#but i'm so glad i put her in this game because she has grown so much as a character since then!!!

[leondaltons]

Meet my MCs: Utana Matsuda [x] | College Tennis: Origin Story by @collegetennisoriginstory

I wish for it all, really; and I'm prepared to give everything of myself for it.

x

[barcaatthemoon]

holiday || lia walti x reader ||

you bring lia home to meet your family.

it wasn't very often that an opportunity arose for you to spend time with both lia and your parents. arsenal's trip to america was a pretty big deal. you and lia managed to fly out a week before everyone else was required to so that you could spend time with your family. the games weren't anywhere near where you had grown up, but lia had never been to south dakota, so you booked a weekend trip.

"there is so much space," lia said as she stared out the car window. the two of you were in the back of your parents' trusted minivan. it had been in the family since you were young, and had been the faithful transport of you and your siblings, and now your siblings' kids.

"it's kind of nice. london really makes me miss it out here," you told her. lia hummed as she turned and grabbed onto your hand. your homesickness had been an issue for the past two season. you had nearly left because of it before lia reminded you that eventually you'd get to go back home, but you might not get to come back to arsenal if you ended your contract early.

"granny's got the whole family at the house, by the way. i told her to give you a day to rest, but she knows you won't be here long," your dad warned you. there was nothing more that you expected from your grandmother. you were the only grandchild who moved more than an hour and a half away, and she missed you like crazy.

"it's fine dad, i got a monster at the airport, and i'm sure that uncle craig brought coffee," you said. at that, your dad laughed, his brother's coffee being a running joke in the family. it was strong to the point of being nearly undrinkable, and yet, the man put cup after cup of it down every single day.

lia seemed a bit lost on the joke, but you were more than happy to fill her in. you were always scared of rambling, so you rarely let yourself go on like you were. lia deserved a bit of a warning, not having really dealt with a true midwestern family before. everybody would agree on clearing out by 8:30, and the last scragglers would most likely hang around until the early hours of the morning.

"this is where you grew up?" lia asked as she pointed at the large house in front of you. since you had left, your parents had added onto the house quite a bit. there were things that you had helped to fund, as had all of your siblings. that house had been in your family for three generations, and none of you were going to let it go to someone else or be torn down.

"yeah, it didn't look like this, but pretty much. come on, let me show you my room!" you excitedly raced up the stairs with your bags. lia followed you, just barely able to keep up.

your room looked exactly like it had when you left it two seasons ago. you had played at the reign before transferring to arsenal, but before that, you had been a husky. washington had been your home away from your parents' place, and your bedroom reflected that. even before you had left for college, you had dreamt of a purple jersey of your own in the shops.

"the bed will be a bit cramped, but we should be fine. just, keep your hands to yourself, my mom has a sixth sense for that sort of thing," you warned lia. she nodded as she took everything in. you made a place for her things and then hopped back to lay on your bed. lia stood there for a moment before joining you, glad to be able to relax for a moment.

the two of you barely got to lay there for a minute before you were called down for dinner. lia looked confused about where to sit until you plopped yourself down at the kids' table. you were more than happy to sit with your younger cousins, nieces, and nephews. in your eyes, that was always the most fun table with their little games and stories.

lia tried to sit with you, but unsurprisingly, your sister pulled her away to the 'hen table' as you had grown up hearing it. you watched as they questioned lia at first. she seemed nervous, but visibly kept calm which you were impressed by. most of your girlfriends from before had run off after a good questioning from your granny and sister-in-law.

"do you kiss that lady?" nicholas, your little brother's son, asked you.

"sometimes, i do. it's a pretty big deal, she's the princess of switzerland," you told him. as if she heard the nickname, lia's head whipped around to look at you. you gave her a little finger wave before turning back to the kids' table antics.

it wasn't for another couple of hours that you got a moment alone with lia. she seemed to be very popular with your family, which you appreciated. most of the time, someone always hated whoever you brought home. you had counted on either your sister-in-law or one of your uncles not approving, but they seemed to love her the most.

"you picked a good one, chicky," your older brother said as he pulled you in for a hug. "i don't know how you pulled her, but i'm glad you did. i'd put a ring on it if i was you."

"shh, don't scare her off," you hissed as you swatted at him.

"hey, don't let her slip away. that's all i'm saying," he told you. he pressed a kiss to the top of your head and then left. his words were bouncing around in your head as you helped your parents get the kids who stayed over to bed. lia had headed up for a shower before you, so you hoped that she'd still be awake by the time you got up there.

"i didn't know you had such a big family," lia said. there was nothing behind it, just an observation. you knew that a lot of your teammates would be surprised when your whole family showed up at your game in washington. "do you think you'll come back here when you retire?"

"that's always been the plan," you told her. lia hummed as she pulled you to lay on top of her. "i'd be willing to change that for you."

"i don't want you to change that for me. if you'd let me, i'd like to come back here with you. this is a good place to raise a family."

"is that something you really want with me?" you asked her. lia nodded, as if it was the most obvious thing ever.

"of course it is. now, let's get some rest because i believe i was promised a tour of the farm in the morning," lia said. you chuckled at that, knowing exactly the amount of free labor your dad got from having people "tour the farm."

[sarahjtv]

My Hero Academia Chapter 425 Spoiler Talk

I'm enjoying writing about this stuff again, though I've got a headache going on, so I'll do the best I can for now. I might add in stuff later:

I'm very happy to see our Big 3 graduate finally! I was kinda worried Mirio wouldn't even graduate for a second, but I'm happy to see that he did and he gave a valedictorian-esque speech to everyone talking about rebuilding society so everyone can have a bright future like Sir Nighteye wanted. Ending his speech with a joke is such a Mirio Togata thing 😂. I'm going to miss that guy so much 🥹

Why are Deku and some other students just lying on the ground with their feet up like that btw? Did they run out of chairs or something? It's a weird, quirky little thing that's just there, I guess.

The narration mentions that it's June in the MHA universe now (Happy Pride, btw 🏳️‍🌈). So, if the War took place around April or May, then it's been at least 1 month since we last saw the kids at the hospital.

Our class 1-A is now officially Class 2-A! They're finally second years as they should have been. Everyone including Aizawa is alive, though saying they're well is debatable. Everyone is clearly still injured in some way, shape, or form. Most have several bandages and even Jiro looks like she has a prosthetic for her missing left earphone jack.

Quick note: I notice that Bakugo is actually wearing a tie with his uniform now. It's still not buttoned up, but you can tell that he's definitely softened a bit since the war. EDIT: Looking at it again, it might not be buttoned up because he has a cast holding his right arm, but it’s hard to tell from the scans.

Aoyama not wanting to return to UA is sad, but it makes sense. I'd argue that he earned his place there regardless of AFO's influence, but I can understand that he doesn't feel that way and wants to redeem himself and become a hero in his own way without being forced to betray his friends and teachers.

Replacing Aoyama will be Hitoshi Shinso! I think most of us predicted that Shinso would be joining Class 2-A, but I'm very happy to see that confirmed. It's going to be a bit of a weird start for him, but I think he'll get used to his new classmates quickly.

Another quick note: The second-year cloud girl, Fuwa Mitawa, is seen quite a bit in this chapter and her return is something Horikoshi promised many volumes ago, so I'm glad to see him keep that promise.

Those two first panels of Shouto make me so sad, y'all 😭... His hair is so messy and you can see bags under his eyes. It's hard to tell because of the leaks, but I don't know if there's even light left in his eyes. He looks so exhausted. What happened to Dabi, Endeavor, and the rest of his family? I have no doubt that he's been agonizing over them for god knows how long. I hate seeing him like this, honestly. He's my favorite character and deserves all the good in the world, especially after the harsh life he's been put through. I want to give Shouto all the hugs in the world 🩵.

I don't think Deku smiled at all this whole chapter btw. He tries to talk to Ochako at one point, but she interrupts him with a comment about his new haircut. He just looks sad this whole chapter. I bet he's still grieving and processing what happened. I need Izuku to open up to someone because he can't just bottle this up.

Then we have this mysterious man walking around a desolate town. We have absolutely no idea who this is, but apparently it isn't someone we know of. I want to say it's a grown-up Tenko Shimura somehow, but even that might be too farfetched.

Finally, there's Shouto and the Todorokis. Shouto reassures Deku that he's ok, but I bet my gatcha game currency that he's putting on a brave face because that final beautiful panel of him does not scream "I'm ok!" to me. If anything, I'm amazed Shouto doesn't look like he got any other permanent scars on his face at least.

It looks like Shouto is going to see his family at the hospital. Specifically Endeavor and what might be Dabi who's being kept alive in a big machine. It's hard to tell because the scans are so unclear, but I'm 90% sure that's Dabi in there. It's a miracle that man is alive given he was just a skeleton last we saw him. I'm 99% sure we're going to get a Hellish Todoroki Family Part 3 or something next chapter.

But, we won't see that until 3 weeks from now because we're officially on a 2-week break. There isn't a given reason why like Jujustu Kaisen got (Gege Akutami is sick, so he's taking 2-week break too), so I really hope Horikoshi is ok. It's either he's sick too or he needs time to think of the final chapters of MHA. Or both, that too. Regardless, any breaks given to Kohei Horikoshi to give him time to rest is ok with me. Just sucks for us as fans. Leaving us on THAT kind of a cliffhanger is just mean 😭

[bo0neey]

Smile! You're on TV

°●.°•*.•.○*•°

Pairing: Katniss x Reader, slight Effie x Reader

Fandom: The Hunger Games.

Synopsis: Congratulations! Your survived the Hunger games. As a Victor it's your job to secure the lives of your Tributes. But don't be disheartened by reputation, statistically district 12 has the same odds as every other district. Better yet, your Tribute this year actually looks promising. !Warning. Growing attached is for audiences only!

Type: Multi-Chapter

°●.°•*.•.○*•°

Chapter 1

°●.°•*.•.○*•°

"So. Y/n."

My sight is blinded. Bright lights strike me down, but it's not unusual, not unexpected by any means. Rather, I'd grown used to the spotlight. It gave me a strange sense of comfort because while I was under the scrutiny of many, I was also safe from the hands of others. Despite the brightness, I can still make out the blue haired man infront of me.

"Last years tributes barely lasted the blood bath."

Of course I'd have to be reminded of those lifeless faces; innocent eyes I'd never meet again with small voices only present in memories. They were so young. Always so young and will forever be young. 13 and 14 last year. 12 and 17 the year before. I remember all of them. Every single child I meet every single year. Even when the cameras stop rolling and the public forget, those stolen lives will weigh on my heart every day.

"With this years reaping just arround the corner, how are you feeling about your odds?"

I mentally curse Haymitch for not being here with me. He always got to miss public pleasing. I sat alone on the large velvet seating. I was the only Victor from 12 that they wanted on the show. I hated it. All of it. They call me a Victor but I've never felt like one.

"Well Caesar, twelves certainly not known for their performance but I'm feeling confident this year. I really think this seventy-fourth year might be ours." With years of practice, I site some generic response and put on my famous smile. Like every time before I twke the cheers as my que to turn and wave to the void of cameras and silhouettes.

"I hear this year marks your tenth anniversary! Let's take a trip down memory lane."

They begin rolling clips from my time in the arena. They span right from the first night up until I was shipped back to the capitol. While I couldn't bare to watch those faces again, every voice took me back to that dreaded fortnight. I only won because the Capitol showered me in donations. It should've been the boy from 4. Or even 6. While in the begining I was glad. I've grown to resent them. I've begun to envy them even. I wouldnt wish this life on anyone.

'Play the game and you'll be rewarded.' Thats what haymitch slurred the first night on the train. He was right, as usual. He's a smart man when he's not drowning in his own vomit although i do sometimes worry he's rotting that brain away.

"Amazing isn't she!" Caesar yells into the crowd. A mix of cheers and sobs come from the faceless mass.

"And while were all feeling nostalgic, let's rewatch the reaping shall we?"

It was sick. Hearing the response from the crowd and the glee in Caesars voice. I turn my attention to the screen and feel my eyes prick. I see a young girl gleefully skip onto the stage. Shes utterly clueless of the horrors waiting for her. Shes helpless to stop the world waiting for her. I want to scream, I want to scoop her up and protect her. I want to rip that stupid dress off her and wipe the makeup off.

But I also know how much she wanted it. I know how long she spent applying old colours to her face and how excited she was when her mother gifted her the dress for her first reaping. I know how much she wqnted to be a pretty girl on the screen. It would be cruel to take that away from her. She stands on the stage with such pride and cheerfulness, its no wonder the Capitol fell for her.

"Primrose Everdeen!"

I quickly blink my eyes. Ah, yes. This years reaping.

I scan my heavy eyes over the quiet crowd to see this Primrose only noone moves. Its deathly silent. Slowly a young girl begins to step forwards. I feel my heart drop. She's so small. So young. So scared. I want nothing more then to hug the poor girl. Her death has just been called and the only comfort she'll receive is a large camera pointed at her face.

Another young girl on my conscience, ten years running. I want nothing more to forget. To live in ignorance. But the only way to fight against this sick game is to remember. Keep these children perfectly preserved and alive somewhere. Even if I'll never get to see such lively souls grow into the adults they should.

[heavenlymorals]

Hi this is the TB!reader anon. Tysm for answering! I agreed with all that you said although one part did made me curious. So y'know how you mentioned that if a doctor recommended going somewhere then he would? I was wondering how do you think that'd work out with the gang? Surely it'd be difficult for Arthur with him being so loyal to Dutch and them. I'm also interested in how the gang would react since Arthur has been such an essential member

You're absolutely welcome, anon ❤️❤️❤️ I'm glad you enjoyed that, I took great pleasure writing it❤️❤️

When I wrote my response, I wrote it in the sense that the gang was out of the picture and I only wanted to focus on Arthur and his partner.

But if the gang was there? Honestly, I think it'd be pretty difficult. I mean, they clearly rely on him and there is also Dutch's guilt tripping.

But given how Arthur talks to John about getting out of there and taking care of his family and all that, there is also reason to believe that he'd ultimately put his partner first, especially if she's dying. Also, when he talks with Mary in their final interaction, he tells her that they will run away together right after he makes sure the gang is ok. Like, that right there shows that he is willing to leave them behind to go with Mary, but he just needs to make sure they are safe.

But this is a different situation. His partner is literally dying- he doesn't have the luxury of waiting and I think that Arthur would find that way more important then staying for Dutch. I mean, the only reason why Arthur stays with Dutch in canon is because of how he has nothing else besides the gang.

And there is reason to believe (just speculation and and a different interpretation, I'm not trying to present this as 100% canon) that Arthur WOULD'VE left the gang for Mary if they did get married but they never did. Remember, he says that Mary wasn't able to marry him because her family looked down on him for his status : "My money, my life, me. I wasn't good enough." And "I wasn't good enough to marry into your family, but it's ok in asking me to save your family?"

And in the next encounter? Arthur almost leaves because he doesn't want to deal with her father, and that's when Mary starts berating his lifestyle to defend her father.

"Surely you can't hate a man for the sin of loving his daughter and wanting better for her then, then-"

"Then me?"

"Then the choices you make!"

No where in the game does it say that Mary leaves him because he was an outlaw and didn't want to leave the gang. She doesn't marry him because her family barred her from doing so, especially her father and she clings onto that reasoning to justify to herself why she didn't marry him.

And also note that Arthur tells Mary that he WILL run away with her just as soon as he makes sure the people he is with are safe, which shows that he ultimately does choose Mary instead of the gang, but he needs to make sure they're safe first before leaving them forever and being with Mary. I mean the gang is in such a high stress situation after Blackwater, it's insane. I feel like a lot of people forget this.

But if his partner WAS in the gang and they are 100% established as being a couple AND she's dying? Yea, I feel like Arthur's priorities are going to shift because SHE'S the main focal point now. That's someone that he must take care of more than his fellow gang members. I mean just look at the way he talks to John about him leaving with his woman and child. Arthur believes that John has the responsibility of taking care of them FIRST and then the gang second because Abi and Jack are his actual immediate family.

So I honestly think he would leave. That's his woman. That's the love of his life and she is DYING. Fuck Dutch and his bullshit, they can take care of themselves, they are grown ass men and women.

I feel like the majority of the gang would be very understanding and accept that Arthur needs to go. Dutch might try to be passive aggressive, but I don't think it'd really go anywhere. Micah is Micah so he'd have a problem with it, but I doubt Arthur cares what Micah thinks.

Would Arthur come back to the gang after she passed away? Maybe. I mean, they let John back in for abandoning them for no reason whilst having a whole child. Arthur would have an actual reason to go and I don't think the gang is as heartless as all that.

Thanks for the ask anon, it has been so much fun and I hope you enjoy it ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[sporeclan]

I love your clannnn. Absolutey rooting for minklake I love them. So do you know which cats were from the same clan originally? Like who would have grown up together, any deep rivalries or even family relations

Thank you!!! i'm so glad you like minklake theyre so fun <3 as for backstories;

Yes, I do at least have some basic stuff and some ideas!! I'll put it under a cut here for anyone interested :]

So, to start with, I'm going with the clans the game randomly generated as rival clans as the old now disbanded clans, which are as follows; WingClan(temper: wary), DashClan(temper: logical), PuddleClan(temper: wary), PrimClan(temper: mellow) and MidgeClan(temper: amiable). I don't have any specific lore for any of them or how they were yet, but it's nice to have the names at least lol.

For Crowstar(whistle), I like the idea that she was a mediator of PuddleClan. I think it suits her charming trait and having a background in mediating gives her the necessary people skills to band together a small group of previously vicious enemies.

The only family relations I've decided on are Dawnpelt and Minklake, who are littermates from DashClan, being only young apprentices when the clans disbanded.

Fadedtuft and Oakfox were both from PrimClan. They were clanmates, but they didn't really think much of one another until after the clans disbanded.

Goldpurr was a MidgeClan healer and Mousegrove was her apprentice! They have quite a frayed relationship, though, they don't really like eachother all too much.

Foxspeckle was a WingClan warrior. Most of her clanmates either died or took off, so she was forced to be on her own. She was the first cat Crowstar met after the disbanding.

As for why they started up a new clan, it moreso started with Crowwhistle slowly forming a small colony of cats to help eachother survive the harsh environment. The reason it turned into a new clan was because that was the culture they were used to and comfortable in, but mostly because it turned out Crowwhistle was actually able to receive visions from StarClan, a thing thought impossible until then. In a dream, she was first told to make a clan again - pick a camp and give out roles - and once she had done that, StarClan visited her again to grant her nine lives. I tried to imply most of this in the prologue moon, but I don't know how well it came across :')

Oh, and Pachirisu is literally just some guy. he has no reason to be here or any sad backstory he's just a lil guy

[jajatoc]

Ooh for the OC ask thing, how about Radahn or Clara?

Oh mygod I'm so glad you asked. I Will reflect on them both if you'll have me!!! Both very misunderstood and gorgeous characters of their own right.... putting them side by side makes me smile

Clara (the Changeling)

favorite thing about them - Clara as a concept is perhaps my favourite thing to ever come out of Pathologic (and in a piece of art so impossibly rich of different themes it is really saying something!!!!)- I love her presentation, a little girl who crawls out of the very earth from a foggy graveyard, teeth and nails and earth like any other little girl. She knows her name but not what her purpose is. She wills an evil twin sister into being (kind of) because she is so scared of disappointing her potential adoptive dad. Her adoptive mother wishes she was her so bad. She is constantly being used by everyone even if no one can trust her. She cannot prove herself to be true and sicere to the people that won't trust her because she really is supernatural, there really is something else going on with her, and she has to face the same dismissals that any little girl has to face nonetheless. She risks her life every day to meet and stop her sister in the heart of the plague. She has to baby two grown adults just so that they don't kill each other and maybe be the least bit helpful (they aren't). Her worst fear is disbelief in her. All of her followers had a death wish even before they had met her. Her only weapon are her hands or the shittiest derringer in the universe. She has both the most limited and the largest vision of the world between the three protagonist. She gets premonitions and says things that the player would never know so much so that playing as her is an alienating experience. She weaves the threads of the town on the tips of her fingers. Her stasis is both risky and sickly and so, so hopeful and sincere. I would offer her my own blood for her ritual if she asked.

Aside from this rant, I really enjoy her character design, especially in pathologic 2 (it's one of the best designs in the remake I think): the baldness of a saint and a sickness, the naive mismatched and ripped clothes she was born in, the bones weaved in her scarf, her bare hands (the only ones like this between the protagonists in classic, I must underline).

least favorite thing about them - I dislike nothing about her! I sincerely wish her route wasn't so overlooked because it shows the bound's varying faces so well. Her flaws are those of a very religious little girl... the trust she has to have in herself is both traitorous and holy. The Humbles are definitely my favourite characters, and their bond with Clara baffles me and deeply interests me: for some of them it's an unexpected choice that grows to feel inevitable as their story progresses. Their suffering becomes defining acceptance.. surely not healthy, but undeniably an end. They are all such great characters it's actually physically painful when I think about it!!!

favorite line - AAAAGH. IT'S A TEXT BASED GAME. HOW CAN I CHOOSE. Aside from the obvious "If we ourselves are to suffer deception our hands are no longer tied.." etc etc.. I really enjoy a small line her sister speaks when greeting her: "You're so sweet; such eyes... They're not like mine at all." They make me sick. What if your sister was a sickness and you could not save her and she was also you. What then.

brOTP/OTP/nOTP- I really enjoy the relationship of both awe and fear between Grace and Clara (and the Albino). I don't know if I see it as something romantic, or if I see Clara interested romantically in anyone at all besides. I don't know how to feel about Commander Block's writing. I don't think it was ever meant to be seen as romantic (gross?), but I can't deny that in meeting the Changeling Block experiences some kind of spiritual rapture. It's hard to hope that his religious devotion could develop into fatherly attachment as he intends in making Clara some kind of secret army weapon. But nonetheless. I would hope for Clara to one day be able to distance herself from the events that transpired in the town... even though her and it are so intertwined that it could perhaps be more harmful to her. Unlike the previous sand pest epidemic-impersonation (Sabha Usptae<3) Clara has greater prospects! Strangely, she has much less ties with the kin, and being a mistress seems more fitting to her.

random headcanon- I love how the fandom often portrays the two sisters as having one the classic hd design and the other the patho 2 design. So beautiful and true. Who is who? More of this please.

unpopular opinion- HUH I have no idea. Perhaps I would love to see more art of her being truly unsettling (as she is and deserves) more than just the silly magical girl. I myself haven't contributed that much to that so I can't judge anyone (also artists can do whatever they want<3 who even am I).. but I really love to see it!! I recognize of course that just a single faceted interpretation of her is wrong, and I love when people play with her characterization.. (she is indeed a little girl with fears fit to her age risking her life every day, facing accusations and direct harm based on superstitions... but she is also the town's anger manifested, a witty Cheshire-cat ish character, an interlocutor of the player, a hero playing against herself, a cryptid, a magical girl.... she can be whatever she wants<3)

song i associate with them - ERM. I haven't made a character playlist in years. But she can get Same Man I Was Before by Oingo Boingo she deserves it. Also Disappearing from the Patho 2 ost always reminds me of her somehow :)

favorite picture of them - I MAY HAVE TWO. I really love early concepts of Clara for classic even if I'm not really rocking with the absurd miniskirt. But art made by meethos is always so cool (hope IPL still has them on board for Patho 3). The second one was made by hayheadd on here if I'm not mistaken. Quintessential Clara

General Radahn (what a followup!)

{I've only very recently gotten into Elden ring, and it really blew me away. The artistry behind its every aspect, its art direction, its very refined combat programming, its soundscape, and most of all its writing.. It's undeniably charming even from the perspective of someone very unfamiliar with soulslikes (like me.. I only had a vague knowledge of Bloodborne before) or even games of that scale in general! I am usually skeptical of seeking extreme realism in modern games but man, I'm willing to make an exception if it's used so incredibly. Having said that... there is not a single main character I dislike. I hadn't had this much fun with a fucked up family of this size in a while!}

favorite thing about them- For me It's hard to map a character out when there is so little ever mentioned about them like in Radahn's case. Nonetheless, I think it was exactly his lack of a proper voice to strike me dead. Paradoxically, his story is about the loss of identity and agency (among other things.. like stagnation, stasis). He is a man presented as someone so powerful that he has lost any semblance of identity- every action he ever did has been sung about so much so that he has become more a title than a person. He has become his actions. What lies beyond all of this? Some things we can surely discern from his relationships and item descriptions. His relationships with his Carian siblings, for whom he seemed to bear mutual respect (thinking about the gorgeous painting of a mature Radahn in Volcano Manor..... and the halting of the stars, who remains ever the mystery); with his horse, which, while endearing, seems to further underline his themes of stasis and preservation (how different these siblings are! Stagnation, Treason, Abandonment.... the moon siblings.......); with his soldiers and men, who greatly regarded him; with Miquella...

I should probably talk about my favourite thing about him though now! It probably is. His presentation in the base game. The early Caelid area is a mess, very loud and aggressive, so the walk to Redmane Castle on its relatively detatched peninsula really impressed me with its stillness. The silent tragedy of battles fought in days past, only remembered by carcasses and weapons strewn around. The battered bridge, the relatively anonymous castle itself.. it greets you with a tension that could be cut with a knife. I cannot describe how much the atmosphere does the right job here. From the deafening silence a low choir emerges, a song of Honour and mourning that whispers the tale of all the warriors who gave their life to Radahn and of whom only remain the weapons, hung everywhere in Redmane. A song that doesn't carry resentment, only the weight of the innumerable deaths who still failed to end one's stasis. The respect it carries really struck me. Redmane feels like entering a mausoleum more than any other place in the Lands Between. Of course Jerren's voice and the cutscene it triggers are also insane... but it's the ost that does it for me.

Aside from the Song of Honour, which I fully count as a Radahn theme, his other two osts are so cool (i cannot describe. How much i love The Promised Consort. God)... and I would really love to get into them further!! But I'll!!!!! Restrain myself!!!!!!!! Even if I'll have to mention.. the gorgeous reversed horns? Strings? That can be heard setting the pace for the Starscourge Radahn ost. They are perfect in every way.. they remind me both of his gravitational magic and of the marching of soldiers. Also, if I'm not mistaken, similar seemingly reversed notes can be heard in Rennala's theme.. (if I haven't imagined them. Which is totally plausible. Tehees)

least favorite thing about them- How little we actually know about him! Radahn is a demigod who's actions seemingly impact the world on a much smaller scale than some of his siblings..

favorite line- I wish. I wish we could hear his voice in any way. God.

brOTP/OTP/nOTP- Well!! I have a lot of feelings towards the Carian siblings and their parents. For some reason I've convinced myself of Radahn being the youngest of the siblings, the one who might have known Radagon much more in passing than the other two, perhaps explaining his deep longing and high regard for the traditions of the Golden Order. His father despised his own red hair, while Radahn sported it with pride, knowing it had before belonged to a champion. Imagining him growing a mentality so different from his defiant siblings makes me wonder about his relationships with them. Rykard seemed to hold him dear, keeping a portrait of him in his manor even after the shattering (the only other portaits hung being of him and his dear consort). Ranni's wishes to free the stars from his grasp, while surely mostly focused on allowing her fate to unfold... perhaps held the hope of finally letting her brother escape his suffering. Aaubgh.

The whole Promised Consort mess and tragedy has been living in my mind for a while, and I really don't know what to make of it. I've seen people discuss how even if Radahn had agreed to the vow, he would have not agreed to the means through which Miquella went to achieve his presence in the shadow realm. As I personally see it It's all surely... very convoluted to be a willing vow on both sides, and the one thing that most strikes me as odd is the confrontation in Caelid between Malenia and Radahn during the shattering. For her to have to remind him about his vow... something must have happened to make him stray from it. And I don't think it was just the shattering itself. Why did Miquella wait so long to make Radahn his Consort (aside from his attempted regeneration free of curse/discarding of the self) so much so he had to reincarnate him as the version of him he believed most fitting, younger, free of rot (a sickness which Miquella himself caused by proxy!), not to mention through a body that didn't even belong to Radahn in the first place in a reversed Ranni/Godwyn ordeal? Waiting for Luminary Mohg's death only in soul and of Radahn's death only in body to this time insert his soul into Mohgwyn's body (the Mohg situation is also an entirely different can of worms I won't open rn)??? It's so complicated, and if this situation isn't somehow motivated by... also the process of getting into the shadow realm (????) which I imagine would be very troublesome... I don't know. I can't deny that all of the Radahn defenders screaming that the vow couldn't ever have been mutual bother me a bit... (it's not even just about his "undying loyalty to the golden order" which is.. debatable) and I see how Miquella is complex to blame at all since he was and remained cursed with perpetual nascency (aka: he's a child). His fall from grace is beautifully described in the dlc... the discarding of all that made him close to human and loved in the Lands Between, his compassionate good nature undeniable (in his care for Malenia and Godwyn and for all the peoples oppressed by the Golden Order) before the drastic measures he undertook to reach his goals. It's a touchy subject for the community and I too don't feel too comfortable discussing it, since I understand Miquella's writing yet can't help but wonder about Radahn, voiceless, refusing to die for the longest time with the excuse of honorable death. Was it also to prevent his inevitable passing to the shadowlands? Why not let himself die sooner if he had agreed to his consort's wishes? I can't help but wonder, and I'm sure many things slipped from my mind.

The whole Lord Consort thing is even more interesting when put into context along with Marika's consorts. Loyal hounds (or lions), hands through which Marika enacted her power across the lands. Imagining her relationships with Godfrey and her Other self... I wonder how Miquella interpreted it. The way he understood his age of Compassion needed the hand of a Lord to impose it, on top of his charm. I wonder of the image of him Miquella wants to preserve, and of the use he sees fit for Radahn.

All of that said.. I really like the relationship he had with Jerren in the base game before the rot nuke... loyalty that persists beyond death, disfigurement, war...

random headcanon- I have two! The first is from an unused item description for the Longtail cat talisman.. the one who reduces fall damage. It once mentioned the name of the cat it depicted as Lacrima, and her owner as Radahn himself. I love this information so much. I don't know why, maybe I didn't see him as a cat person, or as much of a person at all before I knew this, and it opened my eyes on the potential of his character, on a Radahn free of war or rot or schemes, just the flawed person he could have been underneath. I'm really fond of him now. The second is very silly! I wonder how Radahn felt about Ranni getting to have a Shadow like Blaidd when he admired Godfrey and Serosh so much. I wonder if he has ever been a little jealous!!!

unpopular opinion- I don't know what the popular opinions are! He's surely a very.. seemingly unapproachable character at first. Or at least it was how I felt about him for a while. It's fun to imagine him outside of the situation he's found himself in, as it is with most of the ER demigods, before the shattering, in moments of peace (without a helmet!).

song i associate with them- He's.. The Man Who Sold The World (the Midge Ure version).

favorite picture of them- Of course, I'm very fond of Radahn's portrait in Volcano Manor. It's so respectful, both in its positioning and framing. The second picture is by vnllbn on twt..

There are lots of things which I'm sure I forgot to mention... forgive me for any inaccuracies and for the ungodly amount of time it took for me to answer and thank you so much for your kind ask!!!

[inposterumcumgaudio]

Your thoughts on Madame Wanda or the Thomasina House? If you haven't already ofc.

I've talked a bit about Thomasina House in the Class Structure post and there's a bonus theory I have about it in my post about Gemma Olsen. I might do a post about Thomasina House in particular in the future because there's more to say, but for now, I'll take you up on Madame Wanda and expand that a bit to the Reform Club as a whole.

Gonna disappoint right off, but I don't think anyone is actually having sex at the Reform Club. Sorry. All right, maybe some people do sometimes, like fucking at Studio 54. But that's not actually what the point of the place is.

It is described in the art book as a "punishment club". People go here to be punished for a misdeed they refuse to remember, but becuase they don't remember what they feel guilty for, there's no apparent reason they can't have some fun with it. That the developers have taken this concept and appended fetish play to it confuses the subject, but even then it still makes perfect sense. Fetishes aren't really about sex either so much as foundational (often childhood) memories later re-contextualized in adulthood. Dohoho.

And Madame Wanda is a matron overseeing the discipline of her naughty children.

I would really liked it if she were the Wanda Durbyfield from the "Diary of a Wayward Girl" that you find at the Hippo Club.

In fact, I very much think this was the intention: the Wanda in this diary ends her last entry by saying that, "Some day I'm going to punish them. I'm going to punish them all." And Madame Wanda has a cut diary too, indicating that she would also have been in the habit of documenting her life.

The only problem with this is that Wanda Durbyfield's diary points to her being younger than Margaret Oliphant, which would make her too young to be a Crier. But its a very good story otherwise. A girl unable to raise her child herself and terrorized by the town for it, grows up to find her calling in punishing her fellow Wellies while forgetting just as much as they have why. I think they just couldn't let go of the idea of a Crier running the fetish club because that is also a good concept. Would that they were compatible!

If the cut diary is any indication though, Wanda would have also grown into the role. As Wanda Durbyfield, her punishments would have been a revenge for the rage she was made to endure from the townspeople who were more powerful as a group than her. As Madame Wanda, her punishments are corrections with the understanding that people - children - misbehave without fully comprehending the underlying cause, especially when they have the boldness of a mob obscuring their better sense. This is why you punish them one on one (and presumably a premium rate).

I have a chapter in which I've juxtoposed the Reform Club with the Church of Simon Says and if Wanda Durbyfield was supposed to be Madame Wanda, then the game would have done this as well.

"I don't care if we ARE required to go to church! Those women are lunatics, the way they ganged up on me! You'd think they'd be GLAD I'm giving up the baby. They put their children on the train -- wouldn't they want another child? But no, I'm apparently the worst sinner in the world for sending mine away. Am I supposed to raise it here? Much better for it to live on a farm."

That the Home for Wayward Girls was a religious institution and enforced church-going despite the growing danger it posed would not only place Wanda at odds with the Church of Simon Says on a business level in the future, but a philosophical one as well.

The thing I think is most interesting about the Reform Club is that they are apparently engaging in some sort of resistance efforts, but we never actually get to know anything about it other than that it's happening. And what's more, you only learn this from a line that Sally will soliloquize to herself when walking around in the Garden District.

"I almost miss going to the Reform Club. I bet some of them could help. And they never ask awkward questions. But I'd have to be Naughty Nurse again, and I'm just not that."

I genuinely think, though. that this line is only here to give context to Gemma's bug out bag and not to actually lead into any further supposition about the Reform Club's activities. It's a sort of slight of hand, really, because the thing you're supposed to be focusing on from this statement is Sally's Naughty Nurse act that she just can't bring herself to reprise. Whatever the Reform Club is doing is similar to Mr. Kite in that you are presented it to pique your interest, but you're never permitted to get any closer to it.

And, if we're accepting that Wanda Durbyfield was meant to have grown into Madame Wanda, she even had the sense as a wayward girl know that some people deserved their chance to leave Wellington Wells.

"No one will ever marry her now. Nor me, I suppose. Not unless I can move away."

"Am I supposed to raise it here? Much better for it to live on a farm."

Beyond that, I have a further, wilder theory about the Reform Club and its place in the world.

In Lionel Castershire's quests, he often makes mention of an unnamed client who collects Uncle Jack records, but its in Ollie's act when Castershire asks him to retrieve the Salty Dog from the Lawrence house that we learn more about this client beyond that.

"I have a client who likes to… collect things. Very powerful man. He has quite a few employees, but he'd rather they not know about his… private interests."

(As an aside, I think it's very funny that this dialogue implies the client is a taxidermy dog fucker - particularly in view of what I'm about to tell you further - but upon receipt of the quest, you learn he was probably just after the Hope Diamond that should be in the Salty Dog.)

When you return with the Salty Dog, you get one last parting piece of information from Castershire:

"My client is a man you want in your corner. And not in the other."

I like very much to think that this client is the Mr. Cleland that Madame Wanda is expecting when you come upon her as Arthur.

Mr. Cleland is a reference to John Cleland, who wrote Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure, more popularly known as Fanny Hill. In it, a wealthy woman recounts in two letters to a friend known only as "Madame" the sexual adventures of her earlier life. It is considered the first English prose pornography and is otherwise notable for its use of euphemism. It contains no vulgarities directly, instead describing its graphic sexual events in very... couched language. So couched you could lose your clover clamps or the key to your safe in it. Also, Cleland wrote this novel from debtor's prison.

So Mr. Cleland and his friends are coming to visit for some Golden Knocking, are they?

I think this is meant to be euphemism, which is doubly hidden because it is framed in a place that is also trading in innuendo. Which is to say, they are implying this is a fetish-y sex thing, but I think it is actually a business transaction and this is is why you want Mr. Cleland in your corner and not the other.

I believe he brings his "friends", people who owe him money, to the Reform Club to get the screws put to them and that Madame Wanda, resident expert in the art, assists him with this. This may even be why the Reform Club is permitted to operate as it does, it enjoys the protection of a "powerful man". Probably makes makes them lean over the chair and watches while Madame Wanda gives them a proper caning. Maybe the tranquilizer darts on the table are so they can walk home after.

Further story elements in the game that dovetail nicely with this idea are the quest "Moon Juice Leach" and Captain Lawrence's unpaid debts and subsequent "accidental" death in "Old Soldiers".

In "Moon Juice Leach", Eddie Coke is remembered as having not having the "common sense that God gave an ordinary bowl of porridge" nor much reason to need "contraband" motilene, but a desperation to try to steal it all the same. This idea that motilene can even be contraband is a whole other ???, but the constables suppose that Lionel Castershire (who we later learn in Ollie's act is perhaps a tad less upstanding than he appears) may be involved in Eddie's fatal caper. If Lionel acts as a buffer between Cleland and his acquisitions, this would make sense. If Eddie got a taste of that Golden Knocker, it would also explain the reckless attempt at theft.

Meanwhile Captain Edward Lawrence is past due on his bills and on notice for shut off from the Department of Water and Power. More motilene-related troubles. Possibly purchasing discounting "contraband" motilene and being unable to pay that bill either?

Rather than (or unable to) meet his obligations, he's chosen to shut himself up in his house and refuse calls.

To great effect:

If this is the work of Mr. Cleland (or more likely his "few employees"), it presents another interesting connection: that he may also have something to do with who has access to the apples from the last apple tree in the Garden District.

Or maybe Mr. Cleland's just wondering why Captain Lawrence is buying a luxury like apples when he owes him money.

That Ollie is asked to retrieve the Salty Dog from his brother Colonel Lawrence's house, after both brothers have died, seems like a case of shifting the debt around. (This is also why I wondered if the Salty Dog wasn't supposed to be Bonny Prince Charlie at a point.)

Dropping a bookcase on Captain Lawrence is a steep escalation, for sure, but if he wouldn't come to the Reform Club, then he didn't leave himself much room to negotiate a payment plan.

Who knows. He might have even liked it.

[squuote]

We know so very little about Mariella, but I think her existence as an entity similar enough to Stanley to be narrated in the same structure is very interesting. A lot of people take a lot of liberties with her when they include her in fanfics/other fanworks, often making her somewhat of a straightman, a force of sensibility and stability (and often emotional intelligence)-- which is great!! I love seeing people have fun with her, and it's often good to have foils to Utter Disaster characterizations of Stanley and Narrator-- but personally I see her as... well, as more of a parallel to Stanley, especially with both of them occupying a "protagonist"/"office worker" role when seen.

TSP/TSPUD is constantly operating on at least five levels of meta simultaneously, so it's hard to discern exactly how reliable any information is, or what level of meta it should be read on. Mariella's described presence is her witnessing the destruction of Stanley in "the real world" and simply being glad that it isn't her before moving on. I think this actually speaks to a distinct LACK of emotional intelligence, or at least self-awareness, perhaps to outright denial/willful ignorance-- within the narrative put forth by the Narrator, Mariella appears to be self-conscious, perhaps even defensive, her first instinct self-protective and self-assuring-- "that isn't me. I'm sane. How fortunate that I am sane. How fortunate that isn't me." The irony of Mariella is, of course, that she is ALSO simply a vessel narrated and controlled by the Narrator, not in the real world but within a story, exactly as Stanley is/was (in this narrative put forth by the Narrator) before he apparently 'realized the inconsistencies of his reality' and spontaneously died.

The interesting contrast to THAT is then that Mariella is outside the control of the player, so she ISNT identical to Stanley, and whether she is within the influence of the Mind Control Facility or not within the Narrative is not entirely clear. She is a character, she is framed like a protagonist by the Narrator, but she is outside the player's reach, and largely outside the visible narrative. Does she have her own player? Does she exist in her own form, or like Stanley (at least Stanley per the Real Person Ending) is she reliant on being puppeted to make choices, somewhere beyond the player's perception? How real is she?

Personally, I think Mariella is a very similar presence to Stanley, but without the influence of a Player/the repetition of the Parable, she has shut out the hints of her nature to survive. She is a foil to Stanley (Stanley-the-Narrator's-character, anyway) because Stanley recognizes his reality and is destroyed by it, and Mariella sees that conclusion and refuses to reckon with her reality honestly.

Conceptualizing her outside of the Parable-as-Game metanarrative, I think of her as someone who was Weird growing up, who was made to feel small and stupid and Incorrect for that weirdness, and learned to self-protect by strongly and determinedly identifying as Just Perfectly Normal, obedient to social norms and a careful expert at navigating her position and role. Someone who learned to be bland, to laugh at people failing to fit in in order to fit in herself, to turn her face from their suffering because she was Normal, she WAS. She is normal, and everyone knows that Weird people get made fun of, because they're Weird. She hasn't grown past that and she fights questioning things around her because she is petrified of being Weird and outcast again. I think as a character she deserves internal torment too (/affectionate) and the opportunity to grow from shitty coping mechanisms, instead of always being the Perfectly Balanced Background Supportive Lesbian. (She IS a lesbian tho. To be clear.) Yes this is a HIGHLY autistic reading of Mariella but that's because I am too autistic to perceive a character as neurotypical.

Ideal fanwork narrative, for me, is her reluctantly befriending Stanley (and/or Timekeeper/Employee 432) where they all work at the Office Where Nothing is Wrong I Promise-- reluctant because she knows they're Weird but befriending because they are genuinely nice to her and despite her best efforts she isn't actually friends with/fully accepted by/comfortable with people who ARENT a little Weird-- and starting out a little shitty and judgemental and then slowly growing out of that and coming to recognize that it's Okay To Be Weird and that she is, and she's been hurting others and herself trying to suppress it for approval she has never and will never truly get. Partially brought about because there is Definitely Something Wrong In This Office and she has to embrace seeming crazy, defiant, and bizarre in order to solve the mystery with Stanley/TK and break free of the office's trap.

*waves hand* obviously that narrative concept also involves a lot of other characters growing too, and is based on how I perceive them, but you were asking about Mariella.

ANON I NEED TO THANK YOU PERSONALLY FOR THIS ASK I have literally been rotating it in my mind since you sent it holy fuck. Everything about this has given me an entire new outlook on how I perceive Mariella and I mean that so genuinely. I love the concept of Mariella forcing away the possible reality of being another vessel for the Narrator to project stories onto. Her need for herself to be normal, for her to be in control in such a contrasting and different way than how Stanley wishes to be in control.

Stanley fully knowing that he has no control over himself vs Mariella who insists that she has control, that she knows what is and isn't real. IT'S SO FUCKING GOOD ANON. SO, SO GOOD. I literally am framing this on my wall, I fucking love this so goddamn much

[hellcatinnc]

Vampire Dormitory Anime Review

Spoilers Included

Ok this anime has so much confliction to me in whole I loved it but at the same time it annoyed me. I do think it is worth anyone putting on their watch list though even though for people that fall into being Ren lovers you don't want to get your hopes up will not get you anywhere. This story is based off one vampire saving a girl/boy/girl from dying when she fell by accident when she was contemplating suicide. You go on this path listening to Ruka be a cute blush boy one minute and ridiculing Mito about her blood tasting horrible. He even kept pushing her aside past his own feelings so he could be the king of vampires and be with his one true destined partner. Like yeah he saved, yeah he took her in but come on this should not have been a open and closed love story. I don't get why when you add a second guy to some anime's and I end up shipping the second guy more, this is another anime that has that happen to me. So lets break down the characters then I will go over what burned my ass the most in this anime and what I loved.

Mito Yamamoto

Such a pretty girl and I do like her as a character she isn't useless. She has her own personality she does get hurt easily but then again I think this is why I like her I can relate. The being alone, falling too fast and getting hurt easily. They need her in an otome game for sure or at least a personality like hers. Anyways she is the main of the story and I'm glad in the end she got a happy ending she deserved it.

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The cute back and fourth scenes with both guys and Mito in the picture were perfect. She looked good with both of them I'm not gonna lie. Although I still prefer her with Ren I guess too each their on in the end. It really is her story though about how she finds love and friendship and a home.

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Ruka Saotome & Mito Yamamoto

I started watching the show for this pairing however I honestly think it didn't last long for me. I mean Ruka isn't a bad guy he just listens to everyone else too much on what he should do and not follow his heart. It really was the only issue I had with him because he is a sweetheart, and is a blushy boy too. He was too easily swayed even when there was a imitation Mito he jumped right to her and even chose to save her life over Mitos'. I'm not sure why so many were against Ren but loved Ruka when he did just as many stupid shit if not more. He broke her heart on several occasions, he pushed her away, he played this pull her in to push away again, and sometimes he could be plain rude to her. In the end not gonna lie the first time he really won me over when he more the less said fuck it all I want her before he even knew it was his destined partner. I loved this side of Ruka he finally grew a back bone and went after what he wanted at any consequence. Ruka isn't a horrible character I do feel like he fits a teenage age perfectly where I feel like Ren is more grown up.

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Ren Nikaido & Mito Yamamoto

Ren stole my heart pretty early on and I think he got the shit end of the deal. So most the show is about him and Mito I swear, cause everytime Ruka is hurting her she runs to Ren. He is like a big brother/best friend trope type for sure. He tries to come off as a tsundere early on but he isn't he just doesn't take shit off people. He is lonely and has been alone most his life just like Mito this is why their friendship I think grew very fast. In a perfect world Mito would have been better off with him he would protect her like know other. However after you get to a point you can really love this man and what they have together the writers fuck it up.

I mean it too, you know when you get a certain character and you get a idea of their personality and stuff is, well this is what you get with Ren you learn who he is and how much he loves Mito whether girl or boy. However writers had to make sure people didn't like the 2nd male lead much more so the last 2 or 3 episodes makes him in to a asshole that turns her into a male so he can try to force her to marry him. This is not or has not been once the kind of man he is. I was so enraged by this, so your telling me a man who wipes away her tears, beats peoples asses that bother her, holds her close when Ruka hurts her...your telling me thats the man that would force something on her...I think not. I will hold to the end Ren is my favorite and I would have gladly took him off her hands to have a real man. OMG and when this man blushes I want to kiss him so bad. I love my blushy boys.

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Komori

Now this man likes to flip back and fourth between being the vampire king and a somewhat cute shyish type guy who is everyones boss at his restaurant. Its funny until the end no one realizes this is the same guy. I mean look at this man how can you no tell he is the same lol. Now I can't say I much cared for his attitude as the king though came off like a ass at times.

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Takara Kagurazaka

Takara really isn't anything special he is pretty geeky and you mostly only see him in a group or when he is with Juri on his own. He is crazy about girls but not a one want him. However I loved how he was with Juri always protecting him and even after Juri confessed his love he didn't blow him off. I don't think he is gay but Juri means everything to him hoping to read the manga and see if these two become more would be so cute and so happy for Juri.

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Juri 

This boy is the sweetest and the cutest like I can't even he has this beautiful little face that makes me want to kiss him. He is much too pretty to be a boy probably prettier than Mito to me and she is a girl lol. Anyways its so sweet to watch him and his little crush on Takara like I don't its not a heavy influence so people that don't like BL won't have to worry but I would love to see a spinoff with him in the BL universe for sure.

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

If you love Mike and Nancy Wheeler but hate Ted, then you actually hate Mike and Nancy, too. They're so much like their dad, especially Mike. Billy is the same age as Nancy and Karen listed after him. She was pregnant with Nancy at the same time that Billy's mom was pregnant with him. How does that not turn you off from Karen immediately? And if you hate him for looking tired all the time, for putting his foot in his mouth, for not knowing how to communicate with his family, and for not being able to be as physically intimate with them like he probably wants to be. . .then I guess you hate people with autism. He's a perfect example of what people with autism are like when they've been working and masking all day. I've seen it with my dad. While my dad may be a dick, I understand why he is that way because I'm autistic, too. It's frustrating because sometimes we don't know how to communicate with each other. We both have a hard time telling when the other person is joking or when they're being offensive, and there are times where I wish we would hug more, but then I'm glad we're not. Not to mention that his ticks are different than mine. The noises he makes sometimes don't sit right on my ears and vice versa. We're both adhd as hell, and we forget things so much. . .he keeps telling me to remind him to do something and then is surprised when I forget. I also forgot to write it down, and I think he forgets that I forget. We find a way to talk, though, and a lot of it is through our shared love of a video game that we're both hyperfixated on. My point here is that it's tough to communicate when you're autistic, not impossible. . .just tough. Karen tries to communicate with her children, but she doesn't know yet that they're autistic and she doesn't acknowledge how much like they're dad they are. I honestly think sometimes she hates Ted for it. If Karen wanted to leave Ted, she would have. He's not forcing her to stay. He's literally just sitting his chair after working all day. She's a grown woman who's afraid to be on her own. The thing is, she probably knows it's difficult for Ted to realize anything is wrong. She knows that in order to open up a discussion between them, it has to be her who makes the first move, so why doesn't she do it? I just don't understand how people can hate Ted Wheeler, but then claim they love Mike and Nancy. I don't get it.

[beevean]

3, 4, 9, 10, 23 for the positive asks?

3) a character that fandom has helped you appreciate

Real talk? The LoI gang in total, sans Leon who I appreciated from the get-go and Walter who is a delicious bastard and doesn't need to be more lol. When I first played the game, I didn't like how Sara just died like that, I didn't like how Mathias appeared at the end of the game just to say "wife died, i'm the bad guy now" I didn't like how Joachim was an utter waste of a good design, and Rinaldo was just the shopkeeper to me. But after looking deeper into the fandom, I started to read more character analyses, about Sara being this spirit full of rage, Mathias' intense emotions and shaky morals, Joachim's intriguing backstory and potential as a wild ally, and Rinaldo's... odd relationship with Mathias himself.

(I wish I could see more of Elisabetha :< but I've read some cute headcanons!)

I also have grown fond of your morally questionable interpretation of Arikado, who previously I relegated to "Alucard but with a shitty design" (sorry my man has my least favorite Kojima design lol) :P

4) say something nice about a ship you don't ship (it can be another ship in your fandom, a mutual's OTP, etc)

I don't ship Alucard with anyone, but I like most of his ships in concept lol. Trevorcard? Trevor is just the Friend of All Time and he would be able to make Alucard accept himself and his cursed nature more, because he sees him as a person (and a honorable one at that) and not as Dracula's spawn. Richtercard? Ah, the parallels, the weight of their family legacy, the hot blooded guy who fought too much and the aloof guy forced to fight once more. Hectorcard? They'd be each other's anchors during Dracula's madness, and possibly reach a deep mutual understanding with their similar personalities.

(sorry, with all my might I don't see any sort of romantic chemistry between him and Maria, and I don't know Sonia enough :\)

9) a ship that isn't your OTP but that you enjoy

Belschine and Shalaura! I like them <3 I love how much Juste and Maxim respect and trust each other, they are by far the friendliest of rivals in the series, and bro you need to put both Friendship Bracelets™ to give Maxim the strength to fight Evil Maxim, that just speaks from itself. And Laura's insistence on seeing Shanoa smile is so cute (and also big mood), and you can tell that Shanoa, despite her lack of emotions, is aware that she would disappoint Laura and she doesn't wish to do so. They grow to care about each other :>

10) a blog (mutual or one you follow) that has made your fandom experience brighter

brooooooo where do I begin

You, @the-crow-binary, @kachimera, @chumpovodir, @radiant-featherball, @aslgit, @howlingdemon13, @monochromatictoad (not the same CV but it's fine <3), and @woodchipp and @spinningbuster98 who are also Sonic mutuals <3 love y'all, I am so glad I found this circle <3

23) the fandom you're curious about because of a mutual

Mh... I tend to not engage with other fandoms this way lmao. But I suppose I have learned enough about DMC by osmosis through Spinning to say that I like it :P

[couldbebetterforsure]

Winter Performance completed!!!!! And....WOW......Oh Rama Havenna might be my favorite play yet! For something that was supposed to be a throwaway play, it really turned out soooo beautiful!

Chicchi is such an interesting character and man when her secret came out and her life fell apart around her it broke my heart! Kisa did such a beautiful job with the emotions of that character, especially in the crying scenes. Rukiora was also incredibly endearing in how sympathetic I was to all she was going through, really Mitsuki's best work in a Jeanne role to date! Miguel was a perfect cool guy, I knew Fumi could pull off a Jack role well, I wanna see him do more!!! Fugio was such a fascinating character in how I swerved back and forth on finding him genuine or sketchy, Sou really and truly has grown as an actor. Neji was exactly as enjoyably detestable as I wanted in his evil role as Domina, like wow Domina is such a piece of shit I wanted to strangle her myself for what she's putting everyone, especially Chicchi and Rukiora, through. The priest may not have many lines but he certainly made an impression, I'm glad Kai didn't give up and made the role his own. And then...Suzu as Jire....Good grief Jire is such a pitiable man. It's so clear he loves Chicchi so much but it doesn't change the fact that he decided what was best for Chicchi FOR her and hurt her so badly. Chicchi is well within her rights not to forgive him, and I'm glad at Jire seems to accept that. But yeah, Suzu did a wonderful job with this role, I am so so SO proud of him for being able to get Jire to work at last. Also, while I didn't fully get the villain Suzu role I wanted, I got some version of that and a hot CG of Jire with a weapon, so I'll take what I can get!!! 😍😍😍 The play itself was so emotional and I was soooo wrapped up in Chicchi and Rukiora's relationship and so utterly happy when they became close again at the end. You know when Neji brought up a scene between the priest and Chicchi at the end I was like "??? what's with everyone's reactions? what kind of scene could it be???" Then I get to the end of Oh Rama Havenna and "....ohhhh...Chicchi and the priest are gonna do the do now...now I get the earlier reactions..."

For the music this time around, it was so damn hard for me to pick which one was my favorite! All three songs were simply spectacular! Oh Rama Havenna, Oh Beloved Havenna was so jazzy and had such a great tune to it, I couldn't help but shimmy while playing the rhythm game. Faded Color was an absolutely beautiful duet between Kisa and Mitsuki and truly wrapped up all the emotions and love of Chicchi and Rukiora's relationship in wonderful fashion. But Intense Confessions at the Confessional...was sheer perfection from start to finish for me...Seeing everyone's outfits was perfect, Kai and Neji's singing was perfect, the freaking choreography was perfect!!! The song just gets wrapped around your brain so tight and refuses to let go, it was so good and catchy and while it was hard to pick between the three at first, I am satisfied naming it my favorite from the Winter Performance!

I came out of the Winter Performance arc feeling so damn proud of Mitsuki. Because when he was suddenly assigned the Al Jeanne role, I understood what Neji was trying to do. Neji, Fumi, and Kai were all gonna graduate. Mitsuki is a second year, the only prominent one of Quartz in the story. So he would naturally become the next leader after the current third years are gone. So Neji basically threw Mitsuki into training for the position by putting him a lead role so suddenly. And of course Mitsuki couldn't take the pressure at first...But he broke through, and acted like such a damn good leader throughout the training. Helping Kisa with her struggle for her role and talking things out with her, helping Suzu realize why Jire is such a tough role for him and what he needs to do to perform, helping Sou get more comfortable with the parts in the play where Kisa and Sou's characters are more physically intimate. And not just the underclassmen, Mitsuki managed to be such a help to the upperclassmen too! Helping Neji realize he could take Domina more seriously as a character and helping Kai realize he still has so much more to give as a Jack Ace and not to give up. And the way he comforted Kisa during the play by telling her that it doesn't matter to him what her secret is, he accepts her and forgives her. And man, the sheer relief in Kisa's voice when that happens....She nearly drove me to tears! I loved Mitsuki's growth from someone who was just going through the motions to someone who is genuinely invested in the class performances! I'm sure he'll be a wonderful leader for Quartz next year!

Suzu's own development regarding acting was wonderful too. Seeing him having to face his frustration at falling behind Kisa and Sou as a result of his injury in the Fall Performance and also acknowledging his trouble with acting in roles so unlike who he is. For Suzu, he has trouble acting as those he can't connect with. And Suzu himself is someone who tends to be straightforward, so more complicated ones like Jire who feels such conflicting thoughts and Jean Jose who is manipulative and cunning are difficult for him. But I liked that Suzu didn't wallow in his frustration and sadness over not performing at the level he wanted. He accepted the fact that who he currently is cannot give such roles the true life they deserve, but he'll use the skills he DOES have to still make such roles shine until he is able to fully develop into the type of actor who can perform outside of the range he is stuck in. And I truly believe he's not so far off from such a dream anyways! I mean the king from The Sleepless King wasn't too much like Suzu as a person and yet my boy KILLED it! I think so long as Suzu can find that one part of the role that he connects with, he'll be able to do anything. He just needs to grow as a performer and reach that point, and sine he's still a first year he has plenty of time to make that growth happen!

So yeah, now I am officially done with the common route of Jack Jeanne! Christmas in the game is the start of the route splits. So I can finally have Kisa go after Suzu!!!! 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊 My sweet earnest puppy of a boy, I cannot WAIT to see what your route has in store! I hope I can at least start it today...If not I gotta wait for tomorrow...

....Also, semi aside, how on earth did the costuming department manage to make Neji's chest look like that for Domina? 😂😂😂

[frozenwolftemplar]

I was hoping you’d find the game! I’ll take 💥 ✨ 🧠 plz!

I'm glad I could find it! It's fun!

Big A Opinion: Like I mentioned in my answer to @twotangledsisters I think TTS overall has the better songs compared to the movie. I distinctly remember watching the movie for the first time and feeling really...underwhelmed by most of the songs (the two reprises being the exceptions). They've grown on me since, but they don't really *WOW* me the way most of the songs from the show do (I *still* get chills from 'Ready as I'll Ever Be' and a bunch of others).

Moonstone or Sundrop: Unnnnhhhhhh that's haaaarrrrrdddd!!! 😆 Powers-wise I think I'd prefer the Sundrop (hard to say no to healing powers); aesthetically speaking, though? Moonstone, definitely. Actually though, now that I'm *really* thinking about it, Moonstone powers would be pretty sweet, too. You know, I'm gonna go with that: Moonstone all the way!

Random headcanon: Arianna doesn't have an artistic bone in her body. She is awed by her daughter's painterly prowess and can say with one-hundred percent certainty she gets it from Fred's side of the family, because it surely didn't come from her, who can't draw so much as a straight line. Rapunzel originally refused to accept this fact. "Everyone has some art in them, Mom! It's just a matter of finding it!" But, after seeing Her Majesty put brush to canvas and produce nothing but a puddle of murky brown despite only using blue and yellow paints (how...?), she's been forced to admit that Cass was right after all, some things just don't want to be found (though she's not agreeing that 'common sense' is one such thing for Eugene). They still have mother-daughter painting sessions, though; it's just fun sloshing paint across a canvas, even if nothing particularly pretty comes from it. 😊

[rainy-circle]

Tell me more about your lore/worldbuilding for the Zora! I love that you have whole family trees for them that you know you won't really fit into the story, but they *exist*! How about some of these background Zora like Torfeau and Laflat? Do you have an "extended" Domain in your mind or do you stick to the in-game version?

HOOOOOHHH MY GOD LET ME SEE if I can try to keep things relatively succinct here.

(Also in the process of writing this post I have decided it might just be easier to go ahead and NAME ALL THE DAMN ZORAS so uh. I don't know, if this is a thing y'all want to see more of. Maybe I will actually like. Expand on the family trees a bit and post them or something!! Idk!!)

- For the Domain itself, there are a couple of 'extended' locations, but I generally try to stick close to the in-game version. The big one is I imagine that there are the 'royal apartments', which is  a structure I imagine would be about here on the map:

It's pretty much exactly what it sounds like - a separate structure that contains the personal chambers of the royal family. One of Mipha's quests in Age of Calamity mentions her using Luminous Stone to decorate her "living quarters", so I sorta assume she and her family wouldn't sleep in the communal sleeping pools we see in the game. Plus. How in the world would Dorephan fit there. HOW DOES HE MOVE ANYWHERE REALLY, but I digress. It's connected to the throne room by a big staircase and looks down over the Domain.

I also imagine that there is a library underneath the Sheikah Shrine, so the main circular structure goes: throne room, sleeping pools, Sheikah Shrine room, library. AND I imagine the area underneath the Doamin, where in-game there's just some like, rocky platforms and some treasure chests, used to be more geared towards tourists, perhaps with an extra store down there and a restaurant! These are gone by the time of the game after the Calamity put an understandable halt to touristry slfjlsef Annnnd finally I do imagine there's some like... aquatic plantlife grown and farmed underneath the lake surface that we don't get to see.

FAMILY TREE TIME

I'll do Laflat first because Torfeau is one of the main characters travelling with Sidon in the fic and I've thought about her a lot more! Laflat is honestly one of the characters whose dialogue made me laugh out loud though, I love her SO MUCH.

- Actually before we go into that, both Torfeau and Laflat's family trees include two of the Domain's nonbinary Zoras! They are also some of the only young adults in the Domain who have both parents still alive by the time Link wakes up. - Laflat mentions in a bit of dialogue that her father "had to close his armor shop" after a decrease in Hylian tourists when handing over the Zora Greaves. Considering that Dento is still in business, I take this to mean her father is a separate armorer we don't get to meet. Her nonbinary parent (which I have sort of gone with calling a 'zizi', inspired by this article I read about nonbinary parent terms) is a researcher who works closely with Ledo's mom, and the two of them research insects/butterflies/dragonflies and the effects they have on cooking! - it's only briefly touched upon in chapter 1, but one of Tula's grandmothers (Marosa, Jiahto's wife) mentions that she's a retired cook and that she worked in a restaurant - one of Laflat's grandmothers worked with her there! - Laflat also has a younger sister, Tubi, who is a kind of seamstress. Zora's don't often wear cloth garments, but Tubi knows how to make them for the odd occasion a Zora does need that sort of thing!

- I'll stick with just Torfeau's immediate family because this is long haha. First off, Torfeau is Tottika's older sister! I originally headcanon'd them as twins, but upon replaying and seeking out each of Sidon's pre-Inogo-Bridge friends and talking to them, Tottika struck me as the definite baby of the bunch. And honestly I'm glad I made that decision because that way I get to draw parallels between the two of them and Mipha and Sidon - the older, responsible, introverted sister, and the younger, more naive, extroverted brother. - Torfeau and Tottika's mother is one of the only other Zoras who rivals Sidon in height! I don't really have like, a particular headcanon explanation as to why some Zoras are just GIGANTIC other than "sometimes it runs in the family" and "GENETICS ARE WEIRD, especially with fantasy fish people". She is a jeweler, which is an important job anyway because BotW establishes that gemstones contain elemental magic, but is especially important to Zoras for reasons that'll be explained in-fic. (specifically chapter 3) - their zizi is actually a close friend of King Dorephan! when Dorephan was still a prince, he went off on his own journey outside the Domain to update their maps of the Lanayru region, and their zizi was the cartographer! They're still just a cartographer, but they also ended up getting really good with a bow during the journey.

[goggles-mcgee]

Hi Goggles! Uh I was wondering if you could/how would you re-rwrite dark parables 8: the little mermaid and the purple tide? As someone who played the Beta and the game... the plot just seemed off to me for some reason. I would love to see how you would write it.

Owe the game I dislike the most???? Hoooooooooooo boy. Okay.

First I recommend reading my rant about it because I don't really want to make a post about it again: -> UwU Rant

I'm glad others agree with me that the game felt off!!! Especially someone who beta tested!

It just never felt like it tied in with the other games despite Pinocchio making a guest appearance 👀😭

I don't mind Pinocchio there but the fact they made him revert to wooden puppet after the fact it wasn't due to the stupid orb it was because both his parents sacrificed their souls to give Pinocchio his own and turn him into a real boy. I will not question that magic. So instead of the stupid orb, the reason why Pinocchio is there when the temple appeared and everything is because he is also tracking down that last Elemental Orb and he had heard about it in some of his father's old journals.

He's searching for it in hopes it will bring back his parents or Katherine is in trouble and Pinocchio thinks the only way to help her is to track down this Elemental Orb.

Anyways, that's why he's there, because his father's journals spoke of this Wood Orb from before he became corrupted by the Forbbiden Grove. He had originally thought to find this Wood Orb and use it in Pinocchio, and after Pinocchio was successful, he tried to track it down once more to use it in the Beast he made to protect his son. He failed each time, but came so so close.

Princess Althea and her father had no idea the Orb was hidden in the temple and could only be retrieved by a being who has overcome many obstacles and grown from them. (i.e Pinocchio) It was a failsafe the Goddess put in in case she was ever in danger or man became to greedy.

Pinocchio is still swallowed by the eel but the Princess is tasked with getting him out because she overheard he and the Detective talking about the Orb that he believes is close by them. Thus he would be kept prisoner unless he showed the princess and king where the Orb was and how to get it. The Detective secretly saves him and they both go to find the Orb. Pinocchio is able to retrieve it but is once more grabbed by the eel who was following the two on the orders of the princess and king. Though he is not swallowed just trapped in the mouth maybe even trapped literally between a couple of teeth that are threatening to stab him.

The Detective is unable to get to him and the Orb is given to Althea by a desperate Pinocchio. She runs again to give her father the Orb but alas, when the eel drops Pinocchio, it's teeth do scrape him and surprise surprise, the bite (or scrape) from this monster is poisonous. Pinocchio is wounded and the Detective is on a time crunch.

Final battle can go about the same. Sea goddess free, she mad, she tries to flood the basically empty palace anyway. Detective frees her.

Now, the goddess could heal Pinocchio or this can go with Althea and the King vowing to heal him as it was their pet that caused this.

I want a happy ending and I don't want Pinocchio hurt, nor do I trust this shady ass people with his health so I vote Sea Goddess heals him as payment to the Detective for freeing her and boom! End story.

Cute scene to temple where yes, you had explored with Pinocchio but while exploring you saw many connections to past games but also something unfamiliar a dusty hourglass, the cut scene cuts back to this hourglass after all the destruction the eel and the goddess brought to the temple and it is now broken and leaking purple sand. Maybe even onto a parchment with a map Montafleur on it catching the sand or a smudged picture of sandman catching the sand. Idk something please!

Or maybe the cutscene can even be Pinocchio talking another Montafleur being mentioned in his mother's journal. Something about a cursed prince after they see the hourglass, maybe they go into the temple to see of anything is salvageable. Idk.

But yeah! That's how I would have played it!