#truly the only thing Roxy has no interest in

[monty-glasses-roxy]

What if the carnival had an event where they turned a large area into one of those games where you ride around in a little tank and shoot each other with foam balls?

Roxy finding one of such tanks and suddenly it's her life's purpose to get this thing up and running again.

[synergysilhouette]

Rewriting some of the Winx Club villains (for fun)

I actually had a fun time with rewriting the Winx, and it seemed to have gotten positive reception! Thus, I thought I'd do rewrites for some of the Winx Club villains. Just like with my last post, this is NOT a "what would've made them better" post, but just my own interpretation of the characters based on the show (mainly the first 4 seasons as applicable) and some of the comics. And since I never did a post about recasting the villains (I only did so with the Winx and the Specialists), I'll include my dream voice cast here. Enjoy!

Ancestral Witches--In my rewrite, there's only one ancestral witch; I feel like it fits the primordial vibe more, but this is also because the witches don't have distinct personalities, and the Trix claim descent from all three of them, but this feels like they were moreso their reincarnations than their ancestors (though it could be both). This sole witch would be named Carabosse, named after the wicked fairy the Ancestral Witches are based on. She is created by Darkar as the first evil mortal (albeit with an extended lifespan due to magic, both hers and Darkar's), but she isn't his servant; she's his consort, and they exist as a twisted version of Hades and Persephone from Greek Mythology. Rather than having the same powers as the Trix, Carabosse has the ability of corruption, being the first mortal queen in the magical dimension (and ever, probably), and seen as doing her husband's dream of spreading evil throughout the world. The descendant of the holders of the dragon spark, Oritel, formed the Company of Light to defeat her, but they only managed in destroying her physical body, with her spirit still lingering. She is the first witch, as you may have guessed, and even in death, we are never truly rid of her, due to her divine marriage and long-forgotten magic that makes her influence permeate the most evil parts of the magic dimension.

I'd imagine she dressed in dark blue/black with orange-red gems and patterns, almost like she's made of lava. My ideal voice actor for her would be Colleen Wheeler, who did an AMAZING job of playing Mystique in "X-Men: Evolution."

The Trix--No need for introduction, the sisters of the Ice Kingdom are the most persistent villains in the series. In my rewrite, their realm wouldn't be known as the Ice Kingdom (since it kinda discards Darcy and Stormy, but Distorsione, Italian for distortion), said to be the base of Queen Carabosse. You'd think that being descended from her would offer the Trix some leverage, but the royal family has much closer ties to her while the Trix are distant relatives. The people there are reserved and standoffish, but not necessarily evil, though the Trix essentially ruin that perception and now it's a demonized location in the magical dimension. It's confirmed that the Trix are triplets and were abandoned by their family for the perceived threat they could pose in the future, and upon discovering this, they vowed to take over the magical dimension and retake what they believe to be their birthright. And it's worth noting that for most of the first season, no one knows who they are when they attack the winx; they have a "Superman" thing going on because of the makeup and clothes change; when in disguise, they dress similarly to their fairy disguises in issue #123 of the comic.

Icy has an on-and-off romance with Darko throughout the series (it's implied that they could've been something positive, but Icy is too focused on power and is willing to mistreat Darko, who, despite having his own issues, cared about Icy but is now mainly just courting her for potential power that he could wield as her consort). She also has a distaste for Bloom, given their powers are polar opposites, as well as the fact that Bloom was automatically revered for her potential while Icy was discarded for it. She also takes particular interest in tormenting Flora and Ariel (my rewritten version of Roxy), since I'd canonize the 4kids statement that she derives power from dead planets, and the fact that she doesn't really have any particular respect for animals and plants. I'd probably base her design on Taylor Swift, particularly during her "Reputation" era. I know the Trix weren't based on celebrities, but I thought it'd be a nice touch. I'd I'd like her to be voiced by Salli Saffioti, since I really liked her performance as Cleo de Nile on Gen 1 and 2 of "Monster High," albeit something a bit less regal. As usual, she wears shades of blue, though I like the idea that she keeps the lighter/brighter tones for her witch look that she does in her civilian clothes.

Darcy is the middle triplet, and is quite interesting due to her relationships with others. While Icy is somewhat conflicting with how she feels about others, sometimes abusing them and sometimes praising and adoring them, Darcy cares about others but believes that abusing them is the best way to show it (influenced by her abandonment and the fact that she's been lied to a lot by people who claimed to care about her growing up). She's attracted to danger and doesn't really understand the typical concepts of love and care, which Icy jokes is influenced by her power over darkness, which will prevent her from ever seeing the light. She often takes delight in torturing Stella with darkness and causing friction between Musa and Riven--she even tells Musa that they can share Riven; Darcy takes the evil half and Musa takes the good half, even going as far as to offer splitting them into two separate people, but Musa points out the unethical boundaries of that (duh) and how her love for Riven meant that she loved him in spite of his flaws and wanted to help him improve on his faults, but only if he recognized them as so. This perplexes Darcy, who has a similar corrupting power to Carabossa (albeit much less powerful) and she believes that she must change those who don't like her or think like her. I'd base her appearance on Olivia Rodrigo, and also have her voiced by Tasia Valenza, since I enjoyed her performance as Poison Ivy in the "Batman: Arkham" video game series, and I feel like her deeper voice captures Darcy well (4kids bias).

Stormy, being the baby triplet, is often left the hand-me-downs of her sisters and is the most mysterious, despite sharing her sisters' interest in chaos and power-seeking. Unlike the more composed Trix, Stormy is much more upfront and aggressive, not usually bothering with manipulation unless she thought it could stir up an immediate reaction. She doesn't really have a love interest, but she does note that if things fell apart for Stella and Brandon, she could pick up the pieces and "see which way the storm blows." I'd also see her as the Trix member who's most likely to choose physical violence (in contrast to Icy, who's most likely to rely on her magic), and feels like she has the most to prove, insecure and afraid that she and her sisters were discarded because of her (being the only one who's powers were apparent and uncontrollable from a young age). She also has it out for Aisha and Tecna, as storms know how to stoke an ocean's ire, and can cause blackouts. I'd base her appearance off of Tate Mcrae, with her voicework being done by Selah Victor, AKA Chloe Bourgeois from "Miraculous Ladybug."

Diaspro--Just to be clear, I'm keeping the "Sky and Brandon swapped identities" subplot, but this lie is revealed BEFORE Bloom and Sky get together. It's also revealed that both Sky and Diaspro are political pawns; they were childhood friends, and when it was revealed that Diaspro was a fairy of gemstones (what's with "the"? Can't there be more fairies like her?), she was betrothed to Sky under the belief that her wealth would enrich Erakylon. While Diaspro submitted to this--being from a poor family and "encouraged" by her relatives to accept the betrothal--she became cruel and callous due to the political games she had to play, as well as never wanting to go back to poverty. She had a crush on Sky, and the betrothal heightened this, but she failed to realize he didn't feel the same, as he became more withdrawn when the betrothal became official. Since he was doing his duty as a prince, he tried to submit to his family's wishes, but rebelled when he developed a crush on Bloom, as well as making friends with the Winx and the Specialists. Diaspro misinterprets this as his friends talking him out of marrying her, and she lashes out at them and tries to tear them apart. Sky is the only one who has sympathy for her at first, and eventually all his friends realize she was dealt a bad hand in life. Until it's revealed Bloom is a princess with the power of the dragon flame (she's originally just said to be a fire fairy to protect her), Sky and Diaspro go through with the illusion that they're engaged. When it breaks off, Diapsro's family has been compensated and rises to the noble ranks, but they still want more. Diapsro informs Sky of their plotting, and she pretends to continue to be villainous to her family and other villains, acting as a double agent for the Winx and the Specialists without turning anyone against her. For her design, I'd base her on Ariana Grande (for obvious reasons), and surprisingly have her voice by Ellen Wong; I think her sweetness as Knives Chau would be great for Diaspro's vulnerability, and it'd be fun to see her act stuck-up. I'd also give her an outfit reminiscent of blue labradorite (you'll recall with my rewrite of Bloom I'd give her a black base with colorful accents reminiscent of the cosmos).

Darkar--Much the same, the dark dragon that contrasts with the great dragon that created the world. I'd make him a bit more nuanced, with his nature being chaos rather than outright evil. In fact, to make him different from other Winx villains, I'll make him lawful evil--which is the Dungeons & Dragons way of saying he's a bad guy who follows the rules. These "rules" would essentially be the laws of nature, that light cannot exist without darkness and vice versa, but one can reign over the other. With his wife gone, he sees the Trix as his daughters/granddaughters (and they are his descendants) and attempts to teach them his ways--though they are puzzled by his lack of unecessary cruelty and restraint, as well as his respect for those who align with good. He reveals that his wife was not constrained by the rules that governed him, and that is likely why the Trix act they way they do. He's also known as the "shadow phoenix" because he'll always be reborn, and there will be an age of darkness once more, and Bloom's descendants (or another descendant who holds the dragon flame; Bloom's extended family is sizeable) will fall into their grasp. Plus Bloom's witch heritage makes her fall into his distortion, bringing out the duality of the dragon flame, both light and shadow. I'd love for him to have a larger-than-life deity appearance to him, and taking inspiration from X-Men's "Dark Phoenix" arc feels natural--thinking on it now, they may have already done that. For his great voice acting as Trigon, I'd love for Kevin Michael Richardson to play him--though Paul St. Peter is a close second.

Valtor--He's iconic as-is and the greatest Winx villain (partially because of how involved he is in every episode, in contrast to previous villains), but I'd make a change to his origins; instead of an older being created from the dragon flame and raised by the Ancestral Witches, he's the biological son of Darkus and Carabossa. Similar to Diaspro, he was used as a pawn all his life, and is only slightly older than the Winx and Specialists. He essentially does everything the same in my book, but there is a sympathetic angle; he was designed to bring about the age of chaos Darkus foretold, and thus has been emotionally, psychologically, and physically abused by his caretakers (since his parents weren't physically around to raise him) until he became a beast of darkness. However, due to the fact that light cannot exist without darkness and vice versa, in a similar way to Bloom being made into Dark Bloom, Valtor is capable of love and light, albeit in a very standoffish, aloof way. Bloom recognizes his loneliness, and for a second it makes her reconsider wanting to be reunited with her own family, who she only knows through second-hand sources. With the power of the Winx, Bloom defeats Valtor, but instead of killing him, she uses her divine abilities to take some of the darkness in his heart and accept it into her own, giving him some of her light in return, knowing that he didn't choose to be who he became, though he's still imprisoned with the Trix in the Lightrock Monastery due to his crimes. It's implied for the rest of the series that he's an antihero, though he tries to be discreet due to the legacy he created. For his voice actor, I'd love for him to be voiced by Neil Newbon; the Astarion parallels are too delicious to ignore.

(NGL, Valtor is a great villain, but I did feel bad for the circumstances surrounding his creation, thus my sympathetic take.)

Tritannus--Due to his repetitive nature in season 5, I'd make Tritannus a supporting villain in season 3, helping to give more focus to Andros as well as keeping his goals streamlined. For a good deal of the season, the merpeople are curropted, with the pandemic eventually reaching King Neptune and Queen Ligea. Nereus also becomes infected, leaving Trittannus to rule the seas. However, when he welches on his promise to help Valtor take over the magical dimension, Valtor pollutes the ocean, transforming Trittanus into a monster. He then helps Valtor in order to regain his original form, as well as having a thing for Icy (who admires his evil tendencies, but his newfound appearance makes this a manipulative relationship only, as she sees a great deal to gain by becoming Queen of the Seas, this being one of her off periods with Darko). His family eventually defeats him, and he is banished to Oblivion, though both his siblings hope to release him from there with time, given his young age and their merciful natures, though Aisha remains skeptical.

I'd probably want him voiced by David Gallagher; I could totally hear Riku's voice when I see him.

Cassandra and Chimera--Amazing side villains, and pretty underrated winx villains overall, Cassandra is the new wife of King Radius and Chimera is her daughter, and both of them treat Stella cruelly and put a spell on Radius to make her resent her. I'd include them a bit more, and make Cassandra seem a bit kinder than she really is, with Chimera viciously tearing down Stella and Cassandra passive-aggressively trying to cheer her up, only to make her feel worse. I'd also make it less obvious that Radius is under a spell; since Stella argues with him frequently following the divorce and now with his surprise marriage, Stella believes that Radius thinks she's turned against him and wishes to take the throne by force, possibly with her mother. Radius IS under a spell, but it's easy for Stella to buy that after all their arguing, it's affected her father's perception of her, especially since his new wife and stepdaughter appear demure and submissive. They're still vain and spoiled, but they know how to curry the kingdom's favor in order to make themselves likeable, craftily working with Valtor to stain Stella's image as a selfish, entitled princess, and convince the nobles that her behavior could result in a coup that could destroy the sun kingdom, even making them think that Stella has become a puppet to Luna (and that Solaria itself could become a puppet state).

I'd base their appearances on Gwen Stefani and Jenna Ortega respectively, with Cassandra being voiced by Jennifer Hale (using a voice similar to her Bayonetta performance) and Chimera being voiced by Diane Guerroerro (since she has "evil Isabella Madrigal" written all over her).

Wizards of the Dark Circle--In my rewrite, they wouldn't be present villains (not that I've written the whole thing out, but that's my current headspace), but instead beings of legend, with their own unique backgrounds. Two of them are fairies, so I guess "Lords of the Dark Circle" would be a better title.

Ogron--Nicknamed the Stormy of the Wizards by the Winx and the Specialists, he's moody and quick to anger, but when he is in his element, he's calm and collected. As a child, he was a precocious wizard who surmised that fairies were the most powerful beings in the magical dimension (outside of the dragon creator), and realized that no matter how powerful he'd become, they'd always win, inspiring his quest to destroy all fairies on Earth, becoming so powerful that he became the Wizard of Negation, capable of stripping powerful creatures of their abilities (which varied by creature, of course). Despite his rage against fairies, he seems to have love and care for other beings, including his fellow wizards. He was eventually defeated by non-Earth fairies and sealed in a stone statue in Gardenia, and with his defeat, no more wizards were born on Earth. Similar to the Winx, I'd give the WOTDC celebrity inspirations, mainly celebrities who were (arguably) at their most famous decades ago, but are still widely respected now. For Ogron, I'd base him off of Johnny Depp and have him voiced by Mark Hamill (he gives me Ozai vibes, what can I say?) I'd also change the group's color scheme to be more individualistic, making his a mix of reds and oranges in a sophisticated, upper-class style rather than his punk aesthetic in the OG version.

Anagan--I'd make him the most "likeable" of the lords; he shows respect for others, flirts, and socializes, being known as the life of the party. He is known as the Wizard of Time, which allowed the wizards to stay ageless and find the Earth fairies (he joins this quest because he sees fairies as inferior to wizards, and not deserving of their power). It's implied that he can also time travel, and that the Winx may encounter him one day, or that they may already have. Due to his skill at seducing fairies, it's stated that he's sired many descendants, but due to Ogron's petrification, no magic came of his descendants, wizard or otherwise. While he escaped the fate of his contemporaries, it's said he's lived a lonely life without them, being known as the shoulder they could cry on and an expert secret-keeper who they consulted. His celebrity inspiration would be Usher, and I'd make his clothes trendy and have a stained glass style and multicolored, highlighting his colorful personality and friendliness (just not to fairies). Keith David would be a fun voice actor for him, in my opinion.

Gantlos--Originally a wizard of destruction, I'd rewrite him as the fairy of memory, and thus the one responsible for erasing Earth's recollection of magic ever being real. He also is the most protective of the group, throwing himself in danger to keep the others safe and being akin to the Pied Piper of Hamlin due to his mesmerizing flute playing. He was ignored as a male fairy within his family, lacking the ability to progress to different forms (likely because he was sheltered and thus could never overcome his insecurities or make a sacrifice), and took on a dark fairy transformation, giving him a new form, but locking him out of the forms other fairies have. Being raised by a rather strict, traditional family, he doesn't share compassion for animals, making Ariel detest him as she learns more about him. However, he does have affection for the elderly. When trying to wipe the entire world's mind of fairies, he became overwhelmed and it destroyed his mind (and failed, thus why we still have fairy tales), making him the second of the Lords to fall and thus buried in a magical crypt by Ogron and Anagan. I'd base his appearance on Leonardo DiCaprio, and have him voiced by Zahn McClarnon, since I enjoyed him as Olrox in "Castlevania: Nocturne." His fashion sense would be very similar to Dante from the "Devil May Cry" video game, albeit blue.

Duman--Also a fairy in my rewrite, he was a fairy of shifting (which means he could shapeshift). He often downed himself as a loser, not strong as other fairies and eventually fell in with the wrong crowd, making his way into the Wizards of the Dark Circle. He strives to be useful, and due to insecurity, almost never appears as himself unless he's with the other lords. Unlike the other lords, he acknowledges that what he's doing isn't really ethical, but is fine with being bad because he has community. He's quite lonely, and it's mentioned that if he never met the wizards, and thus the lords are like family to him. He has a tendency for gambling, and it's noted that after being tricked by a clever fairy, he was forced to give up his magic power. The lords erased his mind of them, deciding to spare him the pain, and he married a human woman and had a family, which they knew he always wanted. His legacy in the magical world was not forgotten, but the mortal world never knew of him. I'd want his appearance inspired by Brendon Urie, as well as being voiced by Noel Fisher (who I know as Toad in "X-Men: Evolution") would be perfect for this. I'd probably keep his punk aesthetic, though I love him wearing green.

Hope you like these takes. Lemme know what you think, and if you have any questions. Next post for this will be the specialists!

[skuntank]

I feel like Roxie is probably more than a little annoyed that the only League members she can talk to about Poison types are the Ninja Family from Kanto. She’d probably have a few pleasant conversations with Janine but not really connect over any other shared interests. You’d think she’d get along with Klara considering her background as a former (failed) underground pop musician, but there’s no way those two personalities get along. Marley’s had to drag her GF away from an impending argument-turned-fight at international League meetings at least twice by now.

i do NOT think koga would like roxie. at all. lmao. he reads far too much to me as "strict boomer dad who has ridiculously high standards" and roxie has zero interest in trying to meet anyones standards. he vocally believes she could stand to be more disciplined and dignified and she vocally believes he should shut his mouth and mind his own business. (also i just see her being the type that enjoys antagonizing people who take themselves far too seriously)

i do think that janine and roxie could get along, but i dont think janine would tolerate some of the things roxie says to her dad. but if that werent a factor, i think roxie would think being a ninja is the sickest shit ever and janine, being very proud of her community and lifestyle, would be more than happy to indulge roxies fascination and questions. i think janine would even potentially enjoy roxies music quite a bit!!

ok i dont know much about klara tbh, but what i DO know about her, she fucking cracks me up. take this with a grain of salt, because i truly dont have a good understanding of her personality, but i think she would be one of those people that like the second her and roxie lock eyes, its on sight. like the venom (pun not intended lmao) is almost instantaneous the second one of them opens their mouth. i could truly see marley having not been able to get in between them fast enough and roxie having tried to physically attack her at some point and this is probably brought up every time they have to be near one another (specifically to antagonize roxie by insisting that she is unsafe to be around) (klara is far from the first person roxie has tried to throw hands with, she aint special)

roxie would fucking love if there were more (cooler) poison type specialists in some of the leagues. looking it up, aparently plumeria is also a poison type specialist, and i dont know under what circumstances they might ever meet, but i do think theyd get along great actually. plumeria has that cool older sister vibe that i think roxie would be really drawn to and want to impress her and i can see plumeria kind of taking roxie under her wing bc she loves her energy and anti establishment vibe but also sees her potential and knows roxie can be so much more powerful and strategic as she matures

[sxnyarostova]

symbiosis

do i put this on ao3. anyways this is my velma/roxie fic i hope you enjoy i love them

Roxie Hart reckons that she’s going crazy. Consistently oscillating between this ingenious high and manic low, she never stays in either mood long enough to feel comfortable, to feel like she’s riding the wave of life. Touring’s hard work, something that takes a toll on both the mind and the body– Velma’s words, not hers–, but there’s typically no problem she can’t deal with when she’s got liquor on her hands. 

A glass of gin and a splash of icy water on clammy cheeks usually calm her right down: the combination doesn’t help her very much anymore, though. She’s taken this remedy a little too many times, which explains her growing resistance to its calming properties. These days, the only thing that truly ties off the frayed ends of her psyche with a pretty little ribbon is, well… Velma. 

Roxie doesn’t love her: it’s become a mantra over these past months spent ducking in and out of hotel after hotel and theatre after theatre. There’s the occasional pharmacist and gin joint as well, but that doesn’t count. 

Instead of doing whatever love entails– because how the hell is Roxie supposed to know what love is when she’s never seen it in action?–, they kiss, they fuck, and Velma disappears somewhere between midnight and eleven in the morning, or at whatever ungodly hour Roxie wakes up after a night of debauchery. It’s an understanding they’ve reached, something as sure as the lacquered planks beneath her feet, an aspirin tablet swallowed dry that leaves an indent in her throat long after it's worked its magic. It is not love. 

Roxie never did very well in school, but she’s making up for lost time. Touring means that she spends a lot of time in a train carriage with Velma, who smokes, drinks, stretches, and reads magazines: there isn’t exactly a way for Roxie to kindle a conversation when Velma gets all quiet like that, so she’d gotten her hands on a book about animal behaviour, of all things, from a dressing room somewhere in Illinois

It’s interesting, with little tidbits about interspecies relationships. Take predator-prey, for example; it’s one she’d known all about even before she cracked open the dusty tome. It’s kill or get killed in America, after all: a girl has gotta have learned something after she’s fended for herself in this cesspool of a country for this long. 

But symbiosis is something she’s never heard of before, and she reckons after a brief skim of the chapter that Velma Kelly excels at whatever this professor is banging on about. Somehow, regardless of how the other is involved in her affairs, Velma Kelly always, always comes out on top; she’s the symbiote, the organism that gains something even if she’s leeching blood, leaving trails of her venom in somebody else’s blood, or spreading diseases left, right and centre.

It’s infuriating, but Roxie finds herself crawling back to Velma’s bed anyway. When you’re desperate for something to curb the restless ticks that haunt your head, you’ll do anything.

(She still remembers the panic that had risen in her throat after that first night, when she’d woken swaddled in sheets, sitting in the most fragrant viper’s nest known to man. Roxie had always known that she was going to spend her days scorching in hellfire– murder didn’t grant you a seat by Jesus– but she wasn’t ready to be indicted into the Devil’s inner circle. Surely there was something wrong and sinful about what she’d done with Velma the night before; surely there were scriptures in the Bible that forbade women from touching like that. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Velma had asked as Roxie scrambled for her robe, which lay in a crumpled heap of velvet on the hotel carpet. Despite her casual tone, an undercurrent of venom lazed beneath Velma’s words. “Were you faking those giggles last night, Roxie Hart? Are you considering leaving vaudeville and busting into Hollywood with your affected little squeals?” 

“I– no!” Roxie mumbled, blindly throwing her arms through their respective sleeves. “I’m fine. I really am fine. Last night was… new, that’s all.” She blinked, brushed a flyaway curl back into place, and offered Velma a blinding smile. 

“I thought new things didn’t scare you: always considered you a modern girl.” Velma raised an eyebrow as she stopped in front of the vanity, fingers deftly securing a double string of pearls around her neck. She fixed the clasp before latching her eyes onto Roxie’s ruddy complexion, her bob swishing by her ears like a beaded curtain. “I know what this is. You’re thinking about sinning, ain’t you?”

Roxie hated how Velma seemed to have her entire world and all its inhabitants figured out. Life was nothing but a jigsaw puzzle to Miss Velma Kelly, and every piece she put down always managed to lock into place. “...Well, don’t you ever think about sinning?” Roxie said, fiddling with the sash of her robe. “I don’t know how often you fuck blonde girls who you met in a jail cell, but—”

Velma guffawed. “I stopped repenting when I was twelve, sweetheart. The only compass I’ve got is my heart.” She gave her chest a gentle thump. “Whichever way it aims is where I’ll go, and if it’s pointing in your direction—” she threw her hands up as if to say ‘what the Hell’ “—then that’s where I’m headed ‘til it tells me otherwise.” 

“Oh,” Roxie said, brows furrowing. “Well, I– I don’t know. I–”

“Did you enjoy it?”

Roxie nodded, platinum hair bouncing earnestly around her face. 

“And did you feel like it was wrong when it happened?” 

Despite the condescension in Velma’s tone, Roxie found it in her to respond, shaking her head no. 

“I don’t see what the problem is, then,” Velma said, sitting primly atop the vanity. “You see, sex is a little like murder. If you felt justified when you did it, you don’t have to worry your pretty little head off about it.” She held up a flask, glinting silver in the noontime sun. “Care for a little pick-me-up?” )

Roxie wonders if Velma’s a drug of sorts or an exorcist with the blessing of some twisted God who likes helping murderesses stave off their guilty consciences. She’ll be tearing out her hair one moment and laughing the next: as soon as Velma’s teeth meet the lobe of her ear, the crowding voices that haunt Roxie’s head dissipate into nothing but malevolent spirits, melding into the atmosphere. 

She sighs, pulling another cigarette from the open box in her robe pocket and slipping it into her mouth. Velma, Roxie muses, needs her for the success of their marquee-lining act: she needs Velma for all the wrong reasons. Roxie uncaps the lipstick on her bureau, gives the base a tiny twist, and begins absentmindedly applying another layer: she doesn’t know why she bothers. Her lips are plump and red enough, and Velma’s practised lips remove any traces left after a night of performing. It’s just therapeutic, she supposes, the feeling of wax sliding across her lips. 

“You ready?”

The lipstick in her hand deviates from its trajectory and streaks across her face. “Jesus, Vel,” Roxie hisses, hastily rushing to a mirror and rubbing away the runaway line of red. “You ever learned to knock?”

“What difference would it make? I’d still come in regardless of your response,” Velma shrugs. She grins, pulls out a tissue from a nearby box, and passes it into Roxie’s waiting hands. She is striking in her costume, kitted out in a dark leotard with obsidian garters that blossom against her skin. “Well? Are you ready, kid?”

“Yeah,” Roxie grumbles. She gives her curls one last fluff, readjusts her own pearly pair of stockings, and tosses the tissue into the bin. “But– Velma? Before we go? Can you–?”

Her mind is running circles at the thought of performing. If she thinks long and hard about it, Roxie’s been a performer her whole life. She’s acted for her parents from the age of five and for her prospective beaus from the age of fifteen, doing the former out of fear and the latter out of a deep-seated desire for security. She’d acted when she was on trial, too, and frankly speaking, Roxie’s exhausted. 

She needs someone to remind her that she’s Roxie Hart, and the only person who can do that is Velma, with her kisses and brass comments and the behavior that she only displays when she’s around Roxie. Velma Kelly is Roxie’s savior; the lighthouse in the distance, the shore that Roxie longs to find after hours spent in the water. This is symbiosis. 

Velma pecks Roxie on the cheek without another word. 

[ozlices]

ok the Thoughts on glamrock bonnie are:

his palette very much compels me considering that in the bonnie bowl animations of sb, he was very much fnaf 1 bonnie's lilacy color. it makes me wonder if his color is something they decided on later, or if maybe bonnie bowl's animations is based on a prototype, or nostalgia for fans of the older franchise within the universe? no idea. compels me, though.

additionally, it interests me that he is more similar to toy bonnie's color specifically. idk if that was on purpose or not, but. i just find it v interesting of all alt colors he could've gotten, it was a light blue like toy bonnie.

afaik, we have no confirmation nor denial about whether or not it was monty who destroyed him. it still feels like sb heavily implied that was what happened to him, and now seeing that he is truly genuinely destroyed adds to that. personally i think he did it out of jealousy or something, but who knows.

WHY THE FUCK DID THEY JUST LEAVE HIM BACK THERE THOUGH IT'S SO DEPRESSING WHAT THE FUCK IT HURTS ME...

genuinely want to sob thinking abt glamrock freddy bc he has watched all of his friends go through so much, and the state his bf is in... is glamrock freddy okay. can we start a gofundme for his therapy, please. he needs therapy so bad.

the other thing that intrigues me the most with glamrock bonnie's reveal is that we have Canon glamrock designs for Every fnaf 1 character except foxy. it makes me very curious if he was actually just completely erased by roxy's creation, or if something else happened. no idea what. there's so many things. especially because we literally have SO many things with foxy around the pizzaplex. it's not like he doesn't exist at all or isn't acknowledged. so, if freddy, chica AND bonnie all got created as glamrocks, why was foxy the only one who was replaced? something fishy there idk

bonnie's eyes still being lit up before you deactivate all the wet floor bots.... was he conscious. all that time back there. i am in agony. CHICA AND BONNIE HAVE DONE SO MUCH FOR US THEY DESERVE SO MUCH BETTER WHY ARE THEY SPECIFICALLY DESPISED SO MUCH IN SB GIRL HELP IT HURTS

in conclusion: the g in glamrock stands for Gay and bonnie is just a neat little guy and i love him and i want to see him again in ACTION. i want to HEAR HIM SPEAK. PLEASE. PULL A PUT HIM BACK TOGETHER, BITCH I NEED IT

[libras-interactives]

Hi ! Just thought about something! What are the religious beliefs of the UtDM's characters ? (Your ocs specifically) You mentioned Flynn was atheist, I believe ? I just find those kind of information really interesting when you consider the time period !

Have a nice day !

Ooooh interesting question! Cut because this is long.

Marius and Eveline were raised Catholic. She still attends Mass and believes to ... some extent, though it's painful when she'd had so much tragedy and she feels God has allowed it to happen. It's more comforting rituals to her, and a familiar place to have peace and quiet in. Marius would say he believes in God, but does little in the way of prayer or action.

Jack was raised in a very puritannical, isolated and fundamentalist Christian sect. He's still very afraid of God and damnation and Satan, and wants to not believe to relieve himself of that fear, but ...

Flynn was raised very strict Catholic, and he was always defiant and iffy on the whole thing - WW1 sent him firmly into "God is dead and/or never existed, and if He's alive, he doesn't care about us" territory. Generally he believes organized religion is an excellent scam.

Lottie's family was Catholic, though didn't attend church often and as far as she remembers, weren't terribly devout. When they died, she became bitter and resented God. As an adult, she's mostly recovered from that, but still jokingly calls herself a bad Catholic and doesn't really identify as one.

Máire was raised Catholic ... ish? Her grandmother and mother were... eccentric about it, to say the least. Their true beliefs were much closer to the late 1800s spiritualist movement, with a weird mix of Saint reverence and old Irish folk medicine and teachings. Máire dislikes explaining herself to others, and Catholicism is deeply tied to her culture, so she allows others to assume and refer to her as Catholic.

Malwina was raised Catholic and still believes in God. She tries to attend Mass, but lately it's brought more guilt and shame than it's worth. She prays on her rosary when she feels disheartened, but moreso because it reminds her of her mama and sisters.

Polly/Paulie grew up Methodist, and isn't particuarly religious or interested, but the church still holds fond memories. He's especially sentimental during Christmastime, and will attend those services. She only prays if she's truly in distress.

Slyvester was raised Lutheran, though his parents were fairly open-minded for the time. His wife is Catholic, and he married into/converted to the Catholic Church for her sake. They don't attend Mass except for holidays, and only pray with family or before meals.

Krooks grew up Jewish, and tries not to think about what his family and God would think about his current situation. He still observes dietary restrictions and holidays out of tradition and missing his family. Ezra was raised in a fiercely Southern Baptist home, which put him off religion for a long time. A few times he's gone to Krooks' synagogue and found it comforting. Roxie is quite blunt about her disbelief in God, and claims she never stepped foot in a church, nor will she ever. She grew up in rural Utah, had four mothers and narrowly avoided a marriage with a much older man. She does NOT like talking about religion.

[sicklyseraphnsuch]

Egbert and Lalonde

John and Rose shared a very sweet relationship at the start of Homestuck and honestly, I feel that both John and Rose share a similar trajectory after the game ended.

Both felt shackled in the aftermath. Rose's classpect has done more to stifle the "rebellious" girl who sought to write her own quest, than anything else. But of course, any woman carving her own path in the world is considered "rebellious" when she's just doing her thing. And after the game, Rose feels beholden to the "Narrative"/Fortune as she Sees it, and doesn't seek a path that she cannot See.

And we all know how John fell apart.

In Candy, they actually made similar paths as well. John married Roxy, Rose married Kanaya. They had wedded bliss. But at some point, they just started going through the motions - which is INFINITELY more interesting to me than wedded bliss. John and Roxy eventually divorced but Rose didn't. Again, this is part of her Seeing a path and feeling chained to it. Kanaya even asks in BC: "when did you stop trying?"

Both John and Rose (either in Candy or Meat) suffer from an intense loneliness. To quote the show Kaos, "There's no loneliness quite like that with someone you're falling out of love with. Especially when that person doesn't know it yet." And I suspect that's what happened to Rose. Whereas John in Candy eventually divorces Roxy (though how in love he was is actually unclear). And John in Meat has sex with a Terezi that fell in love with his Candy version, and was also dying, so how much of his love is true and strong is also dubious.

This depression makes sense, and I'm not mad at all about the way Hussie wrote this (TBH). But I am also hyper invested in how this all shakes out. I think Hussie made a bold decision in writing truly pathetic characters who made awful decisions. Because to me now, the End feels like a Beginning all over again.

(I also am okay with Jane becoming the Bad Mom/Worst Villain, bc we need more of those and honestly, her being a Good Mom would also be death of her character however More palatable that would be to the fandom. At least this character "death" is fucking interesting. I support women's wrongs. Go get 'em.)

(And honestly the way I feel like the narrative should wrap up is by making the End as the Middle instead. But thats my writerly preference)

So, I think... Rose and Kanaya should probably break up. Kanaya doesn't deserve the bullshit Rose put her through and if Rose is falling out of love, they both deserve to be honest about it. This is Rose "breaking the game" all over again, and by that I mean Rose "breaking the Happy Ending norms that society likes to enforce on the populace". Sometimes, divorce IS what leads to the Good Ending. Sometimes, love ISNT forever. I am delighted by this sincerely.

But the story shouldnt end with the divorce (thats too normal!!!). Lets be weird. Anyways, Rose owes herself the Truth. I hope the story kickstarts both her and Kanaya's stories again and maybe... Maybe they'll hate each other and they'll end up as kismesis bc Kanaya is wasted in Flush romances gurl I know you can tear a body in two. And uh... well... let's fade to black here. Heehee.

As for John... I actually really love June as his next development. But here's my thing. I dont believe John is one of the people "who always knew they were going to transition". I dont buy that the only "valid transperson" is someone who knew from a young age that they were "trans". I know people who were Cis* for a good chunk of their life and through a confluence of events realize hey... That cis* isnt working for them anymore. (*for a given definition of cis)

I think John follows this trajectory. Dont even get me started on people who think that devaluing ANY transition bc "oh you were traumatized so youre only transitioning out of trauma". First of all, those people would devalue ALL transitions at the drop of a hat. Hey, newsflash, your past experiences in fact inform your present realities. And hey, sometimes, that means a cis*boy decides that instead of doing a piroutte into death, a better and more hopeful change maybe in becoming a woman.

I dont think John becoming June will magically remove her depression. I think June needs some prozac on top of the girlpill. But you know... It feels like a breath of fresh air for June to Become something new. Because John deserves to rest, and June deserves a chance to scratch and bite her way into a new life. I looooove June as a way of Egbert forging an identity thats not part of the game anymore. It honestly feels narratively perfect to me. She's still going to be depressed and traumatized but she's relearning how to be.

Tl;Dr I think Rose Lalonde and J. Egbert should Become Something New. Maybe that means Rose dates different people and maybe that means John grows into June.

[bluarlequinno]

regarding your post about roxie teaching everything she knew, YOU ARE DEFINITELY NOT THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS THOUGHT OF IT /POS

that information from the comics has not left my mind FOR YEARS and it just makes me crazy in so many levels because i’m so stuck on imagining ramona and roxie, i’ve basically assigned myself as their ceo for how long i’ve had them in my head

theres so little fics of them, and the fics that are there before spto barely touches upon anything deeper in their relationship than the surface things

and yes, you are so real and right because i truly believe that roxie also thought ramona skating. that out of all ramona’s relationship, that one with roxie couldve been a “forever” and i will stand by that

i’ve been refreshing their page seeing if theres any more fics because of spto and sadly, theres only been a few and I AM SO HUNGRY

You're actually so true for this, the lack of fanfiction exploring them is kinda sad, I also checked both for spto and sp in general and found very few fics that didn't really handle any of the deeper topics that could be there to explore in their relationship.

And I agree so much with you, I may not have been thinking about it for years, but I agree with the sentiment completely.

Ramona and Roxie and their college years has so much potential for character study, both for Ramona and Roxie and how they met, all their time back then, how they fell apart, everything regarding that part of their lives would be SOOO good, and given the fact of Roxie having taught Ramona everything makes it all the more intriguing. Now with the new show validating the idea that in fact their relationship was a serious relationship (even if it was in the comics, but yk on subtext) I expected people to get even more excited or interested in exploring all the possibilities with them.

And yes I wasn't sure if I was right, but Roxie teaching Ramona to skate or at least skating through Subspace it's worth exploring alright, I just need a fic, anything that delves into it.

Not to mention Roxie is canonically an artist, she was gonna open an art gallery and Ramona was going to go mind you, I mean wouldn't it be interesting to explore that part of Roxie's character? She was not only an artist but a successful one, I'm guessing (I don't remember if it is ever mentioned) that in college she studied something related. It's really interesting how much we get to know about Roxie from just small bits of dialogue, I wished all this could be further explored in fics

Roxie teaching Ramona how to skate would be such a fun idea, and I've got this little headcanon their first kiss was inside the subspace.

And yeah, refreshing AO3 in hopes for something 🙏 and getting disappointed.

I wanted to start writing something and I did, but it's such a messy unfinished questionably (quality speaking) draft that I am not sure

I'm so glad there's people out there who've seen that potential, In general I find the exes so interesting (obvs specially Roxie) like even outside spto there's details in the comics that make them interesting with a lot of possible character exploration, and their dynamic with Ramona.

I hope that eventually more Roxie x Ramona character studies will pop up on AO3 🤞

[susandsnell]

Phoenix from Phantom of the Paradise! 2, 3, 23

Character Ask Game

Hi Maggie! Thanks for the patience, glad you liked the movie enough to ask me about it haha!

Phoenix from Phantom of the Paradise:

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

I like how self-serving she is! There are a few Christines in various Phantom of the Opera adaptations (the 1943 one and the one played by Jane Seymour both come to mind) who are truly girlboss™️, ruthlessly ambitious in pursuit of their singing careers and to whom love and romance and, well, men, come second, if not an afterthought entirely. Phoenix is a regular Roxie Hart in a Phantom of the Opera/Faust story. She's particularly willing to compromise on her integrity to get ahead, and she's shown to be genuinely egotistical and swept up in living for the adoration of her public. Yes, it is gendered in that she does sleep with Swan / agree to his marriage proposal as part of the deal, but what's fun about it is she's genuinely more Faust than Marguerite in that she's given personal aspirations independent of the men in her life, with the sex side of things being more a means to an end than the Corruption of the Innocent. More women being ethically questionable in horror, I always say!

It's surprisingly nice especially given the time period that she's not really narratively punished, either; yes, she does lose Winslow at the end, but she's the only one who lives! Maybe she can live on to warn people about the scourge of Satanism and clothed lesbian orgies plaguing the rock opera scene.

Also, I love that she has a deeper register! More alto/contralto ingenues!!!

3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?

With the above being said, I do have to say that Phoenix, like most of the characters in this film who are not named Winslow or Swan, is a bit underwritten and simplistic. I wish we were able to learn more about her; she doesn't necessarily need to have the honouring-the-dead-father backstory most Christines have (although that would be interesting given Swan's whole deal with offering immortality!), but a bit more than "she wants to make it" would be nice, and kind of break her out of the gender stereotyping boxes a bit further. It was cute watching her bond with Winslow, but especially seeing how De Palma's later work would flesh out side characters a lot more, I'd love to see her good points more at war with her single-minded pursuit of stardom. As she stands, she's a bit flat.

23. Favorite picture of this character?

Everyone knows and would likely pick the angelic white dress bathed in the stagelight singing picture, or the classic backstage drama ingenue image of her sitting in her dressing room mirror with Swan looming over her shoulder in the reflection, so I'm going to indulge my perpetual need to be different and choose this one --

The ingenue archetype is usually idealized and placed on a benevolent misogyny pedestal when she performs angelically, but I really love this image for subverting that. Other than the dramtic angle, the look in her eye speaks to a hidden ferocity in Phoenix - perhaps in pursuit of her goals - that I just love.

Thank you!!!

[thesparklingwriter]

34: you need rest

gif banner signifies that you should read the written portion

taglist | masterlist | smau navi | next

“Hey listen, Rex,” you say quietly, gently taking your hand in his. It took the doctors around 3 hours to be satisfied with your progress, and the drowsy effects of the painkillers they gave you have begun to wear off. It's only three hours later that they begin to make steps towards waking Zhongli up.

And more than anything, the guilt is making you queasy. If you hadn't asked to get Starbucks, would someone else have been targeted by that driver?

Ei tells you that the driver had blood alcohol levels high enough to affect their reasoning but low enough that they would have had some understanding of what was going on–and with the way their car hit yours, she’s not convinced that it’s truly an accident. To hit a car side-on in a motorway by accident would be a feat in itself.

“Listen, I don't need a walk-in wardrobe. And if you wake up and you don’t hate me I will never ever make such a ridiculous suggestion ever again, and you can have the spare room for whatever you want it for, okay? I won’t judge.” You sigh. “Even Itto is worried out of his mind for you. And that’s saying something, so don’t be all… I don’t even know. You should have seen him. By the time he got here, I wasn’t completely loopy anymore but he was so scared he cried. He wanted to see you too, but the doctors heard his wailing from down the corridor and thought it would be best not to let him in.”

Ei enters the room, shutting the door behind her, and quietly dismissing the doctors. You look up at her, and she smiles wryly, holding a folder out to you.  “I think you might find this report of interest.” you take the folder from her, quietly questioning why she’s giving it to you and not waiting for Zhongli to wake up.

“I understand that you value Zhongli’s opinion, but I want you to be able to have a chance to think about how you want to proceed with this on your own.”

You open the file carefully and ignore all the police reports and doctor’s analyses. You know exactly how things went, and you don't want to relive it all. It's the resolution document that catches your eye.

“Lumine?” you say quietly, looking up at Ei carefully. “But you said the driver likely had intentions of seriously harming me. Lumine has a career she has to uphold, she wouldn’t ever stoop this—”

Ei stops you with a raised eyebrow and you clamp your mouth shut. “You can choose. You let her get incarcerated for attempted murder and not go to a hearing, you can go and fight for her to get the least time, or you can go and fight to get the most time for her.”

“That would ruin her life.”

“Hasn't she attempted to ruin yours enough times?” Ei says quietly. You don’t have to decide now. I suppose you should discuss it with Zhongli once you’ve made your decision. But stop pitying a woman who has never pitied you. Lumine has always been preying on your downfall and you're the only one who has never seen it. Don't extend mercies to those who don’t deserve them.”

You open your mouth to respond, but Zhongli’s hand twitches, and your focus returns to him immediately.

Ei excuses herself.

© 2023, thesparklingwriter. please do not copy, edit, repost, or translate.

notes: womp womp we almost at the end :33 anyway as of right now im still not 100% sure whether im going to end this on this chapter or the next and i also dont know exactly how im going to end it...

taglist: @shadowheads-shitshow @sharkiestory @roxie-miya @starbbearie @luminescent0 @kay-stryker @auraficial @whatamoodhoney @gautier-lei @medusuu @aixaingela @theblueblub @kika-a @je-suis-argent-miel @loveperfectionchaos @vanitasbrainrot

[cyvonix]

Cyv Reads Homestuck - Act 6 Act 5 Wrapup

Guys, I feel lied to.

I somehow gathered the gist that what I just read through was supposed to be one of the worst parts of this comic. Maybe Homestuck fans are just really harsh or dramatic or something, because I got the impression I was in for some truly heinous shit.

And instead, I get an act full of interesting meta commentary, constant utilization of the medium to do cool shit with the format, genuinely super well done, emotionally driven character writing, and a pretty consistent forward momentum of an ever-escalating narrative. What the fuck??? Did I drastically miscalculate the consensus on this act, or am I in the minority here? Either way, everything I said completely stands.

The alpha kids are fucking awesome imo. I don't care what anyone says about the melodrama being boring teen bullshit or whatever, they have unique and insane stories that I think deserve to be explored in this level of emotional vulnerability and it was satisfying to finally see some catharsis happen. People seem to dislike the trickster mode stuff, and ironically, I think the kinda person I'm talking about is one of the things that segment is poking fun at. The trickster arc, while also being really fucking funny and absurd and bizarre and fun tbh, somehow also does something kind of profound in that it shines a light directly at the characters flaws and internal struggles: Jane's inability to come to terms with her romantic feelings, Roxy's delicate sobriety on the verge of a relapse, Jake's oblivious, self-centered behavior, and Dirk's propensity towards self-critical introspection to the point of self-sabotage and even self-loathing. A mirror is held up to all the kids, who up to this point were using the framework of the game to hide and delay these issues in any way they could, and afterwards are essentially forced to face them head on and finally own up to some of the things they'd been desperately pushing down. So yeah I unironically love trickster arc fuck yall lol. I have some other detailed thoughts on the alpha kids if you wanna see, in this post.

The meta storytelling also remains just as important as it was in the previous act, but now extends past Caliborn and into the rest of the cast as well. With the way things are going - Caliborn's slow rise to power as he gathers the Felt members and learns how to use different powers, and the gang's discovery of the strange Sburb artifact that seems to have far-reaching implications concerning the fabric of the story itself - it's beginning to become clear that what the characters may be fighting for is the real-world, metatextual right to continue existing and decide how that happens. Almost as if the party who wins will decide the fate of the webcomic itself.

Even within the purely textual story below and meta elements, things are becoming really grand in an awesome way. We've finally reached the point where characters from different sessions are intermingling and aiding in each others' journeys to the fullest degree, and with the meteor and ship finally reaching the new session, I only expect this to ramp up as we enter the final stretch. I talked a lot about the emotional storytelling of the alpha kids, but the same remains true for all the others as well. I find Rose especially compelling at this point, seeing the way Roxy is finally beginning to cope with her alcoholism, and the way her Rose, obviously predisposed to the same issues, is only just beginning her journey with substance abuse. It's heartbreaking to see it get worse and worse as she clearly puts more of a strain on her and Kanaya's relationship, when just a few acts ago it was one of the cutest and most pure displays of romantic interest, but it tracks with Rose's character and feels like a step that has to happen for her. And in the department of the villainous forces at large, the Mekara's remain a giant fucking question mark that is equally amusing as it is terrifying, and the various agents at work are coalescing to ensure a devastating challenge for our heroes. Can't wait to see how any of this will be dealt with as it certainly seems the high point in intensity is upon us, or at least approaching very quickly.

If I did have to complain about anything, I guess I would say that most of the alpha trolls and even most of the beta trolls barely make an appearance or mean anything. Some get very fun, if small, roles, and the fusion sprites were definitely a fun thing to see, but... man it really feels like we did not need as many characters as we have right now when most of them could have basically had their role merged into a single, other character. I'm not surprised seeing as I found the majority of the alpha trolls to be fairly uninteresting, one-trick joke characters and the story has trouble getting 12 trolls into meaningful positions, let alone 24, but I'm still not sure what the purpose was in even introducing us to so many characters when most will essentially be background characters anyway. Maybe I'll be proven super wrong and they'll be like, the most developed and awesome and complex and important characters ever!!!! (but I really doubt it.)

Anyway though, I'm still just having such a blast with homestuck and I'm really happy to be able to say that. We're genuinely in the home stretch now - Act 6 Act 6 with about 2,000 pages remaining. I may just wait until the very end to do another wrapup post and review my time with the work as a whole, that way I can read through with less interruption between the sub-acts, but obviously I'll still be making posts often as I read live, so still look for those :)

[dragonfly0808]

In honor of it being winx 19th birthday, how would you rank the seasons?

oooooooooooohhhhhhh that’s a hard one…. I’ll rank up to 6 cause I stopped watching after that

1st- This was honestly going to be a tie between 2 and 3 but in the end 3 won out. It has a more interesting plot and introduces our lovely Enchantix but it’s also a little too Bloom focused and the ending… I never was the biggest fan of the ending if I’m being 100% honest, like… a 5 minute battle after ALL of that? But it did also have some of the best moments and my fave moments like the Crystal Labyrinth, Flora’s Enchantix, the whole Omega/Tecna plotline and more. Also since the entire Club is established at this point we get to explore their dynamic a bit more. Though Musa and Flora blend a bit into the background at times and we rarely get any Specialist moments. But overall, for me it’s the best to me.

2nd- Season 2. We get Darkar, Aisha’s epic introduction and her arc, little moments for all the girls’ Charmix. HELIA?! HELIA AND FLORA?! AAAAAA!!!! Sorry fangirled there a bit. I feel like we got to see a bit more of the boys this season so I loved that. Darkar is an epic, creepy villain and I feel like the Trix are still good in this season. Also Dark Bloom was lowkey iconic and I loved the pixies this season. For me seasons 2 and 3 are very close in this ranking. The only reason it’s second is because s3 has a bit more memorable moments and of course, Enchantix.

3rd- This might surprise yall but… season 4. I LOVE season 4. I love the Wizards, their dynamic and personalities, Anagan’s little weird flirting with Flora? Gold. It has a lot of unnecessary drama between the Specialists and the Winx but I can let it slide because of the great ideas. We get the Wizards of the Black Circle, the dynamic with Roxy as we get to see another young girl get her world twisted upside down. Then, we free the Earth fairies and… they want fucking revenge. And that’s awesome. The timeline makes absolutely no fucking sense though. I’ll be honest, this one is mostly here due to nostalgia (this season was my fave for a very long time) and ideas not necessarily execution. But this one will always have a special place in my heart.

4th- the one that started it all, season 1! The one where we get introduced to almost all of the girls the only season in which Riven actually gets to keep his development, it’s he best season of the Trix and… this one is probably the most coherent one when it comes to plot since the plot had to be simple since we were just being introduced to the characters and world. I love this season so much. The only reason it isn’t higher is mostly cause the others just have so much more going on that this one can fade a bit into the background but I still absolutely adore it. Also, I have a thing with insects so the Army of Darkness still gives me the creeps to this day just… no- ew

5th- Now on to where I personally feel the decline truly started, season 5. So, they returned the squad to school with no explanation and just… okay? Then all of a sudden Aisha have these cousins that have never been shown before and one of them is evil and has the Trix join him and… okay? And then… it’s just a mess of somewhat good ideas but this is also when they start making the Winx childish like, even more than they were in season 1. And I cannot remember anything about the boys this season, literally just that stupid amnesia plotline like- what?! Can we please just give Bloom and Sky a break? I actually liked the idea of them breaking up to give themselves sometime but no let’s just get fucking- I can’t even. This was just a weird season overall to me. I liked the concept of the oceans and sometimes it was done really well other times not. Also the Trix just… lose their impact

6th- now… wow… I like some of the concepts here, mainly Selina and the Legendarium but they were executed so fucking horribly. I adore the Bloomix designs like, I might even put them above Enchanitx they are so fucking pretty but the way they get it is just… such bullshit? And then the Legendarium could’ve been a chance to make up myths for other planets but no for some reason they are all from Earth? And then Daphne’s random ass plotline and randomly getting married and just what?! The only thing I liked were the designs, Helia and Flora having a conflict even if it was a bit stupid and Musa losing her voice. That’s literally all I can remember cheering for. And now we have a form unironically called Bloomix… remember when I said season 3 focused a bit too much on Bloom? Yeah… also I fucking hate the fairy godmother I’m not even going to look up her name. Selina had potential but then the Trix at this point are just pitiful. So yeah, this is when I oficially gave up on the series, I didn’t even watch the full final few episodes I just skimmed them.

And that’s the ranking! Also, Winx is now my same age, I feel fucking old ajjajajaja.

[monty-glasses-roxy]

Yeah the animatronics have a lot of good stuff going on under the surface, it’s what I usually focus on

Like, what makes them alive? Are they alive or inanimate or some secret third option? Who are they, really? Are they what they were created to be and nothing more? If they are more than they’re supposed to be, what will happen to them? Machines can be immortal but that’s only if they’re maintained, so in reality they die like everything else.

How aware are they of this? Are some of them more aware than others? You can’t tell me Freddy doesn’t go about his day to day with this hanging over his head. They only last as long as they’re profitable, after all

Yeah these are all such good questions!! They're all the kinds of things I think they've probably all thought about a lot. How could they not?

Freddy could feel like he has some form of security, even if only a little. It's hard to replace the face of the brand! Is he aware of other Freddys? Or other locations without a Freddy? Does he understand that even though he knows he'd be difficult to replace given his relevance, that Fazbear doesn't care? Personally, I don't think any of them know what goes on outside the Plex walls. All they can possibly know is what the children tell them, and what they can overhear. They must have learnt at some point that the word of humans is not to be trusted. Whatever they hear is judged accordingly.

I think awareness would range between the topic and the animatronic. It would depend on what they've seen and what they've been through. Roxy can see what others can't. She's part of the MXES built to guard the Mimic. I think she would be more aware of dangers and what will happen if shit goes down than I dunno... Monty if he's never seen a naked endo. What are they? What went so wrong with the monster in the basement that Roxy has to guard it? What's the real difference between her and it? Does it know what it is? Does it realise what its done? What its become?

But then you have what the books bring in. Yeah yeah fuck the books, but bare with me on this one, this is relevant I promise. In the Bobbiedots (I forget which part), the floor under the storage units or warehouse or whatever? That's where the 'retired' animatronics go. They're not scrapped for parts. They're not reused. They're stored. In the basement. In the same room a sewage pipe runs through. Bobbiedots shows us that they're still active down there. Many of them are still functioning, still aware... and it also tells us there's a Mr Hippo down there.

Which makes me think. Why are they still there? How many Glamrock Chica's are there? How many Freddy's? How many times has an animatronic forgotten that they helped a child? That they hurt a child? Because it wasn't them? It was the one they 'retired'? If there's a Mr Hippo down there, did they do a cheap revamp of him to fill Freddy's place in? They just grab some guy that's been rotting for years to throw on stage when they run out of replacements? Do they know before they get there what will happen if they get too damaged?

There's so much to explore with these guys. I think they are aware, that they are alive, but that they will never be sure. The fact they can question these things should prove it, but they can never truly know. Humans can never be trusted, so they can never ask.

None of this was what I was thinking of when I made that post, but it's all very interesting to think about nonetheless. In the end it all comes down to who they are, and the question of what it means to be alive.

[davekat-sucks]

You want good homestuck ships? Really honestly and truly? Look at the early ships. Look at JohnDave, DaveRose, DaveJade, JohnJade, JadeRose, JohnRose. Sure its friends to lovers, which is a trope. But its a trope for a reason because it happens in real life all of the time. You become friends with your S/O especially around childhood and that friendship grows into romantic feelings. Yes its overdone, but at least when you go this pathway, you have literal evidence for their relationship developing. I dont even LIKE JohnDave, and I could be convinced that they actually had romantic feelings for each other if you showed me the right pesterlogs. I cannot imagine DaveKat. Like I just cant see how these two would end up in a relationship together, they dont even look or act like they even like each other and things like that laundry room kiss seem extremely forced, Davekat is together because the narrative simply wills it and not through natural character progression. Dont want to start with a relationship already established? Thats fine, have characters meet for the first time and develop over time. Early Rosemary, Spiderbreath, DaveRezi, JadeKat. The Patron troll ships were interesting because both parties had to talk and learn about each other and gradually form a relationship. Early Rosemary was actually goddamn readable and you could feasibly see this badass witch that wanted to break all the rules of sburb fall in love with this incessant mom friend. The pieces were all there, they were just put together wrong. I mean, fuck my mans John "Goddamn Chad" Egbert is out here with a harem of potential pairings, that he actually developed organically. Sure, he was already friends with Jade and Rose. But what about Vriska, or Terezi or Roxy? Each of these girls were given a fair chunk of screentime for John to get to know each of them and they him. I mean, fuck, you could even argue he has a better relationship with Karkat then Dave does, because I can believe that John actually LIKES Karkat (Im not a homosexual conversation aside) The ships that were never meant to be have more believe ability, more evidence and are quite frankly much more fun then the canon borefests we ended up with. And when they intentionally try to write the ship out, its some of the worst writing Hussie has ever done, but when he doesnt give a shit, its some of the best.

Everything you say here does ring true all the way. Preach it!

Especially John Gigachad Egbert. Fuck fans who call him boring. He is the true main character.

Ships centered around only just the human kids are the best. Beta Kids should have been the main focus of the Homestuck series. Trolls were a fucking mistake, as the saying goes. Maybe Hussie had intentions of making a canon couple for a few in the early acts. Such as Dave and Jade getting closer, if only because Dave is just another partial self-insert of himself and rumors that Jade was based on someone Hussie knew and had a crush on. I say the writing for that romance were at least tame compared to the shitfest we got now.

[gloryride]

Let's talk about Phantom Liberty DLC bc I finished yesterday !

Under the cut to avoid spoilers ♥

First, i enjoyed it. I played on my Xbox, now the new Serie X with a 4k tv, when i started with the Xbox One Serie S and a classic tv, was a whole change ! And i created a new playthrough, even it was still Vanessa as V. I rushed the main plot, took time to cry after Jackie's death, still adjusting my almost 3 years lore for Baby Girl, still did same choices (like spared VDB) and tadaaa, jumping into the DLC !

I liked it. Not totally what i expected, frustrated and angry on things, but it's really positive. The story is interesting, but i really love gigs and sides quests you can have here !

New locations ! Love this area can be explore in verticality, miss that in NC. Everything is good, a bit of Cyberpunk but also Fallout ♥ I love just exploring places, choosing a new road just to see if i can see something there ... Dogtown is REALLY good ! Organitopia my new best place, with the Black Sapphire of course ! New vanilla clothes are awesome, and cdpr stopped to do ugly colors (except for this ugly suit in Black Sapphire), i could imagine most of my OCs with these clothes, without need recolors. So many pink for Vanessa, the new formal dress are really pretty for Roxy too, the suits with ties for my corpo boys (and Valentin), some pants are really nice ♥ New gigs ! you can have choice to do things, have some consequences and morality. I really loved the one with the stupid cops and Dodger. Vanessa isn't a killer, so she was stealthy, knocked out the guards but didn't kill anyone. As a result, Dodger let everyone go without any bloodshed. I really enjoyed it. Just like the one where you have to get two idiots out of the Barghest and you can contact people (I chose Panam) to ask for help ^^ Truly, the main story is good but not as the rest. I also love Mr Hands, very interesting character and i prefer his new look and voice (they even changed in french).

And negative ? Eh ... None of main characters are loveable. Reed is cold, Myers is really a politician, i liked Alex but disappointed by her in the end, Songbird is the better but another liar ... And Hansen ? Why teasing him as villain to see him only 5min ? For nothing, he's useless. The story is a bit too focus on NUSA/FIA, less about Dogtown. When Mr Hands talked about politics, i thought there could fight for powers ... nah but the biggest no no for me, is this facial implant. The scene was creepy af, and why we needed to see the ripper working ? yrrk That was THAT where i thought "Vanessa couldn't do that" (so it doesn't fit with final quests).

So wasn't what i expected, i'm not disappointed. I think newbies will enjoy more than olders than me, who think about my OC since 3 years xD

So, what's my canon ? Vanessa is anti-corpo, so i don't see her side with Myers (she didn't do the sermon), she didn't vibe with Reed, only with Alex, and understands Songbird. But Hansen ? he has streetkid codes, he took powers, he's not better than others politicians but doesn't hide it. After Black Sapphire, Vanessa will do her own plan : talk with Hansen, tells him she's not from FIA, just a girl who want to survive and need Songbird for this. He accepts, let Song and Vanessa leaving with the matrix, and the Moon ending. When Song told Vanessa she lied to her, she will be pissed, another liar. But she helps her anyways, she both fucked, if one of them can live, would be a good ratio. Still don't know if she kills Reed or not, maybe fight against him and knocked out. In any case, the FIA won't be bothering her in Night City, and when they find out she's taken the Arasaka Tower, they'll leave her alone for a while.

[rakuya-nikki]

Mushoku Tensei - Entry #9

I just spent the past few days rewatching Season 1 of Mushoku Tensei, and then watching the first episode of Season 2, which had only released yesterday.

Man, what a show.

Man.

It's... such a difficult show to talk about. It's one of the few series I genuinely can't bring myself to give anything lower than a 10/10 for, and yet, it's also a series I feel like I can't — or, rather, shouldn't recommend to anyone else.

It's a hard watch, sometimes. Some scenes can be genuinely difficult to sit through, and in this most recent watch through, I genuinely had to look away in embarrassment at times. I feel like anyone not used to "anime bullshit" would write this show off as something truly terrible. Pedophilic fantasy fulfillment, even. And I couldn't say they're wrong to think that.

Yet... the show is seriously so much more. If you're able to just ignore the weird jokes it sometimes makes (of which, is more scarce than you might be led on to think), you can see so much. Gorgeous art and animation. Immaculate world building. Incredible pacing. Actual growth.

Growth, that's the thing. We don't cut to Rudeus being 16 and being OP and surrounded in his own harem. He starts from infancy, and while there are plenty of time skips, they're never big enough to leave huge gaps. You always know what he's doing, how he's using his time to live and grow and experience. It really makes it all feel so personal, so immersive. The idea that his "superpower" in this world is having high cognitive function at infancy, which allowed him to take advantage of the time to learn things no other child could, just feels so natural, and so well used here.

And it's also through that that we get the sense that this story isn't taking the "past life NEET" idea lightly. They're not trying to let the NEETS watching/reading live out their fantasies, per se. It's an actual plot device, something that has given Rudeus trauma, and affects him.

It's why I give patience to his perversion. Even if anime things are anime things, I've heard a lot by now that this is something he'll learn to grow through and make up for. "We're in it for the long haul," or so I hear a lot. And, even if small and gradual, I see that in the first season. His tiny bits of growth. The ways he was traumatized, the way the effects of that trauma changed him, the way his shut-in lifestyle, and really that lifestyle in general, can warp someone's perception of the world.

Everything the show does makes it feel so real, and so natural. That's why it's immersive, being one of the most immersive shows I've ever seen. The world building, like I mentioned earlier, goes so far. So many things are just... in the background. Not pointed out or given anything more than a few seconds of screen time. Things that, in the original light novel, may have more purpose, but generally just serve as to make the world feel more rich. The languages, too, as far as I've heard, are actually, like... real languages. Not real as in they're from real life, but real as in they have, like... structure? Consistency?

And the characters are just so... amazing. I love everyone so much. They feel so human, so unique. Eris, Roxy, Ruijerd, just so many characters that are depicted so well. Eris is the standout, so far. The growth she goes through in the show is incredible, and she's such a fun, enjoyable, interesting character. It also makes me really feel the heartbreak when she separates from Rudeus at the end of Season 1. Like, I genuinely feel heartbroken when the Dead End squad splits up.

It's hard. I wanna gush about this show to all my friends, but... I really don't think my friends should ever come anywhere near this show. It still has yet to reach a point in the anime where Rudeus really starts to concretely redeem his horniness, and frankly by the time that does happen, his pedophilic actions will have already happened and been depicted in the show. For a lot of people, not only is that unforgivable in nature, but it's not something they'd want to see at all. And I understand that, 100%. If anything, I worry that I'm weird for being able to still love the show.

But I do. I really do love this show, so, so much. It's one of few shows that I've rewatched more than twice now. Something about everything just draws me in like nothing else. It really is the godfather of the Isekai genre. Granted, Isekai is a bit of a guilty pleasure anyways, but this one actually has structure, it has meaning, and it has beauty. There's a world in this story. A world where things happen. Where people change and grow. Where people die. Where people separate.

I'm not sure what it says about me that I'm able to ignore the weird shit and still love it, but that's just how it is. I really just can not wait to see more episodes, now. Every week is going to be filled with anticipation, waiting for the new one to drop.

I gush about One Piece and other things all the time, so I guess keeping this passion bundled up couldn't hurt.