#how typical of me to get super attached to a side character

[arcadeplayer-nickonz]

he bites and smells like freshly cut grass

finished re-watching Adventure Time and finally watched Distant Lands for Fionna and Cake prep, my brain is making happy sizzling bacon sounds now -

oh yeah and i missed Fern alot so watercolor and colored pencil doodles of h e

[tumblingxelian]

How do some even think that RWBY has male characters “hijack the narrative?” It’s like they project what their grievances with past stories on what looks like the same but not really.

Like Jaundice in Volume 1 flies right by marathoning the season. No bigger than a single episode of TV at 20+ minutes.

So the answer to that questions ranges from what you said to several things like:

Not watching un years & misremembering what was watched, being misinformed & not having watched at all, lying and such. But, I think I hit on another major reason for this problem and its kind of hilariously twisted so please hear me out.

Every arc I've noticed that a certain strain of "Fans" get very attached to one or two male characters and start projecting the idea that they are the real MCs & then get offended when it turns out they aren't.

In V1 to 3, it was Jaune & Adam. Then in volumes 3 to 6 it was Qrow & then Ozpin, Followed by Ironwood in volumes 4 & 7.

All these guys are introduced either in a typical shounen hero or antagonist or mentor and ally role.

Then have the layers people back to show what exists beneath the archetype and what they either have to overcome to remain on the actual main characters side. IE, Jaune, Qrow & Ozpin.

Or what it is that they long since failed or will fail to overcome and grow from that makes them into villains, IE, Adam and Ironwood.

The reason this keeps happening is because that particular strain of "fan" has such a "Men as default" head-space that they cannot, genuinely cannot grasp that they are watching a story about women. Thus they keep expected ay given guy who shows up to be the "real" main character.

Aside:

You may also notice Ren, Oscar & Marrow never gets on the above list. The closest they get is being someone else's cheerleader or not mentioned at all. Meanwhile the white (Or perceived as white in Qrow's case) cis and overtly straight men do get said treatment. I wonder why that could be? Such a mystery :/

But I digress, this is important because it reflects a deep subconscious bias in those "fans" & I think said bias also exists in the people making claims like this.

IE, because they treat men as the default & the protagonists in a given scene, while subconsciously placing women below them and more as accessories, their focus on any given scene is always on the men.

Kind of like those tumblr posts that are explicitly about women & have a bunch of people with piss poor reading comprehension tagging it with dudes or even going so far as to say "Just say gay men". & rather similar to that observation that a lot of fandom treats men, any man from a piece of media, as an inherently deep and complicated character with so much to analyze or so much freedom to expand on. Meanwhile dismissing women out of hand as awful & or boring.

Thus, when they see a group conversation scene, they instinctively assume that the one leading the conversation, with the most to gain from the conversation, with the most narrative weight in the conversation is a man.

Even if he barely said anything and all the lot relevant, interesting character stuff and such was being done by women.

This head-space persists consistently and inflames any given scene, story beat or exchange.

But, here's the twist, these "critics" know o a conscious level that RWBY is about women and that, that is a selling point. But then they look back over their memories, subconsciously blurring out the women and think, "Wow, the girls didn't do anything, it was all about the guys!" Even though its actually just cos they refused to pay any attention to a character that wasn't a man.

Then they get mad because "Clearly the writers are doing this wrong" and ten they get madder when these men fail, or are villains or have to learn lessons, because in their eyes, those guys are the righteous protagonists, and super complicated, "Can't these blank slate girls realize that? Can't the writers!?" But again, its just because they weren't paying attention, rather tan it being a problem in the writing.

Its very similar to that trend of, "There was no queer foreshadowing, they were both obviously straight!" & then their evidence is like, she looked at a man once, & so therefore every interaction with women she has is platonic by default and therefore does not contain foreshadowing.

Damn, could have just led with that, its male bias, rather than straight bias, but the end result is the same. They don't perceive the women on the screen, they don't see the queer signals.

Then, when the story develops around those women, when queer characters & events set up across years happens it slaps them across the face & they insist it must have come out of nowhere.

Sadly, nothing you can say is liable to change their minds, because in a way, they really are watching an entirely different show.

It'd be like if I went into Naruto thinking Rock Lee was the main character & then never adjusted from that perspective.

Not an identical situation, but one that conveys my point regarding why they claim so much nonsense with such confidence.

[20001541]

Hi, I hope you are feeling better now

I've got two things

I like when you write things about afo

and I wanted to ask what made you like afo?

I feel a little better now thanks ♥️

I'm glad to see people appreciate the things I write, helps because sometimes I feel that no one cares. which definetly isn't true, just my brain being dumb 😅

so what made me like afo? what first caught my eye about afo is the whole scene in 193. see before this afo presents himself as this super evil guy who doesn't feel much of anything and just your typical heartless villain. now normally with villains like this they kill anyone who opposes them without remorse, including family members. however, this isn't the case with afo and yoichi.

instead of getting rid of yoichi for being too difficult he tries to reason with him and is insistent that his brother joins him on his quest for world domination. and it made me go huh, if afo really was what he hyped himself up to be then he would just get rid of yoichi when he started resisting and be done with it. yet he didn't and that's what made me really start paying attention to him.

it's always interesting to me when villains have loved one's they care for as it humanizes them. you can see afo in 193 tell his bodyguard not to be too rough with yoichi and that shows he doesn't want him to be hurt. he just wants him to be by his side as he fulfills his dreams. it adds a really neat layer to his character and as more chapters passed by we see just how truly attached he is to his brother and how everything in that story started because of yoichi.

and I just love that aspect of his character. he pushed away the one person he cares for more than anything and now is doing everything he can to get him back. saddest part of it all is that the real yoichi died a long time ago and what he's chasing after is only a small piece that was left.

plus he's funny and has a great character design. and the whole body possession plot is one of my favorite plots in the whole story. he may be weird, but he's my weirdo 😤

[13eyond13]

Who are your top 5 (or top 3) favorite characters from Berserk? And why you loved them? And your top 5 favorite moments from the series? Thanks.....

I think I kinda only have 4 main faves, really? And that's probably a pretty obvious bunch (Guts, Casca, Griffith, and Puck). I got attached to them all in the first arcs and then stuck out the rest of the stuff mainly just for them without getting extremely attached to anybody else (though I do think the rest of the story is definitely worth reading, and there are many amazing things that come later on as well).

(Warning for spoilers below):

I love Guts because I just cared about him and what happens to him way more than I initially expected I would. I think he's very relatable to me personality-wise and just not your typical macho protagonist guy in some pretty interesting and unusual ways. I also like that he's both kind of simple and complicated all at once and not just a corny noble typical hero type guy, but not completely boring and edgy and nihilistic either. It's a fun blend. I felt a ton for Casca as well and just thought she was very sympathetic and tough yet vulnerable too. I think Griffith's idealism and ambition makes much of the intriguing drama and plot happen that I actually care about in the story, and that he's definitely a complex character that's maybe the most fun one to analyze in a fandom sense. And Puck is just that cute little voice of reason / comic relief sort of character who keeps you going when Guts is being particularly grim and surly and difficult to connect to and when the story is verging on way too dark and bleak, and since he's with you from the very start it's hard not to get attached!

Some Top Favourite Moments (I couldn't narrow it down to five):

-Guts's interactions with Theresia, the Count's daughter / that entire scene in the Black Swordsman Arc: Maybe a bit of an oddball choice, but I distinctly remember that this part of the story was surprising and interesting to me in a good way because it just showed some sides of Guts's character that I didn't expect, and made him seem a bit more unusual and interesting of a character to follow in my eyes. I felt like his weirdass/awkward dark advice to her to just kill herself if she really didn't want to live anymore was obviously because he himself had gone through something like that as a kid and then come to that conclusion based on his own survival instincts as well, and just spoke a lot about how strange and rough his own life and upbringing and worldview probably was, to see that as sincerely good advice to give to a kid at that time? It was different than what you'd expect a typical hero to say or do, and the fact that Puck comments on it like "dang, he's not even trying to be an asshole or mean, he legit thinks that's a good thing to say to her" made me laugh as well, because that was the impression I got from it too. It was also surprising to see him like tearing up afterwards? Idk it just marked a moment to me where my interest in the story and in Guts as a character deepened and changed a bit, so I like it for that!

- Guts and Griffith's first swordfight:

So good and iconic and also perhaps one of the most homoerotic things ever to be put on a page

-Guts holding his sword up to the moon and deciding he was gonna fight for Griffith's sake

- Guts and Casca's first kiss: I kinda get the feeling from most Griffguts fans that it's not super popular to have and share positive or warm feelings about this pair, but I thought the moments between them like their first kiss were actually so cute. I thought it made sense for them and their relationship at the time, and was nice to see them both having a soft and warm and consensual moment with someone else that they trusted that way

- Guts explaining how Griffith is the only person he can't stand looking down on him to the rest of Band of the Hawk:

Another moment where Guts pleasantly surprised me as a character, this time with how self-aware and forthcoming he was about his thoughts and feelings on this front. He's a pretty close-lipped character about such things and also pretty private and secretive most times, so whenever he does share those kinds of feelings I'm just like !!! and very invested in what he has to say. I also didn't expect the story to take this direction so explicitly, and thought that his prioritizing of his relationship with Griffith over everything else would remain background and buried in his subconscious at best, so I was pretty intrigued that this part actually happened at all

- Guts and Griffith's second sword fight in the snow:

So many interesting things going on between the main three characters here, and I feel like this was one of the most suspenseful parts of the story to me, I was having actual like heart racing physical reactions to it. I also love how it teases the audience a bit with certain clever fake-outs and whatnot, like making you think this is probably going to be how Guts will lose his arm...

-Griffith's visions of his childhood self / guilt about his dream:

Anytime we got a glimpse right inside Griffith's head was a fascinating treat for me, and I think the scene of him being guilted by the God Hand over his childhood dream was a fantastic bit of writing and artwork, and so important to the story as a whole.

-The Eclipse (up until that one scene):

You love to hate it and hate to love it, basically? It's an awful and traumatic time, but also just so effective at doing what it's supposed to do and such a great buildup of dread for this extremely climactic scene, and the horror of it all is super well done to me (though once it gets to the Casca and Femto part it lost me a bit, because I did not like how tastelessly that was depicted at all)

-Griffith's frozen heart starting to beat again:

There's no way that's just because he's fused with the Moonlight Boy or whatever, right? Love the idea that there's still a kernel of his old vulnerable self in there that he couldn't completely kill

-Casca's healing: this was such a LONG TIME COMING and I was so glad it actually happened and that Miura got to depicting that part of the story before he passed, I felt like it actually took 1000 years, and it was one of the major things keeping me reading due to wanting to see it resolved

[pinkberrytea]

5, 7, 11, 14, 19, 20, 22, 23, 25

Sorry that's maybe a lot to answer 😆😅

:3 💖

Oh no friend, don’t apologize, if you had asked me to answer all questions I would’ve have done so gladly! I love doing these 😭 Thank you so much for the ask! 🫂🌹

From this post!

5. How far is your OC willing to go to get what they want?

Depends exactly on what the object of desire is. If it’s anything related to those she loves, then there’s nothing she won’t do. Otherwise, not very far.

7. What's one way your OC has changed since you first came up with them?

Previously answered here!

Mav was a lot less soft initially! She was a bit prickly and not nearly as needy, but that didn't work as well with other aspects of her personality/background, so I decided to fully lean on her more demure side (and also made her quite a bit dumber since I think it's endearing!).

11. What is your OC's weapon of choice? Have they ever actually used it?

Bloodthirst, the dagger. And yes, you can say it’s been… well-used.

14. How does your OC want to be seen by other characters?

Previously answered here!

As someone worthy of love.

19. How does your OC behave when enraged?

It’s quite difficult to get a rise out of Mav, but if that does happen, she will either lose control to the Urge (although that more commonly happens when she is in a state of complete despair rather than enraged) or redirect the anger to herself and become completely closed off. She’s not great at communicating her own feelings and will typically just cry instead.

20. Does your OC have a tendency to get jealous? If so, how does this manifest?

Mav is not necessarily the super jealous type, but she is very clingy so jealously can happen, especially if her loved one has been ignoring/neglecting her to spend time with someone else. She won’t let them know though, and will instead just keep it all to herself, while at the same time showering them with love and affection to possibly win back their attention (which may push them further away, of course).

22. What character alignment would you consider your OC to be?

She swings back and forth between true neutral and neutral good, leaning more towards the former.

23. What emotion is the hardest for your OC to process? How about express?

Mav has a very hard time processing love and being on the receiving end of it, which is very ironic since it’s the thing she yearns for the most. Even if someone truly loves her, fully and unconditionally, she still has a hard time coming to terms with the irrevocability of it, and will think herself unworthy. As for which emotion is the hardest for her to express, probably anger, especially to a loved one; no matter how badly they hurt her, she won’t want to risk losing them.

25. What is your favorite thing about your OC?

Honestly, I love that Mav is so pathetically broken and flawed. It makes it easy for me to relate to her and it’s one of the reasons I’ve become so deeply attached to her character. Writing her as very imperfect but still lovable has been rather therapeutic, and though I know she is not everyone’s cup of tea, I’m quite proud of how she turned out! She’s my baby ♥️

[eishtmo]

Sledge and the Demon

A story involving one of the characters I created to play Champions Online.

The door opened with the ding of a shop bell. Fitting as the it was basically a shop. One of those junk and antique shops, and no real way to know which was what until carefully examined.

Sledge observed the room as the door closed behind him. He noted the collection of things scattered on shelves, desks and tables. Glass figurines sat behind glass doors, old wooden bowls overflowed with coins and old watches, and lamps had varieties of fabric and knitted babbles hanging from their shades. To him, it was mostly junk, but he could see why someone might want some of it. In another decade even he might.

There was some doubt there. If he didn't want this while he was in his 70s, by official time keeping anyway, he didn't figure he'd want it in his 80s. Still, he knew better than to discount that, too many years told him otherwise.

In any case, he made an effort not to smack anything with the large hammer that he had propped on his shoulder. It's had was wrapped in burlap, tied with heavy twine, but the handle was wood and the weight was amongst his heaviest. Only the training hammer at home was heavier. He quick checked to make sure his cape, the only remnant from his old super hero costume, didn't get caught in the door. Not that it would hurt, just come off the attachments to his suspenders, but he'd rather not fight the door to get it back.

He crossed through the room to a large desk at the far end. Behind it was the back of a high backed, leather chair. The very middle of the desk was empty aside from a green felt pad, while the sides were just as stuffed with knick knacks as the rest of the shop. It was clear, though, these were the most valuable, after all, why would they be on the desk.

"Welcome," a voice from behind the chair announced. "If anything catches your eye, let me know. Be aware that I typically don't take cash, check or card, but I'm sure we can come to some kind of arrangement."

Sledge stopped and swung the hammer off his shoulders, flipping it around so the head faced down and planting it on the floor without even a sound. As he put his hands on the hand end to wait, the chair turned around.

It was a demon, red skin, black hair, black horns, black business suit, exactly what Sledge had expected to find. Sledge's blue jeans, white t-shirt, grey hair and stubble contrasted perfectly.

"Still, I'm sure you're here for something, quite specific." The demon smiled, his voice slick and smooth, his teeth sharp and white.

"I reckin'" Sledge responded, his southern drawl tempered only by decades living in the far north coming through even with so few words.

The demon chuckled briefly. "Of course, of course. Surely this is about dear Miss Lockhart, though I am only guessing."

"Your lil fairies didn't get give you a heads up, eh?"

"No, but then, I do have eyes and ears beyond them and up to the surface." The shop wasn't on the surface, no sunlight shined through it's windows. It was deep below the Earth, at the end of a long staircase hundreds of feet from the entrance, surrounded by a pit of nothing. Sledge had spent the best part of the morning climbing down those stairs, not answering the many questions of the fairies that followed him down. "But really, I just needed your name, and I knew why you were here." The demon reached below the collar of his shirt, right where the tie was, and pulled out a chain with a black claw. At it's end was a small, bright, orange crystal. It seemed to shine from some internal source, and was just bright enough to highlight the hairs of the demon's beard.

Sledge beheld it almost stone faced. "Could be anythin'" he dismissed the gem. "Unless'en you can confirm it."

The demon openly laughed. "You don't trust me?" Sledge shook his head slowly. "Ah, of course not. Still, if we are to deal, there should be some honesty between us. If I told you how I acquired this and what it is, then perhaps we can make a deal."

"It helps that you'd be up for boastin' about it."

"Indeed," the demon said his smile somehow getting bigger. "Priscilla Lockhart. lovely girl. So wanted to help others in anyway should could, often at the end of a gun. What is the phrase, shoot the wings off a fly at 100 yards? Not sure what a yard is, but it sounds quite impressive.

"Still, time takes it's toll. Decades of being a hero, much like yourself, meant she was exposed to a wide variety mystical and biological diseases and one managed to take root, degrading her ability to aim. She sought cures from all walks of life, but couldn't find one. The scientists offered to cut off her arms and replace them with mechanical ones! Can you imagine? The sorcerers had nothing they could offer, and it looked she might have to, as they say, hang up the cape. Not that she wore one, I'm led to believe, unlike yourself.

"Finally she found the one being on all of the Earth that could help her, me." He gestured toward himself and stood pushing the chair back. The demon began to move around the desk to speak directly the Sledge. "She told me her story, and I was quite sympathetic. I determined that I could cure her disease, it wasn't beyond my powers at all, but why stop there? Perhaps I could heal away any number of lagging injuries and future ones as well. And of course, while I'm at it, why not get her back to her peak form, shave off 20 some years and get her back into top fighting form? She'd be young, perhaps forever, and practically immortal! All I needed was something she had in spades, the one thing that drove her to seek me out in the first place, the one thing that was stronger in her than anything else." The demon now stood before Sledge, holding up the little orange crystal, smiling the most evil, vile smile anyone had ever smiled before. "Her empathy."

Sledge nodded with understanding. "She figgered she could handle it, sounds like Prissy."

"Indeed," the demon said, leaning back. His smile didn't go away, but did turn off from it's more extreme edges. "Sadly, she could not. Too see such a great hero lose her way and turn into such a terrible villain, a tragedy worth of a great novel. Or perhaps a comic book. A pity, but she got what she wanted, and so did I. This is perhaps the greatest thing I have ever claimed in all my centuries of trading. It would take quite the offer for me to give it up, wouldn't you agree?"

"I would," Sledge replied.

The demon now leaned against the desk. "I'm glad we agree. Now, what do you have that I would be willing to trade this, my greatest prize, for. Let me see," he trailed off, but only briefly, clearly he knew what he wanted. "You're quite the hero, I have heard tales of your exploits even way down here. Never one of the all time greats, but few who encounter you forget and they all mention how strong you are, swinging those massive hammers of yours. Where does it come from, your parents, I assume. Mother? Father? Both? I suppose it doesn't matter.

"You've been out of the game for sometime now, only just coming back in the fight, but clearly you seemed to be fine sitting it out. Perhaps a return to that life would be worth your time. There are much younger heroes out there, just as strong as you in your prime, let alone now. In reality, your wisdom and experience are why other heroes listen to you, not how hard you hit. Even if you never really retired, you could sit behind a desk, or a monitor and advise from the safety of the home front and the training center. Yes, it would be a transition, but something that might be worth it, after all, how many decades have you lived? Longer than many suspect.

"I will give you Miss Lockhart's empathy, in exchange for your super strength. I think that would be a fair trade, don't you?

Sledge flexed his jaw in thought. "You ain't wrong. It's been a long time wearin' the cape. I wouldn't mind not havin' to go out on the front lines myself. I think I could handle that if I wanted." The demon smiled, but Sledge remained rather stone faced. "Still, I also know my strength is what got me here. That's an awful long set of stairs back there, and while I could bounce up them quite readily now, me being as old as I am, without that strength, well, it would make for a hell of a climb back up. I might not even make it. Would be a shame if I fell, or had a heart attack, or simply stopped being able to walk another step on the way out. Of course, I'm sure you could do somethin' about that, for a fair trade, ain't that right?"

The demon was no longer smiling, but not frowning either. "I am about fair trades, yes. I have stated what I want, and I am quite firm on this." Sledge nodded. "Oh I understand, would you mind if I made a counter offer?" The demon nodded. "Very well then." Sledge lifted the hammer up and held it both hands, the massive, burlap wrapped head near his right hand. "You give me Prissy's empathy and I," he now shifted the weight of the hammer to his right hand more and more. "I don't beat the ever livin' hell out of you with this here hammer."

The demon openly laughed, as if he had heard the funniest joke he had ever been told. "That is your offer? Truly you astound me! I thought you might have done at least SOME research before coming here, but clearly you did not." "I had a friend do some research, book learnin' ain't my strong suit."

"Then your friend must have left out the most important part. You see my friend, I made a deal with the heavens to be able to set up shop here, and that deal stated very clearly that nothing made by a mortal can harm me. It won't hurt, at all, if anything, that hammer of yours would be destroyed as soon as it came into contact with me. Such a joke! Here I thought you were serious about negotiations, and clearly you are not."

"That is a bit of clever wordin' of that deal Makes it so I can't even beat ya with my fists, as those were made by a mortal in a different sort of way. And yet still, my offer here is quite firm."

The demon frowned. "You're serious?" He sighed. "Very well, if you feel so strongly, go right ahead," the demon stuck out his chin. "Then when you fail, we can go back to my proposal."

"You sure bout this?" The demon nodded. "Well alright," Sledge said as he pulled the hammer back with one hand, it's great weight straining even his massive harms. "Now then, this might hurt just a bit." "I doubt it."

Sledge swung his hammer. It connected with the demon's head, square along the side, and the demon flung across the room. One of the nearby tables exploded in a pile of destroyed trinkets as the demon's whole body slammed into it. Glass and pieces of wood fell from the top, covering the demon who didn't move for a moment.

"Oh dear," Sledge said insincerely. "Looks like you broke some of your stuff. I think that might of hurt, but then, I'm willing to try again, just to be sure."

Sledge took a couple steps toward the demon, when a massive fire balls suddenly leapt up out of the pile of debris. The hero blocked the bulk of the fire with the hammer, and the burlap caught fire immediately. As it burned away, the demon got up, his face bloodied and clearly quite angry. He got even more angry as the burlap finally burned away and revealed a hammer head covered in glowing runes, which Sledge promptly gave him a much closer look at as he smashed it into the demon's face again, smashing through another table of chotchkies.

"Made a lot of friends over my many years," Sledge said as he stalked toward the demon. "One is quite the fan of hammers himself, though his was quite a bit smaller than what I use. That is still the second heaviest hammer I ever did lift."

The demon managed to stand, just in time for Sledge to drive the hammer into his arm, driving it into his side and the sickening crack of bones in both the arms and ribs echoed through the room. The demon remained standing, until Sledge swung again coming across the opposite way and sending the demon flying across the room again.

"He ended up being my best man at my weddin," Sledge continued. "And as weddin' gift, he gave me this here hammer. Don't know if he planned for things like this, but it certainly came in handy, doncha think?" He leaned over the demon, still crumpled amongst debris. "Now then, did that hurt? Shall we try another round, I'm up for it."

"TAKE IT!" The demon yelled. He grabbed at the crystal and broke the chain with a pull. "TAKE IT AND LEAVE," the demon spit black blood as he held out the gem in the air before him.

Sledge opened his hand underneath, and the demon dropped it. "Well now, glad we could come to an agreement," Sledge said. "I think I'll make myself scarce, have a good day."

Sledge walked to the door and opened it triggering the little bell, and the demon began to laugh again, interrupting it with coughs of blood. The old hero stopped and looked back. "You're still a fool," the demon spit as he slowly stood up. "Once you return that, my contract with her will be broken. All the years and pain she's accumulated over the decades will come back and she will all but die in your arms. You've gotten nothing!"

Sledge looked at his hand, the crystal still clasped tightly inside, then back to the demon. "You say that as iffen I didn't already know that."

The door closed behind him with a final chime.

[theultimatenonbinarynerd]

Doctor Who: No More Lies Review

Introduction

No More Lies was a very interesting listen I went from confused, to emotional, to heartbroken to shocked all in the span of a whole hour. It's a very dark but heartfelt story at the same time. Out of all of the stories I've listened to this is one that managed to cut really deep. When it all came together I thought it was super clever.

My journey into Big Finish has been an interesting one and Series 1 of the 8th Doctor Adventures has really shown me what Big Finish has to offer in terms of story telling. I'm completely sold. My heart is overjoyed at how much Paul MacGann and the rest of the writers team at Big Finish have really been able to develop the character of the 8th Doctor and help form his own era. This is all cannon to me even though I know cannon is a very lose term in the Whoniverse.

No More Lies as a story was a superb action packed treat. It was a welcome but unexpected suprise that the action was super immersive and worked really well in the audio format. It stands out very much from the other stories I've listened to in the way it plays with the format and makes you dive head first into the thick of things. I love it when stories break away from their format and this one definitely does that. This story was great and its another one I might come back to in the far future.

What I Liked

I really struggled with this story at the beginning but once it got going I instantly fell in love with it. Its another fun concept with very unique villians. You think Zimmerman is the bad guy but then the story flips on itself and it becomes super surprising. The performances were once again top tier and the side characters were very memorable. Your definitely going to get a lot out of listening to this story I promise you.

There's so much to praise about this audio drama but to nail it down I want to highlight the incredible sound design and editing. No More Lies has to be one of the most aesthetically pleasing Big Finish Stories that I have ever listened to. From the sound of the soft footsteps of characters walking about to The Doctor taking part in some fun action, every sound effect really immersed me to the point I felt like I was watching a TV episode, it was an absolute delight to listen too. It was also so well edited and designed and that made it super immersive. Tim Sutton also scored great music which really suited the timey whimey tone and aesthetic of the story. The ending really hit me hard on an emotional level, it gave me full chills and goosebumps. The composition style is very much similar to the new series and its great. Gareth Jenkins really put his hat into the sound editing and made it fabulous. I promise you that this audio is worth it for the sound editing and score alone.

Next the character development of Lucie and The Doctor. This is the story that got me really attached to this tardis team. The Doctor and Lucie as a pair really shine in this story and work well together, you can tell that they're both use to each other and ready to save the day. The opening moments of the story show how well Lucie and The Doctor have gotten to know and understand each other. Sheridan Smith and Paul MacGanns performances are wonderful and together they perfectly portray and action packed tardis team ready to solve the mystery in the story. If you've listened to the other audios prepare for a dramatic cliffhanger ending that effects their dynamic even more. I also love how due to how much The Doctor trusts Lucie he's willing to break his typical companion rules. I'm really excited to listen to more of this duo in the future when I can.

Finally I have to praise the incredible writing. Paul Sutton writes in a very unique and conventional way that's not often done on Doctor Who. It was truly an amazing story. No More Lies is a truly emotional wibbly wobbly time loop story with twists that punch you in the gut. Every story beat with time pays off really well but in the end it makes you sad. Time loop stories are often boring and very stereotypical but No More Lies uses it in a way that makes it a unique listening experience that has you on the edge of your seat deeply wondering what's causing the loop and why Zimmerman is so determined to keep it closed. The stakes also get added when you have the Tar-Modowks trying to break through. All I can say is that the time plot beats our ones that pay off immensely and create a forfilling listen.

It's just all at the end of the day brilliant absolutely brilliant. No spoilers but this story really does pay off.

What I Disliked

As much as I think it was nesscary for Lucie and The Doctors character development I really struggled to engage with the opening of the story before Lucie and Doc enter the mysterious garden party time loop.

The pacing is what's preventing this story from being top tier. It was pretty minor but the more I listened to the story and we got to the really good garden party bits the more it bothered me. There was absolutely no set up and it felt very difficult to know what was happening. I appreciate that I'm a new listener to Big Finish so it might just be me but if Season 1 of the 8th Doctor Adventures are a jumping point for listeners it might feel very alienating and I think it's important to be noted.

It all felt very random and out of place. I feel like diving straight into the action on audio doesn't work considering that the listener can't visually see what's happening. Until we got to the krux of the story it was very hard process and understanding what was going on. Without any spoilers I feel like the character dynamics would have been more polished if the beginning set up had been longer. Its one of those things where I feel like it should have been a two parter or at least twenty minutes longer.

Apart from that I really did enjoy the story and it's very creative nature.

Conclusion

Overall another emotional and fun adventure with Lucie and The Doctor. Its a really strong inventive timeloop story, with incredible sound design, amazing performances, fun monsters, high stakes and a well developed tardis team. It also perfectly develops on from the other stories in the series. I absolutely recommended to any 8th Doctor fans out there. All of the 8th Doctor Adventures Series 1 are free on Spotify so it's definitely worth checking it out.

My overall rating would be:

It's very good and so worth it checking it out. No More Lies is such a brilliant story and I very much admire it. I've noticed throughout this series of adventures love is often a strong theme through out. We've had Forbidden lovers, lovers in peril danger and lovers wanting to protect each other. I'm not a very romantic person but it's been very interesting to see different types of relationships and how understanding The Doctor has been about it. I'll be interesting to listen to S2 and see if that has similar themes.

Big Finish has blown me away with it's extensive and creative storytelling. It's set the standard for any other audio stories I might listen and has also inspired me as a writer. I'm seriously glad they've used their licence to expand on each incarnation of The Doctor and create new fun and orginal stories as I agree with Mum in saying that apart from Tom Baker each incarnation of The Doctor doesn't get enough stories.

Bonus:

It might be very controversial as discussed on the Big Finish podcast but I'm logging all my Big Finish listens on my reading tracker apps. Since it's my very first year getting into Big Finish I decided to make a reading challenge on The Storygraph with prompts to follow.

Each prompt fulfils or matches with the Big Finish stories I'm going to be checking out in 2024. As said all Doctors 5-12 are included excluding 10 and War. I'm very excited to dig into the thick of things and I wanted other people to join me so the offer is always open.

Apart from The Eighth Doctor Adventures Series 1 I also plan to check out some short trips, a bit of the main range, a few of the Destiny Of The Doctor installments and most importantly the infamous Charley arc so this challenge is all tailored to that. So in future reviews you absolutely see the prompt chart fill up.

-Melody-

They/Them

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 13/08/2023

Super Mario Hood Overworld Beatbox

Season 4 Episode 2 Featured on: SUPER GANGSTA BROS. MIXTAPE (PROD. HALTMANN WORK$$$)

Ripped by Sarvéproductions

Look, yall, I PROMISE I'll find a way to stop talking about the Gangster Mario takeover one day. It might not be within like, a year or so, but it'll happen eventually!! But can you blame me?? It was so fucking gooooddddd!!!!

Last I covered the takeover, I honed in a lot more on its stupider side - Caramariodansen was such a perfect encapsulation of everything that made the event special in broad strokes, in both its audio and visuals, yet it wasn't reflective of *all* the event had to offer. Look past the various ways in which one could "Super Mario Dat Hoe" and you'll find several other deep-cut references to Mario's brand being attached to really strange media. Such is the case with today's rip, referencing a certain YouTube series by the name of Cartoon Beatbox Battles.

These blew up for a small while on social media, and the channel hosting them - Verbalace - is shockingly popular at over 5 million views. It sits in a fascinating middle ground between typically-considered-cringe content made to draw clicks from kids, whilst also being ran by a genuinely exceptionally talented beatboxer. Though the animations and concept as a whole are rather crude, there IS genuine talent on display in the beats produced as part of CBB. And as a master of arranging, that talent was something Sarvéproductions was able to translate perfectly here.

In the Mario VS Sonic Cartoon Beatbox Battle, each character's theme plays off of official music from their games - the Super Mario World overworld theme for Mario, and Green Hill Zone for Sonic. The idea behind this rip (as well as its direct counterpart Verbalase Does What Nintendon't, also by Sarvéproductions) is to translate these beatbox renditions *back* into the video games they originally came from. The end result is honestly a bit uncanny in how effective it is - its impossible to unassociate it with the beatbox battle source material its from, yet also impossible to ignore just how good it still sounds. Tons of Super Mario World sound effects are creatively added to the mix to substitute sounds from the beatbox, and it all flows extremely naturally without ever breaking kayfabe. There's even some really cute ties to the beatbox battle's music video: in the last 30 seconds of the song, when Mario goes all-in on his performance whilst using the flying Propeller Suit powerup, the rip plays the Cape Feather powerup sound and adds the extra layer of percussion to the song that otherwise plays when riding Yoshi.

There's a LOT that goes into making arrangements like this, and a lot one can do to make it truly special. And with every year that passes since the channel's creation, it feels as if rips of this caliber only get more and more common.

[dimiclaudeblaigan]

A moment of silence for the golden deer girls...

jk jk! Personally I don't really hate any characters (even Edelgard, but I DO hate her stans LOL )

so to sort of reframe it.. As a writer (and in your personal opinion) how would you improve Bernadetta and Marianne as characters?

And how did Hopes do better in regards to Bernadetta?

NGL I was pretty surprised when I found out how popular they were. Though I can see them working for the JP audience moreso than the Western audience.

Like I can see why some may not like Bernadetta and Marianne when they both have passive personalities , can be extremely pessimistic, and are so wrapped up in their own anxiety and trauma to the point they don't have the capacity to deal with everything else that's going on (That and the writers 100% treat Bernadetta as a joke). Whatever the reasons are it's valid, sometimes characters just dont work for someone!

With Marianne she improves if she survives to post time skip.

With Bernadetta it kinda does and doesn't? though I think she improves in her supports with Raphael and is much more tolerable (in general) in her supports with Leonie.

This is super old and I forgot to finish replying to it but! Look! I'm replying to it now!

Yeah see when it comes to EdeIgard I actually hated her but like... not with the same vitriol I do now because of the stans. I already found the writing for her to be bad (must I once again mention for the unknown amount of times: Ashnard lol), but then the way the stans who go far beyond "I like this character" shove what you already didn't like down your throat? Yiker pikers on a stick. It's one of those things where I didn't like her, but then the fans just made it so much worse. :/

I'm definitely not a fan of the GD girls lol. I mean like I probably said in the last ask response, I don't hate Lysithea or Hilda, but I don't have a strong attachment to them. Really it's GD in general I'm not that fond of, because the only characters I care about from that house nowadays are Lorenz and Claude, with a side of Ignatz lol. That is, I'm not big on Ignatz but I do like him and he'll always have a special little place in my heart for being my very first recruit in my very first playthrough.

For Bernadetta, I posted about her in response to this ask here.

With Marianne, it's not so much that I like, actively despise her. I don't like that she's just... extremely aggravating. She does get better post timeskip for sure, but pre-skip is just awful for me.

I get having anxiety and being afraid and all that, but she takes it too far. Her insistence that "something bad will happen" is used so much that it begins to feel like a poor excuse. On the writers' part, this is irritating because they could've written a character who had anxiety and just... had anxiety. Instead they gave her the whole backstory of thinking she's cursed. I feel that she would be more relatable if she was just a normal person with anxiety.

Because of the supposed "curse", she behaves rudely to people and cuts them off to "yell" at them (not literally yell, but I think you get what I mean?). People seem to give her a pass for usually saying "I'm sorry" before leaving, but it's so abrupt and someone will just be trying to talk to her and/or be nice to her, but she makes them feel bad for talking to her and trying to be nice.

I don't know that it was meant to be intentional on the writers' part, but it comes across as disgustingly manipulative, because that's what people do irl who are trying to garner sympathy. They play the woe is me part and apologize and all that, but it leaves their conversation partner feelings badly toward themselves for doing nothing wrong.

Typically conversations with Marianne are one-sidedly complimenting her and being super nice to her with nothing in return. She makes them feel bad about talking to her, then they compliment her and are still all nice to her. It rubs me the wrong way.

The thing about Houses' supports is that even if you get to the timeskip, if you have C and/or B conversations left, the characters' personalities will still be their pre-skip personalities. Even if she's grown in her timeskip personality, I still end up having to get through supports of her pre-skip personality during the second half of the game. It makes feeling better about her growth a lot more difficult.

And like I said, I don't straight up hate her... but her attitude in the first half of the game is definitely something I wouldn't be able to put up with if I knew her irl. It also gets to the point of being so over exaggerated that I don't feel sorry for her at all anymore. At first you're like oh poor girl, but then it happens so often and with so many characters that it just gets annoying and irritating. It's a boy who cried wolf situation.

I do think she was handled better than Bernadetta in the sense that she was definitely not played for laughs, but I think that's also because there's a huge gap in understanding between the mental illnesses they have. Anxiety is much more commonly understood nowadays, whereas agoraphobia isn't taken seriously and is usually written off as lazy people who just don't want to bother going out. Since it's also become a trope, whereas anxiety is seen irl as a more serious mental illness that is almost always coupled with depression (which makes it even more extreme), it's used as lol look I know that trope, rather than actually diving into what makes people behave like that.

Marianne has some similar problems that make me not like her as Bernadetta, but they're not entirely as bad, she does get much better development, and her situation isn't meant to be funny. I don't mind her being passive and pessimistic - I mean hell I'm super pessimistic irl, thanks society! - but it's the way she treats the people around her and uses the woe is me excuse every single time.

She doesn't want to feel responsible for something bad happening, so she instead puts those bad feelings onto everyone else so they instead feel poorly and she gets to feel better knowing "nothing bad happened". It's like, oh wow, now I feel so much better since I don't have to feel responsible if they die, even though now they're upset because they think they did something wrong when they didn't. It's extremely selfish and while sometimes being selfish isn't a bad thing, imo it kinda is when someone else gets hurt for the sake of oneself feeling better about the situation.

I agree that some characters aren't for everyone! While you don't have to hate the characters to not like them, there can be some that irk you and some you just aren't interested in (I mean take Raphael for instance. I don't care for him either way. He's a sweet guy and I wouldn't want him to die! I just don't have an interest in that type of personality for a character, and also because it's so immensely tropey with little else to him that I'm just very eh about him).

So yeah, Marianne is more along the lines of I can't stand her pre-skip but I can definitely tolerate and appreciate her post-skip. The supports just make it a lot more shaky because like I said, the way they work in Houses just makes the part of her I didn't like come right back instead of me getting to see just the development.

[slayerkitty]

helloo!! sending you the ask as promised :)) firstly, how are you? how’s your health? hope you’re feeling better now!!

so here’s what i was thinking, completely entertaining the thought that ep1 & 4 of OF were in fact referencing SKAM. the reason i even thought of this comparison between OF & SKAM was because of the title cards in ep1 & 4. as i was researching, i also found that texting between characters which was used as a motif in SKAM, also shows up in in OF ep4 between nick & top (i’ve attached screenshots for all of this). however, for reasons such as the fact that the narrative frameworks used in OF don’t repeat in a linear pattern and that there definitely has to be a reason behind why a particular narrative framework was chosen for a particular ep, i think the reference runs deeper than just the title cards and text trails. given your post on narrative frameworks in OF & the super tiny discussion we’ve had in its comments, i thought i’d ask you for your opinion on this :))

title cards part 1:

SKAM:

ONLY FRIENDS:

text trails:

SKAM:

ONLY FRIENDS:

title cards part 2:

SKAM: i’m not sure if we saw title cards of the name/actual title variety in SKAM and i couldn’t find any in my brief YT rewatches also but pls do lmk if u find any!!

ONLY FRIENDS:

lil disclaimer here, i watched the dutch remake of SKAM till mid of s3 (which is the queer season) when it was airing, so sometime in late 2019/early 2020. the original SKAM was also polish so there might be a few discrepancies between the two shows (none that i came across tho) and some gaps in my memory but anyway, coming back to the point.

so for context, the most important thing about SKAM that remained consistent across all of its remakes (i think) was that it told the story of a group of teenagers within a high school in whichever city the show took place and while each season had a new protagonist/core characters etc. they were all connected and were friends w each other (for example the protagonist of s3 was classmates w the protagonist of s1 (and as far as i remember friends w her boyfriend?) so more like everyone was a friend of a friend/classmates etc.). this meant that while each season dealt w a different couple/core group of characters, these characters and their plot was still impacted by the side characters, the side plot lines, the past, the present etc. and vice versa.

now, one thing that i noticed in both ep1 & 4 of OF was that we seem to move away from the typical couples and get a larger peek into the relationships of all the characters, their dynamics w each other, different past storylines etc. more than in the other 3 eps. ep1 was obviously more of an intro/context-setting episode where we were introduced to each character, the different relationships we’re to get etc. but ep4 specifically went more into the past of the friend group, top & sand’s past, explored vulnerability in nick & sand’s friendship, the whole ordeal with ray & mew. it essentially explored relationships between characters from different couples (in both the past & the present), that we otherwise haven’t seen much of at all. do you see the similarity i see?

now where am i going with this? idk either, this is the point where i get stuck. now while all of this could easily be chalked off as part of building the plot in OF and have no connection to SKAM, i am just not able to ignore these similarities. i also didn’t go too deep into my own research/exploration of this similarity so there might be stuff that i missed (pls pls tell me if u think i have) but i think a deep dive is extremely worthy here. further, i think that as more eps air, and we get to some new narrative frameworks/old ones repeating, we’ll probably be able to identify patterns better and get more insight into this similarity and arrive at the purpose/rationale behind the other narrative frameworks.

what are your thoughts @slayerkitty? do you see what i see or am i trying to connect dots that are worlds apart? cant wait to hear your thoughts on this!!

also also, so i have been reading the ephemerality squads posts on voyeurism and how OF explores this motif and i found some really cool connections to SKAM in this regard. i’ll not go into too much detail here because this ask is already miles long but apparently SKAM poland played a lot with the use of social media in its show and the characters had real, live instagram accounts that fans could access between airs. additionally, when SKAM poland was airing, the official SKAM website would apparently drop 5-minute clips of the show at the same time as when the scene occurred within the show’s universe (as in if two characters had a chat at 9.30am on tuesday morn, the scene would drop at the same time) throughout the week at random intervals and then these would be compiled into the final, weekly episodes. i’m not sure if the show intended to incorporate these in the context of voyeurism, but do you see the controlled voyeurism similarities?

Aww, thank you for asking. I'm doing a bit better, not quite 100%, but getting there.

Oooooo you gave me some stuff to chew on.

I'm not sure if the days are an homage to SKAM or not, but that is a very iconic shade of yellow, so I can't rule it out. P'Jojo did say there was more to the whole day's of the week thing because it was a way to show how structured Mew was (apparently it got cut). I think I'm gonna add this to my narrative frameworks post as a visual moment for episode one.

Text trails are harder because it's very common for shows to do this. I don't know if we can correlate this back to anything specific because I think it's just a sign of the times with phones. Having said that, you could be right and combined with the yellow text cards...

So I have watched all the queer seasons of all the SKAMs, lol (except newer seasons of SKAM France cause that show is on like season 10 omg), and pieces of other seasons. I do not recall if the titles ever appeared on screen, I will have to look into that. If they did, that could possibly lean us toward more certainty.

Now I've seen people mention that OF is more along the lines of Queer as Folk, which P'Jojo has referenced, but I wouldn't necessarily shoot down the core friend group being a kind of homage to SKAM either. It's not a perfect parallel either way. (And yes, Isak and Jonas are BFF, and Jonas dates the main from season one, though they break up later, and omg, I forgot her name).

YES!!!!! The way that SKAM airs to this day (I think France, Germany, and maybe Italy are the only ones still on air, but apparently Korea is gonna try their hand at it next year??) is that clips drop during the week at the time they take place. So if the characters are doing shit at 1am, a clip is dropping at 1am. Then, at the end of the week, the network airs all the clips together as the epiosde on tv. SKAM was revolutionary and wild. They did social media, too, and the nature of its release combined with that does have a very voyeuristic vibe as well.

Season three of original SKAM (Norway) was also an homage to the late 90s film William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, so it could fit in with the late 90s aesthetic we've picked up on in OF.

I think you are definitely not wrong to have made these correlations - I see them, too! I think we might need a few more episodes before I wanna weigh in with any certainty, but I am like this right now: 👀👀👀👀👀

[moontheoretist]

That was a blast! I wonder what's that weapon that Heta is building. Is it related to force sensitivity or the typical super weapon bs? I hope the former, especially considering that this update introduced us to a new character that is neither Jedi nor Sith nor any other Force Religion member, Petra Nihrum - who is just a citizen of Ord Mantel who so happens to be... a force sensitive scoundrel? It's hard to pinpoint her class, but this is so cool. We are finally seeing someone who can use the Force but is not part of any side! We had some fraction of it in Raina Temple, who also is force sensitive, but the difference is HUGE. Staggering! Raina's ability to use the Force was small in comparison to Petra, who seems to have the typical familiarity with the Force that you usually can see in Sith and Jedi, who in most cases train since a very young age to be able to even lift a rock (Jedi Class Stories even show us initiates who struggle with lifting it). Petra reminds me a lot about Sith Inquisitor who as a slave would lack the background that Sith Warrior, Jedi Consular and Jedi Knight have in regard to training in the force. Sith Inquisitor is probably the only class that can't say they had formal training, but still present a staggering familiarity with the usage of the Force on the same level as Petra. I always loved this in SI's story because it implied that someone can use the Force but not know they're using the Force for the most of their lives and treat it as just some random ability they simply possess. Exactly like Petra! I hope we will see more of her in the future, because I got attached.

But it's not all. Sa'har finally TALKED TO US! I was wondering if we ever get a chance, because every time I tried before something just had to interrupt, or she just ran away. But now she talked to me, and I'm not as paranoid as Krovos to assume it was all just a part of a plan to fool me and do something to me. I don't think Sa'sar is the type to try to pull something like this off. She sounds genuine as far as I can tell. Also that scene when she just panicked in front of us? I was like "Is it a thinly veiled foreshadowing that I will become her new Master?" Like seriously, I wouldn't say no to training a new Padawan after I did the same for Ashara, but considering that the game is not told from the force sensitive perspective unless you play the class that is, there is a very small chance that we will be presented with such an option.

But damn how much I would want to raise another baby Jedi.

Anyway, there is one thing that bothers me tho. Not in a bad way, just in a suspicious way. That closeup at Sa'har's face at the end. After the warning from Krovos this closeup just feels fishy. I don't think they're trying to tell us that Sa'har just successfully fooled us, but it kinda felt sus after Krovos and her paranoia. A more logical assumption is that she is now in a tight spot. She just lied to her own brother about what she was doing (basically covering for both herself and us) and she is now once again in the center of everything, because she assumed a role in this that is more than it was before. At first, she was just going with the flow. Doing whatever Heta wanted, but now she made a step in our direction that made her more of a traitor than her unsuccessful attempts to sabotage whatever Heta was doing. Not to mention that she also had what that asshole Tyrus said in mind. It's possible that Sa'har will have to fight her own brother, and this is probably why she seemed so troubled, but... also determined to end all of this once and for all. I'm not sure if she believes she can liberate her brother from under Heta's influence. If she still has hope. But the last frame with her brows going down, it felt like she was determined to do something.

BTW I hope Shae enjoys her vacation, because the moment it was shown that she went missing my first reaction was "oh she got angry and vent on sabbatical to do something crazy". Like there is no way something happened to her. It's far more probable that she just went off the deep end and is training somewhere, or decided to invest in stealth and become a spy master that tracks Heta's every move from the shadows before she inevitably strikes like a vengeful cobra.

[vonkarma2]

18 + 19 + 28 -> for ocs of your choice if you’re still doing it

these questions would be super easy if provided an oc but I’m incapable of picking one I’m actually dying. ok whatever ⬅️quotes from me that I typed out several weeks ago back then this was first asked. sorry 

a memory that still makes your OC angry?

So this was difficult because like. Any specific memory I know a character has, especially one that still emotionally affects them to this day, is probably important to their backstory and as such I’ve definitely talked about it before at length so I don’t want to go over it again yk? So that leaves me with the other option of making shit up specifically for this ask game ok umm

I think the characters most driven by anger are Angel, Gloria, and Silence so I think. I’ll cover all of them very vaguely and not really answer the question because it’s hard aha so basically.

Growing up alongside other children, who typically did not like him for reasons justified and not, Angel has a lot of memories that make him furious to think about, like since the house staff didn’t really like him either they’d sometimes side against him for things that weren’t his fault. He doesn’t think about it often but whenever he does it still makes him mad to this day. He thinks it’s wrong to be like biased against a child but he 

Something that makes Gloria kinda a contrast to Rocio and Angel as characters is that she does have a lot of like, experience in life for lack of a better word. She’s been around the world, she’s met and had some various types of relationships with other people, even though they were mostly very shallow, had a lot of different types of life experiences and viewed that as like, how her life was from then on. Except no she didn’t, because the whole time she was tied down to the past like mentally? I was going to say she’s probably had some experiences during her travels that she gets mad to think about but honestly I don’t think she does— these days she’s really good at just letting things go because she doesn’t get too attached to anything in the first place, so even if people have betrayed her or tried to kill her or some shit like that, it wouldn’t make her angry to think about. It’s like she always feels like she’s in search of something or running away from something because she’s still mad abt her childhood and feels like she hasn’t resolved her problems with it or confronted the issue in any meaningful way, so it stays with her yk? Most of what makes her actually genuinely mad is like. Following childhood trauma being raised by someone who didn’t seem to have any compassion for or understanding of you at all. 

Silence lived in an environment kind of similar to Angel’s in that it was ran by like strict guardians who emphasized morality but it was like. A wider and pretty isolated community. So she felt like that was what the entire world was like, like she was basically trapped with everyone, and since the society encouraged emotional repression, she never saw anyone else displaying like the same dissatisfaction she felt so as far as she knew everyone was all the same. Started to like hate everyone she knew including herself and view people as fundamentally evil. (That’s part of why when meeting Cirillo she liked him so much like he was genuinely trying to be understanding. She thought he had an ulterior motive at first but since he didn’t have or want any power over anyone she eventually like warmed up to him yk.) She has a lot of bad memories of being punished or like shamed for getting mad and like raising her voice and things like that.

a memory that still makes your OC sad?

You know what’s interesting about sadness is that typically it doesn’t drive you to act so much as like anger or fear do, more so it drives you to like not act. Like to just give up and let things happen to you, yk, like be apathetic and stop caring. So it’s not as much of a motivating force as much as it is a hamper to your motivation. That’s not related to the question  but it’s interesting 2 me. Anyway.

I think the character who feels the most regret about their past has to be Cirillo, but Ive already talked about him a lot and Jacinto is similar so I think I’ll talk about them instead. God they’re so hard to write I’m going to lose it I have to change something about their character. Them and Gloria I think could do with more focus/nuance, like more specific plot events to work with. But like anyway, I think a lot of memories, even ones they like thinking of in the moment, end up making them feel sad in the long run because they are pretty stuck in the past— the more they think of good memories with like their brother or their best friend, the more they feel like their life is basically over. That’s pretty dark I feel so bad about it I’m sorry 😞😞😞 they pretty much didn’t do anything wrong. I guess on the bright side, though thinking about older memories makes them feel like their life is empty Now, and they definitely are aware they’ve made mistakes in the past, it does make them feel like they have contributed something to the world in the past? Like their life overall had some meaning and so that helps them feel a bit more at peace I guess. It makes them feel sad, for sure, but in a bittersweet way yk. 

is your OC a dog or cat person?

dog: rocio (only like hunting/working dogs), cirillo, gloria (only the cool ones, but the criteria for what makes dogs qualify as such is unclear and constantly changing. it’s pretty much whether she vibes with the specific individual dog immediately or not), tiago (I think he’d be the type to feed stray dogs whenever he sees them), jacinto (appreciates how theyre more straightforward to take care of, and more outwardly energetic and affectionate usually), joanna, joseph (thinks they are fun to play with)

cat: angel (likes both, prefers cats very narrowly. probably the place he grew up had a couple cats living in the building. also probably would have seen some stray dogs in the area though), laura, lucia, victor (actively dislikes dogs, scared of larger ones and annoyed by smaller ones)

^these aren’t all the characters ofc but I’m not doing everyone because the list got too long. can’t be bothered to try to remember every character there’s like 15 of them what am I Einstein 🙄

[castlebyersafterdark]

You probably wanted spicy but you're getting mostly sappy.

this really made me laugh hahaha

also, this bit:

Not much changed from when they were just best friends, but a lot more kissing.

because this is one of the reasons why mileven fans still think s3 was cute. it really goes to show just how subtle and complex the art of cinematic storytelling is. we had to infer meaning from how other characters behaved as well as mike and el themselves. attitude, tone, their effect on others. in short, empathy. i think it's really telling that lots of people who hate on byler dismiss even the huge evidence (that lawyer video is already being discredited), because to allow other interpretations would mean engaging empathy and putting themselves in someone else's shoes. or allowing for the possibility that theyre wrong. clearly many bylers project on to the story too, or have an emotional connection that is as much a personal issue than just a passion for the story itself... but at least they have the grace to have doubt and look deeper to support their interpretation. the point blank NO from milevens speaks volumes about their own emotional attachment to mileven (or mike or el individually) instead of telling us about the show itself.

its a fascinating side effect of art, where the personal overtakes the story itself. sure, s3 was gauche and garish, but it still had subtlety and subtext. of course, plenty of folk don't think subtext is real (seen lots of air-quoted "subtext" lol). but when ive imagined similar scenarios about how they could show a content, cozy byler in the epilogue of s5, i've always had to think extra hard to make sure it doesnt come off as just lots of physicality like mileven. i think the difference is intimacy - byler would be close to each other but perhaps not kissing, and they would try not to make their friends uncomfortable. not because theyre gay, but because lucas and dustin don't want to see it.... i imagine mike would be just as grossed out by lumax making out in his basement.

so yeah, byler needs to be handled more maturely. intimacy but beyond narrative reasons, i don't think we'll see much physicality. this is why i believe a full on sex scene but not much making out is more on-theme for the show than no sex but more PG kissing.

I also think that films are rated based on gratuity or narrative weight. for example, a film with lots of random nudity or sexiness and kissing for shock factor would be a higher rating than a super intimate, sensual scene that drives the narrative. because there is nothing innately inappropriate or hard to explain about human connection portrayed through sex - just say 'because they're in love' and most kids will say 'gross, but ok' - while there is something mature and hard to explain to younger viewers about the more manipulative or gratuitous or objectifying aspects of sex that can be shown on screen.

sorry what a ramble!

Passing on perspectives!

My little insight I think being the difference is - portraying the Byler relationship as real, as something strong and a long time coming and in love, over the typical teenage fleetingness that Mileven demonstrates. It's a typical teenager relationship, truly. Where they don't know what they want and don't have a lot in common, but that's what you do, right? It's not the end of the world, or this huge toxicity Bylers sometimes make it out to be. It's just not their true setting, it's not the right relationship for Mike and Eleven. It isn't real because it can't be.

Mike and Will - the friendship and long term feelings and story are what's driving the various we see on screen. And it should inform the intimacy and physicality we see, too. I don't think it's necessarily to say they won't or shouldn't have that as to differentiate them - I think sometimes this overrides and is almost like well, it's meaningful enough we knoe they're together we don't need to see them all over each other, it's purer and more meaningful than that or well them making out or doing XYZ doesn't drive the plot. I guess is my point? Yeah, we don't need gratuity to demonstrate all this, but I also don't think we'd need nothing. These are boys who've been building to this, waiting their whole young lives, thought they'd never have this. I'd like it to be shown differently where clearly - they're into each other. They're a couple. Maybe not making out in front of their friends, hahaha no, but... some middle ground? I think this is one of those conversations where we actually agree but just circling and enhancing thoughts 🙂🙂

[anykindofmusic]

Internet Culture Art Assignment (DRAFT)

For the quite some time, the internet had become super invested in statues, especially David the artwork Michelangelo had created. With images of statues of just their heads typically online users would create music videos under the genre of "vaporwave" and there would always be a statue in the music video in collaboration with the atmosphere the music was letting out. Therefore, my piece was created with another atmosphere but the statues can significantly give the audience their own meaning. This artwork was created in Procreate but the picture was actually taken by a friend of mine at an actual location. 

Typically whenever a video game gets released from a popular series there will always be a divide between everyone and anyone. For the longest time, people will choose their favorite character, whether they are written poorly or created for a specific gaze. There won't ever be a moment where the internet will agree with each other when it comes to video game characters. I remember when the video game had been released for Resident Evil, there had been a massive side of the internet that were extremely against how certain characters appeared and also how they acted in the game comparing them to their other versions and obviously this caused a massive ripple in social media with people constantly going at each other. It occurs for any game, and videogames are a massive part of the internet they are what create and bring communities together. Whether they are negative or positive there will always be a group of people attached to a game, a community riddled with their own opinions and views. For the artwork above, I used Procreate and Clip Studio, They are both are similar but the lasso tool for Procreate isn't necessarily as strong as the one in Procreate in my opinion. 

Lastly, for this artwork I tried to bring out the feel of Internet culture with my own artwork with a few effects and words. The eyes above are originally a design I had done for a sticker and the words in yellow belong to one of my favorite songs. When it comes to the Internet Art that I researched I noticed that text and images were always together, so I wanted to try making a design with a similar feeling. With the random words on the side and the sentimental message in the middle I feel like that can wrap up Internet Art or at least culture together in a way. There will always be a massive genre of subliminal messages with simple images and typically it's the simpleness in these images that let the message get to you easier. This artwork was also created in Procreate with the text and lasso tool that allowed me to work easily and fast. 

[chifuyusgangshirt]

It's kinda ironic that Kisaki is the one who ruined his own victory right? He had won in the first timeline. Takemichi had a miserable /sad/empty life, he had nothing. While Kisaki was a powerful crime lord, with a lot of money and the possibility to control Mikey (First Timeline Mikey is a tragedy too). If he had let Michi lives his lonely life, he would have won. It's because he tried to kill him that he triggered the time travel and so his defeat/death later. I guess that it's the karma.

I would say yes but also no.

He had the biggest Chance in the original timeline to have his best future but Kisaki didn't win in this one. In fact, he could never win in the first place.

Because hinata rejected him in every timeline and would have in every other where he survives too. Because she doesn't love him. And she stays true to her feelings.

Which makes me curious because if hinata's love would have been his end goal there were so many other ways to get what he wants?

Everyone always talks about kisaki being this mastermind and evil s-tier villain and I only partly agree with that.

He was such a master of manipulation why did he never used it to influence hinata? Make her fall for him and let takemichi look like the bad guy. From the manga og takemichi was very aloof and uninterested in their relationship so it would have been so easy for kisaki to just gaslight her until she breaks up with takemichi. He can play the knight in shining armor and all is good, right?

Expect no, it's not. Because I don't really think she was the (only) reason for him to turn out like this. So what were the reasons he was never able to win her over?

First, being that he is an unsociable idiot who never spoke to a woman before and got all his knowledge from toxic early 2000 hermione x draco fanfictions

second, it was never really about Hinata and we have a Helena of troy situation here, were he just used her as an excuse to set a goal and antagonize Takemichi. Look at how he changed after he started making taking over toman his goal.

It's easier to find a way to work in this world with a goal in mind. Which is also why I think he was so lost when she said no to him. Because what now?

third, he was more obsessed with mikey and takemichi than hinata all together.

Short example, his reactions to takemichi are always super emotional.

Irrational anger

Look at his face when he's confronting takemichi with a gun. It's full of desperation and sadness (?)

Though, I don't think takemichi and kisaki had the "hero and villain need each other" trope going on and that kisaki would 100% kill him of given the chance in the future. He was very unsure about shooting mostly because that's normal for a 13-years old.He was responsible for a lot of deaths but shooting someone directly instead of just scheming it is just different. He's clearly emotionally attached to him in a very sick way.

Anger again

So yeah, while she was the girl he liked takemichi was the one who made him who he is. He literally put his life on the line to be like him -or more to be the opposite of him.

He repeats Throughout the manga multiple times that he sees himself as a dark side character, the total opposite of the typical shining maincharacter like takemichi is. Which is funny because he could have choosen enough story tropes involving hinata, like being the love rival or the guy she can't see because of takemichi (nice guy alert) or even saying he does everything in the name of love but no, his focus is on takemichi.

I honestly think Kisaki could never have a happy ending without letting go of hinata and takemichi first.

For me, kisaki and takemichi have a similar dynamic to izana and mikey.

Izana and kisaki are both jealous and angry because in their mind, mitchy and mikey both had what the couldn't have. They were obsessed with a person they barely knew because it gave them something to keep going. Izana and kisaki both seem to think of themselves as unimportant, alone and without a real future - something hinata and shinichiro could have given them. They love the idea of being loved. But do they really love those two wholeheartedly?

And then there are takemichi and mikey, loved, known and with a bright future (in their pov); perfect to antagonize and obsess over, a reason why they can't get what they want.

So, izana and kisaki were both the villains who were never supposed to win you know.

Kinda funny how izana did what kisaki couldn't and just brainwashed mikey. Which makes me wonder who of them is the real evil mastermind.

[lunaastoir]

fluff/relationships w the mondstadt crew

characters included: diluc, kaeya, and jean

gn! reader as always <3

tw: fluff??? domesticity??? crack??? ideal relationships w people who will never be real??? also mentions of alcohol!

an: so i’m back w a sequel to my “fluff/relationships w the liyue crew” since you guys seemed to really like it <3 thank you my heart is literally melting 😩 this post was getting too long so i excluded some of the characters but expect a part. 2 (more like part 3 but part 2 to the mondstadt version)! 

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diluc

man. this MAN.

that’s it, that’s the headcanon. 

he would literally be the most doting lover in the softest ways

SUCH a soft romantic like you thought you knew love??? nah this man will show you what love is

will constantly leave you things around the winery to convey his silent thank you’s and appreciation for you putting up with him being busy for most of the day

it’s always the most thoughtful things ever too like-

you mentioned how nice it would be to have some fresh lemonade with the hotter weather outside but it was too late in the day to actually go to the market in search of fresh lemons 

the next day you walked downstairs only to be greeted with a pitcher of cool lemonade with a side of lemon bars

there was a note attached to the handle of the pitcher <3 

“i recall you mentioning how lemonade would be perfect for the warmer weather so i decided to make some for you this morning. i hope it’s still cool by the time you drink it. love, d” 

pls sir your hand in marriage

he secretly loves it when you usher him to bed after waking up in the dead of night to see him working by candlelight on reports 

soft hands on his cheeks gently whispering about how, it’s been far too long and come to bed, darling and there will be time for this in the morning

his protests are light given the dark purple hues under his crimson eyes but he’ll still make a little fuss 

don’t let this man fool you tho he’s so so touched that you care enough to check up on him and drag him to bed!!

sometimes on the days he has a bit more free time, the two of you will quickly grab your dinners and race to the highest spot in the winery to watch the setting sun

these moments are always filled with laughter, something you’ve found you’re easily able to pull out of diluc, simply because it’s you 

uncontrollable sobbing

he would let you paint his nails black like the angsty man he is 

frankly he would let you do anything to him if it makes you happy <3 

ok but wait diluc w bLACK NAILS?? AND RINGS??? i would die on the spot ⚰️

on the topic of makeup, this man is surprisingly really good w it 

i like to think he learned after practicing on kaeya when they were younger bc kaeya was really into makeup

you found out after babysitting klee one day and trying failing to draw eyeliner on the sweet girl after her “big brother ‘bedo!”

you hastily grabbed some wipes, gently wiping off the messed up design before attempting to dive back in 

diluc however, had some down time so he decided to check up on his favorite chaotic duo 

only to be met with a pile of dirtied makeup wipes, your frustrated expression, and klee’s growing jitteriness 

swiftly moving to your side, he quietly asked if you needed help 

you glanced up quizzically before handing him the eyeliner, already looking around to find more makeup wipes when this inevitably goes wrong 

to your utter surprise tho the eyeliner is perfect??? two perfect winged lines??? in less than a minute??? WHAT

you just stood there like 😦 before diluc got back up and handed you the eyeliner 

you were short-circuiting, klee was ecstatic, diluc was worried about you 

ok last thing abt diluc 

crack! warning but the both of you like lowkey pranking kaeya 

for diluc it’s revenge on his annoying brother; for you it’s good - natured sibling rivalry fun 

every time the two of you see kaeya, one of you always swipes something of his 

small things really, it could be a pen or a handkerchief

one time, diluc swiped kaeya’s spare eyepatch and from the looks of it, kaeya’s only spare black eyepatch bc he was frantically looking for it yk he’s desperate when he even asked diluc if he saw it

the two of you spent an hour nearly laughing your asses off 

all in all, life w him is so sweet 

kaeya

pretty boy? pretty boy. 

while i can’t guarantee stability, life would never be boring w this man that’s for sure

piggy back rides 🗣 piggy back rides 🗣 piggy back rides 

he LOVES it, the feel of you on his back while he’s walking around mondstadt most likely carrying you to your commission 

he finds it comforting especially since he can hear the rumble of your voice against him while you recount stories, or just babble on about everything under the sun 

he is SO dramatic so obviously when y’all reach the site of the commission he has to kill all the monsters even tho the both of you agreed to split it up evenly 

he makes quick work of his set before stealing some of yours much to your chagrin 

you scold him but can you really be mad at him when he looks drop dead gorgeous freezing the hilichurls the answer is no, no you cannot be

oh my god ok wait-

he does this thing where he tries to spook you in public 

so say you’re getting groceries at the mondstadt general store

you round the corner just minding your own business, looking around, taking in the sunshine 

and suddenly you just hear someone drop in behind you but before you can register anything you hear a soft “boo” and hands circle your waist 

you jump SIKE let’s be honest you shrieked 

meanwhile kaeya’s just laughing his ass off 

you can hear his rich peals of laughter while you attempt to regain your bearings 

he does this so often you SHOULD be used to it but you really aren’t bc mans is SNEAKY-

he cards his fingers in your hair whenever you’re speaking 

he doesn’t know why, it’s just a cute habit and he finds the feel of his fingers in your hair soothing

oH on the topic of comfort, kaeya really likes resting two fingers on the back of your neck???

ik he seems like the type to throw his arm around your shoulder which yes he totally is but during more serious conversations his hand automatically seeks out the warmth of your neck 

your neck feels amazing especially during the warmer months due to his chilly fingers contrasting with your warm skin  

he likes that he’s able to access such a vulnerable part of you and you would willingly let him 

HE GETS YOU MATCHING OUTFITS

no i will NOT take criticism on this i just kNOW he’s that type of guy

it would be those stupid “i’m his” and “they’re mine” sweatshirts like BYE 

it’s so cringy but for some reason it’s oddly adorable and you truly despise it but you can’t seem to say no whenever he asks 

you pretend to ignore the look of pity diluc throws your way whenever he sees you like this

kaeya really loves accessories so i think he would be the type to give you a promise ring or something similar to show that he truly does care for you 

he would brush it off, flirting a little like usual before handing you the ring 

with the way his cheeks softly darken though, you know he’s being genuine 

TICKLE FIGHTS ik i mentioned this for childe but shhhh

he has tickle fingers??? his hands just loOK like they’re itching to tickle someone so you’ll most likely be the unfortunate victim 

he will not show you mercy. at all. he’ll tickle you until there are tears streaming from your eyes, your face is hot, and your voice is hoarse from laughing so damn hard 

it gives him such a rush of serotonin its SO CUTE 

i feel like this goes without saying but he’s super into pda,,, anything and everything is on the table 

hand holding? duh. ass grabs? ofc. carrying you bridal style around mondstadt? why not 

ik he’s typically very playful but once the relationship reaches a certain stage, he’ll slowly start to let down the walls that surround his facade 

very very slowly show you the more realistic parts of him 

the real, damaged pieces of his soul 

he’ll be carefully monitoring your reaction though, any sign of fear or disgust will have him recoiling within himself again and you most likely will never see his true nature ever again 

SO BE CAREFUL 👹

once you’ve seen the parts of him he’s offered to you, the hushed whispers of his past, and the uncertain lines of his future, he will take off his eyepatch 

pretends like he’s not super nervous but he’s SWEATING- 

the prettiest thing you’ve ever seen though hands down 

you can understand why he covers it up but you would like it if he felt comfortable enough to take off the eyepatch occasionally when he’s with you 

also!!! sleeps with his eyepatch side facing you (in the event he wears it to bed) 

if this happens you KNOW he trusts you bc it’s his blindside <3 

anyways life w kaeya will never be boring but he is a very complicated man 

stay with him though, i promise it’ll be worth it 

jean

the key to jean’s heart is coffee and food 

GET HER COFFEE AND FOOD

i am begging you she deserves it 😭

the poor woman works so hard bc the knights are so mf understaffed, this is literally the best way you can ever show her your love and appreciation when she has work

she will MELT if you have a hot shower and dinner waiting for her when she inevitably returns later than she promised

will completely refuse at first with, “you did not have to do this, it’s too much” but shush her as you shOULD bc she deserves the entire world 

she’s the definition of “you do something for me, i’ll return the favor ten times grander”

you leave a flower on her desk bc it reminded you of her??? you’ll wake up to find a whole bouquet of the prettiest windwheel asters you’ve ever seen the next morning along with a thank you note

she’s so sweet BYE

she gets flustered extremely easily so you obviously use this as an opportunity to tease her 

when you’re in public rest your hand on her waist and inch it higher until your hand is underneath her shirt and in contact with her warm skin 

she’ll actually short-circuit its quite adorable 

sometimes y’all will be cuddling and you’ll hear whispers of her insecurities 

“am i a good grand master? will i ever be as valiant as vanessa?”

reassure her!!! tell her that she doesn’t need to be like vanessa, she’s already amazing as jean 

if you haven’t seen her in awhile, track her down and schedule a lunch date 

she never misses appointments and if it’s for you, she’ll gladly make time to see you even if she has to stay up even later than usual 

OH-

GIVE HER MASSAGES 

she has so much tension and the sorest muscles from hunching over papers and running around on errands 

if you sneak into her office and quietly stand behind her before gently pushing down on the sore tendons of her neck, she’ll genuinely fall over on her desk 

so make sure you steady her 😀

after you feel how tight her muscles are though, you drag her to barbara bc she needs a healer asap 😭

while most of your time is spent in her office - you helping out in the ways you can while jean is overseeing knight duties - you still have your fair share of life outside of the favonius headquarters

jean never likes to sit still so whenever you have free time, the both of you head off looking for monsters to clear

bouken da bouken???

adventuring w jean is seriously the funnest thing you could ever do 

it’s just non-stop you accidentally getting into trouble and her having to come help you 

even tho the both of you are dead tired after fighting, what? 20 hilichurl camps now??? the laughter and joy in your eyes shows how you both truly loved every minute of it

it’s both a stress reliever, good fun, and a work-out <3

you’re definitely prone to getting dragged to angel’s share w kaeya 

kaeya and jean sometimes hang out after work at the tavern so inevitably you’re dragged along too 

all three of you are drunk out of your minds which just makes everything a MILLION times funnier 

kaeya slurring over his words makes the two of you start cackling endlessly while diluc just shakes his head making sure to not give you more wine despite your pleas 

angel’s share ft. kaeya and bartender diluc are always the best times fr fr 

life with her literally feels like y’all are married 

so much domesticity it’s so NICE ALJDKSFH

your house is always so clean and the color scheme is impeccable bc jean has such a good eye 

you have a chore schedule 😎 but it almost never works out bc jean ends up doing everything without you knowing- 

you always confront her abt it and she’s like 😁 “i had some time so i did them! no worries tho” like i- time??? where bitc-

oH- she has amazing style so you can bet shopping w her is literally the best experience 

she takes you to all of the hidden gems some places lisa recommended and helps you pick out things 

will 100% get really blushy if you come out in something and ask her for her opinion tho she’s literally the cutest

basically jean is a sweet girl who deserves the entirety of teyvat that is all. 

thanks for reading! if you have any requests don’t hesitate to send them in <3