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super-paper · 8 months

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"Thank you for such wonderful comedy."

I've been wanting to talk about how MHA plays with the concepts of "fiction vs reality, the characters vs the actor, the world vs the stage" for awhile now, bc I believe understanding how MHA utilizes these concepts is pretty crucial to understanding our Big Bad (and Tomura!) (...and Izuku!) (.. etc!) (y-yeah...!!!) (wooo.....!!!!!)

If this post is more incoherent than usual, I apologize-- I'm just really enthusiastic about stories that play with the fact that they're stories and characters who throw themselves into a fictionalized role as a means of coping. I love the way MHA handles these concepts in particular, so I lost all sense of restraint as usual.

Hori: "I'm Like Dropping Hints That Hero/Villain Personas Are Actually Coping Mechanisms Lol"

"As Tomura Shigaraki and Tenko Shimura, I've got just one wish: the total destruction of everything that created that house." "If my origin as Touya and Dabi was such a simple thing, then... No, there are still things I want to say. Arguments I want to have."

I've seen a few ppl saying that it sounds awkward/strange to have the characters repeatedly asserting themselves in the third person, but imo, the emphasis on real names versus hero/villain names during these particular scenes plays into the idea of the villain/hero identities being "alter egos" that might not actually have the same core desires as the """"actors"""" that are behind these personas.

Tomura and Touya invoke both their real and villain names while asserting their respective wishes. Himiko also invokes her villain name, though it's less obvious to english speakers because she uses her real name as her villain name (in the raws, "HIMIKO TOGA" as a villain name is written using katakana-- and this is what she uses when asserting her wish). MHA plays with the idea of "fiction"/"Alter Egos" as a form of escapism and as a coping method, and at this point in time, the Dabi/Tomura/"Himiko" identities are still being utilized as a crutch/mask by these three very hurt individuals.

*loud, terrifying chanting* PEAK FICTION PEAK FICTION PE--

Ochako's fight being like the second most thematically important fight in the whole series still makes me unreasonably giddy btw.

To contrast, Ochako uses her civilian name alone when asserting her wish-- and imo we're meant to read this as Ochako wanting to save Himiko as herself, not as Uravity. Saving Himiko is not something she can accomplish as her alter-ego-- Ochako is able to save Himiko by stepping off the stage and becoming a "real" person, while also acknowledging the person behind "Toga Himiko (villain name)".

Izuku hasn't had his "I'm Izuku Midoriya"/"I'm-saving-you-as-Izuku-not-as-Deku" moment yet-- instead, we see Tomura intentionally making that distinction between the-hero-and-the-true-self by constantly referring to Izuku by his real, full name. And I'm pr sure Izuku is also the only one he does this to-- we see him referring to all the other heroes he encounters by their hero names alone, or by insulting nicknames (l-lol). Correct me if I'm wrong, tho!

(side note: Tomura switching to calling Izuku just "Hero" in the aftermath of Bakugate is actually a big step backwards imo-- it reads as Tomura trying to push Izuku away by shoving them both back in the hero/villain box and doubling down on enforcing their respective "roles." Not that I ever expected mister doomdere to make things easy, but, woof. Good Fuckin' Luck, Izuku ( ´･ω･) )

TL;DR The final arc has mostly been about tearing off the hero/villain masks to reveal who is hiding underneath— MHA's careful use of names and monikers plays heavily into that and its distinction between "alter-ego"/"true self" a lot. Which is... probably one of the many reasons why All For One still doesn't have a given name, as someone who has all but completely lost himself in his character.

Anyway! That brings us to the meat of this post: how does MHA take the concepts of "reality vs fiction" and "the character vs. the actor" and apply it to All For One (...and Tomura) (and Izuku--)?

"Pay No Attention to That Man Behind the Curtain!"

"If you refuse to submit, then I'll just rewrite the story." - it's amazing how all of this coulda been avoided if someone had just introduced AFO to Demon Lord x Reader fanfiction. (/j)

AFO fancies himself as the author of MHA's greatest tragedy (the desecration of Shimura Nana's legacy via the sacrifice of Shimura Tenko), while simultaneously inserting himself into its overarching narrative and treating himself as the leading villain of the story-- it's self-indulgent and intentionally invasive in the way that most self-insert fanfiction tends to be invasive, with him going to extremes to make it seem as though the whole story revolves around him. AFO wants to be both the author and the leading character and the leading antagonist. This greed is typical of him, but it also establishes him as a character who's more caught up in (read: trapped by) his relationship to "fiction" than anyone else. Again, MHA explores the use of fiction and alter-egos as an escape from a painful reality-- so, it's entirely reasonable to assume that this applies to AFO as well.

To me, so much about AFO reads as an escapist fantasy of someone who is utterly terrified of being put in a position where he is truly seen. The idea of being vulnerable, of being naked, of being "human," is intolerable to him. But by not allowing himself to feel and "be a human," he has effectively cut himself off from what he wants most. The character of “Shigaraki Tomura” is as much an escapist fantasy for AFO as it is Tenko-- It's just another (younger, prettier) layer of skin he can hide his true self in.

"so basically you're saying that AFO is a never nude" yes, actually :)

AFO dehumanizes Tomura through his attempts to turn the boy into his personal comic book character, but he also dehumanizes himself by desperately trying to insert himself into that “character." It's only fitting that Tomura’s innate humanity and capacity for feeling ends up rendering AFO himself painfully, painfully human-- and ultimately causes AFO's carefully constructed character to start crumbling.

If All the World’s a Stage, Then Let’s Destroy the Stage

"That stage is gone now. The theater's knocked down. How much longer can we afford to be spectators on the sideline?" "Once upon a time, a man named All Might showed all of us how to be a hero. But somewhere along the way, people forgot about the heart and soul that made the man." -MHA, Chapter 325

Tomura is attempting to destroy the stage, because without the stage there can be no "Shigaraki Tomura" (Or "All Might," or "All For One," or "Endeavor," etc etc etc). Without the stage, there are no more "characters" and no more tragedies. But-- without the stage, there are no more stories period. There are no more tragedies, but there are no more happy endings either. The world never recognizes the actor behind "Shigaraki Tomura" without the stage. The stage is not inherently a bad thing, so long as people can remember that the actors on the stage still exist outside of it.

But Tomura himself cannot imagine what happens after the curtains fall, and all that's left is Shimura Tenko. He is stuck in a role that was written entirely for someone else, but remains convinced that the role was always his and that the role defines him.

Tomura rebels against the story the only way he knows how--against an "author" who *LITERALLY* views him as a spicier self insert, and against a "setting" that treats his death as a happy ending-- but even so, Tomura still can't picture an ending that doesn't end in tragedy. His rebellion is not about him trying to wring a happy ending out of a miserable, mean-spirited book-- it's about burning the whole damn library down so he never feels let down or hurt by a story again.

Basically: Tomura cannot act outside the confines of his "character" in a way that will truly save him. Even as he rebels, he's rebelling in a way that is painfully consistent with the way his "character" is written-- and that's why AFO (the author) still poses such an enormous threat to him. Destruction cannot save him from this story when he was explicitly penned to destroy.

The only way to break this narrative is to act in a way "the author" doesn't expect, and to tap into all the traits that AFO desperately attempted to "write out" of him-- Shimura Tenko is someone who has always rebelled against his writing, his author, and the unfairness of this story with his kindness and his willingness to accept those that no one else will.

AFO cuts off Tenko's own power at the root by reinforcing Tomura's belief that the world will always inherently reject him, without fail, always and forever-- so he should just reject the world, too (and I've talked at length about this before, but this is why a story that ends with Tomura dying or locked away from society is an ending that fails in its goal to save Tomura). The more Shigaraki Tomura rejects everything and the more Shigaraki Tomura is rejected by everything, the more he distances himself from his root and the source of his power-- and the more Shimura Tenko gets lost in this character.

While AFO is terrified of someone seeing behind his mask, Tomura longs for it. Tenko has been there since the beginning and has been begging for someone to finally see and acknowledge him (both in-universe and out of universe).

"I’ll Be There, Changing Fate by Your Side."

AFO: "Blah Blah Blah Do you still believe myths can save you? Foolish creature. Let me be clear: every version of the story ends with you being slaughtered yadda yadda yadda :) :) :)" ENTER, MIDORIYA IZUKU WITH A STEEL CHAIR.

Izuku's role is that of a completely average boy who gets pulled into a narrative ''that wasn't for him"-- he has no heroic lineage, no hidden powers, and no connection to the centuries old conflict that drives the plot. He's just a boy who did the right thing at the right time and was rewarded for it. Izuku is someone who was "never supposed to be a hero" the same way Tenko was "never supposed to be a villain" per the "rules" of their world-- and Izuku, like Tomura, is someone who exists to destroy those rules and the expectations of their narrative, completely changing the ending.

But rather than burning the book and ending the story forever (like Tomura wants to do), Izuku believes that the story and characters can still be salvaged. There's always something worth saving. It doesn't have to be a tragedy, they can still change the ending. They can talk specifics after Tomura's crazy ass puts the lighter down.

Izuku, like Tomura and so many other characters, throws himself into an alter-ego in an attempt to redefine himself and escape from pain ("Nobody's been saved yet. Don't be the worthless old Deku who can't save anyone" 😬). He almost loses himself in the role of "OFA's torch bearer" the way All Might did-- but just as Izuku managed to find Toshinori Yagi and helped in convincing him that his life as Toshinori has meaning, Izuku ends up getting saved by his friends who couldn't care less about OFA's ~protagonist power~ and know that Izuku is just a goofy, awkward, human boy who needs help.

Like.... If we explore quirklessness as like... a narrative stand-in for characters that the story typically views or dismisses as irrelevant extras/npcs, then AFO's barely restrained anger at Izuku and Toshi (and possibly Yoichi if we're being honest) for daring to ''act beyond their roles'' becomes even funnier. AFO can't stand the idea of his power/the protagonist role being passed on to someone who seems so utterly unworthy, unremarkable, and plain. He can't stand the idea of someone without a quirk/"role" standing up to him, the leading character. Dude really is a toxic comic book fan to the core.

afo really said "I didn't like how things were going so I stopped reading and just wrote a better ending to the story :^)" like...... @mhareddit that's u buddy...........................;

Anyway...........!!!!! AFO is someone who cherry picks what he likes about a story while ignoring the actual intent/message of the work (#theabsolutestateofthemhafandom), but he has no intention of breaking down the dichotomy between heroes/villains and instead actively enforces it (.............#theabsolutestateofthemhafan--). He just wants to flip what side wins in the end.

Tomura wants to break the narrative because he sees that as the only way to escape from his pain (but in doing so, he permanently cuts himself off from being a part of a story with a happy ending). He wants to destroy the dichotomy between heroes and villains because heroes and villains "will never understand each other and never stop creating each other" (lol. lmao, even).

Izuku wants to break the narrative because he's realized that there's something more to this story than your standard "Hero versus Villain," "good vs evil" affair and that he cannot explore what lies behind those masks and labels without tearing them down, first.

These three work together well as a narrative set of Fucking Nerds, and AFO works well as both Tomura and Izuku's villain for all of the above reasons (& also bc he's the only one who is actually benefitting from their current society) ((which basically offers him an endless buffet of hurt and angry children he can exploit on a silver platter)).

Anyway! Kick his ass, Izuku.

#shigaraki tomura #shimura tenko #all for one #sophie.txt #midoriya izuku #mha spoilers #mha.txt

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jojo-schmo · 10 months

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Beauty and the Beast, but it's Metadede?

Ohohoho-!! This one really got me thinking!! :D If I had unlimited emotional bandwidth and time this could be a fun concept to explore a BUNCH! I'm a sucker for fairy tales! I'm not capable of fully developing this idea right now, but I did brainstorm a little bit!

There's some aspects of that story that I just can't think of good parallels for (Like Gaston, Belle's dad, Belle's character motivations and such). So this is more Beauty and the Beast inspired than being a perfect retelling.

Anyways, ENOUGH TALK. LET'S GO.

So when I read this ask, I immediately got slammed with a very passionate and explosive Brain Blast: Dedede as Beast!! BUT he's got an appearance inspired by King D-Mind (And Dark Mind by extension) and a beastly demeanor like his Primal form in Forgotten Land. So this is not Shadow Dedede!! Important distinction!

Like Dedede's personality in early Kirby games, he would be selfish and arrogant enough to be cursed by an Enchantress to find true love and compassion. (So the rose and its petals are still connected to this curse's time limit.) But at his core there is a being capable of love, compassion, and self-sacrifice! It just takes a bit of character development to get there!

Meta stumps me a bit more. He doesn't strike me as the kind of guy singing about how "there must be more than this provincial life..." And who would Gaston even be?? Beats me.

So instead of being a damsel from a small town with big dreams, maybe he's some kind of traveling knight or mercenary who has always worked alone. He's got a stoic demeanor that can even come off as cold since he doesn't make many meaningful connections with others. But those walls he's put up over his life are indeed capable of coming down with a little care!

You'll also have to forgive me for how little I changed Meta's design... I did this during my lunch break and all I could think of was adding some gold flourishes to his outfit- but there is definitely more potential there than I came up with!!

Why would he get stuck being Dedede's prisoner? Perhaps he bartered someone else's imprisonment for his own. Or he found himself in debt by chance to the King, or accidentally disturbed/destroyed/or damaged something important to him and has to pay with a prison sentence.

Whatever the reason, he's truly stuck living there. And they super do not get along at first. Dedede's fiery temper and Meta's colder exterior would be at odds a lot of the time.

Jumping ahead a bit, here's that scene from the original where Beast defends Belle from a bunch of wild wolves (but here they're Primal Awoofies!)

And from there, the character development continues.... Meta warms up a little and shows more emotion and vulnerability than he ever has before. Dedede cools down in turn and learns that he is worthy of affection and genuine connection... And so on and so on~

As for the supporting character roles filled by "Beast's servants," I figure most of Kirby's allies could be in this role! I just only explored Bandee and Kirby to start with.

I had trouble coming up with household object forms for them (granted I didn't invest that much time into it). So I thought about another time-sensitive form they could take that is high-stakes enough that they'd want to turn back to normal and break the curse. So I came up with the ghostly angel form that happens when you get knocked out in Kirby Fighters. :)

So there you have it! A few days worth of daydreaming for a metadede Beauty and the Beast-type story! Hehe. If anyone happens to find themselves inspired and wants to develop this further as an exercise in AU writing or just plain having fun with it, DO IT! This is my donation to the internet, lol.

...Just please share it with me. I love reading people's stories. <3

#metadede #Kirby au #ask #art #meta knight #king dedede #bandana dee #kirby #idk what to call this story haha but if someone thinks of a good name lemme know #thank you for the fun writing exercise <3 #I do like Dedede's “Beast” form a lot haha maybe I'll revisit it every now and then

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watchingyoufromthestars · 25 days

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Finally cleaned this up so here’s my DnDads ultimate ship opinions list. I was waiting until after s2 ended to clean this up in case I had any final opinion changes with the last few episodes. Please don’t bash me for any of these. The DnDads fandom is generally very nice but shipping discourse is something that can get heated no matter the fandom.

Dads

Henry Darryl: very neutral. I understand the ship I just never fully got on the boat

Henry Glenn: absolutely fucking feral about them do not get me started on Glennry

Darryl Glenn: feral in a different way that I don’t know how to describe other than toxic yaoi in the way that they’re damaged but refuse to talk about it so they kiss about it instead

Loveeeeeeee polydads but only as Henry/Glenn/Darryl. Not really a Ron shipper I love him and Samantha too much. Ron and Glenn’s friendship is very important to me though

In terms of Jodie, I don’t really ship him with any of the main dads, ESPECIALLY not Glenn. Even if Jimmy didn’t play Jodie I’d still never ship them. Wish Scamster was real and not completely a scam because they’re literally a crackship become real except it was never a crackship before canon. It’s surprising to me that they weren’t really shipped beforehand

Henry Mercedes: THE T4T OF ALL TIME BABEYYYYY. Absolutely iconic couple, fate was in their favor with how they met they were destined for each other

Darryl Carol: After hearing how Darryl talked about his family in Heaven, I was actually really happy they ended up not getting divorced. They clearly had a rough patch as seen in s1, but they genuinely love each other and I love how devoted to her Darryl is. The little finger puppet he made of her in the time out zone… :,)

Glenn Morgan: GLORGAN!!!!!!!!! Oh my god these two tear me apart. I am feral for Glorgan angst there’s too much to work with. More people need to start calling them Glorgan instead of Morglenn please please please please pretty please indulge me in my silly ship name

Ron Samantha: sobbing. They’re so sweet. The distinction that Samantha is also a little silly is very important to me. They love each other so fucking much

Kiddads

Nicky Sparrow: didn’t realize how much I love them for a good while but when I did oh god I love them so so much. T4T it’s so real to me that they’re both trans

Nicky Lark: used to like it but yall mischaracterize Nicky so much in fics. If yall want toxic yaoi just ship Grant and Lark I’m so serious

Nicky Terry: sobs. They were best friends. I don’t personally ship them but the fact that Terry said he was his best friend… that line rattles around in my brain so often

Nicky Grant: recently learned this might get shipped and has THE coolest ship name. Crossfire I love you but for the ship name alone

Sparrow Terry: I think I’ve seen this shipped a few times but only in the context of Terry/Nicky/Sparrow. Not my personal cup of tea though

Sparrow Grant: I don’t see this shipped too often but they have the worst ship name ever /aff. Wtf is a spant lol. Also I’m too much team transfem Sparrow to feel comfortable shipping this

Lark Terry: do not know the appeal of Gun Control but their ship name is fun

Lark Grant: toxic yaoi central. They both need intense therapy but them both being so fucked up is what makes them interesting not that that’s healthy though

Terry Grant: I see them more in a qpr place than anything romantic. I have one fic of them that’s bookmarked on Safari because I think about a part from it from time to time

Don’t have any poly ships for them

In terms of s2 spouses I so desperately wished we could’ve seen more of them. We barely get to see them

Nicky Cassandra: Telling Taylor his dad was a good man and that she misses him every day makes me think they parted on good terms. But then Nicky disappeared because of FBI shit. In another life maybe they could’ve worked.

Sparrow Rebecca: more ugly sobbing. I’m unsure on my sparroace thoughts if they’d end up getting divorced post-finale but I know they’re not fully separating or breaking up. They really are in love but it’s unconventional and messy.

Terry Veronica: I think the reveal that Terry is infertile is a nice touch to their relationship. It sounds weird to say and I feel like I might word this all weirdly. Him being unable to have bio kids but finding love in someone who wants to raise a kid with him anyways. Veronica finding new love again after a supposedly abusive relationship. Both of those combined is something I really love.

Grant Marco: Canon gays ftw. The Titanic episode was so generous in letting us get to see their dynamic. Obviously Grant still has a long way to go in finding self love but I’m so happy he found someone who can support him and loves him back like this.

Teens

Normal Scary: ugly sobbing over them I love them so much. Cradling my madomagi and tma aus with them as madohomu and jmart

Normal Taylor: yearning for the early s2 days like when they went to Sonic and made some devious plan off screen I wish they had more silly interactions together. Was truly fed with the kareoke intro and them bonding over costume making for a minute. Tayloak could be so interesting if there was more material to work with

Normal Link: Childhood BFFs to Lovers; I wish they could’ve hung out more as kids but all that happened

Normal Hermie: I get the hype but I have personal reasons for feeling neutral on them that I wish I could get over. Good soup though /ref

Scary Taylor: see them too much as a sibling dynamic to ever ship them

Scary Link: respect to all y’all shippers but I do not gothcleats and will leave it at that forever. I can only accept the finale with my transfem Link hc

Scary Hermie: I love Scene Partners. These stupid kids and reflecting each other /aff

Taylor Link: one that I can’t believe I didn’t ship sooner they’re so silly

Link Hermie: I think this one is very funny (/pos) but not my personal vibe

Love love LOVEEEEEEEE Marloakworthy AUGH. A giant triangle of everyone paralleling each other

Polywagon I love you; cannot believe you’re real and genuinely canon. This is just Homestuck again when Hussie said all ships are canon (DnDads never beating the Homestuck allegations from me)

Scary Erica: wish there were more interactions I love Erica so much but alas she’s a guest NPC. “You awaken a lightness in me” sapphic ass Scary I know what you are

#dndads #dungeons and daddies #dndads s1 #dndads s2 #dndads season 2 #there’s no way I can tag everyone and every ship just pretend that I did #I could barely tag everyone when I did the stained glass art

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puppetmaster13u · 8 months

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Bird-Bat Language [Part 2]

Previous Part: H E R E

A majority of the language has to do with things in Gotham There's several calls focusing on the dangers found in the city, especially with how many chemical attacks there can be even just hours apart

Fear Toxin: long hiss-click (This call can't afford to be too long or extravagent due to the danger of the toxin) Joker Venom: short hiss-click-click (The hiss is higher pitched than the one in the fear call) Ivy Pollen: hiss-cluck-high (Thankfully not nearly as dangerous later, nor used as often as it once was) Fire: warble-click-high (A mimicry of wavering flames and the crackle of wood on fire) Ice/Blizzard: trill-click-low (Similarly to Mr. Freeze's call, it's meant to mimic the cracking of ice, though at a smaller scale) Earthquake: screech-low-low (While not hard to miss, there's always a risk if they're in certain buildings or caves) Storm/Lightning: low-chitter-high-high (Mostly a warning for if someone is high up or out late) Water/Flood: click-low-low-warble (Flooding is pretty common and usually only a risk if one is in like, say the sewers)

Maneuver & Location based words are important Very self explanatory in concept, and rather obvious why such things are needed, especially for vigilantes

Up/Above: rapid high-high (I think it's pretty obvious why these sounds are used lol) Down/Below: long low-low (Same with these ones for going low lol) Right: rapid low-high (The low is rapid but the high trails off) Left: rapid high-low (Similar to the previous sound, but the low trails off instead of the high) How Far/Long: extended low-high (Difference between them is if the low or the high is extended longer than the other) Leave (No Emergency): chitter-high-low (The high whistle is more of a whining noise as though to say 'leave me alone') Home: long low-low-high (Whistle ends in a twittering sort of high when talking about the manor specifically) Patrol: repeated coo-low-chitter-click (Used as both a 'Get back to work' and a 'Can we go out now' sound) Inside: warble-chirp-low (Usually used when following someone or when telling where they're going) Outside: hoot-chirp-high (Similarly used to the inside sounds, though the hoot is quite rapid)

There are a couple distinct noises for very basic locations These are limited to their territory of sorts & doesn't include specific locations within the city

Gotham: clatter-low-trill (Clatter is made via claws, armor, or via the stone around them) Bludhaven: chitter-cough-coo (Cough noise varies in loudness and length depending on the individual speaking) Ocean: warble-low-click (The noise is supposed to invoke the sound of waves, or as close as they can do) Outside City: hoot-high-shriek (The shriek shows their wariness to the idea of leaving their areas, or one of theirs escaping to the outside world that's not prepared)

There's also a few close-quarters patrol words These are mostly descriptive or actions/orders, but can't quite be described as such either

Friendly: tap-tap-click-coo (Originally just used when introducing people, hence the quietness) Questioning/Don’t Understand: cluck-coo-peep (This is usually used by the kids at first while learning) Understood/Acknowledged: coo-warble (At first was just an understand noise but they started using it to show they were listening as well) Be Quiet: tap-coo-tap (The tapping is usually against stone or their own armor) Don’t Move: tap-tap-click-coo (The coo is very soft and quiet, as is the rest of the noise) Hide: tap-hoot-tap-tap (The hoot is sharp and short, while the taps are faster the more imperative it is) Being Followed: hoot-click-click (The clicks are loud and echoing, especially compared to the hoot)

The batfam also have 'complaining' noises These are used in both patrol and whenever to get across their point

Gimme: repeated peep-coo (It started when Bruce started carrying sweets for the kids & never stopped) Pay Attention: peep-cluck-peep-peep (This is more of a pay attention to me sound than a general pay attention one) Hungry: repeated peep-peep-chirp (Bruce carries snacks and they know that) Tired: repeated coo-cluck-cluck (The noise was needed, seeing as children do eventually get tired during patrol) Thirsty: repeated peep-peep-click (Sure they have their own water bottles but it runs out sometimes if it's a long night) Cold/Wet: repeated coo-cluck-peep (Practically a 'let me go under your cape dad' noise)

Noises for different injuries are needed Especially if they don't want others to know if they're injured or weakened, even if not by much

Injured: shriek-high-high-high (This is a general injury sound, alerting others that they are as so) Grounded/Can’t Fly: shriek-cluck-click (Mostly used for AUs but can also be used in the context of injured without a grapple) Bleeding: shriek-buzz-trill (Less of a slightly bleeding noise & more of a 'might be bleeding out & come get me') Broken Bone: shriek-coo-coo (This is less of a minor break for them and more of a 'can't walk or use an arm' one) Shot: shriek-low-high (They needed the sound after Bruce panicked after one of them got grazed, so they made a noise for if they've actually gotten shot) Poisoned: cluck-trill-high (This isn't uncommon what with the different chemicals all around Gotham)

They have sounds for emotions when they don't want to talk Most of the time these are used when trying to explain what they're feeling is too hard or frustrating on its own

Happy/Pleased: hum or chuff (also doubles as an 'I'm proud of you' noise or an idly amused) Angry: hiss or roar (hiss is a more sulky sort of anger while a roar is 'I want to hurt something' angry) Sad/Distressed: whine or scream (a whine is no less distressed than a scream, it's whatever they can communicate at the time) Love/Affectionate: purr or croon (usually used when they can't speak at the time, like during a stakeout, works as both a 'good job' and an 'I'm proud' noise as well) Startled/Confused: squeak (less of an 'I don't understand' & more of a confused about something around them) Amused: giggle or chitter (similar to if someone burst out in laughter albeit far quieter) Threatening: clatter or growl (clatter is made via armor in most cases but other things might be used)

Other noises I didn't have put down in a previous section but probably should've lol:

Commissioner Gordon: high-warble-high (a mimicry of a police siren in birdsong) Officer Martinez: low-chirp-high-high (usually accompanied by audible mischief-making) Justice League: twitter-hiss-high (the hiss shows their annoyance, mostly as the sound is used if it's the league that tries to enter Gotham) Day: high-high-warble-low (both highs are rapid while the low is drawn out) Night: low-low-warble-high (both lows are drawn out slightly while the high is short) Wayne Tower: trill-click-click-coo (the noise is more affectionate compared to other location noises due to being associated with family, also because it's a good very tall perch) Clocktower: click-click-click-low (a noise mimicking a clock ticking and then chiming)

#Batman #batman au #what's out there au #meat marionette au #cryptid batman #cryptid batfam #birbat language #world building #fake language #Might do body language for the cryptid aus at some point too

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bestworstcase · 28 days

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I have a question about some of your Salem thoughts

If Salem is 110% certain that she can take down the Gods (assuming that's her goal since we don't actually know), why wouldn't she communicate her plan to Oz? Especially if she truly doesn't want anyone to die like you say. Oz would jump at the bit if Salem said "Hey I want to stop fighting" since that would mean their shadow war would stop. I really don't think Oz likes the Gods either, and even if he's afraid of them, if *Salem* is that confident she can stop them (she's far from an idiot), I'm sure he'd at least hear her out (which would tell Salem a LOT).

If she's that confident and truly doesn't want to fight, why wouldn't she tell Oz her new plan? And why would she kickstart her plan by attacking the kingdoms/Academies? Surely she could find a way to steal the Relics without flat out attacking them (like sending in double agents to take the Maiden powers)? Like... she would've known she'd get people killed, including children and innocent people. Even if she did damage control (which I think is just strategic, why bother going after people if she's focusing on the Relics? She's not gonna waste precious time and resources), she surely knew people would get caught in the crossfire.

Don't get me wrong, I like what you bring to the table!! Your posts are thought provoking and unique. But I can't see Salem being somehow secretly good. I don't think the show is setting her up that way, and I think she's a fantastic villain, so from my own perspective, doing that kind of twist would be a disservice to her character. I don't think she's inhuman or a complete and total monster who should go, but she's definitely not a good person especially if she can't communicate that she supposedly doesn't want people dead. She seems to be an "the ends justify the means" kind of person, and the show I think has stated that that isn't a good mindset i.e. Ironwood.

Sorry, I rambled and completely strayed from my point 😅 I don't mean to be mean if I come across that way. I hope my ask is interesting or thought provoking though :P

my position is that salem is right, not that she’s secretly good—that is an important distinction. i think she sees the gods clearly for what they are, thinks the divine ultimatum repulsive and unjust, wants remnant to be free, and believes that humanity is transcendent over their creators; she also, quite plainly, does not have any compunction about doing whatever it takes to achieve her ends and while i do think she is still fully capable of and driven by love, she is so TERRIFIED of being hurt again and so CERTAIN that no one could ever care for her that when she does care for someone else it comes out in very, very twisted and often cruel ways. she’s not good, she’s not nice, she’s just right.

equally the heroes are good but not right, because they have yet to really grapple with the premise of the divine mandate (that humanity as it exists right now does not deserve to exist) or their own role in upholding it (their immediate goal is survival, but when they envision the ending of this war they imagine salem driven back and the relics squirreled away again in hope of at best everlasting stalemate). the point of structuring the narrative this way is that neither side can get to the proverbial good ending alone; they need to work together, salem’s ends with the heroes’ means.

like. she’s evil. lol. that’s not in question and i think it goes without saying that she is doing evil things so i don’t feel the need to make a “but she’s still evil though” disclaimer every time i try to tease out what’s going on in her head. notice how my reaction to salem razing vale was OH GLINDA LAYS SIEGE TO THE EMERALD CITY, WE’RE REALLY IN IT NOW and not, like, shock or dismay that salem would do such a terrible thing. brgdfjs

(i DO think she has mostly been trying to avoid ozma and not reciprocating the shadow crusade against her prior to about fourteen years ago and that she isn’t about wanton destruction or killing for the sake of it; and in that sense i think she’s not as bad as the general fanon reading. but that comes with the territory of thinking she has actual reasons for doing what she does as opposed to being, like, a genocidal lunatic.)

anyway. to your questions. the short answer is she’s just as scared of oz as he is of her.

“but he’s the good one!”—think about this from her perspective for a minute. set aside your opinion of her and oz, presuppose for the moment that i’m correct on her motivations, and consider what everything ozma’s done in the last few thousand years looks like to her.

she knows that the gods were monsters. she witnessed them slaughtering the whole world and she saw how little it mattered to them after. she was alone for millions of years, and then hated and feared for thousands of years because she didn’t look human. all that suffering because the gods are punishing her for praying to them. yes?

then ozma returns to her, somehow. he doesn’t explain how or why—maybe he tells her he just doesn’t know—but that’s alright. what matters is that he’s here. he asks what happened to her, and she tells him the truth: the gods ended the world. cursed her. killed everyone. she was alone for so long. (maybe not the whole truth: there are things she’s afraid to say, because the gods did it all to punish her, and it’s her fault, and she’s so scared that he’d despise her if he knew everything. the only reason for her to fear ozma would reject her is if she blamed herself. you don’t hide things out of shame if you don’t feel ashamed of them.)

they learn each other again. fall in love all over again. things are finally okay. they fix up her house. they’re happy together. one day ozma tells her that he’s worried about how divided people are. she wants so badly to make him happy; she would move mountains for him. salem herself has no interest in ruling over people as a god—if she did, she wouldn’t have been living alone in a rotting shack in the middle of nowhere—all that enthusiasm is for him. to support what he wants.

they build a following, found a prosperous kingdom, start a family. four children! how long do you think they were married—ten years? twenty? and the whole time, the whole time, ozma was keeping these secrets from her. that the god of light, who’d condemned her to eternal suffering for praying to his brother, who’d shown utter indifference to the deaths of millions, had sent him back to redeem humanity FROM HER SINS, from what SALEM did. that the point of all this is cleansing humankind of her defiance and inviting THAT MONSTER to remnant to judge whether this world deserved to be subjugated under the brothers’ tyranny again or else be put to death.

imagine how she must have felt when ozma finally told her the truth, knowing that the first thing she told him was that the gods ended the last one. imagine the sickening realization that their whole marriage is built on a lie, because she would never, ever, ever have agreed to help him unite the world if she had known what he sought to unite them for, and ozma knew she never would. that he deceived her! manipulated her into serving the will of a god she knows to be a monster!

and even then—even to the very end—she loved him enough to try. she was willing to forgive all of that and figure out a way to move past it together, and the only thing she asked was that he walk away from his task of submitting this world to the judgment of THAT MONSTER. and he wouldn’t do it.

there’s a gap we don’t get to see, in between ozma backing away from her and salem catching him leaving with the girls, but we can infer that ozma walked out of that room and salem didn’t. imagine how she felt. ten years, twenty years, however long it was, and he was lying to her through it all, and he left her with hardly a moment’s hesitation when she refused to help him enact THAT MONSTER’S retribution against herself. because that is, ultimately, what this is all about; humanity is found guilty by association with her.

imagine how she felt. used. worthless. duped. like a fool for ever trusting him. did he ever love her at all, or was that a lie, too?

when she caught him in the hallway later that night, they both attack each other in the same instant. ozma remembers her attacking him first, but their volleys meet in perfect symmetry and right before salem throws her first bolt of magic, her eyes flicker down in surprise as she tracks the motion of his staff (which we see in the previous shot)—salem remembers him attacking her first.

because they were both so tense and scared and angry at each other that they snapped in exactly the same moment.

their battle is so intense they blow up the castle, and when the smoke clears, salem is a pile of ash. ash! he incinerated her! imagine how enraged you have to be to burn someone to ash. that level of fury, of absolute hatred of her, is literally burnt into her memory as the last thing he did to her before she managed to kill him, inextricably twisted around the guilt and unbearable grief she feels for her children.

he’s dedicated all but a handful of his lives since then to getting rid of her. finding a way to destroy her. (how far is he willing to go? what would happen if salem tried to move on, find community and solace somewhere far away from him? would he come after her? would he follow his god’s example and go after the people she cared about to punish her? is she willing to risk that he might?)

do you think salem understands why ozma did any of this? she doesn’t. she doesn’t get the luxury we do of jinn narrating his side of the story and showing us the anguish he felt, wanting so desperately to be with salem but eaten alive by terror of dooming the world for his happiness. she doesn’t know.

all she knows is how he treated her: the secrets, the deception, the manipulation, the immediate and absolute rejection when she told him no, the explosively violent anger at the end, then centuries upon centuries systematically erasing her from history and enforcing her exile whilst searching for the relics he needs to summon his god for the final judgment. which she knows will inevitably end in the annihilation of the whole world and yet more torture for her with no hope of reprieve, because if all of this was not enough to satisfy the god of light’s grudge against her for, again, just praying to his brother, nothing ever will.

salem feels about ozma now the way blake felt about adam. why did he lie to her, why did he use her, why does he keep coming back, why won’t he just LEAVE HER ALONE, hasn’t she suffered enough, hasn’t she been punished enough, when will it be enough—and intertwined with that, she is being EATEN ALIVE by the conviction that no one could ever truly care about her or feel for her or want to help her or think that she deserves help or even just see her as a person, because if ozma—ozma, the one who saved her from her father’s tower, who knew her and loved her before all of this happened—if ozma thought her so worthless that he would rather serve a god who ended the last world and promises to condemn this one too than suffer her to exist at all in this world, why the fuck would anyone else be any different?

thousands of years later, she still flies off the handle when anyone lies to her. (except cinder. but cinder is always the exception, to every rule.) there’s a reason she recruits the kind of people she does—desperate, broken, angry people starving for something she can promise to give them if they make themselves useful to her—and it’s because she does not believe that she can get anything better than strictly transactional relationships with people who have literally nothing and nowhere else to turn. and when she actually cares about someone? she fights herself tooth and claw over it because she desperately doesn’t want to open herself up to more heartbreak. look at how erratic and cruel she is with cinder.

it’s not rational. salem is smart and very, very tactically shrewd but she is making all of her plans and all of her choices from the assumption that she is and will always be alone in this, because she is unlovable, because she is worthless, because she is the reason this world is damned. and she’s terrified of ozma because to her everything he does suggests that his conviction and dedication to the god of light has never wavered. she cannot see his doubt. she cannot see his misery. she cannot see how much he misses her and desperately wants to make amends. all she can see is that he’s zealously guarding the relics and spreading his god’s word and training children to fight and die in the name of keeping her exiled.

why doesn’t ozma just go to her and tell her he wants to make amends? because he’s terrified she’ll never forgive him and terrified that he’ll damn the world to annihilation if he follows his heart. they’re the same. they’re exactly the same.

but this is also what makes it so possible—even easy—for salem to undergo a villain-to-hero arc, because the only thing that needs to happen is a spark of real hope. that someone, anyone, could really care about her. like. the things she says in her soliloquies about the transformative power of hope? “even the smallest spark of hope is enough to ignite change,” and “it’s true that a simple spark can ignite hope, breathe fire into the hearts of the weary…”—that’s her. one small reason to hope. that is all she needs to change.

she doesn’t want to be razing kingdoms to the ground or cutting a bloody path through children to get those relics. she is willing to do it because she truly, genuinely, from the depths of her soul believes that it’s the only way to free herself from the torture she’s been subjected to for millions of years. she’s driven to this by desperation. she won’t keep doing it if she’s given a reason to feel less desperate.

but she does need to be given a reason, first. she’s hemorrhaging. this is why the winnowing of her inner circle and the split between everyone else in vacuo versus salem + cinder + summer in vale is important; Those Two are the ones she cares about—technically we don’t know for sure regarding summer yet, but the level of trust she has for the lieutenant holding beacon is suggestive—and that being reciprocated is what ignites her hope.

#she IS a fantastic villain #but what makes her so compelling as a villain is all the contradiction and tension in her character #how deeply she loves vs her deep conviction of being unlovable. not wanting to hurt people vs believing it’s the only way to free herself.#everything she does is so intensely personal and so circumscribed by the fear of rejection #these opposing forces drive change because they are pushing and shoving against each other inside her mind and the moment of culmination #occurs when one triumphs over the other. and then she changes in what i expect will be a startlingly dramatic fashion #(that doubles as writing advice btw if you want to write dynamic character arcs put unreconcilable contradictions in your characters)

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davyjoneslockr · 3 months

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3, 7, and 12, mista and fugo :3

TONY UNSHADOWBANNED PARTY I know this was from a month ago but I'm gonna answer it anyhow lmfao

(For this ask game)

3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?

For Mista, the Trish cleavage scene. You know the one. I don't think I have to explain this much. Boy Why Did You Do That. The only good thing to come out of that scene was jaunty jigglesacks + overeager horndog insane psychic damage combo of lines in the dub.

I could take this a lot of ways for Fugo tbh. Because there's a lot of things that drive me insane about him as a person, but looking at him as a character, I LOVE that he's rash and hurts his friends and his defining character moment is him making a selfish, cowardly decision. I guess I'd say his misogyny in Purple Haze Feedback? I'm admittedly a believer that, yes, he would fucking say that, but it sucks that he would. At least he gets better by the end lol. Fugo voice I'm sorry women Sheila E is me

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

I love that Mista has been designated Beautiful Brown-Eyed Bisexual Man by literally the entire fandom. Bi Mista brings us all together. And I do like the idea that his queerness is something he discovered much more slowly, and as a direct result of the gang. Something about that really ties in with the idea of the Bucci Gang as less of a realistic gang, more akin to a drag house or similar queer pseudo-family. Credit to that concept to Fox figcookie01 btw this is one of my favorite Vento Aureo analyses ever and it really informs how I conceptualize the Bucci Gang. Anyhow.

I also really like when people actually take care to explore his character and make him a very distinct, smarter-than-he-looks, older brother-type figure. It's really interesting when people explore his spirituality, too, whatever religion that may be, because that's a pretty important part of him. AND also OCD Mista truthers who know when to treat his superstitions and compulsions with some weight I love you forever. I think he's a character that gets watered down in fanworks a lot, but when his characterization's good, it's really good. There's plenty of artists and writers that have really blown me away with their Mista (and I say this as someone who's picky about characterization lol)

With Fugo, first of all. The PHF scars. Another thing that Mandela Effected the PHF fandom, but it's so so important to me. I love you physical, tangible, blatantly visible proof that Fugo has grown as a person since the day he abandoned the gang. Awesome. I also like that people mix and match his manga/anime colors, and every artist kinda draws him in a different way.

My favorite thing is probably the Fugo-Abbacchio stepkid and stepparent/siblings/Big Goth and Baby Emo Who Secretly Looks Up To Them dynamic. It’s awesome when it’s cartoonishly antagonistic and it’s awesome when it’s actually very sweet and heartfelt. Out of all the Bucci Gang dynamic interpretations the fandom’s produced, theirs is one of my favorites <3

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

SO MANY FOR BOTH OF THEM LOL. But I’ll try to list some I don’t talk about as much.

Besides The Carpenters, Mista’s a big fan of folk, acoustic singer-songwriter pop, and soft classic R&B/gospel. Artists with really strong voices tend to catch his attention. The Mamas and the Papas, Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, Simon and Garfunkel, The Seekers, and Gordon Lightfoot are some of his favorites. He’s also just a big sucker for love songs in general, and the hopeless romantic in him loves old girl groups like The Ronettes and The Shirelles. He’s also very much Schrödinger’s Guy to me. Cis? Trans? Who knows. Depends on what the situation calls for (though more often trans to me as of late). He’s just Some Dude.

Fugo’s a surprisingly good singer, but he’ll rarely do it if he knows other people are listening. A lot of times, he’ll sing in the shower, or when he’s alone in the car. As he gets older, he gets less self-conscious about it, and he’ll sing around the house when he’s with Giorno, or do duets with Mista for fun. There are also very much timelines in the Vento Aureo Multiverse in my brain where Fugo’s transfem. This also tends to coincide with transfem Abbacchio timelines, so there’s another layer added to Fugo looking up to Abbacchio, and I think Giorno (always transmasc to me) is really instrumental in helping her work through things and take pride in her transness. Maybe a little bit of a self-indulgent fluffy comfort hc that helps me work though my own genderisms lol

#ohh i missed my guys <- thinks about them every day #i need to talk about mista fugos more. blog policy everyone can send me mista fugos asks anytime btw.#jjba #jjba headcanons #pannacotta fugo #guido mista

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katyspersonal · 1 month

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Alright, go crazy, go stupid ✌️

48. What’s your favorite physical/design feature for this character?

For the Bloodborne girl cast!

uhhh, Maria, Doll, Annalise, Henriett, Gratia, Queen Yharnam, Ebrietas, Rom, Flora, Kos, Arianna, Adella, Eileen, white church doctor, black church doctor, Fausefka, Iosefka, Old Lady lol, Viola, Gascoigne’s daughters, Mergo’s Wet Nurse, Vicar Amelia, Witches of Hemwick, uhhhhhhh, Yurie, Bell Women, Cainhurst portrait women, Dores, Adeline,…..uhhhh….well….dammit if I have forgotten someone very important then I apologize to all women.

(Ask from this ( x ) meme) Ohhhh boy, look who heard out my wish to discuss the design features!! Thank you very much!

48) What’s your favorite physical/design feature for this character?

ATTENTION: for some of these characters I might use my own headcanons on their appearances as an answer!

Maria and Doll: their lovely super pale eyelashes! As usual, common Fromsoft W putting effort into a detail that is hard to notice by normal means!

As for the distinct design elements (which in their case their clothes), for Maria I love the cute smaller broches by either side of her main one, and for the Doll I love her cute floral-patterned gloves!

Annalise: I love her big forehead. I am worried that I miss out this feature on accident sometimes in my drawings of her (just need more art skill), but I am mindful about it!

Henriett: I love that she either 1) is implied to wear a makeup (gotta stay class no matter what) or 2) just has naturally different color for brows and eyelashes? Common Fromsoft W on details no sane person would detect yet AGAIN. Close second is her awesome top hat that no one wears like her.

Gratia: I love her red hair so much. She has the most red hair in the setting. I love this so much. Hers is more red than Cainhurst red, even.

(From this ( x ) page with datamined corpse models, some of the following ones will also be from here)

Queen Yharnam: This is exclusive for her pregnant/boss variant, the one we interact with peacefully doesn't have them. But I love cute rose-themed decorations around her gown! Adorable detail!

Ebrietas: Her big anime girl green eyes, what else I can say? x) The very distinct feature, and they look like there are green cosmic nebulas shining inside them!

Rom: This is hard to choose because this IS the perfect female body, I think her existence alone should prove how useless beauty standards are dhfsdh I will never be her 😔 Her adorable tails is the close second, but I love that she is a forest. What grows on her back is more resembling of tree branches with glowing buds! This is not lumenweed, this is lumenWOOD! XD

Flora: The small wings. Of the 'skinny' type and not birdlike type, same as Ebrietas' and celestial children, but kinda damaged, or undeveloped? These wings tell a story. Feels similar to how Amygdalae have just lump of flesh in the place of wings, but their Kin, Gardens of Eyes, do have beautiful butterfly wings! It feels like a theme of needing humanity (?) to be truly fulfilled. Jealous Moon, eh?

Kos: I love her fins, especially the fin on her back! Well, it doesn't look very fin-like anymore, and there is clearly better look at it on the concept art! Just...... fish

Arianna: I love her purple eyes! Really stands out! I was really excited to find out she had such unusual feature!

Adella: Similarly to Henriett, I love how her brows and eyelashes color has a contrast with her hair color! Hers is paler!

Eileen: The only truly notable feature about her design is her unique mask, as Bloody Crow wears the same garb, and I feel like it won't really say anything.. The girl doesn't even have canon face data! So let me pull my own out uhhh..

I am quite happy with her beak! x) I needed the resemblance of 'crow' in her visual design, you don't understand! My initial idea for her design, though, was making her blonde in earlier life and then have silver, basically white hair in her old age, while still having skin dark because contrast is so good. It would be to symbolise a change, from "sunshine" to "moonlight".. I got discouraged when I was told it was 'unrealistic' feature for dark skinned people (and should not have listened, because Bloodborne already has two characters canonically who are blondes with dark skin). If I ever backtrack on that idea for her, consider the beautiful white hair and how it contrasts to be the answer!

White Church Doctor: In this case I will go for the obvious answer. This is her cute mole! I am so happy when other people notice it too!! When someone draws this character and does feature the mole, I am so happy ;-;

Black Church Doctor: I love the shape of her eyes! Interestingly though, she uses the same sliders as female preset hunter (in initial character creation), and her eyes are green like Brador's and have a similar shape, also her eyelashes are same color as his. Both Brador and Paleblood Hunter come from the same foreign land as their clothes lore suggest, so... same country? Or even relation to Brador? Hello....?

Fauxsefka and Iosefka: Eyelashes. Eyelashes. They use the especially long variant of eyelashes. I always enjoy drawing them, especially Fauxsefka's!

Lonely Old Dear: This is the hardest one yet, because there is nothing particular to point out. There are no other distinct old female characters we are shown in the game, nor her outfit is unique as there are many corpses in this outfit in Yahar'gul (and one in the woods). I do like the cute setting-appropriate hat, but I think a more fair one is to say that they bothered showing her eyes condition!

Viola: I love her red brooch! ...that we never do see on her in the game. But I think it is a really good detail for her design, and the best color to contrast with both her hair and clothes!

Older Daughter: This is an interpretation liberty, since this can and likely is a blood drop, but I like to think she has a spot on her forehead!

Younger daughter: Another case where I gotta use my own design! I like how her appearance mixes that of both parents rather than resembling one or another x) Gascoigne used to have auburn hair and green eyes, so hers mix those colors with Viola's blonde hair and blue eyes!

Mergo's Wet Nurse: Uhhhhh everything?? She is so incredibly stylish? fdsjfdshfd I fucking LOVE the absurd amount of heavily detalized trinkets all over her body! Get it.... because crows love shinies...... haha....

(Take a closer look at all her glory in wiki's gallery ( x ))

Amelia: Her very tiny tail. :3

Witches of Hemwick 1 and 2: The fact that!!!!! the eyes are all different colors??? How sick is this??? Look at this! Some also have iris whitening, same as what happened with Djura's eyes, and others have fully enlargened pupil!

Witch of Hemwick 3: Okay, you absolutely saw this one coming lol. I love how wide is her nasal bridge! Very distinct feature! (Also coming clear with my skill issue, as I do not give a justice to her eyes; in reality they're smaller and located wider from each other!)

Yurie: I really like her lips shape, actually! Very full, very smoochable.

Bell-Ringing Women: I love the decoration circling around their cape! This really adds to the design, it looks so much better this way than if it was just plain cape as is!

Cainhurst portrait women: Damn, they are all so beautiful! I guess as for Bell-Ringer resembling one, the previous point applies! Though she looks like she could be mother of Iosefka and Fauxsefka? And the knight woman has a very distinct nose shape! With Annalise's mother (I am not sure who else would wear a crown on portrait whereas not being Annalise..), I of course love how long her neck is x) Her posture is so regal, and this emphasises it!

Similar feature shared with the one who wears silver variant of the Noble Dress (basically Arianna's dress, and even identical shoes, but a bit more detailed in a couple of places). I'm gonna say though, I do love the silver variant more than burgundy one, especially with Forsaken Castle Ghosts whose hair became platinum! And the old lady has not only the necklaces, but also earrings and the bracelet which are quite modest and harder to see, but they are here! I love this attention to small details!

Dores: As iconic as her wearing a scalp of Pthumerian face like a mask is, but my favourite bit is, actually, the ungodly amount of tools dangling from her belt! My Mico in his Research Hall surgeon era can only dream about the same level of unsettling x)

Adeline: Again, she has the appearance of a Research Hall patient with the exception of larger amount of belts (she is feral!) and unique bandana around her neck! It feels unfair to point out either of these, because... yeah, sure. They just make her distinct. So I'll refer to my version of her and say that I love her hair buns and want to squeeze them every time I draw her. x) The bandana IS precious, though!

______________________

Okay that was WILD, thank you for letting me go mad dfhahds You HAVE forgotten Hemwick Gravewomen, Evil Labyrinth Spirits, Snail/Slug Women, Mergo's Chief Attendants and female Beast Patients though XD I've met Tumblr images limit so I have to combine into one image.

But, Hemwick Gravewomen have strangely elongated skulls, and I love this bit. Considering the bandage over their forehead, perhaps, they've found their own way to place eyes on their brain? With statue behind Memory Altar and in the dungeons featuring a stitch over forehead and Rune Tool being found in Hemwick, would not be surprising. And with Evil Labyrinth Spirits, I guess I love the cool feature that is only in the concept art, but didn't make it into the actual model?? The evil red spirits erupting from her belly area are so badass??

With Slug Women, I guess the only thing I can tell is which variant I like more... And it is the shell one, of course x) Or simply red eyes with female Beast Patients! But with Chief Attendants, the plate on their bellies features upturned wings, and this is my favourite detail! They could represent wings of Wet Nurse or Flora! I love the mystery hidden on the plain sight so much!! Why could not Bloodborne give us a way to farm armour from mobs so we could read the description that would explain... ;-;

Okay, now my brain is OFFICIALLY fried (in a good way), and this post definitely will help me as a good self-reference! This is, however, now one of my favourite posts by myself, because.. many women.

#bloodborne #bloodborne reference #bloodborne headcanons #screenshots #ask replies #use later #multi character post

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concreteburialplot · 10 months

Text

VIRALITY // 07

07 - Heartthrob Strategy

pairing: nicholas ruffilo x fem!oc / noah sebastian x fem!oc

word count: 3.5k

masterlist/intro: here / crossposted: ao3

warnings: annoying pissy noah lol, bryan ?? 👀, important plot shit, short time skips, reminder that this is a semi-au which means nothing is meant to be accurate lol especially real event timelines, 18+

a/n: don’t be mean for no reason & let others enjoy things thnx :)

VALLIE

Mumbling voices trickle into my sleeping ears and I scrunch my face in annoyance then flip on my side. My eyes shoot open once my consciousness reminds me that I live alone. My corneas burn at the sudden influx of sunlight and I use my forearm to shield the brightness. Immediately assessing my surroundings, I recognize it’s the boys’ living room. I’m about to sit up when I hear my name from the kitchen. I pull up the blanket to cover my face a bit and stay completely still to listen.

“I can’t believe you pulled that shit with Vallie last night.” Scolds a voice I recognize to be Nicholas’.

“Nick you can’t be serious. We were drunk.” Replies Folio with his distinctive attitude.

“She’s our manager.” Nicholas clarifies, sternly.

“She’s a manager, one of the many we have.” Jolly’s distinguishable accent chimes in. “But Nicholas is right, we can’t act like she’s some groupie.”

“We can’t treat her like some groupie, but Nick can eye-fuck her all night?” Snaps Folio.

My brows furrow at his comment then my eyes widen when the memories of last night flood in and the soreness between my legs confirms my fears.

I slept with Nicholas

Fuck

Nicholas sighs, annoyed, “I wasn’t eye-fucking her, you ass, I was being fucking nice.”

For some reason it feels like an insult, but I’m not sure why.

“Right.” Folio and Jolly reply skeptically at the same time.

“Really, this is your fault Ruffilo.” Accuses Folio, “You were the one that suggested a party. What did you think was going to happen with all five of us drunk? With her looking like that?”

“Alright that sounded a little assault-y Nick.” Jolly interjects, no doubt accompanied with a glare.

“I didn’t mean it like that Joakim, you know that.” I can practically hear his eyeroll. “I just meant she’s a grown adult too, and she was eye-fucking Nicholas just as much.”

My cheeks grow warm at the idea of it being that obvious.

“It doesn’t fucking matter who’s eye fucking who. Nobody,” He pauses, I assume he’s pointing at both of them, “Nobody is sleeping with her. The label will have our asses if we fuck this up and you know it.”

I hear one of them begin but is interrupted by an overbearing hush and even though I’m not in the room, I feel the tension rise.

“Hey.” Squeaks a meek watered-down version of Noah’s voice. It flashes the memory of him on the floor with my pinky wrapped around his. A lot of last night is still a blur, but that moment with him on the ground is crystal clear.

The silence is loud as two sets of feet shuffle away, no doubt being Folio and Jolly. There’s brief stillness before Nicholas disrupts the quiet, “I can’t fucking believe you showed up here like that.”

“I know Nick, we don’t have to do this.” He sounds exhausted.

“’Don’t have to do this’? Noah you told me you’ve been doing better.”

“I know, I know.”

“Have you been going to meetings?”

Noah is quiet for a long second, “Rehearsals have been kicking my ass Nick.” The words slip from him quick, like he’d been holding them in for too long.

Nicholas sighs in disappointment, “Noah.”

“And now with this shit now with Valerie, it’s too much.” Aggravation spikes in his tone around my name.

“Oh my god, can you literally shut up about Vallie.” A bit of silence hangs in the air before Nicholas continues, his voice deepens and holds more grit, “She’s not this monster you think she is.”

“’Vallie’ huh? Didn’t I hear you call her Val last night too?” Noah slides back into his regular angry inflection. “I was right, you do wanna fuck her.”

“You can’t be serious with this again. You’re being ridiculous.”

“Oh, are you sure?” He questions condescendingly, “Because last time I checked, you haven’t fucked anything since Alice left.”

Alice?

Must be some ex girlfriend I have no business knowing about via eavesdropping.

“You’re way out of line.” Growls Nicholas with the sound of a heavy boot stepping forward probably backing Noah back into the counter.

“Am I? Because I think you know I’m right. And we both know that you fall for anyone who gives you the time of day.” His words are sharp like a blade. There is something sinister tangled in his voice when he’s cornered like that, like he’s a wounded animal striking out.

“Noah.” He warns in a deep rasp from the back of his throat.

“She’s just a greedy, corporate, stuck-up bitch from New York,” Noah hisses lowly. “The only reason you can’t see it is because you’re too busy staring at her tits.”

The names don’t surprise me, I know that’s how people perceive me. Sometimes having people be weary of you is more valuable than being loved.

“Well, that ‘greedy stuck-up bitch’ saved your ass last night. I was ready to leave you on the kitchen floor in your own fucking vomit.” Nicholas snarls. “You owe her a thank you and a fucking apology.”

The weighty thud of footsteps reverberates throughout the small two-story home as they walked out of the kitchen and into a room behind an aggressively slammed door.

Whoever stayed in the kitchen, who I assumed was Noah, began filling the still house with tiny clanks of dishware and cabinets as he cleaned up.

I weigh my options on how to escape and I ultimately choose to wait ‘til the coast is clear because dealing with angsty hungover boys wasn’t on my agenda today. It didn’t take long for Noah to finish up in the kitchen and departing into his own room. I immediately throw the fleece blanket off me, gather all my belongings and make a straight b-line for the front door.

When I finally make it home, I unlock my phone while I'm still sat in my car. There’s a text from a new contact named “Nicholas” accompanied with a guitar emoji and a cat emoji. I don’t remember swapping numbers with him, but we must’ve last night at some point.

Nicholas:

“You didn’t say goodbye”

For some reason, the little text makes my cheeks burn hot and my stomach tickle with butterflies. It’s sweet, like he normally is, but the memory of his dominance trickles heat down to where he left me sore.

I bite into my bottom lip contemplating on how I could respond.

Me:

“How did your number get in my phone?” Accompanied with the raised brow emoji.

Him:

“Magic”

Typing bubble, stop.

Typing bubble,

“I hope you had at least a little fun.”

I did have fun, maybe too much fun. But it’s clear that we’re going to just pretend it never happened, which is probably for the best. Though, there is a quiet whispering part of me that wants it to happen again.

Typing bubble, stop.

Typing bubble,

“The guys liked you.”

I roll my eyes and want to reply with “except Noah” but I figure with the altercation between them earlier, it’s best to leave it alone.

Me:

“I’m glad you think so. I did have fun, thanks for putting it together :)”

I type then delete

Type then delete,

“So, what you up to today?”

I hate myself the minute I hit send. I can’t let the flood of butterflies get the best of me, but they’re already nestled in the walls of my stomach as I await his reply.

It’s been about 3 weeks since I saw the guys while I was away dealing with a publicity disaster with my main client.

The entire time I was gone all I could think about was Nicholas…

And the pinky swear with Noah.

I couldn’t get them out of my head, and I couldn’t figure out why. I hated the way my stomach would flip every time Nicholas texted me. So, I forced myself to ignore him completely unless it was about work. My life is too busy to be worried about butterflies, nonetheless over him. Sleeping with him was a mistake and it’s already complicated my job enough.

The minute I landed at LAX, I texted them saying that I wanted to hold a meeting to go over their marketing strategy.

I stroll into the rehearsing studio during the tail end of their set. I chose a short black dress beneath a large coat paired with sheer black tights and knee-high boots – an outfit much too warm for LA. As I walk towards the seating area, I feel eyes on me. My cheeks burn babydoll pink with a small grin that I dug my top teeth into to stop. Each of them acknowledges me with either a head nod or small wave, except Nicholas. Which I take as kind of odd, but I just ignore it.

Not much after that, they wrapped up rehearsal and walked over to meet me. I shouldn’t be surprised at the uncomfortable energy between us, but I figured the party had bridged that gap.

They stand in front of me in a semicircle around the high-top round table, looking at me as if they’re in detention: annoyed and impatient.

“So, I’ve done some research into your fanbase.” Noah’s brow peaked up, the most interested in what I’m about to say. “Your fanbase is strong. But it’s small.”

“Are you just here to insult us Valerie?” Noah questions, irritated like he has somewhere better to be.

I ignore the usage of my full name, “There’s a pretty easy way to gain more fans.”

“Well?” Folio presses from the background, “Are you gonna tell us or you just gonna dick around?”

I press my lips flat together and take a moment before I state my solution. My hands fidget with the Apple pencil in my hand, rolling it between my fingers. I know I need to state this firmly and confidently.

“We have to put more focus on Noah.”

Noah’s face is blank while he processes the words and the other three are getting more offended the longer the words sit in their heads.

“Why.” Asked Nicholas in more of a statement than a question.

I debate whether to be truthful or not, to cover it with more jargon about how he’s the lead singer, but I choose to be honest. “He’s hot.”

A jarringly loud silence falls across the space between us. Each of their faces tells a different story. Noah’s face is flat with shock it seems, maybe anger beginning to pour in. Jolly seems to have already acknowledged this strategy previously, and as the most mature one, it makes sense. Folio looks like a little kid who is pissed off over someone stealing his toy. And finally, Nicholas looks the most upset out of all of them. His expression is a mix of sadness and anger with his brows downturned to match the edges of his lips.

“The fans think Noah is hot.” I clarify, though it’s too late. “As well as the rest of you. But he is the lead singer.”

“I’m not a part of some boyband Valerie.” Noah begins and he narrows his eyes at me, “I want people to like our band for the music, not because they think we’re dreamy.”

“Why not both.” I counter immediately.

“Because – well, because that’s just not the band I want.” He struggles to come up with a solid reason.

“Girls are what’s going to grow your audiences. Male dominated shows aren’t going to sell out your concerts and buy all your merch. Your profit margins will always be higher with a female audience.” I explain evenly and technically. I find myself avoiding Nicholas’ eyes as I speak, something about the way he’s looking at me makes my intestines twist like I’d done something wrong.

“Drooling fangirls is not what I want for this band.” Noah is stern and defensive in his inflection. The band beside him seem to share the same sentiment.

“Drooling fangirls is where the money is.”

“Maybe Noah was right.” Nods a pissed off Nicholas, “This was a fucking mistake.” And with that he pushes himself from the table and walks straight out the door.

I can’t tell if Folio and Jolly are actually upset about it too, maybe it’s confusion they feel. Regardless they thumb over their shoulders indicating that they’re going to get Nicholas. They scurry from the awkward tension of the room, leaving me alone with Noah. The minute his nearly black eyes reach my own, anxiety spreads through me like spilled ink.

But the fear fades when he opens his mouth. “You really think that would work?” He asks calmly – probably the most normal voice he’s ever talked to me with.

Relief washes over me at his words, “Yes absolutely. Sex sells, and you’re sexy.” I state flatly.

His eyes track me, every slight body gesture. “Maybe we could try it.” His voice is laced with apprehension and vulnerability. “We’ve worked too hard to just now start to get some recognition.”

“I thought you didn’t want to sell out?” I question, though it’s something I shouldn’t have asked.

“I don’t… I won’t. But I want the attention we deserve. We’ve worked so fucking hard for this.” His eyes focus on some spot on the chair behind me, dissociating for a short second before tracking my eyes again. “Is that something you could do for us? Get us the attention we want without selling out?”

“That’s what I’m here to do. I’ll try my best to position the strategy to work in a way that keeps the integrity of the band. But once the fans start storming in, controlling the media is an entirely other beast.”

“Well, that’s what you get paid for isn’t it? Handling the media?” He’s quick to catch any sort of weakness. It’s extremely clear just how serious he is about the band’s “look”.

“Publicity falls under my umbrella to an extent, yes.” For some reason, divulging that information to him makes me nervous.

“Okay.” He says shortly and rounds the table to face me directly, “Do your job, do it well and we won’t have a problem.”

I can tell he meant for those words to intimidate me. “I’ll do my job well if you do yours.” I offer my hand as some sort of truce.

He looks at my hand, probably shocked that I didn’t fold under his weak threat, then meets me in a firm handshake. “I’ll do mine if you do yours.”

I haven’t seen the boys in a week or two since the meeting, which I’m grateful for. I wish I could say I regret sleeping with Nicholas – I guess I do to a degree because of work, but I don’t really. That was the best sex I’ve had in a long time, maybe ever. But it made everything so complicated, especially now that he hates me because I called his frontman hot. It seems so childish, I’ve never been a jealous person, I never understood it. And we just fucked, it’s not even like we were together.

Thankfully this next meeting is just going to be me, Noah and the band photographer. I pull up to a random location that Noah sent me and it’s just a small, abandoned warehouse in a rural part of the city. I slam the door of my blue Mercedes and the gravel crunches beneath my boots as I walk up the path to the giant open garage style entrance. “Hello?” I call looking around and anxiously smoothing out my blazer.

“In here.” Calls a voice I don’t recognize from a far corner. I follow the voice and find Noah and another brunette, this one with a beard. Immediately his energy towards me is vastly different than the others. The corners of his lips curl into a charismatic grin and holds out a hand like a gentleman, “Hi I’m Bryan.”

I match his energy with a similar smile and shake his hand, “Nice to meet you Bryan. I’m Vallie.”

“Vallie.” He repeats smoothly, “Such a pretty name.”

A slight warmth spreads across my cheeks at the compliment, “Thank you.”

Noah is sat at a plastic table in front of a laptop, scrolling through whatever he’s working on and Bryan is standing over his shoulder. I pull a plastic chair out and sit across from Noah at the makeshift desk. I look around for a place to set down my bag, but everything including the tabletop is so dirty that I just sit it on my lap.

“So, what’s this ridiculous revolutionary idea that Noah says you have?” Bryan asks, using the back of Noah’s chair to lean forward against.

I sigh, mentally preparing for an uphill battle. “I said we should focus on him. Like his looks.”

“Like a boyband.” He confirms.

I nod, “Kind of. Yes.”

A grin spreads across his face, “I’ve been tellin’ you Sebastian!” Bryan lightly smacks the back of the long-haired singer. “Because he’s sooo dreaaammy.” He tangles Noah’s brunette locks around his fingers to imitate a fangirl and I bring my hand up to cover a giggle.

Noah rolls his eyes and smacks his arms away, “Don’t fuckin’ touch me Kirks.”

“As you can see, our fearless leader is feeling a little grumpy today.” Bryan makes a pouty face over at him. Out of all the boys, Bryan is the only one I’d seen that didn’t act like he’s below Noah. “I’ve been telling him that they should lean into that. Whether they actually are attractive or not-” Earning a glare from Noah and chuckle from Bryan, “Doesn’t matter. The fangirls will eat it up regardless.”

I grinned wide, feeling so relieved that there was someone else that had some sense of how this business works. “Yes, exactly!”

“See, not everyone in Bad Omens is a big grumpy pants who doesn’t want money.” Bryan says jokingly.

“I don’t want the money.” Noah says firmly, curling his hand into a fist, without looking up at us from the laptop. “I just…want to do what we do but, better.”

“Okay but that’s exactly what she’s here for.”

“Yeah, I know.” Noah grumbles under his breath.

“Okay so, what exactly are we doing in a warehouse?” I ask after a crow flies through the opening.

“Well, right now we’re just kinda brainstorming.” Bryan explains, “We’re planning to shoot a music video in here for their latest single.”

“For Just Pretend?” I ask and they both look at me like I have two heads.

“You listened to Just Pretend?” Noah inquires with a raised brow.

“Well yeah. You think I take on clients without listening to their discography?” I reply back with the same attitude.

“Right, but you listened to all of it?” He presses.

“Well, I listened to Just Pretend and your latest album, Finding God Before God Finds Me.” I press my lips together before speaking again, “Which is a ridiculous name by the way.”

Bryan laughs and shakes his head, “She’s funny, I like her.”

Noah waves away his nonsense and narrows his eyes at me, “You really listened to it?”

“Yeah. I liked it.” I answered simply.

“Alright now that your ego’s been stroked Noah, can we get started?” Bryan clapped his hands together to get our attention.

About an hour into “brainstorming”, Noah and I are bickering over every little decision.

“I don’t fucking understand why’re so pressed about everything.” I snap at Noah who is making a big deal about anything I suggest.

“Because you don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.” Noah retorts back harshly and steps forward to me.

The only intimidating thing about him is his height towering over me, but I’m not about to back down some egotistical lead singer. I mimic him and move forward. “I would go as far to say that I know more than you-”

“Hey hey,” Bryan interjects, stabbing his arm through the air between me and Noah. “I’m so fucking sick of hearing you both bicker like little schoolgirls.” His funny, goofy personality had been chipped away. “This is ridiculous, you have to get past this. You guys are gonna go do something together – I don’t fucking know what, but I know you can’t work like this. I can’t work like this.”

“I’m not doing anything with her.” Noah walks backwards with crossed arms.

“Yes, you are.” Bryan blocks Noah from my view with his back, “Because I know your bosses and they’ll hear about this if you don’t fix it.” He warns lowly, obviously trying to hush it from me.

Noah steps forward, jabbing a finger into his chest, “Don’t fuckin’ forget who your boss is.” He hissed then brushed passed him, knocking his shoulder back. He paces quickly out through the opening with heavy stomps. I take a short moment to look around the scene and at Bryan who gives me a look that says “do whatever the fuck you want, I don’t know”. I swiftly throw all my belongings into my large tote and chase after the fuming singer.

I spot him at the end of the gravely driveway, lighting the end of a cigarette. “Hey! Don’t leave without me!” I shout after him.

He looks over his shoulder and rolls his eyes, “Just go home.”

“Fuck, you move fast.” I say breathlessly when I catch up to him. “What the fuck do you mean go home? We have shit to do Noah, we’re doing it.”

“God you’re insufferable.” He groans and rolls his eyes once more, “Fine.” He agrees and takes one more drag of his cig before dropping it on the concrete and stepping on it with the heel of his leather boot. “But we’re doing it my way.”

Next Chapter -> 08 - Play Along

taglist; @ladyveronikawrites [comment if you'd like to be added?]

a/n: thank you so much if you took the time to read this! I'm extremely appreciative of those of you who are liking, reblogging or commenting on this story 🥺

ik this chp wasn't the most exciting but next one is juicy i promise🫡

lmk if you liked it 🖤

p.s. new series coming soon...

Up now -> Intertwined; Noah x Nicholas

Best friends since middle school, Noah and Nicholas are now freshmen in college. Their friendship begins to shift when Noah gets kicked out and needs to move in with Nicholas. The pair have to navigate their friendship while trying to get their band off the ground, Noah battling his mind, and Nicholas trying to understand his confusing jealousy.

#nicholas ruffilo fanfic #bad omens fanfic #noah sebastian fanfic #concreteburialplot works #virality series #bad omens fanfiction #nicholas ruffilo fanfiction #nicholas ruffilo rpf #noah sebastian rpf #jolly karlsson fanfic #nick folio fanfic #noah sebastian fanfiction #noah sebastian x oc #nicholas ruffilo x oc #bad omens x oc

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flowersforjoy · 1 month

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Rectifier Devlog #1 (March)

Guess who's back, back again- devlogs are back, tell a friend!

Hey hey, it's Joy! I've been taking a break finally-mostly just streaming while waiting for Otome Jam 2024. I've known I was going to participate in Otome Jam since this time last year LOL. (I've had to keep it's existence as mostly a secret for an entire year, which was difficult since it's probably my favorite project I've ever worked on, and has a cast of the best characters like ever.)

THIS PROJECT- "Rectifier" has been a WILD ADVENTURE. Fitting since it's an epic high fantasy adventure dating sim, where you play as an alien angel with 3 different personalities, traveling with your SEVEN super distinct love interests.

Each guy is based off of one of 7 deadly sins. Which means they alone, and in a group are a handful.

I want to just talk about a handful of things about the project as a whole, and what you can expect if you are interested.

For those that have played my most recent game "Lord of Lies" you won't feel so out of the loop. Though playing Lord of Lies before Rectifier is by no means a requirement. They just take place in the same universe. So the magic, world, and art is the same. Yes, same sprite artist! GET HYPED!

Rectifier is a special project as it is the exact dating sim I want to play. You step into the role of an Angel or more specifically a Nephelim, a celestial race of aliens who can shapeshift at will, have a great deal of magic at their disposal, and work to save humanity for themselves.

The project's mood is the most similar to "One Piece", "Avatar the Last Airbender", and many other action/adventures with a diverse cast of whacky characters- but if you could date them all.

The MC will have 2 appearances- masculine and feminine leaning, but you can be: she/her, he/him, or they/them.

What affects the game and your MC mostly is one of their 3 distinct personalities- Red, Green, and Blue respectively.

Red- dominant, confident, aggressive, and decisive.

Green- neutral, alien, observant, and intelligent.

Blue- submissive, diplomatic, understanding, and altruistic .

This personality system is one of the most unique aspects about Rectifier- you have 7 love interests and can romance them 3 different ways. So in a way, you've got 21 unique story experiences. Regardless of your choices/personality you can't get a bad end, and you and your chosen guy will fall in love in their own specific way.

Neat huh?

Although your choices don't lead to a bad end, that doesn't mean they don't have any impact in the story. Your personality/choices will affect specific story events, how characters react to and speak about you. Especially your love interest.

What's important to me was that players could sit down with the story and feel stress free. Though this doesn't mean the story won't have twists and turns.

Something special as well, is that no matter which love interest you choose, you still spend a huge amount of time with the other guys as they are your party members no matter what. Meaning you can get to know them again as friends. All the guys have complex relationships with one another, and maybe chemistry..? Who knows...hehe.

This is also the first project of Meant to Bee where I am working with multiple writers. This has been a wonderful decision as with such a large project, I worried I wouldn't be able to make each guy feel unique and interesting by myself lol. I will be writing one route all by myself. (Greed's route).

Regardless, I am creative director, lead writer, and programmer for this project- among many other things. I have a hand in every part of production, so it will still have my scent all over it...could have phrased that better LOL.

It's important I note one thing. Our submission to otome jam will actually be a spin off game.

*record scratch*

WAIT WHAT?

Yeah, so... the project is quite large as you may have already guessed. I planned for a long time to release a huge demo showcasing the world and characters, covering the first couple chapters of each route, however...I didn't feel all that confident in that idea.

There's a lot of groundwork necessary for this project

So suffice it to say, I felt OVERWHELMED. And if I someone whose been sitting with this project since it was a spark of an idea felt that way. I knew for a fact my audience would also feel that way.

I needed more time, and otome jam was only getting closer everyday. I thought about compressing it, cutting corners here, simplifying concepts I loved, etc... but none of it sat right with me.

I was at a loss, and even went into a period of burn out/creator's block as a result. I've loved and I mean, adored, worshiped this project since the moment I decided I wanted to work on it. (that's a story for a whole other devlog) It's the kind of project where I HAD to show it to friends, months before it was ever meant to be announced.

I worried I would be doing the story, my team, and myself a disservice if I released it feeling the way I was. So much behind the scenes work has been made for this game.

I didn't want to release it and it be info dump-y, take too long to get to the hot boys, or cut short before it gets into the meat of the story. You only get one chance to make a good first impression. I want my readers to be interested, invested, clawing for more.

The demo focuses on setting up a lot of LORE, which can be interesting if we have enough time to make it interesting. It has to be strategic, it needed more time.

But otome jam is the best chance for this project to gain the attention it deserves. I didn't want to miss the window. So I was caught between a rock and a hard place.

UNTIL- I had a eureka moment...a side game.

But Joy (I can hear you asking yourself) a side game for a game that doesn't exist???

Yes.

I know why people play dating sims- for the boyssss, sure an interesting story is great- but ultimately it is background dressing. The story will be deep and detailed, but that's for the main game to worry about balancing the rich story with dating sim mechanics and conventions.

The side game, just fun dating sim, with little hints to a bigger picture.

You'll meet our boys in media res. You'll be thrown into what the heart of the game is. If you like where you land, then I'm sure you'll love the demo when it's released at a later date.

The Rectifier main game is VERY MUCH still a priority for me. But for now, for my team and I's first ever otome jam we are going to have fun and show you what we've been working so hard on.

So let me reintroduce you to our newest project...

"Rectifier: In Bloom"

The game will center around you/the MC receiving a flower from all your love interests in their very specific way. (This is a very rough concept sketch, but by the time all the love interests are revealed we will have an itch page.)

"Rectifier: In Bloom" will be a complete game! Each route will be anywhere from 5k-10k words, so you can get a good sense of each guy, and pursue them fully in the main game, as well as get a taste of the world, personality system, and feeling of the Rectifier world.

It's the best choice for my team and I to test the waters for both us and our player base. So I hope you'll enjoy this side game when it releases. We will make it so you can go in blind and still enjoy your time.

There's so many wonderful things I want to show. And I am so glad I am finally getting the chance to bring this story to life.

Please stay tuned for more, either here on itch, Twitter, and Tumblr!

I'll be yapping about this project from now until July 1st.

This is also the first monthly devlog for all things Rectifier related.

#indie dev #vn development #vndev #otome game #otome #bl game #otome romance #devlog #rectifier #rectifiervn #rectifierdevlog

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rippleclan · 3 months

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[Image ID: The title of the lore post is "Name Deep Dive: Locustseeker". Locustseeker themself stands under the title in their StarClan form.]

So this got delayed thanks to me getting violently sick, but my brain can actually work now, so I get to talk about name lore! I'm so happy you guys voted for this name deep dive. It sucks that my only distinctly NB character died (Applepelt is she/they, but in-game they're just female), but now we get to talk about the name Locustseeker got in StarClan!

Prefix: "Locust"

Locusts are a species of grasshopper famous for gathering in giant swarms to devour crops. Most of the Clans don't have to worry about this swarming behavior, as their herb gardens and smaller fields are barely noticed by humans and therefore largely ignored by locusts. Most of the time, locusts are solitary insects that can add a special something to a few dishes.

In WheatClan, however, when the days are dry, locusts have the potential to form the great swarms of historian and artisan stories, attacking the human farms and WheatClan's offshoot fields. Despite this insectoid plague, Locust is a popular prefix in WheatClan.

When a kit is named Locustkit, their prefix carries two major connotations. The first is destruction, stemming from a locust's ability to devastate the environment when pushed far enough. The second, despite their typical solitary lifestyle, is the power of community and Clan life. When locusts band together, they are stronger than they could ever be alone. This is a great metaphor for the community mindset the Clans preach.

Suffix: "-seeker"

In Clan tongue, seeker has the same occupational ending as other words like cleric or historian (even though they're not spelled the same in our game's wonderful English translation, lol). This means that the seeker suffix is itself a job which the owner exemplifies.

A seeker's job is to find something. This finding can be emotional, literally, spiritual, whatever. If someone is a -seeker, they may have gone on a quest or completed a mission that was important to the Clan, such as Locustseeker's mission to speak to Gorgestar. Although they were not necessarily finding anything, the suffix is fitting.

Full Name: Locustseeker

Locustseeker is an interesting name, as pairing the suffix with this particular prefix creates two distinct sorts of names, one positive and one a bit darker.

When you look at the destruction connotation of Locust, Locustseeker's name means "seeking destruction". This would imply a violent and troublesome personality. Locustseeker was a bit of a troublemaker in life, so it isn't inaccurate. However, that's not why Fennelspot and Downstar gave them the name.

The other meaning to Locustseeker's name is "seeking Clanhood". By seeking the way of the locust, you are seeking to find the strength and joy of living within a Clan, guided by purpose and innovation. Locustseeker gave their life on a mission for the Clan. As such, when they are thought of, everyone will know that they sought RippleClan to the end of their days.

#warrior cats #clangen #rippleclan #warriors #rippleclan lore #locustseeker

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ardourie · 3 months

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im sorry this is such a long ask i didnt expect it to be 😭 but im curious about your opinion/what discussion there is to be had bc i listen to a fair amount of rap but im not the most knowledgeable on the history and nuances of it all, and then of course im nonblack. but would you say the problem with white rappers in terms of gaining recognition in a genre not built for them carries over to other nonblack poc? because i think about it every so often especially growing up in a city with such a heavy nonblack latino presence, its like… complicated. because on the one hand the black american and latino-american communities have always been closely linked both with black latinos and nonblack latinos, like thats a whole other lecture on american racial identity, so i could see how many nonblack latino rappers are coming from a different place than the “i want to be somewhere i wasn’t already” place a lot of white rappers come from.

but at the same time i see the popularity of rappers like lil pump and 6ix9ine (not to mention how horrible they are otherwise) who so obviously want to pretend there’s zero difference between them and a black person, who have an obsession with saying the n word as if that somehow ever applied to them, and it just reminds me of the nonblack latinos i grew up around who would do the same (often influenced by those two even). thats not even mentioning less explicit versions of this, like when they had becky g rap for a (vaguely indigenous latin american) league character who they suddenly gave darker skin and larger lips wearing clothes and a hairstyle that originated in black communities. and then im not even going to start on ppl like kpop rappers or aquafina.

like i dont claim to be the expert on all this but it always came across to me as so off-putting and strange, and when these rappers pop up getting success (especially among other nonblack poc who also want to pretend there’s no difference between them and black people!) it just puts such a bad taste in my mouth so i could understand why even when it comes to the nonblack rappers who are usually more respectful and avoid shit like this the want might be there to just put the focus on BLACK rappers alone, the ones who so much of the time (considering like total amount of black vs nonblack rappers) get way less recognition than nonblack ones despite it being a genre they literally invented by and for themselves. again im sorry that was so rambling 😭 but im just curious if you have any opinions on it or anything to add to the discussion as a like… better voice to listen to then me and my vague thoughts LOL

ur fine dw! i love rambles but my feelings r just as complicated as urs im way more accepting of nonblack rappers who aren’t white but like u said the issue of some of them thinking that acceptance means theyre honorary black is very common and a lot of times nonblack brown rappers like 69 for example lean into portraying themselves as black and using the n word and its like . yes ur proximity to us makes u have a better understanding but that still doesn’t make u black, the problem definitely carries over but to a lesser extent

like i said b4 i think anyone can do rap but the further away from being black u are i think it makes it more distasteful, i feel like the distinction would matter less to me if antiblackness wasn’t prevalent everywhere but you’ll have ppl imitating black people and black culture while absolutely hating actual black ppl 😭 i think brown solidarity is important in general but until the root of the issue is addressed when i see nonblacks participate in hip hop it’s just corny like unless they r heavily outspoken about supporting black ppl etc it just comes across slightly opportunistic, its complicated tho

#💌

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magicalara · 11 months

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The Scents Of Kuroshitsuji: Phantomhive Manor

@briccy started asking me about the scents of characters. Now here we are. I'm gonna see if I make a series out of this so we're starting with the Phantomhive Manor and next will probably be the reapers. If there are any specific people or groups you'd like to see, send an ask and I'll fit it in somewhere! Enjoy!!

TW: mentions of death but like it's black butler, what do you want from me. also Ciel is o!ciel I'm not gonna do r!ciel or the 'rents unless asked otherwise lol sorry

Ciel Phantom:

The Earl of Phantomhive doesn't have a distinct smell as it changes with the environment and the mission he's on. For example, if the Queen hasn't given him a task and he's just working on Funtom stuff or is just generally in the manor or town house, he smells like paper, ink, and books. However, given he needs to be in places like the circus grounds in the Noah's Arc ark, he smells of dirt and sweat. Alternatively, if his mission requires him to mingle amongst the rich, he smells clean, like soap. Sebastian might also put a sweet smelling perfume on Ciel if he needs to up the whole "child Earl" thing.

Sebastian Michaelis:

Sebastian, like Ciel, has a main scent which morphs depending on the environment he's spending the most time in. When he's in the manor, though, I like to think he has the continuous scent of sweets or baked goods (especially chocolate) on him because he makes the stuff for Ciel. However, he does always have a faint undertone of a dangerous scent to him. It isn't blood, and it isn't death. But it does radiate danger. This is amplified when he's going demon mode or it's night time, specifically between the hours of 11:30 PM to about 4 AM and most intense between 12:30 AM and 1:00 AM. His dangerous scent is like that of a predator, waiting to capture it's next soul.

Mey-Rin:

Mey-Rin is curious because, while she does have a nice sized collection of perfumes (mostly from Ann when she was alive and Nina Hopkins), she doesn't use them as often as one might think. She only uses it during special occasions, such as an important big event (like the show in mbditw), or if she feels she's loosing touch with her femininity again. This is especially true after nights where she has to revert to assassin mode such as in Book of Circus. Otherwise, she just smells like general cleaning supplies such, mostly laundry detergent.

Baldroy:

Bard smells like smoke. Cigarette smoke, usually, but sometimes firearm smoke as well from guns, bombs, etc. But it isn't in a bad way. Because of his soldier background, it fits him. It fits his look, his accent (in my head, not the anime idk what they did in the anime), his vibe. It's almost comforting and protective in a sense. He was a dad and now protects and looks after the manor as is his job but also after Mey Rin and Finny because those are his best friend and almost child respectively. He knows they can protect themselves, but he also wants to protect them as best he can and the smokey scent surrounding him brings comfort vibes, especially to them. Not to Sebastian, though, who gets the startings of a headache when he smells smoke for too long, even if Bard isn't around.

Finnian:

Finny smells like outside. Dirt, trees, grass, certain flowers depending on the season. Point is, he smells like the essence of nature. He loves spending time outside because of his past, and, if left alone long enough, he would spend all day just messing around outside. He always has dirt under his nails and, on working days, specks of it around his face.

Tanaka:

Tanaka has different scents depending on who you ask. To Sebastian, it's an old soul who's very respectable (he doesn't taste like a normal human, I doubt he smells like one either so yes, he can smell souls). To the trio, it's the tea he drinks as well as a soft bookish scent. Like an old book in a library. To Ciel, though, it's comfort. He smells like home. Tanaka is the longest companion he's held, and he's most relaxed around him.

Snake:

Snake doesn't have a smell. Snakes don't smell like anything, and neither does he. The only time when he does have some sort of scent is if someone like rubs dirt on him or uses perfume or cologne or something like that. And even then, it doesn't last long and you'd have to continuously keep putting it every like 30 minutes to an hour if you want it to stick. Sometimes, though, this comes in handy for when he needs to sneak around.

The Phantomhive Manor:

The last is the manor itself. To outsiders, it smells like house. A fancy house full of expensive things. To those in the know, it smells like blood. To those who live there, it smells like home. To Ciel, it smells like the past. Even though it's an entirely different structure, he can still faintly smell his mother's perfume in the library, the scent of his father's favorite ink in the study, the scent of his aunt who would do house calls for his asthma in where his childhood bedroom was. It's home, but it's also so bittersweet for someone who lost his family so quickly. Special inclusion: to Undertaker, it smells like regret.

#kuroshitsuji #black butler #phantomhive manor #ciel phantomhive #sebastian michaelis #baldroy #bard #mey rin #bard finny meyrin #finnian #phantomhive servants #tanaka #snake #undertaker #scents of kuroshitsuji

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itslaneybop · 1 year

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I’m sure someone has come to the conclusion that Barbatos was originally a feral demon upon creation, right? Diavolo very casually mentions that he lured Barbatos to the castle with tea leaves and Barbatos even notes in a different conversation that he was never a child. That one kid event aside, (which I could very easily find an explanation for if I took the time to do so) it seems too perfect that he would be a quadruped beast-like abomination, respectfully, and I’m going to run with that headcanon.

This is turning into a list I want to reference later 💀

• Barbatos has ALWAYS been articulate and insufferably formal. Maybe he’s made that way.

• Diavolo is the reason he takes a human-esque form, whether to match his own likeness or because he was influenced by some other factor prior to “The Fall”

• Barbatos’s current demon form only alludes to what he used to look like and is definitely the reason why it doesn’t seem to resemble a cohesive design

• He would have looked like a Frankenstein mix between a bat, salamander, owl, snake, and vulture

• ✨ Black sclera ✨ because yes absolutely he would *pants*

• Maybe he doesn’t revert to his previous form because Diavolo has never explicitly said that he was allowed to? (his abject servility lends me to believe he would never use his power without instruction or prompt so this might not be too big of a stretch)

• I already believe that most of the notable figures of native Devildom citizens are beasts or monsters and I think the older they are the less “human” they look. Barbatos is VERY old so that would fit in here nicely.

• Solomon nearly did himself in when summoning Barbatos, if I remember that right, and I desperately want to know what that was all about.

• Whether he started out as quadrupedal or bipedal I couldn’t say, but I think he was flexible enough to stride both ways. Don’t ask me for realism because this is clearly fiction lol but I will say that there is a distinction between his back haunches and the front “arms/hands”

• Someone once mentioned that Barbatos’s VA has a slight lisp (I’m unsure if this observation is true, but I can admit that I hear it and it’s undeniably cute to me) and for that reason alone, I’m envisioning either a snake tongue or sharp fangies to make an audible lisp—or he just has one; no reason at all ♥️

• As far as design goes, I kind of go back and forth between anthropomorphic (I’m using the term loosely and with neutral tone) and just full-on beast.

• For whatever scaly parts he has, I think they’re like a shift of green and blue, possibly yellow, like a June bug shell. Otherwise his body is a mixture of feathers and very fine fur, like a shitzu dog’s coat.

• Big ears! Huge ears that flex and move independently like digits on a hand. This would also explain the black claws on his head because I’m not buying that those are “horns.”

• I’m a big fan of Barbatos being able to speak every language imaginable and that definitely includes every variation of Devildom language. He’s old enough to have invented portions of some!

• Barbatos has said he doesn’t need to sleep (or I am at least fervidly trying to find evidence of it) so I want to believe he catnaps. Catnaps have been described as a light dozing while being alert to surroundings, either to escape danger or pursue prey.

• If he had fangs that worked to inject, he was a venomous monster. If not, I am adamant that he could secrete a toxin of some sort.

• Playing off that last idea, this would make a neat foundation as to why he’s so fascinated and keen on tea. I wonder what kinds of poisonous concoctions he’s made?

There’s a lot to add, but I need to reread the story to get some details right or to pick up anything I hadn’t had a mind to look for first time around. I know for a fact I skipped through most of the story involving the grimoire thing(?) and that’s pretty important regarding Barbatos lol so I’m coming back to this eventually!

#ah geez here I go #more headcanons no one wants lol #I’m gonna end up in tears if I try to sketch his design out because I’ve never drawn fantasy creatures!#uh I’m not sure what to tag this #I don’t think there’s anything concerning to my text yet but I’ll tag it in post if it ever changes #however! I am tagging this for my own purposes #obey me headcanons #well #barbatos headcanons #in the very least #I don’t know block me if you don’t care about this content lmao #hahaha noo I just realized I have to reread the entire story now!#long text #oh you know what #monster Barbatos #block that tag if you don’t want to see this!

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