#in the romance scene and you try to f*ck the bear

[coaaster]

can’t believe there’s not more Halsin fics out there. bro basically admitted to having a predator/prey kink AND he’s a hunk 😔

[hamliet]

The Girl Who Gets to Have It All: Buffy Summers

So with @linkspooky​‘s encouragement, I have binged Buffy the Vampire Slayer and relived my childhood culture. And, it's a 10/10 for me. Not that it doesn't have flaws, but it's genuinely one of the best stories I've seen, with consistent character arcs, powerful themes, and a beautiful message. It's also like... purportedly about vampires and demons and superpowered chosen ones, but it's actually all about humanity.

Buffy was able to be a teenage girl, allowed to like the things teen girls are scorned for (boys, shopping, etc), to be insecure about the thing teenage girls are insecure about (future careers, dating, school, parents), and to be a superhero with its good and its bad aspects. The story wasn’t afraid to call Buffy on her flaws (sometimes she got in a very ‘I am the righteous chosen one’ mode) and to respect and honor each of her desires (to be a good person, to be loved, and more). The story listened to what she wanted and respected her desires, giving her the challenges needed to overcome her flaws while also never teaching her a lesson about wanting bad boys or romance is silly or any manner of dark warnings stories like to throw at teenage girls. 

It respected teenage girls--nerdy girls like Willow, jocks like Buffy, lonely wallflowers with trauma like Dawn, and popular/snobby ones like Cordelia, girls gone wild like Faith. It never once reduced them to the stereotypes that were lurking right there: each character was fully rounded, human, flawed and yet with respected interests and goals. This is so rare for a story that I’m still in awe. 

The story as a whole follows Buffy from 15 to 21, of her as she grows from teenager to adult. She acts like a teenager and grows to act like a young adult, wrestling with loneliness and duty. The adults, like Giles, Joyce, and Jenny, are not perfect either, but neither are they “bad parents” or “bad mentors” necessarily. Joyce in particular says something terrible to Buffy, but she tries to do better, and it’s rare to see a parent in YA stories shown with such nuance. Basically, it wrote the long-lasting adult characters as human beings, too. 

Speaking of growing up, I appreciated how Buffy’s love interests mirrored this. Angel was someone Buffy loved and admired, wanted to be like, but who was always either extreme good or extreme bad, and combined with Buffy’s own tendencies towards black-white thinking, made for a beautiful relationship to help her grow, but didn’t necessarily form a foundation for a long-term partner. Spike, on the other hand... they both saw each other at their worst and were drawn to each other even then, and were inspired to become better because they couldn’t bear to be a person who treated the other person so wrongly. They pushed each other to become the best them they could be, and believed in each other. Also, Spuffy is an enemies to lovers ship for the ages. 

(Also, most of the other ships were well-done or at least can be understood. Riley was very obviously wrong for Buffy which paralleled Harmony and Spike in being 100% wrong for each other. Cordelia and Xander were a fun ship even if we all knew it would never last, and Willow and Oz were beautiful and cute. But Xander and Anya and Willow and Tara? OTPs. As were Giles and Jenny, the librarian and the computer teacher.) 

That said, it’s not a perfect series. No story is. All of the characters and ships had problematic aspects to them worthy of critique, and the writing is very 90s in a lot of ways. It’s a product of its time, and in many ways it’s good society has progressed beyond some of the tropes/metaphors used in the show. In other way, though, the show was ahead of its time, and in a good way it wasn’t bound by the fear of purity policing with its takes on redemption (many characters would never fly today). 

So, in order of seasons ranked from my very favorite to my “still enjoyed it very much” (no season was actually bad, imo), here’s my review. I’ll also review my top 10 villains in the show, because Buffy does villains very well in terms of the redeemable and irredeemable.  

Season 7:  Yep, the final season was my favorite. 

Overall Opinion: Buffy's finale is literally "f*ck them men, our power is ours" and while it seems cheesy it actually works (also, f*ck in both a literal and figurative sense). The series strongly hit all the themes: love as strength, and redemption. Buffy consistently shows love as her strength--*all* kinds of love. Friendship w Willow/Xander, familial with Joyce/Dawn, romantic with Spike/Angel. These types of love are also never pitted against each other as is so often the case in current-day media. It's beautiful. Also, Spike’s confrontation with Wood was so powerful in terms of exploring forgiveness, redemption, and reconciliation: where they overlap and where they don't, and what it means to move forward. 

Unpopular Opinion: I have seen a lot didn’t like the inclusion of Potential Slayers, and while I agree they could have been better incorporated/characterized, it was a great way to show Buffy’s final stage of growing up to be ending her chosen one status and projecting/multiplying her powers over the world. 

Biggest Critique: Kennedy was female Riley--the anti-Tara to Riley’s anti-Angel (by ‘anti’ I mean opposite in every way). Kennedy was annoying and immature. Her role, like Riley’s, was less about exploring her as a character and more about her just being stamped as “love interest: lesbian.” 

Favorite Episodes: Beneath You, Lies My Parents Told Me, Touched, Chosen

Season 6: 

Overall Opinion: I said this on Twitter, but I felt like this was Buffy’s The Last Jedi or Empire Strikes Back moment. It is polarizing and dark, deconstructing the tropes it stands on--but by digging to the core of these tropes, it actually makes what’s good about them shine brighter. Everyone’s enemy was the worst versions of themselves. Giles left Buffy, Willow's struggle to relate to the world led to her trying to destroy it, Buffy hurt everyone through her anger, Xander abandoned Anya at the altar, Spike... yeah. It ages well as an integral part of the story, and the Trio were eerily prophetic. 

Unpopular Opinion: Dawn is a great character with a good arc. A traumatized teen acting out and struggling to come to terms with loss and identity? She wasn’t whiny; she was realistic. 

Biggest Critique: Willow’s addiction coding (I’ll discuss this below) and Seeing Red as an episode. I see the argument for both of its controversial scenes from a narrative perspective: Willow starts the season not grieving Buffy but instead being determined to fix it with magic and needs to learn to grieve, but. Still. Bury your gays is not a good look. For the Spike scene... he conflates sex/passion and violence (”love is blood, children” is something he said way back in season 3), but like Tara’s death, it had more to do with Spike (as Tara’s death did for Willow) than with Buffy’s arc, and as for the actual execution... they really botched that. Did it like... have to go on that long or go that far? No. Also, the framing was good, but inconsistent with the rest of the series (Xander to Buffy in the hyena episode, Faith to Xander and to Riley, etc.) 

Favorite Episodes: Once More With Feeling, Smashed, Grave

Season 3 (tied with Season 5):

Overall Opinion: The opening continuity of Buffy meeting Lily/Anne after saving her life in Season 2 was sweet. The Witchhunt episode had really powerful subtext: stories of deaths that aren’t even true are actually demons that possess the town and convince them to turn against their children in the name of protecting the children. It’s a good commentary on, oh, everything in society. Faith’s character arc was fantastic, and her chemistry with Buffy was off the charts (look, I may be Spuffy all the way, but Fuffy has rights). The finale was satisfying in so many ways, seeing the entire graduating class unite to destroy the Mayor and the school with it, symbolizing Buffy et al’s readiness to move on to college. Oz's relationship with Willow was very sweet and meaningful for a first romance for Willow. 

Unpopular Opinion: I actually don’t really have one. Maybe that the miracle in Amends was earned? I think you can make a decent case that Season 3 is the best written of the seasons, but can only truly be thematically appreciated to its full potential in the light of subsequent seasons (which finish Faith’s arc and deconstruct Buffy’s).  

Biggest Critique: It forgot Buffy killed the hyena guy in Season 1, making her continual insistence that she can’t kill people very ????? 

Favorite Episodes: Lovers Walk, Amends, Graduation Day Part 2 

Season 5, which ties with Season 3:

Overall Opinion: The entire season is about family and what it means, from Tara’s to Buffy’s to the Scoobies. I loved Glory aka Enoshima Junko as the Big Bad, I loved Dawn’s interesting meta commentary on retconning (like, the fact that she’s retconned in matters), and most of my ships are still alive. Joyce’s relationship with Spike is one of the most heartwarming aspects, and Spike’s arc’s desire is clearly highlighted: he wants to be seen as a person. The episodes after Joyce’s death are the most honest portrayals of grief I’ve ever seen, and absolutely brutal to watch. 

Unpopular Opinion: Buffy’s choice at the end seems a deliberate inversion of her choice at the end of Season 2 (sacrifice a loved one to save the world), but it actually isn’t: much like at the end of Season 2 where Buffy skips town because she’s devastated after killing Angel and doesn’t want to sort out being expelled, her mom knowing she’s the slayer, and her own trauma, Buffy’s sacrifice here was as much about her wanting the easy way out of relationships, family, college, etc. as it was about saving Dawn. Buffy’s death is coded as a suicide, which Season 6 emphasizes as well. 

Biggest Critique: Like Season 3, I don’t have a lot to critique here. I wish the suicidal coding had been a little more obvious in Season 5 itself, but also I’m not sure it could have been more obvious; it’s pretty apparent if you pay attention. Maybe also that Buffy and Riley’s relationship failing should have been more squarely blamed on Riley, you know, being insecure and cheating. 

Favorite Episodes: Family, Fool for Love, Intervention. 

Season 2:

Overall Opinion: Heartbreakingly tragic but exciting and revealing at the same time. It asked the viewer interesting questions about redemption and forgiveness and atonement through Angel being honest about his past, and then decided to show us his past now reenacted, challenging us. And still, we saw them save him in a parallel to saving Willow in Season 6 (but Season 2 was tragic because it wasn’t enough, while Season 6 was not). Jenny’s death was agonizing, and the scene were Angel watches Buffy, Willow, and Joyce get the news through the window was powerful. We didn’t have to hear them to get the grief. 

Unpopular Opinion: Jenny’s death isn’t a fridging; it works for her arc too when you consider her history. She worked to save the person whose life she was tasked to ruin, and it cost her her own--yet she still succeeded, because Jenny brought joy and wisdom to the show. Kendra’s death, on the other hand... was because they needed the stakes to be high--but we already knew that before she died. So, her death was useless. 

Biggest Critique: The subtext was Not It. It was essentially “do not have sex. Your older boyfriend will lose his soul, kill your friends, you’ll lose your family, your school, your home, and have to kill your true love or else hell will literally swallow earth.” 

Favorite Episodes: School Hard, Passion, Becoming Part 2.

Season 1:

Overall Opinion: I really liked it; it’s just lower on this list because the others are just better. It’s a great introduction to the series and to its characters, from Giles to Buffy to Willow to Jenny to Cordelia. It has great subtext a lot of the time (for example, Natalie French as She-Mantis is a literal predatory bug who engages in predatory behavior with students). Additionally, it subverts the typical YA trope of two guys and a girl, in which the girl is usually the least interesting character. Buffy and Willow were both fully fledged characters from the beginning with distinct strengths (even before Willow became a witch, as she wasn’t one in season 1 yet), while Xander was the more ordinary of the group. 

Unpopular Opinion/Biggest Critique: Xander’s arc showed its first flaws that unfortunately continued throughout the series: his writing was either very good or very indulgent in ways it never was for other characters.  (cough, the hyena episode, cough, in which he gets to skirt responsibility--and acknowledges that he is skirting it--for something the show will later hold others to account for). Xander’s just kind of inconsistent, which weakened his character over all. (Which is why both his love interests--Cordelia and then ultimately Anya--were good for him: they did not indulge him.) 

Favorite Episode: Witch, Nightmares. 

Season 4:

Overall Opinion: it’s still a good season. It’s a good portrayal of college and the growing pains of branching out, the strains of college growth on relationships (romantic and platonic). It shows us the first hints of Spuffy, giving us some serious Jungian symbolism between Spike and Buffy early on, and does well in establishing Xander/Anya and Willow/Tara as beautiful OTPs. Faith and Buffy’s foiling is fantastic. The Halloween episode was very fun as well. However, it suffers because its Big Bad, Adam, is not all that compelling thematically--yet, he could have been. See, the final battle pulls off the Power of Friendship in a really strong way but notably the season does not end there. Instead, it ends on dreams of each character’s worst fears, continuing what we saw in Nightmares in Season 1. Why? Because it shows us that the characters’ wars aren’t against monsters, but monsters of their own making: their flaws. Adam, as a literal Frankenstein, exemplifies this, but it wasn’t capitalized on as well as it could have been. 

Unpopular Opinion: Beer Bad isn’t a bad episode, at the very least because Buffy gets to punch Parker. It’s not one of the series’ best, obviously, but it does give Buffy an arc in that she gets her daydream of Parker begging her to come back, but she has overcome that desire and her desire for revenge. If we wanna talk about bad subtext in Season 4, Season 2′s Not It sex subtext continues in the Where the Wild Things Are episode in this season; it’s a powerful callout of abusive purity-culture churches, until the fact that the shame creates a literal curse undermines the progressive message it’s supposed to send. Also, the Thanksgiving episode (Pangs) is a nightmare of white guilt and Oh God Shut Up White People. 

Biggest Critique: Riley is awful. Like Kennedy, he had “love interest:normal” stamped on him and that was it. The thing is, he could have worked as an Angel foil, representative of the normal-life aspect of Buffy to Angel’s vampire/supernatural aspect, but the writers never explore this and seemed to even try to back away from that later on. They threw all the romantic cliches at the wall to see what sticks, from klutzy “I dropped my schoolbooks, that’s how we met” to cliché lines that had me rolling my eyes. Do you know how bad a romance has to be to make me dislike romantic tropes? 

Favorite Episodes: Fear Itself, Hush, Restless

Villain rankings: 

Dark Willow, the only villain to be truly sympathetic. While the addiction coding was insensitive and, while unsurprising for its time, aged extremely poorly. That said, Willow’s turn to the dark side after Tara’s death worked well for her character and the story: it was believable and paid off what had been building since Season 1's “Nightmares” episode (Willow’s inferiority complex). 

Glory managed to be genuinely terrifying, and humorous/enjoyable too. Her minions and their numerous nicknames for Glorificus were hilarious, as was her intense vanity. Her merging with Ben--a human being who genuinely wanted to be kind and good--added complexity and tragedy to her role. 

The First. A really good take on Satan. The seventh season as well as the First’s first appearance in season 3′s “Amends” had kind of blatant Christian symbolism, and so the First being essentially Satan works. Their disguising themselves as dead loved ones and the subtle manipulation they used to alienate people was really disturbing and well done. 

The Mayor, who was a terrible person but a truly good father. He provided an interesting contrast to the normal ‘bad dad’ bad guy character, in that he provided Faith exactly what the other characters refused to: he saw the best in her and offered her parental support, while the heroes didn’t and wound up pushing her away. 

The Trio, who were villains ahead of their time: whiny fanboy reddit dudebros, basically. The stakes seemed so much lower than fighting Glory, a literal god, the previous season. But that’s why they worked so well for Season 6′s human themes, and were especially disturbing because we all know people like them. I also appreciated the surprisingly sensitive takes on Jonathan and Andrew, who got to redeem themselves, but Warren did not, and I don’t think he should have either. 

Angelus + Drusilla. I’m ranking them below the Trio because Angelus was just sooooo different from Angel that it was difficult for me to feel the same way for him. He was still Angel, so it wasn’t possible to enjoy his villainy, but he also wasn’t nearly as sympathetic as Dark Willow, had no redeeming qualities like the Mayor, and wasn’t as disturbingly realistic as the Trio. However, the emotional stakes were excellently executed with him as the Big Bad, in that you were never quite sure how to feel and it just plain hurt. Also, Drusilla was a favorite recurring character. She was sympathetic and yet batsh*t enough to be enjoyable as a villain at the same time. 

The Master, who was just completely camp and really worked as an introductory villain. He was scary enough to believe he was a threat, and was funny enough to introduce the series’ humor as well. He was, like Glory, an enjoyable Big Bad. 

The Gentlemen, the one-off villains of Season 4′s Hush who were genuinely terrifying. It’s not as if they got a lot of explanation or any backstory, but they didn’t need it. 

Caleb, the misogynist priest. Fitting with the First’s Christian symbolism, Caleb serving as a spokesperson of all bad religious beliefs felt appropriate. He was also a good foil to Warren--being actually supernaturally powered instead of a wannabe--and to Tara’s family in being full-out evil. I despised him. 

Snyder. Okay Snyder is not a Big Bad like Adam is, but let’s face it: Adam is lame compared to the other villains. But Snyder as a principal? He was so irritating and yet really well used in the series to critique overly strict, hypocritical teachers. Like, we all know teachers like him. I loved to hate him, and his ending was so satisfying. 

[cherryblossomshadow]

Untamed thoughts

Character notes

Okay, it’s official. I’m obsessed. I didn’t think I could be into something so intensely, so soon after Good Omens, but here I am. This is just so the high fantasy, repressed feelings, magic- and sword-fighting stories I’ve been missing 💖

So, I wanted to record some of my thoughts from watching Untamed, before I get too far or watch/read other formats.

So spoiler warning for anybody who hasn’t seen anything, and also warning that I haven’t finished, so I’m guessing at things I don’t know and don’t understand…

BEGIN THE NOTES:

So the first couple minutes was a straight up bloody swordfight. So when they whipped out the magic….like I was nOT EXPECTING THAT! BUT I AM HEEEERE FOR IT. YESSSS! It honestly took me so hard by surprise, and I wish I understood how their magic system worked, but it looks like I’ll have to read the book for that.

Jiang Cheng

Okay, the first couple minutes I rewatched two or three times because I understood nothing. But I latched onto three names to keep track of. Wei wuxian, the guy that everyone inexplicably wanted to kill. Lan Zhan, the Neji-looking dude that really wanted to save him (and somehow wasn’t also being attacked), and Jiang Cheng, the guy that really hated Wei Wuxian and hit him with his sword to plunge him to his doom. He notably did not attack Lan Zhan, too, which like … would have been easier than reaching over the ledge to strike the dude hanging by a hand, but whatev 🤷‍♀️.

Also, nobody was actually paying attention to the man they purportedly wanted to kill because they were all fighting over …. something (was it the Stygian metal? I forgot at this point)

And then flashforward several years, and Wei Wuxian is summoned and he runs into a bunch of Lans and Jiangs? (Not totally sure, but I recognized Lan Zhan and Jiang Cheng! At least their names when it came up on screen). And Jiang Cheng was really rough to whats-his-face, the little Jiang (who seemed like a nutball with some daddy issues, but 🤷‍♀️) which seemed to fit my current characterization for the-guy-who-super-hates-Wei-Wuxian.

AND THEN THE ETERNAL FLASHBACK STARTED. Look, I’m not even all the way through the flashback at this point. I just started the part where they all got summoned to the Wen Clan for “lecture.” And like, he was like Wei Wuxian’s brother?! They were like super close?! It really hurts to see the pure domesticity of their relationship when I know he will be responsible for his death. And he’ll do it with so much … anger.

And yeah, everytime he was around Wei Wuxian, he seemed annoyed and always complained about him. But he really cared (the bunny scene? The how worried I- I mean, my sister was), and I’m so scared to find out what turns him against Wei Wuxian.

Edit: from the second his mom stepped on screen, I was like wholly focused on Jiang Cheng’s face. She stepped up to him and said nice things and he looked so happy, I literally said out loud, “Ah, so he’s a Mama’s boy.” But then she started spitting venom, mostly against everyone else, but no she turned on him, too. Said he would NEVER measure up to Wei Wuxian. And isn’t that the most horrible thing to say to your child. The father was absolutely no help (three wives really?) and no one spoke against her, even when she attacked Ah Li (and who could bear to speak bad about Ah Li?).

Wen Qing

So, I wasn’t sure what to think of her at first. We knew she was working for the “bad guys,” but she was mostly doing it for her brother so, ya know, I kinda withheld judgment for a while. She tried (not too hard, but ya know) to look for the Stygian metal, but for some reason didn’t assault or steal from Wei Wuxian and Lan Zhan when they found it? (Maybe she didn’t know, but they were pretty bad at lying about it). And they were trying to set up a cute little romance between her and Jiang Cheng, which seems cute so far.

AND THEN SHE WARNED HIM AT THE INN. Like, okay, that’s it. I’m hers. I’m sold. Like, not only was she rebelling against what Wen Chao told her, she’s doing it in a smart way that is unlikely to get her killed. Direct defiance isn’t quite her style; behind-the-back subterfuge is. And I am HERE FOR THAT. AND FURTHERMORE, the way she got Jiang Cheng’s attention, and maneuvered a way to get close enough to whisper to him WAS BRILLIANT. I rewatched that scene several times because it was so clever and subversive, I really loved it.

Edit:

I wish she would explain things to her brother. Just saying “stay away from Wei Wuxian, your friend, the guy who saved you” does not work, my dude. You could have at least pointed out the fact that you kind of repaid his debt. Like that was a valid point that you forwent to give him an ultimatum.

Wei Wuxian

Okay, the first thing that sold me on Untamed, I’m not ashamed to say, was Xiao Zhan’s face. It’s just … Undescribable. Beautiful. I could stare at him all day. His smile? Dead. The black outfit with copious red is my favorite. After episodes of seeing him in white, when he changed into that iconic black and red, *swoon* … I think my mind froze. AND THERE’S A RED RIBBON OR SOMETHING IN HIS HAIR? ARE THEY TRYING TO KILL ME?!?!

But of course there’s more to his character. Ahem, that’s arguably more important. But like I’m not blind.

Anyway, he seemed pretty typically lackadaisical, goofing off main character, ya know. Insanely confident in himself, which being a protag, was not unfounded. I felt kinda bad for him whenever he tried to goof off with Jiang Cheng or Lan Zhan and they just … totally shut him down. Cut him off. Ignored him. That hurt. But he was indomitably cheery, and I respect that.

MY FAVORITE MOMENTS HAVE TO BE WHEN HE GOES FROM GOOFING OFF TO BEING BADASS IN 0.03 SECONDS, THOUGH. He’s done it before, but the most recent in memory is when he STARTS RECITING THE LAN CLAN’S RULES INSTEAD OF THE WEN CLAN’S. LEGEND. He’s just spouting off and having a good time and tHAT SMIRK! But then he turns, and his face turns serious, and I just. Chef’s kiss. BDE

Lan Zhan

Okay, I am really anxious to see more because a lot of his interactions with Wei Wuxian have felt … closed off to me. Like, granted, I’m not good at reading body language and subtext, which is why I like reading, so they have to TELL me. But Lan Zhan….you’re killing me here. I’m so blind.

Ya know, when his brother and uncle were talking …. I wonder what he was like before though. It sounds like he’s all uptight for a reason (maybe he used to be different and something happened?) so I’m excited to see Wei Wuxian break through his barriers.

His behavior … it’s super straightjacketed now, but I wonder. He kinda reminds me of Tenya Iida (BNHA), and I think he has Chaotic Lawful energy. IM CALLING IT NOW. (Btw, icydk, chaotic lawful is a totally, ahem, valid alignment defined as: “He has a strict moral code but it’s Chaotic as all f*ck”

Edit: Now, I recently watched some episodes from the Wen Clan arc (or whatever it’s called; I’m currently trying to avoid spoilers, so I’m avoiding the wiki), and he CARES. (Granted, he’s gotta be hurting bc his whole clan was like annihilated? Maybe? Did he give up the Stygian metal? It’s all really unclear?) He yanks the whip out of Wen Chao’s hands like nobody’s business, like Nobody Touches Him Except Me. I’m so excited!

Lan Xichen

Okay, it took me forever to understand that he was the clan leader? I had assumed it was the uncle dude. And where’s their father???

But when he whipped out the flute and magicked everybody’s swords into the ceiling. Yasss.

Also, um, I kinda sensed something with him and Meng Yao. Like, maybe it’s just rare to see men having such respect for each other. But that was such a hard meet-cute, I’m like … I mean, is it just me?

Okay, rant over, don’t mind me. I might keep this updated, but i mostly wanted a record of my thoughts thus far on Untamed, bc honestly, I’m already planning my rewatch 😁

[fyrapartnersearch]

❖ Attention mes chers mesdames et messieurs ❖

Did I manage to catch your attention? Yes? 

If so, great!

Then I would like to welcome you to my humble request! :) 
It has been a while since I posted my ad here on FYRA. After I received so many positive responses and still maintain a very strong relationship with a current partner of mine to this day, I am more than eager to return and try my luck a second time. As I am super busy with school and work most of the time, I haven’t been able to tend to one of my greatest passions, which is writing. 



I hail from Europe, and no I am not French, though it is a beautiful language much like the country. I may plan on traveling there though… who knows what the future may bring.



But enough of my digression and scatterbrained ramblings!


I’d rather be curt and not go into detail about my personal life or include any fancy infos about myself. I’d rather keep that open for a possible friendship once we get into chatting outside of the roleplay.


You may call me Aylo. I am in my twenties, and a female writer who also enjoys other creative outlets like drawing and illustrating. I am a full-time student with a job on the side, which means that I am usually fairly occupied. But now since the holidays are at our doorstep, my constricting schedule has loosened up a bit - in other words - loads of free time to play with! Now I have a wish, or dare I say, a certain craving for something new and fresh. And I am willing to experiment a little this time to see how things go. After a severe case of writer’s block, my creative juices were dried up until - I began watching a certain show called ‘The Boys’. Thinking that I was more or less done with superheroes, this show somehow sparked something within me. It had a very interesting take on the whole superhero world dynamic and showed how human and flawed these people actually were. And with that it sparked my muse and plenty of ideas began filling my head. So what is it that I would love to get my fingers on you wonder? 
Well my cravings are the following: 


The Boys

The X-Men (comic-verse also perfectly acceptable)

An original, somewhat mature story involving superhuman characters and their daily struggle to cope with their powers / how they choose to use these said powers

The list may be scarce but trust me, we can make the most of it. Especially when you consider how vast the X-Men and The Boys universe actually is. But if that doesn’t suit your fancy at all, I am absolutely down for creating something entirely original that involves sci-fi, fantasy and superhuman elements.


I’ve plenty of ideas in that department that I am more than willing to share. If you message me, we can certainly come to an agreement on what would be best suited for the both of us. Now onto the qualities of what my roleplaying partner should have. If you do not meet these requirements or simply have a different view / style when it comes to writing and content, then feel free to skip my ad.



What it all entails:


☞ The Partnership: I strongly encourage for an active roleplayer to take part and share 50% of ideas, plotting, length, detail and passion. Can’t do the thinking for two. A bird cannot fly with only one wing. ☞ The Limits: There are certain topics I tend to avoid which is pedophilia, bestiality, necrophilia, vore, scat, furries and the list goes on. ☞ The Way of Writing: No one-liners. No text-talk. No half-assed replies. And certainly no ‘quality over quantity’ when you can have both. I don’t expect anyone to write a novel, absolutely not. I don’t either, but if I get the feeling of my partner wavering in their effort and not investing as much as I do, I have to give them the chop, unfortunately. Too often have I encountered partners who showed strong enthusiasm at first, but after a while… they slacked and eventually only put the adequate effort into their side of things whilst completely disregarding my characters. I hope to avoid this in the future. ☞ Communication: As I love making new friends and discuss plotting as we go on, communication is the bedrock of the roleplay. It strengthens the compatibility between us. If there is anything that bothers you, or if you think you are left out in some way (be it a mistake on my part or if we’re both at fault here), tell me. Really, it won’t hold a grudge against you since I know that we all slip up every now and then. We’re human after all. It is also completely sufficient if you only type out a few messages per week. I am very lax about it. It doesn’t bother me re-writing scenes to fit the narrative more. If there are mistakes, they can be corrected - just to get that out there. We can always exchange opinions and see what would benefit the story most. I will also voice my opinion should something bother me along the way.

And now to myself and how I write:

☞ My writing: Third person perspective usually, although I have made some exceptions in my experience. My style is wide-ranging and flexible, which means that frequently, word count will go up 1000+ per reply - though it highly depends on the given situation and partner. Quality over quantity but I say both. I love detail in description, and I am actively seeking someone of the same infamy. My partner should have a basic grasp on grammar, punctuation and somewhat of an interest in knowledgeable writing. Usually I double in a roleplay but I can also make an exception. 
☞ Rating: Alright, so you are writing with some of mature age. I have 12 years of writing experience when it comes to this particular genre. This will be a fair warning to any of those who are not really comfortable with adult themes. There will be violence, swearing, gore, intimacy, uncomfortable subjects, drama, conflict and other dark themes included within the story. I have few limits but I will respect the boundaries of my partner. And lastly, I won’t fade to black or skip out on the nitty gritty, unless it doesn’t serve a particular purpose in forwarding the story. ☞ Interests: My line of interests vary when it comes to genres. I love conceiving my own lore inside a story, be it an original or a pre-existing universe. I am not opposed to tapping into some science fiction, action, romance, crime, action or thriller genres, in fact I encourage it. ☞ Characters: I write canon as well as OC characters. Faceclaims, GIFs, drawings, mood boards or just a plain physical description is absolutely sufficient. Characters should be written as opulent, flawed, unique, talented, heroic, villainous, spiteful, angry, and everything in-between. In other words, don’t be scared of making them ‘human’ who sometimes tend to f*ck up. ☞ Romance: Openly play and accept characters of both genders, preferable m x f pairings, but I am open to m x m and f x f relationships as well. I have more experience with m x f relationships, so I might be more adept in that category. If the chemistry of two characters compel me, I am on board with it! When it comes to sexual scenarios and intimacy (intercourse, foreplay, all that funny business). I encourage erotism, but in a tasteful, sensual manner (that goes for romance as well). The passion must be felt through the screen, even if it’s just a mere description of someone’s deep train of thought. ☞ Content: Drama, violence, sex, metamorphosis, symbolism, action, romance, pretty much everything is a-okay. I am not very bothered by certain subjects that may be uncomfortable for the general public. Roleplays are fictional stories and we best keep viewing them as such. If there are things you are uncomfortable with, name them and I shall respect those boundaries. But don’t be surprised when suddenly one of our characters bites the dust, or gets tortured. It may be difficult to write and read, but it is all part of the story and furthering the plot. My roleplays imply and involve brutality, mayhem, psychological and physical damaging among other things. But I also greatly endorse beauty, serenity and placid moments, scenes or characters. I love it when it comes full circle… everyone- and everything has a beautiful and hideous side. Again, this is mature and I am not here to coddle, I am here for a challenge.

Should there be a hiatus, I will tell you as soon as possible. I understand when you are busy as well, though I highly appreciate if you notify me before disappearing into the ether. At least give me a heads up on what’s going on so I can adjust and put the roleplay on hold if needed! 
Mediums I always roleplay on are email and google-docs. I also have Discord in case for plotting and chatting outside of the RP. 

I prefer my partner to message me first on email, giving me a brief description of themselves, their cravings as well as ideas, perhaps even a little writing sample to see if we’re compatible and if it bears any potential. 



Message me here: EMAIL: aylosreverie@gmail.com Can’t wait to hear from you lovely people!




☆ Au revoir

[smokeybrand]

Smokey brand Game Review: Disappointed

It’s almost been a year since Andromeda has been released and i’ve finally beaten it. I would have don so sooner but i kind of sold my copy because it sucked. Out of box, straight vanilla, this game was near unplayable and it stayed that way for a long time. It took, what? three or four patches for this thing to be “fixed” and they didn’t even fix the actual lingering issues. This thing is still glitchy as f*ck but i muddled through. With a much better understanding of Andromeda’s strengths and it’s many, many weaknesses, here’s what i think of it.

The Good

I rather enjoyed the companions, especially Cora. Out of all of the available romance options, i found her to be the most endearing. Peebee is a close second but watching Cora interact with Ryder just upset be me. It’s so organic, so compassionate; It is the pinnacle of what this game could have been and it both endearing and mad frustrating.

This game is goddamn gorgeous. Graphically, i cannot gush enough about how great this thing looks. Environments and ambient details pop with all of the power the PS4 can muster. Character models are detailed and look fantastic.

There’s a ton of potential here. 600 years marooned in an alien galaxy sets up stakes that could be very real, very visceral and compelling. Thing is though, they squandered all of that. There’s real follow through. You’re just kind of there and it sucks. But the potential tales that could have been told? Mad profound, yo. Missed opportunity, for sure.

The Bad

Ryder is sh*t. Male Ryder is passable but Female Ryder? Oh my god! Chick looks like a monster, even after the patches. They did not help at all! More than that, though, Ryder is a stale analogue for the player. Whereas Shepard was this galactic badass who kept a cool head in the most hectic of times, they till felt conflicted and, at time, defeated. They felt human. They felt real. Ryder feels like a character of hat an SJW thinks a superman would be. They’re messy, unsubstantiated, and kind of drab by comparison. That sucks because Ryder is your POV character. They're YOUR analogue in-game. That means YOU are kind of a fart!

You spend entirely too much time in that goddamn Mako knock off! i f*cking hate the fact that i have to drive all over a goddamn map, searching for little hideaways and whatnot, instead of progressing relationships or developing my cast of characters. You’re in this goddamn car 90 percent of the time! How is that fun?? Who thought that nonsense was a good idea??

As dope as those character models look, even after the patches, they still feel like dolls. They still feel wooden and fake. With the exception of certain romance scenes, the facial animations are still sh*t. A year out and they’re still sh*t. I read somewhere in order to fix that, Bioware would have to take the entire game back to formula and rebuild all of it. That’s f*cking ridiculous. There’s no way you release a game like this, one that heavily depends of the characters endearing themselves to the player, look like emotionless, uncanny valley, denizens! Time and commitment could have fixed all of this. Andromeda 2 could have been dope. A lot of the complaints i have for this, i had for the first Mass Effect ad look what they were able to do with the sequel. Oh, what could have been...

Speaking of, there’s this undertone of SJW garbage that kind of paints all of the women as goobers. It’s crazy to me. Like, Male Ryder is gorgeous. Straight model caliber, which makes sense because they hired actual models to be the Ryder characters. Female Ryder, though, looks like Lena Dunham. The real life woman, the actual actress they hired for her likeness, is a goddamn beauty who looks nothing like a potato! Why is it okay for the dude to look like an Adonis but the chick can’t look like an Aphrodite? And it’s not just Female Ryder. All of the female characters have been nerfed. All of them look like butts. Coming off the initial trilogy where you had stunning characters like Jack, Jessica Chobot, Miranda, and Tali, how can you justify making al of the women in your net gen entry pugly?

peaking of facial models, again, there’s, like, 6. Literally all of the Krogan looked the same. All of the Angar look the same. All of the Turians and Salarians.  get that. Homogenized space genus. got it. But why do all of the Asari look the same? All of them except Peebee. What the f*ck? Sure, generic background characters i get, but the ones you interact with? they should have some semblance of individuality. When my ship doctor, a character i interact with regularly, has the same goddamn face as a background filler model, we have a f*cking problem.. Especially when that ship doctor is voiced and supposed to be modeled by Natalie Dormer!

This game is monotonous. There are next to no missions that i find fun. This thing feels like an FPS but it’s not. I mean, the first Mass Effect titles were definitely the same in that regard but there was enough variations for them to feel like their own game. They had their own flavor. Andromeda plays like f*cking Halo and that’s bogus as f*ck! If i wanted to play Halo, i would buy Halo.

Yo, 90% of this game is f*cking fetch quests. Every mission is a goddamn fetch quest! All of them. Even the goddamn loyalty missions! And there’s not even a goddamn payoff half the time! Just lapdog nonsense and a fade to black! Sh*t’s whack, son!

Speaking to that, the overall narrative is trash. If i had never played the masterpiece original trilogy, this game would be passable. But since i had and i experienced that story, this nonsense feels mad flaccid. Mass Effect had stakes. There was massive, cybernetic, Lovecraftian, horrors bearing down on the entire galaxy. In Andromeda, you’ve basically invaded someone’s home only to find someone else has ransacked it, and you spend the rest of the game basically trying to find a way to kick out the freeloader that beat out to the freeload. It’s kid of whack.

To almost belabor the point, the Kett are f*cking terrible as antagonists. They’re just awful. You can’t go from Reapers to Kett and feel like they’re a threat. Hell, you can’t go from the goddamn Collectors to the the Kett and feel like they’re a threat! As far as i can tell, the Archon is a petulant child who’s been throwing a galaxy wide tantrum because he can’t get his stolen toys to work. How is that compelling? How are those stakes??

I found myself not caring about anything going on with these characters. During the original trilogy, i was invested. I wanted to see the Normandy and her crew through whatever came their way. The Tempest assholes, i can care less about. That speaks to how poorly this characters were developed, how flaccid they are as companions. I like Cora. Cora is dope. Still, she has nothing on Tali. She has nothing on Liara. Cora, and her development over the course of Andromeda, would be tantamount an NPC on the Normandy; Someone on the Citadel after the Cerberus attack that you need to do something for, rather than an actual squadmate, in terms of quality. Cora, to me, is the best thing about Andromeda and she pales in comparison to everything about the first trilogy.

The Ugly

Electronic Arts. EA ruined this game with their greedy bullsh*t. Andromeda should have had another year  and a half of production but EA wanted their money so they pushed it out in a relatively broken state. It took half a year for it to get the necessary patches to make it palatable but Andromeda, to this day, is still a mess. EA f*cked his game over before it even had a chance and then shuttered the studio after it unsurprisingly failed. Electronic Arts is the corporate succubus stealing away the life of the game industry one brilliant studio at a time.

The Verdict

Andromeda is a tech demo. It’s basically Bioware trying to figure out the physics of the Frostbite engine so they can apply that knowledge to f*cking Anthem. Anthem ruined this game. It’s ill because Mass Effect as an entire franchise was a legitimate cash cow. If EA would have just committed to this game instead of trying to cash in on that bullsh*t Destiny hype, Andromeda could have been all of that and more. Instead, EA crippled it with a lack of resources, Bioware allowed a bunch of asshat SJW pressure ruin their production aspirations, and no one play tested this thing before it launched. Everything about Andromeda is a step backward from where we were at the end of Mass Effect III. There’s a lot of potential here but ultimately, Andromeda is a goddamn disappointment and that disappointment killed the entire franchise.

I’ll probably play Andromeda a few more times, mostly because i don’t have a proper Mass Effect remaster yet, and i don’t feel like hooking up my PS3 to play the original trilogy. But, the more i played this game, the more I missed Shepard.