#thinking either a gothic fairy | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

quirkwizard · 2 months

Text

So recently I have been on a huge tabletop RPG kick so I thought it would be fun to talk about Class 1-A playing their own tabletop game, both the characters they'd play and how they'd be as players. For the sake of this, I will be writing in the context of Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition since that's the system myself and others would be the most familiar with.

Rikido Sato: Half Orc Life Cleric Doesn't really get the game too much. Tends to forget the rules a lot and his own abilities. Just kind of picked a class at random. Is the king of bringing snacks and the like, all of which are homemade.

Mashirao Ojiro: Wood Elf Open Hand Monk Pretty average in all respects as a player. Not too remarkable in all respects. Doesn't realized how bad the monk is until they started playing, but is too attached to the character and their concept.

Koji Koda: Firbolg Shepard Druid Is only really here to hang out with his friends. Too shy to really do any roleplay with the rest of the gang, mostly doing small moments with his animals friends. Accidently made an overpowered build.

Minoru Mineta: Dhampir Phantom Rogue Knows the rules, but is a power gamer. Uses the game more as a power fantasy to look as cool as possible at all times, even if it is dumb, though will quickly panic if anything goes slightly wrong.

Hanta Sero: Gith Horizon Walker Ranger Really interested in all the lore and history of whatever the dungeon master came up with. The kind that dungeon masters either love or dread. Is the one constantly asking question and cracking the odd joke about it.

Toru Hagakure: Changeling Arcane Trickster Rogue Super big into the roleplay of it all and is always excited. Mostly took Changeling so she'd have the excess to play as many roles as possible. Probably makes little masks to remind people who she currently is.

Yuga Aoyama: Aasimar Glory Paladin Is insanely devoted to the role of the noble paladin, much to the detriment of everyone else. Likely says the line "But it's what my character would do more then any other player. Constantly hints at a backstory that nobody is biting on.

Mezo Shoji: Hobgoblin Gloomstalker Ranger Not the biggest into roleplay, does fairly well with the actual gameplay. Plays the typically reserved ranged. Tried to tie his and Koda's backstory together to try and take some of the stress off of him in terms of roleplaying.

Kyoka Jiro: Half Elf Whispers Bard Wasn't really sure about all of this before play and went with a bard because she liked the idea of playing music. It was a rocky start, but quickly got into it and started having fun. Will make custom songs and playlists for the party, as well ambient tracks and battle music.

Denki Kaminari: Air Genesi Storm Sorcerer Wanted to try it out because it was popular. Went with something he thought was cool and did not expect it to be so complicated. Needs to be constantly handed the book and remined of the rules in order to make sure he gets it. The amount of math hurts his head. Eijiro Kirishima: Goliath Giant Barbarian Like Denki, wanted to get into because it was popular. Bakugou helped a lot with building the character. Has a lot of fun smashing stuff. Plays his role pretty well, even if his character doesn't go beyond the nice brute whose name is very close to Kirishima's own.

Mina Ashido: Satyr Glamour Bard One of the students the most into the roleplaying. Is very light hearted and goofy about the whole thing. Can play a lot in bard stereotypes because she thinks it's funny. Another instigator, though mostly from her getting too into character at the worst of times. Fumikage Tokoyami: Tiefling Fiend Warlock Has been playing the game the longest and super familiar with all of it. Always makes characters he thinks are "cool", which means are super gothic and depress, both in class and in race. Does occasionally have Dark Shadow dress up and roleplay as his patron. Ochako Uraraka: Fairy Zealot Barbarian Ochako just wants to smash stuff. She has a lot of fun rolling dice and doing cool stuff with her friends, both good and bad. Likes playing the typically pixie before going nuts. Can be an instigator, but tends to backtrack when she realizes just how badly it goes wrong. Tsuyu Asui: Halfling Moon Druid Like Koda, is mostly here to have fun with friends. Often plays mediator both in and out of character. Does a good job with roleplaying thanks to how much she had to play pretend with her simplies. Always causes a riot whenever she becomes a dinosaur. Shoto Todoroki: Hill Dwarf Fighter Champion One of the worst players both in game and in roleplay. Played a character Izuku basically made for him. Is somehow still one of the best because he is constantly getting amazing rolls at the most critical moments, much to the frustration of Bakugou.

Katsuki Bakugo: Custom Lineage Chronurgy Wizard Powergamer, no question. He knows the rules back and forth to make the most broken build possible. Acts like D&D is a game you can win, even when it comes to roleplaying. Not a full on murder hobo, but by far the biggest instigator in the group.

Tenya Iida: Warforged Devotion Paladin Very much devoted to the rules, both in and out of the game. Gets confused when people say that he's doing a good job at playing a robot. Collects a lot of dice. One of the best Dungeon Masters of any of the students, though can be rather controlling at times. Momo Yaoyorozu: High Elf Forge Cleric A really good player with the rules though can be pretty awkward with the roleplay with how much she tries to get into it. One of the best DMs in the class. Makes custom miniatures for everyone in the party. Puts a lot of money to make the ultimate game room. Izuku Midoriya: Variant Human Bladesinging Wizard The perfect player. Knows the roles, but focuses more on making characters. Takes the most notes, pay attention, and makes sure everyone is having fun and feels included. Likely gets roped into the role of dungeon master more then anyone else because of these reasons.

110 notes · View notes

seireitonin · 7 months

Text

What alternative subcultures the Creepypastas would be in!!(pt 1)

This was an ask I accidentally deleted! Oops! I also listen to all the music I put in here! So it’s also a small glimpse into what I listen to! Also as some of you know I’m in the scemo and goth subcultures! But I know a lot about alternative cultures period so this was fun to make!

LJ: VICTORIAN GOTH 100%!! / Victorian Circus Core

I mean he’s literally from that era

The feathered shaw, the black and white color scheme, the black lipstick and guy liner with the pale white face!!

Literally a goth king. That’s an outfit I would definitely see at a goth club!(I’ve been to many)

Another part of goth culture is liking horror/ monsters. Since LJ is a monster he’d fit right in!

He’d be accepted by most goths despite his looks bc goths have morbid dark fashion senses themselves!

So if they saw his swirly cone nose and sharp teeth they’d be like: omg! I love your look!

He’d definitely listen to classical music and other goth music Specifically Switchblade symphony and Cocteau Twins

He definitely listens to old PATD

I can see him wearing other Victorian inspired clothes too!

Like dis:

Jeff: Metalhead/ with 90s emo(for nostalgia.)

I mean look at him

He’d definitely shit on nu metal and still listen to it

The long greasy black hair, not showering, thinking he’s better than everyone else yeah sounds like a metal head to me/ hj

He listens Cattle Decapitation, Peeling Flesh, Suicide Silence, Cannibal Corpse, Avatar and literally anything with machine gun drums

He listens to some 90s emo but will never admit

Definitely wears band shirts especially the ones he got from concerts when he was a teen

He loves a good mosh pit

You know, the ones where you come out all bloody?

Yeah he loves those

He can hurt people in them and it’ll be fine? Sign him up! (Man has no pit manners smh)

Definitely a metal elitist

“You like SOAD? Ugh that not REAL metal”

Stfu Jeff.

Yeah. Metalhead to his core.

LJill (I love her, so underrated)

Victorian goth as well, but she leans more in the gothic Lolita side of it

Wears pretty gothic Lolita dresses with lots of black and white lace, buttons and she’ll have a matching bonnet and parasol to match when she’s feeling extra fancy!

She feels so elegant and feminine when she puts her multiple layers of petticoats on! She wouldn’t be caught dead without them!

Her makeup and lipstick is always perfect.

Her hair is always either perfectly curled or perfectly straightened

The goal is to look as doll like as possible ( also because she is one!)

She listens to music box like music if that makes sense?? For example Swan Lake by Fairy Lullaby or Porcelain Eyes

She, like LJ listens to classical music and goth music

But mainly classical and music box!

Will go to tea parties and knows how to make tea cakes and sandwiches

Just a lady all around!

Jane: Trad Goth/ Casual Goth/ Amy Lee

Since Jane is always on the move and doesn’t really have time to get all dressed up

So she’ll usually be in a simple black dress or black pants and a turtleneck

But when she does get a chance to dress up

She dresses trad goth mixed with Amy Lee

She’ll have her hair long with bangs covering her forehead

Trad goth makeup, but a bit more modern,big eyeliner and arched brows

She’ll be wearing corsets and waist trainers

Long skirts, ripped leggings

High heel platforms

She goes all out and she looks great!

Listens to music like The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, New Years Day and The Birthday Massacre

Can do goth dances very well

God she’s beautiful

Toby: Midwestern Emo/ early 2000s emo/ a tad grunge/ indie

He just looks like one tbh

But seriously he had a hard life and emo music gives him comfort

Toby wears flannel shirts, grandpa sweaters, simple tee shirts and pants that are loose but not too loose

Hiking boots, sneakers

He listens to Chidos, The Front Bottoms, State Champs, Real Friends, Nirvana, Yawning, Hail the Sun, The Used, A Lot Like Birds, Static Dress, Mild High Club and many many more

He can play the guitar, drums and sing pretty well

He needed something to keep him busy while he was homeschooled after all! And it took his mind off of the horrible things he was going through

Plus with him feeling no pain, he could practice his hands bleed so his hands are really calloused

He likes to sit in the woods and just listen to music sometimes

He’s a loner like that

Especially in the fall when the leaves are so pretty

He feels almost peaceful. Almost

EJ: Tbh I can’t put him in a single box I feel like he’d be everything

He’ll listen to whatever whenever

Except religious music it freaks him out

Ya know because of the cult that took his eyes

But I see him liking dark ,dreamy music if that makes sense

His taste actually lines up with Toby’s pretty well

Static dress, MGMT, YKWIM by Yot Club, Homage by the Mild High club, My Bloody Valentine, Grouper

Also anything with sad guitars like wish by sign crushes motorist (Toby likes music like this too)

Sometimes even lo-fi if he has to unwind

Jack wears all black most of the time. Just so he doesn’t look too dirty

Black hoodie, black shirt, black pants, black shoes

He also feels like any other color won’t go with his now grey skin

But yeah EJ is just a dude with a wide music taste

We love that for him

Nina: Obviously Scene+Emo= scemo

Do I even have to explain?

She listens to Pierce the Veil, Sleeping with Sirens, Bring Me the Horizon, Paramore, AFI, FOB, Get Scared, Hey Monday, MCR, Ghosttown, Millionaires, Brokencyde, Medic Driod, Dot Dot Curve, A Skylight Drive, ISMFOF ,everything Toby listens too as well(and many more)

Nina wears either all black with colorful hair or has her signature black and pink with more colorful outfits

Cheeta print, skulls, DIY stuff, band shirts, tube tops, tutus, skinny jeans, brass knuckle necklaces, hoop earrings, black eyeshadow, big teased hair with raccoon tails

Yeah she’s 2000s emo fs

Goes to raves and concerts like crazy

But she’s not opposed to any kind of music and will do goth makeup for fun

And wear Jane’s clothes

She thinks goth is really pretty but it’s just not her

She’ll stick with scemo lol

Jason The Toymaker: Steampunk/ Victorian Circus Core

The copper in his clothes

The bright red hair

The long flowing jacket with intimate details

Yeah he’s definitely steam punk

Im not sure what kind of music steampunks listen to but I’d like to know!

Jason definitely listens to Emilie Autumn and old PATD

BEN: EDM

I mean…it was obvious

Skillix, deadmouse, xxxanteria, Luci4, old Flying Lotus albums, 9lives

He’s literally code so I think he’d like it

Not much else to say here tbh

I’m getting tired so lmk if you want a part 2 lol

212 notes · View notes

blood-orange-juice · 2 months

Text

We need to talk about fem!Childe. Or rather people drawing fem!Childe.

These arts make me sad! He would not dress like that, mini skirts are impractical and not fairytale-like.

I always imagine either someone idenical to current Childe but with boobs (same clothes, short hair, etc. she looks like young Tilda Swinton in my imagination ^^) or someone who pretends to be a fairy.

If that girl decides to wear a skirt it will be a properly frilly skirt. Something ornate and something that doesn't restrict movement.

I keep thinking of Villanelle from Killing Eve. She's kind of the sociopatic bad boy archetype but a woman in her late 20s and she rocks pink dresses when not on a job and sometimes on a job.

As in, she wears this at some point:

And this:

The type of femininity that exists for itself, not to attract a guy. That girly/princess vibe instead of a "sexy woman" vibe, but with more money and taste.

I'm not saying he would dress like that but there is a precedent for a character of a similar type who doesn't dress to charm and it's not what you would expect. Someone like that would happily play with the stories they like, not just dress to match their gender.

Also as Saoki points out:

Gothic lolita seems very fitting and decora Childe now lives rent-free in my head.

#childe #tartaglia #I will die on this hill

56 notes · View notes

moondust-bard · 1 year

Text

A Call for More Stories

Either my dash is broken, dead, or all of my faves are busy with Life Things. So, I am once again begging writeblr to replenish my dash with stories. I’ll be looking at the pinned wip posts of those who interact with this post. If I can’t find any of those, or you don’t store wip content using those methods, feel free to message me with links.

If your wip contains the following, please drop a comment and I’ll check out your wip page or story info!

• dark fantasy, gothic fantasy, fairytale and myth retellings, soft political fantasy, space opera that’s light on big tech Things

• enemies to lovers— bonus points for slow burn, angst, and pining

• “found family” cast of characters— bonus points if it includes queer, disabled, chronically ill, poc characters

• complex or strained family dynamics

• Powerful dynasties, especially magical ones

• arranged marriages or a begrudging alliance that leads to romance

• magic schools — especially with a dark academia or whimsical twist

• animal companions or Kind of Animals Except Wrong Because Magic

• interfering deities and political machinations

• magical groups and cultures (witches, vampires, fairies, selkies, etc) — even ones you’ve created yourself are cool with me!

• princesses, balls, pretty things that sparkle

• magical hotels, circuses, contests, castles (think Howl’s Movubg Castle, Labyrinth, Caraval, Hotel Magnifique, etc)

• worldbuilding— I love worldbuilding posts So Much

Some topics I’d prefer to avoid

• Tech-heavy worldbuilding— mostly because I don’t have the brain power to comprehend it

• Super detailed gore — mild body horror is fine

• War-heavy plots wherein there would be many long, detailed battle scenes

• Animal deaths mentioned on page

• fan fiction

• A casf of characters that is predominantly straight, male, white, and able-bodied

⭐️Please Note: ⭐️ I know writing in the tags is a Thing, and I don’t want to infringe on anyone’s creativity or posting preferences. I’d really appreciate it if comments for me, the OP, could be left as an actual comment. I’m blind and my screen reader doesn’t read whatever’s written in the tags, unfortunately. All of your notes in the tags? Can’t read ‘em. They’re too light for me to see and my tech won’t read them to me.

#looking for writer friends #writing community #writeblr #writers of tumblr

255 notes · View notes

plutodetective · 1 year

Text

I have to work today, but there’s a lot I want to say about Jonathan and gender, and I won’t have the time to organize it in a proper essay, so here are some points:

1) Of fucking course men can have characteristics usually attributed to women and still be men. I’m working on a series of sci-fi adaptations of fairy tales, and in my Sleeping Beauty the protagonist is a (cisgender) boy, precisely because I want boys to see they can be vulnerable and need rescue too. And I completely understand if someone prefers to see Jonathan as a cis man because it’s so rare to see men in this role, surviving abuse, when it does happen in real life. I start my Gothic Heroine Support Group fic with Belle making precisely this point. Men can be prey, women can be predators. She knows this because that’s what happened to the original Beast, and kudos to Gabrielle Suzanne de Villeneuve, the author of the original Beauty and the Beast, for making this point centuries ago.

2) That being said, Jonathan seems to identify with women on a deeper level than being on a role in which women usually are. For me, what cements the headcanon is when he chooses the women’s quarters to sleep in, seeming to long for “a gentle life”, even if it involved sadly waiting for the menfolk to return from war. He seems to identify with the female identity, not only the female role. That’s only my personal interpretation, I fully acknowledge that. But seeing as it’s one that a lot of trans people in the fandom seem to share and, more importantly, to identify with, it’s one that is more than valid: it brings people joy. I’m cis. I’m also bisexual, and I know the joy of seeing myself in a character through subtext, and also how frustrating it is when people say it’s not true because it’s not 100% explicit in the text. If trans people are telling me they identify with Jonathan, I believe them and I take that as there being reasons I acknowledge I cannot fully understand why Jonathan is potentially a trans woman.

3) I assume everyone here has heard of Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey. But it’s less likely that everyone has heard of Gail Carriger’s The Heroine’s Journey. I fully recommend this book to everyone. But the point she makes is that whether someone is a “hero” or a “heroine” according to hers and Campbell’s analysis doesn’t depend on their gender. Women can follow Campbell’s Hero Journey, and men can follow Carriger’s Heroine Journey. And non-binary people can follow either. The names come from the gender of the characters who originated the archetypes, with Campbell’s being classic Greek heroes, and Carriger’s being ancient world goddesses. With that in mind, although no one has written a “Gothic Heroine’s Journey”, Jonathan Harker is a gothic heroine, regardless of whether you see him as cis man or trans woman, because he follows that story type step by step.

4) Does anyone here know of a transgender gothic heroine (in the gender neutral sense explained above)? Because I don’t. If anyone does, seriously, please point me their way, I’d love to increase my gothic knowledge. But it’s a type of representation I’ve never seen. As a member of a lot of minorities, I feel very happy whenever I see any of them represented in ways I’ve never seen before, and I can only imagine it’s the same for trans people. So what’s the harm in letting Jonathan be that? Seriously. All that is missing so far from Jonathan being a fully classical gothic heroine is him going around the castle in a flowing white dress. If I ever get to adapt my written version of modern day!Dracula, I’ll absolutely put Natália (my version of Jonathan) in a white nightgown, just to give a transgender actor the chance to play out this scene that I’ve seen so many cis women do over the years. Again, I understand if someone takes empowerment from Jonathan as a cis man surviving abuse, and I’d never want to take that away from them. Jonathan being a cis man is an absolutely valid reading too. But I think trans women deserve empowerment too, deserve to see a trans woman playing out a story so many of their cis counterparts have always had. The book is in public domain. We can each adapt them the way we choose. Cis man Jonathan and trans fem Jo, Natália, or whatever name you prefer for her, can coexist and be important to the groups of people each of them are important to.

#dracula spoilers #dracula #jonathan harker #dracula daily #re: dracula

154 notes · View notes

sweaterweatherever · 1 year

Note

hello, all right, could you make an imagine where xavier finds reader dancing to the sound of ""

Roslyn - Bon Iver'"

Lead (Xavier Thorpe x Fem reader)

Pairing: Xavier Thorpe x fem reader

Warnings: None. Just fluff. Shortish, because from my research, imagines are.

A/N: Feeling a little under the weather today, so decided I would tackle one SFW request. I love getting new music to listen to and this song was nice. Then I read the lyrics and started crying. I listened to this on a loop during writing the whole thing.

You spun gracefully, feet drawing figures eights on the grass. Being new to Nevermore, you spent a lot of time alone. Your roommate was kind, but not exactly what you would call a friend. Transferring on your last year hadn’t been a good option, every single friend group in the school was already formed. Your life hadn’t been very pleasant lately, either. All the moving around, all this changes, leaving your friends behind… One thing remained a constant, though. Dance. Dance, as always, remained your outlet.

Nevermore forced their students into extracurriculars, but they didn’t have anything dance related. It was weird, for such a big school, having this many dramatic extracurriculars like fencing and archery and not theater or dance. Maybe fencing and archery went better with the full gothic theme, but you weren’t interested. You had asked the principal if they could give you some space to practice, having noticed other artists in the school had it, like Wednesday Addams and her rooftop or Xavier Thorpe and his shed. Unfortunately for you, they had said there wasn’t a space for it, but allowed you to keep at it, founding your very own extracurricular.

So, you ended up practicing in the woods, near a path you had found, headphones in. There was something peaceful about dancing around where no one could see you, surrounded by nature. Besides, something about dancing in the woods called to your outcast nature, evoking druids of the past. You liked to close your eyes and pretend you were dancing in a white dress, like some old priestess from a long forgotten world. The feeling of the earth beneath you, the smells of grass, music thumping in your ears so hard it resonated through your whole body. It was magical. What could you say, you were a romantic.

Music blasting at full volume, eyes closed since you had been practicing for weeks on the same place, you gave a jolt when something grabbed your arms. You opened your eyes to find Xavier Thorpe staring down at you, hand wrapped around your bicep. His lips were moving, and he was gesturing animatedly at his ears. You took that as a sign to remove your headphones.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.” Xavier let go off your bicep. “I tried talking to you, but I think you had your music way too loud.”

“Yeah.” You answered, a little out of breath. You tried to fix your hair a little. Here was the most popular guy at school, talking to you, and you were dancing around with seemingly no music, all sweaty and in workout clothes.

“What were you listening to?” You gave him a look. Did he seriously interrupt you just for this? Your face must have been thunderous because he raised his hands in surrender. “Look, it is just that I see you here every day and I really wanted to talk to you…” His tone got lower and lower, eyes going to his shoes. It's kind of cute, this admission. Seeing you every day? That made the wheels on your brain turn. Now that you looked at him, he was covered head to toe with paint. You had found it odd, that there was a path around here, in a seemingly unused part of the woods. Not so unused, it seemed. Xavier's shed must be close.

“Roslyn.” You passed him a headphone, carefully lowering the volume, so he wouldn’t go deaf. Xavier grabbed it from you, placing it in his ear without hesitation. “Why did you want to talk to me?”

“You seemed…otherworldly. You just are connected with your body and there is something in the way you move…. And in the forest… Like a fairy. I… I draw, you know? And I wanted to ask, would you allow me to draw you?” Xavier blushed, but he kept his eyes firmly on yours. “Music is nice, by the way.”

“Like, dancing?” You questioned. Xavier tilted his head to the side. “The drawing part.”

“Oh, yes. I have seen you in class, you know. Maybe you could wear the uniform skirt?” He looked like an overeager puppy, all big pleading eyes.

“Kinky.” You laughed at his expression. “I’m messing with you, silly. Why the skirt, though?”

“Ah, sorry. For reference? I think it would look pretty when you are spinning. I would probably draw it as another skirt, but just to know how it moves.”

“I got skirts for dancing.” You said to him. “They are made especially not to restrict my movements and flow nicely.”

“That would be great.” Xavier gave you a bright smile, and you couldn’t help but smile back. He was disarmingly handsome, in a non-conventional way. A thought came to you then.

“What do I get out of it?” You gave him a cheeky grin. You could be misreading the situation, but you thought there was a spark of interest in those big green eyes. “I think you should pay your models.”

“What do you want?” Xavier asked, leaning a little towards you. Turns out, you might not have been mistaken after all.

“I wouldn’t mind a dance partner.” You tilted your chin upwards, pointing at him. “I think there is a lack of members in this extracurricular.”

“I think the same might be true about archery.” Xavier said, eyes crinkling with his amusement. You understood the answer for what it was. Both a yes and an invitation.

You gave him an elaborate mock bow. Roslyn was still playing in the headphones, thanks to you looping it in the AirPods before putting them in. Then, you offered him a hand.

“I’ll lead.”

And so, Xavier followed.

#drop music recs #my writing #wednesday netflix #wednesday 2022 #xavier thorpe x reader #xavier thorpe #xavier thorpe x fem!reader #xavier thorpe x fem reader #xavier thorpe imagine #xavier thorpe fluff

208 notes · View notes

anonymous-dentist · 6 months

Note

gotta admit, i’ve yet to see a beauty and the beast au where roier is the beast. i think people usually choose cellbit because he along with the catboy stuff that fans like, there is also his gothic castle which kind of fits the vibes of brooding, angsty prince who is cursed. but i would love to see a take where roier is the beast; i just don’t know what would make a beast roier or a beast cellbit take someone captive… if we are sticking close to the plot that is lol

Honestly? I don’t either of them would like hold someone captive either, but the best thing about fairy tales is the fact that you can change them

#asks!#anon!

28 notes · View notes

fruixtii · 1 year

Text

hey a little tag game i want to try!!! order your favorite twst dorms from least fave to favorite!

Scarabia: their characters on their own are good but seeing them together makes me extremely uncomfortable?? it’s probably because the orientalism plus people shipping together..it’s not jamil and kalims fault but i have a complicated relationship with scarabia

Octavinelle: idk they just don’t stand out to me. jade is neat but i feel like the tweels are overhyped. don’t really have an opinion about azul

Savanaclaw: again the characters are great but. as a whole they don’t stand out to me. i love jack and ruggie but leona 😬 if you got rid of the sarcasm and smug expression he would be a cool character (i kin him more than i would like) but i feel like he’s wasted potential. also book 2 was the hardest to get through because it was so boring it really did them dirty

Heartslabyul: the card guys!! don’t really care much about them either..i usually like alice in wonderland vibes but their dorm uniforms are the worst things i’ve ever seen. WHY DO THEY WEAR T-SHIRTS?? other than that i don’t have much to say about them.

Pomefiore: THE GAYS okay they’re awesome. this is mostly because of rook i just really like rook. and rookvil. epels great to actually. also on the complete opposite note their dorm uniforms are amazing (maybe even my favorite) i would totally wear them myself. but even though they’re in the top three i don’t really think about them more than any of the other dorms.

Ignihyde: okay of course my second favorite dorm is the cute family. what did you expect. but also they are so interesting?? book 6 has been the best book so far especially with all the lore. also ortho is best boy AND LITERALLY A ROBOT. how can you not like precious robot boy who loves his brother. also their designs are cool the hades hair and teeth are very gender.

Diasomnia: you already knew this was coming. my beloved dark romanticism found family dorm<33 i am literally obsessed with them okay. not only are their designs peak gender but they’re WRITING is so. augh. just the contrast between them. we got two faes who are centuries old and have experienced years upon years of hardship. war. suffering. and then we have two (one and a half) humans who have never experienced loss. or grief. they are honest and hardworking and loyal, they represent youth and joy!! and yet they all have so much LOVE and TRUST for eachother it makes me go INSANE!!!! also you can never miss with gothic aesthetics and fairies…literally the greatest thing out there

anyways in conclusion i think any dorm that isn’t diasomnia and doesn’t have tragedy and fate weaved inside them are plain and boring. if i placed your favorite dorm low feel free to tell me why im wrong and why they are the best!! i would love to hear :)) (also feel free to include ramshackle too)

tagging: @rayroseu-reblogs @ethanwinterfan69 @drdepper @shrimpyjustwrites @llondonfog @wondergeek @frogeloise @morays @hxneylavendxr @teslathelame @the-v-lociraptor @anotherlavendergay @chaoticsnacc @aloodonut @valsol-909 if you guys would like<3

#hey this is just me exposing myself #i only have enough space in my brain for one dorm and that is different as you can clearly tell #twst posting #tag game

54 notes · View notes

faustus-pheles · 8 months

Text

I already had these ideas for about a year and a half but I was finally able to draw it/write them down. Also, I tried my best to draw in the project sekai art style. The face was the best I could do (T-T)…I’ll probably do the school uniform later.

If you want to know general ideas or maybe more info, you can read below, though, it’s kind of long(^^;) This unit will definitely be set before the 3rd anniversary.

This unit is known as Rozen Notturno, a classical and gothic band that focuses on one pair of musicians and one pair of singers/dancers. Together they create highly polished music. Pairs are changed depending on the song and while there are main singers, that doesn’t mean the musicians don’t sing. Because they’re more invested into music playing, they become back-up singers. Their dances are a mix of ballroom dancing and ballet. Each band member has an instrument(s) associated with them. Miyuki (piano, harpsichord, organ, etc.), Suzu (Violin), Aiko (Electric guitar, accordion), and Rei (Cello). Miyuki/Suzu tend to be in one pair and Aiko/Rei tend to be the other. Their lyrics are very symbolically/metaphorically driven and story based( they tend to be horror or fairy tale inspired). When they do add lyrics based on themselves, it’s usually hidden between the characters they created. Miyuki is the composer, Rei is the lyricist, Suzu is the storyteller, and Aiko is the stylist.

In terms of how their music sounds like, it’ll be something akin to Ali Project, Valkyrie (enstars), and Hollow Mellow. On the more extreme side, Rozen Notturno can lean more into gothic visual kei bands or Youseki Teikoku. Even jazz is a possibility.

Some of the vocaloid songs I was thinking that they could potentially cover could be limited, but that could also be because I haven’t search enough. Either way some of the songs include:

Kikuo (ex. Histrionic, Rolling Rolling Tumbling Along, Dance of the Corspes, KikuoHana in general

Kanon69 (Darkestory, Royal Scandal series)

Nem (ex. Angelfish, Virgin Suicides, Scissorhands)

Machigerita (ex. Coffin of Sweet Death, Dream Meltic Halloween, Moonlight and Black)

Hitoshizuku & Yana (ex. The Corpse Princess and the King of Vengeance, Prisoner of Love and Desire, 13th Apocalypse, Alluring Secret ~Black Vow~)

Some general songs (ex. Honeymoon Un Deux Trois, Cantarella, Cendrillion/Adolescent)

Their sekai would be the Ballroom Sekai. A place full of extravagant paintings/decor and musical instruments. It’s very Rococo inspired. It has enough space for Rozen Notturno to practice and for “guests” to peek in. The guests are porcelain dolls that are about 2.5 ft. The sekai is created by the dream of both Miyuki and Suzu, the dream to once again play together in front of a live audience (in an orchestra).

Miku and the rest of the vocaloids would be ball-joint dolls. Specifically with Miku, she’s an always smiling and always kind (albeit slight eccentric) doll that’s constantly en pointe. She has no instrument associated with her as she’s only a singer/3rd dancer. The rest of of the vocaloids change instruments based on the song.

The main story will most likely be about Miyuki meeting Suzu again after many years and failing multiple times to get her to play with him. He’ll meet Aiko and Aiko wanting to help him, will probably recruit Rei, who has no friends. The general idea of creating a “band” will actually be Aiko’s idea as in having more people to perform together should be much easier than having only one. With they finally recruit Suzu (with the help of the vocaloids as well), they decide to try to perform on a small stage. Though until the very end, Suzu is unable to, as her fears are triggered. What they decided to do thanks to Miyuki’s plan is to use Suzu’s persona, Engel, to perform instead, and to wait until Suzu is able to perform as herself, as everyone wants to continue playing together as a “band” . The main story arch will be mostly focused on helping Suzu gain the courage to play as herself with everyone. Smaller arcs will include on how they want to run their band/how they should perform, Rei’s inability to open up even for the most simplest of things (trust issues/vulnerability issues), and Aiko’s fear of being abandoned by her friends (abandonment issues). Miyuki’s the only one who’s actually ok(^^;). Though, arcs will most likely focus in his creative endeavors (same as Rei).

Some character interactions:

Miyuki will have interactions with Toya (mostly), Akito, Kanade, Ichika, and Tsukasa.

Suzu will have interactions with Mafuyu and Mizuki (She’ll have the least because of her social anxiety)

Aiko will have interactions with basically everyone but mostly Mizuki, An, and Tsukasa.

Rei will have interactions with only the Kamiyama students and he won’t have any favorites.

That’s all I have but I might add more later when I get more ideas.

#project sekai oc #prsk oc #pjsk oc #colorful stage #project sekai #prsk #pjsk #art💖

39 notes · View notes

intrepidacious · 7 months

Text

✩ upcoming wips

main masterlist | navigation

i haven't been posting a lot lately because i'm a slow writer and life has been kicking my butt but i've wanted to let you take a peek at what i've been cooking up in the background!!

what little attention i have at the moment has been going into time after time but there's a lot of ideas constantly swirling around in my head and i've wanted a place to put some of them. shockingly, these aren't even all of my wips. yeah, i know.

this is just a snapshot of the most prominent fic ideas i've been working on at the moment which means that plots and especially titles might still get changed. also i'm not committing to any sort of schedule with these so keep that in mind :')

please feel free to ask questions about any and all of these and i'll do my best to answer <3

✩ one shots

a smile that cold - ransom drysdale x f!reader - au inspired by daphne du maurier's rebecca - (well, mostly by its musical adaptation, which is great) - i'm going full gothic/seasonally spooky vibes in this one - tropes: widower remarries, mystery, dark-ish (well, there's murder), perhaps a hint of spice - status: mostly done, but still missing a chunk in the middle

to home afar - bucky barnes x freader - the guernsey literary and potato peel pie society au - (oh yes we're going there) - i love this book and this au so much but i just haven't had the time to focus on it - tropes: 40s!bucky, dad!bucky, writer!reader, one (1) broken engagement, fitzsimmons appearance, hints of epistolary storytelling, pen pals to friends to lovers - status: about halfway done, still missing some connective tissue

all that's been (and all that won't) - bucky barnes x f!reader - buffy the vampire slayer au - tropes: slayer!reader, vampire hunter!bucky, friends to lovers, inspired by me rereading all the vampire knight manga so if you know those you'll see the twist coming, canon-typical violence - status: conception phase, some scenes written

stay here forever - 40s!bucky barnes x f!reader - a continuation of first date, last night - this was a plan ever since i posted that story and yet - tropes: friends to lovers, mutual pining resolved, tfa!bucky, kinda angsty, will probably get another part … - status: mostly written, missing connective tissue

just for spite - bucky barnes x witch!reader - originally inspired by a moodboard by @treatbuckywkisses - this has been sitting in my drafts for an embarrassingly long time - might end up being a collection of loosely connected one shots - tropes: post tfatws!bucky, practical magic vibes, there's a cat, slow burn? maybe? - status: first part done, some more scenes written

death becomes him - steve rogers x grim reaper!reader - inspired by a mix of meet joe black, elisabeth (the musical, not the movie), the fairy tale godfather death, and the show dead like me - this is such a weird idea and i need to write it so bad - tropes: canon-compliant-ish, slow burn, artist!steve, will probably include time jumps, dark-ish for obvious reasons - status: random scenes written

tomorrow - steve rogers x reader - inspired by the river song storyline in doctor who - (yes you read that right) - i love using my most random au ideas for steve, i think this works so well and i'm so excited about it - tropes: opposing timelines, kind of slow burn kind of established relationship, goes through steve's entire mcu timeline - status: scenes written, writing time shenanigans is tiring if that's all you do though :')

ghost light - lighthouse keeper!steve rogers x reader - (yeah) - this one is so random but i cannot stop thinking about it - tropes: retired!steve, maybe a little angsty but it's fine really, either writer!reader or barista!reader - status: vibes and like two paragraphs

mirror's image - endings, beginnings!frank x reader - fic based on "why'd you only call me when you're high" by the arctic monkeys - tropes: fwb, drug consumption, angst and spice, idk if this will have a happy ending or not - status: about one third done

✩ series / AUs

dear heart, it's me - anthology based on the amazing devil's album "the horror and the wild" - listen for vibes 😌 - will probably posted for a milestone celebration - pairings include: stucky, bucky barnes x reader, natasha romanoff x reader, wanda maximoff x reader, jefferson x reader, steve harrington x reader (more tbd) - status: one fic stuck in revision, three more started, real excited for one additional one atm

nothing else will do - continuation/expansion of my rewritten drabble - think medieval-ish fantasy vibes, once upon a time with some princess bride thrown in there - pairings include: outlaw/pirate!steve rogers x reader, knight!bucky barnes x reader - status: lots of daydreaming and some random scenes put onto paper

occupy my brain - continuing these two drabbles - ransom drysdale x reader - there will be at least two more chapters but i am aiming to keep this one short and sweet - status: it’s more or less planned out, if only someone would finish writing it down that’d be great

come fly with me - introducing my pilot!bucky au!! - i’m not sure where it came from either but i’m having fun and it grew out of my control fast - series of connected one shots within the same universe - (i also have plans for sam and steve with this one!!) - status: not a priority rn, but i have a couple of ideas floating around my brain

read you like a book - library au!! - you’ve already been introduced to this universe’s bucky and steve and i love them dearly - status: again, not a priority at the moment but they’re coming

something bout you - beloved - ngl returning to this one is probably gonna hurt but i still want it to exist - college au steve rogers x reader - this is my childhood friends fake dating au that i made up for ren - status: hopefully i will return to this one day after tat is done

i feel awkward tagging people in this but do feel free to reblog this and do tell me about your favourites lmao okay have a nice weekend 🫶🏼

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x you #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x you #mcu fanfic #ransom drysdale x reader #ransom drysdale x you #writing update #intrepidacious

35 notes · View notes

thecoziestbean · 1 month

Text

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thank you for the tag @iamstartraveller776 !

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 11

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 127,389

3. What fandoms do you write for? LOTR: The Rings of Power, Baldur's Gate 3, and The Night Circus

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

run through the forest (settle before the sun): you get more than you bargained for when you stumble upon a little cottage after getting lost in the Wood [BG3, Halsin/Reader, dark fairy tale au]

The Venus of Valinor: Galadriel has her work cut out for her covering up that her family's art collection is fake. When too much interest threatens to expose her secret, she enlists rakish thief Halbrand's help. [LOTR: TROP, Haladriel, modern-ish art heist au]

meet me at the edge: Nobody talks much about the Noldor family anymore. Like saying any of their names aloud will bring their misfortune down upon the speaker: a lesson to be learned, a warning to be issued, a curse to be conjured. [LOTR: TROP, Haladriel, prairie gothic horror au]

sharp as a razor, sweet as honeysuckle: The fic where Galadriel's a professional barrel racer on the rodeo circuit, Hal's a washed up bull rider running a honky tonk, and they're both idiots in love. [LOTR: TROP, Haladriel, modern rodeo au]

My Way or the Highway: Workplace rivals Galadriel and Halbrand are sent on a business trip to meet with a reclusive client. The trip does not go according to plan. [LOTR: TROP, Haladriel, modern roadtrip au]

5. Do you respond to comments? I try to! I'm not always prompt, and sometimes I don't have the bandwidth. But I really really really appreciate every one I get, and I hoard them like a weird little dragon.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I don't really do angsty endings, but I guess Missed Connections? There's a good chance I'm going to expand on that one this year, but where it stands now I'd say it's angsty.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? I guess run through the forest? That's the one that probably comes closest to a HEA ending. But I'm also partial to the ending of sharp as a razor.

8. Do you get hate on fics? Once, on a 100 word drabble. It was a bizarre experience.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Yessss. I tend to write the E variety, and it often has an... energetic quality to it, we'll say. But I like smut that reveals something about the characters, either to themselves or to each other or just to the reader.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? Nope. Not really something I'm super interested in doing, either.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I'm aware of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? No, but that would be very cool.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Not yet...

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? I feel like I shouldn't say Haladriel because it's too obvious, but I'm also astounded that I'm still here and the brainrot has somehow only gotten worse.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? Oof, I really hope I finish all my WIPs. I do have a Haladriel Western AU that I've been working on for a year (?) now, though, that feels like it'll never be done. (Different from meet me and sharp as a razor if anyone's wondering, and yes, I realize that means I had/have 3 western/western adjacent au's. Stop looking at me like that.)

16. What are your writing strengths? I think I'm pretty good at scene setting and atmosphere. And creating a clear sense of space through description and action/movement.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I struggle with articulating the emotional pay off in big scenes. And endings! Endings are rough! Let me just stew in the atmosphere for 40k with no end in sight.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I've used a little Quenya and Sindarin here and there, but I'm not comfortable enough with any other languages to use them extensively in fic.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Rings of Power is the first fandom I've ever really finished or shared anything in. I dabbled a bit in some other fandoms years ago, but nothing ever saw the light of day. I'll forever be grateful to this fandom for getting me writing for fun again.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? Ooo, that's hard. They've all been my favorite at one point or another. Right now, I'd have to say A Lust for Light, the fic I wrote for the most recent Haladriel Exchange is top of the list. I'm so so so proud of how that one turned out.

No pressure tagging: @nocaptainonthisship @lisenberry @liminal-zone @conundrumoftime @wyrd-syster @myrsinemezzo @the-sweet-hibiscus @klynnvakarian @jhalya @stitchingatthecircuitboard @hazelmaines and anyone else you wants to play!

#tagging game #cozy writes

9 notes · View notes

bardofhype · 4 months

Text

hello darkest dungeon and lobotomy corporation communities

i saw a post in the darkest dungeon tag talking about how DD was sort of like LobCorp, except with everything gothic instead of the Kabbalah. And though I didn't quite have thoughts about it at the moment of seeing it, I think I silently agreed with it, to the point where my brain went "hey you know what would be funny" so... here I am, about to assign all of Darkest Dungeon's heroes what I believe would be the EGO suits that best fit them. take this as a LobCorp DD au if you'd like, but either way, I'll put the list (and explanations for each) under the cut, for courtesy. Here we go.

Abomination - Cobalt Scar (Big and Will Be Bad Wolf) (Yes, this is going to be in alphabetical order. Bear with me.) For those who don't know much about Lobotomy Corporation, a lot of the Abnormalities/monsters in the facility are based off of urban legends and fairy tales from different corners of the globe, with a few grim twists here and there. Big and Will Be Bad Wolf (and a different Abno we'll get to pretty soon) is based off of Little Red Riding Hood, where- from the Wolf's point of view- he was expected to be bad, and his hunger ended up making that expectation his destiny. And. Well. It's Bigby we're talking about here. Dude is trying so hard to not be a terrifying monster, to keep it at bay... but sometimes it has to come out, whether he wants it to or not. And in Lobotomy Corporation... well, the agents themselves don't get to choose which EGO suits they have.

Antiquarian - Gold Rush (The King of Greed) This one was a little tougher to pin down, but I eventually decided to go with the semi-obvious choice. The King of Greed is one of three (technically four if you take Ruina into account) Abnormalities that are part of a Magical Girl group- heroes of the world who were corrupted in one way or another by different events. The one Josephine here has been assigned used to be the Magical Girl of Happiness, until that desire for happiness turned to obsession, which turned into greed- and she sealed herself inside a case of amber for the sin of ravenous hunger for every earthly pleasure there was. Josephine may not share such a desire so outwardly and for so many things, but she does have that eagle eye for valuables and shiny objects...

Arbalest - Bear Paws/The Forgotten (Happy Teddy Bear) Happy Teddy Bear is an Abnormality based around abandonment and memory, coming in the shape of... well, a giant stuffed teddy bear that's a little worse for wear after its child grew up and left it. Each Abnormality has a special ability that can trigger upon a certain condition being fulfilled, and Happy Teddy Bear's activates if you send the same employee to its containment twice in a row- in which it hugs the employee to death, not wanting to be abandoned again. Missandrei wasn't quite abandoned, but her backstory involving the death of innocence and being left on her own with nothing but a crossbow- not to mention one of her Crimson Court trinkets being a stuffed animal called Childhood Treasure- definitely makes her a good candidate for this. (Though it should be mentioned that she wouldn't have Happy Teddy Bear's EGO weapon, as it's too close range for her. She'd have Parasite Tree's crossbow. "what the fuck is a Parasite Tree" don't worry about it :] )

Bounty Hunter - Crimson Scar (Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary) Told you we'd get to the other Little Red abno. Based on the titular character herself, Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary follows a Little Red who's become a soldier for hire, hunting down the Wolf from her nightmares whenever she can, swearing that she will be the one to kill it. Hell, she has a mechanic where she'll breach containment if Big and Will Be Bad Wolf does so as well, just to fight him. It's nuts. You know Tardif would respect the shit out of that. And dare I say it, he might even see himself in the Abnormality, to an extent- dude has a Vengeful Kill List for a reason, and the both of them have some pretty deadly methods of dealing with their foes... "Does this imply Tardif and Bigby are enemies in this AU?" No, Bigby's just a lot more scared of Tardif that he would be normally, even when the big guy doesn't even have that much aggression towards him. Very funny "rivalry", if you can really call it that.

Crusader - Pink (Army in Pink/Black) Before you say anything, he has One Sin and Hundreds of Good Deed's EGO gift. I promise we'll get into the tasty religion Abnos later. Just lemme explain. Army in Pink/Black is one of the few Abnos in this whole thing where- if you hadn't checked the wiki beforehand and spoiled yourself- the game lies to you about what they are and you don't even know it. It starts out as a ZAYIN grade- the lowest threat level possible- and it seems to do nothing but benefit your employees at first. But then, when the conditions are right and it breaches... it wrecks hell, or it has the very good chance of doing so if you're not properly prepared. And after a good bit of time, it'll reveal it's actually an ALEPH- the highest threat level possible. It's still willing to benefit the facility even after all that, but... now you know you have to be careful around it, because it can and will destroy your shit. To me, that just kinda screams Reynauld. A guy with humble beginnings who simply signed onto the army to provide for his family, who then became an absolute powerhouse with little to no mercy. And I know the EGO set involves a gun, but like. Why not see what the holy knight can cook with that.

Duelist - Frost Splinter (The Snow Queen) Yeah I'm bring Darkest Dungeon II into this as well. Because the two new girlies deserve it. The Snow Queen is based on the story of the same name, where after a series of events, the titular character freezes the heart of someone who was led to her Snow Palace so that he could not feel the cold anymore. Not much of the story is important for the context of this list, but what is important is that her special ability involves freezing an employee and then having a different employee duel her for the frozen employee's freedom. Sahar has probably dueled with her many times while in the facility, and it's never been a grueling task for her- in fact, she enjoys the stakes in place, as she believes it brings out the fierceness in both her and her opponent- though don't get her wrong. She does not see this as entertainment or play-fighting. Simply a honorable duel.

Grave Robber - Cherry Blossoms (Grave of Cherry Blossoms) Had a difficult time pinning this one down. Not because there were no good options- I just didn't know which one fit the most at first. After reading over Grave of Cherry Blossoms, though, I think this is the right choice. Nourishment from the dead, using what they had for themself to the benefit of the many in a kinda twisted way... Audrey would probably raise an eyebrow at the specific methods used, but she can't help but think it clever. Some things do look more beautiful with a lot of blood on them, after all. ... and speaking of blood,

Flagellant - Paradise Lost (WhiteNight) Here's the tasty religious horror shit right here, babey!! This is where it's at!! Possibly- maybe arguably- the most dangerous ALEPH in the entire series, this thing wants to be God so, so bad. And the worst part is that it probably is, and it's fucking terrifying about it. The first time it ever breaches, it's when it's transforming into WhiteNight in the first place- oh, yeah, forgot to mention that this guy first comes into the facility as a ZAYIN-grade called Plague Doctor who gives blessings to the first twelve people (all having to be different people) to visit it, only to reveal that those "blessings" were actually WhiteNight marking them as Apostles, and OOPS! THOSE EMPLOYEES ARE JUST FUCKING DEAD NOW, SAVE FOR ONE THAT'S THE HERETIC APOSTLE THAT BETRAYS THE THING BY CONFESSING TO A DIFFERENT RELIGIOUS ABNORMALITY ENTIRELY- All I'm saying is, Damien would really like this guy. And in as unhealthy a fashion as you could imagine.

Hellion - Wingbeat (Fairy Festival) Fairy Festival is an Abnormality that is weird in a good way to me. You see, its special ability is sending out a group of fairies to aid and heal any employee that had a normal or good Work with it. These little fairies heal 10% of the employee's max health pool for 8 seconds, and these 8 second are so, so vital, because while these fairies are capable of benefiting the facility and the emplotees, they are also capable of gruesome employee instadeath by eating the employee they were sent to care for it if said employee was sent to work on anything but Fairy Festival. After eventually getting over the horrors of that, I think Boudica honestly respects that sort of system. You turn attention to something else while they're trying to thank you? You get what you deserve. That and the cannibalism.

Highwayman - Regret/Magic Bullet (Forsaken Murderer/Der Freischutz) Listen. I was split on this for so long but I know- I just know- he has stuff from both of them. I could not choose between the two. Probably started with Regret first, then got Magic Bullet a few weeks later- because the Manager is an evil bastard- and has the EGO gifts of both of them. Most Haunted Employee of the Month. Forsaken Murderer is kind of what it says on the tin- the story goes into a lot more specifics that outright involves experimental cruelty, but such specifics are not why this Abnormality was a candidate for Dismas here. It's moreso the themes of freedom despite being so heavily restrained, whether physical or otherwise. It's the trauma, and the illusions/hallucinations that came about because of that. It's so- I want to word my thoughts on this better, but I hope you see the vision with this half. As for Der Freischutz... roughly German for "The Marksman", and also based on the tale "Freischutz". A gunman who made a deal with the Devil, for a gun whose magic bullets could hit anyone, no matter what- but the last bullet was meant to puncture his beloved... so he went and killed every single loved one of his, so that the bullet shot through his own heart instead. Do you see it. Do you understand the vision. The absolute torture. When you add on the context that the Magic Bullet EGO weapon- a rifle- pierces through everything and can damage an entire corridor of enemies and allies alike and does not care to stop friendly fire, it's just. Dismas practically requires a mental counselor at the end of each day because of this shit.

Houndmaster - Beak (Punishing Bird) To make a long story short, there's these three specific birds in the game that are all linked- similar to the Magical Girl abnos, but much more fucked. One of these birds is Small Bird, aka Punishing Bird, whose story involving wanting to punish any wrongdoers in the forest it and the other birds lived in, but someone said he couldn't possibly do such a thing, due to how small his beak was- "the punishment wouldn't hurt at all." So Small Bird grew a fucking mouth on his stomach to devour wrongdoers. William really would not like that sense of punishment, but he'd understand it was just trying to protect what it loved. When it inevitably breaches (and it will do this often), he just lets it sit on his head and peck at him. It's fine, as long as he doesn't hit it back. "Why not any of the funny dog abnormalities???" Because his dog's still alive here and he doesn't want to betray her trust behind her back. (Dogs are man's best friend, after all.)

Jester - Da Capo (The Silent Orchestra) The Silent Orchestra is the third ALEPH to appear on this list, but unlike the other two, this one at least lets you know it's ALEPH pretty much right away! No surprises with this guy, but lots of fear! His containment breach is literally him conducting a whole orchestra and making everyone around him take physical, mental, emotional- pretty much any type of damage you can get in the game. And when the finale happens, anyone with less than great sanity after the rest of the performance dies. And considering what the hell Sarmenti did to that royal court the one time, I think he's one of the people to give the Abnormality a standing ovation. Real great music, even if he couldn't really hear it.

Leper - Spore (The Little Prince) I'll be honest, this is what got me to actually read The Little Prince's wiki page & story in full for the first time, and oh my god. It. I want to be able to describe it, but words are failing me right now. Just trust me when I say that Baldwin would feel sympathetic for it after finding out the story himself, and would be the only one of the team to request the Abnormality's EGO gear himself. (It does help that it's actually pretty decent gear, too, in my opinion.)

Man-at-Arms - The Sword Sharpened with Tears (Knight of Despair) The second Magical Girl on our list!! This time, the Knight of Despair- who used to be the Magical Girl of Justice who sought to protect and uphold the law, but realized after many years that nothing was upheld on her watch, and she had failed to protect anyone. Barristan can certainly relate, not being able to protect the men under his own order during the war. The blade that comes with the EGO set doesn't quite feel right at first, but now he wields it with what he hopes is a truly noble purpose.

Musketeer - Heaven (The Burrowing Heaven) With how little we know about Margaret and her past, this is actually one of the harder ones to try and figure out. But a single thought was what won me over to this concept, and I really need you to bear with me on this one. In this universe, what if this is what Margaret saw when the bullseye target shifted in her sight? What if she somehow caught a glimpse of that creature and just... knew she needed to figure out where the hell that came from? Just an idea. I hope we learn more about Margaret at some point.

Occultist - Sound of a Star (Blue Star) Hello fourth ALEPH on the list and second ALEPH to make your intentions known as soon as you show up. So Blue Star is... interesting. Its story involves employees treating it as some sort of god or deity, practically making an entire religion around it, and it's highly implied- if not explicitly stated- that it's a result of the Abnormality itself corrupting their minds, to the point that the company had to issue a statement about it. Something in me has the feeling that Alhazred would be one of the agents whose mind got corrupted by it, but due to training he received before being hired by L Corp, he was actually able to resist most of Blue Star's little mental antics- which probably ends up being the reason why he gets the EGO set in the first place. There is a dark curiosity lingering in him, though...

Plague Doctor - Solemn Lament (Funeral of the Dead Butterflies) I know I mentioned the Abnormality called Plague Doctor back during Flagellant's section, but considering what that led to, I don't think I'm gonna do that to Paracelsus. Plus, I think she'd be more interested in a personification of Death, anyhow. An arguably peaceful rendition of it, even- the Funeral of the Dead Butterflies understands that everyone's end comes eventually, and it wants to comfort those who die and have nowhere else to go in this place. It's got the coffin for a reason, after all- it wanted to be a savior, a long time ago. Much like a certain doctor who thought she could best Death.

Runaway - Fourth Match Flame (Scorched Girl) Based on the story "The Little Match Girl", this Abnormality takes the form of a charred, almost innocently cartoonish silhouette of a young girl, with a lit match piercing through her torso. Do I gotta say it, even. Bonnie probably ends up being good friends with the Scorched Girl, somehow, due to somewhat similar trauma. Or at least she'll really like using the flamethrower that comes with the EGO set.

Shieldbreaker - In the Name of Love and Hate (The Queen of Hatred) All the Magical Girls (sans Servant of Wrath) are here!!!! (celebratory emojis) The Queen of Hatred used to be the Magical Girl of Love, until too much peace and her strong mindset towards justice caused her to have a thought: "If there's too much good in the world, who will be the villain I have to protect everyone from?" Eventually, she became the villain herself, just for a balance of order to the world. Nowadays, she's actually relatively friendly with all the employees of the facility- even doing a friendly breach to help the employees with containing other Abnormalities- but if there's too much peace for a long time, she'll start having those familiar doubts... That's not the reason Amani was given her EGO, however. The reason is for what the Queen of Hatred looks like after she breaches with hostile intent- a giant winged serpent, with hands coming out the sides of its head. The Manager said its shape reminded them of her. Amani does not like the Manager. But she can't deny the effectiveness of the equipment given to her.

Vestal - Pleasure (Porccubus) Remember the possibilities of funny dog Abnormalities I mentioned back with Houndmaster? This is one of them. Imagine a poppy but looked like a dog and it was giant and it floated. Oh, and you can get addicted to petting its thorns because getting pricked by one causes you to experience a very large dose of an indescribable joy that the average human cannot hope to withstand. So now you might be thinking. "How the hell would Junia get this thing's EGO with all her repression?" Yeah, funnily enough, I think she tries her hardest to avoid this Abnormality at all costs, but she's been in there a few times and she claims it wasn't that bad, actually. That said, she hasn't pet it yet.

#darkest dungeon #darkest dungeon 2 #lobotomy corporation #i am not going to be able to tag every single guy respectively. both dd cast and lobcorp abnos #fun fact i almost put red shoes down for antiquarian specifically because of its special ability #but then i thought about it. and i went “actually that'd be too hard to explain and then subsequently connect to josephine”#vestal could've also gotten one sin if it wasn't a zayin and i didn't want girl to die that fast

9 notes · View notes

mintywolf · 9 months

Text

A Long Road Home - Author Notes

Page 25

Oh no, I made the whole Bradbury family adorable. (I guess it’s hereditary.)

I’m not sure exactly how old they’re supposed to be; by the time she’s 20 they’re both described as looking “older” but that was after 5 years of Bad Times Whitestone under the Briarwoods. So I’d guess early-mid 30’s? Kinda late (for the setting) to have a toddler. I like the implied fairy-tale motif of a couple who wanted a child for a long time finally ending up with a really weird one.

Imogen and Matilda both had unusually lonely childhoods because, despite both growing up on a farm, they don’t have any siblings. With Imogen it’s explained by Liliana leaving when she’s still a baby and Relvin never remarrying (and since he’s described as in his mid-late 40’s with a 28-year-old daughter, they got married pretty early) but with Matilda I suppose either her parents either couldn’t have more children, or, after all the difficulty they had with her, didn’t want to risk any more. :/

Sooo . . . okay okay okay. If you’re familiar with the show you’ve probably figured out what’s going on here. (If you’re not, don’t worry, Imogen doesn’t know either so it still has to be explained to her as well as the audience. You’re not totally out of the loop here.) There have been a few hints along the way, and a few clever readers picked up on it in advance. (Gold star!)

After Episode 37 I got really excited about the possibility that Imogen coming into contact with Laudna’s soul in the little memory vignettes we see in the shadow realm might have changed, if not the actual past, the memories themselves. (Idk how many people remember this short comic I drew on the subject in between 37 and 38.) Episode 38 did confirm that they managed to influence at least one; she remembers feeling their presence when she was building Pâté, so that a little bit of all of them ended up in him. (Which, given this table, explains a lot about his personality.) But I think, though, that by “it rewrote that memory a little bit” she probably means her experience reliving it in the Domain of Dread and not the actual memory, because she says with them there “it didn’t feel so lonely that time,” so she still has the original memory.

I got really attached to the idea though, and as with my last comic I had kind of wanted to include a slight road-not-taken AU element, something just to the left of canon but within the bounds of possibility presented by it, so it’s not just a straightforward retelling. (Incidentally both twists involved the characters being bonded on a soul-deep level.) Here it’s that Laudna can remember Imogen, in what is still the future for her, meeting her in her past.

That throughout all the loneliest parts of her life she had the memory of this loving presence and a voice that had spoken to her with kindness and told her it was going to be okay. That when she awoke, terrified and alone, from death the first time it was with the memory of having been told, “when it starts to get scary, you just come find us. We’re gonna get you home.” That even in her 30+ years of wandering the earth being chased from hovel to hovel she knew that there was a home somewhere out there in someone who needed and loved her.

I just . . . have a lot of feelings about Episode 37.

It ended up fitting really well with another recurring theme I have planned/written for Laudna in this that will become more apparent as she continues to share her story with Imogen, in that she isn’t a totally reliable narrator, even when she’s letting her into her mind, and she has contrasting memories of why things are the way they are. (Did she, for example, name herself “Laudna” after gothic literature drug of choice laudanum, or because of what she used to sing to Pâté, or, a secret, third thing . . . because it’s what Imogen called her in the past?)

It also, narratively, gives her a reason to come to Marquet in the first place, and gives some direction to her three decades of wandering around. What she said a few pages ago about having been searching for Imogen her entire life wasn’t just romance novel-inspired sappiness. She has actually been searching for her for that long!! (That whole page is probably worth a reread now that you know the thing.)

There have been a few other dropped bread crumbs along the way, which a couple people noticed right from her first appearance when Imogen overhears her thinking that “it probably isn’t even the right town,” implying that she’s looking for one in particular. On the next page there’s also this panel, which, when unblurred by a concussion, looks like this:

Not that significant-looking but it’s also from Episode 37 (and which I only deploy for purposes of inflicting suffering, haha, it is uttered by a 1 hp Matilda in Remember Us too) when Imogen reaches out to Matilda’s mind for the last time and she reaches back in recognition to lay her hand up against hers on the other side of the window.

I think this particular Past Matilda encounter, chronologically the earliest, actually makes the best case for Imogen and the other Hells having reached through the veil somehow. All the other memories they see involve some notable event in her life — she’s creating Pâté, she’s being betrayed and having her heart broken by her first crush, she’s getting ready for the dinner party that’s about to change (and end) her life. But when they meet Matilda at age 3 (an age it’s rare to have many coherent memories of to begin with) she’s not doing anything but playing by herself in the barn. The most memorable thing about it is that it’s the first time she met Imogen.

Now, here’s the conversation from the show with Baby Tillie taking place in panel 1 of this page:

Imogen: Laudna? . . . Matilda? Are you there? Matilda: Yeah? Imogen: I want to find you and help. Can you show me the path? Matilda: I’m just playing by myself. Imogen: Where are you? Matilda: I’m playing in the barn. Imogen. The barn. Is that outside of town? Matilda: Usually. But not today. Imogen: Can you see the tree, honey? Matilda: No, the tree scares me. Imogen: What does the barn look like? Matilda: Well, it’s kind of red, and it’s tall. It’s got big doors on it. I’m up at the top of it. There’s a ladder you take, and I made some dolls. (Pause) Imogen: We’re coming up, honey. Orym: Hey, Matilda. Hey. Are you by yourself here? Imogen: Who are the dolls, honey? Matilda: They’re . . . I made a nice woman, and I made a bird that can take me away from here. Imogen: We can be that bird for you. We can take you away. Matilda: Where will we go? Imogen: Home. Somewhere safe. Is there . . . is there a mean woman around here? Matilda: Yeah. She won’t let me leave. Imogen: Have you seen her lately? Matilda: She’s sort of out that way. (points towards the tree) Ashton: Matilda? Can you tell me about this drawing? It’s interesting. What were you thinking? Matilda: That’s what’s beyond the city. That’s what everything is now. Imogen: Have you tried to leave? Matilda: The tree won’t let me. Orym: You’re going to come with us, Matilda. We’re gonna go. Would you like that? Matilda: The tree won’t let me. (discussion about escaping the barn) Imogen: Matilda, do you have a secret way out of here? (She disappears)

For when we see it again here (which we will eventually) I rewrote it a bit to fit onto a single comic page (and also so it seems less like Bells Hells is attempting to abduct a toddler haha D: ) but the emphasis is the same. She’s alone and scared in a nightmare place and a benevolent presence tells her, “Come home.”

The title of the comic probably makes more sense now. :)

(Kinda mad because I had “Imogen is Laudna’s home” as an overarching theme long before FRIDA slid into Imogen’s DMs with “home can be a person” and now it’s going to be in everything, ever but oh well! It’s been here since the title page.)

#a long road home #author notes

22 notes · View notes