#like personality wise I feel like the natural development of those two are the most compelling

[tsururoach]

The thing about Ryomina (mlm or mlf) is that I hesitate to say I "ship" it because I don't really consider them solely in the 'romantic' side of things.

Like, to me their whole deal is more on the conceptual scale of things. They exist on many planes, they can be romantic, they can be platonic, they can be the same person, but there is still emotions there regardless of what you do.

Death delivers all, death is all encompassing, death lived inside of them until one day, it leaves. Something that was in them for 10 years leaves him. It should've felt empty, like something wrong. And yet that thing, that concept, that person was no longer stagnant. It saw the world from you, and it grows. It becomes a person, it becomes human. (You also, learn to become human)

It starts off someone who knew only that single point of view, to someone who was able to change. Change themself- and change you- no longer restricted by that tie to you. And yet, the bond you have was strong enough that he was still led back to you.

I think the 'love' that would hypothetically exist between the two of them would be the 'love' someone could have for a concept. An Abstraction and mixed with simple human affection. The love of the life that lived next to the protag. The protag to me would love Ryoji, the way one would love life.

Funny how that is: Loving death like life.

V ADDING A DISCUSSION ON HAMUGIS AND RYOMINA SECTION HERE V

I consider Hamugis more generally romantic than Ryomina but thats also because they also have less fuckassery. But i still also do consider them in that nebulous relationship status area.

Don't get me wrong. I love love love hamugis. Actually let me add a sidetwt doodle here while I can.

Okay heres the thing about my preferences in Persona 3 ships. I'm actually okay with most of them tbh. Like generally I usually don't get other people's interpretations of certain ships, but i still on some level kind of like. Get it.

The only one is like. Junpei and anyone who isn't Chidori; or at the very least with anyone who redacts chidori entirely. I like jundori okay. I like Junpei. Junpei's #1 defender.

But I do on a level instinctively prefer the mlm ver of ryomina over mlf, and the flf ver of hamugis over mlm. (I do actually overall prefer aigis x protag over ryomina in general in the normal terms of 'ship' but we already talked about that)

Now I'm well aware technically I could make the protaganist's character whatever but we've come far enough that a lot of "insert" protagonists already have a general kind of personality okay. I do sometimes err away from canon portrayals, yeah but hey.

Anyways I feel like... Hamuko and Aigis form a stronger bond together. It's not just the difficulty of the love itself that changes things. It's the approach. Hamuko is generally portrayed as more headstrong and more outwardly optimistic, which, yeah.

I feel like... While Aigis benefits from someone reaching out to her, inversely, Ryoji benefits from reaching out to someone?

And then when Aigis is forced to reach out...

Anyways, what I'm trying to say is I feel like the bond overall has more meaning. Like I did say Aigis' relationship with the protagonist is also still in that conceptual air, I'm kind of rehashing what I said before. Aigis is coming to terms with her own humanity .

I lost the plot of this psot.

[turbulentscrawl]

Luchino Diruse General HCs

The time has finally come. I have a LOT to say about Luchino. This covers both his survivor and hunter forms, and it might be a bit jumbled because I had so many thoughts to try and organize.

-The exact subject of the Professor’s research is left in the air, but given his focus on venom and poisons, and the necessity of testing them on animals, I’m guessing he worked in toxicology. He likely helped to develop antidotes and other products from the substances he and his colleagues studied—and taught students about these subjects in the university laboratory—as well as had a general interest in reptile biology and genetics.

-While Luchino was a bit too open to self-testing during his venom and toxicology research, he did not willingly take the mutated reptile’s venom. The information provided for Luchino doesn’t specifically say that the venom was forced on him…but Luchino’s experiment report from his first manor game describes him as “Vigilant” and as having a “moderate thirst for knowledge.” He was also the only one to survive, due to his curiosity and his respect for potential danger. Because of these, I find it unlikely that he would let a mysterious, mutating reptile bite him. When he self-tested venom before, it’s said he always had antidotes/antivenoms within reach. This just isn’t a risk he’d take. Additionally, Luchino went missing from the labs where this happened, and Dr. Thompson was never mentioned again, so I think it’s likely there was some sort of struggle immediately after Luchino was bitten. For that, a fight had to have been warranted.

-Eli describes Luchino as cautious, dignified, courteous, and “kinder and more friendly than expected.” You all know I talk about it any time I can, but I state once again that Luchino is a gentleman to most if not all people. His vigilance mentioned earlier makes his intuition rather good, so he can fairly reliably tell good people apart from the bad, and uses that to keep himself a safe distance from trouble. He’s also very open-minded and sees atypical traits and behaviors as interesting more than anything else. He feels secure in his judgement of people, which allows his curiosity for all things to flourish.

-But he’s also obsessed with his work. Sometimes that makes him willing to cut corners. (Once again, self-testing with venom.) Which is how he got himself in his current predicament in the first place. He had some concerns about the intentions of Dr. Thompson asking for his help…but his curiosity for this new and strange reptile overpowered his concerns.

-Luchino is a man of indulgence (indicated both by some of the prior hcs, and his S-tier skin wherein he is Dionysus, a god of pleasure and madness.) He sees no sense in being ashamed of desiring sensual, carnal, or dangerous things. Luscious food, rich wine, mind-blowing sex. He also indulges his thirst for knowledge with hands-on experimentation. But indulgence implies a choice, self-control. Indulgence means giving in to something you typically deny yourself. This is where he and Evil Reptilian really diverge.

-So E.R. is very much still Luchino, personality-wise…but his new, more animalistic nature has made him entirely beholden to impulse. He’s still rather gentlemanly, and still a man-beast of science, but he’s more reactive to aggression/challenges and gives into his desires almost indiscriminately. And several of those desires are very much based in his newfound carnivorousness; he’s one of the most vicious hunters because his instinct screams at him to chase and kill anything that runs.

-The two do get along…but Luchino and he strongly disagree on how good the end results of his biological changes are. E.R. considers all of his changes to be positive; he’s faster, stronger, and still smart as a whip—he’s far more capable, overall. Meanwhile Luchino can look at his Hunter self and see exactly how much of his self-restraint is gone. Luchino thinks the biggest thing separating man from animals is free will, and you can’t truly have that if you’re a slave to your impulses.

-Luchino’s COA skin has what I’m pretty sure is an explosive strapped to his chest, which indicates to me that he’d rather go out in a blaze of glory than lose himself entirely. And as a lot of the A/S tier skins share something with their core character, I assume this trait is the same for regular Luchino. Some people theorize that he’s unbothered by his changes, but I don’t think that’s entirely true. As much as he’s intrigued and excited about the scientific implications of the changes he’s undergone, Luchino DOES NOT want to become a mindless animal, to lose himself entirely. He’d rather die and take his mind and all its knowledge with him than let it waste away.

-He’s a more dominant sort of person, but he’s secure in it and his masculinity, so he’s not overbearing or pushy. Rather, Luchino passively presents as something of a natural leader (if not a slightly removed one) because of his level-headed judgement and work ethic. So people tend to look to him for direction. If they don’t, and if he doesn’t like the person who is leading, he’s fine just stepping away and doing his own thing. He’s always the dominant partner in his romantic entanglements and enjoys taking on a provider role.

-He’s not as reclusive as Alva or Luca, but he is less outwardly social than others. He blends in well with most crowds and paces the amount he speaks when in conversation with others. He’s one of those who prompts others to talk more with thoughtful questions—sometimes just to listen to someone he cares for talk more, and sometimes to subtly get information out of someone.

-Despite a few “mad scientist” tendencies, Luchino isn’t usually hyper focused to the point of damaging his health. He’s typically good about sticking to a regular sleep schedule, stays relatively active, and eats healthy. He’s in good shape despite having a career that keeps you at a desk a lot.

-Supposedly, Luchino played a hand in the “failure” of Dr. Thompson’s “matchmaking” business, and this is what made the man want revenge on him. Luchino expresses concern for this, implying that he doesn’t know for sure if he caused it, but feels bad if he did. As such, I’m under the impression that Luchino was just making some negative commentary about the idea of a “matchmaking service” to their colleagues. Luchino seems to have been likeable and respected, so word got around about his opinion on the matter and the business (likely already struggling) tanked.

[unrequitedloveletter]

i'm here to send requestsss!

what about nikolai lantsov x sister!reader (or just sibling if you want to keep it gn) and how she had gone with nik every time he met up with the crows and she knows them all by now and she keeps in touch with kaz through letters and then one trip, she finally goes out to visit by herself and it's just hinted that y/n and kaz like each other

if you don't like it or feel it, feel free to ignore<3

Match Made by The Saints- K.B x fem! Reader

This was a blast to write, so thank you so much for sending it in! I am sorry it took me almost two weeks to write it out, I've just been stressing a lot over prom and upcoming grad stuff in combination with school related stress, as well as editing fics to get them ready for posting, but I hope you like this despite how much time it's taken

Fic type- this is fluff!

Warnings- mentions of alcohol, this is also mostly unedited and kaz is probably a bit ooc.

You'd naturally accompanied your brother every time he went to Ketterdam.

At first, it had been to act as the tether between royalty and the crows while Nikolai was acting as Sturmhond. Over time, it became an excuse to leave the palaces and see something outside of the village in Os Alta. From there, it became a matter of the fact that Ketterdam was a city that you quite liked and therefore, Nikolais trips provided you an excuse.

You knew the crows by name, and you loved each and every one of them.

There was Inej, her impeccable talent with her knives and her skills in the way of going unnoticed. She was excellent company, the wise type, unafraid to threaten your life in the same time she spoke one of her suli proverbs.

There was Nina and her abilities as a Grisha after her survival post jurda parem usage coupled with the fact that she was excellent company to keep, just as Inej was. There was the fact that she was skilled in combat, and the fact that, since making it out of the throes of parem withdrawal, she always seemed glad to throw a punch.

Her Fjerdan, Matthias, was the type to brood and stir in his silences, but most of those silences were comfortable. He was also good for a half decent cup of tea and, unlike other muscled types you'd known, did not have an affinity for the recital of eighty-page long sonnets.

There was Jesper, the sharpshooter, who was good for a glass of brandy and a bit of banter. He was the loyal type, the kind type, the type that you didn't expect to see much in a place like the Barrel. The love he held for Wylan, his boyfriend, was clear as water just in the way Jesper looked at him when he thought Wylan wasn't looking.

Wylan was the demo man, seemingly shy and a little aloof but very kind once you got to know him past it. He could create just about any bomb if he put his mind to it and he wasn't afraid to acknowledge his smarts in the area of destruction.

And then there was Kaz. The Bastard of the Barrel, Dirtyhands, a demon created in the alleyways and drowned in the harbor. He was the second person you'd met during your first visit to Ketterdam, but had been your favorite person to see in all of the visits since.

Over time, you and Kaz began sending letters to occupy the time between your visits. You'd get a letter every two weeks, write a response, and send it out the following day.

You talked about anything and everything with him, from things as simple as the weather to things as complex as heist plans and the week-old gossip in the city. Somewhere along that line, a bit of an unspoken romance developed.

It wasn't that you were romantically involved, no. You just liked each other, and as Jesper joined the two of you in the Slat, you drinking a bit of brandy and Kaz having opted for coffee and vodka, the fact that you liked each other was almost as obvious as the sky was blue.

"Enjoying the weather?" Jesper asked. "You could've come at a better time if you were hoping to miss out on the spring rain. In summer, it gets hot and humid."

"Ketterdam is different from Ravka, then," you said with a smile. "I find Ketterdams weather preferable, usually. Ravkan summers get hot and dry, and rain in springtime is rare until the last week of May. It's beautiful here, though."

"Beautiful, criminally underrated," Jesper hummed, daring a glance at Kaz. He was watching you intently, his expression unreadable everywhere but in his gaze. His expression wouldn't've been readable to anyone else, but Jesper had long learned to look for signs of emotion in Kaz where nobody else would've thought to, a skill Inej had taught him in her returns from her voyages.

Kaz Brekker was looking at you like you were the one thing throughout the entirety of the Slat that had actually mattered. Jesper was entirely sure that he could've grabbed the Van Eck DeKappel painting and returned it to his and Wylans home without Kaz noticing or caring all that much in the end.

"It's full of gorgeous and handsome criminals, if you go to the right gambling dens and gang headquarters. How long are you in?"

"Til the end of August," you hummed. "Needed to escape the palaces for a bit. All of it was beginning to feel too mundane."

Jesper suspected that you had missed a certain guy with a thousand different nicknames, all of which had nearly the same connotations, too. He didn't say as much, only looked to Kaz.

"She's in on our heist jobs for the next bit?"

"A few," Kaz nodded. "We'll be going back to Ravka alongside her at the end of August. The royals need our assistance with a jewelry heist."

Jesper observed your gaze. You were looking at Kaz like he was the most important person in the room, just as he was looking at you. He wouldn't've tried, but had he wanted to, he was sure he could steal the Lantsov emerald from your person without you giving a damn.

"Who else is in?"

"The rest of the crows," Kaz responded. "You'll have to tell Wylan, though. I'm not popping to yours for dinner, and I won't see him for three days."

"You have alternate dinner plans?" Jesper asked, glancing between you and Kaz for a few moments. "Yeah. That's fine. Have fun."

Jesper did not know what to think of the pairing you two could've made, he just knew that he did not miss it; the pining, the yearning, the 'we like each other but we're both oblivious.'

He was glad the two of you may have had each other, though. It seemed a match made by the saints--or a match that would be made when you both stopped being fools, anyway.

[an-otterly-adorable-being]

Wick x M!LocalPolitician!Reader

I'm back bitches/lh! And for my grand return, I did way too much research into St. Louis' city government. Look up the Board of Alderman, if you're curious. Anyways, hope y'all enjoy!

---------------------------------------------------

• You're father was a decently wealthy man. Not old money level of money, but enough for him to afford a nice townhouse in St. Louis, specifically Lafayette Square.

• It was also enough money to earn him good will, and a few financing jobs for American politicians.

• With that money, comes amazing opportunities for a kid like you.

• Enter the 1904 World Fair and Olympic Games.

• You attended them both, and it lit a flame in you.

• You saw the wonder in the world, and you wanted to make sure people could find.

• Naturally, you wanted St. Louis to be the place to see that splendor.

• You became a lawyer at first, running a practice from a building, using the upstairs as your home.

• You had a pretty good thing going, with money coming in, most going back into the community, and a good reputation among the locals.

• But then you ended up finding out about some, not so great news.

• Turns out most of the city's were somewhat corrupt.

• Granted, the corruption isn't what you were upset with, it was with the fact that they weren't  helping the people.

• This simply wouldn't do in your eyes, and so you set out to win a local office.

• Eventually, you got your wish, and became the alderman for ward 8 of St. Louis.

• It was during this time you first met Mr. Sable.

• He was a fine young man, and you do mean fine.

• You didn't even know you had half of these feelings until you saw him!

• It started out simply enough, with you inviting him to business meetings and lunch.

• Eventually you started hanging out around town, as friends.

• Even later, and you ended up continuing the "business meetings" in his bedroom.

• (For my ace besties out there, or just those who aren't into it, y'all are just enjoying the privacy, and nothing more. Love y'all<3!)

• Wick also had a lot of confusing feelings as your relationship developed, but hey, you two figured it out together.

• It took a while for either of you to get things really going, relationship wise.

• And it still is difficult, with both of your jobs requiring so much time.

• Still, you try to spend as much time together as possible.

• Even if it is under the guise of reviewing his company's policies, or meeting to get "a better sense of how to help the people."

• That second one was at least somewhat true, though.

• Yeah, Wick probably wasn't the best person to be going to for the general public's opinion, but it did help.

• Especially when he introduced you to the Lackadaisy.

• It was a nice little place, even if you did first visit it at its decline.

• Wick would've brought you sooner, but you were a politician, and prohibition was in effect...

• Luckily, you never bought into the "alcohol is evil" thing, so you were more than happy to share a few drinks to loosen up.

• On top of that, the Lackadaisy gave you the opportunity to meet some of the actual citizens of St. Louis.

• Granted, there weren't many, as the place was already drying up, but it still gave you insight.

• Insight which, with a little bit of nudging, and financial backing, from Wick, let you make a difference, even if it was rather small.

• Now that terms are ending, though, and you aren't sure about your reelection, you have a nice little back up plan.

• And that plan is to be Wick's "advisor," which should give you more than enough time together.

[taking-thyme]

🌿🌿Hedge Witch Guide🌿🌿

What is a Hedge Witch?

While the term ‘Hedge Witch’ means different things to different witches, there are some key traits defining it. Hedge witches almost always practice solitary magic, and don’t often join covens or work with other witches, though this isn’t necessarily a requirement. It involves a deep study of the natural world and spirits. They make their hearth and home the center of their magical activity, and study and work with local flora and wildlife. A Hedge Witch’s most sacred space is typically their home. They practice most of their magic in their daily routine. Hedge Witches are also known to be healers, which feeds into their study of local plants and herbalism. They might also work with a plethora of spirits and deities. But truthfully, a Hedge Witch’s path is as eclectic and unique as the Witch themself!

Why the word “Hedge”?

It could have a few meanings. One interpretation is that, in older times, wise women typically lived outside the edges of the village or town or “just beyond the hedge”, hence the name. But a more popular and widely-known answer is that the “Hedge” refers to the boundary between the living and the dead, or the physical and the spiritual. Hedge Witches serve as emissaries between these worlds, helping both spirits and humans alike. In other words, they “walk” the hedge between two worlds! It can also refer to their practice of studying local plants and wildlife. Hedge Witch practices are similar to Green Witches, Death Witches, Dream Witches and Kitchen/Hearth Witches. 

Basic Hedge Witch Practices

Hedge Witchery is all about magic in mundane living, especially in the modern day. Focus on the sacredness of your own actions and incorporate personal magical practices into your everyday life. Here’s some simple ideas from my own practice:

Leave a small jar or dish of honey out for passing spirits, especially those who help you

Study healing magic and practice it when you or a loved one are sick

Keep the house clean and tidy, and focus on the sacredness of your actions while doing so

Name and Talk to your House. Mine’s name is Elizabeth. Greet your house when you walk inside and say Goodbye to it as you leave

Meditate!

Always ask for permission before picking a flower, leaf or plant

Thank your spirit guides, house spirits and local spirits for their help whenever you can or feel like it, especially when you know they've helped you!

Another important part of Hedge Witchery is getting to know the spirits around you, both your spirit guides and local land and house spirits. Work with them, but also make sure to use adequate protection. Spirits are, in many ways, like people - not all will want to hurt you, but you should still be careful until you know them better. Still, you can invite them into your life with songs, poems, offerings and simple invitations. The more kind you are to the good spirits, the more likely they are to offer you protection and help. This might involve:

Studying local plants and sacred areas

Taking care of a garden or houseplants

Doing divination to communicate with them

Taking care of the natural environment around you like protecting the local wildlife and plants

Spend a lot of time out in nature and you’re bound to meet a few helpful spirits!

How do I know if Hedge Witchery is for me?

If you are drawn to working with the natural world, spirits and practicing healing magic, Hedge Witchcraft might be just what you’re looking for! If you’re interested in researching local folklore and flora, prefer to work your magic alone, have a strong connection to plants and the environment, see your house as a sacred space, and want to work with spirits, perhaps consider looking further into becoming a Hedge Witch!

But the most important element is to develop your own practice - no two Hedge Witches, or Witches in general for that matter, will be alike. Find out what works best for you and do that. If that happens to fit a specific path, good for you! If not, don’t worry about it. 

Things to check out:

Hedge Witch: A Guide to Solitary Witchcraft by Rae Beth

The Way of the Hedge Witch: Rituals and Spells for Hearth and Home by Arin Murphy-Hiscock

Hedgewitch Book of Days: Spells, Rituals, and Recipes for the Magical Year by Mandy Mitchell

Sources

https://www.learnreligions.com/hedge-witch-4768392

[shinidamachu]

Speaking of SessKik, I’m actually starting to really low-key get into that ship. Ngl, at first I thought they might be a little too similiar and cold to ever really work together but I remember someone explaining the appeal of the dynamic in that it’s basically two prideful racists coming together/clashing and having to subvert their preconceptions of the other’s race and each other. Plus the fact that they’re both fundamentally lonely people but extremely good with kids (Yashahime Sesshomaru will never be my Sesshomaru) could give them something to bond over. Also what’s more taboo than a Miko being with a hanyou? How about an honest to god full-blooded youkai instead?

The ship would honestly be great character development for the both of them because they’d be forced unlearn and unpack their prejudices by basically confronting their mirror self.

It's precisely because Sesshomaru and Kikyo are so similar that they would make such a great match. Inuyasha and Kagome are only opposites on a surface level. Deep down, they're actually very alike and that's why they work perfectly together: they're different in every possible way except for the ones that matter, the ones that could make those differences irreconcilable. Sesskik would the morally gray version of that.

The fact that they're both stoic, pragmatic, arrogant, self-centered and prideful characters allows them to understand each other better than anyone else ever would because they operate in the exact same frequency.

Not only that, but putting them together would have made perfect sense, story telling wise. They're both lone wolves with similar goals and similar ways to achieve them, acting on the sidelines. Plus, they share the same soft spot for children — as long as the children in question aren't related to them, it seems — and have special bonds with Kohaku and Rin. It feels only natural that they'd team up at some point.

Then, of course, there's the fact that Kikyo is dead and feeding off women's souls while Sesshomaru is the only character to have a sword that brings people back to life and a parent with ilimited access to an amulet that opens and closes portals to the underworld.

I know her situation is more complicated than simply snatching a soul from hell — for many reasons — but in a series such as Inuyasha, where everything is possible, is not really a reach to theorize that if someone had the means to really bring Kikyo back from the dead, it would've been Sesshomaru. Even if he couldn't, the idea of the two of them interacting is still thematically intriguing.

There are also rumors about an interview where Takahashi said Kikyo is the type of woman Sesshomaru would take romantic interest in and I can't help but agree, since the only woman who canonically caught his eyes was Kagura, an independent woman who was smarter than him — which isn't very hard —, had a lot of guts and just wished to be free, a woman he couldn't save even though he wanted to. It's not hard to picture Kikyo in the same role.

The tragic way Kagura dies by Naraku's hand, therefore ending any romantic development with Sesshomaru, could become a parallel with the tragic way Kikyo died by Naraku's hand, therefore ending any romantic development with Inuyasha, the brother Sesshomaru despises. The room for angst and conflict is amazing.

To me the appeal lies exactly on the point you made: the creative choice of putting Sesshomaru and Kikyo together would pay off in great character development for the both of them by subverting their preconceptions of each other and unlearning the prejudice they still held against each other's races.

I love the idea of Sesshomaru finally making enough progress to love a human in a romantic way, someone who would see him not as simply his father's son, but as his own person, like Kagura did.

I love the idea of Kikyo falling for a demon without the safety net of eventually turning them human, someone who, in the most extraordinary of ways, makes her feel evey bit the ordinary woman she always wanted to be.

They would have been able to see through each other's poker faces and feel actually seen, in a way they haven't quite been seen before: for everything that they are. Not just his father's son and not just the embodiment of purety and perfection in the shape of a village priestess.

Sesshomaru and Kikyo are equals. There are no power imbalances, no idealizing each other, no putting each other on a pedestal because they refuse to acknowledge each other's flaws. They're both intimidating people who can not be intimidate by each other and would be totally comfortable being themselves around one another without fear of judgement or putting their partners in a position where they have to constantly make up excuses for their behavior.

Basically, they could have helped to progress each other's character development and pushed the plot forward while still making thematic and narrative sense, with the plus of fixing most of the things that personally bothered me in Inuyasha and Kikyo's relationship.

It's funny because at the same time I have complained about how much I hate that Inuyasha doesn't feel like himself when he's with Kikyo, acting all reserved, sad and cautious, without his signature fiery temper and dog like mannerism, I've seen people gushing about how mature he is around her and outside I'm like "to each their own", but inside I'm screaming: Sesskik. You want Sesskik!

It also doesn't hurt that they're aesthetically pleasing to look at: elegant, lethal and composed. And Takahashi seems to agree there was wasted potential there because it very much looks like she tried to make up for it with these Mao characters. Yes, I know same face syndrome is a thing and so is coincidence, but come one, now.

Their separate personalities didn't call out to me but together they could have made a very interesting dynamic, even if it was only platonic, because asexuality, aromaticity and homosexuality still fits them very well and wouldn't be an impediment for the found family trope and being single is different from being lonely.

I understand the reasons Takahashi didn't go there, though, because it would have taken real work to make it right and to be honest I've always been more invested in the Inugang, anyway. But the potential was there.

[taylorswiftstylequestions]

Sarahhh I need to rant incoherently for a second if that’s okay. I fully understand that Taylor is an adult woman who is capable of making her own decisions. And that we don’t know everything about her life. But god… WHY does she think it’s even remotely healthy or beneficial to be in a new (old?) relationship so soon after experiencing her most life-altering breakup 😂 I know the answer is that she’s probably not thinking at all, but it’s so hard to watch. I can’t help but feeling like future Taylor is going to write about how this was just a way for her to distract herself from dealing with those feelings. And I know I shouldn’t be caring this much about her personal life but I literally can’t help it. This particular development in her personal life has been very publicly singing his heart out to Lover for the past two weeks!!!! It’s all very weird!! Everything I have learned about this relationship has been against my will!

Hi! Lol. I don’t think she thinks this is healthy or beneficial because I don’t think she is thinking at all.

Sometimes reality is messy. Sometimes we make decisions that are not good for us but we do what we do to survive that day and that feeling.

Being flawed is human nature. We do not make perfect or wise or healthy decisions all the time. That’s impossible. We grow, we learn, we try, and sometimes we regress and make the same mistakes we thought we had moved on from.

It’s okay to be invested in her personal life. As a fan of her and her work, the two go hand in hand.

[tea-dragonz]

Since my last LO/KO comparison post was getting attention, thought I'd make this meme as well. Mors x Korina pulls of the whole "sweet girl x edgy guy" trope way better than Hades x Persephone (long analysis below if you want to read)

I've noticed how these two relationships share a foundation similar tropes, and I wanted to break down why one is a ship I absolutely adore and the other is just "meh" for me. For Morina, I'm mainly going to be focusing on Korina's Origin, mainly because Origins of Olympus gave them less time to develop as a couple properly, plus KO gives us more to work with timeline-wise. For LO Hades x Persephone I'm going to be sticking with S1 and S2 because I haven't seen a lot of S3 for myself (and based on what I've heard, I don't plan to).

Now, I'm not gonna go ahead and say that Morina is the pinnacle of ship writing or whatever, I have some issues with its development and pacing (especially in OoO), plus Mors is unfortunately an asshole no matter what series he's in. But despite its flaws, Morina as a ship feels flawed in a very human sort of way while LO Hades x Persephone feels perfect in the artificial way, if that makes sense?

In LO, the narrative is constantly trying to convince you that Hades x Persephone is the perfect couple and that it's them against the world. It doesn't matter what criticism other characters have of their relationship, because they're all jerks anyway, and any actions taken against them are all thusly justified. Meanwhile, KO acknowledges that while there are external forces preventing them from being together, there are issues that lie within the characters themselves: Mors' anger issues and lack of emotional intelligence, and Korina's insecurities that prevent her from standing up for herself.

Persephone and Korina are both portrayed as kind, altruistic, and naive by the narrative. They show kindness and forgiveness to people who may or may not deserve it, and others may take advantage of this kind nature. Korina takes this in an interesting direction: she is a people pleaser due to her abandonment, and she will constantly sweep things under the rug and play nice even around people who don't deserve it. When she has the choice of announcing her relationship with Mors and invoking the ire of the gods, or playing along with their matchmaking plans for her, she chooses the latter despite it not being what she wants. She is dedicated to maintaining peace and good relationships with everyone, to the point that it ends up putting a strain on her relationship with Mors. She is typically patient and content to go along with what others want of her, and when she does finally snap and lash out at people it's used sparingly, such as when other people reduce her to being nothing more than a servant rather than being a fellow god/demigod. These are character strengths and flaws that go hand in hand with each other, and it builds on the "sweet girl" half of the ship trope in a reasonable way that affects her within the relationship and in other aspects of her life.

And Persephone? Uhhhh... she spends most of her time acting like an excited child (that definitely means she's nice, right???), she showed sympathy for the shades, told off Hades for mutilating a guy and got angry that her nymph friends were killed. Except it wasn't actually her fault that she was righteously angry over the death of her friends, Persephone can't get angry guys, anger is a bad thing and Persephone is good!!!1!1 In all seriousness, Persephone's Act of Wrath was the peak of her character for me. Here I though that we would be seeing her have emotions that humanize her, but nope. I guess the only character traits and emotions she's allowed to have are smol bean uwu, sad from trauma (but only sometimes), and Girlboss™. Still though, do we actually get anything of substance from her personality outside of those traits? Does she have anything about her character that meaningfully builds on the aforementioned “sweet girl” trope? Do we ever truly see her have a moment of agency with a lasting impact? Do we ever see her really struggle with having emotions that she's not fully in control of outside of her Act of Wrath? Is she ever allowed to have feelings that the viewer might disagree with, even if it would make more sense for her character and story? (Honestly these questions apply to Mors as well so I'll just use this as a segue into the next section).

Hades and Mors are both the edgy antisocial guys who have been shunned for one reason or another. They put up a tough front and lash out at the world, but drop the mask around those they care about (though if anything threatens their lover, they go straight back to being the dominating machismo guy). Hades' beef with other characters tends to mostly be framed as petty drama, but do any of them actually dislike Hades for the legitimately bad things he does? Because he’s invaded Persephone’s privacy without her knowledge, neglected his adopted son, put his partner in a financially abusive situation, allows the shades to live miserable afterlives despite being their king, took out a tabloid reporter’s eye for doing his job, and that’s only what I can name off the top of my head. Does Hades have any actual motivation for the way he treats others aside from pettiness and simping over Persephone? Is any of what he does truly framed as bad by the narrative? Why, then, are we supposed to believe that he’s a misunderstood edgy bad boy if the narrative barely even acknowledges how and why he has this reputation in the first place?

Mors, on the other hand, is shunned by many because he is the descendant of the personification of violent death, and thus has an aggressive personality and the capability for mass destruction. Thing is, he spends most of his life not knowing that, so to him people are just weird about him for no reason (other than Korina, who also doesn't know until later). Whether or not the treatment of Mors is truly justified in the viewers’ eyes, I’m sure many can agree that it is still a reasonable motivation to lash out. And let’s take a look at the bad things he has done to compare to Hades, shall we? Killing in self-defense (or Korina’s defense), verbally and physically lashing out at his father for not telling him about his mother, using violence/threats to solve problems that range from "this person is kind of annoying" to "this person is a threat", verbally berating people who get on his bad side (which sometimes does include Korina). Some of these are understandable in context, some aren't, but the point is that the narrative and the characters acknowledge that these actions are bad. Sometimes he even (gasp) faces consequences for his actions! And on top of that, he struggles with his morality and whether he can truly become a better person because of his nature. (Plus he gets bonus points for being a low-empathy person who a) is still capable of showing strong emotions b) is not completely demonized for something out of his control.) Again, Mors' story and character builds on the "edgy guy" trope in an understandable way that makes him feel human rather than trying to make him into a misunderstood paragon like Hades.

(Also, to me Mors is coded as being neurodivergent and/or having a personality disorder, but I feel like that's straying too far into headcanon territory. I know that it doesn't excuse Mors' behavior, all I'm saying is that as an nd person myself, I can at least get why he does what he does even if I don't agree with it. I have no such understanding with Hades and Persephone's actions. For them, the viewers are expected to just roll with everything they do and not question it.)

And now that we've fully established the characters, what about their dynamics and interactions? Hades saw Persephone and immediately began lusting after her, to which she seems mostly oblivious early on. He also goes behind her back to find out more about her, such as the thing with the memory tapes and Hecate's letter. But it's fine, because any breaking of boundaries is made up for when Hades love bombs her with gifts. And even though he's only known her for a few days/weeks within S1, he chooses to trauma dump to her rather than his therapist that only comes up like once. In fact, the two of them become each other's entire world within this short time frame. Any friendships or familial relationships they have (Hecate, Eros, Artemis, Hermes, Thanatos, Demeter, etc.) seem to be thrown to the wayside in favor of the main couple. Ironically enough, I feel like I would like Hades and Persephone's relationship more if they had more going on outside of it (and if they didn't have the age gap but that's a whole different thing). It felt like they were written specifically to fit that trope and everything else about their characters, like Hades’ fear of becoming like Kronos and Persephone’s act of wrath, were added as afterthoughts. As a result, rather than feeling like characters that were shaped and developed by their experiences, we have overblown caricatures based on their ship tropes.

Mors and Korina start out as childhood friends and develop their relationship over many years. As they grow up they start drifting apart due to their different roles (Mors being the heir of death and Korina being a household servant) but Korina offers a non-judgmental outlet for Mors' anger issues, and Mors still consistently treats her as a peer despite their differences in status. When they finally do get together, Mors, in spite of how hypersexual he typically is, actually respects her boundaries for both sexual and non-sexual things. While it's all sunshine and rainbows for a while, Mors takes a jab at Korina’s past trauma during an argument, and she actually (rightfully) calls for the two of them to take a break in their relationship over it. However they still remain friends and support each other in their own separate endeavors. Korina chooses to stick with Mors even after learning of his violent nature, Mors supports Korina's search for her mother and proves time and time again that he would go through hell and back to protect her. The two of them love each other and still do, but the story makes it clear that love on its own is not enough, and that’s okay. Korina herself acknowledges that the two of them need to work on themselves before they can try again. Their argument and breakup wasn't the end of the world, it was the catalyst for them to realize that they needed to do better, and that is why I'm able to feel for them and root for them despite all of their issues.

Plus Mors and Korina at least have the excuse of being an inexperienced 20 something year olds. Hades has had thousands of years to get his act together. Oh, I forgot to mention. Despite crushing on each other since their younger years, Morina only officially got together when Mors was 25 and Korina was 23, which means that it avoids the dubious morality of a 19 year old getting with a 3000+ year old.

In conclusion: Although Mors x Korina by no means a perfect rendition of the "sweet girl x edgy guy" ship, the narrative at least doesn't try to present it that way and gives us a much more nuanced view on their relationship compares with Hades and Persephone. While it wants us to root for Korina and Mors to get back together eventually, it also tells us to our faces that the two of them need to work out their own issues first. Lore Olympus, on the other hand, wants us to look at Hades and Persephone and immediately see them as perfect people in a perfect relationship that the world wrongfully wants to tear apart, despite the obvious problems in their characters and relationship.

Apologies for how long and disjointed this is! I'm literally typing the first thoughts that pop into my head and I have too many thoughts about this lol

[sixcostumerefs]

Out of the remaining unused cover combinations (A/B, A/S, B/S, B/P, S/C, C/H, C/P, H/P, A/B/S, A/B/P, A/H/P, S/C/H, C/H/P) which do you think we'll get some time in the near future and which will the casting team continue to avoid?

@fhqwdads got two asks with very similar answers so combining them into one.

I don’t think the casting team is actively avoiding any, necessarily. Any of them could potentially happen, just depending on if there’s an actor that’s the right fit and it works within the set of alts they want to hire (of course for the two covers that’s also dependent on UK decided to move beyond A/C B/H S/P). So on a very practical surface level, it just depends on the right person coming along at the right time and place for the stars to align. However, there is a longer answer. That comes down to much more subtle or subconscious things. Four really major factors: #1. Acting type Actors are suited to different roles based on... a. their vocal type and style. This includes an actors' range, as well as where within that range they sound best. It's also dependent on vocal abilities, like if an actor can belt (healthily and well) or mix. And last of all, it's dependent on what styles they can sing (both by nature and nurture, which I'll get into later in this post). That can span classical or legit singing, but also specific styles like a light pop or classical jazz. b. their acting type and how they're read onstage. Does their stage presence come across most in character or dramatic roles? Ballads or more of a fun, upbeat song? Do they come across very young or older? Mature and wise or a little immature and perhaps clueless? #2. Role commonality Depending on the answers to all of those questions (among others), actors are going to have certain strengths as an actor and vocalist. Certain cover combos are going to more naturally fall into certain clusters of those strengths. Take a few common combos as examples: - A/B/C and S/H/P: A/B/C all have high-energy songs and roles, leaning towards more of a character type, and is often going to be a good fit vocally for an alto or a mezzo with a large lower range. S/H/P is more ballad and dramatic roles, with a straight acting lean, and requires that depth needed to be able to pull off those dramatic ballads. It's the best fit for a mezzo or potentially a soprano with a really nice mix. There are all very clear commonalities between the roles in each of those cover combos that make it very easy to see how they work, and to find actors who fit them well. Elizabeth Walker and Liv Alexander from Breakaway 1.0 are a great example. - A/S/P and B/C/H: A/S/P typically gets cast as someone who can belt AND mix, and that's typically going to be a solid mezzo. It also needs to be someone who comes across with a lot of presence and maturity and this sense of an emotional depth or grounded-ness. By comparison, B/C/H can be very young and fun, with a higher energy or less of a grounded feel. It's a great fit for a mixer (This is part of why I expected Cassie Silva to be a S/C/H rather than B/C/H - I thought she would have been an obvious Boleyn when she was younger, but felt like she's matured as an actor and person and developed that depth and presence to be able to better pull off S in 2022). Once again, there are some clear commonalities between the roles in each combo!

By contrast, cover combos like S/C/H just don't have as obvious similarities. Cleves is typically one of the lowest vocal tracks; Seymour and Howard both some of the highest. Cleves is more of an upbeat comedic or character track; Seymour is a very dramatic ballad role which requires an actor to have a lot of presence in those ballads; Howard is a middle ground between the two (like I pointed out for B/C/H vs S/H/P), but that doesn't mean that everyone can pull it off either! On a very surface level, it's just MUCH harder to find someone who obviously can pull off all of those traits, and do them well. 3. Showcasing range Building off of #2....it's hard for two reasons: #1. To be able to use those cover combos with such broad requirements, casting needs to find an actor who has that full range as an actor and vocalist. That level of diversity in playing type often requires someone who has the maturity or confidence in both their acting and voice have really been able to explore and develop that full range. Actors with more experience playing different types of roles and/or the individual maturity and confidence to feel like THEY can experiment are going to be able to develop a wider range of characters that they can confidently play. That maturity and confidence isn't inherently attached to age, but older actors are more likely to have developed that range. Six tends to cast pretty young (playing age usually not older than 35 and even that's typically dependent on role), which just means it can be harder to find actors who have developed that extensive range. #2. And even if an actor has that huge range, they need to be able to display that full range in a very, very brief period of time in an audition. You just don't have that much time even with many rounds like Six holds. The casting team is going to make judgements on what queens you might be able to play based off of a short cut of 1 or 2 songs, and it's VERY hard to show the extent of range that someone would need to show to be in consideration for, say, Seymour and Cleves with so little material. None of that is pointed at the casting team - they're experts at what they do and will see potential for different roles. But the fact of the matter is still that there's a huge time constraint and it's very hard to show that much range within that.

4. Other factors And, ultimately...casting is deeply influenced by a really basic cultural/sociological factor: no matter how an actor views themselves and what shows/roles think think they're a good fit for based on those strengths I talked about above, auditions are ultimately about how others actually perceive them. Some of this is based on things an actor has control over: the songs they choose to sing for their audition, what they're wearing, how they present themself when they walk in the audition room. Others are a mix of both some of your natural abilities and how they perceive them: how old an actor comes across when performing, what personality they seem to have, etc. It can also be based in elements of appearance that an actor has no control over, and that the casting team may have pre-conceived notions or biases about that then affect how they perceive that actor: race, ethnicity, body type, hair color or type, etc. All of that can affect what roles an actor is in consideration for, especially since they may not have the ability to show range beyond the roles they're being perceived as correct for right off the bat.

As far as specific roles go.... I think A/B/S (and A/B and A/S) is a fairly likely combo that I’m surprised we haven’t seen before.

A/H/P has a ton of potential and quite a few people have auditioned for those three roles: Kristina Leopold, Gabriela Francesca Carrillo, Jasmine Forsberg, Brianna Mooney, Erin Palmer Ramirez all did off the top of my head out of the actors who could have actually wound up as alts with those three covers, and I’m sure there are more I’m missing. It could have been a great combo order for any of the above, and of course Holli’ Conway as well before her covers changed. I think it’s ultimately just harder to cast in combination with other covers: for NCL or NAT style they'd need a B/S/C and that's a weirder/harder combo to cast, and then Broadway style has more options but none are super standard. I do think it might happen with A/S/C, B/C/P, B/S/H at some point, but just hasn't happened yet! (holding out hope for Bway CC hahaha)

S/C/H and C/H/P could both be great, but again both really depend on getting the right actor. There’s not the same clear, definitive, common thoroughlines between the roles vocally and acting-wise. There are absolutely people who could do either of the combos! But it would require someone who has a lot of confidence and maturity in their acting, to be able to develop all of those roles well and be able to hold their own in both the ballads (S/P, sort of H) and the heavily character-based roles (C, sort of H). Taylor Iman Jones actually would have been one of my picks for C/H/P, Cassie Silva for S/C/H, and I think Leah Vassell has been great with S/C/H/P in general!

I'm also surprised by lack of A/B/P but I think there just hasn't been a good cast yet; I'd say it's less likely than A/H/P but more likely than S/C/H or C/H/P. Now that they're casting more Black women as Boleyn I think this is much more likely!

[kindan-no-kanojo]

💫 + guilty pleasure <3 here to learn all the secrets

send me a 💫 + a topic and i'll drop a random piece of info about my character

Let me tell you about Scarlett's obsessive liking for kisses<3

As opposed to something that should build up until the tension is released with a kiss between two people, the truth is that Scarlett doesn't always feel it that way. Or never, actually. Yes, a silly friend's kiss feels so different from a lover's kiss, but no one's got time for that relationship development, she wants the kiss now!!

But why?

While, yes, as the kind of demon she is, her touch might get violent and aggressive in a second, there are little chances of her harming someone on purpose, at least she won't without a good reason. Hurting? Maybe, but not deliberately harming. When control lacks, it's hard to differentiate, but one little hint of hope is present when there is trust. And so, one way to touch and be touched while also safely feeling pleasure and emotional relief are kisses. One could say that after being trapped in a loop of negative feelings, Scarlett found that kisses give her the reverse effect, so she wants more, so much more of it.

Character-wise, Scarlett still struggles to accept most of the nice, pleasurable feelings in a positive way without taking them as intrusive for being so hard to manage. However, she won't reject those that make her feel undeniably good.

Kisses feel good: the proximity and the taste of one another, the increase in one's heartbeat or the fuzzy feeling in her chest despite her lack of the normal functions of a human heart... She is still able to feel, but the sensations in her body are way easier to acknowledge than the ones in her mind, which she is unable to control, see, or even put a proper name to. She loves to have someone close enough to feel them breathing, moving, reacting, living next to her, oh-so close. An ironic way of touch starvation, she aches for the chance to touch, not so much to be touched, and see how the other reacts, lets her act, trusts her, and responds.

Needless to say, when in love, kisses become not only more special, stimulating and yearning, but also a little less frequent. She'd seek other forms of affection, physical or otherwise, for kisses to not lose what makes the special. Additionally, a kiss with someone she adores hits 100 times harder, so they deserve to be glorified.

The symbolic side of this revolves around the metaphoric parallel of kissing and eating. I've read so many analogies about kissing being the beginning of emotional cannibalism, kisses awakening a voracious craving, a specific type of hunger that never gets satisfied and only grows the more you eat. I like to subtly implement that in her character, because not only it's so fitting to her race but also it goes perfectly with that insatiable sensation she experiences.

Naturally, random kisses don't provide a lot of that emotion. It's not a feeling she can get from a stranger, or in situations where she's uncomfortable— like when she's angry, irritated or in clear discomfort with the other person; it actually can get the complete opposite effect, boost the negative emotion for using something so precious in such a bad moment.

Outside of that, Scarlett loves kissing. Then again, in spite of everything mentioned, she's not the most experienced kisser, and might get easily overwhelmed when someone kisses her out of the blue. Ghouls hardly ever get any affection, she's no exception. While she won't force a kiss, out of self-preservation, she's most likely always wanting one.

Also. Rough kisses may be her favorite, but gentle kisses?? They touch a specific part of her heart that isn't supposed to be touched, so they need to be careful because being unable to control herself can be dangerous——

People may get confused, but kisses simply have a very different meaning to her. Perhaps that's why it is a guilty pleasure, because the more she does it the less meaningful it can get for whoever is in the other end, and not everyone can get why she does it and loves doing it anyway. But, what are emotions anyway? She can't understand them either, so let her feel in a raw way until she figures them out.

TL;DR; Kissing makes her feel as though she gets to eat someone while simultaneously being able to keep them alive, unharmed and still by her side when it's over, giving the illusion that she isn't the demonic cannibalistic creature she was shaped to be.

...She is though but she can pretend she isn't in the middle of a harmless kiss.

[limeade-l3sbian]

i couldn't get behind the lesbian ending of lok because it felt like an ass-pull for representation after they both went for the same guy earlier, especially with the cattiness between the women before then. i also couldn't get behind kuvira because she was a cop, and because her character existing implied toph slept with a man (and was also a cop), especially when kuvira also went for men, romantically.

more than that, i'm bothered by the shitty plot, especially the way they threw out basically everything important to the world of atla. atla very strongly supported things like harmony with nature and portrayed much of industrialization as a bad thing for the world (due to both the harm it does to humans AND the harm it does to the environment), but the "better world" of lok is steampunk? only about 100 years or so have passed iirc, and the world has become a completely industrialized, westernized, capitalistic place. it's depressing. the destruction of the avatar cycle combining with that really grossed me out.

plot wise, it just felt infinitely less cohesive and controlled than atla. atla felt like it had things to say (many of them based around social justice and environmental justice), and built a strong story around those things without faltering for even a moment. lok felt like a sloppy anime that clumsily tried to forcibly inject social justice talking points into the plot. it's unfortunate because there are a few impressive character designs and concepts, and i would have loved an atla sequel following a female incarnation of the avatar (and actual, solid gay representation would be nice too), but it just failed to be anything actually impressive, imo.

on the downlow, i kind of feel it paved the way for the steven universe era of cartoons, where children's cartoons are heavily marketed to adults (who they rely on for an audience more than the actual kids the show is meant for) using nostalgic references and weirdly inserted social talking points and instances of representation that feel more like the creators are saying "LOOK HOW STUNNING AND BRAVE AND SUBVERSIVE AND PROGRESSIVE WE ARE" rather than actually trying to tell stories, convey messages they feel strongly about, or represent people authentically. i know a lot of right-wing people use that sort of argument in bad faith, but a lot of these pieces of media with gay representation or therapy talk make me feel like i'm a brand or a market audience rather than a normal type of person.

i couldn't get behind the lesbian ending of lok because it felt like an ass-pull for representation after they both went for the same guy earlier, especially with the cattiness between the women before then. i also couldn't get behind kuvira because she was a cop, and because her character existing implied toph slept with a man (and was also a cop), especially when kuvira also went for men, romantically.

LISTEN ANON LISTEN AUGHHH

Okay! One, you're right! the lebsian ending meant a lot to my coming out development, but i was literally trying to tell people, like, "didn't this shit feel a little rushed?" like, yes they did write to each other and all that and oh, asami said she liked korra's hair (you know, like girls do).

Two, I think you've got Kuvira and Lin mixed up, but your point is no less valid since I completely understand what you're saying. i think the move to turn toph into a cop was supposed to be a funny little "isn't that crazy that the most rebellious member of the group became a cop?" but it's like, yeah, it is crazy. Two point five? If you want to tell me that Toph isn't a lesbian, I might lose some support but I can kind of understand that. To me, Toph is just a tomboy who doesn't like to be restrained. But at the same time, I also don't think that woman is one to just have sex with a cop, have fucking kids, and ugh. Like, I understand they wanted the fun of writing the offspring of a fan favorite, but honestly? Maybe Lin and Suyin should have just been adopted under some strange circumstances because I have never been able to buy that Toph slept with a man. I think that woman cares about herself and helping out when need be.

Three! Kuvira and Lin being straight is another example that another anon said about the writers not being able to fully commit. You know damn well those women aren't straight and you damn sure didn't draw them for the osa gaze. THAT WAS FOR US.

more than that, i'm bothered by the shitty plot, especially the way they threw out basically everything important to the world of atla. atla very strongly supported things like harmony with nature and portrayed much of industrialization as a bad thing for the world (due to both the harm it does to humans AND the harm it does to the environment), but the "better world" of lok is steampunk? only about 100 years or so have passed iirc, and the world has become a completely industrialized, westernized, capitalistic place. it's depressing. the destruction of the avatar cycle combining with that really grossed me out.

I NEVER THOUGHT OF THIS

I'll be honest, I wondered how they would go about portraying the future of this world since something that really drew me to it was the necessity of bending. To be a bender was a true boon in the original series. So much so that an entire city functioned off of it. I thought it was so cool the way the fire nation stole the concept of the hot air balloon and were able to create something arguably better around their bending. Bringing more tech advancements into the mix always felt like it would sort of ruin a little of that magic, and to me, it did. Seeing them driving and stuff, I was kind of flat faced. Like nah, what happened to the cool ass animals they ride on and stuff? It definitely took a little bit of the magic away. There had to have been a better way to push the plot into the future (if you really felt so inclined) without completely turning it over on its head.

plot wise, it just felt infinitely less cohesive and controlled than atla. atla felt like it had things to say (many of them based around social justice and environmental justice), and built a strong story around those things without faltering for even a moment. lok felt like a sloppy anime that clumsily tried to forcibly inject social justice talking points into the plot. it's unfortunate because there are a few impressive character designs and concepts, and i would have loved an atla sequel following a female incarnation of the avatar (and actual, solid gay representation would be nice too), but it just failed to be anything actually impressive, imo.

I stand by the fact that I liked the series, but people often think that means you can't talk crap about it at all, and that's simply not true. But this is. I think what I enjoyed about this continuation was the inclusion of more fight scenes. I liked seeing the different ways people used their bending. I've always loved that. I'm an action gal lmao. Plot wise, tho? I understand your point completely.

on the downlow, i kind of feel it paved the way for the steven universe era of cartoons, where children's cartoons are heavily marketed to adults (who they rely on for an audience more than the actual kids the show is meant for) using nostalgic references and weirdly inserted social talking points and instances of representation that feel more like the creators are saying "LOOK HOW STUNNING AND BRAVE AND SUBVERSIVE AND PROGRESSIVE WE ARE" rather than actually trying to tell stories, convey messages they feel strongly about, or represent people authentically. i know a lot of right-wing people use that sort of argument in bad faith, but a lot of these pieces of media with gay representation or therapy talk make me feel like i'm a brand or a market audience rather than a normal type of person.

Damn, that's true. The only thing I'll say is that I don't even really think it did that either. I can't tell you any lesson I learned or was told through LoK except "gay ok" and I already knew that.

You've got some really dope perspective, anon. <3

[masonscig]

i don't really know how to explain it but with the overarching plot of book 3 it somehow feels like it both needed way more time/words to properly get into the depth of what was going on with the antagonist plotline, yet with the more personal subjects (rebecca scenes, the pov shifts to UB without MC, etc) seems like it would be a lot cleaner/better paced if it was a couple hundred thousand words shorter.

book 3 was always going to be a sort of 'interlude' before rogue/agency shit really kicks off in book 4 - which in my experience can be even harder to write than major plot points since its such a change in pace - and i think choosing such a heavy topic while getting away from the usual MC-focus villain at the same time burned mishka. its a complete departure from how books 1 and 2 were written and i think having some familiarity there would make the pacing much easier to navigate.

with all that i still enjoyed book 3 more than a lot of IF i've read recently, and its not bad as much as its like...a 7/10 game that had to come after two near perfect ones so it's hardly the worst development in the world, even if it is a bit disappointing. pacing issues aside there's still so much there that I love about this universe and most of those are on full display when the antagonists aren't involved. and i'm hoping that getting back into familiar territory for book 4 will help mishka get on track pacing wise.

hiii ty for this ask! <3

you hit the nail on the head with the first paragraph – it's like the plot itself needed to be slowed down, maybe split into two books, so that the relationship/friendship developments could line up with the rest of it? like truthfully the romance and the plot feel like two different books and that honestly could've been a fairly easy fix if she would've made some harder decisions about where she wants this game to go

which tbh, i do think that a huge part of that is the fact that she knows what she wants to happen in every book to fit into the 7 books she originally planned, so... maybe that goal is taking priority over the game organically fleshing itself out/books naturally ending when it feels right? it's like no matter what she knew she had to hit certain plot beats and she DID but at what cost yk – i think she wants to introduce and have the option to capture a smaller villain in every book and that fucked with this book's pacing issues for sure

and yes to the rest of the ask, too, you get it !!! the whole vibe is different, and yeah this book was a massive undertaking, so huge kudos to her for that, but overall i personally am not quite sure if i think this was worth the wait. certain aspects definitely were! and the amount of new canon knowledge we have now is gonna fuel fic writing till book 4 for sure! but i find myself wondering how often i'm going to replay this – and i don't think it'll be that much in comparison to book 1 and 2 :/ and YES i love so much about this universe that i'm unwilling to let it go – so i do hope this is just an interlude and that book 4 is a return to form, because it's what she does best

[gabrielultrakill-bigboobs]

😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈 *i ask about your hcs of v1 and v2*

ufihifdsf OK THIS IS GONNA BE A RIDE

it’s gonna be hard to convince my brain to properly differentiate between the character V1 and myself but anyways let’s ball. these r bound to change in the future once i can actually write an ultrakill prequel

dynamic-wise they’re like siblings to put it simply but we’ll get more into that later. it/they V1 (in context of the character, not myself), he/it V2

V1 was traumatized by the war they were built for and became mute as a result, and wasn’t given a chance to mentally develop properly beyond that because they were immediately put into a classified facility post-war. as a result they have difficulty expressing most emotions and even FEELING in the first place (unless it’s feeling things like anger, boredom, satisfaction, etc). oh yeah they also have a variety of autism/ADHD traits in addition to the uh. personality disorder

oh yeah V1 has a notebook stored away in their wings that they use to help with communication & expressing themself (frequently through art) :)

V2, being made during the new peace, doesn’t know what V1 knows, and vice versa. V1 only knows the shitty cruel parts of humanity and V2 has been brainwashed into thinking mankind is perfect, to the point where he doesn’t even realize that he’s experienced some traumatic incidents because he views the events (the subject matter of which might be a bit iffy :/ sorry for doing fucked up worldbuilding, it happens when something has ambiguous lore) differently from how V1 did.

V2 accidentally discovered its counterpart and immediately wanted to help out, so he found a few tricks for getting into the facility, and would semi-regularly bring blood to V1 and try to teach them how to entertain themself in V2’s absence because it was difficult for him to manipulate mansplain malewife his way into where V1 was being held.

eventually V2 found a way to sneak V1 short distances out of the facility (within the permission of the two’s creator[s] because V2 can be pretty flattering when he tries) and did his best to try and properly integrate them into society. they formed a sort of friend group with some other machines, many of whom would join V1 in the future uprising against humanity, but that’s something for later!!!

at some point V1 was taken in by a gang and used for illegal robot cockfighting. they eat up any sort of praise like their life depends on it (cough. Style meter) AND they’re pretty bloodthirsty by nature so it was easy for those people to take advantage of them. oh yeah, the cybergrind is also basically a digitally simulated version of this, but it takes from the information of enemies stored in the terminals’ databases rather than having callbacks to machines V1 had fought back then.

V2 interprets V1 finally snapping on their creators as a betrayal because. sigh. again he’s brainwashed into thinking humanity is these righteous saints. more on that in “shattered illusion”, a pre-ultrakill fic i wrote

oh yeah! about the wings & weapons! in official art they’re shown to carry the V-models’ weapons, but because there’s more than 8 weapons i think there’s a sort of hard drive pocket dimension bullshit thing that carries the molecules of whatever V1 or V2 is bringing along with them as well as how to put those molecules back together when the signal is sent to retrieve the item in question. this applies to more than just weapons, however certain objects like the torch in 4-3 and the various skulls across hell have certain components that fuck with the components that allow for this sort of transfer into & out of the personal pocket dimension. this technology also would’ve made it difficult to mass produce the V-models even IF they had made it to that stage of development in the first place.

also both of them have brains constructed out of wires & protected by a sort of jelly layer, which are backed up on a computer chip that also allows them to process the images they capture through miniature cameras that alternate with yellow LEDs in their sort of eye things. if that makes sense. points fingers together. this would also allow for my idea of a Thing where V2 is essentially revived using backup information contained on his computer chip, although to allow further learning the brain would have to be reconstructed using blueprints which are also saved on the same device

sorry i’m insane

oh yeah unrelated but V1 is super curious and there’s something extra intriguing about gabriel except they’re super dense so they take a while to realize that they’re feeling love for the first time in their life, since that sort of emotion is so far out of reach for them (thanks to Mental Illness [trademark symbol])

[spikeinthepunch]

Penrose: Dawning- the dev blog

Okay well my game has been up for a few days now, and the Jam is over so yeah, why not give a massive blog about it and the development and characters and feelings etc.

again this was quite a feat for me, so to say. as small as the game is. ive been struggling a ton for years and years, so the process and experience has stuck with me for the last month.

The personal

If you have followed and read some of my posts from the last month youd probably seen me talking about having seen a neurophysiologist-- my appointments for that were happening for quite a while before this month but this month was the end of it. Aside from it clearly being a huge stressor in general, it was also a huge eye opener to my problems. Which yeah, include my ability to Make Things. Not art- but everything else. The listening & reading comprehension, math and memory I tested on being really really bad. And it was great to understand that now! but having decided to take on the Jam was a lot and well, even though on one hand i felt good that I knew my issues.... it didn't mean i solved my issues. Now i was just way more away of them.

So, I tried my hardest I think because I knew I'd always give up on this stuff. And well, my mood meds were still kinda helping. I think there was a different kind of determination despite the upset that some of those tests caused me. Still, I faced a lot of anxiety, frusteration, and upsetting feelings in the process because of how hard it was for me to learn even the smallest things. I won't go super hard on that-- I just want to appreciate the small community of Narrat for being able to help and clarify my confusion even if I'd often say to myself "ugh, that was such a simple thing! i shouldnt need to get it clarified two times over!" etc etc.

still despite the variety of emotions i faced i came out of this really thinking 'wow i actually made something' because literally all these years i have never realized a larger project due to my issues. so for that i can be happy.

The development

the process of making this game was interesting because obvious i had never put my assumptions about the best way to develop to the test. i could think all the while "ill do this first, this second etc" but until you start making it you may realize you gotta do something else!

the fact this was only a month long didnt really give me much time to figure out better ways to develop, it i was already a ways into it. so i came out realizing what i could do diffferent. one thing for sure is i know i couldnt start with art. its just not possible in general to predict the art i would need clearly, because even if i were to write a lot, i felt that making dialog branches was much easier while i was coding because i never knew how far i would want them to go.

but also, in terms of writing- i already write a lot and i kinda have my mental process. getting that to work with the game was tough, and while i liked how i wrote for this game, i feel like it faltered in the sense that writing so many bits of it entirely away from each other had my struggling to make sure i felt connected. like, writing on one huge document allows me to easily refer back and having it all together makes it flow well in my head. but having them scattered around code was hard for me to track and i was never sure if it all felt like it connected up well. i also think in general if i wrote most of the important chunks- stuff not incredibly reliant on branches/choices- that i probably would have written waaaay more too. its just a format of writing that is natural.

there isnt too much as i did in the game coding wise so i dont have too many comments on development process. but i know i would like to make games in narrat that use the typical features found in games like DE (as the engine was inspired by), like stats/skills and maybe inventory depending on the thing.

The story & design

i dont plan to explain the story in detail here (a lot of secret context it on my discord) and i have talked loads about trying to write the themes its tackled.

the main thing about it is just that i have never properly realized Penrose and well. I was facing a creative block this last month which caused more struggles. But it was harder with art- mostly design. coming up with a design is harder in a block than reading a thing that says "draw a series of houses". thinking up something new is not easy. and my head also gets very stuck up in "if you design this and draw it, you can never change it".

Eden was pulled from my old unused RP character, Eden Creature, and so i was able to base her off something already. even so making anything at all was hard- even for Mick who already existed. I really didnt want her and Eden to revert back into my old style because its just no me anymore but at the same time i do want to get something unique for this story. Dawning does not reflect what I want exactly. I like what i managed to do esp in working with my time constraints. but, its not something i want to keep doing going forward.

the story was WAY more condensed than i thought it would be and its because i didnt really realize how quickly approaching the deadline was compared to my work. but at the same time i am glad it was? i was quite ambitious with how big i wanted this "proof of concept" to be, to where i definitely probably would have gotten farther in the plot and realized i had no clue exactly what I wanted.

because i do have a general idea of this story but not like. enough. and so shortening the story hugely for this demo was actually a good thing because i would have had to write a lot more and also probably wouldnt have been able to explain lore well enough because of how little i understood my own world. and when youre creative blocked its incredibly hard trying to development of that world too.

conclusion

i mentioned it breifly in a blog post but tbh the most scary part is having it hit that i am nervous has to how people will take my characters. not in a criticism kinda way but just the idea that people just wont really 'get' them. and even just the idea that my OCs have been "presented to the world" in some sense. i do stuff in my own little space all the time and never think about what it would really be like to put a game on itch.io or even like publish a proper animation on youtube or publish a book or something. its different and its weird because i have always thought to myself that i want people to see my OCs! but then i put it up in a place where it likely will be seen and I am afraid of that.

its probably for it being a first time. and also i need to learn confidence in this kind of work i was so into thinking i could never truly make because of my issues. this was still like, very very hard to do mentally etc and i feel very exhausted. but i really dont want this to be the first and last time i try and make something.

[ellanainthetardis]

"Like Mockingjay (never start me talking about Mockingjay)."

Now you have to talking more about Mockingjay. What's your problem with MJ? 😎

@curiousnonny

@curiousnonny I feel like my poor followers are tired of my opinion on mj lmao. There must be a ton of posts somewhere under my meta tag but I will sum it up for you. Baring in mind it's been ages since I've reread or seen the movies so my opinion might have chanced in the meantime I guess if I saw it again.

Book wise: I do like the book alright in the sense that I like the themes and the messages and I think it wraps the series up perfectly. However, I also consider Mockingjay to be very poor writing because it's the book when suzanne discovered how limited a first person pov was and it shooooows. We're trapped in Katniss' head when, clearly, we needed more info so we get a scene like Finnick's death - a scene I still consider to be one of the worst writing example of all times by the way - where Katniss suddenly develops telepathy and reads his thoughts. lol. Let's not forget the random and weird decision to substitute Effie for Fulvia and only remember about Effie halfway down the book with a vague mention of "we don't know what happened to her", well okay then. Outside of that, Mockingjay was a strong instalment and I have no other problem with it (at least I don't think).

Now. The movies. *take deep breath. Beg someone to hold me back*

Okay for the positive, thanks to the movie more omniscient perspective, it corrects that whole "first person" problem and we get to see more of the war, we get more context which is great. The cinematography was also very pretty which doesn't hurt. Strictly on an aesthetic point of view the two movies are great - that dam scene will never ever not give me chills.

HOWEVER, they made decisions to change some stuff that still irk me.

Personally, I would rather have Effie rescued with the victors than there from the start because they made her comic relief when she could have been so much more and it annoyed me. Elizabeth's performance is awesome and it's not her fault but we were promised a fish out of water for months and we didn't get that. I love her but we didn't get that.

Strictly linked to Effie's situation we have Thirteen. Thirteen in the books is a military district that borders on police state to rival the Capitol. There are lots of rules and harsh punishment for disobeying those rules, it's a military place where everyone is considered a soldier (and I actually really much liked that part in the books). We see most of that aspect of Thirteen through its interactions with Capitols - in the books the prep team, but also Fulvia when she tosses away a piece of paper and in a lesser impact Plutarch. The key scene to me that clue to Thirteen's true harsh nature is the one with the prep team where Katniss finds them imprisoned in a cell that hints at torture happening behind those door (not to the prep team necessarily but generally: the chains, the drain on the floor etc). It's clear from that scene on that in Thirteen, you follow rules or you get hurt. Now back to the movie: Effie struts around in a modified uniform (how funny haha), doesn't generally follow the rules ("I won't get out of my compartment" how do you eat then? Because they're sure as hell not giving you trays of food), and is very much running her own show. That doesn't keep with book!Thirteen and that annoys me to death.

Now, again, it wasn't difficult to make Effie a fish out of water. You just had to give her the right uniform and make her wear it. The scene with the prep team could have been included with Effie in their place. It would have gone a long way into making Thirteen more book!canon.

Linked to Thirteen is movie!Coin. Look, it was a choice. They made her give Katniss so many pep talks. She was great at the distant evil vibes but she wasn't as frightening as book!Coin and I do love to hate book!Coin. They also changed the final voting on Games scene with her saying she doesn't want a bloodbath and lol. That's exactly what she wanted. So... I guess they tried to make her more human with Snow being the big bad villain and the reveal that she was also not a great person doesn't hit like in the books.

Regarding the pep talks that Coin gives to Katniss all the time. Here's my question: where the fuck was woody when they were filming? Was he high? Was he not on set? How do we go from Haymitch being Katniss' prime caretaker in book!MJ to Haymitch barely talking to her at all in the movies? I love those scenes in MJ where Haymitch's love for her shows, okay. I love that even though they have their tension and Katniss is angry with him because of Peeta, it shows that they care about each other. Haymitch is with her, in her corner, there's no question. In the movies Haymitch is hardly there to be found and he's pretty much comic relief half the time. That's the big reason for my annoyance with the movies I guess. I love Haymitch and we didn't get enough. All his canons scenes were replaced either by Coin or Effie.

Another scene that absolutely guts me in the book is the Finnick's reveal scene. It's just such a twist in the books, such an important reveal and in the movies they made the *stupid* choice of CUTTING IT SO KATNISS CAN HAVE A SKYPE SESSION WITH SNOW. A SKYPE SESSION. WITH SNOW. Nothing more to say about that.

Speaking of Katniss, like I mentioned in the last act, JLaw's performance in those movies is... a choice. Her face is blank all the time, she gives as much emotion as a plank of wood... I don't know I just didn't buy it. But more importantly, she is wolverine. Take a bomb in the face? No problem, she bounces back in five seconds without scars or any physical trauma. Easy peasy.

I also hate the erasure of any sort of trauma. I get it was probably for rating reasons and it's not like it was the first time. Haymitch's alcoholism is pretty much absent (yes we see him drinking in the previous movies, yes it's acknowledged he drinks to excess but we never see any hint of withdrawals and he stops drinking without apparent difficulties outside of a cold, he also stays sober in the last stretch of mj and possibly afterwards as well which is a whole different discussion I already had a few times and that only highlights the differences between book!H and movie!H) and in the same veine, we don't see Katniss getting addicted to morphling, we don't see her becoming suicidal and we don't see her finding herself back through singing - which is very sad actually because there is this whole thread of Katniss and singing woven through all 3 books and we loses a very impactful moment here. Instead we get Katniss shipped back to 12 under one day because why not?

Book!MJ has that for itself that it doesn't shy away from trauma, it shows the bad and the ugly and it also shows the good because there's rebirth. Movie!MJ... Well, we get bad wigs.

I probably forgot some stuff but here it is in a nutshell XD I told you you shouldn't have started me on that topic lmao.

[amchara]

I have finished House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City 1) by Sarah J Maas and it was both the most engaging and enraging book I have read in a long time.

Spoiler-free verdict: If you enjoy gritty, urban fantasy setting with a decent murder mystery and larger conspiracy plot, with some great melding of usual tropes and fantastic plot twists- this is a book rec.

Character-wise and 'ship-wise... ehhh, okay. Sarah J Maas is an interesting author for me - I almost always enjoy her plots, when there is one that isn't being superceded by relationship angst.

I can take or leave most of her romantic ships arcs but I actually usually adore the platonic (sibling, friends, mentors etc) relationships. This book followed that same path - Danika and Bryce's friendship was EVERYTHING, honestly- sooo good, alongside Bryce's relationships with her parents, Ruhn and his friends, and her interactions with Jesibah, Tharion, the Viper Queen, etc. And even her friendship with Hunt, as it was developing into something more.

But somewhere along the way, SJM always seems to fall into the trap of... all male/female romantic relationships must kind of follow A/B/O dynamics or just borderline abusive Dom/sub kink dynamics.

It was less evident in this book than in ACOTAR series but there's still that gender essentialism that creeps in where, once it turns romantic, the man (sorry- in SJM parlance, the male 🙄) must turn into a possessive asshole who only thinks with his cock. And while I can accept that might happen with some of her characters as it seems to be coded into some of the fantasy races societies (ie. Fae), it also tends to rear its head in other characters where imo, it really doesn't make sense.

And it then bleeds into other characterisation and becomes a problem.

Spoilers:

I wanted to like Hunt more than I did. An angel who fell for love and a desire to change things for the better? Who has had 200 years of slavery to consider how he could take his revenge and what he'd do differently? Why then... was he so bland? *cries* Okay, I get traumatic woobieness (and I appreciated that was addressed and I did adore Bryce taking care of him in that one scene and all that...) but I still feel like there should be a ruthlessness and zealotry running through his core. He's a fallen angel so I want to see that grey morality!

Especially... when it was revealed that he had decided to lie to Bryce about the synth. I was so happy to see that twist and I was like YES, GIVE ME THAT RUTHLESSNESS AND GIVE NO FUCKS... and then, it all just fell a bit flat? Argh, I don't know how to entirely describe it except that he felt quite generic love interest™️ and limited personal development in his own character arc.

But that might be because SJM reverts to a lot of tropes (scents her arousal, purrs/snarls, gets overly angry protective over love interest) when she starts her romance arcs.

Maybe I'll enjoy Hunt a bit more now with his slave halo off- and as it seems like maybe the next book we'll actually deal more with the arc-angels.

Bryce suffered a bit from super specialness by the end too but honestly, I thought the reveals about her being another Starborn heir was earned - and intertwined enough with her trauma and history with Danika and foreshadowed enough throughout the book that it felt natural for her to save the city and close the gates with that power.

(that being said- SJM, stop cribbing from the Black Jewels Trilogy lol- the Drop being pretty much the same as when witches descend from their birthright jewel to their adult one)

Last things to mention... it was a kind of slow start but damn- those last two hundred/one hundred pages of the story? Whew- when the city was actually saved it was such a cathartic moment and I actually shed a tear and I did not expect that.

Anyway, overall- solid effort and I'm looking forward to the next book- I guess I'll just suffer through the tropey bs that seems to be SJM's jam.

Tagging @belle-keys because your rec was enough for me to decide to take a look at it.