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felikatze · 4 years ago

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give me the a brainworms i am deeply invested in this man

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okay first of all you asked for this. second of all if i am a little off track from the game that is explained by me just building thoughts like building blocks without looking back. third i was supposed to be studying for an exam but this counts as practice right? it's character analysis anyway lmao.

buckle the fuck up, my dearest anon, because I have sub headings.

1. A as the Player Character

Let me begin with why I am obsessed with this horrid little guy in the first place: he's a silent protagonist. I am always obsessed with protagonists. It's a law of nature. I love taking hollow characters and dissecting them for scraps. It's a long standing practice of mine.

Being a silent protagonist, A, as X, does not have a set personality. However, there are patterns. Firstly, as any semi-silent protagonist, A is a reactive character. He does not start incidents, he only responds to situations, presented by the Sephirah, as they arise. He does not actively seek out new information, merely going about the routine of expanding departments, but expresses curiosity when information is presented to him.

I'm aware fandom likes to characterize X and A differently, likely because they are initially presented as different characters. I, on the other hand, would like to pose the theory that they are more similar than expected.

I believe that A is also a reactive character, rather than active. Despite the fandom wiki describing him as stubborn, the goal A pursues with such fervor, the completion of the Seed of Light, is not actually a goal he set for himself. Carmen is the one who set this goal for him by leaving him her legacy.

Throughout the backstory we get relating to the Cogito Project, A is Carmen's assistant, whereas Carmen is the driving researcher. This is how many of the City's inhabitants seem to be; going with the flow of goals set for them by superiors. Yes I will get into his attachment to Carmen later.

The above is not to say A isn't stubborn. Once he has accepted a goal as his own, he will pursue it at all costs, as is obvious from any and all flashbacks leading to horrible deaths. But the point isn't his pursuit of the goal, but where that goal comes from. Even Lobcorp itself supports this, despite what Hokma may say; A as X follows the "simple" task of managing the Corp's day to day activities, and executes any mission given to him by the Sephirah. He outranks them, and doesn't actually need to do their missions, but does so anyway. Players are driven by the reward offered by those missions, of course, and A might be the same in that regard. Nonetheless, at no point in gameplay do you do anything somebody else hasn't told you to.

The overarching narrative of the Script would be the most obvious example. Every single person in the game follows the script, whether they know it or not.

Lastly on this note, a phrase we hear attributed to A, "Machines must behave as machines." Now, Angela may be attached to this phrase because it bears significance to herself as a machine, and informs most of A's unjust treatmeant of her. However, what if it doesn't just apply to machines? The phrase reads as such, "Everyone must act according to their own role."

2. A, Carmen, and the disease of the mind

So, A will at any cost pursue goals Carmen set for him. Question is, why? The obvious answer would be saying he's in love with her, which like, true. But also, how did Carmen come to be so precious to him?

Let us return to the comparison, "This is how many of the City's inhabitants seem to be." We don't really know why exactly most characters joined Carmen, excluding mainly Daniel and Benjamin. But this does not mean we can't have theories.

Carmen's ideal was curing the "disease of the mind." What is the disease? Complete hopelessness. The inability to form aspirations and dreams, to think of a better future. A is a very reactive character who does not set goals for himself. Therefore, I personally conclude, that initially, Carmen's ideology resonated with him because he could identify with the disease.

This is the point where I start rewatching Lobcorp story clips. Dear god.

So, by briefly binging day 27 onward, I've come up with lines that very much support this lil theory of mine:

First, from Carmen, a description of the disease, "People lock away their own potential."

Second, a line from Angela, after the memory synchronization, "You've locked yourself in this prison without bars."

Carmen describes A as humble, and Benjamin thinks he is warm. If I suppose A was one of the diseased initially, Carmen would be the catalyst for this change. Carmen was someone with big aspirations, with plans to heal what is wrong with the City, and it gave him hope. He was one of the diseased, but through time with Carmen, with that relentless optimistic spirit, he may have been cured, for a time. It's not a stretch to say that she was his light.

But lor shows us what happens when the seed of light sprouts wrong, doesn't it? It distorts. A grasped hope for the first time and then it is ruthlessly crushed. Carmen was everything. Yes, A is described as a jack-of-all-trades, as a genius in all pursuits he puts his mind to, but what does that matter in the face of someone who can unite people? Who can give them hope of a better world? Who can inspire them to actually use the talents they have?

And what kind of pressure is it to put the legacy of a messiah in the hands of the diseased?

3. A and the Perception Filter: A is weak to White damage

No, I am serious about that. He's extremely weak mentally. Obviously death of a loved one is a changing experience for absolutely anybody, but Carmen's death destroyed him.

Not only did he refuse to confide this grief to anyone and bottled it up, now everybody looked to him to lead the project, but he just isn't Carmen. He isn't an ambitious person, he doesn't have the same optimism, he can't bring people together, but people expected him to, and he failed. Hard.

While he was without a doubt talented in science, he was also just an average guy.

After her death, A grew to hate humans. He lost trust in them. He refused to confide in anyone, and be confided in by anyone. Thus, the team fell apart.

In both lobcorp and lor, we get interesting tidbits about precations taken to protect the manager.

Firstly, Lobcorp's perception filter. The cartoony art-style of the game is a result of the game being in first person. Through the eyes of the manager, everything is cartoony!

This is a measure undertaken to specifically protect the manager's psyche. Angela tells us that, before it was deployed, the manager would frequently go insane, one notable incident including the manager trying to hang himself. When we first hear this, the previous managers and X are still separate in our minds. However, they're all A! A went insane multiple times without it.

This is understandable, considering that employees also frequently go insane and try to kill both themselves and others. But they're there in action, confronting the Abnormalities directly. Just watching them made the manager go mad. They could not handle the responsibility for the employees' deaths.

In lor, Angela explains why she picked the Rabbit Team from R Corp as their main contractor instead of any other team. One team was simply too big for L Corp's narrow hallways, and the other team... dealt in psychic damage. It was simply too big of a risk for the manager. But the manager is always secure behind the cameras. Would that teams methods just be that brutal visually, or would their attacks have reached the manager?

Combined with his immense grief at all of his friends and coworkers dying in part because of him, A cannot bear to look at death.

4. A's greatest flaw: Avoidance

A common thread during Core Meltdown flashbacks: A refuses to look at suffering. He just can't. Whether it be looking away from Elijah writhing on the floor or hanging up on Daniel's panicked report of death.

This is actually the thing Angela takes the biggest issue with, and what hurt her most. A would never look at her, acknowledge her, and she did not understand why. But I think A did not refuse to look at her out of maliciousness. Rather, it was out of grief over Carmen. He could not look at her without being reminded of what he lost.

Angela's creation came about because A wanted someone to guide him, someone like Carmen. He threw himself into the project to the point it made Benjamin happy that A was passionate about anything again. But as soon as the project he distracted himself with is complete, he is filled with regret. Carmen cannot be replicated, and he breaks again.

Furthermore, tying this back to my first point about A being a reactive person, we see Angela take charge over A. She's the one recruiting employees and leading the business. It was likely a relief for him to be able to step down from the leading position.

But avoiding it made everything worse. He did not act when he saw Elijah's unchecked ambition, he did not act beyond a simple check at Gabriel's decay, he gave Giovanni the same hope he clung to to no avail, et cetera et cetera.

Avoiding his problems is making them worse and sending everything down the drain (including his psyche), so he deals with it the only way he knows how, avoiding them more!

Biggest example of A's big avoidance problem as his psyche crumbles: the memory wipe. A, in perhaps his one singular moment of acknowledging his emotions, recognizes that he is incapable of fulfilling the Script in his current state. His grief is just too much.

By erasing his own memory, he could start fresh without his grief, because he might've really killed himself otherwise. His suffering became bigger and bigger, and he coped by avoiding it.

The memory wipe allowed him to distangle his problems. Through his interactions with the Sephirah (which I will not individually detail for the sake of my sanity and because I dumped all this on a friend on discord already), he can deal with and actually process his issues one at a time.

As the motto describes, only by facing the fear can he build the future. Only by finally facing his grief and acknowleding it, seeing that the past cannot be changed and he has no choice to move forward, can he actually do so.

5. The Sephirah as ghosts

Lobotomy Corporation feels like a ghost story. I've touched upon this in my previous A post.

As you reach the Corp's lower levels, there are less Sephirah. First there are four. They act like normal employees, and do not breach into the story's underbelly until you reach their core supressions and the facade breaks. Second, counting Tiphereth as one, there are three. They still go about their duties, but they know what they are. Third, there are two, and the facade is gone. They know what they are, and they will tell you about the sins of the past.

And finally, you reach Keter, and there is only one.

This gradual decay of the facade is what really gets to me. I said that by interacting with the Sephirah, A deals with his issues one by one, but that's what the Sephirah are, in this case. Representations.

The people the Sephirah used to be are dead, and the Sephirah are their ghosts. The core supression involve putting these ghosts to rest. Doesn't it match the progression of a typical ghost story? Find the ghost, find what they used to be, and help them move on.

So, if everyone is a ghost, then A is alone.

But, behind the scenes, the Sephirah are still there. They are still people, and they have changed for the better, too. As always, A simply does not look.

(Does he even see the good others see in him? Does he look away from praise, too? Did he even realize Benjamin's admiration for him? Will we ever know?)

6. A's end.

A's progression of moving on would be fine and dandy if it did not end as thus: A does kill himself.

A sees himself beyond the point of no return. Everyone is dead. He is alone. Carmen is never coming back. He can't call it quits now, or else everything has been in vain. (Even if the last days show us a part of him wants to just quit, so badly.)

So, there's only one thing left to do: follow the Script to its ending. Fulfill Carmen's legacy at all costs. Death as the ultimate release.

This is the point where I admit I do not like the death as release trope. But the game does a good enough job as presenting it as the only option A had, or the only option he saw himself as having.

However, I've mentioned it before, I'll mention it again: A was not alone. Death was his release, but he left wreckage. In order to end his own suffering, he inflicted the same pain he went through on others.

Throughout the game, he moves on and pushes through. The ending shows that in reality... he didn't.

At least in lor the characters stick together and help each other heal.

This has been most of my thoughts on A, amounting to my longest analysis post ever, having taken me approximately two and a half hours to complete, and clocking in at 2337 words including up to this paragraph.

Thank you anon for giving me the incentive to verbalize all of this, so I can finally be at ease having inflicted my thoughts on everybody else.

#Feli gets asked #lobotomy corporation #ayin #library of ruina #also i saw apparently another fandom besides lc uses the ayin tag which is just fun to watch honestly #many characters could rival this word vomit probably but as i said i already inflicted most of my thoughts abt netz on my good pal borgor #thank you borgor for dragging me back into projmoon stuff. also curse you terribly #long post #Feli speaks

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evelmiina · 5 years ago

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My resources for animation art and illustration learning

I’m trying to be more available and present for questions and advice about portfolio/career things. In the past one of the issues in my availability has been that questions I get are very broad or general. The other issue is that I don’t always have time, and things get lost in my email box. So I thought for starters to share what has been useful to me in recent years. Mind you, this is not general masterpost of anything, it is just interesting tidbits from my point of view that might be useful to others.

Perspective and layout:

https://imgur.com/gallery/V5Prm

Thomas Romain’s tips for perspective. Perspective is hard in the beginning, but I promise it gets easier the more you do it. This is a good reference for whenever I feel confused or struggling.

Books:

Marcos Mateau-Mestre: Framed Ink highly recommended! Informative, for beginners and professionals alike.

Tod Polson: The Noble Approach a look into animation history particularly from layout and design point of view. For anyone who’s interested in very graphic and shape oriented approach to animation layouts and philosophy behind it.

Hans Bacher: Dream Worlds a book that takes a quick look on all aspects of animation, I think it’s a good resource for sparking interest in variety of departments in animation and understanding how feature films are made. Often referenced when explaining basics of visual development and concepting for animation.

Character anatomy:

100 Tuesday Tips With Griz and Norm

http://grizandnorm.squarespace.com/tuesday-tips a great collection of variety of helpful tips for drawing from two Disney feature artists.

https://line-of-action.com/

Where to start with online figure drawing. It’s free! The goal for figure drawing should be to draw meaningfully. I’ve spent years of my life doodling and only absorbing a little bit of information, but I think there are more effective ways to learn. These exercises I do are to make me better at drawing dimensionally and so that the characters are acting and interacting in a space.

Exercise 1: Drawing long sessions - taking the time to observe. We should always aim to draw the characters as 3dimensional, even if desired result is heavily stylized and simplified. In the beginning, it might be more helpful to start with thinking anatomy as boxes and balls and pyramids (I draw boxes, but different artists have different methods), I’ve found it helps me to improve my perspective and dimensions. Starting to draw muscles and skeleton straight away, it can be difficult to place them correctly, until there’s enough knowledge to break them down into more basic shapes. I find it takes time to start understanding and really visualizing things in three dimensions, but these exercises help.

A great demonstration: https://fyeaharttips.tumblr.com/post/23113717282/eyecager-tutorials-done-by-stanislav-prokopenko

Exercise 2: Drawing over photographs. I saw storyboard artist Ethan Becker on Youtube teach this and found it useful. I do this sometimes, because this too, helps to see how exactly all building blocks of human/creature are acting in different poses and action. The point is not to just idly doodle-trace over outlines, it’s to learn to see the underlying geometry.

Exercise 3: Croquis - the short poses. These exercises are to particularly push the line of action, the direction and force of the pose. It’s also good for seeing how well the basic shapes are working and how they stretch and bend in motion.

Color and light (painting):

Studying how light works immensely helps to figure out how color works. It’s also a necessary skill in BG painting or visual development for animation and very helpful for illustration. Other than that, I’m including a few videos of painting that I think are interesting and have been relevant to what I’m doing.

Schoolism course: Fundamentals of Lighting with Sam Nielsen https://www.schoolism.com/school.php?id=3

Schoolism course: Painting with Light and Color with Dice Tsutsumi and Robert Kondo https://www.schoolism.com/school.php?id=30

Books:

James Gurney: Color and Light - A Guide for the Realist Painter

Hans Bacher: Vision - Color and Composition for Film

Scott Wills painting demos on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvqCOo47Ag_GdWk_HXc1l_hD20yGca8TH

Four Disney artists paint a tree: https://youtu.be/9Dg8w6gk4cE

----

With these, a little disclaimer! My area of knowledge is mainly color and paint for backgrounds, illustration and a bit of character design. When it comes to storyboards and animating, I have next to no experience and there are many others who would be better to ask about these things.

#art books #blog #tutorial

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littlemisssquiggles · 4 years ago

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...Sooo...about RWBY Volume 8 Chapter 12...

I’m not going to lie to you guys. I don’t know how to feel about this episode. Again, it wasn’t a bad episode. It’s just that I’m still processing a lot of elements to this episode that stood out for me. At best, it seems that it’s finally concluded Penny’s Arc. Like for starters, did the showrunners just make Penny a real girl?

[SPOILERS AHEAD. NUFF SAID]

Cause that’s what happened, right? Penny became a real girl. Penny is a real girl now, right?

I can’t believe the showrunners found a way to “cheat” keeping Penny longer in the story and making her a real person. Even though the spirit of the staff said that he couldn’t be used to create life, they found a loophole. They found a way to make Penny a real girl by using the staff’s power to give form to the part of her that’s always been the true Penny---her aura. This…actually isn’t bad at all. I just wished that Pietro Polendina was also there to see his daughter literally become human. Become real. Speaking of, where the fudge are Pietro and Maria? Seriously, I hope the Staff made a portal for those too as well because I don’t wish to think the PLOT forgot about them, right?

Anyways, going back to Penny---yeah, it may seem that Penny is now a real girl…I think. Her robot side which succumbed to the virus and terminated itself is now dead and all that’s left is her soul. I’m still in shock by this. I’m still in awe that the Staff can be used to do something like this.

Speaking of---hey wait a hot minute. If the Staff could be used to make Penny “human” by separating her soul from her machine half then…does this mean that the Staff of Creation could ultimately be used on Oscar as well? I mean…the Staff was used to separate the human part of Penny from the robotic part of her. So…doesn’t this mean that the Staff could be used on Oscar the same way?

We all know that Oscar doesn’t want to merge with Oz. This has been said at least twice for this volume.

If Penny is an exemplar of how successful it would be to use the staff to separate something with a soul from it’s inorganic parts so long as the method could be explained…couldn’t this not be used on Oscar? To separate him from Oz so that way, Oscar can be free to live his life as he wants without the fear of losing himself?

This is what I’m wondering now because if the staff can do that then what’s stopping it from being used on Oscar next?

As for the spirit of the staff---I didn’t quite catch his name but I really like him. I REALLY, REALLY love his personality. When Oz said he’s quite the character, he wasn’t kidding. He is quite the enthusiastic creative guy and I love him already. I hope to see more of the staff’s spirit.

Then there is the point that the Staff said. The Staff’s spirit said… “Don’t fall”. What does he mean by that? I’m assuming this is what the V8 opening has been eluding to all of this time.

In the opening, we got the visual of the ground caving in underneath our heroes with Team RWBY falling into an eternal abyss never to see the light of day again.

Remember the theory that I shared before about…what if…our main heroes ended up “disappearing” off the face of Remnant, leaving humanity at the mercy of Salem and her army?

What if…I wasn’t too far off from being correct in my assumption?

Here’s what I think might end up happening.

Right now…the Staff’s power is being used to create a magical means of aiding the People of Atlas and Mantle by transporting them safely to Vacuo, right? But at the moment the people seem to be caught between realms---between the reality that will guide them all safely towards Vacuo and something else that I’m going to simply dub as “the void” as in the void between creation and its polar opposite.

For part of this volume, the image of falling has been teased. It was teased in the opening and it was also teased when Oscar brought up the Remnant fairytale about the Girl Who Fell Through the World. I had a feeling that that fairytale may be a foreshadow to how this volume might conclude and the feeling that I may be correct is getting stronger.

What if…the reason why the Staff’s spirit warned RWBY about falling is because…falling would mean falling out of existence and ceasing to be in the real world?

What if…it’s something like that where whoever falls literally stops existing and can never return to the real world again because their presence would’ve been phased out of existence?

This is what I think the volume has been alluding to since the start. Either RWBY or just Ruby is going to end up falling and…something bad is going to happen to them because of it.

I think the reason why the question “Happy? Never Again” keeps repeating in the opening is because…that’s exactly what will happen in the end. Whoever falls---be RWBY or just Ruby alone--- won’t be able to experience happiness again because…they or she will be gone. Forever. They will no longer cease to exist. It will come as if the person or persons died since…they would be gone forever, no longer allowed to return?

At least, that is the vibe that I’m getting. I’m not sure if this will be the case but…I’m getting that vibe you guys. I guess…only the last two episodes will tell. We’re nearing the last inning stretch folks.

And based on the last shot of this episode, Cinder is going to show up to ruin everything. Because let’s not forget, while Penny may be a real girl now…she’s still technically a maiden. Her maiden powers are still a part of her since they are a part of her aura---her soul. So…dude...imagine how depressing it would be if RWBY went through all this trouble to make Penny human only for her to die for good this time because Cinder would’ve killed her for real.

Penny is human now. She no longer has the back up of being part machine with a robotic body that could easily be repaired. She is as vulnerable as any other maiden before her and…oof…it’d be interesting to see how things play out for the finale for sure.

But...I guess we’ll see soon.

~ LittleMissSquiggles (2021)

#rwby #oscar pine #ruby rose #penny polendina #rwby volume 8 spoilers #rwby volume 8 theories #rwby theories

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askkrenko · 4 years ago

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Krenko’s Guide to Pokemon: Eevee Line

Part 1. Because seriously.

DESIGN:

Eevee was intentionally designed to be some sort of generic wild critter that could exist but doesn’t. Given traits of all sorts of small, furry things, the purpose of Eevee is to be cute, lovable, and evoke the feeling of ‘some animal.’ It is simultaneously known to everyone and completely unknown. Everyone recognizes Eevee but nobody actually knows what it is. Eevee is, above all else, THE ‘normal’ Pokemon.

And honestly, it’s totally freaking adorable. Eevee is the best rabbit dog fox kitty thing that ever was, and nobody doesn’t love Eevee. Its design basically couldn’t be better. There’s a reason this fuzzlewuzzle regularly competes with Pikachu for being the face of Pokemon. Sure, it can’t quite win, but it’s up there.

But the concept of Eevee is really the interesting one. Eevee was the first Pokemon with branching evolutions, and while other Pokemon have gotten such since then, Eevee has always had the most. Starting with three in Generation 1, there are currently eight possible evolutions of Eevee, and there could easily be more on the way. This puts the Eevee line in a really notable position. I always love when a Pokemon has a unique gimmick, and while in combat each Eeveelution might just be another, having an Eevee with so many options to choose from makes it an interesting Pokemon to obtain.

But before we discuss the designs of any evolutions, let’s talk about the non-evolved alternate form: Gigantamax. Like Pikachu and Meowth, GIgantamax Eevee is just a gimmick. The Pokemon’s not strong enough to be used, and Gigantamax Eevee can’t actually evolve, so it’s just there to be big and fluffy and cute… and it just fails at that. It’s not that Gigantamax Eevee isn’t cute- of course it is- but it’s not cuter than Eevee is normally, and the big bushy collar isn’t nearly as fun of a unique touch as Meowth being memes or Pikachu going back to its fat gen 1 design. Sadly, Gigantamax Eevee is a waste of everyone’s time.

And now onto the actual evolutions.

VAPOREON:

Vaporeon is an interesting and unique creature, with large fins on its head and small ones down its back and tail giving it the appearance of a fish, but still with a clearly mammalian mouth and legs. Vaporeon is clearly aquatic and clearly related to Eevee, but other than that it simply doesn’t look like anything. And yet Vaporeon still has a clear design and aesthetic, as something that could maybe possibly be something between a dog, a seal and a dolphin. It’s an elegant, clean design that looks fantastic without looking absurd.

JOLTEON:

Jolteon’s just yellow with spikes. It’s simple, but it works. There’s nothing weird about Jolteon’s design in the least, though admittedly that means there’s nothing overly special about it. Jolteon is just what happens when you take Eevee and make it cool, and other than the bright coloration there’s nothing particularly odd about it. One of the more subdued Eeveelutions, I like it, it’s cool, but I don’t exactly have specific praise for it.

FLAREON:

Flareon looks even more realistic than Jolteon. The red coloration’s a bit bright, but other than that it’s just a big ol’ floofy floof. The shape and color of its fur suggest fire, but unlike many fire types it doesn’t feel the need to actually be on fire. Like Jolteon, Flareon is a good, clean design.

It’s also noteworthy here that the first three Eeveelutions have big collars, like Eevee does. The rest do not. Honestly, I really like this part of the design, but I understand why not all would have it.

ESPEON:

The psychic evolution, Espeon’s purple colors are a bit more out there than the previous three, and my first instinct when looking at it is that it’s supposed to be hairless like a Sphynx Cat, but then it has those huge tufts on the side of its face that are clearly hair despite it not having tufts or even signs of fur anywhere else. They’re too high to be whiskers, too, so they just come across as weird. In fact, everything about Espeon is weird, and not always for the better. The split tail is a cool design, but I don’t understand what it’s going for. The jewel on the forehead I DO understand as a psychic focus, but it’s so obviously artificial compared to the previous Eeveelutions that it feels out of place. In fact, the core concept of Espeon feels a bit out of place. Most of the Eeveelutions are the result of stone or location radiation, and Umbreon happens at night. Espeon levels up in the day time with affection, and somehow becomes a psychic type. A psychic type whose pokedex entry calls the Sun Pokemon.

Eevee’s whole gimmick is that when exposed to weird stuff it transforms, so I have a hard time understanding why a happy Eevee turns into a psychic type during the day. If it was just about the strong bond with its trainer, why does the sun matter? And if the sun does matter, what’s going on with its everything?

Espeon ultimately just doesn’t work for me. It reads wrong as a creature and I don’t understand how it fits in with other Eevee lore.

UMBREON:

Okay, what’s up with those circles? Black fur I get. Gold stripes I get. Floofy tail, red eyes, sleek body, sure sure sure. I am totally on board with that. But those clean, obvious golden rings absolutely take me out of this design. I get that they’re supposed to be moonlight rings or something, but I’d have been much happier if this thing had golden spots instead of such clean shapes, to make it look more like a realistic animal.

As far as actually fitting though, it makes sense as a Night-based Pokemon, but the Moon thing is a bit more of a stretch. It’s not nearly as bad as Espeon and the Sun, but Eevee plus Moonlight should result in a brighter, glowing Eevee, not a darker, more sinister Eevee. Umbreon also has a serious issue of its abilities not being what it says they are. For example, the Pokedex says it’s got poison; Umbreon has never naturally learned a poison type attack. Its rings glowing is supposed to be one of its key features, but none of its abilities reflect that.

This isn’t to say that I dislike Umbreon or Espeon overall. Some of my favorite Pokemon have been Umbreons and Espeons. Their designs just really don’t sell the story that they’re trying to.

LEAFEON:

So, now this is more like what I’m talking about. Eevee + Moss Rock/Leaf Stone = Eevee that’s turning into a plant. It’s still an animal, but with its ears and tail and some of its fur turning into leaves so it can now photosynthesize. Also the leaf is a sword because that’s bitchin’.

Now, while I am totally on board with Leafeon’s concept, I do think the design could’ve used a bit of tweaking. The head and tail are great, but the little leaf things coming off the body look a bit odd, and I’m not really sold on the mostly tan color scheme. I think it’d have looked better with more browns and greens. Specifically, brown legs and belly, green back and neck. Maybe a leafy collar like the original Eeveelutions all had collars. Still, I like it overall.

GLACEON:

I don’t particularly like Glaceon. While it reads as an Ice Eevee it doesn’t read as an Eevee infused with Ice or adapted to Ice so much as it reads as an Eevee with design elements that look ice-like. The sharp diamond shapes over it don’t actually have anything to do with ice the way Jolteon’s spikes are the result of electric charge or Flareon’s floof looks like fire. Further, the addition of what is clearly a hairdo is just sort of weird. It’s too sharp to look like it comes naturally and while it makes for an interesting visual element it doesn’t mean anything or serve any purpose in the Glaceon itself. At least Espeon’s split tail was supposed to be for sensing things. Glaceon just has huge flaps that are definitely a disadvantage in a fight and don’t seem to serve any purpose other than possibly attracting a mate.

Glaceon is a solid design for a creature but not for ‘this is an Eevee mutated by the ice element.’

SYLVEON:

OH MY GOD WHAT THE HELL IS THIS ABOMINATION!?!?

Oh, it’s a cute fairy Eevee that’s pink and blue with ribbons and bows? You’d think so, and I don’t mind the color scheme for a fairy type but THOSE ARE NOT RIBBONS AND BOWS. Those are ‘feelers.’ Those are FLESH. Fur-covered, wriggly, boneless flesh.

This is bad. This is wrong. This is not okay.

This is not a fairy. This is an eldritch horror. Foxes should not have tentacles, and tentacles should not have fur.

And that’s not even getting into how much I hate Sylveon’s evolution method. Eevee evolves into Sylveon when it has affection and knows a fairy type move… but Eevee can just learn Baby-Doll Eyes on its own at level 15, so this isn’t a feat or anything special, it’s just a normal part of raising an Eevee. The worst part is that this is some weird new and special method to explain why you couldn’t have done it before, but the only actual change here is that Eevee didn’t learn Baby-Doll Eyes naturally before, so instead of something being discovered the world has just been rewritten to allow Sylveon to exist.

Because Sylveon is a monster from outside reality that has forced its way in here.

I hate Sylveon. I hate Sylveon so much. And to truly understand how much I hate Sylveon you need to understand that I love Eevee. I have two Eevee on my nightstand- named Artemis and Apollo after my Espeon and Umbreon from Gold and Silver. I make it a point to use Eeveelutions in every game, because I love them so much. One of my oldest RP characters was a Jolteon named Flash. On Halloween, I had one of my video game characters dress up as an Eevee to go to a costume party in an MMO. Which obviously didn’t have an Eevee costume so I had to assemble it. So my hate for Sylveon isn’t just ‘oh, this is an icky Pokemon,’ but I take its existence as an insult to Eevee, who I love so much.

You came to the wrong Eeveehood by Dakunart

TYPING:

What type do you want? Eeveelutions come in eight different types, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. But that’s Pokemon for you. And in the future we’ll probably get even more types. I just hope they have good designs and aren’t disgusting abominations.

STATS OVERVIEW:

We’ll talk about stats of Eeveelutions individually, but for now let’s note what they all have in common: numbers. Every evolved form of Eevee has a 130, a 110, a 95, two 65s, and a 60, for a total of 525 base stats, making for Pokemon that are highly specialized in some areas and very weak in others. This results in all of them having at least a decent stat array, except for Flareon, though whether their array is offensive, defensive, or more balanced varies.

Eeveelutions by Endivinity

MOVES OVERVIEW:

As with stats, we’ll discuss them for individual evolutions, but as they’re all evolved from Eevee they do share a large amount of their move pool. Eevee is notorious for learning Baton Pass naturally, a move so powerful and useful it’s been banned in many formats, and though it requires chain breeding, Eevee’s one of a relatively small number of Pokemon that can learn Wish.

Yawn, Substitute, Protect, and Rest all offer strategic options, and though not available in the current generation, Eevee could previously learn Toxic.

Actual attack forms for Eevee to learn pre-evolution are pretty limited, but an Eevee can learn Shadow Ball and Iron Tail, both of which have their uses.

Eevee does have a number of unique attacks, primarily from Let’s Go Eevee but also the Z-Move Extreme Evoboost. While all of these are viciously powerful to the point of being outright broken, Eevee’s evolved forms can’t learn them, and thus they’re not relevant in most competitive play.

Next time, we’ll start going down the list of forms and discussing them in the specifics. This one’s a doozy.

Eeveelutions by Lushies-Art

#Krenko's Pokemon Guide #Eevee #Jolteon #Vaporeon #Flareon #Espeon #Umbreon #Glaceon #Leafeon #Sylveon #Eeveelutions

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samwisethewitch · 5 years ago

Text

Meditation for Witches (Baby Witch Bootcamp Ch. 2)

Read on WordPress, if you prefer!

Or watch a video version on YouTube!

Meditation is the act of engaging in deep focus, reflection, or contemplation in order to achieve clarity and awareness. Meditation is an ancient practice that spans multiple spiritual traditions. It can be practiced as part of a religious path, as part of a spiritual practice like witchcraft, or as a secular activity to increase mindfulness. Anyone can meditate, and everyone can benefit from a daily meditation practice.

A study led by Harvard researchers found that meditation increases gray matter density in the hippocampus, the part of the brain associated with self-awareness, compassion, and introspection. The same study found that regular meditation decreased gray matter density in the amygdala, the part of the brain associated with stress and anxiety.

Daily meditation can reduce stress, decrease feelings of depression, enhance self-awareness, encourage a positive emotional state, and increase compassion for yourself and others. All of these benefits have been proven through scientific research.

Like we talked about in Chapter 1, meditation is important in witchcraft because it helps us to develop a greater awareness of our own energy and the energy around us. Developing an awareness of this energy is the first step in learning how to direct it through acts of magic.

In her book, Wicca for Beginners, author Thea Sabin says that witches can use mediation and other trance techniques, “to train their minds and work with their subconscious to harness their mental powers.”

Sabin explains that during meditation, we enter a light trance state, which is the state of consciousness between being awake and being asleep. This is what we mean when we talk about “zoning out.” According to Sabin, “During a trance, the conscious mind doesn’t quite leave — although sometimes it feels that way — but it’s occupied elsewhere, and the subconscious has freer reign.”

This allows us to tap into streams of energy or information that we may not be able to connect with when we are fully conscious. In many magic traditions, trance is also an important part of spellwork, so meditation can help you get used to slipping in and out of this state.

Meditation is also a crucial part of energy work. In an article for the International Center for Reiki Training, Laurelle Gaia says: “Meditation is the art of creating a quiet mind and listening to the sound of silence. Where prayer is the act of talking with the Divine, meditation is the act of listening and truly hearing what God has to share with us.”

That being said, you don’t have to believe in God to benefit from meditation. The force that Laurelle Gaia identifies as “God” can also be seen as your own higher Self, or as a manifestation of universal life energy. Whatever you choose to call it, this connection is able to provide a sense of clarity that we don’t often get in our busy lives.

An easy way to induce a meditative state — i.e., a trance — is with a visual trigger. You can do this by lighting a candle and focusing intently on the flame, or by watching incense smoke rise into the air.

Another option is to use repetitive sounds, like drumming, chanting, or binaural beats. There is a lot of meditation music available for free on YouTube, and that can also be a good option for helping yourself focus.

Special breathing techniques can also be used to reach a meditative state. One of the easiest of these is called square breathing. To practice square breathing, breathe in slowly for four counts, hold your breath for four counts, and then exhale slowly for four counts. Repeat this as many times as you need to reach a calm, focused state.

Once you’ve reached a meditative state, what do you do? This depends on the type of meditation you choose to practice, and the possibilities are literally endless.

My favorite type of meditation, and the one that I recommend for new witches, is what I like to call “the five minute energy check-in.”

Sit or lay down in a comfortable place, and use your favorite method to enter a meditative state. Once you find that state, imagine a thick root growing down from the base of your spine, into the earth; you may see this root in your mind’s eye, or you may feel it physically. Focus on the way that this root connects you to the earth, allowing you and the planet to share life energy in an endless, mutually beneficial relationship.

After a few moments of focusing on your connection to the earth, notice an energy of pure love and light entering your body through the crown of your head. This is the spiritual force that directs all the energy in the universe. It moves through you and fills you — it is a part of you and you are a part of it. See or feel this light slowly moving through your body, from the top of your head, down your neck, shoulders, arms, torso, legs, and feet. Feel it flowing down that root and into the earth.

As you do this, pay attention to the way the energy moves through your body. Is there anywhere in your body where the energy feels blocked, or doesn’t seem to flow as easily? Pay attention to these blockages, because they can clue you in on areas where you need to do some spiritual healing.

This is what I like to do, but there are lots of other ways to incorporate meditation into witchcraft. Some witches like to pull a tarot card each morning and spend a few minutes meditating on that card’s imagery and meaning. Other witches may meditate with a crystal, really focusing in and attuning themselves to that stone’s energy. Some witches do the same thing with trees or plants. You could also read a section of spiritual literature and then spend a few moments in meditation, deeply focusing on the meaning of what you read.

There are some people who believe that they can’t meditate. I hear a lot of people say that they can’t get their brains to shut up, or that they can’t make themselves stop thinking. These people misunderstand the purpose of meditation. You aren’t turning your thoughts off — you’re just quieting them and letting them fade into the background. When a thought comes up, acknowledge it, but then let it go. Some people find it helpful to think of their thoughts like clouds, drifting across the blue sky of the mind and then disappearing.

Other people say that they can’t meditate because they aren’t able to visualize things and see them in their minds’ eye. My response to these people is that you need to broaden your definition of what meditation is. Some types of meditation do rely on visualization, but other types do not. The type of meditation I do most often revolves around feeling the energy within and around your body. You don’t have to visualize anything for this type of meditation — you simply have to be aware of your own body.

Some people feel uncomfortable with how freeform meditation is, or feel like they would do better with something more structured. I encourage these people to try guided meditations — in a guided meditation, someone else walks you through the entire process, and these typically follow a more rigid formula. This can be a great way to get used to the feeling of meditating until you feel comfortable doing it on your own.

I challenge everyone reading this post to make a commitment to themselves to meditate for five minutes a day, five days a week. I’m not asking you to meditate for hours and hours, or to meditate every day. Five minutes, five days a week. I promise you will be amazed by how quickly this meditation practice changes your life and propels you forward on your spiritual journey.

Resources:

“Proving the Benefits of Meditation” from Psychology Today

“Science-Based Benefits of Meditation” from Healthline

Wicca for Beginners by Thea Sabin

“Reiki and Meditation” by Laurelle Gaia

Note: Baby Witch Bootcamp began as a series of informational videos on my YouTube channel. This series is my attempt to meet a need for free, accessible, and well-researched information about witchcraft and other forms of magic. My background is in journalism, and this is the approach that I take with this series — I try to be as transparent as possible about where I get my information, and each episode is always accompanied by a complete list of sources. I also try to keep this series as objective as possible — my goal is not to convince you to practice witchcraft a certain way, but to provide you with the tools and resources you need to create a magical practice that fits your own beliefs, values, and spiritual needs.

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undertalethingems · 5 years ago

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I’m a huge fan of Unexpected Guests, and I’m excited to read Bark at the Moon. Your depictions of the characters are amazing. I’m new to the Undertale fandom, and as a fan creator, I want to be able to do the characters justice. I want to be able to explore them instead of just taking them at face value, but I’m worried that I won’t write them correctly, or that I’ll meet backlash for my interpretations. Do you have any advice for an aspiring comic illustrator?

Aaah thank you! Tbh, I’m always worried about the same thing--some characters are easier for me to understand than others, or maybe I haven’t paid enough attention or missed some line of dialogue that puts a new spin on their character. So, here’s my thoughts on how to approach such a thing--they’re kind of long, so i put them under a cut; I hope you’re not intimidated :”D

So, for writing Undertale’s lovely cast and setting, I think the most important thing you can do is make sure you’re as familiar with canon as you can be, and do your best to reference it if you’re not sure about something! Watching playthroughs or investigating a situation yourself, looking up transcripts and screenshots--that’s gonna be your groundwork, the absolute starting point. It’s a lot of research, but it means getting to know your favorites a better and revisiting a great game^^

The second thing I look at is things like word of god--what toby’s said in places like twitter or the art book. It’s up to you whether you include that type of source--toby’s since deleted most of his tweets about the characters, and not everything in the art book made it into the final game--but lots of people take the 1st Anniversary Q&A he did as canon, since it’s all in-character. All in all, it can be the kind of info you base headcanons on, but don’t have to use if you don’t feel like the idea is strong enough.

Finally, reading other people’s analysis on characters can help you understand them, or put things into words you’d maybe only suspected. I’m not always able to understand a character’s deeper motivations, or not know how two aspects of them connect, so reading someone else’s take on the matter can help me get a better understanding. Reading different analyses on the same thing can counteract biases, or highlight aspects other interpretations miss too, so it’s a good idea to seek out a variety of authors. This is where headcanons and personal interpretations come into play though, so you have to use your best judgment on whether you take this type of info into account in your own writing.

phew, that’s a lot of work, right?

well, do as much as you feel like; maybe just another playthrough of the game will be enough for you. But, those are all the things I’ve done to help write everyone as close to canon as I can :”D Some of the other things i try to keep in mind are:

How do they speak? since undertale doesn’t have voice acting--only voice tones--I try to pay more attention to how their dialogue is written. How do they use punctuation? What’s their typical vocabulary like? Are they polite? Do they have a catchphrase or quirk? How do they sound when they’re happy, or angry, or sad? One of the strengths of Undertale’s writing is that you can almost instantly tell who’s talking just by the text alone, so paying attention to this aspect can go a long way in helping everyone feel in-character.

How do they move? Are they always striking poses or moving around? Is their body language relaxed, tense, awkward? Which hand do they use? Do they stand tall, or slouch? How does it change depending on how they feel? Details like this can help you convey a character’s personality and mood--you might give Papyrus broad, sweeping motions, while Undyne, a similarly active character, might be more impulsive and direct in her gestures. Being able to visualize how a character does something can help you describe it and put a more specific touch on what may be happening in your story ^^

Also consider their relationships! Not in a romantic sense, but just how they feel about one another. They might be totally professional and stiff talking to one person, and goof off or relaxed with another; if someone’s done something that upsets them, they might let it slide, bear a grudge, or actively confront them about it.

Of course this is hardly the end-all, be-all guide to this kind of thing; i’m no expert in writing, and this method probably won’t work for everyone. But, the end goal is to build up a thorough picture of each character that makes it easy to throw them into any situation and have them react naturally.

As for backlash...? Well, I don’t know if I have much advice on that... If you’re following canon, then you have that to back you up; if it’s your own headcanon, then explaining why you hold it could help people see where you’re coming from. Ultimately, it’s your story, so maybe some things will only make sense to you... But, you’re at least willing to put some effort into understanding these characters as the game presents them, and I think that’s a pretty good start ^^

#undertalethingem chats #undertalethingem writes #sort of anyway >>

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silly-anshe · 6 years ago

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Do you like Lindsay Ellis? Even though her points on Sansa and Dany were completely off? She basically bashed Sansa and defended Dany treating her like an actual hero. That’s just wrong.

I haven’t heard of her until her name started to pop up on my dash because of her “hot takes”, especially on Sansa. So, to give you a proper answer, I went and watched her video. And, oh boy...

You may take this as a counter-argument to hers. I’ll take her approach; first I’ll speak about power citing Important People™, and then I’ll head straight to the rebuttals. (You may skip the philosophy lecture if you want. I’ll actually use it to justify my answers, so, it’s up to you. In case you don’t want to read the whole thing - which is totally understandable and, you know what, even recommend - I’ve put the key points at the end of first part of this meta.)

She starts the video talking about the nature of power, quoting the writer Robert A. Caro:

“We’re taught Lord Acton’s axiom: all power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely [...]. I believed that when I started these books (about Lyndon B. Johnson), but I don’t believe it’s always true anymore. [...] What I believe is always true about power is that power reveals. When you have enough power to do what you always wanted to do, then you get to see what the guy always wanted to do”.

Let’s take a second to analyze this. First off, it starts with a quote that GRRM likes to go back to a lot. After all, ASOIAF is a work of (fantasy) fiction that analyzes the nature of power and its dynamics and just how much it can corrupt a person, even those with good intentions. That’s the core of GRRM’s work, the nature of power and what it can do to a person.

I agree with Caro when he says that power reveals, but power does not only reveals what a person wants to do, but how that person does that. The how is just as important as the what, especially when we’re talking about political figures (fictional or not).

(I talked about Daenerys and what is it that she does with her power in a couple of metas - some are mine, the others are from awesome people in which case I’m just putting my two cents on the matter - : X, X, X, X, X)

There’s a very interesting conversation between Michel Foucault and Gilles Deleuze, called “Intellectuals and power”. Here are some excerpts that I believe are important when talking about the nature of power:

M. Foucault: [while talking about the prison system and can power be found its raw form in prisons] What is fascinating about prisons is that, for once, power doesn’t hide or mask itself; it reveals itself as tyranny pursued into the tiniest details; it is cynical and at the same time pure and entirely “justified”, because its practice can be totally formulated within the framework of morality. Its brutal tyranny consequently appears as the serene domination of Good over Evil, of order versus disorder.

What Foucault is that we can find power (in this particular case, in prisons) that is tyrannical but, at the same time, manages to justify its ruthlessness, all because it was built in a framework that enables it to do so. So, we can see people punishing other people, sometimes in the most brutal of ways, all in the name of morality: because Evil must be punished by Good, as to set an example that Good will always dominate over Evil.

M. Foucault: [about the nature of power] (Power) is at once visible and invisible, present and hidden, unbiquitous. [...] The question of power remains a total enigma. Who exercises power? [...] We now know with reasonable certainty who exploits others, who recieves the profits, which people are involved [...] But as for power... We know that it is not in the hands of those who govern. [...] Everywhere that power exists, it is being exercised. No one, strictly speaking, has an official right to power; and yet it is always exerted in a particular direction, with some people on one side and some on the other. It is often difficult to say who holds power in a precise sense, but it is easy to see who lacks power”.

In this excerpt, in which Foucault disscuses the nature of power and how it works, I’d like to highlight two sentences; the first one being “Everywhere that power exists, it is being exercised” and the second being “ [...] It is easy to see who lacks power”.

Regarding the first sentence, it shows power as something that is always active; there’s always someone with power, using that power. There is a person/group regarded as the powerful. But given the dual nature of power (visible/invisible,present/hidden), if there’s the powerful, then there’s also the powerless. And that’s where the struggle appears. Because power is a force with no master, yet it seems someone/some specific group has it. So, there’s always a struggle to obtain power.

Regarding the second sentence, Foucault distinguishes that the most recognizable characteristic about power are the powerless. When you have something that can hide and disguise itself, which is the case with power, then it’s clear that it’s easier to spot those who lack that something. That’s why when trying to understand power dynamics, we always talk about things like “true power”, “the person behind the curtain/calling the shots”, etc., but we don’t have phrases like that regarding those who lack power. The powerless are just that: people who lack power. Powerlessness doesn’t hide to the eye, it’s always present in its true form, unlike power itself.

G. Deleuze: [...] How is it that people whose interests are not being served can strictly support the existing power structure by demanding a piece of the action? Perhaps, this is because in terms of investments, [...] there are investments of desire that function in a more profound way and diffuse manner than our interests dictate. But of course, we never desire against our interests, because interest always follows and finds itself where desire has placed it.

Here, Deleuze presents an intriguing thought. How is it that people that have no power support a system that won’t change their situation (in relation with power) and still be active in said system? Deleuze argues that desire weights more than interests when it comes to the powerless; so, when driven by desire, people act according to them. But there is something that’s worth keeping in mind: whether be powerless or powerful, people never desire against their interests, because desire can act as a tool to protect those interests.

TL;DR:

Power can be tyrannical while disguising itself as being moral, all because it exists in a framework that allows it to do so. With this kind of power, ruthlessness is justified as Good dominating Evil.

Where there’s power, there’s always a person/group exercising said power, even though power belongs to no one. So, with the exercise of power, comes the making of two distinct groups: the powerful and the powerless; both groups then struggle to control that power: the powerless fight to gain power, the powerful fight to keep their power.

Powerlessness doesn’t disguise itself. It’s easy to recognize. So, the powerless appear just as they are, they have no reason (or means) to disguise their true nature.

Sometimes desire can weight more than interests, but people never desire against their own interests.

So that’s that on (some of) the philosophy of power. Now, let’s get into the what you asked, nonny.

I’ll start with the things that I agree with.

Problems with characterization

I think we can all agree on one single fact: D&D (and the entirety of the writer’s room) downplayed the characters’ defining traits in order for them to fit within the plot/drive the narrative forward. This is something that started around S5, when D&D ran out of books to adapt. So, the problem D&D were presented with at that time is that they knew the endgame to all the core characters, but had no step-by-step guide to help them reach said endgame.

Flash-forward to S8, and we’re in the middle of a whole mess. We get to certain plot-points, but we reach those by the way of the narrative explaining us how the characters or the story gets there, instead of the characters reaching those plot-points organically. The characters’ endgame is treated more as a destination (somewhere we must reach) and less as something that would wrap up the characters’ arcs in an organic* way.

* By organic, I mean that we (the audience) see the characters make certain choices (or not), say things (or not) that will eventually lead them to their endgame. A story like Thrones is character-driven, it always was. It was the decisions these characters made that had a ripple effect on the storyline, either personal or political (or both). By season 7, and more explicitly in season 8, the storyline was driven by plot-points, so it was not the characters influencing the story, but the story influencing the characters acted

So, what we end up with is various examples of “tell, don’t show”, which really is a sin in storytelling, especially in a visual medium. That’s why a lot of people weren’t sold by Jonerice, because it was so easy to spot the “lie”.

Now, time for the counter-arguments! (I’ll focus on some of the “arguments” she makes that stood up for me).

“Sansa has no pathos”

Well, that’s actually true. First, let’s start with some definitions of pathos:

Pathos is a quality of an experience in life, or a work of art, that stirs up emotions of pity, sympathy, and sorrow. Pathos can be expressed through words, pictures, or even with gestures of the body.

Pathos is an important tool of persuasion in arguments. Pathos is a method of convincing people with an argument drawn out through an emotional response.

Emotional appeal can be accomplished in many ways, such as the following:

-by a metaphor or storytelling, commonly known as a hook;

-by passion in the delivery of the speech or writing, as determined by the audience; and

-by personal anecdote.

One of the characters in GOT/ASOIAF that appeals to the emotion of others (uses pathos in their rethoric) is Daenerys. I’ve written a little thing about it here

Sansa, instead, uses ethos in her arguments. That’s how she appeals to people. But, what is ethos?

Ethos represents credibility, or an ethical appeal, which involves persuasion by the character involved. [...] The credibility of a speaker or a writer relies on his or her authority on the subject matter, as well as on how much he or she is liked and deemed worthy of respect.

Ethos forms the root of ethikos (ἠθικός), meaning "moral, showing moral character"

Speakers must establish ethos from the start. This can involve "moral competence" only; Aristotle, however, broadens the concept to include expertise and knowledge. Ethos is limited, in his view, by what the speaker says. Others, however, contend that a speaker's ethos extends to and is shaped by the overall moral character and history of the speaker—that is, what people think of his or her character before the speech has even begun.

For Aristotle, a speaker's ethos was a rhetorical strategy employed by an orator whose purpose was to "inspire trust in his audience" (Rhetorica 1380). Ethos was therefore achieved through the orator's "good sense, good moral character, and goodwill", and central to Aristotelian virtue ethics was the notion that this "good moral character" was increased in virtuous degree by habit (Rhetorica 1380).

Lindsay Ellis refers to pathos (or the lack-of) in Sansa’s arc meaning that she’s never shown to emotionally process what she’s been through. But if we were to properly use the word pathos, Sansa never appeals to us, the audience, in an emotional way. That’s her criticism. And it’s fine, but there’s something she’s missing while making this criticism: all of Sansa’s storylines were based around other characters, oftentimes male characters. Sansa has never been at the center of her own narrative, unlike Daenerys.

“New Empowerment Sansa spends the whole battle trash-talking Daenerys, who, unlike Sansa, is out there risking her life”

(I’ll do this one in parts because there’s a lot to unpack here)

First of all, it’s not trash-talking if it’s true. As I pointed out before with the conversation between Foucault and Deleuze, there are two things to keep in mind regarding the Sansa-Daenerys clash in S8:

“Everywhere that power exists, it is being exercised”; and

“We never desire against our interests, because interest always follows and finds itself where desire has placed it.”

The struggle between Sansa and Daenerys is political, they both seek to have power over a specific territory (the North). That’s their interest and their desire. It’s Sansa’s desire to keep Northern Independence and it’s in her best interests (and those of her people). Sansa’s desire and interests clashes with Daenerys’, since having the largest region of the Seven Kingdoms to remain independence goes against her interests (and desires) as a Conqueror.

Secondly, the living only had a fighting chance because of all the efforts made by the northerners and the KOTV, all under Sansa’s leadership as Lady of Winterfell. In S7, most of the northern lords were ready to jump out of the USS Jon Snow, but it’s because of Sansa’s leadership skills that the North remained a united front. The people fighting outside Winterfell were vital in the Battle of WF, but so were the efforts of the people tasked with assembling the barracks with dragonglass, the people putting leather on the armours, the men forging dragonglass weapons, the people tasked with feeding the soldiers and the refugees from all parts of the North. All of that was possible because of Sansa.

“New Empowerment Sansa won’t shut the fuck up about how much she doesn’t like Daenerys”

Seeing Sansa express her discontent with Daenerys is actually good, especially when you remember that she has been surrounded by enemies basically by the entire run of the show. That means she always had to keep her true feelings to herself, relying on very few people (trust issues are a big thing in Sansa’s overall arc). Sansa voicing her opinions shows us, the audience, she’s finally at a place in the story in which she finally feels safe to do so.

“Sansa’s evolution mirrors the Starks as a whole. The compassion and nobility that defined the Starks is one of their biggest assets, but in the end, they’re no better than the fucking Lannisters”

Ok, here’s the thing. Time and time again, we had different characters tell us, the audience, that northerners are loyal to their own, that they’re distrustful of outsiders (there’s a reason why “The North remembers” is basically their cathphrase). We’ve seen it with Robb, Cat, Sansa and Jon.

If one had to single out a theme for S8 (something weird to do, since D&D don’t believe in themes, but themes are present in every single story, whether you believe in them or not), the theme could very well be survival. At this point, everyone’s looking after their own. All those that made it this far had been through so damn much, have seen so damn much, that what they all want is to survive.

People have this misconception about the Starks: they’re this very good, very noble group of people. That’s true; if you talk about how the Starks are with the people they love and trust. And we’ve seen that trust issues are a big thing for the remaining Starklings. Ever since the start of the show, all of the Starks were separated: you had Ned with Sansa and Arya in the South; Cat with Robb, Bran and Rickon in WF; and Jon at the Wall. As the story moves forward, the Starkling find themselves alone; it’s all so they can learn to fend for themselves and once they reunite, act like a Pack of Wolves, each with a particular skill. From the beginning, the Starks were the one family that was beaten time and time again, only to get up and get beat one more time. People talk about the Starks acting like the Lannisters in S8 because we, as an audience, never had the chance to watch them act as a unit. And is it really so surprising to watch a family taking care of each other when every single person in the show is doing the exact same thing?

The Starks, for the first time since reuniting, are acting like a Pack. Like Old Papa Stark used to say: the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. The Starklings are after survival, just like everyone else. The difference with, let’s say, northman #3 is that the Starks are aware of the political struggle in the near future with Daenerys and what that political struggle means fro everybody. Take S8E4 as an example. Tension is growing between the Starks and Daenerys. We, the audience, know that. Northman #3 doesn’t.

Going back to the subject of power, it’s really noteworthy how the powerful players use their power regarding others:

We see Sansa put the food issue on the table

(an issue no one seems to worry about or even remember, not even the writers).

She insists for the gates to remain open until the last northerner arrives for shelter. She is constantly fighting for the freedom of her people

(the northerners chose Robb as KITN, then chose Jon).

She also uses her power as Lady of Winterfell to protect her family

She tells Tyrion about RLJ not because she wants to cause trouble, but because she knows if the truth gets out, Daenerys won’t be able to hurt Jon

while they’re in the South.Since it’s difficult to make a clear reading of Jon’s arc in S8 (

since D&D butchered his character

), this will be more of an assumption. What

get from Jon in S8 is

Sacrificial!Jon

He does whatever he has to do to secure the alliance with Daenerys and to protect his family

. Ride a dragon? He’ll do it. Try to ease her temper regarding his family, namely Sansa? He’ll try his damnest. Tell her she’s his queen and that he loves her? A thousand times. Ride South to help her get the Iron Throne? Well... that didn’t go as he has hoped. What I’m trying to say is that

Jon tried to manage the situation at hand with the little power he had

(and he had

very little

power).

What we see is Jon trying and failing, and ultimately, he has this huge dilemma presented in front of him

: kill Daenerys and save the Starks; or let Daenerys roam free, knowing she will most likely burn Sansa (and all of those she feels like it) for treason? But the answer to this dilemma has been there since the beginning.

Jon Snow fights for the North. All his life, he wanted to be a Stark

. We know what happened next.

Ned says something that captures the essence of the Starks:

Ned: (to Arya) You’re a Stark of Winterfell, you know our words. (Winter Is Coming) You were born in the Long Summer, you’ve never known anything else but now Winter is truly coming, and in the winter we must protect ourselves, look after one another.

“So Sansa is a northern separatist now for some fucking reason even though now is not the time”

Sansa has been “a northern separatist” since this moment:

She’s been a central part of the Northern Independence plot. In case some of you don’t remember, Joffrey used to command his Kingsguards to beat her every time Robb won a battle (which was pretty much all the time).

The Red Wedding only intensifies her desire to go home and rebuild it (RE: Northern Independence). S5 happens (let’s leave it at that). In S6, we see Sansa reclaim her identity as a Stark, leading her House alongside Jon and fight for the North, for her people. In S7, we see her in a place of power, we see her leading her people. And in S8, we see her fight for Northern Independence, just like her brother before her. The only difference between her and Robb is that she doesn’t use a sword, she uses words and politics.

Northern Independence is a key plot-point all throughout the story. It’s what drives the political side of the story forward. It’s when the North declares itself independent from the Iron Throne that shit gets real for Joffrey and Cersei (and the rest of the Lannisters). From there, we have the War of the Five Kings, which ends with all five kings dead. We have a fractured Westeros, divided by war and power and sides. You can’t talk about Thrones without talking about the Northern Independence plot.

About the timing. If one argues that Sansa’s timing is off, then one could also say the exact same thing about Daenerys in S7. By S7E7, she has already seen the Night King and his army, she has seen what they can do. But still, she insists on a truce. Even as of S8E2, she doesn’t see the Battle of Winterfell as her duty as Protector of the Realm (since she calls herself Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, PoR is one of her many, many titles) but sees it as “Jon’s war”. Sansa, representing the North, has to give away their independence (and yes, I say Sansa and not Jon because the true political power of the North is Sansa, not Jon Snow) to a foreign Conqueror. And even then, after having to give away their hard-earned independence, their new Queen still don’t see defending them from a life-threatening situation as her duty but as something her boyfriend has to deal with and she’s so cool by helping him.

Also, seeing that the supernatural threat was dealt with by episode 3, we had 3 90+ minutes episodes to deal with the political side of the story. And what has been an integral part of that side of the plot? The North.

Lindsay Ellis mentions Torrhen Stark in her video, as someone Sansa should’ve taken as an example when dealing with Daenerys. But I disagree with this thought.

Torrhen and Sansa are supposed to mirror each other. Not parallel, not follow, not imitate. Why? Because they achieved the same goal when in the (basically) same situation, only by doing the opposite of what the other did.

Torrhen Stark, “the King who knelt”, bent the knee to Aegon, a Targaryen Conqueror, so his people would be safe. Sansa Stark, “the Queen who never knelt”, who pushed for Northern Independence did the same by not kneeling to Daenerys (a Targaryen Conqueror), because she knew she would’ve been the same (or worse, if we’re actually being honest with ourselves) as any other Southern ruler.

Also, the last King in the North was Robb Stark.

“What do dragons eat anyway? You know what, Sansa? It doesn’t matter. Don’t worry your empowered little head about it. Enjoy those dragons and supplies from other regions now that it’s fucking winter and you all have a common enemy”

RE: the food. Daenerys burned all the food from the Reach (y’know, the harvest that was meant to be stored for the longest winter to date) in S7E4. Maybe people forgot about the first war crime Dany committed in Westeros?

But I already talked about the food issue. If you want to read more about it, here you go.

The line “what do dragons eat anyway?” is a subtle way to do two things at the same time: Daenerys threatens Sansa (basically saying anything that I might set my eyes upon will be mine, because you cannot overpower me and you can’t do nothing about unless you want become my enemy) and it showcases just how different Sansa and Dany are when it comes to “everyday ruling”. It’s been established back in Meereen that these “trivial” things bore Daenerys to death, but what she failed to comprehend back then and fails to comprehend again once she’s in Westeros is the fact that those “trivial” things are what solidifies her rule. How she rules and what she does has a direct impact on her people, noble and smallfolk alike. That’s why she failed in Meereen: she failed to meet the best interests of both the smallfolk and the nobles. In Westeros, she faced resistance in the nobles. After the Battle of Winterfell, sure, she won some nobles over. The smallfolk felt indebted to her. But her role in the Battle of Winterfell doesn’t erase her previous actions: it doesn’t erase her treatment of the meereenese, it doesn’t erase her burning the Tarlys (father and son, just like her father did to the Starks), it doesn’t erase her willingness to burn a city to the ground (and a million innocent people with it) just to win the war, and it most definitely doesn’t erase her promise of “liberating” the world, from Winterfell to Dorne, from Lannisport from Qarth, from the Summer Isles to the Jade Sea.

youtube

I already mentioned the Night King and his army, but what the hell, I’ll do it again. They do have a common enemy in the Night King. But that enemy is half of the story. That’s the Ice of the famous Song for the Prince that was Promised. The other half is Fire. And that Fire is Daenerys. The NK and Daenerys are the ultimate Big Baddies the heroes (the Starks) have to face off.

“Sansa’s only purpose this season is to have an unfounded suspicion of Daenerys, which only proves to be founded when Daenerys does something nonsensical”

Sansa’s role in S8 was to further the Northern Independence plot, as well as to be a resisting force in Daenerys’ quest for absolute power in Westeros. Like I mentioned before, Sansa’s desires and interests clash against Daenerys’ own, so there ought to be a power struggle.

Sansa’s suspicions are founded. Let’s me rephrase this. Any type of suspicion Sansa might have of someone that doesn’t come from the North are founded in her own mind, and that’s what matters. Because it’s the character driving the story forward using previous stages of the character’s arc as justification. Sansa has been held prisoner since S1; she was at the mercy of the Lannisters, the Tyrells (yes, I include the Tyrells because incriminating Sansa was a very important part in Olenna’s plans for the Purple Wedding), her aunt Lysa, Littlefinger and the Boltons. She was used for her claim, she bled and was tortured for the North, every time Robb “I’ve won every battle but I’m losing this war” Stark would win, Joffrey would order one of his Kingsguard to beat her for it. It makes sense for her to be distrustful, especially of someone who came to claim something that wasn’t hers. Now, we can go on a merry-go round about whether Daenerys deserved this treatment or not, but facts are facts: it made sense for Sansa as a character to act that way, even if the execution (RE: the writing) was a bit off.

And Dany’s actions in S8E5 weren’t nonsensical. I’ll just leave these pictures:

And how can we forget her infamous speech to the Dothraki in S6?

youtube

So, if anyone says that Dany’s actions were nonsensical or out of nowhere, that’s because they weren’t paying attention. I mean, getting what’s “yours” with Fire and Blood? I don’t know what people expected... Rainbows and sunshine and a happy song? The Targaryens are villain-coded for a reason.

“Otherwise, Daenerys has essentially given all of her resources to defend Winterfell based on the promise of the guy in charge and Sansa is still like “Hmmm... I don’t know. I don’t like the cut to her jib”.

I’ll try to keep it short because this is getting repetitive:

Sansa had reasons not to trust Daenerys

Jon Snow might had the title, but Sansa was the true political power of the North

Daenerys did take her armies and dragons North, but that was her duty as Protector of the Realm, since she’s claiming to be the rightful Queen of the Seven Kingdoms

I’ll expand a bit on this part, though: “otherwise, Daenerys has essentially given all of her resources to defend Winterfell based on the promise of the guy in charge”

Since the northern lords elected Jon Snow as King in the North, the true (raw) power lies with the lords. To quote Michel Foucault from the excerpt I transcribed at the beginning of this meta : “But as for power... We know that it is not in the hands of those who govern.” Power is an ever-changing force. It’s always in flux. Political power might be one one side, then on the other (just as it was with the Boltons/Lannisters, then with the Starks), but the true, raw power lies with the people and their desire. The people choose who they want to rule them. As of S7, they wanted Sansa to rule them, but she declines their very kind and subtle offer at treason siding with and supporting Jon. That is until Daenerys arrives and she’s able to form an opinion of her. As of S8E1, she doesn’t trust Daenerys, doesn’t believe her to be their Queen, and even questions Jon’s reasons for bending the knee (something she, and the lords didn’t approve of). Her purpose in the story, since S6, is to play an explicit role in Northern Independence, to finish what Robb started. Daenerys is to Sansa what Tywin and Joffrey were to Robb.

“By the end of the stupid, dumb Battle of Winterfell, Daenerys has proved herself worthy of being a Queen about as well as one can expect in this universe. She’s forging alliances, doing battle, keeping her promises to her followers and to her allies. So Sansa’s stink-eye over Daenerys makes no sense”

As to Daenerys being worthy of being Queen of the 7K, I’ll say it one more time: she did her duty. As claimant of the titles Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, she’s also claiming the title of Protector of the Realm. The title of Protector is a military one, basically it gives her command of the armies of Westeros. So, it’s part of the job to defend the Realm from any and every threat: that includes ice zombies and the dead, making her war, too, not just “Jon’s war”.

Also, she did what Stannis Baratheon did in S5. Did he do the right thing by aiding the Night’s Watch? Yeah. Was he fitted to be King? Well, he burned his only daughter alive so he could win a fight, so I’d double check that one. It all boils down to the same fact that I’ve been talking about time and time again: doing the right thing for the right reasons. Stannis didn’t do the right thing for the right reasons. And he didn’t make a good king. Sure, he was far better than all the other options available, but he still wasn’t good. Same thing with Daenerys. She did a lot of good things, but all for selfish reasons. Was she a better option from all the others she was fighting against? Yeah, maybe. But she didn’t put any effort in doing right by those people, by doing something that benefitted them and only them. So, was she fitted to be Queen? The answer is no.

Daenerys forged alliances when it benefitted her (she made a deal with the Greyjoys – which included independence btw, since a lot of you seemed to have forgotten – because she needed ships to get to Westeros; Varys forged alliances in her name with Olenna Tyrell and Ellaria Sand – she needed Westerosi allies, otherwise it would’ve been too simple for Cersei to win the war – bringing two powerful regions into her command). But, once Yara and Ellaria were captured, she didn’t even lift a finger to rescue them. It was a great opportunity to show the rest of the nobility that she wouldn’t forsake her allies, that she wouldn’t leave them at the mercy of her enemies. Alas, she did leave them to the mercy of Cersei and Euron. And her reaction to the Lannister forces taking Highgarden? Burn all the food, in a spectacularly stupid way of saying “if I can’t have it, then no one can”.

And since we’re in the subject of allies; Olenna actually sided with Daenerys not because she believed her to be the rightful heir to the throne or because she thought Dany would be a good Queen. Olenna wanted some plain old and simple revenge. She wanted to watch Cersei and everything she worked (and bled and disgraced) for to burn, just like Cersei did with House Tyrell. And what better way to do achieve your revenge plans than with a Targaryen with three weapons of mass destruction? Same goes for Ellaria and the Sand Snakes, they just wanted revenge for what the Lannisters did to Oberyn and Elia Martell (oh, the irony of making the people that want to avenge Elia Martell side with a woman that belongs to the family that was just as responsible for what happened to her and her children as the Lannisters. THE IRONY, I TELL YOU).

So... that’s all I can think of.

I’m sure you expected something shorter, nonny, but when it comes to defending Sansa Stark, I gotta do it properly.

So, I apologize. I know this got out of hand. But the thing is, when it comes to Sansa (and people treating her as an Evil Bitch That Needs To Calm Down™, while claiming D is someone who Did Nothing Wrong™):

Thanks for the ask!

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ddaenghoney · 5 years ago

Text

chapter nineteen

masterlist link in blog description.

As a successful songwriter, you want nothing more than the acknowledgment that the chart-topping musical pieces are your own creations. But contracts, relationships, and the difficulty of facing the stakes involved head on, keep your mouth shut until pressure builds too much.

Pairing(s): Park Jimin x Y/N, Min Yoongi x Y/N

disclaimer: any characters depicted do not represent the actual personality of the respected idol in real life.

Series warning(s)/genre(s): Chapter-based written fic, Slow-burn relationship(s), Fake-dating, Unrequited love, Songwriter/producer!oc, idol!Jimin, idol/songwriter/producer!Yoongi, friends with benefits, drama, romance, smut, angst, fluff (updated as needed)

Chapter warning(s): jimin redemption arc?... have y’all heard of that song... Promise..? yeah.

Word count: 5324

if you enjoy please, please let me know!

The company garage contains a normal amount of vehicles for the time of the day, and practically no one in sight as you and Yoongi reach his Audi. With his hand untangling from yours to find the keys in his pocket, you use both appendages to rub your face and muffle a loud groan into the skin. The electrical clicking of the car unlocking sounds as Yoongi turns back to face you, eyebrows perked.

“It’s catching up with you?” He asks though it sounds more like a comment. You just nod your head, still covering the majority of your face as the conversation plays over and over. Yoongi’s head tilts also thinking back upon the situation, and frankly not finding any of what you told Yerin wrong. Taehyung’s likely to get unnerved behind chuckles when he hears about the potential contract troubles you intend to land yourself into, but Yoongi completely respects the method to break free of the whole ordeal.

No matter what, SoundWave is not going to budge on their side. He imagines they’re willing to take the secret to the grave without ever leaning for a second in the direction of your favor. Though the risk to your reputation is high, Yoongi understands the current view perception you have in the public is not good already anyways. At least with this method there exists a greater likelihood of you being recognized as the victim Yerin made you into, and not the issue she tries to manipulate the world into seeing.

“How the hell am I supposed to explain myself in front of the press, or anything like that? What was I thinking?” Your hands fall away to clump into a tight bind in front of your torso.

“You were thinking that you shouldn’t be blamed for this anymore.” Yoongi’s feet come into your view as he steps closer. Gently his fingertips find your sides, easing tiny waves of warmth as he gently rubs. Ducking down to your level he continues fervently. “And none of this is your fault, so you should do this if it’s what you want to, angel.”

“But what if no one even believes me?” You glance up at him with worry, biting the corner of your lip. “Everyone already hates me, Yoon.” The crack in your tone triggers a small shake in your shoulders. Hushing the tension trying to stir, Yoongi’s lips place a small fluttering kiss against your forehead as his hands move you an inch or so closer. Your balled fists find his chest, pressing flat to feel the serene beat.

“I don’t doubt the majority of people will believe you though, baby.” He murmurs against your skin, dipping another kiss against your cheeks then they tighten from an unsure frown. “If SoundWave doesn’t say anything back then it proves you’re telling the truth. If they try to sue you, then it proves you’re telling the truth because the confidentiality clause of your contract is going to get into the public.”

“I’m just scared that whatever I say to a reporter is going to get twisted.” You lift your eyes up, finding Yoongi’s. “But if I try to do a livestream to explain this all, well,” You shrug, sighing. “Knowing me I’ll probably look super nervous and not explain the situation right.”

“No, a livestream wouldn’t be best.” Yoongi nods. “I know a couple of reporters who have always been good to me whenever I work with them. Let’s talk to one of them, alright? That way you can speak in a comfortable environment.”

You bite your lip. The closeness of this path’s fruition sends a rumble through your chest, as the wavering perspectives clash. The prickling feeling of guilt lingers, raising the volume of the distressed idols of SoundWave desperate to keep you quiet. One person speaking out to ruin hundreds of employees who were manipulated to various degrees.

“I need to tell Jihyo.” Your hands grip wrinkles on Yoongi’s shirt. The corner of his mouth divets in worry of your somberly building expression. “Give her and her group some warning.” Thoughts of their bright faces during promotion periods and cheerfully thanking you personally after award shows cross your mind. “And,”

Memories flood of early months in your career at SoundWave. Its modest appearance in those days feels reminiscent of a home left behind. The trainees were all uncertain, and the couple of active idols appreciated a moderate level of popularity. Long hours of work between you and others in the production department of music collected a camaraderie that cheerfully flourished with the appearance of consistent success. Pieces of a puzzle found their correct locations one after another creating a gleaming picture that shined when Jimin debuted.

You can easily remember the amount of detail into his debut album. The active involvement he made to attend as many meetings as possible despite not being allowed to contribute input where music was concerned. Bright and eager he’d run around the building with complete excitement for his debut that gained exponential traction from the concept photos alone.

More often than not the small handful of employees remaining in the building in the middle of the night would consist of him and you, so there was ample time to connect. Though initially you think he stuck around you with an apologetic ambience. Discontented by his lack of help while you conceptualized the lyrics of his album. And you told Jimin it was more than alright for you, because you were just as excited for so many of your songs to be used.

Genuinely expressing your willingness to let any of them perform the music under their names because at least it was being heard. At least you were doing what you wanted to do, modestly or not. You told him names weren’t important because you knew and that was enough.

“I need to tell Jimin.”

The tension in your hands drifts away, replacing itself with an airy nervousness. Scrambling in your mind, thoughts crash from the surprise of your candor. Yoongi grips your wrists, gently encapsulating them like a cushion for your wandering head. You look up at him as he maneuvers your arms down between the two of your bodies. Tangling your hands together, he nods slightly, the shadow of an empathetic smile barely visible.

“Yeah. You do.”

“Because I owe it to them, though-” He nods again, squeezing your hands.

“I know. I didn’t think anything of it, angel. I know he meant a lot to you.”

“Yoongi,” Your eyebrows crease, feeling bothered to leave this issue so simply. “You mean more to me.”

“You really,” He chuckles. Smile shifts into a softer tone. “Don’t need to explain yourself. I believe you-”

“But I don’t want you to worry-- or force away showing me that it makes you uncomfortable.” You remove your hands to rest them on Yoongi’s shoulders, watching as his smile dissipates. “I’m telling them--I’m telling Jimin because I don’t think it’s right of me to wreck their careers without even telling them that I want to tell the truth about everything. I’m not telling him because he means a lot to me, I’m telling him because I owe him that. You mean the most to me.”

Yoongi’s lips tighten to a line, feeling his heartbeat ricochet. He lets his arms find their way around you when you guide your lips against his. The worry in his throat lingers until the connection causes a dispersion. Like tiny enamored words silently press onto his lips, Yoongi can visualize your sincerity as your fingers individually squeeze onto his shoulders.

“You’ve always been beside me.” Your voice emits a clinging sensation as you speak mumbles on his mouth. “I’m so happy I’m with you, Yoon.”

Stinging blurs in his eyes, and Yoongi travels his thumbs to your cheeks to brush away the dots of glittery tears. “You’re sweet, angel.” He catches the slight widening of your eyes, but ignores the meaning to cover every instance of tears on your skin with a kiss. “You don’t need to cry about this.”

“They’re your tears, baby.” Yoongi hums as your words enter his ears, and he blinks to release another silent stream. Lips purse as your thumbs now rub along his face. He watches your gentle smile with a growing fondness clenching in his chest.

“I really did believe you before you told me that.” You listen to the murmur, glancing up to his eyes when his hands grip your sides. “I don’t doubt you.” A smile blossoms in front of your gaze, and Yoongi shrugs bashfully. “But what you said clearly made me really happy.”

Heat crawls in patches on your cheeks, as you peck another kiss against his lips intending for it to be a short moment before you speak again. However, Yoongi holds you there, following your movement and deepening the connection with endeared craving. One of your hands falls to his chest feeling the deep beat, and Yoongi’s thumbs press on the divet between your hip bones, lapping in the moment.

Parting allows breaths to flood the air along with his whisper, “You’re precious to me.”

“Are you going to try and make me cry now?”

“No,” He chuckles, shadowing his lips along the side of your mouth. “I just feel lucky someone like you came into my life.”

“Yoongi,” Your hand pats against his heart and he holds it in place with his larger appendage. You pout as he pulls his head back to properly look at you. “I really will cry--what are you smiling about that for?”

“You’re so cute.” Your growing pout only serves to promote the grinning expression. You sigh, trying to avoid his fond stare so your face doesn’t redden more.

“Sorry, I made you stand in the background of that whole thing, by the way.”

“That’s alright-- you were a badass, I enjoyed it.” Yoongi laughs as you shake your head and attempt to push him away from you out of embarrassment. “I have to meet Hoseok in about an hour and a half to tour a building.”

“Wow, you’re both working quickly.” You say in surprise as Yoongi releases your hand from the hold against his chest. He nods sheepishly,

“Well everything will take a while to get together so it’s best to start sooner than later. Do you want to tag along, angel?”

“Doubt Hoseok wants an audience.”

“Please,” Yoongi chuckles as he rubs his bangs from his face. “He won’t mind at all. Besides he likes you a lot anyways. He thinks you’re more fun than me.”

“Don’t pout.” You smile, poking your thumb into his cheek as Yoongi bitterly says his last sentence. He rolls his eyes, allowing your hand to remain on his face as you continue speaking. “I’ll go, but just because I want to hold your hand while I figure out what I’m going to say to Jimin and Jihyo.”

“So don’t talk to you while we’re touring.” Yoongi chuckles as you nod with complete seriousness of the idea. “That’s fine, I like having you around in general anyways.” He says nodding in the direction of his car steps away.

“Oh, just to look at?” You question over the top of his car as Yoongi rolls his eyes and simply slides into the driver seat. You stare inquisitively at him when you join, refraining from your joking smile to appear on your face. Dipping your head forward to the dash to remain in his peripherals, you nearly let out a giggle as he looks at you with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah-”

“Jerk.” You smile at Yoongi when he shakes his head holding back his own laughter. “I thought you just said I was precious to you-”

Yoongi kisses you to interrupt the sentence, content with the sight of your flustered smile as he pulls away. “Most precious, angel.”

---

Your groan muffles against soft fabric, while your legs curl beneath the warmth of your comforter. Clinging your hands tighter, they feel the rumbling of chuckles that your ears detect languidly above your head. One eye peeks open with enough time to watch Yoongi’s arm fall away to the mattress from where he tried to ease your body off his own. He simply looks up at the ceiling as the hand connected to his arm you lie on rubs tiny strokes on your back

“Thought you said you were going to sleep in.” Your voice lulls and you only curl closer to his frame. Yoongi hums vaguely, angling his face towards you so the view of his slowly waking expression reveals itself with the softness of sunlight through the windows painting it warmly.

“It’s almost one. We both have slept in, angel.” Yoongi says watching with amusement as your eyes quickly widen from surprise. He watches with interest as you pick yourself up on one arm to look over his body to the bedside clock corroborating his statement. “Sleep well?”

“I guess too well.” Your quiet voice is twinged with muted embarrassment, but considering how easily you drifted into a deep sleep you aren’t remorseful.

“It’s Sunday, so it doesn’t really matter anyways.” Yoongi admits with a sigh as he stretches both arms out in the air above you both.

“Well, it sort of matters since the reporter is coming in a couple of hours.” Your eyes fall back to Yoongi when the sensation of his hands against your waist register. Lazily he brings you down to him so that one of your arms presses between your bodies. He kisses you gently, then smiles when you immediately kiss along his jaw. “Guess what.”

“Hmm?” He barely manages to voice the retort, focusing more on the sudden spark of energy in your irises as you smile down at him.

“I’m really good at making pancakes.”

“Better than the burnt takeout you reheated the other day?” Yoongi’s head tilts, not bothering to hide the smile as you pout from his teasing.

“With that attitude, you won’t find out.” You cover his protestint mouth with a kiss, then scoot off the bed. “But you do have to help me.” You state as you press a finger to your phone screen. The sight free of notifications leaves a small well in your stomach.

Jihyo instantly responded to the text you left her with a phone call. A lengthy rant of words to you, dirtied with things you doubt she meant but hurt to hear all the same. The pleas she said felt more painful to listen to, each one taking a blunt hit against the wall of conviction in your head. Not managing to break through, but difficult to shut down.

The longer text message sent to Jimin, you anticipated a similar phone call in return. With the history between the two of you, there was little to stop the assumption that Jimin would wholeheartedly use that as a way to feel comfortable enough to call. This was the decision he was so afraid of that it ended the relationship between you both. Even with what he told you last at the cafe--even when he promised to support your decisions in the future, you can’t imagine this would sit so silently in his throat.

“Did he respond?” Yoongi’s voice brings you back, as his arms do a quick job to unconsciously comfort you. Encircling your hips, he brings you a step towards where he sits at the edge of the bed, letting his head rest against your waist.

“Nope.” You shimmy an arm free so that you can tangle the hand within Yoongi’s unkempt dark locks. “I’m not really waiting for him too, though. I still want to talk to the reporter.”

“Bugs you though?”

“I just expected him to say something--be mad at me like Jihyo was.” You lean yourself to sit against his thigh, while Yoongi lifts his head to look at you. The phone goes to the bed with a small toss as you look out the window at the rich summer day. It moves in slow motion like most Sundays with people casually out and about relaxed. You feel the same. “I’m kind of surprised that I don’t care that much about what Jihyo said in retrospect. Whatever Jimin decides to do too… I don’t feel weighed down by it really.”

“I was thinking that may be the case with how easily you fell asleep last night.” Yoongi says simply, shaking his head as you roll your eyes from the idea he’s joking. “Y/N, I mean you looked really settled. Sure about everything.”

“Sleeping me should teach awake me a thing or two then-” Your voice turns into a small yelp as Yoongi lightly pinches your hip to cut you off. Throwing your voice into a longer squeal, Yoongi falls back on the bed taking you with him.

“You’re sure of yourself either way.” Yoongi says as you shift around atop him to lie more comfortably on his chest. “You’re going to say what you want to, put SoundWave in its place, and go on to be an incredible songwriter and producer that everyone will finally get to see.”

The thought fills you with an excited breath, held back with a smile grateful for Yoongi's words. His positive outlook assists to diminish worry every time, but you can’t understand where the confidence for you comes from. You doubt that he would tell you something just to pacify worries if the words weren’t based in some type of understanding. “Why do you believe in me so much?”

Yoongi suddenly frowns at the question, though not irritated but instead perplexed. When he considers the inquisition, he doesn’t find his answer to be anything substantial or groundbreaking. He doesn’t need to tell you that talent alone is more than half the reason why he thinks so highly of where you intend to go in your career, because your work speaks for itself. But beyond that, what he believes feels very simple.

“You haven’t ever given up.” Yoongi says. In the following silence he grows more convicted to speak on as your hands curl against his chest and your eyes fill with surprise. “If it hadn’t been SoundWave that found you first, then you would already be successful. You’re talented, passionate-- I can’t see you stopping until you were happy with where you’re at, and that’s what you’re doing now. You deserve what you’re aiming for.”

A doorbell interrupts your chest from fluttering at Yoongi’s words. Your heads turn in the direction of the door in the other room. Whipping your gaze back to Yoongi, your voice fills with a surprised worry,

“Wait, is the reporter here already?” You stand up from him, rushing to a dresser to retrieve a pair of jeans. “I just woke up-- what’s he doing here this early,” You ramble along as Yoongi sits up with fretting brows.

“What if it’s not even him, angel?” He asks, but the words fall on deaf ears while you simply scramble into the bathroom. Yoongi sighs, shaking his head in amusement as he walks to the front of the bed for his sweatpants. “I’ll go let him in.”

“Give him water and apologize to him for me!” You call out frantically, missing Yoongi’s call of agreement as you turn on water to brush your teeth. Within minutes you manage to have your teeth cleaned and face washed. You pat a towel against your skin, thinking over the words that you really had yet to plan completely. You sigh, tossing the towel aside and stepping back into your bedroom to search for shirt that wouldn’t have wrinkles on it like the one currently hanging off your shoulders.

“Baby,” Yoongi’s voice startles you as you glance up. He stands at the entrance of the bedroom, hand clamped on the doorknob.

“You can use my kitchen to get him a snack if he wants-”

“It’s not the reporter.” Yoongi shakes his head, entering inside the room with the door shutting behind him. The material in your hands falls back into the dresser as you straighten up, looking towards your boyfriend in confusion. “It’s Jimin.”

“What?” Your voice practically gasps the shock as a similar stupor overtakes your face. Your eyes narrow, glancing towards the closed bedroom door then back to Yoongi. “Wait, he’s here? Like, right now?”

“He wants to talk to you.” Yoongi continues in an even voice, but you can tell that he’s evidently not comfortable with Jimin’s reasonings. For the smallest second your mind wanders about the direction of Yoongi’s worries, but his concerned, gentle voice helps you understand entirely. “If you don’t want to, then I’ll go tell him to go. I don’t want you to feel like you need to.”

The surprise of the situation leaves with Yoongi’s words. Calming your thoughts back to an even ground, you close the drawer shut, leaving your hands atop the furniture for a moment. Your head shakes gently, “No, I’ll talk to him. That’s okay.”

Jimin stands in your living space as you walk from the hallway. Blue hair is barely discernible as it hides within the confines of a cap on his head. Like most people around this time of the day, he’s dressed appropriately as though he plans to leisurely walk about after his stop at your apartment. He notices you walk in and takes no effort to stop the small smile that comes on his face. The sight of his complexion makes your mind stammer for a reason you can’t quite pinpoint.

“Just woke up?” He asks with his familiarly casual tone as you walk around the couch to meet him where he stands not too far from the front door.

“Maybe,” You can’t help the tiny reply out of embarrassment of your appearance. “Don’t tell me I look like it.”

“You don’t.” The teasing intonation laced in his words highlight the growing smile on his face. “Sorry about waking you up, I thought you’d be awake by now.” He explains, glancing beyond you as padding feet come into your hearing. You look back as Yoongi walks over to the kitchen quietly, and begins scavenging for items to begin cooking. You roll your eyes and bite back a nervous laugh as you turn back towards Jimin.

“We were already awake, it’s no big deal. But what brings you?” You ask, before shaking your head. “Or, I guess I already have an idea.”

“Yeah,” He nods, then bites his lip thoughtfully. Letting him collect his thoughts, you prepare yourself for the idea of having to retort against him just as you did with Jihyo. You were unprepared entirely that he would come to talk in person about the text message, but you can understand why he feels the need to face you directly. “You’re really going to tell everything about SoundWave?”

“I don’t want everything I did for them to go unrecognized anymore.” You say as though prompted to defend yourself. Readying the next statement, you open your mouth but freeze as Jimin softly nods his head.

“Yeah, I understand that.” In the background of your thoughts, you hear the sound of eggshells cracking and it feels reminiscent of the assumptions in your head feeling ready to shatter. “Actually, I just stopped here before going to the river for the festival. I have a performance tonight.”

“You do?” You dumbly say in a stupor, confused still about the intention of this entire conversation. You expected the argument at Seulgi’s party to replay with louder voices. “Wait, yeah, I knew that. I saw the lineup. Sorry, I’m spacing out here.” You laugh softly, as your hand reaches to rub your neck.

“That’s okay. I came unannounced, after all.” Jimin glances towards the floor while his hands shift in his jean pockets. You watch his lips tighten and his eyebrows narrow and again your heart feels the need to prepare itself. “Do you realize what could happen to your reputation if you say everything?”

Your heart beats in your chest like a loud thump and any other activity in the room seems to go silent at his question. You really don’t want to argue with him about why you’re unwilling to remain quiet with your mouth clamped shut. The last conversation you had with Jimin felt like it cleared the air better between you both, and reverting to harsh words would only leave things sour, but you can’t help it if that’s the case. So you speak freely,

“I know what could happen. I don’t care about that anymore though. I’m tired of letting everyone in charge of us control everything and not let anyone have a say.”

“Us?” Jimin repeats and if you didn’t see his lips contorting into an amused smile you would’ve felt the need to clarify. His head nods, keeping you quiet while you wonder what led him here. “I’m really tired of it too.”

Your lips part as his sentence falls into the air between you. With surprised irises you watch as Jimin rubs the arch of his shoulder and a sheepish smile grows on his lips. “I have a lot less to fall back on than you do, I guess though.”

“What do you mean?” You blurt in confusion, completely uncertain of the direction he intends to take the conversation. Farther and farther from the idea of him coming to talk you out of your plans, your mind drifts to the present where Jimin speaks so differently than what you anticipated.

“I finished making a song with Jeongguk-- well, he let me use his studio to make it, since SoundWave wouldn’t have enjoyed me making one on my own.” Jimin’s lips tighten into a line while he feels the vibration of his emotions behind his ribcage. “Instead of the last song scheduled on my set I’m going to perform it. And before I do that I’m going to apologize to everyone for pretending your music was mine.”

“Jimin,” Your hands clench at your sides while the bulk of your unabashed surprise overtakes your expression. “You’ll-”

“I told you I promise to support whatever you wanted to do.” No allowance for negotiation exists in the bright tone of Jimin’s voice. He smiles on at you as your vision clouds from the stinging feeling of the very late decision to truly take your side despite what it could mean for both of you. “It’d be better for my fans to hear it from me… Maybe some of them will understand where I’m coming from about why it happened, but,” He inhales and you can tell the worry of his efforts being wasted for his own career are weighing down his throat. “In any case, I won’t have to be mad at myself for lying to them anymore.”

You reach for your face to stop the first line of tears escaping your eyes, feeling your shoulders tremble. Without speaking, a comforting hand finds the disturbed shake of your spine where grateful tears well within.

“Jimin,” An inhale interrupts your sentence, as you try not to let your emotions shake your words. “Thank you.”

“You don’t need to.” Jimin smiles gently and watching him dip his head to hide beneath his cap’s bill as a hand quickly swipes against his cheeks makes your throat bang bittersweetly. “I should have done this a long time ago, Y/N.” Still under the cover of his hat you hear his lips take in a sharp inhale, before Jimin looks up to you properly and smiles beneath puffy eyes. “I’m just sorry the song I’m going to play is about you.”

“I can handle a diss track, it’s okay-”

“Then you should be able to handle one that isn’t that, just fine.” Jimin exhales, rubbing his hands together as though coming to terms with the gravity of this conversation. He nods his head, “I can’t wait to see you bring down Yerin. Take care of yourself, okay?”

You’re only able to nod, rubbing your eyes free of any remaining tears as Jimin turns on his heel. When he reaches the door, you can imagine a shine as words manage to come from your mouth, “You too, Jimin. You’ll make it-- you have plenty to fall back on, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise! I wrote songs, but they wouldn’t have taken off if it wasn’t you singing them. You’re talented too, Jimin.”

As he turns back towards you, Jimin’s complexion glitters with vibrancy that’s new to your eyes. As though a metamorphosis has undergone, Jimin appears reminiscent of the early days that you met him full of optimism, but now without the underlying nervousness. Now ready to simply exist as he wants and let the cards play out. “Thank you, lovely.”

The door shuts behind Jimin, leaving you to rub your face with a confusing mixture of sadness and gratitude for the conversation. The hand left on your back leads you to a small turn to meet the engulfment of Yoongi’s body. You instantly latch your arms around him, squeezing very tightly as you groan against his chest.

“You’re really strong-”

“I can’t believe that just happened!” You look up at him with remaining surprise lingering in your expression. You huff and shake your head. “Really-” Your words muffle when Yoongi rubs his thumb on your cheeks gently to catch any of the remaining tears staining the skin. “I didn’t expect that.”

“I thought I’d have to shove him out of here at some point to be honest-”

“You wanted to,” You ramble into his sentence and meet his pout with a kiss. “What just happened?”

“Another member joined the team, angel.” Yoongi says with a candid tone that makes you giggle against his chest at the obvious uncaring disposition rumbling beneath the surface at the idea of Jimin wearing the same jersey as the two of you.

“Can I say something honestly, but preface it by telling you I love you?” You speak casually, watching as Yoongi’s pouting expression quickly deteriorates and replaces with utter shock as he tilts his head down at you. Confused by his change in attitude, you grip tighter on his back, frown growing on your face as you look on at his widened eyes. “What?”

“You love me?”

“What?” You both drift into silence, simply staring at each other in shock. Your initial sentence replays in your head, and a boulder forms in your throat as you practically choke from your own words. “I,” You literally bite the side of your tongue to will thoughts back into an intelligible assortment in your mind that is not helped by Yoongi’s complete attention still presently peering down at you. “I do.”

“You do-”

“I love you.” Your voice only whispers but it cuts him off completely. Yoongi’s mouth clamps back shut giving your brain a second to pulsate at a high rate until the beginning speckles of a blush start covering his cheeks. You don’t think of speaking again, but words come out, “I really love you.”

Yoongi’s limp hands on your back suddenly slide to your sides, squeezing as the things you say appear to catch up with his head. While you look on at him, the words feel so sweet on your lips that you think you could say it over and over, and the mere fact makes your heart warm in its happy beat. You smile, happy to say it again until Yoongi decisively cuts off the endearment with his lips colliding with yours.

“I love you too,” Yoongi mumbles, smiling into the kiss as your hands drag along the back of his shirt. “So much-” Deepening the kiss, you both find yourselves compliant with the idea of silence so that you can continue in the longing kiss with freshly discovered intimacy.

“Wait,” You tug off of him, turning your head, “Did you turn the stove on-”

“Shit--the butter’s burning-”

if you enjoy please, please let me know via ask, comment, rb with tags– however ! i’d just really appreciate feedback 🥺 i hope you enjoy the series, i’m working really hard on it! : )

tag list (send an ask to be added): @jaiuneamesolitaiire @tsvkino-usagi @xionysus @baebyjoonie @honeyoongles @betysotelo18

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diamondcitydarlin · 5 years ago

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So, uh...I was DETERMINED to make blue roses happen in ACNH, and in order to better keep track of the breeding steps I’ve made this diagram for myself in PS lol. I’m also going to write it down here in concise, hopefully easy to understand steps- for my own sake, and for those who might do better with a written guide. Me, I’m a visual/experiential/tactile learner, and it helps me to understand things better when...I teach/explain them to someone else. So, thanks tumblr! This one’s for you!

This method is a bit-to-very complicated, depending on how well you can process all this, but seems to have a pretty good success rate so I think it’s worth the trouble. The main key to it, I think, is organization and patience. Of course, alternatively, you can always just mix your roses, let them grow wild for awhile and you might accidentally end up with blue by accident lol. But here’s what I believe to be a tried and true method. (I’m sure it’s not the only one, however)

Please remember to keep your different formations/hybrids separate from each other with fences or something like it so the breeding process doesn’t get infiltrated by another color by accident. Also remember to quickly uproot any result of a cross-breed you don’t want (since some of them only breed the needed hybrids every once and awhile).

How To Breed Blue Roses

Step one: Plant five white roses from seed bags in the formation pictured above. When we’re planting roses straight from bags, we’re just going to refer to them as ‘Seed (color)’ to differentiate them from the hybrids, as you’ll be using a great deal of both. This formation of Seed White Roses will yield a hybrid purple rose 25% of the time that we’re going to call Purple-White.

Step Two: Once you have bred four of the Purple-White Hybrids, plant them in the formation seen above with a Seed Yellow Rose in the middle. 100% percent of the time this will result in a hybrid White Rose that we’re going to call White-Purple. (So, effectively, the Purple-White Hybrids are the parents of the White-Purple hybrid)

Step Three: Time for some inbreeding, sorry lol. Ok, so once you have four of the White-Purple hybrids, plant them in the formation seen above with a Purple-White hybrid in the middle. This formation will result, 50% of the time, in a purple rose we’re going to call Purple-White 2.0. It’s an inbred hybrid of two different hybrids. Confused? Hope not, cause it’s about to get more complicated.

Step Four: So, the problem with the Purple-White 2.0 (P-W2.0) roses is that they aren’t always effective in the chain of breeding that leads to blue roses. About 50% of the P-W2.0′s you breed are going to be effective participants in the creation of blue roses. So, this step is for people that want to make sure they get it all right and avoid frustration down the line when blue roses aren’t yielding- otherwise, if you don’t feel like doing this extra thing and don’t mind the possibility of having to start over, you can skip this. Basically, you’re going to want to isolate each of your P-W2.0′s with a single Seed Yellow rose to see what they yield; if they produce a yellow rose, your P-W2.0 is effective for this project and should be kept. If they produce a white rose, your P-W2.0 isn’t effective and should either be tossed or relocated elsewhere, up to you.

Step Five- Once you’ve found five EFFECTIVE P-W2.0′s through this exercise, you’re going to plant them in the formation above. 25% of the time this will yield a white rose we’re going to refer to as White-Purple 2.0 (W-P2.0). You’re going to need about 6 of these W-P2.0′s (but overbreeding might be best, just in case) so give this formation time to make a good amount of W-P2.0′s.

Step Six- While you’re waiting on a good W-P2.0 amount, you can go ahead and plant five Seed Reds (in a separate bed, ofc), which will yield black roses 25% of the time (this is also how you make black roses in general, so you get a bonus color out of this project!).

Step Seven - This step is for when you’ve successfully bred at least one W-P2.0 and four black roses. Plant four of the black roses from the step above in the formation seen, with one W-P2.0 in the middle. 100% of the time this formation will yield a hybrid red rose we’re going to call Red 2.0. You’re going to want four of these.

Step Eight- Plant four of the Red 2.0s with a W-P2.0 in the middle. This formation will yield an Orange Rose (Orange 2.0) 12% of the time, so this is one of those combos you’re going to have to keep an eye on and uproot any yielded color that isn’t orange as you go. Thankfully you’ll only need one of the Orange 2.0′s, so you don’t have to do a bunch of this lol.

Step Nine- For this, you’ll need four W-P2.0′s so don’t move on to this until you have them. Plant your orange 2.0 in the middle of this, and 25% of the time you will get red roses we’re going to call THE FINAL REDS.

Step Ten- LAST STEP. Plant three final reds in the formation seen above, and you should get, finally, BLUE FUCKIN ROSES. Let a few of those puppies crop up and, voila, you’ve introduced blue roses to your island, congrats!

Now, again, I’m still in the middle of this process so I can’t 100% verify its success rate or the full difficulty of the whole thing. If this works for you, let me know. If it doesn’t (and you followed all the steps to a T), also let me know!!

#acnh #animal crossing new horizons #blue roses acnh #long post

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peanutparade · 5 years ago

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Someone asked me what my process was, and I’m not sure I gave her a satisfying answer in the PM, so here I will attempt to explain how I make a game from start to finish.

*Please note the the drafts above are not for the same story, but for the purpose of illustration.

**Also please take this advice with a grain of salt. I’m not a published author (though I do know a bit about the publishing industry), and I’m definitely not a perfect writer. This is my process, and the things I try to keep in mind when I’m writing, and you may find this advice to be complete garbage.

Step one: Get an idea for a story. I can’t really give any tips on how to go about doing this. I tend to take inspiration from other works of media (classical literature is my favorite, though I have taken cues from more contemporary sources as well).

Step two: Consider who your characters are going to be. It’s okay if you only have one or two characters in mind at first. I’m pretty utilitarian about my characters, so most of them don’t get created until step three.

Step three: Open a word document and just start typing shit out. (I use Google Drive so I can access it from anywhere, and for another reason which I’ll get to later.) Don’t stop to think, don’t even breathe. Just type. Any idea that comes into your head goes in the document. Some of it won’t make sense with everything else, some of it will contradict other things, some of it will be vaguely defined. You will fix that later. This is the most important part (especially the way I write), because it’s where you’re going to get an idea of how your story starts and how it ends, as well as cement your cast of characters. If you need a scene where your main character goes to a lighthouse, then you know you’ll also need to come up with a lighthouse keeper (see my comment above about being utilitarian with characters. I’m no authority, so if you do things differently, that’s fine, but I don’t like making characters that don’t serve a purpose).

Step four: Annotation, annotation, annotation! (This is the other thing I use Google Drive for, as it has a comment feature that I heavily rely on.) Go through all your scribbling and make notes for yourself. Be a little hard on yourself here, because this is the part where you’re going to try to make everything you’ve written in Draft 1 cohesive. This will be a long process, as you need to think about how all of this is connected, as well as think about what sort of arcs your main characters are going to go through. I read somewhere once that ALL of your characters have to go through an arc, but that’s a bunch of wacky nonsense. Some characters are minor characters, and thus do not require depth. The only character arc that MUST be included is the main character’s arc. Remember: character arc ≠ character motivation. ALL major characters (protagonist(s), love interest(s), villain(s)) MUST have motivation for what they are doing. The motivation doesn’t have to be anything too complex, just so long as the audience understands why the characters are doing what they’re doing. (Minor characters with motivation can make the world feel more real and lived in, but they can also make the story feel bogged down. Brevity is key here, and sometimes less is more.)

Step five: Draft 2 All of that plotting you just did? Throw it away! Just kidding, don’t actually throw it away. BUT you’re going to rewrite your plot outline, tidier this time, and only refer back to Draft 1 when you get stuck. Feel free to come up with new ideas during this time; Draft 1 is not your story’s final form. If you think of scenes or quotes, feel free to include them in this draft, but you’re mostly just outlining right now. (As you may notice in the image above, Draft 2 is also subject to annotation.) Draft 2 is where you should be solidifying the themes of your story. Character arc(s) should tie into and support this theme. This is also the draft where you should be catching any plot holes (especially if you don’t have an editor/beta reader), as once you’ve begun actually writing the story, any problems here will only compound as you go.

Step six: Write the story It’s pretty straightforward. Follow Draft 2 (and any additional annotations you made on Draft 2), and go scene by scene and write. I never skip around, as it makes it hard to keep track of what characters know at what time, but I know of authors that do skip around, and they seem to do okay. You’ll have to figure out what works best for you.

Step seven: Edit, edit, edit! Aside from the obvious (typos and spelling errors), look out for:

Scenes that are too long or too short. Counterintuitively, these may be the result of the same problem: a lack of purpose. Ask yourself, “Does this need to be here?”

Long-winded info dumps. Consider the old adage, “show, don’t tell.” Whenever information can be conveyed through action or reaction, write it that way. If you can convey two things at the same time (i.e. something about a character and also something about the world--bonus if these two things are actually unrelated to each other), do it.

Information that your audience wouldn’t logically have being the key to resolving the plot. Especially in sci-fi and fantasy stories, if the conclusion of the story relies on knowing something--even if it’s something that the characters all know--you need to make sure your audience also knows this, or else they will be frustrated. Keep in mind the Rule of Threes.

And that’s the story portion done. If you’re making a visual novel/dating sim, there are other steps you need to do. (I usually do this stuff while writing the story so it doesn’t get tedious, but if you’re hiring people to do this other stuff, you should probably have the writing done ahead of time. If you’re hiring writers to help you, you should have Draft 1 done, at the least. Your writers can probably take it from there.)

NOTE: Any job you don’t do yourself is something that will cost you money. If you can find other aspiring creators to volunteer their time to your project, good for you, but please do not approach anyone directly unless you plan to offer to pay them (”for exposure” is not payment).

Step eight: Character sprites Major characters are going to need to be represented visually in your visual novel (go figure!), so... draw some people? I know some people make character design sheets, but I just jump right in, and then later, make microedits to the sprites as the mood strikes me. The design sheet thing is probably a smarter way to do it. I use photoshop, and I would strongly encourage keeping hair, clothing, and facial features on separate layers until you know exactly how you plan to code them into your game.

Step nine: Backgrounds Same as the sprites, except places instead of people. I’m bad at this, so I have no right to give anyone advice. I use a 3D interior design app to create a guide for what I want rooms to look like, and then I use that to get my vanishing points and furniture sizing right. This method is 50% tracing, 50% wishing I was dead. I do not recommend it.

Step ten: Audio If your game will have voice acting, get that together now. If you’re composing your own music, you’re more talented than I am. For my first game, I utilized royalty free options (incompetech and bensound), but now I hire a composer (I do still supplement my soundtrack with royalty free options if it’s for something inconsequential). I don’t use many sound effects, but when I do, I just look for free options online.

Step eleven: Coding I use Ren’py because it’s free and easy to learn (provided you don’t want to do anything too complicated). There are tons of resources online to teach you how to use Ren’py, both from official sources and unofficial sources. I’ve never posted in the forums myself, but the people there seem very kind and helpful if you get stuck. (If anyone wants to see how I code, specifically, I’ll do a Part Two for it, but I have to warn you that my games are the coding equivalent car repairs done with bubblegum and duct tape.)

Step twelve: Playtesting Make sure your game works. It’s pretty straightforward. You can even recruit some guinea pigs--I mean, friends to help you. (I don’t have any friends, so I do this part on my own.)

By this point, a year or so will have passed (give or take, depending how long your game is, how much time you have to work on it, and how much of the work you plan to do by yourself), and with any luck, you’ll have a game! Posting your game on itch.io is free, but putting your game on steam will cost you $100.

Like I said to the person on patreon who originally asked me about my process, making a visual novel is a lot of work, but I encourage everyone to at least try it and see if you like it.

I look forward to hearing your stories! ♥

#peanut parade #peanutparade #peanut parade games #indiedev #gamedev #writing #visual novel

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lunar-rose-academy · 5 years ago

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How 2 RP - Part 1.5 (A little extra)

Hey everyone! Masao here~ Welcome to part 1.5, a little extra for you all, where i interview a experienced RPer, who shares their story, and give their own tips for RP. I thought it would be nice to hear from someone that has more experience then i do.

Today, we talk with:

@captainkurosolaire

A very good friend of mine who was actually one of my very first RP friends back in the days of Heavensward. Kuro was one of the first groups i joined, called Goldbrand. A pirate group that mostly focused on hunting Relics and the like. I learned a lot about RP from him, and made me really enjoy writing stories. He is also a very awesome dude and very humble. I hope our little interview helps you get motivated to RP, and to set that first step into the fantastic world of FFXIV!

My first question for Kuro was:

When you started RP, how did you start? Did you have a lot of help? Kuro: I started 6 years ago in XIV RP. I've been LARPing, I've built my own scuffed tabletop game with me and a bud, I've done WoW RP (Didn't click with me due to bad introduction to it.) As an only child, I've always had nothing but the highest of imagination's and I've always been tethered to create and build.I had tons of help. I wouldn't be here in the community without one of my ex's who drove me into it. I was a cuck. They shaped me and saw that, I was passionately nerdy about this stuff and always directed me towards this but, I was a shy bean and in a cocoon thought I’d fail or be a burden. After they parted with me for being naive and needing to harden me with heartbreak, I took a gamble for myself. Leaped in after a person named Sei took me in, I created Captain off just his glamour alone and then built off the tiny sketches with what I had in solo and overtime.Started from Gilgamesh, then went to Balmung. This was the era when Quicksands a majority of the time was filled with ERP and anything on the outskirts, were the more serious players and you had to go looking. I made a character fit and based around Quicksands and centered around the atmosphere. It felt fitting. So I went brash from being the most introvert by playing the most opposite to me. To not only challenge myself, but to force me to learn more. This overall was more productive of aiding in my conquest for building my Tabletop game, at first, it was mainly for that...Then eventually as my reputation was mainly ERP but somehow my F-list had some actual character-depth, I expanded and branched off. I was told by my Kahn'a my practical Yoshi P and lore guide. Some helpful hints and after that they practically set me up for transitioning out of just being a smut writer, even though I had a story behind each thing, I wanted to transition out. Then I met Verrine, Mishi, Thorcatte, Sun’ra, These people really put the ground-works into my story alongside Kahn'a, everywhere I turned, every person I met, they were inspirations, they were aiding me in RPing and feeling like this is my home, this is the land of the nerds and I owe them everything for letting me find this haven.Eventually another friend told me basically, why not just DM(Dungeon Master). Since I had contacts, I had the RP and creativity for it. They pointed me in that direction. Wasn't until I met my longest and really huge gratitude of an RPer in Ayla, who eventually inspired and led me into not only you. But bringing in many others who I eventually found as crew.I owe a tremendous amount to Ayla... Without a shadow of a doubt. Kahn'a too, but I could say literally, I owe everyone, four-hundred people in my head right now. From I've ever contacted or came into RP or even plotted none of their experiences have ever gone to waste. They each gave me a presence of passion. I transitioned off; led a huge DM group that was mainly done because you reached back out after I hit a downward spiral. After I left everything behind and ruined nearly all of it and lost my mojo.You rose me back like the phoenix, I eventually created a plot so massive that I could DM for like thirty individual people with the right support and people, did I fail in being a community leader or dealing with drama and involving everyone with my health and limited energy? You're damn straight. -- I failed utterly horrendously! However -- It wasn't entirety wasn't in vain, people found their little groups and pockets in that, they met their meshes. Which objectively, that's all that matters as someone who organizes those to bring people together and in.After that... I transitioned into Tumblr more after being encouraged by people like Fair-Fae from afar, to Sei. Then worked on drumming to the beats given. To every person, even the ones that are angry emoji in the background-- I love em' their passion rubs into me and it breathes of air, gives me wings better than red-bull advertises! As someone who's dealing with an inoperable and bed-ridden rare disease, I've never been or felt more alive.I owe so much to people, and it's why I've stuck around for six years now and continue to batter up against the foul. This is why, I want to raise, boost, encourage, and rally others to be shared so they find in match-making their RP partners, and despite... I know my writing style hasn't ever been everyone's flavor, I never have ever thought of ever wanting someone not to find happiness. I couldn't give up RP at this stage. My next question would be, If you could give a tip to someone who just wanted to start to get into RP, what would you say to them? Kuro: Know this. Getting into RP is a joke. It's really easy, you possess already every tool to be a tremendous RPer! Much better than I and I ever will be.

Short version: Just communicate. RP It's merely a Dance that can be positively enchanting, magical! -- I don't care what anyone says. ~ It's a partnership, you've got to find the people who keep up with pace and momentum, or blend with your style. You won't always find that and it's not a bad thing if that can't work. Some characters don't connect, some are opposite but they can still work. That's because it requires, one additional thing that requires: a pillar of effort. Don't let yourself be overwhelmed. Looking from the outside this game I've heard and seen, It's intimidatingly daunting. It's a lot to get into. Though this game? It's unoriginal. There isn't anything you can't create in this game, you have science, you've got alchemy, you've got magic. This game is literally called Fantasy in the title, this game has yanked and pulled off all the foundations of RL concepts, other fantasy tropes, religions, and renamed them and splashes over paint. You can do the same... Anything can be explained, I don't care what it is. People are fundamentally not grown as the exact same, I'm not personally here to be a clone trooper. Now If I want to play that, I can even do that respectively.* Look around the game visually, see if you think it can be done with the setting and place, build yourself something anything, you've got a whole box of legos don’t step on them. It’s proven constantly your creativity can be endless the more you play over time, or invest, put yourself out there. Go look into some guides, pull from a book, or google anything you’re thinking about. Again: People have styles they're different. You may appeal to being an NPC, you may like to be extended into Lore, you may not like all the fantasy, that's more than reasonable, it's all valid... There are people that feel you, they're waiting for YOU. Then you'll find people who are open-minded, you'll find people like me, I was in RP's with aliens, voidsents, normal people, WoL, like I've witnessed a lot. Listen to them, let them explain, and most often they fit. If you're too close-minded to accept then you don't need to worry you’ve already decided they’re not you, or your taste, leave them to their devices let them have their happiness, and go back to the scour. Don’t try harassing or bothering something that’s not there or ever will work. Wastes time and misery and drama isn’t worth unless it’s within stories, trust me. See for me... I’ve seen it all. People saying aetherfeeders and vampires didn't exist they cried on the forums and held a tantrum you had people say for years -- then boom RDM storyline and Stormblood came out debunked. Submarines weren’t things prior to SB despite we’ve got Garlean’s over here casually making Gundam’s. Their careers are over they played themselves -- this game is still continuing and always will if you're waiting for official confirmation from a -book- then you're going to be miserable, you're living off the backbone of a book meant to 'guide' and be resourceful in extension not to weaponize it and be a prick to people who don’t follow strictly the same ethic as you’ve so randomly chosen for yourself in standards, I hate to burst bubbles, but you’re never going to be 100% accurate, never ever. You didn’t create this game -- or it, therefore you can’t be anything but a replicator you’re just stuck either limiting your pieces or taking from an entire tub of building material. You aren't playing the book, you're playing the game. That's the real cannon, you literally visually see everything that's going to happen, you can bend it with predictions and logistical math. See XIV, they bend-over concepts of the real and made them fit or pried. I don't just bend lore… I bend it over. Why would there ever be anything that cannot be created? It's just how you interpret it, there are lazy ways to explain things, then there are thorough and detailed methods to get to the same realization of what you want to create that'll work and fit like puzzles to slots this story could’ve foretold. If done correctly more often then not XIV will follow suit in the same thing an expansion later if you stick to your wings, I’ve done it numerous times it feels like XIV has followed copied my test and then tried not to make it look obvious its because stories we’ve brazenly written together in deep-thinking. When my character is tagged IC that's it. Everything he witnesses or sees, I'm not refuting it. That's my chosen though, I see Quicksands and there's no way that place on my Balmung Shard and experiences is it clean, is it lead properly, or the official’s high representatives who totally are just fine with letting a Voidsent blow up the city-state. My character witnessed that, it’s set in stone. Though that's the option and you should always find what makes you comfortable, who makes you comfortable and consider that above all else. Often or not, everyone uses RP as an escape just as they play games. Don't sacrifice, don't lose yourself or not give self-love for what makes you passionate, don’t neglect yourself in taking control of being empowered and attaining friendships, fun, or treating yourself to something new to possibly take something lovely out of finding RP can be and make it all positive for yourself. Myself? I’m inspired by every person new and old who’s been in this game. I love it, do I bleed for it as my canvas? By the Twelve you know it! I’m only ever going to write stories and continue to build and grow, to learn. To do anything to give back. When a passion gives you life, you show that thankfulness by blazing that flame. My last question would be: Is there anything else you wanted to add or say to people? Kuro: Nope. Rest boils to the decisions you pave yourself and if you want to take the plunge. Just know you're worthy, valid, and this place isn't and never will be one batch or selective, It’s not too late ever there’s no expiration to get into RP, there’s a reason RP last longer than the lifespan of the game’s even when they’ve hit the lowest of lows in dry content, there’s always been unity. If there's one thing this community does well it’s looking after one another.And If they fail to deliver. I know there are people like me who'd rather raise up then pound down.You got this, champs. And that was my interview with Kuro. Looking at his answers, there is a lot that i can agree with. The community of FFXIV is a very great one. If one person is down or needs help, the FFXIV community is the first one to jump up and help with what they can. Hence, its why i made this! To help you, reading this. Just remember, that there are always people out there that are willing to help you. And a person such as Kuro, and of course, myself, will do whatever we can to help those in need. Thank you all so much for the support, and i hope you all have a good day. Also! If you are a RPer, and you would like to be interviewed too, let me know! Send me a message over here on Tumblr, or add me on discord: Masao#2913. And feel free to ask anything related to RP, or even FFXIV. Hope you all are looking forward to the next one~

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