#i might name the characters and give them stories for sillies | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

blueteller · 2 months ago

Text

Introducing Character Trope: STEBS (Stoic Traumatized Epic Bastard Softie)

I have tried to look this up on TV tropes, but it does not exist. Not officially, at least. So I decided – I'm introducing new trope. It already exist, someone might as well try and give it a name.

And yeah, this acronym SUCKS, feel free to come up with a better one! But let's talk about what a "STEBS" character is for me, because I've come to the conclusion that it is actually my favorite character type.

First, context. Ever since I've read TCF, I have come across other medias and I was often like, "Hey, this character is basically just like Cale!" – which I feel like, it isn't really fair? I mean, Cale is a great and complex character, but making this comparison constantly makes me feel like I'm undermining the complexity of OTHER characters. Just because Cale shares similarities with other characters doesn't make them copies of him.

So, what exactly is a STEBS?

1) Stoic

This character has a very specific way of acting in non-confrontational situations. It can be respectful, it can be casual, but it is neither extremely friendly nor extremely rude. It's in a calm, pleasant zone, where the character treats others like... well, people. The character doesn't make themselves superior nor inferior, it doesn't matter to them if the other is a beggar or a king. They just are, calm and casual. That's what makes them stoic - NOT lack of expressions or emotions, or lack of humor. It's the way they carry themselves on the regular. This character type makes others feel relaxed because of it, and subconsciously encourages trust and friendship (much to the character's confusion). They will also make a great educator because of it, and will likely act as a mentor or a teacher more than once.

2) Traumatized

Despite the stoicism in their behavior, they actually have a complicated background. Commonly an orphan, even though not always, this person has been through a LOT. But, they don't usually express it. Seeing this character cry or break down is EXTREMELY rare and always a very important scene in a story. It's not that they're not emotional or they always try to bury their trauma, although that does usually apply to them; they're just not vocal about it due to their personality. But oh boy, are they traumatized! Wait for that reveal later in the story though, when it actually becomes plot-relevant.

3) Epic

Despite the character being a stoic type, with a backstory that makes them crave very simple things – be it retirement, respect from their peers, a safe house to live in, a stable job, a family, a specific successful career – they are actually freaking epic where it comes to things they do. They either have great knowledge, memory, or skills in a particular field and they always manage to surprise others with just how competent they are. It can be literal combat skills, magic, being a life-saving surgeon, or even a therapist. But whenever they get their chance to shine, they become a real star.

4) Bastard

A trait that adds a surprising amount of charm and humor to their other traits. Being stoic makes them likeable, being traumatized makes them sympathetic, being epic makes them cool – but being a bastard? It actually just means they're mischievous and have a penchant for chaos. Because this character is meant to make changes in the narrative, like an accidental revolutionary or a transmigrator, they have to possess a cunning streak that might seem mean or selfish at first, but actually never crosses the line into making them despicable. It just makes them an occasional manipulator, but it's usually portrayed in a way that still makes it impossible to make you hate them. In fact, it makes you love them more for it. They are not naive, even if they can be oblivious or silly at times; being a bastard to those who deserve it means being able to get out of sticky situations that would be problematic for paragon heroes. It includes stuff like acting, pranks, cheating, manipulation, shady deals, gambling, stealing, and even criminal behavior, that is actually very understandable due to their specific circumstances.

5) Softie

And if all the previous traits haven't convinced you to love this character yet, the last one surely will. This character, despite having a mean streak, is in fact never mean to innocent people. Actually, they are surprising soft and/or sentimental, especially towards the helpless and children. This character will probably have at least one animal sidekick, at least one paragon protagonist type on their payroll, and most importantly an adopted child - if the previous two don't already fill that spot. This character will make excuses of course, they will claim that they are taking care of others for their own benefits. But you will see quickly that they don't treat others like a heartless manipulator, but more of an overprotective mother-hen. This character, no matter their gender, will eventually become the typical Mom Friend. They will make sure everybody eats well, sleeps well, they get their allowance, pack their lunch before heading out to participate in the plot and probably try to sacrifice themselves for them more than once. They will of course become the mentor figure on top of it, and possibly even be a straight up legal guardian and/or teacher to other important characters.

And this, my friends, is what I call a STEBS character. While it outlines a general, it's not a strict definition, mind you. Even if a character exhibit one trait less than the others (for example not being much of a bastard, or not being very stoic), it still counts as long as you still recognize them as fitting in this "category".

Characters in this category include:

Cale Henituse from Trash of the Count's Family

Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars

Aizawa Shota from My Hero Academia

Kakashi from Naruto

Remus Lupin from Harry Potter

Faramir from Lord of the Rings

Kim Dokja from Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint

Rimuru Tempest from That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

Park Moondae from Debut or Die

Won Hwabu from I Reincarnated as a Legendary Surgeon

And many, many others.

Let me know if you have a better name for this very specific character type!

#character analysis #writing #tropes #stebs character #tcf meta #trash of the count's family #star wars #my hero academia #naruto #harry potter #lord of the rings #omniscient reader's viewpoint #that time i got reincarnated as a slime #debut or die #i reincarnated as a legendary surgeon

149 notes · View notes

sillyandquiteawkward · 1 year ago

Text

sillys (not so) lil info dump about how to be a human being. smiles

htbahb is an album from glass animals, of which notably, all the songs align with different people's lives, perspectives, and feelings, also of which are shown on the (various) album covers. so the easiest way to go thru the story is song by song. but i will show you the album art so you can get a gist of things before we go into details.

these are just some of the various album covers for htbahb, theres a bunch of them, but we dont need to see all of them to see the different lives of our characters.

1, Life Itself

this is our main character for life itself. you can call him a bit of a nerd if youd like. apparently his name is chuck rogers. they dont all have names.

hes an inventor, loves ray guns and strange technology, but as noted in his song, feels like he was raised with expectations hell never be able to achieve. his father as a child said he would be a superstar, but nowadays, he cant get a job and he lives with his mom. hes struggling with finding himself and his place in society and hes doing drugs and feeling like hes absolute rock bottom with everyone being against him. he feels alone and attacked and retreats back into his car or grandmothers basement and keeps folding back into himself.

in the music video for life itself, hes only seen in a few scenes, leading the charge against [popular st] with a smoke bomb as [mamas gun] watches knowingly from the sidelines as perhaps the real leader behind the assault. they seems to be accomplices with each other, as they ride in the car together and seem to be specifically looking for [youth].

2. Youth

now the main character for youth is tricky, it seems like we have two characters for youth, the small child, and assumedly, his mother the waitress. i think i like the interpretation that the mother is the main character for this song, and the child represents the album as a whole. alternatively i also like the idea that the child is youth, and his mother represents [premade sandwiches]. but for the most part, they are just both the characters for youth.

youth is a mother talking about her child, and to her child, almost in a detached sort of way as if they arent able to see each other. a mother speaking her hopes and dreams to her child. somehow these two have been separated when the child was young, perhaps through giving up to adoption, or hinted in the music video, abduction. she wishes best for the child, urges them to feel their mother at their side, and notes that theyve got her eyes. she lists off her wishes for them to be happy and have friends, and be silly. this perhaps is for the best, that they can be happy even without her. i particularly like in this song, the wordplay makes it sound like the singer is counting one, two, three, four, five, when they are singing other words like boy, to, free, funny, and fly respectively.

in the music video for youth, the child is seen almost haunting the mother as she works as a waiter, appearing in several locations playing and running around as she remains dutiful to her job. they briefly sit looking at each other in the same hotel room he had been taken to in life itself's music video.

3. Season 2 Episode 3

this is the main character for season 2 ep 3 and i think one of the cool changes between album covers, as we see a fully done up girl all put together with her make up on, and in the other, someone a bit more silly with her makeup removed. this might be the way she sees herself vs how other people see her.

the song is the lament of a boyfriend to his girlfriend, who seems to be glued to the couch, watching shows, getting high, not changing her clothes, and eating day old leftover food and most notably, mayonnaise straight from the jar. at the beginning of the song, the two of them are high together, however he soon sobers and realizes she refuses to get sober along with him. he tries to convince her that their relationship wont work if she keeps being like this and doesnt try, but she wants him back the way he was (high as well) and views him as a nag. she still makes him happy, but sometimes she makes him sad to see how she lives. even after an acceptance from the boyfriend that she wont change and will never be vertical and golden like he wants and that the relationship will never work out, the song ends hinting that hes picked up getting high with her again due to her calling him a killjoy and wearing him down.

in the music video we watch the girl splay out on the sofa, surrounded by her mess watching tv and doing nothing. halfway into the video, we are brought into the game she plays, as she battles [life itself] [cane shuga] and [the other side of paradise], all of which are men who could possibly be the boyfriend figure.

4. Pork Soda

this is our main character for everyones favorite pork soda. hes an older man, who for the most part seems pretty happy. wonder if hes harboring some long lost feelings or something.

the song opens with a street performance unintelligible to a normal listener, its like passing by a conversation, you are only able to hear bits and pieces of the spoken words. once the song starts you hear a story about this guy's girl who used to be fun and adventurous and would take him along with her. in the same breathe hes begging to go back to the days they were happy together. it seems like they fell out of love, or are in a struggling relationship bereft of communication or the passion it once had. shes only happy when theyre having sex together, and just looking at each other causes him heartache. the song talks about pineapples in my head, and being brain dead, as well as other references to diminishing mental facilities, that perhaps in their age, theyd forgotten about each other.

the music video gives us probably the most clear story line, as we see the wife prepare a meal before sending it through a dumbwaiter into the basement for the husband. there he sits alone, watching tv. up above the wife plays with their dog, imagining the dog is the younger version of her husband. all of her time is dedicated to the dog, and all of his time is dedicated to the tv. they have forgotten they love each other and live in the same house, but live in separate worlds. only after the dog destroys his tv and the husband destroys the floor above him and under her feet, do they finally get back together as he catches her as she falls, surprised and exhilarated for the first time in forever. and things seem to be better as they finally occupy the same room together again.

5. Mama's Gun

This is the main character for mamas gun. shes a victim of the perception of her mental illness. i think this is my fav song of the album.

during the song, the woman initially admits that she took her gun and made her husband go to neverland. however she also says she loved him a lot and he was perfect. through bits and pieces of the lyrics you can come to the conclusion that she has some sort of psychosis, or perhaps schizophrenia in particular as she notes many different voices and figures talking to her. the song references dr swango, a doctor who killed his patients, however he insists to her that him and all the other voices in her head are too from neverland, and that she was a murderer just like him. is she really guilty of murder? what really happened? the flute played during various instrumental parts of the song is a sample from the carpenter's mr. guder, a song about a man who does what hes supposed to in society and his job and gets nothing from it. karen carpenter herself was a victim of her own mental illness and they say that theres a specific purpose for the sample chosen. once the lyrics pick back up, the voices again pipe up and tell her she was a murderer, even the voice who had never spoken says so, so he must be telling the truth right? during the final bit of the song, it seems like her husbands voice joins into her collection of voices, as he bears a cheshire smile and asks her to lay with him once again, and that hes waiting for her. in the end, its unclear what happened with her and her husband, as she goes back and forth saying she was violent, she was doing nothing. this song was inspired by a story they heard of a woman going into a drug induced black out for a month and reappearing in another state with no memory, and the lingering fear that shes done something terrible wrong, and never being able to have the closure of knowing what happened.

theres no music video for this song, but we see her appear in life itself. she and [life itself] drive to the hotel where [poplar st] is holding [youth] captive and attempt to break into the room hes in.

6. Cane Shuga

this is our main character for cane shuga. hes exactly how he seems, a rich white guy who is, of course, using that cane shuga all day everyday.

cane shuga presents a dialogue from two parties, two people in a relationship. the singer promises he wont do coke anymore, that he wont be a john doe in the hospital. the chorus however is the high he rides on, where he thinks hes hot shit, hes 007 james bond, hes as powerful as kim jong, with a popped collar as he looks into the glare of the mirror and hypes himself up after using in the bathroom at work. hes untouchable. the second chorus is his partner, giving up on him, their love has burned up, just like his drugs. theres a humorous line of putting their foot down saying ive had quite enough, but corrects themself and sarcastically says or lack there of, that they arent being given anything anymore by him. regardless, their verses and conversation is short. the chorus of his high is the main focus of the song, and repeat over and over as the days continue.

[cane shuga] appears in season 2 ep 3's music video as [season 2 episode 3]'s potential lover. their stories do seem to entangle, they both are drug users dealing with partners who want to stop using. some people say that he is her partner, that he stops using for her, but falls back into the habit. however this doesnt exactly line up with her song, as she doesnt want him to stop. i think its part of that unreliable narrator theme weve seen in previous songs. people have different experiences with each other and get different messages due to the issue of communication. im not exactly on board with these two being together, but i do understand where people are coming from with this take.

7. [Premade Sandwiches]

this is a spoken word interlude, sped up and pitched down. there doesnt seem to be a character paired with this song, and on cd this song is simply a bonus track hidden behind cane shuga. on first listening its very difficult to catch what is being said, but over and over the speaker is talking about standing in line for various things. this song discusses mindless over consumption of drugs, of buzz words, of natural foods for your dog, watches, new clothes made to look old, the junk drawer filled with phones you dont use, with pens that dont work, with random shit you never needed just piling up. people stand in line and they dont even know why.

8. The Other Side Of Paradise

this is our main character for the other side. hes gonna be a basketball player and make it big babyeee.

so its a bit unclear and vague in the lyrics, but it seems our narrator and the basketball player used to be close friends. he even seems to be in love with the basketball player, calling him my love. but the basketball player leaves their home in new orleans to go chase his dreams out west and make it big, leaving our narrator's side. he told the narrator not to worry but after phone calls, it seems like basketball boy got a girlfriend. hes gloating to the narrator, hes got a girlfriend now, hes got a gold camaro, hes made it big, meanwhile our narrator is at the payphone hearing all this and his world turns in slow motion. no longer is the basketball player his baby blue anymore. hes moved on, hell never have another chance to love his friend. hes so angry and hurt, but he balls up his fist almost in a fight or flight reaction, and settles for the ghost of his love. hed always hoped for a paradise where they could be together but it seems like fate had other plans. he laments the basketball player for ditching them, saying here in new orleans people dont leave and ditch their lady (him). he wants to be loved and pampered by him, not her. heres where the vagueness comes back, the narrator seems to be so distraught that he rather kills himself, or finds that his body looks wrong, perhaps that hes not a girl that couldve been loved by the basketball player.

he only ever appears in the music video for season 2 ep 3 as one of the bosses [season 2 episode 3] defeats, claiming ball is life. there is a music video that was recently released for this song, however it does not depict the basketball player.

9. Take a Slice

this is our main character for take a slice, hes a bit of a slut but he makes it work :) the spoken intro to this song is the real recording the band took while talking to a male fortune teller, so the sausage candle is rather real or a lie from the fortune teller.

take a slice regales the story of a young man who finds pleasures in the sultry sexual aspects of life. hes sucking on cigarettes in a way freud would roll in his grave, hes painted his nails dark, has piercings, hes asking for another slice of cherry pie, cherries being a symbol for all things sex and lust. hes smitten with the idea of being a prize to be sought after, and after trying sex work for the first time, realizes this is the job for him. hes going to fuck his way through college, and sleep during class dreaming of you. wink. hes rolling in the dough, hes got a gold car, hes maybe dabbling in drugs too, and hes filthy and he loves it.

10. Poplar St

ms moore is the main character of poplar st, and shes a cougar, and not the good kind.

a young boy lives a typical suburban life. hes got bandaids on his knees and hes climbing trees. but one day, he sees mrs moore and mr keats have sex. immediately this drags him out of his childhood, hes such a man now that he knows what sex is. this is the first step of her grasp around him. as he gets a bit older, his mother calls her prosti-tits and looks down upon her. but the boy looks up to ms moore, despite his mothers words. mrs moore sees his desperation and pulls him into her clutches. theres a very specific voice crack when her teeth sink in deep and the note hes singing falls flat. this bit of pain expressed is highly contrasted with the chorus coming back in, the boy once again considers himself a real man, a true romantic, this is what all men dream of, isnt it? but there are dead flowers in the sand, hinting that these roses arent just romantic. the next bridge plays and interesting word switch up. it starts out with her begging him for more as she sits in her underwear, and then switches to him begging her for more in his underwear. theyve both wasted their days, but when it comes to his youth and her age, the only one wasting their childhood is him. the song concludes with mrs moore calling him up collect (so he has to pay for the phone call, not her) one day and breaking up with him. and then it all gets pulled out from under him and hes just a boy again. this tells the sad tale of how men and boys' sexual assault and grooming often is pushed to the side because they think this is how things are supposed to go, that they are supposed to have sex and to be used and abused from a woman is supposed to be an achievement. but really all it is, is abuse that leaves him feeling terrible.

11. Agnes

this is agnes :) i think it was mentioned at some point that he takes pictures of people when they arent looking, so to me, i like to think hes the one capturing everyone pictured in this album. bear witness to other humans.

the song starts out where the singer is appearing to try and comfort agnes. how did it get this bad, agnes used to just take pills and smoke a little, somethings changed perhaps. the singer notes agnes is just going through the motions every day, numb, and nervous, but hes swelling with emotion all the same. here the singer laments he wants to hold agnes like hes mine. theres a longing sadness in the lyrics. the next verse confirms the worst, while agnes was perhaps a genius when it came to the romantic, he was a deeply depressed and lonely person. he started to rely on the drugs and the alcohol he used to use recreationally, just to live a normal life. and he ultimately commited suicide. the singer wonders where the agnes he used to know went. however the singer reconsiders, and accepts that agnes did his best, life must feel so unbearably long when its soaked in sadness, living a false life filled with depression. so it goes, the singer thinks, but cant help but to feel lost. the only thing he can think of is agnes, perhaps considering all the art agnes made, all the photos he took of other people, perhaps just thinking about his friend in any aspect. grief is funny like that. on the vinyl record, this song's last seconds repeat over and over until you stop the machine from playing, like a lingering memory you cant stop thinking about.

the agnes music video is much different than the others, as it focuses on the singer, dave bayley as he sits in a centrifuge and attempts to sing the song. this causes a very physical reaction and he struggles to even lift his hand, by the end of it hes sweating profusely and unable to catch his breath, but he persists and continues singing. he mentions this was a mere fraction of what someone going through depression could feel like. during the music video as well, he appears to be looking across from a mannequin, perhaps the stand in for himself once hes put himself in agnes' shoes.

thanks for reading if you did i love being insane. all of these are my personal thoughts on the album, and might not exactly match up with your interpretation, but i have tried to keep to what we believe is what glass animals had in mind for the album and these characters.

#glass animals #how to be a human being #htbahb

790 notes · View notes

rubylovessharks · 7 months ago

Text

Their reaction to a sweet fic you made about them ♡

twst characters x gn!reader fluff (ortho not datebale)

reader is not MC/Yuu

ok this is hc stuff with twst characters but im trying to mix into it some actual scenes :3

some are written before an established romantic relationship and others are written in an established romantic relationship. :)

these are all different scenarios im trying to keep it interesting :D

might be ooc for some of them cuz im not fully capable of writing some characters :( ALSOOOO gotta give a bit of credit to @yourfavepookiebear cuz she helped me out a lil with ideas for some chars :p love u pook <3

Heartslabyul

Riddle Rosehearts:

conflicted feelings.

cuz he feels both weirded out and flattered.

what do you mean you've been writing sweet romantic stories about you and him?! that's super weird! but also really cute

he really likes them and wants more now-

You and your boyfriend were having a study date in his room and have decided to take a break. During said break you have been writing in your phone which left Riddle curious. Not long into the break you have accidently left your phone open before you left to the bathroom, which gave Riddle a chance to see what you've been writing. Of course he doesn't want to invade your privacy, yet his curiosity was stronger. What does he see? '-holding his hand as we sat on our picnic blanket ' and it cuts off. You weren't finished yet. When you come back from the bathroom you see that your boyfriend has become a blushing mess! What happened while you were gone, you wonder. You are about to hear from him exactly what he thinks <3

Trey Clover:

probably had a feeling you wrote fics about him but didn't expect that it'd be something romantic. especially about the two of you!

he may be a lil weirded out, but he's mostly just living with that knowledge.

he feels like a guy who'd actually enjoy reading through these imaginary dates of yours

maybe even take inspo for later!

You have no idea how this guy understood that the guy from your romantic stories was him. You didn't even use his name! Sure you posted these fics online but who could've actually understood you've been writing about Trey?! At first you just panicked. Trey literally liked your stories that you've been posting, so you were afraid that he's onto you. AND YOU WERE RIGHT. Cuz the very next day he asks you out to a baking date! At least he isn't angry :) Also now some anonyms person has been asking for more fics about this "mysterious" guy you've been writing about..

Cater Diamond:

he likes it :3

and already knows about it- you know he knows

definitely wants to take you out on dates like the ones you have wrote!

liked, shared, and makes sure to take you out on a date!

he's so into it in fact that he encourages it!

You randomly got a text from your boyfriend saying he wants to go out on a date that is similar to the one you posted in your last fic. Makes sense, he rebloged it, liked it, and talked to his besties about it in the last few hours. So now you and Cater were out on a date and it's even better then what you wrote! And that's gonna happen every time you write a fic about the two of you. You will write something sweet, and Cater will not shut up about it, and then you two are out on this specific date!

Ace Trapolla:

he says that he finds it silly but deep down he likes it

he also claims that it's a little bit weird, and even tho he does feel like that (just a wee bit) he still likes it.

he teases you though-

This guy knows your password, and you have given him permission to snoop around in your phone, so it's no surprise that when he looks into your notes he sees more then one weirdly titled notes. One that says 'Cheering him on' another that says 'Baking him a pie' and many many more. So what does he do? Look into it. Now you hear him cackling at something, but you have no idea what. So you ask him and he tells you about his findings. "Ya know I didn't know you had so many romantic ideas" he tells you and you turn red. Now you will never hear the end of it..

Deuce Spade:

i just know that the moment he finds those fics he turns red and just stands there-

he doesn't know what to say

but he's really happy :)

At first he wanted to be a supportive boyfriend, going online and finding your page to like your stuff and encourage you to write more! But the more he read the more this guy in your fic seems familiar... the way he talks, the things he likes, even his physical description seems to match himself. The moment this realization hits him he goes completely red. Just stands there until someone snaps him out of it. For a short while he'll be very blushy and all around you, but soon enough he'll tell you he really likes those fics and ask you to write more.

Savanaclaw

Leona Kingscholar:

he finds it a bit amusing.

and kind of cute

he'll tease you about it but he definitely reads that stuff and enjoys every second of it as if he didn't just call your fantasies stupid

Your boyfriend was laying in bed, but instead of his usual thing that is sleeping, he is using a phone.

wait...is that your phone?!

"Hey are you using my phone babe?" you call him out on his actions but he doesn't even move his head towards your direction. "Yeah and?"

"That's an invasion of privacy!" you tell him "what you write is an invasion of privacy." he answers.

Did you hear this right? Leona is snooping in your personal notes!?

"Don't worry I'll keep this private.. no reason to show this silly stuff to the world." he smirks to himself, and you notice that his cheeks are a little bit red.

Ruggie Bucci:

you're weird.

that's what he thinks

the thought of selling your stuff crossed his mind- cuz at first he didn't think it's about him..

but then it hit him

no thoughts about that now.. it's all for him now ♡

He's a snoopy guy so of course the moment he finds a notebook of yours he'll look into it! Sure he might be your boyfriend but he still doesn't mind selling stuff that is yours, not super important stuff of course but stuff.

Skipping through the pages he reads your stuff, not getting too into it but enough to understand what is written in a nutshell. As Ruggie reads through the pages thinking to himself what a good catch he has considering the fact that you are pretty skilled, he notices something he didn't notice before..

His name.

And with the genre that you write reading his own name is a shocker. Sure you two are in romantic relationship but he was not expecting this!

"This is weird.." he says out loud. "But this is kinda cute.." Ruggie smiles to himself, closes the notebook and puts it back in it's place.

He'll make sure to treat to you something tasty <3

Jack Howl:

wagging his tail but keeping a straight face

other than the pink tinting his cheeks-

he likes your stuff, not that he won't admit it tho.

he will say he likes it, but not as much as he actually feels.

Jack is reading through the fics you've been posting online, well more like forced to read because you just came over to him and asked him to read this new fics you just posted. He isn't someone who'd read stuff online but considering the fact that you asked him to, and it's a fic about your relationship in disguise of some fan service for others, he is willing to read it and give you his opinion.

Like many times you have shown him your fics Jack's face is getting pink and his tail is wagging a bit. "It's not bad." he tells you but the hesitation in his voice tells you he has much more to say, and it's true because al his thoughts right now are just thoughts about sweet this is.

"I'm glad you like it!" you tell him with a smile and he smiles back.

Octavinelle

Azul Ashengrotto:

super conflicted.

at first he thought it was dirt you got on him to blackmail him in the future but then he read your stuff and just turned red.

like super red.

now he's gonna have a talk with you ;)

Azul has had a crush on you for a while, but he's in total denial about it. So when Floyd told him that you write weird, sickenly sweet stories about romancing him he thought it was blackmail, for one reason or another..

So of course he starts reading your fics. And when he does slowly but surely he understands that this is no blackmail- it can't be because of how your writing shows so much love for him.

"Aahaha Azul your face is super red!" Floyd teases his boss who looks at him with no amusement in his eyes. "I have no idea what you are talking about." Azul says "now, I want you to go to (name) and tell them I request their presence."

Jade Leech:

giggles like a school girl

oh? you wrote silly fanfics about the two of you? together on a romantic date? several dates?

how fun!

get ready cuz this guy is about to scare the shit out of you and then immediately becomes a gentleman :)

"I heard you like to write in your spare time." that's the first thing he says to you. For no reason, just says that and smiles at you waiting for you to say something.

"Uhh yeah. I guess?"

"How nice." he beams "I'd like to read some of your works, if that's alright."

"I dunno... it's kinda private.." you can't show him your silly fic! They are all about dates with him!

He's face immediately shows disappointment "well that's unfortunate..." but that is not all he had to ask. "Onto another question. How would you like to go out with me? I could show you some of the stuff we do at my club."

something you don't notice is that that's literally the first date fic you ever wrote about this guy..

Floyd Leech:

oh so you are super silly!

he knew you were silly, but super silly? damn he's so glad you two are together!

after being super happy with this he immediately becomes upset and cranky cuz, why didn't you tell him you wrote such cute lil' things?!

Not understanding why, but out of nowhere your boyfriend comes and squeezes hugs you so hard you can't breathe. Not that it's unusual for him to do that, but right now it's actually super duper tight, more that normal.

He's kissing your face, and spins you two around and totally not biting you- so you have to calm him down.

"Floyd what's this all about?" you ask as your lover spins you round and around. "Ahaha I'm just soooo happy that I've got such a cutie as my partner!!" he practically yells-

"oof but-" he stops completely everything he was doing just now "you never told you wrote such sweet fics!" you can see he's facial expression change to something totally different than what it was two seconds ago.. "How dare you! Keepin your lil' stories all to yourself.. that's just ruuude" he frowns.

"Wait what-" "yeah I read your little fics about us!" yet again his tone changes to a more sing songy one "but now your gonna have to make it up to me~" and your face changes from total embarrassment to a 'I know where this is going' one. "What do you want me to do?"

"You are going to take me on eeeevery kind of date you wrote about in your stories, mmk?"

Scarabia

Kalim al Asim:

he's sooooooo happy!!!

finds all of your writings to be amazing!

so amazing in fact that he shares them with Jamil- without asking your consent-

but don't be mad! he was just so happy he couldn't help it!!

"Jamil! Jamil! Look at what (name) wrote this time!" Kalim practically jumps at his friendatleastinhisopinion and they both fall to the ground. "Kalim I only told you that these fics have an uncanny resemblance to you." Jamil says as he tries to get Kalim off of him "you don't need to show me every single thing they write!" "ohh but they write such cute things! You have to read this new one!" Kalim shoves his phone in Jamil's face as he's forced to read your fics about the guy he hates. "Isn't it amazing?!" Kalim's face is pretty much glowing "it's even better than the last!" "uhh yeah sure.."

Jamil Viper:

another one who's weirded out by this..

but he's a little bit weird too, so he doesn't mind too much :)

slowly finds it cute the more he reads.

but if anyone ever finds out about these fics other than him, and they ask how he feels about them he'll say that it's stupid but doesn't mind.

still totally loves these fics :)

Not long ago you gave your lover a notebook and told him that you've been wanting him to read the stuff that's in there. Of course Jamil is a very busy guy so it takes him a while to actually read what's in there.

So when he sits down to read whatever it is you wrote in there he was not expecting these to be romantic stories about him and you!

"I'm dating a total weirdo.." he moves his hand to his forehead and keeps it there as he reads more. The more he reads the weirder he feels this is, but he's enjoying these stories. The more he resds the wider his smile gets and from time to time he chuckles a little.

Of course being Jamil and having the fate to be stuck with Kalim he gets a call from he's most hated person and has to end his break. But he'll come back to this later and will praise you for your work as a good boyfriend should.

Pomefiore

Vil Schoenheit:

aren't you an amusing little thing?

of course you write silly fics where the two of you, aka THE Vil and you, are going on silly dates, or others where you two slowly fall inlove ♡

how can you not?

he'll fulfill your wish and go out with you.

(he's been waiting for a good opening for a while now :3 )

Classes were done for the day and you were invited by Vil to walk together. As you see Vil standing at your meeting point you notice that his face was much more series than usual. And the moment he spots you you feel as if you have committed a crime with the way his beautiful eyes look at you. Of course he is not mad, Not at all actually, he just needs to keep up with his 'perfect' self, and acting like a really in love high school girl who is giggling and kicking her feet would be far from it.. "Darling." he says, not an unusual nickname. He has been using it for a while "I have found something you've been keeping from me and I feel a little bit hurt by that.." you cannot figure out what he's talking about but the next thing he'll say will shock you. "I had no idea you had such a strong desire to go out with me, and yet still not ask me out. I must say I'm a little disappointed in your lack of confidence but we can work on it, on our date." You can't believe he just said that- a date with Vil? THE Vil!? But the date you two will go to will be very much real.

Rook Hunt:

don't think you are the only one with such fanfics..

he wrote so many things about you

cute date fics, poems about he's love for you

he even draws you!

so he's really happy to know you too write stuff about him!

Today was stressful.. not for school reasons, and not social reasons either.. it's because your personal notebook is nowhere to be found! You were about to take it this morning with you but could not find it, so now you are at the end of the day waiting for the bell to ring to go find it. Who knows where it could be! Maybe it was stolen? but who would steel a random notebook.. especially with a lock on it.. Perhaps you misplaced it somewhere that is not in your room? but that wouldn't make sense cuz last night you were writing in it! Maybe a dormmate accidently took it mistaking it as theirs? and just then the bell rings. Already the first one out you find yourself bumping into a familiar face, or should I say chest- "Oh my apologies!" you can hear the voice of the hunter you currently have a crush on. "I should be the one saying sorry- I was so caught up in my head I didn't even notice the world around me.." "non! It only makes sense that you would be so focused on your thoughts when a precious item is lost." he does a thing with his hands being.. well.. Rook. And as you are about to agree with him you immediately notice that his line is fishy... "Rook don't tell me..." he smiles at you as you get hit with the realization of your notebook's whereabouts "YOU STOLE IT DIDN'T YOU" it's not even a question, it's a statement. "You are correct! Although you wound me by keeping these stories for yourself.. I find them to be quite exquisite!" then he goes into his bag and pulls out a notebook, your notebook, and folder. a folder..? "As an apology for my actions I have made you a gift, and of course will give you your notebook back." he hands you your notebook and the huge folder "I hope you will forgive me, and will come meet me tonight in my room." Rook gives you a smile as he's about to leave, yet you still don't know what's in the folder he gave you, so the moment you are back in your room you open it only to see a bunch of poems, fics of his ownaboutyou, drawingsofyou and in the end of it there's a note that says 'there's more ;)'.

Epel Felmier:

at first he was scared that you wrote him as a 'cute wittle boy' who isn't manly at all

but then when he finished one fic he was almost crying(exaggerating here) cuz your wrote him so well!

really likes it :)

You told him you've got an account where you write stuff online and he decided to check it out. And the first thing he sees is the author's notes and it says 'this is inspired by my irl bf ........'

So you get inspo from being with him? How does that work..?

He starts to read the story and the first mention of 'his character', or at least the character that represents him, he's fears of being misunderstood get bigger and bigger. But the way you've written 'him' is right on point!

As he reads your fic Epel understands that this an idea for a date because you've never had this experience before. He now knows where he'll ask you out to ;)

Ignihyde

Idia Shroud:

HUH?!

you write WHAT???

and these are really sweet-

he is going to lock himself in his room and isnt coming out unless REALLY necessary.

ortho can get him something to eat after his food and energy drinks run out..

cuz what if he sees you? he will probably pass out cuz all he can think about is the cute little date fics you've been writing.

'Heyy love~' you send your introverted boyfriend a text 'Ive got something I want you to read!' you send another text. 'busy' he quickly sends a short text and doesn't even bother to stop his game. 'ohh but I worked real hard on this' you add a ':(' and he gives in. Pausing his game Idia looks at the messages you sent him and starts to read whatever it is you just sent him. As he does you send him a few more messages and then leave the chat. 'dont forget to tell me what you think!' Unfortunately for you the moment Idia reads the first line he will never (a few hours) come out of his room. He does finish it though! And he enjoys it as well. How can he not when you wrote him a romance story about you and him??? He feels so lucky to have you! In a few hours Ortho comes in just to check that his bro is alright and healthy, but the moment he comes in he sees Idia in his bed with the blanket around his shoulders and phone in his hands. This guy has been reading this fic for the last few hours- now Ortho is bringing you into Idia's room. Guess it's a date then?

Diasomnia

Malleus Draconia:

finds it fascinating.

so thats what you want? sure.

now you two are on the EXSACT date you have written.

like everything matches everything.

from the way the place looks, to how Malleus acts.

He just wants you to enjoy his presence, even if it's a little odd.. one day Malleus just asked you on a date and now here you are, sitting together on a picnic blanket with different kinds of food that seems oddly similar to the foods you mentioned in your most recent fic. And the location follows that too... the way Malleus sees your story is you trying to put in topics you wish people would ask, so that's his next move. "How have you been lately?" he asks and you tell him about recent things that have happened to you lately, then he asks you about more things that you are sure are too familiar. "what makes you ask that?" you question him and he freezes at that. "Do you not wish for me to ask such a thing?" he feels as if he messed up, as if his perfect courting plan has failed and that you won't wish to be with him. Of course Malleus is totally wrong, you just want him to be himself freely "I mean sure I do, but there's no reason for you to even know that about me." and you start to connect the dots. "Malleus did you read through my notebook!?" "You have left it open and my curiosity got the better of me. I'm sorry.." he quickly apologizes for his lack of keeping privacy but you quickly tell him it's alright, just odd. But you are no better considering the fact you write romance about a real person.. "Just don't try to follow my story and be free to do what you actually want."

Lilia Vanrouge:

also fascinated.

will also take you out to the place you wrote about

but instead of recreating it like Mal he just teases you-

Here you are with your beloved boyfriend at an aquarium looking at fishies and such. Lilia told you that he has read what you posted online and understood you've been wanting this for a while, so now the two of you are on a date just like you had wanted. But you should've been ready for his teasing.. "

Silver:

finds it sweet :)

when he doesn't have anything to do he'll read your stuff

defiantly dreams those fics :3

Walking into Silver's room you see him asleep on his bed like many times before. This time he fell asleep with his phone in his hand, and you won't know what he was doing before this with it. You decide to lay with him for a while until he wakes up, and as you open your phone you see a new notification. And from who? your beloved boyfriend. You smile to yourself since now you know what he's been doing with that phone of his, reading through your fictional stories about the two of you. You know Silver is smart, so you are sure he knows you write about him.

Sebek Zigvolt:

loud.

like always..

he's face is pink (i like to think that's as far as blush color can go) and he's yelling at you

good luck :(

he totally likes it tho-

You were just chilling in Diasomnia's lounge waiting for your friend and crush, Sebek. You two were going to meet up just for fun, but before this you have 'accidentally' left him a little surprise. Not long ago you put your notebook in his desk after so he'll take it with him. You are sure he noticed that it isn't his and that there is a big chance he won't open it. But you really want him to..

When you see him going towards your direction, his face with a pink tint over his cheeks, you know he definitely did read through at least a small chunk of what you have written.

And you definitely were ready for him to loudly scolding you.

"HOW DARE YOU LEAVE SUCH A PREPOSTEROUS NOTEBOOK ON MY DESK." Sebek pulls out your notebook and shoves it over to you "and to think I read through it!"

"Did you like it?" you smile at him "WHA- I-" his face is now completely pink at your response.

"yes..."

not romantic:

(this section is just a cute thing with no romantic intentions!!! you and ortho see eachother as good friends and/or family WITH NO ROMANTIC FEELINGS.)

Ortho Shroud:

he finds it sweet that you see him as a family member

it's nice to know the feelings are mutual :D

praises your writing as well :3

"This one is better than the last! You are getting pretty good at this (name)!" Ortho tells you after finishing reading through your notebook. "I'm also glad to know that the family feelings are mutual." if you could see his mouth you'd see that he's smiling. "I'm glad you like it" you sheepishly respond "maybe we could go to a similar place like this in real life." Ortho's eyes immediately sparkle "maybe we can take Idia too!" "I don't know if he'd like to go outside though" you think about how hard it will be to try to het him out of his room without him protesting. "But he's in your story too, that means you want him there as well! Right?" Ortho knows it'll be hard to get his brother out as well, but he's willing to try for a fun outing! "Oh alriiight. I'll send him a text." "How about you send him the fic as well?"

272 notes · View notes

acknowledge-reigns · 4 months ago

Text

Body Say | Jey Uso x Black!fem OC (SMUT) 18+!!!

Kinktober Day #2: Orgasm Denial.

"And if my body had a say, I would come again.

Scared of what I might say, 'cause I'm at the edge." 🎶

Description: Jey is having too much fun making Talia wait for it.

Warnings: Teasing, Orgasm Denial, Dom/sub dynamic, praise, Daddy kink, honorifics and pet names, begging, light degradation, mention of oral (male receiving)

Face Claim: Keke Palmer

MDNI!!! 18+ CONTENT BELOW THE CUT.

as always my stories are not about Joshua but are about the fictional character of Jey Uso.

My masterlist can be found here and my kinktober schedule can be found here.

tag list - @mysticreigns2 @queeny23 @jeyusos-girl @notfancyrebelpaper @xbriexx @skyesthebomb @mzv11 @paigereeder @glitterywitchstarlight @tshepisho

Talia Faye had been a backstage interviewer for WWE for a few years now. She was known for her quick wit and sharp tongue, and she had a reputation for being able to handle any situation thrown her way.

Situations in which most of her coworkers like Jackie or Cathy or even Byron would dart and abandon their interview, Talia would stand her ground. Each and every superstar in the lockeroom knew very well Talia was not the one (or the two for that matter) to take their shit!

But there was one thing that she couldn't handle. One superstar that gave her butterflies in her stomach like a lovesick teen fawning after the newest Hollywood heartthrob. That one superstar: Jey Uso. The fun loving inked up ball of energy with a Dominant side had a way of getting under her skin, and she found herself drawn to him despite her best efforts to resist. It hadn't taken long for them to start dating.

It felt like just yesterday Jey finally broke and told Talia everything that had obviously been going on within his family, then ultimately the world saw his twin brother screw him out of his title match against Roman. She'd been the one to sit down with him and tell him something along the lines of 'Fuck them folks. It's time to do you'.

With the rise of main event Jey Uso came the blossoming of their relationship.

Jey was a pro at pushing Talia's buttons, and he knew exactly how to make her squirm. He would often come up behind her, wrap his arms around her waist, and whisper dirty things in her ear at the worst possible times. Talia would try to ignore him, but his words would send shivers down her spine. She found herself craving his touch, even as she tried to resist him.

This, Teasing her, was one of his favorite games. For that reason he hadn't let her cum in about two weeks now.

As they made their way back to the hotel, Jey couldn't help but notice the way Talia was fidgeting. She was clearly frustrated, and he knew it was because he had been denying her release for the last two weeks.

He smirked to himself, enjoying the power he had over her. He knew she was desperate for him, and he planned on making her wait just a little bit longer.

Once they were alone in their hotel room, the silly fun persona, the 'YEET' of it all was out the window. Jey pinned Talia against the wall, his body pressed against hers.

"You've been such a good girl, waiting for me like this," he said, his voice low and husky. "I think you earned a lil reward, babygirl,"

Jey ran his hands up Talia's sides, his touch light and teasing. He leaned in close, his lips brushing against her ear.

"You wanna cum, baby? You want Daddy to give you what you been craving?" Jey asked.

Talia nodded frantically, her body trembling with need. She looked up at Jey with pleading eyes, silently begging him to give her what she wanted.

"Please, Daddy," she whispered, her voice shaking. "I need it so badly. I'll do anything..."

Jey chuckled, enjoying the way Talia was falling apart in front of him. He trailed his fingers down her body, stopping just above the waistband of her jeans.

"Anything, huh? You so desperate for me, babygirl. It's adorable."

Jey leaned in, his lips brushing against Talia's neck as he spoke. "You know I love seeing you like this. All desperate and needy, just for me. But I want to make sure you really ready to beg for it."

Jey's hand slipped inside her jeans, his fingers brushing against her inner thigh. He could feel the heat radiating from her body, and he knew she was already soaking wet.

Talia let out a soft moan, her hips bucking against Jey's hand as he teased her.

"I need it so bad, Daddy. I've been aching for you for weeks. Please, please let me cum..."

Jey smirked, his fingers tracing lazy circles around her clit. " I think I want to hear you beg a little more. Tell me exactly what you want me to do to you."

Talia's breath hitched as Jey's fingers continued to tease her, sending waves of pleasure through her body.

"I want you to touch me, Daddy. I want your fingers inside me, making me scream. I want you to make me cum so hard I can't even think straight. Please, Daddy, please give it to me..."

Jey chuckled, pulling his hand away from Talia's body. He could see the disappointment and frustration on her face, but he wasn't ready to give in just yet.

"Nah, baby... Daddy will think about letting you cum tomorrow, or maybe we'll go for 31 days of denial."

Talia whimpered in frustration, her body trembling with need. "Daddy..." she whined.

Jey leaned in, his voice low and commanding. "You wanna cum, for real, baby? Then get on your knees and show me how much you want it. Suck my dick like a good girl."

#wwe jey uso #main event jey uso #jey uso smut #jey uso fanfiction #jey uso x black oc #jey uso #wwe kinktober #Spotify

131 notes · View notes

another-goblin · 5 months ago

Text

Doc and Gambler: An essay A disjointed musing

I've been thinking about the words they use to address or refer to each other. Gambler and Doctor are rather special nicknames. I can't think of other characters who talk to each other a lot but avoid calling each other by actual names so deliberately.

First of all, of course I can see it as a sign of their relationship. They are old friends, so it makes sense that they have cute special names for each other.

Can there be other explanations?

1. We never see them use each other's actual first names.

It's understandable with Aventurine. If he's ever comfortable being called Kakavasha, it's definitely not now. And I can understand if he'd prefer Kakavasha to just remain a happy, innocent child in his memories forever.

It's more interesting with Ratio. Nobody calls him just "Veritas" (I think?..) He's referred to as Veritas Ratio in some official situations in his character stories. Even his elderly professor, who talks about teaching Ratio when he was a child, only calls him "Ratio."

Actually, I remember a theory that "Veritas" isn't a personal name but a kind of honorific. Maybe a title that Veritas University gives to its most distinguished members. But if Veritas is his actual first name, then I think it's quite significant that nobody seems to call him that. Especially while all of the other characters who have identifiable western-style first and second names are mostly referred to by their first name. (I'm sorry, I don't know how the Xianzhou characters' names work.)

A little off topic, but is Ratio even his real name? According to the wiki, his full name means "truth of the matter," and his Chinese name means "doctor truth." What a coincidence that a person with such a name became a famous scientist. Although there can be other explanations too.

2. They do use each other's more commonly used names sometimes (I think Ratio called him Aventurine once in the game when discussing him with us, and Aventurine addressed Ratio by name a couple of times). But it's mostly nicknames. Mostly Doc(tor) and Gambler, but also "learned professor," "knowledgeable friend," and a hundred of silly ways Ratio refers to Aventurine. I made a whole post about it long ago.

3. Can it be because all of their direct interaction happened in Penacony, in the middle of a murder mystery somewhat reminiscent of the board game Clue, with our little "Mrs. Peacock" and "Professor Plum" here just imitating the naming conventions of such a game? Like archetypes from a classical detective story, where most characters can be described with one word like that. But it's a bit of a crack theory.

4. The only situation we saw them talking to each other was when they had to play their roles for Sunday.

It's interesting that Sunday later proceeds to call Ratio just "doctor" or "learned doctor" too, the way Aventurine did. I mean, strictly speaking, there isn't anything unusual in calling a doctor "doctor", but it's funny in an awkward way. Imagine two close friends having special names for each other. And then a complete stranger who's been eavesdropping starts using these names too. Umm, that's "Dr. Ratio", Mr. Sunday, thank you very much.

Btw, that's another point to the theory that Sunday only knows (and tries to use against them) the things they deliberately fed him through their conversations.

So it might be that they did it deliberately for Sunday to hear. Like, see? we are so not friends that we don't even call each other by name. But then we see them using similar words when mentioning each other while talking to other people, and in Aventurine's thoughts too (in mission descriptions during Double Indemnity).

5. Although it might still be the way for them to try and distance themselves from each other, at least verbally, trying to deny the obvious special connection between them.

6. Or maybe it's about their "masks". They both have public personas to hide their real selves behind. (Ratio directly tells us about it and wears a literal mask to hide behind, and Aventurine's whole Harmony ordeal was basically to show his inner self, so unlike the confident and cocky Aventurine other people know.)

But they know each other better and see deeper than just their public personas of "Aventurine" and "Dr. Ratio". And it's still too early in their relationship to prod deeper ("Kakavasha" and "Veritas"). So a secret third thing it is.

#my stuff #dr ratio #aventurine #raturine #aventio #ratiorine #it's a classical case of #I'll just write a couple of short paragraphs #getting out of control #I blame my migraine for how incoherent it is #I just think it's neat that they have special names for each other #and I wanted to talk about it #there might have been a point I wanted to make #but I lost it midway through

129 notes · View notes

rathayibacter · 4 months ago

Text

Rath's TTRPG Post!

Hey yall, been long enough that I should really write another of these. I'm Rath and I make weird tabletop games! I've got a lot of games already out there, and even more in the oven, so this post exists to help organize them all and give you a jumping-off point if you want to check out my work. Without further ado,

[BXLLET>

BXLLET is a post-apocalyptic cowboy game about the nature of violence. It hands players incredibly lethal characters, then asks those characters to try and find their way in the world. If all you have is a hammer, how do you stop seeking nails?

Every BXLLET character begins with a single bullet on their person, and can always spend a bullet to kill someone. Collecting more bullets unlocks your archetype's unique powers, making you an increasingly imposing threat—and juicy target. However, even as you become bloated with potential violence, you'll find plenty of problems escape easy solutions. Sure, you can always kill, but can you cut out the rot that runs deeper than any individual bandit, warlord, or capitalist? In a world fighting to rebuild itself from disaster, are you a wandering hero, or just a murderous tool of the old age? Can you help build a better future, or are you doomed to haunt its outskirts?

Thanks to two game jams and a whole lot of love, BXLLET also has a ton of additional modules, spilling over with scenarios, archetypes, factions, mechanics, and alternate settings. Here's a big list of them! Check them out, they're fucking incredible.

KATABASIS

KATABASIS is a tactical combat afterlife-crawl, where spirits fight using weapons and armor made of their emotional baggage to try and escape a surreal concrete afterlife. It's all about putting together strange builds to face off against bizarre monsters, all while meeting other stranded spirits and exploring the tangled world you're trapped in. If you delve deep enough, fight hard enough, maybe one day you can find a way to return to life.

KATABASIS is a work in progress, with the full game still a ways off. I'm currently working on the next update, The Highway Down, where players will fight their way across perilous highways tangled through a hanging city. Even so, the game's already packed with characters, equipment, monsters, and maps.

So go! Gather your painful memories, bare your petrified heart, kill the psychopomps and shatter the gates of hell. There might be no escape, but we'd rather die a thousand times more than give up looking.

Disparateum

Disparateum welcomes you to the Named City, a place at the edge of our world and the center of all others. Residents of the Named City wander across the full spectrum of possible worlds, visiting them as one might visit another neighborhood. Like KATABASIS, it's also a work in progress, but already contains pound-for-pound more raw ideas than anything I've ever written. It's a dense, strange, silly, and colorful game, and a gushing love letter to roleplaying in general.

Disparateum is a game for a Knight, a Thief, and a Seer, who explore the Named City in search of adventure and change. Here, shared dreams settle over the city at night; here, our reflections plot revenge from the opposite side of every mirror; here, dragons hold court to debate ownership of stories; here, museum corridors tangle their way through the past and into other histories; here, spiders weave a network of WiFi connections and host dense egg sacs of websites; here, sprawling statue gardens grow beneath our souls. Welcome to the Disparateum. Enjoy your stay.

Unskilled Labor

Unskilled Labor is a game about struggling to get by in the rotting corpse of capitalism. But this time, you have superpowers!

Unfortunately, the superpowers will not let you steal back the time you wasted in dead-end jobs, nor will they let you topple the system and fix everything singlehandedly. But, hey, did you really expect them to? The work to make a better world remains to be done, and maybe now it'll be slightly easier. Manifest a customer service persona to fight your friends' landlord, use perfect timing to escape the cops, coordinate supernaturally disruptive protests of an oil pipeline. Play using resumes as character sheets and calendars as battlemaps. Manage your well-being (as much as you're able), struggle against the tides of Western society, and spit in the face of authority. It's not a glamorous power fantasy, but hopefully it reminds you not to give up the fight.

Charcuterie

Charcuterie is a series of zines, each about 40 pages long, collecting various little experimental games, writings, and doodles. The first two have five ttrpgs each, four being updated versions of games I'd previously released and the fifth being exclusive to the zine. The third is instead a collection of poetry and short stories, though I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a streak of game design through it all anyway.

IMMORTAL Pop!bat 2: funK.O. (Definitive Edition)

Have you ever wanted a miniatures wargame with thirteen thousand seven hundred and ninety-nine unique statblocks? Have you ever wanted to microwave your friend's limited edition metallic blue Batman Funko Pop, but lacked the game mechanical justification to do so? Have you ever wanted to waste an entire paycheck on a terrible idea? IMMORTAL Pop!bat 2: funK.O. (Definitive Edition) has you covered. With two pages of rules and sixteen hundred pages of Pop!batants, with IP!b2:fK.O.(DE) you'll be making terrible life choices in no time.

Stationkeeping

In Stationkeeping, you've inherited a run-down satellite from your late aunt. Slowly you'll patch it up, add new rooms, and fill it with memories. The game's contained entirely on a small stack of handwritten index cards which you can carry around with you, slowly progressing the game by going out of your way to enjoy the little things in your day-to-day life.

And More!

I've got even more stuff over on itch, and I sneak occasional glimpses at my current projects into the #ttrpgs tag here on tumblr. Keep your eyes peeled!

And of course, I'm always happy to chat. If you're ever curious about something I've made or am making, if you enjoyed something or had thoughts on it, if you just wanna say hi, please reach out! Games are my passion, and I love nothing more than to talk with other passionate people. Until then, I'm signing off!

#ttrpgs #BXLLET #KATABASIS #Disparateum #Unskilled Labor #Charcuterie #IMMORTAL Pop!bat 2: funK.O. (Definitive Edition)#Stationkeeping

101 notes · View notes

the-s1lly-corner · 1 year ago

Note

Thank you sm 😭 you actually did so good! It felt so nice to see my favorite creepy boy with those head canons 🥹🥹 but yes your writing is absolutely amazing!! I can’t wait to keep seeing everything you write!! And I apologize in advance if I ever get too excited and request too much 🥹

Perhaps creepy boy relationship head canons with a fem!reader who attempts to steal their clothes because they miss them?

- 🩶 Anon

Laughing Jack, Eyeless Jack, and Hoodie x fem!reader who steals their clothes because she misses them!

went ahead and threw in some other characters that i think would be silly with this request since you didnt specify :3! was gonna add slenderman but im on the fence about whether or not his clothes are a part of his body.. shrugs!! feels weird not doing masky since im doing hoodie too but shrugs again laughing jack included as you state hes your favorite :3 and WAAAAH im glad you enjoyed the previous request!! and no need to apologize; i get it !! sometimes i get excited too with requesting stuff !! ill let you know if youre being too intense (though i gotta admit i love writing creepypasta stuff, had a longish break between august and now where i hardly wrote for it and i missed writing for the fandom loads TToTT)

EYELESS JACK:

honestly for a moment i was going to say his mask but i genuinely think that would be a deal breaker for him since it kind of acts as a comfort and security thing for him. even if hes not wearing the mask around you, dont take it. now his hoodie or one of his shirts... thats a different story.. would rather you ask him, though, but he does find it a little sweet that its because you missed him.. mind you he thinks so lowly of himself that he might even be a little shocked that you *miss him.. might let you keep on his shirts! might have to wash it though and patch up a hole or two but its nothing major.. though i dont think he would let you keep one of his hoodies, he has way less of those than he does shirts and he kind of needs them to keep warm.. also the hood comes in handy.. for things.. will expect you to return his belongings when asked, will not take any excuses since they are his belongings and he cant really waltz into a store and go shopping

LAUGHING JACK:

okay so this one is a little funny since i do personally hc that his clothes are just a part of his body for the sake of the post lets turn a blind eye.. theres so many options for you.. his shirt (sleeves! long and floppy!) or a spare sweater than hes claimed... hmm.. i think regardless of what piece of clothing you've taken from him he would be thrilled that you miss him THAT much! he rarely goes out, in fact i dont think its often that he goes far from where his music box is.. gotta stay in decent range, you know? but the point still stands... you miss him? i think that actually does wonders for his abandonment issues, since it reassures him that you care about him and think of him when hes away. probably scoops you up in his arms and hugs you, likely wrapping his arms around you like a snake. offers to never let you go, and kind of sticks true to that until you need to tend to your bodily needs

HOODIE:

another victim of jacket thief... a moment of silence for this man losing the thing that literally sparked his name.. okay jokes aside i dont think he would care that much, hes probably hoarded other clothing while staying with you; from hoodies to sweaters. so hes not going to sweat it if you briefly snatch something from him so long as you eventually give it back.. might sign some teasing words at you for missing him, might also prompt a session of you two cuddling.. good luck getting up because hes probably not going to let go.. why would he, you missed him! also might make him try to spend more time with you since every now and then he does have decently long periods of just. being gone doing whatever it is that he does.. probably leaves you his main hoodie and wears a different one when he knows hes about to dip for a while..

#creepypasta x reader #creepypasta x you #creepypasta imagine #eyeless jack x reader #eyeless jack x you #laughing jack x reader #laughing jack x you #hoodie x reader #hoodie x you

320 notes · View notes

robogalaxies · 5 months ago

Text

☎️ - The Unneeded But Happily Researched Crumbs Of Everything We Know About The Commissioner

“If anything happens… I’ll deny I ever knew you.”

The Commissioner is, as we all know, a mystery, and I hope it stays that way, but I put it upon myself to wrangle every little tidbit of information we have on him outside of giving cases! I do this solely because of three things:

I have nothing better to do

I find myself strangely endeared to his character (i.e. I do a gay little "favorite character" clap every time I hear him mentioned)

I want to share all my random knowledge with you all because I go digging for it in every S&M media there is

I'll be dividing this up into 4 sections for ease of access: comics lore, games lore (HtR, Telltale, TTIV), cartoon lore, and misc. lore. Some things MAY be assumptions based on other characters' reactions to what he MIGHT be saying or say about him, sure, but I will source all information on where to find it & provide images when they can be easily provided!~ If anything new comes up or I have forgotten something, I'll update. Until then... hope you love both hyperlinks and "at least I laughed at it" style commentary! ☎️

Comics Lore

The introduction of The Commissioner, as with everyone else! Small tidbits of his quite understated character outside of being The Phone are here, obviously, including:

the Commissioner's one and only speech bubble! (Bad Day on The Moon)

the beginnings of the implied "I love you" statements towards Sam & Max with an "XOXO" on a postcard (Bad Day on The Moon)

he shows SOME disdain towards Sam & Max's attitudes towards achieving their goals, being the one specifically to tell them to go on a road trip (On the Road #1, "Prisoners of The Casbah")

Games Lore

Hit the Road

The Commissioner is barely a character in this game (big surprise, right?) and you do not get much information on him minus the bare minimum of "he is Sam & Max's boss," so there's not much to be said here. In fact, I don't know why I mentioned it. Great game, though, go play it! Now! I'll wait until you get back :)

Save The World

Welcome back! There're only minor silly tidbits here, but they're needed for this comprehensive list. Everything is worth mentioning about a character with nothing to his name but "The Commissioner." I mean, you're reading this post, right?

wears bifocals! 👓 ("The Mole, The Mob, and The Meatball")

was once in contact with & worked with Harry Moleman, as he sent him to be the mole for the Toy Mafia. Crossover of the century... I wonder if he knows how far poor Harry has fallen ("The Mole, The Mob, and The Meatball")

Takes Sam & Max out for dinner sometimes, apparently, if they do well enough on their cases! Squirrel Garden sounds disgusting, but I'd be jazzed too if they also had the free breadsticks ("The Mole, The Mob, and The Meatball")

likely just a quick jab, so I don't really know why I'm putting it here other than humor, but Max apparently doesn't trust him! I hope that gets solved; Commissioner is sorta signing his meager paychecks ("Bright Side of The Moon")

Beyond Time and Space

The middle child of the Telltale trilogy, this game has barely anything in terms of tidbits given that he really only assigns the beginning cases in 1 out of 5 episodes, and even then, that doesn't give a single thing away. Despite this, there's gotta be one or two tidbits we should learn, right? Sure!

is aware of Sam's insistence on answering the phone & seemingly asks straight up why he didn't answer (What's Up, Beelzebub?)

Can confirm an "I love you" towards Max... d'aww! (What's Up, Beelzebub?)

The Devil's Playhouse

The Commissioner barely shows up or is referenced in this game, mainly due to the story existing outside of the common framing of "assigning cases," but we learn two small yet revealing tidbits:

British Columbian! 🇨🇦 (The City That Dares Not Sleep)

Has provided books on cultural and racial sensitivity for Sam & Max because they kept "reducing people to obvious stereotypes." (The City That Dares Not Sleep)

This Time, It's Virtual!

The phone exists yet again... but in your VR HEADSET! Some fairly funny Commissioner lore in this one even if you, like almost everyone I've seen in this fandom, dislike or even hate this game:

His family is in hiding, and I'm assuming Witness Protection?! Must come with the territory (phone call after completing first three Freelance Training segments in-game)

Can confirm an "I love you" of some sort said to Sam ... d'aww! (phone call after completing first three Freelance Training segments in-game)

Signs off even official, legal wanted posters with "The Commissioner," asking people to seek the help of Freelance Police & associates himself as PART of the Freelance Police!

signs your certificate at the end of the game, which mentions the Illuminati in conjunction with his name for some reason! What kind of policing are we running here....??

Cartoon Lore

Truly, the 90s cartoon is where most Commissioner lore lies if we take into consideration all of these happen within the same universe, which we likely shouldn't. This being said, the cartoon provides us with the only picture we have of the guy (see post photo above the cut). Alongside this, we also get a LOT more information than any other media:

before we even start the information in the ACTUAL cartoon, Sam & Max say within the show's initial Bible believe he's out to kill them, in some way, saying they're the "troubled, ungrateful sons he never had." That's so sweet ... in a way. As well, there's a very small section dedicated to the Commissioner as a character, though not much is said that we don't already know (Sam & Max Cartoon Series Bible)

has Geek's number, or at least a number to the Sub-Basment of Solitude, as he calls it more than once over the course of the series, which makes me wonder how well he may or may not know Geek! Like a grandniece or something (episodes 1, "The Thing That Wouldn't Stop It" & 3b, "They Came from Down There")

cried over the story of Sam & Max having to get rid of John, their beloved alligator son... must be a shared parental instinct (episode 6a, "That Darn Gator")

apparently sends sticker books in case briefings on a semi-regular basis, as Sam comments that he "loves when the Commissioner does that" as if it has happened before - how whimsical! (episode 6b, "We Drop at Dawn")

confirms the Commissioner as a legitimate police commissioner alongside being Sam & Max's boss (episode 6b, "We Drop at Dawn")

seemingly very fussy if not given his private bathroom and honor bar. Fancy stuff, Commissioner, & he apparently allows Sam and Max up there! Or not, they just sorta bust in. Whatever! Sharing is caring (episode 6b, "We Drop at Dawn")

the Commissioner has a DAUGHTER! and somehow, Sam & Max got invited to her WEDDING! I think she's beautiful and I hope she doesn't resent her special day getting ruined (episode 11a, "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang")

that iconic, signed, chest only photo given with the solemn, loving, promise of "If anything ever happens, I'll deny I ever knew you," followed by Max crying that it's "It's just... so him." - what a loving, tender and slightly bordering on oddly familial relationship he has with Sam and Max... stop, I'll start crying! (episode 13, "The Final Episode")

Misc. Lore

These are lore tidbits that are present in mediums either outside of the media itself, belong in a game that is not technically part of the larger S&M canon, or has to do with out of media context, but should be included anyway because why not!

gifts Sam & Max a new floaty pen from a different United State every Christmas ... but not really anything else! (Poker Night 2)

Sam & Max discuss the Commissioner's power in response to doubt about his existence, claiming "Don’t you know he’s everywhere? He knows we’re talking about him right now!" - which is sort of scary, but I'll let it slide because it implies that the Commissioner's surveillance is of a much higher caliber than we initially thought and that is BANGER (in-character interview for Telltale, found here on Steve Purcell's Sam & Max FB page)

He's affectionate yet surly & I'm sure all those "I love you" statements contribute to that! D'aww... (Skunkape Origin Video)

Voiced by a member of Bay Area Sound, Julian Kwasneski, in the Telltale trilogy! Talked about and even has a LINE recited in this specific developer commentary! We love a mysterious boss who sounds like an adult in Peanuts.

God bless the guy, he had a rash! Does this matter? No. Will it ever matter? Likely not, as it was from the sadly cancelled Sam & Max: Freelance Police trailer. Sighs. At this point, you can tell I'm just adding whatever mentions we get of the guy. Makes me giggle, though.

Conclusion...?

In the end, the Commissioner is a mystery, and always WILL be a mystery. Hell, I sort of never want to know as it will ruin every single thing I have worked so hard to archive, but it is fun to comb through the different canons! Of course, it is likely any of this can be tossed out or considered non-canon in the blink of an eye because Sam & Max always loves to give a middle finger to character details if they don't affect the main plot & likely a lot of these are mere gags. The Commissioner is phone, and always will be only phone. However, it's always in my best interest to try to find ANYTHING to push back the curtain even the tiniest inch, and I hope my efforts were worth it. Now, to sign off, just press that phone! You got it, you got it! ☎️

#sam and max #sam & max #freelance police #the commissioner (sam & max)#if you sincerely read all of this... thank you. my god. thank you

82 notes · View notes

bumblebeehug · 3 months ago

Note

How do you feel about Hiro M. continuing the story after 100YQ?

Murdery horribly and terribly.

No, that’s a lie, because it isn’t all that bad, but it’s my initial reaction.

Like in my opinion it’s a sign that he doesn’t like, or knows the public won’t like how the hyq is going or how it will end. Which worries me, yk?

When the hyq was the only thing that was left of the Fairy Tail franchise, I could lay my trust in Mashima making nalu canon: it’s the only missing cornerstone for a great story. But now? For all we know Mashima might scrap that.

I’m not saying that there’s only bad things to come out of a situation like this: I LOVE fairy tail, and continuing the story makes the fandom stay alive as well. But my problem is how Mashima’s gonna treat nalu again. Because, though I’m aware of the amazing writing we could be subjected for, I’m also painfully aware that Mashima won’t write it.

I love the hyq, but it’s kinda mid. Mashima doesn’t realise that he focuses too much on developing new characters and complicated plot elements for no reason — the characters he already has are plenty to work from (I’m talking about how he could write stuff for the FT guild, not just team Natsu, for sabertooth, for oracion seis, crime sorcerière, literally you name it). And I’m saying this out of love, because the original series shows us how great he can write — his character developments CAN be out of this world!!

Look at Erza when she goes from scary-evil-cruel-strict-boring to a loving, emotional, quirky friend who spreads more love than fear. Or look at Gray (and here I gotta give cred to Mashima for his writing in the hyq) bc he goes from angry, emo, snarky, nonchalant, rejects all signs of happiness to someone who can finally stand beside his friends and allow them to love him.

I could go on about character developments (like Laxus, Jellal, there’s so many) but this post is getting so long already so I’ll keep my point clear:

Mashima could focus on characters and write the best spin-off ever. But he won’t. And that’s the problem.

Mashima can’t write characters in a relationship to save his own life: look at how gajevy and elfever is treated (though these are kinda mild examples imo — a better example would be Shiki and Rebecca, how their relationship both developed and ended up: Shiki gave us like one (1) moment where he showed the readers his feelings, while Rebecca had to take the many many many other hints of them being a thing… not unlike how Lucy’s the one who has to set the status on her and Natsu’s relationship, and never Natsu.)

So since there’s a 0.001% chance that Mashima can write nalu in an active relationship (in EZ he solves that conundrum by killing the pair/avoid writing scenes with the pair/end the whole story, same with FT: keeping the love interest away most of the time to avoid having to write emotional scenes — jellal, juvia. Oh and he kills Mavis and Zeref. And he keeps away from writing elfever, well, ever, and he only writes what he deems absolutely necessary for gajevy. Even the whole Edolas thing was easy for him, bc he only had to write silly aftermath instead of actual emotional connection between two characters.)

This became SO long I’m so sorry. But my main worry really lies with the fact that nalu might be even further postponed, and I’m not really sure I can take another 20 years of this, yk?

#fairy tail #lucy heartfilia #natsu dragneel #nalu #answering stuff #fairy tail 100 years quest #hiro mashima #fairy tail nalu #hyq #gruvia #jerza #gajevy #elfever #erza scarlet #gray fullbuster

58 notes · View notes

e-vay · 3 months ago

Text

My In-Depth Review of Sonic X Shadow Generations (Spoilers!)

I completed Sonic X Shadow Generations so I'm ready to talk about it! Remember, these are just my personal opinions about the game, so don't take this review as me saying that my opinion is "right." I'd hate to accidentally spoil the game for you, so all my thoughts are below the cut:

Did you mean to click "Keep Reading"? I warned you, there's gonna be spoilers here! One last chance to back out...

🖤

❤️

🖤

❤️

Okay here we go!

THE SHADOW PORTION

Let's start with what we've all been hyped about: the Shadow portion of Sonic X Shadow Generations. If you single out the Shadow story of this game, I think it is an absolute masterpiece! Everyone who worked on it gave it their all, and it clearly shows. I'd give it a 9.75/10.

THE GRAPHICS

The visuals of this game are STUNNING. These new models for Maria and Gerald Robotnik are perfection! I am so glad they went with the more 'cartoon' style for the human models, similar to what we saw in Sonic Unleashed. They feel like they belong in this world among these peculiar looking anthropomorphic animals, but they aren't so odd looking that they feel goofy. They found a perfect balance and I couldn't be happier with them. Speaking of character models, to see all the bosses throughout the years in this new high definition was a sight to behold! Though I do feel nostalgia for the lower-poly version of the Biolizard, it was great to see it as the creators originally envisioned. It went from this loveable (and admittedly silly-looking) salamander to a truly intimidating and disturbing looking beast. The animation is superb. The characters move so fluidly and the poses are dynamic and striking! The frame rate makes everything look and feel fast and smooth which is exactly what you'd hope for in a Sonic game. I also appreciated the variety of poses/animations even just for the different stage ranks. I found myself purposely replaying stages to get different ranks just so I could see the different animations Shadow had regarding his "performance" evaluation. That really adds to the replay value! I am a graphic designer for a living, so of course I have to gush about the design, too! The graphic elements that appear before, during, and after each stage are straight up BADASS! I love the 2D animated flame that appears along the stage name and the color scheme and sharp lines are so appropriate to Shadow, and are a very strong contrast to Sonic's graphic elements that are colorful and round in shape. These are small details that most people might not outright notice, but it really enhances the overall aesthetic of the game.

THE STORY

LOOOOORE! Sweet nectar of the gods, we were given so much more lore with this game! Even though the Shadow portion of this game was fairly short, they jam-packed a ton of information and I am forever thankful for it! If you didn't do so while playing, I highly recommend playing again and talking to the NPCs regularly for little nuggets of lore. I was initially worried that this was going to be a rehash of the same 'origin' story we've heard a dozen times already, but that was not the case! Instead of focusing entirely on the tragedy that happened on the ARK, we got to learn what life was like on the ARK while times were still good! Learning that Shadow didn't used to be confident at all, to the point where Maria basically doesn't recognize this confident version of him that we've all known him as. And that Shadow never did his homework??? HA! I loved the confirmation that yes, Maria WAS INDEED the person who gave Shadow his name, and the meaning behind it was EVERYTHING TO ME! (Also works so well for my my AU. IYKYK hehehe) Plus all the Robotnik family history?! MARIA HAD A LITTLE SISTER?!?! She'd be old now, if she's even alive, but will we ever meet her? Will Shadow ever meet her (and would he even want to, or does he feel like that chapter of his life is closed now)? What was she like, and how did Maria's death impact her and her parents??? I hope we'll find out some day! Plus getting to learn a little bit more about Gerald's sons was exciting too. Will more Robotnik family members make appearances down the line? What do they think of Eggman's misdeeds? I'm so curious for more! It was heartbreaking in the best way for Shadow to get to interact with Maria and Gerald again, especially knowing he can't do anything to change what will inevitably happen to them. His sense of desperation paired with the growing affects that Doom's powers were having on him really had me worried about what was going to happen to Shadow's state of mind and overall well-being. It was amazing to see the toll it was taking on his body and his mind. In particular, I'm thinking of the scene where Shadow goes to fight Sonic and you see him having to actually restrain himself and go easy on Sonic. I thought it a great scene to demonstrate how easy it would have been for Shadow to just give in to the rage and take Sonic out without hesitation, but his willpower was able to win in the end. I have heard some people saying they're disappointed that Shadow lost his Doom abilities by the end of the story, but I think it made complete sense for the story. Black Doom is insistent that Shadow isn't 'complete' yet and he has to be more like him in order to be 'perfect.' But that isn't true! Shadow is already the ultimate life form, especially because there's more to him than his Black Doom DNA. By rejecting Doom's influence in the end, that was Shadow's true evolution. He's perfect as he is. Obviously I could gush forever and ever about all the Shadow and Maria scenes, but words aren't going to do it justice. It was just so moving to see how different he is when he's with her. In fact, at the end of this game I believe this is the first instance we ever see a true, genuine, heartwarming smile from Shadow and it DEVASTATED ME! We are used to his smirks, but when he's trying to reassure Maria that everything's going to be okay, we get to see him truly smile and we aren't seeing Shadow the Ultimate Lifeform or Shadow the Destroyer/Weapon, we are seeing Shadow the Brother and it felt like the warm embrace of a security blanket. God bless the writing in this game.

THE ACTING

The acting in this game is incredible from a visual and auditory performance. The animators really pushed the acting of the character models and you can feel Shadow's transformations throughout the game and the toll it's taking on his body. The emotions are cranked up to the max and they didn't pull any punches. In the past, Shadow was often limited in his portrayal of emotions, but that wasn't the case in this game at all. We saw anger, we saw resentment, we saw panic and sadness, and affection. There was so much thought put into the shaking of his hands, the gritting of his teeth, the shrinking and dilating of his pupils, all to show what's going on in his head without even resorting to words. SO MUCH ATTENTION was put into how these characters moved and interacted with each other and it truly tugged at my heart strings. There were too many wonderful moments for me to break down, so I will just single out one for now and applaud the creative direction and the animators for these scenes as a whole. There's this moment right near the end of the story, when Shadow is trying to stop Gerald and Maria from disappearing for good. His gestures are wild and panicked, his pupils and irises are small due to fear, but then Maria simply frames his face and rests her forehead against his. It's subtle, but Shadow's eyes widen and then return to their regular size and everything from his stance to how his shoulders fall show what a calming presence Maria has and how she helped (and will continue to help) him find his inner piece. Those performances are going to stick with me forever! Mike Pollock as Gerald Robotnik was truly *chef's kiss* MP is such a fantastic actor with great range. Though his voice is easily recognizable, the manner in which he speaks as Gerald is so different compared to Eggman, that you couldn't mistake the two characters even just by listening. We have been so used to only hearing from the angry, driven-insane-by-grief Gerald that it was so refreshing to get to see and hear the calm, brilliant, caring genius that created The Ultimate Life Form. P.S. I'm going to be crying over hearing Gerald call Shadow "son" for the rest of my life, thank you very much. I don't care about the future crimes he commits, we got to witness Shadow's father in this game and I'm weeping. Kirk Thornton is not my favorite Shadow. That being said, he really gave it his all and I was pleasantly surprised by what he accomplished. One of the performances that surprised me the most was Mephiles! This is a credit to the writers as well as the voice actor. The sense of wild desperation in his voice as he fights to even 'exist' in this timeline was so visceral and terrifying. Sure the other villains had their "I'm the best, this world belongs to me" lines, but Mephiles' voice lines were on a completely different level to me. What a treat! Lastly, if you can, please replay the game in Japanese! Kōji Yusa's performance is STUNNING. Ooh I'm getting shivers just recalling his voice lines while you're playing through the stages. I don't mean to discredit the English voice actors, but I think this game is even better when listening in Japanese. Give it a try yourself!

THE MUSIC

This is a Sonic game we're talking about, of course the music is going to be fantastic! The score did not disappoint one bit. It was great to hear all the callbacks to songs in the past as well as new tracks that were catchy and enjoyable even after playing the stages several times. "All Hail Shadow" has always been one of my favorites, but the new instrumental version used for majority of this game was so haunting and eerie. It was a delight to my ears as well as my emotions.

THE BOSSES

I loved the chosen bosses for Shadow's story. It was great fun to revisit some of the more iconic baddies throughout Shadow's history, and even though some of the gameplay was the same, the battle would then shift and offer the player something new. However, it's actually the boss fights where I dock the game a few fractions of a point. The boss battles were far too easy to defeat, and I actually found them easier and easier as the game progressed. I beat Mephiles and Devil Doom so quickly that I didn't realize their fights were over already. One could argue this was intentional by design. After all, throughout the story Shadow is evolving more and more into the 'perfect' killing machine. It would make sense that the more Doom Abilities he acquires, the weaker these bosses would seem. Still, as a life-long gamer, I appreciate when I have to actually work to achieve the ending of a game. I would have liked more of a challenge.

OVERALL GAMEPLAY

Whether you're roaming about White Space or you're actually playing through stages, the Shadow portion of this game is an absolute blast. Even having played the Shadow the Hedgehog game (which I'm a fan of, btw), I feel like this game really gave you a better feeling of what it's like to be Shadow. I LOVED that I got to use Chaos Control way more than ever before in previous games. If you had the ability to stop time, wouldn't you take advantage of it every chance you could??? The opportunity to use Chaos (and Doom) Spear as frequently as you wanted and Chaos Control almost constantly really shows how formidable of a character Shadow is and just how different it is to play as him compared to playing as Sonic. I loved the 'free-roam' aspect of White Space compared to the 2D version in Sonic's story. Hunting for rocket parts or figuring out how to unlock collectibles was a lot of fun and let the player really explore these new Doom abilities to the fullest. I'll admit that I struggled with navigating some of the Doom abilities, but even so I still had a ton of fun. I already mentioned replay value, but before you even have to go about replaying the game, there is SO MUCH to this portion of the game! The amount of stages, challenges, collectibles within stages, FINDING the unlockables USING the collectibles you obtained from stages, even the mini challenges available AFTER you've completed the key challenges (I'm talking about the bell that's located above the challenge portal), all of it made for a ton of opportunities for play. I found myself wanting to take on every quest instead of begrudgingly going through it just because I'm a completionist.

My biggest gripe is that the game was too short. Am I greedy for wanting more? Probably, but I can't help it. The developers gave us a ton of content in the Shadow story, but I still would have loved to have a full length game of just this gameplay. I managed to complete the Shadow portion in a few hours, and that was even with me leisurely taking my time to get collectibles and get S ranks for stages before progressing through the story. I miss the days where games took much longer to complete. But hey, I'm a nostalgia-prone 33 year old, so I guess that's to be expected of me haha.

THE SONIC PORTION

Here is where Sonic X Shadow Generations loses more points for me, which is a shame because I think it's a great game overall. Admittedly, I was disappointed when I first learned that the Sonic portion of the game was just a remaster of Generations. I had really hoped we were going to receive something new to help elevate SXS Gens as an entirely new game, instead of just "Sonic Gens + Shadow DLC".

Don't get me wrong, the stages in Sonic Generations are fun to play. However, when you go from playing Shadow's story to Sonic's story, Sonic's side drastically pales in comparison in my opinion.

My other complaint is that for a remaster, they really didn't improve Sonic's portion of the game significantly (at least from what I can recall, as I haven't played the original Sonic Generations since it first came out in 2011). This was a missed opportunity to correct more of the drawbacks of the original game. However, I will admit there are some minor changes that were made that I was thankful for. Let's start with the positive before I point out some of the negatives.

THE STORY

As mentioned earlier, I acknowledge that Sonic Generations is just a remaster so it makes sense that the story didn't change much. That being said, there were some small changes that I did really appreciate and helped improve the story. One of the things that always bothered me about the original Sonic Generations was how indifferent/annoyed Sonic was regarding his friends. I mean, the story is about time being erased! His friends and home are literally getting removed from the fabric of time and Sonic seemed more inconvenienced than concerned. In more recent games, the writing has really focused on the value Sonic finds in his friendships and found family. He always has his signature cool, aloof attitude, but I think the writers in recent years have successfully showed just how much he cares about his group, whether the games were serious (Sonic Frontiers) or silly (The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog). The story wasn't drastically changed for Sonic X Shadow Generations, but some altered dialogue and blink-and-you-miss-it edits helped to cut that jackass attitude from the original and gave him more realistic reactions. Especially by having him respond when he rescues everybody this time! It never seemed right when Tails was first rescued and he's trauma dumping on Sonic about how awful the experience was and Sonic just sits there in silence haha. At least in the new version, Sonic reassures Tails that he's safe now. Also, huge kudos to whoever decided to alter that scene where Sonic is shoving Amy away by the face. I always hated that. Ship or not, you don't treat your friends like that when they're throwing you a bday party!

This is me getting nitpicky, but there were a few things I had really hoped they were going to improve, but remained untouched:

THE GRAPHICS

I was never happy with the visuals of this game outside of the stages (the visuals within the stages are great!). The colors are extremely oversaturated and the characters are way too intense and some are even off model (ex: Amy is so blindingly vivid magenta in this game instead of her signature blush pink. What the heck?!). What's worse, the cutscenes during the birthday party scenes are SO GREEN. The light bounces off the neon green landscape and reflects onto the already oversaturated characters, giving them an unappealing green glow. I get that the Sonic world is not realistic, but it felt like the scenery in these cutscenes made it look like we were watching a bunch of toys interacting on a playset instead of characters living in their world. Sure the visuals during the levels are great, but it's a real disappointment when I'm specifically not looking forward to the cutscenes in a game. I wish they would have tweaked that.

THE ANIMATION/GAMEPLAY

I have zero complaints when it comes to Act 1 (the "Classic" version) of the different stages. These look great, play great, and if you've played classic Sonic games then you can appreciate how identical the map of the level is compared to the originals. The issue for me lies in Act 2, aka Modern Sonic's gameplay. For the most part these levels are good, but there were a couple of small things that always bothered me that I was sincerely hoping they'd fix (and they did not). There are portions of Modern Sonic's gameplay that is SO. SLOW. I'm referring to when you are jumping from one Grind Rail to another, or when you are sliding under an obstacle. These animations are so bizarrely slow and make absolutely no sense when your character is running blindingly fast. I don't understand why they didn't use this opportunity to fix those animations. When you're playing the Shadow side of the story, his animations are constantly fast moving and appropriately paced. Why wouldn't they apply these physics to the Sonic side?

As a whole, the Sonic portion of Sonic X Shadow Generations is still a fun game, but I think it could have used a little more attention to help it feel more balanced compared to the Shadow portion.

This game also has some notably fun DLC and the promise of more DLC in the future! I have my Sonic side of the story set to the Sonic Adventure Legacy skin and Sonic Jam Legacy skin and they are so CUTE! They win all the nostalgia points! I'll be honest with you, I have never been a fan of Terios' design hahaha. BUT! I love that they made a Terios skin for this game so players have the chance to play as him if you choose and we get to see how he was intended outside of the initial sketches we've all seen. (Still, y'all can keep your Terios skin. I won't touch it LOL!). And I am OVER THE MOON ECSTATIC for the upcoming Movie Shadow addition to the game! I still can't believe they got Keanu Reeves to voice lines for it! I'm sure it will be a small thing, but I am on the edge of my seat to see what that will be like.

Overall, I'm super happy with the game as a whole and I enjoyed every minute I played of it!

If you read all of this, thank you for reading! Again, my opinion isn't fact and if you disagree with what I had to say, that's totally fair. And if you haven't played the game yourself, please go play it and see what you think for yourself!

#sonic x shadow generations #game review #my thoughts #sonic the hedgehog #shadow the hedgehog #sonic trash #review #spoilers #sonic x shadow generations spoilers #my rambling

72 notes · View notes

thydungeongal · 7 months ago

Note

Hey there! I just say your post about dungeon crawlers. I was curious about your second bullet point, "Dungeon-crawling challenge games actually kind of own if you're willing to engage with them on their own terms! There's a lot of potential for cool gameplay if you let go of silly reductive notions like "roleplaying" being just being when you play-act your character or social interaction!" I was curious if you'd mind telling me more about how you feel roleplay should be handled in these types of games. I am genuinely interested to hear your thoughts. :)

Okay, first of all, I have a very broad and admittedly circular definition of role-playing (in the context of role-playing game): role-playing is when you're playing a role-playing game.

As said, it's circular, but ultimately, throughout my years of playing role-playing games I've found that all other definitions are unsatisfying. To conclude that role-playing is the parts where the mechanics aren't used (the roll-playing and role-playing dichotomy) implies that mechanics are somehow inherently contrary to a good role-playing game experience, which is simply untrue, because good mechanics can actually enhance the narrative! Saying that only the social parts of play are role-playing undermines the fact that players will be still making decisions for their characters in various other situations where the personal and emotional stakes can be even greater than in social situations!

Ultimately, role-playing games as a medium are defined by the possibility space, and specifically that possibility space being near infinite. There's an old line I keep bringing up from some painfully twee eighties RPG ad which goes like "Role-playing games are like board games but you can move outside the board!" and ultimately that is the thing that defines a role-playing game. It's a game where the players collaborate in a shared fictional space to produce cool little narratives although sometimes the cool little narratives aren't the point but it's literally like a lil challenge that the players try to overcome by interfacing with the fiction and engaging with the mechanics.

To tie this into dungeon crawlers: even a traditional dungeon crawler is ultimately a role-playing game because it has the players engaging, via their characters, with the shared fiction, sometimes mediated by the rules. A lot of people assume that a dungeon crawler must mean that the gameplay is nothing but a meat grinder, but this is actually ahistorical and not actually reflective of how old-school dungeon crawling RPGs play out!

Even the most basic dungeon is still a location in the setting it's part of, so there is plenty of narrative content to be found there. The characters might just be motivated by greed, but there is plenty of narratively satisfying content that can happen in the pursuit of that goal once one accepts that there need not be a linear narrative where the characters must hit certain story beats, but the story itself can just be "the characters went into a place, explored, interacted with the locals, found out some secrets about the dungeon, fought some monsters." That is still role-playing.

None of this is to say that the play-acting part of play (which I sometimes call characterization) is in any way bad: in fact, it can very much enhance the gameplay. But that is in and of itself not the end-all-be-all of role-playing!

Anyway role-playing is so much more than describing your cool elf kissing other cool elves, it can also be your cool elf finding a cool sword in a dungeon and giving it a name. Dungeon crawlers kick ass because the GM can craft a whole narrative about how the dungeon used to be and then reveal it slowly to the players through their characters finding fantasy audiologs and that is already narratively satisfying in and of itself!

#thydungeongal answers #long post

96 notes · View notes

dustofthedailylife · 2 years ago

Note

Hihi! I just read ur befriended a slime post and o would love to see more characters react to you befriending a slime! I love ur writing so much💛💛 I don’t have specific characters in mind so any you want to do is fine🥰

Hey! Thank you so much for the compliments, I'm glad to hear my silly little stories brought you joy! I too absolutely adored the concept so I added some more I could come up with something for. I hope you like them <3 P.S.: I also love how your username is very fitting for this specific fic request. I love it! 😭

"That Day I Befriended A Slime" (II) ft. Ayato, Itto, Kaeya, Kaveh, Albedo x Reader [Fluff, Crack]

→ Part I (Xiao, Zhongli, Tighnari, Alhaitham, Childe, Diluc) → Masterlist || → Taglist

→ Ayato didn’t anticipate returning home from his meeting to find you sitting in the small pond in front of the Estate. You are drenched from head to toe and are just about to be tackled by the hydro slime in front of you.

"Oh, Archons no!", Ayato yells, dropping everything he is holding to rush towards your position and practically dives into the water to shield you from the attack of the slime. He pulls out his sword and tells you to get behind him. Slightly nervous he looks around because he knows he will have trouble defeating it alone. A hydro vision is useless against hydro slimes. He hates feeling so helpless but he might have to rely on someone else here. "Thoma! Ayaka! Get here quick!" "Ayato...", you giggle, placing a hand on his shoulder and brushing a strand of drenched pastel blue hair behind his ear. "It won't harm anyone. I found it in Chinju Forest and it followed me back here." "...w-what?"

He watches in disbelief as the slime slowly crawls into your arms and nuzzles into your chest before it closes its eyes and starts emitting gurgly purring noises.

→ Itto is faced with your beaming smile before you pull him by his hand, prompting him to follow you. All you had told him was that you need to show him something and he is practically bursting with excitement about what it was.

"What, what, what?! Come on, tell me. What do you want to show me?!", Itto beams. "Patience! We're almost there!" You lead him to a small enclosed garden behind one of the shops in Hanamizaka, taking a little glass jar out of your bag that contains some rocks. You shake the glass a couple of times and Itto looks around, seemingly waiting for a reaction. His eyes widen in surprise as soon as a small geo slime crawls out under the hedge and in your direction. "Do you want to give him a treat?", you ask teasingly, but you don't even have to wait for an answer as he is rushing straight towards the little slime with open arms already. "Oh by the gods, look at the little dude!! We gotta give him a name. Itto the Second? Itto Junior? Whadda'ya think?"

Needless to say, the slime is now a new addition to your little family. And another upside is that Ushi seems to get along with it as well.

→ Kaeya meets up with you at your apartment after being done with work for the day. He was thinking about your homemade dinner all day already and is ready to melt into your arms as soon as he is able to. What he does not expect today is walking into your apartment bathroom and finding a sleeping cryo slime in your bathtub.

"Uuuuh... sweetheart?", he chuckles with unease in his voice. "Yes, Love?" "You are aware that there is a cryo slime peacefully taking a nap in your bathtub, yes?", he inquired and scrunched his eyebrows in concern. "Yes." "Yes?!", he exclaims in disbelief. "Yes.", you reassure. "I bonded with it when it was hot outside and we both took shelter under the same tree. Poor thing looked scared to death. It probably thought it would melt. So... I put it in my bag and put it in the bathroom because it's cold there.", you satisfy his curiosity. "Plus... it kind of reminds me of you." You have never seen him that quiet before. What a rare moment to see the Cavalry Captain lost for words.

And as much as finding the little slime flabbergasted him. He soon warms up to it and you sometimes even find him napping on your sofa with the slime pressed flush to his chest.

→ Kaveh comes home only to find a dendro slime on his desk, happily chewing away on his blueprints. Taking a few seconds before processing what is happening he darts forward to push the slime off his desk and pull the saliva-drenched remnants of his blueprints out of the slime's mouth.

"No, no... noooo.", he groans, pulling on his hair. He has no idea how it got in here but there is only one possible explanation for it. Angrily he marches into the living room with his fists balled on his sides. "Alhaitham! Why did you put a slime into my room?!", he fumes. "Because your partner dropped it off here earlier even though I told them you're not here yet. They said something about a... pet? It wanted to chew on my books so I threw it into your room.", he explains without looking up from the book in his hands once. "Oh grand. And you didn't consider that it would continue to chew on my things there?" "I fail to see how that is my problem."

However, it sort of starts to become his problem as soon as Alhaitham finds out you and Kaveh named the slime "Hai-Hai" in reference to the sprouts on its head that apparently share similarities to his own hair.

→ Albedo finds you and Klee kneeling in the grass just outside of the Mondstadt city gates. A beaming smile on the little girl's face and reaching down towards something that he is unable to make out at first, due to your backs blocking his vision. As soon as he steps closer he identifies what you are kneeling next to. A little geo slime is nuzzling into your lap while Klee pats its head.

"Mr. Albedo!!", Klee cheers. "Look what we found. Klee made a slime friend!" "Ah, that is wonderful, Klee!", he smiles in her direction. "So that's the project you were working on the past weeks I assume?", he inquires directed at you. "Bingo. Turns out my slime-tamer elixir is a success. With this, we might be able to domesticate them. As you can see, this little guy over here turned from a little feral blob into a snuggly little pet.", you explain. He eyes the slime with curiosity. This is certainly a most amazing find. As expected of you. He never had any doubt you wouldn't succeed with anything you had set your mind on. "Fascinating. You've got to show me your notes on this-" "Mr. Albedo! Can we keep it? Please, please, please!", Klee interrupts and excitedly jumps up and down clutching onto the Alchemist's coat. "I don't see any reason why we shouldn't." "Yaaay!"

Watching you and Klee play with the slime and seeing your proud smile makes his heart swell in his chest. You are truly the most gifted person he has ever met.

Do not repost, copy, translate or edit - © dustofthedailylife || reblogs, comments, and asks about Genshin or my fics are always appreciated!

#astronetwrk #genshin impact #genshin fanfic #ayato x reader #kaveh x reader #itto x reader #albedo x reader #kaeya x reader #genshin x reader #genshin drabbles #genshin headcanons #genshin scenarios #genshin fluff #genshin crack #🍁 dust mail #🍁 garden visitor: jellyslimesofficial #🍁 dust reqs

1K notes · View notes