#and I don't have time to think up perfect comps for every character ever

[rubys-domain]

I finally got to play tcg with my bf. we'd been talking about doing it for a hecking while. now that it finally happened though... idk if I should be surprised that shoddy internet got in the way (as usual. it's always fucked things up when trying to do things together remotely). which lowered the mood a little bit. and I kept winning because it was literally his first time playing tcg after he did the tutorial like three weeks ago. and I guess I've gotten somewhat decent at deckbuilding at this point. first I used my trusty bennett-fischl-chong deck, then it soon became clear that there was no way in hell he'd win against that team. (he also really wants to use only the chibi characters and monsters, which means he won't be using a lot of the busted cards.) so for the rest of the matches I went with a sucrose-oceanid-kaeya deck. obviously I still put thought into that comp (because I'd feel bad using an actual random bullshit deck — I didn't want to make it look like I was looking down on him or something), but still way easier to beat than the first comp (at least I think it is). but he kept losing to that deck too.

he's definitely not the sore loser type, and he didn't seem all that bummed by not getting a single win. he was pleased that he actually killed one of my characters in the very last game, and he told me in jest that he would "have his revenge" in a rematch someday. I just feel bad for absolutely ripping him to shreds even though I didn't intend to. and because I realized the absolutely massive knowledge gap between us. he just needs to get familiar with what different effects/passives do and how they manifest, and learn the logic behind choosing a team comp (how each character would contribute, what rotation to use, the fact that this game relies on rotations at all, etc.) and choosing action cards for said comp. stuff that he's definitely no stranger to because he plays gwent and loves card games in general. I really do think he can kick my ass in this game; he just isn't familiar with all the things yet. and now I kinda want to think about how I would teach a complete noob how to play tcg. like yeah there's the in-game tutorial that teaches you the basic mechanics, but it doesn't at all teach you how to build an effective deck. you can't just throw big dps's in the same deck and expect to have a good time (flashbacks to when I ran a yae-zhongli-xiao deck to grind proficiency... *shudders*). you either have supports that help your main damage dealer survive and do more damage for big numbers (hypercarry), or you have multiple smaller damage dealers that can buff each other's damage via reactions to consistently chip away at the enemy's health (quickswap). it's very similar to the base game in that respect.

[suevi-if]

The message you've shared is well-intentioned, encouraging imagination and headcanons but it could unintentionally come off as dismissive or even exclusionary.

🔹 1. "Just use your imagination" can feel invalidating

Telling people to “just use your imagination” when they’re asking for explicit representation can be dismissive of the importance of actual, on-the-page identities. Marginalized players—especially queer folks—have spent years only seeing themselves through subtext, implication, or headcanons.

🔹 2. Compulsory heterosexuality is not a catch-all explanation

While it’s true that comp het can be a real experience, using it to justify a queer MC falling for someone of the “wrong” gender (in a canonically romance-locked way) can feel like it’s glossing over structural issues in the writing. If players have to explain away romantic choices that don't align with their character's stated identity, that’s a writing limitation—not just a player mindset issue.

🔹 3. “They could have an obsession or admiration they mistake for a crush” treads into murky waters

This line risks reinforcing stereotypes about queer people "misunderstanding" their feelings—especially if it’s being used to justify a same-gender MC showing interest in a straight-coded or unavailable character. While exploration is totally valid, players often want to feel like their identity is respected, not retrofitted into the narrative.

🔹 4. Representation isn’t just a “possibility”—it’s about trust

When a story says, “you can headcanon anything,” but doesn’t offer explicitly diverse routes or narratives, it puts the burden on the reader to do the emotional labor. It can leave them unsure if they’re truly welcome. Representation shouldn’t feel like a scavenger hunt—it should feel like home.

As a queer af author,

I appreciate your input about a message I typed up in about three minutes with admittedly very little thought.

I actually really do, because clearly, you have put more weight on my words than I ever intended somebody to do. I did not expect to receive a message like this.

Why does your message come across as if you thought I was hetero though? Because I stated several times on this blog that I am very queer indeed. I even have my neopronouns at the very top of my page, in very big, bold letters. I am nonbinary and pansexual, as I have stated several times now.

I am well aware that the lgbtq+ representation in different kinds of media is still lacking - but looking at especially the IF community, I feel like there is a lot of queer representation found here. Not all of it is depicted great, mind you, but we do have a lot of rep, I feel.

If there is one kind of queer representation you want to discuss in the IF community, I offer you to discuss the lack of nonbinary ROs and asexual ROs instead. :)

Now, to your points:

As stated above really. There is a lot of M x M representation, and that's really great. And it's getting more and more, which is awesome. Hell, feel free to count my IF as one of those, because in my IF, every RO is gender selectable! But getting hung up about one more IF that isn't your taste might not be the best idea. See it like this: For every queer female MC, it'll be a perfect F x F love story. And female straight MCs will also run into the same issue as someone playing a gay male MC.

Writing limitations might not necessarily be pointing towards structural issues. Not every story has to account for every possible option, and that's fine. Sometimes, writing limitations are good for storytelling. They can give a story a certain edge. At this point, it sounds like you have an issue with the premise of the story altogether, which makes me think this might just not be a story for you.

As someone who has lived through that stereotype, I can only say that it's a stereotype for a reason, and not just for queer folks. A lot of neurodivergent people struggle with distinguishing different kinds of strong emotions. Again, I know this because I am one of them, and I've been through that. But maybe I'm just a walking, talking stereotype.

I grew up on heteronormative stories, you don't need to tell me how important representation is. The first queer story I ever read was fanfiction, and I was in my teens. The first queer non-fanfiction story I ever read I read in my twenties. Again, representation in the IF community is luckily plenty already, and it's becoming more and more, which is fantastic. But that also means there is absolutely zero reason for you to dwell over one of the very few stories that might not be to your taste.

[xoteajays]

There might be Exile Tribe musicians who do have tattoos, but none I can think of at the moment. I don't think. I know he isn't an Exile man, but I know the musician Anarchy (who was 9 in H&L is obviously very covered in tattoos). But I'm not sure about the Exile Tribe yet though.

Those are the only two outcomes I could imagine for Cobra. Between the Nikka and her brothers owning their family's barber shop, Cobra's possibly able to get his hair done there. Or he dyes his own hair then. Unless you would want to be cute enough by having his girlfriend dye his hair sometimes, but only if she knows what she's doing though.

Obviously! Who wouldn't love Rocky... Rocky may have conservations with the women, he tips them well, and he would beat up anyone that mistreats the women. Unless there as some things I'm missing here.

Not only can't you just dye your hair without bleaching it first. If you'd dye your hair colors, not natural colors but colors (red, blue, pink, any colors), you can't just go from one color to the next because so many colors won't mix well if there is still some discoloration from previous colors. If some of the color is still in your hair anyway. I know Takeshi's hair isn't platinum blond like Rocky, or golden blond like Cobra, I have to say his hair is more of a honey blond to me. But still. His hair is very blond, too blond not to have been dyed. Maybe they steal hair dyes.

Really? I think Hiromi looks good with any style.. In my opinion. I have to say he does always look like a completely different person with any hairstyle. But I don't really think I have favorite styles for him though.

~

Well.. Yeah. That's true. The only why Yang could have possibly ended surviving was if he was critical injured, sent to the hospital, like being out of commission until the war was over. That situation. Something.

And that was another reason why some fans were complaining about the finale. Because they never killed the villains. But here is the thing.. I understand that characters like Choi, Yang and Lee would've killed a lot of the villainous characters - especially Myeong and Inbeom since they do deserve to die. But Gun and Jin have always been against the killings, the murders, situations involving death. They would not do it.

I was gonna to that too! Gun deserves every hug, every kiss, just any ounce of affection in his life. Those boys do deserve more affections.

~

So.. The money that Choi had in all, including the money Myeong did steal, was 84 billion dollars in gold bars. I forget how much one of the gold bars cost. I think millions. And each boy was given two gold bars at the end of the story. Enough to provide for their families and selves for the rest of their lives, for for quite some time anyway. There's that.

But I have Jin's reaction with money. If I see money, especially money that costs a lot - like millions and billions, I may have kept that money all for myself. But... I also respect Gunwoo's reasons for not taking the money, since Choi's last wish was to provide for people in need too.

The ending was a happy ending, minus Ju, for the characters that did survive by the end. And because of how the show ended... That would be why I don't know if the show would be continued with any seasons after this. I don't know. I haven't heard any confirmation or denial over anymore seasons. So who knows what might happen if they continue the show. And, if they don't continue Bloodhounds, I would really love to see these boys in more roles together. Especially since this a series like Bloodhounds just so happened to be Sangyi's first action role so I would love to see them in more action roles too. Along with any roles.

~

Honestly? Not to be disrespectful.. Half the time I forget you're gay.

If I'm being honest about this.

But yes! I mentioned that to you before. This is why these guys would be perfect husband material for me.. Not that I'm their type so I know nothing would ever happen. But besides them both being completely attractive. They're introverts, they're homebodies too. I'm an introvert who rarely likes leaving my house. I am not agoraphobic since people seem to think that. I just don't like interacting with people more than I have to. And! I don't know if you ever read their interviews. But I really have to say Doh-wan knows how to treat women in every relationship - especially romantic relationships. "Woo Do Hwan Claims He Treats His Girlfriends Like The Cherished Daughters Of Another Man." And, "Woo Do Hwan also revealed that he values manners in dating and that he considers them as daughters of another. I tend to be very mannerly when dating. No matter who I meet, I think of them as a precious daughter of another man. He then explained in detail what he's looking for in a girlfriend." That was an interview asking what his type of woman he's attracted to, and how he treats women he would be romantically involved with. What the fuck. This man is perfect for me. And! Not only could I imagine this with Doh-wan, but I could also imagine Gun-woo being this type of man too. Along with any sweeter characters that Doh-wan portrays in the roles he has ever done too.

Oh! About the exercise regime interview. They also mention methods for boxing, for their characters, about how their boxing methods have fit in with their character's personality. Like I mentioned before, Gun's an in box fighter (an aggressive close up fighter) while Jin's method is between an out box fighter (distance fighter) and southpaw fighter.

And before I forget. Yes.. Even though you only see Jin shirtless just a couple times after the time skip, they should have kept his scars even more defined though. The only time you would actually be able to see his scars is in the sunlight (like in the gifs I showed you). So I may just assume that since bars, clubs and even restaurants tend to have very dark lighting in their buildings.. I assume the lighting was too dark for people to see his scars. That's the only excuse I would accept for that.

I think guys would react that why, that they could emphasize in ways like this, is because they usually imagine their balls being crushed like that. I wouldn't be surprised if those reactions were real reactions in a situation like that. But yes.. I was also cheering Moon on for threating to crush the man's balls, I wish he'd still went through with the threat.

My characters would also cheer him on too, if they were not the ones to take that action into their own hands though. But he should do it.

~

Actually... Before I get into anything. I am going to tell you some trivia about the Korean military. Everyone knows Koreans actually have this mandatory military service compared to any other country, people do know this by now if you enjoy Korean celebrities - you probably would know that since Korean celebrities have military services too. But any mandatory military services are only for the Korean male populations, not the female population. Women would join the military voluntarily.

So you wouldn't have to add that into Da-min's backstory if you never wanted to. I thought I'd tell you in case you never even knew that fact.

But some of the backstory seems plausible. Because Mr. Oh was also a security guard back when Choi owned his loan shark business, but I guess he decided to stay with Choi after they shut the business down (and because of Choi's injures too). So they could have known both of their families for a long time, for as long as they have been friends like this. And Choi's so generous with his money towards people his cares for, so he could have gave Mr. Oh a decently sized paycheck any time he might have needed extra money.. Like how he was with Gun or Jin during their financial situations. So that wouldn't really surprise me.

Oh! Da-eun (the actress of Da-min) is actually born in 1994. She really seemed younger than that to me.. I mention this because Da-min was someone I imagined younger than Gun and Jin by a few years but not that much younger. Actually! Do Korean students start archery, in the high school or the college grades? And she seemed to be living alone. I know, I know.. The housing is different in Asian countries. So I might know about to comment about how she lives in that apartment alone before the boys lived there. I don't know. I'm still figuring things out.

Maybe, besides archery, she can learn out to use distance weapons if she has to protect herself or even anyone else from the main group.

Well... I still haven't figured out if I'm going to completely remove Ju's character from my story, or have new characters around the time she leaves (besides Da-min). This is why I have to read the webtoon story.

If your character does know how to ride a motorcycle. Then maybe I'd be able to imagine Yang, Lee and even Ju teaching her how to ride for bonding moments between those characters. I don't know. Since Lee and Yang already knew how to ride motorcycles in the younger years.

~

You're imaging the Do Or Die era style with blue and turquoise hair, at least instead of purples. Makes sense.. I think. I don't know.

But I did find plenty of pictures of AleXa with brighter and lighter blue hair in pictures. But.. she is wearing a mask in most of those pictures.

~

Whenever I do decide to rewatch All Of Us Are Dead, then I will really have let you know about things that I may have missed the first time I watched the show. I don't know when I'll watch the show though.

But! Maybe? I know a lot of the male actors were tall. Maybe that was why he didn't seem that tall to me? I don't know. But that would be an obvious reason. And, for me, most of the guys I know personally have been over six feet tall.. So tall people never faze me as a short person.

i know ryuto from generations has tattoos, and i think takahiro - who plays masaki - has a couple too. hiroomi has a couple iirc, and maybe elly does? so there’s a couple, but i think a lot of them are decently small and usually covered up.

don’t bother cobra for one night every month or so, he’s busy bleaching his hair. don’t distract him! don’t call him! if there’s a problem, figure it out yourselves!

takeshi’s gotta have bleached his hair at least a lil bit. like bleached it with leftover stuff while helping pi with his regrowth/red dye. it’d be a waste of bleach otherwise. just slop it on there.

~

it would’ve been nice if while they were at the hospital there was a scene of like yang being in surgery, in worse condition than jin. i would’ve liked him to survive.

i do wish myeong gil at least would’ve died, but it wouldn’t have been in character for gun to kill him, even as upset as he was. gun and jin aren’t killers like lee and yang. they’re good boys! they wanted myeong gil to pay for what he’d done, but they’re not killers. hell, you can see it at the end when gun gets so upset, he would’ve been way worse off if he’d killed myeong gil.

let gun and jin get kisses! and hugs! they deserve it!!

~

i think it was 500 million for each gold bar? or was it 500 million for two? so a decent amount for both of them that min beom was willing to cover. i bet gun would give the money to his mother again, or at least half of it like he did with his boxing winnings.

jin was really so excited about the money, but he was also on gun’s side about doing something that choi would’ve wanted. i hope they go get some rib eye since they were talking about it the whole season.

i’m in denial about there possibly not being a second season. i’m just going to pretend and not look at any cancellation news. i do hope do hwan and sangyi work together again soon tho.

~

my attraction - if it can even be called that - to men is purely aesthetic. i think they’re nice to look at but i don’t wanna kiss them or have sex with them or do anything romantic with men. i enjoy reading/writing/imaging someone else doing things with hot dudes. but i don’t wanna do any of it myself tho.

women tho, i will go stupid for women, i am painfully lonely and starved for even just a kiss from a pretty girl; my chest physically hurts at merely the thought that i’m not getting regular kisses from a girl.

i’m just going to pretend that jin just heals up better than gun, so his scars didn’t develop as noticeably. or that he just like slopped on those scar creams that minimise the visibility of scars.

guys are like cringing and uncomfortable about ball stuff, meanwhile girls are like ‘get his ass, do it’.

~

oh thank god. i nearly always forget about the mandatory military service in korea until it comes up and i haven’t read really anything about it. but at least now i dont have to plan for it for da min and bi.

i dont how much earlier the choi backstory was, so da min could’ve been born before or after choi closed his business. either way, choi probably met her when she was very young.

there were archers at the high school in all of us are dead, so i think some schools have archery clubs. maybe the more private, expensive ones. i imagine she did it in high school, maybe tried for the olympic team after she graduated, then eventually just went to go work for choi and put archery aside as a hobby until it gets serious with the loan sharks and all the big fights.

since bi’s dad taught her how to cook and trained her with knives and self-defence, lee can teach bi how to ride a motorcycle and slit people’s throats while riding. it’s fun uncle bonding time!

~

i’m imaging bi was blonde at the start for her introduction, dyes her hair blue at some point and then it slowly fades over the six month skip because she doesn’t have time for hair up-keep while they’re training and in hiding.

[muntiller2]

I wish they'd just apologize, you know?

Okay, I'm going to be honest here. The way the story is heading is shit and I haven't seen anyone praise it in ages.

It's funny right? It all comes down to the exact same spot in the story where everything goes to absolute shit: EE part 3.

I'm not gonna say EE entirely because acts 1 and 2 were rlly good imo, the murder mystery was fun and engaging and there was no narrative of people being flawless and perfect, it was just a bunch of isolated assholes trapped with a killer inside a house and trying to figure out who it is. I really liked that part!

Everyone knows how the story went from there so I'm not gonna describe it. We all know what went wrong by now, we all know who ruined everything and we all know how it ends.

Ever since then not only has the story suffered severely, but so has the gameplay. As said by a friend on discord: the scummy gacha stuff was forgivable because the "meta" wasn't necessary to enjoy the game, we had the story to hold that up and old valks could very well hold up in newer weather. Today? That shit doesn't fly anymore.

You guys remember when a Herrscher patch was something to be excited for? I do. You guys remember when we didn't have Herrscher after Herrscher after Herrscher being released back to back? I do.

This all means that today not only is the gacha even more demanding in a game that is already really fucking unforgiving, but the meta has also shifted in a way that's not sustainable for people who have older characters. Sure, they're giving one of the new Herrschers for free, but that doesn't change the fact we have a boss and weather that needs 3 different elements on the same team to work, fucking up every single comp I've seen so far that isn't HoO, HoFi and HoTr.

Mihoyo is not only burning through the community's goodwill in regards to the story (and they're burning it fast, I haven't seen anyone excited for new chapters as of late), but they're also burning through the goodwill of these same players when it comes to meta.

If the story is no longer keeping people entertained, they'll move to meta and if meta isn't viable, they'll stop playing.

Hell, I haven't played the newest chapter yet, not a single stage and I don't want to, the story completely burned me out. Do you know what I think when I remember a double Herrscher patch is coming next patch too? I just sigh because I'm tired.

You know what I wish mihoyo did? Apologize.

If they were fucking honest about the fact they fucked up and burned all of the goodwill their community had with them, a lot of people would be less salty about it. If they stopped pretending everything is fine and that everyone is loving where the game is going, people would be less willing to hunt them down with pitchforks.

I just wish they would admit that their story has gone to shit and that they ruined the characters they meticulously built for years, instead of trying to mend things with bandaids and a shiny new coat of paint over the cracks.

But of course, that's not going to happen because it won't. No other reason aside from the fact that it just won't.

I just really fucking wish they would make an actual announcement apologizing, reboot the story back to pre EE and try again with some actual soul into it. I don't think the community would be even mad to have a soft reboot given the vast majority has been doing their own rewrites and completely disregarding canon. With the amount of fucking amazing ideas I've seen coming from all of us, they could even take some of them and make an actual good story.

But once again, that won't happen because they have their heads so far up their asses that they can taste their own hair. It won't happen because they're sure that if they hammer into our heads that this is the new canon enough times, we'll all eventually accept it and shut up.

[carpisuns]

For the artist meme -- 20 and 6! 🎨 if you like xx

20. how often do you get art block?

all the time 🥰 it's like clockwork lol sometimes i get sooo frustrated and cranky bc i hate all my art and i'm like "woe is me!! i've lost all my skills!! i'll never draw again!!" and then i'm like wait . i know what's happening here. i just gotta wait it out I'll be fine lol. it's nice that i also write bc then i can switch to writing for a while until the art block clears up 👍 i've found it's best for me to just take a break from drawing for a bit and not try to force it so my brain can like reset itself

6. tag your favorite artists/inspirations!

oh man there are so many!!!! i could name like 100 people lol but i'm gonna limit myself to the ones i think have had the most direct influence on my art style. hope u guys don't mind the tags<3

@ileniagennari was one of the first artists i latched onto stylewise. i used to study their work a lot because i am obsessed with the fluidity and softness of their linework and i just really like how they draw faces and bodies. their rendering is also amazing and feels sort of cinematic somehow? i've always wished my art could have a similar feel!

@anna-scribbles has also been a huge style influence for me and she's just also been a big inspiration in general as a close friend<3 i ADORE her work and have studied it specifically a ton. she draws the most blorby blorbos ever. blorbyness is her art trademark imo. and i want that for me too so i tried to steal it. i also think just sheer proximity to her and her art has made me pick up a lot of things from her automatically haha. in particular, i feel like the way she draws smiles is so perfect, and i always try to channel her when i draw smiles myself haha

@ladybeug inspires me so much and has taught me really valuable art skills! a while ago i came to a point in my art journey when i felt just really stuck and frustrated. like i could not for the life of me just DOODLE. i took everything too seriously, even if it was supposed to be simple and silly. i really needed to learn how to loosen up and enjoy drawing more. stephanie is like the most esteemed and delightful doodler i know so i came to her for advice and she DELIVERED. she gave me super helpful tips and invited me to make daily comics with her and it's been lifechanging! it's helped me focus on communication over perfection and feel more confident in my art, which i think had a visible difference in my style too. i learn SO much from just regularly enjoying stephanie's work, including her webcomic @datmcomic!!

@rileyclaw is a good buddy of mine and his work is so hugely inspiring to me! it's really educational to see his wips and learn from his process. and since he's an incredible animator as well as an illustrator, enjoying his work is part of what inspired me to finally take a leap and make my first animatic. i really love how he pushes/exaggerates body and facial expression to communicate emotion and how he makes such careful choices about comp and color and just Everything to tell a whole story with every piece of his art. i've learned a lot from riley on the storytelling aspects of art and that's something i continue to try to build on!

@knockknockknockingonhootysdoor's art is like an instant and intense shot of dopamine to my brain every time!!! i cant even tell you how HAPPY it makes me. i just stare at it and eat it all up and i'm always asking myself HOW does he do it?? how does he make me feel this way. and i think it's just like....how genuine it is?? i can just feel kryan's love for the story and characters in the way he draws and im not sure that is a stealable quality lol. but in particular something i really admire about his art is how SHAPE it is. i love how he builds each character with different shapes and how each design feels so unique and so fitting for them. i am trying to incorporate that more into my own art!

man i already have rambled so much and there are so many other artists i could go on and on about alskjdfjkla ok just real quick i have to shout out @picayunearts bc i intensely enjoy her work in both the ml and toh fandoms and her coloring and use of light and gradient always stands out to me so i kinda try to channel that sometimes! @smallpapers is another fav and i love how soft and simple her art feels! it's always inspiring to me. @raystel's work also inspires me a lot, whether it's fanwork or original stuff. she is so creative with character design and seeing the way she expresses her ideas in art is so cool!

and i would be remiss if i didn't shout out my sister @mozzys-studio who is the first person i came to when i wanted to learn how to draw and she taught me a lot! her art is beautiful<3

thanks for the questions! :D

artist asks

[tartaeya]

kaeya 😈 also bennett hehe

OH HI.... I would love to do this meme for those two ;o;

Kaeya:

favorite thing about them: Kaeya's just so damn cool, genuinely the most interesting Mondstadt character with a ton of foreshadowing set up for his relevance and even that isn't as important as just how complex but likeable he is? Everything from how everyone knows Kaeya's smiles are fake (even to kids!) to the fact that he's so competent despite being a cavalry captain with no cavalry... we stan a babygirl who can get the upper hand on just about anyone. I love that he's kind of an asshole in Venti's story quest to Diluc, LMAO it just shows a side of him we don't often see.

least favorite thing about them: I agree w/u Kaeya could turn out to be the Tsaritsa and want world domination or something and I'd be like yes sweetie you're doing great

favorite line: god I'm bad with quotes but I'm fond of "Khaenri'ah, huh? You sure know a lot! The legacy of Khaenri'ah is long gone, the sinners are all that's left, and they're not worth mentioning." from his voiceover quotes. go girl give us nothing

brOTP: favonius crew!

OTP: Chaeya obviously, they were my first Genshin ship thanks to a friend posting about them often enough for me to get curious and now I feel like these two characters are Made for each other and that they're def gonna meet in canon. And if I'm wrong, I will be so sad :') BUT THAT'S OKAY they don't need to meet in canon for them to be perfect.

nOTP: I could just take the easy route and say k*luc but honestly I hate every other ship involving Kaeya because I have ship blinders on for every ship I'm really invested in. I Do Not Perceive them with other characters.

random headcanon: Kaeya can't cook and from the fact that he grew up with a rather privileged life, I like to think he'd learn a lot from Childe about how to take care of himself. Also that Kaeya sneaks Childe into the Favonius Headquarters barracks from time to time...

unpopular opinion: hmm. I feel like people dismiss Kaeya as a jerk at times but forgive other characters for being jerks in the exact same way/dismiss him as an irrelevant starter character. Like there is no other character in Genshin, to me, that has as many secrets as him. I think it's premature to write him off in any capacity!!

song i associate with them: I like Curses by the Crane Wives for him!

benny boy beneath the cut so this post doesn't get too long!

favorite thing about them: Benny is just the sweetest little guy and a constant in my team ever since I got him. He's just So Good and doesn't deserve all the bad luck he has :( He's really versatile in terms of both combat and characters he pings off of! I feel like he'd be particularly good in a summer event, esp for more lore about him.

least favorite thing about them: I accidentally c6'd him :(

favorite line: BENNY'S ADVENTURE TEAM ASSEMBLE

brOTP: most of the Mondstadt Obvious Teenage Characters tend to go along really well with him as friends. I also like the idea of Diluc being friendly with him because I run them in the same team comp often.

OTP: I subscribe to your Benyun agenda hahaha, the art is so cute!

nOTP: i can't see him with any girls i'm sorry

random headcanon: He accidentally does the bad luck superstitions often. Walks under ladders, breaks mirrors, black cats cross his path... etc. Can't catch a break.

unpopular opinion: I don't really have one!

song i associate with them: UHHH i don't. Have one RIP I'm so bad with song memes

[trulymightypotato]

I decided to get out of the replies and into the reblogs with further thoughts. I did my best to make my thoughts coherent, but I've been staring at this for way too long now so here we go:

I don't really have anything more to say on my previous point 1, so I'll move on.

2. Gonna be honest, this one is as much a complaint about how shallow a lot of SBI Syndicate stories feel. If we want characters to be deep and fleshed out they need to be able to connect with people other than their closest circle, even on the most superficial level. Even if they're trying to get at their enemies to tear their throats out before their enemy strikes first.

Hate is a connective tissue here, folks. Especially when writing villains.

The answer to why two people who hate each other might work together is going to depend on a lot of things--how's your world set up, what's their past history, is there someone they both like that can make them work together, how desperate are they/is the situation, what exactly are they willing to lose? I can't answer it for someone else. But, by golly, at least give me "Techno and Sam work together to save Tommy and hate it and each other every step of the way" instead of "Techno and Sam reconcile all their differences and then Sam joins the Syndicate permanently", y'know? Let your characters be true to themselves.

3. Sometimes I think this fandom has the critical thinking skills of an onion. The authors AND the readers, tbh.

I think the biggest hurdle this fandom faces with writing dark fiction is understanding that anyone, and I mean anyone, can become the kind of person who will do horrific things x/y/z when pushed far enough. That's part of the horror of it, and part of the essential understanding to making it feel real instead of the story falling flat.

Phil's a villain called the Angel of Death? Why? Because he killed a few people? Why did he kill them? Because he's supposed to be a villain? Okay, fine--but if he's supposed to be one of the protagonists, if we're supposed to root for him doing these murdery things, we need to know why he's murdering. What, exactly, is his code of conduct? Is there someone he won't murder? (His family, anyone under the age of ten, people wearing clothes and jewelry with skull decorations on them?) Why? Is he murdering for a reason or indiscriminately? What is that reason? Why is he murdering indiscriminately?

People don't have to have an answer for every question. But the more empty spaces there are, the harder of a time I have relating to the protagonists. "Angel of Death murdery supervillain with wings" is a fine protagonist premise and all, but I have to be able to trust that the author has, at least, thought about all these things--because I'm going to be honest, if I read another SBI Syndicate fic where Phil's only defining trait is "evil father" with no further explanation I am going to scream. Especially if the reason for the lack of detail is "only bad people think about those sorts of things that much and I'm not a bad person".

Ironically, the more questions authors answer, the less room there is for bad-faith readers to go "hey are you accusing Philza Mincraf, The Only Man Ever, of being abusive because he works weird hours". I mean, they're still going to do it, but then you can shrug and delete their comment because you and all the other readers understand perfectly well that "Evil Bird Man Who Commits Murder and Terrorism on a Regular Basis (but loves his family) is Going to Have Very Weird Work Hours" is not "yeah the author thinks a Minecraft streamer is a terrorist who has actually blown up entire buildings and committed murder and deliberately ignores all the children he doesn't actually have"

(It's certainly not a perfect solution--there are definitely people who will insist that Their Rules for RPF About the DSMP Character Not the CC are the Only Rules and anyone who violates those rules is Out To Cause Trouble. They're also, in my experience, people who complain about something clearly tagged when it's in a fic, so it's best to delete their comments anyway because they are not actually operating under good faith even if they say they are. The people who react to a dark character by name-calling and arguing about the author's morality are never going to be happy with this sort of fic anyway, no matter how well-written it is. They're not going to change their minds, so don't stress about them.

I realize that's much easier said than done.)

Okay, given DSMP canon, it’s absolutely fascinating which characters get chosen to be part of the (good guys?) villain squad, and how often that squad is called The Syndicate, in superhero AUs.

Like, Wilbur I can kinda see because of SBI, even if in canon it would be difficult to find people more ideologically opposed. But Sam/The Warden? Quackity? Tubbo? Helping an anarchist organization headed by Techno and Phil? And their enemy is Dream?

Like, it is hugely obvious that the cast is assigned roles and sides based on relationship/proximity to Tommy. That’s the primary element that comes into play, clearly. Which I just think is interesting.