#i hope they go more in depth with how they'll interact instead of just going ''yeah he's evil so he tries to kill him :/''

[drawbudd]

if 1610 Miles is an anomaly because he disrupts the canon everywhere he goes because of something he shouldn't have then 42 Miles is by connection also an anomaly because he doesn't have something he should have in this essay i wi

[rubylovessharks]

floyd leech x fem reader x jade leech smut warning: this has some yandere details and this is smut. kinda dark (?) reader is fine with it though. this didnt start with an established romantic relationship with the twins but did end with one. from my (very short) research i have found some stuff about how moray eels get to the point of mating, which is to have enough food, for the water temperature to be warm and if i remember correctly the ok sign for them to mate is their mouth being open (?) so ive been thinking of this scenario for the past few days. this was longer then intended :(

You were in the Monstruo Lounge with your friends after you all finished all of your tests for this semester, you all wanted to celebrate together. So here you are talking and waiting for your orders but you feel eyes on you. I mean it makes sense because you are in a dorm full of scheming guys, so you can never tell what any of them is thinking. Yet the unnerving feeling of being watched doesn't seem to end. Little did you know that a set of twins were looking your way from not too far preparing you and your friends order.

"Ughh I just don't get why shrimpy hangs out with those guys! Like are they better then us? no!" The taller of the two pouts his face as he talks with his twin. "Now now Floyd, there's no need to worry. I know she prefers us a lot more then her..." he pauses for a moment there as to find a better word then the one he is thinking, "friends." his signature smile on his face as he finishes making your food. "how about you help me get these orders to the customers and then we'll call our lovely pearl for a little..talk?" "ohhh~ that sounds sooo much more fun then handing out orders!"

And here was your food. Delivered by the Leech twins. Their smiles uncanny yet charming, you think to yourself. It really was true that you like them over your friends. Your fantasies just as twisted as theirs, you wouldn't even mind if your food was spiked just so they could take you down into the depth of the sea.

"I hope you all enjoy your food and drinks." Jade says with a smile. His head then turns to you, "i hope you won't mind if he had a chat after you finish your dish? Me and Floyd had something we wanted to talk to you about." It wasn't everyday you were called to a one on two chat with your crushes, you nod a bit to fast with a smile that was too wide. "We hope you enjoy your meal! We worked reaaal hard on it, we even got you extra!" Floyd says as he waves to you while he and his brother walk away.

You finish your food quickly as you were excited for your interaction with the twins. You bid your friends farewell and walk to the Monstruo Lounge bar table to find the twins, instead you are greeted by Floyd. "You actually came! Saves me work. C'mon Jade is waiting in our room!" He tells you, seeing your confused look he adds, "what you didn't think we wanted to talk here. With all of those hungry eyes on you."

as you walk over to their room Floyd takes your hand roughly, squeezing it. He is also tagging you a bit but other then the rough treatment nothing really happens on your way to their room. Although you seem to notice that Floyd's eyes are on you and not the way ahead. Once you get Infront of their door Floyd slams it open, not enough to break it but you are sure they'll need to fix it later...

In the room Jade is standing there with a bunch of different stuff mostly food and bottles of water, and there's even more on their tables. "I brought them!" Floyd takes you as if showing his brother a prize he won, big smile on his face. "Floyd i am sure you are leaving a ton of bruises on them...You should let them go a little." Jade says as he finishes putting all the stuff he had in his hands on the table and turns back to the both of you. "oh come onn.. We are gonna leave marks on them anywaysss! Why not start now.." Your face turns to one of confusion after what Floyd said, what did he mean by 'we are gonna leave marks anyways'...?

"My Floyd you are scaring the poor thing." Jade gives Floyd his usual calm face. "Do not worry pearl, it won't hurt too much." he looks at you now, yet his words don't help you understand the situation any better. "I do hope you ate all of the food we gave you. We would be very upset if you didn't." He gives you a hurt face "yeaah we worked so much just to keep you from bein' hungry in our lil' session~" now you are even more confused.. "Oya? It seems she doesn't know what we are talking about. My did you not tell her brother?" "huhhh? Was I supposed tooo.."

"Alright then, dearest I hope you noticed the temperature this season. Eels don't have an actual mating cycle. We get to mating when the water temperatures are warm, that there's enough food to eat and we have all of these conditions." Now you get it...All that extra food, that talk about marks.. All of it was their natural instincts. Wait- what does that mean that they took you for that?!

"ahha! Red fits you well shrimpy~!" "It seems our little prey has understood their situation." You weren't actually listening, still trying figure out how you got both of your crushes to pick you as their mate you don't even notice as Floyd pushes you over to his brother who pushes you on the bed. "Do not worry pearl, we will take good care of you." Jade smiles at you as he starts taking your uniform off. "Can't we just rip it though?? Like she won't need it anyways if she is gonna be staying here.." "my brother where are your manners."

You try to ask what is it that they mean by that and you immediately feel small after asking. They laugh at your question, your stupid, stupid question. "My shrimpy you are so silly!" Floyd gets closer as he says that, "you won't need to go outside when you are our mate. All you need to think about is being a good lil' wifey or us, yeah?" "Floyd's right dear. The outside is no place for you, with all of those hungry, hungry people just wanting even one bite out of you! You are a lot more safer here with us." they flash a smile at you, one that should be considered creepy yet you aren't afraid at all. Instead you give one smile of your own, maybe not as creepy and sadistic, yet still a smile that says a lot from how you feel about your situation.

"Oh what a cute smile you've got there shrimpy! I just wanna squeeze you to death!!" Floyd falls on top of your body as he says that and immediately starts to touch your squishy parts. You guess that he isn't a huge fan of your clothes as he starts to claw at them trying rid of them. "Oya oya Floyd no need to claw at her clothes." The shorter twin tries to calm his twin down yet to no avail as the taller one broke the fabric with his unkept nails, scratching a bit of your skin in the processes. Seeing as he already got to break down some of your uniform he continues until he finishes destroying the piece of clothing off your body, leaving you naked and easy for the taking.

"See! I told you it'll be better if we just cut her clothes to pieces!" Floyd tells his brother, big smile on his face. His brother looks at you before answering Floyd, "my, I guess you were correct." As you look at Jade Floyd gets to work on your body, his not so human tongue all over your neck and some of your chest, licking and licking until he puts his mouth on your body.

Sharp teeth nibling on your body threatening to draw blood, as he gets closer to your most sensitive spot and he bites it. And he bites it HARD. You let out a small scream as tears well up in your eyes and you immediately feel a set of fingers on the top of your head. "shhh. As I said before this doesn't hurt too much, please try to endure for us love." Jade pets your head trying to keep you from thinking too much about the pain. You try to keep yourself from making any more pained sounds as Floyd's mouth lets go of the spot, Jade shoos Floyd to let him comfort you further as he licks the wound.

"Hey hey shrimpy now even if someone sees you they'll know who you belong to! Ain't that funn~?" You nod at him as your hand reaches to Jade's head as he still licks your wound from Floyd. "YEAH!? Greatt!! I'm so happy to know we both agree this is for the best" his smile grows wider by the second. You suddenly feel a soft kiss being placed on another sensitive spot of yours, Jade loooks up at you from his spot before speaking. "Now I want to warn you before I mark you as well love, I promise to be gentle just bear with me, alright?" you nod at his words preparing yourself before the second assault, and as Jade promised his bite is indeed more gentle then Floyd's yet it still hurts a lot.

"Heyy shrimpy how 'bout you jerk me off as Jade continues to mark you up?" You look over to Floyd as he already has his pants off and his dick out. So now you have one hand that is clenched on Jade's hair and the other is jerking Floyd's cock. You take time to take in the details of his privates, a lot more girthy then long, it gets more red as it gets to the head it would probably hurt to take into your mouth. Yet you don't think you will be against it. The closer Floyd is to orgasam the louder his noises are.

You feel Jade stop what he was doing and his head's direction turns to Floyd. "Don't you want to have your first orgasam of the session inside of her Floyd?" "ugh get off my back I can paint both her outside and insides white. It doesn't matter!" Even though it is clear Jade doesn't approve of his twin's way of thinking, he can do nothing as Floyd releases his come over your stomach and chest.

"Heyy Jade think lil' shrimpy could take the both of us in the same time?" Floyd looks over to Jade with a sadistic smile, "my not with her dry her flods are!" your privates are in fact not dry at all, how wet do you even have to be to properly take them?! "Oh don't worry love. I'll make sure you can take us both as soon as I finish eating you out." "whatt? I was hoping I could eat her out first!" "you can take her mouth if you'd like. I'm sure it's just as fun."

Right when they finished arguing they both got into position. They lay you down on the bed so your head would stick out for Floyd to have easy access to your mouth, and for Jade to have an easy access to your privates. Jade's own mouth is skilled enough to please you to orgasm after a short while of just some licks and tongue fucking, while Floyd abused your mouth and throat already getting close to his second orgasm.

That's what your few next hours looked like. Sucking on Floyd's cock as he throat fucks you and as his balls slap against your face. Having Jade in between your legs fingering you, sucking on your clit and of course, tongue fucking you. You came so many times by now you have lost count! Of course Floyd isn't any different.. Stuffing and messing your throat, mouth and face with his sticky cum.

"Don't you think she is ready to finally take us both?"

[wisteria-lodge]

Hey there, feel free to ignore this. I am writing to you because I am having a hard time understanding my Secondary.

I like having a plan to follow (that I formulated). I also like having the option to step away from it. If I am in a situation where I have no plans or any basis of knowledge, I can still enjoy the events but I will also be a bit uncomfortable until the situation is over and sometimes even after the situation is over.

I like wandering around places I am not familiar with, which is because (1) I am good at remembering routes when I am wandering on my own (2) I can ask the people around for directions if necessary and (3) most importantly, I have my phone and mobile data in case something happens. GPS, my loved ones, or the emergency number will save me. I know what to do if things go wrong. I am comfortable.

In social situations I let myself go at my own pace, whatever that means at that moment. I don't have a full outlined list for what to do here if something goes wrong, but that is because multiple bad experiences with public humiliation and bullying mean that I really, *really* don't like thinking more about such situations more than necessary (like therapy).

I don't like detailed plans. I like having ways out. I like knowing what to do too so that I have a baseline. Something to build off of, something to either follow or ignore. This doesn't seem detailed enough for a built secondary nor free-style enough for an improvisational secondary.

I daresay I have never felt powerful in my life. Having a plan is safe. Being able to act uninhibited by thoughts and worries is freeing. But I never feel powerful. Never. And honestly, being in a position of power scares me, so I am not well-equipped to recognise the feeling in the first place. I don't remember much from my childhood and teenage years because I have actively suppressed memories in the past, so looking to my younger years won't be any help.

If you have read till here, and are willing to give me a response, I just want you to know that there is no need to do the in-depth analysis that you typically do. I would have paid you for the proper in-depth analysis but I am not in a financial situation where I can do that.

Thank you. I hope you have a nice day.

Hi tumblr user catboy-balls :)

So what I think is going on is that you're a Rapid-Fire Bird secondary. You like having all the tools and all the prep going in, so that when you're *doing it,* you can just play. Rapid-Fire Birds will often look like Snakes, but only if they're operating within their area of expertise. Take them out, and they'll function, but in a way that feels uncomfortable and stressful instead of fun. (Bird secondaries who are not given the time/ability to prep for a certain circumstance will also often look like frazzled Lions.)

Because you clearly do approach situations with a *plan.* Like, you can happily wander an unfamiliar city, but only because:

You have a good map-brain

You know how to ask people for directions

You have your phone, which includes -

GPS

Emergency phone numbers (family and friends)

Emergency phone numbers (official services)

You've laid it out as a nice little list for me, and implied that you have a similar system in place for social interactions (even if you don't have "a full outlined list" because doing that puts you too much in your head. I'd be very surprised if you didn't do the Actor Bird thing as well, and have a "social persona" that you can take out. (Maybe one that's Badger secondary flavored?) But it's still prep-work, because putting in all that invisible work beforehand makes you feel better and safer, not bored, constrained, and like you're doing work twice or second-guessing yourself.

also, DM me if you want a link to the discord server. I know I don't type people as much as I used to, but there are tons of people there who have fun with it.

[immoralimmortals]

Akatsuki Member Songs and Headcanons Part 2

I told you I could do this post over again with new songs! Some of the associations are more based on headcanon than others. The songs are linked in the headers. Hope you enjoy!

Hidan: BlackBoxWarrior - OKULTRA by Will Wood

This song...is definitely about someone who cannot die. Whats more: it is also definitely someone who has a strange relationship with pain and suffering. Hidan in canon so very clearly dislikes being in pain if he is not in his ritual form. Simultaneously, he says he'd love if someone managed to kill him. (I know he may be sarcastic but imagine the possibilities if he's not!) He's a gratuitous man of contradictions and confidence, and I think this song carries it well. Throughout are mentioned symbols of health and longevity in grotesque situations. You KNOW this man's body is fucked up, both by his hand and others. I want to cut him open and study him like an anatomical doll. The whole "interview" in the middle is me eventually grabbing him by the collar and going what the hell is fucking wrong with you! How can a severed head breathe and talk!

I've also heard that WW wrote this as a test to himself to get as many words in a normal length song as possible. It suits how much Hidan fucking talks. I also think it's a nice nod to the fact that he quite obviously introspects and thinks *a lot* despite being portrayed as headstrong and stupid.

Notable lyrics:

And through flight-or-fight revelation shame the Black Box Warrior He skipped this town and headed straight down history

His ego a mosquito, evil incarnate good incognito

For what? For what? For what it's worth If it was going to kill you boy, it would have by now For what? For what? For what it's worth There's no more looking back, it's looking up or looking down

He wondered if Christ Consciousness would charge a cancellation fee Auf wiedersehn, au revoir, he gripped his wits right by their ends

A bloody knife to split your infrastructure, wine to rev your motor function Coital machinations of the dead Well, you mainline your animus, karate chop your abacus And learn to be an animal instead

You've lost your mind and almost lost your life before So you'll be fine

Sasori: Thumbnail by Louie Zong and Brian David Gilbert

Something I've mulled over a long time is how the contradiction of how a man who prefers things to be long-lasting can also be so impatient. My interpretation so far is that this implies some level of anxiety; he wants things to last if they are comfortable for him to exist. That's why he doesn't mind his fight with Kankuro taking longer, despite just bashing Deidara for playing around. I think l, in perhaps the kindest way I can, that he is both shallow and more sensitive than he'll ever admit.

This is a song about wanting interactions condensed. If you tell me something bad, get it over with. But also, I don't know how to give you more than what I have. He's insecure about what he emotionally brings to the table, im sure. I figure that's a big reason he's destroying his humanity down to the core.

Notable lyrics:

Keep it quick, say it brief If it's fast, it will be a relief Short on time, that's a gift Count your seconds, and they'll catch the drift

Don't like what's revealed here When your depth of field's near, it's hard to come close Chip stones from the boulder Suddenly, my vulnerability shows Oh, you can crop and trim, 'till all that's left Is the essence of a presence that is feeling bereft Avant-garde, just the gist of a tale That is less of an image, and more of a thumbnail

How novel is a novel that can fit on one sheet It seems that I'm destined to fail To compress myself to the size of a thumbnail

Itachi: Blood on My Name by The Brothers Bright

Need I say more? Lots of individual lines that match up with his circumstances, especially his imminent death and the bodies he unfortunately racked up. And...of course...the Uchiha name is bloody as hell. His fate is inevitable, it is in stone and he is dragging his corpse to the finish line.

Notable lyrics:

When the fires, when the fires have surrounded you With the hounds of hell comin' after you I've got blood And I've got blood on my name

When the fires, when the fires are consuming you And your sacred stars won't be guiding you

Can't you see I'm sorry? I will make it worth your while Made of dead man's money You can see it in my smile Oh, Lazarus, how did your debts get paid? Oh, Lazarus, were you so afraid?

It won't be long, 'til I'm dead and gone Watch the fires rise, burn through my skin Down to the bone, scorchin' my soul

Konan: Saturn by Sleeping at Last

As tragic as life is, Konan is defined by her hope. This song references how others have come around time after time to help her see the light. This is a song that gets me emotional. It is slow, lingering, and forces you to drink it all in, every star and sorrow alike.

Notable lyrics: its literally the whole song so here's one verse

You taught me the courage of stars before you left How light carries on endlessly, even after death With shortness of breath You explained the infinite And how rare and beautiful it is to even exist

Deidara: Boss by The Correspondents

This man HATES his fucking job! He was just out there, vibing, and was forced to be an Akatsuki and remains more or less to exact revenge on an idea (that the Sharingan is perfect art). Petty bitch! But he kind of has a point, at least with the being forced to be Akatsuki part.

Notable lyrics:

I would love for this to not be an issue I would love to just laugh in your face But I'm finding it hard to dismiss you When you're the one running the place

We didn't ask for you to lead us We didn't want you to be boss You have done nothing but deceive us And it exacerbates our goals

Kakuzu: Six Feet by Patent Pending

This song is nearly perfect for my headcanons about him. The world is harsh, you must do as you must. He takes no joy in it. His ability to understand you or not does not affect your situation or relationship as shibobi. It is going to be what it is regardless. We are going to work until we die.

Notable lyrics:

When you hear that whistle blow, only the weakest go home Like their pain don't put food on their plate

You're keeping up, I see Well, it's a big world and it's only getting bigger And if you wanna be the best then you've gotta beat the best

Ain't nobody coming when you make the call 'Cause every man gunnin' for the first to fall Fill that bucket 'til the well runs dry It's left, right, left, 'til the day you die

Zetsu: Stalker's Tango by Autoheart

GREAT song if you want one for a ship with him. Describes over the course of its verses the increasing invasiveness and intensity of a stalker's relationship with the listener. References to being able to appear anywhere AND shape-shifting? Bonus! Also has a very calm yet arrogant, self assured air about the singer. I think it's great for him. I can imagine myself tied up in a chair while he explains himself to me with this song.

Notable lyrics:

I know, I know, I know this situation's strange It takes a little getting, a little getting used to

I know, I know, I know I'm always in your place But don't you see, my dear? I am your Doppelgänger I have your face

It's not that complicated, no matter what they say You'll never meet another me It's not that difficult to get your head around You'll never meet another me You'll never-never-never-ever-ever meet another me

Pain: Godhunter by Aviators

Hunting tailed beasts while claiming to be a god himself? A song where perhaps the godhunter becomes so powerful shes a God to be hunted???? YES!

...okay that last bit is largely my own very indulgent interpretation of this song. But I LOVE how it would suit him, being both the god and the godhunter in the plot of the story.

Notable lyrics: its literally the whole thing. Here's some cherry picked lines.

When you're holding on to majesty You'd fear the hunt, a travesty That balance may return

If you're something more than flesh, ascended And you've taken on the rest To end it then she'll find you in a dream, tormented Godhunter's gonna hunt you down

Tobi/Obito: The End of the Rope by They Might Be Giants

Who doesn't love a good villain song? You could almost think it's from a musical, how dramatic and explanatory it is. Very good representation of the heel turns this man makes to the protagonists throughout his character arc.

Notable lyrics: its the whole song. Here's the first verse.

How thoughtless of me How dumb can you be? Hopeless, wasn't that What you called me? And in fact It was even more true than you knew

Kisame: Delirium Tremendous by Felix Hagan & the Family

Kisame's a bit of what the kids would call, uh…blackpilled? He enjoys himself, yeah definitely, but he also knows he's a special kind of traitor, the lowest of the low. In my book, that makes him a little less low than some other villains in the series, but he would not agree.

To me, this song is a couple things. Most obviously, delirium tremens after drinking. Next overtly, it's about not being able to fit in. More specifically, it's about not being able to fit in among misfits who are defined by their abnormality, their abhorrent nature to regular society. He is a very alienated man, he wants the good, but he has accepted he is not and that the world as it is will never be that way unless someone else (Tobi/Madara, in his view) takes it by the reigns and changes everything about how it works. He yearns for something he does not feel he has earned or deserves. It captures a lot of vibes and emotions I associate with Kisame all at once: lonliness, sensation, aggressiveness, fighting, longing. AND it's a fucking bop!

Notable lyrics:

What would make you get so battered That your bones betray you, start to shatter And you can’t relate to all the happy little night-time boys and girls

Save breath, crave death Can’t be much worse And I'm sick, sigh, can’t abide This twitching track from wet to dry I’m too old to cry, too young to die Too rabid for the pack So I’ll spit, try to hold it in Search for a sign of life within And I’ll fake a grin, until my skin Is starting to crack

So just stay cool and break through this sick delirium state I got wasted, now I’m tasting the cruel justice of fate

[elaho]

Stardew Valley MBTI x Enneagram: Emily

Following my last post about the Stardew marriage candidates and their MBTI types, I've been learning more about Enneagram, how it pairs with MBTI, and how it changes some of the typical characteristics of each type.

The Enneagram and MBTI complement each other wonderfully, providing greater depth and understanding of how a person interacts with the world [Cognitive Functions] and their motivations why [Core Desire/Core Fear].

Here are my thoughts on Emily's MBTI and Enneagram pairing.

Emily - ESFP 2w1: “The Companion”

“ESFPs are everything you think they are, plus some more. Energetic, charismatic, and suckers for the limelight, ESFPs are intriguing. ESFP 2w1s, however, are a different breed.

ESFP 2w1s are big personalities. They are cheerful people who show up when it counts. They especially love their friends and cherish the memories they share. Because of their wing, ESFP 2w1s also have strong morals.”– Personality Hunt

Emily’s Core Desire: To be helpful

"The core desire of the ESFP 2w1 is to be helpful. They want to be indispensable in their relationship with others. Because of this need, they go to great lengths to make others happy. " - Personality Hunt

We see Emily's desire to be helpful in her desire to support her community, her family, and even injured/orphaned animals.

“Oh, good, [the egg is] still warm... Poor thing, where's it's mother? *Whisper* ...I'll be your mother, don't worry... Poor baby. I'm glad you gave this to me, Farmer. I'll take very good care of it.”

“I meant to let the parrot go free, but his wing never fully healed. He seems content, though. I give him lots of attention. He told me that he's happy here.”

Emily’s Core Fear: To be abandoned

"The core fear of the ESFP 2w1 is to be abandoned. To combat this, this personality type combines the perfectionistic tendencies of type 1 and the people-pleasing traits of type 2." - Personality Hunt

“This house was left in our care by my parents. They've been traveling the world for the last two years. We have no idea when they'll be back.”

“Farmer... You broke my heart... I just can't talk to you anymore. Please, let me try to heal...”

“I hope you'll still like me when I grow old and my hair turns to a dull, faded steel.”

"Th... That night in the tent... you whispered such sweet things to me in the dark...Now I have to face each day knowing it was all a lie.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------

How Enneagram 2w1 changes typical ESFP behaviour:

New Strengths

1. Fi Mimics Fe

ESFPs have Introverted Feeling [Fi] as their secondary function, meaning they primarily use it as an 'internal check' to see if they are comfortable with an idea or course of action. ESFP 2w1s are slightly different. They are much more concerned with the thoughts and feelings of others before concerning their own. There is a debate on whether their Fi is imitating Extroverted Feeling [Fe] or if they simply have a stronger grasp of it. That being said, as a high Fi user myself [Elaho - INFP], I believe that Emily's strong empathy is a result of her Extroverted Sensing [Se] and Introverted Feeling [Fi] functions working together to outwardly 'mimic' [at least, at first glance], Extroverted Feeling instead of consciously using more Fe:

A common misconception of Introverted Feeling is that it only cares about the user's core values, feelings, and emotions and no one else's. Not so. Fi is much more than simply evaluating what internal values the user holds. It is also a complex and vastly nuanced system of 'emotion mapping', allowing a high Fi user to enter another person's emotional experience and understand it, with almost near perfection, as if it were their own - they intensely feel the highs and lows of other people's inner world deep in their bodies alongside their own.

Introverted Feeling is highly individualistic and cares deeply about each specific person's inner harmony and personal happiness, as opposed to Extroverted Feeling's focus on group harmony and external happiness. Fi's focus is on creating inner harmony for each individual person which will, in turn, result in more authentic harmony and happiness for everyone.

How this information is obtained will differ between Intuitive and Sensing types [whether through Extroverted Intuition - Ne or Extroverted Sensing- Se], but the end result is the same.

We see Emily gather emotional information externally through her Se, and try to 'feel' and comprehend it internally with her Fi. She might have occasional 'bursts' of Fe awareness, but these are short-lived and are extremely rare for strong Fi users like ESFPs.

Examples:

“There's good people in this town who just can't seem to find happiness. It makes me sad. Working in the saloon, I hear first-hand about everyone's problems.”

“Did you really think so? That's exactly the effect I was shooting for! I'm so glad you liked it.”

“I feel bad for Linus. People judge him, but he's just living a different lifestyle. I wish everyone could learn to be accepting of others.”

"I think Clint's mad at me. He never looks at me anymore...I always thought we were friends."

"The energy in our bodies fluctuate just as the seasons do. Understanding your own unique rhythm is the first step to inner harmony."

2. More Generous/Helpful

"[Typical] ESFPs help as much as they feel inclined to. ESFP 2w1s take this to another level. They help even when it’s bad for them.

Help could mean taking on people’s tasks, driving them to the hospital, or helping financially. ESFP 2w1s are willing to do whatever it takes to make their loved ones happy." - Personality Hunt

Emily always seems eager to lend a helping hand, even going out of her way to support the new arrival in the Valley. On top of her generosity towards the community, she also shoulders the financial burden of caring for her parent's house and supporting her younger sister who refuses to work, loves to shop, and won't help around the house- all to keep everyone around her happy.

Examples:

“Hi Farmer! Do you raise sheep in your barn? You can turn their wool into beautiful bolts of cloth! You'll need a loom, though. You can make them yourself if you know the crafting recipe.”

"Well, did you know that you can use cloth to tailor all kinds of clothes? All you need is access to a sewing machine…And I happen to have one at home! Feel free to swing by and use it any time."

“I swept the whole house, washed the windows, dusted, and cleaned the fridge. It was a very productive day!”

“Is that a new hole I see in your shirt? I can sew that up for you, no problem.”

“I wish Haley would get a job or at least contribute to cooking and cleaning. I think she's hoping to marry someone rich.”

3. More Excitable

ESFPs are naturally very excitable but 2w1s are even more so. They are eager to experience all that life offers, from epic adventures to simple tasks and treasures. However, ESFP 2w1s can have difficulty managing their own thrills and the thrills brought by others. This can cause them problems later on.

Examples:

“Yes, I'd love to dance with you, Farmer! Now I'm excited... This is going to be a lot of fun!”

“I drank a super-food smoothie this morning and I feel aaah-mazing.”

“Oh!... Heheh... I know exactly why you gave me this stone today. Very interesting...Wow, it's beautiful! This color makes me think of all the spiritual power within the forest... Can you feel that wood energy?”

“That's funny, I had a dream that you would give me a piece of jade today! Ooh, it's jade! This is supposed to attract wealth... And who couldn't do with a few extra coins in the pocket?”

4. Stronger Ethics/Morals

Due to their Introverted Feeling [Fi], ESFPs have a strong sense of morals and ethics and having a 1 wing makes them even more aware of their beliefs and values. Having strong morals and ethics is one thing, but consistency is another; how strongly they personally uphold their beliefs will depend on the strength of their wing.

Examples:

"You catch fish? I just hope you treat the poor things humanely. Every critter deserves our respect, even the slimy ones.”

“I hope you're farming in a sustainable way. The valley's ecosystem is fragile! How do I know? I have a strong gut-feeling!”

"Eating healthy is very important to me. I want to live a long and active life."

"My horoscope for the day isn't too good… but I'm going to make the best of it, as always. Let's get to work!"

5. More Family-Oriented

"ESFPs, like most sensors, value their family. They love the holidays and keep the memories they share with others. ESFP 2w1s are like that and more. This is enhanced by type 2’s need to be the perfect companion. They become the glue in the family." - Personality Hunt

Examples:

“I'm just working at Gus' to make ends meet [for me and Haley]... but my real passion is tailoring. I made these clothes from scratch, see?”

"Is one child enough, or should we raise another? I guess we'll just see where fate leads us."

"I've always loved sewing and making crafts… So I thought it'd be nice to make you something by hand. I had a lot of fun!... Now, when you wear those clothes, you'll think of me… and you'll know I'm here waiting for you to come home safe… okay?"

"This is so fun to live together! I always thought I'd be single my whole life."

6. More Emotional

ESFPs are highly in touch with their emotions and the emotions of others, and ESFPs are even more sensitive to emotions. They can be hypersensitive to criticism from family and friends. Even if the criticism is constructive and well-delivered, it can weigh heavily on them for a long time, resulting in either sadness or anger.

Examples:

"Nothing is more sad than an injured animal...”

“B...But I thought we had a special bond... *sniff*”

“Um... Okay. Sorry you didn't like it. I guess those three years of practice were a complete waste...” “*sigh*... Why does there have to be war and hatred in the world?”

"I can't help but think of all the poor, frozen squirrels out there right now."

New Weaknesses

1. Impulsive Behaviour Directed at Helping

"ESFP 2w1s retain the impulsive and sometimes erratic behaviour of [typical ESFPs]. However, rather than being directed to finances or adventures, it’s toward helping others.

ESFP 2w1s struggle with saying no. So, they could be super busy and still accept to take on more tasks without thinking it through." - Personality Hunt

Examples:

“If I wasn't so busy I'd come help you on the farm! But Gus would be upset if I had another job...”

"I'm going to visit town today, and later on I'm going to help out at the saloon. Have a nice day."

2. Strong Morals, but Fewer Standards

ESFP 2w1s have stronger morals than typical ESFPs, but because type 1 is only their wing, upholding standards derived from her morals is more difficult.

This can be for multiple reasons, but in Emily's case, she has difficulty maintaining and enforcing the shared responsibility and mutual contribution between herself and her sister.

Examples:

“I wish Haley would get a job or at least contribute to cooking and cleaning.”

"You're being childish, Haley. I do the vast majority of work in this house, and you know it.”

“Haley is a picky eater. It's so hard to cook for her.”    

“*sigh*... I'm really sorry to involve you in this, Farmer. Haley is complaining because I asked her to clean under the cushions.”

3. Self-Critical

"[Being self-critical] also stems from their wing. Type 1 has high standards. So, they become self-critical when they can’t meet these standards.

If this happens repeatedly, they might lose their self-confidence. In worst-case scenarios, ESFP 2w1s might feel depressed or hopeless.

The extent to which this applies depends on the strength of their wing." - Personality Hunt

Emily's self-criticism comes from her desire to be the perfect helper - to maintain an entire household, work to support her family, and continue to be an uplifting and inspiring presence to everyone in her community.

Because of her desire for perfection, she has difficulty venting her frustrations, accepting her limitations, and embracing unpleasant emotions without feeling shame or guilt.

Examples:

"Haley and I aren't made for such a big house. It's a hassle to keep it clean. Ah well. I really shouldn't be complaining. Your farmhouse seems nice and cozy."

"I feel uninspired today [sad face]."

"My day went well... it's good to get out of the house now and then."

"Every moment has a unique and precious beauty… do you notice? It can be easy to forget, sometimes."

4. Lack of Self-Care

ESFP 2w1s often take on more than they can handle, causing them to neglect themselves and their relationships. If taken to the extreme, their eagerness to help others can seriously impact their physical and mental well-being.

Although it's part of her spiritual beliefs, Emliy's strong interest in crystals, energies, and Yoba seems more than just about religious devotion.

Not only does she have so much on her plate with trying to make ends meet and support her community, but she has so little support from the people closest to her [her parents and sister], that she seems to depend greatly on crystals, energies, and Yoba [far more than any other spiritual people in town] to simply keep her from collapsing from exhaustion.

Examples:

“If I didn't have to work I'd suggest we go on a nice picnic!”

“If I wasn't so busy I'd help you dig around in that cave by the lake. I bet there are some powerful crystals inside there.”

"Ah, an amethyst! This will protect me on those late nights working at the Saloon."

"Oh, this is perfect… I've been feeling a little sluggish lately. Rubies are great for energizing the spirit!"

"Ooh, it's jade! This is supposed to attract wealth… And who couldn't do with a few extra coins in the pocket?"

"The warm, soothing energy of this stone helps us re-center our thoughts… It's actually just what I needed on a day like this. Thanks!"

------------------------------------------------------------------

Conclusion

Emily is one of the sweetest, kindest, most generous people in Stardew Valley. She may come across as overly dreamy, eccentric, and enthusiastic, but behind her cheerful exterior is someone who is deeply afraid of abandonment: her parents shouldered her the responsibility of caring for their house and youngest daughter to travel the world without her.

The only contact she has with her parents is the occasional letter and gift sent in the mail.

“This house was left in our care by my parents. They've been traveling the world for the last two years. We have no idea when they'll be back.”

As a result, she tries to make herself useful and indispensable to those still in her life. It isn't until her positive relationship with the farmer that she starts to heal from her parental abandonment and confidently create the loving and stable family life she's always wanted with the farmer's unconditional love.

"Good morning! I was wondering when you'd finally roll out of bed! It's okay, Farmer… you deserve a good night of rest."

"I hope we can raise our child to be kind and considerate. That's more important than getting A's in school."

Now, when you wear those clothes, you'll think of me… and you'll know I'm here waiting for you to come home safe… okay?"

Do you agree that Emily is an ESFP 2w1? If not, what type do you think she is? Let me know your thoughts in the comments :)

--------------------------------------------------------------------- References:

Personality Hunt: ESFP 2w1 - The Complete Guide

[yurucamp]

responding to ask under the readmore :-)

I just replayed Flesh, Blood, & Concrete a few days ago and I wanted to talk about one of Nika's lines near the end (so this ask contains spoilers). It was the one where she goes "Are you afraid that you'll realize that a better future was always possible". When I first played FBC a while ago, for some reason I interpreted that line as Nika... basically trying to tell Lera that it doesn't have to end like this? That "running" brought her to this point, and she was challenging Lera, the person who showed her kindness, to escape and go back to the world and try again to find a better future for herself instead? I still remember being taken by surprise by the supposed antagonist who has almost "won" telling you, maybe even realizing it herself at that moment, that she doesn't actually want your story to end like that. Replaying the game, I realized that's probably not what Nika meant there... But if Lera doesn't give up on the world Nika still tries to give her a chance, however small that chance is. So, something still changed in her by the end. She tried to honor her friend's wishes even though it was so painful for her, and that's really touching! I've been thinking about FBC ever since I replayed it, and I loved the side stories too. All of their interactions there are really sweet, and I really love imagining them as found family. I know it's a long shot given how the story ends, but I still find myself hoping they'll both somehow find whatever they need to fill the holes in their hearts. So yeah, if you read this, thanks for Nika being unintentionally very inspiring, and for making a cool game with characters I care about! I'm always looking forward to seeing art from you and if you ever make any more games I'll definitely check them out. Bye!

please don't apologize for the length; i am truly well and truly grateful for the time you've invested in playing my game and thinking about it, i'm nothing but flattered :-)

i really connect with your interpretation! i think it's important to understand nika's words in the context that she's completely convinced of the impossibility of leaving; she's tried herself to leave many times and knows that lera will either starve or be assimilated, so even in the true ending where she sacrifices herself to give lera the chance to escape, she doesn't see lera as having a chance to escape at all- it's more about giving her the autonomy to fight as she wants

i definitely don't see nika as an antagonist and see them as found family- in some ways nika embodies the endless hopeful dreaming that the adult lera has destroyed, while lera is the human friend and guardian that nika's never had

i originally, when i had the idea of the story in my head but no idea how the game would turn out, wanted it to be over a much longer time period, so that you could really feel the relationship develop between the two as they got closer.. it's a feeling that was captured wonderfully by vi in the side stories, but for various reasons i still haven't figured out how to "extend" the game to allow for that depth to build

thank you again for taking the time to write me :-)

[charrfie]

Alright now that its officially Forzen Friday let's try this post again since it didn't show up in the tags last time-

I'M FINALLY MAKING A FORZEN HC DUMP (kinda AU-ish territory but not really idk exactly) AND NONE OF YOU CAN STOP ME

There are also a few other hcs sprinkled in here related to other characters (like Darnold and Sunkist for example) but Forzen is the main focus!! Despite him being a minor character I latched onto him and fleshed him out sm yall have no idea

Everything under the cut bc this shit is gonna be LONG (and there's also some more doodles that take up a bit of space!)

Also uhh if people like this I might take one for another hlvrai character later bc I have a lot to say about everyone!!

Forzen moved from France to the US with his parents when he was around 12 or 13 (yes, I'm aware that Scorpy and Holly are French Canadian and not France French but that doesn't mean Forzen can't be, I'm just being sure to say this now before someone says something to me about it)

He wanted to go to college and eventually become a game dev, but he didn't have the funds or the support for it (his family thought anything to do with games would amount to a career that would go nowhere).

Because of this, he instead was recruited in the US military. He originally had no intent to join, but after constantly being harrassed recommended to join and being entertained with the concept of being able to afford and pay for college, he caved (hence him telling the science team that his only goal is "to graduate").

He doesn't like his job very much if that wasn't clear.

And neither do most others that have the same job like him.

He was put on a "team" of his own, Team Nice, which was likely arranged as a guaranteed way to get Forzen in the way of danger, and with no one else fighting beside him, he would be easily dealt with- no one would have to worry about him bothering them again. However, he somehow manages to survive all of this, of course. Somehow. He likely knows the real reason he was assigned his own team (if you can even call it that), but refuses to fully acknowledge it for his own sanity, and instead pretends that he's some big, important person on a team that ranks so highly, he's the only one qualified to be in it. (I apologize ahead of time for giving one of the most shitposty and throwaway characters in hlvrai this much depth and angst, there was just potential there leave me alone)

Fast forward to the actual events of hlvrai though. This hc is a little outlandish but I really like the concept!!! So, at one point, Forzen is killed, presumably by some kind of creature that was out and about due to the RenCas. The science team + Benrey stumble across him (act 2 part 2 at around 13 min in for anyone curious), and Benrey decides to use the healing beam Sweet Voice on him. While Benrey and Forzen may not be on good terms anymore, Benrey still very begrudgingly cares about him and didn't want to see him get injured or die. Forzen wakes up a minute or so after the science team exits the room, assuming that he just passed out, nothing more, and goes along with things as normal.

He meets Darnold a while after his first (concious) run in with the science team. Darnold has recently dealt with the science team and helped them out, but is pretty bummed that he couldn't travel with them, as everything was far too scary and dangerous for him. Forzen, wanting to escape Black Mesa and the military altogether, ends up making a deal with him that he'll handle all the dangerous stuff if Darnold can show him a way out.

Now, meeting Darnold is a very new experience for him, since Darnold actually enjoys his company, and actually wants to befriend him! At first, Forzen openly tries to act as if Darnold is a huge deal to put up with- he goes along with with the whole "if you're escaping outta this hellhole with me, you better keep up" kinda deal (despite the fact that he kinda NEEDS Darnold to escape and show him the way out). His walls are still very much so raised, and he doesn't let his guard down as he's not used to others caring about him and his safety. But as time passes, he begins to realize that maybe Darnold DOES want to be his friend, and the tough guy act becomes less apparent.

To preface this next one- Sunkist sensed that something was up (he has a next-level sense of danger when it comes to Tommy's safety) and got to BM as fast as he could, searching every hallway for his boy. This is when Forzen finds him!! He figures that taking Sunkist as a hostage would be enough to get extra info out of the team that's been practically plaguing him lately.

Darnold doesn't know about Forzen's plans to take Sunkist hostage, so is completely fine with traveling alongside him. At one point though, Forzen and Darnold get separated (Forzen occupies him, makes sure hes safe and then runs off to deal with Sunkist). Darnold immediately uses his surroundings to model a quick little teleporter device to get Forzen back, because, you know, the man's a genius. Idc if its logical or not just go with it shhh I've gotta fill in the plotholes with something. That's why Forzen disappears all of a sudden after he's cornered by the science team. He just pops back in front of Darnold suddenly, all confused and loopy from the whole teleportation thing.

As things begin to wind down, Darnold and Forzen make it out of BM and start making a break for it, no idea how they'll get away from BM and to safety somewhere- they didnt really think things through.

Fortunately (or unfortunately for Forzen really), however, G-man picks both of them up. He means to drop Darnold off at Tommy's party, as he observed that Darnold helped his son to safety and is grateful for it. Forzen, though, he intends to "deal with" for messing things up so badly with Tommy, Sunkist, and all of Tommy's friends. This is where Darnold finds out about everything Forzen did and frankly gets really pissed with him since he thought he only had good intentions??? Luckily though, Darnold convinces G-man to give him a second chance, let him go to Tommy's party and apologize, and try things again. G-man, for some reasons agrees- probably bc hes in a good mood, as it IS his son's birthday.

The party is pretty uncomfortable to say the least. Tommy's extremely hesitant to talk to Forzen, but he does, and they end up on neutral terms by the end of it. Uneasy, but neutral. Tommy and Darnold hit it off though, and Tommy opens the invitation to Darnold that he can visit his place anytime now that everything at BM is over with.

As everyone's getting ready to leave, Forzen mentions to Darnold that he doesn't have a place to stay, seeing as the entire military was kinda. Yknow. Wiped out. Obviously wouldn't wanna go back to check anyways. And he has no interest in going home to his parents. So Darnold agrees to let him stay with him since they've become good pals over the course of everything.

Over time, Darnold visits Tommy more and more often. He starts bringing Forzen along, which Tommy is iffy of at first, but their dynamic starts to change and become more comfortable once Tommy sees that Forzen isnt interested in being enemies anymore.

Sunkist and Forzen still don't get along for a very long time. Or, well- it's moreso that Sunkist is very wary about Forzen, despite him not doing anything to harm either Sunkist or Tommy.

Oh yeah and almost forgot to mention one of my favorite hcs (that I PROMISE you started out as a joke but then I got attached) is Sunkist can talk!! So his first spoken interaction with Forzen after Forzen comes over to visit for the first time is literally just him being all threatening and laying down the ground rules bc he doesn't want Forzen to hurt Tommy at all in any way. And of course Forzen about has a heart attack bc "HUH??????? THERE'S A DOG THAT IS SPEAKING HUMAN WORDS TO ME"

UHH I HAVE MORE (I've written out so much shit about dynamics and what I'd think would happen even after all of this) BUT I DON'T WANT THIS TO BE TOO LONG like it already is SO I SUPPOSE I'LL LEAVE IT AT THAT FOR NOW!!!! I hope this isn't too ooc either, I just have Emotions about this series and write too much so why not share it yknow

[chippa-thoughts]

Kwami Buster Theory: Mousinette Debut

I agree with a lot of people when they say Kwami Buster is most likely the episode where Multi Mouse will debut. Here's my thoughts on it:

The fact that Ms. Mendeleiev is going to be the one who gets akumatized reminds me of this episode in "American Dragon: Jake Long" where Jake also has a professor at his school who spends his time making conspiracies and trying to prove that the mythical world is real.

After seeing a Kwami, she tries as hard as she can to convince everyone that she's seen them and they exist.

Following the narrative of the American Dragon episode, my guess is, something happens that causes either Plagg or Tikki to be exposed and Ms Mendeleiev witnesses it. It could be something as simple as Tikki floating about and Ms Mendeleiev just happens to walk in on it by accident.

OR/AND

Ms. Mendeleiev actually has gotten a hold of Tikki. (Maybe we'll get some Plagg/Tikki moments where it's actually Plagg who's been careless but Tikki takes the bullet for it.) Marinette tries to explain that it's just a toy, but Ms. Mendeleiev swears that she saw it move. So she does what every teacher does and "confiscates" Tikki.

As a science teacher, discovering a kwami could be ground-breaking: she'll want to study them, expose them, learn about them! (I think what would be great for added character depth too is that she's already interested in Kwami lore and has been obsessing over it in her spare time - much like Professor Rotwood in American Dragon)

I reckon she would freak out in front of her class/confront them about it.

This would give us a great opportunity to see Chloe, Alya, Nino, Adrien and Marinette awkwardly pretend they have no clue what she's talking about.

Marinette especially, seems particularly passionate about saving the little red creature from Ms Mendeleiev's captivity and Adrien takes note of this.

So everyone tries to disprove her even though Ms M is insistent that she saw what she saw and she's 100% not lying.

This would be where the Akuma comes flying in. Maybe she's angry/upset that no one believes her. Maybe she's humiliated and embarrassed because she DOES in fact have evidence but people think she's crazy. Or perhaps she has Tikki in her captivity but Tikki escapes and when Ms. Mendeleiev is just about to reveal her new "discovery" to everyone, no evidence is there.

A similar plot point happens in American Dragon.

Then she becomes "Kwami Buster" - the akumatized!Ms. Mendeleiev has the power to seek out Kwamis - maybe track down the escaped Tikki or hunt down more! Hawk Moth gets excited - perhaps this villain might actually be able to track down the miracle box, or it might be easier to defeat Chat Noir and take his miraculous now that they have Ladybug's Kwami in their posession and she cannot transform. Maybe they'll use Tikki as bait to find Ladybug's identity.

Marinette is now Tikki-less and perhaps she runs to inform Master Fu that Kwami Buster has either captured Tikki or she can't find Tikki anywhere.

OR perhaps, Master Fu finds out himself that Tikki has been captured (maybe through the news, or witnessing the villain running rampant up close).

Now, even though it's logical for Master Fu to give Marinette the mouse miraculous himself right there on the spot, I really want ADRIEN to give it to her.

The way I see this happening is if Master Fu delivers the message to Adrien saying that Ladybug's Kwami has been captured and she cannot transform. So Adrien has to pick a partner who will help him stop Kwami Buster and track down the missing/captured Tikki.

And he remembers how passionate Marinette was about saving the little red creature and chooses her to fight alongside him. OR perhaps he just thinks Marinette will suit the Mouse Miraculous well and gives it to her anyway.

OR if Ms Mendeleiev has truly captured Tikki and reveals it to everyone - Adrien will recognise her (from Reflekdoll with the Kwami Swap) and he'll put two and two together and realise Ladybug can't transform without Tikki. So Adrien takes the initiative to visit Master Fu himself and gets the mouse miraculous from him. If this happened I think it would be a great moment for Adrien's sense of initiative to shine again (like in Oni-Chan when he realised Lila only faked being hurt to get him away from LB, or in Oblivio when he made CatBox) however, I'm doubtful this would happen because the show has a pattern for making Marinette initiate most ideas and it's only so often we get to see Adrien take on a similar mantle. (Here's to wishful thinking though!)

Side note: if this happens, it will be the first time Adrien chooses a hero himself! (We have yet to see Viperion and Pegasus' debut to test that thought though). The fact he chooses Marinette shows how close he feels to her and how much he trusts her (this is why I want HIM to give it to her, it would add more layers to their friendship) But perhaps it might be another "Bee Miraculous" scenario where Marinette intended the Bee for Alya, but Alya gets apprehended. In the same way, perhaps Nino might be Adrien's first choice (as his best friend) but something happens to Nino that makes him unreachable, so he picks Marinette instead. (But if Marinette is his FIRST choice oh boy wouldn't that be the sweetest).

And if Adrien DOES give the miraculous to Marinette as Chat Noir, can you IMAGINE the interaction they'll have?!

Chat Noir (with a soft look): "Marinette Dupain-Cheng, this is the miraculous of the Mouse/Rat. You will use it for the greater good."

Just imagine all the possibilities! The MARICHAT content! She could:

- Accept it right away

- CN would flirt with/tease her and make all the Cat & Mouse puns and jokes (Check out @Solunia on insta & tumblr for all the cutest Chat/Mouse comics!)

- She might resist it because she's already "Ladybug" and who knows if Chat will recognise her. But if she does resist can you IMAGINE Chat insisting that SHE'S the one he's chosen, and there's no better person he could trust: "I've chosen YOU Marinette, there's nobody else better suited for this that I could think of but you"

And boy, I am weak for those cheesy, soft, one-liners.

Then after they have retrieved Tikki, CN takes the Mouse miraculous off Marinette, thanks her for the help (I'm hoping for some hand-kissing action here ✋), then he delivers both Tikki and the jewel to Master Fu who dismisses Chat (to protect their identities) telling him he'll alert Ladybug that Tikki is safe and he should go and hold back Kwami Buster until she arrives. Marinette then sneaks her way to Master Fu, transforms into Ladybug, apprehends Kwami Buster, purifies the Akuma, calls on the miraculous ladybugs and calls it a day.

OR perhaps NONE of this happens. Maybe Tikki AND Plagg both get captured and Master Fu gives the Mouse and Snake miraculous to Adrien and Marinette individually. And we get Aspik AND Multi Mouse. However this will take away the chance for Adrien to give it to Marinette and I would love for that to happen instead and fingers crossed maybe Aspik will show up some other episode.

As of Ms. Mendeleiev... Will she forget all about it? Will she suspend her belief and call it all a fever dream? Will she continue to obsess over kwamis? Who knows, I guess we'll find out.

Well! Those are my thoughts/theories so far about Kwami Buster! Feel free to reply and comment what you think too!

[theticklishpear]

Do you have any advice for quick but effective characterization without making it feel like I'm just cramming in character details? I'm planning a project where I basically have a ton of characters (31 now) in one setting and I tell mostly one-off stories featuring each of them, but I'm worried either they'll seem underdeveloped or the stories will be so full of characterization there's no room for anything else. It is gonna be character-driven, but there still should be some plot and setting!

I just sent an ask about ensemble casts and hit the character limit before I could add this, but I love your blog and I really appreciate you for filling it with such good advice and inspiration, and also for being by far the most approachable writing blog I follow! You’re very friendly and helpful and have great taste and it’s awesome! 

fhsklasuhleaiwhsng Well then. If that doesn’t make a writer smile, I don’t know what will. Thanks, Anon, that’s a very good thing to hear, since approachable is exactly what I strive for here. Now, you’ve given yourself a doozy, but don’t be too discouraged. There are ways, but you’re going to have to be willing to work on them. They often don’t come naturally to us. Let’s think about this a bit:

You want your characters to be distinct. They should be recognizable and memorable, leaving a lasting impression on your readers about who they are as a person, and the kinds of things they deal with in their life. How can we get across to our readers in short, concise, camouflaged ways that these are full, round, complete characters with a wealth of experiences and background and stories behind them, without actually putting all of those experiences and background information and stories right out there on the page in huge dumps? That’s the hope, right? That readers are able to walk away from a story with the distinct impression that there’s a lot more to this character than what they’ve just read, right? I think so. How can we portray that?

Make it clear they’re good at stuff, but also bad at other stuff. Show your readers what this character is made of! By virtue of being human, they won’t be gloriously fantastic at everything, but their past will lend them at least some skill with other things. Showcase those. Make sure there are moments in your stories that allow your character to shine, and other times when they’re allowed to fail spectacularly. Those failures or successes don’t have to be big, grand, plot-informing moments, but having a character choose a dagger instead of a sword during training will tell your audience things about how they grew up and what they’re naturally comfortable with. Having them struggle with lighting a fire but being able to mix salves and bind wounds will inform your readers of all kinds of minuscule background details as well as personality ones without the need to come out and say, “Baldric always took care of others first and himself last.” Let those moments shine briefly, even if they’re not plot-crucial.

Let them reference stuff when they talk. Everybody does it. During conversation, someone says something and it reminds us of something else, and we say things like, “That happened to me once. I mean, not the mouse thing; it was an iguana for me,” and, “Tell me about it. My sister once sat on the lid of a trunk in the middle of summer because she thought it was funny.” The key to characterization is remembering that you don’t have to go in depth and tell the whole thing for it to be effective. It’s okay to let your readers imagine what the rest of that story could be.

Your narrator is your best friend. Your narrator is there for exactly these kinds of things. Maybe showing isn’t conducive to the story and you need to do a little telling. No problem. Narrator to the rescue. Again, remember that short and to-the-point is key. Don’t mention things that aren’t relevant to what’s happening at the moment, but if there is something that adds to the reader’s understanding of the moment, feel free to briefly reference it using the narrator. “Gerret didn’t remember a time the Matron hadn’t stood her ground against the Legion. He got the distinct impression she cared more about the gods than the crown.”–and then move on. Little character details and backstory can be interwoven with current events as long as you put it in the lens of your point of view and you don’t dwell on it very long.

Additionally, when you’re trying to imply relationships the were built up before the events of the story–friends who’ve known each other for a long time, sibling rivalries, whatever kind of relationship–the way your characters interact with one another will tell the audience a heck of a lot. A character ruffling the hair of another is immediately a signal of affection without ever having to say, “The two infantrymen had been friends four years, two of which saw them in the midst of blood and battle.” Take advantage of the interactions that carry background connotations and let them do some of the speaking for you.

I’m just going to leave this here, too: Know what you’re okay with your readers not knowing about a character. Just think about it.

Texture building, my friend, that’s what I call all these little, short mentions you can slip in here and there–little details that don’t need more than a sentence or two to divulge and help give the readers impressions of grander things out there and behind your characters. It’s hard, unnatural even, and takes a bit of practice. Don’t fret if it’s not until editing stages that you’re really able to get those moments into shape. If your first draft is full of info-dumps, that’s okay. Getting it out on the page so that you can understand exactly what you’re trying to portray is helpful, too. Do what you need to do to get a good feel for what you want to include to help readers see the depth. Sometimes those crucial details don’t show themselves until you’ve already written the info-dump.

Good luck, writer, and thanks again for your kind words. -Pear