#Shady Vivienne

[mychemicalnations]

Assigning a bunch of my characters Will Wood songs because my writing server enables my antics

This is going to be a long post, I apologize.

Not really

Blorbo Pandemic WIP

Baraphim Devorak - Misanthrapologist

You’re dangling a lantern Over the event horizon Thinking it’ll thank you For the light you’re sacrificing Bide time in orbit like a satellite Remind yourself The world don’t revolve ‘round you So don’t you revolve ‘round someone else

And, rock me Amadeus God don’t explain the way time and space made us Though with the wavelengths bending, it makes sense to me The only thing that’s meant to be is gravity And what comes up must go down

Sebastien Shadis - ¡Aikido! (Neurotic/Erotic)

Holding breath by graveyards, salt over my shoulder, I’m obsessed with you Rainbow-walking cave-heart never will be bolder, I’m obsessed with you Chickenscratch Rembrandts of your likeness, all this nonsense makes me think My insides cry “try thy finest” - why, then, am I at my brink?

Sebastien Vlastomil - ...And If I Did, You Deserved It

I want no less than the best but the best I can do Is do the worst thing first and leave the rest up to you I'm realistic Everyone's a critic If I keep beating myself up I'll keep on winning the fight And get my ass kicked I'm poisonous, not toxic I'll admit when I'm wrong but only to be right And if it fits in the song I'll rhyme that with contrived Don't meet your idols Hey, fuck you, I'm your idol But the only label that I'll sign is in the DSM5 'Cause my flaws are sorta on the pathological side Don't call me eccentric, call me mentally sick Cause I ain't sold enough tickets yet to be rich and that's the only difference

No Ethics Here (rp with @deadlier-than-i-look )

Vivienne Rose - Laplace's Angel (Hurt People? Hurt People!)

We’re only tuning to the tone of the bell curve now Ask not for whom it tolls But with my head up in the clouds, I can see so much ground And from up here you look like ants in a row It doesn’t take a killer to murder It only takes a reason to kill We’ve all got evidence of innocence, it’s "everything’s coincidence" The difference twixt fate and free will Is whether you’re singing

Silas Foster - Mr. Capgras Encounters a Secondhand Vanity: Tulpamancer's Prosopagnosia/Pareidolia (As Direct Result of Trauma to The Fusiform Gyrus)

Damn, I thought you’re not your imposter You’re so sure you’re not gonna get caught Dead in your own skin But you didn’t choose what you were born in And another man in your repertoire Ready in your head and fed upon your memoirs Still the same rules apply From the birthday to the mourning What you feel and what you do Are those things really you? And if not, then what is? (Never never never) So, my God, what’s wrong with you? And I’m still asking who that is Never, never, never Never, never, never Never, never, never No, never!

Genshin OCs

Aleks Rogov - BlackBoxWarrior - OKUltra

A bloody knife to split your infrastructure, wine to rev your motor function Coital machinations of the dead Well you mainline your animus, karate chop your abacus And learn to be an animal instead But I never did think you better than this, your modus operandi Causes Nazi/Skoptzyism and suicide Why to thine own self be true when it is you who are the problem Not the things you do but something sick inside Lithium and Dialectics, boy you really is defective CBT don’t seem effective for that Cluster B, accept it Offer up your innocence, please ignore the side effects You’ve lost your mind and almost lost your life before, so you’ll be fine

Fortune Bringer (Jiayi) - Skeleton Appreciation Day in Vestal, NY

Lumps in throats and petticoats Your baby teeth would pray for you A selfish book is always open And some of the best liars only want the truth All love starts as a scheme So, wake me up, I’m tired of sleeping They say that beauty’s just skin deep So obviously, please show me your Bones, bones, bones Let me see your bones Well, I don’t wanna know if the feeling follows home Bones, bones, bones Hell, we’re all alone If I come home, baby, will you show your bones?

Kalevi Maarinen - Love, Me Normally

If I could live in third person, well, I don’t think life would be much worse than it is In the current tense, presently, this sentence ending in question marks or dot, dot, dot Is it courageous or escapist to leave the quarantine when you’re contagious? It may just be a cold, and besides I don’t wanna get old, yeah I drank myself to death to be the afterlife of the party When the afterparty came, I was rolling in my grave

D&D/Pathfinder

Yesanith Olorona - Marsha, Thankk You for the Dialectics, but I Need You to Leave

Who makes the call? What’s a symptom, what’s a flaw, can it be both? Well I suppose that’s an answer Would you give up your humanity for just a touch of sanity? 'Cause God knows it’s not like it’s cancer And good news to the purists: they’ve discovered a cure for the symptoms of being alive It’s a painless procedure with a low rate of failure But very few patients survive And a little conformity never hurt nobody, but lately I’ve been worried that you’re losing yourself So how many milligrams of you are still left in there? 'Cause back in my day we didn’t need no feel-good pills and no psychiatrists No, we just bled out in our baths And god damn it, we liked it

Amrynn Yethana - RED MOON

Red, red moon, keep on rising The sunset soon indeed will bleed in my horizon The crescent rests, tethered to the west Waxing to the rhythm writhing in my chest That crack between the watercolor sky and sea is the Corner where you’re born in the mist I might deride the tide, 'cause I'm pulled as it pools around my feet Towards your stolen light, while I'm held in your slight gravity Well, I walk the equator, chasing the light; little do I know it orbits close behind I might remember or might assume, but I only turn around every once In a red, red moon I said I only turn around every once in a red, red, moon

Aranyth Inamaris - (Cover This Song) A Little Bit Mine

I never thought, and if I did, I forgot while blacked out in-love That’s what’s only starting would come to an end But now I’m hungover and hung out to dry, and I’m giving it time Does not knowing the truth turn my words into lies? What can I say to convince you or do to make you agree with me? I don’t need you to be with me, just try to remember what you’d see in me I’m just a little bit crazy about you Just a little bit out of my mind Just a little insane without you Please come back and be just a little bit mine Just a little bit mine

Tarron Olaric - When Somebody Needs You [Song]

So we come and we go, we know and are known There's too many people to trust Well, it seems to me what we want and we need are the same And that's someone who'll worry about us 'Til death do us part, please keep breaking my heart 'Til it ceases to beat, please be mine Well it seems that that's what it means When somebody Ohh So if love conquers all, then all else must have failed I mean, who wants to fall, can't we just take the stairs? Well it seems that that's what it means When somebody needs you It seems that that's what it means When somebody needs you

Other

Eila Saarinen - Yes, To Err is Human, So Don't Be One. (Song)

I could drink your blood if you let me, baby Hang from your rafters, patchwork and paisley I could suck you dry on the rocks with a twist But just like a vampire, I don't exist Walkie-talkie static, white noise telepath Can you read between the Morse code lines? Dead from the neck up, but living just enough To beg you, "pretty boy, please, let me die" Well, I could drink your blood if you let me, baby Drain you of your love until you hate me

If you've read this far, blame @zonnemaagd <3

[iiikaruz]

New CH episodes have made me officially decide to stop caring about the actual cast of the show </3 (/hj but i wish it was /j)

Anyway would you like to share some of your headcanons/scenarios for the side/minor characters ? It always makes my day 💚💖(/nf)

dude i feel you on these new episodes. wtf is going on over there. anyways, i’ll gladly dump this 10 ton stack of headcanons on you that i wrote down!! Marie Antoinette: 

loves hyperpop and 90s house music. she’s so slay (i have a playlist lol)

into european weirdo cinema like Gaspar Noe’s but she also likes chick flicks (her fave films are Climax (2018), Daisies (1966), and But I’m A Cheerleader (1999).)

frequents on lolita forums and goes to really shady places just to get cute lolita items.

has absolutely mastered voguing. super into ballroom culture.

has a pet borzoi (those groovy long-nosed dogs.) her name is “Vanille” and Marie loves her dearly.

wants to study fashion. she especially loves Vivienne Westwood and Moschino.

Jesús Cristo:

is a juggalo, and he indoctrinated Van Gogh into it as well.

says “it is what it is” at any minor inconvenience.

had a mental crisis at 13 as a product to the stress of living up to his clone father. similar to joan’s breakdown in s1e3 but 10x worse. he tries to ignore it when people bring it up.

designated driver on any road trip. for some reason.

into bands like The Cure whilst also bopping to Cypress Hill.

his fave video game is Parappa the Rapper.

accidentally punching holes/nails into his hand is a common occurrence. seems like it just keeps happening, so he’s learned to just roll with it. he’s also a pretty good nurse bc of it.

Marilyn Monroe:

is always down for the school play. BUT she usually just does script-writing and tech. 

into conspiracy theories and video essays. (all gorgeous gorgeous girls love video essays).

is a dedicated Britney Spears and Gwen Stefani stan.

SO “COQUETTE LIZZY GRANT DIOR RETRO” in her fashion choice.

she also gives “elle woods from legally blonde” vibes. straight A student right here.

CERTIFIED GIRLBOSS <3

Thomas Edison:

is obsessed with American Psycho (2000). he has a poster in his room and he’s weirdly obsessed with Christian Bale (very 🍎🍉🍊 of him, but he always excuses it with “oh no, i just idolize and worship him. there’s absolutely nothing gay ab it.” he’s lying.)

also he’s SUCH a pretentious film bro. he has a whole library of stupid film facts shoved in the back of his mind (im totally not projecting).

he only listens to: 80s new-wave stuff like New Order, Oingo Boingo, Beastie Boys, & Talking Heads OR Lana del Rey. There is no in between.

he worked (past-tense bc that shit is GONE in 2023) at a blockbuster video store next to the mall and he liked being a total bitch to people about it (example: “you really rented this shit? this movie sucks, dude”)

after getting unfreezed, he was ECSTATIC over how easy pirating movies is nowadays.

Napoleon Bonaparte:

member of the speech/debate club and he is THE WORST TO BE PAIRED WITH. he’s foaming at the mouth the moment someone gives a rebuttal he didn’t think of. some meetings end in him trying to beat up someone. 

into 80s rock like Metallica and Black Sabbath. he has an electric guitar. he also FUCKING LOVES ABBA AND JAMIROQUAI. like… too much.

unlawfully good at Just Dance. he absolutely fucks it up on the dance floor.

adores fantasy films like Conan (1982) and The Never-Ending Story(1984). he’s so lame/ pos.

he bakes really well. that’s all he’s got going for him.

he either found his napoleonic military uniform at party city or at a thrift store with Marie Antoinette; his story changes depending on who he’s talking to.

he cut his own hair when he was 14. the following conversation after he did so was with caesar, and it was just the haircut scene from fleabag . he then continued to keep his stupid haircut to what it is now.

is a hopeless romantic. he can make up entire love poems & sonnets in his head about a girl he’s crushing on, but literally cannot talk to people without sounding like a douchebag unless he’s super comfortable w/ them.

Ivan the Terrible:

is an avid deftones, sewerslvt, & duster listener (i, unfortunately, ALSO have a playlist.)

spends his nights scrolling on 4chan and arguing w/ people. him & topher have accidentally argued w/ each other AT LEAST 5 times.

literally refuses to take off his ushanka in any weather. it doesn’t matter to him if it’s 90 degrees, that thing is staying ON.

kins Travis Bickle and Shinji Ikari. i mean, just look at this dude and how he presents himself. average NGE & Taxi Driver enjoyer/ hj.

fave video games are Postal 2 and osu!. he plays osu! phenomenally, to the point where it’s impressive. (pls put that energy into a job or something).

and yea that’s all the energy i have to write this down :]

[clevercorvidae]

Hazbin Hotel 1st Season Review

Ok so I've been sitting on this ask I got back when the series started airing for some time now.

And I was struggling with how to answer it because as much as I personally love the show and had a lot of fun with it I understand that it isn't really for everyone.

But now that the series' first season has concluded I feel like it'd just be easier to give a review of all the negatives and positives that I saw in the series for anyone who is wondering if its worth getting into. I'd like to give a fair and honest overview of all the show's quirks as there is a lot of misinformation, bad faith criticism, and blind praise of this show going around. It can be overwhelming with so many strong opinions and I'd like to give people a more balanced and down to earth look at the show for what it is.

I'll start with spoiler free stuff and put all spoilery stuff below a cut in a reblog. Be warned, this is still gonna be very much based on my own opinions and very long, I just hope its less...intense than most reviews.

Overview

For anyone who doesn't know, Hazbin Hotel is a new animated series on Amazon Prime Video created by Vivienne Medrano and A24 Studios. It's basic premise is that every year, sinners in Hell are killed by angels from Heaven in order to keep the population low. This devastates our main character, Charlie Morningstar, the daughter of Lilith and Lucifer and Princess of Hell.

So she decides to start a rehabilitation center called the Hazbin Hotel in hopes to allow sinners to redeem themselves, keeping the population in Hell low whilst allowing people to continue existing, and hopefully putting an end to the exterminations for good and saving her people. She does this with the help of her girlfriend Vaggie, a famous pornstar named Angel Dust who agrees to be her first guest, a very shady demon named Alastor, and more.

The show's pilot episode was first released on youtube in 2019 and has a sister-show called Helluva Boss that takes place in the same universe and began airing episodes on youtube while Hazbin was being shopped around to be picked up by a bigger studio.

I personally do not recommend this show at all to anyone under 18 due to its subject matter and depictions. However, the show is listed as 16+ for all but one episode which is 18+. Make of this what you will.

Now, onto the discussion.

Positive 1: Design

So a lot of people look at this show and are put off by its character designs and general look. But frankly I think it's very well designed and cohesive for what it is. Its designs are complex and gaudy but they're earnest in their presentation. It very much draws from Vivziepop's roots as a youtube animator who got big in the 2010's

All the designs are very out there and edgy and almost sparkle-dog-esque. And I think it's commitment to that style in favor of something that would draw in wider appeal makes the series feel more artistically genuine. Just look at Angel Dust and Alastor's designs for example. They ooze 2010's deviantart and I find it very charming.

I also enjoy the balance and uniqueness of many of the designs, they're so fun to look at. And their level of detail makes them super fun to pick apart. The range of body types could definitely be improved (an unfortunate remnant of that 2010s style I was just praising) but there is still plenty of diversity in silhouette to differentiate the characters at a distance.

I also often see the criticism that there is far too much red used in the designs and frankly this criticism is so unfair. Within the context of the show its pretty obvious that red is just part of the design motif of hell.

I can see the issue ringing true in the pilot that the characters bleed into the backgrounds often because of this design choice but in the official show the background style is a lot more distinct from the characters and they don't really have this issue at all.

Here's a screengrab from the pilot that I find to be a particularly bad offender vs a screengrab from the official show including acvery red character on a very red background that I think highlights the difference a bit.

There's nothing wrong with a show having a very cohesive visual motif to tie all of its characters to one location. The heavenly characters in the show have their own color motif of bright pastels for instance. I think the designs are a highlight of this show and people should stop being so harsh and unfair in their assessment of them. They're so fun! Enjoy them!

Negative 1: Pacing

You've probably heard people mentioning this one and unfortunately I 100% agree with this criticism. The show is INCREDIBLY fast paced and it seriously impacts character development.

Now, I don't think the way people criticize this aspect of the show is very fair. Most people push the blame for it onto the creators and writers when in all actuality they're just doing the best they can with what they were given. 8 episodes is a very short runtime for a show of a this scale.

A story with this much worldbuilding, this many plot threads, and this number of important characters could NEVER be told properly in this amount of time. Even if they'd properly paced it it would've ended up awkwardly truncated with an unsatisfying finale. Frankly I think the writers did a very good job stretching what they had, but unfortunately the issues are still very present and impact the viewing experience.

This show desperately needed filler. They NEEDED low stakes plots and episodes. As is the story is very complete and I'm glad the short runtime didn't create any agregious plot holes but its still...lacking. The first season is meant to take place over six months of time and it really doesn't feel like it.

The lack of episodes means we don't get to see the natural progression of these characters and their relationships. Many characters have seemingly out of nowhere changes of heart. Even the best done plot lines still feel pretty cramped and rushed.

It's very sad and unfortunately is becoming increasingly commonplace for shows to have such short runtimes that they feel like extra long movies rather than feeling like a tv show. Hazbin Hotel feels like a very long musical pace-wise. And if you decide to watch it that way I think you might have a better time honestly. But its still sad to think of what could've been.

Positive 2: Music

Oh my fucking god the songs are so good. None of them are bad in my opinion. I have my favorites and least favorites of course but none of them sound bad or annoying which I can't say for 90% of musicals especially cartoon musicals.

Almost every song feels like its 100% necessary to express what the characters are thinking and feeling. Every single VA has a fantastic singing voice. Apparently one of the main writers of these songs is half of The Living Tombstone which is pretty apparent from the style of the songs. If you like their music you'll be in for such a treat here.

There are 2 songs per episode and I think its safe to say you'll enjoy the crap out of at least one of them. They make up for a lot of the short runtime with them too, being able to fit a whole lot of character growth and interaction into a shorter period. This show is definitely carried by its stellar soundtrack. I think it's its best trait for sure.

If you like musicals, you have something to gain from watching this show, I can guarantee that.

In the spoiler section I'm gonna rank all 16 songs and explain my reasons btw so look forward to that.

Negative 2: Editing

The editing of this show can be...questionable at times. Sometimes there will be very harsh unnecessary cuts and sometimes the camera moves all over the place when it really doesn't need to. It really feels like the editors got the raw animation files and were trying to clock in overtime by making unnecessary and bizarre editing choices all over the place.

It wasn't very jarring to me personally and I feel like most people will get used to it within a single episode but if you're unsure of how to feel about it I'd go watch the song Happy Day in Hell on youtube because it's probably the worst offender in the show and about as bad as the editing will get.

Positive 3: Characters

As sad as I am that the show has so little time to explore the characters they are VERY well established regardless. These characters have a lot of charisma and almost all of them have a completed arc within this season.

I've heard a lot of people claim that Charlie, the main character, doesn't get enough screentime or doesn't feel like a protagonist and I'm sorry but I can't see this as anything but bad faith criticism. Hazbin Hotel is an ensemble show with a very limited episode count, not every episode can have Charlie at the center. But she IS the center of the main plot and she is a very active protagonist with strong relationships to the other members of the ensemble. Her goals are tightly wound in with the central plot and themes and she makes the decisions that drive the story.

She very much fills her protagonist role well and I think this attempt at criticism is just a biproduct of the several years of development where occasionally we'd get bonus content for other characters and Charlie didn't get much. But it's pretty clear that that was cause her character IS the plot and Vivziepop didn't want to spoil the entire show before it even aired.

Beyond that I've seen people claim that all the queer characters are over-sexualized. Which is hilarious because as far as I can find there is only one canon straight character in the main cast and the rest are all queer. There is only one character that has an storyline focused around sex and that's Angel Dust...because he is a sex worker. The other characters occasionally make sex jokes but no other queer characters have sex as a focal point.

Overall, the characters definitely balance each other out in this story and they're a big draw for me. Even minor characters that only appear prominently in one episode are super charismatic and interesting. Hell, my favorite character in this show is one of these minor characters.

One thing I very much enjoy is how none of the characters ever seem to be dumbed down for the sake of the plot. The stakes remain high because all of these problems genuinely feel like there is no easy solution that the characters are just conveniently ignoring. All of the characters' choices feel like theyre in-character which is very impressive given the episode count.

Neutral 1: Dialogue/Jokes

So this is a topic I've seen a lot of people discuss specifically here on tumblr. The characters are very sweary and many of the jokes are very crass and explicit.

Personally I had no issue with this at all the jokes were fine to me and the swearing just felt like Hell's natural dialect to be honest. Plus I swear like a sailor irl so it was barely different to my normal. Very much a non-issue for me.

I could see how it could be off-putting to others though if it's something you're not used to. And I do find it to be a bit much in the sister-show Helluva Boss because it feels a lot less natural. (side-note, if y'all want me to make one of these for Helluva Boss let me know cause I have a LOT to say about that show). So honestly I think this is a matter of personal taste and I'd encourage people to still give the show a whirl if this is your main issue with it as its pretty minor.

Positive 4: World-building

I really enjoy the complex world in this show. A lot of its takes on the lore it's drawing from are actually pretty unique and nuanced, it's obvious the creator did a lot of research. Any lore that is changed was clearly done with the knowledge of its true origins. It really feels like Viv knew the rules well before she broke them with this.

This is one of those worlds where you can't help but imagine yourself in it, especially with it being the afterlife. It's no wonder the fandom is so dense with oc content, its very fun to imagine creative character designs when there's so few limits to what a character can look like.

And the world-building seriously elevates the story so well. This is one of the few times the short episode count actually helps the story I think, because there's still so much to explore and discover here. I like the delayed gratification of getting all the info about how hell and heaven function its nice to chew on theorize about. It's just a very appealing and interesting setting what can I say.

Neutral 2: Handling of Subject Matter

This has got to be one of the most divisive things about this show and I think this is the thing that most comes down to personal opinion.

There are a lot of criticisms against how this show handles incredibly serious subject matter. And frankly, as much as I don't have any issue with its portrayal of these things personally, its incredibly understandable why others take issue with it. I encourage everyone to give the show a fair shot and judge it in its entirety as a lot of these things really need context to be criticized fairly.

However I understand that, even if you agree with the way Hazbin hotel handles these subjects, you may still be incredibly uncomfortable or even triggered by the graphic depictions. So I'm going to take some time and list out every possible trigger that you will encounter in each episode to the best of my ability based on my recollection. Because even though Amazon does give warnings they are too vague for my tastes and I wanna make sure anyone who watches this show on my recommendation is going to be safe (Let me know if I missed anything and I will edit this to include it):

Episode 1: 16+

Blood

Knives

Religious Trauma

Graphic Violence

Mild Gore

Eye Stabbing

Genocide as a topic

Sexual harassment

Drug Use/Alcohol

Beheading

Guns

Christian Imagery

Death

Episode 2: 16+

Mild Body Horror

Drug Use/Alcohol

Guns

Christian Imagery

Episode 3: 16+

Beheading

Blood

Cannibalism

Graphic Violence

Sexual Harassment

Guns

BDSM

Episode 4: 18+

Graphic Depictions of Sexual Assault

Rape

Sexual Harassment

Graphic Depictions of Physical Abuse

Graphic Depictions of Routine Sexual Abuse

Alcoholism/Drug Addiction

BDSM

Roofies

Nudity

Graphic Violence

Guns

Emotional Abuse

Exploitatin of Sex Workers as a topic

Building on Fire

Gambling Addiction

Episode 5: 16+

Alcohol/Drug Use

Non-sexual exploitation

Graphic Violence

Guns

Blood

Religious Trauma

Absentee Parent

Christian Imagery

Episode 6: 16+

Religious Trauma

Christian Imagery

Amputation

Eye stabbing

Graphic Violence

Blood

Guns

Knives

Alcoholism/Drug Addiction (+enabling)

Physical Abuse

Exploitation of Sex Workers as a topic

Sexual Harassment

Genocide as a topic

Episode 7: 16+

Guns

Knives

Blood

Cannibalism

Episode 8: 16+

Guns

Blood

Graphic Violence

Genocide

Gore

Death

Animal Death

Christian Imagery

Religious Trauma

Amputation

Knives

Building Collapse

Stabbing

I believe that should be everything.

I highly encourage you to be cautious if you have PTSD or C-PTSD regarding sexual or physical abuse in particular for episode 4. The episode is quite graphic and realistic in its depiction. As someone who hasn't been through sexual abuse I cannot speak to the accuracy of its portrayal apart from the fact that it is very clearly not created to be tantalizing or glorifying.

I've been told many different opinions on how this episode portrays sexual abuse and whether it is accurate or respectful and it seems like the answer varies greatly person to person from being extremely comforting and relatable to being offensive and feeling gratuitous. In my opinion I think this means the show did a decent job and had good intentions, but it also means that this show and this episode in particular just aren't for everyone. Make of this what you will and stay safe.

Positive 5: Themes

The themes in this show are baked into its core. It manages to get its message across without feeling too clunky and the focus of the story never strays from that purpose.

Redemption is often a mixed bag in shows especially in cartoons. But I think Vivziepop and the rest of her crew do a good job showing the effort it takes to change and grow as a person in the short time they have.

I think the dedication to themes is a huge part of how genuine the story feels. It's earnest in its message and that gives the plot a soul.

If you want to watch a story about broken people lifting each other up this is the one.

Neutral 3: Vivziepop

So a lot of you have perhaps heard some not-so-great stuff about this show's creator.

From what I've gathered in my research almost all of the serious claims made about her are either proven to be false or big ol nothing-burgers. However, there might be legitimacy to some of her employees and coworkers' complaints about her company, Spindlehorse, which aren't great. And I personally dislike how she conducts herself on social media as the spokesperson for her creation.

In short, she doesn't seem to have much tact.

I think its a little ridiculous and overdramatic to avoid the show over it personally but if this just strikes a particular nerve with you there is always the option to pirate ig. It's fully up to you. Just make sure you do your research and don't go around shaming fans of the show or spreading misinformation about a very real person.

Conclusion

I'd personally give the show an 8/10. Its a fun time and clearly made with a lot of passion. I'd recommend it to everyone who's interested. Now I'lll start working on the spoiler bit of the review.

Let me know what y'all think! If anyone reading this has questions I'm happy to answer as well.

[theblackdragon-studios]

Helluva Boss S2 E7 Reaction Notes

I finally watched the latest episode of Helluva Boss, and I wrote down my thoughts and reactions during. Here they are.

Warning: Contains spoilers to the episode

Thoughts as I watch:

-I wondered what Mammon’s voice would be…Cockney was NOT on my list of expectations. Wow. XD (Edit after rewatch: I think it’s actually Australian…thickly Australian. I could be wrong but it sounds either Cockney or Australian now I rewatched it.)

-Huh, Fizz and Blitz were fans of him when they were young…

-Only in Hell does anyone actually WANT to be a clown. XD

-Weird how Blitzo is so weirded out by Mammon’s pitch about working with him…though actually Blitzo really wanted to run his own circus, so maybe that’s why.

-I love how obvious this guy is. XD The jabs being made at corporate bosses here through this asshole’s whole character so far…they’re terrible at lying, yet people believe it anyway

Blitzo is all of us that caught onto the bullshit. XD This episode is so great already.

-Going for the jugular with that “women just aren’t funny” line. XD 1.) the show is by a woman. And 2.) …yeah. Most of them really aren’t funny to me. XD I know that probably wasn’t the joke (women comedians aren’t funny…), and we obviously aren’t supposed to like him, but yeah.

But also the “written by Vivienne Medrano” credit, AKA Vivziepop herself I think. That was great. XD

-“it’s not weird. You’re weird!” “It’s not exploitation” Exactly what Hollywood says now to anyone being critical of their stuff. Seriously, first South Park and now this…bravo adult comedy people. Just bravo.

Also playing an electric guitar version of “Carmen” I think it is. XD Even more clever, as that song was about how shady and manipulative that woman was if I remember right.

-…weird to hear adult Blitzø’s voice on his teenage self. Though I guess he went through puberty already. lol And I think Fizz’s adult voice is partially because of the fire accident.

-And now taking a jab at the entitled fans out there that aren’t giving constructive criticism and are demanding things then being all butthurt when they’re rejected. Finally an episode I fully get the social commentary on. lol

-$69.99 Subtle. Very subtle. XD (and “no refunds: if you don’t like it, it’s your fault”)

-I LOVE Ozzie here. You go man! Yeah he has his flaws too, even as a demon…but he is so sweet and so honest with Fizz it’s great. I also love the message here about both being a perfectionist…and being a people-pleaser. Destroying yourself to especially please someone that doesn’t give a fuck about you…because you think that gives you your worth. Especially after his accident… I have a lot of thoughts on this, but I’ll see where things go.

-Asmodeus calling Blitzø…somehow the most bizarre thing on the show yet. XD And how Blitzø is perfectly chill about it. Well I know for one, Blitzø knows about Fizz and Ozzie’s relationship and is happy his friend is happy…but I think this is also more evidence Blitzø wasn’t that upset at being picked on by Oz, and instead by being called out by his ex-friend, ex-girlfriend, and Stolas acting ashamed of their own relationship (which is transactional only he thinks…)

But he is at least a little polite when talking to Ozzie. lol So that’s nice.

-…the horse thing. He is STILL on the horse thing. Oh my gosh.

-Vivzie and her team are treating us to so much great stuff lately! First Stolas and Ozzie working together, and now Blitzø and Ozzie. This is comedy gold! Also Ozzie’s happy smile at the end of that scene when Blitzø said yes. Why are all these bird demons so cute? XD

-First, I still love Ozzie’s theme music (it’s the song from his debut episode) and second, cool to see his less flashy, public appearance in other parts of hell look from that first episode he’s in too. It looks really good on him.

And it’s cool seeing a Deadly Sin icon being more subtle outside of his ring. Makes me wonder what Bee looks like when she’s trying not to steal the show.

-Eh spoke too soon on Blitzø and Ozzie teaming up. Ozzie left, but I understand why.

-More jabs at Hollywood and their harmful treatment of their stars through Mammon calling an already incredibly thin Fizz fat

-Huh that rock music…I know I’ve heard it in the show before. I think this IS the Greed ring’s music…but I can’t remember.

-I figured one rescue and hug wouldn’t fix everything…but Fizz clearly no longer hates Blitzø and vice versa, and they are friends again it looks like. But I wonder if Fizz still has anxiety about Blitzø being at a performance of his…or maybe he’s just suspicious because Blitzø has always been openly critical of Mammon and these shows.

-“Smile inside and out”…I’m surprised Fizz doesn’t have depression like Stolas…

-Interesting how the background demons in this scene are just silhouettes. I don’t know if that’s to emphasize how he’s this colorful entertainment prop and toy for them and they represent real world fans…or if it was to save on work load

-Ooh these girls (the twin performers) look like they’re from the Envy ring (Leviathan’s ring) by the fish-like look of them

-I used to find Fizz annoying…but seeing him in the last episode and this one, he’s more like Moxxie. Too nice for this world when it comes to one-on-one conversation with the way he was so polite to those contest participants

-Oh yeah! Mammon said women aren’t funny. XD Ha! I thought that was just a joke for the opening, but he actually called back to it

To be honest I didn’t think any of their acts were funny though. Just cool acrobatics and talented crafting

-More “clearly the money-greedy corporate bosses don’t care about you, their stars, or anything but what sells”.

-I know people will still find reasons to hate this episode, but I find it hard to think of anything they could hate without really reaching for something

Actually…they’ll probably complain that Mammon-who is fat-is an asshole and they made him fat because of it…when really, I think it represents the greed thing. He’s supposed to be the stereotype of those fat business men in old cartoons and movies. But as a jester. (Edit: And because spiders have big abdomens)

(Edit after looking through the Helluva Boss tag seeing the nitpicks and complaints: Called it. And a few other things they really zeroed in on just to find something to hate about this. 🙄)

-Giant hellhound background character…was not expecting that. XD

-Fuck…they didn’t have to include that moment with the sign language. But they did…that’s so sweet

Though seeing that kid’s horns…I wonder if their horns also act as their ears? Because his are broken… or maybe he’s mute, not deaf, but Fizz still signed back (despite being exhausted, miserable, and wanting to win this and go home I bet) to show that kid deaf or not, that he took the time to learn for demons like that kid. (Edit: I rewatched it and the kid only had one broken horn in the later scene he’s in. …and I forgot Fizz’s horns are also broken but he can hear just fine…so ignore this theory from when I was watching…)

-…oh my gosh. The entitled fan is back now. This is absolutely commentary on both Hollywood and the Twitter freaks. So good.

-Entitled Fan remembers Blitzø too? Huh.

-Mammon’s 8 eyes…NOW all the webs around the place make sense. And all I can say is YES. Perfect design for the demon of GREED to have spider themes to him. It makes me think of Slughorn from Harry Potter, who was envisioned as a spider spinning his web representing his habit of collecting and exploiting the success of graduating students.

-Fizz making excuses for a shitty boss…also way too real...

-Again…seeing the twins’ performance, clowns must mean something else in this world. That wasn’t funny. It was cool though.

-Ozzie’s back! Yes! He’s so sweet to Fizz…and getting stuck in the door. XD

-Fizz is every famous person that is losing popularity to new things…the ones that cling onto it desperately instead of bowing out with dignity and what they have left…

-I know how Fizz feels here too…feeling he only has all the good things he does because of his fame...he thinks because he doesn’t look as great without it, that he’ll lose his relationship with Ozzie…

But man this couple is so healthy with each other. They try to be very private and secretive (and fail) which is straining, but they communicate with each other and they don’t allow for room for any misunderstandings…I hope we see more Bee and Tex too in the future (Bee might need a new VA if Ke$ha is still dealing with things or too expensive to hire) but these two couples will I hope play a part in Blitzø and Stolas’s drama with how they’ve shown they are in love with low-class demons as well…

Though Goetia are very different from the Deadly Sins…they isolate themselves from the lower class, while the Sins thrive on their company since they feed off their energy or it helps business and stuff.

-Oh my gosh, another Fizzmodeus song! Yes! And the adorable dance…man…I love these two! 💜

-Thank you, Blitzø! The entitled fan guy has been asking for it! And yes. You tell Fizzmodeus off for being hypocrites. XD He has every right to be mad after they bullied his friends. XD

-Oh man I see why the broadway version on Beetlejuice is Fizz now! That was an amazing song! Also Ozzie helping him. XD And getting…a bit more excited than he should. Hilarious. And Blitzø’s part helping too! This trio was awesome!

-The way the cheering kids track plays when Mammon appears in front of Fizz. XD I didn’t notice that until now.

-Yes! Get him Ozzie! Fight! Fight! Fight! Two Deadly Sins in their full power forms! Yes!

-Oh my gosh, the con artist Imp saying ‘I say I say’ again. XD He keeps showing up!

-Ozzie’s animal sound effects…so cool! And the twisting, lashing tails…I love how all-out they go with him being a mix of three animals! Cause Asmodeus apparently is described as having three heads (hence the two shadow heads in his mane) and this design shows that so well! I love it!

-Yeah I think Fizzmodeus being open will help a lot in several things. Including upper class demons getting their heads out of their asses about this stuff.

-This final frame is perfect! XD

Basically I loved this episode. It was so fun and I loved the worldbuilding seeing the leader of the Greed ring, and of course Fizzmodeus being adorable as always! 💜

I do think clown has a different meaning in Hell…but we did only see some of what they did. Most of the humor for me was definitely in the social commentary stuff. And as this is a show for adults…that is what you expect. Jokes about adult problems and mature themes. I got exactly what I was expecting from it.

[vermillioncrown]

LMAO I LOVE THIS NEW AU

I can just see Bruce having a breakdown trying to understand where he fits in the relationship. Meanwhile the girls are just chilling.

Thinking about how you said Cheetos were his cheat food and I can just see him stress eating bags of Cheetos all while Alfred and Dick are judging him so hard.

THE NEWS WOULD BE HAVING A FIELD DAY ALSO TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH THE “DRAMA” IF THEY FIND OUT.

The funny thing is that the news would probably just see this a proof of his playboy image meanwhile Bruce is just that crying on the floor meme drawing.

It would definitely help him hide his being Batman lolz

girls aren't even colluding, literally chilling. it's such a non-issue because of the specific circumstances and who vivienne and rosalyn are as people

bruce is trying to mission board this, cheetos in hand

alfred can't do anything but judge, not what he's paid for

dick has his own mission board on what happened because bruce is getting very annoying about it all and he needs to understand cause to fix the effect

i think the only way the tabloids (not news, let's be real here) would know is if the girls were lumped among other paramours of brucie wayne. the two of them aren't well known outside of their niche or circle, and @rozaceous did say they were our most 'normie' SIOCs, so the interesting thing would be being part of bruce's 'body count' so to speak

or oof if allegations of some shadiness came out w how WayneTech is structured, but again. they don't have public offerings, they can get away with less scrutiny than some higher up messing around with the CEO or owner or what have you

(but oh boy. i thought more on what group would have the gossip. the demographic will surprise you and killed roz laughing)

bruce is indeed crying on floor meme. he's still going around doing his...other liaisons (of which rosalyn and vivienne do not care about, will not get in the way of, it is what it is), but idk at this point the two of them have been the closest he's been to non-threats

[weird-tea]

So the continuity of BBC Merlin is a mess, for a lot of reasons, they clearly did not have a plan as to how they were adapting certin elements/chaaracters from the legend more than a season ahead. And don’t get me wrong there is something endearing about how much of a mess it is, and over planned tv shows can be bad as well because it doesn’t allow for creativity in the same way BUT that doesn’t mean I don’t wonder about an alternative universe version of the show that actually knew what it was doing a bit more and was more into acknoledging continuity.

Like, can you imagine if Agravaine has been forshadowed? As in way back in season 1 when the wraith of Tristan de Bois turns up and we get the story of Igraine’s brother challenging Uther to a fight to the death because he blamed him for Igraine’s death - imgaine if they had also mentioned that Igraine had another brother who is still alive but left camelot after Tristan’s death and has never even seen Arthur. Nothing big, just a throw away line seeding the idea that Arthur has a living maternal uncle out there who wants nothing to do with him. It would have been an intresting element for Arthur’s character to be established so early on, that Uther isn’t actually his only blood kin (They didn’t know about Morgana yet) but he is the only one who has anything to do with him. And like obviously it’s awful that Uther seems to hate Arthur, or at least not love him as he should, because of how Igraine died giving birth to him, but hey at least he didn’t just send him away to be raised by strangers, at least he still wants to have his son in his life. Where as igraine’s own brother seems to blame Arthur so much.

And then seasons on when Arthur is show Igraine’s ghost and almost kills his father, it’s not just that Uther got his mother killed and then blamed magic, there is the added twist of the knife that this Uncle we’ve only ever heard mentioned probably blames Uther for his sister’s death not Arthur, and Uther let Arthur beleive that Agravaine hated him. Then when Uther is ill and Arthur is regent and suddenly Argraine is there and helping him that message is doubled down on. That his uncle never hated him, just Uther. Agravaine could have a scene saying how guilty he has felt not being there for Igraine’s boy but he just couldn’t stand to be around Uther when he’d killed both his siblings (continuity reference to Tristian who I don’t think show Agravaine ever mentions). So Arthur’s apsalute trust in Agravaine dispite him acting shady as hell and Merlin’s warnings makes so much more sense because we’ve had his quiet longing to actually know his mother’s brother built up from season 1. And then the reveal that Agravaine really does hate Arthur and is plotting against him would hit the audience so much harder because he was actually a character we had wondered about and wanted in Arthur’s life for seasons.

Also, I feel like the fact that Uther cheated on igraine, his supposed great love, was not brought up nearly enough on the show. Like it focuses almost entirely on the betrayal of Uther hiding the truth from Morgana and Arthur and like a tiny acknowledgement that it’s fucked up he had an affair with his best friend’s wife but like, he cheated on Igraine. Arthur should have a lot of feelings about that! Especally when the whole Gwen/Lancelot thing happens. 

And speaking of the affair - where the hell is Morgana’s mother? We’re told she had a daugher, Morgause, who Uther belived was dead but was actually snuck out to be raised by a high priestess. And that is never explained. Is Morgause’s father Gorlois? Who knows! And then Vivienne has an affair with Uther and has Morgana who is raised by Gorlois beleiving he is her father, then he is killed in battle when she is a child and she is taken in as Uther’s ward - where is her mother in all of this? Did she die? It seems more like she left? What’s up with that? I feel like she got a lot of build up for her with the mystery of Morgause being stuck out of camelot. Imagine is Vivienne was a character in later seasons! Imagine if we got a scene with her and her daughters reuniting? The fact that Vivinne was made to leave camelot, leave Morgana, could have been part of Morgana’s reasoning for turning evil. Like her mother was forced to flee because she had magic or something and no one ever told her. And we could have had Vivinne and Uther scenes where she is worried about the dark path her daughter is on and blames Uther for being a shit dad. We could have had Vivinne talking to Arthur about his mother, about the person she was and how gulity she felt for betraying Igraine with uther. 

I know so many of these things can be ‘fixed’ in fanfiction form, but part of me mourns for the show we could have got. I love the show as is but there is so much wasted potential that just drives me mad. 

[expfcultragreen]

Currently having a laugh at the idea that you have to grow up punk/homeless to be punk. That almost never happens guys, and there are SO MANY punks. Did we forget our own history? Vivienne westwood?

(My gf said something shady about fake punks who grew up with money and i have to assume she means me because my family is middle class)

I think at the point youre a literal human frankenstein (sewn back together) from going up against the cops in a suicidal breserker rage, you get a pass on the trust fund you spent on partying anyway

(Shes a fake punk because shes an authcom antiflag fan who wont drink my period blood even tho she says shes a vampire.... IF we're keeping score, which we (i) arent, because she's so cute and i dont want to be mean to her)

[nymphologiii]

Been replaying inquisition and despite multiple playthroughs I never had Viv as a mainstay in my party. Well she is for this run and I genuinely forgot how much I enjoyed Vivienne at times or how she just is so shady. "Fiona dear, your dementia is showing" killed me and Fiona all in one go

[vh-rp]

Starkhaven Circle

In Memory of Divine Victoria (Madame Vivienne de Fer), read about her reasons for re-creating the Circle after taking over as Divine. 

Vivienne de Fer was raised in the Circle from a young age; and she flourished under strict teachings. However, when she joined up with the Inquisition, fell in love with an ex-Templar, and learned about many different magics, she realized that the Circles were far too restrictive and that an entire group of mages feared for their lives (apostates). So, when she was voted in as Divine Victoria, she vowed to make Circles better.

When it comes to why Vivienne is such a firm believer in The Circle, one of those reasons that she does not hide, is that her parents were poor merchants from Riviain. The Circle saved her from poverty. However, she does not agree with a lot of the abuse that mages in other Circles dealt with from Templars and higher-ups, and will assure her loyalists that any Circle created under her rule will have rules in place to ensure there is no abuse, and freedoms will be extended. After all, Vivienne herself holds quite a lot of power in Orlais, even being a mage. Why not extend that to fellow mages that wish to follow her?

Loyalists to Vivienne's Cause were from Enchanter Fraternities, and to this day they uphold her beliefs in areas that allow it—such as Starkhaven, where the Circle has been repurposed to be a choice. Large dormitories have been constructed, and should a mage need help to provide housing for their families, there are family dorms available. The previous Divine wanted the Circle to be a safe place, for mages to flourish. 

Starkhaven's Circle of Magi The Circle of Magi follows some of Vivienne's rules to this day, though other changes have been made, as things come to light that might work better.

Templars, or anyone acting in any kind of "guardship" for the Circle have strict training they receive regarding how to treat mages. Ex-Templars are hired on to serve protective details to mages and their families, but nothing shady or underhanded is going on—and if it is, that's just because they've not been caught yet.

Tranquility is history. Some Tranquil still exist, but many of them were reversed. First by the Divine, and then by the Veil being removed. Tranquility is a last resort, and is no longer used for mages who are deemed "too weak" to be allowed access to their magic. 

Mages are allowed to hold roles in power. From nobility to royalty, and more. This is a law upheld by Vivienne de Fer's change to the Chantry system.

The Harrowing is an illegal practice and those found to practice or force others into the Harrowing may face the death penalty.

The Circle is actively working on a way to help mages resist possession since the Veil was removed; they're working closely with Rivaini Seeres (apostates under Chantry law) to learn about nullification amulets. 

Roles: Divine: This is the head of the Chantry, and the Circle of Magi. 

Vivienne

"Grand Council Member": This position is held by the current ruler of Starkhaven, though it is only honorary. This role exists because the Circle answers to the ruling power while there is no Divine.

This role is in-play by Sebastian Vael.

First Enchanter: This is the leader of the Circle, a professor and teacher. 

This role is in-play by Akibrus Blaine.

Senior Enchanters: This position is a small council, who have the most experience with magic. Trusted individuals who help the First Enchanter.

Charlotte

Open

Open

Open

Open

Open

Enchanters: These are mages who tutor apprentices, and may specialize in a field of study.

Endlessly Open

Mages: Mages are residents who have graduated from the Circle. 

Endlessly Open

Apprentices: Apprentices are students of the Circle who have attended for at least 1.5 years.

Endlessly Open

Guardians: Guardians are often ex-Templars, or other non-mage types who support the Circle and mage agenda. They serve as protectors of the Circle and all mages within.

Endlessly Open

Family: These people are non-mages, who have a mage in attendance with the Circle. 

Endlessly Open

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[viviennevivisection]

Session 26 - “The Last to Fall” - 1/1/23

-Cass is trying to diffuse the situation, asking for transparency 

-Naomi and VE feel a physical/magical disturbance, like a small earthquake 

-(The only hint we have on this is that Sarah sent us a picture of the town) 

-Whitmer (as an individual) could be fightable but there…is something going on!

W: “There is no need for this. I can understand how this is scary. You don’t have a full understanding. I can show you if you open your minds to it. Come with me to The Sanctum.” 

-Whitmer is alive, more monstrous than humanoid, though 

VE: “What are you?” 

W: “I am myself. Nothing. A part of a greater whole. A tender of the grove. A protector of the great knowledge of this world. And I can offer you [Naomi] that same hallowed position.”

DN: “LIAR!” (She seems a little unhinged, but she can’t seem to say more. “TRAITOR! HERETIC!” Whitmer is not telling the full truth 

-DN casted identify on Whitmer 

-There is a hive mind situation, she is a mindflayer (essentially), a human turned into one 

C: “The fuck is The Sanctum?” 

W: “It is our place of worship. Vivienne, I believe you are familiar with a Sanctum, it’s where we do our worship, or as close as we can.” 

-The reflecting pool place at CU is a Sanctum 

W: “It’s where we’re able to do impossible things.” 

N: “You’re not making a good case for me to put my friends in danger.” 

-Question mark (weird earthquake feeling) is happening again 

VE: “We’ll go to The Sanctum with you, but we’ll need to make a deal. Can you give Ezra and Leah their shadows back?”

W: “No, but I can take you to someone who can.” 

-Cyrus+Johanna don’t seem to respond/they don’t notice what’s going on — they’re withdrawing 

-The Cor has the power (?) 

-Naomi recognizes this use of the Cor 

-Images flashing of The Main Tree 

W: “It’s about protection, It’s about guaranteeing the survival of knowledge through the ages.” 

C: “What about the internet?” 

W: “It must be so peaceful to know so little.” 

-A steward? A protector like us? 

N: “I want to know every single possible detail. I want to know everything before I agree to anything. I cannot believe that after all this, you are continuing to underestimate me.” 

-Ezra is getting a little weird, the parents go slack 

-DN is touching Ezra, grabbed Dark Ezra

W: “He’s with the whole now.” 

-Whitemer’s eyes have rolled back into her head, black tendrils are extending from the eyes, her jaw extends, her skin looks almost mummified 

-We hear the Coralogia voice in our brain 

-The delivering of some sort of prophecy 

-THE HARVEST WHILE BOUNTIFUL LACKS NOURISHMENT. NEEDS TENDING. A GOLDEN LIGHT. THE COR MUST NOT JUST SURVIVE. IT MUST THRIVE. 

-Whitmer says that a few times before snapping back into her individualized self 

W: “The Cor will survive. We want to regain the greatness we once had.” 

C: “When God was alive?” 

-She flinches at this 

-She has a somewhat alarmed reaction, like she dug into a soft spot 

W: “All knowledge comes at a price. But with that knowledge we can make things again, greater. We can make the rules.” 

-DN is FUMING 

-No one in Corsica will be harmed for the duration of this expedition 

-Naomi has Dark Ezra and Leah and Whitmer…didn’t notice 

-Whitmer is giving us a wide berth 

-Showing Leah kindness, offering to do Adrien’s funeral at TLS 

-A hush order has gone over Corsica 

-VE poured water over Cyrus and Johanna 

-Ezra felt like he had been drugged, like the world was slowing down

-There is an effect being placed on everyone, feeble mind, there is a leach being place upon the populace (no movement speed, unable to register or use their mental abilities)

-VE smashed the linen closet 

-Getting a nice sheet and pillow to transport Adrien’s corpse 

-C + N are searching Cyrus’ office 

-Shady dealings! 

-He seemed to be looking into acquiring documents that are only rumored to exist — ascension rituals. He hasn’t been able to find anything 

-They are looking to find and destroy them (so no one else can use them) 

-Correspondence with an Oran — they seem to fight. Oran seems to have more morals than Cyrus and disagrees with the way Cyrus operates 

-Looking for any records on Naomi — nothing super suspicious 

-There isn’t a hospital in Corsica and the ambulance is not coming 

-Nobody gets sick here, in fact, everyone is incredibly healthy 

-Children (pre-baptism) do get sick …

-Woodvale vs. Corsica — putting together vs. breaking apart 

-All things come at a price 

-The Big Three Gods used to have more centralized religion. As tech flourished, and arcane magic boomed, traditional religion fell out of favor

-There is some danger in gaining a lot of knowledge 

-“We are the select few that must protect these forbidden knowledges.” 

-Gatekeeping! 

-Ellie gave some children (Dick + Jane) candy. Their internal ley systems are still intact. Ellie also gave them cute, play outfits and it sparked divinity!

-Don’t. Look. Into. The. Pools. 

-We can’t. Leave :) 

-The city itself is a sigil - something has been enacted. 

-We have plane shifted 

-There are snowflakes? —> localized to Naomi 

-Leah and Ezra are going to check in on the kids in the neighborhood — Eliie gave them candy to distribute 

-We’re going to The Library 

-Cass made an SOS sending stone (one way) and gave it to Ezra and Leah

-We are going through the garden to get to the library — the gardener (Miles) does not seem affected by the feeble mind wave 

-Walking in a seeing a water genasi 

-Oran Sare 

O: “I was hoping you would get the message. There is a ward on my office so we can speak freely.” 

VE: “Are they going to kill us?” 

O: “They may kill you two, but won’t harm her.” 

-These bitches know too much!!

-They wish for more fertile soil (???) 

-Oran has unique powers 

-They [The Coralogia] want to ascend the Cor 

-The more one knows, the more in tune [with the Cor] one becomes 

-The Cor has centuries of knowledge 

-They killed God to get The Cor 

-Traded Corcillium 

-When religion started to change, faith was lost which caused power to be lost 

-This book is scary! Sucks you in

-They were approached with an entity to make a trade — knowledge protected forever if they would give up Corcillium for something better, something undying, and not as flighty 

VE: “If it’s better why is it so…scary and ugly?” 

O: “Something so parasitic is perhaps ugly by nature.” 

-Corcillium was the last to fall 

-Cass is allegedly religious 

-Oran was “poached” — a unique situation. Not from Corsica but brought into the community

-The Deal was made when tech was first developing — less than 1000 years ago 

-Oran gave a Ring of Mind Shielding to Naomi (might help her not be fully assimilated into The Cor) 

O: “Oh, we’re in incredible danger right now. All of us.” 

-Saying The Names made him crazy for a second — The Cor must maintain some sort of information on them

[chthonicrose]

here's my opinions so far on who he might manage to get along with:

cassandra: uncouth, reminds him of lqg, hate

leliana: honestly might be the best candidate. woman, not obnoxiously moral, not a muscley fighter type.

cullen: absolutely the fuck not. templars are going to see cultivation as magic.

josie: rich. might remind him of qiu haitang. that's not a good thing.

varric: not human. man. immodestly dressed. overly familiar.

solas: not human. man. shady. racist back against him too.

sera: not human. but probably reminds him uncomfortably of being a street urchin. if he can get past racism, probably he's in favor of the red jennies

vivienne: she's rich and snobby. no.

dorian: doesn't dorian justify the institution of slavery in tevinter at some point? also, man. also, rich. very 'pampered young master', and my darling shen jiu would cheerfully slit the throat of every pampered young master living.

the iron bull: GIANT FIGHTY DEMON MAN. no!

blackwall: guilt makes him want to stick needles in it. man. oozes 'liar'.

cole: DEMON. CREEPY THOUGHT READING DEMON.

scout harding: not human. sweet. honestly I find it hard to imagine disliking lace harding. he could probably manage but I'm not sure how.

dagna: not human. dangerously enthusiastic.

krem: you're allowed to do that??? well if you're a man then get thee from me.

hawke when they turn up: this fucker is WAY too cocky, do not like that

[wild-eyed] HEY. HEY. ARE ANY OF YOU INTO BOTH SCUM VILLAIN AND DRAGON AGE. I ACCIDENTALLY THOUGHT ABOUT SHEN JIU TRANSMIGRATING INTO THEDAS AND I'M GOING TO DIE IF I DON'T TALK TO SOMEONE ABOUT IT

HE WOULD BE THE PISSIEST HERALD OF ANDRASTE EVER

[basically-sera-blog]

No one expects the Cheerquisition! 

I did two drawings to go with this. I’m not an artist. I’ve given up. Please enjoy, knowing that I have suffered.

Sitting in the gym waiting for The Iron Bull, Dorian can’t believe how much time he has on his hands. Since leaving the Imperium he’s been fleeing something or fighting someone or just trying to survive. Now he has a scholarship intact, no strings attached. He’s safe, he has a great boyfriend, maker, even his classes seem relatively easy now that he can focus on them. If he had one problem it would be...

Dorian’s phone chimes. It’s Bull, telling him the chargers have moved their practice outside to take advantage of the good weather. Dorian is invited to watch them run laps, but he won’t have anywhere to sit. Dorian sighs. If he had to have a problem, it’s that he doesn’t know what to do with himself. He loves Bull, and his friends are great, but Dorian doesn’t want to seem like he doesn’t have any of his own. He doesn’t, but he’d like that to appear intentional at least, or like he can occupy himself. If he keeps watching the chargers practice he might soon know all the rules of the game. Disgusting.

Dorian sighs exasperatedly. He texts back that he’ll be fine, and goes to put his phone in his bag. He’s thinking about heading back to the library and looking up old books on Tevinter history, the dirty kind full of affairs and intrigue. Something silver catches his eye.

This could be a perfect opportunity. Dorian pulls out five silver scarves and five gold ones. He’d stumbled upon a very interesting passage in one of his books about an ancient dance involving ten scarves and no clothing. He’d considered maybe, only maybe, learning it for Bull’s birthday. With the chargers gone, no one would come by here for hours, more than enough time for him to try out the steps. He’d put a workout outfit, well as close to a workout outfit as he owned, in his bag for this reason. He could... Dorian pulls out a crop top and shorts from the bottom of his bag. He looks around the still very empty auditorium. He could at least try it.

After an hour or so Dorian is sure he has the steps and reasonably confidant he can attempt them all together. He’s sweating, but he’s happy to find that his muscles still respond like he hasn’t spent a year writing a textbook against his will. He always liked the concept of dancing, of being able to move around with grace and intention. Now he could put all that ballroom experience to better use. Dorian plays something sultry on his phone, a monstrously long mix he created, and connects it to a little speaker. He might as well give it a go. He starts off a little awkward but it isn’t long till he gets into the rhythm of it. He has to keep his back curved, legs arched and angled to create the proper lines, one hand stays near his body while the other flickers the scarves distractingly, catching the light. As the scarves near his belt line begin to fall he has to switch hands quickly. It’s a dangerous dance, but he’s mastering it. Dorian’s hands move faster and faster and be begins to twirl as well, always keeping his eyes locked on a spot where he imagines Bull watching him, captivated. Dorian swings his hips and traces a hand down his body, fingers interlaced with silk scarves before immediately swapping hands again. The dance gets more daring, more acrobatic and he loses himself in it, imagining the look on Bull’s face. The song ends and Dorian smiles. He doesn’t know how the dance actually looked but it felt pretty amazing.

“Whoo! Go Dorian!” Kaffas. The voice that rings out isn’t one Dorian recognizes. He freezes. How much did she see? he lets out a sigh, steeling himself, and looks up. Oh no.

Standing in the doorway is not one person, but an entire gang of them. The woman in the front appears to be the speaker. Dorian must have been too focused to hear the door open because everyone is already standing in the doorway. Judging by their clothes all being school colors, and most of them being women, Dorian has an idea who they are.

The Inquisition is officially known as the cheer-leading team, a part of the student government, and the spirit committee but there are rumors.

“How can we be sure that this is Dorian?” Cassandra asks suspiciously.

“Of course it’s Dorian! He matches Bull’s description perfectly: adorable dork with the world’s best ass.” The woman in front, Trevelyan, Dorian thinks she’s called, speaks again. Dorian’s eyebrows shoot up. It’s true, mostly, but he’d never guess that Bull would describe him that way to other people.

“That isn’t remotely what The Iron Bull said!” Cassandra clarifies.

“He said Dorian is handsome and has dark hair, glasses, a mustache and tattoos.” Josephine assists Trevelyan.

“Which is subtext for adorable dork.”

“And that he’s very fond of him.” Leliana finishes.She has a softer voice and a pleasing accent. In her hand however is an almost sinister expensive black phone with a raven insignia, and she keeps periodically checking and updating it.

“Which everyone knows means world’s best ass.” Trevelyan wiggles her eyebrows at Dorian. Scout manages a snort while Leliana and Josephine merely smile. Dorian must agree with her, it is usually what one means. It’s nice to know that Iron Bull speaks highly of him. It manages to bring forth a small smile as well.

“Come now Trevelyan, that’s beneath you.” Vivienne retorts.

“Viv, Love, I was only joking. You must excuse my compatriot, she has an underdeveloped sense of humor.”

“I have class, darling.”

“That’s what I said.”

“At least she has excellent style.” Dorian joins in without realizing he’s doing it. No one seems to notice and they act as if he’s been a part of the conversation the whole time instead of standing awkwardly and trying to appear casual.

“Thank you. It’s nice to see you have good taste, despite evidence to the contrary.” Vivienne gives him a once over to remind him that he’s wearing a crop top, but her smile is genuine as well as mocking.

“Well, I’ll alert my posterior to the compliments and I’ll ignore the insult.” Dorian quips, “but I must say, I still have no idea what any of this is about.”

“First things first it’s about getting you, and that glorious dance, onto my cheer squad. We’ve been looking for something... distracting, to help out in the upcoming game.” Trevelyan somewhat answers.

“We’ve been investigating options since The Iron Bull’s injury.” Scout Harding volunteers. “It’s not that he’s not great, and won’t do great,”

“But every little bit helps.” Lavellan finishes from behind the group. She’s on tip toe trying to stay involved but doesn’t seem to mind.

“A change in depth perception can affect everything when it comes to sports.” Cassandra seems more in her topic element.

“We were looking at maybe doing something with magic,” Josephine says.

“But it’s dangerous, and potentially against the rules. if it isn’t against the law.” Cassandra interrupts.

“This could be perfect for what we need, dear.” Vivienne is looking at Dorian as if she’s already planning ahead. “With some nice clothes, some larger scarves, this could do the trick.”

“I don’t remember agreeing to this.” Dorian replies. The women in the group look at each other, trying to find something to say. There’s something in their eyes, something guarded. A part of Dorian stands on edge. He’s used to people with hidden agendas trying to

“They feel guilty that they didn’t help you. When you were being used and chased. They didn’t know, and they think they should have. They want things to be better, they want to be better. I’m sorry Dorian, I’m so so sorry. We’re supposed to be those people. The people that help. We failed you.” The pale boy, Cole, says. Dorian isn’t sure what to do, has no idea how to take that, but everyone else doesn’t seem surprised by the outburst. Cassandra looks away awkwardly. Josephine and Lavellan have the most pitiful looks on their faces. They must be the soft ones. The Qunari merely nods to Dorian, as if to confirm what Cole was saying. Leliana and Trevelyan glance at each other. This was probably their responsibility the most. Scout Harding just bites her lip and waits for the moment to pass. Cole seems absolutely content though.

“If you’re all trying to guilt me into joining the team you’ve failed.” Dorian says it lightly, trying to break the tension. It works. “I don’t think I’ll be joining any school sanctioned events any time soon, but since you’re all eager to help, and its for a good cause I suppose I could try to teach you. Now, which of you think you can actually learn the steps?”

Vivienne glides forwards, along with Lavellan and Josephine. Leliana, Adaar, Cole, and Scout Harding take the middle. Cassandra brings up the rear, looking like she’s been asked to drink poison.  

Trevelyan hangs back for a moment, looking at Dorian with a million thoughts behind her eyes. He sighs over-dramatically to get her to ease up a bit. “I’m fine. Really. Apology accepted for not offering me help when I didn’t ask for it because I still don’t actually know you.” Trevelyan laughs.

“I... I am sorry though. I hadn’t realized how busy we’d become, how out of touch. I... if there is anything you need, a roommate change, help with a professor, blackmailing someone, anything, please let us know. Nothing is too big or small, and we’re not going to feel better until we’ve helped with something.” Dorian rolls his eyes for effect.

“I’ll let you know. Now, do you want to learn this or not?” Trevelyan walks over to the others and Dorian begins. His explanations begin technically, and the biggest shock is how quickly Cassandra and Josephine catch on. They’re vastly outdistancing the others.

“They’re amazing at math,” Scout says in way of explanation.

“Well that’s something.” Dorian sort of likes playing the instructor. Its more fun than he’ll ever admit to. Cole begins to master the movements, but the intention is beyond him. Josephine and Cassandra also find themselves too shy for the magnetism required and they decide to form the back. Adaar is shockingly willing to throw herself into the role of the seductress and seems to make it easier for everyone to loosen up. Dorian never imagined himself correcting forms and walking down the line like a drill instructor while wearing one of his shortest pairs of shorts, but the ladies don’t comment on it. Instead they listen to him, and with time it actually shapes into something. They’ll need more scarves though.

The opening of the doors signals the end of their... practice, Dorian decides to call it. The Chargers are surprised to find he’s not alone.

“Hey Dorian. When did you join the Inquisition?” Krem asks before a wicked smile lights up his face. “Wouldn’t that just be too perfect, head cheerleader dating the captain of the basketball team?”

“Who said anything about head cheerleader? If anyone is going to be,” Vivienne already has her hackles up.

“No. We’re not doing this again.” Adaar shuts her down soundly.

“Agreed.” Cassandra says in exasperation. There’s obviously a story there.

“I’m more of a... consultant.” Dorian decides.

“On what?” Bull asks as if he really wants to know while Krem and the chargers seem more confused than anything.

“Early Tevinter history.” Trevelyan jumps in easily, giving Dorian a look. The Inquisition won’t give him away, the look says.

“Early Tevinter history... and cheer leading?” Krem says slowly.

“We’re very well rounded.” Josephine continues. the Iron Bull seems to pick up on the fact that there’s something they’re not saying.

“Well, I just came to see if Dorian wanted to grab dinner with me, so maybe we’ll head out?” Bull looks at Dorian, who only now realizes he’s starving. Also he’s barely dressed.

“Um, yes, of course. Let me go change.” Dorian rushes to the locker rooms. Bull watches him and blushes, clearly taking a mental picture, but waiting patiently. He’s probably also hungry, but he politely doesn’t mention it.

“Well Cremisius, unless you have any other questions or suggestions we’ll be heading out as well.” the Inquisition closes ranks while Lavellan and Josephine giggle together. Krem probably knows something is going on but has the sense not to do anything more than watch them suspiciously.

Once Dorian has changed back into something more covering and adequately ripped and cut when he hears a quiet knock at the door. Dorian opens it a bit but sees no one there. The knock comes again from... the other door? Dorian opens the door going outside a smidgen. It’s Cole. Of course it is. Who else could have gone around the building so quickly and quietly.

“Yes, Cole?” Dorian does like him, he’s sweet, but Dorian isn’t in the mood for any horrible revelations tonight.

“The chargers and the Inquisition.” Cole seems a thousand miles away, looking at something Dorian doesn’t see. Dorian wonders if that’s going to be it, as Cole pauses there long enough for Dorian to begin looking around. Has it been a minute? Seconds? Is he supposed to respond in some way?

“You need not be so proud, Dorian. They do not merely tolerate you, they like you. You are easy to like.” Cole smiles at Dorian. Dorian simply mouths words before looking behind Cole to see if this is some kind of prank. It’s only a second but when he looks back Cole is gone and there’s no one there.

“What in the maker’s name...”, Dorian sighs heavily. This is going to be such a strange year. They like you. the words repeat in his head and a small smile plays at the corner of his mouth. Perhaps it’ll be a good year though.

[asiancatboy]

"eat your fucking heart out for me baby oh now tell me how it tastes" evelynn? sorry. evelynn? sorry i meant ev—?

[vermillioncrown]

yeah, so on vivienne's end, she had nothing to do with bruce from the beginning, was headhunted by lucius fox.

except this is where i get so MAD ABOUT BRUCE'S BAT STUFF BC WHO MADE THAT. HUH? YOU? AT WHAT FUCKING MAKER SPACE.

WHO SIZED THAT BATPLANE. WHAT MACH NUMBER? WHAT FLIGHT ENVELOPE? YOU CAN'T JUST STICK A FUCKING DIFFERENT ENGINE ON A DIFFERENT PLANE WITH A DIFFERENT OUTER MOLD LINE AT FIGHTER JET SIZE AND CALL IT A DAY AND--

okay.

okay. so, there would be workarounds that would amount to shady sneaking of company resources + man-hours to even get any of bruce's toys to some useful volume. you can't fucking hide that.

look. let alone the shadiness it implies to have a personal fighter jet. i don't want to get into it. but holy shit i know it's a comic thing and we gotta treat it with the same conceit as superspy gadgets but

(no. no! @ me: verm stop!)

vivienne figures it out partway and then goes "nope, i do not see it" because she is gotham-raised. unfortunately, batman is a net good. he can't keep being one if he's going to make a batmobile that will ignite itself bc of poor systems engineering principles.

ends up like a design consultant to keep lucius from wasting her subordinates' time and efforts -> is the one that needs to email back whomstever it may concern "the aircraft cannot be trimmed for that thrust rating; this will limit the engines that can be integrated if we consider commercial-off-the-shelf" let alone do it and have it produced in three months, bruce is just dealing with a faceless fun-sucking naysayer bureaucrat paper pusher, lucius is tortuously cc'd in every email until he decides "ALRIGHT YOU TWO TALK IT OUT" bc vivienne implies she knows it's bruce. bruce wayne the batman. her boss's boss.

=

unfortunately, bruce did not recognize dr. vivienne yang, director of advanced concepts for waynetech. he did recognize the sharply dressed lady that usually attends meetings with lucius and takes minutes and discusses things with him

they sit in silence for fifteen minutes (vivienne thought bruce was gathering his thoughts, she was busy looking through five other proposal documents)

"...is director yang coming soon?"

vivienne is so taken aback. "i'm sorry, mr wayne?"

bruce is also taken aback by the passive aggressiveness. "director yang? you are chief fox's personal assistant, right?"

vivienne, while brusque, wouldn't be the type to yell at her boss righteously (wouldn't have survived that long). she only rants at lucius bc he's like her work dad at this point (unsaid sorta nepotism/she proved herself meritocracy thing) or she's just abrupt. otherwise she is a total pod person (goes with the extreme feminine presentation, too)

but she has war flashbacks to the months, nearing years of bullshit this out-of-touch wackjob furry has tried to pass muster through her fucking desk, her research division, her hardworking degree-having first-principles-knowing technicians and engineers

and just tells him "you are a waste of my time mr wayne" and promptly stomps on a stiletto'd warpath up to the C-suite to start raging at lucius

=

bruce realizes and now there's a face to the name and the emails are worse.

^he ends up confessing this social faux pas to rosalyn and she's just 😶

so between rosalyn doing normal people talk at him during their massage sessions and lucius trying to make them talk short of a 'get along' shirt (he dreads every new email between them)

bruce extends the peace offering of reccing rosalyn to vivienne (bc god damn she'd be in shrimp pose and cramping trying to do the work of a whole fucking team so a bat can have his damn toys and not explode and still do her day job)

=

to bruce's horror, the next time he sees them, they're at brunch together. laughing. giggling. and when they see him approaching, they go completely silent and just look at him.

"hi bruce" 🙂

"afternoon, mr. wayne" 🙂

they weren't supposed to team up against him

…so how do they meet??? 👀

YES

so, what's not clear from our posting order is that bruce meets rosalyn before he meets vivienne (they've just exchanged caustic emails). and rosalyn has a standing weekly session w bruce/he's a regular. so when bruce royally fucks it up w vivienne and none of his attempts to apologize are working, he has enough of a rapport w rosalyn to ask her for her advice.

she gives it (after staring at him for a long moment), vivienne still isn't ceding territory, but eventually bruce is just "hey so i know a really good massage therapist and you were complaining about your right wrist and she can help, i promise this isn't a trap."

things evolve from there

@vermillioncrown

[simminglytimeladies]

A successful lady with some shady secrets...

Vivienne seems to be a pretty nice woman but I feel like she hides something... I’ll never know, maybe.