#i mean obviously they might kill off an important character

[ohnoitstbskyen]

hello mr skyen... might i ask for opinions... for an elise thing im doing

Oh, this is interesting! I am not 100% sure what kind of opinion you're looking for - is this meant to be a skin idea or a full-scale redesign of the character? I'll give you some thoughts, with the caveat that these are off-the-dome impulsive reactions, and whatever I bring up is not meant to be prescriptive "this is wrong do it different" criticisms, they're just me bouncing ideas off of what you are presenting.

If anything I say is useful, then hooray. If it is not, or if it misses the point of what you are trying to do, please discard it without a second thought.

Bringing in some 1920s and 30s fashion energy is an interesting idea. Elise is meant to be this high society socialite who has literally been around for centuries and killing people, so there is definitely a solid idea in using an aesthetic which would be olde timey to modern eyes, but also a bit anachronistic and odd and instinctively a bit out of place in a high fantasy military state like Noxus. I think that's really interesting, and definitely more interesting than the somewhat directionless black leather lingerie her base design keeps her in.

We're playing around with gender presentation it looks like, which I think is a really solid play. Elise is generally presented as a fairly standard type busty sexy video game babe in League of Legends, with Legends of Runeterra opting to show her as a bit more spindly and flat chested. I think her general archetype definitely requires a level of sexiness, sensuality and seductiveness, she is an archetypal Black Widow character, but I don't think that means she necessarily needs to be stereotypically femme in body and presentation. Plus, the LoL universe has more than enough classic femme fatales already, anything that adds variety would be good.

I very much like the red and black fashion - she looks very credibly like an eccentric Noxian socialite, especially in the first two outfits.

I kinda feel like I'm missing something up around her collarbone and chest? A necklace? Tattoo? Cosmetic? I can see the idea of having the collar be exposed flesh for the allure of it, but I feel instinctively like it's conspicuously "empty" next to the highly made up and elaborate makeup and hair, and then the fashionable costuming.

Given that Elise is a transforming character, you could futz around a bit with her proportions? The shoes extend her legs by lengthening into points already, which is a good thing to carry over from the base design, but I think given the importance of long spindly legs to spiders, you could push it even further. think something like Bayonetta for example:

additionally, you could use something like a wrap-around collar, or a necklace, to play around with extending her neck, too, to make her even taller, and push a bit into the uncanny if you want. covering the neck up makes it easier, in my experience, to lengthen it without it looking too obviously odd.

it sort of depends on the impact you want her to have though. very tall, very slender, very long proportions are striking, and carry a vibe of the ethereal, maybe slightly mystical. height also often codes for power.

if you want her to be a more down-to-earth presence in her human form, though, especially if you want her to pretend to be harmless and/or vulnerable as part of her seduction and manipulation play, making her shorter is usually a better shortcut to achieving that vibe

hm... what else...

Well, the spider leg spikes on her arms are cool - I really like the idea of concealing them as some sort of high fashion eccentric accessory, although it's not 100% clear to me from the art here exactly how they are attached to her?

I really like the fashion design of the middle idea. I like giving her trousers and going right up to the edge of letting her have a naked upper body. It's a good way to play with the tease, I think, the allure of almost seeing what is hidden.

I'm not 100% sure about the green markings on the body. on the one hand, she DEFINITELY needs something Shadow Isles coded in her design, since that's where she draws her power from, on the other hand having it that much out in the open feels maybe a little... obvious? at least in her human form?

Of course, this again depends on the intention with the design. if you're designing this as a design to appear in League of Legends, whether as a champion update or a skin, then making her source of power obvious on her body is actually crucial, it's really important for in-game visual language. If it's for something like an appearance in Arcane, you could probably dial it back a couple of notches and make it more subtle.

Like, maybe the same idea of glowing tattoos that light up when she uses her powers, but they are subtle little spiderweb patterns on her skin that look like elaborate decoration when not in use? something like that?

anyway, that's all I can think of as a reaction just off the top of my head. this is really cool, I hope you keep working on it!

[kingmaxstatic]

Mainly putting this on my main blog because F/Ovember is currently happening on @staticshipstation (check that out btw)

But one of the reasons I have “if you villainize Amanda/Wooly DNI” is not only because.. well they’re my kids and I adore them. Like these are not villains these are my beautiful imperfect children.

But also because honestly?… I think it’d really hurt the story if either turned out to be true.

One of the reasons I love and adore ATA is its story and how fucking tragic and almost real it is. Guy with genuine heart and ambition wants to achieve his dreams (Sam) but some fuckass corporation taints his goal of wanting to help children (Hamlen). It’s the story of a shitty company doing shitty things to people who don’t deserve it.

And I’m sorry but having the wrench of “OH YEAH AND ALSO THE LITTLE GIRL/SHEEP ARE EVIL!!!” Is.. so out there and would honestly just be really awkward in the story.

Like are Wooly and Amanda perfect? By all means no. But people are acting like Wooly is some Disney twist villain from the 2010s or that Amanda is some spoiled brat. When the reality is that both of them, to an extent, are victims.

They just deal with their traumas VERY VERY differently.

Amanda keeps being invasive and even aggressive at times. This anger is justified, by all means, Jesus Christ. She deserves to be angry. But at the same time that doesn’t negate the fact she’s hurt people doing this, though it’s important to note that doesn’t mean her own pain doesn’t valid. Wooly tends to bootle shit up and push it to the side. When something in his so obviously wrong in front of him he hides it so deep. He’s scared it might trigger something and that he might get hurt.

These characters and the dynamic is just so deep and complex that the sudden twist of “OH AND WOOLY WAS WORKING FOR HAMLEN THE WHOLE TOME >:D!!” Or “AMANDA WAS ACTUALLY TRYING TO KILL YOU!!” In my opinion, minimizes everything set up.

I want to end this off by saying that anyone is valid for believing these theories, despite my qualms with them, I can understand how people came to these conclusions… however it’s just not content I really want to engage with personally.

[controld3vil]

costume mishaps

pairing(s): dune 2 cast x actor!reader (platonic!)

synopsis: requested by this ask, & 2!!

⤷ alt: costume mishaps happen all the time.

notes: when i saw the film, i just knew they were going be awarded best costume. LIKE princess irulan dressed up to be taken hostage. also actor!reader is referenced to have hair long enough to be braided. also this might be the last installment i do for the dune cast, i apologize but it's been slowly fallin off for me. but if i get motivated, ill be so sure writing more :)

Only recently film channels have released behind-the-scenes footage of Dune: Part Two. One of which went in depth about each important character.

When it came to your character, Denise Villeneuve placed much emphasis on wanting to find an energetic spirit. Someone who can channel childlike wonder and at the same time, play a menacing and emotional one. And for that, you were chosen and had always appreciated Denny's choice of you.

"Nerre's, they're essential to the House Atreidas. They grew up under their rule, with Paul, and have the mentality of what it means to be loyal to the things you love and hold. And I think," Fondly, Denise murmurs your name with a smile. "They delivered what was needed for the character." Shortcuts of shots of you in the desert exhibited your enthusiasm for the project. You're constantly smiling, at the joy of people's laughter. It was as if you were born to play Nerre, resembling much of their attitude and spirit.

At the end of Villeneuve's talk, it quickly moves to another shot into the desert.

"I can't do this Denny!" From far away, it zooms toward your figure, sitting at the edge of a valley of sand. In costume and everything, the only thing that discerned different was you were missing your headgear. Your locks, loose and free from any shackle you previously had, are long gone. The sunset hits your face directly and only elevates the sad pout on your lips. "Can I please put my hair up?!"

Beside you, the Paul Atreides actor sits with one leg over the other, giggling, holding his fist up to distract himself from your petty endeavor. It was fortunate today that the wind was kind. Yet it bothered you apparently, as you try to readjust strands of your hair away from your face every few seconds. There were faint shouts behind the camera and muffled current, comments that were directed back to you.

"No, it's a part of the scene!" Denise hollers, cupping his hands into a circle. A few familiar faces show up beside the director, amused and chuckling joyfully. The sun would soon be gone and it is a waste of film if you did not comply with the director's order. Yet as the video picks up, you shamelessly and eventually accept your fate, crossing your arms, and glaring at him.

In another, your annoyance grew further. Your persistence towards Denise was undeniably petty and unnecessary. It was another day shoot, with the sun glaring back on the desert lands and everything it lays its eyes on. In particular, you who is braided with loose and intricate braids on your hair. You were even advised, more encouraged to grow your locks out for the film. Which you happily followed and now regret to this day.

"I really want to just," You scoot towards the camera's view so nobody can hear except you and the cameraman. "Yank all of the hair from my scalp! The heat's killing me!"

It switches to a sit down interview of you, slowly diffusing your voice on top of the footage to connect both portions on what you were trying to convey. "Now obviously, I was exaggerating," As you nervously laughed at yourself. You're not sitting in front of the movie poster. You were in casual outing clothes and showed off a relaxed manner, "But Denny did request for me to grow out my hair for the film- not just to show that time has passed but a part of their maturity. It's not extravagant but a small change that gradually will show later on."

Your character did not have a dramatic wardrobe change. More or less, the production team wanted to include small changes to your outfits. In the first film, you were dressed in a simple Fremen still suit, with not much other than the mask attached to it.

You did not have many options to customize. Everyone's was the same, with few alternations. You were aware for Paul, Timothee adorned a long hooded cape and extra layers of fabric behind his back. Rebecca took a completely different change and discarded the Fremen attire altogether. In the sequel, she had to wear multiple layers covering her body to represent the Reverend Mother of the Fremen people.

"Just one change, that's all I'm asking!" You recited a previous conversation you had with the director. Another Dune behind-the-scenes documentary, it showcased the intricate works of the costume designers. A beautiful work of art. Every single piece of fabric was handmade and crafted. And of course, you who couldn't help but praise their efforts and reminisce the the first time you wore the still suit again before shooting.

"I remember desperately wanting a cool cape or something. And in the end, I got what I wanted!"

A cool compilation showed you running around in the Fremen attire for the first few shoots of Dune's sequel Sometimes you run off into the distance with your cape, flying behind your back. Or the times when you flipped it over your head for extra protection. Even on other occasions where you are the one fanning your cloak for your costars like Florence Pugh or Rebecca Ferguson.

"Yes, they were happy when we gave them a cape," One of the costume designers who specialized in Fremen wear said in a quick interview. She spoke of you with hearted tenderness as like many of the other designers appreciated your participation with Denise on what to change. "We also thought it would be cool to add a few chains and charms- if you see around their waist area to show how long they've been living in the desert. Things you pick up like scrap metal or maybe materials they had from their home planet that bring homage to them. We thought it would be a cool idea for Nerre, in their time, they would be scavenging for things to bring back home."

Although the most well-known shot of you was with your well-acquainted costume. Timothee and you were walking side by side in between a long valley. It was a thin canyon, built upon tall feet of rocks and dusk. The camera crew and others were careful to walk the ancient monuments. All of the Fremen extras were following behind last. In the scene together, you and Timothee were discussing plans while striding through the rocky corridor. Josh Brolin was at the side to your right and Zendaya was on Timothee's left.

But what the documentary picks up on is what happened after the scene. Right after the scene, captures the two of your mischievous and harmless banter. All of the extras and film crew scurried out of view. Zendaya can be seen sitting by a nearby ledge.

It captures you, jumping in pace to wake yourself up. Or maybe because your feet were asleep. Eventually, the French actor joins you, following the rhythm of your jumping. It's comical how casual random occurrences happen around you and your younger cast mates. To the average person on set, it was the norm to see you and Timothee replicate childish acts.

Viewers can pick up a muffled conversation as the two of you continue to bounce in unison. "You tired?"

"I feel numb!" You quicked your pace slowly and your costar continued to stare at your movements to follow. With the additional shade the canyon provided, the heat wasn't an issue but the humidity was. Zendaya who was resting behind gave you an encouraging laugh when you began to spin and jump clockwise.

Eventually, you and Timothee went back and forth to copying each other. It led to a game of tag, which dispersed people into making a circle in the middle of the road for you to play. At some point, Timothee managed to grab onto your hooded cloak which halts you backwards. Thus it was an infamous funny blooper viewers can seen reposted over thousands of times.

With him holding your cape, and slowly going under as if performing a dance.

Even when asked about that particular clip on the carpet, you both only shared dotting reminisce and giggles.

"He almost made me fall when he grabbed my cape," You huffed, pointing at the said perpetrator while the interviewer, holding the microphone looked his way accusingly. Timothee doesn't deny your claims as he blatantly grins, happily on the special moment.

"Wow!"

"I mean, I think I won that tag game but sure," The brunette sarcastically directs his eyes toward the veil behind your back that replicated the cloak cape you wore in the movie. "You could've gotten hurt."

"Yes, because you were about to rip that thing off my neck!" You emphasized greatly into the microphone which had the interviewer throw out a chuckle. Timothee breaks as well but regains his posture before glancing at anyone behind who wants to defend him.

"I think a rematch would be in order," They added, earning hums from you, only fueling your competitive drive.

"Obviously!"

"You wanna go right now?" Timothee speaks up, emitting false confidence as he puffs up his chest. You do the same, despite knowing you are at a disadvantage for not wearing a flexible outfit to run in.

"Yeah if you're game!" You shouted back, cracking your knuckles as a few paparazzi snapped photos of your hilarious rivalry. Within seconds, he taps your shoulder before running off in the opposite direction. It leaves you off, gawking in surprise before chasing him down the carpet, struggling as you run past your other cast members and cameras.

By the end of the night, the two of you were in a tie. You won, in revelation to everyone's surprise as a picture was posted online of you posing with rock and roll peace signs and Timothee holding up the veil that was attached to your outfit, replicating the previous video.

"I have a question,"

This was the BuzzFeed UK interview. For all the five younger cast members to sit down and talk with one another. Really more of a natural and informal discussion that didn't need to pertain to obvious questions about the film. Everyone sat in comfortable sofa chairs of their own, each receiving their own microphone.

It was Florence who spoke, directly eyeing Austin Butler to your left side. Your eyes followed her insulated question, but your mind was unbothered. Your fingers unconsciously fiddled and scratched the mic as your blonde costar asked, "Your bald cap, at what point in the day were you like God I can't wait to get it off!"

Your stoic expression broke into a warm smile, remembering all the times you've seen Austin in his Feyd costume. "It's a good question."

"When did it get uncomfortable and sticky?"

"After lunch?"

"Yeah yeah I mean it kind of got to a point where I did- I would forget, it just feels like it's a part of you and I was focused on so many other things, but it's usually when it got really hot," The Princess Irulan's actress mumbles in agreement, "Particularly the arena scene cause I'm outside in the sun and it's 110 degrees and that's on your head. I just would- want to cut the damn thing off."

It earns honest chuckles from Florence and Zendaya who both agreed. A few seconds later, it cuts to you with a knowing smile before speaking up into the microphone, "At least you didn't have to deal with all of your hair- and mess," Additional hums from the others joined as Austin chokes out a laugh, before taking a second glance at you.

"I mean yeah- there are a few positives to wearing a cap," He shrugs his shoulders, knowing how you'd react to his casual response meant to be teasing.

"What was your experience like?" Florence turns the question towards you. She states your name accordingly as if seriously questioning you. Your head turns and you give her a look before answering.

"Madness," Only to be returned with huffs and pants, mostly coming from Zendaya who knew well of your petty endeavors with your hair and makeup. "I wouldn't say it was worse or better but god, the extreme heat from the desert really sold me cutting my hair short." From your side, Austin squints his eyes, unable to take your sarcasm seriously. While you can see Timothee on the far side of the group, humorlessly shaking his head as you try to reaffirm yourself.

"I think out of everyone, you take the most with hair and makeup beside Austin," The mixed actress addressed, clasping her hands together with the microphone in-between. Florence hums and you nod your head far too quickly, only to be caught by your French costar.

He calls out your name, "You take like forever in the chair, what's up with that?" Suddenly you feel the air change as you give an accused look, trying to play innocent.

"Some people take their time longer in the chair okay," You huffed and puffed as you glanced around the room. Luckily Austin decided to help on your side, empathizing with how long it takes for him to prepare in the chair.

"Both of us gotta take care of our hair you know," He adds, quickly lowering his microphone which leads a twinkle in your eyes as you gleam adoringly at him.

"Yes exactly!"

"Wow really?"

"Okay but the bald cap requires much more time and precision. You're just taking a long time and can't sit still," Florence buts in, moving closer to the edge of her seat.

You gawk at her, grasping the nonexistent pearls on your chest as you can discern Timothee and Zendaya's laughter. "Where did all of this hostility come from?"

"You know what? Ever since you broke my headpiece!" There were gasps and your blonde costar only looked at you, with a cold funny stare. Your jaw drops, knowing it was the few incidents you wanted to erase from your memory.

"Did you really break her headpiece?" Timothee sighs at you in disappointment. He gives you a fake frown before you turn to the camera, looking at the audience, unbelievable how the tables quickly turned.

"The tea!"

"First it was minor, only a few of the shards dropped." You raised your index finger, then cast eye contact with each person, "And not to mention, Florence, you let me touch it!" This time, it was Zendaya who gasped in astonishment, looking back and forth.

"I guess this was how the holy war started," Timothee speaks indistinctly, cupping one of his hands on the mic. Only to be heard of your exclamations in bewilderment.

[she-who-fights-and-writes]

Hi! Firstly, thank you for creating this blog and helping all of us out! Secondly, and sorry if this is such a silly question, but how do you write an engaging summary?

I find my own fic summaries are so… lackluster… and not even I’m interested in reading it — so how I can I expect others to be? Even if I like my story, when I write the summary in the start of my fic/in my masterlist, I’m like “Wow… this is not even remotely interesting! 😭”

So yeah, I was wondering if you had any tips/advice for that? 😭 Totally fine if not, I just figured I’d ask. Thanks and have a great day/night! 😘

HOW TO WRITE AN ENGAGING FIC SUMMARY THAT WILL DRAW IN AUDIENCES

Summaries are the bane of many writers’ existences, including my own. It’s already hard enough to get the words down on paper for the actual story, and now people want you to convince them to read it with something more than “I WORKED REALLY HARD ON IT PLEASE IT’S GOOD I PROMISE!!!!”

Squishing a ton of context into a small blurb seems impossible, but I promise it can be done!

Obviously everyone goes about things differently, and a lot of these tips may not work for everyone, but nevertheless, here are some tricks on how to write an engaging summary!

Here’s a simple template I like to use, which will be the focus of this post:

Hook (Draw the reader in!)

Context (What are the core elements of your story?)

Cliffhanger (Introduce a question/scenario that the reader will want to click to know more about!)

1. Start With a Hook

Just like with the first sentence of a story, the first sentence of your summary should immediately spark the reader’s interest.

A bold statement! A good (short) quote from your fic! A shocking discovery! A cool word definition/the definition of your title!

I always like to put the hook of the story on its own line/paragraph, just to emphasize it.

Examples of a hook (Note, these are rushed and off the top of my head. Just meant to give a general idea, not be literary masterpieces): - "It all started when Character A puked on their Uber driver." - "War was inevitable." - "Character A would be dead by sunrise. That’s what Character B vowed." - "By the time they got to the city, it was too late."

Your hook is probably the most important part of your summary; someone will know within milliseconds whether or not they will continue reading.

Once you’re past that initial hump, it’ll be easier to convince a potential reader to skim the rest of the summary. Giving something that jumps out at them will set your story apart from others and ensure it gets that click you deserve!

2. Give Some Context

For shorter one-shots, sometimes a single hook is enough! But if your fic is longer, with a bit more moving parts, you might want to choose a few highlights. Get the essence of your story on paper.

This can be super hard, so don’t feel discouraged if you feel like you’re not getting it. I’d suggest keeping your context to about 1-3 sentences depending on the length of your story, so make sure they count.

Buzzwords are a key factor in getting the main points across. Use ones that relate to your main plot to your advantage! 

For example, if I were to make a short summary of Game of Thrones for someone who has never watched it before, I would definitely include some of these buzzwords: - Dragons - Conquest - Succession - Revenge - Slaughter - Betrayal

Using powerful words (i.e. slaughtered instead of killed) can help draw in your audience!

I can't dictate exactly how you should write your context, since every fic is different and shouldn't be brought under an umbrella of the same rules, so it might help to find inspiration from other people’s summaries.

3. Pose a Question the Reader Will Want the Answer To

The biggest point of a summary is the “so what?” factor. You have all of these tags, but how does the fic make use of them?

A summary shouldn’t be giving all of the answers, but it should still leave crumbs for the reader’s imagination! This doesn’t mean that you literally need to put a question in the summary, but rather pose an unresolved scenario/problem that the reader will want to click to know the solution to.

Here are some example sentence templates that pose an indirect question, often put at the end of a summary to spark interest (Note, these are rushed and off the top of my head. Just meant to give a general idea, not be literary masterpieces): - "Everything changes the moment Character A makes a choice they can't take back." (What is that choice? How does it affect the other characters?) - "As the truth comes to light, nothing will ever be the same." (What is the truth? How does it change things?) - "A dangerous game begins, and only one can emerge unscathed." (Who will be that person?) - “It’s the first time they meet, but it won’t be the last” (What will be these next instances? How do their worlds collide?)

4. Some General Advice

If you don't think the above format works well with your fic, here's just some general advice that can help you out!

DON'T MAKE IT TOO LONG

The biggest mistake I see writers making when posting their work is having a giant four-paragraph summary for their story that takes up half of the feed.

Unfortunately, in an age of fast swiping and instant gratification, a reader may skip over a super long summary simply because they don’t feel like reading all of it.

(The reason why long summaries work for books is because people are more patient when they intend on paying to read something; they’ll take more time considering investments than they would with a free read, since they want to make sure it's worth their money. It’s not fair, but that’s kind of how it goes.)

In my opinion, a fic summary should be no more than one short paragraph, two or three sentences max for a one-shot and maybe five sentences for a long fic.

This isn't exact. It really depends on the length and complexity of the sentence, because no matter the how many you use, if there are enough words to make folks comprehend it as a big block of text, then they’re going to be more likely to skip it.

People looking for long fics will be more patient (since they’re making an investment with their time, rather than money) but if you want to appeal to a wider audience that may be casually browsing and stumble across your fic, definitely consider a more brief route.

PROOFREADING MATTERS!

Because summaries are often an afterthought, many writers don’t put as much effort into it as they would the rest of their story.

I wouldn’t recommend this; people are basing their ENTIRE initial opinion of your fic on this small blurb.

If you rush it and make spelling or grammar errors, people will assume that the rest of your fic is also riddled with errors and scroll past!

Make sure to proofread!

Hope this helped, and happy writing!

[tozettastone]

What do you think Kakuzu enjoys/appreciates about Hidan in their relationship? And vice versa?

TLDR: TWO POORLY SOCIALISED CHARACTERS BEING POORLY SOCIALISED TOGETHER.

--

They're both very self centred people. Each man prefers the qualities in his partner which he also thinks are positive in himself.

Kakuzu likes Hidan's disregard for social bonds and persistent character (even though it annoys him to work around it) and admires his capacity for e-rated graphic violence. He clearly thinks of Hidan as a competent partner — that's why he's able to easily say things like "You're seriously underestimating Hidan," when Shikamaru draws him away from the fight with Kakashi.

I think Kakuzu also likes that Hidan is immortal. When he says that money is the most important thing, compared to bonds with other people or ideology, it's cost that Kakuzu has big problems with trusting the integrity of his interpersonal relationships. Aside from his off-screen history where his important social connections betrayed him (from his perspective), we can also extrapolate this from him being over 90 and still a ninja — most of his interpersonal relationships would have passed. Hidan could last forever, though, he's so poorly socialised that the likelihood of him making high quality relationships with anyone seems extraordinarily low. This is one of the reasons why Kakuzu likes his disregard for social bonds. It is way less stressful for Kakuzu to be attached to someone that cannot be forcibly taken from him, I think.

Even when Kakuzu says, like, we all die sometime, he's comforting himself with the impermanence of their relationship. He doesn't want anyone to take it from him but he also doesn't want to feel trapped by his commitment. What an exhausting man.

I think Hidan's feelings are a lot more romantic and poetic than Kakuzu's. He's a more romantic character. But they're still like... very similar.

Hidan likes that Kakuzu is an immortality trailblazer and looks up to him as an authority. He sees the things about Kakuzu that also exist in himself as beautiful: the deviations from humanity, the violence (even though Kakuzu uses it as a means to an end, and for Hidan violence IS the end), his capricious temper. Hidan has had few role models he really respects — that's why his entire history is very "abandoned his unworthy companions, sought inspiration in god, did some murder." He's poorly connected to other people. He relates strongly to Kakuzu because they're both bad at social connections, they share skills and some interests, and Kakuzu is older and provides a model of what immortality might look like in 69 years.

Hidan also trusts Kakuzu, which is interesting. He trusts him to let him take on fights, he trusts him to pick up pieces of his body and stitch them back together, and he even trusts his situational judgement — for example, when Ino is scouting for them, Kakuzu senses something and turns towards where he thinks she might be. Hidan clearly doesn't sense anything. But he immediately stops and waits for Kakuzu. He assumes, not that Kakuzu is jumping at shadows, but rather that he has spotted something that has escaped Hidan's senses.

Anyway.... hmm, how to wrap this up... oh, I know. Headcanon incoming: Hidan views Kakuzu's serial heart-stealing as his own little ritual. He's a bit patronising about how Kakuzu doesn't recognise it when it's soooo obvious to Hidan. The heart donor dies, and then Kakuzu carries their beating heart with him until it gives out or someone "kills" it, and then he also feels the death he granted them. Clearly a Jashinist ritual by another name.

ETA: I guess they also both think large violent men are hot. Like. Obviously. I don't know if Hidan is into the tentacles for like a deep psychological reason relating to his childhood or whatever... but he's definitely into the tentacles.

[runespoor7]

I mean obviously I’m am going to ask you about chengxian, for the ask meme

What made you ship it?

It was the most interesting relationship in the book. I'm a sucker for childhood friends with broken promises, for grief, for misunderstandings over loyalty and love, and for relationships whose resolution in canon is bittersweet.

It still took some time and effort before I started really shipping it. I was theoretically open to shipping it but I hadn't yet read fics that really sold me on it (this was in 2019, I think). Then as an experiment I put a WWX-inspired character in the setting I was GMing for the JC and JYL NPC stand-ins to have him to play off of. Turned out I did ship them.

What are your favorite things about the ship?

😬

*wide, helpless, expansive gesture*

It's never simple with them. It's always fraught. They love one another but they also resent one another. Hunting demonic cultivators is about WWX still maybe being alive. Maybe JC can bring himself to kill WWX this time, or maybe he can find a way to bring WWX back home and forgive him. WWX promises to be with JC but he ends up promising that he won't stay ("like my father served your father") but he didn't mean it with an end. the mess that is the fraughtness of WWX's liminal space when it comes to his social rank.

love hurts, what hurts is love.

the fact that the one 'leading' is WWX, not JC, going against the accepted social order. (tbh, if that wasn't the case, I probably wouldn't be into the ship.) it paints such a picture of WWX being so charismatic, and JC being so taken with him, that JC falls into being WWX's sidekick. no wonder YZY was awful about it.

JC keeping Chenqing like a mad dog and keeping Lotus Pier WWX-safe. I. god. JC rating WWX's attention >>>>>>>>>>>>> JC's self-respect every time, in every way. Amazing.

it's incredible to me how WWX asks JYL about love in a scene framed in a manner to make it subtextually point in the direction of LWJ (it's mdzs; the canon pair in mdzs is wgxn; there are no - explicit - love triangles in mdzs; and yet even WWX's original crush on LWJ is, uh. informed by JC and how WWX is with JC and the fact that LWJ is New and Not The Son of WWX's Benefactor. this is normal.), where it's apparent that WWX is scared of being in love because it changes how you act, it's a limit, it's a cage, you're limiting yourself for someone else - and then WWX does something for JC that is everything he was scared of.

and it does ruin him! it's terrible! so his romance with LWJ is everything his feelings for JC weren't. He's not the one doing the protecting. LWJ doesn't question him. There are no expectations of anything, no discussions of the future, no thoughts of society. LWJ is just such a comfort, just a good thing WWX gets because he wants it. Also LWJ isn't emotionally taxing af (this is a big one). (WWX kinda ends up YZY-ing himself at the end of the book but I'm not thinking about that.)

WWX's utter toxicity toward JC. not a iota of respect for either JC or JC's boundaries to be found, except when convenient for WWX.

they both really, really believe that WWX is better than JC in every way. it's very cool

look. i'm a simple person. arrogant genius jerk/grumpy dutiful tsundere otp.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

I love the joke that chengxian isn't incest but both of them wish it were, but I think the only time one of them wished they were brothers was JC when he decided to sacrifice himself for WWX and he was lying in bed making morbid jokes. At least sacrificing yourself for your brother who is the better cultivator and can lead the sect would be simple. Forgivable. Good.

I also think they might grow to think of one another as brothers at some point post-canon, that's a sort of reconciliation that might happen, but to me it's key that during canon they don't know what they are to one another, they just know they're scarily, terrifyingly important, and there's no word for what they are to one another.

JC refused shixiong-shidi (in a shocking reversal of their normal dynamic, I think he forgot he did that and spent roughly two decades feeling insecure and weird that WWX doesn't call him shidi) and they can be nothing else, socially speaking. The love that dare not speak its name, if you would. And at that same time post-canon they could also decide that what they're to each other is that WWX used to be in love with JC, and maybe JC still is, and they're not brothers. Or maybe both! The point is, the definition of their relationship is uncharted waters and they never thought of each other as 'brothers' (much less called each other that).

2) WWX is incredibly bitter and resentful of giving his core to JC and that colors everything he thinks and says about JC afterwards, including after he's returned to life. Basically, he gave, and gave, and gave, and felt there was no gratitude, and he's unable to live the life he wanted, unable to reap the promises life made him, and JC isn't any more agreeable or tractable than before (less so, in fact!). It's not fair.

[utilitycaster]

Can I get your opinion, since you seem to be a pretty straight shooter ?

Do you think that Orym is lying to himself when he says he doesn’t want the sword for revenge or isn’t motivated by revenge? In the same way that Laudna was lying to herself and the others about why she wanted the sword?

I’ve seen a lot of ~discourse~ over whether or not orym is being truthful here and tbh I don’t know what to make of it.

My short answer: I suppose it's possible revenge might be among the many factors motivating him, but I don't believe it's his primary motivator.

My real answer? Who fucking cares.

There has been a pretty consistent pattern in which a lot of people who defend Laudna (and Imogen, for that matter) are so laser-focused on their motivations that they utterly ignore the actual consequences of their actions. Because that's the thing, right? You can make speculative claims about motivations; there is no true way to prove that Orym has absolutely no vengeful bones in his body since there's a myriad of reasons to go after the Vanguard and its leadership of which revenge absolutely is one. But you can't deny actions without someone inconveniently pointing out the truth that the action was, in fact, performed by a particular character. So it's a popular focus for people who don't actually have any evidence of their points.

Intent and motivation is, obviously, useful in understanding what a character might do. It's useful in understanding whether they could perhaps be swayed one way or another (eg: Liliana's intentions are in fact of vital importance for that reason, because if they understand what drives her, they might be able to change her path). But it's useless in judging harm done to other people. If someone kills a pedestrian in a crosswalk because they fell asleep driving because they'd stayed up all night for a charitable cause, or if they kill them because they were drunk driving, someone's still dead because of their actions. (For that matter, and I said this in an earlier post, the pedestrian is also equally dead if the driver were drunk driving because they are a well-intentioned alcoholic who fell off the wagon vs. an asshole who doesn't think the rules apply to them.) I don't blame the victim's family for hating the driver in any of the scenarios, even though I think that the some of the above drivers are far more likely to be people who will attempt to rehabilitate themselves and for whom I as a person more removed from the situation may have more pity.

Ultimately, how others see a character in-world is going to be a measure of their actions. So, for example, it does not actually matter if Imogen floats allying with the Vanguard because she wants to connect with her deadbeat mom; Orym is still justified in being hurt and offended because she said something insensitive in front of him. It's better that Imogen is doing this out of an idealized desire rather than malice; I think far better of her as a character and believe there is room for growth; but that doesn't change what she did and that it was, in fact, insensitive. It speaks well to her that Laudna's pressure point is "this sword could hurt your friend" and not "hey what if you could have a sick evil sword of your own", but she did still attack her friend in the middle of the night even with good intentions.

If Orym wants to kill Ludinus out of vengeance for the deaths of his family or if he wants to do so because Ludinus has done immeasurable harm already and very well might destroy the world (and I certainly do believe Orym is motivated by the latter, even if the former plays a role), Ludinus still ends up dead. Sure, if he's motivated only by revenge it might change how you interact with him, the way how Bells Hells treat Keyleth quite differently than they do Ira, but in terms of analyzing whether any specific action was helpful or harmful? Utterly fucking irrelevant.

Anyone making the argument that Orym might not have the purest motives either, as a means to defend Laudna, is either too dumb to even find the correct questions to ask or deliberately throwing up a smoke screen, and as this post indicates, doesn't fucking matter if they're stupid or malicious - they're a waste of your time. Don't even bother.

[latteenightss]

Hii! Just another rant about obx. I wanna share my predictions about season 5 and what I think they’re gonna do

Chase Stokes (John B) mentioned that season 5 will be their best one, which it could be but I think for a lot of viewers just the fact that JJ won’t be there at all might ruin the season if yk what I mean.

And now to my predictions

1. I think season 5 will be Kiara’s season, with the way season 4 ended it’s obvious she’s gonna lash out and go through a lot. She’s gonna need to deal with grief and her revenge era might be a bit brutal 😊

Also maybe she will be somehow related to the treasure? Or just connected slightly. Like season 1 we had John B, season 2 it was Pope. Season 3 now- idk I guess Sarah but Kie also had a bigger role, like when that dude kidnapped her and then she got sent off to that camp but that’s it, then her plot line was about Jiara, and season 4 was obv JJ.

And since we’re talking about JJ, y’all.. ik it’s hard but he’s not coming back 😭 obx is not supernatural, a wish won’t bring him back to life. Like I don’t think JJ will crawl out of sand.

I generally love the idea of Kie finally having her main character moments and just making her more important to the story.

2. We will get Riara. And I definitely don’t mean that in a romantic way because that’s not happening! Madison (the actress of Kie) hates Riara 😭 but I think we will see them as duo and just get more of those tension scenes that we got so far. I feel like that might be a way the writers will try to “replace” Jiara. Jiara was a huge ad for the show and lately so has been Riara.

I feel like almost eveyone loves the tension between those two and the writers know that. Also Rafe breaking up with Sofia- yea they’re definitely building up to some sort of storyline with Kiara and Rafe. The amount of people obsessed with Riara is insane and obv they have to give us something so..

Riara s5 is pretty much guaranteed.

3. I wanna talk about Sarah and John B- obviously a huge plot line will be their child. I don’t know if the child will be born at the end or during season 5. How I see it, I’m leaning more toward the end but we’ll see.

There’s not much else that can really happen with them. John b will also be in a revenge era since his best friend was killed and Sarah will definitely get closer with Rafe, that hug they shared was so cute and needed but otherwise I really don’t know! I doubt they’ll kill them off. I was thinking that the way John B narrates obx maybe that’s him in the future telling his child about their story? That would make sense honestly.

4. Pope and Cleo umm so. I honestly am not as interested in their story line and it’s interesting because I have no idea what they will do with them.

I think Pope might be kind of more cold in season 5- as we know he shot a person right in the head, and he was so scared about that. Also he lost JJ- his best friend and they want to send him to the military. Dude is not doing the best! 💀

Cleo.. I don’t know she’s such a complicated character, she went through a lot in her life but I doubt they’ll really expand her character in season 5.

5. Rafe!!!! His character development this season was insane. In my opinion he should stick with the pogues but I wouldn’t be surprised if he somehow betrayed them. That’s Rafe- he’s not a good person but I wouldn’t say he’s necessarily bad..

Like I already said in obx 5 there will be Rafe and Kie duo, and more of Sarah and Rafe for sure. But maybe he will connect with the other pogues too.

I just don’t want the development to be thrown away, I hope they make him stick with the pogues.

6. And now finally the ending/possible deaths.

The characters who in my opinions are most in danger are: Kiara and Rafe

Especially Kiara.. here’s the thing, since JJ is dead and she already went through the whole group 😭 what can her ending actually be? Like ok she could just end up alone with her friends, her family but in my opinion her death would make sense. She would be with JJ and I think in general it is a good end for her.

Rafe like i mentioned is a complicated character, it would be so easy for the writers to just kill him off at the end. But I would be honestly so mad!!! Like no JJ and no Rafe 😭. Yeah I don’t want them to do that but at the same time, I think there’s definitely a possibility.

Sarah and John B definitely safe in my opinion.

Cleo and Pope- now I don’t know, I think they’re safe. Maybe Cleo.. but still I don’t think so.

Groff- definitely done for! ❤️ I hope Kiara tortures him to death 🥰

[jackdaniel69nice]

Do you think you can do a deep on Tokoyami’s character? I don’t see a lot of depth in to his personality due to him being mostly off screen. I wanted to know if you could headcanon his flaws and his strengths as a character! I really enjoy your input! Thank you for your time 😄.

Wow this is gonna be a lot haha I’ve never really tried to make write all this down in one go before but let’s give it a shot.

Secretive/Mysterious

On the surface tokoyami is a chunibyo goth kid with a penchant for dramatic speech, this is all true of course and what you see is exactly what you get, but there is also a hidden secretive side we do not get to see. Each little comment and interaction can reveal small details about his true personality that is hiding underneath.

Tokoyami obviously has a mysterious persona that is maintained by the fact we know little to nothing about his past or motivations for becoming a hero. It can be inferred that he tends to keep people at arms length. During the summer camp we saw what happens when he becomes enraged and loses control. He thinks he is dangerous and has a fear of getting close to people who will only be hurt because of him. It’s also heavily implied that he has hurt or even killed someone before in one of these rampages. That sort of trauma can be paramount to one’s character and influences their thoughts and behavior in many aspects.

The sports festival is when Tokoyami’s character really gets to shine. Here is where we learn about dark shadows weakness to light and their increased strength in the dark. There is already something impressive about him being able to keep that a secret for several months. I don’t think we even saw dark shadows face until the sports festival arc meaning tokoyami was probably keeping to the shadows and scoping out the class’ reactions before revealing dark shadows true nature. He is naturally skeptical of trusting others but also cunning to keep secrets to get an edge during training. This can be a sign someone has broken his trust before and he might have developed a complex that people will betray him. Of course he is willing to break this rule when it is pertinent like how he willingly told koda and Midoriya about his weakness when it was important to their teamwork.

He is also very closed off and private like how he didn’t want anyone to see his room. This can be because he is shy and it’s likely a result of being teased because of his interest in the dark ways. Despite his reclusive personality he isn’t actually off putting, he is actually very agreeable and gets along well with everyone and has been described as having maxed out communication stats. I think his ability to work well with others, even difficult and aggressive people, comes from learning to cooperate with dark shadow. He has always had to compromise to make them both happy and is willing to concede some things to get better results.

Disciplined

Tokoyami has been described on several occasions to have strong self-control. This is obviously due to his fear of losing control of his emotions and causing dark shadow to go on a rampage. I would think he was raised with strict rules and had to maintain a “perfect” persona. Suppressed emotions are unfortunately the source of his issues because they have to get out eventually and usually all at once. He didn’t have a safe space to express himself until he came to UA and that’s why he is suddenly making so much progress and developed Ragnarok so quickly.

He also seems to have a competitive spirit. He will join in on competitions and accepted kuroiros challenge. This could also be a result of how it was push for him to be perfect. While it means he’s determined and willing to put effort and practice into winning, unfortunately it also gives him a complex about failure. When faced with a task he thinks he will lose he will often give up like how he surrendered to bakugo at the sports festival. It takes him a while to get over a defeat and realize it’s not the end of the world (so dramatic). This can also be a sort of survival instinct, if you loose a fight in real life you will likely die, so he needs to win every time because he sees it as life or death.

Logical

One of Tokoyami’s strongest traits is that he’s a logical thinker. He doesn’t let his emotions influence his decisions and will do what’s best in the moment even at his own discomfort or sacrifice. Even during a crisis he thinks calmly and rationally to figure out the next move. He omits his true feelings to make teamwork easier and even will lie to avoid a negative situation. Obviously he is able to avoid conflict through logical deception but it’s at the sacrifice of his emotions. He is incredibly repressed and will go to far out of his comfort zone which could lead to a breakdown. Even when he is upset he won’t tell anyone due to this nonconfrontational nature and fear of upsetting them.

Another aspect of his cooperativeness is that he’s a very good listener. He is full of wisdom beyond his years and can come up with solutions to his friends problems. This is applicable to training because he will prioritize a team win over his own success. Unfortunately it also means he tends to stick to the shadows and follows other people’s lead to allow them the spotlight. He needs to stop acting as support and use his strength to the fullest.

Protective

Tokoyami’s motivations for becoming a hero are unknown but what we do know is that he is fiercely protective of his friends. There is no direct explanation for tokoyami to be so protective of his friends other than the fact that he is probably quite lonely and becomes easily attached to someone like his relationship with hawks. He will value other people’s life more than his own due to his insecurity and self hatred and belief that he is not good enough for them, like he has to prove himself. There is also the fact he could have developed a protective bond with dark shadow. Tokoyami had to become mature and calm very young to help take care of shadow’s needs. This is something like how the oldest sibling is expected to help take care of younger siblings. Tokoyami takes care of shadow and protects them from the light (Of course dark shadow also protects tokoyami and is even more protective than him). In the end though there really doesn’t have to be a reason for him to be a protective person, it’s just one result of someone who is completely selfless. Selflessness it’s-self isn’t to bad but tokoyami will actively throw himself into dangerous situations that could kill him like trying to save hawks from dabi. There is also the problem that this protectiveness makes him angry when someone does get hurt and led him to lose control in the forest with shoji.

[eelfuneral]

I know that I’ve touched on the harassment that people are getting for posting theories about Tech being alive, but there is another element that I believe we should discuss: the fact that the harassment is being disproportionately lobbed at autistic fans. Now, I’m not trying to imply that all of the people leaving these nasty comments are sitting around thinking about how much they hate autistic people, but whether they realize it or not, the types of posts that they tend to leave nasty comments on tend to be posts made by people displaying what might be autistic traits. In fact, a lot of posts that have these harassing comments are made by people who make it no secret that they are autistic and sometimes even mention it in their bio.

So what do I mean when I say that a lot of these posts may hint at OP being autistic? For starters, autistic brains tend to latch onto things with a great deal of intensity, and sometimes our brains latch onto specific fictional characters. We know logically that these characters are not real and that there are objectively more important things to worry about, but our brains simply do not care. Focused autistic interests are a source of a lot of comfort and stability for us in a world that is often overwhelming, and they are important to us as a result. A lot of the people dogging the Tech posts seem to take issue with how “obsessed” people are with the character and his survival, which in some cases, is due to OP simply being autistic and having a focused interest.

Another trait that can manifest in autistic people is difficulty with emotional regulation, meaning that even “small” things can make us more upset than our peers. The people leaving harassing replies seem to have picked up on the fact that people are “too emotional” over a fictional character and sometimes even make their replies extra graphic (ie. “he’s rotting at the bottom of the chasm”, “he’s flesh paste”) in order to get a rise out of the OP. Obviously, not everyone who makes posts like these or has these challenges is autistic, but I believe that my point still stands that going after people with these traits will cause autistic people to be disproportionately targeted, which is an ableist pattern.

Sometimes, however, the harassment feels more intentionally targeted at autistic fans. A lot of Tech fans really value Tech as autistic representation and feel like killing him off in our current popular culture environment where a fair chunk of autistic portrayals are negative is in poor taste. The “Tech is dead, get over it” harassers blatantly ignore or ridicule these statements, showing zero empathy to the people who feel seen because of this character. I have seen people bulldoze into posts where autistic fans talk about how much they hope he survives because they see themselves in him with comments like “he’s dead, get over it.” In one instance, I saw an allistic fan tell an autistic fan that Tech was “forced diversity” and that if Disney was going to attempt autistic representation, then the character shouldn’t be “boring” like Tech. I don’t think I really need to explain why this is inappropriate.

It’s fine to disagree with a popular fan theory or debate about it in good faith with someone who is up to it, but what I am seeing goes well beyond that. Harassment is never, ever okay, and you should know better than to leave replies like the ones in these screenshots below when you see a fan theory that you don’t agree with.

[biggest-geo-oogami-enjoyer]

TKATB - Theories, wahoo.

This will contain spoilers for Days 1 and 2 of @fantasia-kitt 's 'The Kid At The Back', along with containing mentions of material found on her Twitter (https://twitter.com/fantasia_kitt).

This is mostly based off things I've picked apart and/or kinda pieced together. If you feel I'm incorrect, or am missing something; hell, if you have any theories of your own, please share!

Anyway, the actual theories (apologies in advance if the rambling is...uh...too rambly).

- Okay, so considering the fact Jess was moved into the ‘Lower Class’ school, it means that she either failed a class or got a ‘violation’ (those are the conditions for being moved down, according to Hyugo). Brittney mentioned how ‘confident and loud’ Jess is when she’s angry, and Brittney apparently was popular at some point, but lost it at the party (it was mentioned a few times by Deryl) 2 years ago due to an incident. I think maybe Brittney was being bullied and Jess lost her shit, maybe even got physical? And that led to the duo being sent to the ‘Lower Class’ school.

- Subaru (Geo) and Hyugo are mentioned to be brothers, but Hyugo says “Subaru! I wasn’t expecting to see you here!”, which could mean Geo (due to him being rich af) was moved down as well??? Hyugo and Geo are brothers but have different surnames, so I have a feeling (also because Geo is said to have daddy issues by Fantasia herself), that maybe Subaru Oogami and Hyugo Sugimoto aren’t related.

- Continuing that, Hyugo is the ‘traitor’ that the ‘Rough-Voiced Man’ was looking for in the cinema, so he’s obviously affilated with some dodgy people, and we know he hates injustice, so perhaps he is a mercenary or assassin of sorts (he did canonically kill somebody, with Sol witnessing it, check Fantasia’s twitter); and that could be why Geo avoids him? Hell, why does Subaru even go by Geo? Is it a codename, like Geo Sugimoto, is he hiding his real identity?

- With the person who threatened MC and their father with taking the farm, and the Marie Antoinette references, maybe the ‘handsome man’ is Crowe’s father? Hell, maybe even Eries, the fuchsia-eyed celebrity Jess loves. Along with that, the 'moral' I suppose of her biography was along the lines of: change is inevitable, either you deny it, or accept it. It'll happen anyway, what changes is your role and reaction to it (say you choose Crowe, Sol'll lose his marbles; if you choose Sol, Crowe might move on...unless he's also insane but I doubt it).

- Flowers seem to be important symbolism-wise, like the carnation and passionflower mentions made by Crowe (carnations can mean love for someone, or purity if white, or rejection/disappointment if yellow. Passionflowers mean renewal and hope I think). Brugmansia is also a poisonous flower, so it hints to Sol being a ‘poison’ that could kill us.

- I've seen this mentioned by @sweet-herbal-peach-tea (I'm sorry for tagging you anon, I wanted to credit you; also check their theories out as well anons), but I'll add it here anyway: With the prominence of Edgar Allan Poe's 'Annabel Lee', it could hint to Sol having loved us either in a past life...or...maybe we - the MC - look identical to a past lover of his, one who maybe passed; and he's deluded himself into thinking we are them?

Now for my favourite ones:

- The Hallow’s Ball, the event Deryl mentions on the groupchat, is on Friday. Assuming the game will be 7 days long and that Day 1 is Monday, that means Day 5 is crucial. It could be a catalyst, hell it may even decide what ending you get (Fantasia said there’ll probably be about 5, 1 true, 2 good, 2 bad; albeit that could change). Geo mentions he doesn’t want to go, neither does Brittney, but I think she will due to the fact Jess is. It may decide whether you choose Crowe or Sol, along with finalising relations with the other characters.

- Hyugo also mentions ‘taking care of Sol for him’, implying his absence…or even death. Hyugo pulls a gun on a person who seems to know him, maybe the boss of a crime syndicate? Hyugo hates injustice, so maybe the missing persons cases are being caused by people Hyugo knows, and he wants to stop them? I think if Hyugo vanishes (hell, it’s already known that he doesn’t always show up to class), it might be a way to get more info out of Geo.

That’s all I got off the top of my head lol, if it seems janky, I'm sorry. ;^

And uuh...yeah. This is my first Tumblr post so yeah. Love this Visual Novel and cannot wait to see more! (Especially of Geode lmfao).

[a-dauntless-daffodil]

so it's actually maybe kinda IMPORTANT that Vaggie took her exorcist mask off that one day in hell??

it's a realllllly tiny act of individualism, or maybe discomfort with what she is or is doing, the exorcist gear a bit stifling feeling maybe- it's soooooooo smallllll, like the difference in the number of stripes on her wings. And Yet. It might have mattered. It might have mattered a Lot

'cause see.... the exorcist masks have HORNS on 'em.

So normally, if an exorcist was looking around and saw their shadow while down in hell murdering people, if that shadow ALSO had horns- well, of course it would! Right?

Ah. But.

Vaggie's shadow had horns even when she Wasn't wearing her mask.

and sure, there's a lot of ways to see this image-

1.) Purely meta, a visual to let the audience understand what Vaggie is feeling about herself as she looks down at this terrified kid. Not something that she or anyone else actually saw. Just a way to make us understand why she does what she does next when she lowers her spear and spares the kid

2.) Vaggie's guilt making her see herself like this in a trick-of-the-eye kinda way, manifesting as the horned shadow.

3.) Animation error. Someone somehow forgot Vaggie's mask wasn't on in this scene, the scene key to her character and backstory and why she's even doing all of this anyway. Or.

4.) It's completely Literal

if 4, THEN it's a contrast to Lute a moment later, with her mask still firmly on, casting her own horned shadow over Vaggie- and not getting what it could mean about what she is or is about to do. Shielded from the truth of what an Exorcist is

a sinner in all but name

the uniform protects Lute from that. Not "facing" what she's doing, like Vaggie did when she pulled hers off, keeps a shield of deniability between Lute- all the exorcists- and what an extermination day really involves

they only LOOK like demons because they cHOOSE to, obviously! it's only a mask, only for show!

just like sinners aren't really people. so, it can't be bad to kill them

it can't make you bad, to be killing them

it's just such a JUICY parallel to what just happened, the winged and horned horned shadow looming, the fear of the one suddenly under it. Only this time there's no moment of Oh.

well

other than vaggie's OH SHIT when she's sees the exorcist behind her is Lute, anyway

unbelievably bad timing there- or maybe Lute saw Vaggie take off her mask a moment ago and was following her to order it back on. Which would just be. So ironic

i suppose Lute's mask did kinda come off too, metaphorically

this is when Vaggie gets an eye full of just how much of an asshole Lute really is

sorry. sorry vaggie, im sorry, sorry- i couldn't. the pun. i couldn't resist

[everlastingremorse-blog]

The Rat Grinders are Minmaxers

I’ve been thinking through a lot of the discourse surrounding the bad kids and their immediate dislike of the Rat Grinders, and how it’s not fair and all that stuff.

And that is important to consider, but it took me awhile to realize how un-fun it would be to play in a group of rat grinders.

Like Brennan said in an earlier adventuring party (and I am paraphrasing), “this year we get to see what it’s like when being an adventurer means going on adventures.”

Like, in earlier seasons, Aguefort would go on some long tangent about how adventuring is enacting violence in order to change the world.

Not that I completely agree with that assertion, but it’s also true that there is a narrative in DND, thus there are narrative arcs. Going on an adventure in DND means having personal arcs exploring how your character’s motivations are changing and interacting with the world. One of my favorite parts of Dungeons and Drag Queens was seeing these new players get really invested in their characters.

And then there are minmaxers. Now if you don’t know, Minmaxers are players that really optimize their character to game the system. Think Evan Kelmp. He’s set up in a way to prioritize fighting over anything else.

Now Kelmp is a bit of an exception, as most Minmaxers tend to (at least from what I’ve seen) avoid roleplay, while Brennan made Kelmp explicitly for roleplay. In other words, Minmaxers don’t make good stories.

And I think that’s for two reasons:

1. If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Having a character built to fight (and that’s how most Minmaxed DND characters are built, according to me) means you’re going to use fighting as a solution. Why try to convince someone when your dumb stat is charisma and you could probably kill them easily if you tried. Murder hobos are bad for stories.

2. It’s impressive, the first time. Don’t get me wrong, Minmaxers show a strong mastery of the system they’re working in. Just like the rat grinders. They’ve gotten to a real high level by (in my opinion) a flaw in the system, and it’s a fun loophole… the first time I saw it. If there is no story (no quest that you’re going on) then it’s going to just be boring grinding. It’s like looking at a painting in a museum. You can look at it. Examine it. Think about it like a painter, and then like an art critic. Read some analysis of the work, but eventually I want to move on. I might come back later, but I’ll hit a limit on what I can do. I can be impressed by the mastery of the system, now what? Now they go back to grinding rats.

And that’s why I dislike the rat grinders. They are adventures, but they don’t go on adventures. They just gamed the system. They followed the rules without following their spirit. And I’d hate to play a game with players like that.

But hey, things are looking up. Obviously, the rat grinders have a lot going on that we just don’t know yet. There is a story there, and I can’t wait to see it.

Also they have a really hot drago———

*sounds of muffled horny screams as I’m dragged off into the distance.*

[reachexceedinggrasp]

I have a feeling you might relate to this or you might have even related this on your blog already, but I was just thinking of that Ghoul quotation water water everywhere and not a drop to drink

I think probably my favourite, maybe ever, quiet point of characterisation in a sort of villainous or Beast love interest is his or her having a poet's soul... whether that is conscious or unconscious romantic meditation. It's like Kylo musing to Rey when he says 'You have that look in your eyes. From the forest. When you called me a monster' I love that sort of wistful observation, especially because it evokes such potent imagery ('when we fought together in the forest and then you marked yourself on my face'). Or more literally something like Ghoul citing a line of literature, even when none around except for Lucy would know what he's referencing, it's for his own arrestment and amusement, this is how he sees/interacts with the world

I guess in that way, it reveals something new about their perspective on the world, even when they're somebody seemingly cut off from it - monstrous, othered, repellent, ugly - when they're able to articulate a certain beauty which other characters may not remark upon. It's sort of covetous in that sense, but I think it also sort of helps explain what might interest them about a Beauty, after all, there's something they long for and value (spiritual, aesthetic, existential beauty).

I thought you might be able to relate 🥰

Oh, totally. And with Cooper and Ben, specifically, which is a parallel I hadn't actually noticed until you've just pointed it out, we're being shown their sensitivity as characters. Not in the sense of being considerate, but that they're aware and alert to beauty and meaning in the world despite currently occupying a narrative role which might make us think they're simply destructive or nihilistic figures. And despite the cynicism they're both ostensibly espousing.

Cooper quotes or alludes to literature practically constantly relative to how little he speaks, always knowing people almost certainly won't understand him, and that's especially fascinating because he didn't make those kinds of references in the flashbacks. We could take this in a whole direction about how he created the Ghoul as a character to shield himself from the things he had to do to survive and is living within a meta-narrative deconstructing the reactionary anti-hero who overtook the white hat sheriff he used to play in his movies. The anti-hero he never wanted to be. He makes allusions because his life has become a story he's telling himself to stay sane. He's his own wry Dickensian narrator making asides to an imagined audience about dramatic irony and social commentary.

And an important part of his presentation to others before the war was painting himself as not sophisticated. Just a cowboy and then just a guy who plays a cowboy in the movies. He wants nothing to do with politics either in an interpersonal or broader sense, and disclaims any pretensions to being savvy despite being in a theoretically powerful position as a rich, well-connected major film star. I think he was genuinely naive, but I also think he often played dumb to avoid social conflict. He was complacent and his image helped him remain complacent. Obviously he was very willing to be confrontational when he saw wrong or injustice right in front of him (he goes after Bud Askins directly to his face about marines getting killed by shitty equipment, he challenges Moldaver when she calls him out), but pre-bombs he mostly uses his empathic perceptiveness and charisma to keep everyone around him happy.

In the wasteland we often see him doing the opposite and deliberately riling people up in order to gather information and assess or eliminate them as threats, but he's also only gotten better at disarming people when he wants to. As a handsome charming film star he pretended not to know anything, as a scary intimidating monster he pretends he knows everything.

What I'm wondering about as far as all this goes is whether Cooper always had a secret nerdy side and read all the classics as a teenager or perhaps while waiting between shots when he was working as a stuntman, or whether he wanted to fit in when he started to make it in Hollywood so tried to become cultured before realising that wasn't what anyone wanted from him. Or if he just spent 200 years alone and read anything he could find as a way to cling to his humanity. We know he was at least a bit intellectually curious before the war, because of his reading and retaining some article about studies on torture.

But YES, him quoting poetry and being so interested and insightful about Lucy, specifically is a huge part of how he's framed as a romantic figure. And he's already by far the most romantic figure in the show. If it were solely about his tragedy, you'd think they would emphasise the contrast between his pre-fallen and post-fallen state by stripping him of his heroic trappings, but they don't. He's actually more romantic post-'curse'.

It also gets me because he's an extremely smart, socially adept person who doesn't let others see him for who he really is both consciously and unconsciously on multiple levels and that layers of identity shit is my crack. He was a profoundly honest man who thought he was simple, but actually he was a glorious maze of contradiction and complexity waiting to happen who has now come into his own as a master manipulator.

[burr-ell]

"the tendency of this fandom to only engage with what THEY want these characters to be#as opposed to what their creators are trying to do and the stories they want to tell" slap this on a bumper sticker, you just summed all cr discourse (about PCs at least) in 2 sentences

It truly is maddening (and it's not by any means exclusive to the CR fandom). The reason why the discourse always goes the way it does is that at the end of the day, the loud fanwanky people only see what they would do, if they were self-inserted into the story, as a valid choice; and they are, more broadly, fundamentally disinterested in what others think or feel. There are several examples of this, and the variety of spaces within the fandom that produce these ideas is an indicator that this isn't endemic to one specific group of people.

-Keyleth is an important character whose feelings and choices are validated by the other PCs and cast even if they still disagree with them, in spite of how she and her preachiness get in the way of the Murderhobo Jubilee? It's not because the cast are all friends and they genuinely believe Keyleth is valid and are interested in how these discussions and choices can guide the story. It's because Marisha is the DM's girlfriend, and also here's my totally unbiased theory that my pet favorite players Sam and Travis secretly hate Marisha and Keyleth.

-Vax's presence is still felt and nodded to in the post-canon VM oneshots? It's not because he was an important character who mattered. It's because Liam wants to make everyone talk about his tragedy because he has Main Character Syndrome. Scanlan Wishes for Vax to appear at the wedding? It's not because he cares about Vex or because Sam and Liam wanted a sweet tribute to Vex and Vax's relationship and by extension Liam and Laura's friendship. It's because Liam thinks Vex's life should always revolve around Vax, and Sam wants to enable him and jerk himself off as the one who facilitated it.

-Beauyasha and Fjorester become canon? It's not because the players wanted it and it happened naturally. It's because there was a secret behind-the-scenes push to "force" those ships to become canon instead, and like, Dani Carr is some sort of shipping puppetmaster who made the players do it, and "they" (whomever "they" is) decided to sink Beaujester or Widojest because it was "obviously" going to become canon before the pandemic hiatus gave them time to "make the corporate-approved ships happen".

-Beau and Caleb try to reform the Empire and dismantle the Cerberus Assembly from within? It's not because it makes sense for their stories or that people who would take this position regarding a corrupt government might have a valid perspective that differs from your own. It's because the people at Critical Role Productions LLC are all spineless neoliberal cowards who won't commit to real activism. The best activism, after all, is violent, and violent revolutions have always resulted in stable aftermaths, and the real world has never demonstrated that this mindset is foolish.

-Relatedly: Caleb doesn't kill Trent personally? It's not because the most poetic justice would be to deny Trent the thing he wants most from Caleb. It's because "Limo Brain" is too obsessed with tragedy to have the stones to do "what needs to be done".

-Asmodeus, DnD Satan, turns out to also be CR Satan? It's not because it fits with the cosmology and the lore; it's because Matt Mercer is too attached to the "establishment", and the Prime Deities should have actually turned out to be the bad guys because of my personal baggage about Western religion and Christianity they're a little mean to my blorbo sometimes.

There's a pattern here: fans had expectations that they'd built up for themselves after projecting and building up fanon and deciding what players meant before they explained themselves fully, and when the players strayed from that, they were derided for all manner of reasons. I think we're seeing that same pattern play out in C3 as the story progresses in a way that fans dislike, and in fact we have seen fanwank spread whenever someone does anything that interferes with personally catering to a) the favored ship and/or b) the favored philosophy. (Orym, Ashton, FCG, Percy, Pelor...all valid when they affirm the Fandom Opinions and all disdained when they don't.)

Don't get me wrong, I think there's a place for comfort stories that deliver a personal catharsis. And I'm not going to dismissively say "well if you want it so bad make your own" because, as an artist, I am very familiar with the fact that creating is hard and draining and sometimes you just need to consume instead. But when you become so wrapped up in yourself and your feelings to the point where your perspective is the only valid one, someone else's feels like a betrayal when it isn't. It's always "They aren't doing what we wanted and here's why they're terrible people because of it" and never "Hmm, why is this what the cast wants? Let's examine that."

This isn't a new phenomenon, but I think it ultimately stems from not assuming that other people can differ from you in major ways in good faith. There are a lot of reasons for that (some more understandable than others), but I think you rob yourself of the potential to enjoy something new when all you do is demand what you already want. No matter what you're doing or where you are in life, you tend to become a better and wiser person when you open your mind to what other people have to say, no matter how mundane the subject matter. Sometimes the stories people have to tell are challenging—and the only healthy way to deal with that is to engage with them on their own terms.

[zombie-bait]

Omg i just realized I have something tiny to add to the whole James Somerton debacle. I'm currently watching the hbombguy vid (as you do when procrastinating assignments) and I remembered something that stood out to me in James' old videos.

So I used to be a fan of his stuff. I am also a fan of Hannibal and IWTV. He made a video covering both so naturally I was very hyped. It was called 'The Gay Appeal of Toxic Love.' The vid itself was fine (I don't remember having any super strong opinions of it besides being excited to hear ppl mention Interview cuz I had recently become obsessed) but one thing did stand out to me. In the IWTV section he mentions Nicki and, naturally, his death:

"After becoming a vampire, Nicky becomes nearly catatonic, and eventually slips away from Lestat entirely. And after centuries of dealing with depression and severe mental illness, Nicky kills himself."

(sourced from this transcript: https://github.com/TerraJRiley/James_Somerton_Transcripts/blob/main/Transcripts/The%20Gay%20Appeal%20of%20Toxic%20Love.txt)

To anyone who's read TVL, I don't think I need to explain that Nicki had not, in fact, been around for centuries. "Nicki had lived to be 30" has been rattling around in my head since I first read it.

And like, obviously I don't expect every youtube essayist to read several long-ish novels to have a full grasp of the series' deep lore, especially when the focus was largely on IWTV and Loustat rather than the entire Vampire Chronicles. Still, it makes you wonder a bit about the quality of the research being done here. You can find the proper info in like, 5 seconds by just going on the fan wiki so I'm not sure what his sources were. And that's the issue at hand, isn't it?

At the time I felt a tiny bit smug recognizing the error but in light of everything that's been revealed, it's kind of telling. I'm not saying this part was plagiarized (I haven't found anything but others on reddit have found issues with different sections of the same video) but rereading the transcript it comes off as someone who clearly doesn't know much about Interview.... It feels like he's reading through a loose summary of plot points rather than analyzing a piece of media that actually means anything to him. It's very much Interview for people who don't know Interview which, one could argue is fair. Especially beyond book one, VC is a niche series and a lot of elements that are important to certain characters or plot lines cannot be summarized quickly for an audience unfamiliar with it. A good writer, who's done a lot of research about the specific topic they have chosen to make a video on, would be able to balance this. There is a LOT to analyze about queerness in VC and its a shame to see one of the more popular queer media channels half-assing it just to churn out videos heavily made up of other people's work. In retrospect he had several videos like that, where he would discuss things like manga/manhua communities while clearly having little knowledge on the nuance of those subjects. He was an outsider who presented himself with a strange amount of authority.

This was content created with the sole intention of propping up queer stories and history, yet it's built off stolen work from queer authors and doesn't actually care that much about exploring the communities it features. Vids like the IWTV one weren't really fact checked because it's only people like me who would might give a shit or even notice anything is off in the first place. There's a bit of a similar vibe in some of his other vids where he undermines the experiences of queer women because he clearly has not taken the time to learn about the nuances of representing queer women in media. These are things that irritated me when I first started to notice them but I put those concerns in the back of my mind because I cared about the topics he was covering and was excited to see these discussions becoming more mainstream.

The revelations of this evening have been disappointing to say the least.

(also for the record I know he made other more recent vids about IWTV but I haven't seen those and even if his account was still up I don't think I would lol

BUT

I did look at the transcript for his 'Vampires and the Gays Who Love Them' video (found from the same link I included above) and this quote about the IWTV AMC show is sending me: "Daniel has never grappled with the complexities of being gay"

Shoutout to straight, uncomplicated icon Daniel Molloy. Devil's Minion was a mass hallucination, spread the word)