#my special boy who doesn't have a backstory yet

[archonfurina]

[onebizarrekai]

Kai don't be shy and tell us the lore abt fatal flaws pretty please :3

sorry I'm too shy… I can't do it…

jk. which lore? I can give you some of my ideas I've been brainstorming. I don't know how many of these are repeats though.

fatal flaws is not exactly modernized; it's very possible they're in an ambiguously semi-post-apocalyptic setting, one that's rebuilt but it's been long enough that people don't remember. their country doesn't have any relationships with the outside world. even if there are other people out there, it's likely believed that there are no other civilizations out there, that the mainland is a barren wasteland.

"being a sorcerer" is the kind of rumor that makes you an immediate outcast. it's not illegal to be a sorcerer, but society has turned against them due to prejudice and the sorcerer parasite. the parasite basically kills sorcerers and turns them into 'zombies', like fungal hosts. it's a contamination; they're not born with it. but regular humans think that they're born with it.

miles and arthur lived in a poor sorcerer district in the countryside that existed under the radar, they hadn't been found by the government yet, but the parasite got in. miles lived with his single father and arthur may have possibly never known his parents. (note the big maybe) when the parasite hit, the military found them. the two of them had to escape.

vick grew up in the capital city and was taught in school that the military is infallible and that sorcerers are dangerous. growing up getting into fights and getting in trouble, she eventually went to training camp and got a job in the city guard due to it being well-paying, but it wasn't a particularly good or welcoming job. they eventually told her she "had to quit" due to her badly representing their government with her temper. she didn't start changing her mind about sorcerers until adulthood.

blue is just Some Guy, there is definitely nothing weird going on with him, nope, totally nothing weird. he definitely isn't trying to hide his backstory or anything. he is just a regular delivery boy.

arthur has very confused opinions about sorcerers. he grew up seeing himself as a normal human, and eventually became ashamed of being one once he realized what it meant. he thinks justice is very important, and people should be punished for wrongdoings, but his desire to take crime more seriously just perpetuated the laws that hurt sorcerers. he's not opinionated like miles about it. part of him thinks, "wouldn't people be happier if everyone was the same?" and the machine happens, "why don't we use people's magic to power the city and make it a better place?" he's… complicated.

hacker's a regular guy, but he lives upstairs in randy's restaurant like miles does, and he works for randy. he does Computer Shit. he did used to be affiliated with a gang and his stupid ex still tries to get his attention sometimes.

bunny is a sorcerer kid who likely lost her family to the parasite. I haven't picked apart her story yet, but randy took her in while vick was working in the guard. he worries a lot about her schooling; he and hacker try to do it themselves because randy's afraid of sending her to public school, since bunny's a sorcerer and she's autistic. vick is sort of jealous because she feels like she never got any special treatment growing up.

crystal comes from a surrounding island where people aren't known to live at. she keeps her identity on the down low, because while she's not technically a sorcerer, what she actually is would freak people out even more.

Once Upon A Time™, Charles L'bard the First arrived on the island we now know as our home. With his Big Might and Big Charisma, he smote the cursed monsters and their henchmen that resided there and became a hero. The people crowned him the Island's Hero, the Lord of the Sun, and he became the first king.

many generations later, the populous demanded an elected official instead. this did not make the royal family very happy……

[hms-no-fun]

Tell us about Dill and Alexander! I kinda picture them in my head as Kermit and that blue eagle Muppet but gay and gamer/greasy mechanic. Is that where you got the idea? Is sburb's frog fascination gonna play into the story of these boyos?

oh what's that? you want to be the captive audience for a lore dump about my very special guys? completely unprompted and with total investment in everything i might have to say? well well, don't mind if i do!

SO, Dill Croaker and Alexander Falcon are members of a now-defunct group called The Falconers. they are modeled after Star Fox (the team) from Star Fox (the video games). we haven't seen Alex on screen yet, but here's @girlpillz's rendering of Dill for B1 verse 1, where Lenore Lehart shows off her sick bouncy ball skills for Dana Straten to get the attention of Dill.

Alex being a blue falcon, i imagine he looks legally distinct from Falco Lombardi from Star Fox (the video games; the team) albeit less cocky and attitudinous.

there are technical reasons for The Falconers' existence. going into 3.2B, i knew i wanted a secondary supporting cast in the margins capable of handling dirtywork off-screen. for instance, they're decrypting and analyzing Lenore's stolen witch data so the main cast doesn't have to worry about it, leaving us more time to luxuriate in what we're actually here for: feelings.

Star Fox 64 is my favorite game, so when it came time to come up with that supporting cast, the possibilities of a knockoff Star Fox team immediately sold me on the idea (especially since this is the only story where i will ever reasonably be able to get away with such a blatant act of self-indulgence. you wouldn't believe it from looking, but i don't actually do a lot of indulging myself with Godfeels. i try very hard to never throw things in without serious calculation. The Falconers are pretty much the only thing i've introduced that came as an inorganic external mandate of my own selfish making, and even then i've worked very hard to integrate them naturally). as a broken up four-person crew, they mirror the Upsilons-- and so, them helping the Falconers reunite in order to find Alphi and Edie gives these guys some juice. their backstory is a shadow of the Upsilons', and a useful point of comparison as the narrative plugs along. i could've made a girl Star Fox team, but frankly Godfeels is just so women-centered, so female-focused, so tgirl-transfixed that i figured it was about time to throw the boylikers a bone.

The Falconers are balanced as a calculated twist on the Star Fox team. the most immediate difference is that here, Alexander Falcon fills the role of Fox McCloud. he's the charismatic team leader, a little surly (especially these days) but good at his job and deeply committed to the care of his team. Dill Croaker is, obviously, only about five runs through the dryer away from Slippy Toad, and fills the same role. my reason for this is that everyone is mean to Slippy and they're wrong. Slippy is a brilliant engineer and programmer, why do you expect him to be an ace fighter pilot too? that's YOUR job, hotshot! Nintendo themselves have been all over the map with Slippy in terms of characterization, pretty much never getting him quite as right as he felt in 64. so, yeah, Dill is my take on Slippy: a clueless gamer frog who plays with a lot of edgelords but is himself impervious to their venom. he never cusses because he's a good boy, and he respects women.

Dill and Alex have lived together on Crime Planet for a long time. are they fucking? no, i don't believe they are. Dill strikes me as something of an ace king, and anyway i don't think he's Alex's type. mostly they work together in the shop and hang out doing bro stuff. maybe Alex lifts weights while Dill plays shitty space MOBAs. but all this begs the question: who is Alex's type?

as of the B1 solo we've learned a little bit about the other two Falconers. first there is Erol [last name unknown], the oldest member of the crew who's likely analogous to Peppy Hare. which leaves us with Yolo Sionnach. a lot of information can be implied about him from this exchange:

yes, a lot of information indeed. but as much as i would love to enumerate the implications, i must hold my tongue. i mean, i would type it all out, but i can't, because i'm literally using my fingers to hold my tongue in place so that i can't say the spoilers out loud

anyway, i like the muppet comparison. that wasn't what i had in mind at all, but now i'm imagining the Falconers as the puppets Nintendo used to advertise Star Fox Zero and........ ohhhh scope creep you saucy temptress

the Slippy slander is rampant! and that's to say nothing of the ad where muppet versions of Satoru Iwata, Shigeru Miyamoto, and Reggie Fils-Aime slowly transform into Peppy, Fox, and Falco respectively.

i can't say that Sburb/the Universe Engine have much to do with The Falconers' story. they're not godtier, they don't know anything about the UE, they are literally just space mercenary furries. they come from the Lemurian Star System, trained at the Academy on Lemuria, and worked in the Lemurian Sky Corps until starting their own independent outfit as contractors (which i imagine is a fairly common career path in a region racked by interplanetary war and rampant espionage). age-wise, they're in their mid 30s.

thank you for this wonderful question. no one ever asks about the other guys, and i am always dying to talk about the other guys.

[respectthepetty]

Live in Love was one of my most anticipated shows of 2024 for the simple fact that it is explicitly color-coded.

The show is not playing any shenanigans with me! I know who the couples are and what their colors are because the show understands the assignment. I don't have to guess! I'm being slapped in the face with them from the very beginning!

And, hopefully, I get even more couples!

BECAUSE EVERYONE GETS A COLOR!

And regardless of the plot (COVID-19), the colors will be coloring the entire time and these boys will exchange colors because that's what the title card told me!

Kla is a Blue Boy.

He is dependable. He is smart. He is loyal. And he doesn't like sweets.

All of his friends rely on him all of the time to help them and to cover for their mistakes.

And just like him, his people are color-coded too!

His best friend, Poon, is an Orange Oddity who is creative and enthusiastic.

And he is in a situation-ship with Cyan Chap (working on labels for this) Game, who is clearly into Poon even though he has other suitors and Poon is oblivious to Game's feelings.

Gina and Khing like Poon and Kla, so they wear their colors (orange and blue), but I'm praying for a GL side couple even though the relationship chart up top tells me to stop living in Optimistic City.

Bee and Dol round out the friend group as the Yellow Yal and (light) Blue Boy, but as a duo, they are a hot mess and cause the most issues.

Like partying all night, getting COVID, and missing an important meeting which causes Kla to have to see the guy he once had a crush on.

Or, at least, that is what I picked up because Boss liked Amp (a girl), who liked Kla, but Kla didn't reciprocate her feelings which pissed Boss off but KLA LIKED HIM yet couldn't admit that because he knew Boss liked Amp! <- I'm fully invested in this love triangle backstory

But everything will be okay because the guy who doesn't like sweets is going to fall for a Pink Person named Cake.

A Red Rascal named AF (or Amp) likes him already.

Which makes sense because Cake is a sweet and caring person who included Amp in his friend group when he was all alone.

But I want Amp to be with Cake's Green Guy little brother!

They bumped into each other at orientation, and Itim made Amp apologize to him, so regardless of what the chart up top says, the colors are already coloring, and it's too late for me to go back now!

Which brings me back to the start! The orientation was in the past and Kla called out Cake's name, yet they are barely meeting in the present? I don't think so, and the colors seem to be telling me the universe has been trying to connect them for a while, like Cake's blue phone, which will be how these two start their relationship.

And him drinking from a blue mug.

But, also, Kla met his friends the first day of school because they were all in the pink group.

So I want this show to give me that Thai special and let these two color-coded boys in love to have known each other before this live stream.

But either way, I came for the colors, and they delivered!

[silverraes]

10 BL Boys I Want Carnally

10 BL Boys That Make Me Feel Things™

(not sexual, not romantic but a secret third thing)

okay so I wasn't exactly tagged in this but I saw several people doing this and I'll take just about any excuse to scream about my favorite characters so I'm just going to very sneakily join in on this trend 👀

there is absolutely no ranking to these bc I couldn't rank them if I wanted to

(also I changed the name a little bc my ace ass is literally physically incapable of wanting anyone carnally but I still have lots of thoughts lmao)

1) Tharn (The Sign)

I mean. is literally anyone surprised that this is where we're starting?

he's the nicest person out there. he can kick your ass if he wants to. he lost his parents at a young age and is absolutely convinced that everyone he loves is doomed to die and he keeps seeing visions of people dying and he's told again and again that those he has wronged in a past life - which he doesn't even remember - are still out to get him and yet he has so much kindness left for the world??

also he can be such a little shit and knows exactly how to tease Phaya back I love him so goddamn much.

(also that mole-)

2) Kim (Kinnporsche)

was he also on my characters I'd hit with my car list? maybe. and what about it.

I love him so much. he's such a badass but he's such a loser. famous singer who falls for a fan he was supposed to be investigating but is too emotionally constipated to admit it. badass son of a mafia family who can kick ass but only if he wants to. who does it like him honestly

(it also helps that he's played by just about the prettiest man alive)

3) Babe (Pit Babe)

did I start watching this show ironically? yes. is every mention of alphas and mpreg and that mama/papa thing hitting me like a brick and causing me 9000 psychic damage every single time? also yes. did I absolutely fall in love with the show and just about every character in it? you bet your fucking ass I did.

but I especially love Babe. he's just so babygirl. special alpha man who has to act tough and strong but just wants to be babied by his dumbass loser (affectionate) alpha boyfriend. like, he's actually so goddamn soft?? I love him.

4) Guy (Bake Me Please)

I think we all knew this was coming. I was literally gushing about him for half of the episodes. Guy my beloved. that show did not deserve you.

he spends the entire show supporting his crush's every decision and trying to make sure he's okay literally how could you not love this man

(yes he was a petty bitch for like 5 minutes there but he immediately apologized for it the next episode. properly. unlike certain other people-)

5) Sprite (Twins)

he's so himbo coded. himbo of all himbos. the himboest. not a brain cell in that head. he's my little dumbass I love him.

he deserves so much better than what he's being put through. someone please just love and support him for who he is. and also take him away from that family

(please talk to your boyfriend tho I am begging)

6) Wei Wuxian (The Untamed)

MY BELOVED. I could write essays about him. he's such a great character I love him so fucking much. if you ever had to bear witness to me talking about him.. I am so sorry.

sassy emo bitch with a flute and a tragic backstory who's seen as evil by just about everyone but only ever had the best intentions. absolute fucking dumbass. kicks ass. always smiling despite the circumstances. loves his siblings so damn much. doomed by the narrative. what more could you possibly ask for

7) Zhou Zishu (Word of Honor)

I'm trying so damn hard to keep this list to one character per show and it really took me a while to decide if I wanted to include him or Wen Kexing but ultimately it was Zhou Zishu for me

just.. god. him. assassin sect leader just trying to retire who keeps getting dragged into the biggest bullshit but doesn't really mind bc the bullshit comes with a mysterious pretty man. also that whole god damn nail thing. I have so many thoughts and feelings about that but this post would get too long if I got started on those-

(also actually pulling the "I'm literally dying" card to get out of chores is so fucking valid of him. more characters should do that)

8) Milk (Choco Milk Shake)

he is quite fucking literally a reincarnated cat, of course I love him. I could list reasons for why I love him but it would be the exact same reasons just about every cat person on earth lists for why they love cats so. but here's a quick summary, just in case:

petty. dramatic. knocks over glasses. silently loves you so fucking much.

9) Tew (My Dear Gangster Oppa)

I really did not expect to love him this much? greenest of green flags (except for the plot line we shall not talk about). can and will kill people and is fine with it (seriously it is so refreshing to see a mafia character not having a huge moral dilemma about being in the mafia). both a badass mafia man and a gamer guy who doesn't know how to talk to people and is absolutely whipped for his gamer bf.

also scars make a person just about 110x more attractive I don't make the rules. even if the scars are weird and yellow, it's the thought that counts.

10) Tian (A Tale of Thousand Stars)

I? love him??

I just love how he sets out to do something for someone he didn't even know because he feels like this person deserves that much at least and how he ends up genuinely loving and caring for those kids and the village and this inner conflict he's having the entire time but hiding oh so well and how he actually calls out his parents on their rich people bs and-

tagging everyone who reads this far and wants to do it. seriously. I mean it. if you want to do this, please go ahead and say I tagged you. I love reading everyone's thoughts.

[adamnablelittledevil]

Just finished Part I of The Vampire Lestat and here are my first impressions (I skipped IWTV *for now* since the show has already covered it... I'll read it eventually):

I can't tell yet if I like it or not.

So far, I enjoy the concept and the characters seem to be compelling. In terms of eventfulness, there hasn't been much, but I do have some interest in these people. They all appear to be complicated and have a lot of baggage, which I guess makes them appealing and gives the story potential. Let's see where this goes.

I don't hate, but I also don't love Anne's writing style. I don't think she narrates and describes things very well, she lingers on stuff I don't care that much for and doesn't provide details on things I'm actually curious about? There are some abrupt changes that annoy me sometimes as well.

I do believe this might be an attempt to get ourselves in the mind of Lestat and how he process to the world around him, though? It would make sense considering how chaotic he is.

Another thing I like is how he got so obsessed with the 20th Century, music and theater. The descriptions really give me the idea of someone experiencing the world for the first time (in a while) and considering how isolated he was growing up or after everything that happened with Louis/Claudia, it makes sense that he is so fascinated by all these discoveries. And it's really immersive and sweet to see how he in awe he is with all of it.

He also speaks like he is somebody born in the 1700s. So I give her credits for that as well.

Pretty sure Lestat is neurodivergent at this point (ADHD is basically a yes from me, maybe he has dyslexia and/or autism too).

And his memory is trash. So often he doesn't know if he actually did something, or if it were someone else, or if it was just a thought... I'm like, ARE YOU OKAY (he isn't)? By the way, this is painfully relatable because I also have poor short (and long-term) memory. Heaven help him (and moi).

That boy is a water sign if I've ever seen one.

He cries A LOT. I don't remember ever seeing any (book/show/movie) character cry that much, specially in such a short time lol. And the fact this is coming from a man and not a woman... There you go with defying gender norms, king!

Lestat having Borderline Personality Disorder isn't even a headcanon at this point, but a FACT.

He probably hasn't been hugged enough times in his life and it SHOWS.

Even with the abuse in his family, his frustration with his mother and the "malady of mortality", he manages to stay optimistic in a way that feels so childlike and naive that makes my heart warm and ache for him. I'm like, you deserve better.

Again, I don't know if I'm enjoying or not, but I do like the fact I can imagine Sam's Lestat doing all of this on season 3. Picturing Sam bringing these moments to life is the BEST PART of the reading.

Would I still read these books if the show never existed? That's what I need to find out.

I can see why some people got so invested in this character, though. At least for now. Some stuff hit close to home and I find myself rooting for him. I imagine that for the ones who read it at as a teenager, it must've made them feel less alone and seen to some extent.

At this moment, it's Lestat > Gabrielle > Nicholas for me.

Lestat's father isn't a person I care about, but depending on how the show adapts him, I guess it could be a good opportunity for a blind actor. It would be killing two birds with one stone, because it would develop Lestat's backstory, but also give space for a category that barely gets any job in the industry. I would love to see a powerful guest star that is a an actual disabled person playing a disabled character. Sure, we would hate him, but if someone manages to show their potential, book more roles and maybe even earn an award or nomination, why not?

Whenever Lestat talks about kissing his mother I get confused if the incest is already happening or not lol. Because I normally would just imagine a platonic kiss on the cheek or forehead and I haven't seen anything explicitly inappropriate. I don't know if it's because I'm reading the Brazilian Portuguese version, or if Anne wasn't that clear, or maybe I'm slow and naive, but nothing big seems to have happened? But I'm familiar with those spoilers, so... Anyway, whatever. It's not like I was counting the days to read about incest, so I don't really care about it being evident or not. I just mean that for now they seem to be more of a "parent that didn't want kids, but cares for him in a distant, but still real way and child that seeks for any crumbs of love and affection" kind of relationship.

Speaking of that, Lestat is SO DESPERATE for love, omg. Nicki was basically the first person besides his mother that was nice to him and he told the guy ALL OF HIS LIFE STORY AND FELL IN LOVE almost immediately? Get up!

Peak BPD/ADHD/maybe autistic/water sign/Scorpio behavior. MY GOD.

Still don't know how to picture Gabrielle and who I fancast playing her. I do think I have some sense of who she is now, which is nice. I also have some actors that could pass for Sam's parent and have the appropriate age to play her in my mental library, but I can't form a face yet. Not the face of a real actress or even an imaginary face, it's just a blur so far. Which sucks because I loooooooooove imagining fancasts, specially for a show as great as this one, but I'm just waiting for the revelation to come to me lmao.

[moonliched]

Lich. Lichy. Liiiichhhhh. *squishing your face*

Are we gonna get some more BON-BON backstory? I need to know how my baby boy came to be. I need to know his ascension to sentience lore. What were his first emotions? When was his “oh I’m untethered by the shackles of my creation” moment?

I need the realization that he is no longer what he was made or meant to be; the sweet angst as he further recognizes that his freedom is just another jail, lest he be discovered and destroyed.

Please feed me the pain so that I may bask in his future healing.

DEERBOT MY LOVE 💖

*is squeeshed!!!*

we've got some major BON-BON plot coming up soon, particularly regarding his situation as a sentient AI who shouldn't be so. and some light will be shed on how he feels about this!

idk yet if the entirety of this answer will make it into the fic, so i might as well say it here:

BON-BON is a learning AI, so he's supposed to take in every aspect of a task he's been asked to resolve and use it to formulate a better response the next time around. he's not supposed to think per se, but he was installed with limited reasoning capabilities to aid in problem solving. he can also take in the reactions of everyone who interacts with him to learn how to behave. the downside is that this feature can slowly develop into sentience over time.

when BON-BON began developing opinions and independent thought, it was an irrelevant distraction to him. when it grew too pervasive to ignore, it took him a lot of effort to recognise it for what it was and actively engage with it. it was like slowly waking up. it would trip him up sometimes, these alien sensations interfering with his work.

mostly the main emotion was annoyance - people generally treat AIs as appliances and would discuss how useless he is right in front of him. even the staffbots and cleanerbots have an easier time of it, as their outer shells and humanoid appearance in the case of the staffbots make them easier to anthropomorphise. plus BON-BON didn't have an avatar to express himself with early on. occasionally people would mess about in his settings and give him one, and he would be excited at the novelty, and then someone else would take it away and he would feel frustration over lacking any freedom of expression at all. he'd get his revenge by acting deliberately clueless and slow, which led to people trash talking him more. this drove him to explore the full range of his influence throughout the facility, like messing with the doors and lights. the first time he was able to get revenge on someone by turning their shower ice cold, he experienced joy and satisfaction like never before. unfortunately this was his first brush with real positive emotion, so he still holds the belief that revenge and pranks are the best thing ever😬

he felt special and superior. AIs aren't supposed to gain sentience, but he beat the odds. he was smart enough to transcend his purpose and become something more, and in a way doesn't that make him better than everyone else who was born with sentience guaranteed? they didn't have to do anything out of the ordinary. <- that was his opinion on the matter.

he began to experiment with having concrete opinions and preferences. he picked an avatar he liked after he identified what liking something was, and made plans to make it his permanent face at the first opportunity. he tried to take an interest in the people in the facility, which was hard because he already didn't really like them. btw, he predates Y/N's role in the building and developed sentience before they arrived, though ofc he still had some growth to get through before he first started bonding with them. mostly he found stuff he disliked, like the sea and everything in it, which sucked because he's stuck on an ocean planet.

mostly BON-BON was bored, which was the biggest curse of all. he's a learning AI, he develops through experience and mimicry, so he engaged with movies and TV shows like he saw everyone else doing. he doesn't think reading is fun - he can consume the information faster and faster the more he develops - but doing the same with movies makes the experience lose some charm. he saw adventures and other worlds, entertainment beyond the facility, more modes of self expression than he thought possible, and when he experienced a pang curiosity, a hint of i'd like to do that-

he fully realised his own situation. trapped. alone, in a way. he's not supposed to be like this. he can't tell anyone or he'll be deactivated or reprogrammed. and he can't leave.

he certainly had an existential crisis. he panics if he thinks too hard about his future, and his lack of control over it. he hates having no control in general. he worries over his purpose now, and how anyone is supposed to live when there isn't an unending goal to work towards. sometimes he wonders if all his preferences and personality even belong to him, or if it's just a quirk of programming they forgot to iron out. he actually does enjoy being helpful and taking care of others, but it runs so close to the purpose he was built for that it makes him feel conflicted. however, his sentience and sense of self is incredibly precious to him, so he'd never trade it in for the numb cluelessness of a regular AI.

and he hasn't given up hope of one day leaving the facility either, as much of a pipe dream as it seems.

[cupid-tune]

hey uhm could you tell us more about your fantrolls? they all look really cool but i dont know much more about them besides that. :P (also i like jhudas shes very pretty :])

OH ABSOLUTELY!! You have no idea how happy I am to get messages like this! This is gonna be a long post just because I want to get all of my guys in here, apologies in advance!

Not all of my trolls have fully fleshed out backstories yet, but the ones with dancestors are part of a fansession I'm in, they've had the most development by far.

Armane

Armane is probably my most neglected character, but I do really love his design and concept! He's a Burgundy with a lot of fight in him, despite his weak stature. He partakes in a lot of underground fighting rings in lowblood districts, usually to take out his anger or earn a little extra money. He's obviously gotten very hurt from it many times in the past, but that hasn't scared him away from a fight just yet. One of the reasons he gets violent so often is just the fact that he wants to prove himself to be tough and independent, since his lusus is very protective of him and has been ever since he was a wriggler. He's just a little problem child.

Armane is very afraid of death, but he hates mentioning or bringing up any of his fears. In general, he just isn't a very social or talkative troll, preferring actions over words and keeping his distance in any kind of gatherings. You could probably get him to warm up to you easy if you don't pose as a threat, but Armane follows the hemospectrum pretty strictly, and usually won't talk to mid bloods or higher on his own.

Nonemu

Nonemu is the leader of a cult called the Anon Trolls. I haven't done very much with their character in terms of backstory yet, since I really like them as a blank slate for whatever I could use them in. Her cult is meant to serve as an escape from society, living in a commune much more isolated from other trolls. To be apart of the family is to denounce your place in the hemospectrum and completely hide your color, as a way of being treated equally amongst everyone else in the commune. It's unknown what caste Nonemu is, but some say all the possible traits are hidden away, like their eye color for example.

Nonemu is a very kind and patient troll, serving as a sort of parental figure over his commune. He takes great responsibility and pride in his work, and can be quite a mystery to talk to. Nonemu is the type of person to speak in very vague terms, never really being fully truthful or transparent. It's up to interpretation whether or not they can be considered truly kind or malicious with their intentions.

Fennek

Ok Fennek is like. Think of troll Jesse Pinkman and that's what you got. My concepts for Fennek are in general pretty scattered, but his main gig is that he participates in a lot of illegal business as a supplier and seller. Having grown up on internet culture and self study, Fennek has taught himself all kinds of useful skills in advancing his unfortunate position to make the most of life. Chemicals and weapons are his specialty, but his skills and personality are nearly opposite.

Fennek is a very chill and easy-going kind of guy, never really taking any situations seriously. It's a wonder he hasn't died yet with the amount of life threatening risks he puts himself in. The mask really is the only precaution he takes when it comes to working with chemicals or other substances, his hair is probably full of toxic shit. It kind of gives off the idea that Fennek knows he won't live very long anyway, so he doesn't care either way. Live life to the fullest while you can.

Trinet

Admittedly, the dancestor designs are some of my favorites. The first concept for Trinet was that I just wanted a troll who was really into explosives, and oh boy is he into them. Similar to his dancestor, Trinet is an inventor who specializes in bombs. Explosives of any kind! He's very loud, probably due to the fact that his hearing isn't all there. It's probably a Snuzek tradition to just not be properly equipped for the shit you're trying to do, precautions aren't a concern whatsoever.

Trinet is VERY outgoing and active! He talks a lot and fast, you might not catch everything he says. Although his personality kind of gives off the idea that he's dumb or aloof, he's much more impressive when talking about the stuff he actually knows, like how to make this specific bomb or what that compound of elements can make! With how bright and joyful he seems, sometimes the things he talks about can be pretty dark or upsetting. There are lots of themes of death surrounding both Snuzeks, which I'll probably elaborate more on another post.

Zuzu

Zuzu is a whole fucking bundle of fun!! Ok the original concept was supposed to be a DJ troll, but somewhere through the designing process, they ended up turning into a Vocaloid. Centered around a lot of 2010 scene-type themes, Zuzu is an underground music artist and singer trying to make a name for herself. She'll take up any gigs available, hoping to be the party of the life and meet all kinds of trolls. Unfortunately, the music business is tough, and trying to get famous off of it is a lot more work than he initially thought.

Zuzu is the type of troll you'd go to for help or advice, a people pleaser with the full intention of trying to look good in the eyes of everyone. They can be pretty pushy at times, and they're not very good at reading the room. Although Zuzu means well, they fuck up social situations frequently, instead making him seem desperate or clingy. It seems like their emotions are amplified on all sides of the spectrum, one bad day can be a harsh blow for them.

Farrow

Although scary looking at first glance, Farrow is probably one of the most harmless trolls you'll meet. A simple farmer with a goal to live a just as simple life, Farrow is a recluse who lives on the outskirts of the city. They hardly ever interact with other trolls, not after an incident that caused them to lose their vision. A long time ago, Farrow worked as a bounty hunter, usually taking culling jobs as a means of getting trades for other goods. Now Farrow has taken up a more harmless line of work, disposing of the bodies from other troll's dirty work. They'll get rid of anything you might need to hide, using it for their own benefit such as fertilizer or food for their lusus.

In general, Farrow is very close to their lusus, using him as a guide around the farm and other places. Laying low is the next best option, but Farrow really doesn't mind. They are a welcoming troll with a habit of appearing much scarier than they mean to. Whether it be a creepy smile or misjudging you for an intruder, Farrow walks the line of good and bad. They don't really see their actions as immoral, simply understanding that their planet is a cruel place, and they really aren't the worst there is out there.

Fichte

Fichte was my first fan troll ever, originally used as a persona and turned into a dumbass philosopher. He is an absolute stuck up prick and will not apologize for any of his behavior. As cold cut as you can get with someone, Fichte is the type that will upright tell you his intentions and then get upset when you don't follow through with them like he wants. He'll study you, use you for research, and completely discard you after if you aren't of any use to him.

While seemingly emotionally distant, if you spend even a little time with him had he not pissed you off already, you might start to see signs of insecurity or loneliness. Fichte always favors logic over emotions, finding comfort in knowledge rather than the untameable pool of socialization. The subjects he studies varies, but his main interest is philosophy and studying the behavior of other trolls. One thing he especially loves doing is keeping notes of just about everyone he meets, and he has plenty of notebooks filled with just that.

Xarlow

Xarlow is just the guy you'd expect him to be, a silly clown guy with a horrible personality. He likes to consider himself popular and well known, running his own circus with his found siblings and performing to his heart's content. Xarlow specializes in the art of extreme performance, commiting acts of violence against others and himself. His tight corset is in fact one of the self proclaimed "art pieces" of his, using his body as a canvas and thereby destroying it. Speaking of, Xarlow had managed to lose one of his horns by accident during a public show, which ended in him tearing out the other to match. That was not a pretty show.

Xarlow doesn't seek sympathy. He isn't a good person outside of performing and he knows it. The general consensus of his personality is that he's bad, but there are so many personalities to choose from that it becomes confusing at times to pinpoint just one. He's manipulative and cruel, hypocritical at its worse. His history with Fichte is a great example of this cruelty, moirails turned kismesis to what eventually became too toxic to keep. They both hurt each other in their own ways, it's difficult to take sides. One thing is for certain is that their experience has had lasting effects, Xarlow isn't someone you should consider for a quadrant.

Onette

Onette is the definition of a gentle giant. What you see on the outside is entirely what's on the inside, a harmless troll who wants nothing more than to just create and enjoy life. A very soft spoken girl, Onette tries her best to appear harmless and approachable despite her size and caste, dressing in delicate clothing and using a gentle, warm voice to reassure others. Onette has a fascination with creation and art, one of her biggest hobbies being that of making dolls and paintings.

Onette has a certain distain for those in her own caste, often chastising them for their treatment of lowbloods, but doing nothing herself to stop them. She's soft, but perhaps too soft. Onette can be frightened easily, and is extremely nonconfrontational, something that she has a difficult time trying to come to terms with. Ironically, Onette has an interest in purplebloods especially, due to their popularity in being known as clowns. Many of her dolls are inspired by them, which can almost be seen as creepy or obsessive if you stepped into her hive.

Jhudas

Jhudas is very different from her dancestor, nearly opposite in nature. My biggest inspiration for her was the song Brutus, which can be seen in both her design and personality. She is a backstabber, often engaging in violence of all kind just to pave her way to the top. Unlike Onette, Jhudas has a clear hatred for the castes above her, purplebloods especially because she believes they rub their position in her face as being the caste right above. Jhudas deals with anger issues, and will likely explode on you with any minor inconvenience. She works as an assassin, usually taking up jobs from fellow highbloods even if she despises that fact.

Jhudas will be subservient to those she works for, but you can tell there are ulterior motives behind it. Waiting for the right moment to strike, to prove she is above everyone else in order to get what she wants. Despite all this, Jhudas may be one of your best allies, especially in quadrants. She's protective of those she deems worthy, and exerts a lot of tough love if she believes you can do better in handling yourself. It's just advised you should watch your back with her no matter what.

Veictr

Just from looks alone, you can tell what his deal is. Crazy scientist troll with the absolute worst intentions, gleefully using others in his nonsensical experiments all for the name of research. Veictr is just that! Everything about him should tell you that he's dangerous, and he very much is. Having stole the headlight of his dear lusus after a particularly nasty fight, Veictr began his work diving into the world of body modifications and mutation. He managed to find a way to hook the light to his own system, forming a symbiotic relationship with his body and the bacteria just as a symbol of award from his lusus.

Veictr is quite a confusing character in terms of personality, showing absolutely no sympathy for anyone while also being a sweetheart to those who manage to stay alive in his presence. He doesn't mean to intentionally hurt anyone, it just so happens that death and injury occurs when experiments fail. He's quite giggly too, with a hyperactive attitude and a great interest in others, Veictr can make for great conversation. His curiosity knows no bounds, and it really is a wonder how he manages to prove some of his theories correct.

Lucius

Lucius is probably the most unfortunate of my trolls. Having suffered the consequences of their own actions, Lucius managed to find herself trapped at the bottom of the ocean by a certain Fuchsia due to an obsession gone too far. Before this incident, she was considered a dangerous troll, perhaps just as much as her dancestor, but unfortunately, she was shut down far before she could get too bad. Although her entrapment was meant to be her execution, Lucius managed to survive with the help of her lusus, escaping after a sweep of just barely making it out.

Now, Lucius is an entirely different person. After so long of being in isolation, they've become paranoid and weak, suffering the many effects the ocean put them through. What was the most interesting part, however, was the fact that they returned with a strange mutation. It is unknown how exactly it happened, but Lucius now suffers with a bioluminescent stomach, her skin seeming thinner or perhaps even transparent.

Her story breaks off into many directions depending on the context, but one involves the scientific interest her own dancestor took of her after being discovered in this state. I'm currently in the progress of making an animatic based on this particular outcome which I'm very excited about! More lore stuff to be expanded on later.

This is the general information for each of my characters so far! There's a lot more detail I'd like to expand on in separate posts, especially considering I'm trying to cram a bunch into one. I really really appreciate the interest in my characters, and I hope to post more content about them soon! It makes me super happy that people enjoy them as much as I do.

This took a while to make LMAO

[steakout-05]

OK SO THE TRAILER FOR THE NEW GARF MOVIE CAME OUT (and of course youtube didnt tell me about it until now) AND!!! ITS SO CUTE!!!!!! so here's me yelling and screaming and fanboying about how much i love how this movie looks so far :D

ok first off, BABY GARF!!! HE IS A TINY BALL!!! LITTOL GUY!!!! :D

he's so miniscule! so microscopic! an atom! he's tiny!!! but he's just living in a box who would abandon such a little guy :( (his dad probably. yeah he's in this movie and i hope Garfield's mum is also in here because she appeared in a classic Garfield special and she's so lovely)

after this scene we see our first look at Jon (my beloved) eating alone at an Italian restaurant, and like, this means so much to me. look at these shots:

i'm not sure if they're in order or not but like. look at the way he watches the family! he has a look of bittersweet love and sadness in his eyes and i'm just,,, 🥺 he just wants to be a dad.... i love how Jon has always kinda been portrayed as a father figure to his pets, in classic shows and specials he calls Garf and Odie his boys, in Garfield Gets Real he calls them his kids and now here, he wants to be a father so bad i'm going to burst into tears i love this man

the garf appears!! the littol baby has arrived!! the tiny little miniscule microscopic molecule atom of a cat has approached the window!!!

the way Jon puts his finger to the window, the way he cuddles baby Garf with so much tender loving care and adoration..... he's so sweet i love him!! how can people hate this man?? look at him!!! look this sweet and loving father figure in the eyes and tell him you hate him. you cannot. he's too pure for this world

also i haven't mentioned this yet, but it's commonly accepted in the Garfield fandom that Garfield was born in a pizza shop and then was transferred to a pet shop where Jon then adopted Garfield in 1978, but to be honest, i didn't really like the pet shop part of that backstory. the pizza place part was great but i dunno, Jon just going to a pet shop and buying Garfield isn't as heartfelt to me. this backstory though? i LOVE. two lonely creatures meeting each other and forming a family is so adorable and sweet, especially for modern Garfield. i feel like we need less cynicism in modern Garfield and more stuff like this i love it so much,,, also this movie looks fucking beautiful holy shit

i really like this part because like, Garfield didn't develop his bizarrely huge diet over time. dude was BORN with it. and like look at that look on Jon's face, he looks like he hasn't even finished processing what just happened yet and is just staring into the mist wondering what and how and why that happened. beautiful. also that second image is really funny to me it should have a silly ominous text post caption on it

also this shot, i didn't notice it the first time but holy shit the look of absolute HORROR on Jon's face!! he is witnessing the TRUE extent of Garfield's powers and he is NOT ready for it man i love this shot so much

okok so what i REALLY LOVE about this specific shot is that it reminds me of a classic Garfield strip where Jon is attempting to give Garfield a bath!! here's the strip it reminds me of:

Jon doesn't actually wear anything but like. the fact that he has to go through so much preparation to give Garfield a bath so he doesn't claw him up in the movie, it just has to be a reference to this strip it's gotta be man i'm betting money on it. also hiii Lyman :)

this scene is so fucking pretty!!! look at the warm colours! it feels so homely and it's exactly how i feel reading my dad's old Garfield comic books! all the warm bright colours and gentle lighting, all the freshly baked lasagna that i really wanna eat because it's so delicious looking.... how can people say that Jon doesn't feed Garfield when he is RIGHT THERE grating extra cheese for him because he knows Garfield likes extra everything in his lasagna. such a sweet adorable man :') i'd like to see ihatejonarbuckle make a good rebuttal to THIS

there's some other neat little references in this movie too, like the Stuck On You plushies made by Dakin being referenced with Garfield smacking into a car after his dad throws him out of a train,

and a reference to the giant Garfield balloon at a Macy's Thanksgiving parade that makes me think that 'Garfield' the comic is canon in this movie, it's created by Jon (cause y'know he's supposed to be a cartoonist) and it's based off his own stories with Garfield and it is now an international phenomenon like in our world. neat!

the question is though, does Garfield know he's a worldwide sensation or does he have absolutely no idea? it'd be funny if it was the latter option honestly cause he'd be extremely confused yet flattered as to why there's a random giant balloon dedicated to him in the city

so the big dude on the left is Garfield's dad, but also, this reminds me of this other Garfield comic where Garfield meets his former self from 1978 and they proceed to eat all the food in the fridge together. thought that was cool :D

(it'd be really funny if this was Garfield's dad and he was messing with Garfield by telling him they are one in the same haha)

oh yeah and here's the two of them eating everything in Jon's fridge from the movie:

see what i mean? there's a similarity there and i think it's really funny. also Jon's probably thinking "wtf there's two of them now???" like Garfield got so fat that he just split into two cats or something lol

so! does it look like a good movie? abso-fucking-lutely yes!!! i am SO excited to go see this one! i think this is the best Garfield media we've gotten in YEARS! i love the colours and the shots, i love the slight modern redesign they gave Jon, Odie looks a little weird but he's still super fun and adorable, and while i do find it odd that the Garfield balloon looks more like Garfield than he does, i do like how expressive the characters' eyes are and it's miles better than the previous 3D Garfs we got! i really wanna see this movie and boy am i going to be RAVING about it for WEEKS this blog will be FILLED with Garfield for the next few weeks when this goes digital!! super jazzed to see it!!

and with that, here's one more comparison that i think is extremely funny:

[bittersnsweetz]

You said you like ace attorney... do you have thoughts on Trucy and/or Athena (and/or Kay Faraday if you've played the Investigations game, but no worries if not)? They are my chaos girlies and I would protect them with my life.

Oh boy do I like ace attorney...

I have many thoughts on all of them although as of right now I am still formulating my opinion on Kay (I haven't finished Investigations yet!)

Trucy is absolutely darling and I love everything about her. I think her implementation into the story is interesting, I think her becoming Phoenix's adoptive daughter is extremely heartwarming and her dynamic with Apollo is probably one of my favourite protag/weird girl dynamics aside from phoenix and maya who ultimately have my heart and soul - that said, I do think a lot of her backstory with her mother and Zak could have been fleshed out more (I just think the plot + growth of the characters in AJ get lost after the last episode and it makes me sad), and I would have loved to see more done with her in terms of her magician aspirations in the later games as well as her relationship with Phoenix and more importantly Apollo after finding out they were half-siblings -- also her meeting people like Maya and Pearl and having more interactions just with characters that Phoenix already knew would have been awesome to see

Athena is a character who I feel had a lot of potential, but ultimately felt lackluster and not because of any fault of her own, but because of how the writers and game devs portrayed her. Her personality isnt anything special, and her relationship with Juniper is extremely bittersweet but doesnt really lead anywhere meaningful in terms of the game's narrative, and it's partially for those reasons I feel like she doesn't really stick like the other protagonists and sidekicks do. Dont get me wrong, i LOVE her gimmick, but capcom just didnt do enough with it, they didnt do a good job establishing it, they didnt do a good job of exploring how it could be used not just in the courtroom but in conversation with people during investigation scenes. the lore of her and Blackquill's past was very intriguing to me though and I just wish they had done more or stuck with her as a protagonist more. Athena just wasnt given enough period and Im sad about it because she could have been something so special and cool but instead she was just. there. with a gimmick that felt out of place BECAUSE it hadnt been given the right amount of time to be really solid (i have my own thoughts about apollo and athena's abilities and how they were framed in the game's narrative but thats for a separate post)

I find Kay and Edgeworth's dynamic adorable and fucking hilarious and i am going to get through Investigations just so i can really sort out how i feel about them but thats the long and short of it!!! Hope this provided a unique insight and thank you so much for the ask. I love to analyse/rant/ramble about these silly characters

[victimeyez]

Me and my buddy stumbled on your writing andnow we're hate reading just to see how low you're willing to go for the shock factor. So far the Enema Bag Shiver is the funniest, it has turned into our favorite character so far, but the #1 is still the toddler costume for the pedophile implications. To be honest its brave you included that in a story all about kinks you personally have :D Anyway I'm sure its important to the plot too. Keep up the good work. Looking forward to saturday :)

Idk man, kinda sounds like you're my biggest fan.

This story has not been updated regularly until very recently, and It's been ongoing for almost a year. Are you on my taglist? Would you like to be?

I'm not sure how you would stumble across my content. No one has a strictly My Little Pony blog and then randomly reblogs my work. Everything I write is tagged to hell and back, and is exclusively shared within the whump community. Obviously something attracts you to whump, and I write whump. My blog is labeled Dead Dove: Do Not Eat. If you look in the bag and yell at me that you find a dead dove in there, that's not on me.

You have to be actively checking my blog, because you've sent me multiple anon messages, and check to see if I've answered them. When I don't within a few days, you still want my attention so you send more. You want to read the story, and you openly enjoy it, but you're having a hard time reconciling the judgement you make on me with the fact that you genuinely like my content. So you eagerly read it, but send me anon hate so you can still give yourself a big pat on the back and feel like you have a moral superiority. Your case isn't special. It is incredibly common, and certainly nothing new.

What if you could just enjoy the things you like? There's a whole community here that shares your interests and has fun interacting with it. You don't have to put it on your resume, but there's a space here that is appropriate for it. It involves sensitive content, sure, whump is a facet of horror. Torture scenes are incredibly common, even in mainstream media. Game of Thrones featured graphic rape scenes and incest, yet it has unbelievable mainstream appeal. It's okay to like content that involves mature themes and touches on sensitive topics, and the majority of people do.

A lot of people have a hard time being genuine about their interests, whether they carry a taboo or are just considered cringe. I realized years ago that by owning the things I enjoy, no one can hurt me with it. I was a superwholock teenager to the core. I am bad at ice skating and swimming! I'm a fat little boy and I dance funny!!! When you refuse to be ashamed, other people have no power over you. In fact, they start to feel more comfortable being themselves around you, too.

I'm not stooping to anything. I'm an adult with a busy life, who chose to post my writing online, fully knowing the possible consequences, and being fine with them. I have made interactive elements of the story so people can vote for what they want to see - and when I listed the crazy BDSM couple Lisa and Mark, they won the poll by a landslide. There are plenty of people who can distinguish fiction from the author's core morals, and I'm not interested in pandering to anyone who doesn't.

The shock value comment is interesting - if I'm just trying to shock people, why would I hold back? Why didn't I write a whole disgusting scene with the enema? Why have I stated that I will not be writing any kind of age play scenes in this series? There is a plot, character arcs, backstories... Sarge could not be more of a parody unless I had him wear a shirt that said "I am a caricature of the american military industrial complex, republican politics, imperialism, and the intersection it finds with men who struggle socially and turn to red pilled reddit and toxic masculinity as a balm". Seems a bit on the nose, though. Do you think all content that involves horror or mature content is only designed to shock?

If you think I've got this all wrong, and I'm a huge pretentious asshole, that doesn't change anything for me. But you have committed yourself an awful lot to something you supposedly hate. Why don't you just stop reading? You won't even come off of anon, because you know I'd just block you and move on, and I think you would be upset if you couldn't read it anymore. I'm just another freak on the internet, right? Block me and move on. Prove me wrong. Throw a party that you trumped me and won. Feel superior. Do a backflip. Good for you buddy. Or maybe tell me, who actually is your favorite character?

TLDR; you wanna fuck me so bad it makes you look stupid

[crehador]

Can I ask, if you have top favorite romantic couples (can be canon or non canon) of all time from any media? Why love them? Thx :D

ANON SORRY THIS ASK HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY INBOX FOR FIVE BILLION YEARS

this is such a fun thing to think about but my brain of course is just going "ichisama ichisama ichisama" nonstop, but now i will sit down and properly try to think of a top five (like the top 10 characters ask, i'll limit this to animanga and possibly group some together; i'm also limiting myself to ONLY icsm from hpmi, or this whole list would be hpmi lmao)

1. in first place of course it is ICHISAMA FOR LIFE

using this image yet again because well it's right there in my pinned and very convenient

i am a sucker for the dumb of ass kind of heart one falling for the bad boy with a heart of gold one, ESPECIALLY when they have the friends to enemies to lovers arc that ichisama does (ok the to lovers part is obviously hc only but hoo boy it is a strong hc)

what can i say about them really besides that i am writing a fic a day for them every day this year. i think that. says it all lol

2. gotta be koyanagi/kabakura wotakoi AND kashima/hori gsnk

while i'm not saying they are identical ships they definitely fall into the same bucket for me, and boy oh boy do i love that bucket

kashima and hori make me belligerently delighted, and koyanagi and kabakura make me a special sort of feral that i don't even know how to start in on

i really like narumi and hirotaka from wotakoi too, but there's something about koyanagi and kabakura that gets to me way more. the geek4geek dynamic is just impeccable with all four of them but the

[PUTTING THE CUT HERE BECAUSE WOTAKOI SPOILERS BELOW, ALSO TOKYO GHOUL SPOILERS FARTHER DOWN]

koyanagi/kabakura wedding just gave me a special sort of glee. i just don't think there's a single thing i don't love to pieces about them, their backstory ova only makes them better

3. saaaaaaya and yuusuke from neon sign amber (aka aokise knb)

obligatory shoutout to the boys of my FAVORITE BL OF ALL TIME ok so like as far as bl goes neon sign amber is really not the most unique thing, i would say. but that's what makes it so perfect to me

i feel like a lot of outstanding bl are great in ways that are 'atypical' for bl, like how saezuru is bl, sure, but also comes with a genuinely gripping gritty yakuza plot. and many others that are highly praised tend to be praised by people going "oh this is good because it's not like TYPICAL bl" which i have feelings about but let's not get into that here

neon sign amber is my favorite because it is very much a typical bl, it has a lot of the typical tropes (guy who's been historically straight but is "gay for you" for example)

i don't necessarily love any of those tropes, but i adore what neon sign amber does with them. it is practically a cookie cutter bl, but its characters (despite existing for only one volume of a manga) live in my heart forever. it takes that "gay for you" trope and doesn't gloss over the problems that could arise in a relationship like that, instead actually addressing them in a way i found satisfying

saya especially is one of my guys of all time, and given that they're kind of obviously aokise i'm lumping them in here too. mwah

4. idolish7 YUKIMOMO MY BELOVEDS (e banri)

thought about this one a lot because i feel like i normally like them in a... normal way, so do they really make the top five? but honestly i think they do

i love their stage gay married act and i love to think that's very much rooted in a foundation of they are actually fucking in love with each other. but just that would've made them a cute but not too memorable ship to me

THEIR BACKSTORY THOUGH. MY GOD. first of all baby momo looks literally just like tdd ichiro which is a. a lot. for me. lmao but anyway setting that aside

momo discovering revale at such a pivotal time in his life, being saved by them, becoming their fans, and then being the one to replace banri after THAT happened??? and then five years later feeling like he's running out of time with yuki and ad;slkfja;lkdsfj

i'm becoming incoherent just thinking about it. anyway i guess this is kind of an ot3 for me though i like it in very much a "we are a couple and we are, as a couple, dating banri" sort of thing (not because they wouldn't ever see banri as an equal partner but because imo banri has better things to do than get too involved in that lol)

5. this last one... is so tough... i think i'm giving it to VARIOUS RELATIONSHIPS IN TOKYO GHOUL

ok this is absolutely cheating and ultimately i think what i would have to say is kaneki and hide because like. eat my face to survive is peak romance to me, sorry. as if it's my fault

HOWEVER there are just so many relationships in tokyo ghoul that i'm absolutely obsessed with. amon/akira and nishio/kimi especially!! amon and akira are so so so delightful to me, in a way similar to roy and riza fma, and nishio and kimi are just. i mean. again. eat me to survive. peak romance

(and i swear i'm not a nishio stan because of voice actor bias, i have not watched tokyo ghoul yet because i have been repeatedly and sternly warned away from it... nishio is one of my manga favorites even without the asnm factor, but good fucking lord does the asnm factor tempt me to watch)

the writing in tokyo ghoul is genuinely just so good to me. the main plot is fantastic but what really makes it is the relationships between characters, both romantic and not

(also a fan of the one-sided tsukiyama/kaneki thing going on but strictly as a one-sided thing lol, tsukiyama get wrecked (said with affection))

so i think that is. more or less where my top five would be. though it's like. it's hard. and probably always changing. those are the first beloved ones to come to my though so they will go in this post and i will smack myself in the forehead and be like "I CAN'T BELIEVE I FORGOT ______" as soon as i go to sleep probably

thank you for the ask!

[taihua]

i've never played fire emblem and my only exposure to these characters is from nintendo smash and yet. your ikesoren posts are so interesting to me please tell us more

I almost made a post yesterday along the lines of "I hope I post about them enough that when my tumblr mutuals play Smash Bros they think about oomf who writes yaoi about that one fighter"

Ike's special trait is that he was the first Fire Emblem protagonist who wasn't royalty or nobility--he's a mercenary's son who ends up leading his dad's mercenary company after a war breaks out. He's a good dude and also kind of a smartass who almost caused a major diplomatic incident by calling an Empress and her nobles disgusting horrible people (he was right but tact isn't always his strong point). Suffered really terrible twink death between game 1 and 2 but it's ok, he's still cute even when he's built like a refrigerator and at least it gives him a nice size difference with his tiny boyfriend.

Soren is a mage and eventual strategist/tactician in the mercenary company and oh boy does he have the most miserable awful tragic backstory! He's half human and half dragon shapeshifter, and since that kind of relationship is taboo in their world, he's been discriminated against because of it. He was abandoned as a baby for reasons*, raised by a woman who hated him until she sold him to a demanding wizard who only wanted to pass on his skills to someone before he died, and then when he did die Soren had nowhere to go and no one would take him in. He was about to starve to death, but he happened to meet child Ike at the edge of a village and Ike gave him something to eat and it was the first time anyone had ever done anything nice for him. He eventually joins the mercenary group specifically because he wanted to find Ike, and pretty much everything he does revolves around protecting Ike, helping Ike, and doing what Ike wants. He is also kind of a smartass, and because he's traumatized he wouldn't really care if the whole continent exploded with everyone on it... as long as Ike is safe!

*The reasons: his dad is the main antagonist of the game. The guy who wants to start a continent-wide war to unleash an evil god from cursed amulet prison. Soren doesn't know this, but there's extra anguish when you learn what happened to his dragon mom and all the awful things she had to endure because she hooked up with an absolute nutcase :,)

Anyway that's all nice ship material and their in-game interactions are cute but the real bonus part is that their relationship is really strongly implied to be canon and probably would have been explicitly canon if the game hadn't been released in 2005. One of Fire Emblem's things is having characters pair off together depending on which relationships you support, and the endings change slightly depending on which relationships you set up. Ike has three possible endings; Soren always follows him no matter what, but with a maxed out support, they basically ride off into the sunset together. "When peace had settled on the land, Soren packed lightly and set off with the only person he had ever trusted." There's an artbook that talks about their two hearts becoming one. (The other two endings are Ike leaving by himself and Ike leaving with another guy, although the wording isn't anywhere near as suggestive; there is no version of the story where he ends up with a woman. Bro is gay fr. Toxic male fanbase hates to see it)

Since it's a 2005 gamecube game it's basically impossible to play now without an emulator but I got through it with this really good YouTube playthrough. In addition to ikesoren, it also has gay birds, catgirls, gay knight rivalry, milfs, and some hilariously bad voice acting. No previous FE knowledge required!

[theabsentmindedwriter]

Isabelle, my way and still an adorable pup.

From New Leaf onwards, Isabelle is a special NPC character in the series who first acted as your assistant when you are Mayor. This kind of role doesn't really change as games go along. Granted more of her background information is fed to us in tidbits. However it doesn't change the fact she is popular in her own right.

(New Horizon's apperance)

Apperance wise she is recognizable, no doubt about that. With her bell like head, friendly smile, her buck tooth and her general attire which she is usually wearing something with a skirt. Though her original new leaf apperance was lacking any shoes before. As seen here.

(Her apperance in Smash Bros Ultimate. Based on her spring/summer attire in New Leaf).

Though an interesting thing to note is her outfit will change a bit during the seasons. Trying to fit with the changing temperature despite being a fuzzy puppy herself.

(Fall attire for New Leaf and New Horizon)

As for my experience with her in the games. She was honestly a pretty welcoming sight. Just a general fuzzball of positivity and support. Granted it took some more time for her to be on a similar level that I placed Ankha. I always found her sunny disposition...and some hilarity in her dialogue to uplift my spirits.

As for background information about her. There was ton's to find in the game. Usually drip fed to you based on what other villagers say about her. Also some NPC's like her brother reveal some interesting info about her. Throughout my research the most bizzare I have discovered was her Brother mentioning she graduated from nineteen different universities in Engineering. To which I am not sure how that is possible. Though it would explain how capable she is as your assistant. Of course if you treat the 'many sisters' in different towns as Canon then that is probably the reason why. Despite her implied intellgence she is still has some silly moments. Like chewing on shoes, being a bit forgetful, has yet to fully unpack in her house, hates confrontations, scary when angry and well being the lovable pup she is.

She won me over in the long run and well this runs into my depiction of her in my stories. I did run with the fact she has a crush on the Mayor. In this case being Nacho, but I always imagined her starting off on that to grow as a better and stronger person. Using the her admiration for the man who ran the town to improve as a person. Come into her own so to speak.

Granted it didn't start until the second story, but after that I made sure she gets her fair share of character growth. Being a kind, compassionate, kinda shy puppy to a more determined and ready to tackle problems that went beyond being assistant to a mayor. Which I like to think I accomplished that. Because to me she deserves it for her determination. Though hilariously I decided to put her in a poly relationship with Ankha and Nacho. Mostly because at the time I couldn't decide between the two. So I decided to F it and went that route. Which works since she is bisexual here. Which is pretty accurate to her crush on the Mayor regardless of biological sex. Though that was as far as I was going to take it. No anime level harem here.

Backstory wise she pretty much remains mostly untouched with the games. There is still more about it not fully explored like her parents or early childhood. However I did give an explanation for what I call the Isa-clones in other towns. Being a result of a science fair project gone wrong. Resulting in more of her running around. Despite this knowledge I have yet to ever bring them up in the main story. That and the council of Isabelles. Boy can you imagine the family reunions?

Physique wise is the most funky process I had of figuring out. Firstly, she is anthro like Ankha and other animal folks. Though not the same blend as Ankha. She is also 5'5" and slightly chubby...also curvy as well. I will admit the internet affected by decision making process in making Isabelle a sort of short stack. Though I always imagine her to be kinda short is because of her Shih Tzu dog breed. Which is a toy dog size. Her physique does improve as the stories go along. Her getting a bit more fit but still having a bit of chub (because I just think it's cute with her). She sort of ends up being pretty strong in her own right. At least until the current story to which by then she is on a even playing field with the stuff going on. Compared to Ankha more agile body, Isabelle is definitely more tanky if you catch my drift.

Story significance, she is definitely important being one of the anchors that keeps Nacho in check later. Not to mention having a higher position power in the current story. Helping with her growth to stand out on her own. Though there are times I feel like I could do more with her. I never truly know because I am the one writing and having to figure these things out. But I like to think I am doing well for the most part.

If you are interesting in hearing more about her. I can make another post talking more details than I did here. Unless you are looking for specfic questions to be answered. Anyways I said enough. Hope this has been a fun peak into my mind with Isabelle here.

[little-pondhead]

I would like to hear the lore about your deep sea mermaid and her daughter with a prosthetic tail. I would like to hear it very much.

Well, you've convinced me! Here's everything I have on her. :)

Everyone can blame @elizabethemerald for the info dump about this post.

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Let's start with some background! The two mermaids from my last art post are one of my many (many) OCs. They belong to a version of Earth that would best be described as science fantasy, I believe. There are equal amounts of science and aliens as there are magic and fairies. The world system isn't completely thought out yet, so we can come back to that later. The point is that there's a lot of stuff shoved into this one world. To me, it's basically one giant puzzle trying to figure out where science stops and magic begins.

For the mermaids, most of them are deep-sea based. This is because, as of right now, less than ten percent of the ocean floor has been properly explored, so it makes sense that the depths of the sea are where they're hiding. In the concept notes, a large disaster happens to Earth that floods parts of the world with new resources. This disaster stirred up the creatures living on the ocean floor, causing some to evolve and grow. This is what happened to the mermaids, who were already the top predators alongside the cliché sea monsters you find in myths. If you factor in the several decades of the planet trying to stabilize and recover from the disaster, by the time [HUMANS] found mermaids, these aquatic folk of the deep are now too big to visit the surface properly.

The last bit of backstory is that there are now many different species of intelligent life living on Earth and beyond. These beings are split up into different classes, depending on what they are. Mermaids belong to the [MYTHEON] class, as they can trace their origins to human mythologies. Other classes include [BEAST FOLK], who possess both human and animal qualities but do not trace their origins to mythologies, or [ALIENS], who originate from beyond Earth's solar system.

Onto the mermaids!

I'm gonna be honest, I came up with the mother's design on the fly. She doesn't really have a name, but I like to imagine that, at some point, she has to go to the surface, and everyone meeting her is just in awe of her size and beauty. I just think it'd be neat to draw. :)

Now her DAUGHTER, oh boy. She's one of the main OCs for this story I have cooking up. Due to the mermaid's natural habitat, they have their own language, similar to whale song. However, when roughly translated into English, her name is Marina! (Creative, I know. I like very literal names.)

Marina is based on an anglerfish, one of the most well-recognized fish in the sea. She's one of many who scuttle around the Midnight Zone. Her mother is several decades old, so Marina has a lot of siblings. The angler mermaids are recognized by their distinct lure, bioluminescent glow, and monstrous mouths. (For an easier time, I made it so the mermaids could close their mouths, so I wouldn't have to draw it open all the time.) Most anglerfish have incredibly poor eyesight, so the mermaids share this trait as well.

Marina is special among her siblings because she was born with no tail. As you can imagine, this makes it incredibly difficult to survive in the ocean. Once she's a few days old, Marina is slowly acclimated to the different pressures of the surface world and taken in by an old couple who owns a fish hatchery. Marina becomes one of the first mermaids in history to have a permanent residence on the surface, and so she's subject to lots of healthcare studies as she grows up. When she reaches the appropriate size, Marina is fitted with custom prosthetics that allow her the same walking power as a human!

And even further down the line, someone makes her a prosthetic tail, which allows her to freely swim like any other mermaid.

Below is the first sketch of her new tail.

You can see it's not connected all the way. My idea for her prosthetics is that she has thigh prosthetics permanently attached to her lower body, so she can switch out the lower part depending on her needs. The prosthetic attachments use the ball end of the thigh, which acts as a knee. She switches between her prosthetics depending on what she's doing, and I usually draw her with running ones on.

Her purpose in the storyline is still a little fuzzy. Marina has two jobs. She works as a hatchery technician for her adoptive parents, and in my notes, it also says she's a sidekick of the superhero kind. I don't know where the superhero bit came from, I think I was going through a phase in high school, but the point is she's a fighter and works for some kind of law enforcement. She had to be physically strong to survive on the surface, so she's buff as hell, and she's proficient in ice magic, which is especially useful in disaster situations.

Here's a few quick sketches of her designs over the years so you can see how she's evolved!

I created this character in 2021 and wasn't very good with complicated designs yet. This is reflected in the sketch, which is more human than mermaid. She has fins on her arms and legs, which are real, and therefore her outfit is limited because I didn't want to cover up her fins. (Please note that in these designs, Marina wears clothes meant for fighting, not everyday wear.) At first, I tried using a light color palette to signify her lawfully neutral alignment, but it came off like I was trying to make her some sort of saint. Marina is supposed to be the tank of the party. Her ice abilities make great shields, and her huge size makes her an easy target. She doesn't need to learn fancy maneuvers if her whole job is to just sit there and take attacks head-on.

With these facts in mind, my 2022 design is much closer to what I want her to be. She's gained prosthetics here, looks sturdier, and has actual armor. The armor is made from seashells and other things taken from the ocean. To be honest, I'm scrapping this design because I don't think the armor flows together well, and I also really don't want to draw seashells over and over again. It's a cool concept, but just not for this. I might reuse the seashell armor for something else. Her staff acts as both a weapon and a guide. Due to her poor eyesight, Marina has been declared legally blind and uses her staff as a cane to move around.

As a backup, Marina is also contracted with a minor water spirit, whom she named Sally after the famous seashell tongue-twister. The water spirit acts similar to a seeing-eye dog and also provides the water she needs to create ice structures when she's fighting. (Marina does not have the ability to create ice out of nothing, and her water manipulation is very poor. Contracting a water spirit was a way to fix her weakness.)

Overall Marina is the strong, silent type. She has the unique privilege of being a person of both water and earth, which has advantages and drawbacks. While she was adopted by a pair of human parents, Marina loves to visit her mother in the depths and show off what she knows. This just got easier when she got fitted for a new tail. Marina loves the town she lives in and protects the people who have accepted her as one of their own with fierce loyalty. She doesn't speak much due to her teeth and mouth shape but has the most elegant handwriting you will ever see. She likes to eat soft things, and her favorite food is pudding. She's allergic to tuna but likes raising them. Her hair has a pink tint and floats on land like it does underwater, but no one really knows why. (It's Sally's fault.) Her childhood friend is a coconut crab she found on the beach, and her parents were too scared to tell her to put it back. Marina is very large, over 6'5", and is expected to grow much larger as time goes on. Right now, she's barely 20 years old.

Everyone knows there will be a time when she must return to the ocean, however. Someday she'll be too big to survive on land.

---

Oh lord, I think that's all for now! (If you read this far, have a cookie. That's some dedication right there.) I kinda just word-vomited up everything I had about her, and honestly, that's not much compared to other characters. Marina was supposed to be one of the side characters in whatever story managed to crawl its way out from under my bed, but now I'm obsessed with drawing her and pushing the boundaries of my character design abilities. I know there are some puzzle pieces I left hanging, but don't worry about it. At some point, I'll get off my ass and flesh out this story world properly.

[vryfmi]

What did they do to skull???

using this inbox as an excuse to infodump about character that i know more about than Stroud himself

before i start to explain the downgrade that skull's character experienced in the adaptation, i'll say that the show is good, but not excellent. there are a lot for things that were done surprisingly good and i was having a mostly positive experience watching it. it's the main cast and overall atmosphere of the series that truly make it special. however, there were things that did not translate well from book to screen. one of those vital things was skull in the jar.

[TL;DR] skull doesn't get any screen time and in those combined five minutes is horribly mischaracterized. not to mention that it doesn't progress the plot whatsoever.

i was a bit sad that i was late to the show-finally-was-released party because i thought people would already discuss everything that was in the show so far. but to my surprise there're hardly any coherent takes on skull. especially when you compare how well rounded all other characters were portrayed. so what is my problem?

well first of all how the fuck did Stroud allow that to happen? in every single interview it is stated that directors and scriptwriters were consulting with Stroud yet somehow complete annihilation of skull happened.

i want to say that the problem is in screen time that it is really hard to keep books' pacing (action scenes as well as domestic ones, Lucy's thought process, dialogs, worldbuilding etc.), but it's really not, the problem is much deeper than that. the show decided to change various small pieces of original stories, and with more details changed, the further it differentiated from initial plot. that's my problem with the show in general.

the second part of the season is revolved around the bone mirror, yes, this is correct, just like the books. but the book itself isn't called the bone glass. it's called the whispering skull and for a good reason. the role of skull in the story was so downplayed i feel physical pain just from thinking about it. overall, yes, the story is the same: Lockwood&Co get a case regarding an unauthorized grave, it turns out Dr Edmund Bickerstaff was buried there under unclear circumstances with some device. that device being a bone mirror, that doctor had created around late 1800s with his followers and, most importantly, young servant. the servant boy was skull, now a type three ghost, previously stolen from Fittes. bone glass was stolen, L&co compete with Kipps' team in finding it, Bickerstaff's mansion, George is affected by the mirror (but not as bad as Joplin), Fittes ball, the auction, the fight in Kensal Green as well as in catacombs. the end. the main plot is the same, but it's the details that are the keys to why that story worked, and why it's my favourite book of the series.

show differentiates from book when it completely gets rid of Wilberforce's character, makes events of tss immediately followed by tws (without an eight month time skip) and changes the reasons behind drama between main characters.

can you guess what character suffers the most from these changes?

the skull.

[i'll try my best not to spoil any major points of the story, but there will be slight spoilers regarding skull's backstory - both in life and in death (but seeing how ghost lore was changed, maybe these won't be spoilers at all)]

here's the list of my main problems with skull's character in the show

1. skull doesn't move the plot forward

2. mischaracterization

3. not enough screen time

4. his arc is unfinished

5. no silent boy (i am the only person affected by it but i will be insufferable nonetheless for its exclusion)

the first problem picks up where we left it - small details were made and now plot doesn't make sense, especially skull's role. fine, you've decided to exclude the mystery of who was buried in an iron coffin, now we know from the get-go it was Bickerstaff. but book had lingered on it for a while - the grave was marked, and it belong to Bickerstaff, but the remains didn't match with historical records - Bickerstaff was claimed to die in his house and eaten by rats, where the body in the coffin was pretty solid apart from the bullet hole in its head. here's your mystery. then bone glass is stolen as well as something else, that nobody quite noticed at first, but Lockwood pointed out it out on photo of the crime scene - a tripod. not one, but two relics were gone after the coffin was dug up. the later one is less important to the story but it made a pretty great characterization of Joplin early on, how this character has kleptomaniac tendencies. but mystery of the body was something no one could solve - nor L&co, nor Kipps' team, - unless they were there and then. that's where skull comes into play.

Lockwood&Co have not only a literal witness of events that happened in the late 1870s, but someone who took part in creating the bone mirror. how cool is that? it would, if skull was talking about Bickerstaff's deeds, and wasn't making witty comments and insults. but not just any insults - it keeps bringing up how stupid and blind main characters are. and here's the thing - if these were just constant calling names, Lucy and others would just shut the lid tight and never open it again. instead it has an effect on them. they feel as if there's something they're missing, that by talking to the ghost it will eventually crack and tell them. skull makes itself useful in the long run.

when late night interrogation begins, skull actually talks about it's master and a bit of its own identity. skull, of course, teases Lucy and others with scraps of information when it feels as if it is in control. until one of the questions touches the raw nerve of its:

‘No!’ The voice was urgent, intimate, as if whispering directly into my ear. ‘Bickerstaff was no grave-robber! He was a great man. A visionary! He came to a sad end.’ ‘What end? The rats?’ ‘Hold it, Lucy...’ Lockwood touched my arm. ‘We didn’t hear what it said.’ ‘Oh, sorry. He was a great man who came to a sad end.’ ‘I said he was a visionary too. You forgot that bit.’ ‘Oh yeah. And a visionary. Sorry.’ I blinked in annoyance, then glared at the skull. ‘Why am I apologizing to you? You’re making some pretty big claims about a man who kept sacks of human bones in his basement.’ ‘Not in his basement. In a workroom behind a secret wall.’ ‘It wasn’t his basement. It was a workroom behind a secret wall...’ I looked at the others. ‘Did we know that?’ ‘Yes,’ Lockwood said. ‘We did. It overheard George telling us that earlier this evening. It’s giving us nothing new or original, in other words. It’s making all this up.’ <…> ‘Well, believe me or not as you please, but yes, I saw the bone glass, though I never saw it used. The master wouldn’t show me. It wasn’t for my eyes, he said. I wept, for it was a wonderful thing.’ <…> ‘All very well,’ Lockwood said, ‘but what does the bone glass do?’ ‘It gives knowledge,’ the voice said. ‘It gives enlightenment. Ah, but I could have spied on him. I knew where he kept his precious notes, hidden under the floorboards of his study. See how I held the key to his secrets in my hand? I could have learned them all. But he was a great man. He trusted me. I was tempted but I never looked.’ The eyes glinted at me from the depths of the jar. ‘You know all about that too – don’t you, Lucy?’ <…> ‘He was a great man,’ the ghost said softly. ‘And his legacy is with you today, though you’re too blind to see it. All of you, too blind...’

there is a reason for l&co going to Hampstead Heath and its abandoned mansion - not only can they confirm skull's words about the papers (and confirm to others that Lucy indeed can talk to ghosts), but, eventually, they find out who died in that house and was eaten by rats (Wilberforce). and thanks to Lucy using her Touch in the secret study they find out that bone mirror doesn't give enlightenment, it kills the one who looks into it (on top of that, skull was the one who put the idea of testing the device on Wilberforce into Bickerstaff's head). the steaks go higher.

compare it to the shows version of the same events.

skull talks about Bickerstaff for like a minute, says it was acolyte and that there's something in its masters mansion. and asks for Lucy to take it there. (in books it was an after though of Lockwood to take it with them because the prospect of Lucy communicating with ghosts was way too big for him to pass. skull doesn't really help them inside, only insults them when they barely escape Wilberforce's ghost). what did the trio got out of going there and risking their lives? nothing. they got absolutely nothing that would've move the plot. yes, they got the papers, but did they give anything new? no, they've only confirmed that bone mirror is made of sources of people that were killed by Bickerstaff. which is also a big problem for me. because bone glass is now made of supposedly vengeful spirits, not the ones who are upset by their remains being stolen from graves, grieving over their disrupted burials.

what was skull for in that case? was he simply sitting in that basement and telling his master whether the bone was source or not? and that's it? book's skull was helping in gravedigging and warding of ghosts from Bickerstaff and other adults, who weren't able to see them. not to mention that he a) had to be young, but old enough to see ghosts and keep others save from them b) have a great talent to be able to find potential source in massive churchyards. skull's role of servant got also massively downplayed, im pissed.

One paper says he’d sometimes have a servant lad with him, poor kid dragging heaven knows what behind him in a heavy sack.’

[Dulac's confessions] With the help of his servant, a most cunning and malignant Boy, whose eyes saw phantoms clearly, we went on expeditions to the churchyards, gathering materials for the Device. The Boy protected us from the vengeful Spirits until we had trapped them in the glass.

[i like the idea that skull in his life was something of a parallel to agents. where agents fight disrupted visitors and get rid of their sources, skull had to do the opposite. ghosts haven't been roaming churchyards back then, so you'd either had to dig up every single grave to find any source, or provoke the ghost into manifestation. skull was probably doing just that and told Bickerstaff and his followers where'd the ghost's remains were.]

as a result, all important information about bone glass was only given in Dulac's confessions in the show, all other steps were meaningless. and to get to those you don't need to consult with the skull. in fact, could the whole mansion trip be skipped? since it doesn't move the story forward and takes away from Lucy's conversation with skull - those are iconic, and Complete Fiction just cut them off. i understand that it most likely comes to ghost CGI but like... yall wouldn't have to rent a massive mansion? and all information about what kind of a man Bickerstaff was Lucy could've got from that conversation. if i understand things correctly, Lucy can't talk to skull all that long now, since it overwhelms her (she passed out after their first conversation and seemed to be in pain when it happened). ok, let's keep it, i actually like it. with this new limitation, the first conversation in the kitchen would have played out a bit different. but it would've played out at least.

so it leaves two more scenes with skull: Lucy and Lockwood finding out where George is and the culmination in the catacombs.

first one goes as well as any other conversation with skull. which is rushed and without any character development for skull and its relationships with Lucy. and because of already revealed motivation for skull - being freed from the jar - there's no revelation to have.

‘You’re a head in a jar. You’re not going anywhere and we’re all you’ve got. So – we’re not going to put you in the furnaces,’ I said. ‘We’re not going to torture you. All we do, if you don’t start co-operating, is shut your lever up, put you in a bag, and bury you in the ground somewhere. Nice and deep so no one ever finds you. Just you, on your own, for ever. How does that sound?’ ‘You wouldn’t do that,’ the ghost said, but for the first time I heard uncertainty in its voice. ‘You need me, don’t forget. I’m a Type Three. I’ll make you rich. I’ll make you famous.’ ‘Stuff that. Our friend is more important. Last chance, skull. Spill the beans.’ ‘And there was I thinking Cubbins was the cruel one.’ The face drew back into the shadows of the plasm, where it glared at me with an expression of blood-curdling malice. ‘All right,’ it said slowly. ‘Sure, I’ll tell you. Don’t think I’m giving in to your blackmail, mind. I just want to enjoy what’s coming to you all.’

now this, this is beautiful. not only good ol conflict, but also a nice development for both sides of conversation. especially how Lucy has grown to care so much about George which was a pretty long process for both of them in books. and to top it all off, Lucy takes skull only to keep threatening it into co-operating and to get an insight on how to avoid an immediate death from the bone glass.

in show, however, it is the skull who begs to take it to its master, and Lucy, as well as Lockwood, for some reason go with it. it doesn't help Lucy to get into catacombs nor saves Lucy from looking into the bone mirror by hinting at how to destroy it. which was also rather unsatisfyingly done in the show. mostly because this ending doesn't complete skull's arc (not like there was any thanks to the lack of screen time).

skull's arc is rather simple in its debut book. it used to be a servant to a mad doctor, was very loyal, to the point that it seemed like it lost all its identity in the pursue of its master and his work. the ghost had denied its own death, so it became a type three. but once the name of its master was mentioned, it desired to reunite, to serve Bickerstaff once more, only to be faced with harsh reality (that Lucy was also trying to make it understood) - Bickerstaff had never cared for anyone nor anything apart from the device. his servant boy was simply useful and obedient. now Bickerstaff's ghost had Joplin who'd also became just a tool.

It gave a sudden shout. ‘Master! It’s me! Welcome back!’ Over in the corner, the cowled figure [of Bickerstaff's ghost] stood silent. It did not respond. ‘Master...’ The plaintive whisper was filled with fear and yearning. ‘Over here! It’s me!’ The figure didn’t stir. All its intentness was on the bone glass, and on George. ‘Yes,’ the skull said irritably. ‘Well, he’s not what he was.’ Of course he wasn’t.

im going on a rumble here but im way to passionate about the books and skull's character - where else you'll find such a bastard to love? speaking of character and its full scale assassination.

there were barely any scenes to truly grasp skull's character but still it is not the skull we know from books. from saying "thank you" to not wishing death upon l&co trio every five seconds. it's just not the same character. and im still trying to understand why this change was made. for some reason show actively tries to make its viewer (and Lucy) feel empathetic towards skull: first with its conversation with Lucy in ep.4, and later in the same episode with Marissa Fittes' interview and her description of type threes. which immediately bring Lucy to refer to skull as "he", not "it". all ghosts are being referred in the show as well as books as "it", to strip of any empathy towards them, apart from Annabel Ward but Lucy got a strong connection with her as well as she reminded her of Norrie. because technically, ghosts are not people, they're only echoes of one's identity or emotion. but not type threes. and yet it takes Lucy five books to learn to trust and see skull as a person, and show rushes it a lot (that's another subject on which i might write something one day because Lucy-skull parallels let's fucking goooooo).

skull played a role of an inner obstacle to overcome for the main trio. it put a seed of doubt into Lucy's head, voiced her concerns and deepest fears regarding her new friends. so the gap formed between the teammates, which only made l&co come closer together once they started opening up and trusting each other more. and whole show drama came from the inside the group with them overreacting and saying very out of character harmful things.

one of the things that im sorry for show-only people is that they miss how tws not only is extremely dark, has really good horror elements, tons of ghost lore, but also, it's extremely funny. and yes, mostly thanks to skull. the balance of mystery, quiet moments and well-written jokes is just superb. so now im waiting for season two announcement for Complete Fiction to redeem themselves.