#from mod victor and memory

[leftsomescratches]

I gotta thank ya Mod. For the headcanon of his birthday year and why he doesn’t really remember cause it made me have to think why the hell does my guy remember cause he’s old as fuck.

So thanks for making me think <3

Turns out I did this research once before, so I apologize for the inconsistent answers. Here's something I previously wrote for this blog:

So first off there are two different versions of Creed’s childhood floating around out there. The first I came across was a 2009 one-shot publication: X-men Origins: Sabretooth, written by Kieron Gillen. It features Victor’s first manifestation of his mutation through an altercation with his older brother which resulted in the kids death and Victor’s imprisonment in the cellar of their house by his father.

According to Gillien, Victor was only prisoner in that cellar for a year (if you read the comic it goes from ‘that spring’ to ‘next spring’.) However Marvel files have put Creed in that particular predicament for years. Routinely throughout those years, Creed’s father would remove Victor’s ‘Satan teeth’ believing that if he pulled out enough of them that he would Cure Victor of the devil.

An abusive and sick S.O.B. to be sure, Creed’s father has been theorized to have been abusive to his mother as well. It gives credit to the whole ‘you are the environment in which you are raised’ vibe.

HERE IS A SEGMENT FROM THE MARVEL WIKI FILES

Early Life

When Victor Creed’s mutation first manifested, he accidentally killed his brother over a piece of pie. His father confined him to a cellar and would systemically pull out Victor’s “devil teeth” in an attempt to purge the boy of his “demons”. Victor was chained like an animal in the family cellar for years until one day he chewed off his own hand in order to break free, subsequently murdering his father. Although he would later claim to have killed his mother as well, he actually spared her, and made sure she lived a comfortable life, until she was diagnosed with cancer and confined to a hospital, where she was killed by a member of the Red Right Hand.

Freed from his parents, Victor was unleashed upon society. At age thirteen, he reportedly rampaged across three Canadian provinces and killed at least three police officers. According to Creed, he remained in Canada and, at about fifteen, worked for the railroad, laying down rail from Calgary up to the Yukon. (The Canadian Pacific Railway reached Calgary in 1883 and the route up to the Yukon was completed around 1900. (If Victor Creed was 15 while laying rails that would place his birth between 1868 and 1885.) Among the workers on the line was a belligerent older man who delighted in picking on the teenage Creed. Though the man “had a hundred pounds on him”, Creed gutted him from crotch to Adam’s apple with his claws.

The other common image/ dictation of Creed’s torture in his younger years was presented in Deadpool Vol 4 issues #9 (which is part two of a three issue segment featuring Sabrethooth versus Deadpool) written by Gerry Duggan.

Mind you this publication happened AFTER the inversion event which left Creed actually on the good side of the spectrum. No longer under the control of his feral dark side, Victor teams up with Magneto in hopes to save mutant kind from the devastation that the Terrigenisis Mists, released by Black Bolt when combating Thanos, brought upon them.

Anyways, during the fight with Deadpool, Deadpool accuses Victor of killing his parents, when in reality Wade’s memory was wiped and the ultimate way to test the process was the order for Creed to take Wade to his parents house to ice them. Hey, given how many times people like Wade, Logan, and Victor got their memory wiped, exactly how much of this is truth and how much is a fabrication of their own minds to fill gaps that otherwise can’t be restored. But here’s a picture I’d wish to share:

This picture is before the oh so infamous one that has helped paste the word REDEMPTION on Creed’s forehead e.g. this one

Now for those of us who have been following the comics its clear as to why this particular scene had to happen. Creed was on the ‘road to redemption’, or as least traveling down it as best he can. The Inversion event freed him from the darkness in his mind, in his nature, that held him captive. That’s not to say Victor hasn’t been seen MANY TIMES being or helping the good guys. He’s not all evil, he just has less of a will power to push through the dark suggestions his feral nature forces him into.

So this particular segment of his past was written as it is to give Creed that redeeming sort of feel to him. So people can start empathizing because more and more has this guy started to become a very common face now that Wolverine (Logan) is pretty much dead.. then wasn’t dead and is now an old man.

What Creed has to deal with on the daily can be found in the 1995 release Sabretooth Special “Sabretooth in the Red Zone” Written by Fabian Nicieza

In conclusion.

If the consistencies of the story line remain true, Creed manifested his mutation I want to say around 7 or so.

Also in another conclusion I found this little tib bit under Creed’s father’s Marvel file labeled as Unusual Features: Amber eyes appear to “glow” (i.e. tapetum lucidum), a trait his son, would be noted by the Foreigner, to possess as well.

[real-fire-emblem-takes]

Thank you mod Sommie for the permission :) I dont wanna annoy you or anyone else by sending in a big ol comfort character thingamajig. There's no point in doing this on anon because I think people will figure out it's me 😅

The main complaint I see about Deirdre is how she's the reason everything goes wrong. And to an extent, yeah, she's a pawn in Manfroy's game, but she can't exactly control it, can she? She wasn't as lucky as Robin to be able to change her fate. It's not her fault she got kidnapped and mind wiped, nor is it her fault Julius got possessed. In fact, she sacrificed her life to let Julia escape-- but also because she blamed herself for these same things. Again, she couldn't control her fate, so please stop victim blaming her. Same for her mother. It's Victor Velthomer's fault that Genealogy happens, because he was a huge jerk and made Cigyun want to leave him in the first place.

Another is a lack of character. This... Well, I understand this one, honestly. The SNES had a lot of technical limitations that messed up a bunch of what they wanted to do in game. There's scrapped content for a bunch of characters, such as the arcs for Tailitu, Azelle, Lachesis, and Ayra (if I remember correctly). We still get a fair amount of characterization from her screentime, though. She's kind, risking everything to help Sigurd defeat Sandima. She's idealistic and a dreamer, going after what she thinks is the right path for her even if it means leaving everything behind. She's a good mother, making sure Seliph was in good hands before she left (intending to come back, mind you) and warping Julia away from Julius. She's curious, leaving the forest when she can to get a glimpse of the outside world or searching for her memories in Heroes. And even after all that happened to her, all that sorrow, she still loves everyone in her life.

I remember seeing someone say Ninian was likely an attempt at doing a character like her again, which makes a lot of sense. They'd be friends! Perhaps she'd get along with Emmeryn or Marianne as well. There's a lot of untapped potential for friendships in Heroes, honestly... Still waiting on that Edelgard/Arvis duo, FEH.

Anyways, to finish it off, I hope they keep her love for fairy tales in a remake. It's only in the Oosawa manga, but it fits her really well.

👀

[hello-from-nrc-infirmary]

4 for Victor and/or Gin, 31 for Vern and Victor, and 38 for Victor for the ask game teehee

(-✨️Mod, @night-raven-miscellany)

For the Ask Game!!

4. How easy is it to earn their trust?

Victor - Very hard. He doesn't simply "trust" others. He does his best to be polite and charming, even paying back debts immediately! A true fae through and through!! His trust is earned, but once you have it... he's fiercely loyal

Gin - Easy. Sooo easy! Gin, my beloved gay flirt will call you his friend on sight! You better be okay with sharing the bestie title!! He and Kalim would get along very well and probably share similar logic on "friend"! Gin will trust others until proved otherwise! He likes seeing the best in others, and will take a chance to flirt with ANYONE he finds attractive (and will back off if rejected)

31.  Who are they the most glad to have met? 

(this one was tough for Vern!!)

Vern - Cliff. Uncle Cliff is a major part of his life and they're family! They met 100yrs ago, but were raised together! Growing up, Vern and Shirley learned common from Cliff and Cliff's Dad! Vern even owes his life to Cliff twice over. A major forest fire brought them together, and a young Cliff waited and cared for Vern while he recovered from protecting the range. Cliff showed Vern that not all humans were bad.

The second time was after Shirley overblotted. Cliff sent for a medical mage and sat with Stravi until the snow fell. Cliff was the first person Vern saw after waking from his 1.5yr Deep Sleep

Victor - Vern. He won't ever admit it, but Vern's warmth and kindness that one fateful day forever changed him. He had never had someone show him that kind of care before, even if it was the worst tasting soup he ever had! The thing that got to him: Vern never asked anything of him in return.

38. What memory do they revisit the most often? 

Victor - there's 2! But the one that he's revisited the most often for the longest amount of time, is when he took a hit of ice magic from Lady Respi to his left eye. He was younger at the time and made a mistake while putting some candles out.

It comes back to him a lot, usually when it gets sore or he gets a migraine. Sometimes it keeps him up at night.. it usually comes back whenever he's asked to do something, when he has to decide if he should do what someone asked him to do, AND especially when he realizes he's about to disappoint someone.

The memory often makes him follow rules, traditions, and push his own morals aside to please others.

Ooc// thank you for letting me yap!!! ALSO GIN LORE!!!

[simmingwormly]

Wormville: Rotation 11: Beldine Children Update

Besides Fabian and Ulrike, Victor and Aranni II. welcomed 3 new children this round. Only one of them was planned, but what is a Sim to do? All of them are dearly loved.

This is Friederike Beldine. You will notice a naming pattern - I sometimes soft-assign a country of inspiration for naming children in certain Sim families (names only, no other link to any real-world cultures). The Beldines go with German/French (Victor's branch) and Italian (Beatrice's branch, therefore the Jillenis).

Little Frieda is so... Aranni in the face. The eyes, the nose... Fiera genes are strong with this one.

Her personality is 10/5/10/3/2, so she's Neat and hyperactive just like her father, but leans much more Serious. I can drop a spoiler and tell you she's also the Nicest of the gen 2 Beldines. Her 3t2 traits are Brave and Light Sleeper. She doesn't have the inborn gift of magic, but she might choose to become a witch with Victor's help when she reaches teenagerhood.

This is Gertrude Beldine. She takes more after Victor appearance-wise, I think. (Un)fortunately, she also wasn't born with magic. Just like her sister, the path of sorcery is open to her when she's older.

Her personality is 5/5/10/1/0. (All Victor's progeny, except for Ulrike, inherited Andreas's hyperactivity. They are guaranteed to be a handful!) Her traits are Grumpy (of course), and my sworn enemy, Loves Warm Weather. (I deleted it from Victor so he stops spreading it around but it persists. Vic's new trait is Proper, to sync his in-game self with how I write him.)

And last but not least, Henrique Beldine! I'm extremely excited about what is he going to look like when he's older. I hope the alien genetics will work their magic and he's going to be visually interesting. Not that it matters that much - I will treasure him regardless, but it would be nice.

As you might've noticed, he's a very different skin tone than Stella and her kids. I have a multi-PT mod (with 4 PTs), so there are 5 alien skins currently in use - the locked CAS one (on Stella) and 4 on the PTs. This is one of them!

Anyway, his personality is 1/5/10/9/0, which is way Sloppier than the rest of his family, but other than that it checks out for a victorling. His traits are Grumpy and Absent-Minded. He doesn't have innate magic.

Currently, Aranni II. doesn't claim Henrique as her own. She's willing to help out taking care of him, but she has conflicting feelings, and is mostly resentful towards the alien baby (or, more accurately, his Sixamese parent) and a little scared of him. As a Family Sim, though, she'll most likely come around eventually and adopt him. Victor's feelings are also complicated, since the pollination was very traumatic for him and he was basically forced to incubate it to term by circumstances. Keeping Henrique after he was born, however, was Victor's choice. He had the option of sending him back to Sixam with Nico's or Stella's help, but he feels attached to the child and views him as his son. He loves him just as much as his other children, but pushing the dark memories of his conception and gestation out of his mind every time he interacts with him will be difficult at first.

The Beldines will not have any further children, 5 is more than enough. (they have a big small family energy and it has already gotten out of hand)

Bonus photos:

It turns out that with the mods I have, children who inherit their parent's supernatural status also inherit (in case of witches) their moral alignment. Behold, the evilest toddler in town!

The aura of dark magic corruption around little Ulrike freaked her parents out, but luckily, she made it disappear on her own. It only returns when she's very upset.

Victor teaches Ulrike to play the piano. Even though her skill level is very low and I expected her to elicit negative reactions in the Sims around, Victor kept standing behind her and then started autonomously cheering for her. <3

Reporting for father duty.

Aranni adores her daugher. (and her son. and her daughter. and her daugher.)

"Do you like Math, too, Trevor?"

Not a Beldine child, but spotted during their round: Quinn Hanson beating Agatha Elaho-Inipp in chess and her being a sore loser.

Look at her fly!

Fabian's sights are set on college. He's been considering majoring in art. His LTW is to max out the Artist career.

A certified Knowledge Sim moment. (heartwarming)

Fabian has mixed feelings and many questions about magic.

[azurdlywisterious]

How would the atompunk trio react if the protags of their games were switched around. Like idk, put Chell in Rapture and the Courier(however you designed them) in Aperture and Jack in the New Vegas Strip. You can decide how the protags are swapped around though

oh ho ho you have no idea how long ive been planning the larger universe this au in my head is set in. so let's tune into the madness together, shall we?

(circutboard divider made by @violetbudd )

Mr. House meets Jack

Mr. House was not expecting a jumpy, uncoordinated young adult to stumble his way into the Lucky 38, but Victor has nothing but good things to say about the kid so he can't be bad. Jack follows order well, which is both a blessing and a curse Mr. House finds out, so he works out a way to get Victor to keep reminding Jack of what he needs to do and it's smooth sailing from there. Would consider working out a deal with the Followers of the Apocalypse to see what is up with Jack after the Hoover Dam battle.

Mr. House meets Chell

Mr. House gets along with Chell quite well. Chell is efficient and creative with completing missions. And she's willing to be paid in only information which cuts down on costs by a lot. He does find that gun of hers rather intriguing, which would turn into a whole cat and mouse of him trying to get the portal gun from her to examine and her not giving him the gun. Chaos ensues.

Cave Johnson meets the Courier

Cave Johnson wouldn't realize that the various people he keeps testing are all the same Courier. But hey, when you're dealing with an anomaly that keeps reincarnating lets you vivisect them, you tend not to ask too many questions (except for why do you keep coming back after you fall into the corrosive water). Certainly keeps the Courier around later on, hoping to figure what keeps them regenerating their body while keeping their memories intact (in his quest to live forever). Sadly, he doesn't figure it out in time. The Courier would then explore the Aperture labs until who knows when. Although thanks to the fact that they can sorta never die (sure their body dies but their memories dont think kinda like a timelord) then they would remember exactly who Caroline was when interacting with GLaDOS. Oh and the angst of finding all the old lab stuff and Cave Johnson's voice logs again at the Portal 2 timeline point of the game that would actually be heartbreaking.

Cave Johnson meets Jack

Cave Johnson loves Jack. Everyone loves Jack! Who wouldn't love Jack? Cave Johnson would be sure to let everyone know that no one gives Jack orders except for him and Caroline. Would treat Jack like the son he never had and also give him cocaine for his anxiety (for science). Would also want to vivisect Jack to figure out how he keeps lighting things like the mantis men on fire. Wasn't seriously considering making combustible lemons until he saw Jack could light things on fire and decided that the same principles could be applied to lemons too.

Andrew Ryan meets the Courier

Andrew Ryan actually gets to interact with only one Courier thanks to the Vita-Chambers. And as luck would have it, he gets to interact with Suzie Fromme (my favorite courier and the one I always think of when I think of couriers). And he would think Suzie is weird and unhinged and way too powerful but not in a cool way but in a way that scares him (you modded a Bethesda protag of course she breaks reality). But since she's an agent of chaos that only wants to help people he would strike a tentative deal with her to take Atlas down. She would agree for the low price of "a room in the prettiest building in Rapture" which according to her is in Fort Frolic(?) which with all the delirious denizens dropping like drones means that there probably is an open room. Did I mention Suzie has the Black Widow perk? Upon finding out how she got rid of Atlas, Andrew Ryan decides that she is not to be trifled with at all and can be Sander Cohen's problem until the city collapses.

Andrew Ryan meets Chell

Andrew Ryan would probably love and hate Chell. Love because she dispatches enemies with efficiency and doesn't listen to Atlas but also doesn't listen to him. Eventually determines that she just wants to go to the surface and leave forever and after doing a couple of missions for him, lets her. Doesn't like that she's playing all sides trying to find the fastest way to leave, but she just wants to always come put on top. Which she does. Would weaponize her bond with Tenenbaum in a last ditch attempt to get her to do what he wants.

[ferrari-go-vroom-vroom]

Tag some people you want to get to know better

big thanks for tagging me @is-this-taken-too-questionmark  !

song currently stuck in my head:

Kiss the Girl from the Little Mermaid and You’re Losing Me by Taylor Swift

last song i listened to:

my spotify says i was listening to Roger Taylor, so I’ll assume it was “Man on Fire”

three favorite foods:

pasta, baked turkey (ft. my grandma), and salmon rolls

last thing i googled:

alcohol mod for sims 4 lmao

dream trip:

hear this out: me, myself, and I on a historical two-week long tour de france with a lot of money. i’m talking ww1 memorials, i’m talking victor hugo’s house, i’m talking versailles and palais royale

anything i want right now:

all my lectures on amrev to magically write up themselves 😭

no-pressure tags: @lvndonvrris @rossacorsa

[owlixx]

Update on what I’m playing next

So I played fortnite festival, beat the mortal kombat dlc, beat a run of Last of Us 2 No Return, then finally started my Arkham Asylum replay.

It’s been sooooo long, since 2010 or so because I remember pre ordering Arkham City which is crazy because it came out just after my 13th birthday. 12 year olds have no business pre ordering games on Steam. I think that might’ve even been the first game I ever pre ordered on steam, surely. I remember buying Assassin’s Creed 2 for its (at the time) full price of 19.99 on steam when Arkham City got delayed but I had paced myself to beat Assassin’s Creed 1 right when Arkham City was going to come out. I suppose I’ve always been crossing off lists when I game, huh?

Oh, I also I popped my head back in to Theatrhythm Final Bar Line where I’m in the middle of FFX. I do still enjoy it and I like the way the inputs feel but I fear Fortnite Festival has fried my brain with how satisfying the notes are and the rotating set list of radio hits. Plus, it’s addicting to get to level up my main fortnite account just from playing a silly little music mode.

So then Mortal Kombat 1 Khaos Reigns was pretty underwhelming. I felt like it was retreading the same nonsense ground as the last act of of the main game (oh no the multiverse is invadinggg). I think the most impressive part of the story was that they worked in a random dragon NPC from Armageddon in a way that was actually sympathetic. Although I do really like turning Cyrax and Sektor into exosuits rather than full robots and their move sets are really cool. Still not sold on the kameo system. Waiting for injustice 3.

Tried out Tommy in Last of Us 2 No Return. He felt a little generic, I didn’t think his “custom rifle” was different enough to feel unique. To be fair I didn’t get much use out of the scope. I did manage to clutch my third won run, first try with Tommy. So now I’ve got Joel unlocked and I figure I should try a run as him before going through Abby and her friends.

More notably for this run, I turned on 4 bit audio and pitched down audio and it was the scariest thing I’ve ever heard. I’m gonna see if I can post the vid on here.

And then I really wanted to make this post just to gush about how great Arkham Asylum is. I think it’s a really well made game even to someone who has never heard of him, but I’m particularly fresh on reading a bunch of Batman comics lately so it’s like a religious experience now. Obviously at the center of it is Kevin Conroy’s perfect Batman voice. These games have to have the biggest collection of his Batman voice acting even compared to BTAS just because of how long these games are compared to a movie or tv show, but the math on that is confusing me. Regardless, it’s so funny to hear his immaculate Batman voice reading off tutorials and hints like “I should try not getting shot by a gun” or whatever here in the beginning.

Very funny that Victor Zsasz is literally just the stealth tutorial target dummy basically.

Even without the QoL and advanced maneuvers of the later games, the combat and stealth still feel great. Of course it helps that I’m playing on PC modded to be 144 Hz so it feels like a “remaster”. The game doesn’t look all too dated for how old it actually is (16 years).

I am really enjoying the more linear, claustrophobic approach compared to my more recent memories of Arkham Knight, just a different vibe.

It’s fun how much comic stuff has already been crammed in. Jim and Babs, Zsasz, Joker, Killer Croc, Riddler, Harley, and I’m only like forty minutes in.

So funny how many of these characters are voiced by Tom Kane and Steve Blum, every other person I meet is one of the two. Of course I should mention also how great Mark Hamill as Joker is, I know that isn’t a hot take but he’s really on display here.

I’m soooo looking forward to playing more. I wanna keep an eye for the light metroidvania elements this time. I also wanna go and look up all the secrets online after even if I don’t end up finding them all in game (I ain’t doing all that).

I also never beat the final boss back in the day. I reached the end and uninstalled because I had heard the final boss was stupid and it seemed hard. At the very least, I wanna give it a fair shot this time and watch online if I don’t beat it. My memories are so foggy on big chunks of this game, it’s been so long.

I just feel real giddy playing it and I’m counting the minutes until I can get home and play more. I do think I wanna keep doing my dailies in Fortnite Festival to get my music game fix. And then I like the idea of doing No Return one run a day until I get through all the characters at least. So sorry to everybody who wants me to return to Disco Elysium 😭 I’ll get there eventually

[ask-idv-memory]

Happy New Years! Here's to hoping for the best and for a nice year for everyone!

[aziraphales-library]

I just finished A memory of Eden, after crying for 2 hours I was wondering if there are any other heavy angst fics that leave my sobbing.

Of course!

There was a similar ask not that long ago that you can find here.

Pray For Us, Icarus series [M] by Atalan

For three centuries, Crowley has been reincarnated over and over as a human with no memory of his past. Aziraphale has tried to find a way to restore him to his true self, but all he seems to do is hurt them both. This time, he only means to steal a brief moment when he walks into Crowley's flower shop. But Crowley can't let it go...

Time is the Longest Distance [M] by Beckers522

Six months had passed since the world hadn't ended and life was good. Life was more than good. It was more than nice. Life on Earth, here in his little corner of London, here with Crowley by his side was absolutely wonderful. Until the day that it wasn't. Until Aziraphale walked into Crowley's flat to find his best friend mysteriously discorporated with both Heaven and Hell staying silent on the matter. With Crowley trapped in Hell and Aziraphale unable to reach him, the pair set off to find their way back to each other. They will have to fight against Heaven, Hell, and Time itself to make their way back into each others arms once more.

Based on a comic by Lei_sam

Tabula Rasa [E] by Mussimm

Alternate ending to The Sandford Flower Show, if Aziraphale had never plucked up his courage and fixed things. You need to read the first one to understand this one.

Mephistopheles was good at her job.

It was a strange thought to find comforting, but it was one Aziraphale clung to. Sometimes it was easier to think of his life in the broad strokes than to suffer through each moment of it. If in his mind he was the hero of a Shakespearean tragedy, his life crumbled to dust by such human foibles, then there was a certain dignity at that. He had lost, but at least he had been playing against a master.

And Tell me Who is Victor [E] by drawlight(snagov)

In 1347, a ship arrives bearing books and news from the east. Aziraphale, a Cistercian monk of Tintern Abbey, travels to collect his books. There he meets a lazy-hipped, red-haired sailor and has the strangest feeling that he knows Crowley, that they have met once. He just cannot remember at all.

Or, all love stories are ghost stories. And to tell a ghost story, something must have happened before.

~Mod N

[lcdrarry]

LCDrarry Round-Up Post | Week 4

This is our last round-up post for LCDrarry 2021 ;D You have time to catch up on the works that posted during the week and hopefully leave lovely comments for our creators. Reveals are on 15 June! Wheeeee!

Happy reading, commenting and sharing! ;)

~Your LCDrarry Mods

PS: Please have a look at the author notes and tags on AO3 for additional information and more detailed warnings. Thank you!

PPS: Here are all round-up posts of LCDrarry 2021:

Round-up Post Week #1 

Round-up Post Week #2 

Round-up Post Week #3 

Round-up Post Week #4 (you're here ;))

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Art

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In the Shadow of Your Heart

Prompt: Howl's Moving Castle, 2004, Hayao Miyazaki Prompted by: the artist Author: Anonymous Art Medium: Digital Art Rating: General Warnings: sectumsempra scars, memory loss

Summary: When the recluded ex-Death Eater Draco Malfoy finds Harry Potter wandering around the hills, with no memory whatsoever of who he once was, he and Teddy decide to welcome him into their little family.

View "In the Shadow of Your Heart" on AO3.

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Fic

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Sesame Seeds and the Entire Spectrum of Human Emotion

Prompt: "The Proposal", 2009, Anne Fletcher Prompted by: @prolix- Author: Anonymous Word Count: 9,530 words Rating: Mature Warnings: Nudity, Boat Incident, references to past abuse/neglect

Summary: Faced with exile, Draco pretends to be engaged to Harry Potter, who agrees to play along for Narcissa's sake. When they're forced to spend a weekend together celebrating the engagement with the Weasleys, they might try to kill each other, or... they might just fall in love. . Based on the movie The Proposal (2009), though you don't have to have seen the movie to understand the fic!

Read "Sesame Seeds and the Entire Spectrum of Human Emotion" on AO3.

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My Fair Gentleman

Prompt: "My Fair Lady", 1964, George Cukor Prompted by: @ziezie13 Author: Anonymous Word Count: 20,766 words Rating: Teen and up Warnings: light alcohol use and mentions of child neglect by Dursleys

Summary: After an extended stay at Charlie's Dragon Reserve in Romania, Harry returns to London and makes a fool of himself at his first Ministry Gala. Minister Shacklebolt orders Harry to seven months of etiquette lessons with Draco Malfoy. Will Harry pull through and become an expert in PR? Will Draco manage to make over the biggest PR disaster the wizarding world has seen in years? Wouldn't it be loverly?

Read "My Fair Gentleman" on AO3.

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saying yes (instead of no)

Prompt: "Schitt's Creek", 2015, Series Prompted by: the author Author: Anonymous Word Count: 21,022 words Rating: Explicit Warnings: canon typical alcohol and drug use, marijuana use, explicit smut

Summary: “It’s a general store that’s also a very specific store,” Draco grumbled. “Most people won’t realise this, but I want to market Muggle goods to the Wizarding world as well. I want something that will help boost the economy of the Hamlet and Muggles have so many amazing things we don’t have.” . Draco sighed again. “I think it would benefit everyone.” He glared at Emily. “But there’s not a single witch, wizard, or wix who will shop at a place owned by Draco Malfoy.” . “What if it’s owned by Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy?” Potter asked. . “That would be preposterous,” Draco mumbled. “Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy would kill each other before the store opened.” . “What if you didn’t?” Emily asked. Draco opened his mouth to let her know, they would indeed kill each other, but before he could say anything, she continued, “What if it turned into a lovely business?” . “There’s only one way to know,” Potter said. “I really think this is a good idea, Draco."

Read "saying yes (instead of no)" on AO3.

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A First Look Into Resurrecting Mummies With the Aid Of the Chosen One, and Why It Should Be Advised Against (an Essay by Draco Malfoy, Assistant Archaeologist)

Prompt: "The Mummy", 1999, Stephen Sommers Prompted by: the author Author: Anonymous Word Count: 21,948 words Rating: Mature Warnings: minor violence elements

Summary: Draco hopes to find an ancient spell book rumoured to be in Hamunaptra after Astoria found a map to the lost city. If he makes this discovery, maybe the Magical British Museum will finally look at his application, and his annoying colleague will finally leave him alone. It’s a good plan, until Draco is reunited with Harry Potter for the first time in ten years, as the man is about to be hanged.

Read "A First Look Into Resurrecting Mummies With the Aid Of the Chosen One, and Why It Should Be Advised Against (an Essay by Draco Malfoy, Assistant Archaeologist)" on AO3.

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Wicked Game

Prompt: "Jumanji", 1995 or 2017 Prompted by: @MysticKitten42 Author: Anonymous Word Count: 22,044 words Rating: Explicit Warnings: Sexual Content, Implied PTSD

Summary: Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy crossed a line during one of their late-night Astronomy Tower Bonding Sessions and neither are sure what that means. Not that they got particularly far, considering they were caught and assigned detention for their antics. And, now, they've been sucked into a boardgame. That's just fantastic...

Read "Wicked Game" on AO3.

***

Love in Three Parts

Prompt: "Bridgerton", 2020, Series Prompted by: Anonymous Author: Anonymous Word Count: 24,172 words Rating: Mature Warnings: Canon-typical content

Notes: Thanks so much to my beta, L, for all her help and her encouragement as I wrote this fic. Thanks to the mods for hosting this fest and to the Anonymous prompter who inspired this fic.

Summary: Draco has everything needed to be the diamond of the season. He has the looks, the pedigree, and if he should be short on the money end, well, it isn't up to him to convince anyone they want to marry him. And yet, he finds himself with no prospects and no suitable matches until Harry James Potter, Wizarding Britain's Most Eligible Bachelor, makes his first appearance in proper Wizarding society for the first time in five years. Together, they hatch a plan to secure Draco a husband and keep the debutantes' mothers away from Harry. And if someone should develop feelings along the way, well, the course of true love never did run smooth.

Read "Love in Three Parts" on AO3.

***

Outwit, Outlast, Outplay

Prompt: "Survivor", 2000-ongoing, Series Prompted by: @eletriptan Author: Anonymous Word Count: 30,976 words Rating: Mature Warnings: Brief homophobia, mentions of past health issues

Summary: Draco loves Survivor. Loves it. So when his job at the Dept. of Mysteries offers him the opportunity to go on as a contestant, he can't think of anything that could go wrong. He is sorely mistaken, but a little chaos turns out to not be such a bad thing. Featuring gratuitous descriptions of Survivor game-play, really jargon-y magical theory I got way too excited about, and Draco's best friend Isabelle being an absolute QUEEN.

Read "Outwit, Outlast, Outplay" on AO3.

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Advantage Rule

Prompt: "The Queen's Gambit", 2020, Series Prompted by: @prolix- Author: Anonymous Word Count: 42,738 words Rating: Mature Warnings: Character death, Parental neglect, Brief references to eugenics, Sexual content, Mild homophobia, Alcoholism, Drug abuse

Summary: Draco's life has been struggle after struggle. He was exiled as a baby, his mother died, he was forced to live with muggles... Need I go on? Quidditch was supposed to be his escape, but how is he supposed to beat Victor Krum and take the world title if he can't even beat Harry Potter? ~No knowledge of The Queen's Gambit required~

Read "Advantage Rule" on AO3.

***

Please help promote the fest by sharing your favourite submissions, so more people can enjoy all the amazing new Drarry works of LCDrarry. Thank you!

Author and artist reveals are on 15 June.

[sweetmage]

SweetMage's DA Writing Prompt List

Hi! I am making this little prompt list in anticipation of joining the Dragon Age Drunk Writing Circle. Below the cut you'll find all of my OCs/Ships (platonic, romantic, and familial), some TWs and disclaimers, and some sample writing prompts but feel free to come up with some of your own prompts or ask me for more info! :) WARNING: There are some 18+ prompts!

Things with ❤ are preferred this week! Characters:

❤ Edan Cousland | Inquisitor!Edan Cousland Garrett Hawke (purple mage) | Inquisitor!Garrett Hawke ❤ Anders (and Justice) Sebastian Vael Ser Roderick Gilmore (loosely based on the NPC companion mod but with my own characterization/HCs) Niall (from the Circle Mage Origin/Fade Quest. Will write him post-DA2 in an AU where he survived mostly!) Meeran (DA2 mercenary leader. Will probably write him in my dystopian/cyberpunk AU version of DA2)

Romantic Ships (SFW or NSFW is okay!):

❤Purple Mage M!Hawke/Anders ❤Edan Cousland/Ser Roderick Gilmore ❤ Celestine (non-Hawke OC)/Sebastian Purple Mage M!Hawke/Anders/Justice Niall/Orsino (Post-DA2, both alive OR during DA2 where Niall is sent on an assignment from the Kinloch hold)

Platonic/Familial Ships (SFW Only):

❤Anders & Edan Cousland ❤Purple Mage M!Hawke & Any of the DA2 cast ❤Anders & Varric (DA2 or DAI time period) ❤Garrett & Marian Hawke (twin!Hawke AU) ❤Garrett and/or Anders & their son Victor (AU where trans!Garrett/Anders had a biological son during DA2 act 2) Edan & Any of the DAO or DAA cast Inquisitor Edan & any of the DAI, DAO, or DAA cast Inquisitor Hawke & any of the DAI or DA2 cast Orsino & Anders

Sample Prompt Lists: Please do not request: Not used to freedom, preventative measures not taken, reopening an old wound. I have gotten many of these!

*Starred prompts may contain triggering angst content * Bad Things Happen Bingo Card [SFW Angst] ❤ * Old Whumptober Prompt List [SFW Angst] ❤ Domesticity/Intimacy [SFW/NSFW Ship] Old Sicktember Prompt List [SFW Hurt/Comfort] Old Platonic Flufftober Prompt List [SFW Fluff] Old Flufftober Prompt List [SFW Fluff or Angst] ❤ Multi Category Smut Prompts (Vanilla, kinky, goofy, etc.) [NSFW Smut] ---

TWs and Disclaimers:

- Fics about Edan may contain references or depictions of his lyrium addiction and resulting cognitive decline (memory issues, hallucinations, confusion, etc.) as that's a big part of his character. - Fics about Roderick may contain mention of PTSD and past torture (mental/emotional/SA) at the hands of Rendon Howe as that is a part of his story. - Fics about Anders might contain mention of self-harm, past abuse, and suicidal ideation

Like To Write:

- Trauma and/or Healing ❤ - Mental Illness Related Hurt/Comfort ❤ - Sappy Smut ❤ - Silly/Awkward Smut - Hurt/Comfort Smut ❤ - Sweet/Romantic Scenes - Domestic Life in Tough Situations (long distance like Edan/Ser Gilmore, Fugitives like Anders/Garrett, etc.) ❤ - Hurt/Comfort ❤

Prefer Not To Write/Won't Write:

- Anders Demonizing/Anti-Anders sentiments such as rivalmance, abuse from Hawke, death ending, him 'ruining' Justice, etc. (him facing opposition from characters like Fenris, Sebastian, various NPCs, etc. is 100% okay though!) - Non-Canon Major Character Death (near death, Hawke/Warden in the Fade, or non-companion canon deaths like Leandra or the Cousland family are okay though!) - Gratuitous Physical Torture - Second Person/Character x Reader - Modern AU/Coffee Shop AU/College AU or anything similar

[a-survivors-dilemma]

Hi there, Mr. Postman! Or is it Mr. Grantz if that's alright...? I'm probably one of many uhh... "spectators" per se(?), I actually dunno how many. Nice to meet you, nevertheless. Also the one you greeted and Wick had lead just now is, well... Memory, which is a nice one to put into a joke!

Also Merry Christmas, mod Annie! Have some cookies and a warm glass of milk 🍪🍪🍪🥛. If this is alright, does the asks so far only shown in Memory's phone and uhhh... how many acts are mapped out there? Sorry if these are more lorewise than ever, but I really love how you designed Victor and Wick which made me excited to see the rest! Happy holidays! ☃️🌲

PS: I'm a little confused whether Memory's eyes are either light blue or yellow-

*You could call me Mr. Grantz, or even Victor if you would like. Unlike most hunters, I’m not too big on formalities. - Victor Grantz

———

Merry Christmas Enzina! Thank you for the milk and cookies ^^ very delicious!

Here are the answers to your questions, which I don't mind by the way! If you ever want to know anything, if it's reasonable, I'll answer it haha

- So far, yes, only Memory can see the asks via her phone. When certain characters are open for asks, they get the asks through their small tablets, which they use to send out quick messages in-game.

- Okay, so blue-eyed Memory was a mistake on my end that I didn't realize until after I posted the ask ahaha. Memory (in this AU anyways) has orange eyes! The reference I use for Memory is this one! Memory has all the same colors as Charlie from the Actor AU version of this AU (the blonde girl in the reference) but this time I accidentally used Charlie's eye color instead of Memory's eye color! I’d like to note that Charlie is not Memory’s actor, Memory and Charlie just happen to share all the same colors.

- As for how many acts are mapped out, there are many acts mapped out!

Right now, we are in what I call the "BellaDonna Stage" of the askblog and within this stage, we are in act 1 of 5. Act 1 involves Memory getting an invitation. Act 2 involves Memory memory syncing with Victor and following him into the manor. Act 3 is seeing a match from the hunter's perspective. Act 4 is Victor's story. Act 5 is the end of the BellaDonna Stage and transition into the “Lady Thirteen Stage”

At the end of Act 5 of the "BellaDonna Stage" we move into Act 1 of the "Lady Thirteen Stage" which is going to see Memory syncing up with Michiko. Act 3 of this Stage is going to be a match from a survivor's perspective. Act 4 of this stage is NOT going to be just Michiko's story, you'll get the story of about... 2 or 3 people in that act.

After this, the plan splits into 4 possible stages, those being:

The Golden Ratio Stage (Edgar and Jack's path)

The Lost Identities Stage (Robbie and Andrew's path)

Cats and Roses Stage (Naib and Aesop's path)

And Showtime (Mike's path)

Showtime is a very unlikely stage to happen first, however, as the first 3 are split into 3 - 5 acts (Lost Identities is actually about 6 acts but 2 of those acts happen at the same exact time), while Showtime is split into 10 - 15 acts. Showtime takes up a MASSIVE chunk of the AU and leads into many other acts, such as Luca's act, Fan's act, Emile's act, BonBon's act, just to name a few. And to do Showtime the justice it deserves, you’re going to see many more asks answered in the comic style, many more asks drawn and lined and done in full color, more asks are going to answered at once, it’s going to be a HUGE thing. Each act has a max of 3 or 4 characters excluding matches and Memory. BellaDonna's Stage (as it stands) has Victor, Mary (Belladonna), Joseph, Michiko, and Robbie as its star characters. Now to put Showtime into perspective, Showtime has: Mike, Margie, Vera, Arbor and the 6 missing kids, Naib, Tracy, Luchino, Joker, Robbie, Fan, Jack, Leo, Bane AND Norton in it, as well as occasional mentions of Luca, Emily, Emile, Ada, and BonBon from Mike himself. That's going to be SUCH a fun act by the way. We already have mentions of Mike from Memory and Mike was the blog icon (soon to be the new banner!) I’ll say this now, but Mike is going to be your bestie in terms of lore.

As for any special events… most of the special events are going to belong to Edgar actually. It has something to do with how Edgar is as a hunter. Other special events are going to be either specific to events in the game (Like COA) or having to do with an OG IDV Survivor being put into this AU.

If you would like, I can do an in-depth outlining map of the AU! I’d be more than happy to, and it’s very easy to keep a map outline like that rather spoiler free. The only “spoilers” would be who you would be getting to know in that stage but even then that’s a pretty light spoiler tbh. I could also do a detailed breakdown of the specific stages, their acts and the characters who are going to featured a LOT in those acts. This way would include a lot more lore but more potential for spoilers. The thing is many of those acts will be far away tho.

- The design from Wick is (as Victor was saying) from the time when Victor met Mary (aka Belladonna) which is why Wick looks so out of place beside Victor! Victor’s current design is a combination of his human form (based off his default skin) and his demon form (based off Keyboard and Specter)! I absolutely adore the designs for these two as well!

Happy Holidays! - Mod Annie

[rosebloodcat]

Toonkind Storyline Idea

Not too long ago, I got an interesting idea for a DnD storyline thanks to some interesting spells I found in the Player’s Handbook. I’ve also been listening to the Toonkind DnD recordings as well. So, as one would expect, the two have been slowly melding together into (what I think) is a fun/interesting story that could be played.

The only awkward thing about it is that I’m not actually in the Toonkind Discord (I’ve got my eye out for the next invite link and I’m praying I’ll be online and aware enough to join in then), so I can’t really share the idea and see if anyone would be up for it. This awkwardness is only increased by the fact that a character I want to see/use for it is one that isn’t mine.

Because of that, this idea has just been festering in the back of my head for several days now and I just- Need to talk about it now.

Like, the fear of possible embarrassment is being replaced by the pure need to talk about this. It’ll probably just sit in my posts/notes forever and not get used, but I want to have it down and out there. (Keeping hopes/expectations low on that front.) I mean, what are the chances that, even if I At’d the players here on Tumblr, they would actually read through the idea? Or want to talk with me about it? Pretty low as far as I can tell.

So honestly, there’s nothing actually stopping me from just rambling into the aether about this. Might as well go for it.

Anyways, let’s get into the meat of this.

I’ll start off by telling people that I had been curious about spells to revive/bring back the dead because I was curious about how many there actually were. 

Unsurprisingly, I found four spells that involved reviving/bringing back the dead.

Surprisingly, though, only three of those spells were necromancy spells! (Revivify, Resurrection, and True Resurrection.)

The Fourth spell was called Reincarnate and was a transmutation spell used/learnable by Druids. (If you’re curious about it, you can check out the exact details here! https://www.dndbeyond.com/spells/reincarnate )

A quick summary of it goes like this: If someone has been dead for less than 10 days, you can touch them (or a piece of them) and create a new body for that person and call their soul to it. The spell causes their race/subrace to change, and the new one can be decided by the DM or via Dice Roll. All their abilities and memories stay the same, but their racial stats/abilities are exchanged for ones matching their new race/subrace.

And I thought, “What if this spell (or a variant of it) was used on a character that died in one of the Toonkind games?”

(Also, I realize I should mention this before continuing, Spoiler Warning for anyone who’s never listened to the Taffy Train Saga and the Coup De Blues games? This involves characters from those.)

I can’t think of too many toonkind characters who are actually Dead-Dead, but I do have one that I have a little bit of a soft spot for. One who was killed in the very same game he was introduced in.

Victor Tim, the (very dead) accountant for Dodo Studios.

(Who has been played by both @modmad and @snailcomicz and I’m not sure which of them he actually belongs to, so I guess he just goes to both for now. I know he was presented as a tool/not very liked character, but I just found him weirdly charming. I can’t explain it if I tried.)

Thus, the seed of an idea was planted in my brain.

What if Victor Tim was brought back from the dead by someone using a variation of this spell? Either as someone experimenting with magic or something. Heck, it could even be done with a machine instead of a spellcaster. (I’m not opposed to the “Illegal or at least Unethical Science” route for a villain. Seeing if they can expand the limit for how soon the spell can be used.)

I mean, considering the chaos brought by Dora Z Scale after the Taffy Train, would it really be so crazy to say that someone took advantage of it?

Someone could have noticed Dora robbing graveyards, seeing that the reports on it were few and far between, and decided to piggyback off her and snatch up remains in her wake. Get some free test subjects that didn’t need to sign waivers whilst everyone was focused on the Engineer and later Dora drama in the papers. Of course, they could have also been a bit more careful and waited until after Dora was captured/arrested before starting their experiments. To give more time for people to forget about them (if they had been spotted during that time) and let their focus be taken up by the former actress instead.

And it probably took a while before they got around to Vic, likely from how little they had of him due to Dora drinking a large portion of him. The Perp probably took their time refining their materials/process since they didn’t want to lose what little they had of him.

All things considered, the extra grave robber probably wasn’t noticed for a long time thanks to the sorting that needed to be done with Dora’s undead army. After figuring out who came from where and sending them back to their proper graves, I’m sure the police were very surprised to find that there were still a number of graves that remained empty.

That lovely little problem was probably kept buried to prevent the public from panicking/getting the police in even more trouble. Especially if The Engineer or Mrs. Tim found out that Vic’s remains were among those missing.

(Not to mention the field day the press would have about it. Like that one, very intrepid young reporter. The one with the dog, you know who.)

I’d say that Vic, when brought back, is still a toonkind but probably a different subrace. (Maybe a Frankenalie? Or a Warne? Unless Mod or Snail see this and think of something that would be more fun/interesting.)

He also probably has no idea what’s going on. Just that he’s pretty sure he’s supposed to be dead but somehow he’s not and he’s stuck somewhere he doesn’t recognize and are both his eyes facing forward? And “Oh no this is bad. I’m pretty sure there is a bad thing happening and I’m alone with no help, oh no, oh no, oh no.”

Because definitely not-okay, illegal/unethical experiments tend to mean the “Subjects” are basically captives/prisoners of the person responsible and need to either be rescued or find a way to escape.

Both routes could go in fun/interesting directions.

Cause, on one hand, there’s the possibility of getting the info out and having Engie pulling/being part of a rescue mission, or at least someone from the studio/Taffy Train may want to check it out. (I mean, who fakes being a dead guy? That’s weird enough that someone would want to look into it.)

On the other hand, there’s also the fun of Vic managing to bust out with the help of other victims in the same situation. Which could actually be a cool set of stories/games to be played. (I’d- I’d actually love to make a character to play that out if I’m being completely honest here. I may have one slowly being drafted out in my head as I type this.)

There’s also the potential hitch of Vic having to try and convince people/prove that he really is Victor Tim, the guy who was murdered by Dora Z Scale. Or that Vic’s note/message really was from him. Even more so if Vic’s talking to people who actually knew him before. (Powerful potential Angst and feels right there if they don’t believe him. Or it could be really funny, depending on how it’s played.)

There are also some fun shenanigans that could happen too. Mostly from Vic trying to figure out how his new race/abilities work. Like (if he was a warne)  accidentally using Expeditious Retreat and yeeting himself into a wall. Or (if he was a frankenalie) getting into a heated argument with an animal via Speak With Animals but not knowing it.

(“Uh, Vic?” “Wha- Oh! Sorry,  I was caught up talking with this guy-” “Vic, you’re talking to a dog.” “...Oh. Suddenly this makes a lot more sense.”)

But- yeah. That’s my idea for a potential storyline for Toonkind DnD, Victor Tim brought back from the dead but not as a Yupyaen and all the possible chaos that could entail. 

Honestly, I have more thoughts on the story, but it’s one of those things that would probably go better if I was able to talk with others about it.

This will probably sit in my posts for who knows how long and never actually get used/played, but I have said my piece now. Who knows, maybe I’ll use the initial idea in something and just remove Vic from the equation.

(... It would be cool if I actually got to use/play this in Toonkind though.)

[solesurvivorpaigeargot]

New Vegas mod that adds a change to Wild Wasteland, in that Victor appears as a legit cowboy to the Courier, and adds dialog options that allow the Courier to try and persuade people around the Mojave that Victor IS real and NOT A ROBOT and while you can convince some (speech checks) and cannot others (speech check just stops them from ending dialog, they still give you the side eye and failing the check may cause some traders to refuse you) but No Bark is the only one who takes them at their word.

Bonus points if you can convince Victor himself that he's real, which forces House to 'Kill' him by resetting his active memory, giving the courier a revenge motivation and the option to say "You killed my cowboy friend, prepare to die" to House's literal face

[veralovemail]

hihi! ive been loving ur writing so ive succumbed to sending a matchup. *straightens tie* okay im an esfp and my enneagram is 2w3. i dont have a label on my sexuality rlly but i dont mind any gender, id prefer a survivor though! my prns are he/they. im a generally open person who kinda thrives off interactions, and im honestly vv easy to read it is. very sad. but im a little strong headed/stubborn and even though im kinda loud ik when to lower my volume when need be :] i struggle with social cues but im trying my best. im a joker but with a normally realistic view so im on the border between pessimist/optimist. i love music, specifically singing and violin and im trying to pick up more instruments + learn asl! i also like painting/drawing, even if im not necessarily good at it but its the thought and effort that counts yknow,, id also say my love language is acts of service whether we are in a platonic or romantic relationship hdgdjsf i dont know if thats important but anyways i dont know what else to put but good luck! this was everywhere. ps i love cheesecake too mmm strawberry cheesecake

*smooths out suit* so we goin fancy with this? :0 but i'm glad you've been enjoying my writing!! :DD tysm for requesting :" - mod vera

i match you with... demi bourbon!

OK hear me out.

you two. are so chaotic together.

demi also thrives off of social interaction and loves talking to you all day and all night!

she likes the fact that you're rather open, because she's a rather open person too!

you two, especially in matches, can be loud af and start accidental parties that can go all night. it may just start with demi and you jokingly dancing around together, but then william joins in... then norton... then mike... then victor... then luca... then some hunters hear all the racket and come in and they're like damn we partying? so now we have you, demi, william, norton, mike, victor, luca, fan wujiu, luchino and jack fucking raving in the dining room of the survivors' side of the mansion. naib was definitely very mad.

you know when to quieten down, demi doesn't, so you may need to just tug her hand and tell her to lower her volume and she's like "oops, okay! :)"

she likes that you're stubborn. you once had a conversation that went like this -

"hey, [ name ], do you think i should take melly's net and count how many bees are in there?"

"no, demi, you'll get stu-"

"but there are so many! you can't lie to me that you're interested t-"

"...demi... you can't..."

"okay then :("

she likes holding you. sorry, you're just very squishy to her and she will absolutely smother you, especially if you've been gone the entire day.

if you're of age, she'll let you test different flavours of dovlin, if you're not she'll make alcohol-free dovlin for you! same taste, it's just alcohol-free.

while decoding, if she's had to have dovlin, you may have to ground her a bit because she gets a bit ditzy.

demi is very good with social cues, being a barmaid, so she'll gently nudge you and whisper in your ear if she knows that you're meant to respond in a certain fashion.

she finds it easy to read you, but she struggles with reading people in general, so she's glad when she's able to tell when something's the matter because she gets to absolutely pamper you or start fooling around to make you feel a bit better.

please play music for her. please she will literally cry whenever you start playing the violin, it's just so pretty...

jose has asked if he can be the vicar at your wedding (jokingly) even though he's not exactly trained to be a vicar.

also if you do stuff for her, she'll definitely repay that favour! she likes it when you do though, it makes her feel special.

also if you paint anything, she's gonna show it off. if edgar sees it she's definitely gonna rub it in his face that she thinks that you're the superior artist.

demi is very soft around you. not clingy, but.. soft. she'll pepper your face in kisses or wrap her hands around you from behind while you're doing something.

she loves you very dearly, really, she does! you two have the best experiences together and create some really funny memories.

i hope you enjoy these!! i had fun writing them :> ALSO YES strawberry cheesecake is top tier. cheesecake? s tier. strawberry cheesecake? ss tier.

[moviesrotbrains]

George A. Romero Day

I was nine or ten when I first saw Tom Savini’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1990) remake. It wasn’t my first horror film. FRANKENSTEIN (1931) was an early memory, and a giant life-sized poster of his monster1 protected my room from nightmares. I’d often dream of Freddy Krueger despite never having seen any of his films at that point. Horror was everywhere in the 1980s.

I was in awe of LIVING DEAD ‘90. The idea of being trapped in a house with evils lurking outside. The paranoia that brewed among the humans… how the humans became monsters long before they were even bit. It was heavy stuff at the time. I don’t know if I drew parallels to all of this or simply thought, “Wow, those intense zombie fights that would make a cool NES game!”2

Savini’s redo was probably my first actual zombie experience. Again, I had seen zombies in other media, most like Scooby Doo or whatever other Saturday morning cartoon cribbed and remixed the undead concept to sell toys or comicbooks.

It was a few years later that I finally got to see George A. Romero’s original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968). I can’t recall if I first saw it on TV or an actual repertory screening of it. Memory is weird that way. I do remember being thoroughly blown away by it, despite more or less having memories of the plot from that remake.

I never had a problem with Black & White movies, having already been a full on film-junkie at that point, but somehow that black & white depiction of old school zombies felt hyper real. Unsettling. Fucking cool as hell. Unerving. Or maybe I was just a dumb kid. Oh, I definitely was a dumb kid, and still am, but that moment cemented George Romero in the pantheon of cinematic greats. Didn’t matter what else he did, he made NOTLD. He made a weighty zombie film full of social commentary and subtext.3 He popularized zombies. He didn’t need to do anything else.

Oh, but he did. He so did. 

It was around the time I was starting to consume more horror4 that a classmate had cut some scenes into a film project we were working on. My jaw was on the floor when I first saw the gory display of gritty carnage.

“This is from the 70s?” 

I knew so little. I definitely didn’t know those effects were also by Tom Savini, but everything was coming full circle, and that was one of the key moments that I fell in love with Savini without even knowing.

“You never seen this? Here, man, I’ll loan you it.”

And that was when I first saw Romero’s DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978). Take some people of various walks of life and have them take refuge in an empty mall-- only to find the Zombies have returned to the place they frequented most.

“WHEN THERE’S NO ROOM IN HELL, THE DEAD WILL WALK THE EARTH!”

DOTD ‘78, The brutal and hilarious takedown of consumption and mall culture. Social Commentary, Zombie Gags, and Sick Kills. A film that’s loved by both critics and horror junkies. A film that said something and also entertained. George Romero in a nutshell.

A film that also became my gateway drug to Good Horror. And to Bad Horor. Again, I already loved horror. I loved the aesthetic, the vibe. Always drew monsters. Always collected weird monster toys. If a film was playing on a movie channel, I’d watch it. 

But Romero’s DAWN OF THE DEAD was THE film that made me WANT to actually seek them out. The film that made me want to rewatch my older brother’s old worn Betamax tapes of classic 80s horror flicks. A film that introduced me to Dario Argento.5 A movie that got me into the music of Italian Horror Prog Rock legends, GOBLIN. The life changing event that made me a nut for Savini and every 80s fx guru around. A story that made we want to watch every zombie film I possibly could. Good or Bad, and there’s a lot of bad out there. But there’s also a lot of good. So much good.

Romero’s DAY OF THE DEAD (1985) is one of those good zombie films. I saw a midnight screening with my dad at that same repertory cinema.6 This was Romero’s third DEAD film and took place on a military base. It introduced the concept of the military studying, training, and weaponizing the living dead. It also has one of the freakiest scenes involving hands and walls that still rattles me to this day. It has a stomach churning scene involving a ripped stomach. It’s wonderful, largely in part to once again utilizing Savini’s talents, as well as Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger-- who years later brought THE WALKING DEAD to your homes. Romero’s legacy still felt to this day.

That being said, Romero’s legacy was far more than just Zombie films, of course. He made a film, that’s rather timely now7, about a plague that made people crazy called... THE CRAZIES (1973).  There was another about a vampire wannabe named MARTIN (1978). A spectacular 80s horror anthology film series called CREEPSHOW8 (1982 & 1987). And a wonderfully bizarre film about a homicidal monkey named, appropriately enough, MONKEY SHINES (1988). I saw that last one before I even knew who he was but I never really forgot it. And those are just a few. 

He revisited his LIVING DEAD films with additional sequels in the 2000s and 2010s and was working on another up until his death. I was very lucky to briefly thank him during a convention, a year or so before he passed. Thanked him for the films. For everything.

He didn’t just impact me, of course. He impacted the people he worked with, who’ve gone on to impact other people in turn. He’s impacted the fans who got into horror because of him. He’s impacted the horror fans who weren’t even fans of his, because they most definitely liked something that was made by someone who was inspired by George Romero. 

You’ll see it with a DOTD’s actor cameo in a Rob Zombie film, or a gruesome creature effect in a micro-budget classic. You’ll see it in a modern classic like TRAIN TO BUSAN (2016) or while laughing your guts out at SHAWN OF THE DEAD (2004).

We aren’t just talking about movies, we’re talking books, music, and video games. 90s SIMPSON’s references. We’re talking art, tattoos, and comics. RPGs, Board games, Toys, and Funko Pops. Those Halloween decorations you keep in your home all year long . The clothes you wear. Your creepy and kooky badass goth aesthetic. A lot of what we love about horror today is thanks to George A. Romero.

He didn’t create zombies… but he certainly gave them life. He did more than that. He made horror important again.

I can’t do justice to George A. Romero with words. His work speaks for itself. So today, on what would have been his 81st Birthday, watch some Romero. If you’re out there quarantining, staying at home, under a curfew, and fearing the unfathomable, infectious dangers lurking outside your door… definitely watch Romero. 

This decade is off to a weird start, luckily we have Romero’s influence to get us through it.

Happy Birthday, George! And thank you for infecting me with horror.

-Theo Radomski, MOVIES ROT BRAINS

photo via Global News

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ENDNOTES FROM THE GRAVE

1. And you know what? I still call him Frankenstein. Because he’s essentially his son. That’s his creation. And Victor would have had the hubris to name his creation after himself if he had not abandoned that poor schlub. But I digress… 

2.  Actually, that’s exactly what I thought. And about 30 years later, Zombies are still a staple of modern video gaming, from Resident Evil and Doom still going strong after three decades, to Call of Duty and Red Dead Redemption still having Zombie mods. To every friggin’ game out there that has any undead horror creeping about. The nine-year-old me is having a blast right now.

3. I had definitely caught on the subtext and themes by that point that I may have missed while watching the remake as a kid. Still a dumb kid, though.

4.  Thanks in part to HBO’s TALES FROM THE CRYPT reruns on FOX. Expect another nonsensical rambling piece on that show and the 50s comics that inspired it sometime in the future.

5.  And that opened the doorway into Giallo, Fulci, and a whole slew of Italian Exploitation and American Slasher films and that’s a whole other long screed for another time.

6.  My dad was another reason I love this genre. He loved horror movies. I still hear his voice in my head saying, “Ooooh, It’s a Scary Movie!” in his German accent.

7.  Actually, aren’t they all?

8.  Which has also had a revival in the form of Shudder’s excellent new CREEPSHOW anthology series made by Romero’s DAY OF THE DEAD Alumni Greg Nicotero! See how it’s all connected?