it sucks bottling it all up. Narancia would have attempted to be a mediator, eventually just growing frustrated. And Bruno would have given the best advice, knowing you and Fugo so well. Huffing a sigh of defeat, you reached for the phone. While things couldn’t be normal again, that’s okay.

“Not everything is going to be easy. You’re going to suffer heartbreaks, you’re going to cry, and it may feel like living hell. But despite how out of control things may seem, remember this, Y/N. You do have the will to change the outcome if you put your heart into it. Be in charge of how you resolve the conflicts within the journey of your life.” Bruno had once said, whenever you confided with him about your fears of possibly facing Fugo again.

Fingers softly clicked the familiar sequence of numbers. But before you could press dial, the phone in your hand buzzed and your heart skipped a beat when you recognized the name. Swallowing down your pride, you answered, sweat already beaming your hairline and your stomach jumping with adrenaline and anticipation.

“Hey...” came from the other line, hesitation and doubt quite obvious.

“H-Hey...” you gulped, “funny, I was just about to call you myself,” you admitted.

“R-Really?” he was surprised but he tried to hide it, not wanting to ruin his chances of seeing you again.

“Heh, yeah... anyway... what’s up?”

“Well, I was wondering if you could come over? If you want to, of course. If you need more time—“

You interrupted, “I’ll be there in half an hour.”

**

“Did you really miss me that much, tesoro?” said that familiar voice but you notice how he seemed so bewildered by your fast appearance.

It only took mere seconds to be whisked inside of Fugo’s apartment once you knocked on the door. And it only took a few more seconds to have his lips crashing down on yours, desperate and wanting to validate your existence, that you were alive and here. You couldn’t help be let out an uneven breath when you felt a warm whisper up against your ears, “I’m sorry for being such an asshole but god... I really did miss you. I couldn’t stop thinking about you, wondering if you would hate me or even come back alive.”

You swear, there was a slight edge to his voice as if trying to hold back tears but before you could confirm this, kisses began littering your neck while hands eagerly grabbed for your hips to keep you anchored in the moment. Fugo led you to the bedroom, despite his needy lips burning your skin, melting into his touches. Your clothes were mostly gone by the time you fell into the soft bedding, both of you had become acquainted with each other’s bodies again. Despite the initial hurt, the heartbreak which eventually boiled into a deeply rooted resentment... you couldn’t let go, not after what you’ve been through, not wanting to lose another piece of you and have it slip away into bittersweet memories of better days. Fugo was always going to be your boy, your amore.

If he wasn’t inside you, the young man feared he may wake up and perhaps discover you were dead. Now wasn’t the time to whisper how he longed for you with filthy words of lust or rediscover the spots that made your toes curl and your fingers dig into the sheets in absolute pleasure. With haste, Fugo tore off the remainder of your clothes and allowing himself just a moment to digest that yes, this was reality and you were as beautiful as ever, even with a plethora of the scars which told the story of betrayal. “So, so beautiful... god, I’ve been wanting to fuck your brains out since I last saw you, amore.”

You gasped when you felt the tip of his cock align against your entrance and moaned from the welcoming sting of his girth as he pushed himself inside of you. Fugo groaned his obscenities along with I love you and God, I fucking missed you as he quickened his pace, enjoying how you held him tightly, with your nails digging into his back and marking him up. Rather than pounding into your heat with abandon, Fugo wanted to take his time and enjoy this reunion.

Too bad it had been so long and he already felt himself facing the brink of climax. Fugo continued his sensual fucking, making sure to grind into your sweet spot that had you seeing white stars. The hands which he had branded your lover’s skin reached for his face, wanting to see the intensity of his lavender orbs. And you saw them, along with the tears threatening to cascade down his flushed face. The young man took in your pretty (e/c) eyes, the same ones that kept the storm from brewing, that kept the tsunami at bay... now so glazed with comforting adoration as he began to ram into your tightness.

“Say my name, amore. A-Ah fuck--please...!”

“Mmph--F-Fugo, Fugo...! I-I love you!” you moaned, clamping onto his cock as orgasm fast approached.

“S-Shit, Y/N, I love you so much, I-I’m cumming!”

His hot seed painted and coated your insides as you reached your own climax, smashing your mouth against the blonde and moaning into him. You milked out his cum and felt glowing satisfaction from being so full. You whimpered as he pulled out but he cuddled up, laying his head against your chest. Tears spilled but you held him close, not ready to leave his embrace anytime soon.

God, did you miss this.

[alternislatronemhq]

Congrats, Karli, you have been accepted to AL for the role of Sirius Black (FC: Rob Raco). Wow, Karli, well done! As I was reading your app, I found myself totally taken in by your characterization of Sirius. You really understand him the way that I had envisioned him for this plot — the slightly immature, bitter, grudge holding mischief maker who has had to grow up and be a parent because of the loss of his brother and best friend. You really had a grasp of the plot and I found myself getting so excited to play Lily alongside you. Just, really great job, I’m so excited to have you here! Please send in your blog (no sideblogs for first characters, please) in the next 24 hours and be sure to take a look at our new player checklist.Welcome home, we’re so excited to have you join the family!

OOC

name — Karli age — 29 pronouns — she/her timezone — CST activity level — Probably an 7-8 right now. I’m off work for summer break with a few things to do here and there, but I’m typically on every day and doing replies every couple of days. It might lessen in the fall months but right now, I’m VERY free!

IC Overview

name — Sirius Orion Black age — 26 | 3 November 1959 gender — Cis-male sexuality — If asked, Sirius would say he doesn’t like labels. He’s fluid - people know that. He sleeps around with many genders, but doesn’t really make an announcement about it. He also doesn’t work for it. If someone wants to have sex with him, he’s likely pretty open to it. But he also isn’t going to put in much effort to make it happen. He’s not a relationship-type of bloke and, even though there are people out there who think they can “change him,” no one has been able to yet. In more modern terms, he’s likely pansexual, aromantic (on the spectrum of little romantic attraction over no romantic attraction). But he wouldn’t know that, nor does he really care to know it. Sex is sex. That’s all.

patronus — Sirius has always struggled with producing a corporeal patronus. Perhaps it was the necessity of focusing on one good thing that made the spell work - or maybe it’s just that Sirius isn’t as good with the abstract stuff as he likes to think. During the moments where it did work during the war, it was a large black dog, unsurprising to anyone who knew of his animagus form. He liked to smirk at James - or perhaps Remus or Peter, if they were around - whenever it popped from his wand. After the war, however, there wasn’t much use for the spell. The last time he performed it had been during his extracurricular project with Dumbledore… and he was surprised at what he saw. No longer the dog moving swiftly, brightly from his wand… but, instead, a brilliant form of a stag, large hooves and antlers that once matched James’ patronus. However, when the stag turned towards him, showing the familiar markings around its eyes, Sirius realized… it wasn’t just James’ old patronus, but rather Prongs himself. It had taken his breath away for a moment, causing a near-fatal distraction that needed Dumbledore’s help to escape.

boggart — Sirius’ boggart is a silver mask, but not for the reasons one might expect. He is less afraid of being a follower of Voldemort than he is about what that would mean about him. It would mean he conformed to what his family wanted - and conformity is Sirius’ biggest fear… or, at least, that’s what he’d tell someone. In reality, especially with another looming war, he is likely more afraid of Harry ending up like his father - or dead. But, in the moment, conformity would be Sirius’ biggest fear.

IC In Depth

personality traits —

[+] Loyal - There’s a reason Sirius’ animagus form is a dog - he is loyal to those he cares about. In the past, this was in relationship to the Marauders, particularly James more than anyone, but has changed as the years have gone by and things shifted. He is now mostly loyal to Harry - and, by extension, Lily. The problem with Sirius’ loyalty is that it can be very dark. Peter is out - and that’s forever. There is no coming back with Sirius once he views something as a betrayal and that includes someone he used to love.

[+] Intelligent - It’s not something easily identifiable by just looking at him, but Sirius is smart. In the books, he was one of the only people ever to escape Azkaban. In school, he hardly had to study and managed to keep up good grades and make his way through Hogwarts without trying. He’s careless in this intelligence sometimes, assuming he just knows without really thinking much about it. His “smarts” do well in both books and streets - he knows how to navigate life at the bar where he works and that different sort of nightlife. He’s a good dueller, able to use intuition to anticipate the moves of his opponent. The intelligence he does have helped to design the Marauders Map, become an animagus, and find and destroy the Horcruxes with Dumbledore.

[+] Open-Minded - Not the best word for this with Sirius, who can be incredibly stubborn and unwilling to change, but there is a reason he didn’t chuck out a werewolf as a friend, despite the teachings by his family. While Sirius himself is rather indifferent to these sorts of things, he does listen - and maybe, in part, this was due to James - and try to be better. Once, as a child, he thought muggleborns were scum… then he grew up, met more open-minded people, and followed their lead. He tries and that’s more than some others.

[+/-] Highly Emotional - Sirius is impulsive and uses emotions to make decisions before he thinks it through. This is what led him to trying to kill Peter the night James almost died - this is what leads him into at least half the arguments he has. He didn’t think through the “Prank” with Remus and Snape… just did it… because he thought it would be funny. That being said - this isn’t always a bad thing. He feels big and that means happiness, too. He can make Harry laugh more than anyone because he loves to joke around and play with him. He’s protective and those emotions come into play whenever someone is trying to mess with his family. It can just sometimes be hard for someone to truly know what they might be getting with him, as he can often flip from one emotion to the next rather quickly.

[-] Jealous/Distrustful - Sirius doesn’t accept change very easily when it comes to his outside world, particularly friendships. He wasn’t very keen on Lily in the beginning of her relationship with James because of his fear that she would “take his best friend away.” It made him mean - even aggressive - towards her, until James put a stop to it. When he finally realized that Lily could be in love with his best friend and he could still have his friendship, he cooled down and was more willing to bring her into his life. It wasn’t until the war that she truly became part of his family and that’s stuck with him since then, especially more so since James didn’t wake up. He’s now more likely to side-eye others she brings around, suspicious of them and their intentions, particularly if it is a man he’s worried about trying to hit on her. He doesn’t trust easily but, once a person has earned it, it���s much easier for him to open up.

[-] Resentful/Vindictive - Sirius Black knows how to hold a grudge. Once someone is dead to him, they are dead to him. He has made it a point that he will kill Peter Pettigrew one day and that has not gone away. Even though there’s part of him glad that he never got the chance five years ago (despite his best effort), he hasn’t given up hope. It’s not just good enough for Peter to die… he wants to be the one to do it. There’s also the grudge with Remus. While this one is to much a lesser extent, he’s angry that Remus hasn’t forgiven him, but has forgiven everyone else. He’s wary of Remus being around Harry because he thinks anyone around his godson should have to be okay with him. This is an argument that often peaks with him and Lily. He’s apologized to Remus - he hates himself for what happened to James - it’s about time Remus just got over it and realized that.

[-] Ruthless - Sirius is willing to do anything to get something done. If it had come to it during war, he wouldn’t have been above torture of a captured Death Eater and definitely killed without blinking an eye. His world is often very black and white - therefore, the good guys were good and the bad guys were bad. He’s willing to do what it takes to make sure he gets revenge for James. He’ll do anything to get the Horcruxes and take down Voldemort. He’ll do whatever he has to in order to protect Harry.

character biography —

Born to the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black, Sirius Black was the son his parents wanted - or so they originally thought. Cousins, Walburga and Orion married one another only to produce an heir. There was no love within their relationship, just duty - when the first son came, they were almost thrilled. But perhaps Sirius’ mother was just as suspicious as him because she forced her husband into bed again and again for a second child… just in case.

As if turned out, they would need it. Regulus was a docile baby, while Sirius had been finicky. They played well together as they aged and, despite being one another’s deepest confidants, there was clear favoritism from his parents to the younger son. This was rarely violent, but Walburga, particularly, made it clear that she preferred the way Sirius’ brother learned the proper pureblood ways so much more quickly than he did. Orion was rather indifferent to his family in general, preferring the young girls at the underground clubs - sometimes a bit too young for society’s tastes.

Despite many not realizing this, Sirius did try to be the son his parents wanted… at first. He believed what they believed - he did what he was told. But he screwed up often. Questioned things without thinking them through - talked out of turn. Whenever Regulus messed something up, Sirius would try his best to take the fall, ensuring any wrath of his mother stayed on him over his younger brother. As he grew, he began to see more of the world. But it wasn’t until he met James Potter on the train to Hogwarts that he began to change his beliefs. When he talked about the dangers of mudbloods, James set him straight - made sure to keep that word out of Sirius’ mouth. When he questioned the sanity of Muggles, James shrugged and said he thought they weren’t all that bad. It opened his eyes to something new. They were joined by Remus and Peter that year - and, while Sirius loved them, too, he truthfully could care less about expanding the group in the beginning.

The closer he got to his new friends, the farther away he got from the Black family name. He stopped writing home - stopped paying much attention to Regulus. In his young mind, he didn’t realize how detrimental this might be to his brother, but he was wrapped up in this new life. Gryffindor - change - rebellion. It was intoxicating. James became the most important person in Sirius’ life and he clung to his friend with all he had. They pulled pranks as a group, learned about Remus, found a way to help him. The Marauders were born and a map was made and life was good. It didn’t matter that the shadow of his brother donned in Slytherin robes hung over Hogwarts sometimes because Sirius ruled the school. Grimmauld was Regulus’ - Hogwarts was his.

When he decided to tell Severus Snape about the Willow, he hadn’t been thinking. But, really, nothing happened! Remus was being rather dramatic, in Sirius’ opinion! It was just a prank! Why couldn’t anyone else see that? They were mad at him for a while - probably some of the darkest times in Sirius’ life at school, the inability to be with friends - but they came around and it was restored. Things were good - things were right.

Then the war came and it was like the Marauders were thrust into adulthood with Sirius clinging to the life they had. The Order made sense for all of them - they were built for a revolution. But it wasn’t as much of an adventure as they assumed it would be. People died every day - battles were brutal. But Sirius still took it less seriously than he should’ve. He revelled in the fight, laughing alongside his best mate as they shot curses at those fucking cult-followers. He cracked jokes about Voldemort’s dick being so small he had to make an army to try and make up for it. He smiled with blood running down his face into his lips, tasting the iron. He was fearless - and reckless. War wasn’t a game, but Sirius treated it as one.

And it made some people angry. Perhaps that was why Remus suspected him for the spy - or maybe it was lingering distrust over the Willow. Sirius couldn’t help his old prejudices coming up as war grew into their veins, swimming through their blood. A werewolf. Remus had always been able to hold secrets… perhaps this was one of them.

When James was targeted - well, young Harry, but James - Sirius didn’t hesitate to name Remus the spy. James may not have been able to see it… but Peter, Sirius said. We’ll use Peter! No one will suspect! And perhaps that judgement was his worst mistake of all. For Peter was the spy. Peter would come to betray them. And when Voldemort died, there wasn’t much time for celebration because less than a week later, James was found on the ground of Godric’s Hollow, unable to wake up.

Sirius knew who was at fault -it was him! He did this! His own idea! - and that person would pay. It was so much easier to react with vengeance than feel his own guilt. So much easier to want to kill his old friend than cry over his own mistakes. James was as good as dead - and Peter would die, too. Sirius knew the officials would arrest him for the murder - that he would spend his life in Azkaban - but he didn’t care. He searched for Peter the night of James’ torture with the attempt to kill him. But Peter was a rat - and there were thousands of them in London. Whether Peter was using his animagus form or not, Sirius had been unable to track him down before getting apprehended by Aurors. He stayed two days in a holding cell, grieving the near-loss of his true brother - until Lily was able to prove that the secret keeper had never been Sirius, after all.

Since that day, he vowed to do what James would’ve wanted him to do - he looked after Harry and Lily. He became the godfather he was supposed to have been. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t stop thinking about the murder he tried committing that night. If Peter were to ever resurface, Sirius would be ready. It was a good thing that he had the locket - that he had Dumbledore and the Horcruxes. It was something to keep his mind occupied. If he couldn’t kill Peter, then he could at least work on killing Voldemort, who started this entire war in the first place.

Those months after James, he spent his days with Harry and Lily and his nights searching for the Horcruxes. He would wind up back at Lily’s place in the middle of the night and crash on her couch. Eventually, he officially moved in, getting a job at a pub located right between Diagon Alley and Knockturn - causing many different types to enter into the place. These days, he still splits his time - almost like he has two lives; one where he helps raise Harry, the other in an underground nightlife world of darker wix and Horcruxes. He hasn’t forgotten his friend - James is at the forefront of everything Sirius does - or his promise to avenge him. But stopping a potential war and making sure Harry has everything he needs is just as important. Sirius has grown more responsible in the past five years, but he still holds on to much of the person he once was. There’s a chance he’ll end up doing something reckless again - something he can’t take back.

plot ideas —

ONE. I think exploring the interpersonal relationships will be the most interesting thing in this rp. This isn’t a huge action rp (as of yet) and so the quieter moments within relationships is what I’m eager to do. What will it be like trying to co-parent with Lily, when Sirius isn’t even really the parent? I think they likely butt heads and argue from time to time, while also relying heavily on one another. It’s probably in the realm of unhealthy at times, given Sirius lives with them and has devoted his new life to them. Sirius is still very much about James. So, if Lily were to try and move on with someone new, this would be very likely to anger him, even though she deserves a life with love. Then there’s Remus to think about - Remus blames Sirius, but Sirius also blames himself. He just doesn’t think Remus should hold that grudge, while forgiving others in his life. They both thought one another was the spy, after all. I also think it’ll be fun to see how Sirius and Fabian play out together as friends, particularly since they both lost a brother. I’m also looking forward to exploring relationships not within the connections and learning about these characters within this world.

TWO. James wakes up. I see you included “James Potter” as a potential plot drop release – I’m assuming this might mean he wakes up. If that’s the case, I don’t think it’ll be as easy as it would seem for Sirius. He would be glad his friend is back, of course. But it’s also complicated. Harry is only six years old - and lived a whole life without his dad. James would be this “mystery guy he’s heard about” and likely not about to jump into his dad’s arms. I don’t think Sirius would make him, either, which might be frustrating for both Sirius and James. It would complicate their relationship a lot - Harry is his kid now, after all.

THREE. Horcruxes. I think it’ll be important to bring other characters into this, especially since it’s doubtful there will ever be a Dumbledore. I’d like Sirius to be given tasks to ask others for help - and do these missions without Dumbledore present. He’s had to learn more responsibility in the past 5 years, but Sirius was never the leader (that was James), so it would be interesting for him to have to take on a leadership role.

FOUR. Fuckbuddies! I’m not really here for shipping, especially with a character like Sirius, but I think he probably has a few people he’s slept with a couple times. I’m honestly up for anyone for this, but I don’t think just anyone could end up in a romantic relationship with him. First off, he’s aromatic and it’s really hard for him to have a romantic connection. It would take time and a lot of chemistry to ever break Sirius past just sex with someone. But give me fuckbuddies all the way.

FIVE. Sirius may be more responsible than 5 years ago, but that doesn’t mean everything about him has changed. While he’s a good parent to Harry and around very often - his schedule is extremely flexible - that doesn’t always mean he knows what he’s doing. He’s likely to give in rather quickly if Harry were whining and is easily frustrated. While he has good influences around like Molly or Lily, he doesn’t always listen to what they have to say (look at him in OOTP!) and just does what he wants. I’d like to explore how his more passive parenting style might affect Harry and the people around him.

[wardencommanderrodimiss]

In honor of the end of Lost Light today, I’m posting an essay that I wrote for one of my writing courses last fall, where the assignment was to write a persuasive review about something we feel passionately about. I’m always trying to sell these giant robot comics to everyone, so if nothing else, I made all my peer reviewers read about Transformers - but if you’re at all ever wondering what More than Meets the Eye and Lost Light are about, more than just “canon gays”, like “what’s the plot even?” or “how much do I need to know about Transformers if I wanted to read this”, take a gander.

(This review contains spoilers for several plot arcs throughout these comic series.)

Mentioning the Transformers franchise usually elicits one of a few common reactions: an eye roll, a sardonic remark about children’s action figures, or an admittedly-deserved rip on the Michael Bay films (“Have you seen the Rotten Tomatoes score?”). And while nerd culture and mainstream culture overlap more and more, to announce interest in reading comic books is still a mark of fringe-level geekery, never mind the big-budget blockbusters that much of the general public flock to at each new release. So to say that one of the most engaging pieces of media I have engaged with in the past several years is the currently-ongoing comic book series Transformers: Lost Light, I find myself bracing for any of the expected reactions with qualifiers: “It’s good, for Transformers!” or “It’s a good comic book!”

But really, it’s just good.

The publishing company, IDW Publishing, is not the big two of Marvel or DC Comics, but it is sizeable, with several current Transformers series and many more past, creating the labyrinthine continuity that plagues most comics besides small independent creators and publishers or brand new properties. Transformers and IDW Publishing are neither of these; the Transformers comics continuity of today began in 2005, and I have not read a majority of the comics published since then. Lost Light provides just enough backstory and context to understand the necessary, major points (sometimes assisted by footnotes “*See Issue #X of Series: Y”), and from its beginning spins a new plot that stands firmly on its own.

Transformers: Lost Light’s tenth issue just released in October [2017] but it exists as a direct continuation of Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye, which contains 55 [correction: 58? it’s complicated, and even in his end note for the final issue, the author acknowledges officially 55, but several more un-sequenced] issues from 2012 to the end of 2016, and it was rebranded as part of a publication company-pushed effort to provide new readers with a good starting point. (While I understand that seeing “Issue 55” may scare some readers away, I admit to being disappointed with the rebranding, having wanted to see how high of a number the series could reach. Most of the “Big Two” (Marvel and DC) series that I have followed only reach around 20 before being cancelled, wrapped up, and the characters passed off two new writers.)

This kind of executive meddling in the course of the books is common in comics and IDW is no different. They have pushed “crossover events” where all of the ongoing Transformers books come together for the same story, using all of the characters, with writing alternating between the writers of each series from one issue to the next, and they have insisted on inclusion or seeing more of a certain character; Transformers is, at its heart, a toy line, and if the parent companies want to see more of Megatron in this particular comic to push a new toy that is being released, then Megatron will be placed in a main role in that comic.

In spite of the whims of IDW and Hasbro (the toy company which ultimately owns the Transformers license), the writer of More Than Meets the Eye (MtMtE) and Lost Light, James Roberts, who maintained his position across the rebranding, has plots which have a remarkable coherency and cohesion. Mysteries from the first issue of MtMtE come into play in a big way in the mid-30s, the 50s, or even finally culminate in Lost Light. If my memory serves me correctly, all but one of the questions posed in the first issue have finally been answered, but if experience serves me correctly, I will again find myself flipping back through the very first pages to follow a new trail that Roberts will next reveal in the narrative. The one question not answered is the driving force behind the plot, a simple enough question: “Where are the Knights of Cybertron?”, the mythical founders of the Transformers’ home planet who the crew of the ship the Lost Light hope to find and gain their assistance in rebuilding Cybertron after its destructive civil war. Along the way, the crew find themselves waylaid and misdirected by wartime tensions that have followed them on their quest away from the ruins of Cybertron into space, interpersonal relationships of the friends, rivals, and nemeses who are all part of the crew, and by the individual histories, goals, and machinations of characters with their own agendas.

While Roberts’ attention to detail is remarkable, and his plots and mysteries compelling, his greatest strength lies in his character writing. The crew of the Lost Light is large, and while he does have a core group that the narrative most often focuses on, that group consists of around a dozen characters, all of whom he juggles smoothly enough to give compelling personalities and motivations to each, and minor characters as well are distinctive and memorable. The relationships between characters can be touching, funny, intense, and sometimes all of the above.

There are moments throughout the series that feel “comic book”-y: cliffhangers that are more misleading than not at the end of issues to carry the reader’s attention to next month, deaths that are debatably shock value, fake-out deaths, and characters brought back from the dead. Most of the time, though, even the back-to-back plots about stumbling across the dead bodies of apparent clones of most of the crew, the ship and almost all of the crew disappearing into thin air, and time travel, feel remarkably grounded. It is the characters and their reactions that sell these most outrageous plots, because in each of them there lies a heart that is deeply human. The mad scientist Brainstorm carries a briefcase everywhere, even to the funeral of his best friend’s husband (the Transformers-equivalent term for spouse is “conjux endura,” a term Roberts introduced to the franchise), and refuses to open it or tell anyone what it contains. It happens to be the key to his time machine, which he spent centuries inventing, intending to return to the past and stop the war from ever happening. Because he was created after the war began, as a disposable foot soldier, he would undo himself from existence, and this is a price he means to pay to save the life of a fellow Transformer that he loved. Ultimately, Brainstorm cannot bring himself to pull the trigger to kill the Transformer who started the war, because for all of his time spent building weapons, he has never personally taken a life.

The war is over at the onset of MtMtE, but its reverberations echo through the story as the characters try to understand for what, exactly, they destroyed their planet and nearly their entire species. In flashback, Roberts returns to the origins of the war – and not just during the crew’s time travel misadventure – and its onset because of deeply stratified social classes. An oppressive government enforced the belief that the alternate mode (vehicle, microscope, gun, USB stick) a Transformer was constructed with at their time of creation determined their life trajectory. A microscope would be part of the intellectual class; a truck, a miner; and a USB stick was what was known as one of the “Disposables,” who were built to die after the fuel they were supplied with at creation ran out. This classism and discrimination by circumstance of “birth” is made more concrete by the mechanical nature of the Transformers, but it is not an issue unfamiliar in our own lives. The Functionists are portrayed as unequivocally bad, and their religious extremism lingers in villains who the Lost Light encounter, but at what point did the revolution against them step too far into the destructive war that ruined Cybertron, and then Earth when the Transformers met humanity?

As one can follow the political thread of Roberts’ writing, the social issues highlighted are just as, perhaps even more, timely. Roberts is given freedom to build off of the continuity created by other writers before him, one aspect of which is the concept that Transformers are all only male. A prior writer of Transformers books have said this limits the kind of emotion that the Transformers can have, lacking love because they lack women, but Roberts invented the term “conjux endura” mentioned above. He first applies it to the quiet, committed romance between the characters Chromedome and Rewind, two Transformers who use male pronouns, say “I love you,” and hold hands, both as the main focus of a panel and unremarked upon in the background of other action. (Neither of them have mouths, so kissing is out of the question.) Brainstorm creates time travel in an attempt to save his crush, Quark, who is also a male robot.

Roberts is not the only current writer who has found the inability to write female characters without breaking established canon limiting. Another Transformers series, Windblade, named after its titular (female) character, published during MtMtE’s run,, introduced a number of lost colonies of Transformers who all have robots who use female pronouns. Suddenly their main planet of Cybertron and its male-only robots is no longer the norm – it is in fact an anomaly in Transformers culture – and its sole female character who has a convoluted backstory to justify her gender now has company who do not need their gender explained. Since the Windblade series, MtMtE has added several female Transformers to its core group, and many more on the sides. In one issue, at a dance party, the robot Skids is remarked to have been “flirting” with “that hothead,” a female Transformer named Firestar whose head looks as though it is on fire. Later Nautica mentions Firestar to Skids and Skids refers to her using the pronoun “he”; Nautica corrects him, telling him that Firestar is a “she.” Skids apologizes, calling his use of “he” a “force of habit,” and the fact that he assumed himself to be flirting with a male robot is not remarked upon as a big deal in the narrative; neither are Chromedome and Rewind, nor is the gender of Brainstorm’s crush (the real matter there being, of course, his nearly erasing four million years of history). Later, in the first issue of Lost Light, the characters Lug and Anode are introduced, a pair of female conjux endurae who encounter an old acquaintance who refers to them both as “he.” Anode corrects him to tell him that both she and Anode now refer to themselves as “she,” saying that after the two of them had explored the galaxy, and encountered other species with more genders than Cybertron had, that “It’s just a better fit.” [They two do have mouths, and do kiss on-panel.]

For a story about giant alien robots who can transform into planes and cars (though they rarely do transform within the pages of this comic, and a reader could be forgiven for forgetting that this is what “Transformers” refers to) and are so long-lived that they fought a war for four million years, their politics and social issues feel timely to humanity today. Interwoven with memorable characters, and plots that leave wide room for the reader to theorize where it will go next and enough clues to predict it, Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye and Lost Light always leave me eagerly awaiting the next issue.

[I would be remiss, as this is a comic book, not to acknowledge the artists who work on the book and truly bring the series and the characters to life. Comic books are not always known for having the best art, but the creative team deliver time and time again. Know that there are far more than Roberts whose presence in making the series should not be understated - Alex Milne and Jack Lawrence as the main artists; Josh Burcham, Joana Lafuente, and Josh Perez as the main colorists; and numerous guest artists. Their work is a far cry from the difficult-to-parse designs and muted colors of the Bay films, and while I’ve focused on the writing, the art cannot be taken for granted.]

Addendum: November 2018.

Today, Lost Light came to a close at issue 25, after a nearly seven-year-long run between it and More Than Meets the Eye. Earlier I spoke of the troubles of executive meddling, and this ending is no different; Roberts has spoken on Twitter, his primary platform for communicating with fans, about how he had hoped for a longer run and still had stories that he wished to tell and indeed had planned for. In the world of comics, though, MtMtE and Lost Light have had a remarkable run, and the IDW Publishing’s Transformers universe an even longer one. I can understand wanting a fresh start and a new jumping-on point for readers, but I will mourn the stories that weren’t told and hope that JRo (the fans’ affectionate nickname for Roberts) will dole out some more tidbits about what was to come.

Given this truncated length, the pacing of the plot of Lost Light overall does suffer in some places, especially towards its close. Knowing the broader context as I do, I find it hard to fully blame Roberts - he does his best with what he has, and his best is very good. At its close, Lost Light turns its focus to what made it great: even with the final mysteries solved, the heart and payoff of the series is in its characters. After so long following the crew and watching them grow and change -- sometimes for worse, often for the better -- I feel almost proud to see the end of their personal and relationship development. The real culmination of the series lies in issue 24, in a speech that Rodimus, captain of the Lost Light, makes to his crew; heartwarming and heartwrenching both, it is genuine and heartfelt and unprepared, a far cry from other speeches he has made. It shows Rodimus’ growth as much as it showcases that of the crew he has led, and it speaks to the reader as much as it does to the characters. Issue 25 is more an epilogue than anything. I cried. Of course I did. It’s hard to end the journey. It’s hard to say goodbye.

I hope that this won’t be the end of the Lost Light and its crew. I hope that the story will find itself new readers in its complete, finished form, in full collections that I hope will be compiled so that I can own about half of the run in double. And I hope that some of the final words of issue 24 rings true for the entire series as well: Don’t forget me.