#and that i got everything right character voice wise lol

[solitaireships]

Under the Mistletoe

Merry Christmas! This fic was written as a Secret Santa gift for @fatiguedshipper, who requested something about her and her partner, Jason! This is basically just a bunch of Christmas fluff, but I hope that you like it! I have a couple of little self indulgent easter eggs too, so congrats to anyone who manages to figure out what they are. And thank you to @sellkiie for running this event!

Rating: Gen

Genre: Fluff

Words: 1218 words

Divider by strangergraphics

Winters in Gotham are often harsh. Practically the moment the calendar turns to December first, the city is blanketed in a layer of snow. It’s a beautiful sight, as long as you’re not stuck in the traffic the snow always brings with it. The roads get slippery and impossible to navigate between all the snow and ice, and that only makes getting through the city even more chaotic than it usually is. But luckily for Layla, today she’s not out and about. Gotham University is out for their winter break, which gives her the perfect opportunity to enjoy the view of the snow that seems to perpetually fall outside. 

It’s a much nicer view when you’re not having to navigate your way through the cold. And it’s an even better view when paired with the decorations in her and Jason’s apartment. The fireplace bathes the whole living room in its warm glow, stockings lined up along the mantle. The Christmas tree decorated with ornaments and tinsel is another nice touch that brings a bit more light into the room, some of the lights glinting off the shiny wrapping paper of the presents gathered under the tree.

Layla’s glad too that she had help from Jason getting everything set up. She doubts that things would have come out as nicely as they did without his help. He was able to help out with the heavy lifting that she would have struggled with on her own, and it’s nice just to have the man she loves with her for the holiday season. 

Especially since he’s been taking some time off of his work. She knows what he does is important, but still she always worries about how he’s doing. Being Red Hood means he's constantly putting himself in danger, and there's always the worry of him getting hurt. There’s less to worry about now though, while Jason is sitting next to her on the couch, reading a book and drinking some hot cocoa. They’re close enough together that their knees touch, not quite cuddling but close enough to have that steady contact with each other. It’s comforting to be so close with him, and to know for once that he’s completely safe.

“It’s beautiful out there, isn’t it?” Layla asks, looking out to the snow covered street below. For as harsh as the winters may be in Gotham, they’re at least pretty. It’s impressive how much the grime and darkness of the city seems to be transformed by a blanket of snow over it. 

“And cold,” Jason notes, flipping to the next page of his book. 

“Yeah, that tends to happen in winter,” Layla says. She nudges his knee with hers. “We could go out together. I heard they’re going to be doing a Christmas market over on Winick, that sounds like it could be a lot of fun. I bet the lights they’ve got for it are gonna be really pretty.” 

“Not that we’ll be able to see them if we go right now,” he says. 

Jason has a point. It’s a little too early for the city’s Christmas lights to be on, with the sun still bright enough that the lights would barely be visible. 

“Ugh, yeah, true. Maybe we can go out to dinner, then head over to it?” Layla suggests. It has been a while since they’ve been able to, after all. Between her class schedule and everything keeping Jason occupied as Red Hood, it’s hard for them to have both the time and energy needed for a night out. But that’s another benefit of the holidays— for once they don’t have anything else competing for their attention. It can just be the two of them.

“That Italian place on Conway will be good,” Jason replies. 

“Yeah, that sounds nice,” Layla says. 

They’ve only been to that restaurant a couple of times, but it’s the perfect spot for a dinner date. She also can’t help but notice that it’s not too far from where the Christmas market will be— something Jason no doubt took into consideration with the suggestion. They’ll be close enough that they should be able to walk to the market from the restaurant, and Layla’s pretty sure that it shouldn’t tire her out too much. 

It'll be a nice evening out. Still, she wishes that she could do something in the spirit of Christmas with Jason now. And as she looks towards the doorway leading to the kitchen, an idea strikes her. Jason was the one who had to put the mistletoe up at the start of the month— he’s tall enough that he could reach the doorway even without a step stool. They exchanged a couple of kisses beneath it when they first got it set up, but since then have mainly been too busy running from place to place to really enjoy it. 

Now, though, they don’t have anywhere else to be. They can steal as many moments from each other as they want. 

Layla just has to figure out a way to get him to come under the mistletoe with her. Though as she looks down to her mug of hot chocolate, she sees a good enough excuse to get up. She’s just about out of anything to drink, and they have plenty more in the kitchen. 

“I’ll be right back,” Layla says, getting up from the couch with her mug.

Jason makes a noise of acknowledgement, then getting back to reading his book as she heads into the kitchen. Once she’s there, she puts her mug down on the counter by the hot chocolate supplies. She can get herself a refill later, but for now, she has something more important to do.

Layla makes her way back towards the living room, standing in the doorway. “Jason, can you help me out with something real quick?”

“You can’t get a drink on your own?” he teases, but he gets up anyway, coming to meet her in the doorway. 

When he makes it to the doorway, she takes his hand in hers, smiling up at him. 

“Look what we’re under,” Layla says. 

Jason looks up, eyes landing on the mistletoe before he looks down to her lips. “You planned this, huh?”

“Maybe. But it’s usually traditional for people to kiss under the mistletoe,” Layla says. “So. Kiss me?”

He sighs, but there’s a grin on his face. “I guess since it’s tradition...”

Layla has to get on her tiptoes to reach Jason, wrapping her arms around his shoulders partially to get closer to him and partially to bring him down a little closer to her. There’s a playfulness to the way they kiss, both grinning as their lips meet. Jason places his hands on either of her hips, drawing her flush against him. Layla loves knowing that even though he’s not much for physical contact with most people, he can never seem to get enough of being close to her. They fit together naturally, and there are few places Layla thinks she’d rather be than in his arms. 

When they pull apart, Layla’s feeling breathless and giddy, the touch of his lips still seeming to linger against hers. She smiles up at him. “Merry Christmas, Jason.”

He responds with another kiss, this time to the top of her head. “Merry Christmas.”

[rootspiral]

Agatha All Along deep dive: episode 2 part 2

(Wandavision entries: [1][2][3])

(AAA entries: ep1 [1][2][3][4] ep2 [1][2][3][4] ep3 [1][2][3] ep4 [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][+1] ep5 [1][2][3][4][5] ep6 [1][2][3] ep7 [1][2][3][4][5][6] ep8 [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] ep9 [1][2][3][4][5][6])

here's another Agatha reflection that I didn't notice yesterday - it's a theme, I tell you

she's essentially doing what she does at the beginning of Wandavision, although with no prep time and no magic for costume changes: a ditzy over the top wife with the made up farway husband

I'd get a couple more candles back there, Lilia. You missed a spot.

But jokes aside, you know what she's doing? She's taking the piss out of agatha. this is Lilia we're talking about, the Seer. her job is literally to See. she knew who and what Agatha was the moment she stepped in, and frankly it's insulting that Agatha would try such cheap tricks on her. this is a little "fuck you agatha" before they get down to business and lilia can tell her to fuck off too

and yes, agatha underestimates lilia from the start, which is the point of lilia's character and the lesson she has to internalize. but the thing is, lilia IS amazing, powerful and wise from the very beginning. this whole scene is Lilia being better, smarter and more powerful than Agatha, she just doesn't have the self-confidence to recognize it

(but WHY beauford?? best name she could have picked)

lilia IS in control. she sets the pace of this encounter. agatha is a step behind, which is rare for her

fuck off, look at that stupid condescending little face

YASSS read her for filth! but let's recap her exact words (so I have an excuse to listen again to Patti's exquisite delivery and voice control)

"You've been under the influence of another. Someone you hurt." Wanda. And we go back to Agatha torturing Wanda and what it's doing to her, the guilt she feels.

"They took your agency. For three years." Agency is one of the main themes of this show and something that will touch Lilia up close too.

"It's not the first time your witch kin betrayed you." Not the other way round! Yes, Agatha has betrayed, she has hurt and killed. But we need to acknowledge that she was betrayed by her kin, her coven, her community first.

"But you survive, in a way few do." Agatha is a survivor. She dragged herself out of a hellpit, and she was maimed and turned into something horrible in the process. But she fucking survived.

"In fact, that's why you're here." Lilia knows EXACTLY what Agatha is planning, she knows that she's here to kill and she knows why. She knew from the start.

agatha's face falling more and more

YES. FUCK YES. THE PERFECT DICTION TROUGH GRITTED TEETH. SHE IS NOT INTERESTED!! GIVE THIS WOMAN ALL THE MONOLOGUES BECAUSE SHE'S GONNA CRUSH THEM

I know, Billy. this is also the way I look at stage goddess patti lupone

SHE IS CRYING AGAIN! DO YOU SEE IT!!! DO YOU SEE THIS SHIT?!!?!? SHE'S CRYING AT BEING SEEN SO CLEARLY, BECAUSE SHE'S ALWAYS HIDING. AND SHE'S CRYING WITH RELIEF, TRIUMPH AND GUILT BECAUSE SHE'S FOUND THIS AMAZING EXTRAORDINARY WONDERFUL WITCH AND SHE HAS TO KILL HER SO SHE WON'T DIE HERSELF TONIGHT

DON'T TOUCH ME, I'M IN A GLASSCASE OF EMOTIONS.

that's a predator right there

nuh-uh babe, she's got your number. you are not going to win this one. (i'm drinking up all the details in her room. look at that old singer sewing machine, that's a 70s or 80s model - everything in the room is at least 40 years old. Is she making herself a quilt? is she cold at night? we know she doesn't have the money to pay her bills)

I KNOW, BILLY!!!

lol, you know when patti told joe locke something like, 'sorry you're stuck here with all these old ladies'?? and he was like, no you don't undeRSTAND

(I mean, Patti has met plenty of gay boys. she understands.)

Lilia jumps for a moment to episode 5 and hears the ghost of Agatha's mom yelling at her. (aw, her chairs are all mismatched.)

Billy is always so polite. and look at Agatha's body language, she's doing the same thing she did when torturing Wanda, kind of hugging herself. both predatory and defensive, because, once again, she is not as comfortable as she seem. she is not being sincere, she is out to manipulate lilia, and she's not happy about it

I live for lilia's rants about the commodification and gentrification of the queer witch community (look at those gorgeous italian plates!)

she actually did bite a kid once

"when I was chased out of every village I passed through for accurately predicting tragedy? NO, I do NOT. BEAT IT, harkness!" I adore her delivery. and also. ouch. ouch. my sweet lilia. so many years, so much pain

When watching this scene for the first time, you identify with Billy and just sit back and enjoy these two extraordinary witches and actresses working together. the first episodes are high on comedy but they all have a serious, upsetting undertone, and it's especially gratifying to see how both actresses work with voice, face and body language to express what they can't say explicitly. Lilia is an incredibly old, wise, experience witch, but also tired, alone, humiliated. She's been jumping through time and she's really frightened about it. And right now? She's quite literally going against the most dangerous serial killer of witches in known history. She can stand her own against Agatha and then some, but she is not confident enough to see it yet.

A question that reads ironic but is delivered without a hint of irony. Why are you dragging a child into this? You of all people. Why are you putting a literal child in danger?

an ironic answer also delivered with no irony. it's threatening, and it's also protective of Billy

agatha gambles: maybe she can get lilia mad enough later and get blasted anyway. maybe she has other means to steal (a kiss, mayhaps?) And Billy better not hear this, she's not gonna kill him or anything but, you know, keeping her options open. just in case.

lilia DOES NOT need to return to her clairvoyant glory. lilia is one of the most if not the most powerful seer. her isolation is self-imposed. agatha is completely out of her depth here.

case in point: agatha does successfully con jen and alice, but she does NOT con lilia. not even close. she had nothing. lilia was in control of the conversation the whole time, seeing through agatha the whole time, and she was always going to say no.

"Three of Pentacles." collaboration, community, singular voices waiting to harmonize. Lilia REACHES THROUGH TIME and MAKES herself join Agatha. How fucking heartwrenching is that???? Agatha never tricked Lilia into doing anything. Lilia is sitting at the tarot table in her Glinda costume, for the first time fully confident and fully aware in her power, and she just - she grabs herself in the past and says, this is your family. this is your coven. you have chosen it. go and reclaim it. that is why Lilia follows them to the Road. not because Agatha is powerful, but because Lilia is.

and present Lilia is just so scared. she knows this is going to kill her.

FUCK I love this show so much!

(and a quick shoutout to @sapphicjew, I'm loving your commentary!)

go to episode 2 part 3

[urautismdiagnosis-wistie]

OIL RIG NPCS

Click for higher quality

Ok so I was designing my lil background characters and 🥺🥺🥺I LOVE SILLY LIL HENCHMEN THAT ARE SO STUPID AND ADORABLE BUT STILL DO BAD THINGS

They're just FELLAS??? Anyways I wanted to share em 🥺↕️ I'm gonna make em so silly in the background lol, anyways more about them under the cut

Listen they do not even matter plot wise BUT they all have their own little personalities to ME so here we go top to bottom and left to right order 🗣🗣🗣

Gary the black and white rabbit: he hears stuff. Little noises, little voices- stuff no one else can 9-9 hes cool when he doesn't have explosives on hand. He doesn't wanna be there, he was just sorta taken. Thats kinda the story of his life. Now Gary is living the dream (nightmare) and can draw and write his poems at least

Darren the weasel: yeah he's a klepto. Used to be an addict but he got clean after joining the clan. Now he's just an overconfident adrenaline junkie and Redbull drinker. Don't feel too bad for him tho he still does bad things to people. He does dream of true love though.

Petunia the galapagos penguin: she was kinda forced into working here but she's decided she doesn't care actually.

Apaay the wolverine: yeah she's a lil awkward, but also a total unit. A pretty decent fighter but very polite to anyone including people she has to fight. She was raised in this clan under the new leader so she doesn't know how it used to be.

Old Man Griff, he's a gibbon monkey: he was here before the new leader was, very quiet silent type. Hes got opinions but you best belive he won't share em. Alot of people are wary of him or just see him as a cranky middle aged man.

Emmay, the emperor tamarin: she frcking loves being a chaotic lil fighter using her feet and and tail and everything with flips and sht. No notes chaotic tiny gremlin queen 🗣

Jeremy Jr the coati: yeah jayjay is pretty quiet, an absolutely great artist, but very much an introvert. They mostly just take care of transportation work and the like. Their family has been in piracy for generations

Layla the rhea: pretty good fighter, rather shy though. She doesn't usually know what's going on but she's always been a pretty decent guard and feels like maybe she finally found a place where she belongs and can be happy

[pebblysand]

this is a political space.

i know. i've been a bit quiet lately.

quiet with everything that's happening, and since castles ending, and not that i've been regrouping, but i've been putting off blogging. mostly because in the grand scheme of things, i don't believe that what i say (or think) really matters, and i never want to sound pedantic or entitled. but.

i have gotten/seen a couple of comments about castles in the past few weeks that have made me reflect. specifically, in their own way, both the ones i'm thinking of at the moment, were saying multiple versions of the same thing: "i read fanfiction for the purpose of escapism, and i didn't like that this fic featured politics so heavily."

now, i want to state at the outset that i am not writing this post to throw shade at these commenters, or to complain in any way. one of them follows me on here, and was awfully kind and sweet and really not meant as a criticism at all, just an observation. the second was a post made on reddit, which is a reader space, and they have a right to their opinion as long as they're not screaming it in my face in my comments (which in this case they weren't), so that's no problem.

it's just that, as i said above, it's made me reflect, and question. why do i do this? as you may know, i've embarked recently on my first "real" project since castles (the fault in faulty manufacturing, part 2) which i'm hoping to release on St Patrick's Day (please lord let me keep my deadline), and am envisioning to be probably around the same length, wordcount-wise as tfifm (but we shall see).

broadly speaking, it is a story about love and choice, and hope, and sacrifice. more narrowly, it is a story about a girl who is having to cope with being caught in the aftermath of two wars: a colonial war she didn't fight in (the Troubles) but is omnipresent in her daily life, and a civil war she did fight in (the Second Wizarding War) but which almost no one around her knows exists. it is a story about the dynamics of marital affairs and the boundaries of choice, a story about the realities and ethics of war reporting in the media and a story about adoption and surrogacy.

i wonder: do you see where i'm going with this? my point is: chiefly, yes, i write about people. i write about people and their lives and i write with as much empathy as i can muster, to give a voice to my characters (and through them, to all of us). that will always be my guiding principle. but i also think that to me, with the kind of writing i do, the line between people and politics is thin. how can i write about abortion and/or surrogacy, without acknowledging dobbs? how can i write about muggle rights without acknowledging the fact that muggles and squibs are an allegory for marginalised communities?

the comment i read on reddit basically said: "i liked pebbles until she started including politics." i won't lie: it made me cackle (because what a slay) but since then, i can't stop wondering: what "until" are we talking about, here? the aftermath of the war is political. the trials are political. harry's job as a cop is political. ginny's assault is political. or, is the problem when international matters got involved? when muggle politics became more explicitly influential? is the assault on a personal level okay, but the moment you give it political resonance with #metoo, it isn't?

nothing i write will ever exist in a political vacuum. because people and their experiences don't exist in a political vacuum. and, to be clear, i have never written to convince anyone. i am not here to convince you that the 2003 US invasion of Iraq was wrong, or that violence against women is endemic. if you are a reader and disagree with these statements, then that is - frankly - your problem, not mine. i see my work more like a... dissenting opinion. a hopeless, mostly impact-less but also somehow hopeful and impactful dissenting opinion.

i was re-reading the dobbs dissent this morning (as one randomly does, lol). in conclusion, justices breyer, sotomayor and kagan wrote: "with sorrow, [...] we dissent." these days, i think that's why write. because with sorrow, i dissent. and i don't think my little fanfictions in this little corner of the internet will ever be important or change anything to the world we live in - i don't even think the original fiction i will eventually write (i promise) could change anything. i just hope that someone else will read my work and think: "yeah, with sorrow, i dissent, too." and so, with sorrow, we will continue to dissent.

i know (and understand) that what fandom wants, right now, is escapism. i know (and understand) that to a lot of people, right now, fandom is a safety valve and a safe space away from the aggressions brought on by the rest of the world. you see this even with published fiction and the rise of "cosy" literature. and god, i get it. i really do. i don't blame you. what fandom wants from me, right now, is more slipped and the wolf's just puppy and less castles, act 3.

but i can't give you that. it's never really been me, and it's certainly not me right now. i don't want to escape, i want to blow up barricades. i don't know if that will ever change, i don't know if i'll feel differently in a year or two years' time. but for now, as far as i'm concerned, as far as my work is concerned, this is a political space.

and with sorrow, i dissent.

[m1ssunderstanding]

Get Back Rewatch 55 Years On: Day Four

"Lennon's late again" says Paul, as he walks in late. And sweet Ringo just gently, "between ten and eleven is the time" Which means: "Chill babe. He'll be here."

One thing that always gob smacks me is how bored George and Ringo are watching Paul pull Get Back out of the ether. They literally see him do this shit all the time which is insane to me.

His voice is so so so pretty!!! And he's just so completely in his own world. The hunched shoulders. The twitching. The gibberish. The tapping. The twisting.

Obviously this is a song with the original central feeling being let's go back to before everything went wrong but he wants to make it into a meaningless song with both story bits and almost walrus-esque bits. But why is the first lyric he comes up with about gender? Thinking of @scurators posts on Paul and gender.

Ringo's customary quiet really does add significance to his voice, so him singing along with this so quickly says something I think about his support for the song and for Paul in general.

When John walks in he's greeted with a little cocky nod and smile like "look what I've just done while you were late." And then Paul sings "get back to where you once belonged" directly at him before breaking the eye contact. It's one of those heartbreaking Lennon/McCartney miscommunications because Paul is doing this to get John back, but actually it's scaring him away, you know? Paul thinks he has to prove to John how good he is, but John's exhausted with how good Paul is.

STFU Michael Lindsay Hogg

Paul really does love the idea of being forced out of parliament by cops and honestly so do I. Would've been iconic and might've kept them together.

John's so quiet today and also Yoko is not here. Correlation or causation I wonder.

"They say don't they say charity begins at home?" I love you forever, George. His humor is always so well-placed and so dry (even though he's clearly cracking himself up here). And it steers the conversation away from a direction he was not happy with without poking any bears. In fact, everyone's laughing. Clever boy.

"I've decided that the whole point of it is communication. And to be on TV is communication and we've got a chance to smile at people like all you need is love or something so that's me incentive for doing it." Wise, egalitarian John making a lovely appearance.

And then there's Paul. "I'm here cause I wanna do a show." Lol I love them.

Why do they say "Mr Epstein?" Is it because they're on camera and they want people to know who they're talking about? Does it have something to do with the maharishi telling them certain ways to talk about Brian? Does anyone have any thoughts about that?

Okay so you know how I just said last time how emotionally mature George was? I still think it's generally more true of him than the others, but this right here? This is not it. "I don't want to do any of my songs in the show because they'll all just turn out shitty." Man has issues.

I think it's important to recognize that George and Paul have both said the literal word "divorce" and it's NBD. But when John does it, Paul takes it as "the groups really over and I have to go into hiding and not get out of bed and maybe od who knows." Why? There's another puzzle piece here that we're missing.

"Should we leave you for a while?" "YES!"

On the one hand I'm like "working on Maxwell is the last thing you guys should be doing with this time alone." But on the other thing maybe it's the only thing they can do at this point.

"Mal? You should get a hammer. And an anvil." As he's walking away. Main character in a contrived mad genius biopic. Except it's real.

"Joan" sounding suspiciously like "John" ... And then he goes "fool, Maxwell fool." Aka one of their ~special words~ New theory. John hates Maxwell because he dies in it. And Paul's the killer.

"Take it away Johnny." Even though it was George and John whistling before wasn't it? Did George get cut from the whistle chorus? Another straw on the camel's back.

I LOVE that John just does not know any of his own songs. Across the Universe my beloved!

On the glyn/Paul moment featured below, I have three thoughts. 1. Whore. 2. John Lennon villain origin story. 3. The fact that glyn didn't just tell John is striking.

"I wish it fucking would". "Cause I'm down." This lyric going from a self-soothing reassurance that his people aren't going to leave him that he'll always have this beautiful dream he's created with them. To this? I hate it here.

So there is a big emotional and energy difference between their Beatlemania selves singing "Rock and Roll Music" and their current selves. And part of it is due to the fact that they're just not as happy as they were then. But I think most of it is really just that they thrive when they're performing for an audience.

[doubleddenden]

We're still technically in gen 3, but Orre is more like a Johto that actually got its chance to shine... In the Arizona desert, for some reason. It holds a special place in my heart for making me realize I *DO* still like Pokemon after SwSh really let me down. The vibes are also just super unique with its own art style and design philosophy. If we ever return there, I will be a happy little duck

but for now, let's start with Colosseum.

Wes, your only choice for an MC and quite possibly the edgiest option you'll ever get. There's not much you can do about a blank slate- there's *some* wiggle room, but Wes is unique in that he has a decently established backstory as a former member of Team Snagem- an OUTLAW- and the game opens up with him blowing up a building to steal a device that lets you steal Pokemon from trainers, then he rides off into the sunset with his weird cats and his over the top motorcycle- You can't help but love him, especially from in game dialog that sort of implies he's a terrible liar and or may not be exaggerating his appearance and aura to seem more badass.

However, don't be fooled by this Yugioh looking ass, he's a softie. He begins with TWO starters, Espeon and Umbreon, both Pokemon you can only get by friendship, and both are described as old and trusted partners of his. He has a car seat where- before Rui shows up- they both rode in it. Also he's only one of TWO MCs that actually massage their Pokemon to help increase friendship. Bro is a big ol sweetheart- evident by how he just immediately went along with Rui's idea to snag and purify Shadow Pokemon without an argument. I can't believe the devs thought he could potentially become a villain lol

Anyways, design wise, he's pretty cool. He's also implied to be older, probably of legal age given how women will flirt with him and how he's just kinda allowed to be around alcohol. Maybe a bit too noodly, which was a problem with the Orre games (it was either that or gorilla arms), but this definitely reads as a rough customer- but his outfit sort of implies that he's a self-made try hard with the added height from his boots, and his motorcycle seems to imply a custom welding job to make it louder and more badass looking- bro WANTS to be intimidating so bad. The jacket is a cool touch, and the bandage across the face, the spiked hair, and the mirrored shades definitely make him look badass. The Snag Machine, too, is just cool as hell in a Square Enix asymmetrical fashion kinda way- and in this render it almost looks semi transparent, which unfortunately doesn't translate to the game.

9/10 design imo. I wouldn't be caught DEAD wearing this, but that's why he's a main character and my 5 lookin' ass is not.

Okay, it is absolutely pathetic that I cannot find an actual render of her online beyond (really nice) fan art. You may ask why I include her at all because technically she isn't a playable character or a rival- but she is basically with us for the entire game and is the only way we see Shadow Pokemon to begin with. Wes and Rui are like peanut butter and jelly, man, they're perfect together and shouldn't be separated. She's also a character you can NAME, so I feel like that should count.

Rui is such a neat concept that I wish would kind of come back eventually- a companion character we travel with at all times, although maybe not getting in our way as much. She can SEE things- er, that being Shadow Pokemon auras, which I don't think is ever truly explained. Bummer. Regardless, Rui serves as our voice and also our concious- and is a little bossy in a girlfriend sort of way. She doesn't battle, and in fact we rescued her from getting kidnapped at the very beginning, but she's still right in the thick of everything and tells us exactly what Pokemon to snag, and yells at us if we try to snag non Shadow pokemon. BUT MIROR B. HAS THREE LUDICOLOS, HE WON'T MISS ONE... Man. I also love that she just kinda worms her way into Wes's company and maybe heart- I like an assertive girl.

Design wise, this model is the Western censored version. There's actually a version of her where she has a midriff and a slightly shorter skirt. I'm against censorship in general because I don't like the idea that we get a diet version of anything the original author intended us to get, but in this case, it's not that big of a deal and the changes are pretty minor (not 4kids level basically). Although, I would argue the original wasn't really risque enough to warrant censorship anyway- like why was that skirt not okay on a girl that's most likely legal, but Dawn got a skirt that'd show the world what colors she was rocking if she so much as sneezed?

Anyways, this isn't meant to be a rant on censorship, the outfit is kind of atrocious in a charming y2k fashion that kinda circles back to being cute, and kind of gives me Spice Girls vibes. I... have a weakness for redheads, and Rui activated some neurons when I was a kid (I named her after my crush at the time lol). The colors sort of mirror Wes's in a way, with pink and purple to contrast his orange and white to contrast his black. She's just a super cute character that just got completely erased by the sands of time (and the broom of TPC). I'm hoping for her to somehow return someday, because man, I miss her so much. 9/10, the best travel companion ever imo.

and now we move to XD Gale of Darkness

First of all, XD would have a major art style overhaul to make better use of the GameCube's graphics, which was sort of hit or miss in some places.

Michael is our only playable character, and unfortunately he IS the cute redhead you bring with you everywhere. I wouldn't say he's a COMPLETE downgrade from Wes, at least by appearance. Merit wise, he's actually stronger and has had to fight way tougher battles imo. Conceptually, he is a slight downgrade for lining up more with regular Pokemon MC sensibilities of being a teenage something that works for a professor and fights a silly evil team. Also we lose the badass franken-bike Wes had... for a scooter. Bleh.

But design wise, I think he's pretty cool. I really dig the outfit, it looks cool and comfortable, and the colors go together pretty damn well, especially with that orange accent lining throughout his entire look. The Snag Machine by itself isn't quite as cool looking as Wes's, and also ONLY works on Shadow Pokemon on a lore level- the metal on his headband actually becoming a scouter to reveal said Shadow Pokemon. That being said, it does look cool on its own, and weirdly enough it goes super well as a complete opposite to his attire. His hair is also super unique among MCs for actually being red and a non natural color for males in the franchise. The green eyes are also a nice touch. I think the pants are very comfortable looking as well, and that hip belt- while not practical- also looks pretty neat.

I do think they could have done a better job of aligning him more with either the previous game aesthetic or more with the core game proportions- at least for the face, nose, chin, neck, and eyes. But overall, I do really dig the design, as it follows the trend of Orre MCs just being absolutely their own species. Eevee his starter is also just a nice touch.

9/10 on design, 8/10 on lore.

gen 4 will be next

[teawizard]

K, but I want to know about all the WIPs you mentioned! But I shall settle for asking about Incomplete Madrigal and Kindergarten Casita - the last one sounds absolutely adorable.

Awwww thank you!!!

I had to actually stop myself from posting everything I have on these two wips lol I've got to chill, I don't want to post their most exciting parts and then not have enough motivation to finish them!

Okay okay okay look, let's start with

Kindergarten Casita

Somewhere in the city N there is a "magical" kindergarten Casita - according to rumors, its pupils joyfully run here in the morning, and the walls of the old building sing. Its new head, Se��orita Daniela, is trying her best to justify the faint hopes of her deceased mother, the previous head of Casita, Señora Maria. The new kindergarten teacher, Señor Bruno, is trying to help her with this.

Honestly, with this title I could've imagined a couple of more obvious AUs 1. Where all the kids are of the same (or close) age, and Casita itself is like a kindergarten; 2. Where Alma is the head of a kindergarten and the triplets are teachers.

That sounds hella cute and I haven't yet encountered similar AUs but! I wasn't able to come up with plots for these AUs so that's not what Kindergarten Casita's about.

That's a really specific AU catering to me only and my love for soppy melodramas I watch with my grandma. It doesn't happen in the Encanto setting but actually somewhere else, closer to where I live and sometime more modern, circa 2000.

All the original characters are present in the story though not all of them are relatives. I actually like what I've come up with for each of them - both design-wise and personality-wise. Though, I'm writing it in my native language so it'll be a bit challenging to finish I guess

And it's a romantic comedy, of course, at least I try to make it funny and romantic lol

And here's a couple of paragraphs I really like:

Returning to her office, Daniela found a short man in front of the door, pacing back and forth with his head down and muttering to himself. His long hair hung down covering his face. Under a long green autumn jacket, he was wearing an almost ironed gray shirt that had most likely once been white, and long brown trousers, one of the legs of which almost reached the floor. He had a bulky brown messenger bag slung over his shoulder. Having rolled up the sleeves of his jacket, he nervously fiddled with the sleeve of his shirt, buttoning and then unbuttoning the cuff. Since Daniela knew all the parents of her pupils, she could say with certainty that pacing in front of her was none other than the new candidate for the vacant position of the kindergarten teacher, whom she had made an appointment with yesterday, Señor Bruno Madrigal. His appearance perfectly matched his agitated tone of voice that she had heard on the phone recently.

Incomplete Madrigal

(honestly, I fully expected this name to be already taken but I was pleasantly surprised. I'm keeping it and never letting go)

Mirabel is determined to bring Bruno and his wife back into family after seeing an almost disastrous way their guilt affects Casita on Antonio's birthday. Surely, if they get accepted back Casita won't suffer anymore. Right?

So yeah, it's an AU where Bruno has a wife but he doesn't stay in Casita and instead moves out.

This wip makes me suffer immensely - I want to make it fun and goofy but all that comes out of it seems like a weak parody of the original movie. I think I will have to try to go in a different direction, but I will not give up ☝️☝️☝️

And here's a couple of paragraphs I like:

You would think that the family of the Encanto matriarch’s only son would live right beside Casita. Maybe, it would even take a less than a minute walk to get to them. Because, you know, they are family. They need to be near to be able to help each other when in need, to visit each other and spend time at one another’s house. It would make sense to live close, right? Apparently, no. Mirabel fought every fiber of her being not to curse as she sprinted through the town’s labyrinth trying to find Bruno’s house. The villagers either didn’t want to give her any directions or their directions were misleading and she would eventually find herself in front of a wrong house. She regretted not asking Bruno or Daniela for directions yesterday before they fled Casita embarrassing her in front of everyone. They at least owed her that.

Thank you again for asking me about my wips!!

[jq37]

So, Jumanji by way of Last Action Hero. Ok, Never Stop Blowing Up. I'm in for the ride. They managed to put together a great table for this one. I'm delighted they got Rekha back in the Dome. It's exciting to see Alex Song-Xia again. Izzy is always a treat. I'll never say no to more Jacob Wysocki. And of course Ally and Ify are always strong performers. We're in for a good season.

What a crazy start! I'm so glad I watched Last Action Hero a few weeks ago in prep because those vibes are very apparent (in addition to Jumanji 2 of course, but I'd already seen that).

A quick rundown of everything going on:

Ally Beardsley as Russell Feeld as Jennifer Drips

INSANE swings from Ally right out the gate. I love that Izzy was both in character thirsting over Russell and out of character being like, "Pull it back." Also, I think they're the only one playing a girl movie character so that's interesting. This season is gonna be such a trip pronoun-wise. Wonder what direction Ally wants to go with that.

Ify Nwadiwe

as Wendell Morris as Vic Ethanol

I was STUNNED to hear Wendell's voice come out of Ify's body. I didn't know he had an Urkel-esque bone in his jacked as hell self. And I assumed that once the PCs turned to their MCs (movie characters) they'd use their MC voice but nope. It seems like he's still doing the Wendell voice which is wild. I love a sweet nerd so Wendell is one of my early faves for sure. Very much the vibes on the main character from Jumanji 2 turning into the Rock. Also, Vic Ethanol is my fave expy name.

Isabella Roland

as Paula Donvalson as Jack Manhattan

Izzy had, by far, my favorite movie bit with her and Brennan walking into that chicken bit which was golden. Sometimes a bit drags on too long but they drove that to the exact funniest point and then left it there. Chef's kiss, no notes. Very much looking forward to seeing this very tightly wound mom in this unhinged setting.

Rekha Shankar

as Usha Rao as G13

Something I really respect is building a character who is specifically bad at the main thing they have to do and a woman who barely has grasped the concept of phones having to be the hacker is so funny. Rekha, you've done it again. I didn't notice until it was pointed out on Twitter but one of the fave movies listed on her card is literally the first movie ever made (The Horse in Motion). And her immediate 1 when trying to do hacker stuff is a portent of more hilarity to come I'm sure. Love to have her back in the dome.

Alex Song-Xia

as Liv Skyler as Kingskin

Also, love to have Alex back in the dome! I loved them in Mentopolis and they picked such a fun dichotomy of characters to inhabit in a teen girl who's giving me Vanessa from In the Heights with a little compulsive shoplifting plus truly just Kingpin from Marvel. I found her really endearing and she was also one of my faves.

Jacob Wysocki

as Andy 'Dang' Litefoot as Greg Stocks

I'm not as familiar with Jacob as I think some others are but he matched the table's energy right away. I would think the aliens thing was a weird swing except that there's someone in one of my games who has a very similar deal (their PC not the actual person lol) so it's kind of like yeah, that's a normal thing for a PC to believe. Maybe it's because I just binged all of The Bear but he kind of reminds me of a more assertive Fak. And it's a very funny contrast to a suave James Bond-type (also, Stocks/Bond. Ha).

So it looks like we have Fast and Furious, Die Hard, and James Bond. Kingskin is Kingpin from Spiderman and maybe just repping mobster flicks in general. G13 also seems to be a generic hacker. And Jennifer Drips is a generic femme fatale.

I think it's interesting that everyone seems to be a protagonist except for Kingskin who is an obvious baddie (unless he comes from a Breaking Bad type world where it's bad guys all the way down and no real heroes).

Also, I'm curious about how they'll cross over with each other. In Last Action Hero, it was kind of implied that many action movie scenarios take place in a shared universe (which is why you had Arnold in the same police station as a talking cartoon cat and other archetypes waiting to get paired up with their wacky mismatched sidekicks). Could be something like that, but we'll see.

Anyway, yeah! I wasn't sure how this season was gonna look but I'm VERY down for it now that it's started. Oh! And the animatics???? Amazing! D20 just keeps outdoing itself!

[meatball-headache]

I had a draft where I was trying to sum up all my thoughts and feelings on Dawntrail, but it was so long and rambly, and I never got back to finishing it. But I still have thoughts and feelings, and the mortifying human urge to share them, so.

Dawntrail was excellent. Wuk Lamat is a great character—the whole story is full of great characters, except for the Scions, who were really just tacked on and served basically no purpose. I forget they were ever there, and I still maintain that it should have been Estinien ("Eh, why not,") and G'raha Tia ("Of course I'll go with you!!!1!!one") instead of Alvin and Alice.

The story was excellent, the zones were exciting and varied, the dungeons and trials—well, you know I have to keep those secret, in case I do it all over again... The story was excellent���until the very, very end. The end was completely rushed and made no sense. Suddenly Erenville is a genius hacker? We're rushed into the last dungeon, an obvious knockoff of Amaurot and the Dead Ends, and after that we get about three lines where Wuk Lamat, the main character, is brushed off so you can feel like a special snowflake and have the final boss to yourself. And then after the final boss, you get like three lines again, before the credits start to roll.

Why did they bring in a Full Party's worth of Scions right before the final battle, only for that to be the only non-Trustable trial? They could've still given Wuk Lamat her cool scene midway through the fight. She was the one that deserved that fight, after all. ...and, yeah, the original lines just didn't fit the action on-screen, rerecording them is a big improvement.

I still like Endwalker the best, followed by Shadowbringers. Everything else falls into the category of Not The Best Part But Still Pretty Good.

Strayborough Deadwalk is the best dungeon in DT by a country mile and everyone who says "ugh i hate this boss" in it should get pissed on by the poor.

Also, the Arcadion and Jeuno are the best raid and alliance so far in the game, hands down. Purely content-wise, since we don't know where the story is going to end up, but, the story in the fights—"My riiiing!!!"—alone is great. They're all very fun, very active, very hectic fights with phenomenal music and wonderful voice acting. "Wait for it! Wait for it! Wait for it!" is my sexuality, I will not elaborate. Even once you learn these fights and have it down pat, it's a lot to pat down, it's always fun to do and redo until you have all of the raid gear and then keep going until you have like... I think 43 rings that I can't use. Lol. Lmao even.

Anyway, I just wanted to spit out some kind of summary on the whole Dawntrail thing. It's great, weak ending, great battle content, favorite game, will keep paying for it.

...but if they keep making hats that bunnies and big cats can't wear, I'm gonna start thinking of some strong words >_>

[true-blue-sonic]

6, 13, 14 ^^

13. What's a character or ship you haven't written/drawn yet but would like to some day?

From what I can remember, I've never made any official Sonilver drawings; I did doodle a bit of the two of them today, though! But any full-fledged drawings or silly comics like I've done with Espio and Silver before, I haven't yet done for them. I'd definitely be open for it, but first I need to figure out how Sonic's stupid top-most quill works when drawn in the Sonic X style😩 (I keep making it too big lol)

14. Is there a character or ship you were so sure you would never write/draw but now you've changed your mind?

Hmm, none of them pop to mind so quickly... I've written an AU Sonilver fic for a friend before, and years ago also one wherein they celebrated Christmas, so it's not a ship I'm surprised I've begun liking more, haha. And as for Espilver: the reason New Beginnings became an Espilver fic was because a friend encouraged me to, but I was privy to the ship before that and I liked it as well (just not as much as I do now XD). But other than that, I think not really!🍀

6. Show us a bit of a WIP!

I've been fighting for my life trying to get out a second chapter of Change of Heart. I need to do more with Sonic and Silver making up way earlier in '06👀👀 I've got almost everything worked out plot-wise, but it involves what's kind of A Fight Scene, and those are not my forte. So it might go into a few more rounds of editing first!

☆☆☆☆☆

“We did it,” Sonic smiles.

Quietly Silver stares at the grandiose window placed in the even more grandiose white walls of the princess’ palace. Yes, they did do it: Elise talking to more people crowding together than Silver has ever seen in his life is the testimony to that. Palpable relief resounds in the voices rising from the group, the princess herself nodding and getting fussed over and altogether drowning in the sea of attention. “I’m glad we did,” the blue hedgehog besides him adds, more pensively himself.

“Hm,” is all Silver responds with. There’s too many people here… and yet, though a part of him had expected Sonic would have loved mingling between them, the speedster had taken mere seconds to join him in this quiet corner of the massive hallway just outside the room Elise is in.

Green eyes look him up and down, Silver glaring back. “It’s busy, huh?” the other muses, gesturing to a half-opened door all the way at the end of the hall. “Let’s go to the terrace, get some fresh air.” And with that he’s already bounced off, Silver grimacing as he drags himself towards the exit as well. If anything, Sonic’s sheer inability to not do everything fast had been beyond exhausting, if comforting in a way. They hadn’t dawdled a single second this whole adventure, and Silver can’t help but appreciate it. Their efforts have paid off, after all.

As Silver shambles onto the balcony Sonic’s already leaning over a barrier equally ornate as the rest of the palace, the blue sky stretching out in an endless expanse above them. Quietly the grey hedgehog joins him, eyes drifting over it all. The orange of the setting sun, the peach of the clouds, the way Soleanna glimmers underneath it all…

Now Elise gets to enjoy it again too, after everything that had happened, and he cannot tear his eyes away from it either.

“How are you doing?” Sonic speaks up first, over the waves that crash into the island and the distant mutters of the town far underneath them that the wind carries up. Silver can only shrug back; he has no idea anymore. But the blue hedgehog merely smiles, as if he understands. “It’s been quite the trip. But a fun one too, right?”

“Fun,” Silver huffs back. How could it have been fun, with the safety of the whole world and Elise’s life being the things they had to protect?

And yet, he had been amused with Sonic. Rarely, but he had. And he had laughed, just once or twice too, at something particularly funny occurring or being brought up. And he had marvelled at the world and all its beauty, and Sonic had been there to tell him about it all, and they had saved a person…

Which means the conditions Silver had set have been met.

Turning around slowly Silver swallows. This is it; this is what he’s been working towards. “I need to go back to the future,” he speaks up, “but first…”

“First part with me as unlikely acquaintances and maybe even friends?” Sonic smiles- before it falls right away as Silver bares his teeth.

“No. I am going to kill you.”

[the-shifting-long]

My favorite part of STP is (earlier anon here) truthfully, Cold.

I get really caught up in deciding how much of him I’m reading into too much and how much is intended but regardless

He really serves the whole vibe of the game so well with how the consequences aren’t based in true reality and all. It’s almost like you have your own personal Shifty— like he’s the part of you that’s most similar to her (not that he is her. He definitely isn’t. He’s you). His and her perspectives line up so well. He understands the need for new perspectives on a situation and reflects the Princess herself so often. Obv this is most evident in Fury but it’s genuinely so many Princesses he’s similar to and none of the other Voices can say the same, really

There’s so much more yapping I could do but. Yea. Cold

Also he was the intended tumblr sexyman so that’s gotta count for something

oh m y god i didnt get a notification for this. this is the second time it's happened i'm so sad. anyways i will say for a lot of Slay the Princess' writing it DOES feel very intentional (sometimes too intentional, lol-the therapy session in Apotheosis........) and the voices are 100% a part of that. So much of StP is about the parallels-princesses with each other and the princess with the player, yes, but also the Voices with their respective princesses, and the role they play as parts of you. Tbh, pre-pristine cut, I actually didn't care about the Voices that much, lmao. Because they're fragments of the player character, they felt less like distinct characters of their own and more like embodiments of what's supposed to be TLQ's inner thought process. And I mean...they are. But. It wasn't that Pristine Cut did anything special-it actually did some of my least favorite stuff, voice-wise-but that was when I replayed the game and started to go shiiiiiit. The writing for the voices is really good too. This game would not be as special as it is without them. How the fuck did I miss this. Combine that with the Shifting Mound having distinct characters as different parts of herself, and that parallel with the player, well... Anyways. Voice of the Cold. Intentional writing. (jeremiah is this you.) You're so right about Voice of the Cold being "closest" to us/godhood, similarly to how Tower/Wild serve as that vessel for Shifty, especially given Pristine Cut and Tower-Fury and his role there. "You are nothing! An empty void that dared to dream it was alive!" and his response that yes, that's right, that feels right...the contrast of that with earlier scenes in Tower where she talks about how "ending the world" is what she was always meant to do, now that she hears you say that... And I think a lot about how Cold is also the voice you get when you do what the Narrator intended for you to do-in chapter 1, slay the princess, don't question it, You're the one with the power here, so use it. In Nightmare's variation of Wraith, kill her immediately, you did your job, that's it. Always showing up for the Greys, where-you guessed it-you Did Your Job. You Slayed the Princess! the only big exception to this rule is Fury, which I've talked about before how I wish that was implemented in a less...what's the word. I got a lot of mood whiplash from telling the princess I cared about her and then getting Cold (for the fourth time that playthrough. Unintentionally.) The way he appears in Tower-Fury is perfect, I almost wish something similar also happened in Advy-Fury where one of the Voices ended up becoming the Cold, in part because it'd also make the fan theories re: how Voices work and what they even are even MORE insane and I love the fan theories for StP, lol. but, well, chapter's released, everything's said and done, no use nitpicking it anymore. ANYWAYS. it reminds me of how the Narrator says he MADE us to do this, he MADE us as a god to kill death-the Long Quiet isn't a god he created in charge of any specific domain, but SOLELY as a slayer of gods himself, and not just any gods-THEE god. Death itself. So the aspect of TLQ closest to his godhood, to embracing this aspect...is the one closest to what the Narrator wants. Cold-blooded. (Mostly) follows orders. Uninterested in most things, and thus, easily swayed into anything that's something. Of course, you don't get any voices from the "good" ending, and none of the Voices are quite what the Narrator wants. But damn if Cold isn't close. It's also REALLY fun how the Cold is most willing and able and eager to slay the princess, but frankly, a world without her would be TORTURE for him. He'd get bored so quickly, lol. yeah. i've grown to appreciate the voices a lot.

[detectiveseapancake]

Now that the Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- was released, I thought I should finally post this draft with my thoughts from after playing the demo! And then I can happily rant as I play the actual game. 💜

Rambles under the cut. This has spoilers for the whole Danganronpa series.

Considering the context of this game I'm going to talk about stuff relating to dr first because that's obviously prevalent, and then I'm gonna ramble about the characters and story.

First off, the amount of references to dr are obviously hilarious. I find it interesting how the age rating (at least over here) is already different, for blood and gore and other mature content (DR was always rated R16, this game is R18.) Looking at a certain character's profile that lists gore and porn and stuff as likes too, it's just more direct and I like that. In general, I'm curious how this is going to turn out since Kodaka and Uchikoshi are working together here.

I honestly thought Sumino and Kashimiya were going to annoy me more, but so far not really! They're cute. They went with the whole Naegi-level "I'm so basic and ordinary" set-up again, but it still feels like it's going to take a different route than it did with him. Everything with the TRC and them then ending up in the "outside world" is very fun. I remember playing SDR2 after DR1 and thinking oh, so they're going to skip this whole reveal of the world having ended, memory loss, etc. and put that in pretty early on. It's got a similar vibe here too. The whole outside world deal obviously makes me think of seeing the outside world in V3.

I like how Sirei is this weirdly gross but also kind of funny mascot character, they really nailed this odd combination again. At least in the jpn dub the way he talks has some parts reminiscent of Monokuma, but it's still uniquely different.

I also really like the turn-based combat they're going for. The controls are admittedly kind of weird on keyboard, but it could be a lot worse lol. I figure it'll be better with a controller, so I'll see if I can make that at some point.

But now, time to talk about the actual story and characters! Sumino is surprisingly adorable to me and I enjoy how they set up the cast so far. When the sirens first rang and Kashimiya started to get anxious I thought yeah, we're going to have a bunch of teenagers who are already traumatised even before shit goes down again! What a treat!

I think I fuck with Aotsuki's design the most so far (he's got such a pretty name), I just really like his big jacket and the pretty eyes + glasses combo. It feels like he and Sumino might end up with a fun dynamic and I hope I'm right, I really like this guy so far. First talking to Amemiya had me scream. Yeah girl, I sure bet you'd love a killing game! Wonder who they were going for with that one!

The biggest kicker was obviously Ima to me. In the first CG where you see all of the characters, I looked at him and went "yeah, alright. purple hair, has that weird smirk on his lips, and the funky hand pose. Ouma-coded" and then you talk to him for the first time and I get flashbanged by him doing THAT pose and Ogata Megumi going nnn? with the same lilt Ouma does it with and my brain exploded! 💥 And then he opened his mouth and went "Hi I have a sister complex and I'm so very not normal!" and I could not stop laughing.

Yes I know Ogata voiced both Naegi and Komaeda. But I'm also thinking about how she voices Hanako and Tsukasa from JSHK who are also two very normal twins that are totally not treated suggestively in canon. Just looking at Ima and Kako, there's going to be so much fucking drama surrounding these two and I'm already holding the block hammer for when there's inevitably people who are going to try and cancel any fans of these two! 👍 Anyways, I just found it a little amusing to see Ogata voice Ima specifically, and I'm a big fan of it!

Design-wise there are no hard hitters for me in this game so far. Some characters sadly look very ugly to me, others have some fun parts about them but they're still a little lacking to me. I figure I'll still enjoy their stories and personalities either way but it's a little disappointing. Some of the battle outfits + weapons go pretty hard though thankfully, so at least on that front I'm having fun.

A while has passed since I played the demo and the full game is out now. I'm very curious about the characters we haven't met yet and it's definitely wild to hear how many writers were involved in this game and how it's supposed to have so many fully fleshed out routes/endings. Of course that makes me wonder how coherent everything will be and if the differences between routes will be glaring or not. But the people who have already gotten to play it or test it before release have said many positive things so far. A game by freaks for freaks! That sure sounds like what I'm hoping for.

When the game was first announced I was a little worried and apprehensive if it's gonna be good, but having played this demo and seeing peoples thoughts on it so far has me super excited. It's time to play and, hopefully, have tons of fun! Happy Hundred Line Day!!

[okthatsgreat]

🧠✏️

I'm obsessed with Sae I would ask every question if I coule I lov themn

AAAA this means so much to me bc IM OBSESSED WITH HIM TOO i am very very glad people like her ............................... 😁

oc ask game! (plus some art at the bottom lol)

🧠 - what do you like most about the oc?

answered HERE but alsoooooo i can definitely think of something else :)

i LOVE writing her dialogue LMAOO. her whole gimmick is that she acts wayyyyy older than she actually is, and when i say that i mean she truly acts like an old man. she is a very slow talker a mover and figuring out how to write for her has been lots and lots of fun !!!!

she uses a lot of ellipses... and always drags on a sentence if it is possible. she never uses exclamation points if she can help it... because she tries not to raise her voice... and typically doesn't get excited or emotive about many things. she trails off a lot, either on a tangent about a sailing story or simply because she has lost focus... and includes a quote from her afi or from a writer that can shed wisdom on the situation. everything is a lesson to be learned, you see... she also tends to repeat herself at the end of the sentence, she does. it's either "you see" or some variation of "i do/i am", depending on what was said... and of course she always refers to her boats and the ocean using she/her. laughs like an old man too, eheheh... always keeps the mood light

but, uh, when she gets flustered she uses "um" and "uh" a lot. especially when backed into a corner. sounds a lot less wise. her sentences get shorter when she's upset. real short. she tends-- you see, she tends to stutter a lot more when she is stressed, or in a tense mood. corrects herself, or-- sometimes, she cuts herself off before she says anything too harsh. her tone grows a lot more "childish", and she wants to sound like she knows what she is doing. won't raise her tone. just gets rather blunt with you.

unless she gets very irritated. because then she starts to emphasize certain words to you in an almost condescending manner, and-- and she still might stutter over her words because she is thinking less about them, but they are all flowing out of her mouth at this point. and if you push her too far she'll start yelling! exclamation point! it is rare to get an exclamation point from her! if you push her hard enough she'll scream! she'll fucking yell!!

but yea anyways she's been fun GHFDJKG

✏️ - how often do you draw/write about the oc?

grins. the grinner

SOOOOOOOOO sae as of right now is being used in a killing game rp which means i get to write for her pretty oftennnnn :) she gets to hang out with a whole cast of awesome characters that are both amazing and stressing her out so badly. as hell. it is chapter 2 currently (we're at the motive!!) and literally every single thing is going wrong (the motive concerns her family and of course her afi was threatened bc thats all shes got, her plan to escape failed miserably and shes starting to resent people with very little reason, somebody in the killing game knows JUST WHAT TO SAY to seriously push her buttons) but she'll persevere 😍 she'll persevere and get so much worse

i loveee the rp server bc the people there love to write fics and draw art of their own AND each others characters and i eat it up every single time. me included i love creating for these rps :) which MEANS i actually do draw and write for her a bit often!! now a lot of it is practice and/or doesn't get sent to the server lmfaooo i think the last fic i wrote for her (and finished-- i keep starting things and stopping 😔) was a backstory fic for her about that one bad memory i mentioned in the last ask :) a single person has read it and that is the person running the rp in the first place ghfdjkg

UM UM here's some old art that i sent to the server and didnt post here !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and here's a chart of literally ALL of her siblings LMFAOOOO

[candy-fae]

HELLO CARLIE I am here to get u to talk about batman stuff

What got u into batman and why is the riddler ur fav? I am hella curious and i don't remember if we talked abt it!

-Chris! (@worldtravelercv)

LET ME BEAM YOU BACK TO THE RIPE YEAR OF 2004!! I am fresh to the world, 4 years old. I know what Batman is, because I have three older brothers. But I only watched live action silly Jim carry villains, and the colors and Tim burtony city were what stuck. Cool. Neat.

Fast forward. 200000007? Probably. BOOMERANG. I grew up without cable, and the internet for a while. Didn't get a phone until I was 14. so, late at night, while I'm watching the brand new box tv, what comes across my screen?

Well at that time certainly not robot chicken. The theme song was scary. So, the 2004 Batman reruns catch my attention on boomerang, and BOY did they hold it! Feral joker. Penguin being a greedy little criminal. And the Batman. Everything was dark, and angular, and when there was color it was BRIGHT. but it was used so well it made things seem intentional and wacky.

That's actually my favorite version of Bruce. I'm not really a batfam fan at all haha. Hard to keep track of the robins for me. But he was animated like a shadow, or a vampire, and was sharp like a villains design. Kevin Conroy has the best Bman voice, but this guy was my OG and a different spin on the hero's I'd seen so far.

the best version of everything is the the version we were exposed to as kids.

And I loved it! Penguin was definitely my favorite, and I'm actually not a big fan of the Batman 2004's Riddler lol. Just not my style, but INTERESTING. story wise sorta reminds me of the fox gothams Riddler.

He's different, very much so. We get NOTHING of Fox riddlers story before we see him which. Is usually such a big part of his character haha. He doesn't have the same "I'm better than you" energy either that I'm use to. But you know who's got it down just about right?

Arkham Eddie. I played the game at a friends house once, and he explained to me how Riddler progressively learns to outsmart you through the entire series.

He's like an underdog villain, who has SO much potential, but is sparingly used, because he's hard to write, and I hate that haha

To write a good, Compelling Riddler, you have to be smart enough to make, and solve, a complicated obstruction. He's never a toll bridge for the Batman, he's ALWAYS a speed bump. At first. Then he's a boulder, then a mountain, until you can't ignore him anymore, then he's not something you can keep beating up, you actually have to outfox him, and he's aware of it.

He's a good villain because super intelligent people often see things from all angles, and to keep a guy who's called the world's greatest detective on his toes guessing, is pretty impressive for a guy we don't get to see too much. And I think it's a shame.

Personality wise, I think he's funny. Like, accidentally. Have you ever played the Arkham games? HOURS of failing that stupid race track to the sound of him taunting you makes it very full filing to finally catch him, but I WOULDN'T know. That jerk.

At current though, zero year is my favorite. Greg Capullo has such a good understanding of drawing movement and lots of Eddie pictures portray so much action in a still frame, it's crazy, but, now you've got me rambling.

[grimalkinmessor]

Do you have some random afofa headcanons?

OH BOY DO I *scrubs my grubby lil paws together*

Okay so if you've read any of my fics you know a few of my basic ones, but I'll reiterate them here in case you haven't. :D

Their mother was half-French, but only All For One knows how to speak French. That's both because she died right after Yoichi was born, and because All For One made it a point to learn later in life. Yoichi never saw the need.

Yoichi is a puzzle-maker! He loves puzzles. He is also a bit of an artist—he likes to create things, no matter what it is. All For One, however, is more of a dissector. He tears things apart to learn how they work, and when he's satisfied that he's learned everything about it he tosses it aside again until he needs it. He has a real thirst for knowledge—both intellectually and skill wise.

I headcanon that All For One learned just as many instruments as he did languages. Yoichi, however, can't carry a tune in anything but his voice. Whenever All For One was learning his instrument of the week, Yoichi would sit by him and make up songs for the melodies AFO would play. As a result, Yoichi grew up with a hungry ear for music, even if he couldn't create it lol.

Even though Yoichi starts up the, uh, more inappropriate part of their relationship, All For One is the one who kisses him first. All For One had a few romantic (I say that loosely) partners before Yoichi offered himself up, so he's a bit more experienced than Yoichi at it. Not by a lot though—he finds other people boring and stupid, even physically, so he didn't get very far with any of them.

Because they grew up poor, both Yoichi and All For One have an addiction to junk food. All For One specifically has an ENORMOUS sweet tooth, it's a problem. Yoichi has slightly less of a problem, because as soon as he was able AFO started chucking healthy food at him. They had a knock-down drag-out fight about All For One not allowing Yoichi to eat shitty food while he was over there eating a whole plate of fucking cookies lmao. They compromised by saying that any junk food/desserts that either of them ate had to be homemade. Yoichi became an excellent cook because of it.

After Yoichi died, however, All For One was constantly craving his cooking :') No chef he hired and/or kidnapped could ever replicate Yoichi's recipes exactly and it drove him just that little bit more insane.

Yoichi became a vigilante at some point after All For One became,,,you know, All For One, but depending on the fic I usually headcanon it right before Yoichi finds out or directly after he gets out of the vault. Sometimes both, if I'm feeling particularly affectionate towards him. Either way, he ends up blowing up several of All For One's important trucks and rescuing a lot of would-be victims with cool Quirks that end up helping him later down the line. His vigilante excursions are how Yoichi finds out about All For One's criminal empire, aaand also how he gets vaulted the first time. Oop.

All For One's real name is Takashi, spelled with the characters for "strength" and "filial piety". Yoichi got his name from All For One, because their mom was kinda too dead to name him herself at the time. He named him "first gift" because to All For One, Yoichi was the first good thing the world ever gave him.

I have birthday headcanons for all the OFA holders (since Hori hasn't forked them over yet) and I headcanon Yoichi's birthday being February 1st and AFO's birthday being May 1st. They're Aquarius and Taurus, respectively :3

I'll hem this in by saying, now that we have Second's eye color, that both Yoichi and All For One married people who reminded them of the other. Yoichi sees Takashi in Second and All For One sees Yoichi in Inko. All For One would admit that far easier than Yoichi would, however—Yoichi is taking that shit to the grave.

[chickensoup1025]

What's your main reasons for the choices you made on the hair//eyes// ect from DR post?

Height: There are a bunch of 5'7 characters in DR and I was happy to use Junko's queen sprite cause I would also wear a crown everywhere-

Hair: my hair is the length and color of Akane's and can be messy like hers too (I was gonna add maybe Toko cause I keep it pulled back most of the time. Double braids are my favorite so would feel right) :))))

Eyes: here are only a handful of characters with brown eyes and most of them are greenish-brown or just really light brown. Yasuhiro was one of the only ones I found with purely dark brown eyes!

Personality: I'm a pretty happy and positive person in general! There isn't one or really even four characters I think could describe my personality so I tried. Saying I'm positive is entirely scrapping the surface though. I'm not two dimensional.

Humor: Miu makes me laugh SO MUCH! There's any opportunity for an innuendo? She'll find it. Luckily my politeness and common sense win out so I don't go spouting the shit she does lol. Point is: she gets me humor-wise.

Intelligence: I know I'm a smart person so I just had to pick a character that was like that too, ya know? I really enjoyed playing Shuichi because we're on the same wavelength and he's as curious about everything as me. There was barely any Me yelling at the screen for the protagonist to be smarter than they are or Me being unable to keep up.

Voice: My friends and I have been playing the dr games together and we divide up characters to voice and Hina was one of mine. She was really really easy to voice but it was just my voice lol.

Clothing Style: So many characters have so much going on style-wise and my day to day is very much Normal. Jeans, graphic T-shirt, comfortable jacket. Nagito's was perfect.

My Danganronpa Crush: I don't care if this makes me basic, it means others have good taste too: Chiaki is my love. Her personality, her looks, her failed humor, her goals, her interests, her intelligence, her kindness, etc.!

Some more things that would be fun to make categories for would be-

Which Character's Killing Game Experience I Think I Would Have: I'd try to be like Kyoko and Kokichi in that they work behind the scenes to stop the game. If I were to be a blackened it would be similar to Leon as I would not plan it but it's out of self defense. If I was a victim it would be either like Imposter because I'm trying to stop someone else from getting hurt or like Sakura/what Ryoma wanted to do because I'd give up my life to save everyone else's I think. (Yes, don't worry I'm in therapy). As a regular player I'd try to be like Kaede/Imposter/Kaito in trying to bring everyone together and getting morale up.

Which Motive I'd Be Most Swayed By: The motive videos are absolute classics. And for good reason. I don't know who I'd see but, yeah. Either that or the despair disease because killing is so out of my character.

Who I'd Kill: K1-B0, sorry man. No hard feelings! (Warning: robophobic) you're just not human. You can be brought back.

Who I'd Let Kill Me: Sayaka, my queen. She didn't know about the class punishment if she got away with murder so I'm assuming I wouldn't either, I'd let her kill me if someone had to. Or Gundham, to save everyone from starvation.