#and every of your victors is unique and pretty

[amomentsescape]

Bro, I love your writing so much and it’s so cool to see some new Gotham stuff pop up on my feed s🥹❤️❤️🥹❤️🥹 if it’s alright, could I please have some fluffy and slightly suggestive headcanons of some Gotham boys, including but not limited to the J squad, with a punk or alt s/o? If you don’t want to do anything suggestive, tho, I totally understand

Please and thank you in advance if you decide to do this ❤️

J Squad + Oswald, Victor, & Bruce with Punk! Reader

Includes: Jerome, Jonathan, Jervis, Oswald, Victor, Bruce

A/N: I hope you enjoy! I wasn't able to make every character suggestive, but I tried my best to make the HC's fit your request!

Jerome Valeska

He loves your aesthetic

Has asked you time and time again to help him get dressed before a heist

Thinks your outfits would not only look badass while murdering people, but they would also help you blend in at night

"Practical and sexy, doll"

Loves when you place your tall, leather combat boot on his leg, asking him sweetly to help you lace it up

He likes to trace his fingers along your leg at this, sometimes going a little too high which earns him a swift smack to the hand

He just lets out a chuckle at this

"I'll get you back later..."

If you're out and about and he notices people looking at you, he immediately helps you embrace it

Will twirl you around in the middle of the street and place a big kiss to your lips

Whispers in your ear how gorgeous and sexy you are whenever he gets the chance

If he's out on a heist and he sees something he thinks you'll like, he'll take it

Even if it steers him off his current mission a bit

Starts having you paint his nails religiously as "good luck"

But in reality, he just likes how his pretty fingertips look wrapped around your neck

Jonathan Crane

This sweet boy is in awe of you

Your edgy looks, your interests, everything

He's never been introduced into this genre before, but you've opened a whole new world for him

Absolutely falls in love with the music you listen to

He just connects to it so well

He also adores being a dress up doll for you

Want to try out a new makeup look on him? Go for it.

You want to see what he'd look like in an edgier outfit? He's ready.

You want to dye his hair a crazy, experimental color? Let's do it!

Seeing him dressed similar to you empowers him in a way

He's used to being hidden in the background, so you pulling him away from that insecurity is like a completely different life to him

Gets extra touchy when you have chokers on

Will softly give you little kisses just above and below the accessory

He's ashamed of it, but he lets his eyes wander for just a little too long when you get all dressed up

He tries to hide it but will turn into a huge blushing and stuttering mess if you catch him in the act

Jervis Tetch

He's definitely intrigued by you

He's used to his world being full of chaotic color and fantasy

But you have this certain edge and uniqueness about you that he hasn't come across before

They say opposites attract for a reason

He feels like you balance him out

You actually help him feel his emotions and openly discuss the things floating around in his head

But of course, being opposites still come with a few disagreements

He finds your taste in music and makeup a little... much

His taste is a little softer and more elegant, but he's not one to judge what you enjoy

He's just tried listening to a couple of your favorite songs and found them scary

He's also not very knowledgeable in this particular genre

So if you bring up something, he'll simply look at you like you've grown a third head

But besides that, he's overall supportive on whatever you want to wear or do

Loves when you both get dressed up together for a night out

It gives him a deep sense of thrill when people look at you both while out

You two may have opposite styles, but your aesthetics are similar in the fact that they don't "fit in" with the public eye

And Jervis honestly loves that

Oswald Cobblepot

You caught Oswald's eye almost immediately when he first encountered you

Something about the way you held yourself drew him in

And when he got to know you?

He was so interested

He wanted to learn more about your clothing choices, the music and art styles you liked, what made you interested in the aesthetic, etc.

He might not share the same exact passion for the things you do, but he will always be very respectful on supporting your interests

He also just finds your look to be super attractive

He doesn't mean to, but he finds himself becoming a little more submissive around you

He's used to throwing out orders and making decisions in his normal day-to-day life

But coming home to you immediately allows him let go of those reigns

You just tell him what to do, and he'll do it

You've accidentally gotten him to whimper a couple times just by complimenting him or giving him words of praise

When you kiss him, you can feel his whole body fall into you

He literally turns into Jello

But he's still an emotional man too, so give him lots of love and attention, and he'll be fully content

Victor Zsasz

Well, obviously he adores how you look

I mean, he wouldn't consider his own look to be punk, but he's aware that he's taken inspiration from the genre in the past

Honestly thinks you two make a badass duo

Even the Zsaszettes admire you whenever you're around

He also likes how easy it is to spot you in a crowd

Not that he stalks you while he's out "working" or anything

He loves your normal outfits of course, but if you wear anything that shows a little skin?

Oh boy, does that dark gleam shine in his eye

He just about sinks his teeth into you (literally)

Victor is known to keep his cool no matter what, but you are able to tell when he really likes a particular outfit that day

A hand on your lower back, a lingering glance, and a teasing smile are all signs

But he also will not hesitate to pinch your butt at the most random times too, public or not

Makes you hold his weapons sometimes because he thinks they make you look even edgier

He also has a thing for any piercings you have too

He's not sure what it is, but he's fascinated with how the cool metal sinks into your skin

He'll play with them too if you let him

He's careful not to hurt you

Unless that's what you want, of course...

Bruce Wayne

He honestly doesn't really think anything of it or notice it much

Which isn't a bad thing by any means

Bruce doesn't judge based on looks, so however you decide to present yourself is just who you are in his eyes

But he also cares a lot about your interests

He'll happily sit beside you and listen to your music, shop with you for new clothes, and come with you for your latest piercing or tattoo

You name it, he's there

If it means a lot to you, then it means a lot to him

But he does think it's pretty cool to have such a badass partner

Has helped you dye your hair a handful of times

He kind of gets a slight thrill from knowing that he's the only one that gets to see all sides to you

People may see you one way when you're out in public, but he also gets to see you when you're at home sleeping in his bed or cuddled up on his couch watching some crazy show he's never heard of

He just likes knowing that he gets all of you

He finds it pretty romantic

Really likes any leather pieces you own

You may have persuaded him to buy a couple jackets based on ones that you already had in your closet

But he especially loves the leather on you

Becomes a bit touchier when you have it on, tracing his hands along the material

He thinks it looks great on you and will definitely let his gaze linger a little longer than usual

#gotham bruce wayne #gotham headcanon #gotham fandom #gotham x reader #gotham #j squad #jerome valeska #jerome valeska headcanon #jerome valeska x reader #jonathan crane x reader #jonathan crane #the scarecrow #scarecrow x reader #jervis tetch #gotham jervis #jervis tetch x reader #oswald cobblepot x reader #gotham oswald cobblepot #gotham oswald #bruce wayne #bruce wayne x reader #gotham victor zsasz #victor zsasz x reader #victor zsasz

[33max]

It’s my first fic rec friday where I’ll post about my favourite fics that I’ve read this week! I was inspired by the lovely @fourmula1 to do this, and what better way for me to spread my love of fic than shouting about each one on the internet!

a bodyswap story by @toastandvegemite

Bean’s comment: I might be a little bias with this one because Danni and I chatted about this and oh my goodness it came to life in a beautiful ficlet! It’s not your average bodyswap fic at all, it’s engaging and a little dive into family relationships too!

all yous are good by @burnishedvictory

Bean’s comment: Again, I might be a little bias because I may have specifically asked Anna if Little Max is something she would consider… and she did!!!! But this is 12,000 words towards healing your inner child, and I am so obsessed. I’m so glad it’s become a series!

one for the money, two for the show by anonymous

Bean’s comment: I was obsessed with the world building in this from pretty much the first paragraph! Heist Au!!!! I am always super impressed by authors that have a lot of characters introduced very quickly, but manage to keep it controlled and not overwhelming! This is going to be really juicy… I can tell!

to the victor belongs the spoils by @powerful-owl

Bean’s comment: I get into bed and put my phone on do not disturb whenever there is an update to this fic. It transports you to another world as soon as you open the new chapter. I don’t think I’ve ever read a fic that makes me want to yeet myself into the sun as much as this one does.

hard to settle, spark my shade by @33and3

Bean’s comment: I am obsessed. Every single update is a hit of serotonin. There’s so many unique details tropes and details in this fic and of course I just adore Max in it. Selfishly, I never want this fic to end!

shower thoughts by aliquis

Bean’s comment: I thought this was a really beautiful commentary on intrusive thoughts. I loved the relationship that Max and Daniel had in this and honestly I couldn’t believe it was the authors first f1 fic! It’s truly beautiful writing.

#fic rec friday #fic rec #fave

[jake-marshall]

Potion Permit Review

Okay, so. As previously noted, Potion Permit consumed the past two weeks of my life. (This reminds me of when I played Return to PoPoLoCrois, and, same thing - was balls deep in it for 2 weeks bc it made my brain go brrrr). As a fan of most HM games, even the less popular ones, I really enjoyed this overall. So it has a Stardew graphic style mixed with the overworld combat of RF, and this is my review(ish) of the Switch version. Pros.

GREAT controls. I never at any point felt anything was tedious or difficult to engage with (outside of the grow box maybe?) It was very simplistic and stream-lined.

Cute/fun minigames. Nothing gets frantic or taxing. The Potion making is honestly really fun.

Decent Music. It's nice background music the way, I guess, ACNH has nice soothing background music. Nothing is a bop like HM/RF tunes but that's fine.

Good Male romance candidates - I feel like the 4 boys available to romance are all diverse enough to appease most everyone's tastes. Xiao is my husbando but I know a lot of people will go for Matheo or Victor (and I'll probably go for Victor if i ever play a boy file).

Interesting enough side characters. Nothing groundbreaking-ly unique but I did get a sense of community from the town of Moonbury, at least. and wanted to befriend everyone/know their story.

Pretty good pacing. At least for me, I never felt overwhelmed even when taking on numerous side quests. Outside of healing patients, nothing had a timeframe which was nice because it really did let you go at your own pace. CONS

No weather changes? I felt this could have really added to the game in terms of immersion even if it didn't affect anything gameplay-wise.

In that vein, no seasons. Again, it would be something I'd like to see expanded upon if there's a sequel. It would feel more like time is passing and therefore adding to the immersion.

Meh Female Romance Candidates - again, this is just personal taste but I did not like any of the available women - some of them, in fact, I outright disliked (Helene). Leano was the only okay one but she felt a bit too gimmicky with the pirate thing. And I don't even know why Rue was an option. I would have taken Bubble and Runehart happily over Rue and Helene.

Some of the topics presented in the side/character quests fell flat for me. I give PP kudos for trying, for touching on things like eating disorders, anxiety, and DID but the way a lot of it was easily resolved/hand-waved away felt big oof. Like I didn't feel the poor execution was for lack of trying, at least.

Not enough Collin and Moira lol.

Biggest con for me was not being able to romance Lucke. I really hope they make him and the aforementioned girls, as well as Dean and Derrek available... some day...

So overall I would recommend the game if you want something charming to mindlessly put 30-40 hours into. But there's a lot of loose ends that, for me, don't make it as compulsively replayable as RF/SoS. Still, i feel like it's something I might come back to every year or two to revisit, and I'm glad to have met some new blorbos. :)

#potion permit

[lorata]

Hello! I’m not certain that the ask box is the place for this(pretty new to tumblr), but I really wanted to let you know just how much I enjoy the writing you do. I found your a03 towards the end of 2021, and since then I’ve read through everything there and a lot of this blog. (I have tried and mostly failed to navigate live journal.) I absolutely adore your work. Like, it’s going to be hard for me to express just how much joy your writing brings me. But I know that positive feedback is important so I am going to try.

1) The world. Your stories from district two have some of the best worldbuilding that I have ever had the chance to see. It’s hard to explain, but you are very good at making stories that exist in time. The Centre and the Victor’s village have so much depth and weight to them. I can tell that choices were made for a reason, both in the story and outside of it. I feel like every background character could have an entire book written on them, and because of the scale of your writing, a whole lot of them do. District Two feels so real. I understand the career system and why District two didn’t rebel and how all of it adds to the themes that Suzanne Collins wrote THG to address. It’s really extraordinary. When I read hunger games fanfic by other people, I often find myself hoping district 2 will win.

2) The characters. Like above, you have an amazing sense of how characters age and grow over time. They all feel so real, and you are so good at giving each Victor a unique, changing philosophy. Lyme’s gradual path to rebellion, Ronan’s fight to protect his district, even the outlying victors have consistent characterizations. And to make things even more impressive, these characterizations stay consistent across AUs! Normal Alec and Victor Alec are so clearly the same character and it’s just really, really good. Your villains are also utterly despicable. Your version of Coin makes my skin crawl, especially in the ‘canon’ stories where only Enobaria lives. I think my favorite characters are Lyme and Claudius, but everyone is so well done.

3) Self indulgent stuff. As someone who spends too many hours in the day thinking about Marvel, I adore your Avengers Games fics from like 2012. The characters in that are also remarkably well written. The characters in that fic who were in the mcu at the time (the og avengers + loki) feel more in character than in most fan stuff that Ive read. (Is that story continued on the live journal? I really haven’t explored that site). Also, it’s been great to see another person online with similar opinions on TNG, especially on Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. So many fanfic writers forget that Katniss is a flawed girl trying her best, and they also ignore the real, serious issues that Collins wanted to explore with the series. You don’t do that. You don’t glorify the games, but you still manage to make your arena stories exciting and action packed. To quote a recurring theme from the series, you know who the real enemy is. Sorry if that sounded pretentious.

You have clearly put so much time and love into these fanfics over the last twelve years. I am honored that I have had the chance to read millions of words of your work, and I wanted to thank you for that. I hope you are doing well with whatever you do in your offline life!

WHOOPS ABOUT THE LIVEJOURNAL I have it set up as best I can with the tags and the masterlists but it was a different era and if you're not used to it I think it's probably a bit obtuse

the Avenger Games AU, I never did continue that first story, but there are various spin-offs here

the Victor Selene AU is here

the Canon Divergence AU continues here

but ahhhhhhhh thank you what a wonderful comment! :) that is lovely and makes me very happy and I'm going to save this for bad days, honestly. it is so weird to have such a huge cast of characters that can't go anywhere else (you really cannot file the serial numbers off this universe, it is intrinsically tied to canon and honestly, I think that's a good thing) but I like it! no pressure to do anything but stay here and have fun with other people having fun

#winterpinetrees #lorata answers #we must be killers: tales from district 2

[atwooozi]

Almost Perfect (Sebastian x Fem!Farmer) Chapter 7: The Egg Festival

Warnings: Slow burn, personal struggles, anxiety, depression, eventual smut

Summary: Angeline prepares for the Egg Festival, determined to make a good impression. The quaint festivities in Pelican Town contrast with city life.

A/N: Angeline prepares for the Egg Festival, determined to make a good impression. The quaint festivities in Pelican Town contrast with city life.

READ ON AO3

Chapter 7: The Egg Festival

Spring 14

Angeline felt like she was starting to get a grip on this whole farming thing. Sure, her body was sore all over and she had to force herself up a mountain every day just to get clean, but things were coming together. She looked over at the field and smiled. There were still some larger rocks and tree stumps, but it was such an improvement compared to when she first got here. 

She had a decent amount of crops going and she was getting money together to for some chickens. She couldn’t be sure but she felt that if her grandpa were still around he’d be proud of her progress. 

She checked the time and it was 8:00. She didn’t have time before the Egg Festival and she didn’t want to be late so she tossed her tools in her chest and made her way up to the mountain. She didn’t want to go to her first festival covered in dirt and sweat. While the people of Pelican Town might be understanding it just wasn’t the impression that Angeline wanted to give. She felt more comfortable with a bit of makeup and freshly washed hair if she was going to be out in public.

Once she was satisfied Angeline left the bath house. She had decided on a pink sundress and giving her hair a bit of a wave for the occasion. It was ten minutes until 9 and she didn’t want to be late, especially since this would be her first big event in Pelican Town. Angeline trekked down the mountain path to town square. When she made it into town she couldn’t help but smile. She thought the effort that Mayor Lewis and the rest of the towns-people put into the festival was sweet. 

She loved seeing all the baskets of hand-painted eggs and colorful pennants decorate the buildings. It felt so quaint. Nothing like the forced festive feeling she’d get in the city where there was always a sale on every major holiday. 

 Speaking of sales, Angeline made a note to stop by Pieere’s booth before taking her leave. The large bunny plush he had was taunting her to take him home.

At this point, Angeline had met most of the villagers well except for the poor farmer that was stuck up on the mountain because of the rock slide. Damn Joja, they were lucky that they didn’t kill someone. 

She got a good feel for most of them and while some were a bit rough around the edges she didn’t think anyone was awful. In fact, Haley had grown on her quite a bit since she helped her with her hair that day and Shane still scared her, but she could see that he was dealing with much harder things beyond a new person moving into town. While both could be a bit abrasive at first they were actually both pretty thoughtful in their own unique ways. At least, that’s what Angeline would tell herself when Hayley would say she smelled like grass or when Shane would tell her to fuck off. They were nice! Just a bit too honest at times.  

“Hey Ange!” Sam called all the way from the other side of town square. Angeline laughed to herself and gave a small wave, hoping that was enough to appease the blonde for a bit so she could greet a few people before settling with his friend group. 

“I see you’ve made some friends.” Robin said as she squeezed Angeline’s shoulder as she nodded towards Sam and the rest of the trio, with the addition of Victor. 

Angeline shrugged, “Honestly, I think Sam could be friends with a rock so I’m not too sure.” 

Robin laughed, “Yeah well, seeing as how Abigail and Sebby don’t run away when they see you I think it’s safe to say they’re your friends, too.” Robin looked over towards the trio and gave a small smile in their direction.

“Maybe.” Angeline shrugged. 

Angeline still felt a bit hesitant to say that she was friends with Abigail or Sebastian. They were both a bit of a mystery to her. Abigail had been nice to Angeline at the saloon but they didn’t interact much after that. Sebastian was okay the day before with his mom, but she couldn’t be sure if that was forced politeness because he was with his mom or what. 

“Maybe” Robin agreed. “Well don’t worry about me, go mingle with the young people! You can be old later.” 

Angeline smiled at Robin and waved goodbye to her, Demitrius, and Maru. Sam was practically beaming, she was surprised she didn’t go blind when she looked at him. 

“Hey farmgirl.” Alex called out, stopping Angeline in her tracks. 

Angeline changed direction from heading towards Sam, to making her way over to Alex, Haley, and Sophia. 

“Good morning you guys.” Angeline said as she smiled at the three. 

Haley sighed and smoothed out Angeline’s hair. “Morning.” She pouted at Angeline. “You need to put some product in your hair so it doesn’t get so frizzy. It’s going to get worse during the summer.” 

Sophia giggled. “Don’t worry Angeline that’s just Haley’s way of being friendly.” Sophia tugged on Haley’s elbow to get her to stop. “She nags because she cares.” 

Angeline nodded and gave a small smile. She felt awkward and unsure of what to talk about. “Are you guys enjoying the festival?” 

“Hell yeah, look at all this protein.” Alex said as he nodded towards the tables. 

Haley rolled her eyes at Alex and crossed her arms over her chest. “The flower dance is better.” 

Flower dance? Angeline was about to ask the group what the flower festival was when Victor tapped her shoulder. “Sorry to interrupt, but I think Sam is going to explode if you take any longer.” 

Angeline looked over her shoulder at Sam with Victor and he was hardly exaggerating. Sam was bouncing from foot to foot and when he noticed Angeline looking his way he gave a big wave. “Hey!”

Angeline smiled and laughed to herself as she walked over with Victor to the little group. 

“Happy Egg festival.” Angeline said with a smile. 

“Hey Ange, settle something for us.” Abigail said with her hands on her hips. “Is the egg hunt just for kids?”

Angeline thought about it for a moment and shook her head. “No, I don’t think so.” 

“She’s not giving you the full story.” Sam shook his head. “She beats Vincent and Jas every year, it kind of ruins it.” 

“She already said no!” Abigail retorted. 

Angeline frowned. “Well…I don’t think that means that Abby shouldn’t participate, b-but it is sad that Vincent and Jas haven’t won.” They were just little kids after all, it wasn’t a fair competition against someone in their twenties. 

“I’m just helping them build character or something.” Abigail pouted. 

“I don’t know, Abigail.” Victor said thoughtfully. “I mean, Maru and Sophia participate, too, but it’s more for the fun of it not sport.” 

Abigail huffed. “You guys all sound lame like my parents, right Seb?” 

Sebastian put his cigarette to his lips and turned around to blow the smoke away from the festivities as if to avoid the conversation entirely. A smart man. However, this action only irked Abigail more. “Ugh! You all suck.” Abigail frowned. “I-I’m going to hang out with Penny and Maru.” she stomped away towards the two unsuspecting girls.  

Angeline frowned. “Is she going to be okay?” Abigal didn’t run away but she did stomp away did that mean they weren’t friends? She'd have to ask Robin later. Maybe she could give her some insight on the violet haired girl.  

“Don’t worry about it.” Sebastian said as he blew some smoke out of the corner of his mouth in the opposite direction. “This happens like every other year.” 

Angeline nodded and quietly glanced up at Sebastian. She was still getting used to him talking to her. It was only a few sentences here and there, but because it felt so rare it always gave her a fluttery feeling. 

Sebastian’s voice was a nice even tone with a slight rasp that Angeline suspected was a result of his smoking or because he hardly spoke, maybe a bit of both. She wondered what caused Sebastian to finally decide that it was okay to speak to her. Was he finally comfortable enough with her or did it just become too much work for him to ignore her? It didn’t really matter why. It was just nice that she was finally allowed to take up a small bit of space in his life. 

“Ange~?” Sam said in a sing song voice as he jostled her shoulder. 

Angeline jumped a bit causing Victor and Sebastian to both glance her way. “S-sorry. What’s up, Sam?” 

“The egg hunt is starting.” Sam said as he nodded towards the town square. “You gonna join?”

“Are you?”

Sam nodded. “Yeah, I like to help Vincent.” Simply adorable. What a good older brother.

“Not much help because of all the sneezing.” Sebastian quipped as he stubbed out his cigarette. 

Sam pouted at his friend. “Yeah yeah go brood over there, you might burn in the sunlight if you’re not careful, Alucard.” He waved the shorter man away, causing Sebastian to flip him off. Angeline giggled at their interaction. She was envious of how comfortable Sam always felt she wished she could be as easy going as he was. 

“I am going to stand over there, but it’s because I’m feeling hot, not because you told me to.” Sebastian clarified as he made his way to stand under a tree. 

“Whatever you need to tell yourself, sweetheart. “ 

“Yeah, I guess I’ll try it seems like fun.”Angeline shrugged as she looked at the people crowding around the Mayor. She looked over at Victor. “Are you going to join too?” 

Victor smiled and shook his head. “Oh no, I’m no match for Abigail so I’m just going to sit this one out. Maybe next time.”

“I’ll hold you to that!” Angeline called as she made her way to where the small crowd was forming with Sam.   

~*~

Sebastian sighed as he watched Sam and the farmer. He wasn’t sure if he should consider her a friend. He started to talk to her if only it was a few words here and there, but that hardly means anything. He only spoke a bit more to Maru and that was his half-sister, so he had a hard time thinking of what to consider the girl. He liked looking at her. Especially given her outfit choice for today. That he was sure of, but he didn’t know anything about her other than the obvious. 

Sebastian glanced over at Victor and he frowned slightly. Victor seemed to have an easy time talking to Angeline. They always exchanged smiles and little pleasantries. They seemed to get along well and those two were very easily invading his friend group and pushing him out, at least, that’s how it felt. He was easily being replaced and while Sebastian would remind himself that this should be a good thing so that when he did leave Abby and Sam would adjust to his absence easier. It still sucked, his heart still hurt when he thought about it and despite telling himself that he would be okay when he left for the city he admittedly felt scared and a bit lonely.

“Is everything okay?” Victor asked, pulling Sebastian from his thoughts. 

“Yeah…” Sebastian trailed off. “I’m just tired, long night.” 

Victor nodded and left it at that. If there was one thing he appreciated about the other man was that he knew when to drop a conversation.

Sebastian put his hands in his pockets and looked towards the square as Lewis announced the winner of this years egg hunt. Much to his and most likely the rest of the town’s surprise Sophia had won and Abigail the former reigning champ had come in third. Sebastian looked over at the runner up, Angeline, and grinned a bit as he saw her celebrate with everyone else that Abby had been dethroned. Sure, it was a bit mean, but Abigail had it coming for all these years of spoiling the fun for the little kids.

~*~

“That was so fun!” Angeline said as she made her way back over to Sebastian and Victor with Sam and Abigal following behind. 

Abigail pouted and shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.” 

“No one likes a sore loser, Abigail.” Sebastian smirked. 

“Shut up!” Abigail pushed Sebastian and he chuckled. 

Angeline studied the two. She wasn’t exactly sure what their relationship was. At times Abigail seemed to cling to Sebastian but then on other days she seemed to want nothing to do with him. Maybe when you’re friends with someone for so long the boundaries blur a bit more? The exchange for whatever reason gave her a bit of a queasy feeling. Or maybe it was all the eggs? She wasn’t exactly sure.  

“So…is that it?” Angeline asked the group as she looked around to see the older residents start to pack up. 

“Basically.” Sam shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck as he was thinking. “We could…play video games at my place if you’re not ready to go home yet.” 

“I’m gonna pass.” Abigail said, “I’ve got a date with the Prairie King.”   

“Give the king my regards.” Victor bowed his head slightly. “I have some work I need to get to, so maybe another night.” 

Angeline nodded and waved Abigail and Victor off as they made their way home. 

“Samson!” Jodi called, waving her son over to where her and Vincent were. It looked like Vincent was getting restless and harder for Jodi to handle on her own. 

Sam groaned at the use of his government name. “I guess we’ll have to take a rain check. Sorry guys.” Sam jogged his way over to his family and easily scooped up the difficult Vincent. What a sweet big brother he was. 

Sebastian coughed which pulled Angeline back to reality. It was just the two of them now. Usually someone else was around to act as a buffer. She felt an urge to run after Robin or Sam one of them would could help her.

 Angeline opened her mouth to try and think of something to say. “Um…” She wished lightening would just strike her down now. Should she talk about the chicken coop? Would that be weird? Would he even care? Why was this so hard?   

“I-It’s, uh, almost frog season.” Sebastian said as if trying to help Angeline break the silence. 

The comment stopped Angeline dead in her tracks. She laughed, not because it was funny, but just so unexpected, especially from Sebastian. It felt like something that Vincent or maybe even Abigail would say. “What?” 

Sebastian frowned at Angeline’s reaction. He turned his gaze away from her, a dusting of pink covering his pale cheeks. “Nothing…” 

“N-no…I wasn’t making fun of you.” Angeline shook her head and gave Sebastian an apologetic smile. “I just wasn’t expecting that.”

Sebastian sighed and looked at Angeline, studying her expression to see if she was being honest. “Well, it’s almost frog season.They come out during the summer.” He played a bit with his long bangs. “They usually come out when it’s raining.” 

Angeline nodded as she listened. “Do you plan on catching any?” 

Sebastian shook his head and put his hands in his pockets. “No, my mom isn’t a big fan.” He pursed his lips slightly as he thought about it. “When I was a kid I tried to keep one in my room as a secret, but she got rid of it.” 

“Aww, I’m sorry that sucks.” Angeline gave him a sympathetic look. “Did the frog have a name?”

A deeper blush took over Sebastian’s face and he looked away as he debated on whether or not to tell her. “It was…” he mumbled the last part which made it difficult to hear.

“What did you say?” Angeline leaned in a bit closer. 

“Froggy” Sebastian said louder, causing Angeline to pull away. That was the loudest she had ever heard him speak. “I was seven, okay?” He defended himself as he started to fiddle with his lighter.  

Angeline giggled. “I think Froggy is a good name.” 

“Th-” Before Sebastian could get his words out Sam clapped him on the back causing him to grunt. 

“You guys are still here?” Sam asked as he rejoined the group with Vincent in tow. 

Angeline looked around and was surprised, the bustling square was now empty. Aside from the in-season flowers even the decorations were gone. 

Damn, despite being so small this town moved pretty fast. She’d have to try for the bunny plush next year, if there was a next year in her future. “Pelican Town sure moves fast.”

“That’s cuz of the flower dance!” Vincent said as he jumped in place, begging for attention. 

“Flower dance?” Angeline asked as she ruffled Vincent’s strawberry hair in greeting, getting a smile from the boy.  

 Sam groaned and Sebastian looked less enthused than usual. Haley seemed excited about it earlier. If she liked it how bad could it be?  

“It’s the worst event of the year.” Sam said as he hid his face in his hands from horror? Or was it disgust? Maybe even pain? Angeline couldn’t be too sure. “Ange, the suits they make us wear. You can’t see it. It’s too shameful.” It was embarrassment, so close!

“It can’t be that bad.” Angeline said as she looked over at Sebastian. He just shook his head. 

“It’s so much fun, Miss Angeline!” Vincent said as he stepped in front of her to get her attention. “Everyone gets all dressed up and my brother and everyone dances.”

Everyone dances? Angeline tore her attention away from Vincent and stared at both Sam and Sebastian. She couldn’t picture either of them dancing. “Really?” 

“Yes.” Sam sadly confirmed. He looked like he wanted to fall to his knees and sob. Poor guy. 

“I’d avoid it if I were you.” Sebastian said as he fiddled with a cigarette in his hands. Maybe it was an anxiety thing? He was toying with his lighter just a bit earlier. He must not have wanted to smoke in Vincent’s presence. 

“I think I need to see it for myself.” Angeline said. She didn’t want to miss Sam and Sebastian awkwardly shuffling around. It sounded too good to miss.  

Vincent nodded in agreement and tugged on Angeline’s hand. “Yeah! We can dance together!” The young boy started to spin around. “I’m gonna be the flower queen!”

Angeline smiled at Vincent and nodded. “It sounds like a plan, little man.”

Sam took himself out of his stupor and grabbed Vincent’s hand. “Well, I’m gonna bury myself in a hole. You guys have a nice night.” Sam and Vincent waved as they made their way to their house. 

“It can’t be that bad.” Angeline said. 

“It’s bad.” Sebastian said as he lit his cigarette finally. Angeline looked up at the taller moody man. She never thought smoking was attractive, in fact, she thought it was the opposite, but for some reason when he did it, it looked so, so hot? 

Objectively, Sebastian was beautiful, but did Angeline think he was hot? The thought almost scared her. She hardly knew the guy. For all she knew he could hardly stand to be around her. 

Angeline shook her head and shrugged. “I guess we’ll just have to see.” 

Sebastian nodded. “Yeah…later, happy egg festival.” He said as he made his way towards the mountain path. 

Angeline waved goodbye to Sebastian and watched as he walked away. She was surprised by how much he spoke to her today and without someone else to facilitate the conversation. It felt less forced and more natural than their usual interactions. It almost had her feeling excited. No, stop. This is a small town, he’s just being polite because he has to be. 

Angeline sighed to herself happily and made her way home. She wasn’t actually sure if she had befriended Abigail and Sebastian yet, but she was getting close or so she thought.

#i hate tagging #sdv #sdv sebastian #stardew sebastian #stardew valley sebastian x oc #fanfic #fanfiction

[darthnell]

20 Questions for Writers

Oh This looks fun.. ty for the tag @wordspin-shares !!

How many works do you have on AO3? As of right now, 19 !

What is your total AO3 word count? Well.. you see.. 501,371. ..Huh I the chap I just posted cracked the 500k count ! Congrats to me ig !

What fandoms do you write for? The Hunger Games ! I have some Star Wars fics on my AO3 from years ago, but 96.2% of those words are THG so. hjvbdhvhbddfbh

What are your top five fics by kudos? Sighs really heavily. So I pretty much only write OC stuff for THG, which means that the 3.8% of Star Wars fics are taking 3/5 spots on the top 5 kudos ranking. F in the chat. So starting at the most, we've got: Lessons Unlearned (SW), Is That Really Me? (SW), True Vengeance (THG), Widow's Bite (THG), and Take My Hand (SW). None of those SW fics are over 2k while True Vengeance is probably going to hit 300k by the time it's over... Really interesting to see the statistics of what it looks like to write in a larger fandom vs a smaller fandom tbh :0

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? Absolutely !! I love reading what people think about my writing. It's neat to see what sticks out to them and how they feel about my characters or plots or everything really ! :D It makes my day to see them <3 Also I love chatting about my writing and the thought processes behind it, so if you every get an essay in response to a comment u left on my fic, uh.. sorrie... bdjfvbhdb

What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Hm.. Maybe Reparation Clause or True Vengeance? Granted, I haven't written the ending of TrV yet but given that I've killed off all of Ven's arena friends uhh.. yeah. The Bridges We Burn could also possibly fall under this category... Turns out there is no shortage of angst when you write for the child death pageant fandom jdvvbhdf

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Now that's a harder question, rip. I do generally try to end my Victor Exchange fics on happier notes (Destined to Fall, Desiderium, The Bridges We Burn). I think Widow's Bite and No Sleep for the Wicked also end on more positive notes..? I wouldn't exactly call it Happy though.. (maybe some of my Star Wars fics would qualify, but I do not feel like talking about them LMAO)

Do you get hate on your fic? No, I'm perfect (insert sunglasses emoji here) /j I don't think I've ever gotten straight-up hate comments on my fics before though. I've gotten some criticisms (one person wasn't happy about the fact that the Games continue after the events of True Vengeance, according to the other fics on my profile hvfhvbf), but nothing that's ever put me down about my writing. ...Do affectionate death threats count as hate? (my friends are Goofy bhjdfbvhd)

Do you write smut? If I do, you'll never know BHVF. Ok for real though, it's not really my jam as a writer. Worth trying probably to step out of my comfort zone, but definitely not something I'd ever post. Sorry guys.

Do you write crossovers? Nah.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Afaik, no. Not in terms of straight-up ripping the text. I think I've had some ideas borrowed, but like. Who give a fuck LOL. As my one friend likes to say often, there are no new ideas in THG (in terms of things like arenas, quell twists, tribute concepts). What makes something unique is having different authors writing and interpreting said concepts !

Have you ever had a fic translated? No, but I've thought about translating one of mine into French myself as a way of practice.. Never got around to it though, alas.

Have you ever co-written a fic? Ooh, so Technically, no... BUT. I do create tribute characters for SYOT (Submit Your Own Tribute) fics, which is more of a collaboration than co-writing. I also have three fics I've written for the Victor Exchange event in the SYOT Verses discord server where the pov victor characters were created by another author and I wrote their stories (and I received a fic for the victor character I created!) So again, not Reeeally co-writing, but. Collaboration !!! Uhh I was really into Barriss/Ahsoka in high school. FinnRey starwar is also<3

What's your all-time favorite ship? Scratches head uhhhhh.. all time favorite..? If my ocs count, I will say Maritrix (Venatrix and Mariposa) and also Oberon and Dagmara. Otherwise, uhhhhh..... I will be real, it has been a Long time since I've cared about any specific ships to the level where I need to read or write fanfiction about them LOL. I was really into Barriss/Ahsoka back in high school. Also FinnRey starwar<3

What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

What are your writing strengths? Ooh I love writing dialogue, and also fight scenes!! Description is fun too c: But yeah, I have been called the fight scene queen by a friend once so I think that counts as a strength LOL.

What are your writing weaknesses? I have no weaknesses I'm perfect (sunglasses emoji). /J bvhjfvfbh.. I'm Slow. I get hung up sometimes on structure/style things while writing and it makes the process take a bit longer. I think also sometimes I tend to meander a bit... I could use a lesson in conciseness jvhhbfv.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? It seems like good practice !! Like I said, I had wanted to translate one of my fics into French as practice.. Not sure if that's what this question is asking, or more of like. A bilingual character or something..? Idk ! I think if it's something that you want to get better at, it would also be wise to get concrit from a native speaker on how natural it sounds.

First fandom you wrote for? Warriorcats ! :3c

Favorite fic you've ever written? I /gen enjoy most of my writing.. I know not all people do and I'm not trying to brag or anything, I just. I pander to myself LMAO. But my Favorite TM has gotta be True Vengeance ;-; It's the longest thing I've ever written (and probably will be for a while), and I've spent every day for the past ~3 years thinking about it, so. That is telling hbvdhbf.

Tagging: @illegalcryptid @emeraldflower25 @rivalhughs @ladyqueerfoot @justafunctionalmess @conschintz and general tag for anyone who wants to answer !!

#nell clownery here #writing stuff #tag game #true vengeance 151 #hunger games #the hunger games #fanfiction #fanfiction writing #20 questions for writers

[cheri-translates]

Qixi 2022 Concert Chibi Scenes

✧ Link to Qixi Concert: here

✧ Weibo posts: here

✧ Wishes from the VAs: here

✧ Qixi Calls: Gavin (1 l 2 and 3) l Kiro l Lucien l Shaw l Victor

CHIBI KIRO

[ Time-stamp: 9:58 - 11:38 ]

Miss Chips, look at it!

When you’re holding onto the leash, it pretends to be obedient.

Once its in my hands, it flies off completely.

[To Apple Box] What? Feeling upset because I’m talking about you?!

[spits out sand from his mouth]

[To Apple Box] You actually kicked sand towards me?!

Apple Box! Don’t run away!

Heh, let’s see where you can run.

Miss Chips, hurry up and help me to keep him under control!

Huh... okay then.

Apple Box, since Miss Chips has pleaded for mercy on your behalf,

I’ll just give you a mild punishment.

[clears throat] After all, every household has its rules. As one of the members of the Zhou family,

Kicking sand towards someone is an incredibly impolite act.

Heh, I’ll let you experience how it feels to be surrounded by sand too!

Huh? Apple Box looks like its enjoying itself.

Why does it seem like I’m awarding it instead?!

No way. I want a reward too!

Miss Chips, why don’t we buy ice-cream later?

Okay, it’s a deal then!

-----

CHIBI GAVIN

[ Time-stamp: 18:36 - 19:55 ]

Be careful. 

There are lots of broken rocks on the ground.

Let’s walk slowly.

It’s been a pretty long time since we visited the beach.

It feels pretty nice to take a stroll like this.

The sunlight is just right.

Mm, and the ocean breeze is comfortable. 

Looks like today’s a pretty good day.

[chuckles] Of course it’s because you’re here.

You want to play “You Draw, I Guess” on the sand?

Erm... but my drawings don’t look good.

Okay, we’ll turn our backs towards each other.

And draw at the same time.

You’re already done with your drawing?

Hang on. I’ll add a few more strokes.

I’m done.

Let’s turn back and look at them together.

[chuckles] I guessed correctly.

You drew a ginkgo leaf.

The same as me.

My drawing doesn’t look like one?

Cough... I drew it in the shape of a heart on purpose.

I hope that you like it.

✧ Translated comics inspired by his scene: one l two

-----

CHIBI LUCIEN

[ Time-stamp: 26:43 - 28:13 ]

I didn’t expect the flower shop from earlier to be that crowded.

It didn’t look big from the front

But there was a comprehensive variety of fresh flowers.

Do you see these gardenia flowers?

Although they looked a little late,

They’ve been well taken cared of.

The floral arrangement of its home is very exquisite too.

Yes.

It does look like the style you like.

Which is why I selected this bouquet.

But it still lacks some local uniqueness.

I’ll give you this for now.

So...

Do you hear the sound of the ocean from the conch?

Does that mean

Putting it into the bouquet

Is equivalent to us having the entire ocean?

Miss, thanks for selecting this shell.

I feel that it adds the crowning touch.

It’s in.

My fingers aren’t as nimble as yours,

But

I’m very pleased with it.

Why don’t we

Put it on the boat

And let it witness our present moment together with the ocean?

-----

CHIBI VICTOR

[ Time-stamp: 34:46 - 36:00 ]

I’m not providing beverage services today.

I’m not underestimating your alcohol tolerance level.

I simply don't want to hear a certain someone grieving

Over not having room in her belly for roasted meat.

Since the proposal for “Unlimited Outdoors BBQ Set Meal”

Was something you suggested yourself,

You should be responsible for carrying it out.

As compared to wine,

You should have more faith in my culinary skills.

Do you want more or less seasoning?

This is the first time I’ve met

Someone who has such few requests for her “personal chef”.

You’re free to decide on today’s dishes.

There’s no need to be suspicious.

With me, you’ve always had a special privilege.

You do know how to ask for more.

What else do you want me to do with your special privilege?

I don’t always hum when I cook.

Whether I display such a habit isn’t purely based on my mood...

When I’m with you,

Of course I won’t be unhappy.

For now, enjoy your seaside roasted meat feast.

As for a certain someone’s wishes,

I’ll be responsible for making them come true.

-----

CHIBI SHAW

[ Time-stamp: 42:23 - 43:20 ]

WHAT?

SPEAK A LITTLE LOUDER. I CAN’T HEAR YOU.

It’s just a normal live performance.

Why are you so excited?

Why don’t you ask for my help the next time you film a music festival?

I guarantee that you’ll see an even more shocking performance.

Don’t be happy too early. I didn’t say that it comes without cost.

As for the compensation...

I’ll get it from you once I decide what it is.

Just prepare it anytime.

The song’s reaching its climax!

From what I can see, the atmosphere isn’t fiery enough, and the lights aren’t flashing enough.

Do you want to be a little more high?

How’s that?

This is more like it.

It was worth coming here.

It’s getting lively!

But there are many people around. Come a little closer to me.

Or I could move closer to you.

#mlqc

[brightreads]

In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune

Rating: 5/5

In a forest lives Gio, an inventor, and his son, Victor. Along with them lives Nurse Ratched, who is a robot nurse but will happily drill into anything that threatens them and Rambo, a vacuum with anxiety who loves musicals. They’re a family living off the land and raiding scrap yards for parts. A peaceful and calm existence. When Vic finds Hap, an android that was seemingly thrown away, he’ll discover that there may be more to his father than he thought. When they unknowingly alert other androids of their presence, Gio is forcibly taken away. Vic, Hap, and the rest of his family must leave the only place they’ve ever known and save Gio before he’s decommissioned or reprogrammed. Together they brave the harsh landscape, dodge the terrifying androids, and travel to the City of Electric Dreams. Along the way they will learn about themselves and each other, in both past and present.

A fun, queer Pinocchio retelling that will melt your heart.

T.J. is a master of writing the most ragtag family and makes you love them. Each one is a truly unique and complex character. It’s so fun to see them interact with each other and you can really see how much they love and care for each other.

The plot and world building were both fun and interesting. I loved slowly learning about how the world ended up the way it did. I also liked how T.J. made things that were familiar and made them just a bit different and interesting. The story itself is extremely entertaining, I was hooked pretty instantly.

This book made me laugh and cry. It’s truly a beautiful and heartfelt story. I loved every moment of it and it will stick with me. It’s about people finding themselves and choosing who they want to be, of family and love, of fighting for the ones you love.

I recommend this book to everyone who enjoys stories full of love and adventure.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for a free digital arc in exchange for an honest review!

#bright reviews #book review #book blog #bookish #booklr #books #bookblr #books and reading #book reviews #booklover #bookworm #lgbtqia #lgbtqia books #goodreads

[solar-halos]

december prompt #4: scarf

mags and lucy gray fluff under the cut! <3

for context, i do like that lucy gray’s ending is a mystery bc the og lucy gray is a mystery, but i also love this pairing too they’re cute

“That scarf is so ugly, Lucy Gray.”

“Maybe it would be, Maude Ivory, if you’ve never been in love.”

It’s true. It scared her at first, to get close to another living human being, but Mags is so sweet that Lucy Gray could probably get drunk off it.

So maybe there’s some bias clouding her judgement, but Lucy Gray doesn’t think she’s worn anything prettier. It’s short and pastel, which is refreshing, because ever since they dragged her back to the Capitol they’ve been making her wear heavy garments with colors that are more obnoxious than they are colorful, so Lucy Gray appreciates the switch up.

She also appreciates how warm it is. Mags needed something to occupy her hands after she won, and all those fish hooks she procured out of thin air were impressive-looking, but Lucy Gray was running out of room in her house in District 12 for all the momentos Mags slipped into her pockets every time they had to go their separate ways.

And don’t even get her started on her room in the Capitol. Lucy Gray is pretty sure their shared apartment is more sheet music and fish hooks than actual furniture.

Speaking of their Capitol apartment, Lucy Gray resists the urge to splay herself across the couch and rest her head on Mags’ lap. When they were just friends, she learned the hard way that she shouldn’t disrupt her in the middle of a project. She learned the even harder way that she shouldn’t disrupt her knitting.

Lucy Gray smiles, half-paying attention to the tea she’s stirring. Knitting is so old-fashioned, but that’s what the Capitol says about her and all her songs, so Lucy Gray doesn’t have much room to talk.

Not that she doesn’t think Mags shouldn’t do it—it’s important for victors to stay busy, and if Lucy Gray is being honest, she likes flaunting all the parting gifts Mags makes for her.

“Hey, baby.” Lucy Gray sets down their tea, glancing down at the tangle of yarn draped over Mags’ lap. “Want something warm to drink?”

No matter how deep in the zone Mags is, she always makes time to glance back up at Lucy Gray and smile. Lucy Gray really likes that about her. “Thank you. Chamomile?”

“Mhm.” Lucy Gray takes a seat next to her girl, nestling into her side. Even though she and Mags haven’t been anywhere near the districts for about a week, Mags still smells like sea salt and ocean breezes. Lucy Gray likes that about her, too. “I know you’ll need the rest. How long have you been working on that?”

“Since the last time Ravinstill dragged us up here for the Feast pitch the Gamemakers were working on. And it still looks like this.”

Lucy Gray doesn’t know what the big deal is. Sure, it’s a bit lumpy if she squints, and there are a few stray pieces of yarn poking out from the stitches if she stares at it really hard, but that’s what makes it such a bonafide work of art.

Mags seems unconvinced. “I think you love me too much.”

Lucy Gray clutches a hand to her heart, as if she’s wounded. The Capitol can take a lot from her, but they’d never take away her natural instinct to engage in theatrics. “Impossible!”

“You do, or else you wouldn’t wear so many of these things at once.”

“District 12 can get really cold, magpie, I've already told you that.”

“I’m glad you don’t mind all the mistakes, then. Scarves are supposed to be the easiest things to make, and every piece I’ve made is defective one way or another.”

Mags glares at her lap, throwing the scarf toward the other end of the couch. Lucy Gray tries to keep a straight face. Theatrics are instinctual for Mags, too. “You know what I think?”

Mags rests her head on Lucy Gray’s shoulder. “What do you think, my love?”

My love. Lucy Gray takes a silent moment to get giddy over that. “Nothing's ever made to be perfect. Not even music—that’s what makes it so unique. And all your pieces are unique, ‘cause every mistake captures just a little bit of your soul. All of the stuff Tigris makes nowadays looks so plastic and manufactured, ‘cause it is, but all your scarves scream your name.”

Lucy Gray retrieves the scarf, bunching the soft fabric up in her hands.

“See?” Lucy Gray says, carefully setting it over Mags’ neck. “Bonafide.”

“Bonafide,” Mags eventually agrees, the word sounding strange yet entirely right in her District 4 accent. “Just like my girl.”

“Flatterer,” Lucy Gray observes happily. “Feening for one of my kisses, sweetheart?”

Mags blushes, but after a swing of chamomile (it’s her liquid courage), she bobs her head up and down. Lucy Gray uses the scarf to lasso her in closer, more relaxed than she’s been in ages.

#lucy gray baird #mags #tis the season #which will be the tag for these prompts #listen they’d be fucking cute mags may be the mom friend but she’d absolutely fall apart without lucy gray (who is the hot mess friend)

[crystalelemental]

Unit Teambuilding - Elaine

Who invited Let's Go here? I didn't think anyone liked Let's Go. I sure as hell don't. Ugh, whatever. There's like three unique characters to Let's Go, at least this will go quickly. But hey, if it doesn't, maybe Victor can be released from being the poster child for Reddit Fuckboys as the Let's Go male protagonist becomes the new face of "male characters are treated badly despite still being the majority of characters in the series."

General Overview Elaine feels oddly familiar. I can't quite tell why. She has some pretty good traits, though. A big one is her Trainer Move, which gives +3 crit automatically, and depending on grid skills, gives +2 to either defensive stat, +1 to both offenses, and even +1 evasion to herself. Her TM is only 1MP, but it's refreshed each use of Quick Attack thanks to her passive, which means she can snowball most stats. In addition, it has a slight 10% healing effect that isn't fantastic, but because it's persistent, it can kinda add up, which...again, just feels really familiar. Per attack, she's able to inflict Trap, Confuse, or Flinch, only one of which is of any general use so good luck with those odds, while grid skills could include debuffing either offensive stat for better survival. With access to Synchro Healing, she holds a good amount of restoration ability for a stall team, so like...sure, premium stall, never bad. And oddly, she has one of the best 5/5 grids I've seen, with some frankly bonkers traits. A second roll of interference and +2 PMUN each sync at 4/5, and Safety Net and a moderate self-heal on Trainer Move use at 5/5. Those are nasty, with someone calculating the odds of AoE flinch with two rolls at 54%. Anni Skyla is a fantastic disruption unit with just 50%. And that recovery potential is quite impressive, depending on the amount healed by her 5/5 node. Every other turn recovery in a large enough amount, with boosted defenses, makes her nearly immortal.

The problem with Elaine is nothing is fast or consistent. Her TM gives +1 of PMUN or SMUN, but it's random which is provided to the team, which doesn't help almost anyone because it's unpredictable. Her ability to flinch would be great, but being selected randomly from two other, much worse effects makes that passive fairly poor, and it's only improved to a reasonable rate at 4/5, which is a tall order. Without 4/5 though, she's kinda just a slow buffing bot, averaging out to +1 per turn, assuming no disruptions like sync to your rotation, and thus being unviable for 3v3. Any debuffing also means attacking, which you want AoE for Swift, but you need Quick Attack specifically for the TM MPR, which is single-target, so again, atrocious at 3v3. Seriously, this feels really familiar. The default healing for allies is also just 10%, which is fairly inconsequential no matter how much you focus on that two-turn rotation. It is her only means of healing aside from popping Protect, so there's not a ton she can call on, especially with Half HP Recovery on in CS, which is generally a free condition. The big issue is I can't think of much that she clearly supports. Like there are options, I suppose, but not a whole lot I'd consider her proficient at. She has this incredible set for Gauntlet, but is kinda absolute trash at CS, which is...just...like...

Oh my god, she's Ball Guy. But with less utility, because she can't status or outright remove buffs, so her solo count will be worse, in exchange for slightly better performance at buffing crit rate at least. I'm not sure if it was a good trade.

EX, Role, and Move Level? Elaine's a support, so definite EX utility, especially given she's mostly a sustain bot with relatively low HP. Move Level is similar. Her base kit isn't great, so I do feel like she really needs the utility of 3/5 to matter. Her role is, of course, Tech. So like. Sure, girl. I guess it aligns well enough to Gauntlet.

Team 1: Elaine, NY Dawn, R!Cynthia/Lucian For as slow as she is, NY Dawn remains excellent at stuff like this, thanks to receiving double the buff. A single use of TM followed by two AoE attacks means +4 offenses and possibly an AoE flinch if Elaine is lucky. The confuse also saves Dawn a turn, letting her focus on debuffing Atk or putting on heavy Ghost-damage pressure. R!Cynthia is your Ghost Zone if you have it, Lucian is a good debuff bot if you don't. It'll take about as long for Elaine to cap his offenses as he takes to debuff the foe so it evens out okay.

Team 2: Elaine, Koga/BP Erika, Janine Elaine has some very nice tools to maintain a stall presence in the 15k meta. 3/5 access to boosting both defenses and packing Synchro Healing is frankly excellent...but her kit is spread out such that you can't acquire everything you want at once. She needs the debuffing of someone like Janine to really secure safety. Depending, however, you can focus exclusively on Toxic with the third partner, since Elaine can inflict AoE trap. Rerolling to ensure that's what you hit is a viable option. HOWEVER! I must warn you, Elaine has a critical flaw as a Stall Support, if you're not familiar with the pitfalls inherent in her kit. Specifically, you do not ever want to flinch someone when stalling. Especially center. It leads to them getting a second sync off on you (or third if they're really resistant to the damage/have Sync Cure or whatever). This, needless to say, is bad. Always aim your Quick Attacks at the right side after they've acted; they won't act against until center is down so they're incredibly safe to hit.

Team 3: Elaine, Bianca It has been a while since I've talked Gauntlet, but Elaine's specialty is Gauntlet so let's discuss a few. First, and perhaps most critical of all: Terrakion. Elaine is able to debuff both offenses, buff both offenses, and has room for +2 Def or Sp Def. Terrakion is going to eat shit. Bianca is the perfect check to it, packing Psychic Terrain in her kit, and being able to dish out respectable on-type damage with Stored Power. Her self-setup is her point of weakness, which means Elaine is a great solution. Elaine's refusal to consume gauges makes her proficient even with a slower pair like Bianca, so gauge shouldn't be too much of a concern.

Team 4: Elaine, Serena/Lodge Irida Another pretty simple one: Cobalion. Serena needs full crit support, easily supplied here, and otherwise reaps the benefits of Elaine's debuffing and buffing combination. Serena's good enough as a nuke that Sleep can be applied into a kaboom, with very little issue. Another excellent option is Lodge Irida. Flare Blitz has its recoil removed by Elaine's persistent HP recovery, and Irida is able to flinch lock sorta kinda 50% just ignore that. Admittedly, my first impulse was to do Flint, because Elaine has Team Pinpoint Entry, but then I realized that's still not enough to ensure Fire Blast hits. Base Leaf it is, buddy. Worth noting: if you can't sleep Cobalion, use Protect against Sacred Sword in Bar 3. Elaine might tank it, but she's weak to Fighting and it's best to not mess with it.

Team 5: Elaine, Marshal Ooh, Marshal. I admit, I have a strange affection for him now. I really don't know why, I don't like Conkeldurr, and the rest of Unova's E4 are preferred. I think my own tendency to love the least favorites of something worked against even my own interests and now I kinda like him. Anyway, Registeel. Elaine and Marshal both have flinch chances, with Marshal also having a guaranteed Def drop on Rock Smash and Relentless sync nuke. Elaine is able to give him all the offensive stats he's hysterically lacking, and thanks to the joint recovery, they actually get decently far. It's worth noting, another option you have is Bruno with Tech Hitmontop or anything like that. Bruno has Smart Cookie for Sp Def, but it's rare he can boost it. Elaine can on TM though, in the same grid she's debuffing offenses and buffing his. So that's an option, as long as he has a means of debuffing Defense so he can deal damage.

Final Thoughts I imagine you get the idea by now. Elaine is pretty solid as a Duo-ist in Gauntlet, but her general CS performance is questionable. She has some good tools for Stall, at least in stages less focused on heavy single-target damage that she can't heal off. 10% isn't really that exceptional, so she definitely relies on having enough defensive backbone to not take much damage. Which is dangerous in stages that play aggressively, like Flint and Glacia's CS stages that will punch your soul in half.

#unit teambuilding #elaine

[multifandom-worlds]

Hello! Can I request a "Victor dealing with MC's protective elder brother" headcannon/short story? That also includes MC's Brother's perspective and how Victor won his trust! Tyy~

Thank you for this ask. It was so unique a d different, I absolutely adore it. I hope you're okay with the fact I did it entirely from the brothers perspective!

……………………………………………….................

What It Takes to Trust Him

Genre: fluff

Rating: SFW

Word Count: 1283

Author's Note: This was written from the POV of your older brother, who, for the sake of this, is named Ethan.

My little sister has always had terrible taste in men for as long as she's been dating people. Men that don't deserve someone as incredible as she is. I've always been protective of her but more so after her 3rd heartbreak. She stayed single for a number of years, however she's recently started dating this businessman, Victor Li. 

When she told me she was in a relationship again, I was frustrated to say the least. I absolutely insulted his character before I actually knew anything about the man, that is something I am not proud of. I remember when she told me his name and how he was pretty well known in Loveland, I immediately went searching for his name. I wanted to check if he was someone that my sister should be dating.

I had myself convinced that he would break her heart like every other man has before. She tried to convince me otherwise but I thought I knew better. I am her older brother, the more experienced one. Where her ex's saw me as a threat, Victor didn't. 

She invited me to a restaurant to have dinner and meet him for the first time. I walked in without high expectations of the first encounter but when I actually saw the way he acted with her, I did change my tune slightly. He did seem to genuinely care for my sister's well being and happiness. When we spoke, he told me how often she talks about me. I expected him to act like everyone else and tell me I had to reduce contact with her but instead, he thanked me. 

He thanked me for always looking out for her, for helping to raise her into the woman she is - the woman he falls deep in love with every passing day. While the 3 of us were talking, Victor never once tried to speak over her or I and he actively listened when we spoke. He asked what I did for a living, how I felt about certain topics and the type of person I wanted to see my sister with. 

He listened when I listed off the qualities wanted in a man, for her. When I was talking, I realized that he had a lot of those qualities. He respected her, he respected me, he actively listened to her and took her opinions into consideration. I watched the smile form on my sister's lip every time he said her name

Once dinner was done, I admitted to her I may have judged him too quickly but I still advised her to tread carefully, those businessman types can't always be trusted. She rolled her eyes in annoyance, much like she's done every guy before.

It wasn't until I received an invite to Victor's office months later did I speak to him again. If the plan was intimidation, I refused to be intimidated into submission. I walked into the meeting, prepared to stand my ground and tell this man I did not want him dating my sister. He had other plans though. 

He rounded his desk once I was sitting down, leaning against it, his hands casually his pants pockets. 

"Ask me anything" was all he said. His plan was not to try and intimidate me, he wanted me to interrogate him. His plan was to answer my questions and prove his worthiness to date my sister. None of her ex's have ever done that before for me. 

Perhaps…this man is serious about her…

"Okay.." I begin with the questioning. "Aside from her physical beauty, what is it about her that you love?"

Victor doesn't even hesitate with his answer. "I love her laughter. I love when her voice gets louder the more excited she is about the topic she's talking about. I love how, when she sleeps, she holds her hands together. I love how she shakes her hands when she's excited."

I didn't actually know that sleeping one. Okay, next question; "Who makes most of the decisions between you and her?" 

Once again, Victor did not hesitate to answer the question. "We both do. We agree and compromise should the decision require one. Otherwise, most things like where to eat are up to her." 

I nod, accepting the answer but I had another one ready. "Should she get into an accident or be seriously ill, would you take care of her or would you flee?"

"I would. I would get her the best treatment money could buy and stay by her side as long as she would allow me." As I expected, Victor answered that question without hesitation. Was not quite the answer I was expecting. Victor waits patiently while I think up another question. 

I was hoping my next question would stump him. They've only been together 4 months, there's no way he knows this one. "What makes her anxious or scared?"

Victor thinks for a moment before answering the question. 

"Your sister is afraid of people leaving her. She's scared of being alone, especially at night. She's been this way since she was a child - your parents weren't around much and you worked the night shift so she was often alone at night. She gets nightmares every so often where everyone she's ever loved just leaves her without warning." 

Victor pauses to take a breath before continuing, not in a defensive way I expected either, he wasn't trying to prove he knows her more than I do, he's trying to show me how much she trusts him.

"She becomes anxious when people fight with her, especially people she loves. Whenever she and I inevitably get into a fight, I never raise my voice and I never walk out of the room mid-argument. That triggers a panic attack that's quite difficult for her to recover from."

I stared at him, shocked by how he knew all that. 

"Howd you…?"

Victor answers the question before I could finish. 

"She's not the only one in our relationship that has anxiety and fears, Ethan. She knows I tend to panic when it comes to hospitals or needles. While my fears are easier to avoid than hers are, they're still very much a part of me."

It never occurred to me that a man of his stature could have fears and anxieties of his own. I just had one last question for him.

"What's your plans, relationship wise with my sister?" 

Victor pauses, mulling over the question for a couple seconds. "I see myself marrying her in the distant future. If she doesn't want marriage, I'll still want to stay with her. I see her in every part of my future, good or bad." 

I stand up to match his height before speaking. "I still don't trust you with my sister." 

Victor seems unphased by my comment, doesn't try to move, he just looks at me before offering one last comment. 

"Ethan, your sister has made me the happiest I have been in my 28 years. I understand and accept that you do not trust me with her. I know there is very little I can do to prove it to you besides treating her well. I love her and I'd like to think she loves me in return and I do not plan to hurt her like men have in the past. I hope in the future you can see that but if not, that's okay."

He pushed himself off the edge of his desk, offering his hand to shake. Hesitantly, I shook his hand in return. I did not want to trust this guy but he seems genuine in his feelings for her. 

Maybe, just maybe this time around will be different. 

#mr love queen's choice #mr love #evol x love #mr love: queen's choice #victor mlqc #victor li #li zeyan #victor #mlqc fluff

[bahamutgames]

CHAINED AFTERTHOUGHTS

Game: Chained Echoes (December 8, 2022)

Console: Xbox One (Via Xbox Game Pass)

ALRIGHT! After a long and stressful move, a long and stressful destressing period, and just generally being busy. I finally wanna share some more thoughts on games I played recently. I figure I should start with Chained Echoes. Cause it's already been like 2 months since I beat it and with my steel trap mind (for keeping thoughts OUT rather than in) it's only a matter of time before I forget what the game was even called... What was I talking about?

I only found out about this game a little before it launched, but it looked GREAT and so I had my eyes on it for a bit, sadly I couldn't pick it up right away. But thankfully, Game Pass once again came in clutch and I was able to play through Chained Echoes on a trial! And now I'm gonna tell YOU what I thought!

As I always say, this isn't a review. This is just a messy write up on my thoughts about the game! Don't expect some sort of definitive review or well structured writing! If you're even slightly interested in the game, please check it out and support the hard working devs!

SPOILERS FOR CHAINED ECHOES AHEAD!! DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WANT ANY SPOILERS!!

Opening

As I'm sure you all know, I'm a bit of an RPG fan. I haven't played all the greats, but I am always on the look out for something new and interesting to play. And nowadays most of the best turnbased RPG experiences generally come from indie games. So when I saw this game making the rounds as a call back to older turnbased RPGs, but with a wholly unique story and world that does everything its own way, I was really interested! It took me a bit to truck through the game but I'm very glad I played it finally!

Stuff I liked

Man, where to begin? Chained Echoes is AWESOME! There's so much love and passion poured into pretty much every corner of the game. First thing you'll probably notice is how WONDERFUL the sprite art is! The graphics of Chained Echoes seriously look AMAZING! Everything in this game looks wonderful! From the environments, to the enemies, to the characters themselves. The music is also sooooo good! Relisting to the soundtrack while writing this, I absolutely LOVE how it all sounds! It all feels perfectly right at home in an RPG if that makes any sense aha. The battle themes in particular are great, like "Never Forget Our Promise"!

And those characters, in addition to have really nice designs. Are all great! I actually really liked every team mate in the game (with a few exceptions but I still used Robb a BUNCH despite him being an awful person for most of the game lol). My team by the end was

Glenn > Amalia

Victor > Robb

Ba'Thraz (of course) > Mikah

Sienna > Lenne

And yeah you see that right, 8 teammates! This game has an AWESOME system where you can have 4 reserve teammates in addition to your main team and swap them out with each other mid battle! Which ROCKS and means you aren't gonna have to leave all your favorites behind. You can make use of most of the team in a single battle!

The whole game has a lot of systems to take the stress off usual JRPG burdens and also add a lot of unique flare to the game. Stuff like fully replenishing your team between battles is a GREAT touch that reminds me of Chrono Cross. Where it allows and encourages you to go all out in each encounter, rather than saving it (and potentially wasting it) at a boss. That's probably the biggest one people bring up. But there's also stuff like the Overdrive Bar, which encourages you to make a wide range of attacks to keep the bar in check so you don't spam your best skills over and over. This is a really neat concept and also a neat balancing tool since you get fully healed after each fight. Some of my favorite systems in the game were absolutely the ability to find random smaller teammates around the world who help from the home base in smaller ways. And also the reward board! Where you do small quests and earn rewards, then by linking those rewards together can get even bigger rewards! I actually found myself doing TONS of side content in this game cause it was just fun and easy to do thanks to the quick travel and the Sky Armors.

And that's not even all the cool stuff in Chained Echoes. The way you level up and learn new moves is cool, learning and equipping unique abilities is cool, emblems, even crafting (something I usually dread) is pretty neat in this game. And then of course there's the unique Sky Armor battles which are also cool. There's SO many unique systems in this game and they're all VERY cool!

The story is also neat, I like the world they created for the game. Particularly I thought the mana flow stuff was fantastic and very interesting. And the True Kings were SOOOO awesome! I loved the concepts behind them so much! And the different races were great, always appreciate any game with lizard people. And the classic clashing against the gods is always a nice touch, I LOVED the Gurren Lagann influence in this game. Great choice to include nods to that in here.

Also, yeah the ending of this game is VERY strong. A lot of games can fumble the finale, but Chained Echoes actually has a great and satisfying ending in my opinion. Genuinely almost cried while recapping it to someone after I beat it lol.

Stuff I Didn't Like

And, even though it is filled with so much creative stuff and interesting systems... Chained Echoes is not perfect... Let me start with the biggest issue in my opinion: The fights in this game can be TOTAL BULLSHIT sometimes! Don't get me wrong, the systems are all REALLY cool and the fights are genuinely neat! But sometimes... Oh man... Sometimes they are just total chores and last SOOO long!! The first major boss lasts FOREVER. And that wouldn't be a huge problem, especially since you start every fight at full power no matter what. Except for that pesky little Overdrive Bar.

On their own all these concepts and systems are GREAT, but it's once you start getting them all a little mixed in with eachother that they become a massive pain in the ass imo. Going through SUPER long fights, made even longer because you can't go all out on the enemy because you have to babysit the bar nonstop. Then losing the whole fight cause your teammates are dead and you can't properly use all the different moves to control the bar. It's a cycle. And especially early in when they CONSTANTLY MAKE YOU USE UTILITY MOVES EVEN THOUGH YOU DON'T LEARN ANY FOR A GOOD WHILE! It sounds small, but to me it made the game almost impossible at some steps.

And you can't grind either, which I know is a blessing to a lot of people. But I like grinding because it's an easy and measurable problem solver with an easy to see goal. But in Chained Echoes, you only level up after a boss fight, where you spend the boss fight currency I forgot the name of to learn new moves. So... if you just have the wrong moves for a fight? Tough. Your ass is NOT progressing. Again, all these concepts are GREAT! And I think with a bit of tweaking, they can all flow together nicely. But I don't know. They just... Didn't imo. I think having enemies also have to deal with an Overdrive bar would make fights feel on more equal footing? But obviously that could make the game too easy if you're not careful.

And you CAN lower the difficulty, but imo medium is just absolutely brutal, while easy makes the game unbearably easy. It's not a good middle ground. By the end of the game I straight up could NOT beat the final boss. So I had to go down to easy. Which was disappointing. Idk. Just made the whole game insanely frustrating to me even though it is forgiving.

I also have some other issues. Some NPCs deserved more time over others (Sienna's wife should've been a teammate and I WISH SO BADLY YOU GOT TO INTERACT WITH MORE OF THE TRUE KINGS!!). There's a lot of weird writing choices like I seem to recall there being NO contractions which is a nitpick but it always bugs me. A particularly big problem I have is. And I can't believe I'm gonna say this. Sexual Assault / Maybe Homophobia TW??? There's some story beats that REALLY rub me the wrong way. Particularly, Killian's backstory is that his sister was sexually assaulted into a coma. The coma part makes for a very compelling backstory, but the SA part is... completely unneeded. Like, I don't think it's ever mentioned ever again in the game. Which you COULD argue is good. But then. Why include it at all? Also I feel like Killian sleeping with another man is presented in a kind of homophobic way? Or at the very least, why is there no gay couple that's like, actually happy and together? To be fair there isn't a lot of love and romance in general but still. Idunno.

Final Thoughts

And even still? Despite the MASSIVE headache this game was to get through at times??? Immediately after I finished it, all I could remember was everything cool about it. The amazing music, the wonderful sprite art, the cool story, the great ideas, the times where I did like 50 reward board goals in a single sitting cause I couldn't put it down. There's a reason the massive roadblocks didn't stop me from playing. And it's because Chained Echoes is a fantastic RPG. I didn't want to give up at those roadblocks, no matter how many swears they made me shout. Because the game is genuinely cool as hell. (plus it doesn't help I realized you have to equip abilities learned through level ups until the end of the game). I think Chained Echoes is a game I will love even more when I get the chance to replay it in the future with a deeper understanding of how the game works and what I did wrong in the first playthrough.

Genuinely if you're into RPGs and you haven't given this game a shot yet... well, why did you read this? And also, I think you should give Chained Echoes a shot and see how you feel about it! Maybe you'll have an easier time with it and then you'll realize I actually suck at video games.

===

Thanks for reading. I'm a little out of practice so this one is probably particularly messy. But I keep thinking about it and I just REALLY wanted to talk about some damned vidjya games! Since the move I've been mostly playing older stuff on Nintendo Switch Online cause my time has been very limited. But I'm hoping to return to more RPG goodness soon with Dragon Quest II!

In the mean time, as always you can follow me on twitter to see in real time whatever the hell I'm playing instead of doing work to make money and be useful. Stop by! You might like what you find!

That's all from me, thanks for your time. Go out and play a game with cool new ideas!

#2023 #thoughts

[thylacinetears]

I've taken forever to post this, but here's my full ESC2023 ranking!

With comments and scores out of 10! Long post obvs:

#37 Romania: DGT - Theodor Andrei: (0.5) Gross, boring, just all-around terrible. The staging is awful. The singing is bad ("aLL oF YouR DEmoNs coMe SCREEEMIMANNEHHH" haunts my dreams). The lyrics are gross, and the attempt at wordplay doesn't even make sense? All of it is trying so, so hard to be sexy and failing miserably. Half a point for having some Romanian, but that's it.

#36 San Marino: Like An Animal - Piqued Jacks: (1.0) Worst singer this year and it's not even close. The lyrics are also terrible and kinda give me creepy vibes. 100 songs in the national final and this is the best they can get? But it does get one point for having a pretty good instrumental, and the drummer is killing it.

#35 Albania: Duje - Albina & Familja Kelmendi: (2.0) Really overdramatic. I don't like the instrumental, it's way too sparse and random. The message is meant to be pro-family but it just comes off as anti-divorce? But the intention is nice, and Albania having a song in their own language for once is nice.

#34 Greece: What They Say - Victor Vernicos: (2.5) Just generic. There's not much I can say about this song because I forget it every time I stop listening. It's not intolerable to listen to, I guess?

#33 Germany: Blood & Glitter - Lord of the Lost: (2.5) It's unique, but somehow really boring. I don’t really like this genre so I'm biased, but this is just noise to me.

#32 Switzerland: Watergun - Remo Forrer: (3.0) Nice voice and piano, but wtf is Switzerland doing singing about war? I don't like the lyrical execution of the concept at all. Definitely not a fan.

#31 Malta: Dance (our own party) - The Busker: (3.5) It's a nice sax riff, but they run it into the goddamn ground. The rest of the song just isn't very good. It's cool, but kinda annoying.

#30 Ireland: We Are One - Wild Youth: (3.5) Also very generic, but it has a nice arena-pop sound to it. The message is well-intentioned, though so incredibly overdone.

#29 Lithuania: Stay - Monika Linkyte: (4.0) Nice concept, but it just sounds really bland to me. I don't really know what I don't like about this song, but it just doesn't click with me.

#28 Denmark: Breaking My Heart - Reiley: (4.0) It is very much corporate TikTok bait. But there is a good song underneath all that, and I actually like the vocoder.

#27 Croatia: Mama SC - Let 3: (5.0) Yeah, it's very weird. I don't like the repetition, but I do unironically like the instrumental in the "Onaj mali psihopat" part. Not the best novelty/political song, but not the worst - solid 5/10.

#26 Azerbaijan: Tell Me More - TuralTuranX: (5.5) I like it, it's quite nice and feel-good. But it seems like a complete rip-off of Something Good by Bic Runga?

#25 Poland: Solo - Blanka: (5.5) Ignoring the context and that live performance… It's a bop! It's not super original but it's really catchy and fun.

#24 Israel: Unicorn - Noa Kirel: (6.0) Kinda disappointing, after all the hype. (Why couldn't she have saved Thought About That for ESC instead!) But it has a nice chorus, and some good hooks.

#23 United Kingdom: I Wrote A Song - Mae Muller: (6.0) Very British, and very pop! But that chorus just doesn't really hit for me, and I'm not a fan of the spoken word part.

#22 Cyprus: Break a Broken Heart - Andrew Lambrou: (6.0) This is actually a banger though! I'm biased because Australia, but still. Simple concept but good execution.

#21 Georgia: Echo - Iru: (6.0) No, I don't know what on earth is going on in the lyrics either - guess that's just Georgia though. I love the drama of the instrumental, and Iru has a really powerful voice!

#20 Portugal: Ai Coracao - Mimicat: (6.5) It's cool! I love the culture, and Mimicat has a great voice. But for some reason it doesn't really click with me.

#19 Moldova: Soarele si luna - Pasha Parfeni: (6.5) I'm usually a big fan of the folktronica entries, but this doesn't quite hook me as much as Fulenn or SHUM. But it's still pretty good, and I love the concept of the lyrics!

#18 Serbia: Samo mi se spava - Luke Black: (7.0) Super unique! It's good, it's just that there's so many good entries this year, so it doesn't stand out so much. Gives me Grimes vibes, like a hybrid of Violence and My Name Is Dark.

#17 Belgium: Because Of You - Gustaph: (7.0) So incredibly unapologetically queer, and I love it for that. Such a fun song, makes me want to get up and dance!

#16 Iceland: Power - Dilja: (7.0) Uplifting, upbeat, poppy - this season needed a song like this. She absolutely kills those vocals, too!

#15 Italy: Due Vite - Marco Mengoni: (7.5) Really gorgeous and emotional, with incredibly beautiful lyrics. I get chills when that second chorus comes in, honestly. But it's just not quite as good as Italy's other entries.

#14 Armenia: Future Lover - Brunette: (7.5) Has a real 2000s pop/RnB diva vibe, and I love the lyrics. The instrumental is amazing, and I love the blend of genres.

#13 Ukraine: Heart Of Steel - TVORCHI: (7.5) I love the RnB groove mixing with the dramatic violins! It's really grown on me since it was first released, it's just super slick.

#12 Austria: Who the Hell is Edgar? - Teya & Salena: (7.5) So wacky, and yet such a bop. It manages to successfully balance a hilarious concept, catchy beat, and somehow a serious and relevant message? I actually can't believe they managed it. Well done, enjoy your gas station champagne from me streaming it, lmao.

#11 Latvia: Aija - Sudden Lights: (8.0) There's no other song like it this year (or maybe any year!), and I love its post-rock sound. However I admit that at least 50% of why I love this song is that outro.

#10 Norway: Queen of Kings - Alessandra: (8.0) THE pop banger we needed! I love the electronic bassline and Alessandra's incredible vocals.

#9 Australia: Promise - Voyager: (8.0) Not at all my genre, but I love it! That electronic intro and his vocals are everything. I don't like the scream after the second chorus, but the rest is amazing.

#8 Czechia: My Sister's Crown - Vesna: (8.5) Unique, cultural, powerful, and arguably the best chorus of the year. Those harmonies, man. Czechia is absolutely killing it at the moment.

#7 Estonia: Bridges - ALIKA: (8.5) This makes me really emotional, as I definitely relate to the lyrics. But even without considering that, this is just everything good about ballads - gorgeous piano, excellent vocals, and beautifully convincing delivery.

#6 Spain: Eaea - Blanca Paloma: (9.0) I'm so glad Spain went traditional this year. Hypnotising, gentle and yet powerful. The imagery of the lyrics is so beautiful, and of course Blanca's incredible voice carries the whole thing.

#5 Netherlands: Burning Daylight - Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper: (9.0) The Netherlands continues its sad era with this gorgeous song. I love the two voices, the lyrics, the slightly detuned piano... But most of all I love the outro - I relate to it so much.

#4 Finland: Cha Cha Cha - Kaarija: (9.0) THE icon of the season. This really is worth the hype - fun, dancey, crazy, party! It really hits its stride in the second half, but honestly I just love the whole thing.

#3 France: Evidemment - La Zarra: (9.5) I'm a France stan, what can I say! But they just keep sending quality - from the dramatic intro to that incredible disco-pop beat drop to the amazing bridge.

#2 Slovenia: Carpe Diem - Joker Out: (9.5) Basically my favourite from the beginning! It puts you in a good mood from the first line, and just keeps the energy all the way through to the end. My favourite part is the guitar solo after the first chorus leading into the second verse. It's so cool...

#1 Sweden: Tattoo - Loreen: (10.0) Right in my dance-pop loving heart. Loreen is truly like no other - a once-in-a-generation performer. When that second chorus hits... It's almost too perfect. But I love how there's that unusual chord progression to keep you interested, too. There's just nothing to fault about it, I love every single second!

#eurovision #esc 2023 #eurovision song contest #eurovision ranking #eurovision 2023

[mirabilefuturum]

copying a buzzfeed article from waybackmachine because the original won't support the pics anymore

“Gotham’s” Anthony Carrigan Talks Acting, Alopecia, And Learning To Love His Look

The alopecian actor stopped by BuzzFeed to share his thoughts on body positivity.

Alexis Nedd, Daniel Kibblesmith, David Bertozzi | (link to article)

You’d recognize Anthony Carrigan if you saw him on TV, right? Not necessarily. The up-and-coming actor has been popping up in primetime network TV dramas for several years now, but only recently while feeling (and looking) like himself. We spoke to the actor, currently starring as Victor Zsasz on Gotham, about his career, his alopecia areata — a condition that causes the loss of his hair, eyebrows, and even eyelashes — and what body image means to him, personally and professionally.

How long have you had alopecia?

AC: I’ve had alopecia since I was 3, so quite a few years. I grew up with it and it was always very manageable. I only had spots that were [relatively small] so I always covered it up. I was always very embarrassed about it. Even when I was in my 20s, very few of my friends even knew that I had alopecia. I kept it under wraps. I didn’t want to let anyone know and I didn’t want it to affect my career or the possibility of me getting hired for a job. So I covered up. I got out of school and got some good jobs, but at that point it started getting worse.

There was one point where I was doing a job and we had millions of viewers every week, it was a TV job, and I lost half my scalp and both eyebrows and the majority of my eyelashes. I was covering up in order to look like this character. It was pretty terrifying to have to keep that secret and pretend like I looked this way, that I looked normal when I just didn’t. I was doing red carpet events and putting on my eyebrows before going out there and hoping that no one would notice. It’s a really weird thing to be seen while trying not to be seen. It’s a very strange thing.

So is that the point when you knew your hair was all going to go?

AC: Yeah, I knew that was a possibility but I was terrified of what that was going to look like. I always avoided the way that I look naturally. Also at that period of my life I was being encouraged to cover up as well by certain friends, certain family, certain business people. They thought I should cover it up but it didn’t feel right, so eventually – and it took a long time – I got to the point where I didn’t care anymore. I wanted to just feel OK with the way that I looked so I shaved my head and I stopped wearing makeup.

Immediately I started booking work, but the work was just a byproduct. The most important thing was that I just felt so good to not have to hide anymore, to own the way that I am and feel really good about it, feel really positive about the way that I look. That took a lot of work. It wasn’t an overnight thing. It was very incremental. It took a lot of positivity and a lot of compassion and reinforcement.

I eventually got to this place where I was proud of the way that I look. I thought that it was super cool and unique and strange and different. As soon as I embraced that and started carrying myself in that way, all of a sudden that’s how everyone began to see me. So that was great!

What are some of the strangest questions or assumptions you get about looking the way you are?

AC: To clear the air once and for all: I don’t have cancer. I’m not going through chemotherapy. I have alopecia. Alopecia areata, to be exact about it. I love the way that I look, I’m not worried about it. And, there was a question someone asked me earlier; it doesn’t really help me swim better.

Do people assume you’re an actor? If they don’t recognize you from roles, do they ever comment on your appearance and assume that is has something to do with your profession?

AC: Not really, no. It’s funny, I feel like, strangely, fewer people notice my alopecia than they did me wearing makeup. In fact it comes as a surprise to a lot of people! They’ll be talking to me and then they’ll say “oh my god, you don’t have eyebrows or eyelashes, do you?” and it’s funny because people would immediately say “oh wow, you’re wearing makeup,” which is really strange.

In terms of your career, some of your previous roles have been a very grumpy genius artist [as Tyler Davies in The Forgotten], a stoner genius game developer [as Cory Smith in Parenthood] and a mathematical genius bookie [as Marino Puzzi in Over/Under]. Your two most recent roles are supervillains. What are some of the roles that you want to do, or have always wanted to play?

AC: My path as an actor hasn’t really changed. I want to continue to keep on playing different characters who are are all genius, I can’t escape that [laughs]. But no, I want to play characters that kind of defy the norm, I think. I think that’s something I can bring to each role, whether it’s a romantic lead or something more independent or something in comedy. It would also be fun to play a hero. A superhero, for sure.

What kind of auditions come up for you?

AC: Definitely people want to pin me as the murderous psychopath. Which is fun, which is fine. It’s fun. But also just weird, quirky characters. Definitely strange people.

What does body positivity mean to you?

AC: I think there’s always the opportunity to accept yourself exactly where you are. I think a lot of people feel that they will accept themselves as soon as they go to the gym, as soon as they clear up their skin, as soon as they address a certain issue, then they’ll feel OK about themselves. I think they can always accept themselves exactly the way they are and that’s a practice. In each moment you have a choice where you can build yourself up or tear yourself down, and choosing to build yourself up is always within your power.

As a man and as an actor, are there still some pressures you feel regarding how you should look body-wise?

AC: I think my alopecia has forced me to accept myself in such a radical way that it kind of burned through everything else. I think that our culture is so obsessed with body image and with being this completely unrealistic ideal, and that ideal looks different to every single person. It’s in their head as what they should be or should look like, this ideal. Ultimately, isn’t it better to just feel good about yourself, than to try to look good first and feel better that way?

If you could go back to when you were shooting The Forgotten and talk to the Anthony Carrigan who is losing his hair and tell him one thing, what would you say to him?

AC: My initial impulse is to say that I would just listen to him and see what he has to say. But I think what I would say is “I know you’re really scared right now and I’ve come back from the future to tell you that it’s all going to be OK. The only thing you have to do right now in this moment is just be good to yourself.”

What words do you have for other people with alopecia?

AC: I’ve talked a lot about not wearing makeup and not wearing hairpieces, but I fully encourage people, if it makes them feel more like themselves, to do exactly that. Anything that makes you feel more like you, go for it. I don’t want anyone, whether it’s people with alopecia or whatever body image issues they’re struggling with, I don’t want anyone to feel like they have to be ashamed or that they have to cover up something that they’re ashamed of.

#anthony carrigan #alopecia #gotham #victor zsasz #buzzfeed #victor keysmash #own but not really #my boy is so pretty

[adamsvanrhijn]

Maybe this is a weird take but it always seemed so strange that enjoloras based his identity around les mis and wanted to convert. Like nothing against Jewish converts and Jewish people can have whatever interests they damn well please but when you’re clearly trying to like. Be or become a character from a book that is just a Catholic’s extended criticism of the Catholic Church telling the reader how to be a Catholic in the author’s perceived “correct” way exemplified by said character… it just feels kind of incompatible with being Jewish or strangely hypocritical?

Like there’s other things in les mis I get why people like it and even why there are big fans but if you’re going to eat, sleep, breathe, and build your identity and marriage based off of les mis I think you’re just Catholic now. Doesn’t help that Victor Hugo was a pretty big antisemite

gonna be honest anon i disagree with this ask on almost every level insofar as i can as a white gentile BUT i think it's worth noting that dorian has almost entirely dropped everything their online persona has to do with Les mis in the past two or so years so they to my observation agree with you that being obsessed with Les mis and essentially kinning a male side character is incompatible with their current interests and aesthetic and the kind of clout they want. Because that's what this seems to be ultimately about to them. Likewise let's be real Dorian has never engaged with Les mis in a way that indicates a genuine love and interest for the novel or even like. The concept. Including adaptation............. they were not in this for the media the fandom is about, they were in this for the attention and the unique pattern of engagement and desire to be progressive that allows for a person to become popular in part because that person drills it into their followers' heads that disliking or disagreeing with them is homophobic and transphobic because they are gay and trans and cosplay a character in a way people inexplicably love.

[chaosgrenade]

TRICUBE TALES

I'm going to start moving (and updating) reviews from my website, and today I wanted to start with a rules-lite system that packs a surprising amount of punch: Tricube Tales by Richard Woolcock of Zadmar’s Games. There’s a lot I want to say about it, which is crazy because it’s also pretty lite and simple. Also, the damn game is free (full thing in the DTRPG preview) so you can easily check it for yourself.

I’ll keep this brief: Tricube Tales is a minimalist, lite RPG using a mechanic where you roll 1 to 3 six-sided dice, and if any of them hit the target number you succeed. It uses fluctuating difficulty (a base scale of 4, 5, and 6) and Players make all the rolls. This makes it a great system for solo gaming and asynchronous play-by-chat games over Discord.

Character creation is very straight forward, appearing almost too simple but there is weight for it. Here’s what a playable character looks like at a glance:

Sam Strongblade, a Brawny Dwarf Soldier Perks: Dwarf Stamina Quirks: Wooden Peg-Leg Karma: 3 / Resolve: 3

That’s it. You can glance at that, have an idea of what the character does, and maybe dismiss the fact that there’s no stats (Karma and Resolve are point pools, which I’ll explain in a bit.)

That first statement is your archetype, which includes a trait (Agile, Brawny or Crafty) and a concept. Your archetype will help determine if you’re rolling two or three dice (or 1 if it has nothing in common with the action being performed). Your Perks establish special qualities, powers, abilities or unique equipment. Often you can spend a Karma point to use a perk significantly in an action (such as lowering the difficulty). Quirks, likewise, can hinder the character. A player can actively choose to work their Quirk into the narrative, taking a penalty but in doing so restores 1 Karma.

So, if you haven’t guessed yet, Karma is the luck/fortune/power pool that lets the players do cool things. Resolve is the stress/health/endurance pool for every character. When a character hits 0 resolve, they’re taken out of the conflict, and the victor (either PC or GM) gets to narrate what happens. When this happens to player characters, they return next scene, their Resolve restored but now with an Affliction — usually a temporary quirk, but sometimes these can become more serious. Character death isn’t off the table as long as GM and Players agree to the arbitration.

Running things on the GM side is pretty easy-peasy. Most challenges are static pass-or-fail; more elaborate obstacles or tasks are assigned a pool of Effort tokens (where each successful die roll against it removes a token). Combat encounters can track multiple foes separately or you can just say “a horde of goblins” and track a single pool of effort tokens.

There’s a lot more going on — the game covers some quick ground on genre rules, like handling cybernetics, fear, magic & psionics, varying power levels, superheroes and vehicles. For the most part, all of these are just common-sense guides for arbitrating things based on context. This may be the deal breaker for some — this is a game system where players and the GM should be comfortable going back and forth making their own judgment calls on how things go down. It’s pretty much “Roll the dice, and if you succeed — narrate what happens.” It was a system originally designed with kids in mind, but obviously it has appeal to older gamers as well.

I love the damn thing. I’ve played solo games with it, and even made a pocketfold game based on it.

Definitely check it out, and if you dig it — toss the guy a couples bucks. Buying the game gets you a PDF scaled for tablet/PC use as well as a Word doc so you can hack it and make your own stuff with it.

#ttrpg #rules lite #Tricube Tales #d6 #indie rpg #chaosgrenade rambles