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#like i adore the serious art of him that captures his canon very well i adore seeing his severe and threatening side
moe-broey · 1 year
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I'm too lazy to illustrate it (plus I think I'd get too caught up in the process LMFAO) but when drawing/adding personal touches to Lif's design I am channeling Lio Fotia Promare for his armor (ESP the Mad Burnish armor) Lewis Mystery Skulls (less aesthetic similarities reflected but like, kinda similar broad chested body type similar vibes and important heart motifs) (heart motif isn't pictured in this Lewis image but if you've seen the animated music vids you get it) and literally just any 2D animated Disney villain who is Shaped and Dramatic (and has a huge fucking cape or coat -- tbh the specific ones I think about are Maleficent and Cruella just from the dramatic/big cape standpoint, purely aesthetic)
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(fuck it after a lot of thinking Hades is a good one too)
#no main tags about it but. i need everyone to understand my vision.#ig maleficent is more sleek than i'd ever draw lif but it's about vibes. fucked up dramatic evil vibes.#when it comes to body language i am always imagining him moving around in that dramatic disney villain way too#like i adore the serious art of him that captures his canon very well i adore seeing his severe and threatening side#but to me when i portray him he is just a little campy.#i can't help it LMFAO everything i touch gets a little silly and gay AGSJHAKSKAK#THE FLOURISH. THAT'S WHAT I'M ALWAYS IMAGINING. THE EVIL FLOURISH.#and like v important he's still so serious. and angry and full of grief. a threatening foe and liability as an ally.#someone you love but don't fully trust.#i feel like i. don't always capture the full scope of complexities in my work. too busy staying silly ig LMFAO#fe lif#<- one main tag actually. but only so i can find this later on my blog if i need it 👍#THINKING THIS OVER AGAIN the reason i gravitate towards maleficent is bc of the Sharpness in her design#like dr facilier/the shadow man could fit v well here too aesthetically and hades thematically esp#but also full disclosure i haven't watched any classic disney movies in years LMFAO#literally was just frantically looking up 'most iconic classic disney villains' to look at their character sheets#bc i was SO hard pressed by the maleficent inspo. i feel like she is the EPITOME of dramatic disney villain#and i happened upon cruella and was like OH FUCK YES BIG FUCKING FUR COAT!!!!!!!!!!!! implementing this forevwr now#pouring over model sheets i almost feel like dr facilier is a bit too flamboyant actually?#like he's too playful actually. fantastic vibes but not quite for lif.#i think hades captures the silliness/exaggerated rage/movementa i think of and cruella also captures this#AND she has the big fur coat. i desperately wanna watch 101 dalmatians now LMAO#just to see how her coat moves and the weight of it.#but also i think maleficent captures the Classic dramatic and severe villain i was also imagining.#she has a lot of seriousness to her too. plus big cape. and drama. ect.#CATEGORY 5 AUTISM MOMENT. I KNOW. I NEED TO STOP THINKING I WANNA DO SALMON RUN
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zhongliologist · 3 years
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Shibari + Zhongli canon compliant nsfw
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Pairing: Zhongli x Gender Neutral!reader
Genre: SMUT SMUT SMUT!! 
Words: 3.9k
AN: Hi anon!! Sorry this took a while! THANK YOU FOR REQUESTING THIS ONE!! I’m glad I had experience writing something like this before skajdha I decided I can’t fit this into a small drabble, so here’s like a really long version lmao my two itty bitty braincells are now in no-brain mode, so this might be full of typos or errors. 
*WARNING!! THIS IS PURE SMUT. IF YOU ARE A MINOR, IT IS UPON YOUR DISCRETION. PLEASE READ RESPONSIBLY*
***
When Zhongli first heard the word while on a stroll late one night, he had realized that there was indeed an artform he had yet to encounter or at least heard of. His curiosity peaked, it was only a matter of time before he finally had to give in and ask you what it was.
“YN, if I may,” he began, settling the cup of tea to the table. “There is something I wish to know.”
Attention caught, you raised your brows at him—surprised that there was actually something Zhongli has yet to know—as you took a mouthful of wonton noodles.
“Sure, ask away,” you replied, chewing.
“Well, this was several nights ago,” Zhongli recounted, his deep voice serious. “I was passing by a group of shipbuilders and I couldn’t help but over hear their conversation.”
You hummed, prompting him to continue while stuffing another serving of blackened bass in your mouth.
“Their discussion involved an artform popular in Inazuma, and apparently has spread all over Teyvat as well,” he continued. “Unfortunately, I have yet to hear about this certain artform. Could you care enlighten me please?”
Leaning your head to the side, you wondered what it was. There wasn’t any popular art trend nowadays which Zhongli doesn’t know, so you became to grow curious as well.
“Did you catch the name of it?”
Zhongli nodded. “Yes. It’s called shibari.”
You almost choked on the food you were eating.
“Are you sure that’s what you heard?”
“I believe it is what I have heard,” he replied. “Is there something wrong?”
Sighing, you were going to have a lot of trouble explaining it to him. It was painfully obvious how Zhongli is so out of touch from the pleasures of mankind.
Pinching the bridge of your nose, you decided it was best for him to know, before he does something unexpected.
“It’s kind of a sexual play,” you told him, but despite your words, Zhongli only glanced at you, eyes blinking.
Watching him, you noticed he had placed his hand over his chin—a habit he had whenever he was thinking. Whatever comes out of his thoughts, you were beginning to become nervous.
“I see. So, performing art during intercourse…interesting,” he mumbled to himself. “It is not too far off considering the fact that intercourse could also be deemed as a form of art, wherein it takes specialized honed skill to elicit a pleasurable result. To take two art forms and combine them in one act…I am astonished at the inventiveness of man.”
You took a bite from a dumpling, eyes jaded. “It’s not that grand, you know.”
“Now that I am aware of its existence,” Zhongli continued, paying no heed to your comment. “I wish to experience it myself. YN, I must request for your assistance.”
The dumpling you were eating fell back to your plate. “…what?”
“This…this shibari. I wish to partake in this now popular art form,” he repeated, but you only became more flabbergasted.
“Didn’t you hear me say that it’s a sexual play?!”
“I did. That is why it must be you,” Zhongli replied, taking your hand and placing it over his smirking lips. “You are my lover after all.”
Flustered, you had no choice but to agree. You knew of Zhongli’s immense curiosity and nothing is going to stop him from finding out what he wants to find out. Moreover, you wouldn’t really want him to experience it with someone else.
“F-fine,” you conceded, still nervous. “But give me a month to prepare. You should also ready yourself.”
Wondering why he had to wait and ‘ready’ himself, Zhongli leaned his head to the side. “Very well, but why a month?”
You scratched your nape as you averted your gaze somewhere. “I don’t have the right stuff, and I don’t have enough knowledge to do it properly. So give me some time.”
*
It had been a month since that conversation had occurred, and Zhongli began to feel a little bit antsy as the day drew near. It wasn’t common for him to feel this nervous energy, always maintaining his calm and composure. But it was different this time.
Since that discussion with you, you had banned any sort of sexual act from sex to masturbation, all except from small kisses; and as someone who had gotten used to your presence in his arms at night, Zhongli instantly felt withdrawal symptoms cloud his dignified countenance.
Zhongli inhaled sharply as soon as you entered his room, anticipation deeply running in his veins. You took a shower right after him, making him wait and allowing his imagination to run rampant inside his head.
“Sorry, did I make you wait?” you asked, making your way to the bed in nothing but a bathrobe.
“No, it’s alright,” Zhongli replied, his long hair now freely flowing after he had taken off his ponytail when he was taking a shower.
Running your hands through his dark hair, you admired the way they slipped against your skin as if they were made of silk. Absentmindedly, you began to braid his hair in a lose coif, making him relax underneath your touch.
“Um…er…YN, are we going to—”
You hummed, interrupting his words as you smiled. “Eager, aren’t we?”
“I fear that I may longer be able to contain my anticipation,” he confessed, feeling your hands on his back through the thin robe he was wearing.
Grinning, you knelt down and embraced him from the back; giving his temple a small kiss. “It seems like I don’t have to ask you if you’re sure about this.”
Loving how you felt so warm around him, Zhongli smiled as well as he intertwined his fingers between yours. “I do feel nervous, but it was I who wished to know; thus I must see it to the end.”
“Well, that settle’s it then,” you replied as you removed yourself from his shoulders. “Before we start, I need to remind you that we can always stop if you can no longer handle it, ok?”
Zhongli sighed. “I am confident that I can handle something like this.”
“Please stop being so stubborn,” you retorted back, annoyed that he really has to insist he wouldn’t need it. “Since it will take you forever to decide, I’ve picked one for you. It’s Rex Lapis. Say it when it gets too much.”
He scoffed. “You retaliate in the most absurd of ways, yet very well, I’ll keep it mind. Nonetheless, that does not mean I will use it.”
You grinned. “You’ll take that back soon enough.”
As you said those words, you shifted from your seat and faced him; hands cupping his chin. There was a look of surprise in Zhongli’s expression as soon as you tilted his head up to meet your eyes—too slow to react at the situation.
“Now, from here on out, I’m the one in charge. Any misdemeanor will warrant due punishment,” you began, voice firm and authoritative. “Are we clear, Zhongli?”
It took him some time to adjust at the sudden shift in the air; stunned at the tone you were giving him. This was probably the first time he had seen you take the lead, and it might’ve given him some sort of whiplash.
“Answer me,” you demanded, which made him jerk his attention back to you.
“I—uh…yes…”
“Very good.”
Smiling at his response, you removed yourself before him and sat just beside him with an easy expression. “Well then, why don’t you take off that robe? Just the robe though, leave your underwear on.”
Brought on by the awkward situation and the fact that you just ordered him to strip, Zhongli’s face immediately heated up to a few degrees. It was strange that he was feeling it for some reason—was this the actual appeal of the performative art form? Or was this simply one of your whims?
As he removed the silk tie tying his robe shut and slid it on the floor, you instructed him to quietly kneel down on the bed before you; hands neatly placed on top of his lap.
“Y-YN…? What is this…?” he asked, confusion marring his youthful face. It was embarrassing to sit on the bed that way, wearing nothing but his underwear, his dick beginning to form a tent.
Yet you only smiled at him.
“Don’t worry. We’re getting to the actual act,” you replied, crawling towards him before placing your hands on his bare chest. “If you can hold on till then, I might actually award you, you know?”
Leaning down, you immediately captured his lips in a deep kiss, moving softly yet sensually against his. Cupping his cheeks, you pushed your tongue inside and easily played with his. For some reason, this felt way hotter than the kisses you previously shared, with Zhongli unable to keep his hands to himself and began to wrap his arms around your waist.
You broke off the kiss with a click of your tongue; your thumb still on his swollen lips.
“YN…”
“What did I say about touching?” you asked, eyes holding nothing but pure mischief.
As soon as he heard you, Zhongli knew he had made a mistake and instantly rescinded his embrace; eliciting a chuckle from you.
“I—uh, forgive me…” he hurriedly told you, his voice beginning to lose their strength as he stuttered and tumbled at the words he used to be so eloquent with. As someone who has prided of his calm demeanor, Zhongli felt a surge of embarrassment at how he easily succumbed to your touch.
It was so adorable to see him like this; all flustered and nervous, making you want to see more of those reactions you have yet to see.
“Stay there. I’ll be right back,” you told him and stood up; an idea forming in your thoughts.
The moment you left; thoughts of things he might’ve done wrong kept repeating inside his head. He was scared that he might’ve crossed something which he shouldn’t have—the sounds of you rummaging through your belongings only exacerbated the nervousness that was already in his system.
However, you were not gone for long. He could sense you behind him, daring not to move or look back, and as soon as you draped a cold silk cloth over his eyes, he instantly realized what he had eagerly signed up for.
For one, as the Geo Archon, it was unimaginable for him to be in such a position, but for some reason, Zhongli found it incredibly arousing to have him at your mercy—to be restricted and ordered around; to be at the other end of the spectrum from what he was used to?
This is strange indeed…
“Don’t you agree that everything feels more vivid when you’re blindfolded?” you asked, now back on his lap; and despite being robbed of sight, he could tell you were smirking. “Does it feel good, Zhongli?”
“I…I cannot be certain…” he replied, the feeling of your intense stare sending shivers down his spine. “I haven’t experienced something like this before…”
At his hesitation, you could only giggle and gave him a small kiss. “Well, there’s a first for everything, but this one here…”
Your voice trailed off, your hand effortlessly finding his half hard dick and pressed on it harshly; eliciting a strangled moan from him. “It’s been feeling good for a while now, don’t you think so Zhongli?”
“I…I—!” He was at a lost for words; the pleasure he felt intoxicating his mind. You were right, the blindfold seemed to heightened his senses to such degrees of vividness.
“I can’t blame you really,” you told him, still toying with his member with your finger but not fully committing on pumping it up and down. “I did tell you to hold off for a month, of course, you’d be unusually sensitive and horny.”
If Zhongli thought his face was hot enough before, he hadn’t anticipated for it to feel full out burning as if his blood was set on fire. He tried holding off the sounds he was making whenever you pepper kisses on his shoulders, but to no avail. He was gradually becoming heady at the immense pleasure your hand was giving. By the time you continued talking, he was already panting heavily, skin flushed and hands balled so tightly into a fist, his knuckles turning white.
“Y-YN…” He wanted to say ‘too much’, but he didn’t want to stop you either.
“I’m impressed you can keep your hands to yourself,” you remarked playfully, rewarding him with a love bite just underneath his jaw. “Why don’t we move on to the actual thing itself?”
Even with the blindfold, Zhongli could feel you standing up; anticipation once again beating wildly against his chest. What were you going to do to him this time?—that was a thrill he had never expected to feel pleasure from.
You returned once more to his side, now with the appropriate items you needed, and brilliant grin on your lips to top it off. It was weirdly exciting for you as well, finally doing something as erotic as this to a dignified gentleman such as Zhongli. Which is why, you couldn’t help but talk him through it.
“I did tell you that shibari some sort of sexual play, right?” you began, as you seized both of his hand and pinned them on his back. “It involves tying someone up with rope, in patterns that are not only visually pleasing but are also designed to make you feel good.”
Zhongli could feel the roughness of the rope cling to his skin as soon as you tied his wrists together before doing various knots up his torso and down to his legs. It was incredibly strange—you were only tying him up but for some reason, he felt so exposed and so turned on.
“The reason why it’s so popular is because it gives a sense of security if you will,” you continued, remembering the patterns you had religiously practiced over and over again for the past month. “As if you were surrendering everything to that one person, trusting that they can give you security, give you pleasure. That is what this art form is.”
Every time he felt your soft hands brush against his damp skin as you tightened the rope around his body, he would control a shudder that kept on surging through him like a multitude of waves. This was beyond the ordinary, a situation Zhongli had not anticipated—you were right when you told him to prepare himself. He definitely did not heed your advice, and it came to him with a price, especially when you finally wrapped some rope around his dick as it stood straight and hard between his legs.
“If only you could see yourself right now, Zhongli,” you told him, pressing firmly on the ropes around his member before nibbling on his earlobe. “Aah, I just want to eat you up.”
With your sultry voice directly sending shockwaves down his lower parts, he could only dig his fingernails on the palm of his hands as the hemp ropes dug deeper in his skin. Even though they were not too tight, the restrictive sensation enveloping his body, plus the way you were touching him now was making him lose his mind.
“YN…YN…p-please, I—!”
He spoke between gasps as he felt your lips suckle on a sensitive point on his neck, his dick twitching as he tried to jerk up.
You hummed amusingly. “What is it, love? Where do you want me to touch you?”
Raking up your fingernails up his toned chest, you smirked as he groaned, unable to find any sort of friction he had been seeking for some time now. The way his long dark locks stuck to his skin because of how much he was sweating, or the way he trembled and shivered at every touch of his skin—you loved them all. As much as how Zhongli was intoxicated by pleasure, you were also heady with the power you had over him.
Not waiting for his answer, you crept your hands up and suddenly pinched his nipples—making him jolt straight up at the abrupt stimulation with a loud moan.
“Do you like it here?” you asked, now lavishing your tongue over a hardened nub; relentless and teasing.
“Ahh…! YN…! Wait, please!”
All of his thoughts had already vanished, replaced only by the sensations of your tongue on his now sensitive nipples, of the ropes wound tightly around him, of how painfully hard his dick was. It felt good, he had to admit it. It felt incredibly good.
“Do you want me to stop? I can always stop,” you asked, smiling. “If not, tell me where else I should touch you.”
Breathless as his chest heaved, Zhongli tried to find the words he wanted to say even as his lips trembled.
“Um…please touch….m-my…”
He was blushing furiously, the word seemingly unable to pass through his lips.
“Your what, Zhongli?” you asked him again, almost cooing but inwardly laughing at how he just can’t say the word ‘dick’.
Biting his lip to stop it from quivering too much, it seemed like he really has to throw every sense of dignity he had in him just to relieve his arousal.
“M-my…pe—ahh!!"
You pinched one of his nipples, pouting. “Don’t you dare call it penis, or else I won’t let you cum. Now, as you were saying?”
If only his head wasn’t too hazy from all the sensations stimulating him simultaneously, he would’ve made a mental note to make you suffer at a later date, but right now, his brain was being ran by his dick.
“P-Please…YN…! My—my…d-dick…I can’t…” he forced between pants as his sweat made the ropes feel even tighter and his underwear feel even more sticky.
Smirking at your victory, you pressed a kiss on his lips, your hands finally removing his dick from the constraints of his underwear. You could feel him groan on your lips as you began to move your hand up and down, and making sure to reach his most sensitive spots.
“Look at you, getting this hard after being tied up,” you whispered to his lips, a grin plastered on your face. “I didn’t know you were this dirty, Zhongli.”
“I-I’m…not!”
He tried to deny it but you kept his mouth shut by squeezing his cock tightly.
“Really now?” you asked, voice low as you kept on pumping him, his voice becoming nothing but dirty noise. “Are you about to cum?”
“YN…!” he growled, the ropes keeping his legs folded biting on his skin. “T-too much….! I’m…!”
Mercilessly, you continued to jerk him off as he crept closer and closer to climax. However, there he realized that the ropes around his member had gotten tighter, and the painful throbbing he felt was because he couldn’t cum.
“Oh? Did you find it out?” you asked, chuckling at the look of desperation so evident in his face. “If you can endure this in a few more minutes, I’ll reward you. How about that?”
“N-no, no….! YN…p-please, I c-can…no longer….” Most of his words were incomprehensible, affected by the pleasure and the pain on his cock.
You hummed playfully once more. “Do you want me to stop then? You can always say the safe word, you know?”
“No! W-wait…please! I n-need…I can’t…!”
“Then endure,” you replied, an idea blooming in your head. Your free hand then reached for the blindfold covering his eyes and unraveled it, allowing him to finally see.
However, he did not have time to recover when you immediately caught his attention.
“Look how hard you are, Zhongli,” you told him, his amber eyes blow wide by his current state. Yet strangely, the thought of him so aroused and at your mercy, only made him harder.
Laying down on the bed with your chest on the mattress, you looked up to him, his dick on your hands; your eyes reflecting mischief. “If you can hold on for a few minutes, I’ll let you cum, alright?”
Zhongli only gazed down on you, face as hot as the sun and as red as beet. He watched as you took his dick in your mouth and began sucking him off. At the sensation, he instantly threw his head back. This was totally different from your hands. This was just incredible.
With lustful eyes, you watched him convulse before as you assaulted him with your tongue—sucking and licking at every sensitive point you knew. The underside and the tip were particularly sensitive and that was where you concentrated.
“A-ahh…! Oh…shit…YN!” he groaned, his deep voice and the way he was now cursing sent you reeling as well. “T-too good…I’m…f-fuck…!”
You chuckled, the vibrations on your throat making his dick twitch as you kept on bobbing your head. Gazing up, you both exchanged glances as you kept on sucking the tip; his eyes tightly closing at the intensity.
“Are you going to cum?” you asked before diving in once again, your hands secretly making their way underneath his underwear and finding his hole. “I’ll help you.”
“W-wait…! T-that’s!” he jolted up yet unable to do anything but feel your fingers brushing around the rim.
Prodding at his hole, you enjoyed watching the pained yet lustful expression he was making on his otherwise stoic face. His eyebrows furrowed, his cheeks flushed pink, his mouth ajar as drool poured down his chin. It was fascinating, addicting. You can’t help but tease him endlessly, relentlessly as he kept on moaning your name again and again as if under a spell.
“P-Please….let me…I can’t…I’m going to….Y-YN…!”
Deciding that this was finally the limit of his first time, you cleverly untied the knot on his back which kept the rope around his pelvis secure, allowing it to loosen.
Still sucking him off and poking on his hole, you could feel him twitch inside your mouth, an indication that he was close.
“YN…! I’m….ughh…c-coming!”
In a few pumps, Zhongli climaxed in your mouth; his warm cum on your throat. It was a bit too much, and a little thick so you were unable to swallow everything, allowing it to drip down your chin.
Released from his high, Zhongli couldn’t believe he just had his biggest nut of his life after being tied up. It was in every ounce, shameful and embarrassing but it just felt too good for him to resist at all. Maybe it wasn’t too much of a bad thought to do this once in a while.
Eventually, you loosened the ropes that were still on him and took note of the rope markings on his skin, reminding yourself to give him that special balm you got for this exact purpose. As soon as you released him, you pulled him to a deep kiss which he gladly reciprocated.
Unlike your previous ones, this kiss was one of concern and care—asking and answering questions that were difficult to convey. As your lips moved against each other, your chest began to warm and float, glad that you were able to deliver his request. When you both pulled away, the normal Zhongli was back; his eyes warm and lively.
“I’m glad it felt good,” you told him, cupping his cheek. “I was afraid I might hurt you or something.”
He only chuckled and gave you a pat. “I did tell you I can handle it.”
You sighed in relief, loving the way he was touching you. “So, how about we sleep—"
Zhongli however interrupted you, pushing you down the bed, pinning your wrists. He was smiling but you definitely knew you were screwed.
“I reckon it is time for me take my revenge,” he gazed at you, eyes turning feral. “No one will be sleeping tonight.”
1K notes · View notes
theshelbyclan · 3 years
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2k celebration fic rec!!
So I’ve reached 2k and I’m beyond grateful, it actually made me cry. But it also made me realise that none of this is about me really. It sometimes feels like the fandom is slowly dying, like creators are being forgotten about and we have less and less to go feral about (as a wise person once said ;) ). So I wanted to give all of you who might not get the recognition they would like the platform for the day. These fics I love and I would love for everyone to read them, but they usually have less than 100 notes. And now more than ever we need to lift each other up! So without further ado: masterpieces that deserve all the love. Me and my blog wouldn’t be where we’re at without all of you ❤️🖤❤️
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(gif by @mistress-gif) Imagine 2 by @sophieshelby​: I think this was the first Tommy imagine I ever read of hers and it’s very much like all her other ones: very sweet, easy to read and as soon as you’ve finished one of them, you’ll want to read through her entire masterlist. The best thing about this was how romantic it is, but not sweetly, so the characters remain very much in character for me, which is a great skill for any fanfic writer! Check out her work, you will not be disappointed!! A Bloody Good Excuse To Touch by @comebackjessica​: This one is probably my new favourite Tommy x Alfie fic, and it made me laugh out loud through the entire thing. Tommy was shot by a canon, Alfie finds out he’s ticklish, John won’t stop calling Alfie Tommy’s boyfriend, and everything is just brilliant. And to top it all off, Alfie then says when threatened by Tommy: “Oh, I don’t doubt it, mate. Scary little gangster you are, hm.” I was dead 😂 Alfie x Ada (Peaky blinders imagine) by @vintunnavaa​: WHY did no one ever write about these two together before because it is perfection. At first it’s hilarious, then it’s suddenly serious and sweet and emotional and as a sweet cherry on top: the family reacts. Absolute stroke of genius this imagine was en everyone should read it.
The Chronicles of Polly Gray by @raccoon-is-my-spirit-animal​: picking just one of Anna’s fics is a crying shame, because all of them are comedic gold and deserve so much more attention. I may be biased as this major fan of her work, but you do not want to miss out on any of them. But this series on the goddess we know as Polly Gray is so original as it’s set before the series and done beautifully. She does this queen every justice and even though Anna happily rips my heart out, I can’t imagine life without this fic anymore 👏 Coming out 1 – Peaky Preference by @murswrites​: Can’t remember the first time I read this one, but I do remember it set me on a bender when it came to her work. It gave me so much comfort reading this and it made me feel accepted, even if it was just by a bunch of fictional characters, because the rest of the world often doesn’t. I needed this one, badly. Polly reaction especially had me in tears. Please, read this, whether you’re scared of coming out or not, because this is the writing everyone truly needs 😘❤️ Don’t You Get Any Ideas by @amysteryspot​: As you all probably know, Ari has my whole heart. And like it often is in this fandom, her Tommy fics are getting a lot of recognition (as they bloody should), but her other ones not as much as they deserve. This one is about John, the reader is gender neutral and this protective John is literally everything. Basically, this is the kind of fic I want to live in and I might just do that from now on… Mother of Mine by @shelbywhiterose​: Apparently I really like these background type of fics, and this one especially, about the Shelby’s mother. For the life of me I do not understand why this fic isn’t getting more notes and love, because it’s so poetically beautiful. Like the idea is very original, an entire background world has been thought out because of it, and even though it’s quite a long fic, I could not stop reading. This writer is unbelievably talented, creativity through the roof, and you do not want to miss out on any of it 💕
Immoral by @bonniesgoldengirl​: There are times when I just feel my happy bi self and there are times when I feel simply gay and there are times where my entire sexuality is just Ada Shelby. This fic did that 😂. I think it’s been mentioned before, but a lot in this fic centres on Linda being bigoted and awful, but I didn’t even notice really because kisses ME (the reader) and it’s all I know now. Honestly, favourite Ada fic right here and I need all of it in my life, because it left me too horny to function. Thanks for that 😐😘 Keep On Haunting Me by @caelys​: It’s no secret I go full fangirl when it comes to her work, but this particular fic is one of those I keep coming back to. Lizzie, my baby, is written wonderfully in it with some background even and I swear some of the lines in this one are pure poetry: “God quickly reminded her that she was there to fuck, not to feel; even is she despised that fact. Or maybe God just liked to fuck with her. Because as quickly the Shelby’s became her curse, they became her blessing.” But most of all, this story really is haunting, it’s painful and it’s like a ghost itself. The talent in this one short fic will never cease to blow me away, no matter how many times I’ve read it already. 🖤🖤
Burnt Toast by @irishwhiskeys​: Another reader as Shelby sister one, but I love it. Kinda broke my heart, made me cry, but strangely enough we like doing stuff like that to ourselves. 🙈 But honeslty, this author has so many gems in the masterlist and it would be your loss to miss any of them. Please send them all the love! In the Bleak Midwinter by @peakyswritings​: Well this broke my heart into a thousand pieces. The war has impacted John as well, even if SK decides not to show it, but this fic does. Weaved in with the song, it’s a poetical masterpiece, honestly. All the emotions are captured brilliantly and even though it left me actually sobbing, it’s one of my favourites on here. An Ode To Arthur Shelby by @the-makingsofgreatness​: I have no idea why there are so few Arthur Shelby fics out there and I have even less of an idea as to why this one isn’t getting all the attention. One word for this fic is just BEAUTIFUL. It’s sad and heartbreaking, but everything just fits Arthur. The way you describe him, his life, his skin even, it’s just mesmerizing to read. I wish to God you would write more like this one, or continue this one, because it’s pure art. Mr. Rattlebone by @murderousginger​: Tommy and Lizzie, the original dream team that I can’t get enough of. Lizzie deserves everything in the world and more, as does this fic. This story is funny at times, very angsty and there’s some nice little smut in there. I loved every second of it 👏👏 Green is Your Colour by @babylooneytoonz​: Another one that gets all the points for originality, because the reader is Isaiah Jesus’ older sister! FINALLY we get another POC reader and the story itself does not disappoint for a second. Tommy is adorable in this one and I just need fluff like that in my life. But everything this author brings out if just amazing. But this one, in particular, made me feel beautiful and that’s such a great gift to give to any reader. Thank you, love ❤️
There are so many more and feel free to add to this one! Please remember that I also love and appreciated the bigger blogs on here or the fics with more notes, I just wanted to show that there’s so much talent out there, even if it won’t show up in Tumblr’s annoying algorithm thing that I don’t understand. Make sure to send each other some love: we all need each other! 😘😘
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selenacosmic · 4 years
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Oh, of course sweetheart 💕! I'm so sorry if I caused you any discomfort by the way! Then, may I request an artist MC who gets caught drawing the suitor while they were busy with something with Mitsuhide, Ieyasu, Nobunaga, Hideyoshi and Yuki? Again, I'm so so sorry if you felt discomfort from the previous request, and I hope you have a wonderful day 💕✨
It’s totally fine! Please don’t feel like it was your fault or anything like that! Thank you for the request!
Artistic MC.
Oda forces.
Nobunaga Oda.
Nobunaga never really paid any attention to art itself, he had painters who were known to be very good painting him. But that was it.
He knew you had a passion at studying art, new techniques and all that. That’s why he started to pay more attention to it, though all he could do was stare. Nobunaga didn’t understand your admiration, but respected it.
One day, he was working at his desk, paying attention to documents who needed to be analyzed and/or replied. You noticed that he was still in that pose, fist under his chin, the sleeve of his kimono showing his arm more. And that serious expression focus on the papers, it was perfect!
Quietly, as to not disturb him, you took out your sketch book and a pencil you still had from the future and started to draw him. You tried your best to be quiet while doing that, you didn’t want him to discover you.
Even though Nobunaga was distracted by his work, he started to hear the sound of the pencil on a paper. It was starting to distract him more from his work, so he looked up and saw you. At first he thought you were doing a little draw to distract yourself, that until you looked at him.
You immediately blushed and closed the book, trying to hide it, but Nobunaga got up from his desk and walked over to you.
“What are you hiding, MC?”
“N-nothing! You should go back to work!”
“Do not feel ashamed of something you were doing. Show me.”
Nervously you opened the book at the right page and showed him, scared of what he would think. Slowly, you looked at him and...
Nobunaga was smiling, it was a rare genuine one. His fingers touched the drawing, admiring it. He looked at you, this time with a smirk.
“You admire me so much that you decided to paint me? How adorable.”
From that day on, you were the only one who could draw him, and you received a lot of compliments for the art you would create.
Hideyoshi Toyotomi.
We canonically know that Hideyoshi is amazing at drawing people, being able to capture every detail of them. He would draw you a lot, as a way to show his passion.
You were so shy about it, but was so happy about those drawings, they are amazing! You would keep them and very often would look at one of them, daydreaming about how gorgeous they looked!
As an artist, you also wanted to draw him, but didn’t want to get caught until you had finished. You were pretty shy about your art, specially because hideyoshi was really good! What if you didn’t do a good job?
Still, you really wanted to draw him right now. It was one of those rare moments where Hideyoshi was smoking at his pipe, he looked elegant while doing so. You quietly took your paper and pencil and started to draw.
Hideyoshi’s attention was on you for a second, and he got curious as to what you were doing. He put his pipe on the table and let the smoke out, finally approaching you from behind.
“That’s a beautiful drawing, MC! I didn’t know you could draw so well like that!”
You got startled but slowly calmed down, letting him see the rest of it. Hideyoshi took it in his hands and smiled at it.
“I can’t believe this is me! You drew me so well!”
“Oh, come on hideyoshi, you draw better than me.”
He reassured you that he was impressed, and that he loved your drawing. From that day on, you two would share drawings of each other!
Ieyasu Tokugawa.
This boy has problems with expressing himself, and it’s really big. You know that very well, so that’s why you would draw him without Ieyasu knowing. You really wanted to share your drawings with him, but you were too scared to try.
As usual, you started to draw him when he wasn’t looking. Ieyasu was studying some medicinal herbs, and you thought that look on his face was perfect to be captured!
You were smiling while doing so, it was so fun to draw his bangs. He was so handsome with that focused look, too! While drawing, you could feel a pair of eyes looking at you.
“What are you doing? I can feel you looking at me from time to time, you know?”
“O-oh, sorry, it’s nothing! I was just...”
“Wait... is that...?”
Yes, he saw the drawing. You were laying on the floor with the book in front of you, without anything to cover it! Of course, it was upside down, but he could obviously figure it out that it was him.
He took the book from the floor and looked at the draw, Ieyasu didn’t know what to say. That was a perfect draw of him! It captured his face just right, and the details were impeccable.
“It’s... okay, I guess.”
At first you thought he didn’t like it, and got a sad face. But when he faced you, you could see that flushed face, he was holding back his smile. You didn’t resist and gave him a hug.
“H-hey! That was too sudden. No, that doesn’t mean I don’t want to hug you. Just... warn me next time.”
Mitsuhide Akechi.
Mitsuhide has an impressive beauty, his features are so delicate that you would run your fingers through it, making he smile teasingly at you. But that wasn’t enough, you wanted to draw him!
But opportunity was something that you didn’t have, and mitsuhide could catch those things so fast! You wanted to draw him without him knowing, but it was impossible.
One day, you remembered something that you founded specially beautiful, mitsuhide had a skill to dance marvelously. You remember that from the time you two were on a mission as dancers.
He looked so gorgeous in the dancing suit! And that makeup he used...! You needed to draw him like that! You took your materials and started to draw, one of the images that would pop on your mind was one of his graceful poses while dancing.
And so you started to draw him, only by imagination. Even if it was a difficult task with nothing as a reference, you know mitsuhide’s face all too well. You got distracted while drawing him.
You didn’t even noticed when the fox entered the chamber and walked at you, until he was behind. Gently, he hugged you tightly from behind and looked at the drawing, smiling teasingly.
“My my, what a beautiful piece of work. May I know who your muse is?”
This bastard knows it’s him, but he wanted you to be honest with him, he wants to hear you say that you missed him so much that you had to draw him.
“M-maybe... but it’s isn’t good! I didn’t have any reference.. it’s supposed to be you...”
“That is a problem. Let me fix it for you, my dear.”
He let go of you and got up, walking until he was in front of you. He made the same pose from that dance and looked at you, a sweet smirk on his face.
“Let me be your muse, my dear.”
Uesugi-Takeda forces.
Yukimura Sanada.
Yukimura is complicated, he really doesn’t understand anything related to art, and you thought it would be complicated to draw him. Firstly, he would get uncomfortable while posing, secondly, he would get awkward.
So you needed to do while he was distracted, but it was difficult to catch him while he was still. Be sure that you will be running around to catch him!
You got so frustrated! Until you actually caught him while he was in one place, though he wasn’t exactly still. It was during his training with his spear.
But this is a moment you can not waist! You took your things and started to draw him, though it was difficult to think of a pose as he was constantly moving. In any case, you were almost finished when...
“MC? What are you doing here? Did you needed something?”
Yukimura had finished his training and was looking at you puzzled. You quickly hide your book and pencil, smiling at him nervously.
“Me? No, nothing! I just wanted to see you, since you look... cool while training!”
“Are you sure? Then what is that behind you? Come on, don’t hide it from me!”
With a lot of insistence, you let him take a look at the drawing, with your head down, ashamed. He probably didn’t like it...
“MC, this is actually great! Though, my arm looks weird.”
“Hey, you kept moving around! It was difficult to draw you like that!”
“Whatever, it’s really good. I like it.”
Yukimura was bad at expressing himself, but he really wanted you to know how much he liked it!
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Thank you for reading! If you wish to see more of my work, check out my masterlist!
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xenetala · 3 years
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Piofiore: Fated Memories Review
I’ll keep this as spoiler free as possible, but with this game that may be a bit difficult. This is just my thoughts on the game and its quality. This game overall is really well done and if you are familiar with Amnesia Memories, you’ll really enjoy this one.
There are a few things I’d like to give people a heads up on in this one. First, this is a game about the Mafia. While it should be obvious, many people who play otome games may not realize this isn’t like the sweet games such as Kissed by the Baddest Bidder. Please do not play this game if you are sensitive to blood, gore, death, rape, drug abuse, psychological abuse, torture, violence, general crime, and other such themes. While you can play the best routes and avoid too much of this, you will be exposed to some pretty gruesome and brutal things in this game.
The second thing I’d like to give a heads up on is you have to play the routes in a semi set order to unlock things. By this I mean you don’t get to completely choose who you play at first. While this by no means makes the game bad, it’s something to think about before playing. You may not get to choose your favorite boy right off.
If you do play this, I have a recommended play route. I recommend this based on the lore of the world. That’s not to say you have to play this order, but I think it’ll give a better feel for the world.
While you can start with either Dante or Nicola, I’d recommend playing through Dante’s route first and follow his route with Orlock. While Yang is my absolute favorite boy by far, I recommend playing Nicola before Yang. Gilbert’s route you can’t play until you’ve played the other 4 so Dante > Orlock > Nicola > Yang is my recommended order, but Dante > Nicola > Orlock > Yang isn’t a bad order either.
Overall Story
This is a really good story. There’s a lot of absolutely lovable characters in it and I wish there were more routes. I also wish the stories were longer just because of how good the characters are. Even the supporting characters are great. The setting is in Italy during the 1920′s. There are a few references to world events around that time such as World War I, the depression, American prohibition, and several other things that happened around the world.
The game takes a lot of the terms and historical things and puts them in a nice handy dictionary in case the audience isn’t familiar with them. Personally I find all of the references common knowledge, but then I’m also a history buff so that may not be the case.
As far as the plot goes, the basis is you play an MC who grew up in a church in a small mafia run city. Depending on the route, the MC gets captured or rescued by one of the three mafia groups and ends up in their care as a guest. The three groups are the Italian based Falzone, the mixed heritage Visconti, and the Chinese based Lao-Shu.
Each route has a different part of the story and history of the world and the town as well as a different perspective. Some of the routes are more peaceful while others not so much. In all of them, the MC is one I consistently like. Despite being brought up in a quasi Roman Catholic based belief system, she’s quite down to Earth and many times stands up to the mafia so that earns her many points in my book.
The one thing in this game that I feel is a big missed opportunity is the character Roberto De Feo. I would have loved to see him as an option in this game. Especially after playing all of the routes including the hidden one, I feel like he would have made a nice addition to the story.
Characters
This game has a really good set of characters and even the supporting characters are good so I’m going to go over quite a few people in this. I’ll break these down by factions to help keep things orderly. Each character does have a best, good, and tragic ending. Some of them are really good, but the tragic ones to be pretty brutal to play.
Also, a fun note in the CGs you can press a button to hear the character’s comments on the scene.
Falzone Family
Dante Falzone - This is the first route I recommend playing. He’s kind of the ‘canon’ route in this and goes over a lot of the lore of the world. It can get a bit overwhelming to keep up with all of the mythology of the game, but you will need that information for later routes.
He’s introduced as the cold and cruel boss of the Falzone, but in reality he’s more of the slightly cold gentleman. While he can be cruel as evidenced in a torture scene, he’s really very sweet and you see much more of his caring side as the story progresses. I’m not a fan of his route as it is way sweeter than I’d like for a mafia boss, but it is the most romantic one.
In this route the MC spends most of her time confined with Dante and is more of a prisoner than a guest in my opinion. She’s not allowed to roam free much and is quite dependent on Dante. There is a lot of violence in this route and is one of the more gruesome ones in a few places. I actually like his good ending better than the best ending. His tragic end is really sad so beware. It’s not as brutal as others, but it’ll tug your heartstrings. Death can bring more peace than life. 
Leo Cavagnis - While not a love interest, Leo is an adorable character. He’s assigned as the MC’s body guard in anything related to the Falzone family. I would like to have seen him as a romance option just because it’d be nice to have a choice other than only higher ranking mafia members, but even without him being an option he’s a fun character in all of the routes.
Nicola Francesca - He is the underboss for the Falzone family and is Dante’s cousin. I liked his route much more than I thought I would and he is more what you’d expect for a mafia themed game. It is mentioned in all routes a few times that Nicola is more suited to being the boss than the underboss, and I agree with this.
Nicola is presented as a playboy, but though he’s flirty he’s not really a playboy. He has a lot of charisma and appears nice, but there is a cruel side to him. This is showcased in how he treats his men and in a torture scene. His route has almost none of the lore and is refreshing in that fact.
The MC is still more of prisoner in this one, but she’s not as dependent on Nicola. Even though I’d say Nicola is more ruthless than Dante, this route is actually one of the less violent ones. I will warn that his route is predictable and not quite as exciting to play as far as plot twists and such. Despite that, this is a fun route and the MC gets to showcase a bit more strength than in some of the others.
He is really tied to his idea of trying to free Dante from the curse of his blood and duties so Nicola often acts brashly and without really trying to understand others. This makes him quite focused on his own goals. His best ending is a great ending and for sure deserves to be called the best ending. I don’t really care for his good ending as much. While not sad, he’s too much of a mafia boss for the good ending to really fit him. His tragic ending is a work of art.
Giulia Ceste - She is the motherly housekeeper of the Falzone and takes care of the MC a lot when in the company of the Falzone family. While not a big character, she does help create some humor in the routes and is always a welcome addition when things get really serious.
The Church
Just a few notes on this ‘faction’. This group plays different roles in each route and doesn’t really follow a branch of the Christian religions. Even though the set up is implied to be the Roman Catholic branch, the lore behind this church isn’t really clear on things. There’s a relic mentioned and that relic is given all sorts of explanations as to what it is, but in reality very little of this game really follows any specific branch. So, if you find yourself confused on this group that’s normal.
Josef von Rosburg - Josef is a bishop for the church and has varying roles depending on the route you play. For the most part he’s reasonably pious and does things on behalf of what he believes to be the best for the church. Although, as the saying goes the road to hell is paved with the best of intentions.
Orlock - This boy is all cinnamon roll and I did not like his route until I played all endings. Part of the problem I have with his route is he’s so naïve and innocent that he comes off as childlike. After seeing him in some of the other routes I’d had the expectation that he’d be more of a cold hearted assassin than he is.
That I think colored my perceptions too much to fully enjoy this route and is partly why I recommend him as the second one you play. He is a disciple which basically just means he’s an assassin for the church.
He is absolutely devoted to the MC to the point of basically worshiping her and can see no fault in anything she does. This route is one of the more violent ones and uncovers more of the lore of the world. Orlock feels much younger than the MC because of his innocence despite being able to kill just about anyone.
The good route I liked a lot more than the best route in this one and that’s partly because he didn’t feel as much like a child in that end. The tragic route though changed my mind about his story a bit though. I love his tragic route. It is brutal and merciless, but you see him as an adult and not like a child. Plus, I’m a sucker for a good gut wrenching tragedy that just makes you question why you’d put yourself through the torture of reading it.
Elena Croce - This girl is the MCs best friend and someone she grew up with in the church. Her role varies depending on the route, but she’s generally a quite girl and is good at cooking.
Sister Sofia - She is one of the sisters in the church and is the mother figure of the story. She knows MC’s history and why she’s so important, but keeps things secret from her to prevent her from carrying a heavy burden.
Oliver Haas - Sadly this is another one that doesn’t have a romance option. Oliver is the Visconti family lawyer and helps smooth things over when members of the family get arrested. He is very strict and is often reprimanding Gilbert for things. It would be interesting to see the story from his perspective for sure.
Visconti Family
Gilbert Redford - He is the leader of the Visconti family and was born in Chicago. Gilbert has ties to the US and the mafia in Chicago. Unlike the Falzone family, he had to earn his way to the boss of the faction and wasn’t passed to him through blood ties.
This route is the most peaceful route. Though Gilbert is mafia, he is a businessman first and foremost. In his story the MC has a lot more freedom as she leaves the manor and tours sections of the city with Gilbert. Much of the MC’s time with him is more like being on dates.
Even though this route is far less violent than the others and softer in many respects, this one has more intrigue. Gilbert is the type that fights with strategy more than with violence so there’s a lot of intelligence gathering and plotting.
Basically the premise is that Gilbert is being framed for a crime and everyone is trying to clear his name. Due to the nature of the crime, it affects all of the families and even Yang is willing to help out Gilbert through this ordeal. The whole story is really a build up to the big finale of the case and you get to see aspects of all the characters in a very different light.
I really like his endings. All of them fit the story and are beautifully done. One of the things I like most about Gilbert’s story is everyone sticks together and helps out.
Lan - She is one of the twins that is assigned as the MC’s guard when in company with the Laou-Shu. This girl is absolutely adorable and creates a lot of fun moments. As cute and sweet as she is, she is also very strong and will kill someone without a second thought.
Laou-Shu
Yang - He is by far my favorite of all the characters. Yang is highly intelligent and very skilled in combat. This is show cased by the fact that he is bored without intrigue or other shenanigans to provide him amusement. The MC in this route is one of the more interesting ones in my opinion. Her intelligence really shines through in this one because in order to survive Yang she has to think on her feet a lot.
One of the things I really liked about this route is there were more fun scenes in it. While Yang’s route is by far the most brutal and violent, there are points that are just good fun and provide some of that cute romantic mishap stuff we all kind of want in these games.
The Laou-Shu is a different type of mafia group from the others and this story is in opposition to the lore of the world. Pretty much everyone gets killed and there’s a lot of misfortune in Yang’s route. He is a violent person who grew up under less than ideal circumstances. The MC is gets involved in the goings on with the Laou-Shu and is brought to some pretty grisly things.
I’ve seen quite a few people compare Yang’s personality to that of Hisoka from the anime Hunter x Hunter and I agree that they have similarities. Both live for the moment and share the bloodlust from a good battle with a strong opponent. He is also a master manipulator and very good at twisting words to get exactly what he wants. His best and tragic endings are simply gorgeous, but his good ending isn’t as fun. It’s not a badly done ending, but I would have liked them both to die in it.
Fei - He is the other of the twins that guard the MC when in the company of the Laou-Shu. He’s very protective of his sister and is the calming force for her. Just like Lan, as adorable as he is he can and will kill someone without a second thought.
Marco Caldroni - He is the other detective that comes into the game and is more often than not trying to keep Roberto in check. Marco is more okay with letting the mafia deal with things than his partner is and tends to either stay out of the way or help in cases where civilians are in danger.
Police
Roberto De Feo - This guy grows on you as you play the game. At first I really didn’t like him and especially so after playing Nicola’s route, but they really should have given him an option. I’d rather have been able to play Roberto than Orlock. Roberto is a newer detective with the police force and has a very strong idea of what justice is. He does not like that the town is overrun with mafia and that the mafia controls everything. This guy tends to pop up and pick fights with some of the mafia members.
Others
??? - This is a hidden route that is only unlocked after you’ve played through all of the others. You learn a lot more about the lore of the world and the MC is pretty much on her own in this route. I found this route very boring and the person you romance in this is too haunted by the past for me to really enjoy them.
As much as I love a good redemption story or even a good tragedy, this route is so boring. I would much rather have this be a totally different character’s route. While I get this person’s story helps fill in the gaps from Gilbert’s route, this gentleman is one of those revenge is everything types and I’m just not onboard with him. The endings are a peaceful kind of harem ending for the best ending and I don’t mind that one too much. There is a romance ending and I just don’t care for this character enough.
I get wanting revenge, but I find the all consuming revenge to the point of self-destruction and destruction of everything you hold dear just stupid. That’s how this romance goes. Reminds me a lot of the Sasuke and Sakura stuff from the anime Naruto.
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errantinfinity · 3 years
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head canon corner ; gsod heads and important members
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Since people displayed an interest in more important about the GSOD heads, I am here to make a post about it. I was going to make separate posts but then I didn’t want to make too many, so this is instead a master post for the GSOD heads and other important members that I have had ideas for.
This post actually got really long so if you don’t read it I will absolutely not be offended, once I started I just couldn’t stop.
The Six Heads and how they work together.
For the most part, Philip and Arthur are in charge, and any decisions in the end come down to them.
The other four heads were the first four people they invited to join them to help run GSOD. They are invited to any and all meetings about the future of GSOD and also other general operations meetings. All of their opinions are taken into account before any decisions are made, but in the end Philip and Arthur are in charge and the decisions come down to them.
The Six are all friendly with each other and have known each other for many years. Philip and Arthur are the closest, but they all generally get along well, minor disagreements aside.
They are all very well respected in their line of work, and they are well known in the government for being efficient and helpful whenever they are needed to help with anything.
Philip Pullman - ability ; The Amber Spyglass.
One of the men who spear headed the idea of GSOD and got it set up, along with Arthur Conan Doyle.
His ability, when activated, allows him to locate other ability users. It “pings” more the closer he gets to an ability user, allowing him to track them down effectively even in very crowded areas.
A straight forward man, with Philip you will always know where you stand. He is a thoughtful speaker, and a generous boss, and always tells every member of GSOD that they are welcome in his office should they ever need anything.
He and Arthur run the recruitment branch together, but also goes out to help find any ability users that may be eluding capture and are not using their ability to hide from authorities.
Has a large tropical fish tank in his office, and can regularly be seen watching or feeding the fish if he isn’t working.
Arthur Conan Doyle - ability ; A Study In Scarlet.
He and Philip are friends from university, and they came up with the idea for GSOD after leaving.
His ability, when activated, allows him to discern what a person’s ability will allow them to do. It doesn’t strictly let him understand an ability, just the basics of what the ability is capable of. For example, if he used his ability on Kunikida, he’d say that Kunikida is able to pull small objects from a notebook by writing the characters for them. It does not help him to understand the strengths, weaknesses, and limits of an ability.
A shrewd man, Arthur usually knows more than he lets on. Highly intelligent and observant, Arthur can usually be relied upon to decipher body language, facial expressions, and the way things are phrased after meetings with other organisations.
He goes out with Philip and uses his ability to discern what the ability users they find can do. They offer a place at GSOD to any and all ability users, it just helps them to get a better idea of which branch they would be best suited for.
He keeps a large python in his office. When asked the name of the python, Arthur will smile slightly and tell you it is Monty.
Roald Dahl - ability ; Fantastic Mr Fox.
Roald used to run the Policing Aid branch of GSOD, his ability allowing him to be an effective detective in cases where he could blend in. As he got older, however, and as more members had children and there was more call for childcare, Roald asked to step down and run the childcare at the GSOD members building. There is a daycare for younger children, baby sitting services for anyone that wants them, and after school, weekend, and holiday clubs for when parents are working or the kids just want to take part.
His ability, when activated, allows him to transform into a red fox. He does still sometimes use it in the field, where it helps make him inconspicuous, but largely it is used to entertain the children.
Roald adores kids. He can often be found surrounded by an enraptured group of children of all ages, weaving them wondrous stories, or transforming into a fox and allowing them to pet and play with him. He is much better suited to this role and he loves it.
A gentle, caring, and loving man, Roald cares deeply for any of the kids that come through his childcare branch. He invited Zadie Smith, when she arrived at age thirteen, to help teach the kids sign language. He is the person that helped to make her feel the most at home, and he became a father figure to her. They are still very close.
Roald has a pet parrot named Pelly. She can talk, and he often brings her with him to introduce to the kids.
Virginia Woolf - ability ; A Room Of One’s Own.
Virginia, who tells the people she likes to call her Ginny, owns and runs the large building where many GSOD members live.
Her ability, when activated, allows her to create rooms in a building providing that she owns it. (Don’t ask me exactly how this works it just does. Lucy can create a space out of nowhere and Gogol’s coat can manipulate space, it just works sdfsidk.)
Although many think of her as stern, she just runs a tight ship. She wants to ensure the safety and comfort of all the members that stay in the building, and her and her staff work hard to ensure that the building is clean, safe, and well stocked with everything they may need.
She is the only head that rarely sees any fieldwork, because she is most useful in her building, helping to run and maintain it along with her staff.
Despite her generally rather brusque exterior, Ginny is very motherly to those she is close to. She cares deeply, but when in work mode she is very serious and, some would say, a woman you shouldn’t cross.
Angela Carter - ability ; The Magic Toyshop.
Angela is a well respected lawyer, and runs the legal aid branch of GSOD. She does a lot of legal work herself, but also assigns lawyers to different cases. Her branch also offers legal advice, and does both paid and pro bono work. She is a prosecutor herself.
Her ability, when activated, allows her to manipulate toys as she sees fit. Think Toy Story, except she is in control of them rather than them having a mind of their own. She uses this a lot in court to show how crimes may have played out.
A serious and severe woman in the court room, outside of it she is known to be loud, proud, and, by her own words, common. She swears like a sailor, could drink most people under the table, and gets very invested in football.
Angela is very competent, known to be a scary prosecutor for any defendant to go up against. She works very hard, does endless research, and is highly intelligent. It is generally advised not to challenge her to a debate.
Her office is considered deeply creepy by a lot of people. She keeps a lot of toys in it, and has shelves of dolls and stuffed toys. The dolls all sit behind her desk and stare at anyone sat opposite her. Most believe she has done it on purpose to unsettle people (and they’d be right).
Sarah Waters - ability ; Tipping The Velvet.
Sarah runs the combat training for GSOD, and is a hard task master. Her training, she says, could be the difference between life and death, and she works her students hard.
Her ability, when activated, allows her to affect the equilibrium if people in a small area around her. She uses it to help train people to work in unusual and adverse circumstances.
She works very hard, but it is with good reason. Her mother died because she didn’t have the combat training that might have helped her, and so Sarah takes what she does very seriously as a result.
Despite being such a hard task master, Sarah is helpful and kind, and will take time out of help people when they are struggling, often in her own time after or between training.
Sarah is trained in several different martial arts, as well as being gun trained and a good archer. There are few weapons or combat types that Sarah isn’t able to do, and this allows her to help teach others.
She has a big soft spot for cats, and has three of them. They’re called Peaches, Pudding, and Pip, and she is always willing to share pictures of them.
Other important members.
A short list and brief overview of other important GSOD members.
Ursula K. Le Guin - ability ; Those Who Walk Away From Omelas.
Ursula runs the police aid branch of GSOD. She was recruited from America while visiting GSOD from an America organisation. She was very impressed with them, and when Arthur and Philip asked if she’d like to join, she didn’t have to consider her answer long. She took over from Roald when he stepped down, and was personally recommended by him to take his place.
Her ability, when activated, causes people to forget what they are doing and walk away. She uses it to stop people from loitering around crime scenes, car crashes, and other sites where people loiter because that is what they do.
Douglas Adams - ability ; The Babelfish.
Douglas runs the foreign aid branch of GSOD. A somewhat clumsy, very good natured man, he is very funny, quick witted, and eccentric. He is thought of very fondly by all who have met and worked with him.
His ability, when activated, allows him to create an area in which he can manipulate the ability of people to understand languages. It looks a look like Rimbaud’s ability in the anime, except his creates a dome rather than cubes. Douglas enjoys making people in the affected area speak absolute gibberish to each other entirely for his own amusement, although when using it for work he does take it seriously (mostly).
Oscar Wilde - ability ; Picture Of Dorian Gray.
Oscar runs the ability control branch of GSOD. A charming, fashionable Irish man, Oscar likes to look good and likes beautiful things. He is known to collect art and other beautiful items.
His ability, when activated, allows him to transfer injuries her obtains to a portrait of himself. Oscar uses this ability very sparingly, because whenever he uses it, a piece of his soul and humanity is also transferred to the portrait. Oscar is well aware that he will eventually become inhuman, in whatever way that means for him, if he continues using his ability. He uses it when he receives fatal or near fatal injuries in the field, or an injury that would cause him to take a fatal injury such as broken bones.
William Shakespeare - ability ; The Tempest.
William does not run a branch, but is the second in command of Sarah Waters. A flirtatious, romantic man, he is known a lot as Billy Shakes - a joke he started himself - and loves to write poetry and wax lyrical about beautiful people.
His ability, when activated, allows him to create and control violent storms. He uses it largely to help with combat training in a similar way to Sarah - by creating adverse conditions for the GSOD members to train in. He enjoys making heavy rain and snow storms and watching people try to fight their way through them. If you can make it through William’s tests, it is said that there is nothing in the field that could possibly be worse.
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ty-talks-comics · 5 years
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Best of DC: Week of September 4th, 2019
Best of this Week: DCeased: A Good Day to Die #1 - Tom Taylor, Laura Braga, Darick Robertson, Richard Friend, Trevor Scott, Rain Beredo and Saida Temofonte
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This was absolutely insane from start to finish.
DCeased as an event has been dire, hopeless and gory beyond all reason and while there has been some travel to different places like Keystone City or Atlantis, most of it has been confined to Metropolis and focused on Superman, Green Canary, Jon Kent and Damian Wayne. A Good Day to Die shifts the focus to an entirely different cast of characters and how they’re dealing with the Anti-Life infection.
Starting with an amazing shot of Mister Miracle, Scott Free, and Big Barda using a Boom Tube to look at the destroyed remains of Apokalips, the book establishes just how bad things have gotten for even the worst being in existence. Darkseid is more than likely very dead. Surrounded by the White Light of safety, the couple look on share a tender kiss full of love with Scott saying that seeing Apokalips decimated debris makes him feel pretty good, like a weight has been lifted off of his shoulder, especially since there were nothing but awful memories there. One of the first themes we get here is the love that he and Barda share throughout.
Soon after, we cut to Mister Terrific conducting a myriad of test on a captured but infected Captain Boomerang. There is never a reason given for why he has Boomerang, but his studies ultimately lead nowhere as he too is stumped about how to solve this problem. What makes this interesting is that, Michael Holt is one of the smartest minds in all of the DC Universe. He has almost as many resources as Batman has with double the mind power to piece together a solution, but he’s got nothing. So he turns to the only two people that may have a first person perspective of things - Scott Free and Barda who have just returned to Earth.
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Truly, the only thing that could have made this better would have been an appearance from Guy Gardner for most of a Justice League International reunion. This was alluded to by Ted when Barda first showed up and while this does get some more creedence later on, it is far more gruesome than I would have expected, but it was a fun nod to some old history.
Taylor makes one of the first of many jokes as Terrific knocks on their door, but Scott is convinced that it’s a zombie with their bloody stump until he rings the doorbell, Braga then pulls in close on Scott’s face with the most serious look with him saying, “Answer the door.” and I just couldn’t contain myself. After Barda explains that Apokalips holds no answers as it too was destroyed, we cut to Blue Beetle and Booster Gold holed up in Kord Industries office building. Ted notes that the door is made of titanium and that nothing could get through it… Until Barda gets through it. Scott and Terrific cut down the zombies with ease, allowing the group to escape to Blue Beetle’s Bug on the way to another hope!
After all of that, we venture to the wonderful land of Liverpool, England where John Constantine is being chased by hordes of the Undead and yelling at Chas to start the car. Unfortunately for him, Chas had been looking at his phone and succumbs to the virus himself, forcing John to incinerate his best mate.
Darick Robertson is the artist for these pages and he does an excellent job of drawing a crowd of zombies with bloody faces. He's even better at setting a scene in only a few panels, showing John running from them at a distance, and keeping that same shot, bringing John closer and closer as we see just how dense the horde is. John is absolutely lucky that he manages to survive. The sheer terror on his face as he runs ragged away from danger is a delight and actually makes me feel horrified for him too.
Terrific and the others save John, asking if magic might be able to help them, but John retorts in his normal snide manner that if it could, he would have done it already. Not before making fun of their superhero names, John says that he's going to wait to die while being drunk off his arse in typical fashion.
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Laura Braga's art shifts between the gruesome and the beautiful so often in this book that when Scott and Varda are on screen, they stand out well amongst the drab browns and reds of the zombies. While this is mostly thanks to Rain Beredo's great use of colors in Barda's iconic dark blues and yellows as well as Scott's distinct greens, yellows and red, credit should be given for Braga's amazing posing and scene setting. Seeing Barda and Scott so in love and having it juxtaposed against impending doom is just a wonderful sight to see.
The groups efforts are further impeded when Waverider, a "time cop" comes to prevent Booster from using his time machine to save the universe. Constantine returns out of guilt in the nick of time to try to save the universe, headbutting Waverider for a distraction when ZomBarda crashes through a wall and kills Mister Terrific. This keeps Booster away for time to take its toll as Waverider tells him that Superman apparently finds the body of Barry Allen in some rubble in Keystone, causing Booster and the future to start fading away.
With little options left, Terrific places his faith in the hands of Booster Gold who still has a working time machine somewhere. Even Booster acknowledges the idiocy of that idea, but what else can they do? Booster says he left it in the hands of some trusted friends and where do we go? Malibu! The home of Fire and Ice, the other two members of the JLI as mentioned earlier! Unfortunately for Mister Terrific’s team, both Fire and Ice lost the fight against the hordes and succumbed to the infection themselves. Seeing no other option and quickly being overcome, Scott and Barda sacrifice themselves so that the others may escape. They share one last kiss before getting completely overwhelmed.
I actually almost teared up as I tend to do when things involve Booster and Beetle. Booster Gold and Blue Beetle have the most adorable bromance in the history of comics and watching Ted frantically try to calm his dissipating friend is nothing but heartbreaking. Booster apologizes to Ted that he'll never know him and it's almost too much, even in this series.
The biggest and best change here is John's unwillingness to let this universe fall. John's never been one for superheroics, but seeing just how close Terrifics team came to actually having something of a solution and knowing that he could have been a great help makes Constantine see that the world can still be saved.
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DCeased has me far more involved at this point than I ever expected. Even if it's not a canon story, I really do feel for each character in it. This particular spin off is even better because it has some of my favorite characters and shows just how they'd deal with a rapid zombie infection. Tom Taylor must have been reading old issues of Justice League of America/International because he captured some of the essence that made that series so hilarious with great characterizations and gags.
Laura Braga's art stuns by being every bit as violent as Trevor Hairsine's on the main book while also being very distinct from it with thick lines, excellent facial expressions and good backgrounds. Her cities feel desolate, even with zombies roaming the streets and the way she drew Blue Beetle's Bug brought me back to my love for the character and the wackiness of the vehicle.
Things just tumble down from there as Ted allows himself to be infected and Constantine keeps Waverider locked in place so that he has to face the consequences of what he's allowed to happen. Ted kills Waverider just as Doctor Fate and Zatanna show up to try and rescue Constantine.
I really hope that this spin off continues to every part of the DC Universe and that even when the main series is over there will still be more stories to tell. Like Marvel Zombies, there's a lot of ground that can be covered and it can't just be contained to a six issue miniseries. I mean, it can to avoid oversaturation, but I love this so far.
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OOC FAQ
It seems that ask blogs don’t really have FAQs, but I really like FAQs, so I made one anyway as I am going to be in-character throughout this blog as much as possible. It also gives me a way to point out all the other Stephen Strange Ask Blogs (see end of post).
What version of Stephen is this?: He’s heavily inspired by the MCU but draws on elements such as his most of his enemies, some allies, and the wider multiverse from the comics. Kamar-Taj and the entire society of sorcerers, Wong, and the Cloak of Levitation are strictly derived from the MCU’s interpretation.
Why did you create a Doctor Strange ask blog?! There’s tons out there! I adore the ask blogs currently out there, but none of the MCU-focused ones really capture the snarky side of Stephen. I get that, since the muns are answering questions from real people who want more serious answers.
This blog is for people who want to see what a sorcerer currently on 48 hours with no sleep and is entirely too overworked to be doing his own PR would reply with if forced to interact with the internet because he lost a bet or something. In other words, I’m aiming for comedy (while remaining somewhere in the realm of in-character) and hope I hit somewhere near that mark.
RP? Short answer: no. Long answer: I am RPing Stephen, but only as Stephen answering questions from “real people” about whatever the hell “real people” ask about. He’s hoping it’s questions about the Mystic Arts (so naive of him), while I am hoping it’s something he can be really snarky and exasperated about. I am not looking to start any private or public RP scenes with other characters or for people to wander into the New York Sanctum for random interaction.
Shipping? Same answer as RP. There is no canon ship for this Stephen, but you can expect snark on his part for any questions that delve too deeply into his personal life, relationships and love interests included.
But I have a question for Stephen that I don’t want a snarky answer to! Serious questions are also welcome. You are a good deal more likely to get a serious answer on a question on the status of magical threats than, say, a question that tries to psycho-analyze him. The choice is yours.
What’s canon for this Stephen? Is Tony dead? Is Stephen Sorcerer Supreme? For this, I am happy to go with whatever the ask wants to presume (for instance, if the ask wants a Tony-is-alive world, that’s fine with me). The only things that are no-gos are bashing of protagonist characters, establishing ships, and anything blatantly OOC, like “I saw you kill a school bus full of children on the news today Stephen”. Asks that ignore these three points will be mercilessly mocked.
How long does it take to answer asks? No idea at this point - blog’s brand new, so as of now, probably within a day. This answer will be updated if this blog ever takes off and it turns out people like it when Stephen is a bit of an arrogant ass.
I don’t think my ask is good for this Stephen Strange Ask Blog. Where can I find other Stephen Strange Ask Blogs? Glad you asked! These are the ones I know of; the information is based on my own observations over the last 12 months (muns, please feel free to reach out to add any information you would like, and others can let me know if they know of others):
@doctorstrangeaskblog - More light-hearted and very kind, hugable Stephen Strange. Largely MCU-based with some comic influence. RP is light, mun prefers one-offs as opposed to long, intricate scenes. This blog is great for TLC and cute, fluffy things. All ships appear welcome here. Couldn’t find a FAQ page, contact the mun for more info.
@askstephenstrange - More on the serious side with the occasional light-hearted RP and asks. Largely MCU-based with some inspiration from the comics. This blog is especially good for anyone looking for long-term tumblr RP. Multiple ships welcome in the private RPs. I couldn’t find a FAQ page, so contact the mun for more information.
@iamdoctorstephenstrange - Illustrated answers! The amount of time that goes into the answers makes them less common, but well worth giving this blog a try. MCU-based. This blog is also good for IronStrange shippers as there are definitely hints to that within the asks. RP appears on the lighter side. I couldn’t find a FAQ page here, so contact the mun!
@amagicdoctor - A blog made by and for comic fans! This is an ask blog for the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth-616! Alongside a very experienced comic book fan in the mun, you also get some great illustrations with some of the posts. This is your place to go if you want an ask answered by the Original Doctor Strange. Doesn’t seem FAQs are a big thing on ask blogs, so contact the mun for more info!
Feel free to send an ask directed to the mun if you have a question not covered here!
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fountainpenguin · 6 years
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Question Meme: (Ignore this if you don't want to answer all these....) 1, 2, 3, 28, 31, 33, 40 (sorry i couldn't pick one)
40 Questions For ‘Fic Writers Meme
#1 - Describe your comfort zone—a typical you-fic.
Gradual character development spread across a piece with deepened, believable worldbuilding. You know, I often say I’m not into romance, but here’s the thing: A nice long, serious slow burn does a person good. I’ll happily accept romance if an author can really get me into the minds of the characters and make me want their relationship to develop as much as the characters do.
It’s shallow romance that rubs me the wrong way. Give me two characters who honestly, truly care about each other to the point where they’ll sacrifice something they love, or even be willing to let each other ago if it means the one they love will be happy. I love that. But if you’ve got one character who will pitch a fit rather than let their love be happy with someone else, you’re really working uphill with me.
Worldbuilding doesn’t have to be as deep and complex as my ‘fics tend to get, but I do love to see how different authors expand the same world in different ways. I’m not a big fan of horror and for some reason I just can’t get into sci-fi. I enjoy fantasy and biology.
Really, I love anything that doesn’t contradict canon. AUs? Eh, sometimes, but they’re not my favorite. I like behind-the-scenes, between-the-lines, believable futures, and backstory pieces with some nice worldbuilding. And some complex characters who don’t always make the best choices and then have to suffer the consequences for their actions. Yes. ‘Fics like those are very nice.
#2 - Is there a trope you’ve yet to try your hand at, but really want to?
A queerplatonic relationship that’s happy, healthy, and long-lasting. You would think I would let my aro/ace children be happy, but alas, ‘tis not to be! You could say I like to squash zucchinis. I am self-projecting my own insecurities. I made Bennett a horrible person to show the “worst possible relationship with an aro/ace who wants a sexless marriage” so that the hopes and dreams of the other aro/ace characters look more reasonable by comparison. I do that a lot.
Okay, I lied. I can think of six “official” queerplatonic relationships we will see in my FOP works, and one of them actually does have a happy ending. I mean, probably. I haven’t written it yet, so who knows?
Spoiler alert: Mario and Peach are the OTQP and I’m going to milk it. What can I say? I call ‘em like I see ‘em and canon literally gave us a plumber who’ll collect 120 Power Stars in return for cake, and a princess who turned down his hand in marriage after all the times he’s rescued her, but adores him anyway.
#3 - Is there a trope you wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole?
“We pretend to hate each other but secretly we’re both in love and will one day in the heat of the moment spontaneously confess our romantic feelings and form a mutual, caring relationship without any further character development.”
I don’t know if it’s because I’m a very serious, honest, straightforward person (being INTJ and all), or if it’s because I’m asexual, or if it’s a combination of both (or neither), but I can’t stand huge plots about people refusing to admit that they like someone. Love has always been a logical thing to me. I was sixteen before I found out sexual attraction was a real thing. I don’t really understand it, but I guess it’s possible to have physical feelings for someone even if you don’t logically want to? And you can’t stop yourself or turn it off? I honestly don’t know how that works, which is why the “I wish I wasn’t physically attracted to you” trope has infuriated me since childhood. I just didn’t get it.
Even before I realized I was asexual, I would have discussions with my mom about how if I ever had a crush, I would openly admit this to my friends if they asked. I wouldn’t protest or deny, as I see so many media characters do. Then it turned out I’m incapable of feeling physical attraction and I get friendship squishes instead of romantic crushes, so that happened.
As a general rule of thumb, you should trust the characters I write if they say they aren’t attracted to someone. If they like someone, they’ll tell you so. If they don’t, they’ll tell you that too. And if they’re confused, then it will be very clear that they’re confused. No means no. I’m very strict about that. Don’t read into it looking for signs that they’re being secretive even to the reader. They are not. I emotionally cannot bring myself to do that.
#28 - Share three of your favorite fic writers and why you like them so much.
Oooh. I’m going to say that Shaddic takes the cake on this one. If you’re a Total Drama fan, or even if you’re not, then “Daddy’s Characters” will break you deliciously like very few fanfics will. “Before and After” is just a step behind it. The emotion captured by these ‘fics is incredible, and I highly, highly recommend them if you’re into evil villains who are undeniably and yet realistically cruel. Both ‘fics revolve around Mike and his multiple personalities (“Daddy’s Characters” revolving around adult Mike and Zoey, married with a daughter and with twins on the way, coping with something horrid that lands a distraught Mike in prison, and “Before and After” being the trauma-filled childhood backstory ‘fic). 
Shaddic characterized everyone perfectly. So horribly, painfully well. Ugggh, I love it. My gallery has Identity Theft on the way, which will revolve around Foop and Hiccup and some multiple personality trauma, but it won’t be as beautiful as Shaddic’s work. They’re honestly worth a read if you ever have the time one day, even if you aren’t a Total Drama fan. You really don’t need to know the show to enjoy them. And enjoy them (and suffer) you will. In all my years, I’ve never seen an evil villain portrayed so… villainously. Love it.
I’m also a fan of SelanPike- partially for sentimental reasons, I suppose. I remember reading her Mario ‘fics over and over eight years ago, and I still read them today on a regular basis. Crazy how time flies. They’re just ones that I love going back to. As most of you know, I tend to fall in love with background characters. Fawful, Kamek, and Doopliss fit those qualifications- and coincidentally, those three are Selan’s favorites too! Technically, it’s because of her that the 130 Prompts project came to be. I always loved her 100 one-shot challenge, and that’s sort of how I eventually decided to write my own.
I really admire Selan for her characterizations. Her Kamek portrayal is my all-time favorite. So is her Fawful, her Doopliss, her Bowser, her Bowser Jr, her E. Gadd… she’s just a master of character. Even her freaking Jojora is spot-on. I mean, talk about background characters, am I right? Ha. Her writing is excellent and she has some fun plots. I always enjoyed drinking up her fanart and reading her comics on her deviantArt too. Still do. She has such a fun, bouncy art style. Her 8-page comic about Fawful attending school in the Mushroom Kingdom after Kamek hits him with the truant officer threat gets me every time.
I highly recommend “Until Tomorrow” (Her post-“Superstar Saga” ‘fic about Kamek and Fawful attempting to revive Cackletta so Kamek can kick her butt in a magic fight and Fawful can get the mother figure he refuses to call his mother figure back), and her famous ‘fic “On My Own” (about Fawful coping with Cackletta’s death and eventually working his way up the Koopa Kingdom social ladder). “Fragmented Spectrum” is a wonderful, tense, horror-ish ‘fic as well, with my absolute favorite Bowser Jr. portrayal. Plus, I love the rivalry between Kamek and Fawful seen in “F.S.” with Fawful trying to draw magic circles that he decided must be 100% perfect to count as circles, and Kamek not even knowing how to deal with him and his technology brain. Beautiful. 
Check out the rest of her gallery too. Her two FFN fandoms are Mario and Invader Zim. She isn’t active there anymore, but her ‘fics are worth the read. I will say that I’m not a fan of her ‘fic “Everything You Ever” because I feel that Cackletta was way too sweet and nice for an evil villain in that one. But then again, I haven’t read it in years, so who knows. I’m not crazy about Selan’s Peach portrayal either, but that’s where my third recommendation comes in.
GuardianM1234 is a recent discovery of mine, and she does not disappoint. I’m a big fan of her ongoing ‘fic “Smoke” (which updates twice a month right now and is nearing its climax). It’s basically the story of Peach and Bowser growing up, and the development of their relationship from being fairly friendly as children to their complex relationship as adults. I’ve never seen Peach portrayed so perfectly, and I adore her. Never thought I would, but I do. Guardian also has a very unique take on Mario that’ll really make you squirm.
I love Guardian’s writing because she pits characters in emotionally-difficult situations and lets them learn and grow. They make bad choices, but she demonizes no one. Not even Bowser. Plus, Bowser has a little sideplot with Clawdia going on (the canon mother of the Koopalings if you know your deep hidden lore, though since the Koopalings were recently ruled “not Bowser’s children” by Nintendo’s “official” canon, I don’t know if she will be their mother in “Smoke” or where Guardian is taking this ‘fic). Basically, what I’m saying is, Clawdia and Bowser roastfest. Be there. They crack me up. And Guardian’s TOADSWORTH is perfection. Please give that old boy his gossip.
Plus, Daisy takes Bowser shopping for wedding dresses once and he bribes her with a six-pack of soda. Nice, short chapters with a few pleasant hints of worldbuilding slipped in, and a LOT of character. Guardian is still somewhat new to fanfiction, but she’s very sweet and she would adore some reviews if you do read her work. If you love her stuff, give her a shout-out! She’s great.
#31 - Do you take liberties with canon or are you very strict about your fic being canon compliant?
I fall halfway between this one. The answer is, sort of both! For my main fandoms, I have one rule: I don’t contradict canon, unless canon contradicted itself and I was forced to pick a side. Origin gets so deep into biology and Knots into culture that they feel more like original works than fanfics sometimes, because I’ll flesh things out as much as I want to. So that’s sort of a liberty I take with canon. But I never contradict canon if I don’t have to. I always comply.
It’s a puzzle. I love connecting dots behind the scenes. I love forcing everything that’s canon to be canon, even if it looks like it contradicted itself. If I can solve a plot hole, I try to. I will make ridiculous backbends to fit colorful Anti-Fairy eyes, Crocker’s ebb and flow of wealth, Miss Idaho’s “rare genetic condition that prevents her from aging,” Mary Alice Doombringer’s random abilities, and Girlfriend the cat’s sentience into Riddleverse canon, and I’ll love every second of it. I only cut a piece of canon out if I feel like I absolutely have to. It’s fun.
I can definitely enjoy reading ‘fics that stray from canon, and might even write them on occasion. But the reason why I write fanfics is because I loved the canon and I want to see it expanded, not taken away. I’d like to publish my original works someday, so if I’m not sticking close to source material, why would I write a fanfic that I could publish as an original work instead? 
For the same reasons, I’d rather read a fanfic that expands on canon than eliminates it. When I fall in love with something, I fall in love with its world. I like ‘fics that blend worldbuilding aspects in with the plot they’re writing, even if it’s a short one-shot. I don’t love reading something that feels like its writer just inserted the names of popular characters into their otherwise original work so that people would read it. I want to have the little details and feel convinced that these are the characters (and the world) that I love. Personal preference.
In some cases, I default to realism over canon, such as by giving Cosmo the ability to recognize faces. In my psychology classes, I’ve learned that sometimes during investigations, police will show pictures to people and ask them to select the face that matches the one they were shown earlier. People pretending to be mentally handicapped in some way will often get the answers wrong on purpose in an attempt to maintain their facade, while those who are actually mentally handicapped will get them right. Just a nitpicky thing I do.
So I often favor realism over canon in certain ways, even if it possibly contradicts canon a bit. I respect canon and try to stay true to it as much as possible because I enjoy doing so, but I don’t consider myself 100% beholden to it, especially considering how many different contributors there can be to a project over the years. I do my best, but enjoying what I write comes first.
#33 - How do you feel about crack?
I can enjoy the occasional way-out-there thing, but I prefer serious stories in general.
#40 - Write an alternative ending to [insert fic title] (or just the summary of one).
Well, you didn’t give me a ‘fic you wanted to see an alternate ending to, but I do have a few short pieces I can share. You see, the “That Was Then” Prompt (the Jay Rhoswen and his studies about Anti-Fairies one) wasn’t supposed to end the way it did. Here is how it was meant to go:
Rhoswen scooted back hand over hand along the counter, his feet skittering in the vapor. What in the name of dust was he doing? He shouldn’t be looking at his wife’s counterpart more than at his wife! He shouldn’t be having these sorts of thoughts at all!
Anti-Shylinda placed her palms to his cheeks and gazed into his eyes. “No talk,” she whispered, and when she leaned forward, those burning lips closed over his.
As for whether that Seelie Courter chose to kiss the anti-fairy back once she’d started to draw away? Well… You ought to look to the term “Rhoswen syndrome” to answer that.
I didn’t like the idea of Anti-Shylinda being the one to make moves on Jay, so I scrapped it. Not only that, but the whole piece is written as snippets from Rhoswen’s journal now, so the voice here no longer fit the narrative.
At the end of the first chapter of Frayed Knots, “String Theory”, Anti-Cosmo cuts off the tips of his ears. I was originally going to expand the scene as follows:
Blood spattered the floor. With a hiss through my teeth, I withdrew the knife and dabbed the blood up with my sleeve. The stone might stain.
Recalculating, I dragged my stool over to the sink. The angle was awkward, but at least my blood would wash easily away. There, I slit off the tip of my ear, cutting carefully around my first canetis ring. Then I mirrored the action on the other side. Both rings bounced across the stone with a clink, click, clatter.
I uncurled my tongue and set the knife aside. Then I took the severed tips of my ears and held them to my head again. It took three agonizing minutes, but the smoke that filled my veins stretched out and wound around my fingers. It absorbed my ears and pressed them into place again. Full, soft, and whole. I fingered the gashes mother’s piercing clamp had left behind. Apparently, even regeneration couldn’t heal injuries left by an unenchanted tool. Useful information to know.
The canetis rings disappeared into my pocket. Then I got up and pushed open the window. I took a running start, dove out, and unfurled my wings.
However, I kind of liked leaving the chapter on the cliffhanger of “Oh my gosh, what did he just do to himself???” I also couldn’t include a sink in the castle in a time period when there is no indoor plumbing. Then I decided that I would rather give Anti-Cosmo permanent gashes in his ears he had caused himself, rather than ones caused by his mother, to always remind him (and everyone around him) of that day he stood against Anti-Fairy tradition. Kind of a shame to delete the scene since I like how it gave us information about smoke and Anti-Fairy healing right from the start. I might recycle it later.
Actually, if we’re talking about the original version of Knots, everything was supposed to be different than what it was. Here is another deleted scene that was originally planned to be the opening scene of Knots:
“Mum, I’m nine and a half minutes old. I’m not a baby anymore. Come on, please? You let Anti-Robin leave home to get his wand when he was only three!”
“You weren’t even born yet. How can you possibly know that?”
“He told me about thirty seconds ago, right before you came in here.” I grabbed my mother’s skirt in two tiny fists. “Mum, I’m going to be the only pup in the colony without a wand. What about our image?”
She wavered visibly, running her thumb along her staff. “Well…”
Father peered over his spectacles and frowned. “Now, wait just a minute here, Anti-Florensa. He’s just a pup. You can’t send him into the woods to gather the materials for his first wand all by himself.”
“But it has always been our family’s tradition,” she sniffed. “It’s not as though he’ll die. On the contrary, I’m more concerned about him killing valuable plants with his acid. Anti-Cosmo, you’re drooling again.”
I wiped my mouth. “Sorry, Mum.”
I really loved the “I’m nine and a half minutes old- I’m not a baby anymore!” idea, especially since there aren’t many times when you’ll have the chance to use it. As you can see, Frayed Knots was going to begin with baby Anti-Cosmo leaving his manor home alone to obtain his first wand. 
But overall, in the end, I decided that it was more important to show the importance of smoke in Anti-Fairy culture, and we ended up with the scene we have now. Also, I really wanted Anti-Cosmo to grow up never knowing who his father was until several years after Anti-Robin had died, which meant I had to scrap or replace this scene in some way anyway.
The “Mama’s Boy” Prompt was actually written with the manor idea in mind, and I believe Anti-Florensa even uses the word “manor” in it. I added an author’s note to that piece several months ago mentioning that “Mama’s Boy” is semi-canon for now until Frayed Knots is finalized. A lot has changed.
Some other deleted scenes from the early plans of “Anti-Cosmo lives with his family in a manor near the Castle, and they are nobles but not royalty” include:
“I got something for you, kiddo.” Anti-Robin flicked an aluminum medal across the table that read #2 Son. I grinned.
“This is for me? Thanks! I love it!”
He tilted down his glasses. “You say, ‘Thank you, Father, for this generous gift.’”
I repeated the words, and he tousled my hair. “Now, go do second son things.”
“Yes, sir! I will! Thank you, Father!” With the medal swinging from my neck, I trotted happily off.
and
I clung to the frame of his office door, beating my wings to keep myself from staggering forward. I knew better than to cross the threshold, even though there was nothing I wanted more in the universe right then than to throw my arms around his waist and squeeze him in a hug. The bruise Mother had left on my arm hurt even more now than it did in the kitchen, somehow. My eyes slid back and forth across his desk.
“Where are you going?”
Anti-Robin calmly placed another folded shirt inside the suitcase. “Back to Anti-Scarlett’s.”
“With your other family?” I asked. “With her kids, Anti-Xavier and Anti-Tom?”
“Yes.”
“Why can’t I come with you? I want to meet them.”
“It’s a dad thing.” He closed the suitcase with two clicks and turned around. His eyes were steely calm, his frown very firm. “You’ll understand when you’re older.”
and
“ELEANOR!”
Anti-Robin and I grabbed our mouths and looked at each other, gaping with our eyes. Mother was over 150,000 years old. Her real name wasn’t supposed to be said out loud.
Father slammed a newspaper on the table, then stepped back and crossed his arms. “Might I inquire what the meaning of this is, ‘dear’?”
“Whatever do you mean?” she asked, not looking up from the end of her staff. She studied its base, then ran her polish rag across it again.
“Anti-Bryndin had the green fairy locked up, and I know you’re behind it.”
So, don’t feel too sad that Anti-Cosmo grows up without a dad in my works! It wouldn’t have been the best relationship anyway. Besides that, now that I’ve had time to think about it, this Anti-Robin portrayal isn’t that far off Ambrosine, and I’d rather H.P. and Anti-Cosmo had fathers with very different personalities.
If you have a really sharp memory, you may possibly remember seeing that medal around Anti-Cosmo’s neck when I drew my late-night FOP/Moana doodle dump that one time.
I also have oodles of scenes deleted from Anti-Cosmo’s visit to Winkleglint’s estate, since originally Scarletfeather was supposed to show up and Anti-Cosmo panicked when he couldn’t stop Scarletfeather from luring Mr. Thimble away. I could have filled another entire chapter with what happened during that study abroad week, but in the end I decided they were mostly self-indulgent and not important enough in the grand scheme of things to justify leaving in.
I’m skimming through my files of deleted scenes and I forgot I had this one too. Anti-Cosmo wasn’t supposed to have his intelligence test proctored by Ambrosine originally, as I was going to send him to this mental hospital facility. I decided against it, but here is a terrifying scene that we almost got. So, it’s technically an alternative ending too:
Dr. Gabriel handed me a piece of bark marked with the word Failed. “Don’t get cocky. Everyone has their limits.”
Failed? That lout outright failed me? I dropped the bark strip and looked up as Dr. Gabriel spread his wings. With a few sharp beats, he flew out of the pit. I chased after him, searching the platform above me with my eyes. So I couldn’t fly, and I was short, but I could make that leap-
“Oof!”
Or… perhaps not. I slid back down to the floor and landed on my rump. Never one to be deterred, I leaped back to my feet. Something to boost me, something to boost me… Oh! Snatching up his forgotten broom, I backed against the opposite wall, and then ran forward. I shoved the handle of the broom into the corner offered by the platform and the floor and launched myself into the air. Yes! Yes! Ahahaha! I hurtled out of the pit and went rolling across the ground. Dr. Gabriel spun around, his mouth falling open in surprise.
“Please,” I begged him, climbing to my feet again. My broken wings batted feebly behind me. “I want to gain a Fairy education. Level with me, doctor. You don’t want Anti-Fairies filling up your precious conservative school. And I don’t want Anti-Fairies filling it up either. True, we Anti-Fairies are known for our memories, but I like to feel special, and I shouldn’t want to chance anyone stealing my thunder away from me. You let me in, and I won’t breathe a word about your biases against my people.”
Dr. Gabriel studied me with idle coldness, clutching his tablets to his chest. He drifted a few steps backwards along the corridor. “Anti-Cosmo, your genius is entirely creative. You’re severely behind in your knowledge of technical skills, and you lack basic common sense as well as a sense of self-preservation. Because of this, we can’t recommend you be placed in any advanced programs. You’ll need to stay where you’re at.”
The corners of my mouth twisted into a frown. Then a sneer. “Frankly, Dr. Gabriel, I’m not particularly fond of that option.”
With that, I yanked out the can of forget-a-cin I’d nicked from his pouch when he’d been turned the other way. Dr. Gabriel had time to look horrified before I mashed the button down. My eyes were squeezed shut, but even so, the world around me lit with white. I let the empty canister fall to the floor and opened my eyes again to find the nervous fairy glancing around in bewilderment.
“There,” I said. “I’ve just put a block over this memory of yours. I do hope no one else would care to challenge me, or I will be forced to perform the same trick on them. Now, I demand that you, good sir, will have me enrolled in all the classes of my choosing. Is that understood?”
Dr. Gabriel’s wandering eyes finally latched onto me. His shoulders shivered, although he possibly didn’t remember why. He bobbed a bit lower in the air. Then his wings fell silent altogether, and he leaned his back against the wall. He slid down to the floor. “S-security! Security?”
His voice was too weak for anyone who wasn’t an Anti-Fairy to hear. I sighed. Covering my eyes again, I made a signal with my other hand. “Oh, dear. I do apologize. I really never do this, you must understand. It’s so messy.”
If he hadn’t been so hazy from the aftereffects of the forget-a-cin, I’m sure Dr. Gabriel wouldn’t have let me get away with as much as he did. As it happened, I walked right up to him and lay my claw against the karmic pouch on the left side of his neck. He yelped, but I knocked his clumsy hands away from me without any real effort. I braced my hand against my hip.
“I really never do this. It’s vile and crude. So sorry, I really am. But then again, well, perhaps I’m really not.” And with that, I sunk my fangs into his neck. Blech. He tasted of old mutton.
Dr. Gabriel screamed. He twisted, his shoulders rapidly seizing up. I rolled my eyes and kept my fangs embedded until his coughs turned to silence and he had frozen in place, as still as a stone statue. Only then did I wrench back my head, bringing the coils of his karmic weave along with me. Most of them were blue, but here and there a pink one surfaced, or a yellow. As the colourful threads of his life whisked above us, I stood back and traced one claw beneath my eye.
“Anti-Fairy tears consist mainly of sulfuric acid, of course. And I daresay you hurt my feelings quite a bit back there, didn’t you?”
Forcing myself to cry came as naturally as forcing myself not to cry always had. I captured the burning tear on the end of my claw and, very slowly, held it out towards the paralyzed fairy sitting against the wall. For several long seconds, I let him see it glistening there. Threatening to drip down on the place where I had bitten him. Which was still bleeding.
“I never do this,” I said again, truthfully apologetic. “It’s messy and you’ll be rather cross when you wake up, assuming you wake again at all. But it is true that I am crying, and here you are, lying so very still. We’re standing rather close, aren’t we? So close that I could touch you.”
Lacking the ability to move, all Dr. Gabriel could do was sit numbly, his mouth gaping. I lowered my claw towards his neck.
“But it’s only a single tear, isn’t it? Why should a fairy care if he made an anti-fairy child cry? No, a single tear cannot hurt your conscience. A single tear may sting your skin, perhaps, but it shouldn’t cause any long-lasting problem so long as no liquid in your body is particularly warm. Oh, wait…” Here I feigned surprise, and brought my claw a mere centimetre from his karmic pouch. Green liquid trickled down his neck. I smiled. “Why, internal Fairy body temperature borders on the boiling point, does it not? Oooh, I’d hate to see what happens when that acid comes into contact with your blood. I’ve heard it’s prone to such catastrophic explosions.”
There was, of course, no reply. Sighing, I withdrew my handkerchief from my pocket and wiped the tear from my claw.
“No, but I suppose I’m a gentleman, so I shan’t leave you comfortless. As I told you, I really never do this. I’m all boasts and bluster, really. That’s all I really am. Let’s get you cleaned up, lad.”
I was just wiping away the last drops of acid from his stunned face when the door opened behind me. I looked over my shoulder to find Anti-Jolene floating there with a clipboard in hand. She took in the threads of wild karma and my kerchief, and looked at me with her ears cocked forward.
“So… How is it going?”
I sighed and tucked the handkerchief away. “Dr. Gabriel and I have just finished, painfully. I say, are business deals with Fairies always so messy?”
She smiled a thin smile. “It would behoove us to find a neutral party who could settle things between our two races more easily, wouldn’t it?”
“I’ll be cleaning karma out of my fur for weeks,” I muttered, and went about gathering up his tangled threads so I could stuff them back inside his soul.
He was one messed up kid in this draft, that is for sure. Who knows? Perhaps I’ll find a place for this scene in the current version someday, if I ever need to send an older Anti-Cosmo to a mental health facility. For now, however, it’s deleted.
“This Is a Box” was actually supposed to end differently as well. And of course, so was “This Is Halloween.” Every once in awhile I’ll have a piece get away from me and end the way it wants, but most of them end the way I plan from the start.
Thanks for all your requests! I really appreciate your curiosity!
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circuspierrot-blog · 7 years
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I recently hit 150 followers on this blog, so as a thank you I have decided to create a bias list/follow forever/whatever you want to call this! If you are not on here I’m sorry, this was created off the top of my head and as a result it is inevitable that I miss some people. Just know that I appreciate every single one of you (except the p.orn blogs) and that I look forward to being more active on here!
But before I start the bias list, there’s some special people that I just need to have a bit of a rant about. So, in no particular order:
🎪 @facadesmiled - you’ve mentioned several times that you’ve been RPing as Joker since 2014, and it shows. The depth you give to his character is simply astounding! You have gone above and beyond the little canon information on him and developed your muse into someone that’s honestly a lot more human. He is suffering, he is hurt and, perhaps most importantly, you show that Joker is not inherently bad. Your writing (especially the Father’s Day drabble that you posted recently) really works to emphasise Kelvin’s influence over not just Joker, but the circus as a whole, and that really helps broaden your muse’s character. 🎪 @kniifethrower - the thing I like best about your blog is definitely how well you capture Dagger’s personality. He’s such an energetic, excitable character, and you manage to portray that really well through the dialogue you use. Even if it’s just a dashboard commentary or a one-liner, everything is so accurate to how he’s been presented in canon, and because of that your writing is a lot of fun to read! Not to mention that the way you write his accent is so cute. 🎪 @tameratrix - your Beast is amazing! She’s so well rounded and well thought out! She’s more than willing to stand up for herself and has a love-hate relationship with Betty, but at the same time she’s protective of her family and gets flustered and is just such a brilliantly thought out character. It’s clear that you’ve put a lot of effort into her character. 🎪 @pupacirci - I absolutely adore your Doll! A lot of your writing seems to emphasise her more childish qualities, and it really makes the reader think about her in a different light. A lot of the time Doll is seen as the ‘baby sister’ of the other First-Tiers, and your emphasis of her childish nature really shows that despite everything she’s been through she is still a child and she is the ‘baby’ of the group. However, you do play the more serious aspects of her personality very well too, creating a good balance between the two sides of her character. 🎪 @xircrocodile - scrEAMS IN YOUR GENERAL DIRECTION. Where do I even start??? You play Crocodile perfectly (so perfectly, in fact, that you are the reason I got into One Piece)and honestly you’re just a joy to talk to. Your writing is on point, you’re a great friend, and it’s amazing how even when you get the most random, out of place anons you still manage to stay 110% in character! You balance dialogue and description very well in your writing, and it’s fascinating to watch as your muses develop. 🎪 @jzsketch - your art style is adorable! All of your OCs have such creative designs, and your work is such a delight to see on the dashboard. The expressions, the colour palette, everything just works so well together, and your pictures are always a joy to look at! 🎪 @knoxsu - your writing is such a joy to see on the dashboard! Your Ronald is just so accurate to canon, it’s clear that you must have put a great deal of thought into how to write his character. The accent is perfect, and I think that the icon style you use works really well with your blog. 🎪 @aka-freckles - you’re someone who I followed very soon after making the blog, and I could not be happier that I did. Your Doll is true to canon, the description you use is always detailed and able to paint a vivid picture in the reader’s mind, and every time you use an icon the expression perfectly corresponds with the emotion she’s showing in the thread. (An impressive feat, considering that she’s minor character and so has less icons available). 🎪 @sassygreytea - we’ve been mutuals for a few months now, and throughout that time you have actually made me like Grey’s character much more than I did initially. You play him so well, and I always enjoy talking with you, be it IC or OOC. I read through your threads even if I’m not involved in them because your characterisation is so interesting and your writing is always gripping. 🎪 @oflicorice - I can not tell you how great it is to see a minor character get so much attention from the fandom. Your Othello is laid back and gets straight to the point, and your writing is so fun to read. We haven’t gotten the chance to speak OOC much, but from what I’ve seen you seem like a great person! 🎪 @ask-peter-ofnoahsarkcircus - I’m so glad that Peter’s getting some attention within the fandom. Even though he featured very little in the actual circus arc, your writing brings him to life and gives some much-needed attention to a very underrated character. I always enjoy talking with you ooc, and our character interactions are always fun to write. 🎪 @erebus-cheslock - your writing is enjoyable to read not just because of how well you portray Cheslock, but also because of how developed his character is. He is someone who (unfortunately) does not have a lot of personality development in canon, yet the life you breathe into his character makes it seem as though he was a major part of the manga. His back story, the AUs, everything has clearly had so much time and effort into it and it shows how much you care about making your muse a more well-rounded, interesting character and not reduce him down to being just an upper-class musician who went to Weston.
Now, onto the bias list!
@ancerest (I’m so happy that Irene’s getting some attention, and your portrayal is 11/10) 🎪 @collapsahr (great url btw, and what I’ve seen of your writing is A+) 🎪 @domina-gladiis (you could literally write Elizabeth’s canon dialogue since you play her character so well) 🎪 @morsance (it’s fantastic to see you consider all aspects of Alois’ complex character in your writing as opposed to reducing him down to just a few key traits) 🎪 @thorncladreaper (reading your portrayal of Alan is always enjoyable, especially since he’s a character that’s often overlooked by the fandom) 🎪 @kodomokira (both your characterisation of Sachiko and your mobile banner are astounding tbh) 🎪 @ask-badly-drawn-sebastian (that mobile banner says it all. This blog is a masterpiece and should be cherished) 🎪 @fxtedtemsik (I love Ghost Trick, and I really like the way that you portray Yomiel) 🎪 @maurlce (your characterisation is so on point, it breathes a lot of life into your muse and really makes your writing a delight to read) 🎪 @deviliciious (I really love your portrayal of Sebastian’s demon form, it’s very creative) 🎪 @raajasii (you do Soma’s character so much justice! You clearly understand his character well) 🎪 @sugxrlips (you have a fascinating OC, both in terms of his personality and design, and I look forward to interacting with you) 🎪 @sullyxwan (we’ve never interacted, but I admire how well you play your muse) 🎪 @offearitself (we only became mutuals recently and by ‘recently’ I mean yesterday and although I don’t have much knowledge of Batman I find your portrayal of Jonathan to be very interesting and enjoyable to read) 🎪 @vphantomhive (can we all just take a moment to appreciate your aesthetic reblogs because they fit Vincent perfectly) 🎪 @hismaster-demanding (your threads are very interesting to read, and you always keep Ciel in character) 🎪 @moartea-rosie (the way you play Grelle is amazing, and I love the friendship her and my Ronald have)🎪 @mcdararui (I don’t actually know much about your character, but you’re very nice to talk to and I look forward to interacting with you IC)🎪 @hxpelesszetsubx (you play Junko so well, and I enjoy talking OOC with you)
Once again, I’m sorry if you’re not included on here, but just know that I appreciate you and feel free to interact with me anytime!
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