#temporary antagonist because of a curse but

[silvercaptain24]

“Find the Cavalry Captain, and Klee! They had to have been in it together this whole time, I want them arrested at once!”

“Yes, Acting Grand Master!”

[globin--goblin]

Paper Mario: The Origami King has the best depiction of good guy Bowser in the franchise: a short essay

In Super Mario RPG, he's still thinking about kidnapping Toadstool after joining the party.

In Superstar Saga, he acts only because Peach being cursed would be bad for his castle. And after the first area he stops being himself, so the game barely has any "good Bowser" material.

In Super Paper Mario, he's always talking about how he's still married to Peach, and in chapter 7, randomly decides to attack Mario and Luigi over it, only getting a redeeming moment when saving O’Chunks. 

In Bowser's Inside Story, right at the end, when he finds out he's been helping the bros all this time, he decides to attack them. Instead of having a sweet, emotional moment after saving the world, he becomes evil again and ends up bedridden before receiving a proper thanks.

All of these games have one thing in common: Bowser is still a villain. He wants to be the bad guy, and he makes it clear that as soon as this game’s badder guy is dispatched, he’s going back to his usual self. The writers have no intention of taking him out of his regular role, and neither does he. He never sees this as anything other than a short truce. “The moment this is over, I’m back to beating those pesky plumbers for my sweet Peach.”

But in Origami King? It’s completely different. He’s not acting to get his revenge on Mario, take Peach for himself from Olly, or defeat an obstacle in his evil plan. He just wants to save his minions and beat Olly up personally. As he says himself, “Mario needs to rescue the princess… and I need to find Olly and punchify his face for making me like this!”

After Mario saves him from the Scissors in his castle, he never acts antagonistic. He has his usual personality, but no evil plans in mind. He wants to defeat Olly and save everyone. After Mario defeats the Stapler and unfolds him, he finally has his sweet, emotional moment, giving Olivia a pep talk before the final boss. He has an honest speech about dealing with Junior. He reassures the origami girl that it’s all fine, and she shouldn’t be worried about putting him in danger, because he’s not scared of Olly, he can take him. And Olivia is grateful for him, as much as she’s grateful for every friend that helped along the way.

Because think about Olivia’s point of view. She never met Bowser the cartoon villain, Bowser the kidnapper, Bowser the destroyer of kingdoms. All she saw was Bowser the father, Bowser the cool and awesome king, Bowser the good guy that helped save the world. She saw him letting Mario ride the airship to reach Olly, his son and nanny assisting Mario in breaking the final streamer, his subjects bravely fighting against the Folded Soldiers out of their loyalty to him.

After this is over, Bowser is invited to the origami festival. No ifs or buts, no attempts to ruin it for everyone else, no recovering from a beating… They just bring him along as he has fun with everyone else. Bowser Jr, Kamek and the minions are having fun with everyone else. Origami King did the impossible, it developed Bowser out of his eternal bad guy role. All this time, Bowser has been an evil villain and a temporary reluctant ally with a soft spot. But now, as the game comes to a close, he's just a friend. Nothing more.

A few years later, Super Mario Bros Wonder was released, and Bowser went back to his usual villainy, as if none of this happened. But I trust Paper Mario. I believe that, if Intelligent Systems cares about this series’ continuity at all, the next game won’t forget Bowser’s part in taking down Olly, and his final transformation into a good guy.

[neoninky]

TWST Shenanigans: League of Antagonists (and some actual Villains)

I'm back with another long winded, stupid thought that I may draw some day but in the mean time, here's this lol (also spoilers for my Sacred Crown fics if you haven't read them?? Just FYI)

Scene: Antagonists from canon TWST side events all hang out in a bar and talk about how they fucked with the main characters for reasons unknown

Ashton Vargas: *reminiscing about the Camp Vargas event(s)* HA HA Man you should have seen their faces! We gave those punks a good ol' fashion trauma haunt in the woods. Classic. Divus Crewel: And we looked damn good doing it too. *Camp Vargas Part 1 and 2 Crewel definitely made those costumes* Vargas: Sigh...of course we got a temporary dock in pay to help provide the whimpier ones with therapy sessions but eh totally worth it. Random group of fairies all sharing a bar stool: *makes a bunch of tinkly noises talking about the Fairy Gala* Translation: That's cool but we almost ruined the entire school's ecosystem because we gave into our baser instincts and stole the mage stone cuz it was shiny... damn those kids for crashing our party with their incredibly well made outfits and near flawless sashays (Crewel: I would be more upset if not for the fact I finally got Kingscholar to have proper posture for at least 14 hours.)

Ghost Princess Eliza: *still boohooing over the Ghost Marriage event though technically she is happily married in the end* I just wanted to marry my perfect prince after years and years and YEARS of waiting!! What's a little first-degree murder in the name of true love?! (Fairies: damn gurl / Crewel: that's a mood.) And those horrible boys just kept coming to ruin my wedding! Accosting me with their unprincely behavior! What kind of man doesn't have a legendary sword or a faithful dog that comes at his beck and call?! (Vargas: she does make a good point...) Oh well, in the end, I did find my real prince so it all worked out. We'll be returning for the baby shower they promised to host! (Crewel: the school and every person on campus has at least three restraining orders against you...) - jaunty music suddenly starts playing out of nowhere and the entire room groans - Fellow Honest: *cane twirls his way on screen, ready to spill the deets on the Playful Land event* Trauma, theft, delusionally murderous courtship? That's cute. I suckered a whole group of those dumbasses into a human trafficking con disguised as a theme park! And I did it so well that I basically hijacked 90% of all social media for MONTHS while doing it! Everyone: *disgruntedly* we KNOW Fellow Honest: *much smug* Did I mention how I also cursed the whole place to turn them into wooden puppets if they broke the backward ass rule system I put in place as well? (Vargas: dude what the actual hell?) Sigh...and it would have all gone off without a hitch if it weren't for those damn kids fucking up the entire park (Crewel: our students are pretty much all assholes, yes.) ...I mean sure, in the end, I did tell my shitty boss to suck it and encourage those brats to do exactly that. But then they dared to extend a hand of friendship and understanding to ME?! Entitled, fancy boys with their fancy schmancy education *grumble grumble* Vargas + Crewel: *side-eye glance at each other at the mention of a shitty boss* ..... *both take long sips of their drinks*

Rollo: *appears with sudden intense mood change in the atmosphere* Hmph. I understand your contempt for those frivolous magic users completely... (Fellow: THANK you!) ...I invited a select few of them onto my campus under the pretense of uniting our schools in harmony and camaraderie. In actuality...I wanted to destroy them by taking away their magic and then wiping magic off the very face of the planet. Fellow Honest: ...ok well damn that's a bit harsh- *the group of fairies moves as far away from Rollo as possible*

Rollo: and I would have gotten away with it too. Had it not been for that Malleus Draconia *name said with such distain Rollo might as well be a friggin Batman villain* ...on the other hand, I did completely get away with it. Cuz they tried to guilt trip me by letting everyone believe I was this upstanding person who isn't capable of heinous acts. (Fellow: HA stupid) ...that is until karma bit me in the ass and then my childhood magical dragon friend that I don't absolutely abhor ended up bonding with the magical dragon that I hate with every fiber of my being... *talking about my OC in Her Devoted Throne hitting it off with Malleus lol* Crewel: To be fair, if watching your BFF get with your sworn enemy after you tried to commit mass genocide of magic is the worst thing to happen, you are one lucky bastard.

Rollo: Oh I'm barely as horrible as they are... *scene pans over to another group seated in the Really Fucked Up OC Villain section*

Queen Alva from Her Ivory Crown: I not only gaslighted and emotionally abused my own daughter into working herself to the bone to prove herself as the heir to my throne, I then threatened her and tried to take everything she fought for away from her the minute she had a meltdown and wouldn't marry the boy I picked out for her. Not to mention potentially damning my own Queendom by trying to deprive them of a far better queen than I in the future....now I'm divorced, shunned from society, and living alone in the countryside, forced to do my own housework *has to fetch her own fainting couch so she can dramatically swoon* Zehn Cavaliar, the 'boy' in question: ...yeah I wouldn't take no for an answer so hard that I harassed the crown princess into an Overblot state which could have killed her. I also attacked and injured her while she was in that condition. Her new boyfriend got all his friends to kick my ass before and after I lost everything.... *has the expression of someone going through a Vietname flashback* Don Muraeni from Her Lost Voice: *sitting in a large fish bowl on the counter as a shriveled up sea polyp* I literally paid and sometimes forced several women to bear my children - who I let abuse and murder each other all in hopes of earning my approval btw. I even killed a guy who owed me money and then took his wife and child, made said wife have another one of my kids - who I also abused and forced to do underhanded tasks through the majority of her childhood. I also tried to use my son to get at my sworn enemy after not shedding a single fucking tear after his brother was brutally murdered by said enemy...*stops to think* More child abuse. Collecting siren mermaids and forcing them to be sex workers. Trapping my wife for several years while letting her children believe she was dead....so yeah all that backfired horribly and now I'm trapped as this weird lil slug thing until I die. Or something. Ghost of Don Muraeni's right-hand guy, Proteus: I was a total creep who abused his power and was brutally murdered for it in the end. Also I stole magic from a defenseless, traumatized child. Everyone else: *staring at all of them in horror* .....JESUS CHRIST

Dark Fire is hot but Hell is hotter *sips tea*

Also tagging people for reasons @iscarlettappel @foxwitchaine @wysteriadelights @nuitthegoddess @victoria1676 @1ndigowitch

[anarchswild]

Extremely fucked up that we are investigating the main antagonist's temporary hideout and we find in-depth anatomical sketches of our entire coterie with a bunch of notes about our weaknesses.

Malachi's has notes about them possibly being a Baali, and Reid instinctively destroyed that part of the evidence because of his Curse.

Also notes about the Lady and her (dead) childe from the 1930s.

[yallaya-blog]

Thokk’s daughter & AJ seem like the main antagonists in the new gen spin off. How do you see their roles in the story playing out if their characters were explored more?

YESS THIS HAS TO BE MY FAVORITE QUESTION SO FAR honestly with how their antagonism is brought up (thokks daughter hating viltrumites because they brought upon the death of her father, and she later inherits his battling curse, and AJ hating invincible because he effectively erased his father from the multiverse) they will NOT be leaving terra and markus alone 😭 thokks daughter (is insinuated to) believes terra is the viltrumite that killed thokk OR because thokks daughters is dornns world/battle champion, she is going after terra because she views her as a ‘worthy appontent’ because terra is the world/battle champion of viltrum, and AJ (also insinuated to) mistakes markus murphy for mark grayson as marky is taking up the mantle of invincible on earth. I dont think thokks daughter or AJ would know about eachother considering theyre only after one person, but if they did eventually discover that terra and markus are siblings i would LOVEE to see them do a temporary team up until both of their goals were met (like when thokk teamed up with nolan an allen when they were escaping prison) and seeing the four of them battle is an idea i hope gets light shed on because i think that would be awesome!

[stellamancer]

Hello hello Niku, I'm the anon who had sent that ask regarding sending in ideas earlier today! ^^

First and foremost thank you so so much for your kind words and assurances, I'm happy to hear that sending the ask was okay, I was so scared of over stepping or that the way in which I phrased the ask would come across/sound a certain type of that I almost wussed out and didn't send it lol ^^; I totally understand not being able to get to an ask or responding within a certain period of time, life happens, you've got hobbies and there's absolutely zero obligations in any way! <:) (Oh and while I utterly adore the way you write Gojo😳 in regards to your initial response. Yes. Make him even more pathetic if you so desire. That wet napkin of a man is always in a grave need to be humbled, and I don't think anyone would complain at the thought lol)

But to get onto the whole reason I sent the ask in the first place, while the idea doesn't have much background or development, it's just stuck with me in such a way that I couldn't help but latch onto it and the possibilities that came with it!

So without further ado.... What do you think it would look like if Gojo got a mean case of amnesia? Be it permanent or temporary is completely undecided, but I just wonder how he would act. Would he be more serious/ toned down? Any more chaotic and an unabashed menace than what he already is? I just wonder about any and all differences that he would potentially have, be it personality, mannerisms, how he acted around/treated others, etc... I'd like to believe he would at the very least make enough haste to put 'remember who I am' on the To Do list, but he's just such??? An eccentric guy even with all of his memories, so it's an interesting head scratcher to imagine lol

Furthermore, because it's not enough to have one thought, but another, smaller one to latch onto the first. What if, while still suffering from amnesia Gojo essentially gets Isekai'd(?) into a world that is literally exactly the same in each and every way, but there isn't an ounce of cursed energy to be had. No sorcerers, no curses, nothing of the sort.

Plainly speaking, the jujutsu world has played a part in each and every aspect of Gojo's life, no matter how much he despised and fought it. So the idea of someone losing their memory is already quite unfortunate, no matter who they are, but to have to even attempt to re learn who they once were but also in a different world, one that is familiar, but distinctly off just enough, especially considering what exactly it is that's 'missing' in his case, sounds so incredibly lonely and isolating :(

Because realistically he would have no one to fall back to, to help him. It'd be a miracle if he stumbled upon a samaritan kind enough to give him the time of day. I imagine it'd be super overwhelming, and the ever growing sense of his existence just being so inherently 'wrong' would be?? Horrible (Because yes, he garners attention. He's pretty. But would anyone he approaches honestly take him seriously? Maybe readers the first one to finally take his words for what they are, maybe they meet when he's passed out outside of their job as they're closing up for the night and after an intense bout of screaming and a hurried sad excuse of an explanation on Gojo's part, some kind of odd understanding is had between the two)

(And in regards to the mentioned Isekai, I don't really know why/how this would happen, maybe when being sealed away he was literally just express mailed to our world, maybe he manages to finally beat the antagonist of the story/fulfills his role and the universe just??? Presses the evaporate button. Hell, considering all of the wild cursed techniques and energies going on in all of these intense fights it wouldn't surprise me if it made the worlds oddest cosmic cocktail and rips open a wormhole or smth lol)

Sksksksk that was an absolute monster of an ask, once more I hope that's okay lol ^^ hopefully my rambles weren't too wild and coherent enough, this train of thought has been going rampant in my head for the past couple of days and I just!!! Had to share it! Thank you so so much for your kind words and time, once again please know there is never any rush or pressure to respond, simply being able to write and send the idea off is more than enough for me! <:)

Oh, yes, I must make him more pathetic then. I'm actually not quite sure how, though, actually. I guess I would need to put him in a situation where he can display his pathetic loser tendencies (maybe I should consult Morgan over this…)

I'm gonna put the rest under a cut.

Anyway, Gojo with amnesia… I guess that depends on a couple things, like how deep is this amnesia going? Are we just wiping memories or does it run deeper and has he lost some character development too because I think there would be differences depending on these two scenarios. That said, I think that either way he would be more serious, maybe not necessarily more toned down, but a little less joking because he's missing his memories. But on the other side of that is that I don't think he'd be freaking out, or anything; he'd probably outwardly try to look like he's perfectly fine and nothing's wrong.

Then to be isekai'd. Your brain's really going for the double whammy there. To lose your memories and be transported to another world… I'd assume that he probably still can use his CT and stuff, though the amnesia also begs the question of how skilled he is with those. If anything, the Six Eyes probably still work, so he'd probably know right away that things do not look 'right.' Actually, I think he'd probably still need to use jujutsu because, like, then if he rememebred bits of pieces of his life while he's in this other world… he might think he's going insane. The mind-fuckery potential is wild! You could really play up the horror factor and I think that would be a lot of fun!

And then having a reader who is kind and open-minded and… I do think he'd try to do things on his own because he's kind of like that, so I think a reader would have to be like "I am helping you and that is that."

I think that using his boxing would be a good way to, like, easily whisk him away. But, if he's there temporarily it does seem a little bit sad. I mean amnesia, I feel like, usually ends up being an angsty trope so… are you a little angst gremlin anon? I mean how else do people get isekai'd… Gojo vs Truck-chan… who would win? LMAO. An other worldly wormhole could be good too… I think that gives the chance for other characters from JJK to pop up. I think if any of his students came for him and he asked them 'well who are you guys?' they might actually think he was fucking around and not actually amnesic. LMAO.

And no worries on ask length! I'm happy to soundboard for you or anyone else for that matter! I mean I did input some opinion, but I hope you don't mind that. But thank you so much for sharing with me!! uwu

[exaltatuss]

"Do not worry. I'm not going to kill you. I have... Other uses for you." -Mara

General Info: Name; Mara Occupation: Nidhogg, Imugi, God-Devouring Serpent, Ahesvar Age; ███’███’███’███ Race; Abyssal Serpent Height; 195 cm Morality Alignment; True Evil Eye Color; Purple Hair color; Black with purple streaks Other Characteristics: Tail, Shedding Skin, Fangs Misc; Irredeemable

Personality; A trait rarely seen from other antagonists, Mara's demeanor is relaxed, talking eloquently, yet powerfully. Her speech patterns show that she need not to utter out swears or curses to instill an imposing impression towards those she talks to. Despite such charismatic eloquence, she doesn't hide the fact that she looks down on everyone else, be it those she had faced in the past, or those who are of equal in her weight class in terms of power. Additionally, she is unfazed when relaying out grim descriptions of things, especially talking down on her adversaries. She rarely ever goes for the kill not because she can't, but because she prefers prolonging their suffering until she gets bored of them, even going as far as to either coercing, manipulating or forcing them into do things they are morally against doing normally.

Her brutality in words and actions most often leave a lasting impression, as even the likes of Chione and Roone had learn to be quite wary of her.

She is also shown to be extremely intelligent, possessing genius level intellect far surpassing most individuals, and as such, makes sure that she exercises as much tact as possible, knowing all she could about individuals of interest, preparing contingencies against them, and even going as far as to prepare her physical condition against them should she end up facing them in combat. However, even if said preparations were to fail, she has displayed time and time again that she could improvise plans on the fly to the point of unpredictability.

She's extremely manipulative, either via careful, systematic manipulation, or bruteforcing it via various mind controlling abilities, though she favors the former than the latter, seeing the former as a more enjoyable way of dismantling someone apart. That being said, those who work under her are only there purely as a byproduct of the former.

Having no real affiliations with other factions as she originates from the bottommost recesses of the Abyss, she has no qualms betraying others, be it temporary ally, foe, hero, or fellow villain. To her, all are just the same: toys who will bend and break, some earlier or later than most.

At her core, Mara is absolute chaos personified, relishing on systematically picking things apart, simulating a domino effect of events she had envisioned, and watching as everything starts crumbling down. She is, metaphorically and literally, the slow poison that brings upon agonizing suffering and death to others.

Despite seeing herself in an overconfident light bordering onto hubris, Mara is one who is deceptively crazy prepared, her ego balanced out by her sence of self-competence, constantly reaching her limits again and again, and surpassing them all the same. Just like what she had said once, "Absolute chaos never settle with 'enough'."

As such, she would find genuine excitement against adversaries who can stand their ground against her, mainly due to the fact that she would have more time enjoying picking them apart, or try to. She takes even more exceptional fondness to those who just won't simply break from her machinations, as they would be a constant reminder for her to always raise the stakes.

Backstory; WIP

Powers & Abilities

Superhuman Physical Characteristics Master Martial Artist Ki Manipulation Enhanced Senses Accelerated Development Reactive Power Level Rage Power Energy/Ki Absorption  Regeneration/Healing Factor High Pain Tolerance Non-Physical Interaction  Mind Control Poison Manipulation Ultimate Poison Poison Immunity Chaos Manipulation Calamity Manipulation Talent Theft Power Absorption Void Manipulation & Existance Erasure Resistance to Space-Time & Time-Stop technques Genius Intellect Master Manipulator

Trivia:

-Due to her point of origin being the deepest parts of the Abyss, Mara is to be considered one of the most powerful individuals on any universe. Despite having the power to completely annihilate worlds or civilizations, she prefers rotting them out to the core slowly and painfully. One such example was the once bountiful Planet Klymeda, which has now regressed into the most unpleasant, anarchic, and self-destructive outback planets to ever exist across the multiverse, all due to Mara's doing.

-Due to her direct, intimate connection to the Abyss, Mara can appear on any given location, on any given time, even going as far as being able to naturally slip into even the Zeroth Universe without any outside help.

-Those who actively try seeking her would be faced with a chain of events that instills the worst possible calamities thrown at them. This has been the exact reason why Roone and Chione can't actively try seeking her out, despite how much they want to. In other words, one does not really seek Mara. Its Mara who seeks an individual out, and if she does, only they can start seeking her without already getting harmed from doing so, thus completely deconstructing the need for protagonists to eventually pursue the antagonists. Certain abilities and/or forms do counter such power of calamity, however.

-Being an Abyssal Serpent, and the only recorded being of her kind, Mara possesses every potent toxins ever known, used to be known, and yet to be known. Bodily fluids such as blood or saliva is enough totransmit them onto others. Though despite such, a good majority of her body is also envenomed, and not just her fluids. Furthermore, her blood is not only toxic, but is also extremely corrosive. Anything that isn't made of Solium would quickly dissolve with relative ease. Naturally, Mara has immunity to such, herself.

-Due to her Talent Theft and Power Absorption Abilities, she had acquired Vacosian Traits and abilities from Chione, as well as Dracontine Traits and abilities from Roone, allowing her to have a mixed conglomerate of Vacosian and Dracontine biology, as well as access to Zenkai and Dracontine Adaptation. That being said, she had acquired her own spin of powers from many others due to said abilities.

[emburnes]

A little thing made for my Tiefling Bard, Stray whom I got to use very recently in a one-shot. The first two characters with him are temporary party members he had for a job, whereas the "half-elf" in the rest of it is his story's main antagonist. Both his former emplyer, and abuser.

Stray is a big people person, but has a difficult time communicating important information he desperately needs to get out due to a curse placed on him by his former employer, Dimitri Courtenay. The YouTube description has a very basic summary of what that info is, just about as much as the video itself presents what he knows and how it haunts him even while he's far away and in a place that has a great deal of safety. Dimitri has left a lasting impression on him so while he is actively looking for help in dealing with them, he's still afraid and often second-guessing his goals because of the abuse and manipulation he endured during his time with them.

[arlakos]

Miraculous Rant

Actually, you know what, while im still mad from the previous post I made, lets go off on a rant. No punches pulled. Lets do this.

The lovesquare is the most terrible ship in this fandom. One girl is a hyper obsessed stalker who tracks her crush with her planner for 3 whole seasons, while the boy couldn’t learn to take a hint and stop flirting for 3 whole seasons until he decided to move on with another girl. Ironically that makes them perfect for eachother, but its in a creepy kind of way, not a loving kind of way.

Adrigami and Lukanette in the S3 Finale were wasted events and never should have occured because they were immediately axed in the first few episodes of the next season. I feel sorry for those that were hoping their ships could be real for at least a short actual while, and it makes me want to curse the writers for their story-boner for the status quo of teases

Despite what I said earlier, none of the girls are good for Adrien. Marinette’s stalkery and a borderline yandere, Kagami’s somewhat controlling and too similar to Adrien help him grow as a person, Chloe is a queen bee beyotch and honestly too much like a sibling to Adrien, and Lila is garbage. Fuck it, have Luka date Adrien and they can play some sweet music together (not like that you pervs, I meant they both play instruments).

Nino needs more love. Not only that, but there needs to be more Adrien/Nino bro moments. If Marinette and Alya can have moments together, why not the bros?

Chloe’s character is a mess, and is neither redeemable, nor notably evil. Her role as a villain in season 1 is very hamfisted, such as in the episodes Mr Pigeon and Kung Food. Not only that, Chloe also lacks any of the qualities that makes a good “bully villain” or rival to Marinette, and her sympathetic moments (which are Written by Sebastien) are mostly overshadowed by the fact that Astruc wants her to be a bully, so it just makes her bipolar and confusing when her character is tugged between two writers.

Chloe should not have joined Hawkmoth in Miracle Queen, see my other post as to why I think so. TLDR, its kinda ooc  for her to go full on 2d villain like Hawkmoth especially after Miraculer, plus Lila was being build up to be the main antagonist of S3

Chloe got kicked from the Team in Miraculer because people know her identity? Fine. Kagami gets to be Ryuko again despite being known to Hawkmoth in Ikari Gozen? Not cool. Ladybug shouldn’t be a hypocrite and be willing to break her own rules just because “Kagami is my friend and Chloe’s not”. Same goes for her breaking the rule with secrect identities with Alya, only for her to go on and on about the rules to Chat when he pries.

Zoe is a bland character who’s only notable trait that she likes Marinette, which automatically makes her worthy of a miraculous after two episodes and no actual development.

Astruc is a petty frick who makes episodes that give the finger to fans of the show that have a different opinion than him. Queen Banana, Miracle Queen, and Reverser are good examples of this (Reverser did Nathaniel dirty).

Master Fu is a shit guardian. Read my post for more.

FRICK THE FEAST EPISODE. Not only did is ruin Fu as character, it ruined all the good theories as to why the order fell, and wasted the idea of a new villain being introduced or even taking over as the main antagonist! Speaking of Feast, despite the sentimonster destroying an order when he wasn’t even big, he still go beat by 2 kids even when he was supersized!

Marinette is not a good Guardian. Her ability to choose heroes does not make her capable, and just because “tradition is stupid” doesnt mean that Marinette shouldn’t be tested like others before her!

Despite the Kwami’s being ancient magical buildings, they seem to act like kids a lot, and that annoys me when in S1 they are supposed to apparently be mentors to their wielders, like how Tikki was before she was mentally de-aged.

Lila is trash and should be removed from the show. The only reasons her lies work is because the writers dumb down every other character in the show and ignore the fact the people have smartphones with google.

The “Miraculous” Ladybug spell should require both Ladybug and Chat Noir to cast, because not only does the power have nothing to do with creation, but it also “destroys” anything created by the akuma, which thematically makes no sense. Also it would place more emphasis on the two heroes being equals and “two halfs of the same coin”

On that note, Ladybug has too many powers. Not only is she the only one who can purify akumas, and can cast a spell that can fix Paris time and time again like its no one’s buisness, but she also now gets a new suit and the ability to nullify Hawkmoth’s akumas. Like COME ON! Give Chat some powers too.

Mayura’s feather’s shouldnt be able to be purified by Ladybug since they have no dark energy, and (thematically speaking) Chat should be given an ability that allows him to “vanquish” the energy in Mayura[’s feathers similar to how Ladybug can purify Hawkmoth’s akumas. At least it would develop a rivalry between Chat and Mayura, and would make Chat necassary against Shadowmoth rather than being replacable with any other hero.

The are too many temporary heroes. They should have just stuck with the 3 heroes from s2 and leave it at that. Sure, new heroes were cool, but the overuse has made the whole hero thing feel less special. It made sense for the first 3 to have them, but now it’s just like Oprah where everyone gets a miraculous. Except Gabe.

Chat Blanc was a stupid reason as to why secret identities cant be revealed, also Chat could have told LB who Hawkmoth once he returned back to normal was and the show would be over.

Hawkmoth should not be Gabriel. Frick the lore about Gabriel’s wife dying and him going evil to get her back, it makes the story feel too much like a star wars/Darth vader reference and leaves Gabriel acting bipolar, flipping from wanting to save his wife and doing this out of necessity to being a power hungry madman wanting to take over the world ( which is said in his canon music video). Having Hawkmoth be his own character means he can be an actual maniac who wants world domination and not just have villanous plot that rely on obtaining magical jewellery (perhaps doing other evil things/taking a more active role), while Gabriel being his own character means he can be a father that has become estranged from his son due to the lose of his S,O, and thus can have a plot about him reuniting with his son (I liked the end seen in Simon says, ok?)

On that same note, I think Mayura shouldn’t have been Nathalie. Considering Hawkmoth’s plans were repetitive as heck for most of the show, when I heard about the Mayura leaks back in Season 2 (when she was called “le Paon”) I was theorising that Mayura would actually being Hawkmoth’s boss, the villain the was responsible for giving him his Miraculous and the one who destroyed the Order of the Miraculous, and would take over as the main villain in season 3 due to Hawkmoth’s failures. However, that turned out not to be the case.

Not only that, but Mayuras power is a copy paste power with some modifications to make it complement Hawkmoth’s power, by basically giving his akuma’s magic pokemon.

Speaking of Hawkmoth’s power, for a miraculous that is supposed to be used for good, how can his power mind control people and make them become evil? More importantly, for a miraculous that is supposedly weaker than the main heroes of the show, having it be able to multiply and posses people to create an army is kinda strong.

Fuck the Maribat ship that the salt fandom came up with. Its trash, it was made to bash most of the Miraculous cast sans Marinette, and anyone thinks it is good are either those same salters or are the same people who think that Rey-lo and the Twilight Saga are masterpieces of romance.

Whew! I needed that vent. Hope you enjoyed it as as much as I did, and Tune in next time on the next episode of:  Arlakos loses his Mind and Rants for 2 pages of writing!

[fauzhee10069]

JoJolion: The Hard Life of Nijimura Kei

…and how she was criminally underutilized by Araki.

Nijimura Kei, the other Joestar in JoJolion besides Josuke & Holy, who was alive during the JJL storyline (until her last role). She was introduced as a young woman in her early 20s, working as the maid in Higashikata, the richest family in Morioh where most of the family members are spoiled.

JJL Chapter 7: Josuke, Go to the Higashikata Family

She was a Stand user, using 「Born This Way」, an automatic Stand that activates when the person she has targeted opens something to attack Josuke as a temporary side boss/antagonist. Knowing that it’s automatic, this sealed her fights to be very limited and hard to develop further (both in terms of mechanism and plot).

It turned out that she is a Joestar and related to Josuke, the main protagonist.

JJL chapter 16 and 17

And her role as Higashikata’s maid was just a disguise to investigate Higashikata's family secret and help her family (mainly her mom, Holy).

JJL Chapter 17: The Lemon and the Tangerine

Kei's life at that time should have been pretty tough, when she got news that her brother had just been declared dead and her mother was terminally ill.

Her father died when she was barely a little girl (according to family tree, Kei was born in 1989 and her father died in 1991, making her just around 2 years old when she lost her father).

As a widow, it also made Holy to have to work as a career woman to support her young children (9 years old Yoshikage and 2 years old Kei were left fatherless). And indirectly took away her time as a 'mother' for Kei.

JJL Chapter 50: Vitamin C and Killer Queen - part 1, look how little Kei looked lonely with her doll.

And back to present time (2011), Kei also had to lose her brother (Yoshikage) and lived alone with the only family member who really depended on her (a very ill mother).

JJL Chapter 58: Dawn of the Higashikata Family

I'm not sure Kei's salary as a maid alone will be able to cover her mother’s medical bills, plus she was in undercover so she couldn't show herself as her family member out-of-nowhere.

The family mostly depended on Yoshikage to pay for it, and very unfortunately that Yoshikage is already dead, causing the payment to be stopped. I'm sure Kei did not want this to happen to her mother, but sadly she couldn't do much.

Supposedly, after Kei's true identity and role were revealed, there should be a secret collaboration between her and Josuke. Too bad we never see it, Kei only occasionally appeared as cameo or one of the 'victims' of the Stand attacks from rock-humans (aka. jobbing).

JJL chapter 75 and 48, not doing anything and got jobbed by 「Vitamin C」& 「Ozon Baby」.

And when she did not get any significant role through the story, she was doing her own business. Turned out that she had been taking care of her mother in hospital.

JJL Chapter 102: The Wonder of You (The Miracle of Your Love) - part 19

And taking care of someone who is in a coma like that is not something that everyone’s willing to do. Surely everyone loves Holy, despite her lesser time as Kei's mother due to her job, her daughter still loves her and that’s why she was willing to take care of her in such a way.

Still, having a life like Kei's is a tough one… and not everyone can live it.

And when Kei got her new significant role in the story, her last chance to help the protagonist as his ally…

Araki gave her such badass intro only to…

JJL Chapter 104: The Wonder of You (The Miracle of Your Love) - part 21, get jobbed once again.

Kei's role in JoJolion is quite disappointing, she is a Joestar, a Stand user, and unlike her mother’s condition, she was fit and well so she should be able to do a lot more than Holy as a Joestar.

Kei is connected to the main protagonist, biologically related in a weird way and she held an independent mission as a spy in the Higashikata family. There should have been a lot she could have done in exchanging information and cooperating with Josuke, but her only product to Josuke throughout the story was an information regarding 'equivalent exchange' ability in Higashikata's land and nothing more.

And in the climax arc of “Wonder of You” where it was Kei’s last chance to cooperate with Josuke in defeating the big villain, when we were expecting an exciting 2-vs-1 battle, her role was only as far as a messenger as she delivered the cellphone (message) from Yasuho and just… die, nothing more to it.

Caato got a great intro (so great that she was wrongly hyped for years), but was absent for a long time and suddenly came back just to die. But even so she still left an impactful impression by defeating the main villain and breaking the family curse.

Too bad, Kei’s character who underwent similar thing ended up just jobbing like that… with her last action that was not so impactful, because we need to surprise the readers.

Kei might be a disappointment, regarding her role as a ‘character’ in JoJolion. But if we look at her as an ‘individual being’ with a life of her own (using the mindset that we are the main characters in our own lives), she had lived a very hard life. And we need to appreciate her toughness, that she still lived her life well, that she did not fall into moral turpitude, or becoming a criminal. She did not abandon her family even though they became a burden to her.

My personal confession:

Kei could be the person I admire right now because I am currently experiencing similar thing as her life. My father got covid and currently he is hospitalized. It’s been around 2 weeks right now. We both live off the island away from family, so I am the only family member who is able to support him. A few days ago he needed a platelet donor, those were the hardest days for me as the only family trying to look for. At least those days have passed. But until now he has not recovered yet and is still being treated in hospital.

Our apartment is far from the hospital so I have to go back and forth there for about 30 minutes almost every day to deliver the basic things he needs. I also have a full time job that can't be left behind. So just imagine how tired I am.

Unlike Kei who can visit his mother and directly take care of her, I can't see my father at all (and you know why). Even so, I stayed strong and did what I could as his daughter, just like Kei. And Kei became part of my inspiration to be as tough as her. Of course I still hope that these hard days will end soon and our family can be happy again together.

Let's pray for the recovery of my father and anyone else who is also seriously ill at this time.

Update: 7/15/2021

Unfortunately, my father just passed away at noon, 7/13/2021. May God forgives his sins. Bless for you all who still have your family intact, and pray for anyone who also lost their loved one by this terrible pandemic.

[weeinterpreter]

Female Characters in the Artemis Fowl Series

Following me, botching @orangerosebush fun post with some critical feminist talks (sorry!), I shall try to make a new and more coherent (but not necessarily complete) comment on the female characters in Colfer’s books.

Before I start, though, I want to clarify that I love the series and my criticism isn’t me throwing shade because of hatred. I am pointing out these things because I deeply care about this book series. Also, I know the books were published in the early 2000s, so our world views have certainly progressed. But, let’s start and see where we end up.

Looking at the book series, we have five female characters that play big roles: Holly, Opal, Juliet, Angeline and Minerva.

Let’s start with Opal, because I got more and more frustrated with her, the more often she was used as a villain.

What really bothers me is how Opal is being reduced to such a ridiculous villain. She appears in 4 out of 8 books, but I can't take her seriously, especially since she gets more and more deranged. She was a good villain in her first appearance, but starting from TOD, she starts getting unstable. She eats truffles, is jealous of Holly’s beauty, wants to be the Queen of the world, etc. Imagine, Spiro or Cudgeon – two villains who were also scrupulous and didn’t shy away from murder – eating chocolate and envying Arty of his beauty. Their roles would have had a completely different connotation. We didn’t get that with any of the male antagonists. Their antagonism was never linked to their gender.

Opal is like the Evil Queen in Snow White, who asks the mirror if she is the fairest of them all and succumbs to her weaknesses. Opal’s antagonism was more and more played for laughs, which for me plays into some old patterns in which female characters never really succeed and/or are taken seriously compared to their male counterparts. And whenever something goes well for a female character, chances are, she is considered a Mary Sue.

Minerva gets this treatment in canon (not taken seriously) and from the fandom (”Mary Sue”). Her father wants to buy her ponies the whole time and in the end, she gets outsmarted by Artemis. Compare this with Artemis in Book 1, whose adult bodyguard travels around the world with him, because he wants to catch a fairy and then he not only kidnaps a fairy, he also gets to keep the money. Despite all that, the fandom initially hated Minerva, possibly because people thought she was too much like Artemis/too perfect. In the end, Colfer dropped her from the books and we never see her again.

I’d even go so far and say that Holly was a victim of the “female curse”. She is the one character in the books, who probably has the hardest time.

She never really succeeds. First, she has to fight to get a position in LEPRecon. She has to fight her way through misogyny, and (I assume) is giving her other female colleague a hard time by pointing her finger at their femininity. Root gives her a hard time, but is supporting her, eventually. When she loses this ally, she has to give up her career in the police, because she can’t work/doesn’t want to work with Ark Sool. Trouble Kelp just swallows it, works his way through to Commander, and succeeds.

When Holly tries to become a private investigator, she fails and has to accept Vinyaya’s offer in joining Section 8 (regardless, if she wanted to or not, her private agency endeavour fails vs Mulch and Doodah Day = Success). This rarely happens to male characters/private detectives? Thinking of such movies as “The Maltese Falcon” or the “Dresden Files” book series. They always somehow manage with their agencies, no matter how hard the overall hardships. They rise from the situation like a phoenix from the ashes.

Due to her time in Hybras, Holly ends up isolated from her peers. Everyone around her gets married, has children, etc. Her only real friends are humans who will die centuries before she gets old. She does get to be a Commodore (which I don’t think was a position before?), but it seems to only have come with a huge sacrifice.

We meet Juliet at the age of 16, being a maid and training to become a bodyguard. After the mind wipe, she decides to become a wrestler and she was one character, I was genuinely hoping to see go her own way. She became a wrestler, but suddenly in Book 8 she is going back to be the twins’ bodyguard. This really annoyed me, but I understood it was a temporary thing, so when I read that Colfer was planning on bringing her back and described it as a "Michael Corleone" thing (note: A character who wants to get out of his family's business but ultimately fails), I got really worried. It will be interesting to see if Juliet has to give up her wrestling career in Book 3 of the twins, to be the full-time bodyguard for Myles and Beckett, because it would just play into the same pattern, imo.

One last thing about Angeline, because this is already getting really long. This touches on mental illness, and I am no expert (and I am also not a fan of its portrayal in Book 7), but compared to Artemis, who gets a “funny” mental illness (one that is played for laughs), she gets the whole shebang. Delusions, not recognising loved ones, hurting her son. It seems like a lot, compared to Artemis’ Atlantis Complex, who afterwards gets treated and is taken care of.

I am sure there are lots more examples, and this is far from complete. Feel free to add or disagree, I am really interested in your thoughts. All these examples are not bad storytelling devices, I just think that if they happen to the majority of female characters, then that is noteworthy. Also, I am not accusing Colfer of deliberately doing all this to his female characters, I’m just pointing out a pattern, I have noticed. 

[keykidpilipili]

Would like to hear your kingdom hearts x fate ideas! It sounds so interesting!! 🙏😄

There's mostly the Destiny Trio+Ansem sod as servants for now but I hope you'll find it interesting to read. For general worldbuilding a reminder of fate stuff. The magus world and especially holy grail wars are pretty harsh: inhuman experiments, the necessary murders to preserve the concept of Mystery thus magic and reach the grail. I developped on how their characters could develop in such environments.

Starting with Sora, since as kh3 he canonically died and he touched the hearts of many people, the throne of heroes has no problems summoning a version of him. His starting class is berserker due to his overwhelming kindness and willingness to help others that is nearly impossible to hinder if you're his master. Heartless manifest in any wars he participates thanks to the Keyblade’s existence. Because of his disney and Square acquaintances remembering him as often searching for his friends, his reason for taking part in the Grail war is to find them. However since in life he never really described those friends in depth to others he met, his memory of them grows fuzzier with each summoning.

Without a solid support system, the countless betrayals and endless hurt he is exposed to and is powerless to stop drain him considerably. As a result his wish starts to drift towards being erased from the throne or the destruction of the latter entirely. Down the line he eventually meets a kind master who convinces him to let go of the utopia and memories he cannot reach(the real sora returned and he has no place to return to in the first place). Protecting the glimmers of hope and kindness he comes across, even if it's ephemeral happiness, he found it valuable to be able to go on. For his alts, there is 

Ruler Sora who appears for great emergencies like the universe being threatened and can wield the X-blade(by virtue of kh3) proper. That said he is not the most competent arbiter and will intervene if fighters might involve innocents. 

Alter Ego Sora Alter came out because in a very unfortunate war he got in contact with corrupted grail mud. Unsurprisingly the mad teen decided to shelter All of the World’s Evil(Angra Mainya) inside him since the servant wanted to manifest into the world. Naturally this didn’t end well and his sanity took a Deep Dive with him becoming obsessed with removing the Hurt despite spawning curses and darkness like no tomorrow. This version of Sora has a really high chance of accidentally starting a heartless apocalypse if summoned in a holy grail war. He takes longer to heal from wounds since he is some kind of anti/rage form at all times.

Regarding Riku, in base kh his character arc relied heavily on his being scammed by Ansem and tossing people aside for his ambitions. Apart from a single scene in chain of memories, we don't see him interact with Maleficent after that game and thus we remember mostly Ansem being his antagonist. As a result the two are stuck sharing a spirit origin in the same manner as Sakamoto Ryouma and Oryou. Although Riku could try winning a war to wish for him to be his own heroic spirit with the heartless, he doesn't want to risk the latter reaching Kingdom Hearts if left alone. He would probably have great compatibility with young magi who are in dire need of some life orientation and could use his experience as young teen who got scammed(holy grail wars are too scams as a concept). 

As for his team mate Ansem has no issue cooperating during wars, dying is painful, he is in no hurry to repeat that experience thank you. Plus he’d rather see Riku win than one of those terrible researchers who suck at 4d chess planning and are not subtle about wanting to backstab you. Impressed he was not when the keyblade wielder asked him if he had put his heart into such hapless magi. Sure he’ll try to get his own wish should he and Riku win however temporary truce is key. Together they have way better chances of survival as their different mindsets cover each other’s weaknesses. Being stuck together with your nemesis is terrible but at least you aren’t alone. As of their class I’m inserting them into Foreigner since the base concept of their relationship in kh1 was Riku being influenced by a being from another plane.

Now here comes Kairi! Seeing as post kh3 and melody of memory, she is training however Kingdom Hearts gotta lend some poh power to the throne. The redhead becomes a temporary servant by doing entire wars in her dreams and comes back to her body whenever they end. Info on Sora’s whereabouts are scarce and if she can get anything from a part time job alongside training with Aqua then all the better. Spoiler alert it didn’t go well. Skills were certainly learnt and her light grew strong, even wielding multiple copies of keyblades inspired by her fellow poh. And yet the sight of all these lives sacrificed for some power trips and science infuriated her. The magi in their basements bragging about their experiments to reach the root as the scent of death permanates the very air don’t brag for very long. The more she saw of the magic world, the more she wondered if that humanity would not be better rid of it all together. More than anyone Kairi knows she was lucky to have a happy childhood after losing her home. Even with Xehanort gone and the memory of him defeated, his essence, the stubborn ambition to reach a greater power no matter the cost, remains. For all those lives sacrificed like chess pieces, all those artificial beings treated as mana batteries, this avenger will destroy magic.  Story-wise her heroic spirit form would become its own person after the real Kairi put an end to her tempory contract(which she couldn’t have done if it had been directly with the Counter Force). Gameplay wise aside from her keyblade and regular light magic she can also go into Light/Watcher form which is similar to Antiform but light based. That form is more powerfull but excerbates the light in the hearts around her spawning more watchers, able to aid her but if left alone would attack any life form with stronger darkness than light without caring for the reasons why. It’s also toxic to the environment, the very ground in a wasteland of blank white dust.

[entomancy]

(Fic) One thing we can agree on

Title: One thing we can agree on (Wattpad)

Setting: The vampire nonsense / Vegas Masquerade

Warnings: Gore.  I am having fun with my crayons.

Words: 1401

Summary: Flashback into the 'Moonlight Flush' part of the timeline. Which is the framing of the events of ~twenty years ago in the Vegas Masq. setting (which set up the current ‘rules’) as an urban fantasy police procedural; where Joplin would have been the secondary main / intro to the supernatural world and Belton the Season One antagonist who ended up Sort Of Befriended(ish).

This would have been in approx. Season Three, when bits from Joplin's past come back to bite him (er, again, I guess), and involves the first time he'd actually had to team up with Belton against a larger problem.

The larger problem being: more werebears, but asshole ones.

Indulgent, but I enjoy Belton being a dramatic irritation, and ~27yr old Joplin's permanent state of exasperation. And I wanted to explore an important (?) difference in the way the vampires and were(s) of this setting work.

(Also neither tumblr nor Wattpad has any sensible way to use footnotes, so there's one just... there, in the middle. Like this is FFN cira 2003 or something.)

---

The real difference between vampires and werewolves is how they bleed.

Clearly it isn't the only difference.  There are the big, obvious - hairy - ones; and you could spend lifetimes comparing technicalities of characteristic amongst the supernatural set, searching for links or diversions or even a root cause. How magic plays in.  How inheritances work, or the fundamental incompatibility of cross-siring.  How sunlight, direct or orbitally reflected, could possibly trigger the different effects that it does.

But for Denis Joplin, as he'd scrambled to make sense of the extraordinary left turn his last decade had careened into, somehow the thing that really seemed to underline it all was the way they bled.  Maybe because he'd always had such a damn knack for getting into situations that showcased it.

That last round of gunfire had really screwed up his right arm.  He'd wedged himself in place against the thick struts of a heavy-duty shipping container - splattered almost as much now with crimson as it was with spraypainted Cyrillic – and tried to breathe quietly.  The enormous bastard wielding a goddamn helicopter canon had fucked off to yell 'roided nonsense into a different part of the warehouse, so they probably had a few minutes pause before he realised his targets had dodged.

Not dodged as well as Joplin'd have liked, but there y'go.  You worked with what you got.

Most of the bullets had gone straight through – since he wasn't an armour-plated van – but he could feel a few wedged points of pain even within the jellied miasma of broken flesh that hung unpleasantly from his torn shirt.

"Jesustapdancing­-" he bit down on the mismatched curse as he grabbed his messed-up limb with his other hand and twisted, pushing it up against himself and the steel wall behind, and tried not to go blind.

It squelched.

"Don't like that," he muttered, then glanced up at the wet snort of amusement from just down the container row. "Hey, he nailed you to the fuckin' wall about as well as I've seen; don't get lippy."

Not that his extremely temporary partner was in much shape to be more actively sarcastic.  The brunt of the recent salvo had hit taken Belton pointy-ear to hip, ripping the big grey fuck open like a side character in chainsaw splatter, which – somehow – made the look of dazed amusement on the bits of his face that weren't hanging off even more aggravating than usual.  He shifted position, bringing his torn-up arms out in front of him as if holding something narrow and invisible in both hands, and –

Joplin blinked.

Pull... yourself...

"Oh fuck off," he growled – and it was a growl, a sound that started deeper than his chest actually went and brought the pull along with it; a bestial reverb that went beneath his bones.  Joplin gritted his teeth – which felt about ready to start moving in his jaw as it was, aching with something beyond nerves – and had another unpleasant feel around where his elbow used to be.  It helped if everything was in the right place.  Last thing he needed right now was having to rebreak a limb because he'd managed to shift over all wonky.

That'd have to do.  Very pointedly not making eye contact with Belton as he did so, Joplin Changed.

There have been a lot of renditions of a lycanthropic* transformations over the years, and there have even been some that have come close to the actual reality of seeing it happen. The exact visuals tend to vary person to person, but however it looks, the world bends – just a little, at the seams – as something that was only ever the thickness of breath away steps forward.  Joplin always thought it felt like stretching should do – an all-over, unfurling release of physicality, like every fibre of you stopped hunching its shoulders all at once.

________________________________________________________________

* There's an argument that 'ursanthropic' might be a more technically correct term when the reader is considering Denis Joplin himself – or even the bellowing figure currently firing 30mm rounds into what will turn out to be a container of tinned garlic pallets – but the linguistic side of paraphylogeny isn't a popular field.  'Actually, it's wereBEAR' is only a helpful correction under certain circumstances, and this isn't one of them.**

** Yet. ________________________________________________________________

The arm took a bit more effort.  A transformation that added several feet in height, width, and summed-up hair length didn't exactly have a problem fixing a half-mulched limb, but there was clearly an additional process going on.  He wondered how people had explained what it looked like before timelapse film had been developed.

It... healed.   Torn vessels sealed over; bone shards scraped and swelled together within muscles that bulged crimson-purple as they knitted close.  Tissue bloomed, bruise-blossom hues racing through tattered skin and dragging raw pallor behind them; black-bloody tears welled up pink and grey and pink again, threaded with ribbons of tendon herded into place by a lightning flash of sudden scars, gone as fast as they appeared.  Then the fur broke surface like desert flowering, and a heartbeat later there was nothing to show for the damage that a slight extra paleness in the iron-grey pelt, as Joplin flexed his bulked-out fingers carefully.

Belton clapped.  Just once, with a softness that hands tipped with inch-long claws shouldn't be able to achieve, and it was the most sarcastic fucking sound Joplin had ever heard.  He bared his considerable teeth in a silent snarl and waved his own padded hands towards the old bat.

Hurry.  Up.

Belton's black eyes crinkled at the edges, and then he pulled himself back together.

The real difference between vampires and werewolves is how they bleed.

Belton's blood was dark, with a strangeness to its consistency that would have baffled splatter analysts on a fundamental level, but it also didn't tend to stay where it landed.  None of him did.  Metal gleamed naked against the pitted concrete as pools of inky crimson pulled away from the bullets that had torn them loose, flowing back along their own path like a retreating tide - rivulets of reversing gore that snaked and whipped back up their origin form, trailing back into ruptures that folded seamlessly shut around them.  Belton stood up, even as his chest cavity was still closing, and gently pushed his hanging jaw back into place, smoothed like fresh clay.

Vampires don't heal – you see – so much as 'rewind'.

He held Joplin's gaze, half a heartbeat longer than he needed to, and grinned.

There was a spotless bullet held between his rows of teeth.

"Oh, fuck off," Joplin repeated – before he was drowned out by a guttural roaring, and the sound of a minigun barrel being smashed through something unfortune enough to be inside its turning circle.

"Little pigs, little pigs!  I hear you!"

Both men visibly winced.

"See, someone with that little self-awareness just shouldn't be this much of a problem," Belton muttered, flicking the bullet aside like a cigarette butt. "It's genuinely a bit embarrassing."

"Yeah, well," Joplin whispered back, as he scanned the roof, taking in the environment with an eye to traversal options he hadn't had five minutes ago. "I won't tell if you don't."

Another roar burst the air, and Belton started edging down the row again, clearly doing his own version of the calculations.

"Pity he doesn't take after your side of the family, really."

"This isn't a family situation," Joplin snapped back, readying himself to move when the oncoming footsteps got a bit closer.  If he could get around, then maybe he could deke out the...

He glanced back, about to signal a go, and realised the old vampire was still looking at him, one of those impossible-to-read expressions on his weird bat face for a second, before he spoke softly.

"See, that's the thing with monsters.  It's always going to come back to blood, one way or another."

A shiver danced down Joplin's extended spine, strong enough to stir the fur.  That was a bit close for comfort – and from sodding Belton?  He shrugged dismissively, only partly to himself.

"Yeah, well, this ain't gonna be the worst it gets.  Try not t'get cut in half again."

Then the shipping container exploded in a nightmare of burning metal.  Belton went right; Joplin went up; and everything else went on from there.

----

[achilleid]

Laisrén Blackfern ed.

— oc questions

BASICS

What’s their full name? Laisrén Blackfern

What does their name mean? Why were they named that? Laisrén is a celtic name derived from “lassar” meaning flame/fire. Blackfern is a chosen last name. If you asked him, he’d try to say he picked it because of some profound reason, like because ferns are resilient and hardy plants or something, but he entirely picked it because he thought it sounded cool. 

Do they have any nicknames? Rén. Pronounced like “rain”. 

How old are they? Time functions really oddly in the Sidhe. When he last lived in the human realm, he was seventeen human years. That was nearly a century or more ago by human time. Physically he appears about 32-33.

When’s their birthday? December 29th (human) or 9th Day of Winter (Sidhe)

What’s their zodiac sign/element/birthstone/etc.? Do they believe that holds any significance? Capricorn/earth/tanzanite-- Laisrén believes in zodiac signs in a very nonchalant way. He is from a magical world where all kinds of weird stuff happen when someone is born, so being told some aspect of his personality is theoretically identifiable by his “sign” he’d probably just shrug like “Sounds legit.”.

What’s their species/subspecies? Do they have any special/magical abilities? He is a half Seelie/half-Unseelie Folk. Folk are presented in my world like a combination of elves and fae. Seelie are generally characterized by their more warm toned skin colors, affiliation with the light, spring and summer, Unseelie are associated with autumn and winter and tend to favor darker, cooler tones. Laisrén is a mix of both types. There are stereotypes associated with each kind of Folk, but ultimately it is entirely based on the individual.

What “class” do they belong to (for fantasy characters)? If none, what weapon do they favor? He would definitely be a Ranger class, duel-wielding swords and using a bow. 

APPEARANCE

What do they look like? Laisrén owes 90% of his appearance to Levi Ackerman from Attack on Titan I won’t even lie. So he is roughly 5′9″, has dark black undercut hair and dark green eyes. He has a warm beige skin tone that darkens in the summer. 

Do they have a face claim? Nope!

What’s their style like? Clothes, hair, makeup? His go to outfit is a black doublet with a silver jerkin over the top. During combat, he favors a set of dark leather armor and a dark cloak. Lots of dark colors. For a half Seelie, he dresses almost exclusively in the dark or jewel colors favored by Unseelie.

How do they carry themselves? What’s their default expression? Perpetual resting bitch face. And he carries himself with an air of self-assuredness and confidence that is entirely unforced. It is just how he is. Granted, he could look cool and collected and inside his thoughts are going a mile a minute. Very good at hiding how he feels.

Do they have any physical ailments or disabilities? Laisrén was saddled with a curse at a young age. His skin, starting at the fingertips of his right hand, is turning black and spreading upward. As of present day, his hand has blackened up to his palm. His nails grow much sharper and faster on that hand as well. Laisrén covers this with gloves.

PERSONALITY

What’s their alignment? Lawful Neutral

Which one of the 16 Personality Types do they fit into? ISTP

What are their hobbies and interests? Do they have any particular “favorites” (food, books, and so on)? He is a big fan of games, especially strategy games. He would love Risk, History of the World and other games like that and probably plays Folk equivalents when he can. Chess too. He’d enjoy card games there were not luck based. He also does like to read and his favorite meal ever is high tea. The man will try any blend of tea ever created and he loves having a nice herb garden.

What are they bad at? He is not the best cook. Food is something to just be consumed as quickly as possible for energy, so getting him to sit down and have a meal and just ENJOY it is very hard. He also is a fitful sleeper and is very bad at picking up on subtext or subtleties when speaking with people. He does not take hints. He does not even know a hint is happening.

What kind of things do they dislike/hate? Disorganization, MESS in general. This is both literal and figurative. Messy emotions will have him cleaning the same room, polishing the same armor or sharpening the same blade in a wholly meditative process trying to either work through or ignore his feelings.

Do they have any vices/addictions/mental illnesses? His secret vice is his love of sweets. Food is mere fuel until it is chocolate and covered in strawberries or something and then he is like “.... okay maybe a few bites.”

What are their goals and motivations? Currently? Managing his curse, keeping an eye on his “niece” and her son. Caring for his mother secretly. His goals later become more aligned with the main character’s and becomes ensuring the safety of those he cares for. Full stop.

What are their manners like? Any habits? He is not impolite, but he can be brash. He knows how to behave in different situations though, so his “brash” on the field and his “brash” at say a gathering or a meeting is very different. He has a habit of clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth when he is annoyed and only ever breaks eye contact with someone if he is feeling wholly and deeply vulnerable. 

What are they most afraid of? Living for centuries upon centuries only to turn around and realize he has done so alone and always will.

BACKGROUND

Where were they born? What was their childhood like? He was born in the Sidhe, but within a week was abandoned in the human realm. His childhood was spent raised in an orphanage during the early 1900s on Earth. He lived in London and sometimes falls into a cockney sounding accent when he is tired. 

What’s their family like? Well. His mom is thought to be absolutely bonkers because she pulled a changeling thing. And she is, on some level, mentally not all there. In Folk culture, there are some events that can cause a Folk to become trapped in one emotion and unable to overcome the enormity of it and remain “stuck” there. His mother fell into a Despair upon the death of her partner, so he cares for her and the remaining family of her human adopted son from the shadows.

What factions or organizations are they a part of? What ranks and titles do they hold? He is a Hound of the Wild Hunt and Captain beneath the commander responsible for training new recruits. He trains the soldiers of their ranks.

How do they fit into their “story”? He is at one point in the story, love interest, secondary protagonist, secondary antagonist. 

Where do they currently live? What’s their place like? He resides in a home called Elden Keep, which is a an old fortress manor that once was used as a hunting lodge. It has a western tower with a turret. It is a house of rich brown woods and plush green carpets and a very lovingly tended to garden.

How do they eventually die? WELLLLLLLLL-- they eventually succumb to the curse, but it is temporary. More like an emotional and mental death and then a rebirth. 

RELATIONSHIPS

Do they have any friends? Would they consider anyone to be their best friend? His commander Eimer and his fellow captains. Later, he becomes closer friends with Cyra’s group.

What’s their friend group like? What role do they play in it? He is definitely not even the oddest of his group, that belongs to Dillion, the resident mad scientist/mage (he’s nice! just eccentric). It is a nice blend of people and neurosis haha.

What’s their love life like? (See also: ship question meme.) Do they have any kids? Prior to his relationship with Cyra, Laisrén would have casual encounters, but nothing serious. His longest fling lasted probably off and on for a few months. He has no issues with accepting and reciprocating sexual advances, but has not had a lot of experience with feelings being mixed in until Cyra. With Cyra it starts physical, but ultimately he realizes it is satisfying in a way that past ones have not been because his emotional needs are being met.

Who do they look up to? Who do they trust? He looks up to and trusts Eimer above everyone. He is his best friend, his commander and his fellow Hound. They went through recruitment together, battles and all kinds of bad shit. 

Who do they hate? Do they have any enemies? His enemies unfortunately, when revealed, are some powerful people. He grows to hate Queen Nevan and by extension, Druth, Cyra’s uncle and the Queen’s grand commander.

Do they have any pets? He has a few horses, but he’d never refer to them as “pets”.

Are they good with kids? Animals? Good with animals. Kids he is shockingly popular with, even if he doesn’t really make an effort. They appreciate his honesty and the fact he talks to them like they understand things.

[sparrowmoth]

The Little Mermaid: Malvie AU

@annoyingmeviestan‘s Little Mermaid Malvie remix art (click here to admire) has got me thinking about how fun and a little bit angsty that AU would be, so I just spontaneously thought up a huge chunk of heavily Disney-inspired plot that I’m not going to actually write, BUT I definitely want to share anyways because this can’t just stay in my brain.

CONSIDER:

Instead of Ursula as the antagonist, you have Evie making a deal with Maleficent because she’s in love with her daughter, which Maleficent is more than happy to take advantage of considering...

The canon rivalry between Grimhilde and Maleficent! What if Grimhilde wasn’t always a mermaid, but Maleficent banished her to the sea before Evie was born? Grimhilde either shape-changed herself or Maleficent cursed her, depending on what you imagine as the backstory here.

This would make Evie’s father possibly Atlantean. Triton?? Up to you!

Evie is the only heir to Grimhilde’s throne beneath the sea, so perhaps Maleficent agrees to make a deal with her as another blow to Grimhilde, who is very possessive of Evie.

Grimhilde’s rage over finding out that Evie not only saved her arch-rival’s daughter’s life but fell in love with her (of all people) results in her locking Evie up in their castle beneath the sea.

Fun twist: Mal gets worried when Evie doesn’t show up for a planned date (and there’s no sign of her for a few days), so she calls on her old friend Uma, who’s learning to be a sea witch like her mother, Ursula.

Uma’s magic isn’t as advanced as Ursula’s, but they strike a bargain for Mal to be able to temporarily shift into a mermaid and go look for Evie.

What Mal doesn’t know is that Evie’s escaped Grimhilde (with a little help from her marine friends) about the same time.

Mal also doesn’t know that Evie’s already gotten what she needs from Maleficent to get her a pair of legs; she had wanted to talk to Mal about it first (at the date they’d planned), but lost that chance when Grimhilde got word through her spies of who Evie had been sneaking off to visit...

At this point, Evie’s decided she can’t waste anymore time, because Grimhilde’s sworn to marry her off to some Atlantean prince and never let her see so much as a glimpse of the coast ever again.

Evie heads to the beach under cover of night to perform the spell that Maleficent told her would give her legs. It does. But... Maleficent, as tricky as any fae, failed to mention that magically getting legs wouldn’t magically make Evie know how to use them. So, she can’t walk. And she’s stuck on a beach who-knows-where.

MEANWHILE, Mal’s gotten herself captured by Atlanteans and delivered to Grimhilde, whose rage at finding her own daughter has escaped is a little soothed by the fact that she now has Maleficent’s daughter as a hostage. A very good bargaining chip, indeed...

Mal’s too proud (and maybe a tiny bit scared) to admit to her enemy that her time is short, though. Uma’s spell is temporary, remember? If Mal stays under the sea too long... she’ll turn back into a human. She’ll need air. And as far as she knows, Grimhilde has no reason to keep her alive.

I’m going to be extremely evil and leave this on a cliffhanger for now because I need to work on some other stuff, but if you guys want some more bulletpoints to finish off the story, let me know and I’ll add more to it later. ;)

[cutiebeams]

Alright lads I've been thinking hard about a Persona AU (and of course I know this has absolutely been done already but I wanna throw in my 2 cents as well) and it's finally coming together.

Heroes

Neku is the main protagonist; Fool Arcana. His Persona is Hephaestus, god of fire & sculpture (I was originally going to go with Apollo, but decided that Hephaestus fit a little better due to his association with the arts and that lining up with Neku's love of graffiti.) In battle he's, not surprisingly, an Agi user and he actually doesn't have any weapons he literally just lights his hands on fire and decks Shadows in the face. Neku's weak to ice attacks.

Beat is the Chariot, and his Persona is Thor! He's a Zio user that also specializes in physical attacks with high endurance (like Ryuji and Kanji); and his short range weapon is a mace. He doesn't really like distance combat so he just.. doesn't have a long range weapon. Beat's weak to Garu (wind) attacks.

Joshua's Persona is Metatron and his strengths are Hama and Mudo skills- catch is, when first recruited his accuracy is rather low and it costs a LOT of SP; so he's a high risk high reward party member. Short range weapon is a scythe and long range weapon is a gun. Josh's Arcana is the Justice, and he's weak to physical attacks.

Shiki is a Psy user, and the resident healer. She's somewhat of a glass canon: her attacks do a LOT of damage but if she gets hit by an enemy she's weak to, it does massive hurt. Her Persona is Rhapso: (she was a minor goddess in Greek mythology that was a seamstress!) Shiki's weapon of choice is a crossbow and her Arcana is the Lovers. She's weak to nuclear attacks.

Mr. Hanekoma's Persona is Lucifer, inheriting Bless skills; and his Arcana is the Hierophant. He has no weaknesses, so he's a pretty solid party member. Weapon of choice is a sword. (Or a dagger. Either or. Most likely a dagger though.)

Rhyme is their navigator; of the Strength Arcana. Her Persona is Eirene (goddess of peace) and due to being the support role, doesn't have any strengths or weakness. Additionally, Rhyme does not use any weapons.

Antagonists

Konishi is one of the major antagonists of the AU and her Persona is Persephone, queen of the underworld and Hell. Specializing in both Agi (fire) and Mudo (death) attacks, she is a force to be reckoned with and a formidable foe. Thankfully she is not infallible; and Bless attacks are her Achilles heel. Her Arcana is Empress, & she doesn't use any weapons.

Sho is another major antagonist and his Persona is Kratos, specializing in Physical and Curse attacks. In addition, his megaphone doubles as a weapon and he has the ability to inflict Confusion, Fear or Brainwash on his opponents. Unlike Konishi, he has no innate weaknesses and has to be brute forced in order to overcome him. His Arcana is Death.

Setting

The UG serves as sort of the team's "Metaverse" in this AU and the protagonists can hop back and forth between it and the RG thanks to Joshua: since he can essentially change his "wavelength" in canon, in this AU he essentially creates a temporary 'bridge' of sorts and averages out the wavelengths between the two planes so Neku and Co can cross over (because under normal circumstances if you're not a Reaper or an Angel, the only way to the UG is to die)

Plot of this series is people are mysteriously disappearing in the RG at alarming rates and Josh comes to Neku and friends for help: the UG is getting unstable and overlapping with the RG, and as a result Taboo Noise are escaping to the real world and picking people off and a higher amount of them are getting erased in the Reaper's game. Finding the source of whoever is creating the Taboo Noise and incapacitating them as quickly as possible is vital to bring stability back to both planes; so Neku & friends agree to help restore the balance. Thus, the adventure begins! (Oh yeah and this features RG Shiki because she deserves all the love in the world and a ton of friendship between all the kids because I'm a sucker for fluff)