#let us love each other to the end ⋆˙⊹ npcs

[strangewonderful]

dorian major is a singer with the stage name siren, who andie meets through the band scene while following heart attack around. they hit it off and while heart attack will always be her band, we all know andie and how easily she makes friends.... which here soon blossoms into more than friends. andie and dorian date during part of the summer and into andie's first year at esu!! it's not quite whirlwind, but it's not not. love blossoms quickly with both of them and while they're together the world is very much like a romcom: so many sweet romantic moments, picture-perfect dates and summer evenings spent together, dorian dedicating songs to andie in front of adoring crowds. everything is brighter, more vibrant, the birds sing sweetly.

except it's not the birds. it's dorian.

he's (although he doesn't realize it while dating andie) a mutant with the ability to manipulate reality. his powers begin to manifest for the first time via a world that he has concocted where his crush on andie is reciprocated and he... makes her fall in love with him. the very worst part about this being that he isn't even aware it's happening. he thinks that his romcom, movie musical fantasy is real, until romeo wakes him up to the truth.

there's no ill will between him and andie, of course there's not. she loved him, for a while, even if it wasn't real. she helps get him set up with xavier where he can learn to control his powers and they remain friends, so much so that when his powers develop more and he loses control of them again a few years down the line, andie is there to help him pick up the pieces again. | pin board!

ASK GAME : send me a 🚶 and i’ll introduce you to an npc in my muse’s life / from @oddsfavorcd for andie ♡˚₊

[drenched-in-sunlight]

one thing that i find interesting is that even though we never get to interact with Marika directly, only knowing her via obscure cutscenes and other characters' dialogue... she actually displays a wide range of emotions as much as any other NPCs.

her statues depict her as having a warm, gentle smile:

the Mimic veil description points to her playful, mischievous side:

(it's a popular theory in the JP/Asian side of the fandom that it's sth from her childhood - hence the "Marika's Mischief", not "Queen Marika's", and she used it to escape the grisly fate befalling her family.

additionally, its equivalence in Dark Souls is also something described as "the mischief of a young girl who sought relief from the solitude of the woods at dusk", aka Princess Dusk who hails from "Oolacile, land of ancient golden sorceries", but i digress)

her portrait, the story trailer's "Queen Marika was driven to the brink" and Gideon's dialogue after the player defeated Malenia pointed out her sorrow:

(back when i first played the base game, this is the portrait that drove my eyes most in Roundtable Hold. i kept gazing at her - the Queen with permanently lowered eyes, and thought "there is a girl in there")

The bat lady's song, Messmer's entire Crusade, all those conflicts to establish the Erdtree, shows her anger, and the cruelty she's capable of:

Then there's Shaman's village, the clinic underneath Shadow Keep, the golden braid, the Minor Erdtree, the sealing of Death - that points to grief, trauma, survivor guilt, kindness, and the ruinous drive for revenge that results in the above path down hell:

(there's also a theory for the Crusade's headless statue being a reminder for the Hornsent of what they put Marika's mother through, but it's not concrete canon so here is the link if you want to check it out)

The fact that all of Erdtree's incantations are heal and protection spells (with only one exception of Wrath of Gold spell which was found after the Elden Ring was shattered), the Capitol's Perfumers originally being blessed healers, and that all Erdtree blessings come in the shape of tears give the picture of Marika's gentle wish at the beginning: to heal everything and everyone.

(and to me personally, there's a kind of vulnerability and honesty in showing your tears to the world and let it be your power to heal at the same time.)

the eye she blessed Messmer with (i do think the Eng translation at some part lost the sentiment of the JP text - that the eye is always referred to as a blessing)

the blessing flask that - unlike its Dark Souls equivalent (which ranges from 6-13 flasks), only have 4 available to us player, heal all ailments and status effect, and specified as sth made for Messmer.

the Marika's soreseal in the Haligtree + the waterfall near Godwyn's final resting place

the Regal Omen Bairn (that was fashioned after the Jizo statue - sth made by grieving parents wishing for protection for their deceased child in the afterlife)

the blessing, gifts, equipment that Messmer and Godwyn's personal knights all get

the fact that Marika's bedchamber and the Impaler's Catacomb (which is the only catacomb in the base game to have the spike trap mechanic used in catacombs in the DLC) remain the proof of Messmer's existence in the base game

how Godwyn's ending is the only ending where the mending rune is placed on the position of Marika's womb (the lower arc or the Elden Ring - also referred to as the basin in which its blessings pool)

that's a whole barrage of motherhood. the love, the fear, the postpartum depression, the guilt and anxiety, (the occasional scheming for revenge with her son). and despite how flawed and tragic that love ends up being for all of them, it is there.

(there's a whole subplot about how Messmer is the only demigod to be called ugly in-game (Hornsent npc dialogue) while Boc's questline is about how his mother being the only one to always assure him he's beautiful, despite everyone else calling him ugly. and how each NPCs questline does reflect a wider theme seen in Marika and her children. but again, i digress)

every time i think of her, Marika is a constantly shifting kaleidoscope, holding everything from within (the beauty and the malign, light and dark, birth and death, she's warm and gentle, she's cruel and unjust, she's strong and kind, she's weak and resentful, she's sweet and she's bitterness made flesh)... and i could only stand there and admire it all.

[rednightmare18]

It's not even about the vindication of calling a ship, okay. It's that the supposedly anti woke studio wrote about 3 million words of medieval fiction centering the relationship of the two main characters who are in most ways (or in all ways if you follow the obvious canon momentum of the story) meant for each other, as counterparts who help each other survive the great travails of their lives and who challenge/complete the other to become fuller, braver, kinder people. It's so clear these two people are soulmates, platonically or romantically, something observed consistently by the world around them and by themselves.

Except their society (feudalism, Catholicism) dictates that they are intended to be completely incompatible by nature and divine law. Not just for the obvious fact they are both men, but they are separated by what is arguably an even steeper chasm of social class. Their existence even as friends utterly spites, interrupts, and threatens feudal order right down to its theological and philosophical roots. They should not see each other as human and yet.

It's the fact that they do. The fact that the entire story has been about this--that these two protagonists fit together, undeniably, and grow to love each other fiercely (a love that deepens superbly from their knee-jerk playful puppy-friend-love in kcd1 to something selfless and mature by the end of kcd2). And they do so despite the immense opposition by their world, their social circles, their faith, and indeed their fandom.

And yes, it really does fucking matter that all of this culminates into a deep onscreen romantic love (if you get out of the way and allow it to) between two fandom-beloved male main characters (not just side characters rammed in for an optional gay romance but THE main characters of the duology; the "you" as in the player character and your erstwhile dick-jokes bro you have perhaps grudgingly at first been invited as the audience to love) in a historical fiction story that has been wrongly touted by the worst of our contemporaries as the holy grail of cultural conservatism.

Holy shit. Warhorse -- y'all. I'm sorry I doubted you. So few game writers understand how love works and indeed how people work, let alone translate it so well onto the screen.

Calling this an "optional romance" is not technically incorrect, I suppose, because it's true you can opt out and choose to remain platonic friends. But this language feels like a disservice, as if Henry & Hans's romance is a typical RPG wham-bam fanservice makeout with a minor fan fave character who never interacts meaningfully with the player again. Or as if it's a Bioware-style "give this NPC the right gift and do their side quest and you get to see a jankly ugly-bumpin' montage" situation.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is so very much not that. The "main, optional" romance scene in question is just one consummation event of two people who have been growing up and falling in love in front of us over the course of some 200-300 (or god knows how many) hours. The fact these protagonists openly love each other is very much not optional.

This is, sincerely, groundbreaking storytelling in this medium and this genre. How fucking cool that we all got to see it now.

[snow-calypso]

New TADC Theory: Caine's Losing Control

Warning: Contains spoilers for The Amazing Digital Circus episodes 3 and 4.

Just watched episode 4 of The Amazing Digital Circus, and going in, I honestly expected this episode to end with Gangle's abstraction, to the point that I was honestly surprised that it didn't. It honestly seemed like the whole episode was building up to this, what with her going in with hopes of finally enjoying an adventure, then gradually being whittled down both by the stressful job and the other characters demeaning her. The fact that she only seemed to get actual satisfaction from tormenting Jax like he did to her only seemed to solidify this fact. After the isekai fakeout, I was legitimately scared that she would receive the punishment she suggested for Jax, and that would be what pushed her over the edge.

But it wasn't. Caine gave her the same grade as everyone else (except Kinger) and let her go.

Then he starts glitching out.

It wasn't until I was talking to a friend about this that I had the realization.

Gangle isn't going to abstract.

Caine is.

We've seen already in his therapy session with Zooble just how fragile his mental state can be. He begins to question his existence and the environment around the circus immediately starts to glitch out. This happens just from him having to reckon with the fact that he might not be that good at making adventures.

And what happens at the beginning of this episode?

They reject the first adventure he brings up.

As soon as Gangle leaves the room, he begins to glitch unprompted. This has only ever happened to him before during his therapy session with Zooble when he began to question his purpose.

Something is eating away at his mental state, and none of the characters know.

Granted, it isn't yet clear whether or not NPCs can abstract. But what we do know about abstraction is that it happens when someone in the Digital Circus completely loses their sense of self. Personally, I'd say that Caine is close enough to sentient for this to be a legitimate risk, and his entire identity is centered around making adventures for the characters. Adventures that they hate and are gradually starting to push back against.

What truly solidified this for me was the fact that every single other character has something keeping themselves from abstracting.

Everyone else has each other.

This has already been shown with both Pomni and Gangle. After Gummigoo's death, Ragatha stepped in to comfort Pomi and invite her to Kaufmo's funeral. After Pomni was possessed, Kinger helped calm her down and offered a solution. When Gangle was cracking under the pressure of being a manager and thought nobody liked her, Pomni offered to close so she could leave, and Zooble reassured her that they'd still be there for her.

Caine has nobody.

None of the characters in the Digital Circus even like Caine enough to check in on him like they do with each other. Given how much they've gotten used to his zaniness, they might not even know something's wrong with him until he starts growing extra eyes.

I predict that at the end of the series, Caine will fully abstract, turning the Circus into a glitching hellscape, and the characters will be faced with a choice: Leave and condemn the AI to self-destruction, or find some way to calm down their tormentor.

But hey, that's just a theory!

Do you guys have any thoughts on this? I'd love to hear them!

[luvst4rc0r3]

Loser Jinx x loser reader?🥹

I couldnt think of a plot so here are headcannons

Jinx isn’t used to romance, so everything she does to show affection is awkward but adorable.

She’ll give you random gifts, but they’re the most bizarre things—a cool-looking rock, a broken watch, a bullet with your initials scratched on it.

You blush easily, and she lives for it. If she catches you getting flustered, she’ll get way too close and go, “Aww, is my little loser embarrassed?”

Holding hands? Oh, boy. The first time it happens, you both just freeze like broken NPCs before one of you nervously laces your fingers together.

The first time she kisses you, she laughs mid-kiss because she got too excited and then apologizes while giggling. Pinky promises are serious business. Jinx will absolutely make you pinky swear on dumb things like "Promise me you’ll eat today" or "Swear you won’t die before I get back."

You two have the dumbest inside jokes, like calling random objects “boyfriend” or making up fake tragic backstories for inanimate things. If you’re feeling down, Jinx will plop into your lap and dramatically go, "No sad losers allowed! Only slightly dysfunctional but adorable losers."

She loves messing with your hair—braiding it, ruffling it, sticking random objects in it just to see if you notice.

If you ever try to return the favor, she’ll melt on the spot but act like she’s totally fine ("Pfft, whatever, it’s not like I like it or anything—").

Jinx isn’t used to soft affection, so cuddling at first is just her flopping onto you like a cat. If she’s feeling extra clingy, she’ll wrap her arms around you and refuse to let go (“Nope, you’re stuck. Welcome to your new life as my personal pillow.”)

If you fall asleep before her, she’ll trace little shapes on your arm or play with your fingers while whispering nonsense stories. Sleepy Jinx is extra sweet—she gets all mumbly and whiny if you try to move away. "Nooo, stay. You're warm."

You both mutter weird dreams in your sleep, and sometimes you wake up to Jinx just staring at you like, “Okay, so… what do you mean by ‘The toast is alive’?”

Jinx doesn’t know how to be normal about love, so her love notes are chaotic doodles with messages like, “If you die, I’m bringing you back just to kill you myself. Love ya! 💙” If she sees something that reminds her of you, she’ll steal it and proudly present it like a cat bringing gifts.

She’ll act nonchalant about compliments, but if you tell her she’s pretty, she’ll go "Pfft, duh" while secretly grinning like an idiot.

The first time you tell her you love her, she short-circuits and has to physically shake herself out of it before going, "Ew, gross. Say it again." Arcade date? She cheats at every game and still somehow loses to you, so she demands a rematch (and still loses).

Cooking together? Absolute disaster. She puts way too much spice in everything, and you both end up eating cereal instead. Cloud-watching? Turns into making up the dumbest stories about what the clouds look like.

Firework-watching? She gets distracted watching your face instead and teases you for getting all starry-eyed ("Aww, my little loser is so sentimental!"). You and Jinx are just two awkward dorks, completely and utterly in love. It’s the kind of love where you’re both each other’s safe place, even when the world feels like chaos.

No matter how much teasing and goofing around happens, she never lets you forget how much you mean to her. "You're stuck with me, loser. Forever." And honestly? You wouldn’t have it any other way.

I WANT FOOD

[vspin]

On Act 3 and the lack of companion reactivity and dialogue.

So, I officially hit 400 hours on BG3 yesterday (no lifing it lmao) and I've been thinking about some things I wish Larian would improve or wish that they had implemented. A big thing that comes to mind is how much companion reactivity and dialogue abruptly stops in Act 3.

Act 1 really shines with companion reactivity. They always have something to say to the MC, to NPCs, or even to each other! I love the interaction after you use your ilithid powers for the first time and it's a 4 way conversation between everyone.

Then we get to Act 3 and there's such huge drop-off. Some big offenses:

Very little reaction to quests and locations. When I killed Raphael I only got comments from Astarion and Gale! Seriously?? We just survived a trip to the Hells! This happens with multiple quests

Blank faces when Durge is killed by Bhaal.

Camp is lifeless. Everyone just stands in front of their bed, There are no interactions.

In my playthrough, the Emporer admitted to my Tav he was manipulating her and didn't really care. It was bummer I couldn't talk to the other tadpole gang about it.

I remember coming across a Druid in the city. He was trying to heal a tree. So I went back and grabbed Halsin because he was complaining no one in the city cared about nature or balance. So I thought surely, he would have an interaction here! Nope, nothing!

As soon as you finish a companion's personal quest that is basically the end of your interactions with them; even if you romance them.

What I'd like to see: (Disclaimer: Just my opinions. I have no expectation of any of this being added to the game)

More camp interaction between companions. Jahiera and Minsc had a great example of this. Let there be a quick cutscene of Minsc and Halsin arm wrestling. Shadowheart, Karlach, and Astarion drinking wine. Anything. DA:I did a great job at this. It seemed like anytime I approached someone for dialogue they were in the middle of an interaction with someone else. Or events like the card game. It brought a lot of life into the party.

More random city encounters. They did a good job with Karlach; she has interactions with the steel watcher and her friend Fitz. Would have been cool to have some of those with Wyll, maybe he meets another noble or a flaming fist and has to deal with their shock of seeing him as a devil. Or with Gale in Sorcerous Sundries (he is a famous wizard after all!). Astarion mentions he needs to keep a low profile in the taverns; what if someone called him out!

More reactions to story events.

Expand on romances a bit more. We don't need it to be a dating sim but if you finish your LI's quest early on get used to just asking for small pecks and that's it. I would like to see more romance-specific dialogue for quest reactions.

And Finally:

We needed all companions at the final battle. Everyone should have been at the main keep before confronting the brain. You should have had your final conversations with them before you all potentially die in battle. DA:O style. A passionate kiss with your LI (not a tiny little peck lmao). This was a huge exclusion.

Anyway, these are my thoughts on the matter. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

[felassan]

Polygon: 'How Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s writers decided each companion’s romance arc'

Rest of post under a cut due to spoilers.

“There’s so many different flavors of romances with the characters that even if one doesn’t work for you, one of them I think is likely to,” creative director John Epler told Polygon. “But they’re so tied to the character arcs that they become part of that character development as opposed to ‘and also you can romance them on the side.’” For instance, Epler said, Bellara’s romance is purposefully awkward and stilted. (“As Bellara’s writer, I’m very familiar with it,” he added.) “It’s clearly somebody who doesn’t see themselves as someone people are going to want to romance,” he said. “And so one of my favorite things is paying Bellara a compliment, and she takes it in the most awkward [way]. Because she herself as a character, and something you see through her arc, has these issues with how she sees herself, especially after what happened in her past. And so that romance kind of plays off of that as somebody who does have, I wouldn’t say necessarily low self-esteem, but has issues with self-regard. This is how that romance goes, especially if they are themselves a very awkward character.” Meanwhile, Lucanis — who joins the party after you rescue him from an underwater prison where he was tortured for a year after someone in his inner circle betrayed him — has a long road ahead of him in terms of opening up and letting others in. (That also means the results of one big early game choice might cut him off entirely.) “[He] has an arc that’s very much about family and letting people get close and seeing what happens,” said Epler. “And so with his romance, you get more of a slow burn where it doesn’t feel like you’re ever getting quite as close to him as maybe you want until the very end.” In addition to the player-chosen romance arcs, some companions you haven’t chosen to romance might enter romantic relationships with one another (or in the case of one character, with an NPC that isn’t in your party). This isn’t the first time non-romanced party members get together: A fan favorite, for example, is Qunari mercenary Iron Bull and Tevinter mage Dorian Pavus in Dragon Age: Inquisition. But Veilguard has more opportunity than ever before for these side romances to blossom. It all came down, once again, to what made sense for these characters’ own arcs. Bellara doesn’t romance anyone outside of Rook because, as Epler said, she is a “very focused person with a very specific obsession.” Romance isn’t exactly on the top of her mind. For Taash and Harding, however, a romance made perfect sense — both characters navigate accepting who they are and how that fits in with what they thought they knew about the communities and cultures they hail from."

“I think one of my favorite parts of that arc is how much compatibility comes through as you go through their arcs and you realize these are two people […] broken in ways that are so complementary to allow them to heal each other,” said Epler. “They end up developing this very lovely relationship, lovely romance that makes sense for the both of them.” Players might understandably want to go into the game without any spoilers about what characters might get together. But if you’re heading into your second playthrough and you already know more about what the characters’ relationships with one another look like, making decisions might take on a whole new level of significance. That was definitely the case for game director Corinne Busche. “What I love about those developments is that it really gives us some interesting and compelling decision-making about the choices and the consequences within the game,” she told us. “[The relationships] have an extra level, I think, for the decision making. I don’t want to get into spoilers, but there was a moment where I set the controller down and had to go, Oh my God, how can I possibly make this decision knowing what I know of these two characters and how they feel about each other? Oh, it just really makes it hit.” There’s a lot of emphasis on the inter-character relationships in Veilguard. Not only is there the usual party banter while out and about in the world, but you can also stumble upon conversations between characters back at your home base, mitigate disagreements between them, and read codex entries about their book club meetings, cooking rotation, and other things. It makes sense that writing interactions between these companions might spark some ideas for the writers. “It really does come down to who makes the most sense for these characters and who as the writers we are excited about pairing up,” said Epler. “Because I think something people forget is […] well, it’s not technically fanfiction. It’s the same impetus that drives fanfiction where you’re like, Who are the characters we love the most and who do we want to see together? Who do we think makes the most sense as a couple? And then playing with that and seeing if it actually does make sense.”

[source]

[luciaintheskyainthi]

Hi!!! I LOVE ECM!! I'm completely down this rabbit hole now, (spider web?) And I'm reading jason/peter fics 🫠 I'm not really a fan of DC so this is a 1st for me to love 🫠 I initially went through a peter/danny phantom thing then peter/harley mostly because tom's been my person for spidey now, you can imagine those pairings wouldn't necessarily deal with the morality debate like it does with jason/peter so this really made me think how they'd work

But then, in my personal thing, for the DC, it's not really a question of who's right or who's wrong or who deserves the privelage to live or how to solve the question of who's morally superior but who can endure and live with the decisions they make you know?

One thing i see in like my general knowledge of DC and what you've opened my eyes to regarding Jason and Peter, is that they're the type of people who mingles with the community. They want to save or help people because these are THEIR people u know? They grew up in these streets, mingled with what would constitute as background characters and npcs at most to the dc world, just statistics as u say, but they're people to them even the villains

Jason in my head in these case, will understand that while the 'bad guys' can be redeemed, he's not willing to take a chance that it will cost other people's lives. Innocent people that don't deserve to be just part of a redemption arc of a criminal and he can endure killing, what that does to him and other's views of him but he's someone who survives and can do this as long as it saves those future victims

Peter on the other hand wants to help everyone because he believes and has seen those that can be saved from 'villainy'. He can endure continuing to try and continuing to save possible victims but that's because to me, he's kind of op in his possible abilities and smarts u kno, he has the option to think of a way to help both 'villain' and victim and keep standing up after he's hit. In a way that Jason, as a relative normie can't. I think peter's experiences and what he witnesses in marvel verse shows the type of power and ability that allows them to help what other's would call iredeemable, like how he did in nwh.

It's a matter of how well they'll be able to endure either killing someone who could've been redeemed or allowing someone to live who continues to kill.

They're both stubborn tho, so I imagine in these scenario they'll just be each other's support 😃 in a happy place, that's what I want to think anyway.

How would you happen to see them in this context? 'Cause honestly, in bruce and tony's case as people who don't technically mingle with the community the way the other 2 do, they kind of come off as sanctimonious pricks who has a privelaged view of how to handle their criminals.

Considering they think that the people they fight with will target them and everything they may or may not do is associated with them, they certaimly don't think about the 'background' people affected in their actions the way I imagine peter and jason do. Sorry I rambled too much I'm not even sure I explained mythoughts properly 😃

Still ur an amazing writer 🥹 thank you for your generosity in sharing your worls with us

Finally getting to this ask! 🫣 I loved it very much and have been waiting for the right bandwidth to respond because I knew I'd end up writing a damn essay ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥 (and would you look at that? I HAVE)

Let me start by saying I LOVE how you've put the moral debate that lies at the heart of Jason (and of course the Jason/Peter pairing!):

it's not really a question of who's right or who's wrong or who deserves the privelage to live or how to solve the question of who's morally superior but who can endure and live with the decisions they make you know?

I DO know and it's something that I've had Jason touch upon a few times previously (but also more in later chapters). He's long since accepted that burden - in some respects, because of his training with the All Caste I think he sees it in part as a responsibility, too (the All Caste kind of exists to fight against the Untitled, who are meant to embody evil, so there's a bit of that going on with Jason, too).

At this point, I think Jason understands that Bruce isn't someone who should take on that burden like Jason has. And he understands too, that the world is better without a Batman that's willing to kill. But at the same time, he also sees Bruce's 'inaction' as hypocritical and harmful because he DOES prioritise the lives of mass murderers over the lives of their inevitable future victims. Unlike Bruce, who is an optimist, Jason is a realist and a utilitarian. The greatest good and all that.

(Of course, I don't think that was entirely his motivation throughout the events of Under the Red Hood, but I'd like to think he's matured in the 4 years since then... Of interest: the Batman: Urban Legends issue covers pretty well the reasons why comics!Jason would stop using guns, after he lets his temper get the better of himself and he kills an admittedly shitty guy, but someone he knows shouldn't have been killed. While I still have Jason use guns here so that event's non-ECM canon, I do think it made a good argument.)

I do see Peter as a hero who should be very firmly community-minded (certainly far more than he was set up as in the first few showings of MCU Spider-Man), which does bring him into alignment with Jason, despite their differing views on killing villains. The thing is though, and I said this in an earlier ask, Peter's recent villains have been men who have been changed/altered, and its primarily this alteration that led to their villainy (with the exception of Beck and Toomes). Likewise, Peter is stronger, and that's meant he's not been made a victim in the same way that Jason has. So the way he views villains has been tarred by the belief that they can change.

But the thing is... while, sure, there are Gotham villains who are like that, there are also some who are just... irredeemable assholes. There's no 'fixing them' because there was nothing 'broken' about them. Or not broken in the way Peter's used to....

I think you also bring up a great point about the fact that Peter and Jason, living in the heart of Crime Alley, and community-centred heroes, would see Bruce's POV as sanctimonious because those future victims aren't just faceless victims, they're their neighbours. They're friends. They're the petty passive-aggressive arch-enemy whom Jason's in a constant battle with for the final parking space on the street.

There's no ivory tower for Peter or Jason. And that means something. To both of them.

I would also note, that while Peter's against killing and certainly would never bear the knife himself, he's capable of nuance. Because LBR, both MCU and comics Peter has associated with characters who've killed. MCU Tony killed Thanos, yet Peter never decries that decision. He still hero-worships the man after death. Same goes with all the Avengers, which there's no doubt Peter was aware of, yet he still wanted to join the roster in Homecoming.

Likewise, comics Peter still associates with killers like Deadpool, and though I've not read the comics, from what I'm aware it's not so much that he's antipathetic towards Deadpool because he kills but because he's a mercenary.

(Of course, one could make comparisons between Jason and the Punisher, who Peter canonically hates, and thinking of the Jason from UTRH, there's no way Peter would associate himself with the Red Hood then. Because like the Punisher, the Red Hood was indiscriminate when it came to killing 'bad guys'. But the Jason of now is a very different beast from the Jason of UTRH.)

To me, that says that the motivations behind having to kill someone matters to Peter. As of course, do the circumstances. Though you never saw that conversation from Peter's POV, he was immensely relieved when Jason confirmed that he wasn't interested in just breaking into Arkham and killing the villains inside executioner-style, even if that would still prevent them from creating any more victims.

Anywho, all of this to say, that while Jason thinks himself capable of taking on the burden, he doesn't think that should be the case for every hero. Likewise, while Peter would never allow himself to kill someone, even in the heat of a battle, that doesn't mean he's going to immediately condemn someone else for being forced to do the same.

[raguonmynieceandnephew]

"It's so unfair to the Rat Grinders that they are killed instantly and the Bad Kids get to roll death saves." SHUT UUUUUUUUUUUUP

THIS IS LONG, AND HONESTLY FOR MYSELF, SO YEAH READ IF YOU WANT

I swear to god, this discourse is going to fucking be the end of me. Idk what kind of mind boggling spell Brennan Lee Mulligan wove into the fabric of the universe that spread through the data center of Dropout in order to absolutely hijack y'all's brains when it comes to Cocklord Assgape and her ragtag of character foils but whatever it was has made you Rat Grinder stans INSUFFERABLE in this site.

The levels of treating fictional characters as if they were real people have reached a level I honestly have never anticipated, to the point of y'all actually being mad AT THE CAST for "mistreating" them and ACTUALLY QUESTION BRENNAN'S CAPACITY TO DM. Do you not get how fucking insane that is?

We can't make fun of Copperkettle, one of the most pathetic, petty and incompetent villains in D20 history anymore (even though she is masterfully written and developed to generate this reaction from us) anymore because it's bullying apparently. I saw an account flip the fuck out because someone compared her rivalry with Kristen to Drake and Kendrick's beef. KIPPERLILY IS NOT A REAL GIRL. SHE IS A MAKE BELIEVE CHARACTER IN AN IMPROV SHOW SPAWNED FROM THE BRAIN OF A 36 YEAR OLD MAN

And then what truly pissed me off the MOST about this whole hell is the fact that, being chronically online avid consumers of this goddamn show, I would think you would have but a grasp of the main cast of characters' characterization.

Why the uproar about Riz saying they should chop Oisin's head off? The same Riz who tortured that pixie from Freshman year by shooting off their finger one by one? The same Riz who murked a disarmed and unconscious Coach Daybreak without battin an eye? The same Riz who ATE THE CORPSE OF KALVAXUS?

And the whole Fabian vs Ivy debacle MY GOD, THE GIRL WAS RACIST TO HIS GIRLFRIEND AND USED HER LAST BREATH TO CALL MAZEY "OBJECTIVELY UGLY". And the funniest thing is that is not even the most unhinged shit he has ever said.

And finally, Death Save Gate: THE RAT GRINDERS ARE NOT PLAYER CHARACTERS. THEY ARE NPCS! THE RULES FOR EACH WORK DIFFERENTLY, ESPECIALLY THEM BEING BOSS ENCOUNTERS. Imagine having to still hit Ivy or Oisin 2 more times to kill them when there is 14 foot tall Porter throwing legendary actions left and right, with Jace, and other 3 spell casters + Mary Ann and KLCK up and running. It's called balancing the fucking game. Also, game masters are entitled to break, mold and make up any rules they want if they find necessary in order to service themselves and their players. IF YOU PLAY WITH ALL THESE RULES AS THEY COME, GOOD FOR YOU AND YOUR TABLE. THIS IS NOT YOUR TABLE.

Not only is Brennan DMing for his CLOSEST FRIENDS EVER, he is also shooting and producing an ENTIRE TV SHOW. So yeah, i think he knows wtf he is doing.

"But the Ratgrinders had no real development": True. But it wasn't for lack of trying from the players. Everytime they tried to know more, the dice didn't let them, so they decided to focus on the mystery. It simply do be like that sometimes.

"But they are just kids!": And so were Penelope, Dayne, Ragh, Zayn, the Bloodrush Players, Aelwyn and Biz. Why wasn't it a problem then? Because most of them were evil to some extent and were about to bring the fucking apocalypse to the world? Yeah, sounds familiar right? And the ones who were manipulated or had any sort of redemption worked their way into earning it, right? Yeah.

In conclusion, I fucking love the Rat Grinders, I truly do, and not unlike 90% of this website, i'm still holding on to hope that they have any sort of development and redemption in the last episode, because I agree, they ARE children and they WERE manipulated by Porter and Jace, but like, can we also agree that they are fucking assholes and had it fucking coming? Also, the BKs are children too y'know. SO STOP BEING FUCKING ANNOYING.

[crimsonkat59]

The Infinights

The pixelated RPG game Infinights, developed by Tales From the Stinky Dragon, garnered many positive reviews from fans of the developer’s past works and soon brought in new fans, many of whom had never played a game of such style. 

Infinights is a story-driven game where you play as four ‘Infinight Interns’ trying to find the Infinights (a group of notorious heroes), defeat a devious woman called Paralyte, and save the realm of Faeza. There are many loveable NPCs scattered throughout the five realms of Faeza, each unique to their homeland. And the music changes throughout the land, even during encounters! 

What many have found interesting about the game is that the player does not control a specific character. The four Interns move as a group and the walking order of the players changes according to their environment (for example, Mudd leads the group through his home city of the BuhBayou while Kyborg will lead when they’re in Evirwinter). In combat, each Intern and their enemies are given a specific order to which they can take a turn. This is one of the many cases where Infinights uses luck and randomization to achieve unique playthroughs. Often, conversations will have dialogue options that will either succeed or fail based on the program’s virtual ‘coin flip’ and the amount of damage any attack will do it based on a ‘dice roll’ of sorts. 

Infinights has been praised for its simple but beautiful graphics and its simple design. However, it has gained criticism as well. 

One main flaw many players see is how rigid the story is. There are not many chances for exploration and though conversations can change due to luck, things end up the same in the end. After some time, the developers released an update containing a second playing mode. This mode, entitled ‘The Past’ (changing the main story mode to ‘The Present’), lets the player play in a more open-world concept. And as the original Infinights. 

What’s loved about The Past is that it allows the player to see more into the life of the characters the game is entitled after. There were complaints that, for being titular characters and the game’s main quest, the Infinights did not have a strong role in the story, especially Grislee and Elleve. The Past changes this, giving each Infinight more lines and a more fleshed out character. 

Of course, the open-world style is appreciated as well. There’s a fully interactable map to navigate through and many new locations within each city to explore. New shops, new NPCs, new quests. And while The Past has a few scripted adventures and quests, the easiest way to explore the world is to travel to one city and simply walk around. More quests become available as the Infinights become more renowned throughout Faeza, with more people also willing to aid their adventures. 

The Past also created thought. As the main villain of the main story, Paralyte, is seen in this mode as just another Infinight. She is primarily called ‘Luce’, which is her real name, and is visually different. Many have joked that she looks ‘healthier’ in The Past as her skin is less pale. What many notice is that there’s no green infinity sign carved into her armor in The Past, but she instead wears an armband with the Infinight’s logo on it. (Just like Spectril!) 

Throughout the story, Luce and the others get along very well. Her voice is still ‘honeyed yet haunting’, but her interactions with the Infinights are full of smiles and jokes. Luce cracks a few herself, leaving the threats to the enemies encountered in combat. 

This mode, even when played to 100%, does not address exactly why Luce left the Infinights. Theories have been made through dialogue left throughout both modes of the game, but there has been no official response from the developers. Tales From the Stinky Dragon often prides itself on adding a bit of mystery to their games, with some questions getting answered while others are left up to the fans. 

The newest mystery they’ve unveiled is Grotethe, another RPG game in the works. Through released screenshots, it’s clear that the game uses the same base as Infinights. The combat and dialogue systems are the same, along with the game’s basic premise. However, one question that has been raised is how the story modes work. Will Grotethe have only a story-driven mode, only open-world, or will it include both? None of the released content points to any of these options. 

On a similar note, it is also clear that Grotethe takes is set in an entirely different place. The technology and locations (and even the appearance of one of the main characters!) that can be seen in different screenshots are causing speculation amongst fans. People wonder whether the two games are related or not and, if they are, how? No voice clips for any of the characters have been released yet, but fans hope that the voices of the main characters will aid them in this quest for answers. 

Until then, everyone continues to enjoy the stunning game that is Infinights. 

This project, with all visual details compiled on one Adobe Illustrator document entitled 'rot' because I failed to spell 'rpg' started on Tuesday, January 14th. Through various sessions of various lengths and occasional mouse usage, it has finally been completed. I now hate rectangles and squares. 

Various parts of the artwork should be recognizable to other games of a similar style. When I went looking for sprite bases when this project first started, I landed on a base sprite for Omori. I have never played Omori. Along with that, the way the combat screen looks is taken from Deltarune (which I have played) and the shop screen has influences from it. 

And it should be known that most things made in this work I had a trace (with pixels) from a random internet image. That dragon was NOT freehand, nor was that train, the map and pretty much everything from the shop screen (though, the shopkeeper whose name I cannot remember was drawn from a sketch I made). All text except title text (Infinights, Grotethe, Tales From the Stinky Dragon) is actual type, only the title text I drew (with a reference).

My school shouldn’t have allowed me to have an Adobe account or a teacher/class to teach me graphic design. I am using it for evil.

Sprite sheet:

The state my school computer's desktop was left in. Just because I think it's funny.

[strangewonderful]

andie has had more than a few occasions to visit other universes, and in one of those universes she meets herself.

every single moment in andie eliot's life on earth-64 goes exactly as we know it to: she is born on january 19th, her parents die when she is 7 and she moves in with her uncle tommy; at 17 she gets bitten by a radioactive spider and a few weeks later she saves her classmate and crush romeo dixon from danger; together, they create the lovebug identity for her.

the lovebug of eath-64 combats corruption, destruction, and villainy in new york using pacifism, aided by her powers and romeo's advice as her guy-in-the-chair. but it isn't easy work. andie may hope and believe with all her heart, but she struggles to convince people to see the world through her eyes. lovebug fails in her mission more than she succeeds, but she never stops trying. and it's not got anything to do with her specifically. it's just—hard.

until andie eliot stumbles through a portal and lands in her world. andie eliot—from earth 616, she learns—is as bright as the sun. she shines so bright that andie can barely look at her 616-counterpart. why lovebug has always struggled so much makes sense now: andie lacks the spark. whatever spark it is that makes the other andie glow, this one doesn't have it.

she can't find anything in her life... they compare timelines, and everything else that they can think of and it all lines up exactly the same. she is just a plain jane. average. falls short.

it doesn't mean she stops trying. | pin board!

ASK GAME : send me a 🚶 and i’ll introduce you to an npc in my muse’s life / from @mcmorare for andie ♡˚₊

[onedismay]

So I went nuts about three super unimportant NPCs hanging out in Tartarus and I'm now releasing my headcanons into the wild. Only Derc has a name and dialogue in-game, so I guess the asari are my OCs.

Some fun headcanons:

Sophri's dad was a hanar diplomat, mom is an ambassador

Iyenna's dad was a vorcha who cleaned streets, mom was a dancer

Sophri taught Iyenna how to swim when they were students at the same university on Thessia. That's when they fell in love!

Derc has been kicked out of three separate communities for embezzlement (his clan's company, the Nexus, and Kadara Port)

He had hardly met any aliens prior to joining the Initiative, and is still dreadful at reading non-salarian social cues

Iyenna will lie about anything for fun (did you know Sophri is the secret princess of Kahje? And that she came to Andromeda to escape an arranged marriage?)

Derc falls for Iyenna's lies 50% of the time, Sophri never does (she knows her too well)

Iyenna is a big fan of batarian metal (the other two... are not)

BACKSTORY SUMMARY: The asari were a pre-established couple even before Andromeda. They met Derc during the Nexus uprising when Sophri got wounded and Derc (reluctantly) let the ladies use the medical supplies he'd hoarded in a storage closet. On Kadara the three discovered they were safer and could get more stuff done if they stuck together, and that dynamic evolved into them straight-up living in the same shipping container (hehe shipping) and who knows what else!!

More detailed backstory beneath the readmore.

The two asari met each other in a Thessian university where Sophri was studying to become an interior designer and Iyenna was getting the engineering degree her mom always told her she should go for. Both were struggling in their studies for different reasons (Sophri was incredibly shy and meek, Iyenna had no study skills), but managed to graduate with each other's help and fell in love along the way.

Sophri's mother didn't approve of their relationship ("but your kids will be pureblood :( why not find a nice drell instead"), and Iyenna had recently lost her own mother to a sudden illness. Both of their fathers were also long gone, so when they heard of the Initiative, there was no one around to talk them out of leaving for Andromeda. It was primarily Iyenna's idea, as she's by far the more adventurous half of the pair, but her enthusiasm quickly brought Sophri on board as well.

They joined the Nexus uprising on a whim, thinking it'd be a wild but ultimately harmless little riot... However, they quickly regretted their actions when Sophri got badly wounded. Looking for help, they stumbled upon Derc and his secret stash of Valuable Stuff in a storage closet. Derc fainted at the sight of blood (yeah....) but once awake again, he supplied the ladies with the products they needed and gave the panicking Iyenna instructions on how to use them (from under a desk) (not looking) (so he wouldn't faint again). Somehow they managed to save Sophri's nearly severed head tentacle just before security discovered them and took them all in.

After all three were exiled from the Nexus and ended up in Kadara Port, Derc attempted to restart his stash of Valuable Stuff and swiftly got himself banished from the Port as well. (he also got punched in the face for the first time in his life and he was SHOOK :( consequences for his own actions? they just keep happening??) The ladies were like "that man will not survive on his own, we have to adopt him" and the rest is history.

They live in a shipping container near Tartarus, where Iyenna works as a bouncer (and occasionally engineer when something breaks...) and where Derc does most of his networking and scheming.

Iyenna makes sure no thugs hassle Derc, and Derc has sort of come around to the idea that he might NEED friends in this stupid galaxy that doesn't work by the rules he was used to, and so he makes an effort to repay the kindness he's given. Example: the ladies had to leave half their luggage behind when they were exiled from the Nexus, but Derc got it all smuggled to Kadara for them. uwu

Sophri's dream career as an interior designer hasn't quite taken off, but she's got stable work in construction as she's very good at moving heavy things with her biotics. Comes to Tartarus on her lunch breaks. She's still processing everything that's happened and probably regrets coming to Andromeda the most out of the three; getting scarred and exiled was not something she'd even considered an option, yet now it was her reality. As the trio settle into a new normal, however, her regrets do dissipate over time. The one thing she REALLY misses now is swimming. Kadara pool when

[heytherecentaurs]

Burrow's End is an absolute masterpiece.

In the span of ten episodes Aabria and Co. weave an exciting and emotional adventure story about a family of sentient stoats. It delivers huge laughs, interesting societal criticism, remarkably emotional and well-acted scenes and concludes with a series of epilogue scenes that feel appropriate for each character, some heartfelt and subdued and others bigger than life and all the funnier for it.

Siobhan and Izzy play the perfect pair of siblings. They fight and argue but they also love each other. Jaysohn (Siobhan) looks up to Lila (Izzy) and believes she's the smartest stoat in the world (and by the end she probably is) and Lila hypes up her little brother's athletic skills. They both fully embodied these kids and I could watch them do fun stuff for more episodes. Give me a version of Saved by the Bell with them. Stoat by the Bell.

Brennan and Rashawn, playing sisters, also knock it outta the park, showing a more mature sibling dynamic. Brennan portrays Tula as the quintessential overtired single mother of excitable kids, and Rashawn as younger sister Viola straddles a very interesting line of being intimidating to outsiders but very much more naive and looking to her older sister when she starts a family.

Jasper as Thorn, a guy everyone just lets be a cult leader because he really wanted to, is fantastic. His is a difficult role as the only non-blood relative. Jasper plays Thorn with such real humanity of a guy in over his head and letting his ambition wife call the shots, but also one who agrees with her goal, really loves her and has moments of real menace. He has some very funny scenes, his big speech is perfect, and I just enjoy him.

Erika is wonderful. They play the epitome of generational trauma as many have said but as much trauma as Ava has, she is also loving and willing to learn. The fact Erika took this adversarial role is incredible. The tense dramatic scene primarily between Ava, Tula and Viola is amazing. They act their asses off and make hard choices that I imagine are difficult even for such an experienced player.

Aabria's DMing always feels fun. She doesn't get bogged down in the rules. She knows them. She plays by them. But as a master, she knows how and when to break them too. Her seasons on Dimension 20 have all had a tenseness, a particular edge to them that can give me anxiety during dramatic scenes between two characters. It always feel like one of her NPCs may say something devastating and the tension between characters reaches really thrilling heights. This is present in other seasons, but I don't think anyone does it as well as she does. The first season of hers to have battle maps, Aabria really swung for the fences and gave us some of the wildest maps to date.

Shout out to Carlos Luna's voice acting. He did an incredible job. And shout out to the whole crew who have put together one of the best seasons of D20. They keep finding ways to build on what's come before and they should be commended for it.

Dimension 20 is most successful when the concept is very streamlined. They don't do huge 100 episode campaigns capable of handling huge winding complex narrative, but short focused D&D stories, which is why many of the Side Quests have been so fantastic. They embody this philosophy most clearly, but it's apparent in the most beloved Intrepid Heroes seasons as well—John Hughes/High Fantasy, Game of Thrones/Candyland, Retrofuturism, Film Noir but in a Brain... Burrow's End fits this perfectly. It's streamlined concept paired with great storytellers and great chemistry sets it up to be a smash hit before it begins. And goddamn does it deliver.

Thanks Stupendous Stoats!

[swarmishstrangers]

can i perhaps ask about folly x physically disabled / wheelchair user reader,,

(also ur folly chronic pain esc hc has my soul i love it sm <3)

Firstly!! Tysm!! Glad to see a lot of people liked my Folly chronic pains hcs. Spores successfully spread >:] ! Secondly, I was honestly stuck on what to do for this one. I was having trouble because physically disabled can be a wide range of things, all with different ways of care, coping, or other things usually coupled with it. So, I went with a reader who has arthritis/chronic pain that henders their mobility, and that results in needing to use a wheelchair at times. Hope you enjoy!

𖣂 Such pain you feel, pain she can sense. It's invisible to most that you haven't let known about your condition and invisible ailment. But you hurt, you ache, your limbs burn. She can see the subtly in the ways you show it. The creases in your brow, how you wince at times, the quiet sound of gritting teeth, the pursing of lips, or the crinkle of a nose. It's a pain she can relate to and one that is never ending.

𖣂 The most obvious thing that tells your pain is the wheelchair you sport at times on the rare days you end up going into the elevator in such condition. Usually you don't, only if you need to. Not a lot of NPCs have seen it. She didn't need to, she already knew you had one.

𖣂 Your talks, like everyone Folly interacts with, can be tense. Sometimes you have bite to your words when speaking to her, when she pushes your buttons too hard or says just the wrong thing. Pain tends to exacerbate irritation, she knows that all to well as she does the same when pushed by you or others...it's a silent understanding between you two. A relateability.

𖣂 Sometimes you both get in a sweet spot, where you both talk about the pain you feel. Folly is a hard nut to crack open, to get her to say anything about what she's feeling. Most of the time what she says is vague, not trusting you, nor anyone. But she listens to you. She knows about your pain, she hears about it more from you. Even if she's coiled like a snake, ready to strike at whoever comes to close..it does ease her a little, knowing someone understands even a sliver of what she feels physically.

𖣂 Patience is your virtue in getting Folly to open up. If you can somehow stand her words that burn ears, her threats, that wall she puts up with 10 layers of bricks..slowly you can chip away, learn more and more each time. And eventually, you learn more about her pain, one that sounds an awful lot like how you feel.

𖣂 You give each other some tips of how you tend to cope through pain for the other to try to see if the method you talked about may work for the other. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't, but it's something to try for you both.

𖣂 Pressure pad buddies. She wears large pressure pads underneath her sweater in places like her joints that hurt the most. You changed her *life* when you informed her there were ones that could heat up and boy do those feel nice on aching limbs..she'll never admit it outright though.

𖣂 If in a relationship with each other. Massages. Are. A. Must. Folly really really enjoys it when you give her one. Her hands may be small in comparison to her very large form but it still helps some. Tenderly rubbing your fingers into her head, especially your thumbs near a certain part near her eye and you apply pressure and rub feels really good for her migraines. Or if you rub into her shoulders, knead her back, her legs. Anywhere really. It doesn't cure it of course, but it makes it more bearable. It's also an amusing sight seeing her basically reduced to goop.

𖣂 Massages for you are different. She has to put forth a calculated gentleness in order to not like. Injure you basically lmao. The level of trust you'd have for her..it's weird. She's hyper-aware of her own strength as she presses her thumbs along your spine, or massages against your neck, aware of the trust you have for her to let her do this. Folly would probably offhandedly comment, "I could easily just break your neck." And just continue on as if that's just a normal comment to make. She's just thinking out loud wdym you'd be concerned?

[lalathemediterraneanmermaid]

Love & Deepspace Boys and how do they smell like

Hi, hello, how are you, my beloveds? Lately, I’ve been obsessed with the game 'Love and Deepspace.' I haven’t started playing yet (my phone is completely out of storage, tragic, I know), but hear me out: THE CHARACTERS. OMG, THE CHARACTERS. Anyway, today I bring you my thoughts on what I think each LaDs boy smells like. Enjoy!!!

Caleb

I know, I know, Caleb is a new character who was an npc in the beginning and we know little about him. But I’ve seen his release trailer and I think we can work with that. He is depicted as friendly, approachable, energetic, grounded and fresh, but in his release trailer we can see a darker side of him (he is now literally an android, I mean, he has a robotic arm). While my poor boy was an npc, he seemed naturally warm and friendly, with a light, refreshing personality and an approachable and energetic vibe. It appears apples are a symbol of him, and apples are naturally fresh and sweet. We can also see a more calm and peaceful side of him while he interacts with MC. But this sense of calmness, airiness and freshness, ends up a bit left aside with his release trailer, that gives a more obscure and mysterious aura with a lot of angst. He is giving me “good boy gone bad” vibes if you know what I mean… He seems to be seeking revenge (just my opinion). And it’s not just the vibes, he seems hella toxic and possessive.

That being said, his scent matches that vibe of “good boy with a dark secret”. Caleb's scent would be fresh and vibrant at first, reminiscent of his warm, approachable beginnings, but it will fade pretty quickly, settling into something smoky, leathery, and grounding. This duality captures his essence as someone torn between his apparent goodness and the weight of his transformation, or may I say his true self? I would also say he smells pretty clean, like aftershave or something similar, why? I don’t really know, it’s just a vibe.

Notes: Green apple, bergamot, lavender, smoky vetiver and dark amber.

Perfumes:

Yves Saint Laurent - Y

Creed - Spice & Wood

Le Labo - Bergamote 22

Dior - Sauvage (this one for the toxic part lol)

Tom Ford - Oud Wood

Rafayel

Okay, we DO KNOW Rafayel, he is our favourite diva drama queen. Now let’s get serious. Rafayel is a passionate, fiery (lol), playful, artistic and a teeny-weeny bit mischievous fine pisces man. Lemme explain, Rafayel's vibe is that of a passionate, creative soul with an intense drive to express himself through art. To others he's quite aloof, cold even, stopping at nothing to achieve his goals, even if his actions may seem morally ambiguous. But with those who really know him, he has a fiery and dynamic personality, much like his artwork, which leaves a profound impact on those who view it. Though with MC, he tends to act pretty carefree, petulant and childish, Rafayel is a tease and really likes to act clingy around her, but just around HER. Also, he is pretty, like beautiful, ETHEREAL (literally, he is a merman) and he appreciates fine art and beauty. His art is mood-influenced, the colors he uses depend on his feelings. Also, there’s a mix of sensuality and intensity in his character. 

With all that information about our fish boy Rafayel we can tell that he, more or less, smells like paints (obviously), but he also smells really clean, fresh and a bit sweet, but overall light, fresh and airy, beautiful. On top of all of that, he is nostalgic of the ocean, so there’s clearly something aquatic about his scent.

Notes: Sea salt, yuzu, bergamot, white jasmine, ambergris, cherry, dry woods and paint accords.

Perfumes: 

Jo Malone - Wood Sage & Sea Salt

Loewe - Agua Él

Giorgio Armani - Acqua di Gio Profondo

Issey Miyake -  L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme

Calvin Klein - Eternity Air for Men

Xavier

Xavier, our sleepy boy. Only that says a lot about him. He is calm, caring, playful, overprotective and a bit obsessive towards MC. Xavier presents a serene, almost ethereal vibe, with a calm demeanor and a caring nature. He has a pure and angelic aura, but his occasional obsessive tendencies add complexity to his character. He won't even hesitate to eliminate anyone who threatens him or MC. He is quite mysterious though, with not so many facial expressions, his unknown age, that hidden need to have MC for his own… Which is pretty amusing to know given the fact that he has no problem falling asleep anywhere, anytime. Xavier has a boyish, endearing and otherworldly charm due to his awkward speech, mannerisms and lack of awareness of social norms. And lastly, I will say he has a kind of nurturing side, but he also demands you to nurture him lol.

With that being said, what does Xavier smell like? I can sense some fresh and clean notes along with other calming ones. I also can picture him spraying onto his bedsheets baby cologne, more specifically “Petits Et Mamans” by Bvlgari.  I don’t really think we can “smell” that more obscure side of him, so it’s safe to say he smells light, fresh and clean.

Notes: White tea, baby powder, lavender, cotton blossom, musk and water lily.

Perfumes: 

Bvlgari - Eau Parfumée au Thé Blanc

Clean Reserve - Skin

Maison Margiela Replica - Lazy Sunday Morning

Jo Malone - White Jasmine & Mint

Byredo - Blanche

Sylus

Sylus, my man, my beloved, the love of my life. Okay, now for real, Sylus gives off a strong, commanding aura, with an air of danger and mystery along with a strategic mind and cold, calculated nature. To make it easier to understand, he is giving major red flag vibes. He is the leader of Onychinus, so he definitely has leadership qualities that go well with his very defined ruthless attitude. He is sassy duh, and the definition of a tease. Sylus is an arrogant and confident man and rarely perceives anyone as a real threat. Even in dangerous situations, he remains calm and smug. His cruelty knows no bounds when it comes to achieving his goals, as he's willing to threaten or even kill to get what he wants. At the same time, there’s a hint of warmth in his character, he is a softy at heart, he loves his fluffy onesie. So he is not really that much of a red flag, he really cares for MC and it shows in his eyes on quite a lot of occasions. His vibe can be best described as dominant, powerful, mysterious, dark and a bit of a tease, yet deeply caring for MC..

Knowing both his cold and dangerous side and his warm and caring one, and looking at his “looks like could kill you, would kill you”, “bad boy”, “touch her and you die” vibe. His scent would likely be dark and intense, with a spicy, animalistic base, balanced by warm and seductive notes that reflect his caring side.

Notes: Leather, black pepper, tobacco, liqueur, amber and tonka bean.

Perfumes:

Tom Ford - Ombre Leather

Givenchy - Gentleman

Penhaligon's - The Dandy

Kilian Paris - Old Fashioned

Tom Ford - Tobacco Vanille

Zayne

Oh Zayne, my other man. At this point I don’t even care for my digital footprint anymore so let’s be honest, Zayne and Sylus could sandwich me in between them and I wouldn’t complain lol. Okay, back to our Zaddy Dr. Zayne, he is very professional and focused, as the perfect doctor he is. He is stoic and grounded, again, he is a doctor. My pookie appears to be cold at the beginning, but he is really caring, loving and a huge softie, and, of course, he is an indulgent with a sweet tooth lol. Let’s summarize, Zayne has a very serious and disciplined vibe, especially in his role as a doctor. He’s grounded, practical, and very level-headed. However, there’s a contrast in his character as well, he indulges in sweets and has a soft spot for certain comforts. His complexity lies in balancing his demanding profession with moments of personal relaxation. He is the complete opposite of Xavier, Zayne suffers a lot from bad nightmares and insomnia, my poor boy needs to sleep really bad. He gives off major 'girl dad' and husband material vibes, I mean, he literally focused his doctor career on researching congenital heart abnormalities in neonates and he learned how to braid hair by taking care of kids in Akso Hospital. He also strikes me as the loyal type, and if you don’t agree just look at his safe black outfit with sunglasses, he loves that outfit more than he loves MC I swear, and we love a consistent man. Outside the main story, Zayne displays a more affectionate personality with MC. He is also openly physically affectionate, often boldly holding or even kissing the main character. Btw, I love this fact that I’ve found on the internet: “Zayne's alcohol limit: One piece of liqueur chocolate.” and this one too: “When he's down with a cold, he dodges the medicine and insists on a hot cocoa instead.” He is so like me for real.

Okay,  I’ll stop writing about Zayne before this turns into a full-blown thesis. about him lol. So, how does Zayne smell like? Fresh and clean with hints of sweet notes. We do have to remember that he works at a hospital, so, typically, it’s not common for doctors to wear perfumes, at least not the strong type. Considering this, I imagine that on a daily basis, he smells clean and fresh, with just a hint of sweetness. Outside the hospital, he likely keeps the same clean and fresh scent, though perhaps slightly stronger, sweeter and more noticeable. And, I also imagine he wears a perfume that’s simple yet undeniably luxurious, something niche and understated.

Notes: White musk, vetiver, bergamot, cedarwood, ambergris, vanilla and cocoa.

Perfumes:

Imaginary Authors: The Language of Glaciers

Zoologist - Snowy Owl

Creed - Silver Mountain Water

Guerlain - L'Homme Idéal Eau de Parfum

Chanel - Allure Homme Édition Blanche

And that’s all, my dears! I hope you’ve enjoyed this post! As always, it’s just based on my opinion. I’m really curious to know what you think our boys smell like!

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

✨ let’s do a twst trade ✨

Hello ^^;;

This might be coming out of the blue. I’m typically a very private person and tend to stick with social circles I’m already familiar with.

Recently, I’ve been thinking that it would be nice to put myself out there and interact more! I can get easily overwhelmed, so I thought a good way to go about this is to do a handful of art/writing trades. This keeps the number low and conversation approachable, and I think that’d help slowly ease me into being more comfortable interacting and participating in community events.

***UPDATE: Trades now closed, thank you all for the interest!***

Here are the parameters and other important notes (setting these for my own comfort and lifestyle):

This will be a Twisted Wonderland themed trade because that’s the one thing we can guarantee to have in common.

I’ll write a fic for you! Minimum 1-2k words (but I tend to ramble so it could easily go higher than that), starring at least 2 characters (I can write more, but let’s not go too crazy and ask for all 22 NRC students in one fic).

I CAN write platonic, romantic, angst, fluff, yandere, AUs, etc.

I’m okay with writing any and all TWST characters, including staff, RSA students, family members, and other NPCs.

Of course, OCs are also welcome! I’d love to learn more about yours.

Be prepared with references for your OC(s) if applicable. This could include illustrations, but at the bare minimum should include a written explanation of who the character is, their personality, likes/dislikes, and relationships with canon characters.

There are limits to what I will write, as I am uncomfortable with some subject matters. For example, I’m not willing to write anything pregnancy-related. We can discuss my “no goes” in more detail if we decide to trade!

Upon request, I can do a simple digital piece of art OR a washi tape illustration (you won’t receive the physical piece, just a picture of it) for you. I believe most people know me more for my writing, but I wanted to keep these options on the table!

You trade me a fic of your own OR an artwork of roughly the same quantity/quality. As the saying goes, “what you give is what you get.”

We will talk and agree before we start on our pieces what each of us will generally provide at the end. (For example, a 5k word fic for a full color waist up illustration, 1k word fic for a black-white doodle, etc.)

You have to be okay with receiving a vague prompt. I like to be surprised, so I’ll probably just give you a list of general themes, ideas, and characters I like, then set you loose to see what you come up with.

You can be as specific as you like with your own prompt for me though—I’m flexible. Let me know what you don’t like as well so I can avoid including those elements.

To keep things fair, we’ll both hold onto our pieces and exchange them at the same time.

Regarding my written piece, it will be in a Google Doc for you to access.

This is NOT first come, first serve. I can only realistically take on 3-5 trades at this time depending on interest and complexity. If I turn you down, it’s nothing personal!

Priority will be given to mutuals (chances are that there’s more likely to be common ground if we’re already following each other).

Preference will be given to those indicated as adults in their blog intros/profiles (this is just what vibes the best with my personal communication style).

Be patient!! It may take me a few weeks or more to complete my part.

Be aware that doing a trade with me does NOT necessarily mean we will become best friends, and nor should this be the expectation 😅

If you’re okay with the above and are interested in a trade, please DM me! In your DM, you should indicate some prompts/ideas for what you’d like me to write. Please wait for me to respond; do NOT assume that I’ve accepted the trade request just because you’ve messaged me.