#slapstick!gremlin

[aziraphalesbookkeeper]

who wants to write this dadrius fic for me

#listen i love the concept of hunter collapsing into darius's arms as much as the next gremlin #but you really think hunter would RELAX seeing a coven head??? #bitch NO that boy would be teleporting out of there so fast #frantically casting magic so fast he almost leaves behind his arm #darius has to CHASE HIM DOWN and he's SO MAD about it #like this mf kid he tried to arrest me literally 20 minutes ago #give me the slapstick of hunter easily teleporting out of any abomination goo #ITS JUST GOO HE CAN BLITZ RIGHT THROUGH IT #it takes the combined power of three adult coven heads to catch this kid #even then it's mostly bc hunter is too exhausted to keep teleporting #meanwhile the Adults are like !!! fuck be CAREFUL we cant hurt the baby #but the baby is a feral little shit at the end of his rope ready to fight for his life #toh #toh spoilers

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - 2 GREAT Shows but everything else is kinda blah

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top. Happy new year, BLabies!

Jan 2024 Wk 1

Ongoing Series - Thai

Last Twilight (Fri YT) ep 9 of 12 - This show is really earning its chops, and these actors are executing beautifully. I think this is a great BL, and it reminds me quite a bit of ATOTS, only the physical comfort between the actors is more genuine and easy to watch. Unfortunately a guitar came out. Nice communication tho.

That was a very lovely romantic sex scene. Very prettily done. Classy boys, very classy.

Gah what a beautiful final scene with Day saying the last thing he wants to see is Mhork. Pure unadulterated romance of the highest order.

The Sign (Sat YT) ep 7 of 12 - If killer, why hot? Poor Tarn compelled to try to rescue everyone else from their fate, because he cannot save himself from his.

Meanwhile Phaya is finally learning that you catch more water snakes with honey lube than vinegar.

Stellar confession from Phaya brutally honest and very fated mates.

And another lovely sex scene, so I guess that was a vision and not a fantasy Tharn had.

Lets be clear those two shows were GREAT everything else this week was kinda blah.  

For Him (Thurs iQIYI) ep 6 of 12 - I find the backstory very odd. Are they twins? What happened to Blue? Am I meant to care? Do I care? 

Twins the series (Fri GaGa) ep 10 of 12 - I mostly just feel sorry for First. He’s so rightfully confused. Zee/Sprite keeps blowing hot and cold because they two different people! The after sex cuddle was cute. 

Pit Babe (Fri iQIYI) ep 8 of 14 - Love getting more JeffAlan. Also I switch favorite character allegiances in the trash watch happening here.

Cooking Crush (Sun YT) ep 6 of 12 - Didn’t air this week and I hardly noticed. 

You and My Stars YT 1 of 2(?) - school kids, love triangle, it’s cute enough.

My Universe (Sun iQIYI) 1626 ep 20 of 24 - Just so boring. 3/10 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

VIP Only (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 8 of 10 - I’m not into the love triangle. Although I kind of like the new suitor, he’s honest and a good communicator. I appreciate these things in a BL boy. But I begin to wonder if triangles should be left for KBL. Also, this should have been an 8 epper, 10 is too long.

Sahara-sensei to Toki-kun (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 5 of 8 - No ep until Jan 12 

I Became the Main Role of a BL (Japan Sun Gaga) ep 1-3 - AKA BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita: Crank Up Hen - A rising star is paired with an (older) former child actor (doesn’t think he’s good enough) in a BL series. It’s fun, built on a dynamic of off screen paralleling the on screen, so near constantly meta. All the tropes are there but are as a result of the filming process. The star turns out to be obsessed with the former actor and very dorky about it. In fact, everyone in this show is a little gremlin weirdo (affectionate). There’s tons of scenery chewing miscommunication drama, slapstick, voice over head hopping, and eccentric sides characters. “And he comes with feathers” applies to a number of my friends. You know I don’t like stories around fan obsession, but otherwise this was enjoyable. 8/10

A nice start to the JBL year. Keep em coming, Japan.  

It's done I Need to Catch up

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - will binge when I have a spare day.

It's Airing But...

[INTERNATIONAL] Cherry Magic (Sat YouTube) ep 3 of 12 - yeah Japan put the smack down on our boys. Sadness. You can use a VPN if you like. Read all about it here.

Playboyy (Thurs Gaga) 14 eps - Dear Playboyy, it's not you, it’s me… I hate you. You’re about as deep (and as palatable) as a shot glass of cum. While I'm sure you’re someone’s kink, you're my weakest link. Goodbye. I DNFed this at ep 5. Frankly I'm impressed with myself for getting that far.

Night Dream (Sat YT) 6 eps - It’s a pain to track down and I really didn’t like the first episode so… DNF  

The Whisperer (Sun ????) 10 eps - Thai horror BL that ALSO involves cheating (what joy is mine). I don't think even the perfect single dimple can motivate me to watch. Word is... it's terrible.

7 Days Before Valentine (Weds WeTV) 10 eps - Giving me Luminous Solution vibes. I'm waiting to binge if safe.

Dead Friend Forever (Thai Sat iQIYI) - horror, meh, tell me if it's worth my time?

In Case You Missed it

All my year end round ups (so far) are as follows:

TOP 10 BL Trends of 2023

Top 10 BL Secondary Pairs of 2023

2023 BLs Best Trope Execution Awards! TOP 10

Best Back Hugs Thailand & Elsewhere

BL 2023 - Cute Bits of Domesticity

BL 2023 - Boys Feeding Boys

BL 2023 - BOOP!

All the BLs Announced for 2023 that didn't happen

Next Week Looks Like This

Starting This Week:

1/9 Time the series (Thai Gaga, WeTV, Channel 3) 10 eps - MFlow Entertainment brings us yet another "fix the past" narrative. After witnessing the gunning down of his beloved, a heartbroken actor uses a magic pocket watch to go back in time and discover the truth and maybe fix it.

1/11 Although I Love You and You AKA Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka (Japan Gaga) - Soga, who, after a divorce and relocation to Osaka, seeks solace in dining at 26-year-old Sakae's restaurant. Unbeknownst to Soga, Sakae sees him as more than just a regular customer.

More Coming Jan 2024

Beside You (Thai YouTube)

Love For Love's Sake (Korea ????)- based on the Manhwa ‘Love Supremacy Zone’ by Hwacha. A young man is dropped into a game based off a novel he loves. His mission is to make another player, YeoWoon happy. But then the game starts unfolding completely different from the novel.

Ossans Love Season 2 (Japan ????) - five years later, will anything have changed? This is Japan so... probubly not. I won't be watching this.

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Yes, you SHOULD apologize!

This was a FANTASTIC moment! Last Twilight

Night Dream referencing the Shrimp Trope.

Some didn't like this bit BUT I love a claiming moment, even in a briefing room... especially there.

I ALSO love a good Grandma Moment in a BL.

Such a good sex scene. The Sign

(Last week)

#two great sex scenes this week! #both from thailand #thai bl #Last Twilight #The Sign #this week in bl #bl updates #the sign the series #for him the series #Twins the series #I Became the Main Role of a BL #Japanese BL #BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita: Crank Up Hen #BL series review #taiwanese bl #PitBabe #Night Dream

[jojotier]

Okey but I need to know what is Karkat character like in the CW version or if Karkat watches any of the shows

oh Karkat fucking hates the fact that these shows exist. He accidentally catches the HBO's Homestuck episode centering around murderstuck and it ends up sending him into a Depressive Spiral he's gotta call his therapist about. at first he tries to avoid any mention of the shows but then his friends start watching them and the little gremlin in his brain telling him to hatewatch shit is immediately activated.

so he finally does hatewatch them. understandably, he hates the CW's Homestuck more because it portrays him as a pathetic loser who only becomes even vaguely competent when someone's love lives are on the line. CW murderstuck is played as a slapstick comedy where CW Tavros accidentally stabs himself with a hidden blade in his Pupa Pan hat and CW Vriska just comically whistles as she walks away and CW Gamzee is dressed up as a human clown, not a jugalo, who rather than being given to religiously zealous rage just decides to play a series of pranks which increasingly go wrong. it's all a joke and Not A Very Good One.

and he hatewatches HBO's Homestuck but he just keeps being taken aback because it's so faithful but like... done in a tasteful way, almost? The murderstuck is exactly the same but this time the showrunner adds this detail where HBO Sollux, blind, wakes up and drags himself over to HBO Feferi's corpse, calling her name, voice cracking, breaking down as he gently cradles her in his arms; the bit where he's stabbed by Jack is exactly the same, but there's an added detail where before the final battle HBO Jack and HBO Karkat have one final goodbye.

HBO Karkat breaks down because he's sleep deprived and scared and 6 sweeps old and doesn't want to die (in real life, Karkat wasn't afforded this luxury) and HBO Jack kinda looks around and awkwardly consoles him, patting his shoulder and talking about the nature of fear and how sometimes it's better to feel it and do it anyway than to never fear at all. It's this beautiful bonding moment and Karkat's just stricken because HBO's Homestuck is 100%, completely sincere.

So he looks up interviews with the showrunner (hemoanonymous Leoxri, speaking gently, reverently, a troll through and through and so damnably open about his faith in the Gods) and the actors (they love each other, they support each other, the actor playing him is a 6 sweep old mutant, Risnel, who's so meek and gentle Karkat knows the kid would've never survived on Alternia), trying to find more to hate, but he can't, and it makes him so angry because in the end they're all still using his trauma and his dead friends for entertainment. no matter the intention. no matter the faith. they're just a story to these people.

CW's Homestuck is easier to hate. at least the showrunner hates Karkat just as much as Karkat hates him.

#hbo v cw au #homestuck #karkat vantas #lexori martin #risnel aquinn #death mention #earth c #sincerity is the most baffling emotion that one can encounter tbh #i get why karkat reacts the way he does jhbn

[nautiscarader]

okay so I have returned to watching Steven Universe earlier seasons( I was late to the party, joined regularily in S4)

And I am mid-season 2.

And Peridot walks onto stage properly.

And...

I am fully convinced that writers have been possessed by spirits of Marx brothers because the entire bathroom imprisonment-and-interrogation scene made me laugh for hours.

with the crowning jewel,or gem of this:

And then there is the barn, and the COCKING SCRAPHEAP-CHALLENGE MECHA BATTLEso they can decide who will build the drill to julesverne into the center of earth

And the last episode with Peridot watching a show and getting overcomplicated shipping chart and trying to explain this to poor Steven.

I mean, this IS tumblr in one GIF! I didn't know it was possible to compress the entire culture of overfixated nerds into one GIF,but lo and behold!

But it's not just slapstick... because in-between those mishaps,. Peridot grows... and learns. Becomes more understanding,more compassionate, stronger and independent.

And in the final moment, by calling Yellow Diamond a clod, she becomes a Crystal Gem, after thousand of years.

What I'm trying to ask is...

IS IT TOO LATE FOR ME TO JOIN THE "Peridot is the best space gremlin" CLUB?

And do I have to pay late membership fees - because I am willing to!

#steven universe #peridot

[alexis-royce]

Mr Pages- 4, 8, 9, 21

Ask game time!

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?

Either more visual novels, or a prose novel! I think that it’s nice to have a little time to puzzle out Pagemanteaus, and spoken media might go by a little too quickly for that. Also, unless you are literally Stupendium, putting Pages into a musical would be doomed to failure. The difficulty bar is absurdly high.

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

I’m not a fan of questions like this! I think that unless it’s a genuine ethical issue like harassment, complaining about fandom creations is stirring up trouble and complaining about stuff that people make in their free time, for no pay, and often with no training. Also? The FL community tends to be pretty erudite and fun-loving. Everyone who memes on Pages gets the appeal! I always like seeing it, even if I’m too shy to interact sometimes.

So I guess instead, I’ll try to give advice? If you’re drawing Pages, I think that it’s fun to go exaggerated with the body language. Since you can’t see its face, most of the emotion will be stored in the pose. The other masters are better at acting spooky and stoic than Pages is. Pages is a fucking gremlin. ❤️

9. Could you be roommates with this character?

ABSOLUTELY NOT. My favorite characters are generally somewhat amoral and obnoxious, and Pages fits the bill for this. Let’s be real: Pages is a messy bitch who loves drama and canceling people for their problematic writing. Pages would take one look at a trans dude who writes weird smut with flawed characters and whoops I’m quickly dogpiled and in prison.

Pages is my worst nightmare but it is very fun to imagine a character (The Academic) who could survive it. Power fantasies come in all shapes and sizes.

21. If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?

I love writing pagemeanteaus. IRL I struggle to verbalize my thoughts often, and though I have a large vocabulary, I tend to get stuck when I can’t remember words. Sometimes simple ones. It’s very frustrating to stand there trying to talk with a brain that just stopped working. So I love that while writing, I can just bullshit words instead. Whenever I stumble I can just cramsert whatever makes sense into Pages’ speechandering style of speaking.

On the other hand, I have difficulty balancing how romantic to make Pages, with how antagonistic. I know that my characterization is much less brooding and mysterious than in canon (especially MotR. That one needs for Pages to represent the masters as a group for most of its plot, so it comes across as much more muted). I tend to lean on Pages’ depiction in Hearts Desire, which is lullingly affable, until the instant it’s not getting what it wants, whereupon it can be venomous. But I get the feeling that Pages really does like human romance, and its desires would be a little more mainstream than the curator fight-flirting I tend to write. If I were trying to write as canonically as possible, I’d tone that stuff down.

But sadly, I love antagonistic nemesis comedic pseudo-romances with blustery infodumping old guys, so you’re stuck with me writing Pages with a very low spooky and traditionally romantic stats. It’s autism and slapstick murder hours 24/7 in my house. ❤️

#Sorry can’t write simmering and smouldering and tall dark and handsome #Too busy laughing and stirring my tea and nodding dreamily at the nerd who won’t shut up about the thing they like #Fallen London #Fallen London Spoilers #Mr Pages

[thedeleteduser]

Meet Jeremy!

Another outcast in the Worker Drones community, this high-strong oddball uses cartoony slapstick to manipulate the rules of gravity and whatnot. He since has declared Uzi as his “best nemesis,” seeing her as the main character due to traumatic events unfolding onto her. Basically, Jeremy’s personality is the mischievous gremlin counterpart to her with the exception of being egotistical and arrogant—except more childlike. Often, he tries to set several traps in Uzi’s way, somewhat like a cartoon villain… except that they don’t work most of the time.

“It’s Jermin’ time!”

(This OC could be considered a joke OC, or frankly just a normal OC.)

#murder drones oc #uzi doorman #murder drones #murder drones fanart #murder drones art #its jermin’ time

[best-underrated-anime]

Best Underrated Anime Group E Round 1: #E2 vs #E7

#E2: Psychic girl is adopted by Yakuza. Hijinks ensue.

While reveling in the successful clinching of a prized vase for his collection, Yoshifumi Nitta, a yakuza member, is rudely interrupted when a large, peculiar capsule suddenly materializes and falls on his head. He opens the capsule to reveal a young, blue-haired girl, who doesn't divulge anything about herself but her name—Hina—and the fact that she possesses immense powers. As if things couldn't get any worse, she loses control and unleashes an explosion if her powers remain unused. Faced with no other choice, Nitta finds himself becoming her caregiver.

#E7: Teenage boys use empathy to solve problems for youkai.

Without realizing it, a high schooler named Ashiya Hanae shows kindness to a youkai and is subsequently possessed by it on the first day of class. The spirit clings to his shoulder, making him progressively sicker each day. After a week of collapsing on his way into school, Ashiya notices a “Help Wanted” flyer for an exorcism service in the nurse’s office. Desperate, he calls the service, only to find that it is run by his grumpy classmate.

Abeno Haruitsuki prefers youkai to humans, sleeps through class, and is the master of a sentient tea room called the Mononokean, where youkai come for help with their problems. It turns out that they’re mostly benign, and exorcising them to the Underworld is safer for them. Ashiya convinces Abeno to exorcise the spirit possessing him, but Abeno demands he work part-time for the Mononokean as repayment. Abeno’s intimate knowledge of the spirit world and Ashiya’s empathetic nature form a great contrast as they work together.

Titles, propagandas, trailers, and poll under the cut!

#E2: Hinamatsuri

Propaganda 1:

Hinamatsuri is about…

Hina, who is a psychic metaphor for autism ala Mob but imo better. She’s not only a weirdgirl who’s friends are almost all other strange girls, but she’s also into stuff that is just so either unfitting for her age or she’s just really intense about.

Nitta, who deserves all the fangirls and husbando-ing that every other random guy in anime gets. He’s a bachelor who loves pottery and can cook so well that Hina convinces her friends they have a gourmet chef working for them. He’s also a yakuza and is beloved by the aniki for being incredibly tough and scary. (He is gentle as hell with Hina.)

A bunch of other weird girls (Admin: this part of the propaganda has been cut due to possible spoilers)

Propaganda 2:

Hinamatsuri is an absolutely hilarious anime with some of the best comic timing I’ve ever seen. It’s so funny, the various girls are such nonsense.

Hina starts as a violent blank slate and develops into a lazy greedy horrible little gremlin. Anzu starts as a prideful edgy rival but eventually becomes a wholesome overly grateful insecure mess. Hitomi is forced to become more and more competent, independent, and adult because she can't stand up for herself and say no to people asking her for favors.

Nitta is a fantastic viewpoint character because he outwardly takes so much in stride that it’s easy to forget how annoyed and stressed everything makes him until he snaps.

Trigger Warnings: There is child nudity, but only for a Terminator reference. There is some comedic child neglect and slapstick. There is a child who is homeless, but it’s treated very sensitively.

#E7: The Morose Mononokean (Fukigen na Mononokean)

[Admin: Submitter had linked the season 2 trailer—which also happens to be blocked in my country. I’m replacing it with the s1 trailer, but it sadly does not have any subs. But if you’ve read the summary, then the trailer is easy to understand.]

Propaganda:

The Morose Mononokean is a beautifully written and animated coming-of-age story— with youkai, which can only ever make a piece of media better. The characters, both human and youkai, are fully three-dimensional, and although there isn’t much of an overarching plot in the first season/early manga chapters, the episodic stories contribute to the growth of both Ashiya and Abeno; their juxtaposed methods of problem-solving, and the way they affect and learn from each other’s perspectives as they become closer, are very satisfying both to analyze and to experience on an emotional level. Beyond the writing, the art is outstanding as well. The designs for the youkai characters are frequently adorable, occasionally terrifying, and always quite original, brilliantly incorporating characteristics of existing creatures in novel ways. The occasional visits to the Underworld are always a visual treat, with vibrant colors and a unique animation style painting the backdrop. Both the art and the characters are delightful and moving, and the OP is a banger. As a connoisseur of urban fantasy, Fukigen na Mononokean’s focus on emotion over action has made it my all-time favorite anime in the genre.

Trigger Warnings: None.

If you’re reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.

#anime #best underrated anime #polls #poll tournament #tournament #anime tournament #animation #animated show #group stage #group stage round 1 #tournament polls #hinamatsuri #the morose mononokean #fukigen na mononokean #group e

[subject-2-change]

Which TTS character do you think has the most and least gremlin energy?

Okay so main cast? Varian the most, Eugene the least. But that's boing. I'm gonna go to all named characters:

Most? King Trevor. My man saw shiny rock and said "gotta have it to court my lady" (turned out of be an egg). He dances like a well trained maniac. He pulls childish pranks on the neighboring king. He has a pet seal who he THREW A WEDDING FOR. This guy is a gremlin, just with status and money.

Least? Vex, 100%. She is the most straight-man character I can even think of in the show. Yes, she's down for the violence and all, but I wouldn't say that makes her a gremlin. All of her actions are predictable and follow a nice arc. She doesn't get wrapped up in the sentimentality of the group. I was tempted to say Quaid, but man has a hyperfixation with bees. That's at least a little gremlin. Vex doesn't really get wild, or have a kooky slapstick moment, or hoard things. She's too busy being a bad bitch to be a gremlin.

#answered #anonymous #thanks for the ask. this was a fun thought experiment #tts

[dizzyhslightlyvoided]

There needs to be more Neco-Arc type characters. Just take the main character of an otherwise completely serious story, make a fucked-up chibi gremlin catgirl version who obeys Looney Tunes slapstick physics. And then put that character canonically in the top ten listing for the most powerful characters in the entire setting. What the fuck.

#shenanigans #neco arc #neco-arc #let's ruin video games #let's ruin anime #queue continuum #tsukihime #nasuverse

[sugarswampsiren]

Been playing BYOC with my family and it hit my love for Pizza Tower, plus also I need to draw more.

So here's a Voise going gremlin mode (a bit of Violent Thaddeus Noise if you will... cuz their first name is Violette.) Voise is a pretty mellow kid honestly, definitely so when compared to their parents, but the feralness is there, if you piss them off just right.

I see a lot of people depict Noisette as using hammers, but I personally don't get it, however Voise definitely does seem like a blunt weapon type of kid. You gotta practice a bit of slapstick comedy as the heir of the Noise empire.

(EDIT color corrected thanks to the help of my partner )

#digital art #pizza tower #fancharacter

[neonross]

I like how tumblr has become that gremlin grandma you have that either joins in on the antics or causes them-

literally the slapstick checkmark that convinced ppl to buy it for the joke-

is equivalent to a grandma tricking you to do her chores in the house in the wildest way possible

#tumblr is an old gremlin lady

[tpher]

What would you think Danny's personality would be like?

i struggle so much w it 😭 but the tldr is that he is fiery, passionate, and short-tempered. he is loud and abrasive. his main motivator is what would be the most fun for him specifically, making him rude when it comes to being mindful of others. he doesnt care abt what other think of him, but is also completely comically oblivious to how much they dislike him. basically picture a liiittle more of a ""chaos gremlin""/'always giving their 100%' type character rather an apathetic chill "cool" character. picture him yelling and he has funny sharp teeth. picture a character that would absolutely be drawn much shorter than he actually is by the fandom

the flipside to his nastiness is 1) it mostly being framed as unserious/unrealistic/cartoony. he is kinda cool in an edgy but hes clearly not someone u should look up to. 2) he often gets karma in the form of slapstick physical pain whether its from being an intern or getting in a fight. 3) his way of being makes him quite functional so he gets stuff done and at times his way of treating others ironically serves as a motivator/tough love for them

#oc posting #u could keep asking more specific questions and i'll try my best !!!

[beellusion]

Hello im back from my break ithink but meet my two ocs!!

they aren't new ocs since these are actually a revamp of their references, and i haven't drew them for so long lol.

anyway for a brief explanation these two are basically 'the chaotic gremlin and the tired mf' dynamic,they gone through their daily lives with some slapstick adventures iguess..i dont know what to explain more rn HAHA

havesome doodles too of these btw (i think these would explain abt them better)

that's all, time for me to go and *faceplants to the floor*

---------------

(Do not repost.)

#ocs #oc reference

[thatll-do]

top five favorite video game characters?

Ok, so I originally had this whole thing with pics and gifs typed out, and I was on the last sentence before posting answer when tumblr glitched out and deleted all of it. So Imma redo it and hopefully do the original draft justice, but without gifs and pics just in case that was what screwed it up

Edit: it happened a third time >:(

1: As a devout Haru stan and apologist, it pains me a little to say that I have not had the full Haru experience, having not played any of the spinoffs or supplementary material outside of Persona 5 Royal, and we are not counting the Haru that exists only in my head, which is why despite my love for her, I cannot in good conscious call her one of my favorite video game characters, yet. With that in mind, I will have to with mild begrudges have to hand it to Futaba. What can I say? I have no choice but to stan an internationally wanted hacker who is capable of shutting down governments from her phone while being incapable of calling the pizza place down the road without going into a nervous breakdown. Plus, have you seen her? She smol. Diminutive. Gremlin shaped. Perfectly scampable. Plus, I feel she provides a very welcome change of pace with her palace in the story, being the only one where the antagonist is not some overtly hostile villain being quite refreshing for when she comes into the story, with her overall arc being very satisfying to watch play out, both in the grand narrative and in her smaller personal interactions. However, I must admit I'm not overtly fond of how navigators are used in Persona games, with them feeling generally detached from the general gameplay loop of them not being active party members, but as someone who doesn't typically go for JRPG's I am totally willing to recognize this may just be a me thing and that my sensibilities might not quite line up with how these things typically go

2: Surprise motherfucker! Nobody expects Wheatley! Which is a shame, because he's great, but it's understandable. On the one hand, you have GLaDOS, who was scientifically engineered to be fucking hilarious at every possible moment. And then in the other corner you have Chell, a fine self insert to insert your sense of self into, who shoots things when you tell her to. But people often overlook this little metal ball of idiocy, and what he brings to the table. First, he brings a very different kind of humor to the table that I think tends to go a bit underappreciated by the audience, and I'm not just talking about the slapstick and general incompetency, although that is also top notch. Honestly, just his inane ramblings are fucking comedy gold on their own that I could listen to for hours. He's also surprisingly arguably a more effective antagonist than GLaDOS. I went into Portal 2 almost completely blind, and while GLaDOS's insults were funny, they never really like stung or anything. There wasn't any real substance to it, it was just a one-sided hatred from my perspective. But Wheatley? When he did his heel-turn, I was in active shock. It took me several seconds to fully process what the fuck had just occurred. Unlike GLaDOS, there was a genuine bond formed, and breaking that opened so many doors despite slamming my fingers in them. And highlights what he does incredibly well. He brings a certain element of chaos and danger that GLaDOS could never have due to the fact that she has a functional sense of self preservation. With GLaDOS, you know what you're in for. She's gonna try to kill you, but she's gonna do it through elaborate traps and her patent pending Aperture Science Testing Chambers, but never directly, and she sticks to those rules. She is bound to them, and because of that you can plan around them and monkey your way out of it. But Wheatley? Wheatley in charge of Aperture is like a ticking time bomb without the watch. He doesn't even know what the rules are, otherwise he wouldn't mash two testing tracks together like a four-year-old smashing two lego master-builder sets together and almost accidentally killing you in the process.

3: Madeline, from Celeste. She is trans and I can project myself onto that

Not much else to say, really

4: Nope, you're not getting off that easy. The actual thing about Maddy is that, genderisms aside, I don't think I've ever felt quite as seen as I have with her. Celeste, by all accounts, is a very simple game. Both in terms of story and mechanics. The story is you climb a magical mountain in Canada, and the mechanics are run, jump, and climb. But it's how these two interplay to put you in the mindset of her, how anxiety hounds you, how it unnerves and undermines you, getting you stuck doing the same things making the same mistakes over and over again, is where Madeline really strikes a chord with me. And the game really doesn't shy away from how "tricks" and coping techniques can help but they're not a cure-all, they don't always work. Your fears and worries will break through, and you can try to ignore them, or leave them behind entirely, but you really can't. The only way to deal with them is to accept them for what they are, that they're just a part of you but you nonetheless and need to work with them. Her frankly snippy personality is also appreciated, because like, while it's not the nicest thing it's refreshing to see someone who's kinda just really tired of people act on that annoyance even if it's not strictly other people's fault for setting it off. And also her being trans just really brings it in for me

Actual number 4: This may be because I'm a horny shill, or maybe because I would prefer to liken myself as something of a philosopher, but I find myself drawn to 2B and her plights and think that the world of Nier:Automata provides some of the most profound and insightful moments modern gaming can offer. She's something of a stoic hardass, meant to be unfeeling of the world around her but still taking note of the absurdity of it all and sometimes going along with the unexpected asides from the farce she finds herself in. For all intents and purposes, she's just a cog in the machine, just a perfect mindless unthinking AI soldier in a proxy war with machine enemies that has spanned millennia. But as much as she plays the part, she can't help but display an overt world-weary awareness of her role that she's lived and relived time and time again. It may be only displayed subtly most of the time, but those tinges in her interactions quickly bleed out once you get a fuller picture of the story at hand.

5: Ok, as tempted as I was to put a FromSoft character here, even I have to admit that I find their interactable NPC's rather lacking. And while I like a fair amount of them, I would never call them my top of the list favorites. Instead, I'll go with my favorite companion who is trapped in one of my least favorite games, Curie from Fallout 4. I'll try to keep this spoiler free since I think you've been playing it and I don't wanna ruin anything for you, but simply put Curie is a sweetheart. You find her long abandoned in what was one of the most monstrous vaults designed, made purely to violate every medical ethics code in the book, but she spends her days toiling away trying to create medicines instead. After nearly 200 years alone, she's eager to explore the world, and she just has this bright-eyed curiosity about the wasteland that's rather infectious. Where most people see ruins and decay, she sees resilience and life persisting, and that kind of optimism in such a jaded setting hits like a hot shower after a filthy day outside. She's not terribly complicated, but she doesn't need to be

#sometimes i answer these things

[feralmoonlight]

Hi, hi! :D I just read Hands on Experience and I'm really liking it!! Sun's nature as a caretaker really shines in this fic and I really love how you write his character! He's so affectionate right from the get go and while in the first chapter he was very handsy, the sickness chapter makes it clear he would have very readily respected it if y/n had stated they were uncomfortable with it. All around he's very caring and very sweet and nearly all his interactions had me smiling haha!

I'm also really curious how things are gonna go with Moon, since he's mentioned a couple of times. I have the feeling he has already grown fond of y/n because they have taken him into consideration, speaking to him directly and talking about not wanting to get on his bad side. We'll have to see how this dynamic affects his behavior in combination with the virus, since in Chapter 6 he did not act violently at all. It could very well be because y/n had been asleep, but given Sun's surprise at no harm being done at all, it does seem he's acting a bit differently already. I wonder how his relationship is with Sun, since it appears not all that hostile from the small glimpses we've gotten.

Very nice fic, and I'm excited to see anything you have planned for it in the future! :D

You have NO IDEA how excited I am to start getting into the Moon side of things. There's a couple more teeeeeeny peeks here and there I have planned for the next chunk of chapters (which have actually started to get attention again woo!) But I'm also kicking myself at needing to get a chunk more... Ground laying chapters? Done before I can start chipping away at what I guess would be the second arc? Because that is gonna need to be a little more linear/chronological. Because Moon. And more so showing the progression of how that all works... Hhh but I am chomping at the bit for my boy.

I will say that Sun and Moon do have a mostly good relationship still? But Sun is also fully aware of the fact that something had changed Moon. He has always been a gremlin, and while his old antics would drive Sun nuts, deep down he does love how chaotic Moon could be and even if he's shaking his finger at how far he pushes the line on breaking rules himself... He's probably laughing at his shenanigans inside. They are both jesters after all, and it takes a lot for Sun to actually get and stay mad at Moon. So... Sun would be more verbal pranks and jokes and puns and teases, where Moon is more physical comedy and gags and some slapstick? Though both definitely enjoy both.

And I don't think that's too spoilery on their dynamic just yet.

[itsadragonaesthetic]

Dragon's Spooky Tales: The Little People

We're going into another spooky story about sleep paralysis... sort of.

This phenomenon has a lot of different titles, such as the shadow people, the gremlins, the little demons, etc etc. Most importantly, this seems to happen to only my family. Only a few years ago did we all realize that we were experiencing the same thing.

My mom has the most strange experiences of us all. She says that she often sees them acting out slapstick comedy or dramatic scenes, both when she's asleep and awake. My mom has schizophrenia/frequent hallucinations but I would call this quite atypical for her. Most of her hallucinations are auditory and around very specific subjects, none of which connect to the little people. Putting it broadly, her brain just works differently than other people's, and hallucinations aren't uncommon for her, but I still found it strange when she talked to me about it and it fit the description of me and my sister's experiences.

My sister has had lifelong encounters with these things, typically when she's asleep. We both experience them to appear the exact same. They are very small, around a foot tall at most. They are often skinny, like stick figures. Their feet and hands often end at a point. Sometimes they appear a bit more like gremlins. They seem almost like 2D animations caught in a 3D space. Their most prominent behavior is darting between shadows like they can only live in shadows. Another common behavior is laughter. Similar to the sound of an audience or auditorium laughing. We both would experience them as children, both asleep and awake. They were in nearly every dream I had sometimes. They induce a horrible sense of terror. Looking at them feels harmful to your brain it feels so scary. Few things in my waking life have ever scared me so much.

A recent encounter my sister had was very profound. She was asleep at someone's house when she dreamed of the little shadow people, doing their thing. Darting between shadows and laughing. However, they all start to shout the same thing,

"TURN OFF THE LIGHT!"

My sister eventually woke up and told the other person about the dream. He goes into the other room to find a piece of clothing on a lamp. The lamp was beginning to burn through the fabric and start a fire. My sister realized the shadow people somehow knew about this and were trying to wake them up to save them.

The most memorable experience I had happened a couple of years ago. I was asleep in my old bedroom. The room was totally dark except for a deep blue night light I kept at the other end of the room. I had awoken in a more asleep version of sleep paralysis; I was essentially just dreaming of being paralyzed in my room. The little people were darting in front of the light, laughing and terrifying me as they usually did. One that passed in front was different, however. Instead of having mostly human proportions, they looked like a small gremlin. Short legs, longer arms, and a big head. He scurried by and my vision focused on him like a camera zooming in and focusing. A giant chorus of audience laughter rang out. They terrified me. In the little time I saw them, something was conveyed to me. It was not said in words, but psychically spoken to me. I'll try a rough translation of what they would have said in words,

"You humans think you're so special huh? Look at me! I can walk on two legs too! Am I special now? Do I now have reign over the planet and all of its creatures? Am I better than everyone now? You idiots! You absolute idiots!" *terribly humiliating laughter*

I haven't really seen them much since then, but that really made a huge impact on me. It's as if a part of that message got ingrained into me and it returns furiously every time someone believes humans to be superior in any regard. I feel like I have to remind myself of it and tell others about that dream so that they won't come back and scare me into humility again. Every day I hope they're out there scaring a generation of children or maybe some dense politicians into species-wide humility. I also just hope they're having fun. Despite the fact that I'm terrified of them when I see them, and people always think I'm plagued by demons when I talk about it and I shouldn't be giving them power by talking about them, I like them. Just because they're not exactly... friendly and are pretty abrasive, they seem kind in their own way. I have had many more encounters with them, but these are just the most memorable ones.

#dragon's spooky tales #the little people #sleep paralysis #i know its not the same thing as the native American stories of little people #i know i know #but thats just what i called it when i was younger and i didn't want to call them demons or shadows anymore #cuz i didn't like demonizing them #i told some native friends about it and they thought it was kinda interesting