#when youre villain coded...

[toerrishumansodontbeone]

some more oc-tober things! day 3 is an old character, so heres Dev! and day 4 is a redesign, so I'm killin two birds w one stone and posting this soul eater au version of her >:3

Day 5 is relationships n I'm just gonna put this pasby sequence here for that. A funny unexpected similarity between highschool and consequence point versions of mal and ben... both pairs would still be listening to emo music behind the church, yep even as grown adults. (and ben works for a protestant church shh its ok he can have his clown boyfriend visit him on break). Also, converse shoes...

[anonymouspuzzler]

you know what? fuck you (heartbreak gulch's my own guys)

(@heartbreakgulch courtesy of the inimitable @strangegutz & collaborators, also miscellaneous Thoughts under the cut bc it's my blog no one can stop me the doors have closed behind you)

HEARTBREAKER BULKHEAD:

Probably does not have superpowers anymore but still came from a family of considerable influence and was under pressure to inherit, pressure which he very much Broke Under.

Turned to a life of crime, definitely got in over his head with it, and essentially got rescued by Eddie, who he is Utterly Obsessed With And Heartsick For.

Has spent literal years as one of Eddie's attack dogs and generally jumping through hoops for him for Whatever Scraps Of Affection He Can Get, though he's still kind of squeamish around Literal Murder and thus tends to be assigned to supply runs and such most of the time.

Amateur mechanic and car enthusiast. Probably did a lot of McGyver-ass fixes around the Gulch-slash-generally assisted Ami til Davey was recruited.

Speaking of, was still the guy who recruited-slash-rescued Davey. They fell for each other hard and are in a committed relationship now, which has helped Buck take a little bit of a healthier step back with whatever the hell he and Eddie have going on (and helped him be a little less jealous and curmudgeonly about the Hot Young Things In Town, ie Zeki and Felix).

Absolutely not prepared to be a guardian to Minnie which has led his and Eddie's whole Relationship to enter a fun new stage of "hey man can I ask you for parenting advice nothing weird"

HEARTBREAKER DYNAMO:

Pretty similar backstory to the Villain-Coded version. Civilian turned criminal, lost his arm when he got in over his head on a job and Buck rescued him.

Has a bunch of different prosthetics he swaps out for different purposes, ie. one for combat, one to use for mechanic work, a kinda general use/everyday one, etc. That said, he goes without a lot to make sure he's prepared for a situation where he doesn't have access/one breaks or fails on a job/etc.

An alarmingly good recruit; I feel like originally Eddie kind of let him stick around as a kind of "gift" to Buck, but now that he's actually got him on jobs he's become a real rising star. Real good in a scrap and is a little more flexible with his moral lines in the sand compared to Buck. Outside of that he works with Ami a lot doing mechanics and repairs - probably interested in learning CompanDroid maintenance/repair but figures it'd be skeevy for him to push that point too much.

He and Eddie have a complicated relationship I think. They'd be kinda suspicious/distrusting of each other but also have a LOT of similarities and work really well together. To say nothing of their respective relationships with Buck.

I don't think he's Trying to Uncle the younger recruits in the Gulch but he definitely Does. He likes White a lot. He and Ami would also definitely get along really well. He is being The Bigger Man and Mature Adult and not giving Felix a wedgie no matter how badly he wants to

HEARTBREAKER(?) MINNIE:

From the same family of prominence as Buck and is currently very much on the run after a failed attempt to kill her own dad.

Extremely a city kid and is Not necessarily adapting well to Middle Of Nowhere Self Sustained Living.

Knew Of Buck but never met him before this so his whole Life and Little Criminal Commune featuring Multiple Guys He's Got SOMETHING Going On With is. it's a lot

Would like to do some crime actually but is A) still a little traumatized and adjusting to the whole Situation and B) 13 Whole Real Human Years Old.

Fascinated by Zeki's whole deal and his work but I think they would absolutely bring out the worst in each other they would fight so much. Autism to autism hostility

Having a very complicated response to White and Ami wherein she thinks they're SO cool but interacting with them at any length would make her realize Things About Herself that she's not consciously ready to confront so just like. Imagine being White and looking over your shoulder and that 13 year old is just Intensely Staring At You Unblinking from around a corner and as soon as she realizes you've seen her she turns around and runs off as fast as she can directly into a wall

Zarita absolutely hitting that Cool Just Slightly Older Kid niche for her.

[pauls1967moustache]

Why do you like Paul's mustache so much?

It gives him the same air of arrogance, benevolent mischief, and something strangely gender, as like Emcee from Cabaret, or the Riddler, or Bugs Bunny.

[alexjcrowley]

Rip most frenemies from F1 you would have loved the Andrea-Emily relationship from The Devil wears Prada

[ravencromwell]

Fuck, just had a hell of a Holland realization, which everyone else probably realized years ago but indulge my horror: The Danes have their stone statue garden of traitors. And the only thing we've ever seen in WL that can turn people to stone is As Staro. The command Holland used to kill his fucking brother. The idea of him having to replicate that kill over and over with the traitors the Danes wanted to make sharpest examples of, and then walk past those kills every fucking day? I have nothing else to say except it's a fucking crime Holland didn't get the same sort of triumphant, bloody fight against the Danes Lila got against the earth mage who tried to kill her in the tournament, because to say he deserved it so much more is the flimsiest possible understatement.

[13eyond13]

the only gay rep I truly care about is

1. countless lives are destroyed because two proud people can't fully admit their gay crushes on each other

and

2. someone hides being a murderer as a metaphor for also hiding being gay

[rin-solo]

To anyone in the TUC fandom who has looked at AHS and skipped it because they heard the ending is happy...

... and then assumed that it's just a wish fulfillment "ideal reality" kind of outcome of the TUC story that cuts all of the depth, pain, and realism ... Go back and read it right now.

Because that is not what AHS is. Not even close.

AHS is not "my version" of TUC where I just change whatever I dislike without regard for themes or characters in the original. Far from it. One of the main goals I had was actually to give more of the Underland. More characterization (that aligns with canon, although some characters develop in a different direction because of shifts in circumstances), more worldbuilding (that coincides with canon, adding onto it), ... just more, period.

The best way I can describe what it actually is is honestly saying that AHS is to TUC like Marvel's "What if ...?" is to the MCU. It is quite literally a "What if Henry had survived his fall at the end of "Gregor the Overlander"?" And I kid you not, 95% of the changes in the story, compared to TUC, are simply a result of exactly this change.

But the entire plot of the final book is different, right? Well, I didn't say that the consequences of that one change weren't substantial. They are. Without spoiling too much I can only say that Henry happens to be an optimist, and it also happens that an optimist was exactly what the TUC story needed to achieve a happier outcome.

Anyone who has actually read my version of the CoC plot will tell you that it is far from ideal, perfect, or pain-free. A lot more happens in the actual plot, but most of those new events are there to serve the dark, violent nature of war. There's so much talk about loss, and sacrifice, exploration of (also the dark side of) heroism, and whether "for the greater good" is worth it. There's corruption and death, injustice, and grappling with unkind fates and alienation/rejection.

Now, I will admit that I did put less emphasis on the societal pressure aspect of CoC, but mainly because that theme is a huge part of AHS 2 already, and it did not really fit this part of the story anymore. Instead, "Gregor against society" becomes "Questers against society" (quite literally, since they are — small spoiler — banding together to actually overthrow Solovet and bring about change.)

BUT ... if there is corruption, death, and the violence of war, how is it happier then? How can it have a happy ending?

Very simply because it is not only corruption but also redemption. Not only death and suffering but also growth and gain. Not only violence and breaking of relationships but also companionship, hope, and mending of relationships.

... The main change that happens to be so powerful it can give this series a happy ending without disrespecting or abandoning its original gritty violent core is ... a shift in mindset toward the positive. For Gregor, but also for everyone else. One of the main themes I added is the exploration of the double-edged nature of things: Everything has good and bad consequences. What we take away from it is what we choose to focus on.

Now you might see better what I meant by "All this series needed was an optimist" earlier. If there were someone to remind people of the bright side, to remind Gregor that his rager power does not make him evil and that he is never alone or choiceless, to embody this hopeful outlook and bring it out in everything ... I promise to you that this is all it would have taken.

And this is what I'm giving you.

[mylastmoleculeofserotonin]

Kill the notion that Star Wars needs to step away from force users. I don’t know about you, but I love to see space wizards fight with glowy swords. The only thing that needs to change is the good/evil dichotomy of the Light and Dark sides of the Force. Give us a show about a Padawan who tries her hardest to be a great Jedi so she buries her emotions so deep within herself that she loses herself and becomes complacent with Jedi/Senate corruption and turns to the dark side to reconnect with herself and rediscover what made her want to be a Jedi in the first place. Give us the story about a child who’s sibling is taken by the Jedi so they ally with a Sith to break into the Jedi Temple and rescue their sibling. Give us a movie about a Dark Lady of the Sith and her apprentice defending their home planet from being absorbed into a sector of the Republic where their historical oppressors would hold their seat in the Senate.

All those stories could feature epic clashes between Force Wielders without contributing to the perceived stagnation of Star Wars shows featuring Jedi and Sith.

[foxgonyoom]

Lessons we learned in LMK Season 4:

Episode 1:

Be afraid.

Episode 2:

If your friends get sucked into a nightmare scroll, you should jump in it too.

Episode 3:

If there’s a ghost, don’t fight him. Words are much more effective at making him cry.

Episode 4:

Feeding customers is more important than escaping an angry mob.

Episode 5:

“What are you Thor, the God of Hammers?!”

Episode 6:

Cats are more reliable for bringing your friend back to their senses than motivational speeches.

Episode 7:

We’re pretty good at faking it til we making it so you better start TAKING IT SON!

Episode 8:

Shit’s complicated

Episode 9:

Fuck up that lion man!

Episode 10:

When all else fails, return to monke.

[toerrishumansodontbeone]

drawing consequence point mal is always the funniest fuckin thing cus

PICTURED: NICEST MAN ALIVE

while everything about him screams folk devil in disguise

[anonymouspuzzler]

question for buck and davey: what do you think of superheroes? are there any who you like/respect?

the guy Davey's thinking of is literally named Silver Fox, for the record, so I think history is on Davey's side here.

[lyricalchrysanthemum]

piper is such an inherently fun character to think about for me.

especially during bw and his villain arc. ESPECIALLY when he's at he's peak villainy.

like YEAH he gets manipulated by team plasma into making him think people are out to ruin him and is believing in a false ideal... but he's still kind of a villain. moreso than n and hilda. like at least those two don't pretend to be people's friend nor does he try to harm them and ruin an entire wealth of childhood memories for said false ideal. he goes out of his way to throw hilbert to the wolves.

he is a victim... but just because he's a victim doesn't mean what he's done is ok.

like he is VERY self motivated in the end. he's hurting hilbert and bianca for the sake of HIS future, HIS feeling of fulfillment, HIS feeling of being alive. and like going as deep in this path as team plasma has lead him on it makes him feel so alive unlike he's ever felt before that he has. an evil villain laugh about it. when his true nature is revealed and he has his villain monologue (before the monologue about how much he hates hilbert)

He's BURNING alive compared to his ever desolate feeling of cold, empty, dead-ness.

and the fact that hilbert still loves him after everything he's done infuriates him!!! like it fills him with so much turmoil and rage it makes him see red and they INSTANTLY start a pokemon battle. i think his face would be one of those shots where the camera is just ultra focused on an anime characters eyes.

and he may try to write his wrongs but AGAIN. the damage he causes has been done. and at some point, he was willing to get even worse had it not been for the cruel wake up call given by Bianca, and of course, what happened to Hilbert.

he's just a fun guy to think of. especially when i think of what he'd be like as a villain and his true alliances gets revealed to bianca and hilbert.

[higherhell]

oh sure, you SAY you love sephiroth, but would you brush that longass hair for him? would you comb a rat's nest outta that shit? huh? would you? (my stupid knee length hair is visibly tangled and I sound increasingly urgent) would you???? huh???????

[queerbrainrot]

"X is so genderidentity-coded" this "Z is b-sexuality and i will fight people on this" that, "10001 reasons why character C is [insert sexuality, gender identity, disability etc.]" shmat.

can we just go back to saying "I headcanon this character as being X, Y, Z"

If I see one more person use "[insert disability, gender identity, sexuality]-coded" in context of

"I personally view them as [sexuality] and a representation of [sexuality] and it's a positive thing and I will be upset if someone disagrees"

My brain will melt.

No one will fight you over headcanons, but some people will fight you over saying that a canonically pansexual character is 'actually lesbian/asexual/gay etc.'

[mizukagami-takamagahara]

@ramix-the-red

I really love how the different groups feel, well, like groups. Like, the way they're designed, feels to me like they fit together well. Touya, Es, Kuon, Mei, Hinata, they don't really share any solid traits, but their general color palettes and shapes blend well together. They all also share a generally lighter palette (even Mei and Touya who feature darker colors) than the Ten Sage Trio, who all share large amounts of black and who's signature colors each feel darker than the main's, but still look good together and feel uniform.

Hell, Ripper also gets in on that with the darker and bolder colors of the antagonists, though his sharp pink doesn't look good as a set with the Sage Trio. He stands out as a solo act.

Then Avenge and Unomaru, the two more connected to the incident ten years ago, invert this- Avenge, an ally to the protagonists, has that darker palette, while Unomaru, a primary antagonist, shares the hero's light palette. And both of them arguably subvert/contradict the roles they seem to have when first introduced- Avenge is gruff and threatening and shows up just barely agreeing to cooperate in the fight against Ripper, but ultimately shares goals with the protagonists, while Unomaru is all too eager to introduce himself as a trustworthy ally, and we all know how that ends.

My point is, I agree, I think the designs are super cool AND well designed from, like, a technical standpoint- though I don't know nearly enough about design to have the words for my observations.

I think the Sage Trio have my favorite designs of the game as a group. I could look at Kuon and Mei all day too- I absolutely love what they did with Mei's eyes.

Another thing I really, really love is how the designs of the cast definitely feel like they fit the overall BlazBlue universe... but they also feel very distinctly different. Like, I'm fully able to believe that these outfits and styles come from the same world but eras apart.

[wingodex]

okay but it genuinely is kinda wild that there are trans and gender noncomforming characters in one of the biggest, most popular animes/mangas in the world. like yeah, it has its issues (sanji timeskip) but like. they're there? they're literally there in it and it's barely commented on? someone literally has the magical ability to allow people to transition? in one piece. like for real