#very pleasant surprise I love protag very very much

[mementtoss]

metaphor crossing.... animal refantazio..............

[barblaz-arts]

I know you've been making a lot of art of it lately, but out of curiosity, what's your opinion on Hazbin Hotel in general? I'm referring to both the show and the fandom here. Just curious.

God. What a loaded question. Are you ready? Bcuz I'm fresh from Vaggie discourse on twitter and I have a lot to say.

I think that Hazbin Hotel seems worse than it is for people who know the fandom but haven't actually watched the show. Honestly, I think it's a fine show. It isnt super incredible and I'm not gonna sing praises about how deep and thought provoking it is or whether it's an artistic masterpiece. It never tried to be that and was never advertised as such(to my knowledge) anyway. I just had a lot of fun. Like, yeh sure the cussing in the dialogue can be a bit much, especially in ep 1, but there are different writers in other episodes, so it gets better. It can be super crude yeh, but I grew up watching things like the Scary Movie franchise and other dumb american movies (yes, i was too young for them. yes, i still watched them), so it's pretty tolerable for me. It also helps that Charlie is the main character. That's one of the main reasons why I watch HH but dont watch HB. It's probably a fun show, but without a sweetheart like Charlie to balance things out, I'd just get tired of the sex jokes and mean jokes.

Compared to my last hyperfixation, I think I have more things to love about Hazbin Hotel, believe it or not. With Netflix's Wednesday, I had already been an Addams Family fan for a while and hung on because I loved the family and eventually Enid and wenclair. The show itself was honestly meh... so far! I'll give season 2 another shot.

But with Hazbin Hotel, it catered to a lot of things I've always loved. Found family with a bunch of misfits? We didnt get to see it much bcuz of the fuckass 8-ep per season format we have nowadays, but its fine its there! The juxtaposition of a kind hearted woman in a harsh world? Love love Charlie for that, I watched the show in the first place because of her. A canon lesbian lover with a "fuck the world cuz my world is you" type of love for the protag? Fuck yes. How very Pearl-from-Steven-Universe of Vaggie. And the music? The music is soooo good. I didn't know the songwriter prior to watching, so I was nervous about the songs, but I knew most of the theater actors they cast(still cant believe Jeremy fucking Jordan is Lucifer) so I figured even if the songs are mid, at least the performances would be topnotch. And they were! But the songs were a pleasant surprise. Sam Haft did real damn well. I still listen to the soundtrack to this day.

The fandom, however, is probably the worst one I've been in. And I've been in a lot in my big age... Just... lacking media literacy, and based on the replies I get when I say something on twitter, it seems a lot of them lack reading comprehension and just plain emotional intelligence too.

There's a lot of criticisms about this show that I honestly think is fair. Pacing, character design, overuse of the F word, whatever. But in my opinion, claiming that Hazbin is a male-centered show is an unfair misconception that is mostly the fault of the fandom.

Bcuz, sure, the male characters are uber popular. Alastor, Vox, Lucifer, Angel Dust and the many web of ships they're involved in went trending every few business days. But come on now. How often does a fandom even have their main protag as the most talked about character? This has been going on for ages. Just because the boys have the most merch and fics and fanarts and thirsty fans doesn't mean that they had the spotlight for most of the show itself. It only meant that they were the ones the viewers paid attention to, in a fandom filled with people drooling over the next tumblr sexyman and toxic yaoi ship of the month.

But if you actually look back at what the show gave us so far, the boys didnt outshine the women. I actually think the women got to do more and be more as characters than the men did. Let's take a look at the male characters.

Alastor was not in all the episodes. In fact, he was MIA in two out of the eight episodes. In all the episodes he was in, he was a mere side character. His purpose in season one was to stir the pot and be the intriguing mystery that occasionally quips. But he was not the one whose deeper thoughts were explored and whose character and goals was challenged THROUGHOUT the show, merely alluded to at the VERY END of the season, which is hardly him taking the spotlight away from Charlie. If you merely looked at the fan content of him, you'd think he were a father figure to Charlie(or a love interest. whatever) and that he has developed a soft spot for the Hazbins deep down in that cannibal heart of his. But if you pay attention to the show, he never had even a meaningful one on one conversation with the Hazbins. The only time that happened is when (a)he threatened Husk's life (b)when he constantly mocked Charlie while she was down in the dumps and used this as an opportunity to manipulate her and (b)when he told Niffty watching the crew sure can "make one sentimental", even tho he had taken no prior opportunity to bond with them! There's no foundation for all the fandom's claims that he could be redeemed bcuz of a budding fondness for the group, but that's all you see of his fan content(aside from the horniness). I dont have any problem with his lack of an actual relationship with the Hazbins bcuz I believe redemption for him is not what the show is going for, but it's frustrating to see people interpreting it that way BUT not seeing how horridly developed it would be if that is the case, meanwhile they turn around and say that Vaggie and Chaggie as a ship "had terrible development".

Then we have the male Vees. Vox was only ever in episode two, and was essentially a youtube reactor in episode 8. He was in ep 4 but had no speaking lines. We only know of his obsession with Alastor and the toxic relationship he has with Val. Val, meanwhile, is merely shown as the sex obsessed fiend behind Hell's sex industry and Angel's abuse. They did what they needed to do with minimal screentime. It was fine, but that's IT. Despite what little CANON gave so far, you have hundreds of people writing essays and fics and fanarts about them being complicated characters. But to reiterate, this does not mean that they are bad characters or that they don't deserve the fame. But to say that these men are better written within canon than the women is such a bold statement when most of the depth they knew of these characters were lore drops given before the show and their own speculations as they dug into the shallow soil of what the show has so far.

I'm not gonna speak about Angel and Lucifer. Because I think they were characters who were legitimately well-explored so far.

Now onto the women. So many of them were given the opportunity to have their characters challenged or given the agency to push characters and the plot forward or give you intrigue about implications of what's to come for the characters and the plot. I've talked a lot about Charlie and Vaggie. So let me talk about the other, terribly underrated women of Hazbin.

Velvette and Carmilla were the ones who advanced the subplot in the war against Heaven. Because of Carmilla's love for her family despite being a demon, an angel was killed. It gave Heaven the excuse to escalate things, but it also gave Charlie hope later on in the season that they're not powerless. Carmilla was also the first demon shown to make selfless actions that is contrary to what is expected of demons, making it proof that Charlie's belief that demons deserve a second chance isn't unwarranted. She's an interesting character, as an overlord who hangs on to power but clearly has morals. But how often do you see people writing essays about her? Eating up the fact that she's a powerful overlord but would sacrifice anything for her daughters? If Carmilla were a man, hundreds of girlies would be drooling over the crime boss who has a soft spot for his daughters.

Meanwhile, Velvette got to demonstrate why exactly she's an Overlord despite being the youngest demon in there. She's calculating and observant. She gives off a haughty vibe and constantly boasts about how she's young and fresh, but she isn't naive. During that meeting, she paid attention to Carmilla and Zestial's relationship. In order to find out who killed the angel, she riled everyone up, and when she got the feeling it was Carmilla, she mocked Zestial so that Carmilla could slip up. By playing these Overlords who are older and more experienced than her, Velvette showed what exactly her asset was to the Vees and why she's a threat, something that Vox and Val have yet to be given the opportunity to do when they were busy eye-fucking Alastor and literally fucking Angel. But in fan content about the Vees, Velvette is almost treated as an after thought to the boys...

Then we have the Seraphs. Not only were their designs gorgeous, their dynamic and presence as characters had impact to the plot and main characters.

Emily is a much needed character to show that this story isn't meant to tell you that Heaven = bad; Hell = good. There is good and bad in both, and it is so important for the protags to know that they have an ally in Emily who represents the true virtues that heaven is supposed to uphold. And I love the confrontation she had with Sera when her own view of what's right and good was challenged. We got to see the strength of her character and started the seeds of what could be heaven's acceptance of Charlie's goals.

Sera is such an interesting character to me. She was also important to show that not all angels were sadistic like Adam and Lute, but not in the same way Emily was. I have no idea so far which direction this show would go with her. But I'm intrigued by the fact that she seems to be driven by fear, unlike Adam and Lute's cruelty. She knew Lucifer and was there when he was cast out for his disobedience. Whether everything she's doing is to prevent that from happening again remains to be seen, and I'm looking forward to this kind of subplot for her.

And then Rosie! I really really look forward to seeing more from her. Spoilers aside, something I barely see people talk about is how interesting it is that Rosie is every bit the leader that Charlie hopes to be. Rosie is able to be a respected overlord in her own faction without needing to sacrifice her love for showmanship and music and her positive disposition. When we were officially introduced to her, they show how she seems to care about actually taking care of her people, not JUST ordering them around, by talking to them personally and giving advice. That's exactly what Charlie wanted to do for her people, isn't it? The hotel to Charlie was what the emporium was to Rosie. They have a lot of similarities that could set up for Rosie to be the one to teach Charlie in becoming a leader. Now whether that's a good thing or a bad thing remains to be seen, but it is rather compelling.

So yeah! With all that said, I really dont think this show ignores its women at all. Just because a bigger part of the fandom gravitated towards the men doesn't necessarily mean its a misogynistic show so far. But if certain people are claiming that the women are badly written, then I hope they also own up to the fact that their blorbos are just as shallowly presented within the show, maybe even more so. Which wouldn't even be a bad thing! Since when did a show or character have to be amazingly written for a person to like them? That's just no fun at all. All I'm saying is... Fuck this fandom's double standards, hiding behind claims that it's the writing's fault when the problem is they couldn't be bothered to think about the women.

[broodwolf221]

kinda nervous to post anything like this bc it feels inherently like i'm @/ing ppl but i am not i promise!!! just sharing my personal thoughts

so: why i like veilguard so much, in terms of the narrative (also known as: i have literally 0 complaints about the narrative. or the game. or anything. i love davg an unreal amount actually)

intro is so intense. you're thrown right into things in a way that i find very compelling and enjoyable. that's the 'hook'

the cutscene for the risen gods is SO eerie and unnerving. the visuals, the music, the effects.... yeah, it works together really well

the scale of things makes perfect sense to me. i had a theory well before rook was announced as the protag that this would be another game with a 'small' main character, someone more like hawke than like the inquisitor. rook is just a person, a team-leader, but not The Leader, not a destined one (imo no DA protag is a destined one, i'm just saying that rook also is not)

similarly, i LOVE the fact that in major moments, the whole team is involved. ppl can't do each other's jobs and that feels right!

also love the leveling system being based on your connection with the companions. leveling systems don't break immersion for me because i'm just used to them, but i feel like this is such a unique way to fully keep with immersion while still letting you strengthen your companions

the entire lighthouse. like just everything about it. i love it so, so much

i think it's a well-done, cohesive story; the different factions make sense to me as to why they're involved and why they care. traveling between a lot of different places doesn't break immersion bc of the crossroads - that was a nice touch. i can bounce btwn minrathous and nevarra and it doesn't feel weird at all

similar to the leveling system, i have never found it immersion-breaking to be able to badger your companions until you can only [leave], but i think that veilguard's system is a lot more organic

frankly, i feel like all the interpersonal aspects of the game are a lot more organic. this isn't a dig at prior games, either; i have no or very few real complaints about them, either, but this was a pleasant surprise and a nice change of pace. you have to spend time with the characters, you have to travel with them, to begin to really know them. you have to let yourself get involved (that said, having companion banters also trigger at the lighthouse was a brilliant move)

thedas as a world is heavily expanded upon in this game, which i deeply appreciate. we also get to see some - realistic, imo! - nuance in factions that we have already met, because there's no group in the world that's a monolith

there are certainly in-world aspects that the social justice side of me wants to question. things like how antiva relies upon a group of assassins, for instance; not the best political system, really! but at the same time, i feel like it wholly makes sense within the world and within the established narratives, and it's complex and flawed in a very realistic way

i love how davrin and assan are so connected. they're personally connected - they care so much about each other - but they're also narratively connected. davrin is discovering so much about himself by seeing it in assan; discovering that someone who felt like he was destined to be a warrior, a hunter, a fighter, can also be gentle, protective, and can have strong relationships without fear. the more he comes to accept and appreciate assan, the more he comes to accept and appreciate himself and i find that underlying narrative deeply profound and moving

all the companions have these really remarkable arcs. they all have to face regrets - which is the primary theme of the game, after all! - and eventually, rook has to face their own regrets. that's a whole big part of the narrative. this is a game structured around regret... and around the difference between fixing it (solas) and accepting it (rook) and how different each process is

and not all of them do fully accept their regrets by the end! for some of them, it's still too new, too painful. for some of them, the regrets come up during the game narrative itself, so it's VERY fresh

but they all grapple with regret

so, i find it useful to approach this game from the perspective of a medieval fantasy that does not shy away from the sociocultural and political things that might mean, while also being a narrative primarily around regret and the different reactions to it

tl;dr - i think the narrative 100% fits the story told, including the mechanical gameplay aspects of it. i'm not being stubborn or blithe when i say i have 0 complaints. i think this is a genuinely masterful piece of writing

end-game spoilers under the cut jic:

i was deeply moved by the solavellan ending where she joins him

but i also understand why they have an ending where you can outsmart the dread wolf - which is entirely possible! one of solas' biggest flaws is that he always thinks he has the full picture, but he never really does. i love him beyond reason, but that is a flaw that can be exploited under these circumstances

and i always knew there'd be something there for fans who hate solas, who wanted to kill him. that's just how games like this work. but the fact that it's not about killing him does make me a little happier. in the outsmart ending it seems that he does get imprisoned which is obviously Not Great (but not narratively that stark - he imprisons the evanuris; he himself gets imprisoned. it's circular and i think that's on purpose. a god who imprisoned gods now being imprisoned as a god), but it's worth noting how many times the dread wolf has been shown to escape such things. it leaves the ending open, narratively speaking, and allows room for interpretation while still acknowledging the fanbase that hates him

i like that he returns to the fade in the end, in the good endings. he's going home. and he's going specifically to attend to his very first victims, the titans. it will be hard. it will be work. and as i understand it, the blight is kept in the black city, which will be a miserable place

but to me, in a narrative about regret and redemption. he can't atone by destroying things to change them back; he can't atone by ignoring his still-alive victims; he can only atone, only truly find his own redemption, by addressing directly the harm he has caused

now, did i want veilfall? yeah! do i still want veilfall? i do! but with the additional lore of the blight, it makes sense to me why it's risky. why it's too risky. the quest in dai about siding with the mages and seeing that bad future has new context now, because that red lyrium future might have been what he unleashed. we can't say for sure!

but without the ticking time bomb of the evanuris' impending release, i fully believe that solas can take his time and find a way to pursue veilfall that is less disruptive to both mortals and spirits

personally, i find that nuance compelling.

[highwayphantoms]

am I already writing fic about my Veilguard protag? yes. yes I am.

No spoilers for Veilguard, this is set before the game starts lol. Warnings for canon-typical things: violence, dark implications, Grey Warden fuckery.

no beta we die like Duncan, etc etc etc

pls enjoy your first introduction to an OC you will almost certainly hear more about in the next six months lmfao

-

Montsimmard, Orlais, circa 9:47 Dragon

Killing the two nobles had been easier than Aquile had expected it to. Almost laughably so; no one, not even the other servants, asked questions about a new elf suddenly appearing in the manor. In fact, the housekeeper had seemed relieved when Aquile offered to deliver the duke’s afternoon tea. They’d followed the older woman’s directions—up the main stairs, down the hall to the left, and out to the balcony—and found both their targets lounging in the early afternoon sunlight. From there, their task was simple enough: kill the man who’d thrown his only son out on the street, and kill the stepmother who’d demanded it in the first place. The duke was an older man, while his duchess was easily twenty years younger, but neither were expecting to be attacked by the servant bringing their tea.

The only preparation necessary was some quick spellwork to seal the door behind them. Then Aquile spun up a bolt of lightning as powerful as those produced by any thunderstorm and struck both duke and duchess at once.

The smell of singed flesh and burning hair assaulted them in the same instant as the clap of thunder, and Aquile recoiled immediately. Desperately trying not to inhale, they tore down the magical seal on the door and darted back through it, aware that it would not be long before someone reported the sound of thunder on a sunny day. They rushed back past the housekeeper, deaf to her baffled questions, and straight out the front door. Aquile slipped down the alleyway where they’d stashed a change of clothes, and then emerged a few minutes later at the other end of the alley dressed like any other traveler visiting Montsimmard.

From there, it was an easy half hour’s walk back to the apartment they’d been sharing with Olivier for the past six months. For much of the journey, Aquile entertained idle daydreams about the immediate future—Olivier claiming his rightful inheritance of the manor and his father’s title, rewarding them with both love and luxury. It was a pleasant daydream, even tinged with the knowledge that their being an elf meant that they could never marry. Not in Orlais, anyway. No, Aquile would have to be content with being his lover only, and they were. He was a sweet, kind man—everything Aquile had ever wanted in a partner.

And he wasn’t in the apartment when Aquile finally returned. It was odd, but not entirely surprising; Olivier had many friends and sometimes went with them on spontaneous outings in and around Montsimmard. He would be back by nightfall, they were certain. He always was.

Aquile would never know if he returned by nightfall. It was early evening, sunset still an hour off, when the city guard showed up at their door. When the sun did set, Aquile was locked in a cold, damp cell underneath the very heart of the city: the very keep the Montsimmard family called home.

At first, they were certain Olivier would come for them. With his father dead, he surely had the money and the influence to spring them free. With the Circles abolished, Aquile couldn’t be disappeared into one a second time, and it would be only a matter of time before Olivier discovered where they were.

Come morning, Aquile was still locked in the underground prison. They were woken by the sudden and harsh sound of metal on metal—a guard dragging a metal baton of some sort against the iron bars of each cell—and given no breakfast, not that they’d expected or wanted one. Though a templar had been sent with the guards to arrest them, in lieu of staffing the prison with templars, the guard had instead dosed them with a hefty amount of magebane. More than was necessary by far, but of course regular city guards wouldn’t know shit about how much magebane to use to negate a mage’s connection to the Fade. Even if they could’ve summoned the slightest spark of magic, they were still too nauseous to consider trying.

Evidently whoever had provided the city guard with a supply of magebane had neglected to inform them it was literally poison, capable of killing a person if you weren’t careful with it. If not for the fact that they were sure it would only earn them a higher dose, Aquile might’ve said something. Instead, they kept their mouth tightly shut.

Later that morning, news filtered down to the prison that their sentence had been issued. Death by hanging, an Orlesian favorite. The guard who delivered the news—a big man who reeked of alcohol—had added one other nugget of information. “Th’ duke’s son ‘parently demanded they schedule the execution immediately. Lucky you, judge didn’ agree.”

The duke’s son.

Olivier.

“That fucking bastard,” they muttered as the guard lurched away. “If I get out of here, I’m going to kill him.”

For two days (as best as they could tell, being underground) Aquile was left almost entirely alone except for their two daily deliveries: one midday meal, and their evening dose of magebane. They were kept separated from the other prisoners, no doubt because they were both a mage and a murderer, but that was fine. The quiet gave them room to think. To think, and to rage, and plot. Without magic, their means of escape were limited, but Aquile was confident it could be done. The guard who was always drunk was the obvious target—all they had to do was get him close enough to the bars that Aquile could reach him.

They never got the chance. The same day they intended to make their attempt at escape, the drunk guard was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a guard with much nicer armor—likely the guard-captain—appeared outside their cell, accompanied by a woman in blue and silver armor with a griffon emblazoned on her breastplate.

Twenty-some years in the Circle had left Aquile ignorant of many things, but they knew what a Grey Warden was.

A Grey Warden was their ticket to freedom.

“They tell me you’re a mage,” the woman said, not unkindly. “A very gifted one, in fact.”

Aquile said nothing, still studying the woman. She was human, with the dark olive skin of a northerner, and though she was tall, she had a slight frame. Not a physical fighter, they guessed. No, this woman was likely a mage, too.

“Tell me this, where were you trained?”

“The Montsimmard Circle,” Aquile replied, an amused smile tugging at their lips.

The woman nodded thoughtfully, then turned back to the guard. “Guard-Captain, I’ll be invoking the Rite of Conscription. This mage, and the man accused of theft.”

Aquile was not surprised to see the guard’s face turn sour. “The Marquis will not be happy. This apostate killed a well-respected duke and his wife.”

“Yes, I’m aware of that,” the Warden said, undeterred. “Should the Marquis choose to take it up with my Warden-Commander, he is welcome to try. In the meantime, please release my new recruits.”

Barely twenty minutes later, Aquile was free and on the streets of Montsimmard with a Grey Warden and a thief. It was not, perhaps, the way they had envisioned getting out of the prison, but they certainly couldn’t complain. This was much easier than their plan would have been, at any rate. The Warden introduced herself as Elisa, recruited from the White Spire by the Wardens a decade earlier. The thief was Simone, though he refused to say anything else. By his accent, Aquile guessed he was actually Fereldan and that Simone was a false name, but they didn’t really care. None of this mattered. They just had to play along until nightfall, and then they could take advantage of the fact that both the Warden and thief were human and slip away in the dark. Slip away, find Olivier, tear him to shreds.

Elisa dragged them halfway across the city and conscripted another person—an elven girl who looked barely twenty and was still smeared with the blood of the man who’d tried to assault her—before starting towards the city’s northern gate. Just before they reached the gate, they were approached by another twenty-something kid who begged to join them; Elisa questioned him for a few minutes before she agreed. The questions she asked were odd—Aquile couldn’t begin to guess at what Elisa was trying to ascertain—but the young man answered them readily. He seemed nice enough, at least, offering the elven girl his jacket to cover her torn dress. By the time they finally stopped at a camp nearly an hour past the city gates, the sun had dipped halfway past the horizon and Elisa showed no indication that she planned on resting any time soon. At the camp was another Warden, a man with black and gray hair. Where Elisa was polite and friendly, he was very much not. He took one look at the four recruits, then gave Elisa a plainly irritated look. “I said two.”

“I know what I’m doing,” she coolly replied. “Do you have it ready?”

“Obviously,” he snapped. “Let’s get it over with. I want to be on the road north by morning.”

“Have what ready?” Simone asked, glancing around like he was preparing to make a break for it.

The second Warden had a longbow on his back. If Simone tried to bolt, he wouldn’t get far in the time it would take the Warden to nock an arrow and fire it.

“The Joining ritual,” Elisa answered, stepping forward to join the other Warden by the fire. A few moments later, they both turned, each holding two goblets.

Though masked somewhat by the woodsmoke, Aquile could pick out the combined smells of wine and blood. Foul blood. It smelled almost, but not quite, like rot. “The fuck is in those?” they demanded.

“Wine,” the male Warden said flatly, stepping forward and pressing one goblet into their hands. “Among other things. Drink up.”

The young man who’d asked to join them grabbed the second goblet the Warden carried, while Elisa passed hers to the thief and the elven woman. He was the first to lift it to his mouth and drink; he visibly gagged at the taste but swallowed it nonetheless.

Then, almost the instant the male Warden plucked the empty goblet from his hands, he collapsed.

A healer by training, Aquile’s immediate instinct was to check on him. The goblet in one hand, they dropped to their knees and pressed their free hand to the pulse point in his wrist.

Nothing. Not even the faintest heartbeat. Eyes narrowed, Aquile glanced back at the two Wardens. “That’s quite the poison if it kills that fast,” they said flatly.

“Poison?” the young woman echoed. “Poison?”

“Not poison,” Elisa said. “Darkspawn blood. Drink, please.”

Aquile groaned. “Fine. I was going to be dead by the end of the week one way or the other.” They didn’t bother getting back to their feet. Still kneeling on the grass, they lifted their goblet and gulped down its contents. It tasted about as horrible as it smelled, and their stomach twisted in response.

They were conscious long enough to see the young woman drink, too, and then the world went black.

[offlineblues]

When did you first get into yugioh? I hope you're having a nice day! <3

thank you for your well wishes! i too hope you had a pleasant day!

let's see... to answer your question... it's a little bit of a long story, so i'll make a read more! (there is a TLDR at the bottom if you want)

in late 2017, twitch was broadcasting a marathon of Duel Monsters. at that time, my partner, Jamie, was getting really invested into it, since he had mentioned how he liked it when he was younger. for me, i had heard of YGO on TV when i was younger too, but i felt like i couldn't get invested in it, so i never kept track of it. i was vaguely aware of YGO's continued spin-offs, but i never gave it a chance.

so, after a few weeks, his passion about the show and how much he loved Atem made me want to try giving it a shot, too. because of Megumi Ogata's Yugi Mutou, i was interested in starting from the Very Beginning with the Toei season (season 0). i was curious how subbed YGO might be.

so, we watched all of the Toei season together. i came to really love Yugi the most, as he is a very kindhearted protag (my favorite type of protag) as well as Jounouchi and Kaiba. i was surprised at how the story was about our connections with others. i really loved how different it was compared to what i expected or remembered about the series from the past. the focus on games in general as a medium for the story was really good.

i was hooked on it and respected it. i finally understood the appeal. i wanted to jump into Duel Monsters (sub) right away. and we did! we watched it all together, starting in early 2018.

it took several months to watch, and i enjoyed it! i remember feeling shocked and kinda sad that "the shadow realm" wasn't real, lol. i didn't realize it had been a show that was censored like that. we even watched the DSOD movie after. it was really cool... Yugi really is a character i adore!

for about about a year or so after, i was really invested into puzzleshipping. i didn't draw very much at the time because of my severe untreated carpal tunnel though, so there aren't much past works from me, nor did i ever make any ship art.

Jamie got invested into the spin-off YGO and started watching VRAINS while it was airing after seeing a post about Yusaku/Playmaker on here. i gave it a few episodes, and immediately gravitated to liking Ai. but, i was going through a tough time personally and felt a little fatigued (in general) and of YGO because it was such a long series. i didn't think i could do another 150+ anime. so, i dropped it after 3 episodes and did other things for a few years.

he would talk to me about how much he loved how VRAINS was going and about datastormshipping, and i happily listened even though i didn't understand. it was nice to be a support at the time when i felt too tired and stressed to participate. this went on into 2019 as it finished, and well after into 2020. though, it shifted into aiballshipping, but he kept me safe from spoilers.

on a whim, in the middle of 2022, i suggested we watch VRAINS together because i felt up for it again, and i wanted to watch an anime together. i was excited to learn about Ai more, as i saw some vague spoilers here and there about him. i immediately grew to love Yusaku and Ai a whole lot! i was excited every weekend we could watch together. it only took 3 months to watch all 120 episodes because i was that invested. i again felt like a fool for not continuing in the past...

...and you know the rest. it's impacted me a lot. i haven't stopped thinking or talking about them for nearly a year now. i'm even more impacted by their story than the Toei season or DM. i like the characters and story a lot more for VRAINS, so it's my favorite. i even picked up Duel Links because i wanted to learn how to play (i'm kind of bad at it). i'm currently in the middle of ZEXAL now, but i want to check out all the others eventually, too. exciting!

TLDR:

i got into it in 2017 because of my partner's influence. watched season 0, DM, and DSOD and loved it. fell off for personal difficulties in real life and fatigue with long series. picked up VRAINS again in 2022 after dropping it in 2018 after 3 episodes. am now insane (positive) and invested in YGO because it's so fun and good. i'm happy to be here and hope i can be for a long time

[lollytea]

thoughts on the main bridgerton couples we’ve seen so far?

Ooooooh you've given me an opportunity to yap. Thank you kindly!!

Oh when I started season 1, I was sooooo excited for Daphne and Simon's fake dating plot. I wasn't expecting anything deeply profound. Just gimmicky trashy fun. And I really did enjoy them!! I liked watching them interact with each other. They were very sweet and charming.

Except uuuuggghhh!!! Their sexual dynamic made me so uncomfortable. Like I had so much fun watching the numerous scenes where they fucked like happy happy little rabbits and wished that was as far as the show took it. BUT the power imbalance was awful.

I understand historical accuracy of regency era women being less sexually educated the men and are sometimes completely clueless but GODDDD that doesnt mean I have to enjoy watching it. Bridgerton is supposed to be some stupid swoony sexy romance. But personally I don't find the virgin and slut trope to be all that sexy or swoony or romantic at all.

I don't like Daphne having to be taught how to masturbate by her love interest like she's a child

I don't like how her naivete is exploited by her husband

And I do NOT like how Daphne sexually assaults her husband out of SPITE. Its absolutely depraved. Its disgusting. Sick to my stomach.

Devastated by how fun Daphne and Simon initially were and then it all veered into creepy squirmy terrible territory. I wanted to enjoy them so bad.

The next is Kate and Anthony and. Hm.

I think Kate has the most compelling character set up out of everyone in the cast. I like that she's so much older than the typical female protag in these kinds of stories. She's still very young (26) but according to the era she lives in, she's ANCIENT for a woman. I quite like stories like that. About older women who think they've lost their chance of finding love years ago but receive a happy surprise. She's brainy and loud and stubborn and opinionated and gets on people's nerves but she's also so pleasant and funny and so full of love for her family and she's fucking GORGEOUS.

I don't have any strong opinions about Anthony except he's a bit of a cunt but the actor plays him so melodramatically that I do find him entertaining.

I was excited for the enemies to lovers thing. They both have such strong flammable personalities. I wanted mess. I wanted fire. I wanted her to tear his throat out.

But the romance itself was kinda....underwhelming. I dunno, I felt like they didn't have enough interactions to really loathe each other to the extent that they did. And then, again, they didn't have enough interaction for that loathing to morph into love. Like the fact that it states that they're "in love" when they've only had a few scenes together feels very unsatisfying. It didn't seem earned. At least with Simon and Daphne, they were hanging out with each other every day for weeks. Kate and Anthony were only having sporadic meetings every once and again.

ALSO the two of them crumbled into hopeless love way too fast for my liking. It felt like a jumble of fanfic scenes but with none of the substance of the Canon material to make the fanfic meaningful. I dunno man, Kate has been completely unreceptive to romance for her whole life and Anthony is stubborn and arrogant and completely against the idea of love. The evolution of their relationship seemed quite rushed. I think the burn should have been much slower, yknow? Taking down each others barriers one brick at a time.

ALSO. They should have just as many unapologetic sex scenes as Simon and Daphne. It anything, they should have had more. At least Anthony and Kate felt like they were on equal ground. I would much rather see a 26 year old woman getting railed than a 19 year old girl.

Are there any other main bridgerton couples? Hm...there's Eloise and that guy I've forgotten the name of. Hate it. Hate it a lot. I find Eloise to be quite an insufferable character and I do not even remember the guy's face. I'm mad that Eloise has a love interest in the first place. I'm mad that a love interest had to be tied in to a subplot about Eloise becoming involved in women's rights in order to make it interesting. I'm mad I'm mad I'm mad.

Uhhhh Colin and Penelope. Hm.

They're both going to be very sexy in the new season. I know they will be sexy. They are both sexy.

I love to see a fat girl get a kind decent man who's obsessed with her.

But MAN. Man....I so badly wish they didn't have Penelope wrong Marina in season 1. It was so vile. So cruel. So despicable. At least in my opinion. Penelops and Colin's relationship is probably never gonna sit right with me after that. There is NO WAY a decent man is going to forgive a woman for doing that to his previous girlfriend?? Right??

Well we know that he WILL forgive her. And he will fall in love with her. So Colin kinda sucks too.

Anyway those are my thoughts. I love bridgerton because I love mess and drama but there is nothing good going on here

[flavored-water]

I am NOT eloquent but, going back on Keiwa's character song Thoughts:

Didn't expect them to actually give us a song like this when it's titled "I Peace" but I am not complaining! It's a very pleasant surprise because it offers an interesting approach that I'd definitely love to see show up in the show itself too. keiwa corruption arc when

I think these lines sort of "explain" the style of the entire song.

大事な人の笑顔　曇らせ��いで　寄り添ってたい

って思うだけじゃ　変わらない　世界の歪みに気づき始めた

(rough TL by yours truly:

"I want to stay close to those that are important to me, to prevent their smiles from being clouded over."

Just holding this thought wouldn't change anything. I started noticing the distortion of this world.)

It frames the pursuit of peace as an active thing. It's something that he has to take on the reins of. Though peace itself is an idealistic goal, the journey to get there is much harsher and twisted, and in order for things to change, he's going to have to put himself directly on this road.

And it's a fun arrangement! I think it's cool that they didn't give him a soft song or a classic shounen protag song, but something more sinister-sounding. Really goes with the themes.

Also shoutout to these lines that I'm sure has got everyone chuckling nervously over:

弱い時も　強い時も

笑いながら　はっはっはっは

(Whether in times of weakness or strength,

laugh as I go ahead. Ha ha ha ha) *unsettling laughter in the bg*

I'm under the impression that this might have something to do with whatever was in the Revice/Geats movie (that I won't be seeing in theaters until April so I can't comment on this more) but that aside, I just want to say, love the mixure of desperation and madness.

[justajollyclown]

Here are some of my favorites I've watched (more like finally watched lmao) in 2024:

Self-explanatory 🤡🎀

I love Christmas horror! It's such a niche genre and I feel like a lot of horror fans don't want to give it a chance.

Black Christmas is a classic so it's a must watch. It's one of the oldest ones on my list which just proves that it really is holding up well after more than 50 years! There's no blood or gore (a lot of R rated language tho) so it's a plus if you like your horror without those. I really liked the atmosphere in this one, it's both very festive and anxiety inducing. Really liked the characterization too, most characters feel like real people. Also Olivia Hussey??? HELLO?? It's a must watch just because of this Queen alone ❤️. Silent Night Deadly Night again another classic! Before watching this one I read about it being almost banned because it was too gory, but to be honest it's not that bad people! It's actually kinda corny but still a very fun watch. Compared to Black Christmas this one is definitely more of a slasher Christmas film though so expect some low budget filmmaking. However, Robert Brian Wilson totally slayed (literally and figuratively) as Billy.

Christmas Evil is imo one of those "so bad it's good" films. It's my guilty pleasure Christmas slasher just because it's sooo audacious? The stuff that happens in this film is so insane the writers must've been on something 😭. The main protagonist, Harry, is a middle-aged toy-factory worker who wants to BE Santa Claus. He spies on the neighborhood kids and writes "naughty" and "nice" lists. At one point, Harry steals a ton of toys and just starts giving them out to kids on Christmas. The plot sounds so simple but the film is just so surreal, it feels like a fever dream. Honestly, it's the AUDACITY for me. This plot is SUPER corny but idk it just works and the film is unintentionally hilarious.

Won't babble too much about these, I should've watched them ages ago. Sleepy Hollow was more enjoyable than I thought! For some reason, Tim Burton's films aren't really my thing but this was a nice surprise because it DOES feel very Burtonesque? It's more of a "10yr olds first scary movie" but idc, I got scared a few times lmao. American Psycho truly is the DIVA of horror. Enough said 💅.

I don't even know if The Menu can be classified as horror, even though it has a lot of horror elements. Still I really liked it! I thought the premise was unique and well executed (no pun intended). There's also a nice little twist at the end so I really recommend it! Also, Anya Taylor-Joy ❤️.

Not me shivering while watching The Conjuring 😭. I swear this is the ONLY horror film that has actually done that to me! Horror films with religious undertones really do spook me the most I guess. The sound design is PHENOMENAL in this one, so if you like to get scared I really recommend this one (I've watched the second film in the series but the first Conjuring is still way more spooky). Smile was also a pleasant surprise. A friend recommended it to me even though we have vastly different taste. I'm not really the psychological horror type but Smile really was solid! I know this is an unpopular opinion but Smile 2 kinda pales in comparison to 1 in my opinion. The reason I liked the first so much was because it looked so gritty and ofc the reveal of the monster was at the very end for just a few minutes. I feel like the protag being a psychiatrist and still not being able to deal with her inner turmoil contributed more to the monster's scare factor. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED Naomi Scott's performance, I think she really deserves all the praise, but the second film kinda felt more cartoonish to me? I think it might be because of the abundance of jumpscares and the CGI was everywhere so the monster ended up looking more goofy in my eyes (like- creepypasya tier goofy). Smile 2 was still an okay film but I def recommend the first one!

favorite horror films you watched in 2024? here are mine:

i really started getting into horror this year but in 2025 i will have more movies 😋

tagging @dominionatrix @artsfavoritehorn @xenoanamorph @justajollyclown @evilvvithin @garlic-the-gnome @fatal-feast @aviesaurusrex @clownyclaushoe @thatspookyghoul996 @milescounty & anyone else who wants to participate <3

[daily-rayless]

the games I played in 2022

Time for my roundup of the games I played this year so I can share the things I liked about them. As always, me liking a game doesn't mean I endorse everything about it.

Basically spoiler-free.

Ys IX: Monstrum Nox (Falcom)

A somewhat darker story from Ys 8, dealing with themes of criminality, duality, and supernatural gifts, all set in a gothic French-inspired city.

Stylish character design.

But more importantly, everyone gets monster alter egos with over the top creepy costumes, and many of them (Crimson King, Feral Hawk, Doll) are excellent.

Each monstrum gets their own unique movement pattern, meaning you can run up walls and fly and shoot along from rooftop to rooftop.

One character is a robot.

Interesting secondary characters. While this year was not as generous as last year when it came to non-cishet characters who were just people, not tropes, the standout npc for me was Chante. At first, he just feels like a tired collection of tropes, but dig deep and there's a very compelling character who really deserves more screen time.

While I'm a fan of romance arcs, I was surprised and pleased that Adol doesn't have much shiptease with any of the women for this game. It was just really refreshing.

Horizon Forbidden West (Guerilla Games)

A lot of the stuff I love about the first game carries over – wonderful protagonist, beautiful open world, lovely music, interesting secondary characters.

The new characters, particularly the ones who join Aloy on her main quest, are all very strong and I want to see more of them.

The story centers more on Aloy exploring her own personal conflicts, not simply telling other people they need to change.

There are lots of twists in the story, lots of good drama, and you eventually get the power to fly.

Way more costumes and face paint options.

An intense ending that, while not concluding the game on a cliffhanger, comes tantalizingly close.

Trails in the Sky 2 (Falcom)

I first played number one back in 2013, so I finally got my payoff after that game's intense cliffhanger ending.

One thing I love about this one is that Estelle's definitely the main character. Female protags still don't feel common enough, and to see people treating her with respect and admiration, even as some of them are also mentoring her, is beautiful.

Estelle's a funny, energetic character, but she also gets to grow up a lot. She never loses her take-charge, extroverted personality, but she becomes more confident and heroic.

This second half of the story ramps up the stakes, focusing more on the villains.

Also, I did mention I like romance arcs, and this game has a very sweet and emotional one at its center.

As for non-cishet characters, similarly to Chante, Olivier is also a bundle of tropes, and worse ones, yet he rose above them and ended up being one of my favorite characters. There was more to him than I realized, and suspecting it, then realizing it was such a pleasant, intriguing jolt of surprise.

My actual favorite character also took me by surprise, because it was Father Kevin. Was not expecting to like the priest with weird hair so much. (And whenever he’s struck in battle, he does this really funny yelp.)

Trails of Cold Steel (the first one) (Falcom)

This is the first game of four, and you either want a two-hundred-and-eighty-hour epic or you don't, and I decided I wanted to get into a big old story full of characters and politics and some alternate outfits.

Not wanting to get into spoilers, but I love 90s JRPGs, and very late into the first game, a new element of gameplay is introduced and it’s very nostalgic.

Again not wanting to get into spoilers, but this game made me speculate so much about twists and turns in the plot and what was going on behind the scenes. Around halfway through the game, or maybe earlier, I started baking what felt like a very bonkers theory in my head. I loved this theory, I thought it was so funny and intriguing, but I didn't have a lot of hope of it coming true, especially when other outcomes felt more likely. But then – it came true. Writers often worry that audiences will see twists coming. I'm here to tell you that not only did wondering about this plot twist bring me so much fun, I was thrilled when it turned out to be true. There was no sense of “that was so predictable!” at all. It was some good writing.

As for the non-cishet characters... there are number of characters who can easily be read as non-cishet, but nothing's said definitely (as of the first game). And then there's Angelica, who, like Olivier, initially reads as a collection of terrible tropes. But once again, once the writers actually focused on writing her, she became one of my favorites. So the theme this year is that there are some good characters in here, you're just going to have to mentally filter them some.

And on that note, a lot of the main characters are very interesting, intriguing, and I'm excited to see how they develop across the next three games.

Which one was my favorite? You’d think, with these odds, it would be a Falcom game. But I’m going to say Horizon Forbidden West was the winner for me. I know it disappointed some fans, and there were things about it I didn’t love either. But for the most part I had a great time and it left me so excited for more.

[fangaminghell]

Asra laughing got me thinking about them again so here's some fun facts:

I've stated this before, but they are strong as hell. They work out a lot.

Plays piano, violin and guitar.

Absolutely shreds on the guitar btw.

Despite their musical prowess, singing is something they are pretty cagey about. No one really knows if it's because they can't sing or they just don't like it.

Spoiler: they can sing incredibly well. It's just much more personal to them to do openly.

I'm thinking, of the fangame protags they have the least damning backstory. I wouldn't be surprised if I decide to give them a small, but good family.

Has a mean competitive streak. Likes winning. Very hard to notice due to their demeanor.

Loves their parasol dearly.

Considering it to be an emotional item for them. Maybe having it makes them feel more calm in certain situations.

Not many people have seen Asra smile, let alone laugh. But it's always pleasant when they do.

They actually smile and laugh more around friends and family. Recent events in desolation have made that harder to do, but they get by.

Maybe I should make them interested in ballroom dancing. For the hell of it.

[sakuramoussy]

Bonus Story- A Gamer Friend

Takes place between ‘ ‘Friends with Benefits’ ’ and ‘ When We’re Ready ’

Vin wasn’t really used to having a friend who plays and streams video games, it was a rather difficult adjustment for him to make. While Vin can’t say he’s super interested in video games, he admitted to Luis early on that he just never tried to play any, but wouldn’t mind watching Luis play. It didn’t take long for Vin to learn about Luis’ streams, and his gaming group chat with a few friends. His friends consisted of Chase, a human gamer from the World of Dreams, Harper, an Angel of Dreams, Raptor, a werewolf gamer from the World of Dark, and ‘Princess’ who also lives in the World of Dark. Luis was the odd one in this group, being a Reaper who plays video games came as a pleasant surprise to his friend group. They gratefully accepted him, as surprised as Luis was. He isn’t easy to get along with, and is so secretive about his past, but when he plays, he has to be conscious of his triggers, and finds himself venting or discussing trauma more than he’d like to admit. His friend group very quickly accepted Luis’ cautious, but friendly demeanor, and they often work to ensure that no game he plays has anything that would trigger him. 

As Vin became familiar with Luis’ online friends, he found himself with Luis’ spare headset, joining in conversations with his friend group and gradually playing games alongside Luis. He’s terrible at playing video games, but Luis’ encouragement and enjoyment from their gaming makes it worthwhile. As Vin watched Luis play a beautifully designed RPG, he found himself asking questions about the game and Luis’ interest in it, watching Luis’ eyes light up as he rambled endlessly about his interests. It was fascinating to see Luis so talkative, and Luis must have noticed it too, so he quickly shut himself down mid conversation, much to Vin’s dismay. 

“It’s okay, I don’t mind spoilers!”

“Uh.. Maybe I’m talking a bit too much. You don’t care about this stuff anyways, right..?”

“Stories are so fascinating to me, I even like writing fantasy short stories and novels in my spare time! Plus, I love to hear you talk, so please continue.”

“... So, who’s your favorite character so far?”

“Hehe.. You know who! He’s so silly, and while I don’t normally enjoy puns, he’s pretty funny. Plus, he’s obviously hiding something, a sneaky character like that.. He’s so well written! Oh, but the main character is super interesting, too. You guide their choices, but if you go with what the protagonist probably wants.. Well, you’d fight your way through in a non-violent way the whole time, and as someone who doesn’t like fighting, it’s nice to see a pacifistic protag who isn’t forced to fight!”

“That’s a really good point.. I guess I never thought of them that way.”

“All of the characters are so well thought out, and I’m really glad you’re clarifying things as you go! It’s super entertaining to watch you play.”

Just like so many days before, Vin and Luis end their night cuddled up, with Vin carefully positioned on Luis’ lap, running his hands through his hair as he plants gentle kisses all over Luis’ neck and face. Vin carefully pulls off Luis’ headphones, then pulls off his own as he strokes Luis’ ears and kisses him softly. Though their affair wasn’t a true relationship, the more Vin and Luis spent time together like this, the more they felt like a natural couple, best friends for life. With times like this, Vin finds himself considering divorce, imagining a life with his best friend instead of his current spouse.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Your hc’s always make me feel so soft for idia, jamil, and sebek 🥺 Is it all right with you if I request hc’s for those three with a significant other who is shy about pda but as soon as they are alone, they become the opposite and give them lots of kisses, cuddles, and verbal affection? And they also ask for the same thing from them? 💗

“... Wh-What is this, a d-dating sim or something? L-Last I checked, there’s no meter for a-affection points in my periphery. L-Like anyone would even bother looking that way at a gross, boring shut-away otaku that can barely step outside of his room to pick up his manga delivery...”

Curiouser and Curiouser...

Idia’s not a very touchy-feely kind of guy. (What do you expect of someone that prefers to hide out in his room all day and prefers tinkering with robotic parts to human interaction?) When it comes to PDA, you share the same stilted shyness.

Sometimes your eyes will meet by accident (you both tried to sneak glances at each other at the same time!). Your fingers might also brush against one another while you’re headed to class (on those days when he doesn’t decide to go to lecture via his tablet). Just small points of contact like that set both of your hearts racing and your cheeks (plus Idia’s hair) ablaze.

Idia overall doesn’t give or receive physical affection well, He has a tendency to freeze up and lose all ability to form complete, coherent sentences when you kiss or hug him. It’s also very hard for Idia to return those physical affections; he starts sweating profusely and his movements are all clumsy.

He’s a bit more flexible when it comes to compliments! Idia has a hard time believing things you say to him about his beauty; he takes to compliments about his intellect and genius intentions much more readily! It’s the same when it comes to returning positive affirmations! Idia finds it difficult to remark on your appearance, but it’s easier for him to mumble something nice about your abilities or brainpower!

It’s only during moments of intense passion when Idia can comfortably be affectionate toward you. Maybe the anime protag finally slay the big bad villain that killed his parents at a young age, or maybe Idia just beat an insanely hard level in a video game--but whatever the reason, when he’s jumping for joy, he’ll embrace you and cackle with triumphant laughter.

In the public eye, Jamil must remain poised and professional. To do anything less would bring shame not only to the Vipers, but to the Al-Asims, whom he serves. What good fortune that his S/O is too shy to engage in PDA; it suits his work obligations just fine.

Although Jamil keeps to himself most of the time, he’s sly enough to sneak in a few surprises to keep you on your toes. He’ll give you a small smirk from behind that poker face mask of his, or a small squeeze on the shoulder, just to see how hard you blush. It’s those subtle things he does that just drives you crazy, especially when you know he knows how badly it riles you up.

Jamil’s just like you in a sense-- in public, he’s self contained, but in private is when he metaphorically lets his hair down. However, unlike you, his physical affection is rarely ever direct. He has a tendency to tease, allow his hands to trail aimlessly or his lips to hover just out of reach before finally embracing you or kissing you. Jamil just soaks up your touch as well--he enjoys being worshipped, just as he enjoys worshipping you.

He’s more of a fan of receiving praise than giving it. Of course, he appreciates you and will give you compliments, but he much prefers being the one that is talked up. Tell him more and more about how great he is, why don’t you?

Despite that straight face he shows to the world, Jamil actually has the capacity to be a very affectionate partner. He’ll happily demonstrate his devotion to you--all that he asks for is to be loved just as much in return

Sebek maintains a staunch aura about him as he goes about his school day and duties. He doesn’t mind the lack of PDA because it allows him to focus on his assignments, as well as serving the Young Master.

Just because he’s serious about his other obligations doesn’t mean he ignores you. On the contrary, Sebek lights up light a bolt of lightning when he sees you. He’ll give you a big dorky smile and a firm nod of the head to greet you. No contact, though--it wouldn’t be proper in public!

Behind closed doors, Sebek’s affection makes itself quite apparent. Though he’s a bit of a blushing mess, everything he says and does is from the bottom of his heart! He clutches your hands as though his life depends on it and gazes at you with such intensity, but he’s shy when it comes to kisses. Give him one (or two), a hug, or a head pat, and he’ll just melt!

Sebek piles on praise like no other. You would think it starts to get old after a while, but his passion is very reinvigorating and never feels insincere. As for him, he turns a pleasant salmon pink when you compliment him right back! If he had a tail, it’d certainly be wagging!

He’s always eager to give, but he’s rather humble when it comes to receiving. There’s a certain level of of decorum that Sebek prefers to keep in a relationship, but all it takes is one little act of love to get that tough exterior of his to crack and for a blush to find its way to his cheeks.

[lepusrufus]

The anon of the theme song here and I'm really surprised you didn't already know about it, sick af aside what did you think of the family I actually really liked them all even the spider lady and the joker wannabe capcom really know how to make charming villains, too bad can't say the same about the protagonist, I know they're trying to make Ethan blunt so people can easily put themselves in his shoes but his oneliners are probably the worst part of these games

I'm not super familiar with other Resi games so the theme song was a very pleasant discovery (and so is the song for Village honestly).

And I really loved the family honestly. Their story is tragic, especially with the context of them getting into that mess because they were good people and wanted to help Mia and Evie after the ship crashed. Plus they were all really unique with their mutations. Marguerite just hits the nail right in the head with the scary and gross factor and someone please take the Saw DVDs away from Lucas for the love of Miranda. And, to be completely honest here, their boss battles felt more organic than in Village because, at least to me personally, in 8 it ended up reminding me of the boring YA novel trope of "the protags need to retrieve x number of things to complete this bigger thing and defeat evil wooo" which feels kinda repetitive at times. No shade on Village tho, I still love it otherwise I wouldn't be here, I just have feelings™ about some plot stuff.

I liked Zoe too though I didn't exactly see enough of her to get really attached but Joe is a national treasure and i choose to believe that he and Zoe moved somewhere far away and are living a nice tranquil life.

As for Ethan... ehhhhh. I don't hate him per se. There's not much to hate there honestly. He's a good father of course but other than that he's as bland as my dog's kibble, and that's generous. Others have said it and I'll say it too, he's bland so people can easily project into him, but in a game with absolutely no choices so that ends up working against him so much. The only real choice that comes to mind is when you have to choose between Mia and Zoe but that ends up completely out the window because canonically he saves Mia (bc ofc he would that's the sensible choice). His reaction to things felt straight up lifeless sometimes and if I hear him go "whAt ThE fUCk" one more time after everything he's seen I'm walking myself straight into a brick wall. Even being pissed and vengeful would've been better than his usual robot demeanor.

[multishipper-baby]

Kamuegi nsfw headcanons, if you like that ship?

Oh, some protag ships!! I love protag ships (Technically Izuru isn't a protag but shush). Have some:

Izuru is a "try anything once" kind of guy. The bedroom is certainly one of the places were he won't accept being bored, so he enjoys spicing things up often. Makoto sometimes has trouble keeping up but does his best.

Because of that, they've pretty much tried anything and everything, save for a few stuff that Makoto was too shy/uncomfortable to try out. Not everything was great but there's always some fun in finding out what is it that makes your partner go wild.

One of Izuru's favorite things is sensory deprivation. It's harder to predict what's going to happen when you can't neither see nor hear, and that makes the experience much more pleasant for him.

Makoto also enjoys it when they put some handcuffs on him- of course, Izuru could take them off whenever he wants, but they make him look vulnerable, something that's very rare in his boyfriend.

Also, they use a lot of different types of sensations: spanking/whipping for some pain play, some candle wax for heat, frozen sex toys for some cold, the whole shebang. Izuru is a very high maintenance submissive lol.

Oh yeah, about that: they switch occasionally to keep things interesting, but Izuru is usually the one in the submissive role. It's more fun for him not to be in control, and instead to be ordered around or surprised. Always being in charge gets boring.

He does like dominating every once in a while, though. Makoto is very sensitive, and he gets off on playing with his body until he can't even talk anymore.

Makoto likes playing with Izuru's hair while they have sex- sometimes gently, sometimes tugging more roughly, depending of the mood. Since it's so long, they often need to tie it up, but he doesn't mind. Actually, he actually finds that taking some time to get Izuru ready for bed can be a good foreplay, since it gives him a chance to pamper his boyfriend and get him all prettied up.

It's risky, so they don't do it that often, but Izuru loves public sex. He always picks places were they won't get caught, of course, but the idea of him miscalculating and someone finding them is rather thrilling.

Also, Makoto can get really lovey-dovey in bed, so there's some body worship occasionally. He knows his boyfriend is well aware of how glorious he is, but sometimes he can't help but get on his knees to remind him of that anyway. He's a sweetie.

[butchbarneygumble]

Got tagged by @lucky-lacmac ! I always grasp the chance to talk about my comfort characters so HERE GO They vary depending on hyperfixations so I'm going with what comes to mind rn and thus they're not numbered wheeeeeee Prohyas Warrior (Mighty Magiswords)

I just. I was just smitten by this guy from day one. I was in Florida, caught the first episode on TV. Wasn't too enticed by the show yet, but soon found myself dreaming of the characters. Gave it more of a chance when I was back home, and eventually got way too into it and it moved from Background Noise to Hell Yeah I Love You!!!! The show in general brings me so much joy but something about Accordion Man just... speaks to me. He insist he's manly and has a killer bod, but he's also openly fond of cute things like dolphins and lil bugs and is super motherly. I just love when characters defy gender expectations. And I love his design, his attitude, his voice, the sense of humour he brings, and that hair, man. That hair Sends Me. He's probably one of the reasons I dyed my hair blue.... not to mention both he and Vambre are just unapologetic manchildren who just try to have fun with their job and adult life. I really relate to that and wish CN would do more cartoons about that. I'm tired of children protags jhckgfgs

honestly every character in this show gets comfort character vibes from me (just please give vambre a break with the hornyposting she deserves so much more) and the fact it has like no fandom at all is criminal

Conker (Conker's Bad Fur Day)

Imagine if you will, I was 6 years old or so when Bad Fur Day released. I had no knowledge of it until my dad bought it for himself from the bargain bin in a local Intertoys that is now gone. Playing it through a bit (sneakily) my mom caught me JUST at the moment he threw up during the opening cutscene. I cried out of secondhand embarrassed, mom consoled me and it went into storage until I was 13 Then I found footage of the Great Mighty Poo on Youtube and snuck in that damn game again. Now, I had actual knowledge of English and as a teenager, the concept of an adult game was just very exciting. I fell in love with Conker, but in a different way a lot of people do. I see him as a normal guy who's just having a really weird day and his greed ruins his life. It's poetic, and I want to hug him a lot. But also slap him for being a little shit. He was there for me in my strange teenhood, when I was exploring adult subjects when I probably shouldn't, but it's been good all the way through. Probably my gateway into the furry fandom as well. As an adult I find myself enjoying the non-edgy stuff more - and it reflects in the fan material I produce of Conker. He is still very important to me and I love him a lot.

Barley Lightfoot (Onward)

Rarely was there ever a character I could point at and be like "me." Girls in animation were always just... There, or very girly to a point I couldn't see myself in there. Surprise, surprise, Renée, you're not even a girl!!! Barley is one of those characters that I saw myself in. I do not have a sibling, but sometimes do wish I had one - and live vigorously throughout media portrayals of them. He is me as my best self - supportive, loud, clumsy, outwardly scary but otherwise just trying to do the right thing. He's one of those "Do I want to date you or do I want your gender" types. Ian is a good boy too ofc, but Barley to me is especially personal. His choice of fashion and body shape, right down to his big jawline, I feel mirrors myself. However, where both Lightfoot bros shine is that I share the experience of having "half a dad".

When Barley and Ian were going through the underground river and he was talking about the last memory of his dad, I saw me. I cried buckets. My dad was diagnosed with ALS somewhere around when I first read about Onward's development, and when I saw it with him he was already paralyzed and wheelchair-bound. He was smiling all the way through. Fergy Fudgehog (Viva Piñata)

Lilshit. Absolute trash animal. Why do I love you so much? I dunno. He's kind of awful. Whereas originally characterized as a scaredy-cat who hated the idea of parties, he eventually got flanderized into a nasty little so-and-so who would sell his own adoptive brother if it meant he could get a snack out of it. When he's not that, he's a whiny manchild. Yet he entices me. His colour pattern, and my fondness for hedgehogs... him making weird noises a lot. I like him enough to have had a role play account for him for a while that's still around!! Sometimes you don't know why you like a character and that's okay.

Luigi (Super Mario Bros) Mario (Super Mario Bros)

When I was 12 I first got into Mario. And I don't mean playing the games and enjoying them, but actively into the characters, lore, and stories... for as much as you can say Mario has story. Mario and Luigi are just such pleasant looking characters. They shouldn't be cute but they are. They were my first crushes and recently I've gotten back into it and I'm just here for it. Mario and Luigi are cute and I should say it!!!!!I legit find them attractive, physically and mentally. Also shipping Luigi with Peasley gives me happiness and I hate teenage me for having bad taste and hating it.

Donkey Kong Diddy Kong Dixie Kong

Donkey Kong is the Absolute, the Eternal. He has always been there in my life, and so have his games. Something about that ape makes me feel comfortable and happy and I just want to hug him. I love the lore of the games, the aesthetics - toony-yet-realistic, and it influenced the HELL out of my own art style. Donkey Kong is just a Cool Soft Gorilla who WILL kick ass. Diddy and Dixie were also super influentual to me. DKC2 is one of my most favourite video games, starring two of my most favourite characters, and my favourite aesthetic... though, in a fun case of chicken-and-egg situation, I dunno if my love for pirates came from DKC2 or other way around. Lars Barriga (Steven Universe)

Babby's First Gender Envy When Lars' entire arc happened, I was in college, constantly trying to discover myself. I enjoyed the character before the arc but the arc just elevated my love for him to the stars. He's just a fella, so nervous about what other people think about him... later in the show you get an insight on why he's like that. Then, he's dragged to space, forced to confront his emotional constipation, Fuckin Dies trying to save his new friends, and is brought back to life as a badass pink space zombie. Something about that just vibed with me super strongly. And how Steven always saw the good in him even if he bullied him. I love him so much. I love them both. That's the main ones! I tag whomever wants to do this I'm bad at tagging jdkfghjd

[amethystpath-writes]

Hi so heads up I did give this prompt to @yourheartonfire (who responded) and previously other blogs (that haven’t) and I thought it would be cool to see your twist on it too since you enjoy writing medieval and stuff.

This one is long and complicated though so buckle up. But basically it’s a Sleeping Beauty retelling but the protag is Aurora’s ace younger sister and it takes place after the fairytale. Aurora’s sister was raised to be the perfect and pragmatic queen but then Aurora (who is very sweet just doesn’t have a royal education) returns and starts accidentally creating court and political problems since she doesn’t know court etiquette and war strategy and stuff. So then Aurora’s sister has to find solutions but subtly as to not create drama.

Also I’d be rlly happy if you somehow include a scene mentioning the sister’s asexuality. I recognize this is medieval era vibes and therefore a little more difficult to talk about “modern” ideas so you can leave it out especially if doesn’t fit the scene lol

I just like seeing different writing styles and interpretations of prompts. Also I’m so sorry that this is long and specific and complicated. Feel free to change the prompt to fit your vision!

I love that you asked multiple writeblrs this; that’s so cool! Glad I could be a part of it! I did mention asexuality a small bit, but I wanted to add really quickly that asexuality is different for all aces. There’s a spectrum of us actually. I just wanted to clarify because I could only represent one, of course, and it’s the one that I understand most closely as it’s the one I experience myself. Alright, on with it! (Also, Lumen means ‘the light’ in Latin!)

******

Lumen ran a hand through her knotted hair as she watched herself in her vanity mirror. A comb might have untangled it more easily, and it would have been encouraged by just about anyone in the palace, but it wasn’t the knots that mattered at all. Lumen was stressed, and stress led to clenched fists in ratty hair.

It was exciting to get the older princess, Aurora, back. Even when she became Queen, Lumen didn’t mind at all. The kingdom held a glorious coronation with many delicate desserts, beautiful curtains which hadn’t seen daylight in ages, and patterns that were temporarily painted along the ballroom walls and floors to tell the very story of Aurora. It was beautiful, and Lumen felt a swell of pride in her older sister for going through such hardships and still being willing to put her name and face out there for all to know and see.

But the pride Lumen felt was dwindling. Aurora was still incredible- still beautiful, kind, gracious, and all the like…but she was a poor queen. She was overly kind, overly giving, overly positive. Lumen hated to think that way, but it was true. Aurora acted without thought of consequence.

A door opened as Lumen continued to look herself in the mirror. There were pockets forming under her eyes. Not only this, they were becoming dark.

With a sigh, Lumen pulled her hand out of her hair, letting it thunk on the desk in front of her. She looked to her right where the door was and saw her husband standing there in the doorway with raised brows.

“You let your hair down,” he noted. “And you are in your nightgown.”

“I’m tired,” Lumen returned simply.

Her husband stepped into the room, easing the door shut behind him before walking to the princess. He laid his arms on her either shoulder and hugged her while she titled her head back to rest against his chest. “If you are tired, you should sleep. You haven’t allowed yourself real rest since your sister came home.” He kissed the top of her head and backed away into the centre of their chambers.

“I slept well the first night.”

Peeling his shirt off, the previous king said, “You know that is not enough.” He tossed his shirt to the side of the bed and moved on to his pants before grabbing a pair of bed shorts. “I know you are worried, but your sister has advisors. I’m sure they can straighten things out.” Even he didn’t sound like he believed it was a solution.

Lumen stood from her vanity and walked to the bed post near her husband as he finished pulling up his shorts. “Nicholas, they only advise her. They cannot stop her ruling, and everything she has ruled so far is just going to drive this kingdom into the ground.” She plopped on the edge of the bed, putting her head in her hands, elbows on her knees. It wasn’t very lady-like, but she didn’t care. She didn’t think Nicholas did either, thankfully.

“Have you ever tried talking to her?” He sat next to her, a hand on her back.

“Not right now,” Lumen said first and shifted until his hand fell away. As her stress was building up, she just wanted to be left to her own. Not emotionally- she needed to dump that part out- but bodily. Comforting touches weren’t all that comforting. Holding hands, sure. A kiss on the head, sure. But beyond that, specifically…delicate touches…Lumen just…didn’t really want it. Not at any point, but especially when she was aggravated.

When Nicholas hugged the princess earlier, she only allowed it because she could tell it’s what he wanted. Even after two years together, he was still adjusting to Lumen’s wants and needs. Maybe she should have corrected it then- he would have retreated- but if it made Nicholas comfortable, Lumen didn’t mind it occasionally. She just wasn’t one for physical affection. Verbal affirmations were nice; she liked those. She liked encouragement. She didn’t find any amount of comfort in touching. It didn’t take any problems away and it wasn’t entirely necessary. It wasn’t completely appalling, but it also wasn’t actively sought after.

“I spoke to her today, about how her order against the lords was a bad idea.” Lumen scooted herself back onto the bed, and then until her back met the headboard of hers and Nicholas’ bed. “I agree that the lords have too much. Some of them are greedy and have way more than they, or their children, will ever need. I have more money and food than what I could ever need. I have voluntarily given those masses away to those who needed it, but not all the lords will. And you cannot force them to! That is how you get uprisings. That is how you get underground alliances between angry lords and other dastardly kingdoms. That is how surprise attacks happen and”- she sniffed- “and I explained all of this to her, Nicholas. She doesn’t get it. I love her, and I want to support her, but she is going about all of this so wrong.”

“You could try drawing her a picture.”

Lumen gave a small laugh, but then said quietly, “That was a rude comment to make, Your Majesty.”

He smiled at her, slid himself on the bed beside her. “Not ‘Majesty’ anymore, my sweet.”

“Maybe not in this kingdom, but I’m allowed to call you my king.”

The conversation turned serious again as Nicholas asked, “What are you going to do about the turmoil which is your sister?”

Lumen thought with eyes closed and her head against the headboard of their bed. She began shaking the latter. “I don’t know. It is not in my place to make demands of her and simply suggesting things to her doesn’t work. I have no idea what could ever fix what she is doing. I just…I wish she would have waited to become Queen. I think it’s great that she is one; she deserves it, but…”

“But she was not ready for it.”

She nodded, opening her eyes again. Sniffled once more. “The only thing I could do is undermine her orders, but I don’t know how to do that, and I”- Lumen sighed- “I will feel so awfully about it.”

“You will feel awfully about saving the kingdom?”

“Well when you say it like that, it makes it sound perfectly okay, but Nicholas, Aurora is my sister. I can’t just- just sneak about her kingdom and-”

“But it is your kingdom, too, love. It is everyone who lives here’s kingdom. By making the decisions she is making, she is putting all of us at risk. Some of the orders she has declared for the armies and cavalry are ridiculous. It’s jeopardizing us all.” Nicholas continued. “If she is not listening to anyone, I wouldn’t blame a single person for intervening. If you do not do it, someone else will, just as you said, and I’m sure it will be less pleasant than if you did.”

Lumen gave a soft sigh, “I know. I want to try talking to her again tomorrow, though, and if that doesn’t work, then I will take more- um- discreet action.”

“Good. I think that will be good. Just do me a favour, my queen?”

She looked to him, waiting.

“Remember you are doing this for her, too. You shouldn’t feel bad for going behind her back when it is only to help her. I have brothers and sisters. I have an idea of how you feel, but you are not harming her, okay?”

Lumen nodded. “Okay.”

**

“Aurora?”

“Hm?” The queen turned her head over her shoulder, but quickly turned back to make sure the water didn’t boil over. “Oh! Your hair looks lovely today. I didn’t get a look at the dress, but I am sure you are beautiful in it, too. I am making food for the servants. They have been working so hard to clean the ballroom and have hardly had a break. I thought it might be nice to-”

“Aurora!” Lumen shouted. She felt bad about interrupting her sister, but she also knew this was the only way to make her stop talking. Aurora was just so excited and passionate about everything she talked about. It was a nice trait to have sometimes, but Lumen needed to talk to her right now. “I know you think that what you are doing is great- and it is! But, Aurora, I was raised to be a queen and in that, I was taught the innerworkings of the courts. You are a very kind-hearted person, and it isn’t awful that you are that way, but you can’t…Aurora, are you listening?”

The queen was bobbing her head back and forth, humming some sort of tune. Every now and then, she’d mutter a few words. “I know you,” she’d sing, “I walked with you- hm hm hmmm hm hmm.”

Lumen grunted in annoyance. “I really need you to listen to me, Aurora.” Nothing. No response.

That’s it. Lumen shook her head, and without saying another word, walked out of the kitchens, leaving her sister to hum and sing whatever song it was. The queen became distracted easily. Everything reminded her of something else somehow, and it often happened at the most inconvenient of times. Like right now. This was Aurora’s last chance before Lumen would take things into her own hands, and now she was.

**

Lumen started by taking Nicholas’ valuable possessions- rings and jewels and the sort- without him noticing. She was caught the first few times. It was a quick realization that stealing was easier when the victim wasn’t present. But Lumen worked on just about every case scenario so that she could better her newly discovered skills.

She would become a thief for now; a quiet and stealthy thief who stole from the poor and gave to the overly wealthy if only to appease them and stop a secret war that would undoubtfully endow if Lumen didn’t do this. Since Aurora wouldn’t revoke the new orders she made, this was the only choice- to become an inverse Robin Hood.

Later, the former queen would travel to other kingdoms- disguised, of course- and hire people to smuggle in weapons for her kingdom’s army since Aurora was on a crazy, kind-minded rampage that involved getting rid of all the armies’ weapons, therefore making the kingdom defenseless. While she was gone, Nicholas would cover for Lumen, saying both she and he were sick and that servants should have very limited contact with either of them. It would keep Aurora from realizing her sister was gone.

The kingdom needed great maintaining. Aurora was a lovely person, and Lumen still felt guilty for doing any of this behind her sister’s back, but it was necessary. The queen was ruining the kingdom with kindness- something that shouldn’t have been possible, however it very much was- and now Lumen had to fix it. Maybe she wasn’t queen anymore, but that didn’t mean she would cease her pursuit in taking care of her people.

Death was always terrible, but it was worse when it came with destruction and cries of mercy in war than in poor families and smelly streets.