#on the flipside though everything makes sense

[xinganhao]

🙇‍♂️ svt when you get jealous.

anon → "Could I request SVT reaction to you being jealous? 👀?"

⌗ ┆love a flip of a good trope d(･∀･○) pls note that the ff. members feature manips/edits, so credits go to the rightful owners: jeonghan, joshua, soonyoung, wonwoo

‧₊˚✩彡 includes: f!reader, established relationship, pet names, jealousy 🤭, fluff/crack/etc., [short] headcanons under the cut.

🙇‍♂️ headcanons .ᐟ

— "oh, boy, here we go again" ✩ junhui, wonwoo, mingyu, seungkwan, chan.

anyone dating junhui or mingyu have got to be god's strongest soldiers. both boys would be a little exasperated at your jealousy but they also react to it in their own ways. junhui, for his part, will always crack in the end. he may goad you about all his romance scenes but he's quick to switch up when he thinks he's gone too far. mingyu, on the other hand, focuses on making you realize how ridiculous you are for the (mostly) unfounded jealousy. when that doesn't work, he'll try to distract you with something else. it's not often that you get jealous if you're dating wonwoo— if anything, you might be envious about all the time he spends on his games. when it comes to people, though? he's not about to tolerate you thinking that way. he'll shoot you down quicker than any other member does with his. no pickup lines or pleasantries, here; just the straight truth. seungkwan's reassurances are just a little more on the teasing side but they're never any less sincere. he's the type to be very conscious about not giving you a reason to be jealous in the first place. meanwhile, chan may sometimes be a little more on the clueless side, though he'll always get there eventually. does he joke around about it? most definitely. will he be on your doorstep to pick a (playful) about your jealousy until you can do nothing but succumb to his charm? also yes.

— "so help me, god" ✩ jeonghan, soonyoung, jihoon, vernon.

jihoon would be at an absolute loss™️ in the face of your jealousy. it's a rare thing, for you to be envious of anything outside of the time he spends on work, so he will try to tread lightly. the way he fumbles about attempting to reassure you is endearing enough for you to forget what you were so upset about in the first place. jeonghan is one of the rare ones who would try to incite your jealousy; what can he say? he likes poking the bear sometimes. but he's also the image of someone who can dish it but can't take it. if he's met with your petulance, he'll fall on his knees in any/all attempt to get back in your good graces. soonyoung's plenty oblivious when it comes to what might make you jealous. you can expect him to pull out the pout and puppy dog eyes when trying to convince you not to be upset. and, oh– vernon is oblivious to the point where it's almost painful. he won't get that someone's into him until you point it out. when you do, though, he'll do everything in his power to allay your concerns.

— "you're the only one" ✩ seungcheol, joshua, seokmin, minghao.

minghao comes from a family where his parents only have eyes for each other, so it makes sense for him to also be the same. reassurance comes easy for him; he'll never joke about your feelings and he'll talk you through it, even. at any given chance, he makes it abundantly clear that he's spoken for. there's no hiding from joshua, either. he's too perceptive for his own good and he'll know if you're jealous, even if you try to hide it. he never blames you for how you're feeling and his focus is on how he can avoid making you feel that way on the future. seungcheol is the type who'd be a little endeared, even, that you get jealous. he likes it if his partner is a little possessive and territorial. you can tell that he's smug about it, though ultimately he'll play in to your little charade. seokmin, on the flipside, is a big believer of nipping things in the bud. if he thinks anything might make you jealous, he's already keeping you from overthinking before it can start. he's not going to have you questioning yourself; not on his watch.

[willieverseetheland]

flipside ch. 1

Dexter Morgan x PI!reader

based on this ask!

Summary: You're a private investigator hired to look into Dexter Morgan on suspicion of infidelity, but you uncover something much darker. Warnings: None for this chapter, but typical Dexter warnings in the future (death, violence, blood, etc)

"Are you gonna hurt me now Or are you gonna hurt me later?"

You took this job for a bit of quick cash; infidelity investigations are always fast and easy, but not this one. This one would lead you down a path you would never return from. You got in far too deep this time.

///

Sunlight beams through the sunroof of your car, it's a cool spring day in Miami. You moved here five years ago from Baltimore, Maryland. Although, you grew up around the ocean, everything about Florida is drastically different. You don't complain though, the weather is a dream compared to back home. You were a cop, a good cop, even reaching detective. After everything happened, it just didn't make sense to continue, as if everything was the same. So, you moved to Miami for a fresh start. You weren't really sure about being a cop again, it just didn't feel correct. But you missed the detective work, the investigating. Being a private investigator just made sense. Life has been good to you. You have a steady job, one that you're actually quite good at. You were scared you would never be good at anything again. You scan your surroundings, it's a nice, peaceful neighborhood. Parked in front of a small, yet cute little house, you're here to interview your new client. You're not hesitating because you're scared, you're hesitating because clients in her particular predicament tend to be very emotional, something you've never been too good with. You understand, of course. Cheating is a horrible thing, but comforting people has just never been in your skillset.

You exit your vehicle and make your way to the door, knocking firmly. A bright-eyed blonde-haired woman opens the door. She's gorgeous you can't help but think, who could possibly be unfaithful to her? She motions for you to step inside.

"I just want to thank you for coming, it's been really hard" she gives you a small smile, but you detect a hint of sadness behind it

"Of course, happy to help" you say, forcing a smile in return

"Well, I guess I should introduce myself. Rita Bennett" she outstretches her hand for a handshake

"Y/N L/N, private investigator" you reach out, enveloping her hand in a firm shake

She walks over to the kitchen table and has a seat, beckoning for you to follow. You sit across from her, resting your elbows on the table and interlocking your fingers.

"So, Rita, I understand that you hired me to investigate your boyfriend for infidelity. Could you tell me some details about that?"

"He's in recovery, for drugs, and his sponsor is a woman. I know that men and woman can have relationships that aren't sexual, but he's been acting suspicious. He's out all hours of the night, he hardly calls me, he spends most of his free time with her. I know they could just be doing step work, but can you blame me for being suspicious?" she sounds exhausted, like she's been struggling with this for a while with no one to talk to.

"Well, those are definitely typical signs of cheating. Could you provide some details about him, so I know who to look for, and possibly a photo as well?"

"Of course, his name is Dexter Morgan. He's a blood spatter analyst at Miami Metro Police Department. He drives a blueish gray Ford Escape. Here's a photo" She slides a picture across the table, it's the two of them together, they look happy. You analyze the photo, studying his features, trying to burn them in your mind.

"What about his suspected mistress, could you tell me some things about her?"

"I don't know much; I've only seen her a few times. She has black hair, dark eyes, probably about 5'6 or 5'7, slender, pale. Beautiful. Pretty much the opposite of me." She looks down, you can see the hurt in her eyes.

"But I don't know where she lives or what she does for work, sorry" She looks up to face you, a single tear falling down her cheek.

"Um, that's okay, you've told me enough to identify her. Thank you." you give her a somewhat pained smile; you'll admit you're feeling a bit uncomfortable now that the waterworks have started.

You stand up, reaching out to give her another handshake.

"I'll get on it immediately. I'll figure this out, I promise." you give her an assuring look

...

You decide your first move should be to go to his place of work. You set up in the parking lot, further from the rest of the cars but close enough to get a good view. You scan the lot, looking for his car. You spot it, now all you have to do is wait. It's only noon so you're gonna be here awhile. You pass the time by reading, snacking, and pondering your existence. You hear a car alarm chirp causing you to look up. It's Dexter in the flesh, getting into his car. It's go time.

You follow him, as discreetly as possible. He leads you to an apartment complex. You park a few rows away, again trying to be discreet. You watch him walk to apartment #10B. He unlocks the door and walks right in. You sigh. Must be his apartment. You debate whether you should wait and watch or if you should turn in for the day.

You remember what you're being paid for and decide to stay.

...

You wake up hours later, it's dark out now. You must've fallen asleep. You look for Dexter's vehicle but can't find it, he must've left.

"Fuck!" you exclaim, how could you have let this happen?

You get the idea to snoop around his apartment. You know it's probably locked but maybe you could look through the windows. It likely won't lead to anything but you figure you have to try something. Taking your camera, you head to his unit. Looking through the windows you don't see much, the lights are off so it's hard to see much of anything. It's clean at least, and well decorated. A bit rare for a man you think. As you're looking through the windows you see headlights shining from behind you, turning around to see Dexter's car pulling into the parking lot.

"Oh shit!" you shout while ducking down. You run to the other side of the balcony and hide around a corner. As Dexter is walking up the stairs you notice he looks a little disheveled. His hair is a mess and he's sweaty. That could be something you think. You pull out your camera and snap a few photos. The lighting is horrible right now, but you have to work with what you have. You sneak back to your car, praying he doesn't see you. You know these pictures don't prove anything but they're a step in the right direction. You decide to turn in for the night, hoping you'll find more tomorrow.

...

You wake up bright and early the next morning to get a head start. From what Rita has described, Dexter seems pretty dedicated to his job so it's not likely that much will happen before or during the workday. However, maybe you could catch him on his lunch break. Would be a perfect time to pay his side piece a visit. You grab a coffee and head over to Miami Metro PD. At around 11:40 you see Dexter exit the building. He gets in his car and you're tailing him yet again. He stops at a diner; you make sure to park a few spaces behind him as not to draw attention to yourself. He sits outside, perfect. You watch him closely with your camera ready. He sits in solitude for a few minutes, but wouldn't you know it, soon a slender dark-haired woman comes to join him. You grab your camera, watching very intently. Waiting for him to slip up, get too comfortable. They seem to be having a pretty serious conversation, looking into each other's faces with emotion. The dark-haired woman reaches out and grabs Dexter's hand and Dexter places his on top of hers in return. You take quite a few photos of this, but it's not incriminating enough. You need something more. You continue watching them for a while, but much to your annoyance, nothing else happens. The two depart and Dexter returns to work.

Instead of sitting at his work waiting for him, you decide to watch his apartment. Maybe the woman will swing by, if she has a key then that will obviously be suspicious. You watch his apartment for hours but again come up with nothing. It'll be dark soon and Dexter hasn't pulled in yet. He could just be busy with something completely innocent, but it could be more. You drive by the police department to see if his vehicle is still there, it's not. You call Rita to ask if he's there and she says no. It's probably a lost cause but you really need a lead. You need to find something.

It's not that you want him to be cheating, that would be horrible for Rita, but you hate coming up empty handed. It makes you feel like an inadequate detective. You swing back by his apartment and he's still not there. Nothing else for you to do but wait. At around 2:00 am he finally shows up. Pretty late for a blood spatter analyst. He's wearing a different outfit than earlier, which could be a coincidence sure, but he's also carrying a large black duffle bag. You pull out your camera and take as many pictures as you can. Again, it could be nothing, but the circumstances are definitely weird.

Introductory chapter for this miniseries im doing based on a recent ask! I'm not sure where this is going to go but i'm excited! Also yes, the title is inspired by miss lana herself, the song was stuck in my head and i couldn't resist. I'll tie it in i swear!

[cringecannon]

It isn’t necessarily dark like what you usually write, but would you ever write anything about Halsin X Tav X Astarion. I just think they have a really interesting relationship dynamic

I’m totally cool writing fluff, so don’t worry about sending in dark ideas if that’s not what you’re looking for. However, on the flipside, I could definitely throw a dark spin onto this dynamic! Hero Halsin trying to save you from a feral possessive Astarion is an interesting thought...

I did have to sit on this one a bit because I have a harder time writing for Halsin, but I love the idea of a petty Astarion who doesn't understand why you want someone so... brutish. And Halsin is just so friendly back to him.

Everything you do together, Halsin offers for Astarion to join in but he just won’t stop refusing. There’s no winning with him. He'd rather sit on the sidelines and pout instead of just swallowing his pride. No matter how many times you check in to see if being poly isn't his thing, he reassures you that's not the problem. He doesn't know why he's upset, he just is. It'd take some gentle convincing, but you tell him that sometime you'd like him to try and hang out with you and Halsin. Just once, and never again if he doesn't like it.

One night, as you're making tiny braids in Halsin's hair, you see Astarion idling in the shadows. It's rare to see him so... apprehensive. You catch his eyes and you nod, waving him over subtly. He creeps over and Halsin greets him with a smile, as if he can't sense the other man's tense mood. Astarion takes a stiff seat next to you, and you ask if he'd like a braid too. He scoffs haughtily, he cares far too much about his hair to let just anyone mess with it.

Seeing the hurt look on your face and on the stern one on Halsin's makes him backtrack though. Maybe... a small one, where no one can see it.

You have him sit on the ground between your thighs and Halsin takes a seat next to you on the log, wrapping a big arm around your waist as you start braiding a small section of Astarion's hair in a spot that can be easily hidden. Astarion's eyes flutter closed, letting the gentle attention wash over him.

He finds he doesn't care about the other man's arm around you at all when you're touching him like this.

[tokiro07]

Ichi the Witch ch.6 thoughts

[Let's Goooo Alreadyyy!!!]

(Topics: direction - art/narrative progression, character analysis - Uroro, thematic analysis - truth and lies)

The Clothes Make the Manwitch

I think we're officially out of the groundwork phase, cus this chapter really wanted to get things moving along. I really felt Kumugi's plight as the rest of the cast zipped along through the different departments to get Ichi set up for his first official mission - I wanted to hang out and chat with those cute girls for a little bit!

And based on how they blushed at Ichi, I think they did too 👀

I think Usazaki was just showing off with those designs, honestly. Those girls were clearly incidental characters, one-offs who didn't even warrant getting names (heartbreaking...), but she still went ham on the details, conveying their personalities and tying them into their respective jobs flawlessly. Maybe she figured if they were never going to show up and give her any trouble, she might as well make them as realized as she could while she had the opportunity

On the flipside, I saw a handful of comments complaining about how simple or plain Ichi's new uniform is, but you have to remember that Usazaki is going to need to draw this outfit a lot, in all kinds of poses and scenarios. There's already a surprising amount of detail on it, like the embellishments on the collar and shoulders, the thigh-high boots, the ornate knife handle...it's not a ton to keep track of, but they're finer details than a lot of protagonists tend to get in my experience, and ones that are likely to get a bit finicky as things go on

Moreover, though, Ichi already has an over-the-top, extravagant outfit: his Uroro form. Having a plain and unassuming base form gives contrast to his super form, which will help the latter stand out so much more when the time comes for him to use it. Do you really want Ichi's base form to overshadow his super form???

I didn't think so

Now the question is, when will be the next time we actually get to see his super form?

The Enemy Within

I absolutely adore that Ichi and Uroro have firmly established themselves as enemies, and that they're able to actively communicate and even fight with each other, it's everything I wanted Yuji and Sukuna's relationship to be (at least for now), but with that comparison in mind, there's definitely a question of how long this dynamic will last

As I recall, Sukuna was honestly a pretty minor factor beyond JJK's introductory arc, with Yuji only getting possessed by him twice in the beginning, once in the middle, and then once at the end. Everywhere in between, he was mostly just chilling and waiting, at worst mocking Yuji but never really actively hindering him

Uroro's role is still pretty ambiguous, as he doesn't seem at all capable of possessing Ichi, but he does seem capable of manifesting a physical form that can oppose Ichi. Depending on how much influence he has, he might actively be able to prevent Ichi from using Ultra Amplification or at least interfere when Ichi is trying to use it in battle

Sukuna wanted Yuji to find all the fingers so he could get stronger and escape through Megumi, so any time Yuji was in danger, he was incentivized to at least keep him alive, but Uroro needs Ichi to die in order to escape. He has no reason to ever help him and every reason to hurt him, so the gimmick of the hero and villain inhabiting the same body is greatly amplified in this case

The fact that Ichi can literally feel the malice coming off of Uroro from within his own body to the point of needing to resist gutting himself illustrates this antagonism wonderfully. If Yuji needed to constantly suppress Sukuna, Ichi needs to actively ignore Uroro, and Uroro is absolutely going to make that as difficult as possible

Fortunately, Ichi's sense for malice also acts as a bit of a lie detector for Uroro, which it looks like he's going to need

Unreliable Narrator

We've been wondering for a while now how Uroro actually feels about other Magiks, and this chapter's opening seemed to confirm an earlier assertion that he views them as his friends and brethren, lamenting their enslavement and discrimination at the hands of the witches, until Ichi easily saw through that lie

As Ichi says, Uroro's reaction to seeing Raiko being hunted in ch.3 didn't at all fit the idea that Magiks suffer any kind of injustice. His objections were half-hearted, and his lackadaisical attitude in ch.1 suggests that he has no interest in killing witches for the sake of freeing his captured kin. He kills and destroys for fun, not survival or revenge, but his position as the King of Magiks makes for a convenient excuse that surely he wants his people to be freed from the oppression of witches

Except...his story that humanity appeared and started subjugating Magiks is contradictory to the story we were already told. Ch.1 told us that it was the Magiks who approached humans, offering them dangerous trials seemingly unprompted, luring them in with the promise of power. That fact alone makes it obvious that Uroro was lying to gain sympathy

Or was he? Just because he doesn't actually care about the subjugation of his people doesn't mean it didn't really happen. We were told that a single Magik happened to appear to a single witch one day, which may well have happened, but was that really where it began? What prompted that Magik to do such a thing?

@wickedsick once suggested that there may be some kind of internal conflict in Magik society, like a feud between Uroro the king and a Magik queen to help enforce the themes of gender inequality. To turn the tide of battle, it would make sense for some Magiks to give themselves willingly to witches who could wield their power more effectively and defeat their enemies for them

If that's the case, though, then of course some Magiks would view the situation differently. History is written by the victors, and the witches seem to have the advantage at the moment, but Uroro was there, so his word is arguably more weighty than a disembodied voice that presumably is meant to represent common knowledge. That doesn't make him trustworthy by any means, but it's far too early to assume that there's no truth in what he's saying either

This goes for the Witches Association, too, of course. Shirabedonna's opinion may be irrefutable among the witches, but we only have her word so far that anything she says can be taken as gospel. If anything, with this chapter starting with someone lying to Ichi's face, then thematically we have to assume that Shirabedonna's assertion that anything she says is patently correct is, in and of itself, a lie, or at least a misdirect

To have a member of your organization declare with confidence "if I say it's true, it must be" is to have them declare "I can lie with impunity." If it should come to pass that there's some kind of mole within Mantinel, Shirabedonna's position as the foremost authority on facts would make her the perfect cover, even if it's just because she's susceptible to deception magic

For now, though, the status quo is that the witches are good and the Magiks are bad, so we won't worry about how things will shake up until they do. That said, it looks like Nishi already has a pretty good idea of how to pace out the escalation rate

Raising the Stakes

After Uroro's introduction in ch.1, a bird-man with a jewel-encrusted throne on his chest, Raiko honestly seemed like a pretty dramatic step back. However, this was a pretty clever trick narratively, as Uroro's outlandish appearance set the town for the types of strange things we should expect, while Raiko's relatively normal appearance recalibrated us for what's to come

Despite having lightning powers, Raiko was ultimately just an extremely large fox, even in his hunting behaviors, making him a familiar target for Ichi. Aesthetically, Hisame is just a shark, which is itself a lot more unusual than a fox, but it also has the added wrinkle of apparently being able to fly, making it two degrees further away from the ordinary than Raiko was

The next Magik, then, will likely be something a bit more fantastical, but still fairly standard. I imagine a unicorn or a jackalope would be good next steps, since they're just regular animals with horns they shouldn't have, followed by uniquely-shaped creatures like dragons and culminating in more imaginative creatures like that crustacean-man-thing or that biblically accurate angel we briefly saw in ch.2. This kind of progression would help keep the visuals from getting stale, especially if Nishi jumps back and forth a bit rather than forcing Usazaki to constantly find ways to outdo herself

If we got an Eldritch Abomination right at the beginning, then we'd expect a bigger, better abomination next, then a bigger one, and a bigger one, and so on and so forth. By establishing that mundane forms are to be expected, we not only have a much wider range of possibilities going forward, but we also can approach the early-story Magiks with a sense of familiarity. We know what a fox is, and fox-hunting techniques are easy enough to learn. Same for sharks. Tentacle creatures sleeping in volcanos? Fishnet-clad sexy legs chilling in abandoned libraries? Not so much

By the time we get to the more unfamiliar territory, we should have a deeper understanding of the Magiks as a whole, bridging the information gap between the ones that are "just animals" and the ones that are inconceivable monstrosities

Until then, let's enjoy life!

[fancifulplaguerat]

Once again thinking about the overlap between justice/truth in Clara and Daniil’s characters. These are obviously Daniil’s guiding principles, but they are almost equally embedded into Clara’s character, though it’s when Clara is acting as the disease and envoy of the Law that she most adheres to justice and truth. I notice that overlap between justice even exists in their respective patron families.

For one, both the Saburovs and Kains are associated with justice and law despite being in direct opposition. According to Alexander’s character concept, the Saburovs support “‘the Plague’s faction’” and are fittingly aligned with the capital-L Law that opposes the miraculous and considers it blasphemy; this may be thematically emphasized in that Saburov is given emergency gubernatorial powers during the outbreak. The Kains are conversely and obviously aligned with the miraculous, but again, also associated with justice and law-making; ex. Georgiy being “The Judge.” Maria claims that Townspeople go to Georgiy to settle disputes rather than Saburov because:

“His verdicts are fair. Common folk believe that the Kains possess a third eye. They say it’s a raven’s eye, spinning in the brain, leaving us restless and capable of peeking into the forbidden. […] The eye can see the covert, and people are prepared to endure its wrath to be granted the boons of high justice that its everlasting suffering reveals.”

Yulia also describes the Kains thus:

“One could even say, they are the architects of the law by which we are to live. Conceivably, they should do their utmost to define and implement the boundaries which we should never transcend—after all, this is the core function of any lawmaking entity. But then, do you know what is especially fascinating about the Kains? The boundaries are nowhere to be seen.”

The Kains are perhaps presented here, then, as those who instate their own law or justice over the capitalized ones the narrative presents; in overcoming the Law they construct their own, though ones that are chaotic or unfettered.

A final detail, too—Georgiy tells Clara: “Every time you show up at The Crucible, be prepared to suffer! These walls will burn the very thing within you that allows you to do your wicked work. Call it magic, if you will, or call it supreme justice.” Though, it’s somewhat unclear to me in English and Russian whether the so-called ‘magic’ or ‘supreme justice’ references Clara’s power or the Crucible’s—either it’s ambiguous on purpose or I’m being stupid. Either way, I’m inclined to put it against Clara saying “I’m afraid of visiting [the Kains]. I can sense how dangerous they are to me! Their very name, it seems, is something the whole of my nature protests against…” That Clara, as an embodiment of the Law/Plague, cannot bear the Crucible because it’s where the Kains cook up their various little lawbreaking miracle stews. So to me, the Kains sharing the Saburovs’ attributes is not necessarily a contradiction, but with Daniil… I mean. What is going on there. 

Daniil’s principles are basically the Law’s tenets, minus resignation to inevitability. In the theatre opening, his infamous “The truth is my shepherd. Whatever happens, I will find answers, and justice will be restored” or “there’s only one truth” sound more like they belong in the mouth of Saburov or Clara Sand Plague with their lines like “Let truth prevail,” “The truth will speak for itself,” or “I only want one thing, and that is—justice!” Perhaps it’s notable, too, that Saburov and Daniil get along fairly well ((some of the time)) despite their opposing philosophies. Likewise, on the flipside, the Kains just love to be diabolical liars at every chance they get, and multiple characters claim that Kains are affectatious: “They always try to be intimidating, they like to dramatize everything, they enjoy striking up a pose!” and “[Maria] puts on airs, but that’s just how the Kains are.” So in terms of Daniil’s ideal of honesty, he seems closer aligned to the Law than his own Bound. I am pacing my study. What is going on with you Daniil D Dankovsky

[silbeni]

Dante Aguilar 🧬 🧠 🌀

(Namesake: Dante Alighieri)

Stand: GHOST TRAIN

Pronouns: He/xe/they

Labels: Xenogender transmasc panromantic asexual!

Uses Masculine/neutral gendered words.

Age: 24 (Stone ocean)

Height: 4'11"

Nationality: Puerto rican 🇵🇷

Notable characteristics: Glossy black eyes, spike piercings, black lipstick, sharp metal teeth, small, upturned button nose, ear gauges.

Build: Short with a twiggy frame. Xe has top surgery scars.

Pairings: Electricplankton (Dante/F.F.)

Voiceclaim: 🎙️Alcryst FE!!

PERSONALITY

Dante’s biggest flaw is their cowardice, and the most prominent aspect of their personality. Simply put, he is the wettest beast - xir confidence has the constitution of wet 1-ply toilet paper. However, they will do anything if it means helping someone they love. Xe deeply values the few connections xe's got, so he is incredibly loyal. He loves fully and attaches easily.

Besides lacking bravery, they are also sensitive. They feel emotions with the wholeness of their being. When they are happy, anyone can tell. When they are sad, everyone will hear them bawling in the next room over.

On the flipside, it wouldn't seem so, but Dante is actually very competent. When xe needs to, he can be quite formidable. He may not be strong, or brave, but he proves to be a valuable asset where intellect and strategy is involved. Xe's a clever one under all of the anxiety.

Likes: Videogames, energy drinks, manga/comics, sour candy, junk food, cryptids, internet forums.

Representative animal: White-tailed deer.

MISC

Motifs: Intersecting lines like DNA strands, metal spikes, balaclava masks, spirals (brain symbology)

Particularities: Strongly believes in superstitions of bad luck. Likes horror media despite being easily scared. He struggles with spelling.

Skills: Computer/tech skills. Black hat hacking. Puzzle solving. Incredible Tetris and Minesweeper skills. Can name the list of 151 Pokemon. An absolute fiend for cyphers.

Education: Full highschool education. A tattoo artist apprenticeship that was never followed up on.

OCCUPATION

Was previously a pizza delivery person prior to conviction. Held several low paying jobs before that.

CANON CHARACTER RELATIONSHIPS

F.F. Quick friends who then became lovers. They are so sappy and corny that they make Jolyne and Ermes gag. Truly the silliest couple ever.

Ermes/Jolyne. They couldn't tolerate him at first, but they eventually developed a strong friendship through the events of Stone Ocean.

Emporio. They have a really sweet relationship. Dante is like an older brother to him.

Weather Report. Consider each other good friends. Weather cools Dante’s anxiety with his chill disposition.

Anasui. They don't get along. He is very rude to xem and xe is too afraid to stand up for xemself.

Jotaro. They don't really know him, but they admire his strength.

ORIGINAL CHARACTER RELATIONSHIPS

(Alt!DIU) Romeh. Xe thinks he is so cool and intimidating. Romeh feels responsible for looking after xem, which is sometimes exasperating - but he does it anyway. It's pretty clear to see he cares about the little guy.

(DIU) Ryoma. Friends with sibling energy! They are very sweet together. Despite Ryoma being younger, they are like an older sibling to them.

(Jojolion) Kyouka. They exploit Dante’s gullible nature for amusement. They keep convincing him of silly things to scare him. Dante is wary of them, but he can't help but believe everything they say when they say it with such confidence.

(Battle Tendency) Nocera. She coddles him because she thinks of him as a baby. He generally doesn't mind this, but it gets a little tired sometimes.

BACKGROUND

-Brief mention of recreational drugs-

Dante’s life before moving out of their homeland was pretty uneventful. They didn't have a good relationship with their parents, their sense of self and choices were incredibly limited, but they stuck though it all until adulthood. He was sent off to the US to study dentistry, to which he attended for about a month before dropping out, unbeknownst to their parents. He began living wrecklessly. Couch surfing and chasing highs. Xe found friendship with a couple of black hat hackers, who taught xem their skills. He began breaching government databases, doing nothing with the information - he just wanted to see if he could do it. It was exhilarating, and the most fun they had ever had. They had hardships still, but this was one of the happiest times in their life.

Then, one night, they place they were staying at was seized by the cops. All their electronics were taken. As it turns out, one of their casual friends, who they trusted too much, had outed them to the police. Dante was been smart and no tangible evidence was found, but they had been sloppy otherwise. Since they were unable to be charged for cybercrimes, they were imprisoned for possession of weed with a sentence of 5 years.

Their hacker friends that were also snitched on, blamed them for everything. Especially since Dante received a much lighter sentence. They carried a lot of guilt because of that. His parents were notified of his imprisonment and he would be completely shut out of their family. The rest of their friends on the outside cut communication, either scared of being persecuted by the law, mutual friends wanting nothing to do with them, or simply not wanting to continue the friendship due to the circumstances. Xe made the news, and civilians rallied in favor of a heavier sentence for xem. Their peak was followed by what felt like an age of darkness. They were so alone.

Inside the prison, things were worse. They were routinely pushed around and taken advantage of. The absolute bottom of the food chain. They, again, were out of control of their life, powerless. That was until he acquired his stand. Ghost Train would retroactively help them navigate their day to day. Soon, a rumour would spread - that Dante was under the protection of a real life ghost, and the harassment would dwindle. The arrival of their stand would turn things around for them. Xe was still sad and lonely, but after that, xe had a much easier time behind bars. The string of fate that draws stand users together would eventually cause Dante’s and Jolyne’s paths to cross and thus their involvement with the plot begins.

[wellofdean]

hey just saw your tags on dean's anger. and was just thinking, he needs that external focus to keep himself going, and ... yeah. i guess the flipside to it is that without that external focus, he needs to maintain a need for himself, if that makes sense. i think that's what creates the co-dependance. and youre right, grief turned outwards will become anger. it's a safe emotion for men very often.

Hey! Thanks for the thoughtful ask. Yes, I think an external reason to keep fighting holds Dean together a lot, and I think anger is a 'safe' emotion for a lot of people, not just men. Pain, disappointment, fear, guilt, and all manner of other vulnerable emotions are often manifested as anger, and Dean's defining characteristic is being up to his eyeballs in vulnerable emotions that he can't afford to let breathe, but I think in these scenes that main one is grief with a big side-helping of existential terror because he doesn't know if he's ever known a moment of self-determination with Chuck pulling their strings, and Dean no longer knows what's real.

I'm not sure what you mean, though, by "maintain a need for himself" or which co-dependence you mean...but I'm not a huge believer in the notion that co-dependence is always bad, and I don't think Cas and Dean's dependence on one another is unhealthy; I think it's the most healthy thing about them. Co-dependence CAN be bad, but I think we do, in fact, need other people to love us and be there for us, and we need to rely on others, and I think that's exactly the vulnerable need at the root of Dean's argument with Cas. I think at this point, Cas is, for all intents and purposes, Dean's partner, and they are co-parents in the midst of a devastating loss, compounded on top of all their other losses. At the same time, Dean feels like Cas is defaulting to unilateral solutions to their shared problems, and that scares him. So, fear, grief and love become anger.

When I say Dean's anger is a product of his love, I don't mean to excuse bad behavior. I think we, as a culture, do that far too often for angry men. Dean's lashing out at Cas and he has some good reasons, but he also has a need to hide and doesn't feel entirely righteous about it. I think he feels weak and knows he's hiding, and I think he's surprised when Cas leaves because I think Dean knows that Cas is his in a deep, deep way, even if what way isn't clearly articulated, and I think he thinks Cas can absorb his anger and will still love him...and he's right about that! Cas's love for Dean is an incontrovertible and essential fact. But, just at that moment, Cas is in his own pain. He's also lost too much, and he feels like he's failing again, and losing his powers identity, and losing Dean, whom he loves with everything he is. It's just too much for both of them.

I don't get the impulse, in fandom, to assign blame or applaud one or the other of them in this series of events. Both of them are so emotionally compromised that they are doing what they least want to be doing. But, maybe they need space to breathe, and both of them get it, realise that this is not the way, and mend it. Because ultimately? Love.

[felassan]

An interview video with Mark Darrah called "An Interview With Mark Darrah - Creativity, BioWare, and the Industry!": [source and watch link]

Video description: "I was fortunate enough to speak with Mark Darrah, former BioWare vetran, about his time at BioWare, his success, his challenges, and the role of video games in the art world. Thank you again for this chance, Mark!"

Some notes from it under the cut:

There was a question around the topic of games today taking a longer time to come out, getting restarted/rebooted along the way, ideas being scrapped, constant iteration etc. It was asked whether this is unique to BioWare or is it a common issue in the industry more generally. Mark: “So, Dragon Age: Dreadwolf had some particular things involved, some of which are externalities coming from EA, but yeah, video game development, the complexity has been going up exponentially. Games these days, and not just BioWare – five years is probably a good average for games coming out now. That was not the case even five, six years ago. Things have gotten incredibly expensive and much slower.

DA:O was originally conceived as being a spiritual successor to BG. It was a lot of different parts being developed unfortunately independently of each other, and then basically being glued together into something. For example, the darkspawn in DA:O as a faction don’t have very good or sensical visual coherency (they don’t really make sense as a group of things caused by the same thing). Since then there has been a lot more care taken towards the DA IP and making sure it at least has rules that it doesn’t violate, or ones it violates on purpose as opposed to accidentally. The IP has some strong core ideas about characters first (though it wasn’t always saying this out loud), people, power comes at a cost, everyone thinks they are the hero of their own story, etc. Those sorts of things inform most of its development more than anything. You should in most cases be able to look at the villain of the game and go, oh yeah, I get what they’re going for. (In DA:O this is Loghain). “Like, ‘yeah, I get it, I might even agree with you, but I’m not going to let you destroy the world because of what you believe."

EA, like most public companies, is reluctant to spend money to various degrees because the more they spend, the worse it makes their profitability look. One of the reasons why BioWare ended up being bought in the first place was because they had basically run out of money. They ran out of money in the pursuit of quality ahead of everything. But the problem with this strategy is that, if quality is ahead of everything then you’re probably going out of business. On the flipside, in a big public company you often have the opposite problem arising, where it’s profitability ahead of everything. This results in constraints and more constraints on people, and also in more pressure to do more profitable features that might not be quality features. Microtransactions and other monetization models that have arisen in games more recently are sometimes attempted to be rationalized as ‘for the player’, but they’re really money-making features. If you’re putting quality first you’re probably not putting those kinds of features in. If you’re putting money first, then you probably are.

Horses exist in DA:I because at the time it was being made in, a fantasy RPG needed to have horses in it (a ‘table stakes feature’; a feature that needs to be in the game just for it even to have a seat at the table, otherwise people aren’t going to take it seriously). Open world in DA:I was similar. Unfortunately, with open world it needs to be an A or B feature in terms of quality, not a C feature, in order to be good enough for the player. With horses, you do them (at that time) because you have to. With open world, it takes over your entire game unfortunately and modifies the structure of the game as a whole.

Collaboration at BioWare got better over time as the culture matured but also as the structure and systems matured. BG1 had a team of around 65 people, a size which is pretty easy to collaborate at. On DAI the team was well above 400 people when outsourcers are included in the figure. That team size is much bigger, to the point that it wasn't possible to interact with everyone on the team. In the early days of BioWare, disciplines like design and art were considered to be very separate things that didn’t need to interact with each other very much. By the time Mark was leading at BioWare, this had really changed - teams like design and art were working together much more collaboratively, in order to build a better experience. You see this in the games, the more recent ones now have levels that make more sense for the gameplay (now not designed by one discipline in isolation from the other).

By the time BioWare was bought by EA, EA wasn’t buying ‘not-franchises’. DA:O was envisioned as a standalone game. This is why it has lots of weird bits of lore in it still that are kind of timebombs. They largely moved beyond and patched over these, but there are still lots of weird things in it that aren’t fully taken into account. DA:O should never have been a standalone game, it should have always been envisioned as a franchise of some sort as opposed to being retroactively envisioned as one. “So that was a mistake from the beginning.”

On Frostbite as the engine for DA:I: at the time, the political climate [in EA/BioWare] was such that the options were to keep trying to make the game with Eclipse, which was not practical, or Frostbite. There just wasn’t an appetite for anything other than that. DA:I, out of DA:I, ME:A and Anthem, is actually the game that approached Frostbite correctly. It was then followed by the other two games which didn’t do that. “Frostbite is scapegoated and blamed for a lot of BioWare’s woes. On ME:A and Anthem there’s some truth to that, but a DA:I built on Unreal isn’t a radically different or better game.”

ME1 made the engine mistake of trying to force Unreal to be an Eclipse. This essentially meant that the engine was constantly fighting back against the devs.

If Mark had a time machine, he would make some changes to the Hinterlands in DA:I and shave some of the worst edges off of DAII, like moving that one spot in the repeating caves, having Varric lampshade the repeating caves in dialogue, and making it so that you don’t have to fight Orsino. “Anthem’s launch would require more than a time machine.”

ME:A is at least partially a victim of circumstance. It came out with a few particular bugs in it that it didn’t need to. These bugs had been fixed, they just didn’t make it into the release build. The game then landed on top of Zelda and Horizon Zero Dawn, in a climate that was really paying attention and was very critical.

There was a decision during ME:A development to change its tone to a lighter, younger tone than the tone of the MET. The PC of the MET is a Generation X PC, like someone from action movies in the 80s. The PC of ME:A is more like a PC from action movies in the 2000s. This change in tone was controversial. A lot of the pushback ME:A received was more about this tone change. Mark said that he was against it at the time but that he thinks that ME:A probably made the right decision.

“I’m not convinced that BioWare should have been making Anthem. It was conceived by Casey Hudson as something very different than what launched, some sort’ve multiplayer, storytelling. I don’t believe that those problems were actually truly solved. He left in 2014. Whatever he was imagining wasn’t communicated to the team clearly enough for them to execute on his vision. Anthem was basically Destiny, but it was envisioned before Destiny existed. After 2014 they weren’t really acknowledging that they were making Destiny.”

[source and watch link]

[lgcjo]

* ✦ ・ hello, new friends! please call me ira! i'm not super prepared for my opening night, but alas, i'm here to inform you of the arrival of my first muse here, jō kitayama! read his profile here, and there's more info below the cut. thank you for reading, can't wait to meet you, and let's write together soon!

jō kitayama was born in tokyo, japan on march 11, 2004 ✦ ballerina dreams from the time he could make memories ✦ graduated from nnt ballet school, went on indefinite hiatus due to risk of health immediately after earning his degree, turned toward the idol dream to scratch the performing itch in a "healthier" way ✦ sometimes feels as though he's wasting his talents, but is learning to be gentler on himself day-by-day ✦ if you're a dancer, especially a trained one, he'd really, really love to dance with you... like really, really

* ✦ ・

jō kitayama might seem stoic and reserved on the surface, but he promises that that's just his face ✦ just wait until you see his smile or hear his laugh ✦ he's a dreamer, but he balances himself with a sense of practicality where it matters, for example, he doesn't get so lost in his head that he'll forget to do his chores or honor his commitments ✦ despite possibly seeming a little spaced out from time to time, jō is someone who does what he says he's going to do. he's very forthright and determined, a dreamer who turns his dreams into his real life despite being an entertainer and artisan for many years, jō has a hard time taking criticism. his feelings get hurt and he's prone to sulking, or even swearing under his breath, but it's only because he's so hard on himself all the time ✦ there's probably no one more passionate about dance as he is ✦ he has a romantic side and can be pretty sensuous, but he tries not to let his heart get in the way of his work ethics ✦ his new love is writing lyrics and poetry, and he's even picked up on playing the piano, too ✦ he'd love to get to know you

* ✦ ・

fellow japanese trainees, please embrace him! he'd love to have a community of people, or at least one person, who reminds him of home and gives him that sense of comfort

he's obsessed with dancing, so if your muse is a dancer, he'll want to pick their brain and learn from them if he's allowed to. new dance partners are always welcome; gender doesn't matter either

during a large portion of his hiatus, he kinda lived life doing nothing, so he got into a lot of anime films ( he's kind of a snob and only likes the top-rated ones ) and video games ( ranging from the legend of zelda to street fighter ). maybe your muse likes these things too and it could lead to a connection?

he also got into k-pop during this time too, so any fans of in-verse groups that he can nerd out with would be cool! he's a fan of them all, and for the record, his biases in some of the groups are: ( v&a ) haru and aj, ( crystallis ) yura, ( fabula ) eunhye, ( nova ) miyu

he's an older brother to two little sisters ( one born in 2006, so could be a connection ), so if your muse is younger than he is, the chances of him doting on them affectionately is pretty high. he takes his stance as a senior to his juniors seriously, so he'll always aim to make a good impression. if your muse was born after 2004, this could be fun to explore too

on the flipside, he'll also take being the junior in the scenario in stride, always aiming to be respectful, just how his parents raised him up to be. though, he may lean on you a little too much sometimes. he's not used to being babied, but secretly wants to be. would someone like to volunteer? >.<

he's a hard worker and puts a lot of time and effort into the arts, but distractions are good for him, especially if they're gorgeous and make his heart flutter! he'd love flirtationships, friends-with-benefits, romance ( casual, serious, anything goes ), and everything in-between. he'll write poems and songs about your muse if he likes them, it'll be cute! ( noting that he identifies as queer, even if he isn't overly expressive about it )

if your muse is a songwriter/musician, jō would love to learn from them! these skills of his are still growing, so getting better at them would make him super happy if your muse has the time to collab

if none of these work, let's brainstorm!

[bthump]

I’m just wondering, the very last thing Casca says before Griffith takes control of the wagon and everything goes to shit is that "if you're Griffith's friend and equal, you have to… even if it's alone, you have to go." Of course it's ambiguous whether Guts would take this advice or not, but the way it's framed seems very definitive especially as a chapter ending. What's more, Griffith's vision is that of Casca caring for him and no Guts to be seen, implying that Guts did leave to discover his own dream.

Guts's reaction to the raiders cheering him on in their encouragement to be their captain is compelling evidence for the flipside, and that would seem to be conclusive to the arc he's been building up towards, but I can't shake the finality of Casca's words especially as they come after this moment, seemingly as a deliberate counterpoint.

Though maybe that makes it even more tragic if Griffith thought Guts was about to leave when really Guts was going to stay

Honestly I feel like it gets such strong framing not because Casca's right in telling Guts to leave, or because Guts would have left, but because it's the final straw that starts the Eclipse ball rolling. This is the exact moment where it becomes too late for Guts to do or say anything to avert it (in theory, if in practice it's impossible to avert due to fate.) This is what makes Griffith snap.

But it's also worth noting that it's not quite the chapter ending. This is:

Which imo is an even stronger statement that Guts intends to stay now. This is what he thought when he saw how much the Raiders missed him, and this is what he thinks now when Casca's telling him to leave again. It's a statement of regret for leaving the first time, a realization that the home he longed for was right here all along, and he abandoned it and now it's altered forever.

And this page especially has a counterpoint sentiment to the page almost previous (with one in between), where Griffith is depicted as a grandiose vision above Guts and Casca while Casca is telling Guts to leave, where here he's depicted as a frail tangible human while Guts reflects on his regret for leaving the first time. So it does read to me as a strong statement that Guts now knows Griffith needed him all along, and, as he says much later here, he had what he wanted in the palm of his hand and then threw it away:

And I see Griffith's vision not as an automatically accurate vision of an alternate future, but the future he envisions for himself after propositioning Casca in the wagon and then hearing her tell Guts to leave. Which imo makes perfect sense as something Griffith assumes will happen, and which then drives him to a suicide attempt.

So yeah, I do definitely think Guts was planning to stay with Griffith this time around, and imo it does make it more tragic, because Guts' realization of what he really needs to do, and what his fatal mistake was, comes just a hair to late to prevent the Eclipse tragedy. It's classic tragedy and I love it!

Thanks for the ask!

[escapetothelake]

Can you do Harvey and Mr. Owl for the ship asks?

hmmm yes yes i can

since it's a boss/employee dynamic (in which the boss asks the employee to kill for him), it won't be the purest relationship? but hopefully you still enjoy

who made the first move: mr. owl did. you could argue that his "first move" was inviting harvey to the lake hotel in the first place.

who kissed who first: mr. owl as well. i could see harvey being a little too.. timid?.. to act first in that he did not want to overstep. mr. owl, who has much experience in his position and in dealing with people, has no such qualms about this sort of thing.

who started the relationship: mr. owl; see above.

who remembers things: i feel that mr. owl almost has this omniscient quality to him, even if he isn't actually omniscient. therefore, mr. owl tends to remember things more.

nicknames for each other: harvey called mr. owl "boss" or "sir" (and still sometimes does). mr owl calls harvey "my friend" (affectionate) or even "pet" (yeah ik he's a little bit icky)

who is more likely to pay for dinner: mr. owl. i bet he's rolling in cash.

who normally cooks: mr. toad cooks for them, but between harvey & mr. owl, harvey would be more likely to cook.

who remembers anniversaries: both!

what would they get each other for gifts: i feel like mr. owl could afford an expensive stopwatch or something, as well as fancy clothes.

most trivial thing they fight over: mr. owl doesn't really "fight". he tells you not to do something again, and that's that. harvey always listens.

how often do they fight: pretty much never.

who uses all the hot water: mr. owl :)

who calls up the super/landlord when the heat’s not working: harvey does. after all, as the butler of the hotel, he has to make sure mr. owl is well taken care of.

who leaves their stuff around: aside from harvey's bloody garments? neither. of course, since it's mr. owl's hotel, he can afford to leave them laying around.

who remembers to buy the milk: mr. owl, but he has harvey get it.

who controls the netflix queue: mr. owl.

who steals the covers at night: i feel like mr. owl would :)

who cusses more: neither, really, but mr. owl talks more.

who does most of the cleaning: if harvey messes up one of his duties, it's on mr. owl to clean up after him.. if that counts? in the case of manual labor, harvey.

what’s their favorite non-sexual activity: i think mr. owl is at his happiest when the lake is running at peak efficiency, and it's during these times when harvey is the most greatly rewarded. i think they just like to enjoy each others' company, and harvey likes to change into his bird form and enjoy some bird seed in the golden cage in mr. owl's office while mr. owl works on paperwork.

who’s the cuddler: lowkey both?

who’s the big spoon/little spoon: harvey sometimes changes into his bird form and sleeps on mr. owl's shoulder, if that counts. mr. owl also likes to hug harvey in his anthropomorphic form.

who’s more dominant: mr. owl.

who is the dirty talker: also mr. owl.

what do they do when they’re away from each other: mr. owl has to continue his duties at the lake, but he's grown to find that he's become pretty dependent on harvey. on the flipside, harvey also finds a sense of security in mr. owl's presence. so yeah, they mutually miss each other when separated.

what would they do if the other one was hurt: when mr. owl is hurt, harvey panics, because he knows that mr. owl is the key to everything. mr. owl always reassures him, though, because he knows that he will be alright, and harvey worrying is unnecessary. on the other hand, when harvey is hurt, mr. owl will see that he is well taken care of. it's unclear the exact extent of mr. owl's powers, but any healing properties he has at his disposal, he will use.

a headcanon: whether you see them as platonic or not, it's undeniable they are very closely intertwined, as we see them together several times (even when mr. owl is in human form and harvey in bird form, such as in theater). i like to think that mr. owl always keeps some birdseed on hand in his pocket, and periodically gives it to bird form harvey as a treat while running his finger over his little green cheek :)

[princess-of-the-corner]

*Dabi and Enji squinting/scowling at each other*

Dabi: I dunno RG, I don't see the family resemblance.

Enji: On that we can agree.

RG: For fucks sake we have a DNA test that confirms it, as well as comparisons between Phoenix's and Dabi's appearance.

Dabi & Enji: I still call bullshit on that.

Honestly it's not even that bad because they're not morons(well they are BUT-)

They /can/ see the resemblances. And the one thing that trips them up visually is the fact that Dabi's scars obscure some of his features so it's harder to really see more than just resemblance. And they acknowledge the other things that make sense, like the Quirk. And yeah the- the dna test is hard to ignore.

But it's also just the reality of the situation isn't sinking in, while they also acknowledge that if this is somehow wrong, then the best case scenario is losing everything all over again.

Despite the skepticism, it's actually easier for Enji to come around quick on the idea. Like through just one conversation/interrogation. Because Dabi is upfront about also being hesitant instead of trying his damnedest to convince him. Because Dabi legitimately /doesn't/ know.

For example: since I will use any excuse to add non-human features and y'all voted when I asked, we yeeted some horns and a tail on Dabi which Toya didn't have.

Now, when asked, Dabi just shrugs. Says he's had the horns and tail since he woke up, and assumed he had them before. If he /is/ Toya, he doesn't know when or how he got them. People like AfO exist though, so he supposes that sometime between the fire and the amnesia he could've run into the villain or someone like him who decided to shove the Quirk in, but he doesn't know why.

But that's not the answer Enji was expecting, because he knows in theory where the features may have come from. He knows that major traumas, whether it be the fire or whatever caused the amnesia, could cause a Quirk Awakening. And that while Awakenings sometimes evolve a Quirk, other times it will pull something out of latent genetics. The horns and the tail was Enji's father's Quirk, something that was laying dormant in him and the kids.

Enji feels that, if Dabi were a fake, he'd be trying to convince him through that. Trying to lead him to that answer. But Dabi doesn't do this. Just shrugs and says he has no idea.

It's a bunch of little things like that which convince Enji that Dabi at least isn't purposely faking this, but he's also lining up with.... everything. And he's slowly feeling the denial ebb away and the reality sink in.

On the flipside though, Dabi takes a bit longer to really fully accept it. Like he does to an extent. Again: can't ignore all the things telling him it's real.

But there's still this doubt, this wonder if things are just coincidence. He projected memories of a sister onto Himiko, how is he sure he's not projecting his memories onto the Todorokis as well?

It's only once he starts remembering more specific things that he starts to really feel like this is real

[spatio-rift]

karins sensory range fluctuates wildly throughout shippuden but as a general rule for myself i go with what it was in her introduction. she could feel everything up to outside the southern hideout naturally without focusing which makes sense, thats why shes head warden at 16 despite having no authority through power. and focusing fully on sensing things Massively extends her range + increases resolution so to speak.

what i dont see mentioned very often is what that means for how she navigates the world even though it is absolutely fascinating. she first feels people then sees them so she would rely on the feel of peoples chakra much more than sight to recognize them (kind of supported by how she didnt recognize kabuto because his chakra changed, and was more rattled by that change in chakra than his physical appearance). meaning you couldnt fool her with a henge, but on the flipside she might be taken by surprise by someone whose chakra radically changed yet has the same appearance. fun stuff

i feel like theres definitely some interesting things to explore when it comes to how much she feels all the time and what the dissonance feels like re: how much she can actually see and hear vs how much she knows is out there without actually seeing or hearing it. i guess for her its just another tuesday because shes lived her whole life like that but its pretty hard to imagine. i feel like sensor types in naruto usually close their eyes when they focus on sensing which makes sense to me the overlap of 2 different kinds of information would be pretty jarring but she just lives like that.

in terms of silly shenanigans... you cant creep up on her. she always knows where you are, and what youre doing to an extent. she can even somewhat detect lies. i feel like normal boundaries are just fundamentally different for karin. i would like to see it acknowledged more! also.... even if shed had a normal childhood, she probably wouldnt have been liked very much, would she :/

[relaxxattack]

Hi its the anon who came up with the aggressively long quadrant wear thingy

I heckin LOVE the idea of just danger revealing like???? Omg?? Thats so great???? Ur calling me big brain (which- ngl made me so fucking happy)

But also!! I had idea for like dumb bullshit you could pull with these ideas because of that one person with the bug spray and bells (i see u)

Matesprit fit(tm)but its like a transforming dress, though instead of being super pretty its just

Pretty black dress w symbol==> crop top/miniskirt with hearts

But that, every single time they see their flush crush. Everytime

Like "hey whats u- wheres youre clothes at."

Pitch wear with an AGRESSIVE amount of spikes. Like too many. Like. bro. Wtf.

Mfs wearing spike masks

Or mfs in their pitch crush's LEAST favorite colors, patterns etc, so its like super tacky and god does their pitch crush fucking hate it

Or, on the flipside, super pretty black fancy outfits with fucking weaponry just. Out there. Black dress holding a rifle, black tux and sword, black minidress and brass knuckles, the works! Makes sure everything is VERY visible

Ashen wear which is just being a stereotypical soccer mom, and carrying snack, bug spray, napkins, bandaids, a spray bottle to spray the people ur ashen for

God just imagine it, someone in all grey sweat pants and sweater spraying two rabid trolls with a water bottle like theyre cats

Beautiful.

Anyways ramble two over BYEEEEEE (ur stuff is still awesome btw and im gonna be completely honest i havent stimmed that hard sense u added onto my ideas i am. Sobbing /vvvpos)

awwww these are really great anon, thank you

[ask-steven-stevenson]

It’s fine, dude. You were still literally going through the process of grieving, and it ain’t your fault an anon threw me to Virginia. Mighta died… though I kinda feel like it wasn’t the first time. Hm, but uh… I carried bubble when they fell asleep. Kinda why they were here before me. Also, I heard you had to go through trivia to get him back?… also heard you threw up till it was bloody, ball your limbs broke… and had to watch Terrence being possessed and unhinged. You.. okay?… I really missed.. being alive. The flipside kinda sucked.

[Yeah, After they were done talking, they took two of the pills. DRY. And.. just sat down, tired and traumatized]

..I missed you guys.

-🔑

“Yea! Bubble. People have been saying things about them. I doubt they are true. But, yes! Rose truly did everything. So, the kudos go to them, really!”

[However. He did slightly tense up at the mention of Terrence.]

“Ah.. yes.. I.. yeah. I take accountability for that part. I went to visit him right after I got word of you being hurt. Apparently, that interaction wasn’t good for him. I guess half of it was me worrying. I had already lost Bubble. I was worried that I’d lose you too. As for him, I hope he comes back soon. I miss Terrence. I hope he returns soon. Anyways, depression aside. I should be fine soon. I have most of my family here. I’m happy for that.”

[Steven seemed to grab something that sat close toward Jake. It was a water bottle!]

“A shadow creature gave it to me. You should drink some water. Once you feel better, Rest. You’ve all had a long day. I’m glad you all are back. Yet, you must rest. Alright? Regain your energy. I will try and set something up with Diane to get food for everyone. Eh.. Tomorrow. I will make sure we actually have a place to sleep that… isn’t an office. But, again. Rest.”

[He did slightly scrunch himself up in a sense. Though, It was to make himself more comfortable and to make sure Jake doesn’t have any neck or shoulder problems later in the morning. He would probably fall asleep like this.]

[hekateinhell]

Devil's Minion AU but it's Armand and modern mortal!Lestat instead of Daniel. Send tweet.

Idk if this has been done before, in terms of set up let's say Lestat has been pursuing Louis (who Armand still spent all those years with, Louis just gets to the theatre via other means and situations) because he met him a few times in a bar and fell head over heels despite Louis disinterest. Anyway Lestat goes too far and finds out too much about what Louis is (completely unperturbed) and that is how he comes to Armand's attention.

What in your opinion happens next? Does Lestat play along with the cat and mouse chase? How well does he hold up over the years in comparison to Daniel? What is the dynamic like with Lestat as the guide to the mortal world, and how well does he do at it? Does this stories version of Night Island look different? When does Armand turn Lestat, is it sooner than he turned Daniel or does he still wait to the last possible second? This is a lot of questions and obviously you don't have to answer them but I can't stop thinking about the different ways this could play out 🤔

I'm supposed to be sleeping but this is my intrusive thought, I can't relax because OH. MY. GOD. Like, I know I've talked on here about what if Lestat and Armand had gotten together in 1781 Paris and it was Lestat that re-introduced him into the world, but I never thought of this.

It's so interesting for me to consider because we know what Lestat was like as a young mortal man! We know about his abusive childhood, his early education, religion, personality, everything! There's no guesswork/pick-your-headcanon like there is with Daniel.

I wonder... knowing that Armand's first time seeing Lestat in Paris immediately conjured up the memory of Marius, would he have felt the same seeing mortal!Lestat? Because I think he would've. And then my follow-up question is: in light of that, do we think Armand would treat him better or worse than he did Daniel in those early days because of it? I could work with either scenario here, but I'm inclined to think that he would have been more merciful because Lestat instantly reminds him of someone he so dearly loved. 

So maybe he skips the whole let's-play-a-game Jigsaw bit and jumps to "You will be my teacher", only 'no' is not an option. There's definitely an element of fear and coercion here, which is missing within that particular scene in Pompeii in Devil's Minion. And on the flipside, we're missing the love that was present then with A/D because Lestat and Armand do not know each other at all yet, but it is kinder than Armand and Daniel's initial meeting.

I think the London/New York years would've played out similarly with mortal!Lestat as they did Daniel. Perhaps a bit wilder even, because Lestat himself has an extremely hedonistic streak (Dionysus and all). They would fall in love incredibly quickly; it was lust at first sight and love at a-couple-sights-later between them in canon, so I'll just translate that over here.

Lestat would probably want to be an actor or a performer of sorts, and Armand would finance him! Think the dancer in QotD but with music or the theater or film! It's weird for me to separate the context of Daniel from Night Island, but Miami could still work for them. Although if Lestat's in entertainment, perhaps an island off the coast of Southern California might make more sense. Armand could create his own film and recording studios for Lestat to do his thing, and if Lestat ever has to make appearances for movie premieres or concerts, it's always at night and via Armand's private jets with Armand in tow.

The most fundamental difference to this AU though is the fact that canonically... Lestat did not want to become a vampire! He was turned against his will! So this immediately eliminates the source of conflict that Armand and Daniel had. Armand and Lestat are not having fights (about that anyway), Lestat's not running away, etc. It's much calmer and less all-consuming because that complete and utter helplessness and desperation on the human's part isn't a factor.

It is the insane '80s though, and Lestat's living it up with his usual enthusiasm for life and absolute recklessness. Maybe he drinks a lot, maybe he's overdosed a couple times and been brought back. And he is shacking up with a vampire that straddles his lap and sucks at his throat every night. He's not dying but he's certainly gambling with his life, and not realizing it in the name of enjoying his youth. Opposite to Daniel, Lestat thinks he's invincible. Armand knows he isn't.

At this point, we have to remember that the whole Devil's Minion arc was for Armand to rediscover his humanity and ultimately make the final surrender by breaking his vow and turning Daniel. I don't think Armand ever intended to turn Daniel during their first years together, it wasn't supposed to happen, this was just an era in Armand's life (like he'd said to Louis about Claudia). But I do think that definitely changed as time went on, and he knew he was going to turn Daniel sooner rather later well before Chicago.

So to think about it with regards to mortal!Lestat, I can easily see a similar outcome where something happens (maybe he's 32, maybe he's older) and Armand arrives in time to ask Lestat for the first time if he wants the Dark Gift. And now, with nothing to lose, Lestat says yes.

~ fin

*remembering when I posted Devil's Minion: Loustat Edition and in the same post noted it just wouldn't be Devil's Minion without it being Armand and Daniel. The Armand/Lestat version is more like Devil's Playmate lmao less edgy and more flirty, a completely different dynamic but oh wow so fun to consider!