#i might make my friend's descendants character might not idk

[imjustavenuxwithaboomerang]

picrews of my descendants oc because i teased her existence a little bit ago

her name is navia and she's the daughter of tiana and naveen

(her name could probably start with a 't' if i really thought of one but when i created her, i decided to just blend tiana and naveen's names together. however i really like navia for her so it's sticking idc)

here are some things that i just threw together to show her vibe (outfits and colors on the left and sample hairstyles on the right)

link to the picrews: 1, 2, 3, 4

[howgalling]

idk if I mentioned but I got to speak to JRO after the con at tfnation; specifically about the first aid plot line he didn’t end up getting to include in the mtmte comics!!

I missed the panel where he was talking about it, but one of my friends mentioned it, so I had to ask for more information!!!!!. First Aid essentially loses the plot for a while trying to find a way to bring ambulon back. it’s briefly mentioned as an off comment by (maybe ratchet?) that first aid has been isolating himself for months with ambulon’s dead body in the comics. Which is crazy btw lol anyway

first aid spends all that time between the plot failing to find ways to bring ambulon back to life. He fully repairs ambulons body, every fragment of him is visually perfect, /technically/ functional. He even repaints ambulon, touching up the patchy paint job Ambulon was known for.

But ambulon is truly dead. What made ambulon who he was, his memories, his personality, his knowledge, his friendship- was obliterated in the bisecting, as was his spark. It was a complete brain-death by cybertronian standards.

As far as I’m aware, the spark is just a power source, relative to the memory banks portion of their processors and whatnot, specifically the sections that store the bots actual personality and memories. Though it’s always worded differently. JRO didn’t give an exact time range (understandable lol) for how long they were on Delphi, but the general thought is that First Aid and Ambulon were on Delphi together for a decent chunk of years, relative to the timeline.

:((( first aid and ambulon really endured Delphi together and bonded throughout that, and to see him murdered so abruptly, (by their ex-boss who they watched descend into madness- no less!!!) was extremely traumatising, as much as it’s played as a joke by the fandom lolol. ambulon suffered what was essentially complete brain death at the moment of injury, non-recoverable.

The dynamic between ratchet, Pharma and first aid/ambulon is really interesting, other people can word it better than me but it ties massively into the feedback loop first aid gets lost in from that point. Watching his closest friend die in a hysterical power play between his two superiors would be helpless agony. And it hurts more because we know first aids temperament :(( he’s still soft, despite it all, and he’s the type of character that you just want to shield from the nastiness of it all. 😭😭

First aid goes as far tracking down the mechs that were involved in the faulty combiner experiment Ambulon was forced into. Looking for maybe even an echo or an imprint, faint traces in the data+code of the mech’s that might have had /anything/ of his friend left in it. Pieces he could put together to make him whole again. But there’s nothing, just surface level memories from a bond that never succeeded. MAN

Anyway, I’m going to try and draw something for it, please give me focus

[jaredxenoengage]

Have you ever noticed that Alear and the Four Royals acts as a Five Man Band? The story may not show that well, but their gameplay, nations and represented Emblems demonstrate that they are this trope perfectly. Veyle acts as the Sixth Ranger (actually 11th Hour Ranger). They best represent this trope as well because Alear, the Royals and Veyle are the only playable characters that can’t die on Classic Mode (oh and Vander too, but he’s just a mentor kind of guy).

The Five Man Band is among one my favorite tropes in media. Why? IDK why, it just is. I used to be a Power Rangers fan, five is usually among the highest these teams get to. In which case it becomes a Three plus two scenario where a Power Trio becomes a Five Man Band (Ninja Storm, Dino Thunder, and Jungle Fury come to mind).

I bring up this trope to talk about Fire Emblem Engage specifically, Alear, and the Four Primary Royals fit this trope. And it’s not just in team composition, IMO, the Emblems they are best known for (specifically in the Prologue cutscene) best give idea on why they fit the role in the team.

Alear the The Hero/Leader of the team; because obviously they are the Fire Emblem Lord, they are the Divine Dragon: the only one who can summon the Emblems who can save the world from the Fell Dragon. And just like any other Fire Emblem Lord in the franchise, if they are defeated, it’s a game over. Pretty typical Fire Emblem knowledge.

Alear’s most common Emblem is Marth. Marth is the first ever Fire Emblem Lord in the franchise, the idealistic leader that his loved ones trust and follows. Marth is the first of many sword wielding heroes in the franchise. Swords are a very common weapon type for heroes (Micaiah is the only Emblem in the main game that canonically never uses swords).

Alfred is the Lancer. Who usually acts a foil to the Hero/Leader, usually is their first/best friend/companion, and/or is the first to question any decision the leader/hero makes. Not every character of the archetype has to be a rival or a jerk (or in most cases both), Alfred is one of those examples. Alfred is the first Royal to join. Firene has the closest ties with Lumera, and Alfred appears in more cutscenes than any other Royal in the game. (Double points for having Lances as his primary weapon type).

The Emblem he uses in the Prologue is Lucina. Lucina is the not the central protagonist of Awakening, Chrom is. Even still, Lucina is a character who acts as an emotional foil to Chrom. More importantly, Lucina is the descendant of Marth, who happens to be Alear’s most associated Emblem.

Diamant is the big guy/muscle of Alear’s team. Brodia is the Kingdom of Might after all. Diamant is the most physically imposing with his main stats being his HP, Strength and Defense. Diamant is also the tallest and oldest member of the team (age being 25, Alfred is 21, Ivy is 20, Timerra is 18 and Alear is physically 17).

Diamant’s national Emblem is Roy, who gives Sword Power as an inheritance skill that allows Diamant to hit harder with a sword, but at the cost of avoid. Rise Above (Emblem Roy’s Engage skill) increases his level and stats along with them. Ironically, Roy was 15 years old in his games, Diamant is the oldest Royal, yet Roy is one of the younger FE lords next to Leif.

Next is Ivy, befitting of Elusia’s title of the Kingdom of Knowledge, she is the smart girl. Ivy has gone to school and was at the top of her class. (Studying is also one of her hobbies and likes items regarding them) Ivy is the most level headed of the Royals. Ivy is the only member of this main team that uses magic, and her ability to fly and heal is invaluable in a Fire Emblem game.

Ivy is associated with two Emblems rather than one. Lyn (the Emblem entrusted to Elusia) has the ability to summon doubles that can be used to distract the enemy. While Leif is an Emblem that switches between your current weapons it best suit the situation (often for the worst, unfortunately). It’s also worth noting that Soren is the DLC Emblem entrusted to Alt. Elusia. Soren is the Tactician of the Greil Mercenaries.

Finally, Timerra acts the emotional core to the team as the heart. Despite being far more politically savvy than what her peppy personality might suggest, she still is a genuine mood-maker in her supports where she attempts to get Ivy to open up and give perspective to Diamant on their ways of leading their countries. Her Queendom represents Freedom and is a very accepting person.

Her Emblem is Ike, and even if people mainly see him as a snarky guy, Ike is a very compassionate person. I mean, Ike would have to be a nice guy if he is the only person Soren is unfailingly kind to and is devoted to above everyone else. Ike’s Resolve (pun intended) is the thing that keeps the Greil Mercenaries from falling apart after his father’s death. Gameplay wise, Timerra with Ike act as a Critical Hit fighter with Wrath and Sandstorm. It takes a lot of effort and a bit of luck to make the most of her.

And finally, Veyle rounds out the team as the Sixth Ranger (doubles as 11th Hour Ranger, she is the last recruit in the main game). Sixth Rangers often comes joining in the team after a rivalry dispute and or brainwashing (Tommy Oliver (trope namer) and Zuko from Avatar comes to mind), Veyle is no exception. Veyle is the only other Non DLC Dragon units in the game. Most Sixth Rangers often (like the Red Ranger) have a power no other Ranger does.

Veyle doesn’t have a designated Emblem outside of Marth (who her evil self used, and she has boss dialogue with Emblem Marth in his Paralogue), but I consider Emblem Alear to be the closest thing Veyle will get to a designated Emblem. Her evil self also wears Alear’s Ring in the bad ending.

The major difference between Alear’s team, and the Four Hounds led by EVeyle is that the Hounds were already formed long before the story began. Alear and the Four Royals don’t officially form until more than halfway through Engage’s main story chapters. And yet these guys became a real team where the Hounds failed.

[livelaughlovesubs]

Okay since people wanted me to explain why I don’t like ra-on, I’ll gladly do

It might be a long rant, also it’s my opinion.

So, I don’t even mind that they have strong libido. I mean go ahead, fuck those devils if you want, but the problem is they are supposed to be the player’s inserts. For that, this character is written way too bland.

They are way too indecisive, for example Levi’s bloodshed card, he was hurt and that dude kept saying, ‘oh I really shouldn’t do this, this is wrong,’ but what did they do? They fucked anyway. Man was on the verge of dying, and I get that he looked beautiful while doing so, there is still a time and place for everything. Then, they got hints from Levi that he wanted to do it too, okay, great, lucky you ig. But they were still so unsure of it. If you really are that desperate to do it in a graveyard with a injured man then do it with confidence, instead of keep being so unsure. Cuz if you really were that worried, you literally wouldn’t touch him. Besides, apparently they are too dumb to do first aid on him. I’m not asking them to treat his wounds, Simply putting some clothes over him would have been enough, man’s laying in the rain on the ground while bleeding my god.

Second, they are around 20-22 guess? Because minhyeok is studying and they are childhood friends. Then why are they so incompetent that they have to live off that poor man. We never heard of them having any hobbies or job, all we know about them is that they watch porn in their free time. Great. Not to mention I bet they smell, there is a comic telling us about how they’d masturbate on his chair and not wipe it afterwards. Again, poor minhyeok is the one to wipe it afterwards

That’s fucking disgusting like bro, I get you had a sad past, I get you lost your parents and didn’t have anyone to teach you some stuff, but that is being a normal functioning human which they aren’t. In the beginning, we saw that minhyeok had to take care of ra-on like they were some teenager, they can’t do anything to contribute to sharing a living space with their friend. They can’t cook, could clean but doesn’t cuz they are slacking off. How amazing. Minhyeok is going to college and has to take care of such a nuisance, he truly is pitiful. I’m not asking them to make millions, a simple part time job would suffice, heck, even knowing that they cook their own food. But nooo, they are fucking useless.

Then, in the story, we literally never know anything. They are getting pushed around by the devils. Sitri keeps calling them by the name of another, Satan does whatever the fuck he wants with them, most of the devils use the reason that they have to fuck to take advantage of them, Levi hangs them, mammon also just does whatever he wants but suddenly claiming ra-on owns him. I mean that’s not bad, most of it are little things that could have been alright if only they asked first. Consent my friend, consent. Just ask: ‘I think you need devil energy now, if you don’t mind, I could help.’ (Some did, I think beliar did ask, so shout out to him) then everything would have been fine. But because ra-on’s opinion is so irrelevant, it makes it so clear that the devils only see them as ‘the descendant of Solomon’, as a toy. But they are also somewhat at fault, cuz they aren’t assertive at all. They have no opinion to begin with, they are a pushover.

Third, or fourth? Idk, anyways their goal. So the goal is to end the contracts between the devils and the soul of Solomon. Alright, so the most normal thing would be to ask who those 72 devils are, where to find them and where you will be heading next. But no, the little group is just dragging them to wherever. Also, that about fighting angels, I know they are a human and useless against such strong enemies, but at least don’t just stand around and watch? Like they could hide, go out of the way, call for more forces, pick up a fucking weapon and shoot like Amos and stolas, nope, staying useless again. Those angels are coming for your life, which is nothing they could have controlled, but doesn’t mean they had to stay a damsel in distress. If ra-on got separated from the devils just once, they wouldn’t be able to do anything.

Beelzbubs story, they met him at a bar and he starts to sniff and lick them? Starts to invade their personal space? Sure, why not, he looks good so of course they let him use them.

The devils are biting you, forcing their kinks on you without telling you beforehand, which is basic bdsm etiquette? They are a perv, they like anything anyway so it’s fine.

No it’s not. Ra-on lacks communication and an own standing, it’s as if they don’t respect themselves. Or they are just so chill that they don’t mind getting laid during war? Now that I think about it, you have an option to say you do stay in contact with minhyeok when bael asked you about ‘that special person you left behind’. When, how do they stay in contact? Through ppyong? They could have written a letter to give minhyeok then, a text for ppyong to show minhyeok, told ppyong to tell the only friend they had to take care or something. Nope, nothing, they really only used him huh. Or maybe I’m overthinking it and their character isn’t developed enough to think about such details. Now that I’m talking about development, they don’t seem to have any at all. They are still as plain as before, and we are at chapter 5. They haven’t gotten any more serious, mature or anything. They don’t actively participate in helping neither.

They don’t talk a lot, don’t seem to have a Typ, don’t seem to dislike anything except normal things like crimes, don’t have anything they especially like besides sex. Just a mindless horny doll with no own personality. They don’t understand how hell works at all. Heck, I bet they don’t even know the names of all seven kings. It’s always about the devils doing whatever they like with ra-op, and ra-op being surprised but accepting it with no complains. They are such a failure, like they don’t resemble Solomon in the slightest. I think Solomon has more layers to his personality than ra-on. I get them wanted to make them ‘relatable’ and ‘basic’, cuz it’s a player insert, but no, they aren’t giving us any choices to support that.

Ra-on can stay a bottom for all I care, I don’t relate to them anyway, but they could be a little more sassy maybe? And a bit more decisive and mature please like my god. If they caused for a funny quirky moment then that would be enough. The writing is a joke anyway, so it would be better actually to just straight up make it into a comedy.

I could probably say more if I read more, but I’m stuck at 5-21 cuz I don’t have energy anymore. I’ve written a lot already, and i should probably mention again that this is my opinion, also that I do like the game, just not the MC.

[dnangelic]

list of my personal canon divergences because i feel like this'll come in handy in the future. for somebody!!

--- i don't take anything from the anime. i can't emphasize this enough. what i write has nothing to do with the dn anime. even if you remember literally nothing else about my portrayal at least remember this. the anime didn't do anything particularly interesting that i care to implement heavily into my portrayal so i don't. the exception to this would be recognizing the anime-verse as a separate universe as the decade drama cds did, which i'm happy to involve for the sake of duplicate interactions. dupes are canon to dn, but the dn anime is not canon to my blog.

--- this one's in my rules but my daisuke is single by default. he still confessed, transformed, and was turned down by risa on his birthday, but he's past the point of overly pining for her for a bit like in canon and has finally accepted in his heart that risa will never like him in that way. they are still friends, (daisuke doesn't hate risa, there isn't any grudge between them, i'm firm about this,) and any interactions with any riku that happens to show up will also be taken as a friends first basis rather than auto-shipping. the same applies to dark; i'll let him string risa along similarly to the way he does in canon, but nothing can ever become 'official' between them for as long as daisuke isn't taken into account by risa herself.

--- likewise many canon events (such as the manga's towa arc or azumano land date arc) can be reframed and adjusted to be platonic happenings instead of expressly romantic. towa, argentine, baku, (alongside other non-manga canon artworks/characters like idea, the snowqueen, as well as sagami + maho) are included in my portrayal. i do not adhere strictly to 'one' line of canon and consider the light novels' and drama cds' happenings as varied incidents across the manga's overall timeline; my daisuke can and will recollect these incidents and bring them up if thread circumstances call for it.

--- my daisuke's transformations are triggered by all forms of love in tandem with his heartbeat, ie platonic, sensual, not just romantic or from just 'one person'. i put a lot of emphasis on daisuke being an agape lover so this is a particularly important divergence to me. personally. for the themes.

--- ^ going with that all canon homophobic dark is nixed from anything i write. idk why sugisaki was shopping for homophobia in the visual kei aisle but it's stupid. it's stupid and outdated. 'oh but he's a perv and has to focus on extending the niwa family line with descendants it makes sense he prefers women and is homop-' IT'S DUMB!! LEAVE THAT IN THE 90S!!! that being said my portrayal of dark in particular is x-gender. my pronoun usage for him is usually only he/him solely because he is, first and foremost an ore-sama character and it's funny to have an ore-sama ojou-sama in my head. his feelings of romance are also nigh expressly controlled by daisuke, junko/dn light novel style. he might seem to have a verbal femme lean but trust us if daisuke decides a guy is hot dark has no choice but to say okay i guess we're kissing boys now and he will enjoy it

--- along with that i don't really care for how sugisaki seemed to waffle so much with deciding whether or not dark was his own individual or a proper part of daisuke in the manga, so i lean towards junko's style of handling them instead. dark's feelings are either outright echoes or inversions of daisuke's, daisuke's feelings are either echoes or inversions of dark's. they're always in sync at their core and share bodies, feelings, memories, struggles, etc, and heavily, HEAVILY influence one another in operation whether they're individually asleep or conscious. 'daisuke' will always hold 'dark' within him and his words and actions just as 'dark' will always hold 'daisuke' within him and his words and actions. this is one of the most difficult parts of my muse to explain, but basically: they ARE the same singular character at their depths, just not always superficially.

--- in canon dark immediately disappears and goes to sleep after a niwa's romance is fulfilled, thereby 'lifting' the niwa curse. for my portrayal, dark doesn't do any of that and lingers on with daisuke even after any reciprocation. even though this can be easily explained in-verse by saying that daisuke and dark have already inextricably 'merged' into one another, (and… because daisuke was truly the first niwa to wholly accept and understand dark into himself/give himself and his life up to dark, they really have,) it's really mostly because i don't think any sort of extended interactions rp-wise with daisuke stuck missing dark from himself constantly would be any interesting, and i like it better for both dark and daisuke to be accepted as they are; as in, each other. del toro vc the monster doesn't need to turn into a boring fucking prince to be loved. i also just think it's rlly funny to watch people put up with the most embarrassing bf in the world (dark.) sugisaki was afraid of having a monster bird boy bf polycule in action but frankly i'm not. you get two in one.

--- my dark's appearance is (arguably?) canon divergent. his eyes will always be "daisuke's red" (instead of occasionally...randomly... purple) to go along with the fact that he and daisuke are meant to 'look at things with the same eyes([in the same way.])' his canines are sharper and pronounced giving them a fanged look, his eyes are always slit,(unless it's daisuke simply in a wig/disguise) and he does have the natural ability to extend his nails into talons/claws. he doesn't have fingerprints, his palm lines are faded/removed giving his hands a marble statue-like appearance, and his body temperature is always extremely cold. this is another important divergence to Me and it's not just to make him freaky monster hot (though it does do that yes tru) but also to put more emphasis on his operation as a beauty and the beast, beast archetype character. he is very NOT human no matter how deceptively close he gets to looking it; this is sad for both him (who wants to be human) and daisuke (who doesn't want to be a monster.)

--- for the wings in particular here's my wing meta. tldr though, wiz can still be used as a spare set of wings like in canon, but dark/daisuke have their own. in canon they're magic so they can just kinda materialize at will sometimes, but in my portrayal, they're very real and come from daisuke's back splitting open in a freak fashion. they can be touched, they can be held, etc, etc, love and gently brush your weird bird boy today.

--- daisuke being able to properly isekai and world jump (even through the arts) is technically canon divergent, but it works so well with him thereby becoming thematically a literal 'fallen angel' from 'another world' that i refuse to give it up. here's shoujo satan from my middleschool romance manga come to rapture your fine arts back to heaven/hell azumano.

--- this one's moreso for the future and i'll come back to revise this post depending on what ends up released, but if sugisaki decides to fuck around with post-canon for her new upcoming series, i probably won't care. my post canon verse will very likely remain as it is.

[hyperfixated-fan]

Here is some of those wonderfully nostalgic girly-girl shows in vague order in which I watched/discovered them that no one asked for but I’m giving to you anyways.

1. First up, we’ve got the Horseland

Back in the day, I was a major horse girl (a part of me still is), but this show was so awesome and adorable. It’s just a bunch of gals riding their horses and hanging out at the barn. And their horses and other animals talk amongst themselves. It is all an animal lover like me could want. It’s just so cute and gives sweet life lessons. And occasionally, I found it interesting that they do touch upon some serious topics such as eating disorders and loss. The episode “Mosey” always makes me cry. All the episodes are on YouTube.

Overall, I have to say my favorite character is Alma Rodriguez.

2. LEGO Friends

The first generation of LEGO Friends is nostalgic, but I also seriously love the LEGO Friends: Girls on a Mission. It’s just a bunch of teenage girls getting up to shenanigans and being besties (Oddly, though they are high school age, we barely see them in school XD). I particularly enjoy Girls on a Mission (the episodes are on YouTube) because the episodes were so well put together and it fleshes out each girl a bit more uniquely. It’s a genuinely fun show though I generally am partial to LEGO shows. I am personally not a fan of latest generation of LEGO Friends. I’ve watched a few episodes and it’s just blegh. It might be the nostalgia talking but I just can’t get into it.

My fave character has always been Emma (she’s so adorable) and my fave ship is Emma x Ethan in the Girls on a Mission iteration.

3. Barbie Movies

Not sure if all the movies are pictured above, but there’s a good portion of them. I admit, I haven’t seen all of the Barbie movies (especially the good old classics mainly due to animation that did not age well so sorry) and did not really become a fan until later than most little girls. However, I still find the movies to be very enjoyable and cute. I think a lot of my affinity comes from many familiar Canadian voice actors being in most of the movies and I find it fun trying to pick out familiar voices.

A few of my personal favorite movies are “Princess Charm School” (it’s the first Barbie movie I ever watched with one of my best friends), “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” (so many voices and characters to listen to and try and remember), and “Mariposa” (I am rather partial to the voice of Chiara Zanni and loved her playing Barbie).

4. Ever After High

It is so sad that Ever After High ended after Epic Winter. I really wish we got to see more. I loved the imaginative twist on fairytale characters and the whole “facing your destiny” storyline. The princesses, knights, dragons, and wonderland were all great components as a lover of fantasy. Disney Descendants ain’t got nothing on Ever After. It was a very creative show and it was interesting to see all the characters that would pop up.

A few of my favorite characters are Rosabella Beauty, Ginger Breadhouse, and Lizzie Hearts. Call me basic but I really do like the ship Darabella (obviously the execution of it could’ve been better but I still like it.)

5. Miraculous Ladybug

Simply put, this show is a mess. Miraculous Ladybug barely made the list only because I have fond memories of it. I’m not caught up on any recent events and admittedly quit watching it after season 3 or 4 (I don’t exactly remember). The show had potential and many amazing fanworks, but after a while, the episodes just get repetitive. I still like the earlier seasons before things got too messy. As a lover of side characters, I also wish they fleshed out the side characters a bit more instead of keeping on creating more and more side characters. I still occasionally pop in to see what is going on and apparently Nathalie is dead?! Idk what’s going on and I love looking at spoilers with no context because it makes the show all the more funny.

My fave character list includes Alya Césaire, Nathalie Sancoeur, and Juleka Couffaine and I’m partial to the ship DJWifi.

6. Monster High

Since I was a fan of Ever After High, it was only inevitable that I would eventually become a fan of Monster High. It took a while but I eventually did fall in love with the show. And I fell hard. All the characters are so unique and while I absolutely love all the generation 1 content, I do not completely hate the g3 series. I loved the message of standing out yet belonging at Monster High, freaky flaws and all. The animation is very dated yet endearingly nostalgic at the same time. I love all the different twists on various monster creatures.

My favorite characters list gets pretty extensive, as I love g1 and g3 Abbey Bominable (I always love an ice queen), along with g1/g3 Cleo De Nile (bc she’s your typical mean girl/diva but truly cares for her friends), Robecca Steam (her steampunk aesthetic and little accent are adorable), Deuce Gorgon (a kind yet popular jockish character is rare), Jinafire Long (Chinese dragon is always a win), and Rochelle Goyle (she’s just neat).

Fave ships = Cleuce (CleoxDeuce) and AbbeyxHeath. I just love them okay!

7. Lolirock

I believe I discovered this show coming off of Storm Hawks and Steven Universe so the crystal motif and everything was already an intriguing concept for me (plus familiar Canadian voice actors drew me in). I just love the trio of girls trying to “secretly” protect earth with sparkles and spells while putting up the front of being a girl band (the songs are very catchy by the way if you can get past an ungodly amount of auto tune). The episodes gave me vibes similar to Miraculous Ladybug but somewhat better with less convoluted characters. Overall, it’s a very bright energetic show and I wish they would’ve delved into the backstories of the other princesses a bit more instead of focusing on Iris all the time. Here’s to hoping they eventually do come out with season 3. All the current episodes are on YouTube.

My favorite characters are the sisters Izira and Talia. They have so much power and the show needs to actually do them justice.

8. Mysticons

This one is definitely lesser known than most on this list. I found it shortly after LoliRock since it has similar features and characters. It’s a very simple show with simple characters but I am fond of it still (and I’m pretty sure it made me cry at one point. I don’t remember when but I remember something about it made me emotional). The fantasy magic of the world was definitely a big win for me. I think the creators did a decent job at world building. It’s your typical prophesied heroes must save the world from certain destruction but I found the show overall enjoyable and cute with a nice dose of found family thrown in.

My top favorite characters are Zarya Moonwolf and Emerald Goldenbraid.

9. DC Super Hero Girls

I started out as a G1 fan when it was still coming out and became a fan of the reboot as well. It was interesting to all these wonderful kickbutt superheroes placed in a high school -esque setting. The original series was very average with their shorts but it was such fun to see what characters would pop up to help (I even will tolerate and enjoy the LEGO specials). The reboot had better design and animation. I am sad it didn’t get a chance to run longer. My only qualm was that some characters had such a drastic change from their backstory and original character development that it moved from being whimsical and imaginative to simply keeping the name and having an entirely different character. *cough* Jessica *cough* They don’t get that she was such a powerful Green Lantern because she was bold but because most of the time she was scared out of mind due to her past trauma but still acted and pushed through the fear to save people.

Rant aside, my fave character is Jessica Cruz despite the reboot overhauling her character and erasing her backstory.

10. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

Not necessarily my favorite glittery girly series I’ve watched but definitely an enjoyable series. True to my usual form, I unfortunately did not end up caring for most of the main plot and characters. However, the idea of this show was fun nonetheless and it had its nice moments, so I’m glad it got a decent number of seasons. The magic, weaponry, and elemental powers drew me to this show. I wish they delved a bit deeper into the true effects and trauma that fighting a war would have on all of the characters as they are leaders of their respective kingdoms.

My favorite characters include Entrapta (little nerdy characters are almost always a win for me), Mermista (Vella Lovell was perfect for voicing her and her character design is nice), Netossa (another awesome blue character; if anyone’s seen Six: The Musical, does she vaguely remind you of Catherine Parr?)

Bonus: Rainbow High

An interesting premise though it ultimately falls flat for me because I am not a fashion-oriented person in the slightest. However, I still like the show and all the drama that comes with it. I just overall find it hilarious to watch the squabbles that happen because everyone is just so high strung. (Why do all the guy characters literally look the exact same with that same stupid little hairstyle?) XD

Fave characters are Ainsley Slater and Jade Hunter.

Bonus: God’s School

Greek mythology! Need I say more? This is such an imaginative show. It is even more amazing considering one guy does all the animation. The webisodes that are out are great and I definitely recommend watching them on YouTube. Zeus looks like Disney Hercules and I find that hilarious. All the character designs for the gods are so awesome and I love the details that help indicate who they are. Ignore the fact that over half of them are related in some form or another and everything is fine.

Fave definitely has to be Athena! (…bad*** in the arena. Unmatched witty and queen of the best strategies we’ve seen.)

Bonus: Tinkerbell

These are just cute adventures. I wish the series could’ve continued so we could’ve gotten movies highlighting each of the fairies.

My fave is Silvermist.

Bonus: Steven Universe

I personally enjoyed this show and know it had a large fan base so I don’t get why so many people are going back and hating on it so fervently. It’s a flawed show like any but it still has it fine points and I have a soft spot for it. I heavily debated on whether this qualified for a magical girl show but I think it does. It’s nice seeing Steven grow alongside the gems and it’s a good show to put on in the background.

My favorites have to be Garnet and Sapphire.

Honorable mentions that I never fully watched but seem nice:

My Little Pony - I’m disappointed in myself for never getting into this show because it has all the right points for me to like it, including great Canadian voice actors and magic and ponies. I have watched some episodes and enjoyed them but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to sit through and binge the entire show.

LEGO Elves - watched some but I never got truly immersed.

Totally Spies! - never really gave it a go but it seems okay.

Winx Club - I tried to like it but the characters just didn’t hit for me.

W.I.T.C.H. - watched the first few episodes but nothing made me want to continue.

[theratlivinginyourcouchcushions]

Meet Rosetta and Crème!

These two are members of the flock made/inspired by @fishy—friend (I can’t figure out how to tag them) and this post of theirs:

I also added lore! (My thoughts are kind of jumbled on the logic behind it, so there are random spots where it launches into a related idea I had)

While making their designs, I started thinking about the ways that other demons might treat their nightmares, and had the idea that succubi/incubi/ whatever they’re called, keep dreams to entice potential summoners, and that Rosetta and Crème formerly worked under one.

(Wouldn’t it be cool if some demons have their nightmares helping them with their jobs, like torture demon’s nightmares being extremely skilled with “tools”, diseases, dissections and prepping machinery (idk there’s a lot of ways to torture people) or time loop demon’s nightmares being really good at puzzles and noticing small details. I can’t think of good examples but it’s a really cool concept, and it’s not even that far fetched, bc it’s canon that the midway bar has nightmare staff serving as waiters for the “customers”)

Anyway, Rosetta and Crème and the other dreams were treated more like bugs that happened to benefit the demon, so she kept them around.

(demons just don’t care about their nightmares the way Alcor does, but this one just ignore them until she has a job for them. Also it has been confirmed that nightmares are just dreams tough enough to survive in the wild, and that it’s possible for dreams to become nightmares.)

Anyway, Rosetta and Crème are some of the tougher dreams living there, so when their master is killed in a demon battle, they’re some of the only ones to escape before the new demon eats the rest of the dreams. They’re still the only ones to survive in the wild though, and they grow even closer than they were before. (They’re basically sisters)

When they hear about a “kind” demon who cares for his nightmares in ways most of his kind can’t even comprehend, they decide to take their chances, and seek out the comfort of a real home. They join the flock and continue to seduce humans, because why not? And besides, they enjoyed their old jobs, and now they get free food!

(However, they are strictly prohibited from making any moves on Pines descendants or reincarnations of Alcor’s close family or friends (Mabel, Henry, Stan, the triplets, Thomas ect)

Anyways, they live their new home, and family, and have human forms for when they go down to mess with humans. Rosetta is visibly inspired by characters like Verosika Mayday, Miss Heed (I’ve never seen the show she’s in) and a little bit of Angel Dust (Hazbin hotel) she has a similar personality to these characters too. (Mostly Verosika bc she’s a dom)

Crème is a reworked version

Edit: I spent an hour retyping this (3 times) bc it keeps cutting off, so I give up now.

[tourmalinaer]

rereading tcg

honestly if kylie myles wasn’t such a bitch, she could’ve been a cool rachel elizabeth dare, aware of magic but living in the normal world, kind of character iykwim.

I get how when Call went to the magisterium he just left his old life behind, but it would also make a cool storyline if he still had some connection to his life back in nc somehow

Don’t get me wrong, Kylie Myles’ character was a chicken and kind of a female dog as well. She could always be rewritten in our fantasies, though. From all that we’ve seen of kylie, we can tell that she and Call don’t give a crap about each other, but what if they (or some other character in her position) had a percy-Grover/tyson type of relationship? again, fun storyline in theory. Call would’ve probably told them about the alleged dangers of magic, and they could’ve tried to flunk the trial together. Or maybe Call tries to fail and Kylie tries really to get in like she did originally. idk I didn’t think this through

another idea: when she and Call interact in TCG, it could somehow be introduced that she stjll remembers magic. They become good friends or something since she’s the only one he can talk to that summer about typical magical teenager stuff. She somehow becomes an important character because she’s the only relevant person who knows about magic but doesn’t go to the magisterium. (rachel storyline)

again, im not really sure how the story would work since her magic was binded and her memories were erased and reworked. maybe Call just blurts everything out about magic and it unlocks the memories? and/or one of Joseph’s minions tampered with the magic binding or something? idrk.

she could also become a Mindy/Lindy/Cindy/Wendy type of character if you’ve read TLOS. if that happened, i would just die like I did when reading Worlds Collide.

oh I just remembered: in TSM, wasn’t there some guy that said master joseph scooped him up after he didn’t do well enough in the trial or something? it could’ve been fun if we had a closer character that was recruited to the enemy’s side. or at the very least, an ethan nakamura kind of character. drew and alex don’t really count since they were just the descendants of the original enemies. GIVE US MORE ANGST!!!

if I have enough time/motivation/creativity I might write a fanfic about all the crap I’ve yapped about

im sorry this post has been incredibly scattered I’m kind of just using this as my notes app

“thank you for listening to my ted talk 🫡”

[simpforchuchu]

Can I please request dating HCs for Nakagoshi or Nakaoka, The baby faction leaders don't get enough love imo.

Ooki Nakagoshi | General Dating Hcs

a/n: Hello! I really love our baby faction too 😭 God nobody writes for them and idk why 😭 They are amazing and the cutest ones 🤗 Soo thank you for this request 🌸 Hope you like it ❤️🌸

Sorry for the grammer or spelling mistakes.English is not my main language so...

Thank you and love you 🥰

Warnings: none

* At first we saw him as a very ambitious, wild and dangerous character. But his reaction when he found out that his friend was involved in stabbing Kiyoshi actually showed us that he's a pretty cool character.

* Someone who doesn't like dirty fighting and injustice, who wants to fight like a man

* Nakagoshi is an ambitious but mature character who is imperturbable, not afraid of fights.

* I especially think how much he has matured and his character has developed over time.

* -of course he is still our baby faction leader -

* He is handsome and has a very pretty face.

* He's good with girls, but he doesn't hang out with them like a playboy.

* I don't think he is overly flirty, someone who likes someone and then tries to get their attention

* Quite loyal to his friends

* In the last fight, we can see how much he cared for them and was a kind hearted person when he himself was injured to save Nakaoka and the others.

* He can fulminate quickly but doesn't act rashly

* He learned a lot from fights and experiences, so he is not naive anymore

* I don't think he would like someone too childish or too serious. I think someone calmer and cute would be his type

* A strong personality will impress him

* You don't have to be physically strong, he loves when you ask him to help you open the jars

* Or when you can't reach the top shelf, it makes him happy to get the plates there for you.

* I don't think it will be very difficult for him with a sensitive and emotional person. Nakagoshi gives me a very emotional vibe. Not a crybaby but someone who can get upset easily

* He's okay with you being crybaby btw, he's trying his best to hold you in his arms and calm you down.

* We know he has a unique style. Hip-hop style gives him a different vibe

* He likes to share his bandanas with you and admires you when you braid your hair and put them on.

* He finds your small body in his big cardigans very cute - those cardigans are too big for him too -

* He'll probably confess himself first and ask you out but if you do first, it's fine. I think he might be a little shy and be pretty cute

* Although he looks like a real Casanova from the outside, I think he is trying not to break anyone's heart

* A true gentleman

* Someone to open doors for you and hold your hand as you descend the stairs

* Although he believes that you truly love him, sometimes he thinks that he cannot show you enough love and wants you to remember it by buying gifts at such times.

* Someone he can be himself with is very precious to him. Even if it's not your style, he finds it sweet that you listen to his favorite music and try to understand it.

* I don't think he can cook. That's why he often comes to the balcony of your house to watch movies or have a picnic, taking food from outside.

* I think he's someone who gets cold easily, so he likes to put your hand in his cardigan pocket and hold your hand.

* I can imagine he likes sweets more. He always has little candies for you in his pocket - for himself too of course -

* It's very important to him that you love his friends, he sees them as his family and wants you to be happy with them too

* Most of the time he is very afraid of hurting you unintentionally or that someone will hurt you because of him.

* He often thinks about it by hugging you tightly

* He is surprisingly knowledgeable about your period and tries to remember everything he reads.

* I don't think he's very good at taking care of you when you're sick, but he's definitely trying. And he definitely ends up getting sick himself…

* He is reluctant to talk about his problems, so you have to push him. Because he's afraid to bother you

* He’s not afraid to cry next to you

* He lies to you when he fights, he doesn't want you to worry or be scared because of him

* But when that lie was exposed, when he saw how upset you were, he gave up.

* He can make mistakes but he's just a boy trying not to upset you

HnL taglist : @straysugzhpe @tiddly-winx @ninamarie1994 @thatpoindexterpixy @koala-yuna

[blairshifts222]

Introducing myself in my different DRs

Fame DR:

My name is Madeline, and I'm a teenage actress and singer. I have long brown hair, brown eyes, and freckles. I'm a really successful actress, but I'm best known for my role in 'Descendants', where I played a role similar to myself.

K-12 (Melanie Martinez) DR:

My name is Morgan, and I just started attending K-12. I'm a part of Kelly's group, but I secretly have powers. I don't get along with Crybaby and the others, but at some point, I'll accidentally get them out of a bad situation (like the Nurse's Office thing), and then we'll be forced to work together.

The Void (Weirdcore/Kidcore DR):

My name is Morgan, and I live in a world called 'The Void' where everything is weird and surreal. There are a lot of liminal spaces and strange events, and everything is divided into 'Levels' (kind of like the Backrooms).

2000s Musician DR:

My name is Morgan, but I'm widely known as Yume from the group "Phantom Kiss!". We're currently working on our debut album, which includes tracks like "Hello Kitty" (originally from Jazmin Bean), "Girlfriend" (originally from Avril Lavigne), and "Calling all the Monsters!" (originally from China Anne McClain).

Creepypasta/Slenderverse inspired DR:

My name is Morgan, and I just moved to a small town in the middle of nowhere to live with my Dad, Tim Wright. Here, I'm meeting lots of new people (all of the Canon Creepypasta/Marble Hornets/Slenderverse characters but normal un-traumatized versions of themselves). But as time goes on, I will start to become involved with a mysterious being known as The Slenderman, who is trying to make me his servant.

The Dollhouse (Morute/Creepy cute DR):

My name is BabyDoll, and I live in a big pink house deep in the woods. My closest friend is a girl named Ana, but my enemy is a girl named Charlotte, who is very arrogant and mean. Everything follows a pink, lacy, and vintage aesthetic.

Specter Academy (Grunge Ghost Boarding School DR):

My name is Blair, and I'm a part of a special group of people called The Phantoms who can manipulate darkness and shadows. Phantoms are considered dangerous monsters by the rest of society, so I've been in hiding all my life, until I recently found a hidden school, Specter Academy, where Phantoms stay to learn to use their powers.

That's not even half of them but I think this post is long enough. I might do a part two if y'all like this post idk.

[enbyleighlines]

I wouldn’t write this fic, but…

I have this idea for a loz fanfic that takes place prior to Rauru and Sonia establishing the kingdom of Hyrule, back when the zonai first descended from the heavens.

Because there’s no Hyrule yet, Zelda isn’t a princess, but she is a priestess, blessed with hearing Hylia’s voice, and that makes her special within the village. She has prophetic dreams that their world will soon be visited by a god-like civilization, and her words ignite both excitement and anxiety amongst the various Hylian settlements.

Link is still there. He’s a warrior, the most talented among his peers, and granted the privilege of being Zelda’s chosen champion. They also happen to be childhood friends, so their relationship is kinda inspired by Skyward Sword.

Impa is also there. The Sheikah tribe exists to protect the divine priestess herself, rather than the royal family. Impa is forever by Zelda’s side, as a bodyguard and friend. Though Impa has her usual severe disposition, her devotion is not to Zelda as the priestess, but as her closest companion.

Though, while Link and Impa are both friends with Zelda, their relationship is a little strained. Link’s goblin antics and leap-without-looking approach to life frequently leaves Impa doubting his ability to keep Zelda safe. And while generally Link bears her criticism without comment, at times he will solemnly thank her for her invaluable insight, and Impa can never tell if he’s being sincere or sarcastic.

When the zonai come, they are led by a king, whose sole daughter is Midna. Like all zonai, she has a distinctly draconic appearance, and she also happens to be the most skilled practitioner of magic within her tribe. However, Midna is also her usual mischievous self. She quickly makes it her mission to tease Link at every given opportunity.

The story would have Link/Midna and Zelda/Impa, with queerplatonic Link & Zelda.

Other possible characters might include incarnations of Groose/Gonzo, Medli/Mipha, Zant/Kohga, Navi/Ilia, Sidon, Revali, Riju, Yunobo, and, of course, Beedle.

Idk what role Ganondorf would play, if any. I think it would be neat to include a male Gerudo prince who isn’t evil, for once. (Maybe the Groose/Gonzo incarnation can take this role?) And maybe Ganondorf can be one of the zonai? That would be interesting, because then the arrival of the zonai would lead to disaster, potentially causing a rift between the Hylians and the zonai.

(Perhaps Ganondorf’s zonai incarnation is the leader of the interlopers that attempted to steal the triforce, thus having their tribe banished to the Twilight Realm? Because until stated otherwise, I will continue to believe that the zonai are the ancestors of the Twili.)

Anyway, yeah. I don’t want to write this, but I cannot get this idea out of my head.

[winterillustrates]

Wanna draw, but busy, so I'm fantasizing abt drawing the guys. Yep, I'm delulu, but let me live!

How hard/How much I wanna draw the guys list....

(X) --Never drawn them

(1) -- Only drawn them once/very unexperienced with drawing them

HEARTSLAYBUL VERSION

Riddle: Um...my child?? My little guy who does no wrong? I wanna draw him so bad, and I have, a few times. How much I wanna draw him? 7/10. How hard he is to draw? 5/10. Relatively easy w/ a reference.

(X) Trey: I'm sorry, Trey fans, but I do not see the appeal? I mean, he sorta has this sadistic thing going on in the background, and that obsession with teeth kinda...doesn't hit. I think it would've been nicer if the character he's twisted from was ACTUALLY obsessed with teeth, but...eh... 6/10. Not cause I like him, but cause he has glasses and people w/ poor eyesight gotta stick together. How hard he is to draw? Idk, cause I've never bothered. But he looks like a 9/10 with that fedora and a 6/10, cause his hair looks like one wrong stroke and it looks entirely different.

(X) Cater: AHHHHHH. I love him!! I just want the best for him. AHHHH!! Top 10. I love his design! His phone is beauty! AHHHH!! 8/10. He slays, but dayum, his hair would drive me insane, ngl, so I'm giving him a 9/10.

(X) Ace: Ew. /affectionately. Oh, but in all seriousness, I'm not inclined to draw him. Not cause I don't like him, it's just...he's cool. BUT HIS BIRTHDAY CARD ROCKED MY WORLD!! LIKE WDYM YOU CAN BE PRETTY?? 3/10. Uh...his hair isn't giving it. Love his pose, but I'm not loving how his hair is. 7/10.

(X) Deuce: MY DEAR CHILD. MY SWEET SUMMER CHILD. I COULD KISS HIM WDYM. If I was Yuu, Deuce would be like friends to lovers, ngl. Frick Ace, Idc. 6/10, because I love him, but nothing screams "DRAW ME OR PERISH". His design is simplistic, his hair is nice and his pose is so in character, so maybe a 5/10.

As you can see, I have favourism for more straight haired characters than characters with spiky/fluffy hair.

Oh, and I'm kinda predicting Trey/Ace card for Heartslaybul, ngl. Ace, cause of the angst potential w/ Yuu and Trey, cause...idk, twst seems random like that.

Heartslaybul isn't my fav dorm, but it's the dorm that is inspired from my favorite child book, so I love it. I feel like they could've tried making them a bit more interesting, but they do have a good dynamic, and they all perform their roles marvellously.

I know I hate on Ace a lot (jokingly), but I do admire his honesty especially towards more powerful figure like Riddle and Malleus.

Deuce's love for his mother, kinda made me cry a bit. I mean, a lot of people love their parents, but I feel like Deuce SHOWED that he loved her by changing for her. I'm not saying it's good to change your personality for someone, but he saw how destructive his attitude was for his mother (someone he loved to the moon and back) and that was his main driving force to change. 10/10. I love my boy.

Cater is just so...idek how to describe him. He kinda gives me Show and Tell from Martinez vibes, because of how he presents himself?? Idk, honestly. I don't think Cater knows this, but I feel like he essentially makes/(MIGHT be more comfortable with them??) parasocial relationships? Like, how he puts on this fake smile, performance and act of them being their friend, only to never actually form an attachment to them, but they formed an attachment to him?? He's just so...hard for me to explain. WAIT HE REMINDS ME OF 'WORLD'S GREATEST ACTOR' ON YOUTUBE. AHHH.

Trey...he's like the person I pay the least attention to in Heartslaybul, so...not gonna put much effort, cause I barely know anything about him.

Riddle...Riddle would do SO well with Red from Descendants. Like, they both have controlling mothers but the way they handle this is very different. I have a lot to say abt him, but I'm just gonna stop.

[mytragedyperson]

I'm sorry if this is random but imagine if the main pjo characters and some of their parents (whichever ones you like) decided to watch the descendants movies and they get to the third movie. There are lots of jokes about Mal being Nico and Hazel's half sister but they calm down and are just sat enjoying the movie. And then the "do what you gotta do" scene comes on. Nico and hades watching that scene and just cracking up. Nico learning the song and (sometimes when they're in the underworld) just walks around singing it (both parts) and sarcastically quoting the song. And Hazel also likes the song and stuff so for one of her birthdays nico and hades reenact the scene with nico as Mal and hades as himself while Hazel (and Frank, and some of their other friends) watch (and record it). Sorry this might be out of character but it sounded funny in my head.

Edit: I stand by this but I think I also just want the PJO/HOO reacts to descendants movies fic and then have them reacts to Disney descendants movies in general. To clarify, in my brain it would still be just a movie, it wouldn't be something that actually happened in their world. I just want them to have some family and friend bonding and for the demigods to have idk a moment where they're not sad and Jason isn't dead and you know they get to gave the childhood memories they've been missing out on since they realised they were demigods. I just want them to be happy and make fun of each other, and they can still be pissed at their godly parent but for the gods that actually somewhat care about their kids, they can spend some time together where they're not trying to get their kids to do something for them. That would be nice, right? I just want fluff where they just get to be happy.

[mixedcontents]

Since I've been so sick and injured and depressed I've been getting back into the Warriors Cats books (thanks to a loved one who got me many of them for my birthday) and I forgot how much I loved them and I was scared bc I was worried I'd go back to them and not like them or having outgrown them and it's different so different but in good ways I love the series still but I'm coming at it with a different perspective all these years later I devoured and loved the books as a kid and stuck with them as they came out through my first year of college i bought them as they came out sticking them on my to be read pile for when I was done with college and had the time and energy to devour more reading but for fun (between taking a load and a half my first year working volunteering being disabled and driving a 2+ hrs round trip five days a week sometimes more it was a lot!) And then when I got around to being able to read them I was so burnt out and my health was acting up and I needed a break so I didn't read them and by the time I felt like it and was able to again I was like oh no it's been so long i feel like i need to reread the entire series and just kinda let it go and then most of my books got ruined too and now all these years later I'm just diving back in and loving them.

That is to say as a kid I always had a thing about villians and the bad guys I just find them so interesting and complex and if well written my favorite characters (even if I don't want them to succeed) and Tigerclaw this time around I find even more intriguing like in my brain I see his grasping for ambition and power no different from any other cat in the series who wanted it at least at first. And like I imagine before fireheart joined the clan he was seeing Bluestar's grasp on her sanity slipping and getting older and I think maybe that drove him to wanting it more bc his grasp for power really did start out as him wanting to make his clan strong and safe (tho it descends into him wanting power for powers sake at the cost of everything really and then like racist shit that he jumps through hoops fo ignore when it comes to him and his descendants but I digress more than I have already) and i just see him losing his own grip on his sanity the more he grasps for power and the more power he gets but it kind of breaks my heart when he gets kicked out of the clan (for attempted murder like he did it to himself) but when he tries to get his friends to go with him and they all turn their backs on him even Darkstripe and then after when they have Darkstripe constantly watched (before he does anything to betray his clan) and we see that isolation within the clan drive Tawnypelt out later too and Darkstripe eventually joins Tigerstar and then when he's killed by Scourge Darkstripe is just so sad the only cat mourning Tigerstar really and he dies not long after and then later meets Tigerstar in the dark forest where he's been wandering alone and afraid and searching and hoping for Starclan and finally here's his friend and leader and Tigerstar turns him away (I think reluctantly maybe having no use for him but I like to think turning him away he thought his friend might find his way to starclan again) idk it just kinda breaks my heart to think how Darkstripe just wanted to be loyal and loved and a part of things and got constantly turned away and ends up as alone in death as he was in life I always hoped somehow he'd find his way to starclan and they'd forgive him and welcome him and finally he would get to be safe and warm and loved again a part of a clan again

Idk just I just always found Tigerstar and Darkstripe interesting and how Firestar (and other cats in thunderclan) really helped fulfill his own fears by isolation and mistrust and drove cats away like Tawnypelt and Darkstripe and he even says himself that their doing that is what causes it and tries to warn the elders about doing it to tawnypelt but by then it's already too late

Idk I'm only into the start of the third series but I will say that tigerstars death and Darkstripe and hawkfrost still haunt me like poor Hawkfrost I imagine his father learned his powers around the time he was becoming an apprentice and brought him to the dark forest in his dreams to teach him early on too I don't think he ever stood a chance with his father always in his ear Hawkfrost was really never more than the ghost of his father's ambition and anger haunting the lake and he died in a brutal way (though not as brutal as his father's death) but it was so poetic bc he literally kills himself with his own anger and ambition had he not tried to kill his brother finally impaling himself on the fox trap he would have lived instead of drowning in his own blood

It is heartbreaking that Hawkfrost really breaks his sister and her faith in starclan and I always wonder does that mean she'll never walk with her ancestors when she dies then? Will she walk a different place like those that believe in different ancestors or will she walk nowhere bc she believes in nothing ?

I still stand by Hawkfrost and Mothwing as two of the coolest clan names in the book

Anyways this has been a long rambling migraine fueled post to say I'm having such a good time with the series the series

[gargoyle-doyle]

notes & thoughts i had when i was reading this book ;-3 (its kinda disjointed and doesn't read well, there were just things scrawled when reading. idk i might write it up properly one day xx).

-Clinically obsessed with Neil Gaiman's 1994 'The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch' and yes i am incredibly biased, and yes it is because i'm living away from pompey right now, and i miss my ghost adventures, and fratton rd subway.

-Its just such a nostalgic, and fun read. Mckeans art is so vivid, its like something walked straight out of my mind and onto the page, its really a graphic novel that properly exploits the medium and captivates on every page.

-As someone who has personally beefed with the descendants of these swans, i can tell you for a fact that this still stands true - they will break your arm, and not only that, they will peck into ur stomach and pluck out ur intestines. Apart from one swan who has arthritis, and is fed medicine in the evenings by an unnamed local, he is probably too busy eating his medicines.

-Reading all these passages written in 1994, almost exactly 30 years ago, set even further back into the late sixties, and seeing such relatable anecdotes. it's hopeful. Pompey stays Pompey forever.

And then you're hit with bits like this:

-And I'm reminded of the bridge centre bookshop losing the war against the council, the privatising of the secret garden, commercial road - the ghost town. And subway, and rowans, and London rd dying. Moorhouse becoming a newsagents, becoming a house.

-And then even before me, (mandatory obelisk mention), tricorn, charlotte st. The shadows of the past. What becomes of the time capsule in the bridge, when there is no bridge? But then in the same way theres development. Gunwharf, The spinnaker, The Mary Rose Museum.

-But it's all the superficial stuff - the tourist attractions. And it's all the heart and soul that get left to rot.

-I love this graphic novel because it's alive. and its mean. an affair, a pregnancy, forced abortion by beating a woman with planks of wood, disguised in cloudy memories and that slight childhood hope to mask it. to retell it again and again until the story turns out different this time.

-And there's this house, and its my childhood home. its the home of everyone i've ever befriended, and ever went to school with. And I'm reminded of when i used to see Punch and Judy shows over in St James' Dog park for picnic on the green.

-And one year, after the show, after the ice lollies, and after the raffle, my friend and i walked home, past all the shops, and at the end of my street was a great plume of smoke, and crinkle chip was burning down. We stood across the road and watched it burn.

Crinkle chip survived - but not as crinkle chip. It changed, it became Crispy Cod. But the foods the same. the important stuff. idk, i hate everything closing, its gone, and likely never coming back. But i still care, and i think that's the important part. that it mattered to me once upon a time (second mandatory obelisk mention in brackets so i don't waffle on about the obelisk).

-the story of punch and judy is told and retold by so many. as life here is lived by so many, but in many ways the same life. with many of the same characters and set pieces.

-the tale really articulates the frustration, the whimsy, the worry, and the awareness of childhood. living in a dream-like world, only in that none of your questions ever get answered. fantasy from boredom, fear, and confusion. the world is new, its your first time here and everyone just expects you to know whats real and whats not. That feeling of being looked over, of raising yourself because adults lie, cry, and run away from questions.

-This lamppost is real - so are the lights. i know exactly where this is and what they look like at every time of day.

-I love puppets, i love making them, buying them, studying them. This book reads like a love letter. But one written to a love never indulged. a love letter written and then kept in a box in the attic. The book feels like everything we want to say but don't. in the real world there's the story following the boy and his grandfather, and in the magical, theres the denial to let the self wear the puppet. nothing ever comes to fruition. nothing stays long enough to have the time to tell it how you felt, to express the grief. at the end theres a moment where the narrator just might wear mr punch. but theres not enough time to rationalise, to explain. its not the same mr punch anyway.

-its a scene that reminded me that sometimes we never get to do the things we desire because its too late. like trick-or-treating. if you dont do it as a kid you never will. and it sucks. and we dont get to go back.

-i should've bought all those Anne Rice books from the Bridge when i had the chance. but its gone now. and i won't.

-everything goes. but the memories remain, spectres to be engaged with, and in that its not really gone. The hearts arent gone, because they are here in this book. and so is the grandfather, and so is pompey.

-i should've written more notes about the art. The combination of photos and drawings portrays memories in such a beautiful and disorienting way. its distressing, and memorable. the way some things are emphasised by the photos, Punch and Judy, and the grandfather, while other memories are more obscure sketches, like the pier and the houses. it reads like a Cecilia Condit film scary and fragmented and young, or Jan Svankmajer's (my birthday twin xx) Jabberwocky short film.

-“Everybody dies but Mister Punch, and he has only the life he steals from others”

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after reading the book, and spell-checking my notes. i also read this companion article by Jennifer K . Cox 'From Stage to Page: Adaptation as Survival in Neil Gaiman’s Mr. Punch' that i would like to share highlights from;

-Forbidden knowledge, portrayed as the magic of puppetry, parallels the narrator’s traumatic childhood memories; the adaptations to his memories have allowed him to survive, even if they obscure the truth of his past.

-“The path of memory is neither straight nor safe,” - Gaiman

-'In some sense, telling a story makes it happen again' - Schank (eek! i love this, it fits with the ethos of the graphic novel itself being that things change but that doesn't mean you can't return to how it was in story and memory).

-'As inanimate objects that rely on human hands to give them life, puppets represent a physical “link with the dead, with the realm of the uncanny, the threshold realm of things unknown or repressed” - Gross (sums up how i feel when i make my frog puppet dance to Modern Talking).

-“Tolkien’s view was that the myth-making imagination always tends toward truth rather than lies; that fantastic stories lead toward a genuine understanding of the conditions of existence” - Attebery

-Theatre historian John Bell describes puppets as “performing objects” and suggests that people manipulate them “in order to show us how parts of the…material world can be animated by humans. [..] that our playing with objects allows

us to come to terms with death”

-this adapted work is by and for adults. (i dont know if i particularly agree with this statement. i think kids should read tough and scary stories. Mr Punch provides a great framework for exploring ones own anguish with the world in a way thats relatable and readable. with sections feeling specifically catered towards kids. 'adults lie', 'i should've written this in blood' and the mystical views on death. Yes, they have a nostalgia factor for adult readers, but they are childish thoughts, relatable to child readers. Kids deserve thoughtful and dark stories that challenge them, that haunt them).

-For the lower classes during the eighteenth century, divorce was improbable, public hangings were employed to discourage crime, and a healthy Puritan work ethic threatened bodily harm, while a poor work ethic threatened eternal damnation; Punch thumbed his rather large nose at each of these oppressive institutions

-the narrator resist picking up the puppet for one of two reasons: because the knowledge will destroy the magic of puppetry, and if the audience knows how the magic works the genre of puppet theatre ceases to function, or because he knows wearing the puppet means he must then become Punch

[mxescargot]

Not going to lie, I really don't want to spam numbers for the couple ask game right now, but I do want to know about your characters' relationship, soooo. 1-30. :3.

(You don't actually have to answer all of them if you don't want to, you can just do any you want to do- /gen) 🌻

oughhh tyty for the ask /gen

for those unaware, tl;dr: good princess/evil queen gfs :>

couples ask game for reference

princess prima garon (she/they/one) is the archetypical heroic good princess whose family was descended from a chosen one hero that defeated an evil overlord and sent them into exile. prima is the new chosen one to defeat a new evil: vindicta nox (any pronouns), queen of the neighbouring evil kindgom and descendant of the evil overlord prima's ancestor ousted. instead, they fall in love. (also turns out the kingdom's not that bad, just has a "villainous" aesthetic)

1. at first their families were. concerned. but over time stuff worked out and now they get along fine/their countries are allies

2. see above, i think it was harder for friends to get over distrust though

3. don't know, hmm.

4. i imagine prima's most relevant ex might be the lancer to her leader in their hero-team? but either way they're on good terms and that was a while ago, just ended up being kind of incompatible for a committed relationship. maybe prima dated around as well but this would be a childhood friend... turned first love or something? 👀 considering making them arospec and realizing that later/vindicta feels "different" from the rest. vindicta is definitely also a different type of person from the people prima thought they should be dating... xe's much easier to be around as a Partner. vindicta may have a previous ex that they also ended up not being too compatible with, but that ex had a worse attitude about it and it ended on worse terms.

5. initially, they don't get many chances to sleep in the same bed. however physical touch is vv important to them (totally not projecting /s) so when their families and the people in their kingdoms became more okay with it they spend the night together alllll the time. usually at vindicta's place because he's, yknow, actively ruling crows country and travel arrangements are a pain in the ass. ANYWAYS prima loves sleeping tightly curled up into vindicta. or the two spoon, they probably have one of those couples' pillows so your arm isn't crushed

6. they ABSOLUTELY give each other nicknames/pet names. vindicta calls prima riri, while they call xem vin. vindicta uses a lot of the typical flirty villain pet names: "my dear", "my sweet", etc. this happens to fluster prima a lot, though it's hard for one to admit the obvious fact that one finds it attractive. prima isn't big on pet names except using the ones her gf calls her sarcastically sometimes, which it finds kinda funny. sometimes they jokingly call each other their full names and titles.

7. vindicta likes how strong-willed and determined her riri is, almost stubborn. however, this can almost be exasperating and sometimes prima doesn't know ones own limits. less decided/articulate on what prima likes and dislikes about vindicta

8. not gonna go into too much detail about this (i am a minor) but prima: vindicta's overall height/build (vin is the taller one), and voice if that counts as physical vindicta: probably into collarbones? and the uhh waist/stomach area yk.

9. didn't know what this was, looked it up. seems to be about commitment and also just, happiness in a long term relationship? so i guess so.

10. haven't built out too specific of a timeline yet but they've definitely had big fights over what i mentioned in #7 with vin getting frustrated over prima being kinda self destructive and almost obsessed with "the right thing"

11. idk how to articulate this 😭

12. the respective royal families/courts freaking out, crises in both of their kingdoms, probably a death in prima's family

13. as i mentioned, both really value physical touch. they also both do a lot of words of affirmation (building off of hero/villain banter). besides that vindicta leans more gift giving and prima more acts of service/quality time. in terms of unique expressions of love, they like sparring with each other and helping improve the other's swordsmanship. prima enjoys trying to cook things that vin might like and generally like... presenting skills she's learning to him. meanwhile vindicta likes surprising darks gf with gifts related to their interests in particular, dark really enjoys their reactions.

14. idk what really counts as a "little thing" but? prima: smelling petrichor after rain. finding shapes in the clouds, moon, or stars. experiencing hypnogogia before falling asleep. running your hand along cold, polished stone. enjoying a drink so warm it almost burns your tongue. vindicta: happy vestibular stimming. waking up as the sun rises. noticing the seasons change. aspects of prima's style of magic usage: a pinkish yet golden light, a hard-to-describe tingling feeling.

15. prima definitely picked up a bit of that "flirty villain" vibe in her mannerisms, while vindicta has grown a bit more lighthearted and energetic in conversation. they copy each others' stims.

part 2