#it's real goofy and just dumb like there's nothing else to it

[geddy-leesbian]

I've got 2 long rants about how much I despise 99% of Umbrella Chronicles and CVX sitting in my drafts not sure if I want to post them bc it could be swinging a bat at a hornet nest for sure

[ooooo-mcyt]

Scar has SUCH a victim complex and we really should talk about it more.

In an average Scar pov of the Life Series, two things are basically guaranteed:

a.) Scar never does anything wrong. Any perceived wrongdoing on Scar's part is simply him being silly and goofy which people keep blowing it out of proportion. Or he really didn't mean to do anything wrong and people are just so paranoid and keep misinterpreting his good intentioned actions. Or he did something bad but it wasn't his idea and some outside force made him and it wasn't that big a deal anyways when you think about it.

b.) Everyone's out to get Scar. People wrongfully don't trust him because they're just blind to his inherent trustworthiness. People are always shooting down his brilliant plans because they hate fun or are just mean. People take advantage of him when he's never done anything wrong to them (if you think he has done anything wrong, see point a). People betray him so much, him, the silliest funnest most trustworthy teammate who only wants friendship.

Now, a lot of this is tactical on Scar's part, to give credit where credit is due! Scar is in fact very intelligent, and most of the time he knows what he's doing! A lot of time Scar plays innocent and dumb because playing innocent and dumb keeps working to get him what he wants and to keep him out of trouble. People buy into the facade with shocking ease. And the really clever thing is that even when people don't buy into the facade, there's no argument. Because it doesn't matter if Scar is as dumb and innocent as he pretends to be (he's not), people can't prove he doesn't believe what he says, so they don't waste energy arguing, and he gets away with a shocking amount because of it. Scar is incredible at playing with tactical facades and twisted narratives. So yes, a lot of Scar's "victim complex" is tactic, not necessarily a genuinely held belief on Scar's end.

That being said, I think sometimes Scar gets so caught up in his own false narratives that he starts to believe them, and I think Scar can be painfully, and ironically, blind to his own faults. When he says he felt abandoned and betrayed by everyone in Last Life, I believe he meant it, though I'd argue he actively pushed people away and was the reason nobody trusted him. When he says he treated Grian right and "built him a panda sanctuary" in Double Life, I think Scar actually means that, though it's factually incorrect. When he says he was "forced" to be alone in Secret Life, I'm sure he meant that too, though again I'd argue Scar had a very active role in self isolating.

While I think Scar is a very intelligent person who very much purposefully crafts narratives that benefit him, I also think Scar is a person who likes to live in those narratives, someone who uses his boundless imagination to integrate himself into the realities he builds so seamlessly that they start to feel real. I think this is a very efficient coping mechanism, in a lot of ways, for Scar to blame any genuine suffering he has entirely on outside persecution and minimize his own responsibility. It's comforting, if nothing else.

But this self imposed hand crafted victim complex doesn't actually help with the ways Scar really struggles the most. Scar consistently struggles with isolation, whether through literal distance from other players or simply emotional inability to connect. And unfortunately, most of it is a result of Scar's own behavior. Scar lies, Scar cheats, Scar pushes people away. Scar is the reason nobody trusts him. Scar is the one who consistently refuses to seek out companionship even when he needs it. This is an agonizingly fixable problem, but it's one Scar cannot see the solution to, because ironically his own cunning and creative mind has spun a web so thick it's trapped him inside, and he can't see past it to realize he has the way out!

Anyways sorry for rambling I'm just insane about Scar, he has such a brilliant mind and the tongue to back it up but his fatal flaw has always been in how his creative mind loses itself in its own false narratives until he cannot see the exit door five feet in front of him. He's sooooooooooooo !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[s0ullove22]

When the AIB Boys Realize They’re in Love with Her

How they react when they fall in love with you

⸻

Chishiya:

She steals a fry off his plate.

He raises an eyebrow, clearly judging her.

But when she grins like she just committed a high-level crime and got away with it, something shifts in his chest.

She laughs at his sarcasm. She’s not scared of him.

He watches her eat his food and thinks:

“…Oh no. I like her. I really like her.”

⸻

Last Boss:

She grabs his hand in the middle of a game and doesn’t let go—even when chaos erupts around them.

She looks at him like he’s not a weapon, but a person. Like he’s hers.

Later, when she falls asleep on his shoulder, softly mumbling his name in her sleep, he freezes.

Quietly, he slips his jacket over her shoulders.

“If anyone hurts her, I’ll kill them.”

…Yeah. He’s in deep.

⸻

Arisu:

She trips over her own feet and laughs it off like it’s nothing.

He rushes over like she’s broken every bone in her body, borderline panicking.

She teases him for being dramatic, ruffling his hair.

He blushes so hard he forgets what planet he’s on.

That night, he keeps hearing her laugh in his head and thinks:

“Oh. I’m done for.”

⸻

Niragi:

She talks back. Boldly.

Real sass. No fear. She calls him out when he’s being ridiculous, then winks at him like she’s challenging him to do something about it.

At first, he’s thrown. Like—who does she think she is?

But then she laughs, all pretty and smug, and his stomach flips.

“If anyone else makes her laugh like that, I’ll set them on fire.”

Yeah. He’s completely gone.

⸻

Tatta:

She laughs at his dumb joke. Not a pity laugh—like, full-on giggles that make her clutch her stomach.

He turns bright red. Literally short-circuits.

She calls him “cute” when he stammers through a sentence, and his brain immediately reboots.

Later, she gives him a goofy smile and says, “You make me feel safe.”

He doesn’t even know how to process that. Safe? Him?

He goes to bed smiling like an idiot.

“I think I love her. Oh no. I definitely love her.”

⸻

Aguni:

She’s the only one who doesn’t treat him like he’s made of stone.

She teases him. Pokes his arm when he’s brooding. Smirks when he says something serious.

One day, she hands him a bottle of water after training and says, “You really should rest more, y’know.”

It’s simple. Soft. Real.

And for some reason, it hits him harder than any fight ever could.

He watches her walk away, ponytail swaying, completely unaware of the war she’s just started in his chest.

“Damn it… I’m in love with her.”

_______________

Hey my loves❤️

Hope you like this one

*the next one is probably how they’re gonna confess*

Bye!!

[alpali]

Hi hi Ali, congratulations on 700 followers! Your writing is so good I'm glad people are appreciating it (⁠*⁠˘⁠︶⁠˘⁠*⁠)⁠.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡

May I ask something for your event?

If yes, may I have Atsumu and the trope "singing your favorite lovesong to them as if you are truly dedicating the song to them"? I thought the trope is super cute and a bit of yearning is always endearing. If it's ok, a drabble would be good

Once again, congratulations 💙

Having a roommate who was tall hot and cocky was definitely a challenge. You had applied for the room since he lived close to your campus and at first he was very respectful, no boundaries crossed, very much a gentleman.

However when the two of you grew closer, maybe even blurring the lines between friends or lovers, his goofy side made an appearance. He was loud, a baby, flirtatious, inappropriate. You always replied with a playful roll of your eyes, indulging in his dumb banter.

Lazy early mornings were a regular for the two of you. You’d wake up, get breakfast started and Atsumu would come strolling in, half asleep. You hand him his mug, all apart of this routine. He leans against the counter watching you with a soft smile.

You gasp when your favorite song plays through the speaker. You immediately start humming, swaying your hips. Atsumu breathes out a laugh. You look so cute and so domestic with nothing but your oversized shirt and shorts. Yet you take him by surprise when you whip around, holding the spatula and walking towards him and singing.

“Oh—I wanna take two, I wanna break through—I wanna know the real thing about you, so I can see you in a new light~”

You push his mug to the side, forcing him to dance with you. He looks amused, staring down at you with adoration.

“What is this hm?”

You don’t answer, only singing more.

“Oh~ we can go far from here and make a new world together babe.”

He grins, which you can only guess was due to the pet name.

“Cause if you give me just one night, you’re gonna see me in a new light.”

He doesn’t say anything else, letting you lead him as you both sway away in the kitchen. Food, his mug, your spatula, all of it forgotten. At some point his hands had ended up in your waist and your hands on his shoulders. He twirls you around solely because he loved the way you smiled when he did. He pulls you against him but you’re not done just yet.

“What do I do with all this—what do I do with all this, this love that’s running through my veins for you.”

This couldn’t just be you singing right?

This had to have meant something.

It was all getting to him. The you looked at him with your doe eyes. He couldn’t ignore the way you looked so happy and he tells himself he doesn’t want to see you any different. When the song finally dies out, you giggle against him. He smiles down at you lovingly, fixing your hair.

“Yer so cute.” He smiles, he so badly wanted to kiss you.

You guys were so close anyways, this all felt so intimate but god he didn’t care. He loved every second of this and he didn’t want any of it to end. You laugh, patting at his chest.

“I love that song so much. You should be happy I sang it to you.” You tease and he throws his head back with a laugh.

“Ya sayin I’m special?” He quirks a brow and you roll your eyes.

“Sure—‘sumu.” You slide off of him, turning off the stove.

“Well I’d say yer in love with me after that kind of performance.” You smile to yourself, serving him food.

“And if I am?” He’s taken aback, his cheeks flushing red.

“Yer gonna kill me ya know.” You giggle again, taking a bite of your food.

“But I’d say that I’m in love with ya too.” He smirks, glancing at you for your reaction. You blush as well, moving your food around.

“Are you asking me out Miya?”

“I liked babe better.” He steps closer, he slides a strand of your hair behind your ear.

“If it means I get more mornin’s like this, then yea I am.” His fingers twirl around your hair.

“Take me out at least.” You sigh dramatically and he laughs, leaning closer.

“Let me kiss ya first.”

“I don’t think that’s how it works.”

“Says the one who just sang a whole love song f’me.” He grins, unmoving.

“Fine, just one.” You hold up your finger.

It was indeed not one.

Because Atsumu had been waiting for this moment and he wasn’t gonna let it go to waste.

[rimurutempest]

I watched all of modern Doctor Who and these were my favorite episodes.

If you told me back in 2015 that I'd watch the entirety of modern Doctor Who, I'd probably think you're a liar. But, a cute girl wanted to watch Doctor Who with me, and how do you tell a cute girl “No?” Being that of the Superwholock trinity, Doctor Who the least upsetting of the three, I figured “Why not?” I mean, it's enjoyed by thousands and thousands of people, surely it has merit for existing, right?

And, it does! There are many great episodes that I really enjoyed (not to mention a lot of schlock I hated). I even enjoy some of the old serials and that 1996 movie is pretty fun (so very 90s). I can't claim to have seen all of Doctor Who, there is a lot of old stuff I'm probably never going to know even exists, not to mention all the spin offs and audio dramas, there's no way I can get through it all. But, I have seen the modern run, starting with Christopher Eccleston all the way to Ncuti Gatwa in Empire of Death.

Annnnd, anyone that knows me knows I love to rank and review episodic tv shows. So, with that said, here are my 15 favorite episodes of modern Doctor Who:

15 - Dalek (S01, E06)

It is probably unsurprising to any Doctor Who fan to see this episode on the list. The Eccleston era was my introduction to Doctor Who (as I'm sure it was for a lot of people) and this episode was my introduction to the famous villain, the Daleks. It's really a wild way to be introduced to the Daleks when you think about it, the Doctor and his companion Rose end up in an underground museum of alien artifacts out in Nevada and find the man that runs it has a Dalek in captivity. Upon learning of the Dalek's existence, the Doctor goes on a campaign to kill it with extreme prejudice until Rose yells at him about how he's being this horrendous person – which makes the doctor have a “Maybe I'm the baddie” moment and it resolves peacefully. Genuinely is really a good episode about moving on and realizing that we all have good and evil in us. A true standout of the early modern run of the show.

14 - The Impossible Planet & The Satan's Pit (S02, E08&E09)

There's a spectrum when it comes to Doctor Who, there are episodes that are gorgeous and smart and well thought out, then there are episodes that are just absolutely ridiculous. If Dalek explores the prejudice that can be enacted by those we see as “good,” then this duo of episodes is “what if the Christian devil was real and he was in space.” This is such an unbelievable hit of stupid bullshit, but it's delivered so very well. The first episode is loaded with mystery and adventure and unknown horror, while the second episode introduces the goofy concept in whole but still somehow grounds it enough that it still feels like a real plot with real stakes. It's the acting. The actors really sell this one to you. Space Satan is not what I expected when getting into this show but hey, it works and I like it.

13 - Blink (S03, E10)

I'm going to be honest with you, I feel like the internet really hypes up the Weeping Angels to a point that when you finally encounter them you're like, “Oh that's all?” Every episode of Doctor Who with the Weeping Angels feels underwhelming, silly, dumb, boring, with one exception: the original. I will not try to convince you that Blink lives up to the hype that the fandom has built for it, but if you can watch it without the Superwholock kind of bullshit in your head, what you'll find is actually a pretty good story. One of the best of the show. If the angels existed for this one episode and nothing else, they may have stood as the best antagonist of the show, but they got overused. I'm not going to explain the episode, I'll end up overhyping it more, just watch it.

12 - A Town Called Mercy (S07, E03)

I never see anyone really talk about this episode and it makes me wonder if maybe I'm alone in thinking it's great, which if so, oh well. I like westerns. The long and short of this is the Doctor and his companions, Amy and Rory, arrive in the old west to find a town with electricity too early and an alien cyborg gunslinger hanging outside of town hunting the town physician who turns out to be an alien that committed some horrific space crimes. The episode feels like a fun, loving homage to the western genre while once again exploring those aforementioned qualities of good people can be bad and vice versa. It's a fantastic little romp for the cast and these are the kinds of episodes that made the show fun to watch.

11 - Midnight (S04, E10)

Does this count as a bottle episode? The one thing I have to give the cast of Doctor Who is that when they decide it's time to really act, they act very, very well. This episode is completely carried by the acting of David Tennant and his supporting cast. In this episode, the Doctor's companion Donna sits one out while the Doctor takes a shuttle bus to go see a waterfall, until some unknown alien starts taking over people's bodies. This is a very, very well done episode that shows that you don't need elaborate set dressing or endless action to make good television, you just need good actors.

10 - The Devil's Chord (S14, E02)

I realize this might be controversial to say, but Ncuti Gatwa is my favorite actor to portray the Doctor. He's a fantastic actor and the energy he brings the role is so different and wonderful. When it comes to media, people typically don't like to hear you praise the modern bits over the older stuff, but this most recent run of Doctor Who with Gatwa is consistently more interesting and enjoyable than any other season of Doctor Who (that's probably Davies doing).

That all said, The Devil's Chord is a wild episode. I previously said that Doctor Who has a spectrum, from really great story telling to really goofy. If Midnight is the great story telling, then The Devil's Chord is the goofy. In this episode the Doctor and Ruby must face off against Maestro, the God of Music, who wishes to take all music from the world. The energy of this episode is wild, with Ncuti Gatwa's take on the Doctor going up against the insanely wild trickster character Maestro, who is portrayed by the trans actor Jinkx Monsoon. If you've fallen off of late Doctor Who, or you are completely new to it, please give this new season a watch (and don't let the Beatles jump scare at the beginning stop you, I swear there's no Beatles music!).

09 - The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances (S01, E09&E10)

If you're starting your Doctor Who watch at the beginning of the modern series, this will probably be the first episode that strikes a real chord with you (well, other than Dalek that is). This was the show's first real attempt at telling a horror story, one that is sort of zombie adjacent. This bizarre World War Two story with a child in a gas mask morphing people's bodies and existences into more versions of himself is one of the more original stories in the entire Doctor Who series, no one but Eccleston and Billie Piper could have sold this so well. Not to mention the introduction of Jack Harkness! (We'll uh...we'll ignore the actors conduct for this...)

08 - Planet of the Ood (S04, E03)

This is not the first time we meet the Ood, they were in the aforementioned Impossible Planet episodes, however this is when the Doctor finally does what he should have from the very start. The Ood are essentially a slave race, and in Planet of the Ood, they finally start to act out and revolt. The Doctor, as unpolitical as he has always been according to some people, decides “Yeah! Slaves are wrong!” and starts working with Ood Sigma (who becomes a recurring character kind of) in freeing the Ood. This episode also has one of the sickest, most awesome, kinda horrific effects in all of Doctor Who. Above all else, this episode is just very beautifully shot and well made. One of the highlights of the entire series.

07 - The Day of the Doctor (50th Anniversary Special)

Exploring the Doctor's mind during the Time War is such a cool concept. It's a thing the Doctor keeps referring to as this horrific, life changing thing for him, and getting even a glimpse into it is guaranteed an amazing time. Featuring both David Tennant and Matt Smith, while bringing on John Hurt of all people because Eccleston wouldn't reprise his role, the acting talent in this special is incredible and genuinely so wonderful to watch. At the end of the day, it's a really, really good Doctor Who romp and deserves any praise it gets.

06 - The Waters of Mars (2009 Autumn Special)

Pic from the BBC. Theirs looks better than anything I could get.

Hey look! It's the Hugo award winning special! And I only put it at number six!

Everything about this special is so fucking cool. The set designs, the costumes, the fucking monster itself, everything in this is so cool. You know how people always joke about horror needing to be wet? Well this is wet horror. David Tennant puts in so much effort here, struggling with what he wants to and what he has to do, the Doctor is really pushed to some stressful limits here that has such a fantastic end to it. Even if you disagree with where I placed it on this list, there is no doubt that The Waters of Mars is among the best stories Doctor Who has ever put out.

05 - The Impossible Astronaut / Day of the Moon (S06, E01&E02)

This is one that's probably going to get some pushback. I am an X-Files fan, it's my favorite show, love it when it's great and I love it when it's trashy. This two part season opening is the most X-files like the show ever gets, and I am so into it. The opening mystery of the episode sets up a really cool overarching concept for the season (don't ask if it's resolved well, please don't ask that) while introducing us to one of the coolest enemies Doctor Who ever made (please don't ask if they stay that way, please don't ask that). Everything about this is so fun and interesting and I hope others come out of it feeling the same way.

04 - Voyage of the Damned (2007 Christmas Special)

Pic from IMDB.

DOCTOR WHO TITANIC IS VERY GOOD!! Sorry for yelling. For a long while this sat as my absolute favorite episode of Doctor Who. Journeying alone on a rare occasion, the Doctor finds himself spending Christmas aboard the space Titanic (I am not kidding, they named it the Titanic!) and as the name of the ship would imply, tragedy strikes. This story is really wonderful, we get to see the Doctor try his hardest to save people and show love and kindness to so many people, not to mention having a group of characters instead of one companion to explore. I especially love the Van Hoff couple, who are two fat and poor people who won tickets to come aboard what is a wealthy cruise. Everyone around them is rather classist and fatphobic to them, but of all they characters in the special, they exhibit real happiness and love and their devotion to one another is genuinely so wonderful.

As I said, this one stood as my favorite episode for a long time. And, you don't really need to see any previous episodes to watch it, so please go watch it. It's a fun time.

03 - The Giggle (60th Anniversary Special)

I don't know what the wider fandom's thoughts on the 60th Anniversary Specials are, so I don't know if this is a controversial take or not. But, The Giggle highlights everything that is great about Doctor Who. It tips its scales back into the goofy part of the spectrum, but that goofiness is ultimately what makes this such a fun and interesting special. When thinking of actors like Neil Patrick Harris, who are so big and popular and well known celebrities, you forget that the popularity came from the fact they're good at their craft, and if The Giggle did anything for me, it was reminding me that yes, Neil Patrick Harris is an outstanding actor. And, getting put with a returning David Tennant and Catherine Tate really just solidified this special as some of the best acting the series has to offer.

The scene where the Toymaker forces the Doctor and Donna to watch a puppet show about the fates of the Doctor's companions is one of the best meta commentaries the show ever did about itself. The introduction of Ncuti Gatwa is pulled off in a fantastic way. And, the ending is so heartwarming that it makes makes me happy they brought Tennant's Doctor and Donna back.

02 - Heaven Sent (S09, E11)

I previously said that Ncuti Gatwa stands as my favorite Doctor. But, before the Gatwa episodes were out, my favorite was Peter Capaldi. Though Capaldi was given some of the worst scripts of the series (Jodie Whittaker probably got the worst of the worst), he brought such a different interpretation to the Doctor. David Tennant and Matt Smith's Doctors, despite their differences, were largely the same characters. Capaldi's had more of that Eccleston-esque attitude and charm, while bringing this gravitas that makes the silly moments feel real emotionally.

Which brings me to Heaven Sent, which might be the pinnacle of acting in the series. When people think of the best Doctor Who episodes, they probably expect big action and lots of adventure, but to me, the most interesting parts of Doctor Who are when we explore the Doctor as a character. What makes him tick, what makes him who he is, why is he here doing this – exploration of the Doctor and his motives is spectacular, especially when done right. Heaven Sent follows the Capaldi Doctor, after the death of his companion, imprisoned in a castle where he must reveal all his secrets. The torture and sorrow that Capaldi is able to show on his face is both horrifying and spectacular, really showing that he is an outstanding actor. There is no other piece of television like Heaven Sent.

01 - Vincent and the Doctor (S05, E10)

I don't think this is a surprise to anyone. I'm sure everyone has seen the gifs go around of the Doctor taking Vincent van Gogh to the future to see how his work is revered and loved and how moving that scene is. What I don't think most people know is how after that scene, after Vincent has been put back in his own time, the museum doesn't change. There are no new paintings. Amy, the Doctor's companion, then must learn that love and praise alone do not cure mental illness.

This episode has a haze of melancholy. The Doctor may change history plenty of times, but he doesn't often change real events. So, from the very beginning, you know van Gogh's fate, and you know it won't be changed. I actually liked this episode' portrayal of mental illness, it really is something that affects our lives, and makes it hard (if not impossible) to fit into society. How people with mental illness are often outcast, harassed, and treated like subhumans. But, this episode also shows happiness, hope, and love. And, that people do love you, no matter what you may think.

And, I think that makes it the best episode of modern Doctor Who.

Tumblr has decided that adding my full episode rankings would make this post too long. So, I will be adding them in a second reblog (check notes if you want to see!)

[seireitonin]

Quick rant on some stupid discourse

“This fandom doesn’t take horror seriously!1!!1!1 it’s just a bunch of ocs!1!1!1!1😡” Bro, Creepypasta has always been goofy af. Even the word“Creepypasta” sounds goofy. Literally every Creepypasta Character is someone’s oc, made my a traumatized angsty teen or young adult in 2011-2016. You expect us to read some silly shit like Jeff the Killer and be shaking in our boots? (Still like Jeff btw) Get real. I like the “realistic and scary” portrayals of the Creepypasta characters too! But I also love fanon. This fandom was literally based off fun. I hate when ppl come with this “im better than you” mindset bc they don’t like fanon/ want them to be scary only. I really can’t stand it. This fandom has always been based on fun and comfort. Everyone made the popular Creepypasta characters for fun and sometimes to vent/ be a self insert. Ppl are acting like we didn’t have comics and fics where they lived in a mansion together and chilled like a family with a y/n insert because ppl were comforted by these characters , myself included. Ppl act like we didn’t always have goofy/ silly fan art. Ppl act like these aren’t vent characters that brought comfort to lots of ppl. Ppl act like the creators themselves didn’t make silly, goofy fun content with their own characters. (Laughing jack, ticci Toby, bloody painter, etc for example all their creators drew them/ portrayed in fun ways in content I still rewatch) Let’s not forget our roots. Creepypasta (the character based side of it) is still so loved and popular because of the fun stuff like that that people can look back on fondly. Why does it make you so mad that ppl want to use the characters differently than you/ make fanon content? So these “ocs” are only decent/ okay when you use them your way and have your seal of approval??? Please be serious. This is coming from someone who likes Fanon and canon. One isn’t better than the other. You’re not better than everyone else because you want to make them “realistic and scary” let that mindset go. Let people have fun. Let people find comfort where they want. Seeing people having fun and being comforted shouldn’t make you mad. The block button exists and is free. Just block them and only interact with the side of the fandom you want to see. There’s multiple sides of it. I block content I don’t want to see all the time. Doesn’t mean I hate these people or their content, I just don’t want to see it personally. But I don’t go around unironically shaming people for content I don’t like. Because that’s dumb. (Unless it’s something awful like using offenderman, demonizing mental illness etc I have called people out for this, semi - respectfully before) Shaming people for not portraying Creepypasta characters made my angsty teens and adults in the way you specifically want to see them/ be portrayed is just so silly. This fandom doesn’t revolve around you and what you want. Or anyone for that matter. Respect other people. No one’s “better” than anyone. Because everyone sees and uses and portrays the characters differently and that’s always been the best part of this fandom. The freedom, creativity, fun and comfort. That’s how it’s always been. Nothings changed.

[chaifootsteps]

Hiya! If you don't mind a little bit of Hazbin-themed venting, I've got something I'd like to get of my chest, if that's alright!

I'll start this by saying that I'm...uh, well, a decently competent artist. The sort that can land some goofy roles here and there, those entirely irrelevant to this ask. Saying this not to brag, of course, but just to illustrate that I have spent years on my craft and take it very, very seriously!

My art has always generally leaned a certain direction, and that direction has overlap with VivziePop's art style, incidentally. I've never taken inspiration from her—my inspirations can be sourced elsewhere—and my artistic journey has not involved her whatsoever. Regardless, in real life, in the past recent years, people have repeatedly compared my art to Hazbin Hotel. Over, and over, and over. When the show came out, those comparisons ramped up, and I feel like by pure misfortune I have this shadow casted on me, as if I owe all that I've worked for to a coincidence.

I don't know. There's no real way for me to prove that I 100% did not take after Vivzie since I don't really have the Internet footprint for it. My friends and loved ones can attest to my work being my own, but...there's nothing I can do. People look at me and see someone else now. I've had comparisons before, but nothing like this. I consider art ultimately as an expression of the self, and to know that others hear a voice that's not my own is nothing short of distressing.

I would like to post my work online, and I'm itching to (if the dice rolls well on it) make my own cartoon, but I kinda sorta fear that those Hazbin comments'll end up dominating the space and, uh, I admit I don't trust the Hazbin Hotel fandom to be nice about it.

I'm considering the idea of changing my art to escape all the comparisons, but I also hate the idea of changing myself over something vain and, really, so, so dumb. I like my art. I think it's different, and I think it's me. It works for what it's meant to do! I just...wish other people could see that, y'know?

I've developed a sort of embarrassment over work that I've been chipping away at for over a decade because of this, and I find myself demoralized over making and showing art knowing exactly how other people are going to percieve it. I'll for sure still do what I do, but I find myself at a low point, and I felt the need to yell it out there. I'd be more than happy to welcome any advice on how to tackle this issue!

Trust me, Anon, you're far from the only artist who's run into this problem. You'd be surprised how often it comes up.

I think you've got to just do your own thing, even if some of the comments make you develop an eye twitch. There will always be people who see your hard work and unique style for what it is, and you can't hold back your talents just because Vivienne Medrano happens to be dooking up the Earth. The world needs more artists and more stories!

[fandomkingdom18]

seven curtis brothers au but it's their family dynamics hcs

for @wannabe-goth-babe who commented and i just couldn't resist making another list of hcs

since two bit is all goofy, friendly as a kid growing up to present day, he's always been close with his siblings but ever since their parents passed, he had to slow some of his bad habits to help provide for his brothers as the only other newly legal adult in his family

so while he helps (or at least tries to) darry manage all the stuff he's responsible for, he also spends his time keeping morale up while darry is busy

but steve and soda would usually already be doing something cause they're nerds (probably a whole ahhh championship for arm wrestling)

and johnny would usually be with pony since dally is often out

but when he wasn't he would sometimes be in the middle of losing to johnny in some card game

so pony would just sit somewhere and read or be at the piano, playing around with some melodies and two-bit couldnt tell if pony was lonely or just in the zone

but two still would walk over and look at his sheet music and ask him what he was playing because he would usually recognize it because a lot of the sheet music was put together by their mother who would always play it to them

and while everyone else is minding their own business, two would sit down at the piano next to pony

and pony would teach him the things their mother taught him, since two had never wanted to learn, something he he regretted after losing their parents. passing up on chances to spend time together

and two didn't wanna make that mistake again

he learned how to identify the keys and play a few chords

and two played the lower harmonies with those chords while pony played the higher melody

(guys im picturing the scene from the princess switch if you know what i mean except platonic)

(therefore lets pretend its christmas time or smth for a moment and they're playing carol of the bells :D)

and their brothers would hear and turn around and look on in amazement because respectfully, its hard to get two-bit to sit down for extended periods of time. especially at the piano.

and after they finished the song, two would ruffle at pony's hair, pull him close into a side hug and thank him for being so patient with him

and pony feels all happy since no one really had time for something like that because no one else likes music as much except darry and he always has something to do

but two-bit was always good at making him feel seen

like two bit has common sense but he's still techncially a teen so sometimes he and pony would sneak out and do silly dumb things and go to the playground and joke around before sneaking back home as if nothing happened

mostly cause two knows that pony hasn't had as many opportunities to be a real teen since he was freshly a teenager when their parents passed so two just wants to make it feel real for him

and while two is technically still enrolled in school, he doesn't have to go. so when ponyboy or someone else is sick or smth he stays home to take care of them and cheer them up so darry doesn't have to miss work

and like brother, like brother, two and pony are both insanely stubborn when they're sick and stubborn in trying to help each other so it's chaos but they make it work in the end

unlike steve and pony when they were home alone together after catching the same cold

if they weren't so fatigued and sick they would've really went at each others throats

instead it's steve laying on the couch and pony across darry's arm chair trying to figure out how the other is responsible for the cold going through their family

(they've always had a rocky relationship)

if you were to ask steve why he "hates" ponyboy

he would say it's because the kid is a brat who has it better than the rest of them since he doesn't need to get a job and get in the stuff that mostly dally gets into

but if you were to ask him on a deeper level

he would say he's jealous. because for a while he and soda were closer than pages in a book and of course after johnny was born, they were all fussing over him, but with pony it was even more since he was the littlest of the littles

and pony always had to be included and as time went on, steve not only lost attention from his brothers, but also his parents

(and steve isn't the only one who feels like this)

(cough cough two bit cough cough dally)

dally practically got over it when he got older and two bit just ignored it for so long that he just doesn't think about it.

(it was real hard for two because he and darry had been so close but he knows that everyone else is more important)

if you were to ask ponyboy why he thinks steve hates him

he would say its because steves a dumbass who focuses all his willpower into making his life too difficult.

but if you were to ask him on a deeper level

he would say it's because he thinks hes annoying and holding everyone down

that he's too sentimental and stupid for wanting something beyond a greaser in tulsa

pony genuinely thinks that darry, steve, and dally only put up with him since johnny, soda, and two-bit do

they're working on it

or at least they're going to

youngest bro of seven on the east side of tulsa vibes

like they do NOT let him do anything out of the ordinary or potentially risky

enter ponyboy's rebellious era

(this will be dived deeper into in the fic)

darry is the same except for being more cautious and protective over his brothers

soda's the same mostly with extra love warming his heart and everyone else around him

johnny still is more of a listener than a talker but he's more confident and like soda and darry when it comes to being a curtis bro

dally still has that tough exterior from his time participating in rough gangs but it's the mildest it's been in tulsa

(the curtises have lived in other places, i'll write ab more of this in a post soon)

keith daniel curtis is still a doofus

pony is mostly the same with the trials and tribulations with darry but multiplied by 6

steve is pretty chill. no daddy issues. except for the fact he's dead. just ponyboy issues. everyone else is alright tho.

back when it was only darry, two, and dally, two was playing major middle child because hes always been an outgoing kid, but dally used to be really shy so darry would always cheer him up and two would just sit there like o_o

so basically darry would always make sure dally was alright

but growing up, it became the opposite

dally usually checks in on him and stuff to make sure stuff is going well, offers to take stuff off of him like taking up more shifts at bucks so darry doesnt have to do an overwhelming amount of work

even tho darry was older by a few years, he was always more optimistic and dally hated that their parents just had to die and all of the pieces had to be picked up by darry. he was too young to have all of that on him.

so dally takes matters into his own hands sometimes just so darry gets some rest.

just to return the favor of darry always taking care of them.

[reijisteacup]

Poll Time

Reaction to a Bakadere s/o

Sakamaki’s

Shu Sakamaki: At first? He’s beyond annoyed. You trip over nothing, forget what you were saying mid-sentence, and hum happy little songs while he’s trying to nap. “You’re noisy. Go be dumb somewhere else.” But when you curl up beside him anyway, smiling and offering to play with his hair, he sighs. “You’re not even listening…” But your warmth—your carefree lightness—it seeps into him. You’re like a sunbeam. He starts letting you nap on him, even when you talk in your sleep. Eventually, he mutters, “You’re an idiot… but I guess I don’t hate it.”

Reiji Sakamaki: Oh, he’s furious. He cannot stand incompetence—and you’re just so good at spilling tea, forgetting details, and staring blankly at his lectures. “Utterly useless,” he’ll scoff, adjusting his glasses. But he can’t deny your effort. You try so hard to please him, even if it ends in disaster. And then… you do something small but sincere—like bandaging his hand badly but whispering, “I don’t want you to get hurt…” and he pauses. Eventually, he takes your hands and says, “I’ll teach you. So you don’t keep failing. And hurting yourself… or me.”

Ayato Sakamaki: Match made in hell. He loves it. “HAH?! You forgot my name mid-sentence? You’re so dumb, it’s hilarious!” You two get into trouble constantly—falling asleep in class, making weird snack combos, and fighting over video games. He teases you nonstop, but it’s never cruel—he genuinely thinks you’re adorable. You’re fun, you laugh at his jokes, and your goofy smiles are his new addiction. When you trip into his arms and laugh like it’s nothing, he catches you and smirks, “Tch. You’d die without me, dummy.”

Kanato Sakamaki: It depends. If you’re obnoxiously silly when he’s in a dark mood, he might scream or lash out. “STOP LAUGHING! It’s not funny!” But when he’s calm? Your ridiculous antics actually soften him. You talk to his Teddy like it’s real, name every cupcake you bake, and cry because your sock has a hole. It’s stupid—but it amuses him. “You’re like a living doll… broken, but interesting.” He’ll dress you up and laugh when you stumble, then say, “Do that again. It made me feel better.”

Laito Sakamaki: He adores your cluelessness. “Ara~ You didn’t even realize what I meant, did you, Bitch-chan?” He flirts with innuendo constantly and watches you nod innocently like he asked about the weather. It’s hilarious. But over time, he realizes your kindness is genuine, not stupidity. When you say sweet, pure things like “You deserve love too, Laito!” while holding his hand, he stops. Something in him cracks. You’re not pretending. You’re just… good. “You really mean that, huh…? Heh. Don’t go saying that to anyone else, okay?”

Subaru Sakamaki: He yells at you constantly. “Oi!! WATCH WHERE YOU’RE GOING! You almost stabbed yourself with that fork!!” You give him heart attacks. You’re clumsy, loud, and say the dumbest things—but you’re also sweet as hell. You bring him flowers you picked from the wrong garden and proudly say “They reminded me of you!” He blushes. A lot. “Tch… d-dumbass.” He starts hovering around you more, muttering about keeping you safe. Because he knows if he doesn’t, you’ll probably walk into traffic trying to pet a cat.

Mukami’s

Ruki Mukami: Ruki has no patience for nonsense. He sees your airheaded behavior and immediately assumes you’re an irresponsible waste of time. “Livestock, your idiocy is staggering.” But then he sees you trying to read a book upside down and sobbing because it’s “too hard but I wanna understand…” and something changes. He realizes you’re not lazy—you’re just overwhelmed. He starts tutoring you, very gently. “One step at a time. Don’t cry.” Eventually, your innocent praise—“You’re so smart, Ruki!”—makes him look away, hiding a rare, real smile.

Kou Mukami: You are perfect for his idol image. “Aww, my cute little airhead~ You’re just like the fans!” He takes selfies with you, laughs when you trip, and nicknames you “Bubble Brain” with fondness. But privately? He loves how genuine you are. When you call his scars “cool” or praise him for dumb things like buttoning his shirt right, his chest aches. “You’re so… sincere. It’s kinda dangerous, Neko-chan…” Kou protects you fiercely—he knows the world eats up people like you, and he won’t let it.

Yuma Mukami: He thinks you’re a total klutz—and it drives him insane. “How the hell did you fall in the vegetable patch again?!” But your laugh is contagious, your hugs are warm, and you make the most insane sandwiches that he secretly loves. You make life unpredictable and sweet. When you bring him a drawing of a “giant veggie prince” that looks just like him, he almost chokes. “...Damn idiot… I love you.” He says it with a sigh and a smile, shaking his head and ruffling your hair.

Azusa Mukami: He’s a little confused by your energy. “You smile… even when you bleed?” Your silliness doesn’t register as “normal” to him, but he follows you around like a confused puppy. He starts mimicking your strange habits—naming plants, talking to clouds, dancing in the rain. You teach him that happiness doesn’t have to be earned with pain. When you patch up his wounds and say, “Don’t hurt yourself—it makes me sad, silly!” he stares. Then he hugs you tightly and whispers, “I’ll… try. For you…”

Tsukinami’s

Carla Tsukinami: Carla is constantly disappointed. Your antics earn tired sighs and sharp glares. “Must you be so painfully incompetent?” He hates foolishness—but when you start crying because you broke a vase and say, “I just wanted to make the castle prettier for you!”… he pauses. There’s sincerity in your idiocy. You care. And for a man who’s been surrounded by lies and cunning, your honesty becomes… valuable. “You’re an idiot,” he says, brushing a tear away. “But at least you’re mine.”

Shin Tsukinami: He loves you. You are his personal sitcom. “You just licked salt thinking it was sugar?! Bwahaha—you’re the best!” Shin is chaos incarnate, and your clumsiness fuels him. He pulls pranks, teaches you terrible pickup lines, and records your reactions for fun. But he also starts to treasure your goodness. When you kiss his cheek and whisper, “You’re not a bad guy, you just need someone to believe in you…” he falls hard. “Tch… D-don’t say that stuff, dumbass…” He grins—but his voice cracks.

[talenlee]

How To Be: Marisa Rosetti (in 4e D&D)

In How To Be we’re going to look at a variety of characters from Not D&D and conceptualise how you might go about making a version of that character in the form of D&D that matters on this blog, D&D 4th Edition. Our guidelines are as follows:

This is going to be a brief rundown of ways to make a character that ‘feels’ like the source character

This isn’t meant to be comprehensive or authoritative but as a creative exercise

While not every character can work immediately out of the box, the aim is to make sure they have a character ‘feel’ as soon as possible

The character has to have the ‘feeling’ of the character by at least midway through Heroic

When building characters in 4th Edition it’s worth remembering that there are a lot of different ways to do the same basic thing. This isn’t going to be comprehensive, or even particularly fleshed out, and instead give you some places to start when you want to make something.

Another thing to remember is that 4e characters tend to be more about collected interactions of groups of things – it’s not that you get a build with specific rules about what you have to take, and when, and why, like you’re lockpicking your way through a design in the hopes of getting an overlap eventually. Character building is about packages, not programs, and we’ll talk about some packages and reference them going forwards.

In my ongoing effort to not just work my way through the entire cast of Ranma 1/2 for February How To Be challenges, spurred in part by not wanting to cover Shampoo since people would get pissy about me pointing out she’s kinda boring and a bit dumb, I have instead decided to reach out to some other source material, seeking an interesting example of a character defined by their ability to fight things, but also wanting something simple enough that I wouldn’t have to do a ton of research, and hopefully from a source material that could afford to be big on personality and a bit stupid.

Ah, Street Fighter, perfect.

Examining Marisa Rossetti

Marisa Rosetti is a character from the Street Fighter universe, introduced in Street Fighter 6. I assume. I’m sure some truly nerdy Street Fighter lore dork will be able to tell me that actually, she was referenced in Street Fighter V Sidestreet Alpha Overlourded, and don’t I look stupid now, everyone is laughing. At a glance, she is a tall muscular Italian lady who, ostensibly, has a day job as a jewelry designer. As a fighter, she uses a hybrid of what you’d see as boxing and wrestling, known as pankration, a martial art about which I know literally nothing. I could read to you from the wiki if you want, but really, we’ve covered the important things.

Marisa also continues the Street Fighter tradition of being a character informed by knowing about one and a half things about a country and then turning the personality slider either all the way up (Zangief) or all the way down (everyone else but especially Ryu). She’s meant to mix together some ideas of Greek and Roman mythology and history in a character who can be best described as a very muscular Asterix comic, complete with the way that she, a woman, looks like a different species to those around her. The character is very much a ‘romantic’ in that she wants to marry everyone who excites her, man and woman, and blurs together Latin and Greek words in her moves. When she’s done beating her opponent up, she m’ladies them off the screen in a polite display, and the character projects this selfserious air of command, where sure, she beat you up, but also, now she may be marrying you. Or something like that.

And look, I know I’m talking some smack here but just because I have nothing but overwhelming disdain for the borderline racist character design philosophy of Street Fighter, I bear no ill will to Marisa here. She is a delightfully exaggerated superhuman, a goofy half-drawn sketch of a design made by someone who had the bravery, the courage to say ‘I don’t really know much about this subject, but damnit, I’m not going to let that stop me, nor am I going to let it spur me on to doing any research.’ Marisa is not defined by her story, in the broad ‘here is how it starts, develops, and ends’ way, but rather the way she bops from encounter to encounter within the violent comedy sitcom of Street Fighter 6‘s b-plots. She’s finding people she wants to fight, because she loves to fight, and she loves the people she can fight with, men, women and even… you.

Glossary Note: Conventionally, the term used in D&D for this mechanical package is race. This is the typical term, and in most conversations about this game system, the term you’re going to wind up using is race. For backwards compatibility and searchability, I am including this passage here. The term I use for this player option is heritage.

The Basics

Overwhelmingly, Marisa is going to be using the multiclass feat Master of the Fist to get access to the Monk unarmed combatant feature, proficient in ki focuses. This is how you can guarantee you’ll be a punchy fighty tall lady. What heritage you pick is going to be flexible around the ability scores you want and what ability scores you want?

Well uh

Strength, probably.

I mean uh.

You know what, let’s talk about Multi Attribute Dependencies.

Fighting games are games that want to represent a character in a tiny window of what they can do. Any given character is cooked down to a small handful of rules about how they move and a few optional abilities. It’s not even ‘how is this character at fighting’ but rather ‘how is this character at fighting in this particular dimension in a learnable way.’ If nothing else, there are some fight game characters who can’t use a gun, which is something pretty important to modern ways of fighting. To this end, you can throw everything you want in the parts of a character’s life that has nothing to do with fighting and it doesn’t change anything. Ryu is a homeless person with combat autism and M Bison owns a multinational corporation and crime syndicate, and those two characters can meet on the battlefield without any discrepancy because all that matters is how well they punch each other with the buttons.

What that means is that when you take these kinds of characters and consider them in the context of an open, complex-interaction world like Dungeons & Dragons (4th edition), in a system that’s meant to deliberately constrain what characters can do in order to ask players to think in terms of parties and specialisations. Turns out you can’t just start out with an international crime syndicate in your back pocket. And this runs down to the ability scores, where a character has six scores that they need to consider in terms of their value to expressing that character.

The thing is, if you look at Marisa as a character in the original text you can make a great case for the fact she should be good at, basically, everything. Sure, she’s not as nimble or dextrous as she is tough or strong, and she might not be a genius, but she has a deeply insightful view of life and relationships, and a personal charisma that lets her roll into people’s lives and express herself immensely. Basically, the only thing she’s not openly good at is book smarts, and even that’s pushing it because this is a woman with a knowledge of art history and historical metalcraft, which are things you don’t just get for free in cereal boxes.

There are plenty of ways to handle this, by the way. Ability scores, ostensibly, are not to necessarily represent what you can do but rather how the person you are expresses itself in ways the games recognise. It’s possible to have a deep awareness of a specific history with training in a skill, and for the rest of your ‘intelligence’ to be wrapped up in that one specific field of study. It’s possible to even diminish an ability like ‘strength’ in the name of increasing something like constitution because in many fights, the ability to push through a hit and score hits is just as likely as being strong enough to push your fists through people’s guards.

This is what we call multiple attribute dependency. Coined a hojillion years ago to discuss the psionics of 3rd edition, it was meant to be an example of a fundamental problem with the class design, where to make a character capable of using the spells, you needed high stats not in an ability, but all of them. This was bad and it sucked. It’s less of a problem here, though, because you don’t need high stats in everything, but you do need to make a choice about what part of Marisa appeals to you the most.

Build 1 — The Brawler Fighter

Probably heritage here is the Goliath, because the ability scores you value are Strength and Wisdom.

I try to always start these things with an as simple as possible pop-the-box-open and go for it character build. To that end, you get an immediately easy build with a level 1 Goliath Fighter who values Strength and Wisdom, and then just picks up fighter abilities that work with that. Take powers that move your opponents, and spend your time grabbing, punching and throwing people. You use an unarmed attack which means you’re getting the full bonus from your Unarmed Combatant feature, and you’re always keeping a hand empty.

Build 2 — The Proud Cavalier

Heritage represents a modest problem here, in that if you go this route, you probably want Strength and Charisma, and that means you probably want either Vryloka (not much support worth having that fits the theme) or Dragonborn (which look like dragons). You can negotiate which of those two options appeals less. If you’re not that concerned about boosting both your important ability scores, you could take the Tiefling route, and, if that’s interesting to you, you can get a little weird with it and take the feat Wrath of the Crimson Legion. At that point, you’re a Charisma-attacking fist-fighter tank whose power riders care about your Charisma, which collapses all the multi-attribute dependency, but also, if you look at a picture of Marisa and think ‘oh, I can junk my strength stat now’ I think you probably don’t actually want what Marisa is bringing to the party. Mechanically, this is cool. Thematically it isn’t on the same planet as her.

Cavaliers are weird. They’re weird because, thanks to drawing on the pool of powers and feats available to the Paladin, they’re quite strong despite being Essentials classes. Plus, they have a lot of power bound up in the mounted companion element, which if you take it, could be something you use to play into the legionnaire element of Marisa. It adds supernaturalism to it, it drives a charismatic edge to the character, and, just, paladins have more stuff to work with. If you want a build that gives you a lot of interesting tools that each are applicable in different ways, Cavaliers are really good.

But it is going to involve coming up with an explanation for how these elements fit together for your Marisa. Basically, if the thing you think that’s most important about Marisa is charismatic brawler, this is where you start, but then you have to answer a bunch of questions afterwards.

Build 3 — The Zippy Battlemind

Heritage here wants Constitution and either Wisdom or Charisma, depending on if you want to play a more debuffing or tough battlemind. Wisdom for toughness, Charisma if you want to debuff. Both Half-Elves and Muls are perfect choices, though I’d suggest the Mul has more of the ‘big and tough’ vibe. Plus they can pick up Dwarf feats, which include some cute tricks in Paragon.

This is the option to go for if what you like about Marisa the most is her insightful wisdom coupled with her super armours that let you walk through attacks. The Battlemind is a class that maximises other people’s turns; after level 7, as a Battlemind, you almost certainly will never be spending your turn doing things only on your own turn. It can have the energy of a character exploiting openings, a fight game character who is really good at seeing windows of opportunity and punching you to ruin your plans.

Junk Drawer

All three of these builds assume you want a Marisa who is a powerful melee defender, because that’s the vibe I get out of this character. I can’t imagine a way to make a leader out of her that doesn’t feel like it’s missing something, and a controller is also at odds with her vibes. But if you want to play a non-defender Marisa, you could go for the Monk itself, and the Ranger can ‘twin strike’ with two punches just as readily as with two swords.

Conclusion

Fighting games are able to represent characters in a particular way. Marisa has a complexity to her that makes her an interesting character to think about and underneath that there’s a ridiculousness that doesn’t need explaining. In this write-up I focused on trying to cover a vibe of a character that didn’t violate the things about her we see, while recognising a complexity in opportunity.

The thing is, Marisa is also just a big chunky lady with silly hair and a tiny head. You can just take her look and use it for anything you find satisfying. There’s nothing saying that to play a character, to play your way of Marisa-ness, you have to do what I’m suggesting here. Remember: This is about showing options in a play space in a game that’s renowned for being limited in its distinctive options.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

[crusherthedoctor]

My hot take: Eggman doesn't get enough appreciation and he doesn't need to be something else to be good

What did you expect | Strongly agree | Agree | Neutral | Disagree | Strongly disagree

Calling Eggman underappreciated might sound bizarre on the surface, because how could one say that, right? He has plenty of fans. He gets loads of fanart. He's widely recognized as an iconic video game villain. Why would anyone claim that?

But when you stop to pay close attention, it's true. It's no secret that Sonic fans who frequently toss him aside in favor of other, "cooler" villains are all too common, even nowadays. It's no secret that fans of other IPs tend to look down on him, believing that this chicken-legged individual doesn't deserve to be in the same pantheon as the likes of Bowser and Ganondorf. It's no secret that fans like to paint him as something he's not out of the belief that it's the only way to flesh him out, and that he's one-dimensional as he is, even though they're perfectly fine with the villains who take his spotlight being one-dimensional for real. It's no secret that even those officially involved with the franchise seem to disregard him, given how many times he was upstaged in increasingly humiliating ways, and the way it's been brought back with a vengeance thanks to IDW and Frontiers.

Yet, even among fans who seemingly accept him as his real unrepentant self, there's sometimes an air of... patronization surrounding his discussion. Maybe I'm looking too deeply into certain phrasing, but when he's referred to as just a cackling baddie, or saying stuff like "after so many serious stories with epic god monsters, it's back to the good old simple days where it's just silly Eggman and his dumb plans"... you get the impression that he's not genuinely respected or seen as a credible and formidable antagonist. And for what? Because he loses to the hero? So do most villains. Because he has a goofy side? Other villains across fiction have that as well, some of them being praised specifically for it, so I don't understand why it's a bad thing here. Because the Time Eater had a so-so boss fight? As if the other 3D Super Sonic fights were much better.

The strange thing about fandom hijinks are their tendency to create opposite problems at the same time. In this case, while a lot has rightly been said about layered characters being simplified one way or the other by fans who aren't willing to see the full picture, things tend to go very differently when the character doesn't behave in an "obviously" layered manner. For all the internet's obsession with analyzing every angle of a character down to the bone, they swiftly throw that out the window when it's a wholly villain or a wholly good guy. Suddenly, what's there is never enough, they have to insert their own narratives that make no sense for the character in question, and it's welcomed with open arms instead of discouraged for missing the officially established layers. So you have Eggman being secretly good deep down, and caring about Maria for some reason, while Sonic is IDW's questionable idea of flawed even though he already had flaws to work with. Meet characters halfway they say, except for these ones apparently, becuse what canonical depth could they have amirite.

But anyway, I would never seriously say that I'm the only person on the planet who understands the ins and outs with Eggman's character, as that would be a very egotistical and Ken Penders-sounding thing to say lol. I'm just a fan who wants to do him justice with my fics, nothing more. But it really does feel next to impossible to find fans who are on the same wavelength in regards to him, because the amount of times where he's been misused or reduced to Sonic's frenemy is truly exasperating. You could argue that for basically any Sonic character at this point, but this has been going on a lot longer with Eggman than it has for probably any other cast member, with the possible exception of Amy, and even then, the issue surrounding her these days is completely different.

[thymo-leonta]

for the character asks :3 2 and 3 (+ bonus 4) for the bearer, 11 for meohen (ik you have a guy please infodump <3 ), and 20 for both of them 👀 👉👈

2. How long was the process before the character reached its final version? (or a version that would be clearly recognizable as the character?)

I guess. It's kind of hard to say as he is a ttrpg character so he's always kind of always been evolving over the like. 5 years i've been playing him. I remember looking back at old messages and seeing that I was going to originally make him like. an apathetic kind of emotionless totally unsympathetic character but that derailed very quickly mostly because I think it's just hard to start a campaign and form a party that way so obviously he has to Care about people. And once that change happened in play pretty early on his general Core characteristics were very solidified.

However as i said he was also a character I played for five years that grew and evolved over that time so honestly I would say his "final version" would be the version in the last session where he dies.

Especially because in my mind his death actually ended up pretty different from every other imagined death I had for him. Like the core of it (protecting someone) was obviously there but the actual way it went down was honestly Much more peaceful and pleasant than literally anything I originally imagined.

So yeah. I think the "final version" of him would be the one that got to peacefully pass away in a coma surrounded by the party, his family. Every other version died in much more abrupt ways.

3. What was the first thing you decided on, the character's name, appearance, personality or their role in the story?

I guess "role in the story" since the first thing i really remember concretely being the starting point of The Bearer was his doomed to die background. I was like "oooooo a guy who has been viscerally aware of his own oncoming death for his whole life? Yes Please" and then it all kind of spiraled outward from there.

The rest of all him kinda came from this idea that he was this like. older guy that's spent his whole life ready to die, personalty, backstory, name. Starting the game i kept it all really simple, when it comes to ttrpg characters I like to keep them pretty simple to start and then expand outwards as it goes.

4. And reverse, which one of the four things did you struggle with the most?

I had a Really hard time with his name actually. His real name (Theuderic) was just picked from the list in the book i think, but I was having him go by a title and was like. really struggling to think of one that didn't sound dumb as hell. I knew i wanted it to convey some kind of weighty attitude he had, that one look at him and you could tell he was kinda haunted by something, and I think it was actually my roommate at the time that proposed Bearer, as in "to bear a burden". When i first tried it out i kinda thought it sounded goofy but by now it's so normalized as his name-title that i don't even know if it wounds weird to an outside audience.

20. Bonus question: share any additional thoughts, art, favourite scenes, anything you've been waiting for a chance to ramble about

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM I'm going to go with favorite scene bc this one (you know it you love it) lives rent free in my head. and yes i went back to the recording and transcribed as best as i could.

murdoc: what if this was something else? the bearer: murdoc. you can play the what if game for as long as you want, but it's never going to do anything. what if what if what if. what if it was worse what if it was better-- there's never going to be a perfect answer. murdoc: well i don't-- the bearer, getting worked up: if you just drown yourself in 'what if's nothings going to come of it. you take what happened and you move forward. you know now that sometimes when you're dreaming things they're happening currently. sometimes maybe you can do something. okay. we move forward from that. this time it was good, and i was fine and i was safe. maybe in the future it wont be, but now we have one more thing in your arsenal of. you know. weird psychic bullshit going on. and you can play the what if game [murdoc crosstalk: it doesn't help] as long as you want the bearer: nothing helps, murdoc! nothing ever helps [pause] murdoc: [unintelligible] murdoc: i'm going to take a walk.

I'm really actually not very good at like. in depth character roleplay after playing the bearer for like 5 years, he says like 5 things a session and 3 of those things are grunts and the other 2 are "don't do something stupid" but this scene i felt like i was possessed by him. His sort of desperate hopelessness coming through as he tried to comfort murdoc in the only way he knew how. and he sure does a terrible horrible job of it.

also i think i've said this in voice chat before but my mom used to also pull this idea of "the what if game" on my and my siblings so i also kind of channeled her for a little bit of it.

----

11. Is there any existing character from other media that your character resembles? Was the resemblance intentional or was it a coincidence?

YEAH MËOHEN IS HEAVILY BASED ON RAY FROM ONLY FRIENDS. I think it was maybe a little on purpose i don't really remember but I did go back into the discord and find messages when we first started throwing around the idea of gondolin campaign in like early/mid 2023 which is approximately when only friends was airing so. I was likely Very Influenced by how obsessed i was with ray. wait i take that back i actually have a crystal clear memory of looking at a meme about ray and sand as like "fur coat husband who brings emotional distress and leather jacket husband who is emotionally distressed" or something like that and being like. yeah this is going to be mëohen. he's the fur coat husband harbinger of drama and pain. this was also before he was even named.

however the parallel of the mëohen/idril/duilin to ray/mew/sand situation was actually totally on accident. (this is to say, for the uninitiated, mëohen has a crush on idril while he is starting to fall for duilin)

I was simply so enchanted by a terrible little nepo baby who wants what he can't have but doesn't really understand why. One that is undeniably the orchestrator of his own downfall who lashes out at the people who genuinely care and want to help and further sinks into his own misery.

So yes, I have taken much inspiration from only friends messy drama and put it in my pocket for mëohen. and i cannot wait for only friends season 2 for even more inspiration.

also we always call him walmart maeglin due to his apparent resemblance but i know that was 100% on accident because i know like jack shit about the actual silmarillion.

20. Bonus question: share any additional thoughts, art, favourite scenes, anything you've been waiting for a chance to ramble about

ouuuughhhh i feel like i simultaneously have so much to say about mëohen but at the same time he's basically just rotating in a microwave dish in my head with no other thoughts.

i tried really hard when first making him to not make him sympathetic and just focus on the fact that he's a spoiled brat with a bad attitude but that failed and now im hopelessly endeared to him and have to fight against the impulse to excuse everything he does ever. though i do think it's so. something. to me that at the start of the campaign his worst crime really is just that he's annoying and a irresponsible which are pretty normal things for teenagers to be and it has kind of spiraled out from there.

though like. to be clear in terms of interpersonal party relationships everyone does have a very good reason to dislike him because he's been shitty to them. i do find it kind of funny just how much people hate him and how that disdain has only made him get worse because he's not quite aware enough to know that they dislike him because. well he was bad to them (or in anorean's case, people she cares about) and so he then returns that disdain like 10 fold which obviously just reflects back at him and keeps going and going!

but yeah i started the game like "please hate my boy" and now i sit with big sad eyes like "you hate my boy? jail for friends. jail for friends 1000000 years"

[typellblog]

I agree that one of the Whole Points of religion is social control and there are lots of evil reasons for this, but I also think it's so goofy when pro-religion ppl pretend it's nothing like that cuz. Isn't the religion they made up in their head where ppl just hang out and vibe and believe in magic and don't try to influence anyone else ever, also kind of dumb as hell? 😭😭 Like do u believe this shit or not,, if u rly think eternal souls are on the line it would be ridiculous to not try to control others. And they do. But at the end of the they're wrong to do so cuz souls aren't real and there is no hell.

Mhm it's a bit silly, if abortion was actually killing children for example if anything you would expect people to get more mad about it

Although personally if I thought god was real I would be anti-god lol. Hate that bastard

[jacqcrisis]

Alright, stupid scene idea about my dragonborn man that I have that I'm going to put under a readmore since its about Ronan's anatomy and its long:

Actually first, context 1: I hate the dragonborn genitals in game. They suck. They're goofy. I know in lore, dragonborns are technically mammalian, but they also lay eggs and shit, so I'm ignoring human cock and balls much like im ignoring the fact that in game, I cant give my dragon man a strongman chubby bod. For any writing purposes, Ronan has hemipenes and they are inside of him until they aren't.

Context 2: in lore, it seems like by the time BG3 happens, dragonborn have only been around for like...100 years. They are still a pretty new thing to the planet of Toril, and especially to the continent of Faerun, where the game takes place. Not new enough that in a cultural hotbed like Baldurs Gate that you'd be shocked to see a humanoid lizard, but still fresh enough they're still weird and their anatomy isn't common knowledge outside of rumors, erotica stories, and still as of yet published scientific journals.

ANYWAYS

The dumb idea is that since Ronan's a clean boy, in Act 1, first few nights camping together, it becomes pretty clear he doesn't have much shame around his body or who sees it as he strips down near the water to clean off. He's just going to do the thing, people watching be damned, and thankfully the new company he's been keeping all politely look the other way.

Except Gale, who establishes a habit on night one of talking Ronan’s earholes off while he’s washing up. Why is he doing it? What is he up to? What are they talking about?

All questions had by one paranoid member of the party who decides to come over on night three of this to see what’s going on. Gale’s sitting on a rock, nearly falls off it when Astarion makes his appearance. He’s a little pink in the ears, sheepish and stumbling over his words when he explains they were discussing the merits of taking a deal with a cambion like Raphael.

Ronan grunts, back to them, water above his hips and clearly finishing up his washing as Astarion makes pointed comment about how this seems like an interesting occasion to have such a conversation with someone. Gale stutters out weakly that it's not like they’re doing anything else and that its just an efficient use of their time. It starts a small back and forth about Gale's real intentions that Gale is extremely losing but that argument ends rather quickly as Ronan walks out the water, nude and clearly ignoring them while he reaches for his clothes and some dry rags he left near where Gale was sitting, presumably before he was sitting there.

Astarion's mouth clamps firmly shut as he sees a strange lack of…anything discernible between the cleric’s legs. There was already an idea in his mind of who he could seduce in the camp to secure his safety here and part of this charade was to discover what he may have to work in order to do so. But now…

Gale doesn't seem bothered. In fact, he's only gotten redder as he hands Ronan a cloth to wipe down with and continues their conversation from where Astarion interrupted it. Astarion leaves them to it, high tailing it to the rest of the party eating, where he immediately starts asking if anyone's noticed anything strange about Ronan.

Everyone has.

It starts a heated debate. What's going on down there? There's no penis. No vagina. Just a bulge under some wrinkles. How do dragonborns become dragon…borned?

It's mostly between Astarion, Wyll, and Lae'zel as Shadowheart is present but silent and making a sour face about the whole thing. It isn't until Lae'zel suggests, gleefully, Ronan is perhaps a eunuch or maybe castrated for some crime in his past and Wyll wonders if perhaps this is part of being a worshiper of the platinum dragon that Shadowheart speaks up. She snaps that no, that has nothing to do with Bahamut as far as she knows and also this is a very childish and unnecessary discussion to be having about one of their group.

Until Astarion interrupts to ask in a small panic if this is part of having the tadpole in their brains and what if he's slowly starting to turn into one of those things, and that gets Shadowheart’s full, horrified participation. The conversation turns to that; what if this will happen to all of them and is that actually what's happening? Should they be worried? Wouldn't it look…smoother?

Gale parts with Ronan as the dragonborn is now dress and intends to journal, Gale getting shooed with a glare and yet there's a skip in his step during his short trek back to the party, where he is immediately subsumed into the conversation. This makes him giddy as all hell when he realizes what the topic of conversation is and he’s quick to dismiss the more outlandish notions, his too many hours reading ahem non-academic works on the anatomy of various non-humanoid races lending confidence to his lessons on how how their cleric’s whole business probably works. Which is all well and good, until, in the midst of his excited explanation, he lets slip that there is a rumor he’s read, never confirmed of course, heavens forbid he ever ask anyone something like this, that male dragonborns could, perhaps, have a second appendage tucked away.

And then all hell break’s loose again, Wyll standing up and stating he’s going to go do anything else while the other four continue a heated argument about that. Across the camp, with a light spell and his journal in hand, Ronan steadfastly ignores the conversation he’s been catching snippets of. It's not the first time a company he’s joined has taken special interest in parts of him and, if he lives through all this, it probably won’t be the last.

If any of them get the pleasure of finding out, then they should feel so honored.

[owmylasagna-blog]

So, what's the real appeal in Ed/May? I see that this popular, but over all the show I see aproximately zero positive moments/development between them, including in the finale. Nothing positive, I can't think of anything that wasn't one-sided or outright negative. And I think Ed deserves faaar better than her; I don't see him just forgeting all she made and sudenly falling in love with her (fanfics where they're just dating out of nowhere specially irks me) without any explanation or development.

The appeal seems just ''pair the dumb/goofy ones'' (why not Ed/Nazz? Or Ed/Rolf? Or even Ed/Jonny?)

Honestly, I'm under the impression people only ship it as a Beta Couple for Edd/Eddy, and nothing else more. Your reasoning?

Wow I’m actually pretty glad I got this question because I’ve had a half baked post on this very subject that’s been sitting in my drafts for weeks. Now I have a reason to actually share it.

And from the jump, no I don’t ship Ed and May solely because I’m an eddeddy shipper. I actually see some interesting potential here! I also ship Ed wildly because he’s just a lover boi in my mind. Perhaps even most wildly out of the entire cast of the show: I have the receipts for dabbling in edrolf and ednazz but I can really only imagine those pairings as little flings.

So what is it about edmay that works?

Of the three Kanker sisters, May actually seems to be the only one to genuinely have a crush on her preferred Ed. It goes beyond the typical taunting and harassing her sisters subject the other Eds to. The intro to Hanky Panky Hullabaloo is a prime example of this: May makes a mushy valentine and Marie and Lee make fun of her for it. Afterwards the two talk about May behind her back: “Now we know who got mom’s genes.” “Hormones”. I think it's an interesting summary of how the sisters have differing perspectives on relationships and how they think about boys/men. While Marie and Lee are more disenchanted by romance, they see May as more naive and prone to getting emotionally attached in the same way their mom probably falls for one disappointing man after another. Anyway, the point is that I think May cares whether Ed reciprocates those feelings while Marie and Lee don’t with Eddy or Edd.

CUTE!

Now we have Ed’s reactions to May. In the earlier seasons, he doesn’t seem as averse to the Kanker harassment. Honestly sometimes he’s sort of enjoying it or just not bothered at all. I don’t think Ed generally would show his interests or feelings in a very typical way. Actually the most damning evidence that he might actually be attracted at all to May or just girls period are the moments where he is acting the most repulsed by them. We are talking about a 12 year old after all, probably a bit panicked by some new hormones and feelings about “icky girls”: to me, it reads as the early stages of immature boyish attraction.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t include at least one reference to the Ed-cyclopedia that is Kevin Lordi (as per usual), who got the scoop that the writers toyed with the idea of making Ed and May canon in the earlier seasons, even scraped S2 episode where they are caught kissing in the bushes being the basis for HPH (Lordi 2017, 2018).

So what is in this ship for them? I really like exploring this ship because of many of the parallels I see in their characters. I think it’s safe to say that Ed and May are respective outliers in their trios: May being the younger punching bag to her older sisters, Ed sort of being off on his own planet or plane of existence from Edd and Eddy most of the time. I could see both naturally branching out on their own while the remaining two are prone to buddying up. Other similarities, as you mention, also make them a cute pair: they are goofy, a bit ditzy, naturally kind hearted, a bit off beat, a tad (or a lot) gross. Nothing wrong with that!

Both come from pretty bleak home lives, lacking in support or parental nurturing. For this reason, you see them often compensating by being the nurturing types themselves: Ed being the protective big brother to Sarah and his two best pals, May often playing out a maternal fantasy (more than once she plays mommy and baby in the show; coddling Jimmy in BPS). Now just think of a relationship where these two get together!!! Having an outlet for compassion AND on the receiving end of it. I think they have the potential to have a very sweet relationship ripe for healing and personal growth.

I see them coming to appreciate each other with a bit of time and maturity, maybe striking up a friendship first before actually dating later in their teens or early adulthood. Oddly enough I make lots of parallels between Edd and May as well and could easily imagine some aspects of Edd and Ed’s friendship manifesting in edmay. The biggest factor being what I said about May having this maternal care-taker drive. Seeing as the Kanker sisters just about raised themselves and had to grow up really fast, you end up with a very “parentified” child. And if Edd isn’t the poster child for being a parentified kid I don’t know what… Anyway, in the same way that Edd acts as a stand-in parental figure to Ed I think May would quickly take on a similar role. I’m NOT endorsing this dynamic as 100% positive!!! I think it would be complicated! But it’s an interesting ship dynamic nonetheless and I’m trying to explore that in my aged up AU now.

[oogaboogaspookyman]

I'm getting a concept for a series in my head due to The Amazing Digital Circus and Murder Drones...

:)

A GRIM PLACE

Two siblings, a very mean guy and a few other two wake up in a very dark grim world inhabited by strange unsettling townsfolk of all kinds, kinda like The Owl House- actually it's very based on The Owl House now that i think about it

There's one tall man in a suit, who i'm calling Cragas, also a very unsettling resident, whose voice i imagine is like that Trollge voice from The Blueballs Incident but like. Expressive and not robotic, like when he says "oh i'm not gonna kill you, at least not yet" it's not soulless and robotic, it's expressive and lively like- "oho no i'm not gonna kill you... At least not yet~!". Yes his personality is very very Alastor like, as in- he's goofy and really fucking scary and mysterious, very secretive and hides a BUNCH of things

The world this gang is stuck in is called Everdark, a very grim and scary place that reflects our world, all residents in Everdark are mishshapen, bloated, rotting and crumbling people of all colors and sizes and flavours of creepy and gross

Cragas is looking for one thing, a "crystal doohickey that is said to make a god out of a plebian" called Hopematite (yes the crystal is named after hope itself)

The remaining bits of character development and stuff is shown in the form of the gang's diaries like- oh you wanna know what's up with this guy's sudden buff in magic? Here's his diary, you'll learn real quick lol

It's a story with very flawed characters, very dark topics and grim moments and very scary unsettling things ready to drag the gang into the darkness where nobody gets out from EVER, not even DEAD just- gone for GOOD

It's pretty much half edgy half comedy half... Something else ig lmao

Oh yeah the female protag is a woman liker and her brother is aroace, there's a chick in Everdark that she'll simp over for a good while heehoo (and Cragas is very much bait, i find it funny to make a very hot character that wants nothing to do with lovey stuff lol i'm not fucking sorry)

This is my series concept for today enjoy this dumb shit lmao i had a bit of fun writing this stupid stuff