#she not only changed the clothes and such but explored how the characters lives would be different depending on their gender

[mysteriousauthor448]

What if Class of 09 Flipside was made by a Woman?

I liked Class of 09. I liked it's snappy dialogue, I liked it's social commentary of high school and women's experiences with creepy men and adulthood, I liked how it gave such a compelling main character where you know she's awful yet acknowledge that she has her reasons without justification. I like Class of 09, both the original and re-up. What I don't like though, is Class of 09: The Flipside.

Setting my personal disgust with the feet routes and the 'Palestinian slave trade' comment aside, the writing in Flipside just is completely different from the last 2. Instead of focusing on the biting social commentary of the woman experience, it instead prioritizes shock value with only some form of substance (e.g, jecka seeing nicole's suicide, jeffrey's death, the ending messages apart from the creator) And you know what else sucks? We never actually got to explore Jecka properly of who she is as a character, her relationships with her family, friends, former friends...Sure, we get doses of her life like her dad which does do what the game promised: Change how we saw the Class of 09 story before. We now understand why Jecka was terrified of the cop's yelling, not only because an powerful authority abusing his power but also experienced it before. See, this was the stuff I expected from Flipside. This was what the game should've prioritised in. Instead, it seemed like the creator would rather showcase his fetishes and spite people that don't like him or the game. From that there on, I keep thinking to myself: 'you know, this game would've been better had a woman wrote this.' But can they?

I'm a woman experienced high school before, even tried to fit the class of 09 writing style on my characters in my own personal time. Given how a lot of class of 09 fans are disappointed with the new game and I want to get into writing publically, I figure that I be the one to rewrite Class of 09 The Flipside in hopes of re-capturing the essence of the first two games alongside the game's intentions itself. Even though it's still in development, I've already outlined the routes/endings so far for you all to get a peek:

Route 1/Ending 1 - Invasion of MySpace: The foot route will be replaced by Jecka taking and making videos/pictures in order to make money after being fired from her job. Think of it like a late 2000s or early 2010s version of OnlyFans. This would help remain the social commentaries of men’s creepy behaviour to women alongside how their safety is affected. There’ll be an option of whether to go to the creepy man’s house or go home. If she goes home, she finds Nicole giving her dad a handjob with a dead expression. It ends with Jecka killing herself and implies that Nicole followed her too (not half naked though, just in regular clothes cuz I'm not a freak unlike someone)

Ending 2 - MurderSpace: If Jecka chose to go to the creepy man’s home, she gets murdered and placed like a doll in the man’s basement. 

Route 2/Ending 6 - Breaking the Wounded Heart: Jecka finds herself to work with Karen and Ari at Dominos. Overtime, they start to form a bond and Jecka herself starts to mature and finds Nicole to be unbearable. Jecka finally breaks off her friendship with Nicole and cuts forward to the future where Jecka currently lives a peaceful yet boring life, reflecting on the past with Nicole, wondering if she’s really better off without Nicole because while she’s now in a stable life without the chaos, it's the chaos that entertained her: Nicole entertained her. And now it’s all gone. But in the end, it suggests that things are much better with Nicole gone as it cuts to a phone beeping and Jecka looking down at it with a smile while Ari is by her side. Yes, this is the route where Jeckari is canon. I know this sounds too sweet for Class of 09 but I want it to still match the vibe with it being less shocking but more real in a way. Something too realistically depressing but still mundane. This is what I planned to be the saddest but best outcome of the game. The most real I should say. 

Ending 5 - Was it all worth it?: If Jecka chooses Nicole over her new friends, it ends with her and Nicole being homeless smoking drugs in an abandoned forest with Jecka reflecting on whether or not she made a good choice with Nicole before commenting on needing a Xanax to distract her from the regret and pain. 

Route 3/Ending 3 - Fuck Men!: Jecka gets into a relationship with a presumably kind-hearted gentleman. Nicole tries to warn her but Jecka won’t listen. She then is coerced by the man into doing sexual favours for his economic gain, making her become a sex trafficked victim.

Route 4/Ending 4 - Drunk Drive Delivery: Same route where Ari dies but instead the ending changed to Jecka being arrested for 6 months where the ending monologue would showcase her conflicted in anger and regret. Plus, it plays more to the idea of Jecka ‘dying at 21’ logic with being forced to work: adult party culture: that kind of thing. 

I'd be happy to hear any feedback or/and ideas for this rewrite.

[st-hedge]

Genderbends are apparently problematic now. I wouldn't do Ganondorf though. I fear those epic tits would just bring more fearless followers.

The concept of fem ww ganon makes my palms sweaty

[yuff7e]

Hiiiii! I wanted to ask if you could write Elliot x bookworm reader hc’s? He’s my husband in every farm I have, my beloved fr.

Hru today and who’s your favorite sdv character and spouse??

✧˖°. ⭐️ 𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐓 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐀 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐌 𝐒/𝐎 🍎 ✧˖°.

𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

heya juiceedapplee !! i’m great, how are you ?? my favorite sdv spouse would also be elliot because he’s my spouse too !! but my favorite character would be emily, because she’s so me fr !! hope you enjoy this cute one-shot w headcanons :) ఌ︎

♬♪ -> lıllılı.ıllı.ılılıı

when elliot first noticed your shared interest in books, he was immediately captivated by you. the new farmer, a fellow bookworm? it seemed too good to be true! determined to get to know you, he listened eagerly to the whispers of the town. people talked about seeing you immersed in a book during breaks from your farm work, leaning against a tree, lost in the deep pages.

he would pass by you frequently, too shy to say anything but would still have a lingering gaze on you - trying to decipher what books you would read and what style of writing you liked depending on what author you were reading from. eventually, he got enough courage to walk up and maintain conversation. and you were actually quite pleasant!

he was drawn in by your calm nature, how you grasped the sides of the book gently with a soft gaze staring into his. since you were a farmer he was quite surprised by your mellow personality, which intrigued him even further. you both shared common interests with certain authors and specific genres - which only made you both closer.

overtime, you two became a couple. he moved into your farmhouse, eager to assist you with your farm work, although he quickly realized you were already a pro at it. living together, he had the opportunity to explore your extensive collection of books; from farming guides and cooking tips to sci-fi, romance, comedy, and everything in-between. it was clear to him that he was in the perfect place.

“dear, it’s quite late. would you like to come to bed?” he called out from the bedroom while you were in the kitchen, meticulously following a breakfast recipe from scratch to save time in the morning. “just a second! i’m almost done with this!” you replied, flipping the pancake over on the pan and tossing it into a small, ziplock baggy.

after finishing up, you made your way into the shared bedroom you and elliot occupied. with a tired smile, you stripped yourself of your clothes and quickly changed into your pajamas; throwing yourself onto the bed. “i’m so tired.” you groaned, throwing a hand across elliot’s covered stomach, signaling for cuddle time. “would you like to cuddle, love?” he chuckled, shimmying his way closer to you.

“yes please.” you replied, wrapping your arms around his neck as he pushes his chest up against yours - reveling in eachothers warmth. “you’re so warm, i could fall asleep any second.” you remarked, a drowsy smile playing on your lips. “you’re always quite beautiful when you’re tired.” he said, causing a blush to creep up your cheeks. “mhm, well, you’re not so bad yourself.” you reply, returning his smile. he leans in, placing a gentle kiss on your lips, his hand tracing a path from your cheek down to the side of your neck.

˗ˏˋ ✨ 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒 ✨´ˎ˗

— he’s so grateful to be with someone that also shares his interest in books, genuinely

— he thinks you’re 10x more attractive with a book in your hand, and even more attractive when you’re reading; your brows furrowed, lips slightly parted, face relaxed…

— he loves to cuddle up with you and read together, picking out different books at the museum is one of his favorite activities! knowing he’ll be going home to cuddle up with you once more.

— he’s so attentive to your interests and likes picking out books that he thinks you might like, along with recommending a few of his favorite authors and writers.

— if you read to him before he goes to bed he’ll sleep like a baby, not kidding.

— when he goes on a few of his trips he definitely snags a few books every now and then to come and bring them home to you!

— if you share the same favorite authors he’d marry you on the spot, first day of talking.

— of course, he did marry you; and he’s extremely happy!

𝐑𝐄𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐒 : 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍

[triptychgardener]

may i ask about your transfem eridan reading if possible?

I'm afraid to say I don't have a ton of analysis wrt the way Eridan is written in the context of Homestuck. I believe the person who wrote Eridan's Pesterquest route (which pretty heavily hinted at transfem Eridan) said there was some stuff in canon which supported it, which isn't like. Technically wrong. But to do that we gotta get into March Eridan because let's be honest that's where that whole thing stemmed from.

So the original March Eridan stemmed from this image of Eridan is a tube top, plaid skirt/pigtails etc. from the official Homestuck Calendar.

Which was, from what I can tell, somewhat controversial in the fandom. Some people vehemently disliked it and used it as an excuse to be transphobic, some people used it as an excuse to draw a thirteen-year old boy in very skimpy feminine clothing. Y'know. Fun stuff.

But the original image itself is kind of interesting in origin. It was actually drawn by Paige Turner, a trans woman who did a lot of art for Homestuck (especially in the walkarounds) and was quite possible the person responsible for This

So the original image clearly had some Vision in it, which then got incorporated back into Homestuck via March Eridan appearing in the Ministrife.

I think people can forget sometimes how much external/fandom impulses get folded back into Homestuck, especially post Act 5. In the text, there isn't a ton of supporting evidence, but the Text changes and adds in new things all the time!

That being said, my actual TAKE on how a transfem Eridan would go is. I mean I wrote it in The Golden Mile. I think Eridan's line in Pesterquest is a really interesting one. He says he's not open about how he thinks the gender binary is fake and stupid because people already hate him, and if he supported gender deviance it would just direct people's ire to one of the only things he thinks is actually good that he supports. There's always an odd self-awareness about Eridan's worst traits that he shows pretty frequently. It doesn't make it better that he then engages in those shitty traits, but it does show some potential for growth.

And I think growth is the key word here. I think Eridan's gender arc should coincide with Eridan becoming a person she can actually stand being. And I think having a transfem who was, objectively, a complete shitter, is an interesting story that we aren't often shown. There are, in real life, trans women who were shitheads before coming out, and who, after changing, probably shouldn't have to live in constant shame over who they were once, as long as they do better in the future. It's something I'm going to explore going forward in Early June, and I think a good transfem Eridan can add a lot to the character.

[h0lyfrypan]

comforting satoru in the months after the night parade of a hundred demons. you are a former classmate, who graduated alongside satoru and shoko. despite being shot down for months, you persist on trying to comfort him.

mourning, character death, no dialogue, implied satosugu if you squint. ur both not ok. i wrote this because i rely on dialogue too much. it's super short!

Satoru had changed—there was no doubt. After the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons, something inside him broke for good. Both of you had quietly hoped Suguru would return, that somehow he could avoid punishment. That day never came, despite years of waiting, and now it never would.

You vividly recall the day your cell phone rang, breaking Satoru's usual pattern of self-reliance. He was a natural at almost everything he tried (it seriously was a piss off), but on the other end of the line was a broken man. He didn’t need to voice the words; you had an innate understanding. It was always that way between you two. You knew Suguru was gone.

Satoru Gojo had a knack for keeping people at arm's length. He was 'the Strongest,' and he didn't appreciate how you could always sense when something troubled him. Your eyes softened when you were alone, the subtle checks to ensure he ate, and your consistent efforts to reach out—through letters, texts, or in person. You knew his Infinity would hinder you, but you persisted. With every brick he placed to build up his walls, you were on the other side with your own set of tools; a determined demolitionist.

The period after was a blur. Was it days? Weeks? Months? Time seemed meaningless as you sat in the morgue with Shoko, the only other person who truly comprehended what Satoru might be going through—but she was mourning, too. After all, you were once classmates and friends. The way she chain-smoked in silence, her lack of words mirrored yours. Occasionally, Satoru joined you both, but he and Shoko only discussed business. He didn't engage with you- and Shoko just wasn't as emotionally attuned as you, and that was okay, you’d never hold that against her. Everyone plays different roles in this world.

It was a while before you truly heard from Satoru again. He had a way of presenting himself as fine, radiating happiness—especially in front of his students. He engaged with them, laughed, stirred up mischief, yet emotionally, he maintained a distance. It concerned you that no one else seemed motivated to try and reach him. Perhaps they weren't as naive as you, believing they could break through. His request for you to watch his house for a few days puzzled you. It seemed unnecessary; surely he could afford to hire someone. Nonetheless, you agreed.

His apartment was cold, barebones, and modern. It suited him—a man rarely at home. Just a space for sleep when he wasn't teaching or battling curses across the country. Old clothing lay strewn about, a few dishes scattered. The ambiance felt solitary. You wondered: was he truly living, or merely existing?

Hours passed, time an elusive, unreachable concept lately. Being here for a few days justified sorting his clothes into the hamper and doing some dishes. There was nothing better to occupy your time, and he might appreciate the gesture. While rinsing cups in hot, soapy water, your mind wandered. Perhaps if you'd been closer to Suguru, you might know how to help Satoru now. Maybe Suguru could have shared the secret, but likely there was none. Suguru wasn't you, and you weren't him. Their bond was special, something you couldn't grasp. That wasn't necessarily bad, though it felt so—Ouch! Your hand under the scalding water snapped you out of that train of thought (maybe for the best).

Cold water relieved the small burn. You searched for bandages around the apartment, not eager to rummage but forced by the forming blister on your finger. As you explored cupboards and shelves, thoughts circled back to Satoru. While tending to your wound on the couch, a question arose: did Satoru always feel this way? When 'the Strongest' is down, who's there to pick him up?

Grieving for Suguru lately made you furious. Did Suguru not comprehend Satoru's willingness to let him return? That Satoru would have done anything to anyone to ensure his safe return to Jujutsu Society?  Suguru's flawed philosophies often left you contemplating and upset. Blaming a dead man for everything was too easy, but unjust.

Surveying the showroom-like apartment, your frustration grew and you teared up. You weren't Suguru, you weren’t strong– but maybe you were strong enough to lift Satoru—if only he allowed it.

Satoru had convinced himself there was no one else. Back in high school, he accepted it. There would never be anyone like Suguru Geto—no one coming close to understanding the weight he bore. To be a weapon before a human, a tool with a face, a means to an end. Yet, you persisted. He detested (perhaps a strong word) how you saw through him, how deeply you cared.

In truth, he wanted that. He just wished it didn't feel so vulnerable. He wasn't meant to be vulnerable—or that's what he felt. He appreciated every ignored text, every rejected hug, every lunch left on his desk at Jujutsu Tech, but fear overwhelmed him. How did you see through him so effortlessly? How could he be sure you wouldn’t leave?

He resented himself for not letting you in. He wanted to, truly, but the walls he built didn't just bar others out; they trapped him too. Coming home to find you asleep on the couch, curled up, blanketless and tear-stained, changed something. Maybe it was your unintended display of vulnerability, the secluded setting, or his own exhaustion. The reason mattered little.

With care to be quiet, he slipped into his bedroom, retrieving the comforter from his bed—the sole blanket in the apartment—and gently draped it over your sleeping figure. Kneeling by your side, he gently wiped away the tear stains from your cheek. It had been a long time since he allowed himself to touch you, or anyone for that matter. His breath caught when you stirred, your eyes meeting his. For once, you were unobstructed by any blindfold or infinity.

Without hesitation, you shifted from the cushion, pulling him into your arms, guiding his head to rest against your neck. He loathed this—knowing you understood his unspoken desires, yet grateful he didn't have to verbalize them. This vulnerability was taxing enough. He reciprocated, wrapping his arms around you.

And then, he cried.

It felt awful, comforting, almost amusing. Only a few silent tears fell before he composed himself, easing into your embrace as best he could from their awkward position. He almost chuckled at himself—for all the fear he harbored about opening up, finding such reassurance in your arms made it seem absurd. Shifting slightly, he settled back on the couch, intertwining both of your limbs and enveloping both of you in the blanket.

As you moved to speak, he gently hushed you with a finger to your lips. You understood, as you always did—this wasn't something he wanted acknowledged aloud. Bodies pressed together, his head nestled against your chest, holding onto you so tightly it felt as though you might meld into one. He was utterly exhausted.

Time remained elusive, now for a different reason. Your fingers combing through his soft hair, the sweet scent of his shampoo lingering in the air. The rhythm of your breathing and heartbeats creates a tempo for this rare and peculiar intimacy. For the first time in ages, perhaps since high school, Satoru didn't feel like 'the Strongest’. He felt painfully human, finding safety in your embrace.

This apartment, that was never quite a home, suddenly felt like one in your arms.

[lucdoodle]

1, 2, 4, 7, 12, 23 foe Adam!

1. Why do you like or dislike this character? Oh man! Where to begin!! I like his personality, design, concept, and the implications of what his story was/is off-screen and how it plays with the relationship he has with other characters that know him for a long time (read here: Lucifer, Lilith, Eve, Lute, Sera, and older angel in general.) As well as the implications of how his life in Heaven is like and how other angels sees him. All the implications who derives from the mere concept of his character are- !!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! a lot of fun to think about!!

2. Favorite canon thing about this character? 1- His relationship with Lute! 2- How he's genuinely an asshole lol (im very much not in the "adam did nothing wrong" group.) This dude is an apathetic asshole and an incredibly interesting character!

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in? Oh boi, a series of shorts like the "Helluva shorts", except that they'd be about Adam's life in Heaven pre-canon!

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like? Exploring the implications!!! Taking the crumbs of informations we know about him and making whole cakes with it!! Also im a big fan of any fanfics that explores (even if briefly!) the relationship between Adam and Sera (in a platonic way, i mean.) I particularly love both the interpretations of 1- Sera thinking about the lost potential, and how Adam evolved and changed, did he changed or was he always like that? Was it the apple and thus Lucifer's fault? Or was he always like that? Since we know Sera was in heaven before Adam died, do you think she's the one that taught him how to fly? Do you think she's the one that taught him how to live in Heaven? Do you think she's the one that was put in charge of taking care of the first human soul? And what does Sera means to Adam? (stuff like that!) And interpretation 2- Sera thinking smt like "Oh not this guy again..." as Adam kicks the doors opens with a loud "WASSUP BITCHES, Adam the man himself is here!! NOW we can start the meeting or whatever" like a "that one coworker you hate" relationship XD Both are good XD auihznkjiuhgernikjulko

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character? OHOHOH!!! Lemme pull out my list! * a comically long - seemingly endless scroll proceed to fall on the ground and gets all over the place * (Erm, but huh, more seriously i actually have a list of my headcanons for Adam so, uh, ANYWAY, here!) XD 1- his favorite food (that is not meat) is apple pie! (and he hates that it's apple pie of all things, so he doesn't eat it often at all) 2- he considers Lute "one of the boys" 3- Adam and Lute have movie nights 4- when he's in a really weird mood/feeling weird he eats apples 5- adam and lucifer were friends back in Eden 6- he's very unconfortable showing skin (which is why he wears a mask and clothes that don't show any skin) 7- his mask was originally a gift from Sera as she notived Adam didn't like being the only human in heaven in the early days where there was nothing else but angels up there 8- lucifer taught adam swear words, and told him to blame michael if Sera asked who taught him. Lucifer did it because he wanted to see the look on sera's face as he thought it'd be a funny prank 9- adam feels most comfortable sleeping on sand and dust and such since he was created from The Dust 10- emily genuinely thinks adam's mask is his face, this is a extremely popular misconception among angels 11- extremely few persons have seen adam without his mask 12- it took adam A LOT of time before he managed to eat another apple after what happened in Eden 13- he has an extremely good memory, but he only use it for things he likes or that involve him directly 14- he hates being alone 15- he adored being with and hanging out with Lucifer back in Eden, they were good friends and Lucifer taught Adam about a lot of things 16- lucifer taught adam what music was 17- adam is a very "monkey see monkey do" kind of person 18- when confused he makes a head tilt like animals do when they're confused, and he picked the way he hold his wings from watching birds 19- sera is the one that was put in charge of kicking adam and eve out of eden 20- sera will never forget the cries and begs from them and it still haunts her, meanwhile adam completely forgot that it was Sera that kicked him out of Eden

23. Favorite picture of this character? This one! simply because it shows how utterly TOL Adam is XD

But also this whole bit! For a character so self-centred, it was so cool to see him taking a support role!

[cosmerelists]

If Cosmere characters had mundane hobbies...

And by “mundane” I just mean “non-extreme” (aka, no base jumping, no paragliding); we’re talking, like, doing puzzles or going for a pleasant hike. If all these hobbies existed and Cosmere characters weren’t busy fending for their lives all the time, what might they get up to?

1. Szeth: Frisbee golf

We already know that Szeth is great at paintball; I just feel like he’d be weirdly good at frisbee golf as well.

2. Renarin: Speed Rubik’s Cube

Renarin likes to fiddle and have something for his hands to do--I think solving a Rubik’s Cube would be fun for him. And I threw in “speed” (aka, trying to do it as fast as possible) because Renarin loves to jump into things wholeheartedly.

3. Kaladin: Indoor Rock Climbing

Kaladin has already gone rock climbing in two books--he makes his own rock wall in the chasms in Book 1 and climbs down Urithiru in Book 4. He even knows that he should be using “rock dust” for his hands. I think some nice, non-extreme, indoor rock climbing would be good for Kaladin. Bonus: he’s not afraid of heights!

4. Shai: Stamp Collecting

(I’m sorry)

5. Eshonai: Hiking

Eshonai loves to go out into the woods and explore, see new places and people and things. I can see her getting into hiking.

6. Raoden: Coding

Before he even had powers, Raoden already liked to memorize Aons--and from what I understand, AonDor is basically coding. 

7. Tien: Rock Collecting

I mean, this is literally just canon. I have to imagine that he’d also enjoy whittling since that is again, simply canon. 

8. Shallan: Crochet

Okay, so Shallan does already have hobbies in canon: like drawing, for example. But I think she’d also enjoy crochet--all those patterns coming together, her Spren humming excitedly...

9. Adolin: Sewing

Even while trapped in Shadesmar, Adolin is able to sew himself a new outfit. If he had time and materials, he could definitely make some cool clothing. 

10. Mare: Gardening

I mean, she loves flowers. If she were alive when her planet could support flowers, I think she’d love to grow some.

11. Sixth of the Dusk: Birdwatching

If he wasn’t, you know, desperately trying to survive at all times, I feel like Sixth of the Dusk might enjoy some nice, relaxed birdwatching. 

12. Wax: Puzzling

Normally Wax is putting together the pieces of deadly mysteries that will impact the fate of his planet. Maybe he’d find it a nice change of pace to just put together colorful cardboard instead!

13. Rysn: Extreme Couponing

Listen, Rysn once leapt off of a cliff to talk to a god to make a deal. Clipping coupons would at least have the advantage of being safer than that, no matter how “extreme” she gets.

14. Rlain: Amateur Radio

Amateur radio tends to use morse code, which is a form of communication Rlain might find comfortingly rhythmic. Plus, amateur radio lets you connect with people, but no one can see you or judge you for being a crab person. 

15. Vin: Parkour

Even without powers, I can see Vin running across buildings and climbing things she’s not supposed to climb. I think she’d have a good time.

16. Jasnah: Crossword puzzles

Yes, I am basically calling Jasnah a nerd here, but also, I think she’d probably really like crossword puzzles--knowing things, understanding obscure trivia, solving puzzles that aren’t about the end of the world...

17. Dalinar: Tunnelling

I dunno if this is just a Reddit phenomenon, but apparently some people just really like to dig long tunnels underground? And Dalinar sure had a great time digging out that latrine that one time. Perhaps that was a sign that his true love is burrowing deep, deep underground.

18. Taravangian: Fantasy Football

I don’t know a whole lot about Fantasy Football, but I believe it involves creating your own imaginary team of players and then using their actual, real-life performance to get points. So you have to be good at predicting how people will act, skilled at long-term planning, and have a deep desire to win. It’s like Taravangian’s diagram, only nobody (hopefully) dies!

[silverity]

Gabrielle in the Interview with the Vampire books is one of my favourite female characters.

Born and raised in 1700s France, as a noblewoman her life is restricted to marriage and motherhood. She ends up in a marriage she was never truly satisfied by, and she was never really maternal enough to take to motherhood. She is described as somewhat cold and emotionally closed-off. But she does love her children, particularly Lestat who reminds her of herself (a son she lives through), and so for them she tries to provide what they need of their mother. We see her grow old, weary, and sick from the effects of multiple childbirths, and get the sense she hasn't truly lived a life of her choosing.

Before she can die from sickness Lestat turns her into a vampire, essentially a supernatural reversal of his own birth where instead of his mother bringing him to life he brings her into the living dead. This frees her of all the bounds of human society. We first see her as a vampire having changed into men's clothing, having refused the option of a new dress. Later she is described as always dressing like an explorer. Whereas Lestat still enjoys human society and entertainment as a vampire, Gabrielle does not, preferring to adventure off all across the world into the wilderness alone and survive from the sun by slumbering in the dirt. She returns only to maintain some connection to Lestat.

"Come with me, Lestat," she said. "By day I sleep in the sand. By night I am on the wing as if I could truly fly. I need no name. I leave no footprints. I want to go down to the very tip of Africa. I will be a goddess to those I slay."

I thought this was an incredible portrayal of an oppressed female character gaining, for the first time in her life, autonomy, individuality and ultimately freedom. The freedom to explore is something women have fantasised and written about throughout history and literature. It just so completely resonated with me that this woman would care nothing for luxury or status, even though she was born wealthy, because in her mortal life this was inseparable from her oppression as a woman. That, yes, she would prefer to completely abstain from society, a society that holds nothing for her since she would be restricted to the roles forced onto her as a woman. That she would feel so much contempt for man-made civilisation that at times she even advocates its destruction:

She shrugged.

"When the world of man collapses in ruin, beauty will take over. The trees shall grow again where there were streets; the flowers will again cover the meadow that is now a dank field of hovels. That shall be the purpose of the Satanic master, to see the wild grass and the dense forest cover up all trace of the once great cities until nothing remains."

"And why call all this Satanic?" I asked. "Why not call it chaos? That is all it would be."

"Because," she said, "that is what men would call it. They invented Satan, didn't they? Satanic is merely the name they give to the behavior of those who would disrupt the orderly way in which men want to live."

I write all of this because I see people now in this modern era of "gender identities" class Gabrielle as "trans masc", a person with a "masculine gender identity". I find that so abhorrently regressive to our understanding of the experiences of women throughout history, and contrary to Anne Rice's own written words on the page. Women throughout every era of history have always defied and resisted their dehumanisation. To class one resisting their sexual dehumanisation as "internally male" only reinforces it, only reinforces that any expression of humanity must make a person in some way male, that women possess no humanity. Interestingly, this was quite often the attitude of the Church. Women who earned sainthood through great heroic feats were classed as "spiritually men". Good job to everyone for reinventing the patriarchal wheel.

But honestly I truly have no idea how people can read Gabrielle's story, with passages like the above, and conclude she must have a "masculine gender identity". Her story to me is so quintessentially a story of womanhood. You can't understand it any other way. She does not "transition into a man". She transitions from a woman confined to a woman now free. Even more so, a woman now truly empowered, possessing great supernatural powers, such that she compares herself in her own words to a Goddess. She has, like many women throughout history, desired the freedom, humanity and agency afforded to men, not manhood itself. The wearing of men's clothing during a time only men were free beings expresses this, not some internal "masculine gender expression" people in the present like to believe in. Instead of "masculinity" her clothing is an expression of her humanity and her newfound freedom.

[amethxxt]

Thoughts on Lonnie and family in general in Descendants?

I forgot how I like getting asks lol

About Lonnie, I adore her. I think the wig they gave her in the first movie was criminal, but that scene is also one of my favorite interactions in D1.

Mal asking why on earth would she even help Lonnie and Evie accepting it for her when Lonnie mentions paying for it - I love them.

One of the things I like about Lonnie is how they made her be feminine and also a badass. I think a lot the times media paints characters who are feminine and care about their appearance (hair, clothes, etc) in a bad light. I believe we could even use Audrey as an example.

With Lonnie, we have her worry about those things in D1, but that doesn't make her any less strong or badass. She's a very skilled with a sword, helps the Core Four win against the pirates and still wears pretty dresses whenever she pleases. Femininity doesn't make her weak.

Overall, I think Lonnie as a character has a lot of potential. From the beginning, she was one of the only AKs who were welcoming to the VKs. I also like how she was not afraid to expose how nasty some of Auradon Prep's students could be in School of Secrets.

To be fair, I don't remember much of her from the books (I really want to reread them and list some details that I like about every character) or Wicked World, so I can only speak about the movies.

I have been writing one fic (not posted yet) and I really liked exploring Lonnie and Ben's friendship. I think because both of them were so supportive of the VKs, they'd get along very well, and it makes me wish we had seen more of Ben with his friends from Auradon.

Imagine if we had this moments of the two of them just talking and trying to make sure the VKs feel welcome at Auradon Prep and then see Lonnie jumping at the opportunity to help save him when he gets kidnapped.

Lonnie in D2- I just love her. Questioning Chad's sexist remarks, being the very best a fencing, her friendship with Jay and, again, her not hesitating to invite herself to be a part of Ben's Rescue Team™.

Most of the time, I wish Descendants wasn't Disney so we could get deeper into the darkness of the plot. We have the "I just thought even villains loved their kids..." in D1, but I would also love to see Lonnie realize what the Isle truly is like when she goes there. For her to watch the children living under those conditions and become livid at how her parents and other "heroes" had been complicit for that to happen.

I would love to see her siding with Evie and the others in order to get more children out, and I really missed her in D3.

For me, it was really strange how Sarah wasn't a part of D2 but they still managed to include Audrey in Chad's plotline, but never did that with Lonnie in D3. I believe the reason they gave for her to absent was that she was busy being a part of the professional R.O.A.R. team in Northern Wei, so I think they could've at least mentioned her.

About her family, I don't have many thoughts besides my despise for her brother's name. Granted, Lonnie is far from good, but Li'l Shang... Oh my god, how I hate that. They did him so dirty.

I have been working on a story about Audrey and changed both of their names to my personal headcanons. Lonnie is Li Lanying and Li'l Shang is Li Shixiang. They may not be perfect but I think it's better than what Disney did lol

Maybe I'll talk more about the books once I reread them, but I really liked answering this ask.

If anyone wants to send one about a different character or couple, I'll try my best to give my thoughts and even headcanons if I have any!

[millipede-menace]

The bands back together! And they’re old lol

Art Notes/Rants below ⬇️

⚠️Warning⚠️

it is very long, I got a lot to say apparently lol

❗️They’re all aged up btw! In case you’re all wondering why i’m even redesigning them lol

🐱Chizu Mini Rant: I hate Chizu’s design in the show. Not the clothing more so the body model. I hate that they made her the stereotypical curvy cat girl with a tiny hourglass waist and tiny hands and feet. Really weird proportions, Like we’re going back to the betty boop era but no one else in the show looks like this? (Also, No hate to people who are curvy btw love you) It just doesn’t feel like it belongs in the show. Maybe if she were shorter, it would work better? Idk Also she’s like the only one in a full skin tight suit (like I get animation, but they didn’t even bother giving her implied loose clothes or armor like the other ninjas? Maybe bc she was undercover? but then she should’ve been wearing something closer to the bg character models) It’s like they’re trying to make her sexy but like why?????? for why????

I really liked the concept art of Chizu. She’s got a more sharp/rigid and square silhouette but still some curves (w/o it being weird). She still has tiny hands but her head isn’t the size of a watermelon and her face isn’t super tiny, the proportions are good. She’s all power stanced up lol She looks mean and menacing, someone not to trust or mess with. It’s literally spot on. ✨chef kiss ✨ It’s also probably why they didn’t really go with it, they probably rounded her out to be more appealing for the reveal? or she was hard to animate cause she did have baggier pants idk. Who am I, but a rando with a hard boiled egg for brains.

Art Notes: I took a lot of inspiration from the comics and I did want to keep her iconic red so she was still recognizable & stand out from the neko ninja. I made her a regular black cat! (with the idea of black cats being less likely to be adopted & be strays) (;-;) (I know she was kidnapped but still!! The stray cat vibes!!!) I gave her a more lean and tall figure, kinda like the comics but also to play off of Kistune’s height and it give scrawny stray cat vibes . . . again lol. It’s also a body shape I don’t see a lot in physically strong female characters (or maybe I do and just don’t remember? Idk but she can definitely kick your ass & she’s not here for anybody’s bullshit lol) I gave her the iconic ponytail from the comics along with the comb Kitsune usually wears. I wanted to give her green eyes (bc black cat & red and green) but i just kept them yellow. Maybe i’ll go back and change them. Her outfit is mostly inspired from Karai (bc she’s a ninja from eons ago & the gang is a little more traditional) just (pretend cuz i’m lazy) with traditional Japanese patterns. Chizu definitely got kunais and stars up her sleeves, but bc she doesn’t have to be a ninja anymore, I imagine her more into wearing pretty dresses with patterns and cute things. Stuff she never got to wear/ enjoy as a kid, you know. The show really wants to push her to be a bad ass girl boss who hates everyone and everything and is too cool and edgy for games but idk. I like to think she left the ninja stuff behind her and started living her own life based on exploring things rather than just being the cool ninja with an edgy backstory. I think she uses ninjitsu as a means of self defense but doesn’t like being connected to it b/c of the kidnapping and stuff. (We also see how she doesn’t really care about the tradition of ninjitsu cause during the show, she has no fucking clue what to do with the neko ninja, she just wanted them to stop hurting people and wanted to free the babies lol) Usagi and Kitsune are the ones who indulge her childish side. She wears a lot of red but her favorite color is pink. Kitsune def hypes her up and goes feral when she wears pink.

🦊 Kitsune Mini Rant: I hate Kitsune’s clothes in the show. Idk it just doesn’t look right on her. It’s got no shape it’s got no hiding spots for stolen goods. It’s not Kitsune. I like the concept art fit, it’s really cute. (She looks like a mini tank who will fuck you up in a cute way) but still #1 thing missing. Hiding spots for stolen goods!!! She needs some loose sleeves or flowy clothing like in the comics. (btw: I know it would be harder to animate in the show therefore I accept what they gave her but still!!!)

Art Notes: I’m not too sure about Kitsune’s fit tbh. I’m still workshopping it. She just needs something with loose sleeves! (Like she for sure is stealing shit and putting it up her sleeves, you can’t tell me i’m wrong/ it’s also where she could keep her fans!) I think i’m obsessed with her sleeves cause I imagine her gambling or playing a game of cards with a bunch of dangerous criminals and someone accuses her of cheating and she goes “What?! Me?! No, no. I’m just that good or maybe . . . you’re just that bad-” Then all the stolen cards fall out her sleeves and she just goes -fuck. and it turns into this picture vvv

ANYWAYS!!!! I gave her short hair bc idk, a girls gotta change it up sometime 💅 I actually liked her hair mimicking a fox tail but I feel like she would get bored of it and chop it all off one day. She's definitely the one who cuts and dye’s her hair at 1am then cries about it the next day. She’s got visibly longer ears and sharper face. Kitsune and Usagi wanted to get piercings together cause they’re besties and want to be edgy (she lowkey got it on her left ear to match Chizu) and so they did and Usagi’s Auntie was so PISSED lol. They got chewed out. Her hands and feet should be a little darker but i forgor. Also she’s got dark teal wrappings so it would be hard to tell anyways. I gave her the crop top with buttons from the concept art and the sleeves from the comic. They have the same maple leaf print from her comic too (i’m just lazy) and the cuffs are just lined to mimic the layers she had. She’s got her little pack, she’s also got some more smaller ones on the back (kinda like Leo). She also made a comment about not having money to buy herself shoes so . . . she’s got no shoes lol. It just wrappings under her shin guards. (no shoes just like Leo smh) It helps her be more sneaky tho >:)

Oh and they’re dating but i feel like that’s a given lol. I saw people shipping them at first and it literally went -> *sees ship* Oh they’re shipping the only two main female characters together again- yeah that’s greeeat- *Watches the show* oh. nvm I retract my sarcasm, they’re def gay for each other, thats nice. This is nice -w-

which is pretty funny, cause I think they don't like each other in the comics? (from what I saw in the singles panels I used as a reference at least) Chizu’s legit ready to kill Kitsune lol

Post Note: I totally forgot Chizu chose a bow and arrow as a weapon so now she’s just the stereotypical tall archer . . . i’m gonna go now ;-;

Gen Mini Rant: Holy Moly dudes, he was sooooo hard to draw ;-; I don't hate his design at all, actually it's one I like the most. I just don't like that there's not a lot of contrast on the 3D model and he kind just blends into a purple blob. (for me at least) I defiantly didn't do him justice but that's the best it's gonna get (from me that is.)

Art Notes: Don't look the feet . . . for any of them but mostly Gen lol. I don't really like the purple I chose but every color combo I did just looked bad idk. I can't do color, don't look at me man. Me and purple do not mix. He's still a bounty hunter so I wanted to keep his armor but I wanted him to have a long tail-coat/cape-ish jacket cause he would look cool as hell with one of those >:) (prob not practical but still) I wanted to add elbow and knee pads, but he's a rhino, he can take it. Also how can bad guys hurt him if he's too busy beating them up with his brass knuckles? He's still got his clubs but he likes clanging his fists together. lol His horn grew back! He's also got a goatee and everyone makes fun of him. The gang always threatens to shave it off in his sleep. I took more inspo from the show than the comic cause I don't really know Gen in the comics and what I did find was just miyamoto usagi but purple ;-; (clothes wise)

I wasn’t kidding, I had a lot to say, any survivors?

Feel free to suggest or critic my designs!! :0 Im not a design person and its mostly just for fun, but i looooove hearing people’s takes, especially hot takes >:) i like poking brains, its fun ^^

[darkandstormydolls]

Decided to try sharing one of my story excerpts!

This is from my Undercity story. It’s from Ashling’s POV after he’s had a long week and explores a bit of his complicated and unusual relationship with religion (which is one of my favorite parts of his character)

Without further ado:

I recognized, somewhere in the back of my mind, that lying on my clean sheets in dirty and mud-splattered clothing was something that my future self would resent me for, but after days of fighting, running from people, trying to squish myself into too-small hiding places, and falling off of roofs, everything hurt too badly for me to care overmuch about the inconsequential opinions of my future self.

I’m not much of a religious person, but I was praying. Eyes closed, lying in bed, counting off on my fingers the way my mother had taught me when I was little and she didn’t trust me with her prayer beads. She wasn’t Undercity-born, but she’d taken to their saints quickly enough. Most people ask saints to pray for them to have another voice in God's ears. In the Undercity, we do it because there’s no way God will listen to our prayers otherwise. He doesn’t care about people like us.

They say desperate people find faith, which I’d say is fair. I only seem to come back to God and saints in my worst moments. The moments when it helps to think that there’s someone out there who actually cares about me for more than what I’m worth as a tool of the trade. The times when I need to lean on the only tie I have left to my mother.

Our saints, the crooked saints, all have ties to the Undercity, but some run darker and deeper than others. I start with the one’s I’m expected to pray to; Saint Aino, patron saint of spies, Saint Alora, patron of the city itself, Saint Mora, patron of liars, Saint Tameni, patron of revenge. Thinking of Arin, I say a quick set of prayers to Saint Maran, who, along with executioners, jailers, bounty hunters, suicides, and judges, is the patron saint of murderers, and Saint Endar, patron of traitors and turncoats.

Then I switched to the other saints, the ones Phantom would tell me I didn’t need anymore. Saint Solen, patron of orphans. Saint Mika, patron of the children of the Undercity, the ones who, through no fault of their own, just so happened to have the misfortune to be born here. I’ve long ago lost my right to ask Saint Alessen, patron of children and innocent victims, for help, but I still pray to her for the sake of every other child in this viper’s nest that calls itself a city, in the slim hope that they wouldn’t end up like me, Arin, or any of the other children that this place has foraged into cruel, heartless monsters or killed far too early. I pray to Saint Tanor, patron of the abused and manipulated, and, to cover all my bases, Saint Ono, who, along with his much better known patronage of weavers, is the patron saint of illegitimate or rejected children. I suppose it says something about the Undercity that we have so many crooked saints for such things, and well-known ones as well, but even the more religious of us would probably have to think to tell you the patron saint of love.

Well, there are many. For most people, Saint Maila and Saint Aster, well-known twin patron saints of young love and marriage, respectively. But in the Undercity, it’s Saint Lia, who jumped into the Emori river after her lover was killed by the Lord of Spies because she couldn’t bear to live without him.

Considering I was the heir to the current Lord of Spies, I doubted I would find much favor with her.

I did have things to do. Rather important things. I needed to finish putting all of the things that I’d learned into writing. Check in with the other people who’d been waiting for my report. Take an assessment of how injured I was and if actual medical attention was required. Changing into clean clothes and washing the mud out of my hair would also have been a good idea, or even taking the things that were poking me in the side out of my pockets before lying down again. But those things all required getting up and moving, I was tired, and worn out, and in pain, and I had a feeling that as soon as Phantom returned, I would be a lot more of either some or all of those, depending on the mood she was in. And so I stayed in bed, eyes closed, taking refuge in my crooked saints for as long as I could.

[inposterumcumgaudio]

nick lightbearer!

Sorry for the delay. Ever have computer problems? Happened to me.

Anyway, Nick Lightbearer. Nick's pretty well explored in the canon as well, but I got a few things in my pocket for him.

The bobby outside his house who tells you Nick is not seeing any visitors was originally supposed to let you in the front foyer. Inside that room is a viewing window that you could watch Nick be sad and pathetic through. Girls have scratched messages of possessive adoration on the glass. In a normal playthrough, you'd see the other side of this window with metal shutters over it when you meet Nick in the living room.

There's also a custom (possibly jailbroken, judging by the sparks?) Compliment Machine in there.

It has messages particular to visiting Nick.

"En - chan - té!"

"Do come in. Mr. Lightbearer has been expecting you."

"Do you have a warrant?"

"I am sorry, Mr. Lightbearer is indisposed. Please come back tomorrow."

"I assure you she has not been here, nor has she ever been here. Mr. Lightbearer doesn't even know your wife."

"Mr. Lightbearer apologizes for missing tea Sunday night, but he was very sick. He knows you cooked his favorite. Of course he still loves you, you are his mother."

"Mr. Lightbearer is not seeing anyone, except Miss Boyle. Are you Miss Boyle? No? Then go away."

"Mr. Lightbearer will be delighted to see you. This way to the living room, if you please."

"Please be gentle. Mr. Lightbearer has a bad back."

"Please leave it on the console. Mr. Lightbearer said to tell you that you are his favorite fan."

"Please leave the food on the kitchen table, you may keep the change."

"Please leave the wine on the coffee table, you may keep the change."

"You've arrived on a rather special night, it's one of the master's affairs."

Speaking of Miss Boyle, when Sally visits Nick's house in her playthrough, it's after Arthur has already visited and Nick has electrocuted himself in the tub. People make a lot of the fact that Sally hears him snoring in her playthrough, particularly given the context of Nick's DLC. But consider that Sally also thinks Col. Lawrence - man already on death's door and who definitely is dead when we visit the MacLears next in Ollie's act - is only unconscious too after using the pituitary extractor on him. Unlike Col. Lawrence (who Sally needs to think is only unconscious for her own peace of mind), I think Sally only assumes Nick is still alive because fully clothed and asleep in a full bathtub is not an out-of-the-ordinary way to find him to her experience. In fact, she even says beforehand that's how she expects to find him.

"He'd never part with it. On the other hand, he's passed out half the time I come by. I'll just sneak in while he's sleeping. Where did I leave the keycard he gave me?"

I do go out of my way to point out Sally's character flaws because people seem really struggle with the whole "three moderately terrible people" aspect of the game, but to her credit, I highly doubt she ever dated Nick. For one thing, she only dates men who can do something for her and while Nick is rich and famous, he can't really give her anything she couldn't get herself or from someone who'd be less work. For another, the most profitable relationship for her to have with him is as a drug dealer.

I also think that Nick was probably married for a lot of the last fifteen years. Not that that's a problem for Sally, but Nick is also said to consider himself a poet. Which suggests to me that this is a guy who would like to be a romanticized and idealized version of himself (which is part of why he gets married so frequently) but falls short of that because he is painfully human (which dovetails nicely with the whole Dante's Inferno theme of his DLC). And once you've failed to meet that ideal, why should you bother trying at all? So Nick gets married in the hopes that he can be the guy he sings about being in his songs (and maybe it's to girls who are just as deluded about how they can have this the fairytale other girls failed to achieve), acts like an asshole rockstar at the first opportunity with whatever girl offers, and then gets divorced. Rinse, repeat.

Petunia might have been the only one he actually loved because she's the only one of his ex-wives we ever see him thinking about. And maybe that makes a lot of sense. She seems practical and not given to the fantasy of him. Which, we don't know if that's how it started, but I have to think that since she's got 90% of his earnings, past, present, and future in the divorce (meaning none of his other exes collected first), she was level-headed and even-keeled throughout the relationship.

This is probably what also appeals to him about Virgil. Nick needs handlers, people to keep his shit together.

You know what though? A thing I find really compelling about the lore here is that Virgil is said to write all of Nick's songs. Nick was writing the Make Believes' songs himself before Virgil's management (when Nick is said to have "sold out") and those songs are... not so good, if testimony re: "The Unicorn Song" is anything to go by. Perfectly listenable and appeals to the doped-up masses, but perhaps drecky on closer inspection. The lyrics to the songs we have access to are quite clever and are subversive of the culture of Wellington Wells. So maybe Nick sold out, but the songs were better for it, too much sitar aside.

And it bears out too, with "I Have Seen Everything", a song that Nick presumably writes himself. It's a nice song, I like it, but the lyrics are repetitive and simple compared to "Dead of Winter" or "Out of the Blue". Kinda reads like an amateur poem. Rhyming "anything" with "not a thing"? Lyrical genius right there.

A thing I like to think about is that the art book tells us that Wellies value signage because they are so forgetful. Communication is mostly done through notes sent through pneumatic tubes rather than telephone conversations that could be quickly forgotten... When Wellies need or want to remember something, they dedicate that to record so they can refer back to it. And so, in the fact that his music's been so popular and pressed on vinyl, Nick Lightbearer and the Make Believes are going to be some of the few townspeople who will be remembered beyond the fall of Wellington Wells. And maybe that's kinda beautiful or maybe it speaks to the whole bread and circuses of it all.

[cherrybombfangirlwrites]

Flash Fiction Friday - Among Any Option

Thanks for the prompt @flashfictionfridayofficial!

The City is Ours plot/character/dynamic exploration for Book 1, with the team in the first book trying to track down the villains while crowded together in a diner booth. Not a lot of options for them folks!

“How long can it possibly take to hack into something?” Jason asked, “You’re using a computer.”

“Computers can only do what you tell them to,” Chase said, not looking up from his computer. They took a swig of his Monzter energy drink. “But you wouldn’t know that, considering you’ve never lifted a finger in your life.”

Jason squinted, and shrugged. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

Everyone else shared a knowing glance, only leaving the rich boy confused.

They were all squeezed into a booth at Minnie’s Diner, a couple of them (mainly Chase and his tech set up) were spilling over onto a second table they’d dragged over.

Everyone had ordered a milkshake or fries, except for Jason who apparently wasn’t hungry for ‘common’ food.

Asher said, “How are you tracking them?”

“First of all, it hasn’t worked yet,” Chase said, his french fries growing cold. “Second, two of those weirdos don’t even use tech, and I’m not even going to touch the alien shit. But that mad scientist guy- what’d he call himself? Cyanide?- He does use modern tech.”

He slurped down some of his milkshake, munched on a few fries, and washed it down with the energy drink. “So, I’m combing through all the tech and software in the city that I can access from here, looking for his footpr- Oh perfect, found him…”

He leaned into his screen curiously. “Huh. Why there?” They muttered to himself.

“What?” Kylee asked, trying to see his screen as she leaned over to his seat, “Where is it?”

“Ah-ah-” Chase snapped, moving his computer so she couldn’t see. “I can’t work if I’m being watched, thank you.” He waved her off, and she rolled her eyes.

Nickelle said, “Care to share what you found, Chase?”

“The old nuclear power plant outside the city,” Chase said, “That’s where this guy’s footprint is showing up.”

“It would be dangerous for humans to go into the power plant though, right?”

“Not anymore, since the meltdown at the power plant happened 50 years ago. All the radiation would either be gone, or very small. So if we’re only in there for a bit, we’ll be fine.”

Asher nodded. “Only question is-”

Alarms started blaring as everyone’s phones went off, and the diner TV flashed with a city wide threat warning, showing video footage of the street just a few blocks away from the diner.

“Nevermind, we don’t need to go to the power plant,” Chase said as he quickly started packing up, “They found us.”

Everyone jumped up and started chugging their milkshakes and wolfing down fries. The whole group almost ended up in a pile as they tripped over each other to climb out the booth and find a secluded place to change into superhero gear- some opted for the bathroom, others ducked out into the alley hoping the dumpsters would hide them.

Chase’s gear was mostly armor that he wore over his clothes like a shell, so he was done first (after Kylee of course, since she used her superspeed to change). He leaned against the side of the building, watching the live news on his phone while he waited for the others.

Kylee sighed, signing sharply with her hands, “What is taking them so long?”

“Not all of us have superspeed,” Chase said, “They haven’t quite reached this block anyway, it’s fine.”

The others came out the back door of the diner in their superhero gear one by one.

“Took you long enough,” Chase said, and Kylee smacked their shoulder, giving him a look. He rolled his eyes, closing the helmet over his face. “Showtime.”

The team raced out into the street, as Black Hole and his cronies were tearing up the streets while civilians ran for cover.

V said quietly, “That’s a lot.”

The others could barely hear her, but they were all thinking similar thoughts along those lines.

[devotion-that-corrupts]

10 Characters / 10 Fandoms / 10 Tags

pick 10 characters from 10 fandoms and tag 10 people. thank you for tagging me @ithinkthiswasabadidea :)

apparently you don't have to comment on them. HOWEVER, i love talking about my interests, and you've given me an excuse to do it, so let's go!

(not in any particular order, i love them all.)

constantin d'orsay (greedfall) baby boy. has done nothing wrong ever in his entire life. seeing him activates my knight instinct. i would fight lord and lady d'orsay for him. i would fight the high king guy for him. i would fight god for him. if he is wrong i would reshape reality to make him right. all of this to say, i love him a normal amount.

viego (league of legends / ruination / runeterra) if i had a nickel for every time a character i love was born a second son of a ruler and so was never intended to lead, yet became an heir after his brother's death, was supposed to die because of poison, had only one person he cared about deeply, in something between eternal love and obsession caused immense destruction for the sake of that person (who has never asked for any of this), had some sort of transformation during which his hair turned from fair/blond to platinum, his eye color changed, and there appeared some weird magic-related thing on his head symbolizing his becoming a villain (or, rather, making it clear that he was wrong all along), then i'd have two nickels. which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice. ok, now for a more normal explanation. bringing your kingdom & then entire realm to ruin for your wife? in grief, in hopeless attempt to revive her? i love this! i love it when love turns people evil.

camilla hect (the locked tomb) i don't have coherent thoughts about her. i simply adore her with my whole heart. here's to camilla hect, yet another of devotion's casualties!!!

gale dekarios aka gale of waterdeep (baldur's gate 3) i will kill mystra.

gabrielle de lioncourt (the vampire chronicles) there is much to analyze about her background and her relationships, esp with lestat, and i am most definitely unfit for this. let me just say that if i were a vampire, i would also ditch humanity and explore some jungle instead. and probably wear men's clothes.

millions knives (trigun) unhinged codependent siblings… <3

fang runin (the poppy war) my darling girl who fell in love with the war, and nobody told her it ended. i think she should get to burn the world down, as a treat.

breezepelt (warrior cats) i am including him because he is my og blorbo. 10-year old me really looked at the worst guy ever and said yeah that's the one. my love for writing about dysfunctional families and defying religion could probably be traced back to him.

constance blackwood (we have always lived in the castle) i NEED to teleport into the world of this book and ask constance her perspective. because she knew it, i mean, she knew what must have actually happened the whole time. i wonder what she felt after the accident, and if/how her view changed since then. i wonder what she thought of her parents, and of merricat, and of the life they came to lead. we get some of it from the dialogue and interactions ofc, but it doesn't stop me from contemplating all of this.

august (the wicker king) guard dog of a boy. 'I like following him. Following orders. Doing whatever he wants.' 'I’m always going to want to be at your heels, fighting for you. Hurting myself because you tell me to.' i hope belonging to someone else brings him peace.

anyways, i had to open the book to find these quotes, and now i want to reread it all over again. let me just tag some mutuals and then i'm gonna go read.

(no pressure!) (also you don't have to elaborate on them) @kuramirocket @grin-unsettling @boygirltwins @fairylightfairlybright @drizzit @msnormandy @darkvisionvamp @gardenbastard @cjflint @pups-2-dust & anyone else who wants to :)

[spacedlexi]

ive been intrigued by modern au of certain twdg characters, like we know some of their back stories (lee being a prof or javi a baseball player) but like actually picturing/designing them is interesting, idk if you've ever thought of it past clem, louis and violet [unfortunately im unskilled so just sharing my ideas!]

i dont think about modern aus all that often since ive always been more of a fan of in-universe explorations. the only time i Really think about modern au stuff is when im playing them in the sims lmao (i keep my traumatized faves safe there)

i dont think their designs would be all that different? the only reason i see clem vs modern clem as variations of the same person is because we knew what she was like as a kid and we saw how beat down by the world she became after 8 years on the road. but without the trauma of that i feel she would be able to retain a lot of that optimism and kindness she had as a child that she became hardened to as she got older (that kindness is still there deep down but shes become hardened by the things shes been through and shes had to become tough to survive). and even with her parents still dying, getting to have lee permanently as a supportive guardian lets her still retain that general attitude for the most part, she just becomes more of a realist. but she never gets as low emotionally as she was in like S3. she also has less responsibility since she doesnt have to care for aj alone either. she actually gets to be a sister. shes much more lighthearted overall while still taking things seriously

but for characters like lee or javi (or any of the adults), we've seen them outside of the apocalypse. and their outlooks didnt change all that dramatically because of it. at least not in ways that would influence their personal styles. just take the layer of zombie grime off them give them a bath and clean clothes theyre good to go

when i think of modern aus i imagine most of the adults to be the same, just more relaxed as they dont have to deal with fighting to survive day after day. its really the younger characters that i feel would have the possibility of being different. in-universe their lives were shaped by the apocalypse. but without the apocalypse who would they be? and how do you still keep those characters feeling like Themselves when you remove such a big part of why they are the way they are?

especially when it comes to the ericson kids who, when i imagine modern aus, were not sent off to boarding school by their families either. thats another huge change to something so so foundational to their characters. how were those situations handled? did those events even happen? in louis' case i personally keep his relationship with his father tense and strict, but i make his mother more supportive of him and his goals, and so while he still has to fight for what he wants there was never a time where he felt he needed to teach his dad a lesson, because at least he has his mom. in violets case things dont change all that much, her dad still sucks her mom still works 3 jobs and her grandma still offs herself in front of her, only difference is they have no financial ability to send violet off, and so she just has to Deal with it. but even these changes dont have all that much effect on their personal styles compared to their canon selves. louis just gets to keep wearing his expensive designer shit, and violet has had the same wardrobe for 5+ years and it shows in its wear and tear

when i think about how characters would dress its heavily reliant on their personalities, outlooks, and circumstances. how do i show these things based on looks alone? but thats why i dont imagine most of them looking all that different. theyve just been reverted. lee is still a fun but reasonable (for the most part) history professor who wants to start a family, and javi is still a happy go lucky uncle dealing with being kicked out of his dream career while trying to be more present for his family. their styles remain largely unchanged

[ch3ri-ch3ri-lady]

one thing i’m super curious for in s2 of iwtv is how they’re going to handle the character of madeleine.

in the novel and 1994 movie, claudia forced louis to make madeleine to become her new adoptive mother-this was (along with other reasons) because in order to have any semblance of a life, claudia quite literally NEEDED an adult vampire. At age 5 (book) or 11 (movie), you literally can’t DO anything independently-rent an apartment, live on your own, travel on your own, etc. in a way, madeleine was almost more of claudia’s glorified servant/chauffeur, as she resented fulfilling the role of daughter and longed for adulthood/independence more than anything else. madeleine was a necessity.

madeleine’s personality was also perfect for claudia’s needs. she was a woman driven mad with grief and obsessed with children, she would mindlessly do anything for claudia in a heartbeat and the idea of spending an eternity with an immortal, never-ageing and never-dying daughter was a dream come true for her. of COURSE she’d become her vampire companion (*cough* servant). plus, the added factor that she was a dollmaker and could tailor any clothes/objects to claudia’s child size was definitely an added bonus (like in her miniature adult room, she could dress up in the clothes and pretend at the lifestyle she was always deprived of behind the safety of closed doors. she also really is lestat’s mini me lol and has his eye/appreciation for the finer things and materialism, as opposed to sweaters-eaten-by-moths dad louis)

however, amc claudia is 14, an astronomically different age independence wise compared to 5 or even 11. it’s established in s1 that with some clothes and makeup she can somewhat successfully pass as older, and she was able to live relatively functionally on her own during her era away from louis and lestat. unlike her book/movie counterpart, she doesn’t REQUIRE a physically adult presence in her life. instead we see there is a much greater emphasis on her love life (ex: charlie) and desire for emotional companionship. also, she COMPLETELY resents her status as a “daughter”, switching to referring to louis and lestat as her brothers because she wants to remove herself from that dynamic completely. narratively, it would make no sense for her to make a new parent after working so hard to get rid of that dynamic with her old ones. this is why i (and many other fans i’ve seen) wonder if madeleine is going to be aged down and become her girlfriend/lover in s2 instead.

i think this would also draw some more sweet sweet parallels between her and lestat. both lestat’s first fledgeling/relationship (nicki) and claudia’s (madeleine, and yes, ik louis is technically her maker but he rlly wanted nothing to do w/ her the whole time and the only reason claudia wasn’t her maker was because she was physically incapable of doing so) impulsively believed their mental issues and anguish would be resolved with vampirism when in actuality they only worsened it and made them “mad” (i.e. nicki’s eventual suicide and madeleine’s growing mental instability and just generally freakish behaviour. i feel like it’s not too far of a stretch to say that if she wasn’t killed it wouldn’t have taken long for her to crash and burn too). the lestat/nicki and claudia/madeleine comparisons would be sooo much stronger if madeleine was her lover as well (espc her first serious AND queer relationship, just like nickistat).

claudia and lestat are soo similar and i feel like this wasn’t explored enough in s1. i hope that as the unreliable narration or suspected memory tampering “unravels”, we see more of their dynamic. like, claudia was lestat’s BABY. deep down he was proud of how claudia killed him-because he admitted that if he was in her situation, she did everything the exact same way he would have. AAGH.

(on a side note, i wonder how they’d change up this metaphorical gf!madeleine’s backstory to accommodate the changes. she would still need to be off putting, deeply disturbed/internally tormented, and probably Not That Good Of A Person To Choose To Make Into A Vampire™, but her original backstory of “dead daughter who she creepily makes hundreds of doll replicas of to cope” would have to switch up (i’m maybe banking on something related to wwii, considering the setting of a just-liberated 1940s paris)

anyways lmk ur thoughts