#like those are the vibes. or crime?? but i also want romance

[fingertipsmp3]

I think out of all the characters I have that I don’t know what to do with, Em and Lawrence are the most frustrating to me because they’re so developed and I like them so much but I have solidly no idea what story to put them in

[a-hazbin-reader]

Hello!! I just loooooove how you write Alastor, this unhinged bastard 😂 anyway can I request Alastor with a lesbian, chaotic reader, who's always drooling over women (especially Alastor's friends)(read: Rosie). Toooootally not self-indulgent. Obv platonic pls!! Thank you in advance 🙇

- 🥀

Omg I love this SO MUCH

Alastor X Reader Headcanons

❌️Romantic

✅️Platonic

TW: TERRIBLE TREATMENT OF READER, reader being funny af, idk who is more unhinged, slight Mimzy X Reader, slight Rosie X Reader

Description: ☝️⬆️

First of all, he's gonna be your wingman NOT because he wants to help but because it's funny when you fail

Encourages your chaotic nature and uses it to his advantage, will not let you be caged

Someone beneath him wants to pick a fight with him??? Oh he'll give them a fight

*sets down an oversized pet carrier*

*feral animal sounds and vicious shaking*

Alastor opens the door and lets you wreak havoc on them, it's just too hilarious

All metaphorically of course

😳

They get you a toddler leash because you're always scampering off straight into trouble???

Alastor cuts it the first day Vaggie takes you out

*massive destructive explosive sounds in the distance*

"What the FUCK, ALASTOR!?"

Alastor: 😏

You're his favorite feral little ball of chaos

BACK TO BEING YOUR WINGMAN

It's amusing how quickly you change gears when it comes other women and how they enthrall you

He often gives you a handkerchief to clean up your drool, pushes your mouth shut when it's hanging open and grabs the back of your clothes to keep you upright

He does look out for you though

If Mimzy is currently in your sights then he won't let her take advantage of your attraction towards her

That greedy little thing will take you for every dime all while she flirts and toys with you

If you're feasting your eyes any of the overlords(*cough*Carmilla-*cough*Missi-*cough*Velvet-*cough*) then he'll straight up tell you no

Not him bonking your head sweetly with his staff before pushing you out of harm's way

Rosie is an exception tho

He knows she can fend you off herself if she really wants to but also that she won't really do any harm to you

Not that you're not very charming

Rosie just thinks you're adorable!! All the eager attention you're giving her! She could just eat you up!

No seriously...she could...you would taste sweet

No you're sweet

You're making her blush

And you're making her hungry

"Okay, time to go!"

So Alastor sticks around and looks out for you in those moments but he also thinks it's hilarious when you shoot your shot

Feeds you terrible pick up lines and almost dies of laughter when you actually use them

"Hey! Tie your shoes!! I don't want you falling for anyone else~"

"She actually went with that one?!"

Will properly fix your hair or clothes up before you go out on a date, he can't have you looking shabby

If you ask him for advice then he actually has some really good ideas for romance

It's just difficult to get him to give you a honest answer because it's so funny when you fumble a bad bitch

Actually, he does try to set you up with women he thinks could be good for you

"Fascinating, but have you met my good pal Y/N yet? She is QUITE a character!"

Alastor is your partner in crime and you're wingman but he's pretty terrible at both

Gah!! I hope you liked this one!! I wanted to really get the little gremlin vibes!!

[struwberrii]

hi lovely !! (ㆁᴗㆁ✿)

i saw you also love suga~ and after seeing those oikawa headcannons i would love to know if you would make some sugawara ones (i don’t know if i have to specify but, pre-timeskip:3)!!

koushi needs more loveeeeee 𓂃 ࣪˖

thank youuu!! have a great day!!

suga headcannons ⋆˚🐾˖°

thank you for the request (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

i totally agree w u!! where are all the sugawara fans at!!! but here are some of my cute and silly sugawara headcannons :3

༘⋆🌷🫧💭₊˚ෆ

he loves thrifting, his ideal hangout would be grabbing some fast food or boba then thrifting

loves doing those stupid tiktok trends, like he has a million capcut edits of chickens pooping you out lol

he gives me middle child vibes, i feel like he would totally have an older sister (she’s like a year older and they’re besties)

the best guy to go to for advice, like even if you don’t want advice he still knows exactly what to say to make you feel better

you guys HAVE to have a movie night at least once a month

his bag is covered in those cute hot topic pins

he always smells very fresh, like floral

he has the worlds biggest stanley cup and refills it at least 5 times a day

he’s super good at drawing and is always sketching silly cartoon characters on his assignments

he loves baking with you, even if neither of you are good at it, you always end up laughing and covered in flour and batter

he is a god at imessage word games, he shows no mercy

probably also in art club with yachi (they both just talk drama and paint) (also idk if u can be in multiple clubs let’s just pretend guys)

wears/keeps everything you give him, like if you make him a bracelet he’s never taking it off, if you give him a keychain it’ll be on his bag forever

if you ask him for advice on a situation he isn’t afraid to tell you when you’re at fault, he does NOT sugarcoat it

serial candle lighter, his room always has candles lit

always has medicine on him incase anyone around him isn’t feeling well

he’s the best tutor ever, if you’re confused suga is the guy to talk to

he has a polaroid camera and has like a hundred polaroids of his siblings, friends and you

probably has a plant that he takes the best care of

probably really into conspiracy theories, true crime and creepy pastas, he’s always watching scary stuff like that

his pinterest is updated hourly

always sneaks his phone during class and never gets caught

has the comfiest hoodies ever, if you’re ever cold he’ll let you borrow one

always has hand sanitizer on him

always brings extra snacks just incase

probably really into reality tv and loves talking about the drama with people who are also watching

he plays stardew valley

he has the cleanest and most organized bag ever

old people love him

he probably listens to the most random podcast ever like emergency intercom or very really good podcast

takes notes in different colored pens

probably loves romance anime and has the best recommendations

[just-a-ghost00]

Crush series : what is their current love status ?

This is for those of you that are puzzled right now about their crush and don’t know much about them yet. We are asking spirit to help us clarify what their situation is so that you can act accordingly. To pick your group, you can choose one of these emojis.

✍🏼 🧛🏻‍♀️ 🎓

Group 1 ✍🏼

Cards : Emperor, 4 of pentacles, Queen of cups, 5 of swords, Queen of pentacles, 8 of cups, 8 of wands as the overall energy

This person is single. They are focused on their own accomplishments and well being, mainly when it comes to their career. They are very busy and taking part in many projects. Their heart space is closed. They are friendly with a lot of people but they don’t connect with them on a deeper level. They may flirt here and there but that never goes too far because they don’t want to be involved in drama. This person draws a lot of attention and they are wary of connections because of past experiences. Also, dating could impact their societal status and their personal life drastically if it went wrong so they try to avoid dating as much as possible. This person could have been used for their wealth and power in the past or dealt with people that were not genuine. They could struggle with trusting people and/or being vulnerable. However, they are starting to feel lonely and a part of them wants to find somewhere they belong and a person that can match their vibe and support them during hard times. A part of them may doubt that they are ever going to find such a person. They tend to feel pessimistic when it comes to love and romance. I asked for a card to clarify the 5 of swords and got the knight of cups. This person feels confused when people express feelings towards them. They may have recently come across someone that showed them affection and they felt conflicted about it. If that person is you, the expression of your emotions sets them off balance. This is something they did not expect and that they are not used to.

Confirmation signs : Aries, Taurus, Scorpio, Sagittarius, numbers 4, 5 and 8

Group 2 🧛🏻‍♀️

Cards : The Empress, The World, The Fool, 3 of pentacles reversed, Hierophant, Justice, overall energy is the White Numen

Your crush is looking for committed and deep love. They are in a phase of their life where they are finally where they wanted to be, they are embodying the version of themselves they always dreamed of. They are finally loving themselves and feeling empowered. They’ve come to terms with their self confidence issues and they are now taking control over their life. Their energy feels very feminine and very confident. Very sensual also. This person wants to create, to gather with other people, not just a romantic partner but all kinds of people to express their true potential. But they are also looking for their ride or die. Their partner in crime. The person that will love and support them no matter what, that will match their crazy and follow them anywhere they may go. This person is starting anew and moving forward with a positive mind and receptive energy. They may enjoy traveling alone or indulging in creative endeavors. They also spend a lot of time taking care of their body, dressing themselves up, working on their body image. Though the Hierophant represents commitment I think that this person is mainly committed to themselves and their own well being. They’ve been through a lot and the wheel has just recently turned in their favor. Justice is being served by blessing this person with everything they ever wanted. I feel like this person is entrusting the divine with their love life and hoping for the best. They are just existing and shining at the maximum of their capacity, hoping that their light will reach someone worth their time and love.

Confirmation signs : Taurus, Leo, Aquarius, Scorpio, Pisces, numbers 3, 5 and 21

Group 3 🎓

Cards : Black Numen, Tower reversed, Moon, Ace of pentacles rx, knight of pentacles reversed, 4 of wands, overall energy 2 of pentacles

This person is either single or in a situation ship. They have gone through a major transformation in their life and/or a rough period of time where they were isolated, possibly struggling with depression or anxiety. They felt like things were not going in their favor and faced a lot of fears. This person is now dreaming of a time of peace where their life isn’t as chaotic and messy. Especially when it comes to romance. They are hoping for a serious relationship that doesn’t seem to want to manifest in their life. They feel like things are moving too slow in that area of their life. One one hand they want that connection so bad but on the other hand they are scared to let anyone in right now considering how their life is all over the place. This person feels conflicted. They may try to interact with people and then retreat back to their bubble because they don’t trust themselves and/or others. A part of them doubts that they’ll ever find someone to be with. They may think they’re not worthy of love or that they don’t have enough time and room for someone to be in their life. However they feel lonely and out of luck and a part of them may believe that having someone in their life would help them get back on track and be more successful. This person may daydream a lot about being in a relationship. They may have a lot of crushes but never act upon them. They may be very shy, introverted, scared of being left out or rejected. They possibly tried to be in a relationship in the past which ended terribly. Their plans to be with this person were not fruitful. Maybe because their family did not accept their partner or because of their work taking too much of their time.

Confirmation signs : Scorpio, Pisces, Taurus, Virgo, numbers 18, 16, 1, 2 and 4.

[feral-lore-creature]

💙 Prometheus Fics I Adore 💙

Just here to share some Prometheus (Alien) fics I love to re-read. 😌

Forbidden Gifts by Ardath_Rekha On Ao3 (Has not been finished) - This fic actually has the Last Engineer x Elizabeth Shaw ship! It's such an extreme rare-pair, and it's very well done! I love this ship with my whole heart, istg. - The bridging done between the prequels & the main film is interesting, and the whole story takes you on such a journey. The only thing I remember of reading this the first time was that it was a perfect vibe for mid-winter. - I won't spoil anything, but it does something really interesting with David's character, so for any David sympathizers (*cough cough* @elecctromechanika ) this one's pretty fun! - Is super internal-dialogue centered, and I love it for that! - Just as a note: there is a sex scene in here, but the author warns you thoroughly, and you can skip it if you please.

Those Whom Fortune Favors + Intrepid by JShale on Ao3 (Intrepid isn't finished, but the first one is!) - Those Whom Fortune Favors doesn't need much artistic liberty when going in, as it keeps the same isolated feeling & story as the movie. - Elizabeth's characterization is so fucking on-point. It's always the little things that make each character so distinct from one another, and makes them layered. - Intrepid is basically TWFF, but from the Last Engineer's P.O.V. & adds really interesting perspective I think I needed to recognize how severely a language barrier can warp your perception of a character.

Alone by @wingedmidnight on Ao3 (My apologies if you don't want to be tagged! I'll get rid of whatever upon request. :3) - This fic is OC & David centered, but I love it a lot because of that. It's a very interesting take, seeing the world through a different human's eyes while exploring the weird world of Alien. - David also doesn't turn out to be a creepy little murder machine! No war crimes here. Love that for him. - If you don't like shipping, romance, or sexual tension (the latter of which happens in the both of the above listed, seemingly only on Shaw's side in TWFF-) this one's better suited! - The world building is so creative! Not just in environment, but in the personalities and culture of the Engineers. - Not finished, but I don't mind. I love re-reading it either way.

Curiosity is a Virtue by MewMidnight fanfiction.net (Is also not finished) - There's definitely Elizabeth x Engineer stuff in here, but I'm a little less focused on that. There's also like... one chapter of smut, but it can be easily avoided, if that's not to your taste. - Shaw is as curious as she always is here, constantly seeking answers. - I enjoy the little chunks of world-building in here, but it's mostly funny to watch the other Engineers gawk over Shaw and David the whole time. - CiaV is a far lighter read by comparison, for multiple reasons. It's just such a nice ride.

Figured I'd make this list to give a bit of love (and life) back into this niche corner of the Alien fandom! I hope you give at least one of these a try, and happy reading! 💙

[ugh-yoongi]

jewel hello hello!! congrats on the milestone!!!! i’ve been all up in my fluffy physical-touch-is-my-love-language feels and i was wondering if you’d be willing to drabble or headcanon bts’s favorite way to touch/hold/physically manifest in your space when they get home? so so so many congrats again :)))

mg hello <3 thank you for the congrats and the request, this was very comforting even if i am the most touch-adverse person alive <3

i enlisted bee's help bc she's a wizard and the best <3 @hot-soop

headcanons: bts as physical touch/affection

seokjin —

king of domesticity aka food as a love language

has dinner 95% done by the time you get home, so you have regularly scheduled back hugs while he's at the stove

doesn't strike me as super physically affectionate; would probably be more comfortable receiving it than instigating

would be a crime to let those shoulders go to waste, though, so put your head on it

wants you to put your feet in his lap while you're on the couch but DOES NOT want to touch them (rip taehyung)

big fan of forehead/temple kisses

strikes me as the type to link pinkies rather than fully hold hands and i love that for him <3

yoongi —

he is the #1 acts of service king and i will die on that hill

please hold his hand, though

and scratch at his scalp, please

and just know to do it bc he'd probably rather die than ask you to do it, and probably displays affection all wrong and semi-violently. bee said he'd tug an earlobe as a sign of affection and that's bang on.

has big "will gently scratch/rub your back as you're falling asleep" vibes

GENTLE SHOULDER KISSES!!!

whatever it is, acts like he hates it

(still makes you mixtapes/playlists, though)

hobi —

good luck peeling him off of you

completely goofy, over the top, exaggerated displays of affection

cheek/forehead/etc. smooches with sound effects, tickling under your chin, hip checks, butt smacks

honestly all over kisses; bee says behind the ear and i agree

always an arm over your shoulder; tucks you into his side when he hugs you

talks a mile a minute at you as soon as you're through the door

namjoon —

let's be real he is probably off in another world whenever you get home so you have to go find him; either off reading a book or in the studio

wherever he is, always says "hi, baby" (#1 baby as a pet name king) and lets you plop into his lap to tell him about your day <3

you'll be able to hear him coming a mile away when he gets home. probably won't admit it but loves when you meet him at the door. probably plays dumb like "ha ha how did you know i was there" but he's also holding a ripped grocery bag with all your food on the ground, so......

big big big "hand on thigh" vibes

also just big in general so i think he'd really enjoy feeling a lil delicate and protected sometimes? born to be the small spoon tbh

we all saw that video of him at hobi's album release party so big fan of a protective hand on your back/shoulder/etc. in group settings

alone, though — top of head kisses!

jimin —

we all know jimin is very physically affectionate but also very emotionally intelligent so he'd know when to rein it in and when to ramp it up

good day at work? kiss and let me hear all about your day. bad day at work? he's pulling out all the stops. whatever you want, you're getting.

and if either of you went out with your friends? get ready to spill and receive all the tea

tangled together on the couch/in bed vibes

also strikes me as the type to link pinkies so let's hope yours is smaller than his

blows you kisses from across the room so please accept them dramatically bc if you don't he will mime falling to the floor and dying of a broken heart

taehyung —

king of romance, king of affection

continuing the taehyung foot fetish agenda sorry but it's true: MASSAGES

would love to brush your hair for you. put on your lotion for you. doesn't know how to do hair but would love to practice different updos or types of braids, etc. just wants someone to fuss over and someone that will fuss over him in return.

another one that's zoned out when you get home — probably covered in paint or playing the saxophone or doing god knows what. never know what you're walking into

comes to find you immediately when he gets home, though. clingy (affectionate) vibes, but why would he ever want to be separated from his favorite person??

get ready for your house to become a part-time flower shop/museum bc every trinket suspiciously reminds you of him and he "couldn't help himself"

will kiss your hands/wrists/etc.

jungkook —

also strikes me as the type who's more comfortable receiving affection/physical touch than instigating

except we know he's also the jealous type so lots of little touches that let people know he's with you but not, like, possessive. he's got sense

playfully whiny and clingy. will drape himself over you to get attention

will draw little sketches of you when you're on opposite sides of the couch <3

please run your hands through his hair/scratch his scalp while he's gaming

NECK KISSES

will probably let you do whatever you want tbh. wanna paint his nails? sure. want to color in his tattoos with markers? love it, go for it. have a spur of the moment urge to bleach and dye his hair at 3am? don't even need to ask.

just wants to hang out with you <3

these are obviously all vibes so feel free to come discuss what i got wrong/right in my inbox!

[ladyluscinia]

My hottest take from trying to delve into David Jenkins's interviews and piece together where he's going with this is that - for all he and everyone else are consistent about describing this show as a romance and a romcom (and The Muppets) - I don't think he finds the romance compelling??? At least, not the healthy endgame version.

Like, the one interview where he dropped that he was planning an unrequited romance in all those pitches of his until they shot the bathtub scene in 1x06...? Wild twist, but also it kind of makes sense.

Look at the comparisons he makes. Titanic (where Jack dies). Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (where both leads die). Shows like Insecure and Grey's Anatomy, where relationships get messy breakups constantly. He's excited about fanvids set to Olivia Rodrigo's "Favorite Crime". Writes an episode based on Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, a 1966 film of a play that attacks the concept of happy marriages. He mentions A Star Is Born repeatedly in reference to S2, a movie where the disaster marriage ends in suicide and heartbreak.

And even broad spectrum - he repeatedly explains that he's not compelled by pirate stories. Accuses the genre of being "creaky" and "hard to budge", and then claims to want to subvert it in one interview and shrugs about how "it's a pirate story" as reasoning in others. But the part he seems interested in...? Well it's the oncoming end of the Golden Age aspect, and also maybe the short and violent life of organized crime. He's drawing comparisons to mob movies and Westerns - two things I think we can say trend toward the bittersweet to tragic scale with endings. His examples certainly do.

I'm no longer surprised he was really compelled by the Edward and Izzy toxic divorce in S1 and the idea of doing an arc about "Can Izzy find himself outside of this toxic relationship?" only to answer "No." It seems right in his wheelhouse, tbh. Definitely enough that if he felt like Izzy ought to die due to vibes, I doubt he was looking too hard for an alternative.

For all his talk about "Can BlackBonnet put the work into this relationship?" I'm really getting the impression he thinks the more compelling answer is also "No." He likes the idea of a happy ending maybe, but he doesn't really seem into that as a story.

Now, he does seem to have gotten a crash course in "Maybe don't bury your gays?" and he's not lying about wanting to avoid the specific kinds of coming out and queer trauma stories - those are different kinds of tragedies - but I am... skeptical, perhaps, that the forced happy ending feeling of S2 will do anything but repeat in S3.

Just because, like, if I was scrolling these takes on a fic author's blog, I'd put majority odds on the main couple hanging in the final chapter, and I bet a happy sunset ending would come kinda out of nowhere...

Not really a recipe for satisfying, you know?

[tossawary]

I found a beaten copy of the "Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire" novel (set between Ep5 and Ep6) in the thrift store and I'm trying to read it. I thought, "Oh, this was written in 1996, so that's before the prequels or any of the more recent shows. Even if this isn't good, it's not a long book, and it'll be interesting to catalogue some of the differences in world building and vibes."

And then I actually tried to read it and, uh, I would call the writing "competent on a basic level but not sophisticated". Like, I was trying to read some of the "Jedi Apprentice" novels earlier and I guess I was expecting, hm, something a little more advanced than those books? It's serviceable! There are many turns of phrase that I enjoy! It's just not as compelling stylistically or in world building as I might have hoped. And it wasn't long into the book before I was like, "Oh, right. Ah. Hm. I forgot what it was like to read Older Sci-Fi Written By A Straight Man. Of course, the main villain has a human-looking killer droid assistant who looks like a sexy blonde woman! Of course he does! Of course!" None of the characterizations are great, but the Leia POVs are making me since.

I'm having trouble taking the main villain seriously because he's just... he's just not interesting. Prince Xizor's secret backstory where his family's deaths were Darth Vader's fault are revealed to us in Chapter 3 via narration, he's just thinking about it, and it's like, "Well, that seems like it could have been saved for a more dramatic reveal later." And generally, he's such a Batman Gary Stu of a character so far: he's an unfathomably wealthy businessman, he's also an interstellar crime lord, he's also a master of martial arts, he's got an impeccable poker face, he's Vader's rival, he knows everything because he has spies everywhere, and the narration takes the time to tell us twice in 3 chapters that he is (and his species is) very, very sexy. Reader, you MUST know this. Trust us.

And I was reading these descriptions of him thinking, "This style of introduction reminds me almost EXACTLY of something else... but what...? OH. He's getting introduced like a HARLEQUIN ROMANCE NOVEL MALE LEAD." Which is super funny because Wikipedia claims this villain is supposed to try to seduce Leia later in the book; an attempt that the publishers apparently wanted to be successful but the author refused to do, fearing fan backlash. Which is just... thank fucking goodness, I WOULD have been pissed off, yes. WHY would Leia fuck this guy? Everything about him suggests she would choke him with a chain like she will with Jabba the Hutt. Let this woman have her loser smuggler with a heart of gold boyfriend!!! I hope she gets to shoot at this guy for a seduction attempt, but that won't make up for how incredibly boring this character is to read about in his every single scene.

[bloomeng]

I don’t normally share personal projects here but I'm happy with the art so why not. Anyway these are some character concepts for a game pitch assignment I've been working on. It's still very much in its infancy but the idea is a dating sim/visual novel-style game based around the concept of a support group for the henchmen of supervillains, called "Henchman Anonymous."

You-- the player-- are the familiar to Carmilla de Villeneuve, the Vampire Princess (pictured left). No, she isn't royalty. Yes, you're pretty sure she stole her name from popular vampire media. But yes, she's actually a vampire, a vampire supervillain more specifically, and a very mediocre one at that. After years of thankless work executing her extravagantly stupid schemes (that might also just be a wee bit genius) and styling her finger waves you've about had it. That's what Henchman Anonymous is for, breaking up with your abusive boss! Only one issue you might sort of actually be a bit in love with her... Perhaps what you need is a little help getting over her.

As of right now I only have two main routes planned.

Route #1: Amélie is one of Ring Master's many henchmen and she is also her daughter. Let's just say crime runs in the family, as in they're literally a crime family. Amélie is the fourth eldest of eight, meaning her smack dab in the middle and often overlooked. Between the size of her family and her mother's controlling tendencies, Amélie feels more than a little stifled. She hopes that Henchmen Anonymous will help her break free and lead a normal life. It's too bad her boss just happens to be your boss' villain rival— not that Ring Master knows that.

Route #2: Dorian is a man of mystery, well it's more accurate to say he's a stubborn jerk who refuses to share anything, despite being in a support group. You swear he looks familiar though. Little do you know the reason Dorian won't talk is because he's not-so-secretly the sidekick to the Ebony Knight-- your city's resident vigilante-- who's undercover trying to get insider information on supervillains so that maybe his boss will fully take him under his wing. Unfortunately for you, the reason he looks so familiar is that the Ebony Knight might just be Carmilla's nemesis and absolute obsession. (Lego Batman and Lego Joker vibes)

Main Route:

Ideally, I would like to have a non-romance-based route for those who want to explore the plots of both stories. This route would allow players to learn about both Amélie and Dorian's connections to Carmilla and allow you to befriend them. There are also a couple secondary non-romanceable characters that I haven't mentioned because I don't have concepts drawn up for them that would get more emphasis. I haven't decided if it would be something activated by not scoring high enough with either of the romanceable characters or if it's something I would let players choose.

Secret Route:

In my head, I'm calling this the "I can fix her" route, because that's basically what it is. It would focus on getting to know Carmilla. In all versions of the story, there would ideally be a plot about learning to set boundaries with Carmilla, but this secret route would basically allow you to then romance her. Unlike the other routes, Carmilla wouldn't be something you could choose, you'd have to earn it through the main route.

Notes on the designs:

Carmilla died in the 50's and is old Hollywood-inspired, specifically Marilyn Monroe who I used as a clothing reference. Overall I wanted this whole series to read very campy and lean into tropes, so I tried to also capture as many vampire motifs as I could. While she loves to look glamorous she's actually not all that good at styling herself. I sort of based her on the wwdits vampire logic of them being dated but not completely tied down to whatever century they died in. Committing to the aesthetic is the most important factor.

Amélie is based on court jesters and is absolutely supposed to be a Harley Quinn knockoff. I mixed several eras for her clothing. Court jesters are associated mostly with being medieval so I pulled some references there with the headdress, which I heavily stylized to look like devil horns. The ribbons are a call back to the veils women used to wear. The collar and sleeves are more Elizabethan, while the stays are based on 18th century fashion. (I've been drawing too much ofmd fanart my bad everypony) Don't ask me where the chemise is, maybe it's cropped. For the bottom half I referenced DC comics silhouettes. It might also be worth mentioning that I was listening to Chappell Roan while drawing her initial designs, so that really carried over in the make-up, but I swear she was always going to be a redhead!

Dorian's outfit I have to be so real about, I'm not super satisfied with. I wanted to do a more modern, street-wear look. The best way to describe the vibe I wanted to go for is "if DC's Nightwing were to try to style Marvel's Prowler." I wanted this sort of uptight, hyper-serious sidekick to dress like what he thought villains dressed like. So I opted to put him in stereotypical "bad boy" clothing; leather jacket, studded belts, fingerless gloves. I looked at a lot of Shadow the Hedgehog gijinka fanart. I don't hate what I came up with, but I definitely want to push the design more next time, really amp up the emo, bad boy-ness of it all. 

some notes on the design of the game:

Because I'm still very early on in the hypothetical process I don't have backgrounds or specific graphic design elements selected. However, my initial idea would be to use the classic comic book style font with the text bar emulating speech bubbles-- well, closer to the bubbles they use for inner dialogue or establishing shots. I want to play up that comic book vibe.

And for funsies here’s a facial sprite in action:

(ingore her lack of feet it's a sprite draft)

[bri1234]

What song(s) do you relate to a Choices book survey results!

Hello! So it's been about a week and there are a few responses from the Google form I sent out! The form is attached at the bottom of all this so if you want to take it, you still can!

I will continue to update this if there are any more responses.

Also if you see your song on here but not the additional comment (if you left one) and would like it on here, just let me know and I'll add it!

So without further ado, let's jump right in!

Songs that relate to a Choices book (chosen by you guys!):

Across the Void

Remember Me as A Time of Day by Explosions in the Sky

Blades of Light & Shadow

Two by Sleeping at Last

Comment was "MC's deeply unhealthy desire to put everyone else's wellbeing first (book 2)."

Degenerates by I the Mighty

In My Head by Jacob Ryan Smith, Daniel Mertzlufft, Andrew Barth Feldman, & Joe Serafini

Comment was "Aerin and MC on Deadwood lake date (book 1)."

Falling by Write Out Loud, Ciara Renee, and Kat Sicilian

Die With A Smile by Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga

A Courtesan of Rome

I Survived a War by Mariami

Crimes of Passion

In My Blood Song by Joel Smallbone and The Cast Of Journey To Bethlehem

Comment was "I relate this song the Trystan Thorne, specifically Book 2 of CoP, wanting to be the son his parents and country are proud of while being himself."

Arpeggio by Alexandro

Perfect World by Twice

The Cursed Heart

Dream A Little Dream of Me by The Mamas & The Papas

Comment was "It reminds me of how Kieran and MC often would visit each others dreams at night (book 1)."

Power Over Me by Dermot Kennedy

Without You by Ursine Vulpine

Find You by Ruelle

Die For You by Postmodern Jukebox and Tatum Langley

Young and Beautiful by Lana Del Rey

Comment was “MC thinking about their mortality and how someday they won’t be young and beautiful.”

Los Ageless by St. Vincent

Comment was “Lustre’s theme song 😈”

Dirty Little Secrets

"Slut!" by Taylor Swift

Suburban Legends by Taylor Swift

The Elementalists

Hedwig's Theme by John Williams

Guinevere

Queen of Heart by Twice

Only Girl by Stephen Sanchez

Hot Couture

Choose Your Fighter by Ava Max

Immortal Desires

Boys Will Be Bugs by Cavetown

End (The Other Side) by Fit For A King

Scars & Lifelines by I Prevail

Death Is All Around by The Amity Affliction

The Death We Seek by Currents

Kindred

Still Don't Know My Name by Labrinth

In Hell I'll Be Good Company by The Dead South

Murder at Homecoming

no body, no crime by Taylor Swift

Nightbound

Songs from the Shadowhunter series: Dynasty , Hurricane, Making a Monster out of Me (Katherine McNamara) , This is the Hunt (Ruelle), Storm (Ruelle) , Bad Dream , Love to Hate You, I am Ember from Katherine McNamara , Hold On (from Chord Oversee) , Glass Slipper (Katherine McNamara) , Paralyzed (NF), Angel with a Shotgun (instead shotgun imagine crossbow) , Brother (Kodaline), Shadowhunter series Finale Song by Ruelle

Open Heart

Symphony of Skin by I The Mighty

Comment was "Romancing Bryce vibes"

Platinum

3 Minutes by Alexi Blue

Red Carpet Diaries

Why Should I? by Alexi Blue

Roommates With Benefits

You Give Love a Bad Name by Bon Jovi

The Royal Romance

Not Your Barbie Girl by Ava Max

Barbie Girl by Aqua

Loves Me Not by Kate Grahn & Will Jay

i wanna be your girlfriend by girl in red

Rules of Engagement

Hair by Little Mix

Surrender

Bad Habits by Ed Sheeran

Here's the Google form if anyone wants to take it! Thank you so much to those of you who have taken the time to do this!!!

[hamliet]

It's A Boys' Love Story, Your Honor: Be Gay, Do Crimes

This review is often satirical and sometimes facetious. Or is it?

Anyways I got dragged into watching HIGH&LOW, a Japanese action show full of pretty boys punching each other. Aside from me wondering how all of them don't have CTE and screaming CHEST COMPRESSIONS when one character codes and the nurse like... walks away (he's ok the power of friendship is stronger than any defibrillator), it turned out to be a surprisingly excellent, enjoyable, and even poignant watch.

The plot is vibes at best and the narrative ideas are less formed than, say, those of Kinnporsche. But, what it does have down pat is characters. Pretty much every character is compelling from their introductory scene (except for the Mighty Warriors who exist purely to suck). The characters may not necessarily be the most complex or psychologically challenging, but they come across as intriguing enough, flawed enough, to carry series on their own. Like, I would honestly watch a full series based on any one of them.

To be honest, this show does more to establish who a character is, what they want, and make them interesting within a character's first 30 seconds than some high-brow directors do with three hours of film. I would honestly recommend it to anyone trying to understand how to characterize.

Also, it's basically a yaoi but with fighting instead of f*cking. It's just dripping in homoeroticism that they infuse with just enough plausible deniability that insecure straight guys can watch it too!

Although, being straight in this 'verse is pretty much a misery sentence for everyone except Kizzy and Kaito. I haven't seen such flagrant use of bury/break up your straights since Togashi.

But:

It's not a yaoi! you say.

To which I shall respond with numerous examples of what the f*ck is this then? The power of (b)romance?

Doubt. (Heh ifkyk.)

Cobra + Murayama

The same episode we get a girl having a crush on Murayama he's shown as completely disinterested because he's too hung up on Cobra. This leads to him seeking Cobra out. And also to him having realizations about himself. He's then kind to the girl, but not romantically interested. The framing of this Cobra-Murayama realization about himself with the episodes opening with a girl pining and ending with his kindness to her is clearly to get the audience thinking about romance and the other interactions in light of that.

Murayama embarrassingly asks to join Cobra in front of all the other gangs.

Murayama calls him Cobra-chan and sides with Cobra when all the other leaders of SWORD refuse. All three others have left but Murayama still tells Cobra he has his vote, even though it's not going to do anything, just so Cobra knows Murayama's on his side.

In End of Sky Murayama literally going behind Cobra's back to get Hyuga to agree to join Cobra's alliance to protect him, at personal risk to Murayama, even though Cobra will never know what he did for him, when even those most loyal to Cobra have abandoned him, is literally a romance trope as old as time. And it's literally set to inspirational music.

Murayama calls him Cobra-chan and sides with Cobra when all the other leaders of SWORD refuse. All three others have left but Murayama still tells Cobra he has his vote, even though it's not going to do anything, just so Cobra knows Murayama's on his side.

At the end of the movies, Murayama gets a motorcycle and is implied to join Sannoh eventually with clever color symbolism as @eatprayworm points out.

As if we didn't get it, The Worst literally shows us Murayama calling Cobra-chan on his phone and tells us that he frequently drunk calls Cobra by having him say that he's not calling about bikes... this time. This phone call shows 0 narrative purpose besides reminding us that Murayama's endgame is with Cobra.

Chiharu + Yamato

Yamato saves his life and then is told he has to "take responsibility for" Chiharu, which is totally not a reference to the common idea of a guy taking responsibility for knocking a girl up--

except it is explicitly because even Yamato's mom directly asks if he knocked someone up when she hears that he has to "take responsibility" for someone.

When they finally reconcile after Chiharu confesses to drugs Tetsu tells them "you look good together."

Chiharu then takes a bullet for Yamato. I mean, not actually, because it was a blank, but no one, not even the person firing the gun, knew it was a blank.

Tetsu + Dan

Whenever Dan expresses interest in a girl Tetsu gets mad at him and when Tetsu cuts off his dreads to be more appealing to girls Dan gets mad at him. They're in love your honor.

They'll leave a gang for one another.

They exist only in proximity with each other.

Tatsuya/Kohaku/Tsukumo

These old men are so gay. They started the fall. And by old I mean they're supposed to be like 26 but they are clearly played by actors in their mid-40s and so I'll just pack off and head to the Villages then.

Smok(e)y + Hiroto

Ah yes when you're wandering around Nameless Street looking for your older brother and he's not there so you and your other brother decide to leave but then! then! a sickly man wasting away everywhere but his hair (which remains luscious) walks in front of you, barely glances at you, and you instantaneously walk away from your brother and your life to go follow the twink. Much straight.

Rocky + Koo

Here.

They also use "anata" for one another. Which means "you," but also is frequently translated as "dear" because it's what married couples often refer to each other as.

The manga also implies they live together.

Yasushi + Kiyoshi

Everyone in canon refers to them as "Yasukiyo." They exist in a state of symbiosis with weird hair and insanity.

If anyone implies Yasushi was involved with drugs Kiyoshi will fight to defend his honor.

"He sacrificed himself for me!" ?????? That's a love trope, Your Honor. Don't worry, though. They're gay, so Kiyoshi survives his sacrifice.

Odajima + Todoroki

Fellas is it gay to spot a man across a battlefield and be so in awe you run over to him right away?

Is it gay if you then ask said man "you're different from the others. Want to play with me?"

Tsukasa + Fujio

Tsukasa mopes around like Bella after Edward left after Fujio moves away for like a week.

Tsukasa takes a bus ride across the country for the chance to fight his BFF again in the rain (wet, what is symbolism) and then tells him "I'll be waiting for you." And also "I should move here because it's boring without you."

Tsukasa might be held as a hostage but he knows Fujio will come for him. In fact his relationship with Fujio is explicitly paralleled with Amagai and Suzaki's.

Amagai + Suzaki

The redemptive power of love, as beautifully written by @eatprayworm here.

I mean Suzaki literally can barely stand and limps over to protect Amagai when Amagai is experiencing the consequences of his actions and then saves Amagai from himself.

At the end of the day all he wants is to be boyfriends with Amagai.

Probably my favorite ship because it's everything I love, meaning one of them is too good for this world and one is a bastard.

Nakagoshi + Nakaoka

Nakagoshi sacrifices himself for Nakaoka even in a parallel to Yasushi and Kiyoshi (don't worry, they're gay, so they live too).

Tsuji + Shibaaan

Do I even need to comment here?

And I didn't even get into Sachio's sunset conversation with Fujio, in which you visibly see the twink fall and then they, not knowing who the other is, subsequently meet and recognized each other on the battlefield like Mr and Mrs Smith.

Themes Too!

High&Low isn't exactly an uber-deep thematic exploration of what it means to be gay and do crimes, but the themes it does do it does pretty well.

One of those is indeed the redemptive power of love, which involves being seen and known. Y'know, that mortifying ordeal. Because love itself leads to freedom. It's true for Chiharu, it's true for Noboru, it's true for Arata.

Rocky and Kizzy/Kaito's story is kind of one of the best examples of the redeeming power of (platonic) love leading to freedom, and it takes like... 3 minutes? of the story. And it's not left unexplored; it's just succinct. Kizzy and Kaito are trafficking women and Rocky comes to stop them, and when fighting, notices that Kizzy is actually a transwoman. He stops the fight and says that he doesn't fight women. That's enough for Kizzy and Kaito to follow Rocky, giving up their life of cruel crime and atoning--truly atoning--by spending the rest of their lives doing exactly the opposite of their crimes: fighting to free women from traffickers and protect them.

The significance of that moment is that by seeing Kizzy as she really was, Rocky pointed out to Kizzy that she was engaging in self-harm, keeping herself trapped (symbolically) and never able to live as she could. But for Kizzy, to be truly free to be herself means helping other women also be free. It's also, even if unintentional, a good twist on the transphobic trope and conservative talking point of a transwoman trying to harm women (cough, she who shall not be named).

Kizzy also never styles herself super feminine even after gender confirmation surgery (as implied by Rocky that she received), but she still is a woman, and her being herself leads to redemption and freedom for everyone around her. We stan Kizzy and her loyal boyfriend (husband?) Kaito in this house.

Another theme, and connected to the idea of self-discovery and freedom and love and all that, is how to handle the past, a question everyone is always asking because as long as we're alive, we're evolving. Obviously we see that with the Amamiya brothers and the Mugen backstory, and we also see that in the present with Murayama and Todoroki. But we also see this most sharply highlighted in the conflict between Cain and Smokey.

Cain is not subtly named after the first murderer in the Bible, who kills his brother. Cain, of course, kills Smokey in cold blood, with Smokey asking him "did you come here to kill me?" and Cain affirming that he did indeed because if he doesn't, he won't be able to completely erase his past.

But the thing is, you can't kill your past without killing yourself. You have to embrace it and let it live. And something as precious as a life won't be so easily destroyed. To live, you have to live with all of yourself, the past and the present and the hope of a future. It's a struggle, it's a fight--but with people beside you, it's worth it. Almost like the fights in the series are a metaphor for struggling through life or something.

And then we have gentrification. Let's just say the horrors of it are not exaggerated. Smokey's death--and life--offer poignant social commentary on what happens when people treat others like they don't deserve to live, like they are forgotten, like they don't exist. Because they do exist, because they love.

When Cain kills Smokey, Smokey tells him--in all sincerity, despite being abandoned by his parents, living in a homeless slum, and being terminally ill his entire life because the rich poisoned the people in the slum--that he lived "the best life." Why? Because the scenes flash back to him meeting his adopted sister Lala, caring for Eri, meeting his gang. He had a family, and he loved them, and they loved him. When he dies, he's buried in that same slum and Takeshi comments that "to Smokey, this [place] is heaven." And it is, because heaven is love.

(Also, the "rich poisoning people by being careless because these people don't matter" is hardly unrealistic. Bhopal would like a word with you, Dow Inc, you sh*theads.)

In Conclusion

Things you'll have to endure: multiple Mighty Warrior music videos.

Things you get to enjoy: Hyuga being a Barbie girl in a Barbie world who shows up to fights with all the Durama Ikka and planned choreography and bespoke songs.

Things you get to enjoy: multiple twinks needing rescue from being dragged into the drug trade to save their loved ones only to get whumped in true hurt/comfort fanfic fashion before sobbing in the arms of their friends who welcome them home.

Things you have to endure: Noboru trying to convince Cobra et al to join the Mojo Dojo Casa House Kuryu Group.

Things you get to enjoy: The power of friendship saving Noboru from himself, Rocky from dying alone, Smokey from having no meaning to his life, Amagai from himself, Murayama from himself, Todoroki from himself, Arata from himself, setting captives free, and rich bastards who trod all over the poor getting what they deserve.

Things you have to just not think too hard about: gangs seeing drugs as the biggest taboo which I'm pretty sure is not usually the case but hey, hoodlums have standards, and also the evil guys keeping their secrets in a folder literally stamped with the label TOP SECRET.

Things you have to endure: Smokey dying. I'm not over it. Someone fight me to bring him back. But also it's one of the most beautiful death scenes in fiction.

Things you get to enjoy: Generally no one, unless you're Smokey, straight (Takeru), or yakuza (no one cares).

Things you have to ignore: why no one ever studies at these high schools and why they all look like they're in their 30s-40s.

Things you get to enjoy: pretty great rep of a trans woman that directly counters some of the most harmful tropes.

Things you have to endure: Noboru being resurrected by the power of True Love's Handholding, because the nurse literally RAN AWAY from a coding patient to "get the doctor" but it's okay, his friends beg him to live and he does.

Things you get to enjoy: a series that founds its premise in action and violence that offers a surprisingly wholesome, kind message on relationships, humanity, redemption, and love... whether that love is platonic or romantic.

But, I mean, Final Mission literally ends with the gangs defeating the evil corporation with a rainbow-colored smoke that takes over the sky of the city. So it's gay.

[yume-x-hanabi]

Currently watching: Miss Night and Day

I decided to review a few of the dramas I'm currently (re)watching, starting with a new find: Miss Night and Day

This one is currently airing (new ep every Sat.-Sun. on Netflix) and has just reached its halfway point, so I think it's a good time to write down my thoughts.

The basic plot

(Genres: Romcom, Mystery, Fantasy)

The main character, Lee Mi-Jin, is a 28-year-old who keeps trying and failing to get a job as a public servant, and even falls for a scam out of her desperation to find a proper job. One day, she helps a magical (?) cat, who grants her a blessing/curse (depending on how you see it lol) as a result: during the day, her appearance ages to what she would look like in her 50's, while she comes back to her young self during the night. Cue her scrambling to juggle those two identities while keeping it hidden from everyone.

Ironically, she manages to find a job quite easily as her old self through a senior employment program, and through hijinks ends up as secretary to prosecutor Gye Ji-Ung, whom she met as her young self when she got scammed, then later as a witness to a murder case.

Impressions so far

Story: One thing you need to know about me is that I'm a sucker for crime/mystery/legal dramas, especially when there's an interesting twist in the setting. So right off the bat this one's premise drew me in. I also tend to not really enjoy romance/romcom dramas on their own, but sprinkle in some crime/mystery, plus some supernatural element on top, and I'm innnnn.

So far it's delivered on both fronts. The serious underlying investigation plotline is less prominent than the comedy hijinks, but that's good for where we're at, I like the balance between the two. There's a lot of subplots going on, and they keep things moving and interesting; it's worked well in terms of pacing. There's one plotline I would have preferred done a bit differently, but I'm reserving judgment on that until I've seen where it leads. Otherwise I've enjoyed the way it's going.

Characters:

Main girl: She's a very fun lead. She's generally a peppy heroine, but she's also a woman nearing her 30's whose life has not turned out how she wanted, so she's also got that Tired Adult™️ vibe that's quite relatable. She may not be the smartest (she sometimes has a tendency to rush in without thinking at first), but she's also perceptive and resourceful, so while she does need saving from time to time, she also often can find a way to get out of some situations she put herself in (often when it pertains to keeping her identity switch secret lol). Both actresses are doing a great job with the role--you really feel they're playing the same character, so much that you sometimes almost forget they're two different people.

Main guy: I'm really, really loving this take on the "stoic/assholish male lead (who will be softened by the love interest)" archetype. Yes, he is a stoic workaholic and a bit of a jerk... when he's at work. But in his day to day life, he's quite openly sweet and empathetic. And I really like that this is the side that Mi-Jin got to see first. So it's not really that he has a hidden soft side that she needs to discover, but more that she gets confused by the contrast with his work persona. She eventually calls him out on his bad attitude toward her (old self) in the office, and he improves on that front too. (Honestly tho apart from his scheme to get her to quit being his secretary at the beginning, I don't think what earns him his reputation as a jerk in the office is even that bad? he's just mostly blunt and doesn't tolerate slackers; like in a lot of cases it's warranted imo). Anyway I really like his character, and there's a lot of little scenes I absolutely adore (and definitely makes me ship them :p) Only thing I find weird is that he hasn't taken note of the similarities between young Mi-Jin and her old self (for example, her bright pink backpack she takes everywhere should be a giveaway; also the fact she tends to pop up in the same places he last saw her old version at lol). Dude is supposed to be a smart prosecutor, I'm surprised his observation skills are failing him there (especially since there's been a few close calls).

Second male lead: I'm gonna be honest, I don't care much for him. He's obviously gonna be important considering the recent plot development, and I guess I'm glad Mi-jin has someone at work who knows her secret and wants to help her, but I still don't have much of an opinion of him. He's just there lol. I do hope they're not going to drag in an unrequited love subplot or something like that.

Supporting cast: I initially found Mi-Jin's overbearing parents annoying, but it's clear they love her and want the best for her, so they've become quite endearing. I absolutely love her best friend (she's a beauty youtuber lmao), she's so cute and such a sweetheart. Other supporting characters are okay so far; potential suspect is creepy enough, tho he's so obvious I'm wondering whether he's a red herring. We'll see I guess...

Music/Directing/etc: The music's appropriate to the scenes, which is what matters most, but nothing particularly stands out aside from the main theme. The directing is good, again nothing particularly stands out imo (maybe a small negative point is a bit too much repetition at times), but nothing bad either.

All in all, it's a pretty fun show and I'm quite enjoying it so far. Waiting for new episodes is hard lol

[i-have-no-braincells]

okay miscellaneous unova elite four headcanons let’s go:

-grimsley is always bisexual to me. however i vibe with both him being cis and him being trans headcanons. either way he’s always gnc to me though.

-caitlin is trans (mtf) and uses she/they pronouns. she and shauntal are also both lesbians to me <3

-marshal is panromantic asexual and i really like the idea of him being trans (ftm).

-grimsley enjoys classic horror films from the 80s-90s. yk the really cheesy horror films where some of them could barely be considered horror. i also think he enjoys musicals, but specifically musicals like phantom of the opera, jekyll and hyde, little shop of horrors, sweeney todd, the beetlejuice musical. he enjoys some recent horror films as well, but he thoroughly enjoys the cheesy, old classics.

-shauntal, on the other hand, loves the fucked up horror movies. she appreciates well done gore. she likes the stuff that would make most people cringe or look away. she’s a little freak who finds that shit incredibly fascinating. plus, it’s wonderful inspiration for her books!!

-caitlin is not a big movie watcher. she will watch whatever anyone else wants to watch because they will be falling asleep during said movie.

-marshal loves his classic karate and martial arts films. he’s a big nerd for them and owns several posters of said movies. however, you could also catch him watching a stupid rom-com… just don’t tell anyone!!

-shauntal has dabbled in a wide variety of genres when it comes to her writing. she specializes mostly in horror, romance, or a mix of the two. but no matter what genre she’s writing for, there’s always certain aspects and nuance to it that defies the stereotypes of the genre at hand. she also is a common author to see featured in the LGBT section!!

-grimsley collects playing cards. it’s not a very special or unique headcanon, but he has a wide variety of playing cards all from different places or themed around things he enjoys.

-caitlin has narcolepsy. i think this is a fairly common hc as well. since she’s often falling asleep and experiencing dreams, her dreams are prophetic more often than not. their psychic specialty is prophecy and interpreting prophetic dreams, however i believe she has the ability to do basically any psychic power one could think of. i like to think she’s a very powerful psychic.

-marshal and grimsley have a very unique rivalry to me. they’re best friends for sure, and honestly marshal is not as competitive as grimsley is. but those two fuel each other’s competitiveness to all hell. they have a running tally on how many times each other have won during sparring matches. they would also die for each other.

-speaking of which, marshal is very much the braincell of the elite four. i do think he’s a bit of a himbo, but he is actually the most responsible of the four and has the best coping mechanisms and self control (as a martial artist should have). he loves helping his friends and finds enjoyment in such.

-grimsley is likely the least responsible. he is by no means a bad friend, and he’s obviously very clever and smart. but he has a knack for disappearing without saying anything only to show up hours later. of course no one trusts him with financial advice. and he absolutely loves messing with and playing pranks on the others.

-shauntal is very caring and a bit of an older sister figure to marshal and grim. she’s also the oldest of the group. this doesn’t mean she doesn’t also like getting into mischief with grimsley, the two are partners in crime for sure. shauntal also has a bad habit of getting too focused on her writing and becoming a temporary shut-in.

-caitlin is reliable and trustworthy when she can be. the others are very aware of her narcolepsy and obviously don’t treat her like they’re helpless, but they do understand she won’t always be present. and they’re okay with that. they’ve known caitlin for ages now and so they know how to help, assist, and work with caitlin’s diagnosis.

-speaking of caitlin, she has autism. i see a lot of people depict her as very bubbly, but i see her as more blunt and monotone. along with her constant tiredness, she doesn’t have the energy to keep up verbal appearances, and so sometimes she comes off as rude or apathetic. she also has a very sarcastic sense of humor, which grimsley finds extremely hilarious. she makes him laugh all the time.

-caitlin’s style is very pink and bubbly and has the black cat personality, while shauntal has the black cat style and the bubbly personality. they are gay <3

UH I SHOULD PROBABLY STOP THERE BUT YEAH-

[stagred]

MEDIA THAT INSPIRES MY VERSION OF ALASTOR!

Shawshank Redemption: Andy Dufresne. The themes of accepting your fate. Man imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit becomes a criminal to survive in prison, but still suffers immensely and makes close and passionate friends. Realizes that prison is where he thrives, yet craves freedom and spends nearly 20 years fighting for it

Candyman: Tony Todd's portrayal. Powerful, terrifying eldritch being. Tall, handsome, well dressed, eloquent. In a moment where bees are swarming in his mouth, he kisses the heroine with such divine passion that you almost forget the horror. But also themes of Black suffering, exacting revenge because you need to, not because you want to. Romance as a detriment, a disadvantage, not something to fight for.

SE7EN: Violent and creative crimes committed to force attrition. Embodying sin and punishing it. "People these days, you cant just tap them on the shoulder anymore. You have to hit them over the head with a sledgehammer. And then you'll find… you have their strict attention." Neon crosses, sex and debauchery, the underbelly of a city. The unnamed city that doesn't exist, but everyone can identify. "Mankind is good, and worth fighting for. I agree with the second part."

We Happy Few: Using happiness and suppression to hide your trauma. Attacking those who don't conform. The sinister fear behind every over-stretched smile. 60s vibes, but forever tainted by 30s and 40s events because the people never moved onward. Muttering to oneself in mourning of the memories you cant remember forgetting.

Bioshock: "No gods or kings, only man." Freedom of expression, but a violent hatred of the beings who control it regardless of the context they're in, like religion and education. Sander Cohen. Art at any cost. Transformation, puppets on strings, playing your part on a stage and diverting from the script. The neon glow of the 60s nightlife, but waterlogged and destroyed by time.

It Follows: A creeping monster that can only walk, but will never stop. Pass it on through acts of sex and debauchery. Vibrant red blood in a glowing blue pool from an entity you can't even see that you injured.

Matilda The Musical: Agatha Trunchbull. "The Smell Of Rebellion." Hatred of those weaker than you to an almost comical degree. Cleverness and loopholes in rules. Hurting people back, because why should you be the bigger person? "A contract is a contract is a contract!"

Carrie The Musical: Voice breaking during emotional numbers. "Eve Was Weak." Religious trauma manifesting physically. Covered in blood and surrounded by fire. "Mother was right."

The Shining: All work and no play makes Alastor a dull boy. Being held hostage by the narrative, regardless of if you're doomed by it. Blood cascading through the halls. "I'm not gonna hurt you… I'm just gonna bash your fucking brains in!" The empty ballroom, the bartender who isn't there.

The Green Mile: Killing a miracle. Percy Wetmore. Burning people alive just to see what might happen. Weeping as you sing "Cheek To Cheek" and face the reaper. Clutching the bodies of two little girls and crying to the heavens because it isn't fucking fair.

The Black Phone: The masks. "It's his favorite game: good boy, bad boy." The phone that doesn't work, and the calls that keep coming in. Little boys floating in the air, throats slit, begging for help. Jesus as a deity to worship for divination. The entire kitchen scene. (CW for child abuse)

Coraline: Forced smiles. Eating bugs like candy. "He pulled a looooong face, and Mother didn't like that." The Other Mother. "She'd love something to eat. / Mothers don't eat… daughters. / I dunno. how do you taste?" Watching victims through the dolls.

Welcome To Night Vale: The specific sense of melancholy and nostalgia that just listening to the podcast inflicts upon the listener. The radio host as the protector of the city.

The Princess and the Frog: Facilier. Friends on the other side. Voodoo in all its forms. "Fun thing about voodoo, Larry. Can't conjure a thing for myself."

[dragonflight203]

Mass Effect 2 replay, beginning:

-Right from the start the vibe is obviously different.

Mass Effect 1 has a slow, exploratory intro. You get to walk around the Normandy and have the option to talk to different characters in the depth you choose. Then you’re dropped on Eden Prime and alternate between combat and talking to survivors.

Mass Effect 2 drops you right into an exploding ship, then into a base under attack. Far more cinematographic, but noticeably less world building and less talking.

Neither is wrong, per se, but I greatly prefer Mass Effect 1.

-Miranda’s introduction centers her sexuality. First you see her back and ass, then you see her stride forward shaking her hips to an excessive degree, all in that cat suit.

This never helps my first impression of Mass Effect 2.

At the start, Miranda’s the only female main character* – next up are Jacob, then Wilson, then TIM. There are other female characters, but they’re all in the background.

So the only prominent female character in the introduction of ME2 is heavily sexualized, much more than the average female character in ME1.

This does not make for a promising start. While it’s not enough to ruin either game, the increased sexualization of female characters through ME2 and ME3 remains irritating throughout. I prefer the greater gender neutrality in ME1.

*Excluding Shepard, who can be either gender

-It’s odd that Miranda blames the Council not listening to Cerberus on their low opinion of humanity. I’d wager Cerberus being a terrorist group is a greater problem.

Then again, at this point Miranda genuinely believes all the cells we destroyed in ME1 are “rogue cells”, so I suppose she doesn’t consider Cerberus to be terrorists.

-The game intro states the attack on the Citadel is officially blamed on the geth and Saren.

This is the line the Council will stick to later when speaking to Shepard – does Shepard ever consider that they’re getting the “official line” treatment because they’re with Cerberus?

There’s no indication of it in the game, but it’s a reasonable extrapolation.

-Why don’t the Collectors target the escape pods?

We know that must of the Normandy crew survives. Ergo, the escape pods make it away.

Shepard was the Collectors target – how did they know Shepard wasn’t in one of the pods?

This can probably be credited to some kind of advanced technology if you want to do so, but it feels like an oversight.

-The Alliance was right to ground Joker. He is the reason Shepard dies – if he had obeyed orders, both he and Shepard could have made it to the escape pods. And since the Collectors didn’t target those, they would have survived.

-What is the popular opinion of the art for the Genesis comic? Personally, I’m not fond of it.

-Shepard still refuses to acknowledge that the Council had a point in the first meeting about Eden Prime. They state that the Council refused to believe one of their spectres could have attacked the colony, and that they wanted evidence so Shepard had to go and find proof.

Why is wanting proof that someone committed a crime before convicting them of it a bad thing???

-The comic skips Feros completely. I suppose that’s reasonable, since it’s main purpose is to let players make some of the major choices that carry over to ME2 and Feros doesn’t have any.

The cipher isn’t critical to any plot points in ME2, so no need to review it.

-The comic takes many poetic licenses.

I was never interested in romancing Liara, but the comic certainly makes it sound like I was.

Benezia also doesn’t die in Liara’s arms – you might not even have recruited Liara at that point. However, the comic always says that she does.

-It also keeps talking about relays into dark space. There’s only one known relay to dark space: The Citadel relay. That’s a major plot point, so odd that it’s not correct.

-It says Saren died believing the Reapers would save him. That’s not true – if you kill him, there’s no indication that Saren expected the Reapers to intervene.

In my playthough Saren actually killed himself, but again this comic is intended for players that did not play ME1. I suppose the game defaults to you needing to kill Saren.

-Since I went neutral on the Council choice in ME1, I did have to choose a councilor in the comic. No neutral option here.

I went with Anderson. At least that way the first human councilor dies a hero, rather than a traitor.

-As many others have said, how does Shepard know that the pistol is missing a thermal clip?

I thought they might have been familiar with some prototype weapons created to use thermal clips and recognized it as such, but Shepard dies only a month after the attack on the Citadel. Feels a bit too soon for thermal clip weapons.

-Ah, ME2 combat how much I dislike you.

Insanity is much harder. My shields are worthless.

-The irony here is rather sad. Shepard (from their perspective) just killed Saren, who preached about how they’re the pinnacle of evolution as an organic and machine intertwined thanks to the enhancements Sovereign gave them.

Now they’re in a lab hearing about how Shepard is a mix of flesh and synthetics. Just like Saren was a mix of flesh and steel.

The game could have really added some depth by leaning into the horror aspect of all this, maybe some fears that Shepard will become like Saren. Shame it did so little.

-The game emphasizes repeatedly, over and over, how Shepard is just how they were before they died.

This is waste of a Chekhov’s gun – the repeated protestations feel like they should result in some kind of dark reveal, but they don’t.

So instead it feels like a plot thread left hanging, and you’re left wondering why the game won’t shut up about it.

-The game doesn’t even try to hide that Wilson is up to something. Every line out of his mouth is suspicious, and most noticeably when he’s in the party you can’t go to the squad menu.

Given you just recruited Jacob, you likely went into it to distribute his powers. So when you go to do the same for Wilson you’ll notice it’s disabled.

ME1 and ME3 handle this better with Jenkins and Anderson.

-And ME2 is already massively downplaying Cerberus’ behavior in ME1. If you go paragon, Shepard says it’s some kind of pro human splinter group they ran into a few times.

Really? No mention of killing Admiral Kohaku? All the experiments? Attempting to use the Thorians and Rachni as weapons/tools? The colony they murdered? The squad of marines fed to thresher maws?It’s just a pro human splinter group?

I’m playing Sole Survivor Shepard. This is ridiculous.

-Once again, ME2 is structuring it so the human female companion is renegade and the human male companion is paragon.

Notably, however, Miranda is cold compared to Ashley’s warmth and Jacob is emotional compared to Kaidan’s logic.

-Miranda first says that it’s fine to abandon the other survivors, because Shepard is the only person on the station worth saving.

Then she says that’s completely fine leaving to you to rot on the station with the mechs if you refuse to go with her.

Make up your mind.

-Very irritatingly, when you speak to TIM you can’t choose any of the investigation options AND go paragon.

Let me find out everything I can and still tell him to fuck off because he’s not trust worthy, damn it.

-TIM claims the Alliance isn’t acting on the missing colonies because they don’t have the resources. Nice of him to throw shade at Shepard for saving the Council – I take it that the lack of resources are because of the ships lost doing so.

Also, this is a lie – the Alliance is upgrading colony defenses. In the description of Freedom’s Progress it notes colony defenses had recently been increased, and later we see the Virmire Survivor doing so on Horizon.

(I’m also reminded of the codex entry where humanity is seen as unusual for having so many colonies without dedicated defenses. Humanity insists this is fine because the Alliance can quickly move to any colony’s defense as needed, but the evidence certainly indicates otherwise…)

-I do believe that TIM genuinely believes Cerberus to be acting in humanity’s best interests here. Cerberus is a pro human group, and this is protecting humanity.

That it also aligns with his long-term goal of obtaining Collector technology is a bonus.

-If you go paragon, the game says you can part ways with Cerberus if you don’t believe what TIM’s telling you. Shame that’s not actually true.

-Shepard asks TIM if Miranda and Jacob are trustworthy. This is recurring question that they’ll ask later companions as well – they spend most of the game making up their mind on the two.

-Why is Freedom’s Progress in the Terminus Systems? I thought the Alliance was settling the Attican Traverse?

-Jacob, if you go neutral (paraphrased): Most Alliance soldiers hate Cerberus on principle.

Jacob, Cerberus murdered an Admiral. And a squad of marines. And a colony. It’s not on principle, it’s for an abundance of good reasons.

[findroleplay]

Hi! I’m 18+ (she/her) and I’m looking for literate & enthusiastic 18+ roleplayers for an oc x oc romance/drama plot (fxf, mxm, mxf, nb, but with a slight fxf preference rn).

Right now, I’m mostly looking for something that explores darker/heavier elements (tragedy, trauma, hurt/comfort, learning to love/be loved), but I still want to incorporate fluff as well. I’m mostly looking for people who want to write complicated characters and delve into their psyche and how their experiences have shaped them both within and outside of relationships. So, please be comfortable with some angst and dark themes, but we can also discuss triggers/boundaries prior to plotting too. I would also be down for a few fluffy plots with less angst, I’m just not looking for as many of those at the moment.

My main genres are fantasy (medieval, ancient, gaslamp, futuristic), modern, and supernatural (excluding romance/drama since that’s a given) and I’m fine with realistic fcs, descriptions, or drawn/animated fcs. I also love chatting ooc (esp about character writing & ocs) and making playlists if that’s something you also like. If you’re interested in any of the below concepts, leave a like and I’ll reach out!

- vengeful serial killer whose victims all have a link to someone powerful & the agent tasked with covertly eliminating them or catching them

- forbidden romance with two people from rival crime syndicates or noble families (preferably futuristic or fantasy for the second option)

- vampire x vampire hunter / demon x hunter or a god’s vessel/priest

- villain x hero

- android x human

- rival dragonriders

- a god x mortal or cursed demigod x demigod hero

- fantasy arranged marriage w/ rivals to lovers or enemies to lovers

- childhood friends to enemies to lovers or childhood friends to lovers except they can’t get their stuff together and one ends up dating the other’s sibling

- childhood rivals to lovers who’ve spent their childhood competing against one another in almost anything possible. pls give me the dark academia vibes

- (fictional) royal x celebrity

- a spy or assassin romance where they’re either from enemy nations/factions or they’re tasked with hunting each other down

- queen x king’s mistress or mistress x heir(ess) who has to marry to maintain inheritance. bonus points for being set in a period of brewing revolution 👀

- feel free to bring any of your own concepts/ideas!

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