#actually that sort of makes sense but i still dont think the vibes really fit the character

[beneaththebloodylake]

edgeworth is literally the least first nameable character ever to me. ill call manfred von karma by his first name, but with edgeworth it still sounds so weird

[herrscherofmagic]

Collection of WIPs for my newest honkai 3rd AU: a synth- and post-punk band AU! featuring the band “Mirror Mirage”

More art and an explanation further below

I dont want to put too many details down yet since i intend to do more with this and don’t necessarily want to spoil future story stuff, but the gist of it is that its an AU focused on the villainous Herrscher personas (except Veli, but she fits the vibe lol)

The tentative setting I’m working with for now is Central Florida and its meant to be a more serious/realistic AU with a focus on young adult life, not late-teens stuff. Think less “fun times at Perfect Fairytale College(TM) with my besties! Lets have fun and study today!” and more “rent is due, my roommates are assholes, the hourly bus is 20 minutes late again, and i almost got hit by a drunk driver on my way to work for the third time week and it’s only Tuesday”. That sort of thing lmao

I’m not sure if there’s any real interest in a story that focuses more on some underrated characters like Herrscher Mei (not normal Mei as a Herrscher, but her alternate persona), much less a story that also deals with more serious IRL issues

Mei is bassist and a vocalist, formerly lead until Kiana (more precisely HoV in Honkai terms) joined; Mei also handles the finances as she is an accountant in her day job working at a community redevelopment agency. Has a strong sense of justice and puts on an air of confidence and superiority on stage and when fending off hostile folks, but acts with great humility with the ordinary people she encounters in her daily life.

Kiana is the (new) lead vocalist. Works the graveyard shift at a gas station and is a self-proclaimed “cynical asshole” that barely gets along with anyone else; also plays the guitar occasionally. She was dragged in by Mei and reluctantly joined the band, leading to an awkward and tense relationship with the others, but her incredible skill as a vocalist means the rest of them put up with her shitty attitude.

Seele is the lead guitarist; she is an immigrant from Estonia and came to the US with Elysia a couple years back, in early 2022. Keeps in touch w/ Bronya, who is still living back in Europe. Tends to be a bit withdrawn but is very loyal to the band and would throw hands to protect the crew. Seele has Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and is a system comprised of two alters: Saule and Veliona. Veliona is the one that actively plays in the band.

Elysia (HoC in Honkai terms) is the synth player and mixer, and does a lot of work in planning and executing complicated tracks both live and in studio recordings. Despite being having no local heritage, she loves switching between a southern cowgirl persona and her usual preppy nice-girl persona. Since Elysia is said to be from “Vladivostok 51” in Honkai canon, that would make her Russian; however for the purposes of this story im headcanoning her as Ukrainian (which ik is far from Vladivostok irl), simply to mix things up a bit, lol

Fu Hua (Senti in Honkai terms) is the drummer; still a college student, shes a bit of an odd one out in the group, but was there since the beginning and has grown close with the rest. Has a bit of an attitude and says cocky things, but is much more timid at heart and acts a lot more calm with her friends at school.

A huge part of the inspiration for this story is a desire to try and depict the more ordinary aspects of urban life, adding flavor to mundane daily activities without relying on magic or scifi or high-octane action and drama. The villains of the story aren’t comic book supervillains, but rather its the various systems that the characters have to live within- corrupt governance, financial struggle, societal divide, etc.

I also really want to tell a story that emphasizes the queer experience. Not just the usual lovey-dovey girls-love stuff, but what life is actually like for real women in real sapphic relationships when living in the state that passed the infamous “Don’t Say Gay” bill IRL. As much as I love the canon KiaMei relationship in Honkai 3rd, i think it’s hella sanitized and can’t really convey the depth of the history and culture of the LGBTQ+ community. So I’m hoping to address this by placing their relationship in a specific real setting, one where LGBTQ+ folks (including myself) have to fight for our rights, acceptance, and representation.

As for musical inspiration I largely draw from a few big sources: one of the bigger inspirations is ASTROPHYSICS & MINTTT, as well as more recently Chappell Roan; genre influences include rock/punk, synth/EDM, and Sovietwave! This is both inspiration for their vibes and also for what type of music i imagine this band would play

The last image is a more suggestive one but ive hastily and sloppily censored it, so hopefully that is okay with y’all x-x

I rarely make spicier content like this, but having listened to The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess for the first time today and then listening to it 4 more times in a row, I couldn’t help but push the limits of what i usually do just that little bit, lol

[ronanxing]

please how do you pick colors 😭 I'm trying to learn how to color and I am obsessed with your comics (like your ivantill ones lol) and how do you pick such a cohesive color palette and choose where to put what????

Your art is amazing like actually :) happy holidays!!

😭 tysm anon and happy holidays to you!! i did my best to explain some of the process behind my color picking and choices for the ivantill comics under the cut, i hope its coherent cuz quite frankly it also takes me a long time to decide what colors to use

a little disclaimer: i tend to just put base colors, before i start adding shading or lighting. i also dont usually start off with a fixed color palette in mind, because my process is pretty much figuring out as i go along, and playing with all sorts of colors; however whenever i do end up with a fixed idea on the color palette the process is still applicable anyways so hopefully its helpful for u too :’]

ok so i usually decide colors by asking what kind of mood or tone im going for. for example, the recent ivti comic i did

the comic imo is pretty playful - theres a romantic element ofc but i think the focus is rly on how ivans being kulit / annoying as usual so i thought a spunky, albeit warm color would rly fit. theyre also chilling in tills house so i thought a home-y, comfy feeling would be good

i was still playing around, so for the first attempt at realizing that tone, i added a hot pink multiply layer to see how it looked

(first attempt vs final colors) (also im sorry for the low quality procreates timelapse is wack)

ironically enough it actually created a really cool looking color palette which was not what i was going for. so i kept testing colors for a bit; the shadow is hot pink, and i ended up going for a bit of a desaturated green as a base / overlay because it mellowed out the pinkness. i also put both the base and the shadow on a darken (50%) layer so that the og colors peek through a bit more compared to a multiply layer. in the end tho, i ditched pink and went for a saturated red

the green also makes for a nice complimentary color to the red, and it overall has that home-y, warm but playful feeling i wanted to include ⬇️

i added a highlight layer (color dodge, 82%) so that it pops a bit more, and also bc i knew i was gonna draw a big lamp on their right in the bg. speaking of the bg i made it a green/yellow hue so that the base for green on ivan n till make sense, and it ended up working for the best cuz the red acts as a nice contrast

(admittedly i think if the lighting of the room is green the shadow should also be green, but tbh i tend prioritize contrast as much as possible regardless cuz it looks nice 🤡 even if it fails to make sense realistically its for the vibes)

^ i ended up remedying this a little bit by adding bits of green to the shadows on ivan n tills hair and clothes, and also because its fairly complementary to the pink palette i have going in for the shadows and even the highlights (esp on ivan)

i also decided to shade in dark parts in the lineart so that it pops a little more

looking at the values also really help! esp in comics, where each panel can have its own lighting depending on what angle ure drawing. u can do this easily by adding a pure black layer above the entire piece, and setting it to color (100%)

for me the values actually made me realize things that may look too similar, which usually leads to me changing the color. for example, the couch and stuffed animals behind ivan and till were actually a lot darker before i changed it. bc it kinda blended into ivti a bit, it also got the eyes’ attention away from them. i ended up adjusting their hue and values so that it matches the bg, and ivan and till stick out more (alongside other color adjustments) ⬇️

changing the lineart also helps quite a bit! i made the lineart for ivan and till a little darker, while the bg elements got a darker green instead so that the bg elements dont take as much attention

looking at b&w values also helped me realize that the og pink i was using for the panels was a little too dark, so i made it significantly lighter so that the panels stick out more (esp bc they take huge precedence in the second page)

(og panel color vs final)

and finally when i pick all the colors and am satisfied with them, i merge everything into one final color layer for easier rendering :> procreate (and im sure other programs) allows for color / hue adjustments so you can def play around with those!

as for the harana / first ivantill comic i made, it had all the similar steps of the recent comic so ill just talk a little bit about the palette

so im ngl this comic was a bit of a struggle to color for me,, cuz i wanted it to be romantic but it was set at night. usually that dictates cooler tones and colors, but i was aiming for something warm. thats when i figured i could just let tills room wash an orange color, which would help with making warm lighting but also help till and ivan stick out again from the surrounding darkness / blues

i went with a purple base, cuz i thought it was a nice warm ish color at night and it makes blue and orange pop. i also figured that i could make the base both purple since the highlights are the most attention grabbing / contrasting colors

also used the moonlight as rim lighting so that ivan sticks out a little more,, i also figured that tills room would be projecting harsher lighting over the moonlight

lighting it this way also allows for nice color contrast regardless of what character is in the center: ivans outside but awashed in orange lighting (from tills room), and tills inside but hes sticking his head out a little so hes noticeably purple. it allows for characters to stand out while also being pleasing to the eye

and im ngl i cheated a bit again 😅 i think till shouldve projected a shadow on ivan a couple of times and the highlights might be too harsh but again i just prioritized making their facial expressions seen LOL

for this one i didnt use any layer modes aside from (if i remember correctly) a purple multiply layer and overlay for shadows and base respectively

and thats pretty much my process for figuring out the colors !!

TLDR; i look for the mood or tone im going for, try to make interesting contrasts / complimentary colors and i also double check if each character sticks out by checking values :> it really helps me too to play around a LOT, i think it takes me like an hour or just 30 mins to figure out what colors to use and also adjusting it significantly when i merge everything together

[soulofamy]

14. What two fandoms would you write a crossover for?

(If I already asked of this one before you can ignore it)

Yet another fanfic writer ask game!

i view crossovers in two ways, 1) with characters from two or more fandoms meeting/interacting with each other in the same story and 2) taking characters from one fandom and sticking them in the universe of another fandom without actually including that fandoms characters

i preface this answer by saying that i am EXTREMELY picky with how crossovers are done. i think isekai stories are incredibly boring unless there is canon precedence for it, i personally like to do it by making au versions of characters to make them fit into other universes more seamlessly.

ive definitely thought about a soulcalibur x starwars au before but moreso because i feel like it would be super fun to draw. its fun to imagine who would be on which side of the force, what species everyone would be, what their lightsaber would look like or what they would wield instead. it already kinda works because we had starwars guest characters before and then lucasarts made a comic about it so like it already kinda exists?? maybe its not mainline canon anywhere but soulcalibur has a multiverse so maybe its canon SOMEWHERE lol. but also if i were to actually undertake this idea for writing, i probably would not include any of the canon starwars characters i would just fill the galaxy with starwars au!soulcalibur characters

i have also thought about a soulcalibur x mortal kombat au before too but like it would have to be very particular characters. calibur has a handful of underage characters and like i kinda want to keep them far away from mk gore tbh lol but like i could see a few characters fitting in REALLY well in the mk universe. azwel would either get along really well with shang tsung and quan chi or he would become the bane of their existence, im not sure yet. i dont have the words to explain why yet but i feel like tira and havik would be a really fun duo. kilik and liu kang would get along really well. i really want to see syzoth interact with aeon calcos because they are basically the inverse of each other, syzoth is a reptiloid who can change to a human form at will but aeon was born a human and was changed into a lizardman against his will. idk if i would pair astaroth up with any character in mk but i just feel like his general vibe works as some sort of an outworld monster. OH and i REALLY want to see geras meet zasalamel because they are both so similar but also so incredibly different

the fun thing about a soulcalibur x mk crossover is that both of them have multiversus and in soulcalibur, the witcher universe canonically fits into the soulcalibur multiverse. which makes me feel like other games could also have their own universe be canon in the soulcalibur multiverse. AND spawn has a line in mk11 that indicates that he remembers his time as a guest in soulcalibur 2 ("Maybe that's why my soul still burns" <- soulcaliburs tagline has always been "does your soul still burn?") which is good enough evidence for me to say that soulcalibur and mortal kombat exist in adjacent universes and thus a crossover would actually make sense

[vyvesvi]

(copying this over from my twitter)

pd101 japan s3 mdh steal list + where i want various trainees to go

yoshida hana would do well at starship

yamazaki mitsuki will probably quit music but in my head she could be in a ninemuses-esque group with ando chiharu, koyama mana, tanaka yuuki

i follow a talent scout/trainer who's actively trying to get moro anon a kpop job so

motohashi meika mdh steal list first inductee

i dont care for mizukami rimika. she should start a yt channel if she hasn't already

matsushita miyu isn't for me but maybe she could join the ninemuses reup

fujimoto ayaka was well-liked enough to have a future somewhere. idk where, but somewhere

hatta mena has some issues but i do think she can still debut somewhere

i have no idea where nakano kokona can go but that's baby sister so i want good things for her. maybe the chanmina show? that's the only japanese survival show in the works that i can think of, plus she suits the vibe

i was convinced that takahashi hina and abe nagomi were gonna be 12 & 13 and be frontrunners for the lapone spin off group but they usually dont bother with people who don't make the finale...my non fact based opinion is that a group with these two and a couple others who were eliminated would still do better than a group of the finalists. as it stands, hina should try for the next korean season of pd101, and nagomi will have a future in jpop, even though the idea of splitting them hurts my head.

i loved takagi mayu but her brief foray into the entertainment world is over i fear

sutani yurara would probably hate it conceptually but im zapping her with my ninemuses ray. sorry.

i don't know what to do with sasaki tsukushi but she needs a win and bad. chanmina show? if keiko and rinon weren't fighting for top 11 id say debut them as a trio, i enjoyed their team's balance on bijin a lot

saito serina...i really like her but idk what to do with her. she has great idol potential and fits kbeauty standards more than jpop standards...maybe the next korean season of produce? she's like 45% mdh steal list but that's my bias talking

kano kurihara ninemuses beam

i kind of love kitazume sakura, she's cute but extremely intense & she tries to hide it by simply not saying anything but it still shines through. i think she's great. produce 101 korea just to see, she shouts instead of sings but honestly she gives izone

kikukawa aki...she's fun but she gives flop group, like majors or something tbh

no idea how nogizaka works but kawabata ranka should aim for something like that

kamio ayano reminds me so much of zhang zining it's crazy. if she had a storyline i think she would've debuted but she just never caught on. she would be a great gg member but im not sure where

oda aruha my beloved disappointment. if she had held on a lil longer she couldnt made lapone trainee status but alas. i could see her just working in dance moving forward

okabe nana could be scouted by someone, maybe akb idk

uchiyama rin might not have a future in music but it's kind of a shame since she has such a nice lower register

ando yui my little sister...idk what to do with her so im gonna blindly put her in mdh jpn ngg and say it makes sense because having 2 yui's would be cute

aramaki joa's push was too obvious and she paid the price, but there's no way she's not being kept on as a lapone trainee or getting offers, finals or not. i actually think her vibe sort of suits tripleS although im not expecting anyone from this show to join

i quite liked akiyama ema, something about her reminded me of jihyo but she never fully caught the audience's attention so unfortunately she might just dance from here on out

to be very real i hope suzu fans dont panic vote her into the top 11. she definitely has a future at lapone.

honestly some company is gonna take half the finalists and throw them in a group together regardless of fit so given they dont make top 11 but disregarding that...

sorry i want shizuku to go back to opera

momoka should go on chanmina's show and then transition into an iri copy, she'd actually do sooooo well with that but if she wants a gg...my ninemuses team is only at 7 rn

haruka will get an offer somewhere

koto & rio lapone, kagura too but i want her for the gg im building in my head

in sum:

discount nine muses: yamazaki mitsuki, ando chiharu, koyama mana, tanaka yuuki, sutani yurara, kurihara kano, kamio ayano, kenmotsu nano, kato kagura

mdh: motohashi meika

sorta mdh but not really: saito serina, ando yui, aramaki joa

final top 11 in my brain: momona, miu, rinon, ran ayane, tsuzumi, kokona, kokoro, rin, keiko, and rino (im delusional)

[gumy-shark]

okayh okay HI you said you wanted to know about the freedom/passion dichotomy thing? ive got the graph and i am going to do my best to explain this to you despite me barely having a grasp of it on myself. THIS IS VERY LONG IM SORRY.

so the first thing you need to know is this just started as a way to split my ocs and help me make character arcs and motivations, and it became a little bit of a habit to categorize my favorite characters this way as well. its is in no means a perfect dichotomy, and im constantly looking for ways to refine it, but for now the best way ive found to illustrate it is this:

basically its which think they represent most... or what they value the most? idk its kind of a case-by-case basis and is dictated by Vibe. like I said THIS IS VERY FLAWED so bare with me pls

when i first started watching lmk i sorted all of the characters i knew into either category. this was within the first four/five days are watching so some of it might be.. off? but i think its still worth something as my first impression of the characters, and it'll probably help illustrate what i mean

Wukong -> Freedom Macaque -> Passion Wukong and Macaque have this thing where one has too much freedom and is learning to temper that with passion (wukong) and the other has too MUCH emotion and is trying everything he can to gain true freedom (macaque) (this is true even when he isn't under LBD's control but is esp prevalent then). they each value the opposite thing they stand for and are trying to be more like the other, without even realizing it. MK -> Freedom Dont get me wrong! He very much has passion! He holds a lot of emotion in that body! but a lot of that passion is the passion for freedom. he just wants to be able to be himself and hang out with his friends, he doesn't do well with all this responsibility :C Mei -> Passion Does this need defending? High sense of duty (mainly towards her ancestors and her friends), and so incredibly passionate. and impulsive. She spits fire when angry! Nothing more to be said honestly. Red Son -> Passion Is a really good parallel to Mei, has too much passion to fit in his body. [In the original notes, I noted that he was 'scared of true freedom, but doesn't know that yet. I'm pretty sure this references his relationship to his parents? Smth smth he's too scared of making them angry so he doesn't explore who he is outside of his relation and loyalty to them?] Pigsy -> Passion this man doesn't need freedom when he as his passion for food. what does he need to be free from? he has everything he wants HEART EMOJI! Tang -> ...Its complicated The thing with tang is that he kind of gets like a character arc with like. Responsibility and his care for his friends? He goes from low passion/high freedom to low freedom/high passion over the course of the show. please note that i am insane about him and if i really wanted i could write a whole essay about him. Sandy -> ??? ONCE AGAIN ITS WEIRD. I WISH THE SHOW FOCUSED MORE ON HIS CHARACTER AND BACKSTORY BC I CANT GET A READ ON HIM.

okay thats the main cast, and HERES THE ALIGNMENT CHART ACCORDING TO THAT. WITH OTHERS AS WELL.

theres not a lot of people without any value of freedom and passion at the same time so the grey area is pretty empty LMAO.

ANYWAYS. I BROUGHT THIS UP TO BEGIN WITH BECAUSE OF THE CHARACTERS WITH EYE SCARS TRIFECTA!!! Basically i see them all of how i described macaque earlier. He's trapped in a situation that he doesn't want to be in, whether it be LBD's control or his situation wiht wukong or his own creepy and standoffish persona/his trust issues making it hard to make real connections with others.

(in contrast wukong loves doing his own thing and just Hanging Out and never stopping his own momentum, but he also has trouble caring about... a lot of things actually. he's just soo easygoing! responsibility harshes his vibe!)

But anyways, macaque's problems are very similar to quackity and tempest's, i feel. Quackity constantly feels trapped by physical threats like techno or dream, and also his own circumstances and trauma (a lot of it from schlatt and manburg). a lot of his actions are him trying to reclaim the freedom he used to feel when he was younger. tempest felt she couldn't be truly herself without her horn, but in trying to get it she got herself in a really bad situation where any wrong move could get her killed.

The passion part comes in play in different ways for them all. Quackity tried not to care about people for a while, but still can never stop being extremely loyal and protective of his friends. Tempest had lots of rage inside her and was so intensely driven to get to her goal. And Macaque canNOT stop obsessing over wukong honestly. All three of them are very passionate, and all three of them are constantly trying to gain more freedom.

This is a super long ask, but thank you for inviting me to ramble about this lmao. I think everyone represents freedom or passion in their own way, and this dichotomy really only matters for characters BUT I THINK ITS FUN. THANK YOU FOR COMING TO MY TEDTALK!!!!!

i had a whole Thing written out and i was so proud of it and then my phone decided to delete it before i could post and not save as draft. but yeah im putting this chart in the microwave and then eating it and then putting it in the fridge so i can keep it overnight and microwave and eat it again. this is so fucking Good. in their attempts for freedom macaque cquack and tempest all disown the people they were when they Were free, bc they want to be unbound entirely, but they Feel too deeply for that to ever be a possibility for them. so they do the next best thing and try to pass those "lessons" they've learned on to others OUGH it makes me sick!!!

[john-jonathy-jonathan-the-3rd]

Tags thingy

These, like this entire blog, are mainly cattered towards me, and I am only really putting them here so I dont forget them. They are stupid and arent really made to make sense, so I recommend that you ignore them (13.6.24)

(10.10.24) Alternatively I'd actually recommend searching my blog using some of these since it helps filter out a lot of my compulsive reblogging and get you whatever it is you came here for.

#not a reblog is for that rare smidge of original content

#good reblog for when I actually add something to a post (retired because it felt pretentious to label anything as a "good reblog" and I wound up never using it)

#favorite For something I particularly like

#favorite+ For favorite but ✨more✨

#favorite++ and so on, and so on. Youre smart. You get the gist.

#emotional is self explanatory

#that feel is purposely vage

#teehee ;)

#in a spire inspiring but said weirdly

#see again is for when past me would like to give a recommendation to future me that is more specific about being seen again than simply "favorite". Basically an @ future me

#a hole in some is for when the hole is some (wholesome)

#awww with 3 w

#laughed out loud for when I did in fact perform that particular action

#funny

#made me smile

#future me is kind of like #see again but different in vibes.

I'll add more as I see fit. I dont think I'll retroactively tag stuff

#cool art is specifically for art which I find cool, so if you came here for pretty art reblogs you can use this

#cool lore is for when the thing in question is intriguing or of conceptual quality

#cool stuff more general tag that includes the stuff the two above don't

#my drawings I draw, and enough of my art has been good enough recently to get posted, so now I'll tag it.

#art goals You ever look at a piece of art and think, "Man, I really want to be able to make something like that one day"? Well I do! This is what I'll tag that stuff with

#beautiful for stuff that I consider to be exactly that. The template for this is a pollution-less night sky or that particular half-dragon zelda.

#queue a queued post

10.10.24 I just wanted to mention that many variants of these have actually developed with my use of them. It's a sort of notation to mark stuff for myself. For example, #quality in a spire is something that inspires because of it's quality rather than it's content. Something to aspire to.

#fake queue a post that I didn't think was as important as the things I have rotating around the queue, but still has that "I would show this again to you at any given moment if I could" aspect

#previous mecore a post that accurately depicts/brings up something relating to the good things that used to be part of me. Feel free to ignore, it's even more specifically aimed at myself than every other part of this blog.

It's silly and not solidly based on anything but I am mentioning it because

[princesseevee06]

Keishin 100% dude, arguing and then realizing feelings then confessing mid argue? So keishin vibes

45 and 46 :p

HI AGAIN ANON SO it’s been a few days (so sorry about that btw.) And i have. Possibly the funniest news. i was thinking really hard about your ask and how to approach it because i tend to sort of…draft scenarios in my head before actually answering my asks? and i was like. hmmmmmm idk why im having such a tough time with this! i feel like no matter what i do it ends up feeling forced! and i genuinely DONT know how to tell you this but I THINK YOUR ASK MADE ME REALIZE YTR SHIN IS AROMANTIC????? LIKE I. I GENUINELY DONT KNOW WHAT TO SAY. THIS WASNT INTENTIONAL. I JUST REALIZED IT.

like ok i know im the creator of this au and i can do whatever with the characters. but sometimes i feel like the characters are actually doing whatever they want to and im like a haggard reporter chasing after them trying to figure out what’s going on.

that said i still really wanted to answer this ask because i think it’s interesting and also because ive already put you through the ringer with the light mode debacle (😭) so its still keiji and shin but a more…platonic take on these prompts?? I HOPE THATS OKAY AUUUAUAUAU;;;

anyways just to offer you a bit of background: keiji and shin are a super interesting duo in ytr to me! keiji takes hinako’s spot, meaning he’s a human who tries to blend in with the dummies. if shin lives, he actually gets paired up with him (i know that doesnt actually fit the role swap but i wanted to anyways because they are the parallel characters of all time to me). i definitely see their relationship starting off with mutual suspicion, with shin being suspicious of keiji’s behaviors (what with him secretly being a double-agent for asunaro n all here <.<) and keiji being suspicious of shin kind of splitting off from the rest of the group. yet, i also see this evolving into a sort of mutual intrigue— they’re both invested in trying to Detective each other out and figure out What This Guy’s Deal Is.

a moment for 45-46 would, to me, definitely take place after it’s revealed that the dummies’ goal is to kill their partners. if shin already didn’t trust keiji, he would certainly not after knowing this info (i mean, come on, mr. 0.0% over here…). and i can TOTALLY see them getting into an argument over that, since a conflict of interests would be born from keiji wanting to keep an eye on shin while shin just wants to be Left The Hell Alone.

i think keiji would make the argument that if shin was really so worried about being targeted, why doesn’t he just make the first move to take out keiji? to which shin would be like are you stupid? then ryoko and everyone else would want me dead. to which keiji would point out…buddy….they kind of already do. he can Sense the antagonism in the air just from how ryoko and shin interact.

he then takes it a step further to observe that shin cant trust anyone, but he doesnt have it in him to betray anyone either. shin would actually be caught off guard at this, but also be like “bitch you too” and say that keiji also hasn’t trusted anyone, hasn’t revealed practically anything about himself.

i think this is where the “realization” part kicks in. shin desperately DOES want to trust others, in this case he even *does* like keiji, but he’s so terrified of letting anyone in (ESPECIALLY after the 2nd main game) when it’s so much easier to push people away.

i think…they’d be able to be a bit candid here. realizing that they’re at a bit of an impasse, i think keiji would be the first to open up a little about Why he acts this way (more of the traumatic past stuff, less of the asunaro stuff for. obvious reasons 💀) and shin would mutually confess how he felt about the death game and that he wants to trust keiji but just feels like he can’t.

the real fun (tragic) part is that i think after having a conversation like this shin would feel hopeful!!!! that maybe even in this awful environment he could find someone he might be able to call a friend(????!!!!) but of course that’s cut short because keiji dies in the banquet 💥💥💥 hence why this is the Worst time for him to realize he actually doesn’t think this guy is half bad. sorry i love making shin suffer </3

ok yeah i. i know this isnt really keishin. sorry anon </3 but shin aro icon remains true and real in my heart forever

[enderwoah]

In the past you have classpected double life members and it was grest

So I ask After limited life has your assessment changed if so who has changed and to what also why is it different

Of course this is only if your opinion has changed after the latest season and if you are will to share

good question! ill start off by saying that it certainly did the opposite of change my mind about my classpect for grian; the concept of limited life is, quite literally, the most witch of time lookin ahh game i have ever seen, so! that checks out. (witch of time)

realising that scott has basically won the life series three times in a row solidified his place as an active class in my head, but the means by which he does it somehow push me more towards passive? my brain says that the fact that he just kind of stays out of the way and grows stronger while nobody is paying attention to him is more bard-like than prince-like, but at the same time, i think he's less passive and more benevolent. if he wanted, he could have won three times in a row (which is insane), but he just thinks that isn't fun so. yeah! long explanation to say that i wavered but ultimately he's still the same. (prince of mind)

limlife tango (and most other tangos, if i'm being real) sort of teeters towards a mage of doom for me. he's very VERY sollux-coded, and while classpecting based on one really big personality trait that is interesting is fun, it's nice to look at the more accurate one, too. even disregarding the 'death' part of doom, the 'technology' aspect of it obviously makes sense to fit with tango. i love the guy dearly, but all of his final deaths seem to end up being inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, harming himself and himself alone (for the most part). also, he is an excellent vibe checker and fuller predicted martyn being a little garbage rat to win limlife, and i think it's an excellent situation where he took all of his prior experiences both with the death game and also with martyn being a menace and made this accurate prediction. this isn't the most thought out thing ever, but i definitely think tango As A Whole and not just The Tango That Gets Mad is very mage of doom coded. (mage of doom)

jimmy died first again! nothing has changed! everything is awful! i'm in hell! (page of doom)

bigb did what i suggested he do in the classpecting post, which is stay a bit more low-key, and ill tell you this: he certainly survived for longer than he did in double life, that's for sure! also, being a nosy neighbour that just spies on people from a distance is very rogue of void-core- i'm sure you could argue seer, but. ehh. there certainly is an argument to be made for it, he does hold a lot of secrets to his chest, and he certainly did have a few in limlife...but i think most of the secrets he has are his own, not other people's. a rogue he stays! (rogue of void)

bdubs is one that i was already a bit ehhhhh on when i made the post. at this point in time, my brain is swaying me actually towards blummin light, which is deranged and i dont really know how to explain it. [imagine theres about a 15 minute pause between me writing these two sentences as i conduct a bit of research.] actually. hear me out: bdubs as a knight of light. i might actually change this for double life too (in my head, not for the au due to overlapping classpects). hes so light-coded, idk how i didn't see it before. goal-oriented…loves being in the spotlight…even the collecting knowledge aspect that i had pegged to him as a seer works better in assigning it to light. and the knight bit just feels right to me: doubts about his importance to the groups and teams he's been in and the people he's loved? getting a bit meta, you could even point out cc!bdubs saying that he's not posting his limlife pov because everything important that he did was seen in other people's episodes; his importance as a character has been defined by his effect on others. kinda love this. knight of light bdubs. letsgoooo (knight of light)

impulse deffo stays as a blood player, and im pretty sure his bard class stays, too. he made it to the end by riding off the promises he made with his team ("ties makes it to the final three!" T-T), and we must remember that bard also means destroying through blood. and his goofy ahh got betrayed AGAIN lmao (it was less 'betrayed' and more 'tricked,' but. same difference). (bard of blood)

martyn has, like grian, done the absolute OPPOSITE of changed. bro has CANONICAL SOUL FRACTURES THATS CRAZZYYYYYYYY LMAO. heart player (CANON + CONFIRMED). and no, him betraying scott does not take him out of the heart player faction: he defended scott with tooth and nail and blood until the end, him killing scott ONLY SO THAT HE COULD WIN is just furthering his damn arc in learning to fight for himself. he's still heart-coded as hell. (knight of heart)

scar, pearl, ren, etho, joel, cleo, mumbo, lizzie, and skizz have not changed! thank you for the question!! :D

[sizhui]

hello angie :DD i am currently reading through your character study again! its very comprehensive so i hope to be able to get as much as I can out of it. also hehe ive noticed a pattern in what sorts of things you seem to enjoy writing about, from what ive read it seems wen kexing n ah xu (idk his name sorry) remind me somewhat of the mother n father from when she calls them down to dinner or perhaps wilfred (fogot) n his husband... but theres not so much erm downer here? anyways i like those things so im glad u can write about things so viscerally !! also i thoroughly enjoyed how u use settings, ghosts n hauntings to explore wen kexing's character. im not sure how much of these images are present in canon but from what i know of cn novels i wouldnt expect it to be too far from canon!

ill put the rest of my response under the cut !

it was very romantic i felt :) particularly the bits about like. letting go and becoming human, becoming properly tangible with ah xu. sort of accepting the incomprehensibility of their becoming if it makes sense? it was so very romantic to me.i particularly enjoyed the bit about gallows and ghosthood and houses? idk it was just so romantic it brought me to tears!! like it is about love!

i dont really know what the ghost or valley is but i enjoyed that u developed it overtime. also i enjoye dhow the story transitions, from wen kexing alone physically n w his thoughts to the ah xu entering his life, filling his memories n changing him. its good for the tone.

like i got the vibes that wen kexing is a ghostly gloomy man. he seems sorta cynical and forsaken but desiring deeply to be whole i think. the heaviness of his burden was conveyed well. from the visceral n shocking scene of eating his fathers corpse a complete inversion of natural order i guess and love . he feels very trapped, always struggling but not quite able to get there alone. i also found ig a struggle within him to just die lol or Not.

particularly i feel wen kexing's decision to cut down the forest in his heart, his perception of himself as a dying tree, among one of the ghosts (being haunted n himself haunting) rlly emphasise that he is stuck and this death looms ever forward

ALSO AAAAH PHYSICIALITY!!! i liked that how its used.. being able to be touched by others to confirm you are a living thing or believe you are but now

anuyways sorry this was long n rambly n nothing but really!! it felt like such a nice love story somehow!!

thumbs up i liked it !! :D r u watching anything next

HELLO DEAR LAB!!Thank you SO MUCH for such a long and thorough and beautiful analysis of my story, i let out a funny sound of joy like 10 times while reading it!!!!! Your perception of the story is pretty much exactly what I was trying to convey with it - i feel a little proud of both of us, and blessed to have a reader as wonderful as you!

In the novel there is a fraction of people called "ghosts" who live in that valley cast away from society, but it's never really explored what that status MEANS for them so this was my take on it - in a way it's canon compliant, but most of the ideas came from my crazy overthinking hehe, I'm really happy you enjoyed! I'm very happy you perceived this story as deeply romantic, because that was the goal - writing about painful things like suicidal ideation, haunting and eating your father's corpse (he does actually do that in the novel OUCH) and having it still be a love story... There is definitely a lot of struggle to Just Die in Wen Kexing. Like Ah Xu explicitly wants to die in the novel and everyone always talks about that, but i also perceived the same in Wen Kexing and felt that that was one of the reasons they were able to connect and wanted to write about it. I'm happy you were able to get such a good grip on his character from my writing alone! I also usually avoid writing about physicality so I'm glad it fit in well here and served the story well !

Please don't apologize for this being long because that made me very happy, and it's definitely not rambly and nothing, it's everything to me! Thank you, dear Lab, for reading my work with such care ♥️♥️♥️♥️

P. S. IT ALSO MADE ME HAPPY THAT U CONNECTED IT TO BSCTTD . EVERYTHING ALWAYS COMES BACK TO IT.

[her-canine-teeth]

decided to not make a whole analysis bc. thats much so im just gonna like write my thoughts to each line! slay.

spiracle by flower face - notes

!!i dont have like many symbolism here yet. and with that i mean almost nothing; i was mainly, like, testing the waters or smth bc it was the first one etc and i wasnt really familiar with anything just yet.

I want your quiet, your screaming and thrashing

jackie's quiet, shauna isnt.

The salt on your lips and the hands that god gave you

'salt' -> ocean -> water

And I want your violence, your silent sedation(....) who ever she killed not sure

violence is pretty obvious i think; sedation sounds kinda sterile to me and the clip too

Your moon eyes, your telescope,

literally had no other ideas

morbid fixation

it does seem. morbid sorta

And I want your pyro,

fire

your born-again virgin

she wasnt a vigrin when she died. but for a pretty long time. and shes like 'born again' in shaunas mind yk??

Your hands on my insides, your fingertips crawling

makes sense

And I want your Jesus,

I THINK she sorta looks like holy?? savior typa IDK how to say that. but it reminds me of jesus.

your suicide mission

died

Your lips on the microphone,

bc shes like leading, actively the captain

soft disposition

looks rlly soft <3

And I want your parties,

party

the shark in your water

fit somehow im not sure anymore ahhh also dont have any notes. but i still think it fits

The scrapes on your knees and the blood that spills over

blood that spills over = cheating

And I want your zeroes,

sorta seems at a low point

your polluted marrow

.sorta obvious i think

The sweat on your palms and

bc shes like nervous, she doesnt know what to say

your surveillance shadow

she still there, in the distance, watching over shauna and she cant get closer; if jackie is a shadow, then shauna is the light.

I want your secrets,

fits with jackies line

your clementine fields

i googled clemetine meaning and it means innocence and i thought that fit like rlly well

The ropes that you climb up,

sorta a stretch; the ropes are jeff (that shes climbing for a 'normal', heterosexual life). jackie wants this (otherwise she wouldntve been with jeff pre crash) but shauna is the one to eventually actually climb them/marry him.

the parts that won't heal

still succumbs to violence or however you want to call it. thought it more fitting to her killing adam bc the rabbit required like precision n shit

I want your safe word,

idk

your passive resistance

shauna doesnt want it, but still isnt active.

The sickness you foster, your favorite addictions

quite obvious too i think. personally one of my fav parts

And I want your nightmares, the ghost in your doorway

shes a ghost, shes in something sort of resembling a doorway

Your paralyzed sleep and your- [scream]

thought it was funny, also it is indeed true. if i like had to choose then the scream is my fav part i think esp bc it just lines up so wellll like the death scene and everything really

I want you, butterfly, I want you, sailor

actually asked sb what theyd say who is who but since ive watched it like a feww times and: jackie is the butterfly bc shes a beautiful (and seen as such) and fragile (was the first to die). also she has a butterfly shirt (which is worn by shauna later on - which was actually the reason I asked sb! bc i was unsure if i should use shauna in the shirt. but then i decided against it, mainly bc i didnt like the vibe of the clip and i wanted them to interact). the symbolic meaning of butterflies doesnt really fit her (transformation, change, growth)(really its more the opposite) BUT it doesnt fit shauna as well.

shauna is the sailor bc she like sailed away and left jackie behind, a million miles apart and unable to do anything but to dream of each other (which jackie is doing then). technically, jackie is leaving here, but this is still jackies last goodbye (even though its imagined)

I am your lover and I am your jailor

originally 'I am your lover' was supposed to be 'thats not what youre hungry for' but i changed it. Not sure why (like id do it again but idk why) but its like. shes (the picture) her lover shes gone she wont (cant) ever come back (not rlly) shes representing everything that was and thats been lost (everything thats irredemable. shauna herself.) shes her lover but shes not real (shes not even a hallucination that only shauna can see, but a picture that everyone can see and does see bc its on a really big screen on a get-together with many people; shes not shaunas, she doesnt belong to shauna which she never has - even though thats all that shauna wants. (I think jackie thinks, or at least feels otherwise. whcih shauna doestn know, of course, cause their communication is ATROCIOUS)). shes never been real, actually, cause whats shown on the screen is the jackie that shes been showing them, not the one she really is (today she is pretending for shauna, too. she doesnt, cant see her real self, who she really is; theres nothing beneath the surface of 'jackie, homecoming queen' anymore)

shauna is the jailor bc she wont let jackie go. in doing that (and in living the life jackie was supposed to live, represented by jeff being with her at the function) shes also her own jailor

[divinity-infinity]

OH MY GOD OP THIS SO MUCH I LOVE THIS IT ALL FITS SO WELL

MAY I INCLUDE MY HEADCANONS FOR THE NON-DEMONS + UNDATEABLES

I MEAN IM ALREADY GOING FOR IT BUT YEAH ANYWAY

Simeon

here's one for the filipino musicals whoo

i just think it would be fitting for simeon to duet mc with something with sky (alapaap, in filipino) imagery

i'll just let the lyrics explain

"Masdan mo ang aking mata / 'Di mo ba nakikita / Ako ngayo'y lumilipad at nasa langit na / Gusto mo bang sumama?" "Look into my eyes / Dont you see / I'm now flying and in heaven / Do you want to join"

Simeon gives me filipino vibes the way satan/barbatos gives me british vibes idk so yea

Solomon

The song is very poisoned cooking vibes

solomon singing about enthusiastically feeding someone a usually okay meal except something is very Not Right about it

mc very terrified trying to refuse

somehow solomon doesnt realize that the whole horror thing about the song is the poisoned coffee and thinks that the poisoned coffee is some sort of magic

what if solomon singing this while cooking

bonus: show stopping number from the same musical because solomon honestly looks like professor hidgens

Luke

janis!luke warning mc about lucifer fr

also mc as cady singing "did i really think i'd be protected by my new exotic pet" as a nod to the pacts LMAO

also the parallels between janis and regina, and luke with lucifer and how even though theyre like opposite in terms of like, aura and energy theyre still mean girls in their own way. likewise with lucifer and luke they also parallel each other in the sense that even though theyre opposite on the demon-angel spectrum they hold some similarities in belief. this post has more explanation on this.

"if i was any kind of reproductive threat" imagine if ur mc is simping for diavolo or smth this fits especially well LMAO

"will she braid your hair, will she eat your heart" is such a luke warning mc about lucifer lyric idk

headcanon that they do this duet when mc convinces luke to attend an anti lucifer league meeting thats basically just the club meeting up to eat somewhere (karaoke bar) and they start belting it out

Thirteen

listen, this song is all about torturing people but in a fun sily way

and thats totally a thirteen x mc setting up traps (for solomon probably) moment

theres also the whole thing with thirteen being a reaper and mcs soul being really pretty enticing to thirteen

and theres also the whole death thing (pun intended) going on as a theme of beetlejuice, which matches with thirteen being associated with death, being a reaper and all.

thirteen bonding with mc by setting up traps for solomon, and they finish making one through the course of one song like

its an actual musical moment where the plot advances so much in one song

they also have a whole dance number while at the same time getting things done

Mephistopeles

we r gonna have the rap battle that miura ayme wanted, except its mc hamilton and mephistopeles jefferson

with the whole conflict about hamilton and mc being immigrants to the place they get some kind of powerful position in, as opposed to mephisto and jefferson being "originally" there and being more influential anyway

diavolo/lucifer as washington and it happens at a student council meeting to collaborate with the newspaper club idk

Raphael

idk i just think that litany of the martyrs fits raphael

as an angel the religious themes of the song is just so 👌👌👌

idk man

raphaels a singer too so i think this song would fit his voice or smth

OM Demons & Their Broadway Duets

A.k.a the duet you two perform together that’s just a lil bit too on the nose

LUCIFER

You cannot tell me that he’s Not the same person as Hades

Mans has shit to do!!

But that doesn’t stop him from wanting you one bit

He knows he can seduce you, and that’s exactly what he will do

Also has that Stunningly deep voice thats just perfect for this roll

Enjoys making you squirm on stage with his words and voice

Probably circles around you whilst singing

10/10 very hot

Will def invite you to see him after the performance for some quality time

MAMMON

The exact kind of greedy, insecure loving he needs

He wants to sing more because “The Great Mammon deserves the spotlight”

So he sings Elphaba

Tbh, finds it really therapeutic to express his feelings for you so wholly

LOVES that its so intimate; he gets to hold you, with an undeniable excuse!

Gets so flustered during rehearsals

Only makes him love you more

Listens to it often, cause it makes him happy to think of you

He will deny this

LEVIATHAN

He would have died if it was a romance duet, c’mon guys

He was struggling getting on stage as is

So getting to pretend to play video games, right next to you in stage while talking about how he hates everyone else?

Perfect

Has the audio clip of you saying “is it really true, i’m your favourite person”

Listens to it daily

Actually has an Amazing voice, holy shit

It’s Your song and no one else can sing it with you

Probs get the matching pac-man tattoo from the original musical

SATAN

As said before, a hopeless romantic to the core

Thinks this entire musical is god tier

The only one to know and love the entire musical connected to your performance

You see it together “as research” before doing the scene together

Perfect on stage, as expected

Probs cups your face for a Significant portion of the song

Loves being to protector, instead of the persecutor; like he is so often made out to be

Will sing it to you quietly as you slow-dance in his room in the early hours of the morning

Wants it to be the first dance at your inevitable wedding

ASMODEUS

Guess who’s back on their asmo-is-baby bullshit

Mans relates to Audrey So Hard

So its only right he plays her part

You are his Seymor

He tries not to think about it, or else he’ll cry

Thinks its a really beautiful song

Don’t tell him the ending of Little Shop of Horrors, he’ll be devastated

ADORES being on stage, makes every minute of it

Kisses you as soon as the songs over, so deeply and passionately

The audience goes wild

Both of you are grinning wildly

BEELZELBUB

He’s more than happy to sing a song about loving you in front of as many people as you want

Honestly just happy to be spending time with you

Sings Zoe, because he just wants to reassure you that he loves you

Like Lucifer, has a beautifully deep voice

Constantly checking you’re not as insecure as Evan

Makes sure you know he loves you, even if you aren’t insecure in the slightest

A custom bed needs to be built for the two of you to sit on for the scene bc he’s so Large

Puts his heart into the line “I don’t want you to fix what I’d rather forget”, because he needs you to know that you aren’t a replacement for Lilith

He loves you, as you.

BELPHAGOR

Idk what bullying you had to do to get this but go you ig???

Hates JD with a passion

He reminds him too much of how he was during his time in the attic

But it’s almost like a redemption for him; he can do it again but this time he chooses you

He chooses you instead of the anger, the hurt

Voice is probs really raspy because he’s always sleeping

Didn’t do rehearsals, just wung it on opening night

Enforced naptime afterwards

DIAVOLO

Listen, this is Very Directed

He chose this song for a reason; he needs his people to know that loving you is not a political choice

He just loves you

Relates more to Alyssa, but sings Emma for impact

Probs doesn’t have time to be doing something like this??

Barbatos is On Him for the overdue paperwork

But this is Fun

And it’s with You

He loves preforming

Probs has a good vibrato too

Post show fancy dinner date 💕💕

BARBATOS

l i s t e n

Mans is perfect for Warner

Is more than happy to let you have the spotlight

Loves being able to say he loves you so plainly

Sometimes the song makes him think about the realities where you stayed in the human realm

It makes him grateful that you chose the Devildom

That you chose him

But he tries not to linger, because you both have a song to do

Master of honey tea before going on stage

Warm them vocal chords UP

Always praises you on how wonderful you were the second that mics are off

[e8luhs]

hey cyan do you have any tips on making playlists for ocs? i always feel like the songs i use dont really connect to each other

OMG HI OF COURSE i have been waiting for this question all my life actually :) ← sitting very still and being very contained about this but is actually a little insane

didnt realize i was actually passionate enough to write like over 1500 words about this but here i am. in my typical autismguy fashion this is probably less like outright tips and more like me explaining my process to you via bullet pointed list and hoping that something will click and help you in your endeavors. if you have any questions about any points or whatnot feel free to lmk :) but for now take this infodump about playlistmaking and also about my brain guys a bit

usually for me, the end goal of a character playlist is mixing together music that fits the characters vibe with lyrics that are plot/character relevant. my first step in creating a playlist for one of my ocs then is figuring out what kind of music my character would listen to and best gets them across

using mavis’ playlist as an example, genre-wise i ended up going with some mix of what i like to call “entry level indie/alt” (so like two door cinema club, the killers, the strokes, things along those lines) and like, new-wave-or-other-adjacent-kind-of-stuff (like talking heads or lcd soundsystem). 

so the mindset behind that choice is that a) mavis is, you know, The Protagonist. therefore i wanted the playlist to have a feel of like... if i put some of these songs in some quirky movie as the opening tune, itd make sense. because that fits into mavis’ sort of desperate want to be The Main Character and her want to live this sort of idealized life that shes made up in her head, which are character traits that really plagued her before she ended up going through a portal into a different dimension (and traits that sort of inform her approach to the whole showing up in a different dimension thing as well) b) mavis is like, kind of a pretentious kid. she has a vinyl collection, she probably thinks her music taste is better than yours, she is trying a little too hard to be cool and chill all the time, etc etc. she takes some pride in being a little bit obscure. i dont see her as OVERBEARINGLY obscure though. i just thought it would be kind of funny to make her this kind of person who would tell you shes about to put you on something and then play nirvana or whatever

^ essentially this is about translating the characters quirks into the language of music

id like to mention that there can totally be outliers for the sake of prioritizing the lyrics half of the previously mentioned end goal, which is the more important half to me anyways – like if i find a song with strong lyrics but weaker genre-specificity, im probably going to throw it into the playlist anyways. i cant imagine mavis listening to everything everything but you do what you gotta do yknow.

^ and also this is not something you HAVE to think about if you dont really care about a playlist fitting into that characters music taste or whatever

the second step is all the more subjective because this is the part where we get into finding plot relevant lyrics. the most helpful thing in my opinion at this point for finding songs with good and fitting lyrics is either to have some pre-existing imagery in mind for your character, or to basically just have the ability to create threads between the songs imagery and your character. while there are going to be times that you run into obvious jackpots where it just so happens that this song fits your brain guy so well that it was practically made for them, for me it usually comes down to that imagery/thread bit

so using a song i picked for kirabo as an example: pulaski by andrew bird, i thought was a good pick for their Vibe and all but again i always want every song on a character playlist to kind of serve a purpose pretty much? the lyrics for pulaski are like, NOT hyperspecifically fitting at all, but to me it is an incredibly plot- and character-relevant song for kirabo. and here is why:

^ its very convoluted and this is all just my insane person approach btw. but creating associations like this actually really helps me personally in finding more songs for the character that are plot relevant even if theyre not PERFECT per se. a lot of this stuff just comes to me after thinking about the lyrics a regular amount (aka after making brain AMVs about the little guys that live in my mind for hours at a time).

another way that these associations and imageries end up being useful is in the way that you can make connections between characters with them. an example to show that uses lea and trinity, two characters who have songs that share recurring themes of war and "the underground", which makes for interesting ways to compare and contrast their mindsets on certain things and shared history:

^ BASICALLY, these connections become a surprise tool that help you later because eventually you will come across more songs that use similar ideas but different perspectives, and you can use this to either portray character progression or character relationships, which in turn helps with Lyrical Flow because you have reoccurring imagery. and i get all of this just by thinking about the lyrics a little harder than i probably should

some other less convoluted tips for finding songs would be looking at playlists for characters that are similar to your oc (if you trust other peoples music tastes like that), or a fun thing i like to do is go through discographies/albums and try to find at least one song from that artist or album for each of my characters if i can :) like its fun and i simply think every character in the world should have a government assigned everything everything song

my only other advice for finding songs otherwise is to use spotifys little recommendation section under the playlist to your absolute advantage, use music-map or things like it, idk. godspeed soldier because its just hard finding new songs.

third step is probably the easiest :) at this point, once i get a good amount of songs together i throw them into a playlist, and then i open up a google doc or a sticky note and write them all down. in the note i create sections which basically work to divide the playlist into the beats of the characters arc and organize the songs into those sections. heres a picture to show what i mean by that:

^ so like "establishing songs" are songs that i think best get the personality of the character across. every section afterwards is sort of about the beginning beats to mavis' character arc. this step just helps you make sure that the songs are In Order and actually serve a purpose in the playlist rather than just like ... being there

i usually also take this as an opportunity to reorganize the playlist if i realize that certain lyrics dont flow right wrt that characters arc or the plot

my character playlists nearly always go through multiple iterations, and i am pretty much always finding songs, so this restructuring bit is something that i repeat like. literally all the fucking time.

OKAY. OTHER RANDOM TIPS:

i like to update my playlists with the same amount of songs all together, so i have a playlist just called “add later” that i put all of those extra songs on. this also helps me, when i DO go to update a playlist, keep track of what songs are being added as well as comb through those songs to really make sure i want them on the playlist or if it was an impulse add. think of it like that one pinterest board you have for unorganized inspo pins or whatever

i also like to use instrumental songs as “interludes” between the sections in my playlists, because to me thats better than like. just abruptly going into the next section (or ill try to find good “in between'' songs if i dont feel like using an instrumental song) ^_^ this is also something that helps alot with the Sound Flow, which is probably what youre looking for.

which wrt Sound Flow, i mean it is really just about listening to two songs and being like wow these sound similar enough so i think they should be in the same area. idk. not exactly rocket science and i honestly dont think too hard about it, usually ill just listen to the beginnings and ending parts of songs that are next to eachother just to make sure its not too jarring

i think thats about it. go forth and make the playlist of your dreams

[casa-amor]

Hey! So I saw this post you made about the leak thing. What if, Will goes and says all that and comes back to Thabi, thinking he wants to better for Thabi, but in reality it's actually mc? Hence he went back to Thabi first before going back to mc. Because after Thabi ends whatever going on between them, he comes back to mc, right? But then, when he comes back to mc, mc is already coupled/paired up with someone else. Now he's forced to watch mc having fun and vibing with an LI knowing how fun and how easy it is to be around mc. Like he remembers how fun it was to just chill with mc, talk with mc, have a laugh with mc-- those kind of things. Then, he realizes that he could've been that LI instead. Will to will, he's like, "why am I thinking of mc?" Bc yk, it should be Thabi who's flooding his mind and not mc. And that's when it sinks in that he didn't want to be better for Thabi, he wanted to be better for mc, so he comes back to mc.

Ngl, that's fanfic material right there 😂. It also fits that selfish persona fboys have. It's very cliché when considering the story, but cliché happens for a reason, yk? Anyways, I just wanted to share my wild thoughts with you after reading the post.

THIS IS THE BEST WAY THEY COULD DO WILL'S ARC. (given that, yk, they dont wanna rewrite the whole thing)

MEGA SPOILERS BELOW

it makes sense that he backs off from MC because MC is already coupled up like pretty seriously. we're like the power couple this season (not by choice lol we're kind of forced to be in love with james/bruno/najuma for most of the season) so it makes sense he keeps crawling back to thabi.

but also for something like this to happen (and for it to be satisfying), they'd have to put in little "hints" that will was thinking of MC throughout all this, like side glances or random chats that kinda make you go "wait...👀" they do this a lot in s2. like you can tell noah is kind of interested in MC even if you dont do a noah route.

from what i've seen there's really none of this in s4, which i chalk up to bad writing. i mean i sympathize with the writers because it seems like they were put under really stressful situations while writing s4. unpopular opinion but i think the "spirit" of s4 is really good, you can tell the characters were crafted with a lot of love, and the outline of the story was pretty promising, but when it came to the execution (actually writing the episodes, the dialogue, etc) that's when they came up short. it seems rushed and... like it was written by someone else who doesn't really know what's supposed to happen

then again, to be fair the leaks only go up to chapter 33, so we dont really know how will acts after coupling up with MC yet. maybe later in the game we get a solid conversation with him that explains everything. (i mean we do get kind of like a confession from him, but it doesn't really cover much, like if MC was coupled up with him before there's no mention of that, it's sort of more like a "hey, now that things aren't working with thabi, i think i like you, bye" and thats it)

sooo yeah. fingers crossed it gets better🤞 i think there is still time for a more serious "i wanna do better" epiphany later on in the game. ugh i just hope it's written well. thats all. thanks for coming to my ted talk

[childotkw]

( just a warning I ramble so bear with me ) for how harry would actually act and the house thing I dont think the hat would put him in Hufflepuff. I understand loyalty to himself and everything but everyone in the house would be like so buddy buddy. I feel like he might suffocate in there and the hat would recognize that. As for Slytherin I feel like he would e left alone after a bit when he just kind of tries to disappear and stay out of site. It kind of depends on how you would make the characters act. If its only how they are in canon tho I think they might watch and wait and see as for Draco I dont think there would be a problem till he got sorted if there was a problem at all. I think he might like stay out of site on the train and no one would find him because he is actively trying to hide and stay out of the way. he most definitely would not meet Ron and would not trust the weasley because they are so loud and that's a no go. not only that but ms weasley seems like she might be similar to his aunt with her talk to the twins that might push harry away even further ( she can't tell them apart she doesn't care things like that )

I dont know it just seems like he would not meet Ron at all and if he got into slytherin it would put him off even more. Not only that but if Ron happened to bring up dumbledore for some reason it would make harry even more untrusting with him to the point I think he would be untrusting even before asking him if he can get away from his relatives. Perhaps Voldemort would be an intresting party to throw in if they made him slightly less insane and capable of being anything other than a Gryffindor wannabe ( he's acts and thinks like a Gryffindor why ?!?!? )

sorry about ranting but I kind of wish there was a story that did this realistically. with maybe some harrymort or tomarry in it ( if some one knows of one please message me ) its just a really interesting concept and im glad im not the only one thinking about what might or could be. once again sorry for the rant.

Don't apologise! It's an interesting concept to consider.

I'm not entirely disagreeing with you with the sorting thing - for me it does come down to Slytherin or Hufflepuff. I just lean towards Hufflepuff.

If you want to take the Hat's opinion into consideration, I still think it would go with Hufflepuff, if the 'loyalty to yourself' thing counts. I think the Hat tries to put students in the most fitting House - both to complement their traits but also to give them something they need.

Harry, in this sense, could probably benefit from the warm and welcoming nature of Hufflepuff. While the whole 'buddy buddy' vibe would, yes, probably feel suffocating to him initially, I do think being around people that are genuine and kind and supportive and respectful of his boundaries would end up having a huge and positive effect on him.

If we look at the other Houses, I believe the Hat would go:

Slytherin - definite fit for his current traits, but for his long-term mental health, it would only reinforce the damaging behaviours Harry had. He wouldn't be able to make any lasting, positive relationships there. 7/10.

Ravenclaw - doesn't fit his current traits and can also be too insular. Harry likely wouldn't connect well with anyone there. 2/10.

Gryffindor - doesn't fit his current traits and would push too hard on his pre-existing boundaries. Harry would more than likely double-down on his defensiveness in the generally rambunctious House, and any progress he might make would be ground to a halt before it could really begin. The potential to regress would be too high. It'd be too much too fast. 1/10.

Hufflepuff - fits his current traits, and has a welcoming, gentler attitude than the other Houses. Harry would (on a whole) be surrounded by caring and honest people that would be able to provide him affection at a softer pace. 8/10.

I think the Hat would pick Hufflepuff in an attempt to help Harry on a long-term basis. Harry needs to build interpersonal skills and strong relationships, and he needs patient people around him to do that. Hufflepuff just works best in that regard.

As for everything else, I do agree that Harry would likely try and avoid others on the train. He'd claim a carriage and either lock the door to stop anyone from joining him, or he'd sit quietly and not interact with anyone that tried to talk to him (thereby, avoiding having to introduce himself and flying under the radar). He'd avoid the Weasleys because they're too loud, as you said; and he'd avoid Draco because that boy had 'Dudley' written all over him, which is a big 'no thanks' from Harry.

I think that Harry would end up empathising more with Voldemort, naturally. If Voldemort were smart, he'd clue onto and recognise a lot of Harry's behaviours - and if he were extra smart, he'd capitalise on that.

He'd have all of first year to study Harry, and if he actually used that knowledge, he could very well manage to swing Harry's favour in his direction. Drawing the parallels between them, highlighting his own childhood, establishing a level of understanding that no one else has...it'd put him in a better standing than pretty much anyone else.

[radiantmists]

ooooh i'd love to hear your thoughts on an rqg and stormlight crossover!

absolutely.

(send me 2+ fandoms and i’ll give you thoughts on crossing them over)

okay so first of all I’ve thought about this just a little already, in that i saw a significant link between zolf’s new ethos, the whole not-hope what-comes-next thing, and the first ideal, especially as presented in Oathbringer. The radiant orders in general actually feel like... especially codified paladins/clerics, where you get powers in exchange for subscribing to a certain set of ideals.

so i cheated a little and consulted a conversation i had on the rqbb server about radiant orders for the party; using that plus this radiant order guide, i came up with the following:

sasha’s an edgedancer. this is the one i’m most sure about; the slid-ey powers fit, but ‘remembering those who’ve been forgotten’ is also very sasha, especially with her Good End being starting an orphanage. plus she just has The Vibe, you know?

grizzop would make sense as a skybreaker, extremely lawful good and focused on justice, defending the innocent and punishing the guilty. also the idea of him being able to fly brings the chaos gremlin in me joy.

I’d make hamid a dustbringer, honestly because the description in the link above fits the narrative i’d like him to have, regarding the importance of responsibility and self-mastery as one’s destructive power grows.

cel i’m less confident on, but i think i’d go with willshaper; there’s a focus on personal freedom and self-expression, liberation from tyranny, and the order also has an association with creators. (if ppl have thoughts on this lmk because i dont have that great of a handle on cel tbh)

sidenote, skraak would definitely be a willshaper too.

azu is... difficult. i want her to have regrowth as a surge because i feel like healing is a really important thing for her, and she does kinda vibe as an edgedancer... but the stonewards’ focus on dependability and team dynamics, their refusal to bend their ideals, and even just the minor bits like interest in athletics just really fits for her, so i’d have to go with that. i guess kaladin has healing as a central part of his character without it being a surge, so... yes. stoneward. go read the description, the more i think about this the more it seems Correct.

and finally, zolf. the source of so many headaches, i do not understand this man. i can kinda see him as a windrunner, stoneward, skybreaker, or bondsmith, but i’m not confident with any of them. i would lean toward bondsmith just because both the source above and the textual evidence we have with dalinar and navani suggest that bondsmiths are hard to categorize, as far as values, other than them being leaders.

but the question of zolf brings me to a big question-- would they all be radiants? i think they would all have the potential, certainly, any one of them has enough bullshit in the backstory to have cracks that would allow a nahel bond, and enough determination to speak the first ideal and mean it. but that doesn’t mean they’d all attract/bond spren, and i havent even decided how, if at all, i’m dealing with the whole humans vs. singers thing.

(adding a readmore discussing where i see zolf going bc it’s getting long)

but, uh, here’s something rough: i think zolf would pull a baby-shallan and kill his first spren. probably, this would be a highspren; early zolf is very strongly dedicated to the idea of an unbendable truth, divine justice. and i think his point of breaking might even be similar to his questioning of poseidon in canon, because stormlight/cosmere actually engages with the question of “how does someone become a god,” and the answer is “by killing the old one” which very much would not qualify them to be an arbiter of justice in zolf’s eyes.

i think stormlight!zolf would find out that honor is dead, along with the revelation about humans being the invaders (if that’s still what’s going on in this crossover), and have a paris-equivalent breakdown about what ‘the right thing’ or ‘justice’ even mean. he wouldn’t believe in his ideals anymore, he’d ‘kill’ his spren, and that would make his spiral a lot worse.

i’m not sure what would happen from there. 

it’s possible that he’d wake his highspren again by speaking a higher ideal the way kaladin does, though i’m still not perfectly clear on the mechanics of that; zolf actually does still have the dedication to punishing the guilty, he just doesn’t look for an external code as the source of justice anymore, and that’s actually consistent with some higher skybreaker ideals. but he doesn’t really vibe with the whole ‘order and codified law’ thing.

i can see him returning as a bondsmith, but in an awkward sort of situation similar to navani’s, where the spren isn’t fully comfortable with him and he’s doing it largely out of need. but also i don’t want that for him?? his turn in canon to the new source of power feels like it was good for him, and i’d want to do something equivalent, and this feels like it would be almost self-destructive.

but as i was noodling around on the orders explanation page, i noticed this in the description of bondsmiths: “Beyond that, many of the retinues that protected the Bondsmiths were considered members of the Order–going so far as to swear oaths, even though they didn’t have a spren and never would. Some even called this the most pure form of being a Radiant, because these were oaths sworn not in the name of gaining powers, but simply for the good of the oaths themselves.”

and my brain lit up at that, bc you know whose arc is about growing as a person and dedicating themselves to uniting people and leading? wilde. so i’m imagining wilde becoming a bondsmith, and zolf not bonding a new spren but swearing the first ideal in spirit because that is genuinely what he believes, and just being part of wilde’s team, keeping him safe as a regular human/maybe having some squire powers.

WELL i’ve done a lot of thinking about orders and almost none about plot or even actual character backstories, but I’ve spent a while on this. i’m very likely to come back to this because rqg is definitely my current Main Fandom and (as you can tell from the url) the cosmere is my beloved, so... yes.