#but i think getting to know the other characters would be interesting

[thranduel]

i don’t know how many times it must be said… there was literally no reason to make will in love with mike if it wasn’t going to result in something between them.

you cannot seriously tell me they decided to use a traumatised gay character who has felt lonely and broken his entire life because of who he is as a plot device to “fix” a STRAIGHT SHIP.

like seriously, just stop and think about how messed up this actually is.

a gay kid used as a plot device for a straight ship in a show made for outcasts and minorities.

a gay kid used as a plot device for a straight ship who kissed at 12 years old after knowing each other for less than a week and immediately became romantic JUST because one is a boy and one is a girl (it would NOT have happened like this if they were the same gender. there would’ve been outrage especially with how fast it happened and people would’ve said “they’re forcing sexuality onto children!”. it only got accepted without question because anything straight gets accepted without question).

a gay kid used as a plot device for a straight ship who hasn’t known what it’s been like to truly be single since they were officially forced into this relationship + can’t see each other as anything other than romantic since they were just friends for only a few days and probably think they HAVE to stay in a relationship so they “don’t lose each other” (i don’t know how anyone can think this is healthy for two traumatised children).

a gay kid used as a plot device for a straight ship who have absolutely nothing in common, don’t have healthy communication or heart-to-heart conversations, don’t trust each other, don’t feel fully comfortable around each other, are so painfully insecure and fake with each other and can’t be themselves around each other.

a gay kid used as a plot device for a straight ship that absolutely no other character in the show has said anything positive about (other characters have only complained, rolled their eyes and been sick of them excluding and ignoring everyone rudely when they’re together).

a gay kid used as a plot device for a straight ship that wouldn’t even EXIST without him (mike only met el when he was desperately searching for will, who wouldn’t have even been taken to begin with if el didn’t open the gate which resulted in him getting kidnapped. AND their relationship wouldn’t have been “fixed” and mike wouldn’t have said he loves her if will didn’t lie to him about the painting and confess his OWN feelings for him in the van using el’s name as a disguise).

the issue is not mike and el being a couple or because people have a problem with straight characters/couples in general - that’s not why we’re mad. it’s HOW they handled everything. it’s the fact they dragged an innocent gay kid into this mess for extra drama and to USE HIM as a plot device to fix a straight ship. it’s insulting and gross. gay people suffer so much just for who they are and literally live their lives in fear. straight people do not get attacked, judged or hate crimed for their sexuality. they are NOT oppressed for being straight.

they could’ve introduced ANY other love interest for will earlier, but they didn’t. or they could’ve made m*leven a healthier and cuter relationship that everyone rooted for, but they didn’t (even the other characters in the show don’t say anything positive about their relationship, they only complain). and out of all people, why did WILL have to be the one to give relationship advice and help the boy he’s literally in love with get back with his girlfriend??

they’ve only shown us all the reasons mike and el DON’T work well together, while simultaneously showing us all the reasons mike and will DO work well together. how could you possibly blame people for rooting for byler after all of this?

[paladinsbrainrot]

st5 teaser thoughts ☆

ok I know everyone is posting their thoughts about the teaser but I have a lot of findings that I haven't seen many people talk about and would love to share my two cents on !! so many dots have been connecting for me and I really just wanted a place to write everything down / make a few predictions. I'll be skipping over scenes that are pretty self-explanatory and that I don't have any commentary on — these are just what I find most interesting !

as always a warning for potential st5 spoilers. I'll be talking a bit about leaks later on in the post so if that's something you don't want to see please turn away!!

1 -> does anyone remember when the duffers shot-listed st5 with funkos..... well I am extremely confident that these scenes are connected ! for one, all of the characters are the same: will, el, nancy, robin — joyce is on the other side of the room on the intercom — so I am pretty sure that these scenes will take place around the same time. ALSO, in the video with the funkos, the duffers said that they had to pan the camera to end on will, and that eleven says that there are "too many [of something ?]" sorry for not attaching the video — I dug so hard for it and couldn't find it, only the picture, but if I find it I will add it so you can watch it for yourself and see what the hell I'm talking about

earlier on in the scene, mike mentions the fact that a "burn" is commencing. I think this has something to do with the gates/tunnels and/or the demodogs spilling into hawkins again. the gang is probably planning to burn something so that the demodogs or whatever monster is out there won't be able to attack hawkins any further. (this could also be about the military, but I think this is less likely) this is probably why el says that there are "too many" in the scene, as perhaps halfway throughout the plan they realize that they have underestimated the sheer amount of monsters they have to kill and things go south fast.

what I find most interesting about this scene is the fact that they have to pan to WILL.

if you notice in the background of the scene, will appears completely OUT OF IT, eyes rolled back like he's having a vecna vision, or like during s2 when the mind flayer was controlling him via true sight. we know that we eventually get a close up of will in this scene because of this moment later on in the teaser....

(you can tell it's the radio station from the couch)

basically, I'm like 99% sure these scenes take place one after the other and that while they are trying to 'burn' the demodogs/tunnels/whatever, will passes out — maybe because he's still connected to the hive mind and the pain becomes too much. another one of my guesses is that during this burn, will has a vision of some sorts and passes out because of it. the latter theory is only if will isn't still connected to the hivemind, but I think it's obvious he still is.

2 -> I don't really see anyone talking about this scene but I think it is pretty blatant that he is at school here. there's some girls with backpacks in the background and it just looks very school-esque to me. I don't know why but I just wanted to point it out because no one has said anything about it and will being in school again just makes me happy lol. maybe he's sensing henry because of the fact that he also attended hawkins high? OR, since I'm assuming this happens after he and mike drop holly off at school, he senses that something bad happened to her?

3 -> the date on lucas' watch says thursday, november 2nd, 2:12 pm. the official synopsis of st5 stated that the season was set during the week of nov 6, so I'm guessing the series will progressively build up to end on that day since it was the day everything started. maybe I'm reading this wrong so please correct me if I am — but this doesn't make a whole lot of sense because november 2nd in 1987 fell on a monday, not a thursday. I remember when ross first posted this still onto his instagram, people thought it said thursday november 12th, which made a whole lot more sense because that day actually fell on a thursday. but now that we got a closer look at it, it looks very much like a 2 and not a 12, so I'm just weirdly confused??? like what is going on. unless I'm blind and the TH is not actually a TH or means something else entirely. just something I thought was worth mentioning.

4 -> okay first of all,,, this shot is so fucking insane and looks amazing wtf. but I have many thoughts !!! honestly, I am not a super big 'will has powers' truther, but this is just too crazy for me to ignore. not even considering the fact that he's able to jump like that, I think the imagery and symbolism here is pretty undeniable.

I'm like 99% sure after will jumps he doesn't make the jump and falls from the tree like we saw in the bts trailer from last year, which begs the question — how the hell did the demogorgon not catch him??? I think it's pretty telling that the lighting strikes and lines up exactly with will's figure. I don't know if this makes a whole lot of sense but ... isn't there the whole stigma that during thunderstorms you're not supposed to climb trees/be in high places because there's a chance you can get struck by lighting? I'm not saying that this is necessarily happening to will, but him being struck by lighting and then being given some kind of electrokinetic power to fend off the demogorgon kind of makes sense. it would explain how he was able to escape such a brute force and why he was able to talk to joyce in the lights in s1.

5 -> end barrier to the upside down iktr. will byers created hawkins in the ud truthers RISE. will is essentially vecna's "builder" according to the leaked st5 promotional deck so I feel like this isn't too far fetched!!

6 -> maybe my 2nd favourite scene that the teaser has given us. it tells so much but so little. I have so much to say.

let me just start with MAX!!!!! If they are doing what I think they are doing I am going to scream my head off because this is everything I've ever wanted.... something that I wanted to see in s5 ever since 2022 was lucas dragging max's unconscious body out of the hospital so she can be included in whatever plan that they are doing. I'm pretty sure that this actually takes place at the hospital, given the candy striper outfit vickie (?) is wearing, but it is still interesting to me nonetheless. the demodogs have attacked the hospital, and lucas is defo determined to get max out of there in one piece. he will not leave her behind. lumax 😭😭😭😭

I am 90% sure robin is also in this scene. a while ago we got pap photos of lucas (in the same outfit) and robin at the hospital together.

this is probably the scene they were filming that day! it just makes a lot of sense considering the fact that vickie is also here. vickie joining the supernatural plot UGH I have prayed for times like this.

7 -> one of my most anticipated scenes OH MY GOD. this is genuinely such a cool scene and I can't wait to see how it plays out in canon WOW. so.... this is likely the scene where the demogorgon/vecna attacks the wheeler house and when holly gets taken and karen gets injured. fear not I do not think miss karen is dying!!! there were reports of karen getting absolutely MAIMED by a demogorgon that leaked in early feb, but she apparently makes it out okay. but I think that ted is defo a goner in this scene given the way we've had scenes of holly and karen looking out in anguish. plus it would up the stakes a little bit and it just feels like something the duffers would do.

8-> robin with blood on her neck..... she's wearing the same outfit from when she was on the farm & at the hospital so she either gets a lil injured or something goes DOWN in either of those locations. this either happens after the hospital attack scene with lucas + max OR after the barn scene where joyce defends everyone with an axe from a demogorgon. something bloody is DEFO happening in both of those scenes tho.

9 -> is this not the mindflayer........

10 -> first of all RENT IS DUE natalia is acting her ass off here. second of all this is definetly connected to the holly/karen scene and I think I may have connected the Dots about everything.

okay so.... nancy and el arrive at the wheeler house at some point to save face. nancy is wearing the same outfit here that she was wearing in the scene of her at the sink. current running Theory is that holly gets taken by vecna to the upside down/his mindscape and ted dies and karen gets SUBSTANTIALLY injured. nancy probably runs over to her and tries to help her, getting her mom's blood all over her. but I do not think karen dies and here's why!

we see a scene of nancy and mike in the hospital from the bts teaser. you can tell it's the same because there is the same antiseptic, sterile green lighting. they probably rush karen to the hospital and nancy goes with, and she has a scene breaking down near the sink. then we have a scene of nancy and mike on karen's beside while she's unconscious. I don't think karen dies because there's no way they're just looming over karen's dead body in the hospital — she has to be unconscious/ in critical condition otherwise they wouldn't be there. not to mention all the leaked reports that said karen was alive but heavily injured.

11 -> SHOT OF THE DECADE PEOPLE. I have yapped about this scene SOOOOO MUCH on here already but it is just genuinely breathtaking and I love everything about it. the way will looks like he's in genuine defeat and is giving up on something. that or exhaustion. his wet hair. THE FACT THAT HE'S SO SWEATY??? THE TEARS ON HIS FACE????? THE BLUE LIGHT TAKING OVER THE FRAME AS HE ACCEPTS DEFEAT?????? Im normal I'm normal Im normal

I have a few thoughts and possibilities for this scene....

IF they are 'burning' the hive mind again — another exorcism has to take place in order to save will. maybe this is why the scene is SOOO red, because there's so much heat. perhaps we were wrong about loverslakegate all along and the reason why will's abnormally wet is because he's just so sweaty because of the heat. and perhaps mike is there during the exorcism which explains why he is also wet. this makes a LOT of sense to me because we have the scene of the smoke climbing up the radio tower that I mentioned earlier that looks EXTREMELY similar to when the mindflayer was burned out of will in s2.

the blue light is reminding me SO MUCH of police/ambulance lights. I don't know if I fully believe that will is staying with the wheelers (this is a whole other can of worms that I will hopefully try to explain in a later post) but it makes a little sense if maybe he were there with nancy and el when they arrive at the wheelers to save karen and holly? If he's lived with karen for the past year and a half he'd probably have gotten to know her a lot better and would be reasonably upset at her being injured. maybe he's upset with himself for not being able to save her as he passed out during his vision earlier and therefore looks like he's accepting defeat.

12 -> I have no words. Why is he so terrified. WHY. we all know that max and all the other victims have been frightened in vecna's presence but not like this so WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING TO MAKE WILL REACT LIKE THIS???? I genuinely cannot even wrap my head around a proper theory for this one because I don't know why the hell he would be so scared. On the plus side I think this is the first time we've seen will scream and I am super excited #screamqueenwillbyers

13 -> I don't know if anyone pointed this out already but this is robin's arm 😭😭😭😭 my little lesbian running the squawk and being the radio host oh lord I can't do this.

14 -> will is definetly some sort of spy again because I don't know any other reason for this scene lol. ALSO. the transition to the tunnels? absolute cinema. this just makes a lot of sense to me because we know will had true sight in s2 and was able to see through to the tunnels — so whatever is happening here is definetly connected. ALSO! we know that robin, lucas, and mike help the kids escape the military base using the tunnels (from leaks and the script that maya accidentally posted) it's kind of hard to see but i'm pretty sure lucas is running through the tunnels in that scene with two of the kids he is trying to save.

it's worth noting that I think the above scene happens in the tunnels and lucas has blood on him so maybe he's not able to save the kids....

15 -> this scene is very interesting to me as well. first of all — max parallels! second — I think this is at the turnbow mansion. some background info in case anyone doesn't know: the turnbows are supposedly a wealthy family who own the farm. derek is their son. I have a theory that vickie is related to them too but I do not have the time to explain that here lol. my current theory is that the turnbows have something in the house that connects to the tunnels/the gang needs to get a hold of.

we know that erica has dinner there during episode three called 'the turnbow trap'. several other bts photos were posted of the characters in the turnbow's basement. MY prediction is that they use erica as a distraction to sneak into the turnbow's basement. derek turnbow supposedly has a crush on erica (from leaks) and so it makes sense that they would know each other and that erica could get herself over for dinner. during this dinner she's able to distract / sedate (?) them to give the other characters the opportunity to sneak into the house. maybe she fails in sedating derek which is how he gets wrapped into everything soon after.

16 -> WILL'S LEG SQUIRMING. HE'S SO OBVIOUSLY IN PAIN OHHHHH BROTHER. NEVER BEATING THE NOT CONNECTED TO THE HIVE MIND ALLEGATIONS

17 -> this fuckass tree. anyway. It's kind of already widely thought out that while the party is doing their solo-investigative-mission in the woods, will gets a flashback to the time he fell from the tree in the upside down. and while I believe this is true, I think once the boys snap him out of his trance he will brush them off and pretend that he didn't see anything. why? I don't really have a genuine reason but I can picture him not wanting them to worry about him/maybe it's something that he doesn't necessarily want to share.

however we know that he goes investigating the same tree later on in the night. I think he originally starts this exhibition as wanting to get a better look at it on his own, but I think robin may catch him sneaking out of the radio station and decide to tag along with him. it might be easier for will to talk to her/explain things to her because he isn't so close with her and therefore his words might hold less weight. does that make sense ??? I don't know. his past is a touchy subject so it might be something he doesn't feel comfortable talking about yet with the boys. I think this would open up the perfect chance for robin and will to start talking to each other and their eventual duo dynamic.

anyway! those are most of my thoughts from the teaser that I feel haven't really been said. I mostly just wanted to write everything down so I can get all of my predictions straight — so let's hope some of these are true??? if there are some things in here which don't make any sense/you would like some clarification on PLEASE let me know, I have been following production sooooo closely in the past year so I might have just assumed a lot of people knew things/ it was common knowledge and didn't explain well enough. thank you for reading and defo add ur thoughts if you have any!!!!

[yellowf1nch]

Minors do not interact, spoilers, light talk of sex/intimacy, lore dump.

Consider this a layman's terms comprehensive canon lore post for Date Everything.

Here I am summarizing my thoughts and more clarifications for the Date Everything lore, and while I did go in the game and pull the written lore, any speculations/theorized points are my own [though I think it goes unsaid, if you are a writer, fan, creator, etc. and want to ignore game lore that is up to you! I simply wanted to put this together, more for myself and for anyone who may be interested]. For those that haven't or don't wish to read either the first or second post I made regarding the lore of Date Everything, in those posts, I was using quite a bit of imagination/guess work, whereas here I have finished speaking to Skylar about all the lore she can provide.

I tried to give a brief warning for some storyline spoilers for specific characters, but just know in this and other related posts there will be specific character lore, and some regards to things that are revealed during their routes. I do not believe I mentioned anything about how to get certain endings, though.

Skylar is not just the glasses (i.e. frame, lenses, normal components), but specifically something called the "suspension of disbelief" inside of them that functions as an inter-dimensional translator.

The dateables are physically tied to objects (or the mental stimulation of concepts), but their personhood is actually a wavelength Skylar calls "animus," and exist in a different reality.

This alternate reality experiences time and space differently than we do, but seems to correlate with the physical objects in our reality. They also communicate in an entirely different way, so the "suspension of disbelief" acts as some kind of neurological bridge between how the dateables exist, and our capabilities of perception.

Skylar herself is a kind of mechanism that predetermines how the dateables appear (Skylar says "... I can shape [the dateables] into whatever form I want... it's just my representation of what they are in total."), influencing their perceived human forms that later become "fully" human after Realization. This decision is impacted by where the object was made, but subtle changes like accessorizing seem to be voluntary on the dateable's part.

On the topic of appearance and what she makes from "what they are in total," Skylar brings up wavelengths; each "animus" of an object or concept operates at a different frequency. She provides Luke as an example: Luke was created when microwaves were created, that's when his distinct frequency was established. every microwave is Luke, and Luke is aware of all of his instances. Another example, Dorian, is the "animus" of every door: He is always Dorian because he is a frequency. His small appearance changes, even just in the player's home, are completely voluntary (Skylar says, "sometimes it's just fun to put on a costume.").

Small note on this: Skylar mentions that everyone looks "human" because she is a pair of human glasses. If she were made to fit dogs, everyone would then look like dogs.

Dateables can change from being one to another-- think of Dirk and Clarence. Technically, they are the same, but depending on the state in which one finds them will determine who they speak to (Skylar says: "...with objects, it happens as a plank of wood slowly becomes a toy boat. The wood didn't change, but the status did, and once it's more toy boat than plank of wood it changes its wavelength... once the object or idea becomes large enough to have its own state, it breaks off the wavelength and forms a new one."). This wavelength is what Skylar calls "animus."

Eddie talks about making Volt; in this situation it can be assumed that Volt started branching off as his own frequency until he was able to separate from Eddie and exist independently. How much of Volt's existence did Eddie actually have a hand in? How much was it Volt trying to gain autonomy? [SPOILER] Based on the dialogue, it seems that Volt only exists here in this house because of the stress of the faulty wire, though Volt seems to share some memories with Eddie, so do they actually have distinct frequencies, or is it more like Volt is the same frequency just... [in music terms] an octave difference? The frequency is the same, but the pitch is different?

This also provides context into how some objects seem to have relatives, Like Stefan. Stefan mentions his mother, Chiminea (which is an older version of an oven), meaning that when the stove/oven appliance was created from the idea of previous stoves and ovens, Stefan was made. It's possible he was pulled from her wavelength, though I think it's more meant to make "relatives" as the predecessor items. Rongomaiwhenhua is the animus of the earth, hence her referring to many objects like Beau and Gaia as iterations of herself (her using terms like "children" I think are more from her acting like a goddess). Freddy mentions being the "runt of the litter" for his fridge siblings, perhaps different models.

This would also imply that Diana, for example, used to be Lyric or Penelope before we wrote in her.

So, for appearances, Dorian will always have brown hair as long as Skylar imagines him to have such. However, I would enunciate that even wavelengths can have gender if they want (as it is personal expression and a social construct). The objects don't actually have genitalia, so when Skylar gives them sexually dimorphic features typically seen in humans, she's operating under how they identify/refer to themselves as wavelengths. I would think there would be some kind of conversation between Skylar and each dateable in regard to their appearance, ensuring they are being represented as comfortably as possible... though since they aren't human I suppose that's like trusting someone to draw a character you describe.

I also believe that while Doug is the animus of a true concept, one could argue Skips is in fact tied to shadows which... are sort of physically existing? Though, shadows are the absence of light, light is just information, so Skips would be... the absence of information. Which to me, is not really a concept, but that's where some very complicated discussions about what defines something as "physical" and whether or not shadows are a state of mind. :)

Quick mention of the mobility of dateables:

While there isn't too much Skylar mentions/we have options for dialogue in regard to objects moving for lore, there are a few hints that I have used to come up with a theory. Skylar mentions that when we "activate" objects/concepts, they do a little wiggle (that we physically see). This wiggle is Skylar activating her translation between realities: "Dateviators can vibrate at the same wavelength as these objects, which is why when we awaken something it wiggles a little." I believe that, once "awakened," the bridge between realities is lessened, and the objects are able to exercise some physical autonomy... if they want to. Some dateables, like Dasha or Abel, seem to be content to stay where they are/how the person living around them positions them. That goes for most of the dateables. Others, like Bodhi or Bobby exhibit a clear desire to move, and once they have been attuned to our physical reality with the dateviators, are able to do so. Hypothetically, any of the objects could leave (except for those who are literally built into the house like Celia, Florence, or even Dorian), but they already exist elsewhere in other instances.

Quick side note: the existence of Bodhi would indicate any time period that has a time capsule creates an animus of (at least) a particular decade. Thanks to @sugarcubedd for confirming this: Bodhi mentions a grandmother who is a time capsule of another decade.

Why does Gaia insist she can't go places then? Probably to have an interesting character and questline. Maybe, she doesn't want to just go places, but to experience them from the perspectives of those who live/are from there (and to have assistance in meeting people/socializing). Why does Jacques not move around the house on his own? If I recall, he was specifically looking for a good adventure, not just mobility, which requires input from other parties (and gaining a cockroach crew basically gave him friends to hang out with).

Skylar also mentions some of what happens when the dateables are Realized, so lore spoilers ahead:

Skylar isn't actually making anyone human, just human-like (she likens it to veggie-burgers). There is no actual flesh being supplied, but the wavelengths of each object are strengthened through intense emotions (like love or friendship, presumably hatred as well), and are then able to be given a different physical form. This is also contingent upon the person wearing the dateables increasing their SPECS points.

When an "animus" in human form "dies," they just... lose their human form. No corpse, because there is technically no flesh. They still exist as a wavelength, and simply go back to being an object/concept. Skylar also mentions that humans have an "animus" as well, though whether we are all the same wavelength in "different costumes" or individually distinct wavelengths is uncertain.

Presumably, this indicates that the dateables still have an awareness of their iterations as objects across the universe, even when in human form. Though, the.. shall we say... site-specific events don't necessarily carry over, only the knowledge of things occurring (if a cup is shattered on one side of the planet, Daisuke just knows it happened, it doesn't mean every instance of him is then injured. He just retains the memory of that pain).

This could imply an afterlife for humans, or at least that we exist in the same alternate reality that the objects do, but because of our organic forms we can't perceive it. So once the player dies, hypothetically one could argue that we can talk to/be with the dateables in their reality. Perhaps we get reincarnated into another body, but the organic constraints mean we lose memories.

There is a very clear relationship that we, as humans, have with affecting the animus of the objects/concepts both individually and as a species.

Skylar mentions that the vast, rapid, and continuous commercialization and consumerism has helped to distinguish certain personalities, and has crossed over into skewed but relative cultures for objects. Things like their names are a direct result of the words we use to describe them.

This related to describing how objects can change from one to another animus, but this shows that we, as humans, perhaps have a much greater role than anyone realizes. Teddy and Diana are examples of this theory. Teddy makes it clear he was young when you were, and grew up with you. Diana is a direct product of the player's canon spontaneous thoughts and incoherent ramblings, would she be different if the player canonically wrote more coherently? Things like Luke and Friar Errol are a direct result of human innovation, so our ability to make new things quite literally creates new people. We [humans] had a hand in making Dirk/Clarence, though he only mentions his mother (a loom?) making him. Perhaps we are viewed as more of a force of nature? A natural event like a hurricane that can hold equal parts devastation, but bring unprecedented changes and new opportunities.

[Spoiler?] Monique, being the animus of savings, seems very concerned with us spending her. I'm under the impression that if everyone were to no longer save their money, have no savings to speak of, Monique would... disappear? But just as easily as she would be gone, the moment someone saves money again, she would be back [this was a dialogue option regarding forgetting/destroying each object that exists in the universe with Skylar that I didn't pick]. Not to mention, if everyone on Earth were to do away with Monique, if she still exists that would confirm life elsewhere in the universe that has the concept of saving money. [Spoiler] In some of Tony's dialogue, he mentions that an uncle of his (who he isn't actually related to) was a toolbox who fell from a crane and completely shattered. Tony says that he didn't actually die, but was essentially disabled and retired-- I suppose we must assume that this other toolbox was a different kind from Tony for both to independently exist, and we can use this example to support that the dateables don't actually die if one instance of their object (or somehow concept) is destroyed.

Vocabulary:

Animus- Skylar's term for the wavelength that is an object/concept's persona. It can hypothetically take any form, determined by who or what is meant to wear the dateviators.

Dateable(s)- a term I (and others) use to describe the characters in the game that are either objects/concepts. I use this term because I feel it better describes them as people even though they are non-human.

Known familial relationships (feel free to mention if there's more, this is all I have come across in-game):

Stefan has a "mother" named Chiminea

Freddy Yeti has siblings, [presumably] other refridgerators

Dirk/Clarence has a mother who is a loom

Diana mentions taking out pages, which could potentially make her own children

Kristof mentions [presumably] other cross-fit trainers as his clan/family group

Dunk has a father who shares his name, and is described as just a shuttlecock (whereas Dunk seems to be multiple pieces of equipment)

Johnny mentions his grandfather [maybe great-grandfather or father, I can't remember] was a septic tank. Another grandfather/father may have been mentioned as a shower as well (though his lore was a bit questionable/potentially made up) [thank you @rorydrawsandwrites for adding, I thought he mentioned having shower relatives, but I definitely remember septic tank being mentioned in his lineage. Further investigation is needed.]

Bodhi has a grandmother who is another decade/time capsule

honorable mention for Tony's "non-uncle" who he described as not actually being related to him

Bobby Pinn mentions their family of bobby pins [thank you @of-chaos-and-flame, I hadn't gone through their storyline yet]

Curt has a mom (Mrs./Ms. Chaffon) [thank you @kirukimi]

Vaughn Trapp mentions a mother, presumably another trap (though unconfirmed)

Known frequency/animus changes [of one object becoming another] (feel free to mention if there's more canonically mentioned by characters other than Skylar, this is all I have come across in-game) [I edited this to highlight which I feel are truly canon (and which are more headcanon), because making the distinction between voluntary alternate appearances and true splits in wavelengths requires more discussion]:

Rongomaiwhenua mentions Gaia is a representation of her, Beau and Jacques are both different forms of her (perhaps her goddess status is because being all known metals/minerals)

Volt splits from Eddie, this isn't explicitly stated to be a familial relationship, and being able to thruple with them would support that it isn't. Perhaps they are more like positive/negative charges that split independently from the unified circuit, Eddie being the major frequency before

Diana mentions potentially making children (which would imply splitting their frequency from hers)

[potentially] Dirk becomes Clarence (and vice versa), the status of him being clean or dirty determine his animus

[potentially] Connie splits herself? Then coalesces? Could be read as a minor change in her animus, but her character/appearance doesn't really change

[potentially] Isolde is Beau, but an alternate version. The two are described as "not quite twins," so it's likely the state of being able to be locked (a chest) that makes Isolde unique

[potentially] River mentions changing states [of matter], it's possible the solid and gas version of her would be different from her being liquid (like Dirk/Clarence), but ultimately it's still her same frequency [...if one makes soup, does that mean River becomes Mitchell?]

[potentially] Bobby Pinn was "bent" at some point, which seems to have altered their personality and could indicate a change in frequency compared to a non-bent bobby pin

Should I add known relationships between characters here as well? That may require a more comprehensive, perhaps visual element.

[beast3end]

Hey if it's not too much to ask may I please request a part 2 of the Happy birthday, My dear Fic? Like the aftermath of what happened to the reader when the Virtues corrupted and after the corruption after all the souljam was split in two by the witches

With love, your best friend

Summary: You were with them when they were first baked. You were with them when more and more cookies followed them. You've seen their beginning, and naturally you'll see their end. Right? Characters: platonic!shadow milk & reader; platonic!burning spice & reader; platonic!mystic flour & reader; platonic!eternal sugar & reader. WC: 3k CW: gn!reader; there may be mistakes in the text because English is not my native language; Virtue calls you by an affectionate nickname ("My angel" - eternal sugar; "Dear/Sweet" - shadow milk) (mystic flour does not call you by an affectionate nickname, because she treats you respectfully and politely) (Burning Spice's only affectionate nickname is "Splinter"); a small mention of the missing limbs in the Flour part. A/N: Not exactly what you asked for, but I hope you enjoy it anyway! (I made a bet with my friends that nobody wouldn't ask me for the second part. I lost, haha!)

Shadow Milk:

You're sure it's your fault.

It was so absurd. Who would have thought that Shadow Milk would be attacked? It only lasted a second, but it felt like an eternity to you. The head, now severed from the body, rolled across the floor as panic and turmoil began in the room. The screams merged into a solid white noise, but you clearly heard the words of the attacker: "Liar! You are the worst liar in the world!" Fortunately, cookie does not have time to escape in the confusion, and the guards detain them.

You can only thank Witches that Virtues are immortal. It would take anyone else's life, but Shadow Milk is fine. It's difficult to control his body, you stumble and even fall, but you get to the head of the Fount of Knowledge. Crossing his legs on the floor, you take his head in his hands.

"Shadow, how are you feeling?" "I… don't know. I don't understand. Did I do something wrong? Why did they call me a liar…?" "That's okay, Shadow. I'm at a loss too. Sometimes cookies… They may misunderstand what we teach them. Or cling to the teaching that we taught them before, until there are changes and a new discovery. But such a reaction is abnormal." "So I'm not a liar?" "Shadow, you're a Virtue of Knowledge. Knowledge is not a lie, but it is not the absolute truth either. Not black and not white. Knowledge is always teetering somewhere on the edge. We should accept this situation as an unpleasant experience and be more careful. I don't think anyone else would think of attacking you, but you should be more attentive to others, okay?"

Perhaps if you had chosen other words at that moment, everything would have been different. Perhaps instead of talking about your nature and giving advice, you should have supported Shadow Milk. Hug his head while you had the chance and cheer him up. Don't leave him thinking.

These changes occurred slowly and smoothly. You didn't even notice what was happening, not really interested in the outside world and the rest of the cookies outside the learning framework. But one day something made you come out of your shell.

"What in the name of Witches did you just say?" "Is something wrong, dear?" "You lied to them. The Garden of sweet Delights is located in a completely different direction. There's… there's a swamp! They're going to die!" "Did I lie? Oh, darling, your words hurt me so much! It's just a little social experiment." "Ex-xperiment?" "Right~! Don't worry, one of my students, Black Sapphire, will be waiting for them at the border, remember that one? He will stop them from acting rashly." "If you say so…"

But time passes. You catch yourself thinking that this experiment is still spinning somewhere in the back of your mind. There was something wrong with him, but you couldn't figure out what it was. Until the news reaches both of you: cookies have been found in the swamp. Not a single survivor.

Something snaps in you. This realization is so stupid that you feel like you're cracking. And what was the essence of the experiment? You didn't ask yourself that question, trusting Shadow Milk. Emotions overwhelm you so much that it even affects Shadow Milk—the tears flowing from the heterochrome eyes were yours, not his.

From that moment on, he stopped hiding his inclinations. Manipulation, lies… one day he started a rumor in some kingdom and a civil war broke out there. Instead of exploring the world and teaching cookies to explore this very world, the one you loved most in the world caused disasters.

"Come on, Sweet!" Shadow Milk reaches out to you, but you remain silent. Only timid tears sometimes blur his view of the splendor of the carnage caused by his words. "Open your eyes to the truth: for too long we have been led by fools who did not want to listen! They're just getting what they wanted so badly!"

Truth. Lie. Knowledge that balances on the edge of these two concepts. Your precious, best Virtue has been corruption, and so have you. You can no longer bring knowledge into this world with him...

"Don't you dare!" Cornered, shaking with rage, Shadow Milk covered your body with his palm, squeezing it so hard that if you were an ordinary jewel, you would have broken long ago. "I won't let you take my soul jam!"

But there's nowhere to run. Forks block the escape routes, and the Witch of Life, your creator, stretches out her palms to you.

You feel like you're cracking. Now, not figuratively, but literally. It hurts like hell. But it's so peaceful in the hands of a Witch...

If the situation were different, you would have laughed. You should congratulate Shadow Milk: You've changed your mind! As he wanted, you will no longer remain neutral.

You're two halves of the same whole, right? You complement him, and he complements you.

And if it has become a Deceit, then you will become the Truth.

Eternal Sugar:

You were doubtless blind to many of the changes in Sugar of Happiness.

It doesn't seem so bad: instead of waiting for the new residents of the Garden of Sweet Delights to arrive, she goes to look for them herself. The lyre in her hands sounds sweet and soothing, luring tired cookies. They fall asleep right at her feet. You ring softly when her hands gently touch these poor cookie, gently and tenderly.

"The happiness for cookies is such a fragile thing," Sugar of Happiness sings thoughtfully one day, contemplating the night view of the Garden. "They so easily throw it away for the sake of some trivial things, exposing themselves to pain and suffering, right, my angel?"

You're not really sure what to say to that. Mortal cookies fascinated you: no matter what happened, no matter what pain they endured, there were always those among them who stubbornly got up and went to their goal. It didn't matter that it was a goal — it could be something great, or it could be insignificant.

But you still say, "Yes, Sugar of Happiness". Because it was she, Bringer of Happiness, who was the one who had to instill this happiness into other people's hearts by any means. Your mission is not to let the spark go out in her heart.

The inhabitants of the Garden of Sweet Delights are slowly becoming different. Sometimes you're surprised to see how the one who cared the most about flowers sleeps in the sunlight. Another who could knead dough from morning to night to bake sweets and distribute the rest of the cookies did the bare minimum to eat everything himself.

There were smiles on their faces, weak and lazy, as if woven from dreams and lyre melodies. You think they look weird, like they're drunk, but it's okay, right? Sugar of Happiness is trying so hard to persuade everyone else to the same lifestyle. Perhaps, you think, this is one of the forms of happiness.

Therefore, those who try to escape from the Garden are strange. Poor, unhappy, lost cookies, Sugar of Happiness hugs one of them as if they were just fragile porcelain. The wings enclose their wounded body in a snow-white cocoon.

It doesn't matter that they return to the Garden in such a state because of the Sugar of Happiness. All their cracks can be repaired: sweet honey will fill their chips and in the light of the bright sun these cookies will shine again like the most beautiful of treasures. It's just a little lesson that it's dangerous outside!

Isn't that right?

Sugar of Happiness will never do anything that would be truly terrible towards others. There are still fresh moments in your memory when the Virtues parted and only you remained with her. A young, inexperienced cookie who was looking for her own ways to make others happy.

…maybe you're a little biased. But you can't be blamed for that. Each of the soul jams is biased, whether they want to admit it or not.

But at some point it became simply impossible to close my eyes. The garden became… quiet. Serene. The notes stopped. The grass, which had been heavily crushed under someone else's feet in the rhythm of the dance, recovered. The loud laughter turned into a blissful giggle in the wind.

Isn't that wrong?

But you don't say anything.

"Happiness is such a fragile thing, isn't it, my angel?" Yes, you think it's always much easier to break than to create.

You're a lousy Happiness.

"For what?!" shouts Sugar of Happiness, clinging to the forks. Tears flow from her eyes, blurring the view of the Witch of Light, and her body trembles slightly. "I'm not like them! I didn't do anything wrong! I did everything for the mission that you assigned me!.. Why?! The cookies are happy!"

You couldn't even save her heart.

Now you realize that you have not been able to cope with your role as a guiding light. Sugar of Happiness got lost on a path that you couldn't light up for her. Instead, you hid in the curls of her hair, shimmered between her fingers, giving her the right to decide everything alone.

It's all your fault. That's why you decide to sing. For the last time. This is your little apology.

"What are you trying to do… no! Don't you dare! Don't take my angel!"

And your attempt to say goodbye.

You sing until Sugar of Happiness voice disappears into the noise; until her heart, thrashing in fear and agony, stops.

Even at the very end, you couldn't give her any comfort.

Happiness is such a fragile thing. And you're so clumsy for that. You just hope that next time… You can protect the next heart better. Perhaps not as happiness, but as passion, something that mortals have taught you. Something that the old you couldn't exist without.

It's a pity that you realized this so late.

Mystic Flour:

You couldn't tell her anything. Not after that.

You knew that time passes differently for mortals. They are born, grow up and die — it's such a fast process. One has only to distract oneself, as the youngest of the temple servants become easily crumbled old men. You knew that when Mystic Flour decided to retire into a cocoon, there probably wouldn't be a single familiar face around.

That's why you're not at all surprised by the crowd of unfamiliar cookies. What you're surprised about is this rude way of interrupting Mystic Flour's privacy. The sight of the temple servants, crumbled into crumbs, pierced with pitchforks, and some even missing body parts, makes you feel sick.

Madness. The new generation, who have never seen Mystic Flour, must have gone crazy!

"It's… not a treasure, is it?" an uncertain whisper sounds between the residents.

Your Mystic Flour is the best of treasures! Unfortunately, you're smart enough to know that's not what they mean. Maybe gold and jewelry. You know, there are things that modest and ascetic temples are famous for.

Mystic Flour is silent. You can see her slender fingers digging into the chocolate tile of the floor, scratching the surface. Her hands are shaking a little. Was your soft, kind, timid Mystic Flour… scared?

"Her looks like an ordinary cookie" "But why was her in a cocoon?" "Oh, I know, I know! Grandma told me that this temple used to be run by a cookie who could grant wishes!" "It's even better than a treasure, the harvest this season was so poor."

Absolute disrespect!

"Mystic Flour, we should… Mystic Flour?" You speak first, but then you realize you've been isolated. You do not hear the thoughts of your Virtue, nor do you catch the echoes of her feelings. You reach out to her, but you run into a barrier separating you from her.

At the same time, Mystic Flour does what you least expect it to do — it turns the inhabitants into flour. It's a fast, painful process in which cookies start coughing up flour. Panic is rising. You can clearly hear someone shouting, "She's a demon!"

This day breaks something inside the Mystic Flour.

She doesn't get in touch with you either the next day or the following days. What an irony: You, who contacted her only when necessary, could only watch in silence now.

Because Mystic Flour will never answer you again.

The White Plague is destroying one kingdom after another. Unlike that day, it's a little… more merciful. Cookies turn to flour more slowly, more painlessly… But you can see their tired, scared faces when Mystic Flour is next to them in their last seconds of life.

You think Mystic Flour is still the same kind, soft cookie it used to be. It's just hidden somewhere deep inside, crushed by debris. But there's nothing you can do. You don't decide anything here.

When the Witch of Life traps them all, you only look at the Mystic Flour. She holds you in her palms, runs her fingers over the frames. But she still won't let you get close. Is she saying goodbye to you?

"I was never able to protect you. I'm sorry."

Perhaps the volition is too high and heavy an ideal. You've already seen how cookies break trying to withstand it. And if so… You should take a step back. To become something more mundane, something more attainable. Perhaps the Resolution won't push so hard?

It's a pity that for the sake of this realization you had to watch the self-destruction of someone you loved so much.

Burning Spice:

You've been trying to fight him almost from the beginning.

When he breaks the table in anger, you don't pay much attention to it. When he irritatingly shrugs off words of gratitude and gifts cookies, which he protected once again, you don't pay attention. When he doesn't respond to your teasing, you still don't pay attention to it.

But at one point it becomes simply impossible to ignore what is happening.

It was a routine training session. Sparring sessions. Burning Spice is so strong that it is impossible to fight one-on-one with him, so more than ten Wild Spices come out against him. You always follow the process closely — through Burning Spice, you give advice to his young soldiers. But today… something was wrong today.

The once peaceful surface of Burning Spice's emotions began to distort due to the ripples. The longer he sparred, the more and more excited he became. He had never been careful with his subordinates, but this was even worse.

The moment he raises the parashu over his head, a wall of earth is erected in front of the defenseless soldier of Wild Spices. Burning Spice just doesn't have time to react and the blade of the weapon gets stuck right in the barrier.

"May the witch put you in the oven again! What were you trying to do just now?!" you shout so loudly that Burning Spice winces from a headache. He snorts: "Just trying to teach them a lesson." "You almost killed them, you idiot!" "So what?"

Such an indifferent, casual answer shocks you. If you were a cookie, you'd be gasping for air with your eyes wide open. But you're not a cookie, so your shock turns to rage in an instant. She burns in Burning Spice's chest more fiercely than the fire in the furnace of the Witch of Life. Rubbing the place where you rest, he feels interest flare up in him, unnoticed by you.

Things get even worse after that day.

He single—handedly destroys an entire kingdom- what was once a small village that sheltered Burning Spice when the Virtues scattered all over the Beast-Yeast. The kingdom that he protected and nurtured with his own hands. The kingdom near which his very first temple was built. The cookies of this kingdom are so weak and fragile, so defenseless. After all, the wall behind which they had been hiding for generation after generation began to crumble inward.

It would hardly have pleased him.… But your attempts to protect others were so funny! You can't even fight against him—you have no arms, no legs, you have nothing but the bits of strength that you both inherited from the witches. Burning Spice thinks it's a fair deal — he uses only his body and weapons, while you, deprived of them, use the powers of witches against him.

"One hundred and seven," he thinks, turning the unfortunate resident into a crumb. "How many have you protected? I think it's sixty-seven, right?" You don't answer. The chapel nearby cracks and howls, but Burning Spice easily dodges the falling arrows and cuts one of the numbers with one blow. At the edge of my consciousness, he hear your disappointed clucking.

The old temples are emptying — no wonder, you think. Who would want to follow a mad Herald of Change? But very little time passes and little by little the temple comes to life again. Madmen, you think, sometimes seeing familiar faces in the crowd.

"I think I should say thank you," Burning Spice grins, standing in the center of a once prosperous, peaceful city. "You were once the one who tried to make me stronger in order to protect me. And now you're the one who can only flutter around trying to help others. It would be unimaginably boring without you!"

These words devastate you. You're almost ready to give up.… But you still try to resist him — even if it's useless, even if all your attempts are in vain.

Regret bubbles up somewhere inside you when you see the devastated and destroyed settlements. You want to imagine how carefree children run around here, how the market buzzes and whistles from the fervent laughter of the townspeople. How cookies live peacefully, not worrying about tomorrow, thriving in a happy routine. But all you see is fire, despair, and pain. What was once a natural cycle of change has become nauseatingly disgusting to you.

…so when a fork pierces Burning Spice, pinning him to the ground, you laugh. You're laughing so loud that Burning Spice can't even hear Sugar of Happiness and Shadow Milk's screams. Your laughter, full of despair, disorients him; you vibrate and hum in his chest so much that there are even small cracks around you. You don't hear him hissing, his fingers digging into the ground. You're laughing, even when you're shuddering in pain!

Never. You've had enough. You don't want to see death and pain anymore. Perhaps when you find yourself back in someone's arms, you will be able to see a kingdom full of abundance and a carefree world. You will save this kingdom, even if you have to stop time itself for it.

Just to spite him.

[reader-from-nowhere]

i have!! a few questions about brim!!! (i am drawing rn)

since brim is/was a medi drone—does he actually recognize / is he able to understand the concept of factions? like, i’m sure he knows what war is because that’s what he’s treating many wounds for, but if he were to encounter an injured enemy, would his being a medic take priority & would he even really understand why that’s not what he’s meant to be doing? i assume medi drones would have served their purpose without discrimination, & even if brim is sentient now, i’d assume that tends to still take precedent. idk if this question actually makes any sense haha

can we have a height comparison to other bots...

weirdly specific, but what’s his relationship with ratchet? you can add on his other relationships too ofc but like. i wanna know ab ratchet. because i saw that drawing of ratchet unknowingly cuddling his head thinking it was a normal medi drone and it got me thinking because i am a SUCKER for parent ratchet but i dont want to assume!!! :)

does he detach his head to recharge.

can he get injured the way other bots can? i assume his head is obviously vulnerable but aside from that if his frame gets hurt can he just. repair it and be fine? if so, has it ever even happened yet, and did anyone else take notice (plus freak out over it)?

i think you mentioned him still not really seeing himself as a bot..? i know he expresses how he must perform his function and such, but has he ever outright dehumanized (? debotized..?) himself in front of the others? (feel like there’s potential for ratchet to hear something like that and just get So Worried but i’m projecting again..)

does he have abandonment issues / separation anxiety? if so, how does he react to being (mostly) alone at base? is there anyone in particular he’d miss or be afraid isn’t coming back?

considering that he’s originally a medi drone, does he have a fear that making too many mistakes will result in him being decommissioned? :)

ok thats all for now im kinda bad at askinf questions hope this wasnt too much aaa bye

I just wanna say that I’m genuinely so happy that people do actually take interest in my characters, I had a blast reading this thank you :)

For the questions:

1. Like you said, Brim does know about the war and the factions. He does not, however, understand that he’s not suppose to treat mechs from other factions, he’s mostly just confused about why he can’t do his job. Despite what any order says, Brim consistently breaks them regardless of which faction the injured belongs to. This applies to organics as well.

2. Brim is a head taller than Ratchet! He’s a lanky boi :)

3. Since Brim comes from a dead ship that is long forgotten by Cybertron, some of his medical practices are rather…outdated, so Ratchet did serve as his mentor for a bit. Brim does seem particularly attached to Ratchet since he reminds him of the days where he used to be just a drone and being held and pet by his ship’s old medic. So yes, Ratchet is sort of a mentor/parental figure for Brim :D

Ratchet himself sort of sees Brim as a victim of the senate’s cruelty and is trying really really hard to make him understand that he is NOT in fact, just a medic, he’s got all the wrenches ready.

3. He does, though he sometimes sneaks into the medbay to recharge with the other drones.

4. The only part of his body he needs to worry about is his ‘head’ and his energon tank, since if either of those things get seriously damage it can be game over for him. The rest of the body Brim can just fix up, since it’s mostly made of scraps anyway.

He’s been VERYYY careful so far as to not get seriously injured, but who knows, that might change :)

5. I’m pretty sure his insistence on the term ‘function’ is probably enough for the others to catch on to his dehumanization. But if it comes to it, Brim will 100% of the time choose to give his life before letting anyone else dies. He also works constantly, refusing to refuel in front of anyone (mostly cause he doesn’t really need it, as long as his tank is full he can keep working).

Ratchet is annoyed by this but he gets called a hypocrite pretty quickly.

6. Brim is separation anxiety king. He will pace around the ship and clean the medbay ten times over just incase it needs to be used. The crew comes back to the ship and they see Brim waiting by the entrance for Primus knows how long like

If there’s still people left on the ship Brim will go and hang around them, or just hang out with the other drones, anything to make it stop feeling like he’s alone again.

7. It’s less of a fear and more of an acknowledgement, Brim understands that the people around him won’t just up and throw him away if he messes up. But he thinks that if he doesn’t do his job right this time, the crew will meet a terrible fate just like his old ones and he will be left alone again.

[janearts]

Followed for dragon age stayed for acotar ‼️

FFS this ask got me to download and play Inquisition again for like two days straight this past weekend. Anyway, put my attempts at DAI's godawful character creator + some barely-worked-out thoughts on a DA Nessian AU under the cut.

Nesta - Human Mage - Due to my own anti-Orlesian prejudice—(i.e., I cannot imagine Nesta with the French accents they have in DAI)—and the fact I don't think she'd be Ferelden (notable lack of doggos in ACOTAR save for Eris' shadow hounds), I'm thinking of her as a fallen noblewoman from the Free Marches who was only further disgraced when Feyre was found to possess magic. The situation was made worse when it was consequently discovered that, actually, all 3 sisters were mages. Her + her sisters were then scattered to different Circles. Left both the aristocracy and the Circle with no discernable survival or wilderness skills; could be very powerful but has no interest/fears that power. I don't see her as the Inquisitor/Herald of Andraste in this AU, but that might be fun to explore because I feel like Nesta would haaaate that.

Cassian - Human Warrior (currently: sword & shield) - I wanted to stay true to the outside, simplistic perception that the Illyrians are a barbaric warrior people. I didn't make him a Qunari because they're a matriarchal religious society and that doesn't seem akin to the Illyrian culture as shown in the books. I tossed about the idea of having him be Tevinter, but I thought that would suit Rhysand better. I landed on the Avvar because they're a conglomerate of tribes (like Illyria seems to be a conglomerate of war camps/bands), still possess magic/are friendly towards mages, and have occasionally come into conflict with Tevinter (like the Illyrians have occasionally fought against the Night Court/High Lords). I stopped thinking precisely there. He's still bros with Rhysand for reasons I have not yet discerned and tbqh don't really care about. I am here only for #Nessian.

The Premise: Let's say pre-DAI/the Divine getting exploded, Rhysand had whisked Feyre off to Tevinter to be powerful, wealthy, and pregnant as in canon. Let's say Feyre wanted her sisters (who she knows to have magic like her even though they may not want to have magic) to be safe with her in mage-friendly Tevinter. Rhysand could task Cassian with finding one sister and Azriel with the other.* Nesta could be recruited with the mages in Redcliffe; Cassian could be found in the Hinterlands (headed towards Redcliffe). Give Cassian Nesta's location and that's one quest done, they're united unbeknownst to Nesta in Haven, and now she's got one (1) Avvar bodyguard she never signed up for who's insisting he's taking her back to Tevinter once This Whole Thing Blows Over (despite her continuous refusal), absolutely 0 sign of coin or status or eligible suitors, and magic powers she's been raised to abhor. (✿◡‿◡)

* (AN: I feel I should say that I'm not mentioning that for shipping purposes - I could NOT give any fewer fucks about who Azriel fucks because, again, I am only here for Nessian. I would be in a negative fuck zone and I'm not sure if that's mathematically or psychologically possible.)

Anyway, bonus:

[cameoamalthea]

I need the resolution! But I'm scared we won't get it because Murderbot is going to <spoiler> watch World Hoppers Instead </spoiler>

I'm also not sure how that will go in Season 2, because

in the book, the reason <spoiler>it  watches World Hoppers is because it watches with someone who is "less interested in Sanctuary Moon, which took place on a colony, than Worldhoppers, which was about the crew of a large exploration ship. </spoiler>.

But they made Sanctuary Moon set on a ship instead of a Colony, how are they going to differentiate it?

My theory is Santuary Moon mostly takes place on a Colony and follows the story-lines of multiple characters in different locations each with their own separate arcs/multiple different interconnected arcs like in a soap opera.

However, the storyline Murderbot happened to be watching in Season 1 happened to take place on a spaceship, but Murderbot previously skipped over that story arc since it's a bot romance story line but has run out of other sanctuary moon to watch so is going back for just that arc.

This explains why it seems to viewing it out of order.

Episode 356 - The navigation bot and Flight Captain Hossein are stranded on a planet, sparking a relationship.

Several more episodes, presumably following immediately after 356, portray the relationship between NavBot and Hossein.

After Kullervv mutunies and forces NavBot to kill Hossein, there is an episode in which NavBot kills Kullervv. Murderbot is watching it for the first time/doesn't know how it ends.

However, Murderbot has watched later episodes:

Episode 418 - Bookkeeper Wittenmark kills the crew, takes the proprietary data, sells it on the black market and buys expensive luxury goods for himself.

Season 19, episode 4 - It is revealed or implied that Bookkeeper Wittenmark framed the colony solicitor for killing the terraforming supervisor who was the secondary donor of her implanted baby. (so 418 is in Season 19)

Episode 537 - Alderman Friess is being rescued by Rescue Worker Fimbro.

Episode 599 - Kogi Saves the Day.

Episode 807 - Flight Officer Kogi causes comm static when he's disobeying orders.

We know there are 2797 episodes total, which Murderbot says are Premium Quality so it likely watched all of it or parts of all of it since it's watching the 350s episodes (or portions of them) for the first time.

I think this because I started watching the Soap Opera "All My Children" as an 11 year old because my mom was watching it and I was interested in the plot lines that seemed like a Fairy Tale Romance.

And I would preferred it if I could have just fast forwarded to the Ryan/Gillian romance bits (Gillian was a Princess and is in love with Ryan, but she's married to Jake, so her relationship with Ryan is secret and they meet in secret at a tower and write love letters via email where she goes by Rapunzel to hide her identity so they can't get caught). I wanted to watch that bit, but my mom watched all of it so I watched all the plot lines.

I think Murderbot is the opposite, watch the plotlines that aren't love stories first.

So maybe most of the plot lines are on a colony but sometimes there's other locations because space jobs are just a job people have in contemporary media so just like some characters are soliciters some work on ships so we get plot lines on the ship. Whereas shows like <spoiler>  World Hoppers </spoiler> are more action adventure discovery shows. (Like the difference between a Medical Drama and General's Hospital which is a soap opera that sometimes takes place in a Hospital).

(Also it's ok that Gillian was cheating because Jake pressed her to get married right away so he could try to get custody of his child - who it turned out wasn't actually his - and another girl who liked Ryan lied about Ryan being with her/not loving Gillian, but then Jake left town like a month after the wedding when he found out the kid he had with a different woman who he wanted custody of wasn't his kid and so he lest the state to 'regroup' abandoning his wife, so like of course she's going to have an affair since she's till in love with Ryan, Jakes been gone a month (he's been out of town for as long as he's been with her after getting married) and she has no idea when he's coming back).

https://www.soapcentral.com/all-my-children/recaps/2000/ This summary gives you an idea how soap opera episodes work with each episode covering snippets of different stories

I can't believe I'm invested in Sanctuary Moon. Fuck this GrayCris stuff, does the Nav Bot kill Sklanch? Does the whole crew die? Is Captain Hossein really dead? Did Kullervv (sp?) arrange all this so he could be captain? Is he in league with Bookkeeper Bittenmark??? Murderbot is so right, this is a premium quality show, I'd like all 19 seasons please

[dreamerwitches]

Wnk trailer July analysis

Yeah baby lets go

This Homura is the one from the phone poster as seen by her socks.

She has a white undershirt like the rest of the quintet and one other Homura, the one with the brown hairbow (with new magi and wavy hair homura having black and white). Her eyes are the devil pink-purple like wavy homura but unlike brown homura, who has the non-devil purple. I honestly dont want the under-shirts to be a standard good vs evil cause that would give things away too simply, right? I think Ive seen people saying this is blood she's in but I think liquid blood is way darker, right? Its probably just symbolic

I find it interesting how we see the moon splitting in half because at the end of rebellion, it's already in half by the end. Maybe it's symbolic again lol (theres gonna be a lot of that lol)

We get a water ripple/droplet effect when kyoko kicks. I think this is the tower from previous trailers

Or not? Who knows

This is Sayaka's glove. She probably misses having a cool hench gal pal v-v I wonder if this IS just before the next scene where the memory of oktavia has some dire effects on her

This eye is certainly very much like oktavia's helmet but also Klarissa's eye. I wonder if the bandages were literally holding something back or they just artistically fall away.

I really had to scrub these two frames but you can see musical score and scales emerging from her eye

Bona!!!!!

Okay ive seen thoughts that 'oh this is just Paola's magi then?' I still think this is itzli, ill get to these girls soon. Remember... itzli summons other witches familiars (and witches themselves) in her appearances. This place is clearly watery, I think bona are just here so she can get around easily. Also this seems to be the same place as we see later

Um so... just me or is this... a completely different Mami. Look at the hairclips. But also the hair. Could be a stretch but it kinda feels like her face is different too. What on earth is going on here? I'm wondering if this is a different MEMORY of mami. Perhaps one is real, one is what (for example) homura remembers. We've certainly seen the different magical girl outfits. ORRRR this is just because one was reused from an older trailer and this new animation looks different??? XD i dunno

Not sure what to say about this one but the caller seems to be Homu as seen by the glint of hair at the top. This is not the same as the phone from trailer 1. But the shape vaguely matches the poster one.

Very pretty. I dunno but this kinda makes me think this would be the kind of place ultimate madoka would hang out. Seems celestial like that. But the very top bit seems to match up with the bona area from before

edit: hang on a fucking minute you see a tower in a reaaallyy similar style to these buildings in paola’s exedra labyrinth. Are they dropping hints in exedra????

Seen this one before, seems less blue than before. Homu seems to be in this place later

Here they are! It's possible Itzli and most certainly Quitterie. She doesnt really match up to her concept movie design at all anymore but eh

This one though? Oh that is her, welcome back queen, it's only been 4 years. I prefer her older hair, and well, her eyes are purple so this no longer seems to be bear girl. I wonder if they intended them to be the same in concept but now they've split the characters?? Unsure. But she does have the bear wand??? Im conflicted lol. What im not conflicted on is that she is definitely quitterie lol

This might not hold much water cause our pics of these girls are still so low quality, but i dont see any soul gems hmm

Both homu and kyubey appear in the sayaka room. I guess it goes dark when homu is in there. Also who is she telling walpurgisnacht to? Kyubey? Sayaka? Both? I wonder if here is where she reveals oktavia to sayaka. It seems like a library of sorts so is this where all the witch content we see belongs? This homu also has regular purple eyes

The mami content is SO weird in these trailers like, why is she always in this one place (aside from the first trailer). I think the juxtaposition of it is really creepy though. Here she's biting down on a bear cake thing, and it squirts jam when she does so which is macabre lol. We've seen bear imagery in this cafe(?) before too. This also seems to be Mami number 2 with the correct hairclips

Im still curious with the multiple magical girl outfits. Im unsure if Kyoko's one from the initial trailer was just an early design or an alternate appearance. Mami's first appearance also matches up better with the FIRST cafe appearance (as seen in the fringe). This is all so confusing!!! IS IT INTENTIONAL OR NOT????

Im satiated by the new magi but obviously, disappointed in the delay again. Just set a date, i dont care how far away it is, stop changing it man... but its probably real hard to do that. Im just scared it's going through hell internally and it'll show in the final product.

[apollonia4]

Hiii!! If you’re willing, could u maybe do mc (preferably fem but gn is okay too!) with a very strong southern accent? Like how would the brothers + side characters react to it?

Thank you in advance I love your writing pookie 😽🫶🏻

Hellooo, thank you! I appreciate your compliment and the request. I also apologize for taking so long but I had a hard time and just didn't feel like writing. ALSO thank youuu SOOO much for 100 follows guys♡♡

[} MC with a southern accent {]

How would the brothers and the side characters act around a MC who has a very strong southern accent?

Genre: fluff, headcanons, the MC can be read as fem but I put no pronouns in other than 'you'.

Lucifer:

• He likes your accent very much, he think it makes you all the more unique. While he himself doesn't have much expirience with this kind of accent, he will learn and ask if he is curious about anything. Also, he won't tolerate anyone making fun of it so anyone who wishes to make you uncomfortable will have to go through him first.

Mammon:

• Mamms is the type of guy to laugh at it at first, like the tsundere he is he won't admit he likes it. You woke up a thing for accents he didn't know he had. Sometimes when he's on his own, you'll catch him try to (poorly) recreate your way of talking, earning him a laugh from you while he blushes and says not to judge him.

Leviathan:

• Levi is curious, many characters in his games or shows have various accents so he's interested to get to know yours. He could hear you talk for hours. He swears you're talking exactly like they do in *unrepeatable anime name*! He's a fan and he will definitely ask you shyly to teach him the accent aswell. He WILL struggle a lot but he gets ahold of it... eventually.

Satan:

• He has seen and heard people with a southern accent before but yours is particulary strong. He's also interested in hearing more of it. The longer you guys know eachother the more used to it he will become and he will want to know about the place you come from and your traditions. Also, he 100% will ask you to read to him often just so he can hear you speak.

Asmodeus:

• Asmo believes that uniqueness is beauty and when he hears you for the first time ever, he can't help but just be smitten with the way you carry yourself. You might find him annoying with the way how much he's on you asking you to say a bunch of stuff for him. What can he do? You sound so good!

Beelzebub:

• Beel cannot explain it but the way you talk and the way you carry yourself gives him a strange sense of comfort. He would never mock you or anything, he wouldn't dream of it. You care for him and he cares for you and that also means taking care of anyone who laughs at you. That just won't do. As long as he's watching you, people are only allowed to laugh with you.

Belphegor:

• Heh you're talking weird. He will definitely giggle to himself a little for some time before you lecture him that it's rude and that you don't appreciate him making fun of the way you've been speaking your whole life and you could swear you saw his eyes shine a bit more that moment. Truth is, he just wants your attention, he doesn't really think it's funny or ugly, just different.

Diavolo:

• He is fascinated. Ever since he was young he was eager and curious to discover all sorts of new things and your accent is one of them. He cannot say he knows the human world well, he spent half of his life (if not more) behind castle walls so it's natural he's very pleased with seeing or hearing something new. He thinks your way of talking is very kind to the ear and he enjoys himself when you talk a lot during your tea sessions.

Barbatos:

• Naturally he's heard this kind of accent before. This man knows everything, you swear. During the millenia he was alive he got to know many accents and he can say yours is his favorite. He thinks it's cute and attractive. Surprisingly, he likes it when you rant to him, it just amazes him how you talk so smoothly.

Simeon:

• Simeon is positively surprised when he hears you. How about that! He didn't really think about the possibility of the human exchange student having a strong accent since everyone he interracts with has rather little to none. So, if you see a character with the same accent as yours in his new book, no you didn't. He can't help it, you inspire him! You might be surprised at how accurately written it is (he don't play).

Solomon:

• As the only human in the exchange program aside from you, he is of course well acquainted with the southern accent. He himself still, to this day has some remainings of an arabic accent in his speech so you two bond on that. He shares his accent and you share yours and that way you teach eachother how to talk like the other person. Then the rest is surprised why all of a sudden Solomon starts talking like MC..

Note: sorry that these are shorter than usual but I didn't have many ideas on how I could approach this topic though I hope I did the request justice. And as always feel welcome to request more things! ♡♡

[honeycaksy]

I need to know, does Regulus still love/hung up on the mother? Is he emotionally unavailable to other people because of them (or is that just Regulus in general?

Do they end up together? (This is probably wistful af but I want them to be happy damnit lol)

Mmmh, interesting question 🤔

I think Regulus still loves her a little, especially since their separation wasn’t really their choice. But because of the Unbreakable Vow, which forbade him from speaking about her or Alphie’s birth, he had no choice but to be on survival mode, focus on raising his son, and fight a war.

Sometimes, Alphard (also under the Unbreakable Vow) tries to get Regulus to talk about her, without success.

It’s like he locked his feelings for her in a box inside his heart he never touches ever again. His emotional unavailability isn’t so much about his love for her but more about guilt; he sees what happened as divine punishment for his past as a Death Eater or whatever other actions he did.

Regulus avoids romantic ties as a sprinkle of form of self-punishment, as a lack of interest and as a way to protect his mental health, focusing fully on giving Alphie all the love and stability he can. And I think in general he’s not really a “relationship” person (well, in this AU! I can see him different about it in another AU). I promise you all Regulus isn’t miserable and is pretty much emotionally fulfilled with his little family just fine.

He also avoids remarrying or having other kids to not jeopardize Alphie’s inheritance, as I mentioned previously too.

As for whether Regulus and Alphie’s mother end up together; I haven’t decided yet. But I do know they reunite in 1997 and find closure. Regardless of whether they reconcile or stay apart, they’ll be on good terms. For example, she would be there at Alphie’s wedding 🥹.

And don’t worry, Alphie’s mom is quite a…very entertaining and chaotic character 😅

[lucygraysboy]

“well, he’s mr. mississippi to me,” billy insists, his voice flat as he refuses to elaborate and waits for lucy gray to figure it out. he just rolls his eyes, trying to refrain from pointing out how his joke clearly flew right over her head. he’s not playing their game and calling him whatever state he was born in. what’s the second-longest river in north america? the mississippi river. it makes sense. at least, in his head. “see? now that’s what we call projectin’. you’re projectin’. you’ve been doin’ somethin’ sketchy with your ex and you assume that’s also what i’m doin’. you don’t even know how wrong you are.” he hasn’t messaged blair once since their break-up and finds lucy gray’s inability to admit she’s made a mistake appalling. “you know what, lucy gray? I NO LONGER TRUST YOU!” he yells at the top of his lungs, genuinely questioning whether she’s telling him the whole truth now. north carolina. it almost seems affectionate, way too affectionate for his liking. “come on. you were gettin’ upset when i mentioned auditionin’ for a disney production ‘cause someone other than you would get to play that stupid mermaid!” the episode in which his character is making out with his love interest hasn’t aired yet, but he’s sure lucy gray won’t handle it well. “i don’t know what you’re doin’ on the weekends. i don’t think i want to know what you’re doin’. come on, get real! am i supposed to believe this? yeah, ‘cause that’s what exes do! we all send each other random pictures out of the blue! ow! fuck you!” the bottle of soap smacks his abdomen and he nearly folds over, growing more and more annoyed. he grabs the bottle and there it goes, joining the shampoo in the lake. “THAT’S NOT WHAT THIS IS ABOUT AT ALL!” he’s certain he won’t be able to say a word tomorrow, his throat already hurting. “i’m pissy ‘cause my best friend has been leadin’ me on and playin’ games with my heart for a year! i’m pissy ‘cause the girl i’ve had the biggest crush on since high school is probably hookin’ up with her ex behind my back! you’re sickenin’! don’t turn this into a me problem. it’s your fault!” he flips her off, returning the gesture. “oh, i bet he’d love to kiss your ass! fuck you!” he calls out and stupidly waits for her, standing in the middle of the trail, where he can still see her in the distance, keeping an eye on her. that’s when pat catches up with him, holding a flashlight in one hand and a pepper spray in the other, looking confused. “oh, we heard some screams and we —” but before he can say another word, billy’s fist is colliding with his jaw, sending him backwards. he needs to take his frustrations out on someone, adrenaline and rage thrumming through his veins, making him feel like his head’s going to explode. pat doesn’t think twice and, as soon as he recovers from the initial shock, throws himself at billy. they both end up on the ground, rolling around and throwing punches, lucy gray’s bag getting tangled between them.

“drop what act? get what over with? i don’t have any act, you need to drop your tone is what you need.” lucy gray retorts, managing to squirm into her panties with her towel still on from where she sits. his voice is echoing across the land he’s being so loud and unhinged, it’d infuriating her he’s accusing her of being some kind of snake, as if she’s someone who’d do that to him. “i’m NOT bein’ sweet and lovey dovey! he hasn’t texted in awhile! i don’t just call him up to flirt when i’m bored like YOU’RE implyin’! i told you me and him were still friends! he messaged about showin’ me the horse because we were helpin’ take care of a few horses who needed rehabilitation. that horse’s mama was one of them. i said ‘well that’s sweet you guys did that for me’. i like his grandma- we became friends too, i’d never be mean to her, you don’t know anything because you wasn’t there!” now he’s got her screaming until the veins pop out of her neck, the dirty comment just sends a new wave of rage through her. how disgustin’ of him. lucy gray snatches the bottle of shampoo and chucks it at him, “why don’t you keep scrollin’ to see if there is?” she retorts out of anger, since he wants to be sickening like that. “must be projectin’, must did a lot of that yourself with your one nightstands— sendin’ ‘em dick pics after they leave your bed. hm? BET you did.” her eyes roll, slipping her purple bra on, pushing the towel down once she’s got it snapped behind her and pulls the rest of it down over her breasts. “why? you ain’t my boyfriend.” pointing out the facts, not like anyone’s official here, all for good reasoning too. this just proving why she’s afraid of relationships. head cants up and doe eyes furiously stare up at him, angry browns meeting angry blues, “HE’S DOIN’ THE TEXTIN’ TOO! HELLO, ARE YOU LISTENIN’?! get out of my face!” hands push him away with force, who does he think he is? getting too big for his britches, that’s for sure. aggressively wringing her hair out with the towel, then stomping over to her bag to pull out her purple skirt and white tank top. legs quickly stepping into it, arms scrambling to tug the tank top over her head, then she starts to angrily gather all of her shit.

[hellothisisangle]

Hi!! I always feel super inspired by your art and is currently also thinking of going into nsfw myself, but I don't really know where to start. Where do you usually find inspiration and references? And do you have other fav nsfw artists yourself?

Awesome questions! If you’re interested in pursuing nsfw subjects (whether it's blatantly erotic, suggestively sensual, or just anatomically explicit)- it might be obvious that having an extensive understanding about anatomy would be helpful. And not just “the bits and bobs are in the right places/knowing how to distribute fat & muscles with motion” understanding. I mean: implied action and gesture, capturing movement in a still image, emotion through body language.

There are tons of resources you can study from: quick googling, your porn site of preference, 3d models/pose packs, real life… I’ve dabbled with them all. r/drawmensfw is popular because all posts are automatically allowed to be used as reference. 3d models can be helpful especially for multiple models/group shots. Posespace.com is another good one. But really, imagination, googling, and pausing porn is my go to if I need to see an interaction up close.

Although the main inspiration begins from the character side of things, not immediately nsfw. And I don’t think it so much matters ‘where you start’, but more: go ahead and do it! Now if you’re just starting out you’ll likely benefit from approaching it with a more realistic style, then stylize further as you continue to progress, exaggerating or simplifying things to fit your ideals. Because that’s what’s most interesting imo. The choices people make in their art based on what excites them tends to become a pattern, this is a more personal subject.

So I say- focus on pursuing what makes your heart rate increase, because it’s just more fun and you’ll get “better” faster than if you were to force yourself to draw something you don’t want to.

In terms of other nsfw artists I admire, the list is very very long and even if I name drop you guys are likely already aware of them due to being in the same related circle and fandoms, but maybe peruse the list of people I follow on socials some time!

[canichangemyblogname]

Even after a year, people are still asking queer guys why they like the canon m/m relationship representation 911 has given them, often with some lame, “But Tommy’s a bad partner because he’s bad at communication and basketball tickets” or—worse—something made up about Tommy “being a predator” for dating an adult man.

First—just to get this out of the way—a drama is not a drama without drama. They gotta raise the stakes in a relationship to create drama, and they oft do that through a lack of effective communication. Maddie x Chim wouldn’t be as interesting and dramatic if everything was happy rainbows all the time. So many plots would be null if all these characters communicated completely unlike human beings do by spelling out everything they’re thinking. They create stakes by, for example, Maddie not wanting to burden anyone with her PPD symptoms and instead running away when she fears she’s a danger to her daughter. The show wouldn’t be interesting if Maddie had walked up to Chim and said, “Sorry I’m sad sometimes. Isolation has been so hard on my health, and with my unresolved childhood neglect trauma, I worry if I’ll be a good mom,” and then they hug and everything is all good. The drama in this isn’t gonna be laid out like a Disney Channel Original where everyone sits down to a laugh track at the end and spells out the conflict for you. These characters are messy, that’s how they make a soap opera out of it. Characters will say mean things or communicate in a way that isn’t perfect, like Buck (meanly) telling Tommy he doesn’t sleep with everyone he likes and doesn’t have to like everyone he sleeps with. Communication is going to be clunky and inelegant because it’s a drama, a drama about humans and their interpersonal relationships.

Second, I’ve addressed the whole “gay predator” trope until blue in the face. I no longer even want to give it the time of day for how nonsense it is.

And every day, this question feels more like an attempt to grasp at straws to justify your dislike for 911’s newest representation as opposed to admit “I don’t like it and don’t want it because it isn’t my preferred fantasy,” which is the truth for the most of you. But what really grind my gears about us still getting these questions a year later is that they’ve been answered to hell and back, and every answer has been written off as somehow dumb and even dumber still because y’all aren’t asking in good faith. And I know this, but I’m gonna answer the question anyway.

The relationship subverts very popular and common coming out/sexuality discovery tropes among M/M representation in our media, and especially in fandom. And this really dawned on me today when I accidentally happened across some untagged buddie (buck x eddie) art where Eddie was having a panic™️ the “morning after.”

In a lot of popular media about men discovering their sexuality in adulthood, this discovery is accompanied with panic, violence, and/or disgust. There’s no tender awe or bubbling excitement or smiling nervousness, like we got to see in Buck’s face when that piece of his puzzle slotted into place. In much of our modern media landscape, adult men expressing desire for one another is often still depicted with the masquerade of anger, force and self-hate. We’re not allowed to be tender with one another without the kiss being bruising or the sex being animalistic. We aren’t allowed intimacy without panic and pushing our lovers away. Like—think of the number of m/m first kisses in media where one of the men pushes the other away in reaction. He’ll look wild, terrified, and on the verge of striking the other man or lashing out at him as opposed to embracing him. There is always force and rage behind their touch as opposed to honest desire. Because honest desire is Too Gay™️.

But 911 gave us tenderness and bubbling excitement and honest desire instead. Buck didn’t push Tommy away, and Tommy checked in with Buck to ask if kissing him was okay. Buck’s first date jitters were accompanied by affection and giddiness, not disgust and fear. In fact, after Buck puts his foot in his mouth, he spends the entire episode worried that he looked like a fraud. The fact he was on a date with a man “shouldn’t be” the issue because it wasn’t an issue for Buck. Buck wanted openly from the beginning and was never ashamed of that, even when he was unsure of what he was ready for. And Tommy, similarly, never hid his interest in Evan. We got to see two men be gentle with one another, from Tommy changing Buck’s ice pack and fluffing his pillow to Buck’s light teasing and open affection. And we also got to see their unadulterated passion for one another. Even at their horniest when Buck has Tommy pressed up against a wall, there is a playfulness and excitement and authenticity to their passion, never a brutality. Their desire is unadulterated, never held back and contained by the facade of aversion.

They actually, genuinely like each other from the start. They don’t perform this masculine dance whereby they constantly work to reinscribe themselves in the dramas of heterosexuality when they feel their love for another man has desexed them. So, they don’t lash out or push away or get brutal or forceful because “men™️.” In fact, early in their relationship—season 7 x episode 5—the show goes out of its way to say “Hey, you know the story of (macho) men who overcompensate for their lack of heterosexuality to maintain their appearance as a ‘real man?’ Who lie about who they are, even to those closest to them, and lie about women, and deny how they feel, and who aggressively try to disaffiliate with gayness™️? Yeah? Well, this isn’t that story.” (And Eddie—fucking—Diaz, heterosexual extraordinaire™️, was the narrative device they used to illustrate that Buck’s status—like his friendship—is not threatened by his affection for a man; people really are “surprisingly” accepting.)

And this is (part of ) why I’ve loved this story so much.

###

Tommy: “I get it, we're in a pretty macho line of work. But you'd be surprised how accepting most people are.” … “Evan, I think you're adorable. But I don't think you're ready.” … “I didn't cut things short because you behaved badly; I did it because I didn't want to pressure you.”

Buck: “I'm-I'm not lying about who I am.” … “The point is I lied to my best friend’s face… I feel like a fraud.” … “I need to apologize for the way I behaved the other night.” … “you said before, um, that-that you don't think I'm ready. And the truth is, I don't know what I'm ready for, but I am ready for something. And-and I think maybe that something could be with you.”

[bonsiii-art]

Let us know once you've finished the update, it's REALLY interesting imo. Even I was caught off-guard by some of the stuff Devsis pulled.

I DID IT I FINISHED IT ITS PEAK (Spoilers for Draconic Immortalis CROB event story!)

MY HUSBAND'S HERE (being gay about my other fictional spouse (longan) >:O!!)

TBD involvement hype aside, they have a piece of the egg Longan hatched from?? I wanna see it qwq!! It's the closest I'll be able to see their baby photos! And like, just straight up saying that Longan's fixation on kinship is because they spent their youth alone ouuughhh my poor old dragon qwq...

As someone who was kinda on the fence about Gingerbrave being the one with the cane in the prophecy, I think the way they handled it was actually pretty good! I like this scene in particular because yeah, it acknowledges that other cookies have cane/cane-like objects with them.

It didn't feel forced which was all that I was hoping for. XD

This whole convo between the dragons, man...I have so many different thoughts about it/pos Like I'm afraid of talking too much about it because I'm very much not a pro at character analysis. But I think Longan's motivations and how they feel about is so interesting in that I feel that Longan isn't someone who doesn't care, it's that they cared too much. They took their fear of getting done in by a cookie in the far future and projected it onto all the other dragons. They saw the elimination of cookiekind as preserving the family they've made.

And with their age, childhood, and power of foresight, this bolstered their selfish belief that they're the only one who knows what's best. That they need to step over everyone because it's for what they believe to be the greater good. A greater good only born innately from their desires alone. Not like a child that's never been told no, but more like an elder that never has been questioned on their authority.

And crazy that even when their delusion of this family dynamic broke, they still are striving to have one because it's probably the one thing they wanted most: to not be alone, for someone to stay, even if it's by obligation of blood relation.

Anyways, I gotta stop yapping; this is getting too long of a post SDFGHJK PEAK SNAKEFRUIT MOMENT I love how they've developed throughout this story as a whole (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ)

My old dragon beefing with a child 😔

Technically going by official height measurements, to see Gingerbrave in this shot, Longan's head alone would fill the whole half of the screen; but I understand, it's still an awesome scene XD AND THEN THE ANIMATION OMLLLLLLLL

THAT SMIRK, THAT LIL "heh", INSANE WORK

I didn't think they would animate the Longan eyes dispersing as well!! Longan really did go out with a bang, literally, like a firework-

LYCHEEEE QAQ Our girl really was a goner, she was essentially in a coma. BUT SHE'S BACK NOW AND EVERYTHING'S OKAY

....Okay, everything might not be okay.

Longan, please don't send your couple-hours old baby on a fetch quest-

Dark Choco, Milk, and Yam crumbs with a side of Chocolate Bark, my friend's eating good 🙏 Please, devsis, give us a dark cacao kingdom related update with all of them in it.

GIRL STAY IN BED YOU TOOK A BLAST HEAD ON AT POINT BLANK RANGE!!!!

God, this scene has been a long time coming, literal years of updates coming together for this... I'm glad I was able to stick around the game long enough to see it qwq...

...hey, I recognize those guys-

I'm really glad they remembered about the whole being part of the past thing and while them disappearing would make sense, I'm happy they get to stay <:P they're cute!

[veliseraptor]

Hi, Lise! I wanted to ask for some book recs. I've been following you for some years and I genuinely trust your taste in media. I'm really in the mood for high/epic fantasy, preferably a series and something that a bit older/not recently published. I've read the entirety of a song of ice and fire this spring and the realm of the elderlings last summer. I've for example read doctrine of labyrinths, because you talked about it and really enjoyed it. And I just can't figure out what to read next, so I thought why not ask you directly. I hope that's okay!!

oh man, you have activated my simultaneous "I love recommending books and also I'm terrified to do it" trait, but hey, you did explicitly ask and I do have a lot of book opinions, so.

though the truth is that I have not recently read a lot of high/epic fantasy that I've really liked! which I guess defaults me to older things, but does also mean that the things I've read are less current in my brain. there are also a lot of classic high fantasy series I just straight up haven't read (yet, in some cases); my fantasy reading ended up in some ways light on the "classics" many people read. that being said!

of course the first thing to come busting out of my brain kool-aid style based on this prompt is "HAVE YOU READ WHEEL OF TIME" which I assume you either have or are not interested in doing, but I'll mention it anyway. there are all the usual caveats people give about it, and certainly it is long (though cumulatively not maybe that different from the entirety of realm of the elderlings), but it is genuinely one of my favorite series ever and I think there is a lot to love about it, especially in terms of the characters.

moving on from that, a few other thoughts:

Malazan: Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson. This is a bit of a risk and also a commitment series (10 books, bricks all), but it is a potent piece of work. I need to reread it personally but while I struggled to articulate some of my feelings about it as a series I know it gave me a lot of strong feelings. I will note that as far as high/epic fantasy this is definitely on the darker end.

Coldfire Trilogy by C.S. Friedman. This is one I haven't read in, like, more than a decade, so I cannot be 100% sure how it would hold up, but I did read some other C.S. Friedman recently that I really enjoyed. Less classically high/epic fantasy, but it's certainly engaging with the type/tropes; in my experience C.S. Friedman likes to take some of those trappings and play with them in fun ways.

If you haven't read any Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin I would recommend it. Very different in texture/tone than either of the series you mentioned or others on this list, but well worth reading.

The Temeraire series by Naomi Novik - another 'it's been a while' series, and admittedly I didn't finish it, but I really enjoyed what I read and didn't finish it mostly because I got distracted in the middle, then felt like I needed to do a full reread and haven't gotten around to it yet.

The Inheritance Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin isn't her best work, but I personally really enjoyed it and it was the series that got me back into reading fantasy after years of having kind of wandered off. I see some "epic fantasy" recs lists mentioning Broken Earth (which I do think is Jemisin's best work), and while I wouldn't call that high fantasy I would recommend it.

a slightly more tentative rec for Kushiel's Legacy by Jacqueline Carey which is a very particular flavor of series that is not for everyone (heavier on the romance, for one thing), but I do have a soft spot for, and Melisande Shahrizai was early blorbo material)

notables that aren't on here on purpose: anything by Brandon Sanderson and the Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss.

there are a number of series I want to read/have been eyeing though obviously because I haven't yet I can't vouch for them directly - for instance I've been eyeing Raymond Feist's Riftwar cycle mostly as a vehicle to get to the Empire Trilogy which I've heard I'd enjoy, and Karen Miller's Godspeaker trilogy is finally in my grasp after giving up looking for a hard copy of the first book.

writing this did make me think about how much I fucking loved the belgariad/malloreon serieses by david eddings back in the day. suspect I could not read them without wincing now, but boy were those deeply formative for me for a while.

also find it deeply hilarious that Wikipedia puts the Bas-Lag series in their list of "high fantasy" fiction. love those books. They do not go there.

for a longer and more general list I did dig up a couple more general SFF recs list I wrote a while ago (here and here), and my as-of-2020 top 25 sff of 2010-2020 list.

I hope any of that helps, I feel like this has only been a 50% coherent response to your question

[phanboyo]

I do appreciate the puns because i think that his silly sense of humor is how he Gets Through It. But I went with self absorbed in a teenager way because he's allowed to embody that trait in a way that not a lot of other hero characters are allowed to! Sure he wants to be a good boy, but so does every other hero. Yeah he makes puns, but so do most of them tbh. But he makes dumb mistakes that he knows will hurt his friends and then realizes that that was a dumb mistake and tries to make it better. Because he's figuring out how to be a person. Because he's a teenager. He causes people pain and then feels bad about it because he does want to be a good person, and his teenage self absorption makes it easy to forget that. To me, it pushes a message of change, of growth, of forgiveness, and that good people can do bad things sometimes.

Especially when it's contrasted with Vlad? Who is self absorbed in a not-teenager way? Who makes selfish decisions that hurt people and is generally unrepentant for it because he never takes time to consider people outside of himself and grow as a person? It's part of what makes him an interesting foil. Because its not out of the question that Danny would do the things that Vlad would do. The difference is that Danny would eventually wake up and feel bad about it and apologize, but it would still cause him a lot of concern that he has that similiarity, and he'd worry that he and Vlad really are the same in the end.

Tl;dr.

Teenage self absorption is a unique and interesting trait for a hero that adds to Danny's narrative symbolism without detracting from his genuine moral goodness.

No nuance poll time!

"But Jackdaw, those are all important!" you say. "Also you forgot several options, including other."

I didn't forget other, I'm doing this specifically to torment you. Yell at me in the reblogs!