#but there's something about it that's kind of giving uncanny valley vibes

[thethingything]

I just spent 4 and a half hours on a drawing because I was like "hmm, drawing a self portrait sounds fun" and then I spent the whole time working on it going "this is absolutely beautiful but that is not my fucking face and I can't work out why it doesn't look right"

[drawnfamiliarfaces]

I’ve been simping over your ‘human’ Nomicon design since it came out in Ninja-November. If you have any headcanons about them, would you please share?

ah, a fellow monster/eldritch horror enjoyer I see! thank you! <3 tbh that Nomicon design was like an one day revelation, because while I love all the human!Nomi designs I've seen over the years (and there are some banger ones, man), it hit me that we as a fandom really underutilize all the uncanny aspects Nomi possesses. So ye. I do have a couple hc.

Nomicon is an entity that doesn't have its own face and voice.

Whenever Nomicon talks to Randy it uses proxies in form of art/images/drawings/scribbles/writings. It gives strangely non-verbal vibes for something so cryptically eloquent! And whenever it does use a voice, its voice of the First Ninja (or more accurately his VA xD) , its first owner/wielder. When it uses a face, its usually the static/unmoving marble-like faces of Art or silly pen scribbles - both of which hold that uncanny valley look of something that looks human but really isn't. Not to mention the fact that it once literally stole Randy's face/body to teach him a lesson.

I like to think that Nomicon has a library of faces/visages/voices it can take on, but all of them are creepily unsettling because - what would a book know about how to be human? It's face moves wrong, the eyes are too wide open, its body is creepily still, the voice uses inflections like its copying someone else (and sometimes voice warbles and changes/overlaps with other voices because it has so many).

All of it gives these fae/cryptid vibes of creatures that steal voices/faces to trick people, but in this case Nomicon collects those faces/voices from its owners along with their memories (which is another messed up thing we collectively forget is very creepy lol).

Nomicon is an entity that doesn't have a body, and most importantly - hands.

The reason I gave Nomicon so many shadow hands is because, well, Nomicon is a book. Hands hold those books, so the hands are very important to Nomi. All those shadow hands? Are memories of all the hands that held it (mostly previous Ninjas, but also the Creep and some others). It remembers everyone who held it.

The fit- the hat and the cape are kind of obvious, it look like center of the cover and the cape looks like covers on either side with pages underneath. The weirdest addition I made - is the spaghetti noodle-doodle 'hair'.

It constantly fascinates me that Nomicon, besides the Greek Key/9 motif, has those sort of concentration circles that are also present during Mask/Suit transformation. It gave me thought of sort of weird halos i guess?? Which adds to creepy vibe, but in this case its biblically accurate angel / holy deity type of vibes.

Nomicon has very basic understanding of humanity.

For all the experiences/memories/personalities it was created from and it absorbed over the years, human things are a rather alien concept for the book. It's the reason Nomicon is so bad at its timing whenever it buzzes Randy. It just doesnt care that you are at school Randy, its trying to teach you how to be a better ninja!!! In some sense, it absorbed the most prevalent quality of First Ninja - the dedication to duty, the whole reason for its existence - to serve Ninjas to be the best they can. So, such human/mortal things as good grades/video games/a good nights sleep are very nebulous concepts to it.

Less of a hc but more of an observation/gripe but-

COME ON ITS NAME??? Ninjanomicon as in Ninjanecronomicon??? Because lets be honest its not just a book/guide for Ninjas its a book full of DEAD NINJAS??? LIKE??? In some sense all previous Ninjas, when they go through Ultimate Lesson, 'die' in the real world (because they are no longer Ninjas) and are preserved in Nomicon. And First is like deadass dead? (Plop plop too lol). So I feel like there should be more creepiness about that.

Anyway thats basically most of it, and sorry for silly doodles but i cant really draw creepy stuff xD

[bots-and-cons]

Hi so idk if this is the right place to request but I wanted to ask if you could do the cons reacting to the little 15-16 year old reader (gn pls) just absolutely wiping the floor with someone like four times their size and then just asking to go get McDonald’s or take a nap ✨

(I’m guessing this is the ask box and now I feel stupid lol but I just copy and pasted it so again tysm I love your writing!)

A/N: Yes, the askbox is the right place when you want to request something. I just did a couple of cons together, it’s a holoform (like a human avatar thingy) thing because I felt it was better that way. Also thank youuuu! This went a bit off the rails tbh, but I couldn’t be bothered to start over at almost 400 words, so I just kept going until I finished whatever the hell this ended up being

•Knockout, Breakdown, Soundwave and you had gone out on the town

•It was very, very rare for Soundwave to ever leave the Nemesis, but he wanted to observe some humans and you whined too much about him never going anywhere with you, so he promised just this once

•Knockout is probably the most adjusted to being in his holoform and acting like a human, Breakdown is also pretty well-adjusted

•Soundwave on the other gives off a very odd vibe, and there’s this uncanny valley thing going on with him, where people just get the creeps

•People visibly moved out of the way when you walked around town with these three, though it was mostly because of Soundwave and Breakdown’s constant angry expression

•So you would think no one would mess with you, but some of the bullies you’d been dealing with at school happened to come across you while you were separated from the three cons

•You’re a pretty chill person and you’re quite small for your age, but you have limits of how much shit you’re willing to take

•These bullies had been hounding your friend for months and you’d stepped in a couple of times to stop them, but it had never escalated to anything physical before

•So now that they saw you and assumed you were alone, these two idiots decided they would teach you a lesson

•When the commotion started, the three cons immediately started looking around, because they didn’t see you anywhere

•Knockout went to check out what was happening over where the people were gathering, and saw you standing over two other teenagers that were now laying on the floor

•You wiped the blood away from your upper lip and told Knockout you wanted to get something to eat

•He was like “Alright then” and just gave one last glance to the kids you had apparently beaten up

•Breakdown and Soundwave joined you while you were going to eat and Breakdown asked why you had blood on your knuckles

•You didn’t say anything, so Knockout told Breakdown you’d gotten into a fight

•”Well did you win?” Breakdown asked

•You weren’t really sure how they would react to you beating up some idiots, but you really should’ve guessed they would’ve been just fine with it

•You were like “Of course I won” with a grin

•Breakdown just smiled very widely and said “That’s the spirit” before ruffling your hair

•You went to get food and even Soundwave gave you a thumbs up

•Breakdown has kind of secretly been teaching you how to throw a proper punch, so he’s very proud of you, they all are, but especially him

•Knockout is more sneaky when fighting, because he’s not as strong, so he fights kinda dirty

•Soundwave is more the type to blackmail someone to get them to stop doing something, but he would definitely win in a fight too

•The four of you actually ended up talking about how to win a fight and how each of them does it

•Soundwave was a bit more cryptic about it, because he doesn’t really talk, he just said “blackmail” and left it at that

•It got a good laugh out of you but go Knockout and Breakdown wondering what kind of blackmail material Soundwave might have of them

[kawareo]

PSSSST 2 for the writer question meme

2. How does their race play into the design? Was it a conscious choice because of the racial features or did you simply enjoy the playstyle or lore?

Sooo Strike is a drow and when I made him one i admittedly had no idea about most of DnD and drow in general, I was just making my favorite OC to see what he'd look like in bg3 lol, it's why he doesn't really look like a drow or other drow ingame

BUT after getting way too into the Bhaalspawn stuff and bg3 lore and everything, I can confidently say that I found excuses reasons for why Bhaal would've made him that way.

the drow are considered a 'scary' race, Bhaal would've wanted that for his child, and they're kind of like... a degradation of a 'noble' race of elves? At least they're considered as such, they give off the high and mighty vibe and can do everything elves can but they're also considered lesser than surface dwellers.

They have a fucked up culture that's centered around an evil god(ess), but one that is not Bhaal. Strike could therefore relate to them but only from afar as they would've never accepted him as one of their own, which leads me to my next point

Isolation. That comes in two ways; one because people who aren't that familiar with elves and drow see a drow and assume the worst, so noone in their right mind would want to associate with him if they knew (Strike has to roll a persuasion check whenever he meets someone new and tells them that he's actually an elf), but because he doesn't fully look like a drow, everyone who does know them better will get this awful uncanny valley feeling about him. Like something is wrong but you can't really point it out, you know?

and another important thing is that Strike is a cis man, which puts him at the very bottom of social hierarchy of the lowest rank of an elf. Drow men are basically slaves and are treated as such, which means that his entire life he was constantly aware that without Bhaal and the title of being his scion, he would still, always, be a slave.

So yeah essentially me not knowing how drow work or look turned out really well because Bhaal is just enough of a bitch that I could totally see him make a mismatch of a person who will never be able to fit anywhere and whom noone will respect unless if he uses his Father's name and power to assert himself, but in any case, he created someone who will be unable to relate to anyone and find any other home outside of the temple.

[corviiids]

For the director's cut fanfic thing: ⭐⭐⭐ (these are THREE stars valid for whatever. I'm giving you blank checks)

thank you again <3

blank check 2/3 goes back to as you like it again! but this time i want to talk about my shadow designs for the akechi bossfights we've encountered in the preceding chapters >:3 there are five - the Puppet, the Singer, the Bard, the Dancer, and the Magician.

but this got really ABSURDLY long this time so ill stick to mostly the Puppet, and just do a brief ("brief") overview of the others for now.......

(for context: this is my palace au and akechi's keywords are akechi goro, the world, theatre.)

the Puppet (photos of giant puppets below if that freaks you out!)

the first Wing the thieves encounter is the puppet show, and the boss shadow is a giant marionette:

For one thing, it’s huge—maybe three or four times the size of a human being. It’s also gleaming, carefully polished and buffed, reflecting light more viciously in the areas where it seems the wood might be chipped or worn. The polish throws the lines of joints and pieces into sharp relief, giving the puppet the general impression of something whole that had been cut up and pieced slowly together with hinges and nails. Behind it, mostly concealed by its limp bulk, is a door. As they might have gleaned from the chatter of the audience, the show does not yet seem to have begun. As such, the puppet on stage is limp on its strings. Most disturbingly, it’s draped backward, not forward, snapped unnaturally at the spine and giving it the extremely uncanny look of a corpse on uneven ceiling hooks. They can just make out the side of the thing’s eyes from where they’re standing. Gravity has not been kind to them: the puppet’s eyelids are dropped open, bulging eyes left wide and staring up as far back as the build will let them. They haven’t rolled all the way into the wooden skull, presumably because they can’t. Instead, the unseeing yellow eyes remain fixed on the back corner of the stage. The puppet is entirely still. “I think I’m going to be sick,” Makoto says faintly.

i think the Puppet is my favourite of the five because he's so disturbing. i imagine he looks a bit like the giant marionettes by the french street theatre show royal de luxe:

but i really love these guys, so i think it's uncharitable to say akechi's shadow looks exactly like them. i know giant puppets are always a little freaky but i genuinely love the royal de luxe puppets and i think the workmanship on these does genuinely do a ton of work to dispel that uncanny vibe.

puppet akechi on the other hand is absolutely drenched in uncanny valley, so i guess imagine these puppets but much scarier. the main thing is those places where different pieces of wood are joined, in the joints / on the limbs / etc, because that's very key to puppet akechi's look in my mind, hence "something whole that had been cut up and pieced slowly together with hinges and nails". the Puppet is a marionette, but the way he's been constructed and set up on stage almost calls to mind the imagery of a corpse that's been reconstructed to perform. the way he moves is really unnatural:

Ren is beginning to think they might be able to get past and slip through that door without a fight when the whole creature rears up, back strings going taut, and lashes wildly out at him with a horrible clack of its arms—he leaps back and crashes directly into Haru, who catches and dips him like a princess before twirling him frantically into Ryuji and the puppet gouges a deep gash in the stage floor.    As they watch it screeches, howls an unnatural shriek, eyes suddenly wide and bulging larger. They ‘blink’ a few times, eyelids flipping, then the puppet Akechi goes limp on its strings again, though decidedly more upright than before, like whoever’s pulling the strings is now on guard. Its eyes stay open this time, bright gold and piercing.

very much not like something exercising its own agency, but like a body on strings being operated by someone who did not care to practice in the artistry of operating a puppet to make it look like a live thing - the puppet is literally just a tool to be flailed about.

this also shows in the way the puppet sits when it's at rest. guys do you know how god damn hard it is to find normal pictures of puppets? when you google marionette it just comes up with a bunch of fnaf shit. anyway check this guy out

at rest, they usually just kind of dangle innocently, or might slouch forward if given too much slack, right? it was important to me that puppet akechi look very wrong at rest, as if he's not "at rest" so much as he's just been left to hang. hence: "it’s draped backward, not forward, snapped unnaturally at the spine and giving it the extremely uncanny look of a corpse on uneven ceiling hooks." i'm basically imagining meat hooks, like, in a slaughterhouse or something you know? like he's just dangling from those.

that imagery was inspired by persona 5 dancing, actually - akechi's finishing pose in his dance is this:

this is just such an unnatural pose. when i saw it for the first time, i just couldn't get the image out of my head of a string puppet who'd been hung up and left to dangle without any regard for how it might look or feel (lol). not to mention that blank look in his eyes. i think a lot of the Puppet was born from this dance because the dance itself is so dynamic and silly but then the lead-up to the end suddenly gets very jerky and puppet-like. i really like his dance!

the Puppet's battle mechanic is that the applause will continue as long as the Puppet is either acting or getting hurt (kind of like the mettaton fight in undertale actually?). if the applause stops, then the Puppet will be inflicted with Despair - in p5 the Despair effect means you lose SP for each turn and then instantly die on the third turn. makoto ends up healing the Puppet and yusuke mercy-kills it before it can commit suicide:

Fox silently raises his gun. The Thieves collectively flinch as the Puppet dissipates. The applause starts back up. “If we’d left things silent,” Yusuke says, “it would have only happened again.”

because this is the first shadow bossfight the thieves encounter in the Theatre, i needed it to have some broader implications (vs some of the later shadows who have more specific interactions). so obviously the analogue for akechi is that the performance needs to continue and he needs to continue receiving acknowledgement from the public / from shido / etc because if he's not useful and entertaining and noticeable and such, then he's nothing - his life doesn't mean anything. obviously, if he doesnt perform for shido (perform in the sense of working, but also in the sense of showmanship) he'll probably be killed. but also, akechi really externalises his sense of self to an insane degree. the conceit of the palace is essentially that his entire internal world is the show, it's just this shallow performance, the backstage is empty. if he stops existing in the cognition of the masses, he essentially "stops existing".

i think a lot about third semester akechi in royal and how completely he's faded from public awareness. he doesn't care because he's a dead man walking and has locked into nihilism at that point. but if you look at what akechi says in the engine room:

his voice when he says this says a lot to me. akechi's envisioning the world as it will look when he has to return and face the consequences of the world discovering what's behind the curtain and realising his credibility was all a show. to be honest, i think this also plays a role in his decision to sacrifice himself in this scene. i don't think he wanted to die, but i think he did realise that the post-thieves, post-truth world wasn't a place that held anything for him anymore, and his desire to return to that reality was dramatically weakened, so it was an easier decision for him to choose to make that sacrifice than it otherwise might have been.

um, i had a point. okay, so, i was saying that once the applause stops, the Puppet begins to despair. the Puppet also is the most direct representation of akechi as someone who is being used. all the shadow bosses correlate to some aspect of akechi's need to perform and to the varying reasons why they all have that sense of desperation:

“Kinda feels like they’re just defendin’ themselves, you know,” [Ryuji] says. “Or somethin’. Look too much like him. It’s weird they can’t talk, cos it’s like fighting a dumb animal. Don’t they all seem real scared to you?” None of Akechi’s Shadows have delivered grand speeches about conquering the world. Even Futaba’s Shadow had given them a fairly strong indication of what was going on with her, that overwhelming guilt which had given birth to a resolve to lock herself up in her mind and die. Akechi’s Shadows have lashed out, tried to destroy them, sure. But it feels different in a way that’s growing more and more impossible to ignore. Desperate to fend them off, more than anything, like each one is the final bastion standing for a world that could crumble at any moment.

that's why once you figure out how to stop each shadow's "show" from going on, they instantly die:

ripping the Singer's mask off causes him to cease to exist (see below)

silencing the Bard, who relies on the power of his words to manipulate others, removes his power and reveals that he's pretty easy to take down

the Dancer's feet are always bleeding because he can't stop moving. he's hard to catch, but the moment he stops dancing, he's revealed to have extremely low defence and can be taken out very easily

but the Puppet is literally being manipulated by a puppetmaster. because he no longer has any use when the applause stops, he no longer has a reason to exist. i also just thought this would be a fun effect to start on because it's so drastic as an introduction to akc's psyche and really gives the thieves a sense of what they're working with by throwing them directly into the deep end.

ok let's leave the puppet behind for now. im gonna be more brief with the others i promise (maybe)

the Singer

LET'S TALK about. beneath the mask. a song about ren. but it's also a song about goro.

I'm a shape-shifter at Poe's masquerade Hiding both face and mind All free for you to draw

the fic goes over some of my meta about this:

[Yusuke] I have done some research. [Makoto] Oh? [Yusuke] I believe when the Opera Shadow sang of “Poe’s Masquerade”, he was referring to a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, entitled “The Masque of the Red Death”.

eternally grateful for the scene during the pyramid arc where yusuke loredumps about egyptian mythology so i have precedent to do this

yusuke summarises the story in this chapter (chapter 4), but basically: the story is about rich people abandoning the common folk to a plague, until a personification of the plague wearing a red mask enters the castle. when his mask is removed, it's revealed there is nothing underneath. everyone in the castle then succumbs to the plague.

the superficial connections to akechi are pretty obvious - red mask, plague doctor. etc. but this song is really, really telling for both ren and goro. i briefly went over this in my last dvd commentary post about the palace fic, but this relates to my meta around both of them as mask wearers. the line "all free for you to draw" is a big one - ren is "all free for you," the player, "to draw" - he becomes who you need him to be, and because you need to max out your confidants, he becomes (via you) who his friends need him to be.

goro is similar on a different scale because he moulds his personality to what the public expects him to be. he takes it one step further, because it's less utility for him and more foundational - as i said, to an extent the performance is the substance of his personality, which is the core of the distortion. so both ren and goro are wearing the mask, malleable in character, their actual personality being somewhat questionable, but that emptiness is only true for goro. ren's definitely got something underneath it, but goro feels like he doesn't.

brief cw for suicidal ideation, but i also generally take it as a given that goro doesn't really expect to live past 18 after defeating shido. not that he's actively suicidal, but i think literally or figuratively he knows after shido's downfall, his own life will pretty much be over, and that's part of what drives the emptiness. the show really only needs to go on until that point, and after that there's no need to build a real thing underneath to return to. he's very much living for that goal.

anyway: so the Singer starts out singing the Phantom of the Opera - the Shadow is very much modelled after the phantom - but swaps to beneath the mask and begins to connect with ren. the Singer wears a red mask. i really like this mask! i envision it as looking like someone pouring blood over his face and then the blood freezing in place, so it just looks very molten and liquid but fixed over half his face.

ren defeats the Singer by ripping his mask off:

[Ren] Please don’t take off my mask, revealing dark [Ann] OMG!! [Ann] THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED WHEN WE TOOK OFF HIS MASK!! [Ann] HE REVEALED DARK!!!! [Ann] HE DISAPPEARED!!!!!!!!!!

(i love the thieves because i dont have to be subtle about my symbolism i can just make them say it)

anyway, just like the figure in the Masque of the Red Death, ripping off the Singer's mask reveals "dark" underneath - he ceases to exist.

Just a cage of bones There's nothing inside

the Bard and the Dancer

when i was first plotting this fic, i was actually designing the palace not as a written environment but as though it would be a playable place. so a lot of it is informed by me picturing what this palace would be like to play through and explore, building it out as a video game environment in my mind's eye and then trying to describe it from that point. i took the same approach to the bossfights, so they're all designed around central gameplay mechanics which are largely based on status effects and how the player would strategise around them. (to that end, a lot of the design stuff in my doc never made it into the fic...)

the conceit of the bard was a shadow who can manifest abstract concepts into being by manipulating reality with his words. so the status effects he uses are brainwash and sleep, mostly. his monologues are modified versions of shakespeare's works.

part of the reason why i started writing this fic was specifically to challenge myself in aras of writing im not very confident in: so longform planning, progression of plot, environment description, and action scenes being major ones. writing all the boss fights was and continues to be a real challenge. the chapter that the bard shows up in (chapter 5) ended up taking ages and ages in part because i kept putting off writing this fight. now that it's done, though, the bard fight is actually maybe my favourite fight scene i've written lol. it always turns out that way!!! the reason i like it is because i realised the physical action wasn't the fun part of writing a fight like this. since it was focused on status effects, it meant i got to crawl into ren's headspace when he got brainwashed, which i really really enjoyed doing because i got to drag out some trauma that joker has lovingly repressed.

   to set my fellows, phantoms in the wings    in deadly hate the one against the other…    This isn’t the Casino. This is somewhere else entirely. The Casino, and everything that came with it, that was months ago. How did he forget? The cottonwool that had crept so slowly into his blood dissipates in a mad rush that leaves him dizzy with disbelief. His hands, now that he can feel them again, are trembling. The knife between his fingers, trembling. The cool floor beneath him, the air in his lungs. How close had he come to never feeling that again?    Had he really just been feeling safe about that plan? Had he really felt everything was going to be okay? If anything had gone wrong—anything at all—he’d have been gone. He’d have been dead. How had they made it so he felt okay with that?    A trick? A ruse?    How blasé they’d all been, when it was his life they were gambling with like a worthless set of poker chips! And they’re here—all around him. Safe? He’s never been in more danger.    “Joker!”    Surrounded. He’s surrounded by the ones who left him for dead.

the Dancer doesn't get as much attention in text because i didn't want to slow down the pacing of the story every few minutes to do another huge scene tgat doesn't really serve a purpose, just like the exploration of the Globe Wing didn't. all that mattered was that he was shown to be adaptable, agile, and resilient - the Dancer needs to be in top condition at all times and ready to dodge any threat. the imagery that came through to me the strongest was the idea that his feet are always bleeding, so he leaves bloodstains all over the floor.

the Magician

this was another scene i adored writing. i think environment-wise, the House of Cards is my favourite Wing in the palace because it's the most unique structure. it's not a styled theatre like the others, it's more on-theme to the Magician, like he's set up his own performance environment. so it's just a huge house of cards made of crumbling playing cards which is really difficult to navigate and which joker kind of blends into.

the premise for the Magician was someone who needs to perform miracles and present impossible illusions as reality with a flair for drama. the Magician fools the Thieves over and over and over again, because they are good-hearted people who want to save him.

did you ever see that unused mementos request in royal where akechi tells the thieves about a target to save someone, and doesn't tell them that the someone in question is dodgy themself, and watches to see how quickly the Thieves immediately trust them?

i don't think i based this fight off this request because im pretty sure i had it planned out before i ever saw this, but i was really pleased to see it because it's very much the same idea. even in the engine room, akechi calls the thieves idiots for inviting him back into the team. of course, this isn't a good or healthy worldview lol and it's something he has to unlearn because he literally trusts no one and that's not an extreme anyone should be endorsing, but he also has a point in that the thieves are willing to throw their faith into things way too easily and don't look critically at people or situations. so the magician fools them, victimises them, tricks them into considering him a victim, fools them again, traumatises them, but they all continue to feel empathy for him and try to save him when he's in trouble. akc's cynicism vs the thieves' faith is a big theme of this one i think and the question is like, when to doubt vs when to trust even when you have evidence to the opposition. i think the right position is somewhere between thesis and antithesis (which iirc is not actually the wording hegel used when describing dialectics? lol... i might be wrong. i never studied hegel so my knowledge is pretty superficial. but i think this was a translation thing anyway because allegedly goro doesnt refer directly to hegel in jp? someone can confirm or deny idk)

anyway those are the bossfights we've had so far!!! just the VIP Box to go now......................... :3

[puddleorganism]

Funguary day 5! Still want to work on something else today, so this one is fairly low-effort too. I did, however, put more thought into it! When looking for references I was immediately struck by how cool the underside of the cap looked and wanted to focus on that in the design!

Mycena Manipularis

Speaking of sketches…

Bonus sketch and design rambling!

I actually really like the full sketch. I kinda regret not doing the whole thing, but you know. Intentionally low effort and all that. I had a couple different ideas - I tried out a cobra hood type thing earlier. This one was inspired by some kind of spooky fae vibes. I love fae as like, a general concept? Most of the lore around them, while interesting, is not why I like them lol. I like how it’s often emphasized how inhuman they are, despite usually being depicted as basically just humans. Like mimicry or some strange convergent evolution. I really like that specific sort of uncanny valley - the inhuman is purely internal.

Though, I feel like in horror uncanny valley is a slippery slope, since there’s a lot of individual variation in real-world humans, and you could easily dehumanize actual features/mannerisms that real people have. I wasn’t entirely thinking about that while drawing this? But I think it’s important anyway.

I don’t remember where I was going with that!

But yeah, I guess I go in the reverse direction, with fae. Usually they’re humans with animalistic features, but mine are animals with human features. Notably hands. I like to draw animals with human hands. It’s spooky and unnervingly… intimate? Hands are the third most expressive parts of a human, behind the face and voice. Giving an animal hands makes them feel weirdly personable.

[dragonridernoobie]

Okay, sooo, I’m bored and I have this oc named Vivienne, Viv for short, she looks near human but gives off uncanny valley vibes. She’s like this Cyptid based in France, she wears a very extravagant masquerade mask most of the time(I’ll provide examples of her at the end, I used my Roblox oc of her as an example cause I can’t draw very well, as well as Gacha club:,)) and she’s just very kind and caring but is forever cursed to live in solitude due to how people react to her.

Soooo, I was wondering how Optimus(TFP), Ratchet(TFP), and Wheeljack would react to her protecting the kids(say they follow them throw the ground bridge) from cons or something

I also how just sentences of how I think she’d react but I want a full visual, like she completely destroyed a con, finger tips over her mouth as she says ‘ My apologies Monsieur ‘ or her just doting on the kids worried they are injured saying ‘oh vous petits chéris(oh you little darlings!) are you okay? You must have been so scared’

I just wanna see how the big boys react to her

Idk😭 she’s my main oc and I love her to bits cause she’s so sweet but so brutal when someone angers her😊 oh and her appearance is kinda inspired by lady Dimitrescu from resident evil if that helps

Cool, you play roblox to? What games you play? I play dragon adventures! Anyway, I will try my best but know I will not be doing this on Sundays. So sorry for the delay!!!!!

TransformersPrimeXOC

Optimus

Optimus will meet Vivienne when he goes to France.

He will be searching for decpticon since there was activity.

He will hear somthing crashing and goes to investigate.

That's where he finds Vivienne standing over a now dead con.

She has a hand fan, fanning her self.

He hears her say "my apologies monsieur"

He will be surprised and come to talk to her.

He will bring them to the base. (As much as ratchet hates that)

He will see quickly how portecrive he is of the kids.

(She is also his favorite since she is the most mature)

He would become Vivienne's guardian.

While being with Vivienne, he will see how people react to her.

He felt bad and asked

She explains, he feels worse.

He will try to include Vivienne in everything to make her happy.

Ratchet

Ratchet will meet Vivienne when optimus brings them to base.

While he complains, the kids will be interested of Vivienne.

He will be assigned as Vivienne's guardian.

He will pay Vivienne no mind but he will notice how she watches him from behind her fan.

I think he will finally see how powerful she is when she rescues him.

They where attacked while heading to base.

She will kick the decpticons ass.

He will hear her say "quelle chose pathétique" (what a pathetic thing)

He will have respect for Vivienne and actally starts to be nice.

(Meaning he will stop ignoring her)

He will let Vivienne sit on his shoulder while he works.

Wheeljack

Wheeljack would have met Vivienne when the autobots head to the decpticon warship to rescue him

While he is chained up, he hears somone shouting and blasting.

He will be surprised by a human walking in.

Vivienne will interduce herself (very politely)

"my apologies for the delay ami" (friend)

Vivienne will get wheeljack free and they meet up with the team.

He will be vivienne's new guardian and friend.

He will not be real quickly that Vivienne will be ignored and ask her about it.

Once he figures out why, he will think that would be awsome

Wreckers 🙄

[silly-lil-scribbles]

for that ask game you reblogged: questions 20, 29, and 31 :]

:D

aughhh im really bad at remembering things if im not asked about something specific but ill try: mm the reason cats eyes glow in the dark is because they have a lining in the back of their eyes called the tapetum lucidum that reflects the unabsorbed light when its dark out which gives it a second chance to be absorbed so they can see better ^^ (sorry if you knew this again im bad at fun facts)

favorite song lyrics: not good at favorites but currently im listening to bullets and “we could be perfect one last night, and die like star crossed lovers when we fight. and we can settle this affair, if you would shed your yellow, take my hand” in our lady of sorrows is really neat, because i’ve always felt like yellow symbolized not simply happiness and positivity but more like a mask, it kinda has the vibe of like uncanny valley and something is wrong. like its a very cheery color but its also like a warning, a kind of sickly color, like the feeling of impending doom but you cant tell why or whats wrong. yellow feels like its the first time you realize that something is off. kinda gives me a mix of stranger and corruption vibes. ooh or like a person who seems like they live a very neat and clean life but the more you watch them you realize that this perfect cleanliness is seemingly the only thing that matters to them anymore and theyve gone from a normal person to a shell of their former self who excessively cleans because they cant go back now this is the only important thing and if they lose it they dont know who they are anymore. all of this to say that this has absolutely nothing to do with the song i just wanted to rant about the color yellow oops ill stop now. i swear its important to analyzing the song i just don’t know how. hard to put into words. ive always imagined that the lady (i dont know her name sorry ill just call her the lady) and her lover were like hunting vampires and now theyve gotten caught up in it and like this is their life now so i interpret this line to be set in their last night while surrounded by the vampires. and so like they can tell that something is wrong and hes begun to accept that this might be their last day together so hes trying to get the lady to accept it and just let them spend one last night without being caught up in fighting vampires. but this is her purpose now and she cant just stop and move on. I HAVE CONNECTED THE IMAGINARY DOTS. THIS MAKES SENSE I PROMISE. CAN YOU TELL IVE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS WAYYYY TOO MUCH LMAO. @humanteethmarksonhumanbone this is our lady of sorrows’ backstory btw since you wanted to know more about her, and congrats on picking up on the vampire theme that was very intentional! i still have more to tell you later but heres my lore rant

that was long jesus fucking christ

this is very important to me

and uhhh so sorry can you tell me what 31 was again?? i got caught up in the second and forgot oops

[fivenightsatfreddysfanfiction]

how old is the cast by the time of HW and Breach, or more specifically how long are the timeskips? (if it's vague because the timeline is still being reworked, though, that's understandable for sure!)

Unfortunately you're right that the rework means a lot of time is in flux. Ages and timeskip spans are pretty much up in the air, so a lot of things I'm going by a sense of feel, which is ehhh.. I don't have an English equivalent but I say mas o menos about it and hope those of y'all who know that feel understand what I mean.

Like I feel Jeremy by the time of Security Breach is very much considered a senior citizen by age in years, despite 7 slowing his aging by healing damage done by time. Like if he didn't have 7, he'd be a lot more reliant on Damien doing the hardware assembly of Securi-Toys while he stayed on software.

I feel that Alex was still technically too young to work security when Sydney was kidnapped, but old enough to be a busboy for Circus Baby's Pizza and Parties, which fulfilled employment requirements to keep him emancipated and Meera temporarily acted as his familiar reference until he was old enough to be considered responsible for himself.

Originally Sydney was only going to be gone a few months through the whole of Help Wanted, Special Delivery, and Security Breach, but thanks to Help Wanted's Curse of Dreadbear DLC giving an initial idea that the Pizzaplex was barely starting construction when Tape Girl was taken over by Elizabeth Afton, the time frame became a few years that he, Vanessa, and Gregory were held captive. This was to give time for the Pizzaplex's construction, Sydney and Vanessa's friendship to develop over time, Gregory's Remnant being resistant to shredding because of Mike making it take longer to do than for Lucian and so Elizabeth used some of that time to upload William Afton's knowledge of animatronic creation and Remnant research, and Glamrock Freddy becoming possessed by Michael Afton, forming close bonds with the other Glamrocks and mourning Glamrock Bonnie going missing and being declared decommissioned.

Vanessa kind of gives me vibes of being a little older than Sydney, and Sydney himself was at least 18 when he first got the security job from Meera so he could qualify as Alex's guardian in the emancipation application to the courts, was working there for a length of time until Alex got the beta tester job at that game studio (was it Silver Umbrellas Studios?) that ended with him getting kidnapped, and by the time of Security Breach Sydney was in his early 20's. Vanessa can't remember her age or birthdate, so she has to go by whatever information was given to her by Elizabeth Afton even if she doesn't trust the legitimacy of it. From Gregory's teacher's observation she looks young enough compared to Gregory to make the teacher think she was a teen mom, but she's a judgey bitch of an unreliable narrator so grain of salt on her assessment.

Gregory is definitely a kid about Cassie's age but thanks to Mike's soul essentially grafted into his own to keep his Remnant from being fully scrubbed blank, he doesn't always act or speak his age. It filters through kid vocabulary and behavior and makes him a little weird or out of line, and Cassie does give him a side-eye in those moments. Like it sounds like something a kid would do or say but there's something a lil uncanny valley in the delivery. So it's hard to pin down his age when he's also able to draw on Elder Afton's knowledge of coding and construction the more Alex teaches him about programming and hacking.

And by this time, if Steph hasn't found herself a husband then she's most likely married to Meera since that was Meera's promise to her when she was freaking out that she'd be unmarried by the time she was 40.

See what I mean about time frames being kinda up in the air? And like all of this could change yet again once I get things more concretely pinned down.

[mysterycharacterflowers]

Round 1; Snapdragons Vs A bouquet of lily, red spider lily, daffodils and milkweed

If you know who they are, or are pretty sure of it, please don't tell until this poll has ended!

First, let's talk about the Snapdragons

Meaning and why this flower was chosen: Snapdragons represent deception, graciousness, elegance, and strength. Depending on the actions of the protagonist, she can embody all four. If the protagonist try to save her, she'll be kind, polite, and harmless to him for the rest of the story. If he backstab her or try to leave her behind, she'll do a 180 and fight him (one-armed if she has to) and successfully kill him (even at the cost of her own life). I'd say she's elegant in all routes. (Also "slaying a dragon" is a common trope and there are many methods to kill her in her media) Description: Snapdragon is a mysterious but potentially powerful prisoner that will change depending on what the protagonist believes about it. (Pronouns used are she/her because the protagonist was told so) If the protagonist is terrified of her, she can be either a goddess or a demonic being. If the protagonist sees her as an enemy to take down, she is something that is dangerous but can be won against. But if the protagonist pities her as a prisoner and does what he can to save her, she is weak and powerless. (Conversely, if the protagonist doesn't give a shit about her, she'll be something with an inconsistent appearance giving uncanny valley vibes) The only true way to stop her is to believe she's dead, and even then she can become undead or use the last of her energy to do something if the protagonist is paranoid enough.

Check their post here

Now, let's talk about the bouquet of lily, red spider lily, daffodils and milkweed

Meaning and why this flower was chosen: Lily is a big one for her, because of their strong ties to religion along with rebirth, something she metaphorical goes through (though her rebirth isn't exactly pleasent). Red spider lily is also a big one, since the death of her mother and the resulting grief are what tips her over the edge and causes her to make the decision she makes. Daffodils are often given for forgiveness, and that's what she ultimately seeks. And milkweed because she likes butterflies :) Description: She was born to an extremely religious mother who abused and isolated her for years, and as a result she basically saw herself as a walking sin against god. When she got older, she (unknowingly) made friends with a real demon who posed as a priest and managed to manipulate her into killing her mother. She immediately regretted this and begged for forgiveness, her friend responded by locking her in a church and telling her that if she kills enough sinners she'll be forgiven. She's killed dozens of people in the hope that she'll be forgiven, but in reality the souls she kills just get eaten by the demon, and she's doomed to be trapped until her soul eventually gets eaten too.

Check their post here

[peachy-lemon83]

Omg the scenes that I think will forever be pieces of my memories from Criminal Minds (and there’s a lot but these two scenes are like the two scenes I always come back to, and they both from the same episode…

The Uncanny Valley S5Ep12 (spoilers ahead obviously..)

And not so great topics with children, like different then death not great topics so be warned if you haven’t seen this episode, tho this topic isn’t something uncommon in the show case wise…

1) Spencer and Rossi going to talk to the unsubscribe Dad, and Reid just kind of in background examining the Dr’s office, more specifically the shelves in the office . Then Rossi is kind of finished “we’re not getting anything from him right now” vibes. And then Reid instead, about to walk-out is like “quick question, why those toys there”. Doesn’t take the easy explanation, more specifically asked why those ones are so high where kids wouldn’t be able to reach them. Then grabs these very unique toys after the Dr says their reminders of children he’s helped. And then Reid brings down 3 toys and the Dr. tells him a name for each child he “helped” and then sways to the topic of how these kids are, two which the Dr gets offended. And Reid just stares at this man so intensely (like it genuinely gives off Reid after S12 vibes if you know what I mean tbh) and says

“Oh I’m not implying anything. I’m making an inference. An inference is an educated guess, then based on that I form a hypothesis. For instance my hypothesis here is that after you [I think we can assume what this word is] your daughter, you submitted her to electro shock treatment to make sure she stayed quite”

Noise of denial from the Bad Dr

“Then out of guilt you bought her toys, more- more specifically you bought her a line of dolls because that’s what serial m*lesters do, they give gifts. So you continued the pattern with your other patients. And then once they left your care you added their toys to the collection.”

Bad Dr. “I’m sorry, you can’t back up your story. Doctor.”

Back to Reid “This is why I love my job, Doctor, bc my lab is a jury of your peers. My tests with [each of the three girls the toy belonged to] the DA will put on the stand and I’m gonna personally bring these dolls and I’m gonna how they react”

Rossi offered him a deal where they’ll tell the DA he cooperated

2) just Reid walks into the room with the unsub (the place where she’s has the victims set up as human dolls). He doesn’t don’t raise his weapon just softly talks to her. Tells her he knows what her father does. And then gives her back her dolls. And I know she’s an unsub but the smile of pure joy when she gets those dolls. And then he gently tells them to let her keep her dolls while she’s leaving (whether to keep her in line or bc he knows she needs them idk not do I really care) it’s such a soft Spencer Reid moment even though he’s talk to an unsub. And then he has like a protective avenger to the dad who’s supposed to be the “innocent” one ig

[cogcltrcorn]

me, a man who has not read A Word of the "his dark materials" series: I think I should figure out what daemons tvc characters would have

this is an open discussion. I will need to hear y'alls input on this.

so. I have started with lestat. and I present, for your consideration: the evillest golden retriever. ever.

my argumentation:

handsome

blonde

ok and now seriously

a hunting animal

look. "lelio", the kind kid that was obsessed with proving himself useful by providing for his family, the happy-go-lucky amateur actor, definitely had a big nice dog as a daemon. what happened later is. a different story

sidenote: obsessed with inserting this daemon into the whole wolf-hunting sequence and the subsequent depressive episode. lestat mentions that when he was lying in bed afterwards he felt cold because he was usually sleeping with dogs. here it's marginally better because he would still be lying in bed with a dog but also WORSE because. that's the only one that survived. it's that more obvious how lonely he is.

obsessed with the concept of a "puppy love" turning into something entirely different. an evil golden retriever has the same uncanny valley effect as lestat himself, I think

Louis: A falcon

arguments:

look. I am at a point where I just look at some of these pictures and see jacob anderson. this is just hashtag him you know. he has the vibes

also a hunting animal!!!

this:

they eat small animals, mostly rodents (giggling violently)

just. look. it's him

With Claudia it's difficult. on one hand, I really want her to have a canine as well, for some good old mother-daughter parallels. but also. she just isn't. my thoughts on her are:

1) A Burmese Python

this is vibes based. also. love the idea of her having a fuck-off giant snake. works great for all versions of claudia. amc claudia would wear her as a boa.

also a carnivore, but not a hunting animal!!! because!!! you see!!!! despite everything!!!! both lestat and louis will always be more tame/human than her!!!!! because they had actual time to grow up!!!!! and live as humans!!!!! unlike her!!!!

not particularly related to the snake form specifically but love the idea of both louis and lestat being Extremely slow to pick up on the fact that the daemon has settled. like they would probably go "hey why won't you change into something smaller" for a full 3 months before they fucking COMPREHEND

2) a black footed cat

I like this option less (because the fuckoff giant snake is simply more fun) but. it's the smallest and also deadliest feline in the world. this is very much hashtag her

kind of draws a parallel to gabrielle (who. should clearly have a lioness. this is just common sense)

so. yeah. those are my Thoughts. as I've mentioned above, Gabrielle clearly has a lioness (going insane about Gabrielle having the mane that the lioness doesn't.......), also I think Nicki should also have some sort of bird... (maybe a carrion crow?) and I am thinking some sort of canine for armand as well. a maned wolf? don't know. anyway. give me your thoughts!!!! I am going insane!!!

[threehuskiesinatrenchcoat]

HI IM BACK AND GUESS WHAT

HEARRRRR MEEEE OUTTTTTT

self aware au 🤭🤭

Where like graves is the player (player!graves and game!grave are two different people they just have the same name and same personalities-ish) and is playing The mwll campaign and Alejandro turns self aware that the world he’s in is fake and that someone is watch him and at the end of the campaign he finds p!graves’s screen and like jumps out and yells stuff like “I THOUGHT YOU DIED HIJO DE PUTA” attacks him and then have a whole game of cat and mouse with graves ending up in his attic in the corner hiding and is wondering how the fuck this is happening and then Alejandro finds him and is like “I GOT YOU NOW ASSHOLE” and graves is just in the corner like “BRO PLEASE LET ME EXPLAIN 😭😭😭”

im so sorry i forgor to answer HONESTLY i should think about this more you could sprinkle some uncanny sci fi vibes in there too like honestly the idea of game characters becoming self aware is one of the topics that are really interesting and fascinating to me on so many levels. i like your idea and this inspired me to brainstorm a little idea of my own just now?? consider: self aware + sort of a time loop where every time character graves dies in the campaign it's like a game over - respawn at the beginning situation and it's all well and good until he starts to remember stuff from previous playthroughs and the more shit repeats itself and he tries to change something the more he notices things that just go wrong and don't line up, glitch in the matrix style. cuz he's not supposed to do that and it kind of breaks the game? like he says something out of the script and other characters give a completely out of the blue response because their dialogue is based off of the thing he was _supposed_ to say so it doesn't make sense. he goes somewhere he's not supposed to be at the moment and it's just empty, people are supposed to be there realistically but it's completely devoid of life and action cuz this scene is not supposed to play out and there's no need to render it fully. and the idea of this being a linear game where he's the only one actively dying and re-doing every playthrough and the others are constrained by the game's code gives a whole another level to the "im trying to explain that im stuck in sort of a time loop and something is super wrong but no one gets it" because he stumbles right into the uncanny valley of other people not seeming like people when he goes off script. so depending on where this au could go it's either realizing your complete loneliness and living with the world literally breaking around you or desperately trying to change the way things go and get through to other people to maybe replicate the thing that happened to you. give alejandro a kiss see if that's far enough from the initial script to short-circuit him into self-awareness honestly this trope damn i live for the mental torment of a person realizing his whole existence is just lines of code. and his whole purpose is to die a villian so the main characters could live to be the heroes.

[spiltsoup]

Okay but literally Jane Krakowski’s Law and Order character terrifies me on a primal level and I want to be dramatic and talk about it for a bit. Maybe I’m just biased and gay but I get genuinely uneasy watching her. She is a walking White Woman Jumpscare to me.

In a season 5 SVU episode Jane plays the character of Emma Spevak, a jealous sister and daughter who murders elderly women, motivated by her screwed up relationship with her mother.

The following is expanding on this post but 90% of Jane’s work is comedy. She’s very expressive and emotive and wired, and brings that energy to every character she plays. And even when she’s been in serious stuff, or has portrayed awful people, she still uses her range of emotion to express their awfulness.

Take for instance, Jenna Maroney. Evil woman. Has done bad things. But within the context of the show this is played for laughs, and you can see it in her performance.

Mom At 16 lady. A more realistic, grounded character who is struggling with motherhood and the fact that she can’t have children. Even if the writing is kind of generic, Jane’s still working the best she can with the material they gave her.

Even EMILY FUCKING KLEIN, the predatory news reporter who is a horrible person (and unfortunately the only confirmed gay Jane character I’m crying and screaming rn), demonstrates some amount of emotion when she’s on screen. I don’t have the best examples here but TLDR she’s still a human.

But Emma? Nothing.

After killing dozens of unnamed elderly women in med school and strangling even more with climbing rope later in life and shooting her brother dead she just looks so empty. There’s no rage there. There’s nothing.

And it’s so strange to see Jane play a character like this. Like… she’s holding back. Normally you’d expect her to be screaming like a banshee or throwing something or breaking down into hysterics, but she’s more like a puppet here. Up until the last few minutes of the episode her voice is just complete monotone, and EVEN WHEN she confesses to the murders she just smiles plainly and sheds exactly 1 tear.

Also just looking at her, she looks… off. It’s like yeah, that’s Jane Krakowski, but something is off by just a bit to be noticeable but not enough that it makes you question your perception of the actor. I think it’s her eyes?

Maybe I’m just dramatic but the entire performance is creepy and Emma gives me “uncanny valley” human vibes. Out of all the Jane Krakowski characters ever, I would not want to be alone in a room with this bitch.

[reynie-muldoons]

'A Bit of Light Chop' Liveblog!!!

HI BABES

Finally, FINALLY, I can watch episode 2. I'm so damn excited. I had a sammie, a snack, and some tea, so let's get at it.

Spoilers under the cut :))

0:30 god I love the recaps

0:39 first of all the shortcut is beautiful. Second of all this music opened so intense

0:58 "what percentage of tonage" LMAO GIRL HUH

1:05 "boat jail. Let's avoid." Solid plan bbg 😂

1:16 KATE'S FACE AGDJDJJDJD she sees pirates in a whole new light now

1:41 CAPTAIN NOLANDDDDD

1:48 okay teddy roosevelt

2:08 "elegance doesnt float either" damn all of their comedic timing and on-screen chemistry has gotten super fucking smooth

2:14 the EYEBROWS

2:35 omfg he's still going. Icon behavior

2:39 "I've always wanted to live through a mutiny." Well if you count overthrowing a whole ass school, you have lived through a mutiny 😂

2:48 CANNONBAAAAAALLLL

3:13 the first thing she thinks of for a cover story is child ghosts. how very Constance of her

3:23 ooooh water polo strikes again

4:08 nooooo they're on the ship toooo

4:22 d'awwww they're beyond formality

4:25 "I strongly request formality" this dude. THIS DUDE

4:31 damn, he counted everyone??? What's it like to be able to rely on your brain, can't relate

4:40 something about "cardinal maritime sin" really hit my funny bone

4:49 daaaamn they have a lot of trust in each other

5:07 "I need to see them walking the plank!" "Captain, that is no longer legal." LMAO THIS EXCHANGE

5:25 the opening my beloved

5:38 LMAO DOG MAN IS IN MILLIGAN'S SCREENCARD

6:31 my guy maybe you should sit down, you're not looking too good

6:38 I'm glad he sat down but damn does he look defeated 🥺

6:57 that analogy was stupid and embarrassing and he should feel stupid and embarrassed

7:05 "you're delusional and your demonstration is meaningless" THATS WHAT I SAID

7:10 "I rather liked it" I hate that that made me laugh

7:15 "well what does the blueberry represent 🧐" number two my love my baby girl, you're fucking hilarious

7:19 that was the sweetest thing ever wtf 🥺🥺 the way she immediately goes over to him and tries to help him ground himself

7:30 damn right she's no mere associate

7:46 "a word like that just fuels the cycle of anger" okay than what the fuck else is it, you plucked them out of the street and drove them to the middle of nowhere

7:58 "think of it as an opportunity" if I can think about it as an opportunity for number two to sock you in the face then I'll deal with it

8:03 "I dont want. your. tea." the PURE VENOM in her voice

8:09 THERE THEY AREEEEE

8:13 I'm kind of surprised they even have rooms, part of me thought they would just be left at the table

8:30 "I want you to get out of here" BRB CRYING SHE'S ALREADY TRYING TO PROTECT HIM

8:45 ohoooooh is it time for Constance's powers??

9:01 valid 😂

9:27 oh noooo poor Reynie

9:32 "you can choose when to connect" okay so why did you not choose to connect with Reynie all summer. Unresolved tension

9:34 GORGEOUS SHOT.

9:47 oh shit Constance backstory???

9:51 ......really? Polar bears and clowns?

10:05 for a second I thought she was throwing shade at Milligan but then I realized last year was the Institute LOL

10:31 "where are your parents?" Loaded question, guy

11:00 they both look so good stop

11:16 ooooh are they taking a fancy train??

11:25 "it's not you. Its him." LMAOOO

11:28 LLAMAAAAA. I'm overjoyed.

11:32 IMMEDIATELY RUINED BY THE CULTINESS DAMMIT

11:49 "every exit is an entrance if you think about it" whoooa they're drinking the koolaid

11:53 LMAO they just had a whole damn moment

12:05 this child looks so forlorn wtf

12:20 "they're giving color to their emotions" honey I dont know how to tell you this but every canvas is entirely yellow

12:26 ARE THEY SIBLINGS OR DATING I NEED ANSWERS

12:46 have I mentioned I love Number Two

13:05 uncanny valley vibes looking at his face

13:46 "or wait for an opportunity to present itself." "Are you talking about the bathroom?" NUMBER TWO CONTINUES TO BE THE BEST 😂😂😂

14:06 "I've seen enough" WOW. If even *he's* seen enough, you know it's bad. He's a stubborn as they come

14:20. Again, absolutely gorgeous shot

14:43 agent of chaos strikes again

15:01 "I'll look in the fruit basket" she said, intending to eat the fruit

15:04 CALLED IT LOL

15:10 Kate popping up from behind 😂😂 also how the hell did she notice that?

15:43 I know I said this last episode but I still love the shoes

15:58 awkwaaaard

16:18 uhuh, I bet you're real tired. Bet you'll need the bed for that

16:50 HAH THE SUGAR WAS ACTUALLY IMPORTANT

17:13 this poor man has seen some shit

17:55 whatever "situation alpha" means

18:12 yes please continue having this conversation at full volume in public

18:43 what on earth

19:14 i think my eyes just rolled into the back of my skull 😂

19:28 awwwww he's jelly and Constance knoooows

19:38 "you... process" even SHE knows Reynie's upset

20:07 I dont know what's happening but I like it a lot 😂

20:41 number two, poster child for beetroot powder (allegedly)

21:11 jumpscare

21:43 something something back of neck

22:23 oh NOOOOO he sees them without their "parents"

22:42 CONSTANCE HAHAHA

23:17 the bastards did it

23:20 why dont you just.. leave their suite 😂

24:36 babe maybe you shouldn't glue them to the ceiling??? Just use tape?????

24:48 OH THEYRE IN A BLIMP

24:55 is Miss Perumal giving him parenting advice?? 🥺 ohhh my heart

25:11 Milligan you're such a sweetheart omfg

25:16 Rhonda is passed tf out 😂 good for her, she must be exhausted from all the stress

25:21 LOL THE SEATBELT

25:49 damn, they've been walking a while, it's already dark. How big is this place??

25:58 I love her so much hahahaha

26:10 Number Two is canonically fueled by rage and hanger. Relatable.

26:15 SHIT I knew this was coming but still startling

26:23 is this bitch really signing copies

26:25 damnit he is

26:29 SQ!!! BABY BOY

26:29 the hell is a walkabout????

26:37 IRATE MAN IS IRATE

26:54 "we're protecting the vibe." I HATE THAT HE MADE ME LAUGH

27:08 "Nicholas, I've moved on." No you haven't, that much is obvious. And fuck you

27:24 Curtain, the vibes are rancid. Maybe you need to walk into the fence

27:35 Ohhh shit is he trying the thing on him oh shit oh shit

27:44 wtf is happening

27:57 daaamn what??

28:22 "who's actually going to benefit from all that except you??" EXACTLY. EXAAAACTLY

28:31 everyone seems to think he's jealous. Like, everyone. I really dont think he is, I think he just wants to reach his brother, really and truly, and have an actual heart to heart with him

29:08 it's the jumpscare man again

29:15 and there's the creepy again. This is really fucking weird

29:21 noooo I dont like this

29:24 they're so cute

29:51 what the fuck 😂😂😂

30:04 as if those kids dont have enough to worry about, now they have a ship crew on their tail

30:06 is he a caricaturist??? That's pretty good 😂

30:13 they really dialed up the creepy this season. Is that the polo team?

30:24 ayyy that's the reason Apollo is on Reynie's screencard in the op!!!

30:38 ayyyyy it *is* the water polo team

31:03 Reynie baby 🥺🥺🥺

31:08 "no one's gonna make fun of you." *Everyone stares pointedly at Constance.*

31:23 I really hope that they just busted down the door for the newlyweds LMAO

and that was that!! So far I'm very impressed with this season. I can't wait for the angst, and I cannot wait for the community involvement. This season will bring a juicy amount of fanfiction.

What did you guys think of this episode??

Edit from future Charity: DAMN IT I just realized there was no "roll credits" moment in this one either :(( sadge

[fandomfourever]

Simulation Games

Just saw the trailer/reveal for Life By You, and... I have very mixed feelings.

On the one hand, there is a lot of customization which is cool. The ability to control the character you make and walk around as them is something I really like the sound of. The traits and background stuff for them is cool, though of course we'll have to see how much they actually impact things. And from what I was seeing on the site for it, there is plans for more than the one world we're seeing, which is good because if it was only the one, that's pretty limited without a world creation tool of some sort to make different biomes or whatever.

On the other hand: I couldn't shake the very uncomfortable feeling I had watching it? Part of it is the graphics, which are too much like the Sims 3 for my tastes, there's a reason that's the only main Sims title I never played, because it was fugly. I'm aware it's subject to improvement, but right now, not thrilled by it. Like, I can enjoy realistic looking models, but they very quickly devolve into Uncanny Valley/potatoes.

The other thing is, actually, just how customizable it is. The ability to add dialogue is kind of cool, but the UI of it reminded me so much of Twine. I'd have to probably rely on other people to make dialogue I'd download, since Twine itself has given me so much trouble. And that's not what I want in a game! I don't want to have to make every single thing myself, because then when will you have time to actually play?

And will it have an option for rotational play? I like some degree of control over what's going on, and if I have a specific storyline that I want to play out with one family, then hop over to another, I don't want it ruined, which is a concern.

Also with the UI, it does feel, idk if generic is the right word but.... It has no personality? The use of emojis that popped up especially felt odd and almost uncomfortable. Maybe it's just a placeholder until they make their own emotes, but, eugh. The whole thing feels very corporate. That was the word that kept coming to mind. Corporate. Cold. Bland.

Which is a very big contrast to the vibes I get from Paralives. All the things I've seen about Paralives, the art style, the UI, it all feels very warm. Cozy. Relaxing. I do prefer the cartoony look in general, though I do feel as Paralives has developed, it's got a great balance of cartoony, without being caricatures. It gives me comic vibes, or like, The Wolf Among Us. We also have seen some animations for Paralives, which look a lot better than Life By You so far, despite LBY being supposedly further along. In the trailer for LBY, there was a couple with height difference kissing, and it looked like the taller was kissing the shorter's eye, where with Paralives, they interacted pretty seamlessly despite height difference.

Anyway, that's just how I feel about both right now. Both existing is great, of course! It's good for The Sims to have competition, needed. So having two promising life sims coming out is an overall positive. But so far, Life By You doesn't give me the good feelings I get every time I see an update for Paralives. So, as of right now, I'm most looking forward to Paralives, but I'll be keeping an eye on Life By You.