#i fear this is the vibe i bring to the function

[kazz-brekker]

hotd episode thoughts

listen, as someone who enjoys some good dragon drama, i feel fantastically well catered-to by this episode

the confrontation between rhaenyra and addam was fun, i liked that it's apparently kind of inspired by western face-offs but with dragons instead of guns

that conversation between larys and ironrod while they were watching aemond sentence men to the watch definitely implied to me that, unlike with his brother, the council is so wary of/intimidated by aemond they don't even want to talk to him about possibly important war developments. which does not bode well for team green's stability in the future, tbh

jace stop being mean about mysaria that's your mom's girlfriend you're talking about :(

i did find the conversation between rhaenyra and jace really interesting, i hadn't considered that the sowing of the seeds plan might bring out so much of his insecurities about being a bastard. he and rhaenyra have probably the most functional parent-child relationship in the show, but they really DON'T talk about this aspect of his life at all, and it really shows

oscar tully unexpected mvp of the episode perhaps? holding his own against that whole council of river lords…calling daemon loathsome…making him execute willem blackwood to atone for spurring on those war crimes…king shit!

i enjoyed getting to see viserys again, i've really missed his actor this season and seeing daemon's reaction to his ruined face was quite interesting

daemon you are SO close to realizing that you don't actually want to be king and would make a terrible ruler, i'm rooting for you to figure this out by the season finale

the scene with aegon and larys talking was probably my favorite from last week so i really liked that we got a follow-up on it. very impressed that aegon is capable of walking even the tiniest amount after what he's been through

rhaena running off into the mountains…she's getting that dragon by hook or by crook

ulf trying to get out of claiming a dragon by claiming he had an injury made me laugh

i like that hugh and ulf have totally different reactions to being possible dragonseeds, one boasting and the other hiding it

alicent was serving real ophelia by john william waterhouse vibes this episode

loved that the dragonkeepers had a huge fight with rhaenyra over the sowing of the seeds, they're in the background of so many dragon scenes but we've never gotten much perspective on what they think of dragons or the targaryen right to claim them before

i do admit to saying "wow, those are some toasty boys" out loud when vermithor was torching those poor dragonseeds

love love LOVE that we got to see both vermithor and silverwing this episode, they look so cool and i love their distinct designs

i have been waiting ALL SEASON for the payoff of hugh and ulf claiming those dragons and it was such an exciting sequence, you could really feel the adrenaline and the danger the whole time

ryan condal on the inside the episodes comparing the death of the dragonseeds to ritual sacrifice was also super fun symbolism

another daeron mention, hi daeron and tessarion :)

also house beesbury making problems for the hightowers, love to see it

after aemond has spent so much time this season intimidating and terrifying other people it WAS super fun to see him do a hard swerve into fear when he saw how many dragonriders rhaenyra has now

that final shot of rhaenyra standing on the dragonmount with syrax, vermithor, and silverwing behind her DID get to, i must say. it's house of the dragon! and we have the dragons!!!

okay yeah i am super hyped for the finale and whatever it may bring, seems like it's gonna be epic. the triarchy! the dragons! the riverlands! helaena in the war effort, apparently?! what fun!

[chiisana-sukima]

Hello, what do you think about the take, and what Dean says in that one episode, that Sam is not like John than Dean?

Hi, Nonny! Thanks for the ask!

I'm guessing the episode you mean is 04x19 Jump the Shark, where Dean says Sam is more like John than he himself (Dean) ever was. If not, my apologies for misinterpreting, and I hope this is interesting anyway.

Imo accusations in spn of someone being like John are mainly about four things: anger, stubbornness, the desire for revenge, and child endangerment. And about those, my main thought is this:

image source

I do think early spn makes comparisons between John and Sam that are intended to represent character flaws Sam needs to struggle against and overcome. Sam is sometimes angry, he's often very stubborn, and there are multiple seasons where he's driven in part by desire for revenge. For better or worse though, I don't find the comparison very compelling; mainly because anger, stubbornness, and desire for revenge are all morally neutral. The only actual bastard in that combo up above is the child endangerment, which isn't really relevant to early seasons Sam.

Anger, and even hate, don't actually lead to the dark side of the Force; maladaptive responses to emotions do. Whether one wants to go to Blackwater Ridge like Dad said to practice one's vigilante serial killing profession or search for Jessica's murderer to do the same is not the compelling ethical problem spn makes it out to be. Either option results in killing (people-like-)monsters that are killing people while being too busy to kill other (people-like-)monsters that are killing other people. And everyone who's dead at the end of the day is equally dead regardless of whether one's motive was "pure" (saving people) or "stained" (revenge).

To give spn what credit it's due, s4, where this comparison from Dean occurs, *is* the closest Sam ever comes to having anger and desire for revenge drive him into maladaptive and harmful behavior. Especially in the flashback scenes to when Dean was in Hell, Sam is at least having a really rough time of it, even if he still honestly seems to not be harming anyone (more than usual for a hunter) but himself.

Any moral dimension is significantly undercut by the fact that Sam's kill count in s4 is not especially high (Sam 9/Dean 10), as well as by the fact that the behavior Dean doesn't approve of is saving possessed hosts instead of offing them indiscriminately as collateral damage to get at the demons inhabiting them.

And this quote itself is especially weirdly vibes-over-substance in that Dean is just disillusioned with Sam because Sam is disillusioned with life. There is no actual moral element to discuss. Adam was long dead before they got there. Sam is technically on the correct end of the argument: being left in the dark--the path Dean was advocating throughout the episode, and that he's bitter in this speech that Sam disagreed with him on--did possibly factor into getting Adam and his mom killed. Certainly Sam disagreeing with Dean in the present did not. But honestly, who cares either way? None of it is relevant now. Dead is dead, and neither Sam nor Dean had anything to do with it or has anything to be ashamed of.

Which brings me to the one thing the person who did have something to do with it actually should have been ashamed of: John treated all his kids badly. Whether he was motivated by anger and a desire for revenge or by fear for their safety or the side effects of alcoholism or not being able to keep it in his pants or whatever else is really only minimally relevant in terms of how much harm his behavior caused them.

And while I'm not a huge fan of the "Dean is Sam's parent" reading of spn, there's no doubt that because of John's neglect and parentification of Dean, Dean often feels like he was functionally Sam's parent. Which is fine! Feelings are neutral! But he also conducts his half of their relationship from within that paradigm; which is not great in the show's present because Sam is an adult.

And given all that, lets get back to Dean's "you were more like him than I'll ever be". Who, by the end of the season, is endangering their "child" here? Who, in Levee, puts their own needs and the needs of the hunt above the life of the person they (feel they) raised? Who says "You walk out that door, don't you ever come back"? And how likely do we all think it is that the writers didn't do that on purpose?

[v8mpvrse]

obsessed with the vibes she brings to the function i fear!!!!

[hazel0159]

I Think I Solved The Magnus Protocol Categories

In case you don't know what I'm talking about, in the description of every Magnus Protocol episode, there is a serial code describing the contents of the case. For example:

CAT2RBC4254-04011998-12042024

Architecture (landmark) -/- corruption (entropy)

The first part of that code is the category. Each case can be assigned a category of 1, 2, 3, or any combination of the three. In the example I just gave, CAT2 signifies that this case is classified as category 2. Despite the fact that The Magnus Protocol has aired over twenty episodes so far, there still isn't any consensus as to what the categories actually mean. I had an idea for what they could be a while ago, but didn't really have enough evidence to make a convincing argument. Now, nine episodes later, here is that theory.

First, I need to define some terms. Something is sentient if it can experience emotions, sensations, and its own perspective. Something is sapient if it has human-level intelligence and self awareness. A dog or cat is sentient, but not sapient. Human beings are both sentient and sapient. 

Which brings us to my theory. Category 1 entities are sapient and sentient. Category 2 entities look sapient, however it's a trick. They aren't actually sapient, and I don't think any of them are even sentient. I'll be calling these entities pseudo-sapient. Category 3 entities aren't sapient and aren't trying to look like they are. They may or may not be sentient.

As for the rationale for why the OIAR would care about the sapience of subjects, I think it's a measure of danger. Compare a situation in which a wolf wants you dead versus one in which a person wants you dead. Yeah, the wolf may be stronger, but the person's sapience gives them a different type of danger. Sapient beings can plan, manipulate, and coordinate in large organizations. Compared to that, a non-sapient wolf is just a set of teeth and claws. Considering the OIAR is a systemic institution, it can only really be threatened by an understanding of human organizational structure.

CAT 1

The biggest question that this theory has to contend with is how we can actually tell the difference between sapient and psuedo-sapient subjects. This is the foundation of the theory, so we need something more objective and falsifiable than just vibes. Fortunately, there is a way to tell the difference. Category 2 entities are machines designed to serve a function (generate fear). Their pseudo-sapience is part of that and any emotions or thoughts they appear to have only exist to serve their purpose. In other words, Category 1 entities have lives, beliefs, and emotions outside of their job. Category 2 entities never display anything that doesn’t work towards their job. So let's see some examples of CAT 1 entities being more than just their job. 

Reanimation (Partial) & Memory (Derelict):

I don't have anything to say about the consultant/Arthur/both? or [ERROR]/Violet's talking corpse beyond the fact that they seem sapient. We just don't know enough about either, frankly.

Mascot (Kids):

I'm on the fence about Bonzo. When Gwen meets him, he acts embarrassed and doesn't want to be seen. This could be a fear of the unknown/unseen thing, but Bonzo’s shtick is much more “unhinged, violent frenzy” than “unknown and uncanny”. I think this is a case of Mr. Bonzo being legitimately embarrassed over what a monstrosity he is, implying that he is self-aware and sapient. 

Hunt (Aristocratic):

Mowbray seems legitimately curious about Celia. She also doesn't try to intimidate Gwen and presumably used to be a normal person.

Transformation (Canine):

The episode is about a dog being granted sapience. CAT 3 being alchemically transformed into CAT 1. This could just be a trick, but considering this episode probably isn't based on fear, there wouldn't be any reason for it to be fake.

Transformation (Snake):

Snake guy clearly has some sort of vendetta against the Magnus Institute. It's never used to generate fear, so he and his anger are real. Also, he probably used to be a normal person.

Injury (Needles), Tattoo (Influencer) & Transformation (Tattoo):

These are easy. Needles’ and Ink5oul’s blatant insecurity actively makes them less scary. They also self-reflect and used to be normal people.

CAT 2 

Dolls (watching) & Tattoo (Corpse):

We don't know anything about the dolls or the Thing In The Water. 

Transformation (Eyes), Infection (Full Body), Disappearance (Undetermined), & Architecture (Liminal):

The CAT 2 refers to 

The forum members harassing RedCanary

Weber’s hallucinations of Maddie

The invitations and the theater’s cashier

The tower’s stewardess and diners

 All of these entities appear sapient, but don't display any evidence that their sapience is real. They only ever act aggressive, uncanny, and comforting in order to lure in their victims. All of these serve a clear purpose in generating fear and these entities don't have any depth beyond it.

Architecture (Landmark):

I know I said I wouldn't go off of vibes, but let's indulge for a moment. What if the withered doppelganger was sapient? Their function is clearly temporary. Once the construction worker dies, they would no longer serve any purpose and would be disposed of. If they're sapient, they must have some level of self awareness. Surely they would know they're temporary, if only subconsciously. And yet they don't seem to care, killing the construction worker and also themself. Why would the fears create an entire being with free will, just for that being to only exist for a minute or so? That seems like both a large risk and waste of effort. Maybe the doppelganger is some kind of shape shifter and just disguised themself as the construction worker at that moment? But that contradicts the psychological feeling of stagnation and constancy that the incident was supernaturally powered by. It feels like you can't make the doppelganger actually sapient without it being a pretty large stretch, implying that the doppelganger is pseudo-sapient out of necessity. These arguments can also apply to some of the previous 4 cases, though to a lesser extent.

Agglomeration (Miscellany):

This is the big one. For the first half of the episode, the charity shop volunteers act like every other CAT 2 subject. They act uncanny to generate fear and that's it. The interesting part begins once the security firm shows up and starts gunning them down because the volunteers just don't react. They keep up the uncanny shtick as if nothing is going wrong. This is absolutely not how any of the CAT 1 entities would react. Imagine putting Needles or Ink5oul in the same situation. They would break down in panic, and do anything to save themselves. Generating fear would be the least of their worries. Bonzo might throw a tantrum or try to hide. Snake guy might get angry and desperate. They'd all do something. Yet, the volunteers just don't react. Furthermore, when Dianne escapes from the burning shop, what convinces the security firm that she's innocent? The fact that she's scared, an emotion that the pseudo-sapient volunteers are incapable of expressing. They're made to act uncanny and that's it. Again, imagine if it had been Needles or Ink5oul in that shop. They would be just as scared as Dianne. In this case, the security firm would have been briefed ahead of time that their assignment was pseudo-sapient and therefore knew anyone expressing true fear must be innocent. Hence, the security firm knows the difference between CAT 1 and CAT 2 entities and utilizes the difference between sapience and pseudo-sapience.

CAT 3

Transformation (Full), Tattoo (Corpse), & Transformation (Canine):

Neither the tattoos nor the crystal fruit are sapient or sentient.

Transformation (Eyes):

This refers to the box that RedCanary stole from the Institute. It doesn't seem sapient and may or may not be sentient.

Collection (Blood), Dice (Bone), & Gambling (Application):

These are the violin, dice, and insectoid/trading app respectively. These three definitely have a sentience and personality to them, but they come off as much more animalistic than sapient. The violin and dice especially seem driven exclusively by hunger and spite when that hunger is denied. Their inability to communicate is also notable, as that's something that almost all the CAT 1 and 2 entities can do. Finally, the fact that they manifest as objects and animals instead of taking a humanoid form obviously can't be ignored.

CAT i

Ok, so I was lying when I said that the only categories are 1, 2, and 3. For some reason, the trailer is categorized as CAT i. Why? Well, we can explain this by adding a new rule. Only supernatural subjects are assigned CAT 1, 2, or 3. Nothing supernatural happened in the trailer, so none of those three are applicable, and it wound up getting assigned CAT i instead. Whatever that means.

This also makes some previous episodes make more sense. Namely, Collection (Blood) and Agglomeration (Miscellany). Neither the merchant nor the security firm seem to be reflected in their respective episodes’ categories. This could be easily explained if neither of them were supernatural.

Doppelganger (Interdimensional):

This case is assigned CAT 2. On first glance, it might seem like this would refer to Alternate Darrien. However, at no point does the episode indicate that Alternate Darrien is supernatural. If anything, the fact that Darrien killed him so easily would be evidence that he's perfectly normal. So the CAT 2 doesn't refer to Alternate Darrien, but to Doctor Dumfries, the therapist. After all, Dumfries is the one who seemingly caused Darrien to hop realities. Darrien repeatedly mentions little things Dumfries does that set him off. Dumfries may also be installing a false sense of security in Darrien, similar to a lot of the other CAT 2s. Finally, Darrien seemingly refers to Dumfries with both male and female pronouns which might be an indication of … something? As for Dumfries’ sapience status, he/she definitely appears sapient. There's not any evidence for or against the idea that he/she is pseudo-sapient.

The Assignment Process 

Let's go on a tangent to talk about DPHWs. More specifically, how the DPHWs are assigned. According to episode 1, the DPHW is a code written next to each section/subsection combination. For example, “dolls comma watching is... 1157”. So the DPHW is determined exclusively by the section and subsection. This is reinforced in episode two where Sam comes up with possible cases, Gwen guesses the applicable sections/subsections, then tries to remember which DPHWs are connected to those sections and subsections. However, this creates a problem. Episode 10 and 12 are both Mascot (Kids) yet have different DPHWs. How do we resolve this contradiction? It's magic. FR3-d1 is magic and FR3-d1’s categorization system is also magic. When a case comes in, the binder rewrites itself so that the DPHW (and category and rank) accurately reflect the case. In episode 2, Gwen was really confident in her inaccurate memory of the DPHWs. This could be overconfidence, or it could be more evidence that the DPHWs change over time. 

What Gets the CAT?

Now we can get into the weeds about which part of the case is referenced in the category. Agglomeration (Miscellany), for example, has both the pseudo-sapient volunteers and non-sentient items. So how is it decided whether the category is 2, 3, or 23? Well first off, it seems like connected entities are only referenced in the category once. So Ink5oul and their tattoos are either CAT 1 or 3, but both would be redundant? On the other hand, in Tattoo (Corpse), the The Thing In The Water isn't part of the tattoo and was just summoned by it, so they each get their own separate CATs. Maybe? Furthermore, lower numbered CATs have priority over higher numbered ones. So in cases with both pseudo-sapient and non-sapient elements, 2 takes priority over 3 and the whole case is CAT 2. If the idea is that sapient entities are more dangerous than non-sapient ones, then there'd be no reason to reference non-sapient entities when there is a more dangerous sapient one present. I think this schema is okay at fitting every case except Transformation (Full).

I think a lot of the weirdness around the sections, subsections, and crosslinks comes from the fact that the authors don't have objective criteria as to how they work, or what each of them individually do, so just make them up on a case by case basis. This is probably what happened for Episode 2 as well. Whoever assigned its category just figured that the tattoo was more important than Ink5oul and arbitrarily gave it CAT 3.

ARG Stuff

There's not much to say about Kl4-u5.xls. The only cases which might cause problems for this theory are the Unhappy Child and Cats, which are CAT 3 and 2 respectively. I guess the child would be sentient and not sapient? Maybe a crying infant based on fears of failing at parenting? And then for some reason there are pseudo-sapient cats. We don't really know anything about the ARG cases, so I'm not losing sleep over either of these.

Conclusion

That's my theory, Sapient/Pseudo-Sapient/Non-Sapient. It's definitely not perfect, but I think it's much better then any other major CAT theory that I've seen (namely Person/Place/Thing, Tria Prima, and Agent/Subject/Catalyst). CAT 2 being pseudo-sapient is definitely the least substantiated of the three. Hopefully Gwen will encounter a CAT 2 External sometime soon, as that would be really helpful in proving the theory. I doubt that would happen before the end of Season 1, though. Anyway, I know this was very long, so thanks for reading it :). If you can think of any points for or against this theory, I’d be more than happy to hear them.

[sorrowfulrosebud]

𝕮𝖔𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖓𝖙: in which Yandere Skarlet and her darling move back to Earthrealm.

𝕰𝖊𝖓𝖗𝖊: yandere

𝖂𝖆𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖘: yandere behaviour, murder, changed plot lines lol, housewife vibes

The situation you were in was… peculiar to say the least. Skarlet wished to finish her life in the Netherrealm and settle with you in Earthrealm. You were definitely cautious towards the entire situation. The loyalty she had dedicated to Shao Kahn was fierce, but as you came to see, the loyalty bled away when she wandered into your room one midnight.

She staggered to your sleeping form, carefully stroking your face. You sleepily open your eyes as she stares lovingly at you. Your grip on your blanket tightens as blood is splattered on her face.

“Shh, my angel. I have found a way for us to be happy. I have hired an assassin to come and kill Shao Kahn. Upon his guard finding his corpse, we shall hide away and abdicate the throne,” she murmurs to you. Blood painted your face with each stroke as your face contorts in thought.

“But… where will we go? We can’t exactly hide with the Kytinn or take refuge with the Linn Kue monks,” you whisper back frightened. She shushes you again.

“Shh my darling. We shall leave and go to Earthrealm, where you used to live. I shall retire my status here, and live amongst you and the other mortals. We shall live as people,” she explains excitedly, pushing your head against her chest. Your heart starts pounding.

“I- I’m going home?!” You whisper to yourself. Skarlet’s claws dig into you slightly.

“WE are going to Earthrealm. I have it all figured out. If your home is still functional, we shall reside there. We can get jobs, and learn to live amongst the mortals. You will teach me how to live as one of you,” she explains giddily, letting you go.

“What do you say, my angel?”

It was incredible having a sense of control back in your life. Despite the fact that your old home was destroyed, you managed to find a dodgy apartment complex that asked no questions. You had to find a job since Skarlet had very… limited… social skills (and life skills in general). She was curious about everything in the apartment. It was honestly kind of cute when she jumped and went to draw her blades when the toaster popped.

Even introducing her to microwaveable meals was an experience. You found she enjoyed darker red meats, and wasn’t too keen on more vegetarian dishes.

She was not keen at all to let you go find work again, not in the slightest. You had to explain to her gently that until she can fully adjust to being a human in modern society, it would be better that you focus on working while she tends to the home. Skarlet was still moody about it, until you said that it can be her way of taking care of you. You explain that she can learn quicker by cooking meals for you both, and keeping the flat clean prevents illness. This perks her up substantially.

She even takes it upon herself to try to learn to write English/your language. She asks you to help her learn, so you bring back preschool books. It offends her, sure, but you have to explain to her that it’s better to start from scratch so she can learn quicker. And learn quicker she does; in the space of 2 weeks, she is filling out the workbooks miraculously quick and with 100% accuracy. She ends up working at a 17 year old level in a month, and after 2 she’s possibly more fluent in writing than you!

The transition for Skarlet from being royalty to a regular person is bizarre. She was so used to people fearing her and respecting her from the sound of her name alone, to having next to no one give a shit about her. She finds it humiliating when you gently correct her about something, going pink every time the toaster pops and she still jumps, or accidentally burns the food.

As much as she gets embarrassed, she adores seeing you thrive. She loves seeing you ramble about your day at work, but clenches her fist when you talk about your coworkers (something you learn to stop talking about). It makes guilt rot in her stomach; if she was struggling here when she came of her own will, how did you feel when you were taken against your will?

It takes a while to find a system that works, but when you do, it sticks. You wake up for work, give Skarlet a kiss as you get ready and go downstairs for breakfast. You choke down some slightly burnt pancakes, give her another kiss and leave. Skarlet cleans up, does some more reading and workbooks, then makes herself some lunch (usually a raw steak). She then busies herself on making dinner, wanting you to have a nice hot meal for when you came back. You come back, give her a kiss and eat dinner, then wash up and go to bed.

Skarlet never knew she could enjoy submitting to someone and taking care of someone so much. She loves seeing you thrive in something that you’re good at, and slipping back into a comforting routine that you can both enjoy.

She is still definitely a yandere. She keeps an incredibly close eye on you, and is still very possessive but she lets the reign loose a lot more too.

[drdemonprince]

I remember reading recently something you wrote about the vibes being the important part of small talk, so I started thinking about it. I consider myself totally incapable of small talk, I never know what to say and feel frustrated when someone tries to strike a conversation and maybe something comes up and it's clear that we have very different stances on general matters that I consider important, cause I don't think it's worth it to spend energies in discussing that kind of stuff with a stranger, but also I don't like to just let it go. Then I started noticing that especially in moments when I'm trying to get out from auDHD shutdowns, the really small, tiny talk that I can have with a neighbour or in a shop is very warming, I find in it a very good quality of almost pure human interaction, and makes me feel like I can someway navigate the world after all, and that there's probably people out there that need the same things I need, just a very simple, warm, connection. So I came to this conclusion: small talk can give me good vibes but for it to work needs to stay really, really small! don't go ruin it with politics or stuff like that lol! So thank you for making me think about this

Yo yes!! I am so glad you came to this revelation.

An important thing for many neurodivergent people to realize is that so-called "neurotypicals" that you encounter out in the world (and how would you even know they are NT anyway) are terrified and insecure around other people, too! Small talk serves the function of broadcasting to a person that you are friendly, that you see them, that you would like to engage, that you recognize their humanity, and that no matter how little you know about them at present, there are experiences and circumstances that bond you together.

Many ND people get way too into our heads trying to break down what the content of a small-talk conversation means, but it doesn't mean anything that can be conveyed in simple text. Just like a handshake doesn't mean "anything". Or bringing a friend a casserole when they're in mourning means "anything." The gesture is one of affiliation and warmth, and that's just about it. There is no deeper meaning to crack.

I find that when I chat up strangers or just make my own energy more "open" to them initiating with me, the world feels warmer and safer, people are less scary, I feel more confident and optimistic, and I recognize that I don't have anywhere near as much to fear in other people as I might think I do. Most people are so bored and uncomfortable all the time, and bringing up a bit of casual chit chat in the line for the bus or at the cash register can do a ton to help allieve the painful coldness we're walking around feeling all the time.

[xxnomadsxx]

ooooh, just thought of something. Troll ambassadors take a trip to grey troll village for a week or so for observation. How would this go? Cuz like, the tribes got an overall idea of different trolls living in harmony there BUT they really want their representatives to learn about how the grey troll village functions first hand.

Ooh! Would Synth and Branch still become besties?

I want Synth and Branch to be besties because their friendship was adorable 🥰 (they would have a polar opposite dynamic in this AU)

At first everyone is filled with a lot of concern and hesitation (plus some fear) to go but eventually they give in because friendship. Overall they have a lot of different opinions about the village.

Low note is pretty cool with the Village he enjoys talking to the other funk trolls, and likes seeing all the technologic advancements in the village they made with what little supplies they had (most of the grey trolls think he’s like the coolest guy ever) he is somewhat freaked out by the feral (trolls?) but does give some of them “cool nicknames”. He tries to bring over some modern funk troll tech to help out the village (to which they greatly appreciate the supplies) Overall he mostly tries to help out the village with small problems they have by using tech, he also observes how the trolls react with one another. The only one he doesn’t get is the leader he’s…strange? to say the least. Branch avoids him and the other ambassadors at the beginning, and when Branch does see them he runs in fear and hides. low note almost gave him the nickname “Skippy two shoes” until he watched Branch save a deaf rocker (have a callback from another post) from almost getting crushed. Branch was later given the name of Ace (I’m sorry I just hate the nickname “skippy two shoes” and wanted to give Branch justice by giving him the nickname he wanted)

Val just goes with the flow and hangs out with the grey rockers who are a surprisingly lazier than the normal rockers (until they get given a job to which they become the hardest workers) Overall she’s really chill with the trolls but concerned for them (she’ll never say that tho) She respects Branch but will deny it (she’s also worried for him, something she’ll never admit to either ) She enjoys how reckless and loud the feral trolls(?) are. And hates how quiet the village can get. She did join a couple hunts and had a blast (she broke a guitar over a predators head) Overall she enjoys how “relaxing” and laid back the village is (she considers the village this due to the lack of parties and normal troll behaviors and thinks everyone just relaxs alot) She also basically became an honorary feral troll.

Dante finds the grey trolls barbaric but tries to respect them. He finds the place shabby and messy. He enjoys being around the grey classical trolls as they are the only ones who have any sense of class. He struggles with the other grey trolls as they are really different than the trolls genres he’s been around. He hates being around the ferals the most they are absolutely a mess in his opinion ( I mean he ain’t wrong) He finds the grey troll activities repulsive (he went on one hunt and is disgusted by what he witnessed) but he understands why they are like this and does spend time with the citizens (and bites his tongue at their imperfections) He also enjoys being around them because they are the perfect muse for some of his pieces. He’s weirded out by their leader tho and has deemed Branch the 2nd most feral thing he’s ever met (take a wild guess who the first is Hint check some previous posts)

Synth goes with the vibe of the grey trolls as best as he can. He tries to rave with them at times but he doesn’t understand why they freak out every time he has his 4am raves? After being told to stop by Branch he decided to get to know the him more (by doing many different techno activities with him) and one of them actually gets him stuck in a quick glitter pit due to lack of 4am rave and not paying attention (it’s basically the same thing that happened in that one scene) Branch comes in and rescues him, to which Synth gave him the nickname Dubstep and the two became friends (Synth will never admit he grew a crush on the grey troll, and before you argue with me just look at the scene there was so much romantic tension!!!!!!!) They basically become besties and pen pals. Synth later is allowed to rave again if he keeps the noise down (Branch actually joined him once)

Holly darling immediately gifted everyone in the village personal gifts after being their only a day (everyone liked the gifts as they were actually useful items and not party supplies like all the other gifts they’ve been given) Holly helps out wherever she can in the village and chats up a storm with whom ever she sees. She helped with all the hunts, and was quite liked for actually helping out around the village. She apparently has a way with the feral trolls as she is one of the few trolls able to wrangle them. She calls Branch cute still and does try to befriend him with gifts but can never find the perfect gift for him (she basically keeps scaring Branch off with her friendliness)

Overall everyone learns a ton and now sometimes visit the village when they have enough time off..but they have a hard time fighting off the pits of despair they feel every time they’re there.

[rosetyler42]

Some WIR-Verse HT and Bendy fun, featuring the man himself, Joey Drew

I kinda feel Ericka has...mixed views on Joey. On one hand, this man knows fuck all about management, killed thousands of people to bring his cartoons to life, locked up her friend Bendy, give Susie a penchant for vivesection, sabotaged Alice's popularity and trapped her inside Susie's head, turned Buddy into Boris, tortured Henry, and generally left behind a huge inky mess for his daughter to deal with. On the other...she sees a bit of herself in this guy. Charismatic, cheerful, angry and alone, helped by love and someone to see they could do better, and Memory!Joey at least is TRYING to fix his mistakes and do better. So while she generally doesn't trust or LIKE Joey and every voice in her is SCREAMING not to trust him, she IS willing to at least give him a chance to prove he's gotten better, both for herself, her pal Audrey, and Joey could be a useful ally for learning about the Cycle and taking down he much more dangerous Wilson.

Mavis, on the other hand, is far more likely to trust the odd and haunted yet friendly and charming old man. She may have some misgivings about him, but Mavis is naieve and much more likely to dismiss these as lingering unease and prejudice being around a strange human. True, she's not stupid, but even her suspicion of Ericka (Which, Ericka's proud of the fact Mavis saw through her) was mostly her worrying about Dad finding love at all. Ericka gets this more than anyone, but she has a family to protect. While she's willing to give Joey a chance, she sees through Joey's friendly Walt Disney persona and isn't ready to risk losing her soul OR Mavis and Johnny's souls to him just yet.

Things didn't end well for the LAST people to trust him, after all...

I like the idea of Ericka both being the protective one of the more naive Mavis while on trips to BATIM despite being the more vulnerable of the two, and her being one of the few mortals who could put the fear of mod into any version of Joey. XD Who's having something of a John Sparrow "I deserved that" moment.

I also love the idea Ericka's secretly one of the most scary and dangerous of the Drac Pack. Dracula, of course, adores this and is smug as bleep when others find Ericka terrifying. ESPECIALLY people like Joey, who HE kind of dismisses largely as an idiot human who "fucked around and found out" with forces beyond his comprehension. Unlike Ericka who rants about it, He does not touch Joey's mismanagement with a 10 foot pole. If he WERE to start ranting about it, he'd never STOP.

Plus...putting the stubborn and tough-loving Ericka against the emotional and naive used-to-getting-her-own-way Mavis is fun.

Bonus: The shiny Swoobat here is Ericka's WIR-Verse pokemon pet, Eddie the Shiny Swoobat. He's named after Eddie from Rocky Horror and Edward Scissorhands (NOT Twilight XD) and a gift from Dracula. He's one of her companions on ghost hunts for the Arcade's Ghostbusters because Eddie can see in the dark, fly, and has psychic powers. He also functions as the Legacy's Lookout and Ericka's service 'mon since Male Swoobats can release good vibe soundwave when courting that perk up the mood of any creature near it. He does not trust Joey, either. XD

Also, another bit that never made it in here:

Ericka: "I still think you're a twat."

Joey: "...I can work with that." XD

@lovelylivelyv @black-ak9 @hotelt-resurrection @ssleeping-in-a-coffin @ebevkisk @deathfangirl9 @twinklecupcake @kittyball23 @thedopedemon @inkhyaena @inkspottie @inkwelldevil @bendysstudio @benjimatorarts @drericka @drericka-is-lyfe-blog @drerickastan @inkdoodles @doberart @thedemonsurfer @serial-serializednovelreader @wingingfromthezing @heartsong1994 @howling-nightmare

[generic-whumperz]

OC in 3

Choose 3 pics to represent your OC

Oops, I got overly excited and made 10 three-picture collages

Omg thank you @mj-iza-writer for the tag! I am honored that I came to mind! 🥹

No pressure (& open to anyone interested!) tag: @rainydaywhump @eatyourdamnpears @clairelsonao3 @dresden-syndrome @lights-out-knives-out @snakebites-and-ink

| Aid Masterlist | Aid Character Sheet | Character Info

Soooo, I know I’m supposed only to pick three pics, but honestly, I simply cannot (I know, no surprise there). I have been wanting to do a vibe photo dump for The Aid (the Whumpee & title of the story) but have yet to do it (hello, my ever-expanding Pinterest boards), so I’ll take this chance to explore The Aid’s past phases he’s gone through (pre & post-Wyatt {Whumper #2}) and give some explanations because it’s a lot. However, I don’t know if explanations are necessary for this tag game, but I’m famously too much, so of course, I’m going to over-explain myself because of my crippling fear of being misunderstood!

Ironically, I call his time with Madame Eleanor (technical Whumper #1) his “Aid Era” because that’s when he becomes this character we are introduced to and currently know him as. Yet, this is the part of his life he is phasing out of. **Insert something-something about being haunted by your past.**

(In the current storyline, he is going through a succession of more changes, and his world is about to be turned upside down yet again, but I’ll hold off on showing those for now because they’re spoilers, and I have more than enough here!)

Starting from the top, here we goooo—

P.S. The people in these pics are not what the characters look like, this is simply vibes only!

Day 1

1. As soon as The Aid arrives at his new home, Madame Eleanor gets custom-made Gucci uniforms made for him that looks like this. This is his go-to everyday attire. (I spent too long looking at scrubs and hospitality uniforms on and off for over a month—tell me you like it and think it’s cool and sleek.)

2. He has a special built-in in his closet specifically for all his fancy, jewel-encrusted collars Madame Eleanor gifted him throughout the years, but this is what the facility's standard-issue collar looks like for his designation (Grand Servant: Domestic Aid).

3. His favorite Prada frames Madame Eleanor got him. (Wyatt later breaks them because he’s an asshole, leaving him straight up blind for several months).

Fancy Threads

Eleanor Sullivan was a Rich Bitch™️, so best believe she had her servant dressed to the 9s in designer fits when out and about or for Family events and the like. She may also put him in a butler uniform from time to time when they were hosting a party at their residence—which was often, Eleanor was known for her soirées. (To clarify, he’d still wear a collar even when dressed up, and all those attending knew who and what he was.)

The Host

He loved a good party just as much as Eleanor did! He likes serving and seeing people have fun and enjoy themselves (people-pleasing empath). He was known for his food displays and had a knack for creating a proper afternoon tea spread that garnered attention from all those present.

Speaking of Empath…

We can’t talk about him without bringing up his not-so-secret secret! Lil’ homie has a gang of abilities (telepathic empathy, hyper intuition, premonitions, and psychometry) just bubbling up inside him at all times. His relationship with himself and his sixth senses is complicated, to say the least—he finds them burdensome, yet he cannot function without them, despite how much he argues otherwise. It’s a whole thing, but for a certified Telepathic-Empath™️, he sure is dead inside (which only gets worse after Wyatt OFC).

*Sorry for the shitty upload quality of the Emotional Sponge, idk why it looks so bad!

Domestic Duties

Not only can he slap together the best charcuterie board you’ve ever seen and easily untangle Christmas lights, but he’s also a man who can cook, clean, and keep a house. What can’t he do?

Hobbies? Interests?

Don’t be ridiculous, he didn’t have time for leisure activities! But when he had some occasional downtime, he would spend an ungodly amount of it doing facials and grooming himself. He also loved to go to the spa with Madame Eleanor. As far as reading went, he wasn’t into novels, but he would occasionally peruse short-story myths and legends, old fables, or read picture books in funny voices to Eleanor’s grandchildren. Primarily, he’d like to read trashy magazines, comics, and cookbooks. But let’s be real, he considered cleaning, gossiping, and baking his primary hobbies.

RIP Madame Eleanor Sullivan

(She’s been dead for about a year and a half when they story picks up)

First and foremost—above everything else—The Aid was Eleanor Sullivan’s literal live-in medically trained caregiver, which is why she bought him in the first place. They had a very close relationship for five years, and he did everything for her. When she died, his world was shattered, and he took her death really hard. Wyatt was jealous of his Mother’s relationship with her servant from day one, which is where part of his animosity comes from. Quick note—Eleanor was a posh, vintage-Chanel-wearing Grandma and would never be caught dead wearing a bathrobe outside. Eleanor was Queen of being That Bitch.

Enter: Wyatt Sullivan

These pics are pretty tame all things considered, but after Eleanor’s death, The Aid is now in a World O’ Hurt and the subject of Wyatt’s drug-and-alcohol-fueled rage. The Aid went from a high-class servant loved by his Madame and respected by her friends, associates, and family (besides Wyatt) to a human punching bag overnight. The beef between these two runs deep and maybe Eleanor isn’t as innocent as she seems. Stick around and you’ll find out all the Sullivan family tea.

To: Wyatt

Just some memes directed towards Wyatt and The Aid being painfully aware of his shitty situation (I got too many of these and had to sprinkle some in).

Where We’re at Now…

Quite the fall from grace, wouldn’t you say? Our boy is currently bed-ridden and zombified while having the worst time imaginable. He’s drugged up, fucked up, and can’t move half of his body!

*This took me an embarrassing amount of time to assemble, but I went the extra mile because this doubles as a reference guide.

[gamergirl-06]

Michael Anders x Reader

This was requested by @hyunjinbiased-blog who wanted the reader to be dating Micheal and the reader is also a sibling to Emma, oh yes and this has a happy ending (out of the other option being an unhappy ending).

I did my best on this one.

How? You ask yourself as you look at Michael who is doing what he usually does best..being Michael.

You didn’t know how you got so lucky to find someone like him in the apocalypse, but by god were you grateful for the universe bringing you together.

Was it perhaps because the universe knew you would be lonely? Was it maybe because it knew he needed someone by his side the rest of his life? You aren’t quite sure but regardless it doesn’t matter.

You have everything you could ever need right here, in your arms as Michael walked over to the bed and you layed in his arms and he smiled pressing a kiss to your lips as you get comfortable.

You had kept your relationship on the down low because Your Sister, Emma, had no clue that you two were dating and you weren’t planning on telling her anytime soon.

I mean really You and her PA? She would freak if she found out the 2 closest people to her are screwing behind her back.

A part of you felt guilty for not telling her, she was your sister and siblings share shit about each other all the time.

Michael felt this way too since he was her closest friend and confidant (apart from you) and he felt bad that he had been lying to her since she noticed that you two were getting too friendly with each other.

Flashback

Emma eyes you both suspiciously as you both giggle at something on the tv screen in the lounge area as Michael arms his arm around you pulling you closer to him.

You two had been acting to friendly with each other a lot lately, especially when she saw you both.

She shrugged it off thinking that since you two were best friends that that’s how you acted, plus she knew most best friends acted like that.

She walks over to Andrea and sits with her near the couch sat the very small bar.

Andrea looks at her knowingly “You have your suspicions”

Emma nodded her head “I don’t know what going on, I feel like they are together, I don’t mind if they are I just…I don’t know I could be wrong, they haven’t really confirmed anything, does anyone know?”

Andrea shook her head “No I don’t think anyone has heard anything from them”

“Oh ok, thanks for telling me Andrea” Emma said as she placed her arm on top of the bar and rested her head in her hand as she watched you.

End of Flashback

The Survivors didn’t even know that you were with Michael, not that they would care because they have other shit to worry about, going on runs, trying to get information from the doctor in Santa Monica for a cure.

You were pretty close to all of them and they all had some sort of family figure roll in your life.

Dani was like a mother figure, Very supportive of you and what you want to do but will be authoritative when she needs too.

Jacob was like the uncle who brings the vibe and fun to the function, he makes you laugh with his humour and overall wacky.

Ryan was like the protective older brother, he always watched your back.

Carla is the older cousin that likes getting into trouble with you (after all she is an adrenaline junkie).

Amy is the older sister that always teases you about anything.

And Bruno is the younger cousin that just likes to join in on the trouble with you and Carla because “You only live once”.

A knock sounded at the door and Michael gets up from the bed and opens it to see Sam.

“Hey, uh I need you to do me a favour, could you..” Sam stops when he sees you.

You were terrified so you froze up as he stared at you but a smirk came upon his lips.

“My my Michael, looks like you have been fucking Emma’s Sibling behind her back” Sam chuckled.

Michael’s eyes went wide with fear “No that’s not-“

“Oh I think it is, I actually think Emma would love to know -“ he turned around and Michael tackled him…well jumped on his back.

Sam was taken aback by this “What the fuck man”

Emma runs up the stairs “Michael what in earth are you doing” she sees you

Before Poor Michael could respond Sam blurts out “Michael has been fucking them”

Fuck.

You look down not wanting to make eye contact with your sister as you sat there hopeless.

You looked out the window and planned an escape route if you could jump out of it.

You get up off the bed but Emma grabs your wrist “Are you two together?”

You didn’t answer and she sighed.

“I said are you two-“

“YES we are” you broke, and you fall to your knees sobbing.

Well you can’t back the pedal now the secret was out Michael looked fucking terrified because he didn’t know if Emma was gonna let him have it or not.

Emma grabs you up of the floor “I’m not mad at you guys, infact I kinda had a inkling but I wasn’t sure, so I’m happy that it was confirmed”

You gasped as she pulled you into a hug and you hugged back.

“I love him em and he loves me”

She pulls away “how long has this been going on” she point to you and Michael.

“Since the plane crash” you admitted

Flashback

You woke up surrounded by people all over the plane not moving.

You sit up and run your head “ow what the fuck happened”

You were confused as the last thing you remembered people everywhere screaming as the plane went down.

Oh you remembered now as you stood up and a hand grabbed ahold of yours. You jumped but are relieved when it was just Michael that was revealed as the person.

“Sorry to startle you are you ok?” He asked

You nod “yeah just a bruise, what about you?”

He nods “same, I’m ok nothing major, we need to get out and find the others”

You nod and try to find an opening to which you thankfully did and you both hoisted yourself into the open hole and jump down to search for the others.

Michael stopped and you look at him confused.

“Michael what’s wrong” you say

“I love you” Michael blurted out

You were taken aback by this but it made you smile nonetheless.

“I ugh..I’m sorry..I…I didn’t realise-“ but he was cut off by you kissing him.

He kissed back and you pulled away “I love you too Michael Anders”

Once you found the others you regrouped with Emma and the others

End flashback

She looks at you “oh, well then I guess you found something good that came out of this”

You laugh “I most certainly did” Michael wraps his arm around your waist.

“Emma I promise to do nothing but live and cherish them, I can promise you that” Michael said.

Emma smiles “well then if that’s the case I don’t have to worry about (Y/N)”.

She turns to walk away and then turns around again to face us

“But if you do anything other then that, you know what I will do” she said.

“I uh aha I won’t hurt her..I promise” Michael said nervously

“Good” she said and walked out of the room.

You kiss Michael and he says “there is no one else I’d rather be with”

Bonus:

“Hey Emma?” Michael asked her

“Yes” she replied

Michael swallowed nervously “ I have a question, it’s a very big one”

She turns around intrigued and looks at him “and what would that be?”

Michael breathed in and out and just said it “I want to ask you if I can have (Y/N)’s hand in marriage?”

Her eyes widened and her she gave the biggest smile “Michael, you have my blessing”

He looks at her surprised “really..I..thank you”

He runs off and Emma immediately run to the others in the other room “Michael’s gonna propose to (Y/N)”.

Michael led you to the balcony which was perfect because the sun set made the lighting beautiful for a proposal.

“(Y/N) I know we’ve had our ups and downs but I really want to be with you forever and I love you so much, I can’t imagine if I hadn’t met you, so…”

He grabs out a box with a shiny ring in it and gets down on one knee “will you marry me?”

Your hand went to your mouth as you cried and then you nod your head.

“Yes Michael I will marry you” you say and you laugh through tears as he put to ring in your finger.

You share a kiss in the gorgeous sunset but what you didn’t know was that everyone was watching the event and gave cheers to which you didn’t hear, they did t want to ruin YOUR moment.

[nightmare-grass]

Descendants Rewrite

I got so irked with the lazy naming conventions and lack of coherent worldbuilding in the Descendants franchise, so I took my Disney obsession and made this. Enjoy!

Villain Pairings

- Maleficent/Chernabog (less of a romantic pairing and more of a professional workplace relationship and power couple, they rule the island with an iron fist and plot to break the barrier)

- Evil Queen/Magic Mirror (Grimhilde brought him out in human form for one night to conceive a child with enough magic to rival Maleficent, the only one she saw as a threat to her status)

- Evil Queen/Hans (he wanted to be king, and his wife is beautiful to be sure, but she’s the one wearing the pants in this relationship, he’s the backstabbing boy toy)

- Cruella DeVille/Clayton (he hunts exotic animals, she turns them into stylish outerwear, they’re a surprisingly functional couple who own the Isle’s main clothing production company, it’s more like a sweat shop that employs the poorest children on the Isle)

- Hades/Mother Gothel (she works for him like Meg did but her deal keeps her eternally young and beautiful, plus they’re just similar people, and even gods get lonely sometimes)

- Yzma/Horned King (Yzma uses necromancy to bring Horned King out of the Black Cauldron, now they’re a bony power couple vying for control of the island)

- Gov. Ratcliffe/Queen of Hearts (he’s no stranger to kissing royal ass to gain favor and status, and she appreciates his flattery and his bloodthirsty ruthlessness)

- Claude Frollo/Lady Tremaine (they’re similarly horrible people, both French, need I say more?)

- Ursula/John Silver (these two are born schemers, liars, and cheats, John is just a bit more of a softy than Ursula)

- Scar/Sabor (they’re both big cats, they’re both evil, they both commit patricide to the protagonists, it’s kinda obvious)

- Shere Khan/Sabor (what can I say? Sabor gets around, she’s not the type to settle down)

- Madam Mim/Willie the Giant (both shapeshifters, both chaotic, messy couple)

- Dr. Facilier/Morgana (Call of Cthulhu vibes frame how these two met, Morgana supplies Facilier with magic from the mermaid world, and she can occasionally take on human form or make Facilier a merman, she’s his new friend from the other side)

- Captain Hook/Madame Medusa (both into hunting for treasure, both hate kids, but then one drunken night they sleep together and they panic. They abandon the kid to be raised by Mr. Smee)

Single Villains

- Jafar (I wanna have him steal Jasmine’s and Aladdin’s baby and raise it as his own to turn it against its parents)

- Drizella Tremaine (she’s ugly and ill tempered, and I’m out of young men villains)

- Gaston (he’d probably compete with Hans for the Evil Queen based solely on her beauty)

- Shan Yu (I’m out of female villains who aren’t weak and ugly. Plus I think he’d have a wife among the Huns, I can’t see him getting with any Disney villain.)

- Rourke (I can see him trying to pursue Gothel, but she’s tied down to Hades)

- Honest John (he’s a fox, not sure who I would pair him up with)

- Prince John (he’s a lion, not sure who I’d pair him up with)

Henchman Support Group

- Smee

- Snoops

- Gideon

- King of Hearts

- Jasper and Horace

- Kaa

- Sir Hiss

- Iago

- Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed

- Wiggins

- Pain and Panic

- Lawrence

- Le Fou

VKs

- Mal Faery (Antichrist-like, daughter of Maleficent with magical intervention of Chernabog)

- Dark Fairy powers like Maleficent, potential to get stronger like Chernabog, most powerful at night, can turn into a dragon but that’s a new power by the start of the story

- Eveline Grimhilde (daughter of the Evil Queen Grimhilde and the magic mirror entity, partly raised by Hans of the Southern Isles, goes by Evie)

- One of her powers is brief moments of omniscience, and she’s a little afraid of mirrors but doesn’t know why (it’s cuz she’s got a fear of being trapped)

- Jay Deja (son of Jasmine and Aladdin of Agrabah, stolen and raised by Jafar)

- Has instincts leading him to seek freedom and travel, but also has a complex about making his father proud, basically Rapunzel of Agrabah

- Carlo S’tan DeVille (son of Cruella DeVille and William Cecil Clayton, goes by Carlos, Jasper and Horace are terrible influence uncles)

- Parents barely give him the time of day, likes animals but hides it from parents and uncles, very good at sneaking around

- Uma Silver (daughter of Ursula Triton and Long John Silver, idolizes her mom but was mostly raised by John so she took after his pirate ways)

- Harry Hook (son of Captain James Hook and Madame Medusa, raised by Mr. Smee, has daddy/mommy issues so he’s constantly seeking approval from people who demean him, like Uma)

- Guinevere Gothel (daughter of Hades and Mother Gothel, goes by Ginny, crushing on Carlos, Pain and Panic get saddled with babysitting her a lot)

- Has very few powers from Hades but has lots of knowledge about dark magic and powerful entities like gods

- Dizzy Tremaine (daughter of Drizella Tremaine and an unknown man of the Isle, maybe Le Fou or Wiggins, her actual name is Daisy but she chooses to go by Dizzy for a bit more street cred)

- Her mom treats her similarly to how she treated Cinderella, teaching her at a young age how to cook, clean, and sew, and now relies on Dizzy for most household chores, feigning incompetence so Dizzy feels like she has to do everything herself.

- Celia Facilier (daughter of Dr. Facilier and Morgana, cousin of Uma, works at her dad’s shop, inherited her mom’s affinity for potions)

- Dr. Facilier sees things like it’s he and his daughter against the world, they have the potential to rule it all if they can get the right connections, and that puts a bit of undue pressure on Celia.

- Maddy Fadiddlehoffer (daughter of Madam Mim and Willie the Giant, adept shapeshifter and playful trickster)

- Heartly Crimms-Ratcliffe (daughter of John Ratcliffe and the Queen of Hearts, parents are divorced so she lives with her mother)

- Puts up with her mom’s temper and navigates her moods like her life depends on it, cuz it does. The King is hardly a help in this matter.

- The Bimbettes were so obsessed with Gaston that, when he’s banished to the Isle for his crimes, they willingly follow him. He’s had a son with each one of them, but none of the girls stuck around to raise the kids and now Gaston is a single dad of three strapping boys. Their names are Gerald, Giles, and Gaspard.

- Yzma and Horned King cannot have kids normaly, it’s just not possible with their biology, so they craft a homunculus to rival Mal and Evie, and they call him Churan, roughly meaning savior in Incan

Auradon Kids

- Benjamin “Ben” Beaumont (son of King Adam and Queen Belle of Auradon)

- Golden boy of Auradon Prep, his parents learned from Adam’s mistakes and raised a thoroughly good son.

- Audrey Rose (daughter of King Phillip and Queen Aurora of Auradon)

- Received gifts from Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather like her mother, but never faced hardship, never learned humility. Grew up a bit spoiled.

- Jane Fairchild (daughter of the Fairy Godmother to Cinderella)

- Being trained to become the next Fairy Godmother, but is also highly sheltered by her mother, which irks her because of how she doted on Cinderella and let her go to parties.

- Chadrick “Chad” Charming (son of Queen Cinderella and King Christopher “Kit” Charming)

- Parents never wanted their son to face hardship like Cinderella went through, but as a result Chad became spoiled and overconfident.

- Anthony Tremaine (son of Anastasia Tremaine and Robert Baker)

- Had a humble life in the village, but was bullied by his cousin Chad.

- Lan “Lonnie” Fa (Daughter of Fa Mulan and Li Shang, war heroes of China)

- Likes slow paced farm work with her grandparents, and prefers more girly pursuits than her mom did, but secretly feels shame about this because she idolized her mom growing up.

- Jordan (Daughter of The Genie)

- A fickle and temperamental teen, who struggles with shapeshifting and hates that she’s not as effortlessly charming and funny as her dad. Not constrained by bottle magic but will only give out wishes when it suits her.

- Melody Triton (daughter of Queen Ariel Triton and King Eric Caspian, granddaughter of King Triton of Atlantica and great niece to Ursula and Morgana the sea witches)

- Adventurous, loves the sea, often finds trouble without meaning to

- April Liddell (daughter of Alice, official ambassador to Wonderland)

- April and Melody are usually stumbling into new realms and new adventures

- Jane Darling (daughter of Wendy Darling, official correspondent with Neverland)

- First ever Lost Girl, good friends with Peter Pan and Tinker Bell

- Arabella Triton (Daughter of Attina Triton and heir to the Atlantica throne)

- Niece of Ariel, cousin of Melody, Attina is a strict mom like her father before her, but she means well and Arabella knows it

Worldbuilding

- Auradon is a magical country. The royalty of each Disney movie rules a kingdom within Auradon, basically kingdoms are like cities within this country.

- Haven’t decided who made Auradon Prep, but it’s a prestigious boarding school where students learn about the world, how to hone their magic if they have any, and how to rule a kingdom one day if they are royalty.

- Candidates for who made the school are the Fairy Godmother, the Blue Fairy, the Enchantress, or Belle and the Beast/Adam. Maybe it’s a council of fairies, and Belle and Adam were like the top donors since it would be founded closest to their kingdom?

- The Fairy Godmother is the only one canonically who has the power to reverse time, so as a protective measure and to make an example of the past villains of each kingdom, she plucks the villains from their timelines right before their deaths and the council of Fairies combines their magic to make the barrier on the Isle of the Lost, a veritable prison island where the villains could rehabilitate themselves. It was seen as a more humane punishment that made the royals sleep better at night.

- Auradon the country is like a smaller version of Europe with a faster moving history, where technology, fashion, and societal norms progress faster than they did in our world. Ariel and Eric’s kingdom is very Italian inspired, Belle, Adam, Cinderella, Charming, Aurora, and Phillip rule kingdoms in the French corner of the map, Rapunzel, Eugene, Snow, and Florian got the Germany sector, Arendelle is up in the Netherlands/Norway quarter, and there’s an England/Ireland/Scotland/Wales section where the British and American characters came from. Farther off to the East is a land where Agrabah, China, and Kumandra are. In the West, there’s the Polynesian islands, the Americas, all that is pretty far off. It’s like Epcot? Kinda?

- Hades is content with his status on the island because he knows he’s a god, he rules the underworld, and although Zeus has him on a leash now where he can only manifest within the Barrier or in the Underworld, he’s biding his time. He’s immortal, and everyone will fall into his domain eventually, he just has to let the others do all the heavy lifting and then swoop in to claim the throne in all the chaos.

- Chernabog and Maleficent hate being limited, and they’re two of the most powerful beings on the Isle, so it was inevitable that a partnership would develop between them.

- I just realized how many single dads there are in my rewrite. Gaston, Smee, Long John Silver, Jafar, and to some extent Dr. Facilier even though he’s a bit closer with Morgana than John is with Ursula. Drizella, Queen of Hearts, and Mother Gothel are the only single mothers, I guess if you consider that Hades wouldn’t be much of a presence in Ginny’s life. I presume you could also consider Maleficent a single mom, if Chernabog is just as distant as Hades is.

- I really glossed over how the Bimbettes each gave Gaston a son and each left him, he really is the epitome of Manipulate, Mansplain, Manwhore.

- Just like in the movies, there’s an animal world that goes along with the human world events, but they don’t really intersect. Scar, Sabor, and Shere Khan don’t talk to humans except for in very select cases, like Mowgli who was raised by wolves. Mice in themselves have their own special case, where Cinderella and others close to her can understand their language, but they’ve got their whole mouse society thing going on, like with Basil and the Rescuers. This set up is how we get Robin Hood and other such anthro animal characters, and how they’re separate from the main human stories.

- So far Kronk and Anastasia are two of the most prominent former villains to be reformed and brought to Auradon. They were released on good behavior before any of the villains paired up and had kids, and they were part of an early effort to try and reform some of the island residents that ultimately went nowhere. Kronk has a very popular restaurant that features traditional South and Central American cuisine, and Anastasia lives with her baker husband in Cinderella’s kingdom. The other two in this failed experiment were Drizella and the King of Hearts, but Drizella proved unwilling to change, and the King hasn’t done much with his new life of freedom since he lacks direction without the Queen of Hearts. Drizella was returned to the island under Lady Tremaine’s custody and the King elected to return to his queen’s side on his own.

- Ok so there’s a bit of a plothole in my rewrite, and that’s how the Isle of the Lost functions. It’s full of villains, so all the heroes don’t have to deal with them or the trauma of having them killed, so the only people who can be in charge of managing the residents of the Isle within its borders are villains. The good fairies and magic users of the world created the barrier, but they’re not gonna govern the people inside, yknow? So who governs? I envisioned the Isle as being divided into gang territories run by the most powerful villains, but surely the fairies would’ve seen that coming? So they should’ve put someone powerful in charge, at least at first, in the hopes that they’d maintain order. And I think that character should be Hades. He’s a god, he oversees the dead and most of these villains were killed in their original timelines, so he’d be familiar with them and their weaknesses that lead to their downfalls. I think we should give Hades a redemption of sorts, where the Olympians put him in charge of ruling the Isle of the Lost in the hope that giving him something else to do among the living this time will keep him out of trouble, but it’s just another chain weighing him down in his own mind, making him hate Zeus even more, so he decides to rule from the shadows and lets the villains run amok. Mother Gothel is the only one who has an inkling of his true power, on his own he can rival Chernabog and Maleficent combined.

[yourbelgianthings]

if you look in the mirror and don’t like what you see

a trans man! devo fic, about two pages, tw deadnaming and misgendering, some angst vibes but also hopeful (yes the title is from the end. shhhh)

Devotion. He never wanted to hear that word again. It wasn’t even a proper name, and it certainly wasn’t his name. The water outside the dome of Founder’s Wake was still dark when Devo left. Physically leaving had been easy, the parish did not lock its main door in case anyone needed help or shelter in the night. “Help from the parish” was an oxymoron to Devo. Mentally, it was another story. No matter what had happened to him behind those doors, the Benevolent Parish was the only home he had ever known, and the mysterious expanse of Founder’s Wake before him held its own kind of fear. Now though, the fear of the unknown was preferable to the pain of the familiar.

He knew of only one other person who had left the parish: Brother Seldom. His name came up occasionally, but only in disapproving whispers.

“Who cares if Guidance or Orlean didn’t respect him, though?” Devo thought. “I get to choose now.” That realization was both exhilarating and terrifying. So, Devo eventually managed to find the school in the Ballast after hours of getting lost and wandering. His heavy legs and equally heavy heart collapsed onto the front step and everything went black.

As he slowly came to, he heard muffled concerned voices: “the hand of devotion?” “How did she get here?” “...trouble with the parish...” A kind looking elderly man who Devo could only assume to be Brother Seldom approached him and asked, “Devotion? What are you doing here? Did Guidance send you?” Devo just screamed “NO!” and broke down sobbing. Seldom did not push any further, he waited until Devo’s tears slowed, although they still did not cease, before taking his hand and leading him to a bedroom.

“You just stay here as long as you need, okay? Someone will bring you dinner if you aren’t up for sitting with us yet.”

Devo nodded and closed the door a little harder than was necessary. He flopped down onto the bed and screamed into the pillow until his throat hurt. The pain was grounding, it kept him from drifting away into nothingness. As he rolled over on the bed, a desk in the corner of the room caught his eye, so he got up to look through the drawers and found a pair of scissors. They were delightfully plain, just steel blades with gray handles. The whole room was like that, functional, cozy, but unadorned. It was a sight for sore eyes, Devo needed a break from everything being gold and marble like the parish was.

He picked up the scissors and turned to the mirror, pulling on the blue ribbon that held his bun in place, allowing his dark hair to cascade past his shoulders. Honestly, Devo didn’t mind the idea of having longer hair, maybe like a short ponytail, but he hated how Guidance made him keep it down his shoulder blades and especially when she would style it for holidays or special occasions like he was her fucking doll. Whatever, he just knew he needed to do this now, he had to look like Devo and not Devotion or he would break down even more. Devo hummed a Benevolence hymn unconsciously to himself as he trimmed his hair in the mirror, and then began to cut off longer and longer chunks. For once that day, he did not cry, he smiled. He looked in the mirror and finally saw Devo.

Rummaging through the desk drawer again, he found some parchment and ink, and wrote a note that simply said: “I am a man and my name is Devo. Guidance did not send me and I will never be going back to the Parish” which he slid under the door. Devo was not ready to speak yet, he was still overwhelmed, and from his training as an orator, so often he had been told what to say to accomplish something that was not a goal he chose. The silence filled the room and nestled around Devo, wrapping him in gentle comfort, reassuring him that he could take all the time he needed to find his own voice. Exhausted from the scariest yet most empowering night of his life, Devo drifted into a deep and quiet sleep.

That is how Brother Seldom found him when he arrived with a bowl of fish stew. Upon receiving no response when he knocked, Seldom gently opened the door and picked up the note on the ground. He suddenly understood Devo’s earlier reaction, since he had unknowingly managed to say the two worst possible things. As Seldom looked at the sleeping young man, he was glad that Devo had managed to find the school, since they were the only two people in Founder’s Wake who had ever shared the position of leaving the parish clergy. A sense of responsibility overtook him, he wanted to make sure Devo had what he needed to make his own decisions. Perhaps one day he would find a new cause to devote himself to, but for now, he just needed to rest, and Brother Seldom was not going to wake him up.

[death-or-exile]

Doe Reads: Batman '89 Echoes #2

After being delayed for like...a million years....this issue finally, FINALLY arrived, and it did NOT disappoint! I recall it was originally solicited to come out on 1/31, because I was going to be out of the country, and was sad I was going to miss it...but uh, guess I needn't have worried! But enough about me, let's dig in!

spoilers under the cut!

(Doe Reads Batman '89: Echoes #1)

We begin following our dearest friend, Alfred, as he is out and about doing his shopping. However, he is being followed by a shadowy someone or someones...It appears that they intend to approach him, but are stopped when Alfred is approached by a street window-washer. After the window washer, leaves, Alfred finds a note card with a very familiar logo tucked under his wiper...

....a discreet message from Robin, aka Drake Winston, who was introduced in the previous Batman '89 series. We learn that he's still very much in touch with Bruce, and presumably has been for some time; assisting him with whatever he's doing, wherever he is, and seemingly acting as an occasional go-between for Bruce and Alfred. Although personally I do believe Alfred when he asserted last issue that he doesn't know where Bruce is and hasn't heard from him -- I imagine Bruce is pretty off the grid to serve his mission and protect Alfred (and I promise that's not a Unabomber style off-the-grid joke).

Drake also answers the question for us of who is tailing Alfred...

Drake assures us that Bruce wouldn't leave Alfred in the dark like this if the stakes weren't insanely high, and that if it all goes wrong, they'll definitely need him so it's better to have him out of the loop for now. Alfred agrees to bring Drake the fingerprint kit the next day, and Drake gives Alfred one last piece of info - if something goes wrong, there are three names he needs to get to Captain Gordon: Maynard, Desmond, and Kashif.

From here, we move to Arkham, where Crane and "Robert Lowery"(aka the Firefly, aka Bruce Wayne of course!) have their first formal session. Not only is this our first real look at Crane and his I guess...bedside manner? Theraputic vibe? but we learn a lot of interesting tidbits from this discussion that flesh out the story a good bit.

Firstly, to go back to issue #1, Dr. Hugo Strange is name-dropped as the doctor "Lowery" requested to see after he was apprehended, and who was "unavailable". However, Crane introduces himself to Lowery as someone who worked closely with Strange, so he's more than qualified and able to take on the task of treating "Lowery".

Here, we get confirmed what was alluded to in issue #1 - that the lawyer and judge involved with "Lowery" were paid off in some way, to ensure "Lowery" would be brought to Arkham rather than a penitentiary. "Lowery" asks if it was paid for by the estate of Dr. Strange, remarking that Dr. Strange had "acknowledged what he'd done to (us)" and tried to make amends. This seems to give more weight to "Lowery"'s words at the end of issue #1: "Because that's what I am -- a weapon. It's what they do. Start with a man...and make a monster. It's what they did to me."

Crane begins a fear test on "Lowery", showing him a series of images on screen that increase in intensity and graphic content, in order to measure his responses to them. It starts as simply as a boy and a puppy, and ramps up to show scenes of violence and rotting corpses. finishing up on a photo of Batman, followed by a photo of a scarecrow in a field.

After the fear test, Crane says that "Lowery" is sane and functioning enough to stand trial, but that he's too much of a celebrity to afford to go to a standard prison; his life would likely be at risk. Just to be safe, he's even been checked into Arkham under a false name - Lewis Wilson (names upon names!) Crane says that ultimately the choice us up to Lowery, but he suggests that the smart thing to do would be stay at Arkham (with the other violent cases there). Before he has much of a chance to say anything either way, Crane has "Lowery" escorted to Shady Lane, the area of the hospital where the other extreme cases are, but not before we see that he clearly has his doubts as to whether or not this is the real "Robert Lowery".

It's time for us to catch up with ACN's favorite Dr. Q, who's storming through the station. Apparently since her special interviewing Alicia which was preempted in issue #1 was apparently shunted to a 7am slot, the ratings were low. As she passes, network producer (? still not 100% sure what his title is here) Chuck follows her out into the hall and praises her work on the interview.

At first she believes him to be gloating, but he insists he is sincere and convinces her to follow him up to his office for a chat. While there, he lays out what he sees to be an incredible opportunity. He wants Harleen to use her authority as a therapist at Arkham to obtain a current photo of the Firefly, something that no other station or newspaper would have -- in other words, a scoop. In exchange, he promises her a primetime slot, five nights a week. This does not take much convincing on her part, haha.

Back at the madhouse, "Lowery" is finally at Shady lane. There appear to be some colorful cameos here, and lots of interesting new characters. After being given a warning by a very skrungly man folding origami that his cover as Lewis Wilson is basically blown already and that many staff on the ward would be happy to take the bounty placed on his head, we meet Philco, the ward's living television, as well as Maynard, one of the three names Drake gave to Alfred to turn in to the commissioner in case of emergency.

Maynard and "Lewis Wilson"/"Robert Lowery" meet, and after a bit of a rough introduction, Maynard recognizes "Lowery" as a kindred spirit. "You're one of us. The Monster Men. The Sammy-Poppers...the Strange Rangers."

Maynard says he was able to identify Lowery as such from having read his manifesto; that he recognized Dr. Strange's influence in much of it. After this back and forth, Maynard is distracted after his clipboard is vandalized by another patient; the sheets on the clipboard are covered in green question mark scribbles and "kryptik puzzles" by one E. Nigma...

Upon seeing this, "Lowery" has a violent outburst, attacking the guards, and is stopped by force in short order. As Maynard is escorted away, guards separate "Lowery" into an area out of the view of cameras. "Lowery" asks if he's going to collect his bounty, but to our surprise, the man is an associate of Drake Winston's -- letting "Lowery" know where he can get the package from Drake. The guard doesn't seem to know who "Lowery" really is, he's just operating as a favor for the Winston family.

The other guard, one of the ones escorting Maynard, is next seen reporting directly to Crane, who believes it's no coincidence that "Lowery" and Maynard found each other right away, believing they're trying to revive the "Strange Rangers", whatever that is. He also asks after the other two names that we were alerted to at the beginning of the issue, Desmond and Kashif, who are apparently well in hand. He stresses to the guard that "Lowery" must be kept alive at all costs. Once he believes himself to be alone, we see Crane looking inside a well lit cupboard filled with some choice items....our first look at The Scarecrow!

...before being interrupted by the unwelcome appearance of Harleen Quinzel!

Harleen is there to convince Crane to let her try her brand of persona therapy on "Lowery". After some absolutely top-tier wheedling and whining, and absolutely fabulous desktop posing, Harleen is stonewalled by Crane and leaves. She calls Chuck on the way out to let them know that they've hit a snag in their plan, before she's struck by a moment of inspiration:

After hanging up on Lowery, we finally join Harleen in one of her much discussed persona therapy sessions. She's meeting with her group, bringing in makeup kits. The gist of persona therapy seems to be creating a differentiation between a person's "true self" and the face they put on to the outside world. The "true self" is their actual thoughts, feelings and impulses, and when they put on their makeup, draw on their face, they're allowing those thoughts and feelings to come out. When they're in their "naked face", they view that as a kind of mask that they wear to appear normal and functioning to others, to keep those impulses and feelings in check.

A patient asks how come they never get to see Dr. Quinzel's true face, and she agrees, it's only fair that she shows them her "true face" as well. She applies the makeup on herself and we're...halfway to Harley Quinn!

....and END SCENE!

It was so so interesting to learn more about the Hugo Strange angle to what's going on in this issue. I think Bruce/Lowery's statement about being made a monster by Hugo Strange, coupled with a hypothesis by Commissioner Gordon in issue #1 (that the captured robber who killed the false Batman at the beginning of the story showed rage similar to PTSD, and she clocked him as a veteran) is going to connect to maybe some kind of experimentation on members of the military? With Crane involved, can we expect some kind of....compound that causes a soldier to lose his ability to fear, making him unstoppable on the battlefield? Or is that kinda just more Crane's MO, being who he is and all, and perhaps Strange was up to something similar but different (or something else entirely?) I'm gonna go with my original assumption for now, especially since it seems to be confirmed that Lowery was doing specifically fear tests with Strange in the past...but time will tell. What does Bruce know?? What is he investigating!?!?

I also like how Harleen's persona therapy is effectively kind of....tying her to clown imagery / possible future clown henchman in a way that's organic and independent of Joker stuff, which I was very curious about, him being dead and all. I do remember back in the day, in the old internet rumor mill, the theory was that Harley in any 90s era movies would be like...the Joker's daughter taking revenge on Batman for what happened to her father? But that never sat right to me as a possible origin for her, just too weird. Even more complicated when you consider Duela Dent Joker's Daughter, who even knows.

As an admitted shipper, I find the scene between Harleen and Jonathan absolutely delicious -- the way she interrupts his reverie, the way she tries to convince him to give her her way, and their exchange of jabs; seeing how smug it makes him denying her something she wants so badly...oof, I love it. The difference between Harleen's big expressions and Jonathan's more subtle ones is so fun to watch.

I must admit, it took me all the way to literally today to remember that The Firefly's civilian name is not Robert Lowery, it's Garfield Lynns. Ooops, sorry all you Firefly heads out there. In doing the googling though, I noticed that Robert Lowery was the name of the second man to ever play Batman on screen, in the 1940s serial. Which I did not know! Coincidence? I'm gonna say no but like...who knows, really, haha.

I'm also curious about the naming of Maynard as our Riddler (how do we get from Maynard to E. Nygma? Just a pseudonym?) Truthfully upon reading this the first time, I could tell Maynard was supposed to look like someone but I couldn't place him for sure -- it wasn't after I saw a twitter exchange that it hit me that Riddler's casting here is Martin Short, which I actually love and think is great (I feel like the old rumor I remember the most for a Riddler, pre-Jim Carrey casting was Robin Williams).

This is the panel that looked most like Martin Short to me. It's just kinda funny, Joe Quinones has an absolute skill for bringing out the celeb likenesses in these characters so I'm just really surprised I didn't get it right away. Guess I'm not enough of a Short fan haha. I imagine we'll see more of him soon, although I guess he does kind of put a wrench in my theory of Strange creating fearless super-soldiers. Maybe he was doing something else with Maynard? So much to learn!

And finally, speaking of cameos, there are a couple others I want to acknowledge here. I am convinced that this man, in the hallway of the Shady Grove intro panel is Danny DeVito, change my mind, haha. The man in the center absolutely must be Tim Burton. And....I can't place Philco. He's drawn in such a specific, particular way, I'm convinced he's SOMEONE but I just don't know who. If you know, tell me!!! (also not really sure if it counts as a cameo or a design choice, but I'm calling the zigzag flooring a nod to Twin Peak's black lodge, haha)

I admit to following Joe Quinones' social media even more closely than usual in the time between this issue's delay and its release to find any meager scraps of art / info to keep me alive during that time. I posted everything I could find here as it popped up, but I actually uh....ended up doing a closet cosplay of Harleen based on the panels previewed (the red turtleneck, the checkerboard skirt, tights, red heels) because....I literally already had almost the entire getup already. Years of being a cosplayer (especially a Harley cosplayer!) and having eccentric fashion tastes pay off sometimes! haha.

Here's hoping #3 stays on schedule! Hope if you got this far you enjoyed the read!

[susandsnell]

Movies with Scarecrow vibes?

Ahhh, thank you so much for sending this! This might be long-winded, as I tend to be, but such is the way of Cranerot!

Naturally, Brian de Palma's Carrie. Aside from the plot and thematic matches almost eerily to Scarecrow: Year One to the point I'd be shocked if it wasn't a direct inspiration, de Palma's camp balanced with heartrending drama and tragedy and a horror where nearly everyone involved is a monster has Crane written all over it. I actually have several tracks from the score on my inspiration playlist for when I'm writing him!

Hellraiser (1987)! Jonathan Crane is so, so, so Cenobite-coded (highly recommend @acapelladitty's Cenobite!Crane AU, incidentally)! An old house filled with secrets, a plucky heroine whose sanity is doubted but who wins the day (at a great cost), and creatures that want to bring you to the height of sensation until the joy is inextricable from the anguish...it very much suits his more sensual reverent speeches/quotes about fear. "We have such sights to show you" could so easily be a Scarecrow quote, and likewise, "Eventually, the victim desires the horror" could very believably be a Pinhead line!

Since you mentioned it in The Most Poetical Topic, Night of the Hunter (1955) as a Southern noir quasi-folktale thriller absolutely suits the more charming, insidious iterations of Crane, in atmosphere, setting, antagonist, and in the themes of corrupted religion. The themes of childhood fears and defeating your demons while also struggling with their humanity both suit different phases of Jonathan Crane in his life, and the responses to and from the people he knows and terrorizes.

On the note of the South, O Brother Where Art Thou provides heavy atmosphere that give off Crane vibes, bringing a mythic epic to the setting of his backstory, with the music and monsters therein giving a good feel of everything that built the man and the monster.

Also naturally, many a mad scientist movie! The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari gives us a corrupt asylum director who torments his patients until he eventually becomes one of them, and Re-Animator gives us an actual former Scarecrow actor, Jeffrey Combs, in a very Crane-like role when it comes to being penalized in academica for horrific and unethical experiments. (It's even set in the original Arkham for which Gotham's is named!!) The Fly isn't quite as on point, but it does still give those vibes as well. And although the degree of 'madness' when he plays him is debatable, any of Cushing's roles as any member of the Frankenstein family come to mind since he's very much an old school!Crane figure.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984): yes, yes, 'look out for Mr. Pricky-Fingers', in the words of Codotverse!Scarecrow, but fear gauntlets/needles gloves aside, Freddy is the boogeyman who is literally fed on fears, and he much better gives the feel of a distinctly Scarecrowish tormentor than, say, your average Pennywise or other. Nancy's speech to him at the end is highly reminiscent of those who've managed to successfully stand up to Crane over the years, too.

Halloween (1978): On the note of boogeymen, and other than the "one good scare" quote you yourself have mentioned, I imagine Scarecrow to move and function a lot like Michael Meyers; slow, creeping, inevitable. Every kid in Gotham City thinks this place is haunted. They might be right!

For the pure fanservice of it/JonBecky vibes, let's say both the Lon Chaney and Charles Dance Phantom of the Operas, Death Takes a Holiday (1934), The Shape of Water, and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir inspire how I conceive of the more romantic side of our beloved Scarecrow. I'll throw in Silence of the Lambs as well, since that gives us an incarcerated evil psychiatrist meeting his match in an intrepid young woman involved with the law who he forces to face her formative traumas, but who manages to come out on top despite his machinations.

A few Hitchcocks, honestly! The Birds is outright referenced in Year One and definitely gives life to the visceral horrors he underwent in the old Keeny chapel, whereas Vertigo more in atmosphere and obsession captures a lot of torment he experiences. I also do see shades of crane even in Norman Bates' "private traps" speech!

Thanks so much for sending this along!

[darcymariaphoster]

Any headcanons about what the Nordics houses look like?

Can you rank them from most to least stylish?

What’s they favourite animal each & would they have one as a pet?

Alrighty. All my thoughts. It's gonna be sorta long -- sorry in advance! Headcanons below ⬇️

Houses

I'm a little uncertain about Iceland's house, at least as far as architecture or exterior goes. I feel like, though, his home is cozy and warm and just very inviting. Maybe slightly cluttered, probably because he tends to start something and then get distracted and only sometimes comes back to his project. And he probably also has stacks of books because I know he's a reader.

I'm also not super sure about Finland's house? I feel like he's always off on adventures, so the stuff around his house is kind of haphazard. He has a big mix-match of aesthetics, because I think he gets an idea into his head and he'll start it but then get going on another. He needs a designer to come in and help him sort his life. He's all about that overwhelmed deep clean when he's like, "Something *has* to get done."

Sweden's house is modern and sleek, minimalistic. Everything has a purpose -- even aesthetic. He keeps a pretty organised house, and minimalism helps because I feel like organising and cleaning is most definitely not something he enjoys doing. But everything still manages to be cozy. Cool colors. And a garden in his backyard.

Denmark is all about the architecture. Cool and unique, probably multi-functional -- like an outdoor living wall or something along those lines. He's a neat freak, so of course it's tidy and clean. But it's also full of loud colors and lots of knickknacks and photographs all over. He has all sorts of books stacked up all over that he grumbles about whenever he has to clean, and some video games around. Everything has a place and he's really the one who knows where everything goes.

Norway... Is a thrifter. And by that, I mean he just "borrows" stuff from his friends/family and then they end up as decor in his house. He has books and pillows from the other Nordics, and throw blankets that they've gifted him. He's definitely the kind of guy who ends up leaving stuff around the house with the mindset of "I'll get to it" and some of it just ends up becoming part of the decor at some point. 🤷 He probably has a cabin-style home, though. Very comfortable and woodsy.

Styles

Um. I feel like that goes Sweden, Norway, Denmark(?), Finland, Iceland. Although I am torn with swapping Finland and Denmark. Iceland's style is objective, to be honest. I feel like they all have neat styles that fit them, but something about Finland taking comfort as a priority and Iceland trying to keep up with trends, and then... Hold on. On that note: Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Denmark. Idk. Denmark just has fun vibes where he cares less about style and more about comfort and color. To be fair, he probably knows how to dress well, he just likes the reaction he gets.

Animals

There's only one that I don't think has a pet because he's too afraid of accidentally killing it somehow, and that would be Iceland. Norway loves his pet, though he has the same fears as his little brother. Then there's Mathias who probably should not own a pet because he's a bit scatterbrained. Finland is really good at taking care of his pet, while everyone thinks that he shouldn't actually own a pet. Literally the only person who is responsible enough to own a pet doesn't actually have one -- Sweden.

Their favorite animals:

Iceland - I feel like he doesn't have a favorite; he loves all animals. Of course he's partial to the puffin. He has a barn cat, aka a cat that he found and feeds and it brings him mice and he panics.

Norway - rabbits and cats, probably. Thanks @pvffinsdaisies. I can see him with either, but I feel like probably a cat because they're a lot less maintenance. There's a lot less that can go wrong.

Sweden - Okay, I can see him liking little animals like mice and hamsters and hedgehogs and the like. He does not have a pet.

Denmark - I feel like he's probably a bird person, in his heart. He loves parrots and song birds and he's fascinated by the predator birds. He owns a dog, though. A bigger breed that he takes on runs twice a day.

Finland - Honestly? I feel like he likes horses a lot, but also rabbits and dogs and snakes and spiders. He has a puppy, of course!

[nari-writes]

I KNOW THIS IS JUST BRAIN ROT. I know it. Judge me not!!!

I saw a summary post of the current Batman arc ((Gotham War)) and my brain is full of bunnies so the panel of Jason having that panic attack (<- litcherally went to go find fic of this concept immediately after because HELL yes I want to see Jason suffering. Messed UP, Bruce!!!!!) BUT. The concept of a chip that makes you afraid whenever you feel adrenaline. Oh my god. Oh my god ❤️ fear toxin is already amazing. BUT THIS?? SO good. My tags have jason fic rambles but unfortunately I am Currently a Tim Drake stan first and foremost so my brain went:

Huh, Fake Anxieté? 👀 and was like concept: young!Tim's parents find out about his forays into Gotham and his slowly expanding Lack of fear to consequences (he's faced scarier in Gotham simply walking home from school! He's a teenager now and no teenager is able to understand their own mortality it's a literal Thing!), and thus he is Not being a Good and Obedient Young Son. They will Fix This. And so Tim gets chipped (oof don't think about the dog and leash metaphor in this thank you :)) and I like the angst of him not realising it. Having to deal with this sudden influx of anxiety, barely wanting to leave the house because he's started to get panic attacks when he goes out to photograph things, the human brain tries hard to protect itself. If you're constantly getting flooded by adrenaline and fear your neurological pathways adapt and tell you everything is bad.

And it's. He knows this isn't normal. Tries to get his parents to help, gets assistance from online pysch self-help, struggles so hard with it, and then Jason dying 👀 Tim deciding he has to do something even if he's terrified of the outside world. Using every trick he can to get Dick back in the game and when Dick scoffs and does that (I can't remember it verbatim) but the vibes of well if you think he needs a Robin so bad why aren't you volunteering? line. Bro. The angst.

ANYWAY because this is an au (even if using more fanon!tim characterisation 'cause. Chip) I'm also like. Make him fight scarecrow as his first bust.

...Tim literally stuck here in: I can't mode, but if he doesn't, Batman and Nightwing die- it's not even adrenaline that gets properly triggered by his chip anymore, as soon as any of it starts he just gets flooded with fear and his brain makes it so much worse. Alfred watching him have a total breakdown 🥰 <- bad. Being like Hm I think something is Wrong With This Child. And managing to help enough that Tim - who has spent YEARS battling his (fake, thanks parents) anxiety - powers through and then shakily collapses when he's home.

Also this is when Tim is like okay. This is so not normal. I just had a three day hallucination. And Also that felt a LOT like fear gas. Figuring out adrenaline is the trigger and trying to suppress it...oof. And the coping mechanism he uses to get through Robin is just. Completely shutting down. It is CREEPY to everyone else. There is a subsection of mooks terrified that Batman bought the old Robin back to life through his dark magic and that's why he goes from bubbly poking-Batman to Completely Silent and Darkness.

Alfred like: this young man has an anxiety disorder

Tim: something is greviously wrong and I can't bring it up with batman yet because this is an InternshipTM until Batman is able to function on his own but as I get better at being Robin I'm sure I'll figure out why my brain is so weird and Also how it is that I'm immune to scarecrow's gas (that's weird right?)

Nightwing: this kid is a wreck how on earth is he managing Bruce's mental health so well- oh yeah wait nevermind he probably has lots of help with his own. Hm. Let's make sure he doesn't get hurt- why on earth does he go through missions like a robot this is supposed to be fun and adrenaline inducing does he not like FUN????

Batman: Jason 😔