#where lots of characters are talking and it's mostly that. etc.) So it feels awkward and bad to just skip over things

[lucalicatteart]

Poll adventure (paventure? lol) Day 11: read the small story tidbit below the poll for more details, OR just vote based on initial impression

(✦ see past poll results + further information HERE (link) ✦)

Yesterday's poll decided that The Adventurer should curiously socialize with a few of the boat travelers ...

~

"The Adventurer grabs one of the ornate glass bowls near the buffet table, meekly gathering some cheese and vegetables as he scans the crowd. For the first 15 minutes of the lunch, he mostly crouches in a corner seat, nibbling on his food and nervously fielding the occasional drunken question from a passing party guest..

Knowing he should.. probably... actually socialize at some point, he begrudgingly chooses conversational partners, squeezing his eyes shut and pointing around randomly until he lands on someone.....

The first is a scrawny man in a flashy suit, wobbly from wine but still keeping a vaguely charming demeanor about him. He proudly introduces himself as a "legal expert", then goes on to ramble for a while about the laws in the area, how drastically they vary from city to city (plus a few veiled hints on how to safely break them), and that if you travel a lot it can be hard to keep up with it all.

He mentions, quite conveniently, that he's recently published a book on the topic, a legal guide for local explorers, and offers to give The Adventurer a copy for a special discounted price... but... then soon recalls that the crate of books he'd planned to sell on the boat sadly ended up falling into the river earlier during a "silly little mishap"..

In place of a book, he simply slides The Adventurer a glossy mint colored paper swirled with golden floral motifs, supposedly serving as some sort of business card, though the actual contact information seems obscured beneath the cluttered design. The Lawyer also pulls off his scarf as he rises to leave, wrapping it around The Adventurer's shoulders with a little waving flourish (not the first time someone has confused his anxious shaking for cold shivers). The Adventurer stutters out a confused thank you, then watches as the Lawyer stumbles off, mumbling to himself that he's been drinking too much and "truly must find somewhere to piss"......

The second person he approaches is an older woman, hunched over a table fidgeting with a handful of colorful glass dice, spinning and stacking and arranging them into patterns whilst her thoughts drift elsewhere. Initially, she gives evasive answers when asked personal questions, but soon grows more talkative once the topic of local flora and fauna arises. She apparently used to adventure as well, roaming the lands to document various elements of nature relevant to her mysterious "private research" - though, at her age, she's now resigned to casual boat rides rather than riskily hiking alone through uncharted wilderness. Gently laying a worn leather journal of watercolor paintings out onto the tabletop, she points at various berries, leaves, and animals, eagerly describing their significance...

After chatting for a while, she abruptly changes topics, mentioning that sometimes she can "sense things which she should not" (whatever the hell that means), then asks him to pick one of her dice. He hesitates, but she just stares, refusing to elaborate further.. Finding even 30 seconds of awkward silent eye contact physically impossible to bear, he hurriedly plops a finger down in front of an iridescent yellow die. She chuckles..

Scooping up all of the dice from the table, she rattles them in her clasped hands, then brings them up to her ear as if to listen... to something?? A few moments later, she turns back to him, speaking in a raspy whisper: "There are others, melding your footprints with their own, seeking a gift you do not yet know - this is what I see."

Before he can ask her for any elaboration, the Captain returns, grumbling that The Adventurer has already stayed 5 minutes past the time limit and swatting at him with a broom to shoo him off of the boat. Apparently an hour can go by fast....

After climbing back into his dinky raft, he sails mostly successfully down the river, finally making it to a point that, at least based on his map, SHOULD be where the main road picks back up past the detour. He crashes into a small grouping of rocks whilst trying to navigate back to the shore, but he was planning on disassembling the raft to get his rope and supplies back anyway, so.. aside from a scraped knee and possibly broken pinky toe, he decides it's actually fine. The cat is okay, which is all that really matters, anyhow.

By the time he's taken apart his boat, eaten a quick meal, and bandaged his leg, the sun seems to have nearly set. It's later in the night than he'd usually like to travel, but, where he's going is a pretty commonly used road, so maybe it's safe? He's exhausted from socializing, but could probably muster enough energy to walk for at least a while. Or perhaps he should just call it a night and find a place to sleep.. But.. where??? What should he do?

-

Additional information

acquired a long, warm, expensive scarf

acquired slightly increased knowledge of local plants

acquired vague information from the 'dice based fortune teller', or whatever that was meant to be

acquired a business card (+ ability to get away with one minor crime free of legal consequence)

acquired mild nausea for the next 5hrs from weird buffet cheese

acquired badly scraped knee and sprained toe (will walk slightly slower for the next 2 days)

the adventurer's current main goal: follow his map to reach the abandoned castle ruins and see the rare animal specialist about the mysterious egg he has

#paventure posting #polls #choose your own adventure #okay yeahgh this one took like a week instead of a few days lol #I've went back to physical therapy for my chronic chest muscle issue and I think one of the new excercises they gave me in the #appointment ended up really irritating something instead of helping it because I was having way worse and sharper #chest pain for a few days. I went to the doctor and got an ekg just to rule out anything bad like that because I seriously #thought something was wrong but.. apparently it's just the same thing as always. It feels a bit better now #and hopefully wont get bad again if I ease into the excercises more. but for a few days I really didn't want to use my arms at all #so that means like.. not drawing or typing. also when I feel bad I kind of stray away from social media? I know for some peopls #social media is a good distraction when they're sick or whatever but I just find it stressful. I usually just lay on the floor #for a few days with silly cooking shows or Carefully Curated Youtube Videos That Specifically Contain Absolutley Zero Possibility #Of Stressful content Whatsoever on in the background lol.. ANYWAY. #I am at the moment able to use the computer again so I could draw things. hopefully will get on better schedules again one day #anyway!!... HE!!! adventure man... Again I hate trying to shorten things by just describing the conversations without dialogue #like saying “they talked about trees” rather than literally writing out a transcript of the entire conversation they had about trees #etc. I think because most of the time when I write it's in a very dialogue heavy context (like script type things. or visual novels/games #where lots of characters are talking and it's mostly that. etc.) So it feels awkward and bad to just skip over things #But also these would take days and days and days to do if I wrote out pages of conversation so I'm just doing vaguely rushed shortcut writi #writing trying to include only details that are necessary or etc. but ggbhjbhj... it's just so opposite to what I usually like #I always walk away like 'FINE.. i GUESS.. that will have to do >:T' lol #Kind of like how I hate literally every bit of digital art I have ever done because I'm so used to traditional art - specifically pencil #and pen stuff that's very sketchy and messy - and then digital art is all about clean even neat lines with a line tool and very polished #clean coloring - so it's super super opposite to my usual sketchy things and just Feels Wrong. I kind of like ms paint because it feels #like a middle ground like. it's somehow also sketchy even though it's digital. multiple pixelly lines over each other give it a 'sketch' #type feel. BUt anyway. It's supposed to be casual and quick and fun! I will choose to ignore all art and writing errors because #it is all about having a little advenchure! :3 As long as the main idea is clear enough for the voting to make sense . who cares #Remember to keep him safe! the dice lady is trying to help him. Regardless of where he sleeps though he can probably use the scarf #as a new warm blanket addition to his existing meager bedding situation lol. soft. fluffy. the cat will love it probably #Also again. whenever he talks to people the text will be longer. Sorry. Still trying for most of them to be short blurbs lol

[elixrr]

ᴄᴜᴅᴅʟᴇ ɴɪɢʜᴛꜱ! ☆ ʜᴏʏᴏᴠᴇʀꜱᴇ ᴍᴇɴ¡

ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ᴏꜰ ʏᴏᴜ, ɪ ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇ ɪɴ ʟᴏᴠᴇ.

ꜰᴛ: Xiao, Wriothesley, Lyney, Dan Heng, Argenti, Blade.

ꜱʏɴᴘᴏꜱɪꜱ: Headcanons about their cuddles with you!

ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀꜱ ɴᴏᴛᴇ: I considered adding Alhaitham into the mix, but I figured that I didn't know his character well enough for his part to be accurate and good. Apologies to all of the Alhaitham fans! Also, new format for my fanfiction posts, inspired by many creators! (Namely iheartganyu)

ᴘꜱ: pretty little spoiler warning if you haven't caught up with anything in either game 😭😭

✰ xiao ✰

— An adeptus of Liyue, the Vigilant Yaksha. It's easy to guess that cuddles with him are rare. Mostly due to his job, but he's too... awkward. Xiao has been touch-starved for the great majority of his life, so it's easy to assume that he's inexperienced, much to his dismay.

Don't get me wrong. He'd love to cuddle more often, but— while inexperience is one part of it, Xiao is ultimately insecure. He strongly believes that he's tainted. He believes that he's a disgusting, vile creature that lives only to slaughter, but he thinks of you as an angel. Xiao thinks that too many cuddles would taint you, alongside the fact that he worries about his Karmic Debt situation.

Nevertheless, when you do convince him to cuddle with you, he'll be awkward at first; hesitant to put his arm here, overthinking how he put his hand there, etc., etc. He doesn't emit much body warmth, but he finds you to be really cozy and warm to the touch, thus finding comfort in the closeness once he moves past the insecurities and hesitation. By the way, unless you like to initiate and contribute to conversations, most of the cuddles will be in comfortable silence, excluding the occasional comment about the scenery or compliments about each other.

Xiao would cuddle on the condition that it's in a secluded area and nobody else is present except for you and him. He'd prefer to book a bedroom at Wangshu Inn, but if not, then he'd prefer to cuddle on the rooftop of the inn, late at night when the stars shine from the heaven-blessed galaxies, the subtle natural light kissing your features to give him a little bit of an extra view. He doesn't think too much about how he looks to you, but he could only hope that he's at least bearable to look at. (Which he very much is.)

☆ wriothesley ☆

— He's so touchy and extra cuddly that sometimes that extra cuddly can be too extra, resulting in a near impossible mission to get out of bed in time for you to even get ready. Wriothesley loves holding you close to him. You're his love, and so he wants to treat you like it, but sometimes cuddles can transform into something a little bit more than just a cozy night, wrapping one's arms around the other.

Speaking of, good luck to you if you prefer being the big spoon, because you can't be the big spoon anymore. Wriothesley will always be the one to hold you, always the one to just wrap his arms around you and cherish you like never before. As previously mentioned, you're his lover, and he wants to treat you like it! Wriothesley wants to make you feel special, like you're the most important person in his life, so he'll do his best to give you that.

Also, I feel as though he'd whisper to you a lot. Even if there's no need to be quiet, he finds it intimate to just lean in and whisper compliments in your ear while holding you close. It doesn't matter what situation you're in; it doesn't matter where you guys are, even if you're talking about your day or the constellations in the skies above, he'll interrupt you, lean in close and just say something about your eyes, maybe your clothes, but preferably your lips.

Wriothesley would also love kissing you at random whenever you cuddle. Not to say he doesn't already do that outside of cuddles, but it's just, to him, you look amazing. You look cute, and why wouldn't he kiss you when you're his gracious lover? He hopes that he doesn't go overboard and accidentally make you uncomfortable, but at the same time, he knows you enjoy it— that smile on your face every time he pecks a kiss on your nose or cheek tells him everything he needs to know.

Before I forget, he doesn't prefer cuddles during any time of the day, but given his job, it's mainly during his afternoon tea breaks, and 100% at night in bed with you. To be honest, if he could, he'd take a full day off just to hold you tight and spend the day with you, wrapped like burritos in a blanket and sipping the day away with refreshments and love.

Some day, he might as well do just that.

☆ lyney ☆

— If it weren't for his job as a magician and as part of the fatui, he wouldn't let go of you. When Lyney can, he clings to you like a lost child who had finally found their parent in a big city. He holds your waist with one hand and performs little magic tricks with the other to impress you. Lyney's a very clingy, touchy lover.

When cuddling, he loves getting super close to the point where there's almost no space between the two of you. But on the occasion, he'll snuggle so close that it's basically just a tight hug—the only difference is that you're both lying down. The only times he isn't super, mega close to you, is when he's making rainbow roses appear randomly around your body. Most of the time, it's all fun and innocent, but other times, Lyney enjoys the look on your face when he does something quite bold.

Also, Lyney's very talkative while cuddling. Even in moments of relaxation, he'll take the time to just stare at you, even if he can't get the full view because of the ungodly lack of space, Lyney will look at you and start complimenting you. He loves you so much, and that's another huge way to show it. He's a romantic kind of guy. If there's a way to show his affection, he will take and use that way to show his affection. He loves your smile; he loves it when you blush, and it slowly grows more evident by the second because he starts to blush, too. Also, Lyney would immediately just hold you more at the sight of your reaction.

Nevertheless, his need to be close can change. Whenever he's out on a mission given by Arlecchino— more specifically, an assassination mission— you won't see him for a good three days. Even when the mission's complete, he'd want to seek out your love, comfort, and affection, but he stops himself. Lyney believes that his hands are still painted with the blood of the murdered, no matter how many times he washes or scrubs them, he'll still see the visible darkening red blood stains. There's no way he's even going near you with those kinds of sins straight on his body. It's sad, and you might have to seek him out yourself if he doesn't show up for the next few days. When you do find him, the moment he sees you is when that wall of guilt shatters, and he nearly breaks down seeing you again. Seeing you every day made him used to you, and just a few days of deprivation made him feel miserable. The simple, mere sight of you had him almost sobbing, running back to you and holding you tight, finally reunited with the one he loves most.

Were he not guilty of association with the fatui, he wouldn't have ever needed or wanted to let go.

☆ dan heng☆

— Blushing little mess. He's never a fan of PDA, so even when he does want to hold you outside of his or your room, he doesn't. Hence why the moment you both enter the private space of a hotel room or a bedroom, Dan Heng takes your hand and leads you to the bed for cuddles. He loves them, really, but he's a flustered mess of a lover because of how embarrassed he felt about being so clingy.

He's a big spoon, too, so he holds you close to him while cuddling. He likes the closeness, but he hates how visibly red his face gets, so he buries his face into your shoulder to hide. Sometimes, he just lays there listening to you or simply calming down in silence, but he does like hearing your voice before bed. It helps him sleep, and it somehow prevents nightmares of Blade. Quick note, your comfort and warmth make him feel safe through the night, and you accompany him when he'd usually be alone, either on his phone or reading a book.

PS: Dan Heng prefers to sleep in your room and/or in a hotel room because your bed and the hotel's provided beds are much more comfortable than a sleeping bag. He loves wrapping a blanket around the two of you and holding you like that. He says it's so you both get an even amount of warmth, and neither of you takes more of the blanket than the other, but he really does it because he feels a bit closer to you.

In his Imbibitor Lunae form, sleeping with him gets a bit harder, simply because he finds it harder to control himself. But when he can control himself, he'll let you run your fingers through his long hair, maybe even letting you touch his horns. Still, he doesn't allow the latter too often for reasons left unsaid. Anyway, he dislikes using this form because of how it reminds him of his former's past. He feels as though he's trapped in the memories and sin that are not his own. Yet, you make him feel comfortable in his own skin. He feels free with you; he feels alive, and he loves you for your ability to make him feel that way. Dan Heng will do everything in his ability to make you feel the same way.

And he likely already has.

☆ argenti ☆

— The most proper and romantic. Compliments littered across your entire figure, his hand in yours kissing your knuckles constantly with the addition of the most rosey and romantic sweet nothings. Argenti is old-fashioned and the most romantic, as he believes that this is the only way to live for his adored Aeon. The most comment compliment you'd hear between kisses is, “you're the most exquisite person in my world,” and Argenti would always wink with his compliments. Sometimes, it's wonderful to be the subject of his rose-colored words, but other times, it gets old; you become slightly lovesick.

The solution to that is conversation while holding each other in bed, or perhaps it's simply ushering Argenti to cuddle with you beneath the stars at night. It's beautiful to see the galaxy in its brightest moments, hovering from the dark skies. Argenti would silently pray to his Aeon, thanking her profusely for letting him see this wonderful view in person.

Still. You are his lover, and sometimes the weight of fear and trauma gets to him. Argenti often looks to you to confide in, and usually, nights like these are rarely cuddle nights, but sometimes, when it gets bad, you'll hold him in the night while he talks about his past— the wars, the music, the old friends, the worries— and how terrifying it can be if he would succumb to the same fate as his once so honorable friend. In exchange for your comfort, he holds you close and vows to protect you in your dreams and from the moment you wake to the moment you sleep again.

Argenti prefers to cuddle in bed, during a picnic, or beneath the stars. He seldom makes exceptions for heavy PDA, but when it comes to cuddling in public, even if there are people around during the day or at night, if it's stargazing or a picnic, he doesn't care as much. He'll smile, his eyes set only on you, not the eyes that may linger on your cuddles.

He doesn't care enough to look at anyone else, not when the embodiment of beauty lays right by him.

☆ blade ☆

— He's cautious. Blade's name takes after his weapon, and though he himself is not a sword, he still worries that he'll hurt you through cuddles. Blade is marastruck, and if it starts to get to him, he's terrified that it'll strike you, too. He admires death and the concept of it, but for you to die and for him to live with that? Impossible.

Anyway, convincing him is still 100% doable. When you do cuddle with him, he holds you with hesitation and care. He doesn't show it, as he masks his emotions with lips pursed to a line, but he feels relief. He feels happy, even, but he can't really tell. The Mara has calmed, and he can catch a break from the trauma. Something worth noting: Blade's trauma might cause him to cling to you, holding you close for comfort and reassurance— but that's only when he finds himself to be desperate for your love and affection. It's the one thing that keeps him together; your smile alone can mend all of his wounds, physical or not.

That can happen at any time of the day, but he'll typically seek you out at night. Blade will— without a spoken word— hug you from behind with a sigh of relief, and he'll take you to the nearest spot with the most privacy, and he'll hold you tight once more without a sign of letting you go. He loves you, and without even saying that he does, you already have all the evidence you need to conclude that he does. Holding you feels like heaven, in Blade's eyes. Once he gets past his fears of hurting you, he'll wrap his arms around your waist, but if he cuddles with you from behind, he'll wrap his arms beneath your chest, all with a sigh of relief and the tiniest hint of a smile.

The two of you cuddling is cute, so cute that Silver Wolf just had to stream it and broadcast one of your cuddle sessions to all of the other Stellaron Hunters.

Of course, you and Blade will never cuddle near any of the Stellaron Hunters ever again after that.

#character x reader #genshin x reader #hsr x reader #honkai star rail x reader #xiao x reader #wriothesley x reader #lyney x reader #dan heng x reader #imbibitor lunae x reader #argenti x reader #blade x reader #genshin fic #hsr fic #honkai star rail fic #character x y/n #character x you #hcs #headcanons

[sonicjustbecause]

About Sonic

I never talked extensively about Sonic and what I think about him overall, despite him being my favourite (I see more Shadow as some mystical guy, alive certainly, yet somewhat more like a guide or a protector and Sonic's Shadow, but that's for another time as I talked about him a lot).

There is still this silly battle between Sonic fans on who is your favourite take of the character. The character has been inconsistent, in videogame too, even if we only take game/Japanese media (An example? Adventure Sonic is, at least the way I perceive him, mysterious and whimsical, joyful but slightly grumpy. Unleashed Sonic is calm, balanced, a bit quiet overall. The thing that remains consistent is that he is kind earthed and optimistic. Most of the time.

Even people who tell how Sonic is supposed to be interpret him very differently from each othes adn from the games, the way they make him talk or act in certain situation in their stories is not the same I see in videogames.

For Sonic unleashed I saw the whole cutscenes both in English and in Japanese, so...

Not that this bother me, as I previously said, since is a team who work on Sonic is normal different people have a different perception of the character, is based on our personal experiences. And in next years things will change over and over.

Let's talk about how is shown in various media, not necessarily Japanese since they influence each others (example the chili dogs).

SatAM, AoStH.

Aosth/SatAM Sonic was most likely the most mischievous incarnation of the character, since he apparently took joy to make fun of Eggman but also to the french coyote, Antoine, who is a sort of 'Luigi' in this show. I remember him as being creative, impatient, bold and very self confident, but not evil.

I didn't watch Sonic underground. It was aired in Italy but I don't know when. I can say nothing

OAV Sonic

Adventure Sonic and X Sonic traits start to appear here. This Sonic is aloof, whimsical and grumpy and not as joyful as we are used to see him. but is heart is ih the right place, of course.

Adventure Sonic

If I saw Sonic OVA only in latest years, I can say I played the two Adventure games early in the '00s. This Sonic feels to me as whimsical, elusive, mysterious (especially in Adventure 2, it is perceived as such especially by Shadow "Tell me, who are you?" and Sonic's answer is rather enigmatic, is also there you start to realize you know nothing about Sonic, where he comes from etc... you know the others better), still a bit grumpy yet way more joyful than the one from the OVA, a happy guy I would say.

In particular I loved the expressions in Sonic Adventure. Here come the folded ears you often see in Prime.

X Sonic

The most quiet of all. Elusive, still a bit whimsical and grumpy if you don't take him the right way, but this doesn't mean you lost him. Socially awkward and unaware of this, I think sometimes he is leaning in the Asperger territory sometimes. Joyful, optimistic, gentle, sometimes melodramatic and funny but he can get very serious when needed.

Archie Sonic

Archie Sonic is one I don't like much. He's self centered, most of his monologues tell how awesome he is, how good looking he is, how fast he is, well, 90% about himself and it go moldy soon. And can be a jerk toward his friends sometimes. Unlike other versions, he's never too serious.

Fleetway Sonic.

Unlike other sonic incarnation, Fleetway Sonic is a jerk, a bully, he constantly makes offensive jokes toward his friends, including Tails (in other media he is more protective toward Tails). He seems to care or express nice though only when his friends are not around. Is hard to read those comics. So far the worst Sonic

IDW Sonic

Not completely bad, not completely good. He got some traits from Archie Sonic. IDW Sonic seems to me the less sincere and less carefree of all. Like, Sonic we know is mostly feeling oriented. He can be thoughful when needed, but mostly he does what he feels is right rather than what he thinks is right. IDW Sonic is well known especially for his obsession of giving a second chance (and then a third, a four) to all his opponents. That is a thing Goku does and is fine because is true to himself. But Sonic is not like that. Sonic is not so merciful, he is a kind hearted character but there is still a red line and he tends to be wary toward those who don't deserve his trust, like Eggman. He forgives his enemies. After they show they're wort deserving forgiving, not before, unlike IDW Sonic. IDW Sonic is also cunning and can be manipulative, that's unique to this version. You can see the true sonic only when he is alone. Then he is more like himself, in his monologues about his friends, and how much he worries about them or appreciate them. Also his opinion of himself is not as high as the one we see in Archie comics. He is overall aloof.

Unleashed Sonic

This one is among the most gentle and down to Earth Sonic I've ever seen. He is slightly quiet and never a jerk. Instead he is fully supportive and encouraging toward his new friend Chip who is clumsy, despite being a god.

Frontiers Sonic

Sonic's personality changed again. He is still kind hearted, brave and strong. But compared tho before he is more mature, thoughful and slightly melancholic. He smiles less and I don't see his joyful exictment anymore. He just smiles when happy.

Boom Sonic

Sonic is usually elusive. Not in Sonic Boom. I perceived this incarnation as very playful and carefree, although an attention seeker.

Movie Sonic

Oh... this is one that goes through a character arc. He is shown to be a good hearted, hyperactive and lonely kid. He is very playful and talkative yet not gossipy. He talks alot just to not feel alone and took the bad habit. Once he found a family and some living being to talk with at times however, is shown he is not as sociable as you may assume by the way he lets his tongue run. He doesn't trust so easily people he meets the first time, as is shown with Tails and only later he feels more comfortable to have Tails around and opens up to him.

Prime Sonic

Another that goes into a character arc. Here he got new traits, like clumsiness, low attention span, affectionateness. And old ones like elusiveness. This Sonic is particularly interesting for some of his traits that are hard to spot. He clearly appears to be this impulsive, talkative (yet not gossipy), overconfident kid who trips on his feet and is deemed annoying (I personally don't find him annoying). He loves his friends and is ready to protect them but, before the prism shattering, is shown (and suggested by a conversation between his friends) that he also likes to spend time alone, without people around (here one trait that not many notice). Sonic is aware of his flaws and during his experience in the shatterverse he gets in touch with all of them, either the counterpart of his friends tell him or he realize his mistakes by his own. On the outside he is cheerful, a bit dimwitted sometimes, friendly. But as the serie goes forward, he is more, gloomy and pensive and he fully opens up only to Shadow and only later to the rest of his friends in the shatterspace (including Nine, who first sees through him). In the end of the serie is shown he is more considerate toward his friends and he hold some of his energies back.

What else? This is all what I can think of, I haven't played all the games. I may mention Sonic Cronicles, but there Sonic is the way you want him to be.

To me is hard to choose. As long as is not the one of Archie, IDW or Fleetway, I'm fine with all of them. My favourite might be Adventure Sonic and Prime Sonic.

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic #sonic prime #sth #sonic boom #sonic adventure #sonic adventure 2 #sonic adventure battle 2 #sa2 #sonic unleashed #sonic frontiers

[temporalhiccup]

Intimacy in TTRPGS

(art by @geezmarty)

It's been a while since I geeked out about ttrpg design and I thought I'd dive into it! Some time ago there was discussion about intimacy and romance in games, and I wanted to talk about that today.

In particular this is about the Reveal Your Heart move in Apocalypse Keys and how it's a response to games that came before it.

Above is the Comfort or Support move from Masks: A New Generation. It's representative of what a lot of similar Powered by the Apocalypse moves are like (and many PbtA games since Masks have emulated this too).

In my experience with Masks it created a lot of lovely drama, "on a hit, they hear you" suggested that on a miss, they didn't. This often lead to delicious moments filled with angst: misunderstood feelings, good intentions not being enough, or being interrupted at the worst possible moment!

My main issue with this move and those like it (and it came up with various groups and players) was that most of the time it's hard for a player to correctly guess what would actually comfort or support another character in the moment.

It was also interesting that this was a move that was mostly about the person you were trying to comfort or support! Like most PbtA games, you're statistically more likely to roll a 7-9, which meant the target of the move was the only one who benefited mechanically.

This lead to a lot of awkward play. If we were lucky, the target of the move would speak up and offer a clear alternative "Oh that wouldn't actually comfort my character, he doesn't like being hugged or touched. I think what he'd want to hear in this moment is that he matters to you, that you think he's an important member of the team."

But most of the time something would go wrong somewhere - the target player wouldn't feel comfortable with speaking up, the triggering player would insist that this is what their character would do, etc. So the move would effectively not trigger, or we'd pretend it would and everyone would be awkward.

It just reminded me too much of my own personal experiences, where I would have to pretend I was happy with someone trying to comfort me because they had good intentions and it didn't matter if I was actually comforted or not. Seeing it play out, again and again, in Masks was something that always made me feel uncomfortable.

The trigger includes keywords like "offer" (suggesting acceptance is not guaranteed), "in a way that could be meaningful to them" reminds a player to place the target of the move's preferences first. Both results require the target to "open up to you", if they don't, the rest of the move just doesn't trigger.

Thirsty Sword Lesbians, which has a lot of Masks DNA in it, addresses this in an interesting way. It spells out a few things by refining the trigger and response of Emotional Support.

It felt a lot better in play, but for Apocalypse Keys and my own design preferences I wanted to shift the move into a different direction!

Reveal Your Heart (like every move in the game) taps into the relevant central themes. In this case the PCs are Omen-Class monsters who struggle with staying in control and handling difficult emotions (as well as the horrifying truth that they may become a Harbinger one day, and bring about the apocalypse instead of stopping it!).

The trigger here is dependent on a revelation of some kind, what are you revealing to another? This suggests vulnerability, or at least an innate truth of self. "try to sincerely connect to another" replaces the awkward and difficult task of trying to figure out what would comfort another person. This is a move that prioritizes an attempt towards intimacy, whatever that may look like. This is usually much easier to figure out, the question then becomes "how vulnerable are you going to be in this moment?"

Like in most Apocalypse Keys moves, I wanted each narrative choice to lead to a mechanical reflection. This further supports the idea that the narrative and emotional are mechanical and structural truths in the game - roleplaying and characterization are not separate aspects, they are connected to the act of playing. It also gives the players room to interpret what that means, "they gave you hope", what does that hope look like to you? How does it quell and calm the Harbinger that shifts and aches in your soul?

But! In general, I love how much intimacy and romance have flourished in the indie ttrpg space! It's definitely improved my play experience, and it's something I love to design around in my own games!

Essentially this move offers the players the room to name the feelings they have and lay bare the nature of their relationship. By the end of the move there's usually a sense that we've learned something essential about the relationship between the characters. No matter how small, it bears significance.

Many of the moves in Apocalypse Keys focus on relationships and intimacy of some kind, it's just very very queer that way.

#design breakdown #ttrpg design #indie ttrpg #sword queen games #masks a new generation #thirsty sword lesbians #apocalypse keys

[escapingrealtiylovinginsanity]

NSFW Alphabet: Joe Velasco  

I’ve always wanted to do this, and I thought it would be fast and easy but boy was I wrong. I think I went a little overboard, but I enjoyed this, and I would do it again for other characters. WARNING: There is a small mention of SA  

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex) 

Joe is an aftercare king. He has been touched starved most of his life and loves physical contact. He wants to stay in bed and hold you, caress your body, and kiss your skin until your heartrates even out and the sweat from your lovemaking cools. He will run his hands through your hair and whisper sweet words in your ear. You can tell how much he enjoyed the sex by the ratio of English to Spanish. He defaults back to his mother tongue the harder the climax hits which leaves him in a state of superior orgasmic high.  

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and their partner’s) 

Joe’s favorite body part of his is his arms. He keeps himself in good shape for his job and is proud of the physical effects it has on his body. He likes knowing that he is strong and that if he needs to, he can protect you.    

Joe’s love your body in its entirety. He makes that very clear to you many times over. If you ever had any body issues this man is the cure for them. That said he is definitely a thigh man. Any chance he gets his hands smooth over your thighs, squeezing the tender flesh and muscles there. He loves to slide between your thighs, kissing and sucking bruises into them. When he knows you’ll indulge him he will lay his head on your lap for hours while watching the football game or when he is exhausted from work, take a nap.      

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically) 

Joe isn’t really concerned with his own cum. He doesn’t have a breeding kink and he has always been rigidly careful with all his sexual partners, always using condoms. It took months into a steady relationship with you and the assurance of birth control to convince him to do it raw. You were shocked to find out that you were the first person he ever had sex without protection with. 

He is, however, obsessed with your arousal. He wants to make sure you are completely soaked. He loves the taste and the feel of it dripping down his chin or thighs depending on the position.  

D = Dirty secret (self-explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs) 

Joe lost his virginity to a girl who was in the gang back in Jaurez that he helped when he was younger. He was only thirteen and the girl was nineteen. It was an awkward experience, and the girl was high on something. Joe doesn’t like to think about it and has never admitted that he hadn’t consented to it. All his friends thought it was so cool that he had been with an older girl, so he never made a big deal out of it.    

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?) 

Joe has experience, mostly with hookups and one-night stands. He had a Casanova phase. The women were fast but warm. He learned a lot about women this way but towards the end, it just left him feeling emotionally empty. 

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying) 

Joe’s favorite position is missionary, mating press, or anything position that is face to face. Joe likes to kiss, and he is good with his tongue. He gets quite hypnotized watching your breast bounce. It gives him easy access to suck on your breast or slide his hands between your legs to play with your clit.    

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.) 

Joe is more passionate and serious in bed. But the longer you guys are together and the more intimate you get the more his humor shows. The pillow talk is where he gets more relaxed and jokes around.    

H = Hair (how well-groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.) 

Joe doesn’t do a full manscape, but he likes to keep his hair trimmed up. But if his life gets busy, he doesn’t think much about it. He is the type of guy that if you requested him to completely shave, would do his best to oblige you.   

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect) 

Joe loves intimacy even if he doesn’t realize it. He likes making his partner feel good and like there is a connection. When he is in a stable relationship the intimacy from him doesn’t just double but triples. He wants to touch you, hold you, finger your hair, share eye contact, and most of all he wants you to know that he sees you and that you see him.   

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon) 

Joe masturbates but not to an extreme. He would much rather wait until he has time to have sex with you. He usually only does it when he is trying to blow off steam or has had a stressful day. He will also take care of himself if he is horny, but you aren’t in the mood to have sex.   

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks) 

Joe has a praise kink and loves to dirty talk. He loves hearing the sounds from your lovemaking. The moans and groans you make, the smack of your bodies meeting, the squelching sounds of wet pussy as he thrusts into you good and hard. A bonus kink of Joe’s is thigh-high stockings, the man goes feral when you wear them. Be warned that you will probably be sporting finger-shaped bruises on your thighs for weeks after.     

L = Location (favorite places to do the do) 

The bed or couch is the usual go-to for Joe. He likes the comfortability and versatility that they provide for positions and moving around. He has of course christened his entire place with you and has found various other preferences. He likes shower sex but gets tired of the water running cold before he is through with you. 

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going) 

You. Joe doesn’t need much reason to have sex. A big turn-on for him is when you initiate. There is just something about you wanting him and having no trouble showing it, that has all his blood heading south.   

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs) 

Joe is not willing to share. He will never be okay with having another person join in on your sex life.   

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.) 

Joe loves to give oral. If he could eat your pussy every day, he would. He is a pro at it and doesn’t stop until your legs are shaking and you're trying to push him away from being overstimulated. Then he will take his time licking up his mess from your inner thighs. 

Joe always enjoys a good blow job. You on your knees in front of him sucking his cock, tongue licking, spit lubricating the slide he could lose his damn mind. That being said, at the beginning of your relationship he would never ask for one. He had bad experiences with some of the women he was with not enjoying it, giving little to no effort, or complaining. It made it not worth it to him because he wanted to bring his partners pleasure and their obvious distaste for the act was a turnoff for him. He stopped asking and for a long time, none of his hookups offered so he went without. He was shocked and unbelievably turned on by how into you were. He still doesn’t like asking, and you offer often so he doesn’t have to, but he will on occasion now.    

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.) 

Joe is on both sides of his coin. He can be slow and passionate, especially during lazy morning sex. when the mood strikes making you feel every inch of his cock filling you. Whispering praises into your ear and caressing your skin. His default is on the rougher side. He will take you fast and rough, skin slapping against yours. He will take you, make you his, and leave some sort of love bite on your skin to remember him by.  

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.) 

While Joe would prefer to take his time, he enjoys quickies. Life is fast past and busy there is no way of getting around it if you want to steal some time for release in each other. He will also admit that the limited time and having to finish up and act like it never happened adds a sense of urgency and can make the experience hotter.    

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.) 

Joe is willing to take some risks. He likes to experiment and is willing to try pretty much anything you request. Working at SVU and what he has seen there are some lines he won’t cross. 

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?) 

Joe has a higher stamina. He can drag foreplay and sex out for hours. He will also go multiple rounds if you have the time and energy. The two of you tend to have 24-hour fuck-a-tons after he gets back from undercover assignments leaving you both sore and walking a bit funny for a few days afterward.    

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?) 

No, Joe doesn’t have any toys. He doesn’t see the use for them but would probably use them on you if you asked. He’s more of a restraint guy, he would prefer to cuff or tie you up.  

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease) 

This man is the biggest tease. He will have you so worked up that you will be hating him as much as you love him. You will be shaking and begging him to just take you already. The payoff is more than worth it, the orgasm and the afterglow high are otherworldly.  

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.) 

Joe is pretty vocal he will grunt and groan. He likes to talk dirty when he is taking you and gets off on the sounds you guys make when having sex. He can be quiet with the right motivation for doing the deed in more risqué spots.  

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character) 

While Joe doesn’t smoke often anymore, he always has a spare pack of cigarettes in his house and in his motorcycle side bag. He only craves them when his stress level gets too high or when he has had a particularly rough round of sex that releases that stress. He doesn’t like anyone to know and goes to great lengths to cover it when he does. You had found out when he had lit one up while you were supposed to be showering but had come back in to urge Joe to join you. 

He had been sitting on the bed, a cigarette held loosely in his fingers as he blew smoke out the window. His body was relaxed, and he seemed at peace at that moment. He had been embarrassed you had caught him.  

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes) 

Joe is a shower, not a grower. He is a big boy with above average in size cock, about 6.5 to 7 inches long. He is girthy enough that there is a definite stretch when he first enters you but nothing overwhelming.    

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?) 

Joe has an above-average sex drive. He wants to have sex multiple times a week. He also goes through phases where he wants to spend days in the bedroom, inside of you. It does occasionally dip with bad cases at work or when his personal life feels out of control.  

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards) 

Joe tries to stay awake after, but he usually ends up falling asleep quickly. It’s hard for him not to when he is riding the high from his orgasm and your soft body is tucked into his. You can try to sneak out of bed to use the bathroom or grab a glass of water, but you will wake him. Joe is a light sleeper.  

Another one is done! I have been loving writing again. I think I might branch out and do some other SVU characters too. I started rewatching season 13 and I forgot how much I loved Nick Amaro- I'm not ashamed to admit I have it bad for Latino men! So anyways I have a few ideas for him too. I love Barba and Carisi too, but I think I would struggle writing for them. If you want me to attempt just let me know along with any request.

#joe velasco #jose velasco #jose velasco x you #joe velasco x reader #jose velasco x reader #joe velasco x you #svu #law and order special victims unit #law and order svu

[notmaplemable]

Opinion on DragonSlayer?

Ah, Dragonslayer. Definitely has one of the better ship names in the RWBY fandom. Also I'm just going to you DS from now on because I'm tired.

Values and personality wise, I think they work well together. With Yang pushing Jaune out of his comfort zone, and being there for him when he falls down. And Jaune being there for Yang when she's feeling vulnerable and needs some support. They both have a way of keeping each other going in tough times. They're both very family oriented. Plus they can probably bond over being an older sibling, and maybe having some parental troubles depending on how you write the Arcs.

And yeah, the comparisons between Jaune and Taiyang are obvious.

Though personally I break DS down into two eras. Beacon era DS and post Beacon DS.

During their time at Beacon, I don't really see them getting together. I can absolutely see Jaune having a thing for Yang. You could even convince me that Yang has feelings for him as well, but I still don't really think she would. And even if she did I don't see her really perusing that relationship.

Mostly because I don't really think Yang would be perusing a romantic relationship during their first year at Beacon. She's looking for Raven. Trying to balance getting a bit a freedom and still taking care of Ruby while still giving her enough space to grow on her own a little bit. Not to mention just making sure Ruby doesn't get herself hurt. While also making sure Blake doesn't run off and do anything crazy again.

You don't have much time for relationships when your the team mom.

And if she was going to get into a romantic relationship, it would be with someone like Sun, Blake, Ren, or Pyrrha. Simply because Jaune hasn't really had a chance to show off the traits that would make them work well together to her, and she wouldn't value those traits as much as she would later on. She would just views Jaune as Ruby's friend and the guy who threw up on her boots.

But that doesn't mean that it can't happen, but you would need to force them together often and in ways where Jaune could show those positive traits of his. I've read fics that have done that. Or you could do an AU where they're partners, childhood friends, etc.

Now post fall DS is where it's at.

They've both had opportunities to mature over V4 and 5. Yang would certainly appreciate Jaune keeping Ruby safe when she couldn't. And I think would start to see more of Jaune's good traits, while certainly relating to a few of his problems in those volumes. Certainly the anger and charging in problems.

So I think that spark would be lit there, probably soon after they deal with all the Haven stuff. With some awkward flirting before they get to Argus. Once Jaune gets a little bit of closure with Pyrrha, then I'd think they would have a talk and try to figure something out there. With Saphron listening in of course.

So yeah.

DS has a lot to like about it. Jaune and Yang work well together and are both very family focused. While also having a good few areas of contrast to not make it feel like it's two versions of the same character dating. It just needs a little time to mature to really reach to peak of it's potential.

7/10 at Beacon.

9/10 after Beacon.

#rwby #my thoughts #dragonslayer

[woah-uhuh-uhuh-uhuh]

(ALMOST) EVERYTHING I NOTICED FROM BAC BMC

NOTE: spot check me!

It was the Two Rivers script, but I still haven't read the whole Two Rivers script so if I mention something I noticed that’s actually just… in the script… lmk!

Also: if you also saw the BAC production (or if you are the BAC people???) and I missed something, let me know!!! Literally anything at all I will put it here I’d love to approach comprehensiveness!!

ALSO: Spoilers! If you plan on going to Jake’s Halloween Party maybe wait? Or don’t!!

CHARACTERS

Madeline

Putting Madeline here because the first thing I noticed in the whole show is she’s ACTUALLY A FRANCOPHILE and it’s so funny ldksjfjsfksdlf. She wears a beret, and people put on a stereotypical French accent whenever they quote her djslkfjsfkfds And during the play backstage someone (I think Chloe?) runs up to her, smacks her beret off and yells “You’re not French!”

Jeremy

OH oh oh oh oh. Bac Jeremy my beloved…. I swear like 30% of Christine’s autism was generously donated to Jeremy for this production jlkdsfjdls

He has this habit where he’ll put his hands in his cardigan pockets and push his them around in front of him or on his body to feel the tension of the jacket stretching. Patrick said this quirk was based on a neurodivergent kid he knows. I don’t have photo evidence and IDK how to describe it perfectly but i did draw it here (x). It wasn't exactly like that though OTL

He does it whenever he’s nervous (so almost CONSTANTLY) up until BMC P.1 when the SQUIP tells him to take his hands out of his pockets. During that song you can see him trying to put his hands back safe in his pockets but afterwards he never does it again, even after The Play. He also doesn’t do it when he’s with Michael, even at the beginning, so I take it to mean it goes away when he’s comfortable. 

I think he flinches and cowers a lot (compared to other Jeremys, that is). Whenever Rich surprises him, Jeremy jumps and protectively throws his arms over his face. I think he reacts similarly to other people a few times - I don’t remember when exactly though… There’s also several times where he’ll stand totally petrified out of fear, like when Rich is writing “boyf” or when Chloe’s coming onto him. By all of this I basically mean it’s really obvious he’s been physically abused (presumably by Rich).

Just in general, his freakouts are very physical, he’ll kinda do these stiff arm movements or cover his face in his elbow etc. Off the top of my head this happens during Upgrade and also at the end of The Play when Christine’s singing to him.

All this to say he has a very very visible physicality to his awkwardness and I love it. I don’t just mean that on a character acting level, I also mean like if you’re sitting behind him in class your attention will actively be caught by his awkwardness. 

He also has a deeper register which he uses mostly in a joke context? He used it in normal conversation a few times too, I think more towards the end.

I noticed him standing just a little pigeon-toed near the beginning. I don’t know if this carried through the whole thing though.

Clothes: his cardigan is blackish with a blue outline, and he wears it over a green shirt with a question mark (I perceived it as a Gravity Falls shirt but might be wrong). The eminem shirt is black and I dont remember what he wears it with…. At the party he has a cyborg shirt and a visor, and after the party he has a white shirt with a flannel and khakis (or maybe light corduroys). In VIMH he has another fandom shirt on but I don’t remember what it was sorry it was 11pm ljfsdlkfjdslkfs

Its so obvious I’m a Jeremy stan this entry is the largest one sorry 🧍

Mr. Heere

He seemed less depressed and more just out of touch in this one? During Two Player Game, he seems decently chipper, if annoyed, though of course he’s still unable to dress himself and unwilling to put genuine effort in with his son. 

When he says “Good talk” he gives Jeremy a friendly shoulder punch. Right before Pants Song, as usual, he says “I could ground you!” Jeremy says “I don’t think you could,” and gives his dad the same shoulder punch while saying “Good talk.” AAAAAAH.

Michael

He seemed less frenetic and anxious than the Troy!Michael I’m used to (sorry that’s my only reference for Michael lol). 

He was generally loud and exuberant. A very excitable but down-to-earth Michael. 

MITB was amazing. I was nervous because it’s obviously (obviously) the best song so there’s a lot of pressure but no it was done perfectly. Sad as fuck. Perhaps moreso because this Michael was especially normal until now. (Also because pre-MITB Jeremy was extra mean in this production)

For some reason, I found it easier to picture this Michael being a childhood & school friend? Maybe just because this production seriously pulled my psyche straight back to highschool in a way the others haven’t been able to lol. 

I maybe got the sense that he’s really trying to act like he doesn’t care as much about Jeremy as he does. 

BTW I’m obsessed with the fact that his idea of a creeper costume is a mask and a shirt that just says creeps on it. I know that’s kinda textual at this point but taken together with the mask its lkesdjfsdjflksdf

Christine

Amazing ballet (?) choreography going on during her intro. I think that might be standard Christine choreo but still! Stunning.

I could actually picture her as an averagely popular girl in this one? Not sure why. Maybe more nervous in her relationships but more confident in other contexts, but I could be pulling that out of my ass. 

I could also be thinking this because she has cool hair (space buns!) and likes Taylor Swift in this one. 

Some of her songs had these really melancholy notes where I didn’t expect them - particularly in GTIKBI Reprise (/pos! I was like oh shit!!! every time)

Rich

He has painted nails! They’re black. 

He had fruity energy the whole time but it got progressively more intense. No I can’t elaborate actually I don’t know why I perceived it like this but I did sldjkfsf

After he comes out it gets more explicit; he starts wearing a pink headband in VIMH (he also gains glasses I think? Unless they’re still Michael’s) and during bows he flashed a paper fan that had the gay flag inside. 

IMO, it was implied that the house fire was a suicide attempt. I say this for purely textual reasons -  because he doesn’t mention trying getting the SQUIP out of his head, and because Jeremy’s SQUIP later implies it was a suicide attempt. But his behavior around the fire - looking dazed while rhythmically flicking a lighter - could also indicate squipzophrenia. (Maybe it’s the same amount of implied as usual - To be fair, I’ve never really understood why Rich set a fire in the first place…)

Brooke

Very wholesome and I love her. IDK Broadway Brooke is very campy, and BAC Brooke is more like a normal sweet girl but maybe that’s just me 

Compared to Broadway, way more respectful of Jeremy’s space. She doesn’t really try to physically seduce him in upgrade instead they just have a cute lil conversation. Also when she tells Jeremy she got cheated on, she doesn’t initiate contact by petting his hair (like in Broadway) - instead the roles are reversed and they hold hands comfortingly, and Jeremy is the one to escalate that by rubbing her hand in a slightly forward way. 

Her French was awful!!! sdjkfldjsfkdsf It was the whole time but Tres Magnifique = "Trays Mag-nuh-Fike" is the one that really killed me

Chloe

Not to be backhanded… but she was really good at being a bitch??? Especially the scene where she’s giving Christine advice

Maybe closetedly wlw based on the delivery of “I like gay people” and the events of The Play??

The Chloe Jenna friendship intrigues me so much… what’s going on there…

Jenna 

Sadder than Broadway Jenna… 

When Chloe mentions her in play rehearsal she jumps up from across the room and says “I’m here!!” to no reaction.

Later in Smartphone Hour -  J: “....because you are my closest friend-” C: “No I’m not” J: “Yeah I know….” Jenna sounds kinda genuinely bummed lol. Either she wasn’t expecting that or she’s *very* aware of it and it’s making her sad. My impression was more the latter.

During VIMH she’s wearing a sweater that’s colored like the lesbian flag??? (EDIT: the actor, Diana, said this was intentional and her Jenna is a lesbian!)

Idk idk actor so good she made me care so much more about Jenna dsfljdf

Jake

Maybe a touch more upfront about the fact that he feels a lot of pressure in his life

He was dumb <3

Mrs. Reyes

She’s a woman in this one!

She has a hippie thing going on i think?? Like a boho mom (affectionate)

Pronounces Reyes with a (several second long) rolled R at the beginning

Doesn’t do the stiff announcer-like angle that the broadway guy does. Her comedy is more crazy cat ladyish

The hot pocket breaks were preceded by an actual alarm sound I think???? bonkers fkljd

Ensemble

BIG ENSEMBLE WAS SO FUN…. They had so many funny bits going on in the background it was soooo good and another reason I wish I could watch it over and over because I couldn’t be paying attention to everything at once OTL

Scene by scene

Organized by song, but scene notes are in there too!

More Than Survive

"Madeline was all like-" *bad french accent* "ohohoho, I'll only sleep with you if you beat me at ze pool~"

“Oh my god he is like totally getting off on that” ← right before this Jeremy starts pointing at them awkwardly from a distance, I think in an attempt to get to his locker?? 

“I like gay people” - the way Chloe says this is kinda like “idk what the big deal is because *i* think gay people are soooo neat” which got a lot of audience laugh. I think she was talking to Jenna but I don’t remember 

“I don’t wanna be a baller” (or whenever the class scene is) - Jeremy’s sitting in the back of class and everyone turns to throw paper balls at him. I was like oh my god he’s being genuinely bullied so hard in this one…. Then again maybe that’s just how he feels?

There’s this awesome chair choreo at the end where everyone’s laying down chairs in front of Jeremy for him to walk on and taking them away from the back to put back in the front as he makes his way downstage.

Scene: Michael's "You don't have to do this!" kind of came across as a shout of protest. (But of course still tempered with, "of course i'll make fun of you forever if you don't)

Play Rehearsal

"This is where you meet for the swim team" --- Instead of looking confused, Jeremy immediately acts like ok byeee - he might be eager to back out of the conversation and/or immediately accepts her answer as literal and wants to leave asap out of embarrassment.

“I also have a touch of ADD” - she trails off and stands there kind of in a daze for a moment, before remembering that she’s in the middle of a song. 

“And can I mention that was really one of my best roles, DID YOU SEE THAT?!" She shouts this very proudly. And after her 'do you find that?' bit she doesn’t give Jeremy time to even try to respond, so it’s a little less rude lol. 

Jeremy was very anxious, and somewhat in a bad way? As in the exchange was a bit off-putting to him.

Scene: “thank god the popular kids are here” - there are SO MANY kids entering. I’m not sure what to make of it! Popular as in everyone’s popular compared to Jeremy and Christine? Or is this a whole clique? Or is Reyes just talking about the popular kids and the other guys also just show up? 

Mrs. Reyes: ~"Our funds will be diverted. To the frisbee golf team. What even is frisbee golf?" Across the room, Jake holds up a frisbee and silently points at it, trying to get Reyes' attention. She doesn't notice.

After scene: Jake’s “pressure to be the best at everything” is said very genuinely, not for laughs at his arrogance which is how I usually read it

Squip Song

Rich actor KILLED it just gotta put that out there

“So it’s like….” Jeremy takes an extended moment to walk to the edge of the stall and look behind to make sure nobody’s there - “...drugs?”

In the end of the song, Rich rubs his dirty hands all over Jeremy's arm.

The Squip Enters

Scene: Payless: “Wolverine” was great djklsfjdsf I’ve never thought about him before. (It was also the actor’s birthday!) When they enter he’s playing the knife-finger game. He threatens Jeremy with the knife at some point (either “400 dollars” or “all sales are final!” I think?). I can’t really describe the character acting but he was very entertainingly unhinged. He's called “Scary Stockboy” in the script & playbill and I thought that was a misnomer until the scene happened lmao. No that was accurate. 

Scene: when they enter the food court there’s like a photo of a mall food court on the back wall but not from the perspective of the scene at all it was like a background that abstractly tells you where you are?? As someone who loves kitsch I enjoyed this, it happens with a few other scenes too 

There’s a couple making out obnoxiously at the mall that someone (I think it was Michael?) had to step over to get to the table. I think they had some great thematically relevant background acting in this scene but I cannot remember it exactly I am so sorry OTL

Michael is buying Ecto-Cooler! It tastes like ghosts.

Jeremy “mourns in his chili fries” by laying his head down on the table. Jake and Christine sit at the table together without noticing him. Then Jeremy pops up and they have the usual exchange (“I didn’t see you!” “Yeah, you’re kind of hard to notice”). I thought that was a really neat staging!! And it makes more sense why he even tries to talk to her in this scene lol

Mild discomfort - The first half Jeremy just stands next to the table and kinda screams in pain. Then the second half he falls to the ground and is thrashing, again mostly just in pain. (Pretty sure that’s how every production goes but I think the intensity of the spasming is pretty variable so I’m describing it here)

When the SQUIP first appears, he offers to appear as Kermit the Frog, Barack Obama, and Gilbert Gottfried, and does a little impression for each one:

The imitations the Squip does are as follows: Kermit the Frog “hi ho Kermit the frog here, we’re gonna fix your life Yayyyyy”, Obama “My fellow Squip, if sync up we can change this loser” and Gilbert Gottfried “So Grandma and the dog are on the table…” - Courtesy of director Chris Guell because I couldn't remember them OTL (thank you!!!)

Also in the middle of this Jeremy says "That's a terrible Obama impression..."

Be more Chill p.1

Brooke and Chloe are shopping on the upstage side of the clothes rack; when Jeremy picks out the girls shirt, Brooke appears through the gap in the clothes and surprises him.

After the song, one of the ensemble steals the clothes rack and the mall cop chases him off stage in a very cartoonishly stiff sprint.

Do you wanna ride?

After the first rejection, Brooke goes to Chloe, who points out the satchel she has belted around her waist. As she starts to sing again she slowly unbuckles it and holds it behind her back. 

Jeremy is very into it by the end and the girls have him dancing along with the music. I think you can see that in one of the promo videos too :P

Be More Chill p.2

Scene: When Jeremy’s going to bed after the mall, instead of sleepily singing, he uses a silly deep voice to say something like “yeah be more chill i’m gonna be more chill i’m gonna be so chill that ice is relatively warm”

After Rich talks to Jeremy (“hey, tallass, where’s my money?” and then they sync up) he spots a girl across the stage and yells “Hey, where’s my money?” then chases her down the hall. 

Guy that I’d Kinda be Into

Scene: during the rehearsal - JR: "Bring me patient zero!" Then Chloe, sitting on the ground, looks through her script for like 45 seconds until finding her line: "Cough!"

At “I’ve been activating your pheromones” - Jeremy starts and looks at his armpits, then as the song continues he slowly pulls his arms up to rest behind his head, it was very comedic djflkdsf. He also uses one hand to waft from his armpit before returning to that position. Guy...

I think this is also the scene he uses a script to hide his boner??

They were so cute at the end!!! Just sitting next to each other in rehearsal and kinda leaning in towards each other. Very real very high school. 

Upgrade

Scene: While Jeremy and SQUIP argue about Eminem, Brooke is (silently) describing the accident. She mimes hitting a hockey puck, then being impaled in the guts repeatedly.

Instead of literal bleachers (at least visually), Brooke and Jeremy go sit on the top of the stairs that lead off of the stage and into the audience. They kinda playfully walk around the railings and stuff, and at the point in the Broadway version where they start aggressively making out, instead they just sit next to each other and talk and it’s very cute :) 

Jeremy’s freaking the fuck out in the middle and it’s so obviously sensory overload auauuauuauaugh. He was like contorting to cover his head in his arms. Guy…

Halloween

Brooke’s costume is a sexy dalmatian! She has an eyespot and a black and white skirt + other spotty white clothes. Jeremy’s cyborg costume only extends to the shirt & a visor. I think it matched with the squip’s visor?

THE PROJECTOR…. On the background was the funniest background it could possibly be it was like a graphic of a cartoon skeleton holding a wooden sign that said “Jake’s Halloween Party”. IDK if that’s a poster he got printed or if it’s an extremely camp way of abstractly giving us the setting or what but I WAS LOSING IT SLKDJFKDSJFSD 

I WISH I had a picture of it, but in lieu of that I recreated it for you and I swear it was like 95% exactly like this. just projected on the wall behind the stage.

Do you wanna hang?

Right before this scene, there’s a huge group choreo where people dance with partners, and in the last move one partner spins the other one down, who lands on the floor looking up at them. Jeremy ends up on the floor and Chloe walks up and stands over him while inviting him to come with her. 

TW - This scene is always sexual assault, but the tone felt especially dark this time – maybe it was just seeing it live, though. 

Jeremy’s standing frozen still as the song starts and kind of visibly recoiling as Chloe walks around him. She walks behind him and shoves her hands into his coat pockets, which makes him flinch. Extra upsetting because like I said before I think his coat pockets are kind of a place of safety for him :(((

Pretty sure the SQUIP's Japanese was different from the Broadway. Wasn't sure quite what he said, but it I think it *didnt* include these from the Broadway one: お腹が空いた (I'm hungry) and お疲れ様 ('pleasure doing business with you,' i think?)

Michael in the Bathroom

Scene: Jeremy seems very shaken after DYWH and sits on the bathtub sadly; when Michael reveals himself Jeremy flips out.

Michael talks about “his clever disguise” and makes monster growls (meant as creeper hisses?) - I think with the tone that he’s trying to get Jeremy to respond to the joke, or point out the reference or something. When that fails, he starts getting serious. 

“Get out of my way, loser” is delivered very confidently. 

After Michael says he’s on his period, Jenna opens the door a crack to hand him a tampon dsjfkldsjflkdsjf. He throws it in the bathtub later at “I’m a creeper in a bathroom….”

Also of course, he’s in a creeper mask lol

Song: WONDERFULLY done. Honestly don’t have much to say it was just great. I get desensitized to that song after hearing it so much, but seeing it live definitely brought a spark to it.

“And I look in the mirror and the present is clearer…” section is like the *key* part of this song to me and Connor Introna did it really well. His voice started breaking at mirror, and of course he did the little sob and everything it was just chefs kiss

Guy that I’d Kinda be Into Reprise

When Jeremy asks why Rich didn’t give him a warning and Rich starts saying “warning” over and over, he says it at a steady rhythm until he gets off stage. Then Jeremy tries to rouse a drunken partier to say “So that was weird…” and Rich’s “Warning” randomly interrupts Jeremy like 3 times to comedic effect before he can get the words out

"Popular people are messed up" - less in response to Rich & more in response to the guy Rich is talking to passing out drunk (iirc)

This is just a 2R things but it hit me so just pointing out she just says “I’m not Juliet” in this one (rather than we’re not romeo and juliet) and auuauguughghg poor Christine :(

Weird noises: it’s kinda like a dinosaur impression in this one? They both go like RAAHH and make claw hands in the air. Then Jeremy stands up and pretends to be driving a car (I think???? lol) and Christine copies him

Christine starts standing up while Jeremy’s still asking her out. As soon as he finishes the question she immediately rejects him. That is to say, she saw where this was going and already knew her answer.

After the scene, Rich walks back across the room, flicking a lighter on and off in a daze. 

ALSO: Ensemble were very entertaining in the whole party! During this scene there were 3 of them playing spin the bottle downstage left and it had like a whole arc to it sdnjkfdfdsf Also guys passed out on the floor and on the couch 

Smartphone Hour

Starts w/ Jenna sitting on the edge of the stage, dangling her legs over the pit. 

Brooke is sadly eating Rich’s loaf of bread. (After she forgives Chloe she passes it to some other actor offstage which I probably wasn’t supposed to see but it was funny lol. communal machete bread)

THE PROJECTOR….. Everyone was holding phones and in the background was footage from their front-facing cameras (prerecorded, but it synced pretty well with the live actors). Then you could see the GUI of them typing some of the lyrics (“rich fled to bombay!!”) into imessage and twitter

AND THEN you see footage of the house burning down on an insta reel…. An unremarkable suburban house where you can see flames consuming the roof. This same footage plays on a few people’s reels, then there’s also footage of firemen coming and putting the fire out and its SO REALISTIC i was losing it 

Around “Changed my profile pic to you” it shows a bunch of (presumably) instagram photos of Rich like in his house and at school or wherever and i wont lie it made me feel for him a lot more. They were like actual full staged photos :( like thats a real guy in there… 

Pitiful children

Scene: When Jenna asks if the SQUIP is a drug, she does the same extended thing of checking to see that nobody’s watching that Jeremy did in The Squip Song

The Pants Song

Scene: see my notes on Mr. Heere aaaaaauguh

Michael’s sitting on his front steps while smoking weed from a tiny green bong. You can tell it’s his front steps because there’s a mailbox next to him labeled MELL BOX in big letters dslkfjdskfjs

Michael’s wearing pants - I think that’s just textually accurate but reporting it anyway

When Mr. Heere comes over (“do you love him?”), he puts one leg on the top step and Michael is eye-level with his crotch. Michael has trouble tearing his eyes away. This happens a few times. In my opinion, it made him come off as a lot more high than he usually does lol

If I remember correctly, they get very intense and like shoulder-grabby at one point. Could’ve been a different scene though I dont remember OTL OTL

The Play

Michael comes out of the audience!!! It was cool it was meta lol

PINKBERRY CANON SDLKFJDKLFJKFJLSF. Brooke and Chloe have the Two Rivers dialogue (He didn’t sleep with you? He didn’t sleep with me!) then after Sisters forever! they do these actions to the rhythm of three staccato beats: “Jinx!” *high five(?)* *KISS ON THE LIPS* and instantly pull away. They're extremely normal about it and are just standing there afterwards without moving or acknowledging it. 

Despite being in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, Jeremy is dumbstruck and stares at them for a few beats before moving on to the next line. It was amazing. No notes. 

Jeremy is horrified when Christine starts singing to him. She walks robotically over to him and speaks kind of like she’s reading off a script (hehehe). Jeremy is backing up against a wall and freaking out almost like he’s trying to get away from her. No implication at all that he’s tempted. 

When everyone starts screaming in pain, Michael is screaming in triumph. (Or at least he looked very triumphant, I don’t remember if he screamed lol)

Voices in My Head

Rich is in a wheelchair. Also he doesn't have a lisp.

Rich is wearing Michael’s glasses. When he starts asking about Michael, Michael shows up and takes his glasses back. I think Rich steals them back at some point too? 

Michael acts a lil flirty with Rich - approximately "I'm sure you'll find something very special," then in a tiny high voice: “but not with meeeee…!” and he pushes Rich’s wheelchair so he rolls offstage jdsfkldsfkfd

At “Tell her that she excites you sexually” Rich does a little wheelie to (presumably) represent a pelvic thrust (all of these Rich moments were excellent I loved this Rich sm)

Christine’s squip was Taylor Swift this time!

At “I know the last thing I deserve is another shot, but…” He trails off and there’s a pause before “Just say what’s on your mind, Jeremy.” I know they get together obviously, but it felt like it could go either way! Maybe because it was live.

(And then they cccccome on lets go and do bows, in character i think, and it was amazing the end)

I was gonna write a TLDR here but honestly all of it was amazing and if you want the highlights it’s pretty much just the stuff I bolded!

Also end note the actors were all soooo nice and they let me ramble to them about jeremy for several minutes Q____Q it was amazing im so happy about this still I wish I got their signatures sjdlfkjdsfkdsf

I hope everyone gets to watch the show at some point but otherwise I hope this can be useful to someone!!

#be more chill #bmc #baccp #brook arts center community players #jeremy heere #christine canigula #jenna rolan #rich goranski #brooke lohst #bmc madeline #madeline bmc #text #my posts #ref #bac #jeremy #madeline #brook #chloe #jake #michael #mr. heere #rich

[bathomet-writes]

plus-size reader headcanons!!

relationship: Romantic 2012!Turtles x GN!Reader (separate)

warnings: romantic, fluff, humor, sfw, headcanons

author's note: for anonymous!! 💕 i've never written for the 2012 turtles but HOPEFULLY this was good..im looking forward to writing more for them in the future tho

In general, your weight isn’t really a topic of casual conversation with the turtles. Unless you specifically bring it up, it isn’t a thing they talk about. You were you and there was nothing else to it! Who were they to cast judgment upon someone for their appearance?

I mean, look at them. They’re mutant turtles. 

But, they all make you feel more accepted than you’ve ever been. You can really be yourself around them! The turtles treat you the same as anyone else they know. 

….BUT

If you were to ever date one of them—

leo:

if you’re ever insecure about yourself, he immediately wants to know how he can fix it!

he’s very much a gentleman, almost annoying so lol

a family member made a sly comment? your mom is going to get a very stern talking-to 😡😡

a stranger made you feel bad about your body??

well……they’re probably in mortal danger 💀💀

he feels VERY protective over you......a surprise to no one

not that you need any special treatment or anything, but he’s at your every beck and call

leo’s not super comfortable with physical expressions of affection………

but you’re the one exception

lots of blink-and-you-miss-it smooches before running away!! 

if you’re both standing on a rooftop during patrol, he’ll work up the courage to plant a kiss on your cheek

[runs away giggling] that, he’s that meme

it’s a little weird, but incredibly sweet 💖💖

despite being a bit shy, leo’s a real goofball

only because he feels so comfortable around you

earning your trust is like..the most important thing he’s ever done

and he is going to take your relationship SERIOUSLY 😤😤

lots of space heroes marathons where he can have you all to himself (he’s kind of selfish about how much of your attention he gets lol)

donnie:

(for whatever reason) he’s the most chill about it than his brothers would be

donnie’s a smooth operator 😎😎

….at least he thinks he is

he’d try and be suave and give you a bunch of compliments and praise 😘😘✨

whatever you choose to wear, he’d be the first to mention how fetching you look in it 💖

if there’s a fictional character you somewhat resemble, he’d be lowkey really into them

changing his phone background, having many photos of them, making off-handed comments about how cute he thinks they look, etc.

he’s not nearly as smooth as he thinks he is tho

donnie’s experience in courting is…..let’s just say ‘sub-par’ 

you’ve seen how weird he can get when he’s head over heels (with his crush on april)

his crush on you is embarrassingly obvious to everyone, no matter how much he tries to play it cool

he certainly gets an A for effort tho 🥴👍👍

“Do you have…feelings for me, Don? Feelings that border on love?” 😏😏

…………😳😳💦

“Aw, sewer apples.” 

raph:

he’s a bit awkward around you at first…..

raph is used to roughhousing with the people he likes (mostly his family) so he’s nervous about accidentally hurting you or making you uncomfortable

for as callous and rude as he comes off, he’s a bit of a softie when it comes to you

NOT THAT HE GOIN’ SOFT 😤😤

and he doesn’t think you’re anymore soft or delicate…….nothing like that, you’re just too important to treat carelessly

he thinks about you constantly 😵‍💫😵‍💫

raph doesn’t realize it, but he kind of loves the way you look

not in a romantized, idealized way…but he thinks he’s being weird

the last thing he’d want to do is make you feel objectified

or that the only thing that matters about someone is their physical appearance

but….he can’t deny how flustered he gets around you!!

when he’s not a stuttering mess, he loves showing you off ✨✨

p shameless about throwing his arm on your shoulder or other affectionate gestures (hair tussles or noogies, all that good stuff)

will absolutely YELL at you if you ever said anything negative about your appearance

“Hey, if you ever insult my favorite person again, I’ll beat you up!”

“…..Wait, I’m your favorite person?” 😳😳

“WHATEVER.” 😤😤😡😡

mikey:

you sometimes feel a little conflicted about hanging with mikey

because he’s very prone to hugging

not that you like his hugs, they were just a little more enthusiastic than you’re used to getting!!

and they last for a while

you’ll get hugs for minutes, even hours if you’re not careful

it’s nice….if not a bit strange

with an amused smirk, you interrogate him while he’s somehow playing video games in front of the tv

while also hugging you??

“Am I just trapped here forever?”

without looking away from the tv, he nods

“Yup, trapped in my hug prison!” 😄😄

..he’s just secretly really into hugging you

mikey’s usually an open book about his emotions but he’s VERY shy about the subject

boy can’t handle his feelings!!

you’re just too nice to hold onto, hugging you is so much better than hugging anyone else

if you bring it up he just gets v flustered…

“IT’S NOT WEIRD TO WANT TO BE CLOSE TO SOMEONE 24/7!” 😖😖

giving him a big hug will shut him right up 💖

taglist: @saspas-corner

#tmnt2012 x reader #tmnt 2012 #tmnt x reader #leo x reader #leonardo x reader #donnie x reader #donatello x reader #raph x reader #raphael x reader #mikey x reader #michelangelo x reader #sfw #requests #headcanons #im plus-size myself so this rlly spoke to me!! #thank u to the anon who requested this

[swaps55]

About (writing) Horizon

@painterofhorizons asked me to go into more detail about this post, in which I whinged about the logistical complexities I was running into while drafting Horizon for Mezzo. I proceeded to write a dissertation on the topic, so here is my Ted Talk for anyone who has some time to kill. I kept it as spoiler free as possible. :D

Not surprisingly, I’ve got a number of challenges to deal with to get this scene to have the emotional impact I want it to have, but the one I referenced in that post has mostly to do with what I refer to as setting the chess board. It’s something I do for combat scenes, or scenes where the setting plays any kind of important role in understanding where characters are in relation to one another, or when I just have too many characters in one place. Ideally, before I write the scene, I lay out in my head: what does the setting look like, and who is where?

For fight scenes, this is important so I understand what combat will look like, and so I won’t lose track of anyone during the scene. How many enemies are there? Who is taking on who? What limitations or advantages does the setting provide to influence the action? How can I use that to provide characterization or advance a character arc? Etc. In the case of Horizon, the issue isn’t the combat: it’s understanding where people start and how they get from one place to another.

Here’s the challenge: I have 3, and eventually 4 groups of people or person. Let’s call them A, B, C, and D.

A and B are in very separate locations.

C joins the fray in a 3rd location that cannot be near A or B.

A, B, and C are all aiming to reach the same location: the AA gun.

C cannot encounter A or B, which means A & B must reach the AA gun via different routes than C.  

D separates off from C, and must encounter B but not A.

C needs to arrive first, then B, then A, then D.

Simple, right? D:

So instead of the chess board dictating the flow of action, I need to set the chess board in a way to facilitate the scene as I need it to play out. This means the basic layout from the game isn’t sufficient, because it’s too linear, and provides only 1 “entrance” to the area where the AA gun are, and I need two different routes to get there.

Now, am I going to waste a lot of time painstakingly explaining to the reader the layout of Horizon? No. That’s boring, and the reader doesn’t need it. But I need to know it well enough and establish it well enough that even if the reader isn’t backchecking my logic, they trust that I have not dragged them into an MC Escher painting. I don’t want people to stop and wonder, “wait, where the fuck did B come from?” in the middle of a high stakes, high adrenaline scene.

The other logistical issue I have is a very clumsy POV handoff. I do not like putting in a scene break just to switch POVs and continue the exact same scene you were just in, but there is a crucial moment where a POV handoff has to happen as a new character arrives on scene and takes over POV duties from someone who is already present. My options are:

Do the entire scene from the first POV and don’t switch. But this would completely alter the impact of the scene and shut me out of accessing some pretty critical information that only the new POV character will have.

Do the thing I don’t like: put a scene break in the middle of the scene, end the first ‘scene’ on a dramatic moment that feels like the close of a scene before jumping back in with the new character.

Do the scene break, but back up a few minutes before the new POV character arrives on scene. This does two helpful things: creates a fresh scene and minimizes the awkward handoff, while giving me a chance to fill in some of the logistics to avoid the, “where the fuck did this person come from??” problem. Because while I know where they come from, there isn’t a good opportunity for me to communicate it to the reader otherwise. Originally this is what I planned to go with, but when I got there, I changed my mind. The problem with this is that it kills the tension and feels like a bait and switch: get the reader to the moment they have been waiting for, then pull the rug and back up a few steps. The last thing I want in this chapter is for the reader to be frustrated by the way I am telling the story.

End the chapter on the POV switch and move the Big Moment to a new chapter. I don’t love this either, because it feels like a cliffhanger for the sake of a cliffhanger – if not for the POV shift, it wouldn’t occur to me to break the chapter here. While I do love it when people yell at me for things, getting yelled at for this particular cliffhanger would feel cheap and manipulative rather than earned, if that makes any sense.   

Option 2 is best for the story, but it leaves me with this clumsy POV handoff that I still don’t like.

Now, on top of all the logistical complexities, I still have the other layers of this chapter: the sheer emotional complexity of it, which causes additional logistical issues. This is some of what I am trying to juggle:

Convey scene setting through the eyes of characters who are not paying a lick of attention to their surroundings because they are preoccupied or distressed by other events.

Telegraph Sam’s distress and anxiety through the eyes of someone who does not have enough context for it. This is further complicated by it being very likely this character would have more context than I would prefer them to have, so now I have to work with that in a way that feels right for the character and right for the story. Too often, supporting characters get shoehorned into plot in ways that does them a disservice, so I try to take the approach that the POV character is now the main character in THEIR story. My job is to get their priorities and motivations to circle back and support the plot while also serving their own interests. Sometimes this is very hard.   

Portray Kaidan, a character known for thinking things through, as someone being extremely (and understandably) reactive in a high stakes and very personal moment while still feeling like Kaidan. He cannot be thinking straight, and he would not be thinking straight, but I have to sell that to the reader and make them believe it.

Not losing track of every other character in the scene,while also not having them interrupt the flow of the scene. If you are familiar with Arrested Development, imagine the scenes in which the camera focuses on two characters having a VERY private discussion, only to zoom out and reveal they are surrounded by a much larger, captive audience. That keeps happening in this scene, ha. These characters are not the focus of the scene, but they are still present, and therefore the reader needs to be aware of where they are and what they’re doing so they don’t seem to magically appear out of thin air when they do or say something.    

So how do I put all of these pieces together? Well, it’s still in progress, so I don’t have a success story yet, but the emotional thumbtacks come first. The whole point of the scene is something I have been dying to write for years. All the details and logistics that ultimately make it work are just in the way when all I can think about is the Big Confrontation, so I just spit it out, even if it’s mostly just broad strokes, because once it’s out there I can actually think about the rest. Now I can go back through and chip away at the logistics, create a deeper and richer narrative for the POV characters, turn the volume up on the side characters who play a smaller role, and sharpen the knives so those emotional moments really land in a meaningful, gut wrenching way. Doing all of this will inevitably reshape the manner in which some of these events unfold, because drilling deeper into characters often leads to new discoveries. But I can rewire the underlying skeleton when the skeleton at least exists.

The hope is that in the end, it reads like the whole thing was effortless, and you would never guess how much work and angst and handwringing went into writing it unless you read this post. Wish me luck!!!!! I need it.   

#painterofhorizons #swaps replies #how writing is written #opus!verse #i hope even a quarter of this made sense #just imagine the charlie day gif #you know the one #it me

[jankwritten]

i think one of my biggest gripes with TSATS is the sentence structure and the way that things are phrased.

Sentence structure: the book is CONSTANTLY using ", and", or "then", or "but" instead of splitting up a phrase into two separate sentences. Once I noticed it, I couldn't stop noticing it. In some places it works fine, but right out the gate, as the first line of chapter one, it 1) caught my attention in a negative way and 2) felt immediately clunky and awkward.

The way that the book demonstrates action also feels unnatural and doesn't flow as well as it could. Things are described as happening "now", such as when Kayla takes her lolipop out of her mouth and holds it at her side, the book narrates it as "now holding the lolipop at her side". We didn't SEE that action occur, we're just being described the RESULT of the action, does that make sense? As a reader, you want to SEE the action, you want to SEE her tug the lolipop out of her mouth, see her hand hang by her side as her expression pinches with anxiety over the discussion. We don't want to just be told that "now" her lolipop is out of her mouth, y'know?

There are also sentences that just feel flat out unedited, phrases that have too many words for what they want to accomplish, or with a structure that doesn't make sense - like on page 56, the sentence "They raced up the steps to the platform, Nico easily outrunning his boyfriend, though that was mostly due to Will having to get his land legs again."

First of all - why are they running up the platform? In the previous line, where we're told their cab driver got them to the station with 6 minutes to spare, the specific choice of saying "to spare" makes it sound like there is plenty of time to make it to their train. In the sentences after, we even learn that Nico and Will wound up waiting for their train anyway, so, the fact that they're running when Will feels sick reads...weird, to me. If I was car sick, and then somebody forced me to run for no reason, I would not be a happy camper.

Second of all - The addition of the final third of the sentence, after the second comma, should be it's own phrase. It should be given it's own space, like "(though that was mostly because Will didn't have his land legs back yet)." because it's not important information, just an offhanded comment Nico is making.

Third of all - "though that was mostly due to" and "having to get his" are clunky and wordy. It could've just been "Nico easily outrunning his boyfriend, who didn't have his land legs back yet." It's a smoother sentence that doesn't get bogged down by the extra words.

And that's just one instance. This book is LOADED with moments like this, where action will get lost in a sentence's wordiness. The book tries to be quick and snappy, in Riordan's style, but it fails because it can't quite nail down the phrasing.

There are also moments where the only thing the characters are interacting with is each other, only grinning, grimacing, sighing, glancing at one another, etc etc, instead of doing actions while they speak. Fidgeting with their hands, shifting from side to side, looking away at their surroundings, that kind of stuff is how you convey a MOOD. Body language is important when writing character conversations!! Is somebody relaxed, or are their shoulders tensed up, arms folded across their chest with their muscles flexed, leaning back on one leg with their body halfway tilted away, as if they were ready to flee at a moment's notice? These are the kind of details that I'm missing in TSATS, the kind of things that feel like they're missing.

I also have a lot of gripes with the dialogue itself.

People don't talk like they do in TSATS. The content of what they're saying is realistic enough, sure, yeah, but the specific way that a lot of the dialogue is phrased? It doesn't feel natural. Try reading some of the sentences out loud without editing any of the words. It doesn't sound the way a human being SPEAKS.

THAT'S what I mean when I say these characters are OOC. The way that they're speaking is uncomfortable and feels as if they're being used as a puppet, or a mouthpiece for what somebody ELSE wants them to say.

#tsats #tsats spoilers #like just from a reader's standpoint this book feels offputting and weird!!! #it makes me genuinely want to do a rewrite where I go through and I don't change any of the plot #I don't change any of how anything goes #I just edit the phrasing and dialogue to make it more natural #the book sets no mood!!!! it doesn't commit to itself!!! it tries to be too many things at once and doesn't fully settle onto any of them #and then comes out SWINGING when it does try to do something which just comes across as heavy handed pandering !!!!! #GAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #like I want Nico and Will to be consistent with how they feel throughout the book. I want them to DEMONSTRATE #Consistency and not constantly swinging between their extremes of being scared or angry or sad #I want them to slowly become more and more skeptical of each other until they're forced to come to terms with the fact that #they both have darkness inside of themselves and each other that they have to accept and love!!! #I see so many people who are like 'omg but they talk to each other about their feeligns!!!! it's so sweet!!!!' when the 'talking' they do #isn't anything SUBSTANTIAL. Throughout the whole beginning of the book Nico is writing off Will's fears about tartarus and ignoring #everybody being concerned for him and he doesn't talk about any of it! THAT'S NOT HEALTHY!!!! #ugh. just. ugh. #pjo #nico di angelo #will solace

[skitskatdacat63]

Tysm for the tags @monacobasedgirldad @schumigrace @fernandoalonzoo sry im a bit late getting to this lol

Are you named after anyone?

My great great grandmother(I think??), though she was named Katarzyna, and I was born Catherine, but go by Catie obviously(this lowkey annoys my mom lmao, especially bcs if I were to have a nickname, it was supposed to be Cate.)

When was the last time you cried?

Today, over classical music. I think I cry at least once a day 😭 I am very emotional

Do you have kids?

Nope :)

What sports did you play/have you played?

I played soccer when I was a kid. Also does marching band count?

Do you use sarcasm?

All the fucking time, literally constantly. And also we sarcastically bully each other in my family, so I have to pull myself back from accidentally insulting people 😭

What is the first thing you notice about people?

Hmmmm, I feel like ive done this tag game before bcs I remember writing this exact answer. But usually I notice if someone is a good conversationalist or not. Like do they like to lead the convo, do they like to listen to the other people, do they talk too much, too little, are they awkward about it? It's just very interesting to me, bcs I think that kinda thing really does instantly show you if you're going to be compatible with a person(as a friend or more etc.) Cause I talk a lot a lot, and I think it's difficult to get along w people who are untalkative but also people who talk an equal amnt if not more djkfkglg.

What is your eye color?

Just brown!

Scary movies or happy endings?

Scary movies definitely. I mean im not opposed to a happy ending obviously, but that's not really what im always looking for in a movie, I guess? Rn I'm trying to think of my top movies, and man, not a lot of them have happy endings 😭 But I literally just watched two horror movies the past wknd so! Even though they make me paranoid

Any talents?

I think I could go on a rant about anything if you gave me a bit of time. I really think I can just talk endlessly. Is that a skill? Or is it just annoying..? But yeah I'm not sure, but I think I'm pretty good at absorbing information and being able to go on and on about it.

Where were you born?

America rahhh 🦅🦅 I like my state a lot even though I feel like all my peers keep saying "ugh I don't want to be in [insert state] anymore" Smh how dare you

What are your hobbies?

Mostly drawing! I draw both F1 fanart(pretty much all selfmade AUs tho) and ocs. I like writing lore and worldbuilding and meta, but not really writing itself. I like reading fic and watching movies as well. And I think one of the main things I do these days tbh is read about history and keep up with politics. I get more and more involved with it as the days go by, but unlike drawing, I don't really have an outlet for it sigh sigh. So that's why a lot of AUs involve history and random other things, bcs its fun to involve my interests with each other!

Do you have any pets?

Yes I do! Two cats and two dogs. The cats are named Jin and Frank. Jin is basically me in cat form, he's so anxious 😭 and Frank is like my brother, he's such a little bastard who loves to hiss all the time. My dogs are named Maisie and Ruby. Maisie is a menace to society, but she is also the most beautiful dog ever, so I forgive her. Her name makes me laugh bcs she's named after this book character, Maisie Dobbs right? So her name tag says Maisie Doggs

How tall are you?

Around 5'4

Favorite subject at school?

Politics >:) But I'm pretty interested in philosophy as well rn. Unfortunately my love for foreign languages has been slipping in the semester or so, bcs my professors on that side kinda suck. So I've been putting more energy into my other major, and now all I can talk about is history, politics and philosophy, etc etc. It's just a lot of fun and very interesting to me!

Dream job?

Man, sometimes I wish I could just be a student forever, I just want to keep learning all about the world and other things. But I'd like a job that's not too static, something that pushes me out into the world a bit, maybe smth in the government or like a non-profit idk yet!

Ahhhh I'm doing this a bit late so I'm not sure who's done it yet, I feel like mostly everyone has :,) I tag anyone who's interested, like seriously I'd love to see people's answers who I haven't yet!!

#every text post of mine is actually just a cry for help(for someone to let me ramble and rant to them) #I HAVE TOO MANY WORDS #the real reason i often slack on tag games like this is bcs my answers will be too long djfkkgg #also i hate how theres still this latent fear in me doing these that im doxxing myself or smth #i still hesitate giving my full name and all that #scawy!!!! even tho ive def mentioned it i think #catie.rambling.txt

[novacollistar]

i am cosplaying as ramiz rafi mirza for world book day 2024.

i was talking to a friend about how in two books that i’ve read (this one and m.a bennett’s s.t.a.g.s) the indian characters are obvious about their opposition to the british empire. laughing, i told them something along the lines of “it’s like every brown person’s personality in the literature i read is being against the raj!” in a half joking way.

and they just gave me a look, which is when i realized half of my personality is talking about how the empire shaped south asia and the negative consequences of it was. whenever someone brings up the raj, i feel the urge to say something because even though a lot more light has been shed on the topic, it never feels like enough.

i wonder how ramy felt having to conform to a society that was built to hate him, keeping all this pain inside while making jokes and laughing along. perhaps why people talk about the empire a lot now is to speak for someone like ramy, whose voice was silenced by the one person he kept on trying to educate.

reading babel, especially when it focused on ramy, felt like reading about a relative, a friend. when he died, it felt like hundreds were dying with him in the same sort of circumstances, and feeling that pain of “it can’t be, but is is,” also felt like an old sort of pain, an ache that formed generations ago when the empire took over.

it is why literature like babel is so important. it allows for the reader to recognize themselves in the characters, it allows for more knowledge to be gained about something that needs to be talked about more.

for example, griffin was very relatable because he lost his identity in two different countries, continents, cultures. i cannot remember exactly how the book described it or even if it was meant to be seen in this way but this is how i interpret it: he lost the approval of his father, and therefore his worth. for me, it was akin to being told i am not indian enough, or that i am too white/british, that i can’t speak my language (even though i can) which caused me to be too embarrassed to even attempt speaking it. in the other direction, eating with my hands at a restaurant being awkward, having to watch videos where comments are filled with bots making fun of indians, racism towards south asians in general being ignored.

both sides act like i should either promote indian culture or british culture as if it is a tug of war, and sometimes i feel like i am seeking approval just like griffin was.

i fear losing both cultures partly because i don’t want to be ridiculed by anyone, and i find that upsetting. just as i should be allowed to exist whether or not i can speak my native tongue, participate in both indian and british cultures, etc so should have griffin been allowed to exist.

but he became isolated, ostracized and alone. he was punished.

babel is continuing to break my heart, and to honor that world book day is going to be taken over by ramy. i know the post is mostly about griffin, but ramy is my favorite character, and must be celebrated.

(if i got the lore wrong, i apologize, this was written very hastily and is mainly just ramblings. feel free to add any thoughts and correct me if i’ve incorrectly written something about the book).

#ramiz rafi mirza #babel an arcane history #the raj #desiblr #mallu #griffin harley #colonialism

[msmargaretmurry]

idk if you’re still doing the fanfic title ask thing but if you are, mattdrai + neutral zone

i feel like this would be a sweet, funny little story where they have their bye weeks at the same time and coincidentally wind up on vacation at the same resort. big romcommy vibes. more of a @bropunzeling style joint than my own usual style, but i would do my best 😂

obviously leon's there with connor, third-wheeling with him and lauren, since they're coming straight from the all-star game. matthew, also coming straight from the asg, is flying in to meet up with some friends — maybe brady's bye week was before the asg, but robby thomas, or some florida pals, or whoever are there. mostly i just want him to be free of familial obligations so that he can let his freak flag fly.

anyway, the all-star weekend was good for everyone involved — let's say this is set this coming year, so no one was thrilled about going to cold toronto and losing out on three extra days of real vacation, not like florida, which was basically just extra vacation, but it was fun enough. neither the pacific or the atlantic won; none of our main cast here became the main character of the weekend, but there were some fun moments. matthew and leon didn't really talk during the asw, didn't really talk during last year's asw (although, to be fair, matthew was very busy playing host last year), because the thing is, they don't really have any reason to interact now that they're not in the same division.

leon didn't think he'd miss it, but he kind of misses it. the battle of alberta isn't nearly as exciting now. matthew pissed him off a lot when they were younger, yeah, but he has always been fun to play against. the 2020 asg was the first time they ever had a real conversation and it wasn't a big thing or anything, but it was kind of a turning point in the somewhat one-sided animosity, and by the time the 2022 playoffs rolled around, they had developed this kind of almost-friendly (slightly flirty?) respect. matthew still pissed him off on the ice, yeah, but they had some laughs, too, at faceoff circles, between whistles. leon started to believe the people that said, well, if he was on your team you'd love him.

and then matthew got himself traded to florida, built himself a happy new life there, became the main character of the nhl, etc. leon's not not happy for him, but maybe, when he thinks about it in certain moods, he does prickle a little at how easily matthew left the alberta of it all behind.

meanwhile matthew figures they were all just glad to be rid of him. he's been having a great time in florida. a great enough time that it's mostly healed the sting of how his last season in calgary ended and how frustrating his career there was sometimes. there was a time in his life when he would have really, really liked for leon draisaitl to like him, but he's totally past that now.

anyway, due to a series of somewhat comedic near-misses at the airport, they don't realize they're going to the same place until they get onto the plane and they're all in first class: matthew, leon, connor, lauren. everyone's like uhhhhh ?? but matthew makes a joke, retreats to his seat behind them, puts his headphones on, doesn't make conversation except to charm the flight attendants. when they land, connor asks him where he's headed, if he wants to share their cab. matthew politely declines. he's not trying to be anti-social, he's just not trying to intrude on someone else's vacation.

but, of course, the resort isn't huge. it takes, like, a day for matthew's group to run into leon again — at the tiki bar on the beach, where leon is loitering even though lauren and connor are down by the water, because he's feeling particularly third wheel-y today. matthew had the right idea, finding a whole group to glom onto after the asg. all this to say, he's kind of relieved to see other people he kind of knows, even if it all feels a little awkward. but hey, they're on vacation. everyone can be friends here.

cue a beachy vacation montage of drinking and laughing and playing volleyball on the beach and splashing into the water — leon (and often connor and lauren — i feel like there are other wags around with matthew's group of friends) gets kind of folded into the group, and here on vacation away from all the hockey stuff, past rivalries, etc, it turns out that they just kind of click. they're both super competitive, even about dumb things like beach volleyball — but that's fun when the stakes are low, when they're on the same team. matthew's always checking in to make sure leon's having a good time if he's hanging with them while connor and lauren are off doing coupley things — he's always making sure everyone's having a good time, really, and leon starts to really get why his teammates in florida talk about him the way they do. leon is surprisingly funny and surprisingly affectionate when he doesn't want to kill you, and matthew keeps getting that old familiar feeling that he'd really like for leon to like him.

it's only like two days in when they get tipsy and hook up, which is probably a good thing, because it's so mind-bogglingly hot that if they'd held out until the end of the week and just did it once at the end, they would have both gone a little crazy not getting to do it again right away. cue all sorts of sneaking off to have all sorts of gross, sweaty vacation sex, and maybe getting a little obsessed with each other in the process.

the last night of the trip, the whole combined group of them has a big dinner on the beach and everyone just hangs out until late, long after the sun goes down. matthew and leon keep not-so-subtly making eyes at each other, trying to gauge when they're gonna sneak off to go wreck each other, but matthew is also a little in his head about this being the last day of vacation, because he's 100% sure this is gonna be a "what happened in bye week stays in bye week" situation, which is how it should be, anything else would be too complicated and make no sense, but he knows that despite knowing all that logically, it's gonna do a number on him to fly home alone after this whirlwind — whatever it is, with leon, so at some point he disappears, and after a while leon finds him sitting down by the water a little ways away, looking out at the ocean.

leon goes to sit with him. kisses his shoulder, but doesn't try to make conversation. he kind of thinks he knows what matthew's thinking, but it takes him a while to figure out what to say about it in a way that won't be too embarrassing if he's wrong. eventually he settles on, "we should do this again sometime."

matthew looks over, surprised. "you'd want to?"

leon shrugs. "i mean. it's been fun, right?"

and then they make out on the beach, and then they go back to one of their rooms and have sex, and then shower sex, and then morning sex, all of it increasingly clingy in a way they will not discuss until, like, sexcation #4 at least, but leon does kiss matthew's cheek when they part ways at the airport later, and matthew's friends tease him mercilessly about it for the rest of the day.

#ask #writing meme #matthew and leon #hockey for ts #i know it's not like. as spicy as the real enemies-to-lovers stuff #but i am lowkey really into the concept of them not getting together until after matthew's calgary era #when they've had some time and space and are also just a little more grounded and mature as people #this fic however would really just be an excuse to write a fuckload of sex #anyway i have one more of these left!! and then you will all be free from my ramblings for a while ❤

[mdhwrites]

I feel like lately people started to ignore toh, Idk some artists I followed already moved on to other stuff to make content about (if you exclude mark). With Amphibia I think it lasted a year more after it's end till everyone completely moved on and I still can see some fanarts of it.

I guess people who said toh would be timeless may rethink that, it didn't even last a year.

So first: Timeless doesn't mean it will have an eternal fandom. Just that it will always be able to connect with an audience.

Second... I mostly agree. Like my timeline has definitely become MUCH more Amphibia focused nowadays. I don't see a lot of TOH art which... isn't surprising? Lumity was dying by the end of S2 because people just didn't have much to do with them and S3 really highlighted how shallow a lot of the characters and what not were.

It's not surprising that we didn't get the Amphibia of trying deepfake the fandom into thinking new episodes were coming out or a movie was in the works because... What do you do with these characters? MoringMark is doing pure fluff. I've seen a couple that I follow go strong but... Mostly by doing stuff like future children or Lumity as perfect mothers, stuff like that.

And that includes myself. I still do Lumischa but I swapped to AU stuff pretty much exclusively a LONG time ago now because sticking with canon was just... boring. I follow Yukifrill and she recently started doing Blight family stuff due to a dream but she explicitly said that part of why she even can again is because canon can no longer rip apart her headcanons, her desires, etc. like that. That's just kind of an awkward place for a fandom, especially with a show like TOH where most of the characters are mainly their base archtypes.

Buuuut: TOH will always have the shields of Disney meddling and LGBTQIA+ representation. Regardless of how good you think the representation is or if you think the meddling or shortening mattered, it doesn't effect things. Plenty of people will still hold onto TOH being an almost perfect being that we were just robbed from being the ultimate show ever.

This isn't even a joke. In a non-cartoon server I'm a part of, someone decided to bring that another server they were a part of talking about stuff they we were ever robbed from seeing in TOH. Others replied about Disney meddling, representation and how Lumity was still one of the best relationships they'd ever seen in ANY media.

Which, as a romance writer, that last one makes me REAL sad. It also is a sad irony because no one would have bat an eye if not for Disney and now Disney is also the excuse they use for it being bad. That makes me sad as an indie who no one cares about. At least not with his writing.

Because if my work is bad, no one is going to cut me any slack. If I cut corners because my brain is bad, people are just going to put it on blast. I'm an indie after all. Who is holding me back? Certainly nothing like what held TOH back, even if TOH also had an entire team of writers instead of only one.

But when enough time has passed for the knowledge of those excuses not to be common anymore... Will people still be able to excuse TOH for what it is?

Addendum: I want to make something clear since I've been letting my jealousy and personal pain show a bit more recently. I do not hate the show for being popular or successful. Dana and the crew put a lot of work into the show and I'm happy for them that it found so many. That it enriched so many lived. So many creative endeavors never do.

So yes, I get frustrated by the excuses. Get hurt by the cheats no one is willing to talk about. That's as much personal as it is professional though and if I'm just being honest, I'm still happy TOH was made and reached its audience. It means a lot to me just as it does to many others. I would not make these blogs if not for that.

I just wish that my interest in TOH didn't bring with it pain sometimes, but that's a personal problem, not TOH's.

==========

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead, If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

And finally a Twitter you can follow too!

#the owl house criticism #toh critical

[shepherds-of-haven]

What would the ROs consider red flags when going on dates? Like if Blest had dating apps or something, what would be something that turn each RO off or give them the ick?

Hi there, I've talked what the ROs are looking for in relationships quite a bit, such as here in the #cheat codes tag or places like this post about what they need in a partner, and I think those posts also go into what would genuinely turn them off or how to fail at getting their attention in detail! So instead of reiterating those points, I'm just going to list really silly red flags, like small or irrational things that you would vent to a friend about after the first date rather than true big-deal incompatibilities! Like mostly superficial stuff that might allude to deeper issues, but it's mostly just stupid or irrational hangups that would still give them the ick

(But when I say it like that, they suddenly become too many to count for each character, so I'll just list a few 😂)

Blade:

someone who's clearly uncomfortable with silence. this does not equate people who are naturally talkative, but people who literally can't exist in quiet without becoming visibly antsy and awkward

similarly, someone who can't control their volume and is audibly grating in public (think drunk bachelorette parties at nyc brunches, but all the time)

someone who's prone to randomly bursting into song (not humming under their breath or singing quietly while doing a task, but just walking down the hall and suddenly throwing their arms open and belting out a random verse like they're an actor at dinner theater)

someone who is overly sexual or physically familiar when flirting, especially very early on in their acquaintance.

someone with very sickly and strong-smelling perfume

Trouble:

someone being rude to the waiter/staff

someone who kept checking their appearance with a compact mirror

someone who's obsessed with and comments on how much things cost

someone who won't let you touch their hair or face without fear of you ruining their makeup/hairstyle

similarly, someone who won't do something spontaneous or active for fear of ruining their appearance, like 'i can't go up onto the roof with you, i'll dirty my dress!!'

someone who came off as flippantly controlling right away ("i like to shoot guns" "oh no, well we'll train that out of you")

Tallys

someone whose shoelaces were untied, and if you pointed it out, they didn't move to correct it

making overt statements to emphasize how special or unique they are (to the tune of "see, I'm not like other guys/girls/people...")

someone who can't keep indications of their emotions to themselves in a public setting. like when you're standing in a big line with a bunch of people, say at the post office or DMV, and there's one person who keeps sighing impatiently, huffing, scoffing loudly, tapping their foot, so that everyone else has to know how they're feeling--like they make it other people's problems, if that makes any sense?

not putting things away when you're done using them. like if you were to make yourself a sandwich and then leave the open jar of peanut butter on the counter and just wandered away without closing it and putting it back in the cabinet

Shery:

someone who made hating animals or kids a big part of their personality

someone who starts to make your story all about themselves as a way of relating to you--idk I worded that exactly right, but it's not exactly talking over you, it's more like directing the conversation back to themselves without even realizing it? Like "so the other day, I was really frustrated at work..." "oh my gosh, I completely know what you mean, at my job as a mercenary, I've been in so many situations where..."

someone who uses a lot of crude humor, like dead baby jokes and etc.

someone who would step on a flower growing out of a crack in the sidewalk without even noticing 😭

Riel:

someone showing up to the date dressed sloppily

someone who picked their teeth at the table

someone who asked the waiter to "just bring them the most expensive thing on the menu"

someone who's late without a good explanation

someone who sings, hums, or whistles along while watching a performance at the opera

someone with dirty fingernails

someone who kept coughing wetly or hacking away after every few words

in a modern AU, posting a mirror selfie with a dirty mirror. the selfie is already thin ice, the dirty mirror is unforgivable because you have so many opportunities to correct it

chewing ice loudly

--he's probably the pickiest dater of them all that I'm actually having trouble just narrowing it down to a few... 😂

Chase:

an overly superstitious person, or someone who ascribes a lot of things to "signs" or "fate." like "what day were you born? the 9th? oh wow, my mom's cousins are coming to visit and there are nine of them... i'm getting the chills!!"

someone who clearly says a lot of unoriginal cliches and adages. like the dad jokes where they say "clearly I hated it!" when the waiter comes to take away their empty plate... there's nothing wrong with saying this in and of itself, but if he senses you clearly say these types of things a lot and therefore have a default, rehearsed, repetitive mode of talking where you're probably automatically going to say that every time you have a clear plate, that would start to drive him crazy. especially if you acted like it was original 😂

also, someone who baited for compliments expectantly and overtly, especially quite a lot, and not in a teasing/flirtatious way

Red:

someone who doesn't really have any passions or hobbies, like if he were to say, "so what are your interests?" they wouldn't really know what to say... or basically someone dull who couldn't hold a conversation, though that seems fairly obvious!

in a modern AU, texting him "i'm bored" with no followup (aka with the silent expectation that he's supposed to fix that or entertain them) would be a big turn-off

also, someone proud of how much they don't read, or thinks being ignorant is funny

someone who spilled the tea/gossip on their close friends/family really easily, like telling him really crazy stuff that they swore not to tell anyone. would make him wonder if they could be trusted with his secrets!

Ayla:

someone who seems like a snob, like criticizing something niche like how the napkins are folded shows that this a low-class establishment, or making a big deal about how they wanted a red-wine sauce and this is a port reduction.

similarly, someone really overwrought or high-strung

someone very physically lazy while in perfect health, like they would complain about having to walk a few blocks to a restaurant or would whine about walking up a small hill to see a sunrise

someone who took food off of her plate without asking 😂

in a modern AU, a backseat driver

a "stiff," someone with a dead sense of humor or couldn't laugh at themselves

love-bombing or being too romantic too soon, like wanting to lock down the relationship and make it official after 2-3 dates, or making statements like "I can already tell you're my soulmate"

mincing words or beating around the bush as a way to stall so you'll say the thing for them

Briony:

someone who doesn't come off as authentic, especially if their words and actions don't match (like stating "I'm really passionate about helping the poor" but then they coldly shake off a beggar or act disgusted by them)

someone who spends a large part of the date ripping on other people or oversharing (such as passionately going on an angry tirade about an ex and how crazy they are, a parent and how much they're annoyed by them, etc.).

someone who's condescending or a mansplainer, explaining really obvious things with the assumption that she doesn't know about them (without checking first)

someone who gave her callous/indifferent responses ("i'm really worried about my friend, she's been having a hard time..." "oh. well good luck with that")

someone who kept checking the time even if they don't have anywhere to be, making her feel insecure that they were impatient for the date to be over

in a modern AU, putting "just ask" as their bio on their dating profile

Lavinet:

someone repeating a joke that didn't land the first time, just louder

someone who seems thoughtless or inconsiderate (by her standards), like not holding the door for her or not holding the umbrella over her head if they're sharing. basically not a gentleman!

someone who was a sloppy drunk/couldn't hold their liquor

someone who spat or hocked a loogie in the street

someone who admitted to cheating in a past relationship (doesn't matter the circumstances)

seeming flirtatious with other women or visibly checking others out while in her presence

someone who ran at a bird to scare it and it didn't fly away 🙂

Halek:

someone who was a very picky eater

someone who liked to play coy or play mind games (deliberately not calling on him the next day to see if he would do it first, etc.)

someone who talked in a baby voice a lot and used nicknames like "babykins" or "smoochums."

deliberately acting helpless, especially as a way of being cute or eliciting caretaking behavior, like "omg i can't figure out how to boil water, can you do it for me?" 🥺

in a modern AU, telling him you think silver foxes are hot 😭

#Shepherds of Haven #red flag #red flags #all characters

[good7luck]

Some personal rants related to the latest VNC manga chapters (~60)

(more under the cut)

.

It's chapter 55(.5) when Vanitas and Noe officially made up with each other, where the anime ended.

Astolfo's backstory was handled in ch 58 & 59.

The latest chapter was the 60th.

It's been only like 5 chapters or so since ch 55(.5), and most of them were pretty short.

We're JUST moving on from the Amusement Park arc NOW, and the new arc barely started. It's still the beginning part, with some old & new characters (re)appearing.

.

I do remember that some people expected chasseurs to show up in the Amusement Park; to join the ongoing fights (which did not happen in the end), or to investigate the remaining mess after the whole fights ended. (Both are fine guesses, obviously)

But now I see some arguments that MJ-sensei made an "awkward" writing choice to "suddenly" talk about chasseurs... I don't know what to feel, even if they might not be the same people XD

Both chasseur AND bourreau were already brought up in the chapter 1. Jeanne was a bourreau, and MJ-sensei has showed quite a lot of what bourreau is like, especially in the Gévaudan arc. Maybe MJ-sensei thinks it's time to expand chasseur more now - through Astolfo, Roland, Olivier, Gano, etc. Not to mention the main protagonist Vanitas used to be in chasseur himself.

There're 12 captains of the chasseurs, almost the half are still unknown to us XD You're of course free to be not interested in chasseurs or even dislike them, but it's NOT like MJ-sensei pulled them "out of the blue (uwu)".

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When ch 58 / 59 was out, mainly covering Astolfo and Roland - some people got (genuinely) angry and insisted that MJ-sensei is avoiding Noe / Domi / Jeanne / Vani interactions, not caring about her main characters, not able to handle her own plot anymore, etc. (Actually, even before ch 58...) And then ch 60 showed the 4 forming some sweet bonds lol They really couldn't wait...for a few chapters...

In fact, 1) some still complain why the chasseurs' backstory had to happen before the 4 interactions. Or, 2) some find the current plot "problematic" because things are going too good and well for the 4 now, NOT doomed / tragic enough asdfghjkl

For the former 1) - the story is NOT only about the 4 and chasseurs. Shapeless One and the Archiviste girl are related to the protagonist Noe each, and they'll get involved in this arc, too. I believe that's why MJ-sensei "mixed" everything and everyone together; letting the two introduce chasseurs' backstory, while also showing some traits and situations of them (ex. something is not right with Shapeless One / the girl is indeed an Archiviste).

To add more (angst uwu), chasseurs might try to come after Vanitas and/or Noe for the entire mess caused by Misha and Shapeless One: the attacked victims and the ruined amusement park :'))) (Vani/Noe fight did destroy the park, too, yeah, but Misha caused their fight as well) Jeanne explicitly told Domi to be careful for a while, even if Domi was just Misha's victim and did nothing wrong :')))))

For the latter 2) - again, it's been like only 5 (mostly short) chapters since the Amusement Park arc got wrapped up... Not even 1 day has passed since Misha left on the rooftop in VNC current timeline, plz XDD Also, why do they carelessly assume things will stay happy and lucky for the 4?? :'))) (even putting "whether things are truly good" aside, oops XD) For example, like above, chasseurs might bring some new chaotic hell to the 4 in the upcoming arc :'))))) Anyway, ch 60 is in the 11th volume (of 25 or so in total), the story won't end anytime soon, I promise XD

In addition, I'm pretty sure VNC has never been 100% only unhappy hopeless despair torture 24/7? I wonder if they got mad, too, when both Chloe and JJ survived AND talked things out AND got cured AND ran away together quite "successfully" at the end of the Gévaudan arc lol While I'm surely happy both have managed to not get caught so far...I'm still aware that nothing guarantees a forever happy ending for the two, oops :'))) So, I really don't understand why those people cannot stand SOME positive MOMENTS for the 4 in 1 chapter or so that much XD even judging the author for it asdfghjkl as if it's utter impossible for the 4 to go any wrong from now on, ooops! :')))))

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IDK I feel some people should seriously try to read the manga volume by volume (at least, multiple chapters at once) - NOT chapter by chapter. So that they could take the flow better and actually enjoy the story as it is. Rather than feeling "betrayed" by the "bits" and making (false) accusations against MJ-sensei all the time. They need to chill a little in general and maybe have a good sleep asap XD

To be fair, I do know the breaks have been so long, while the recent chapters have been quite slow and short... All this might've played some part for them to be more sensitive and impatient, perhaps ^^;;

I sure hope we'd get a new chapter this month, hopefully a long one!

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Thanks for reading my incoherent personal rants!! Sorry about some negativity OTL

#vnc spoilers #vanitas no carte spoilers #vanitas no carte #vnc #vanitas no shuki #les memoires de vanitas #the case study of vanitas #not tagging anyone #good7luck