#but I think overall there are a bunch of stories concerning the rest of the cast members and the season is more or less balanced?

[jone-slugger]

Unpopular opinion, but I don't feel Voyager s.6 is so Doctor/Seven-centric as people say? I'm probably completely wrong but this is entirely based off of ✨️vibes✨️

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I interpreted the "adaptation from the manga" thing to imply that they'll animate the 3 Yuus (like you said) but my partner proposed smth to me that raised my concerns... what if they only animate Yuuka? or like- default to a female Yuu? I could see that bc it would be probably easier for them to have only one protagonist.

don't get me wrong I like Yuuka and I know a lot of TWST fans are women but since the studio involved is apparently known for shojos I'm scared they'll make it seem like the story is romantic/the game is an otome... Which I mean- we do have SOME fanservice stuff but it's definitely not a romance story. That's why I'm scared 😭 if they do go that path... I much rather prefer the disconnection (?) of having 3 different Yuus than the possibility of this...

Also I'm just 🥲 I'm scared ppl will see that and say ahhh So Yuu has always been a woman!! Because as a trans guy, one thing that rlly made me feel valid in a way was seeing that in the game Yuu has no gender at all... I don't go by they/them but I'd much rather be referred as that than to be misgendered. It's a small thing but it's such an important detail for me (the fact that Yuu is gender neutral/can be whatever u want them to be) that it being erased in the anime would make me pretty sad... even more if ppl take the anime as "confirmation" of Yuu's gender, which it wouldn't be regardless if they end up giving us a girl OR guy Yuu- it would just be another Yuu interpretation different from the game.

But yeah, personal stuff aside, I'm more scared by the possibility of them making it seem like it's a romance story 😭 or ppl calling TWST an otome... which I mean... some people already have that misconception, even some fans...

[Referencing this post and this news!]

I definitely think they're probably leaning towards a new Yuu every season; otherwise, there would be a very uneven distribution of screen time for one Yuu over the others, and that leads into the problem of one Yuu being "more" canon than the rest. Yes, it will probably be easier logistically speaking to keep the same Yuu for the entire anime--but I also said the same thing when we only had the Episode of Heartslabyul manga, and look what happened with that. We ended up getting Yuuka and Yuuta following Yuuken, regardless of the logistical inconvenience of it all. I think if the anime intended to have a singular Yuu to follow for the main story, they would have chosen to adapt the light novel (which has Yuuya across multiple volumes) instead of the manga. The conscious decision to adapt the manga (with changing Yuus) says something to me. So really, I don't think we have to worry about one "kind" of Yuu dominating the anime. I took a look at the portfolios of the two studios collaborating for the Twst anime and didn't see a ton of shoujo myself. There was definitely a handful of them, but overall there was a spread of genres. I think Yumeta Company (one of the studios) has Tokyo Mew Mew New under its belt, which is probably one of its better-known works and maybe that's where the "they're known for doing shoujo" allegations are coming from? Don't quote me on that, though. I'm not someone who closely follows anime studios.

I would, however, like to point out that we shouldn't put all our stock into the studios behind the anime. Yes, they are obviously animating the project and thus have an influence on how the final product is. However, there are tons of other people involved (like the script writer) that will dictate how the anime looks and feels. (In fact, the script writer for the Twst anime, Kato Yoichi, is not known for writing shoujo.) I highly doubt all the staff involved at every possible level of production are conspiring to make Twst a genre it's not. (Related: I blame socialization for this, but it's a little sad that most of us by default think one woman + a bunch of men in a cast must be romantic.)

Now, to your main point. I understand the initial fear of people misunderstanding Twst as a dating sim/otome from how it is presented. Really, I do. I also understand the frustration that comes with people claiming Yuu's identity or gender or what have you is "confirmed". But to that, I ask you: so what? And I don't mean that in a "your feelings aren't valid" way (because your feelings are very valid!) I mean in like... Do these misconceptions others have truly impact your own enjoyment? Do the people believing in these falsehoods erase what you know is the truth? I would wager it doesn't. There has been and always will be those who see Twst or interpret Yuu as something they are not. Lots of us (myself included) thought Twst was an otome game when they first heard of its concept. People claimed Yuuken was the definitive Yuu when the first chapter of the manga dropped. That's fandom, especially the larger they get. If we fixate on those sore spots, it will ultimately make us unhappy because there will never be an end to misunderstandings. I would advise that you try and detach from those worries and just focus on having your own fun in the fandom rather than worrying about how others are consuming or reacting to Twst. Yes, we want Twst, a franchise we've seriously been invested in and love, to be seen a certain way--but I don't think that should come at the cost of your enjoyment. Fandom is meant to be fun, and we don't want to make ourselves miserable by stressing over the "what ifs", you know? Please focus on yourself!!

[lemon-natalia]

Nona the Ninth Reaction - Chapter 17

only nearly 50% of the way through this book and we’re already on day four. and the description that ‘Hot Sauce draws her gun’ on this day is very ominous

‘That fucking shuttle’ Palamedes i am not as smart as you, i am both very concerned and totally clueless about what Palamedes realised about the shuttle. i guess my main theories are Pyrrha has either been taken/went willingly for some unknown reason to the Emperor’s shuttle, or she’s been taken into BoE custody for some reason??

from We Suffer’s perspective i guess it makes sense that she wants Nona to be Harrow, because despite their overall perspective on necromancy, having a Lyctor who could actually help them fight against the Houses could be incredibly helpful for BoE. at least i hope its that because Harrow did help kill an awful lot of planets in the last book, and i imagine some of BoE might want revenge

ohhhhmfg Pal and Cam’s situation is so tragic. Palamedes has technically survived but from his perspective he’s doing exactly what he rejected so firmly in GtN, killing her. this is just cruel 

and for all my theorising about Nona i didn’t consider what Pal suggests here, that Nona’s some kind of full soul merger of Harrow and Gideon. for starters i think its unlikely, given Nona has her similarities but is very different in many unique ways to both of them. and on a more personal level i just hope thats not the case because i like my character’s souls unmerged please and thank you

i wonder if Nona’s going to be able to do something about the RB eventually, given she seems to be able to understand it. also describing it as ‘low[ing] sadly, like a cow’ feels like a very pointed comparison given John apparently killed a whole bunch of cows a couple chapters ago. i mean i have no clue what the fuck it could mean or why but it feels significant 

i’m still very intrigued as to whose side the Angel is on. based on her story here she’s clearly not associated with the Houses, but that doesn’t necessarily mean she’s with BoE either. she’s kind to Nona and a good teacher to the kids seemingly but i still think she’s suspicious and don’t fully trust her 

the absolute irony of John’s motivations apparently being to save the Earth and everyone from climate change, only to years later be killing planets and using them for mining 

‘An interesting group, your family’ ohhh shit, first Hot Sauce and now the Angel seem to be taking note of the strangeness of Nona’s situation. and i’m curious whats up with Hot Sauce and the Angel’s relationship, what with her having already told Hot Sauce the survival advice she gives the rest, and Hot Sauce being so determined to look out for her. i wonder if Hot Sauce has confided in the Angel about Nona’s cut not healing, and thats why they seem suspicious of Nona’s family here

oooh is Nona’s drawing that seems to disturb the Angel an awful lot her drawing her dreams, of Gideon maybe?

oh the kid’s plan and swearing this oath is going to go so so badly. i feel like there’s no way they’re not gonna find out Nona’s related to necromancy sooner rather than later

wtf Hot Sauce is very ruthlessly practical about Born in the Morning’s dads being ‘baggage’. its  hard to believe she’s roughly the same age as Jeannemary was in GtN. like don’t get me wrong, Jeannemary went through an awful lot but she and Isaac were also ‘annoying teens’ in the way Hot Sauce really hasn’t gotten to be 

[kitsmits]

OK so...after the last one I decided to ask a few more questions on Mono no Aware (hope I'm not disturbing😖)

• Is Kaede more of a cat or dog person?

• do you think she has a motherly nature for those younger than her?

•how do you think the gotei 13 acted on her and Aizen's marriage?

•and lastly, is kaede somehow involved in making ichigo a group project?

Hope you're doing well. And I'm seriously too excited for the next chapter.

Thank you 💞

It’s no bother at all! I love talking about my stories and characters and thrilled you’re asking :) Let’s see what I can answer here…

I see Kaede as more of a cat person. She travels too much to really have a pet, but if/when she comes across stray kitties, I could see her stopping to pet, feed, and cuddle them 🥰 Not that she doesn’t like dogs, just cats are smol and fuzzy and also *I* have cats so there you go, lol!

Motherly nature toward those younger than her: A bit. Like…she gets protective of younger people because of how she grew up; she wouldn’t wish her upbringing on anyone. She wouldn’t really know what to do *as* a mother and has a hard time seeing herself in that role, but she does feel very protective of younger folk and doesn’t like seeing them getting tangled in the shit adults tend to cause.

I'm going to put the rest under a cut, since the answers got a bit lengthy!

I’m guessing you mean the Gotei members at the time they got married initially? It’s gonna seem like a dull answer, but for the most part, no one really cared. (Edit: Ironically, this has become the longest answer of the bunch.) Aizen wasn’t even a lieutenant yet, so while high ranked and clearly talented, he was fairly unknown at the time. At most, people probably saw him marrying the “Child of the Catastrophe” as a pity move on his part - like, “look how good and generous etc he is.” Some might have been baffled by it, unable to understand why such a promising young man would hitch himself to someone who was, in their minds, undeserving. Which, of course, is part of what Aizen wanted: the marriage was as much a way to bolster his own public image as anything else. Higher-ups in the Gotei (other captains and such) didn’t think much of it at the time. Yamamoto didn’t care, so long as they were both still functioning Shinigami; if anything, he’d have become more supportive of the marriage after the fact because it DID help Kaede’s overall image among other Shinigami, which meant less chance of discord among the ranks. Like it or not, a woman getting married had undertones of that woman somehow becoming part of the husband, but not vice versa; even if people weren’t thinking about that explicitly, it was something many implicitly took for granted. Oh, the Child of the Catastrophe is now someone’s wife? Guess she’s not so much of a freaky boogeymen after all. Outside of/tangentially to the Gotei, there was a bit more attention on the marriage. Obviously Central 46 had to approve the arrangement, because they saw Kaede more as property and a dangerous tool than as a person, but they were persuaded that this would be beneficial (or at least neutral) in the long run. Their main concern was keeping control over her autonomy and making sure her loyalties stayed firmly with them Soul Society. Certain noble families did take note. The Tsunayashiro, for example, had their eyes on her behind the scenes for a long time, which Urahara and Yoruichi were aware of. I didn't really get to explore this subplot much beyond the brief Tokinada bit, since I didn't want to completely derail the pacing, but there was a bit of a political tug-of-war over who'd "get" Kaede back when she first appeared as a child. The Shihoin wound up with dibs thanks to Urahara's friendship with Yoruichi and their quick actions, being the ones to first advocate for Kaede's life, but the Tsunayashiro clan was ready and willing to "adopt" her early on. If that had happened, Kaede would've grown up as a member of their clan in name, likely subjected to experimentation and/or an arranged marriage with someone in their bloodline in an effort to breed high-powered offspring...yeah. Not only would they have a potential powerhouse at their disposal, they'd also have more political leverage. Like...imagine if Kaede was a nuclear weapon. If a single clan adopted her, they'd have the codes to said nuke. It would create an imbalance of power among the 5 founding clans, and that was...less than ideal. Likewise, letting Kaede marry into any of the clans would've been politically unsettling, for most of the same reasons. Sooooo her marrying a no-name, "normal" Shinigami was the safest route, as far as C46 was concerned. She remained their "property," unaffiliated with any particular clan. They got to keep their nuke. Okay I'mma stop there with that answer, cuz it already got long and I'm afraid it strayed from your actual question! Moving on...

Is Kaede somehow involved with making Ichigo a group project...I'm guessing you mean, is she somehow involved in Aizen's whole "I basically created you" thing with Ichigo? If so, then no. By the time Ichigo's parents meet and Aizen is experimenting with the Hollow White, Kaede has already been "dead" for over half a century.

I hope that answers everything! Feel free to ask anything else :)

[ineffable-endearments]

This is not meta, I'm just venting boringly and feeling very sorry for myself YET AGAIN lol. Season 2 spoilers.

If I'd known for sure. For the past two years. If I'd had a vague idea. "Season 2 will end on a big cliffhanger." "Season 2 will end in a bit of a dark place." "Season 2 is gonna be a tough one."

I'd have experienced some sadness and disappointment on hearing that news, but it would have happened slowly, over time. I'd trade away a few of the deliriously excited moments I've had over the past couple of years in order to soften what I'm feeling now. Of course, that would go against many fans who would have wanted to be totally unspoiled, and it wasn't the way Neil and the rest of the creative team wanted to tell the story, so that's okay. I accept it and can't blame anyone for how they approached it.

Like I said, I did know that act 2 of 3 usually ends with a massive flare-up of conflict. But I'm not a professional storyteller; knowing that fact in the abstract didn't keep me from wondering if maybe you could get around that somehow, or if maybe it could be...mitigated.

Rob did say "it will break your heart." That definitely put me on the alert a bit. But since it wasn't particularly corroborated by anyone else, it was easy for me, in an excited and hopeful state, to wonder if maybe he was talking about something that happens mid-season.

Intellectually, I KNOW how good this development could be for the overall story. I know. I know. But it doesn't fix the uncanny sadness of losing a favorite fantasy - losing something that only ever existed in my head, that is technically still there but feels changed now by this knowledge.

Almost nothing ever seems to get my blood pressure up in a way that I'm conscious of - but this season does. Sometimes, when thinking about it or worrying about the future, I can feel my heart start to pound and the blood rushing up the sides of my throat. Even now, two days later.

What's more, I'm realizing that I am just not very good at catching certain details. I didn't even notice, for example, that Aziraphale and Crowley were on the opposite sides from where they usually are during the ending credits. I completely missed a number of plot threads that were left hanging and didn't even notice a bunch of dialogue that is demonstrably bizarre. I was hoping to do more analysis and probably will continue to do it anyway because I can't help it, but it doesn't feel great knowing that I might be wrong about most things because I am maybe just not that good at analysis.

These characters, Aziraphale and Crowley, really do feel like two halves of me. And I'm stuck with all these massively strong, frankly irrational feelings about where they were left off, fractured.

It's weird having big feelings about this because people in real life don't get it, and they would not be totally unreasonable to wonder why I can't just compartmentalize and let go. My partner and family have been incredibly sweet, have never belittled me for feeling strongly (about anything), and have in fact been very reassuring. But I'm still aware that they would be a bit bemused and maybe concerned if I voiced the continued intensity of my feelings to them.

Anyway. That's what I'm doing here. If you've somehow read to the end, thanks.

[valiant-portabella-pirkko]

so, I played through the remainder of the expansion and the new meta. I want to take some time to put my full impression together, but first I'll give some thoughts below the cut.

realistically? I think it's about what I expected, and arguably the best-case-scenario given what the rest of the releases have been.

I'm gonna say something controversial.

I don't think them leaving plot threads open here is necessarily a bad thing. I actually would rather they did that than rush it and hurry up to close up everything 'neatly' in a way that was littered with plot holes and butchered characterizations. it's a lot easier to pick up where they left off than to have a bunch of REALLY atrocious, frustratingly contradictory writing that they then have to either retcon or ignore later. additionally, they killed off a LOT less characters than I was expecting, and that leaves many doors open.

my biggest concern had been them killing off a bunch of characters in really cheap ways just to get rid of them and/or build up Eparch as a more serious threat, and I'm glad they didn't go that route. that's not to say I dislike character death, but I only like it when it's done well and feels consistent with the characters involved. (Blish, Tonn, and Almorra all come to mind as really good examples there)

I'm gonna say something else controversial, too.

I don't think we've seen the last of Zojja, nor do I think she's entirely lost her memories-- and I also don't think this is the last we'll see of the Wizards, either. there's a LOT of little moments where she slips up and calls us the Commander still, even at the very end, despite her having ascended after they've switched titles to the Wayfinder. if she really had no memories, calling us Wayfinder would be what comes more naturally to her because that's what everyone else is doing. now whether they'll dig into the implications of this later or not I can't say, but I do think it's OPEN for them to do so at a later time, especially with all the very obvious weirdness of the Ward.

I strongly suspect that this could be the beginning of a much larger arc; whether that will be the case or not I can't say, but there's a lot of little hints scattered around the epilogue that tie Wizard stuff into other plotlines we could explore. on top of that, the Commander still has the Heart of the Obscure, and they vanished for months. while Isgarren currently seems determined to keep the Ward a secret, I don't think he's necessarily going to have a choice in the matter. there's also the question of Waiting Sorrow and what she was up to; I very strongly suspect we'll be learning more about her eventually. if that's the case, that may be where we finally really see all the uncomfortable details among the Wizards come to a head. the setup is definitely there to do more and I would personally welcome that.

now all that said, I will also say: it's obvious there are issues.

I won't say I love the state SotO is in, but I don't hate it. it's not great, but it's also not horrible. OVERALL, I still enjoyed playing and I don't regret buying it. I would have had some buyer's remorse if I nabbed the higher priced bundles, but I didn't because I was anticipating it being a lot less than previous expansions. kind of a shame that my guess was right, but it is what it is. personally, most of the value of the expansion for me comes from the features that came with it, and the open world metas are actually pretty decent imo.

there's clearly a drastically reduced emphasis on story instances, and it makes me sad if that's going to be the precedent moving forward. it doesn't terribly surprise me though with how many people on the forums etc would complain about doing story and beg to skip it all, even back when it had a lot more going on. if their time and resources are limited, it makes sense to put them into things that the most players will get more mileage out of-- open world, new mechanics, mastery lines, weapon specs, and so on. it's a shame, but I get it.

I'll probably talk a lot more about this at a later time, but while this expansion was nowhere near the level of previous ones, imo it's much less a matter of being bad and more that there's just not enough there for it to be good. it has some really great moments, but there aren't enough of them to carry the rest. it's just... okay. which, ultimately, is survivable, at least in the short term. it has done severe damage to the trust of its players though, and that's something they're going to have to work very, very hard to earn back.

anyway, that's just my take. do with that what you will.

[variousqueerthings]

Do you think that’s how Spring begins? With a group message on tree facebook?

it's the last of our non-finale episodes and we are watching "In The Forest Of The Night." do you get the feeling that Clara is maybe... kind of unhinged? (I say currently watching the next episode, but also there were hints)

sexism rank objectification (female character is ogled/harassed/turned into a sex joke by the doctor and/or a lead we’re supposed to root for and/or the camera): 10/10

sexism rank plot-point (lead female character is only there to serve plot, not to have her emotional interiority explored, or given agency to her emotional interiority): 7/10

interesting complex or pointlessly complex (does the complexity serve the narrative or does it just serve to be confusing as a stand-in for smart, this includes visually): 5/10

furthers character and/or lore and/or plot development (broader question that ties into the previous ones, at least two of these, ideally three should be fulfilled): 5/10

companion matters (the companion doesn’t always have to be there, but if the companion is there, can they function without the doctor– and overall per season how often is the companion the focus or POV of the story): 5/10

the doctor is more than just “godlike” (examines the doctor’s flaws and limitations, doesn’t solve a plot by having it revolve entirely around the doctor’s existence): 8/10

doesn’t look down on previous doctor who (by erasing or mocking its importance, by redoing and “bettering” previous beloved plotpoints or characters, etc.): 5/10

isn’t trying to insert hamfisted sexiness (m*ffat famously talked a lot about how dw should be sexier multiple times, he sucks at writing it): 7/10

internal world has consistency (characters have backgrounds, feel rooted in a place with other people, generally feel like they have Lives): 6/10

Politics (how conservative is the story): 6/10

FULL RATING: 65/100 (if I can count….)

for an episode with so many child-actors in it, I don't haaate it. it's certainly giving more hope than many this season. I also note that this season has a lot of episodes with the main thread being "the Doctor misjudges the situation."

Into the Dalek the Doctor is compelled to "turn the Dalek Good Again," Robot of Sherwood and Robin is not a robot, Listen and the Doctor is making a whole bunch of misconceptions, Time Heist and it's the Doctor's heist, Kill the Moon and he misreads Clara, Flatline and he's hoping the creatures are good, and now this... the main point is that many of these misjudgements last for almost a whole episode

I feel like that's interesting, and done enough to be on purpose

OBJECTIFICATION: seriously, are we free of this? at last???

PLOT-POINT: Clara makes a choice to leave the Doctor to die along with the rest of humanity, and also there's a lot of her and Danny's relationship in this and Is Danny Ill-Used By Clara? I don't mean that as a "is Clara #Problematic" (because as we'll see next episode and have had hinted all season, Clara is a bit unhinged actually)," but more "is Danny's relationship with Clara something where she sees him as an extension of herself, rather than as his own person, and does she play games where she can keep control of every situation, which has been said in other episodes about her"

when Danny calls out that she's been lying to him, when she tries to compel Danny onto the Tardis, when he ends up giving her another chance to explain herself on her terms, etcetc. that's the real 👀👀👀 of the episode

because the "I don't want to be the last of my species" is eh, whatever, seriously if you genuinely think the earth is about to end you bundle those pre-teens onto that spaceship and deal with the trauma of losing their parents later as far as I'm concerned

COMPLEXITY: I like trees. trees like us. ignore the CGI animals. good trees. gosh I'm tired. trees. there's a bit of silliness about how trees feature in all your scaaaary fairytales, which wasn't really necessary in my opinion, and is this thing that happens so often in M*ffat era of trying to make everything into a story within a story, even when it definitely Is Not, but apart from that

trees

it does have a whole thing about a kid who hears voices and it turns out it's her disappeared sister who maybe got briefly swallowed by the trees but then comes back at the end? unclear, may have been silly not to notice what was going on there, but fairly sure this wasn't entirely explained

CHARACTERS/LORE/PLOT: the Doctor's hearts grew three sizes that day, because he was schooled by some kids (genuinely enjoyed that)

the Doctor also is seeing that Clara genuinely really likes Danny... I know the word "love" has been bandied around, I'm not sure they're quite there in my head, but fuckit, they've had episodes that show them places. they went on a date. there's clearly stuff happening beyond what we see. I'll take it

and seeing that Danny ain't all bad

also Clara... may be unhinged. more on that next time!

Missy was there again... I was saying "Missy" until this point because ooooh who could it be -- but from now on we're going Master, fuck this noise. The Master. none of that "Missy" nonsense. The Master is there being like oooh interesting

COMPANIONS MATTER: this one's really about the kids doing stuff, and that's fine. I... am a grouch about kids in this era, because there's a lot of episodes with kids in the Tardis and this is fully a show for kids, but so often they're just not well-written and there's definitely some Stuff like that in here, but for the most part this lot are chill

I have a question about how this particular school is going to have a bunch of kids convinced they've been in a spaceship and what that'll do to them (like how Love & Monsters is about a man who met the Doctor as a kid and it changed his whole damn life), but eh

Clara is there. as a teacher. she sort of does some teachery things. neither her nor Danny initially notice that they're missing a kid which is wild, but I'll let it slide

Clara makes a very particular choice about "not wanting to live without her species" where it's all about saving the Doctor, because the kids would rather see their parents than... not die, which goes on the list of frankly bonkers things this show has had Clara do. Really Clara? as their current caregiver, you'd not save them from heat death because they'd be sad about their parents? is that... hmmm.....

“GODLIKE” DOCTOR: the Doctor gets it all wrong in this one and then the episode kind of ends

this is a bit of the downside of this style of writing -- the Doctor isn't particularly proactive in a couple of these episodes. the balance is a little off. I would have liked to have seen a bit more idk. we've communicated with the trees or something

make the trees more central as characters in a way, drop the CGI wolves and have there be more of an investigation. a lot of this episode was a bit passive

thiiiiis episode though has the Doctor echoing words in Kill The Moon, and rephrasing them: "This is my earth too, I walk your earth, I breath your air" -- I don't think we've had real development between these episodes for the Doctor to reach this conclusion, but I like it on its own. I think that's a wider issue with season 8 which is that the overarching character development of it is... poor. but that's not this episode's issue, so much as an overarching problem

maybe should make a season recap...

PREVIOUS DOCTOR WHO: there's not much in this one. stands alone. Idk I kind of think this one could have benefited from a bit of connection, there's something very flee-floating about this episode, where it's sort of talking about ostensibly grand themes of survival of humanity, but you're sitting there the whole time going "yeah but earth's not really threatened and it's not quite... about anything"

and I think if it had somehow given some more context, given it a bit more grounding in the lore, so the free-floating stuff wasn't totally on its own, it would have worked better

“SEXINESS”: SERIOUSLY ARE WE FINALLY FREE!!!?? there's this one suspect line where a kid is like (paraphrased) "of course Mr Pink and Ms Oswald like each other they keep arguing," which made me squint. Oh kids, don't take in that alloromantic, het nonsense!

INTERNAL WORLD: listen, a Doctor Who episode going "and then everybody will forget" is fine enough I guess. better than just letting "and then the earth was covered in trees" hang there, although if one were to be pedantic (watch me) one might point out that suddenly appearing trees would have done some wild things to places that would have gotten people killed, and so I don't think it would be quite so possible to just... forget

it's very much a fairytale in that it doesn't explain much on purpose, but it doooes have a bit of cop out, especially since M*ffat era uses this as an excuse to undermine the lore in his own era constantly. this episode feels a bit more like it's intentionally a fairytale, but... it's been a looong M*ffat era and there's still more to come

POLITICS: this episode has an odd thing about a girl who "sees" things and "has fits," and it's actually for a scifi reason, which doesn't age greaaat as a concept -- he basically says that if a child is speaking, you should listen, which is great, I see the purpose of it, but also is one of those tropes of "psychopathy/hallucinations are actually the universe telling you things" which, I mean, I get how it got there on this show, hopefully is aged out now

it does have stuff about please be nice to trees, because trees are great! but also again, this is a very free-floating episode, and while it is for kids, I think it needed to just. have some kind of grounding somewhere

gosh I love trees though

FULL RATING: 65/100 (if I can count….)

I feel a bit inverse about this one to "Flatline" in that the more I think about it, the more holes poke out and the less it works as a story. It's a bit unformed, a bit rambling, and while I like the idea of there being no threat, except the one humanity creates, it's kind of undercut by other episodes in which there is very much a threat! also the trees could have felt like characters, but didn't really

it scans a bit like a last minute entry, kinda like how Fear Her back in s2 has good moments, but is soooo unpolished

I mean, I don't hate it. I don't think it totally works, but as you see in this rating it's not making me foam at the mouth or anything

and that puts us... at finale time! of s8!

[archer3-13]

i've played ffxiv, recently beat heavensward too. the answer then, is that... its complicated but to run down nidohogg and his situation [in the context of heavensward] spoilers obviously

humans et all and dragons were buddy buddy thousands of years in the past and lived in a cool amazing advanced cloud city. there was even [probably] dragon human fucking as hraesvalgar, another dragon and nidohoggs brother, had a human lover.

as humans live short lives however compared to the effectively ageless and super powerful dragons, they got extremely jelly of the power of dragons. this culminated in hraesvalgar becoming a dragon neet/recluse and, more importantly to the story, an elezen [elf] king named thorndarch conspired to and successfully killed ratatoskr the sister to nidohogg and hraesvalgar. thorndarch did so to loot ratatoskrs eyes and... i think eat them for power.

nidohogg, who always disliked humans and being rightfully fucking pissed at the situation goes on the murderous attack rampage against thorndarch and his followers, said followers being less dickish but overall complacent in the affair, and a big ol battle ensued. thorndarch and a healthy chunk of his followers got killed, but his son poked nidohoggs eyes out and they thought the big dragon was dead. the son goes on le epic penance quest, a bunch of the others go live humble lives, and only four of them remain to found the nation of ishgard as its four main noble houses, fully intent on making sure the whole affair remains buried in the past out of shame of their actions.

nidohogg is very much not dead however, just missing his eyes which were effectively stolen. not in a good mood or mental state at this point, he crashes at hraesvalgars place and demands one of his brothers eyes so he can go and wrack a thousand year revenge on the humans who killed their sister [dragons have a different sense of time scale compared to humans]. hraesvalgar being both a wet blanket and also upset about his sisters death agrees and gifts nidohogg one of his eyes.

nidohogg then proceeds to orchestrate the dragonsong war, a thousand year forever war perpetual conflict with ishgard meant to torment them as long as possible, all well fully immersing himself in feelings of bitterness, vengeance, rage, despair, misery, and all around unhealthy feelings to the point that hes basically completely lost his fucking mind even before he dies during the main story and comes back as a ghost possessing estinien [long story there].

meanwhile ishgard devolves into a highly paranoid highly militarized religious theocracy with a secret police styled inquisition rooting out any suspected 'heresy' no matter how thin, with a highly stratified class system to boot all in the name of fighting their forever war, which was rewritten by the religious state as a war of self defence and exodus looking for a new home against viscous evil dragons attacking them because all dragons are inherently evil and animalistic per the states official doctrine. hence turning the whole affair into a righteous holy war.

the story of heavensward is concerned with rooting through ishgards dirty laundry and the truth of the dragonsong war, along with trying to find a non violent solution to the conflict both because ishgard is pretty much completely spent by the war and incapable of winning by conventional means, and also because the rest of the nations of eorzea are stuck in a protracted conflict with an evil magitek using expansionist empire and could really use what help ishgard can muster if it wasn't so busy with the dragons.

the ultimate result of all this is that the secrets of the dragonsong war are exposed, a corrupt megalomaniac human archbishop is exposed and defeated before he can fuck everything up, nidohogg is killed once and then effectively mercy killed in a second confrontation because he can't stop trying to kill all humans, an alliance is made with hraesvalgar after getting that neet off his ass, and ishgard is reformed into a republic and the church separated from the state though the church remains an institution and starts grappling with reforms of its own doctrine.

so. that brings us to nidohogg. is he vilified by ffxiv's narrative? i wouldn't say so no, as there are plenty of moments where sympathy is cast towards nidohogg and his actions. hraesvalgar is outright reluctant to confront his brother because he shares in his grief over their sister and admits he wanted to vicariously punish humans through nidohoggs rage. nidohoggs rage and grief are firmly portrayed as genuine and justified in what brought them about, and firmly remain his motivation for why he acts the way he does. theres no ulterior motives at play here, hes lashing out in grief over the death of a family member and its presented as the tragedy it is both in terms of writing and in terms of presentation. thorndarch and his actions are noted firmly power hungry and fear motivated, cowardly and dishonourable for a nation that values knights and honour, an original sin as it were that the people of ishgard were responsible for, and which informs so much of the nations modern problems and crimes. and finally and perhaps most importantly, estinien the character directly possessed by nidohogg? before possession he was a firm dragon racist/sceptic who had dedicated his entire life to rage, hatred and vengence against the monster nidohogg who had taken his entire family and village from him. after possession? he outright states he and nidohogg were similar people, utterly consumed by rage and despair to the point of blindness and self destruction, and that he just feels sadness and tired now after the whole affair. that he just wants to rest.

what nidohogg is, is held to account for his own actions. his grief and rage are justified in nature, but his own actions cross the line in tormenting a people by and large unaware of their own sin for countless centuries. and when presented with an olive branch opportunity for peace, to stop what hes doing, he turns it down on multiple occasions because hes too consumed with loathing at that point, only able to find a measure of peace in a true death. much to the sadness of his own kin and even to the player and their associated characters.

a lot of ffxiv's storytelling revolves around how... situations aren't always clear cut and that the right thing or the moral thing don't always overlap. the beastmen tribes summoning evil gods to brainwash people and who are empowered by sacrificial offerings for instance, are still given a sympathetic understanding of why their doing the things they do. of vicious cycles of retaliation and fear, the desire for protection and security against a hostile war, and broken promises and aggression from the humans that helped start these conflicts to begin with. even the evil magitek empire, comically evil as it quite often is have sympathetic courses to a lot of their actions. reasons why its characters would do and believe as they do outside of just being comically evil.

heavensward and the situation revolving around nidohogg can thus be said as an expansion of those themes and ideas.

Hi. I was curious and wanted to know if you ever played Final Fantasy XIV or are aware of its story. And if yes, what your feelings about Nidhogg are, who is in the story a dragon who is fighting mortals for the betrayal and murder of his sister. As he is fairly vilified by the game itself, I would love how you think about this story if you ever happened to play it, due to your very pro-dragon stance in Fire Emblem.

I've never played any of the Final Fantasy games but man that description of Nidhogg makes me go 👀

But I can't really give an opinion on it 😔

[djarrex]

So I was wondering, how was rex and reader first kiss, and also the first time they’d slept together? I loved that story about how they met!! I’m genuinely curious

!!Yessssss :’)

Ok, so for anyone who hasn’t read their first meeting/first date, I’ll link it here. Previously, I had included a little bit of their first date in one of the main installments/chapters as a flashback scene during Priya’s birth and you can find that here.

Find the rest in the Post-Order 66 Rex ML

I’ll pick this up from when they’re riding in the taxi on the way to reader’s apartment (from flashback scene found in second link)

18+ only! dry humping, heavy makeout sesh, groping, non-descriptive sex, piv sex, maybe just a hint of ‘first time’ awkwardness but... y’know. overall, Rex is a caring sweetheart. about 2.9k words #Carried Away

<<<>>>

The back of Rex’s hand, the gauntlet plate, that is, lands on your bare thigh - his gloved palm upright and waiting, fingers relaxed. You can’t help your wide smile that grows upon noticing the gesture accompanied by his unsure, yet confident expression as you gladly lay your hand within his - fingers locking into place. 

"Is... this okay?"

So considerate, appropriately cautious, cute.

You lock eyes with his, making it a point when your tongue barely darts out to wet your lower lip while giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. His lips curl at the corners - a little chuckle seeping through his nostrils before turning his head to watch the streaks of lights fly by outside the transparisteel. The ride isn’t very long, but it’s nearly silent. It must be late enough for the driver to have long surpassed the point of wanting to engage in light conversation, thankfully so, and the music is turned down to the lowest volume - just light pulse of a beat coming from the tiny speaker. The whir of the vessel gliding through the air lanes hums throughout the interior, along with the heavy beat of your heart in your ears. Your fingers stay intertwined with Rex’s the entire time. At one point, briefly, his thumb started to absentmindedly brush back and forth over the thick knuckle of yours, and caught himself when the the taxi slowed to halt as it pulled in front of your complex.

Rex scoots out first - extending his hand towards you and helping you out of the seat and onto the duracrete. As you lean into the taxi’s opening to toss the driver some credits, Rex watches the way you move - the way even the miniscule muscles flex underneath your form-fitting dress and with the movement of what skin is exposed. A sudden breeze catches him off guard when that familiar scent of lavender coming from your hair hits him just like it did back on the dancefloor. His own heart is pounding uncontrollably beneath the protective shell of plastoid, though he’s sure you can hear it. Your hearts mirror one another’s tonight - anxious, eager, sure, ready. 

It's quiet after the taxi speeds off. It's late, and the two of you stand just outside the complex entrance in silence, facing one another and staring deep into each other's eyes. There’s a whole bunch being said, without any words actually being spoken. It’s insane the way Rex is just pulling you in without laying so much as a finger on you right now; his gravitational pull is far too strong for you to resist, not that you’re trying to resist. You want to get dragged into his orbit, burn up upon skirting through his atmosphere. That connection... it’s so noticeably there and it’s making your legs weak - weight settling in the back of your head, pushing you forward and closing the space between your faces. You know it’s affecting him just as it’s affecting you. There is no escape, though neither one of you is trying to flee. 

“Is... this o-” 

Rex is unable to echo his question from the taxi once the remaining space between the two of you quickly vanishes. When your lips meet his for the very first time, something just clicks - like two missing pieces from a puzzle that you didn’t even know were absent have just come together and completed it, effectively ending its drawn-out hiatus. You’re sure there are better analogies out there with deeper meaning but it’s hard to think with how wrapped up in him you’re becoming with something as simple as a ‘first kiss’. Your arms flying to wrap around his neck, Rex pulls you closer - his fingers gripping the fabric at your hips and holding you close. A heavy breath escapes from him and you take the opportunity to poke your tongue out to be immediately greeted by his own. It’s medium-paced; not desperate nor casual. The dance you share with the light clashing of teeth, the rhythm that’s set with every little movement of the muscles in your mouths - it’s just right. 

When you move to break away, panting, your eyes quickly dart to the building standing tall to the right of you before they quickly return to his. An overt cue... 

“Do you wan-”

...One of which Rex takes swift action.

“Yes.” Rex didn’t need for you to finish that line; he was already way ahead of you, and was somehow starting to believe you’d never ask. Any nerves of his have long since vanished, as well as any notion of sleep - other, more exciting things urging him on. He knows where he’ll be waking up in the morning, and it’s not on that bedroll in the barracks that he was practically dreaming of back at 79′s before he’d laid eyes on you. For once, the clone captain will allow himself to indulge in what this night holds. 

The two of you are unable to keep your hands to yourselves during the brief ride in the lift up to your floor. Rex holds you impossibly close, hands pressed into your lower back and practically carrying your floating body through the corridors until arriving at your front door; you’d murmured the directions into his lips along the way. With your back pressed against it, your hand swings behind to blindly input the access code. After a few incorrect entries before hearing the musical awarded access, the door slides open, and your fingers wrap around the dip at the top of his cuirass - pulling him to follow you in. You make it as far as the couch, pushing him down to sit as you descend with him, your mouths staying connected in the process. Rex sinks into the cushions, and his hands begin rove your body experimentally from where you’re straddled over his armored lap. You’re melting into his touch, rocking yourself over the hardness of his codpiece, letting the curve of it rub into your clothed heat as his lips trail wet hot down your chin and jaw.

Never had you previously allowed a night like this to get as far with anyone else. 

“I don’t...” Rex pauses as soon as the words leave you - lifting from your neck and meeting your eyes with a flash of concern sinking in his own. “I don’t usually do this, uh, sort of thing,” you elaborate quickly, your hands gesturing to the current situation - nervous, for some odd reason, even though your mind is very made up. His expression softens and a sweet smile creeps on his lips as he traces your own with the pad of his now bare thumb - the touch featherlight, admiring. “I just- just thought I should clear that up.” You’re not sure what it is exactly that you’re clearing up; perhaps you’re afraid that Rex thinks you’re one of those clone groupies, a woman who frequents 79′s to show her appreciation for the brave soldiers of the Republic. Or maybe that you’re someone who often fucks on the first date, just to be casted aside in the morning or the one who does the casting aside. The look he’s giving you, though, as he gazes up at you with something within his eyes that you can’t yet translate, is leading you to believe that he doesn’t put you into any of those categories - didn’t, from the very moment he’d laid eyes on you.

“Mesh’la,” he breathes against your jaw - the foreign-sounding word completely unknown to you but making you clench all the same - the shape of it forming on his lips and pressing into your tender skin. “The same goes for me. I... don’t wanna do anything that’ll scare you away.”

“And here I am thinking that I’m the one coming on too strong too fast,” you jest. Sure, it has only been a single, incomplete night of knowing him, but as silly and cliché as it sounds, it honest to Maker feels like you’ve known him forever. Normally, you’d conclude that allowing yourself to think that would more than likely end up biting you in the ass in the near future, but you truly don’t think that would be the case this time. Not with him.

“Rex...” Breaking from his lips for a breather and cradling the curve of his cheekbones within your hands, you look deep into his kind eyes, searching for the answer to the question you have yet to ask. “Have you ever...?”

“Yes, yes. It, uh, was always quick... when I did.” Rex chews his cheek - his brows pinching together in unwarranted contrition. “I’m sorry,” he sighs.

“For?”

“I don’t want you to think-”

You cut him off with the hard press of your lips to his - grinding yourself down on his lap with a little more purpose. Anything he was about to say, any inhibitions, dissolves like sugar inside your mouth. Minutes crawl by. Maybe longer, you’re unsure; too lost in this milky euphoria to give a damn about something as complex and currently unimportant as time. Your body is on fire; the heat that radiates from his flesh even from under the armor envelopes you in a different kind of warmth. You find your own hands mapping out the parts of his body that aren’t shelled by a plastoid exterior, landing on the piece that you’ve been grinding yourself on since arriving.

“Can I take this off?” Rex peers down at your hand laying over his codpiece; his perfect pout glistening, eyes darkening - the black orbs nearly swallowing the warm honey they reside in as he begins to look you over. 

“Please.”

If it wasn’t already a known fact that you’d never done this with someone like him before, then the way your fingers fumble around the plastoid in a blind search for the clasp - or whatever is holding this Maker forsaken thing in place - sure as hell gives it away. Sensing your evident struggle, Rex’s hand brushes over yours and the hindrance is unfastened in an instant. You raise a brow at him, and he only grins as you lean down to kiss him again.

Rex stands - your arms and legs squeezing him as he walks you to the bed, his erection teasing with its firm press against you. Laying you down on your back, he watches as you shimmy off the rest of your clothing. His breath catches in his throat upon your removal of your bra, eyes widening and fingers drumming at his sides, and you have to urge him to unfreeze so he can finishing undressing and join you.

“I... really want this,” he informs through heavy breaths - a hint of sheepishness engrained within the gruffness - finally moving to climb on the bed between your legs after stripping nearly everything from him and stacking it all in a neat pile. “You. Really want you.” You smile - the gleam reaching your eyes - and grab his arm to pull him on top of you. He’s still wearing his under-armor bottoms, and your hand shamelessly trails down to palm at the hard bulge from above the skin-tight material. 

“I want this too, Rex. You.” He groans - husky and deep - taking a few moments to relish the way your hand feels as you massage him before making quick work to remove the only thing that’s left covering his beautiful body.

It takes you by complete surprise - his extraordinary size. The way it was trapped within the compression bottoms was totally misleading. You swallow a clump of dry air - your tummy tingling and heart racing at the sight of him now completely nude and in the process of climbing back into position. 

“Maker...”

You say the most prominent and immediate thought out loud, causing him to stop in his tracks.

“What? Is everything okay, is- is this okay?” Rex becomes mildly frantic, concerned - just about to climb away but you grab at his shoulder, fingers pressing into the toned, corded flesh where it curves into the base of his neck at the back. 

“Yes,” you sigh - astounded. “I just... you’re, um...” Your eyes remain glued to the erect, throbbing appendage standing at attention between his legs, noting how it curves slightly upwards at the tip and is aimed at your clenching heat. “You’re big, Rex.” When your eyes flicker back up to his, his brow is raised and his lips are pressed into a thin line. Like he doesn’t already fucking know how well-endowed he is. 

Shutting your eyes and sighing quietly, your face stings from the sound of your breathy voice uttering out such truism. He shifts his weight between the arms that are caging you in on either side and looks down at himself - considering. 

“I - uh-”

“It’s okay,” you chuckle with a quick nod of your head as you spread your legs wider with a slight roll of your hips. Your mound briefly brushes the hot, velvety skin along his shaft when you lift your hips again. Your abdomen involuntarily tightens upon noticing the length of him hovering over you, practically marking how deep inside he’ll be.  “I need you, Rex.”

You learn quickly that you needn’t repeat a thing to an esteemed captain of his merit. 

He prepares you, like any true gentleman would, getting your body ready to accept him fully. Licking, touching, sucking, prodding; it’s all so exquisitely slow, intricate, surprisingly good for someone who has had little to no experience in the arena of foreplay. Thick fingers work you open in deep, pleasant strokes - his knuckles knocking into the most tender and pleasurable tissue with every pass. Rex’s lips go from attending to your breasts and trailing along nearly every inch of your skin before reuniting with your own. He inadvertently works a mild orgasm from you from his delicate tongue and purposeful touch alone - the build-up a soft crescendo until you’re moaning his name in the most breathy voice you’ve ever entertained.

You’ve never felt so safe and cared for during moments like these; now is a whole different experience than what you’d encountered in the past. You don’t have an extensive list of previous partners, but all of the ones who had made your short list were boys. Immature, needy, desperate boys. Boys who could never compare to the man who’s currently breaching you with a very gentle roll of his hips laced with all the care in the galaxy. Not to mention, his size. In that alone Rex is unmatched. 

Your lips barely disconnect; the soft whimpers and moans shared between the two of you are breathed into one another and swallowed. You’ve never experienced anything so tender yet deliberate at the same time - the combination of soft meeting its opposite making your head spin and toes curling. Nails forming small crescents indenting into his skin, you hang on to Rex’s broad shoulders as he rocks into you. It’s a steady pace he sets right from the get-go and he keeps that all the way up until your second orgasm flows through you, consequently causing a hint of resistance put up by your clenching walls, affecting his length’s repeating reentry. Not much is said, but a lot is spoken through eye contact. Neither of you want this to end, but when it inevitably does, you’d want to do this again. You want to do more than this; you both want to see each other again. When he finishes, it’s the gravelly, drawn-out groan falling out of his throat that causes you to see the stars from where they’re hung outside Coruscant’s orbit as if you’re sitting directly in front of them, just an arm’s length away. 

You’re cleaned up in such a meticulous and tender way that only Rex could provide. He falls to your side - taking you with him as his strong arms wrap around your torso. It’s insane; the way you fell into each other earlier this evening is comparable to fate itself. You think you’re going crazy, that you’re feeling all these things only after having known Rex for less than several hours, that you’re diving into something too hard and too quickly.

“Do you feel it, too?” 

You don’t know what possessed you to ask him instead of keeping it locked up in your buzzing mind, still keyed up from the best sex you’ve ever had, but it’s out there. Unable to see his face from your position, your heart starts racing with nerves, and in the several moments of silence and lingering regret, you mentally curse at yourself for being so forward.

“Yeah,” Rex says with a soft smile evident in his tone - a huge weight being lifted from your shoulders and tossed aside. “I do.”

With that, his arms hold you just a little tighter and he places a chaste kiss on your temple. It’s not long before the sound of soft snoring fills the otherwise quiet bedroom, and minutes later you’re right there alongside him - content, fluttering heart and all.

<<<>>>

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[gravesightings]

May I request the slasher’s reaction to their s/o getting a bad haircut! (btw hope your day/night is going well).

of course! and things have been going well, thank you. 💖

slashers reactions to: their s/o getting a bad haircut

Asa Emory / The Collector

depending on whether or not you actually consulted him beforehand, this could go two ways.

if you didn't, he'd be upset. who gave you permission to have your hair cut? why didn't you ask him first? does he need to remind you of your place again?

Asa might leave you be for a couple of days depending on how drastic the change is. if it can be remedied easily, he'll have you beg for forgiveness but if not - don't be offended when he starts bringing you wigs. actually, he won't care either way. this is your fault.

if it's something you two have talked over then he's a lot more sympathetic about it. especially if you feel insecure over it. it's not so bad actually. if you're lucky you might catch him fiddling with your hair while you sleep.

overall he's indifferent to it. it's just hair? it's not the end of the world. just be thankful that he has no interest in experimenting with hair implants.

Billy Lenz

it might seem like he wouldn't notice but he's actually quite perceptive to these kinds of things. Billy is absolutely the type to notice any sort of physical change no matter how subtle it is.

unsurprisingly, this is because he spends almost all of his time watching you. of course he's bound to notice!

he'll definitely point it out but he'd either be neutral or mildly upset about it. if he dislikes it, you would know immediately because he would pull your hair and demand answers.

if it's not that big of a difference and he's craving a bit of your company Billy would want to brush your hair for you! isn't he sweet? unless of course it gets tangled, then you might actually end up looking worse. (unless you teach him how to do it properly.)

if he's feeling more gracious than usual he might even offer to remedy it! whether or not you decide to indulge him is entirely up to you. there's a slim chance he would actually be good at it but denying him isn't recommended either..

Bo Sinclair

there's no sugar-coating it. Bo will laugh at you. he might even point it out to his brothers if you look especially funny.

did you go to a blind hairdresser? head got stuck in a lawnmower? got attacked by a bunch of bloodthirsty birds? you're never going to hear the end of it. he's never going to let this go even after your hair grows out.

would constantly tease you about it but it's mostly out of love. he might even come up with cute nicknames for you depending on how badly you messed up your haircut.

if someone else tries to make fun of you though that's an entirely different story. only he can call you ugly duckling! if someone else does it then he's ready to crack someone's skull open.

denies he was doing anything to defend you. Bo would just claim that they were being too loud for his liking. it had nothing to do with you. nope. not at all. "it's 'cause your hair's so damn ugly that they died on the spot."

Brahms Heelshire

what have you done?! this is MUTINY! he's been BETRAYED! dramatically reaches out to feel your hair with his trembling fingers.

this is all so wrong... so very wrong. at first he would only be able to stare at you in utter disbelief. as if you've spat at his face and insulted his entire bloodline.

Brahms takes it as a personal attack against him. sure, he can be a handful at times but he'd never thought you'd be this cruel! it might take some thorough explaining that no, actually you hadn't intended to end up like this.

regardless he would be very upset. he's rather fond of your hair and if it was longer before and much shorter now, he might not be able to recover from it until it grows back. Brahms is a bit shallow, you see.

when your hair does eventually grow out expect him to treat you like a ticking time bomb. he can't possibly trust you with keeping it pristine now! it's decided. Brahms would just have to cut your hair for you. unlike Billy though, he has slightly more experience since he cuts his own hair so you might not have to worry too much.

Bubba Sawyer

Bubba absolutely adores you either way! literally nothing can convince him otherwise. he might even get upset if you tell him it's ugly. no no no, you can't possibly be ugly! you're his s/o! you look wonderful no matter what!

as for the rest of the family... the twins love it too! they might even call you a trendsetter. they might come off as patronizing if you haven't been around that long to know them but they're actually genuinely into it. it's fun and quirky and nobody else has it! what do you mean you look bad?

Drayton is a lot less enthusiastic about it. he'll throw in an insult here and there but nothing too harsh unless it's getting in the way of your chores. if it bothers you so much he might actually shave all of your hair off. (don't worry! Bubba will protect you!)

if you're adamant about remedying your look then Bubba would offer to help. unfortunately he has little to no experience with cutting hair. he was the one offering his help but.. are you sure you want him to do this? he's more worried about accidentally snipping your ear off than he is ruining your look.

Bubba wouldn't really understand if you happen to be worked up about it. he truly, wholeheartedly thinks that you look gorgeous no matter what you do with your appearance. it's still you under there after all!

Jason Voorhees

he'd be surprised at first but will try to play it cool if you become self-conscious. points at something just above your head. he wasn't staring at your hair, he was looking at...uh. that bird up that tree! it flew away when you looked... too bad..

like Bubba, Jason loves you no matter how you look. big boy does not care at all. things will stay pretty much the same. he’s not the type to make a big deal about it just because you look a little different.

he would make sure to shower you with compliments if he catches you fussing over your appearance though. bring in the gifts! he picked up this cool hat for you, do you want it? how about these hair clips? he wants to help as much as he can.

Jason would not want to fix it for you but it’s not like he can deny you when you’re asking for his help. what if he messes it up? what if you get mad at him? what if he accidentally hurts you? it’s too risky. he doesn’t even know how to! hopefully his many concerns would be enough to convince you to just let it be.

if not, well.. his hands would be trembling the entire time. this poor man would be scared to death to snip even a single strand of your hair. why would you put him through this? not only would it take him hours before doing anything noticeable, he would be in a constant state of dread the entire time.

Jesse Cromeans / Chromeskull

WHEEZE. babe, what happened? who did you offend? he’s very desperately trying not to laugh at you but he’s failing. what a gentleman. Jesse would inspect the damage - totally not struggling to hide his laughter - before claiming that he hadn’t noticed anything until you pointed it out.

he’ll tease you about it, asking if you’ve been out making enemies behind his back. he won’t be as much of an asshole as Bo per se but he’s not about to pass up the opportunity to get a reaction from you.

Jesse is more of a romantic about it, holding you close and placing a palm on your chest. what matters to him is this, he signs. ...your tits. oh and your heart too, but that’s just a bonus. he’s kidding! stop hitting him! (claims to have planned this just to make you smile all along. sneaky bastard.)

if it’s something that bothers you, he’ll have a hairdresser come over for a home service. why are you surprised? were you expecting him to bring you to the salon? the barbers? why would he do something like that? he’s offended!

now you’ve done it - you’ve bruised his ego. the man’s just showing off at this point. within the short period of time the hairdresser took to fix your little problem, Jesse somehow managed to get more people involved. they’re wheeling all sorts of expensive-looking equipment in. one claims they’re a nail technician and the other a masseuse. oh you had plans today? too bad, you're getting pampered and that’s final.

Michael Myers

if it’s really bad then he might let out a small chuckle but that’s pretty much it. the most he’ll do is run his fingers through your hair. Michael doesn’t really care all that much for appearance either.

but he’s not as eager to console you like the rest of the slashers are. if it’s a bad haircut then it’s bad - he’s not the type to beat around the bush. “do you think I look stupid?” he’ll nod. if you react negatively to that he’ll just shrug. you asked! what do you want him to do, lie?

Michael would help you out if you asked but it’s ill-advised. he’s decent with a pair of scissors but he’s going to keep cutting shorter and shorter until you either stop him or you run out of hair. (there’s no guarantee he’ll stop even if you asked nicely.) clearly this is your fault. why would you trust him with a pair of scissors?

this should be obvious but do not let him anywhere near your hair with anything sharp. he might take matters in his own hands if he sees how fixated you are with your haircut. if it’s that bad, he’ll snip away while you sleep. Michael would be careful not to wake you.

overall you’re almost guaranteed to have an awful time if Michael decides he wants to do something about it. he’s not going to make fun of you but you’re going to wish he did instead of butchering your precious mane.

Thomas Hewitt

oh, honey... what happened? he’ll set you on his lap to give you a good look-over. Tommy is not all too concerned about how you look but how you feel about it so he’ll help in any way he can. if you’re upset about it he’ll press a quick kiss on the crown of your head to reassure you.

nothing a little trim can’t fix! as good as he is with his hands, he has almost no experience with hair so he would have to ask Luda Mae for help. he’ll be there too don’t you worry your pretty little head!

Luda Mae would coo at you affectionately, earning a disapproving “tsk, tsk.“ at the poor soul who had done this to you. they would be the talk of the town. if you somehow did this to yourself, then she’ll scold you out of love. why didn’t you ask her instead? after the whole ordeal is sorted out though she’ll beam with pride when you comment on how good it turned out.

Hoyt is most likely going to chide on how badly you messed it up if you were the one responsible but if it was someone else, you best believe he’d be out of the door in search for the s.o.b. what kind of hairdresser would do such a half-assed job?

if you’re not quite close to the family yet, Tommy would do it but he’s unfortunately not as good as Luda Mae. he won’t be as bad as Michael though so you can still save whatever dignity you have left.

Vincent Sinclair

unsurprisingly, he’s the mature one out of the bunch and like Tommy, he’s more concerned about how you feel instead of how you look. he would immediately try to fix it - you won’t even have to ask. Vincent won’t even give you time to actually feel bad about it, that’s how much he cares about you.

he usually doesn’t alter his victims’ appearances so he doesn’t have much experience but he’s not about to tell you that! his caring side would definitely override his lack of confidence. congrats! Vincent does a pretty good job. he would even give you a trim if you asked.

if you somehow ran into his brothers first then there’s no escaping it. Bo’s going to laugh at you. Lester wouldn’t really insult you but he’ll poke fun at you, saying that it would be much easier to find you now, much to Bo’s amusement. luckily for you, they’d made enough ruckus to draw out Vincent.

Vincent wouldn’t necessarily defend you from his brothers, just silently tug you somewhere else - prompting Bo to call him out for being a killjoy. unfortunately since he’s used to his brothers picking at him he’ll expect you to do the same. afterwards he won’t take long to fix your haircut.

this isn’t going to stop Bo from calling you names though. Lester wouldn’t do it but he’s not exactly opposed to what he assumes is just friendly banter. they’re unlikely to cross the line since they know how much you mean to Vincent so unless you’re especially sensitive, then it’s nothing too serious.

[monstersinthecosmos]

I'm really curious how the show is going to handle mortal age.

In canon there's sort of a theme that someone's age when they're turned informs their temperament as a vampire and we get the impression that it has to do with your experience of being human. (I think the quality of your human life also informs this but don't let me get distracted LOL). I'm constantly trying to decide how much of it is neurological but there's a lot of conflicting answers in the text because they weren't written with that in mind. But there's something to be said about a person like Lestat, turned @ 20 when his brain is still cooking, who will maybe never be great at making decisions. But his mortal life is also full of being rebellious and relying on his own ego that maybe it's just an innate part of his personality. WHO CAN SAY.

I've been thinking a lot about this in regards to the show and how they've aged Louis & Lestat up. Because from what we can tell so far, Lestat is just as obnoxious in the show as he is in the books LOL and I have to wonder, why is he acting like that if he was turned in his 30s?

(This is of course based on Sam Reid's age and idk how old he'll be on the show, let me know if I missed it, but he's visibly older than 20. They've said Louis was turned at 33 in the show.)

Like what does a 30+ year old Lestat look like? Did he ever advance in his theatre career? Was he still living in a shitty little room with Nicki? WAS NICKI EVEN MORE OF AN OLD LOSER? How does this affect Gabrielle's age? Does Lestat spend extra time in Paris or does Gabrielle still have to help her loser 30 year old son move out? Why is Lestat still so attached to his mother? ((These are all rhetorical questions bc the show is not obligated to follow ANY of this and will probably make up a different backstory anyway but allow me this thought experiment.))

But I find it a little confusing that RJ keeps hand waving these decisions as like minor little things that will overall still be faithful to the character, when someone's age is no small thing! And then I think, well, the lore is so different, maybe age doesn't matter in this?

Except, it does, because they won't stop talking about how Claudia is stuck as a hormonal teenage mess?

If your puberty hormones affect you as a vampire, how could your brain development not?

I haven't taken time to dive into my Claudia feelings just yet because I know I don't have enough context and right now I'm just flying on red flags hahaha and I know that isn't fair. I think there's potential for a lot of really rich stories with this version of her character. But I'm concerned about the way the crew has talked about teenage girls and I'm going to be completely crushed if they changed Claudia's character from an excellent feminist symbol to a bunch of sexist tropes about teen girls.

Like why would it matter that Claudia is a hormonal teenager if it doesn't matter that Lestat is in his 30s?

If the answer is that Lestat is just more clearly/blatantly an obnoxious terrible person, I guess it's fine????????????? But hmm. Inch resting LOL.

Anyway these are some of my questions that I have and I'm going to be LOOKING for the answers when I watch. 👀

[ileolai]

this was originally going to be a much longer proper meta about crowley’s crowleyness and how it relates to the fall and fandom perception of him that i was too lazy to finish, but fine lol. ill try and summarize 

form shapes nature. crowley, like all the other angels was made with intrinsic qualities to do a specific job. rather generously given attributes that other angels (and demons) categorically don't have. and given an important position in the Grand Design process, i assume, given he has at least some  knowledge of it they don't, and talks about that as if it were a personal discussion [''you said you'd be testing them'']

now fandom tends to make the assumption that ''asking questions'' alone  got crowley booted because that's *one* of the rationalizations he gives for his fall. but ''asking questions'' isn't inherently wrong. it would be unfathomably sadistic to design something with that ability,  for a purpose,  and then punish them for it in and of itself??

or people assume that he must have resigned in moral protest after asking questions and finding out Heaven was shit or something. but the dude is 100% not invested in philosophical concerns or debate about the nature of Right vs Wrong, he’s an amoral douchebag. that's kind of the point.

another idea you see floating around fandom is the idea that he was totally lying and there’s another reason he actually fell. i don’t think he’s *lying* per se. he’s downplaying and omitting some stuff, because abrogating responsibility is what crowley does, but there’s no real reason for him to lie- particularly in the scenes where he’s most emotionally vulnerable about it.  and his story is overall consistent when you piece it together.

it’s not a mystery. he gives a bunch of different rationalizations but only one story of what actually happened. put ''asking questions'' in context with the rest of the narrative he gives.

‘’I never asked to be a demon. I was just minding my own business one day and then, looky here, it’s Lucifer and the guys, they say, hey, Crowley, my man, we’re just on our way to discuss the whole job conditions and career advancement thing, so, okay, the food hadn’t been that good lately, I’d got nothing on for the rest of that afternoon, next thing I know I’m doing a million-light-year freestyle dive into a pool of boiling sulphur.’’

‘‘lucifer and the lads started a union’‘ is the catalyst for the war / the fall. he has no reason to be lying about that, in this scene, he’s completely sloshed mid-existential crisis and wailing in a bar about it.

but he is downplaying / omitting some context there. how much foreknowledge of ‘’lucifer and the guy’s job conditions and advancement thing’’ did you have, then, crowley?

and... think about it. what is the exact thing crowley *would* do, if his buddy had a goal and not the means to attain it, eh?

identify the need, ask questions, clarify the objective... etc

that’s his job description, that’s what he does, what else would he be doing in that situation.

now from *his* perspective, those actions would be neutral-- he is not, himself, personally invested in the ‘’career advancement discussion’’ (still isn’t, in the present), it’s not *his* proposal or his objective, nothing to do with him, just minding his own business really, just tagging along, just asking questions...

heaven disagrees- he betrayed the position that he held, what he did was in service of the wrong team, and that team lost. so. 

bam. boiling sulphur for you, champ.

now he has one point of contention with the whole situation and its not moral or philosophical or anything like that. it’s that the consequences for being on the wrong team weren’t stipulated in advance. he never *asked* to be a demon, he didn’t *mean* to fall, nobody said *that* would be the consequence of fucking around.

and-- because of that, he’s not sure at what point he actually fell, or how to define what that even means. he’s not sure if it was a gradual process or sudden,  himself, because he has no reference point for where it *started*, only where it ended. nobody said where the line was, exactly, before he crossed it- and he’s still not getting answers.

that’s why the apparent contradictions in his story-- he has bits and pieces of a sequence of events he can’t quite piece together into a cohesive narrative, himself. and he’s the exact sort of person that would go batshit trying to resolve the missing links in a chain of cause an effect, an engineer brain. which is why he gets stuck ruminating on and angsting and protesting about it, because he needs it to make sense.

he wouldn’t do that, if he’d just quit in protest one day-  there’d be a clear line of cause and effect, if he’d had what he felt was an informed choice in the matter.

your basic narrative is right there though- he fucked up. naive of the consequences or not, he sided with the Ra Ra Let’s Overthrow God guys and got punted to the basement for it.

[thatiranianphantom]

You know it’s funny when BAs convince themselves that the show is popular because of BA because some loud people on Twitter give likes to every tweet involving them. I started watching the show for Cole (and then Lili and Cami) and stayed for BH that were the best characters on that show. It’s also very apparent that Cole and Lili are (specially when they were a couple) the most popular cast members.

Bringing Cole into the show gave people curiosity because it was his first acting job in ages and he is a familiar face with millennials. It’s not rocket science. And RAS knows this. That’s why BH will always be front and center in the plots. The reason RV keeps dropping in ratings is realistically because RV is a terrible show ever since season 1, people want to pretend season 1 was a masterpiece and it wasn’t (compared to the following seasons it looks like a masterpiece) but the cracks were already there, but it was overall a consistent season because it had an plot that concerned all characters (Friendly Space Ninja on YouTube actually explains this). But undeniably, Lili and Cole made RV blow up to the lengths it did.

The following seasons on RV were a disaster not because of the couples, but because it was confusing, and instated of having a singular plot that carried the season (like season 1) it started to have like 26373 separate plots without resolution. Again, people stayed because of BH. Like – BAs want to pretend it isn’t when Seveteen was the best performing song of any RV musical along with Mad World.

It is the cast keeping it together but not even the cast can save it now, it makes not sense anymore – it lost continuity, the writers are more concerned with creating drama and 'plot twists' to create time and come up with plots than actual plots that make sense, and completely removing the couple regular viewers were familiar with (BH) affected the show. A bunch of people on Twitter spamming posts and making deluded think pieces on what affected the show won’t change the fact that people isn’t invested anymore and also no one truly cares about Archie, he is the least popular character of the show and is literally #1 on a list of the most useless main characters on TV.

Sorry for the rant.

Okay, so a few things you're right about:

1. The show works because of BH, and that's likely a lot to do with Cole too. People who know my blog know I'm not exactly a Cole stan, but I'd never deny that he is a big reason the show is popular.

2. S1 was not the shining gemstone people think it is. It was same shit, different season. They just didn't have time to make it classically Riverdale.

3. It's been established that the show can survive absolutely fine, if not better in their plots without Archie. He really isn't necessary to the plots that move the story forward, and usually they're just shoehorning him in where he isn't necessary. I think they figured out pretty quick that Archie could not carry the show on his own. Bughead took over because they were more popular, and because it was necessary.

4. The show will never get its former audience back. They could bring back BH for the rest of the show and they still wouldn't get their former numbers back. It's too late. They lost both the casual viewers who watch for the plot and the shippers in the endless, plotless misery porn that was s5.

[sapphoshands]

questions for fic writers ask game: 7, 49!

7. Any worldbuilding you’re particularly proud of?

i don't do a whole bunch of worldbuilding stuff in most stories, really, because i'm rarely interested in exploring the world: i'm really a character girl. that said, i like this little architectural quirk i came up with for how time advances (moiraine/siuan, explicit):

Dinner is stilted. An outsider might perceive no difference from their usual habits, but tonight the silence sings with tension rather than comforting with familiarity. Though Moiraine knows there’s only care and concern in how closely Lan watches her, she draws tighter and tighter. She doesn’t open the bond, and not for the first time she blesses their choice of the Light’s Glory in which to spend the night. The inn prides itself on keeping to the old ways, including rooms designed specifically for Aes Sedai and their Warders: an inner chamber for Moiraine, and an outer for Lan, protecting her from any external threat. There’s no other way he’d let her put a door between them tonight and the bond still masked.

a couple people asked me if it was from the books, which i guess means i did something right :D (i'm actually still really pleased with that fic overall.)

49. What are you currently working on? Share a few lines if you’re up for it!

ahaha right now (literally in about five minutes) i am working on my femslash exchange fic, and sort of thinking about my yuletide fic, so i will not in fact share a few lines from either of those :P but here is something (completely unedited and in fact likely to get scrapped and re-written whenever i return to this fic) from another piece that is somewhat in progress...

The strange room doesn’t help. Moiraine doesn’t—quite—want to go back to the White Tower, knows she wouldn’t feel comfortable there, but she doesn’t feel safe here, either, despite knowing Lan is moments away, despite having woven protections as soon as she arrived, despite the complete lack of any apparent danger. More than a year on the road has made her skittish, always looking for the next threat.  She forces herself to relax her hands and rests them on the window ledge instead, going up on tiptoes to peer down the street. Behind her, the door creaks, then closes, and a fiery thrill of horror runs up her spine.  She turns with a blast of air already sweeping from her hands, even as her rational brain catches up, crying no, wait, only one person could get through those wards—

thanks for asking!

more questions here

[chaoswrites]

hiya darling! can i request hcs for akaashi, osamu, and kuroo (separately) with an s/o that has like an opposite personality from them? like, kuroo with a shy s/o that he enjoys making flustered, and akaashi and osamu with a more extroverted s/o that's always bright and bubbly. thank you so much!

Akaashi, Osamu, and Kuroo Having an S/o with the Opposite Personality

word count: 1687

gn!reader

a/n: hopefully this is meets your expectations. kuroo’s isn't as long as i wanted it to be but i wanted to get it posted. i actually had a lot of fun writing this so thank you for requesting :) feel free to send in requests, i love writing them and using them as an excuse to not do homework. enjoy and thank you for reading~

Akaashi

when akaashi first met you, he was having a bad day

the usual calm and collected setter was on the verge of cracking under the stress from a little thing called life

he was barely on time for class meaning he wasn't able to grab anything to eat before the bell; he had to deal with a mopey bokuto, and not knowing the cause, he was unable to fix his mood which resulted in bokuto following him around everywhere, whining and refusing to go to his own class most of the time; and he had to forfeit half of his lunch when someone (read: bokuto) somehow set it on fire (don't ask how, nobody knows, it wasn't even heated up or anything)

needless to say, he was hungry and exhausted from dealing with an even wore bokuto who wouldn't stop apologizing for “almost killing him”

when you walked in to practice following his two managers, it could have gone one of two ways:

one, your upbeat personality would be able to lift his spirits and be the bright beacon on his gloomy day, or

two, it could've caused him a greater headache knowing he would have to converse with someone so extroverted and expressive on the one day he wanted to hide away from the world when you made everything seemed so positive and all he wanted to do was tear his hair out from frustration on the unlucky hand he was dealt for the day

luckily for you and everyone in the vicinity, it was the former

your smiles and encouraging comments turned bokuto’s mood around, wanting to show off his skills rather than looking lame in front of this new person who has yet to see what he could do

solving one of his problems so easily drew him towards you, he wanted to know your secrets and also wanted you around all the time

after your introduction to each other that day, you both began to talk more and more

he found out you're a newfound friend of yukie and kaori even though you're a second year and that you're a food enthusiast like yukie and that you tend to talk a lot, not that its something he isn't accustomed to dealing with due to bokuto, it actually makes it easier to hang out when you tend to take charge of the conversations

the closer you guys got, the more it confused everyone else

no one expected the introverted and reserved akaashi to willingly subject himself to someone so talkative, especially since he deals with bokuto on the daily

but as more time went passed everyone accepted it as the new normal so when you two finally started dating, it surprised no one

you two were eventually known as the iconic pair of opposite personalities that seemed to just fit together, along with your third wheel that you couldn't seem to ever shake, not that akaashi expected bokuto to leave him alone once he started dating, he resigned himself to forever being his babysitter

you both complimented each other nicely, you being the open, bubbly conversationalist and akaashi there to reign you back whenever needed

nobody could see you two with anyone else

Osamu

when the volleyball team, including his twin, finally found out about you two, you were already dating for two months

the ever reserved man he is, he refused to let you meet anyone on the team in hopes to lessen the teasing (how wrong he was)

you didn't particularly mind, just happy to be dating him

although you did wish to be able to be more open about your relationship at school, you respected his wishes and left the more coupley aspects to when you're not around those who know you two

spending time and studying at your house and going out on days without practice became rituals between you two

the day you met the rest of the team was memorable, to say the least

you were over at osamu’s house, a rare occurrence that only happened when he knew atsumu was going to be gone the whole night

this particular day he was supposed to be working on a project with Ginjima and was planning to spend the night 

so there you were, osamu making you another one of his delicious creations in the kitchen while you were watching and telling him stories about your day at school

neither of you noticed when the front door of the miya household opened, in walk two boys that had realized they forgot vital materials at atsumu’s and walked over to get the work

as soon as the boys cross the threshold they freeze, surprised to hear an unfamiliar voice filling the usually quiet walls that occupy the house when the more expressive twin is absent 

let’s just say, when they walked into the kitchen and saw you, talking cheerfully and excitedly, and osamu, smiling and acknowledging the stranger at the various pauses you have during your storytelling, they were a little confused 

who was this person and why didn't they no about them?

atsumu, ever the antagonist, sat down next to you at the table and decided to throw his arm over your shoulders and leaning in, startling you and effectively ending your speech

at the sudden silence, osamu turns around confused to ask you what's wrong only to see his brother hanging off of you with the biggest smirk he could muster

before he could say a word, atsumu pulls out his phone and sends the message to end this man’s whole career into the volleyball group chat

in an instant, the whole volleyball team arrived at the miya house, filling the empty space of the kitchen, trying to get a look at “the friend” atsumu announced that a certain closed-off wing spiker had as company

having already pulled you away from his annoying brother, the numerous eyes in the room focused on you two standing awfully close to be just “friends”

the conversation wasn't as exciting as one might think

it pretty much went

osamu: “yes we’re dating. leave us alone”

then he grabbed your hand and dragged you over to your house instead

the rest of the team were left in various states of shock, not expecting him to be so blunt or to even admit it

the next day, you followed your boyfriend to his morning practice, ready to officially introduce yourself to everyone

when they saw you both come in, hands intertwined, the snarky remarks died on their tongues with your bubbly introduction

the contrast between their laidback hitter and the talkative newcomer that rivaled even atsumu’s vibrant personality surprised even the most conservative of the bunch

the rest of the practice consisted of many of the team members (mostly atsumu) asking you questions while attempting to avoid punishments from kita for not paying attention to practice and glares from osamu for invading his privacy

the initial shock of such an unlikely pair quickly dwindled after realizing how much osamu adores you, through all the quick glances and fond smiles when you continued to rant about your first date or some of your favorite things

not to say there wasn't any teasing, atsumu and the rest of the team gave him hell for the rest of his life for attempting to hide your relationship

Kuroo

dating this man is something else

luckily for you, even though he is more extroverted now, he was very introverted as a child, and is very used to dealing with introverts since he's best friends with kenma

so he'd be very understanding if you were shy and not very big on interacting with people

that doesn't mean he wouldn't push you out of your comfort zone every once in a while or tease the hell out of you

he knows your limits and when to pull back if it’s too much

when you first start dating, he’ll make sure that he's always checking up on you to make sure comfortable

he’ll drop everything to make sure you're ok and not being pressured into anything

but once you get comfortable around him and he knows you trust him he’ll make it his personal mission to fluster you

while he is nowhere near the confident fuck boy that most of the fandom makes him out to be, he won't back down on the chance to tease you

most of this came from flirting

bringing you with to volleyball practice (after he is 100 percent sure you are comfortable with the team, he doesn't want to put you in a gym full a people you can't relax around), he will use every opportunity to embarrass you

he’ll show off constantly to turn you into a stuttering mess

leaning over you on the bench to reach his water bottle that just so happened to have been forgotten beside you

wiping his face off with his shirt when he knows you're watching him play just to see you avoid his eyes when he catches you staring

most of the time, kenma takes pity on you

he’ll sneak you out of the gym when kuroo is distracted and let you watch him play video games while avoiding practice

both of you being introverts started a strong friendship between you two

the number of times kuroo went on the hunt for you only to find you guys shoulder to shoulder, kenma showing you something new on his psp, quiet mumbles being passed from one to the other

kuroo was very happy that you two found comfort in each other, glad that kenma put an effort into making sure you were comfortable just as much as him

no one was really surprised on the relationship that bloomed between you and kuroo

at this point, most of team believed he was just taking in introverts under his wing

some were kinda concerned before they realized that wasn't the case

overall, the best person for someone more on the shy side is kuroo because he would be the perfect combination of pushing your limits and understanding your reluctance to be so open

everything (minus smaus) taglist: open

@woodygirl127 @remuswriting @cleopatera 

[kryptsune]

World Building Wednesday! ~Felldritch

🌼I got a request to do a WBW for Felldritch and since there have been updates to the overall world and lore I wanted to make sure this was all in a nice little package! If you have questions and want to learn more let me know the ask box is always open!  So let's get started! Oh and here is a link to the fic! FELLDRITCH

Felldritch

Classification: HorrorFELL

Cult  Alternate “Nicknames”:

Red: Saw Boss: Corvus

Gaster: Sephtis

Asriel: Saber Toriel: Ameria

Asgore: Kirnon

Undyne: Ryx Alphys: Vesh Muffet: Carmilla Grillby: Noire MTT: Faust

Doggo: Croix

Riverperson: Bastet (Tet)

Main Plot Synop: Felldritch takes place after a pacifist run by Frisk. The story briefly goes as follows. Frisk ends up in the Underworld (Underground) and befriends the monsters and wants to set them free. It is basically a way watered down version of WTU in essence. Once reaching the end of her journey the monsters refuse to let her be that final soul. They would rather wait and figure out something else but with her Determination she promises to return to them and set them free. At this point in time she is around 18-19. Asriel sacrifices himself to that end to see her leave through the barrier only for the humans to capture the poor girl after she leaves. They conclude that she is not mentally stable due to her insistence that monsters are real and throw her into an asylum/sanitarium to be “treated”. Nearly 5+ years later and she manages to escape finding herself once again in the Underworld only it is far different from what she remembers. At this point, she is questioning whether anything is real or not. After being “treated” for so long she doesn’t quite know which reality is the true one. As Red (aka Saw) points out:

The Brothers: 

Red: The younger brother of the two. His attachment to Frisk stems into more of a relationship though he blames himself for loosing her all those years ago. This psychological state causes him to throw himself into the problem that is befalling their world. At first nothing seems to combat this intrusive forest and horrifying beasts but he learns to utilize his magic in a different way. Prior to this he is what one would think of a a Red type but after meeting Frisk he promises to not only change his heart but also the hearts of others. Instead of destructive magical ability he follows in his brothers footsteps and takes up healing practice. 

In the world he is known as the merchant, the one that tends to give out healing items in exchange for coin but the bulk of his business relies on talismans or charms to ward off the evil plaguing their home. As far as they all know these magically infused charms are powerful and have incredible protective capabilities. He runs a wagon that travels around the entire Underworld.

In the current timeline he more sympathetic and empathetic. The concept of Kill or be Killed is no longer a factor. This is mainly about survival and for the most part the other monsters are aware that working together is their best option though their heightened paranoia (validly founded btw) makes it difficult sometimes. His personality is lighthearted on the surface, making jokes, and being a good guy. In a way he reminds me of Jester who tries not to dwell on what is going on but is fully aware of the situation. Red wears a blindfold in public to keep up appearances but he has no vision or eye light problems.

Boss: After Frisk’s departure from the Underworld, Boss, takes her words to heart. Unlike the majority of Fell Pap characterization he is very soft. When he feels his brother no longer needs his guidance he begins to feel purposeless until he learns that like his brother he has the magical ability for healing. As Red is the charm merchant of the two, Boss is the apothecary. His design harkens to plague doctors back in the 17th century. He grows all his own herbs and spices but he is particularly fond of tea. He also wears a blindfold just like Red but unlike Red he does in fact have damage to his left eye socket where the teal color of his eye lights no longer inhabits. 

The two combined help their fellow monsters as much as they can but in a world of uncertainty how are you supposed to know who to trust? 

Frisk’s Mental Demons: The psychological toll on Frisk is great as she has been told constantly that she made up her time in the Underworld in order to shut herself away into a fantasy world. A world where she had a family… where she is loved and wanted. This happens frequently as the “Doctors” continuously try to refute her experiences or sensations medically.  Every time she goes to sleep in the Underworld she ends up back at the Asylum tied down kicking and screaming. 

She only wakes up again when she is sedated. Rinse and repeat. The question is… is it real? Or rather which is real. The doctors go on to state that her dark state of mind twisted her original concept behind her “family” making them this eldritch styled horror. He also goes onto explain that the reason she is so drawn and close to Red is that it is her “flirting with death”. That she is accepting that outcome because if she continues to resist treatment she will die and the moment she trusts him in her “fantasy” that will be the end. These kinds of situations happen a lot.

There are also instances when the lines between real and fiction are blurred as Frisk's behavior consists apparently of defensive aggression, auditory, visual, and olfactory hallucination, acute paranoia, anxiety, and PTSD. One such example of this is her apparent psychiatrist, Dr. Cyrus Reycroft, who happens to have an uncanny resemblance to her skeletal friend if he was human. 

The Beasts: Felldritch plays off Eldritch horror aka the fear of the unknown. As Frisk reunites with Red she is subjected to a rather concerning conversation in which he explains the situation they are in. He mentions having crossed into an upside down broken and colorless world which drew both himself and his older brother into. It is implied that the two stepped into a dimensional space that was able to then afflict those within their own dimension. Over time the inhabitants begin to go missing and great otherworldly hellish beasts begin appearing. The inhabitants come to the conclusion that these creatures can not afflict you with their corruption if you can not see, hear, or speak in their presence. This mindset has some rather gruesome implications as inhabitants become irrationally desperate mutilating themselves to adhere to the new "See no evil, Speak no evil, Hear no evil”.

The Occult World: The cult as I keep referring to it as is a group of powerful monsters. After the deposition of the King the other monsters begin to become influenced by outside sources. They begin to believe that any fallen humans are the angels of death and because of this they will kill humans on sight, of course, they want to live in denial of their horrible deeds because monster souls are supposed to be made up of love and kindness. Unlike the cult that wishes to break the barrier, the rest want to stay hidden from the beasts above believing that the humans are to blame for all that has happened.

The senses play a huge roll in this idea as the beasts are rumored to be able to use souls like puppets, as in spys, if they are corrupted. It essentially becomes like a hive mind with the main entity being able to see, hear, and speak through those it comes in contact with. It’s no secret that Red is in fact infected by this entity in some form as this is a quote from the fic:

A set of antlers snagged the velvety cape as he worked the metalwork to release its hold on the material around his throat.

Bony fingers tugged on the bunched up fabric and pulled it back, revealing a charcoal grey sweater underneath. It was soft to the touch but just hidden beneath the wool she caught a glimpse of off white colored bone. There were bits and pieces that had been chipped off, knicks, and cuts. Even before they had met Red had some scars especially around his collarbone but that was not what caused her to gasp. His hood remained over his head as if using it to shield his expression from her view, “See?” He flinched when her fingers traced some of the scars.

She didn’t want to appear like she was fearful of what she was witnessing but her fingers quivered, pulling them back toward herself. A soft whimper of a voice left her, “R...Red…” There intertwined with the magically composed vertebrae of his spine were branches. The same deep blackish red wood that plagued this entire forest. It wove itself through the bone engulfing portions of his ribs, twisting it into chilling patterns. If it was allowed to continue its infestation it would crack his ribcage open in a bloodless gaping fissure. She could just make out that gentle white and crimson glow shrouded by the wood. Was that his soul? There was no other explanation.

It looked like the branches were trying to worm their way toward that glowing heart, pierce it, and absorb it into its oily black, almost pulsating bark. That was only one singular aspect of horror that she was now subjected to. Her eyes followed the trail that crept through the bone following the knots and twists that crept up and underneath where his skull attached to his spine.

The grip that he kept on her hand only tightened while the other shifted to pull the hood off his skull. Her eyes widened, reddish-brown irises wavering within a sea of white. A hand rose to land on her mouth, now agape in a silent gasp. She could see the same strange bark that comprised his antlers exited straight out of his skull. There were fractures that radiated from above the temporal portion of his cranium in concentric circles. The same kind of patterning one would see from blunt force trauma. Only this had pushed out the bone externally rather than internally. His sockets no longer contained those ever dulling carmine eye lights as her own eyes traced the hairline cracks along his head. She could not imagine the kind of pain a transformation like that would have caused him. There were places where the bone had tried to heal and suture itself back together, forming around the bark.

Angel of Salvation (a.k.a. The Eldritch Horror)- What the cult has been working toward is summoning their “savior” with the help of the human souls they are bound to. It gives them extra abilities and power. Each within the ranks is bound to a human soul. Their leader ??? wants to use this power to summon an “angel.” It turns out that is actually an unholy amalgamated eldritch beast/god out for blood instead. Humanity will perish and the monsters will take control of the surface once more. That is the reality. (The cult including Red is told otherwise).