#Z’s an interesting character- don’t get me wrong

[toph-bi-fong]

I feel like K.atara’s forgiving of Z.uko would’ve been more satisfying if she was actually shown how much Z.uko was willing to protect Aang. It would at least convince her that he is on the path of wanting to change. His forgiveness in TSR felt rushed.

[daisygirlwrites]

Task Force 141 + Reader (Callsign-Crash): friendship headcanons

a/n: Hello hello! Just some random headcanons that I had written down for Crash and her relationships with the members of the 141 team. Nothing romantic, just some wholesome stuff.

original gif by @collinnmckinley

also, this is really freaking long, sorry in advance. enjoy reading! 

Before getting thrown out the window and getting her callsign, she was quiet and shy around the group. Opting to listen to others conversations, rarely adding to it.

Honestly intimidated with how tightly knit the team is, and given her previous team’s history, she was scared to get close.

Volunteered to be the DD whenever the group goes out to a bar. Fortunately, most of the time, Ghost is sober(enough) to help her get everyone into the car and into their rooms

Would silently comfort Soap and Gaz whenever they threw up, rubbing their backs and getting them water.

In the mornings after, she got everyone a breakfast burrito. Soap and Gaz are eternally grateful. Got a little information about her when they asked why she got them food. “Help with my hangovers during college.” Soap and Gaz gave each other a look as she walks away

After the window incident, Crash becomes a lot more open. Seeing how they treat her as if she has been with them for years, it wasn’t fair to them with how closed off she was.

Soap:

He talks to you a lot and you don’t mind. He just comes out and starts rambling on whatever he has interested him at that moment. You don’t really say anything, just sitting there awkwardly (because why would he want to talk to the newbie instead of his friends) but nodding to what he says anyways. One time though, he looks at you and says “Thanks for listening to me. It’s nice to have someone not tell me to ‘Shut the fuck up Mactavish.’”

Literally you after he tells you this:

“you’re my friend now. we’re having soft tacos later” vibes

Would send him memes and funny videos whenever you guys are on leave

His contact name on your phone is “Bubbles”

Would show you how to make bombs out of random shit. Set them off in bare fields or abandon buildings. Had a couple close calls

Will let you call him Johnny but you call him Mac instead.

“Aww, why not, lassie?”

“I’d rather not get my ass beat by your boyfriend.”

Calls you Lassie along with your callsign. When he wants to piss you off, he calls you Mini Ghost or Little Ghost

Like Ghost, you rarely take off your balaclava and tactical glasses

“The mask, take it off.”

“Nah, I don’t wanna.”

“You ugly?”

“Not as ugly as you old man.”

Has yet to seen you drunk though and he intends to get you there some day

Holds his hand when he’s throwing up

You would use him as a pillow during rides back to the base

The first person to tell him about any drama that’s happening in your life

Gives you advice about men

"Men are stupid, trust me, I am one."

Loves it when you would go on ramblings about the things you like. Anime confuses the hell out of him but he would always ask you about the plot and your favorite characters. He’d ask you about the current artist you listen to and has a list of recommendations from you so he could look them up when he gets home

After a mission gone wrong and believing that it was his fault, you seek him out, finding him sitting alone in the meeting room. You tell him

“It’s going to be okay. I trust you, John.”

He tears up and you wrap your arms around him.

Gaz:

With you two being the youngest, you bond over similar experiences

Sometimes share exactly one brain cell with each other. Sometimes you, Gaz and Soap share a brain cell

Brings out the chaotic gen z energy of each other

Your guys’ energy:

Follows each other on social media and would send each other tiktoks at ungodly hours

Kind of have a competition against each other to see who’s Price’s favorite child is

Gaz finally has someone who he can talk about anime with

Favorite shows to watch together: Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo  and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure

Similar music taste. The whole team listens to Queen, David Bowie, Pink Floyd and a few more others. However, Gaz and Crash have the same love of rap and indie pop. Anything they find on tiktok will be added to their shared Spotify playlist.

Gaz would ask about how college was like. He thought about going but ultimately for him, the military was the better option

“Were you part of a sorority?”

“Oh hell no. Loved going to the parties though. Always had top shelf vodka.”

“Really? Thought students couldn’t afford it.”

“When it comes to alcohol, we find a way.”

Share the same sentiment of feeling like they’re not doing enough in the team. After a particularly rough mission, you two would find a corner and just sit together in silence.

Would break the silence by quoting something from vine or tiktok and all things would be okay again

Price:

He has adoption papers ready

Crash, despite your name, is polite, respectful and responsible. Would always help Price clean up after meetings and briefs

Same with Soap, you would listen quietly to Price’s war stories and even his favorite fishing trips

Saw in your file about what happened to your old team and captain. Vows to never pull the same stunt as them

Sadden to see how you’re so young and has seen and dealt with many things already. It breaks his heart that there’s more that you’ll experience. 

You, Soap and Gaz would do dumb shit all the time but you knew when it was the right time to bail. Of course, they would snitch on you to Price. You’d rarely get in trouble though

Basically you two:

Would gift him cigars from the countries you’d visit during leave

Also a matching set of torch lighters. His has a special green flame while yours is pink. 

You don’t smoke anymore but you would hangout with him and help him finish reports together.

Price often thinks about a life where he didn’t join the military. A life of normalcy. To go to a home filled with life. 

Would have loved to have kids and technically, he still can but his job makes it almost impossible. 

But with Gaz and now you, you two are his pride and joy.

Would be the “hip” dad and will always ask about the new slang and memes

“This food is-what you kids call it...uh, busting!”

You and Gaz look at each other, “It’s bussin’.”

“This food is bussin’!”

Ghost:

Did not to want to get close to you at all. 

Was honestly peeved when Price told him that he was going to mentor you

“I don’t want to play babysitter, Captain.”

Surprised to see how short you were. All of the rumors and information he was told, they never mention your size

At first, he hated how you would follow him around like a lost puppy. 

“Leave me alone, go bother Soap or something.”

Doesn’t miss the flash of hurt in your eyes but you turn around anyways.

Before you joined, he, Price and Laswell were all sitting in Price’s office, his phone on speaker. He was reading over your file before Price’s contact said

“She reminds me of Ghost when I worked with him seven years ago.”

He looks up from the folder, Price’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise and Laswell nodding.

“I think we’ll have her transferred to us,” Price replies.

Hates to admit but he’s impressed. Thought the rumors was bullshit but you proved him wrong, time and time again

You still have a lot of things to learn and even more practice to do but he believes in you

Does not go easy. He’s merciless. Has put you down countless times and reprimanded you more. You would always leave training sessions with a new bruise. The rest of the team gets concerned with his training methods.

But you still get up and you blink away the tears whenever he shouts at you

At about five months after you joined, on a mission, you spot an enemy behind him before he does and without a word, you quickly take your knife out and throw it towards the man behind him. 

He opens his mouth to yell at you but he sees the enemy on the corner of his eye and watch him slump down. Your knife stuck in his bleeding neck

Gives you a nod after that. Pulling out your knife and handing it back to you

Knife throwing would be one of the training sessions you’d do. It was also a good time for some small chat

Finds out that you’re also a part of the “Dead Mom, Shitty Dad” club

It takes a year for him to SLIGHTLY open up to you

Told you about one of his favorite dishes his mom made and his favorite Queen song was ‘You’re My Best Friend’

Even told you how he likes his Earl Grey prepared

It scares him of how much you remind him of his mom and brother. You have her kindness and his determination. He will never tell you this

You, along with the team, become the very thing he cares about and will protect you to the best of his ability.

Bonus:

[helluvapoison]

Hey can you write headcanons for alastor, angel dust(both platonic) and sir pentious (romantic) with a gen z/millennial reader? Just general stuff and interactions (like maybe talking about how things are for the lgbt community with angel and talking to alastor about gramophones and how they're coming back in style) and just some shenanigans

I know you don't have these characters listed in your writing list, and it's completely fine if you cant write for them but i love your writing style and characterization so I wanted to know how you'd imagine things would go

Alastor, Angel Dust (platonic) and Sir Pentious (romantic) x Reader

˚✧₊⁎ Alastor ⁎⁺˳✧༚

• “Hey Al! Loving the drip, it’s giving strawberry cow meets dark academia core.”

• Now he knows what others feel like when speaking to Zestial. He doesn’t understand half of what you say

• You taught him “tea”. Originally he thought you were providing real tea, something useful, not tedious gossip about— Oh. Oh. That could come in handy, actually. Alastor begins to pencil you into his afternoon tea. Sometimes you bring him useful information, others he has to sit through petty issues that make his eye twitch

• Alastor outright bans you from using your phone around him. He has no interest in this “meme” that reminds you of him (Don’t bring it out again, next time he’ll break it)

You groan, “It’s not as funny if I have to explain it!”

“It must not be very humorous in the first place.” He retorts

• He thinks you’re complimenting his taste in decor when you call it vintage

• You’ve proven yourself a useful acquaintance. Like Nifty, he’s grown accustomed to your presence and learned it may be better not to understand the inner workings of your mind

• “Got any aces?” someone asks while you play Go Fish with Husk, Angel and Sir Pina Colada. You never fail to jab a thumb in Alastor’s direction, cackling and kicking your feet

• They give you a peculiar look in reply

“Fuck you guys, I ate.”

• Yeah, they don’t get that one either

˚✧₊⁎ Angel Dust ⁎⁺˳✧༚

• It feels like every day Angel’s mid-insult and snapping his fingers at you, beckoning for you to conjure up a fresh comeback

• “Ooh! You just got cancelled, take the L, you fucking poser!”

He cackles, “Yeah! What they said!”

• Started calling himself an e-girl because you said it once about Charlie and never elaborated. He thinks it means cute… He’s not wrong? You don’t correct him, it’s funnier this way

• Playful arguments 24/7

“RIP, Angel, you would have loved Mean Girls— Wait, if a movie dies would it come to Hell? Never mind, don’t answer that, it would obviously go to Heaven.”

“I’ve met some real weirdos down here, sweetheart, and you outrank almost all of ‘em.”

• Something Angel noticed he could only appreciate from you is how different you react to his relationship with Val. He already knows it’s not healthy and he knows he gets defensive when people bring it up. Like the others, you listen, you comfort, you get furious on his behalf. You also offer him insight and labels he never thought would be helpful

• You hold up two fingers like you’re conducting an orchestra as you speak, “Say it with me; boundaries, bitch.”

“Boundaries..? S’at like bondage–?”

”NO!”

• Angel’s the only one that makes HellToks with you. The dances he learns faster and performs them better than you, often adding his own choreography to them. The “pass the phone” challenges never end well– especially when he tries to rope Nifty or Alastor in on them (RIP your old phone)

• Honestly, you’re pretty surprised you get along with Angel as well as you do. Y’know, considering he died a thousand years before you—

“I ain’t that old!”

“Your death certificate says otherwise, fam!”

˚✧₊⁎ Sir Pentious ⁎⁺˳✧༚

• He’s not sure how to handle how touchy you are first. You go around high-fiving everyone, freely holding hands with whoever lets you, offering hugs and– thump. Your head hits his lap, staring straight right at him with a goofy grin. And that.

• “Say slay,”

“Sssslay?”

• Oh. He quite likes the laugh that gets out of you

• Starts saying the word as much as possible, puffing his chest out proudly when you double over laughing. You don’t have the heart to tell him he’s using it wrong 99.9% of the time

• When you began consistently picking him for a chair instead of the others, he was stuck between throwing you across the room and making a break for it or pointing and laughing in the faces of everyone else. You chose him! HA!

• Bless his soul, the way he asked you out was so sweet

“I’ve done extensive research and found the equivalent of going sssteady in your language! I would like for us to move forward with the relationship ssstatus.”

“Huh? Oh. You want to go out with me? Yeah!”

“Fuck yesss!“

• Pentious gives ride or die a new definition. Everything you say or you do, he will back you up. His eyes sparkle from the praise you give him

• That, and making him blush takes little effort on your part. Complimenting him like you always do (at least he thinks you are, sometimes he’s not certain) has his cheeks glowing in seconds

• After following you around for an hour, because Pentious wanted to make sure you could get along with the Egg Boiz without him, they adopt bits of your personality and bizarre phrases. “Now we have two parents!” “No cap!” “Yes cap, you’re wearing a hat!”

• You’ve single handedly make the Egg Boiz worse in the eyes of everyone but Pen. He’s ecstatic over the results, he doesn’t know what he would do if he had to choose between you and his eggs

~

╰(*´︶`*)╯♡ this was so silly and fun, i hope you enjoy anon!

[eggroll-sama]

Touchstarved Love Interest on a Hike

You and the touchstarved gang go on a forest hike. What could possibly go wrong? (I know this is really OOC, realistically they wouldn’t go on a hike together because the drama is crazy, but hey, it’s fun to imagine)

AIS

Doesn’t say much, but is enjoying the quality time. He lets the others take the reins because he trusts them.

Looks good wearing a T-shirt and shorts and lots of passersby check him out. Leander is not pleased.

The most physically built out of the five and doesn’t break a sweat even on the steep areas.

Can probably carry all the backpacks and still be fine, but won’t offer unless you beg him what a dick. Oh you want me to carry some of your stuff? No. Why? I don’t want to. In the end he would carry them for you.

Very unprepared. He just wore casual clothes and hiking shoes. Asking Kuras every 10 minutes if he can get a sip of his water or use his sunscreen.

Shows that he cares about the others when he slows his pace to match the slowest person in the group. It’s Vere. He listens to his complaining.

(More characters under the cut)

Looking out for any signs of danger.

Won’t take any pictures on the hike. If you try to take a picture with him he’ll either smile wickedly or lick your face for a reaction.

He’d get hungry and eats a poisonous mushroom even after Mhin pointed out that it was poisonous. Shrugs and throws away the mushroom cuz there was no flavor.

When he reaches the destination, he’d be impressed by the view and peacefully sit while drinking some oolong tea. Vere stole it from a hiker and gave it to him. How kind of him.

KURAS

Kuras likes to wander and discover new places so he said yes. He wasn’t pleased there would be other members Vere joining them. He tries to hide his distaste and focuses on the trail.

Is taken in by the nature and how the sun casts light between the trees and making a beautiful scenery. When a cool breeze passes and his hair flutters, it almost looks like their a forest fairy.

He brought extra water because he knew there would be somebody that would forget.

If he noticed you’re tired, he’d suggest that they’d take a break. Also brought a First Aid Kit if there was an accident. He’s a doctor; it would be embarrassing if he didn’t bring one.

The most elegant hiker. It’s very peculiar seeing him hiking because it looks like he’s gliding. He doesn’t break a sweat and has an amused look on his face the entire time. What is he thinking?

Walks beside Mhin and listens to them talking about random biology facts. Is very interested in what they have to say and will even point out at herbs as they pass by them.

Ignores Vere who keeps making backhanded comments about him from behind. Will keep quiet about a ditch, root, or a spider up ahead. Smiles when he hears Vere scream behind him.

He’d probably come back again by himself or with one extra person, either Mhin or MC.

LEANDER

99% chance that this whole thing was his idea. He’s an active guy and likes to spend time with others. He’d probably done the hike a number of times before.

The one leading. He’s prepared and has all the basic necessities, even things you wouldn’t think of. He caters to your needs the most. If you ask if anyone has x y and z, he’d be the first to offer it. He wants to be relied on and show he’s a competent man!

Acts as the “trail leader” of the group. Has a map in hand.

He whistles when he isn’t talking.

Highly susceptible to bug bites.

Notices that the group is functioning in pairs, Mhin with Kuras and Vere with Ais. He’d feel like a third wheel and will talk to you the most. Will get mopey if you talk to somebody else. If you notice he’s been quiet, join him at the front and talk to him and he’d be overwhelmed with joy.

Puts on a lot of deodorant and the others try not to cringe at the smell. Mhin or Vere would point it out and he’d laugh, but he’s dying inside.

Gets competitive when a bunch of hikers giggle to themselves over Ais. Oh wow is it getting hot out here, let me just take off my shirt and show off my sculpted abs. Ais knows exactly what he’s doing and side-eyes him.

When he reaches the destination, he tries to makes a speech about how proud he is of everyone and yada yada, nobody is listening and doing their own thing. He’s distraught. At least the view is nice.

MHIN

Doesn’t like anyone there except for Kuras and MC (Leander is tolerable).

Gets fed up really quickly with Vere’s complaining and Leander’s nonsensical chatter.

The one covered up the most because they get easily sunburnt.

Brought a gallon full of ice cold water and would not share.

Surprisingly agile and has high endurance.

Super unlucky, would step on the weirdest sh*t on the hike.

Enjoys the wildlife around them. Points out at things they’ve read in books. Will get really deep into it if you reciprocate the interest.

Keeping track of the map because they don’t trust Leander. Has caught him going the wrong direction a few times.

Looking out for danger #2.

Munches on plain crackers when they get hungry and looks like a hamster. If you point it out you’ll get stabbed.

Once at the destination, they try to find a souvenir rock. If you ask them what they’re doing they’ll shoo you away. If you give them a nice rock you found, they’d carefully analyze it before thanking you with a small blush.

VERE

He is not happy to be here. And he will make it clear from the very start.

High chance that he said yes cuz Ais was going.

Can’t stand listening to Kuras and Mhin being nerds and Leander talking about the time he almost got married to a middle-aged nun. HUH?! HOW DO YOU EVEN DO THAT-

Complains and super snarky at the very beginning, but gradually starts to quieten down due to fatigue.

Stealing stuff from fellow hikers just for the heck of it.

The best dressed hiker. Many people are in awe how sexy he looks. And yes, he made one of his admirers buy it for him. He will wear it once and then throw it away.

Sweat gives him that natural glow :0

Vere WON’T forget about the sunscreen and bug spray. He won’t let a hike ruin his skin for the rest of the week.

Does not look out for danger, IS the danger.

Rare sight of Vere with a high ponytail. Ais grabs him by the pony tail when he wants his attention.

Once he reaches the site, he’s going to take a quick nap under a shade. You can join him, but be wary.

[winged-self-indulgence]

“What’cha got there?”

It was the first thing Z asked as soon as you sat down in the booth, and you paused briefly before settling fully into the seat. As much of a non-sequitur as the query was, you weren’t too surprised. After all, you had turned up at a bar with a book thicker than the table between the both of you held under your arm. That would have already been strange enough, were it not for the title.

The demon wrinkled his nose at the shiny Gothic-style lettering embossed on the cover. “The Dark Grimoire: The Art of Demonic Entities and Magickal Forces–? Human, what the fuck is that?”

“What?” You blinked innocently. “Is it wrong to want to find out more about you?”

“There is nothing about me that would turn up in that trashy abomination of a book,” Z hissed at the hardback volume, his tail whipping back and forth in agitated motions. “For hell’s sake, they didn’t even get the sigil right.”

You studied the silver shape on the cover; a complex array of loops, straight lines, and crescent moons all enclosed within a double-ringed circle. You decided to take Z’s word for it, but still pulled the book closer to yourself and out of range of dark claws that had gouged furious grooves into the table’s surface.

“Well, don’t you want to know what humans think about demons?” You pointed out reasonably, to which Z made a face like you’d crammed a lemon into his mouth – rind and all. You tried again. “I wouldn’t mind if you read up on what humans are like. Do you even know anything about us?”

The demon scoffed, puffing out his chest proudly. “Oh please. I have been around since before humanity was a speck on the cosmic horizon. There is nothing about you little beings that is beyond my understanding.”

“Cool. Quick question: how many bones are inside my body?”

“Fuck if I know. At least 10?” Z shrugged, ignoring your unimpressed stare in favour of a sly smirk. “Though it could be 11 if we–”

“Oh, look at that. It’s time to shut up and read!” You interrupted loudly. “No talking during reading time!” You cracked open the book and planted it in front of your face, perfectly obscuring your view of Z who immediately began to whine.

“Oh come on,” he reached over, clearly planning to snatch the book, but you leaned further away. With a sigh, Z folded his arms across the table and sank into a melodramatic malaise. “Seriously, Dove? You’re going to read a trashy, fake book about demons when you’ve got a real, bona-fide infernal entity in the flesh right next to you? I’m hurt. I may never recover.”

“There’s no talking during reading time,” you mumbled again, surprisingly finding yourself more engrossed in the book. Most of what you knew about demons came from pop culture references and video games. Even if most of the book was made up nonsense, you still recognized some of the names.

Z hissed and clicked his teeth. Then he perked up with a grin. “Well, if you find that pile of rancid waste so interesting, then I can’t help but be curious,” he hummed. “Read to me.”

The look you shot Z was skeptical. “Really?” The request was so out of character that you felt the need to ask, to be certain. “You want me…to read aloud to you?”

“That a problem?” He asked, batting his lashes. Or at least you assumed that was what he did. His eyes were almost impossible to see beneath the mop of brown that could charitably be described as a hairstyle. “What can I say, I am an enjoyer of the literary arts.”

“Right,” you drawled. Your every sense told you that this was a trap, a trick of some sort, but how? You were the one who had brought the book, and Z was on the other side of the table. Reluctantly, eying him all the while, you slowly lifted the pages and returned your attention to the words on the paper. “And lo, the Seventy-first Spirit is Dantalion. He is a Duke Great and Mighty, appearing in the Form of a Man with many Countenances, all Men's and Women's Faces; and he hath a Book in his right hand. His Office is to teach all Arts and Sciences unto any – ngh!”

“What was that, Dove?” Z tilted his head, a beatific smile on his lips. Under the table, the tip of his tail slipped into the gap between your underwear and skin and pressed between your legs. It curled teasingly, the flat shape of it sliding further inch by agonizingly slow inch. “Sorry, I didn’t catch that. Something about being a nerd I guess?”

“Z–!” You tried to sound firm, but a flex of his tail dissolved the rest of whatever you might have said.

The demon clicked their tongue with a smile. “Hm, no I don’t think that’s what comes next, dummy.”

Tears beaded at the corner of your eyes, blurring your vision. Your thighs twitched and shook beneath the bar, and you clapped a hand over your mouth to stifle the whimpers that threatened to pour out. The muffled sound of distant conversations sent a flood of red-hot mortification sweeping over you, and you quickly glanced around the bar to check that no one was watching.

Immediately, Z lunged across the table and grabbed your face, forcing your eyes to meet his. His tail flexed, pumping faster. “Don’t look at them, Dove. This isn’t about them. Keep reading.”

You tried. The book felt heavy in your clumsy hands, body sensitized and aching for release. The words swam before your eyes until, with a muffled gasp, you gave up – soaking your pants and Z’s tail before collapsing face-down on the table.

The demon had the nerve to tut with faux disapproval. “Aw, poor baby,” he hummed condescendingly, relishing your whine as he slowly pulled his tail out from your underwear. Your cheeks went hot at the sight of it, shiny, slick, and dripping with your juices. Z brought the appendage to his lips and – maintaining eye contact all the while – dragged his tongue over it, licking the flared tip clean as if you were a gourmet meal to be savoured.

“Such a messy human,” he teased, sitting back down and placing his chin in his hands. “How unfortunate. I suppose you’ll just have to start all over again.”

[jane-lynndrake-t]

On hiatus until the 20th!!

Hi! I am Janet Lynn (edit) Drake, but I prefer Jan or Jane!

In my head, I'm 23, but in body? I've become 42 :/

Edit: I DIED??? AND THE OBITUARY IS FILLED WITH BACKHANDED COMMENTS. H A !

I have a son that I don't remember, a dead husband I dont recall marrying, and a bunch of existential dread :)

I'm currently at Z and Owens' safe house in New Zealand while we prepare for our journey back to Gotham.

They're teaching me some things about their lives as assassins.

Feel free to chat with me while I piece together the past 20 years of my life!

ps. If you know me as Cathy; you don't!

This is an rp blog for Janet Drake from DC Comics

Ask questions! Help Miss Drake in solving some mysteries!

This is my first time making an rp blog so apologies in advance.

House Rules, General Questions, and a Masterlist ahead!

House rules:

Do not repost.

Do not feed into ai.

Keep questions sfw pls

This blog was created to be a chill creative space so please don’t bring in real life tragedies into it

No batcest im begging

I probably won't respond to asks about shipping thoughts in general, sorry! (There will be an exploration about Jan and Jack’s marriage)

Masterlist

Hospital arc (the prologue)

Homeward arc (current arc)

Questions:

Who's Janet Drake?

The stepping stone in the rite of passage of becoming a hero. And yet, not enough to even be a fridged character.

A mother to a boy, but not the hero.

Ok.. and who is cathy??

It's mostly just picking fun at DC for getting her name SO wrong in an issue where Jack is supposed to be grieving her. Catherine?? Really?? Another mans wife and the mother of a completely different kid??

But there is an in-universe reason, so if you're interested, ask away!

But why Lynn and not Drake???

Miss maam is missing some time in her memories, so she doesnt fully remember her time as Mrs. Drake. Maiden name Lynn it is!

What does she remember last????

She'd love to answer that question herself ;)

answered!

AND why Jane/Jan?????

Bc the rest of the drakes have shortened nicknames. Theres a precedent and it should be FOLLOWED

Bruh, why do this??????

Because Miss Drake deserves better 😭 bestie deserves an actual character and interests so I wanted to see what vibes with her. Also I'm more motivated to practice drawing if I have a reason in mind.

Yes, this is also to help me out in improving my art, haaaaaaaaa

Can I send OOC asks?

Absolutely!

[jester-likes-sharks]

so i went to go see the episode nagi movie and here are my thoughts

SPOILERS———————————————————————

why were nagi and reo SO GODDAMN MEAN to isagi? like the second they see him they call him short before they even knew his name what was the reason

raichi was great as always (my friend didn’t like him and thought his teeth were weird)

this is more of a me thing but i watched the show in dub and i didn’t realize how much higher kunigamis voice was in the original. i like both voices for him but it was interesting

ZANTETSU. I never really thought about him before but he’s great and i think people should be nicer to him

why was kurona in almost every shot with other characters in the background? don’t get me wrong i love him, but he was lurking and it felt weird

the friend i dragged with me didn’t know anything about blue lock before and i think it explained things pretty well. there were definitely parts that were more explained in the show but that’s to be expected. i’d say it’s probably better to watch the show first but it’s not really required. I personally like isagi better as a protagonist but that’s just me

reos twink death had more detail put into it and i liked that a lot

it fully skipped the whole 100 goals in 90 minutes thing which i think was a good choice but i got a little confused for a second

it didn’t explain the rules for the 3 on 3 matches which would have been confusing for someone who just went into it blind and i did have to explain it to my friend but maybe it’s weird to go into it blind at all so who knows

reos haircut when he was little was a CRIME

all in all i really really liked it. it’s just as insane as it always is and was just really fun. i’m actually not in love with nagi so i personally prefer the show but it was great nonetheless. im also biased because i love isagi and team z but yeah i think people should watch it

[ccoffii]

Eleceed Redeisgns

Don’t get the wrong idea I’m not trying to fix anything (despite my issues with 75% of the bestie crew having the same hairstyle) ZHENA-nim art did really well on this series and I can definitely see her improvements!!

I find redesigning characters I like as a good exercise for me since I’m trying to practice my character design skills! I’ve also added headcannons so strap in.

First victim, istg he doesn’t even look like the same person lol.

- gave him the :3 mouth bc he has the little shit potential especially after wrapping everyone around his finger

- Longer hair comes from the hc that he is the kind of person who would hide behind it and to match his dads

- changed his hair to brown bc the blond colour blended with his skin too much (helps with contrast)

- The bag is to help him carry cats and more cat food

- Oversized clothes to wallow in, also to hide himself or something

- While Jiwoo and Kayden are implied to wear the same size clothing I still think Jiwoo’s clothes would be tight on Kayden

- It helps Kayden learn about Jiwoo as a person since he would question why his clothes were so ill fitting on him

- Colour palette was hard af, but I mostly went with warmer colours and added blue as an accent so he could match Kayden

- As u can tell the only thing that fits him perfectly is the school uniform, even then he likes to size up the blazer

- His bag would start with no buttons and over time more would be added based on where he’s been and the friends he makes

- Glasses are up for debate but they look nice on him

- gave him more down turned eyes so he could resemble Kang Daniel a little more

barely changed, basically the outfit was the only thing to go

- He looks like the kind of kid that would wear headphones all day

- His glasses fucked off to somewhere and I brought brought them back THEY R HERE TO STAY

- The dress shirt in his casual outfit is the same one from his uniform

- Bc of his upbringing with the doctor guy I would think he doesn’t have that many clothes to begin with and sees little point in getting more

- Ofc that will change later with his friends

- His name tag says his last name is Park but he doesn’t rlly have one and the wiki says so too, so it’s just something he had to give the school or somethin

- More lanky build? Basically a bean pole.

Again who the fuck is this

- gave him his melanin back, like all of it

- He seems more the varsity jacket type guy than Wooin

- Hair is based off Yeonjun’s lover loser era

- Tried to give him that international student type of beat vibe bc his sister is the big boss of the SK awakener scene

- i feel like with this hairstyle it’s easier to imagine him with black hair but I digress

- His jacket starts off with no patches and they’re slowly added on when he spends time with the bestie crew

MY GIRLIE!!

- Changed her uniform to be more fancy based off of the reaction of other students in Jiwoo’s school, the pendant on her bow is her own addition.

- No respectable Gen Z wears ripped skinny jeans… Controversial

- a converse girlie for sure

- Her hair is kinda based off the Mafuyu White Day card, either way she has to give gender

- Are they called arm warmers? They give her an interesting silhouette and very distinguishable from the guys

- Alternatively she wears a turtle neck and a sweater/large T-Shirt when it’s too cold + arm warmers just cause

Some other stuff:

- yes, all the redesigns will eventually include some element of blue like Jiwoo to help connect them and signify how close they are

- a lot of them were made with a go out shopping episode in mind to help us learn more about them

- maybe I’ll write a fic but finals r chasing my ass rn so eventually

[diabolikwriter]

Nga yawne lu oer - Chapter 1

Recom! Miles x Na’vi/Avatar! Fem! Reader – Chapter 1:

Warning: Strong language! Racism, implied smut, kinda character dead, and character revival?

English is not my first language, so if there are any big grammar mistakes, then don’t hesitate to let me know <3

Also it’s been years since the last time I wrote fanfiction so I’ve been a bit nervous about posting this.

Word Count: 1407

Chapter 1: Revived

                                    Miles’ POV

There you were sat looking over some of your samples, and deeply focused. He slowly and carefully walked towards you and when he reached her he leaned down and whispered in her ear.

“Hello Darlin’.”

“Miles.” You said completely ensnared in her samples of some weird plant that she had told him about the night before, though he had listened carefully the aftermath that followed was much more interesting.

“Is that all I get? Not even a thank you for waking you so lovely this morning.” He placed careful kisses on her neck, and she giggled in response.

“As if that weren’t more for your pleasure than mine.”

He turned her chair around and by the laws of nature she followed.

“Are you saying that you didn’t enjoy it? Because I recall you begging me not to stop, I even think you ripped some strands of hair out.” Their noses were touching and he could hear her breath getting shallow and he could see her pupils dilating, and her eyes flickered down to his lips.

“Oh no I enjoyed it, don’t get me wrong. Though I do feel kinda bad for not returning that delightful treatment.”

He licked his lips and responded “Oh don’t worry you have all the time in the world for the rest of the day if you just put away whatever you are doing right now, I have made arrangements for everything so you have nothing else to worry about, little Miles is cared for for the rest of the night.”

“Oh really?” You licked your lips and just as your lips were about to touch his, everything went black.

“Colonel, colonel.”

Miles ears were ringing at the loud sound, but at the same time the sound felt so far away. But the only thing he had on his mind was a name “(y/n)?”

Though when he opened his eyes, he didn’t see his beautiful angel, no he saw a monster, a big blue ugly monster to be exact. His first response was to punch the fucker in the face, and so he did, he fought against all the other monsters, until he was restrained.

“Colonel it’s me!” Said the first ugly monster that he had punched, though the monster for some reason looked oddly familiar.

“Lyle? Is that you?”

And it wasn’t only just Lyle he realized. It was also Z-dog, Mansk and Fike, and so many more, but they were all… blue. Miles found some comfort in them being dressed normal and having their tattoos, and at least they weren’t wearing the skimpy clothing of the savages “They are not savages Miles, they have feelings like you and I. They have families and laws. They are people, not mindless beasts”, he could hear your angelic voice scolding him in his head.

“I’m alright.” Upon Miles saying that and relaxing his body, his squad members freed him. Though looking behind Lyle he caught the glimpse of something in the window. He pushed Lyle to the side and brazed his hand on the window, and upon looking into his own eyes he was shocked. His eyes weren’t bright blue, no they were yellow. His nose was almost flat. His ears pointy and sat way to high on his head. His scar was nonexistent. And his tan skin was not tan anymore, no it was blue. He looked like them, he looked like those savages, “Not savages Miles,” once again he could hear your voice, but he shoved it to the back of his mind. And when he ran his tongue over his teeth, he could feel fangs. He had become what he hated the most. He had become a disgusting monster. He felt the rage and disgust deep in his bones and flowing through his veins.

“Well. Ain’t this a bitch.”

“In case you haven’t figured it out yet, you’re Colonel Miles Quaritch. Only younger, taller, bluer and not nearly as good looking.” Miles was looking at his human self, talking to his bigger blue self. 

“Hey Parker! What the hell am I supposed to say now?” Miles saw the video, and laughed a bit internally at his human self claiming that he of course wouldn’t die. Because yeah right, he wouldn’t be here if it weren’t because the original Miles Quaritch died. Like the rest of the recombinants, he obviously didn’t know how he died, but knowing those savages it hadn’t been pretty. Though he couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to you, his reason for fighting so hard, all so that he could give you a safe and comfortable future. He prayed that those savages hadn’t even as much as breathed in your presence. And he prayed that before his demise he had said those three little words that he never could muster up the courage to say, and most of all he hoped that both of you were safe.

A few days later found Miles meeting General Ardmore, and Miles had to remind himself that he was never one for punching people and that his mama had raised him better than that, but damn that woman just rubbed him the wrong way. Well technically everyone at the base did, they all looked at them like one would look at a freakshow, and while Miles could understand in some way, it still annoyed him.

The meeting with the general resulted in her wanting him and his squad of big blue misfits to fly out and look for the traitor Jake Sully, the man who was at fault for everything in his life ending wrong. The team landed in the Pandoran jungle, and Miles felt weird the moment he stepped out of the helicopter, but on the looks of the rest of the time he was not alone. They trekked through the jungle for a bit and had already had the displeasure of seeing some of the monsters living in the jungle. They were all highly alert, every sound made their ears twitch, and their tail were whipping around. “Ouch Fike, control your fucking tail!” Hissed Zdinarsk.

“Oh sorry have I made her highness sad?” Fiked replied mockingly and hit Zdinarsk with his tail once more.

“You little-“

“Hey! Stop acting like young cadets and get the fuck moving. We are in the middle or a hostile environment, so we don’t have time for this kindergarten bullshit” Quaritch quickly got his recombs under control, but he could already feel a vein popping out on his forehead. Suddenly Quaritch caught something out of the corner of his eye, it looked like one of those science shack outposts and in front of it a little away there was lying something metallic covered by roots, and moss and Miles had a feeling he knew what this was and who it belonged to, so it was a surprised when he bend down a removed the roots that his last name was ‘staring’ him right back in the face, and when he looked in the suit, he was met with a skeleton with two arrows protruding from its or rather his chest, he touched the arrows, before standing up and inspecting the inside of the shack thing, and then he turned to Lyle, “Lyle see if you can pull some data of that dashcam.”

The recoms continued patrolling for awhile and Miles couldn’t believe his luck, when he and his squad caught little savages snooping around. And not only savages but halfbreeds with four fingers and a thumb meaning that they were his. And of course, after being given the finger by a male halfbreed, he turned to the human boy with blue stripes painted all over his body. “What’s your name kid?”

“Spider… Socorro.”

No. No it couldn’t be.

Quaritch kneeled so that he could be more eye to eye with the boy.

“Miles?”

Taglist:

@ratchetprime211 @mechformers @iwishiwas-anita​

[soul-dwelling]

Thoughts on the clowns going from an interesting representation of one's dark side and the temptation to induldge self destructive madness, into just generic faceless mooks with no personality or point besides bloating the already overstuff moon arc?

It’s wrong for me to generalize, but it seems like most final arcs in serialized stories suffer when they introduce new characters or details that inevitably will not get enough time to develop. This should work: it’s the last arc, break all the rules, so long as the result ends up being a spectacle or too cool not to do or so shocking but concise in reiterating the message that has been reinforced over and over in this story…and the clowns just don’t do any of that--the spectacle isn’t engaging enough, I thoroughly enjoy clowns in pop culture but even these clowns in Soul Eater aren’t that engaging visually or personality-wise, and nothing about the clowns does much to reinforce any message, or at least reinforcing the message of “fear is always with you” in any fashion that another part of the manga didn’t reinforce better. 

And I don’t mean that Soul Eater should be criticized only because the clowns don’t get to develop to their full potential: I can’t think of any series where even main characters reach their full potential in their entire story because that’s not how storytelling works, that’s perfectionism and hence a fool’s errand. No, I mean that the characters and details are just there without any sense of progression, elaboration, or sometimes any use to the story aside from cannon fodder. 

And that is what the clowns feel like: cannon fodder, antagonists that can be done away with easily not only because their personalities are so limited that we feel almost no sadness or any other emotion when they are gone and not only because their power sets are so dull that they can easily overpowered by the protagonists and we won’t miss losing that power set because they weren’t cool enough at all but also because they are dehumanized so killing them off is not regrettable. Oh, Stein wasted a ton of clowns? Who cares--they weren’t human, and they were barely humanized at all, including, again, in terms of having almost zero personality. 

And yet, all of this could be salvaged if the clowns had something to them that was reflective of the larger themes of the story. As you point out, the clowns in parts of Soul Eater were indicative of a character’s dark side. We got to see how jealous Maka can be, how fearful she is of losing her father and her friends and teammates, and how powerless she feels without Soul. All of that is much needed character progression. Yes, I can be frustrated that it still feels a bit forced similar to throwing these details in during the Book of Eibon arc, but it makes sense that Maka would be this emotionally raw after Crona was kidnapped. It is also visually striking: look up just about any Maka clown art by Z-Raid and other illustrators. 

But even then, aside from Maka, what did the clowns actually show us about any character’s dark side? 

We get that with Justin--but even then, the clowns themselves don’t have much in the way of personality to get a sense of how they corrupt Justin. Granted, just about all of Justin’s story only works because of how little is given to us to show how he got corrupted. We know the “why,” we get belated clarification when Justin fights Tezca. But the clowns never have much in the way of personality to give us a sense how this unfolded. It’s good storytelling potential, likely something someone else did in their own fan works. But I wish Ohkubo had committed to some choice. We already have Ragnarok right there at times acting like a bad conscience on Crona’s shoulder--is that how a clown should act towards Justin? Should it be like the Symbiote telling Eddie what he wants to hear, more like what we got in Weisman and Cook’s Spectacular Spidey animated series? 

Edit: I forgot to mention--elliotthezubat once again handles this stuff better: Justin's dilemma works better if you have it more like a clone of himself talking to him, a conversation between two Justins to emphasize different dimensions to his personality and the potential split happening, or the potential for one side overwhelming the other.

When the clowns did pop up to fight for Medusa against Black Star and Tsubaki, and against Team B with the Thompsons, was there really anything gained? Any character progression for Black Star was actually more from fighting Crona, not from fighting a clown, to demonstrate where Black Star and Crona could have gone had each one had different intervention by a parental figure, Black Star at least having Sid and the DWMA, Crona being stuck with an abuser like Medusa. But did the clown unlock any such insight into Kilik, Ox, Kim, and their partners, or Liz and Patty? The clown was just a scientific experiment without any personality of their own. (See also how Ragnarok gets reduced to almost a non-entity as the series persists, and his commentary on what Crona is going through is sorely missed, whether to add insight or just some Falstaff-ian comedic relief with how dire things are getting.) 

The final arc had two major opportunities to justify the importance of the clowns: the characters as their own entities, and the characters as reflective of the path Stein could take. And then the arc fails to live up to either potential. 

Let’s start with the latter first: like the clowns, Stein is falling more and more into madness--and then on the Moon he just doesn’t, instead weaponizing the madness to lay waste to Asura’s forces, re-establishing that even under madness he is still the same person and his commitment to Death and the DWMA does not falter. I’m not asking that the story continue to milk the angst of Stein after Buttataki’s murder, or take the path of the first anime and show Stein falling under Medusa’s sway. But with this being the last arc, this is the last chance to re-establish Stein is a good person. We need that Iron Giant moment hitting us over the head: we didn’t need the Giant to say, “I am not a gun,” but it summarized the point in an obvious fashion. Where is that moment for Stein? Is there a quotation or a panel from the final arc that I’m neglecting that adequately summarizes how Stein’s fight against the clowns is a rejection of the path Stein could have taken and in his last battle in this series recommits to his characterization, how he has progressed throughout almost 100 chapters, where he goes next, and some larger message the manga is trying to say or at least tie into the ongoing themes about courage, fear, and collaborative work? I don’t get that from Stein’s fight against the clowns, but maybe someone else and can share that quotation or panel. 

As for the clowns as their own entities: what do they serve, in terms of their own character progression, or as larger allegorical or symbolic value, or as antitheses or foils to our protagonists? They just seem to be a grab-bag of mythological and literary references: rabbit on the moon, the story of Kaguya. What is Kaguya supposed to tell us in Soul Eater as a foil to Kid? Or, how is she a continuation of ideas Ohkubo is toying with when writing Blair and then later Tamaki in Fire Force? None of these questions really interest me because the potential answers are dull: there is barely anything between Kaguya and Kid to indicate a battle of differing philosophical viewpoints, Kaguya’s shtick is somehow more dull than Blair’s and lacks the other dimensions Blair has (whether in the manga or because fan writers are better at handling her), and the path from Kaguya to Tamaki is just a reminder how gross Ohkubo is when it comes to his attacks against feminism and readers who just get tired of his endless horny misogynistic bullshit. If you just want naked Kaguya, then just go naked Kaguya--that’s more honest and a clearer understanding why this character is here than dressing it up (so to speak) with pseudo-intellectual posturing to try to make her presence and maybe even this arc and this entire manga into something it’s not. 

Or, they’re just leftovers from B Ichi, seeing as they are called “Dokeshi” in the original Japanese version of the Soul Eater manga. Super--this is somehow the less annoying version of Ohkubo’s same trick, that being waiting until the final arc to gesture back to the author’s previous work. I should appreciate that the final arc of Soul Eater referencing B Ichi is a harmless Easter egg, compared to the final arc of Fire Force ruining the continuity and thematic cohesion of Soul Eater. 

And that’s not even getting into how the clowns just re-populating because of Asura’s almost infinite power of madness. 

At least “madness and fear are always with humans” is a clear, understandable message. But clowns? I get that clowns are scary to a lot of people, and their exaggerated details and potentially inhuman grotesque shape is decent shorthand. But this also feels like a failure of using the images to address the message: not everyone is going to find clowns scary, even taking something from childhood enjoyment and making it fearsome isn’t much of a deep message: “I made the things from your childhood edgy” strikes me as lazy. It’s as bad as Ohkubo assuming breasts can only be maternal and must be only a yearning for maternal love as in the final chapter of Soul Eater, or Ohkubo’s regressive cisheteronormative approach to sex as existing only for baby-making and that the idealization of sex appeal is embodied only by an underage teenage girl (again: Ohkubo is fucking gross, fuck this guy) in Fire Force. 

This is Ohkubo latching onto a small set of visual details or story tropes he likes and not letting them go. And it again disrupts what we already had: we go from Shotaro in B Ichi being a good guy who is clownish and literally turns into a clown as a final power-up form, to clowns just being absolutely evil in Soul Eater. Again, what is it with Ohkubo taking something from a previous manga, introducing it into another manga--and then taking a completely different approach in that new manga that contradicts what he did before? I can appreciate an author changing their mind over time, but it also comes across as a failure to let the previous work stand on its own and a refusal to let the message of that earlier story persist without needless contradiction by a later work. It comes across less as the author maturing and changing their mind with time and more like a creator who just wants to keep contradicting themselves for the sake of spurring on an argument (and more attention for the sake of more book sales).

[cheesybadgers]

Something I pay a lot more attention to since writing a 167K+ longfic is how stories are structured. And one thing I was really conscious of when writing an ‘angst with a happy ending’ fix-it fic was not giving both main characters everything they wanted/needed a) too soon and b) at the same time as each other because for me, that's just too neat and tidy and not particularly interesting to write or read. Where romantic plots are concerned, it also kind of perpetuates the misguided notion that being in love and being loved in return magically erases all other problems in life.

There were a few times I'm sure some readers of mine were thinking 'Why can't they just have their happy ending now?' and quite simply, it was because both characters were on their own separate journeys as well as the one they were on together. They had their own lessons and realisations to learn, with the support of each other of course, but ultimately, independently of each other before they could properly move on with their lives together.

I suspect (but could be wrong, I admit lol) this might be what's happening in a certain show about to start its new season, but there is a tendency for fandom to either not have the patience for longform storytelling like this or not understand how the structure of it works. They'll see something in front of them in the here and now and assume that's that plot point/character trait/relationship dynamic permanently decided because it's canon and we all know canon is the final word and is an immovable state. Anything else that subsequently counters what has been established already is deemed to be 'out of character' or 'unrealistic' or a 'continuity error' or 'bad writing', rather than y’know, fundamental character and story development.

I'm not even aiming this at one specific fandom, because a certain vampire show was also terrible for this during the airing of season 2. X or Y couldn't possibly be true because Z had already been established as canon and canon is obvs The Law. And I'm sorry, but that's not how it works lol.

One of the hardest but most satisfying parts of writing for me is not deciding what's going to happen; it’s deciding how it's going to happen. Your characters start their arc at point A but you need to get them to point B, C, D and beyond. Plotting a story is like a game of chess, a jigsaw and a juggling act all rolled into one. It's a problem-solving exercise and that's why I love it. But it's not easy and in all honesty, I don't think you fully appreciate this until you do it yourself.

Now I find myself noticing that even when I don’t personally like a particular writing choice and think it was executed weakly, I try to understand the purpose and intention of it in the overarching story. And this is where critique/analysis can be interesting, because the execution is often what makes or breaks a good story even when the premise itself is compelling.

But I think the craft of storytelling often gets overlooked in fandom, which is where the abundance of ???? commentary and arguments seem to come from, because a lot of people aren't looking at the bigger picture or the full character/plot trajectory. They're just clinging tightly onto specific canon details to the exclusion of everything else...or, alternatively, they’re not engaging with canon in the slightest to the extent where you wonder what the point is of calling themselves fans of the piece of media in the first place. I gain very little pleasure in either of these extreme/bad faith approaches, which basically rules out interacting with a large portion of fandom these days lol.

As a certain unreliable narrator once said:

[forthegothicheroine]

Horror novel recommendations

@allthestoriescantbelies​ asked for horror novel recommendations, so I thought I’d throw one together to post on the blog! Largely focused on non-gothic stuff since I’ve already made a gothic lit list over here.

As a general warning, all horror books listed here will have potentially triggering material. If you want more specific trigger warnings, you can ask me or see if people have listed them on goodreads or storygraph.

My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix: I know you’ve read this, but I’m putting it on the list because it is one of the scariest books I’ve ever read, about a teenage girl in trouble and the only other girl willing to help her. I’m told the movie makes it much more straightforwardly comic rather than horror-with-jokes, which disappoints me. I’m a big fan of Hendrix in general, though I know you (and plenty of others!) find him hit-or-miss.

Red Dragon by Thomas Harris: Another one I believe you’ve read, but for reference, it’s the best serial killer thriller I’ve ever read. Francis Dolarhyde is a much more interesting character than Hannibal Lecter, I will die on this hill.

We Will All Go Down Together by Gemma Files: Centuries ago, the Five Family Coven made a deal with the Fairy Queen, and their descendants have been doomed ever since. I could have just as easily recommended Files’ book Experimental Film- if you like one, read the other as well.

The Drowning Girl by Caitlin R. Kiernan: A schizophrenic woman has two different memories of her ex-girlfriend and the horror that followed her- was she a werewolf, a mermaid, or were both memories wrong? This is Kiernan at her most heartfelt and most accessible; if you like this and want to try her grosser stuff, read The Very Best of Caitlin R. Kiernan.

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski: A haunted house in a haunted film in a haunted memoir, written in a work of visual art. I won’t blame anyone who bounces off this, but give it a try!

Carrie by Stephen King: If you’re only going to read one Stephen King, make it either Carrie or Misery. I don’t feel like any film adaptations have captured all the aspects of this tragedy about a girl who deserved a better life and the town who didn’t save her while there was still a chance, including the epistolary format.

Rolling in the Deep by Mira Grant: This novella was followed up by Into the Drowning Deep, but I found Rolling in the Deep much scarier. It’s brisk and high-tension to watch a semi-fake documentary team put together, piece by piece, just what the monsters are that pursue them.

Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge: The Great Pumpkin, but scary! Seriously, though, if you are willing to accept the concept of a boy with a pumpkin head and a knife and a yearly child sacrifice, this is short and a lot of fun.

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones: Just an elk killed when some kids were blowing off steam. Just an elk damning the rest of their lives. (Jones’s My Heart is a Chainsaw was too sad for me to recommend as a favorite, but I am curious about the sequel.)

The Wolfen by Whitley Striber: I wanted to include a good werewolf novel on this list, and The Wolfen wins by far for interesting creature design. (The runner up was The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan.)

The Auctioneer by Joan Samson: A very atypical entry on this list, closer to Twin Peaks than your average thriller. A rural town is turned into a capitalist police state when a slick salesman comes to see what they’ll allow him to do. It turns out, it’s a lot.

The Drive-In by Joe R. Lansdale: The only “splatterpunk” I’ve ever loved, this is an absurdist nightmare about a southern drive-in crowd who get stuck in a world with only the movie screens and each other, turning into literal and figurative monsters. Usually published with the sequel, since both are short, though I didn’t like the latter as much. If you like it, read one of Lansdale’s short story collections.

As always, reblog with suggestions of your own!

[midnightsun-if]

I respect your decision to not change Scarlett at all, there are plenty of other romance options for people to enjoy. I do understand why people would feel disappointed though. The Ice Queen archetype is one of the most popular tropes around, so having it genderlocked would naturally rub some people the wrong way. It would be the same if the Edgy Bad Boy character was only romancable to males. The fact that the majority of the asks are about her doesn’t help things either I imagine.

If I had to guess, I’d say that’s why some people want the (hypothetical) Cienna romance game so much, since she shares some characteristics with Scarlett but is (presumably) available for everyone.

At the end of the day though, this is your story and your characters and you have the right to do whatever you want with them. You’ve given people a full cast of unique, interesting characters to romance. I’m sure they’ll find one that suites them.

I can see that, but I’d much rather have people annoyed at me then potentially have a surface level character that everyone can romance— that probably wouldn’t be all the fulfilling to begin with if one were to pursue them… It’s why I ended down the route I did with Scarlett, because that’s exactly how her original character felt to me. Again, I can understand the brief feeling of disappointment, but I don’t, nor do I think I ever will, get the demands that say I should make Scarlett romanceable to everyone for X, Y, Z reasons, or to simply switch Koda to liking females and Scarlett to liking males…

I’m all for helping you all through possible confusion you may have about my story— and I truly do try to be as patient as I can— but some things I’ll have to be firm on. This is one of those things.

Cienna does share a couple characteristics with Scarlett, I agree, but I’d also like to think that Cienna offers things that are uniquely her. Things that you wouldn’t find in any other character because they belong solely to Cienna.

I hope that they will! I’ve tried my best to make an array of characters to choose from— even if two of them are gender-locked. I hope that there will be someone for everyone at the end of the day. ❤️

[daffelreign]

Macbeth commentary. Becuase I’m bored. And judgmental. (Pt. 6)(Finale)

(Act Z: ) (Final Thoughts)

I was absolutely not excited about reading this play after finding very little enjoyment when we read The Tragedy of Julius Caesar my sophomore year. Plus, the most I heard about the story itself was how complicated and disliked it was. So my hopes were not very high.

However, after reading through the whole thing, I can safely say it is one of my favorite stories I’ve read in an English class. Why is it a tragedy is one of my favorites despite the fact that I hate tragic stories? The conclusion I’ve come to is that there is more focus on understanding what is being said (Shakespearean English is not easy) than there is on the weight behind what those words mean. So it doesn’t always give the kind of impact that the story probably did to the audience of its time. But even without it, I enjoyed picking the characters apart as the story progressed.

Speaking of characters, let’s talk about them for a second. The character dynamics in this play are fascinating, especially to me (someone who likes to write and has experience creating character dynamics). Watching how the relationships start out pure and strong, and then slowly falter as Macbeth begins to change is so interesting. For him and his wife, the power dynamic between them shifts as Macbeth’s ambition takes over--- and for his friends, his relationship with them becomes strained as he starts, well, murdering them. It’s easy to forget that they all used to be friends towards the beginning when you look at the very end--- with Macduff holding Macbeth’s decapitated head as a trophy of war and a symbol of revenge.

Macbeth himself is also another fascinating subject--- from his personality change to his role in the plot. Macbeth is our protagonist, our “hero” of the story. But the heroic qualities he shows are snuffed out by the end of the very first act, and our hero becomes something of a villain. It isn’t an instant change--- he may have killed Duncan, but he deeply regrets what he’s done afterwards. But as soon as he realizes that killing people gets rid of his problems, his remorse begins to dwindle. And that change--- from a loyal soldier to a cold tyrant--- is something you rarely get to see in a protagonist.

Placing him as the protagonist also means anyone who opposes him counts as the antagonist, even if their motives appeal more to the audience. It plays with the notion of what we’ve been taught is right and wrong, and which side they belong on. Not only that, but making Macbeth the single protagonist opened the floodgates for there being any number of antonagists--- anyone who stands against him. I couldn’t tell you who is the main antagonist, as many people play important roles in their opposition to macbeth. And that lack of focus is also not something you see all that often--- at least, I haven’t.

I could probably write a whole essay on Lady Macbeth alone, but I’ll keep this short: Lady Macbeth is the best kind of character. I can’t call her a hero or a villain, because I don’t know which side she belongs to. She doesn’t oppose Macbeth, but she does manipulate him. Does that make her an antagonist? Or is she a protagonist along with Macbeth, since they’re technically working together? She seems to be a gray area--- one we never quite get elaboration on. She’s conniving, but sympathetic--- spiteful, yet full of remorse. Lady Macbeth picks out her husband’s weak point in two seconds flat, but does everything she can to console him after the deed is done. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth really do have a complicated relationship, and it’s sad that he wasn’t even there to witness her end. She deserved a better send off, at least--- or we can pretend that she faked her death and she’s still alive and kicking, plotting to take down Malcolm in revenge for her husband. I’d pay to watch that, honestly.

Finally (probably not finally), Fleance. There was no point in letting him get away if there was no explanation as to how he would connect Banquo’s descendants to the king. He’s just there to fulfill that end of the prophecy--- a part that wasn’t even necessary from a plot hole standpoint. It was used as motivation for Macbeth-- to get him to kill Banquo and fall further down the rabbit hole. But other than that, Banquo’s part of the prophecy isn’t elaborated on. I’m mildly bitter that this play made me care about Fleance after I thought he was insignificant, and then said ‘lol wait nevermind’. Like. Tie up the loose ends--- give an epilogue of Fleance getting adopted by Malcom or something. I demand answers.

You know what? Murder board update:

Duncan, Banquo, Lady Macbeth, Macbeth, Malcom

Malcolm is dead because I killed Malcolm. Fleance can be king now. The world is set right again. (I’m only a little petty)

And for the actual finally, I think I could dissect Macbeth for hours. The amount of story conveyed through dialogue alone (at least for our purposes, since we can’t watch the play and have yet to watch the movie) is thoroughly impressive. I marvel at stories that are displayed in such a simple fashion, yet hold a more complex storyline than you could ever imagine. From the repeated lines, to the callbacks, to every poetic death and mournful soliloquy--- Macbeth is a masterpiece. For once, I can finally agree that this story is (and should remain) a classic that students should experience at least once in their life. Even if the words aren’t always the easiest to understand, the story is captivating, well written, and even a little silly. It’s a good play, a great story, and a wonderful experience.

[starlightandetherealshadows]

what would zero's reaction be if mc still loving him romantically, had developed feelings for someone else? would he be ok with mc dating someone other than him?

Ooooo this is a very interesting question. I’m gonna think about the answer as I type :) therefore this is going to be long and a stream of consciousness that may or may not make sense.

So I think at first the thought of that would make Zero feel very anxious and insecure. But then he’d also feel incredibly guilty, because he has two partners (V and MC), what right does he have to be jealous? how selfish would it be for him to want everything to stay how it is? And of course Zero isn’t “enough” for MC, who could blame them for wanting something more, something better?

The whole emotional turmoil would be quite agonizing for him. There’s also the factor of MC being the one exception to Zero’s usual monogamy. The dynamic between Z, MC, and V is unique to the former and latter. They don’t put much thought into labeling themselves, but without MC in the picture, Z would say he’s firmly monogamous.

In short, Zero’s initial thoughts would be very human. Flawed but genuine. And he tries so hard not to feel those negative emotions like jealousy or insecurity because he’s terrified of his lovers and friends leaving him.

It would devastate him for MC to say that they’ve come to love another person. With MC and Zero, MC is well aware that Z and V have romantic feelings for each other. Z never denies it to MC, though they think it’s unrequited. MC knows the situation (probably better than Z and V do lmaooo) and chooses to romance Zero anyway (and encourage or tolerate the integration of V)

Z would be blindsided by MC loving another person, and when MC says that they still love him, he’d feel a bit like “do you actually love me or am I just a “safe” placeholder in case it doesn’t work out with someone you actually want to be with?”

He’s thinking and overthinking everything. Figuring out what he doesn’t have, what he did wrong, how he doesn’t measure up, if every time MC left the house, they were slowly falling in love with another person.

Then of course he’d agonize over both MC and V deciding that they like someone more than him, and abandoning him. Whoops I slipped and fell into angst.

because the MC/V/Zero poly is the only one available so far, MC doesn’t state whether they are monogamous or polyamorous in the IF.

But in another timeline, if MC told Zero at the start of the romance arc that they were polyamorous, I think Z would be more receptive and less heartbroken than if MC didn’t make that clear/know that about themselves until recently.

Zero doesn’t blame MC for how they feel. If anything, there’s a part of him that’s been waiting for the other shoe to drop. He’s been too happy, too loved. There had to be a catch. He just didn’t know what it was going to be.

Okay so after this long winded answer of me talking to myself and doing some Z character analysis, I would say that Zero would try very hard to be okay with it, to the point where he suppresses his pain and fear in an unhealthy way.

In the long term, I think he would ask for a break in the relationship between him and MC before it becomes unhealthy beyond repair. Zero still cares deeply for and loves MC; he doesn’t want to have their friendship tainted by a failed relationship. So he’d want to put the relationship on pause so he can work through his feelings and give MC a chance to explore their new connection.

Depending on how that goes, I’d say there’s a 70% chance of the relationship ending (but both Zero and Mc are on good terms) and a 30% chance of them getting back together and Zero being okay with MC having other partners.

Why I typed a novel to answer this is beyond me but here we go!

[thebladeblaster]

Vanguard Divine Z episode 6 reaction Ooh this one was kinda fire

Sorry for the late reaction I was busy yesterday

I think the masked person is someone from Overdress who Akina will meet later. Mostly because Taizo recognizes them and it seems that they told Taizo about Akina’s sister. I feel like it has to be a character we would recognize otherwise why the mask? The only ones short enough that I can think of is Yu-yu, Urara, and the gremlin (but I don’t think they met). I’m pretty sure the masked person is a guy so that leaves Yu-yu or the gremlin. Those are my guesses for now. They could be putting on a voice or something.

Taizo is so nice 😊

I love these dorks. It’s interesting that Akina already knows to aim for a winning image though he has a very experienced friend teaching him so it makes sense.

Haha, I LOVE this man🤣! He really said “fuck it we ball”. Okay, I feel like Akina is already my second favorite Vanguard protag behind Aichi. He’s just so funny and likeable. I like the way he won was through catching his opponent off guard with a crazy and unique strategy. I was thinking that I didn’t want him to win because it would feel like he has plot armor but the explanation is actually pretty satisfying. I was EXTREMELY worried that Akina would become Chrono 2.0 but I was wrong. This man isn’t trigger sacking he actually has some skill. Specifically this man pulled a Jotaro and bluffed like hell to win🤣. It was a real cool mind game strat. Like I don’t blame Taizo for getting sucker punched by his mad strategy. So it’s…

Favorite Vanguard Protagonists:

1. Aichi

2. Akina

3. Shinemon

4. Yu-yu

5.Emi

6. Kai (This is as a protagonist not a rival. I just don’t think he works well as the protagonist. He’s best as a rival.)

7. Chrono

Of course Masanori can smell the bs. This plushie is definitely secretly evil I’m calling it. Though, who knows maybe Vanguard will try to subvert our expectations with that as they do often. Otherwise I’m thinking the plushie is linked to Gyze somehow.

Hello, the gremlin is returning in the next episode 👀!

I’ve definitely been appreciating a return to tradition with Vanguard focusing back on character strategies and connecting to Cray.

Also I’ve been reading the comments and the haters seriously boggle my mind. It feels like they’re trying to hate it for the sake of it. Geez, they’re making og fans look bad. Like I am THE og Vanguard fan. I talk about it leagues more than the rest of the franchise but these people are seriously acting like this is the most boring and predictable series. Like dude this is not G or V series calm down. If anything those two were predictable af. The most unpredictable series have been og, Shinemon, and the D era. They’re like “oh Akina is so perfect that he isn’t a person” as if Akina didn’t lose his first fight and lose a bunch during his training 😅. The writers also went out of their way to actually justify his crazy win. Like it’s not like he trigger sacked to victory. He did a crazy aggressive and unorthodox strategy to catch his opponent off guard and win that’s actually good writing and reminds me of og. For instance when Aichi blindsided Goki with Soul Saver Dragon and it’s skill. Much like this win it didn’t come out of nowhere and was foreshadowed before and during the fight. That’s why I like the D era it reminds me of og in spirit. The characters actually have strategies to win that are explained like og. Honestly, I just really don’t get the hate. Some won’t be satisfied by anything.