#but Elliot needs actual theming-

[f0xgl0v3]

Uhhhh I’m doing something that is very important to me but this is my call for help- a moment of desperation if you will because there are so low stakes to what I’m doing but it’s so high stakes in my mind-

These are some concept sketch for a TMA Oc named Elliot Allan (I don’t know if there are any notable characters with the last name Allan so whatever-) she is a ecologist and dabbles in articulating (taxidermy but it’s just the bones- it’s super cool-) on the side. From what I’ve gathered so far she also comes from a rich family (Elliot is a nepo baby) and won’t shut up about it. I want to make her an avatar and before I go ahead and draw more and refine her character design more I want to consider what fear she might be the avatar for- if anyone has suggestions please I’d love to hear it before I cave and make her either Lonely

[supersecretnerd]

Ok so these designs are cute as hell, the Internet is just mean

I have too many thoughts about a game I still need to watch

[semiweirdshipper]

Killers reactions to doing trials in swimsuits (Hooked on You addition).

Notes: Sfw. Non-binary reader insert.

-

Bubba Sawyer

He's absolutely embarrassed. Ashamed. Humiliated. And disgusted. Not only is nintey percent of his body exposed, but his face is showing as well. While he did find the hot-dog themed swimshorts oddly endearing, the joy was short lived.

During every trial, Bubba spent most of his time hiding his face underneath his straw hat while staying in secluded areas. If anyone tried to approach him, he would rev up his chainsaw to scare them away. Just go away. He didn't want to be seen like this.

While other survivors mocked and made fun of him, you were more understanding.

From a distance, you would call out to him to try and gain his trust and comfort him. Everything was going to be alright, you would say, and you would gently explain to him the severity of completing trials. There was no need to be embarrassed. In fact, you thought he looked cute and handsome.

Bubba found himself motivated and comforted by your words, and soon he began to do the trials without mercy. Anyone who mocked him would be shredded to bits.

Expect lots of half naked hugs and kisses at the end. He was so grateful to you, you have absolutely no idea.

Michael Myers

Is this a joke? Seriously? Is this a joke? Did the Entity really think this was funny?

Michael, not only frustrated by the lack of shoes and warm clothing, was utterly infuriated. Stomping around in orange and black swim-trunks with a literal, broken shell to stab people with, it was safe to say that Michael's attitude became even more brutal.

Another aspect that angered him was how almost every survivor began to tease and flirt with him as if he were some piece of candy. Some of them even tried to touch him, but their greedy paws would be quickly lacerated.

This lack of respect made him so angry that he began to commit overkill in every single trial. However... There was one survivor who didn't treat him any differently when he had to wear his swimsuit.

You.

As if nothing had changed, you treated him with respect. You didn't tease him, stare at him, touch him or try to flirt. Instead you did the trial like you were supposed to and minded his severe fits of rage. Michael even suspected that you might have been helping him to kill other survivors...

In an act of appreciation, Michael let you live most trials, and he hardly ever harmed you. After this entire event, he might even cling to you a little bit more.

Pinhead/Elliot Spencer

Was it a swimsuit? Or some kind of bizarre bedroom cosplay?

Pinhead's "swimsuit" was an array of harnesses that covered his chest, thighs and hips. Small chains hung from his nipples, and only a leather, black speedo with matching chains covered his crotch. His thoughts?

It was actually kind of nice.

No opened wounds, no cuts, and no bones or flesh hanging out? Pinhead could do with that. Sure he still had his pins and piercings, but he had adapted to those. And while it did get cold some times, nothing really changed. He was used to pain and rough environments.

But it was kind of annoying to witness the mixed reactions from the survivors. Some acted out in disgust and others in desire or mockery. Pinhead didn't let it get to him much and simply did the trials as he was supposed to.

Though he did notice that your desire towards him had heightened, and you became more eager to hide and run away from him during trials. It was amusing. He had always tried to get you to accept his offers for pleasure, but you were too shy and scared. But now?

Call it immature, but Pinhead was loving hunting you down and giving you no choice but to look at him. The feel of your desire and innocence was so endearing to him, he couldn't help but to playfully torture you.

Perhaps soon you would break under the pressure and accept his offers?

Evan MacMillan

Screw the Entity. Screw the survivors. And screw this stupid, dumb, ridiculous swimsuit!

If anyone thought they had seen Evan angry before, then they'd better think again. Because this time? This time he was absolutely furious. Why?

Try accidentally stepping in a trap with no boots on. Try doing a trial in Ormond. Try getting outrun constantly. And try getting grabbed and gawked at all the time.

It was safe to say that Evan's behavior during trials became increasingly dangerous when he wore his striped swimsuit. Many survivors teased about the size of his bulge and made a habit to try and grab him for fun. The outcome? Certain, painful death.

Evan was tired of this stupid situation.

The only break he got was when he had trials with you. Finally, someone who didn't play the "ball grabbing game" and actually did the trial accordingly. He respected you for that. And the fact that you didn't treat him any differently than normal was also appreciated.

If ever Evan came across you in a trap, he pretended to overlook you and simply walked by. You seemed to notice this as well, and soon you began to actively help him trap your perverted team members.

Hmp. You were pretty awesome, you know? He could hang with you.

Albert Wesker

The Entity really needed to work on it's fashion skills. Honestly. Did it really think this was his style? First off, the shorts were too colorful and far, far too short and tight. Wedgie much? Also, what cheap sunglasses. And why the silky black button-up and neck bandana? And were those... Flip-flops?

Most trials, Albert felt quite embarrassed and rather ridiculous, but he did good not to show it. While few survivors did make fun of him, he simply snapped back and told them not to be so jealous. And the other survivors?

The other survivors acted like he was made out of gold and jewels.

Eventually Albert grew to enjoy the attention. Of course he'd rile up this many survivors. How couldn't he? He was handsome and toned and oh so sexy. It was only natural that everyone either be jealous or attracted to him.

Except... You.

You didn't pay any attention to him. You made no faces, no comments and no reactions. Even when he tried teasing you, you wouldn't really respond with anything other than annoyance. And that bothered him.

Soon you became his top priority in every trial. While it was irritating that you didn't respond to his obvious charm, he did find it fascinating. It meant that your mind worked differently and you didn't let yourself get distracted. You were actually becoming super attractive to him.

He wanted to see how far he could go with you.

Pyramid Head

Let's put it bluntly. His swimsuit... Was seaweed. Yes, seaweed, with a dash of barnacles and slug shells here and there. He looked like a monster that crawled out of the ocean. And did this astonishing array of seaweed stay in place very long? No. No it did not.

The Executioner didn't care about clothing though. He was used to being barefoot and half naked. Natural elements didn't bother him that much. This fishy "swimsuit" was nothing more than an obstacle and a gift.

See, of course the survivors were going crazy because of his exposed body, but that only made it easier to kill them when they tried to get too close. It was so convenient that the Executioner didn't even have to fight much anymore, the survivors just came right to him to be killed.

The Executioner knew that it was perversion and desire that brought the survivors to him, but he wasn't interested in any of them. The only thing he did in response to their attraction was kill them.

But you? You were different.

You did have desire for him, but also respect and modesty. You put the trial and your objectives first, and you stayed composed when coming into contact with him. It was such an astonishing strength. The Executioner couldn't help but to envy you.

Maybe some time in the future he could approach you with his real face and show you gratitude for how well you behaved during this outlandish experience?

-

And that's how they became... Hooked on You!

[melliotwrites]

what tma entities are the adamandi aligned with?

I'd say...

Quincy: The Eye (they are obsessed with the pursuit of knowledge, and I think he's more enmeshed in the Administration's monitoring of the students because he strives so much for approval from the school. On a thematic level his morality project and the figures of the Saints is quite Eyelike- the fear of constantly being watched by God and found wanting.) However, I can also see an argument for the Desolation- both aesthetically (a flame without light or warmth, wax and burns,) and thematically (snuffing out potential, destruction for the pleasure of destroying, the fear of not becoming all you're meant to be.)

Vincent: The Slaughter for the killin'. I could also see arguments for the Vast (both the comfort and fear he finds in insignificance in "Where Can I Run"), the Stranger (obvious skask reasons, but that's more tied to internalized racism than any kind of fear), or even the Hunt (his stalking, though that could also be...Eye-like? He's definitely more tied to the actual murder than the stalking for me, though, because that's where he finds his calling in Act II.)

Beatrix: The Web (both manipulating the collective consciousness of the school through her Phaethon project and getting manipulated by the Administration. Aesthetically, the strings on her fingers very literally represent lies that the Administration eventually start puppeting her with.)

Ambrose: The Flesh (self-evident. Our bodies are meat to be carved etc etc) However his implied fate if Vincent hadn't killed him (trapped semi-alive in marble forever until the school crumbles around him) is very Buriedcore.

Portia: The Lonely, probably- she's always seeking out a place to be accepted and fit in, though that becomes less relevant as the musical progresses. She very much needs the people around her to like her at the beginning, and has to overcome that to confront Beatrix.

Overall, Adamandi's got very Eye-heavy themes on the side of the school (the Administration, the Phaethon Prize and feeling of constantly being monitored, the feelingless analytical/experimenting approach that comes with testing out how these students of color fare in a mostly white environment and competition, etc.) and very Lonely-heavy themes on the side of the kids (no man is an island, the burden of independence leading to deteriorating mental health, the sense of constant competition, etc.).

-Elliot

[lesbenson]

Look I know it's Twitter and it's speculation, but it's some INTRIGUING speculation.

https://x.com/benslurrsho3/status/1785721725226754187

the gif usage really does it. dw is an asshole truly but i really think what chris said in the time after he left / before coming back is the truest stuff we’ll hear — he wanted higher pay (recurring theme in the dwcu so it tracks 😭) and i think he was just done with the show in a way mariska obviously wasn’t and isn’t and can’t be. he used to say he didn’t feel like he had anything left to do on the show, and when he talked about coming back for oc he was very clear that elliot needed to be a different character in some way for it to be believable and doable. i think it was like he could be convinced to stay on for s13 Only w a pay increase, but otherwise he was ready to move on. given where eo was in s12 (throuple at best) i’m sure dw wasn’t planning on any motion anytime soon and while it certainly wouldn’t have hurt the show to pay chris more and keep him on, it seems like there were a lot of shifts in that timeframe and dw was trying to really change up the show. i think dw was letting eo hit a wall and letting the chris thing blow up as an excuse. we know dw will always fire someone rather than keep paying them w the exception of mariska, who he won’t fire but undermines nonetheless. if she couldn’t convince him to keep kelli on last season as executive producer, i can’t imagine she could convince him to keep chris on Or that chris could be convinced to stay fr. not that it’s her responsibility but just like. this thread implies a huge idol thing between dw and mh that i think is actually more based in warrens writing of 2.0 liv. if dw actually worshiped mh like that a lot of things would be different lol.

also wasn’t there a rumor that they wrote liv leaving after elliot quits and then scrapped that bc m didn’t want to leave ?

tldr i do think it’s dw’s fault but i also think it was a lot more money hungry and emotionally detached

[deer-xing-png]

Sooo I identify as therian now lol, here's this:

My favorite things to do as a deerkin 

꧁❆»--•--«❆꧂

Movies, TV and other visual media

Bambi 1 & 2 (Disney +) - Movie

Sweet Tooth (Netflix) - Show

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (1964) - Movie

Deer TV (Youtube) - Video

Beastars (Netflix) - Anime show

Elliot the Littlest Reindeer (Netflix) - Movie

Niko and the Way to the Stars (Amazon Prime or Youtube) - Movie

A Christmas Reindeer (Youtube) - Short film

꧁❆»--•--«❆꧂

Snacks

(Make sure to supplement your diet with protein too!)

Fruit, nut, oat, and/or seed bars

Dried okra pods

Dried fruit

Trail mix

Oatmeal

Apples, berries, mushrooms, spinach or any leafy greens, vegetables like broccoli or carrots

Floral beverages, jams, or candied flowers

Any tea with honey and/or lemon

Cucumber tea sandwiches

Salads

Floral or herb dessert breads

Bread and seasoned olive oil (spicy or not)

Bisques or soups with your favorite veggie or nut ingredients (Potato, hazelnut, walnut, kale, etc!)

꧁❆»--•--«❆꧂

Activities

Frolicking, jumping, running, trotting around outside

Weaving baskets, macrame, knitting, crocheting

Foraging responsibly 

Making deer ears, antlers, or a tail out of yarn, felt, or fur fabrics

Light candles and get cozy!

Painting your theriotype or your habitat (watercolor, oil, acrylic, etc)

Hiking or camping

Go on a picnic!

Dancing to your favorite genre of music

Decorating with acorns, pinecones, mushrooms, and other plant-themed items

Baking unique breads and desserts

Make a room spray that smells like your habitat

꧁❆»--•--«❆꧂

Fashion

Anything brown, grey, black, white… Natural colors

Sweaters if it’s cold where you live

Cottagecore aesthetic is always a good choice too!

I also think of the light academia aesthetic for deer 

Skirts

Messenger bags

Comfy socks with lace

Mushroom, acorn, or pinecone themed clothing

Shoes that make a satisfying “clip-clop” sound when you walk

Anything with deer actually on the article of clothing itself

Shawls, capes or bandanas

꧁❆»--•--«❆꧂

Remember, you don't NEED to do any of these things to be a valid deer therian! These are just suggestions I have come up with that I like to do to feel closer to my theriotype!

Enjoy!!

[dewracle]

Unofficial Sleep Token Headcanon/Lore

A guide to AruEternity's Vessels

Hello lovies, I am taking inspo from one of my friends here. Everyone has their own versions of the vessels and their own ocs, I just would like to share mine with yall! So everything you read here is ALL HEADCANONS!! Please keep that in mind during this. I will be using names that I hope and pray aren’t the actual vessels' names, (I will cry if it is and most likely change them.) But again this is just how I see my boys; none of this is solid or finished yet. Little lore overview, none of the vessels are human anymore due to their past and their meeting with Sleep. Sleep in this version is a rouge god who typically follows the idea of having angels under him/to help him. He can change people and remake them similarly to how he is doing with the vessels. If Sleep were to go without a vessel or a connection to a vessel for a long period of time he becomes weak and slowly dies. It is the idea that for a god to live, they need followers. All the vessels change in their own ways and are molded by Sleep to fit what he wants out of them. He can reset the timeline if he deems the vessels to be defective/not up to standard. The timeline so far has been reset roughly 100 times, the only ones with active memory of this is Sleep and his angels.

TW: Sexual themes, SA, Drug-use, Major character death, OD, Depression, Minor character death, suicidal ideation, if I've missed any please let me know!

Vessel

Name - Elliot Burns

Age - 28

Height - 6’2

Personality -

Spreactic and almost loving aggressive. His devotion to Sleep distracts him often so he is normally seen as quiet and or loving to the others. While he doesn’t like being alone he is okay with it sometimes… Other times it brings up the anxious part of himself. Super affectionate and loving but in a “please don’t notice” way. Becomes slightly violent when things are no longer in his control/he cannot understand them/

Connection to Sleep -

Sleep’s main vessel, the one who he always turns to. Elliot was the first real worshipper of Sleep gaining him a strong connection to the deity. Their relationship is a toxic “I cannot live without you” type. 

Transformation -

3 total sets of eyes are similarly placed where his mask is, all glowing with soft white light. The bottom half of his face is skinned leaving his teeth exposed. As for his teeth, his K9s go down past his bottom lip and are extremely sharp. Emits a gentle black smoke from his mouth and body. Giant split down the middle of his chest, breastbone to belly button, this is where a closed human eye sits and never opens.

Mini backstory - Very short 

Elliot was an obsessive lover, going out of his way to make anything come true for his girlfriend of the time. They had been together for a while before she started to pull away slowly. This caused an extreme fight with them and a car crash that injured his lover. Shortly after they ended up breaking up due to her blaming him for everything and finally coming clean she didn’t love him for him. Elliot in a fit of anger began to search for ways to get her back and to make her love him. Unfortunately, nothing worked, not even the magic research he did. That was until one-night Sleep came to him in a dream and guided him to someone who could guide him to him.

II

Name - Silas Palmer 

Age - 24

Height - 5’6

Personality 

The calmest out of all the vessels. Seems always to be sitting alone trying to draw and or get high. He doesn’t personally care for the drama but is the one everyone comes to when there is something going wrong. Very “wise” and helps guide others. Silas does have a Playboy vibe and will act on it on rare occasions. 

Connection to Sleep -

Sleep’s second most trusted vessel. However, their relationship is strained due to the forcefulness of Silas’ connecting/bonding with Sleep. Silas has forgiven Sleep after years of struggling with the aftermath, seeing the pack as the only ones he needs due to their willingness to accept his gender identity. 

Transformation -

Skinned mouth starting from just behind his teeth. Stretch marks from the stress of the mouth going closer into/near his eyes. A sewed shut-eye in the middle of his forehead that softly glows and moves behind the lid. Smaller cuts/scars scattering his body where eyes would grow if needed. Many of the scars are from fights with the other vessels. 

Mini backstory -

Growing up in the incorrect body had caused him many issues with friends and family. Many did not understand or chose to understand how Silas was feeling. It was a constant struggle throughout high school and college. Eventually, he was able to save up enough money by working himself exhausted to get top surgery. While being the happiest moment in his life so far, he was no longer in contact with his old friends or family. Silas was disowned for finally achieving his dream. Slowly he turned to alcohol to ease the pain of being alone. Eventually, he was able to meet someone who he thought would love him for him. Unfortunately, the relationship turned abusive after Silas was unable to quit drinking. His girlfriend pushed him away after hitting him many times over again.

III

Name - (Finn)egan Ridge

Age - 23

Height - 6’4

Personality -

The fun-loving chaos-causing type of person. He loves to play jokes and is always hyper no matter what. He does have moments when he is calm but most of the time he isn’t. Loves to do things he thinks others will laugh at.

Connection to Sleep -

Sleep’s third vessel. Sleep sees him as an entertaining person who gains the attention of many people. While this can be fun at times, he does also punish him often when he is “annoying.” Believes III needs to be safe but also wants to hurt him by influencing the others. 

Transformation -

Asides from the deep ashy black that covers most of his chest and back, he is etched with the language of Sleep. His body being covered by some stories told by Sleep. The language mostly covers his arms and legs, while he does also have thick lettering wrapping around his wrist. At the base of his neck/collarbone and his lower back, there is a small area where a possible eye could form.

Mini backstory -

Was the miracle baby that his family had always wanted. Ended up doing everything for them and tried his best. After going into college he learned it wasn’t for him so his grades started to slip and he fell into using heavy drugs. Slowly he turned into the college drug dealer which got him kicked out. His family had still sent him money because he never told them. Eventually after becoming very popular in his dealings, he was able to gain a lot of money. With this money, he bought and used drugs alongside buying prostitutes for himself. After hiring the wrong person, they forced him to attempt to OD, he was turned into a prostitute himself after “saving his life” Here he met someone he deemed ‘‘Sugar” and enjoyed the buyer's company. Sadly the pimp he worked for did not like this and killed Finn in front of Sugar.

IV 

Name - Felix Payne 

Age - 27

Height - 6’0

Personality -

He is seen as aggressive and quiet. Felix is mostly angry at himself rather than others, making him quiet and always anxious. He fears that one day he’ll up and leave like his father did again. Felix is anxiously attached to everyone but refuses to let them in. Though he can be loving at times he holds those close for the fear of losing the moment. 

Connection to Sleep -

Sleep’s 4th vessel. He sees him similarly as Elliot, with a strong connection even though he is not the strongest vessel. Sleep pities the boy so he picks him to use whenever he is feeling especially angry. Which in turn has turned Felix into an even more angry person. 

Transformation -

Has gold and red bands inked into his body that circles his wrist, fingers, ankles, thighs, and neck. They are technically not tattoos just an add-on to the already deep ashy black that they are all changing to. While he doesn’t have eyes on his body, he does have a moon shape (the moon logo) under his chin/jaw area. As a punishment or if Sleep is feeling it, the golden bands on his neck slowly turn into a thorn crown that rests on his eyes. It rarely happens since he tries not to upset Sleep. 

Mini backstory -

Had a mostly good life besides having to deal with a dad who left and came back 24/7. He was forced into playing the perfect family, this later turned into his own form of trauma and learning. Once he was older he got a good-paying job that had long hours and split an apartment with a college student. Didn’t mind paying for everything. He ends up lashing out at all of his friends and is diagnosed with severe anxiety, depression, and some anger issues, all similar to his father. Eventually, one day he decides to leave after he can no longer handle the stress of himself, this is where he meets Vessel after wandering for hours.

V 

Name - Kieran Wiggs

Age - 26

Height - 5’11

Personality -

A goofy unhinged boy. He is extremely loving in all the wrong ways. Kieran is passionate but loses motivation extremely quickly. He relies on the others to help him during his rough moments. If he were to become too angry he relapses into a rage episode and attempts to harm or kill the other vessels. Unhinged but loveable in moments. 

Connection to Sleep -

Sleep’s 5th vessel, sees him as just another one of the people he can use. Kieran doesn’t really mind him at all and sometimes is extremely thankful for him. He does wish he could get his memories back but Sleep refuses and says he will not have a defective vessel. 

Transformation -

Has the band’s moon-type symbol on his forehead, the darkening to ashy black stops just under his chin before it spikes into a deep black across his face. 

Mini backstory -

Had a very happy and popular childhood/teen years. Kieran was known for his musical abilities and later made a band called Dreamer’s Archive with a few friends. Their band became popular but died out after the disappearance of their lead singer Kieran. Turns out his girlfriend of 3 months had dragged him away and turned abusive. Forcing him to take more drugs and numb him. She slowly began to turn him into basically a slave for money. Letting people do whatever they wanted to him as long as they paid. Kieran couldn’t do anything to stop it due to the constant drugs in his system. He had a final straw moment and ran away while trying to OD.

VII

Name - Cole Lindsey 

Age - 25

Height - 6’5

Personality - 

Spitfire aggressive vessel. Cole often times tries to start fights with anyone he does not deem in his “circle” and or is not trustworthy. He always attempts to gain his old life back so he can feel the same freedom. Can be very flirty at times but if he is not growling/hiss or flirting, he is extremely quiet. Brooding almost but just does not have a lot to say.

Connection to Sleep -

Very unsure of him, 7 being a holy number his bond/connection is nearly as strong as Vessel’s. He is weary of him and chooses to act as though he does not exist sometimes. Cole oftentimes is forced into a trance due to acting against Sleep.

Transformation -

He is covered in scars, everything from his past life. Due to his scars being so many and some so wide, they are slowly turning into open eyes. They move independently to one another and blink/glare. The larger of his scars are opened into fanged mouths with long tongues. Dark black fingertips that slowly fade up to his elbow. His body is cold to the touch. His real/nature eyes are clouded over as though he is blind. 

Mini backstory -

He didn’t have the best home life so he picked to do anything to make money. In his part of the world he was able to join many underground and illegal organizations such as underground boxing, motorcycle and drift car racing. Had dated the girlfriend of the revival ground and ended up killing her after he forced herself onto his life during a race. They slid and she (Maddy) had hit a wall and broke her neck and split open her chest. Come tried to save her but ended up accidentally pushing her ribs into her heart. He was later killed by her boyfriend and his body was tossed into a river to decompose.

Angel(s)

Name - Velika (Ragnar)

Age - Unkown

Height - 5’1

Personality -

Soft and bubbly in moments, very playful. She is known to crawl things and be very independent. Hard-headed and refuses to take no for an answer. 

Stubborn independence bubble. She is known to want to do things her own way and will not stop till the task is complete. She does not care for help since she grew up believing in fighting for one's self. A dominant personality that often times climbs counters to get a laugh out of her friends/lovers.

Connection to Sleep - 

The ex-wife of Sleep, is technically still married but they are not together. That way anymore

First angel known to Sleep after getting kicked out of the god system…

Helper who always guides the first vessel (Elliot) to sleep

Transformation - 

Black wings, soft black around fingertips and toes, fangs, normal looking or the most part

Mini backstory - 

Grew up with her father teaching her warrior-like skills in private away from her mother. Mother was the village cook and was well-loved. Father ends up dying in war so Vel joins the fight at age 22. (Takes on her father's name) meets a wounded soldier and it turns out to be Sleep’s very first vessel. She helps him and they end up falling in love. They get married and have 2 kids. Second birth brings her to the brink of death. Sleep turns her into an angel for him hoping to save her. Vel is extremely upset and slowly begins to resent sleep. Is forced into following him through timelines and watches her children die. 

[setagaya-division]

"hello Yorii Kun"-sang Eden Yamamura in all his seductive and joy presence infront of the another siren

Yorii stared at the blonde. he don't trust exactly in the underground musician not only due to his apparently feelings for Elliot. but the different beetwen them. Eden was more flirty and openly seductive (Even sexual) than yorii if the rumors about him in the school were true. besides. Eden said clearly that his true music was for the underground instead the great stages

But the other reason was that like Yorii himself and Mina. Eden didn't feel completely human. Yorii knew about it but ¿What's him?

Eden smiled

"we should try to get along beetwen musician yorii kun"-said him with fun then he gives Yorii a little jewel box with something

Two necklace with a siren theme

Ede looked at Yorii smiling-"i have a "meet" with certain someone one of my lovers so bye "-said Eden with a flirt and amusement voice

But when he thought yorii not could noticed his purple eyes glowed in pink and a light blush appeared on his pale skin

Staring at him a bit suspicious yorii look at the necklaces again. Both looked made of genuine silver or even white gold and the gemstones not looked fakes

When he noticed something in the jewelry box of expensive aspect

"happy birthday siren. like your music even is not my style and...takes this as my own invitation if we face in DRB. I know about your suspicious and i will to say you this

¿How could be a rap battle beetwen a siren and a succubus/Incubus?

P.D:yeah, i bought them with a bit of the money that my last "lover" gave me...don't blame me. After all i'm a succubus. I need it i want or not"

As Yorii sat in his room, he reopened the message box and carefully re-read the message that Eden had left him, so as not to misinterpret anything. He wasn't actually challenging Yorii and his siblings to a rap battle, was he? Even he, for all his charm and wits, couldn't be that dumb, could he?

Aside from the fact that they were on two totally different wavelengths when it came to music, the two of them had different reputations. Eden was known to be a shameless flirt with multiple lovers on the side. While this didn't do much for his reputation, he didn't seem to care, as he seemed to revel in the notoriety his relationships brought him. Yorii was the same, but his flirting was done out of fun and enjoyment. He could appreciate a woman in good clothing, but he had eyes on only one woman.

Besides that, the two of them didn't even move in the same circle. Yorii, he loved being in the spotlight. He loved being on stage, having thousands and thousands of people cheer for him. Eden, on the other hand, despite his reputation, seemed content to stay underground. Why that was, Yorii didn't know. Yorii even volunteered to help Eden get on a real stage with a real audience, but the so-called "succubus" refused. So after that, Yorii didn't bother asking him again.

So despite knowing all that, why exactly did Eden challenge Yorii? The blonde-haired idol didn't know, nor did he care. Perhaps the yellow-haired musician was starting to get a big head, or perhaps this was payback for Yorii interfering when it came to his brother, Elliot. As he stated, he didn't know, nor did he care right now. All that matters was that he threw out the challenge, meaning the ball was now in Yorii's court. As he thought on this, a smirk appeared on his face.

"Alright, Mr. Succubus." Yorii said, as he twirled one of the siren necklaces bequeathed to him around in his hand. "You wish to see the difference between you and I that badly? Have it your way."

As he said, Yorii's hair and eyes slowly started changing, going from his usual blonde-hair and blue eyes, to pink-hair and red eyes, resembling a well-known fashion designer.

"And when I embarrass you on stage, you'll quickly wake up from that pleasant dream you succubi are known to give mortals. ...Only this time, that dream, it will slowly turn into a nightmare. One orchestrated by the Siren."

With that, he threw the necklace he was twirling back into the jewelry box and closed it, before walking out of his room, a smirk still on his dark face.

[avocado-frog]

Happy STS! What's the most nuanced relationship you've written so far?

Happy STS!

if anyone asks I knew what nuanced meant when i got this..

I debated for a while whether to talk about Dylan and Logan or Leo and Jaxon and I decided on Jax and Leo (and elliot sort of) since the other one is a bit spoilery

i am going to ramble i'm sorry in advance

So aside from the obvious flower symbolism, I use a lot of color symbolism for the characters as well. which I hardly ever talk about. Leo's is red, Jaxon's is blue. So now I have my legally obligated Red Themed Character vs Blue Themed character as well as Elliot's color being purple.

Forget me not is divided into three parts, Leo is part one, Jaxon is part two, and Elliot is part three. So now it's red + blue = purple.

dahlia and rosemary don't have the same sort of symbolism like that lmao. that's mostly because I didn't piece it together until a few weeks ago

While Jaxon's theme color is blue, his canonical favorite color is yellow. Leo's is still red. This makes orange, Sam's color. Jax's flower is a (blue specifically) zinnia, Leo's is a black rose. Blue + black would be a sort of navy blue color, for Ryan

Because the foundation of Jax and Leo's friendship was always Leo's brothers. Leo is looking for them when the two meet, Jaxon finds Elliot, Leo finds Sam and Ryan. Almost all of Jaxon's interactions in part two revolve around the triplets- his first scene in part two is with Elliot, the next chapter is with Sam, and chapters 17 and 18 are with Ryan. The chapters he spends with Ryan he also has a scene with Leo. Every chapter with Leo and one of their brothers, Jaxon is either in it or he's mentioned. So the triplets are important to their relationship together etc etc

I actually didn't realize that they started fighting IN forget me not during the last 5 chapters until I needed to reference something the other day. Jaxon is in charge of Elliot for a few hours and when he loses track of him Elliot runs away Lily finds him Leo gets mad at him. (originally jaxon was trying to lose elliot on purpose, leo was going to guess it, and was going to spend dahlia trying to prove it, which was the original reason for jax pushing her)

When Elliot """dies""" at the end (fakeout death #1) is when they start to Actually fight. Leo's mad at Jaxon for letting Elliot outside in the first place, and because he gets back to normal Very quickly (a lie) Jaxon on the other hand isn't mad at Leo, he mostly wants to give her space to calm down and Stop Yelling at Him tm, except unfortunately they're both very easy to provoke. That's a main personality trait for Leo and it's hinted at to be a character trait for Jaxon (mostly in chapter 17 when he almost breaks a carnival game because the clown makes fun of him and when he yells at the kids who pushed Ryan into the lake, it's also mentioned by Logan that he got in fights on his sibling's behalf often) so when Leo starts an argument, Jaxon Will argue back. I kept most of their early arguments vague to give the big one more impact. Because of how close they were in forget me not, they know exactly how to annoy the other in dahlia

The big fight in question is at the end of chapter two, in which Leo does her whole "idk how to handle this situation so I'm out of here bye idiots" because her fatal flaw is that she's chronically unreliable and Will leave and Jax is obviously like "excuse me wtf you can't just. do that" because HIS fatal flaw is that he's loyal and will Not leave and so they fight in the garden (which is sort of important because that's where dylan and cass met and arranged for the groups to meet in the first place) (and i couldn't have them fight in the library. the librarian would get mad) and Leo has him in terms of physical strength so she leaves at the end of it, with Ryan, who was watching

That was April 2019, they don't meet up again until June 2020, so about a full year and two months later. That part where Dylan kidnaps a comatose child and preforms necromancy on him and then they, Ryan, and Ryan's cat get possessed. In Leo's house where she lives. Leo calls Logan in a very "will you please come pick up your kid they are biting me" manner so the others go back to meet up with Leo who is miraculously not possessed (she would win in a fight between herself and three 12 year olds)

Leo and Jaxon's friendship in that particular arc is "I don't want to get possessed and YOU don't want to get possessed so let's briefly not kill each other" Kai and Marcy peace the fuck out of there very fast, Logan is taken out by Dylan first because, then Lily is gotten by Dylan, and Cass by Elliot (something something dylan only attacked their siblings but that's a post for another day) and so then all that's left is Leo, Jaxon, and Sam

Leo gets cornered by Cass and Lily, and Jaxon. leaves. He takes Sam and runs and then Sam is like "hey asshole maybe DON'T do that???" so Jax feels bad and goes back for Leo and then when he gets back to where he left Sam, Sam is gone.

So NOW Leo's mad because ONE he just left her to get mauled to death and TWO now she lost Sam in a building full of possessed children Out For Blood. Jaxon is still mad about the first fight. They go up to the roof because that's the closest area to where Jaxon left Sam and he might've hidden up there.

Halfway up the stairs, they start arguing again. Jaxon's upset because Leo is talking about the others like they're dead and she's being very dismissive about it, and wasn't what she meant but it was how he took it. Leo gets defensive, and now Jax is Going For the Kill. Physical fight Leo wins because she's just stronger than him and is 17 and he's like 15 but in terms of their magic, Leo isn't as good at long range attacks with fire, but Jaxon is better at long range attacks with electricity, so he wins the second one. heavy quotations there lol. what ACTUALLY wins is the force of gravity. Leo loses the fight with Being Alive

and then there's more in rosemary for them but since I haven't finished writing this i don't know what I'll end up taking out yet

[triviareads]

ARC Review of The Cutthroat Countess by Minerva Spencer

Summary:

Josephine Brown, a spy known onstage at an all-female circus for her knife-throwing act as "Jo Blade" has always found it difficult to open her heart to friends and lovers alike. But during a covert mission, she finds herself falling for Elliot Wingate, a spy for the Home Office. For his part, Elliot is immediately smitten with Jo, but knows he has to be careful, particularly as Jo's old family secrets come to light, endangering the both of them...

My review:

I would recommend reading the first two books in the The Wicked Women of Whitechapel series before reading The Cutthroat Countess. Part I in particular touches on a lot of events that need the context of the first book, specifically when the circus members and their love interests are in France to rescue their friends and family. Part I also feels very separate from the rest of the novel; the only thing that connects it to the rest of the book is Jo and Elliot's burgeoning relationship.

And it doesn't take very long for Jo and Elliot to get together (she kills half a private army in Part I, he IMMEDIATELY goes down on her). They're both spies with a "particular set of skills" (well, Jo more than Elliot), and respect one another's competence, which leads to an immediate attraction. However, because of Jo's scattered upbringing (she was always on the run), it's difficult for her to trust or make friends, so Elliot is the one initially doing a lot of pushing for them to be in even a short-term relationship. I thought it was particularly adorable that both their "pining" came in the form of stalking each other before they finally broke during a ball, had sex on a garden bench, and admitted they wanted to be together. After this, their relationship actually feels very domestic; they come home to each other after long days, they share meals and share pets (good old Angus the raven), and have a lot of very relationship-y sex.

The rest of the novel is split between old espionage secrets related to Jo's family being uncovered, and a bit of a My Fair Lady plot as well. Like I said earlier, I would recommend reading the previous books in this series because the plot of the first two books are actually happening somewhat concurrently. So we see Marianne and Sin's rescue and Marianne's societal debut, as well as Guy and Cecile during Guy's grovel-by-getting-repeatedly-shot-at era. Through the course of the book, Jo also opens up more to her friends at the circus, and I thought this was a good continuation of the overall theme of female friendship in this series.

The sex:

Jo and Elliot are a fan of a quickie, in part because of them having sex in the middle of fraught situations (see: Napoleonic France), and also because Jo is afraid of intimacy due to her past. As they get more comfortable with one another, they settles into having more relaxed, relationship sex (though they still seem to favor minimal foreplay). It's well-written as per Minerva's usual, though I think I'd have been happier if there were longer sex scenes overall. I actually think my favorite moment was at the veeeery end when Jo makes Elliot masturbate in front of her in a place they lovingly refer to as the "torture cottage", an unofficial government residence where.... "interrogations" take place. And they deffo sneak off to have sex at the torture cottage afterwards.

Overall:

I enjoyed reading this book; it's a fun continuation of The Wicked Women of Whitechapel series, full of adventure and mystery. I think Jo and Elliot are a more lowkey couple compared to the first two so don't expect much relationship drama or an intense build-up before they admit their feelings for one another. Like I said about The Dueling Duchess, if you're looking to read a something outside of a ballroom romance that's still set in the Regency era, then this is a great choice for you!

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

[kitsun3imp0ster]

OKAY because I realized I FINALLY have to do this...

Here are the character facts for the HOBC crew!

Overall CW due to themes of religious trauma and abuse, injury, death, ETC. Just... sort of overall dead dove: do not eat because they are a fucked up bunch.

Name: Calvin Conner Rogue Age: 23 DOB: 05/17/2000 Favorite color: Black (actually jade green) Magic color (if any): Jade green Any other skills: Survival skills (hunting, creating shelters, etc.), great swimmer Backstory: When he was just 14, his house was burnt down, leading to the death of his mother. In an attempt to save his younger brother, he ended up burning his entire right arm. Despite this, we went on to live a semi-functional life, traveling in and out of foster care before, when turning 20, he finally got a house and got Mark to live in it, along with three other roommates. Three years after buying the house and three years of seemingly paranormal activity, a white clad stranger appeared at his door one day, kick-starting the story. Personality: At times, he can seem stand off-ish and blunt, not being very trusting in people when first meeting them. It really takes a while for him to warm up to people, and when he does, he turns out to be a very emotionally driven person, with a want to help people whenever he can. Flaws: Despite everything, he does have an issue with alcohol, leading to him often crying on someone's shoulder in the middle of the night as he thinks about how he could have changed things. He is an extremely guilt ridden person, and he can't leave the past behind. What they think of the rest of the characters:

Mark, his younger brother, is his entire world. If anything happened to Mark, Calvin would kill.

He sees Lukas as another little brother and is highly protective of him.

He isn't as close to the twins (Eliza and Elliot) as he is everyone else, but he still sees them as close, trust worthy friends.

He's extremely hesitant to stay around Corven for too long, as he gives Calvin a headache.

Lizzie and him will fight the moment they see eachother. Especially if Calvin learned the truth about her.

Name: Mark Rogue Age: 20 DOB: 09/02/2003 Favorite color: Indigo Magic color (if any): No magic Any other skills: Can craft robots very quickly, very talented as an engineer and weapon forging. Backstory: Like Calvin, their house burnt down. After this, while in the foster system, he discovered his love of creation. From here, he became a skilled engineer and artisan within the community. If you need something done, he's the guy to go to. Personality: He's extremely hard working and very proud of anything he creates. He has a natural compassion and a kind personality which makes people attract to him like a magnet. Flaws: He's a major workaholic and will spend days at a time not sleeping because of a single project. Along with that, his compassion can lead to him being too trusting. What they think of the rest of the characters:

He looks up to Calvin quite a bit and one day wants to repay him for saving Mark during the fire.

Like Calvin, he sees Lukas as another brother and won't hesitate to tell people off for being rude to him.

He's great friends with the twins, always making time to help Eliza with his shows and bonding with Elliot over his stories.

Corven sort of freaks him out, but he doesn't mind being around him.

Lizzie will die by his robots, no hesitation.

Name: Lukas Hardwell Age: 19 DOB: 04/04/2004 Favorite color: Red Magic color (if any): Light blue Any other skills: Is shockingly good with a gun. Backstory: Born in Australia, he was soon adopted and sent to America. His adoptive parents were extremely religious and only adopted him so that they could keep up appearances, but his whole life, Lukas was abused. The excuse his parents gave was that he was never following the Bible. Soon enough, he ran away, meeting Mark in the middle of the city park. Mark allowed him to live with the rest of the roommates, covering his part of the rent until he got a job. Personality: He is a timid and easily frightened person, always isolating himself from the world due to his fears. Despite this, he does have moments were he comes out of his shell to protect the ones he cares about. Flaws: He's extremely cowardly and doesn't have much strength, so he is stuck using more ranged attacks. What they think of the rest of the characters:

He sees both Calvin and Mark as his saviors, and he looks up to them quite a lot. He's even began practicing to fix cars because he wants to impress Mark, despite Mark saying that he doesn't have to do that.

He's a little weary of the twins, but tries his best to spend time with them and be nice. He's especially began warming up to Eliza.

Corven scares the living shit out of him.

He was trusting of Lizzie at first, but eventually realized she was a terrible person.

Name: Eliza Hillsborough Age: 26 DOB: 08/20/1997 Favorite color: Neon pink Magic color (if any): Neon pink Any other skills: Can create costumes on the fly, very charismatic, computer nerd. Backstory: Eliza and Elliot (the twins) were raised poor their entire life. Because of this, Eliza set out to find jobs and discovered his love of music and theatre. Though this, he soon became a well known actor in the area, having lead roles in many musicals in the area. Though soon, due to no fault of his, he gained debilitating joint pain and could no longer perform like he wanted to. Despite this, you can still see him in the middle of the city park singing every now and then and doing smaller venues and shows. He also, during this time, turned to game design. Personality: He is extremely charismatic and outgoing, not thinking much of what people think of him. Some may call his outrageous acting and broadway style of song embarrassing, but it's what he loves. Flaws: While some days he'll be perfectly fine, only needed a quick pain relief pill, other days are unbearable and he can't get out of bed. His brother is always there for him though, making sure that no matter how many spoons Eliza has, that he's happy and doing what he loves. He can also be very loud and doesn't do well with stealth missions, as action and moving are his favorite things. What they think of the rest of the characters:

He finds Calvin to be a great acting partner, prompting them to do shows sometimes.

He is forever grateful for all the times Mark has helped him set up his equipment and thinks of him as a very kind man.

Eliza and Elliot are ride or die with eachother, and you can't separate them to matter what.

He thinks of Corven as his muse, creating costumes and art pieces based up him.

He gets a weird vibe from Lizzie and doesn't like to be around her.

Name: Elliot Hillsborough Age: 26 DOB: 08/20/1997 Favorite color: Orange Magic color (if any): No magic Any other skills: Skilled chemist and writer, extremely witty Backstory: While Eliza discovered his love of the arts, Elliot discovered his love of science. He became a chemist, and between experiments he likes to write horror novels. He tends to take inspiration from current goings on. Personality: He is a bit reserved, not being much of a talker unlike his twin. Despite this, he's a very warm person emotionally and is an amazing listener. Flaws: He can get extremely stressed under time limits or during things he can't control. One sudden thing he didn't plan and he's freaking out. What they think of the rest of the characters:

He dislikes Calvin's reliance on alcohol, but doesn't mind being a shoulder to cry on.

Mark and him tend to work on stories together sometimes. Elliot is impressed with Mark's resilience.

He doesn't spend much time around Lukas, but so far he thinks that Lukas seems nice.

Corven is also major inspiration for him, leading both him and Eliza to stand and sit next to him for hours on end both writing and designing.

Elliot hates Lizzie. Simple as that.

Name: Corven Age: ??? DOB: ??? Favorite color: White Magic color (if any): Pearly white Any other skills: Flight, polyglot Backstory: His past is unknown, but it seems pretty obvious if you take one look at him. People assume he's a guardian angel sent down to protect Calvin and the others from the forces of evil that may try to hurt them, though his powers are very limited on earth and even more so in the 7 layers of hell. Personality: He's very... stiff, almost. He's trying very hard to act human but he says it's hard. He doesn't show much emotion and tends to hide his emotions behind a literal mask. Though, then the mask is removed, he is revealed to be a very kind hearted individual. Flaws: Doesn't understand humans are... well, human. He doesn't understand that they get cut, that they bleed, that they die. This leads him to be very disconnected from the other. What they think of the rest of the characters:

He thinks Calvin is reckless.

He thinks Mark is too nice.

He thinks Elliot and Eliza are too close and that they shouldn't get their hopes up for anything.

He thinks Lukas is too naive.

He fucking hates Lizzie.

Name: Elizabeth Age: ??? DOB: ??? Favorite color: Blood red Magic color (if any): Blood red with black highlights. Any other skills: Being the queen of hell. Backstory: Well... She's the queen of hell. Back when Calvin was a child, she got a prophecy from one of her advisors that said 'He with the sword of green shall slay thee, releasing all souls thou hath collected'. When asked further, the advisor showed Lizzie Calvin and said that it was him. Of course, Lizzie burned down his house hoping it would slow him down. It didn't, and one lost demon eventually made his way to earth to warn and protect Calvin and the others. Soon she found out, convincing Lukas to let her possess him. Personality: Sadistic, she gains pleasure off of stealing the life force from humans, turning them into demons so they can work under her. She's extremely charismatic and a natural born deal maker. Flaws: "No flaws" quote unquote, at least according to her. What they think of the rest of the characters:

She hates all of them and wants the entire world to die.

[crowtrobotx]

The set up: I wrote a fic where Chris proposes to Mia... like 3 hours after Ethan dies because in his mind "This gives me an excuse to protect Mia and Rose without anyone asking any questions as we know people are after them." So far, so good! EXCEPT! Ethan had a family. A family that were already a bit frustrated at how Ethan had to suddenly cut them off in weird ways. And Erica had already lost someone to weird government stuff before. When she was about 9, her best friend's family moved to Raccoon City and then suddenly died when it exploded. Erica never got answers so growing up, she spent her time trying to figure out what exactly happened. And the name "Chris Redfield" popped up quite a bit... So she doesn't trust the BSAA, she never trusted Chris and Jill when they showed up to support Mia during Ethan's (Very delayed) funeral. (Cover story was Ethan fell down a chasm while hiking and they never found the body. Erica wonders if Mia murdered him) and because of all this she becomes a reporter. (Elliot is an accountant and a foodie. Never figured out what Ezra did) She gets sent to Paris to do a bunch of journalism at once, including interviewing Claire Redfield. This is also when Mia and Chris' "Honeymoon" arrive in Paris. She obviously never told them, and they never told HER they got married - let alone that it was fake. This drives Mia into having.... a really bad night while Claire tries to smooth things over by taking Rose and Erica out for the evening. Dropping Rose off the next day with Claire and seeing that Mia and Chris were... not as lovey dovey in Paris as one would think, she asks Mia for the Truth. And she gets it. All of it. How her brother was no longer human. how he REALLY died. What Chris was doing. What Rose was. And with that Erica joins the little Conspiracy of Chris, Mia, Claire, Jill, and Leon to figure out who the heck wants Rose, what the BSAA are doing, and why. I'm not very good at creating OC's. I look more for gaps in the story or abilities that they need to fill, and I honestly really like Erica. She's suspicious but not paranoid. She's tough but she listens to things. She plans ahead as much as she can but she goes with the flow too. She got a pet lizard the holiday after Brittany died because her family didn't know what to do and decided presents was SOMETHING and she named the lizard Brittany. She uses her jouranlism skills to help them in the end. (the fic is "As Long As You Should Have Lived" and I wish I had an excuse to go back to the world since I've finished it. But it ends nicely with no need. I do feel like Erica and her family are still kicking around in RE unless Capcom declares Ethan an only child Orphan. While the relationship between Chris, Mia,duty, grief, and guilt is the core of the fic, Erica is her own angle on those themes too. I love her. She also looks like Ethan's female twin for the most part too. Or a 30 year old Rose)

WHAT this sounds so interesting!! I really like this because I think there is a significant lack of information about what on earth happened between RE8 and the SoR DLC (I don't buy the half-assed "explanations" they give in game at all.) Erica sounds so cool, I love her. I am partial to OC's who are reporters (Kris is a journalist in Chrysalis) so I already love her. What kind of lizard is Brittany?? I think creating OC's is genuinely quite hard when working with existing material and it doesn't get appreciated enough. Like, sure, you can just make any guy and shove them into the story, and honestly sometimes that is very fun and turns out well, but having them actually feel like they fit and belong is sometimes a monumental task. I think looking for gaps and someone to fill them is a great strategy! And frankly even if Capcom canonized Ethan being an only child, I would ignore it lol. They are so, so bad at consistency in their own lore and it's borderline comical.

[womanfredvonkarma]

so i finally watched the dead ringers with rachel weisz, and colour me surprised i loved it? maybe bc i started it with super low expectations. but I actually liked the end there much more than the movie

I was incredibly surprised when I liked it, as I also went in with incredibly low expectations. Spoilers for the 2023 show and the 1988 below if anyone wants to avoid them.

I'll be honest: nothing is going to top the original for its fratricide-matricide-suicide setup (I say matricide because of the "abandoning the womb" themes), and as far as the 2023 ending goes, I thought the stinger was unnecessary because it took away most of the delicious ambiguity it had set up. Jeremy Irons lying dead in the lap of also dead Jeremy Irons is an incredible image that rewrote my brain chemistry.

However, the 2023 show is, first and foremost, very fun? Girl Elliot Mantle is a riot. I think she did nothing wrong and should have gotten to put a baby in her sister and have everything she wants forever. But other than that, it's well-made. There are many details that show the writers did their research: the show Cotard is working on being titled Rabid and the scene that shows surgery as a performance both tell us that the show is very Cronenbergian at least in spirit. And the fucked-up eroticism was on point.

Also a surprising strength of the show, but also leading into the differences between it and the movie, is how, unlike in the film where it felt like a very clear tragedy with no victim and no hope, this show made me feel like Beverly was a selfish dick for wanting a life outside of her sister. In real life, she would have a right to her own life, but in the suspension of morality that is Dead Ringers (2023), I just felt that everything would've been fine if she hadn't fucking abandoned Elliot. (This is also partly because I did not like Cotard: she's younger and less intelligent than Claire is in the film, and she can't tell the sisters apart. The latter also sells me way less on her romance with Beverly: in the movie, the crux of it lies in that Beverly needs her because she gives him a sense of individuality. In the show, it kind of felt that Beverly had never appreciated Elliot enough and broke up with her for funsies because there really wasn't anything special about Cotard.) Aside from the rambling parenthesis, it's just amazing how the framing was so deft it got me to fully side with a manipulative, abusive sister. (But she's so tiny and sad...!)

I digress. I love both the show and the movie, but in different ways because they are different stories. I expected to hate the show because I thought they were failing to replicate the movie (any replica of the 1988 movie that makes the twins women will fail because their gender is important to the themes, etc), but they were successfully reimagining and remixing it into something entirely new, kind of like how NBC Hannibal is different from the books and films and both are good in different ways.

All in all, I still favour the film because it has tighter writing and the story just hits me harder (and also because David Cronenberg and Jeremy Irons are irreplaceable), but the show floored me with how good it was compared to my expectations.

[thegoddessprose]

Tag Game

Tag 9 people you want to get to know better. I was tagged by @caesarflickermans (Thank you for giving me something to do for today :p)

Three Ships

I'm also honestly "meh" about a lot of ships lately but surely I could pull a few out.

I guess I'll stay on theme the lovely person who tagged me and list an OC/Canon... Not only that, but my own Plutarch/OC ship:

Plutarch/Chiasa: This was not a planned ship, like at all, I even thought of it as crack in the very beginning because these two seemed so different without any deep dives, but now it's a comfort ship for me. I guess because it is centered around them giving one another hope (For her, that there are people brave enough to fight against the status quo and for him, that there are still a handful of people who are good without an ulterior motive), and that they are each other's safe space in a hellish time. It develops over a fairly short time, but at the risk of sounding cliché, they ended up being what the other lacked and needed in life. I do have an AU where she's actually part of the rebels, and thus they're together for a longer time, but I'll stick to the main story in a nutshell, otherwise we'd be here all day.

Now for some others:

Bensler: I love a good ride-or-die, and Benson and Stabler were it for the first 12 seasons of Law & Order SVU. I loved their relationship, I loved their chemistry, I loved how comfortable they could be with each other, what they were willing to do for one another, like, get someone like that. I was devastated when he left the show, and honestly, it hadn't really been the same since then. I was so hyped when I heard he was coming back, and that they were going to cross paths again. Now, I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of Organized Crime, and killing off Kathy was unnecessary (Like, there were a bunch of ways it could have opened... And they could have just been split up, it's happened before), but it was amazing to see Olivia and Elliot back in the same circle and I'm very excited to see if they get together for real. (I'm behind, don't spoil me)

Hayffie: Honestly, I can't really explain this one. Maybe it was their chemistry in the movies? Or maybe it's the dynamic in general that's interesting to me? Or how hilarious Katniss's reaction to them would be? I don't know, I just like these two together. I guess a few things need to be acknowledged, like Effie's line of work literally being to escort innocent kids to a death match and her being okay with it for who knows how long, but it's hard for to vilify her for it for the same reason it's hard to vilify a good amount of Capitolites; this is all they knew, having propaganda thrown at them left and right, and most were kept unaware about what the Districts were really like. The more Effie learned, it seemed the more she turned to the rebels' side, so in my eyes, maybe it could work, whether it's right after Mockingjay or even a few years ahead.

First Ever Ship

I'd have to say Kataang. This was before I knew what shipping was or even the word for it. I think back then, I just thought it was cute, they meshed together pretty well, and not much else.

The first ship I really got into after finding out what it was had to be TamaHaru. I loved the way they snarked at each other, I loved how they genuinely cared about one another despite poking at each other. It was funny how Tamaki had all this wonder surrounding Haruhi's "commoner" life, and Haruhi growing to like a few things about the bizarre world of rich people. I love how they form a genuine relationship despite their clashing backgrounds and personalities and bring out the best in each other; her bringing him back down to earth for a bit, and him teaching her there's a life outside of the grind and she's allowed to have a joie de vivre. Hell, I love them so much, I have an OC/OC pair that's pretty similar to them.

Last Song

Nowadays/Hot Honey Rag by Renee Zellweger

Last Movie

At the time of this writing, I literally just finished watching Chicago

Currently Reading

Katheryn Howard: The Scandalous Queen by Alison Weir. I wouldn't give it points for historical accuracy, but I like a lot of content relating to the six wives and all around just the way these books are written. I also like how Katheryn is portrayed as naive rather than oversexualized like she seems to be everywhere else... There more than likely was some truth to that, at least.

Currently Watching

Ghosts (CBS). I don't really have the energy for a lot of heavy stuff right now, so I decided to start something a little more lighthearted. I have seen the BBC version, which I enjoyed. I wondered how this would go, what kind of ghosts there would be since the US is a much younger country, and I wasn't disappointed. There are a few things I like better, such as deeper lore on how being a ghost works, the husband not being completely useless, and overall a little bit more character growth. Overall, it's a nice show if you want to laugh and like the idea of historical figures discovering the modern world.

Currently Consuming

I had some chips (Or crisps for the Europeans) a little bit ago, will start dinner in a bit.

Currently Craving

Happiness, at the very least some hype. If we're talking food, seasoned fries and a chocolate shake from Red Robin. The one nearby closed a while ago... Maybe that's why I want it so bad.

Tagging: Whoever wants to do this because most of the people I want to tag have already been tagged :p

[the-haunted-office]

( @crim-crim-crim - Continued from here!)

Thisday doesn't know what Del Perro Pier is but it gets him all excitable anyway. He becomes even more so at the mention of a roller coaster and a ferris wheel. And an observatory! Oh he hasn't been to any of those kinds of places in forever!

He certainly does look overloaded, but with excitement not confusion. "Well hot damn! Who needs Pokemon when you've got roller coasters, ferris wheels, and observatories! I literally can't remember the last time I went to any of those places. Last I remember was going to Worlds of Fun when I was like, I don't know, 20? 21? And I have no clue how long ago that was because time in the offices doesn't like to behave, one minute it's now, five minutes later it's actually a week later. And no it has nothing to do with the fact that I have ADHD and get hyperfixated on things, this is a real, semi-documented phenomena around the offices-"

It would be hard for him to comprehend how quickly things went from "oh shit I broke this dude's stuff" to "oh shit I broke this dude's gun that he may or may not be illicitly selling and I may or may not get capped for it" to "oh shit we're going to a theme park!" were it not for the rapidly changing nature of the offices and the need to be adaptable to go along with it. As it is, he finds this situation to be perfectly suitable to him.

He's about to launch into a series of rapid-fire questions about these places when the elevator chimes and a new person arrives on the scene. For a moment he remains quiet, the energy from his excitement pulsing through him and causing him to need to shuffle his feet a little bit to dispel some of it.

When he hears mention of the broken gun, his face reddens and he sheepishly raises his hand. "Er- sorry, that was my fault. Didn't realize there'd be someone standing right in front of the portal when I stepped through it. I offered to pay for it! Somehow! Not sure how to do that because there isn't really such thing as money where I come from. Or actually, there is such thing as money, it's just that it's utterly useless. Our economy is based more on, uh... well, nothing, actually, haha."

"But yeah, I mean, hello! Yes, I'm Thisday," he says, giving a small wave before going over to shake hands with the box guy. "I mean- helping sell stuff wasn't on my original agenda, but safe to say that's all out the window now, and I don't know how good of a sales guy I'll be but I can sure give it a go! Where there's a will there's a-"

The Day cuts himself off suddenly upon taking in the appearance of 38. There's something deeply uncanny here... He's quite sure he's met this guy already. He looks a bit different, yes, but there's something about his face, the general look of him that's familiar. And his accent... that seems extraordinarily familiar. Had he met Elliot as well as Eisuke he'd no doubt be putting the pieces together a lot quicker here, but because he's missing that first puzzle piece the only answer he can come up with is simple deja vu.

He catches himself staring a looks even more embarrassed. "Sorry, sorry about that, you just um- you just seem a bit familiar, that's all. Maybe you're famous! Been in any movies lately? Ahaha."

[thedreamparadox]

What are your pros and cons of NiD and JoD?

NiD Pros:

Available on Steam and easy to play as a result (especially given that I've seen the game without a manual sell for $100! yikes!)

A-Life system adapts the music to (functionally) how much you accidentally paraloop Nightopians (the game functionally has three tracks for every stage except for Twin Seeds)

Nostalgia

Easy to learn, hard to master gameplay with the link system

Manages to tell a decently coherent story without any words entirely using cutscenes

There are actually hidden things you can find in the free roam sections and it is totally possible (though not easy) to bonk the Alarm Egg to roam more

Saturn version's debug mode turns off the Alarm Egg so you can wander around freely and just vibe (does not work on Steam, requires a Game Shark)

Completely banger soundtrack the entire game through

Pretty much the entire reason that controllers have thumbsticks now

Steam port also has Christmas NiGHTS

Trick ribbons!!!!! Make use of those shoulder buttons (warning: on a lower end pc this will lag your game to hell and back)

NiD Cons:

Completely unintuitive gameplay mechanic required to get the true ending (bonus time REQUIRED and if you don't make use of it your score suffers so much)

The English translation of the story changes and drops details and no one's ever fully translated the jpn manual (some day I will attempt to make progress on my very, very rudimentary attempts at this)

Minimalistic story can be really confusing (more of an issue for younger players who are less used to media that uses little to no spoken dialog aka me at age 7 with no idea what the hell was going on the entire time)

No explanation of gameplay you are dropped into a dreamscape and get mobbed immediately and it is just sheer confusion the whole time if you are going in blind

Steam port's seasonal features don't always work and a bunch of the features from the Christmas sampler (including Sonic Into Dreams) are missing entirely

You really do need the manual to understand a good chunk of what is going on beyond the plot that exists in the cut scenes

JoD Pros:

More accessible to new players, younger players, and people who have no idea how the original worked, or even that it existed. Infinitely more accessible to young gamers than the original

Great soundtrack (the Dream Gate theme is hands down my favorite track in the game)

Voice acting! Reala and Wizeman's put work into making their characters sound intimidating and NiGHTS voice actress exudes sass (within the occasionally clunky script)

The graphics are so good when it comes to the level design

Plot through line with relatable characters and understandable motivations for the kids

Dedicated on foot sections were a neat!

A+ boss design with my only real critiques being Girana's really confusing mustache and Reala's pink nails. Queen Bella for most effective Nightmaren design imo but that's the arachnophobia talking

Motion controls are totally optional and the thumbstick controls work great

On the Wii, which back in the day made it extremely easy for people to play due to how common the console was

Optional collectables have a cool bonus reward (aka being able to play as Claris and Elliot)

JoD Cons:

Owl (specifically his voice clip spam which gets so annoying so quickly)

I really don't enjoy the key chase missions and wish the game let you free roam outside of them more effectively

Bomamba's boss stage tilt table thing

Chamelean's unintuitive boss design

Reala's criminally underutlized in gameplay

Helen and Will not being able to put two and two together about NiGHTS and Reala being related for so long

Some extremely clunky dialog (ie "Go over and touch NiGHTS" which will be memed for all eternity by the fandom)

Character modeling and graphics are off on Owl's feathers and the kids' faces just don't look quite right in some scenes

Issues with plot and pacing (aka pretty much the primary motivating factor to my rewrite's creation in the first place)

The ambiguity of the game's timeline (aka is this a sequel, a prequel, or a soft reboot) but that's a completely personal gripe

My Dream. I LOVE the concept of it and loved playing the same levels repeatedly to try and shift the landscape but its inconsistency of what effected what got added, as well as Nightmaren drawn in by paraloops having to be manually taken out before they eat any Nightopians severely disincentivized paralooping in stages as an enemy removal tactic. That, and the stage never seemed to graduate beyond "grassy flat field" minus the occasional shallow water feature or hill

The ending's focus on the yellow Ideya just vibes so weird to me

Personas were kind of a weird inclusion that I wish the devs would have had a lot more time to utilize

Awakers are weird and I get the three count thing but the Alarm Egg was iconic. Annoying, yes, but iconic, I don't really get its removal.

Despite the wall of cons for JoD, both games are good for their own reasons!