#developing high-end websites

[insurance-brokers-india]

What are the next steps after obtaining an insurance broker license, and how can you generate potential leads using Mzapp CRM software?

Congratulations on securing your insurance broker license! The journey doesn’t end here; it’s just the beginning of building a successful insurance brokerage. Here’s how you can proceed and leverage Mzapp CRM software to find potential leads:

Steps After Getting Your Insurance Broker License

Understand Your Market: Research your target audience (individuals, businesses, or specific sectors).

Develop a Business Plan: Set goals for client acquisition, revenue, and operational processes.

Build a Network: Partner with insurance providers and attend industry events to establish your presence.

Create an Online Presence: Build a professional website and maintain active profiles on social platforms.

Offer Value-Added Services: Educate customers on policies, claims management, and risk assessments.

Using Mzapp CRM Software to Generate Leads

Lead Capture: Utilize Mzapp’s integrated forms and web tracking tools to capture inquiries from your website or social media.

Automated Follow-Ups: Set up personalized email and SMS follow-ups to nurture leads effectively.

Lead Scoring: Prioritize leads based on their interaction history, ensuring you focus on high-potential prospects.

Data-Driven Campaigns: Use analytics to identify what works and launch targeted campaigns.

Seamless Policy Management: Impress leads by showcasing how smoothly you manage policies and claims through Mzapp.

Why Choose Mzapp CRM?

Mzapp CRM simplifies lead management, streamlines operations, and provides insights into customer behavior, making it easier to convert prospects into loyal clients.

Learn more about how Mzapp can transform your insurance business here.

[truthscrapper]

Devlog #1 📚 The Very First Devlog

We announced Truth Scrapper with a beautiful trailer this month!!! The response has been absolutely incredible, thank you so much for following me on another funky memory adventure. Throughout the development of ISAT, I have written monthly devlogs on Steam, talking about the making of the game. People liked them a bunch, so…

That’s right. It’s time. For the Very First Truth Scrapper devlog!

In case you just stumbled upon this, I am Adrienne, also known as insertdisc5! I am the creator of timeloop RPG In Stars and Time, and now am working on my next game, memory visual novel Truth Scrapper. It’s gonna be a good one.

Alright! Development talk time. Where’s the game at?!?!

So, right now, I have just finished writing the script for Day 4, so I "only" have the art, code, and implementation to do for that day. Truth Scrapper is divided in 7 days, with three different routes you can go through from Day 6 onwards. So really, I need to write and code 11 days. Which puts me at almost ⅓ through development! WOAHRGH!?? At this point, I know where the story is going, I know what each route will consist of, etc. I just don’t know the Details. The portraits are all done, backgrounds are done sequentially for every day, gameplay is all figured out… TLDR: It’s In Good Shape!!!

“That was a good short paragraph, but can I have the detailed timeline of the game. Please.” ok fine you asked for it.

The Big Timeline (and some images!) under the cut

📚 this image was made so early in development, it didn't even have Betz's shibari-like pink harness

TRUTH SCRAPPER TIMELINE

DEC 2022: I finish ISAT around NOV 2022. I get an idea. I write it down. It was going to be an RPG but nobody got time for that. Main themes and ending are here. I work on pre-production very slowly over the next couple months (because I am recovering from finishing ISAT and still gotta keep working on post-production stuff for ISAT)

JULY 2023: Ok fine let's make a renpy file and figure out if the most important gameplay thing can be done. AKA: can I make a book menu where the game remembers the choices you make, and how complicated is that gonna be for me to add to it down the line. It works and I am happy

📚 this image was made so early in development, it just looks very bad

AUGUST 2023: Character design. They look Not Great and character design takes me like nine months. Plot is getting somewhere though!

NOV 2023: In Stars and Time comes out. People like it I think.

MARCH 2024: I decide I need to work on something, and decide to work on that and apply for the Ontario Creates grant. This game is actually starting for realsies!!!!!!!

MAY 2024: I actually lock down character designs.

JUNE 2024: I hire Dora, who was the producer of In Stars and Time and who rules.

📚 dora and i signing our lives to one another on discord. the bond between a creator and their producer can never be broken

SEPT 2024: I work on da gaem

MAY 2025: Day 3 is implemented. We announce the game. Now we’re here!!!!

Alright, that’s it for today! This first devlog is more about telling you where the game is at, and every month you will have a whole new devlog where I can tell you about all the great things I did that month for the game. You can even comment with questions and I might answer them one day. Ok. Thank you. And as always, DON'T FORGET TO WISHLIST THE GAME ALSO IT REALLY HELPS BECAUSE STEAM’S ALGORITHM IS MORE LIKELY TO SHOW OFF GAMES WITH A HIGH AMOUNT OF WISHLISTS THATS THE REASON WHY GAME DEVS ALWAYS ASK TO WISHLIST!!! OKAY BYE!!!!

Links! 📚 Official Website 📚 Join the Discord 📚 Sign up for my mailing list 📚 Follow Truth Scrapper on Bluesky 📚 Follow ME on Bluesky

[shiftchii]

U.A. High in my DR !

Basics

Students are separated randomly into specific departments and classes sectioned by the letters A-K.

These departments are:

Department of Heroics (A - B): Students in this department learn everything they need to know in order to become excellent heroes in service to the community. They are trained in battle, first aid, rescue, support, and all manners of heroic-related lessons.

Department of General Education C - E): Students who don’t make it to the hero course are included here. This department supports students aiming for college and other pursuits. It’s also possible for students with good grades and exceptional strength and quirk skills to be transferred into the hero course (And either the support or business course mind you). Basically regular HS but they get to say that they went to UA on their resume.

Department of Support (F - H): Students here focus on developing support equipment that helps heroes out on the battlefield. With a workspace stock to the brim with all sorts of special tools and their own studio to build things, this department provides an unmatched creative environment.

Department of General Management (I - K): This department focuses on all aspects of heroic business, from the founding and managing of hero agencies to the promotion of public opinion regarding heroes. They even do hands-on lessons in venture capitalism. They have a lot of free time.

Each class is usually comprised of 21 students. That means that the total student population at UA would be 693.

We stay in the same class with the same teacher for all 3 years.

Since UA is a highly prestigious school, we get a lot of funding and benefits for the dorms and when we go on trips and whatnot. (Food we buy for the dorms is paid for, we get free snacks/concessions in the sports festival, free hero costume updates and renewals)

The school curriculum is way less loaded than here. The school system is much better.

The Hero Teachers are actually good at teaching.

Since U.A. is famous, it has many sponsors with support and hero merch companies, so some hero course students (usually 3rd years) have their own hero merch already. Students are sometimes sponsored and do photoshoots and are invited to red carpet events. (Following the School Festival, Class 1-A gets loads of sponsors and stuff!)

The teachers and students are encouraged to decorate their classes and most of them do so.

U.A. has a popular school website.

Staff and students are recommended to have Twitter to update the public events, the majority of the students obviously don't take this seriously, there's always someone who has beef and makes it public (Monoma) and it always ends up like those MHA Tweets, it’s the funniest thing ever.

Schedule

School is Monday - Friday and starts at 8:25 and finishes at 15:10. Regular classes take place during the first half of school, then the afternoon (for the Dept. of Heroics) you will have hero training. Only Dept. of Heroics students have an additional 7th period.

The teachers move between classes while the students stay in 1 class (besides electives).

Wednesdays are half days and only consist of hero training (so no typical school work), though sometimes it's replaced by FHS. You also don't have to wear your uniform on Wednesdays.

We will always have some kind of free time for school despite our somewhat busy schedules.

Not all school days are the same (emergency drills, other schools coming to train with us, etc.).

Classes

Core Subjects for Dept. of Heroics

Homeroom: Taught by Aizawa. Acts as a study hall. The class reps will often give a small meeting with the class about important events during this period.

Japanese: Taught by Cementoss. Focuses on reading, writing, and literature.

Mathematics: Taught by Ectoplasm. Covers algebra, geometry, and calculus.

English: Taught by Present Mic. Emphasizes reading, writing, and conversation skills.

Home Economics: Taught by Midnight. Cooking and other aspects of household management.

Foundational Hero Studies (FHS): Taught by All Might, Aizawa or Midnight. Hero related studying: hero laws, safety precautions, first aid, jsl, media training, dividing hero and civilian identity etc.

Hero Training: Taught by various teachers, usually Aizawa or All Might, it changes every week and we are informed about the activities during homeroom. For example: Quirkless Combat, Rescue Training, Combat, Quirk Training etc.

Elective Subjects

Thought by various teachers. This is the only class where students move instead of teachers, these are shared, so you could end up with classmates from other classes. Students get to completely choose what electives they have. If they don’t choose, they are placed in extra training or study hall.

Options:

Foreign Languages (e.g., Chinese, Korean)

Journalism

Art Foundations

Photography

Ceramics

Psychology

Choir

Band

Orchestra

Woodshop

Metalshop

Chemistry

Poetry

Cooking

Baking

Biology

Physics

Film Analysis

Computer Programming

Animal Work

Volunteer Work

Theatre

Student Council

Literature Analysis

Forensics

Study Hall

Class 1-A Timetable

Around UA campus

The updated UA security system is really good. The sensors are so good, you don't even need to have your ID out. They can scan it anywhere on your person. If you lost or misplaced your ID, the gates also have facial recognition software, so it's fine. If you're not a student or staff, you NEED a visitor pass or the school will go into lockdown on you.

We can use our school IDs to get snacks and drinks from vending machines around the school hallways. It’s free and they are replenished daily.

UA has a courtyard where we can eat outside. Most of the 2nd and 3rd years get food from places outside of the school campus and eat outside in the courtyard. Because of this, the cafeteria isn't as crowded and when we eat lunch we can sit and enjoy our food comfortably. The cafeteria is also luxurious and looks like a fancy mall café.

The library is huge and has many resources with much to explore. There are many different levels with varying types of quiet floors and study halls. It's also open 24/7 so students who are fighting to finish a project can pull all-nighters.

There’s a little shop that has U.A. and hero merch and school supplies including books for courses. You can also buy the merch on the online website.

UA has extracurricular groups and clubs for those who aren't in the hero course such as other sports and things like cheerleaders, debate, theater, music, cooking, ballet, and much more. I mean, hero course students CAN do those things but they WILL have a hard time doing so all while dealing with said hero responsibilities. As mentioned before, business course students have a lot of free time and general ED students are basically regular HS students who just so happen to be going to UA and for support course students, it really depends on how much work you choose to take on for yourself.

There is a study center where students who need extra help can go. Students with failing grades must go here for a set amount of hours to get the help they need. It’s strictly work, and talking about anything other than school is basically prohibited. It’s usually run by Ectoplasm and his clones or Hound Dog.

Work studies & Internships

All first years do an internship, it’s required. This is usually after the sports festival when students have had a chance to show off their skills.

Work studies are basically experience-oriented off-study programs that allow students in the hero course who have Provisional Licenses to work with pros at their agencies. Students will be able to use their quirks under the guidance of a pro, and can even be dispatched to fight villains and help out in disaster areas. If you do well, you can be scouted to become the hero’s sidekick.

Work studies are a more serious version of internships. They entail helping pro heroes on the streets and with investigations. They are usually reserved for 2nd and 3rd-year students, who usually have their licenses. 1st years didn't do them in the past. However, with the rise of villain activity, the school decided to open up work studies to 1st years as well, albeit a very small and select few of them. If they didn't find a good agency with a proven track record they wouldn't do it at all.

Events

U.A. has seasonal dances and a lot of events, like Halloween, Hero Day and other festivals.

Uniforms

Color palette

The uniforms the students receive consist of 4 sets of each clothing (besides the coat and varsity jacket):

Shirts

Long sleeve

Short sleeved

Sleeveless

Blazer

Long sleeves

Sleeveless

Cardigans

Sleeveless (two color variations)

Long sleeved (two color variations)

Sweaters

Sleeveless (two color variations)

Long sleeved (two color variations)

Pants

Shorts

Below The Knee

Classic

Skirts

Mini

Below The Knee

Maxi

Ties

Necktie

Bow Tie

Socks

Quarter

Crew

Knee High

Thigh High

Tights

Shoes

Coat

Varsity Jacket

Gym Clothing

Tank top

Loose Zip-up Sweatshirt (long sleeves, short sleeves, sleeveless)

Cropped Zip-up Sweatshirt (long sleeves, short sleeves, sleeveless)

Shorts

Below Knee Shorts

Sweatpants

Swimwear

Sleeveless, Short sleeved and Long sleeved

Lanyards

Uniforms aren’t required on Wednesdays

Students are allowed to accessorize their uniforms however they want and wear their own jackets

Piercings, colored hair, nails, makeup etc. are allowed

The uniforms aren’t gendered - all students receive all versions and are allowed to wear whichever one they prefer

For students with mutant type Quirks, custom made uniforms are made

Button and sleeve/lapel stripe differences between the department uniforms [1-General education, 2-Hero, 3-Support, 4-Management].

School Bag

Along with the Uniforms the school hands out bags. You can return them and use your own if you’d like.

A standard deep blue nylon matching the uniforms. The U.A. logo sits at the right bottom corner.

Class

If you’re standing at the front of the classroom looking out at the desks, the seating arrangement starts at the leftmost side of the room (“A” names), going front to back and then going to the next row to the right, and so on.  keep in mind that the alphabetical order here is based on the Japanese alphabet. My number is 10.

Here's how I laid out the desks for 21 students:

Since we stay in the same classrooms for most of the days we can leave out stuff at our desks. They have shelves underneath with 2 outlets and lots of space.

Class 1-A Friend Groups

Everyone is actually really close, but those are what groups spend the most time together. Of course we hang out in different groups or all together too.

We have frequent movie and game nights, 1-A has a group chat and it’s always active, there’s always someone wanting to do something. Sometimes we invite people from other classes.

DekuSquad

Izuku

Ochako

Tenya

Tsuyu

Shouto

Haruka

Hitoshi (after he joins our class)

BakuSquad

Katsuki

Eijirou

Mina

Denki

Minoru

Hanta

TokoSquad

Fumikage

Mashirao

Mezou

Tooru

MomoSquad

Momo

Kyoka

Yuga

Kouji

Rikido

I hope this was helpful! <3

© credits: seating arrangement • basics @/Priicklleshifts on TikTok • uniforms • dividers

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Hedy Lamarr (Samson and Delilah, Ziegfeld Girl)—Look. I'm sure someone has already submitted Hedy Lamarr because she was spectacularly beautiful, and a very strong lady too: she fled both an abusive marriage AND nazi persecution at a very young age and rebuilt a life for herself pursuing her love for acting all on her own!! Her career as an actress was stellar; while she began acting outside of Hollywood (her very first movie, Ecstasy, won a prize at the Venice Film Festival), she conquered American hearts very quickly with her first movie in the US, Algiers, and then just kept getting better and better. If all this isn't enough, she was also an inventor: her invention of the frequency-hopping spread spectrum radio transmission technique forms the base of bluetooth and has a lot of applications in all kinds of communication technologies. I think that deserves a prize, don't you?

Grace Kelly (Rear Window, High Society, Dial M for Murder)—The literal princess of Hollywood (she retired at 26 to become princess of Monaco), her name said everything about why she was so hot. She carried herself with a grace and elegance you just don't see anymore. Her voice was sultry without being overbearing, and she had the ability to be sweet but suggest a deep sensuality at all times.

This is round 5 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Hedy Lamarr:

64.media.tumblr.com

The only person you can find both on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and in the Inventor's Hall of Fame--her radio-frequency-hopping technology forms the basis for cordless phones, wi-fi, and a dozen other aspects of modern life. She was also passionate in her efforts to aid the Allies in WWII (unsurprising for a Jewish-Austrian Emigree to America), and her name served as the backbone for one of the best running jokes in what is possibly Mel Brooks' best movie. Look, Louis B. Mayer apparently believed he could plausibly promote her as "The world's most beautiful woman". Is an entire website full of people going to be less audacious than one Louis B. Mayer? I didn't think so!

64.media.tumblr.com

Described as "Hedy has the most incredible personal sophistication. She knows the peculiarly European art of being womanly; she knows what men want in a beautiful woman, what attracts them, and she forces herself to be these things. She has magnetism with warmth, something that neither Dietrich nor Garbo has managed to achieve" by Howard Sharpe, she managed to escape her controlling husband (and Nazi Germany) by a) Disguising as her maid and fleeing to Paris or b) Convincing the husband to let her wear all of her jewelry to a dinner, only to disappear afterwards. Also she was particularly clever and helped develop Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum (I can't really explain it but anyway...)

64.media.tumblr.com

Her depiction of Delilah and Samson and Delilah just lives rent free in my head. The woman was gorgeous.

64.media.tumblr.com

One of the most beautiful women ever in film, spoken by many critics and fans. Beautiful shapely figure, deeper seductive voice, and often played femme fatale roles. She was also brilliant and an inventor. Mainly self-taught, she invested her spare time, including on set between takes, in designing and drafting inventions, which included an improved traffic stoplight and a tablet that would dissolve in water to create a flavored carbonated drink, and much more.

Gorgeous and brilliant pioneer of modern technology and the middle part.

Grace Kelly:

flawlessly beautiful and a literal princess

Her facial structure? Flawless. Her eyes? Stunning. Her hair? Gorgeous. Her style? Immaculate. Every second she’s on screen, she just exudes this elegance and sophistication. It’s no wonder she ended up marrying a prince. But she’s got this mischief in her eyes that is compelling.

She was so elegant, so beautiful and perfect I could cry for real. A fairy disguised as a woman.

the most beautiful of Hitchcock's "icy blondes". elegant, glamorous, she left hollywood to became an actual princess, I mean, COME ON

she's so pretty and refined and elegant! I'm pretty sure taylor swift's blonde hair red lip look is modeled partly after her

She's just so elegant, look at her all dressed up like a Barbie doll in the latest fashions. There's a quiet dignity about her.

Not only was she princess of Monaco she also is Stéphanie de Monaco's mother and yeah, vote for her she's soooo pretty That red dress in Dial M.... hot damn

To me, she is the first and only blonde. She earned it. Paired with Edith Head's costume design she is unstoppable. I dare anyone to watch her as Lisa Carol Fremont in Rear Window and not be completely blown away by her hotness.

SHE IS SO PRETTY AND FASHIONABLE!! Not only that but she has an alluring aura to her in whatever film I've seen her in! Rear Window is just one of my personal favorite films she was in, especially for her costumes in that. And how many actresses can you say was a princess consort in addition to being a famous leading lady?

[writingwithfolklore]

How to expand a one-shot into a full-length novel

I get this question in my inbox a lot, and I haven’t answered it yet because I think my answer is a bit more difficult than maybe people are hoping.

My first instinct is to say: you can’t.

Okay, I don’t mean like, give up here, do not pass go. But it’s important to note that a one-shot isn’t just a chapter of a novel, it’s an entirely different form of writing. It’d be like asking how to turn a two-sentence poem into a novel. There’s going to be a lot of things that need to change before we’re able to achieve that goal. Not impossible—but not an easy 5-step guide.

A one-shot has a beginning, middle and end, wrapped up in stakes and a breadth of story that is only meant to be written in this shorter form. To turn it into the novel, the least we need to do is up the stakes, but we’d probably end up changing the entire premise to fit the breadth of a novel. A story you can tell in 1500 words just can’t be the same story you’d need to tell in 50,000—there’s not enough substance to fill that many extra words.

So what we’ll do is we’re going to take inspiration from your one-shot to turn it into a novel. I would start with your protagonist. If the one-shot is about, say, them getting through opening day of their bakery, we can delve into that concept to learn more about them.

What background led them to this place, why did they want to achieve this, what does it mean to them to achieve this, where do they want to go next, and what’s holding them back from what they want? These are all good starting points to start thinking about how this character will fit into a larger narrative. See my post, “Character is Plot” for a more in-depth discussion on character development.

Once you have a goal and something keeping your character from their goal, and what they really need to realize, we have the beginnings of arc. This is where we start thinking about the A to B, or plot—where do they want to go, what conflict is keeping them from it (both internal and external), what they need to learn. You’ll probably want to create an antagonist here, or if you already have one, do the same thing with them as we just did with your protagonist.

Your antagonist (again, both internal and external) should have stakes worthy of a full-length novel. That means, the conflict and consequences are high enough to sustain multiple encounters, and these conflicts will drive your character towards their B.

You will likely find as you start writing that your one-shot won’t fit into your novel. That’s because the illusion of story before and after in a one-shot isn’t the same as how a novel needs to fit together—when putting the before and after on the page, it becomes clearer what demands the narrative have.

And to be very clear, one-shots are not a “lesser” form of writing, and novels are not superior in any way. Do not feel like you need to expand your one-shot, unless you just genuinely want to write a novel. Just be prepared that it’s going to look a lot different, as different forms require different things.

Make sense?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Psst... Did you know I launched a website?)

Head on over to www.gatesannai.com (or click here!) for exclusive blog posts, updates on my work, and pictures of my dog.

While you're there, consider signing up for my newsletter too :-)

[wardarose2004]

Who's your favorite diaboy? Could you write some HC about him?

Ooh... Never thought someone would ask me this Question 😃 I like all of them somehow but my current favorite is Carla Tsukinami....

Carla Tsukinami Headcanon 👑🌕🦅🦇🐍🐺

Carla Tsukinami is the eldest brother of the Tsukinami family. The eldest son of Giesbach , the Ancestor King, and Krone , his empress wife. The current king of the clan. Along with Shin, he is one of the last representatives of the race.

He looks 18 but is several hundreds year old.

He's born in May 28, a Gemini ♊

Height-183cm; Weight-65kg; Foot size-27cm as Same as Reiji's 🌚; Body mass index-19.4; Blood group-AB

Morikawa Toshiyuki is his japanese voice actor.

He has 'sharp' amber eyes and long upper eyelashes.

There are dark spots on the body from endzeit.

Yui noted that Carla had large, strong hands and rather long fingers . (CL)

His hair is white with grey-violet tips. Yui has often commented on the smoothness, softness and beauty of his hair. In Born To Die Vol.1, Carla first heard a compliment about his hair. When he washes his face, he ties it up (Chaos Lineage Yoyaku Tokuten Drama CD) . In LE Carla Manservant End, she combed his hair.

He's acts as 3rd grader in Ryotei. His main profession is Founder King.

He's lazy, brute and sadist by heart. But he's a great leader(LE,CL). Though according to current interview with Shin, Carla has very bad life skill.

He once mistook dirty magazine as wallet in a drama CD.

Likes to drink blood from throat and collarbone where it hurts most.

He hates being identified as vampire. So much that he hit Yui/MC/Player just for assuming he's one in DF Carla dark prologue.

Favorite food ｢生ハム｣ = "dried ham" (character profile on the official website) .

Disliked food ｢Dirty Blood｣ = "dirty blood" (Character Profile of the game More,Blood) .

Carla thinks that cured ham and melon are the perfect combination. Much to Kanato's disgust.😆

Praised Kanato's taste in sweets and dessert in LP Kanato route Subscenario Carla.

Can tell if a ham is good just by looking at it. [LP Date with Tsukinami]

He was afraid to order food in a human family cafe because everything there is cheap. [DIABOLIK LOVERS LOST EDEN - Stellaworth Bonus CD]

Doesn't like Japanese food but liked takoyaki and nagashi somen(tweet). Can't use chopsticks.

His hobby is ｢絵画収集｣ = "collecting paintings" (character profile on the official website) .

He is expert in painting related researches. Once helped Ayato with his art related project in 4koma manga.

Once Laito braided Carla's hair. It's a surprise he didn't kill or push him away like he pushed Reiji away from trying to tie up his hair in LP Carla route Subscenario Reiji.

Prefers landscapes. Often wastes money by buying paying paintings and cured ham. Poor Shin😆 Shin's having hard time managing the Bandamen's economy preventing themselves from going bankrupt 😆

Can fence.

His route theme in the game Dark Fate ー ｢切なる願い｣ = "cherished desire" (Perfect Guide Dark Pleasure , Dark Fate Official Visual FanBook ) .

In Chaos Lineage, he is the head of the Violet Family. His "chess piece" is the King (CL OP) .

In the game Lost Eden, the Vampire Leader in his route is Shu.

Kanji used to describe it by its developers: Iwasaki Daisuke (director) ー ｢始｣ ("originality"), Yumi Yamada (writer) ー ｢王｣ ("king") ( B's-LOG No. 10.2022 ) .

Personal mineral from the merch collection ｢Masquerade Jewel｣ - golden tigers eye.

Major Arcana from the collection ｢Vampire 13 Tarot Card｣ー the emperor.

Carla's specialty in the medical certificates for AGF 2017 is "Cardiologist".

In the official Rejet poll "Character You Wouldn't Introduce to Your Parents", Carla was ranked 31st.

There is a big age difference between Carla and Shin. [Shin's route LE Ecstasy Epilogue] Shin has just been born, while Carla is already in his teens.

Carla and Shin study in a specially designated class at Ryotei High School. King privilege💅

Doesn't really understand puns and sarcasm.

Carla calls Yui and the other boys except Shin "kisama", a very disrespectful Japanese word for "you". Geis addresses Carla and Karlheinz addresses Geis as Kisama too

Carla admits that Karlheinz was great and perfect for him, which is why he hates him. Also admires Karl's amazing powers[DF maniac prologue Carla's route] But hates Vampires.

In [LP Date with Tsukinami], Yui notes that Carla cuts ham well and neatly.

In [LP Date with Tsukinami], Carla styled Yui's hair beautifully.

Although he read a lot about people in order to learn to understand them, he still did not know what summer, Christmas, amusement parks,Dj booth,Samba dance, etc.

One day, when Carla was still imprisoned in Pandemonium, the screams of children who had lost their families echoed throughout the castle. They surrounded the castle. Karla has not been able to stand them since. [LP]

In [LP], Karla was at a parade for the first time in his life, and was interested in the roller coaster. He was not impressed. But Yui actually secretly keeps a photo of him that was quite impressed. (It's a photo from the ride manager, taken during the ride.) Laito managed to keep one and blackmailed Shin to give him money or he would expose the photo to public.

Yet that photo was exposed to us in a drama CD oustagram by Kino😆

Carla knew that Yui would die someday and offered to make her immortal in [LP]. Carla said that if he turned Yui into a Progenitor, there would be no need to continue searching for her heart.

He is not impressed by the lights on the trees. He thinks the stars are more beautiful.

In [his route's Reiji LP scene], Reiji tried to tie Carla's hair while he was eating, but Carla pushed him away and said that it was better for his hair to touch his food than for that vampire to touch his.

In one of the CD dramas, Carla had to explain a lesson to Yui. He asked what was bothering her and started stroking her head. Then he started pulling her hair and reproaching her for shaming him by not being able to understand the material. The carrot and stick method is the most effective, in his opinion. [DIABOLIK LOVERS VERSUS II: “THE ELDER BROTHERS' MEETING, DECIDE WHO IS THE STRONGEST BROTHER!”]

When the other vampires said that being 'attracted' to one's sister was disgusting, and mentioned that it was normal for the Progenitors, Carla became nervous and began to deny everything. Eventually, he retreated. [DIABOLIK LOVERS VERSUS II: “THE ELDER BROTHERS' MEETING, DECIDE WHO IS THE STRONGEST BROTHER!”]

In [LP] Carla is bitten by a demonic snake and begins to turn to stone.

Carla had never played baseball, but agreed to play with Kino for information about a place where dried ham was sold. He refused to hit the ball. [DIABOLIK LOVERS LOST EDEN - Stellaworth Bonus CD]

In [the CD drama Born To Die Vol.1], the main character gives Carla a hairpin with a pattern of white and red gloriosa flowers for her birthday.

Carla once got his head stuck in pumpkin head which Kino made fun in his 2016 tweet. Kino was once almost got killed for trying to prank Carla(tweet)

Carla's rooms are always covered with paintings. Both in Pandemonium, in the Tsukinami mansion in the human world, and in the Violet mansion.

His room is designed in crimson tones.

Has a lot of followers aka purists who often try visiting/visit him much to Shin's dismay.

According to Shin, his ideas are always sudden: for example, asking Yui to prepare everything for the brothers' meeting with an important person the day before this meeting [LP date with Tsukinami] .

Cats don't like Carla(LE and DF)

Hard to understand his emotion.

Carla has a strong sense of duty towards his race and clan

Likes to read books. He read religious and philosophical books written by humans to better understand people. He also read fairy tales and children's picture books - he liked them. But he doesn't seem to understand that they are meant for children, and he doesn't understand why you laugh. He read fairy tales to the ancestral children when he was locked in Pandemonium. [DF Carla Dark Epilogue]

Not very good at cleaning. [according to Yui from CL story 9] and can't cook. [CL]

Says that women's appearance doesn't interest him, because they are 'just bones covered in skin and flesh'. A body positive sadistic king 🤣

He is attracted to women with a strong character.

Has personal dairy.

Once admired broken glasses(broken by Subaru) as an street art in 4koma manga.

Subaru admired his strength in Carla LP route Subscenario Subaru and in LE.

Called Subaru a love child.

Admired his father but later hated him. But still respects him.

Once dressed as Santa and dressed Shin as Reindeer after recieving orders from his father in his dream (though I suspect it's Karl disguising as Geis to deceive Carla) and gifted Sakamakis, Mukamis and Kino high quality scarf.

Demonic abilities:

As a progenitor, he can transform into the forms of other races: a snake ( vibora ), a wolf ( wolf ), an eagle ( adler ) and a bat ( vampires ).

Can use magic (fire, lightning, temporarily immobilize opponent, can erase storm, cause rain, erupt volcano?, set up barriers, make water dragon, make scarf magically longer, destroy walls within a blink, probably can divide sea like Moses😆, light up sky with magic, play instruments with magic without touching or having experience about them😆 etc.).

Can shapeshift? Create illusion?

In [the CD-drama VERSUSⅢ Vol.1 アヤトVSカルラ] he used his power to appear in another dimension: he was in the same place as Ayato, but Ayato didn't see him, unlike Carla. And he attacked Ayato through dimensions.

Can teleport.

Can summon familiars and control them.

Can resurrect someone for a while (for example, Cordelia from Ayato's route in DF)

[idekwthmuistb]

Ok so I got started on dog breeds for the batfam and I know that there have been thoughts abt it before so here are mine! (Also fair warning I go off a mixture of vibes, looks, and basic breed temperment AND im not a dog breed specialist or anything like that, im pretty much just using the akc website for these breeds)

I'm gonna start with Alfred, honestly I was at first thinking a burmese or standard poodle but they just weren't really clicking right. Eventually I settled on him being either a schnauzer or terrier which helped narrow my options greatly! Looking through them all I decided the Giant Shnauzer suited him best in the end. The breed is very loyal, hard-working, and can be quite the guard!

Alfred - Giant Shnauzer:

I saw a post saying Bruce would be a Belgian Sheepdog and at first I completely agreed due to their looks but when I learned a bit more about their personality i was like hmmm so I went looking for something more in line with how I see him. Belgium Teruven popped up right after, and though similar, I thought it fit him better. Honestly could have just been due to the different wording but I like them better for Bruce regardless lol

Bruce - Belgian Teruven:

Dick was surprisingly a LOT harder than I thought he'd be. There were three breeds I got stuck between: the Dalmation, Mudi, and Norwegian elkhound. All very different dogs by all means yet each fit him quite well. I dismissed Dalmation first, though they're agile, they weren't quite friendly enough. Mudi was next for much the same reasons. It was around this time that I had also started considering a Great Pyrenees for him, seeing as they are known as both loving and vicious–though I ended up not going with it because they're a bit too calm (hm maybe alfred should be a Pyrenees instead?). That left me with the Norwegian Elhound. The breed is very dependable, friendly, and just fits his vibes looks-wise.

Dick - Norwegian Elkhound:

I know most people give Jason a mixed breed or just say he's a mutt because he came from a lower-income household but honestly that doesn't sit well with me, especially when we're giving the others their own breeds. As soon as I found the Anatolian Shepard I was like YES THATS HIM!! They're a large breed that is fiercely protective of their herd and are very loyal and independent. They'll protect what's theirs and are surprising nimble!

Jason - Anatolian Shepard:

Cass was honestly quite difficult for me. I quickly crossed out any typical herding breeds (Shepards, Collies, ect ect) and sight-hounds because she was raised to be LETHAL and I know that any breed can be deadly if trained right (or wrong) they just weren't what I was looking for. I played around with a few breeds like the akita, or a basenji, but they weren't quite right. But then, I came across a breed named Kai Ken. They're a medium sized dog, originating in Japan and used for hunting a wide range of animals in Japan's mountains. The Kai Ken are extremely versatile (they're known to CLIMB TREES) and loving of their family. They are also born completely black but develope a subtle brindle coat that helps them camouflage and I just think that's SO COOL???

Cass - Kai Ken:

Now, I'll be real with yall, I don't know much about Duke and wasn't really looking for a breed for him because of that but I came across one that clicked with him in my mind? The breed is called Large Munsterlander which is just a wild name BUT they're very cooperative and calm. This breed is very versatile and are meant for hunting–they're sense of smell is impressive and they're quite determined when it comes to hunting and retrieving any game.

Duke - Large Munsterlander:

Tim Tim Timothy, though high-class, I honestly thought at first that he'd be a Border Collie. However, as I was perusing dog breeds, I realized that the Collie was only representing half of him, as it didn't really match his looks or vibes, merely his personality. So I thought and thought and then–BAM, my brain gave me two choices, the Ibizan Hound or the Pharoah Hound. After figuring out that they were quite similar in personality, I decided to go with the Ibizan Hound. Funnily enough, they can be very attached but not prone to overtly showing it!

Tim - Ibizan Hound:

Now, Damian is a little trickier because I could fully see him taking after Bruce in having the same breed both bc they're blood related and just the vibes but, though I couldn't find much information on them, based on my personal experience with them I do think the Black Mouth Cur would be a good match up to Damian. They can be very territorial of people and things they think is theirs if not properly socialized. Otherwise they'll be very loving and protective of those they've deemed family and are built for hunting large game that are common around farms.

Damian - Black Mouth Cur:

And then here's some miscellaneous people

-Talia and Ra's I could see being Salukis

-Stephanie is perhaps a Portuguese Podengo, scrappy

-Barbara is a Redbone Coonhound all the way

-Roy is a Finish Spitzin my eyes

-Clark gives Dogo Argentino

-Diana feels like a Leonberger

-Oliver is possibly a Berger Picard

-Hal is definitely a Ridgeback, stubborn lol

[thesaurushouseofdesign]

RiverRock House, Willoughby Hills, Ohio, United States,

In 1952, an Ohio art teacher and his wife visited Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin studio in Wisconsin. As Wright’s secretary gave Louis and Pauline Penfield a tour of the studio, the master architect himself popped out.

According to Penfield family legend, Louis stepped forth with a challenge. “Mr. Wright, could you design a house for someone as tall as me?” he asked.

“Go stand under that beam,” Wright told Louis. “That beam’s 6 foot 9 inches high, so you’re 6-foot-8. Anyone that tall is a weed. We’ll have to build a machine to tip you sideways!”

Wright turned and left. The Penfields assumed the matter was closed. Six months later, however, a mailing tube from Wright arrived in the post. Inside was a plan for the Louis Penfield House, one of Mr Wright's celebrated Usonian homes, designed to fit the common man’s budget—and, in Penfield’s case, a tall man’s height.

After the Penfields completed work on their new home in northeastern Ohio in 1955, construction on Interstate 90 threatened to take over the property via eminent domain.

The couple wrote to Wright again, requesting a second home design for a plot several hundred feet south of the Penfield House. Mr Wright, who was 91 years old at the time, allegedly replied that he already had enough projects to last the rest of his life, but he promised he would come “in under the wire” because the Penfields were former clients.

Wright died not long after, in April 1959. Once again, the Penfields assumed the matter was shut.

But the week of the architect’s funeral, another mailing tube arrived from Taliesin. This time, it contained Project 5909, a second design for the Penfields that was discovered on Wright’s drawing board after his death.

That, at least, is the story told on the website of RiverRock, the 2,000-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bathroom house that finally brought Project 5909 to fruition in 2025, 66 years after Wright’s death.

While the Penfields didn’t live to see the house completed, Sarah Dykstra bought the property, which also included the Penfield House (not, in the end, destroyed by the interstate), in 2018. She and her mother, Deborah Dykstra, began developing the Penfields’ dream into reality in 2023.

As with much of Wright’s work, the second Penfield home was designed to be integrated with its natural surroundings. Wright called for large quantities of local stone, which the Penfields harvested from the nearby Chagrin River, giving the house its name of RiverRock.

[aziraphales-library]

Hi all! Thank you very much for all of your hard work. I've glad for this account since there is always something fun to read popping up. Can the Mods recommend any fics where either Aziraphale or Crowley use dating apps for any reason?

Hello. You'll find fics like this, including some of the fics listed here, on our #social media tag, but here are some dating app specific fics...

Bloggers, Baby! by Estrella3791 (T)

Crowley's a blogger, and he may or may not be developing a crush on his commenters. But he's not really - Oh, what's this? Angel1941 is on Tinder??

Oh, Lord, Heal This Love by WaitingToBeBroken (T)

"Looking for someone to take to couples therapy and see how long it takes the therapist to notice we don't know each other," is what Crowley's dating profile says. Too bad Aziraphale was too busy staring at those graceful fingers in his picture to realise that, before he agreed to go on a date with him.

abide by me by cosmya (T)

The year is 2001. Crowley runs a fake marriage website, and Aziraphale has encountered a... problem that requires his services. Naturally, they have No Idea that it's each other at first, but when Aziraphale proves a difficult client, Crowley takes matters into his own hands.

Dim the Lights and Sing You Songs by Polaris (E)

A few months prior to leaving the Dowling household, Crowley had downloaded Grindr for the sole purpose of catfishing randy morons. He was not expecting a paragraph that began with: ‘hello. I hope you don’t think this is too forward, but I couldn’t help but notice you have the most lovely nipples.’ Crowley keeps trying to meet his Grindr fuckbuddy. Aziraphale keeps showing up at all his meeting spots. This is terrible.

MatchMade! by amaruuk (E)

Crowley tests a new dating app for an online publication. When his match dumps him for another man's match, he and his fellow dumpee take a chance on each other.

With Potential by Caedmon (E)

Aziraphale is an author of popular and successful romance novels. His books have done very well, so he's surprised when his publisher, Gabriel, comes in and tells him that they expect him to start including explicit sex scenes instead of just the fade-to-black he's been writing. Aziraphale argues a bit, but it's pointless. Gabriel isn't asking, he's telling. And now Aziraphale is in a pickle. He doesn't have a wide swath of sexual experience to pull inspiration from. So his assistant, Anathema, helpfully suggests that he download some dating apps and seek someone to hook up with for casual sex. Aziraphale is appalled by the idea of casual sex at first, and thinks that this plan is going to go absolutely nowhere, but agrees to give it a try. Three guesses what happens next.

The Grindr Logo Doesn't Even Have a 'G' In It by indieninja92 (E)

After the Apocalypse, Aziraphale ventures into a new space in the gay milieu - Grindr. There he starts talking to a charming young man who certainly doesn't bear any resemblance at all to a certain long streak of demon, not one bit, no thank you. Meanwhile, Aziraphale and Crowley navigate their friendship after the world failed to end. There is much drinking and silliness, but could it be that there are other feelings lurking underneath?? Of course there are, this is fanfic.

The Mathematical Improbability of Reaching the Stars by cassieoh, D20Owlbear (M)

Aziraphale, 3rd year doctoral candidate in Library Sciences and current failure at Astronomy 101, finds out about an app for meeting people from some undergraduates. He’s desperate for a tutor so he decides to try it out. Surely someone in the wilds of Tinder is willing to help him learn about the stars? Meanwhile, in said wilds of Tinder, Crowley (high school dropout, star enthusiast, and official garden center plant-harasser) is not really looking for anything past dinner and maybe ‘tea’ back at their place. Hijinks, and also a surprisingly intricate plot, ensue.

- Mod D

[full-stackmobiledeveloper]

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[ausp-ice]

Zychiel (They/He/any), a rogue Oscuraph of the Ecliptic world.

Personal Website | Discord Server | Ecliptic Lore

Oscuraph: Zychiel

Name: Zychiel or Zycheir Species: Angel → OscuraphElement: Water

Gender: EgogenderPronouns: They/He/any (he/they in disguise)Height: ~8'6" / 2.6m main, ~14' / 4.3 m alt

Alignment: RogueDates: formed ~4000 BCE, transitioned 798 BCE Location: physical plane and external dimensions 

Personality

Zychiel is an extremely individualistic Oscuraph, living only by Their own principles. To Them, authority and rights are asserted by power; there is no sin in amassing strength through the consumption of souls. While They will generally leave pure souls and minimally corrupt souls be, even minor corruption makes Them look upon those souls as nothing more than sustenance. They enjoy the act of consuming souls, finding delight and pleasure in the sensation of consuming them. 

Zychiel enjoys the experience of forming deep but often temporary bonds. They will often disguise Themself as human and live like one, seeing if They can naturally form a bond with any particular individual. That relationship may be platonic, familial, romantic, physical, or any other sort; They will respond in ways that artfully deepen the relationship only as far and in the way the other would like to go. Zychiel, however, does not experience love and affection as humans do. To Them, such deep relationships are a form of mental pleasure—something that "feels nice." While Zychiel will never be the one to walk away from a relationship with a mortal, when the human dies or the relationship is ended by them, Zychiel feels no emotional pain. They simply file the experience into one of many pleasant memories. Zychiel's favored way of ending relationships, however, is for the mortal to willingly give their soul to Them. Since Zychiel will often reveal Their nature to Their partner, this does happen a fair amount of the time. 

As Zychiel is identified as a rogue Entity by the Ordained, They sometimes run into trouble. They are powerful enough to put up a fight, but if Their location is revealed to the Ordained, They will often flee the Ecliptic universe and wander other dimensions. While in external dimensions, Zycheir may continue to form relationships, but They also make efforts to "sample" the souls of various other dimensions to experience the taste. 

Abilities

Oscuraph Abilities

Zychiel has all the abilities Oscuraphim have, including shapeshifting, soul magic, primal magic, and sourcing Their power from both the collective power of Angels and through consuming souls like Demons.

Element: Water

Zychiel's element is water. They can create and manipulate water in all its forms, including ocean water, rain, water vapor, and liquids with high water content, including blood. They can also purify water. 

History

Zychiel formed as an Angel around 4000 BCE. They were soon discovered and brought to Lux, where They were invited to enter the resonance of Angels. While They accepted, They did not develop any particular preferences right away—They simply followed Their instinct to enter the physical plane and help souls ascend. 

It was in the physical plane that They met Demons for the first time, and that sparked the first taste of interest in Them. Instead of entering conflict with Demons, They observed them. They watched as Demons consumed souls of the corrupt, and Zychiel found Themself wishing that They could do the same. However, at that time, no one knew that Entities could cross the borders of Light and Darkness, so Zychiel simply continued as before. 

This bland existence continued for thousands of years until Sekriel became an Oscuraph in 801 BCE. Zychiel was fascinated, and approached Sekriel to learn more about them and the new nature of their existence. The two shared stories of their experiences with Demons and Zychiel probed at how Sekriel had accepted the Darkness. It was not a simple matter of visiting the Plane of Darkness and trying to absorb that primal energy—They needed to accept the Darkness at a fundamental level. Three years later, in 798 BCE, They were able to achieve their transformation into an Oscuraph. 

Zychiel soon became aware of a strange new sensation—a hunger for souls. They used their new ability to detect corruption to seek out the corrupt, tearing out their souls to have a taste. Zychiel enjoyed it—perhaps too much. They began to target souls with milder levels of corruption and snatching souls that were already being hunted by other Demons. Zychiel's actions contributed to the growing wariness both Angels and Demons had of the Ecliptic, and in 790 BCE, they were cast out from the Plane of Light, just as Sekriel and many other Ecliptic were. 

Later, Sekriel found Zychiel and invited them to the newly-discovered Plane of Twilight—though they also asked for Zychiel to avoid causing trouble while they tried to figure out what to do. Zychiel gave a noncommittal agreement, and decided to disguise Themself in society to entertain themself another way. Like this, They started Their "hobby" of forming incredibly intimate relationships with mortals, which sometimes ended with the mortal willingly giving their soul to Them. When Sekriel and other Ordained Ecliptic discovered this, they branded Zychiel as rogue and attempted to stop Them. Zychiel fled, managing to escape to another dimension. Their explorations across different universes are stories in and of themselves, but in time, Zychiel returned to Their original universe, hiding amongst society for their own pleasure and entertainment. Whenever They are about to be caught, they flee to other dimensions for a time. 

[tea-potato-gt]

G/t recommendations:

Midori Days (Midori no hibi) 2005

The plot: Midori is a shy girl who wants to build up the courage to tell Seiji how she feels. Seiji is a delinquent with a heart of gold who just wants a girlfriend. Fate has a funny way of bringing the two together when they wake up to (a shrunken) Midori becoming Seiji's right hand!

G/t: Midori does remember what it was like to be human so she gets so excited to see food on a larger scale.

Midori’s size change isn’t really emphasized or acknowledged very much. Since Midori is attached to Seiji’s arm, you don't get the classic picking the tiny up to gain her trust scenes. But I love when Seiji holds/comforts her with his left hand.

I had mentioned this story to @racheyace and decided to make a whole “why the G/t community should watch Midori Days” post lol.

This anime is one of my favorite anime romance stories of all time, G/t aside!

The Manga vs the Anime: There are 13 episode in the anime and 8 volumes of the manga (85 chapters). (I have the 1st and 3rd DVD and Vol. 1-6 of the manga.)

I love the anime, it's freaking hilarious and high energy! I watched it first and it got me interested in the manga. I'd definitely recommend the manga more! The manga introduces more characters and has a more developed and believable relationship between Midori and Seiji. Not only are the relationships with the two leads more fleshed out, but most of the side characters too! Everyone has depth and motivations and it feels like their all decisions have meaning!

The time frame in the anime is just a couple of months I think, while in the manga Seiji and Midori are together for about a year. They become so close that the heart break and pain is believable by the end. I cried like a baby at the end of the manga and I felt much more satisfied with how it ended. They are both great, but if I had to recommend one, it would definitely be the Manga.

Queer Rep: The manga has a bit of queer representation! One of the characters, Kouta Shingyoji (male), develops a crush on the male lead Seiji! And Midori and Seiji help two lesbians accept each other's feelings. To quote directly from the manga: "Love surpasses sexual boundaries," this is said while showing a picture of Kouta.

Warnings: The anime is rated “13 and older” and the manga is rated “T+ for older teens.” There is some violence, adult themes, a lot of cursing, suggestive scenes, questionable scenarios, and (some) nud!ty (all bare chest nud!ty, but not always s3xualized). But I am honestly impressed, this story could have EASILY been a h3nti, but's a pretty wholesome story of young love, just with a BIZARE twist.

Where to watch/read: You can read the manga on whatever app you use, I use “Manga Geek.” I’ve seen it on a lot of manga websites too! Or find the physical copies from 2004. (If anyone has Vol. 7-8 pls let me know! I have been looking for them! 👀)

You can watch the entire anime dubbed on Youtube here:

[identitty-dickruption]

also what is this website’s fixation on who did or didn’t get a good grade in english class in high school. I topped my school in english when I was 17 and that’s somehow supposed to mean that (as an adult) all my literary analysis is going to be perfect? bitch I don’t think that’s how anything works

“sounds like someone didn’t pay attention in english class” sounds like someone thinks high school is the end of your knowledge development and that nobody is capable of growing beyond that. sounds like someone assumes that these skills will just stay set in stone regardless of how much or little someone chooses to use them in their adult life. come on

[luneytodd]

Last night I watched the west end Next To Normal proshot on PBS and I was SO grateful that this ended up blowing up online because I’ve never been able to see that show in person but I absolutely loved listening to the album in high school and it feels so cathartic to finally get to see it in its entirety. Not much has changed about my perspective of the show tbh but I do like Henry as a character a bit more now. I wasn’t crazy about him before but obviously they just left all of his character development OFF of the album because I actually cried during the Perfect For You reprise. I am kinda corny like that though </3

Absolutely go watch it if you haven’t (and you want to ofc). It’s free and I literally didn’t even have to make an account you can just go to their website and do it. AND SUPPORT PBS SO THEY CAN KEEP FEEDING THE STARVING THEATRE NERDS !!!!

[zinnie-zoloft]

Horrid Henry has for whatever reason developed a modern fandom and is having a renaissance, so here are the British children’s shows I think deserve a proper fandom

Strange Hill High

I’ve seen a few people talking about it so it might also be having a sort of renaissance?

Genuinely hilarious

Canon ADHD representation hell yeah

It’s basically if the twilight zone was inside a British high school

The Sparticle Mystery

Genuinely one of the best non-episodic kids shows I ever watched

I love the world building so much, it’s probably the reason I loved mad max so much when I was older

Young Dracula

Kind of has a fandom but honestly not enough

This is the loving vampires website why aren’t more people loving these vampires?

Robin is me. Robin is all of us.

Wizards Vs Aliens

I mean if that title alone doesn’t immediately get you interested idk what will

Literally what it says on the tin, it’s about wizards fighting aliens who want to feed on their magic

My Parents Are Aliens

This show is so popular they’re still airing it like two whole decades after it ended, yet there’s no modern fandom? Ridiculous

Honestly I just think more people should watch it whether a fandom picks up or not

Probably had a way bigger influence on my absurdist sense of humour than I even realise

Genuinely interesting sci-fi concepts all throughout but my favourite is the shapeshifting house, some kids wanted to live in disney channel houses, I wanted to live here

Looking back I’m realising that I’m basically Trent at this point, I used to wonder why he put up with Mel’s bullshit but now I’m older I get it, I’d also have done whatever a pretty punk girl asked me to as a teenager

[rei-ismyname]

Exceptional X-Men #4 REVIEW

I've been singing the praises of Eve L Ewing and Carmen Carnero's Exceptional X-Men, so let's see what they manage to do now that the premise is established and they've got 5 main characters we're invested in. A benefit of establishing your characters early is that you get to focus on introducing plot elements, special guests, and complications - like serialised storytelling does. Uncanny is a good example of how a lack of focus early on weakens everything you try to do. It's hard to care about The Outliers or Nightcrawler when they feel like wallpaper, and now they're running around an event without knowing who they are. The stakes lay primarily with Rogue. Trista/Bronze is a fantastic example of this done right, and as you'll see we can explore plot developments that wouldn't make sense elsewhere. Spoilers ahoy, caveat emptor.

Trista gets a lot of focus which works because we know who she is and what she wants.

Due to Kate pushing back against taking these kids somewhere isolated for training, we get to see them try to live normal lives. Trista has friends outside the tiny mutant peer group, a crush, and an interest in theatre. She declared last issue that her goal is to not hurt anyone, and she's struggling with what people tell her to be and what she wants. She's a sweet kid, and I'd say there's a racial component to this dichotomy - how black kids are perceived and how they need to act to get by in a white supremacist world. That's outside my experience but I'm invested in how Trista deals navigates the issue. After all, being strong, kind, gentle and lovely aren't mutually exclusive

I hesitate to compare to Uncanny again, but they both have high school scenes and the difference is stark. Westinghouse College Prep is a real life school in Chicago (that Biggie, Jay Z, Busta Rhymes and DMX all went to) and it is ranked pretty highly nationally. According to its website it has 98% minority enrollment. Importantly, it feels like a real school in 2024 with real people attending it, and not just because it actually is one IRL. There's no need to reach for played out generic high school tropes when the characters feel like real people with real problems already - verisimilitude.

After a smash cut to Trista with a sentinel looming over her, we learn that Emma does a pretty damn good Danger Room analogue. Trista seems determined and in control at first, using her different powers in concert effectively. She does manage to Empire Strikes Back trip the Sentinel up, but wigs out when it falls on top of her, understandably. Emma calls it, and we see more proof of why she's considered good at training young mutants.

Bobby's entrance at the end of last issue felt like a cliffhanger by virtue of being on the final page, but I'm glad his presence doesn't derail the plot entirely. It's implied that some time has passed, maybe a week - enough time for Bobby and Trista to get to know each other and enough time for Bobby to feel Kitty is avoiding him. Trista picks up on his odd behaviour and asks Emma about psychic ethics, heh. Her answer is funny and sardonic while still getting the point across. Emma and Trista having one on one time tells us a lot about Emma's sincerity and the trust she's earned through good works.

The subtext of Trista's distraction is made text - she's preoccupied with the audition, her crush, and the fear of exposure/social rejection. While we know this already, or could guess, it's effective to have newer characters tell their story. What they say is as important as what they don't say or how they say it. She responds well to being listened to and positive reinforcement, accepting the reframing of the audition as an opportunity.

Bobby is definitely up to something and acting weird. His persona feels performative. He's explicitly faking bathroom usage to text privately, and while his texting is worded vaguely enough to not give much away, it does seem sinister. At minimum he is lying about why he's there. Kitty picks up on the same weirdness Trista did and she's really not having it. He doesn't have the vibes of a friend seeking or offering support, though Kitty isn't interested in either and tells him to leave. Idk if Bobby even has a home right now - he was living in Antarctica because ORCHIS poisoned him and he couldn't hold a solid form for long. He was back with Romeo last time we saw him but also didn't have a physical body. I can't blame the creators for not explaining that, I have to assume they're under the same editorial direction everyone else is.

Trista's warmup scene has excellent layout, with the other kids' faces in circles next to their supportive texts. It's a clever way of showing their faces in an issue they're mostly absent from, and it's a solid method of variety in an issue with more texting than most. Showtime!

Trista meekly introduces herself to the casting guy/director and he suggests that the lead might not be right for her. He's polite, though she's about to disagree when her mutant life and school life clash in an unexpected way. One of those yellow beasts from X-Force appears from a portal and grabs her crush. You don't need to have been reading X-Force, it's a big monster (that were confirmed to be appearing globally in that book) and it's here. Trista rallies and uses her training to bronze up and get her head in the game.

It's a dangerous situation but has a simple solution suited to Trista's skillset. She grabs it with her tentacle things, ties it up and yeets it through the portal. Her overcoming it with pure force or martial skill would be a bit silly, but by linking her training and the progress she's made with Emma to a simple solution, it feels like an appropriate and believable triumph. Strong yet gentle. Neutralizing the beast and protecting herself and others without using overwhelming violence. It's a very effective character beat and the support/adulation from the theatre people is earned. She nailed the audition, and gets offered her choice of parts, though interestingly she turns it down in favour of her training. The theatre folks show solidarity and swear to keep her mutanthood a secret.

Trista shows up to training and seems more confident, her posture showing strength and positivity. It looks like Bronze, Axo and Melee are all benefiting and even Kate manages a smile. Then she overhears Bobby on the phone while grabbing some equipment. It's not a good look.

What Bobby is saying is so weird that she's not even sure it's him. Kate phases her hand next to his heart and straight up threatens him. He explains that everyone is worried about her and she says she's choosing this life. He tries to bring up ORCHIS and she shuts it down, saying out loud that she killed people. A little too loud, it turns out.

The kids overhear and are horrified, understandably. They're really young and don't have the kind of life experiences that come with being an X-Man - of course they are! Tom Brevoort has made a lot of noise about the X-Men killing people in Fall of X, an argument that has ignored the nuance of being at war with genocidal fascists. The issue hasn't made it to the page in a meaningful way until now, and I couldn't be more impressed. Rooting the issue in Kate's trauma and shame - as something that terrifies the students she's trying to help and likely damaging the trust she's built - approaches it on a believable character level.

This is a big part of what caused Kate to hang up her Spandex and it's something she's going to have to reckon with. Add the kids' emotional and ethical reaction and you've got a fantastic cliffhanger with the promise of explosive drama.

Kate grabs Bobby's phone and it's Rogue on the other end. She doesn't look like she's at Haven or in uniform, so who knows what's going on there? They're clearly ahead of Raid on Graymalkin as Iceman is in league with them, as if that book needs more characters. Kate doesn't care and hangs up on her. I wasn't going to compare to Uncanny a third time, but if the two are crossing over it invites comparison. Kurt's glib comment about thinking he was a murderer felt trite and silly, next to the dramatic execution of Shadowkat's actions being confronted it looks downright amateur. Kate is clearly having a PTSD flashback or intrusive thought during this conversation - whereas it wouldn't work for Bobby or Emma to announce that she has PTSD, for example.

I do enough shitting on Uncanny's writing in my reviews of that book, my point is how well similar beats are executed in this book. Eve L Ewing and Carmen Carnero's Exceptional X-Men is aptly named and frankly, if you're not reading it you're missing out. We know all these characters well enough that we care about their reaction to this revelation. Kate looks like she's about to break down, and Bronze and Axo's body language is heartbreaking. Emma knows shit is about to hit the fan and she's surely aware she killed people in Fall of X too. That's how you do a cliffhanger. Issue #4 managed to do a Trista focus issue, some slice of life, excellent character work, and lit a fuse to explode next issue all in 20 pages.

Exceptional X-Men is fantastic and you should be reading it.