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#and imo it's one of the most interesting and honestly relatable things about his character
aq2003 · 3 months
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my personal hot take of the day is that you cannot fully appreciate ten if you don't also appreciate martha and the dynamic they have
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poorlittleyaoyao · 3 months
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is jgy different in the books than in the untamed? sorry if u haven’t read them im kind of just assuming u have even tho i haven’t lol but i was wondering if his characterization has any major differences like how wwx in novel vs untamed they sort of sanitize him and take away any culpability and honestly some of his edge. just curious if there’s any major differences in his characterization between the two
I'm not the best person to answer because I've only read the first two volumes of MDZS. Short answer: Yes, he is different, and in fact gets the reverse of WWX's treatment: Drama JGY is more overtly villainous than Novel JGY. However, IMO it's a little more complicated than that!
(Novel enjoyers, please chime in if I'm forgetting or misrepresenting anything.)
A lot of JGY fans greatly prefer the novel and feel that The Untamed did him dirty, because a lot of the show's plot changes that make WWX look better make JGY look worse. Jin Zixuan's death is the most glaring one: in the novel, WWX really does lose control of WN because he overestimates his abilities, and it's a tragic accident. JGY and SMS's implied involvement in the Massacre at Nightless City also doesn't happen in the novel; that, too, was a devastated WWX wreaking havoc and/or losing control. The novel also establishes that JGY is subject to abuse within Jinlintai, so there's an element of duress that one can read into his actions under JGS. Novel NMJ behaves more aggressively towards JGY than he does in the show, so his murder doesn't have the same tinge of malice. (The novel timeline also has JGY and LXC meeting before JGY and NMJ, all during Sunshot, so there's that.) Additionally, the novel tells us that JGY is genuinely a very good leader once he's Chief Cultivator and has implemented policies that have improved the lives of regular people and contributed to political stability. We're also told more about his childhood and his love for his mother, and we learn that his relationship with QS is a tragic love story (he doesn't know they're related until after she's pregnant) rather than something he went through with anyway. So in the novel, he's got a lot of positive things going for him that censorship didn't allow to carry over into the show for fear of having too much moral ambiguity.
HOWEVER!!!
The thing about the novel (and why I don't vibe with it as much) is that it's very much WWX's story, whereas The Untamed spends wayyyyy more time with its supporting cast. You might've noticed that I said the word "told" a lot in the above paragraph, because... well, that's what happens. We're told things about JGY, but we don't see him as much, especially since the novel is focused on the post-timeskip era with the stuff in the past coming through non-linear flashbacks. You don't get to see Meng Yao being Just A Little Guy very much before he becomes the Kitten Thinks About Nothing But Murder All Day meme. Now, you also don't hear dramatic music telegraphing HEY!!! HEY!! VILLAINY IS AFOOT!! HEY!!! every time JGY does literally anything, but you do have everything filtered through WWX's unreliable narrator monologue, and he is out there saying some truly wild shit. (You also get less Xiyao. Like, it's there if you want it to be, but The Untamed really went all-in on that.)
For me, the show works better, because I am a sucker for corruption arcs where you see glimpses of the character before they start the atrocities. Seeing him be Just A Little Guy making the saddest meow meow faces when people were mean to him kept me from totally losing sympathy for/interest in him once things start getting squicky, because I had evidence that he wasn't always like that. Meanwhile, JGY's first big scene in the novel is the confrontation with QS (which already makes my skin crawl and is somehow WORSE in novel form), and I was just like "wow, this guy sucks" even though I knew the story and all the extenuating circumstances already. For others, the novel works better, because "first impressions and society's opinion are unreliable" is a major theme, so the reverse reveal combined with the fact that he demonstrably tries to improve people's lives as a leader is less expected and more satisfying.
So yeah! JGY is different, but the ways in which he is different are due to storytelling methods as well as to plot changes!
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hopeymchope · 21 days
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(Yeah I probably misread something)
There is something I am curious about that I wanted to share with you
If I remember correctly (please correct me if I am wrong here) in the answer yukari becomes more antagonistic towards Aigis because she’s heartbroken over makoto’s death because she lost the guy she loves
One thing I want to bring up is in the kotone route some of the ship tease scenes with yukari are replaced with akihiko and as we all know all yukari’s scenes with kotone are mostly platonic along with her feelings so I doubt if there was a kotone version of the answer yukari would take it as bad as she did(not saying she wouldn’t but not as hard is all I’m saying)
So if we had a kotone version of the answer who would take yukari’s place
(Personally I’m leaning towards akihiko)
Yukari is antagonistic in "The Answer" because she wants to bring Makoto back to life regardless of what it would mean. From what I can recall (and this might be a little off the mark), they'd have to redo the battle against Nyx to try and destroy it completely OR they'd have to remove Makoto from his service the Great Seal to protect all life from Nyx — thereby endangering the world. But Yukari's so desperate to see him again that she (along with Mitsuru - who sides with Yukari for reasons left unstated) winds up fighting new protag Aigis (and whoever is with her party by then).
It's not explicitly stated to be romantic, but her desperate desire to see him even if it undoes the entire point of his sacrifice (...that he didn't fuckin' know he was making, I should note) definitely comes off that way IMO — regardless of whether you choose to believe Makoto returned those affections. After all, Junpei even compares it to how he'd feel if he could go back and save Chidori (which is sure an interesting bit of dialogue given that her survival seems to be canon in P4A). I guess you could argue that it's at least up to interpretation whether Yukari's feelings were a romantic love or something just intensely platonic.
The easiest and most logical answer here is to just say "Yukari gets that role in any version of The Answer." So whether that makes her bisexually in love with Kotone or just very emotionally attached to Kotone as part of her found family, she should probably remain the person who fights against keeping them gone, because that's just her character and because it reduces the amount of work a dev team would undertake.
But let's say we want to do something more radical and ensure that the person who fights back is a potential love interest with a legit romantic hangup on the protagonist. When you look at Kotone's potential love interests — Ahihiko, Theodore, Ryoji, Aigis, and even fucking Ken — who among them seems most likely to be so messed up over a (theoretical) Kotone death that they'd be willing to undo the purpose of her sacrifice for the chance to see her once more?
There are really only two options, because (A) Aigis is the lead protagonist of 'The Answer' and pre-determined to take the side of maintaining his sacrifice. (B) The velvet room attendants are established to be on the side of maintaining the sacrificer... although we do learn in Persona 4 Arena that Elizabeth leaves the Velvet Room to go on a quest to destroy Nyx and thereby release Makoto from being stuck as the seal, returning him to life. Maybe Theo could do the same in the Kotoneverse? (C) Ryuji is off the table for obvious reasons related to his identity.
That leaves just Akihiko and Ken. Akihiko would be a really dramatic interesting route to go, and I think I'd honestly prefer it? Because to see someone with his level of determination get so undone would be REALLY intense. But... I also admit that Kotone's worst romance option is the one that makes the most sense.
Because like I said, jst because The Answer strongly supports the idea that Yukari loves Makoto doesn't mean it ALSO supports the idea that they were canonically together. I will never support the idea that Kotone had any canonical feelings towards Ken, but regardless of that, I still feel like Ken is the obvious pick to take up Yukari's role as the one who has trouble accepting that Kotone's truly gone. It's easy to imagine him as the character who is nursing an unrequited love that's THAT hardcore, leaving him to take up his weapon against the squad.
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hecckyeah · 2 months
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Hey! So, I know you probably haven't watched it yet, BUT: when you do, I must know your comprehensive thoughts on the latest Rookie episode!?!
ASK AND YOU WILL RECEIVE!!!
Okay, because I'm insane, I'm going to split this into two sections: not-chenford, and chenford.
SPOILERS FOR 6x02 UNDER THE CUT
First up, everything NOT-chenford-related:
Honestly they could have botched it, but it was SO FUN having Randy back for the wedding. "Sit down, German, I got this." i mean???? iconic. Also having him be literally in Pete's place and WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND? even more iconic. I'm a ride or die Randy fan, so all his scenes just made me unreasonably happy :)
it was understandably short, but I loved having Celina ride with Nyla, finally. It was kind of satisfying to see her get humbled in interrogation, because imo Nolan has been kind of lax with her training, letting her get away with things the other rookies would have been fired for. So it's nice that she'll spend some time away from him and with a *ahem* more experienced TO. hopefully. We'll see.
Ugh, my heart breaks for Aaron this season. Kid's traumatized for REAL. And his comment to Celina about not sharing things with the therapist because he wants to get back on patrol, not necessarily get better. That bothered me. I really hope they dig into that a lot. But I also hope nothing horrible happens because of it. He seemed so unstable, even when he wasn't drunk. I'm also very interested to see where this goes with his and Celina's friendship. Just a lot of good stuff that could be a really thoughtful and interesting story if handled right...
Aaaaand this episode confirms that I intensely dislike Bailey. Everything about her character is just trying too hard, like the writers were so tired of having Nolan date and break up a few times, they were like okay fine this one can stay, and even though they have chemistry readings in the negatives, they keep trying to push it even though it feels so wrong. I'd rather have Nolan be single the rest of the show than be in this stale cardboard relationship. But it's fine, they're not going to split them up now, so I'll have to deal with it lol
The whole thing with Oscar suing was SO rushed. Like, so insanely rushed I couldn't even be annoyed at him. I hope they bring him back and do it for real, because that was weird to kind of shoehorn in there just for dramatic effect.
EPIC COP TEAMUP IN SUITS AND TIES MY BELOVEDDDD. Seriously they all looked SO GOOD chasing down bad guys and beating people up. White dress shirts were truly the MVPs of this episode
Will Celina just. be wearing long sleeves the rest of her life? Seriously how long has she been a rookie already?? Most of Angela's pregnancy and maternity leave, so at least 10 months, if not more. Hell, she should be graduating from the program soon. The timeline in this show is absolute trash.
Speaking of-- Baby Wopez name drop when????? poor girl's been nameless for too long
James coming in clutch with the playlist was chef's kiss. I LOVE that man
ALSO JAMES AND WESLEY'S BROMANCE. "I went with a suit." "Me too. Mine has a tie." "Oh my god, same!" I CAN'T WITH THESE TWO. Probably my favorite bromance of anyone ever.
Finally, just in general-- I know some people were put off by how much stuff was jam-packed into 42 minutes (again. how???) but I think they pulled it off reasonably well. There was actually very good pacing, lots of comedy and angst and everything in between. I personally LOVED this episode and I think it deserves a few rewatches just to pick up on everything they threw at us. It has its flaws, but it will definitely be a 100th episode to remember, that's for sure.
AND NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE MOMENT WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR.
Chenford thoughts :))))))
But first let me just get this out of the way real quick-- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHLSKDJFOAHGOIJWE;LKTH;SKLJD;LFKHAGLJKSDFA;HLGKJLSKJDKFJDKJFKDJFKJDKFJDKFJKD OH MY GOSHHHHHHHHHHHA;LKGHSJNBMNMCC HELP KJAEHKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG IM HYPERVENTILATING AHGHGHAHSHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
okay, anyway.
Here we go!
I'm just a little bit torn on how they decided to approach this. On the one hand, it was nice that they were still able to work together and talk without excessive drama. Although... Tim shutting the door on her did hurt. Yeah. That hurt a lot. But I had really hoped that they would acknowledge that Lucy was in the wrong last episode too. She was being completely unreasonable and like Tim said, she was projecting. But in this ep, it seemed like she was validated and he was the one being unreasonable. While his trauma with Isabel is something they desperately need to talk about (like Lucy said), she was also reacting too harshly to it and being unfair with her accusations. But honestly, it's okay. We still have 8 episodes to sort it out and it seems like they're very much on the right track. I'm hoping they have a really really really intense, tearful, honest, raw, cathartic conversation about the whole thing. Seems like that's the direction they're going, so I won't hold my breath but it is something that needs to happen.
ALL OF THEIR INTERACTIONS were just so. hnnggg. so chewy. so much going on. THE LOOKS DURING THE WEDDING. hang on I'll come back to that in a sec.
The scene with the Hammer was NEXT LEVEL. (Also fun that they named the episode after That Scene, specifically. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.........) For some reason I immensely enjoyed watching Tim get thrown around like a rag doll. Not sure what that's about. Never seen that side of myself before.
THE FORESHADOWING. That on-one-knee thing was more than I thought they'd give us, and OMG I ATE IT UP. The little pause, where Lucy's breath kind of catches, and Tim just seems kind of oblivious. THAT'S CINEMA, BABEY.
Kind of insane about Tim just passing out like that. Poor man.
CELINA MENTIONING LUCY'S BACHELORETTE PARTY????? hello even more foreshadowing :))))
The scene cuts back and forth when Lucy is helping with the cake and Tim with the flowers??? THEY'RE TELEPATHIC SOULMATES DON'T TALK TO ME.
And the fact that the lie detector was RANDY'S IDEA? I'm shrieking. "Ein wenig crazy," is definitely something my adhd bilingual ass has said irl
oh my lord how CLOSE she scoots her chair?? i'm melting
I thought it was kind of a nice touch to have Tim be actually surprised by the lie detector picking up his answer to the last question being a lie. Because honestly.... now it makes a little more sense: he's been lying to himself. Which is kind of an angle I didn't see coming. "I guess we do have a problem," sounds to me like he literally hasn't been able to admit to himself that he doesn't want Lucy undercover. Of course he wants her to make detective, that's not a question. Detective doesn't equal undercover. But he's been telling himself probably since day one that he's fine with it, that she's not Isabel, that he has nothing to worry about . . . and now he's finally seeing that he really is terrified. Something she's seen in him all along. And while their argument last episode was about more than just this (I still believe she was in the wrong for projecting so hard and making crazy assumptions about him), I think I can see where the writers were going with it.
THE I LOVE YOUS D E S T R O Y E D ME
Okay, back to the Looks at the wedding. Tim being all 🧍and scanning the crowd for his girl . . . Lucy delivering the Heart Eyes of the century . . . Them still sitting together because even though they're fighting, they're still each other's person, and nothing can change that . . . I'm going into cardiac arrest.
In my book, "We're gonna get through this" is a nice breath of fresh air and a bit of relief, but it doesn't mean they've worked everything out. Again, they need a good solid conversation. One that this episode was never going to give us, sadly. But it'll come!
ALSOOOO that moment when Aaron interrupts them and we see Tim's hand around her waist, I just OOF i need a moment
I AM NEVER GONNA BE NORMAL ABOUT THIS EPISODE. the foreshadowing, the parallels, the pining, the dancing, the fighting, the emotions, EVERYTHING. It was not perfect but it was WONDERFUL. 10000/10, I need to watch all their scenes about five million more times.
AND THERE WE HAVE IT. I'll definitely be posting more thoughts soon, but that's where I'm at for now. Basically I think they set the groundwork for a really solid, healthy relationship going forward. I LOVED their moments in this ep, absolutely top tier. The ANGST. I am eating up every second of it.
2 episodes down, 8 to go!!!
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HELLO BELOVED CKB!! I have been restraining myself for months (hypothetical since I have no sense of time) on the topic of fictional characters that remind people of Yves. Because Oh Boy do I have a big one.
Have you seen Vil Schoenheit from Twisted Wonderland? There are so many parallels it makes me go absolutely bonkers. I might get his character wrong but oh well.
- Vil is insanely rich & a model/actor. Very influential and worked his way to that spot. His skincare and makeup routine is fucking impertinent to him; he must look flawless at all times. He makes sure that he is in prime condition and pushes to make sure that the people in his dorm are of similar regimens.
- Vil is based off of the evil queen (he’s not related to her in any sense btw.) He, by nature, is very nitpicky and motherly towards the people that he cares about even though it can be seen by them as smothering and overwhelming sometimes.
- He specializes in making potions and specifically poisons.
- Oh My God he is so mother and honestly one of my favorite characters and so is Yves which honestly says a lot about me. I need help. Canonically calls his right hand man “dear/darling.”
If I had to relate Yves to another TWST character it would be Malleus Draconia but only looks and obsessiveness and the whole “I want to be with you for eternity” thing.
- 🌷
Oh hell yeah i know Twisted wonderland, I follow a couple of blogs who specialized in making Yandere Fics about them, my favourite is Malleus Fuckin Draconia my man. Im pretty sure you can see my type (Long black hair, green eyes, calm, lithe and vampiric types)
I didn't know shit about twisted wonderland at first, I fr thought it was a yandere dating sim, but I had to learn everything bit by bit from the bits and bobs of canon those authors would sometimes post about, so it was like learning a language from scratch.
I was partially interested in Vil Schoenheit, but I guess most of the fics wrote him as mainly focused on his fanbase and not the reader- like he needs the world to have their eyes on him or he will throw up and die. So that kinda killed my yearning boner off for him because reader's attention is not enough and he requires love from the masses too.
Like fr i appreciate the maternalness of Vil, but it just feels... surface level since I doubt he would be interested in personally wiping reader's ass when they're incapable or cleaning up your puke on himself with a straight face without making a big deal out of it.
and IMO i think he's a little too loud, a little too naggy and his nitpicky comes from a place of self service, not really in the reader's best interest. Like Yves would listen to you and observe 100%, whereas its the other way round for Vil, where you gotta drink the yappuchino he serves. Dont come for me Vil simps i think he is swell despite this </3 I just don't think he would be the parallel of Yves </333
but for MALLEUS tho,,, mans a quiet, antisocial loner from what I saw, only yearning for the attention of the reader (or "yuu"), he's super calm, a recluse, and has like 4 friends. I have read fics that painted him in a maternal light that tickled my heartussy, and I guess thas why i like him more. Because to me, I headcannon he would take care of you himself as if you're paralyzed from the head neck down without complaints or feeling icky when he gotta handle with human bodily fluids. He would mostly listen and observe, maybe infodump about gargoyles but I think he would be a closer match to Yves than Vil in vibes and looks.
Though might wanna consider Jamil Viper from Scarabia, he hates standing out and mans was always depicted as the caretaker to Kalim. And I would like always have the biggest crush on him because,,, hehe caretaker
But he does so begrudgingly and like has a deep hatred for Kalim, I was like damn what if he loves caretaking for me,,, that isn't gonna happen because Jamil comes from a background of injustice and he isn't going to like being subjected to the role forced upon him since birth,,, aha ... unless...
and he's hella smart, but he's moving in silence just like Yves, gritting his teeth but keep on trucking no matter how angery he is. He is calm and quiet, and he listens because he need that information to succeed in his goals, but my delulu ass would be like omg he is so attentive
but theres that spite in Jamil that do be present in Yves though, ironically I would say that Yves is closer in character to Malleus and Jamil than Vil, but i could be just biased and say that because of both appearances are similar to that of Yves rn (Malleus and Jamil has like long, straightish dark hair and them sharp eyes)
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Preliminary Poll
Jughead
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Submission reason:
They put them in Riverdale. Ok but seriously they way they were portrayed in Riverdale was so against character, so edgy on comparison to the happy go lucky personality that is the staple of his character, and the fact that they entirely erased his asexual/aromantic identity.
They took away the fact that he was aromantic!! Im pissed because he was great rep!! Seriously, reading jughead 2015 was such a personal and relatable experience that i havent found often in media because aro people are overlooked all the time and the rep is ignored for shipping purposes and its even worse that it happened here!! Not only did they erase him being ace, which was STATED IN THE TEXT, but they also took away the way that he was intentionally written to be romance and relationship averse and its just infuriating because he did not deserve this!!! Aro people did not deserve this!!! Im still so annoyed!!!
I will be honest. I have not watched riverdale and I never will. But in the comics. ESPECIALLY THE JUGHEAD(2015) COMICS. HE IS CANONICALLY AROACE. ACTUAL DIALOGUE FROM THE COMIC, OF KEVIN KELLER SPEAKING TO JUGHEAD -> "my romantic options cant take that kind of hit! you just dont get it cause youre asexual..." ACTUAL DIALOGUE FROM JUGHEAD -> "I DONT GET CRUSHES. I just--found her interesting! Its a FRIENDSHIP crush, IF anything." "...And yet, IM the crazy one for not wanting to kiss people. RIGHT." AND NO IF YOURE WONDERING HE DOES NOT END UP TOGETHER WITH THE PERSON HES TALKING ABOUT THERE. HERES HIM TELLING HER -> "I dont GO on dates, Sabrina. I dont like people that way, you know? And when you asked me out, i didnt realize it WAS a date until too late. I shouldve explained the situation, but instead I went along with it, and just kept... you know, trying to escape. And that wasnt fair to you, and im sorry. My judgement was clouded by the fact that, on some primal and fundamental level, all I really want to do is hang out with a giant talking burger. I know that about myself now, and I accept it gladly." <- i will not be giving context for that last part go read the fucking Jughead(2015) comics right now i will GLADLY send ANYBODY who asks a link. Again. I havent seen riverdale. I HAVE however watched a VIDEO ESSAY on it by someone who never read the comics. And the only positive thing they had to say about that damn show was that they thought bughead was cute. Honestly you could put ANY character from riverdale in this bracket because the original comics ARE A FUCKING SITCOM!!!! well the special stories (like Jughead(2015)) arent as sitcommy and are no stranger to Things Getting Fucking Weird but they never had shit like DARK FUCKING BETTY! No. Instead they had MORE WHOLESOME storylines, like ARCHIE GETTING SHOT AND DYING. dude unrelated one of my comic books had an ad for that with the cover that had archie lying there drenched in a pretty minimal amount of blood actually and i was sooooo scared of it as a kid. i was flipping throuhg the book the first time and dropped it and RAN CRYING AWAY it was the most graphic thing i had seen in my entire 7 years of life. sorry these comics mean a lot to me. i have over 300 of them <3
Propaganda:
a vote for jughead is a vote for aroaces. like ME <3
Aro/Ace rights.
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goldrushenthusiast · 6 months
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Which The Hunger Games characters :
1. Do you relate the most?
2. Do you think missunderstood by people?
3. Do you want to know better?
Please give reasons for your answers. And you can pick more than one character for each question.
Thank you :)
@curiousnonny
1. Honestly probably Peeta
I’ve grown up with a lot of privilege, same with MOST (but not all) of my friends. Whenever I love someone I have the tendency to hold onto it no matter what. I have a great view of the world, and no matter how much I think I can I can’t really hold a grudge for the life of me. I take pictures of everything naturey, if I could paint I’d be doing it all the time, and in general I think we have very similar senses of humor and outlooks on life in general. Peeta and James Potter have been my top fictional character relations since probably early 2022 tbh.
2. Sejanus & Lucy Gray (this is influenced by Coriolanus HEAVILY)
One thing that’s interesting about these is that while people call Katniss an unreliable narrator (she really isn’t tbh, you get that with a lot of first person POVS), Coriolanus is really the one not to be trusted. Every word in that book, even thought it’s from a third person POV, is stained by his mind. It makes it hard separating characters true personalities in it because they’re so diluted by what Coriolanus wants them to be. Dialogue is the most important part of it, but just the dialogue itself. I don’t think we can trust Coriolanus much after.
For one- Coriolanus sees Sejanus as a bit dumb, like he doesn’t know everything he does but it’s not ignorant, just dumb and not smart enough to realize it. This is because of Coriolanus’ idea that he’s smarter than everyone, so he automatically thinks people who don’t think the same as he does are dumb. It’s condescending and even if he doesn’t notice it, it’s still there. When he’s confronted with the idea it might not be true (Lucy Gray winning, all of her deep discussions) his mind goes through hoops trying to explain it. His bigoted attitude towards district people is HUGE. He automatically thinks that they’re (including Sejanus and Lucy Gray) are less smart than him.
This leads to him treating them as such and seeing through that veil. There are a couple of times where we see Sejanus has a personality beyond pity and self wallowing, where he makes sarcastic remarks & acts like a complicated person. I’ll try not to let my own interpretation of Sejanus reflect too much here because I don’t have much to support it.
As a reader, naturally, we see characters how we remember them, and we remember them based on what’s memorable ABOUT them. You remember Sejanus for what Coriolanus calls “outbursts” or tantrums, so you begin to associate him with those childlike emotions and the idea that he doesn’t really understand what he’s getting into.
It’s why I see this idea - that he’s just a poor baby, who just wants to help - so much from people who’ve only read the books <3 times or so. They don’t remember his under the breath comments and things like that, or the way Coriolanus describes him. IMO, for the most part, Sejanus DOES know what he’s doing (most of the time), just doesn’t think it through entirely. I’ve seen too many people portray him like a himbo, or an idiot, which ISNT TRUE. At all. They only do it because Coriolanus still associates Sejanus with his 8 year old child self and because Coriolanus sees him as lesser, and dumber, which go hand in hand for him.
That was way more than I was planning to write- oops! But the physiological aspects of how we see characters and what affects that is fascinating.
Now, Lucy Gray. Because we see her in a more romantic way, because Coriolanus does, we see her differently, because Coriolanus sees all forms of love (minus obligatory things, like family) the same (I could talk about this FOREVER).
Coriolanus sees Lucy Gray as something he can control and own. Obviously, she isn’t. He also sees her as a bit helpless and needy, which again, she isn’t. She’s been providing for her family since she was 12 (approx). It’s easy to assume she’s very strong, and she handles things well.
Now, the thing with Lucy Gray is that a lot of people think that she never loved Coriolanus, she was just using him, and I get where that comes in. However, I disagree. I think that’s the MAIN off characterization. She was not stone cold and unfeeling, nor was she some badass.
Lucy Gray’s character I actually change my mind about a LOT, because that’s exactly what she does to people. That’s what she’s SUPPOSED to do. It was how she written. She’s an amazing actor, and everything she does (although not on the first read), we start to question. This goes back into our view as a reader & how we characterize characters. She’s memorable because we saw her as Coriolanus did (someone to be helped, with a sad past, and someone attractive), then that view switched. During the first half of part 2, we started to see her come out of her shell and be more fun & rebellious. She still was in part 1, don’t get me wrong, but because Coriolanus didn’t seem to register that as much neither do we, or at least we don’t get the full extent of it until part 2.
In the first half of part 2, because of the shows and the hanging tree, we get more clues as to who she actually is. I think that part 2 is where we really have to consider her personality because it’s 10x as likely she isn’t acting anymore. We also see her past with Billy Taupe, which provides just the right opportunity for Coriolanus (and therefore us) to continue seeing her as someone who needs protection and has ownership.
This is good (ofc not really GOOD, but you get the point), because it really lets us experience the full extent of the SHOCK (the first time reading it) when Lucy Gray betrays him. I’ve already talked lots about why they betrayed each OTHER, and how it made perfect sense for each character, so if you’re interested it’s somewhere on @balladofmyramblings. It’s the one about people getting wrong why the ending was perfect.
As I’ve said before, Lucy Gray values TRUST. It’s why she does go to Coriolanus for comfort after he shoots Mayfair, and why she turns to him. It’s not about needing him, it’s about the fact that now that she’s out of the arena and can trust him & she doesn’t think he’ll hurt her, she can actually trust him. It’s why I think that she truly loved him. Remember, Coriolanus is also affected by his view of himself. We’re annoyed with him and know he doesn’t view Lucy Gray well because we know him. But he’s a good actor, and it’s vibes that Lucy Gray must go off of. Their purest stage of their relationship was during the first half of part 2 for sure.
I’d also like to mention Lucy Gray just got out of a toxic, probably abusive, heart wrenching relationship so it makes sense she’s LOOKING for more protection in a partner, even if she doesn’t exactly need to be protected (or owned especially).
Anywho, TLDR, people think that Lucy Gray was more cold and calculated than she was or (but I didn’t touch on this because I haven’t seen it much) not at all. Truth is, she’s a mix of both, and does find comfort in Coriolanus & eventually betrays him in a cold and calculated way.
3. Tigris!
I’d love to see Coriolanus’ rise to power through HER eyes, and know her story, and all that she did. She’s a very interesting character and I’m glad Suzanne made her Coriolanus’ cousin instead of some stranger- it was genius.
Thank you for the question, @curiousnonny, and as always feel free to debate but not argue with me in the reblogs/replies!
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menstits · 6 days
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this is a 100% slash gen question but how do you stay motivated to keep playing genshin after this long? i first got it back when it was still pretty new, around the second ever banner, and played it for a good year but the more things they kept adding the more overwhelmed it started to make me. i do miss it tho, so i wonder how you manage to still play it so consistantly
In all honesty for most of my time playing genshin i've been obsessed with a handful of early game characters (kaeya and his ugly brother and childe mostly, and they're still my faves) and largely didn't give a shit about everyone else, so up until like halfway through sumeru i was playing like. Waiting for kaeya/abyss and khaenri'ah related lores to drop mostly. Like in all honesty especially during inazuma it was dire i didn't give a shit about 90% of the cast and the environment was unpleasant to explore too 🧍‍♂️ but after getting past the samsara part of the sumeru archon quest i started getting genuinely more invested in the storyline. When i got to fontaine i expected it to be a bit of a filler region honestly but the writing quality has been steadily increasing after inazuma imo and the conflicts have become more engaging too... Like i think the main issue for me in inazuma was that they kept trying to get me to give a shit about some npc whereas several of the playable characters felt underutilized and their presence kinda pointless. From sumeru onwards they've started writing the playable cast as more fleshed out and interconnected to one another which is something that i was really missing from early game, and this is even more apparent in fontaine's writing too where everyone has some kind of beef going on with everyone else (it was really fun imo how everyone in mondstadt knows each other because it's a small town and i wasn't really hoping to see that degree of characters being all up in each other's business again in later regions so fontaine was a nice surprise in that regard).
As for your question honestly i think that. In order for genshin to be enjoyable at some point you have to allow yourself to not give a shit about whatever doesn't compel you and instead try to focus on what you do like, for example i kinda hate doing spiral abyss so I don't really touch it unless I'm pressed for primos and instead run around and explore a lot. For story quests i prioritize ones for characters I'm already invested in and leave others for whenever I don't have anything better to do. I'm an insane completionist about this game but it's genuinely fine to focus on the parts you personally find more engaging. I guess sumeru was annoying because long as fuck world quests gate the exploration of certain areas, but fontaine is MUCH better in that regard and the world quests feel much more manageable.
Also tbh i think the increasing relevance that khaenri'ah/abyss and celestia-related stuff has both in the world quests and in the main story along with more harbingers making on screen appearances also contributed to keeping my interest active because that's what I'm mostly invested in other than kaeya-centric stuff 👍
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wetcatspellcaster · 27 days
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Hello again, Ms. gender nerd anon here, re-sending my ask! Thanks for confirming it got lost!
I just wanted to say that I really appreciate your stance on misogyny in BG3 fandom (those “shipping Astarion with women is conversion therapy” takes are wild).
Gender dynamics in your fics are also a breath of fresh air because of how full of default heterosexual sado-masochism* and female submission in general f/m Astarion fics are (nothing wrong with being submissive, but the tendency itself is not above criticism imo). I absolutely love Rosalie’s wit, intelligence, agency, initiative, insecurities and vulnerability, she’s such a deep and well-rounded character. She’s a badass but not in a stereotypical “strong woman” type way which just acts “masculine”, e.g. fights, is assertive and sure of herself, etc. I think you’re doing a great job at portraying more egalitarian f/m relationship and sexuality.
I also remember you saying something like (I’m paraphrasing here) the problem you see with “I can fix him” trope is heterosexism that often accompanies it.
Considering all this I wonder if gender dynamics and using a feminist lens is something you consciously think about when writing Rosalie/Astarion and if yes, how do you approach that?
Thank you!
* https://preview.redd.it/6ak4wpp4zimc1.jpeg?width=577&auto=webp&s=933cf03cb5cc08346d3dff9bfc4a3266a0b68651&app_web_view=ios
PS I also read Howl’s Moving Castle recently and really felt something of Howl and Sophie in your fics, it’s lovely!
PPS English in not my first language so sorry for any awkward phrases/mistakes
hi anon, thank you for coming back with the long-awaited question (also there is no need to stress about the English used here, it's all very high level lmao so please don't apologise!)
I'm not interested in commenting/speaking ill on other fics or trends within Astarion fic so I'm only going to discuss this question in relation to my own writing. [Beyond once more reiterating that the popularity of m/m ships in fandom has its roots in racism and misogyny (a preference for white male characters above any female characters, especially those of colour when they are the canon interest), and the belief that 'gay' ships are inherently more virtuous has its roots in um. radfem ideology. and again, misogyny. Fair enough if you like what you like but please examine your biases and plz stop hating women and dressing it up as queer positivity.]
This ended up being very, very long, so it's under the cut lads! I did promise I could talk about gender in fiction all day long.
So first off, anon - people like what they like. There's nothing wrong with that - most of what I write, it's not done with any virtue signalling in mind, it's just that I'm writing what I like, as well. That is, I'm going to be honest, in large part my answer to your question.
In all honesty, I do not write my bg3 with an inherently feminist lens or mindset held in my brain at the time of drafting, beyond the fact that I'm a feminist in my own day-to-day life. If I was to attribute it to anything... I would actually be really basic, and just be frank: I really like women. I find women hot. I like a lot of female characters, more than I like male ones.
I'm really touched you think Rosalie is a well-rounded character, as she is intended to be written that way, but honestly? I just find her hot. I give her good lines and fun moments equal to Astarion's, bc she's v sexy to me. I like giving her hot things to do, and at a very basic level, it's for me, lmao. I made her well-rounded, bc I like her and I find her entire character aspirational and attractive. Fic is, often, just for pleasure. In the same way other people write what they find hot, I write what I find hot, and if you were to examine my fics and my bookmark history (Sophie/Howl is up there honestly, but Jareth/Sarah from Labyrinth is the biggest giveaway lmao) you would know that I just find this kind of dynamic.... where there's a villain and a heroine who breaks him.... or a woman who reads a man for filth... hot.
But if you want an answer that goes deeper and more theoretical, there are two things that I can give you!
I find it both reassuring and funny that you bring up both heterosexism and not making Rose 'masculine', bc Rosalie is consciously one of my most femme OCs. The pink/purple colour scheme is a dead giveaway. I think this was because, in Early Access, all of the femme companions are gnc in some way, which was fucking awesome, but that meant there was a gap in the market for my funky pink tiefling!
Most of the characters were also quite edgy - I've talked about the Early Access disapproval, and the way it felt like you were being bullied by the pixels inside your gaming PC, and how this informed my choice of OC. At the time, I was also playing in a D&D game full of edgelords, and was getting quite bored (mid-pandemic) with this entire belief that playing 'good', or being idealistic, is naive/dumb, or boring, or trite, or overdone. A lot of my writing is triggered by a spite reflex, so in Rose, I doubled down. I put a lot of tropes about femininity that get a lot of hate in fandom into Rosalie, bc these often overlap with the idea that being emotional or naïve is undesirable bc (you guessed it!) misogyny. It's better to be jaded and cynical, bc that's a traditionally masculine view of the world. This idea that being 'good' is stupid is fed by many things, but it is gendered, and making Rosalie a high femme woman was a conscious decision.
BUT in her character, I also had this secondary question - in a group where everyone is berating you for being kind, if you're a rabid people pleaser and traditionally feminine caregiver, why are you refusing to back down? How are we getting to the 'lawful' part of lawful good - which I interpret as having an inflexible moral code? And this was where I bought in the idea that someone is trying to make up for lost time, and created the device of her agoraphobia, and the tadpole as anxiety medication.
I think this is perhaps what makes her feel well-rounded, but also takes her from 'passively' feminine to 'actively' feminine - she's had all the traditional femme upbringing BUT she then has a tadpole hijacking all her AFAB socialisation, everything that's told her to not to take up space or back down or defer to other people.
I'm not going to lie, this is something I am struggling with at the moment: an awareness of being raised and socialised as a woman, and as an autistic woman who's masking practices are inherently tied up into the codes of femininity and the behaviour expected of her. I didn't realise this at the time of writing. But I guess Rosalie gets access to a confidence she didn't before, through a magic cure, and this is something that alters the dynamics of her character in a way that allows her to have a more active role. She doesn't feel the need to mask much anymore (see! this is why I find her HOT!!!)
..
The other gendered lens I will admit to bringing to the table with Rosalie, and consciously employing, is the traditional gendered dichotomy between emotion (femininity)/intellect (masculinity) that was held in the 1800s-1900s. This is because this theory used to fascinate me, I've read/studied a lot about the idea of gendered modes of reading books and understanding the world - for instance, there was a moral panic that's reflected in books like Northanger Abbey and Madame Bovary where it was feared women couldn't read literature properly, and that the lines between fiction and reality became blurred for them, because literature incites emotions and women are inherently more emotional beings. It was believed that they couldn't differentiate between the emotions fiction made them feel, and their real life. This persists till today, in a derogatory approach to female fandom, to immersed readers, and the media products that girls like (e.g. the Twilight books, and associated derision of its readership). In this dichotomy and belief system, women are overly emotional and thus stupid/idealistic, and the admirable way to be is critical, detached, intellectual - ie. everything the man making these rules thinks he is.
This DOES come into play with Rosalie, in a big way, but that's kind of BG3's fault. The whole idea of a mindflayer, is someone who is intellect without any emotion, and this makes them threatening, and powerful. I coupled that with a woman who sees her depression (and thus her emotion) as a weakness, and who is using illithid tadpoles as medication. I've talked a few time in asks, about how the bad ending for Rosalie would be her turning into the mindflayer for the good of the group, becoming that ideal of intellectual detachment that she thinks will be all everyone wants from her. It would be: The Bleeding Heart, versus The Exalted Mind. I sat on that decision screen, CRYING, for a really long time, bc I knew she would turn illithid in a heartbeat, for all the wrong reasons. To me, it felt like a new version of suicidal ideation had been given to my mess of a character. (Thank god for Astarion in this instance, honestly).
As a wizard, Rosalie is operating in that intellectual paradigm that critical thinking = good. Being cold and analytic = good. She is not that, until she has the tadpole: she never aspired to power, she feels in thrall to her own emotional state, she feels like her emotions make her weak and have actively disadvantaged her progress. So she is facing this battle between what she thinks she should be - intellectually confident, certain, calculated and cool - and what she thinks she is - emotionally messy, easily manipulated, sad and weak - without realising it's a fake mutually exclusive binary, and she can in fact be both. This is a journey I hope to take her on in An Honest Lie, and she's already undergone in Pieces (although, there's a bit more emotional repression in this timeline, if she was actually well-adjusted i think she would've fucked the Ascendent at least once lol).
What I did bring to the table was a extreme frustration at traditionally feminine-coded traits (moral idealism, goodness, empathy, over-emotional modes of being in the world) being constantly derided or treated as stupid. I also wanted to write a wizard who wasn't a pinnacle of intellect, but was struggling with that fact, and I made her high femme for a reason!
So... yeah! TLDR, I write women with personalities bc I like and am attracted to women - the same way a lot of male characters get attention or become the most fully fleshed, complex beings in existence, bc their writers like and are attracted to them. I do not write consciously feminist attacks on other people's dynamics, what I write is the dynamics I find incredibly sexy instead.
So I guess... my advice on how to approach things???
write what you find hot
give attention to the characters you find hot
if there are any dynamics you find interesting in theory, you can explore them!
I did make a conscious choice to subvert some tropes in Pieces, but this was mostly to avoid writing noncon bc it's not my thing, I didn't have any interesting in doing that to my OC, and also, i don't think I could write it well. So I guess the other thing you can do is, if there's a trope that frustrates you or you don't like the gendered politics of something, think of a new interesting way to write it or flip that dynamic (....like a Power Word Kill!)
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unleashthegoats · 6 months
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Hey y'all! Loved the new episode, and wanted to chip in on one of the later points - videogames, especially in relation to the "Grey" Jedi concept. Knights of the Old Republic II really did some irreversible damage in that regard, as much as I love the game (though I prefer the first one). Kreia is one of the most central characters in regard to shifting morality debates in Star Wars (in universe and from fans alike) imo, and I'd honestly be super interested in hearing you three cover either or both of the games in the podcast, although I understand that's highly unlikely since none of you have played them. But she is extremely relevant to this topic because she preaches about neutrality and that there's more than just ~dogmatic thinkings of light and dark~, and your relationship with her suffers if you are kind and altruistic and get too rooted in the light side and she's like...one of *the* characters that kind of gets credited with developing a "grey" philosophy in-universe? But people always bring her up as if she's this great point of sensible consideration and not actually, as it turns out, a master manipulator trying to purge the Force from the galaxy (or something like that at least? It's been a while since my last playthrough lol) that lies to you all the time to get you to do what she wants (because she was so crazy bananas both the Jedi and the Sith said "no thank u :)" - well, with a bit more nuance but you get the gist). Really, it's a bit like people falling for Palpatine's anti-Jedi points all over how they talk about her philosophic arguments without bringing that up. But yeah, I thought you might be interested in that. Also, I think KotOR might be what people meant with being able to unlock Dark Side powers as a Light sider but you are absolutely correct that it's a mechanics vs story issue (especially since some powers are indeed alignment-locked AND making dark side choices does impact the character (apart from story, ending and relationships to your party members). It's a bit of a simplistic gimmick, of course, but the further you get into the Dark Side on the alignment, the more it's visible - sickly skin colour, cracks in the skin and flesh, your eyes change...stuff like that. I don't think using Dark Side powers actually pushes you further down the alignment, but the intent is obviously not for Light Siders to mix and match however they like).
Anyway, I'm so sorry for rambling on for so long, but I thought you (or someone, at least :D ) might appreciate that additional info. Keep up the good podcasting! :)
OUR FIRST ASK! I'm so glad you're enjoying the podcast, thank-you so much for listening to us ramble on for an hour once a month!
This is all really interesting! I've read a few metas about the Star Wars video games and the characters within them which is partly why I chose to briefly include them in the episode (and also because I am familiar with Jedi: Survivor which has its own "dark side" mechanic for the main character that was relevant to the discussion). Aside from Jedi: Survivor, I wasn't necessarily referencing any one specific video game, I assume it's probably a thing that's come up more than once.
As far as my reaction to Kreia goes, just based on your description of her, the idea of there being "too much light" just isn't how Lucas's own worldbuilding worked. It's clearly trying to hit on the idea of "balance" being equal amounts of light and dark usage, as opposed to balance being acknowledging darkness EXISTS (in yourself and in the universe) in order to keep yourself from acting on it. There just isn't a way to be "too light" or something like that, there's never "too much" kindness and compassion and selflessness in the world. In this sense, the video games are just going to fall into the same category as the rest of legends and EU stuff, in that they often just do their own thing based on their own interpretations of Star Wars, but it doesn't mean it actually fits with what Lucas himself was trying to get across about the philosophy of the Force and the Jedi in his own stories, and that's primarily what we're using as a base to discuss Star Wars from.
If any of us ends up playing KOTOR, we can certainly try to bring it up more often. I don't think we have any plans of doing more video game stuff currently, but if the KOTOR remake ever comes to pass, maybe I will!
-Mod Sugar
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chibishortdeath · 6 months
Text
So I saw the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie and I’ve been thinking about it and game to movie/tv adaptations in general, so I guess a review and some general thoughts on it d(^^ ).
⚠️FNAF MOVIE SPOILERS!!!⚠️
I liked the movie, it was fun. The creature shop did really well on the animatronics, and there were quite a few scenes that had me pretty shocked in a good way. Vanessa’s inclusion was actually kinda cool the way they did it and surprisingly I did end up liking the little sister character they added in. William Afton was the best part of the movie and I’m glad he was even though I kinda knew he would be lol. The spring lock scene was a bit toned down, but still cool as hell and I honestly didn’t expect them to put it in at all. The Matpat cameo and the Living Tombstone at the end were fucking wild and hella deserved tbh.
There were some things I’m still meh about though:
I didn’t like how Mike wasn’t really bothered by the animatronics very much at all. They were barely a threat to him. The scenes of the vandals getting attacked was pretty cool, but Mike, the night guard himself, is just kinda protected through the plot armor of his little sister and I guess sleeping on the job??? Sure he did get attacked by the ghosts of the children during a dream, BUT it’s kinda a major plot point that the possessed animatronics are slowly closing in on the night guard office and you have to keep them away, soooo yeahhhh. Like aw man where’s my scene of the night guard closing the doors and having to anxiously watch the cameras? Especially with the added horror that there’s his little sister there and he thinks they’ll hurt her! Those are some high stakes they could’ve had! And the scenes of the sister being friendly with the animatronics could’ve been way cooler if they had scenes of the animatronics being aggressive towards Mike to balance them. Where’s all the my paranoia the game centered around? The suspense, dread, panic? I just didn’t get those vibes from the movie very much, which is sad.
Some of the changes to Mike’s story were strange choices imo. Most fans will know that “Mike Schmidt” is like a pseudonym for Michael Afton, William Afton’s oldest son who is kinda trying to figure out the murder cases and shut all this down, I cannot explain the whole fnaf lore in one bullet point 💀 but it’s important. In the movie, it really kinda seems like they made Mike his own character with his own family and his own sad dead brother backstory. Which is weird to me, because I feel like the whole dreaming plot could’ve worked really well with Michael considering the events of FNAF 4. That game implies that some of the events are at least coma dream related with the IV bags that show up in the kid’s room and mini games, so it would’ve made sense that this ghost kid brother would be communicating through dreams. They could’ve had Michael keep trying to change those events and then remember towards the end that what really happened that day was he had accidentally killed his brother at this establishment and that’s why he had blocked the place and that yellow rabbit, ya know? This would’ve also been interesting considering that little sister character they added and how he’d then feel like he shouldn’t be the one to take care of her after he figures out what happened only to get that redemption later. Idk I just feel like the plot lines they were going for would’ve been cooler if they had maybe not outright said that he was Michael Afton yet, but implied it or kept the whole crying child backstory. They could still be setting this up for twist in a sequel though since Willam kinda stutters on his last name when they meet and they have this whole child custody plot going on, maybe they’ll make that foreshadowing for later when it’s revealed that Willam was divorced or something and that’s why Mike doesn’t know that’s his dad, but yeah idk.
I feel like it was generally watered down. I get that it was made with the idea that kids would be the main audience in mind, but I think a lot of the actual horror gets lost. I almost wanna see this series get an R rated movie someday in the future just to see a different take on it, especially the first game since the vibes and general horror are really at there best in the earlier games. They’re not the scariest games ever made or anything, but playing the first one again recently it still holds up tbh, especially in atmosphere.
No Phone Guy :’(. Not even playing on the tapes. Like they should’ve just kicked the whole nature sounds things and had Phone Guy play instead. One of my favorite characters in the series and they didn’t put him in alas (;_;).
There are things I’d change about it for sure, but I enjoyed it for what it was. It’s pretty damn cool getting to see a movie based on an indie game series like this, and what’s more one that seems to actually respect it.
Perfect? Not hardly. Pretty good? Yeah :). 7/10
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vyladromeave · 5 months
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04 and 08 for the ask game?
04. what are your favorite episodes/scene?
I've answered this one already here, but why not list another ep i like? I still go back to S1 Ep 68 pretty often!! It's one of the last episodes we're given where Garroth is written well imo, but he REALLY shines in this episode. I really love how Laurance and Garroth's dynamic is handled, + we get our first hints of Shadowknight-hood affecting Laurance more, AND we even get quite a bit of Garte stuff/overall politics things that I find very interesting!
This is honestly the golden era of S1 to me, and some of my favorite bits of how they handled storytelling like, mechanically. (Having the NPCs unpromptedly just start going off at eachother was very cool. Very rarely did NPCs have conversations with eachother that weren't facilitated by Aphmau before that point.) ITS A GOOD EPISODE! The back half is a little boring, it was definitely like that because Jess spent all her energy making the front half cool, but the front half WAS very cool, so I can excuse it.
08. alternatively, what's a dynamic you really want to see in canon?
THIS IS AN EVIL EVIL QUESTION BECAUSE THERE ARE SOOOOO MANY. lets just get Vylad and Literally Everyone down just to start. this is a joke but also not.
Vylad and Emmalyn (their intense irene discussions. Vylad obviously has some sort of academic knowledge of irene judging by the fact that he knows about Irene's Dimension on his own, and brings it up as a thing Zane would do BEFORE Aphmau can explain it. I think it would be cool for Emmalyn to have scholalry discussions around Irene with someone who also has that knowledge)
Vylad and Dante (Oopse Gene Sucks Hope We Dont Bond Over This. It makes sense in canon why Aphmau discouraged their meeting because she didn't want Dante to freak out about more shadowknights and she doesn't know about the dynamic between Vylad and Gene very well, but also I think hearing that validation would be very good for both of them considering Gene is literally gaslight king #1. There aren't a lot of people who can relate to being hurt by him directly who are also able to tell the tale.)
Vylad and Katelyn (HER SEEING JEFFORY IN HIM IS SOOOO INTERESTING AND THEN THE ONLY THING IT EVER EVEN KIND OF GOT USED FOR WAS SHIPPING BAIT WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY. theyre some of the two most Emotionally Congested characters there are itd be sooooo interesting to me if they like. they dont even have to talk about it. its fine. they can just hang out silently together. ok. they can vibe together. i think they would enjoy that. please.)
and for some non-vylad options so that I'm not just talking about him for the rest of this post: Dante and Zoey NEEED to have a bigger dynamic with eachother considering they were the big Stayed Behind For 15 Years guys and barely anything ever comes from it im so mad
Zianna and Aphmau is a dynamic that can really only be explored in a post-S2 timeframe. but i think would be very cute :) I can see Zianna being very motherly towards Aphmau (or mother-in-law if thats the kind of thing ur a fan of) when she finds out that Aphmau doesn't have/remember having a figure like that in her life already. + I think Zianna would respect Aphmau a lot as being both a responsible lord and a mother herself. I think the two of them would get along very well :)
Similar to above in regards to timeframe, I think Travis and Garroth would be a fun dynamic to explore. Garroth strikes me very much as a "I Can't Hate Them, They're Family" kind of guy just cuz thats what he was taught growing up, despite having an undeniably negative relationship with people like Zane and Garte. Travis being so openly a #dadhater would help Garroth work out some of his own issues regarding how he feels towards members of his own family. And from Travis' pov, Garroth gets built up a lot over the course of S2, and hearing all these tales and stories only to meet him in person and discover he's kind of just a nervous wet cat of a guy is very funny.
(ask prompts from here!)
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munsons-maiden · 2 years
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you don’t have to answer bc this will probably cause discourse lol
i honestly don’t understand how chrissy can be with someone like jason yet people ship her with eddie. like you can’t argue that she didn’t know about all the names that he was called and probably thought them too, since she was afraid/nervous around him in the woods during the drug deal. it’s a small town and even smaller school, you can’t tell me that she didn’t think the same things as jason did. she just had the chance of seeing that he’s actually nice one time and it was during a drug deal.
imo everyone just wants to see themselves as the only pretty, white, thin girl who is available to ship eddie with. if chrissy was black or asian or fat then she would not have as many fans or people feeling sorry for her (in the show and irl). same with Eddie tbh but that’s a whole other can of worms that people on here aren’t ready for.
i probably would’ve liked her character better if she was woc or fat tbh but then tumblr would shame her or ship eddie with nancy instead lol
I'm answering this because a) discourse is okay as long as it's friendly and respectful, and b) because I'd like to offer my own perspective on Chrissy since she's a character I can very much relate to.
First of all, as I said, that's only my opinion but I would have shipped her with Eddie regardless of her outer appearance, body type, ethnicity or even gender for that matter because I see the potential between those two and because I see Chrissy as a character very differently than you do.
I don't mean that as an offense, but you shouldn't generalize the reasons why people like Chrissy or ship her with Eddie; they don't owe anyone an explanation for that and some people, myself included, relate to her for a whole array of deeply personal reasons (and I mean that with shipping completely aside; let's focus on Chrissy as her own character here in this reply).
What I see when I look at Chrissy is a young girl who's hurting because she's forced into a corset of conformity that suffocates her with every day. Her abusive mother and her surroundings have taught her that perfection is what matters (we clearly see that in her Vecna vision, in the facade she's putting up at the pep rally during Jason's speech - the smile never reaches her eyes, they're hollow and sad) and it's literally killing her long before Vecna strikes. She struggles with an eating disorder. Her thinness is the sign of a severe mental illness that kills people in real life. She's a victim of abuse, and she's killed in one of the most brutal, horrendous ways possible. I'm only talking about Chrissy's specific case here, not the general problems of racism and fatphobia in fandom and irl because that would be far too complex to address correctly in a single post - but we, the audience, were meant to feel sorry for Chrissy, and the reasons why many of us do are, again, varying. Personal experience, relating with her struggle etc.
Chrissy is drowning - and I can assure you, as someone who's walked in her shoes, that in her situation, you're in constant survival mode. And Jason being a narcissist doesn't help her situation, but more on that later.
you can’t argue that she didn’t know about all the names that he was called
Yes, Chrissy knew Eddie was being called a freak. But if we see one thing very clearly in the woods scene, it's that she doesn't think of him as that, and that she doesn't treat him as such - and never did because if she had, you can bet that Eddie would have taken way longer to warm to her. Compared with, for example the talk between Steve and Eddie in the UD where Steve doesn't exactly try to make Eddie comfortable or reciprocate the attempt at finding a common ground but instead subconsciously makes Eddie, once again, feel like a freak for his interest in heavy metal, the woods scene shows that Chrissy doesn't view Eddie as a freak, at least not in a bad way because her reaction to Eddie calling her the Queen of Hawkins High vs a Freak is like day and night:
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This whole encounter in the woods, regardless of whether you ship them or not, clearly shows us one thing: Chrissy is deeply unhappy, and I'd even call her desperate because she holds on to Eddie for dear life because...this stranger she doesn't even know is the only one she can open up to knowing he won't judge her because he's already a freak. The situation reminds me a bit of Jack and Rose in Titanic tbh, or Belle and The Beast. This concept is indeed as old as time, storytelling-wise.
You can see her performative fake smile at the rally:
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vs her real smile with Eddie:
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I said it before: Eddie and Jason are the embodiment of two very different values. Jason stands for forced conformity and the very real danger of being bullied or worse if you don't conform; Eddie embodies being yourself and knowing your worth even if others don't see it. You can read about that here.
and probably thought them too, since she was afraid/nervous around him in the woods during the drug deal
She was very clearly nervous/afraid because the second before she met Eddie, she had the second absolutely terrifying hallucination in a single day.
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Now tell me, after that: wouldn't you be nervous/unsettled as well?
Eddie clearly thinks she's scared to get caught first (and tries to calm her, telling her that it was a safe place and nobody would ever come out there to catch them dealing), then he thinks she's scared of him - that's why he tells her he'd go and that it wasn't a problem. To which Chrissy says: "No, it's not that - I don't want you to go." and then she opens up to him because who else does she have to open up to? Jason? Who doesn't see her fading away further with the mental illness that's slowly killing her?
Chrissy was never scared of Eddie. (else, she would've never come to his trailer, but I digress).
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The constant pressure to be perfect Chrissy faces at home, by her mother, the comments on her weight we see her making in the Vecna vision: Chrissy has been raised to believe she needs to be flawless and perfect and (since we're all human) Chrissy knows she can never be flawless and perfect, never be enough. It's constant failure, she feels inadequate and her self-esteem is very low because of it no matter that she's the Queen because she knows it's a mask and it's tied to the terms and conditions of being perfect - and being Queen puts her in a spotlight, a constant danger of people realizing she's not perfect.
It's a constant feeling of losig control, and she gains a sense of security and control in the only way she knows how: controlling her weight and her hunger. That's exactly how EDs are developed. (A widespread, very harmful misconception about EDs such as Bulimia Nervosa and Anorexia Nervosa is that those suffering from it hate people who are overweigh when in reality, it's not about weight, they hate themselves because the unattainable standards of perfectionism they were taught to adhere to cannot be attained by them. I say that as a psychologist. Those suffering from EDs are victims of unattainable standards of beauty and perfectionism as much as people who are overweight (I'm only talking about beauty standards here, not about society's reaction. I'm very much aware that people with overweight face fatphobia - they're both victims of the same system; the difference is that those on the underweight side of the spectrum of it "fit" better with the norm and thus are spared the treatment those on the overweight side of the same spectrum sadly have to face).
And that's why she's with Jason, btw, a study-book narcissist and master-manipulator. When you're struggling, especially with a low self-esteem, you fall prey to people like Jason and the sense of security they give you, their status can give you, or simply because you don't feel you deserve better.
Chrissy is running for her life long before Vecna gets her.
Again, you're perfectly entitled to your opinion on Chrissy, just like everyone else. And just like you did in your ask, I'm offering my own perspective on her as a character.
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khaire-traveler · 7 months
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hey! just wanna know, how do you feel about hellenism related media? do you like something?
Hey, Nonny, thanks for the ask! I appreciate that you're curious about my opinion.
Personally, I don't engage with modern media about the gods much. I've had people tell me about it, and I've read about it, but there's a lot of stuff out there that I haven't really interacted with. I try not to be too judgemental, although I used to be a lot more critical of how modern media depicts the gods, but it's still not something I often enjoy. As a worshipper, my opinion is always bound to be biased, but I try my best to judge modern media for its story-telling rather than its accuracy (although that doesn't always happen, if I feel the depictions are egregious enough).
Below, I'll state my thoughts and opinions on the media I have interacted with (or at least have heard extensively about which is the case for Percy Jackson, as I haven't read the books).
I did like the Hades game! I felt it was really fun to play through, and as a game, it kept me engaged. I genuinely had fun with the game mechanics and the relationships you can build with other characters. It has its flaws, but so does every game. I've recently heard some grumbling about the way it depicts Greek mythology, but honestly, I think that if people are basing all of their knowledge of Greek mythology on a video game, it's up to natural selection at that point (this is a joke).
Along with Hades, I did find myself enjoying Immortals: Fenyx Rising. I was surprised with how similar the gameplay was to Genshin Impact, actually, but I'm not gonna talk about that lol. Fenyx isn't as widely known, but the way it handles Greek mythology is adequate and intriguing. The characters are pretty fun, and I enjoyed helping them in their main quest. The twist at the end (I will not spoil it) rubbed me kind of the wrong way, but I understood that it's just a game trying to tell a story, you know? It was fun, engaging, and interesting. Oh, and the monsters were pretty cool! I loved how they included monsters that you wouldn't really expect to see. The Hydra was a bit underwhelming to me, though.
Then there's the God of War series. Listen, I LOVED the recent additions to God of War that centered on the Norse pantheon - beautiful graphics, interesting story-telling, and a fun use of the mythology - but the original games that take place in Greece kind of bothered me. Mostly, yes, it was the representation of the gods. The way pretty much all of them were villainized (and the way they did Hermes so, so dirty, imo 💀) was a bit comical and strange to me. It felt like it lacked nuance to their characters (even Aphrodite was kind of there for one main "purpose" if you catch my drift). I also wasn't too big on the character designs of all the gods. Some were interesting, but others didn't land for me (mostly Hermes; he looks like he should be Apollo or Helios, and I just don't understand what they were trying to do with his design). Overall, it's a VERY fun series, but I find myself not being able to enjoy the original games as much because of their depictions of the gods.
Other forms of media (that are more popular), however, aren't really my thing. Percy Jackson isn't something I'm too big on. It plays into a lot of harmful tropes about the gods, and unfortunately, I've had some bad experiences with the more disrespectful side of the fandom. Not every PJO fan is an asshole, though (most aren't), which is extremely important to keep in mind (I see a lot of hate in the HelPol community towards them sometimes, so that's why I say that). I felt the plots were creative, for sure, but I didn't like the way Rick handled some topics or the way he sort of twisted the mythology for his own purposes. Like, some of these major plots throughout the series are absolutely bizarre; they make certain gods out to be massive assholes, tbh. Also, I didn't like the way Rick stated that the Greek gods "left the dangerous Mediterranean"; it just felt like a really weird and uncomfortable way to refer to Greece. I think if Percy Jackson brings new people into HelPol, then that's great, but people definitely shouldn't base their knowledge of Greek mythology on the books which is something I've unfortunately seen happen. If you enjoy the series, that's cool; it's just not my cup of tea, personally.
I think the one piece of modern media about the gods that I genuinely hate - and I really do mean hate - is Lore Olympus. That shit has harmed even the pagan community which is kind of wild. I've literally had people call me an "Apollo sympathizer" for worshipping a god who is NOTHING like the damn comic. It is an extremely disrespectful representation of the gods and mythology, and it's something that gets under my skin quite a lot. And honestly, it doesn't need to happen with the Greek gods. If you took the characters out of the setting they're in and placed them somewhere else, it wouldn't really change much, in my opinion; the Greek mythology part of it is really just used for the dramatics. It doesn't have much to do with Greek mythology besides just wanting to make Persephone and Hades the main focus. I have other complaints about it, but I will save my Lore Olympus critique for another day lol. I could go on forever about what bothers me.
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I hope this answered your question thoroughly! Feel free to ask more if you're curious about anything else. Have a great day/night. ☺️🧡
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defiantbird · 1 year
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Sweeney Todd Revival on Broadway!
Saw it over the weekend and have had some time to marinate on it. As a former theatre (or tech) kid I have to throw my thoughts into the void. I'm serious, this is a long and wordy babble, you are not gonna read it all, I'm really just thought-dumping.
Cast:
We were told as we were entering that Josh Groban, the big draw for most folks, would not be in to play Sweeney. Sweeney was instead played by the guy who usually plays Pirelli. I don't know much about Groban, but I do hear he has a great voice, so I am a little bummed I didn't get to see it.
Still, other guy (Nicholas Christopher per the slip) was...obviously talented-- everyone in the show is extremely talented, it's Broadway. Tremendous voice on him. He had an excellent growl and did my favorite thing (in Epiphany, he went UP on "nor a hundred can assuage me" and it was so STRONG and RAW and AAAGH I love it. Here at 2:22 if you wanna know what I mean. George Hearn is my fave Sweeney.). That said, his Sweeney wasn't my cup of tea. George Hearn ruined all other Sweeneys for me (hyperbole tho). This fellow was a bit stiff...like, he has the sound of the rage but not enough expression of it to get me, if that makes sense. He was explosive but it often didn't feel like a passionate rage, just a loud one.
Certainly a very different Mrs. Lovett (Annaleigh Ashford) than I'm used to. She wasn't my ideal Lovett (again, spoiled by Angela Lansbury), but I can recognize that she was still an excellent one. Gorgeous voice with impressive range, super animated. What was different about her, I think, is that she played her more self-aware than I'm used to. It was a little more "this lady is funny and she knows it" rather than "this lady is fucking weird and it's delightful". But, again, just because that's my preference doesn't mean this was any less good. Very slapstick, way hornier, but ultimately very much understood the character at her core.
The kid who plays Dustin in Stanger Things (Gaten Matarazzo) played Toby! It's clear some people were there just for him. He has a strong singing voice and is just super charming. Truly a treat that I got to see him in this role, I think he fit it really well.
Such! An! Interesting! Johanna! This girl (Maria Bilbao) had a really unique take that I kind of loved. She played her like a bird-- twitchy, always on the verge of panic-- which is such a great choice given the symbolism around the character. I want to scream how much I love this: it ties her to the "Beggar Woman"! Lucy was also very twitchy and jerky, what with the being crazy and all, and it was such a smart way to subtly show that these two are related without the audience being able to realize the connection until the reveal.
Pirelli (Daniel Torres), my beloved. I've never seen a single bad Pirelli.
The guy (John Rapson) playing Beadle Bamford was SO hammy and it was SO good. Super flamboyant, expertly annoying and able to switch so quickly to smarmy and cruel. His timing and tone in Parlor Songs was so fucking funny.
Judge Turpin (Jamie Jackson) honestly kind of took me out of it whenever he was around. He played Turpin as sort of a creepy but ultimately frail geezer. To me, Turpin is usually meant to be like large and intimidating and overbearing. He's an enormous shadow that swallows people. This one to me was just sort of...a grandpa. I didn't feel the evil enough.
Anthony (Jordan Fisher), also my beloved. This guy had, IMO, the most beautiful voice of them all. Like, so beautiful that the sound itself, not the subject matter, made me teary at times., especially during Johanna. Had just the sweetest face and most charming demeanor- didn't feel put on at all. So earnest and naïve and passionate. In general just "have you ever heard a voice and seen a man so beautiful that you cried".
Not much to say about Lucy (Ruthie Ann Miles), and not in a bad way. She had a beautiful voice and played the role well.
Set:
So cool! The show starts in London, with just Sweeney and Anthony standing in front of a bridge. The bridge then becomes the upper room: the flashback for Poor Thing, the upper parlor, Johanna's window. It was abstract for some scenes, like Johanna's window, but it felt very natural. Like there was literally no window, just her looking out between the rails, but you got that it was a window. What was, if I remember correctly, a crane on the side rotated to become the stairs leading down to the cellar, with the "meat hatch" on the back. Again, not sure I'm remembering correctly-- the set is very dark at times and purposely makes you think you're looking at something entirely different-- but I believe the same part had this little niche that became the asylum. Also, of course, the chair. I don't think I have a single complaint about the set. It was clever and wonderful.
A/V:
In the beginning, in his first few lines in The Ballad of Sweeney Todd, Sweeney's mic wasn't working. I hissed internally. It was only a few seconds but I felt the "NOOOO" inside of me that I guess comes from having spent a lot of time hanging with the guys in the A/V booth in high school productions.
I really liked the lighting for the most part. What struck me most was when the ensemble sang. The fog rolled around their feet, the stage entirely dark but for them. At the end Ballad when they were all lined up at the very front of the stage ("Isn't that Sweeney there beside you?" "There! There!"), the light shone up under their feet and gave them this gargoyle-ish look, so stark and deliciously unnerving. My only complaint was this like bright white flashing during City on Fire, but tbh I don't really love that scene anyway, I think it's kind of out of place, so whatevs.
Another petty thing that's less me saying "this was bad" and more me going "nooooooo"- Johanna shooting Fogg...her action didn't quite match up with the bang. Oof ouch.
Choreography/scenes/songs/general thoughts:
The flashback sequence of Poor Thing seems to be done differently every time I see it, but it's always good. This one was really abstract but incredibly striking. Todd and Lovett were lit up below in the shop, and above them it was all silhouettes on the bridge. Lucy moved like Johanna (again, aaah such a good choice), twitchy and nervous. The scenes weren't direct portrayals as it usually is (i.e. Lucy cradling the baby, Beadle and Turpin calling to her, Turpin descending on her at the party) - it was more like interpretive dance and it was very compelling.
Ngl, I didn't enjoy A Little Priest as much as I normally do, although the audience clearly loved it so, y'know. Art is subjective. But Lovett was a little too over-the-top (at one point she collapses laughing on the floor and propels herself around in a little circle), and I didn't get a real sense of mirth from Sweeney.
There is this point in the show, in general, that I love because of the audience. The play is funny. It's really, laugh-out-loud funny. Some scenes are just absolutely ridiculous and it WORKS. But there is a point-- it sort of starts during Not When I'm Around but really kicks in after Parlor Songs, which is like the last funny moment. You spend the whole play going back and forth between Sweeney's intense brooding and Lovett's looniness, and it kind of lures you into lightheartedness despite some of what you're seeing and hearing. It all gets SHARPLY cut off (no pun intended I swear) when Sweeney kills Turpin. The audience goes totally silent and stays that way 'til the end. It's SO well done, it just makes your stomach drop, it takes your face in its hands and says "now here's the real shit". The silence pulls you in and it feels like everyone is holding their breath.
Hehehhehehe I love catching reactions of people who haven't seen the show before. I saw at least one person with their hands over their mouth when they realized the beggar was Lucy.
There was some really great new little things I loved with Sweeney and Lovett. At the end of A Little Priest, instead of the two of them standing there triumphantly, they both slam a butcher knife and a rolling pin down on the table in time with the final note and then the stage goes totally dark.
In the same vein as the above- at the end, usually Sweeney and Lovett kind of look at each other from opposite sides of the stage and then it goes dark. Sometimes there's a door slam. In this one, they turn their backs to the audience and walk through the fog toward the back of the stage. In the very final moment, they clasp hands and jump together into an unseen pit. Like they literally walked hand-and-hand into hell. Internally, I'm making high-pitched sounds over how much I love that.
The ensemble was fascinating. Lots of jerky, kind of interpretive movements. In the beginning Ballad they do this thing where they all simultaneously start drifting to the side and then they suddenly stumble. In God, That's Good! they just sort of slowly lay Toby down on the table and then drag him off. It was weird, but a very intriguing kind of weird. It really unsettled you, which I think the ensemble as "the people of London" is supposed to do. They are meant to be unpredictable, dreamy, listless, and at other times wild. Neato.
I'm sure there's more I can say but I can't think of it right now so let's just stop me here because I've been writing for over an hour. Overall: Really enjoyed it, would recommend. I do wish I knew what Josh Groban Sweeney was like though.
If you actually read all this: Did you see it? Tell me what you thought! I truly really would love to hear about it.
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fadedanimated · 22 days
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the characters!
hello guys, it's Joy - the head script-writer for the new and upcoming animated show, "Faded". "Faded" is a show about a group of five colorful graffiti artists, living in a black and white world. The show is currently looking for more script-writers, animators and story-boarders! Make sure to check out the audition / fan server if you're interested, or just wanna chill with a bunch of cool people waiting for the show!! Please keep in mind you need to be between the ages of 13 and 25 to audition. If you wanna join the server, you can either DM me here on tumblr, or message the director directly on discord - their url is yellow_hat <3
and just for you, I'm here to share the main five!
Felix
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Felix is very much the child of the group (quite literally, he's a child). He is an absolute sunshine character, super sweet and innocent and he's baby and we love him <3 He's also the best artist of the group, despite being the youngest! Felix is voiced by Pancake King ^^
Clem
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Clem is the oldest of the group, comes from an aristocratic family, has a posh British accent and doesn't like it when people swear. He tries to take charge of the group but fails often miserably. He's a coffee addict, and is the group's designated driver!! He's a nervous wreck and I love him to bits <33 Clem is voiced by Kit ^^
Damien
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Damien is the kind of person that is just... always looking for a fight. He is very tall, and he likes to use his height to intimidate people. He's also easily angered, and doesn't like people telling him what to do, but honestly that's so real of him. Imo he's a sweetheart, he just has some anger issues!! /hj Damien is voiced by Ivy ^^
Vex
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I'm not gay for Vex,I'm not gay for Vex,I'm not gay for Ve-
Vex is sarcastic, sassy, and enjoys arguing with Damien. Most of her jokes are sex related, and she swears a fair amount, which kinda sorta pisses off Clem (also she's hot). Vex is voiced by Zeova ^^
Unnamed
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This character's name has not yet been announced, but trust me it's a really cool and fitting name for her ^^ She LOVES making weapons, which is such a valid thing to like doing imo. She's often lost in thought, thinking up some amazing plans probably. She also owns two daggers and is a really good fighter. She's also a bit of a control freak, but aren't we all? Unnamed is voiced by the Wacky Dot ^^
Here's one of our tiktok videos with the VA's, if you wanna go there to hear their voices! : https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGe5yeH5s/
I hope to see you on the server soon!! Stay tuned for more show updates <33
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