#also this is just a personal opinion but this party seemed more in tune with each other compared to the other campaigns?

[apolaskiart]

I'm still at ep. 5 of BDW, but I'm deeply entranced by the dynamics of the BDW group.

Lufti and Iris being a walking mean girls trope (Iris is the Regina and Lufti as the Karen definitely), that although can seem a bit toxic, comes from a place of care and trust for each other. With very different backgrounds and personalities, they strive to accommodate one another in their complicated relationship ( mostly on Iris' part, but Lufti aseemed hesitant to establish her boundaries).

Caprice and Hryja as the comedic duo, that even with separate goals manage to greatly show their support for one another. They always cheer for the other no matter what, basically becoming their own hype man, and show great trust that the other's decisions is for the better good.

Felix and Toa who would die for one another despite knowing each other during a short and volatile period of time. One is learning how to be more open towards someone who genuinely wants to help him with no strings attached, while the other is learning more about the world and how to protect his companion from its evils.

[sea-of-dust]

Alva,Frederick,Edgar,Demi x Rock Vo. GN! Reader

Compared to the way you dress they would have never guessed you knew your way around a ballroom

N: I'm gonna keep thinking of acheron and black swans dances final frame. Also Frederick's new skin, that thing has a grip on me,poppin party,Céline Dion,Mustard service references

Warnings: mentions of drinking, might be ooc

Ugh, you and luca being friends is one thing, him noticing the hunter and saying "ez sweep" is another. Luca would tell you what to do against him you'd do it, he'd get pissed you two would do it everytime you see em. Strangely enough is that you've never seen Alva before and when you asked who the fabled "tall coat guy" luca would answer "litterally a tall coat guy"

As soon as you did see him however you knew why luca didn't want you to ever meet him. His cold gaze, the scar near his eye, the elegance he radiates. "Are you single?" "Excuse me?" Luca would know instantly if you met him when you come back like a children's cartoon protagonist that's just been kissed by their crush. "Wow..." he was mortified.

Luca does get a bit werided out when he thinks too much about you crushing on his teacher, that dosent stop him from giving you heads up tho. "There's a public map" you stop tuning your neck nearly snapping to see him "where? Can I perform? Is the tall coat guy gonna be there?" "Dunno" "I'll take it" So the most delulu person on earth (you/j) decided to perform under the deck of the ship, not paying much mind as you played songs you thought he'd like, trying not to make direct eye contact with this seemingly uninterested man, too focused on his conversation with the clerk. You thought maybe he had tuned you out after the first few chords, until the next match with him where he hummed. A humming a little too similar to the lyrics you sang. While kiting him you could barely believe your ears, you had to have Demi fact check you.

A few more performances and a chair was all it took for him to begin to speak to you. "That voice of yours is wonderful" your eyes widen, looking up at him quickly, he smirks, reminiscing on the concert. "I'm normally not the type to like rock. I'm glad you're an acception" you froze, you could have sworn he could hear you internally scream or atleast see you blush as much as you did

He isn't very social but you've gotten the treat of seeing him smile, and not terror shock you as much. "You've gotten soft" "have I now?" In truth you went from being able to kite at least 3 ciphers to 2.5, he doesn't terror shock you but he makes up for it in actual shocks. Atleast he's friendly enough to show you where the dungeon is before poking you with the staff. There would also be the occasional soft look in his eyes eventually making a bit more physical contact with you. "You're so pretty" you re-wrap his bandages causally mummbling that out, he retracted his hand quickly. "Did I tie something too tight?" "No" you hold out your hand for his arm. "Do you really think im pretty" your eyes widen "I didn't think you heard me but yea, the way your eyes pierce into people is attractive" you blush embrassed you're rambling this much "atleast in my opinion" he looks away before placing his arm into your hand to continue wrapping, you continue on nervously wrapping them. He'd look at them later on in the match, thinking about what you said, it's too distracting for him to just not hear "you're pretty" over and over

He'd ask you out pretty awkwardly, because it would be straight to the point. "I love you, please consider me as a partner" "." He'd stand there like a brick and you would be to, out of pure shock your brain would have just exploded by then. "Sure-" brainfart of an answer, biggest regret of your life. Thank god he didn't seem to mind.

He likes comming out of his office just to see you out there practicing, you'd hear his foot steps and greet him with a smirk. "You've been in there for 15 hours I can't feel my hands" "I'm sure you're fine" "they feel like white noise" "so you feel them" "no" closing his eyes he'd listen to your careful fingers press on strings and strum, whenever he opened his eyes he always looked love struck so you try to block out his face from your mind, but the more you try to shut it out the more clear it gets. You had to stop looking at him when you practice

He'd notice if you've overused your voice during a match. Coughing, trying to relieve strain, pinching the front of your neck. He'd stop you mid kite and tell you about ways to relieve it. "Hopefully you like tea and honey." "?" "For your throat" "oh" he kisses your forehead. "I'll prepare some after this. Go decode for now" you'd have a higher chance of failing ciphers after that, Luca had to supervise. "He's so pretty..." "decode for him" easiest way to get you to lock in and to shut up about Alva

The only pet peeve he has with you is when you're both in a match and a survivor would say something along the lines of "I don't know how to get around this hunter" and you and luca would respond simultaneously "ez sweep" so he started finding loop holes, such as winking at you during kites, flirting with you if he found you first leaving the cipher bare, and just going after Luca first. He was no longer "ez sweep" to you two anymore, you had to tell a new survivor to "follow their gut!" For a while

He didn't care much for your rumors about being an aristocrat, if anything they're an afterthought, and an explanation on why you're able to causally name plants, and almost never use your hands when eating you'd eat fruits with a fork or a toothpick. This did come into play when you asked him to dance. Surely nothing it could be fine? He barely remembers how to do ballroom dance, so you went easy on him. It felt like a roller coaster. You could be able to tell he was embrassed everytime he almost stepped on your feet, the quick turns he wasn't ready for you'd catch his eyes widen. Somehow able to dip someone as tall as him you catch an exhausted smile on his face. "I should do this more often with you" he scoffs "maybe another time"

Ugh, as a musician he respects you knowing your talents after attending a show you did in the lobby, or just hearing it blast a few times but knowing your background you're gonna have to go the extra mile to even get him to associate with you. A person dressed like some local turning out to be an aristocrat, and their family respects that? Ridiculous you must be lying

He'd warm up to you slowly, he was annoyed he could hear you practice? Take these headphones. Then he couldn't hear the piano? Alright you'll change the time you do practice. He'd hate to admit it but when overwhelmed He'd purposely look for you while practicing, chaotic riffs like the ones you play would usually overwhelm him, but there's a difference when you practice, you're humming the lyrics softly while playing watered downed versions of certain bits, sometimes pleasing soft riffs. It's therapeutic, won't let you catch him listening though

That changes when you begin to date him. Now he's in the same room! "Im gonna pratice one i dont think youd like much" "I'm sure I can enjoy it regardless" you hum uncertainly hesitantly placing your fingers where they need to go, and begin to play, the melodies seeming uncertain of themselves as if shy. "With all the times I made mistakes infront of you I never expected you to be so considerate it hurts your performance" he sits closer to you "I'll be alright, play as you see fit regardless of me being in audience" "alright..." You play a bit hesitantly in the beginning, but pretty quickly you practice as usual, you sigh as you complete it. "That was too difficult" "do you want me to not be here when you practice?" You're not very sure how to answer that

He'd enter your room at night. "I know you're awake" "WOAH" you jolt back squinting your eyes to try and get a better look at him. "Why are you here at this hour?" "I got scared" "Sure bud" you embrace him, letting stiff arms return the favor. In truth he was kept awake by the thoughts of things couples usually do, sleeping in the same bed being one of them, imagining you there just wasn't going to cut it for him, to have you near him, to trust him enough to sleep in the same room as him let alone close to his chest, he felt at ease. You would wake up to his grip firmly around you or from him carassing your cheek or playing with your hair.

It feels werid when you two aren't in manor games together, you're like eatchothers lucky charms, he can't really handle if you're in too many games without him in a row. "I gotta get back soon Frederick might sleep on the piano again" Demi raises an eyebrow "he what?" "what if he stares so hard at my guitar it ends up full of sorrow" Demi's heard it all, she's heard of him evaporating, laying on couches, playing piano then sighing pausing and continuing to play a more loudly and harshly (according to Luca) "he thinks about alota things at once you know"

He does feel a bit strange when it comes to physical affection. Hugs and small kisses did feel a icky, when you do show him physical affection you'd try to keep it to a minimum accolading this, he judges you for that. Playing with his hair and stopping he looks up at you with narrowed eyes "what?" "Keep going" he grumbles. He'd start turning around to judge you if you dared to remove your hands from him. Sometimes even initiating, which would confuse and fluster the heck out of you. He does have his limits don't push them and he'll be fine.

He'd invite you to practice with him sometimes. It would always fluster the hell outta you but barely for him. "Are you sure?" You look around a bit frantically "I'm sure" "I'll get my gutair then" as soon as you sit down with him it usually goes with him beginning to play, you joining in after seeming to get the gist, you realize there was sheet music the entire time for you, say that you're "built diffrent" for just knowing what to play automatically "I'm just built like that" "Uh huh..." he disregards it, he knows you forget about the sheet music most of the time. Atleast he doesn't stay there for hours away from most people, that much anymore, now he spends atleast half of that practice session with you.

So to punish you for almost always never paying attention, he decided to make a song, no surprise he'd already think of making you a song, this was just an excuse for if you ever asked him why. "Do you mind if we practice again today" "you can't get enough of me can you" teasing him, you go with him hearing the unfamiliar song he began to play, you get behind him and begin to read the sheet music. "This one has alot of emotion to it" you continue to listen, wrapping your arms around his neck. "I think I got this" letting go of him, you play along with the emotional tone of the song. Test magically passed

You'd tease him with some song choices, letting him recognize the songs he wrote played on your gutair, or singing a lyric he just can't pass over for some reason "you haven't found everything you've been searching. Find it with me then we'll lose it and find it again" he blushes you could tell he was thinking too much on it. he turned away closing his eyes as you continued on singing, was your voice always this hypnotizing? Why are these chords so flustering now of all times? "Please stick to rock" "this is rock" "oh" you could barely hear that, getting closer to him you whisper in his ear "pleasantries-" "something I say to you, love" "so you know this" he tries to hide his flustered face. "The lyrics are pretty tame I'm surprised a song you've heard for a while now flustered you" you hug him kissing his cheek. You look foward to his reaction whenever you play songs like that near him, or just him paying too much attention to the lyrics and drifting into his imagination

Now imagine him finding out those you being an aristocrat rumors were real. You had him thinking you were normal until you ate a grape with a toothpick and knew how to tie his aggressively fancy bows. As soon as a partner dance came along you quite litterally swept him off his feet. A style of partner dance that was unique full of dramatic turns it almost felt like you were just dragging him along a bit, a weightless, graceful dance that would have been unexpected if you weren't accustomed to it. A dip is where you two make eye contact. "Did I tuker you out too much?" You smile uncertainly,him huffing to catch his breath, his mind racing with thoughts. "I'm fine" "would you like to do for another then?" "I'd rather not"

Ugh, pretty loud and he just hears the mumbles, he'll think it's incoherent metal, disrupts painting when you hear a sudden yell no matter how pretty it is

He dosent dislike you personally, after all you gave him your spare ear muffs when he brought this up to you. He becomes a good ally after that, you could go for a rescue and he'd be able to cover you. Those ear muffs come in handy, so handy that hunters try to take them. Unfortunately, you or him are always the first to yank them off or knock It out the hand of the hunter

He would slowly become apart of you Demi and Lucas crew. That one guy in a group that's never there but when he is it makes that day better, he's that guy. It gets so hype over there the hunter would turn their head wondering about the noise. "we got it guys!!" "YEA" "were getting a 4 escape!!" The hunters oprea singer

He'd grow super attached to you after you say something positive about his art. "Youve made this in a day?" "Yea?" "I find that hard to believe, the layering in this, the way they don't just lay ontop of eatchother but blend, not to mention accurate shadows" you take a pause dazed at the fine work. "It's beautiful" he doesn't speak, shocked that you knew the beauty and worth of his art something that most he met didn't understand, he fell for you hard over those comments, exactly why he shows you his pieces more often

You two would start dating rather quickly, you dropping signs the most aggressive way possible, causally holding hands when alone, sharing a cipher and really bad ideas "we should rescue luca" "no" "?" "He told me I should cut my canvas in half so I had four drawings instead of two" "...I mean in concept it's good but it might set ya off" "it already did" "after half then?" "Yea" thankfully Demi swooped in

You do try to sit down and paint with him. It was like a toddler following along a Bob Ross tutorial, but atleast Bob didn't stare at your painting for long periods of time. "Are you familiar with aristocrats?" "Yea?" He narrows his eyes "are you one?" "Are my drawings that bad?" "No these strokes are just ones nobility usually do" "crazy" he knew you were an aristocrat, and one that appreciated his art is even better. "Consider me your biggest fan in the art world" he giggles going back to his piece

He's run out of paintings during a match? Suddenly this isn't a match it's a rock show. "Find something in the item boxes nearby I'll distract them for you" distract them the loudest way possible how did you even bring an amp to a match?! "Why do you keep playing poppin party songs" "1) they're loud enough to cover the sound of us moving 2) they're more focused on me, the source of the music and 3) if you actually noticed" you point at Joseph "I found out he in particular has a real liking for Arisa he's not just gonna ignore her out of all people" Sure enough a familiar photographer appeared in the distance. "You mind opening the exit gate"

Despite him being sarcastic as hell he tries to sing along when you practice or perform. "You look like someone just sucked the life outta you" "how do you do this on the regular?" "Vocal practice wait till you have to scream in matches to save people" "." This stuff isn't for him but listening to you do it sounds alot better, and its nice to hum. You've caught him humming more times than you can count, and whenever you tell him he gets embrassed. "It's cute tho" "I'm sure the hunter could catch us if I continued" "They're across the map"

He hates the way you kiss whenever you're rushing somewhere. You do this thing he calls the entertainer's peck. Where you'd wave or acknowledge him, kiss his cheek and continue walking. He hates it because of how it lingers, you can't just take his hand to turn him toward you only to kiss him on the cheek and leave to a concert area or to decode. You're making him lose focus, one of those kisses that make you want another. You'd have him mummbling like a fool, espically if he could chase after you he'd give you his own peck, which led to the part he hated the most, the soft "I'll cherish this" expression on your face when you look back at him. He's giving you another until you stop looking at him like that!

He knew you were an aristocrat and he was thankful for it there was a higher chance you realized his talents. Hed ask you to dance first. "Shall we dance?" "Sure" informal way of accepting but formal style of dance. The way you both were able to be in sync no matter what move you threw at him, it turned out to be more of a test of skill than a friendly dance, as soon as you dipped him you could see all of the energy he lost hit him at once as he could barely keep himself up, you giggled at his predicament. "We should do this more often, you're alot more used to this than I thought" "we should, maybe I could try tossing you" his face straightens "nevermind"

Party! She's litterally with you all the time, with Luca as a carry on. You three would basically host rock concerts in the manor. You'd sing about freedom and living on, who cares for the noise complaint invest in ear plugs!!

You'd always be with her or luca during the games, though you do prefer Demi a bit more, she dosent laugh so hard it alerts the hunter. She's also more aware than Luca making running away alot easier. Though after games you prefer Luca, Luca doesn't cling to you so much you have to sleep in the same bed as him to make him feel better, he just calls you his hero

Does help when you're rescuing her, Naiad could be dashing toward you yet all be stopped by a simple ear spliting shreak from you, you had her seeing double. "I didn't know you could also do metal" "it's useful with the amount of commissions I get"

She'd randomly get an idea to try and wing along while you play. "I got it I got it" reasuring herself you begin to play familiar chords as she opens her mouth you change them to diffrent ones "I DONT KNOW THE LYRICS TO TEAR DROPS" "you got it!" She indeed barely had it, barely able to say of the lyrics correctly. Her revenge? "You mind playing this" she shows you probably the most confusing sheet music you've seen in your career a Frederick special if you will. "Alright-" and so the manor wondered what happened to the music they randomly heard when passing your room for the next 2 days

She'd fall asleep If you two weren't summoned for a round that day leaving you and her alone to explore the manor or practice guitar. People would come and go to you twos makeshift karoke. Espically Norton apparently. "IT WAS LOST LONG AGO BUT ITS ALL COMMING BACK TO ME" those two would sing with their hearts out the whole manor could tell you the lyrics by heart. You could play a cord to a song she'd accidently "ITS ALL COMMING BACK TO ME" "." "That wasn't the right song?" "No"

Almost scream royality. Random bug? "AHHHHHH" small spoke? "AUHHHHHHH" you and luca pretending to be possessing eatchothers bodies "NOOOOOO" surprisingly she doesn't scream like this when a giant nun lady jumps at her, except when she did and found out why you're scream royality. "So how'd ya get chaired?" "Rescue me first" "you're way too far from half" she pouts "so I tried screaming to burst her ear drums like you do..." "and?" "And she looked me straight in the eyes, then the cat screamed louder I swear it was like one of yours and then I was here" ".pft" "not cool!"

She gets tipsy during rounds, leading to some fun confessions of love. "Y/n...I love youu" she leans onto you, puckered lips to an exaggerated degree. "I gotta decode Demi" sighing you let her cling onto you tighter "did any person tell you how cute you are? Am I the first?" "You aren't" she gasps dramatically "reallllyyyy?" "Yea, a barmaid got to me before you" she blows a raspberry

She leads you away for rounds, asking for help setting up a kiting area. "Thanks for the help" she lands a kiss on your cheek. "Demi" "what?" "I appreciate it but Luca might vomit over this again" "he forced himself to" she wraps her arms around your waist, leaning in to be closer to you "he'll be fine" he wasn't fine. "You two really gotta get a room" "wadya mean?" "You keep looking with these lovey dovey eyes, were all on the same cipher and that poor guys probably single handedly evading that rock guy. "Arent they the same person" "yea they both got that same scar" "now you're tag teaming me?" "Yea" you both make the same look.

If she were ever to escape the hunter injured she'll run to you near instantly. "I think you should kiss me and all my injuries will heal" "that's not how it works Demi" you continue your healing "you're so warm..." "I know" "hehe" you kiss her forehead, finishing up. "I'm still injured" she dramatically places her hand on her forehead, both of you hearing a cipher being popped. "Oh look you're at full health" she sighs "worth a shot"

You being an aristocrat? She didn't care much but it did affect how you did certain things, and explained why you knew how to take care of plants,paint, and piano...barely the gutairs more fitting. When you asked her to dance, she got flustered, such a formal request, but comming from you it should have been a bit obvious it was comming. She didn't expect how graceful you were, it felt like an instructor dancing with their student for a test, the turns focused eyes turning to soft looks whenever you made eye contact with her. It was a flustering the hell outta of her she couldn't think for more than two secounds with you suddenly invading her thoughts with the shift in demeanor. When she took the lead by the end and dipped you, you seemed to snap out of it. "You're really good at improv" "how sweet of you" she huffs bringing you up to stand. "Would you like to dance again later?" "You sound like an old noble"

[kazoolol]

SONIC N SHADOW INFORMAL CHARACTER ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION

WARNING this analysis, opinion thing jumps from scene to scene as it's made with the idea you've seen the games and I'm also writing this sort of on the spot so apologies for any typos etc. Also please be nice I'm just some guy.

Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of Sonic and Shadow being so hostile towards each other. Now I'm not referring to their rivalry, because I love it. They're the only people who match each other in almost every aspect, so competition and a little rivalry is welcome and expected. But what I dislike is how nowadays they're not even capable of complimenting one another. Or even getting along in a more casual setting?

Like, in their Tailstube or the line change in SxSG ("You got this, Sonic." -> "On your feet, Sonic.") It feels sort of unnecsesary and disingenuine rewriting genuine hostility between the characters when there wasn't any to begin with.

Sonic and Shadow have always had a competitive push and pull that leaned towards playful from the get go despite the danger both parties presented.

When they meet, Shadow doesn't even seem inherently aggressive like he's depicted to be nowadays. He simply just warps away from Sonic when he comes at him.

Shadow at this point just sees himself in higher regard to Sonic and deems him unworthy of his time. This represented by the fact that Shadow is not only positioned to be looming over Sonic, the cinematography having him look down at him and exclaiming once he teleports onto the roof of the building that, "Theres no time for games, farewell."

We know that Shadow however quickly changes his tune the more he gets to know Sonoc throughout SA2.

He expresses disappointment in what he assumes to be Sonics death.

This line is so cool and extremely telling of their relationship at this point because it implies that Shadow saw him as MORE than just some hedgehog that resembled him.

Note the "You never cease to suprise me" "So, there's more to you than just looking like me."

(Small note thats kind of off topic) It's interesting to me in a lot of these encounters Sonic is actually the one to START the fight (other than when they battle each other on the ark). This is within reason though since hes being blamed for crimes he did not commit.

I wish Shadows hostility was toned down some. As he seems pretty amicable all things considering even hes working against Sonic. For example trading quips with Sonic in Adventure 2, doing numerous callbacks to such quips. In the hero story when you fight Shadow on the island as Sonic, he even admits Sonic is an impressive fighter. ( I would take SS but I'll just link a video to the scene)

In fact he gives Sonic credit where credit is due and vice versa numerous times throughout the story, and even the little talk they have before the fight on the Ark Shadow is genuinely curious about Sonic and who he is as a person.

Shadows curiousity surrounding Sonic is something I've always found incredibly interesting about their dynamic. I don't think Shadow would be so no nonsense and dismissive of Sonic, because Sonic intrigues him. Not only due to their similarity in appearance, but how Sonic carries himself as a person.

Not only is this an amazing character moment for Sonic, emphasizing he is not a hero but just a guy who loves adventure. Shadow after this revelation is not aggressive, mean or dismissive. He only fights Sonic because he's in the way, not due to some hatred on Shadows end, just because Sonic was in the way. He treats Rouge similarly.

I also liked the inherent connection the two of them had, like how in Sonic Heroes where Shadow lacks memory of any of SA2, he shows immediate interest in Sonic of all characters.

He's confused about why they look similar, yes, but he still shows immense interest in Sonic and ONLY Sonic even though Tails and Knuckles are also extremely suprised by his return.

I also think it's important to note that, even when Shadow remembers very little of Sonic, they still maintain that playful push and pull dynamic. Shadow never brushes him off, engaging with Sonic and vice versa.

Notice how Shadow isn't insulting, degrading nor putting down Sonic. He isn't so no nonsense as he is protrayed to be nowadays. He plays off of him, going "Is that so...well then, it will be a date to DIE for." Before smirking and running at Sonic.

Maybe I'm simply misunderstanding something, maybe I'm just being oblivious or misinterpreting their scenes, but I feel the removal of Shadows friendliness admist the rivalry and competition makes it feel less compelling because where their dynamic was established to be both parties pushing and pulling each others limits, yet also holding an air of respect and liking to one another feels lost with how most just deem Shadow and Sonic just hating each others guts. What reason does Shadow have for wanting to "finally defeat" Sonic?

Even in games where Shadow a bit more "aggressive" or has a less than friendly dynamic with Sonic (Think Sonic Battle and Shadow 05) theres still an air of respect between them. Sonic actually is the one who continues to push Shadow to take the path thats best for him. Sonic pushes him to be honest about his feelings, that it's okay for him to simply live and feel in the moment. And even when Shadow disagrees with this notion, claiming he has no heart, or Sonic is misunderstanding him, Sonic remains by his side.

That's what I've always loved about Sonic and Shadows relationship. That respect and care for one another I feel is completely lost nowadays to their dynamic. Big moments like Shadow directly stating that the ultimate lifeform is Sonic (I stole this off someone on Twitter I believe. Thank you to that person!) Sonic inspiring Shadow to live just doesn't really exist anymore.

And even in Sonic 06, the respect and trust the two have remains and is even stronger than before. When explaining where they find themselves to Team Hero, Sonic immediately picks up what Shadow is trying to communicate, that they need to work. Neither parties are apprehensive to one another, Sonic giving a thumbs up and Shadow nodding in approval.

And later when the teams are off on their own, theres the small but to me very memorable interaction where Sonic points right at Shadow and says, "Don't be late." And where I feel in recent titles where Shadow would either ignore him or just brush him off, he gets extremely close to Sonic and goes "Same to you."

And of course the iconic "chaos control" they do together not ONLY being noticably closer than it was with Silver, but they exchange NO WORDS throughout it all and just...know what to do. That is so special to me. That they just know what the other is thinking with no words said. Another moment that supports this is when Shadow comes in to help Sonic and no words are said besides a nod and smile. Would the two really do something like that if they hated one another and had no interest in each other?

I never see their close bond anymore between the two in both canon and fanon content and it's really sad disappointing in my opinion.

It makes Sonic and Shadows dynamic as a whole way less compelling.

The point of this character analysis is to point out how much of what made Shadow and Sonics dynamic actually engaging and have an incredible amount of depth is just...gone nowadays. With them leaning into making Shadow and Sonic rivals, they lost what made that dynamic so special in the first place.

Now I'm not saying I want Sonic and Shadow to be openly really friendly and lose their banter but I wish more moments of care and trust between them was also more common place.

What do you think? Do you think I missed the mark in some of this? Do you prefer their older dynamic or the newer one?

Just to be clear this is not a hate post directed to any of the Sonic Team, this isn't an Ian Flynn hate post this is just me pointing out how I feel about the more modern take on the characters. I really like how Shadow generations handles them but I also feel some line changes in Sonic Generations don't sit well with me personally.

I'm not a big fan of much of the Sonic and Shadow material outside of the games other than the Sonic movies and stories from Sonic channel so I tried to stick to the games primarily when discussing their dynamic.

Please be nice in the replies!!!!!

[forsetti]

On Political Responsibilities: Put Up Or Shut The Fuck Up

As easily predictable as “The sun will set in the West,” a whole lot of Democrats are ONCE AGAIN falling for Republican propaganda and scurrying around like frightened little bunnies. This time it is about “Biden’s age.”

They should realize this is nothing more than a Republican ploy to sow discord among Dems and tamp down voter enthusiasm. This means either they are not very bright and their political hot takes should be completely ignored or they do realize but play along and parrot right-wing talking points either for attention or money, which really means they should be completely ignored.

Is President Biden old? Yes. Does it matter? As long as he has been and continues to do a good job pushing progressive policies it shouldn’t. When my maternal grandfather passed away at 91, he was still physically active, mentally sound, and able to do intricate, complex tasks. Because Pres. Biden had one bad debate (which is, no pun intended, debatable,) that doesn’t/shouldn’t mean a damn thing unless you are a frightened little bunny.

The right has been pushing, “Biden is too old,” since the 2020 election. They’ve also been pushing, “Biden is the head of a complex, international crime family who uses the Deep State and Dept. of Justice to do his bidding.” If you don’t see the logical problems between these two views, you are part of the problem and really shouldn’t be throwing out your political opinions like they are pearls of wisdom from on high.

Of course, it hasn’t only been the right pushing the “Biden is too old,” claim. The Far Left, especially the white far left, have been doing the same because they are still upset about Biden, with the help of black voters, kicking Bernie Sanders’ ass in the South Carolina primary and going on to curb stomp him on Super Tuesday. It doesn’t matter that Sanders is a year older than Pres. Biden to the far left. All that matters is doing damage to the person who beat their candidate of choice.* (*see also Hillary Clinton and the 2016 election.)

The media loves the “Biden is too old,” nonsense because it allows them to attack the president while hiding behind, “many people from both parties say….” However, the real reason they love it and push it nonstop is because it generates views/clicks which sells ads which generates profits. Any political race, especially one with national implications that is one-sided doesn’t get eyeballs on screens. If Pres. Biden was leading by 10 points, which in any sane country he would be, the race is all but over and no one is going to tune into media outlets for their “analysis” of the race. Any for-profit enterprise that relies on viewers HAS TO HAVE a horse race. The owners of these companies know this. The programmers know this. The hosts know this. The guests know this. It seems the only people who don’t know this are the frightened little bunnies on the left who flee to their holes any time someone in the media says something they don’t like or fear might be true.

All you have to do is look at the number of media outlets and talking heads who have pushed the idea that Biden needs to step aside because he “looked bad on television one time,” but not a single one of them has demanded the same of Trump for any of the legitimate bullshit he’s done. Just his role on Jan 6th should make him a toxic candidate, let alone his being found guilty of sexual assault, 34 felony convictions of fraud, and taking, lying about, and refusing to return highly classified documents after leaving the White House. Any one of these actions should be a reason to question and demand he step down as a candidate. Yet, NOT ONCE, has this happened in the media. That’s because they NEED Trump for horse races because it brings in money.

Just look at the post-debate analysis from the media who were intently focused on Biden’s speech patterns, how he looked, and how he sounded (all optics,) while completely ignoring what he said and the massive totality of Trump’s lies (all factual things.)

All of this “Optics Police” analysis has given rise to the whole “Biden needs to step aside,” idiot hot take.

When someone in the media says something like, “Pres. Biden needs to step aside,” a whole lot of Dems clutch their pearls with both hands and run to their fainting couch as fast as they can while screaming, “Pres. Biden needs to step aside!” because they are frightened little bunnies who have a compulsive need to parrot anything negative about their party and candidates, regardless of the source.

They are so afraid of losing elections that they do everything in their power to make sure elections are lost.

Let’s talk about the idea of Pres. Biden stepping aside. It is a remarkably stupid idea from remarkably stupid people. There is a reason the right has been pushing “Biden is too old,” “Biden is a criminal,” and “Biden cheated to win in 2016.” It is the very same reason Trump asked Zelensky to just lie about Biden being under investigation in Ukraine in 2016. Biden is the NUMBER ONE THREAT to Trump getting reelected. If the right believes Pres. Biden is the biggest threat to Trump, why in the fuck would replacing him on the ticket be the smart move? It wouldn’t.

I’ve read all the reasons for why Biden should step aside. They are all devoid of any logic, a basic understanding of U.S. elections, or American political history.

The latest reason for him to step aside is by comparing him to Ruth Bader Ginsburg and using her death and subsequent appointment of a right-wing hack, Amy Coney Barrett, to the Supreme Court. The same people on the left demanding Pres. Biden step aside are the same ones who blamed RBG for allowing Trump to appoint another conservative justice to SCOTUS.

It wasn’t RBG’s responsibility to prevent Trump from appointing a conservative justice. That responsibility was on Democratic voters in 2016 and they failed to live up to it. Don’t blame RBG for Amy Coney Barrett. Blame everyone on the left who decided to sit out the 2016 election or who voted third-party. They are the reason Trump was in a position to appoint three Supreme Court justices. While RBG was working hard to protect progressive ideals and rights, the people bitching about her not retiring were not doing a damn thing to help her.

It’s not like the far left wasn’t warned about the potential damage a Trump presidency would have, especially with regard to SCOTUS. They were, vehemently. Their response to being warned about what could/would happen to the Supreme Court if Trump won was, “Go fuck yourself. How dare you use the threat of years of progressive policies and rights being taken away to get my vote.”

These were the same people who now are screaming about how horrible the Supreme Court is hurting years of progressive policies and rights being taken away and blaming anybody and everybody other than themselves. They are the ones blaming Pres. Biden for not protecting Roe (something he has/had no way of doing.) They are the ones blaming RBG for not retiring (something that would not have made a difference because, even if she was replaced with another liberal justice, the Court would still be 5-4 in favor of conservatives and there was a good chance her replacement would not have been given a hearing and her seat left open ala Merrick Garland.)

The reason we have a 6-3 conservative Supreme Court is too many people on the left thought it was a good idea to not vote for Hillary Clinton in 2016. That’s it. Full...fucking...stop.

Many of the same people on the left who didn’t take the makeup of the Supreme Court seriously in 2016 are the very same people now demanding Pres. Biden step aside. Sorry, we are in this mess largely because of the horrible ideas and actions of these people. Why on earth should they be taken seriously now? They shouldn’t.

There is no “magic bullet,” to prevent Trump from being reelected. There isn’t some magical candidate out there, waiting in the wings for Pres. Biden to step aside so they can swoop in and save the day. There is Pres. Biden and VP Harris. That is it. It doesn’t matter if that is who you want. It doesn’t matter if you are upset about this or that policy or action. It doesn’t matter if Pres. Biden is 81, 61, or 91. What matters is winning the 2024 presidential election. That’s it. If/when that happens, then you can bitch and whine about not getting your dragon-unicorn hybrid in the exact color you want.

Do your fucking civic duty and vote for the candidate who will do the most good, the least harm to the people and policies you love. In the upcoming election, that choice will be, whether you like it or not, and you don’t fucking have to like it, is between Pres. Biden and Donald Trump. Either put up and do the right thing or shut the fuck up, now and forever about the state of politics in America.

A couple of days ago, Charlie Pierce from “Esquire,” tweeted this gem from Tbogg (one of my favorite old-timey bloggers.) It perfectly sums up exactly how a lot of people on the left view voting and my response to them.

"Every year in Happy Gumdrop Fairy-Tale Land all of the sprites and elves and woodland creatures gather together to pick the Rainbow Sunshine Queen. Everyone is there: the Lollipop Guild... ...the Star-Twinkle Toddlers, the Sparkly Unicorns, the Cookie Baking Apple-cheeked Grandmothers, the Fluffy Bunny Bund, the Rumbly-Tumbly Pupperoos, the Snowflake Princesses, the Baby Duckies All-In-A-Row, the Laughing Babies, and the Dykes on Bikes. Afterward, they spend the rest of the night dancing and singing and waving glow sticks until dawn when they tumble sleepy-eyed into beds made of the purest and whitest goose down where they dream of angels and clouds of spun sugar. You don’t live there. Grow the fuck up.” -TBogg

[darkartsandpastels]

His little housewife

(Dark!James Wilson x Fem!reader)

Okay, hi. First post, so no judgement. Just to be safe I’m adding minors DNI, but I can’t control what you read, so if you’re a minor, that’s your choice. Pretty strong themes, so I advice to ignore this post if you don’t like that kinda stuff. This is meant to be dark, as this is fiction!! English isn’t my first language, there might be mistakes.

Summary: Basically, the reader is Wilson’s controversially young girlfriend, who he’s been seeing for a few months. When I say reader is young in this, I mean YOUNG. Wilson’s in his mid-40s, she’s in her early 20s. He wants to make her his housewife, and she fights every step of the way, but he’s manipulative and sly. Reader is referred to as you. I hate using Y/N, but if you enjoy that more, tell me!

Pairing: Dark!James Wilson x Fem! reader

Content warning: 18+ (NSFW), non-con, big, unhealthy age gap, vaginal sex, looming threats of violence, manipulation, innocence kink, dumbification, sexism, Wilson being a horrible person in this, manhandling, use of pet names, forced breeding, gaslighting, unsafe sex (wrap it before you tap it guys).

Word count: 2,201 words.

The rain landed on the window panes softly, the yellow glow of the evening light reflecting off the transparent surface. You busied yourself in the kitchen, humming a slow, improvised tune while making dinner. Your lovely boyfriend, James, would be back soon. He’d also be bringing up the topic of children again, most likely having the idea form in his head while passing the pediatrics department. James had been persistent during the past few days, often coming up behind you and wrapping his arms around your tummy. He’d stroke the area where your womb resided like a polite cannibal mapping out his next dinner. Sometimes it seemed almost off-putting how much he loved touching your soft belly, other times you found it endearing.

After all, James was the kind-hearted, puppy-eyed oncologist who wouldn’t harm a fly.

The act didn’t last long.

The sound of keys jingling and the door creaking brought you out of your daze. His voice rang out through the fairly spacious apartment, warm and tired.

“I’m home, sweetheart.”

You didn’t even have time to turn around before familiar hands wrapped around your waist, and a sentimental kiss was pressed to your forehead. James’ hand squeezed your hips, his sharp nose nuzzling into the crook of your neck.

You giggled, pushing him off slightly, teasing him. He spun you around, a warm smile lighting up on his face when you squeaked in surprise. His beautiful brown eyes were crinkled at the corners, a slow and tedious sign of age. The greying hairs at his temple didn’t go unnoticed either.

“You’re home early.” The question was left unanswered because he noticed something out of the ordinary.

The skirt you were wearing was unusual and sexy. James had to voice his opinion as soon as he noticed it. A frilly white thing, meant for a warmer atmosphere that the weather forecasters had promised next weekend.

“Oh? You in a skirt and making dinner. Must be going to a funeral.” He earned a half-hearted smack to his shoulder for that comment, but he simply smirked.

“I had a work party today.” You answered, voice calm and even.

Wilson raised a brow, leaning down until his breath fanned across your lips. His hand landed on your thigh, inching upwards and under the skirt. Your breath hitched, lips parting as his index finger brushed against your covered slit.

You were dry.

James’ brow furrowed, fingers pressing and rubbing, but he was met with a frown from you. You grabbed his wrist, pulling it away.

“I’m not in the mood, James.” You mumbled, pouting slightly.

He didn’t seem to understand that. It was like a switch flipped. His hand twisted from yours, making a gasp leave your suddenly dry lips. Your tongue darted out to wet them, and his brown eyes turned dark. James pushed you into the counter, hands reaching up and fumbling to push the material up.

“J-James? Stop. What are you doing?” You whimpered, but your attempts to wiggle away were futile when he turned his voice so soft and accusatory.

“Darling, I worked hard all day, came home to such a delicious sight, and you’re not even excited to see me?��

His fingers hooked into the waistband of your panties. A tug and they slid down your thighs.

“N-No, I just-” you tried, you really did. He just didn’t listen.

“You know, you’re so unappreciative of me,” he ranted, perfect pink lips curling into a sort of snarl.

“I work all night and day, come home and expect food on the dinner table, or at least you with your legs spread on it. What do I get? Nothing.” James continued, twirling you around to make you bend over the sleek surface of the counter.

His hand smacked your ass once, earning a yelp. The action left a sting, and Wilson smiled when you clenched your thighs. He cooed in your ear, his belt buckle pressing into your back with a sharp intensity.

“God, imagine you as my wife. Pretty sundress with no panties on, bent over every surface while I pound into your sweet pussy. Always ready for your husband.” He muttered, pressing a kiss to your neck.

The sound of his belt being undone echoed in the otherwise empty kitchen, and you could only plead him under your breath. James ignored all of it, talking over your please’s and stop’s. His slacks were next, button popping open and fly hastily zipped down. You could feel his hard dick plop out as soon as he moved his boxers, the tip landing on your inner thigh.

“Mmm… can imagine you all dolled up, wearing make up and formal clothes, not those ugly flared jeans or whatever you kids wear nowadays. Women fucking dress like men” His tip pushed forward towards your folds, sliding in between them.

He rutted his hips forward, moaning with a growl in his voice. His shaft slid between your thighs with struggle, the missing presence of your natural lubricant making it harder to move. Strong, somehow still gentle arms landed on the counter before you, trapping you in his hold. One of them was spat on, the sound harsh and disgusting as he used his saliva to make himself slick.

“S’good, sweetheart. Fuck… should make you my pretty little housewife.” He growled, reaching up to grope your breasts, hand sliding beneath your shirt.

His hand squeezed and cradled, rough, overworked fingers tracing the material. He suddenly spread your legs wider, and with little to no prep, he popped the head of his cock in, the bulbous pink of it disappearing into your seam. Inch by inch, he filled you up, until he physically couldn’t go any more. There were a few inches left, but being in the position they were, or the fact that women only had limited space until the cervix, he couldn’t push in.

“God, you’re so pretty. So sticky inside. You’re my good girl, right?” He asked, panting and heaving as he started moving into you.

Silence. The only sound from you were the choked sobs you tried to hide from him, the whimpered pleas falling from your lips like a prayer.

Wilson didn’t appreciate that. After all, he provided for you. Your shitty job didn’t pay that much, did it? He made 6 figures, while you barely made enough to scrap by without him. At least, in America.

“I said- Who’s my good girl?”

His voice was agressive, scratchy as he rutted into you like a stag did to a doe during mating season. The tip of his length repeatedly bruised your cervix, your wetness seeping and leaking all over his slacks. It drip, drip dripped all over the floor like an icicle melting from the summer heat, and it helped James move swiftly.

“M-me.. I’m your good girl..” you sniffled, moaning softly when he hit that spot inside you. It felt like betraying yourself, but James knew her body better than anyone, inside and out.

He hummed in affirmation, his cock twitching inside your pussy like a rhythm of a slightly off-beat song. The hands moved down from your chest to your thighs, his grip marring your soft, squishy flesh. It would undoubtedly bruise, the marks blossoming in purple and yellow colours.

“Gonna put a baby in you, sweetcheeks. Fuck, you’re so adorable. Would you like that?” He moaned into your shoulder, thrusts getting sloppier and faster, as his free hand slid down to rub your little bundle of nerves.

Those words instantly made you shiver, your body fighting to push him out. You weren’t ready for that kind of responsibility. You were barely out of university, you had student loans, dreams and many journeys planned. Your parents would be absolutely devastated to find out the old man that they thought was ‘just a phase’ would get you knocked up.

“N-no. James, pull.. pull out,” you fumbled over your words, trying to turn your head around so you could see the manic glint he probably had in his eyes.

Key word: tried.

The other hand mawling your thigh moved up promptly and grabbed the back of your head, not so gently pushing it down. You wiggled and squirmed, but his thick, firm legs encased your hips, making any movement impossible.

“No.” He snorted, sounding almost offended you even offered that idea. “I thought you liked it when I got mean and scary? You mentioned that when I was fucking you silly, practically crying into the pillow when I hit this little place.” Wilson’s lips brushed your ear, delicate and curled into a horrid smirk.

The man suddenly pulled out, angling himself before slamming in once more. The squishy, soft head of his dick kissed that gummy spot, and you nearly threw up at the force. It knocked the wind out of your heaving lungs, and for a moment, your vision doubled. James didn’t stop. He kept pounding there repeatedly, his fingers drawing figure eights on your sensitive, throbbing clit.

In another situation, if he wasn’t actively trying to baby-trap you, it would be a charming smile on his face. Now, not so much.

The older man continued talking when you stayed silent for too long. Your breathing sped up immensely when he uttered those next words, sounding so strange coming out of the boywonder head of oncology.

“Taking me so well, baby.. I’m going to pump you so full of me, you’ll look like a cream doughnut. Nghh..” he gasped, his dick bucking into you a few more times, and you completely lost it, simultaneously.

Like most of the things in your life were.

Your orgasm crashed over you like a tidal wave, and you clenched around him involuntarily as his seed painted your walls white. His tip was notched deep inside, butting your cervix with every tiny twitch. Wilson’s moans turned into soft-sounding growls, and then whimpers. Most of his words weren’t comprehensible, although you made out a selection, and they made you sick to your stomach.

The oncologist felt his semen start leaking from around you, and he couldn’t have that. He slid out and back in, collecting it on the tip before pushing it so it reached the entrance of your womb.

5 whole minutes passed, and James remained glued inside you, ensuring nothing came out. James finally sighed contentedly and popped his softening penis back out, tucking himself back into his now stained slacks. He didn’t move away, though. Wilson looked down at your shivering, tired body, his soft digits running over your spine.

“I love you, darling.” James smiled, pressing a kiss to your cheek.

You felt bile rise in your throat at the thought of saying it back. The warning squeeze on your waist made you choke on sobs, hiccuping and stuttering like you used to do when fighting with your mother.

He finally turned you around, tilting your chin up to catch his gaze, to no avail. You merely stared at his polished shoes, hoping the ground would swallow you whole. A tsk left his pink lips, before his thumb and pointer tightened their hold, making you instantaneously look up. There was no guilt in his eyes, no doubt or apology for defiling his younger lover.

Just pure satisfaction, maybe bliss. Definitely delusion, that you also enjoyed it as much as he did because he made you cum. That what he did wasn’t horrible, and that it wasn’t animalistic.

“I said, I love you.”

“I-I.. I love y-you.. you too.” You finally got out, dry heaving.

James looked like a smug deer, a stag who had just mounted the youngest doe in the clearing. After all, if a fawn was over 80 pounds and had her first heat, she could breed.

It didn’t matter that there were blaring red lights in someone else’s head, warnings that this wasn’t right. It didn’t matter that the doe was bleating and kicking him off, calling for her mama.

It didn’t matter that her back was shaking from the weight he held, the grace she had overruled by the pure muscle he carried.

Because that was how it was in nature. Animals didn’t care, they didn’t have laws amongst them, protecting them from harm.

A fox wouldn’t just stop being a predator because the rabbits told him it was inhumane to kill and eat them.

A wolf wouldn’t stop devouring flesh, even if his prey’s offspring was starving and half-dead somewhere in a hole.

But you weren’t animals. What James did wasn’t excused by nature, wasn’t acceptable in their society and definitely inhumane.

To make matters worse, he didn’t even react when you seeked comfort. You grabbed onto his blazer, bawling your eyes out into his chest. He didn’t look ashamed when he cooed and hushed softly, wrapping his arms around you.

It was disgusting, how you still clung to him, like he was your saviour. Like he wasn’t the wolf in sheep’s clothing.

“Stop crying.” Wilson said firmly, his brown eyes never holding a hint of remorse, but instead annoyance.

‘Or I’ll give you a reason to cry.’

His eyes betrayed that saying burned into his own memory, how it affected his views as a child.

“My sweet little housewife.”

[secret-sturniolo]

SFW Alphabet - Matt Sturniolo

a/n - please remember these are only my opinions! You are allowed to disagree, but be respectful about it!

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

In private, his hands are all over you, giving you hugs, kisses, cuddles, everything. He doesn't like PDA though, so in public the most he would do is hold your hand,

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

Hes the kind of guy you would meet through a friend of a friend, and it's kindof a slow-burn friendship where things start slow, but get serious really quickly. He would always be there for you, assuring you that you can come to him about anything, and telling you how much you mean to him.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

He loooves being the big spoon and falling asleep with you in his arms.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

Matt totally wants to have a family some day, when the time is right. He would try to help out around the house as much as he can, sometimes even doing more work than you.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

He would try his best to end things on civil terms, letting you know that he would still be there for you if you ever needed anything. However, if he was breaking up with you for reasons like being cheated on, he would lose all respect for you and cut you out completely.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

Matt would love to get married to the love of his life. For timing, he would kind of feel things out with you. He doesn't want to rush anything, but also wouldn't say no to a spur of the moment engagement if things felt right.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

He is the most gentle, empathetic person you have ever met. He seems so in tune with his own, and your emotions, not afraid to have tough conversations about them.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

Yes! Hugs from behind are his favorite. When he hugs you, the smell of him, whether it be his cologne or shampoo, makes you feel so calm and content.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

It takes him a little bit, maybe a few weeks or a month, but he wants you to know exactly how much he cares about you so he isn't afraid to say it.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

He's kind of a toss up. Most of the time he is not a jealous person and doesn't mind when you talk to other guys in a friendly way, but say you were somewhere like a party and guys were coming up to you, he would take you away from them, wanting you all to himself.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

Matt is suchhhh a good kisser. Sometimes, he will cover your whole face in kisses while you giggle and try to escape his arms. He loves it when you leave small kisses on his jaw or even the tip of his nose.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

He adores little children. He loves to make them laugh, or smile and wave at kids in passing. He gives off major "cool dad" vibes.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

Some mornings, you both have work to do so you have to get up. Other mornings, you just lay in each other's arms, talking about whatever comes to mind.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Late nights with Matt are the best. There are a variety of activities you guys like to do. Sometimes you will play video games with him, throw a movie on, go for a drive, or get food. Sometimes his brothers are there too, but if there's ever a time you just want to be alone with him, he agrees, no questions asked.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

Matt is a pretty open book with most things, encouraging you to be vulnerable with him, too. He feels very comfortable with you, and he trusts that you would keep things between you and him.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

With most people, especially his brothers, he is super short tempered. With you? Everything changes. He honestly enjoys it when you do things to purposely annoy him.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

Matt is super attentive, not wanting to forget anything. Things like your birthday, middle name, favorite color, favorite song? He knows them all.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

He would cherish all the small moments shared between him and you, that only the two of you would know about.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

He gets protective sometimes in settings like parties or events, but he also knows that you can hold your own most of the time. He's always close by if you need him, though.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

He is on his A game 100% of the time! He wants every moment with you to be special.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

He knows you don't like it when he bites his nails, and he tries his hardest not to with your help.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

He knows he's good looking, but he also doesn't have a big ego about it. He wants to look presentable, but doesn't usually put a lot of work into outfits or hairstyles.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

Somewhat? He loves being with you, but also respects that you two are separate people and you need to do things separately sometimes.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

This man lowkey knows how to cook (as long as he has a recipe).

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

We all know how much he hates ketchup. In a person, he doesn't like people who try too hard to be cool or impress him. Ultimately, if he feels like he can't connect with you, he won't want to be around you.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

Because he stays up so late, he tends to sleep in until late afternoon. He has a hard time falling asleep if you aren't with him, wrapped in his arms.

[officialgleamstar]

ive been taking some haphazard character notes on the wyrdwood PCs for my own reference (mainly was trying to figure willowfine out, lol), and i figured i would share my observations for any other fan writers who has been struggling with characterization :] these notes arent in any particular order, not even in chronological order of me adding them, just kind of random XD

obviously i am not Word Of God, these are just my interpretations of what we've seen!! ive been of the opinion that capturing somebody's way of speaking is more useful than their personality ultimately, but i'm bad at explaining my observations for that, so i guess ignore that i said that and just read my personality notes hfkhdkjhfgfkdg and also, spoilers warning for up to episode three

Cressida

Wizard: Quite smart, had to learn her magic

Learned magic from her family, mostly used to prevent robbers at their family bank

Lawful evil confirmed :]

Haughty and spoiled, judgmental

SNARKY. INSTIGATOR. (affectionate)

However, lied and said that Robin’s “wine” was alright

Self-confessed as nosy, and is quite observant

Likes wine, fresh fruit, roasted vegetables

Easily disgusted, was alarmed by the violence in episode one, startled by the weevils in episode two

Panics easily, seems unused to hardship, and is cowardly

Ellen had to really consider if Cressida had ever been in a working kitchen before

Tries to use charisma often. Does not tend to work despite her stats

Will accumulate magic debt to not sit on mud, but has glamped!

Happen

Ranger: In tune with nature, has sprites

Sharpshooter, has a good eye and a steady hand

Very trusting, probably sheltered

Places a lot of faith in his goddess, believes in fate

Praise Cadence!

The only thing that he has to begrudgingly be okay with is his sprites getting captured

A little freak. Actually a pretty big freak.

Obsessive, gets attached easily

Doesn’t get upset, really, even when people are rude to him

Doesn’t think much about consequences, or perhaps isn’t meant to care

Very soft voice, a bit scratchy

Just kind of says things, very little filter

Lug

Barbarian: Passive-aggressive <3

SO unlucky. So so so unlucky

Very in tune with nature

Isolationist and quiet, but not bad with people (when they’re not hunting him for being a firbolg)

Doesn’t know other firbolgs

Seems naturally protective

Comes to Cressida’s aid without question, jumps out of the wagon to protect Michael and his dad whose name I cannot spell (Yophie?)

Lives in “an extremely small hovel in the woods”

Very knowledgeable, generally the most aware of what’s happening

Comes with the pass-agg of it all but he’s very grumpy, a bit mean (affectionate)

Takes the jobs he’s given quite seriously

Morven

Sorcerer: Her talent is natural, might be used to things going her way

Likes coffee. Probably more for staying awake than taste, but asks for it over other options

Does not like letting Robin take control

Inquisitive; first one to say that they should stay in Oakburn and investigate

Very stubborn, may have a problem with moving on from things

Was executed for dark magic by zealots

Immediately takes charge when given the option

Does NOT care about debt, does not think about consequences

Self-confessedly impatient. Called cranky by the others

Absolutely BRUTAL but takes care of her party members

Robin

Commoner: Just some guy

Likes honey :)

"Cress" he's so cute <3

Defensive of ostracized people, dislikes zealots

Impulsive and follows his heart, hops into conflict without much thought

Just a good guy!

A little desperate to be helpful

Does not like letting Morven take control

Distressed at the thought of murder

Easily impressed

Curious about others, starts the wagon talk in Howls In The Night

Good with kids, generally sweet to most people he meets

Willowfine

Cleric: Follows a goddess

Is open about thinking her goddess is more useful than Cadence

Strong feelings about the well-being of magic

Sweet and caring

Looked pained at having to agree that Cressida insulted Oakburn’s food

Can be blunt despite this, doesn’t mince her words

Somewhat stilted and quiet, possibly sheltered or under-socialized

Intense with her care

If she’s asked to do something, she just does it

Quick thinker, resorts to lying/acting her way out of things

From a matriarchal society

[shenanigans-and-imagines]

Hi! I'm a big fan of what you've written for Hawkeye and Doc, but I was wondering if you maybe had some ideas on something that Doc and Hawkeye do to eachother that can just really annoy them? Like we're in a high stress situation and you keep doing this thing that is so so so annoying? And how they would make up? If you want to of course.

Things About the Other that Drive Hawkeye and Doc Crazy

M*A*S*H Masterlist

There are a number of both big and small things that can set them off depending on the situation

For the sake of fairness, we'll start with the things about Liz that drive Hawkeye bananas

She hums or sings to herself constantly

Now she can carry a tune, so while not torturous there are times that any noise from anyone will set him off

He swears she does it on purpose

Hogs the hot water; she doesn't even get cold!

Has been known to take Charles' side in an argument on rare occasion

Mouths the words while she reads; she also reads quickly so its just this flurry of motion and small breaths that can get really annoying under the right circumstances

Hawkeye is also a very emotional person, so Liz showing absolutely none at times makes him convinced she's heartless

While time proves that to be untrue there are moments he just wants to grab her by the shoulders and shake her until she emotes

Then there is her stubbornness

Yes, pot calling the kettle black, but when she decides to do something nothing will stop her from doing it even if that thing has a high probability of getting her killed

She's also extremely independent which means she does not ask for help and rarely accepts it when offered

Sometimes he just wants to do something for her and no, it's not because he think she can't or some other mark against her character, he just wants to be there for her

Honestly trying to get her to talk about her emotions or admit something is bothering her is like pulling teeth

Now for the things Hawkeye does that drive Liz crazy

Men have can have an opinion on most anything, Hawkeye manages to have an opinion about everything which he will voice loudly and often

She swears she can't just have an opinion sometimes without him making some comment about it

His inability to let her have the last word on anything

Constantly steals the blankets

Puts things on the highest shelf on purpose

He all but refuses to pick up after himself; she is not his maid

How it always seems to take her telling him same thing three times before it gets through that thick skull of his

Then there is his own stubbornness; she swears he'd rather face a firing squad than admit he was wrong about something

He is extremely sensitive to criticism which she has a low tolerance for considering all the shit she has to put up with every day by just existing as a woman in a man's space

There are also times he steps in to a situation with the idea of "protecting" her when she didn't want or ask for it and is shocked when she's not grateful

How they make up

It depends on how sever the argument gets

If it's about something petty, all it really takes is for one of them to make the other laugh to break the tension

These arguments consist of bickering, passive aggressive comments, using BJ and/or Radar to communicate with each other etc

It only last a day, two at the most and really is just them letting off steam; no true ill will from either party

Honestly all Liz has to do is stand on a bench to reach eye level with him for Hawkeye to crack and the pair of them to kiss as make up

If it's a serious argument it starts with a loud explosion followed by utter silence

Everyone in the 4077th knows it's bad when Liz and Hawkeye aren't talking to each other at all

Both of them hate it, but what else are they supposed to do?

They're two very stubborn people with hard opinions who have a very hard time admitting when they're wrong

Eventually though, they do have to talk about it

Sometimes it takes a third party for them to get there, but they do get there

More than once they've come together and admitted they were wrong at the same time

At the end of the day, despite appearances, they really don't like fighting each other

[spotlightlowlife]

There's a Helluva lot that can be done with Stella

Let's be honest, Stella got done dirty.

We first met a woman scorned, upset that her husband cheated, nothing wrong with that. Bothered by losing a major bag in the divorce, fair enough. The bounty, overly dramatic but an understandable motive.

Seeing as she's been reduced a lifelong meany who's the cause of someone else's actions because she deserves it and her sinister brother is better at scheming, where could her character be taken next?

Unlike many other characters Stella has a, questionable, yet apparently close relationship with a sibling who will intervene in or take over on the scheming front, which could open more doors for her.

We have a widely unexplored family who were would have to be someone of high standing to be able to marry royalty, pose some business prospect and be expected to supply a heir? Though things do get confusing as anyone seems to be able to rub shoulders with anything else, there are still questions..

Who are her family.

What is her relationship with her father in law?

All these could result in us getting to know more about the highest ups in society, Stella serves as an excellent inbetween, not quite up there with the royals but perhaps holds some influential position, she is also a character who could has a direct connection with Blitzø, the leading character. What does she think of him ?

Since the divorce isn't her doing, has she tried to reconcile, had she tried prolonging it, has she appealed in any way and does she have a prenup? Tedious contracts have been seen to be a thing in this series, she would definitely be a candidate to go to a hells equivalent of California court, somewhere notorious for very controversial spousal support drafts.

In the real world, those Real Housewives shows are full of unhappily married and divorce women, drama, parties and hospitality, she would fit right in to a show like this. Perhaps entrepreneurial greedy sin Mammon saw the internet buzz of the showdown at his pageant and realized there's a gap in the market for royal gossip so started up a newtork and show, if he doesn't already have them, and cast Stella with her bitter divorce being her scandalous storyline.

Imagine Stolas tuning into his favourite telanovela and seeing an ad for 'Real Housewives of the ... ring' and watching his estranged wife sat discussing her no good ex in some abridged conversations and episode by episode her social media star is on the rise showing the power of celebrity and public opinion.

A socialite lifestyle is rather fitting, it may be canon but if not it could easily be because unlike many other characters, Stella has friends.

Not only that but she appears a confident, extroverted people person who can throw a lavish and busy party for little reason but she just felt like celebrating. She could have numberours self important people attending, we could got to know her connections, the show could be a big product placement where viewers flock to high street stores and the net to buy fast fashion and low quality variants of the goods they have seen on screen, feeding back to a certain greedy leader. Stella could boost her connections further which results in more options, simply by being her glamorous, social and mean spirited self.

We haven't seen how she engages with her daughter. Though they're not leading characters they are a rare example of a mother and child, mother and daughter and parent to a child who is still a minor.

They appear to be drastically different in disposition and appearance. Is Stella one of those parents who constantly wants their child who is growing into their own to look a certian way, someone who would like to see her daughter wearing a dress as she does,

or is she one of those pretentious parents who boasts about everything their child does and how unique and destined for greatness they are, which may actually be the case for Octavia.

We don't see Stella and Octavia interactions and Octavia's screentime has consisted of Stolas realizing he hasn't been hearing his daughter, there's no reason to believe that they are close or don't get along.

All in all, another assassination attempt was quashed but she's still ruthless, she's not the most calculating person on the scene, money is and isn't an objective and she lives an active life. Where writers have diluted character in order to have them be more likeable, the give and take that has been done with Stella could possibly open more doors?

[zodiactalks]

Zodiac Signs RANKED from Most to Least rebellious

Some people seem to be happy fitting the mold. They hate to complain and prefer to go under the radar, avoiding making a fuss.

And then, there are these types of characters that live to point out injustices and go against standards. Here are the Zodiac Signs ranked from most to least rebellious.

#1. Aquarius

Aquarius comes to this world to break the mold. They go against the establishment, as their creative mind comes to deliver the future.

They take into account social concerns and are in favor of the most vulnerable.

For this reason, they are the first to break the rules and fight against obsolete traditions.

#2. Aries

Aries treasures independence and freedom. They won’t tolerate anyone going against their urges and impulses.

Therefore, they will fight for their rights and go against the rules if required. They are brave and not afraid to stand up to authority.

#3. Gemini

Gemini is a natural communicator. They live to voice injustices and to move around different spaces to point out what privileged parties are taking advantage of. They are not afraid to tell the truth and explain to everyone the importance of fighting against authority.

#4. Sagittarius

Sagittarius is faithful to only one truth: the one that comes through their experiences and gut feeling. They won’t tolerate others imposing their rules, and will be confident in defending their beliefs. Also, their positive mindset encourages their peers to follow their hearts before blindly accepting authority’s will.

#5. Leo

Leo has a very strong personality. They love to stand out and make themselves notice, which is why they won't adapt to blend in and go unnoticed.If they have to break a few rules to make a point, so be it! They will risk whatever it takes to prevent their brightness from fading.

#6. Scorpio

Scorpio is mysterious and cryptic, but that doesn’t mean they will put up with people imposing conditions on them.

They need to have their environment under control, and will not hesitate to use their power for that matter. Although they are patient and may let some things pass, they unleash their rage when they reach their breaking point.

#7. Cancer

Cancer is more of a private person. If people don’t interfere with their personal life, they probably won’t care about following instructions.

But as soon as they have to sacrifice some of their comforts, they will use their hard shell to defend themselves.

#8. Taurus

Taurus is quiet and very much against conflict. They appreciate a peaceful environment and will do their best not to stir up trouble.

The only time you will see them fighting will be if some rule restricts them from their cushy lifestyle.

If someone forbids them to buy any of their fancy wines or imported cigars, they will be first to generate an uproar.

#9. Libra

The thing about Libra is not that they avoid fighting injustices. It’s just that they hate to disagree with others, or make them feel uncomfortable.

For this reason, they often hide their opinions when most people think differently from them. However, if authority comes to treat a friend or partner badly, their righteous spirit will become the greatest advocate ever seen.

#10. Pisces

Pisces live in their own fantasy world. Sometimes they’re not really aware of what’s going on in the human dimension, as they are more in tune with the spiritual realm.

But without them noticing, their art expressions and healing powers often help others to rebel and fight injustices.

#11. Virgo

Virgo loves doing their job right. They are comfortable fitting into the system and knowing their work is helping the world function properly. They are unlikely to rebel as they are not keen to have their routine and schedule ruined because of it.

Maybe if they are faced with a huge injustice, they will ask someone else to take action.

#12. Capricorn

Capricorn is pretty much the authority, so it’s not very keen on going against it. They love tradition and responsibility, especially when it comes to working. They often see rebellious people as lazy individuals who do not want to make an effort to sustain themselves in this world. They will prefer to stay on the safe side rather than risk losing everything for an act of insubordination.

[socheckitout-mikey]

Hi! I love your content! I saw u did the type of girl the greases would date. Could you please do what type of girl the socs (randy and bob) would date?

heeeey! yeah ofc (': i haven't ever really written much for randy and bob, so i hope i do them justice. i also decided to add cherry and marcia too! sorry that it took me ages to get around to writing and posting this, it was a bit tough for me to figure out but i tried my best. - mae

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

The Soc's Ideal Types (Personality Wise) Preferences:

Bob Sheldon:

° I think Bob would work well with someone who is more assertive and strong willed – who knows what they want and aren’t afraid of voicing their opinions. We learn in The Outsiders from Randy that Bob just wanted somebody to tell him, “no”. Especially his parents.

° Someone who’s unafraid of pointing out when he’s not being his best self and standing up to him. He may feel uncomfortable, but I think it would help him realise that he can’t get away with everything – and I believe that’s what Bob wanted.

° We also know that he was a leader and people took a shining to him. There was a sweeter side to him when he wasn’t all boozed up. So I believe he would fit with someone who is patient but also nurturing in their assertiveness. He needs someone that can cut through that thick outer shell and tough guy persona – a person that makes him feel safe.

° He also seemed to have a really big circle of friends, so it’s clear that Bob is very social. I think that he’d need someone to be able to keep up with him – someone that he can have fun with at beer blasts, rodeos, parties and the like! He wants to show off his special someone on his arm, but he also likes to press some buttons.

Marcia:

° Not much is really known about Marcia, but I definitely think she would work well with somebody who can match her scatterbrained sense of humour and ability to bounce back from stressful situations. She seems to be very present, albeit her awareness isn’t as in tune as her friend Marcia. She seems to enjoy banter and mingling with others as a social butterfly.

° She’s also someone that probably says what she thinks, as noted when she spoke about Dally like he wasn’t there and honestly answered both Johnny’s and Pony’s ages. So I think she’d need to be with someone who has a thicker skin and is able to take on her lack of filter at times. But that isn’t to say she’ll always say something without tact that will hurt you – a lot of the time she’ll shower you with truths of how wonderful you are. So compliments need to be accepted, because Marcia means them.

° Marcia loves to be spoiled by her special person. Not because she’s selfish, but maybe because she just enjoys it. Some may think this is being spoiled, but she knows her worth – and if someone offers her something then she won’t say no to it. I think as well that Marcia is also good at spoiling, so would love someone who genuinely doesn’t feel thrown off by the kindness she showers them in. She tends to go overboard.

° Having someone with a positive mindset helps put Marcia at ease – especially if they’re able to keep up with her sunny personality. I also think she likes to feel wanted, so likes to spend quality time with her partner.

Randy Anderson:

° Randy seems to be quite aware of his surroundings and understands the bigger things in life. He seems to feel lost in the crowd where he goes out of his way to fit in. He’s also more emotionally aware and mentally aware than he lets on, as he shows when he realises there’s no reason for Soc’s and Greasers to fight in the rumble, because it won’t make a difference. I think he needs someone a little bit more sensitive to bring out those parts of him.

° He also seems to be very protective and easily roused to jealousy as seen with Marcia having Two-bit’s jacket on her shoulders. I think he would pair well with somebody that is more calm and faithful – someone that he can trust and be reassured by when he does get overcome with jealousy and protectiveness.

° He’s also very loyal, so I think someone who’s just as loyal is important to him. To know that you’ve got someone who’s got your back no matter what is someone everyone needs, but especially Randy.

° Much like Bob, Randy is someone who’s adventurous and would much prefer to have someone that can keep up with him. He can get a little wild and is pretty spontaneous.

Sherri (Cherry) Valance:

° Cherry is a girl who knows what she does and doesn’t want, and she’s undeterred by much to acquire it. So I think she’d pair well with someone who’s equally as driven to accomplish their goals and dreams, but also knows when to dial it back and relax.

° She shows and proves that she’s always willing to speak the truth and is quite courageous when she is faced with adversities. Cherry will always do what’s right even if it’s painful for her, which she demonstrates a lot during The Outsiders. I think even if she was with someone who wasn’t as confident as her, as long as they’re doing their best to be a good person and do what’s right then she feels like she’s with the right person.

° Cherry also has a habit of feeling less or hiding how she truly feels, or even bored because of her friendships seeming superficial at times. I think someone that can shake her up a little and help her dream/have fun is someone she needs. She’s attracted to big personalities or people who are memorable in some way – someone that makes her feel alive.

° Someone who listens and respects her boundaries. Cherry seems to always be justifying herself to the people around her, especially when drinking and rough endeavours come into the mix. She likes what she likes, even if it does sound expensive, and honestly it probably feels very exhausting for her to always justify. I think having someone who respects her boundaries would help her feel less defensive and she’d be willing to compromise/also respect your boundaries.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

please like, reblog and follow for more! 

requests: open!

[sanfangirl-cynicalromantic]

Hiccstrid Drabble | Regency AU

Astrid smoothed her dress as aggressively as she could manage - the closest she could get to expressing herself without throwing a tantrum in front of the entire party. Her father, standing next to her, threw her a subtle apologetic grimace, but Astrid didn’t acknowledge it. As if that would make her forgive him. She was furious. Her parents had always supported her independence, allowing to pursue less feminine activities as long as she could also conduct herself like a perfect lady in society. She knew she was privileged, not just as a lady but because her father was probably the best Lord in society who loved his wife and daughter and valued them instead of viewing them as breeding stock for stuck up heirs like all the other men in the court. Now she wondered if his betrayal would have hurt less if he had never allowed her to grow accustomed to having a say in her own future in the first place.

“It’s for the best,” he’d said in an attempt to comfort her. But it wasn’t. She didn’t want to have the only way to improve everyone’s life be to marry and put all her assets into another man’s hands. She cared about the people her father was tasked to look after, and would work alongside them if she had to, but why should she have to sacrifice herself for them? She had tuned out everything her father said after that. The only thing she knew about this foolish newest suitor was at least he wasn’t older than her father, and apparently was richer than all her former suitors combined, which was what had made his offer irresistible.

She refused to dance with anyone else while she waited for her father to introduce her to her doom. She knew that this was being overdramatic, but marriage and spinsterdom were the worst fears of every lady in court. Personally, she preferred spinsterdom. Anticipation crawled its way up her throat every time she thought she saw a man begin to head towards them.

A door to the side of the ballroom opened and a young man stepped through. Who was he? Clearly he didn’t want his arrival to be very noticeable. He tugged on the cuff of his left sleeve as he looked about the room for someone. She looked away just before his eyes passed over her but when she dared to look up again realized with horror he was making his way over to her. A quick glance at her father’s face confirmed her deduction.

He was tall and lean, with an expensive red waistcoat and golden buttons - small golden buttons, not the oversized glittery ones other lords wore as if they couldn’t stand to not boast about anything. Personally, Astrid was of the opinion that the bigger the buttons, the more men were compensating for something, but of course she’d never voice such a thought out loud. His trousers and boots were black and his vest a dark brown brocade of some sort, and he walked with the slightest limp, barely noticeable. His longish red-brown hair was slicked back and combed carefully, but she guessed that when untamed it would look almost shaggy. His jaw was pleasantly sharp and his nose a little big. He was a little on the small side in terms of shoulder width but his eyes - large, blatantly green orbs set above high cheekbones - were the nicest she’d ever seen. Many ladies were envious of Lady Heather’s rare sharp jade eyes, but this lord would put her to shame.

He reached her father and shook his hand with a friendly smile. “Lord Hofferson,” he greeted him. “Lovely to see you again. You are looking well.” His voice was nasally, she noted, but not unbearably so.

“Lord Haddock, you seem to be in even finer health than when I saw you last,” her father returned gallantly. “Please allow me to introduce you to my daughter, Astrid.” Astrid forced a bland smile on her face.

“Miss Hofferson.” Lord Haddock greeted her with a wide smile and an appreciative gaze. She wanted to hurl but allowed him to place a chaste kiss upon her hand. “It is a pleasure to meet you, m’lady.”

She let her smile turn into a simper. “I wish I could say the same about you, my lord,” she said, her voice too sweet for her ears. She heard her father’s sharp intake of breath beside and bit down the threatening grin. Her suitor either would either have not heard her at all, not deeming his almost-wife’s answer important, or perhaps be (hopefully) offended.

The lord said nothing for a moment, simply regarding her. She allowed a smirk to break through and refused to break eye contact. She would not submit. Was he so slow he didn’t understand her? He looked intelligent, but maybe it was just his distracting green eyes. He smiled pleasantly, but there was a hint of something else that made Astrid draw in a breath. Goosebumps prickled along her arms.

“And I wish I meant what I said,” he replied. Astrid’s jaw dropped and then snapped shut at the smug audacity on his awful face. He bowed low in mockery and made to leave.

“Dance with me,” she ordered. She would not allow him to get away with having the last word. This - whatever this was, this interaction - was not done yet. She held out her hand limply, daring him to take it.

His eyebrow rose in what wouldn’t have been amusement if he knew what was good for him. He took it, and after a nod from her father, led her to the dance floor.

[mightyflamethrower]

One of the few people with a literal front-row seat to be able to judge how well Joe Biden is performing since his disastrous debate appearance is ABC News Anchor George Stephanopoulos. He was the person granted the first post-debate interview with Biden, where the President performed a bit better than he did during the debate, but really not all that much.

So what did Stephanopoulos personally think of the President's cognitive abilities and whether or not he should still be running for a second term? Apparently he wasn't impressed. He was caught on camera while walking in Manhattan this week when a random pedestrian asked him whether or not Biden should step down. He responded by saying that he doesn't think that Biden can serve four more years. We should note up front that he did not say this in his official capacity as an ABC News anchor. (NY Post)

ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos admitted Tuesday that he does not believe President Biden can serve out a second term — days after conducting a closely watched interview with the commander-in-chief following his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump last month. Stephanopoulos, 63, was recorded by TMZ answering a question from a passer-by about Biden’s political future in midtown Manhattan. “Do you think Biden should step down?” the anonymous interrogator asked the “Good Morning America” co-host and “This Week” moderator. “You’ve talked to him more than anybody else has lately.” “I don’t think he can serve four more years,” the soft-spoken Stephanopoulos responded after a pause.

Stephanopoulos almost immediately regretted answering the question, which is understandable. He said, “Earlier today I responded to a question from a passerby. I shouldn’t have." ABC News initially didn't have any comment on the exchange, but later came out to state that the anchor had "expressed his own point of view" and that it did not reflect the position of ABC. 

It would be easy enough to say that George Stephanopoulos simply screwed up by expressing such an opinion in public. After all, his professional occupation requires him to at least attempt to maintain the appearance of objectivity and a lack of bias. Also, he is a well-known television personality and he should clearly be aware that no matter where you go in public these days, somebody is going to be filming whatever is going on with their cell phones. Perhaps he was just distracted in the moment.

But at the same time, he's a thinking, breathing human being. He clearly must have opinions of his own. His previous history as an apparatchik of the Clintons suggests that he leans heavily toward the Democrats and liberals, most likely including Joe Biden. He had the chance to sit down for nearly half an hour with the President and question him directly while observing the responses he received. How would he not come away with the impression that Joe Biden is a cognitive mess who will be lucky to make it through the next four months, to say nothing of four more years beyond that? That's the impression being held by most people, including those in Biden's own party.

I tuned in to ABC News for a little while this morning to see how they are handling the situation. They don't seem to be talking about it very much. There almost seems to be a sense of resignation in the air. Most of their on-air staff would no doubt likely be cheering for Joe Biden, but he's still not capable of generating much enthusiasm among the normally loyal press pool. It appears increasingly likely that Biden will simply refuse to step aside and release his delegates. And if that's the case, the left is probably stuck with him for better or worse. And "worse" is looking more and more likely based on Donald Trump's most recent poll numbers. Here's to hoping those numbers hold all the way through to November.

[somesadsong]

My sister, the mean one, pulling my hair.

There's a picture in an old album, from when I was four. I'm standing next to this girl, so much shorter than me - I was always the tallest back then. We were in the same kindergarten class, and my mother said she was my best friend. I don't recall her name. I wonder sometimes if she has pictures similar to mine and asks herself, "Who is that abnormally tall girl in a purple dress next to me?"

I've never had many friends. Especially girls. For most of my life, I could count them on my fingers. Now, one hand is enough, and I still have a few fingers left.

I remember having a few best friends during my childhood. The relationships were always very intense. I wanted more than a friend. I wanted a sister. I wanted a girl gang. The perfect number of 5. I wanted to live all my favourite movie fantasies of friendship, secret places and adventures. I wanted to ride our bikes on a sunny day, wearing colourful sneakers and eating ice cream while a catchy tune played in the background. It didn't matter if I never learned how to bike.

Then life happened, and those friendships got lost, and then the internet happened, and we tried to get in touch again, only to find out we were not the same people, that we had nothing in common anymore, and perhaps, only perhaps, we never really did, other than our mutual desire to play after school.

Then adulthood came. And that right there is a whole new beast to tame. Making friends while juggling the battle of deciding who you want to be while just trying to get through the day seemed like an impossible task. But part of me was still searching for that 90s best friend dream. Thelma and Louise. The Sisterhood of Traveling Pants. The Craft. I'll-be-there-for-you-when-the-rain-starts-to-pour kind of bond. Choosing and being chosen. Embracing and being embraced.

And so I tried.

I tried in college and on the internet. I tried at parties and bars. I tried at work and in sketchy international pen-pal websites - that led me to receive some American prisoner letters, with pictures and all! - I opened myself. I was honest. I was approachable. I was maybe too open, and too honest and too approachable. And there was always a bitter taste at the end of a promising friendship, and they always ended as quickly as they started. "They don't appreciate me. They just want to use me. They don't get me." I would often say. But there's so many failures you can get until you start thinking - realizing - that maybe the problem was always you. And I started to loathe myself for it. And to fall into dark traps in my mind that led me to make bad decisions with bad bad men in order to get any scrapes of affection and connection in return.

I think the truth lies in between - as it often does. Some of those people never truly wanted a lasting friendship. Some of them looked too close and were scared of by what they saw.

I’m not an easy person to be around. I am complex, a chaotic mess of everything I love and hate, full of strong opinions and maybe a little too vocal and passionate about my beliefs. I stand my ground. I will respect your opinion but will also silently judge you. I often think most people are stupid. Today I have a best friend - a boy, of course - who happens to be also my partner and favorite human being in the world. Someway, somehow, he looked this abysm deep in the eyes, it looked back at him and didn’t spook him out. He liked what he saw. He embraced it. He chose it. And good lord, how I am grateful for that.

But sometimes, I still feel like that little child looking at other girls in the school playground, hoping one of them will approach me. And maybe I can learn how to ride a bike this time, and we can go around town on a cool summer day, wearing colorful sneakers, sun behind our backs, ice cream in hand. We will laugh and think how good it is to have a sister to play.

[studyinspectrum]

Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie, Published 1969, Adapted into a movie "A Haunting in Venice" directed by Kenneth Branagh in 2023

Ah Halloween, it's probably my favorite holiday. I could wax poetic over how much I enjoy this holiday. i love the atmosphere, the colors, classic monsters, costumes, and just the general decorum. it's a pretty popular holiday, having roots in history and ceremony from over 2000 years ago. the history of Halloween is pretty interesting to read up on if you've never done so before.

Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie is… a novel. its a difficult book to recommend due to its subject matter and the construction of the story is not as well put together in my opinion of some of the other Poirot novels. i mostly want to talk about the film adaptation in this review, which is a bit more accessible and likely people's first introduction to the story at all.

A Haunting in Venice, directed by Kenneth Branagh and starring Kenneth Branagh is the third in his movie adaptation series of the Poirot novels. there are significant changes that are made to the plot of the book for the movie adaptation unlike the previous two adaptations in the series that are for the most part faithful adaptations of the print media. its for that reason i want to talk about the movie rather than the book, but i will go into detail about how they differ later on.

The content warnings for A Haunting in Venice are as follows: child abuse, child death, murder

the summary

in 1947, following the events of the previous film, Poirot is retired in Venice, but also quite depressed. people come to his door asking him to solve cases but he turns them away or refuses to hear them out.

the one person he accepts into his home is Ariadne Oliver, a mystery novelist and his friend. she invites him to a Halloween party and séance intending for him to prove that the medium is a fraud.

the party and séance is being hosted by Rowena Drake in a palazzo said to be haunted by the orphaned children that had died there. Rowena is asking the medium, Joyce Reynolds, to contact the spirit of her deceased daughter Alicia. Alicia committed suicide after her fiancé, Maxime Gerard broke off their engagement. the other guests of the séance are the housekeeper Olga Seminoff, the Drake family doctor Leslie Ferrier and his son Leopold, and Joyce's assistant Desdemona Holland. Maxine shows up right before the séance as well. the rest of the party's guests all leave before the seance.

during the séance, Poirot tries to reveal some of Joyce's tricks and even uncovers her hidden assistant and Desdemona's half brother, Nicholas, hiding in the chimmney. Joyce does seem to contact Alicia's spirit and speaks in her voice, stating that someone attending the seance murdered her.

Poirot privately confronts Joyce about the validity of her abilities and the results of the séance, but she refuses to yield on any of her tricks and gives him a mask and robe to wear and enjoy what remains of the Halloween party. she says they will never meet again.

Poirot dons the costume and while his back is turned, is nearly drowned in the apple bobbing bin as someone holds his head in. he can't recover to see his assailant and doesn't get much time to worry about that as Joyce is discovered to have fallen from an upper balcony and impaled on a statue. even if she was a fraud, she sure was right that she and Poirot would never see each other again.

the other guests have already since departed and the storm bearing down on the palazzo, Poirot forbids anyone from leaving as only the remaining guests could have killed Joyce and he intends to find out who it was.

during Poirot's investigation he keeps believing he sees the spirit of a young girl and hears her humming a tune. Leopold claims to have been hearing the same thing.

Poirot uncovers that Leslie is in love with Rowena but deeply traumatized by his time at war, Joyce's assistants were stealing money from her with the intent of traveling to America, and Maxime broke off the engagement because it did not seem like Rowena approved of him.

what else is uncovered from the situation is that Ariadne conspired with Poirot's bodyguard Vitale, who was a policeman on Alicia's case when she had died the year before, and Joyce by giving her details on the case and information needed to do the séance. Ariadne had hoped that Poirot's actions in debunking Joyce would help inspire her new mystery novel.

The group explore the basement after hearing a noise and find the bodies of the children that were locked in the palazzo all those years ago. Leslie almost kills Maxime during a panic attack and they lock him in the music room so he can calm down, with Poirot having the only key. Leslie is later found stabbed in the back and dead.

Poirot reveals that the true culprit behind it all was Rowena. She refused to let Alicia leave her and marry Maxime, so she ripped up her rooftop garden and planted flowers with toxic nectar that became more potent in honey form. Rowena begun poisoning Alicia with mad honey in order to care for her ill and hallucinating child. this honey is also what was giving Poirot his own hallucinations of the ghost girl during the course of the movie. Olga had unwittingly gave Alicia a fatal dose when making her tea with honey one night and Rowena staged Alicia's suicide for fear of it being found out what she had been doing to her daughter if a toxicology report was ever made known. Rowena started receiving blackmail threats and used the séance to draw in Joyce, whom she suspected might be the blackmailer. she also suspected Leslie, so when he was isolated she called the music room telephone and threatened Leopold's life if Leslie did not commit suicide.

Rowena attempts to escape via the roof and Poirot gives chase. Rowena and Poirot see the ghastly image of Alicia. it drags Rowena off the roof so she falls into the canal where she drowns under the torrential rain and waves.

the next day, Poirot forgives Ariadne for tricking him and also reveals that he knows that Leopold was Rowena's actual blackmailer. Leopold is a smart kid and he noticed the poisoning symptoms that Leslie was unable to and realized the circumstances mirrored and opera that Rowena had been famous for performing. Leopold will live with the Seminoffs and provide money to the Hollands so that they can start over in America.

Poirot returns home, people literally asleep waiting at his door, wanting him to take on their cases. despite it all, he is invigorated to solve mysteries again and invites them in so that they can tell him what troubles them.

inevitable comparisons to the book

so. after writing this summary i'm realizing how very different the book is to the movie. the book does not pose the events of the mystery as so grandiose as a séance, nor does it take place in Venice.

the murder victim is still Joyce Reynolds at a Halloween party, however she is a 13 year old girl. Ariadne Oliver was in attendance at that party and asks Poirot to help solve her murder. Joyce was drowned in the apple bobbing bucket, similar to how Poirot was almost murdered in the movie.

in fact, Leslie (who is a shady lawyer's clerk), Leopold (who is Joyce's brother), and Olga (who is Rowena's Aunt's au pair) are all found stabbed or murdered by some kind of assailant in the book. Desmond Holland is just the name of one of the teenagers that attended the party. none of the other character's names appear in the book.

the reason that book Joyce was murdered is that she claimed that she had witnessed a murder in order to impress those around her, but Joyce was known to lie, and had actually stolen the story of another girl named Miranda who did not attend the party. Rowena figured out that the murder that Joyce had "witnessed" was that of Olga, who had "disappeared" but Rowena and her lover had disposed of her body in a well after Rowena's aunt threatened to disown Rowena and leave all of her money to Olga. Rowena drowned Joyce after luring her to the library, then pretended to drop a vase of flowers in surprise to hide the water splashes on her dress. Rowena's lover killed Leslie to cover up their trail as they had him create a fake will to throw into question if the aunt's updated will where Olga was the only benefactor was forged. Leopold was murdered because he had figured it out and was trying to blackmail Rowena.

Miranda is almost murdered in the end as she was tricked by Rowena's lover for thinking she was special and had to die for the beauty of art of…. landscaping. her lover was a landscaper. and he was obsessed with making the perfect garden. and he was gonna steal all the money Rowena was going to inherit from her aunt in order to make it happen.

so it's all quite different, no? save for the names and some of the references to circumstances in the book, a lot of the content of the movie is all original.

there is the destruction of a garden and replanting in the name of murder in the movie, which could be tied to the motive of Rowena's lover but it's a minor connection i guess.

the book is… incredibly convoluted. looking at the wikipedia page there are 26 named characters with varying degrees of influence on the plot, but i really really cut down on the chaff of the story in that paragraph i have above that tries to explain why it all happened. it's messy and weird, and deals with a lot of child death that i'm not really into. i don't think there's any other Christie stories that are this heavy with the violence against children either.

if you want to see a more faithful adaptation of the book, the TV series with David Suchet as Poirot adapted the story and it was my first exposure to it, though i watched it so long ago that before reading the book all i had managed to remember about the story was that a kid died.

but as a movie, how is it?

i think it's pretty good actually. i'll be the first to admit i reallllly did not like Death on the Nile and i almost was going to write a review of that one after i had seen it in 2022 but it was hard to write it since it was so… i don't know how to describe it. uninspired? bad? produced during a worldwide pandemic and it shows?

the book Death on the Nile i think is a very fascinating story about the nature of love and money and influence, not one of my favorite Poirot stories, but certainly one that feels… stereotypically "grand" as to be major motion picture worthy, which is why i can only assume it was chosen as the second story to adapt. the movie also starts with trying to give Poirot a backstory as to why he has his mustache and by the end of the case it has left him so depressed the final shot of the film is of him with his mustache shaved off. oh by the way, if you didn't watch this one, Poirot has a facial scar that he got during the war and grew out his mustache in order to hide it. the mustache has a backstory now.

but i think Branagh realized that Death on the Nile was probably a bad way to leave his Poirot movie series and came up with a supernatural mystery horror-ish story in order to return Poirot to form. and i think that worked! i was engaged with the story, the movie felt tense and spooky in the appropriate moments and untangling how each of the suspects are related to the situation and the previous crime of Alicia's death is interesting!

i liked Leopold's character a lot and i was somewhat unsure of how it would develop over the course of the movie, where this boy is basically the caretaker of his own father and has a wealth of knowledge beyond his years.

i'm a self admitted horror movie disliker and this movie never reaches a level of tension and suspense that becomes unbearable for me when watching that genre since its always being viewed through the lense of an analytical detective. there are some pulls from the horror genre in how shots are framed and what occurs but there's nothing so terribly horrific to prevent someone from watching it that isn't into horror media.

if i had to rank the Branagh movies, Death on the Nile would be at the bottom, but im almost tempted to put A Haunting in Venice higher than Murder on the Orient Express just for the originality and atmosphere that Haunting provides. also Michelle Yeoh is in this movie and she fucking owns so that also drives up the quality in my opinion.

it makes me feel hopeful that if Branagh tries to make another Poirot film that it actually could be quite good if he goes a similar route that he took with a Haunting in Venice. it doesn't look like he has another one on the way just yet (at the time of writing he has a movie called "The Last Disturbance of Madeline Hynde" in production), but like i said i'm hopeful for more good for this series, much like how Poirot felt at the end of this movie.

conclusion

i thought it'd be fun to pull up some of the covers of the book versions of Hallowe'en party as there's been a couple of really interesting ones over the years.

i do actually like the reprinted cover for the movie, the third one on the second row. it mixes the mask that Joyce arrives in and gives to Poirot with a skull in a neat effect.

the one on the upper right is really fucking weird though, the closest i can tell is that it was a 1972 edition of the book and whoever did that cover sure was only told that it was a mystery that happened around halloween and then could go hogwild with whatever else they wanted. it is a really nice illustration otherwise but really not indicative of the internal material. some of the ways others have played with the themes of apples and pumpkins are pretty cool.

the fun thing about older mystery novels are the pulpy covers that have been created for some printings of the books. i always try to look for a copy of Hound of the Baskervilles while im out second hand book shopping in case i find a copy with a really interesting cover. the copy i have is pretty cool, but we can go weirder, pulpier, sexier, totally-tonally-dissonanter, we can go huge-ass-pumpkin-and-naked-woman-with-a-sheet-draped-over-her crazy with a cover. i know there's one out there. that's my white whale: a fucking weird cover of Hound of the Baskervilles.

[whispersafterdusk]

Prompt 9: Fair

To Bosuko Suko's credit, he knew when to back down.

Even as he smirked over Broti's obvious cowardice (the man was practically cowering behind Roaring's calves) he was still outwardly polite and cordial with the roegadyn, and without much prodding owned up to taking advantage of what had, on paper, been a mostly fair deal. Broti had come armed with his ledgers and future projections showing that had the other male just kept his end of the bargain they were actually positioned to increase both their incomes exponentially; by taking the lazy way out Bosuko had only harmed his long-term profits, something he was also willing to concede to.

Dissolving the contract did not take long -- both men agreed to simply end things with neither party owing the other anything, even if something were to come along that technically fell under the agreement (such as a future shipment, or payment owed). Broti had strapped Roaring's coin purse to his shoulders like an oddly shaped backpack, to leave his hands free to carry the ledgers, and was practically skipping along at his side as they left Bosuko's office in one of the more opulent corners of Ul'dah's administrative areas.

"I-I can't believe it... I'm free! Haha! Free!"

"Remember your half of this agreement," Roaring said, voice low out of consideration and privacy.

Broti's smile faltered and he ducked his head. "I...yeah, I um, I know. I just... How?"

The roegadyn took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "How did you begin here?"

"Ah, well, I um - I found the owner of the space my stall is in, and I um, applied to use the space and we struck a deal and- Oh. I, I guess I should...just...do that wherever I end up?"

Roaring nodded.

Broti huffed. "But where should I go? I've never been outside of Thanalan... D-doesn't Limsa Lominsa have pirates? And Doma is so far away... And-"

Roaring tuned out the man's babblings as his linkpearl chimed softly in his ear; pressing a finger to it he was surprised to hear Tataru's chipper greeting.

"Hello, my favorite hero! I don't suppose you'd have time to come discuss a couple things in person? About that personal project I mentioned last month, I mean."

Ah, right... Something about an island somewhere. She'd briefly spoke to him about it and said she'd have more information soon. "Where?"

"Currently I'm in Sharlayan - do you mind coming here?"

"No." He glanced down to where Broti was still yammering along beside him - not even being out of breath in trying to keep up with the roegadyn's stride had put a stop to the words spilling out of him, and he seemed completely oblivious to the fact Roaring wasn't listening or offering any kind of opinion or response to his 'dilemma.' ...and that gave Roaring an idea. "Can you or Krile arrange entry paperwork for one more? Lalafell male. Merchant. Broti Boboti."

"I...can, but why? Who even is that?"

"Acquaintance. I'll explain when we're there."

Tataru giggled in his ear. "All right then, I'll see what we can do. I'll see you on the next ship in!"

The linkpearl went silent; Broti still had not.

Roaring bent down and grabbed his coin purse, lifting it and Broti attached to it clear off the ground.

"WAH- HEY!" Broti yelped, dropping his ledgers and swinging limply in the air. "What are you doing?!"

After picking up the dropped books Roaring headed off toward the apartment block he knew Broti lived in, able to navigate the crowd much more quickly without having to keep Broti's tinier stature in mind. Broti looked mortified at being toted like a handbag and had covered his face not long after Roaring had set off and stumbled a bit when he was plunked down on the doorstep leading into the main building.

"Pack."

"P-pack? Pack what? What's um, what's going on? Where are we going?"

"Just pack for several days. Bring your ledgers, inventory list, and business plan."

Broti stared up at him. "But where are we going?"

"Away from Ul'dah," Roaring replied.

He turned and left, able to feel Broti's bewilderment as a tangible presence in the air. If Broti wasn't going to be decisive then Roaring would be for his sake, as well as his own sanity; Tataru would surely know what to do with him or where to send him to find a fair deal and a new life somewhere.