#this is 100% out of character in some regard but tbh it's all in good fun so idc too much

[yjhgvf]

Remember when I said I'd do pre-fight flavor text concepts for Cage Fighting 4 Kids? I did a lot of them. So here they are!

Note: The texts are color-coded for the characters! Milli is pink, Little Trouble is orange, and Big Trouble is blue.

~~~

[Gun Guy]

* “You may be able to tell, but this opponent is particularly proficient in firearms. Makes me wonder how they even got it approved…”

* “What do you mean? Are guns not allowed?”

* “For the most part, yes. Any weapon or ability is typically allowed, unless it is proven or suspected to have primarily lethal power. Most guns fall under that category, but a few don’t.”

* “Oh! Paintball guns are allowed! Water guns too!”

* “And yet our Trouble Rays weren’t…”

~~~

[Cheater]

* “I wish you didn’t have to face this one. They’re such a headache…”

* “Are they difficult to fight?”

* “Both in and out of the ring. They’re an infamously known cheater, but the officials never do anything about them.”

* “How come?”

* “I wish I knew. They’re probably paying off higher ups to look the other way, if I had to guess. Just… watch your back.”

~

* “Be careful of your surroundings. Watch your back.”

* “I already know to do that inside the ring.”

* “I meant outside the ring. This opponent’s no stranger to using dirty tactics outside of matches to prevent you from winning, or even attending.”

* “What do you mean by ‘even attending?’”

* “They’ve been known to kidnap and ‘knock out’ opponents so that they can’t make it to their matches on time. It counts as a forfeit and is an automatic win. We’ll try not to let it happen to you, but be more cautious than ever.”

~~~

[Stinky Dozen/Stinko]

* “This opponent appears to be a member of that ‘Stinky Dozen’ gang that was running around for a while. We’re not even in the ring yet and I can smell them from here…”

* “I’m surprised your nose isn’t used to stinky smells.”

* “What’s that supposed to mean?”

* “You always end up in the garbage when you lose against us! I thought you’d be accustomed to the smell of it by now.”

* “Very funny, kid. Maybe our next scheme will be dumping it on you at every opportunity. See how much you like it.”

~

* “Ugh. It’s the leader of that ‘Stinky Dozen’ gang.”

* “Stinko! You know him?”

* “Unfortunately. He keeps hounding us for autographs for his gang, as apparently they’re fans of our work. I can appreciate a good fan or twelve, but he never understands that I just don’t want to.”

* “That’s why you need to start charging money for that sort of thing! 5 umidollars for a photo of me, 10 umidollars for a photo with me, 15 umidollars for my autograph, and 30 umidollars for an article of my clothing! I managed to sell off four pairs of my und-”

* “You know, Chap, there are some thoughts that are better kept to ourselves.”

~~~

[Brainwashed/Possessed Friend]

* “...”

* “...”

* “Do not hold back.”

* “What?! Why would-”

* “I know. It’s your friend, but holding back because they’re your friend is exactly what they want. Do not hold back against them, and you’ll easily triumph and have them back. They’ll be fine. Understand?”

* “... Yeah.”

~

* “Come on, you know them so well, you have the tactical advantage. This victory should be a piece of cake!”

* “... That’s not funny.”

* “I… wasn’t trying to be funny?”

~~~

[Nullifying Guy]

* “This opponent has the ability to completely negate magic-based abilities. I don’t know if it includes your math powers, so don’t try to rely on them.”

* “They can just do that?”

* “Yep… Well, only if they’re looking at you. Take that as you will.”

~~~

[Larry the Shimp]

* “Larry has an immensely large amount of strength. He could easily split you in two if he gets the chance.”

* “That’s scary…”

* “I know, but strength isn’t everything when it comes to combat. You need smarts and strategies, and those are things you have plenty of.”

~

* “Ah, good ol’ Larry! We went out for drinks once, a few months back!”

* “Chap got absolutely wasted and Larry had to drop him off at a hotel around 3am.”

* “Why a hotel?”

* “Because Larry also got absolutely wasted. Not to mention he vomited on my new coat.”

* “Come on, Buddy! It was Happy Hour, so I say it was worth it!”

~~~

[Anthro-Sheep/Duplicating Guy]

* “Anthro-Sheep has the ability to create clones of himself to overwhelm you with numbers. If you can manage to do a ranged or sweeper attack, you can possibly take out multiple at once to hit the real one.”

* “I don’t really have any of those attacks though.”

* “Then you better learn one, unless you want to lose, of course.”

~

* “Anthro-Sheep has the potential to put you to sleep. Keep your eyes open no matter what.”

* “Hey, Buddy, should we tell her that he does it by-”

* “No. She’ll be able to figure it out.”

* “Figure out what?”

* “Don’t worry about it.”

~~~

[Training Match - Big Trouble]

* “I hope you’re not offended by the fact that I’m rooting for Chap instead of you.”

* “Not even surprised.”

* “Good! I can’t wait to see you get hurled across the room and into a wall!”

~

* “You should count yourself lucky that Chap doesn’t want to take that suit off to fight you.”

* “Why? Does it really matter?”

* “He told me earlier that the pants are too tight for him to do a roundhouse kick. Trust me when I say you do not want to be on the recieving end of one of those. They hurt way too much and he loves doing them way too often.”

~~~

[Training Match - Little Trouble]

* “I’m surprised Buddy wanted to fight you. He usually doesn’t see you as worth the trouble of properly engaging with.”

* “He’s sponsoring me in the arena though.”

* “Yeah, but to go to this degree of helping you... I’d say he’s growing soft! How cute!”

~

* “Hey… Little Trouble won’t try to kill me during this, right?”

* “Of course he won’t, not that I’ll be paying attention to you. I’m more interested to see if he can actually fight in that dress, especially if he can manage not to rip it!

* “That’s… reassuring?”

~~~

[Champion]

* “A duel against the champion! You should feel very honored! The champion doesn’t fight against just anyone! Only the best of the best get the chance!”

* “I know. I just feel nervous though.”

* “Nervousness from anticipation, excitement, or fear are natural in these circumstances. Sometimes all you can do is power through it and fight until the very end.”

* “Besides, if anyone can defeat the champion, it’s definitely you, Milli!”

* “You’re right. Thanks, Big Trouble.”

~

* “The champion is ultimately an unpredictable force. No matter what, always have a plan, a backup plan, and a backup backup plan. Adaptation is the key to victory.”

* “Always be prepared? Got it.”

* “Right, and… don’t forget…”

* “What is it?”

* “... I’m… proud of you, Milli.”

* “... Thank you, Little Trouble.”

[eurydicees]

oh dont apologise i loved your essay 😭 and i 100% agree with everything. Theres such a innate theme of choices and consequences in wicked the musical and its so fascinating to me how choices made by all the characters have such profound consequences at the end. And fiyero’s choices are no different in the way they alter the trajectory of multiple characters.

He is really the only one i can think of who sacrifices everything for elphaba and does it all willingly. How do you like elphaba and then dislike the one character who was ready to give up his whole life and everything that came with it for her 😭

Twitter is very binary in that regard honestly, and its such a shame that they miss out on some pretty interesting character analysis about their favourite characters bc they decide to be so rigid and weird about other characters who had an impact on their faves. Couldnt be me lol, making multiple threads about a character you hate. I also think something else is at play here but dont wanna say it publicly lol but given your other responses i think you’d probably agree.

And yes totally agree about dividing the film in two parts - i can only hope the film watchers stick around for part 2 and see fiyero’s whole arc

thanks for the ask! also i wrote another fiyero ted talk. if i were like charles dickens or whoever and i was getting paid by the word to write about fiyero, i could be so goddamn rich btw.

anyways, choices and consequences!!!!! like that's the whole thing!!!!!!! and the way our choices affect and change other people!!!! fiyero isn't an exception to any of that!!!!

you're so right that fiyero is truly the one who makes the ultimate sacrifices for elphaba. like glinda loves elphaba, she absolutely does. but she isn't able to take on the work and life that elphaba chooses in defying gravity.

when it comes to the things that are most important to her, glinda prioritizes comfort and reputation over, like, morality and principle. and the thing about glinda is that she actively makes this choice. she chooses not to go with elphaba. she wants elphaba to succeed, but she's not brave enough to join her. in order for glinda to find the bravery to take up the work elphaba starts, she has to lose everything that actually matters. and she has to be complicit in her own losing of those things.

fiyero loves elphaba to the point of sacrificing all of those things that glinda can't resist. the day with the lion cub, and elphaba's general influence on him, changes fiyero profoundly in a similar way that she affects glinda, but fiyero finds the bravery to act on all of that. the difference is that he doesn't get the choice to go with her until mid-act 2 after wonderful.

in thank goodness, there's that one exchange between fiyero and glinda where they say smth like "you just can't resist all of this" "well who could?" "you know who could, and who has." and he's talking about elphaba, he's talking about how she had all the love she ever wanted at the tip of her fingers when she met the wizard, and she chose to let it go because she saw the ugly parts of the wizard's world. and this exchange is so clearly boiling it down to "elphaba resisted the temptation of being universally/publically loved and glinda did not." which tbh is something so in character for a person who has never had that, and a person who has always had that and thus doesn't want to leave it behind.

ok i was going somewhere with this but i don't remember where. just. fiyero isn't a perfect character. and for SURE the choice to erase gelphie's romantic subtext from the book when adapting it for broadway was an act of homophobia. but if we're just looking at musical canon, fiyero is brave enough to give up everything first to save elphaba, then to go with her, and then to protect her. and so-called elphaba stans don't think that's good enough. which is CRAZY to me.

also like. he's literally not the comphet love interest. sorry you didn't mention that but i keep seeing people throw those words around and like that's not what's happening here guys. elphaba loves him. she sings a whole song about it. multiple, even.

comphet implies that she mistakenly thinks she loves him because society has molded her into believing that's how she should be (fyi if anyone's experiencing that, it's glinda but i digress). elphaba, who notably has never been able to comply to the mold society makes for women, because she's never been pretty white woman enough to be afforded a place in that society? you mean that elphaba?

guys elphaba just...loves him. that's all there is to it. she loves him when she realizes he's more than he thinks he is, more than the airs he puts off. she loves him when she feared he might have changed, she loves him when he proves he did change--for the better. she loves him when he sticks by her, when he chooses her. she loves him when he's a fucking SCARECROW. ("go ahead, touch, i don't mind" "you're still beautiful" lives in my head rent fucking free).

when she has her breakthrough "okay. fuck this world that has never been good to me, if you want me to be wicked, i'll be wicked" moment, it's because she loses fiyero. she gets betrayed by nessa, and she fails dillamond, and she loses fiyero--and it's then that she loses sight of what good she had begun fighting for. it's a love for fiyero that drives most of no good deed (broadway songs of all time btw). like sorry but you dont sing someone's name like that if you don't love them. that's just musical theatre rules. trust me i was a theatre major.

anyways. sorry for that detour. back to the point. twitter treats everything as so black and white which is crazy because this is a revisionist musical about how evil isn't black and white. like?????? whatever. imagine being so bitter about a character you dislike that you want to change fundamental pieces of your favorite character so that he isn't relevant.

look. gelphie is great doomed yuri and i support that so hard. but dont try to tell me fiyero isn't deeply important to elphaba and to understanding elphaba's character. tbh the love triangle here isn't fiyero choosing between glinda and elphaba. it's more like elphaba choosing between glinda and fiyero and what either of them represent to her (glinda and working within the system, or fiyero, and abandoning it).

and hot take maybe but like ultimately--as someone who has never been conventionally accepted, as someone who has been hunted down to be murdered, as someone who has been the victim of a smear campaign and propaganda against her character/intentions, all of which was in part driven by glinda--she was always going to choose fiyero.

i respect gelphie shippers, i do. in another world, maybe one without the wizard, they could've been so happy together. i'm with y'all. but given canon, even if all others fall, i will be the last fiyero defender standing. god i hope movie-only fans watch part 2 and at least learn to RESPECT him. at the bare minimum. please. please. please.

[saisaixchan]

Re: the One Piece poll

Guys OP has a s literal army of trans characters, it's actually a plot point, there's literally so fucking many trans and NB and genderfluid people in OP its kind of fucking insane

There's Bon Clay/Bentham from as early as Alabasta in March of 2000, 3 years after the initial publication of OP

Bon's powers let him transform into other people, and he's the only member of a bad guy group with male/female partners who doesn't have a female partner bc he's both the male AND female partner in his rank

He doesn't need one bc he's both

Bon is also consistently one of the best characters who helps Luffy, and who deeply respects the bonds of friendship, and he deeply admires Ivankov (next in the list)

Plus, Bon Clay is only one of two in the villain group to become good guys and befriends the main characters

There's fucking Ivankov, Queen of Kammabakka Kingdom an island full of drag queens and trans people, with his hormone powers that lets him trans all the genders for himself and everyone around him (aka the Newkama in Impel Down- a literal army of trans people who help Luffy break out of prison so he can save his brother)

AND he's the second in command of the Revolutionary Army, a group actively against the World Government that controls the entire globe, and is fighting against it's corrupt politics and ideals, such as allowing slavery for the higher classes, fighting the racism against Fishman it's held up for centuries, and all that stuff

Ivankov is one of the most important characters in the series in regards to the world politics and the fight for freedom against the oppression of the WG, and he works with what are unambiguously the Good Guys in the world, who are headed by Luffy's father

There's Okiku in Wano, who its 100% trans and even gets the horny Sanji treatment

(which is kinda important bc there was some Bad Trans/Queer rep earlier in the series involving Sanji running from drag queens who were harassing him and for a while Sanji was pretty transphobic and it was a whole thing, but Oda seems to have learned or educated himself by this point, so yay)

Plus Okiku is a super strong samurai, fucking powerful girl go off, and everyone treats her as one of the girls and she's the best tbh she deserves the world

She's so sweet and kind and strong af and is just as much a warrior as the rest of her group

Plus there's Yamato

Who, to be very clear, is not CONFIRMED as trans, but has a lot of gender fuckery going on that he belongs on this list imo, come to your own conclusions ig

Yamato is 100% confirmed as the biological daughter of Kaido, which is backed up in several other sources and even a colorspread with only biological women, but everyone in the story itself refers to him as he/him, Including Luffy who calls him by Yama-guy/Yamao

(something Luffy only does for men- he calls Ivankov and other more genderfluid or femme leaning queer folks by -chan)

and Yamato calls himself the Son of Kaido multiple times

Yamato saw someone be so awesome that he wanted to emulate that person and become them-

but as an apparently separate decision, he decided he also wanted to be a man, too! Not just because of Kozuki Oden, but because holy fuck look at that gender, I want that for myself!!!

His identity as Kozuki Oden and his identity as Son of Kaido seem to be separate things, bc Kaido, Kaido's forces, Luffy (our main character who helps us understand how to treat situations), and everyone else around him at least acknowledges that Yamato, is, in fact, the SON of Kaido, and everyone, regardless of which side they're on in the war, respects that and treats it as fact

Meanwhile, absolutely no one treats Yamato like he's actually Kozuki Oden

And there's no sign of Yamato being forced to become a man because Kaido wanted a son- 1), he was called Oni Princess fairly consistently as a child by Kaido's forces, and 2) he only became known as Son of Kaido after Yamato himself decided he wanted to become a man

Yamato has refused everything forced on him by his father, and has run away, hid, and fought back at every moment he could, and his gender and pronouns were the only real decision of his own that have been respected as all his other freedoms were taken from him

(Which doesn't say much about his horrible father- Kaido was guided by an incredibly strong female pirate at a young age, and he has plenty of strong women among his crew. Kaido doesn't care about what gender his kid is, or gender at all)

So yeah while Yamato is not confirmed in the text as trans like many other characters are in much more obvious ways, and several sources confirm that he's biologically female, he still goes by Son and he/him by the other characters and by his own choice, so make of that what you will

Please enjoy this spread of Yamato in the Men's bath (he refused to join the women's bc no mixed bathing), and Okiku in the women's

Anyway yeah op has tons of trans, genderqueer, and genderfluid representation in it, it might not look it but it's been there since basically March of 2000 when Bon Clay was first introduced and it hasn't stopped since

[aayakashii]

Hey hey!! I really like yanderes and tokyo debunker - the yandere archetype has actually been my special interest since about third grade ! The reason I mention this is because I just found your account and I absolutely adore your yandere headcanons,, and I see them as that too !! So I want to see your thoughts on some things.

I was curious about your thoughts on yandere Towa x MC (or a self insert character or - just anyone that isn't Haru.) Do you think his love for his partner would outweigh the platonic love/familial love for Haru? Personally I think it would be both a slow and fast progression. Towa acknowledging his romantic feelings and being jealous? That would happen very quickly. But Towa putting MC or romantic interest above Haru? That would take a bit more time, just because the two know each other for a long time. But how long would it take for Towa to value his love interest more than Haru? But I'm curious what Towa would do if Haru starts to like his romantic interest, or gets too close.. would Towa be okay with it? Or does his trust for Haru outweigh that?

sdkljfh aaa I'm really sorry I just really like yandere characters and Towa especially.

I'M SO SORRY I TOOK SO SO LONG TO ANSWER THIS

When I received it, I found it such an interesting idea but I kept delaying it because I wanted to be in the "correct" headspace to give it a good answer, but it turns out that if I keep waiting I'll never do anything so I'll just give it a shot now!! Again, I'm so sorry this took so long, I hope you'll see this 😭

Firstly, I do think Towa already is a yandere character! Probably due to his whimsical nature and inhuman qualities tbh, but he does act like one (he tries to kill Ren just so it can be only him and Haru again ffs 😭). And with his obsession towards romance, I think he genuinely would be a VERY dangerous love interest...

But despite all that, I imagine that Towa kind of compartmentalizes his feelings. Like, his familial love for Haru is in a completely different box than romantic love (or what he idealizes romantic love to be). There would be no such thing as someone being more important than Haru, because Haru and his s/o are important in very different ways. I think he would be able to kinda separate them in that way.

And like you said, with his s/o, things would move very quickly. As soon as he realized (or decided) he had romantic feelings for them, it'd turn intense right away. He still does his own thing and lets Haru fulfill his duties while he's frolicking on the fields lol but with his s/o? He'd be stuck on them like glue. Jealous, possessive, clingy, he's the whole package.

NOW REGARDING YOUR LAST QUESTION... THAT'S SO HARD!!!!! I really want to say his trust in Haru would outweigh everything, but I'm not 100% sure on that. I don't think Towa's idea of romance would be very healthy, so if he saw Haru being too close or having a crush on what he considers HIS, I think that would have....... really bad consequences. And probably not to Haru, but to his s/o. Maybe he'd act like his s/o was betraying him by "making" Haru fall for them, since he thinks romance is magical and all that 💀

But at the same time, I don't believe Haru would DO any of that either, you know? He's so attuned to Towa's behavior, I think he'd steer clear of anyone that Towa ends up falling for.

That's such a tough question though!!! I really like thinking about Towa too, he's such an interesting character aaaaaahhhhh

Again, I'm so so sorry I took so long to answer and I'm sorry if this was an underwhelming answer 😭 I hope you're still around, anon!! I hope you read this! And thank you for entrusting your idea with me :') <3

[lullabyes22-blog]

First of all, I just wanted to say how much I love your Arcane fics. I’ve been following FnF since I stumbled across it at 10 chapters long, and it’s been a wild ride since! Like a lot of people I’ve been all over the place with my feelings regarding season 2, but as far as I’m concerned FnF is my season 2 (and 3, 4, etc.) lol. You’re a gift to this fandom. Thank you for sharing your brilliant mind and imagination with us readers ❤️

You’ve answered some what-if asks and shared other Arcane thoughts on this blog before, so I have two questions for your consideration, but no pressure to answer either of them!

1. As a fellow writer, I’m in awe of the scale of FnF and the amount of planning/outlining that must be involved—HOLY SHIT! Are there any elements of s2 that have inspired you as you continue to write FnF? Have you considered adapting any s2 elements into later chapters (beyond what you’ve already predicted), or have you held fast to a specific Vision throughout the duration of this writing project?

2. Not sure if you’ve been asked this in the past, but what the hell would a living Silco’s reaction be to Vander’s hellish resuscitation as Warwick, assuming he isn’t immediately mauled in a confrontation?? Is Singed (assuming he’s the culprit) definitely fired??? This feels like such a MESSY terrible horrible no-good very bad situation for everyone involved lmao, and I would love to know your thoughts.

Aaaaah thank you so much! I'm super happy you're enjoying the story! I've been having a lot of fun with it, and I'm glad so many other folks are having fun with it as well <333

Also deeply honored you'd consider FnF in any way adjacent to canon material; that means so much T_T Especially since my own feelings on s2 are pretty mixed, and I'm not really sure what I would even do with those ideas, except maybe throw them out as a one-shot sometime down the road.

1. In terms of the s2 inspiration, I will say I was not the biggest fan of the plot's coherence/cohesion as a whole (too much stuff going on in too little time, too many threads left dangling etc). However, I was very gratified by the thematic journeys of the characters in S2, as in FnF they're actually following a similar trajectory (except for Silco who is, well, dead), and a lot of the same conflicts and themes are coming up. There was a happy sense of vindication that came from that, like, "Oh, so this was actually important, and not just me making a fanficcy mountain out of a molehill."

I will say though, that FnF has its own pretty airtight-ish plot, with many aspects already sketched out in advance, so I'm not going to go re-plotting things to match s2's direction unless and until it becomes necessary. In some ways, tbh, there's a sense of gleeful overlap, as a lot of the plot beats do mirror one another. (The Black Rose make an appearance by Act VII, there's a greater emphasis on magic and high fantasy going forward, Jinx is in the grip of an identity/existential crisis and Vi is stuck at a crossroads, Jayce has become disillusioned and split with Mel, Viktor has retreated underground and will be withdrawing deeper into his work, Ekko will be the one to snap Jinx out of a critical juncture and save Zaun in the long term, Sevika will take a greater leadership role etc...) All of the parallels if not the outright similarities were pretty satisfying.

As for how that's manifesting, a lot of the major developments and character arcs going forward are largely set in stone, but I do have a few key S2 events/details I've been mulling over in the background that I can see myself weaving into the plot at some point. But the rest is probably best kept as a surprise :>

2. As for the hellish resuscitation, well, I'd be lying if I said I haven't been thinking about that one a lot hehehe...

But long story short:

Singed is 100% fired because there is NO WAY Silco would sanction such a thing - and if it occured in the FnF universe, then Singed was absolutely doing it behind Silco's back and will now face the full consequences.

 As for Warwick himself - he'd 100% retreat to Silco and Vander's little Brokeback bunk in the mines. And Silco would 100% don his old mining duds and dustry greatcoat and go looking for him, because he needs to be SURE it's not just a rumor, and also because he does, subconsciously, desperately want it to be his Vander. And Vander, who has a good measure of the old Vander's memories, and is 100% aware it's not a rumor, because hello: deranged wolfman, will 100% run towards Silco with every intention of tearing him to pieces.

And that is where the similarities end.

Because Vander is too deeply trapped within Warwick's killer shell, and is therefore incapable of having an emotional reunion with anyone, and because Silco is not an idiot and would never go into a skirmish without a loaded gun and an escape route, the end result would be bloody, messy and tragic.

Worst case scenario: both men would kill each other, and in their final death throes, find boyhood memories resurfacing. They'd die in tears, messily and bloodily entwined, but finally at peace with their own demons - which is how Jinx and Vi, teaming up similar to S2, would find them.

Best case scenario: Silco would find Warwick and be forced to try and capture and contain him. He'd enlist Sevika's help and succeed, but when Jinx finds out, she'd be appalled and retraumatized, and convinced Silco is trying to erase her dead dad and supplant him in every sense. She'd go off the rails and have a complete breakdown, and Vi would be the one she'd run to, because Vi is the only person who understands and cares. The sisters would end up teaming against Silco to try and bust WarVander out, and this would cause an irreparable rift between Silco and Jinx.

Cue mass destruction and an epic family feud.

Sevika, who'd be the only person left in Silco's circle of trust, would have to make the call to have Warwick quietly killed in order to save the city from a war, and then lie to Silco, telling him Vander succumbed to his own madness and perished. This would cause Silco's mental state to completely disintegrate. He'd lose what little sanity he had left, and would descend into a pit of guilt and grief.

 Either way, it's a pretty awful tragedy on both sides, and it would take the entire remaining plot of FnF to resolve the fallout, and for Jinx and Vi to find any kind of peace.

So you can see why I've been mulling a lot, but also left it alone haha.

But who knows?

Maybe the story will change my mind, or I'll be struck by some miraculous idea and figure a way out, though I'm doubtful.

Thanks again for the lovely words and thoughtful questions! They really mean a lot <3

[utilitycaster]

Hi! This might be a bit of a weird ask (and a rambly one - sorry!) but you're one of the most level-headed and rational fandom members I know and I might need you to slap some sense into me, so to speak, especially considering you've been vocally critical of Marisha's choices for Laudna before. Now I loved the episode and the inner-party conflict in this episode. It was so fun and investing and tbh I've never been as interested in Laudna as a character as during last episode (she just doesn't work for me on several levels) and I do think Marisha did a stellar job RP wise. But something grated against my nerves about how she said OOC that Laudna hasn't lied. Because Laudna has lied. By omission, deflection or otherwise. It cannot all be attributed to Delilah being the pushing force of that. And I feel weird about Marisha (afaik) not acknowledging that. If she said "Laudna feels like she hasn't lied" it would probably be different but the "I still maintain: Laudna hasn't lied. It wasn't Laudna." at the end of the episode after Laura calls Laudna out for the direct lie about the harness feels kinda trying-to-have-my-cake-and-eat-it-too in this regard. I know that Marisha can make decisions that I don't gel with and make characters that can get under my skin in specific ways (and I enjoy that about her!) but idk maybe I have difficulties putting my trust in her with this because I didn't like a lot of her choices for Laudna so far. Anyway. Maybe I just need to hear from you that I'm being stupid about this and that Marisha is going to handle this in a differentiated way. (also highly unrelated but to end on a more positive note I'm excited for you to catch up on fhjy!)

Hey anon! Thank you for all the kind words, and good news! On CR Cooldown Marisha does clarify she means this as "Laudna is not lying because, whether or not it is correct, this is what she believes". I'm going to talk more below, but hopefully that helps.

For what it's worth, I tend to not put a huge amount of emphasis on things the cast says OOC as compared to what's happening in game, for a number of reasons, and advise others do the same. I think it's really easy for those statements to become outdated or outright contradict the text (remember when people kept bringing up Laura on like, one of the first 4SD episodes saying Imogen tries not to read people's minds and it's like. ok but in canon, she does this ALL the time so this is a useless argument?), the cast is working off more information than we are slash might deliberately be hiding info from each other, and also anything said right after they break is often a really emotional statement that they, as Marisha did here, will immediately either clarify or recant after a few minutes to, well, cool down.

The lies of omission thing is also incredibly rich as a source of conflict here, particularly between Imogen and Laudna, which, as someone who's been very frustrated with a lack of conflict on that front, is very exciting. What happens when you have someone who, in classic warlock fashion, hews to the law of lying (I didn't say anything literally false!) and not the spirit (lying by omission that Delilah was the cause) and who also makes promises she's unable to keep; and she's in a relationship with someone who is exceptionally sensitive to lies by omission, lying in general, and kind of has trouble with people simply not revealing their true intentions? I think Laudna is so suggestible that she's a liability, and the party just found out, and that's the dangerous thing - if she were malicious and lying maybe they could pick it up and this would have an easy fix, but she really does believe it will be different this time and Delilah isn't misleading her for power (Delilah is 100% misleading her for power), and that makes it much more complicated. It's very juicy.

[strawberrysugasoba]

another update on my magnus archives journey i have just reached the beginning of season for and i am ready for this to take a 100% homoerotic turn.

i actually don’t know if that’s the case because the season 3 q+a had one mention or martins crush and jonny either glazed over that or was very very wrapped up in his answer regarding the question the crush was tied into. either way i’m just hoping they’re in love and i sleep peacefully for one night but pinterest has let me know this is not the case.

tim is also dead hello? i thought with the amount of fans he had surrounding him and the way he was portrayed in fan art he was like this goofy go-round white boy but he was just out for revenge and because of his brother and a kind of a prick?? don’t get me wrong i think he is definitely, or ig was, the most sensible but i was really led to believe by fanart he was a different person entirely.

and micheal!! my poor baby, not true he’s kinda bad but i loved his character and there was just so much more i feel like they could have done with his character. but i think that’s something that happened when you have planned all the way until season 5 what you want to do with the story i just can’t believe that’s that you know. i loved how his voice sounded and his personality and i think that him trying to kill the archivist like that was kind of far fetched for his character. it all seemed to fast to me and i really miss him.

then there’s elias, i love you you evil bastard. i really hope his backstory and reasoning for why he is what he is is just for shits and gigs, like bro got high one day and just happened to find this place that served the eye. i love just evil characters or opportunistic villains bc they just do what suits their needs and i feel like elias’ roll really fits that vibe. also i cannot figure out how old he is in my head, maybe like a doctor strange type of silver fox.

kinda back to martin to end this but imagine getting your evil boss arrested finally and fucking peter lukas just appears. i’d probably shit and vomit holy cow. but tbh i think peter is going to be a ‘good’ guy, idk i saw on pinterest though some fanart or him and elias, don’t lie to me guys are they together. PLEASE. i could so get behind that dynamic and it could totally be a joke ship and my heart will hurt bc of what could have been.

[masterjedilenawrites]

Hi, I saw your response in regards to my question about Fennec Shand, and I was wondering if you could write some headcanons for Fennec Shand dating a girl who is a Jedi.

I couldn't help but write about Fennec's love life in general. I did include some points about potential Jedi partners specifically for ya. Hope you don't mind all the other thoughts too lol

Fennec is not picky with the gender of her partners, though she is picky with pretty much everything else. Trysts and flings are one thing; those can be had with just about anyone. But partnership and commitments... there are very few types of people she would be willing to try that kind of relationship with.

First and foremost, Fennec needs someone who can keep up with her. She's not about to settle down anytime soon (and that statement can be true for any era of Fennec we're talking about, tbh). Whether she's chasing a bounty or policing the streets of Mos Espa, she needs a partner that's okay with an ever-changing schedule, lots of travel, and unsavory characters. She wouldn't mind if her partner worked or traveled with her, though she does like her alone time, too. Anyone who can fit into that lifestyle is off to a good start... but still has a lot of work to earn Fennec's heart.

... And by heart, I mean trust. Fennec has a hard time seeing the good in other people, or even believing such a thing as "goodness" exists. She's seen too much ugliness in the galaxy, has been cheated too many times. Her perfect partner would have to consistently show kindness and selflessness for a long time before she could trust they weren't secretly trying to screw her over. And even then, there would still be a part of her deep down that would wait for the other shoe to drop. She can't help it.

However, this person cannot be too kind or selfless, not to the point where they're naive. Fennec values intelligence and strength. The real tipping point is when she comes to admire someone. She will feel a bit of a thrill, seeing someone pull off an impressive showcase of skill, strength, or intellect. She'll want to learn from them, or jump their bones, depending on her mood. And if they're not a one-hit-wonder, even better. She'll get all flustered and conflicted and maybe a little moody, not sure why she gets so excited every time they do something mildly cool. The jitters won't go away even in a relationship, though by then she can actually act on them, so she can't complain.

So all of this to say... could a Jedi ever win her over? Perhaps. They would certainly have their work cut out for them, especially in convincing Fennec of where their loyalties truly lie. Would they ever betray her if the Order asked them to? Would they leave her to fend for herself so they could save "the greater good?" A Jedi would have affirm their commitment to her above all else through their actions, several times, for her to be willing to go any further than a fun night out.

Once she is in a relationship with someone, Jedi or whomever, she will in turn be 100% devoted. She'll want her independence, yes, but she will always look out for them, always be by their side when they need her. Their dreams will become her dreams. Their happiness is her happiness.

She will not initiate conversations, and thus come across as disengaged at times, but she will honestly participate if her partner has something to discuss. She won't ever be caught dead doing classically romantic things, like flowers or holding hands. But she will take out the trash, and pay the bills, and take care of that annoying neighbor. She'll show up. She'll put in the work. And she'll never be the first to break a promise.

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[calware]

I love your young!Rose design with the braids & hair beads, it reminds me of the Black girls i knew in elementary school (2005-2011), so its deffo “period accurate” and also a delightful choice. The way you draw the human kids in general is really nice, youre really good at conveying specific features with minimal lines (like her & Mom’s nose shape). Do you have any tips for how you draw faces to make them not same-face or repetitively “white” features, especially when drawing in a less “realistic” style (i dont wanna say your style is cartoony but idk what i would call it tbh)? I took a life drawing class back in 2019 but we mostly drew the same two models or our classmates, and it was both a limited pool of features plus feels hard to translate into art that isnt attempting to be 100% realistic.

Sorry if this is rambly. Congrats on 10k. Love ur new icon, tho i miss the Horb. Do you take commissions? I think i asked this before but i forgetful af.

thank you for the ask :)!! i'm really flattered that you think i'm good at avoiding same-face syndrome because i am VERY LAZY when it comes to drawing and i could definitely be doing a better job ;^^ i'm also not the best at drawing people diversely(?), it's just something i have to get better at. there are people way more qualified than me to give advice about this... but i can try giving some tips

the first is that, like with anything, if i'm not confident that i can accurately portray something or a specific feature i will usually look up a reference. i like paying attention to things like the position of the browbone, height of the cheekbones, shape of the chin, shape of the eyes, length/width of the face, width of the nostrils, shape/position of the bridge of the nose, roundness of the cheeks, etc. when i draw characters (specifically the homestuck characters i like, because i think about them a lot) i have an idea in my head of how they look and how they differ from one another. for example i see jade with a longer diamond-shaped face while rose has a shorter heart-shaped face, so i do my best to depict that in my drawings

(idk if this illustration makes ANY SENSE bc like i said i think that i also struggle with pushing myself in regards to this and i think i still have more to learn/practice)

i think it comes down to paying attention to the proportions/types of specific facial features and adjusting them each to create a unique face

that said when it comes to stylizing what you see from photographic references, i understand that it can be tricky to simplify it. i really don't have any advice for this.... i just play around with it until it looks good while also being recognizable as the specific thing i'm trying to draw.......... so in that case i think it helps to use other people's art as a reference too! i don't really care about sticking to one "style" so i don't mind drawing in a slightly different way if i want to do something another artist is also doing. so for example if you're struggling with drawing 4c hair i recommend looking at other people's drawings of characters with 4c hair that you like and playing around with if you can incorporate their techniques into your own art.

i hope this all made sense ;^^ there are definitely a lot of tutorials out there that are way more informative than this one

also, to answer your last question, i plan to open up a few commission slots next week! (as long as i have enough time to that is)

[destinyc1020]

I loved your review of Challengers!!!! I watched the movie 3 times now and although I love the vibes the film gave me, I had big issues with the script and overall's Tashi's arc. I felt that the male characters were more interesting as ppl and their story of a close friendship turned rivalry to ending with both of them not speaking for years was quite compelling. I honestly just thought Tashi was a symbol for them tbh. this is where I blame the writer Justin cause the reason he made Tashi black was because he was inspired by Serena and Naomi Osaka however, this film is very apolitical. Outside of the mention of the alleged racist tennis opponent, her race is never mentioned. Her black father isn't even present in the older Tashi scenes. So what was the point of taking such good care of her white boys' line?

The last point is not going to be a point but a link. It discusses how Zendaya is the next leading lady of the generation. I have some thoughts but I hope you can read it so we can discuss. I do think that one critic has some inflammatory comments on Z that I feel are more personal than biased, but as a dark-skinned black woman, I can understand where that frustration comes from. It is tough because it is a lot and I appreciate if you do want to add any more discourse because I do feel Z sometimes is separated apart because she biracial black woman the bigger issue is Hollywood as an entity but using that white boy line kinda justify it for me.

https://www.vulture.com/article/zendaya-challengers-leading-lady-debate.html

Whew!!! Anon....this was a very deep and interesting read! Thank you for your kind words Anon about my review. Like I said, I'm always 100% honest on here about how I feel lol. 😄

I'll just say this, that overall, people are going to have varying opinions on someone's acting or just a film in general. I look at films and an actor's performance as just something that is subjective.... One person may LOVE a film or an actor's performance, and another person may think the film/acting was just "So-so". It's just like a piece of art. We can all have various different tastes, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that necessarily? Sometimes, our life experiences, exposure, and world view can shape how we view certain films or pieces of art. So, I am not even surprised that one of the critics in this article doesn't really care for Z's acting/films, etc... It's her personal opinion I guess.... 🤷🏾‍♀️

I'm a little iffy as well on Justin's writing tbh.... I remember when leaks of the script/screenplay FIRST came out, people were cringing lol. 😅 I'm glad that the film version wasn't as cringe-worthy as some people felt the film would be. I still would have changed some things about the writing.

But hey, sometimes, you don't need a picture-perfect film with picture-perfect characters. Sometimes, life is complicated, PEOPLE are complicated, and you don't need an ending that's tied neatly into a nice little bow with a "happily ever after" attached.

With that said, I'll comment and provide my reaction to some of the points in the article you just linked:

Whew... Welp...She made some interesting points. I know this will probably ruffle a few feathers here, but she's definitely coming in with some hard-hitting thoughts and feelings.

I've been saying this about Hollywood for years... The fact that monoracial, YOUNG, desirable, darker-skinned black women are basically ignored in Hollywood.... I do agree with her statements on this. I am a huge supporter of Z, and I love that she has the type of power that she has in Hollywood, but I do also feel for my darker-hued sisters as well. 😔

With regards to race.... Don't get me wrong, I don't need films where black people (black women especially) have to address RACE in every single role that is given a black person. Is it just me?? But sometimes, it's just REFRESHING to watch a movie, see a black person onscreen, and NOT have to think about race. 👀 We already have to deal with race and think about it just about every single day, 24/7... That can at times be exhausting. Sometimes, when you watch movies, you just want to ESCAPE...Escape your problems, escape reality, escape real life, or just escape what's on your mind atm, etc... You don't need a constant reminder of societal issues, and views of "blackness" in every single film that features a black person. At least, I don't feel that way.

But I do feel like certain elements and ways that woc (black women in particular) are portrayed onscreen DO play a huge role in how we are viewed in society, how we view ourselves, and how certain stereotypes are continuously perpetuated. 🤷🏾‍♀️

Anyway, I still hate that "white boys" line lol. It just seemed cringe to me, and totally out of nowhere lol. 😅 I'm like, do people even talk like that in REAL life? I doubt it lol.

Hmmm....interesting take.... 🤔

.

I meannnnn....I DO have to agree w/her statement on Timmy and Zendaya in the "Dune" franchise. I sense more platonic/"Friendship" chemistry btwn them, than actual sexual or sensual chemistry tbh. 👀

Whereas, I felt like she and Josh definitely seemed to have tangible sexual chemistry onscreen in "Challengers". Sometimes, you can know someone a little TOO well, that when you act with them in romantic scenes, it's not really believable because you two are like brother and sister vibes irl with each other lol. 🤣 I think that's the case w/Timmy and Zendaya onscreen.

.

While I don't agree with her that black people should ONLY work with mostly other black people onscreen lol, I will say that I agree with her part highlighted above. I've been saying for a while now that I'm really curious to see how Z would fare in a film directed by a black director, surrounded by a primarily black cast. 😊

.

With all of this said, I have to admit, this little part right here made me smile...

I can see it too! The Academy LOOOVES indie films like these. 😊😃

Anyway, great read Anon! 👍🏾 Thanks for sharing! It was good to get dual sides of the coin from their differing opinions.

[darkcacaocookieandfriends]

Some Headcanons I Forgot

I actually forgot a few headcanons about Mr. Choco Werehound last night so I'll put them here:

Regarding Schwarz and cross-dressing.

Something interesting about his character that like few remember is that in his description is says he had an aristocratic upbringing, which means he was either raised around royalty or could be royalty himself. I've always kinda wondered what that inferred or if it was a reference to him possibly being related to or raised by Esterhazy who is the poster boy for aristocratic society as far as cake monsters go that we've seen.

Either way, I feel in many regards and probably from youth even Schwarz may have been fascinated by high ranking women of society, maybe princesses in particular. They share many things that he takes pride in himself in - being good-looking, having beautiful hair ect.

I feel when Schwarz cross-dresses or becomes Choco Werehound Princess, that he's living that fascination he's always had with being a beautiful, powerful woman and expressing an elegant beauty he can't truly portray as the "brute". He can express the more refined part of himself he tries to hide (which is also in his canon description), It's an art, a freedom of expression, not just for his sensitive side but for a part of him that's always been there. A part of him that wants to be beautiful, elegant and sensitive. Women's clothes are far more appealing than men's, far more complex and beautiful. It's a break from his macho lifestyle and brutal nature.

It makes him feel free and feminine, where he'd be judged in a normal situation because he throws himself around like he radiates testosterone.

Choco Werehound Princess makes him feel feminine and powerful. For god's sakes he passed all the trails but the last one and that was because he didn't like being called a barbarian. Tbh it probably made him feel like he wasn't passing well enough and despite actually proving himself he still wasn't good enough. Things I feel that are deep insecurities of his but that's a topic for another day.

Despite being racist against cookies, if the right cookie befriends him, it changes his views even if it is only for the one cookie that's his friend. If he falls in love with a cookie, is gives him a complex and he therefore questions everything he feels.

Cookies are supposed to be things he likes to murder, rivals of cake monsters. They don't care about what's best for him, his agency or autonomy and yet...here he is, loving one. It's both a confusing an special thing. Something that symbolizes the fact that cookies and cake monsters can build a bridge of understanding and even come to be something more. In several ways that's pretty big development for his character.

Schwarz is literally that one guy who will do stupid, daredevil things with you. In fact, he will encourage you to do them. You want to jump off a building with a sheet tied around you to try and fly? He will do it with you! Just hope he doesn't land on you. You want to roll down a hill in a shopping cart? He may not fit in it, but he'll give you a big push. It'll probably launch you into the stratosphere because he doesn't know his own strength sometimes, but he will try his best.

Schwarz is 100% that cheesy romance movie watcher and he definitely cries at the emotional or sad parts. He also definitely would watch romantic cookie movies to try and figure out how to romance a cookie. He has no idea what expressions of love are in cookie culture. He's going to be wrong but let him figure that out. It's funnier that way.

He's also a hopeless romantic in general.

[hananoami]

Honey pie idk ur pronouns so imma call you silly pet names if you don't mind.

But pls save me 😭😭😭😭

I've been playing since release every day but it takes too long for me to upgrade my characters, I'm not f2p since I pay the autumn pass every month but since you seem far into the mechanics do you think this game is like, pay for play? I just wanna know if I am doing something wrong or if I'm a victim of capitalism 😭😭😭😭😭😭

to start off i wanna mention that my main account that i've been blogging about here is pay for play. however, i do have a second account that's completely free to play. with that said, here are my opinions from both point of views.

it all depends on your playstyle.

if you want to see fast results then it's 100% pay for play, but if you don't mind the slow grind then it's relatively f2p friendly.

i say this based on my own experience.

on my f2p account it's been a slow grind to level up memories and farm resources to be able to clear higher level fights. that's to be expected tbh. which is why i have to prioritize on what i want to focus on (ie. spending stamina to level up/ascend memories or farm protocores) and have good time management about it (ie. making sure not to cap on stamina, remember event deadlines etc). if you ask what i mostly focus on it's leveling up memories to level 60, as protocore farming requires a lot of stamina (20/run). protocore farming is late game content so i don't mind just doing the 1 core hunt a day to slowly build up those resources.

on my main account, to get to where i am, i spend quite a bit.. yet still responsibly and within my means. like the game says "Enjoy the game but don't get addicted" no one should ever compare their current standing to other players and should play at their own pace. there's absolutely no rush when it comes to the game!

so to answer your question: no, you're not doing anything wrong. time is money. all gachas are designed for you to want to pay to get ahead without waiting.

i do think the reward drops in bounty hunt are kinda lacking for the amount of resources required to level up memories past level 50. that's why as a f2p player the double rewards drop events are so good and you shouldn't miss out on those. if you're looking to level up fast then you're going to have to pay the price… literally :x

i also want to point out that there are also more ways to farm passive diamonds and other resources in game now thanks to the quality time updates. many new achievements have been added to the game that are easily obtainable by simply logging in. the new weekly activities even offers the ability to earn free pulls and stamina by spending "quality time" with the guys. ez right?

of course, there's always room for improvement. some things that many players have voiced their concerns about that i also agree on are the following:

optimize the battle features regarding the level difficulty and the rewards

adjust the rewards for getting duplicate cards

to reconsider scheduling of events -- a week for a limited-time banner doesn't give players enough time to save and should be longer

sorry this was such a long reply. i put a lot of thought behind this because i really want to stress that you're not alone in feeling that the grind is slow as a f2p/aurum pass player, and that you shouldn't feel discouraged by taking a while to clear a stage.

[exorcist-timpani]

Hello, my name is Timpani.

My record is 137.

I'm not here to impress with my numbers.

Commander Lute seems to think I'm an underachiever, but I don't like the spotlight.

I'm adept with twin hooks and the whip chain... uhm Anyway, you probably don't want to hear about that.

Off duty stuff...uhm let's see

I enjoy video games, I like to make lattes, I draw, I uhm...well I'm not particularly social so...I don't have much to say.

Well...have a good day.

[6'

She/They

Trans

Demisexual/Demiromantic

Very quiet at first but loves to spout stuff about her special interests. She doesn't agree with the exterminations, and often seeks out only the most evil souls. She avoids children and weaker sinners. While she typically comes in around 125 kills, her targets are challenges. She took up the twin hooks as her weapon because of the versatility, her chosen backup weapon is a whip chain she keeps wrapped around her upper thigh. She doesn't tend to get involved in a lot of the messes the other Exorcists do, but when she does she goes 0-100 really quick.]

((Guess who has a 5th blog. Hi it's Lilith again you may know me better as @ask-lute , @ask-pentious, or @charliepunningstar. Im just doing this to have an OC to RP as occasionally. Please be respectful, no bigotry will be tolerated here, have fun, and ask if I don't know you and you want to rp, random prompts make me anxious tbh! Thank you!))

Mod: @able-juice ((Lilith))

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[kyuziipon]

wait I feel like I missed something what is the promise of the cherry blossoms im so curious

EHEHEHE I LOVE THIS QUESTION…

Ok so the promise of the cherry blossoms is my oc story about a highschool basketball club!! I named it that because cherry blossoms are a huge signifier of change and new beginnings, and I want a big part of the overall theme of the story to be that there’s always hope, there’s always room to grow, and you’re never stuck where you started, you can have a new beginning. I haven’t made any actual materials for the story (yet) mostly because I struggle with which format would be best to tell it in.

The story itself focuses on each member of the club, as well as the two managers and their coach. Every character has their own personal story, usually intertwining with some of the others in some way. The other main theme of the story is the idea that what you see on the surface isn’t always everything to a person, and there’s a lot more to them than meets the eye.

The characters:

Starting with the players on the team, we have the captain, Soga Umeno (his surname is subject to change cuz I don’t like how it flows). He’s in his third year, and cares very deeply about the other members of his team, but struggles with how at home he was practically forced to become a parent to his three much younger siblings.

After Soga, the vice captain is a third year named Seki Matsuda (aka Matsu). While Soga is very warm and caring, he is extremely cold and harsh. He believes putting 100% of your effort into everything you do is the best way to be, to the point of it being extremely detrimental to his well being. He is extremely sleep deprived, extremely exhausted, and extremely stuck in his own head. He’s very autistic and has ocd. He’s also (fallen out) childhood friends with the next character.

Onto the other two third years on the team, Kazuha Yumeno (aka Kazu) is the token pretty boy. He’s spectacularly gorgeous, but also spectacularly self centered and vain. Similar to Matsuda, he strives to be the best, but instead of in everything, it’s specifically in beauty. He has an eating disorder and hates himself so so much, and he sacrifices a lot of his life in the name of his beauty, which was a major factor in his and Matsu’s falling out.

For the final third year, we have Akihito Tsukimori. He was one of the first characters I made, when I still didn’t know what I wanted the story to be, and he’s not as fleshed out as the others. He’s a really laid back, cool type, who is a passionate musician who is stuck under his parents’ thumb and cannot pursue his dreams due to their desire for him to follow in family tradition and have some boring normal job, like a doctor or something (I never decided lol. He’s not my fave tbh). He plays trumpet.

For second year, let’s start with Yuta Ito. He was originally the main character before I got rid of the concept of a protagonist in this story. He’s a (mostly) pre transition trans guy who just transferred to this school and has always dreamed of being a professional basketball player, and goddammit he will stop at nothing to be allowed on the boys team and prove he’s just as good (if not better) than all of them. Spoiler, he is better than all of them, not for special reasons, everyone else just kind of sucks.

Next is Kiyohiko Suzuki (or, later in the story, Kiyoko). She was the second character I made and I LOVE her. Upon Yuta’s arrival in the club, she’s introduced to the idea she may not be as cis as she thought, and begins experimenting, only to discover she is in fact a girl. She really struggles with her family in this regard, but especially her relationship with her two older sisters, and the fact that her family favored her for being the “only son”. There’s a lot more to the sisters but that’s too much for this little blurb lol.

For the final second year (there’s supposed to be a fourth but I just… have never made him), we have Hideyoshi Akazuma (aka Hide). He’s pretty much a shoe-in to be the next captain, and he’s essentially perfect at everything he does. He and Yuta don’t get along, especially due to Yuta’s similarities to his twin brother. Hide is extremely pressured by his parents and teachers to uphold this perfect persona, and it puts a lot of tension between him and his peers, but more importantly, between him and his brother.

The first years are arguably my favorite, so let’s start with Daishi Edogawa, as he’s the easiest. Daishi is by far the tallest on the team, and is extremely awkward and nervous. He grew up raised by his mom and grandma, alongside his little sister, Tsuna. Due to this, he never really had any male role models in his life, and now is struggling with his relationship to being a man and his masculinity, and what all of it even means. He also has a crush on the following character, Madoka.

Madoka Kume is everything. He is my boy. I love him. He’s the second smallest of the cast, and matching to his appearance, he has a very strong childlike innocence (for the most part) and naïveté. He was raised by his older sister Utaha, after his mother decided she hated him and severely neglected him. Utaha could have her own section with all this stuff… anyway, Madoka is very aware that his disposition can make it a lot harder on his sister, and desires to become stronger and more independent to ease her burden, but throughout this develops an avoidance to asking for help. He is also autistic, dyslexic, and possesses some other ambiguous learning disabilities.

Following on to my ACTUAL favorite, Hotaru Ibe (previously known as Haruka). He is a former child model who was extremely talented and beautiful, but also very lonely and desperate for human connection. Due to this he experiences some of the horrors of the industry with a photographer acting as his friend and taking advantage of him. After a particularly bad incident, Hotaru quits, decides he’s never doing this again, changes his name and his entire look, and does his best to repress all his trauma with the desire to be “a completely normal kid”. He’s got a lot of shit going on.

And the final player, Ryuunosuke Itori (aka Ryuu), Hotaru’s best friend (Ryuu has a hella crush on him btw). Ryuu is the top of his class, and is extremely similar to Hide and Matsu. He works hard and is is very smart, but the stress starts getting to him. When his delinquent cousin moves in with him, Ryuu finds himself becoming friends with some unsavory types, and soon finds himself spiraling out of control after getting involved in some drug related shit and becomes more and more apathetic and less and less of who he was before. His and Hotaru’s stories (which are actually very intertwined) are probably the heaviest topics.

Onto the two managers, let’s start with Shunichi Itori, a third year, and Ryuu’s older cousin. He’s a delinquent involved in some gang stuff, and after getting detained overnight, his parents are finally fed up and tell him he’s not welcome in their house anymore. His aunt and uncle offer to take him in, if he agrees to put all of that behind him. He takes the offer, and at first he keeps doing bad shit behind their back. They force him to join the basketball club so Ryuu can keep an eye on him, but after he accidentally gets Ryuu involved with his friends, he seems to realize what he’s doing is kind of fucked up, and starts to work on becoming a better person and putting all that stuff behind him, with the help of the other manager.

Aiko Tachibana is a first year, and she’s the third character I made! Her story has shifted a lot, and I have yet to find one that works perfectly. She’s similar to a lot of other characters, she’s very childish but hates being seen this way, has strict parents with high expectations for her, and struggles with her identity. She has anger issues and hates when people don’t take her seriously and struggles with her self image over this. She also has a crush on Suzuki, and believes she likes “mature women”, which factors into her desire to be less childlike.

And of course we have the coach. Her name Maki Ikegami, and she’s an ex professional basketball player who’s career was ended prematurely after an injury. She’s a relatively new addition to the cast and I haven’t worked on her much yet, but she struggles with the new route her life has taken and the way she’s been completely displaced. There’s also supposed to be a club advisor, but I haven’t made them yet oops.

We also have a ton of side characters, such as Utaha Kume (she could have her own section she’s probably the most fleshed out side character), Kiriko and Kaoru Suzuki, Tsuna Edogawa, Ryuu’s currently unnamed prostitute friend (I can’t think of anything that fits her), and many other siblings and family members.

I’m also just now realizing how major a role sibling and family dynamics play in most of these plot lines (unmentioned is how Kazuha and Yuta’s respective brothers are major parts of their characters, among other things).

Sorry for rambling so much I just. Love this story so much and I get excited when anyone asks about it hshdhdjdh

[aayakashii]

I'm going through the Sinostra chapter right now and I can't stop making theories omg there might be spoilers below so be careful, although I'm just enumerating my questions tbh lol

According to one of Taiga's home screen dialogs, there might be some sort of time loop happening which he's KINDA aware of? Or maybe just aware when triggered somehow.

He said "long time no see! You decide to ditch this future too? Sorry I'm not dead yet" which is INCREDIBLY ooc as to how he behaves during the story which leads me to

His extreme memory loss, which apparently lasts less than 24 hours. Why is that? Did he go through so many time loops that it started affecting his memory? There was one small moment in which he remembered Ritsu because he saw the MC face though...

The Clash. What the fuck was it

What's Taiga relationship to Haru? Haru sounds eerily nonchalant regarding Taiga even though the man keeps on threatening Peekaboo. And aftewards, Rui briefly mentions that Taiga has a "destroying what others hold dear" schtick, which leads me to believe that Taiga is seeking revenge for losing something important maybe???? Is the fanfic brainrot too big rn

WHY DOES HE HATE LIKE DOVES??????? I dont wanna go full romantic mode, but is he just resentful of seeing a bird that is the physical representation of someone else's feelings or something......

The spy. Honestly no idea. There's some theories floating around that Haku is the spy, but I would rather see him during the Hotarubi episode before jumping to conclusions, but it's understandable how people might think that I guess...? He IS very nice and helpful and randomly finding the MC fleeing by train was way too much of a coincidence... he does seem to always tie the MC to Darkwick somehow, firstly by KIDNAPPING her and then by talking her into staying. If the MC is the trigger to a bigger event, then one could see that as suspicious. But I would like a bit more evidence first lol

Back to Taiga, why is he. Like why

Okay no but seriously. If we take the timeloop thing seriously + Haku being a spy, here's the theory:

Taiga knows the MC is the trigger for an awful event and tried killing them back in the Prologue in order to cut the problem on its roots. Haku, if we consider him as the spy, WANTS the event to happen (considering he could also be aware of the loop), which is why he saved us and took us to Darkwick, therefore letting it all play out once again.

If Haku isn't the spy, then we would have to chalk it up as Taiga knowing and trying to kill us, but destiny (???) being a bitch, therefore putting Haku there as a pawn to make things play out again

Maybe the spy can control other ghouls? Who know tbh

Finally, what is going on during the first scene we see in the game? Darkwick on fire and the first character we choose jumping off of the building? I wonder what would happen if we choose Taiga as our first card....... maybe I should create a sub acc

Anyway if anyone has more questions/theories PLEASE SEND THEM MY WAY IM OBSESSED WITH THIS GAME I NEED TO THINK ABT IT

There is also a good theory on reddit made by u/imonlybr16 that states this:

"Before the prologue, when you open the game for the first time, you're greeted with the opening scene involving MC running through the halls of a ruined Darkwick. The question is asked "When the world is collapsing around you, whose hand will you take?"

There you're taken to your character choice screen. The guy you choose is later shown on the railing of a balcony, about to jump off.

Now I think I have a very far fetched and vague idea as to what is going on.

In chapter 2, we learn that the person that Alan killed was Dante or at least he thought he did. But we meet Dante and he's very much alive.

This comes theory number one.

***You can't actually die on campus.***

Note the use of actually here. You can 100% still die, you just end up coming back to life.

If Rui is your home screen he talks about accidentally killing someone else in his dorm and being annoyed with having to lift them back to Obscuary. This struck me as a particularly odd dialogue because Rui's curse causes people to die.

Unless, you can't die on campus.

This would explain Dante pretty much instantly. Yes Alan killed him but yes he's alive.

The campus itself is an anomaly, stopping people from dying doesn't sound too far fetched. I expect this to be revealed with the other two members of Obscuary, as that dorm seems to have a connection to death. One of the things that always pops up is that ghouls aren't immortal, no matter how quickly they heal.

Also explains how Calamari didn't die in chapter 3. Ren ran from the dorm > the caves > the jetty and Calamari was already pretty dehydrated in the beginning.

But OP you might say, aren't all the guys talking like they believe they're going to die.

Luckily, that brings us to vauge and far fetched theory number two.

***The campus is on fire due to a rebellion***

In the very last chapter of the prologue we get to see Kaito's wickhive. There we see three pretty interesting threads.

. There's gonna be an uprising soon

. One of you is a demon

. There's a guy who could see the future

Kaito is surprised at something he sees in this scene but we don't learn what it is. This chapter's 'preview' is one of the scenes we see in the very beginning. Blood and a Lily.

I believe that the first thread is foreshadowing and will . After you meet your chosen guy standing on the railing you get a line of dialogue (or not if you picked Towa) that changes depending on who you picked. Some imply that what they're doing is going to save you(Jiro, Zenji and Sho), some apologize stating that they could protect what they cared about until the very end (Luca,Kaito,Haru and Yuri) but three characters caught my attention

Leo: Life sucks and then you die,right? I just want to make the assholes responsible regret it.

Ren: This is exactly why I didn't to do this! I knew this was how it was going to end.

Subaru: This is all my fault. I don't expect you to forgive me, but this is the least I can do. Please take this as my final act of good faith.

Especially Subaru's and Ren's, that seemingly imply either the MC's (Ren's) or their (Subaru) involvement in the current situation. Now what does this has to do with a potential uprising?

One of the things we learn from the very beginning is the inter-politics of the houses and by extension the ghouls. Especially after the fallout of the clash. Things are pretty tense and an uprising or rebellion seems to be the most likely thing.

As to what happened and why? I have no clue. Though one thing to note is that according to the prophecy, as long as the ghouls are in Darkwick, they prevent a disaster from coming. If Darkwick is destroyed however, the prophecy can't be fulfilled, or can it?"

This is such a good theory too, I really think u/imonlybr16 has probably gotten a lot of things right.

Although it's weird that death is such a big threat to us specifically, but maybe the Academy can't prevent death by curses, much like the Mesmer Matches dont work on someone who's cursed. Hhmm...

[idyllic-affections]

HI can you do me a favor and help me figure out baizhu?? i love his character but i have never played genshin impact and watching through walkthroughs? yeah no thanks (i mean cmon 48 hour walkthrough JUST for inazuma??

like, his personality and lore? i mean, i'm doing my own research about him rn by reading through the wiki and ill also watch cutscenes later but i just need some insight!! u can 100% just use this to rant about him, i am desperate 💔 how does one write for him!! how do you write for him!? help 😭😭i love him sm i wanna write him AT LEAST a bit accurate to character

if you don't mind of course! feel free to ignore this! take it easy aph, have a great day!!💞💞

aph's baizhu analysis.

hi kaiser hello <333 that is SOOO valid tbh inazuma specifically is a headache for multiple reasons... i think i'm going to watch someone else play the fontaine archon quest (...i did this with baizhu's story quest too LMAO) because i have no genshin motivation, but there are a couple people who are wanting to hear my thoughts about lyney lynette & freminet. THAT'S NOT THE POINT THOUGH I WOULD BE SO DELIGHTED TO HELP YOU FIGURE OUT BAIZHU i love him so much he is so dear to me... as a professional baizhu liker i would be glad to help you out. if you need me to, i can explain anything in more detail! just let me know <33

first and foremost, baizhu is generally a very gentle, benevolent, and patient character. he's got sass to him, but generally is very kindly about everything he does. also my guy is so stubborn. god. he is so stubborn.

^ additionally, he is well-trusted by children because of his soft demeanor. they generally aren't scared of check-ups performed by him.

regarding his stubborness, baizhu tests his own medication on himself. he will also poison himself to gain a better understanding of what poison he's working with. he's stubborn with things like his own health and the way he tests medications.

now, this may be more of a headcanon, but... about baizhu's supposed cowardice. yeah. i don't think that's true. do you know the distinction between being harmless and being peaceful? one who is harmless can cause no damage. one who is peaceful can cause damage, but chooses not to. i believe baizhu is peaceful, not harmless. to me, his supposed cowardice is... not genuine. i don't see it, but this opinion may vary depending on who you ask i think.

he is a good-hearted person canonically...

...however.

bro also, canonically, has shady business practices. i personally write these business practices in a very particular way; that being, baizhu overcharges people who he knows can afford to be overcharged. he overcharges the wealthy.

^ similarly, baizhu may sometimes charge nothing at all. he does this when he knows someone can't afford what they need. he generally does his best to make healthcare accessible. he's so real for that.

this is a little headcanon-y, but baizhu cannot stand people claiming to heal illness through piety and faith. he fucking hates that.

^ that headcanon is based off of the fact that he has legal dealings with yanfei about people selling fake medication and whatnot.

i don't know if you know baizhu's entire backstory yet, but the general idea is that changsheng is something akin to an adeptus and has been making contracts with people to keep herself alive for (presumably) a few centuries.

her power enables her hosts to use what baizhu refers to as a "secret art" to heal folks ailed by anything from injuries to poisonings... but of course, there is a drawback. the user of this art transfers whatever their patient is suffering from onto their own body. this is why baizhu is disabled and chronically ill; he has taken on probably every condition known to man fr but we love him for being so kind.

changsheng can only make contracts with pure of heart people. people who aren't genuinely, truly good literally are not viable for her contract. she will die without a host (presumably because her power is slowly draining and she can no longer sustain herself without the support of another being's life force).

^ going off of that, this is part of the reason why baizhu seeks immortality (and do be sure to remember that his pursuit is not a secret. literally all of liyue knows AJSKSHAKFHF... but do also keep in mind that changsheng's contract is a secret so he doesn't tell people about that part). he doesn't want her to die, but he also doesn't want another person to take up her contract and continue the cycle. i also like to think that he doesn't want to leave qiqi alone but that's just me being insane over dad!baizhu he's so fatherly in my brain please hear me out on this one /lh

to stop qiqi from fulfilling orders, if i recall correctly, someone would have to hug her and tell her they love her the most. baizhu does this, but the effect is greatly diminished when he says it. the only reason baizhu sounds insincere when he tells qiqi "i love you the most" is because he believes every life has equal value. he loves her, but not the most, because he is enamored with life in general. this detail about his character is often the topic of angst in fic, but it's important to remember that baizhu is not incapable of love because of it. he is just... not someone who would put ultimate value on one life, because again, he believes all life has equal value.

yes, he does use qiqi for his own ends and research about immortality HOWEVER. however. he is not neglectful or abusive in any way towards her. he treats her well.

because she is a character closely related to baizhu, here's a little detail for the silly snake: changsheng canonically has no filter. she says whatever the fuck comes into her little brain. she's silly. i adore her. she is not bad though! her intentions are generally good.

baizhu doesn't like taking things from people for free. he has difficulty accepting gifts... which often come from the general population of liyue.

generally, what i find to be helpful when learning to write a new (playable) character is reading their voicelines and lore. reading voicelines can help you figure out any particular speech patterns or diction that characters are inclined towards using!

i promise i am not trying to advertise my fics LMAO but if you need a reference, and you want to see how i write him personally, please let me know! i have a few pieces in which i feel like i wrote him well.

i love when people ask me to help with characterization ausskgkgng so if there's anything else i can do please don't hesitate to say so <3