#Amar beast

[amarbeast]

What are the benefits of using traditional Chinese medicine for treating common ailments?

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a healthcare system used for thousands of years to prevent and treat a wide range of illnesses and health conditions. TCM is based on the concept of Qi, or vital energy, and the balance and harmony of the body’s internal systems. This holistic approach to healthcare involves a combination of therapies, including herbal remedies, acupuncture, massage, and…

[chrism02]

Hi this is the ano that asked you about, your Beauty and The Beast story. Thank you so much for posted it, I love reading your stories. Good luck.

I'm happy that you like my fics. Here's another chapter 😉

La princesse et la bête - Chapter 5

This masterpiece was done by the amazing @erebus0dora

Tag list: @purplelupins  @eroticaplush @unitedfandomsoftheworld

@reuripotte @overlookedfile @randomfandomtrash28 @littlethief78 

@belladonnaaura @wolfe171 @movieexpert1978 @yesalwayswelles

@jembug28 @iobsessoverfictionalmen @benedicttcumberbabe

@whateverthecostner @redlektor

@mimiscappinisideblog

[plush4bunny]

Beast!Amar (now wonder how did he transformed into human 👀😁) based on @chrism02's final chapter for their gripping beauty and the beast inspired fic

[amused-bouche]

.

[medievalandfantasymelee]

THE HOT MEDIEVAL & FANTASY MEN MELEE

QUALIFYING ROUND: 85th Tilt

Thraxus Boorman, Willow (2022) VS. Tyrion "The Imp" Lannister, Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Propaganda

Thraxus Boorman, Willow (2022) Portrayed by: Amar Chadha-Patel

“A lovable rogue and warrior, Boorman is sure to make an impression. He's not only a pretty face, he's also funny, brave, and just a little bit sad as any remorse-wracked thief with doe eyes ought to be!”

Tyrion "The Imp" Lannister, Game of Thrones (2011-2019) Portrayed by: Peter Dinklage

“He's a little man. But he casts a very large shadow of horny upon me to this day. George R.R. Martin himself says that he's "a very attractive man" in literally every interview in which actor Peter Dinklage is mentioned. I have always agreed. He's sad and wet and sometimes angry but also forlorn a lot in the series which is always a plus. Also he respects sex workers (99% of the time. Like unless you know, they betray him). The legendary Imp deserves a spot on this list on the merit of his spirit alone as a "drunken lust-filled beast" who kind of has a heart of gold.”

Additional Propaganda Under the Cut

Additional Propaganda

For Thraxus Boorman:

For Tyrion Lannister:

“Clever, shrewd, possessed of a good heart, a handsome face and a voice with such delicious tone that one might listen to him for hours and not tire of it.”

“yes the show fucked up his character in the end BUT idc peter dinklage is still really hot and has such a great voice too”

[niqhtlord01]

Humans are weird: In the line of duty

( Please come see me on my new patreon and support me for early access to stories and personal story requests :D https://www.patreon.com/NiqhtLord Every bit helps)    

The bulkhead slowly rose and Feneci walked on to the command bridge with her film crew. It wasn’t the most ideal of jobs she had been tasked with over the years but it was proving to be one of the most taxing.

She was never fond of interacting with humans and when she had been told by her editor that she would be covering the evacuation convoys from the Temeril homeworld onboard the human cruiser “Queen Ann” she had rightly protested. Humans were known to be suspicious and untrusting of new comers and she had felt as much when she and her crew had first set foot on the ship as it escorted Temeril ships to their refugee locations.

The human’s never said anything openly to her or her team. They treated them with respect and answered all of the questions they were able to; yet there was always a lingering presence in the air that radiated off the general crew that Feneci couldn’t help but summarize to be a general disdain. To them this ship was their home and she was an outsider that had been forced upon them to raise awareness for the ongoing crisis. This feeling thankfully was not shared with the ship’s captain who Feneci had finally been able to secure an interview with.

“Welcome, Ms. Feneci.” An old human in a captain’s uniform stated as the bridge crew parted to let him through. Unlike the other humans he radiated no such ill intent and his smile appeared genuine. He held out a hand for Feneci who took it to shake in standard human greeting rituals.

“Captain Amar, thank you for sparing the time to meet with us.” Feneci replied. “I know you must have your hands full with the evacuation efforts.”

Captain Amar released his hand and straightened out his uniform before motioning Feneci and the camera crew to follow him to the captain’s chair. The chair was situated at the back of the bridge so that the captain could observe the on goings of his entire crew but not higher to give the impression he was lording over them.

“You give me too much praise.” Captain Amar replied as he sat down in his chair. Feneci sat opposite him as the camera feed went green to show the recording had begun. “The real praise should be given to the Temeril’s for organizing an evacuation so quickly.”

“There are those, including some within the Terran government itself, that have stated that the entire evacuation process is unnecessary; that the Temeril homeworld could have been saved had the adequate tectonic stabilizers been deployed.”

Feneci looked down at her data pad for the notes she had written for this interview. “They say the cost of the stabilizers would have been a fraction of what this fleet of ships is now running.”

Captain Amar rocked side to side in his chair as if debating internally how to respond to this statement. After a moment to collect his thoughts he replied. “It is not for me to question the policies of my government, but I can assure you that having seen the Temeril homeworld from orbit adding a few tectonic stabilizers would have only delayed the inevitable.”

“You are an expert in seismic theology?” Feneci countered, hoping to catch the captain in a trap of words.

“I’m afraid I never had time for such studies,” the captain admitted, “but from high orbit I saw a lake of fire the size of a continent appear in the span of three days; consuming everything it touched like a gapping maw of some great beast of old.”

The captain shook his head regretfully. “The Temeril homeworld would become their tomb had we not come to assist with the evacuation and soon to be relocation effort to a new homeworld once we have finished establishing a colony on Techlon V.”

Feneci waved her hand around the bridge. “Since when does evacuation and relocation efforts require military escorts?” She held out a pad for the captain to see. “By our recent count there are at least five military grade vessels in this convoy alone, including this ship we’re on right now which is a cruiser class no less.”

For the first time the captain looked uneasy. “We have received recent reports of marauders operating in the area; preying on isolated ships or small convoy’s to steal either their ships or the passengers onboard.”

This was an actual shock to Feneci. Not only had she not heard any of these reports before, but she was surprised that the human captain would reveal it so freely.

“Was this information made public to the Temeril’s?” she asked, to which the captain shook his head.

“At the time there was a concern that many would instead seek to remain on the planet when faced with the potential danger in space that the marauders posse.” Captain Amar admitted. “As such it was felt that only after the trip was underway would this information be released.”

“Do you have any idea how deceitful that is?” Feneci pressed. “You intentionally withheld vital information from these people!”

Before the captain could reply alarm bells rang out around the control room. Bridge crew that had been ideally listening to the exchange scattered back to their terminals and sounded off their findings.

“Unknown cluster of contacts approaching from the rear of the convoy,” the scanner officer sounded off, “twenty minutes until they’re on us.”

In a flash the captain was up from his chair while Feneci bade her camera crew to continue filming. This would only further highlight the mismanagement the humans had over the convoy as a result of her report.

“Unidentified vessels this is Captain Amar of the Terran Alliance,” Captain Amar stated with authority, “you are approaching a evacuation convoy from the planet Temeril under our protection; identify yourself.”

There was no reply save the resounding pings from the scanner terminal indicating the unknown ships location. The communication officer shook his head and looked back at his captain.

“Full spread across all channels.” Captain Amar stated and the communication officer replied in kind.

“I repeat, this is a Temeril evacuation fleet under the protection of the Terran Alliance; you will identify yourselves at once.”

Once more silence.

“They’ve increased speed, ten minutes to contact.” The scanner officer called out.

“Escorts two and three, break off from the convoy and intercept the approaching vessels; and send word to Terran command we will need reinforcements.” A tactical hologram appeared above the bridge showing not only the formation of ships in the convoy but the approaching craft as well. At the captain’s command the two mentioned escort vessels began pulling away and set course to meet the unknown vessels.

“Escort three is asking for permission to engage if provoked.” The communication officer called over his shoulder looking at Captain Amar. The captain paused to consider his next steps before replying “Permission to engage only if fired upon first; we don’t know if these are the raiders we heard about or some convoy ships that were late to the party.” The officer nodded and relayed the order to the escort ships.

Feneci watched as the two opposing forces drew closer until finally they were right on top of each other when suddenly the coms channels were alive with chatter.

“This is escort two, contacts are not friendly! I repeat, they are not frie-“

The transmission was cut off half way as Feneci watched the marker for the second escort ship vanish. Captain Amar slammed his fist into a nearby terminal leaving an indentation.

“Escort three break off and rejoin the Queen Ann;” Captain Amar barked, “escorts four and five form up on us as well. Keep them away from the convoy at all costs.”

This time Feneci felt the entire ship lurch beneath her feet as the engines powered on and the ship began to turn around. Another round of pings came from the scanner terminal.

“Another twelve contacts just appeared and they’re heading right for us.”

“Clever bastards.” Captain Amar remarked as he took up his command chair once more. “They sent a small force ahead to gauge our numbers. They must think we’re easy pickings if they’ve fully committed now.”

“How far until the convoy reaches the jump point?” the captain called to his scanning officer.

“They need thirty minutes to reach the edge of the system before they can make the jump.” was his answer. Feneci added the time in her head and the raider fleet would easily reach them before they could escape to the jump point. The convoy would either be captured or destroyed dealing a crippling blow to the Temeril people.

“Ms. Feneci, I believe you should make for the hangar bay, get on your shuttle and head back to the convoy at once.” Feneci turned to see Captain Amar addressing her directly. “I can no longer guarantee your safety and this ship is about to enter into combat; we will buy as much time for the convoy to escape.”

“You’re not seriously going to fight them are you?” Feneci found herself asking despite herself. From the tactical hologram it looked like a swarm of red angry dots was rushing them while a thin blue line of Terran ships stood between them and the convoy.

“We were entrusted with the safety of this convoy and the Terran Navy has never shirked its commitments before.”

With that the captain turned from the reporter to focus on the battle at hand while a pair of naval guards stepped forward to escort the crew to the hangar. The last sight Feneci had of the captain was of him directing targeting orders as the first barrages of incoming fire impacted the shields. -------------------

On this day during the stellar year of 2573, a small Terran fleet under the command of Captain Amar Jabal protected an evacuation convoy of defenseless Temeril’s from a horde of marauders.

Outnumbered three to one, Captain Amar did not hesitate to engage the enemy fleet to buy the fleeing Temeril’s enough time to escape the system safely. The battle was fierce and uncompromising as both sides dueled it out in the void of space with the brave human captain using every trick in his book to keep the enemy focused on him.

Moving his ships in close to threaten the enemy carriers, the vile fiends were forced to keep their fighter wings close at hand to defend their carrier ships rather than chase down the fleeing innocents.

When presented with the overwhelming power of his flagship, the cruiser “Queen Ann”, the raiders found that alone they could not pierce through the mighty shields of the vessel and were likewise pinned in place engaging it lest they be picked off one by one.

But as the battle unfolded the Terran fleet lost many of its ships as they heroically held the line until only the Queen Ann remained.

With her decks breached in a dozen places, weapon systems damaged beyond repair, and her communications cut from the rest of the rescue fleet that was already on their way at max jump speed; the Queen Ann defiantly rammed the enemy flagship and detonated her jump drive in a final act of defiance. The resulting explosion and shower of debris crippled the few marauders that remained leaving them unable to continue their barbarous hunt against the Temeril’s which had safely made it to their own jump points and fled the system.

When the Terran relief fleet finally arrived in system they found a dozen survivor pods from the Queen Ann that had jettisoned from the vessel moments before the captain had initiated the ramming maneuverer.

The surviving crew stated that the captain had ordered all hands to abandon ship and that he alone remained to initiate the final act against his enemies stating: “It has been an honor to serve alongside each and every one of you. You have done the Terran Navy proud, so hold your heads high in the days to come.

As for myself, it makes a poor captain that does not go down with their ship; and I will be damned if I let these bastards make my Ann into another trophy in their motley fleet of vagabonds and cowards.

Look for me on the horizon when you reach the solar seas of the afterlife.”

In honor of his sacrifice, it has been announced that the new Temeril colony known previously as “Techlon V” is to be renamed to “Amar Prime” and that the Temeril people have already put forward an application to join the Terran Alliance.

Reporting live from Amar Prime this is Feneci Jubal. -----------

[berrypass-de-murdler]

61. The Island of Bad Dreams

LOOK AT IT

PLUSH AUREOLIN EXISTS

I NEED TO HAVE HER

Budsies finished her and sent me this picture and I'm so excited omg I'm screaming

I hope to see her in person soon <3

FINALLY here is Président Amaranth! He was originally meant to be a horrible, obnoxious idiot and then I accidentally designed him too cute and everyone loves him!!! He part-times as a drag queen and loves everyone

Just realized I colored his left sclera wrong but whatever I'll fix it when he's digitized

SILLI RAT

DON'T READ THE EPISODES UNTIL YOU'VE FINISHED THE FIRST BOOK!!

But when he closed his eye…

It could almost feel like nothing changed at all

And when he closed his eye

It could almost feel like he’d been there before

Because he has! It’s Death Irratino Island. A crunched victim lies, but it is NOT Goat Lord. Just some idiot.

MIDNIGHT: Logico. Hi. SLATE: Logico…

There’s a new person! ‘PRESIDENT AMARANTH’! 

AMARANTH: [snotty noises] FRENCH! [snotty noises]

A silhouette also looks at Lodge from afar. It’s Mr. Shadow… it’s FOLLOWING him!!

mr. shadow's theme

LOGICO: The last time I had a follower I fell in LOVE. And I NEVER WANT THAT TO HAPPEN AGAIN!!

Shadow stands there, and it almost looks… smug about it, even though it has no face.

LOGICO: THE FIGURE IS SASSING ME! MIDNIGHT: Don’t you have something you need to be doing. LOGICO: Yes…

So Logico searches, in the dead of night once more, on this horrible island. The Island of Bad Dreams. There is even a crystal skull on the ground - the SAME crystal skull that he had. The same one. The tears are soon to follow.

Shadow is watching Logi from the lighthouse, but the light turns on and is very jarring. Shadow squints and blocks its eyes. It wants to go now.

Poor Slatu. She is in the woods, making little noises over and over. Logi wants to give her a hug, even if she did it. 

MIDNIGHT: Logico. LOGICO: What. MIDNIGHT: Is it time to go back to the movies now. LOGICO: You idiot. You planned this whole thing just to save face, didn’t you? Just so there’d be DRAMA? You killed Irratino… MIDNIGHT: It’s really not very professional to accuse me of something with zero evidence

Damn, can’t argue with that. Logico hears Amaranth singing loud and clear.

AMARANTH: Ai ai ai, ai ai ai! Time to rob a gra-ay-ave!

Really? And he’s dancing in the ruined church. And he’s holding a broom. And the body is right there. For god’s sake, he did it!! But no, Logico is still daydreaming and stumbles about, and it takes him a good fifteen minutes to see the blatantly obvious answer standing in front of him. 

AMARANTH: Fine! An ancient sacred sceptre is buried on this island along with my namesake, the great French president Amaranth! I was going to recover the sceptre and use it to cement my leadership! Now look what you’ve done! You’ve destabilized Europe! MIDNIGHT: Maybe next time, don’t be so obvious. SLATE: I will save you and me, President Mauve.

Lodge couldn't care less. He stumbles to the shore where he stood and watched Irratino’s last heartbeat. His crying becomes inescapable. His precious, innocent, perfect goat man, his life taken. He faceplants into the gravel and sobs hysterically, when he suddenly feels a comforting hand on his shoulder.

It’s Shadow! It’s come to protect Logico. Does he really want that?? Logico stumbles backwards into the loose tide. Why is he so afraid of this thing, and not the countless serial killers everywhere??

LOGICO: NO NO NO, I AM NOT HAVING ANOTHER FOLLOWER, GO! 

He pushes the being away, and its GLASSES FALL OFF. Logico gasps like there’s no air left to breathe. For like 10 seconds, he’s making direct eye contact with the seemingly furious, motionless beast. But all it does is put its shades back on quickly with a gleam. Logico gasps but QUIETLY. Shadow stares at him, EVERYTHING blowing in the wind.

SHADOW: Shh.

It runs away into the darkness again, its cape madly flying.

The end!

Fucking new DeviantArt auto-generated tags.

President Amaranth is not 'the cowboy from Bambi'

The power of Goat Lord compels you!

See you next time murdlers!

[nikaizkool]

Prom letters high school au hc

• Charlie Slimecicle

- cute sweet letter with messy handwriting

“dear sweet y/n,

I can’t and won’t lie—my love for you has grown ten times as much as when we first met, your e/c eyes always shining, you h/c hair bouncing when you walk. I love you and I can’t stop thinking of you, every night I lay awake thinking of how wonderful our life would be together and these feelings as strong as a current drag me—spiraling into thought. I love you, Y/n. Will you be my sun moon and star?” With the note would be a dethorned white rose

•Wilbur Soot

- long lovey doves letter

“Dear My darling Y/n, before I met you I never believed in love at first sight but when I first laid eyes on you I was absolutely smitten—though i stink like doodoo and look like shit I love you with full intent. I will never leave your side, and I will always care for you— I instantly fell in love with you and I would like for you to go to prom with me

So again my dearest Y/n—will you go to prom with me?” With the letter there would be a box full of everything you love from snacks to comics with another letter inside “I don’t really smell that bad do I?”

•Jschlatt

- short letter on crumpled piece of paper

“Dear Y/n,

We’ve had our fights and we broke up a couple times but I really do love you and I can’t imagine life without you—i love you so much babe, will you go to prom with me?” The paper would smell like smoke and alcohol. With the note there would be a small teddy bear.

• Quackity

- short letter but full of character

“Dear My one and only love,

Your the sun to my moon—my light in the dark—you are the beauty to my beast. Te amare por siempre, so mi amor, will you go to prom with me, my dear? :]” the paper smelled of cheap cologne and with it was a ring with your favorite flower melded onto it.

[diamondcrownacademy]

DCA Info Part 51: Briar’s Family and Confidants 🌹

Art colored by @au-ni-ro

For more information on Briar, click here!

Briar's Family

Roland Stephan Auroria (ローランド・ステファン・オーロリア, Rōrando Sutefan Ōroria)

Twisted from: King Stefan from Sleeping Beauty (1959)

Briar's Father. The fairy king of the Slumbering Willows who loved a human woman. After losing his lover when she gave birth to Briar, he kept her at the palace but due to the pressures of tradition as well as the guilt of leaving the one he loved to die alone, he let his fear overcome him leading him to ignore Briar so as not to lose the respect and praise of the nobles. He does provide her with servants and tutors and even allows her to roam outside, at least up to the limitations placed on a royal. But other than that he hasn't contributed to anything nor tried to defend her when the nobles gossip about her.

Eletha Lilith Auroria (エレサ・リリス・オーロリア, Eresa Ririsu Ōroria)

Briar's stepmother. The king's second wife. She is very strict on keeping traditional beliefs and makes sure to keep Briar away from the prince. Constantly reminding the king about the importance of keeping to the same group and upholding the tradition of pure bloods belong with other purebloods while half-bloods belong with other half-bloods. She doesn't outright bully her; she just blatantly ignores her like the other pure blood fairies do.

Aurus Gladio Auroria (オーラス・グラディオ・オーロリア, Ōrasu Guradio Ōroria)

Twisted from: Aurora's Royal Persona

Briar's younger stepbrother. The prince and heir to the throne due to being a pure blood fairy. He follows in his mother's guidance and ignores Briar, though he wonders why his father bothered to keep her in the palace at all. He never got to know Briar and sometimes catches a glimpse of her wandering the palace gardens.

Amare Casia (アマレ・カシア, Amare Kashia)

Briar's Late Mother and Roland's first lover. She was a commoner and a human with merely just a flower shop to her name, she met the fairy king who was wounded in her garden after he was careless and was thrown off his horse. She brought him into her house to help him recover, he fell for her the moment his eyes met hers. Even after he recovered he continued to visit her until it was one night they spend together that led to her pregnancy. He was petrified at what the council might say so he asked her to keep quiet which she reluctantly agreed to. She passed away after giving birth to Briar and she was left to be taken care of by an old woman who now lived in the old flower shop. It was when the king returned he finds out what happens, out of guilt he takes Briar to his castle. Briar's looks resemble her mother so much that the king can't help but remember the woman he left to suffer all alone.

Confidants: The Foxtwill Family

Yolanda Foxtwill (ヨランダ・フォックスウィル, Yoranda Fokkusuu~iru)

A fox beastwoman who married a half fairy. The seamstress of the Tailor Shop that her family runs. She saw Briar all soaked in the rain when the carriage that was supposed to take her back to the palace, didn't arrive. She caught a cold standing outside and Yolanda offered to keep her in the house until she feels better. When the royal guards knocked on their door, they were shocked when she realized that the child in her house was a princess. Briar reassures them that they are safe from any supposed punishment. And from then on, Yolanda welcomes Briar to live with them when the palace gets unbearable to her. Outright thinks she is better suited to be queen instead of the narrow-minded royals.

Ash Foxtwill (アッシュ・フォックスウィル, Asshu Fokkusuu~iru)

Yolanda's husband who delivers the clothes and fabrics made by his wife. He is a buff man who is half fairy that married a fox beast woman. He loves his wife and he treats Briar like his own daughter. A big softie who comforts Briar and was the only father figure who gave her the encouragement she needed to hear. He also makes corsages that are cute and popular among the other villagers.

Oliver Foxtwill (オリバー・フォックスウィル, Oribā Fokkusuu~iru)

The eldest son who take care of silkworms that make the cloth. He is a skilled weaver and has a soft spot for silkworms, even if the girls run away from him whenever he tries to show them to seem cool. He even joked sneaking a live silkworm into the King's pants to teach him a lesson, Briar hopes he's joking.

Olivia Foxtwill (オリビア・フォックスウィル, Oribia Fokkusuu~iru)

The youngest daughter who admires Briar because she is an actual princess. She loves to play dress up and shows Briar all the dresses she will wear when she marries a kind hearted prince.

[frendlysss]

dazai bestia...

DIOS GABI perdóname que tengas que ver los miles de fanarts de él

no entenderías que pasó mi cerebro, solo vi la película beast en que dazai hace todo a su alcance por oda y está delulu y me dije LISTO LO VOY AMAR POR EL RESTO DE MI VIDA

[amarbeast]

How long is a lacrosse game in 2023?

How long is a lacrosse game;- In lacrosse, there are four quarters in a regulation game, each lasting 15 minutes. Overtimes are typically two three-minute sudden death periods. Each quarter is divided into two halves, with each half lasting 7 minutes and 30 seconds. At the end of the four quarters, if the game is tied, then it will go into overtime. Overtimes are typically two three-minute sudden…

[chrism02]

This masterpiece was done by the amazing @erebus0dora

 Tag list: @purplelupins  @eroticaplush @unitedfandomsoftheworld

@reuripotte @overlookedfile @randomfandomtrash28 @littlethief78 

@belladonnaaura @wolfe171 @movieexpert1978 @yesalwayswelles

@jembug28 @iobsessoverfictionalmen @benedicttcumberbabe

@whateverthecostner @redlektor

@mimiscappinisideblog

[informaltorching]

14 and 24 for the edgy asks for Vesper!

14. How does your OC want to be seen by other characters?

Well, he mostly wants to be left the fuck alone - but Vesper wants to be seen as reliable.

24. What is an alternative life path your OC might have gone down? How different would their life be if they'd made those decisions?

@swoomoo and I like to discuss what would have happened if Amare had succeeded and been Vesper's sire! So, Vesper would have been a Lasombra. It would go so horribly wrong :) She would probably have to secure him into "agreeing" to be embraced as she planned to "ask" first. That would mean probably pushing him completely over the edge. He would become eons more bitter and resentful with a mixture of that Lasombra beast / mindset. Amare probably would have been used and eventually devoured...

[ochoislas]

XXVII

De ningún ánimo envidio cautivo que no se enrabia, pardal que nació en la jaula extraño a bosques de estío.

No envidio la torpe bestia de la ocasión con patente, libre de criminal miente, sin la luz de la conciencia.

Ni, aun siendo por ventura, el pecho no desposado que empece lento yerbajo; ni paz fundada en penuria.

Única verdad me alumbra, cuanto más sufro, más vivo: mejor amar lo perdido que no haber amado nunca.

*

XXVII

I envy not in any moods    The captive void of noble rage,    The linnet born within the cage, That never knew the summer woods:

I envy not the beast that takes    His license in the field of time,    Unfetter'd by the sense of crime, To whom a conscience never wakes;

Nor, what may count itself as blest,    The heart that never plighted troth    But stagnates in the weeds of sloth; Nor any want-begotten rest.

I hold it true, whate'er befall;    I feel it, when I sorrow most;    'Tis better to have loved and lost Than never to have loved at all.

Alfred Tennyson

di-versión©ochoislas

[themattress]

Character Perception Evolution

Sometimes, believe it or not, I change my views on fictional characters.

This post will be updated with any example of such characters I can think of.

Ahsoka Tano (Star Wars) - While most people cite her being considered an annoying, pointless, and all-around hated kid sidekick character and evolving into one of the most beloved characters in the franchise, I actually have a different take. I never minded Ahsoka when she debuted in 2008. I thought she was largely inoffensive and was happy to see another lead female character in the series given how little of them we had. And yes, she only got better and better as she grew, and totally deserved her popularity. But something’s been wrong with her ever since her time travel-based survival of her big duel with Darth Vader, accelerating with her depiction by Rosario Dawson (complete with some awkward as Hell interactions with Luke Skywalker) and Dave Filoni’s dumbfounding remark that Ahsoka’s voice being with the voices of other dead Jedi in The Rise of Skywalker doesn’t necessarily mean she’s dead. It feels like she’s become a Creator’s Pet, a character that Filoni refuses to let go of past her natural expiration date. That’s why the primary excitement I have for the upcoming Ahsoka series is for Thrawn, not for her. She just isn’t that interesting anymore.

Amarant Coral (Final Fantasy IX) - I disliked Amarant back when I first played Final Fantasy IX, seeing him as this generic badass loner edgelord character who didn’t have very well-written character development. However, a few years back I replayed the game. And while his character development remains as shoddy as I remember (I feel like the developers just ran out of time and both he and Freya suffered as a result), I found myself greatly enjoying Amarant because I now could see that he’s pretty clearly a knowing parody of a generic badass loner edgelord character! The game knows he’s a jerkish stick-in-the-mud for no good reason and has fun with it, with Amarant’s snarky comments and frustration at having to be dragged all over creation by Zidane and his merry band of idealists making him hilarious.

Cain Madhouse (To The Abandoned Sacred Beasts) - Refer to this post. I first encountered Cain through the anime, where I thought he was a cool villain but not much else than that. He seemed to be there purely for the sake of providing the series with a central antagonist. Then I read the manga, and was honestly taken aback at just how interesting, complex and even sympathetic Cain was as a character. He isn’t even the true villain of the story, a role actually shared by his abusive father and the evil religious nutcase he’s in cahoots with. While he’s certainly far from a blameless martyr, Cain truly is doing what he believes to be for the best, and in his own twisted way still loves the people in his life that he cares for and genuinely wishes to do right by them. And all this nuance despite being named “Cain Madhouse!”

Charmcaster (Ben 10) - Here I’m talking about one version of the character in particular: the one from Ben 10: Omniverse. Back in 2014 when she was fresh, I greatly enjoyed this take on Charmcaster. She was really funny and cute, her magic was badass, her design was wonderful, her voice-acting was entertaining, and in general she was a major step-up from the version we’d gotten in Alien Force and Ultimate Alien. Unfortunately, time has not been kind to her. I don’t hate her, but I can’t fully enjoy her when so many of those AF/UA aspects are still in play with her, which makes her and her trajectory somewhat nonsensical, not to mention tasteless and ultimately kind of pointless. That was OV’s whole problem, I suppose: trying desperately to reconcile the original Ben 10 with the retcon-ridden AF/UA and largely failing. It doesn’t help that the next incarnation of Charmcaster in the rebooted continuity is so much better, as are similar characters in other shows such as Lena from the new DuckTales.

Dawn (Pokémon) - In the Diamond & Pearl anime, I didn’t care for Dawn for a good while, partly because doing a rehash of May immediately after May had left was insulting especially when I loved May so much and partly because there were other issues with her character’s utilization that irked me. However, after her subsequent, much-improved appearances in Best Wishes and Journeys, I looked back at her in her anime series of origin and realized that it really wasn’t Dawn that was ever the problem - it was Ash and Brock! It’s a franchise-wide trend: whenever Dawn is paired up with literally anyone else, she shines. Even the rehashing of May and personal gripes I have don’t matter much because she’s so likable. But when with Ash and Brock as their traveling companion, she by and large becomes the most generic goodie-goodie shojou girl possible. Just detach her from them and she’s a solid character.

Eraqus (Kingdom Hearts) - That great character design and Mark Hamill’s impeccable voice-acting made me think he was sympathetic when I originally played Birth by Sleep. Overtime, that impression faded. Yes, I agree with him that darkness is a problem and vigilance against it is needed; even if he was supposed to be wrong about that, he isn’t. The problem is that he goes about that in the dumbest, most counter-productive way possible. Terra would literally not have a darkness problem if not for Eraqus’ dumbass teaching methods. Worse still, everything that goes wrong in the story could have been avoided if he was just honest with his pupils about everything, including the fact that Xehanort might not be on the up and up given his obsession with potentially causing an apocalypse, an obsession he literally scarred Eraqus over. And maybe he shouldn’t have jumped immediately to murder as the solution to Ventus’ awareness of his own special existence posing a danger to the universe. If that wasn’t enough, we later learn he openly cheats at chess and just expects everyone to take it. 

Katsuki Bakugo (My Hero Academia) - I used to hate this character; he was obnoxious and unlikable, yet the narrative and other characters never reacted to him the way they should and bended over backward to accommodate him. However, nowadays I don’t hate him so much as I feel sorry for him, on a meta level. Bakugo could have been a superb character with a great redemption arc, the pieces are all there.  But for some reason or other, Horikoshi instead decided to keep him the angry, violent, petty, egotistical asshole he’s always been, and justifies doing so while also playing at redeeming him by treating his super-dickery as comedic. I’m sorry, but that doesn’t work when it didn’t start out as comedic and had terrible effects on people like Izuku. Bakugo’s only been funny when he’s the butt of the joke, not when others still have to suffer from his rage-outs. It’s sad that Bakugo can’t live up to his potential, especially when others in the series like Endeavor (who’s a far worse person) do.

Kevin 11 (Ben 10) - I loved Kevin as a villain in the original Ben 10, hated his sudden change in character complete with a quickie redemption and out of nowhere romance with Gwen in Alien Force but was willing to tolerate him and wait to see where they’d go with him because he was admittedly pretty funny, loathed what ended up happening with him in Ultimate Alien which turned me off him altogether, and in Omniverse...ditto what I said about Charmcaster. But then there’s the continuity reboot version, and because of it I now have to admit that while I’ll always hold a soft spot for him, the original Kevin doesn’t hold up too well either. He’s a pre-pubescent kid named Kevin 11, yet he’s a purely evil psychopath and his villainous appearance is that of a grotesque mutant chimera? Yeeeah, I think the school bully with a troubled home life who has his own evil version of Ben’s Omnitrix and its aliens makes a lot more sense. Him not changing his ways so easily, staying Ben’s rival no matter how much they might team up, and having feelings for Gwen that are comedically one-sided also helps.

Kyo Sohma (Fruits Basket) - Back in the day, Fruits Basket to me was just the 2001 anime series, and I honestly found Kyo pretty annoying. His hair-trigger temper and violent inclinations were a turn-off, as was his dub voice and that whole concluding arc with his true form. Then I read the manga and saw the faithful 2019 adaptation, complete with an incredibly improved performance by Jerry Jewell, and now I absolutely love the guy! No joke, he’s easily one of the best, most interesting and likable male leads in a shojou, as is Yuki.

Lysandre and Diantha (Pokémon) - Just see this post for details.

Mary Jane Watson (Spider-Man) - I’m talking specifically about the version portrayed by Kirsten Dunst in the Sam Raimi trilogy. She came off as a generic superhero girlfriend in the first movie to me, a hodgepodge of several characters from the comics instead of a proper adaptation of Mary Jane. It got worse in the second movie, where she played the annoying obstructive love interest trope. But despite the stupidity of having her be kidnapped in the climax again, I found myself really enjoying her in the third movie. This made me pay closer attention to her in the first movie, and to check out all her deleted material (much of which was included in the novelization) in the second movie. Not only did I find her to be a strong, truly human-feeling character, but she was more faithful to the comics’ Mary Jane in several key areas than many give her credit for, and Kirsten Dunst always gave a great performance.

Prince Demande and the Black Moon Clan (Sailor Moon) - I recall liking these villains fine as a kid, but feeling like they weren’t as good as the Dark Kingdom. While the Dark Kingdom is still my personal favorite group of villains, I now have to concede that the Black Moon Clan in both the manga and anime are superior. They’ve got the more complex set-up, feel darker and more dangerous, and have by far the best of Chaos’ incarnations in the Death Phantom. Meanwhile, I recall feeling some sympathy for Demande when I was young; his situation wasn’t an easy one after all, and he did love his brother very much, not to mention in the anime he gave his life for Usagi. Then I grew up and learned what rape was. Fuck this guy. While I adore him as a villain, he’s a horrible person and no sacrificial death can change that.

Regina Mills (Once Upon a Time) - My stance for a long time has been that Regina was an overall good character in the first three seasons but then totally fell apart from some truly appalling creator favoritism. Having revisited the show recently, I don’t entirely revoke this stance, but it’s more complicated than I thought. When you get down to it, Regina only ever worked properly in Season 1, where she was a humanized yet still proudly evil antagonist. Season 2 not only dropped the ball in terms of consequences for her, but it fast-tracked her down the redemption path in a way that was ham-fisted and not believable. Season 3 handled her on the heroes’ side much better, but it’s nigh impossible to reconcile with the backslide she went through in the second half of Season 2, where she is depicted as this absolute psychopath delusional beyond the point of recovery, but Adam and Eddy genuinely don’t view her that way and weren’t meaning to make her come off that way - in their eyes, her grievances are all legitimate. And that’s really what I have a hard time ever getting around: the notion that the villainous Regina I loved in Season 1 was never the real Regina, just a stand-in until A&E had free reign to finally give us their Regina and re-orient the story to being “how the poor sad Evil Queen got her happy ending” like they originally envisioned. 

Roxas (Kingdom Hearts) - So TV Tropes had Roxas for this trope, saying he was divisive due to the KH2 prologue he starred in, but stuff like his FM boss battle, his presence in Coded, and especially 358/2 Days increased his popularity, to the point where KH3 resurrected him to give him a happy ending. I’m....kind of the exact opposite.  Honestly, I’ve always liked KH2′s prologue, warts and all, and while at first it was disappointing Roxas wasn’t a huge presence in KH2 given all the hype he was given, as time went on the more I appreciated his story and what was being said with it. It was genuinely complex and thought-provoking. I do not like the black-coated Organization XIII member Roxas that got shoved down our throats afterward, I tend to care about him the least out of 358/2 Days’ cast when playing that game, and I hate how such a nuanced story as what we had in KH2 gets undone, in a nonsensical way, solely for the sake of cheap fanservice (ditto for Xion’s case). Yeah, the FM boss battle is awesome, but for me mainly so because I get to kick that stupid black-coated Roxas’ ass!

Rumpelstiltskin (Once Upon a Time) - Another  character that was listed on TV Tropes, saying that his popularity waned because of him constantly going through the Heel Face Revolving Door, which especially damaged his relationship with Belle. For me, that in of itself wasn’t the problem. He’s the freaking Dark One, practically the show’s main villain! Of course it’s going to be hard for him to ever reform. What soured me on him for a long time was the narrative’s framing of him and other characters’ reactions to him, which were increasingly insufficient for what an utter bastard he truly was. Going back over the show, I’ve somewhat softened on him again since he himself was a mostly well-written, well-acted and consistent character across 5 whole seasons, and I don’t feel like taking mistakes from the narrative and other characters out on him; it’s not like he asked for any of that. It’s just in Seasons 6 and 7 where I feel he was out-of-character on the whole, to two opposite, incompatible extremes.

Seto Kaiba (Yu-Gi-Oh!) - When I first began watching the anime, I thought Kaiba was a cool and sympathetic rival character. As it went on, though, I got sick of him being such a one-man Spotlight Stealing Squad and how hard the makers of the anime were actively trying to make him look cool. It didn’t help when I read the manga and saw this wasn’t the case for him here; he wasn’t even the deuteragonist the way the anime positions him, Joey was. But enjoying him in The Abridged Series made me revisit the actual show, and I actually realized that while those issues I had are technically still there, the 4Kids English dub has always done its best to mitigate them with Eric Stuart’s voicework and lines, which actually keeps him far more in line with his original manga self, who isn’t an overtly sympathetic, honorable and “cool” rival but a crazy, extravagant jerkass. And I love him that way. Screw the rules, he has money!

Shadow the Hedgehog (Sonic the Hedgehog) - Shadow was awesome in Sonic Adventure 2, I was definitely a fan of him there. But then his popularity caused him to be immediately resurrected, to diminishing returns, which made me sour on the character and consider him emblematic of the Sonic franchise’s problems. I wished he had just stayed a one-shot. However, recent things such as the Sonic Boom TV series, the Sonic Prime TV series, the Sonic Forces DLC, The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog and the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movie have all made me re-evaluate Shadow. Now I think he’s not bad as a series mainstay, just subject to being mis-used...but hey, so is every other character, so it’s not an issue unique to him. Used well, he’s honesty one of the franchise’s best characters.

Slade Wilson (Teen Titans) - I used to truly buy into the notion of him as a badass Anti-Hero / Anti-Villain like many people did, but after reading his original stories up through “The Judas Contract” and especially Christopher Priest’s run on the Deathstroke comic series, I no longer hold that view of him. Slade’s a badass combatant, sure, and as a threatening villain you definitely have to appreciate him. But as a person, he is not a badass. At all. He’s a pitiful, prideful, predatory scumbag. He’s “badass” and “honorable” in the exact same way that Walter White is: it’s all a big smokescreen to compensate for what a small, lowly, wretched excuse for a human being he is. Great character, great villain, absolutely intolerable person.

Supreme Leader Snoke (Star Wars) - When The Force Awakens came out, I didn’t like Snoke at all. He was the cheapest of retreads (an old, decrepit Dark Side user who rules the Empire and corrupts a Skywalker into becoming his evil apprentice), the cheapest of plot contrivances (the remnants of the Empire can only become a powerful threat and the victory from Return of the Jedi undone due to this fucker from out of nowhere), and the cheapest of Mystery Boxes (who is he and where did he come from and why does he do what he does, isn’t it so mysterious, don’t you just wanna speculate and theorize all over the internet?) As annoyed as I was that he died without any answers in The Last Jedi, I also liked him better as just Kylo Ren’s stepping stone. Better effects for him and a hammier performance by Andy Serkis helped. And when The Rise of Skywalker revealed he was literally a puppet of the resurrected Palpatine, everything about him just clicked. Stupid people online rant about insufficient foreshadowing for Palpatine’s return, but rewatch the trilogy with Palpatine in mind and Snoke himself - everything about him - is the biggest piece of foreshadowing there is. 

Ulrich Stern (Code Lyoko) - Through Code Lyoko’s first two seasons, Ulrich was hands-down the weakest part of the show for me. I didn’t think he was interesting or likable, and his Will-They-Won’t-They romance with Yumi, who could honestly do much better, was so exhausting. But then we hit Season 3, and the two-part prequel. Everything about Ulrich’s depiction in that just screamed “This guy is an asshole, you’re not supposed to like him”. It reframed everything we’ve seen of him as deliberate; even his lust for Yumi now comes off as just a way for him to feel better about himself since deep down he’s aware of what a shithead he is. Then when we returned to the present day action, Yumi firmly breaks off any potential for dating him. From this point on, Ulrich has to develop on his own terms, and he becomes so much better as a character; I actually found myself liking him, sympathizing with him, and appreciating his willingness to change for the better; a great foil to William whose stubborn unwillingness to do the same costs him and everyone else around him. The season 3 finale reminding me of the reason Ulrich became the way he used to be in his absolute scumbag of a father also helped a lot. He’s not my favorite and still kind of a dick, but I like him now.

Venom (Spider-Man) - Like most kids, I thought Venom was awesome growing up. Once I got older and looked up his history, I found that the majority of it was not very flattering, making me feel more conflicted about the character. Where do I stand on him now, you may ask? It’s simple, really: I love Venom - the symbiote. It’s Eddie Brock who I feel is the problem. Beyond the name and bonding with the Venom symbiote, I don’t think there’s been a consistent thing about this guy across all of his incarnations. The issues with Venom can almost always be traced back to the human part of the equation, because he was thought up on the fly by David Micheline with very little about him solidified beyond being an angry psychopath. I much prefer Venom as the symbiote, the host body be damned, and I’m glad that depiction has been gaining traction in recent years in various comics, TV shows and video games.

Xehanort (Kingdom Hearts) - So I totally subscribe to what’s on TV Tropes about Xehanort the Keyblade Master (was hailed as a great villain in Birth by Sleep, now seen as a horrible villain for everything that followed). But I want to talk about Terra-Xehanort. Because while I love him and both split halves of him, back in the olden days I preferred Ansem over Xemnas. He had the cooler design, a more vivid personality, was tied far closer to the Disney Villains, and of course was the villain in the original Kingdom Hearts (forever my favorite even if KH2 is technically a better game - and even then KH still has the better story). Now it’s reversed. Even disregarding how (with the exception of Dream Drop Distance) Xemnas retained his dignity as a character going forward while Ansem didn’t, there is just a weight and presence to Xemnas that I’ve fallen in love with more and more as time passes. He has the same depth and darkness of character as Ansem but takes it even further. His plans are even smarter and with more direct involvement from him. And of course, there’s him being KH2′s Final Boss, which means he’s irrevocably associated with the peak of the series to me. He’s the only incarnation of Xehanort whom I can safely call both a great character and villain to this day.

[swoomoo]

Session 1

Amare Belmont

November 2nd, 2023

I used my shadows last night and fear that it might have been a mistake. It immediately left its mark on me and I woke up today with an immense hunger. I cannot share this with Vesper. He needs to not doubt my decisions. The whole pack need not to.

I made my decision and succeeded, that is all that matters. Still, it was too much for me to contain. I left early into the night to hunt. I knew he would be there. That sad blood I had been stalking. It wasn't my preferred flavor but I was hungry. Seeing it stumble to the closest bar in such a sad state made me angry. It had been this way for so long. Grieving but never wanting to move on. He was weak and it killed me inside.

I killed him for it. I thought it was the right choice. We can all be a bit irrational when we get hungry but that man was a failure. He refused to improve himself and wasted the air of others around him.

I dumped him next to a dumpster. It looks like his unhealthy heart couldn't handle the strain the cold weather put on him. I hope Vesper doesn't find out.

Afterward we met at the office. The whole pack was there. I was surprised Niccolo would show up anywhere that didn't have valet. While they were there I introduced them to Koda. I listened very carefully to see if any of them would call him a ghoul. I will immediately correct them if they try. Thankfully none of them did.

Niccolo's little rat showed up too. I didn't think much of it but Vesper was clearly bothered by this. I enjoy he has learned to pick up the slack when needed. He is truly wonderful. He even questioned her and let his beast out a bit. I thought for a moment he was a hunter again. I of course followed up and tried to make her nervous. I am less trusting than Vesper so if he could sniff out something from her then of course I was ready to fight.

She said she recently moved her from South America. Her name is Martha and she is a Banu Haqim. Nothing seemed off but we will of course keep a closer eye on her for now. If she is a Banu there have been many reports of them joining the local Sabbat.

Speaking of the Sabbat, Niccolo received a threat via a dumbass chant on a postcard at his front door. This man decides it is in his best interest to reach out to them and try to make peace. Apparently his "family" has done many deals with the Sabbat in the past. He swears to me he has never done that. If I figure out differently I'll make sure Vesper has a nice snack.

We went to the Anarch club not far from the office and immediately saw Deavis once again. Even for a Nosferatu his outfit was hideous. I kid you not, Niccolo immediately says, "Do you know where I can find the Sabbat" out loud. I wanted to stake him. Vesper and Vincent went into the club, probably embarrassed. I needed to know if anyone heard Niccolo. He would have been killed if I left him alone.

Of course a loose-lipped foolish cainite screaming about the fury of the sword comes waltzing over. Niccolo has the audacity to ask for some privacy when they speak. The freak agreed to speak in the back. All we got was stupid cult bullshit. He said the Sabbat was mad they weren't invited.

I made it clear I used to be in the Sabbat to them. I was hoping they would be willing to give up some extra information because of this but unfortunately, here in London they think they are scholars or something.

What bothers me the most about tonight is when I was talking to them, the only thing I could think is how fucking weak they were compared to my old pack. They acted like the Sabbat was a game. I was tortured toward perfection. These idiots think breaking the masquerade makes them gods. The Brujah at the gala could have killed these fucks. I only wish we had gotten to.

We spoke once more to Deavis and met up with Martha. I hope Vincent and Vesper had more luck inside than we did.