#idk i feel like while caine has a sort of face he's also sort of faceless.

[starreyy-art]

you're looking for a way out of here // you're talking to the great engineer // there's nothing there in the void so avoid it my dear!

[mysteriousl0ser]

FUCK IT, TADC EP 2 THOUGHTS MAJOR SPOILERS!! BE WARNED

LETS GO!! Pomni is still pretty screwed up over her first day here, I mean this is all fresh and new to her so like DUH. everyone else here is somewhat or entirely adjusted and kind of just cope with the fact that theyre here I dont think pomni has really processed how long theyve been here?? In the pilot she seems SO bothered by how okay they are with this and willingness to do caines fuckass adventures

i dont blame her, anywho pomni in her nightmare-induced state starts to abstract, she had to face an abstraction early on in her days here which like have to be pretty truamatizing (duh) and cried out to ANYONE, but where she called for help literally no one helped her “oh well” they though

Pomni doesn't feel like anybody else cares, shes the only one whos still going through an adjustment phase and freaking the fuck out while everyone else is just going along with the adventure, something she still thinks is kinda pointless and doesn't get why anybody would waste their time here doing when they COULD be looking for a way out, why is she the only one who seems to still be distressed here? To feel lost? At least from her perspective, it seems that way. Unfortunately, these people have already been here for a while.

Pomski then meets someone whos just like her, their whole reality was shattered and they don't belong anywhere, mirroring how pomni feels at the moment, even if she still has some sort of grip now vs when she first got here

And she finds comfort in that!!! Why is it that this NPC feels more real than the ACTUAL REAL PEOPLE trapped here with her??? Whatever the reason, its something to hold onto. Something to LATCH onto. Hes Real. or at least he feels real, and maybe she feels like she belongs with him because at least he knows the feeling, something shes not really felt w anyone else before

This comfort and solidarity she has with gumigoo is shortlived however as she gets brutally reminded that he wasnt real. The anchor she had vanished and there's quite literally nobody to catch her fall.

And i feel like ragatha trying to comfort her the way she did didnt help AT ALL. it was kinda a sore reminder that gumigoo is easily replaceable, and GOD thats so frustrating?? This thing felt so real to her and nobody seems to care that he just vanished!! If they could be so apathetic to this whos to say they wont just treat her demise just the same as she thought they would???

But then something important happens. They have a funeral for Kaufmo, someone whos been established to be their friend way before Pomni ever came here. And maybe it didn't ever settle in before that kaufmo was a real person! Literally!! And he was real to them. Just like gumigoo though less directly they relate to being in pain and kind of in shock of losing someone who they cared about and who was a real person to care about to them AND LIKE YOU CAN SEE WHERE IT CLICKS IN HER FACIAL EXPRESSION HERE, THE CHANGE IN HER EYES AND THE WAY HER EXPRESSION LOSENS AT THIS IDK IT DRIVES ME CRAZY GOD THE ANIMATORS WENT OFF W THIS EP VS THE PILOT IM IM IM

anyways anyways They have their funeral service, theres quite literally no reason for anyone to just lie and go along with whatever bs caines got going on, this also quite literally has nothing to do with him. This is kind of their own little way of keeping some sort of human traditions and respect for the human persons that get stuck here because they care. HELL you can even see pomni feel a little guilty here when ragatha says that his funeral was disrupted cause she arrived here

anyways thats exactly it!! They fucking car!! This whole time pomni thought that they just didnt care and were kind of apathetic or downright patronizing her over all this and mocking her or whatnot, like in her dream sequence. But no, they all talk respectively about their memories and experiences with kaufmo, the things they shared together and the feelings they had. EVERYBODY was grieving. Ragatha who always tried to put on some cheerful and kind of irritating (to pomni at least) everythings fine facade (which also kind of feels less real to her at least i think so but i don't think she figured it to be a coping mechanism) to just straight up start crying and breaking up a bit, even mentioning how this does not ever get any easier and how shes had to deal with this plenty of times before.

Zooble the usually apathetic and kind of asshole who keeps to themselves and gives off i don't care energy and probably gave off the impression that they didn't care about anyone here and just treated the people stuck here as an unfortunate fact and nothing more actually being vulnerable and probably doing the same as ragatha talking about their memories with kaufmo

Kingers ALWAYS kind of zoned out or not really taking anything seriously and just being there completely lost in space, but here hes grounded, and even earlier in the episode when ragatha needed it most he remained grounded then too (tho pomni didnt see that i just wanted to mention it). Just like the others he grieves and lives in the unfortunate moment

more of the kinger being grounded when the thought counts

GANGLE- dude even if its for just a moment she smiles here despite having her tragedy mask and like her whole shtick is being of whatever mood or emotion her mask is allegedly wether she wants to or not, but no here shes more than just that, she smiles for a bit when reminiscing her moments with kaufmo only to go back into crying, and man shes always crying with her tragedy mask but its beyond as far as anyone can tell wether or not its really her or just because of her mask, but here? its really her, no matter what the mask on her face shows!! shes genuinely smiling despite having her comedy mask and shes genuinely crying which is very blatantly obviously different to the usual mask cry etc etc

heres something about all this, it hits pomni in a way. These people ARE real, and they care. They care about her, they have nothing else but eachother and THATS something to latch onto. Thats something to hold her down, even if they just met pomni

SPEAKING OF JUST MEETING POMNI she literally expressed how she didnt wanna just LEAVE gumigoo there by himself because she believes no one should just be left there

the circus peeps just met pomni and just like how she felt a real connection to gumigoo in this digital hell she feels a sort of connection with these people too. Theyre gonna have her back all the same, maybe she wont feel so out of place and alone. BONUS THING!! The literal only times she genuinely smiles is when she feels this real connection to what feels real to her and has a genuine and sincere moment with these people whether it be an npc or a trapped member. Idk it just means something to me how significant both these moments are tipped off with a genuine smile a REAL SMIE!! (id add pictures but tumblr has a 30 image limit) OH ALSO BONUS BONUS THING THE DIFFERENCE IN OUTRO MUSIC IS SO IS SO ITS SO the outro song for the pilot kinda feels so ethereal and out of the moment at least to me it kinda feels like it you're slipping through the cracks and just, existing within yourself as the rest of the world around you kind of shatters into glass or melts into water or something i dont think ANY of that made any sense but its loud and its blaring and its so out of reach in a way, mad disassociation vibes but the outro song for the 2nd ep is a lot quieter yet its right there, at first it starts really small, lonely even. trapped by yourself but as the music gets louder and more instruments join in on the song it kind of has a comforting feel? bittersweet? even? its grounding ina way which is much different from how the first one felt at least to me lmao and the comforting feel kinda only emphasizes what I was talking about earlier- the comfort in having that anchor of reality with having a real moment with these people and making that connection yk? and like as i was saying at first the song starts off with just one instrument, at the start of the episode pomni feels utter alone and out of place even if these people here with here are stuck in the same situation as her, together alone. but as the other instruments join. in it kinda uplifts the song a bit, its not one sole instrument anymore like how in the end pomni feels that connection with everyone else, not so alone anymore idk jackshit about music theory so this is entirely a feelies talk instead of like- music lore? so don't take anything i say as like- idk some professional speak im just a nerd nerding about silly digital fixations ANYWAYS THATS ALL FOR NOW I AVE MORE TO SAY BUT THIS IS LONG ENOUGH LOL if you actually read all the way down this far thank you for listening!!! i really really appreciate it :]

[lucindarobinsonvevo]

had this idea for a fic a while ago where dylan’s skydiving career takes a nose dive after one of the people’s he’s teaching dies on his watch. in a fit of desperation to avoid going to jail and never seeing his kids again he sacrifices his pride and calls paul to ask for help. paul of course flies right to cains on the first red eye flight and spares no expense to help. the real meat and potatoes of the fic is after Paul’s lawyer uses evidence Paul found to find Dylan not guilty and after awkwardly asking Paul to stay for Christmas (they’re...friends? again. or, dylan hates him less anyway) and offers to take him skydiving which Paul agrees too on account of his failing marriage back home and not wanting to face his kids in New York about it. 

The skydiving scene is literally just an extended metaphore for how Dylan feels about Paul. in freefall. he’s going to crash if he does nothing but he wants to keep going as long as he can that sort of thing. Eventually when they make it back to Paul’s unit Dylan decides to make a move and they kiss. havent decided if i would bother to make it r-rated or just leave it there. idk i also like the idea of an epilouge where Paul takes over narration and muses about relationships and all the times he’s tried to remake Dylan and failed and it’s because none of them would ever make him feel about them the way he felt (feels?) about Dylan. Paul uses the skydiving metaphore -- He’s going to crash one way or another, but if he has a choice at all he’d prefer Dylan. Then he schedules a phone call with his kids and starts browsing gifts for Dylan’s children. 

[shepherds-of-haven]

Hope you had a fun week !! I was curious how would a trip to the amusement park go for the shepherds?

Thank you so much, it was literally one of the best trips I've ever gone on! :) And ooh, great question! Can you imagine all of the Shepherds going to an amusement park together?? The chaos... 🎠🎡

Blade: amusement parks are probably a bit too loud, crowded, and chaotic for him to be really gung-ho about, but he'd go! He probably wouldn't say too much but would patiently and long-sufferingly go on every ride everyone else wanted to go on... but he's not easily impressed, so you'd go on an intense rollercoaster and glance back and his face would be like 😐 gfldgjfdlg but then once night fell and you got him into one of those haunted houses, he'd get really tense and probably end up punching some poor carnival worker through the mirror maze!

Trouble: amusement parks are HIS JAM, I think he'd go to one on a first date if he could! He'd want to hit up all the most thrilling and intense roller coasters, eat all of the most indulgent, greasiest food, and play all of the carnival games! He 100% would love to show off his skills at those shooting games and win everyone fat prizes. By the time it was time to head back, he'd probably pass tf out in the backseat or on the train home from all of the sugar he inhaled, but he'd be having a grand old time all day!

Tallys: she's Not About that amusement park life, but she'd go along just to please everyone else! I think she'd mostly just be chilling in the under the umbrella of a shaded table in her sunglasses, reading a book or watching everyone else go on the coasters or taking pictures for them (totally of her own accord)! If she's in a more festive mood, I think she'd go for the calmer, chiller rides, like the "It's a Small World"-style boat rides or perhaps renting a tandem bike, something like that!

Shery: she'd be the person who brought a big backpack full of snacks and water and first-aid stuff for everyone else, because she knows Blade is going to need sunscreen but won't bring it on his person himself, and Trouble is going to need water after he almost throws up from the inevitable funnel-cake eating contest with Ayla and Red, and etc.! She'd wear a big sun hat and look very cute, and would be drawn to all the cute stuff at the amusement park, like taking a selfie with the big mascots and the princesses and etc.! She would definitely not want to go on any coasters or intense rides, but she'd be happy to watch on the sidelines with Tallys!

idk why i put that particular gif glfjgldfjgfd i just remembered amagi brilliant park and it made me laugh

Riel: he thinks amusement parks are unsanitary cesspits for howling ape children and plebs, so it would take a LOT of convincing for anyone to get him to go in lieu of just, like, staying home and working. If he were persuaded to go, he would come wearing shades, gloves, and most likely a dramatic scarf or hat, would refuse to touch anything without sanitizing it first, wouldn't sit unless he could perch on his handkerchief, and definitely wouldn't go on any rides, citing horrific accident and injury statistics anytime Trouble called him a baby for not going on the Steel Vengeance: Devil's Thunder 365 ride. He might nibble on some food or annoy some psychics or those carnival barker people who guess your weight or something, though!

Chase: oh boy, if you think his normal energy is high, wait until you see his Amusement Park Energy! He's all over the place, serving as the group's enthusiastic tour guide except he has no idea where he's going and is just picking sights and locations at random, easily distracted by any loud color, sight, or sound that passes his way. He is having a GRAND old time! You have to keep a close eye on him, though, because he might be slipping stray treats off of stalls and turning up with a whole smorgasbord in his hands, conning surly stall workers out of their stuffed animals and passing them to kids on the sly, pretending that his seatbelt isn't working on the worst ride possible just to freak the other passengers out, or pretending to lean and go "whoaaaaa!" against the Ferris Wheel cart just to aggravate Riel's vertigo and Red's panic instinct. He is also definitely the one playing 'matchmaker' and pairing people off to go through the haunted house together, ostensibly also to troll and maximize the memories/drama. It's chaotic but he's the life of the party and everyone is having a great time!

Halek: he's content to just chill and let everyone else have a raucous time. He is particularly interested in the amusement park food and can be found slouched on various benches around the park eating an ice cream cone or slowly chewing a soft pretzel while keeping one hand up to keep the sun out of his eyes. Comically, he has also been found with his overly-tall body slumped over one of the horses on the carousel and crammed into a tiny kid's roller coaster, which is just a scream for everyone else. No explanation for why he felt compelled to ride the Dumbo ride, he just wanted to feel the breeze in his hair!

Red: he is just vibing, looking forward to having a corndog, maybe some shaved ice or cotton candy: basically the normal amusement park experience! He's the type of person to actively collect all of the park brochures and maps, plan out the most efficient route, have an exact itinerary with the best ride times and accounting for lines and rushes... but for the benefit of the group, he could take or leave really any of the rides! He's most interested in the visual displays, like shows, plays, parades, exhibits, and fireworks displays!

Ayla: she's an adrenaline junkie, so she's racing Trouble to get to all of the most extreme rides and screaming her lungs out on the steepest drops and scariest roller coasters. She doesn't have time for any of the sissy stuff, she wants THRILLS! She's the type to be really impatient and want to either cut in line or complain loudly when other people either cut or dawdle. She can get so focused on the next ride that she'll barrel through a mascot, bowl over a princess, or even run through a pack of unsuspecting children!

Briony: she's extremely memory and experience-based, so her number #1 priority is that everyone is having a good time and laughing and making lots of joyous memories. To that end, she wants to do everything and is anxious to cram it all into one day! (This is where Red is very helpful.) She can come off as mother hen-y or bossy by the way she herds everyone to the next destination, but she actually brings order to the chaos and ensures they actually get to do stuff and stay together instead of just scattering to the four winds. She has a very romanticized idea of amusement parks in her head, so she really wants to do things like win a prize at the stalls, sit in the Ferris Wheel and see the fireworks, share an ice cream cone with someone, that sort of thing, and she either gets obsessive (prizes) or disappointed if it doesn't turn out the way she thought (the ice cream splats on the ground, the fireworks are blocked by trees, etc.)!

Lavinet: she's the group photographer and is the one taking pictures of everything, whether or not she's in the actual photos herself. Food and group candid shots feature prominently in her work, which are posted to social media accordingly. She is dressed entirely too posh for the occasion and refuses to go on coasters that could whip her hair around; she also decided to wear high heels, for some reason. She likes doing the fun, kitschy stuff like getting her fortune drawn at the psychic stall or shopping. If the amusement park is attached to a hotel, she is also very interested in spending some time at the spa or pampering herself there!

Caine: it's far more likely that he's at the amusement park with friends of his own age rather than traipsing around with the adults, and he'd be just a little rocket zooming around to all of the rides with a sticky, half-melted stick of cotton candy clutched in his hand and a wad of huge stuffed animals slung over his shoulder!

[gone-series-orchid]

I know you've said before that you think Caine and Drake are pretty one-dimensional (and I agree completely). I was wondering if there were any other villains that you wish had been explored more instead of giving those two more page time in later books. Or if there were any characters that you thought could have had villainous potential that were unexplored??

wow, interesting question! i think my main problem with caine and drake is that they’re just kind of blandly evil, one-dimensional like you said. i think, ideally, villains should feel like real people.

funnily enough, i think zil probably comes closest to embodying that in this series. he’s mean-spirited from the beginning, but it’s only under lance’s influence (from what i remember) that he becomes a real threat due to his gaining confidence. i think it would have been nice to see more of him in the series—he’s insecure in his role as leader of the human crew, which makes him fallible. he’s also kind of unnerved by lance’s neo-nazism. he’s arguably the most intelligent out of the crew aside from lance. he’s not sympathetic, per se, but he is compelling.

i would’ve liked to see him interact more directly with the protagonists—especially astrid, because i think she should get a chance to one-up him in some way after he was thinking creepy thoughts about her in hunger. also, i think astrid, being the smartie she is, would probably be most likely to try to persuade him to turn over a new leaf—she’s a normal, and a white, aryan-looking (gag) normal at that, which would probably satisfy lance, and she still has distinct power in the fayz. though zil could probably poke a hole in her argument by pointing out that she only really has that power because she’s sam’s girlfriend, which is true. anyway, they could have words about it.

i think zil is compelling because he has the potential to be redeemed. it’s a slight potential, because he’s already done some pretty evil things, but he’s not totally evil—he has to justify the violence he commits in order to accept it, which is more than caine or drake does. we never forget that, at the end of the day, he’s still an insecure, blustering twelve-year-old. he’s an anti-moof bigot, but he could change. i think lance, more than zil, represents total irredeemable evil. he represents what zil could descend into being. he’s the devil on his shoulder (astrid could potentially be the angel if she maybe switched tactics from lawful punishment to direct emotional manipulation).

i’m a sucker for human villains and natural disasters being the principal antagonists, which i think is why the first four books work so well? i think fear and light suffer from the gaiaphage taking control of the narrative, villain-wise, when i think it worked best when used sparingly. gaia is pure evil, nothing more. she’s fun to read about in her own way because she’s so villainously campy, but that’s kind of it. she’s not really interesting, imo.

i think the reason why i harp so much on the insufficient “humanity” of antagonists like caine and drake is because that’s the principal strength of books (lord of the flies, battle royale) in the “kids trapped in place and forced to survive” genre: what do the actions of the characters say about human nature? about society? about morality? in lord of the flies, the message conveyed is ultimately a bleak one: the kids all descend into savagery in one way or another, with the purest one of them all, simon (the jesus figure) being driven insane, and the intellectual (piggy) being murdered. the story is all about “the darkness in the human heart,” to paraphrase the last line of the book.

in battle royale, on the contrary, the message is ultimately one of hope. despite the characters living in a dystopian fascist society that sacrifices one class of students to a killing game, the main character shuya clings to the idea that he and his classmates can figure out an alternate way to survive the titular battle royale aside from murdering each other. his compassionate view of humanity is validated by the pov vignettes given to all his classmates. all of them are given distinct personalities; some are kind, like shuya and his allies noriko and shogo, and some are drake-esque sadists, while the majority fall somewhere in between (my personal favorite characters are the girls that team up with one another in order to protect themselves from possible sexual violence from the boys. they hole up in a lighthouse!). but all are tragic in the sense that they’re children thrust into an unfair and cruel situation. even then, though, the nobility of certain characters shines through.

for instance, there are two girls at the beginning of the game who are best friends and don’t want to kill anyone. they (foolishly or bravely) use a megaphone to call out to the other kids in hiding, asking if they can all band together. shuya and several other characters are tempted, but sadly the girls are both fatally shot soon after their announcement. they die in each other’s arms after affirming their friendship, tears in their eyes. shuya and several other kids are devastated by the girls’ deaths. while some more callous characters deride them as being stupid and naïve, the reader is ultimately meant to mourn their deaths and the lost potential of a class-wide alliance. they know that their enemy isn’t their classmates, but rather the fascist government that makes them kill each other in the first place.

anyway—tangent aside—i think those two aforementioned novels are really solid examples of the genre gone is in. gone has more of superhero vibe to it, given the focus on powers and mutations and paper-thin evil villains, but i almost think the way that’s executed almost detracts against the aforementioned “kids surviving, etc.” genre? like, that’s all about the messiness of morality and human nature and whatnot, and while superhero comics can weave that into their narratives (watchmen, the brat pack) those are usually deconstructions of the genre than straightforward examples of it. the superhero genre is usually morally black-and-white and really action-focused. this is why i think we get the strange tonal mixture of kids reacting realistically to the trauma of starving versus reacting fairly unrealistically when faced with brutal superpowered violence, such as when brianna decapitates drake like it’s nbd. or anything brianna does, really.

there’s a shift from the realistic to the unrealistic that’s fun, but tonally dissonant from each other. so there’s this sort of disconnect, at least for me. i sympathize greatly for astrid when she’s slapped by drake and forced to call little pete a slur, for instance, but how many times does drake or caine murder a kid in cold blood? at some point it gets...idk, old? as the violence gets more cartoony the less it interests me aside from morbid fascination, and there’s just so much of it. it gets desensitizing after a while. i think that’s why, even though i think it’s handled fairly believably in gone, i had a lot more trouble with the monster trilogy’s blend of absurdism (the animorphs-style mutations like dekka turning into a cat woman with medusa hair and another character turning into a praying mantis with super speed, etc.) vs. grimdark realism (ICE forcibly deports a character’s father, terrorist violence is a common theme, the san francisco bridge is destroyed, a baby boy is mutated into a giant fuzzy caterpillar and then gets blown up by the military—like this is budding dystopia-level dark and the narrative doesn’t seem to realize it). it just feels too heavy and too light at the same time. the contrast of tones does a disservice to both of them. idk what i’m saying let’s get back to your actual question lol

as for characters with villainous potential...hmmm. tbh i think astrid has villainous potential? i mean, i like the idea of her moral righteousness escalating in a way that makes her more morally gray. she’d have to probably latch onto more powerful kids in order to have any leverage over sam and the gang, given her powerlessness. maybe she could manipulate orc into being her bodyguard while she plots to usurp sam or something asgjsjk. i think she could be a powerful threat if she wanted to be! it’s fun to ponder. i heard of an au where she joins the human crew that i thought was sort of interesting!

what do you think, @goneseriesanalysis? any villains you wish had been dived into more, and/or characters with villainous potential you think would have been cool to explore?

[celsidebottom]

Rambling About my OCs: Take 3

With Season 5 of tma coming out, I figured it’s time for me to actually talk about my tma oc, Esme

(I’m going to try and keep this short but I have a LOT of headcanons and feelings about her so no guarantees)

TW for gore, bones, scars, fleshy stuff

Esme is from the Usher Foundation who is basically a transfer to the Magnus Institute because she is an expert on Leitners and similar books.  Elias was like, hm, how do I track down the idiot trying to undermine my evil schemes, and he started off looking for a nonviolent approach before -brutal pipe murder-  However, bureaucracy tied up the paperwork, and she didn’t get sent there until after Leitner was dead, and shortly before Jon’s name is cleared.

She started to learn about Leitners and other books (though of course his library was the most expansive) because she had a run in with one when she was young.  It was flesh-based, but instead of bones it dealt with skin. Mainly ripping it off of yourself. She was compelled to cut the skin from her legs while reading The Butcher’s Block and was barely found by her father in time before she bled out.  Because of this, though, she has massive scars, mainly on her thighs, so she never wears shorts or skirts and nobody knows about them save for her parents and her doctors.  She started doing research on books and the Usher Foundation scooped her up to do work for them.

Nobody trusts her, naturally, when she shows up in London.  She was called in by Elias and they’re just starting to understand how much of a prick he is – doesn’t help that he didn’t let anyone know to expect a new employee from America.  The Archives crew takes her out for drinks like “hey our boss is a prick and we’re all trapped here” and she’s just “uhhh… all this talk about Brexit has really messed you guys up, huh.”  But at the same time, she knows it’s true; she literally has the scars to prove it.

When they meet in the tunnels to plot against Elias, she does come along, and convinces Jon to use his compulsion powers to get her to reveal that she’s not hiding anything about this, all she’s hiding is that she carved off her own skin because of a Leitner and she doesn’t let anyone know about it, ever, except here, because she has no choice but she wants them to trust her.  During the Unknowing, she stays behind to run interference in case Martin’s arson plan doesn’t work or someone else stumbles on Melanie while she’s snooping.

Esme has always known that she’s moderately marked by the Flesh, but she also has an intense desire to Know things, to figure out how the books have powers, how the Entities manifest themselves in our world and in objects, and not just allowing “idk fear magic” as an answer.  During the Flesh attack, Jared Hopworth seeks her out and reminds her that she is one of them and the sooner she learns that, the better, but, until then, he’s going to take something so that she remembers.  He removes her right fibula in such a way that she has trouble walking afterwards and has to use a cane at all times.  

But, because of this and the Unknowing, Esme pours herself into a guidebook to the Fears, a sort of manual for the next generations of Archival Assistants who are tasked with stopping rituals and understanding the horrors of the world.  And, in so doing, she finally meets Helen.

It wasn’t that Esme avoided Helen, but she never had much need to see her, so she kept her distance. When it comes to understanding the Spiral, though, who better to ask than the Spiral itself?

Helen is skeptical, and it’s not as if there’s any possible way of understanding the Spiral except in understanding that it can’t be understood.  They get talking on the nature of monsterhood, and Esme explains that she believes anyone can be a monster, it isn’t a transformation that just happens when you serve an Entity, etc, it’s in one’s actions.  And eating people’s fear is weird and she’s glad it’s not happening to her, but at the same time, is it all that much different than a hawk eating a mouse?  It’s a twisted part of the circle of life, and she understands that.

We’re keeping this short, so I’m not going to go into detail about the long and extravagant flirting that takes place here, featuring Helen raising up Esme’s chin while discussing whether or not she’s a monster and Esme realizing that Helen could be as monstrous as she wanted to her and that would be more than okay.  Or the part where Esme brings her coffee with her to chat with Helen and offers her some, only for Helen to complain that it’s too sweet, and for Esme to start bringing in her super decked out coffee for herself and a hot black coffee for Helen while they hang out.  Or how Helen’s door starts being more of a feature in that room because she likes hanging out with this strange assistant who doesn’t quite know who she is yet.  

Anyway because I’m definitely not projecting (I would like to smooch Helen KnifeHands McWife!) Esme realizes that she feels safest when she’s with Helen, and they kiss and start their own unique relationship.  Esme is allowed into the hallways of the Spiral and Helen makes a bedroom for her there, so she doesn’t have to keep sleeping on the camp cots in the basements.  Helen may not need to sleep, but she winds up spending a lot of time in bed beside Esme.

The first time Esme wakes up there, she panics.  For a brief moment, she wonders if it was all a trick, and she walked right into the Spiral without thinking, without doubting.  But, as she said before, she is willing to accept that fate, because trust is more important, it’s something they all need, and she wants to trust Helen. Then Helen comes in with their usual coffee order and Esme realizes that it doesn’t have to make sense, it just has to be.

Helen has a feeling that Trevor and Julia are coming to the Archive before it happens, and she wants to keep Esme safe, so she opens up a door to somewhere else, like, “it’s okay, we’ll be safe here.”  But Helen sends Esme through alone.  To Hilltop Road.

Annabelle Caine owed Helen a favor (or allowed her to think the scales became unbalanced at any point), so Helen asked her to look after Esme while the Hunters are prowling around. This is also part of my headcanon that Annabelle is a rampant knitter, because here she is definitely knitting Helen and Esme matching couple scarves like “yes I know you’re freaking out but look aren’t they cute?”  Esme starts asking some questions and the ones that Annabelle likes, she answers.  

Especially after losing her fibula and needing a cane and to sit often, Esme has felt weak and helpless. She doesn’t want to be a burden, and that’s all she’s been recently, as evidenced by even Helen shoving her off when things were about to get hairy.  And Annabelle reminds her that there’s an easy way to fix that.

There’s a man out back who is still struggling to remove the remains of the tree that had been toppled over. He’s about the same height as Esme, and it’s not like he couldn’t live without his fibula.  She just has to take it.

Esme decides to give herself over to the Flesh in order to be strong enough to protect herself and the people she cares about.  She apologizes, but she pries up his skin and takes the man’s fibula for herself, discovering that she doesn’t much care for the feel of bone.  She can walk now, though, she can take care of herself.  

Helen returns, very apologetic, but she was worried, and Esme is like, you know?  It’s okay.  I know now that this is how this situation had to be and check it out!  I have a new leg bone!  

From there, Esme leans heavily into the idea that the Web has ordained all of this, and she was always meant to serve the Flesh.  And, truthfully, she enjoys it.  Bones are Jared’s thing, she focuses on skin.  It starts with taking skin from people to fill in the scars on her legs, just a strip here or there, and then she covers herself and becomes a patchwork of different slices of skin, all different shades and textures.  Except for her face, because Helen likes it, and her private bits, because she might be taking skin off of people, but she’s not creepy.  The Boneturner offers up massive amounts of fear right before the victim dies, usually, but Esme works by taking small bits, something that the person can survive, but it’s a constant reminder of what happened, of the being that came for them and how they are now a part of their collection.  

Helen helps her when she first starts out, though.  It’s hard to track down victims when you still have some doubts, so Helen traps people in her corridors, and allows Esme to practice.  It’s like a dinner date, for people who feed on Fear.  

 Now, I have two avenues here.  The first is that the Fearpocalypse happens.

Helen and Esme are able to do a lot more now, of course, since their Fears are more solidly manifested than ever before and there’s no need to hide.  Esme and Jared run into each other and he’s like “I knew you would come around.  Check out this guy’s skin I bet you’d like that.”  And she’s just “Yeah this guy has a really weird looking elbow you could use that for your fifth arm.”  

However, with the Eye watching literally everything now, the Fear they consume doesn’t taste right anymore.  It might be easier to get fear, to constantly feast, but it isn’t the same with the Beholding corrupting each course.  So, they agree to help Jon and co with whatever scheme they’re hatching to reverse course, even if it means turning against their other Avatars and maybe even their gods.

 The other story here is that there’s no Fearpocalypse (at least not until later), and Helen changes. She’s seriously injured and the next manifestation of the Spiral takes over.  Her name is Nia.  

Esme is furious and demands Nia give back Helen, she has to.  Nia has been cavalier and snarky up until she sees the tears in Esme’s eyes and she just softly apologizes, but there’s nothing she can do.  

Before Helen turned (this is in all storylines), she and Esme exchanged significant jewelry.  Esme gave Helen her necklace, which was the first frivolous thing she bought for herself after leaving home and starting her own life, and Helen gave her a bracelet that, well, it was important to the mortal Helen, and she’s never seen fit to take it off, even if such things don’t mean so much to her anymore.  The necklace that Esme gives her, though?  That means a lot.

Nia is wearing that necklace.  Every other aspect of her has changed, but that necklace is still there, her memories and feelings for Esme remain.  But she’s a different person now, and Esme is trying to grieve, but how much of what she felt for Helen was for the entity known as the Spiral?  How much is Helen?  How much is the amalgamation of everyone else the Spiral has consumed?  How much is Nia?  

She avoids Nia at first, but after a while she comes to terms with the fact that it isn’t Nia’s fault, and they can at least start fresh.  Nia is new to the whole Spiral thing, so Esme helps her out by scaring people into the corridors (they may need to open the door themselves, but that’s a more appealing prospect when some oozing skin monster is chasing you) so that Nia can get her fear too.  

And several weeks later, Esme remembers the whole thing about the Spiral is that it doesn’t make sense, and that’s just how things are sometimes.  She doesn’t know how much is Helen, how much is Nia, how much is the Spiral, but she can still care for the being in front of her now.  

Taking people’s skin and organs, etc, as she needs them, means that Esme is pretty much immortal.  The Spiral may change faces every so often, but she always waits for them to wake up and helps them come to terms with who they are.  She doesn’t fall in love with every iteration, but there’s a connection there that underlies all of that, and they become an unstoppable, horrible duo every time.

[matteredloyaltyaa]

really LONG CHARACTER SURVEY. RULES.

repost , don’t reblog ! tag 10 ! good luck !

TAGGED. I stole it. TAGGING. Go for it. lol

FULL NAME : Arthur M/organ NICKNAME : A handful. English, Cowboy/Cowpoke, Black Lung, etc. Common aliases are Tacitus Kilgore and Arthur Callahan. AGE : 36. BIRTHDAY : January 25th, 1836. ETHNIC GROUP : Caucasian. NATIONALITY : American. LANGUAGE / S : English, primarily. Knew a handful of Welsh thanks to his father, but it’s faded with disuse.  SEXUAL ORIENTATION : Bisexual, somewhat closeted.  ROMANTIC ORIENTATION : Biromantic, somewhat closeted. RELATIONSHIP STATUS : Verse dependent, single-ship with @notanoutlaw in most. CLASS : Lower/working HOME TOWN / AREA : Arthur just mentions he was born “up north”, I headcanon around the Oregon area, possibly California due to his mother’s favorite flower, but it’s uncertain. Though, the place he laments the most about is New Austin, or “out west”.   CURRENT HOME : Transitory, he moves with the gang.  PROFESSION : Outlaw, occasional bounty hunter.

PHYSICAL. HAIR : Light brown, dark blonde in some lights. EYES : Unique eye colour, blue-grey-sorta hazel.  NOSE : Average, dimpled. Scarred from fighting and getting it broken a couple times.  FACE : Somewhat sharp features in the brow and cheekbones, square jaw.  LIPS : Full, can be dry/chapped.  COMPLEXION : Somewhat clear? Hard to tell. Dry, dirt spattered sometimes.  BLEMISHES : Uncertain. SCARS : A handful. Most notable are the one he has on his chin that is most visible with shorter facial hair, one across his nose, and the one left on his shoulder by the O’Driscolls in chapter 3.  TATTOOS : N/A HEIGHT : 6′0, possibly 6′1 WEIGHT : Uncertain, fluctuates.  BUILD : Stocky, broad shouldered and he can be fairly intimidating, especially when his weight is about average or above.  FEATURES : Look above? ALLERGIES : N/A USUAL HAIR STYLE : Right parted, about 3-5 in length. Though, for people who don’t know the system--fairly short, tufts out around his ears and may reach the back of his neck before he cuts it again. USUAL FACE LOOK : Expression wise, his kind of got a resting irritated face, sometimes bored. Rarely clean shaven unless he has to be, usually keeps a fair amount of stubble.  USUAL CLOTHING : I change him too much to say. Tends to keep his heavy navy blue winter jacket, jeans/ranch pants, some sort of button up shirt, and sometimes his tan leather jacket. Tends to keep his hat, however, unless he needs to go without. 

PSYCHOLOGY. FEAR / S : Arthur has a mild one of change. He’s adaptable but he’s very sentimental and nostalgic, he will miss “old ways” and previous places. There’s also losing his usefulness, disappointing those who depend on him (much as he will get defensive when it happens). Post-Guarma, he does develop a fear of drowning. It won’t keep him from swimming, but getting swept or held underwater may cause some panic. Post-game au, he does fear about getting sick again and actively avoids doctors.  ASPIRATION / S : Uncertain, just wants to get out of the mess he’s in and eventually just wants a calm existence somewhere. However, once he’s diagnosed with TB, his main goal is getting those who want/will listen to him out of the gang as it starts to fall down. POSITIVE TRAITS : Caring, compassionate (to people he knows, might not be clear on first impression), intelligent (much as he may say the opposite and isn’t exactly book smart), observational, brave, humorous (in certain situations and may be a cover sometimes), friendly (somewhat, changes as he ages), artistic, creative, loyal, etc. NEGATIVE TRAITS : Violent, murderer (doesn’t do it without reason but he knows he’s killed more than he certainly should), defensive, (passive) aggressive, sarcastic, depressive, self-deprecating, selfish, rude (sometimes intentional, sometimes not), conflicted, stubborn, reckless (sometimes, has mellowed out with age but it’s still there), self destructive (sometimes), money-driven (not always a flaw but he’s easily swayed by money). MBTI : ISFJ-T - Turbulent Defender  ZODIAC : Aquarius  TEMPERAMENT : Phlegmatic-Melancholic ANIMALS : I’m not going to take the quiz because the game is very heavy handed with the whitetail buck motif for high honor Arthur. lol VICE HABIT / S : Smoking, drinking, etc. FAITH : Non-religious. GHOSTS ? : Generally, the existence of ghosts isn’t something he completely writes off after he’s witnessed the few in the game, but he’s also hard pressed to admit to believing in them outright. AFTERLIFE ? : Not in any sort of defined sense. He’ll often say he doesn’t believe in one or it won’t be a nice one for him if there is, but he finds himself nervous about the subject once he gets sick.  REINCARNATION ? : He doesn’t know enough about it. ALIENS ? : Not really? Doesn’t really know he’s looking at a UFO when he sees it. POLITICAL ALIGNMENT : Don’t start. ECONOMIC PREFERENCE : Uncertain. SOCIOPOLITICAL POSITION : Uncertain. EDUCATION LEVEL : Does not have a formal education on even the basic levels (primary, high school, etc), however Hosea and Dutch have taught him to read and write and he’s learned a handful of things when it comes to survival and his lifestyle. However, he’s not exactly book smart or the “book learnin’ type”. 

FAMILY. FATHER : Lyle M/organ, deceased. MOTHER : Beatrice M/organ, deceased. SIBLINGS : No blood related, but considers John as one along with a couple other members of camp. EXTENDED FAMILY : He has a few uncles, aunts, and cousins, but he’s not in touch. Issac, his son, and his mother, Eliza, who are both deceased. Mary L/inton/Gillis, ex-fiance. (Cain Kennedy, lover - @notanoutlaw) NAME MEANING / S : Arthur - English, “noble, courageous”, Morgan - (and I’m going against what’s been said in fandom) - Celtic/Welsh surname, comes from Old Welsh name Morcant - “mor” as “sea” and “cant” as “circle”.    HISTORICAL CONNECTION ? : Uncertain in the game, but it’s been pointed out about King Arthur and also Morgan le Fay, which highlights his struggle with good vs evil themes in his character. 

FAVOURITES. BOOK : Uncertain, mostly non-fiction. MOVIE : -- 5 SONGS : -- DEITY : Doesn’t know enough to give a favorite. HOLIDAY : Christmas, in a way. Not quite for the religious context, but he enjoys the hunting and cooking the gang does to celebrate, singing and talking over fires. He remembers it vividly when he was younger, so it’s stuck with him. MONTH : April-May. SEASON : late spring, early summer. PLACE : He likes most places in wilderness, give him something with a view and he’s good. WEATHER : Sunny, average weather. Not too hot, not too cold. SOUND : Rain, birds, etc. SCENT / S : Again, rain, campfires, etc. TASTE / S : Prefers savory over sweet.   FEEL / S : Weightlessness in his limbs once he’s able to sit/lay down after a long day, fingers in his hair, etc. ANIMAL / S : Horses, dogs, cats, animals. NUMBER : He hasn’t given it much thought. COLOUR : Blues, greens, deeper colours.

EXTRA. TALENTS : Sharpshooting, Arthur’s got impeccable aim and speed when using guns, there’s also his drawing, he’s getting fairly good at tracking, etc. BAD AT : Admitting to mistakes, expressing himself emotionally, adhering to rules, anything overly scientific, etc. TURN ONS : Sense of humor, confidence or self-assurance, kindness and/or compassion, dark hair, etc. TURN OFFS : Hypocrisy (much as he suffers from that himself), cockiness (has a limit before confidence becomes a turn off), excessive or needless cruelty, etc. HOBBIES : Drawing, writing in his journal, hunting, wandering around/sight seeing, etc. TROPES : Anti-Hero/Anti-Villain,The Atoner, The Big Guy, Jerk with a Heart of Gold, Obfuscating Stupidity, etc. AESTHETIC TAGS : Horses, old west, deserts, nature, gun slinging, writing, drawing, photography, etc. 

FC INFO. MAIN FC / S : R/oger Clark, mainly in game icons so I haven’t found a need for one. ALT FC / S : -- OLDER FC / S : -- YOUNGER FC / S : -- VOICE CLAIM / S : R/oger Clark GENDERBENT FC / S :

MUN QUESTIONS. Q1 : if you could write your character your way in their own movie , what would it be called , what style would it be filmed in , and what would it be about ? A1 : I actually REALLY enjoy the game’s story line, much as I feel the redemption through death is overplayed and not as deep as people make it out to be. I’d find a way to subvert that or some alternative, but idk. I like the game’s story. lol

Q2 : what would their soundtrack / score sound like ? A2 : Western-y. IDK? The game’s soundtrack is actually really good too so.  Q3 : why did you start writing this character ? A3 : I love his development and progression as a character, and even with the trailers where he seemed no more than an angry outlaw there was a part of me that was still “hmm” about writing him. Ultimately, he’s grown to mean a lot to me and I really enjoy writing for him on this blog.  Q4 : what first attracted you to this character ? A4: As mentioned above, Arthur probably has one of the best character progressions I’ve seen in a while imo. Even in the beginning, I went in under the impression that I’d be playing as this outlaw so the violence and gruffness wasn’t too much of a surprise, much as I wasn’t too attached until later chapters in the game because of this. However, as I spent more time playing as him and reading his journal, seeing how he interacts with strangers and people he loves, he has some depth to him and some deep rooted flaws and insecurities that are played very well in the game. He’s probably one of the few character deaths I’ve cried over. lol Q5 : describe the biggest thing you dislike about your muse. A5 : I have to be truthful, Arthur’s an asshole. lol I didn’t like and still don’t like him from Colter into Horseshoe in behavior and personality, much as it’s lessened from my first play of the game because I know what happens to him and how he grows. However, while he’s not blind to himself and how he acts, he doesn’t think for himself really. Even if he hates debt collecting, he does it for the gang and even tells Strauss he does it for pleasure at a point (sarcastic or not, considering they are talking about Thomas, a man trying to raise money for charity while suffering poverty himself on top of having TB), he does whatever Dutch tells him, among many other things. It’s not until later in the game that the theme of grasping redemption comes into play, and he starts to act and think for himself a little more once things start to spiral. As much as I love him with all my heart, Arthur’s got some deep flaws that are hard to ignore.   Q6 : what do you have in common with your muse ? A6 : HHHhh. I’d say we suffer from similar self-esteem issues, not just in body image but morality of character (much as his are way more complicated than mine jaksfha), we also have a similar sense of humor...Yeah, idk. I’m attached to him as a character and I can relate to him in certain ways, but it’s hard to pinpoint.  Q7 : how does your muse feel about you ? A7 : Idk, he’s pixels? Though, for the sake of a fun answer, I genuinely don’t know? We can be fairly similar in mannerisms and thought process (at points), but I have no idea if we’d actually get along if by some universe rip we were able to meet.  Q8 : what characters does your muse have interesting interactions with ? A8: I don’t want to get specific, I interact with a lot of interesting characters. Anybody who’s put me out of a comfort zone or forced me to look at Arthur in the different way has definitely stood out. Q9 : what gives you inspiration to write your muse ? A9 : The game itself is a good source, I enjoy putting up lets plays of it in the background sometimes if I’m struggling or just need something that isn’t music. I get more muse putting together blog playlists than playing them, but there’s that, too. Also generally plotting or talking about him can pull some to the forefront. Q10 : how long did this take you to complete ? A10 : An hour or so, I think?

[haya-haya-iamthatiam]

Thoth Part 2 - All Seeing Eye/Phoenix/Enoch/Peacock/Trinity/Iblis/Melek ... HEAVEN2 years ago (edited)Wow! So now I'm a bit confused. 2 Enoch's I knew that already but how it applies to today is the question. Been studying the book of Enoch for about a year now and nothing in that book hints that Enoch is anything but a servant of Yah,  So suggesting that Enoch is Thoth sounded a bit disrespectful, I immediately said to myself, "well this Enoch he's speaking of must be the one descended from Cain's ass cause he can't be working for Satan while simultaneously cursing him and his children and obeying Yah!?!,....we all know that a house divided cannot stand so idk what this guy is implying",....that is until I began to see the parallels between Enoch and Mercury,..I'm supposedly  a "so called Gemini" so I know a bit about being a messenger being sent to earth and communication (my greatest weapon), and can't deny that Enoch was in fact a messenger of the God's as was Mercury between Heaven and the underworld and suddenly had a thought. First off, we know from the Bible that Men sit a little lower than the angels but once seated in Heaven sit higher than the angles and will be their judges. We have names and bodies on earth but once seated in Heaven will also be given greater responsibility, names, and bodies. Fact #2: We see on the earth that everything made for Yawah/Yaweh (I think one form is masculine, one feminine and the creator is both combined, just a theory til I learn more),  Satan pretends to steal, corrupts and claims as his own. For instant it is rumored that the original word for temples in the Logos is pyramids but has now been dedicated towards devils, the rainbow has now stands for gay pride, and our third eye is now being called the eye of lucifer.           So here's a theory to consider til we learn more:........what if Enoch WAS in fact holy, taken up to Heaven, promoted to archangel status, renamed and transformed into Mercury The Messenger and from there we got the recordings of Enoch,...but like ALL, later became deceived and later fell from grace, and lost his power like all the rest and we only got half of the story because they are using the once righteous,.. now fallen,.. to lure us into blindly following their asses right to hell. Satan using the blind to mislead the blind. Explains why his book was once included in the Logo's for he once WAS Holy (As was Solomon for instance), but then later got removed once some ancient truth seekers discovered Enoch aka Mercury's fall. Bible says AAAAALLLLLL  (don't get it twisted) have fallen short except for "The One",...Jesus/Yahshua the only one Satan could not tempt, or deceive into worshiping and working for him. Maybe the book of Enoch is Enoch's story BEFORE his fall. It does allude that Enoch began feeling a little sorry for the fallen and compromising a bit, but also shows how he tried to resist,...maybe he like some of us at a time or another put up one hell of a fight, so he is to be respected for at least going further than us but like all eventually FELL short too and was also deceived and now has to wait for the second coming just like every one else.                Jesus(Yashuah) said he came to set the captives free and the book says he stole the keys of hell from Satan. Now were all just waiting for him to come back down and use them. Is he not coming to set free the dead in Christ (according to this Krist just meaning knowledge). Could Enoch aka Mercury be one of those Yashuah will  helped to loose and escape hell and deception  along with Adam, Eve and the rest as well?                     1More thing I got from this, Bible say's the first shall be last and the last shall be first. I learned here that Satan was the first created being, we humans the last. In the Bible(Bable same thing cause we're All confused by it at 1time or another), Yah doesn't kill satan after the battle of Armageddon he only locks him away for 1000 yrs! I was like wtf, but then says after that hell will finally be destroyed. Back to my first shall be last and the last shall be first,...Is it possible that since satan was the first to enter into heaven but refused to humble himself will he after seeing even the rocks (we're the rocks you guys, rocks are hardened soil, we are made of soil) cry out, will he finally humble himself not wanting to become upstaged by a fn rock and finally humble himself yet be the very last to do so? Bible say's "when my people humble themselves and call upon my name that they too will be saved". Is satan not part of Yah's creation as well? If you had a first born son who went astray would you stop at nothing to save him if you knew you could? ESPECIALLY being your FIRST BORN!? It also says if the HEAD or (1st born in a family be corrupt the lump is yet if the 1st born be saved the whole lump is blessed)? Could it be that Yah is actually saving his first born so he no longer mis-influences and leads astray the rest of his creation yet satan's so stubborn that he will be the last to bow?  Is this why we are to LOVE our enemies with their fucktard asses? lol, just saying. Sounds to me like Satan's stubborn ass could be the true prodigal son. Read that story again yall. Just a few things to consider. We humans were created last after ALL his creation but are making it in first because we are not made of fire, are mere dirt similar to rocks! Yet we're obeying Yah. Sort of how Yah uses "the weak to confound the mighty". How many "so called weak women and children are making it to the throne of Yah 1st and putting mighty grown ass men to shame?" If we can do it, fuck is wrong with the men? Could that be Yah's entire plan for all that he created? Created men to give angles and all created before humility and no excuse? Hmmm? Shit got me thinking!!!! Also explains why Celebs are tricked into feeling sorry for and worshiping Satan.  Meanwhile I'ma use Satan and his minions as an example of what the fuck not to do as they should have but now I kind of get it. Making me more compassionate for the "Lost Ones" as Lauryn Hill stated.                                So sorry yall,...We all know how this generation HATES reading fundamentals with their slave Massa said he'd kill me if he catches me reading asses so I'm done! I type on my laptop not phone for a reason, this shit ain't for the spiritual and mentally lazy or faint of heart..that's for sure. Go read the entire Bible as I did, a few missing books along with the Apocrypha, Part 1 & 2 of this ish,... & then come back and complain about how long MY comment is but I don't give a fuck so...do this shit cause I HAVE too, rather be feeding my face & chilling, got what I needed out of this, now onto the next video from Mr. Ahau while I cook cause unlike some of you,...I CAN'T GET ENOUGH! MY SALVATION is at hand. In all I do I'm tryna gain some TRUE understanding while slipping out a few cheat sheets to those who are studying in this class with me. If that's not you,....simply ignore my comment "ESSAY" or whatever the fuck, & move it along love. Thank you & Yah Bless.

[tracle0]

22/11

I was tagged by @joyful-soul-collector​ (thank you this is possibly one of my favourite tag games) ... Okay also also before I could finish this up, @hyba also tagged me so uh it’s 22/11 instead, ty ty. You two might want to check the tag list cause uhhh you might be there who knows not me c:

The rules are: Answer the 11 (22 this time but hush) questions, make up your own 11 and then tag... I think it’s 11 people but I don’t know 11 people who I haven’t already tagged so...

I sort of started spamming pictures to answer a question so I’m gonna... put the pictures under the cut. 

1. Have any of your OCs ever stolen something? What did they steal, and why? Oh yeah sure - the first one I can think of easily is Cain. He used to live on the streets so had to steal to survive. But he’d also work for money. He’s not heartless, just desperate. 

Also now I’m thinking about it, Tag would definitely be the kind of guy to just... hey I know I’m meant to hand this gear in but... no-one will miss it so.... he steals to amuse himself with the gadgets he gets. 

2. Did you ever have imaginary friends as a kid? What were they like? I copied my sister in having pretend animal friends, but not really. Who needs imaginary friends when you have real-life ones lol I was a lot more liked as a kid.

3. Do any of your  OCs have a favorite article of clothing? Why is it their favorite?

Uhhhh

Um.

Yeah, you could say that. 

Andy likes his hoodie because it’s a thing that is only his. He didn’t get it from Murdock, I honestly don’t know WHERE he got it from, but it’s his, and the fact he owns anything means a lot to him.

Cain likes his because it’s one of the few things left over from when he was younger and again, it’s his. He didn’t steal it. It belongs to Only Him. He feels comfortable in it. 

4. What do you fist develop about a character when you make one up? Do you think of their appearance first? Their personality? Their backstory?

Honestly? It depends. Backstory always comes after, but personality and appearance often intersect. I know for WIP 3 I thought of personality and traits first, and for Collateral it was appearance first. I think for Sonder it was more.. their role in the story? ‘Oh hey this is the antagonist, this is the protagonist, this is the love interest wait I hate romance, okay, side kick’ etc

5. Fluff or Angst?

If it’s not romantic? Fluff. I made myself angsty enough when I was younger, I want more happiness in my life.

6. Remember the color of that dress that everyone was debating about however many years ago? The one that was blue and black, or white and gold? What colors did you see?

The correct colours.

7. Pick your bubbliest, happiest OC. Now tell me what will make them turn into your worst nightmare. I wanna see what makes them the angriest.

Oh boy, let’s see uhhh... Tag. Tag from WIP 3 who is undergoing the process of a name change. 

Seeing someone he loves die would twist him. Being isolated would eventually break him. Being unable to do what he loves would definitely upset him also. 

Also idk if you’ve heard about it but in his world, there’s a nifty ability called being a silvertongue and I know at least one silvertongue is not gonna exploit this but I also know of another who would even on this19-year-old kid so maybe it’s not by choice but that could make him a nightmare. Just sayin’

8. Now pick your angstiest, most emo OC. And tell me what would make them blush and giggle like an idiot. I wanna see what makes them the happiest.

Okay for this one it’s a tie I write a lot of angsty characters. 

>Andy - seeing something just. Really funny. Oh did Sam just fall over in a ridiculous way? Fantastic. That’s actually how they first have a proper conversation. Sam falls over, he laughs, they talk.

>Cain - anything awesome that Duck does. Oh hey what’s up Goose oh you drew this radical picture? /tearing up/ it’s so great oh my gosh you’re so talented. That’s more being happy than giggling but can you see Cain giggling? No, me neither. 

9. If you could have any mythical creature for a pet, what would it be?

Dragon, next question.

10. What’s your go-to thing for when you’re hungry but don’t have time/energy to cook something?

Fruit! It is! Very good! And tasty! Apples have a good cronch! Oranges are mmmm juicy. Banana? Yes nice thank you. Oh wow we have strawberries? What a sweet treat. Also healthy!

11. Do any of your OCs have scars? Would they be confident enough to show them in public (like at the beach)?

Oh yeah sure man. Andy’s got multiple from... ‘training’. He doesn't show them off. Cain, Duck and Theo have all been badly burnt on the arms, and Cain ‘’shows it off’’ just because it makes him uncomfortable to have his arms covered. And uh Raya probably has some sort of scar on her knees or elbow from rollerblading. Because you do fall over and it does scar.

And now for Hyba’s questions, lez go bois

1. What cultural value do you see in writing/reading/storytelling/etc.?

I think that without storytelling specifically, humans would be so... mundane? We’d be no different to any other animal on the planet. Creating anything, be that stories or art or literally anything is so... human. To take that away would be like taking away humanities soul. The cultural value isn’t really measurable - storytelling makes up the culture. 

2. Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

Honestly, I have no idea. I try to entertain myself, and if other people like it too, then that’s neat. But because I’m writing for myself, I anticipate everything, so I don’t know if it’s original or not. I know it delivers what I want! But is that readers want? Who knows!

3. As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?

Crow. Not even as a writer, just... dude crows are so damn cool. 

4.  What do you think most characterizes your writing?

I’m not quite sure about the phrasing so uhhhh represents? Google is telling me ‘describes’. 

In which case, a midnight fever jolting you out of bed, moments before you could fall asleep, and puppeting you to a writing surface so you can splurge ideas onto it sounds about right. 66% of my WIPs have elements in them that were based on dreams. 

5. How do you select the names of your characters?

Mostly? Spite. ‘Oh Trade, you can’t have a bad guy named Andy, all Andy’s are good’ NOPE NOT ANYMORE SUCK IT. I also have a friend who is really good at coming up with names that fit the exact mood of the character so I go to her a lot. Sometimes they’re puns. 

6. Choose one of your OCs (or more). How would they want to be seen by others?

Sam from Sonder wants to be seen as someone people can talk to, but also someone who pursues a science because yes sociology is a science to her, shut up, don’t talk to me if you’re going to mention the words ‘paradigm’ or ‘objective’ thank you.

7. How do you find or make time to write? Are you consistent or do you write whenever you get the chance?

Hahahahahhahha.

In the past few months, I’ve not been writing because I’ve had exams. Before that, I wrote at every chance I had - being a student, I had a fair bit of free time during the day, so I’d use that to write. But for a while, it was a nothing on the ‘what has Trade written recently’ chart. 

Going up again boiiis

8. What does literary success look like to you? Is it important for you as a writer?

Literary success? That’s... a very interesting question. I think I’d be satisfied and feel successful if one person told me that my book helped them through something. 

Jokes on me, I’ve already had that, my books helped me, I have already succeeded, see you losers in hell.

Also fanart but uh who needs fanart when you draw enough for five armies?

9. Are there any scenes that you’ve had to edit out of your WIPs? Can you tell us about them if they don’t spoil the book?

YES oh lord yes okay so in Sonder, chapter 15, I decided around draft 2 that I wanted a scene where Atlas got drunk. I made up reasons for it, asked lots of friends about what it was like to be drunk (as I personally have never been drunk), attended parties to get first-hand research and did so much preparation. 

Wrote the scene, was pleased with it, left it to fester. Two years and two drafts later (now), I’ve come back and realised oh hey that scene is utterly useless and de-rails the plot. Time to remove it I guess. 

I rationalise it as ‘well you wrote it and you had fun but it’s not needed, move on’ and that works well for me. 

10. Would you feel comfortable publishing or sharing your writing using your real name, or would you prefer a pseudonym?

Pseudonym 100%. As cool as it would be to be able to go ‘hey I wrote this’ to people, the terrifying ordeal of being known is horrific, and people being able to track all my past activity from when I was literally seven is my worst nightmare. I wouldn’t even tell family or friends if I could get away with it. 

‘Hey [real name], there’s a book at Waterstones called Sonder? With the exact same characters, plot and writing style as you have? But it’s under [pseudonym]?’ ‘oh hey, really that’s wild. Anyway,’

11. When writing, do you try more to be original or do you prefer to deliver to readers what they want? Do you think that a book can do both? Which is more important to you as a writer?

Oh hey, this is like question two but MORE. Standing by my previous answer, I think a book can do both - people want a happy ending, usually, but you can always be original in how you do that. No two stories can be told in exactly the same way. And hey - even if people do guess what’s coming up, that’s good. 

As a writer? It’s most important to entertain. I don’t try and catch people out, I just deliver the story I have in my head and then edit it mercilessly until I’m pleased. 

Questions!

1) Design a mask for an OC to wear. Would it cover their whole face? Is it a mascarade mask? Is it fancy or simple? Bonus cool kid points if you draw it.

2) Which OCs like spicy food?

3) Which OCs can take care of a plant - an orchid, to be exact? 

4) Do you tell stories in any other medium beyond writing? eg: art or roleplay or...? 

5) Do you have any irl items that you have because ‘oh dude this is something that’d totally be in my story’? Can I see them?

6) What’s the first book you remember buying? 

7) Do you have any weird collections of things? As an example, I have a skull collection and a collection of... what’s best described as doll body parts. Anything just... weird that you have a lot of? Can I see it? 

8) Which OC gets distracted by watching birds and which OC is like ‘dude stop watching the birds we’ve got STUFF TO DO’

9) Have you ever met a published author? Who? 

10) Are you a person who likes tea or are you a person who prefers coffee? If the latter - dude c’mon tea is so much better smh

11) Have you backed up your files recently? Do it now. Please, for the love of god, back up your files. 

Tagging!

@hyba @joyful-soul-collector (dunno if I’m allowed to tag the people who tagged me but fukkit here’s some more questions you eggs) @kaatiba @albatris @timetravelingpigeon @note-katha (hi we have barely interacted but nice new username) @nymph-of-diana (on your main if you want, idm c:) @writing-and-nutmeg @futurity-writing @osteoprecocious and @thatfizzyyyy 

Honestly, the fact I made it to 11 is - wowza. Uhhh if you don’t want to then don’t, if you do want to then PLEASE do and then tag me so I can see your answers, I’m curious. 

Ciao.

[jcmorgenstern]

3x12 “review” (aka whining)

Okay so 3x12! First the things I liked, so this doesn’t come off as a gigantic whining list of things I hated. (I feel kind of bad I didn’t do a 3x11 review because I actually really liked that one, but I guess I have more motivation to whine than anything else).

readmore for length and sanity.

So things I liked:

Luke and Jace interaction! Though the pacing was absolutely insane and I absolutely refuse to believe that the Clave has the infrastructure in place to take detailed barometric readings in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE SIBERIA, so detailed that Jace can easily pinpoint exactly where the apartment was. Like I wouldn’t believe they have that kind of detail in rural Iowa, let alone a place that’s colder than balls.

That last point was all whining.The Morgenstern sword!! Y’all have NO idea how long I spent being mad that Valentine didn’t have it in the first two seasons. It now seems a bit odd to introduce it now considering Valentine didn’t in fact ever have it, but whatever. Also Clary being like “fuck Morgenstern weapons” was kind of funny considering her kindjals are waiting at home.

Magnus’ storyline. Though it’s kind of weird and rushed and confused, I’m just glad my man is getting some real focus on him as a person rather than a love interest or idk some overblown “son of Edom” thing.

Cain was, I admit, a really cool and interesting concept, and I already really like Pasha!! I hope he’s continuing to get better after his surgery. Don’t love as much how they’re mainlining Lilith as the Biggest Bad Ever and a Whole Evil B*tch (more on that lovely term of endearment later).

Mirek was really cool, kind of had to laugh at the “demon middle class.” Can’t help but wonder if the “status quo” thing was a deliberate political joke or not. Either way, Jonathan has never met a structure he doesn’t want to overthrow. Does the Clave spark joy? Apparently not.

MELIORN IS BACK!!!!! And wants a threesome, apparently.

Jonathan peevishly being like “I forgive you for trying to kill me, btw” and Clary just rolling her eyes and ignoring him.

Jonathan’s fucking GAAAY. (Or bi. pan. whatever. You do you. All I’m saying is THIS BITCH RAINBOW). I do not care what the intention was, that’s what I’m choosing to get out of it.

Things I didn’t like:

the plot of this episode is pretty much enough material for an entire season. They compressed it so much people are calling it a filler episode. Jace and Luke figure out the secret of the apartment (which is untraceable), go to Siberia, figure out Jonathan is alive, find Clary and rescue her and that’s only about 15 minutes of footage overall. That could be spread out over 15 episodes.

On the Simon side: they find the first fucking vampire, become his new bestie, get the only thing in the world that could rid him of the mark without any sort of price or even really having to ask, they get back into Faerie without any problems, Meliorn takes them right to the Queen despite knowing Simon has a weapon of death on his face, she agrees without argument to unmark him not even knowing if he’ll explode or what, the mark is off in about 14 seconds, the FUCKING DRUG PLOTLINE IS BACK AG A. I N. And then rose petals. That could have been the entire SEASON.

No Maia. (I know she’s in the next ep I just want to complain).

It’s also weird because it seems like Malec is progressing on normal time and the other two story strands are progressing on some extreme kind of fast-forward. It gives you all kinds of whiplash. If there was any kind of thematic overlap or even an attempt to connect the strands thematically it might work to ground the other storylines but it. Does not.

I hate that the apartment is Lilith’s and not Valentine’s, and that apparently it can only go to a few select spots now. NOT. THE. POINT. Point = missed.

And onto the things that bothered me the most: the whole treatment of Jonathan and Clary, and the Sizzy. For which I need an entire section to bitch.

Jonathan and Clary: why god have you abandoned me

* Ok so honestly, I had to go and check to see who wrote 3x11 and 3x12, because  it had to be different people. 3x11 was by Todd and Darren, and 3x12 was by Alex Schemmer. Schemmer has only written one other episode in 3a (3x03), which explains to me why he seems to have missed a fair bit of lore. To me, the huge difference between 3x11 and 12, which basically deal with the same plot line (Clary kidnapped by Jonathan, wary of him, trying to escape) but in hugely different ways and different focus.

In 3x11, the focus is all on Clary. Her initial confusion, her fear, anger, the attempt to escape, the attempt to kill Jonathan. All shot from her point of view. She takes more action than he does—she runs away, she grabs the knife, she stabs him. He is mostly reacting to her, running after her, offering her soup and tea and trying to win her over. Even when he does talk, the scenes where he talks about himself are brief and she shares equal part in the conversation.

This makes sense, as she is the main character.

In 3x12, everything is about Jonathan. From the first shot everything is about him, the camera focusing on him even when Clary is the focus of the scene (i.e., when she’s finding new clothes—and was a shirtless scene necessary? Like we get it, you nearly killed poor Luke in a gym somewhere, thanks for the update). Every time he and Clary talk, it’s just him talking at her. “I forgive you for killing me.” Telling her she’s good at art. Telling her there’s an Institute nearby. Telling her he likes art. She can barely get a word in edgewise from the get-go, and it only gets worse on the hot chocolate “date.”

He says the whole point is to get to know each other better, but he LITERALLY talks about himself the whole time. Clary barely even reacts, just makes eyes at a phone. He doesn’t even seem to notice she’s not listening. Like guys, this is every bad tinder date ever. Then they go to to the antiques store, and even then she’s shuffled off—shoo! Get out of the scene!! Even the French guy interrupts her at every turn and she gets shuffled off like a sack of potatoes *again*.

Like don’t tell me Clary couldn’t kick his ass and then explain things to him when he’s pinned to the ground. It would be faster, safer, and if Jonathan shows up again she can be like “ohh he was threatening us!! Look, I beat him up to keep us safe!” and Jonathan would buy it hook, line, and sinker. Since killing people in broad daylight is ok, clearly the show isn’t worried about the realism of fighting in the streets.

And then she’s shuffled off AGAIN, and although the show clearly understands that being kidnapped and controlled by your dangerously unhappy brother who seriously has the creepy hots for you is a pretty freakin SCARY situation, it still shows all this from Jonathan’s point of view, teasing the “romance” of it all and giving us hehe teehee little slips of it (like the shirtless scene). And then when she finally is able to break free and actually do something, he yells “BITCH” at her and runs off, and she falls into Jace’s arms, completely forgetting to act like a real human being.

The reason why 3x11 works so much more for me is that Clary is at least an equal partner, and is given space to react and actually do things; in 3x12 they seem to take any excuse to bundle her off, keep her out of frame, mute her reactions. Jonathan and his feelings take center stage and suddenly Clary is a side character in her own story. 3x11 is more compelling because Jonathan is legitimately trying to win her over, trying to connect with her, personally. It’s obvious he cares about her opinions as a person and her as a person—you couldn’t replace her with a cardboard cutout and the scene would read the same. They actually interact. In 3x12 he’s just ranting at her about himself while she sits there. On no narrative level is there any sort of connection or interaction.

Like imagine the situation differently. They’re in art store, because lbr the real museums prolly wouldn’t let them shoot there, and Clary is talking to Jonathan about her favorite prints and artists. He’s listening, maybe a little too intently, maybe talks about a piece he likes and what it means to him. She looks unnerved. As they talk, the camera follows her gaze, and we realize she is trying to find someone’s phone to take it. She’s pretending, of course, but there is something charming about Paris. Jonathan keeps offering to buy her souvenirs, very awkwardly, trying to find something to please her. She picks something to make him happy. He returns from the register just before she can make a grab for someone’s phone and bolt for the door. He suggests they go to the cafe across the square. We cut to where they’re sitting down, she’s tearing into a croissant. Jonathan is wearing a “I <3 PARIS” cap, which is a bit jarring and distracting. Clary tells him it looks silly and he takes it off. He mentions in a forcedly offhand way that this is where he met Sebastian Verlac, and seeing her expression, quickly adds that he knows what he did is wrong. She says something along the lines of “do you, tho” and he launches into his monologue. She tells him that she liked Sebastian Verlac, even though she never met the real him. He looks happy at first, then seems to understand what she means, and his expression darkens. He tells her that that’s exactly what Valentine said she would say—that she likes Sebastian, not him. She looks disturbed at the mention of Valentine, and he takes the opportunity to tell her the whole thing about not wanting to hurt anyone and the whole thing being about killing Valentine.

And yada yada yada you get the idea.

Honestly the whole rescue felt very contrived—how convenient Clary has been posthumously pardoned one day before her rescue! And then Jonathan calling her a bitch—haha no thanks. The entitlement is uhh Not Great.

Anyway tldr @ Alex schemmer Clary is not a sofa pls give her some human emotion pls and thanks

Sizzy: why god have you abandoned me, the sequel

Honestly writing that entire wall of text wiped me out but ill try

The drug arc is the bane of my existence

Im so tired

I thought we’d be done in season 2 yet here we are at the end. Drug arc: 1. Actual character development: 0.

Why is this the ONLY plot line the show can remember or keep running for more than 2 episodes. WHY

Why does she even like Simon. They never interact. They don’t even know each other. Everything is just an excuse to get them together. it’s forced and leaden.

Playing her and Raph off as badwrong and her and Simon as rose petal romantic is weird af dude. Izzy has just been the tail end of male characters’ storylines for so long and I’m tired.

If they’d played it off as a sacrifice on her part I might be less mad, like paint her as a hero but it just felt like this was expected of her. It was romantic because there was nothing else to do and OF COURSE she couldn’t refuse!!! Please be realistic, she’s a woman. Think of herself even a little? Impossible!

Never mind she could have easily used her medical training to open a larger artery, pour the blood into his mouth, and iratze herself as soon as Simon was cogent enough to be out of danger. He was already woken up enough to drink the blood she poured from her hand. No biting/venom necessary. Lmao.

Stop treating Izzy like shit just to force a romantic storyline seriously lmao

Aaaaanyway lol that was like 20000000 words but those are my thoughts if you made it to the end you deserve a trophy or smth

[onestowatch]

First Look + Q&A: I Don’t Know How But They Found Me Travels From The ‘80s To Release Debut Track & Video

If you could encapsulate an entire film & art collective into an individual person, that would most definitely explain the personality of Dallon Weekes. Imagine if famed film director Quentin Tarantino was a good-looking musician with a great head of hair and magical glitter tears painted on his face—add in a heavy dose of vintage-synth sounds, a unicorn-hair colored drummer, and you’ve got Dallon’s latest project: I Don’t Know How But The Found Me.

If you’ve ever had that friend who references ‘80s movies dialogue, random BBC television crime series and other obscure pop culture facts--then this is the band for you. Just as “I Don’t Know How But They Found Me” may be the best band name you’ve ever heard, you’ll be happy to hear that it comes from the ’80s cult classic film Back to The Future and that essentially everything surrounding the band (imagery, lyrics, etc.) has some sort of ancillary material that you can read up on in between the elusive song release schedule.

You may know Dallon as the long time touring bassist from Panic! At the Disco, and drummer Ryan Seaman is best known from Falling in Reverse, The Bigger Lights, and Weekes’ former band The Brobecks. The long-time friends are taking their next-level project and leaking sonic magic and visuals all over the Internet.

Dallon’s return to center stage comes as more than just music, but more of a concept with a whole backstory. After falling down an accidental virtual rabbit hole with 1980’s cable access talent show videos on YouTube, Dallon knew that his new project only made sense as a band from the early 1980s who appeared on the Superstar Showcase Cable Access TV show and had their tapes and songs go missing for the last thirty years. I Don’t Know How But They Found Me is the best-kept secret living in a time capsule all these years, if albeit by accident.

For the last few months, the band has only released bizarre GIF’s on their Instagram and has had no music released officially, until today. But they’ve leaned into the mysteriousness of it all by playing small shows all over Los Angeles--capturing the attention of fans wondering just what the f*** is actually going on. The lucky ones who have managed to catch them live have kept the rumors flying. The duo are charismatic and theatrical and everything you hoped for from a band with a matching theatrical name.

With their first release, “Modern Day Cain,” those strange Superstar Showcase GIFs suddenly make sense--as the band appears as a musical guest on the show, complete with a random grandma on the organ. Take a look at the video here, and then get the firsthand account Dallon in our Q&A below.

OTW: How did this whole thing start? How did you and Ryan meet initially, because he's obviously in a different band, and you were on tour with Panic. How did it happen?

Dallon: Ryan and I have known each other for like 10 years. He used to play drums with Brobecks for a while, which was my band that I did before Panic. I've been wanting to make a record on the side for a while, and he was always in a similar situation--being a hired musician, playing for another band, so it made sense. I brought him in to play some drums on the record that I was making. It had been a while since we had hung out. I was telling him about what I was wanting to do with this project, and he was really interested, and wanted to be a part of it.

OTW: Where did the band name come from?

Dallon: It comes from the movie Back to the Future, when the Libyan Nationalists find Doc Brown in the parking lot at the Twin Pines Mall. I've always just really liked that--not just that part in the movie, but that phrase. “I don't know how, but they found me”--I just always liked the sound of it. It always implied that there was another story behind that sentence. It's not part of the movie; you had to create it for yourself. Maybe that's the writer in me, trying to make sense of people being vague.

OTW: Everything has been super secret so far, with the exception of a few LA shows. Why so secretive?

Dallon: Having this whole thing be a big secret was really a fun way for us to get it started. We didn't want it to be a secret forever, as fun as it was. I think anyone who's creative, who makes a project, or some kind of art--they want that thing to be as successful as possible, and that's the case with us. We will try to think of some stuff to keep people on the lookout. It's been working for us--having things that people need to discover on their own. I hope that that's always a part of what we do.

OTW: Let's talk about the video for “Modern Day Cain”, how did you come up with the concept of the band appearing on a weird cable access show?

Dallon: While I was in the middle of making the record, I was up late one night and I fell into this weird YouTube vortex of these old cable access talent shows from like thirty-something years ago. It was so bizarre to see this parade of people--like each of them were so sure that this cable access show was their big shot and that they were going to be a star. I was fascinated by it. I immediately fell in love with it, and I wanted to be on this show so bad, but obviously that’s not really possible. The whole idea of IDK being an act from thirty something years ago, who was on this show, and got that chance--that's where it started.

OTW: So your live shows, you play bass, Ryan plays drums. That’s kind of an obscure thing to do live as a duo.

Dallon: We use backing tracks when we play live, which is a pretty common thing now. It wasn't so much ten years ago. I think it used to have a really weird stigma attached to it. If you were a band, and you were using tracks, people would really look down on that. I think over the last decade, it's become more commonplace, more acceptable. When we went into this, we wanted to make sure first and foremost that it was something that was going to be fun for us, but also something that would be simple and inexpensive, so keeping it a two-piece made sense to do for those reasons. I make all those tracks on my own at home--they're taken from the record.

OTW: How does the songwriting process work? Do you guys play other things when you're writing?

Dallon: I'm not a great guitar player, but I do play a little bit. It was the first instrument I ever learned. I think the only thing that I don't really dabble in is drums. I wouldn't call myself an amazing musician, but I do dabble in just about everything.

OTW: “Modern Day Cain” —the song itself— Is there a concept behind the song? What do the lyrics mean to you?

Dallon: It was inspired by a TV show on BBC called Broadchurch. Particularly the priest character, who is played by Arthur Darvill. I really got into that show. I still love it--I have a soft spot for BBC shows in general. When I was in the middle of writing this new idea I had, I was really inspired by that character and his part in the series.

OTW: I feel like there's ancillary material, like assignments that we need to be given to read and watch before we listen to IDK. What are you inspired by?

Dallon: When it comes to drawing inspiration, there are bands and artists that I love that I don't necessarily ever want to sound like or that don't necessarily trigger me to write something new. I think inspirations are more subliminal, they can come from anywhere. They can come from things like a TV show or a movie, or a commercial you heard when you were a kid. They come from everywhere, because that stuff is all around you. All of these exterior things are going to influence you somehow--whether you know it or not.

OTW: What do you hope happens when somebody hears the song or sees the video? What do you hope happens for them?

Dallon: I hope that when people come across it or discover it, that it strikes a chord--that it means something. Anytime that I create art, it has to mean something to me first. It's always my hope that I won't be the only one that cares about this thing. When I put it out into the world, I hope someone else will care about it--maybe not in the same way that I do, but it will carry some kind of meaning for them.

OTW: What is your relationship with Panic! At the Disco at this point?

Dallon: Brendon [Urie]'s my friend--he and Spencer Smith changed my life. I owe a lot to both of those guys. Brendon has been generous enough to keep me around for eight years, and still have me play bass for Panic when they go on the road. It's an amazing job, and I love being part of it.

OTW: So let's say it's five years from now--what do you think you would want the project to be like then?

Dallon: Oh man, “what if’s” are always a little dodgy. I just want this project to be as successful as it can be. If we're making art that resonates with people or not--I hope that we are--but that's what I see this whole experience as: an exercise in making the best art that I can make and hope that it connects with people.

OTW: When you first got up on stage to play the first show ever, and no one had heard anything, was that nerve wracking?

Dallon: To be away from center stage for a long time--I sort of had to figure out how to do it again. The last time I did it was in Brobecks, maybe like six or seven years ago. It's also one of the many reasons why we wanted to start playing around LA secretly, to find those roles again and figure out how to do this thing. We knew if we going the standard route of a press release and a big announcement: "Hey come look at us,”--that there would already be a built in fan base, ready to come see. We didn't want to exploit that. We didn't want to take advantage of fans that way. We wanted to find out our roles again and how to do this thing first and the best way to do that was to start playing secretly.

OTW: After you played your first song live, and people seemed to like it, did that ease your mind?

Dallon: It eases your mind, it makes you feel 10 feet tall, like you're on top of the world. That was another one of the reasons that we wanted to play live shows secretly. LA crowds are notoriously unimpressed with people. It's an entertainment town, so they've seen it all, and they see it all on a really regular basis. To catch the attention of an LA crowd is a challenging thing to do. We wanted to take that challenge head on. We wanted to play for a room full of strangers that didn't know who we were, didn't care, and weren't there to see us and see if we could get their attention.

OTW: What's the story with sticking your pick on your forehead? You do it in the video and you do it on stage.

Dallon: I've just done it for years. As a musician, you go through picks like they’re nothing. They just sort of tend to disappear on you, and fly away. I guess the habit started when I was in The Brobecks. It was a really, DIY project, really low budgets, and picks were a hot commodity. They're probably your most common expense. Rather than dispose of one, anytime that I had to switch from picking to playing with fingers, I would just stick it to my forehead so that I didn't have to lose that pick and have to buy another one later. Pretty much everything I do, was born out of being a necessity somehow.

OTW: What about the glitter tears? How is that a necessity?

Dallon: Oh, that is definitely a necessity right now. I wanted to do something that made me look and feel different from how I am on stage with Panic or Brobecks. I wanted everything to be new--to feel new on stage. That's not something I've ever done before, so I thought I would give it a try. It helps to put me in the zone of playing an IDK show.

OTW: What’s next for IDKHBTFM? Is there a plan or are you just going to see what happens?

Dallon: There is a plan, but we're playing everything close to the chest right now, because we're still a DIY operation. We're trying to figure out the best way to put a record out. There is a whole bunch of stuff, that we want to put out and release into the world. It's just a matter of finding the right way to do it and the matter of timing too. Nowadays, you don't necessarily need a record label to put music out, you know you can do it from your kitchen table or anybody, anywhere, with a laptop and a microphone can make a record and put it out. That's pretty awesome I think. We want to put our stuff out on a scale that's as large as we can.

For More on I Don’t Know How But They Found Me:

Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/idkhow/

Web | https://www.idkhow.com/

[lunellumcas]

Sheep references in the Bible

This is a listing of all the sheep references in the bible, in honor of the three sheep in 13x02. Also, the bible was literally thrown in, so..

(There are a lot, but guys I gotta go all out on the religion meta, I have a need to give my religious upbringing purpose) So I’m gonna put it all under a cut. I’m also tagging a few meta writers that might be interested in seeing them all laid out, in case any of this is relevant to things they’re thinking about. (Hope that’s alright. You don’t have to respond, just thought it might be handy to have a list.)

I’m gonna start with old testament because that’s where the Song of Solomon is, which is the most direct reference to the bible in the episode. This is probably gonna be tainted by my religion, and other religions may have wildly different interpretations of some of these passages, I don’t know. I tried to just go with exactly what is in the KJV and not interpret too much for that reason. I am, however, going to give some possible show interpretation, just to get some discussion down and started

Genesis 4:2 “And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.”

Woah. So, Dean has already been massively tied to Cain, which obviously casts Sam as Abel. Here, Sam is shepherding little Jack while Dean is over there being “very wroth” (verse 5). It should be noted that in verse 8 Cain has a talk with his brother and then kills him. Sure Dean and Sam are having a disagreement, but hopefully it won’t come to that…

Numbers 27:17 Here Moses is asking God to set a leader over the congregation so that they won’t be “as sheep which have no shepherd.” God tells him to put his honor on Joshua so that the congregation will obey Joshua as their leader.

Well.. Moses just found out he’s never gonna enter the promised land—so the people need someone else to lead them. He chooses Joshua. In this story, Kelly knew she was never going to get to lead Jack, so she chose Castiel. But then Cas died, and now Jack is lost. Poor little sheep.

1 Kings 22:17 This prophet named Micaiah is prophesying; “And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the Lord said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace.”  

Ok so this phrase comes up a few times. (In fact this exact story is repeated in 2 Chronicles 18 and verse 16 is nearly identical to this one, with an added “scattered upon the mountains.”) But.. Israel is God’s chosen, and in Kings it’s referring to how the present king will die if he goes to war (which he does) and the new king will lead the people to do evil and then they will be lost. So that’s foreboding and relevant. Also, our team of chosen is literally scattered too: God left Sam and Dean (and Cas (and Mary)) in charge and now they’re all scattered, by being gone in two cases, and by disagreeing in the others; And now they’re on the mountain seeking revelation? And God’s like “nah”?

Psalms 44:22 “Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.”

Uh oh

This is a prayer to God from his followers, saying such things as 23 “Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord?” 24 “Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression?” and 26 “Arise for our help.”

Verse 22 of this psalm is referenced in Romans 8:36, but put in a more hopeful light. Paul writes: 37 “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” He has faith that 38 “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Psalms 78:52 This chapter is talking about how God got mad at the Israelites for being rude to Him while wandering in the desert (read: asking for too much), and forgetting how much He had helped them, how God delivered Israel from Egypt, how He sent plagues and smote the firstborn of Egypt and sent evil angels among them, 52 “But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.” 53 “And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.” 54 “And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased.”

Well.. our heroes are sort of wandering the metaphorical desert right now (with Mary (and possibly Cas) wandering a real one). Here’s to hoping they find the promised land.

(Here being sheep is a good thing, but only if you’ve got a shepherd.)

Psalms 95:7 is similar. Let’s worship the Lord our maker “For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today if ye will hear his voice, 8 harden not your heart.”

And Psalm 100:3 “we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”

Psalms 119:176 “I have gone astray like a lost sheep.”

Another prayer to God, basically saying I’ll do anything for you, pls help

This phrase is also pretty common, it turns up again in 1 Peter 2:25 “For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.” (by the atonement).

Isaiah 53:6-7 “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.”

This is about Christ atoning for the sins of all mankind. Sounds like someone’s gonna let himself die to save the world………….

This scripture is read by a Eunuch in Acts 8:32. In verse 29 “the Spirit said unto Phillip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.” And Phillip did, and came upon this “eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians,” who was reading that scripture. Phillip explained it to him and started preaching, and then they came to some water, where the eunuch asked him to baptize him, which he did. Then 39 “the Spirit of the Lord caught away Phillip, that the eunuch saw him no more” and it turns out Phillip was just going around preaching in all the cities

Sounds a little like Jack converting people to his cause even in the womb, idk, like a lightning-fast conversion rate

Side note, Phillip had been told by “an angel of the Lord” (26) to go down there in the first place

Ezekiel 34 This whole chapter is about Jesus berating the shepherds of Israel for not taking care of the flock. It’s long and I don’t feel like quoting it all but it’s all about how He’s gonna take away the sheep from the shepherds so they can’t eat them anymore, and he’s gonna gather up all the sheep that are scattered and lost so they won’t be prey anymore, and he’s gonna feed them and give them pastures and cause them to lie down, and make them safe, and fix the sick and broken, and then he’s gonna make David their shepherd, and oh yeah, sheep = house of Israel

Micah 5:8 “And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.”

Uh, in this instance, it is NOT GOOD to be sheep

Zechariah 13:7 “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn my hand upon the little ones.”

So, when Jesus comes again 2/3 of the people will “be cut off and die” (8) and the last third will be refined in fire and when they call upon him he will hear them and say “It is my people.” (9).

Jesus references this in Matthew 26:31, right before going to Gethsemane, but he seems to be talking in terms of, when he dies, the disciples will be scattered, but.. he’s gonna be resurrected so… (This is word-for-word repeated in Mark 14:27).

Matthew 7:15 “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”

Pretty obvious Asmodeus-as-Donatello thing, weirdly literal too

The next verse is “ye shall know them by their fruits,” which if that isn’t spot on for Dean and Sam arguing about Jack’s nature based on tallying up the things he does… well… worryingly, this part culminates in the assertion that “every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” (verse 19).

This is part of the Sermon on the Mount which is basically a guide to goodness and how to get into Heaven instead of being destroyed, so you know, not relevant to Jack at all.

Matthew 9:36 is about Jesus having compassion on the multitudes because they “were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” And so he sends his apostles to go “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt 10:6) with instruction to “heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils.” (Matt 10:8).

Raise the dead? YUP

Matthew 15:24 Christ says he can’t cast out a devil from a Canaan woman’s daughter because he was “not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But then he does it anyway because of her great faith.

Matthew 12:11-12 when the Pharisees get mad at Jesus for healing a man on the Sabbath, he comes back at them with this: “What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?” 12 “How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do good on the sabbath days.”

So this is about saving people even when your methods are questioned, cuz it’s good, and also cuz you’re the savior and you are “greater than the [priests in the] temple” (12:6).

Matthew 18:12 “How think ye? If a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?” 13 “And if it so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.”

Mountains in the bible are often shorthand for revelation, or seeking god. So… praying to god to find the lost sheep maybe? WINk wiNK? Also, maybe now Dean will learn to appreciate Cas more after having lost him or something idk I’m just spitballing here

Also in verse 11 Christ says he came to “save that which is lost,” so he’s also saying that he plans to save those who can be brought to repentance, ie. It’s ok if you have made mistakes as long as you repent; also, he’s talking about children immediately before and after these verses, and while I’m not exactly sure what it’s about, he’s definitely saying that the will of god is that children go to heaven, and don’t “despise” children, whatever that’s supposed to mean.

FYI this story is retold in Luke 15

Matthew 25 This chapter is all about how Christ is going to come again, ie. End of days, and no one knows when so you better be prepared. Starting in verse 32 it’s about how in the end, He will separate the souls “as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats” with the sheep being those that get to go to heaven and the goats being “cursed” “into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” Because the sheep fed and clothed their brethren and the goats did not.

Sooo the Winchesters will be rewarded for feeding and clothing Jack and taking him in? (25:35 “I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 “Naked and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.”

Again, also about how to be good, and why it’s important

John 10 This is another long one. Basically it’s a parable about sheep, but Jesus actually explains the parable pretty right out for once. Basically Jesus is the shepherd (sheep will follow him, and they won’t follow the “thieves and robbers” (false prophets?) that tried to sneak. Christ is also the “sheep door” and if you come into the fold through him you’ll be saved.

This is where the phrase “good shepherd” comes from: 11 “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep” and 14 “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.”

This makes it sound like Dean is the good shepherd, since he seems to be the only one seeing the sheep…

Also, after Jesus said all this stuff the people thought he had a devil and wanted to stone him for blasphemy

John 21:15-17 Jesus asks Simon Peter three times “lovest thou me?” and Jesus tells him three times “feed my sheep”.. here, I’ll just quote you 17: “He said unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.”

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm….. If you love Cas… feed his nephilim man-baby?

Then there are even more if you are looking at “lamb”

Genesis 22:7-8 Abraham was getting all ready to sacrifice his son Isaac. They’re ready to go and Isaac is like… “where is the lamb?” (7) and Abraham says “My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together” (8) Of course, as soon as Abraham is about to kill his son, an ANGEL turns up and tells him not to. And then they find “a ram caught in a thicket by his horns” (13) and sacrifice it instead. And then the angel blesses Abraham for being willing to kill his son, and the blessing is that his seed will be amazing

Exodus 12 describes how to keep firstborn sons safe from smiting during the Passover. Basically they were to eat one lamb per household on a specific night (with very specific instructions, including wearing their shoes and not leaving any of it til morning and then they were supposed to put the blood on the sides and tops of their doors so that their houses would get passed over during the smiting. The lamb had to be “without blemish, a male of the first year” (12:5).

Exodus 29:33-42 another specific set of rituals for sacrificing lambs, supposed to go on for generations at the door of the tabernacle, so that the Lord will “meet with the children of Israel” there. It’s supposed to be one lamb cooked in the morning with oils and wine and one cooked at night, the same.

This recipe is also laid out in Numbers 28

Leviticus 14:10 pretty much the same as above, only this sacrifice is to cleanse lepers and their leprous stuff (interestingly, verse 21 has a slightly modified recipe for those who are too poor)

Isaiah 11:6 “The wolf shall also dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fattling together; and a little child shall lead them.” When Jesus comes again. This is reiterated in Isaiah 65:25. Basically, everything will be beautiful and nothing will hurt

Lol ya right, not in this show

Isaiah 40:11 This chapter is more of the same. It’s actually pretty beautiful sounding. But the relevant verse says “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.” I suppose it’s unclear if this is referring to actual lambs, but most churches probably interpret this as being, well, them

I like to think verse 12 could apply to Cas: “Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?”

Luke 10: 3 Christ appoints seventy more disciples, saying “Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves”

Kinda what Chuck did with Sam and Dean (/shrugs)

And then there’s “flock.” Most of these are pretty much the same and even occur in the same set of verse as “sheep” and “lamb.” But I listed the new ones

Genesis 30 Jacob tends Laban’s flocks; in Genesis 36 Jacob’s sons (except Joseph) tend to Jacob’s flocks. In Exodus 3, Moses keeps the flocks of Jethro

Leviticus 1:10 sheep or goats used as burnt offerings to atone for sins should be male and without blemish, also kill it on the north side of the altar and sprinkle the blood around

Deuteronomy 8:13 Don’t forget God even when “thy flocks multiply” i.e when things are good

Probably not relevant then

Proverbs 27:23 “Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds.”

This chapter is just like a lot of advice, including such gems as “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful” (6) and “The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.” (7) but this is probably all too far removed to be relevant anyway

Jeremiah 10:21 “For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the Lord: therefore they shall not prosper, and their flocks shall be scattered.”

Jeremiah 13:17 “…my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the Lord’s flock is carried away captive.”

Juicy

Jeremiah 31:10 “Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.”

Luke 2:8 “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.” 9 “And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.” 10 “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.”

The birth of a savior, heralded by an angel. I feel it’s pretty self-explanatory how this might fit in

Acts 20:28-29 “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. 29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.”

Well.. God left Sam and Dean as overseers to the whole world, so it’s all in danger. Also, they’re totally infighting, so…

1 Peter 5:2-4 “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3 Neither as being lords over god’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.”

Okay so here we have Dean and Sam feeding the flock of god aka Jack, who is literally god’s heritage.. and they may or may not be doing it to lord over his power. My guess is Sam kind of is tbh. And Jack was straight up copying Dean, so he was an example.. hmm.. So… this could be referring to Dean…

if Cas is the chief Shepherd, I can only hope that crown is a euphemism

BTW I think Dean would love that “filthy lucre” line. Or feel betrayed that it came from the bible

And then, finally, there’s the Song of Solomon itself

Song of Solomon 1:7-8 “Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thy maketh thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?” 8 “If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents.”

Song of Solomon 4:2 “Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them.” (repeated in SS 6:6)

So anyway, Tldr: sheep could easily mean followers, chosen, or sacrifices, or be a reference to any one of these passages. Who knows.

@mittensmorgul, @tinkdw, @elizabethrobertajones, @postmodernmulticoloredcloak

[spiritgriffon]

Rachael’s Favorite FE Characters

Well, since I posted my favorite Pokemon... everything a while ago, I figured I’d post my favorite FE characters class-by-class as well! I’ll also post my least favorites.

The games I own are Sacred Stones, Path of Radiance, Radiant Dawn, Shadow Dragon, New Mystery on an emulator, Awakening, Heroes, all 3 Fates & Echoes. I’ve played a bit of FE4 too but I’m not far enough into it to pick favorite characters.

Favorite Lord:

Male- Chrom (He’s pretty vanilla but I still love me my Blueberry Dorklord)

Female- Erika (Who is not NEARLY as foolish as recent entries would have you believe. She’s quite a bit better than Celica at any rate- there’s no way she’d fall for fkn JEDAH)

Least Favorite- Ephraim (He’s such a... warmonger. There is no point in the entirety of SS where I go “Yes, he’ll make a good king!”)

Favorite Avatar

Robin! Robin’s the best. Robin has the best coat. Do I need to say more?

Well, I guess I’ll say too that Robin’s personality is quite a bit like my own, which is why I prefer Fem!Robin. I too, would relentlessly pelt Lon’qu with figs and, when faced with unwinnable odds would, just resort to a Big Fire™

Least favorite goes to... IDK, I want to say Kiran but Kiran can marry Navarre so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Favorite Cavalier/Paladin/Great Knight

Seth wins, but Xander and Berkut are close seconds. Seth/Erika is my ultimate FE OTP- they’re the only ones in the whole series I can’t even bear to pair with anyone else for a playthrough to get their supports. I like Xander/Corrin and Xander/Sakura quite a bit, but neither come anywhere close honestly. And Berkut is my angry garbage son~

Least favorite goes to Jagan. You honestly think I’m going to kill Frey who arguably has better stat growths than both Cain and Abel and keep you? Screw canon, off you go, old man!

Favorite Myrmidon/Swordsmaster/Trueblade

Joushua, obviously!

...

I mean, Navarre doesn’t really count because he’s my favorite FE character PERIOD. Besides Navarre, I like Joshua.

Least favorite is Marissa. Not that crazy about Mia either, but Marissa is just so inferior to Josh stats wise and while he’s tons of fun, she’s no fun at all. If she were in another game it’d different but Joshua makes her look really bad in comparison. Plus she took his spot in Awakening AND I’M STILL SALTY 4 YEARS LATER

Favorite Mercenary/Hero/Dreadfighter

Navarre in FE1

Ike!... Yes, I’m counting him here... Oh fine, Ogma then. They’re both big gay softies that are 40% pure iron muscle and 60% heart. I bet they give the best hugs!

(And no, I don’t believe Ogma’s “feelings” for Caeda are in any way romantic bc he met her when she was like 5 and he was probably 20. He probably feels like her big brother or father- which is equally impossible for him to express due to his lot in life. Plus, Marth never gets jealous around him, while he practically turns green around any of the other characters interested in her.)

(Oh, and I consider Soren to be the more canon partner for Ike over Sothe and Ranulf bc Priam is a thing and I’m like 70% sure Soren is supposed to be trans. And yes, there is a canon lesbian whose name is currently escaping me & Sothe is canonically bi, they just went with the “heavy implied to the point of being basically irrefutable” route instead of outright stating it, so it is VERY possible Soren is trans. I like all 3 ships tho)

Least favorite is... The dude from SS. I can’t even remember his name. He’s the only freaking mercenary in SS and his personality doesn’t do anything for me.

Favorite Knight/General/Baron

The Black Knight of course! His writing is bit... a lot of a mess, but you can’t deny how badass he is.

On a less villainous note, Forsythe is pretty cool too.

Least favorite is... IDK, was there one in Awakening? I thought there was one on the cover but he’s so forgettable...

Favorite Archer/Sniper/Ballistician/Bow Knight/Hunter

Tacomeme :)

Leon is also pretty cool, but he’s not nearly as useful in-game. I like Niles too! But I’d be lying if I said a good part of that wasn’t bc of Takehito Koyasu and his sexy voice rip

Least favorite is Faye in Heroes Python’s inability to hit the broad side of a barn Zero’s stupid name change to Niles Innes. His stats are nice but his personality rubs me the wrong way.

Favorite Pegasus/Falcon Knight/Sky/Kinshi Knight

Probably Claire! I didn’t expect to like her much (I got Maribelle vibes at first), but she really grew on me throughout the game and her supports. I love the way her friendship with Alm was written- if it had evolved into a romance I would have found it believable, but it’s one of the VERY, VERY few times I think IntSys has handled a one sided crush on the main character well.

Least favorite is... Probably Cordelia. Like I said, VERY few times. (Vanessa, Sumia, Syrene, Palla, Catria, Est, Hinoka, Subaki, Tanith and Sigrun all tie for second to last. This is... not my favorite class.)

Favorite Dracoknight/Wyvern Rider/Wyvern Lord

Hmmm... I would say Camilla, but my headcanon version of her is quite a bit different from the way she actually is in canon lol. So... Probably promoted Caeda. Minerva is utterly useless on the battlefield, unfortunately, and I like Caeda about the same as Clare so I put her here.

I guess I like Haar, Jill, Cormag, Gwin, and Valter (As a villain, not as a person) somewhat too.

Least favorite has to go to Beruka. I find her... bland.

Favorite Villager/Recruit

AMELIA THE GENERAL IS COMING THROUGH! MAKE WAY, MORTALS

Do I need to say who my least favorite is? Do I really need to?

It’s Faye. Because... she’s Faye.

Favorite Thief/Trickster/Assassin/Rogue/Ninja

That has to go to Julian! He’s very similar to Gaius, but instead of candy, his thing is puns. Fun fact: I have a blood sugar condition similar to diabetes IRL that makes me unable to eat sugar, so Gaius just made me crave sweets I can’t have most of the time :/

Second place goes to Gangrel or Rennac. Gangrel is actually my second favorite character to romance in Awakening due to his great redemption arc in his supports with both Robins & his talks with Em in the DLC, and IMO he makes the second best dad to Morgan (And yes, I have ALL of male Morgan’s supports with his fathers, yes, it was boring, repetitive, and took hours, and yes, the only one I like better is Chrom), and Rennac is just... so hilariously cranky. They also both go in the “They deserved better in their endings” bin- Rennac can’t marry L’rachel despite their great chemistry and Gangrel flat-out dies if you don’t marry him.

Least favorite... I guess Nina. I never found her very funny.

Favorite Cleric/Troubadour/Valkyrie/Bishop/War monk

Elise! She is... one of two healers I like. In the entire series.

The other is L’rachel.

And Sakura, Lissa, Natasha, and Rena I... don’t particularly dislike.

I don’t like any others. Tat/iana is the worst of the bunch. Tat/iana is actually my least favorite character in the series

Favorite Fighter/Pirate/Warrior/Barbarian

Maybe... Vaike or Ross? Or Boyd? Basilio? Wow, there aren’t any I really like a lot. Guess this is my least favorite class.

My least favorite of all HAS to be Arthur though.

Favorite Mage/Monk/Dark Knight/Sage

Soren! He’s really well written. At first he comes off as a racist asshole, but as the game goes on & you get his supports, he proves himself to be a really great, three-dimensional character. And he’s so gay for Ike. Like, so, so gay.

Least favorite is all of the little red-headed boys that are clones of each other. Except maybe Ewan, because he’s actually useful in-game. Most of the others aren’t.

Favorite Dark Mage/Sorcerer/Summoner/Necromancer/Druid/Witch/Cantor

LYON!!!! Oh man, I don’t want to spoil exactly what happens but suffice to say that he is my FAVORITE antagonist in the series.

My least favorite is either Validar or Iago... I don’t know which to pick. They are how NOT to do a decent sorcerer villain in FE. But all of the Cantors in Echoes also get a special mention for being FREAKING ANNOYING.

Favorite Manakete/Dragon Laguz

Tiki- particularly young Tiki! She’s so sweet... and badass!

Least favorite... ugh, I have to say Myrrh. I do like her, but her uses of Dragonstone are so limited that you can barely use her and while she’s just as cute as Tiki, she’s not nearly as tough. She also has a lot sadder story than Tiki- she’s a really good character, but she just doesn’t make me feel bubbly and happy when I see her the way Tiki does.

Favorite Beast Laguz/Bird Laguz/Taguel/Wolfskin/Kitsune

All hail King Naesala! He’s another character that brings a smile to my face when I see him-and that’s saying quite a bit, since he has a pretty serious story. This man oozes personality- He shows up on screen and you know he’s there to kick the world and rule the ass. And no, that’s not backwards.

Honorable mention to Reyson- every time these two are on screen together you know that Reyson is about three seconds from punching Naesala right in the nose, never mind the fact he’d probably break every bone in his tiny, fragile fist. The fact that Naesala’s only paired ending is with Reyson’s sister is just hilarious to me.

I guess my least favorite is Lyre... She sort of feels like she’s just there to have one more playable character to me, since she has so little bearing on the story.

Favorite Dancer/Singer

In terms of personality, supports, and gameplay, Feena is far and away my favorite. However... I’m honestly not a huge fan of her design, so in terms of appearance, Azura, who I personally think has one of the best designs in the series, takes the cake. The fact she has such a catchy theme song is a huge bonus too!

Tethys gets the last spot because she’s completely useless in battle. I’ve heard Ninian can’t fight either but she boosts your stats- why did they give Tethys the shaft so badly?

Favorite Lancer/Soldier

And finally... ending this on a weird one. See, neither Nephenee nor Oboro do anything for me- I don’t dislike them, but I don’t particularly like them either. So, I guess this one goes to Azura!

[gone-series-orchid]

not sure if you're still taking gone asks, but I was wondering if you found any aspects of the series unrealistic. Obviously, powers and stuff aren't real, but im wondering more about like, character motivations and reactions to situations.

are you kidding? i’m always taking gone asks! thanks so much for sending this, it’s a great question!

in terms of gone’s character realism, i think mg overall does a pretty good job. a few asks ago i talked about how i thought caine’s character arc felt pretty shoddily written, mainly because i think mg had a solid idea of caine as a villain in the early books that sort of dovetailed into putting him firmly into the “anti-hero/tragic villain” trope in the light, despite him doing numerous terrible things and not showing any remorse for them (because, as the early books indicate, he’s heavily implied to be sociopathic--or at least severely manipulative, and lacking in compassion and empathy) by the time he dies. i blame mg’s sentimentality on ending the series he’d been working on for 7 years--there’s always a temptation to treat your characters more charitably (and give fanservice!) when the end’s in sight and this’ll essentially be their last hurrah. but that’s just what i’d hypothesize; i don’t have any insight into mg’s writing process or anything. anyway, caine’s sacrifice and love note to diana fell flat for me personally. i don’t think mg’s writing of caine as a character has mustered up the goodwill and sympathy in the audience that that kind of heel-face turn demands.

diana is a weird character for me. on one hand, i really like it when she gets her her own pov chapters and we get to see what’s going on in her head. i like that she fully knows caine’s a monster and struggles with her feelings for him as a concept. the only problem for me is the messy way she gets there. in the early books, from what i can remember, diana is fully cognizant of how sadistic and abnormal caine and drake are. she’s a smart girl who is essentially using caine for safety and security, as well as using caine’s attraction to her in order to bolster her low self-esteem due to her adolescence being spent in the presence of creepy adult men who sexualize her for her growing body). that looks good on paper, but diana seems to fall full tilt into loving caine anyway in the later books, which i find a confusing leap. i understand that the trauma of the fayz and all the general baggage she carries around is indubitably a contributing factor, but...i dunno, something about the execution feels weak to me. i don’t think we get enough of a proper bridge between “diana thinks caine is sick and manipulates him” to “diana thinks caine is sick and loves him.” 

i think mg essentially wanted a tragic dark parallel to astrid and sam’s healthier and (at least somewhat) mutually respectful relationship, and decided to bypass the process of developing diana to the point where she’d want that with caine in favor of attributing her infatuation to trauma and stockholm syndrome, which can’t help but feel like an unfortunate regression from diana’s character as she is first introduced. to be clear, i’m not trying to say that characters who become stuck in abusive relationships are inherently less interesting or are morally weaker than characters who don’t! it’s just that, to me, that didn’t seem like the natural trajectory for diana’s character in the first book. it felt more like mg had to backtrack her initial savviness regarding caine’s true nature in order to create more interpersonal drama for the coates gang, and that’s disappointing that mg felt he had to do that to such an initially interesting, morally ambiguous female character. i can’t see him doing that to a male character in order to develop a semi-plausible (abusive) love story, is what i’m saying. 

i think diana’s character gets a lot more interesting when she’s separated from caine and (ugh) pregnant, though that also has a lot of baggage--diana only gets to significantly develop when she’s carrying caine’s baby, which just feels...gross to me. this is a purely “me” reaction, and probably stems from me being significantly older now than i was when i first read the books back when i was 13, but i can’t help but think that there were better ways for the gaiaphage to get a human form than for two fifteen-year-olds in a dysfunctional, abusive relationship to have multiple instances of unprotected sex. i don’t think mg is particularly gratuitous or scummy about it or anything, but i feel it’s a bit unfortunate. not to mention that the fact that diana feels she has to change for the sake of her child is a pretty unfortunate thing--it means that, ultimately, her feelings about herself have not changed, they’ve just gotten worse. 

she doesn’t feel she has to change for herself, she feels she has to change for her idealized, hypothetical child still growing in her stomach. 

at the age of fifteen. 

idk, it seems to imply a loss of selfhood that’s characteristic of pregnant female characters--they lack the agency they once had because oh, the baby. and that just becomes even more tragic when the female character doing that sort of “i have to change for my child” thing is a child herself who hasn’t the life experience to fully know or understand her own self yet. and i don’t think mg understands the full tragedy of that.

diana doesn’t fully inhabit that trope, of course. i really love that she survives the fayz and seems to fully recognize--and more importantly, accept--that, whether he “loved” her or not, caine was bad news. i like that diana’s baby becomes corrupted by the gaiaphage, because--while i don’t like that it adds more trauma to diana’s bucket--i’m glad that the idea of her pinning her hopes for redemption on an infant who’s unlikely to survive the harsh environment of the fayz anyway are dashed. it sounds cruel, but it’s true.

whew! i’m sorry, i feel i’ve ranted long enough. i might have some more thoughts in the future, but i don’t want to overload you with Stuff. feel free to send more asks! and thank you again! :)