#well for Vice at least

[5mcsinatrenchcoat]

God the knowledge of canonically tracked journal dates puts a lot of things in firm perspective.

[ask2ps]

soo funny how my idea of 2p canada and france's relationship changed over time. in an old ask i was like "matthieu was his son 😔he loved him more than anything..."

my thoughts nowadays are more along the lines of: francois saw matthieu as some weird tumor that fell off him and gained sentience. he couldn't have cared less about canada. and he wouldn't regret feeling that way for a long, long time (way after the damage was done)

[undergoing-mitosis]

can we talk about the fact that the icons, the memes, the tumblr sexymen who broke history, reigen arataka and sans undertale, are both some of the most exceptionally written and executed characters i have ever had the pleasure of stumbling across? please can we talk about that?

[cybersteal]

ℝ𝙸𝓞𝐓

[narugen]

the official kaiju no.8 twitter has started a new segment called #防衛隊のひと休み (taking a break from the defence force)! no idea if its weekly but it’s funny ^_^

[bizlybebo]

Dakota and Williamcore

KILLS YOU.

[gunsatthaphan]

“does it look like me?”

[xylophone888]

actually headcanon: right after the agatean empire turned into a republic (maybe a federation or some other fancy word to describe not being a cruel tyranny anymore) open for trade rich people thought for some reason that they're gonna make an easy buck since "they just started trading so they must have zero experience" but were quickly disproven when they found out that over several centuries the agateans have created the most confusing disgustingly complicated viciously elaborate bureaucratic system in the entire history of the disc just because they had nothing else to do; any attempt to scam this government would be forced to go through at least fifteen different circles of paper and ink based hell controlled by people wearing square glasses and formal black and white attire strangely resemblant of the traditional clothing executioners wore before death penalty and all (known) methods of torture got banned... and then if even those found nothing the request to sell five tons of birch for three tons of gold landed right on twoflower's desk and no matter how naive this man is in interpersonal matters he knows precisely what birch is worth due to years of making sure he doesn't have to pay if the owner intentionally burns the entire forest down

in fact, these people know their worth ever since climbing out of the womb, trying to scam even the most average agatean will get you cussed out with some of the most detailed but uniquely non-obscene wordings known to anybody ever; they value themselves and their time and don't like getting lied to, that's why it was pretty easy to convince them the old empire deserved to be overthrown once they saw the first batch of foreigners come in not looking like cruel barbarian demons whatsoever; nowadays even the most conservative auntie will tell you that the old emperor was a total [redacted for legal reasons to avoid paying moral damages] and of course an absolute [redacted out of fear of invoking the emperors vengeful spirit] for trying to mess with his people about these weird backwards folks who had trouble understanding the most basic paper money before a wet guy made some for them

[cuddlytogas]

we as a fandom need to elevate Bach's Air on the G String for Olu/Jim to the same level as Gnossiene no. 5, it's such a soft, beautiful piece and I simply love Oluwande Boodhari so fuCKING MUCH skdjgahklfgadfh

[ratcandy]

all ants ever can be in one family, but fuck dude the planthoppers? we need at least four for those

[victorluvsalice]

AU Thursday: Valicer In The Dark -- Fun With Special Abilities

We're back with my beloved Blades In The Dark trio again today, this time to discuss the fun special abilities they pick up during their time as scoundrels! I've touched upon this topic before, when I did the initial post on the group's playbooks, but I wanted to explore it in more detail now that I'm actually posting fic for the verse. Because there are a LOT of fun special abilities that these three can snag, both from their own playbooks and others. :D Here are the ones I've gotten locked down so far:

-->Alice: Alice, as per previous posts, actually starts with two special abilities -- Not To Be Trifled With, which allows her to perform superhuman feats of strength or take on a gang of up to six people on equal footing (like, say, a certain Bluecoat squad), and The Devil's Footsteps, which allows her to perform superhuman feats of agility (like a real-life double jump onto a carriage roof) or dance around her enemies so they attack each other. These two I think cover her Wonderland abilities in AMA and A:MR very well, and given that she starts with a trauma, Haunted, it felt only fair. As for the abilities she'll pick up as a member of the Three Pillars, we have --

A) Vigorous -- she heals faster from harm! In game-mechanical terms, this means she permanently fills in one quarter of her "healing clock" (a four-segment clock where you have to fill in all the segments to reduce all your accumulated harm down a level) and takes an extra die on healing rolls. This goes well with my headcanon that Alice heals exceptionally well (to explain how she survived a massive house fire with no visible burns on her character model) and just makes the whole process of healing easier for the person most likely to get in a fight (because it's fucking TOUGH in this game).

B) Bodyguard -- she's better at protecting her teammates from threats! She gets an extra die on resistance rolls (which allow her to avoid or reduce the consequences of an action) to protect Victor or Smiler from something or someone, and gets extra effect (aka better quality info) when she researches potential threats beforehand. This felt like a good one for Alice because I imagine she wants to make very sure that nothing horrible happens to Victor or Smiler during their time as scoundrels -- they're her new family, and she doesn't want to lose them! And it goes very well with a trauma I want to give her in the future -- but that's another post...

C) Ghost Fighter -- she can imbue her hands, melee weapons, or tools with electroplasmic power, giving her an edge against supernatural foes! Specifically, she gains potency against them (which improves the effect of her rolls against them) and can actually physically grapple with ghosts and other electroplasmic creatures to restrain them. This is just cool, and I think it would be something Alice would want, especially if and when they tangle against more supernatural creatures -- but this one actually comes with a prerequisite: Victor's gotta know the Ritual special ability first (see his section below the read-more). Because as Victor is the "magic guy" of the group, I feel like this is something they'd work on together. (Maybe after they turn Alice's knife into a electroplasmically-charged weapon by tying it to his lightning hook during their fight against the Jabberwock?)

D) Savage -- she is fucking scary when she unleashes the physical violence. Meaning she can frighten anyone who sees it, and gets a bonus die on rolls to then Command a terrified target. I see this as just a natural consequence of her getting better at real-world violence and the gang's reputation as a trio not to be messed with growing as time passes. Think of it as Alice basically entering real-life Ragebox Mode or Hysteria Mode -- that'd be pretty scary, wouldn't it? (And it also ties in well with that trauma I'll be talking about later...)

-->Victor: Victor starts with the Ghost Mind special ability -- he is always aware of any ghosts or other electroplasmic entities in his vicinity, and he also gets an extra die when he researches the supernatural. This felt the most appropriate for him given that I had him get dragged into the ghost field -- the supernatural echo of the city where ghosts actually live -- for an entire day as part of the process of adapting Corpse Bride for this setting. I mean, that would have to have some sort of side effect, right? As for what he gets as time goes on, we have --

A) Strange Methods -- he's better at inventing and making stuff that is a little arcane (like magical potions and odd spirit-related gadgets)! Game-mechanically, he gets a better result when he makes these kinds of things, and he automatically learns how to make one particular thing for free (instead of having to learn about it and figure out the process for making it during play). This special ability is going to cover Victor learning how to infuse insects (specifically moths and butterflies) with electroplasm to turn them into little radiant energy generators (radiant energy being the closest thing this setting gets to sunlight -- as you might imagine, it's pretty important for growing crops and thus important for making sure their greenhouse actually works!). It felt like the closest match for that project! Plus it might be fun to figure out what else he can make going forward...

B) Ritual -- he knows how to do ritual sorcery and can study or even invent his own rituals to call upon arcane powers! Much like Strange Methods above, he also gets one ritual that he knows for free when he takes this ability. This was another contender for the whole "how Victor figures out how to make radiant energy butterflies" thing above (though I obviously decided Strange Methods fit better), and I knew I wanted him to get this one regardless because come on, it's cool and dangerous magic. Who doesn't want cool and dangerous magic? XD And, as indicated above, it feels like a good prerequisite to some of the abilities he and his friends get, both as individuals and as a team -- I mean, Ghost Fighter feels like something you would need a ritual for, right? That being said, I'm not planning for every magical spell Victor gets through this ability being a straight-up ritual -- instead, this will also cover him learning the demonic language of sorcery, a concept briefly mentioned in the book that I found very cool and wanted to use more. Victor will still have to pay a stress cost to speak things into existence using the language, of course, and learn what various words mean and how to pronounce them, but he just has to say them to trigger the effect. I'm not sure what his first ritual or spell will actually be, mind, but I'm looking forward to finding out!

C) Warded -- he has special armor that allows him to deal better with supernatural nonsense! Specifically, he can "expend" the armor (check off the box on his playsheet) during a score to avoid supernatural consequences coming his way as a result of something he did, or to push himself (generally means picking up an extra die for your roll) when dealing with arcane forces, without having to take stress. I think this is a cool thing that Victor would very much like to have while dealing with the supernatural beasties he might encounter inside the city (as he can already tell that they're there) -- I picture his "special armor" as a coat he enchants with Elder Gutknecht's help, covering it in strange glyphs and suchlike to imbue it with arcane-busting power. (...actually, maybe he's inspired to make the coat after his ghost-busting score with Bonejangles. Must keep that in mind.)

D) Ghost Veil -- he can shift himself back into the ghost field for a few moments, becoming as shadowy and insubstantial as a ghost! In game terms, he takes two stress to do this, plus one extra stress if he wants to make it last longer, make himself fully invisible, and/or give himself the ability to float It's very cool, and it felt like the sort of thing that Victor would be able to do after his little trip into the ghost field courtesy of Emily -- it just takes him a bit to properly "unlock" the power. I was originally thinking that Ritual would have to be a prerequisite for it as a result (as Victor wouldn't figure it out until he got deeper into studying spellcraft and sorcery), but if it's something that's another side effect of his "ghost bride" adventures, maybe it's just something he stumbles on accidentally -- like, he does it on reflex during a fight, and the trick is figuring out how he triggered the effect so he can do it deliberately. I mean, it's probably still going to come after Ritual, simply because I plan for him to take that early, but -- yeah.

E) Tempest -- he can push himself to unleash a bolt of lighting as a weapon, or summon a storm (rain, fog, high winds, heavy snow) in his immediate area! Costs him two stress in game terms, but I think it's worth. This is just downright cool, and I love the idea of Victor being able to do something so powerful. He is more dangerous than he looks with this! This one definitely does have Ritual as a prerequisite, though, because I picture this ability as being tied to the demonic language of sorcery (hell, the book itself implies that it is). So Victor has to be able to use said language before he can fry people with lightning. Small price to pay!

-->Smiler: Smiler starts with the Alchemist special ability -- they're good at brewing up anything with alchemical features (drugs, non-magical potions, things like that), and get one formula that they already know for free. Since my concept for them in this verse is "cultist drug dealer," and I've always pictured them as an excellent chemist regardless of the universe they're currently occupying, this was a no-brainer as their starting ability. And as you might expect, their free formula is their signature Joy Serum -- after all, you can't be a drug dealer if you don't know how to make the drug. XD Anyway, as for what they get while running around with Victor and Alice, we have --

A) Physicker -- they gain enough medical knowledge to serve as the team doctor! Specifically, in game terms, this lets them Tinker with people's bodies to treat wounds and stabilize the gravely injured; Study maladies to see how to treat them and corpses to see how they died; and gives everyone in the crew an extra die when it comes to healing rolls. This is something that I think Smiler would like to pick up just to help keep their partners safe and healthy -- being a scoundrel is a dangerous job, after all, and hurt or sick friends are unhappy friends! Plus it's just good in practical terms, because, as I mentioned before, healing is tough in this game, and any advantage you can get is a good one!

B) A Little Something On The Side -- they get extra money after every score! In game terms, this means that at the end of every "downtime" phase (time after scores when characters work on projects and acquire assets and relieve stress and suchlike), they get two extra "stash" (how the game tracks each scoundrel's personal finances -- how much stash you have determines how good your character's lifestyle is and if your character ends up destitute on the street or in a halfway-decent home when they retire). I think this is a good one for Smiler simply because it feels like a good way to represent mechanically them still continuing to sell Joy Serum when they're not doing scores with Victor and Alice. They may not be living with the Advocates anymore, but that does not absolve them of their responsibility to bring chemical joy to the masses! Though, given that Smiler canonically sells their Joy Serum for cheap, maybe I'd reduce this to one extra stash. We'll see.

C) Mesmerism -- they have the ability to not only talk someone into something, but also make them forget that they were ever talked into it! Specifically, when they successfully Sway someone, they can also choose to have the person forget that it happened -- at least, until they next time they see Smiler, at which point they are like "HEY!" XD This one just feels like an appropriate one to me because it fits well with the actual rollercoaster's theme of hypnosis and mind control. And I did give Smiler a little hypno-wheel as one of their starting gadgets -- maybe they use that when they're using this ability? Or maybe this is an additional blessing from Mar-Mal that they get for helping the Advocates out with something...hmmm. I'll have to think about it. Point is, it's thematically appropriate, and could make for some interesting scenes.

D) Functioning Vice -- they're better at indulging their vice in a way that does not cause them to overindulge -- and can help Victor and Alice do the same! In game terms, this means whenever Smiler indulges their vice (which is how you reduce stress after scores -- you roll dice equal to your lowest attribute score and remove the highest number from your stress tracker), they can adjust the roll up or down by one or two to prevent overindulgence -- and any allies who indulge with them can do the same. I saw this in action in Oxventure Presents: Blades In The Dark with Johnny's character Kasimir in the second season, and holy fuck is it useful. Like, this is the ability to get if you want to make sure your scoundrels can reduce their stress quickly and safely. And Johnny was using it on a character whose vice was Obligation and involved Kasimir tending his busted knee -- Smiler's vice is Pleasure! Do you know how much easier that is to pair with another vice? Alice has an Obligation to keep an eye on the children of Houndsditch? Take 'em on a picnic! Victor has a taste for the Weird? Go on a shopping trip to a bookstore to look for occult books! Want to do something all together? Take the kids out and have Victor demonstrate some of the safer magic tricks he's learned! :D Seriously, this is going to be like their best special ability --

Which is why it's kind of a shame that I've already come up with a score revolving around them overindulging their vice at the Golden Plum restaurant and then having to help Chef Roselle there get ingredients for a new dish. XD So yeah, Smiler can only get this ability after that happens. Probably inspires them to be more careful when indulging their desires!

E) Trust In Me -- they're better at anything they may choose to do against a target who they already have an intimate relationship with! Basically, in any roll against someone whom they already know well, they get an extra die -- and no, it doesn't have to be a social roll, nor does the relationship have to be that kind of intimate -- they just have to be close. I think this one fits Smiler simply because they're the most extroverted of the three, and probably have all sorts of friends scattered around the city that could be convinced to help the Three Pillars on their various scores. I do picture them using this mainly to help Sway friends to their various causes -- Smiler's a lover, not a fighter, and wouldn't want to damage the friendship by doing something mean. Though if someone they like decides to be an ass to them first -- well, all bets are off. Smiler may not be good at throwing a punch, and not want to hit a friend, but if they have to...

Whew! Quite the lists, huh? And this isn't even getting into the special abilities the trio can pick up as a crew! Not to mention the upgrades I have planned for their lair... I think telling you all about that will have to be a separate post, though. This one's long enough already. XD

[worstloki]

What is your favorite kind of thorki fanfic? Everyone knows that you read them

okay okay so imagine all the terrible popular fanon tropes that get attributed to Loki. Now hand them over to Thor and do them well—!

[cursedbluntrotati0n]

tfw ur struggling to find a good deal of ur long-time internet friends after going "off the grid" on all ur normie social media accts for an extended period (instagram, fb, etc). 🥲

[firebuug]

*GRABS YOU* YOU REBLOGGING MY POST AND SHARING YOUR THOUGHTS IN THE TAGS I LIKE YOU SO MUCH THANK YOU *ugly cries*

*GRABS YOU BACK*

GRAUFHHH NO PROBLEM I GO INSANE WHEN I SEE GOOD ART

*breakdances*

[flattery-suplex]

Garp said that Koby was the future of the marines excuse me while I

[stormyoceans]

it's severely missing vice versa hours (as always) so, let's go with your top picks for puen's best looks?

CASSI I NEED YOU TO KNOW THAT I LOVE YOU FOR ASKING ME THIS BUT ALSO THAT YOU MADE ME GO THROUGH 15 DIFFERENT LIFE CRISIS AND DEVELOP 8 NEW MENTAL ILLNESSES IN THE SPAN OF 3 DAYS TRYING TO ANSWER THIS. also im ONLY NOW realizing, as im posting this, that you didn’t actually ask me my top 10, but just my TOP. FULL STOP. so i could have picked 3 or 5 and reply way sooner……… maybe it’s me. i am the problem. IM SO SORRY BUT STILL. HERE WE GO

1. the wedding outfit in episode 4. I LOVE WHEN PUEN WEARS ANY KIND OF SHADE FROM PINK TO RED SO THIS IS LITERALLY MY DREAM OUTFIT FOR HIM. he looks positively radiant in it and idk if you can see it, but when i was taking that full body screenshot i realized that the white pants are slightly see-through and i think i momentarily blacked out for a minute or 10 or 10000. ALSO DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I WISH HE COULD WEAR THIS FOR HIS OWN WEDDING WITH TALAY IT’S LITERALLY PERFECT CAN THEY JUST RECREAT IT INTO THEIR UNIVERSE TOO IM BEGGING.

2. the interview look in episode 12. I ACTUALLY CAN'T WRITE DOWN HALF OF THE THINGS IM THINKING ABOUT THIS BECAUSE THERE ARE MINORS ON THIS SITE so im just gonna say that the all black suit + the styled hair was a truly inspired combination and it's unfair that talay didn't get to witness all of this in person.

3. the suspenders look in episode 1. I SIMPLY THINK THAT [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] THOSE HIPS DON'T LIE.

4. the ombre(?) jacket outfit in episode 12. puen really showed up in front of god and the cameras to announce his undying love for talay wearing the skinniest pair of jeans known to man then powerwalked to talay’s house to win his mom over and i simply think that’s very sexy of him. also making puen wear blue, which is talay’s color, during this scene was such a big brain move, though the real pièce de résistance, the jewel in the crown, the cherry on top of an already delicious cake is THAT JACKET. the costume designer of the show truly said ‘if he’s not ouselling outserving outslaying while getting his man then i ain’t doing my job right’ and by god they delivered. 

5. the first glasshouse outfit in episode 4. this is my favorite kind of casual wear for puen: dark jacket, dark jeans, neutral boots, and the shirt giving a pop of color to the entire outfit, especially if that color is red. he looks SOOOOO GOOD in red. at one point puen also drives tun’s bike in this outfit and when they get to the glasshouse there’s a brief moment where you can see he’s about to take off his gloves which im pretty sure awakened something in me because i’ve been feeling unwell ever since (screenshot not included for the faint of heart and to preserve my sanity) [mostly for my sanity]  

6. the beach outfit in episode 9. LISTEN i know it's a very simple look, but i LOVE when puen wears button-up shirts with nothing else underneath. it's also giving so much mr darcy walking through the moors with his tits out to go tell elizabeth that she bewitched him body and soul and that he loves he loves he loves her and wishes from this day forth never to be parted from her in the 2005 pride and prejudice movie adaptation. LIKE SORRY BUT I LITERALLY SEE NO DIFFERENCE.

7. the marriage proposal suit in episode 12. SOMETHING SOMETHING THE WAY PUEN’S COLOR PALETTE IS MADE OUT OF A LOT OF DARK NEUTRALS BUT THEY DECIDED TO DRESS HIM ENTIRELY IN LIGHT ONES WHEN HE PROPOSES TO TALAY. i’d say im reading too much into it except NOTHING IS CASUAL IN THIS SHOW. also his tiddies look great in that white undershirt and i just really like this suit, which is kinda surprising considering that i do prefer him in darker shades.

8. the “pink theory” outfit in episode 10. OF COURSE i had to include one of the iconic sleeveless shirt looks and OF COURSE i had to go with the pink one. he wears quite a few in the alternate universe and i was very torn between this and the black one in the glasshouse at the end of episode 4, but in the end i just love him in this salmon color way too much and………………….. [loses tracks of what she’s saying because ARMS]

9. the “tonight let’s go head over heels for each other” outfit in episode 12. you know how some people end up letting themselves go after entering a relationship? yeah, that’s not puen. you’d think he would chill out a little after finally getting with talay but NO!!!!! HE SAID TITS OUT FOR THE BOYFRIEND ALWAYS!!!!! TITS OUT FOR THE BOYFRIEND NOW MORE THAN EVER!!!!! and you know what? i respect his horny ass so much for it.

10. the bathroom outfit (bucket hat on exclusively) in episode 1. ranked at the bottom because im actually not too fond of that jacket and it probably wouldn't have made it in my top 10 by itself HOWEVER!!!!! this outfit without the bucket hat? simply a lesser version of the interview suit in episode 12. this outfit WITH the bucket hat? BRILLIANT INCREDIBLE AMAZING SHOWSTOPPING SPECTACULAR NEVER THE SAME TOTALLY UNIQUE COMPLETELY NOT EVER DONE BEFORE. honestly no one should be able to look that good wearing a bucket hat THAT'S SIMPLY TOO MUCH POWER.