#it was pretty fun to try and make my own take on Frankenstein for this

[agnerd-bot]

Fate Fanservant: Victor Frankenstein, the King of Mad Science(Avenger)

(Thanks to Kat on Twitter for doing this amazing commission for me!)

Ascension Stages:

First Stage: A black vest is buttoned up over a plain white dress shirt, the sleeves rolled up to reveal stitches across Victor’s lower arms. A dirt and blood-encrusted shovel is planted firmly in the ground as Victor stands a graveyard. A pair of glasses hangs over Victor’s nose as they look forward.

Second Stage: A bloodied lab coat is covering Victor’s clothes, and a white doctor’s mask is covering their mouth. The background has changed to an old laboratory, where a body is covered by a white sheet behind Victor. The shovel has been replaced with a large wrench.

Final Stage: Victor’s body has been changed entirely, with the doctor growing to an eight foot tall behemoth. Metal studs have been inserted into Victor’s neck, and their body has become incredibly muscular. Four studs visibly jut out of each fist, crackling with electricity, and a grim smile can be seen in Victor’s face.

Traits

Class: Avenger Alternate Class: Caster, Berserker True Name: Victor Frankenstein Source: Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus Region: Switzerland Alignment: Chaotic Neutral Attribute: Star Known as: The King of Mad Science, Doctor Frankenstein, The One Who Sought Godhood, The Modern Prometheus

Voice Actress: Mamiko Noto

Deck: QQABB

Parameters: Strength: B Endurance: A- Agility: E Mana: A+ Luck: E NP: A

Passive Skills:

Item Construction B-: In life, Victor Frankenstein was a brilliant scientist who was a prodigy in all fields of science. However, because of their manifestation as an Avenger, this talent has been stunted somewhat due to their obsession with ending their creation's life. If they were summoned as a different class, it's likely this skill would be more powerful, at the cost of Frankenstein's strength as a whole suffering.

(FGO Effect:)-Increases own debuff success rate by 7.5%.

Avenger B: Rage and hatred has become the entirety of Frankenstein's being. Hated by the world for defying God by making life, despised by mankind for the cruelty and hatred to the Creature they made, and loathed by their own creature for refusing to give what she is owed. This rage has become fuel for Frankenstein, pushing them forward as an engine of vengeance, a monster who seeks retribution for those killed by their own creation, uncaring of how the world sees them.

(FGO Effect:) -Increases own NP generation rate when taking attack by 18%. -500% Chance to reduce party's debuff resistance by 8% except self. (Including sub members) [Demerit]

Self-Replenishment (Magic) EX: With divine lightning coursing through their body and the drive to pursue their enemy to any corner of the earth to satisfy their vengeance, Frankenstein is driven to advance further, no matter how much damage their body sustains or how hopeless the situation is. This recklessness coupled with their newfound power makes them a nigh-unstoppable force to be feared. 

(FGO Effect:)  -Charges own NP gauge by 4.2% every turn. -Decreases own Stun resistance by 7% [Demerit]

Oblivion Correction B: William. Justine. Henry. Elizabeth. Father.

These are the people that the beast had killed.

These are the people she ripped away from this world.

These are the people she slaughtered just to hurt me.

These are the people I must avenge.

William. Justine. Henry. Elizabeth. Father.

(FGO Effect:)-Increases own critical damage by 8%.

Active Skills:

Victorious Galvanism A: While the secret of Frankenstein's work is said to have been lost to time, the one shared fact about the process is that it made use of lightning to initiate life. Victor has now become an embodiment of this lightning, sharing the Creature's nigh-infinite stamina by means of converting magical energy into electricity, and applying it in various powerful ways.

(FGO Effect:) -Applies 'charge NP Gauge when attacking with Quick Cards' for all allies-Recover health for all allies

The Beauty of the Dream Vanished A+: After pursuing the secret to life itself for years, Victor Frankenstein was left horrified by what they had created. As time went on, this horror slowly evolved into hatred as creator and creation worked to make the other's life miserable, despising the other for their increasingly cruel actions. This hatred has manifested itself as a skill for Frankenstein, granting them immense power when faced against an opponent born not of natural means. In their obsessive madness, Frankenstein sees all artificial life as potential monsters that risk causing untold misery and strife.

(FGO Effect:) -Increase damage against ‘Undead’, 'Artificial', and 'Mechanical' enemies for all allies-Increase NP Gauge by 10% for all allies-Increase Buster, Arts, and Quick card effectiveness for all allies-Apply 'Terror' status to self(Demerit)-Apply NP seal to self for one turn(Demerit)

All Men Hate the Wretched B: A grudge that spans a lifetime. A hatred that sinks down to the bone. Bitterness and spite is all that keeps the monster going, and vengeance alone will make everything right. Such is the way of Frankenstein. This hatred has transformed Victor into the beast known as 'Frankenstein's Monster', becoming a hulking brute obsessed with retribution at any cost. Nothing will stop them from reaching their goal, and no one is safe if they dare stand in their way. 

(FGO Effect:) -Apply Guts to self(two times, five turns)-Increases attack for three turns-Gains critical stars every turn for three turns

Noble Phantasms

Noble Phantasm: To Be Thine Adam - Frankenstein, Monster and Man Rank: B Maximum Targets: 1 Range: 1m Classification: Anti-Unit(Self)

A manifestation of mankind’s hatred for the one known as ‘Victor Frankenstein’. As time has gone on, the idea of ‘Frankenstein’ has been diluted, with Victor slowly going from arrogant and foolish genius who had attempted to conquer death, to an abusive mad scientist who sought to create a monster for his own terrible purposes. Frankenstein has taken these preconceptions and used them to form a new Mystic Code, greatly improving Frankenstein’s combat capabilities.

Drawing from the common perception of ‘Frankenstein’s Monster’, this Mystic Code takes the form of an eight-foot tall behemoth made of human flesh and thunder. This form was designed explicitly to combat creatures like Frankenstein’s own creation, having the ability to absorb nearly any kind of energy and turn it into a power source for it. Despite the flesh golem’s monstrous size, Frankenstein is incredibly fast in this form and retains all of their intellect, making for a devastating opponent in both mind and body.

Noble Phantasm: Roar of the Living Dead - And Lo, The Creature Lives Rank: B Maximum Targets: 1 Range: 1m Classification: Anti-Unit

It is said that the method by which Frankenstein resurrected the Creature was lost to time, intentionally wiped from the history books by Frankenstein themselves to ensure that no man could ever repeat their mistakes by attempting to play at God. Despite this, many have offered their own theories in their attempt to bring the dead to life, but none have truly succeeded in replicating Frankenstein's legendary feat of creating life.

Frankenstein themself uses a modified and perfected form of reanimation in order to bolster an ally with their mysterious lightning. With this power, they can 'jump-start' an ally, giving a human potential to fight a Servant, and giving a Servant the power to potentially win an entire war singlehandedly. However, the true might of this Noble Phantasm shines when used on the dead. If Frankenstein uses this power to raise recently fallen enemies or allies, they will be reborn by the lightning, becoming a revenant that no mere mortal can ever hope of defeating, at the cost of them losing all sense of former self. Frankenstein dislikes using the full extent of this Noble Phantasm’s power, however, considering it 'unholy' and a symbol of the folly they had committed with their work. As a result, Frankenstein will use it either when they have no option or if they feel that they have ‘perfected’ it.

(FGO Effect:) -Increase one ally's attack for three turns -Charge one ally's NP Gauge by 50% -Apply Debuff Immune to one ally(three times, three turns) -Apply Guts to one ally(one time, three turns) -Greatly increase one ally's Quick Card effectiveness for three turns -If Frankenstein is the only Servant left in combat, resurrect the last defeated ally and apply the aforementioned buffs. -500% Chance for Frankenstein to be Stunned afterwards for one turn.

Voice Lines:

Summoned: I am the genius who has chosen to climb where no man has gone before and make themselves as God, and who in their hubris, was cursed with a plague that tore down each and every person I have loved. I am Victor Frankenstein, Avenger! And I will not cease until my Monster is dead and buried once and for all!

Level Up: Oho? These crystals... What a unique energy source. Perhaps I should study them further... ...pretend you didn't hear that, Assistant.

Level Up(Third Ascension): Each second I live is another turn of the bolt. Each turn of the bolt is a step forward. Each step forward is a chance to achieve the impossible.

1st Ascension: Each patch of skin upon my flesh is a life I had failed to save when I was alive. Each stitch upon my body is a crime I can never repent for. But I must press onward. No matter what, I will press onward in pursuit of my goals.

2nd Ascension: I can hear them... All of them. They ask me to end this tragedy of mine... So I cannot stop until it is done. Then... perhaps then, they may rest in peace.

3rd Ascension: Look at me. A hulking brute built of stitched-together flesh and lightning. I am the monster as human history has deigned me to be, the beast forged by the dead and brought to life by thunder. I am Victor Frankenstein. I am Frankenstein's Monster. And I am... Alive.

4th Ascension: Hmph... To think that you would still remain with me, even with my horrifying appearance and actions. I haven't been treated so well since... ...I thank you, my dear Assistant. Truly, I am in debt to you and your kindness. On my life, I swear to you... The monsters will never win. 

Fight Start 1: Okay, Victor, just calm down... This is just like your usual cadaver work. ...except that they're not dead. Great.

Fight Start 2: You know, my old professors would have a heart attack if they saw me using my medical tools like this… Good thing they’re all dead now.

Fight Start 3(Third Ascension): I am an eight foot tall immortal giant who carries the thunder of gods in my hands. I don't believe this is a fight you can win.

Fight Start 4(Third Ascension): Hehehehe... If only Clerval and Elizabeth could see me now!

Skill 1: Naturally!

Skill 2: Let’s hope this works…

Skill 3(Third Ascension): Come thunder, come lightning… 

Skill 4(Third Ascension): Galvanization ready!

Command Card Select 1: Is that all?

Command Card Select 2: Huhuhuhuhuhu… Ahehehehehehehe…

Command Card Select 3(Third Ascension): Behold the ascension of a new god!

Noble Phantasm Select 1: Well, well… It seems a storm’s coming in.

Noble Phantasm Select 2: They called me mad when I said I’d do this… I suppose they had a point.

Attack 1: Stay down, damnit!

Attack 2: Crumble before my awesome genius!

Attack 3: HRRAAAAAAAAAGH!

Attack 4(Third Ascension): Let’s test the limits of my new body… and YOURS!

Attack 5(Third Ascension): Crash against my immortal body… and SHATTER!

Extra Attack 1: Behold the achievements of Victor Frankenstein!

Extra Attack 2(Third Ascension): I’ll bury you!

Noble Phantasm 1:

Crash down, lightning! Roar, thunder! Let the dead rise again to fight in my name!

Behold, the genius of Victor Frankenstein!

Behold the power that rivals God Himself!

Heaven and Earth shall shriek and wail as one chorus as they utter these words!

“And Lo, The Creature LIVES!”

Noble Phantasm 2:

With each turn of the bolt, with each lumbering foot we place forward, mankind takes the next step to greatness. 

No longer will mankind fear the reaper, no more will humanity shy from death!

Behold, as we throw the very gauntlet of science into God’s face, and take the step towards the ascension of man!

Sing out your war cry, and shout to the very heavens themselves!

ROAR OF THE LIVING DEAD!

Noble Phantasm 3(Reanimation):

To think I would once again have to commit this terrible crime once more…

Fine. I have no other choice here… If I must become a god once more, then so be it!

Let the world call me a madman! Let humanity call me a monster! I no longer care what mankind sees me as!

All I ask in return is that you and the rest of the world will see that I was RIGHT!

IT’S! A! LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!!!

Noble Phantasm 4(Reanimation):

Yes… YES! IT’S READY! THE EXPERIMENT IS SET!

LET THE WORLD SEE THAT I WAS RIGHT!

DO YOU HEAR ME, ‘GOD’?!

GIVE ME LIFE, GODDAMN YOU!

GIVE MY CREATION! LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIFE!!!

Damage from Noble Phantasm: NGHAAAAAAAUUUUUUGHHHH!!!

Regular Damage: Shit, I think that tore one of my sutures!

Defeated 1: Not now… Not when I’m so close!

Defeated 2: No… No, I refuse to die here, do you hear me?!

Defeated 3(Third Ascension): I’ll kill you! YOU HEAR ME, I’LL KILL YOU!

Defeated 4(Third Ascension): But how… This body was supposed to…

Victory 1: No… No… Damnit, these parts are useless to me!

Victory 2: *wheeze* Y… you know, I’m supposed to be a scientist, not a soldier…!

Victory 3(Third Ascension): So this is the power my new body has to offer! Kuhuhuhuhu… I LOVE IT!

Victory 4(Third Ascension): Amazing… I don’t feel any exhaustion, no sickness or pain! This is wonderful! Hah! I should’ve done this earlier!

Bond Level 1: Hmm? You seek to assist me in my work? Or perhaps you wish to monitor me in case I attempt to recreate my past? Either way, it will be nice to have an assistant, I suppose. Shall we begin?

Bond Level 2: Hey, Assistant. Hold this for me. What, have you not held a dead body before? Lift with your knees, not your back, it's much easier, believe me. ...what do you mean, that's not the issue here?

Bond Level 3: What was my reason in trying to create life...? ...don't ask foolish questions, Assistant. I attempted to enter the realm of the gods, and I failed miserably. That's all that needs to be said.

Bond Level 4: ...tell me, Assistant. If you had the chance to bring someone back from the dead. If you had the chance to fix what was made broken. Would you take that chance? I was young. I was proud. I was a fool. I will forever regret the pain and suffering my ambitions caused... But I will never regret the fact that I tried. I will never apologize for wanting to bring her back.

Bond Level 5: Mankind looks upon the works of Victor Frankenstein and deems me a sinner. They call me a monster who abused my creation and deserved the pain and misery I brought upon myself. They call me a fool who attempted to enter the domain of the gods. I say let them say what they will. If they call me mad, then let me be mad. If they call me evil, then let me be evil. None of that matters to me. After all... You and you alone know the true story of Victor Frankenstein.

Dialogue 1: Listen, Assistant. You will refer to me as 'Doctor' Frankenstein. Not 'Mister'. Not 'Miss'. Doctor Frankenstein. And if you mention me not having my degree even as a joke, I will ensure that you are the next body I have on my operating table!

Dialogue 2: Ugh... I hate to be a bother, but could you turn up the thermostat? The weather does terrible things to my health. My family called me a hypochondriac, but I say that I'm just being prudent. Can't be too careful with all the illnesses about...

Dialogue 3: My, my... The weather outside is frightful, isn't it? Perfect weather for some... 'fun', wouldn't you say? Eh? Board games? Well that wasn't what I had in mind, but...

Dialogue 4 (If you have Frankenstein at Stage 3 Ascension): ...hehe. Hehahahahaha! Wonderful! This feels wonderful! This form may look terrifying, but I don't think I've felt quite so fantastic in my whole life! My lungs are expansive! My heart beats strongly! I have actual muscle definition! Look, I can even lift my Assistant with one hand! ...eh? Oh, sorry, I guess I got too caught up in the excitement.

Dialogue 5 (If you have Frankenstein’s Monster): Frankenstein's Monster... My monster. An embodiment of all my sins and failures. One day, I swear... You will be dead and buried for good.

Dialogue 6 (If you have Frankenstein’s Monster post-event): Mother... No. That thing is not her. She is long gone. What remains in her body is something new entirely. Despite my efforts, Caroline Beaufort Frankenstein passed away from Scarlet Fever when I was young. Now all that remains... Is this Creature wearing her face.

Dialogue 7 (If you have Xu Fu, Asclepius, Florence Nightingale, or Charles-Henri Sanson): To think that Chaldea had so many brilliant doctors and nurses walking its halls. ... Er, Assistant? Does my hair look alright? Do you think I should change to a cleaner lab coat? Actually, given my history, perhaps I shouldn't talk to them at all...

Dialogue 8 (If you have the Golem of Prague): I can't believe it... All the effort, all the death, all the time I spent trying to achieve the secrets of life itself... AND SOMEONE ELSE ALREADY BEAT ME TO IT?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! AAAAAUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!

Dialogue 9 (If you have James Moriarty): Haaaaah?! Is that  'Professor' James Moriarty calling me a dropout?! Well, you old bastard, I may not have my doctorate, but at least my work was intentionally obscured, rather than being so convoluted no one else could understand what I was saying! And at least I didn’t get fired from my cushy university job because of some stinking rumors! Take your stupid PhD and your goddamned asteroid and shove them up your-*censored for ServantTube*

Dialogue 10 (If you have Mordred, Sieg, or Van Gogh): Tch. Figures that the Creature would hang around creations similar to it. I am disappointed that Chaldea lets such things walk around unsupervised. ... O-oi wait, why are you drawing your weapon? Stop looking at me like that! Assistant! Don't just stand there, do something! HELLLLLLLLP!

Dialogue 11 (If you have Nikola Tesla): The man they also call the Modern Prometheus... A man who has gone through many trials and died unappreciated by humanity. And I, who has lost countless and is remembered as a monster by mankind. I wonder what we could talk about…

Dialogue 12 (If you have Henry Jekyll): Henry Jekyll... I suppose he and I could be considered 'brothers in arms', no? Geniuses who strayed too far off of the path, making monsters that defied the natural order. Jekyll, through psychology, and I through lightning. And yet... I'm surprised he seems so happy. 

Dialogue 13 (If you have Paracelsus von Hohenheim): P-p-paracelsus von Hohenheim?! My life’s work was based on his lost teachings! He could tell me so much on how to advance my work! Assistant, get me my good lab coat! Fetch me my work notes! I have so much to ask! So much to say! Oh… Oh dear, I feel faint-*THUD!*

Dialogue 14 (If you have any ‘lightning-based’ Servants): My Assistant, I noticed that we have several Servants who weaponize lightning in some form. I wonder... have you been taught by any of them? If you're interested, I'd love to show you some of my experiments. ...no, none of them have to do with reanimation. I get it's what I'm known for, but I can diversify my pool of abilities, can't I?

Dialogue 15 (If you have any ‘death-related’ Servants): They say there will come a time when all things die… I say that there will come a time when death itself shall die. That time shall come from my own hand.

Likes: Many would call the pursuit of science after what had happened to me to be absolute foolishness. I say that it is only further reason to press onward. The purpose of failure is to encourage change and drive us forward. I seek to overcome my limits and further understand the mysteries of this world. With that, we can and will conquer anything, even death.

Dislikes: ...cowardice. Letting one's own fear and insecurities overwhelm the ability to do the right thing is the greatest sin one can commit. If one makes a mistake, one has to own up to it. If people die because of that mistake, one has to atone by any means necessary. No exceptions.

About the Holy Grail: The Holy Grail? ...hmph, I don't think so. It may promise many things, nothing good can come out of something that calls itself divine, believe me.

During an Event: The thunder rumbles, and the clouds roll overhead... My dear Assistant, fetch my bag. I believe the time has come for us to have some fun.

Birthday: Life and death are two sides of the same coin. A birth and a funeral. The young and the old. A marriage- ...forgive me, my Assistant, I believe I've gone and talked enough about these grim affairs. Today is about you. So come, let us celebrate another year of your life.

Profile:

Default: One dark and stormy night, a genius toiled in their lab, desperate to unlock the secrets of life and death in order to overcome the grief caused by their mother's passing. They ultimately succeeded in creating life, but the being they made was completely and utterly wrong. Terrified by what they had done, they fled at the sight of the monster they had made. The Creature in turn vowed to destroy their creator's life, killing every single member of their family as condemnation for their creator's sins. With their fear turning into hatred, the young creator dedicated the rest of their life to destroying the monster they had built, and their feud would continue until they had frozen to death in the Arctic.

This is the young genius that entered into God's domain, Victor Frankenstein. As a Servant, each person slain by the Creature takes the form of a part on Frankenstein's body. The curious eyes of William Frankenstein that looked upon the Creature. The innocent hands of Justine Moritz that were forcibly stained with William’s blood. The gentle heart of Henry Clerval who showed Frankenstein unending kindness. Elizabeth Lavenza. The broken heart of Alphonse Frankenstein, who died grieving each and every one of his children. Each gifted part is a reminder of what must be done. A reminder to bury the monster once and for all.

Bond Level 1: Height/Weight: 185.42cm • 63kg/243.84cm • 147kg Source: Frankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus Region: Switzerland Alignment: Chaotic•Neutral Gender: Genderfluid

While many Servants express annoyance at how humanity has twisted and altered their stories over time, Frankenstein instead finds the various works based off of them amusing. In between their research on the deceased or their attempts to enhance their own body through science, the Modern Prometheus can be seen watching their adaptations on film for 'research purposes'.

"It's nice to know, isn't it? That at least one version of you gets their happy ending?"

Bond Level 2: Normally, Frankenstein would be summoned in their youth as a fairly weak Caster thanks to their feat of unlocking the secret of life and awakening the Creature being the only real accomplishment they have to their name. However, after experimenting on their own Spirit Origin for years, Victor's hatred and bitterness has warped their Spirit Origin into a much stronger Avenger.

Now, Victor Frankenstein is Creator and Creation in one, an undead monster seeking retribution from the one who wronged them. A burning hatred crackles in their soul, giving them life and pushing them to accomplish their grim task of vengeance against the one who took everything from them. Lightning crackles with each breath, and thunder roars with each footstep as the chase continues to the very ends of the earth itself.

In the end, parent and child are more similar than either would like to admit.

Bond Level 3: While the common image of Victor Frankenstein is a heartless, cold doctor who cared not for the suffering of others, the truth of the matter is that Frankenstein was merely a young student at Ingolstadt's most prestigious university. After the passing of their mother, the young Frankenstein became obsessed with the idea of life and death, hoping to reach a point where the line between both would be torn asunder. After two long years studying and experimenting, they succeeded, at the cost of everything Victor loved, and a solemn death within the Arctic Circle.

Despite the traumatic experience their experiments led for Victor, they still continue their work in attempting to bring the dead back to life as a Servant. Long into the morning and late into the night, Frankenstein will continue to unlock the true secrets to life and how to bring back the dead, no matter how long it takes or what cost it comes at. Many wonder their motives for doing so. Is it to create a race of immortal supermen? Is it to prove the world wrong? The one who knows the truth will not say.

Bond Level 4: “Yes... Yes!

It's working! She's going to awaken!

Finally, these years of effort, all this time working to unravel the secrets of life and death! They have all finally bore fruit!

Her body is moving... Her breathing is steady... Her vocal chords seem to have trouble adjusting, but that's fine, we can work on that later.

Oh, it seems that her hair has covered her eyes. I suppose I should...

...

...no.

No, this isn't right. This isn't what I wanted! What... What are you?! 

G-get away from me, you monster! Where is she?! What have you done with her?!

I just wanted to bring her back! I just wanted to bring her back!”

-V. Frankenstein, 17--

Bond Level 5: Humanity fears death, that much is true. They fear the stories that have to end, they fear the lives that are cut short, they fear the connections that are severed. Victor Frankenstein is no different. But Victor Frankenstein takes that fear and channels it into a mad fervor. Death may be feared, but death will eventually be conquered. Death will have no hold over mankind. Death will be no more.

Death... will be no more.

No more will Victor Frankenstein have to imagine young William's life cruelly ripped away at the age of six for being their brother.

No more will Victor Frankenstein have the guilt of consigning Justine Moritz to death wrapped around their neck like a hangman's noose.

No more will Victor Frankenstein have to look on the gravestone of Henry Clerval, burning with impotent rage at their best friend's death.

No more will Victor Frankenstein have to cradle the body of Elizabeth Frankenstein, screaming vengeance as tears stream down with the rain.

No more will Victor Frankenstein have to sit helplessly as their own father wastes away in shame and despair.

No more will Victor Frankenstein be haunted by the ghosts of their past.

“I will endeavor to resign myself cheerfully to death and will indulge a hope of meeting you in another world.”

-C. Frankenstein, 17--

Extra (Clear Interlude “The Patchwork God”): Some people have claimed to see spirits floating around Frankenstein when they walk, a different one each time.

The first is an older woman, yet one who seems as if she had passed on far too soon. They give Victor a wide berth, looking at them with a deep sadness, gently caressing them in their times of doubt and strife.

Her partner is an older gentleman, giving their companion odd, disappointed looks whenever they go on another one of their mad tirades. Despite himself, the phantom cannot help but smile proudly at his child's earnestness.

One is a young child, following the prodigy around, asking them questions at a rapid-fire rate. On occasion, Frankenstein replies to the ghost absentmindedly, before realizing that they are talking to thin air.

Another is a servant girl, dutifully keeping pace with Victor, often giving him a small huff of bemusement as they inevitably forget their tasks. A short whisper from this spectre and the mad genius will inevitably find their way back to where they belong.

The final two are the ones who follow Victor around the most, talking with each other as much as they do to Victor. They appear by their side in times of crisis for the weary hunter, always hoping that they will understand their hopes for them.

Perhaps these beings are a mere trick of the light, or perhaps they are the embodiment of Victor's own guilt-induced madness. Whatever they are, whoever they are, it seems that they manage to assuage some of Victor's pain, even if for the briefest of moments.

[coolfire333]

Still thinking about the mercs as parents...I'm being really indulgent and assuming they're all good with kids in their own way, in the sense that they really would love a child of their own (even if they're terrible influences or let their kids do dangerous things) but anyway here's my thoughts on each of them as dads:

Scout: not used to being responsible for someone else since he's everyone's favorite youngest child of 8. He's a bit awkward with it and scared at first but he'll catch on eventually. He's not the best influence though and definitely teaches his kid things that shouldn't be taught to young children. Family means a lot to him considering his own dad left early in his life so he'll always try to be there for his own kid

Soldier: who let this man have a child. He loves his kid with all his heart but he is a terrible influence in the sense that he doesn't understand how fragile children can be until they get older. He tries his best and likes roughhousing and playing strategic games like capture the flag so at least he's fun to be around

Pyro: surprisingly good with kids! He's got a childish whimsy that translates very well into keeping children entertained. He'll probably play pretend with his kid for hours if you let him. He'll teach his kid all about the usefulness and beauty of fire (and probably commit a ton of arson in the process so he's not exactly an ideal role model)

Demoman: very loyal to his family (despite how messed up his backstory with his parents is) so he'd do anything for his child. Not the most attentive dad in the world but he tries his best and would never do anything to hurt his kid. He is very chill and goes with the flow when it comes to parenting. He's fun at parties and would love to pass the time having a drink with his kid on the porch in the evening

Heavy: he grew up with little sisters so he loves kids and pretty much knows exactly what to do. Most responsible merc when it comes to parenting by far. Loves his family so he'd really find it special to have a kid of his own, he'd probably worry a lot but once the initial fears subside he'd be a great dad. If he has flaws it's that he'd very much baby a kid past an age where that'd be appropriate or wanted so that may seem a bit condescending (he's only doing it because he's extremely protective though)

Engineer: he doesn't entirely know what to do at first but he's very genuine about it. Loves helping his kid make things and playing music together. Would totally kill it at a parent-child science fair making all sorts of weird gadgets that do new (and probably terrible) things. He's got a pretty big heart and is generally pretty tolerant of things that other parents would be annoyed with

Medic: who let this man have a child (part 2). Besides the obvious concerns of him using his own kid as a guinea pig for all kinds of weird experiments he'd actually be an ok dad. Very proud of his child and pays very close attention to stuff like growth milestones. Also would totally kill it at a parent-child science fair. Probably helps his kid make all kinds of weird Frankenstein-esque, cobbled-together toys and is very blunt about the whole "circle of life" thing

Sniper: oh man he has no idea how to do this properly, he's just gonna try to remember how his parents raised him and give it his best shot. He's a bit distant but always makes sure to spend quality time with his kid even if he doesn't say much. Probably takes his kid out for archery lessons, just in case his talent runs in the family. He felt awkward growing up (never knew he wasn't actually Australian by birth) so he makes sure to never treat his own child as less-than

Spy: oh boy. Assuming he actually sticks around to raise a child (this time), he'd actually be a decent dad. He definitely overthinks things, is very strict and overprotective, and is kinda a "no fun allowed" type compared to the other mercs in that he wants his kid to have the most normal and safe life possible. Spends time and effort on a good education, especially regarding the finer things in life. He prays that his kid doesn't "end up like him" despite not really elaborating on what he means by that. Overall he doesn't trust himself to raise a child properly but if forced to he's actually more than capable of it

Anyway these are just my thoughts. Again this is probably not the most realistic but I'm oddly optimistic about this kind of thing, plus I think it's interesting and kinda funny tbh imagining how the mercs might be as fathers :)

[gems-of-jungle-moon]

I'm pretty bad at drawing dragons, could I have a tip on drawing them.

I don't think there's such a thing as "being bad" at drawing dragons, to be honest.

Dragons can have such a large variety of designs, especially when artists, modern or not, imagine them as something other than your standard fire breathing reptile. Folklore can't even be consistent on what a dragon is. To me, they're not too different than designing a creature from scratch, whether or not you want to make it biologically plausible (aka spec bio). So I can't specifically give you dragon design tips because I use the same process for all creatures I make.

Instead, I'll offer some things I learned about creature design in general from studying animals and from other creature designers.

It all comes down to two questions:

What is the character of this design? And what do you like to design?

It sounds vague but hear me out.

Designing a character and designing a creature aren't that dissimilar. Because by creating a creature, you also focus on what makes its shapes unique from others as you would in a lineup of characters. Think of how you can identify different real life animals based on just the silhouette alone, and the features that give it that silhouette. For example you can tell a giraffe apart from a whale just by the silhouette, right?

What I like to do is make designs that give a good idea on how the creature lives, speculative evolution, and that involves a lot of research into animal biology. Evolution is the most unhinged creature designer, after all.

Ostriches and emus convergently evolved to be built for running rather than flying, and occupy a similar niche in their environments. But if you reduce them down to a single silhouette, you can easily still tell them apart.

Here's two of my own designs to demonstrate this same idea. The left I designed from bears, wildebeest, african wild dogs, and gorgonopsids. It's a pack-hunting species that lives in warmer grasslands. Its arms are also comparatively long for the rest of its body.

On the right is a polar relative, designed from a polar bear, a seal, arctic fox (summer coat), white tailed deer (tail shape), and basilosaurus (for the teeth). Compared to the first design, it's less lean and has more bulk for keeping warm. The ears are also diminished and the snout is way shorter. Despite that they look like they are related species from different climates.

Sometimes I tend to exaggerate a part of the design, such as the neck fluff on the polar guy and the length of the nose on the left one. Even small changes can make a big difference, and sometimes unexpected features can give you the exact design you were looking for. Don't fear ugliness or uncanniness in a design.

Because another fun exercise I like to do is take the body plan of a creature and stretch another creature to fit into that body plan. It may look ugly and cursed but sometimes that's what I want.

If researching anatomy and biology isn't your thing, you still have options. You can always apply chimera rules.

I've also seen this being described as "frankensteining", where you stitch different animal features together without much adjustment. This design strategy isn't invalid, but I don't prefer it.

I know I went with a standard "dragon" look for Pink (and the other diamonds' corrupted designs are getting an overhaul), but that's because that look happens to work for what I wanted.

An easy way to approach any of these methods is to draw small thumbnails in a sketchbook or on a digital canvas while zoomed out. With references handy of course. Being able to find distinct shapes when it's smaller makes them not rely on the littler details to be recognizeable. That way you can iron out the rest once you find something you like. And hands off ctrl+z/eraser (or use it sparingly). I know it's tempting, but try and resist.

I like to use a ballpoint pen for this when on paper, because it makes me commit to the lines so I'm not constantly erasing. I get no progress if all I'm doing is erasing. If I don't like it, I take what I like about the other thumbnails and move on to the next. This process whittles away the features I don't prefer. Notice the little note I left next to the dog in the upper right.

If something isn't working out, that's completely fine. Look at references, build your visual library. Don't get discouraged. Try things out just to see how it looks, even if you end up not liking it. You still learned something from that attempt.

Hang the code. Embrace chaos. Draw and design dragons how you want to.

And to finish this off:

Don't compare yourself to others and let that make you feel bad about your art. In fact, stop comparing altogether. It's okay to be inspired, but you are on your own artistic journey. Give yourself credit for your own progress and let that motivate you.

I see too many people do this, especially when they have every reason to feel good about the stuff they made.

[ghulah]

The Papas, DND and VTM

As some of you know, I am an avid TTRPG liker, watcher, player, etc. The idea of the Papas (and the Ghouls) playing a campaign has always been very fun to me, so I consulted with the council (my wives @bonesy-doodles and @parabunny).

And so, I present to you, the Papas and their set ups for Dungeons and Dragons and Vampire: the Masquerade!

Primo

So, Primo is overall very much the traditional Dracula of the bunch. He's all dark and mysterious and probably actually evil (by some metric), despite the garden tending and the (poisonous) plants he takes care of. He for sure is a roleplay guy but will kick ass in combat.

In DND, he would definitely attempt to play a Dhampir Warlock or Artificer. Artificer especially would allow for alchemy and a lot more fucking around with spellcasting - therefore making it both challenging and engaging and for Primo to pull some insane shit during session. He could also just multiclass Warlock/Artificer, definitely pact of Fiend, Undead, or the Great Old One. The Dhampirism is for vibes, okay. It just fits.

As for VTM, he would be Malkavian or Nosferatu, but the oracle aspect of Malkavian makes it all the more ominous. There is also Hecata and Tzimisce! Either way, he's one of the more ancient, traditional vampires. Primo would play VTM and say, "I am Cain." (bones said this) Much to the chagrin of the Master of Ceremonies.

Primo is also a dice hoarder, he has so many sets and he has a specialized dice bag for it too. It's embroidered.

Secondo

Secondo is very - how you say - wild? He would bring chaos to the table I fear, but he does it in character rather than like being a frustrating player. While he does read the rules well, he does it to get around them I feel.

In DND, he'd play a fighter class, probably just straight up Fighter or Barbarian. And he'd play bigger species like Dragonborn and Orcs! So basically the tank and also main hitter. But for a little bit of religious aspects, an Oathbreaker Paladin would be perfect for him. It has those angsty, turned back on my god vibes as well as the tankiness of melee classes. a Barbarian Paladin multiclass would hit hard methinks.

VTM wise, he'd definitely be Ravnos. I considered Toreador and Gangrel, but I think Ravnos fits the best. He loves (un)living on the edge and rather than the high art vibes that Toreador embody, it's a lot more, well, wild! And also cool. Very rogue-ish and plays by his own rules.

I think he likes fun dice that are like, metal specifically. Some of them are more dark, gothic designs and then some of them are just super fun.

Terzo

Alright, this guy for sure is a roleplay-heavy player. Yeah combat is fun and all but only to get shit done. He loves taking his time curating his character's aesthetics and their motivations and all. He will stick to the bit, do not try him.

That being said, of course he's playing a Bard in DND. He would play either a Tiefling or something of the Elf variety. College of Eloquence would be what I'd assign to him. The bardiest bard to bard, you know? However!! He could also play a Warforged, specifically one with Art Deco elements and that could also reference Frankenstein. It always comes back to Frankenstein with him.

To riff off of the artistry of bards - Terzo would be a Toreador. They're known for being artisans. They're beautiful and charming, seductive...all of which fits the bill for the type of character Terzo likes to play. On the other hand, he could very well play a Brujah. They're known as rebels, warrior-scholars. Terzo would play a vampire that's very Vampire Chronicle-esque.

He's also pretty superstitious about his dice, like if one of them rolls badly he will retire it.

Copia

I think Copia also enjoys the roleplay aspect of TTRPG's a little more than the combat but he gets super giddy whenever he hits a critical hit or takes someone down.

For DND, he would play a Tiefling Cleric. He's got that vibe that he enjoys both the aesthetics and the idea of Tieflings conceptually! Personally I think he always has a Tiefling PC on hand at all times, like it's just his thing. Other than Cleric, he might also take Druid for Wildshape, so he could turn into a little rat. Otherwise, he might also enjoy Sorcerer (magic nepotism /hj). Who has time to learn spells? Not him!

VTM though, it'd be funny if he played a Lasombra. Definitely hilarious considering their whole social-climbing thing and the administrative aspect! Tangentially, the Ministry Clan would also be kinda ironic. I just think he plays that sort of vampire that is less Ancient but more like What We Do In The Shadows vampire.

He likes having dice for each of his characters, he might reuse some, but he prefers having one set for one PC.

Extra

They all play an Oops! All Tiefling Bard Game, at some point. It is so stupidly fun.

There have been fights over in-game choices. Many of them. It's okay, they get through it.

The Ghouls do play as well! I have not figured out their own preferences yet, but trust, they get to have their TTRPG time.

OC tidbits

My OC, Sibling Nephtys would run games like Monsterhearts (college ver) and Monster of the Week.

Bones's OC, Sibling Rigorian, would run Dungeons and Dragons.

Para's OC, Bunny, would run Vampire: The Masquerade.

[idontwanttospoiltheparty]

omg since you’re taking off todya from studying can we hear some of your beatle hottakes?

ughhhhhhh sorry, these are so hard to come up with these days

meta take: I sort of wish we could have a genuine conversation about the blurry line between wishful thinking/headcanon and more objective (or, aspiring to be objective) historical analysis – I get the headcanons, I really do! but just in the past year, there's been several instances of people in good faith asking about sources or questioning "fan favourite" anecdotes and being shouted down for "ruining people's fun". If you want to engage with this stuff in a more lighthearted way, that's fine! but accept that that's what you're doing. Being rude to people trying to get to the truth is not a good look. Your imagination can withstand it, I promise.

more people need to jump on the Day Tripper tinhatting train. shit's crazy up here

the more I listen to Double Fantasy the more I'm offended that a certain brand of John fan basically only names songs from 1970/71 as his best. ditto with Walls and Bridges…

Again And Again And Again: best Denny solo-written Wings song ( it's hard to gauge how much is him and how much is Paul for their collabs. Anyways, No Words my beloved)

Sexy Sadie is kind of perfect… The lyrics, the chords, the distorted doo-wop it all embodies that DISAPPOINTMENT so well. The guitar solo is great, the high-pitched oooooooooohs. No notes, underrated song for sure.

the Mind Games album cover is soooooo deranged but so fucking good. That and Ram might be the best post-Beatles album covers.

this isn't exactly a take but the SADDEST part of Hey Jude is when John harmonizes with Paul. I can't not hear all the unspoken pain.

I kind of hope we get versions of Free As A Bird and Real Love with cleaned up John vocals like Now And Then. I don't want to erase those originals because the audio quality tells a story of its own, but Real Love especially suffers so much from it. I listened to it earlier today and nearly got teary. "No need to be alone" kind of gives me goosebumps. There's something so raw and emotional about all three of these songs…

This is almost the opposite of a hottake, but it kind of Doesn't Matter To Me who Now And Then is about. It could be about Paul, it could pretty easily be about Yoko too, and a few people I've seen say they think it's about May, which could be too! It perhaps not being directed at Paul doesn't take away from the song for me, because the song feels bigger than just its direct inspiration.

On that note, I sort of think that sometimes people could stand to.... Die on fewer hills? Like, the notion that Now And Then could be about Yoko doesn't negate John and Paul's relationship or most things people theorize they may have gotten up to. Now And Then Release Week bonus round, cause it's been long enough to talk about it a bit:

Paul (and Ringo and George! they also have a writing credit, guys!) making editorial choices about John's unfinished song with the blessing of his widow is literally fine. "But John might not have approved–" yes, this is how death works. John also might have found the song embarrassing and not wanted it released at all. It wasn't on Double Fantasy after all! Or maybe he would have specifically wanted to remove the same bit! (which I maintain is musically strange and unfitting at worst and at best a still really rough idea that would probably require a lot of work in of itself – echoing the chord progression in the instrumental bit is the best compromise I could imagine)

I actually really get the George girls who were a bit bummed out by the rollout of the song. He DID get the short end in this situation! but… what would have been better? I saw some people say Paul isn't nearly as good a slide guitarist at George. Okay well then… So Paul should've hired a session musician? How does that makes sense? Paul should've asked Dhani to find some random guitar bit George recorded 25 years ago and frankensteined it onto this song? I'm asking this honestly: what should have been done instead? Because… I sort of got the feeling from some of the criticism that the only acceptable solution was to not release this song at all. And TBH I don't think George "getting the short end" is worse than not allowing Paul and Ringo the closure of completing this song. This wasn't perfect but again: yes, this is how death works.

[dyns33]

Flufftober 2024- 8 Nathan Bateman

There was no point in celebrating Halloween with Nathan Bateman.

First, because he could be a real nightmare all by himself all year long. Then, since they were alone in the middle of nowhere, no one would come asking for candy. And the genius always found a way to criticize the things that Y/N liked.

However, he could have liked this holiday. They could have eaten sweets, drunk alcohol while watching a horror movie. He wouldn't have been scared, but he could have made fun of it by hugging Y/N.

It was tempting, she could have at least offered it to him, but being used to his refusals, she hadn't even tried.

While he would be busy in his office underground, she would spend the evening on her own, maybe in the company of Kyoko, observing her micro reactions to jump scares and other scary scenes. If she had any. It was unlikely that Nathan would have thought to include this kind of thing in her program. Y/N was curious to find out.

What she had forgotten was that Nathan was curious too. Not caring about privacy, conventions, other people.

The moment he saw what was happening in the living room, that Y/N was spending time with his mute creation rather than with him, he abandoned his work. There was nothing in the world that Bateman hated more than not being the center of attention.

"What are you doing ?" he asked casually, taking a bottle of water from the kitchen.

"As you can see, we're watching a horror movie."

"Why ? Kyoko can't appreciate that kind of thing."

"Ah. What does she appreciate then ?"

"Serving me. Cleaning, cooking, good sex."

"Lovely. Now, shush, let's watch the movie."

He grumbled a little, but Nathan obeyed, coming to sit with her. If he understood the absurdity of the situation when he discovered that she was watching Frankenstein, he kept it to himself, staring at the screen without saying anything.

For at least ten minutes, a world record.

"Why are you watching this ? It's not even funny."

"I think it's pretty funny. And it's the day for it."

"What's that supposed to mean ?"

For the first time since he had entered the room, Y/N looked at him, trying to determine if he was serious or if he was pretending not to know what day it was. As if he was doing it on purpose, Nathan stared back at her with a neutral look that was impossible to decipher.

"Kyoko, get out." he suddenly ordered, making his robot obey him immediately.

"We were having so much fun though. She could have been inspired by the creature."

"Impossible, she is programmed to love me more than her own existence. You could be inspired by her, like that you would have considered inviting me to your little horror party."

"You would have refused."

"I would have appreciated the gesture, and I might have joined you later, delighted to find you in a sexy maid outfit. You know my passion for role-playing games, I can't completely hate Halloween."

The discussion could have lasted a long time, a discussion they had already had often enough to know it by heart, her telling him that he was only a selfish pervert, he telling her that she could leave if it didn't suit her, folowwed by a silence for a while, until Nathan found a way to make up for it without ever having to apologize.

Y/N therefore turned her attention back to the end of the film, with the mad scientist killing his thing, before kissing his beloved fiancée tenderly.

The only time Bateman was tender was when he was drunk. But maybe those were the times he was the most honest.

"I wouldn't have chosen a maid costume." she sighed.

"Whatever, you're always sexy."

"You could ask Kyoko."

"I could, but it wouldn't be the same."

And there it was, his subtle way of telling her that she mattered, a little anyway, more than his own creation and all the other humans he'd fled when he moved here. Even if he was serious about the costume.

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #234

It rained today!! It rained a lot!! And there was thunder booming outside and everything!!!

…SO I WENT OUTSIDE!!!! But I didn't get any pictures; it was raining so hard that I felt it best to leave both my glasses and my cellphone at home.

And I ran!! And I looked up at the sky and let the rain fall onto my hair and face!! And I let my shoes glide along the surfaces of puddles, spraying water everywhere!!! And I found some really deep puddles to stomp around in and I kicked the water up into the air, and I listened to the booming thunder in the distance, and…!! and…!!! AND…!!!!

Well, of course I got soaked. The insides of my boots got all squishy and weird, hahaha! My hair became a shaggy, sopping mess. My clothing was literally dripping wet.

And then there was the guy in the groundskeeper's cart. I wasn't expecting anyone to be around because it really was raining super hard outside. But still he was there, and… goodness, I felt more than a little self-conscious; I'm very well aware that it's not "normal" for a grown person to frolic in the rain with reckless abandon. The fact that joy is not considered normal in my world is beyond my understanding (and is probably a large part of what's fucking wrong with this place), but it is what it is.

…Still, who fucking cares? I only get one shot at making life awesome for the soft animal that carries my soul, and I am autistic; I am socially unacceptable by default anyfuckingway, so what do I have to lose? So after pausing to bow at the man, and after engaging in brief, but pleasant conversation, in my own mind, I waved a great big huge middle finger at the lingering echoes of past people who tell me I should be ashamed of myself, and I continued to fucking frolic, like a goddamn BOSS. Those old thoughts are terrorists, and we don't fucking negotiate with terrorists.

And you know what!!! After that, I found a particularly deep puddle!!! It was so deep that the water went all the way up to the middle of my shins!!! IT WAS FUCKING GREAT!!!! And so I jumped and splashed and twirled around and stomped and kicked the water EVERYWHERE!!!! It was WONDERFUL!!!

The man came by in his cart again, this time with another man riding in the cart. So I turned and bowed to them once more. They told me that pretty soon, they were going to try to drain the puddles; they wanted to let me know because they thought I looked like I was having fun, and they didn't want me to be sad unexpectedly. So I thanked them, and I bid them peace, safety, and luck, and I told them that I hope they find excuses to dance today. And then I went home. I took my time. I jumped in a few more puddles. I rolled around in some wet grass. But I went home. And it was good.

Of course, by the time I got home, I maybe looked like a bit of a sasquatch, hahaha! So J took a few pictures; I am at home, so in these, I am not bothering to hide the weird ways that the autism and the dyspraxia and the hypermobility make me move and hold myself (people get uncomfortable and unsettled when I don't mask...); for today at least, I do not fucking care! And for today at least, I think maybe these will make you smile, even just a little:

...In case you wonder why autistic people tend to do "t-rex arms"? It's because we're more likely to be hypermobile, and keeping our biceps partially flexed prevents the humerus from coming out of its socket from the effects of gravity. The more you know!

For whatever reason, J then asked me to do my "best impression of a cheese goblin." It's very silly, but he asked, and what he asks for, he gets!

...I, uh... I think I accidentally did a "Frankenstein" instead of a "cheese goblin". And I tried to be really scary, but I don't think I was very successful, because I couldn't keep a straight face while doing it for very long, as you could see, ahahaha~!

Anyway, so everything I was wearing was covered in rainwater. So I had to take it all off and put it in the washer and then change into dry things! And then I put it all in the dryer, and it should be mostly dry now, I think??? My boots might need a few more cycles, but that's okay. I don't mind.

The rain stopped just a little, shortly after I got home. But then, while I was writing this letter to you, it began again, although not quite as strongly as before! Sometimes I think maybe you might miss the rain, so I tried to snag a video of it for you:

Hey, Sephiroth!!! If you're in my neighborhood the next time it rains like this, let's go outside and dance, okay??? And let's go splash around in the puddles and run around with wet hair and dripping clothes and soggy boots, and let's yell and laugh right back at the thunder and give permission for the wind and the rain to caress our faces!!! And then let's go home and be cheese goblins or Frankensteins or whatever!!! And then we can get cookies or macaroni and cheese!! It'll be fun, I promise!!!

You know what, Sephiroth!! You know what! I think I'm gonna play some Dead Cells now; it has been far too long!! Come and join me if you want to!!

I will end this here for today!! I hope you had as much fun reading it as I had fun writing it!!

I love you!!! Please stay safe and work hard out there, okay? But don't work so hard that you break, got it??? You wouldn't want me to come snatch you up and sentence you to a thousand years of cookies and milk and cartoons and macaroni and cheese and nature walks and yummy tea, would you????

...Who am I kidding? Of course you would! But please don't overwork yourself until you break, anyway, okay? I'm sure you remember what happened last time. I'm sure you don't wanna repeat your mistakes. I'm sure you wanna be able to make better choices.

Do your best, okay? I'll write again soon!

Your friend, Lumine

[severevoiddragon]

asking you all of the in character ask questions at once GO

WHUH- I'm only doing Callie for this or else I'll be here for hours.

"Asking me ALL the questions?! Wow! Okay, let's begin!"

Questions Here

When outside during the rain, do you use a raincoat, an umbrella, or something else? Do you enjoy rain?

"I sometimes use an umbrella or a coat, but I actually quite like the rain! There's been a few times I've been sat in the cemetery and I've been caught by the rain, it was actually quite fun. Mum wasn't too happy when I got back, though..."

Are you a good cook? Do you enjoy cooking? What's your favorite thing to cook?

"I'd say I'm below average? I can cook pasta and stir fry and that's about it! I like to make a fish pasta dish, that's got a creamy penne, salmon and prawns in! It's yummy!"

Do you prefer to take a shower during the morning or evening? Do you like taking baths? What's your favorite scent of shower gel?

"Definitely the evening, it takes me a while to come out of 'shower-mode'. Baths are fun, but it's a lot of energy to make a bath, so I don't have them that often! Oh, I really like lavender scent! Makes a nice and relaxing bath!"

Would you do something that someone told you not to do? Why? Is there someone you'd actually listen to more than everyone else?

"Of course not! They'd tell me not to for a good reason, right? Unless... Well, I guess if not doing something was going to hurt someone, then I'd do it... Oh absolutely Xavier! If it told me not to do something, I'd absolutely listen to it."

What will make you give up?

"I'd like to think I wouldn't give up but... I guess it's if someone got hurt, or something like that. I guess it links in with the last question you asked, but if X told me to stop, I'd definitely stop."

What kinds of books do you read? Do you have a lot of time to read?

"History books! Old journals of people long gone! Oh, and horror books, like Frankenstein or Jekyll & Hyde, and ones like that! I generally do have a lot, when I'm not working I'm usually reading... I don't have much else to do...."

What's your favorite kind of sport? Do you follow sports closely or don't care at all?

"Oh, this is a really hard one! I guess... Rugby? I watch X do it often, but I'm not really a sporty person. Xavier's good at it, though, and I enjoy watching him play!"

How often do you get sick? Do you stay at home when sick or do you end up going outside to, say, get some groceries? If you go outside, would you wear a mask?

"A lot... I don't have that good an immune system. I've had to stay at home a fair bit, so I just try to kind of... Push past it, and go in anyway. Why would I wear a mask...?*"

*Author's note: Covid-19 doesn't exist in this universe, so masks haven't come into popular use in Britain.

Do you have to wear a uniform somewhere? If yes, how do you feel about it? If no, what kind of uniform would you love to wear?

"Thankfully no! My school isn't one that has a uniform, which I'm really glad about. However, I do sort of wear a uniform, cause I wear the same style of outfit every day! I guess that's a kind of uniform I'd love to wear!"

How do you celebrate your accomplishments?

"Usually by getting a little treat for myself from a shop! Usually a snack or a candle or some more fairy lights, or - if it was a big accomplishment - a new book!"

What's your preferred way of getting somewhere - own car, public transport, a bicycle, or something else? How well do you follow the traffic rules?

"I can't drive, so that rules that one out. I like going by train, and walking places is fun, but I get tired pretty easily and my legs start to hurt quickly, so I usually use public transport. I'm going to bug X to drive me places once he gets his driver's license, shouldn't be too long now!"

What do you use to check what time it is?

"My phone or a clock!"

What would make you feel happy and loved?

"Someone going out of their way to listen to me infodump! Speaking of which, if you're still listening to me answer questions, why not check out @secrets-of-everwich which is my podcast!"

(Author's note: please do check out my writing if you're here and haven't already, since I've banished this under a cut hehe)

Do you believe in other dimensions?

"Maybe! It would be cool! Maybe there's a universe where I don't exist... Or maybe there's a universe where I'm a witch helping someone out as they brew potions!"

(Author's note: if you get that reference, you've been paying attention to my posts)

What kind of music do you mostly listen to? Do you know how to play an instrument, and if not, which one would you want to learn to play?

"I listen to a lot of goth music, my favourite is Siouxie and the Banshees, especially 'Trick or Treat'! I can play the flute, and a bit of the piano, but I think I'd like to learn more of piano to play some sheet music I found!"

Do you collect anything? Why?

"I don't think I do...?"

Author's Note: She collects fairy lights and Weird Old Trinkets, like the tape recorder. They do not realise this counts as a collection.

What's your go-to thing to drink? Do you prefer cold or hot drinks?

"I like hot chocolate! I usually drink blackcurrent squash, though, because it's a lot tastier than water!"

[raetreaderarts]

Dr. Wasabi Headcanons

(some of these are gonna be related to romance and relationships because I’m a mega simp)

• When she says she wants to get to know you inside and out, she means it. Her love language is dissection and experimentation, the exception of course being Mustard Cookie

• She’s very observant when studying patterns in behaviors, and sometimes she’ll even make note of things she deems to be extremely important, even if the person in question sees it as something small

•She’s a gamer, her favorite genre being online fighting games. This woman is an absolute MONSTER when it comes to mastering input combinations, a fearsome foe to be certain. I can imagine her and Mustard Cookie duking it out every so often whenever she visits the lab

• She sometimes affectionately nibbles her loved ones’ hand or arm

• Pansexual leaning sapphic (I was originally gonna say she’s a full-on lesbian but actually since she’s so down bad for Roguefort in the manhwa I think this makes more sense for me personally)

• She has a hard time standing still, always rushing around the laboratory and trying to get several things done at once. If she’s in a conversation with someone she might pace around or mess with her gloves

• She’s somewhere on the spectrum. Adding onto that, she has a lot of knowledge about a wide variety of subjects, she could go on Jeopardy and do pretty damn well probably

(I know everyone in the operation survival manhwa talks like this but infodumping fits her personality really well I feel)

• Since she’s a wasabi cookie, she can tolerate very spicy foods. On the rare occasions that she has guests over (she usually prefers to be alone when she’s tinkering with experiments in her lab) she forgets that not everyone likes food that will set their mouth on fire

• When she watches horror movies she picks apart all of the scientific inaccuracies, ie “actually if they were stabbed in that location then this would happen” don’t ask how she knows this information because you can probably take a pretty good guess. Despite this she still thoroughly enjoys them most of the time

• You’d be surprised just how flexible this old woman is, she can move in ways that contortionists can only dream of (I mean you just have to watch her slide in ovenbreak to know that)

• She can literally MacGyver any sorta contraption out of whatever junk is lying around, whatever you’ve got this woman just makes it work somehow

• She views Zombie Cookie as a son, think like if Victor Frankenstein were actually a good parent

• Her handwriting is absolutely atrocious, mainly just a bunch of incomprehension scribbles that she’s somehow miraculously able to read

CONCLUSION

I have many many many many thoughts about this woman, a lot of them pulled from the manhwa but some of them pulled from the games or just from my own brain. Ofc I know the manhwa isn’t canon but I feel like it does a really good job at portraying her personality so I incorporated it into my headcanons because of that. If you guys have any questions or additions I’m always open to hearing about them, I love unique character interpretations it’s just so much fun fr! Anyways if you enjoyed this post then that’s awesome, cause I’ll prolly be making more Wasabi content in the future teehee, absolutely obsessed with her ✨

[downtofragglerock]

My thoughts on Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)

And now we come to the end of of this journey with Creature from the Black Lagoon

Back when I started this, I mentioned I had seen exactly one of these movies beforehand. Well, this is it, this is the one. I got the dvd for this when I was a kid and watched it multiple times. Gill Man was one of the my early blorbos, long before that word even existed.

This movie is kind of weird in regards to the history of horror and monster movies, in that it exists in two worlds. I'd highly recommend @tyrantisterror 's insight on their "Four Horrors" theory, and their own analysis on the Gill Man on their personal site for a better explanation, but this movie, and thus the Gill Man, exist on the crux between the gothic horrors of old, and the "atomic age" monster stories that began emerging in the '50s.

But let's get to my thoughts

This is the longest of these movies, and its actually pretty well paced and manages to cram a lot of stuff in a still admittedly short run time

The Gill Man has a leitmotif, and universal would just end up using it as stock music for a whole bunch of movies after this, and infamous example being the English version of King Kong vs. Godzilla, which they distributed

Honestly all the characters that aren't the Gill Man and that boat captain are kinda nonentities

The underwater camera work is surprisingly pretty good, considering time and technology

Credit of course to Millicent Patrick for her work on designing and sculpting the Gill Man costume, a legend

And to Ricou Browning for the Gill Man underwater scenes, the fact he was able to swim at all in that costume is a feat in itself

This is a 50s monster movie, so naturally we need to begin with the standard opening science exposition

And of course, being a 50s monster movie, the science doesn't make a whole lotta sense

Writers cannot do math when it comes to geological eras

That is not paleontological procedure

They bullied that alligator with the boat noise what the fuck guys

Mark really is a professional hater

I'm glad he dies

I have a strong feeling that Kay's swimsuit was probably risqué in 1954

She also has some pretty good fits that I'm somewhat jealous of

Unfortunately though, she does suffer from "woman in a 1950s monster movie" syndrome

Damn shame

I weirdly enough get a lot of "Ariel from The Little Mermaid" vibes from the Gill Man

I'm just imagining the "caught in the net" scene from Gill Man's perspective

Kay don't throw cigarettes in the black lagoon that's bad

The creature's cave pad sick af

Ok I'm without a doubt extremely biased, but I'm totally down with the Gill Man taking his revenge on these losers who invade his home, shoot him multiple times with spear guns, and also drug him several times with a substance that explicitly makes it hard for him to breath

David, stop trying to bring up the space thing it's not gonna happen

I don't care what the movie wants me to think, Gill Man did nothing wrong was completely justified in his actions

And that's it, I'm done. Feels weird.

Overall, this movie has a special place in my heart, and nothing can change that. But from an objective stance, the James Whale-directed movies are better. I'd still put this higher than Wolf Man, on account of the fact that you get a lot more of the monster in this.

For these movies my final ranking goes from top to bottom:

Tie between Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein

Then Invisible Man

Then Creature from the Black Lagoon

Then Wolf Man

Then The Mummy

And lastly Dracula

This has been a fun project, glad I could finally watch these

[mrscorcoran]

One more secret won't hurt / Bunny x reader

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 5: The shores of Metahemeralism

My curiosity gets the best of me, and I take a seat one table closer than I was last time. I’m still carrying the damn Frankenstein book around, the essay still unwritten, so I take it out, both to look less like a stalker and to actually try to do some reading. Most of them are quietly reading as well, except of course for Bunny, who’s talking Henry’s ear off about yet another thing I know nothing about. Thanks to Judy now I can put a name to all their faces, but it only makes me feel even more like a stalker, knowing trivial details about these people I’ve never even spoken to.

Henry seems quite amused by whatever Bunny is saying, his eyes going back and forth between Bunny and the paper he’s holding in his hands. I look down at my book and try to eavesdrop as discreetly as possible.

- “I tell you; this might be my best paper yet. Julian is gonna be all over it when I turn it in,” Bunny’s excited words cut through the silence in the library.

- “Bunny, I’m still not sure ‘Metahemeralism’ actually exists…” says Henry, shuffling between the few sheets of paper in his hands. “Also, why does it look like this? What’s up with all the space?”

- “Huh? Oh! Well, it needed to be five pages long, so I triple spaced it, pretty smart, huh?” I can hear Henry snort and look I up to see him covering him mouth with a hand, trying to remain composed. He lets out a small chuckle. In all the times I’ve seen them around campus, I’ve never seen Henry smile once, let alone laugh.

- “Hey B, you want me to take a look at it? See if it needs any corrections?” Francis offers from behind his pince-nez. I’ve never seen anyone wearing pince-nez in real life. I’m not sure they even make them anymore, so I wonder if he’s wearing an antique pair or if maybe he had them custom made. They just add to his quirky charm. Judy was right. Now that I’m closer I can see he’s indeed very handsome.

- “Nah, don’t worry about it. I just want to turn it in and be done with it. Plus, it took me 2 weeks to write, so I’m pretty sure it’s a masterpiece.” Bunny says, triumphantly.

- “What was it, again? ‘Methemeralism’ I mean,” asks who I assume is Richard, the one Judy likes.

- “It’s ‘Metahemeralism,’” Bunny corrects confidently. “Comes from Latin, it has to do with irony and the pastoral.” They all looked up at him, dumbfounded. I’ve read hundreds of books throughout my life, both for school and for fun, and I’ve never heard about Metahemeralism either.

- “Bun, wasn’t the paper meant to be about John Donne? Are you sure you didn’t mean ‘metaphysicalism’ or something?” Camilla asks sweetly, genuine concern in her eyes, as she closes her book, one finger sandwiched between the pages as a bookmark.

- “Oh, John Donne, John Schmone. I did mention him a couple times, but the star of the paper is definitely Metahemeralism. It’s the glue between the poet and the fisherman!” he speaks with his hands, as much as with his voice; he waves them around and then brings them together, interlocking his fingers, as if they’re the poet and the fisherman being glued together, whatever the hell that means.

- “Let me take a look at that,” says Charles, yanking the paper from Henry’s hands. He skims the paper for a few seconds, and suddenly bursts out laughing. Bunny’s glaring at him, clearly offended by the reaction. “‘And as we leave Donne and Walton on the shores of Metahemeralism, we wave a fond farewell to those famous chums of yore,’” he reads off the paper. “Bunny, you’re right, this is a masterpiece,” he wipes a tear from his cheek, and hands the paper back to Bunny, with a soft pat on his shoulder. The others are all fighting their own personal battles not to burst out laughing. Bunny seems unsure if Charles was being sarcastic or not.

- “Well, we’ll see if Julian likes it, he’s gonna be the one grading it after all,” he says, with a nonchalant little smile. “I’m gonna put the masterpiece away now, unless anyone else wants to take a look at it.”

- “Could I take a look at it?” the new voice startles me at first, but I am completely frozen when I realize it’s coming from me. The six of them fix their eyes on me, just as startled by my interruption. I make eye contact with Bunny and immediately feel my knees betraying me, but I do my best to remain stoic. I’m not sure where the confidence came from when I spoke up, but it certainly abandoned me after the damage was done. Several seconds pass before anyone says anything. From the corner of my eye, I’m pretty sure I see Camilla giggling and sharing a look with Francis.

- “Uh… Sure. Here you go,” he finally answers, extending his arm and offering me the paper. I stand up, walk the few steps that separate our tables, and take the paper carefully with the tips of my fingers, careful not to wrinkle any corners or smudge the ink. He looks confused by my interest in his paper, but still gives me a smile.

He stands there while I quickly read through the paper. It doesn’t take too long, considering he really did triple space it. I feel everyone’s eyes staring at me, expectantly. The paper is a bit all over the place, touching on many topics without actually concluding anything relevant. It could be a good draft; it just needs a little more work connecting the ideas to each other. I’m still unsure if Metahemeralism is even a word, but it’s definitely an interesting read. I reach the end and I find myself smiling widely at the paper.

- “So…?” His voice breaks my trance, and I look up at him startled. “Did you like it? What did you think?” It feels like they are all holding their breaths, waiting for my answer. I suck at speaking in public, or under pressure, or both at the same time, so I take a deep breath to avoid stammering once I begin speaking.

- “I did like it,” I confirm. “I would work on it a little more to connect the ideas more smoothly, but it has potential. I’m not a classics major though, so don’t take me too seriously.”  I realize my mistake a second too late and hope they won't notice and ask how I knew their major. I chuckle nervously and hand the paper back to him.

- “What’s your major?” Camilla asks from her seat, right in front of me. Her big eyes staring at me, making me feel almost as weak as Bunny’s.

- “I’m a literature major.”

- “WHAT?! A lit major! Of course I’m gonna take your opinion seriously!” yells Bunny, beaming at me. Just as expected, his energy is contagious. I beam right back at him. “Nice to meet you, I’m Bunny,” he extends his hand to me. I look at it for a second before I realize I’m supposed to shake it.

- “Oh, right. I’m Y/N,” I shake his hand. “Nice to meet everyone,” I add, feeling their eyes still on me.

- “That’s Henry, and Richard. Over there is Francis, and these are Charles and Camilla,” he points to each of his friends, and I pretend I didn’t already know all their names. A wave of ‘Heys’ and ‘Hellos’ erupts from the group.

- “Whatcha got there?” asks Camilla, and I see her eyes are on my hands. I’m still carrying the damn book, still very unread.

- “Oh, I have to write a paper on Frankenstein and it has to be original and revolutionary so I was trying to re-read it to see if I could come up with anything, but my brain is still blank.”

- “Original? About Frankenstein?” Francis scoffs, rolling his eyes. “They should’ve assigned you a less ancient book if they wanted something original.”

- “That’s exactly what I said!” I exclaim, happy to have someone agree with me, though it comes out more as an excited shriek. Camilla and Francis giggle again, and I feel my cheeks blushing. “Well, I’ll let you all get back to your stuff-” I start saying, feeling bad about interrupting the group of strangers, but Camilla grabs my wrist. I look down at her, confused.

- “Wait, no. Sit down. Maybe we can all brainstorm some revolutionary ideas about Frankenstein, we’ve all read it, I’m sure,” she says, dragging her chair to the left and pulling up another chair from a nearby table, between her and Francis. She winks at me and takes the book from my hands, skimming through a few pages. There's no way I can say no now, so I just take a seat. 

They all start throwing random ideas at me. Most of them are definitely not original, stuff about the novel that has been overanalyzed for 2 centuries already. I still write everything down, every idea counts. Maybe I can combine some parts of an idea with bits of another, and create a new, better idea. I see the irony as soon as the thought crosses my mind.

Through all the chaos and voices speaking over one another, I try my best not to look directly at Bunny for too long, scared of giving them the wrong impression. Now that I’ve spoken to him and everything seems less mysterious, less unreachable, I can finally stop overfocusing on it.

Half an hour later I have a rough draft of what my essay could be about. Henry suggested I analyze what the book would’ve looked like if it had been written by Percy instead of Mary; and Francis suggested I analyze how society would’ve responded to the book if it had been written by a man instead of a woman. I’m not sure how original it actually is, but I’ve never read anything from this perspective, so that’s good enough!

- “Thanks guys. I’ve been trying to write this fucking essay for like a week,” I say, putting the book along with a bunch of crumbled up papers with discarded ideas, into my bag. “And Bunny, thank you for letting me read your paper,” I say, turning to him.

- “Nah, thank you for reading it!” he says, smiling broadly at me. “I’d love to hear some of those ideas to make it smoother sometime…” he casually adds.

- “Sure thing, anytime you want,” I say, writing down on one of the discarded pieces of paper. “Here’s my number, just let me know.” I look at the rest of them, “You can all save it to your phones, in case you need help with anything literature related,” I add, before turning away towards the exit. A wave of ‘Thank yous’ and ‘Byes’ flowing behind me.

Outside the library, I breathe in a mouthful of fresh air. I feel my shoulders lighter already. I knew I only needed to find the courage to speak to them to chase that overwhelming mess of thoughts out of my brain. I remember what Judy said about them when I first asked, and I could definitely see some of it firsthand, like Henry’s seriousness, yet I couldn’t help but liking them all. Sure, they’re a bit strange, but then again, so am I, I guess. There’s one thing Judy was totally right about though.... Bunny is indeed very nice.

[sodaliteskull]

A much-belated Writing Questions tag game from @thesorcerersapprentice, who you absolutely need to be checking out! Check out her own responses to these questions over here!

Sending no-pressure tags to @saintedseraph, @meerawrites, and @lorenfinch. This is also an open tag to everyone, so if this sounds like your jam, get in on it!

What is your absolute all-time favourite idea you’ve ever had?

Gender swapping my main character’s love interest in my Silent Island stories for the Island of Crows reboot. I was fully in the throes of comphet when I was working on the Silent Island, and so I felt like my character had to have an opposite sex love interest - after all, the others I was writing with were all writing opposite sex love interests for their own characters, so I guess I had to, too. And while I like the idea of a romance, as a wlw, I am not interested in the idea of romance with a guy, so despite having some interesting concepts I wanted to play with in regards to this romance between these two characters, I couldn’t bring myself to give a shit about them when it came time to put pen to page. But switching the love interest from being a man to a woman? Honey, I could not stop the words from flowing!

Is there a question you’ve been asked that really stands out to you and that you still think about sometimes?

HAH. “What kind of drugs/alcohol were you on when you came up with that idea?!” That question stands out because I HATE it! Ever since I was little, I’ve heard so many people say that about any kind of story that was a little bit off the wall. Frankenstein, Alice In Wonderland, Lord of the Rings, Dune, “cLeArLy NoNe Of ThOsE cOuLd Be WrItTeN sObEr!!!” Shut the fuck up! It gave me this weird mindset for the longest time that I wouldn’t be able to write an “interesting” story unless I did so under the influence. Because of this, I had so many half-baked ideas and half finished things that I thought I wouldn’t be able to complete until I was able to get inebriated? Like I somehow wouldn’t be able to unlock the “true potential” of them or something?! So I try drinking (tastes nasty, makes me feel wretched) and drugs (weed: tastes WORSE and makes me a total space case, shrooms: mildly better tasting but gets me way too hyper to focus on anything), and attempt to write while under the influence, and surprise! Everything I came up with was trash! Bad! Nonsensical, but in a stupid way, not a fun creative way! It turns out that the real way to improve your writing is to sit down and actually write, and not wait for what is essentially a magic potion to make you a better writer!

What is your favourite part of being a writer? What parts could you take or leave?

I really dig the brainstorming phase, mostly because I can do that pretty much anywhere! LOL THE AMOUNT OF PROFESSIONAL, WORKING HOURS I HAVE SPENT JUST FULLY MALADAPTIVELY DAYDREAMING IS MAYBE A LITTLE CONCERNING, WHOOPS! But the stage where you get to metaphorically throw everything at the wall in order to see what sticks, I really love that part! The whole, more modern trend where you have to become an influencer if you want to get published? Not a fan of that!

What is your greatest motivation to write/create?

Shittily executed stories, hands down. When a work has a kernel of something cool under layers and layers of metaphorical feces, that inspires me way more than something that, to me at least, has been expertly crafted. Breaking down the essence of something that works for me in a bad story and moulding it into something of my own? Love doing that!

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever read or been given as a writer?

Honestly, it’s the one about how if you’re stuck, then the problem is three sentences back or whatever. I used to try and brute force my way through roadblocks in my writing, but I’ve never been satisfied by the results of those methods. Rereading to find trouble spots when I hit those kinds of stoppages has done wonders for me, personally!

What do you wish you knew when you were first starting out writing?

Gonna go off on a tangent for a sec, so stay with me! When I was little, like toddler little, I didn’t quite understand how writing worked. I knew that books held stories, and I fucking loved stories! Like most kids, I made up all kinds of weird little scenarios with my toys, and I thought it would be rad as hell to keep a record of them so I could go back and read them. I somehow came to the conclusion that if I just thought about what I wanted to write while I wrote, then my thoughts would just, I don’t know, psychically imprint themselves on the page?! So I made a bunch of little books by cutting up loose leaf paper into smaller sheets and stapling them together with a construction paper cover, and I would “write” my stories by grabbing whatever book or magazine I could find and copying the letters on the pages into my “books” while I thought about what I wanted the story to be like. I would then go back and “read” my books, but it was really just me daydreaming about whatever the story was supposed to be about, which I knew more from what I’d crayoned the cover to look like, rather than any of the actual contents on the pages. It wasn’t until I started kindergarten that I learned that letters are sounds, and that the sounds put together make up words, and the words put together is how stories are made. So the thing I wish I knew when I first started “writing” would be how words actually worked!

What is your favourite story you’ve written to completion? Link it if you’d like and can!

I’m going to cheat because it’s technically not complete, but the Silent Island stories that I wrote with my pals. We wrote them, off and on, between 2003 and 2015, so that is the majority of my life! It’s an inextricable part of me at this point. It’s not something that’s going to be traditionally published, but having it up online is probably going to be in the cards for this beast. LOL ALAS NOT ANY TIME SOON! Still gotta sort through it all!

Which of your characters would you say has the most controversial mindset? Why do you say so, and how do you personally feel about their ideals?

For me, personally, the character with the most controversial mindset would be Ransaran, who is the antagonist for the Starcrossed Cycle. A “god” that only sees people as a natural resource to be exploited, I modelled a lot of its behaviour and mindset after people I find deplorable in real life - people like Bezos, Trump, Musk, and Epstein, to name a few - people who take, and use, and destroy for their own pleasure, with absolutely no thought or care for anything beyond their own selfish desires. People like that are the antithesis to everything I value as a person, so when I think “villainy”, those are the types of people that come to mind.

If you, when you first started writing, met you now, what would younger you think?

I think younger me would be blown away by the sheer volume of writing that I’ve produced over the years. Alas, most of it incomplete, or half baked planning, but I have written a metric fuckton between then and now! But hey, here’s hoping that the me from now would be blown away by the amount of actually completed works the me ten years in the future will have under her belt!

[vigilskeep]

to make up for my last question - I'm very intrigued by the Keir-Sebastian friendship, and I also sort-of wonder what Keir's take was on Sebastian's questline/his struggle between paths between reclaiming Starkhaven and staying in the Chantry

keir takes the rivalry route! he doesn't see anything wrong with sebastian avenging his family and he's pretty universally anti chantry, so he has a fairly low opinion of what good sebastian could achieve as a brother and no desire for a friend to throw his life away serving the maker and the grand cleric. he has no love for elthina or her effect on sebastian. overall keir's he's not going to push any of this with sebastian or like actively try to convince him away from the chantry, but he's also always open and blunt abt his opinions, so he's going to be honest abt all of the above; i think sebastian appreciates that he can trust that honesty even if they're agreeing to disagree

more quietly keir can be... not power-seeking but safety-seeking, and there is something in the back of his head where he sees the value in having a prince for an ally. but that's also connected to him genuinely arguing if sebastian wants to do "good" he should take the throne. keir doesn't have a really ambitious bone in his body so i don't think he quite understands the temptation seb is trying to avoid, and just thinks, yeah power lets you do stuff and keep safe what you want to keep safe. obviously they end up with quite different ideas of what that "good" looks like

mostly i think it's really fun for pro-mage anders-sparing hawke to run the rivalry route. create your own enemy! sebastian frankenstein's monster era <3

[lorablackmane]

Homebound AU

Hi there, welcome to my silly lil Welcome Home AU! It's a pretty simple little au, but it's one I've had a lot of fun with.

Essentially the idea is: what if Home & Wally were actually the same character? After another neighbor moves out of Home it gets the brilliant idea to make a neighbor to be it's resident. Something as we know from Frankenstein is a pro gamer move with no consequences!

...I'm lying of course it had consequences and those were it accidentally trapped itself in the body it made from the rug. Eventually they figure out how to switch between the two but it takes a moment bc the bodies are fundamentally different. I made a lil edit below the read more of em (the pic was bigger than I realized)!

Home!Wally fun facts:

Home!Wally's pronouns are he/they/it

This Wally didn't originally have anything on it's shoes - he saw how Barnaby's paws would leave lil hearts as he walked and rlly liked that so one night he added the apples so he'd leave his favorite thing (besides the neighbors of course!) everywhere it went

This Wally loves apples not only bc they were some of the 1st things he ever got from the neighbors, but they also come in a lot of the colors it does. A lot of the books he's bought from Howdy are about orchards or different apple types

His ribbon is actually originally part of the rug it made this body out of, he added the strings of beads later with each color representing one of it's neighbors.

All the colors besides his skin tone comes color picked from Home, the skin tone was taken from the main Wally drawing on the website

Wally often talks to himself, a trait from when it'd spend months without anyone staying with it

While they stay in the Wally body often, if they aren't feeling up to interacting or just want a quiet day they'll stay in it's Home form

They love music because it makes them think of their neighbors! A lot of the records in their living room were ones left behind by the others, and they'll play them and sing along while making something for whatever neighbor left that record behind.

Home!Wally sometimes uses mobility aids like canes, especially near the start of having their Wally body since moving was hard for him. 

Despite their flower accessories Wally actually has pretty bad hay fever. It was a common joke that Barnaby's fake water gun flowers could even cause his hay fever to act up 

They have a pretty large catalog of potpourri recipes in their head. No it absolutely doesn't help their hay fever - especially when they add things like cinnamon. Yes they'll still make them in spite of this fact because they smell nice!

They like reading books in both forms! Sometimes they get worried about how little they know about things, but luckily the Bodega has a lot of books for sale. As home they push the pages with their drapes

They're not very good with art, but they try their best. He instead opens episodes with books connected to whoever's teaching the lesson they're learning (ex. a book about Shakespeare when he'll be going to Sally or a book about beetles or another insect when visiting Frank). Each friend has their own shelf of books!

That's all I have for now! I do have a fanfic written for it, but I need to finish editing it so it'll go up tonight. Thank ya for reading: have a boi.

Special thanks to @kindestegg for drawing this silly lil version of my boi!

Here's the edit because I didn't realize how big it was before making this post:

[captainclervals]

NO FOR REAL the way the people on here talk about disabled people and characters is straight up EVIL. I cannot fathom the horrible way they'll talk about things like Frankenstein like the takes aren't already bad enough. The things they say are so destructive toward us even if they think they're just heehawing at a character, the second ableism comes up it stops being funny and they don't even get it

YOU'RE SO SO RIGHT ... you get it 😭 I'm so sorry you're also affected by what a prevalent issue it is but I'm also glad to know I'm not just being overly critical or pedantic HAHA I don't want to be mistaken as just trying to gatekeep a bajillion-year-old public domain book from new readers because that's not at ALL what I'd like, it'd be nice to have new artists and enjoyers and friends to meet! but while it should be fun and accessible and not feel like another high school class full of rules and guidelines on what to write, we also need to speak out on offensive humor and portrayals... not on behalf of a character but because, like you said, it's destructive to the real people right alongside us!!

I have a ball with comedy and jokes! I don't feel like classic literature is a sacred thing only to be approached with academic sobriety, BUT everyone has that responsibility to have fun in a way that isnt going to implicate real world people. a lot of folks hate Victor, I get it, and despite him being my favorite character I'm unfazed by just general dislike because if it's just a matter of taste/opinion, that's fine! I don't like everyone else's favorites!

but unfortunately from what I've seen it's rarely as respectful as that... it's very easy to list the reasons for hating him such as, he's useless, he's pathetic, he's annoying, he takes advantage of/is a burden on his friends and family... and typically they won't go all the way down to why but it's still there: because he's chronically ill? because he's disabled? not going into the moral aspects or whatever, we're just apparently cracking on him because he's prone to fainting and wild emotional spells and spends long periods being bedridden and requiring care, and because he can't/doesn't do something of equal magnitude in return, he's a bad friend and a burden and should have been left to suffer alone? and it's just funny because it's weak and effeminate to have bad health I GUESS? and he made bad choices so he deserved it or something? (the classic "if you're disabled you brought it on yourself somehow") I've literally seen people say he manipulated clerval and walton into caring for him and that they should have left him to die alone??

😩 I really don't believe the jokes are made in bad faith but there should just be more awareness of the fact that disabled people are so apt to see others, even their friends, subtly (or not so subtly?) say "it's joke material to be that sick! people who require care are bad friends/family members and your able-bodied loved ones also think you're a parasite!" it's just so ingrained in people that I'm pretty sure the majority don't even realize at all the implications of what they're using as a punchline. like do y'all think I should be abandoned by my friends and family and should die alone so I'll stop wasting their time and resources? I really doubt anyone does (ufgsj at least I hope not) but that's how I FEEL seeing some of these posts!

this is literally what made me so much more reserved and afraid of my own disability and how it looks to other people! seeing people make that exact kind of joke about frankenstein was a negative turning point in my perception of myself! I honestly somehow didn't fully recognize until seeing people laugh, right in front of me, about how weak and pathetic the chronically ill character is FOR being chronically ill and that he didn't deserve the love of his friends in caring for him when he wasn't able to take care of himself and it hit me that THIS is how people see me!! weak for being disabled, useless, and a parasite for needing assistance in simple tasks while contributing very little to the world! I've become even more hesitant about sharing details of my experience with chronic illness and far more reluctant to ask for help even when I desperately need it—

I very rarely discuss details of my disability, so most people don't even know that it's such a deeply personal struggle, but I don't feel like you should HAVE to disclose your medical history just to keep those around you aware enough to not use disability as an insult or punchline. I really don't think it should be necessary for someone to just rein in ableism politely just while someone disabled is in the company. you never know who is listening or how they feel! so out of kindness and respect it's just the decent thing to focus the victor malice towards, y'know, things like his moral failings and NOT towards his mental or physical health (and even then some of what I see typically classified as his moral failings actually are tied at least in part to his health but that's another discussion LMAO)

and not even really touching on the mental health aspect because I feel like USUALLY people are more inclined to treat that with sensitivity (even though I have seen PUBLISHED BOOKS talk about the whole "victor was delusional and imagined the monster to shield himself from the fact that HE killed his friends and family" thing. which i despise as a psychotic person with paranoid delusions. gotta love the constant reminder that generally people assume that if you experience psychoses you must be violent and always one thread away from a killing spree...). but stuff like having bouts of illness after strong emotion or needing friends to help ground you during paranoid spells or addiction resulting from a coping mechanism ARE ALSO not something to laugh at and call a weakness!

[themaddoctorappreciationclub]

what happens when the doctors start drinking or taking recreational substances?

"Ludwig! Hey... hey, Ludwig!" Medic pokes the poor man, who is just trying to get some rest. Looking up, Dr. Ludwig sees that Medic has gotten his hands on a bottle of alcohol and is now happily waving it in front of his face. Slurring his words, Medic continues "You gotta try this! I already gave some to the other doctors! It gets you hammered pretty quickly!"

Dr. Ludwig shakes his head, yawning "No thanks. I just took some of my Emesis Diazepam. I can't take it with alcohol." "Oh, you're no fun." Lying back down in bed, Dr. Ludwig's sleep is, once again, interrupted. This time, it's by the sound of Medic tripping and falling on his own feet, knocking over a bunch of medical supplies as he drops to the floor.

Down in the surgery bay, Victor Frankenstein, Dr. Drevis, and Herbert West are all hiding in a closet. From who, you may ask? The one and only Dr. Maruki. "Listen, you two! I heard him mention the blind idiot god, himself!" West whispers to the other two, only for Frankenstein to slur out "Did... am I the bad guy? Daniel... are we the bad guys?" followed by Dr. Drevis saying "No... No, we're not. Get that stupid idea out of your head."

Out in the operating room, Dr. Maruki is talking, seemingly to nothing, as he bawls his eyes out. "I just miss her so much, Azathoth! I miss Rumi so much! What am I to do without her!?" "Yes! You're right, Azathoth! I can just make the others as happy as possible... Nobody deserves to feel as I do! It still won't change the fact that I miss Rumi..." Next thing they know, Maruki summons his persona, causing the three in the closet to fall out of it in shock. West points at it, screaming "What in God's name is that thing!? Is it HIM?!"

In the break room, the staff of the Heilwald Klinikum are all sat in a circle on the floor. Nurse Anne, still being her bubbly self, even while drunk, is trying to tell jokes and lighten the mood. Meanwhile, Dr. Randolph is sat directly next to her, sobbing his eyes out as he says "I am so sorry... God, I feel so awful... I've been such a jackass-" Dr. Wolfram seems to be flirting with everyone and everything, and at the moment, his preferred target seems to be the empty spot where Dr. Hauser was sitting. Dr. Hauser, meanwhile, is passed out on the couch. Nurse Sabine is happily chatting with Nurse Anne, while Nurse Heideltraut has stormed down the hall to scream at West to shut the hell up.

All the while, the receptionist is sitting at his desk, frantically trying to keep track of everyone. He has no idea how and why Medic got such strong alcohol into the club, but it is already wreaking havoc, despite having not gotten to every member. Who knows what might happen if everybody else gets some of it!? Or worse... The possibility of drunk science?!

There is a tapping on his desk, causing him to look over. Dr. Clef is standing there, holding his ukulele. There is a silence, for a moment, before he says "SCP 049 got a hold of the alcohol. I have learned one thing from that experience: he can puke. Do we uh... Did you hire a janitor, yet?"

The receptionist sighs, grabbing a mop. This is going to be a long, long day...