#honestly less evil in my eyes more chaotic neutral

[bloodmoons-knife]

to sum up how i feel about dark sun,,,,

HES GAY A N D HOMOPHOBIC!

[herlondonboy]

5 Times You Flirted With Wednesday And 1 Time She Flirted Back

Pairings: Wednesday Addams x gn!reader / Enid Sinclair x platonic!reader

Summary: what the title says

Warnings: tooth-rotting fluff, y/n being down bad, I got lazy after the second one, also I wrote it when I was half asleep, google translated Spanish (sorry if it’s wrong). lmk if there are any more !!

Word Count: 1.1k

1.

The first time you’d flirted with Wednesday Addams was completely subconsciously, honestly. You walked into your friend’s dorm and froze at the sight of Enid watching with a frown as she took the colour off the window on her side.

“Holy shit.” You mumbled, completely blown away.

Enid turned to you, but you were too enthralled by the mystery in front of you to look away. You tilted your head and admired her jawline and braids. Her fringe were scary, it was so perfect, like she just hopped off the Hairspray set. When she was done, she kicked the translucent vellum paper mindlessly onto Enid’s half. When you looked down, you saw the duct tape line and jumped over to Enid’s side.

“Oh, Dios mío. Cómo puede una persona ser tan perfecta?” You asked aloud and Wednesday turned to you as you blushed.

Her eyebrow was raised slightly as she looked on through her eyelashes. “di algo así otra vez, y perderás la lengua.” Her words were so smooth and calm, you almost forgot that she was threatening you.

You held back a smile at her glare and bounced over to Enid’s bed. The floorboards screeched in pain that went ignored by the people in the room as you sat on the brightly coloured bed. Enid rolled her eyes at the look on your face and sat next to you. She dared you to say what was on your mind.

You shook your head and she nodded, pleased. You began spending more time in Enid’s dorm and less in Yoko’s. And Wednesday was already sick of you by the second week at Nevermore, but you didn’t let that get you down.

2.

The second time you shamelessly flirted with Wednesday was during the Poe Cup. Or after, really. Wednesday had been coerced onto the team by Enid after Bianca poisoned Yoko with Garlic. Your team had won and Wednesday, you, Enid and the fourth person - one of Enid’s other friends - stood on the stairs as Headmistress Weems handed Enid the trophy. The celebration of the Black Cats beating the Sirens (really just anyone beating the sirens for the first time in years) had everyone but Bianca cheering.

Wednesday went back to her dorm and you followed her. When you got there, you leaned on the doorframe. “You should wear the suit more often, Cat-Woman.” You said as Wednesday sat down at her desk.

“Cat-Woman is chaotic good; I’m neutral evil.” Wednesday muttered mindlessly, clicking away on her typewriter.

You shrugged and made your way to her desk. You jumped onto an empty space and began swinging your legs near Wednesday as it took everything within her not to rip you apart. Limb. By. Limb.

You went to pick up a sheet of paper from the desk, but that idea was quickly shot down when Wednesday slapped your hand away. “Touch them again and you’ll lose your hands.”

“Wednesday, all this threatening is making me feel some way.” You shifted on the desk before jumping off and gaining Wednesday attention.

“Where are you going?” She asked.

“My dorm… Unless you want me to stay.” You smirked.

“Don’t flatter yourself, y/n.” Wednesday said emotionlessly, as always. “Enid will want to celebrate with you, so you should probably stay, though.” She then muttered, turning away from you so that you couldn’t see her face.

You shrugged and nodded, walking over to Enid’s bed and just watching Wednesday in a comfortable silence until your friend came.

3.

The next time you were all eating lunch. Wednesday had decided to eat with you for the first time since she’d been at Nevermore. It had only taken her two and a half months. Much to both of your luck, the only free seat by the time she had gotten there was next to you and opposite Enid.

Wednesday didn’t make a sound as she sat down next to you. You opened your mouth, but Wednesday held her hand up, stopped you. “Don’t say a word.”

“Not even if it’s to say how ravishing you look in that jumper?” You asked with a small smirk.

Enid cleared her throat, making you and look away from each other and to the blonde. “What have i told you about flirting with my friends?” Enid scolded you as you dropped your head.

“You told me not to.” You mumbled. “But can you blame me? Look at her.” Wednesday whacked your hand away when you motioned to her.

“Honestly, y/n, go touch some grass.” Yoko called out from the other side of the table, rolling her eyes.

“Te sugiero que cuides tu boca.” Wednesday said.

You smirked. “Eres inexplicablemente caliente cuando estás enojado.”

“Don’t make me regret eating with you.”

4.

The fourth time was also an accident, much like the first time. You were lying on Wednesday’s bed (it was shocking that she hadn’t tried to stab you the moment you crossed over the line, I know), scrolling through your camera roll when a picture you’d taken without her knowledge.

You smiled at it. Nothing could ruin this feeling of serenity. Nothing but Wednesday lying next to you. Actually, no. She didn’t ruin it. She made it better. “You’re so pretty, Wednesday.” The words came out of your mouth before you could stop them and your cheeks warmed up quickly. “I’m sorry.” You said quickly, looking away from her.

“Thank you.” Wednesday murmured, pushing her back against the bed frame. You widened your eyes. “Don’t make me take it back.”

5.

The last time you’d flirted with Wednesday was after she’d defeated Joseph Crackstone. After being all bloody and bruised, you pushed your way through the crowd to look for her. “Enid, where’s Wednesday?” You asked the blonde hurriedly, eyes darting around.

“y/n? What happened?” Enid asked, looking at you, searching for any extensive wounds.

“Most of it’s Tyler.” You whimpered, hugging yourself.

The chittering of the Outcasts suddenly died down and everyone turned to the gate where Wednesday walked out. You sighed in relief before running towards her. In that moment it was just the two of you. She winced as your body collided with hers in a hug and furrowed eyebrows before pushing you away.

“Fancy seeing you here, gorgeous, huh?” You mumbled.

The one time Wednesday flirted back, you got a mere: “You look good covered in blood.” She had joked. The look on her face was still deadpan as she once-overed your body for any lethal wounds. “Are you okay?” You nodded. Wednesday’s lips quivered as she pulled you into a bone-crushing hug.

You sobbed into her shoulder. The thought of nearly losing her to Tyler still fresh in your mind as your own shoulders shook. Wednesday held you tight. Seeing you wolf out to save her and almost get killed by Tyler was the last thing on her mind. Sure, she couldn’t stand physical contact, but having you in her arms was what she had longed for since she first heard the words you muttered on her second day at Nevermore.

[glngrbred]

In my last post I detailed the process of my worldbuilding, but this time I want to both use better grammar and -less- spelling errors, as well as go over the actual world in my game. (also plz help me idk what to call it, the dev name is 'guarder' but that doesn't do much for me)

So today I'll go over the 6 main humanoid creature types. on a list we have

Goblins- Good aligned Elves- Law aligned Dorvs- Evil aligned Orks- Chaotic aligned Gnomes- Neutral aligned Humans- they exist

Goblins: The Gobish society is built around comunal needs, to each acording to abillity, to each according to their needs. the reasoning behind this societal structure is partially due to goblins inate need for large comunities physiologically. Before getting into the 4 parragraph anatomy of a goblin mess I've written, we can just say Goblins have 3, technically 4 sexes and a Animated plant creatures that are anteater like and eat mainly bugs and plants. For Goblins to reproduce they do need 1 Goblin of each sex to effectively create another goblin. The birthing sex goblin (Sepal, like a flowers Sepum [the bud]) can birth 4th sex goblins without the help of a female or male partner. These 4th sex goblins are actually just plants that grow into trees wich are functionally sepal sex goblins. Anyways, do to a comunal relience on eachother to preserve the Grove Cities they live in (goblins are small and fragile by nature) they have developed a society built on interpersonal reliance and Comunication, being predisposed to weild plant magics also helps them diplomatically as they are able to very cheaply produce produce. Goblins are Farmers, Diplomats, Protectors, and Lovers

Elves: Elvan society is ruled by a group of ancient undead elves that have payed off their dues to the celestials, now being *technically imortal* these Monarchic Oligarchs rule their nations with Good intentions, However, when you've been alive for more than 3 centuries it starts to become difficult to relate to your everyday subjects, especially when in your eyes keeping them "Living" through resurection is in their best interest. The elves themselves are 4 eyed mandibled insectoid? Hominids with a predisposition for comunal behavior, birthed as Larvae in the thousands, it's only natural for yound Elves to build large cities to protect their offspring. Culturally Elves find meaning in the schollarly works, as their is often no end to their lives, elves find it easiest to spend their time documenting every event in every elvish live, as to try to avoid being stuck in the missery of immortal and unending meloncolly. They are the Earth nation of this world, and being the most vast in numbers and wealth is but inevitable when you can resurect the masses at your whim. Elves are Scholars, Librarians, Soldiers, and Rebels

Orks: I've already written a bunch about Orks so you probably get alot of their culture already. Anyways, Orks have built their society on a Hedonistic Love of warmth, they are an increadably resilient and creative people, finding strength in the arts and magic, and also raiding other people's villages. These big ol' Reptilian Bros honestly just want to party, and while loosely organized into large tribal groups, they really aren't alighned with eachother outside of their shared love of warmth. Being a very broad general "Reptile" species they vary greatly in apearence. Additionally Orks are one of the two Humanoids to not have a direct connection to their extraplanar counterparts, and though they are technically alighned with Demons, they aren't evil, or poorly intentioned. their actions simply serve the Demons more than they serve themselves alot of the time. Orks are Bards, Mages, Priests, and Artists

Dorvs: The final of the aligned Humanoids, Dorves were born from Euna, a Godlike being from another plane who's immense magic corrupts the world and minds with "Oil" honestly I didn't know Phyrexians existed when I designed Euna, and Coincidentally Her story is really really similar to Yawgmoth from MTG. I think they are still very different but yeah :/. anyways, Back to Dorvs, I honestly toko alot of my design of them from MonsterGarden's Dwarf seiries, and the alchemically birthed Old Norse Myth inspired Beetle people was so perfect for what I wanted to do that I just took it. I wish I knew them personally but unfortunately I do not and can't really ask permission to use their design, so... Dorvs are Beetle like people birthed from Euna's corrupting force, while seperate from their original mother, the Dorvs have become stuck in a cycle of devastation that leaves their homes rid of recources and their people starving. they Irrationally beleive that power is the force of morality that rules the world, despite their constant search for it leaving themselves and their famillies poor and helpless while other exploitative few consolidate wealth and power withing their small groups. A practical dictatorship Rules the Dorvs, and their tunnel homes from old mines and drilling projects are the only ways they can afford to live. Creating beutiful immaculate cities on the surface world, while the poor and vulnerable fight for scraps in an underground hellscape of pollution, smog, and violence. Dorvs are Miners, Explorers, Executives, and Servants.

Those "X are X, X, X, and X" notes at the end of the parragraphs are the class types each race commonly is, not like their duty in society. its a gameplay feature for Tribal decks :)

The Final, Final, Humanoids I care to write about are Gnomes. Gnomes are not aligned with any group, being singly focussed on sciences and innovation, Gnomes often don't build or consolidate power between themselves, they just go out in search of Mystic stone to power their homes and lives, tinker with their machanical bodies, and build new gnomes as their children. While Not Purely Mechanical beings like the increadably dissimilat Automata of Autonoctan origin, Gnomes are Nearly fully Metal people of small stature and efficient design, their orgins are known to be Abberant, but they Have lived in this world for as long as any other humanoid. Look Up "Esper Sentinal mtg" and you'll get a pretty good idea of what a Gnome is meant to look like. Gnomes are Inventors, Scientists, Cooks, and Merchants

its hard to be entirely original with your Ideas, even my Orks aren't the first of their kind in Gaming or Fantasy, but Being able to still create unique iterperetations of these clasic Fantasy Peoples and monsters (we'll get to thos later :) Isn't Impossible, Hopefully these 5 Are likeable and fun so yeah enjoy.

also I know at least 5 people saw my last post and didnt get anyone else with it sooo. yall are still it.

[snowshowerwriting]

Roommate AU where Hero and Villain are college students and are like the chaotic american-type college students you'll see on the internet. They work as enemies directly opposite eachother because of the paychecks helping them get through college, and when they fight, try to focus on eachother so they can banter and vent without it seeming odd. They are best friends on campus and at home and Chaotic Neutrals, but as soon as either clocks in, they become Lawful Evil/Good.

One day, the teams of each try to track the other team, and end up working together because they find the pair hanging out and laughing, sharing their true thoughts on both teams (complimenting the enemy and putting down their allies, and vice versa)

Bonus points if the two spot the teams spying on them, and decide to make-out for shits n giggles

Totally fine if you don't want to, and sorry if I was too specific or didn't make sense!

-LT

BESTIE I HOPE U ENJOY THIS, THO IT'S BIT LONG. I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN BUSY BUT I HOPE THIS MAKES UR DAY BIT BETTER <3

--

Music blared from the speakers by the television whilst Hero busied themself in the kitchen, preparing dinner. Their classes had ended earlier than normal that day and honestly, Hero was glad. Their philosophy professor was nice, yeah, but their classmates? Less so. It was annoying as hell sometimes. The time they got now was really nice, and work, hopefully, wouldn't be too busy. The weather was even sweeter, and Hero had let the late evening sun filter into the dorm as the aroma of the other food began filling the room, giving a warm feeling between the light, the smell, and the music.

As a new song came on, Hero began singing along, moving their head to the tune before beginning to dance around. The lively atmosphere continued as they finished chopping up the last of the vegetables and placing them on the tray before popping them into the oven.

Almost as if on cue, the door opened and Villain groaned, announcing themself by throwing their back into the couch. Hero went up to the doorway of the kitchen, leaning against it and crossing their arm over their chest. Villain glanced at Hero, and their tired expression almost seemed to drift away to a more pleasant smile.

"Well, my charming roommate, how might you be doing on this fine day," Villain greeted, falling back onto the couch next to their backpack. Hero went up next to the couch, leaning over Villain, and flicked their forehead. The other whined, pulling away from Hero and rubbing their forehead. "Oww, that hurt. You're really mean for a Hero," Villain pouted, sinking into the couch, away from their roommate.

Hero chuckled at their response and rested their chin on their palm. "That's what you get for stealing the last cookie yesterday. Don't think I didn't notice. Besides, I think you ought to show me some respect, dumbass. Superhero is out for your blood, y'know." They hopped over the couch and landed on Villain's leg. The criminal yelped at the sudden weight. "Can't be going around saying I'm far from a hero when I'm always detering SuperHero from you, and making dinner, dumbass," Hero chuckled, seeing the Villain roll their eyes.

"Yeah, and I already paid my due, despite your pea brain thinking otherwise." Hero's eyes widened a bit at the use of the playful insult. "Supervillain has been out for your blood since the past year. If it weren't for me, you would be losing sleep," Villain pulled Hero to their chest into an embrace.

Hero looked a bit startled at the sudden affection but didn't seem to mind, continuing their playful banter. "Yeah, right. I already lose a lot of sleep, because you keep me up," they replied, rolling their eyes.

The criminal gave a playful grin, poking Hero's cheek. "Do I now?" They joked.

Hero huffed, jabbing Villain's stomach lightly with their elbow. "Yes, with your villainous activities!! I could be doing my homework, but noo, someone decided they should make me run some four miles two hours before I'm gonna go to bed." Villain hummed in response, deep in thought all of a sudden, though their smile didn't falter.

"I'll keep that in mind," Villain chuckled, letting go of Hero as the oven beeped behind them. Hero gave fond smile to their roommate and ruffled Villain's hair before they headed back into the kitchen.

-----

The night air stung at their arms, and Hero couldn't help but shiver a little bit. The night sky wasn't terribly dark, but with the wind, it sucked ass. Villain was the first to spot them and waved at the crime-fighter from their perch on the railing. "Well, my charming hero, how might you be doing on this fine night?"

Hero quickly took notice of the Villain, seeing them face to the side as they tossed a backpack, caught it, before tossing it up in the air again. "I thought you weren't gonna go back to this again after our talk!" Hero shouted.

"Oh? I don't remember saying that, dear," Villain chuckled, catching the bag for the last time and swinging it over their shoulder. "You were the one complaining of running fifty miles every night," they hopped down from the railing and gently tossed the bag to their left, letting it rest against the ground as they approached the Hero.

Hero frowned a little under their mask. Their limbs already ached from the hours of being seated at their desk. Before Hero could respond, something from the corner of their eyes caught their attention. There was something nearby, flying probably some 30 meters away. If it weren't for the subtle blinking of a red dot, perhaps they might've not noticed it. Almost immediately they had a hunch of who it could be.

In that brief moment of distraction, Villain had closed in on half the space and ran to the hero with their attacks. It almost caught Hero off guard, as most nights they were chasing Villain around more than anything. Hero groaned in pain as their shoulder got the punch when they jumped out of the way.

The two quickly devolved into close range fighting, barely exchanging any words, until Hero had managed to throw Villain a few feet away. "Are we just gonna fight tonight?" Hero asked, catching their breath as Villain got up.

The criminal quirked up a brow, and Hero didn't need to see underneath their mask to know the other had their signature charming grin on. "Why not? I thought you were tired of my shenanigans during the night?"

"Well, I was hoping to study for the Philosophy exam comin' up," Hero huffed, dodging another charge from Villain and attempting to attack instead. The other grunted, feeling Hero's fist connect with their jaw.

"God, I wasn't expecting you to give me actual bruises and shit."

"Well, I gotta give it whatever I have left if my supervisor is watching."

"You only just realized," Villain clicked their tongue, sweeping their leg as Hero ran at them for another attack. Hero helped, losing their balance and landing on their back. They groaned in pain as Villain knelt over them with a fond look over their eyes. There was a minute of silence as both of the tired college students caught their breath. "Y'know, I almost am convinced Superhero barely gives you any time to do anything except for studying and chasing me around," they teased.

Hero gave a tired shrug, leaning back into the concrete rooftop underneath. "Well, I did say he was out for your blood, eh?" Hero replied, still breathless. Villain leaned over them, a sparkle in their eyes that reminded Hero of exactly why they adored their nemesis.

"You almost seem as obsessed with me as he is," chuckled the villain. They leaned in further, pulling up Hero's mask, and placing a chaste kiss on the corner of their lips.

Hero's heart lept up to their throat, but there wasn't any complaint from them aside from the fact that Villain had pulled away much too quickly for their liking. The other laughed softly, seeing how enamored Hero had quickly become. "I think we should definitely spend more time outside of these fights. Maybe you can get more of this," they teased, leaving another kiss over the cupid's bow before finally pulling away, mischief and affection glittering in their eyes. "Alright, you best be heading back to study, nerd. Try not to miss me too much," they bid their goodbye, quickly slipping away from Hero before the young adult could even scramble up.

Ooooh boy, Superhero was going to be so pissed, but this was definitely worth it.

Edited on 05/22/2022

[darkmagickingdom]

Gush hours! Tell me your OTPs and why you love 'em

You have opened the floodgates now

I'll only talk about my Disney Villains ones for now because that's all that relates to the blog, but if you want to hear about the ones I have outside of the disney fandom I would be more than happy to gush about those too.

The Lich's Dark Fairytale--aka the Horned King/Maleficent

- Okay, I talked about this one a bit a while ago. But unsurprisingly, I have more to say. So this wasn't my first enemies-to-lovers ship--I think my first one was created at least four years ago, but it's probably closer to six, and even that might be undershooting it--but this was my first "oh they'd try to kill each other, that's spicy" ship.

It started as a thing that wouldn't last, just a way to explore the kind of pairing where they're both trying to kill each other while trying to ignore their less-murdery feelings for each other.

It was a pairing dynamic I didn't really explore before then. Then I ended up liking both characters, their similarities, their shared dynamic--so much that I just had to make it a sincere enemies-to-lovers. And I'm a sucker for villains that have a soft side for someone but are still, y'know, evil. And given how Maleficent's whole thing in her movie is sticking it to the "true love conquers all" trope, I like the idea that a relationship wouldn't magically make her good. Sorry, Jolie, but she's just more fun of a character to me as a bad girl.

I would also love to see someone as gleefully evil as Maleficent try and lift the King out of his bitter and somber little grave. It'd be good to hear him maniacally laugh more often. Or really, at all. Maleficent's come back to life a ton of times, and might not be fully killable, while at least in my personal headcanons, the King can't ever fully die, being able to remain aware and keep his soul in his body no matter how horribly its damaged. So there's none of that immortal's angst that either of them would get from a relationship with a mortal.

I also love seeing characters be ruthlessly protective of one another, and I think these two have great potential for that. They both have potential to get absolutely bloodthirsty on the battlefield, even if Disney never really let us see either of them doing that. But you don't get a reputation like Maleficent's by sitting on a throne all day, and you don't achieve a reputation like the Horned King's by never riding into battle and cutting a few thousands down upon an accursed, blood-soaked blade. In fact, book-accurate depictions of the King have him surprisingly jacked, and looking a lot more battle-ready than his animated counterpart. I like to think that's how he was when he was much younger, before he started rotting. So if it comes down to it, they'll both wreak havoc on a battlefield, or they'll form an impenetrable defense to shield the other. And that is my JAM.

If I had to pick one song for them, it would be Love Me Dead by Ludo. But I have a whole playlist for them tbh.

Cards & Dice--aka Facilier/Oogie

Now this one is just. Fun. These two have such a similar aesthetic and flair for elaborate jazzy song-and-dance numbers (with use of blacklight!) that I just had to have them become friends. And gradually I decided "okay. But what if...they were friends-to-lovers?" And thus, Cards & Dice was born.

Honestly I think they'd be the most fun of my OTPs to play third-wheel to. They'd get up to all kinds of villainous shenanigans, make a TON of enemies, and make a narrow getaway every time.

Also? Considering they're both more nervous on average than the average Disney villain (with Oogie being one of the only ones actively terrified of his hero, and Facilier one of the only ones seen nervous and afraid before his demise) I like to think they could help each other with their respective fears. Facilier standing up to Jack, Oogie standing up to the "Friends" (even if neither are actually powerful enough to win). Oogie just sitting and hearing Facilier out when he's freaked out about how the "Friends" might still be searching for him. Facilier saving the HBIC (that's Head Bug In Charge, aka the Brain Bug, aka the green earwig Santa squished) just in time when the rest of Oogie's body gets destroyed. That's all just so good to me.

And don't get me STARTED on them singing and dancing together, completely stealing the floor every time! They're WONDERFUL, Your Honor.

If I had to pick one song for them, it would be Poker Face by Lady Gaga. But I got like a whole playlist for them in the works lol

A New DIRECTIVE--aka AUTO/Doris

Yes, I did just come up with that name. I think it's quite good.

So this one started as like. A joke. A what-if. A "hey, they're the only robots so they oughta stick together". How did it end up like this? It was only a kiss, IT WAS ONLY A KISS

So I am a sucker for the trope where the more chaotic one breaks the orderly one out of their shell and gets them to be less rigid. What if that, but evil?

"Hey boy, how would you like to go from lawful neutral to chaotic evil?"

"I don't suffer from 'I could fix him' disease. I think I could make him worse."

Theirs is like the inverse of the "love makes the bad guy turn good" trope. Love makes the robot disobey his programming, go rogue, and help his girl take over the world.

They're like the evil version of WALL-E and EVE. Except with the roles reversed, because the guy is the one from space who wants to follow his DIRECTIVE while the girl is the one from Earth trying to be like "no dude, check this out, I can control people and stuff all by myself. We should totally rule the world, it'll be awesome."

I usually imagine this pair with humanoid android forms because it's. Kind of hard to get invested in a ship's wheel and a hat. They're both a lot less expressive in their base forms than either WALL-E or EVE, so giving them cool android forms helps. I don't imagine them as super human-looking droids though, cause if they're more obviously robots it looks cooler. Though I DO think Doris deserves a face so she can go >:D sometimes. And AUTO deserves the ability to go >o|

If I had to pick one song for them, it would be Daisy Bell by Harry Dacre. Because they're both HAL 9000 references (Doris a lot less obviously so, but she's still got that one red eye), and evil robots the way HAL was, and that's the song HAL starts singing before he's deactivated. Which in and of itself is a reference to the first speaking/singing computer-generated voice program, IBM704, which famously sang the song Daisy Bell. (there's also a Futurama episode where Bender dates a HAL 9000 reference character, and there's a montage of them doing romantic things set to Bender singing Daisy Bell. For all my fellow Futurama fans out there ;) I'd especially recommend this version, where someone had both the original IBM704 and VOCALOID4 sing the song as a duet. (Because I like the idea of Doris getting a Vocaloid or Vocaloid-like voice if she was able to speak actual words instead of that admittedly really cute droidspeak language from the movie)

There are also plenty of villain ships in this fandom that I've seen that I love (such as FireSerpent--aka Jafar/Hades--, EvilPuppies--aka Grimhilde/Cruella--, and SeaDragon--aka Ursula/Maleficent) but I wanted to talk about only the ones I developed myself, since I think the creators of those ship names would be better equipped to talk about them.

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms Far Side #2: Tohno Shiki

We have another guest build today from u/Magical-Biche on Reddit! While I’ve been tackling Fate Grand Order characters, they’ve been hard at work making builds for other parts of the Nasuverse. Today, they’ve built Shiki! No, not that one. Not that one either. No, Tohno Shiki. No, the other- you know what? Forget it, I’ll let Magical-Biche take over from here. (I’ll put the level-by-level breakdown below the cut, or you can check out the spreadsheet here.)

---------------------------

Now that my personal favorite is done, today we’re attacking the main protagonist of that really good *anime* that is Tsukihime, Tohno Shiki. As with the previous build, this one will contain heavy spoilers for many routes of the visual novel. Read at your own risk! Also, this build works for Nanaya Shiki, just make sure you change the alignment from neutral good to like, chaotic or neutral evil. This build is based on Tsukihime, Kagetsu Tohya and Melty Blood. 

Tohno Shiki is a skilled demon slayer who fights with a knife. He’s merciless against his targets, as he falls into a trance while fighting them to tap into his latent potential. He can also use the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.

For this build, we’re looking for 3 main things, which are : 

Shiki’s bread and butter, the mystic eyes of death perception. While there is no simple way of having the MEoDP, we’ll try to maximize our damage on a single hit, on a single enemy. 

Shiki might not look like it, but he’s extremely agile. While we have low health, we’re pretty hard to hit, and good at simply avoiding damage. 

Shiki has a weird fighting style where he’ll fall into a trance when he’s fighting certain enemies, such as demons and undeads. We might not be able to get that as a feature, but we can easily get bonuses against our favored enemies. 

Race and Background 

Shiki is a plain old human, fighting with only his own limbs. And his OP Mystic Eyes, but we’ll come to that later. We’re playing the variant human, as we have little use for more than 2 stats on this build, and we’ll be using that extra feat. Shiki fits the Urchin background… okay-ish-ly. He’s an orphan, but he grew up playing outside in a gigantic mansion. However, he did know Arihiko the delinquent for a long time, which means he certainly did some illegal things once or twice. Anyway, the proficiencies are great for the build, and the bonus feature fits our role very well. We’ll be taking the alert feat so we’re better at not being surprised and pretty much always hit first. We also get a skill proficiency, and we’re going for Survival.

Stats

Going with the standard array, we are going to need a few stats for our multiclassing. However, all three classes we’ll be getting levels in are Dex based, and 2 uses wisdom heavily, so we won’t spread too much. We’ll start by getting as high Dex and Wis as possible, as those will be our main offensive stat, and main spellcasting stat. Shiki is nimble and agile, and when he’s not obsessed over a target, he makes wise decisions. As is needed for a harem protagonist, he has a decent charisma, so we should get that stat to at least 13. Next, we have our little quirk: Shiki has bad health because of “Anemia”. In truth, he’s only alive because his sister gives him half her life force, which explains why he tends to pass out. He’s actually resilient, but for the sake of fluff, we’re going to let our Con sit at 12, not bad, but not great either. Next, we’re not particularly intelligent nor are we stupid, so we’re leaving our Int at 10. Finally, we can dump our Str. Who needs strength when you can cut anything easily?

Class levels : 

1. Ranger 1: We’re starting by getting our first favored enemy with a few levels of ranger. At level 1, we get our favored enemy. We are taking the Fiends. That gives us an advantage on survival checks to find them, and on intelligence checks to recall information about them. It’s not really strong, but it can always prove handy. Additionally, we can take the Abyssal language, which is common among demons, and fiends in general, to communicate with them. We also get natural explorer, which helps us move in certain environments. For the sake of flavoring, try to convince your DM to let you choose the “city“ terrain, which doesn’t exist in the rules, but simply makes a lot of sense. If they refuse, we can take Mountains, as we grew on a forest on a mountain. 

You also get Str and Dex saving throws proficiency. The Dex is awesome, but we dumped Str, so that one won’t be too useful. We will keep our leather armor for now, since we might die if we are too underprotected, but we’ll get rid of it later. Also, you could play with a single knife, to stay true to the character, but let’s say that a shortsword is basically just a very long knife, or else our damage will really be pathetic. We won’t use the bow, but it doesn’t hurt to have it as an option on the side. 

2. Ranger 2: We get our fighting style and our spellcasting. We’re taking the Duelist style, which makes us hit harder when we wield a single weapon. We will have plenty of use for our bonus action later, but for now, we can stick with dual wielding when the party needs more DPS. For our spells, we’re taking Hunter’s mark, which is the closest thing we have from the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception: it boosts damage and it helps us tracking our target, as if we could see its lines of death. We’re also getting Fog Cloud, which is an amazing tool for our hit and run tactics we’ll only get better at with levels. 

3. Ranger 3: We finally chose our archetype, and we’re going one on one master with Monster Slayer. This archetype gives us a new spell, protection from evil and good, a great defensive spell that even works on allies. We’re also getting Hunter’s sense, which is another part of our Mystic Eyes. It lets us see a creature’s weaknesses a few times per long rest. We’re also gaining Slayer’s prey, which boosts our damage just a bit further beyond. Next, we’re getting our primeval awareness, which helps us track our arch nemesis, the fiends, and other creatures too. 

The last gift level 3 gives us is a new spell to learn, so we’re getting Jump, to further boost our movement.

4. Ranger 4: Our first ASI, and we’re getting our Dex as high as possible to boost our AC and damage. 

5. Ranger 5: This is why we haven’t multiclassed yet: we finally get our multiattack feature! Now, we can really start doing some big damage despite our weak weapon. 

Also, we get a new spell from our archetype, Zone of truth. It’s a… niche spell, if anything. It can help with interrogations, but that’s about it. We’re also taking darkvision, which helps our poor human eyes with a LOT of encounters, because demons hunt at night, usually. 

6. Monk 1: We’re taking a very short detour into the monk class. We’re here for the unarmored defense, which can give us a very high AC later on, which is great for our survivability. We should sell our leather armor at that point, as it’s no longer needed. Also, we get martial arts, which let us do an attack as a bonus action with our fists, as long as our other hand is wielding a monk weapon. Our fists now deal 1d4 damage, plus our Dex bonus, which is actually weaker than our other shortsword. However, it makes it so that we can still do three attacks, with our multiattack feature, and keep the bonus damage from dueling. In the end, the lower base damage of the fist is mitigated by the +2 of our fighting style. The multiclassing into monk only gives us proficiencies we already have, which is unfortunate.

7. Ranger 6: We get a new favored enemy, the undead. It gives us the same bonuses as before against undead, which includes vampires. Since undead don’t have a dedicated language, we’re taking undercommon as a new language, since it’s a common language enough that Undead might speak or understand it. Undercommon, undead, maybe they’re related?

 We also get a new terrain for our natural explorer, so we’re getting forest or mountain (if you could deal with your DM to have the city terrain for your first level). It honestly doesn’t matter much, as we’re a city-dweller, so we should go with what our party needs there, really. 

8. Rogue 1: We’re getting our final new class this level, the rogue. A level 1 rogue gets Expertise, which makes us experts at 2 skill checks. We’re taking Perception and Stealth, so we’re less likely to be surprised and more likely to surprise. That puts us, if we did take the Standard array, a whopping +10 on Stealth checks and +9 on perception checks. We also get our big boi damage with Sneak attack, which let us deal an additional 1d6 damage if we have advantage on our attack, or when we have an ally in melee range of our target. We also get the Thieves’ Cant, which we won’t use much because of our lore. We get a new skill proficiency, acrobatics, as well as a proficiency with thieves’ tools. 

9. Rogue 2: We get our cunning action, our main hit-and-run tool, which lets us dodge or disengage with our bonus action. It does not sound that great, but it can really save us in some situations, we can’t forget we have that!

10. Rogue 3: We get our roguish archetype: we’re a Swashbuckler, to further our ability to challenge a single opponent. This subclass gives us Fancy footwork, which lets us play around our enemies freely, as long as we hit them. Great when combined with our multitude of extra attacks. We also get something else that’s great: Rakish audacity. This feature allows us to duel pretty much anything and still deal our absurd sneak damage. This makes it that we can always sneak attack creatures if no other enemy is near our target. We also get our charisma modifier added to our initiative, which is cool, but we already have our starting feat which gives us plus 5, so it’s nothing more than icing on the cake. Also, our sneak attack goes to 2d6.

11. Ranger 7: We do a last detour, now that we have somewhat stable damage and nice utility, to complete our Ranger build. We get our second archetype feature, Supernatural Defense, which makes us extremely resilient to our prey’s grappling and skill-check-triggering spells. We also get our last spell, which will be Silence, to help us sneak around.. You know, it’s almost like we’re a Rogue or something. 

12. Ranger 8: Our last Ranger level gives us an ASI, which will go to Dex, maxing our base damage and pushing our AC to 18. We also get our last Ranger feature, Land’s stride, which is niche but helps us not to be grappled by plant monsters and plant based attacks, as well as crossing even difficult terrain really fast. 

13 Rogue 4: The only thing we get this level is another ASI, which we pump into Wis, which boosts our AC and that’s it, as we have no spell which requires or triggers checks. It also helps tracking our prey, and boosts our passive perception through the roof. 

14. Rogue 5: UNCANNY DODGE! Finally, we’re starting to get our survivability to the next level. Just react to halve damage, once per turn. Yes, it’s limited to enemies we can see, but just look at our perception. We just know where everybody is. We can face tank the big boss’ big hit, if it manages to even hit us, or just survive one more turn a dumb arrow who managed to hit a 20 on the dice. What’s more, we get a shiny new sneak attack dice, pushing it to 3d6. 

15. Rogue 6: A new layer of expertise. We can grab expertise in Insight, which will help us find out if Arcueid really is Arcueid, or some weird theatre obsessed 500 years old vampire, and Survival, so we just won’t lose track of our prey. 

16. Rogue 7: We gain another extremely useful defensive feature with Evasion. It simply allows us to completely negate incoming fireballs, most traps and a lot of other stuff by changing how we take damage from those effects. Whenever we need to make a dexterity saving throw to halve damage, we take 0 damage on success now, and half on a failure. Nothing much to say, it just is as strong as it sounds. Our sneak attack goes up to 4d6.

17. Rogue 8: Fourth ASI, we’re getting our damage even slightly higher with the martial adept feat. We gain a superiority dice we can use to trigger either the Disarming attack, to have an even greater advantage on our poor opponent, or the Precision attack, in case we’re 1 or 2 away on the dice to hit our opponent in a critical moment. 

18. Rogue 9: next is our final subclass feature, Panache. It’s… not the greatest. We’re taking this level mostly because of the last feature we can grab, but using this feature can quickly become dangerous, no matter how evasive we are. It can fail, as we have low Cha, and Wis saving throws are quite frequent. We should only use it as a last resort. It can help us get our harem outside of battle though, so there’s that. Our sneak attack now deals 5d6 damage. 

19. Rogue 10: ASI time! This time, we’re finishing our Wis, that goes up to 19. Our AC is high, our perception checks are even higher, and we have huge bonuses to even skill checks we aren’t proficient with, like medicine. We have a +15 bonus to our perception, so no one really can hide from us anymore, no matter how sneaky. 

20. Rogue 11: Our final upgrade before going to beat the hell out of Tarasque. We’re reliably talented, which means we can’t realistically fail skill checks we’re proficient with anymore. In other words, we will always have a minimal result of 27 in Insight, perception, Stealth and survival skill checks, and a minimum of 21 in sleight of hand checks. Finally, our sneak attack dice caps at 6d6. 

Pros : We’re a big damage dealer, without even using precious class resources. As long as there’s one creature at the edge of the pack, we can use our Sneak Attack as much as we want, once per turn. We have pretty good stats, excluding our Constitution, which makes us weirdly tanky. Bad dice RNG can fuck us up, but we have a way to mitigate most damage. We’re also great at escaping thanks to being a rogue with access to jump, even though a few more Monk levels would have made us an escapist expert. 

Cons : We have pretty low HP thanks to only a +1 modifier on our constitution, so we’re not great at long fights. We pretty much have exactly one way of attacking, which is slashing, slashing and slashing. Investing in special enchanted weapons might be a must past a certain level. Also, our fist attacks are a bit useless outside of using them for Fancy Footwork. Finally, our damage can fall off quickly if the enemy attacks in large numbers. 

[rwby-nwbe]

Just Finished RWBY Volume 4...

...and I actually liked it?

[Spoilers Ahead, Y'all Know The Drill]

I mean, from what I've heard the Volume gets a lot of flack but honestly? I don't think it deserves it.

Yes, this is the first volume without Monty, and yes, the fights lost a bit of their momentum compared to earlier volumes, but aside from that... it's actually pretty good?

Alright, let me give you the play by play character style.

Ruby Rose

There goes my baby... off to destroy evil.

Ruby hasn't changed much, at least to a noticeable degree, compared to the rest of the cast. Actually, no, that isn't true, she just hasn't changed in a way that would force her overall character to noticeably shift. And I think that's fine. She's still a child at times, and is still really optimistic. But the thing is, she has matured. She doesn't immediately jump head first into danger like she used to, and it's clear she's still trying to process what happened at the Fall of Beacon. And yet, she's pressing on, and I'm glad that she and the rest of Team RNJR have each other's backs.

My only concern is what will go down in Mistral...

Weiss Schnee

Welp, Jacques Schnee, congrats! You've joined Cinder and Adam on the hit list I'm writing up!

The a-hole aside, I really like how Weiss played out this volume. According to what I've heard, volume 4 took place about 6-8 months after Beacon, so I'm kinda sad that Weiss was stuck home for all that time. On the bright side, we get a look at her progress on her summons, which looks to be coming along quite nicely. Then we see the concert, and ooh does that make my blood boil. I'll get to Jacques in a bit, but personally, I'd have no qualms watching him burn, figuratively, or literally.

Fly, Weiss, fly from the coup. Give your bastard of a father the metaphorical middle finger he deserves! (P.S. Klein is best dad.)

Blake Belladonna

Oof. I hurteth.

So Blake tends to stay away out of fear that she'll hurt her friends (i.e. some alternate version of survivor's guilt). In order to make amends from her point of view, she heads home to Menagerie. And once again, we're reminded on why humanity sucks sometimes!

Humans: Here, have this desert island for your large spanning species that covers just as much ground as we do.

Faunus: But... but it's so small!

Humans: Is it? Oh well, we can't have everything!

Me: Y'all LITERALLY have several freaKING CONTINENTS-!

*Ahem* That said, Sun came along! And we met Blake's parents! But first, Sun; I'll admit, I had mixed feelings about him being there at first, but that was mostly because Blake was being angsty and despite Sun's best intentions, virtually nothing he did help. Although, towards the end of the Volume, he managed to help Blake realize why her way of thinking was wrong, so props to him for that. Uh, Sun, could you maybe knock like a normal person? Wait, Blake, DON'T SLAP HIM FOR IT!!!

Ah, Kali, you're just as chaotic as Sun, oh dear... Ghira, never change, man. Never change.

Yang Xiao Long

Oof. I hurteth again. (ADAM!! LET ME DESTROY YOU, DANGIT!!!)

So Yang has been... adjusting to life after Beacon and without an arm. Oh, and Adam gave her PTSD! Isn't that just swell?

[When the find your corpse it'll have Wilt running through your spine and your skull severed with bullet shots from Blush I swear-]

Luckily, Yang gets a prosthetic from Atlas. I was afraid she'd reject it, but it's actually kinda nice to see that she takes to it rather well. And after seeing Oobleck (YAY!) and Port again, it's cool that she's just trying to find her footing. Though, Tai, you might wanna consider NOT flying to close to the Sun Dragon, capiche?

And all this culminates in Yang finally getting back out in the end of the Volume, hoping to find some answers. Hopefully she takes Tai's words to heart.

Jaune Arc

IT'S BIG BOI SWORD HOURS!!

But seriously, it was... kinda off-putting to see Jaune act so... morose. Granted, we all know why (PYRRHA!!!), but still. I'm glad his team is looking out for him and that he's slowly starting to recover like everyone else. His conversation with Ruby in Kuroyuri was also really touching. Come to think of it, didn't Blake have a similar conversation with Sun? The PARALLELS!

Also, that upgrade, tho. CUT THAT NUCKELAVEE INTO DUST, MY DUDE!!!

Nora Valkyrie+Lie Ren

You can't talk about one without bringing up the other.

Guys, this was as much a Renora volume as it was a RWBY-Post Beacon volume. The Fall triggers some odd behavior in Ren, but we figure out why pretty quickly once we reach the Kuroyuri episode.

First, young Ren and Nora... adorable!

Second, I was NOT ready for when Nora had to talk Ren out of charging blindly at the Nuckelavee. The slap. The way Ren sees young Nora and then sees current Nora. Nothing could prepare me. Nothing.

They are so SOFT together, it's just... <3

New Characters (and Old ones, too)

Lightning round, baby!

Qrow Branwen. So Qrow serves as the inside man. He knows what's been going on, and he fills the rest of us in. We also know why he tends to keep his distance, because his semblance brings bad luck to allies and enemies alike. The poor birb. Glad he managed to survive Tyrian!

Jacques Schnee. Egotistical manipulative piece of garbage whom I will not feel sorry for once he's put in his place. 'Nuff said.

Whitley Schnee. Mixed feelings. Mixed feelings everywhere. 'Cause on one hand, I've seen plenty of the fandom's takes on his character putting him in a positive light, but on the other he starts getting kind of unbearable after Weiss loses her title as heiress. Then I have to remind myself that Whitley is the "Fawn" reaction to trauma. Weiss is "Fight," Winter is "Flight," their mother is "Freeze," and Whitley is "Fawn." Stuff like that helps me contextualize that when Whitley says things about their dad like "It's foolish to not do what father asks," or "It's barbaric. It's beneath me. Beneath father," Whitley's not just saying that 'cause he's a bit of a brat. That's his coping mechanism to the abuse Jacques put him and the rest of his family through, and it's probably been a long time that he's been telling himself stuff like this so he can keep in his father's good graces and not risk getting a slap to the face like Weiss, while also trying to deal with the fact that Weiss and Winter get a freedom that he never had a chance to get. And you have to remember that Winter and Weiss were abused to, and that trying to blame Whitley's current condition on the two of them doesn't make things any better. They're not obligated to care about Whitley just as much as Whitley isn't obligated to care about them. It would be nice if either one of them could get through to him, but they were all trying to combat Jacques in one way or another. Whitley was just the odd one out. And if you really think about it, the biggest brain play you can take from all this is to blame it solely on Jacques. I swear, when I get to Volume 4 in my NWBE AU, one of my top priorities will be getting Whitley the ever loving hell out of that accursed mansion alongside Weiss, mark my words.

Klein Sieben. Ladies and gentleman, the only valid man under the Schnee roof! And a Seven Dwarves reference no less. Thanks, I love him! Glad he helped Weiss escape his father's clutches.

James Ironwood. Oh boy, boss man is starting to lose his grip on things. Granted, he's trying to do the right thing, but it's clear his paranoia is getting to him. You know crap is getting bad if the most valid person in all of Atlas simultaneously needs to be told to get a grip from Jacques of all people (especially if he's making a point). Hope this doesn't trigger a downward spiral...

Ghira and Kali Belladonna. Ghira is done and Kali just wants to have fun. I love their dynamic and interactions with Blake and Sun! It was a nice wind down from everything else going on, though I don't think that'll last for long.

White Fang. So we got three more WF members: Fennec, Corsac, and Ilia. The Albain brothers are sleezeballs already, since they're working with Adam and all. Ilia's working with them too, but I'll have to withhold my judgement since she appears to have an as yet undisclosed connection to Blake, but I don't want to get my hopes up since she already stabbed Sun, so... Low expectations, but still expectations.

Salem's Group. Yup, Salem's a villain alright. I'll be keeping my eye on her, she just reeks of trouble. Cinder apparently lost her voice... eh, probably for the best. Emerald, Mercury, get the ever-loving FRICK outta there, you're clearly out of your element! Hazel, you're... fascinating. Neutral Evil, perhaps? Watts, you're on my radar, especially with the last episode of the Volume. And Tyrian... well, he's clearly beyond the point of no return, entirely devoted to Salem, and his psycho-sadistic tendencies are enough to freak Cinder of all people out. Needless to say, I hope something or someone takes care of him before the damage becomes irreversible.

And for now, I'll wrap this up with Oscar Pine. I'll admit, it was interesting how they set up Oscar's character as a slow burn this Volume. We learn he lives a quiet life with his aunt in a barn, and at first we're wondering "Who the heck is this kid?" But then Ozpin shows up and suddenly everything is like "Oh... wait, WHAT!?" So yeah, Ozpin just brought another child into thia conflict. At least they're both not happy about it, and hey, they met Qrow! Hopefully that keeps things from getting too crazy down the line. We still need answers, after all.

Well, those are my thoughts. Sorry they took so long. Hopefully Volume 5 won't be so hard to complete. Well... cheers!

-Mathewton, the RWBY Newbie (15 May 2020)

[crimsoncondor]

Kakegurui: Psychological Analysis of Yumeko Jabami (Anime)

This is a description of the ENTP personality type:

https://www.16personalities.com/entp-personality

Pathological gambling presents itself in ways akin to Yumeko's derangement:

https://www.ukessays.com/essays/psychology/a-study-on-pathological-gambling-as-an-addiction-psychology-essay.php

(Note the latter source is theoretical. It is possible psychosexual and nurture-related factors contribute to gambling addiction.)

The neuroscience behind pathological gambling directly aligns with Yumeko's mindsets and functions:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3858640/

Color Symbolism Theory:

https://bloodorangesangria.tumblr.com/post/162532139590/kakegurui-color-theory-yumeko-jabamired

Footnotes:

Yumeko is Kakegurui in the form of a character. The series itself is tailored specifically towards her. She is the essence of gambling, addiction, and the combination of both. She symbolizes a myriad of different concepts such as capitalism and Christianity. While Kirari embodies God, she represents Satan. This is implicated in the first opening theme, which is fittingly titled "Deal With the Devil"; this "deal" is the agreement to gamble with Yumeko. She and Kirari appear in the track encompassed by fruit and fish. The former alludes to the serpent's enticements in the Adam and Eve anecdote while the latter refers to Ichthys, a fish-shaped acrostic deemed sacred by the early Church. Because Kirari often compares the order she has established to an aquarium, let us assume the fish is her insignia. The fish may also insinuate the duo are manifestations of Yin and Yang, which is reasonable considering their black and white designs, but this is less likely. In addition, a shot where Midari shoots a girl whose head is a strawberry is featured --- after shooting, a banner stating "Heaven or Hell" appears. In terms of roles and actions in the series, Yumeko carries the debts of others, disrupting the system, and Kirari maintains the debt system itself. This symbolism also exposes some undertones of Christianity, as Yumeko and Kirari are not the polar opposites people perceive God and Satan to be. The color schemes of their designs differ entirely. Black is a prominent color in Yumeko's design, signifying darkness, and Kirari's design is primarily white, representing light. However, these can also represent other notions. Black is associated with mystery, rebellion, sophistication, elegance, formality, aggression, evil, power, strength, seriousness, and authority. Kirari is the authority of the school despite this representation, but Yumeko is gradually climbing up the hierarchical ladder, nevertheless. Given Yumeko's well-kempt, 'yamato nadeshiko' appearance and courteous dialogue, the messages of formality, elegance, and sophistication are valid. However, this design is also reminiscent of many symbols in Japanese horror such as Tomie, Enma, and Sadako. It implies she is a mixture of both and further reinforces her duality. Her breaching of Kirari's system is rebellious, and her largely unenumerated background is mysterious. Regardless of these alignments, darkness suits her as well. Elementally speaking, red and black are respectively affiliated with fire and water, further reinforcing the notion Yumeko has duality. Meanwhile, Kirari's white color is incredibly contradictory, but this is not an analysis of her, so I shall not digress. I will probably analyze her in the future.

Regarding capitalism, the gambling den which serves as the setting of Kakegurui and each of its ties comprise a purely capitalist society. Money is the key to both power and caliber. Yumeko passively defies the system, which exemplifies her alignment: Chaotic Neutral. Kirari and her accomplices such as Runa, Sayaka, Midari, and Yuriko are the government; they perpetuate the class system. The -bami clan has politics of its own and can torture and rampage as much as it wishes due to the money and authority it possesses. Yumeko is a member of this clan but seems to be quite disinterested in its affairs. Many of her relatives are or were dedicated gamblers, so it seems to have become second nature to her. For example, her older sister lost her sanity after risking everything in a clan conflict, resulting in hospitalization. Yumeko's parents died of allegedly unknown causes, insinuating their demises were concealed by the clan and involved them.

When asked by Mary if she was familiar with any of the -bami students, she hesitated and then answered dismissively, which was clearly fabricated. She seems not at all bothered by this baggage, meaning she either suffers from self-induced denial or genuinely does not care. Rei, who had a pleasant relationship with Yumeko's sister before her hospitalization, took her apathy personally, inquiring about whether she felt any guilt towards those she has obliterated via gambling. Yumeko's response was the epitome of addiction: she claimed to feel guilt for not feeling guilt. When Rei unintentionally walked into Yumeko's sister's hospital room while Yumeko was visiting, she saw little sympathy in her eyes. She adds the following inquiry: "Do you know what it feels like too? When a person sinks into despair?" The manner in which she phrased this refers to both her sister and herself. Given Yumeko's circumstances, she most likely "sank into despair" and coped through gambling. However, referring back to "feeling guilt for not feeling guilt", this guilt could have consumed her. The powerful possibility exists she and her sister were in similar situations, but it could also be quite the opposite, resulting in disconnection and therefore apathy. This apathy may be innate as well.

This leads to the core of my theory. Yumeko was born into a gambling family and conditioned into valuing it. She was likely born detached from others and genetically more susceptible to addiction due to the family's customs, but her current state was probably ignited by conditioning as well. The Jabami family was a lower-tier party in the -bami clan, and the capitalist theme of Kakegurui comes into play here, as they possibly gambled for a higher position in the clan --- or simply for the thrill like Yumeko. It would also be psychologically plausible for Yumeko to have experienced trauma due to the clan's harsh and violent ways. Torture was commonplace in several branches of said clan, and Yumeko may have witnessed some of it due to the loss of her family or the natural process of living in this environment. Being poisoned in Season 2 did not seem to affect her greatly; she may be emotionally numb to these acts due to past experiences, or she could have merely been born this manner. She never reacted to Rei's enrollment in the academy either, meaning she was either apathetic or unsurprised. Her relationship with Rei before the events of the story is unknown but most probably meager and distant, founded solely on external observations such as those acquired during the two's mutual visit to the hospital or the auction gamble towards the end of Season 2. The girl has a photographic memory and excellent analysis skills but nonetheless resorts to hunches to shake gambles up; were these characteristics attained over time because of her experienced past in gambling, were they present at birth, or are both the case? Notice my repetitive usage of the terms "either" and "or"; much of this is hypothetical. It is ultimately an enigma whether nature or nurture was the dominant factor contributing to her instability, but both seem to have played a role. Some people are born like Yumeko, others obtain her identity over time, and some are the result of a mixture. Another aspect of her identity implying sheltering and isolation is her lack of familiarity with basic popular culture, but anhedonia and hedonism may have lead to a general absence of interest in the most simplistic of hobbies, which is similar to Midari's situation and another reason the latter empathizes with her.

Yumeko is aware of her gambling addiction, and she is obviously correct, but has she been formally diagnosed? She may have been evaluated when her sister was hospitalized to ensure she would not meet an identical fate; this is not evident, however. It was practically a given for her to be a gambling addict due to her lineage. When push comes to shove, nobody will risk anything they cannot afford to sacrifice. Yumeko has absolutely nothing worth living for and resorts to gambling because it is the final shred of her identity remaining despite her loss. Since it is her lifeline, she assigns different purposes and emotions to it such as lust. Nothing else will satisfy her, so she must force this fetish on herself. Many other members of her clan deal with the same issue because of filial traditions. Gambling preserves and defines her being rather than the loved ones she does not have, so she never quits. She associates the thrills of gambling with those of intercourse to cope with a lack of affection, which is additionally a habit of Midari's and the main reason Midari resonates with her. Despite her fixation on gambling and disregard for those she harms, she does not gamble for the purpose of hurting others, and she seems to possess a morsel of kindness. She wishes for everyone to experience the same thrill she does but cannot comprehend the fact they lack her passions and mindsets. She is also shown to have some level of integrity, as she never cheats and seldom bluffs. This enhances the experience of the game to her, but it may also be a sign of "guilt for not feeling guilt". In Yumeko's unfinished game with Midari during Season 1, she plainly stated she is incapable of feeling fear. Is this natural for her, was it acquired through intense suffering, or are both the case? I honestly believe Yumeko gambles partially due to her "guilt for not feeling guilt". She wishes for someone to strip her of everything she has as punishment for her apathy or any past errors she committed in regards to her late and incapacitated relatives. While she claims she cannot feel fear, one reason other than addiction which motivates her to try whilst gambling is fear of being defeated and having to face herself. She lacks the courage to accept it on her own. Paradoxically, she is utilizing her addiction to scold her for her addiction, and she is risking what she does not need because there is nothing else to sacrifice. She has lost everything.

Why does Yumeko abhor Midari? Their desires are very similar, but Yumeko prefers an intellectual challenge rather than a game of chance. I hypothesize Yumeko relates to Midari in a way which causes insecurities and "guilt for not feeling guilt". Essentially, Midari hits too close to home and is a more impulsive, minimalistic, dramatic, blunt version of her minus the clan controversies.

This character is the subject of the show and is considered a foil; instead of independently developing, she contrasts with others like Yumemi and Sayaka to facilitate their development . . . thus far. This is one of she and Suzui's only similarities.

On multiple occasions, Yumeko is compared to a Joker. As aforementioned, Yumeko has duality, and Jokers are very versatile in a deck of cards depending on the game one employs them for. In Wicca, the Joker is represented by the number zero, a character which includes the meanings of all or nothing, stoicism and comedy, wisdom and idiocy, and delight and despair. The message a joker brings is cryptic, disguised, and mysterious. There are typically two in each deck --- dual jokers. Playing cards have been in existence for more than a millennium, but jokers were added fairly later; the system Kirari established thrived for quite some time, but Yumeko appeared and challenged its rules, much like the Joker.

"Yumeko" translates to "dream child"; at first glance, she seems too good to be true as if she came out of a dream, but in truth, she is diabolical and sly as if she came out of a nightmare. Her surname contains several meanings. The translation "heavy drinker" alludes to her addiction. "Snake", "serpent", "bite", "eat", "drink", and "receive a blow" are other potential solutions. The idiom "snake in the grass" applies to Yumeko and may be one reference appended to the translation; she "thirsts" or "hungers" for gambling. In "Deal With the Devil", she is shown removing Suzui's tie with utensils, preparing to "consume" him with her nature. Her eventful and detrimental background may have “taken a blow” to her sanity. Most importantly, "serpent" may relate to the Adam and Eve tale, making the fruit in "Deal With the Devil" a symbol of her. She succumbs to her desires and encourages others to do the same. Kirari, Rei, and many other characters in Kakegurui are also members of the -bami clan, so "bite" is a section of their names' translations as well, but "snake" is not, making this biblical reference uniquely her own whilst "bite" originates from the nature of her clan.

Yumeko's personality type is easily ENTP. Her extension is A, and her alignment is chaotic neutral. Laws matter little to her, but she is not particularly invested in specific platforms either. The woman's insecurities are subtle to the extent of nonexistent, she is very straightforward and simple-minded, she is able to maintain conversations and presence in given situations, and she is largely separated from reality, which is mostly by choice. Her manipulative rhetoric in tense situations would be quite resourceful in a debate, and since ENTPs are frequently referred to as Debaters, this is sensible. Kirari is an ENTJ-A, which further defends my argument about the two being similar despite representing God and Satan. Hence, her acronym stands for “Extroverted, Intuitive, Thinking, Prospecting, Assertive”. The enneagram is highly controversial, so it shall not be applied to Yumeko.

"Insanity is repeating the same action again and again whilst expecting different results." -Unknown

[vulcan-highblood]

I don't know if I've asked this yet, but if you could plan out a Brainy backstory episode for Supergirl, how would you do it (what would lead into the flashbacks), what would you want to see in those flashbacks, and (if you have an answer) who would you want to see as young Brainy? (besides Jesse himself)

Ok well first of all I am so bad at actors, I'm a super auditory person so I have no idea who should play young brainy, I'll leave it up to the casting director.

Now that we've settled that, ooooof im.... Brainy backstory is such a delicious topic! One option would be someone rejecting him for being Coluan, triggering Tragic Backstory Part 1: The Child Who Was A Genius But Also Everyone Hated Him Because He Was The Wrong Kind Of Genius

I've always seen Brainy's rejection stemming not only from his family background but his own idiosyncrasies, and the insistence of others to lay those idiosyncrasies at the feet of his Brainiac heritage rather than consider it a personality or character trait

Imagine every part of who you are is immediately written of as "well you're a Brainiac I'm not sure what I was expecting". You're constantly being held to ridiculously high standards, but if you meet them it's treated like the bare minimum, and people all fear or hate you because of your family tree. Being hated for a shared ancestry with Brainiac 1 is old hat, but I get the feeling it doesn't get any easier.

That's part of my theory about why brainy was in a "dark place", too. If all the expectations are so high but you never get any positive reinforcement, it's very hard to see the point in continuing to do what's expected. I don't think Brainy was evil, but I could definitely see him in a sort of Chaotic Neutral "i do what I want Because people hate me anyway so why bother appeasing them"

I feel like you'd start with a minor breakdown - like, Brainy is confronted for being a "collector" (because yeah timeline wise they're probably not wrong) by some random alien and him having a rough time answering that because he Was (as a child), and his inability to deny the accusation might feed into some other aliens sort of verbally assaulting him. He runs off and is comforted by [Dealer's choice, I'd probably choose Kara but I'm chill with Dreamer or even Alex filling the role] who pries a bit like "people who know you know you're not like that, though"

Brainy meets their gaze with a tired resignation, "Do they?"

Cue flashback - kids his age, calling him collector, mocking his inhibitors, yelling "run away, the Brainiac is going to go crazy and bottle you!!" Etc.

Cut back to Brainy, who says something like "maybe so, but for a very long time, people who thought they knew me held a very similar opinion to those [aliens] in there."

Cue flashback two - Querl is older and even more isolated. We see his father, watching him, not the way a father watches a son, but the way one watches a feral dog - curious, vaguely sympathetic, and above all else, wary. Querl glances up to his father, a smile blooming across his features, until he catches sight of the look on his father's face, and the smile drains away.

"My own father likely would have agreed with them," he says in a softer tone.

"I'm sure he wouldn't," his comforter insists, but Brainy shakes his head.

"If he hadn't, then he wouldn't have sent me away"

Flashback 3 - querl, packing his bags, his father watching without expression, arms crossed over his chest. Querl, boarding a ship, the broad hand of RJ Brande resting on his shoulder, guiding him aboard as he describes the quality of research resources available at the Time Institute. Querl dates a glance back over his shoulder. His father is already walking away, his back to the transport ship. Querl's shoulders hunch inwards as he turns forward once more.

"He sent you away? To where?"

"A place called the Time Institute, though there were abundant research projects unrelated to temporal phenomena of which to avail myself. There were not, however, many research labs that welcomed someone as young, and... Obviously troubled."

Flashback: "Can't say I've ever met a Coluan before, your kind don't go offworld very much. What did you do, bottle a planet?"

Querl flinches, though his reaction is significantly less dramatic than his reactions when he was younger. "I'm not interested in shrinking technology," he says awkwardly, "I was interested in temporal anomalies."

"Right, whatever, just stay out of the way."

Another flashback. Querl is older, his face less expressive, his eyes colder. He's working alone when someone approaches.

"Hey Brainiac, what are you working on now? A way to bottle-"

"My name is Querl,” he interrupts tersely, not bothering to lift his gaze. "do me the honor of addressing me as such"

A few more 'advanced bullying tactics' like "oh sorry, I didn't see your name on the lab requisition, Brainiac' "It's Querl Dox, I signed up last week-" "What are you gonna use the lab for anyway? There's no planets for you to collect in there"

"Hey Brainiac, are you collecting labs now? You have projects going on half the floor, why don't you bottle a few and leave room for the rest of us?"

"Hey Brainiac, what's your problem, don't feel like eating with the rest of us or are you too busy collecting planets to take a break"

"Hey Brainiac,"

"Hey Brainiac"

"Hey Brain-"

"MY NAME IS QUERL!! Sprock!"

Cut back to present day. "I was not... Popular among the research residents. I became increasingly isolated, and felt as though there was no one who knew me, or would even care to know me. So I... I stopped caring, too."

Flashback: Querl, alone in a lab. Querl, shoulder-checking people as he walks down a hallway, nose buried in an omnicom. Querl, eating alone in his lab. Querl, running between experiments that would benefit from an extra set of hands. Querl, sleeping alone in his lab. Querl, typing furiously at a keyboard, scowling and muttering at the formulas. Querl, an explosion ripping through the building, him barely blinking from behind a forcefield while anguished cries sound from behind him.

Querl, seated alone in a chair, RJ Brande staring across his broad desk at him.

"You know the protocol for potentially destructive experiments, Querl," the man says in a calm, disappointed tone. "Why didn't you follow it?"

Querl, staring at his lap, mumbles, "I didn't think anyone would notice"

From this point on, the bitterness becomes more pronounced.

Honestly I could go on to the point where he is actually put in holding for willful endagerment of sentient colleagues, but I think we can guess the story from there. Mon-El. The Legion. Bitterness slowly softens. Friendships blossom. Querl takes the very name used to abuse him, and finds strength in it. He becomes a hero.

[crtalley]

while I post jackdaw over on my sideblog ( @never--the--less​ ) I’ll probably still drop some quality jackdaw content here from time to time simply because I love these characters a ridiculous amount. so here’s a post on the starsiblings (and beth!), the main characters of the novella! (picrew source!) 

jackdaw is our pov character. they are 21 or maybe 3000 or maybe 7 million? they don’t really know. they are too young to be this tired, this cold, and this bruised. they really just want to find their way home and go back to being an immeasurably powerful celestial being pls thx.

beth was found in the woods 20 years ago and honestly she’s okay with that backstory. she rots everything around her into an early grave, and it takes all her concentration on the daily to keep that magic under control. she’s a big fan of gardens, leaf crowns, scarves, and jackdaw.

unkindness is the eldest starsibling by eons. she’s also been in lorne the longest, having taken up residence in a mysterious spire deep in the woods and faded into myth by the time the other two arrive. she surveys the land through the eyes of her ravens, and isn’t interested in going home.

the crow man is a familiar kind of mystery. he stands at the edge of town, jacket and wide hat bustling with blackbirds. you can’t prove he’s done anything wrong but you’re pretty sure he’s committed literally every crime known to man and some known only to gods. his crows speak for him in human voices.

bonus:

rpg alignments are, in order, • jackdaw: neutral evil • beth: lawful neutral • unkindness: lawful evil • the crow man: chaotic evil

because the starsiblings are all terrible people with terrible moral codes (but jackdaw does kind of learn to be better, mainly because of beth)

and an extra-special crow man with his hat (even though it needs to be way wider and full of approximately thousands more crows)

[mythologyfolklore]

Ares and Athena through the years - Ch. 08

Chapter 8: Sickbed visits

.

Three years.

That was how long Ares remained in the Akesian Sleep.

Since he was unconscious, he was fed nectar and ambrosia through infusions.

He was so weak and his divine aura so diminished, that the healing deities had to pour additional healing essence into the water twice a week for over a year.

It wasn't uncommon, that one of them, mostly Apollon and Asklepios, collapsed from exhaustion.

Even after Ares' state had improved enough to end the regular supply of extra healing magic, Apollon was completely drained (Asklepios was more used to working hard as a healer, thus took it better).

“It'll take years for my healing energy to regenerate, but I'll be fine”, he assured his worried twin sister, although Artemis wasn't convinced at all.

“You'll definitely be more fine than Ares, when he wakes up and realises that he'll need decades of rehab to get back in shape”, Asklepios commented.

The three chuckled at the thought; the war god would be so pissed, but he'd have to suck it up.

.

One morning Asklepios' daughter Panakeia (All-Cure) came to check on the patient and found, that the Sleep was coming to an end: Ares would wake up soon.

She beamed and went to inform the other gods.

A few hours later he was out of the pool, had been salved and dressed into a hospital gown and was sleeping in the recovery room.

It was another two days, until he actually woke up; the Akesian Sleep always took a while to seep out and he had been in it for so long.

Apollon was the one, who witnessed his older half-brother waking up.

First it was a slight twitch of the eyelids. They slowly opened and soon Ares was blinking and glancing around disorientated.

Apollon waited until the other's red eyes focussed on him, before he spoke: “Good morning, Ares. Welcome back in the land of the living.”

“Where am I …?”

“You're in sickbay. In the recovery room to be exact. We pulled you out of the Akesian Sleep a few days ago.”

The war god seemed to need a bit to let it sink in.

“How long was I asleep?”, he finally breathed out, his voice too hoarse from disuse.

“Three years”, Apollon answered with a frown.

“Holy shit.”

“Yup.”

There were a few minutes of awkward silence, before Apollon finally asked: “How are you feeling now?”

“Kinda hungover.”

The younger god chuckled: “Yes, the Akesian Sleep does that to you.”

“An' really weak.”

“That's no wonder, after what you have gone through. Do you want something to drink or eat?”

“M-hm. Some water …”

Apollon handed him a jug of water from the night stand.

But when Ares took it, he frowned. “Why is it so heavy?”

The god of light hesitated, but answered: “That's probably your lack of muscle mass. You haven't been training in more than four years, so of course they deteriorated. Take a look at your hands and arms.”

Ares did and his face twisted with disgust at how frail and skinny he was.

“Lemme guess: I'll need years of rehab?”

“You'll need years of rehab.”

“Shit.”

Apollon tried to conceal his pity, knowing the other didn't want it. “Just drink your water. I'll let the others know, that you're awake.”

.

Ares was surprised at how many people came to visit him.

Just a few minutes after Apollon had left, the war god heard a commotion outside.

But then Apollon's voice called out: “Not so fast! He's just woken up, is still in a fragile state and he needs quiet! I will not let you all pester him at once! Only two at a time and that's final!”

I'll show you fragile!, Ares thought sourly, but he still was grateful. He really was in no condition to deal with everyone's chattering, questions … and their pity.

Then Apollon let the first pair in.

Aphrodite pushed Hephaistos' chair next to her lover's bed.

“Hey there”, the latter greeted his older brother. “How are you feeling?”

“Eh”, Ares muttered, “Kinda shitty. How 'bout you two?”

“We've been better”, Aphrodite told him. “We … we've been worried sick about you. Three years in a coma, damn the Fates!”

Ares took a closer look at her and saw that her eyes were a bit puffy. She was wearing make-up and something told him, that it was to conceal wrinkles of sorrow.

Hephaistos too looked a bit drained, and … was that a strand of grey hair?

“You have aged.”

“We know”, Hephaistos replied, “But that's nothing Hebe can't fix. We just didn't want to go to her, before you'd wake up.”

Ares grinned wryly: “Well, I'm sure you two look better than I do. Be real with me, guys; how nasty do I look?”

“You look horrid”, Aphrodite said honestly.

“Not much better than I did, when I got thrown off Olympos, I reckon”, Hephaistos commented.

Ares snorted: “Probably not. Anyway, how are the kids?”

“They're fine”, Aphrodite assured him. “But they miss you. And Eros is sad, because you couldn't be there on his birthday last week.”

Ares smiled fondly. “Tell the kids I love them, hm?”

Aphrodite reciprocated the smile. “I will. And they love you too. You know that, right?”

He chuckled hoarsely: “Sure do.”

I'm a lucky bastard in that regard, I really am.

Suddenly Hephaistos bent forward and took his brother's hand.

“How is the voice in your head?”, he asked earnestly.

Ares closed his eyes and allowed himself to dive into his mind.

Hey! Are you there?

No, Ares, I'm on a field trip to the Garden of the Hesperides!, came the sarcastic response.

The corner of his mouth twitched upward. “He's fine. Back to being an old bitch already.”

Who are you calling an old bitch?!

Aphrodite and Hephaistos chuckled in amusement and both squeezed his hands.

The rest of the sickbed visit was spent in a silent serenity, that less than a century earlier would have been impossible.

.

Hermes and Dionysos came together (unsurprisingly).

Their visit wasn't as tranquil, but a lot more entertaining in that these two had a lot of funny stories to share with their older brother.

Sadly Apollon soon kicked them out, saying that they were too loud.

.

Uncle Poseidon and aunt Demeter kept their visits short, but that was fine, because Ares wasn't particularly close to either.

“What time of the year is it anyway?”, he asked.

Demeter told him, that it was winter. “But Sephy and Hades called, they're coming for a visit too.”

“Neat”, the war god replied, “I kinda miss them.”

“They miss you too”, his aunt replied.

A moment of silence followed.

Then Poseidon spoke: “You know, we were really terrified, when we saw you in that state – and even more so, when we took a look at the chains.”

“How cursed were they?”, the war god inquired.

“Pure evil”, the sea god answered sombrely. “And your parents and us recognised them – the chains that once bound the Kyklopes and Hekatonkheires.”

Ares' eyes widened.

Of course he had heard of them; Zeus had told him all about the beginning of the Titanomakhia, when he was small – when they had still been half-way on speaking terms, of course. Zeus had mentioned the chains, but Ares had assumed it was to make the Titanes look more evil. So they had been real?!

“We don't know, how the Aloiadai got hold of them”, Poseidon continued, “But don't worry, the chains are no more. One of the Protogenoi obliterated them.”

Ares nodded. “Good.”

“The Aloiadai are gone too. Athena and Artemis took them out.”

“Even better.”

.

Artemis came alone.

“'Sup, psycho”, she greeted him.

Ares grinned. “'Sup, spoiled brat.”

She laughed, but quickly settled down and cleared her throat.

“Ahem, fun aside. How are you feeling, considering the circumstances?”

He shrugged weakly. “Could be better.”

“You nearly died.”

“I know.”

She refilled his jug with water and he took it gratefully.

After taking a few swigs, he set it down on the night table.

“I heard you and Daddy's Owl took them out?”

“Yes, but stop calling Athena Daddy's Owl.”

“Not in a million years.”

Artemis rolled her eyes. “You know what, forget about that. If it's any comfort to you, their death was slow and painful. And Eris helped us too, sowed strife and that junk.”

Ares grinned: “It is a comfort. Thank you, Basileis¹.”

Her eyes widened, as he used that epithet.

He had never called her that before – normally, if he didn't call her by her name, he called her “Lêtôis”² or, if he felt spiteful, “bastard child” to rub her illegitimate birth into her face.

For some reason she couldn't help but shrug and grin broadly.

“No problem, Andreiphontês³.”

.

When Athena came to see her half-brother, she had in mind, what she wanted to say.

But she was also aware, that Ares would probably ruin her plans, like the chaotic neutral he was. Artemis had already warned her, that he was back at calling her “Daddy's Owl” again, so she didn't expect any good conduct from the brutish god.

The sight caused her a light nausea.

Lying in bed, still skin and bones and deathly pale, he looked disgustingly frail.

But he seemed as perceptive as ever; he took one look at her face and his red eyes narrowed.

“Spare me your pity, Daddy's Owl”, he growled throatily.

“I would, but it's hard not to pity you; you look truly wretched”, she retorted coolly.

He snorted: “So I've been told. Then again, more than a year in captivity and torture and three in a coma don't exactly make one prettier.”

She took a deep breath to remain calm.

“I heard that I'm obliged to you”, he went on, “I can't claim that this pleases me.”

“I know.”

He sighed frustratedly: “Thanking Artemis was much easier. Then again, I don't hate her as much as I hate you.”

“The feeling is mutual. And frankly, I hope I will never be obliged to you. The last thing I want is for you to help me out of a precarious situation, when I can't do it myself for some reason.”

The response was a faltering, wheezing laugh – eerily similar to a death rattle.

She frowned: “You sound like you're dying from pneumonia. Are you sure your lungs are completely healed?”

“Well, with my luck, they might still be damaged. Or my voice and throat are just that hoarse from disuse. Anyway, Daddy's Owl-”

“Will you ever stop calling me that?!”

He grinned lopsidedly: “Sure, on the day you're not Zeus' 'little Owl-Eye' anymore.”

“… You know, a simple 'No' would have sufficed, you fucking arsehole.”

He mock-gasped: “What is this I hear? Is Zeus' favourite losing her composure?”

Refusing to dignify that, she turned away and spoke icily: “You better recover quickly, because I can't wait to kick your sorry behind again.”

Ares laughed again: “Actually, I might just train harder and one day I'll be better than-”

Suddenly he stopped short.

“Wait … wait, are you – Owl, are you crying?!”

“Bullshit”, she muttered and blinked furiously, before turning back to him.

Ares was sitting up – albeit with some effort – and looking completely bewildered.

“Hey, come on, don't cry. I'm sorry! I didn't think you were that upset about-”

“I'm not crying, you twit!”

“Yes, you are! Ya know, there are paper tissues on the night table-”

Ares gasped in surprise, as she grabbed his face. Her eyes were blazing with fury.

“What the Tartaros were you thinking?!”, she hissed, “Taking on two opponents twice your size, while you were still having that cough, you … you stupid fuck! You dumbass!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know”, he muttered, “But next time I'll be better prepared …”

“Shut the Tartaros up, you moron!”

She slapped him, only to hug him immediately afterwards.

Ares tensed up at first, but then she felt his hand gingerly pat her back.

“Shhhh. Hey, come on. I'll be fine. Give it a few years of rehab and we'll be back at each other's throat.”

Athena chuckled wryly: “Good. I have a lot of pent-up aggression.”

“Ditto! An' just you wait, Daddy's Owl! I'll train harder than before and one day I will surpass you!”

She snorted: “Keep dreaming, Thêritas⁴. I will always be the better one.”

“You keep telling yourself that, you arrogant owl!”, Ares cackled. “I will get you off that crazy high pedestal of yours, you'll see!”

But all of the sudden he stopped laughing and his face grew suspicious. “Wait … look at me.”

One piercing gaze later, Ares' red eyes darkened with realisation.

“Eris has told you everything.”

Athena, knowing what he meant, nodded. “She has.”

“You haven't told anyone.”

“No. I promised her not to.”

“Good. Hey, lemme propose a deal to ya.”

Athena's interest was piqued. “Oh? What is it?”

“You'll continue keeping quiet about it. I won't tell anyone about your breakdown.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You're driving a hard bargain, brother.”

He smirked: “That I do.”

“… Alright. It's a deal.”

“And this better not change anything between us.”

“Absolutely not. You're the last person I'd give special treatment to, Ares.”

“Good. Let's shake on it.”

With faces like thunder they shook on it.

.

A few visits later, he was feeling incredibly tired and really just wanted to sleep.

So he couldn't help but groan, when Apollon told him that another couple was waiting.

“Yes, I know you're tired and I told them you need rest, but they insist and I can hardly turn them away”, the blond explained awkwardly.

“Never mind”, the war god muttered. “Let's get this over with.”

“Right”, Apollon nodded and went into the other room.

Ares was … actually caught by surprise, when his half-brother returned with his parents.

They sat down by his bedside.

Awkward silence settled in, none of the three knowing what to say.

Until eventually Ares said: “Hey.”

To his dismay Hera broke down and cried into his covered stomach.

Zeus sighed and stroked her back.

Hating to see his mother cry, Ares placed his hand onto hers.

“You idiot!”, Hera sobbed, “You complete and utter dumbass! Taking on two Gigantes by yourself, while you had a cold no less! What were you thinking?!”

“That's a good question”, Zeus agreed sternly, “Ares, what were you thinking?”

Ares almost laughed, but held it in. “I was just sick of it. Those two bastards harassing everyone. And no one was doing anything.”

Then he frowned at them reproachfully. “Why did it take you so long to go and look for me? Would you even have done something, if the mortal who found me hadn't told you where I was? I know we're estranged, but this is bullshit.”

“You're doing us wrong”, Zeus replied, “It's true, it took us four months to realise, that you had been kidnapped – but we never stopped looking for you once we did.”

Ares lifted a brow. “Where did you think I was? Didn't you notice it was suddenly much quieter?”

Zeus chuckled: “It's never quiet here. But to answer your question, we thought you were in Thrace. It wasn't until Helios told us what had happened, that we learned the truth. But he couldn't say where you were, because the Aloiadai took you to some place the sunlight doesn't touch.”

“… Why would I go to Thrace in such a situation?”

Hera looked up and glared tearfully. “How should we know? It's not like you ever let us know, what really goes on inside your head!”

That was true. Ares always said, what was on his mind right now, but he never let anyone see, what was beneath. His bluntness and honesty were superficial.

The war god closed his eyes and heaved another sigh.

“I'm sorry”, he murmured. “I … I didn't mean to make you all worry. I didn't even think you actually care.”

“Well, you're wrong!”, Zeus and Hera snapped in unison – blinked, stared at each other and snickered like the old couple they were.

Ares was so happy about this rare moment of harmony between his parents, that he bit back his “Would've been nice to hear that as a kid”-comment.

Zeus cleared his throat and his face grew stern. “My son, promise us to never do this again. We very nearly lost you. Had you died, we never would have forgiven ourselves.”

After what he had been through, that was an easy promise to make.

“I promise and … can you say that again?”

The King of the Gods tilted his head. “'Had you died, we never would have forgiven ourselves'?”

“No, the first thing.”

Catching on, Zeus smiled.

“My son.”

.

---

.

1) Basileis: Princess, Royal (one of Artemis' epithets, since she's the daughter of Zeus - Ares is basically acknowledging, that his half-sister is not another one of his father's "love children") 2) Lêtois: Daughter of Leto 3) Andreiphontês: Men-Destroyer (one of Ares' epithets) 4) Thêritas: Brutish/Beastly One

[somelizardperson]

Descendants 3

ok so i finally took the time to properly watch d3 and i made some notes throughout, so here they are:

- i love how in d2 mal tried her best to look like and be what audrey would be bc she thought that’s what ben would’ve wanted, and now audrey is changing and looking more like mal bc that’s what she thinks ben likes

- i like what they’re doing with audrey. she does have a point: even if she kinda behaved like a bitch, she was dating ben, and mal basically just drugged him and everybody disregarded how audrey felt. it was never addressed. ben didn’t even properly break up. with her, he just started declaring his love for mal. also if audrey is the one to finally make mal face the consequences of her actions and actually LEARN then i’m down

- why are all the adults looking at mal when asking what to do?? she ain’t even queen yet, and she’s the least qualified in the room to deal with these issues. they’re both teenagers, but ben has at least been trained and prepared to be king. why are the adults so irresponsible??

- “i dont want to take away your dream” why the fuck is she prioritizing ben’s wishes?? this isn’t about him, it’s about all the innocent kids stuck on the isle!!

- ben is a bit more likable now i guess? he hasn’t done anything overly stupid and annoying yet, so that’s an improvement.

- ok i think the fact that mal now starts prioritizing auradon over the vks is basically down to society’s pressuring her. all of the core 4 were transferred to a more privileged life, but the difference is that mal basically became a public figure, and in order to stop society from scrutinizing her she became what society wanted to see. she had this theme in her outfits and presentation of this rebel, bad girl, she wears a dragon themed dress as an homage to her heritage, but she’s not a rebel. she’s exactly what auradon wants her to be, just repackaged to look super cool and progressive. evie, the girl who likes glamour and fashion, and always wanted this luxurious life is a way better representation of a rebel, since she remembers what life was for her back at the isle and wants to help those who were less lucky. mal can’t ACTUALLY represent the vks properly.

- damn i love celia she’s adorable (and dizzy too)

- i LOVE the parallels between audrey’s upbringings and the vks. it kinda blurs the lines between auradon being “the place for the good guys” and the isle being “for the bad guys”, since evil can still be raised in auradon and the isle could be home to genuinely good people (dizzy, for example). and i like how when they find out that the crown was stolen they immediately assume it was uma, not even considering someone from auradon could’ve done it.

- “so long suckers” DAMN I LOVE HER

- they ride BIKES now what a glow up

- carlos just ditching jane’s birthday is a mood

- audrey ominously singing happy birthday is sponsoring my gayness

- i love celia. did i day that yet?

- i can’t help but want to make carlos’ hair into a mini-ponytail on like the top of his head, you know what i mean?

- what the fuck did they expect when they just parked the bikes without looking after them? of course harry fucking stole them you’re on the isle.

- this entire dungeon thing gives me a disneyland ride vibe, and i dig it.

- hades not actually having the dog would make sense, since why the hell would they give him the giant dog which could potentially cause a ruckus and destroy the place? i mean, they did take away magic, so it would make sense dangerous pets would also go.

- OH FOR FUCKS SAKE OF COURSE HES HER DAD.

- ok but it kinda recontextualizes her desire to close the barrier forever, since it could read as an attempt to cut off her parents, since hades could’ve also tried to take adcantage of her like maleficent.

- “try being married to your mamma” SO THEY WERE ACTUALLY MARRIED??? this shit is like disney’s own crack fan fiction what the fuck

- i love how celia just accidentally walked in on this family fighting session and is just in the background watching the entire thing

- hades has his nailes painted??? valid

- i REALLY hope they won’t make audrey into just a “crazy ex”, bc she has a point!

- ok ben starts getting on my nerves again. “who put a spell on you?” “just give the septor and i’ll forgive you”. he still doesn’t understand that it was his fault for never addressing mal drugging him into a relationship. nor him, nor mal apologized for dismissing audrey like that. bal have some cute moments but the fact that this relationship’s fundamentally based on toxicity is never addressed is bothering me too much to enjoy it.

- what was harry and gil’s shipname again?? i forgot, i’m just gonna call them garry bc that’s fun. anyway i love them.

- UMAAAAAAAAA SHES BACK I LOVE HER

- uma is the real vk activist we need!!

- i love how the pirate crew are all chaotic neutral.

- why did nobody take evie’s gum?? don’t be mean to evie!!

- i just love the pirates. they are my fucking saviors right now.

- there’s so much sexual tension between everyone in his movie and celia is just in the background forced to watch all of it

- tbh the songs aren’t that bad so far, i didn’t like vk day, but i like the energy night falls brings into the scene, and i like this entire scene overall.

- harry’s face when evie complemented his accent is adorable.

- “i love you” “i love you” GAY. the fucking look in evie’s eyes when she said that? GAY.

- gil suggesting to play the icebreaker just to complement jay had gay energy

- celia genuinely caring about the twins and dizzy is simultaneously adorable and also breaks my heart

- “well we haven’t actually used the l word yet” doug and evie are better off breaken up. and. by that i mean only evie, i don’t give a shit about doug.

- is she actually singing a song about doug? oh my fucking god.

- JUST FUCKING BREAK UP. NOBODY GIVES A SHIT ABOUT DOUG. EVIE DESERVES BETTER.

- does disney actually think anybody gives a shit about doug?

- HE FUCKING WOKE UP

- i was waiting for him to not wake up and evie thinking that he doesn’t love her and going on about how sad she is only to then realize she is the one who doesn’t love him. like, how cool would it be for disney to leave one of their female leads to be single at the end of a movie? instead of having her realize she’s in love with him and this is true love her going through a realization that she doesn’t love him and that it’s ok? her realizing she doesn’t have to constantly be trying to look for her true love and take things slow? but no, we have to make her first proper relationship her last.

- i’m still convinced janelos is mlm/wlw solidarity

- wh- why is harry flirting with jane? wha- is this a ship now? is harry/jane a ship? hane? jarry? what the fuck?

- celia and uma eating cake together is adorable

- both uma and celia are adorable

- just generally uma eating cake is adorable

- i’m at the point where mal is all alone now, and i’m glad the theories that the core 4 is gonna divide into two “teams” based on the trailers didn’t turn out to be true. mal is probably the only one who didn’t actually change her ways as a villain but just switched sides. she’s still selfish at the core, and i like that they’re singling her out to really challenge her.

-on that note it could actually be completely fucked over and not addressed again but oh well. i’ll have to wait and see.

- i like her taking responsibility. yes, mal had a hard childhood, but she had to now put in the work to be a better person. she has a supportive environment which are her friends, so now she just has to put in some effort.

- dizzy saying “same” like that saved my life

- mal!! finally!! apologizing!! to audrey!! yes!!

- mal!! admitting!! that her own idea!! was wrong!! yes!!

- yes i approve this plan let’s abolish borders too

- UMA JUST FUCKING REJECTING HARRY DMFNSKFNSN

- ok so what’s the harry and audrey ship name? haudrey? audarry? haurrey?

I honestly don’t think this was a bad ending to the trilogy. I have mixed feelings about the core 4 going back to see their parents in the end, but it was overall an enjoyable experience, and probably my favorite of the 3. I’m gonna write some more coherent thoughts on it later, since this post is already too long djdjdsks

feel free to respond to this post and start a discussion

[emathevampire]

6, 17, 22, 47, and 100 for Amanthos?

6. What is your character’s opinion on nobility? On authority? Amanthos is lawful neutral, heavy emphasis on lawful. Knowing this, you’d probably expect him to be a spineless bootlicking coward who blindly obeys whatever authority happens to be in front of him... but he specifically holds himself to the laws of his own people, which demand that he serve and protect the living, and that means fighting evil and righting unjust systems where he finds them. He also serves a god of knowledge, who demands that knowledge be free to those who are willing and able to seek it. So for an incredibly lawful librarian, he finds himself hanging out with an awful lot of rebel scum and starting an awful lot of revolutions... and getting kicked out of a surprising number of libraries. He’s tried to turn himself in after accidentally kidnapping someone while breaking and entering into the secret lair of an untouchable noble to get to the bottom of a missing persons conspiracy. Basically, he respects the law, the enforcers of it, and the nobility... unless they’ve done something to make him feel obligated to do something about it. Then he’ll absolutely tear it all down.

17. What is your character’s favorite season? Like most astronomers, Amanthos has a love-hate relationship with winter, because while the night is longer, freezing your face off with your eye pressed to a telescope for 12+ hours trying to take notes with heavy gloves on in a tower on top of a mountain above the clouds at midnight in December is absolutely miserable.

22. What animal best represents your character? Hmmmmmmm. Probably moths, honestly. Nocturnal, soft and dusty, look fragile, eat paper, attracted to light... yeah. moths.

47. How did your character spend their childhood? Where did they grow up/who were their childhood friends? He had a pretty happy childhood, all things considered. He grew up in Ka’ama, the capital city of his homeland, which... best easy description I have is think aesthetically the city of Gondor, only it’s full of ancient elves, older magic, and legalized necromancy. When he says he spent his entire life in the biggest library in the world, he’s not lying, he was actually born there and even died and became undead there, dedicated himself to the order of monks that live there, he’s spent more time lost in those halls than some of the scholars who run the place. Most of his childhood he was either by himself or with his sister, Nikiti, until he went off to school, at which point he and Arekos became absolutely inseparable until it came time for them to decide on their careers. He has always been rather aloof, and didn’t have many friends, mostly seeing them as distractions from his studies... whenever people call him a friend, he usually tells them not to, as it takes him a very, VERY long time (like 15+ years) to consider anyone more than an acquaintance, and the level of familiarity others have for him after only a few days or weeks makes him uncomfortable. It’s a trait many of his people have, being extraordinarily long-lived compared to the rest of the world, though he is even less understanding of humans and their quick attachments than most.

100. What, currently, is your character the most curious about? Currently, he’s very curious to see whether or not the party can actually succeed at redeeming Maalik, the devil bound to Shiro, their sorcerer. In the multiverse of our campaign setting, my universe is the only one where ANYTHING has the potential for change, anything can atone, anything can choose to stop being evil and be redeemed... even demons, devils, and chromatic dragons. Asmodeus himself could be a good guy, if he ever felt like quitting as a villain. Now, this is a good enough thing to be curious about testing on its own, but Amanthos has a personal stake in the matter. When I played him as a PC, at the end of a long campaign he ended up having to take the throne as an Archdevil on the Council of Nine. Because he couldn’t leave the task to someone else, but also knows it’s only a matter of time before the power corrupts him and their plan to destroy evil forever by playing the long game from within fails because of him... he sent an avatar of himself to search for someone who could take his place. Someone good enough to resist corruption. Someone like Shiro, who’s spent his whole life with a devil bound to him and still manages to be stubbornly Chaotic Good. And if the party can redeem this devil... maybe there’s hope for the devil that the true Amanthos will have become by the time all is right again with this world. Because time is running out for him, and he can only keep his soul for so long, delay doing what needs to be done for so long, before he slips and falls right down that slippery slope of good intentions.

I the DM am VERY curious to see how this all resolves in the end. It’s all very elaborate, and 100% behind the scenes still, the party has no idea what he truly is, though I have begun dropping hints that he’s not quite what he seems there’s not going to be any way for them to start putting things together for at least another year probably. It’s an extremely long con... but I’m excited to see it pay off in the end.

[v0id-necr0mancer]

Mirror Self

Helsona, anyone?

-------------------

Sar didn’t think of much of it when they went to the Nether for resources. It was usually a quick trek to get some quartz, soulsand, and sometimes some glowstone before heading back to the Overworld. Their void-touched status didn’t change much for them when changing dimensions, nor did it impede them from any normal player functions. However, they didn’t exactly stop to ponder if the change affected someone else as well…

Sar went around a group of fires constantly burning due to the netherrack, wary of the flames and not wanting to be set on fire today, thank you. They continued on to find a vein of quartz in the ground. They took out their pick and started mining, hoping for a good haul so that they could go back to the Overworld sooner rather than later.

As they worked away at the white crystals embedded in the netherrack, a shadow crept up unbidden behind them. With a swift hit to the head, the void-touched human was made unconscious with a bruise surely to form where their assailant had knocked them out. The figure didn’t say anything, only taking up Sar’s arms and dragging them away, making sure to pass over sharp rocks and gravel.

The person dragged their haul far, deep into the Nether. They finally stopped at a nether fortress, none of the mobs paying any heed to the strange duo. The mystery person brought Sar to a sealed off room, chaining the passed out human to the far wall. They then took out a clipboard and papers, noting down some notes as they waited for the one from the Overworld to wake up.

Time passed, and after a while Sar woke up. As they regained their senses, the first thing they regained was touch. They could feel manacles around their wrists and the stifling heat of the place they were in. After that came hearing and the scratch of pen on paper as well as the clicking of distant bones belonging to skeletons.

Opening their eyes, their vision was hazy for a moment before clearing up. In front of them was a person, with black hair and dark greyish skin. Tall red horns poked out from the other’s head, bigger than Sar’s own light purple ones. Their only visible eye was a bright yellow, surrounded by a dark red colour, not dissimilar to the Overworld player’s void-touch. The person had a two-toned red waistcoat with a black button-up shirt underneath.

The other also wore some purple headphones, the speaker on the right side of their face. They had dark grey slacks and black shoes. All in all, they looked very business-like and composed, compared to Sar’s messy hoodie and demeanour. Seeing that the person was writing things down on a clipboard, they were probably more organized too.

“you’re awake, finally.” the other remarked, a slight echo to their voice. They hadn’t looked up from their writing, not pausing in their note-taking.

“guess I am. Who do I have the honour meeting then?” Sar jokingly asked, hoping that their slightly cheerful attitude wouldn’t betray their nervousness of this situation.

“you may call me Raz. I suppose I should explain who I am, though it shouldn’t be too hard to guess, even for a peasant like you” the stranger, now named Raz, answered. Sar raised an eyebrow at this Raz individual. Peasant, huh?

“Ok then, Raspberry” they replied, giving a little smirk at the affronted sound Raz let out “I might be guessing here, but you’ve probably got something to do with the Nether…? I mean, it’s just a guess, really-“

“yes, yes, I have to do with the Nether, you may stop guessing now” Raz irritably interrupted, a frown taking the place of their previously deadpan expression “and I’d rather you not call me a fruit, it’s rather undignified”

“Mmmh, nah, imma still call you Raspberry” Sar retorted, grinning at the irritated Raz “anyways, what are you, really? Can’t say I remember anything about Nether beings kidnapping people lately”. Raz let out an exasperated sigh, pinching their nose as if they were getting a migraine from just interacting with Sar. They started explaining once their hand fell back to their side.

“I am your opposite, your mirror, your negative polaroid. I am you, yet not. I am what you aren’t, with a large emphasis on the less good and moral side of you. In layman’s terms, or I suppose, idiot’s terms, I am your evil self” Raz explained, deadpan the whole time.

“…honestly, that’s just really cool” Sar admitted after a few seconds of contemplation “I didn’t really think I’d have an evil self but here I am I guess”

“you know, I watched you through mirrors and portals, but your stupidity really astounds me. Especially now that we’re in person. Well, as much of a person as I can be, I suppose…” Raz had muttered the last part, which piqued Sar’s interest ad curiosity.

“you aren’t a person?” They asked, tilting their head inquisitively.

“well, not in the physical sense, I suppose. I don’t exactly have a body” Raz explained, shrugging lightly. They went over to a wall and put their arm, up to the elbow, through the wall. Their form shimmered, became more transparent until they pulled their arm back to themselves. Raz had always been slightly transparent, Sar quietly realized to themselves, they just hadn’t noticed because people aren’t usually very ghostly like that.

“so, if you’re me… do you also have a newspaper?” Sar asked, grinning at their slightly taken aback evil self.

“I just demonstrated my situation of not having a body… and you ask me if I also have a newspaper?” They said, dumbfoundness colouring their tone instead of the usual deadpan “i knew you were strange but…” They shook their head, composing themselves for a few seconds before answering the question.

“Yes, I do also have a newspaper, called the Heralding Demise. We’re currently in competition with the bigger and more popular Heralding Hermit. I will say though, that the piece I wrote about the campion of Hels being our saviour was much better than the piece the Hermit did. I can sway the population much better than they can…” Raz explained, ranting slightly about how their newspaper was the superior one.

“wait, that sounds like propaganda” Sar interrupted, frowning at Raz.

“of course it does. That’s because it Is propaganda” Raz replied matter of factly.

“Raspberry, how dare.” Sar said, looking at Raz disapprovingly “the press shouldn’t be biased, it should be neutral and used to inform the populace on all sides of the story! How could you write propaganda!”

“Bribes are nice, I can use those things people give me to write to bribe other people” Raz replied, shrugging “also, stop calling me raspberry.”

“Raspberry. Anyways, what were you even planning to do with lil old me? You had to have kidnapped me for a reason, right?” Sar asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

“Ah, yes, finally a sign of intelligence. Now that you’ve asked, it’s time to get to business. I plan to take your body and use it to go to the Overworld. Then, you’ll be the one stuck here as I kill all of your friends” Raz monologued.

“yikes, slight complication with that, mirror self. One of them is kind of an elderich being, one of them is already dead, and lastly I’m gonna escape from here so you can’t do that” Sar said, shrugging with a smile saying ‘what can you do?’. Raz frowned, not comprehending how their good self could escape… until Sar bashed their head against the wall.

“what the-“ Raz let out, taken completely off guard “what are you doing? Are you trying to get yourself killed?!”

“Yep!” Sar cheerfully replied with a grin, a stream of blood going down the side of their face as they hit their head again “see, if you really are my mirror, a complete swap of my personality, then you’ll be orderly as hell. I’m chaotic as everything, so you won’t ever be able to predict what I’ll do, which is great for me, not so much for you!”

Then, the chaotic void-touched human slumped over, eyes emptily staring forward as they disappeared in a poof, all of their items scattering on the floor. Raz stared at the single stain of blood on the floor, a drop of blood from Sar’s head wounds.

They put a hand up to the right side of their face, where the red Nether matter crept up to their eye, a mirror to Sar’s own Void matter. It had appeared a small while ago, as the Overworld dweller became void-touched. Raz sighed, shaking their head as they let their hand drop back down. It seems like acquiring a body would be much harder than they anticipated.

[thedarkestdragonknight]

LFRP/LFC - Lusaut de Durendaire (Mateus)

(Screenshot courtesy of @theaetherhealerffxiv <3, also sending a tag to @talechaser-ffxiv because reasons)

Lusaut de Durendaire, of House Durendaire

All these broken souls They never make me whole They don't, they don't know my heart They don't know my heart

Ricochet - Starset

Disclaimer: Lusaut is not a nice, ball of fluff and good times. He is an evil character that is meant to be cruel and a straight up asshole as well as a Sadomasochist. Because of this Role-plays with him could potentially delve into mature and otherwise adult content with dark themes. Please use discretion when asking to RP with Lusaut.

The Basics ––– –

Age: Twenty (20)

Aliases: The Devil’s Son

Birthday: 32nd Sun of the 5th Umbral Moon

Race: Ishgardian Elezen Halfbreed (Miqo’te Cross, Keeper of the Moon)

Gender: Masculine, Male (He/His/Him Pronouns)

Sexuality: Homosexual, Polyamorous 

Marital Status: Single

Alignment: Chaotic Evil, on a good day he can lean into Chaotic Neutral. This rarely happens however.

Server: Mateus

Physical Appearance ––– –

Hair: Lusaut has a very vivid blood red mane that goes down to the base of his hips, his hair has very faint darker black-purple highlights in it that form tiger-like stripes in his hair. His hair is essentially the Thavnarian Male Hair Mod by the wonderful @misteff so you have the idea on it’s appearance due to my game being on PS4 and not being able to mod him.

Eyes: Heterochromatic due to his mother being a Miqo’te, his eyes have the slitted pupils that Miqo’te have as well. His left (our right) eye is a very pale, almost completely white in coloration while his right (our left) eye is a bright and vivid hunter green in coloration.

Height: 5 foot 5 inches, due to his Miqo’te blood he is far shorter than most Elezen even at their shortest.

Build: Athletic, Lusaut is muscular in his arms and also his leg due to being trained from a young age to be a killer as well as an assassin. He has a very toned physic with a very pronounced six pack as well.

Distinguishing Marks: Lusaut has a tattoo over his left (our right) eye that is a pale grey in coloration, his body is also littered with Freckles. For an idea of how his freckles are, the 3rd row best gives the idea in the image below. Other than this he has a long scar that cuts across his face from the right of his forehead and down to the bottom left of his cheek and a very unique birthmark on his right inner thigh that looks like a pair of hearts with one looking like it’s bleeding in a way.

Common Accessories: Lusaut has an arsenal of things on his belt ranging from knives, poisons, sedatives and anything else that he can use in order to get his job done. He has various herbs and such to help him mix his poisons as well. Other than this the only other accessory he has is a Lapis Lazuli ring that he got from his father as well as an Aetherite Earring on his left (our right) ear that acts as a Linkpearl.

Additional Features: Being Half Miqo’te, Lusaut has a slightly long rather fluffy tail that is the same color as his hair. His ears, while in the area where Elezen ears generally lay on the face, have fur on the backs of them which again, matches his hair color. Lusaut also has long claws on his fingers that he paints red and trims to an extremely sharp, fine point that can easily cut skin if he lashes out.

Personal ––– –

Profession: Assassin and Interrogator for House Durendaire, personal hunter for his father Rimoux de Durendaire. Torturer when he is not in Ishgard (Currently)

Hobbies: Cooking in his spare time, Knife Collecting. He also likes claiming ‘prizes’ from his victims, usually he will take the left ring finger (if his victim happens to be married) or anything of significance to the person he is torturing/about to kill.

Languages: Common

Residence: House Durendaire in Ishgard, Transitory for the most part with most of his time spent in Inns in the various towns he visits.

Birthplace: Foundation, Ishgard

Religion: While he was raised to learn the teachings of Ishgard and specifically Halone, Lusaut has no true interest in any sort of religion as that was never a part of his training.

Patron Deity: Rhalgr, the Destroyer

Fears: Most women (personal reasons), failing his father, letting his prey get away, not being seen as a true Ishgardian

Relationships ––– -

Spouse: None

Children: None

Parents: Rimoux de Durendaire (Alive, Ishgardian Elezen, Father), Unknown Keeper of the Moon (Mother, Deceased)

Siblings: Faust de Durendaire/Greystone (Alive, MIA)

Other Relatives: Members of the Durendaire family

Pets: He has a half grown Behemoth ‘Pup’ that he affectionately named Rama. He also has a Dalamud Red Chocobo name Lucifer.

Traits ––– -

Extroverted / In Between / Introverted

Disorganized / In Between / Organized

Close Minded / In Between / Open Minded

Calm / In Between / Anxious

Disagreeable / In Between / Agreeable

Cautious / In Between / Reckless

Patient / In Between /  Impatient

Outspoken / In Between / Reserved

Leader / In Between / Follower

Empathetic / In Between / Apathetic

Optimistic / In Between / Pessimistic

Traditional / In Between / Modern

Hard-working / In Between / Lazy

Cultured / In Between / Uncultured

Loyal / In Between / Disloyal

Faithful / In Between / Unfaithful

Additional information ––– –

Smoking Habit: Never, Lusaut has never taken to smoking and never really had the chance to fully learn about it since from a young age he was being trained day in and out how to be a killer by his father. He could take up smoking in the future however if convinced to try it. Drugs: While Lusaut does not take any sort of drugs, when he was being trained by his father he would on those occasions when the boy got to be ‘too wild’ he would give him minor hallucinogenic drugs to calm him down and bend him in the ways that he wanted him to. Alcohol: Wine, and that’s about it really. He doesn’t drink often and when he does it might simply be a glass or two and that’s it. For the most part he simply doesn’t have ‘time’ for such pleasantries really and drinking isn’t really something he cares about. Though much like smoking he could be convinced to try other brews if convinced to do so.

RP Hooks ––– –

Insert Hooks Here: Honestly, because Lusaut is a newer Muse for me and I’m still trying to think of ideas for general RP hooks while I ‘flesh him out’ so to speak I am more than open to things. For the most part, Lusaut is more or less a very dark oriented RP type in which he is cruel and doesn’t exactly act nice. So dark themed RPs are to be expected and are likely going to be the general area that I would lean towards for him. That isn’t to say that lighter Ups can’t happen or fluff, I am just tossing out the warning that Lusaut is an Evil character overall and thus dark themes come with his territory.

Insert Mature Hooks Here: Lusaut is very much into men only and because of that he will not be involved with women outside of simple meetings or in the best case scenario as friends/companions. He has not interest in women in regards to sexual intimacy. When it comes to him being involved with other men however it is purely because of carnal desires and nothing more. For the most part Lusaut will usually never return any sort of romantic interest because for him, sex is a thing that he needs to have every so often due to lust. The potential for romantic interest is there however but it will not be easy to obtain because Lusaut is very... cruel. On that note, he has a very big interest in larger males and specifically Au Ra.

Voidsent/Ascians/Primals: Lusaut has quite a bit of interest for the ‘darker’ things so to speak. Besides the fact that his lustful side of him has him attracted to larger men and Au Ra it also leads him to have lustful desires for the more demonic beings of the world that people tend to be fearful of. To him it’s a walk on the wild side and if he has a rather good time then he’s likely to return so that he can continue having such good times. Obviously he has to take caution with these things as he wants to avoid being possessed or tempered by these creatures.

Hook

Hook

Contact Information  ––– –

For the most part Tumblr DM’s, Asks or Submissions are the best way to get my attention or to spark an RP. Other than that, Tells in game if I am online will also be a means to get into contact with me. If you wish to contact Lusaut in game please message me on Tumblr first before doing so. I do not share my Discord with people as it is a safe space for me and I prefer keeping it private to people that I feel are a good fit and good friends.

On that note I tend to be very shy and hesitant with RPing with people I have not RP’d with before. So please bear with me if I seem hesitant to RP with you if I do not know you, ESPECIALLY if it is a more mature RP. I am glad you enjoy my character(s) but I’m still learning how to be more involved in the community and not have major anxiety whenever I speak to new people. 

@mooglemeet | @ffxiv-crystal-rp

[gweyson]

Min Jung A2, A15, B8, B16, C1, E4, E8, F7, G1 and G4, and Caleb A4, A19, B2, B10, E1, E2, F1, F11, G5 and G6?

A2: alignment are they? Chaotic neutral, lawful evil, et cetera…

either neutral or lawful good !

A15: Is your character observant?

yes but not as much as she thinks she is.... she honestly gives herself too much credit

B8: Is your OC considered funny? Do they believe they’re funny?

shes got the kind of humour that youre either gonna think is hysterical or youll hate it with every fiber of your being. shes in the former camp

B16: Does your OC like to be the center of attention or more in the mix?

she likes to be in the mix....its easier to keep an eye on everything there.....like as amazing as she is unfortunately the attention has to be shared around :/ shes big enough to admit that :/

C1: Does your OC have a moral code? If not, how do they base their actions? If so, where does it come from, and how seriously do they take it?

“ok i have to set a good example for my siblings theyre young and need a good role model” *does anything* “fuck not like that”

E4: Did they enjoy school if they went to it?

she didnt hate it per se but shed never wanna go back lmao

E8: What’s one of your OC’s biggest regrets?

she regrets not doing anything when avery was being bullied when he was younger. realistucally theres not much she couldve done yknow but she still blames herself quite a bit

F7: What’s their “dream career” or job situation?

shed love to be a host on a shitty reality game show but that career doesnt have much longetivity and she doesnt have the patience for a hair& makeup team so shes doing a carpentry apprenticeship instead. she does wanna move on tp interior design at some point tho !!

G1: Is your OC close to their family?

shes closest with avery and caleb (she and avery used to be not super close but Plot(TM) brings them together) shes not close to the other sister they have (who doesnt have a name or design or personality but shes about 13). shes closer to her dad than her mum but shes still p close to both even though the mum is...not. the best. min jung is usually the peacekeeper of the house oops

G4: What kind of childhood did your OC have?

pretty average tbh, nothing much ever really happened to her (at this poijt in time anyway)

A4: Are they a pessimist or an optimist?

optimist! hes almost stupidly upbeat oof

A19: What instantly irritates them or puts them in a bad mood?

people cramping his style.............

B2: Do they get frustrated when lines at places like pharmacies, check-outs, delis, banks, et cetera, are moving slowly?

yeah jfkhvdfgkhj he doesnt like waiting around when he doesnt have to

B10: Does your OC find any “bad” or “mean” humor funny? Do they wish they didn’t?

hes laughed at avery behind his back a few times which he feels kinda bad about but, like, what avery doesnt know wont kill him right? he also laughs at edgy memes a lot which he cares less about

E1: Would you say that your OC is intelligent? In what ways? Would your OC agree?

hes slightly above average intelligence, which accoridng to him means hes the smartest most genius man to ever genius

E2: Which of the nine types of intelligence is your OC strongest in? Weakest? (Linguistic, existential, naturalist, et cetera)

im gonna say... logical-mathematical

F1: What sort of home do they live in now, if at all? How did they end up there?

he lives with all his family !! so avery, min jung, other unnamed sister, and their mum and dad

F11: What are some of their favorite things to do for recreation? How did they get into it? What part of it do they like the most?

ill be honest. hes nowhere near developed enough for me to know his hobbies djkfhgkjdd

G5: Did they go through any typical phases growing up?

he went through a phase where hed jsut cry over anything and everything that happened to him. i dont think thats a typical one but yknow

G6: Do they have any favorite childhood memories?

he avery and min jung would have water fights in the summer when they were younger ! ^__^ theyd get told off by their parents but that never stopped them