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frozen-fountain · 5 months

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Whenever you have time, I’d love some dvd style commentary on Spiced Black Tea.

What struck me about it when I read it way back, was the atmosphere. Having done a lot of hiking to small shelters and bothies myself, it was instantly familiar. Thought you captured the cosiness of such places really well, and how they invite confessions/intimacy. Maybe because they’re temporary, liminal spaces, with a certain kind of magic— the things that happen there have a different weight. (Or so I think anyway lol).

Maybe not a snippet exactly, but it was hard to choose a specific section!

Thank you for sending this, my dear! That is absolutely the atmosphere I was trying to go for, and since I don't actually have experience of a hike that takes more than one day yet, I'm really glad I was able to recreate that for Elena and Yuffie on vibe alone.

I ended up just sort of running with this where it took me, and I'm cutting it because it features discussion of attempted sexual assault, the sexualisation of underage girls, and the experience of being on the receiving end of a predatory gaze in general. Nothing graphic but be careful of your limits.

You've very much right that what transpired in that cabin was facilitated by the liminality of the space – temporary passing-through places, the small hours of the morning, the internet, all these ways you can end up feeling a little removed from reality and the allowance this grants for vulnerability that might never express itself in daylight. I think Yuffie and Elena would've gotten there eventually, but the snow definitely helped expedite the process a bit.

What I hadn't quite realised until I received this ask was that the fic was kind of a liminal space for me as well. Sexual violence isn't a topic I handle unless canon necessitates it, simply because I feel like I have very little of import or distinction to say on the matter. But if I was going to write these characters, I needed to address the whole of their stories, and I'm pretty proud of the fact that I managed to turn one of my least favourite scenes in the game into an opportunity to deepen both characters and talk about some real stuff.

Partway through the quest, the FFVII adventuring party is sidelined when Yuffie (who's sixteen) and Elena (who doesn't have a canon age but reads to me as around the same) are kidnapped and threatened with sexual slavery. It's played for laughs and never brought up again afterwards. On the one hand, it's clear in context that neither of them are at any point in any real danger, but on the other... there's more than could have been done here if it had to be included at all. The scene as a whole redeems itself somewhat and works as a fantastic “Hands across the aisle” moments for the protagonists and a squad of secondary antagonists, hinting at a lot of interesting characterisation for the latter – but almost none of that is extended to the girls who are suffering here, and I wasn't about to let that slide. They're both young people with a staunch, black and white view of the world and the conflict they find themselves on opposite sides of – I would've loved to see both of them reconsidering a few things in light of having a terrible experience in common with one of the enemy. In addition, they both hold themselves to very high standards, and very masculine standards at that; it's all about winning, dominating, besting, might making right. There's no way both of them aren't acutely aware that this never would've happened to them if they were boys, and no way it wouldn't haunt them in deep, self-image-shattering ways afterwards.

There's a lot of my experience in there, too, as a queer woman terrified of externalising and perpetuating a gaze that's predatory and invasive, no matter how unfounded that fear might be. I was twelve the first time I noticed an adult man taking notice of me; horrifying enough on its own, but as I grew older and heard more and more harrowing experiences from other women, I learned just how lucky I was to receive nothing more than a look, and to reach such a relatively high age when I did. The idea of having to consider myself fortunate for this is a black mark of shame across the whole world, and on a personal level, it made admitting and embracing my own attraction to women carry a lot of shame and guilt. Again, not as bad as many people from more actively homophobic backgrounds would have it, but enough to weigh on me. Of all the responses I've gotten to my writing over the years, I'm really proud of and touched by the comments from people with some similar personal histories to me and to the girls that said they felt comfortable reading, in the presence of and in a story concerning other women who understand. That's a badge of honour I'll take to the grave.

Somewhat relatedly, but another layer of the fic is its exploration of the hole Yuffie's barely remembered late mother left in her life, and the difficulty she has interfacing with other women because of it. If I recall correctly it's not something any comment I've received has really remarked on but I think I did a good job of weaving that aspect into the subtext, informing the main plot quietly. She's a character who isn't taken seriously or delved into by the fandom at large, at least in my experience, so I like to think I did my small part to contribute to that.

I'll take this opportunity to recommend the fic Scratching the Itch, which is the only one I've found to cover some similar territory. It's not romantic (though it is briefly gay) and it doesn't end with any sort of release or resolution, but it does a remarkable amount with a little.

#hrh-spinach #froze fics

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sablewritessometimes · 1 month

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(WIP) Grave Flowers

The title is mostly temporary just so it's not "Untitled Story" lol

Original Summary: Jacinta Jimenez was murdered by someone, and she gets the unique chance to figure out who it was. This is due to the work of an eccentric scientist named Camellia Flores who brought her back to life and is now offering to help catch the murderer, who is killing again. Along the way, Jacinta finds Remedios Rios, another victim who is revived thanks to Camellia, and they work together to solve the crime. But their problems may not end with their killer, as their giver of life seems to have some dark secrets of her own.

I know, it's pretty obvious what my inspirations were. I do, in fact, love Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, why do you ask? I love it so much I want to incorporate it into all my stories. But I had hoped to figure out a way to give it my own twist with a little murder mystery, which I also like. Another pattern you might notice in my original stories is that my characters will tend to be Mexican/Latino because I am Mexican and I like to write characters who have similar experiences as I do :)

Anyway, I have been focusing on this story for a while and it was the project I worked on this past NaNoWriMo. I think I'm generally finished with its first draft more or less so I've been wanting to write up a second draft, but I wanted to try to approach it from a different angle because I always have way too many ideas to try to cram into a single draft lol.

I want the second draft to be a bit more of a gothic horror story that focuses more on Remedios, who was a secondary character in the first draft. I also want Camellia to be a more obvious antagonist because she was more ambiguous in the first draft. I may post some excerpts or updates to my second draft as I work on it. Thanks for reading this far if you did! I know I ramble a lot but this is my first writing blog and I'm hoping that posting updates publicly will motivate me to keep writing.

Also I may try to create a specific tag to keep my updates/excerpts for this particular story organized.

#writing #wip #current wip #work in progress #my writing #my wips #*grave flowers #maybe the asterisk will help keep it unique to my blog idk lol #idk how writing blogs work #just making things up as i go

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paracosmspring · 4 months

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Character Classes

a list of character classes

Main: a point of view character. Doesn't have to be a hero or villain. synonymous with Protagonist.

Protagonist: The point of view character who drives the story forward. not always a hero, but most likely is.

Antagonist: The force or character against the Protagonist. Not always a villain, but is actively working against the protagonist.

Hero: Main character in a story, usually identified with good qualities.

Villain: A character whose evil actions are important to the plot. usually works against the hero. Can be a main character, protagonist, and domain leader in certain domains.

Secondary/Supporting Character: Not the main focus characters, but play a significant roles in a plot.

NPC: non persona character, used to describe characters with no backstory or as extras in the world. Often seen as less important.

Persona: a character played by the author or another realworlder

Self-Insert: an author’s representation of themselves in the domain. Can be a cameo with its own backstory, NPC, or even the main character. Main character inserts are the only ones who really can act separately from their author. The author can choose if the character is a separately entity or if they are an alias.

Alias: an author’s cover persona while operating in the domain. They don’t exist unless the author is IN the domain. Always a self insert.

Domain Leader: a character with awareness of their author being, nature of their domain, a responsibility to protect their domain’s canon.

Domain Author: a character with abilities to alter their domain alongside their author. Often the result of multiple personalities who are also characters.

Reality Bender: characters with the ability to alter reality in one or multiple worlds. Some can mimic author being powers.

Shade: when a character crosses the fourth wall they become a shadow of themselves. They have limited ability to affect the world but can be seen or felt by those aware enough. A shade is a temporary class.

Soulbond: a character who has formed a bond usually with a realworlder, but some can soul bond each other. They are connected to or live with their bonder. (there are various types of soulbonded characters)

Nightmare: a personified fear. They exist in between domains. They shift in nature with the real world’s perception of them. The oldest nightmares are powerful enough that they do not easily shift.

Ideas: underdeveloped characters with no domain. Or amalgamations of concepts personified. A neutral version of nightmares. Stray/lost: a character out of their domain unintentionally

#index #characters #glossary #classes

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angeloncewas · 3 years

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Wilbur was always collateral damage (/rp)

I saw a post discussing how Punz killed Wilbur 2/3 times - despite them not having any canon interaction - and while that is funny, it got me thinking about the implications.

When Dream went on his tirade about Tommy being the linchpin to the server's attachment, how he needs Tommy alive and how much fun they've had together, some people pointed out Dream's declaration of war. In it, he emphatically calls out for Tommy, while Wilbur, the actual leader of L'manberg and the revolution, is mentioned almost as an afterthought. Even Dream's mocking "L'man-child-berg" speaks to a focus on Tommy (the child) above all else.

Dream and Tommy are (to each other) antagonist versus protagonist. Tommy is a normal person and doesn’t think that way (i.e. refusing to see Tubbo as a pawn), but Dream fully does. We see in retrospect that his fixation on destroying L'manberg was secondary to his ploys for control; of the server, yes, but also of Tommy himself. Tommy's life needed to be in Dream's hands and he took it three times over. (Twice in the context of L'manberg.)

So how fitting is it that Wilbur (the actual leader, the person Tommy followed) was killed twice for war, just like Tommy, but both were done by Dream's mercenary. Wilbur needed to be taken care of at times, but he was never important enough to be handled by Dream himself.

The fact that Wilbur died exclusively by Punz's hired hand (other than the final Phil death) fits perfectly. While to us he was a complex character - a struggling ex-president - to Dream he was simply a temporary roadblock. He stood right in the way of Dream's ultimate goals and his life at any given moment was just a loose end to tie up for some extra expense.

#dream smp #wilbur soot #dreamwastaken #yeah im thinking about pogtopia even though it was 5 months ago #...it was 5 months ago #head in hands #angel analyzes #death tw #two analyses in a day pog #q-ed

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bedlamsbard · 2 years

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I do all of my plotting in my head, but the vast majority of the complex parts develop as I’m writing, so here are some things that developed well after the story was already in progress (that I remember). (I do not remember enough about early Gambit to tell you what changed, except that as originally planned, a whole lot more people died.)

cut for length

Backbone

the Crucible (flashbacks and present-day) + most of the Inquisition stuff

Kanan’s relationship and history with the Hunter

all of the Free Ryloth politics

Doriah and Xiaan’s present-day roles

Ojeda and the Lake House subplot

Secchun Fenn and all of the Fenn politics (as well as Thamir Fenn)

Mishaan Secura’s arc and the fallout from that (the assassination attempt was plotted back in late July 2015 but which character did it changed pretty frequently, as well as the setting. I still have drafts of it taking place elsewhere)

Ezra’s role in the story

Barriss being in the story at all

Keto Amersu and everything that came out of that

a large number of Twi’lek secondary and tertiary characters (who probably should have been introduced earlier)

the whole thing at the clearinghouse + Hondo being in the story at all

this story was originally not meant to have so many damn flashbacks

(probably a whole lot more stuff, it’s just been a while and I can’t remember)

there are also some things set up that were never played out because they didn’t really work -- the Kanan/Hera sex tapes, Doriah and Sabine knowing each other on the HoloNet, probably some other things, some Hera and Vader stuff

Yonder

when I wrote chapter 1, Thor was supposed to stay dead. that’s the big one.

this is one of the few times I’ve gone back to make significant edits to a chapter, so, like, if you read the first chapter 1 you know that New Asgard was originally very different and Loki had very little relationship with the Avengers

there was no meeting with 2012 Thor. Loki just punched out his younger self, took the scepter and the Tesseract, and he/Steve/Nat went back to the present day

Steve/Nat/Loki was not planned though I started putting the hints in during Chapter 2. in retrospect I would have made it explicit

same for Steve/Nat

putting in the Endgame battle at all -- if you reread Chapters 1 and 2 you might note that the plan to get the Power Stone there is to get it on Knowhere. it ended up changing back to the canon Morag scenario solely so I could get the Endgame battle in

who showed up to the battle -- at one point it was just going to go as canon and at some point the idea of the Nine Realms all showing up struck me like a bolt of lightning

I played with the idea of Loki using the Gjallerhorn in the traditional sense to summon the dead Asgardians from Valhalla, and that would be his temporary reunion with Thor (actually dead)

Sif coming back

how Thanos died -- at one point it was “fighting with Loki/Thor/Val/Sif”

(I will note that I never considered any version of the second Snap that Endgame uses. It was always going to be a straight-up slaughter of Thanos’s army.)

Yelena was a late addition. I came up with the scene where she crawls into bed with Natasha and the “DID YOU HAVE SEX IN THIS BED” exchange and then had to do the backwards work to make sure she was at the battle so that she could be in New Asgard

(yes, there was originally supposed to be a Steve/Nat scene in that chapter but it didn’t work out)

most of the post-battle chapter -- the Farbauti scene was originally planned to go differently. I wrote a number of different scenes for this and cut most of them.

there was a character who was meant to be introduced (you can see the set-up for his introduction in Chapters 4 and 5) but ultimately it just didn’t work because it shifted the focus too much. (he’ll be a sequel antagonist if there’s a sequel.)

the Asgardian party -- because I hadn’t originally planned to do the Endgame battle everything after Bruce’s Snap wasn’t planned from the start. (this was supposed to be a three-chapter story and Loki was supposed to end it Thor-less.)

Bruce being the one to snap at all post-Hulk. (the Hulk being the Soul Stone sacrifice was planned.)

Carol...you can tell I forgot about Carol in that chapter, I think.

the Thor and Natasha convo was a late addition! I think it was the last scene written, actually.

the last thing I put in this story was making Loki and Natasha stand on a widow’s walk because originally they were just standing directly on the roof. lol.

that that much of Loki’s missing year backstory came out! I was originally hoping to keep it as vague as possible but at some point you just gotta commit.

the ongoing thread about Asgard’s elective monarchy and how devoted Loki is to making sure the Althing actually elected him

I really did at one point consider putting flashbacks to IW in, because it’s me and I love flashbacks.

actually come to think of it the only thing that stayed from the original planning of Yonder was Loki becoming king, Loki punching out 2012 Loki, and the Hulk being the Soul Stone sacrifice. (Here’s the original post about the concept.)

#backbone behind the scenes #yonder behind the scenes

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ghostfriendly5 · 3 years

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Fena the Pirate Princess is better than Goblin Slayer, and not that bad, but very weak with regard to the secondary villains, a colourful band of female pirates led by Grace O'Malley, no less. They're not presented as comical, 'Team Rocket' villains but nominally with considerable threat; so they shouldn't be foolish and incompetent as they are. Especially not with such good character designs, and if you must have incompetent antagonists, don't make them women or name them all after formidable historic women. Their conflict with the navy in ep 6 and 7 was not only one-sided but abyssmally stage-managed by the script.

Still, fellow Stevenson fans will recall that a lot of pirates were historically rum-soaked incompetents, or at least unsuccessful. Making war against the world, the wonder is that any of them enjoyed temporary success, and that certainly involved steering well clear of the Royal Navy. Although the establishment made great effort to publicise that death, hanging or beggary were the likely fate of pirates, this self-serving message didn't deter the many young seamen who took their chances on being the next Henry Avery or Jack Morgan, often to meet with these very fates. Along with the dishonest Pro Patria Mori message that led so many young men to useless deaths in WWI, this seems to give some foundation in truth to Goblin Slayer's premise of haplessly slaughtered level 1 adventurers.

Seems to; Goblin Slayer, however many series it is given by persons willing to glorify misogyny for fun and profit, will always be dangerous toxic rubbish. Teenage soldiers did not operate independently or without training. They were not adequately trained for the Somme, but simple, attainable training and mentoring would save from goblins a half-generation of magic users and heroes the Guild absolutely cannot afford to lose. Armies don't send cannon fodder to clear Vietcong tunnels or Taliban caves, and conscription would have been unneeded if the public of WWI and the Vietnam war weren't as aware of the danger of death as the public of the GS world should be. Not having TV doesn't mean they're blind or stupid, unless Kumo makes them so.

Pirates, and indeed Shadowrunners, don't have the same institutional safety net as soldiers or trained BHA-style superheroes, though at least they can pick their battles. This is probably just as well for honest merchants, but the stories are still about the successful ones because we need heroic rebels; it must be show that even respectable dragons are possible to resist. Leading to the final, damning point that the same principles which sent millions of young men to their horrible deaths in war would have done everything to prevent women fighting as soldiers or being exposed to rape. Some foolish people have called this evidence that men are the gender most sinned against, and some of them think light novels which glorify men by exploiting rape victims are a solution. It is not; Goblin Slayer has none of the historical understanding that made Berserk great, it is simply an exhibition of misogynistic violence targeted at women and racist caricatures.

To return to Fena, it does have a rather appealing heroine who knows she isn't an action girl, but still stands up for herself and does her best; she isn't anything original or progressive, but well-done for what she is. Also an effectively dangerous and sinister white knight as a main villain, and a very competent, charming support cast in the Goblin Knights, who could, if course, kick the snot out of Goblin Slayer. They aren't especially piratical, but neither are the cast of One Piece, who I believe haven't robbed a ship or plundered a town in their entire considerable run. If the writers and producers are more comfortable with writing about seagoing samurai than classic pirates (The Wokou pirates were a mixed bunch of Chinese, Korean and Japanese rebels which Fena's party of honourable warriors doesn't really resemble), fair play to them for writing a better series than Goblin Slayer with a better purpose than making a vile attack on women. There are some elements that utterly disqualify a show from suitability for viewing, but many shows with a mixture of good and bad elements, I am in fact aware.

#fena the pirate princess #goblin slayer #anime #manga #light novel #pirates #one piece #shadowrun #my hero academia #Treasure Island

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entomancy · 3 years

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(Fic) One thing we can agree on

Title: One thing we can agree on (Wattpad)

Setting: The vampire nonsense / Vegas Masquerade

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

Words: 1401

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

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

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

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

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

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It squelched.

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

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

Joplin blinked.

Pull... yourself...

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

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

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

________________________________________________________________

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

** Yet. ________________________________________________________________

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

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

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

Hurry. Up.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Both men visibly winced.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

----

#Entofic #urban fantasy #The Vegas Masquerade #Knockoff Manbat lookin' bastard #first team up is a bitch #Denis Joplin

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wiitzend · 3 years

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okay now that i’m done season two of outer banks i feel like i can write a review of it because i have a LOT to say. spoiler warning for anyone who hasn’t finished it!

so...this season wasn’t great, in my opinion. in fact i thought it was pretty bad. let’s start with the characters.

first off, sarah? she deserves better. it’s surprising because i didn’t really care for sarah in the first season but by the second episode of season two i was honestly rooting for her. she’s gone through so much this season and not once does she get a breather. i honestly thought she was going to die when rafe shot her and while i’m glad she survived, having her “die” only for her heart to start again moments later for the sake of drama felt very unnecessary to me. her temporary split with john b. felt wholly justified. she went through hell and back for him and it all culminated in seeing her father blow himself up right in front of her. if anyone deserved to have a breakdown this season, it was definitely her. her family is completely insane and i’ve never wanted a whole family thrown in jail/killed off more than them. but more on her awful family later.

kiara bugged me. this is not the same kiara we saw in season one. season one kiara was smart and observant, and it’s only natural that she would be reckless and slightly apathetic after hearing that her two friends drowned at sea. i’m not blaming her for that, but she makes some VERY dumb decisions, especially when they were spying on ward. her relationship (if you can even call it that) with pope was dragged out for way too long. she knew she didn’t like pope from the beginning, and instead of just saying that outright earlier on, she decided to give him the whole “let’s be friends” speech after sleeping with him. then she just...gave no prior thought to his feelings after that?? she even told sarah that pope was giving her the silent treatment (or something to that affect) and her tone of voice suggested that he was the one being irrational/immature and it just?? didn’t make any sense??? kiara treated him with a complete lack of respect this season that isn’t consistent to her personality in season one. she’s loyal and observant and she knows her friends like the back of her hand. did she really think that pope wouldn’t get upset after their breakup? then she doesn’t even apologize until the near end of season two?? goodnight.

j.j. had no character development whatsoever throughout this season and he was, by far, the biggest disappointment character-wise. every plan he had consisted of brute force and guns blazing despite the fact that they’re all seventeen and they’re going up against grown adults who clearly have no problem killing them. he makes stupid decisions and his excuse is that he’s going to end up in prison anyway so what does it matter. he has no development, no emotional progress or depth and don’t even get me started on how stupid they made him out to be. mixing up french and spanish in that one episode when their van was stuck in the water?? really?? like i know it was for comedic effect but all i could do was roll my eyes. they did him so dirty and i can’t take it.

pope and john b. are fine. not much to say about them. idk i need to think about them more.

sarah’s family is absolutely infuriating and they were partly why it took so long for me to finish this season. the amount of effort they exude just trying to get sarah to stay with them is ridiculous and they manage to fool the police/FBI every time?? you’re telling me that the one cop figured out that ward and rafe were connected to the killing of sheriff peterkin and NOBODY arrested ward??? then they arrest rafe only to release him episodes later?? am i having a stroke???? they should’ve arrested ward AND the wife purely because she was completely insufferable.

that lady with the crutches who was supposed to be the secondary antagonist? she fell so flat as a character for me that i can’t even remember her name.

now onto the plot. the plot this season was messy. keeping sarah’s dad and brother as the main antagonists would’ve been a whole lot better and i don’t think the plot would’ve been as dragged out as it was if they did this. ward should’ve died when he blew himself up and the fact that he randomly showed up in the last episode without giving an explanation as to how he survived without a scratch was so stupid. every character in this show just makes one dumb decision after another in an effort to drive the plot forward and it’s so obvious. now kiara and pope are missing and their families are out looking for them. i have no idea how they’re going to work around that or patch it up in a way that doesn’t get kiara sent away and unable to see her friends again. now the main cast is on a deserted island and i just. it’s just terrible. are they ever going back home? how will they get there? season two DID have it’s good points....i don’t know what those are but i’m sure they had them. here’s hoping that season three is much better.

#cannot believe i was hype for THIS #outer banks #outer banks season 2 #obx spoilers

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achilleid · 3 years

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Laisrén Blackfern ed.

— oc questions

BASICS

What’s their full name? Laisrén Blackfern

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

APPEARANCE

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

Do they have a face claim? Nope!

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

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

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

PERSONALITY

What’s their alignment? Lawful Neutral

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BACKGROUND

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

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

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

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

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

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

RELATIONSHIPS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#oc questions #i deleted the fun facts section I JUST WANTED TO BE DONE #oc; laisrén blackfern #wip; Paleblood #writeblr

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onceuponakdrama · 3 years

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100 Days My Prince: Drama Review

—

Bingo Card For 100 Days My Prince

Synopsis: Lee Yul is the Crown Prince of Joseon, a perfectionist who disregards the majority of those in the royal palace and appears cold and demanding when in reality, he is just lonely. One day, he passes a law stating that all Korean citizens of marriageable age must do so before they reach the age of 28. Hong Shim is a strong, intelligent woman who takes on multiple jobs to support herself and her father. She is also the oldest unmarried woman in her village and is in need of a husband in order to avoid punishment from law officials.In an attempted assassination, Lee Yul finds himself severely injured and under Hong Shim and Hong Sim's father's care. Due to his injuries, Lee Yul develops temporary amnesia and wanders around aimlessly as a commoner with no name or identity. Because of the law passed by Lee Yul, he and Hong Shim are forced to marry each other in order to save Hong Shim from punishment as well as her village from the drought. What follows is the love story of Hong Shim, 'Joseon's oldest unmarried woman,' and Lee Yul, the amnesiac Crown Prince.

Overall Main Plot: Rating - 7 out of 10

This is a drama that sets everything up for you, so the viewer doesn’t really have any surprises unless it happens during that time. I was overall satisfied with the way they tied in all the usual tropes (childhood lovers, rebellion from the court, amnesia, etc.) together. It’s a typical historical kdrama: the Crown Prince and attempted assassinations, rebellion against the crown, etc. However, there are three major reasons I docked off points:

The Beginning - it felt like the beginning was rather slowed down. This goes for the plot and the romance, in which there was a weird still that happened in the plot. I literally stopped watching after episode 4 because I wasn’t feeling it and then things picked back up again in episode 5 and 6.

The Ending - I did not like that the Vice Premier didn’t get what was coming to him. The “revenge” of the plot felt too anticlimactic. He should’ve just rotted in prison, but they decided to kill him and it felt like too little.

The Break-Up Sequence - I’m gonna go into this a bit more for the romance, but overall, I hated that, in the last episode, they had to insert a time skip where they would met again and it just, did not hit. I thought it was unnecessary, especially since her brother had already paid for his sins so, yeah.

Characters: Rating - 8 out of 10

↣ Lee Yul/Na Won Deuk [played by Do Kyungsoo] - I’m gonna be honest. I love Do Kyungsoo, but it took me a while to like his character. I pitied him because he had to go through so much as a child, but, as a grown man, it took me a while to like him. When he started to open up is when I started to like him as a male lead. Since I watched Shopping King Louis before this, I was less favorable towards him than compared to Louis. I really liked his development though, especially as Won Deuk and his desire to live a normal life with Hong Shim.

↣ Yeon Yi Suh/Hong Shim [played by Nam Jihyun] - I really loved her character as a whole. There were a couple of times I was annoyed with her, but I remember that she’s an active character and she’s bound to get into unfavorable situations that’ll get her into trouble. One thing I really liked about her is that she took action rather than waiting for someone to help her; I really liked her development and how she learned that she can depend on people for some things. I am personally so fond of her relationship with her adopted father; they were absolutely adorable. But yeah, throughout the drama, I felt bad about her and really rooted for her and her happiness.

↣ Jung Jae Yoon [played by Kim Seonho] - I tend to have second lead syndrome, but this time it was rather weak. I think it’s just because I felt like I didn’t know what side he was working for until near the end and I realized he was a really good guy. So, the SLS doesn’t hurt that much. Overall, I really liked his development in which he is still a good politician and he became really close friends with Yul.

Personal Notes: I was weirdly attached to Do Jihan’s character (he played Dongjo, the Crown Prince’s personal guard), so when he was killed, I cried on the inside. On the other hand, Kim Jaeyoung’s character (Moonyeon/Seon Ha), I had a feeling he was going to die, but I didn’t realize he would just be killed off near the end. I felt bad for him, but he did try to kill the Prince so...

Romance: Rating - 8 out of 10

I actually really liked the romance; I think it’s only because they set up the whole child-lovers thing, so I was motivated to root for them. Again, the beginning was rather slow, but they had a reason to be. I thought it was nice to watch their romance blossom, but I didn’t really like Yul in the beginning since he kind of made Hong Shim’s life harder (getting money from a loan shark, not being able to do labor, etc.). It took me a bit to warm up to his character, but overall, they had a good romance and I’m glad they had a happy ending. I’m just lowkey upset that the last episode wasn’t as cathartic as it should have been. The last episode contained the break-up/time gap sequence and it felt really unnecessary. Her brother was already dead at that point, so like what was the point of separating them? And while it was romantic for him to propose again (have events repeat themselves), I just thought it would have been better to have the whole thing happen at once after the whole war thing broke out. The overall romance was nice, but, again, it was kind of slow to begin and, towards the end, it was unnecessary to have them break up and get back together when they were kind of yearning for each other all of their lives and such.

Second Plot/B-Plot and Secondary Characters: Rating - 9 out of 10

I was actually kind of fond of the side characters. I really liked the villagers specifically and how close their community was. I really felt bad for Hong Shim’s friend (KKeut Nyeo) because I really liked her, but her husband was stupid. But, again, I loved how close their community was and how much they liked Hong Shim. As for the more antagonistic side characters, I think that they were really well done. I really did not like them and when they were met with their end, it was very satisfying. Even for the Crown Princess, I felt bad for her because of her family, but it’s not like she didn’t deserve it. The only reason it’s a nine instead of a ten is because some of the side characters felt unnecessary, but they were given interesting backstories and it made the plot progress further.

Additional Notes:

Genre - I’m not a fan of historical dramas, primarily because they’re all centered on the royal family, keeping the throne, and rebels. Everyone dies so quickly too and, at that point, I’m not surprised, just disappointed. But, I did think this one had a nicer touch because there was a strong female lead, especially in this time period.

Tropes - the childhood first love trope was actually nice because it wasn’t thrown in last minute and actually used to drive the plot and character development.

The last episode kind of missed the mark. I was kind of upset at how they built it up throughout the drama, but they missed so many opportunities in the last episode. I think the only trope I didn’t like was the time skip because it was really unnecessary to have that break-up too. So, the ending was kind of... bad (in my opinion).

Overall Rating: 8 out of 10

Recommended?

↣ Yes: if you don’t like surprises in a drama, this is for you. This drama sets up everything for the viewer and the viewer watches it unfold. This is also a different type of historical drama; while they do focus on the Crown Prince and such, they also show a glimpse of non-royal life, which is something you don’t really get in historical dramas. Another reason to watch this is that there is more romance into it. The main couple has a lot of moments that are cute and you definitely end up rooting for them.

↣ No: royal battles for the crown is the main plot, other than the romance, if you aren’t interested, it isn’t for you. This is also a drawn out drama with a lot of tropes (as claimed on my bingo card), so if you don’t have patience, it’s not for you. It does have the basic kdrama tropes, along with the basic historical kdrama tropes, but then again, it’s not a kdrama without it.

#100 days my prince #kdrama review #kdrama recs #spoilers #mine

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mai-fanblog · 4 years

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The first seven chapters of the third season

As I finish the first seven chapters of DuckTales

I'd like to mention the good and bad things and rate the chapters (Obviously that's my opinion)

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1° "Challenge of the Senior Junior Woodchucks!"

Good points:

It opens up Huey's arc for his development as a character

Huey and Violet's relationship

Some dynamics between Scrooge and his family

The signal for FOWL to begin its plan

Violet's dads and Lena's enthusiasm

Bad points:

It's not as interesting as expected.

Huey's imaginary book didn't help much.

The Tittertwill Bird of Knowledge is nice, but it's not relevant at the moment.

It feels slow sometimes.

My Rating: 7.5 / 10

It's a very tepid start, but makes up for it with two strong points, the Huey arc and the starting point for FOWL against the family (And Huey and Violet's friendship... I won't deny it... they're cute together)

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2° "Quack Pack!"

Good points:

Donald and Goofy were the best characters in the whole episode.

There are some good jokes (but in the middle of the chapter).

A good parody of the shows of the 90s.

Max, Roxanne and PJ's cameo (I wish Max would show up, but physically).

The intro

The fight against the humans (already... they traumatized me with that).

Some of Gene's participations.

And that it's confirmed that Goofy is part of the Reboot universe.

Bad points:

The first half is not funny (except for the fake commercial)

Excess of the 90s Clichés.

The family's lack of empathy with Donald and his desire (I mean, it's understandable in Donald's wish and gives some anger that they didn't understand his point)

My Rating: 8.9 / 10

It's quite entertaining this chapter, a good share of Goofy, good jokes and a plot that would have gone further.

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3° “Double-O-Duck in You Only Crash Twice! “

Good Points:

Launchpad and Dewey's friendship

Steelbeak's involvement as an antagonist

The James Bond style of the chapter

The Smart Launchpad (even if it was temporary)

The dynamics of FOWL (especially Black Heron and Steely)

Scrooge's comedic subplot in Funso

LP's sacrifice to save Duckburg and Dewey

The song from the episode.

The Rescue Rangers.

(Personal note...nothing to do with the rest; it's just that Launchpad and Steelbeak look attractive in the chapter...things as they are...)

Bad points:

The lens thing is a bit incoherent, which really affects the plot of the episode and that's the strongest point.

The highlight of every minute is the stupidity.

Some plot holes.

My Rating: 8.8 / 10

Another quite entertaining episode, Launchpad stands out a lot and so does Steelbeak. (Although I know there are mixed reviews with Steelbeak, but little by little it will get better; I'm from a group that likes Steelbeak Reboot)

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4° “The Lost Harp of Mervana!”

Good Points:

Della's phobia (it's very funny)

Louie and Webby's interaction

Webby and Beakley's interaction

Scrooge's frustration with the sirens (I was like him in the chapter)

The pacifist Donald (even if it was temporary)

Bad points:

Sirens in general, the problem is that when writing hippies in animated series, especially for children, they become desperate.

It's pretty slow and doesn't generate anything, even when the monster attacks.

The message of the episode can be confusing.

My Rating: 6.5 / 10

It's the weakest episode of the season so far... But if you like me, it's okay.

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5° “Louie's Eleven!”

Good Points:

The new representation of Daisy.

Donald and Daisy's healthiest chemistry.

Dewey and Louie's interaction.

The Three Caballeros (obvious) Falcon Graves.

The song of the episode (very nice and romantic)

Bad points:

Some situations are not so logical.

The low participation of Jose and Panchito.

They almost made Louie cry (Glamour... f**k you and your son Mark too)

My Rating: 9.3 / 10

It could have developed better, but all that is compensated by a nice start to Donald and Daisy's love relationship.

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6° "Astro B.O.Y.D!"

Good Points:

Gyro's backstory.

Huey and Boyd's friendship.

Fenton's participation.

The references Good introduction to the new characters and how they develop in the chapter.

The hug of Gyro and Boyd.

Bad points:

The conclusion is a bit hasty.

The new characters are fine, even if they would have given for more.

My Rating: 9.7 / 10

It's a very good chapter and it helps as much as the main character as the secondary Here was a good development in Gyro.

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7° "The Rumble for Ragnarok!"

Good Points:

The action sequences are good.

It's got some tender and funny moments.

A good involvement of Dewey and development.

The dynamic duo of Huey and LP.

Bad points:

Scrooge's decision to take children into a fight that could cause the end of the world (Well Scrooge and now give a monkey a gun and that's a good idea).

Della and Donald's absence.

The WWE parody is good, but it's not the best.

My Rating: 7 / 10

It is an entertaining episode, but it is not good as many say, it has inconsistencies, but it is enjoyable.

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#ducktales #ducktales 2017

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daily-rayless · 4 years

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favorite games of the 2010s

Games with an American release within the 2010s. Arranged roughly in the order I played them, because figuring out favoritism is hard. Spoiler-lite. Also, in case it needs to be said, saying a game is my favorite doesn’t mean I endorse everything the game endorses.

Also important: this is about favoritism, not quality. I’m not saying these are the best games.

Okay.

Persona 3: Portable (Atlus)

P3 was always secondary to P4 to me until Persona 3: Portable came along. This isn't everyone's experience, but being able to play games as a female character is a big deal to me. FeMC's positioning as a capable, respected leader who isn't temporary and isn’t just some guy’s love interest is so wonderful. And I love that the game allows her to social link the entire main cast. While Ken's romantic option was a terrible choice, many of the others benefit: her friendship with Junpei is rich, touching, and believable, even when it devolves into resentment; Akihiko's and Shinjiro's arcs are sweet, but also melancholy; Yukari, Mitsuru, and Fuuka are supportive best friends without all the baggage of the male MC's love routes; even Koromaru gets his spotlight. Ryoji's social link adds important depth to his character, reframing the later stages of the game. As wonderful as Elizabeth is, I find I like Theo even better. The battle system is vastly improved, and while the visuals suffer in the PSP transfer, the story's still told well. P3P remains one of my absolute favorite games and was a great start to the decade.

Nier: Gestalt (Cavia)

Something you’ll see repeated across this list is that I love strong, complex character bonds. The emotional core of a game is really important to me. In combination, this game has one of the most unique main casts, and, in their closeness, one of the most powerful. The jaggedness of Nier, Kainé, Emil, and Weiss fit together as an intense and sympathetic whole. You want so much to see them all safely escape the dark stories surrounding each of them. Nier's secondary strength is its New Game +, which is wrenching, but reminds the player that you never see the whole story in just your first glance.

Fate/Extra (Type Moon & Imageepoch)

For seven weeks, Hakuno fights her way through a blood tournament; the story never spares her from it. Most often, a repetitive story structure is a liability, but in Fate/Extra, it builds the drama. Knowing from week to week that most of the cast is going to die – understanding, increasingly, that Hakuno may not have a happy ending waiting for her – the repetition and inevitability adds to the experience. All three of her potential Servants are interesting, funny, lovable, and morally troubling, and each plays well off of Hakuno's personality. Which Hakuno, despite being a silent protag, has plenty of. The game falls short in a number of areas, but for me, intercharacter relationships are always a big deal, and Hakuno's bond with each Servant is detailed, compelling, and develops across the entire game.

Tales of Xillia 2 (Bandai Namco Studios)

The original ToX is the richer, more complete, more epic game, and definitely the place where you should first meet these characters and this world. But for me, ToX2 edges out its parent for the uniqueness of its premise, its endearing silent protagonist, and the shattering twists and turns of its later plot points. I don't usually like kid characters, but Elle is a useless sidekick worth fighting for, every inch of the way.

Resonance of Fate (tri-Ace)

Set in a broken post-apocalyptic city, this game feels like a combination of Wild Arms and Xenogears. The story is intense and cryptic with a carefully controlled delivery to the player. The three main characters hide their wounds as well as their strengths – until circumstances force them into the open. There's some regrettable juvenile humor, and the story remains too shadowy in places, but Vashyron's, Leanne's, and Zephyr's bond kept me wanting to know more about them and the punishing circumstances they've been left in.

Nier: Automata (PlatinumGames)

Nier: Gestalt taught me that not everything would be as it seemed, and Nier: Automata fulfills that warning a second time. But what makes me love it are the three protagonists, 2B, 9S, and A2. Throughout the different story paths, each one sees their role change from hero to antagonist or antagonist to hero relative to the others' positions. This is such a stand-out concept, and it's written very well. Even when a character shifts from hero to antagonist, they still keep your sympathy; perhaps you don't agree with them, but you still feel for them so much. Incredible music and rideable moose are also a plus.

Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerilla Games)

I can always find room for improvement, but, for me, there's just too much to love about this game. Traveling over the gorgeous environments is wonderful by itself. The gameplay is engrossing, allowing you to try so many different strategies across different fights. The npcs are intriguing. The setting is unique. The monster designs are fantastic. The game gives you reasons to want to fight the villains, yet doesn't leave them unrealistic or ludicrously unrelatable. The hero, Aloy, is no-nonsense but not invincible, practical but also tender, and it's so satisfying building her legend alongside her. The story ends satisfyingly, but leaves the world wide open, just waiting for a sequel. This is a horizon I want to cross again and again.

Transistor (Supergiant Games)

People complain about the story being too obscure, and that's justified at times. But the heart of the game isn't about plot – it's about emotions. Specifically, the emotions Red and Boxer have towards the city, and the emotions Red and Boxer have towards each other. The game organically builds both of these relationships across five hours of gameplay, latching right on to the player's heartstrings and making you worry and fight every step of the way. The gameplay is deeply customizable, the art direction is velvety and lush, and the music is not only gorgeous, but sometimes subtly intermixed with the narrative. The world is shrinking around these characters, and you want to see them through to safety – and you wish you had more time to know them better.

The Banner Saga (Stoic Studio) (all three games)

Its narrative overlaps different plot arcs. There's more than one hero. The story is mature and serious, often threatening you with despair, but still urging you to believe that somehow your brave characters can make it through safely. Your decisions directly influence who lives, who dies, and where the story turns. The music is haunting. The game evokes Lord of the Rings, from its art style to its Norse influences to its focus on the significant actions of humble people. But it still shoulders its way out of that shadow with its giants, centaurs, and multiple central female characters. A game you want to play repeatedly, if you can stand the responsibility of having so many characters’ lives in your hands.

Pyre (Supergiant Games)

Purgatory Basketball sounds like a nightmare premise for me, focusing on the kind of gameplay I'm terrible at. However, the game is accommodating enough that I not only won my rites, I enjoyed the process. Even when I was bad at it. But what makes me love the game is its cast. While not all characters can get equal focus on a single playthrough, each is interesting, some very outside the typical RPG character cast. The main villain is handled atypically, and the story avoids many of the tired plot beats I've gotten sick of over the years. The main character, the Reader, is given a surprising amount of flexibility, and they're just another one of Supergiant Games’ protagonists who are silent, but still make a definite impact on the game's story and playing experience.

In short, this was a good decade for me, game-wise, especially in the last two years. Hopefully there will be lots of stand-outs in the 2020s too.

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transformersmr-hq · 4 years

Note

Ask meme: Fallen and Cog

Fallen: who is the/an antagonist? What’s a detail about them you haven’t given us yet?

Cog: show a design or personality detail about x character that you really like!

[X] <- click here for the ask meme

1. Fallen

Although the Decepticons would play the role of "Bad guys" for the first few parts, they wouldn't be a real threat to humans or Earth itself as they are only interested in surviving on the planet and one-upping the Autobots. Their ship is a junk. Humans have nukes and very itchy trigger finger. Even a bucket-for-head like Megateon would know what to do in order to keep one's aft intact.

There are several candidate for the "true antagonist", which will endanger Autobots, Decepticons, and entire humanity alike. However, at this point, I can't say for sure because I'm still trying to figure things out. All I can tell you is that humans would mess up a big time, and two major companies called "Tristar Innovators (Temporary designation)" and "Quintus Tech" will be especially responsible for it. I've explained a bit about Quintus Tech before, but the info is somewhat outdated so I'll have to write a new one. Tristar Innovators are the rival company of Quintus Tech, and that's about all I can say at this moment.

((Fig 1. A logo design for Quintus Tech, made a long time ago and hasn't been renewedsince))

2. Cog

((I also did "cog" for Knock Out before!))

((Fig 2. A collection of Bumblebees. Source ))

1. HORNS

For some unexplainable reason, I really think Bumblebees need legitimate horns. I loved TFP Bee so much, but if there's one thing I didn't like is that he neither had horns nor was designed to have horns. Cliffjumper had horns, so WHY NOT HIM????? Also, movie bumblebees have some weird helm parts as a crude simulacrum, and idk what to think about them honestly. Knightverse BB I love you so much, but I think it's rather unfortunate that they decided to give you Bayverse BB's antennae thingy instead.

Speaking of Cliffjumper and horns, I especially liked how they made his horns protoform-grey instead of red, thus clearly showing that he actually has horns instead of just wearing horned helmet. So yeah, that also went into TFMR BB's design.

2. WINGS

Another thing I think a Bumblebee needs is a pair of doorwings. Ever since I saw TFP's BB, the image of 'generic BB' always came with some kind of wing-like steucture. Why? Idk he's a bee and bees have wings?

Therefore, TFMR's BB also gets wings. Not exactly doorwings though, since he's a bike and bikes don't have doors. (These "wings" are actually his secondary thrusters. It acts as a booster when he engages in 'dash mode')

#ask #transformers mirror mirror #answer #original continuity ask meme #fallen #cog #bumbleebee #i know this is a super late answer #so apologies for that

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feedbackest · 4 years

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list of everything adventure time does right and wrong. for fun

bad (comprehensive)

The King of Ooo - he’s just lame. he’s kinda supposed to be a goofball antagonist but the show has enough other characters who are much better at that, he gets outshone hard and he probably should’ve been confined to Apple Wedding

LSP as a central character - i think LSP makes a good supporting character, but i also think she struggles hard to move beyond that. the creators try a handful of times to give her a lead role and it almost always just makes for a bad experience. thankfully they figured out how to make her work with a more important role for Elements

S5E30 Frost & Fire - it’s just... bad. aside from this one episode Finn and Flame Princess are very well written together, but this feels like a temporary butchering of Finn’s character. he’d been the main character for 5 and a half season at this point, so it’s virtually impossible to write him making obviously incorrect and unsympathetic mistakes and still have it be engaging. this is just frustrating and hard to watch. the show has its moments of teaching pretty obvious moral platitudes as a result of being a kids’ show, and it has its moments of delving into much more mature emotional processes and relationship dynamics, this episode is like a weird uncanny valley melding of the two. both Finn and FP had very good character arcs as a direct result and the dynamic they had as exes was probably their best, so maybe it’s worth it, but that doesn’t make this episode itself any better

S7E13 Stakes, Part 8: The Dark Cloud - i do not like that Marceline was turned back into a vampire. otherwise Stakes, including this episode, is a very good series, especially for PB and Marcy, but Marcy being vamp’d again at the end felt like the only real instance of the show deciding the status quo is god over a major development. i get that the point of that Everything Stays song is that the change is still there, but getting her vampirism removed was a nice capstone to the rest of her character development to that point, and undoing that feels pretty :/

sometimes filler is boring - it feels weird to call anything “filler” in what was, at its foundation, a children’s anthological adventure-comedy, but sometimes the inconsequential one-off episodes are just kinda meh. most of them are good though

that's pretty much it. note that all of these are either rectified in the show in some way or are inconsequential

good (non-comprehensive)

worldbuilding - perhaps the most obvious thing the show does right, the world and history surrounding Ooo is rich in both concept and execution. the show strikes the perfect level of balance between explanation and mystery to achieve what it’s going for in the lore. compare the handling of the Great Mushroom War to one of its more obvious counterparts, the day the bombs dropped in Fallout, and i think AT does a better job at setting up a world-defining catastrophe that is relevant to the immediate plot without being over-centralizing in the tone or atmosphere. it’s just a very interesting and rewarding world to learn about as the show goes on all round

Finn - while i would call Finn probably the best character in the show overall, i’m not sure what all i can say about him. as the main character in a show which compromises something like 4 years of his teenage and is therefore pretty much running his own coming-of-age subplot throughout the entire series, i don’t think it’s any surprise that he has the most fulfilling character arc in the entire series. it’s great to watch him grow over 10 seasons and he’s a wonderfully enjoyable protagonist (aside from the one instance mentioned above)

Bonnibel Bubblegum - before Islands, i was very prepared to just call her the best character in the show. for about the first half of the show, she’s very good, and from go i think it’s hard to not make her one of the best characters just from her initial concept: a lowkey badass princess who obviously cares for her subjects and can find solution for pretty much anything? she’s impossible to not like. and then in season 6 the show stops taking how cool she is for granted. it hinted at some friction with her first interactions with Flame Princess in season 5, and then in The Cooler, FP, and broadly the whole show, opens up a critical question: is Princess Bubblegum actually a good guy? then the show launches a pretty deep investigation into her character and how the way she runs business affects others beyond her own perspective, for pretty much the rest of the show, and lands on the answer “she can be.” it not only gives Bubblegum an arc, but one of the best ones on the show, when, as mentioned before, she was already a really good character without one

Bubblegum and Marceline - in my opinion, the best written pair of characters in the show, although i could see arguments for some others. while Finn has the best singular character arc, the relationship arc between Peebs and Marcy is the best of its kind on the show. they were engaging as exes, great when they were starting to be friends again and then eventually rekindling, to the point where when the creators were finally able to bring everything out of subtext in the finale, it was quite possibly the best single moment of the show. the dynamic between these two is so great throughout the show that, again, i’m just not even quite sure what all i can really say about it beyond that

Simon Petrikov - the most tragic character on the show. i don’t think anyone else on the show is as liable to bring me close to crying, basically and flashback involving Simon and Marceline, or Simon and Betty, or any frustrated, one-sided interaction between either pair can and will make my eyes water. maybe i’m just a sucker for the losing-someone-to-mental-degredation type grief stories

Marceline - i’m putting her this late because i’ve kinda already talked about most of what makes her great. she’s a good enough character in her own right, but most of what makes her really come together is a direct result of her history and dynamics with other characters

exes - i’ve alluded to it twice already, but the show writes ex dynamics between its primary and secondary characters, and whenever it does it handles them in a way that is both mature and gives both characters involved very rewarding character arcs. it’s sort of emblematic of the sorts of stuff the creators would write into the show that would go almost completely over the original primary audience’s heads but lends the show a real sense of depth that pushes it over the edge

everything else - like everything else i haven’t discussed here is good to great. the stuff i remembered from when the show was first airing back when i was in middle school holds up better than i would have expected and the material beyond that goes similarly well above my expectations. it’s pretty dang good

#op #sorry for the long post i wanted to talk about i thing i liked i haven't really done so in a little bit

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cruezins · 4 years

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☣ ; ( KIM TAEHYUNG , 24 , HE/HIM ) coming up next on rebel radio is OPAUL by FREDDIE DREDD . this tune goes out to SIWON RYU . rumor has it they just rolled into town and are fightin’ for the GHOULS . they’re AFFABLE , INQUISITIVE but also AIMLESS , MERCURIAL so watch your backs out there . we wish them the best of luck here in our golded city of light . stay vigilant , stay dirty rock ‘n rollers and we’ll catch you for the next one .

𝐎𝐎𝐂 : hello ! i’m deni and i don’t know what editing is . i use she/her pronouns and live in the gmt+9 timezone . i’m terrible with ooc chats and half the time just want to vibe a connection or plot idea , so please don’t hesitate to throw a half-formed thought at me because i swear i’ll do the same . my discord is gay fairy#6371 . anyway , here is siwon , someone i’ve been work-shopping for a while ! looking forward to writing with you ♡

☣ ; 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐀𝐁𝐘𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐇 .

cw : drug mentions ; stop me if you’ve heard this one before------

his dad’s a junkie and he hasn’t seen his mom since some fatcats bought their restaurant for a steal a few years before , but that’s the way of life for a lot of people in the underground . young , bored , and desperate to hear and smell anything that wasn’t the rottenness of his own childhood home , siwon found himself on the streets more nights than not , spray paint in one hand , painting nights in greens and purples until reds and blues chased him away . makes his first steal before he can tie his shoes . creates alliances with the neighborhood kids , sneaks around to watch how the haves live with their pretty , pretty screens and their ugly , ugly words . school isn’t anything special , either , and while siwon can’t remember shit that he reads from a page he can work with his hands . fast and efficient , nimble fingers whether they’re flying across a keyboard or fucking around with some screws . you can make something of yourself , some of his teachers tell him while others can’t stop bitching about homework or tardiness or the way he falls asleep in the middle of class . but what’s siwon supposed to make ? he and his ragtag group of weirdos he calls friends . when he gets older and nights get hungrier , siwon learns to stop relying on the benevolence of neighbors and finds a job --- he’s fast , after all , with a sweet face and wide eyes , makes a helluva getaway after years and years of running .

thieving’s a natural grift . he’d been training for this his whole life . then he catches the eyes of a boss man who isn’t nearly as mad as he should be catching some kid with his wallet in his hands . courier comes next , ferrying messages from a bunch of suits all over the city . siwon never opened the packages , never second guesses the credits that start bloating his account . desperate , he does what he’s told and does it well ------ and that’s the real kicker , isn’t it ? that after a year and some-odd months of dedicated service they leave him high and dry with some bullshit he doesn’t have any involvement with . after years of running , boys in blue finally catch him and he’s left to take the fall of some dumb fuckery , man , and he’s pissed . steaming in jail , it’s a wonder some other gang didn’t get to him first . the longer he sat and talked with that ghoul member , the more he grew to despise the rich , the ones who left him to rot after all the shit he did for them . what was even the point anymore ? dog eat dog kind of bullshit , no sense of loyalty or shit anywhere . the law and all that money was out to get him from the beginning and siwon had enough of it . a few months locked up but he learned and leaned and learned , only able to get out on a technicality . the second he stepped back out into the sun , siwon followed the map given to him and signed up for the ghouls . city of light be damned . the only lights he wants to see are flames eating this hellhole alive .

☣ ; 𝐈 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐂𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 .

➤ full name. ryu si-won ➤ date of birth. january 29th ➤ hometown. city of light ➤ gender. cis male ➤ affiliation. ghouls ➤ primary occupation. drug runner , pickpocket ➤ secondary occupation. network manager at an internet cafe

➤ sexual attraction. pansexual ➤ romantic attraction. panromantic ➤ character alignment. chaotic neutral ➤ personality type. enfp ➤ temperament. sanguine ➤ wants. power , family

stands around 5′11 . broad shoulders , slim hips . floppy , messy hair and sun browned skin . half legs . a few pieces of silver in his ears and a small hoop on his bottom lip . dresses somewhere between a washed up rockstar , your college weed dealer , and a miami vice reject . style’s a whim with a closet’s chaotic mix of anything he thrifts or patches together . most of the time he’s sporting cuffed jeans , vintage blouse , a denim jacket or tweed blazer and thick ass boots . keeps all that hair back with a bandanna or a headband , hair ties on his wrist . nothing in his closet’s technically new and he loves looking for a bargain steal —— or simply just a steal . likes colors just as much as he likes his neutrals . wears a black air filtration mask and fingerless gloves . considers his floral button-up shirts fancy material and his trousers cut off at the ankles . likes the smell of old leather and the breathing of fringe on a jacket , the weight of heavy rings on his fingers and sunglasses swooped low on his nose . wears a monocle because he can’t be fucked with reading glasses . his hair’s been every color of the rainbow and he’s always changing it up thanks to temporary dye .

☣ ; 𝐁𝐋𝐄𝐄𝐃 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐎𝐍𝐄 .

hustles at arcade halls , scarfs down ramen and burritos like they’re gonna disappear , looks as comfortable in a dark , dirty alley as he does standing under all those lights in the neon district . pockets full of candy and a lollipop between his lips . likes cheap beer and cigarettes , fast talking and smooth smiles . gets up when the sun goes down . who knows if he ever gets a full night’s sleep , but you can find him taking a nap just about anywhere . seems to live for the dark hours and stays busy as a bee , at the internet cafe one moment and grabbing fried cheese sticks in the next before crossing the bridge to watch the street races and venturing to the tunnels for the fighting rings . complains about being broke but puts down bets faster than anyone . lives for the feeling of wind in his hair so the window of his top-floor one bedroom shit hole stays open all the time . feels the rain on his skin , plays with matches . learned how to assemble a gun in less than sixty seconds and stays packing nowadays though he can’t really shoot for shit . spray paints boobs on the sides of government buildings and dicks on malls . looks like an angel under all those holographic lights .

rides a motorbike and his skateboard . can do crazy math in his head and spot fake bills with incredible accuracy . can barely stand to sit still , always moving except when there’s a computer screen in front of him . gets addicted to things so easily it’s scary --- people , food , liquor , feelings . craves that intimacy , craves that closeness that’s always been denied to him . has a loud as fuck laugh and a love for sneaking into places where he doesn’t belong . catches extra cash on the side by fixing up broken-down machines and can figure his way around a motor with a bit of elbow grease . still sees his family . not as much as a good son would , but he sends cash when he can and looks after his younger sister , makes sure she stays well and clean . they don’t know half of what he’s gotten up to since he was let out of prison , but they might have some idea --- after all , who’d pay a crooked boy with a record as well as he seems to be ? when the sun starts to come up and he crashes into bed , siwon stares out the window and thinks about how in another world , or in another time he probably could’ve been something . could’ve made something great . but for now he’s just got a whole lot of anger , raw like a fresh wound he can’t stop picking at .

☣ ; 𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐓 𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐘𝐎𝐔 ?

➤ bonds. my loyalty to my friends is unwavering ; i owe everything to my mentor --- a horrible person who’s rotting in jail somewhere ; i fleeced the wrong person and must work to ensure this individual never crosses paths with me . ➤ flaws. once i pick a goal , i become obsessed with it to the detriment of everything else in my life ; when I see something valuable , i can't think about anything but how to steal it ; i have a weakness for the vices of the city .

he’s friendly , but he doesn’t make friends easily --- the ones that he has made , he’d do anything for . because that’s how he’s gotten this far , right ? all those people who looked after him when others tried to stomp him out . he’s still close with his teen friends who threw a few grifts with him , gaming buddies that he knows only through a screen . little escapes from all the other bullshit going on in the world . even though he isn’t a club guy , he runs into more than a few faces on his rounds . maybe they’re bad influences or sweethearts who help that touch starved affliction that comes from living in a city so wired . on the flip side , there’s some enemies --- competitors in the runner world , antagonists he meets at the races or rings for whatever reason ( insane bets make tempers run hot , who knows when they’ll flare for good and siwon’s learning the hard way how to keep his mouth shut ) . he’s fixed up a few cars or weapons for people recently because he misses working with his hands . y’know , making nice . then there’s people he’s caught in a crossfire with , where they’ve met something nasty one too many times before over turf , territory and clients . a newer face to the ghouls , he’s bugged someone into mentoring him , and gone on a few runs with someone he loves to call a coworker .

eager to prove himself as more than a green kid with a keyboard and an eye for detail , find him cutting deals and making trades in smokey barbecue houses , hole-in-the wall ramen shops or by taco tents . a full bellied class of clients are happy clients in his opinion , and siwon isn’t above not making deals with the other groups who’s names aren’t violent delights . speaking of which --- there are definitely some skeletons there he aims to confront , some old demons to fight from that class of people that fucked him over . there’s an ex lover in there somewhere , probably met in that pre-prison childhood phase when he mingled past class lines more ( ~1.5-2 years ago ) . someone he’s healthily fearful of for whatever reason , and maybe a vendetta against the family that scammed his parents out of their business and basically sent his life spiraling . there’s someone who isn’t what they seem --- he doesn’t know who they really are , and maybe they don’t know who he is , either . they’ll learn eventually . someone he’s protective over , someone who protects him in ways he doesn’t even know , and those he looks after because they grew up on the same side . desperate for connection , desperate for a place , he finds it all in heaven and hell .

#neongraves:intro #. 𝐒𝐈𝐖𝐎𝐍 𝐑𝐘𝐔 ➤ DEVELOPMENT .#this is A Lot #but i had so many notes for myself #let's see how this pans #chaos reigns always

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