#lots of very good sols. I like the sols in this one a ton. hes deviously cute.

[tillman]

Theres some bangers in here 👍

[maleyanderecafe]

Eyooo! Long time no ask ( `~`) been extremely busy these months, sooo any recommendations on blogs that write yandere content? Like with no especific character, just a yandere x reader? Also dunno if he's a yandere or not but Dys from I was a teenager exocolonist [spoiler]

is obsessive towards the mc on the ending where they are together, but what I don't like so much about him is that he's obsessed with the planet too lmao, dunno if there's an ending where he stays with the mc all his life

Sorry for like.. the extremely long time it took to answer this one. I think since I first saw this ask, a bunch of things regarding yandere x reader has changed, but I will try to give some recommendations.

@heartfullofleeches usually has very interesting and unorthodox yanderes and darlings, some of which are ocs and some are not

@sublimetragedychopshop doesn't have yandere x reader per say but does have some fun yandere concepts.

@godnectar has some good yandere x reader concepts of various types like vampires, jocks and twins

@mysticmellowlove has some ideas that I really like, most of them being sub yanderes, my favorite

@hana-no-seiiki - has a mix of fanon and oc style yanderes. They also have pretty good art from what I remember.

@suiana - has tons and I mean tons of yandere reader style concepts. I think out of all of these this is probably the one closest to what you're asking about.

@running-with-kn1ves sometimes has some yandere x reader ones that are not from fandoms, but you'll have to dig through and see.

@goldienectar - also has some good ones.

The unfortunate thing about yandere writers is that a lot of them end up coming and going over the years. You can also look through my #yandere ideas tag for something similar.

Moving onto the next part... this is gonna be kind of long.

I was a Teenage Exocolonist is really fun, and it's a really well crafted game. I played it a lot, but ultimately while I was upgrading my computer I lost my saves for it, so I didn't want to redo everything, so I just left it alone for a while. Still, I think while Dys has traits of a yandere in certain endings, he ultimately is not as a whole. I would say maybe one or two of the endings make him a yandere and one of them is very, very iffy. I will admit though, I didn't get to finish everything about his route (or the others), so I might have some of this information incorrect.

To summarize what I was a Teenage Exocolonist is about, as the name suggests, it's about the life of Sol as a exocolonist. The game play is very much a card style game where you manage a deck based off of the skills and memory/events that Sol has throughout their life. It's very sim like so you can romance most of the characters your age, starting from when you're around 5 years old to around 18 years old. You gain skills depending on tasks that you do, buy items, gain relationships with other characters, etc.

The general story is that Sol is brought to a new planet along with a bunch of other families to build a life there. As the story goes on, they learn about what they have to do to learn about the planet, from science to nurturing, to learning about the wildlife there to adventuring. However, after a while, it becomes very clear that there is something else on the planet, something that doesn't want them there. They have to defend against aliens, a lot of which often costs some character's lives, along with various diseases and famine can cause many characters, including Sol's parents, to perish if you don't have the right stats. At some point, there is a raid that is so devastating that it ends up destroying most of the colony. From then on, there is a new group of people in power, along with various other characters that you can interact with and date. Depending on the route you go, you might end up meeting a being named Sym, one of the aliens on the planet. He seems to be incredibly interested in the humans here and is in contact with the species that seems to be attacking the colony. Depending on your choices, you can end up befriending him and saving the colony, or even end up becoming the planet yourself. It seems that Sol is kind of in a time loop, always going back to the beginning and remembering things from previous playthroughs, making certain events easier or otherwise bypassing them entirely.

Dys himself is pretty interesting. He has a rather sad childhood, with his mother committing suicide at a young age, causing him and his twin sister Tangent to becoming distant from each other. As a kid, he is very morose and doesn't really fit in with the other kids, even getting bullied a lot by them. He knows he doesn't belong to the colony and constantly strives to learn more about the planet, sneaking out with him to explore. It's no surprise that as he grows up, he distances himself from most of the other colony members and prefers going out and exploring, learning about the planet and feeling alive when he does. He can have a very cute relationship with Sol, with him believing that they are the only one who he feels truly understands him. Dys eventually does meet Sym, growing a great fascination and attraction to him and if the two of you are not in a relationship (or have otherwise broken up) he will end up with Sym most of the time. Sol, Dys and Sym can also have a polyamorous relationship with each other.

For Dys, there is always an scene where he attempts to bomb part of the colony. Tired of them being there, believing that they are causing a lot of problem for the planet, he tries to destroy it. Sol can agree to this and the two of them can end up destroying the colony and running away together. He becomes rather clingy as a result. I think in other endings he is generally a bit clingy considering that he doesn't really have anyone else to talk to.

The other ending is if Sol decides to become part of the planet. Dys will also do so the same, and when the two are sort of merged, they have a wonderful time together being one with everything. The game describes Dys and Sol in this form as "being an extension of each other" as they can be anything they wish on the planet, and are sort of, in a way, each other.

Dys in himself isn't really much of a yandere, even when you do romance him. While it is true, that he does exhibit yandere traits (being clingy, for instance), it's more because of the fact that he is pretty isolated from the other characters in the game, wanting to explore rather than be with anyone in the colony. I think the closest to yandere is when the two of you agree to bomb the colony and run away together. The planet ending with Sym is kind of strange, since it does have the traits of being together forever, but it is more of the idea of being one with everything, rather with just the two of them forever.

Still despite that, I really do like all of the characters in this game. It is genuinely so interesting seeing how they develop in the game and how you interact with them, going into some pretty deep and dark topics as well, along with some more fun memories. I think my favorite characters besides Dys are Cal and Nomi-Nomi and I kind of wish I had done a route with Nomi-Nomi because I love them so much. Maybe in a future run. It really is a beautiful game.

[bonefall]

Are you going to do anything with the group of cats in the Sun-Drown Twolegplace from Sunset? I always hoped they’d come up again in a super edition or something, and as far as I’m aware they didn’t. I think they’re neat

You mean the group from Sunrise? The group of cats who previously followed Sol, but had since learned their lesson?

Jingo (leader)

Hussar

Speckle

Pod

Fritz

Jet

Pepper (Jet's littermate, killed by dogs)

Chirp

Merry

Frisk (Speckle's child along with 3 unnamed siblings)

These ones?

Unfortunately it's very likely they're going to get elbowed out of BB because of the Sol reduxes I've done. He isn't JUST some cat anymore; Sol is a god and its vessel is Harry. So there wouldn't be a scene where they go and meet these random cats.

In general I tend to avoid the various "random" cats outside of the Clans. Imo, I find it somewhat frustrating that canon has such a HUGE cast of various Clan cats, but every 3 books we get a ton of one-off outsiders who are never relevant ever again.

Like Cody for example, in TNP. Yes Cody is cute, but they couldn't have Leafpaw grow close to like, a WindClan elder escaping the poisoning? Or just, Ferncloud, who's going through a lot right now? Show us some more details about Ashfur who's about to be a major romance option for Squilf? You don't have any arc for a side characters you could use this time for?

You couldn't pick a character with some kind of legitimate emotional connection to their ANCESTRAL HOME BEING BULLDOZED?

Idk, it often annoys me. It's an extension of how some of these books feel packed with filler and dead-ends.

BUT, I do try to build outsider groups when possible, so Clan cats aren't totally alone in the world.

If I could figure out a good reason for them to exist without it being distracting (for example I would get frustrated if I had to set these characters up during the Salt Patrol episode instead of building up the massive apprentice generation) I wouldn't be opposed to them being here.

I could also repurpose them elsewhere, if I do end up making a Hengest Culture. I can bookmark them for that. Jessie is going to eventually return to Hengest after cat-divorcing Bramblestar, they could show up then.

TL;DR Unlikely I'll need them, but I'll keep them in mind.

[wilderflcwers]

had to clip this bit as it caused me to lose my life

(transcript:)

Murph: And you see, almost instantly, Ol’ Guppy bursts through the door.

Ol' Guppy: Oh, hey, ah, heard you’re on the market.

Calliope: Yeah, you want to buy the Grand Mariner?

Ol' Guppy: Yeah, we’re gonna buy the Grand Mariner.

Sol: Wow!

Ol' Guppy: Yeah, we’ve been trying to buy it for a bit, we’ve been trying to, you know, get a new business because the bar hasn’t been doing too well.

Calder: Wow, I can’t imagine why.

Sol: I think, you know, going from a small bar to a massive hotel is gonna be the perfect fit.

Ol' Guppy: Yeah.

Calliope: I think so.

Ol' Guppy: I got you guys a baby.

Sol: Huh?

Calliope & Calder: What?

Murph: You see Ol’ Guppy hands you guys a fishbowl with a fish in it.

Sol: Is this your…child?

Ol' Guppy: Yeah.

Sol: Congratulations!

Ol' Guppy: One—one of ‘em.

Calliope: Do you—do you want to raise your own child?

Ol' Guppy: I have—I’ve raised a ton of ‘em.

Calliope: Ok!

Sol: You want us to just…take your baby?

Ol' Guppy: Yeah, just one of ‘em!

Sol: I don’t know anything about Guppy culture, maybe this is like a thing.

Ol' Guppy: These guys are very finicky eaters, saltwater fish, difficult to maintain—

Calliope: Saltwater—shit. I’m freshwater.

Ol' Guppy: What? You got a freshwater tank?

Calliope: I’m freshwater.

Sol: I’m freshwater too.

Ol' Guppy: Ok, well, you just gotta get a saltwater tank, it’s not a big deal.

Calder: It’s—ok.

Ol' Guppy: If they live, they live for like 200 years. I’m 194.

Calder: It’s a lot of responsibility.

Sol: Wow!

Ol' Guppy: Yeah.

Calliope: Ok. Ok!

Ol' Guppy: Ok.

Calliope: Thank you…

Ol' Guppy: Alright.

Calliope: …so much.

Ol' Guppy: I’m gonna start filling out the paperwork back here with the manager or whatever.

Calder: You’re sure you don’t want to go home and work on a business plan and come back tomorrow or the next day?

Ol' Guppy: AH…I feel like I’ll figure it out. I feel like when you guys already ran the hotel, pretty much, so, we’ll take it from here.

Calliope: What is its name?

Ol' Guppy: What is the fish’s name?

Calliope: The baby.

Ol' Guppy: The baby’s name? I just gunked out a buncha eggs, so—

Calliope: Ok, we’ll call him Gunk!

Sol: Gunk is perfect!

Calliope: Gunk is perfect.

Ol' Guppy: Perfect. Alright.

Calder: Gunk.

Sol: Gunk Jungle!

Ol' Guppy: Alright, be careful out there. Alright. Let me know if you need any room service.

Calliope & Sol: We do.

Ol' Guppy: Yeah.

Calliope: (I look at Gunk, and I think of him saying he gunked all over a bunch of eggs, and I say,) I think I’m actually good. I’m good.

Ol' Guppy: Ok. Well, he’s gonna need to eat every couple hours.

Calder: (incredulous) Couple hours…

Sol: I think, just, you know, like one of everything. Just bring it on up.

Ol' Guppy: One of everything, ok.

Calder: What does Gunk eat?

Ol' Guppy: What does Gunk eat?

Calder: What is Gunk’s diet?

Ol' Guppy: You gotta figure it out.

Calliope: What?

Ol' Guppy: I don’t know!

Calliope: That is not normal for the baby process!

Ol' Guppy: I’m 194 years old, I live to be 200, when do you think the last time I raised kids was!

Calliope: Do you have books that tell me how to raise this child?

Ol' Guppy: I told you. Finicky eaters, saltwater.

Calder: Got it.

Calliope: You don’t have, like, a—

Ol' Guppy: Live to be 200 years old.

Calder: Of course.

Ol' Guppy: Stinks really bad if he dies.

Calder: Really.

Sol: Why—

Ol' Guppy: Yeah.

Sol: So don’t let it die. (Ol' Guppy: Don’t let him die.) That’s a good start for any parent, I’d say.

Calder: (I look at Gunk and I say,) Um, what do you want to eat, kid?

Murph: You see the little guppy just swims up to the side and gives you the stink eye. Just this little green fish with beady little eyes and a big, sad mouth.

Calder: Are you mad at me?

Sol: So like, chicken nuggets?

Gunk: (Gunk noises)

Calliope: (I start just dangling food into the bowl.)

Murph: Give me a persuasion check with disadvantage.

Emily: That’s a three and a four, becomes a twelve.

Murph: Hides in the bottom of the bowl.

Calder: Ok…

Calliope: Ok.

Riaris: Oh, wow.

Jake: Maybe—Calder tries cheese, just like some—some cheese that he has.

Murph: Give me a persuasion check with disadvantage.

Sol: You had cheese this whole time?

Jake: Shout-out to the Two Crew.

Murph: You see he hides in the other corner of the bowl.

Calder: That makes sense.

Murph: You see the bowl starts to get dirty.

Ol' Guppy: Oh, you’re gonna have to change that.

Calder: Yeah, of course.

Ol' Guppy: Yeah, they poop a lot, even though they don’t eat a lot.

Sol: Huh. That’s interesting.

Calliope: Change the bowl…change the bowl…

Ol' Guppy: So just be on the lookout.

Calder: (I run outside the airlock, change the water, come back.)

Murph: You see Riaris puts his hand on your guys’ shoulders.

Riaris: I can take this on, if this is—if that would be better for you guys, and if you think it might be better for Gunk. I know you guys are on the run.

Calliope: I think I kind of want Gunk, but I’m a little worried that Gunk is gonna just freeze when we go up north.

Calder: Will you look after Gunk for us til we get back?

Sol: Yeah, I don’t think we could put a parka on Gunk.

Riaris: Just another reason for you guys to come back soon!

Calliope: (I hand over Gunk, but I’m shaking, like I’ve already formed a bond.)

Murph: You see Kenna holds—you see Kenna puts her hand on your shoulder.

Kenna: (tearfully) We’re gonna miss you, Gunk.

Calder: (I snatch Gunk. I snatch Gunk.) Um, we’ll let—well, we’ll bring him up to the room for the room service and one last feast, don’t you think?

Caldwell: I want to try something real quick.

Calder: We’ll hang out with him for a bit.

Caldwell: Just gonna pour a little bit of a Molson into Gunk’s bowl.

Murph: Go ahead and give me a persuasion check with disadvantage.

Caldwell: HAH! That’s a natural one.

Murph: You see, it looks like Gunk dies.

Sol: AAH—

Calliope: WHAT?

Murph: Turns upside down and begins floating (laughing) towards the top—

Calder: (I rush out and I change the water. I change the water. I change the water! Instantly change the water.)

Calliope: HE’S JOKING, HE’S JOKING!

(unintelligible distress)

Calliope: GUNK! Please, I only just met you and I love you already!

Sol: I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!

Calliope: GUNK!

Murph: You see Gunk flips back up and just kind of looks pissed off.

Calder: (I come in and I push Sol really hard.) What are you doing?

Sol: I deserve that, you’re right. Riaris, clearly we are not ready for a child. I think that you, as the Guardian of the Vibe, this is part of your charge, this is part of your—

Calder: We’re not ready? You’re not ready! I just did cheese, you did beer!

Calliope: I know! I know!

Riaris: (placatingly) Let’s keep the vibe going, ok, let’s get up to that penthouse.

Calliope: I was gonna figure it out…

Riaris: Let’s get up to the penthouse.

Calder: Come on, Gunk.

Murph: You guys get up to this penthouse that looks out into the ocean. You can see all these fish, now free of Gromdall’s influence, sort of swim around happily. You can see the neon of the city in the distance, all these colorful lights that cascade into this big circular room.

Jake: Are there any expensive penthouse snacks, like a Toblerone bar, or, you know, fancy nuts?

Murph: Yeah, you find—

Jake: Can I try to feed Gunk again?

Murph: Yeah, of course, give me an animal handling or persuasion check with disadvantage.

Jake: Ok, that’s a little bit better.

Caldwell: I love the Gunk minigame.

Jake: Fourteen?

Murph: Fourteen? You see that Gunk sniffs a Toblerone bar.

Emily: Ok, ok, what about, are there any, like, healthy granola bars that are a little bit decadent?

Murph: Go ahead and give me an animal handling or persuasion check with disadvantage.

Emily: Dirty twenty.

Murph: Ok! Gunk begins eating the granola bar.

Calliope: It just wanted something nourishing!

Riaris: I don’t know if that’s good for it…

Calliope: He’s just been born!

Riaris: …but he’s eating it, and that’s nice…

Calliope: He knows instinctually that he needs this.

Calder: The young know what they want, indeed.

[jq37]

Quick pre-ep 16 speculation: The Rat Grinders' righteous anger at Aguefort Academy's BS drove them to try and resurrect Ankarna via Lucy, but she bailed last second and they killed her in a magical rage (Mary Anne is responsible for the knocked over trees--she's scary strong). Buddy was chosen because Sol subsumed Ankarna's domains; I've also seen theories that Devil's Honey turned her into Helio? Jace might be on Team Nightmare King and is trying to recorrupt Cass; also, is he a Divine Soul?

(Note: I got a TON of speculation posts after last episode so get ready for a bug ask dump)

Helio becoming Ankarna would be maybe the wildest thing that has ever happened on this show lol. Not my top theory--esp because as far as we know he has a mortal mom--but not entirely out of pocket and I would love to see the fan reaction considering how many people love Ankarna and hate Helio.

(Side Note: I do think a lot of the Helio hate is misplaced barring more information about nefarious or neglectful goings on because we haven't actually seen him do anything bad. Kristen was just disappointed in him. Which, sure that's fine. That's totally valid to feel let down upon meeting your hero. But why were you expecting the god of corn to tell you why suffering exists? That seems way out of the purview of corn. It's not like he's God. He's just a god. He's not even the most important god in his own pantheon! And he has followers that suck of course from the run of the mill zealots like Kristen's parents to straight up terrorist cultists like the Harvestmen but that's not exclusive of Helioism. But this is so off track and for a different post entirely)

I've also been wondering if Jace is Divine Soul since we don't really have a great idea how he's involved here. Him being connected to one of our once-dead gods would be a very interesting way to give him a connection.

And I would also be done with Aguefort BS if I went to that school to give Kipperlilly one right, but that's still not a good enough reason to kill 2 clerics, girl!

Anyway, speculation recorded!

[raccoon-eyed-rebel]

I miss my guys from 179 Crescent Street and I know it's gonna be some time until I get the next chapters, so I hope you have some time for little headcanon snippets...

I was wondering how the guys are dealing with being jealous...

Are they jealous at all? And if they are, how are they going to react?

OH BOY! Thank you so much for this ask! You know I love talking about my boys! I used your edits for most of the dividers <3 (Except the Mikey one, because I needed that purple-redish bckg that I love so much...)

Let's get into it! I'm going to tag @deandoesthingstome @keanureevesisbae and @fvckinghenrycavill for the hell of it, because I just need you to hear my incessant rambling about these boys ❤️❤️❤️

Warnings: We're gonna be offhandedly mentioning sex a couple of times. Big whoop.

It's been said a million times at this point, but I'll just repeat it; Mike is super laid back about almost everything.

This guy wouldn't know jealousy if it hit him square in the nuts with a baseball bat. That means he doesn't do well with a partner who is prone to jealousy.

He 100% will not understand why you're a little miffed about what just happened because "but, babe, I was just licking her cheek? How is that weird?" They're just friends, you had better believe it, because he really isn't lying.

But doesn't he see that irgendwie, irgendwo, irgendwann there's always a ton of girls who are flirting with him? Huh? What? No? No one is flirting with him? He legit doesn't see it, because he's with you.

There's one little exception to this: Charles. Seriously, Charles Brandon can kindly fuck all the way off, and if he so much as looks at you wrong...

Contrary to popular belief, August Walker isn't a jealous guy. He isn't subtle in any way, so if you're going to be his girl, you know what he wants out of that relationship: Commitment, loyalty, trust. And a very intense sex life. He's not going to settle for vanilla...

Are there any guys checking his girl out? Of course! She's beautiful. But she wears the ring he gave her, her arms are wrapped around his waist, and she's going to end up in his bed tonight, screaming his name. He's not worried about anyone else.

There is one little exception to this and his name is Charles Brandon... Then again, he's not too worried. Brandon wouldn't risk taking a couple of punches to his prettyboy face for his friends' girls.

Anjelica, however... She's small but vicious, and you had better not spend too much time looking at her man. She might just gouge your eyes out.

'But I can look, right?' Yeah, you can look. The other way. Buh-bye.

Walter Marshall needs a hug, some good head, a whole lot of coffee, and probably therapy. And he's not even a cop yet!

He likes to keep you close, that's for sure. You always know when there's guys around who he doesn't trust, because the fingers of the hand that seems to be permanently on your hip dig into you so hard it definitely hurts a little.

It's okay though, he won't do anything rash or stupid as long as they keep their hands to themselves.

He'll save all of that anger for the rink, when he knows you're watching him play. Yeah, there's some unnecessary checks and punches, but if it gets you all hot and bothered...

Geralt isn't jealous at all! As long as his girl is near him all the time so he can keep an eye on her...

No, Geralt definitely likes to say he's not jealous, just suspicious, which is largely true. The first few months away from Sol were an adjustment, though, because he couldn't scowl at all those losers who went after his Swedish goddess.

Sol ironically likes to rev him up a little on those rare occasions they go out. She likes the way he claims her when they're finally alone again. The good thing is that Geralt hears and sees everything. He always knows when it's her playing around, or the guy getting a little too into it.

Now, Charles, that's an entirely different story. Geralt will and has throw hands if Mr. Brandon ever decides to try and get a little too friendly with his girl.

Napoleon Solo, jealous? Yes.

He has no trouble at all taking the things he wants for himself, and our Leon doesn't like it when other people touch his stuff.

However; he's a collector. Unfortunately, you aren't a collection if you're just by yourself, so watch out: You're the one who's going to end up jealous and hurt if you expect commitment and monogamy from this guy.

Now, if he were in that sort of relationship with you, he'd mostly be curious to see how you react. He's not going to blame the guys for trying; God knows he would have. But you... If you play along, you're definitely in for a long talk that might just end badly...

Much like Leon, Charles is very prone to want more, and more, and more. He'll happily go after whatever (and whoever) he wants, even if she's already taken - or he himself is. Honestly, everyone's continuously surprised he doesn't live with a permanently broken nose...

He likes to rile his friends up by flirting with their girlfriends, but he has no intention of seeing that through. Well, he's not planning on it, at least. This man has about as much control over his dick as I do over my brain. None. At all.

Now, if he did try to commit to one girl, trying to make a move on her would be a surefire way to get whacked in the teeth with a hockey stick. But if he so much as gets the idea that you're the one interested in anyone else? Let's just say he's very eye-for-an-eye when it comes to that...

Sy doesn't need to be jealous. I could just stop here, but allow me to explain:

Prince of pussy eating perfection. Don of dinner down there.

Do I need to keep going? Sy is the literal Headmaster! (@deandoesthingstome please appreciate this terrible pun)

He knows you'll come back for him - they all do, which is precisely why you had better not be the jealous type. Sy has no problems with commitment when he finds a girl he thinks is worth it, but the others ladies didn't get the memo: They just keep flocking to him.

He doesn't respond to any of it, of course, because you're his woman. His one and only. And you trust him completely.

That being said; it does get fucking annoying that these girls don't seem to understand the concept 'off the market'. Not that you don't understand why they do it... In fact, it's something you're very actively reminded of every time you see his face in between your legs...

Our lovely Sherlock is far too rational to be jealous, of course! Right?

We know he doesn't have a ton of experience (alright, he has no experience at all), and he absolutely would get a little anxious if he were to think Elena was into someone else.

Now, is he going to be smart and talk about these feelings? Probably not! She'll have to pull it out of him, and he won't take kindly to her laughing about it, but she can't help it because it's just so silly of him to think she'd want to be with anyone else!

Now, Elena likes that little bit of protectiveness, but she knows better than to go looking for trouble. Luckily, she's pretty, and guys do flirt with her, but Sherlock hardly ever notices; he's too busy looking at her, to be honest.

If he does notice, he just gets a bit sad, and a little clingy. Until the flirting crosses a line. It takes a lot to get Sherlock to lose his temper, but lewd and inappropriate behavior or comments towards his girlfriend will definitely set him off... Just ask Charles.

[sporesgalaxy]

Please tell me more about anime norse mythology i am deeply invested from only two posts

well, if u look in the tag theres some more character designs.....the story is extremely not finished being made tho. summer srendarrsmercy and i have some groundwork laid out but there's a lot of stuff to fill in still. and also my memory isnt the best and these r the notes i took last time she and i had a long talk abt it

so Im sure I'll miss details 2 say the least

•••

But uhhhhh I guess the gist is that like. It's based heavily on the Poetic Edda + Prose Edda + some of Summer & I's favorite fragmentary info........but aalso we have taken a ton of artistic liberty just for grins and giggles.........and the theme is maybe probably going to have to do with overcoming your fated demise with the power of anime friendship.......

So. First of all. Odin fucking left on a Journey a long ass time ago, told no one where he was going nor why, and Asgard has just kind of been trying to figure out what to do with themselves for a while now.

there is some kind of magic school that 4 of the 5 main characters go to (dont worry abt why theres a magic school. we came up w a reason I literally cant remember rn. Im sure the reason explains the following 2 things better as well). Hel can't be very hands-on but she is sort of overseeing this whole magic school thing. Her brother Fenrir is still bound by the magic ribbon but has been given enough slack to help her out with this.

the 2 MAIN main protagonists are Sunna, daughter of Sol the Sun Goddess, and Hjuki, who was informally adopted by Mani the Moon God (along with his younger sister Bill). Sol and Mani are being chased by wolves rn though :( (There was some more stuff going on w that that I know Ive forgotten as well aggh)

& maybe introduced as Rivals & then later teaming up w them we have Loki and Sigyn's daughter Narfi, along with her cousin (slash informally adoptive brother), Odin's youngest son Váli.

Presumably these teens will get up to some shenanigans. Folks familiar with the Rival Teen Duo will b aware that they have a terrible tragic fate. They Do Not Know This.......Yet. :( This kind of stuff is why we have to destroy fate w the power of friendship bro

Meanwhile on Midgard this elementary schooler is making crop circles every day and she does such a good job and we love her for it.

But seriously Magic was Lost Somehow on Midgard and she and Hjuki are the first humans in a long time to be able to wield it. She takes to it much more naturally than Hjuki, but is too young for magic school and also maybe is so powerful that she might be seen as a problem and therefore needs to be kept secret on Midgard.

[iwrestledavongonce]

You said music is very inspiring for you. Are there other things, that trigger ideas in you? Or inspire you to write? :)

Ohhh, good one. Thank you for that, I hope you brought time 😉

While music will always be the Alpha and the Omega for my inspiration (Shoutout to Hall & Oats, it’s always Thursday in space!) and the reason Tales of Taskforce Sol and I Became War For You actually exists, thinking about it just made me realize how many sources of inspiration I have.

Of course there’s the self-explanatory ones like things one experienced himself (visiting cities for example) or historical events, they’ll do their part. I do have a Corona-Virus Chapter for example.

Canon (Legends in Star Wars, all of them when it comes to Sailor Moon) and nods to it, are a big part as well. As well as headcanons (shoutout to @sailorheadcanons, the idea that some of the Senshi are not purely Japanese came from some HCs over there).

Then there’s fan art, from outfits to scenes they are one of my main sources as well. A beautiful piece of art I came upon lately for example inspirated me for the outline of the ending of Sequel Number Two.

Reading also inspires me a lot, as apart from the obvious Star Wars Legends Characters and Worldbuilding (thanks Wookieepedia as well!) a book can also spark an idea. The Rago Arc for example was very much inspired from a scene in the Corellian Trilogy books. Writing per se gets a lot of inspiration from fanfiction as well. I do get motivation to write from Poseidon’s Bounty for example.

I do have a Muse (actually two but i only talk about one) as well. I draw a lot of the sensuality and divinity of one of the female main characters from a certain Italian Diva in her younger years and she definitely will be the archetype for when there ever will be another sequel with middle-agged/ older characters.

Other Media (for example Games and Movies) have influence as well. I mean Sci-Fi per se has so many nods and even Cameos (Terminator or Saber Rider for example) in ToTFS. It’s also an Hommage to the whole Space-Western-Genre. But there’s more than that I draw from. Just lately i saw Tenet and there were some scenes I was like “Shit, I need stuff like that in IBWFY too”. Of course we already had lots of spy stuff and a nod to James Bond but the whole James Bond on Ampethamines Vibe of the movie catched me and I want to do another one. Although that chapter will see a different type of secret agent as our James Bond type hero will be a emerald-haired, 1,78cm tall Demigoddess with the body of a young Monica Bellucci and the Bond Girl will be a bearded antihero who’s way to unsubtle as spy but really good at blowing stuff up with superior fire power and turns our Jane Bond on not because he’s coming out of the sea in white speedos but with his talent as foster father in their little big defunctional family which also features two space lesbians, one of them an always cursing Brit who shares the same unhealthy drinking habits as bond boy. So, yeah. I do have tons of things I get inspiration from, and ToTFS is at least a love oath to music and two fandoms but probably even more and one to pop culture per se. Do I have fun putting all these sources together for my little, cracky Space-Opera-turned-Anti-War-Epos? Hell yeah!

[andro-dino]

Slightly abandoned character focus… characters lol

Hyoma, Yu, Julien, Sophie

I am so sorry this is random

tumblr user rainnotliam I don’t think you realize how much I fucking adore these characters

ENTONCES

as you can see. i have many thoughts on Hyoma. This man lives in my brain like an infestation and he will not get out. He’s. He’s just. He’s the guy ever. He’s literally the silliest of guys I don’t know what you want from me he’s so good. I absolutely love him and it makes me SO UPSET that he barely appears at all after fusion because he is SUCH a good character. He’s so well written and there’s so much depth to him if you really look and I just love him so much and I so badly wish he got more screen time. He’s also like, SUPER FUCKING SAD IF YOU THINK ABOUT HIM FOR TOO LONG. the amount of angsty ideas I’ve come with about him good lordddddd. He’s also a very relatable character and one that I very heavily project onto bcoz it’s my brain and I’ll do what I want

GOOD GOD YU FUCKING TENDO. EL SOL DE MI VIDA I LOVE HIM MORE THAN WORDS CAN DESCRIBE. HE’S JUST SUCH A FUN AND GOOFY CHARACTER. HES SO COOL AND SILLY AND LIKABLE AND JUST REALLY WELL FLESHED OUT AND EXECUTED AND GHERES JUST SO MANY THOUGHTS THAT HE MAKES ME THINK I LOVE HIM SO MUCH. yk what’s really interesting to me. For a very long time I really hated angst. especially if it’s for very sweet characters who deserve the world. And yet yu is probably the character I’ve made the most angst for and honestly I am really proud of a lot of it. He’s just such a complex character and I really like analyzing him and picking apart all those aspects of his character that are really sad once you think abt them and expanding upon them. One of my favorite fics I’ve ever written was an angsty Yu fic. He’s just such an interesting character to write and I love him a whole lot.

continuing on the trend of characters who’ve occupied too much of my brain space, JULIAN KONZERN WOOOOOO. He’s a bastard and I hate him but I love him he is one of my favorite characters I will defend him until I die but I wholeheartedly believe he deserves all the bullying he gets but also I wish more people liked him but also it’s completely justified why they don’t but also-

Yeah he’s one of the characters I’m the most mentally ill over. I’ve said it before but The Fallen Emperor is my favorite episode of the entirety of MFB it makes me cry several times every time I watch it. I just love how well Julian is written and developed and I love how him and Daxiang are built up as foils to each other and I love that Daxiang is the one to bring him back to his senses and it’s just really well executed. His bond with Sophie and wales makes me sob I love them so much I just I just I just <33333

AND SOPHIE BELOVED. MY WIFE. I LOVE HER. she’s just such a cool character. I love all the little tidbits of character and personality that are thrown in and I just love her. I think they definitely could’ve done a ton more with her but for what there is, she’s lovely. I love all the little complexities of her personality, all the little details and stuff about her gahhhh I just adore her she’s great <3

[flowerhound]

🏠💞🌟 for sollux or current fixation if you prefer >:3c

You’re SO sweet. If you don’t mind, I’ll do this for Sol, Blitzie, and Aster! 💚

Sollux + Callahan:

🏠: What’s you and your f/o’s dream home?

Someplace where we can have some peace, finally. No more Aternian standards of violence, we are carving out a space for ourselves on the New Earth and stuffing it to the gills with electronics (for Sol’s enrichment) and horror media (for my enrichment). It’s probably loosely shaped like a can, as most homes are, but with a few extra add-ons. It was built to our exact specifications as payment for helping create the world, and it’s a nice, dim, comfortable space with a little greenhouse out back.

🌟: Who’s the tease in the relationship?

It is a constant back and forth of dry banter and pretend bickering. We have endless patience for each other but someone who didn’t know us might mistake us for actually being crabby. That’s not the case we just love to poke at each other all day, it’s fun!

“2weetheart have you ever con2iidered gettiing the fuck out of the way when ii’m carryiing 2omethiing diirectly pa2t you?”

“I dunno honeybee have you ever considered not plowing through the house like you think you’re a steamroller?”

-mutual laughter-

💞: How do you both express affection?

Sol isn’t a big PDA or outward affection kinda guy. He’s a big quality time guy, and we are almost always found near each other, usually engaged in parallel play. Autistic bonding, yknow. He’s also good with acts of service and often builds things for me, or expresses affection with loving pop ups on my computer. I try to return this energy, but I’m more touchy feely and am also content to cuddle him or bonk my silly head on his.

Blitzø + Chapel:

🏠: What’s you and your f/o’s dream home?

Blitzø isn’t the biggest fan of Change when he can avoid it, and isn’t in any hurry to bail on his current apartment. It’s familiar and safe to him, and I can understand that. He is, however, open to renovating one of the rooms into something of a proper bedroom we can share, instead of both trying to squeeze onto his couch. Not too much has to change, but we can have our own space, with plenty of comfortable pillows and hammocks and such to laze around in. We’re not particular, as long as we can retreat away from the rest of Hell.

🌟: Who’s the tease in the relationship?

Everyone knows that Blitzie is an unstoppable flirt in the most perverse way. He tries to fluster me most often, and I usually indulge him by basking in his flirtations. He’s definitely the bigger tease, but I do manage to get him back from time to time. He tends to forget that I have plenty of ammunition on him, too, especially when I surprise him with sincerity.

“Hey Chap, have I told you today that you look fuckin’ delicious in your work getup?”

“You look good in everything, Blitzie.”

“Shit, how do I compete with that?”

💞: How do you both express affection?

Depending on who’s around, Blitzø’s affection varies. He’s very protective, and we watch each others backs. In less public settings he loves to cuddle up and feel small, twining tails and using me as a pillow. He struggles to verbalize affection, but he’s very clingy, and has something akin to separation anxiety if we’re too far off from each other for too long.

Astarion + Hymnal:

🏠: What’s you and your f/o’s dream home?

It will have to be someplace darker, most likely in the Underdark, to keep away from the sun. We tend to adventure and travel a lot with the rest of the gang, both on the surface and below, so we don’t need anything too big or sprawling just for us. We keep a small home in an Underdark outpost, decorated eclectically with finds from our adventures and bright with warm lighting to make up for the lack of sunlight. It’s not a ton, but it’s comfortable and it’s perfect for us when we need some time away from the others.

🌟: Who’s the tease in the relationship?

We both love to drive each other insane. He’s more of a classic tease, but I am not above picking on him frequently. I’m very dry-humored and he’s very flamboyant, it makes for a fun combination!

“Hymnal, my love, you wound me with your preconceived notions of my character!”

“…Are you done being a fruit about it so I can explain, starshine?”

💞: How do you both express affection?

Disgustingly. Astarion doesn’t shy away from PDA once he feels comfortable enough to be earnest. We’re constantly touching, always rambling sweet nothings to each other. He wants all the positive attention he can get, and is happy to return every bit of it. Words of affirmation, acts of service, physical touch… it’s all of the above with him, and he seems almost giddily scandalized by it, as if he can’t believe he’s doing this. My relationships with the Baldur’s Gang are varied, but he loves knowing that his is special and his place with me is unique!

[valentinecult]

What's your most favorite and least favorite song in the whole game? I like Let Me Carve Your Way the most. Zato's anguish of Milia's betrayal and Eddie's extistential dread dual with the tune. And the uplifting Queen inspired ending made me love it even more. I guess my least favorite is suprisingly Smell of the Game. Now don't get me wrong NAOKI is good vocalist but I hear some off key voice pitches that kinda annoy me. And the middle part felt like a voice strain for him.

This is going to be difficult for me since I have a ton of favorites.

If it is alright, I'll give you my two most favorite songs.

First one, Alone Infection. Since the Closed Beta back in 2020, Alone Infection (originally dubbed The Colors) always stuck out to me. It's an emotional rollercoaster that perfectly captures the development and character arc of Faust's story going from the scary serial killer to a helpful doctor. It's eerie in the first parts of the song that correlate to his...Silent Hill-esque design as if saying 'Oh my god, what the hell happened to him'? But the last verses of the song were beautiful, I literally--I mean LITERALLY was shedding some tears because those choruses felt like Faust finally gained closure and he's back to his normal self.

Second most favorite, Drift. Besides Ramlethal, Happy Chaos is another character I can relate to on a personal level. Like me, he has a sense of humor and is extremely laidback. The song is a mixture of many musical genres mashed into one. It's inconsistent and chaotic just like his personality and erratic behavior. The verses that go; "Yeah baby right right right." seized Happy Chaos' 'lets go with the flow' attitude. If I were to have my own theme song, it would be Drift. Oh, lets not forget...the opera. Oh man, the opera caught me off guard when I first listened to it. It showed a different side to Chaos. He loves drama, but he's very intelligent and philosophical. This will be weird but you ever tried doing his long speeches on philosophy during the opera segment in gameplay? It really adds a lot of impact to his taunts, like hearing an intelligent scholar sharing his views on the world.

As for my least favorite, The Disaster of Passion I guess? Don't get me wrong, it's cute, but hearing it play in gameplay doesn't fit the fighting aspect alone. I mean, if you have this play between Sol Badguy and Nagoriyuki, it just...wouldn't feel right. I know some would disagree, but that's just me.

[faeflowerz]

Happy Birthday Malleus Draconia 🐉

I am super backed up on my character reflections but i wanted to give translators some time to put out the stories. Thankfully, someone roughly translated Mal's union ssr. It's enough for me to go off of since i doubt there will be too much conflict.

Anyway, Malleus is kind of the mascot of Twst. He's the one who gets to be hyped up like he's going to be important. And i think it's kind of true. Maleficent is the favorite of Disney's villains IP. She's pretty wicked awesome and I think that mantle carried over to Malleus.

Here we go!

I remember oomf said that they were a little bothered by Malleus because hes TOO op with very little effort. They said the same about Leona, but let's stick with Mal. What we are forgetting is that he's a prince and learning magic is vital to his duty. Unlike Leona, he's going to be king. He's got a duty to set an example for his people and country. Plus, hes at least 1k years old so we aren't going to see him train. Personally, I cant tell if that's a good or bad thing. A weak Malleus is something i would have liked to see, but a bumbling prince would be a bad mascot.

Malleus has big shoes to fill. It's a burden that I think he hasn't realized yet. He says that he's not particularly 'good' in any subject, and to all of us, he seems to be skilled. In fact, Malleus seems to have skipped some of the arrogance that Leona has. His blunt statements about his power is a mere fact to him. He's powerful. He could literally have anyone any dorm he wants with very little effort. Malleus has the skills but not the experience to be like any of the other leaders. That's what makes him different. That's his weakness.

What i mean is that Malleus was extremely sheltered. It seems like being in public is new to him. Yes, he's old like Lilia but unlike Lilia, he spent most of his time in his homeland. The only life he lived was inside a castle. He wasn't severely monitored like Riddle, Lived in a shadow like Leona, bullied like Azul, and so on. Malleus is just himself, which is kind of innocent. Even when he talks about humans, he's fascinated by our culture, even our celebration of mortality. Yuu is one of the few humans who never heard of him and in turn is unafraid of him. Mal is pure in human terms.

Ignihyde is perfect for Malleus. Since he seems like a super traditional guy, he would learn a lot about technology and strengthen that part of his repertoire. In terms of a leadership battle, he'd most likely lose. Hear me out: you need to have really specific qualifications to be a representative of the dorm youre in. Malleus may be able to beat Riddle, but his personality would be too conflicting. He's not as picky as Riddle nor does he have a strict adherence to the Queen's rules. By that logic, Malleus would be SOL if he was the leader of Ignihyde. Idia's competitive where it counts and he would show off his skills not for others, but because it'd be a game for him. Innovation is the main component to Igni so Idia would be the only one who can get it done fast...as long as you don't give him an old Tamagotchi.

Let me just take a moment to gush about the cute little things about Malleus. Yes. I am deadass.

💚 he likes ice cream because he loves the cold feeling in his mouth. I would guess that he eats it way more often than he should.

💚 why tf does he have a big gargoyle in his room? Where did he get it? Does it have a name?

💚 he hates cake bc he doesn't like to eat it alone

💚 Hes a Capricorn which comes through in how he carries himself. Caps want respect but not attention. He's pretty lowkey despite his sociable nature.

💚 hes very cheeky. I like that you cant tell when hes joking about stuff.

💚 Hes the father of my children

Ok enough playing around. What do i want to see from him going forward? I want a challenge. Malleus is physically capable of surviving tons of shit, but it doesn't seem he's met his match. But that isnt to say that he cant be bested. I think his family is his weakness. Capricorns aren't known for their mushy sentimentality, but it doesn't mean that they don't have a soft spot. Seb and Silver don't seem to understand him quite as well as Lilia does (Lilia's post coming next) but having him around gives them time to bond. I want to see more of that too. The boys nearly idolize him to various degrees and as they see him in casual situations, it will make the heartbreak even more devastating.

It's the little things that Malleus does that make him popular in the fandom. We don't really KNOW him, but we get glimpses of him. His mysterious nature is accidental. Even as I write this, I realize how much I do like him as much as I love Maleficent (even as Kristen Chenoweth and Angelina Jolie). Chapter 7 better be 💯

Happy Birthday Malleus Draconia 🐉💚

[rsmrymnt-tea]

since im in love with Dola…..Iah i would love to hear any of your favorite headcanons for her and Satan (or Sol….or both hehe)

-@barbabetos

:0 omg… I feel like I have a ton but each time someone asks me I either blank out or feel so ridiculous writing them out >.< But this is the second time someone’s asked for them sdjkfhd I’m also super not sure how to do this aaaaa

So Dola got together with Satan first, and that’s after a lot of encouraging on both ends from the brothers and even the Purgatory men. Bit of a slow burn, and in my head they do that thing where it’s a solid friendship that becomes very domestic and comfortable. Then one day it just hits Dola that she really wants to hold his hand as they walk back to the HoL from RAD and Satan wants to give her a kiss after she takes some tea up to his room after he’d been in there reading nonstop for several hours. Basically like… a slow burn friends-to-lovers thing!

Honestly fully believe in Satan trying to do research on what to do next to court a human once he realizes what exactly it is he’s feeling, so he does a mix of demon and human traditions which end up… Not quite working? Since they were already acting like a couple anyway so it ended up being more of the same really, which frustrates him since he can’t really tell whether Dola returns his feelings or not. Doesn’t help that he overthinks any signs he gets and that she’s actively trying to hide and shove her feelings down because she doesn’t want to enter a relationship with Satan knowing that she’s not going to live for more than a century, and even a century is pushing it. But she also really, really wants to give it a shot anyway because the alternative is ‘life’s short, so why not?’

It’s his spiel when he finally confesses that tips the scales towards them being together. What does he say? Who knows, but it made her cry and say yes.

Anyway anyway—

I firmly believe that Satan’s taste in fashion eventually gets better over time the longer he’s with Dola, and it’s partly because she’s makes it very known when she likes what he’s wearing… and she really likes it when he wears like, dark academia with a slight grungy/punk edge. I feel like I saw the term ‘punk academia’ to describe what I’m imagining but I don’t really have the fashion terms >.> She’s aware that she’s conditioning him into dressing different and makes the most of it. He knows what she’s doing as well, but since he just benefits from it with Asmo leaving him alone about his fashion sense + people telling him that he and Dola look good together since their looks match more he’s more than okay with it.

They go on a lot of odd dates, often to try something new. They’ll go try out new cafes/restaurants, go see a new gallery show, take a class to learn something that’s completely out of one or both of their skillsets/comfort zone, or spend the day at home following YouTube tutorials on how to do x thing the whole day. Or they teach each other new stuff! Dola’s tried to show Satan how to embroider, knit, felt, sew, weave; Satan’s shown her a lot of more complicated recipes, taught her latte art, book binding, for some reason I see him as good at calligraphy and origami? Not to mention dates where they just work on a piece of art or a story together. They’ve definitely made illustrated books and paintings together, which Satan’s somehow managed to make room in his room for.

He helped Dola design her tattoo. He spent a good long while helping her research flower language and helped her match flowers to him and his brothers + the Purgatory boys (though his representation on there is more the leaves and herbs, according to her).

This is so Expected but they definitely rescue cats and kittens and the occasional other animal (usually birds or dogs) and take care of them together once Satan’s living with Dola up in the human world. Mostly they foster them until they have a new home, but a foster fail (or three) is unavoidable. Sometimes Satan’s tempted to take the Ring of Light (or when Solomon’s around, the Ring of Wisdom too) just so he can get a chance to talk to the animals he encounters too, but decides against it when he remembers that there’s no telling what wearing one of them would do to a demon.

Their longest lived ‘pet’ is a little black scorpion from Asmo that lived for an unnatural 70 years. They named it Momo after the gifter and it lived in a vivarium Solomon helped them set up. It glowed pink under blacklight and shone a shimmery rose if the light hit it right.

It’s isn’t really big spoon and little spoon with them it’s mostly ‘which part of Satan is my pillow tonight?’ when they sleep lol

They’ve come up with this system for when Satan gets angry and has trouble calming down. Dola gets his attention on her then uses a pact command to get him to take a few deep breaths before she asks him what he wants to do—be comforted, break something, get distracted, or be left alone. Usually Satan goes for a vent or comfort, though each of those options lead to some comfort anyway once Satan’s calmed down and tired out.

NSFW?? Since I don’t know where else I’m going to put these + remembered the first one after the anger thing

Angry sex isn’t really much of a thing with them. Like, sex gets rough sometimes (especially once Dola’s a lot sturdier thanks to magic), but if he’s angry he’s not going to risk it in case he gets too carried away in the heat of the moment. He’s still a demon with demonic strength, after all, no matter how much control he has over himself he’s not going to fully trust himself with her being that vulnerable if he’s any amount angry.

And speaking of sex, these two don’t really get into power dynamics much and just go with what the night’s mood is. Typically goes between light giggly sex, rough fucking, or serious and romantic lovemaking. Sometimes they’ll let the other take the lead to start, and occasionally set a few rules to follow for the night to spice things up but for the most part they’re very go with the flow.

Between the two… Idk I just think they both have had no experience prior to each other. Just too many irons in the fire and both just strike me as sentimental types who’d want to have sex with someone they deeply love and for Satan he’s only started feeling emotions other than anger + hatred while Dola’s there so… >.>;; While for Dola, she was just genuinely too busy or too depressed to even entertain the thought of a relationship prior to being in the Devildom.

So lots of experimenting and exploring, for sure. They’re both curious and have a ‘don’t knock it til you try it’ attitude and thankfully they found that their kinks and turn-ons are mostly the same, and one is usually willing to compromise for the other for the ones that aren’t. Dola’s a little hard on herself for not being into that many kinks (she has… high expectations of herself in a lot of ways even if it doesn’t make sense), but after a night involving degradation and impact play went badly after she overestimated herself, Satan’s promised to make absolutely sure that she always knows he doesn’t hold any of her aversions against her.

Dola asked him if they could have sex while he’s in his demon form once. He turned her down so she never brought it up again after that, but after a while when he was comfortable and trusted himself enough that he wouldn’t hurt her, he agreed to give it a try. It turned out to be really tender, sweet night of lovemaking that had him on the receiving end of a lot of body worship and since then he’s in his demon form about half the time they fuck. And yeah I headcanon that his dick’s different when he’s in his demon form dsfhjkdf

I feel like I ended up writing way more than you might’ve wanted??? Anyway here’s some that have come to mind that I don’t cringe too much at when I think about saying them out long (or posting them in public here?) Thank you for asking tho omg

@barbabetos

[mittensmorgul]

The other day I was trying to explain something SPN to my terminally disinterested father (I think it was about El Sol), and he said derisively, in his usual manner: "Oh I'm sure there's tons of product placement in the show; anything to make money!" And I said, defensively, that SPN never uses real-life trademark brands, not for beer, motel and shop and cafe franchises, nor for search engines and websites, etc. But then: Cosmic Cowboy. So my question is: what other real world brands did they use and why?

Well, hello there! And yeah, SPN did their very best to avoid product placement at all. You have to really look hard to find real-world brands-- even things like snack cakes called “Bing Bongs” instead of “Ding Dongs” like we have in our world. But you’re right, they do have a very few real world products in the SPN Universe.

Cosmic Cowboy was from a bar that only existed in Dean’s imagination, and was a tribute to Jensen’s brewery. There were tons of Family Business Beer Company references in Rocky’s Bar in 14.10. There’s a good list of them here:

https://mittensmorgul.tumblr.com/post/182537258925

It was just a nice shout out to Jensen, and not traditional product placement where they were making the big bucks.

There have been a few other personal shout outs via product placement, though. The 3 Sheeps beer sign that appeared beginning in s12, I think, is a real brewery in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Jerry Wanek, the production designer who is responsible for all these sorts of things in the entire series, is from Wisconsin. There’s a LOT of personal shout outs from him to his home state in the show-- such as the “OPE_” sign (where the N in OPEN is dark) that gets used in occasional gas stations and convenience stores.

The dialogue has often referenced real-world alcohol brands, as well. Look at the pilot episode when Sam refers to John “working overtime on a Miller time shift,” or hanging out with “Jim, Jack, and Jose,” referring to Jim Beam, Jack Daniels, and Jose Cuervo. Yet we don’t ever really SEE those brands in regular circulation on screen.

The most interesting thing is the sheer number of fake alcohol brands they invented for the show. There’s a handy list of them here:

https://200dollargod.tumblr.com/post/55879856964/for-my-own-reference-more-beers-el-sol

I mean, if they didn’t want to use real beer and liquor brands, I could see making up a handful of fake brands just so they could cycle through a variety of different signs and not just have the same one in every bar in the country. But seriously, look at that list. There must be a hundred different fake brands on it. WHY go through the bother of creating that many labels, carton packaging, promotional posters and other advertising logos, as well as neon signs, bar signs, and the like for THAT MANY different beers unless there was a really good reason to do so.

I mean, this show didn’t have an unlimited budget, and yet they felt it was important enough to make neon signs for a ridiculous number of these fake brands. And with a menu as long as the one they created, that gives them a LOT of potential interesting symbolism to be used. When you don’t need to use every beer brand you have in every bar you come across, or always have them drinking the same brand in every episode, they can do things like they did with El Sol (signaling that all is not as it seems, or that there’s deception afoot), Schultz (Death and Debts), or any of the others.

Like, in the episode after Jack was conceived, long before he would actually be born, we see the first instance of a beer called “Fast Jack Ale,” in a neon sign hanging between Mary and Cas in a bar. So like... they use the beer brands and signs for a lot of silent storytelling, and it’s laughable to suggest otherwise.

But I think an interesting statement on the entire show’s mindset about product placement is the story about how Jerry Wanek fought from the pilot episode to use their old fashioned themed motels as a fixture on the show. And then went above and beyond designing each of those rooms with relevant themes to either the location of that week’s case, or somehow connecting through to the plot or characters, or situations they encountered during the episode. I have some of them catalogued here:

https://mittensmorgul.tumblr.com/tagged/spn-motels

and there are probably more in my jerry tag (sorry I’m so bad at tagging >.>).

At the time, TPTB were pushing for them to ink a deal with Motel 6, so that every week Sam and Dean would be stopping at the same brand motel. THAT would’ve been product placement. And it would’ve been BORING AF. Which is why Jerry pitched the Themed Motels idea, and NONE of them brought in a penny of Motel 6 money. Neither does the vast majority of supposed product placement on this show. Because you can’t make product placement money for products that don’t actually exist.

Which means the ONLY reason for any of these products exist at all is because they exist for the sole purpose of telling the story through the visual narrative.

Just tell your dad sorry, but some weird blue-haired lady on the internet who calls herself Mittens says he’s wrong :’D

[thankskenpenders]

I guess part of the problem with Mogul's "I'll just sit on the side and wait for you to die" plot is that it kind of means that he ends up being a very passive character. But I guess one avenue for stories could be the heroes trying to stop Mogul from acquiring stuff that would be useful to him, knowing that if they don't keep it out of his hands *now*, it's going to be a huge problem for someone else *later* - do we get anything like that or is that an unexplored avenue?

We don't get a ton more Mogul content just because the series is gonna get rebooted in 60 issues. He appears a few more times (and one of those appearances is very cool and makes good use of where Ian took him), but to my knowledge we don't see him make any other big moves as a villain. (I could be wrong, though.)

Ian may very well have had more plans for the guy, but he's been unable to cover most of his plans for the old continuity due to some sort of ongoing legal problem with the Archie comics that has yet to be resolved. But personally, while I would have liked to see more Mogul, I think he was left in a pretty good place, and I understand that there were tons of other antagonists to juggle. (Eggman, Metal Sonic, and Snively; Scourge, Fiona, and the evil Freedom Fighters; Dimitri, Lien-Da, and the Dark Legion; Finitevus; the Hooligans and the Destructix; Naugus and his underling (who I won't spoil); the Babylon Rogues and the Battle Bird Armada; The Iron Queen and her forces; the Sand-Blasters; the robot pirates over in the Sol Dimension; the Black Arms; Tails Doll - and that's not even getting into any NEW characters of Ian's. Even after cleaning house early in his run, there were a lot of characters to touch on! And Mogul had already made a few big appearances, so he probably just figured it was time to give other characters a turn.)

[gaawachan]

Critical Role 135 Discord Convo (Topic: Shipping?)

Some pre-convo context: This conversation meandered a bit so there's a lot of stuff that may turn up in other conversations later; it was really late and so a lot of things were only briefly touched on.

Me: You know... people are gonna freak out if LoB doesn't just cave and romance Essek at this point. If he wasn't planning on doing so then his roleplay during the past few episodes is gonna cause backlash, I think.

Sibling: I think he was on the fence and then Matt was like, "Okay, I have to push this because I currently have plans to make Astrid a victim of Trent and/or the big bad of Caleb's arc."

Me: Certainly feels that way, lol.  Matt's definitely the one that's been doing the pushing post-boat scene.

Sibling: Pretty much-- Matt has kept Essek near Caleb for every moment that he can

Me: (Caleb did tell Essek to stay close, lol) But in the past couple of episodes Liam's gone back to reciprocating. If he isn't planning on shipping it, he shouldn't do that.

Sibling: Despite Lucien's eyes. Oh for sure. I think he is though. Why else would LoB post stuff like *examples of LoB's twitter activity*? He doesn't egg on Astrid/Caleb shippers lol

Me: That's true.

Sibling: Plus, Essek is purple.

Me: Of course we weren't in the fandom when Vaxmore happened and then dropped, so we don't know if Liam did the same thing with that ship.

Sibling: God I hope not... C'mon, give us a bit of beeg yoshi

Me: Having watched half of season 1, I can say that there was way, waaaaaaaay less tension and such between Vax and Gilmore. Vax liked Shaun a lot, and Shaun was in love with Vax... but they had nothing in common, they didn't have any real theme/plot/setting/interest ties or anything. Just a vanilla relationship, like, they went out on lunch dates.

Sibling: It's funny because OTHER non-shippers came onto that ship-positive trend and started talking about Vaxmore and how more "real" it was. And I'm like, I feel like slow-burn romances are far more "real" than people hopping on each other as soon as that they get a chance (COUGH COUGH BEAUYASHA I'M SORRY COUGH). Don't disparage lunch dates, btw; there's nothing gayer than that.

Me: No, don’t get me wrong, I was actually about to post that "I can see why people like that because it feels realistic" The bigger problem with Vaxmore was simply that they didn't see Gilmore very often.  I think Liam would have been more interested in continuing that ship if Gilmore had not been... well, the Pumat Sol of the campaign.  Just not very relevant.  This isn't the case for Essek; he is THE npc of this campaign, basically. He's more involved than any other NPC in either season. Side note: if C1 and C2 had happened concurrently, I'd have totally shipped Gilmore with Mollymauk.

Sibling: OH TOTALLY

Me: Lol

Sibling: Essek and Caleb have many interests in common, and Liam has CANONIZED Caleb's attraction to him, both intellectually and physically. They have expressed a desire to spend time together, platonically? to improve their craft. They have worked to improve with each other, speak with each other in a way that they don't with others-- not even people they're supposedly closer to. Essek has had a turn of his morals BECAUSE of Caleb's actions... What do other ships in this season have? Caleb and Astrid; they have shared misery and a past that stains ALL of their interactions. Maybe there is love left, but it would need a TON of work, and she is never onscreen long enough for that to be established. There's not really any tension aside from the viewers' "is this a villain" tension. Not even the dance felt good, it was transactional and there to hide information being exchanged and then they LEFT. Caleb and Eodwulf; Caleb said his forearms were hot, lol? But Eodwulf has even less time than Astrid, and hasn't even really piqued the rest of the cast's interest, in spite of Caleb's history with him. Caleb and Jester; Might have worked if JESTER WAS EVER INTERESTED IN HIM. AND SHE NEVER WAS AND STILL ISN'T. She was smitten with Fjord the moment she started projecting him onto Tusk Love lol. Caleb and Nott; I'm not touching this one Non-Caleb ships are like: Fjord and Jester; Sweet, predictable, pretty much how I pictured it being when it became canon. Jester being exactly the same and Fjord being openly affectionate. Maybe some priorities being changed around. Beau and Yasha; I'm NGL, I feel like they're together... because they're lesbians? And not because they actually have much in common aside from that? It's sweet, but if we're speaking purely from a like... chemistry standpoint? This one falls on its face. But, no, I'm sorry. Just because Caleb isn't literally devouring Essek's face whenever he's on screen  (though he slobbers like he wants to whenever Essek uses Dunamancy), doesn't mean that the ship is "invisible". It's invisible to people who are only used to overt ships I guess But I'm sorry, I need to go back through and make a "Caleb slobbers over Essek doing magic" compilation. Because it doesn't exist yet, and yet it happens all the time lol And people are like "where attraction" RIGHT THERE, GUYS

Me: Speaking of Jester, actually.  Jester's funny because early on she actually did tease/flirt with Caleb quite a bit... but then she stopped doing it.  When?  I'd say it happened right around the same time Caleb started having feelings for her, imo, after their waltz, when he said Astrid's name.  Jester and Fjord were caged together in the Sour Nest and I think that, followed by the Fjord/Avantika arc, really sealed the deal for where her interests went.  Also, Jester and Nott wrote that letter to Astrid, so by that point I think it's pretty safe to say that Jester not only was not interested in Caleb; she wasn't even interested in teasing/lightly flirting with him anymore. Also Caleb eyescrews Essek a lot... so yeah what are these people smoking?  Even LoB, who has been wishy washy about the ship, has been pretty upfront about Caleb's interest in Essek.

Sibling: I don't think Widojest people want Caleb to be with someone happy and who makes him happy. Essek is not a happy man but Caleb's mood certainly seems to brighten whenever he shows up.

Me: I mean, there IS chemistry between Caleb and Jester but the issue is that the two characters view each other completely differently. She just doesn't see him that way. The other half of the equation is that Caleb tends to treat Jester as being more than just the cutesy trickster and a lot of the other cast members haven't really shown that? They tend to undermine her a lot actually. It's most obvious with respect to the Traveler. Caleb actually respects her relationship with Artagan. Other members of the group just hate him and have made it clear to her that they feel that way.  That includes BOTH Fjord and Beau. Like if you compare the conversations she had with Fjord and with Caleb on Rumblecusp, it's night and day, but it doesn't matter because she just doesn't view Caleb as a prospective partner at all. She tends to frame their relationship in the same way several of the characters in the party frame their dynamics with Caleb. "I want to help him but I have no idea what the fuck to say or do."  She'd still above average compared to the group at doing so but that's because of her mother's influence, not because she has feelings for him. Ngl, if I WERE to ship Caleb with someone other than Essek at this point I think I would pick Jester just because they have a mutual respect for each other. Oh oh here's an example. Okay, so Caleb's room for Jester in the tower right? It's very similar to her childhood room, but he deliberately "adults" it up, because he respects her as an adult. What was Fjord's gift to her in Rexxentrum? A child's toy.  A unicorn statue. And that's cute and all, but... uh...

Sibling: A little infantilizing?

Me: Yes exactly, and it's the same way he behaves about her relationship with Artagan. One could easily argue that Fjord treats Jester sort of like she's the pixie girl stereotype, but that's just surface-level stuff about Jester. You'll notice that Fjord and Jester's conversations tend to lean cutesy and immature, but when Jester talks with Caleb, it's very often a thoughtful and deeper conversation, so I DO see why people ship it.

Sibling: I mean, but that's my problem with it. Maybe it's better than Fjorjester, but Liam doesn't lick his lips every single time Jester breathes too hard.

Me: Lol. Personally I think that part of the problem is that 1) Travis isn't comfortable with doing romance, and Fjord is awkward af, and 2) Jester/Laura has tried to get him to talk with Jester on a deeper level and it hasn't really been successful, and she's let some opportunities slip by, but Liam rarely passes up the opportunity to have a deeper conversation with other players, so he ends up having more serious conversations with Jester simply because Liam seeks out those conversations.

Sibling: Well Liam loves character romances. It's why his second character left as many options open to him as possible lol. It's the stark difference between Liam and Travis. Travis is only comfortable romancing his wife fictionally lol. Liam loves the way you can reexamine a character and reshape their ending with those choices and I think he's way more willing to just go "screw it, my character is horny AF for this wizard boy, what are you going to do Matt?" "my character is also horny for my party member, but it's probably unrequited, but I'm going to stick with it for character depth"

Me: Seriously though  go back and rewatch the Rumblecusp conversations Jester had with Fjord and with Caleb.  You could SEE it in Jester.  Fjord was NOT saying anything she wanted or needed to hear.  I thought she actually looked pretty hurt.

Sibling: Oh, I remember being like "well that was deflating" and it's why she kept asking people. She's looking for answers, and pretty much everyone pussyfooted around it becawuse she's such a cuwuty.

Me: Yes, props to Caleb for stepping up, even though he didn't give her the answer she wanted either. That's precisely the problem with her dynamics with other characters. They're too busy fawning over how cute she is and trying to shield her to get to anything much deeper.

Sibling: Whereas Caleb thought of her as a woman- someone he really liked, from... like super early on.

Me: Oddly the end result is that the non-stop shielding of Jester has inhibited Laura's ability to grow Jester as a character. Which has to be frustrating as a player.

Sibling: I think it probably has been. Especially because I think she wanted to explore how being in a romance would change her. She even hinted to that way earlier: "That's not at all how love is depicted in the books we read..." "You mean the porn books we read?"

Me: The character is rarely challenged and hasn't really been forced to change.  She has changed in that she's matured from experience, but it's subtle and it isn't really acknowledged much. Nothing screamed this more than the climax of Traveler-con, where she was staring down the barrel of a monumental life-change and her cutesyness somehow convinced the planetar to be like... "fine, bye." Even MATT regretted that decision in the Talks afterward.

Sibling: Oh for sure! She just gets everything and you know what sucks? I think LAURA wanted Artagan to be taken. It would have devastated Jester but it would have forced her to change.

Me: Well actually, Laura said that she was going to offer to worship the Moonweaver instead of the Traveler if it meant she'd spare him punishment. When she said that, Matt's whole face just dropped; he was so upset that he wasted that opportunity, but that's the cost of treating Jester like she needs coddling. It's like... bro... she ax murders people... come on.

Sibling: She burns people to death with sacred flame and gets people lost in the woods by messing with road signs.

Me: She's been tortured and barely shows the trauma of it at all (can't believe that went unaddressed btw)... She can handle pushback... Like again, Caleb. Early on she butted heads with Caleb because she's a spoiled rich kid, but you'll notice that after offending him like that?  She never did it again.

Sibling: Because she's a good person capable of introspection and changing her behavior to help people.

Me: It's a small thing but Jester actually became a better person precisely because Caleb didn't handle her with kid gloves.

Sibling: That even ties back to her dropping her flirting when "Astrid" was brought up.

Me: Yep

Sibling: ... Shadowgast is still better.

Me: Yep. I don't hate widojest and I think that of all the jester pairings it's probably the best, but of all the Caleb pairings Shadowgast is best.

Sibling: I mean, Shadowgast is best even by virtue of like... who else would you pair Essek with that he could still stick around the party for? He's only interested in Caleb lol. That's not to say he doesn't LIKE the rest of the cast, but back to the deep conversations thing...

Me: I've seen some people shipping Widojessek, lol.

Sibling: There's really only one person (and one group chat) where he had those sorts of opening up moments. Poor Fjord- just got a GF and people are already cucking him.

Me: Lol. Oh, man... Caleb and Essek really need to talk about the assembly. Specifically Caleb's past and what Essek's dealings with them were like in more detail.

Sibling: Matt tried to lol and Caleb was like "yeah okay i got plans, but also paper"

Me: Essek needs to be more direct because Caleb doesn't WANT to talk about it.

Sibling: He can't, he's a wizard. No melee attacks, emotionally or verbally.

Me: Well, the issue is that Essek prods at Caleb's goals, which are nebulous (so Caleb really can't give a satisfactory answer, and he also can't answer without talking about his past first).  And when he prods about Caleb's past, he's too indirect.  He needs to directly ask about Caleb's past FIRST if he wants more information about Caleb's goals.

Sibling: The next time they're in the tower (which I fear won't be for a while) Essek literally needs to be like "I'm drowning in guilt, you need to tell me about what I was involved with so I can manage it" He'd probably give him a few crumbs lmao.  If Essek makes it about himself, Caleb is less likely to close up.

Me: Yes, that is exactly how Essek needs to frame it. "I don't have a full understanding of the nature of the people I gave power to.  I know now that they're more terrible than I thought, but not exactly how. I think that in order to fully grasp what I have done, I need to know more about them." It's pretty blatant bait but Caleb would probably be convinced by it anyway.

Sibling: Oh for sure. Caleb can't exactly run away from that either; he's too chicken to flee from conversations. He freezes and either spills or clams up.

Me: At this point, there's really no GOOD reason to NOT tell Essek about his past. There's nothing to lose from it, and a decent amount to gain; it could turn Essek actively hostile towards the Assembly rather than keeping him cowering in Eiselcross.

Sibling: He's uncomfortable with it (trauma will do that) Doesn't want to get sidetracked (Essek told him not to) Haven't had a good time to do so (no privacy) Doesn't want Essek to distance himself from him (most likely)

Me: This is true, but he's already told the people who he least wanted to tell (Jester and Caduceus) ... Actually, my suspicion is...

Sibling: And neither of them pulled away from him-- eh? Me: ... that Caleb doesn't want to tell Essek because he's worried that Essek will, well... uh, treat him like a child. Caleb was so young, and telling the story of his past also means admitting that he's 11 years younger than he appears. And there is some amount of Caleb's view of his past that is irrational and he chafes viciously whenever someone tries to downplay his culpability by pointing out his age at the time.

Sibling: I think he already has. Don't try to tell me about how not patronizing that "Young Man" line was lol. It was meant in good faith but... I think Caleb does the abuse victim "the idea of ever being young and vulnerable again is terrifying" thing pretty convincingly. It's also sort of a rewind back to his respect for someone who seems outwardly childish, but is an adult whose choices need to be respected.

Me: There is another matter which... Well, Caleb is slowly coming to terms with his status as a victim (veeery slowly) but I think if Essek were to learn about his past, and taking into account their different cultural perspectives on age, Essek might have a hard time not reacting more in line with Beau/Nott's initial reactions to the full tale.  Beau said she thought it was nothing to be ashamed of (and Caleb started laughing hysterically) and then Nott just full-on denied that any of it was his fault (which is completely at odds with his own belief), and since Essek's gut reaction to hearing the story is probably going to be something like "Trent is a baby torturer" ... That's not an easy thing for Caleb to stomach.

Sibling: And yes, Essek will absolutely have that reaction because at that age humans are still fetuses to him.

Me: This brings me to my final point. Caleb may be worried that Essek learning all of this and thinking that way will damage Essek's ability to see Caleb as his mirror. He may view it as a threat to the life-line he threw Essek that night in Nicodranas.

Sibling: And then it's not about bettering each other... It's about Essek being alone again and Caleb being alone.

Me: However, Essek's insistence that he is sure nothing Caleb has done could compare to what Essek has done does mitigate that risk significantly.  It's just a matter of whether or not Caleb can see that and Essek can be pushy enough to get him to crack.

Sibling: I know Essek has it in him. He can forsake his country's precious artifacts to an opposing nation, he can push his BF to open up to him about his problems. Caleb, on the other hand, has been exceedingly fragile... since you know... GOING BACK TO THE ASYLUM, so I don't know if he's in a state to have that discussion, but if they don't have it soon, by the time Essek talks to him again Trent will probably be dead.

Me: Caleb is pretty blatant about his compartmentalization and deflection.  He feels it's necessary in the current circumstance with the Tomb Takers, but somebody really needs to step up after Lucien's taken out and talk to Caleb about this stuff.  Essek would be ideal because Caleb could benefit the most from Essek's perspective, I think, but really... anyone other than Veth is better than nothing. Going back to the Asylum was very obviously a severe triggering event and NO ONE TALKED ABOUT IT. Like, jfc, guys, Beau is right.  She asked if Caleb was even capable of working alongside Trent, and Caleb said yes (if he thought it was necessary), but we all, WE ALL know that he can't.  Not after that disaster.

Sibling: Especially because both Veth and Jester saw him go straight into "OH GOD WE'RE GOING TO DIE, HE'S HERE AND WE'RE GOING TO DIE, I'M GOING TO KILL HIM BEFORE HE HURTS ANYONE" and they were like "he can probably handle this"

Me: He was already borderline in that headspace BEFORE Trent showed up.

Sibling: And then afterward, he went straight into a dangerous self-destructive spiral. Like... I know we've said this before but thank GOD for that failed persuasion check.

Me: That nat 1 was poetry on so many levels. On a meta level the sheer luck of it was a delight, but within the context of the story I think it was great that Essek is just like... "No.  I am not crossing this line, not even for you."

Sibling: It worked narratively, meta-narratively, and saved Matt from having to draw up a bunch of ambush situations made by Volstruckers when Trent inevitably backstabbed them.

Me: Can you imagine poor Matt trying to play the Tomb Takers, Trent, Astrid, Wulf, and Essek... AND Charlie/Devexien?

Sibling: He already forgets to play Essek, and he only had a few NPCs to deal with.

Me: Even purely from a gameplay standpoint, can you imagine all the loot they Nein would lose in Aeor if they had brought scourgers with them? What if they found that dunamis machine?

Sibling: EXACTLY.

.

Convo ended here, but I had some more thoughts.  It was just too late to keep talking.  For example, I like FjordxJester and BeauxYasha.  I think they are actually complicated relationships but they just haven't really had the room to be deeply explored/examined, for example.  I also did not go into nearly as much detail about my thoughts on VaxxShaun as I would have liked to mostly because that ship wasn't the point of the discussion. ... oh god how do I even tag this?