#also this is all extremely obvious but like. it’s not exactly a subtle show so…

[vrisrezis]

My fav Bnha characters with a crush teehee

Have probs done this b4 butttt lol these look rlly long ngl

Katsuki is kinda disgusted with himself. He hates all that lovey dovey bullshit and he always told himself he wouldn’t end up falling in love like the shitty old hag, but here he is being a lovesick moron. Katsuki is not known for being subtle, you’d have to be a special kind of moron to not notice he’s totally head over heels. Even if he wouldn’t describe it in those words, he totally is. He has very complicated feelings about the fact he likes you, wanting to focus on his hero training but you make it so difficult for him with your stupid smile that he loves hates so much. However he’s aware of how happy you make him feel, so he’s willing to set it aside, it must be a good thing you make him feel so good, right? It’s strange, but he will find himself showing off more when your around, trying to prove to you specifically he’s gonna be the best hero. In training he works extra hard if you happen to be around or happen to even be watching, he may even start competitions with class 1A just to prove himself to you. Whether it’s dumb competitions like racing in the pool or even school related competitions such as, who’s got the best grades, this nerd absolutely shows off around you. He wants you to think he’s cool, that he will one day be the best. But he also tries to leave subtle … hints he likes you. Even though it’s obvious already, he’s been given the impression that he isn’t totally obvious. He shows his interest in you in other ways, but I will mention he has an extreme jealousy problem even before you are even dating. This is typically of people that are “stronger” than him, so todoroki and deku. However he might get that jealousy if say, kaminari flirted with you. Other ways of actually showing interest though is that he’s actually nice to you, though he shows it in ways that can go unnoticed. If your forgetful he always makes sure he has an extra water bottle with him, or anything else you may need he just says he happens to have. Or perhaps you need help studying or even with homework, he just says kirishima happened to pick a different study buddy that day, so you and him can study together. And kirishima, as the ultimate wingman, insists you two should study more often… alone… and the main thing that gives him away! Blushing! Oh man, if he isn’t the most obvious guy in the universe because of that red face! He can blame it on the cold, he can blame it on how hot it is out, he can blame it on his quirk, or that he’s angry, he is always red faced when you’re too close. If you’ve ever seen amity blight blush, it’s exactly like that. He stares at you in class with this soft expression that is almost never seen on his face, and if he is to ever be caught he simply turns away as fast as possible, wide eyed and blushing. You’ll find that bakugou believes in your strength, so he’s protective in battle a reasonable amount, only if you’re truly in deep shit. When he’s more comfortable with being your friend, he takes you out on hiking trips and just hanging out with you, and sometimes kirishima. The entire class of 1A knows about his little crush though so it makes it extremely hard for him to keep it a secret lol, he’s constantly paranoid somebody told you.

Oh man if you thought katsuki was bad, izuku is on another level of being obvious with his feelings. The boy truly wears his heart on his sleeve. It’s not even something he’s aware of at first, he just thinks your good looking like … wow way more attractive than anyone he’s ever met! You’re a good friend, with an interesting quirk and yes his notes on you are a lot longer than even kacchans and maybe he draws you a lot, maybe he draws moments where you looked really breathtaking and maybe he thinks about you before he goes to bed and when he wakes up in the morning and yes maybe he dreams about you too and overthinks everything you say to him and maybe he rambles about you an unreasonable amount to his friends but… oh man he… he likes you doesn’t he? And once he realizes, it gets even worse because now he’s just blushing at you and he looks like he’s gonna pass out everytime ochako mentions the fact he hasn’t confessed yet and he’s just dying on the spot. Boy talks faster than Eminem can rap whenever she mentions him having a crush especially if you happen to be there for the conversation. Tends to ramble around you a lot, just about random things and everyone is just like “oh god not this again” you have to be oblivious to not notice. Izuku tends to worry about you a lot, so he always checks up on you after training to make sure you didn’t get too hurt, and don’t even get him started when it comes to you going on missions, he worries so much when you’re fighting villains. Now he knows how his mother feels. Izuku tends to be clingy around his crush, so he tends to ask you to hang out quite often, whether it’s hanging out or even studying or even fighting together against some villain he likes being around you and likes making sure that you’re safe when it comes down to it. He tends to have very obvious slip ups that he likes you, voice cracks then correcting himself or perhaps coughing way too loudly when he tries to do an ahem cough, bumping into you and tripping, he’s so clumsy around you. Probably accidentally calls you pretty. He’s just… such a mess man.

Hawks is not experienced with romance, while many can agree he’s a good looking guy that has many people flocking towards him, he was never that interested in dating until you showed around. Honestly, could’ve seen him being aromantic before meeting you, lol. So since he’s never experienced romantic feelings, it’s going to take him a little longer than it should to realize his feelings. However he does show signs of taking a special liking to you beforehand, that even he doesn’t understand at the time. He hates the idea of people looking at you the wrong way, perhaps to court you. He assumes this is because he senses they’re potentially dangerous and as a good friend of yours, he’s just looking out for you. After all, he’s naturally protective of you in battles with villains, even if you can protect yourself. Sure he’s not protective especially of endeavor or miruko, but that’s just because he’s not as close with them as he is with you! He doesn’t feel his heart beat faster around his other friends, but he assumes it must be something else, maybe there’s something making him nervous, or maybe he’s just simply excited to be around you! Sure he doesn’t blush around anyone else when they compliment him, but that’s because it means a lot knowing a close friend thinks about him in such a way! For awhile, keigo comes up with many reasons to justify his feelings towards you until miruko and endeavor make him realize he’s being a total moron right now. Upon realizing his feelings, he’s not completely sure how to go about it, but he starts by trying to make it known he likes you. He’s subtle with his flirts, but once he puts his toes in the water to see if your comfortable with him flirting, he dips his whole foot in. At that point, people just think you two are dating with how casual he is with his newfound flirtatious personality when you enter the picture. Upon realizing his feelings he becomes 10x more protective and kinda already acts like a boyfriend by bringing you lunch to work and taking you to cafes and literal dates and stupid shit like that, lmao.

Aizawa I imagine having very few crushes in his lifetime, and has dates with even less people than that. Because of this inexperience even in his age, he’s not quite sure how to go about his feelings initially. Mic and midnight are extremely annoying about how obvious he is, as well. Aizawa is extremely protective of you, given his experience with his students, it’s only natural he grows protective of you and worries for your safety. Whether you’re a hero or not, he’s going to worry for you. Other than that, the way he shows he cares for you is different with you than it is with his friends. He’s good at listening to you and remembers very small things about you that maybe he wouldn’t remember with other people, he remembers very small details. Perhaps something as small as your favorite coffee even if you don’t like coffee that much. I imagine him fearing if his students ever found out he liked you, what kinda hell that would be. Dealing with them teasing him and potentially telling you, but he truly can’t help but be obvious at times. He stares at you longer than he should, even smiles at you longingly when he thinks you aren’t looking. He looks like a lovesick kitty. Generally reserved in his attraction to you, keeping to himself and hoping he can find some hints you return the feelings before initiating anything. However, he’s always been relatively stupid with romance so this takes awhile for him to even figure out and he has a habit of overthinking everything you say to him and is often left wondering what your intentions truly are with him. When you two spend time together, he likes doing things with you he’d never do with anyone else. Likes you playing and doing his hair, and watching movies and such, your hangouts often feel like dates even when you aren’t dating. So when the time does come you two date, it feels as though nothing has changed. He with trust you whole heartedly, if you aren’t a teacher at UA he is introducing his students to you, his co workers, and especially Eri, all the people who are important in his life but does it in such a way that feels casual and natural. He has a way of not making his crush known if your oblivious enough. However, a part of him that feels like he shouldn’t tell you how he feels come from a place of worrying for your safety and the people that may come after you. He will learn to trust you and your strength, he’s just a worried dad.

Miruko is a bold and brave lady, however even she’s never had much experience with love. Being way too determined to become a hero, it hasn’t given her much time to really experience romance aside from hookups. She decided it was a waste of time, but as one of the top heroes, she understands she can have both things in her life. If she cares to, anyway. And upon meeting you had come to the conclusion she would love to have both things. Miruko is a very confident woman so you will find she wastes no time in approaching you with her feelings. This is, when she realizes them. Due to her being new to it, it takes her a bit to realize it. But after a couple months of knowing you she figure it out. The way she feels compelled to buy you stuff despite not knowing you for that long, the need to protect you from danger even when you can protect yourself just fine, the strange need to wrap her strong arms around you, it all connects to her eventually. Upon realizing the feelings she’s gained she is very flirtatious and makes her intentions with you very clear. She doesn’t like wasting time. You will find though that despite how bold she is, if you flirt back she gets a little shy sometimes. This is a rare occurrence, but it happens! She can be a softie too yknow? She is physically affectionate with you, casually wrapping an arm around your shoulder when you two are talking, whispering in your ear a lot and getting close and personal when she really doesn’t have to. She loves inviting you over to hang with her for games and such, it already feels like you two are a couple even when you aren’t. It’s only a matter of time before she officially asks you out. You may find that during your hangouts she tries to impress you with her strength and tends to brags about her accomplishments. You’ll also find she dresses nicer and even wears makeup occasionally. Her flirtations with you are different than with her hookups too, compliments on how cute you are rather than how hot you are. She wants you to know you mean something to her as well, so on occasion she tells you that you mean the world to her.

Dabi has not experienced romance, ever. Hookups aren’t in his life either. Dabi had been set on one thing and one thing only, revenge. You’d have to be a real special one for him to be attracted to you, but no matter how special you are it will not deter him from his original plan. He didn’t plan on pursuing you in anyway, but he’s selfish at heart and can’t help himself. He may not try to pursue you romantically but he will try his absolute hardest to form a strong bond between you two. It may take awhile to be vulnerable with you but it will absolutely happen while you two are friends, he will be extremely open with you. He’s open about being touya early in your friendship to show he trusts you whole heartedly, to show he thinks you’re like nobody else he’s met. He would know his feelings, despite the complete lack of experience in dating. He just knows. He looks at you and thinks, you’re the one for him. Out of everyone on this list, he’s one of the more protective ones. I’d say the most if it wasn’t for toga, tbh. You will find he’s around you a lot, like just because he’s so protective but also because he likes to be around you. He cares for you and likes your company. You remind him of the good parts of home, you bring back his humanity. Dabi makes no moves on you, despite how strong his feelings are for you and how aware he is of his feelings. He’s scared to form a relationship, in fear it will go to shit and knowing he’d hurt you, knowing his plan of revenge will end in his death. He’d never want to put you through that. He spends much of his time hanging out with you and it feels like the two of you have been best friends forever. He tends to joke with you and be sarcastic, but always being one that’s there for you when you need it and even give you advice. He’s a true friend but he’s scared to be something more.

Toga is truly the most obsessive and protective, the closest you get to a yandere. She grows feelings almost automatically, because she feels as though she sees you for who you are right away. She feels like she’s known you forever, she knows she likes you the more she wants to steal some of your blood and become you. If you’re okay with an overbearing insane girl on your side, she’s the lady for you! She acts like she’s known you forever, even if you’re complete strangers. There is no filter with toga, and she acts like you’re already best friends when you aren’t. And when her romantic feelings become apparent, she makes those feelings very apparent and that she wants something more with you. She tends to get up in your face a lot when talking, with a blush on her cheeks, it’s just because she loves being so close to you! Flirting with you and calling you her darling or her love is a common occurrence, even when you two aren’t even a couple yet. She worries for you a lot and is very protective, and after twices demise this protective nature becomes 10x worse. She’s clingy and constantly cuddling to your side, holding your arm or your hand. She has no shame in you knowing her feelings, she just hopes you will stop being so shy and tell her how you feel too! She will absolutely murder for you too just to add onto her yanderish tendencies, not that I don’t think every villain would do that for you though, lol. Also, the moment you meet her she’s inviting you to the league of villains without a doubt. You’re a part of her little weird family now, no questions asked. You become extremely important to her and how she approaches life from then on. (You could actually help her become a decent person if you were aiming to be a hero. You hold so much power by being the object of her affection, lol).

Shigaraki is determined to destroy the entire world and everyone in it, but even he has feelings. He has feelings towards the league, secretly (or not so secretly) seeing them as his found family. And you, well, in his eyes you are also family but you’re also special to him even in comparison to the league. He isn’t aware of what his feelings towards you are for the longest time, even after the advice kurogiri had given him. He now relies on spinner to give him proper advice, who tells him he feels romantically towards you. Shigaraki is naturally a protective person when it comes to you, not liking anyone getting too close and personal with you, even spinner and toga sometimes. He’s lost a lot and he’s not willing to lose you too especially to some loser that doesn’t deserve you. He’s easily jealous and he’s also easily paranoid you could find somebody else. In his mind, he knows you deserve more than him and the possibility of you ending up with anyone that isn’t him is almost too much to bare. Even if he knows you deserve more, he’s selfish to his core. He likes to play games with you and treats you like a longtime friend, he consistently works on your relationship to make sure he keeps your bond going at all times. He enjoys being close to you and would like to keep it that way and maintaining your relationship. He could talk to you for hours about anything while playing video games with you (Nintendo gamer tingz). As time goes by, he tries to trust you more and grows less protective and obsessive, especially as he becomes much more powerful and much more confident he can protect you if need be. He isn’t bold about his feelings, an occasional shy blush coming from him is the closest you get to him letting his feelings be known. He may eventually approach you, though.

[warblogs17282]

I've been thinking about why Stolas put the menu up to his face again, and I think I've found another part of the reason why Stolas did this.

Let's get the obvious out of the way, we know what Asmodeus said to Stolas, especially about Octavia hurt a lot, and Blitz also shoved the menu in his face so Stolas was copying Blitz, but I think another part of the reason Stolas did this is because Blitz showed Stolas almost no positive reciprocation back.

I think Blitz's plan for the night went something like this, if he uses Stolas to get into Ozzie's, Blitz gets to stalk his employees as he originally intended, and then once that is done, Stolas gets what Blitz thinks Stolas wants, which is to have Blitz fuck Stolas. (I mean the Blitz having sex with Stolas part could've never been a part of Blitz's plan, but considering the way he's acted up to then, I wouldn't be surprised if he would've been willing to have sex with Stolas afterwards, if everything had gone smoothly, but hey this is just one of the things we don't know for sure.)

"Wow. That's a bit overkill, don't ya think?" The way Stolas reacts to that, it's quite clear that Stolas' self-confidence in this scene has already taken a bit of a hit from that statement, temporarily at the bare minimum.

"Yeah, whatever." Look at Stolas' face drop when Blitz gives that half-assed and vague answer, it's quickly replaced with a nervous chuckle and such, but this shows Stolas has clearly noted Blitz's disinterest in the date, and combined with the nervousness again, I believe this shows us that Stolas' self-confidence has probably taken another hit from it.

Also, Stolas' pupils appear again in this scene and Stolas takes a really loud breath, this owl is panicking inside a bit and scrambling to think of another conversation topic that might get Blitz's attention. Plus for everything past this moment, there's subtle clues in Stolas' somewhat erratic breathing and voice that Stolas is still incredibly nervous after this statement.

Blitz gives another very disinterested and vague answer to Stolas' next question to Blitz, and Stolas is very clearly not taking this all that well, considering how after the response, Stolas is very clearly extremely nervous now, both in his face and the fact that he's shaking quite badly, at least he exhibits those behaviors for a little bit.

Stolas' nervousness does get lessened a bit once Blitz responds to the follow up question and turns around to face Stolas (which was probably huge for Stolas), but it's very clearly still there as Stolas responds to Blitz's quite vague and quickly thrown together answer.

After that however, Stolas' (at least overtly) nervousness seems to die down a lot when Stolas is asking him the question of the day "So, what made you decide to ask me out after all this time?"

Blitz is rushing to think up an answer here, because the true reason he 'asked out' Stolas was to spy on Moxxie and Millie, and he obviously can't say that to Stolas, so he just pulls the "uhhhhhhhhh" card to buy himself more time, and because of this, Stolas' face drops to a frown. That's 100% a hit to Stolas' self-confidence about the date.

For a positive interaction to come out of this date for Stolas, I can only really think of one, which is Blitz's answer to Stolas' first question after entering Ozzie's "I just thought we'd have a blast here, you know?" You can see Stolas' smile actually get wider here, and from there it all goes downhill sadly.

So, where does this all lead to exactly?

I think almost all of these events have been shattering Stolas' self-confidence about the date, and as a result putting doubts in Stolas' mind about his potential romantic life with Blitz, which would just make Stolas all that more embarrassed, because considering "Are you sleepin' with an Imp?!" and "I hope you didn't give it up. So, you and him could get it on" was said in the song, Stolas has almost nothing to say to defend himself and his relationship with Blitz, because all routes of defense he could use lead right back to mostly sex, because of the arrangement, and in one of the mirror fragments in All 2 U, we see Blitz walking away from a clearly saddened Stolas, which in my guess was shortly after the sex, before they could do any romantic stuff.

Plus Stolas is not just gonna air out all the abuse he suffered at the hands of Stella in front of everyone, and Octavia means so much to Stolas.

With all of that in mind, I believe that this is also part of the reason why Stolas put up the menu to his face in embarrassment, alongside with this being Stolas copying Blitz doing it, and Asmodeus just mentioning Octavia the way he did.

[violetisconfused]

Okay okay okay. Hear me out: Apollo x Telemachus.

I know I sound mental rn but it would be REALLY funny, and honestly kinda cute. Like you cannot deny that Telemachus would be Apollo’s type. I fear local pretty young prince is exactly the kinda person Apollo would be like “yeah I’d hit” and Tel would honestly probably go from “why is this god talking to me so often?” to “wait is he flirting with me?” to “wait but I don’t like men… but like Apollo’s kinda cute… wait no!” to “okay so maybe I like men but do I wanna get involved with a god?” pipeline of self discovery era all because the god of archery and music came down and started flirting one day

Athena is VERY unimpressed with her half brother for this one of course 😔 she is in fact their biggest hater (Ody is close in second he wants Apollo AWAY from his child)

Penelope and Hermes are very supportive of the relationship though. Penelope more in a “as long as you’re happy and he doesn’t hurt you or get you hurt I’m fine with it” way. Hermes though, he actively encouraged Apollo to start flirting with Telemachus to begin with (great grandpa being a wingman to get you set up with a god? More likely than you think)

As for the rest of the Olympians? Zeus is wondering why his existence is haunted by Odysseus and his family, same with Poseidon. Artemis is entirely unsurprised her twin brother has decided to start dating a mortal prince, it’s very on brand for him. Ares couldn’t care less, same with Hephaestus. Aphrodite is actually a big fan only because she can tell that Apollo genuinely likes Telemachus. Hera is indifferent about it but I like to imagine that after God Games she’s a slightly better step mom so she’s relatively supportive of Apollo’s prince rizzing endeavors.

The relationship itself is surprisingly highly functional and really normal despite Apollo being a god. For a long time Telemachus makes an internal vow to himself not to fall in love too much because he’s aware that Apollo tends to switch up on how much he loves his lovers sometimes and doesn’t wanna get hurt but after a very long discussion and Apollo swearing he’s serious about this (like Hyacinth levels of serious about this. Bro is LOCKED IN) and after staying up literally all night thinking about it Telemachus decides to seriously give this a chance and stop acting weird and it goes extremely well actually. They hang out daily, usually in like the woods or something or down by the shore where there isn’t anybody around simply because neither of them really wanna deal with other people knowing they’re together. It isn’t because either one is ashamed of the other or anything, just simply wanting privacy and knowing they wouldn’t get that with Telemachus being prince and Apollo being a literal god so people would probably just be staring the whole time.

Apollo also gives Telemachus gifts like crazy. He’ll write him love poems and songs all the time and is always equally as excited to show him every time (Telemachus is always just as excited to hear it because he’s never had anyone love him like this before)

Now the funniest part of this whole thing: the era where Apollo is trying to woo Telemachus. He 100% used serenading but stopped after Odysseus tried to shoot him with an arrow (to be fair it was the 10th time Apollo was outside the palace singing so the attempted shooting was pretty valid. Ody wanted his sleep)

Then Apollo started bugging Athena and tagging along with her whenever she’d visit the royal family (she knew what he was trying to do but there’s no stopping Apollo once he wants to woo somebody. Not for a lack of obvious hating though. Very actively hates on his flirting. Apollo is extremely un-subtle with his flirting too which makes it even funnier because 9/10 Telemachus just runs away because he’s never been flirted with before

Then after the flirting just turns into Telemachus avoiding Apollo at all costs (Telemachus is in his questioning his romantic attraction era during this but ofc Apollo doesn’t know this) Apollo just starts leaving love poems once a week (this goes on for about a month so four poems in total).

Then yk as I said before Telemachus decides to give it a shot blah blah blah gay people real they kiss the end 🥳

So yeah there’s me explaining my crackship. It’s essentially just: “Apollo likes pretty boys and Telemachus is a (very awkward) pretty boy”

[ygoartreviews]

Ojamagic

Yes!!!! This is what I want these funny little guys to look like. They just all look goofy here, instead of uh..... Unsettling through extreme detail. I really enjoy Ojama Green's "ta-da!" pose, but Yellow's funky little dance and Black just straight up being asleep are excellent as well. I wonder if Yellow had to pop open Black's basket for the reveal to work lol. I am immensely curious about what is going on with the shadowy magician figure underneath the curtain here. Like: why does their visible leg look so muscular??? Also the more obvious: who even is that? I would also like to know what exactly the "magic" part of this is meant to be (I'm assuming magic show, but I don't think I fully understand what the magic trick that's meant to be depicted is). Incredibly subtle detail under all the lighter colored speedlines radiating outwards, but the background proper appears to be the same one used in the Ojama monster cards which is neat. I think I could literally look at Ojama Yellow in this all day.

Rating: 10/10

[inverswayart]

Assorted thoughts on Florianne de Chalons design (and some other stuff)

So in my previous rambings on Orlais fashion I was, among other things, extremely befuddled by how Florianne’s dress stood out from all established trends we saw in Orlais fashion, and in the end left it without much interrogation. But now, once I actually played through WEWH and saw her in action, i think i have some more thoughts about it

So in that post I also complained that dresses somehow went from very high collars with big ass ruffles to plunging necklines without any kind of transitional phase - and now, looking at Florianne big slightly Elizabethan-esque collar, I wonder - is it the trace of that particular fashion? Of course, it’s kinda hard to say since the dress is unique to Florianne - it might as well be her personal fancy or just a costume element (remember, the ball in Halamshiral is supposed to be a masquerade ball, not just any party).

I’m also wondering how exactly it is constructed - the collar itself seems very structured (and it would need to be to stay so upright) but the back of the overdress it’s attached to seems very loose and drapey? And (at least according to concept art) it’s also not supposed to touch her back, so unless there’s some sewing technique I’m not aware off I’ll have to chalk it up to enchantments (tho i guess it would be in-character for such high-ranking Orlesian noble as Florianne)

Another gripe I had with Florianne’s dress were her sleeves - loose and wide with no trace of cuffs we see at almost every kind of Orlesian dresses in-game. It seemed completely out of place, until I noticed that this kind of sleeves does actually appear in-game - just not on dresses, but on mage robes, the kind Grand Enchanter Fiona wears (which is a port of Bethany’s robes from DA2)

So, leaving obvious doylist explanations aside, we are presented with the fact that the Grand Duchess had her very important dress for a very special occasion made so a big part of it would resemble the attire of the current public enemy faction… Which is, no matter how you look at it, is a Statement. Perhaps it’s a subtle way to hint on her alliance with Corypheus? Or, on the contrary, a way to scandalize the court to pull attention away from said alliance? (Either way, I really wish Vivienne had something to say about it…)

And, at last but not least, let’s talk about Florianne’s hair.

Her often modded-away undercut is very prominent feature of her character design, in contrast with both her cousin Celene braids and her brother Gaspard completely shaved head

For some reason, it always stood out to me, even tho it’s just one of the default hairstyles in CC, but I think I kinda figured out why.

So, hear me out.  As per Inquisition in-game presentation, one can observe that Orlais, the higher echelons of power in particular, has a curious aversion to hair - specifically facial and scalp hair, but it wouldn't be a stretch to assume it extends to body hair as well. Throughout the game, we see many nobles and noble-adjusted Orlesians sport big headdresses akin to turbans and chaperons, especially on women’s evening dresses - where headscarfs are neighboring plunging and even risque necklines in a setting where Orlais’ historical counterpart, on contrary, usually allowed and encouraged women to show off their hair in elaborate hairstyles and decorations. 

What’s even more curious, it seems like this fashion is pretty recent - just 10 years ago Leliana was telling us about elaborate hairstyles that could fit an entire birdcage inside, and throughout the DA2 we see that Orlesian nobles and tourists aren’t eager to cover their heads up. So, what could possibly make such a big shift happen in a few years between DA2 and Inquisition? (And yeah, I know that the real reason that both games were developed in terrible crunch and developers didn’t have much time/energy/desire to spend more time on making unique hair for a bunch of npcs who would appear for 1-2 quests max and even with turbans and masks most of vanilla hairs and mustaches would probably clip in one way or another so they left everyone shaved, but, once again, i’m more interested in watsonian explanation rather than doylist one)

What I think happened is that after the DA2 finale (chantry explosion and the whole Kirkwall mess) Chantry had to tighten the screws on its clergy and controlled territory asap as to not allow another blow to its power - and so the Empress’ court had to scramble to show how pious and faithful they are, with one of the more popular ways of doing so being imitating chantry sisters and mothers’ headpieces and general modes of dressing by covering their heads up and abandoning extravagant hairdos of past decade. 

Simultaneously there’s a civil war unfolding, which a) brings military influences into fashion, esp men’s fashion and b) increases Chantry’s standing and influence - if you are unwilling to show loyalty to Celene or Gaspard, you can always turn to Chantry, which makes it’s pressure on especially women’s fashion even stronger. So in the end we have men sporting militaristically smooth shaved scalps and faces and women piously styling their hair flat, with both wearing elaborate scarves and turbans on top of that (because they are still, after all, orlesians)

Ball at Halamshiral is a clear illustration of that - Gaspard, despite once having luscious mustache (as seen in Masked Empire), is completely bare-faced not counting the mask, Celene’s hair are tightly braided but not covered (deliberate move to show how her progressive stance is and close she is to most of the empire in contrast with Gaspard, who’s only backed by a fraction of army)... and then there’s Florianne - with hair cropped short and shaved, but not fully, and also forgoing any head covering - in a sense a middle ground between Celene and Gaspard… And at the same time she literally refuses to conform to either masculine or feminine mode of action (in an in-universe Orlesian sense), showing it off, and, in conjunction with her mage-influenced attire, it creates quite, dare i say, punkish look - at least, for orlesian court standards. If it was intentional, then you might read it as a bit of a foreshadowing on her role in the royal plot, and if not - oh well, I still choose to read it that way since Orlesian fashion is a mess and there’s no one to stop me./hj

(One thing I’m glad didn’t make it to the game from concepts (even tho by itself it’s pretty great) is the train cause there’s literally no other character having it anywhere in all 3 games and i would’ve have no idea how to read it)

[comicaurora]

So, you mentioned on the podcast that you were watching some classic-era Gundam.

For the season(s) you've watched, assuming you're not planning on suddenly taking the plunge and making a Universal Century Detail Diatribe, would you mind sharing your opinion so far? Universal Century can be a bit divisive, but I always enjoy seeing people's opinions on it. I have mixed feelings on some of the decisions made, myself, but in the grand scheme of things I enjoy what I've seen so far. (Especially Unicorn, but that's not really classic era.)

Also, I'd like to reccomend watching (or reading!) Gundam The Origin, since it acts as a really good, pretty, (and in the anime's case, short) prequel series to the original.

It's interesting! I've watched the compilation movies for 1 and 2 and most of 3, and I can't tell if they lost the plot after 1 or if the writers were being really, really scathing in a subtle way.

1 was incredibly blatant about how Amuro is a traumatized kid who got strongarmed into being the gundam pilot and using it to kill people, something that he clearly absolutely hates - and it's pretty overt that the Federation Force is more than willing to mulch up as many child soldiers as they want in order to win. The movies, and I assume the show they're compiled from, go out of their way to show that there are sympathetic young people on both sides of the conflict that just want to be free of this war, and there are also right bastards on both sides that are willing to be very callous with the lives of others. You can, of course, always identify who the compassionate people are by how pretty they are, and all the right bastards by how grotesque they are. It's pretty unsubtle about that being the core of the narrative, and they really twist the knife at certain points, like when Amuro's mother is horrified and ashamed at him self-defense-killing a Zeon soldier that was actively menacing her refugee camp, and Amuro concluding that she doesn't love him and he truly has no family to go back to.

By 2, things have gotten a little confusing, and I'm inclined to assume this is because the compilation movies had to make some cuts that would've made the character arcs flow a little more smoothly. Amuro decides to leave the whole war behind, which makes sense, but he takes the gundam, which doesn't. They introduce this thread that Amuro is extremely attached to the gundam and very proud of his ability to pilot it, and he has an actual breakdown when he learns that other members of the crew are now trained in its operation and can use it just fine, if not quite as skillfully as he can. It seems like there was a bit of a lurch from "Amuro has been unwillingly dragged into this nightmare and is forced to fight again and again despite his extremely obvious PTSD" to "Amuro refuses to let go of the giant robot that tethers him TO this nightmare," and while it's very interesting in the implications, it doesn't exactly flow cleanly. In fact, this is where there seems to be a bit of a shift from "war is bad" to "wow! cool robot." Amuro goes from PTSD-catatonia every time he destroys an enemy mobile suit to counting them during fight scenes, which is kind of a chilling indicator of the mechanized horror he's becoming accustomed to - assuming that was on purpose and not just a broad defanging of the story to do more Cool Robot Fights.

But the thing is, there's this subplot sometime around 2 or 3 involving a bunch of actual toddlers that have been hanging around on the ship - because it started as a refugee vessel escaping the destruction of a colony, so there's a lot of women (who are now conscripted pilots, of course, and shockingly badass for the era it came out in) and children onboard, and they've been stuck on the front lines running from Zeon with almost no ground support because the Federation likes throwing the gundam at things too much to care about a handful of six-year-olds potentially getting mulched. But throughout this little arc, the kids are finally on track to getting rehomed on Earth by the military - something that the kids are unhappy about because they've got a whole Found Family thing going, but Amuro approves of them leaving, saying "little kids shouldn't see people killing each other," which aligns very firmly with how he is a kid who hates all the killing he's stuck in.

Except then the happy ending is that the six-year-olds get to stay on the warship because they recently helped out with bomb disposal and "they've seen things you guys can't imagine, they don't want to leave!" And this is either really losing the plot or absolutely brilliant spiteful writing on the part of the creative team, because as I understand it, executive meddling was pushing them to include newer, flashier, more colorful giant robots (weapons of war and untold suffering that our teen hero has been trapped in by a mechanized war machine that has effectively enslaved him for his talents) to push toys to the exact age demographic of those chipper six-year-olds. It's almost like the teenage child soldiers are turning out to directly face the camera and saying "what's the difference between forcing us onto the front lines and letting these precocious youngsters keep flinging themselves into the crossfire? Gotta sell more gunplas, right?"

So if that was on purpose, I really liked it. If not, it's kinda hearbreaking to see the show gradually start pulling its punches in favor of turning the Oops All Babies warship into a heartwarming found family situation.

Also they started really banging the "newtypes are the plot now" drum in 3 and once everyone started getting psychic powers I kinda lost steam tbh

[naokiscoffee]

What makes Itazura na Kiss: Love in Tokyo so special?

Season 01 Episode 02

We’re once again starting the episode strong. Kotoko’s strongest personality points are shining as brightly as ever.

“I can’t forgive Naoki, that’s why I’m serious this time, I will beat Naoki on these final exams”

Her determination, seriousness, and optimism are taking the wheel. Unfortunately, this also highlights how unsupportive her friends are. Truth be told if someone who’s in the lowest grades class says she will beat the student who’s first place in studying is hard to take that seriously.

When faced with this, Kotoko quickly settles for being on the bulletin board; or basically having her name written on the same paper as Naoki. Now this is a more realistic goal that I can get by. Her friends though think differently.

This here is very important. This is exactly what sets Kotoko apart from the rest of the people around her. Her friends limit themselves by saying “No way! We’re in Class F you know”, yet she doesn’t let herself be held down by such restricting thoughts or preconceptions. This is a very healthy and admirable way of thinking.

Also, I absolutely love how she’s doing all of this just to get back on Naoki for saying “I don't like girls without a brain”.

Something I hadn’t realised last re-watch is just how much of a pivoting moment this is for Kotoko. Naoki’s changes have always been obvious to me, but I never realised how Kotoko had also changed. I cannot picture Kotoko aiming for the top 100th place under any other circumstances.

I always really enjoy the dinner scenes in this version, they make everything so much more cosy and domestic. Another subtle detail that can easily be overlooked is how Naoki’s eyes follow Kotoko for a split second as she makes her way upstairs to study. He’s already showing interest in her.

Noriko is living her dream; she’s making midnight snacks, and she even has someone to vent to about how Naoki. She also feels close enough to Kotoko to speak to her about her worries and fears, and she even shows her pictures of Naoki as a child, which she would have probably never shown anyone else.

When Noriko speaks about how she misses taking pictures, my brain immediately jumps to when Kotoko becomes the reason why she gets back into the hobby later on (Kotoko has awakened the photographing beast in Noriko lol). This is also when Noriko first gets the feeling that Kotoko might like her son.

“Irie was already handsome even when he was little”

(I can already see Noriko’s brain going: so you think my son is handsome?!!)

Unfortunately, despite her seemingly innocent intentions, Noriko has seriously scarred Naoki by having him cross-dress as a child. This also helps us understand why he is so afraid of being wrapped up in a scandal at school (think back to the confession scene in the last episode).

Kotoko’s friends are beginning to notice the change I mentioned earlier, and don’t know what to make out of it. Just then, Naoki just pops up out of thin air. I really like the camerawork in this drama, and how the camera work conceals him so that his arrival is a surprise for us as well.

This is also an iconic moment, we’re learning more about Naoki; he would rather break his own rule and talk to her at school than take out a girl's bento box (and to potentially have people figure out that they are living together) (the trauma and fear are still there).

“if your nosy classmates see this it would cause a commotion”

Bro, you have already caused a commotion.

This scene here is a gold mine. For the first time ever, we are seeing Naoki get extremely worked up. Up till this point, nothing anyone has said or done has affected his stoic attitude, yet Kotoko has managed to do it, and I am eating it up. I know, they’re not a couple yet, he doesn’t like her yet, and they’re basically fighting, but nonetheless, I find this scene to be terribly cute.

Our girl is not only positive and hardworking, she’s also generous; she offers the picture back as long as he tutors her for a week, to get into the top 100. That’s a reasonable offer if you ask me.

“in other words, it’s a waste of time to challenge the impossible” Kotoko has proven this statement wrong, time after time.

“Mom, could you make snacks for two? and bring them to Kotoko’s room please?”

Naoki is finally beginning to have an outward sign of the change that’s taking place and is very nonchalant about it. By saying this he is also … everyone that he’s helping her study. This shift is clearly very shocking for all of the family.

Also, a few small details that are easily missed; Naoki has enough tact to get Kotoko’s permission before entering her room, but he doesn’t have enough sense to keep the door to her room open, while Kotoko leaves it open a few moments earlier. I haven’t decided yet if this is just Naoki having a lower EQ, or if it’s him knowing his family’s ways better.

All the bickering that has been happening this far makes this interaction feel warm and domestic. You can also see the two of them symbolically start to blend together; she’s studying (which is his thing), and he’s using her ridiculous pen; he organised and printed out a neat table, yet he uses her cute flowery washi tape to tape it together, and she crosses out the days with stickers. We’ve already seen them influence each other personality-wise, and now we have a physical representation of it.

Naoki is already beginning to not only adjust to Kotoko but to even accommodate her, we see him accommodating her as he’s helping her practice her vocab at school; “on purpose” “What?” “On papasu”.  Our man troubled himself with going ahead and writing down a whole exam for Kotoko, and is even patiently and calmly explaining the equation to her. 10 points in his favour!

Another point that requires close observation; when Naoki and Kotoko fall asleep, neither has a blanket on, but in the morning, when Naoki wakes up, he has a blanket around him. Now if you look in Kotoko’s spot and all around the room, you’ll see that there’s no other blanket in sight. I think it’s safe to conclude that Kotoko was the one who put the blanket over him after having woken up first.

This, this is Kotoko as seen through Naoki’s eyes. As he makes his way into the kitchen he does a double take, and this is what he sees. I am sorry to say this, but this boy is already smitten.

Even though Kotoko can’t cook to save her life, she can obviously make a heck of a good coffee, which, as @Machitsuki2 mentioned in one of her videos, is basically the only thing he actually likes.

Now it’s exam day, and as Naoki makes his way down, he slows down a bit, perhaps in hesitation. Here, again, we see them adapting to each other; Kotoko is not outright speaking to him, and is thus somewhat abiding by his rules; and Naoki actually speaks to her willingly.

We’re transported to three days later; exams are over, and Kotoko runs around the school with Kinnouske’s arm around her. Watanabe, who is perhaps Naoki’s only friend (who is often overlooked, but is an amazing character), is also perhaps Naoki’s only source of emotional reason. He’s already poking Naoki towards being jealous since Kotoko has already “moved on to another boy”.

“it’s none of my business,” he says, as his eyes keep following her. My man, that is not something someone who doesn’t care would say or do. Another big change, Naoki is actually beginning to socialise with his classmates, something that even shocks Watanabe.

“you have never done anything like this in all three years here”

Think back to episode one when Kinnouske was gathering donations for Kotoko. What did Kotoko tell him in a fit of rage…?

If your answer was “Do you even have friends?” Then you are correct!! I’ll leave the rest to you.

The more I see Kotoko, the more I love her; she goes straight to the first place to make sure that Naoki is not affected by helping her. Naoki follows in her footsteps and only looks at her results. He also breaks his only rule, and actually talks to her at school, and has the audacity to then say “I told you this many times already, don’t talk to me at school”.

When Kotoko goes over the quote that Naoki mentioned earlier, he even smiles at her.

Now, unfortunately here’s where all hell breaks loose. We were making great progress, but this next part is an absolute setback. Ironically, a rumour comes out once again, also technically caused by Noriko, with the additional help of Kotoko’s friends. Regardless of the outcome, the picture was in fact a sweet gesture from Noriko.

In spite of everything, I feel terrible for Kotoko; her friends not only undermined her efforts on the exam when they learned that Naoki tutored her, they even broke the promise of not telling anyone about them living together, on top of that, Naoki is (understandably) very mad at her.

“since you wrote a love letter to me, perhaps you don't mind the rumour. but it really bothers me. Don’t screw up my life anymore”

This statement just proves that rumour is what bothers him and what holds him back, and Kotoko is there to fix that.

One minor omission from the Manga that I feel would have been a great addition/introspective is this scene.

We see Naoki leave before Kotoko begins to cry. In the Manga, Naoki sees Kotoko crying before She storms off. now this is a very minor difference, but it would serve as a good explanation for a few later events.

Bonus:

It’s all in the details; Kinnouske wiping down the table after picturing Kotoko as a servant is top-tier comedy.

[bengiyo]

Step By Step Ep 10 Stray Thoughts

Last week on HR Violations, Jeng made his feelings plain to Pat, and Pat was not prepared for one more emotional blow. Jeng had a complete emotional breakdown in a standpoint bit of acting from Man Trisanu. We spent much of the week unpacking exactly what happened with Pat, and determined that he’s just 25, tired, and overwhelmed. Ae had her baby, and nothing made sense from a practical standpoint. Jeng broke all of us with “It makes sense to me,” and now we’re supposed to just stroll back into this.

I still approve of Jeng doing the responsible thing and keeping his distance from Pat.

I love Chot so much. I am loving this new trend in BL about shows encouraging people to respect the feelings people are expressing, and reminding characters (and viewers) that I takes a lot of courage to express them. It’s still okay to reject people, but treat people kindly. Love Chot making the overall situation plain for Pat and confused viewers.

“It’s been eight years already. I’m used to it,” feels like a subtle commentary on BL itself. Chot has not been able to live his live a openly as he’d like with his boyfriend because the family wouldn’t approve. Coincidentally, that’s the same amount of time we’ve been in the current era of Thai BL. For all the money and interest that’s been poured into BL, lived queer experiences still face daily struggles.

 A carrot cake? Pat, please do better.

I see. The show is going to make me cry about Chot. It’s time to write an essay about Step By Step.

“It’s alright. I own this place.” Sir!!!

My man just trashed his own kitchen to get it in.

Smitten looks good on Pat.

He let me hit so I can follow back on Insta

These two have lost all composure. Hooking up in the company parking lot!

Chot is trying to cover for these two, but they are being unfortunately way too obvious.

I’m having complicated reactions to the homelessness scene. Feels like the show wants to quickly shine a lens on an issue important to the filmmakers, but it feels awkward as hell.

Hey, it looks like the Fjord project went well.

Okay, Pat’s dad is funny. I like his specific beef with Jeng. Still, I kinda hoped he’d ask harder questions like, “How is this supposed to work if you’re still his boss?”

They keep going to this one shot when they go to the bedroom that’s clearly from the closet and using Dutch angles. This feels intentionally designed to make me uneasy.

Oh they're using P' and Nong now.

Ben has a happy trail. Let me pause and collect myself.

WHERE IS THE BABY??

Did they give the hets a camera angle kiss??

Oh nevermind it was meant to cut to Pat and Jeng as a potential future.

Now you know Ae was aiming for Pat with that bouquet. She is messy like that.

Wait, so Jaab is seeing someone else now?? I'm not sure what I'm supposed to get from Jaab and Jen.

Okay, we found the baby.

I like that Beam and Ae didn't touch each other, if I'm reading this right. Glad we can put this to bed.

Oh, I don't like Jeng promoting Pat into his position. That's not good for either of them.

Suddenly, a glow up for Ying?

Whoa, was not expecting this EXTREME GEN X ENERGY from Ying in Pat's corner.

"Haven't I been strong enough?" is a whole mood.

Yet another instance of BL reminding us that they both have dicks.

"I want to be happy with you." Oh, Jeng. I am also lonely in my 30s. I get it. I really do. But, my man, you cannot put this on Pat.

Pat's resignation was inevitable. Jeng, who's normally so controlled, definitely lost all composure this episode.

I'm not jumping directly into the discourse here, but I will say clearly that I am only watching through Gaga. Do not send me comments, asks, or messages about episodes only available legally through WeTV fast track. I don't subscribe to spoiler culture, but please don't be rude.

As for this episode, I feel a bit muddled. I'm going to spend some time thinking about core themes and seeing what this show actually wants to explore.

[gravity-barbie]

Sparrows: Comfort and reverse comfort HCs

Request

Masterlist

Marcus Hargreeves

Comfort

-Marcus is quite perceptive, he notices that there’s something wrong with you immediately, and in a second becomes so soft as he asks what happened

-Compared to most of his family Marcus isn’t half-bad at giving comfort, but it’s not his strong suit either, and he’s silently begging that the source of your pain is the kind of problem that can be solved because that’s more up his alley

-He cancels training for the day to keep you company, even if you aren’t ready to talk or just want to wallow by yourself, he can at least be there to make sure you’re fed and whatnot

-He hates how powerless your distress makes him feel, so he really does rack his brain for a solution, he takes it as seriously as any threat he’s faced, and if nothing else his dedication to your wellness is a comforting thought

Reverse comfort

-Marcus always tries to appear unbreakable, so when he’s down he tries his hardest not to let it show

-It’s not until you really get to know him that you can pick up on the signs and take action, but even then he really adamantly denies that anything is wrong until it becomes obvious that he’s not gonna fool you

-His biggest source of stress is the pressure he puts on himself, so it always helps to remind him of how much he’s accomplished, and that even if he does run into a problem he’s proven he has what it takes to bounce back, but also that he has a lot of worth beyond his success

-A lot of the time he’s inventing problems through worrying, so it’s often best to just take his mind off of everything, his family, the academy, fame, ect, and distract him with an engaging conversation or something fun to

Ben Hargreeves

Comfort

-Ben might not be your first choice for comfort, he’s generally out of his element when it comes to dealing with feelings, when he sees you’re upset he comes across as more awkward than anything else

-But he really does care a lot, he isn’t exactly soothing but he is there for you, albeit being a little pushy about pressing you for answers at first

-By his standards, he is extremely sweet when you’re down, staying attached to your side, and freely giving all the verbal and physical affection he usual shows more sparingly

-He’s way better at offering thoughtful advice and reassurance than you would of thought he’d be, but that skill of his is reserved solely for you

Reverse comfort

-Ben sucks at dealing with his emotions, and he also has something seriously bothering him more often than not, granted he tends to stress less when he’s around you but it’s still a bad combination

-When he’s especially upset he tries to keep his distance from you, because he knows how he can be, and he really doesn’t want to end up lashing out at you

-But you don’t want to leave him to deal with things alone, and while the aggression radiating from him is a little intimidating, you know him well enough to not be scared off by his defensiveness

-It’s very hard for Ben to open up and be vulnerable, but after some gentle coaxing if he’ll do it around anyone it’s you

Fei Hargreeves

Comfort

-Fei is surprisingly empathetic, considerate to your down moods even when you try to play it off, and offering subtle gestures of comfort that may even go over your head, like rubbing your back or offering you tea

-She always makes for a welcome and calming presence when you’re sad, she doesn’t pressure you to talk, or rush through processing your feelings, she’s just there for you, taking cues as to what you need

-When you’re ready to talk she’s even more helpful, she gives the wisest advice, and her practical mind makes her great to talk through solutions with

-She also makes for great company when you’re sick of moping and want to do something fun, her humour and spirit being just what you need to cheer you up

Reverse comfort

-Fei has a lot of control over her emotions, she isn’t easily rattled, which means you don’t have to comfort her very often but also that when you do it’s usually because something very bad happened

-She says she’d rather be alone, so you try to give her some space but eventually you need to force your companionship on her before she becomes a complete recluse

-She resists at first, even lashing out at you a little, but when the next wave of sadness hits she’s grateful to have you there holding her

-She does actually want to talk through things when she’s ready, she finds a lot of comfort in just venting and being listened to and validated

Alphonso Hargreeves

Comfort

-It takes Alphonso a minute to realise anything is wrong, he’s mid-sentence when his heart suddenly drops as he notices the look on your face

-He panics a bit honestly, his concern for you getting to his head, and making him fumble his words a little as he comes over and asks you what happened

-His tough guy act completely melts away, he really lets his guard down and is so sweet as a result, rubbing your back and offering you gentle comforting words

-He tries to cheer you up, probably a bit too quickly, but he is good at it, his dumb jokes have you laughing before your tears have even dried

Reverse comfort

HCs HERE

Sloane Hargreeves

Comfort

-Being sad may suck, but it sucks a whole lot less when you have Sloane’s loving arms to come home to

-She’s so caring, the moment she sees how upset you look she’s showering you with affection and kind, soothing words, patiently letting you take your time explaining what happened

-While she doesn’t minimise what happened or your feelings, she is very good at giving advice and problem-solving, and will try to talk through some solutions with you once you’re more calm

-Even by her standards she is so sweet over the next few days, checking in a lot, taking you on fun outings, and bringing you little surprise gifts like snacks or flowers

Reverse comfort

-Sloane is healthily in touch with her feelings, she can be a bit sensitive but she’s also logical, so if she’s down there’s a good reason

-She really appreciates an affection-filled kind of comfort, you just hug her, stroke her hair and offer sweet nothings until she’s ready to talk and she already starts to feel better

-It’s important to validate her feelings when she opens up, her father and siblings alike often used to dismiss her emotions, so it means a lot to just be given the room to feel things

-But while that is important to her, she does also prefer to be in a positive headspace, or at least do something productive, she welcomes any attempt to lift her spirits soon enough

Jayme Hargreeves

Comfort

-To no one’s surprise, Jayme is uncomfortable comforting people, however she isn’t actually completely inexperienced in the area, there were a few times throughout her childhood where she found herself responsible for cheering up Alphonso, so it’s not like she’s inept

-She’s straight-faced and monotone but she puts an arm around you and offers you some reassuring words as you explain what happened

-She’s definitely hoping your problem can be solved, preferably by being in the form of a person she can beat up, if it’s not she feels bad that she can’t do more because she’s definitely not the sweetest company

-Since she can’t offer great emotional support, she tries to prove she cares and make you feel better through more of a ‘acts of service’ approach, helping around your house and running some errands for you so you have time to unwind

Reverse comfort

-Jayme is almost always a little annoyed, and she usually appreciates the small ways you’re able to relax her, but when she’s really upset… she’s a bit difficult

-She gets pretty stand-offish and defensive, denying anything’s wrong but obviously being snarkier than usual

-There’s no point trying to get her talking before she decides to, so you take a more subtle approach, giving her some space to cool off, and then sitting in near-silence with her to get her used to your company and lower her guard

-Eventually she does need to vent about what happened, but she also acts like she doesn’t really care, so the only comfort she’ll accept is you listening to her rant and agreeing with her

[hypergamiss]

Maybe it's just me but do you ever feel like in the past few years, since the hypergamy, level up, etc topic has become louder online, it's been over run by girls who's main objective is to attain beauty and a well off man? There's nothing wrong with that, but I'm finding it hard to find women who have any sort of substance and it makes me sad. During the Trump legal stuff the past few months people have been ripping his attorney, Alina Habba to shreds due to her clear incompetence. An interview resurfaced where she was saying that she'd rather be pretty than smart because you can fake being smart (fyi, you can't fake being smart and she's proof lol). These are the type of women I'm talking about. It's embarrassing. Those are the types of conversations I was having with friends when I was 7. I just think it's not a good sign, socially, that we have more and more women focusing on just being attractive and the quality of their partners over anything else. I'm very educated and gravitate to intellectually stimulating topics, but I also love all things beauty and aesthetics. When I try to join the "It girl" groups I never fit in because they're only interested in frivolous conversations. I get dead stares when I try to talk about philosophy and science. But the academic, intellectual groups usually reject me right away because of the way I look and assume I'm one of the Alina Habba types. I just wish it wasn't an "either or" situation.

Unfortunately people will always take a niche or topic and create an extreme version of it that is clearly driven by their biggest insecurities. The ones who are the loudest usually have the worst advice and the ones who are more subtle are always the ones dropping the real gems. Their content might be unorganized and they might not have the best set up/equipment, but what they say will be so real and genuine.

I actually think that things have always been the way you describe your experience. Attractive people do indeed get away with a lot in general, and very few of them choose to not take advantage of that and put in the work that everyone else does. I think it's a very interesting subject and complex because everyone goes through different experiences in life that will end up shaping them into who they eventually become. Some will say "I'm damned if I do, and I'm damned if I don't," as they express some sad truths. For attractive females you can choose to either take advantage of your looks to get ahead, or go through the motions of constantly being underestimated and having to prove yourself because you were born attractive. I had a friend who was a very attractive male in medical school. He looked like a football or rugby player and no matter how much he tried to prove that he wasn't just your typical jock, he was always doubted in class by all of his peers and professors. It was wild to see the roles reversed and I'm sure that he is still an outcast till this day when he goes to conventions and meet ups with other doctors.

"I just think it's not a good sign, socially, that we have more and more women focusing on just being attractive and the quality of their partners over anything else."

I haven't looked at the numbers lately but I do know that more women are getting educated now than ever as of 2023 so I like to think that this issue isn't going to be a growing one.

"When I try to join the "It girl" groups I never fit in because they're only interested in frivolous conversations."

Oh I know exactly what you mean... I will get invited to outings based on my looks but rarely show up because I know that the crowd will be the shallow type with not a lot of substance. I have to know that I can talk about real topics to actually enjoy myself. I have plenty of stories where these kind of people end up realizing I'm more of a nerd and their reactions are so obvious!

"But the academic, intellectual groups usually reject me right away because of the way I look and assume I'm one of the Alina Habba types."

I've learned that to be accepted in these groups it helps by being the one to initiate conversations that will really make them forget about what you look like because the topic is that impactful. If it's an online group I won't add a profile picture until my personality is established first, so by the time everyone knows what I look like it doesn't matter anymore. I know that can seem annoying, but it works.

"I just wish it wasn't an "either or" situation."

I agree, stereotypes are the worst.

[macabrecake]

I'm way too lazy to put a proper title and such but this is basically a fluffy little Slasher RE6!Leon x Reader drabble that absolutely no one asked for 🥲

The moment you nearly jumped out of your skin when the door slammed shut, you knew who it was. By the eerie silence and the overwhelming sense of unease that just his presence alone is able to blanket all four corners of the house in, you knew Leon had returned from 'work.' Having entered through the backdoor as usual, he's done it so many times to the point where it's become second nature that you keep it unlocked.

Another odd component to this extremely bizarre roommate set up that you and he have created.

You feed him, give him shelter, and he doesn't end your life like the many others he's taken before. You know it's wrong, aiding a felon- an extremely dangerous, wanted killer to be more specific. You know you should call the police, or Chris, already aware about his own encounter with Leon that night.

"I swear to you y/n, the moment I see him again. I'm gonna make sure I put a bullet in him. Rip his mask off and watch whatever semblance of life he has drain from his eyes. He's cast his shadow of fear and grief over this city for too long…"

"I'll keep you safe from him, I promise."

Your face finds its way into your hands with a deep sigh of guilt. That classic damned if you do, damned if you don't is why you keep quiet. Or that's what you tell yourself at least, since you can't bring yourself to think about the real answer. Chris is trying to protect you… from the very thing that you're harboring in your home right now. You know that if you do say anything about Leon, that's not just your life that's cut short, but Chris as well, and anyone else who gets in his way. Who, now that you're finally tuning into what's going on, is making a lot of noise.

Being around Leon long enough has caused you to inadvertently pick up some of his patterns. Like how he's normally much quieter than that. Only ever making a subtle amount of sounds to lure his victims where he wants them. It's also just a means to scare you, everytime you think Leon is in one part of the house you turn around, only to find him standing there staring at you. It's part of what amuses him. His routine. Which he also hasn't done yet since he got home.

You shouldn't care enough to turn and call out his name, yet you feel that you just need to, even if he doesn't answer. Before you can open your mouth, however, it seems Leon knew you were going to. Making you jolt slightly when you find him already standing in the kitchen. You would ease down a little, which is still a strange thing for you to do around him, but it's short lived when you see the blood.

There's a very obvious crimson trail following behind him, smeared all over his clothes, still dripping from his hands and knife. You don't wanna know who it could belong to, though you're probably gonna find out anyway when it shows up on the News tomorrow. But, by his stature alone, you could see it's not just some unfortunate civilian. Leon's shoulders were more hunched than normal, and the breath that escapes through his mask is loud, ragged. It connects the dots for you quickly.

He's hurt.

"Holy shit." You whisper past your fingertips when your hand goes to your mouth in shock. Again, you really shouldn't care, you should be praying that he'll finally drop dead where he stands. You shouldn't be reaching into the cabinet for the first aid kit, shouldn't be asking him if he needs help and wait for an answer. Yet, that's exactly what you do.

There's a brief minute of silence until Leon slightly turns his body to the side to give you a path out of the kitchen. You act swiftly and head for the bathroom with the medical necessities, hearing his boots hit the hardwood as he trails behind you. Once in the bathroom, you set down the supplies while Leon sits on the toilet lid with what you could assume is a quiet sigh of exhaustion. Probably sitting down for the first time this whole night.

It's things like that that often makes you realize he's still human, to an extent at least. You've still witnessed him do things that are beyond the capabilities of an ordinary man. So much that he's survived. Things that would kill anyone else. Maybe that's why just being in the same space as him is still deeply upsetting at times. Especially when all you can smell near him is the strong scent of iron.

He's pretty unpredictable.

Even now, Leon could very easily kill you if he wished. Whether it's because he doesn't see usefulness in you anymore, or if he just suddenly gets bored. He's smart enough to take care of his own wounds after all.

So what is his purpose for keeping you alive?

You don't know, nor will you ever try to gain the courage to ask, as you take a small shaky breath to calm your nerves before turning to face the man. As usual, those dark eye sockets of his mask are already peering back at you. Fighting to contain a small shudder, you point to his bloodied coveralls, "I'm gonna need to move your clothes out of the way so I can see where you're hurt, ok?"

Once again, Leon is still for a short moment before he straightens his back up more. Keeping his hands in his lap so you have room to work on him. After you get permission, you step closer to unbutton the flap and unzip the top part of his suit down. You see his plain black T-shirt underneath, torn in some areas, very clearly red and sticking to his skin in others. Your brows lightly furrow in concern, almost hesitant to lift his shirt up now. But with the way he leans forward for your hands to lightly splay against his chest, you make yourself carry on. Carefully, you remove Leon's shirt. But this time with extreme caution to not take his mask off with the ruined fabric.

That's when your concern turns to horror.

For one, you can't tell what's fresh wounds and what's old scars that the blonde obtained from Doctor Benford shooting him the first time he escaped all those years ago. Everything is caked in a layer of dried blood, dirt, sweat, and grime.

The darker spots on Leon's torso yielded some clues at least, more bullet wounds for sure, as well as some deep cuts and heavy bruising. Like he was beaten with something, or numerous things, who in the world managed to get ahold of him to do all of this? Nevermind how he survived it, that's a question you long gave up trying to answer. Much like how, considering that he's sitting here right now, tells you that the one's who did this most likely aren't around anymore.

"Fucking hell…" You mumble as your eyes drift across the vast sea of injuries before settling on what you know is probably gonna take the most work. "Jesus Christ Leon, you got burned too?" The response you get is a low huff, it's a long story that he's clearly still mad about, which obviously would suggest that you don't mention it. Now, you know you're not a doctor, but anyone knows a burn when they see one. They stick out, and are never pretty. It cascades over his left shoulder, seeming to creep upward before going to hide away under his mask, which also looks rather charred on one side now that you've gotten a closer look.

There's so much going on around Leon's chest and abdomen, you don't know where to begin. You opt to clean the mess away for starters, let you see where the wounds are and also prevent any infection. If he's even capable of getting sick. Nearly an entire roll of paper towels, tissue, and cleaning wipes later. You finally get an eyeful of the damage that was done, and a little extra…

You already knew Leon was fit. However, it's one thing to imagine, another to actually have your face up close and personal with it. Now you have details. Now you get to see what lies beyond those dangerous hands- that have yet to lethally turn against you. Following one of the protruding veins on the back of his large palm, it runs up through his muscled forearm before disappearing into the hearty meat of his bicep.

Along the way you find another old bullet scar, stamped right below where Leon's shoulder meets with his collarbone. A roadblock, or perhaps an important landmark. Your eyes continue their journey along the bone before dipping down to pass between a valley of pure muscle that makes up the natural pecs and abs of his strong chest.

You know you should probably stop, you know Leon can see what you're doing- you're kneeling right in front of him for God's sake. So maybe it's a good thing that before your eyes could follow the happy trail and obvious indent of his V-line, Leon suddenly shifts to lean forward and tilt his head at you. Course it makes you jump a little, avoiding his gaze with a small 'sorry' as you search for the tweezers. Search, more like you passed your hand over the tool a couple times before you finally grabbed them and got to work plucking out the bullets.

Though you think Leon is now annoyed with you, that ghost of a smirk hiding beneath his mask while he stares down at you would say otherwise. He knows you were looking, and sees it in your burning cheeks how flustered he made you. Maybe he should do this more often.

Curious about what other reactions he'll get out of you, he patiently waits for you to finish wrapping some gauze around his torso. Add some bandaids to the smaller injuries on his hands and arms, then stand up to get a closer look at the burn on his shoulder. The man would almost chuckle at how gentle your dainty hands work, as if you're scared of hurting him more, carefully padding the burn ointment onto his seared skin before stopping at the edge of his mask. You then step away, which leaves some vague sense of disappointment in Leon.

A small gasp falls from your lips as you're suddenly stopped in your tracks, making you turn your head to look at the man and ask what's wrong. Course you get no vocal answer, but Leon still makes it clear when he pulls you back to him for his other hand to latch onto your hip and make you sit down in his lap. Others. Strangers he doesn't like touching his face.

"I know you don't like other's touching your face. Thought you might feel more comfortable working on it alone." You explain in that tone that's always so soft around him, as you throw away the blood soaked trash before turning to exit the bathroom. Knowing he hardly takes his mask off unless he's alone or extremely tired. That's when Leon's brows furrow as he moves into action, letting his hand shoot out to grab your wrist.

You're different.

A shy smile graces your lips, just as your heart decides to leap around in your chest. Meanwhile your lungs seem to forget how to provide air for a moment. You manage to stay composed for the most part as Leon keeps a hold on your wrist to guide your hand up and place it against the cheek of his mask. That answer is definitely loud enough.

It takes you a second to get over the small shock, because, over all, the only one allowed to touch that is him. Regardless, you don't pass up the opportunity as you bring your other hand up to grip the edge and carefully peel the mask away from Leon's face, uncertain of what other injuries he could possess.

You would focus on the burn once you set the mask on the floor, but it's such a rare occurrence to fully view his face, so the moments you get to see him, are captivating everytime. Like how long his hair has gotten as the golden strands fall around his shoulders and frame his fierce blue eyes. It's something truly magazine cover worthy, he could definitely be voted as the sexist man alive in a heartbeat.

It's to the point you can't help but admire as you let your fingers part his bangs so you can see him better, "Would you be offended if I got you a haircut at some point? Could make it easier to manage." You muse as you move his hair away to start working on the rest of the wound. Seeing now that the burn took a little of his stubble away before stopping around his cheek, close to the scar that runs through his eye. Said eyes narrow at you just a fraction while his hands press more into the flesh of your hips and actually rub up and down your sides a little. That's new.

Even when he's tired, Leon normally isn't this cuddly. Which lends you the realization of how gentle he's trying to be. It makes your stomach flutter with a strange giddiness as a quiet giggle passes your lips while you apply the same burn ointment near his Adam's apple. "Just an idea, don't worry."

Though Leon will never ever admit it in anyway, it does mean a lot that he views you a little differently than anyone else. Hell if anyone else was this close to him, they would most certainly be dead already. But, again, it's different with you. So if a haircut means feeling your fingers gently touch him like this, he's all for it. He's not even gonna question why he wants it. He just… does.

A few more minutes pass, before the final bandage is placed on his cheek. As well as a couple little kisses- one to his nose, and the other to his lips. Which he actually lets you give to him and even deepens the last one.

Damn it. Maybe it's whatever sweet poison is on his lips, but it's no wonder you don't say anything to anyone. Because you know you'd miss him. You don't let yourself think on it longer, instead you smile brighter with another little giggle at Leon burying his face in your shoulder, his breath coming out faster and heavier from the kiss. "Be careful next time, ok?" You whisper to him.

Your butt receives a soft squeeze in response.

[too-much-otome]

Asmodeus Playlist

Link

These can be for the original game or NB. most of them fit for both. I've had the playlists for a while but recently refined them. I hope you like them!

Explanations (Excluding Character Songs):

I Am The Best - 2NE1

You already know why this is here. We love our confident king!

S&M Remix - Rihanna, Britney Spears

This is also already obvious. There's no way he hasn't at least dabbled in BDSM. I mean we're talking about the Avatar of Lust, c'mon.

Body - Loud Luxury, Brando

This is a bit more mellow than the rest of the playlist but I think it still fits in. It's a bit suggestive but subtle which as much as we connect Asmo with Lust he's really not THAT forward about it... usually.

All the Rage - Allie X

All about owning the spotlight and being the center of attention. Very much our boy! He loves being admired and loved. He's always looking for more attention and to steal the show.

I Don't Want It At All - Kim Petras

Materialistic and spoiled. As much as I love Asmo this is extremely like him. Wanting designer clothes and all of your attention. It's him. It's just him.

Glamorous - Fergie, Ludacris

There's some lyrics in here about being a little more humble but I still think this is a good fit. The sound very much gives off his vibes and he does enjoy the finer things they talk about in the song. He is in fact also very glamorous.

F**kin' Perfect - P!nk

As much as he loves himself, he (like all the brothers) is a huge MC supporter. Especially in texts he's always very uplifting to MC and trying to squash their insecurities, making sure they practice self care, and expressing his admiration for them. He's very very loving towards MC. #1 Self love advocate and I love him!

Filter - BTS (Jimin)

Okay, hear me out...while this is kinda for me, because I've always thought Asmo and Jimin are similar, I think it fits his personality. The song is about changing to please others. While its not exactly like Asmo to do that I do think he'd be someone who'd fall into a spiral of trying to please everyone if it gets him praise and I can see that maybe being something that happened in the past.

Scream - USHER

Okay, back to being an absolute hoe. This is just sex in a song. I won't apologize. Fight me.

Good As Hell - Lizzo

Another self love song! I can see this being what Asmo might be like trying to comfort or hype up MC. He'd absolutely be like this and you can't change my mind!

Looking at Me - Sabrina Carpenter

Attention is always always on him. It's inevitable, everywhere he goes, heads turn. This is nothing new. We all know this.

FASHION - Britney Manson

Okay! Now this is here for obvious reasons but HEAR ME OUT!!! It kinda sounds like Asmo. I can so easily hear/see him singing this song. It just sounds like his voice.

IT GIRL - Aliyah's Interlude

He's that bitch and he knows it.

Applause - Lady Gaga

He loves the applause. Loves being everyone's favorite and being the center of attention. He thrives in the spotlight.

ZOOM - Jessi

This boy is attached to his phone. He is always taking pictures, making videos, posting on social media, etc.

That's My Girl - Fifth Harmony

Another empowerment song. You know he's the first one to launch into praise and gush over anyone, especially MC.

[twistedtummies2]

Year of the Bat - Number 9

Welcome to Year of the Bat! In honor of Kevin Conroy, Arleen Sorkin, and Richard Moll, I’ve been counting down my Top 31 Favorite Episodes of “Batman: The Animated Series” throughout this January.

  TODAY’S EPISODE QUOTE: “So, it wasn’t all for nothing.” Number 9 is…Beware the Gray Ghost!

This is one of the greatest and most renowned episodes of the Animated Series…but as of these recent years, it’s also become one of the most difficult to talk about. In some ways, this episode is even more profoundly impacting now than it ever was before. It’s funny, because the reason(s) for this, I’m sure, will be lost on many future Batman fans; they will never know just how big a deal this episode was when it came out, and how big a deal it is now in this given year. Thankfully, however, those points will not detract from the greatness of this story on its own terms, and a great story is exactly what it is. In this episode, Batman finds out about a series of bombings, committed by a mysterious villain simply referred to as “The Mad Bomber.” He recognizes the crimes as being almost identical, in every way, to the attacks of a fictional villain in a TV series that Bruce Wayne loved dearly as a child, “The Gray Ghost.” To try and solve the case, Batman gets help from the Gray Ghost’s original actor, an aging performer by the name of Simon Trent. Simon has seen better days, as the combo of his typecasting and other personal issues have led to him falling on hard times, and he’s grown bitter about the role that once made him a household name. Batman must find a way to not only stop the Mad Bomber, but reinvigorate Trent’s spirits, as he teams with the Gray Ghost himself to end the crime spree.

Much like the later “Legends of the Dark Knight,” this is an episode that essentially pays homage to Batman’s roots, but in a much more subtle way. I guess I can’t go any further without bringing up the big point: the voice of Simon Trent. It’s none other than Adam West: the original 1960s Batman. The creators of B:TAS were huge fans of the original Adam West series, and odes and homages to the show are sprinkled throughout, some more obvious than others. Trent’s character is one of the biggest examples, as his fictional foibles are a sort of exaggerated mirror of how West’s own career and life went after the 60s series ended. It goes even deeper than that, however: the Gray Ghost himself is a thinly-veiled parody of The Shadow, a character I’ve mentioned many times in the past, who was one of the main inspirations for Batman as a character. (The first Batman comic ever made was an outright ripoff of a Shadow story. No joke, look it up.) Even the villain of the piece feels more like something out of the Shadow than your typical Batman tale, let alone the silly sixties. It’s a double-homage, in a sense, to two great influences on the creators of B:TAS.

This is also what makes the episode hard to watch now: Adam West has been dead for only a few years now, yet, and Kevin Conroy’s passing is still even more painfully recent. You can’t watch this episode as a Batman fan without feeling a sort of pang, realizing not only the significance of two of the greatest Batmen in history onscreen together, but the fact that both are no longer with us. In a weird way, though, that makes the episode even more powerful, because of what the whole story is really about: nostalgia. The way nostalgia effects all three of the main characters in the story – Batman, the Gray Ghost, and the Mad Bomber alike – is a BIG part of this story. Trent is someone who tries to shun the past, who feels pained when he looks back, and has to come to terms with the fact the world has changed, and he has to change, too. He’s haunted by the role that made him once iconic, while also dealing with the issue of being seemingly obsolete, no longer sure of who he is or what his life has truly become. The Bomber, meanwhile, is the opposite extreme: without giving away who it is, it’s someone who clings TOO CLOSE to the past, and to the things they loved in youth, and that obsession drives them to toxic self-destruction, not to mention acts of cruelty and spite. It’s probably not a coincidence that Bruce Timm, one of the show’s creators – a fan of the 60s series – plays this character; a sort of self-parody in the form of the world’s most unsettling fanboy.

It's Batman himself who shows the value of nostalgia and the balance of where it needs to fall: he clings close to his past, as we know, and the Gray Ghost character and series is revealed to be no exception. But he doesn’t allow these things to rule him or destroy him. For people who grew up with Kevin Conroy and Adam West alike, this episode shows just what made both of them such special actors, and reminds us of why both of their respective takes on Batman were so interesting, while also providing a fascinating story that combines all kinds of tonal elements to create an intriguing and entertaining tale. But above all, it serves as a lesson in the dangers and the values of what we keep close in our memories. I think it’s fair to say that everything about this episode – it’s actors, it’s inspirations, and the series it hails from – will be a treasured, nostalgic memory for many years to come.

Tomorrow we move on with Number 8! Hint: “But they share my unique face! Colonel Whathisname has chickens, and they don't even have moustaches!"

[sibillascribbles08]

Okay buckling down and doing this now.

Here’s my propaganda about why Donnie is the most like his dad featuring solid points and some arguable points.

First statement, this isn’t me saying ONLY Donnie is like his dad. All the boys share traits with their father that I’ve noticed (an essay for another time perhaps) I think Donnie just racks up the most points.

Going under a cut tho because long.

So first thing I want to talk about is a lot of people attach Leo as being exactly like his dad, mostly because they have the same vibes on a surface level, but I still argue that Donnie picks up more pieces. The only reason it’s not obvious is because Donnie is very book and technical smart while Lou named turtles Green and Green 2.

Tossing aside some surface level factors (i.e. those eyebrows are 100% inspired from Lou Jitsu and I won’t hear otherwise) some of their shared traits are fairly obvious.

Donnie, much like Leo, not only has an ego (regarding his mind) but is also very vain. While it’s not to a point he acts like he’s the prettiest boy in the room, there are a handful of points he draws attention to his appearance. (”You are the hunkiest” Drawing on eyebrows for nine years, making a titanium bust of himself etc). Even after being mutated, Splinter hasn’t lost a lot of this.

One that was pointed out to me from another post, Splinter and Donnie both have a form of screen addiction. Though seeking it out in different ways, Splinter is often glued to the TV while Donnie panics without having his phone nearby.

Donnie obvs got his love of dancing from his dad. Tragic you don’t see Splinter doing it a lot but he evidently did a bunch of it back before he got mutated. (Also the 80s jams always get you huh Donnie?? interesting)

This technically applies to all the bros tbh, but Donnie is fairly protective. I think Splinter’s desire to break his vow of no more fighting for some turtles he just met gets extended to all the boys and Donnie is no exception. He often seems very aloof, and doesn’t invest a lot of concern into people they deem as their enemies, but he puts a lot of subtle effort into building tech that will keep his family safe.

Mikey already pointed out the freebie in Breaking Purple with that photo comparison. But just to be clear when Splinter’s temper gets the better of him (essp. because his ego of all things is being attacked) the first thing he does is ground the boys. Donnie’s first instincts with Shelldon are the same thing (and with his own father apparently)

Speaking of which: “Oh Papá, if you surrender now there shant be any consequences!” “Hah, that is a lie. I taught him that one.”

I’m not totally sure how good Splinter’s recent memory is, but the show does have him state he remembers all of the names of the stuntmen he worked with. Donnie’s memory is also shown to be extremely on point (”the brain is nature’s notepad”). In some ways because he exercises it so much, but still.

Here’s a fun one. They’re both bad liars (in certain situations). It’s always interesting to me people just flat out say Donnie is a bad liar despite how fast he was with a fake name toward the purple dragons and his attempt to scam Repo out of the mystic armor piece. It seems that given at least some space to plan he can lie just fine, it’s more sudden scenarios where he falters. (”We are just normal humans on our way to a convention.”) But also, despite being trained as an actor, Splinter is also sometimes... very bad at lying. (”I am Randal and I am a normal teenage boy!”) Literally in that episode Splinter and Donnie just have an exchange of a terrible lie. (”I can’t believe he fell for that.” “I can’t believe they fell for that.”)

Oh yeah speaking of actor, Donnie’s flair for the dramatics holy SHIT. I don’t think he’s necessarily brilliant at acting (or at the very least doesn’t have it come as naturally as Leo does) but wow some of the speeches he gives when he’s despondent.... boy.

Some other short point. “You’re so cute but so mean why do I always fall for your type?” (gee, wonder if this is part of the reason Lou was into Big Mama). And also I’m p sure they both snore.

Okay here’s my big wammy one though. Both Donnie and his father are very approval seeking. They may seek it from different sources but it’s very prominent and influences a lot of their decisions. While Lou turned away from his family and their traditions, I imagine there was a part of him that was frustrated that his grandfather (his only parental figure it seems) wouldn’t approve of anything he did outside of their family legacy. Lou decides to go out and be a movie star, lives for the camera, the fame, the attention, and even when trapped in the battle nexus seems to have some fond memories attached to the cheering crowds. He seeks out approval from a bunch of strangers because he was never able to get it from his family. (And on top of that, you sometimes see him desperate for the approval of his sons and get very frustrated when they look up to other people).

Donnie’s in a similar boat. He states multiple times he wants the approval of a parental figure (either Splinter fell out of showing his pride or does it in ways that Donnie doesn’t understand) and in some cases is easily won over by the right kind of compliments being thrown his way. He also seems to want approval from his siblings (making big shows about showing off new inventions. “And applause, and applause, and still waiting for your applause.”) though maybe not to the same degree as from someone he could consider a role model. He attaches his self worth to what he can do, and notes that if his family decides his tech is useless, they may think the same way about him.

You could make arguments that all the boys have this issue but I don’t think it’s to the same degree as Donnie. Sure they all have moments they want to prove themselves, but there’s plenty of other occasions they make it clear they don’t give a flip what the others think.

Anyway much to Donnie’s horror and disgust I think he’s the most like his dad, despite how different they appear at first glances, and so far I’m having a fantastic time playing with that idea.

[raz0rvampire]

OC LORE AND INFO DROP

I just dropped a major detail of my OC story that is indeed concerning so I feel like it’s best if I just make a massive info post about them!

I post a lot of these OCs specifically

This is Bunee ^^(15/16)(she/xe/them) This is Phobos ^^(13/14)(she/he)

And this is BRK vv(he/him) And this is (Past!)Phobos vv (12)(she/her)

These characters are from a story I made to cope with my trauma. You can see in the tags often I put “mmpiad” or “my magical pet is a demon.” And that is the title! This story focuses on the effects of grooming and takes place in a metaphorical sense of Bunee’s mind (or is it just her mind? The more I post their lore, I’ll let you figure it out, teehee.)

More here! vv (more info, not exactly lore, sorry…)

This story originally started out as vent OCs that I used to cope with my trauma, since it was one of the only ways it could use to express myself and my feelings in a way that wasn’t words. Words were extremely difficult to use since my emotions were so complex, I didn’t know how to talk about it yet. Using these characters, I used them sort of as stepping stones to who I wanted to become after coming to realization with my trauma and as a form of understanding myself in a different perspective. Bunee became a focus in which I wanted them to become something after the events of the story, even throughout of a lot of loss of self and more.

Now, me and my best friend are planning on actually working into possibly making this a show (12 episodes?) in the future. The thing I want to mention most is that the original use of this story has changed significantly. They’re not just vent OCs anymore, they’ve developed into an image and message. I found that there is barely any media that properly covers ped0s or gr00ming. In fact, there’s many media that covers it horribly and has greatly impacted society’s perception of these things horribly.

These characters mean dear to me, but I eventually figured that Bunee and Phobos are no longer just something for me, they’re something I want to give out to others. I want survivors and victims to know there is a world after the world they’ve endured.

It is a hard thing to plan and do. There’s many different experiences and outcomes from this sort of trauma, and I hope to at least manage to create something that most can look at and find a positive representation of this sort of trauma.

BRK is painted in the direct light as a bad person. For inside details, throughout the story he acts similarly to “the magical girl pet” trope, he helps them in bounties and hardships, but he still acts as a villainous force. He is obsessive over Bunee and creates mental turmoil in the setting of the mind, even in subtle/direct ways. Although he ‘fights’ beside them, he’s meant to act like a parasite. I do not like his character for obvious reasons, he was originally based on a very real person and since then, is still heavily influenced and related to that. Let me repeat, this character is based on a *very real person*. In the end, this is still a character so I treat him with a fictional attitude, but also the importance is that my audience is aware that BRK is not a made up entity. I knew who this person was, I was (unfortunately) involved with this person on a very deep level.

If you’re read all this way, thank you, take a hit brotha

[arcplaysgames]

JUST NUKE THE SITE MISHIMA

whom among us has not seen an admin go on a deletion spree. it never works. it has never worked. just take down the site, phuckboy.

Sure, buddy, where would you like it, in your face or on your lap?

The Beige Front has come in and is forecast to be lingering for a while, because Akechi's got plans for everyone.

A lying clock is right twice a day, things are Extremely Bad.

That...... is actually really smart. Like, if the Thieves steal the heart of someone on the team, they can't publicize that.

For a guy who is going to stab us in the back SOMEHOW, Akechi is also a smart cookie.

Honestly not a stellar reason. Akechi states his sense of justice some from a deeply personal place, implying someone has wronged him or someone else (his mom?) enough to anchor his philosophy.

And again: revenge-driven personal justice is Bad. It is narratively satisfying in fiction, but it is really bad foundationally and I think P5R actually knows that and is playing with that.

... Wouldn't you know?

Now I'm questioning everything.

WHAT IS GOING ON. Once again everything gets fuzzy and Morgana and Reverie talk to Futaba, but we don't hear it.

....... The other time this happened was right after Akechi gave everyone the ultimatum at school, Morgana and Reverie talked then too.

.... So was that first-- OH wait. Wait. Framing device. Does this indicate something Reverie in the framing device is fudging and keeping from Sae?

Both of these are right after Akechi convos. And the game is not trying to make Akechi subtle at all, so: is Morgana already setting up things to keep Akechi from smothering Reverie with his stupid blue sweatervest?

And right after this, Futaba pulls a REALLY OBVIOUS scheme to get her hands on Akechi's phone and holds onto it for about two minutes.

fucking please, Futaba runs a custom OS on android hardware and Akechi uses apple, come on.

But yeah she's doing something to crack his phone. Hey, Futaba, while you're at it, check when the MetaNav showed up on his phone because I bet you it was way before Okumura.

Well that sure is a familiar sight. We are closing in on the framing device at a rapid pace.

God, that was so long ago. I remember being baffled at why shadows were showing up in the "real world" haha shows what I knew, which was fucking nothing.

Sae's Palace is the courthouse and the manifestation is rooted in Japan and its infamous 99.9% conviction rate. Which might not be a hard statistic, but it's kind of a Known Thing that if you go to court in Japan, you are probably Super Duper Fucked because it's so vanishingly rare for someone to avoid conviction.

So, to Sae, the courthouse is a casino where all the games are rigged in favor of the house. Of course.

okay sergeant pepper, sure thing

that is NOT your persona, are you KIDDING ME

I'm like fucking staggered. Like, that does not feel like Akechi's persona, it feels so off, like a joke he'd tell about his own inner self.

fucking Rob LIefeld's Robin Hood is hiding in Akechi's heart. alright.

/shakes head to self silently

Shadow Sae shows up directly to basically dare the Thieves to reach her Treasure, outlining exactly where it is. She's very confident that they won't be able to reach it.

Also, through this entire Palace, Makoto keeps trying to engage with Sae, to talk to her, and like.... Sae just ignores her and it's really sad. Like, damn, Sae, did you ever care?

ALLLLLLL the way back when Makoto was recruited, back when I thought she was the worst character (my how times have changed, she's only third worst), she used the MetaNav and found out Sae had a Palace, and apparently has been thinking about stealing her sister's heart since then.

It's rough.

ALSO: Shadow Sae hot. And I find it interesting that she has that heavy eyeliner thing going on because that is strongly associated with Reverie. It's an interesting little mirror.

The current team. Akechi looks good with the crow feathers, Haru is ADORABLE in that outfit, and Yusuke looks good in everything. Also Reverie is in Gekkoukan garb so I can have Mass Destruction and Wiping All Out. I know what I'm about.

ALSO I GOT HARU AND MONA'S SHOWTIME AND ITS THE BEST ONE. FUCK YES GRENADE LAUNCHER DRIVEBY. I love Haru.

The entire Palace revolves around a coin system. You can only get to higher floors with the use of coins, like buying your way into the high roller tables.

When the team reaches the final threshold, Shadow Sae cheats and raises the threshold to a million coins, and Akechi reveals he's been gaming the casino the entire time to ensure they'd have enough coins.

It's a shame you're evil, Beige Boy, because I've missed having smart people on my team. (Futaba and Yusuke excluded, they are the smartest ppl we got.)

You know, he didn't need to keep this secret the entire time. In fact, if he looped in Futaba in particular, she would have helped him game the system even more, I'm sure.

But the one thing that might be true about Akechi is that he's a dramatic showboating bastard.

Dunno if I shoulda called Sae being a corrupt prosecutor or not. That 99.9% win rate makes me wonder if it's just understood that the system is busted. Both Persona 5 and the Yakuza spinoff Judgement (and technically Phoenix Wright) are all concerned with that tidbit of information and how the justice system in Japan is set up.

Interesting. I lack the context to fully understand if this is a radical idea or not.

Anyway, the Palace is a wrap until the calling card. So let's send that sucker out!

Akechi says that oh actually, lets not send the calling card out until the last minute so we'll be sure it actually works. So we're sending it out on November 18.

Cool, cool, so Reverie should get his last will and testament completed by then, yep yep yep.

Here we go, hurtling towards the framing device like a runaway train with a beige conductor.

oh yeah, we doomed. the only question i have is will it be a stab in the back or in the heart. how homoromantic you gonna make this, Beige Boy? do you wanna stare into Reverie's pretty grey eyes as you kill him? I think that's your vibe, tbh.