#but murder mysteries are very detail-oriented and you have to be very careful writing them

[karl-raccoon-in-a-teacup]

Pros of writing a Poe-centric murder mystery fic: Exploring a genre I love, Poe gets to show off the skills usually outshined by Ranpo, getting to come up with a clever scheme, etc etc

Cons of writing a Poe-centric murder mystery fic: Writing a murder mystery is very hard and the narrative consistency has me at gunpoint help

[askaceattorney]

Dear askrikkaiandhyotei,

The...entire cast!?

Well, Turnabout Time Traveler happens to be favorite case anyway, so why not?

Our first guest is the crooked head servant, Mr. Dumas Gloomsbury.  (Might as well get him out of the way first.)

Of course he isn’t.  He’s just a disgruntled servant of the Sprocket family who secretly hates them all for what they’ve done to his reputation, even to the point of being willing to murder someone who would become the newest addition to the family, as well as destroying a prized possession designed by her groom-to-be.

So..........yeah.  Very likable guy.  Thankfully, he’s only on the scene for a brief moment before the titular “time travel” occurs.

That brings us to our next guest, Ms. Ellen Wyatt, soon to be Mrs. Ellen Sprocket, except for the fact that she’s been accused of murder.  Like most defendants, she doesn’t seem like the type to kill someone -- she’s calm, mild-mannered, and well put together.  Well...usually.

You didn’t expect 100% normalcy in a new character, did you?  Heck, we’re lucky to get 50% in this series.  Thankfully, the emotional Ms. Wyatt knows how to pull herself together in an instant.

Quite the enviable skill to have, isn’t it?

This beautiful bride-to-be wants nothing more than to be proven innocent so that she can be married to the one and only Sorin Sprocket of Sprocket Aviation.  Instead of seeking help from the Wright Anything Agency on her own, however, she’s brought to them by someone else.

That brings us to an unexpected guest from yesteryear (and an uninvited one):

Before getting to know Ellen, we’re abruptly introduced to a brand new Larry Butz with a brand new look!  ...And the same old smell, unfortunately.

He introduces “Elly” as his brand new fiance, much to Phoenix’s surprise (and everyone in the known universe’s), but it turns out to be another one of his usual romantic escapades.  What is true is that he helped his beloved Elly escape the room she was confined in, and even shook off the police for her.  Some might call this heroic...if they don’t know the Butz.  As someone who does know him, Phoenix delivers a line from his former mentor:

On the plus side, Larry’s been doing more than chasing women since we last saw him -- he held onto the name he borrowed from his late mentor and became a picture book author.

Not exactly what I’d expect someone in that field to look like, but progress is progress, I guess.

Moving back to “Elly,” she claims to be as clean and pure as her pure-white dress, as well as something else -- something that’s a bit harder to believe.

Like I said, normalcy doesn’t seem to come naturally to new Ace Attorney characters, but her explanation of how she was almost killed, traveled back in time, and saw history rewritten takes the abnormal cake, especially coming from someone as sound-minded as Ellen.  Or is she really as sound-minded as she looks?

We can only hope.

I love how she keeps everything she needs for housekeeping in one place, by the way, almost Mary Poppins-style.

Fast forwarding (no pun intended) through some re-introductions to Maya as our co-council and Edgeworth as the case’s prosecutor (something us long-time Ace Attorney fans can’t help but love), we’re eventually introduced to the master himself, Mr. Sorin Sprocket, who has his own personality quirks...or rather, a severe lack of personality.

Like many genius inventors, he isn’t very social (his preferred method of communication being the paper airplane message), and always seems to be lost in his thoughts until someone pulls him back into reality.  Even stranger than that, he doesn’t seem the least bit worried about his fiance’s trial.  In Phoenix’s his words, he isn’t the easiest guy to wrap your head around.

On top of that, he has his own thing to say about time travel:

He and Ellen apparently both believe in time travel, but apart from that, they don’t seem to have much in common.  In fact, having met the two of them, one might think they’re polar opposites of each other, and...well, they’d be right, but as we learn later on, there’s more to Sorin’s silence than just an obsession with his work.

And speaking of obsession...

Our next guest, while also quite abnormal, is a bit more level-headed than the previous new characters.  He’s well-mannered, detail-oriented, shrewd, and takes the utmost care of Sorin.  Not to mention he's tech-savvy enough to fix a broken radio in a matter of seconds.

I’m surprised Phoenix and Maya didn’t consider the possibility of him being a machine himself, like they did with Lisa Basil.

He happens to have one of my favorite pun names, by the way.  Besides being clever and describing him perfectly, it almost sounds like it could be a real person’s name.

While Mr. Nichody does a good job of being the least interesting character thus far, it turns out that he and his “expensive good luck charm” play one of the most important roles in this case.  Not to mention he gives the biggest piece of foreshadowing in the episode:

Funny he should say that when there’s a spirit medium right in front of him, but I guess he doesn’t have time for unimportant details like that.

As the story goes on and the revelations start pouring in, we learn about Sorin’s older sister Selena, who was originally going to be the next president of Sprocket Aviation.  This, unfortunately, was not to be...

The sudden loss of his sister provides an explanation for his closed-off attitude and interest in time machines, but the mysteries surrounding that tragic day are only beginning.

We also learn that Mr. Nichody believes Ellen is guilty of her alleged crime, and for that reason, he’s strongly opposed to letting her marry Sorin.  Could he be right in doubting her, or is there something else behind is disapproval?  Ellen doesn’t seem that bad, after all.  Just a little...what’s the term?

There you go.

Then comes one of the bigger twists -- it turns out Sorin and his in-laws were responsible for Ellen’s supposed trip through time, which turned out to be an elaborate scheme to make her believe her near-death experience with Gloomsbury was only a dream.  Or so says Nichody, at least.

But once again, this is only the beginning.

Even with the possibility of time travel ruled out, Ellen’s guilt hasn’t been disproved just yet.  The only hope Phoenix has is the person she claims she saw attacking Gloombury before losing consciousness.  Unfortunately, the only suspect he can come up with so far is her fiance, thus introducing the possibility of him having to take her place in prison.

Considering every case up until now has had some form of happy ending, it’d be quite the unusual turn of events for this happy couple to have to be separated whether we win or lose the case...but is it impossible?

As tragic as that possibility might be, it sets up a scene that happens to be one of my favorite kinds -- one where someone is compelled to give up something, even if it’s his or her own life, purely out of love for someone else.

Her words are touching, but soon after saying them, she’s forced to prove just how steadfast her love is for Sorin, even in a cruel twist of fate -- namely, his pointing the blame for Gloomsbury’s death in her direction.

That face alone is enough to break anyone’s heart, but thankfully, that’s where the plot twists just begin.  The first one reveals that Sorin went to rescue his bride-to-be in the most bizarre way possible.

Then it turns out he really didn’t, or so he says.  Then it turns out he was attacked by Gloomsbury along with Ellen.  Then comes one that turns everything he’s said so far upside-down:

It turns out time travel is possible, but not in the way everyone was hoping, or in a way anyone would want -- due to his anterograde amnesia, Sorin “goes back in time” whenever he goes to sleep.  This revelation sheds a lot of light on his personality, his compulsive note-taking, and his feelings toward Ellen.  Not to mention, it turns out (sheesh, I keep saying that) he was responsible for the car crash that took his sister’s life.  But luckily, that's not all his condition reveals.

Someone decided to take advantage of Sorin’s memory being dependent on what he writes in his notebook in order to paint him as Gloomsbury’s murder.  Who might that someone be?  Well, for anyone who’s read the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (or enough murder mysteries involving rich families), it should be pretty obvious -- the butler did it!

But what motive could a close friend and servant have for manipulating Sorin’s memories?  Well, like many an Ace Attorney culprit, he’s not as level-headed as he appears to be.

The rogue butler in this case turns out to be the once-fiance of Sorin’s sister, as well as the one who operated on her after the car accident occurred...or, rather, who almost did.

After some impromptu x-rays and the testimony that wasn’t there, we finally learn the whole truth about Nichody, Gloomsbury, and the plot to exact their revenge on Sorin and his bride.  It turns out Sorin wasn’t the only one stuck in the past.

In a beautiful yet tragic symbolism, Selena’s pocket watch stopped ticking on the same day her heart stopped beating, which, for Nichody, was the day time stopped.

This brings us to our final guest, one who could only be here in spirit -- Ms. Selena Sprocket.  In Ellen’s words, Selena would’ve said, “Leave this ill will behind.  Your time is yours to live.”  To an inconsolable time traveler, these words hold no meaning, but just then...

Whether it’s a coincidence or a message from Selena from beyond (which might actually be believable in the Ace Attorney universe), Pierce is reminded that, sooner or later, time moves on.

And on that note, Ellen and Sorin are finally able to move on from this rough patch in their lives and experience their “First Startup of Love.”

Speaking of the happy couple, the one thing that stuck with me about this episode more than Nichody’s epiphany is how devoted Ellen is to Sorin from beginning to end.

With the knowledge that he might forget everything about her, himself, their wedding, and any other experiences they might share together, her devotion to him is ultimately proven to be the real deal.  His willingness to risk his life for her also proves that this devotion goes both ways.  In the end, there’s nothing, past, present, or future, that can keep them apart.  Why, you ask?

And hey, even Larry found it in himself to move on!  How about that?

Thus ends a beautiful story, a beautiful reunion of the original characters, and a beautiful finale(?) to the Ace Attorney series.  Sure, there was tragedy along the way, but after an ending like that, I’d like to see each of these characters, new and old, take a bow.

Just...don’t throw them any flowers.

-The Co-Mod

[artnerd1123]

DTRH!AU Masterpost

Moving into a new post since I’ve got stuff actually organized!!! It’ll likely get an update from time to time. Apologies to those whom the read more breaks for ‘^^

Everything to do with this au will be tagged #dtrh!au or #down the rabbit hole au Individual characters are tagged with #dtrh![name] 

Here’s an AU PMV for starters! 

Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?

Putting this up here so it doesn’t get super buried- Here’s the fic(s) set in this AU! All Moving Pictures End 

The AU crash course: The premise behind the au is that everything takes place in a pocket dimension controlled by a black magic script. Joey Drew is the one who’s writing/editing this script, and his rewrites affect the world and the characters within it. His constant reshaping eventually twists the world from a sitcom genre to a horror film- hence the horror esque setting, creatures, and plot. The characters didn’t escape the rewrites’ effects either. They’re warped into corrupted versions of themselves. However, these characters end up becoming sentient after awhile. The first one of these to become entirely sentient is Henry. He’s currently the only one who’s all the way out of alignment. A toon gone rogue, if you will. He still goes along with Joey’s “plot,” but it’s more so he can try to reach the other characters than to keep Joey happy or unaware of his actions. His goal is to basically “wake up” the other characters, so they can all stop living in a hellish nightmare studio and actually try and make something nice out of their home. He’s extremely dedicated to his goal. 

Character time!!! toon trio refs / corrupted refs  butcher gang refs / corrupted refs  toon henry ref  toon sammy ref / corrupted sammy ref  toon susie ref / corrupted susie ref  toon allison and tom refs / corrupted allison and tom refs  joey ref / toon joey ref  toon norman ref / corrupted ref  toon bertrum ref / corrupted ref  toon and corrupted grant refs  toon jack ref / corrupted jack ref  toon wally ref / corrupted wally ref  toon and corrupted lacie refs  toon and corrupted shawn refs 

Character relationships/orientations 

Concept art, anyone? toon trio concept work (w/ bonus corrupted bendy n alice) corrupted boris/alice concept work (ft bonus hen) butcher gang concept work (w/ corrupted forms) henry concept work sammy concept work (and more henry) susie concept work joey concept work corrupted norman concept work toon norman concept work  throwing around lost ones ideas 

Misc stuff Henry, but Goop™  Susie and Studio Tea™  Hey Henry, how do u feel about Joey?  Yo hold up, hen and polk are a thing???  Henry’s glasses saga  Regular studio shenanigans 

FAQ: 

How many of the employees are gonna show up? Hopefully all the named ones in the game! Once they’ve got a design, they’re guaranteed to show up somewhere.

Are they really carbon copies of the employees? Is there nothing different about them and their irl counterparts? They started as carbon copies! Latching onto their old traits and their old selves does help them come to their senses. However, different character development happens in script than IRL, so they end up different. Henry, for example, takes up the last name “Ross” when he wakes up (instead of his IRL counterpart’s “Stien”) to differentiate himself :0

So is everyone corrupted on purpose? Yes and no. Yes, because Joey chose to rewrite the script so much that it mangled characters, but no, because he didn’t intend to mangle them in the first place. It just kinda happened.

What makes them corrupted? Corruption is what happens when you can’t hold onto the core of what your character is, and get dragged into what the new script is telling you. It’s when you lose sight of who you are among all the chaos. People who are drawn farther away from their actual selves end up more monstrous. Susie (aka “alice” angel) is a great example of this. Bendy is too! Far be it from his real nature to be a murderous monster.

So can the toons be uncorrupted? Yup! Henry’s our model citizen this time. He looks more like a toon than a normal person, sure, but there’s nothing monstrous about him. That’s because he’s latched onto what makes him Henry. He’s not letting the instability of the world around him shake him up. Otherwise he’d be a goopy mess of ink.

Why’d Joey write everyone so differently that they corrupted? He’s actually very out of touch with people once he starts rewriting the script. Since his memories are getting foggy, he fixates on details that he can remember, and exaggerates them as needed. In fact, he’s hidden tape recorders around the script studio as built in reminders of these character traits.

How’d Henry wake up? And how does he plan on waking everyone else up? Ok… this is a longer answer. It all comes together, i promise. Jus hang with me. Whenever henry dies, he gets sent back to a sort of “first draft” stage. In order to get back to the world he’s supposed to exist in, he has to get through all the layers of ink Joey put down to get to his current script. As one can imagine… there’s a lot. So much so that Henry has to essentially swim to the surface. As he passes through all this ink, he can hear whispers of previous scripts. The deeper he is, the closer these whispers are to what the world used to be like. Seeing as Henry is the protagonist, he ended up dying… a lot. Like, a lot a lot. Joey had a lot of snags in the script to work out. All these times sent into the draft-y ink soup made made Henry slowly realize what was going on. He wasn’t mindless anymore. He knew what was up. After realizing that the world wasn’t right, it didn’t take him long to push for the rest of his consciousness. He plans on using what whispers and memories he can gather to bring everyone else back. He’s not dying on purpose, mind you, but he gathers as much information as he can to help everyone else realize that they’re not who they’re supposed to be.

Wait, memories? Does Henry remember the past scripts now? Not quite? He’s got a good enough memory stockpile to keep himself centered, but he doesn’t always know what’s up ahead as he heads through another studio loop. If Joey happens to rewrite or change around the script, those patches of Henry’s memory blip out of existence. Or at least get hazy. Hen can often tell if Joey’s changed something by how many holes he has in his memories.

Can anyone in the pocket dimension get out? Henry’s the only one who can get out! Joey literally wrote him a back door to the script. It used to be so he could talk to Henry whenever the “story” was over, but nowadays it’s just to judge how fast plot goes via how quickly Hen gets back. All Henry can manage to do is walk around and stare silently. And he can’t even stay out very long. Ink’s unstable in the real world. Gotta go back in n start the horror show over if u wanna live :/

Can Joey go in? Nope! Since he’s not made of ink, he can’t go in. He can watch tho!!! He does so via writing POV shifts into the script, and watches through whatever character it shifted to. Who needs cameras when u got the eyes of black magic toons n inky monsters ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

Does Joey know Henry is sentient now? Nnnnot quite? He thinks the magic is being screwy with him. He can’t switch POV to Henry anymore, since the toon’s taken control of himself, and that’s real confusing since the writer doesn’t know what’s up. Plus, like mentioned above, Hen can’t exactly give Joey a sign once he gets out of the studio. Bummer :/

Is Joey gonna majorly rewrite the script any time soon? Nope. He’s to attached to his current plot to change the genre or anythin, so it’s gonna stay as is. With some changes here and there. One musn’t underestimate how many times u can change the order of scenes, or improve dialogue... 

AU Background:

((this is long as shiz, so get some popcorn slfkjs))

Y’all probably wanna know how this whole horror show started. I’ve got two words for ya: Joey Drew. Unsurprising! But he’s our starting point nonetheless. Joey Drew is the retired owner of Joey Drew Studios, a cartoon studio that ran itself into the ground after a decade or two of fantastical cartoons. Money problems aren’t kind to the entertainment industries. However, the studio was still his pride and joy! As are the friends who stuck by him or met him during the time it was open. He kept up with all of them through the years. They were like a little family. Unfortunately, time has a way of changing things. With his friends drifting away, living their own lives, getting up in years, or a combination of the three, Joey wasn’t doing too well. He was lonely. Feeling washed up. Missing the glory days, where he helped work on cartoon scripts instead of submitting horror and mystery shorts to local magazines. Not all that surprising that he turned to something else to cope. This thing being none other than occult magic. Because… of course it is. It’s a habit he’s had for years. Nothing like some demonic rituals to spice up the life of the creative mind behind kids’ cartoons! Especially fun when you’re a man with poor impulse control and a wild imagination. In any case, Joey summons the three main characters of his beloved cartoon series. Bendy, Alice, and Boris! (I refer to these three as the “toon trio.”) He was just as happy that he’d managed to bring them to life as he was to have them around the house. It was like having slightly unruly grandkids with toony superpowers. In other words, they were absolutely delightful!!! He took care of them and admired their antics. It was a great time. … until. Well. It wasn’t. Turns out things that don’t belong in this world get rejected eventually. After a few months, things started go go wayward. The toon trio had difficulties maintaining their forms, moving, engaging in tropes, and a ton of other things. They were miserable. Joey was understandably heartbroken to see this happen to his poor toons. So, like any good person, he tried to do the right thing: put them back on the paper they came from. It didn’t end up working exactly how he’d expected. Everything comes with a price when you mess with demonic ink. The magic not only created a stack of paper instead of a series of drawings, but latched onto an old fountain pen and Joey’s closet. If the closet thing seems odd, it is. But it’s a convenient place to hide ritual pentagrams! So, closet it is. Upon frantic examination of the papers, Joey discovered it was a script. A black magic infused script. Three names up top told him the toon trio were the only characters. A bit of experimentation led him to discover that the magic-infused pen was the only thing that could interact with the script properly. Further experimentation showed him that the script had made his closet into a pocket dimension. The contents? Whatever was in his new script. This is where the real fun begins. The new magic script practically floored Joey with awe. He had a world he could shape however he wished! He could run all those scripts he’d never gotten to put in production! He could watch his toons frolick! He could even use it to play with ideas he’d never gotten to explore. The possibilities were endless! 

((Of course, you might be wondering if Joey… y’know. Knew the toons were still alive. Because they were, they were just living in a pocket dimension now. In short? No. He didn’t. He carefully tested a few things with the script, just to make sure. All the toons did was what he wrote down. They moved like they were alive, but didn’t act that way. Plus, the dimension made them blank slates. They didn’t have any characterization in there to make them truly alive. So! For all intents and purposes? He saw them as you would any other character you write. A visual extension of his imagination. Ok mini rant over, back to the story--))

Playing with the toons was amazing. Joey hadn’t had fun like that in years! It was his little secret world, populated by his cherished toons. He could make believe whatever he wished. Eventually, though, loneliness started to catch back up to the old man. His friends… his family… life… it all went on. He just felt left behind. And what does Joey do when he doesn’t feel good? Not cope healthily, that’s for sure. Onwards to more occult magic! Only this time, he tries something… different. The toons were lonely. They deserved company. They deserved someone to take care of them. A familiar face. Maybe someone who helped Joey create them in the first place. Someone who’d just sent Mr. Drew an old letter and a card, since he hadn’t seen him in awhile… … someone like Henry. Using the magic pen, Joey traced over Henry’s note. Far from ruining the precious letter, it transferred “Henry” into the script. It’s not the real one! Basically a carbon copy, fresh from the time period that Hen first wrote the note in. Seeing as Henry’s letter came from around the time the cartoon studio was going strong, it’s an old version of him. But it was still Joey’s old friend. Just… toony. Toon Henry reacted just as his living friend would. If he wrote dialogue? He spoke it like Henry would. If he wrote some action? The toon put a classic Henry twist on it. Delighted, Joey returned to his script with renewed vigor. Toon Henry got to spend plenty of quality with the toon trio as the days went on. Thus began a trend of toonification. Missing one of his old friends? All Joey had to do was grab something with their old handwriting on it, and trace them into the script! There’s a carbon copy that acts just like the real deal! A fine compromise, right? … Right? Not exactly. It was fine at first. Joey made what could probably qualify as a sitcom-style story for the toony world to run on. His friends, at this point, all populated the studio. The premise was that the toons (now including the butcher gang!) had been summoned while he was still running the studio, and got up to hijinks with the rest of the employees. A hefty dose of actual studio drama- turned comedic, of course- kept the whole thing almost real. Joey even featured himself once or twice, but only in allusions, or a disembodied voice. He wasn’t about to let a carbon copy of himself have all the fun. It made him feel less lonely. More included. A fantasy world of never ending fun and heartwarming moments. How unfortunate it is that life doesn’t follow this pattern. Morality is a hard thing to come to terms with. So is sickness. Especially that of a friend. … it was just one rewrite at first. One alteration on a bad day. After all, using writing to cope is perfectly acceptable. One bad episode in the midst of sunshine doesn’t discount it all. One uncanny occurrence, though, doesn’t usually stay singular. It didn’t take long for the solitary rewrite to become two rewrites. Then three. Four. Six. Ten. Twenty. Fifty. More and more and more. Until the happy honey colored studio slipped into sinister sepia. This wasn’t the old script anymore. Not by a long shot.

The setting? A studio of shattered dreams.   Your protagonist? Henry. His goal? Survive long enough to escape.

~It’s quite th͝e̵͞͏ ͠M̕a͘sţe̛̕r͘p̕i̵͝e̡ḉe̡̨͜~̡̛

[zzloch]

Torture

*Disclaimer, I don't own any of the characters but I do own the plot*

I hope you enjoy the story

-Z.Z Loch

"Levy!"

A blonde-haired girl was waving her arms violently calling over her best friend, who was on the other side of the gym talking to her boyfriends. "LuLu!" The small girl waved back, the boy she was talking to had walked away. Levy ran up the bleachers to get to the blonde and the other bluenette sitting next to her. The two girls hugged and sat down. "Hi, Juvia" Levy waved at the shy girl. "Hello Levy" she waved back. Juvia looked down at her watch. "Shoot, Juvia has to go, have fun tonight."

"Make sure they end up together" Lucy laughed.

"Will do" the bluenette smiled

"Gray-Sama, remember, tomorrow, the fair, 9 am" A dark-haired boy rolled his eyes and turned around to face his girlfriend, smirking

"Who do I bring again?" Gray asked

"Lyon-sama, and no 'forgetting' him this time."

"Fine, see you tomorrow" Gary waved to his girlfriend

"Gajeel-Kun" Juvia said popping out from behind the doorway

"Yeah, Sprinkler"

"Do NOT Kill anyone, when Juvia is not around."

"Okay, You can help."

"Gajeel-Kun!" Juvia stomped her foot. Gajeel laughed at the angry female.

"Yeah, Yeah, go have your goddamn sleepover," Gajeel said dismissing her

"Bye Boys" Juvia waved goodbye to the team then ran outside

The team waved back, some staring at her. Gray glared "Let's get back to work," he said grabbing everyone's attention from his girlfriend. "Hey Stripper, Last time I checked I'm the team captain" a blonde-haired boy commented. "No one cares Sparky."

As the boys continued to practice (So Gray and Natsu fighting pulling Gajeel in, Jellal trying to calm the situation, Leo saying he's pretty to fight, Laxus and Bickslow laughing at the 'Idiots,' and Freed shaking his head in embarrassment) The two best friends sitting on the bleachers continued to talk

"We Should watch Horror movies."

"No those are scary."

"Karaoke?"

"You know I can't sing."

Lucy rolled her eyes "Anime" she said knowing that's the only thing her friend would watch

Levy's eyes lit up. "Yesssssss, don't be mad you know you like it."

"I just need to know why he doesn't play the piano anymore, and I do not like it."

"Sure"

"If I watch anime you need to do something for me."

"What," Levy said suspiciously

"You need to convince Gajeel to go on a date with you."

"What's the catch?"

"You take him on a date, and I'll bring Natsu, and we have a Double Date."

"Noooooooooo, They'll fight the entire time."

"Please" Lucy begged of her small friend

"Fine" Levy said she knew she would regret this later.

"We'll work on the details tonight, just text him and tell him you guys are going on a date and to meet him at the Mini Golf course."

"Fine"

As the two discussed the details, their boyfriends were finishing up practice. "What are they planning this time?" Natsu wondered to himself as he was walking into the locker room "They could just be you know, Talking" Gajeel commented sarcastically. "I just hope it's not another double date."

"Me too."

"What's so bad about double dates," Gray asked, while he and his girlfriend had been dating for a while she didn't like to go out resulting in not a lot of dates.

"Well it depends if your friends it's ok but if you hate the other person" Natsu Glared at the punk talking to Laxus. " It doesn't normally go well."

"I almost strangled him last time."

"Why" Laxus inquired

"He was bein a dick."

"Good reason" Laxus rolled his eyes

"Why do you care what a double date is like, it's not like Juvia likes to go outside."

"Apparently she does now." Gray sighed "She's making me bring Lyon to the amusement park with us, and I think she's bringing a friend. But her friend and Lyon aren't dating."

"She's probably bringing Meredy" Gajeel commented

"How do you know?"

"Spend a week stuck in a hotel with her, while your parents talk about business. You have no idea how much she rants about Meredy and Lyon being a cute couple and just couples in general."

"Try dating the school's matchmaker" Laxus commented.

"Try hearing about how her friend did this, and that means they did this, and on and on, I swear Lucy could talk for a year non-stop."

The boys continue to bicker over whose girlfriend/friend was worse when it came to shipping their classmates, the girls were fangirling, over well, shipping.

"And Juvia told me she's setting up Meredy and Lyon tomorrow."

"Cute" Levy squealed "I heard Mira is setting up her brother with Laxus's friend."

"Ahhh"

The fangirling continued until the boys came out of the locker room and Laxus ran off to help with the lighting for the play, and Jellal ran off to make sure Meredy was with Juvia.

"Shrimp!"

"Ugh, What"

"Where are you going?" Her nosy boyfriend asked

"Lucy's."

"Okay"

"Where are you going?"

"RR, I have a planning meeting for a music video, then to the motorbike track."

"Nice"

Elsewhere

"Luce!"

"Hey Natsu" Lucy waved at her boyfriend

"Can I take you home."

"Sorry, Natsu, Levy and I have a sleepover."

"Awwww" Natsu pouted

"Hey, we can hang out tomorrow. Don't forget EV Mini-Golf Course, 1:00, PM not AM."

"Okay" Natsu Brightened up

Just then Levy and Gajeel walked out of the school. Levy ran towards Lucy's car and jumped in. "Come on, Let's go."

Natsu, seeing his brother kissed Lucy on the cheek and ran to 'talk to' aka annoy his brother. Gajeel walked towards his dad's company's headquarters

At Lucy's House

"Hello Mrs. Heartfilia, Mr. Heartfilia"

"Hey Mom, Dad"

"Good afternoon girls" The Heartfilia household was very prestigious and formal.

"Wash up, dinner will be ready at 5:30" Layla Heartfilia told the two 16-year-old girls

"Yes ma'am" Lucy ran upstairs dragging her small friend up the stairs and pulled the girl into her room.

"So, how are you and Gajeel."

"We're fine."

"What about you and Natsu."

"He was talking to Lisanna, and I don't know if she was flirting with him or they were just talking."

"They're childhood friends right?"

"Yeah"

"So why would she flirt with him? if she liked him she would have done that a long time ago."

"Because they were more compatible then him and me."

"I don't think so, Juvia was telling me Lisanna has a secret boyfriend, and she was going to ask Natsu how to be a good girlfriend. Also, Natsu clearly loves you so he would never cheat on you."

"First of all, That's true. Secondly, Aww, That's cute. Who's the guy?"

"Juvia wouldn't say, but I'm guessing Freed" (Spoiler Alert: It's not)

"They would be so cute together."

"LUCY GET DOWN HERE"

"Yes Father"

1 hour later

The girls were sitting in Lucy's room gossiping

"Oh, wait did you ask Gajeel to meet you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I asked him, He said yes."

"Oh perfect!" Lucy said clapping her hands together

Levy rolled her eyes. "You know they are just going to kill each other, right?"

"Maybe they'll get along this time," Lucy said shrugging.

"That's as likely as Natsu and Gray never fighting again."

"Fair, What movie do you want to watch?" Lucy asked holding up a bunch of movies. "MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS!" Levy screamed grabbing the movie case and running to the TV and putting in the movie. Lucy rolled her eyes at her friend's obsession with mystery and old books. "Fine, even though we've watched that like 12 times" Levy looked at her friend "Your Point," she said very seriously. The rest of the night was spent gossiping, teasing each other, laughing, and watching movies (mostly anime)

*The Next Morning*

"Levy! Get up" Lucy screamed in her best friends ear. "It's 11 am" Lucy was running around her room trying to find an outfit for their double date. "Calm down, we told them to meet us at 1," Levy said rubbing her eyes, trying to wake up and calm down her panicked friend. "Oh, right" Levy sighed she was finally calm. "Now let's go eat and then get dressed."

*Time skip to 1 pm*

Natsu nervously stood outside the golf course waiting for his girlfriend, she was never late. Then he showed up. Gajeel Redfox was walking towards him "What the hell are you doing here?" Natsu questioned the punk. "Waiting for my girlfriend, Why are you here?" "I'm here waiting for my girlfriend" The boys looked at each other realization washed over the two boys faces.

"Hey Boys," Lucy said dragging Levy behind her.

"Why are you doing this again?" Natsu asked his girlfriend

"Yeah, I'm just gonna end up getting annoyed at this idiot," Gajeel said pointing to the pinkette next him.

"Yeah, Hey," Natsu said offended

"So do you want to cancel."

"NO" Natsu yelled, Gajeel just shrugged.

"Let's go Golfing then," Lucy said pulling Natsu with her. Gajeel and Levy walking behind them. "Sorry I lied," Levy said sheepishly. "You didn't lie, you asked me if I wanted to come on a date and I agreed" Gajeel sad "I lied by omission" "What the hell does that mean" Levy was about to respond when Gajeel interjected "You know what nevermind, I honestly don't care. Everyone lies, I lie, and It normally doesn't affect anything. I also won't do anything, last time when Juvia found out what I did, she drew on my face while I was asleep." Levy stifled a Laugh "It's not funny" Gajeel said defensively "Remind me never to get Juvia mad" Levy told him. "Yeah, she's scary." Levy laughed, her big, tuff, punk boyfriend was afraid of Juvia, a tiny, sweet and adorable girl, who probably couldn't hurt a fly.

"Here's your clubs and balls, have fun," the person at the window said. "We will," Lucy said dragging Natsu with her. This was going to be Torture for the boys.

"I got a hole in one" Levy screamed jumping up and down. "Good for you, Shrimp," Gajeel said writing down her score. "What's the score now Gajeel?" Lucy asked. "Shrimp, You, Flame Brain, Me" Gajeel grumbled walking to the next hole. "Ha, I'm beating you" Natsu made fun of the black-haired boy. "Shut it you dumbass, I don't do Golf" Gajeel Grumbled. "That's a shit excuse. Please, I normally don't play and I'm beating you" "By one mother-fucking point, you aren't that far ahead" "Still beating you" "Stop fighting or I'll call Erza" Lucy threatened. "Sorry, Lucy" The boys responded.

*1 hour later*

The group of friends (Two friends and two frenemies) were driving home in Lucy's car. Natsu's brother, Zeref had taken his because Natsu wasn't supposed to have it and Gajeel brought his motorbike and the 4 of them couldn't fit on that. (It was currently in the back of Lucy's car)

"I Won!" Levy said excitedly. "We know, you've been saying that since we left the course" Lucy rolled her eyes at her overexcited best friend. "So boys, How is the team?" Lucy asked, trying to make small talk. "We're doing well, I think we will beat Sabertooth next week," Natsu said, overly confident as usual. "Don't overestimate yourself, we don't know how to work together." Gajeel Muttered the last part "You guys do fight a lot" Levy said. "Whatever" Gajeel rolled his eyes "Metal Brain always starts it" Natsu muttered. "What did you just say charcoal?"

"Nothin' Metal Face"

"Why you little-"

"NO FIGHTING IN MY CAR!" Lucy yelled at the two bickering boys

"Sorry," Natsu said sheepishly

"Whatever" Gajeel rolled his eyes

"Why don't you all talk about your weird drama at your next meeting" Levy suggested. "Fine" Natsu crossed his arms and sat back

"Natsu," Levy said

"What?" Natsu asked

"What were you and Lisanna talking about a few weeks back?" Levy inquired. Lucy glared at her from the steering wheel

"Oh, we were talking about- Actually she told me not to tell anyone"

"You can tell us, right?"

"Nope"

"They were talking about Lisanna's new boyfriend" Gajeel commented

"How do you know?" Natsu asked

"Juvia told me" He explained as if it was obvious

"Who is her boyfriend?" Levy asked

"Some dark blue-haired guy"

"There are like 500 people we know with blue hair”

“I don’t know the damn details”

"We're here Gajeel," Lucy said pulling up to Gajeel's House.

"Thanks, Bunny Girl, See you next week shrimp," Gajeel said as he got out of the car and went to open the back to get his bike.

"My Name is LUCY!" Lucy screamed at him. "Yeah, Yeah, Whatever" Gajeel sad pulling out his bike. "Wait Gaje, Could you take me home?" Levy asked hoping out of the car. "Why not" Gajeel shrugged. "Bye Lucy, Natsu" Levy waved at her friend and the pinkette. "Bye Levy" "Come on Shrimp, Let's get you home. Just let me put my bike away and we can take my car" "Alright" Levy said following him into the Refox family's garage.

As Lucy was getting ready to drive away Natsu climbed up into the passenger seat poking his girlfriend in the process "Hey Luce" "What?" "Do you hate Lisanna?" He asked. Lucy's face went pale, she dreaded Natsu asking this question. Before answering she sighed. "No, I'm just jealous of your relationship with her" Lucy started the car. "Why?" "because you guys are so close and seem like you would be a better couple" Natsu started laughing. "It's not funny" Lucy whined. "Luce, don't ever think I would date Lis, she's my childhood best friend, she's just my friend and I will spend time with her but I will always love you. Please be nice to her, she thinks you hate her." Natsu said in a serious tone. "She does?" Lucy asked. "Yeah, she really wants to be friends with you but thinks you hate her" "Oh No," Lucy said in a sad tone. "I never meant for her to feel like that" "I know" "I'll talk to her on Monday." "Good idea, She'll like that" Natsu smiled at his girlfriend. He was really lucky to have someone like her. "Alright see you at school." Lucy waved at Natsu as he got out. "Bye," he waved back smiling. "Love ya Luce" "Love you too" Lucy smiled, she was lucky to have such an amazing person as her boyfriend

*With Levy and Gajeel*

"Alright which car do you want to take?" Gajeel asked the petite bluenette. "Oh, that blue one is pretty. Can we take that one?" Levy asked pointing to a dark blue Corvette. Gajeel shrugged "Why not, Let me just make sure it's ok with the owner." "Who owns it?" Levy questioned, she sometimes forgot his family collected cars and they often kept a lot of people who needed someone to hold onto their car, commonly family friends who were on vacation, in their garage. "Juvia, she left it here last time she was over," Gajeel said nonchalantly. Levy tilted her head to the left out of confusion, sure she knew Juvia's family was rich but the girl had never seemed to be the one to own such an extravagant car. "She only has this one for when she's going somewhere important" Gajeel explained seeing the small girls confusion. Gajeel's phone buzzed, he looked down, "She said we could take it" "It's a nice car" "Yeah." The two got in the car.

"So are you doing well in class?" Levy asked. Gajeel groaned, she always asked this. "I'm passing," he said. "Passing is not the same as succeeding," Levy said seriously. "I know, I'm just not good at tests and I don't like homework"

"Just because you don't like it doesn't mean you shouldn't do it"

"I'm inheriting my dad's company, What more do I need"

Levi sighed "You need to know business tactics, stats, what people want, stuff like that"

Gajeel rolled his eyes "R.R is a record company, It can't be too hard to manage"

"Trust me you will be begging for my help when you become in charge"

"Alright" Gajeel decided to drop it, they were nearing her house (cough cough Library) and she wouldn't let it go if he didn't

"See ya' tater tot," He said as he pulled up to her house

"My name is Levy," she said kissing his cheek

"I don't care," He said sticking his tongue out "Love ya' Tiny"

"Love you to Screw Brains," She said kissing him again.

"LEVY, YOU'RE LATE" Mr. McGarden yelled from inside the house. "YOU BETTER NOT BE WITH THAT REDFOX KID" Levy rolled her eyes and turned around to wave to her boyfriend but he was already down the road. "Leave that boy alone, he is a fine young man" she heard her mother hit her father with a cookie sheet. Levy smiled and thought 'my family is crazy' "GET IN HERE YOUNG LADY" "Yes sir" Levy said running in her house. Today wasn't complete torture.

Hope you liked it and I hope you have a good day

-Z.Z Loch

[borderlandscast]

sorry!! I was the one who sent the anon about the development, and yeah, I meant how their character changed as the story went on. but also, what were some things that changed from the initial starting point in the story?

okay, not a problem! let’s do this. my random three picks: zoeya, lalna, and parvis. i’ll think about maybe doing posts for the others but shoves that onto future self. thank you for clarifyingthis ask! it was a pleasure to answer, and apologies for how long this got.

zoeya

her role is basically a xenobiologist traveling to pandora to research fauna and flora. unfortunately, her assistants continued to ditch her given the dangerous nature of the work.

working solo, zoeya continued after many setbacks and was close to giving up after rythian left (for different reasons than what she’d assume though). and then teep showed up.

zoeya’s bubbly, sunny and talkative personality unnerves a lot of people since you’d think all that would be ground out of her at the end of the first day but nope. zoeya’s greatest strength is in her persistence. she never needed coddling, which almost everyone made the mistake of doing since they also assume she’s naive. she proves them wrong later since death (and to a lesser extent, suffering and pain) is a part of life, which is showcased often in her field.

that said, her greatest weakness is her self doubt and insecurities, whether it’s about herself, her job or her relationships. she has a lot of unspoken anxieties on a daily basis, which hinders her ability to function. she shows signs of adhd too; this is especially evident in the scene where teep shows up and her life is a big Mess, from the way she organises her paperwork, her constant clutter and chaotic workflow.

she has a positive impact on teep and vice versa. for the longest time, she couldn’t open up, and now she has this extraordinary assistant who can actually read her handwriting, is not a wimp about foreign bodily fluids, can handle threats without a blinking an eye, can follow instructions after being told only once; yeah, teep’s her dream assistant. problem: they’re stone cold and unreceptive to her ramblings...or so it appears.

zoeya brings the best out in people; she has a grounding effect. whenever i wrote her into a scene, i had to take a different mindset than say, one i’d have for rythian, rythian is cautious, and usually doesn’t do anything without a plan. zoeya, on the other hand, is free of these restrictions. she’s a very emotional person, which plays off nicely against a bigger backdrop of stoic, reserved and colder cast.

she was never intended as a ‘oh, i’m here for you, always!’ sidelines character which is a cliche role; she takes direct actions throughout borderlandscast, such as being the first outsider to see rythian’s mutilated back. she reacts with a little bit of horror, but ultimately reaches out with a compassionate hand. she also ran inside a burning building to get teep. she also is a frontliner in the bandit battle, at the cost of her hand.

losing her hand wasn’t intended until i browsed the old blackrock vids and hit upon the arc where rythian and co end up in the desert and she needs chocolate milk to survive, and uh, things clicked.

zoeya suffers a permanent consequence for her heroic actions in saving sanctuary hole. does she regret it? no! she does her best to move on, with the support of her loved ones. she may have been an anxious wreck throughout the whole event but she never let it stop her from doing the right thing.

lalna

lalna’s role was mysterious from the start to his companions; his concussion impeded his thoughts and rationality. slowly peeling back the real reasons how he ended up on pandora was part of the story.

he was always going to be rythian’s companion, and unfortunately, was going to betray him later. playing up to that was difficult, since i was starting from scratch in an au compared to blackrock where tensions preexisted.

lalna and rythian are both lonely people, and lonely people tend to gravitate towards each other even if their personalities are at odds. i didn’t detail lalna and rythian’s initial journey together but you can tell that they’ve gotten used to each other by the time nanosounds shows up.

i intentionally wrote lalna to be a scaredy cat but differently to nilesy, parvis and zoeya. normal people don’t cope well with being thrown onto a murderous, lawless place, let alone being stranded. lalna handles it reasonably well at first but then there’s the icing on the cake: killing other people.

thus begins lalna’s spiral into the sad mess that he becomes just before tlvh c12 happens. that ended all civilities between him and the main vault hunters.

negative character development where someone truly regrets their actions should be explored more often! lalna didn’t exactly redeem himself in the final battle but he definitely showed that he’s taking his first steps.

sometimes people try to justify doing terrible things because that’s a very human thing to do. lalnable’s own rigid moral compass was foil to lalna’s own weak, wavering one. it also provided another reason for the conflict where lalna nearly throttles him to death but chooses not to, since that’d violate his whole motive for backstabbing rythian.

lalna is driven by selfishness disguised as protective love for his twin. he’s one of the more selfish people in this au.

his loneliness likely drove him to build larry robert, a friend who’d never abandon him.

i don’t think lalna is an idiot; he’s secretly crafty and actually quick thinking, especially when it comes to his specialties. he’s impulsive though, and he doesn’t like to think about the consequences until the dust clears. this gets better closer to the end since he chooses to go back and help the vault hunters, after he provokes arsenal into beating the shit out of him. that uh, takes some serious guts.

he’ll heal his relationship with rythian eventually. where rythian would once have cut ties with lalna, rythian’s open to trying again, something that lalna is deeply grateful for.

parvis

parvis is interesting as a character since he’s so multi-faceted while still being recognisable as himself. i wrote him to be a bandit, but not a bandit, as paradoxical as that sounds.

he was designed to have every bit of confidence as possible or projecting as much; backstage, he dials back on the loudness and is a little awkward but cares deeply with all the finesse of a brick in a sock. he rivals ravs in terms of social awareness, which is how he easily picked up on will’s need for a friend.

his sewing hobby was added much later, it provides him a valuable skill since bandits probably tear up their own clothes often. plus, plenty of civilians and vault hunters could do with repairs every once in a while. being one of the friendlier bandits around, parvis has a secret reputation as a tailor. he only tries a little to deny it.

parvis intensely dislikes conflict but pretends he does, if only to keep the masses happy (his own lieutenants are bloodthirstier than he is, a rarity on pandora). okay, he might enjoy it a little but the consequences of getting hurt far outweigh the adrenaline rushes. he gets over this ridiculously fast when he’s out for blood in the name of a friend (as in the case of one will strife during the jailbreak), or if something he likes is threatened (like his precious stronghold).

as sparkles pointed out, parvis’ leadership capabilities and knack for keeping a whole bandit gang united under one flag (with a love of music, of all things) is pretty much peerless. parvis has a goddamned gift. it’s why he’s so well-liked by each of his ‘fans’, and why he’s so popular on the echonet. he gets to know all of them equally, and rarely plays favourites. he doesn’t let the attention go to his head, much.

the illliteracy part is common amongst bandits but reading sheet music doesn’t take much; parvis is very insecure and touchy about his inability to read and write, but lalnable helps him with that. he also helps parvis get over his fear of blood and pain in the most direct way possible. it’s voluntary on parvis’ part since parvis rocks up to the clinic on a daily basis since hanging out with lalnable is greater than getting nausea over drawing blood.

parvis really steps up to the plate in ‘the battle of sanctuary hole’. he has major self doubts abouts his ability to succeed in battles despite the bloody bandits’ amazing track record of occupying the dam stronghold against multiple attacks. his big, gay ‘crush’ on daltos may have factored into his decision to pick up his gun and finally jump into the fray.

the ‘crush’ part is parvis working through a complex series of feelings. as sparkles noted, parvis develops and abandons crushes very quickly (about as fast as he loses guitar picks; his one on ravs is one of his longer standing ones). it stems from wanting to get to know people; being famous fucks a lot with parvis’ ability to make genuine friends. he goes back and forth on relationships when his doubts surface.

parvis is aromantic and asexual but is grey on both counts. he doesn’t know what both orientations are called, and unless he has a ‘i like people but not in that way’ session with daltos (aro, bi), teep (aro, ace) or hybridpanda (aro, ace), he’s not in a big rush to find out.

he just wants to be friends with everybody, except for when he or they’re crossed; parvis has a big vindicative streak to him that’s a big bandit trait. fortunately, parvis is as revenge driven as panda or sjin is.

some things that changed as the story went on (off the top of my head):

length of the story and word count; did not anticipate on it spanning across six plus side stories and a main one, or over three years.

arsenal’s role in ‘the battle of sanctuary hole’; he fucked up almost as badly as daltos did, which accelerated the blitzkreig blighter’s quest for destruction and revenge. whoops. but he fixed that by diving in to save his bestue, and failed at that. nobody’s perfect! except boner.

minty! minty wasn’t envisioned until i needed someone to run concordia. martyn and turps weren’t available since they’re both land locked, but then along came minty.

elsa being a major catalyst for the complete destruction of pandora and the universe. it was a joke, but then it happened.

rythian’s relationship with the queen; he nurtured a close bond with her, which she broke when she tried to escape her vault once she got too jealous of freedom. if things had turned out differently, they could have been friends and the universe would have doomed another way.

nanosounds losing her left arm; i think i talked about this in a post a long, long time ago but the consequences of a siren losing her tattooed arm? hasn’t been seen yet, wanted to explore it.

the legendary that was dropped in the vault of the queen; its name is ‘enderbane’, and is currently in rythian’s possession after honeydew gave it to him, thus breaking the curse of ‘no vault hunter shall own a legendary’. he has no idea what it does since he hasn’t tested it out yet, and is a little afraid to do so considering it’s an eridian weapon. didn’t plan on including it as a drop but usually loot is good on a final boss, so there.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF BORDERLANDS 3!!!!!!! since borderlandscast is almost wrapped up, nothing will change content wise but since there’s a giant time gap that exists, we’ll see how i fit the epilogue in since that’s a big playground.

[fyrapartnersearch]

The next Wild Hunt commences.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Phew, let's try this again shall we? I've received great many responses which positively surprised me :) I've managed to find some partners, but most of the people who contacted me, just sent me a friend request on Discord without even writing me a message. This gives me nothing to work with. Please, I implore you, if you want to start a RP partnership with me, write me a detailed email first! Describe yourself, your ideas and preferences. I want to get to know you before we move to another platform to chat OOC, alright? 

And for the future, do NOT ghost me! Thank you :) I’ll keep it short and sweet for my introduction. I am Fenry, but you may address me as Fen. Obviously this is not my real name but I would like to keep a pseudonym as my identity until I get to know my partner better. 



I am 25 years and that means adult themes and topics will be included

Female

Over 10 years of roleplaying experience

Masters graduate

I live in CET, Europe

Prefers doubling, though I can make exceptions

We can exchange more information once I’ve received your message. I love talking outside of the Roleplay for some brainstorming and plotting for the story. Plus, making new friends never hurts.

Now to the actual topic what I am looking for in a partner.

Please read before you message me!

Thank you.



My roleplaying partner must be above the age of 18, preferably 20+. 
I don’t care which gender honestly, as long as the Roleplay and friendship is good I am all for it. Contact me with a small introduction. Tell me about yourself, what you’re ideas are, how long you’ve been writing and your limits. I want to know more about you, assess your character before we move to anything else. It would otherwise come off as impersonal. 



The qualities I prefer in an RP buddy are: 


Mature

Dedicated

Detailed

Literate

Frequent (which doesn’t mean that you need to send me 5 messages per day. 2-3 times per week is absolutely fine since I am not able to respond as much either)

Flexible

We all have real, social lives outside of the roleplaying world. I understand when you’re not able to reply as fast all of the time, because it is not much different for me either. I will try to respond at least 4-5 times a week. If it’s a good week, my replying rate will increase depending on the given situation. If there’s work ahead or any sort of obstacle that might get in the way of our exchange, I will let you know as soon as I possibly can! I promise you this! 
But I also hope you do the same when there’s something that might cause a hiatus.




I am looking for LONGTERM and CONTINUOS Roleplays! My partner should be very committed because otherwise, it wouldn’t make a lot of sense and we might as well drop it.





When it comes to my writing style and preferences, I will list these things here for you to read.

Writing: I am a multi-paragraph sort of writer, which means that frequently, my writing will exceed at least 500 words, and upward of 1000+ words. I love detail in description, and I am actively seeking someone of the same infamy. Generally, I tend to write in the 3rd person. I’ve also tested the waters of 1st person but found it fairly awkward, if not, jarring so I’d rather keep it with 3rd person.

Pairings: I openly play characters of both genders, preferable m x f pairings, but I am open to m x m and f x f relationships as well. I have more experience with m x f relationships, so I might excel in this category more than I would do with the others. However, like I said, do not let this deter you. Very much open to other sexual orientations and preferences. Romance and intimate erotic scenes are always a part of the story, so if you are someone who prefers fading to black, I am afraid to tell you that my request isn’t something for you. This is not negotiable, sorry.

Genres: I am versatile when it comes to genres and settings that I like to play in. Supernatural is my absolute jam, especially urban and gothic fantasy, maybe even a bit of mythology as well? 
Anything involving vampires, werewolves, demons, witches, shape shifters, aliens, mutants, other urban creature of folklore, given some sort of modern day spun, is absolutely perfect for me. I also really love science fiction in its many forms. Primarily, I take my sci-fi craving inspirations from Star Wars, Mass Effect, and even Destiny (even though I did not really enjoy the games…). Another genre that I’ve vast interest in includes that of the superhero genre. I’m a big fan of both Marvel and DC fandom, and the concept of having humans with abilities, anything of that short would be awesome to do. Against, these would be with original characters on my part. I’m not as fond of general real-life or general modern day genres and themes without a good, complex idea attached to it.

Characters: Faceclaims, GIFs, drawings, mood boards or just a plain physical description is absolutely welcome / sufficient. I am not someone who necessarily needs a face claim for a character in order ‘to get the picture’. There are many instances where I could not find a suiting match for my character’s definition, so I resorted to drawing them myself or leaving it with a simple description. 
Characters should have flaws - that is a no brainer obviously, since nobody likes a Mary Sue / Gary Stu - but also some unique traits that make them stand out and remain memorable. I take inspiration from JK Rowling or George R.R. Martin for example as each of their character remains very unique and unforgettable in my opinion. They definitely did something right and I want to emulate that, so don’t be afraid to be rather bold with your character creation. Let your imagination run wild and surprise me with your ideas!

World building & plotting: An active roleplayer is wanted in this category, without a doubt. I love to world-build, but I tend to lose interest when I am the only one who puts in the effort into it. I can’t do the thinking for two people, so I implore you to at least share the burden (which should not be regarded as such because roleplaying is a fun hobby and nothing more). Too often I find people shying away from it in this regard. If I feel that I’m carrying the weight of the world-building part with specific ideas, I will end the Roleplay in immediately. And consider that the world building is just the tip of the beginning, so from that, I’ll be able to see whether we’ll be a match or not. Because we’d be starting from scratch with whatever we do, it would be a big relief to have someone who doesn’t mind letting ideas flow to set up the universe that we will be roleplaying in.

Content: I find writing erotic, dramatic or action packed scenes very enjoyable. I don’t hinder myself when certain subjects are mentioned that may be uncomfortable for the general public. But then again, as a reminder, a Roleplay is not reality but fiction. For example situations that heavily imply and involve brutality, mayhem, psychological and physical torture are things that need exploration.

Characters should be fully fleshed out, even the not so pretty parts of one’s personality and actions. There is no black and white, but a wide ranging spectrum of grey areas. A story does not always end well and life is never fair, so to implement this into a Roleplay, it would make a fantastic and very exciting story. Nothing is ever certain, people have their ups and downs… we shouldn’t make an exception here. I am not afraid to delve into even more sinister areas such as psychological trauma if its needed to further the story. I want to be as transparent as I possibly can. I have very few limits. The only subjects I will not touch, or rather avoid are heavy graphic rape scenes, bestiality, necrophilia and pedophilia. Other than that everything is fair game. What I also find quite fascinating is describing someone’s mental as well as physical transformation, ascending to a higher or lower state of being, etc. The process of metamorphosis, may it be the manipulation or corruption of someone… it all is quite eerie and at the same time, intriguing. It all leads to the progression of the story, so be warned that we won’t be walking on egg shells here. 


The story will not be solely centred on dark themes. I love me a mixture of everything, including drama, fluff, angst, action, comedy, romance, adventure, mystery and so forth.


Let’s lighten up a bit, kay? :)

The ones I’ve marked in bold are the ones I am currently itching for the most.




Original plots I am absolutely craving for are:




Genres:


anything mafia related

crimes in remote locations

small towns and supernatural happenings

post apocalyptic/dystopia

supernatural/modern fantasy (demons and devils, monster x hunter)

southern/mid western gothic

murder mystery (small town or big city)

modern/dark fairy tale retellings

sci-fi/cyberpunk

emotionally charged/dark and gritty

superpowers/gifted

unresolved sexual tension/slow burn

mythology

redemption

action

Pairings:

age gaps (non pedophiliac)

friend x best friend’s older sibling

enemies to lovers

cop x criminal

friends turned lovers/pining

grumpy x sunshine

dark hearted man melting for the innocent woman

reunited old lovers and/or friends

boss x employee

neighbours

mentor x mentee

hitman x victim

hurt/comfort

height differences

pet names

rich x poor (or noble and peasant / different social classes)

The Fandoms I am willing to do, although I prefer to make something original:

Films & television:

Marvel cinematic universe

Pacific Rim

Castlevania

Game of Thrones

Riverdale

Young Justice

Voltron

Constantine

Harry Potter

Star Wars

Games: 

Witcher III

Devil May Cry

Bayonetta

God of War

Star Wars

Dark Souls

My Roleplaying platform is mostly on email or google docs! I also would like to keep in touch with my partner over a different medium, preferably Discord.

 To contact me use these links here:


EMAIL: mynioncosplay@gmail.com

DISCORD: Fenry#4086


Find me there.

Here are two passwords that you can use in the headline so I know what you want to role-play.


*For ORIGINAL Roleplay, the password is:  Follow me and you shall be

free *For CANON Roleplay, the password is:  I will follow you until the end

#original #OC #supernatural(original, not TV) #longterm #email #googledocs #paragraph #detailed #partner #dedicated #fantasy #canon #doubling #chat #friend 

[pilawforhire-archived]

Tagging, for any/all of the below: anyone who reads this and is interested! also, if you tagged me in one of the below, I’m tagging you for the others, if you’d like to do them. 

I: CATTELL 16 FACTOR TEST

Tagged by: @norikwrites Tagging: 

Warmth: 30% Intellect: 86% Emotional Stability: 70% Aggressiveness: 74% Liveliness: 62% Dutifulness: 50% Social Assertiveness: 46% Sensitivity: 54% Paranoia: 74% Abstractness: 46% Introversion: 78% Anxiety: 34% Openmindedness: 66% Independence: 74% Perfectionism: 82% Tension: 46%

II: What’s Your Muses Personality Type

Tagged by: norikwrites Tagging: 

(I took this twice. The second result is more accurate, but I included the first result for certain points mentioned.)

You Are An ISFJ: The Nurturer

You have a strong need to belong, and you very loyal. A good listener, you excel at helping others in practical ways. In your spare time, you enjoy engaging your senses through art, cooking, and music.

You find it easy to be devoted to one person... a partner who you do special things for. In love, you express your emotions through actions. Taking care of someone is how you love them. And you do it well!

At work, you do well in a structured environment. You complete tasks well and on time. You would make a good interior designer, chef, or child psychologist.

How you see yourself: Competent, dependable, and detail oriented When other people don't get you, they see you as: Boring, dominant, and stuck in a rut

You Are An INTJ: The Scientist

You have a head for ideas - and you are good at improving systems. Logical and strategic, you prefer for everything in your life to be organized. You tend to be a bit skeptical. You're both critical of yourself and of others. Independent and stubborn, you tend to only befriend those who are a lot like you.

In love, you are always striving to improve your relationship. You have strong ideas of what love should be like. At work, you excel in figuring out difficult tasks. People think of you as "the brain." You would make an excellent scientist, engineer, or programmer.

How you see yourself: Reasonable, knowledgeable, and competent When other people don't get you, they see you as: Aloof, controlling, and insensitive

III. Your Love Type

Tagged by: @celestialspitfire Tagging: 

Your Love Type: The Idealist (INFP)

In love, you crave a long term, harmonious relationship. You want a life partner and soul mate. For you, closeness doesn't come quickly - it takes time for you to open up. You need to build trust first.

Overall, you are supportive, nurturing, and expressive. You want to be that rock for the person you're with.

However, you tend to be shy and protective of your personal space. You absolutely need to have your 'me' time too.

Best matches: ENFJ and ESFJ

IV: Masculinity vs. Femininity

Tagged by: @post-mortem-lullaby @quietuslaw Tagging: 

Your score for masculinity was 112. Your score for femininity was 83.

V: Law’s a horrible person.

• Mark the ones your muse has done. • Use your result as your post title. • Please repost and don’t reblog!

Tagged by: @alicehart @ivakir @xkeikox Tagging: 

[ ✔ ] consumed alcohol [ ✔ ] slept in the same bed with someone of another gender [ ✔ ] slept in the same bed with someone of the same gender [ ✔ ] kissed someone of another gender [ ✔ ] had sex [ ✔ ] had someone in your room other than family [ ✔ ] seen porn [  ] bought porn [ ✔ ] tried drugs TOTAL: 8

[ ✔ ] taken painkillers [ ✔ ] taken someone else’s prescription medicine [ ✔ ] lied to your parents [ ✔ ] lied to a friend [ ✔ ] snuck out of the house [ ✔ ] done something illegal [ ✔ ] felt hurt [ ✔ ] hurt someone [ ✔ ] wished someone to die [ ✔ ] seen someone die TOTAL: 18

[ ✔ ] missed curfew [ ✔ ] stayed out all night [  ] eaten a carton of ice cream by yourself [  ] been to a therapist [ ✔ ] received a ticket [  ] been to rehab [  ] dyed your hair [  ] been in an accident [ ✔ ] been to a club [ ✔ ] been to a bar TOTAL: 23

[  ] been to a wild party [  ] been to a Mardi Gras parade [ ✔ ] drank more than three alcoholic beverages in a night [  ] had a spring break in Florida [ ✔ ] sniffed anything [  ] wore black nail polish [  ] wore arm bands [ ✔ ] wore t-shirts with band names [   ] listened to rap TOTAL: 26

[  ] dressed gothic [  ] dressed girly [ ✔ ] dressed punk [  ] dressed grunge [ ✔ ] stole something [ ✔ ] been too drunk to remember anything [ ✔ ] blacked out [  ] fainted [  ] had a crush on a neighbor TOTAL: 30

[ ✔ ] had a crush on a friend [ ✔ ] been to a concert [ ✔ ] dry-humped someone; been dry humped [  ] been called a slut [  ] called someone a slut. [  ] installed speakers in a car [ ✔ ] broken a mirror [ ✔ ] showered at someone of another gender’s house [  ] brushed your teeth with someone else’s toothbrush TOTAL: 35

[  ] considered Ludacris your favorite rapper [ ✔ ] seen an R-rated movie [ ✔ ] cruised the mall [ ✔ ] skipped school [  ] had surgery [ ✔ ] had an injury [ ✔ ] gone to court [ ✔ ] walked out of a restaurant without paying/tipping [ ✔ ] caught something on fire. [ ✔ ] lied about your age TOTAL: 43

[ ✔ ] owned/rented an apartment/house [ ✔ ] broke the law in the police’s presence [ ✔ ] made out with someone who had a GF/BF [ ✔ ] got in trouble with the police [ ✔ ] talked to a stranger [  ] hugged a stranger [  ] kissed a stranger [ ✔ ] rode in the car with a stranger [ ✔ ] been harassed [ ✔ ] been verbally harassed TOTAL: 51

[ ✔ ] met face-to-face with someone you met online [ ✔ ] stayed online for 5+ hours straight [  ] talked on the phone for more than 4 hours straight [  ] watched TV for 5 hours straight [ ✔ ] been to a fair [ ✔ ] been called a bad influence [  ] drank and drove [ ✔ ] prank-called someone [ ✔ ] laid on a couch with someone of another gender [  ] cheated on a test TOTAL:  57

If you have 00-10 … write [I’m a goody-goody] If you have 11-20 … write [I’m still a goody-goody] If you have 21-30 … write [I’m average] If you have 31-40 … write [I’m a bad kid] If you have 41-50 … write [I’m a very bad influence] If you have 51-60 … write [I’m a horrible person] If you have 61-70 … write [I should be in jail] If you have 71-80 … write [I should be dead] If you have 81-90 … write [I got a ticket to Hell]

VI: MUSE AESTHETICS: HORROR EDITION.                             BOLD WHATEVER APPLIES & tag people. add stuff & even change the format to your liking! naturally, repost; don’t reblog!

Tagged by: @spottedsoftpaws @luffyasksandanswers @pirateshou @evils-champion @miseriicxrs Tagging:

CLASSIC.

black and white. powder puffs. red lipstick. winged eyeliner. white kitten heels. black lace lingerie. icy blue eyes. rain. abandoned cars. skeletons. acid. poison. voyeurism. switchblades. strangling. overcoats. looking over your shoulder. trans-Atlantic accents. private detectives. dinner parties. haunted mansions. cobwebs. perfect blonde curls. kitchen knives. shock. cellars. dust. ghosts. dark alleys. empty streets. horn-rimmed glasses. radiation. zombies. serial murder. suspicion. paranoia. the city. witches. the devil. cannibalism. conspiracies. amulets. abject terror. the American south. the American northeast. england. analog cameras.                  

CRYPTID & URBAN LEGEND.

aliens. blinding light. dark woods. driving at night. claw marks. bite marks. men in black. memory loss. dismembered bodies. sewers. flashlights. cell phones. video cameras. cars with tinted windows. unlabeled cassette tapes. bugs. big cities. urban crimes. clowns. something rustling outside your window. glowing light. unsolved mysteries. suburbia. mirrors. the American Pacific Northwest. the American Midwest. hiking. backpacking.  

GOTHIC.

gaslights. corsets. ballrooms. candlelight. mist. starless nights. full moons. cobbled streets. horse-drawn carriages. mysterious strangers. bogs. moors. forests. mountains. castles. velvet. silver. brass. gold. jewels. domino masks. the opera. dangerous romances. tragic romances. violins. roses. lilies. empty graves. crosses. cemeteries. snow. ice. the gallows. crows. milk-white skin. ambiguous illness. fangs. pointed nails. something howling in the night. capes. gloves. top hats. straight razors. lightning. pipe organs. underground caverns. bats. mice. rats. ravens. cats. pearls. attics. talismans. axes. wood. isolation in a room full of people. vampires. werewolves. ghosts. coffins. western Europe. eastern Europe. bones. churches. catacombs. mausoleums. books.                                    

PARANORMAL.

malevolent spirits. seances. spells. missing bodies. hidden graves. white noise. static. flickering lights. rings of salt. demons. poltergeister. dark histories. old buildings. cold air. wells. urban exploration. a dog barking at unseen things. iconoclasm. black ooze. old photographs. dark bodies of water. crucifixes. priests. possession. exorcisms. dolls.

SLASHER.

bloodbaths. massacres. wanton nudity. newspapers. leather jackets. letterman jackets. converse sneakers. obscured faces. social unrest. bonfires. lakes. babysitters. high school. lockers. dead leaves in the fall. jack-o’-lanterns. passing shadows. outdated television sets. nightmares. psychiatrists. hospitals. unstoppable forces. gunfire. police. landline telephones. improvised weapons. halloween. secrets. revelations. cut wires. character masks. scrunchies. wild curls. jeering children. parties. fire. swearing. revulsion. california. the American Midwest. ambulances.                                                  

THRILLER.

daylight. fluorescent lighting. morgues. unwavering eye contact. tension. lit rooms. empty rooms. a killer in plain sight. a dog digging in the newly-planted flower bed. steely gazes. paperwork. anagrams. codes. convicted killers. missing persons. law enforcement. federal agents. small towns. suspicion. paranoia. subdued terror. dimly-lit parking lots. a noise in the distance.

[abbajane]

To celebrate the release of Kenneth Branagh’s Murder on the Orient Express, and to kick off my Author Tuesdays, let’s talk about Agatha Christie!

Murder on the Orient Express, And Then There Were None, Five Miss Marple Novels

Whether or not you’ve ever read a Christie novel, I’m sure you’ve at least heard of her. She’s the undeniable Queen of Mystery and is one of the best selling authors of all time. Her most infamous creation is Hercule Poirot, the quirky genius detective, but she’s also well known for her independent novels and the Miss Marple collection, about an elderly woman who solves crimes in her small town. Before we break into my reviews, let’s take a minute to get to know Christie.

I won’t bore you to death with biographical details, so here are five fast facts about Christie, all taken from her website, which has more information if you’d like to read on.

Christie in later life.

Front page regarding her disappearance.

Christie and Mallowan on a dig site.

Christie as a young girl.

Agatha Christie was born in September 1890 (a Virgo! Of course!) in Southern England, and died in January of 1976.

Christie wrote a 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections. The most famous of these are Murder on the Orient Express, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Death on the Nile, and Murder at the Vicarage.

During the First World War, in which Christie began to write, she worked at a hospital dispensary where she learned about poisons. According to her website, “The murderer’s use of poison was so well described that when the book was eventually published Agatha received an unprecedented honour for a writer of fiction – a review in the Pharmaceutical Journal.”

Agatha Christie married a couple of times. Her first husband Archie Christie was an aviator in the war, and they married in 1914. Her second husband, Max Mallowan, was an archaeologist in the Middle East when they met and married in 1930.

In 1926, Agatha Christie vanished. Her car and some of her belongings were found in her abandoned car, and no one knew where she had gone. For ten days the nation searched for her, and eventually she was found in a spa under a fake name, seemingly unable to recognize her husband. Opinion is still divided today on whether Christie cracked under emotional strain between her husband’s infidelity, poor reception of her novels, and her mother’s death which caused her to experience amnesia, or if she was orchestrating some publicity stunt or effort to frame her adulterous husband for murder. She makes no mention of the incident in her autobiography.

I’ve read three of Christie’s novels this fall, and I chose them in an attempt to get a wide view of the kind of story that Christie was capable of. All of them deal in careful clues, twisting narratives, and untrustworthy characters, and all of them were a joy to read!

Murder on the Orient Express (1934)

This is the novel that got me interested in Christie. I never framed myself as a mystery-lover, but I do love crime shows like 20/20, Dateline, and anything on the Investigation Discovery Channel, so I guess I should have given crime novels a go earlier! I picked up this novel because the film was about to be released, and because I had a computer game as a child that was based off this story that I loved dearly. So, I knew how this story was going to end, but that didn’t make the process any less enjoyable.

The premise of the novel is ambitious: a vaguely unlikable man is murdered on the cross-continent voyage of the Orient Express. The train is delayed by heavy snowfall, and the famous detective Hercule Poirot, who was planning to enjoy a peaceful journey, is recruited to investigate the 12 passengers and figure out who killed the man. Twelve suspects is a lot to keep track of, and there is a lot of evidence and motive to investigate, but Christie keeps the information manageable and, though some of the lesser characters can blend together or fade out, the cast as a whole provides plenty of entertainment and intrigue. I won’t spoil, in case you haven’t heard how it ends, but I will say that it is so clever that you’ll never see it coming.

I really enjoyed Poirot. He’s charming, quirky, and so damn smart that half the novel is keeping up with him. Christie has a tendency to be very cut and dry, meaning she doesn’t infuse a lot of emotion into her texts. She deals in the black and white of things, in cold logic and provable fact. While this novel sets up a lot of emotional turbulence with its conclusion, Christie keeps her feet dry by ending the novel right when the emotional could have run in and stolen the genius of the crime. I personally prefer a little more feeling and emotion in my stories. I like to feel with characters and experience their emotional conflicts, but Christie left me hanging with this one. As I read more of her work, I found the same issue, but it’s probably my only complaint with Christie’s work.

The cast of this film is stellar. Daisy Ridley! Judi Dench! Olivia Colman! Penelope Cruz! Kenneth Branagh! 

I’ll take a quick moment to talk about the film, since I felt the film not only was a roaring success in cinematography, acting, and directing, but it also filled in those pitfalls that I found in Christie’s writing. The film was chock full of emotion, but still kept all those subtle clues and careful stages that comprised Christie’s novel, and even added a few more with mirror doubling, claustrophobic and vertigo-inducing shots, and one lovely Last Supper reference. It diverted from Christie’s novel only to fill the characters with a little more heart and feeling, which I felt was done tastefully and neatly. I got choked up a few times in that film, which I love! It was cathartic and moving and I think Branagh did a wonderful job with it. It seems we’re in for a few more Branagh/Poirot collaborations so buckle up!

The Body in the Library (1942)

This novel was my least favorite of the three Christie stories I read. I can’t quite put my finger on why I didn’t like it as well, but I think some small part of it might have been Miss Marple herself — she didn’t add much and she was mega-judgmental. Maybe I’ll read a few more, since I have a collection, to test my theory but something here fell flat, and it wasn’t just the lack of human sympathy and emotion, which seems to be token in Christie’s novels.

When the body of a missing hotel dancer turns up in the library of a well-to-do family man, his wife calls in Miss Marple to offer her advice on the case. Between the skills of the detective and the nosy old woman, the murder is brought to light after some seriously twisty turns and inference. This ending I felt to be a little too absurd to be realistic or plausible, and while Christie likes those WTF moments, this one just didn’t seem to have even the smallest element of believability in it. With the other Christie novels I read, I felt at the end that though it was entirely wild, it was explained in a way to make it entirely possible, given the facts. I think another thing that I didn’t care for was the overly traditional motive. After Orient Express and And Then There Were None, I wanted something a little more eccentric. Seems I can’t be pleased! The events were too unbelievable, and the motive wasn’t unbelievable enough!

Again, I’m going to complain about the lack of compassion and feeling in this one. I felt the victim was treated quite unfairly by others, especially with a surplus of unkind comments. Additionally, there was a lot of glee, and not just from the weird and excitable child, about the fate of the murder. These folks love death — even when its in their own houses. When you look at the gender politics at play here, there are a lot of cringe-y moments, and oftentimes I wondered if I was reading too far into things or if Christie was trying to subtly suggest some underhanded behavior by various male characters. Overall, I think the context of gender was nearly as huge of a character as any of them, but was completely treated as the elephant in the room. I can’t hold it too strongly since I’m reading with a modern mind, and concepts about rape-culture and sexism and shaming weren’t so easily verbalized or examined when the novel was written in 1942. Still, this novel just didn’t do enough for me. It felt half-assed, honestly.

And Then There Were None (1939)

This was the first Christie novel I read, and it is undeniably my favorite. ATTWN is not a Poirot or Marple detective novel, so it stands in a category of its own. This story was also included with the Murder Mystery computer game pack that I had when I was a kid, so I again knew the outcome of the story, but it had been ages since I’d played the game. While I knew who the murder was, I couldn’t remember the hows and whys that make this novel so great and complex, so it was almost as good as reading it completely new.

This novel, like Orient Express, is made of a cast of seemingly unrelated characters. Ten people arrive to a remote island residence all under different pretenses, but all on the invitation of the mysterious U. N. Owen. Strangely, and horrifyingly, the guests suddenly start dying in the order and method described by a children’s nursery rhyme as soon as they arrive, and soon realize they have been stranded on the island with a pyscho-killer. It’s utterly insane and terrifying. The remaining guests must work agains the clock (and each other) to figure out who the murderer is before it’s too late.

Where the other Christie novels failed to thrill me or strike at my emotions, this novel went above and beyond. I was scared, I was anxious, I was sympathetic, I was horrified. The whole thing was a rollercoaster ride from start to finish, and I really could not put it down. Like the other novels, the ending was completely surprising, but this one finishes up with a confession which is even more spine chilling than the action of the novel. This murderer is the most psychotic that I’ve read, and foreshadows the kind of killers that we obsess over today from the likes of Stephen King.

I can’t write a review about this novel, no matter how well I like it, without addressing it’s very sketchy and messy past. The novel was originally published under another name, which I will not write here, but will link to. Clearly, the name is racist and meant to inspire thoughts of darkness, violence, otherness, and evil via the racism of the day in the reading audience of the 1940s. To add onto this racism cake that Christie was building, the novel was renamed for the American readership, to Ten Little Indians, which is still meant to signal all of those wicked stereotypes about a certain race, but in a distinctly American context (not to say that white Americans were worse on the Native populations than the Black ones, or that Black populations had it any easier because that word was removed from the American title). Eventually, publishers decided that racism, no matter who you were being racist to, was not cool or remotely acceptable, and they changed the title to it’s current iteration, with the children’s poem being Ten Little Soldiers instead. I had no idea about this history when I read the novel, though I was vaguely familiar with the rhyme from a similar, though less gruesome and equally racist rhyme about little Indians.

Christie’s racism doesn’t come as a terrible surprise to me, since in Orient Express there was a lot of slurring and stereotyping being thrown around by the passengers and suspects. In Branagh’s film, the racism is adjusted, I think, to help modern audiences (especially American) understand the racism in Christie’s novel, since the modern viewer may not think the casual intra-European racism is as harmful as it is. Branagh included a black character and some not-so-covert racism by another character so the modern reader could understand the subtle damage Christie was doing in her own work. Christie has been accused of racism before, (see her top ten moments here) and some reviewers had some comments about how the film dealt with it. In an age where we out predators, racists, misogynists, and various other aggressors in our society, lets not forget to be critical of even those who write damn good books.

Further reading:

Murder on the Orient Express Is Agatha Christie Minus the Racism

Yes, It Still Hurts to Read Racist Depictions in an Otherwise Good Book

The Queen of Crime

Agatha Christie’s Autobiography

What’s your favorite Agatha Christie novel? What do you love about her? How do we deal with problematic authors in this modern age?

    Author: Agatha Christie To celebrate the release of Kenneth Branagh's Murder on the Orient Express, and to kick off my Author Tuesdays, let's talk about Agatha Christie!

[zenosanalytic]

Atomic Blonding(Because Of Course I Would)

I just saw Atomic Blonde yesterday and l wanted to write about it. I’ve seen a few people call it a “Bond Film”. I don’t agree; maybe if they’re comparing it to the Daniel Craig generation of Bond films, but it(like Craig’s run) is miles better than any of them from before him.

To explain that, and eventually get to what I LIKE about Atomic Blonde, this is going to have to turn into a critique of Bond films for a short time. To put it simply, Bond films are aesthetically spy movies, but there’s no actual “spying”, or any of the larger themes universal to “Spy” as a genre, involved in them.

In a Bond film(excluding Craig’s, which are an absolute sea-change), you know who the “good guys” are and who the “bad guys” are; it’s obvious, declared at the very start, and the villains act like mustache-twirling matinee stereotypes(and often with asinine racial, national, and sexual stereotypes thrown in as well). There’s no feeling of paranoia, or awareness of your own ignorance, or sense of unpredictable, ever-present malice, or unpredictable and lethal violence. In a Bond movie you know, exactly, what’s going on, and the plots aren’t just simple but obvious and predictable down to the sort of things Bond and his enemies are likely to say in any situation. There are some surprises, but they’re only there for flavor and affect; they have nothing to do with the plot or with characterization(which is equally flat and boring. And declared by their names). Bond’s enemies aren’t people with lives, agendas, objectives; they’re voiceless mooks and elemental forces that the Orderly World cannot, for some reason, touch. They are monsters for him to slay with his miraculous techno-gifts, handed down from the inscrutable yet affable Q. Bond’s a modern Perseus eternally repeating his quest to slay mythic beasts, minus the parental issues(until, as always, Craig). Most “Spy” protagonists are not unknowable, face-changing monster-slayers, silently defending the world from platonic Evil: they’re flawed, stressed-out, morally-compromised, sympathetic and charismatic yet ultimately unlikeable, human beings.

Nor are there secrets to uncover or unravel for either the protagonist or the reader; merely banal details of execution to some monomaniacal, over-large plan to be thwarted. There are no allies to wonder at the loyalty and agenda of. There are no unforeseen, soul-crushing and lethal betrayals to barely, painfully, survive. There is no oppressive sense of danger, or the constant stress of artifice and the fear of discovery, or the dramatization and exploration of dissociation that instills. There is no desperate need to know what others know, to know their motivations, and to trust them in a situation where knowledge and trust will kill you quicker and more surely than anything else. There is no invitation to the internal life of the protagonists and their incidental victims; no reason to wonder why they are doing what they are doing, or what it has done to them. In short there’s no mystery, and mystery is fundamental to the spy genre and characterization in it.

Then there’s institutions. In Bond whether Good(the Cold War world-order and its Alphabet-Bureaus) or Bad(SPECTRE and, oddly enough, the global capitalist-aristocracy, which is synonymous with world-threatening crime in Bond films, which I consider a definite +), institutions are fundamentally trustworthy; providing missions, divine gadgets, information, and support to their agents, and playing little role beyond that. In the spy genre they are monolithic, unknowable, disloyal, and fundamentally compromised by the nature of their work, their objectives, and by the individuals that make them up. They are, simultaneously, forces of immense personal destruction, chewing people and their lives up and spitting them out with no consideration or care for the damage they do, and fecklessly helpless before the personal venality of their staff, and the political expediency of their managers and governments. The ultimate fate of every Spy protagonist is to be betrayed by the very institutions they’re working for in one way or another and so Betrayal lies at the heart of the genre. For instance Smiley, probably the most famous protag in the genre, has his life utterly destroyed by The Circus numerous times and his friends repeatedly killed and publicly ruined by it, is constantly doing things he finds morally repugnant in its service, is thus led into self-betrayal by it, and never once gets an apology or thank you for any of it. There is no Betrayal in Bond; at best, only femme fatales sent to trick the protagonist into danger with their bodies and his own horniness(which, of course, Bond is always completely Aware of and Prepared for, because he is a male competence-fantasy on top of everything else).

Bond Films are action Travelogues and sexed-up Boy’s Life fantasies about “the high life” of gambling, girls*, gadgets, glamour, tourism, and lazy wealth, with Patriotism, Guns, Murder, and ~Exotic Adventure in Foreign Locales~ thrown in for spice. They’re petty-trifles; dime novels; Basic misogynistic colonialist twaffle.

Atomic Blonde, on the other hand, does manage to fit into the Spy genre while also being an effective, not-too-deep, entertainment-focused action flick, much like the Craig Bond films(particularly the first one; they go down-hill fast) and The Man From U.N.C.L.E(2015). It is Motherfucking Both Things.

It is a solid, competent action flick with REALLY GOOD, substantive, driving, fighting, and chase choreography. These scenes are weighty and believable and not distractingly choreographed or fakey. It’s really hard for an action protagonist in a fight-movie to be completely 100% believable because what they are doing is fundamentally unrealistic(one person cannot fight a dozen people, and cannot predict with total accuracy what numerous other people will do in a fight simultaneously, dancing out of the way of attacks seamlessly), but Atomic Blonde and Theron’s performance comes as close as you can get, much closer than Bourne or anything else I’ve seen in Western cinema(The Raid is another good example, and a handful of older Hong Kong action flicks), and there is an extended combat sequence in the denouement that, I would say, pretty much achieves “fight realism”. They really paid attention to verisimilitude, it shows, and it’s entertaining as hell. When people get hit, it looks and sounds painful. Injuries have lasting, visible consequences. Knives and Guns are presented as the horribly dangerous, incredibly lethal, and fundamentally untrustworthy(anyone can use them. They will always let you down when you need them most) things that they are, and they are given the focus they deserve by the characters. Cars are terrible engines of humiliating pain and abrupt death. When Charlize Theron hits that man in the throat with her stiletto heel(not a spoiler it was in the trailer) it is Satisfying and winceworthy all at once, as is what follows it(it’s great, A++ Recommended, go see it). At the same time, there are also chances to see and appreciate the artistry of fundamentally unrealistic film fight choreography(like the apartment fight). But it doesn’t stop at being just a great action movie(which it is).

Atomic Blonde is a paranoid movie: from the very beginning it is about Trust, the emotions that create it, the betrayal of it, and the toll of establishing it, having it, and breaking it.

It is a mysterious movie: from the very beginning it is obsessed with what people know and want to know, spins along on what they don’t, and is fueled by lies, misdirections, and manipulations. What its characters(and the audience) know, want to know, think they know, want to believe, say they are doing, and are actually doing, are all pivotal to it and one’s engagement with the film.

It is a movie about characters: I would not call it an “internal” movie because it is fast-paced and doesn’t dwell on or explore psychology, but it DOES focus and turn on the question of who its characters are, what they believe, what they feel, and what motivates them. The “central” plot objective, a genre-traditional mcguffin, takes a backseat to exploring the characters, is absent from most of the film, and is only questionably important to its resolution; the characters, their relationships, and the action they undertake are what draw you in and connect you to the story. Which isn’t to say its characters and what they do are all there is to it(like, say, Smokin’ Aces). While character-driven, I’d argue it’s also a story about narrative and how narrative defines and obscures self, and there’s some rich meta-dirt to dig into as a result.

I wouldn’t say it’s a movie about institutions, but they certainly play a central and heavy role. Their stability, how they change, their interest and objectives, the loyalty they demand, their fundamental disloyalty(anyone can use them. They will always let you down when you need them most), their impact on individuals and sense-of-self, and the monolithic threat they can pose to the individual; all are part of the backdrop, motivation, and plot-engine of the film which the characters are responding to. But the individuals living in them, how they do it, and their fundamental ability to undermine, confuse, manipulate, and escape them is, like I said above, even more central; both as the film’s action and as how it engages the audience. Maybe it would be more accurate to say it is a movie about people dealing with institutions? But lightly: it doesn’t dwell on this or beat you over the head with it.

So, in my opinion, Atomic Blonde is NOT a Bond movie: it is an action-oriented, character-driven, Spy Movie. It’s fun, engaging, and immediate. I definitely wouldn’t call it “cerebral”, but it wants to engage you on many fronts at once and it Respects the Forms of the many genres it sticks its toes into. Also, it’s wonderfully cast, beautifully shot, and effectively directed. And the romances in it are very light without being poorly done, and impactful to the protagonist. There’s a sex scene but it didn’t come off as voyeuristic, objectifying, or insulting to me and it creates a real, sustained personal connection, friendship, and intimacy, which I appreciate.

My one complaint, and this is the only really spoilery bit of this review because its unavoidable so stop reading here and skip to the next para if you don’t want to be spoiled for the movie, is how the partner in that relationship, Delphine, is written. As a character she’s fine, and she isn’t superfluous to the story or anything, but I just didn’t see WHY she was involved in espionage to begin with, or why her gov would put someone so inexperienced(or so the movie tells us) in such a dangerous place, and with zero apparent support from the French government. The lack of any French presence in the debriefing, when they had lost what appears to be their only agent in Berlin during this mission, was also peculiar, especially given the CIA’s presence. Delphine also dies. I didn’t find her death particularly out of step with the movie; the character who kills her had previously killed someone with improvised, if faster, methods, and the movie itself doesn’t present violence in a sanitized or glorifying way. But I do feel like it wasn’t necessary. I mean, the story beats leading to it are clear and sensible, even inevitable; her death follows genre conventions to a T. But it doesn’t really change anything for anyone. That might be the point though: the movie even comments on this by having the protag, Lorraine, say “you didn’t have to kill her” which is absolutely true. So, as a character beat showing the audience the dark side to Percival it makes some sense; by having him kill Delphine, the audience is more likely to approve of his killing later. And Lorraine’s anger about it shows us something about her as well, even if she was going to kill him anyway. Given all of this part of me wonders if Delphine was even real or just an invention of Lorraine to confuse her debriefers and help build her case against Percival, but that’s a different discussion. The point is that, while I wasn’t turned off of the movie by her death, I can def understand others finding it senseless and offensive.

Ok so, Wow, I had a lot more to say about this than I first thought I did. Hope everyone who read it enjoyed it, and I def rec this film owo

[ifleewroteotome]

#7: Swords & Spiels

Or, the one in which Lee steals shamelessly from old and new favorites.

The Hero/Main Character: A tailor who dreamed of being a palace guard. Never thought they had any magic until it manifested at really inopportune time, which resulted in not only being  framed for a crime they didn’t commit and getting thrown out of the castle, but having to go on the run and flee home country given who was involved. Not terribly politically savvy, mostly because they can’t keep their mouth shut when they have a thought (this is also kind of a problem with their new magic). Super scrappy and a good in-the-moment problem solver. Tends to overthink things into circles if given too much time and space to do so. Fast learner, but only if they’re interested in the subject material. 

Love interests

(F) Her Majesty, the second princess: Third in line for the throne, after her older brother and his daughter. Has chosen to serve as a sort of errant knight, though officially speaking she’s a military commander (she justifies her travels by regularly visiting each outpost during her travels). Ferociously and relentlessly positive. Takes her responsibility to the kingdom very seriously, even though she spends a lot of time avoiding the actual castle and paperwork.  Happiest sleeping under the open stars, with her sword by her side and companions around the fire. Generally appears like she doesn't think things through, but she does - she’s just a really fast thinker. Has a little bit of white knight syndrome, but working on being more practical. Really bad at speeches. Neutral good.

(F) The Dragon: A creature of pure magic, though she typically hangs out in a human form, serving as a lady-in-waiting (and bodyguard) to her Majesty. Stays human mostly for the ability to easily read (all the glorious and wonderful) books humans like to write. Sardonic, clever, and often offers unique perspective, but only when directly asked. A bit inscrutable, and it’s silently understood that she’ll just...leave one day rather than deal with the rift her longevity will cause. Cool and collected, unless she’s reading and you interrupt her. Met her Majesty when deciding to check her out after a neighboring prince ran away into her mountains after hearing he’d be engaged to her. The Dragon offered said prince a job cataloging and organizing her hoard and managing her investments while she’s away, which works well for all involved. Generally finds human customs hilarious and occasionally gross. Steals shiny things. Chaotic neutral.

(M) The Honorable Knight: Her majesty’s official bodyguard and best friend. Kind of a classic golden child - earnest, hardworking, steadfast, and honorable. Has a berserker button, but it takes unique circumstances to switch - he’s generally very calm in intense situations, and has his freakouts once the danger to his liege has passed. A bit overly self-sacrificing, which occasionally gets him into trouble. The only poor soul dedicated to proper etiquette and behavior in the group. Can be really, really oblivious sometimes. Possibly spends too much time with her Majesty, the Dragon, and the Bodyguard, which has given him a very skewed perception of normal female behavior. Lawful good.

(NB?) The (mostly reformed) Assassin: Originally sent from a neighboring kingdom to assassinate the second princess and frame a noble house to start a civil war. Obviously it didn’t go as planned. Basically an angry stray cat the group adopted. Incredibly honest, but very slippery about it. Very good at misdirection and distraction. Ex-circus performer, which has given them a surprising array of useful skills. Claims to only be sticking around because her majesty pays better than their former employers, and claims that if it gets too much of a pain or the coins run out, they’ll bail, but literally everyone (except the assassin) knows better. Comes and goes, acting as a spy or messenger as needed. Chaotic good, though they’ll deny it to their last breath. 

(F) The Bloodthirsty Bodyguard: A mermaid cursed by her clan into silence and cast out of the ocean for crimes she doesn’t talk about. The cursebreaker (see below) broke the silence when he was even younger than he is now, and as thanks she figured she’d at least keep him alive until he grew up into what she assumed would be an inevitably awful adult human. Eventually adopted by his dads (both figuratively and formally) and doesn’t quite know what to do about it. Has toned down the mass murderer tendencies a bit at the cursebreaker’s request but still adjusting to human morality even after 10 years among them (and 8 with her adoptive family). Hates pirates. …Chaotic evil, but to be fair, was literally born that way.

EXTRAS/Non-love interests:

The Cursebreaker: Child prodigy who hasn’t yet encountered a curse he couldn’t break though some of them take time. A little overly serious and somber, but that’s mostly because he’s spent his entire childhood and teenage years dealing with curses, which tend to be (and do) really horrible things. Actually fairly well adjusted, just a little awkward. Really enjoys puzzles. Not scared by much. Not exactly a pacifist, but violence in general is something he avoids. Vegetarian. Loves his dads but in...smaller doses? Actually figured out on his own what big sis/bodyguard did to get thrown out of the ocean and has decided it qualifies as self defense. Chaotic good, mostly because he doesn’t really notice things like societal standards, and people need him too badly to get him into trouble for breaking laws or rules.

The Beast: A grand lady cursed to be a beast and found she greatly preferred being one to her human form. Let the Cursebreaker break the curse on her servants because it wasn’t really their fault, but kept her own. Lives happily in a gigantic magical library in the woods (which also showed up with the curse) and is much, much older than she lets on. Doesn’t get along with the Dragon, since the Dragon has openly voice her intention to annex the library into her hoard someday. 

The (Chatelain) Prince: Technically Her Majesty’s ex-fiance. To avoid the engagement, he ran away to work for the Dragon (it wasn’t personal and there’s no hard feelings) since being kidnapped by dragons is  generally a socially acceptable sort of thing for royalty to do. Now living his best life. Sends the Dragon regular updates on her invested hoard and status of her mountain domain and is generally getting lots of great estate management skills.  Frighteningly efficient and organized.  Lawful neutral.

His Majesty, the first prince: Heir apparent to the throne. Will be a great king -- and somewhat by necessity for the former, is not always a good person, though he’s never deliberately unpleasant for the sake of being so. Big picture and longterm strategy kind of person. Eerily good at reading people - to the point where most people assume he has Sight. Very regal and mysterious, except when his daughter wants to have a tea party or his wife wants to slide down staircases. Lawfully chaotic. That is not a thing. But that is what he is.

Her Majesty, the first consort: Third daughter of the neighboring monarchs across the mountains. Wife of the first prince. Just as mysterious and inscrutable as he is, but she lets the mischief show through a little more. No magic at all. A very tactical and detail-oriented person, she notices everything in the moment. Will 100% slide down grand staircase rails. Might actually eat you if you hurt her daughter. Likewise lawful chaotic. Most people find their majesties kind of exhausting, even when they’re on their ‘best’ behavior.

Her Majesty, the first princess: Daughter of the first prince and consort. A tiny, brilliant terror. It’s a complete coin toss whether she will someday either burn the world to ash or bring it, ascendant, into brilliance. Her parents are so proud. 

The Queen: Ruler and badass old lady. No really--she’s actually grandmother to the first princess and second princess (their parents kind of tried to commit high treason - it’s a long story). Eccentric, brilliant, and capable of great brutality if it keeps her queendom safe. Has had to make some horrible choices in life, but hasn’t let that stop her from moving forward. Very much like her great granddaughter. Probably a good thing she loves her grandkids, or she’d probably destroy the world just because she was bored? But since she wants to leave them as safe and happy as possible, instead she just takes really good care of things. Really good at delegating.

The King: Everyone thinks he passed away but he hasn’t. He just likes to sneak up on people and make them think he’s haunting them. And he has his granddaughter’s wanderlust, so he’s usually off wandering the kingdom. His wife was the heir to power - he’s just the one who married her. Once worked for the Dragon as her chatelain, until the Queen ‘rescued’ him. Dragon’s still grouchy that he didn’t give two weeks notice.

[weekendwarriorblog]

KNIVES OUT: Ed’s Very Important Thoughts on Rian Johnson’s Amazing Whodunit Comedy

Where do I even begin with the latest film from Rian Johnson (his fifth!) and his first original movie since making Looper in 2012? You may already know a few things like the fact that it’s a whodunit featuring a stunning ensemble cast, and you might surmise how funny it is from the trailers, but there’s a whole lot more!

Acclaimed mystery writer Harlan Thornby (Christopher Plummer) has been found dead on the evening of his 85th birthday party. Every single person in his family has a reason or motive for wanting poor (or rather, very wealthy) Harlan dead, and they’ve already been glomming off his fortune for decades. His son Walt (Michael Shannon) has wanted his father to allow his books to be adapted to other mediums, his daughter Linda (Jamie Lee Curtis) loves him but has a husband (Don Johnson) and son Ransom (Chris Evans) who are slightly more cutthroat. There’s also Harlan’s nurse Marta (Ana de Armas), the last to see him alive and also his closest companion. Gentleman detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) has arrived on the scene to help decipher what exactly happened to Harlan, something that gets even more complicated after the will-reading.

The above is a fairly simplified version of the plot of Knives Out, because knowing any more about the movie going in would surely take away from one’s enjoyment, which seems to be an ongoing theme of most movies these days. It’s particularly true of Johnson’s latest original script, but it also means that I can’t get into the detailed nitty gritty of why the script and resulting film is so brilliant, bordering on absolute genius.

I will say that if you’ve watched a lot of whodunnits, many of them derived from classic works of mystery, like that of Agatha Christie, then you might go into Knives Out thinking you’ll know exactly what to expect. Even more recent derivations like Who’s Next and Ready or Not, which take some of the ideas of a squabbling family reuniting to violent extremes, don’t have quite a knowledge of why movies like Murder on the Orient Express or Death on the Nile (the original ones!) worked so well. What makes Knives Out so perfect begins and ends with Johnson’s screenplay but extends to all aspects of his filmmaking team.

The cast is just incredible:   Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette and Christopher Plummer, and on and on, each of them getting their moment to shine as they sit down with Blanc, but it’s Ana de Armas who is particularly great as the one true hero of the film, the one person who clearly cares for Harlan but has the most to lose if she’s suspected of foul play. (I hope that’s vague enough to not be deemed a spoiler.)

I wasn’t too crazy about Daniel Craig’s Southern drawl when he did one in Steven Soderbergh’s Logan Lucky, but he seems to have perfected the Cajun(ish) accent for Benoit Blanc, a character so well written it allows Craig to really push his comedic muscles in ways we haven’t really seen before. Shannon and Collette are great as always, but Don Johnson is one of the pleasant surprises as he seems to be having a bit of a Renaissance between this and HBO’s Watchmen. Still, it’s when Chris Evans’s Ransom bursts back into the second half of the movie, just in time for the reading of Harlan’s will,  where everything starts to go complete bonkers.

Once Chris Evans becomes a bigger part of the story roughly an hour into the movie, it becomes something quite different, but his character Ransom is just so full of surprises, from his utter anger towards the rest of his family to how nice he is to Marta, who is not dealing with Blanc’s investigation quite as readily as Thornby’s actual family.

Knives Out is one of those too-rare movies where everyone involved is doing some of their best work, and it feels like every part of Johnson’s crew – many of whom have worked with him since his debut Brick – are firing on all cylinders. This includes cousin Nathan Johnson, whose orchestral score is so glorious and so different from everything else he’s brought to Johnson’s films. Every single person involved with Knives Out down to the caterers should be proud of what they’ve accomplished.

Without fear of hyperbole, Knives Out is one of the funniest movies this year, but it’s also a genius bit of writing and filmmaking we don’t get to see as often as most critics would like. There’s just an incredible amount of replay value in rewatching this film. I’ve seen it twice and I’m sure I’ll see it again.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Knives Out opens on Wednesday, November 27 with previews on Thursday night.

[metalandmagi]

Hogwarts House Anime Recommendations: Slytherin

 Hello again!

It’s time for some more Hogwarts house anime recommendations! I was going to wait to work on this, but since it’s the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone, I thought it would be a good time to post this one.

Hufflepuff recs

Ravenclaw recs

Gryffindor recs

This time it’s going to be some Slytherin anime recommendations! I tried to keep it varied in terms of genre, but a few are a bit similar in their descriptions. Anyway I think some of the most important traits that embody the Slytherin house are ambition, cunning, deceptiveness, and determination to reach one’s goals. So here we go!

1. Neuro: Supernatural Detective, aka Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro

This anime focuses on a high school detective named Yako Katsuragi who is famous for solving every single case that is brought to her attention. However, it is actually her “assistant” Neuro Nougami who solves the cases and has her take the credit for them. Why? Because he is a literal parrot demon from another dimension who actually physically eats mysteries. Since he’s already eaten every mystery in the demon world, he’s moved on to Earth’s mysteries and has promised that he will help Yako solve the mystery of her father’s death. 

This anime seems like the retro, more colorful, not British relative of Black Butler….even though Neuro came out only about a year earlier. It’s both hilarious and dramatic at the right moments, and I recommend watching only a little at a time as most of it is very episodic. But Neuro himself is a great example of a Slytherin, never really doing something out of the goodness of his heart, but willing to make bargains and then turn on someone as soon as he needs to. He’s extremely entertaining to watch, and my dream crossover anime would be Neuro and Sebastian with their respective charges teaming up to solve a mystery despite the time period differences….either that or competing against each other to see who can solve a mystery first.

2. Girlish Number

This anime follows the voice acting career of the young newcomer Chitose Karasuma and her various co-workers and her quest to become famous without actually having any acting talent and not working to get better. It’s mainly a slice of life story about a very conceited, annoying girl trying to become a “famous voice actor” (as if that’s not an oxymoron). And it’s hilarious!

This show proves that you don’t need to have a traditionally likeable or perfect main character to actually be entertained and want to watch her go about her business. Chitose is very frustrating because she is a total asshole, but that’s why she’s so interesting to watch. She deserves all the bad things that happen to her, and even though she does grow somewhat throughout the series, she’s still the same person deep down by the end of the show. Furthermore, not only is she a total Slytherin, but several of her co-workers appear to be as well! This anime showcases many different kinds of Slytherins that steer away from the traditional “villainous asshole” stereotype. All of the girls have their own goals and personalities, but at their core their ambition is what drives them as characters. They can be standoffish or put on a fake personality in front of others, but overall they are not bad people. It’s a very different type of show to recommend for Slytherins, but it’s a good one nonetheless.

3. Monster

This is another anime that is a bit difficult to describe briefly and vaguely because it is so complex and detailed. Essentially, it is about a surgeon named Kenzou Tenma, who one night chooses to save the life of a young boy named “Johan” rather than operate on the town’s mayor. This decision ends up haunting him for years to come, because that boy basically turns out to be the Antichrist he is suddenly surrounded by mysterious murder cases with all signs pointing to Johan.  

I’m going to be honest here; I have not finished this anime, like not even close. BUT I really want to, and even less than 20 episodes in, I can see it is a great Slytherin anime. I feel like Tenma can sometimes toe the line between Gryffindor and Slytherin, but Johan is very much a Slytherin. While Tenma is the embodiment of determination, Johan is cunning and that dark sort of cleverness personified. This show is amazing at creating a psychological thriller vibe that makes you want to know what happens around every turn. Johan himself is one of the best anime villains I’ve ever seen, both utterly terrifying and eerily calm at all times with no real motivation other than to watch the world burn from above. At least, that’s the motivation from my point in the series. This anime is a classic that I am surprised isn’t talked about more with its masterful use of build up and detailed plot that takes place over many years. It reminds me a lot of Death Note, but with older characters that have less concrete motivations. And speaking of Death Note….

4. Death Note

I HAD TO! THIS IS THE MOST SLYTHERIN ANIME OF ALL TIME! HOW COULD I NOT INCLUDE IT? I DON’T CARE IF IT’S POPULAR, I DON’T CARE IF EVERYONE HAS ALREADY WATCHED IT! IT’S JUST THAT APPROPRIATE!

This is my favorite anime of all time, and it’s been that way for about 10 years since I first saw it. Yes it’s very flawed, but I could not make a Slytherin recommendation list without putting in this freaking anime. In case anyone is newer to anime, lives under a rock, or just hasn’t watched it for whatever reason, (stop what you’re doing and go watch it right now) this anime is about a highschool boy named Light Yagami who finds a notebook that was dropped by a shinigami. He eventually finds out that this notebook can kill people 40 seconds after writing a person’s name. Essentially, he starts off wanting to use the death note to make the world a better place, killing off dangerous criminals and so forth. But it is clear from episode one that this kid is not right in the head, and really wants to use it to basically become a god and control the world. He is pursued by the greatest detective in the world, who goes solely by the name of L. An epic psychological mystery thriller ensues.

I believe this is the most Slytherin anime to ever Slytherin. I might be throwing myself under the bus here, but I strongly believe that all three of the main characters, meaning L, Light, and Misa are hard core Slytherins. Light is the most obvious, but I can also make an argument for L and Misa. L is revealed several times to not be a really “good” person. He constantly lies about everything, from the percents he spits out to the gravity of certain situations and their possible repercussions. And Misa can also be cunning and very deceptive when she wants to be and is extremely determined to aid Light in any way possible because it helps her overall goal of being with him. Even going beyond episode 25- which seriously people you have to watch the whole freaking series if you want a good grasp of the anime and it’s overall conclusion- I even think Mello and Near are Slytherins. Yes, I’m in the minority and actually like the entire series (not just the first 25 episodes), but the way the story unfolds and all the characters interact is just dripping with deceptiveness and cunning plans that will keep you glued to the screen. I believe it’s the ultimate Slytherin anime.

5. Baccano!... And Durarara!!

What’s this? Another double recommendation? Yes, because I figured these two fit pretty well together considering they apparently take place in the same universe. Again both of these are very detailed and heavy plot oriented anime, so they’re a bit difficult to describe vaguely. These are also two shows in which I much prefer the dub over the subbed version. They’re both great, but I like having it dubbed for the sake of keeping character voices and narration sorted out.

With Baccano! I like the way it comes up when you google it: “A fantasy caper involving alchemists, gangsters and immortality is spread over several decades” except that I’d say it takes place in America over several timelines rather than just decades. Overall this anime tells the story in a very circular fashion, and it definitely is not something you’ll just want to have on in the background. In my own words...it’s about a bunch of wacky characters, some of whom are immortal, who do a bunch of stuff in the 1930s. It involves a train, gangsters, and multiple costume changes. But seriously it’s a great anime, and if you need to be convinced to watch it, just check out the opening song.

Durarara!! is very similar, in the sense of it’s style of storytelling being very circular, focusing on the POVs of multiple characters and being overall very confusing to watch the first time through. However, this anime takes place in modern day Ikebukuro and the timelines generally do not go between several years. Durarara!! is about….well a lot of people...but mainly about a mysterious “biker” named Celty who spends the series looking for her head. Yes her literal head. She is headless. And she’s awesome. Again, it involves many wacky characters, gang fights, otakus, mythical creatures, and urban legends of the big city life. Both of these shows are great examples of Slytherin ideals, not necessarily because of the characters’ houses (although there are definitely a few good Slytherins in there) but because of the actual atmosphere and deceptiveness laced throughout the stories. The characters are cunning, suave, villainous and heroic alike. Overall, they simply show that people are flawed. There can be some really screwed up characters out there, but at the end of the day, everyone has their own motivations and ambitions, and some people are not afraid to step on others to get what they want while also trying to be good friends.

+6 Bonus Tokyo Babylon

I also wanted to mention Tokyo Babylon, in case anyone hasn’t seen it. It’s sort of cheating, because this is actually a series of OVAs based on the CLAMP manga, but I thought I should put it in here anyway. It is another supernatural mystery/detective story that will rip your heart out in the end. The characters are very gay and also very Slytherin-esque. Against popular opinion, I would wager that the main character Subaru is an interesting example of a Slytherin, especially in the manga, in which he will flat out lie to people in incredibly emotional situations in order to do what he believes is the right thing. I wanted to include it because I thought that it shows how even sweet cinnamon rolls like Subaru can be cold and calculating when they need to be.

So those are just a few Slytherin house anime recommendations. I hope those are interesting for some people, and happy 20th anniversary of the book that started it all. 

[miraclejin1204]

Mandatory bughead post #2: My thoughts on Bughead and why it is important.

I’m aware that the words ‘bughead’ & ‘important’ in the same sentence seem like a misfit but there is a good reason why I’ve chosen to write it so. This thought came to my mind whilst trawling through the morass of ‘ships’ & ‘ship-wrecks’ on tumblr & twitter about Riverdale. 

Now, I’m not someone who watches a lot of TV shows ,however, Riverdale was a serendipitous discovery that happened to me two weeks ago. 

I have been a fan of Archie comics since I was little & my two favourite characters were Jughead & Betty, in that order. Watching Riverdale was a revelation as it brought me back to the Archie’s world and I saw it in a new light. I went into it without expectations.

What I was not prepared for was how Bughead would gently creep up on me and reign over my entire existence in such a short span of time. 

You see, I have had a few ships, some fleeting and some enduring,some canon and some fantasy, however nothing as rabid or as intense that’d induce an “I’m SHOOK” moment. Until bughead happened.

When I used to read the comic books, I had wanted Archie to one day wake up & realize that Betty was the one for her, because I could so relate to her as a kind & sweet girl, being taken for granted every time and with a history of unrequited love. I’m 30 now and life-experiences, especially of the bitter kind has certainly changed my perspective about these things, especially about romantic relationships. No more suffering fairy-tale princesses for me. 

In the comics, although Jughead and Betty were my favourites and they always were good to each other, the thought of them as a potential match had never crossed my mind. I was intrigued and amused by Jughead’s woman-hating stance and had imagined that one day an extraordinary woman worthy of him would come and sweep him off his feet.I had no concept of sexuality and its associated complications that we see today, it was only a pure and innocent fantasy in my mind. 

I had only been familiar with the ‘classic’ and humorous golden age Archie comic digests and was unaware of the modern reboots and the various universes. Therefore, when I started watching Riverdale, I was immediately hooked to its modern,quirky & dark narrative and had my assumptions broken down bit by bit with each episode. When I started with the show, five episodes were already in so I binge watched them in a single night, which left me with little time to process the minute details and subtleties, which is why I missed noticing the growing chemistry Betty and Jughead. 

It was only when I began exploring the show on the internet and understood the whole narrative and tone of the show,re-watched the episodes, saw the interviews, trawled Tumblr & youtube and accidentally saw the leaked bughead kiss is when it hit me like slap on the face and a swift kick in the ovaries. It nearly felt like enlightenment!

Once I had seen and felt it, there was no going back. It was a like a virus firmly implanted in my psyche. I resurrected my dormant and inactive tumblr and twitter accounts only to ship bughead. I’m sure fellow bughead fans know the drill of our coming undone so I won’t go into much detail. 

Coming to the next part. Riverdale or rather Bughead has come into my life as a breath of fresh air when I am going through a very dark and stressful phase. I have been going through a very difficult divorce from a man, who caused mental abuse and cheated my family of money & absconded and left me to deal with the consequences and legal battles, triggering my anxiety,fear and depression. A man whom I had trusted with my everything and was completely vulnerable to, used me and left me with a deep fear and mistrust of relationships, trauma and some very hard learnt lessons. I’m an eternal romantic but a part of me has become cynical about it. 

Riverdale is a unique show as is evident in its excellent writing,for those who care to notice the nuances and characterisations. The symbolism, fore-shadowing, word-play, subtle body-language cues of the characters, parallelism and of course, a quality mystery is the gold-standard of writing. Can we also talk about the wonderful and talented cast who have given life to the characters? The show is a slow burn and not for those with a shallow mind who are looking for popcorn entertainment with a lot of mindless drama and illogical  and unstable romantic pairings based on lust and superficial chemistry,

Bughead is not just a run of the mill ship that people are fangirling over. It is beautiful union which tells you the story of two woefully young and tender yet jaded individuals, thrown together by a tragic fate, who are battling the darkness within and without, fighting for something that’s bigger than them and their personal problems. They are fighting for justice, light and hope. In spite of their struggle with their personal demons. Can you imagine what they are going through? For any child, parents are the safe space when the world around them crumbles, but both Betty and Jughead’s parents let them down with lies, manipulation and broken promises and the possibility that their families could be the perpetrators of murder. Under such horrible circumstances, they find the safe space with each other.  

They both are mature beyond their years, insightful, righteous, kind, compassionate, supportive and caring and there for each other without being asked. They communicate with their heart and eyes (sometimes with heart eyes too ;) ) It is not a connection based on lust and hormonal surges. Something very old-fashioned and real in the era of hook-ups. An oasis in a desert.

People who keep harping on about how there is no chemistry at all between Jughead and Betty and that it was rushed and illogical, then I’m sorry that you’re oblivious to everything that is going on in the show. They have been friends since childhood.

I think we do not give the writers enough credit for writing something so profound and refreshing in spite of it being a teen drama. A homeless, abandoned, rudderless boy, an outcast who is bullied, selflessly helps a  girl find her sister and uncover the truth, not because he wants to get into her pants. A stifled, lonely yet nurturing and loving girl giving strength, support and courage to a lost and scared boy failed by his father and society. They are each other’s guardian angels.

So I ask this to all the haters..can’t you see this? Are you so blinded by your superficial hate and violent desire to stuff your ship down everyone’s throats because it gives you some sort of false sense of control over others that you have lost the ability to objectively see what the show is striving for through this beautiful narrative within the confines of what is ostensibly a teen drama? Can we not rise above our pettiness of mindless and hostile shipping to learn from it? Everyone is free to ship whomever and whatever they want but it is another thing to be so vitriolic and spiteful towards the others to have your way. Isn’t shipping supposed to be all about love anyway? Bughead is so much above all this petty drama, it is transcendental.  

There’s so much that all of us, teens and even adults can learn from this ideal of a super healthy relationship that both television and our lives need. We need to move away from toxicity both in entertainment and our lives. Can we not be inspired to work on ourselves and build supportive, organic and nurturing relationships? This should give so much inspiration to the teens of today. With Betty & Veronica, the show strives to re-build the idea of strong, female friendships which seems to have become an alien concept in the world of ‘frenemy’ culture. Why can’t two girls be healthy best friends without the assumption that there is something sexual between them? People are hating on Bughead also for a fact that they are a heterosexual couple. As I see it, love is love in any shape or form.

Also, I do agree that all sorts of representation must have a place in popular culture and thankfully it is happening. However, those who are unhappy with Bughead saying that it erases Jughead’s asexuality, I disagree. Are you saying that Asexual people can’t fall in love? That they don’t deserve an intimate bond with another?

Now, in the larger Archie comicverse, Jughead was never portrayed as being an asexual, he simply was smarter and wiser and had other priorities compared to his hormone crazed pals. He was always the voice of reason. I’m sure that there are people like that, not everyone who doesn’t choose to be a crazy, horned dog is asexual. Besides, Jughead is shown to be asexual in only one version of the comics. There can be multiple variations of characteristics in the larger universe. Riverdale chooses its own narrative and characters as it sees fit for the context of the show. Therefore, in this version, Jughead isn’t asexual or aromantic. There is no erasure of any kind. Even if he were asexual, I’m sure that Bughead still can have a loving and healthy relationship.

It is my personal opinion and I am not trying to belittle anyone or trivialising the serious issue of representation in anyway. However, I do feel that in today’s world where there is so much hate and strife, showing love and companionship in its true and purest form is the most important issue here, first and foremost. It doesn’t really matter whatever is the sexuality or orientation of the characters in question. So, let us all keep our differences aside and show our love and support to something is for the greater good. Love is universal and not restricted to a specific type or form. Besides, it is fiction,let’s remember that. 

I also think that we must avoid pressuring or attacking the creative team, actors and show runners into bullying them to change their vision for the show. That truly doesn’t serve any purpose other than being detrimental to the quality of the show and making the team de-motivated. Let’s all appreciate the hard work and love everyone has put in to present to us something that is so beloved and cherished by all.

Why is showing a healthy, supportive, wholesome and stable relationship necessary? I can tell you why, because I have suffered greatly in an unsupportive, toxic and abusive relationship that was all about selfishness and greed with no regard or love for the feelings of the other person. Where one person only gave and gave and the other only took everything. I was left drained and battered and I’m still bearing the burden of its ruins.

So, when Bughead came along, it was catharsis and relief. It was about having the hope of bright sunshine in the pitch black darkness. It was about selflessness and having high standards and working for the greater good, something that is bigger than us. It was about women not wallowing and pining after some boy who had little value or regard for them and not allowing a man decide the course of their lives .It was about unconditional love and support without labels. It was pure beauty and art, like a perfect symphony.

Bughead isn’t merely escapism. It is the light of goodness that illuminates our hearts and fills us with compassion and hope for something beautiful. It is the delicate flower that grows in the parched desert of hopelessness and deceit.

Let us protect it all costs.

[erinnightwalker]

All aesthetic asks that you haven't answered? :D

O.O Good lord XD

flower crown: when did you last sing to yourself? In the car coming home from work today

fairy lights: if a crystal ball could tell you the truth about anything, what would you want to know? What people really think of me

daisies: what is the greatest accomplishment of your life? My writing. It seems to help people, which is all I can ask for.

1975: what is the first happy memory that comes to mind, recent or otherwise? This incredible person materialized out of the vast blue sea and offered to catch hummingbirds with me.

matte: if you knew that in one year you would die suddenly, would you change anything about the way you are now living? Yeah. Bucket list protocol from when I had cancer would kick in and I would nail all I could.

black nail polish: do you have a bucket list? if so, what are the top three things? 1) visit Ireland and the Isle of Mann extensively. At least a month on each. 2) get massively stoned on weed. I’ve never tried it, and I kinda wonder what the hype is about, y’know? Bonus points if I can do it with a certain band. 3) Get at least 2 of my sexual fantasies fulfilled. If I’m going to die, I again wanna know how it feels, instead of acute frustration XD

pantone: describe a person close to your life in detail. Already answered!

moodboard: do you feel you had a happy childhood? I didn’t know enough to know it was bad. I hid in books, mostly. And who doesn’t exit childhood with moderate to severe emotional crippling, I mean really.

stars: when did you last cry in front of another person? Technically? Last night, but they didn’t know. When the audience knew? Couple months back, when I ripped the last little shred of hope out of my heart and gave it to them.

plants: pick a person to stargaze with you and explain why you picked them. Honestly? either you or @thistlebackedwulver . I feel like you two would enjoy it, and not get bored 10 minutes in and play on your phone instead.

converse: would you ever have a deep conversation with a stranger and open up to them? I could have the conversation, but I don’t open up unless I feel comfortable with the person.

lace: when was your last 3am conversation with someone, and who were they to you? Months ago, and a good friend online.

handwriting: if you were about to die, and you could only say one more sentence to one person, what would you say and to whom? “I will always love you”, and to my beloved. Which is cheating because there’s more than one, but idgaff

cactus: what is your opinion on brown eyes? Beautiful. Not as flashy as some, true, but once you look deep you’ll be lost.

sunrise: pick a quote and describe what it means to you personally. Also already done!~

oil paints: what would you title the autobiography of your life so far? Dear God Why Did You Waste The Ink On This Freakshow; and other stories.

overalls: what would you do with one billion dollars? Buy a large house and huge parcel of land; must have forest and water features, preferably with private beach. Retrofit house into castle. Outfit at least one housetruck. Set up space for all of my beloved to have a happy home base, should they chose. Set up green house. Set up garden. Library. Barn with assortment of animals. FUND ALL THE CROWDSOURCING CAMPAIGNS. Buy an edition of Viridarium Umbris, dammit. Buy various obscure and expensive books. ART SUPPLIIIIIIIIES. Build a cave. Build a standing stone circle. And travel. And invest in a decent money management agent so maybe I grow that remnant of a billion at the end into a self-sustaining monetary biome.

combat boots: are you a very forgiving person? do you like being this way? I can be. Sometimes its a good thing. Sometimes I’d rather gag on that maggot-infested cheese they make in the Mediterranean.

winged eyeliner: write a hundred word letter to your twelve year old self. Spend time with grandma, you'll lose her oneday. Stop crushing on him, he'll break your heart without ever seeing you'rethere. Keep up with the academics, you're good at them and it will pay off.Silver Ravenwolf is not the greatest author, try a different one. Maybe spend alittle time with more art stuff other than the dragon people and the fairies?Writing's good, keep on keepin' on. Remember that you have power- the futurefootball team cowers, those older than you are not stronger. When you hit highschool fuck running, go for the conditioning class. And careful of the legpressmachine, it'll try to break your knees.

pastel: would you describe yourself as more punk or pastel? punk, I hope. Not very pastel here.

tattoos: how do you feel about tattoos and piercings? explain. They’re fine. I would actually like to get them, but I fear and abhor needles.

piercings: do you wear a lot of makeup? why/why not? No, but I’d like to. My jobs are too physical to permit much.

bands: talk about a song/band/lyric that has affected your life in some way. Queen’s Fat Bottomed Girls. First time I felt represented positively in a song. (My ass and hips are a weapon of destruction. I have knocked more things off, over, and around than I can remember....)

messy bun: the world is listening. pick one sentence you would tell them. Also already answered.

cry baby: list the concerts you have been to and talk about how they make you feel. I have never been to any, and that makes me sad.

grunge: who in the world would you most like to receive a letter from and what would you want it to say? Not telling, because I don’t need to cry again.

space: do you have a desk/workspace and how is it organised/not organised? I have one at one of my jobs, and it’s unorganized to the casual observer. I find my shit quite well though.

white bed sheets: what is your night time routine? Get home. Tumblr. Read a little, if I can. Strip and go to bed. If I can’t sleep, Final Fantasy Brave Exvius on the phone til I conk out.

old books: what’s one thing you don’t want your parents to know? My actual orientation. I’d get disowned.

beaches: if you had to dye your hair how would you dye/style it and why? Something obnoxiously bright. Cut my hair to about 3 inches long again all over and have bright-ass Shirley Temple curls, because I fucking could.

eyes: pick five people to go on an excursion with you. who would you pick and where would you go/what would you do? @thistlebackedwulver @tomdinky @thegodthief @rootandrock and my friend Luci. Start at the Winchester Mystery House, because that’s just beautiful and fun and spoopy, and then wander to a couple other fun places. Probably hit Frisco too, there’s a lovely spot near Seal Beach that is wonderful.

11:11: name three wishes and why you wish for them. Again answered ^_^

painting: what is the best halloween costume you have ever put together? if none, make one up. I’m rather fond of the goth cat girl I ran one year. Hot Topic chain pants, purple cheetah print silk dress, ears and tail, and fancy makeup.

lightning: what’s the worst thing you’ve ever done while drunk or high? Never really been either. Closest I came was mildly tipsy on screwdrivers, and I didn’t really do anything.

thunder: what’s one thing you would never do for one million dollars? Murder of the innocent.

storms: you on only listen to one song for the rest of your life, or only see one person for the rest of your life. which and why? Person. If I like them, yay! If I don’t like them, I can ignore them with music.

love: have you ever fallen in love? describe what it feels like to realize you’re in love. Yes. Like you’re warm and soft and happy, and falling but you don’t care because they are there and they’re falling with you and catching you and its wonderful. Until they drop you.

clouds: if you’re a boy, would you ever rock black nail polish? if you’re a girl, would you ever rock really really short hair? I kept my head shaved during chemo. Bald I look like Uncle Fester. I can live with about a inch or so, though I have the urge to punch the folk that make disparaging remarks. The longer it gets the more curly until you get about 5 or 6 inches and the Shirley Temple Curls pull long under their own weight. If I trim it right I get sausage roll curls, and then I have to try really hard not to bite the strangers that twoinge them in passing.

coffee: what’s your starbucks order, and who would you trust to order for you, if anyone? Did this one too.

marble: what is the most important thing to you in your life right now? The hope of eventual freedom.

[violet-bookmark]

Rangers at Roadsend, by Jane Fletcher

I was actually not going to finish this book just yet. But I was in a train ride that lasted several hours, and the book I brought for the journey was way darker than I expected. After SOTK and Lady Knight I wanted to read something more light-hearted and comforting, so I picked up RAR again and decided it was time to finish it.

This story follows Sergeant "Chip" Copelli, an easy-going Ranger who enjoys life in the military surrounded by her loyal workmates and the stern but reasonable Captain LeCoup. That is, until an attractive new Private named Katryn with a mysterious and dark past joins her squadron, turning her life upside down.

This book is divided in two parts; one that happens at Landfall, in which the two rangers have to investigate a train robbery, and another that happens at Roadsend in which they inquire about something related to Katryn's past. After finishing the book, I decided that I liked the first part better. Not because the second one is bad, but because some of the things that happen are... Questionable. I was actually enjoying that part more until something unexpected happened.

Chip was a good protagonist; she was funny and liked to joke around, so I loved her immediately. I didn't like Katryn at first; I thought she was either very dull or putting up an act of innocence, but I ended up loving her too, because she turns out to be much more than what you think of her at first. I also liked LeCoup because she was a badass, responsible Captain who was able to be comically serious when the situation demanded it, and some of her conversations with Chip were beyond hilarious.

The writing style was not as action-oriented as in SOTK, and the plot in general was not as thrilling until the second half. The first half we spend learning more about Chip, and the second one is more about Katryn. Both are interesting in their own way, but I wish we got to see more of Chip's sisters, they looked like a potential source of drama and conflict waiting to happen.

I actually wanted to know more about the thiefs from the first arc. I thought that in the second arc they would be out there for revenge, but no. A missed opportunity for conflict, if you ask me. Also, what was the deal with the merchant? I kept waiting for her to reveal important information about the plot, but all she does is appear mysteriously in taverns until one of the characters sleeps with her, and she never appears again after that. It was quite weird.

I am glad I read SOTK before the second part of the book because it made it way better; the character of Ellis and the history of the 12th squadron have a lot more depth when you add on details of the previous book, and while it does not make Ellis less of a bad person, it helps you to know where her hatred towards Katryn is coming from, and you can understand better all the bits about Fran and Valerie Bergstrom.

The romance was good; if you like the type of romance where neither of them can spit it out, where one of them is convinced that the other does not like her in that way and that every hint probably has a perfectly non-romantic reason, you will eat this one up with a spoon. I like romances like this sometimes, even if I generally prefer ones that have more tension and where everyone involved knows where it is going.

The conclusion of the murder mystery was a good one, it was not contrived and it was very believable; it made a lot of sense in hindsight and it was someone you would suspect, but not enough to make it unsurprising.

If you like a book with a mystery involving the law and a wholesome romance, this one is for you. If you prefer something more gritty, read Lady Knight instead.

Spoiler section about the second arc ahead:

I liked Katryn's backstory a lot. Especially how she proved her worth in the Rangers and how she worried about everyone during the physical entrance tests to be admitted as one. She never left anyone behind and always fought to protect every one of her teammates, even the ones who went along with Ellis' game. She was the embodiment of a good Ranger.

I wished the whole arc with Valerie Bergstrom had been explored better. The idea behind it was interesting, as was Valerie and her desire to remain honourable and not be "entertainment for those who like to see people hang", but the execution was very clunky. Bergstrom almost does not appear during the whole book, and suddenly she has a conversation with Chip and decides to prepare a trap to kill her an Katryn? What kind of planning is this? It would have made sense if she had more reason to think that Chip was conducting an investigation against her, but she just had a damn conversation which was ambiguous enough to be interpreted that way, and which was not even about her anyways! People act stupid sometimes, but if she had been living for several years with the knowledge that it was her fuck-up the one that lead to the slaughter in the 12th, surely she could spare a few seconds to think rationally and not jump to stupid conclusions. Okay, some tension and life-threatening situations were necessary for Chip and Katryn to admit how they felt about each other, but I would have appreciated if they did not throw Valerie's character development under the bus in the process. She was not this stupid in SOTK, what the hell. And of course, her plan backfires and she and Fran end up almost being detained by Chip and Katryn, but before that can happen Valerie impales herself with her own sword and dies in what has to be the most anti-climatic death of the series so far. What happens to Fran? The book does not say. Maybe she ran away. Maybe she was captured. Maybe the floor broke under her feet, she was swallowed to another dimension by a black hole and everyone in the story forgot about her immediately. Yeah, that seems to be the most likely conclusion given how nobody mentions her again, not even in passing.

I would be able to look past this if I thought that Jane Fletcher is simply not good at writing death scenes and serious conflict, but the whole conflict in SOTK was so well executed and was able to make the reader feel so many things, that I have a hard time believing she cared about that part of the book at all, much less about the character of Valerie. Katryn's backstory from this same book was able to fill the reader with emotion, meanwhile that whole part was so confusing and poorly executed that the only thing I was feeling while I was reading it was disbelief.

[fyrapartnersearch]

A Wild Hunt for Roleplay

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I’ll keep it short and sweet for my introduction. I am Fenry, but you may address me as Fen. Obviously this is not my real name but I would like to keep a pseudonym as my identity until I get to know my partner better. 



I am 25 years and that means adult themes and topics will be included

Female Over 10 years of roleplaying experience

A masters graduate

And I live in CET, Europe

Prefers doubling, though I can make exceptions

We can exchange more information once I’ve received your message. I love talking outside of the Roleplay for some brainstorming and plotting for the story. Plus, making new friends never hurts.

Now to the actual topic what I am looking for in a partner.

Please read before you message me!

Thank you.



My roleplaying partner must be above the age of 18, preferably 20+. 
I don’t care which gender honestly, as long as the Roleplay and friendship is good I am all for it. Contact me with a small introduction. Tell me about yourself, what you’re ideas are, how long you’ve been writing and your limits. I want to know more about you, assess your character before we move to anything else. It would otherwise come off as impersonal. 



The qualities I prefer in an RP buddy are: 


Mature

Dedicated

Detailed

Literate

Frequent (which doesn’t mean that you need to send me 5 messages per day. 2-3 times per week is absolutely fine since I am not able to respond as much either)

Flexible

We all have real, social lives outside of the roleplaying world. I understand when you’re not able to reply as fast all of the time, because it is not much different for me either. I will try to respond at least 4-5 times a week. If it’s a good week, my replying rate will increase depending on the given situation. If there’s work ahead or any sort of obstacle that might get in the way of our exchange, I will let you know as soon as I possibly can! I promise you this! 
But I also hope you do the same when there’s something that might cause a hiatus.




I am looking for LONGTERM and CONTINUOS Roleplays! My partner should be very committed because otherwise, it wouldn’t make a lot of sense and we might as well drop it.





When it comes to my writing style and preferences, I will list these things here for you to read.

Writing: I am a multi-paragraph sort of writer, which means that frequently, my writing will exceed at least 500 words, and upward of 1000+ words. I love detail in description, and I am actively seeking someone of the same infamy. Generally, I tend to write in the 3rd person. I’ve also tested the waters of 1st person but found it fairly awkward, if not, jarring so I’d rather keep it with 3rd person.

Pairings: I openly play characters of both genders, preferable m x f pairings, but I am open to m x m and f x f relationships as well. I have more experience with m x f relationships, so I might excel in this category more than I would do with the others. However, like I said, do not let this deter you. Very much open to other sexual orientations and preferences. Romance and intimate erotic scenes are always a part of the story, so if you are someone who prefers fading to black, I am afraid to tell you that my request isn’t something for you. This is not negotiable, sorry.

Genres: I am versatile when it comes to genres and settings that I like to play in. Supernatural is my absolute jam, especially urban and gothic fantasy, maybe even a bit of mythology as well? 
Anything involving vampires, werewolves, demons, witches, shape shifters, aliens, mutants, other urban creature of folklore, given some sort of modern day spun, is absolutely perfect for me. I also really love science fiction in its many forms. Primarily, I take my sci-fi craving inspirations from Star Wars, Mass Effect, and even Destiny (even though I did not really enjoy the games…). Another genre that I’ve vast interest in includes that of the superhero genre. I’m a big fan of both Marvel and DC fandom, and the concept of having humans with abilities, anything of that short would be awesome to do. Against, these would be with original characters on my part. I’m not as fond of general real-life or general modern day genres and themes without a good, complex idea attached to it.

Characters: Faceclaims, GIFs, drawings, mood boards or just a plain physical description is absolutely welcome / sufficient. I am not someone who necessarily needs a face claim for a character in order ‘to get the picture’. There are many instances where I could not find a suiting match for my character’s definition, so I resorted to drawing them myself or leaving it with a simple description. 
Characters should have flaws - that is a no brainer obviously, since nobody likes a Mary Sue / Gary Stu - but also some unique traits that make them stand out and remain memorable. I take inspiration from JK Rowling or George R.R. Martin for example as each of their character remains very unique and unforgettable in my opinion. They definitely did something right and I want to emulate that, so don’t be afraid to be rather bold with your character creation. Let your imagination run wild and surprise me with your ideas!

World building & plotting: An active roleplayer is wanted in this category, without a doubt. I love to world-build, but I tend to lose interest when I am the only one who puts in the effort into it. I can’t do the thinking for two people, so I implore you to at least share the burden (which should not be regarded as such because roleplaying is a fun hobby and nothing more). Too often I find people shying away from it in this regard. If I feel that I’m carrying the weight of the world-building part with specific ideas, I will end the Roleplay in immediately. And consider that the world building is just the tip of the beginning, so from that, I’ll be able to see whether we’ll be a match or not. Because we’d be starting from scratch with whatever we do, it would be a big relief to have someone who doesn’t mind letting ideas flow to set up the universe that we will be roleplaying in.

Content: I find writing erotic, dramatic or action packed scenes very enjoyable. I don’t hinder myself when certain subjects are mentioned that may be uncomfortable for the general public. But then again, as a reminder, a Roleplay is not reality but fiction. For example situations that heavily imply and involve brutality, mayhem, psychological and physical torture are things that need exploration.

Characters should be fully fleshed out, even the not so pretty parts of one’s personality and actions. There is no black and white, but a wide ranging spectrum of grey areas. A story does not always end well and life is never fair, so to implement this into a Roleplay, it would make a fantastic and very exciting story. Nothing is ever certain, people have their ups and downs… we shouldn’t make an exception here. I am not afraid to delve into even more sinister areas such as psychological trauma if its needed to further the story. I want to be as transparent as I possibly can. I have very few limits. The only subjects I will not touch, or rather avoid are heavy graphic rape scenes, bestiality, necrophilia and pedophilia. Other than that everything is fair game. What I also find quite fascinating is describing someone’s mental as well as physical transformation, ascending to a higher or lower state of being, etc. The process of metamorphosis, may it be the manipulation or corruption of someone… it all is quite eerie and at the same time, intriguing. It all leads to the progression of the story, so be warned that we won’t be walking on egg shells here. 


The story will not be solely centred on dark themes. I love me a mixture of everything, including drama, fluff, angst, action, comedy, romance, adventure, mystery and so forth.


Let’s lighten up a bit, kay? :)

The ones I’ve marked in bold are the ones I am currently itching for the most.




Original plots I am absolutely craving for are:




Genres:


anything mafia related

crimes in remote locations

small towns and supernatural happenings

post apocalyptic/dystopia

supernatural/modern fantasy (demons and devils, monster x hunter)

southern/mid western gothic

murder mystery (small town or big city)

modern/dark fairy tale retellings

sci-fi/cyberpunk

emotionally charged/dark and gritty

superpowers/gifted

unresolved sexual tension/slow burn

mythology

redemption

action

Pairings:

age gaps (non pedophiliac)

friend x best friend’s older sibling

enemies to lovers

cop x criminal

friends turned lovers/pining

grumpy x sunshine

dark hearted man melting for the innocent woman

reunited old lovers and/or friends

boss x employee

neighbours

mentor x mentee

hitman x victim

hurt/comfort

height differences

pet names

rich x poor (or noble and peasant / different social classes)

The Fandoms I am willing to do, although I prefer to make something original:

Films & television:

Marvel cinematic universe

Pacific Rim

Castlevania

Game of Thrones

Riverdale

Young Justice

Voltron

Constantine

Harry Potter

Star Wars

Games:

Witcher III

Devil May Cry

Bayonetta

God of War

Star Wars

Dark Souls

My Roleplaying platform is mostly on email or google docs! I also would like to keep in touch with my partner over a different medium, preferably Discord.

 To contact me use these links here:


EMAIL: mynioncosplay@gmail.com

DISCORD: Fenry#4086


Find me there.

Here are two passwords that you can use in the headline so I know what you want to role-play.


*For ORIGINAL Roleplay, the password is:  Follow me and you shall be

free *For CANON Roleplay, the password is: I will follow you until the end

I know, very original… haha xD
 But anyways, I hope I am lucky enough to find my longterm RP buddy here. 
 Till then, thank you for your time! See you soon <3

#originalroleplay #email #googledocs #partner #longterm #original #supernatural #demons #fantasy #monsters #search #mystery #mature #adult