#shes very....reactive and emotionally charged

[tvckerwash]

wash tormenting the reds in the most petty ways possible because he's still pissed off about them hitting him with a car and then blowing him up in s8 is so important to me you don't even understand

[deliciousspecimen]

Please may I have The Walking Dead platonic headcanons of what if Carl Grimes had a older sister who is maybe 3 years older than him and had a 6th Sense when it comes to safe houses and places that is unlikely raided for supplies and what to avoid...e.g. if a certain place seemed overrun with walkers being one of them and when someone offering a safe haven being too good to be true and they seemed 'off'..which had saved her group on numerous occasions. She's a good one and always had been..even after her mother's passing, she promised to look out for Carl and for Judith. She learnt how to use a gun under her father's guidance at the start from the age of 12 before handling it on her own when it comes to having to shoot walkers..or use daggers. She is mostly the person who looked after and raised Judith since infancy and was willing to die to protect her when she was in harm's way.

Rick Grimes relationship with his daughter

Carl Grimes relationship with his elder sister

Lori Grimes relationship with her daughter too.

The Group's relationship with her..(with the same ones who knew Carl for a long time too)

Shane's relationship with her..and how he felt that she didn't see him as a father very much..she saw right through him but she didn't say anything because he was her Dad's colleague and friend.

A/N: Absolutely! I might make a longer fic based on this request! Already got permision from the requester :} I'm either gonna base it off this one, or make one new walking dead fic all together. Eighter way, ill credit you for the request, @the-letter-horror-lover!

Raised by the End of the World

Older-Sister!Reader x The Walking Dead Headcanons

Warnings: Violence/Death, Parental Loss, Trauma, Existential Despair/Sacrifice

Word Count: 1798

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- (Y/N) has an uncanny gut instinct that rarely fails her: While not supernatural, her "sixth sense" is more of a hyper-awareness built from trauma, observation, and cold survival logic. She knows the difference between quiet and too quiet. She’s the type who will stop everyone mid-step because something “feels off,” even if there are no walkers or sounds- and more often than not, she’s right.

- She can “read” people frighteningly well: One look, and she can tell if someone is lying, desperate, dangerous, or putting on an act. Rick has learned to trust her instincts even over his own at times. In abandoned houses, she can glance at the dust, placement of things, and smell of the air and tell if someone’s been there recently. She’s especially good at finding caches of supplies overlooked by others. She's the one who always checks under floorboards, between false walls, and above ceiling tiles. It’s almost become a running joke- until she finds a forgotten stash of canned goods or ammo.

- Rick started training her in basic gun safety and handling when she was 9, back before the world fell apart: It began with weekends at the range- slow, careful lessons on how to respect the weapon. Mostly so he could eventually go hunting with him, and actually know how to aim.

- She took to it quickly, surprising even Rick with her precision: She never flinched. When she asked to learn how to use a knife next, Rick hesitated, but taught her anyway- something he later thanked himself for.

- After everything went to hell, she became one of the best shots in the group: Not just accurate, but calm. She doesn’t waste bullets. Every shot counts. She's also quick with a dagger or makeshift blade. She's not the strongest, but she’s fast and precise- throat, eye, skull. She's had to learn how to end things cleanly, especially when Judith was with her.

- Lori loved (Y/N), but often didn’t understand her: While Carl was more emotionally reactive, (Y/N) was quiet, steady, and internalized everything. They had friction- especially as the world began to collapse- with Lori sometimes chastising her for “acting like an adult” or “trying to be in charge.” (Y/N) never argued back. She just kept doing what needed to be done… But deep down, Lori was proud. She told Rick, before her death, that (Y/N) was stronger than both of them- that she had something in her that would keep them all alive.

- Their last real moment together was quiet: Lori cupped her daughter’s face, said “Take care of your brother. Take care of Judith.” And (Y/N) nodded once, already promising without needing to say it aloud. After Lori’s death, (Y/N) was the only one who stayed with Carl that whole night. She didn’t say a word. Just let him lean on her until he slept… 

- Now (Y/N) often acts more like Carl’s second parent than just a sister: She's firm when she needs to be, but she's never condescending. Carl listens to her more than most, even when he pretends not to. They argue like siblings, but when the world goes to hell (again), Carl always looks for her first. If she’s nearby, he knows things will be okay.

- From the moment Judith was born, (Y/N) took over almost all of her care: She was the one waking in the middle of the night, rocking her, warming formula, changing diapers even during the hardest of times.

- Judith’s first word wasn’t “mama” or “dada.” It was “Sissy,”: The whole group melted when they heard it. She braided Judith’s hair when it got long enough, wrapped her in scraps of blankets when they were on the road, and told her made-up fairy tales when the real world was too ugly to explain. If Judith ever cried or screamed when walkers were near, (Y/N) would press her forehead to hers and whisper calming things until she went quiet- even if her own heart was pounding out of her chest. She once hid with Judith in a broken-down car overnight, clutching her tightly while walkers passed within feet of them She didn't move. Didn't blink. Didn’t breathe until the moans were gone.

- Rick sees (Y/N) as both his daughter and his second-in-command: After Lori’s death, she became the emotional pillar of the family, even when Rick wasn’t in a place to be the father she needed. He regrets that he put too much responsibility on her shoulders too early- relying on her to help raise Judith, to keep Carl in line, to read the room when he couldn’t. But deep down, he trusts her instincts more than almost anyone.

- Their bond is strong but often unspoken: Built on quiet glances, half-nods, and wordless understanding. When something goes wrong, she’s usually the first person he looks to. He’s told her, more than once, “You shouldn’t have to be this strong.” And each time, she just gave him a tired smile and said, “I know.” He worries about the cost of the apocalypse on her soul, even more than Carl’s. She carries so much, and rarely lets anyone see her fall apart.

- Carl both idolizes and resents her, in that complex sibling way: She’s his protector, his compass- but also a reminder of everything they lost. She was the one who taught him how to bandage his first walker scratch, who stayed up with him after nightmares when Rick was spiraling. When Carl went through phases of trying to be hard or emotionless, it was her disappointment- not Rick’s- that stung the most. She didn't yell, just gave him that look that said, "You know better."

- He never wanted to admit how scared he was of losing her: But when she once got clipped during a raid and bled out onto the concrete, Carl didn’t leave her side all night. She always made him feel like he didn’t have to be strong all the time. He could crumble, and she would carry the weight for both of them.

- Everyone knows not to second-guess her gut feelings: Even Daryl has said, “If (Y/N) says we don’t go in there, we don’t go in there.” She's quiet but respected- the kind of person people turn to when things get tense because she doesn’t panic, and she always has a plan. Carol shares a soft, maternal bond with her- the two often look after Judith together. Carol sees how much of herself is reflected in (Y/N)’s sacrifices. Glenn was always amazed by her resourcefulness; he once told Maggie he thought (Y/N) could find a full grocery store in a burnt-out gas station.

- At an abandoned hotel just outside of Atlanta, the group thought they’d struck gold: Clean water, canned goods, beds. (Y/N) took one step in and froze. Said the smell was wrong. Turned out it was a trap set by scavengers waiting on the roof with rifles.

- During a harsh winter, she led them to an abandoned church no one wanted to check: “too obvious,” they said. But she felt it in her bones. Not only was it untouched, it had a hidden root cellar stocked with old food from a prepper priest.

- Once, they were approached by a smiling man offering food and shelter at his supposed “community.”: Everyone wanted to hear him out. She stared him down, her voice flat: “He’s not hungry. Look at his boots- clean. He’s hunting, not surviving.” The man ran when she exposed him.

- When walkers broke into a safehouse and (Y/N) was upstairs with Judith: She shoved the dresser in front of the door, locked herself and the baby in the closet, and readied her knife. She didn’t expect to survive- only to keep the door shut long enough for someone else to get to Judith. In a moment where bullets ran out and Judith was in direct danger, she used herself as a human shield without thinking. Daryl pulled her out at the last second, but she was ready to die without hesitation.

- Once, she and Carl were separated from the group during a supply run: She kept Carl behind her the entire time, even when they were ambushed by a lone hostile survivor. She was the one who fired first- Carl never forgot the look on her face after. Calm. Empty. Controlled.

- Daryl Dixon: Daryl sees a kindred spirit in her. Not loud, not flashy, but lethal when it counts. He’s seen her gut a walker with one arm while holding Judith with the other. They often patrol together in silence, both appreciating the lack of small talk.

- Carol Peletier: Carol is maybe the only person who understands what it means to be both warrior and mother in one body. She once told (Y/N), “We do what we have to, and we carry it forever. That’s just how it is for people like us.”

- Michonne: She respects (Y/N) fiercely. They’ve fought side-by-side more than once, and Michonne once admitted she thinks (Y/N) has the best instincts in the entire group. When things feel “off,” Michonne always checks her face first.

- Glenn Rhee: Glenn used to tease her gently, trying to get her to laugh or loosen up. He told Maggie that she reminded him of a cat- quiet, deadly, and always watching.

- Maggie Greene: Maggie bonded with (Y/N) over motherhood. Though their circumstances were wildly different, they shared a resilience born from loving someone so small in a world so cruel.

- Hershel: Before his death, Hershel treated (Y/N) with warmth and fatherly affection. He once told Rick, “That girl’s got an old soul. Like she’s lived through this before.”

- Shane never knew quite how to handle (Y/N): She was polite, respectful, but distant. She didn’t laugh at his jokes the way Carl did, didn’t trust him the way Lori sometimes did. He could tell she saw through him. Through the bravado, the barking orders, the possessiveness over the Grimes family. And that infuriated him- because she never said anything. Never called him out. Just looked at him.

- That silence was worse than yelling: It was judgment without words. Shane knew she didn’t see him as a father figure- not even close- and that burned. He tried, once, to bond with her. Brought her a box of supplies and said, “Thought you’d like first pick. You earned it.” She just nodded and said, “Thanks,” but her eyes didn’t soften.

- After Shane’s death, she didn’t speak of him often: But once, years later, when Judith asked about “Uncle Shane,” (Y/N) just said, “He tried to love us. But he lost himself before he ever really could.”

[forensicated]

Smiffina Episodes: Gun Runner Part 2 - Undercover (2/5)

This episode starts on the same day as the last with an exhausted Mel glad that she only has half an hour left of her first shift. Roger suggests the canteen for some caffeine when a call comes in.

(Another of Smithy's favourites is to see who blinks first 😂😂)

Their call is to a young lad who has been knocked off his bike. He's ultimately fine but his bike isn't! Nate and Ben are the latest victims of the 'No you can't drink your tea, officer!' trope and have to pour their just purchased drinks away to chase after the car. They stop it a short distance away to find a traumatised Becca behind the wheel with head injuries. The paramedics tell Mel they suspect sexual assault. She made DV claims in the past against her former partner but withdrew them soon after. Banksy asks Mel to take her to the Haven, bag her clothes collect the swabs for investigation.

Max and Neil tell Heaton the Figgis sting was a success and that they overheard a mention of a deal with a Wallace. This has turned out to be Kieran Wallace who has form for ABH, GBH, Aggravated Burglary and everything else not very nice. His name has been mentioned a couple of times by Trident connected with the trade of guns from Eastern Europe. Figgis insists he knows nothing of a Wallace until Stevie points out that over the last few months there's been over 50 calls to Wallace's mobile from his. Stevie says he won't be charged if he helps them. If he doesn't, then they'll find out another way and arrest him too and he'll likely never see his son. Figgis reluctantly tells her he's been reactivating guns for Wallace who hires/sells in London on a large scale. He doesn't know where they're kept, where they're going to or anything else as he's only done a couple of jobs for them.

Stevie reports back about Wallace and an unnamed boss. Figgis isn't able to do the job anymore due to the damage to his arm when stabbed. Heaton sums up the options. Human/electronic surveillance and hope to catch them out or put someone undercover. Wallace trusts Figgis and there's a valid excuse for someone taking over at his recommendation. It needs to be someone who can go undercover for a while without leaving any loose ends like partners/family etc as they don't know how long it will be for. Neil suggests Max who says he's up for it given his CO19 background. Heaton suggests they need someone with a similar background to Figgis and experience of the Army weapons. It can only be Smithy! Max isn't too sure, he thinks that Smithy is too emotionally involved with gun crime after Carly's death. Smithy instantly says he'll do it and that he understands he could be undercover for a long time - weeks, months - maybe longer. Neil tells Smithy to speak to Figgis the next day to set up their story and background together and places Max as his handler. The two exchange a rather... wary... look (though the second bit makes it look like Christopher might be about to laugh!)

(Can Nate stop jogging everywhere? He makes me tired just looking!)

The next morning Smithy is in a contemplative mood and barely acknowledges the relief whilst they walk in. Max takes him straight through to an interview room to talk to Figgis. He can keep Smithy/Smith as his nickname/surname so he reacts naturally to being called it but they change his first name to Laurence - the name of his best friend at Primary School. They're going to get Figgis to contact Wallace with them in the room and tell them he can't do the job after a gun backfired on him but that he knows a man who can.

Hairs were found on Becca's clothes that didn't belong to her and the CSE are at her flat looking for a point of entry. She was washing up and an unknown man crept up behind her and pawed at her. She was so frightened she ran away as soon as he loosened his grip - because she cried - and part of that was getting in her car and just driving anywhere he wasn't. She didn't see his face and can only remember he was about 6ft wearing black jeans and rough leather gloves that were old and scuffed white trainers. Becca's boyfriend, Pete, is present. Becca seems stilted and awkward around him and admits that she has a dodgy lock on the door. Pete says he showed her that the door can be opened with a credit card swipe. Her ex boyfriend also knows about the dodgy lock. They split up a about a month and half ago and he's been harassing her since with a brick through the window, graffiti on the door and more.

Smithy and Figgis set up a backstory of meeting at The Boat Inn a year ago - long enough to trust him but not to know all dirty little secrets. The see each other about once a fortnight at the pub. They set up a meeting at 11am at a nearby park bandstand. Neil tells Smithy to read his body language to see if he's jumpy and rushed and if he needs the job doing quickly or if they have time. They're hoping that Figgis vouching for him means that he's more likely to accept Smithy as his replacement but they have to be alert to work with what they get just incase he doesn't get in.

Banksy rules the boyfriend out as he has a clear alibi. Roger finds Becca's ex's car parked nearby when reviewing CCTV. His flat is miles away. When searching his flat, Mel finds a picture of Becca in the bin. Rick claims he doesn't know what's happened and he says he was checking up on Becca to make sure she was OK. They'd been together five years and he claims he still cares about her. He then switches to calling her cheap and filthy and insisting he never touched her. Banksy reminds them they have his DNA and will be checking it against that on Becca. He just smirks and says it'll prove he wasn't there. Banksy still has a strong suspicion he was involved, even when Roger and Mel don't find the trainers or gloves and float the suggestion that he could have had an accomplice. "Who would do that? it's not your average favour is it!" Mel shudders.

Smithy tries to calm Figgis down as he paces the bandstand. Wallace finally arrived and approaches the bandstand. A goon blocks the gates behind him so Max can't 'casually' get near whilst walking through the park. Wallace is not happy with Figgis, squeezing his wound and making it bleed again. Smithy distracts Wallace and gets Figgis away by claiming he was there for a job and if they're just playing around he hasn't got time and they're leaving. Figgis warns him he really shouldn't get involved with Wallace. Smithy has to drive him to the hospital to get his arm checked again - it turns out Wallace has made the damage even worse - not that Max could care less.

Max growls at Smithy that he wasted the opportunity and that he "should have sealed the deal before stropping off." Smithy points out it's not over yet and that he wasn't biting so they had to change tact. Stevie agrees and it would have been worse if he was too keen and it made him look like he's worth chasing. Smithy repeats he knows what he's doing and he did the right thing by all concerned. Max scoffs and tells him he lost the biggest arms dealer in London.

Smithy receives a call a short while later from Wallace. Stevie arrives and starts speaking. Smithy intervenes to cut her off and tell her he's on the phone. He excuses her interruption as 'his girlfriend' and continues, agreeing to meet Wallace. Smithy reports upstairs to Max and tells him he has the job. Wallace wants him to check some handguns to check his skills at the Bull And Bush pub at 5pm and won't be moved on day or time. Max tells him to update Neil and the Super and he'll start getting everything in place.

Nate reports the landlord of a pub recognises the description of Becca's attacker. He says he was jumpy, drank a lot of whiskey in a short amount of time and called a cab from the payphone. The camera is broken but Nate has gotten hold of the two cab numbers by the phone. Pete, Becca's boyfriend is nearly arrested for assaulting Rick, claiming the police should have kept him in. Rick says he doesn't want Pete arrested. Pete goes back to check on Becca.

Max has been working with covert ops to arrange a driving licence, tax records, credit cards and accomodation (complete with CCTV) in the name of Laurence Smith with Stevie as Laurence's girlfriend. They'll track him on GPS via a new mobile and Max's number is stored as 'solicitor' in it. The danger code word is Eagle and can be said to Max/Stevie by text/call/in person and they'll get him out immediately. They're telling uniform that Smithy will be taking some time out for personal reasons. Heaton takes him aside before he goes to work through his new life background with Stevie to ask him if he's fully aware of what he's taking on. They can't say how long he'll be undercover for and obviously there's no contact with friends or family. He asks if there's any family "It's only really me mum so..." and he asks what he's going to tell his friends. "Mainly this lot and that will be taken care of officially." Ugh. My heart. I also don't believe it for a second! He's roughly 30ish at this point. Smithy's been over various nicks, CO19, in the army and through school/Hendon etc. He's a personable bloke on the whole - played for at least one police football team, there was Vickers and Tony Mitchell seen onscreen from his past and whilst yes, they're not great examples, they were still longish term mates and wouldn't be the only ones (*cough* Bob. Nick (now Weaver's dead he could be out of Witness Protection😉 ), Julie Stanley?). I know this makes it convenient and removes complications from an already complicated and complex story but... I'm too protective of this damn boy after like what... 25 years!?

Stevie cheekily grins at the thought of digging into Smithy's past. She asks about girlfriends first so she knows who she's going to base herself on, asking for the most recent or the one who meant the most. Smithy describes Louise Larson but makes her totally different to what she really was, not able or wanting to tell the truth as obviously it would mean mentioning her death and him being set up and going to prison. He tells her they dated for 6 months and that it ended because she met another teacher at the school she 'worked at'. Stevie knows he's not telling the truth. He has to tell her the truth - it's not easy! He then goes on to explain that he doesn't know where his dad was, he hasn't seen him for 10 plus years as he was a violent alcoholic who knocked him and his mum about. Smithy still feels the guilt that he'd go out with his mates rather than stay home 'because it was easier'. [They've also forgotten about the younger brother he mentioned he had when he was a PC because he details climbing out the window of his bedroom and leaving her home alone with his dad]. "Blimey, how much do you charge? I feel like Tony Soprano."

Stevie asks Smithy if he misses the Army. He replies with an emphatic no, but he might do if he hadn't joined the police. "I obviously need order, discipline and uniforms." Max arrives shortly after with a new passport, house keys for 52 Breem Street and other personal documents and takes Smithy's warrant card from him.

Nate has a partial address for the man that they suspect to have attacked Becca. They run facial recognition once they find him and his address but he has no previous. He's confused as to why he's been arrested, he is very awkward but he admits that he was 'visiting Rebecca' and he slid his credit card down the yale lock like she told him to to get into the flat. He admits to creeping up on her and putting his hand over her mouth and then touching her up all as she'd told Mel in her interview but he surprises Banksy by telling him it was all consensual and previously agreed and Becca had told him over email and in a chat room that she wanted him to do it to her and to pretend to force her. He says she was very clear what she wanted from him before it happened. Banksy explains that it's not Becca that he'd been talking with. He still has some of the emails to back himself up. "I'm not a lunatic! I know it was her, I know I got the right house! She sent me a photo! A lovely one of her on the beach." - The same photo that Mel pulled out the bin at Rick's. He insists he was just acting out a fantasy and he thought at first it was just her pretending to resist but he stopped when she cried. The tech guys trace it all back to Rick for sending the emails. Rick simply shrugs when Banksy asked him why he sent Jez to rape Becca. Banksy suggests that he was going to play the hero and rescue her. Rick scoffs, claiming he doesn't want her back. He insists he was going to stop it from happening as he'd realised he'd gone too far, but noone was there when he got there so it must have happened earlier than they'd agreed. He arranged it to get back at her for dumping him. Becca is horrified to hear what happened. Mel assures her Rick will likely be going to prison for causing a person to engage in sexual activity without their consent. Jez will be charged with sexual assault.

Neil sends Max to sit at the bar in the pub that Smithy will be meeting Wallace at. Stevie is sat outside in the car. They're not to step in unless they hear the codeword 'Eagle' from Smithy. Wallace keeps Smithy waiting before finally arriving 2 heavies. Smithy is abducted and taken out to the car where he's forced inside. At an abandoned warehouse Smithy is blindfolded and has a gun pressed to his temple. The gun is moved to his hand and he's told to strip it. Smithy does whilst still blindfolded and then puts it back together in seconds and hands it back to Wallace. They remove the blindfold. "Figgis is right. You're pretty good. Nice one, I'm impressed. And you kept your cool... you're in. Now get out. I'll be in touch." He tells him. Smithy calls Max once he's alone and tells him that he's in.

He then heads to his new house and is less than impressed There's dogs barking, neighbours music blaring and it's sparse and unwelcoming to say the least. In his head [a voiceover for the viewers], Max and Heaton's words echo, asking if he's sure he knows what he's taking on for the next however long.

[critgoblin]

y’all want some post-ep.14 orym/liam meta? b/c i've got a whole lot of it. 

has anyone else noticed that orym is off the beaten path for liam? not completely out of his wheelhouse (*slaps orym’s tiny forehead* this little halfling can fit SO much trauma in him) but the way orym plays is not what i would’ve anticipated from liam. because liam is a character-driven player. by that, i mean he is one of those d&d players who is mostly in it for the inter-character role-playing. if travis is at one end of the spectrum with characters designed to drive the plot and the party forward, liam is at the other, with characters who would be content to spend an entire campaign in one setting developing relationships with the party and digging deep into the history and lore. 

it makes a lot of sense then, that liam’s previous pcs would serve as emotional catalysts for their campaigns. caleb and vax were reactive characters. they felt things, and those feelings drove them to make rash and impulsive decisions. vax had a habit of thinking only with his heart. he did what his instincts told him was right, and even when he got the literal and metaphorical shit beaten out of him for it, he never wavered in his dedication to his own (dubious) moral compass. caleb reacted on a hair-trigger instinct built out of a life of suffering and trauma. someone with that kind of damage can only ever respond with gut feeling--he made choices in self-defense, in fear, and in vengeance. his motivation was never from a sense of right and wrong, only what he saw needed to be done to keep himself and his teammates safe. 

they caused their respective parties a whole lot of trouble and grief. impulse draws consequence, and the choices they made in those snap decisions caused lasting aftershocks on both their individual character arcs and on the campaign as a whole. they developed complicated and emotionally-charged relationships with every member of their party, and in fact, entered the campaign already deeply entrenched with another pc--a bond that would define much of their character arc and growth. everything vax did usually came back to keeping vex safe--he died for her, he committed to a god he hated for her, he gave up control of his fate and his life and his purpose all for her, for his sister. and caleb... caleb built himself back up on the foundations veth laid for him. everything he became was in the image of what she wanted him to be, what she believed he already was. caleb remade himself into a better man for veth, even when that meant giving up everything he’d sacrificed for, because she knew he could. 

caleb and vax were created to fuck up constantly and to be taught to be better by the people who loved them. they were built so liam could dig deep into emotional turmoil to tell stories about death and grief and rebuilding. they were messy, invested, broken characters who were made whole again by their loved ones, who defined themselves through their connections, and who were made all the better for their mistakes and convictions. 

orym is not like either vax or caleb. orym isn’t a reactive character. he was built to be a support character, to exist on the outskirts of the party and provide protection and defense when asked. where caleb and vax were messy creatures of instinct and gut reaction, and whose active participation in their environment provoked fate and pushed the narrative along, orym is a study in control. you can see it in the way liam holds himself when he’s playing orym--tense. alert. hyper-vigilance disguised as poise and grace. matt summed it up pretty well in episode 14: “orym is doing the thing that he’s been doing for most of the night, which is paying attention.” orym is a soldier, and he is very, very good at it. he knows what his duty is. to watch. to observe. to get involved when there is blood on the line, to take the hits when it is expected of him, and to die at his teammates’ feet. he does not engage actively with the party unless specifically called upon, and he does not reveal personal information about himself ever. he checks in on his teammates, he prioritizes their health and wellbeing, he offers advice and comfort, he speaks softly and takes them seriously. but he does not engage. there is a boundary that he has set up between himself and the rest of the world, and he tends to it carefully. everything stays inside that line where it belongs, and he does not step over it. 

the truth is, we don’t know what happened in zephra. we have theories based off a tweet from almost five years ago, but we don’t know anything for sure because orym hasn’t told us. hasn’t told anyone. he hasn’t breathed a word about the attack other than to explain exactly what happened when prompted. clinical. rehearsed. a soldier reading a report, he says almost the exact same thing every single time. this is a pretty far cry from vax, who told his sister - and therefore, the audience - everything, and caleb, who revealed pretty early on that he had murdered his family and even earlier revealed that he was a tortured soul convinced of his own damnation. liam is not playing orym as a character seeking connection and rebirth, he is not playing a character intending to invest himself in other people. yes, it’s still early on in the campaign, but the other pcs have come pretty clean about their pasts. the details might be vague (looking at fcg/sam here) but we’ve got at least the scope of everyone’s backstories. we don’t know anything about orym except that his home was attacked six years ago, and that there is something deep and painful lurking inside of him. i have so many questions about his past, about what he’s been doing for the six years since the attack, about what happened to him, but i don’t see any end in sight to this purposeful obfuscation. because it’s not a matter of trust, or respect, or friendship. orym does trust his team. he likes them, and he’s certainly willing to die for them. and if he’s not waiting for trust, then i don’t know what else he’d be waiting for, unless he isn’t waiting for anything and he’s planning on walking right into his own grave with all of himself still wrapped up inside. 

the one exception to that rule, i think, might have been dorian. dorian was different. i don’t know if we’ll ever know why, but orym was different around dorian. not because he opened up to him, but because it seemed like he wanted to. like there were all these things that he was inches from blurting out. there was an element of engagement orym took with dorian that he hasn’t taken with anyone else. it was still filtered through that barrier of his, but between the flower and the sending stone and that goodbye - for the company -  it’s the most of orym we’ve ever gotten. little pieces of what orym might look like if he did talk about himself. if he did reach out. if he wasn’t such a good soldier. if he wasn’t so obviously soaked in grief and guilt and duty, if he wasn’t so fixed on whatever it is his goal is--vengeance, maybe? justice? death? 

i am heartbroken over losing dorian and losing robbie, and i am afraid of where it has left orym. our little murder halfling, with so much contained violence strung up inside of him. who is really just a walking, talking tragedy, so intent on going to his own destruction utterly alone. there was so much potential between them for something real and meaningful. for maybe the first real connection orym has had in six years. and orym wanted it, you can tell orym wanted it so badly. he was distraught over dorian’s departure, the heartbreak was all over his face. and now that dorian is gone, the one connection orym’s tried to foster in six years, what happens? we don’t know what’s waiting at the end of the road for orym, but it’s probably not a warm hearth. probably not connection. probably not a family. it probably looks a whole lot like an empty grave. like a waiting stillness. like a promise of an end to the agony he carries around like a live grenade in his chest. and why would orym bother, then? why would he build something new? why would he nurse a connection to life, if all he’s banking on is oblivion? 

the thing is, we don’t know anything about orym. but we do know liam. we know his themes, and we know the kind of characters he plays. and maybe orym isn’t like vax or caleb because he doesn’t reach out for connection and purpose. but they’re alike enough, and liam doesn’t do anything by accident. 

will the halfling live? or will the halfling die?

[luckytrine]

people need to be responsible about their dogs and recognize that proper training and socializing leads to the best quality of life for everyone involved, but I also believe that there needs to be more understanding for the way dogs are literally predators. There is a difference between an unsocialized, unstable animal and an animal that is rightfully exerting it’s boundaries. I hate seeing the trust with a dog break because an owner couldn’t or wouldn’t meet the dog on its own terms. A lot of the time I see it with people who seem to truly believe the “dogs are loyal & obedient” concept instead of “these are apex predators that decided to kick it along side us humans”. A dog bite can be traumatic- I was bit by a dog as a child, I am very aware- but I loathe this concept that a dog biting someone is often an immediate ‘strike three’ for the animal. Once a dog has bitten someone, the emphasis becomes “this animal hurt a human” and not “this animal acted like an animal”. I have a reactive/aggressive pit bull, and if there is one thing I’ve really digested being in charge of her is that she truly just as emotionally intelligent and smart as any other dog I have ever met. She has boundaries, and reacts like any autonomous being would when her boundaries are violated, and with her breed brings its own can of worms to that. I think for a lot of people, they see what than can do with “more friendly breeds” and judge “aggressive breeds” based on that difference. One thing I see often is bite strength- obviously a pit bull or Akita biting someone will do much more damage than a chihuahua- but I suppose I’ve just realized how much we feel entitled to a dog not biting us? It always feels like there’s this assumption of entitlement how much you can exert your will over a dog, and say if they don’t appreciate strangers petting them- that’s the dogs problem? Like, do you see what I’m gesturing at here? Like? Again, socialization and training are like, required, & it is your responsibility as an owner to do everything in your power to prevent situations where your dog could bring harm onto others or itself, but I will argue we often label things as “behavioral issues” when it’s really the predator we brought into our homes aren’t acting perfectly in line with our expectations. Like, I have to be vigilant with my dog- i do everything i can to make sure that the harm she is very capable of does not happen- but this vigilance has made me realize how much other dogs are consistently disrespected. I don’t ever look at an untrained small dog and wish I could have a dog as ‘easy’ as that, and instead I just think about how much that dog is considered ‘good/safe’ for putting up with humans entitlement. Like… I think about “treating every unknown dog with the possibility is could be dangerous” is actually a good starting off point, but I think an even better approach is “treating every dog, known and unknown, as an autonomous being you need to respect.”

[rulesforthedance]

OKAY: The stuff I haven’t been talking about because it is painful and messy and less fun to talk about than running, but now I finally feel the NEED to publicly-semi-anonymously journal it:

For weeks, I’ve been In A State about telling the people in charge that I am not coming back. When I was at school I was so sure that I wanted to leave that I thought it would be easy (emotionally) but it is. extremely not. I have alternated between too-anxious-to-eat-or-do-anything-but-dissociate and just deep heartsick grief. I’ll think of one individual kid or coworker and just cry. I love them and I’m leaving them. It feels like a breakup, when you know you have to break up with someone, but you love them, but love is not enough and it’s just not working, so you have to DO IT and break both your hearts. I talked with my therapist about it and she picked up that I was kind of looking for a way for it to not hurt and she was like, yeah, you’re gonna grieve, it’s gonna hurt, it’s gonna be disruptive for a while. And it’s about how to experience that without pushing it down (which is what I did when I grieved for my dead friend, because I was afraid of not functioning in the world if I, like, fully surrendered to grief or whatever, and that not only fucked up my general emotional capacity for a long time, but also generated a lot of guilt for Not Loving Him Properly) while still taking care of yourself and receiving care from others in a way that lets you get through it.

And I also feel stupid and selfish and melodramatic. Teaching is stressful for everyone. Everyone is having a bad year and they didn’t go on FMLA. And I am thinking about how to get through my grief when I am doing harm. Maybe--it’s a crapshoot: the person who replaces me could be impatient and reactive and respond to the surface behaviors instead of taking the time to learn how and why that kid is hurting and what would be a more effective and kinder way to reach them. And taking that time and doing it the complicated right way was something I prided myself on for a long time. I know my kids! I respond in an individualized way. I am gentle with them. But I got worse at learning them and taking the time as I got more burned out, which is not what I want to give them. And maybe the person who replaces me will be able to do what I used to do, and maybe better! The kids might be better off OR worse off with me gone, and that’s how that is.

I finally talked to my principal today. I called the secretary and asked if the principal would be available if I dropped by later this afternoon, but she just put him on the phone instead. So I told him. And I was more honest about my reasons for leaving than I thought I’d be. And he was so kind and supportive, which was a huge relief but also made me more sad. And he said he’d be very happy to be a reference as I apply for jobs. So that went as well as it could. And I am very sad, and I know I’m doing what I have to do.

[imthepunchlord]

Adrien’s Best to Least

Marinette, Alya, Nino, Kagami

Alright, officially four seasons in, we got more on Adrien which wound up to be... something. Let’s get this character study going covering his best to least fit. I apologize if this comes out on the side of salty, trying to be as neutral as possible, but be ready for his issues to be addressed.

Adrien is a complicated character in his set up, but Adrien himself is not a complex individual. He is, quite literally, one of the more straight forward characters in this show, and is quite stagnant and unchanging. And that is more the fault of the writers who don’t want to change him at all and deem him to be “perfect” while ignoring any flaws. Looking at him as a character without the narrative to act in his favor, there’s actually quite a struggle for him miraculous wise, but two seem to suit him best. 

His best are Turtle and Peafowl. Turtle meets the core who he is, working off his strengths, where he likes to be in the field, and his instincts. And this miraculous actually offers him the growth he really needs, while keeping true to who he is. Peafowl it turn can best adjust to his style and needs, his want to be flashy and dynamic. 

Adrien at the core is a protector, supporter, and follower. Being an incredibly reckless and active character, he thrives to be in the front lines, and has largely always prioritized his partner’s safety over his own, which has become problematic behavior at this point. But that’s what you want for a Turtle, someone who’s ready to be on the front lines and is being conscious of their allies. And out of the 5, this suits him best in who he is and how he works. 

The growth potential comes from the limits of his protection as Shelter can only be used once, and he has to be conscious about timing and how to use it. And typically, Adrien does have good responsive instincts for when he needs to be a protector. While this won’t stop him from diving in, it can afford him more means to do so while also keeping himself safe and in the fight, and it can shape him up to be smarter in how he protects others. This miraculous also counts for self-protection and ideally can get it into his head that his safety matters to. 

Overall, I do see Adrien and Wayzz getting along as Wayzz is friendly, engaging, and will adapt and adopt quirks of his humans so he can quickly bond with them. This sets up for him to click with his kwami a lot sooner, and with Wayzz being a more serious and responsible kwami than Plagg, this can set up Adrien to respect and listen to Wayzz. So when Wayzz calls him out on anything, Adrien is more likely to listen to him and consider his words. Wayzz is a kwami who doesn’t approve of reckless behavior, and that will address one of Adrien’s biggest issues. 

With Peafowl, in comparison to Fox, would be a lot forgiving of Adrien’s quick, responsive, and straightforward thinking. When Adrien makes his golems, they are made with a clear purpose that they will see to. And they will function as he expects them to. This will match his want to play by his own rules, as whatever he wants can come into existence, and for sure, he’d be quite the attention grabber. This miraculous is quite flexible in battle, able to be settled on the sidelines or join the golem in combat. 

Growth wise, this miraculous can inspire a spark of creativity, as while he makes golems to serve out a purpose, thought is required for them. He will also need to learn to be conscious of his resources as each golem is born from a section of his fan, and if he makes too many, he can end up weaponless. 

For him and Duusu, I see them being a very energetic pair, probably borderline chaotic. Duusu would actually probably add onto his flamboyance and encourage him to really let loose and “show his true colors”. She’d also be a source of affection and support, something that he really wants. She could also have Adrien step up in maturity as she can be a goofball. 

Adrien’s 2nd best is Bee. Bee can work off his energy and allow him to remain a mid-to-close-range fighter, though there are concerns to him using it which keeps this from being apart of his best, though he has enough potential and promise to use it well that keeps this from joining the worst. 

Bee will have a lot of the same appeals as Cat that makes this manageable for Adrien. It is direct, involved, allows him to be a teamplayer, and has an aggressive power. But while it has the same appeals to Cat, it has the same issues as Adrien can be reckless with his power and has activated Cataclysm at the wrong time a few times which has led to issues (Aeon’s death being the most iconic example). Chances are even higher that he’d have similar issues with Venom, and be more reckless with Venom as unlike Cataclysm, this is just a temporary paralysis, not pure destruction. Cataclysm requires some level of control and consideration in use. Venom is not the same in its use, so Adrien can end up more reckless with it as there aren’t so severe consequences with it, in theory. And with his tendency to charge and Venom requires some stealth and calculation in use, chances are good that many are going to see his sting coming and prepare for it. 

Growth wise, Bee can help Adrien grow as a team player, as teamwork is a big part of bee society, and while largely good, Adrien does have moments where he has struggled (like pranking his partner during a Lucky Charm use in the beginning of Refleckta, or Glaciator, rejecting to work with his partner due to her not showing up for the maybe date she said she was uncertain of making it to). And by chance he is reckless with Venom, ideally it would eventually click that he needs to be smarter in how he handles it. 

Adrien and Pollen as a pair could end up very problematic or very interesting. The Bee miraculous seems more designed to be used by girls and so far, we’ve only seen Pollen work off girls, we have yet to see how Pollen would engage with a boy as her user. She could be quite critical. But playing off the assumption that Pollen will engage with Adrien the same as we’ve seen in canon with Chloe, this would not be a good match as Pollen would essentially enable Adrien, and I don’t see him prompting the same sort of growth to her as other characters could. 

Adrien’s least fit are Butterfly and Fox. These two make up his greatest weaknesses: empathy and the capacity to plan before acting. 

Adrien can match Butterfly as he can be very supportive and encouraging (Origins and Mayura), but the issue stems that these instances are limited both in number and in depth. Adrien can be very emotionally deaf to the needs of others, often putting his own needs over them, and has made use of guilt to manipulate people (largely Marinette, seen in Syren and Malediktator). Another big issue with Adrien and Butterfly is that Adrien himself doesn’t make connections, he doesn’t include himself in anything. To use this miraculous well, one has to be or become, quite literally, a social butterfly. This miraculous at the core is about emotion and connection, to be aware of the feelings of others, to make connections, to assist and help raise others up. It requires teamwork and being on the same page. To have the user become a leader or teammate. This is not something Adrien is known for. He in general isn’t good at getting a grasp on emotional issues, as seen in Maledicktator, not getting the happiness everyone was feeling and lectured Marientte about it. Possibilities are good that with his tendency to lecture, who can upset the wrong target and end up championless. And with how passive he can be, can it be certain that he can rein in a champion if they go out of control? 

Growth wise, this does offer the most, but at the price that this is one of two that he’d really struggle with at the start. This miraculous can help him learn to branch out, make connections with others, and open his world more to making friends. But until he gets to that point, he’s going to be limited in diversity in champions and is more likely to stick to who he knows, and unfortunately, that’s not a lot. Chances are good that Chloe and Nino could be the only champions to be seen for a while and Chloe would not be inclined to share. 

With Nooroo, on the surface they can be a sweet pair, but being a very gentle and soft spoken kwami, I don’t see Nooroo as a kwami that Adrien will listen to if Nooroo spoke out or voiced his concerns. Nooroo can help Adrien understand and deal with emotional situations he may not have a grasp on, but that’s not a certainty until Adrien actually listens. 

Adrien can match Fox as a risk taker, someone who likes to be flashy, is playful, and wants to put on a show. But that there is where it ends. Adrien at the core is a very reactive character who likes to be in the thick of things and that’s not where Fox is supposed to be. Fox requires creativity, observation skills, and means of manipulating your audience without ever confronting them. Adrien is more offensive-oriented than a good Fox should be. He shares a similar issue with Alya that he would go with the first thing that comes to mind, whether its good or not, or even if he has all the details down needed for a good illusion. Chances are also good that (like Alya), he also waits to hear what illusion his partner may tell him to do than think of one himself. He tends to go with his gut and responds to the first thing he sees. And out of the 5, this is the one most designed to be background oriented, so him joining any fights makes things risky for him as he’s quite limited in fights. And having a Fox seen, enemies get a sense that there’s going to be an illusion soon. 

This would be the 2nd to address issues of his recklessness, but would be far more punishing. If he’s determined to become a good Fox, this is going to force him to step back, observe, and think. But being so action oriented and responsive, and having this instinctive need to act rather than plan (as we really see him struggle and get frustrated in Refleckdoll), its going to take a while before he gets that patience. 

Trixx and Adrien would be a pair that I see to be quite one sided. Passive as he can be, I see Trixx quite easily manipulating Adrien. And depending on one’s stance, this could be good or bad. Trixx is sharp enough to see what his humans desire, and knows what to say to change how think or change their actions. Trixx maybe the best kwami to pair with Adrien as he will assist Adrien in getting what he wants and needs, but is capable of getting Adrien to reconsider his stance or actions, which can improve Adrien’s character and his relation with others. 

Between Ladybug and Cat... honestly Adrien isn’t the best fit for either of them. But if he HAS to have one... it would technically be Cat as the power is more suited to who he is. It’s up his alley, though certain aspects don’t make it ideal. 

it is the same issue and risk as Bee, Adrien is very reckless and reactive. Canonly he has summoned Cataclysm too soon. And then there’s the issue of kwami. Plagg is not a good kwami match up with Adrien. Plagg isn’t a very involved kwami and he relies on his humans to self-sufficient and figure out issues themselves, largely expects a small mention will be enough. Not so with Adrien who needs a more direct personality to listen to, and by the time Plagg realizes he needs to be more direct, Adrien largely dismisses him as Plagg has set himself up as unreliable at the start. 

Between the two, Tikki would be the better kwami for Adrien. She is very involved and engaging, and makes it clear when she has an issue, to a point she’d be hard for Adrien to dismiss. Though chances are slim that he would as she’d be engaging at the start unlike Plagg. Adrien can even get Tikki herself to grow as he needs clearer answers than just a simple call out, forcing her to offer up solutions and alternatives for his own actions. Tikki also would get Adrien to start involving himself in others, if not outright stepping up as a leader, be more conscious of others and help them with their issues. She would’ve been good to help Adrien branch out. Unfortunately, the Ladybug miraculous is confirmed to not be a good fit and there would be a lot of struggles for Adrien at the start. 

[arthurtristankingsmen]

More and longer theory chatter with @flash-the-geist with guest stars who popped in. This one is longer since it’s theorizing but turned into something Flash affectionately named the ‘Esprestissimo AU’ which I am keeping because I love it so much.

Most of this mainly features Duet thoughts and then shenanigans ! The most I did was add a missing thing in my own comments for clarification or that my brain skipped over when typing it before, or where I adjust the order of the messages for cohesiveness

please enjoy jdjd

flaaaash — Today at 4:35 AM

hmmm what if the note-taker is Duet, taking notes about "Solo"? that implies they're two different people

Arthur — Today at 4:36 AM

that's what i was thinking-- that the ‘He’ in the note is reverb, and this note is in reference to reverb, but also a comment on Solo, and the Duet 'wrote' this character profile as like-- a case file if they're in charge of the organization

so duet is like 'solo' claims she still needs to study him for research in a note on the file he's taking on reverb or something like that

flaaaash — Today at 4:37 AM

this might be my deep, unfortunate familiarity with bureaucracy talking, but- if the person in charge is also the one taking notes, it's a very small organization

Arthur — Today at 4:37 AM

oh yeah

i imagined it was tiny personally

tempo seems on the smaller side so if it's all based there, i was imagining it was relatively small

flaaaash — Today at 4:38 AM

not international then, perhaps

adkjfakjf oooh now I want to make a little card for Flash

Arthur — Today at 4:39 AM

yeah no-- at least since the name tempo of the town following the motif like seemingly implies it's based in/related to the town since if follows the reference style

or that's my thinking anyways?

flaaaash — Today at 4:39 AM

very true

imagine if Tempo is just Like That and the rest of the world is totally normal

Arthur — Today at 4:40 AM

i personally think vivi didn't grow up in tempo now more tho-- because i think if she did and there is an organization, they woulda gotten wind of her and she probably would've been recruited since she's smart and clearly into that kind of thing

and if she was in the org and knew what she was doing, i don't know if she would've gone to the cave if she was at all in the Know 

flaaaash — Today at 4:40 AM

or they would have tried to study Mystery?

Arthur — Today at 4:41 AM

that too!!

even if they brought her in just because of mystery i imagine they would've brought her in

flaaaash — Today at 4:41 AM

maybe that's what the "her research into "REDACTED" is referring to. Research into mystery?

it all does seem to come back to him

Arthur — Today at 4:42 AM

or maybe she's relatively new to tempo still, and duet gave her a job because they intended to bring her in at some point but hadn't yet

like there were steps to take and like-- the cave happened before things could get fully underway

i mean at my job i applied in like-- march, and i didn't get an interview until may, and then i didn't get any training until november, and then i didn't get brought in to learn the job until december. so it'd be easy to imagine that if there was a reason, bringing her in could be a slow process 

flaaaash — Today at 4:43 AM

that might also explain why there were all these "go back" signs in the cave

clearly someone with English language skills put the signage there

Arthur — Today at 4:43 AM

that too! it definitely felt like it was to warn off people and keep them from tresspassing

but the gang were kids and also ghost don't haunt the places that aren't super scary and dangerous! so of course they gotta go in!

flaaaash — Today at 4:45 AM

maybe they weren't expecting someone like Vivi at all

she was a wild card that popped up and threw a spanner in the works accidentally

Arthur — Today at 4:45 AM

yeah!

i can imagine her just coming in and completely bamboozling everyone

duet is like 'okay we'll get her in on this but we'll take some time to sort everything and judge where she's at skill wise since we have time and it's not like she can get into any danger with all our protective me--oh no'

flaaaash — Today at 4:48 AM

that calls Duet's motivation into question a lil bc - there's at least a significant amount of time between Lewis dying and them finding him again

since their search is reasonably extensive and Arthur's had time to heal up. So why didn't Duet do anything during this time?

Arthur — Today at 4:50 AM

hmmmm--- well we know it's been less than a year since the cave happened at least, and i think the way Ben talked about it  sounded like it was a relatively short time table of only a few months, so maybe they wanted to give them recovery time or they weren't sure how to broach it-- i'm not sure. maybe the comic will give some kind of insight hopefully if the case is that vivi came in like that

i feel like it'd be interesting and make more sense given what she has available magic wise and mystery-wise if she wasn't in town until much later in life to explain why she wouldn’t already be working with the organization. but i'm still like hmm

because you do have a point that there would be a fair bit of inaction, unless for some reason vivi's memory issues or something was a problem or something happens in the prequel to explain or hint

tho now that brings into question if duet knows Lewis is dead, how are things not being managed better

i mean i've had arthur say in the past and i've said once or twice that like-- i think arthur was already working with prosthetics. so he could've had an arm mostly built and just had to make a more functioning one so that could've been fast. so hopefully maybe the prequel comic is set a bit before and might explain duet helping or something in a way that could make sense of it?

especially given he did make galaham's wheels already and such. he might've already built one but needed to make a new one set up for him

flaaaash — Today at 4:54 AM

I'm fairly sure people would at least know he's missing

I guess it's possible that the 'memory magic' thing that makes Vivi forget - it could affect everyone except Arthur and Mystery?

Arthur — Today at 4:56 AM

that's possible--

we have only seen mystery and arthur in the world seeming to know what's going on, so we don't know who knows what. just that vivi doesn't know lewis

but maybe nobody else does either to some degree

flaaaash — Today at 4:56 AM

Arthur being possessed at the time, and Mystery being a magical being himself. We don't have any evidence that anyone else remembers Lewis, although he seems to still be in pictures

Arthur — Today at 4:57 AM

people did seem confused arthur was freaking out in the store in the comic and like

idk. if i knew he lost his best friend i'd be more sympathetic/not look at him like he was crazy. I’d assume something set him off but probably feel bad for him if i knew what happened in the last year?

because i would imagine mental health is in the toilet after going on a trip and losing a friend even if he was only 'missing'

and the way arthur mentioned lewis and when vivi forgets he's just like 'nevermind'. if no one really remembers Lewis, then maybe giving up trying to explain is because he’s used to no one knowing who he means

flaaaash — Today at 4:58 AM

yea h

Arthur — Today at 4:58 AM

what if arthur only remembers lewis? (and mystery does)

Don't forget to take your meds ❤ — Today at 4:58 AM

In fairness most people would be confused if they saw someone having a panic attack in public, no matter how much was known about the person

flaaaash — Today at 4:58 AM

also if Lewis looked like himself for a moment just before dropping Arthur - does that mean Lance saw him?

or did he only see skele-version and thus didn't recognize him as Lewis

Arthur — Today at 4:58 AM

hmmmmm--- i lean to skele vision. he turned back pretty quick iirc

flaaaash — Today at 4:59 AM

I'm torn between analysing between a storyteller perspective and an in-world perspective

Arthur — Today at 5:01 AM

por que no los dos?

also

hmmm-- i think given people were like 'what's up with that guy', it seemed either not knowing what was going on with him or what it could stem from, but if lewis disappeared in a small town i feel like a lot of the details would've spread. so they might assume it had to do with that instead-- so it feels like maybe most people don't know

which seems strange in a smaller community because stuff gets around

flaaaash — Today at 5:01 AM

especially since the Peppers own a restaurant

Arthur — Today at 5:01 AM

yeah-- in a small town place a restuarant is usually a social hub of sorts

so if lewis disppeared i'm sure people would talk given he was a waiter and thus kind of a face for the restaurant

flaaaash — Today at 5:02 AM

also if they think he's missing and not dead, his family would be looking for him too. which means missing persons pics and all that

Arthur — Today at 5:02 AM

yeah and we didn’t see any. and some people not knowing or visitors i could get, but everyone seemed surprised by arthur freaking out, and if they knew lewis was missing and lewis and arthur were friends, it feels odd to like-- none of them to even look sympathetic

i would imagine if they knew lewis was gone they'd assume arthur would be more emotionally reactive than usual-- unless they have no idea that something is going on with arthur because you know-- lewis is erased jdjd

i mean the reason we know vivi doesn't remember is because her eyes glowed as lewis got phased out of the photo

but who knows maybe him being phased out was in general and that just meant she was affected too. everyone gets amnesia

flaaaash — Today at 5:03 AM

also slightly cracky theory but - if they ended up accidentally in the research facility during Ghost, that would explain why Vivi found a fully-stocked fridge alkja;gl

Arthur — Today at 5:04 AM

DSJDDLJSDLFJDSJL

that would be hilarious

lewis is his own scp in his tantrum mansion

they just keep an eye on the lot

flaaaash — Today at 5:05 AM

well what else are they gonna do with him??? xD

Arthur — Today at 5:05 AM

dslsdjdsfljdsfd

''welp no one knows who this guy is soooooo manor in the middle of nowhere time'

flaaaash — Today at 5:06 AM

"so the waiter turned into a vengeful spirit?" "oh uhhhh ok put him in a box i guess until we figure something out?"

ok theory- Duet knows Lewis is dead, but is trying to figure out a way to help/break the memory magic on Vivi, and that's why he's in the mansion/cave for a while before Ghost?

Arthur — Today at 5:06 AM

i like it! i think them knowing and approaching arthur in the comic and using 'rancid vibes' as an excuse would make sense

flaaaash — Today at 5:07 AM

"so that Vivi person wandered in again somehow and now the vengeful waiter ghost is loose?" "for fuck's sake you had ONE JOB-"

Arthur — Today at 5:07 AM

they know what's actually going on but they kinda act like everyone else while also getting arthur something that might help him in that book that i think will be important in the plot of the prequel

DL;G;HDGSAL;HKGSDHL;DGS

flash you have the biggest brain

 flaaaash — Today at 5:08 AM

,kadjgalgkj

"also there was this killer tree-" "I do not care about the tree, one problem at a time"

Poor Duet is having A Week

but the mental image of them trying to avoid Arthur and Vivi investigating, while trying to find ??? and re-capture him while shoving Lewis in a box is hilarious, and then they run into Shiromori and just throw their hands in the air like "can u not????". And then Murder Mystery shows up and they just quit

Arthur — Today at 5:10 AM

dlaajldkljjdl;dldjlfkfd

duet is just like

on their tenth cup of coffee

Don't forget to take your meds ❤ — Today at 5:10 AM

Arthur: Those are rookie numbers

Arthur — Today at 5:11 AM

they see murder mystery and go back inside the shop like 'can you add like 5 espresso shots to this'

flaaaash — Today at 5:11 AM

explains why they're like "Arthur pls your vibes. Do you KNOW what I've been dealing with"

Arthur — Today at 5:11 AM

asdl;;dfslhsdahg;as;dghkghsdllhsgd

flaaaash — Today at 5:11 AM

"five extra shots and a red bull chaser please-"

Arthur — Today at 5:12 AM

(also just still crosses my fingers for medium/spiritually-sensitive!arthur to be canon but if not it will live on in my fannon)

dsldjllssfdf

they just start shoving coffee grounds directly into their mouth

flaaaash — Today at 5:12 AM

this series has a lot of antagonists

akjdalgj just crunching beans down whole

Arthur — Today at 5:13 AM

i need-- to draw duet

looking tired with a coffee

flaaaash — Today at 5:14 AM

Duet with a giant cup of coffee, staring at Murder Mystery with a deadpan stare and going "Absolutely not, I forbid it, there is not enough coffee in the WORLD."

Arthur — Today at 5:14 AM

flash and will if i share this chatter on tumblr would you be okay with it ? or would u rather i block out names if i do

i feel like some of this is hilarious and people need to experience it

flaaaash — Today at 5:14 AM

akdflaf no go for it

I will out myself as a sham of a storyboarder

Arthur — Today at 5:15 AM

duet is that gif of the ghost busters lady going 'mmm nope not today, room full of nightmares'

and turning and walking away

duet is doing their best and needs a nap

tired as Arthur

flaaaash — Today at 5:15 AM

Duet walking around the corner to see the gang facing down Murder Mystery: swivels on one foot and goes right back the way they came

Arthur — Today at 5:15 AM

ldjldljd EXACTLY

Don't forget to take your meds ❤ — Today at 5:16 AM

Heheheheh

Arthur — Today at 5:16 AM

like look at this person

look at their eyebags

they are Tired

they have deal with this bullshittery

they have sass to provide

but they also are Tired and done with this shit

flaaaash — Today at 5:16 AM

I want Duet and Arthur playing a game of caffeine chicken

Marshy — Today at 5:16 AM

Huge massive sigh as they see the whole bullshit situation go down and turns around to go back to the bookshop

flaaaash — Today at 5:16 AM

just lined up at the cafe bar, espresso shots in rows down the counter as they lock eyes-

who shall win- the CAFFEINE-OFF?

Arthur — Today at 5:17 AM

flash

pls if you right that i will pay you money

or maybe art

Marshy — Today at 5:17 AM

It's me I'll win

flaaaash — Today at 5:17 AM

SLFKJLKGS

Arthur — Today at 5:17 AM

dlasd;sdgkd;djslj;dags

i'm rooting for you take those nerds OUT

flaaaash — Today at 5:18 AM

"Duet gives him a look of Supreme Weariness and Nopery. Arthur counters with a double eye-roll of Resignation and Angst. In the true synchronicity of the Absolutely Done, they each take an espresso shot and slam it down."

Arthur — Today at 5:20 AM

djdasd;ds;lsda;ldj;lkdsl;jkdsj;lkasljkdjlkdg

they clink the little cups together first before taking their respective shots

flaaaash — Today at 5:21 AM

they do the thing where they turn it upside down to prove it's empty

by the fifth they're trying to outcompete each other with anecdotes

by the tenth they've moved onto toasting each other

Arthur — Today at 5:21 AM

Bonding!

Don't forget to take your meds ❤ — Today at 5:22 AM

The anecdotes get concerningly similar to each others

flaaaash — Today at 5:22 AM

by the twelfth, Arthur begins weeping. Duet pats him in solidarity and knocks the next shot clean off the counter due to caffeine-induced twitching

Arthur — Today at 5:22 AM

DSGLAHGLDGHDGHAAHDSGDG

EXCELLENT

i

want them to be friends now

flaaaash — Today at 5:23 AM

by the thirteenth, the barista stages an intervention and starts giving them decaf

by this point, they don't notice 

Arthur — Today at 5:23 AM

asdlaadjsdsajd

thank you they owe you their life

they could taste the difference if they weren't vibrating into the 28the dimension atm

flaaaash — Today at 5:24 AM

after the fifteenth shot, the counter is clear and they're both full of sympathetic outrage for the other's plight. They sprint from the cafe, steamroll right over Shiromori, and punt the colours right out of Murder Mystery in a fit of industrial-strength caffeinated indignance.

Don't forget to take your meds ❤ — Today at 5:24 AM

Hahahaha

Arthur — Today at 5:25 AM

h;lsadlf;dsldj;fsljl;dfsajdfsa

flaaaash — Today at 5:25 AM

The newly Monochromatic Mystery has to then help Vivi contain the pair before they wipe all paranormal activity off the face of Tempo.

Arthur — Today at 5:25 AM

that's how the fifth video ends

flaaaash — Today at 5:25 AM

Lewis narrowly escapes by hiding in a box. THE END

Arthur — Today at 5:25 AM

dsal;gsdhldgsa;dgsdgs;hldgs;lhdsa

beautiful thank u flash

i owe you my life

flaaaash — Today at 5:25 AM

you're welcome it's my magnum opus

Arthur — Today at 5:26 AM

A+ story telling

i'm including it in the post

flaaaash — Today at 5:26 AM

ALKJGAGK

it's okay I don't have a reputation to ruin xD

Arthur — Today at 5:26 AM

dlasdl;dhsgldgdgs

this is a callout for flash being the funniest person alive--

or undead

flaaaash — Today at 5:27 AM

dead-

sfkjga

l

Arthur — Today at 5:27 AM

djdjdjdj

i thought about it and corrected myself xDD

flaaaash — Today at 5:30 AM

ok I have no idea if anyone will get this pun, but I dub this the Esprestissimo AU

Arthur — Today at 5:36 AM

djalsd;ldsjdsjldf

i LOVE THAT

music puns but espressos EXTRA ESPRESSOLY

flaaaash — Today at 5:49 AM

xD

[a-duck-with-a-book]

REVIEW // The Mask of Mirrors (Rook & Rose #1) by M. A. Carrick

★★★★☆

🌟 HIDDEN GEM 🌟

I have a few conflicting feelings regarding this novel, although I found it to be overwhelmingly well-written, with beautiful prose and next-level world building. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: give me a map and a timeline and I will love your book. I decided to divide my review into what I loved, what rubbed me the wrong way, and what I remained on the fence about. (I’ve noticed I spent quite a bit of space detailed my dislikes, so I want to emphasize that I really enjoyed this book and that I this is one of the most well-written novels I have read this year.)

// image: official cover art //

Loved ♡

Scroll through the reviews and you will see that this book has received plenty of praise, and rightfully so. I’m a sucker for world-building, but I think even those who usually skim the lore and history lessons in novels will appreciate the efforts the authors went to in order to create the world around the protagonists. By the time I finished I found that I had learned more from one book than I had from reading some other full series. They are able to fit so much without relying on info dumps, allowing the book to truly come to life.

Secondly, I appreciated that the world was casually LGBTQ+ friendly. It has always bothered me when authors go to the trouble of creating a fantasy world just to make it… homophobic. There are a variety of LGBTQ+ characters, and while the authors ensure that their sexuality or gender identity is canon, they avoid using these same characteristics as plot points.

Also, look at the cover art.

Some spoilers ahead-be wary of SPOILER warnings!

Disliked :(

I’m not a massive fan of using multiple POV’s, and one of the main reasons I am apprehensive of them is that authors sometimes fail to balance the time the readers spend with each protagonist. This happens to an extreme degree in Mask of Mirrors. We spend 90% of the time seeing the story through Ren’s perspective, 5% through Grey, and 5% through Vargo. And yes, these are obviously just estimates, and YES, we also get a couple passages from other characters, but the point stands! I wish we had spent more time developing Grey’s storyline, as both his and Vargo’s character arcs felt rushed and underdeveloped. [SPOILER] After finishing the book, I see why it was useful to show both their POV’s less often in order to leave the ending a surprise for the reader, but I think it would have been much more emotionally impactful if we had been able to follow their stories and get to know them better through more POV’s. [SPOILER END] I wish the authors had either eliminated their passages altogether or inserted more from their perspective-in their current state, they make the book feel unbalanced.

Finally, I think Ren benefits a bit too much from plot armor. I don’t dislike her per se, but I did get annoyed from time to time when everything conveniently went her way. Especially at the beginning, so many puzzle pieces consistently come together for the sake of her storyline, and this just took me out of the story. It is only about halfway through the book that we see her begin to face actual consequences, although I would argue that she gets away with a LOT near the end of the book as well. This apparent invulnerability and extraordinarily good luck made her a bit hard to relate to and like, at least for me. At one point she also gets so angry with a couple other characters for lying abut who one of them was… but like… isn’t that her entire plot line… that she’s pretending to be someone else? It was just too difficult in that moment to sympathize with her anger when she was able to get off without any repercussions after her own con. When people did discover that she was lying about her identity, they forgave her almost immediately. [SPOILER] Leato and Giuna both seem to be angry and hurt, but almost immediately Leato gets over it and then is in no position to make charges against her (going back to the convenient chain of events for Ren’s con to work) and Giuna never really does anything about it. If anything, she also seems to get over really quickly, and it is never truly a problem for Ren that Giuna found out. If anything, Giuna ends up helping her even more than she did before she learned of her true identity. [SPOILER END] The stakes were set so high for this con but we never really saw any lasting consequences. There was no reason for me to be anxious about Ren’s fate because it never felt like she was in any real danger.

[SPOILER?] My last issue, but the one that made me the most upset: why does the two-faced villain always have to be the bisexual character? One of the authors very kindly answered my question on Goodreads when I brought up this issue, (here is the link to that conversation) and while I can see why they made this decision, in the current climate of the abundance of this "betrayer" arc for bisexual character I simply didn't enjoy it. Again, this is a personal issue and since one of the authors is bi herself I am certainly not trying to call them out or anything like that. :) [SPOILER END]

Unsure?

I would tell anyone thinking of picking this book up to prepare for a steep learning curve. You are thrown into a world with different terms and lore, and since the POV characters are already familiar with them (none of the “remote village boy who is ignorant of the ways of the world” here) it can be very confusing to keep up with the avalanche of names and politics and history. It speaks to the deep world-building which I appreciate, but, at the same time, it was definitely difficult to get through the first half of the book. I don’t see this as a negative because, again, with world-building this intricate, it is necessary for the reader to put some effort into learning the background, and I think the authors did as good a job handling this conundrum as they could.

Lastly, I have a very personal issue that I do not count against the book-I love Giuna, and I really wish we had gotten more time with her to explore her character. She feels very reactive in this novel, only there to serve as plot fodder or build up other character’s arcs and personalities, but I can sense that she could be so much more. I hope to see more of her in future books!

[docholligay]

So we now know that we have all the pieces in place to truly begin to tell the story that was always meant to be told. Everything up to now has really just been stage-setting, as far as Drosselmeyer is concerned. It was just getting everyone to accept their parts and be ready to dance. That we have invested emotional energy in them is really nothing to him--this was all prologue so he can fuck with us emotionally for the rest of the story. And I respect that as a writer!! I get that! You need to make people love your characters so you suffer with them. 

AND NOW THE QUESTION OF EDEL. I have made no secret of the fct that I feel like Edel must BE something, and this only helps me prove it, because without her, something is missing. But I’m still not sure what she IS. I’ve floated the idea, and I still do quite like it, that she’s the narrator or narrative drive of the story, which sort of has its own way of thinking and speaking, even on beyond the writer itself. I mean, if I’m writing something from Michiru’s “perspective” even if it’s not first person, it sounds very different from something from say, Lena’s: 

Michiru was many things, in the course of her day to day, as such things required, but never would she have described herself as sloppy. Unbridled. Wanton. She was the rose that grows around the arched trellis, each petal perfectly bred, the color set over years and years, trimmed for the fair, to be set into a perfect crystal vase and awarded her ribbon. She was beautiful, she was delicate, she was a creation. This had always been so.

So it made a certain amount of sense that when Emily MacNair, who would have been Oxton, was murdered, Tracer immediately and quickly lost her mind. Emily had not even been laid to rest when Tracer skipped the country in pursuit of her murderer, and anyone who got in the way discovered that Tracer was sunshine, and the sun is more than capable of killing without mercy. They said she beat Widowmaker to death with the butt of her rifle. Tracer would only say that probably did happen, but truthfully she didn’t remember a thing. It was hard to argue against that point, when she returned to London and descended into what a physician had called “brief reactive psychosis.” It was difficult to charge her for the death of someone wanted dead or alive by several countries, in any case. Born under a lucky star.

The narration can be its own ‘character’ in that it can have its own feel, and though I worry that I’m so MARRIED to this answer that I might be missing other possibilities, I do really really like it as an answer. 

And also the idea that she, being a character, could go rogue! I find the idea that the story has its own heartbeat outside the will of the writer to be FASCINATING, and I would love to see that play out. 

Please note I have never seen this and am watching spoiler-free! Please don’t confirm, deny, or explain anything, even if it’s historical or cultural! Thank you! If you’d like to discuss this episode with others, the discord is here!

[alpaca-writes]

Mystics, Chapter 7

When Arch becomes hired on at Mystics by Lyrem, everything seems to be going well- their life nearly becomes perfection. Soon enough, however, Arch realizes that perhaps not everything is as perfect as they think...

Directory: [chapter one] [chapter two] [chapter three] [chapter four] [chapter five] [chapter six]

Tag list: @myst-in-the-mirror

CW: leg injury, knife whump, 

---

CHAPTER SEVEN: THE GODS OF JUST AND UNJUST MEN

        The man keeled over just as the darkness had engulfed him and the sensation of ground had returned beneath his feet. Ragged and shaking, he cried out in agony, clutching his right leg that poured deep crimson blood staining his fingers. A soft blue light emanated from a tunnel above his head, showering him in a beckoning glow.

       Beside him, a woman formed from the drifting darkness of the abyss. Her black hair was pulled off to one side in multitudes of smooth braids that reached her hips. She knelt down in her simple white linen gown, and touched the man on the shoulder. He stared up at her, his face soaked with more tears than rain or sweat.

        “Th-They don’t… They don’t remember me,” he stammered shakily.

        The Goddess hushed him softly, and brought her hand down to the knife handle. She met his gaze, and searched his green eyes. He became lost in her mesmerizing essence and in one swift motion, she pulled the knife out of his thigh.

        He launched onto his back, roiling in the unfathomable release of pressure in his leg. He was screaming, but the void consumed his cries until the very end.

        “I gather you were unable to kill him?”

        She had waited for him to stop screaming before tossing the knife down in a clatter by his head.

        The man still laid on his back, caring not for the wound that was bleeding out with fearsome speed. His lower lip quivered and he closed his eyes.

        “No,” he answered through gritted teeth. “He… He was in a meeting.”

        The woman breathed out the last of her hope and stood over him, shaking her head.

        “We don’t like excuses,” she expressed, circling him. “Lyrem is only a man, and Hades wants results. If you don’t deliver, then you don’t get to stay on Earth. Running away with another human is not what we asked of you, was it?”

        He shook his head, wiping a hand over his face like he was shielding himself from the rays of her shame.

        “Next time,” he said. Forcing himself to sit up, he looked at her squarely, and turned his face to stone to address the Goddess as she ought to be. “I’ll get him next time. Persephone, please send me back- I”-

        “No.”

        He forced on, “I’ll get him this time, I swear”-

        “Ar”-

        “SEND ME BACK!”

         This time, his voice carried farther through the void and then it echoed back to them. He lowered his voice reactively, sensing that he had done something severely improper.

        “Please… Send me back.”

        Seeing his emotionally fragile form was endearing as well as tremendously unsettling. Persephone lowered herself to him as he laid there, barely supported by his one elbow. Huffing, she laid a hand against his leg. He stared into her perfectly dark eyes, trusting her once more with great effort.

        “I can heal you partially,” she offered, “And with a bit of time, I’ll be able to send you back.”

        “Don’t bother healing me if you can send me back now.” He argued, “Lyrem has Arch”-

        “If I don’t heal you, you’ll bleed out and return here within minutes. And you will be of no use to us then. You’re a mortal, remember; dancing between worlds of life and death.” Persephone explained. Gently, she cupped his cheek with a soft, sympathetic hand.  “The rules were never written for someone like you.”

        He tore himself away from her grip, and gulped down the last option that he was given. He took some time, considering her words with the reverence that one would give to a wise crone.

        “I don’t know how long they… Fine,” he finally agreed.

        Arguing with Gods and Goddesses alike wasn’t a normal habit for him- but for now, he would take what he could get.

       “But I promise you… I promise Hades… I will kill Lyrem. I’ll do it, no matter what it takes. I’ll deliver his head to you on a fucking silver plate if it means I can go back to my old life.”

        “Usually, I would advise against making promises you cannot keep,” the darkness called through, washing over him. It was the voice of the Underworld; of Hades Himself. He could not be witnessed in the dark abyss, where only the dead contained the sight to see the God in His glory. The voice carried on, shaking the injured mortal to his very core as it rumbled through him like a thunder.

        “But with you… I am willing to believe that there may be some hope for us all.”

        Persephone blinked slowly; the words of Hades filling her soul like she had taken a breath of fresh morning air. She looked down to the human, allowing a small smile to sneak its way onto her face, as his filled with cautious determination.

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

          “I think I like them.”

        Lyrem looked up from his two fingers of scotch whisky and smiled to the man sitting across from him in a matching orange armchair by Mystics’ storefront window. The lights of evening downtown glowed inwards, as the two of them caught up with each other. Lyrem had finished his story of the strange and annoying priest at the hospital- and the terrible treatment that his charge, Arch was receiving there.

        “I thought you might,” Lyrem replied. “I’ve primed Arch with talents they’ll be able to carry forward for years and years to come.”

        “And yet, you still cannot trust them to keep their memories.”

        There was a twinkle in the dark eyes of his guest. Everything from his squared off top hat to his jacket and to his bejeweled cane spoke of decadence and divine tailoring. He smoothed his long black beard down to its tip with long fingers, studying his friend and regular supplier with great interest as he took his time with his response.

        “I cannot be certain that they will follow me.” Lyrem admitted, taking a sip from the glass tumbler that sat in his right hand. “They are so connected with people… with life… How can one twist a mind that pure?”

        “All that purity, it ends somewhere. Everyone has their limits. Goodness leaves us all in the dust eventually and your successor cannot be someone with sentimental ties. One day, even you will have to leave them behind.” The man’s pinky finger danced in the air as he raised his own glass. “Since you know, the Devil always comes to collect on her debts.”

        Lyrem grunted rudely at the reminder.

        “Any word on when that might be?” Lyrem asked with deepening interest in his tired face, “I know you have an ear to the abyss, Paimon. You can tell me.”

        Paimon merely chuckled, and clicked his fingers. The record player began to set itself up, playing the tunes that were primed to go. The album was something picked out by Arch from the record store across town several weeks ago after they had grown tired of John Denver.

           I wouldn’t want to be a chimney sweep,

          All black from head to foot,

         From climbing in them chimneys,

         And cleaning out that soot…

        “Just enjoy life, Lyrem- while you still can,” Paimon winked as he finished his glass and clunked it down. “Throw out your stoic wisdom, already, and prepare your charge for when you’re finally dead. That’s my advice.”

        Sensing that Paimon was on his way out, Lyrem stopped him. 

        “One more thing... I suspect that a particular captive of mine has found a way out of the Labyrinth in the back room. There are no… other doorways that you neglected to mention when I purchased it off of you, are there?”

        “I am leasing it to you, Lyrem.” Paimon corrected him with a shake of his head in pity. “Like all rental properties, sometimes renovations are necessary.”

         Lyrem scoffed at his flippant response. But before he could say anything else, the demon had vanished from his chair.

         “At least give me a bloody notice first,” Lyrem muttered to himself before finishing his glass with a final swallow. Only the melody would keep him company now.

         The honey from the bee,

        The shellfish from the sea,

        The earth, the wind, a girl,

        Someone to share these things with-

        Lyrem switched off the record abruptly and then picked up the empty glasses left on the corner table. Paimon’s words rang in his head as though they were warning him. He had been sensing for quite sometime that Hekate had grown impatient with his antics. He had been given many gifts from the underworld’s many inhabitants in his short time on Earth, and as a result owed many debts; some debts simply would not be repaid in the bones of ancient Mayan sacrifices- though sometimes they did make thoughtful gifts.

        Demons and divine spirits, Gods and Goddesses alike, all had some opinion on Lyrem Nomadus. At one time or another he had procured an item or two for almost all of them- whether it was something as frivolous as an original Da Vinci sketch or as dark as a human heart for ritual consumption. Whether they had a fair opinion of the man, or a sour one, they would all agree that for a human, he was really rather quite useful and would go the extra mile to make them happy as long as he was paid in full with their favors.

        Lyrem was well aware that those days of retrieval and dealing were long past him now. His age was beginning to show in all the worst ways. Sentimentality becoming the latest of wrinkles in his pallid complexion. The first wrinkle of which was when he had removed memories from Maria, his one and only love, so that she could be happy living out the rest of her life with a normal human. Meeting Arch, and the strong connection that they had grown, was just another one of the latest displays of his sentimental nature. The visit from his old friend this night yet again, a reminder that his good work would soon be coming to an end.

        Lyrem had to be sure that Arch was prepared by any means necessary. This meant there could not be room for distractions. There was no room for failure. If Arch was unable to make use of the gift they were given, then they would die before they even started.

        “What now?” Paimon returned, sensing Lyrem call for him in short thoughts. The demon stood, leaning against his cane by the door, regarding Lyrem with a tired interest.

        “I have an idea,” Lyrem postulated, placing the tumblers on the counter as he paced the store’s sale floor. “-but I will need your help to locate a shape-shifter.”

        Paimon perked his head higher, as Lyrem continued hesitantly.

        “One, preferably, that is extraordinarily good at acting.”

        Paimon’s lips curled as his eyes danced with amusement, and nodded.

        “I’m always willing to help out an old friend,” he smiled.

[blowingbells]

Tritype 548

The 845 is the somewhat introverted, intelligent, headstrong, detached, hyper introspective problem solver with strategic thinking and emotional astuteness.

*Darkest tritype-458, 854, 584 (particularly when 4 or 5 are in charge)

Also if you are still considering 548 (or 845): she said this is the the most intense type, particularly if sexual. Intuitive, knowledgeable and direct. This is the type that really craves knowing what makes people tick and builds what she calls mental or internal maps that are quite astute as to what makes people do what they do. This tends to be the darkest of the tritypes because of the intensity of the 3 types (particularly if 4 or 5 is in charge). David said there is a propensity toward the grotesque, anatomical or intensely esoteric. This is the "true scholar" and the life mission is to disseminate what information is found. The blind spot is this has 3 types that can be prone to arrogance and the attachment to the internal map of what they've found can make them blind to new information as it comes in. So there will be a tendency to become fixed in their worldview or ideas particularly about people and not take in new information. So while the map is quite extraordinary that they've painted they may miss a whole region and thus not have the full picture. This is also the most cynical and the tendency to be so overly opinionated can make people turn off to their wisdom. She said when 8 is in charge there is a bit more compassion, and with an integrated 5 or 4 in charge you get a gifted spiritual teacher (Russ Hudson for example) An intensely original archetype with a passion to explore and to find the hidden meaning in all things.

874 and 854 are very similar and can be difficult to distinguish as 8 has access to both 7 and 5. What is helpful is to look at the differences between 7 and 5. The most critical aspect engagement. The 7 engages and brings a positive outlook to the 84_. The 5 is more internal and brings more introversion and reserve. The 874 is more outgoing and spontaneous. it is the difference between facts vs activities.

‎854 and 862 share the self-possessed confidence with solution mastery. The 854 is the artsy and intellectual 8 -- with a secret self-consciousness. The 862 is the champion rescuer, protector with a great need to help-- more duty.

the 468 is a true challenger and truth teller. The 4 may be shy but this Tritype is very intense and reactive--quick to speak their mind. The 485 is the true intellectual that has strong opinions about their feelings and thoughts but less reactivity. Sexual instinct with 4 dominant makes both tritypes more intense. The 468, however, is more dutiful and feisty whereas the 458 is one of the tritypes that lives in their head researching and following their own muse.

‎846 vs 845. These two tritypes are very different. Both take charge and seek solutions. The 846 is one of the most confrontational tritypes. The other is the 836. The 6 amplifies the 8 need for loyalty and trust. The 845 is more introverted and introspective. The 854 has 5 as a line of connection as well as in the tritype and makes this 8 more scholarly and focused on depth.

(4)-5-8 - The Power-Seeking 4 4-(5)-8 - The Reactive 5 4-5-(8) - The Withdrawn 8

Impenetrable inner world. They are complex individuals, but they are more characterized by the way they tend to push everyone away from them.

5-8-4: Most Intense Five. Needs creativity. Can be moody and melancholy.

458 is the most tough-minded and opinionated 4.

458 - Knowledgeable and direct 4. Most analytical 4. Craves knowing what makes people tick. Stronger Opinions.

845: Intuitive and knowledgeable 8. Most withdrawn 8, specially if introverted, 9 wing and/or sp.

The 458 is an active archetype...just more withdrawn...not passive like the librarian... more the expert as they gather knowledge but have a very definite point of view like the 478 and 468.

five with an eight fix: least intellectual, though perhaps the most mentally intense. unsettled by occasional fits of temper, sudden outbursts. affixed to notions of power; attitude of resigned realist. quietly guarded and insistent, may put others ill at ease.

eight with a four fix: the moody, loner eight. distinct outsider quality; as if on a highly personal mission. tendency to feel exempt from conventional rules and circumstances.

The 458 is more openly emotional and expressive. The 548 is more mental and reserved...like the difference between 4 and 5. Both are intuitive thinkers and tend to be introverted. They are intellectuals that take action when they feel strongly about something. Others are always surprised when the 8 appears as this tritype appears quiet.

A couple of distinctions...The 458 is more emotionally expressive than the 548. The content can be very different. The 458 is more inclined to talk about their feelings about a subject of interest whereas the 548 will be more reserved and speak about tinteresting facts about a subject. The energy of the 458 is focused on the analysis of their feelings first whereas the 548 is focused on the analysis of the information first.

Social increases the need to have the critical information needed to be interesting to others-- to be wise and in the know. Sp increases the focus on the the basics... the resources one must expend to have the information.What will the cost be? All 6 variations of the 458 will avoid being ignorant and speak up for what they believe in. For example, in contrast, the sp548 will be far more reluctant to speak than the sx845 but both fear being inadequate, incompetent and powerless.

The 4-5-8 is the most direct and blunt of all the tritypes, with the exception of perhaps 3-5-8

874 and 854 are very similar and can be difficult to distinguish as 8 has access to both 7 and 5. What is helpful is to look at the differences between 7 and 5. The most critical aspect engagement. The 7 engages and brings a positive outlook to the 84_. The 5 is more internal and brings more introversion and reserve. The 874 is more outgoing and spontaneous. it is the difference between facts vs activities.

seeing your place as in the shadows is exactly how the 458 describes themselves. The 458, 468 and 478 are all truth tellers in their own way. The 468 is the one that is hyper reactive and still seeks a fair authority. The 458 and 478 are their own authorities.

the 548 tritype is the 5 most likely to appear 4-ish.

I think that 458 tritype could be mis-typed as 5, but this is much less likely than a 548 being mis-typed as a 4. It is double reactivity and resultant emotional intensity/volatility of having 4 and 8 together that clashes with the 5, even when 5 is core.

out of 458/459/451 I'd guess that both 459 and 451 would seem more 5-like (or, more accurately, be more likely to be mis-typed as 5) than 458.

The 485 is an intensely original archetype with a passion to explore and find the hidden meaning in all things.

The 845 is more introverted intuition with the attention going inward. It can be darker and is more cynical.

(EIDB 548 tritype discussion thread: The Enneagram Institute Discussion Board - 5 4 8 Tritype ):

[Intense, especially with sx first. Independent, dark, cynical. Most eccentric, creative 5 that tends to swing between detachment and emotionality. Most 4ish 5, especially with four wing. Tough-minded, analytical 4 that is staunchly individualistic. Withdrawn, sensitive, creative 8. "Scholar" archetype if I remember correctly. Wants to know what makes people tick.

Actually, I think this 5 would be more fantasy oriented than information oriented. This would be the dreamy 5.

What I was criticising was the implication that the unique view a 5-4-8 creates is a monolithic system which doesn't change or adjust due to presumably stasis or narcissism or an inability to take criticism. Dynamism, flux and big intellectual shifts are much more likely. While a 5-4-8 is likely to be an intellectual narcissist, I think any criticism that they are unable to change or adjust their view is the opposite of the case because there is an intense self-criticism as well. Change and flux are constant.

first, because 5-4-8's are unlikely to think in systems (which you've now agreed with), and second, because of their sensitivity to inconsistency, constant self-criticism and tendency to change positions. I think there is an element of truth in the description though, in that 5-4-8's can be wilfully perverse and too arrogant to accept criticism from others. But they are likely to outwardly repudiate that criticism, and then later modify their views accordingly rather than stubbornly retain their original position.

My experience of this type is of course my only experience of any kind, so hard to be 'objective'. But here goes. I find it a complex, contradictory and often perplexing type to be. The 3 numbers pull against each other, and there is no social element(3, 6, or 9) to smooth the way. This is exacerbated if you have SO as your last stacking. Although all generalisations are suspect (including this one), it is particularly hard to generalise about this tritype. This tritype seems peculiarly subject to flux, and thus can vary greatly, or have many different real selves. However, dark, eccentric, creative, cynical, sensitive, scholarly are not wide of the mark (although tend to create a caricature if taken too seriously). It's true that we tend to be intensely interested in the psychology of other people, if only because we are at an utter loss to figure out ourselves much of the time. In a way, we are natural scholars but too scholarly, polymathic and restless for universities these days, which reward the careerist specialist. 5-4-8's are subject to rapid oscillations of emotion and thought, equally capable of preternatural strength and weakness of mind at any given moment. One minute an angel, the next a cruel tyrant. A lot of love and a lot of hate. Exquisitely sensitive but all too capable of cruelty and callousness to others. One wants to know, in a totalizing and essential fashion, know poetically but know precisely as well, but never quite gets there.

We are paradox-mongers, live in metaphor, and are always trying to find new ways to say and see things (and hence are often pretentious) - i.e. iconoclasts - but can be as pedantic, systematic and anally analytical as anyone - i.e. using our 5-ness to beat others at their own games when they have underestimated us as loose, kooky or not with it. 5-4-8's have a predisposition to religion and philosophy, especially pessimistic and melancholic strains, but a commensurate disappointment with the lack of answers that satisfy us and a concomitant melancholy.

I would caution against such a romanticized view of this tritype as it may defeat the value of knowing one’s type. I would disagree with a lot of the first things you said about this combination – “many real selves” and “subject to flux”. I find a kind of coherency in that here you’ve got two reactive types (4,8) two rejection (5,8) two withdrawn (4,5) and three very independent, very resistant to anything that originates outside itself, and not particularly concerned with objectivity, consistency, or interested in being accessible in any way. The greatest fluctuation I feel is between feeling incredibly hard and strong to being very self-conscious and inept. Strong and Vulnerable are my two modes, brought out when I feel I am unable to make that leap across the fragments of words and space between myself and someone I have an interest in.

I believe Nietzsche and Gurdjieff were of this tritype, though G may have had 7 instead of 5, but Katherine Fauvre very much agreed with me when I said there was something “Hermetic” about this tri-type. There is a kind of de-construction of present systems and a reconstruction into something that subverts previously-held notions. I like to think of myself as an “ontological terrorist”. Nietzsche is a beautiful illustration of what I see as the gift of this tritype – of staring past the fragility in the conceptions humans, as living and rational beings, hope to cling to and look into something “under”, to poke around in [blocked due to guideline #4 violation], and reveal the beauty within it. Hades operates under a kind of 854 archetypal pattern. There’s the destructive power and energy to produce an impact of 8, along with the “ground-up” construction and innovation of 5 with the creativity and will to rebirth of 4. Of course, that’s only there in the best examples of this tritype, a call the rest of us can only hope to live up to.

There are of course coherent factors - otherwise there wouldn't be a category. However, I still feel that the concept of change over time is very important to 548. I guess this is what I mean by different selves - the many different selves over one's life (which is also true of everyone). That is, think of Heraclitus's saw - you cannot step into the same river twice. Not just because the river has changed, but because you are - that minute to minute one's self is mutating, adapting, contradicting itself. This does not necessarily have to defeat the concept of a core coherent self, but certainly challenges it.

I disagree with your point that 548s are not particularly concerned with objectivity, consistency, or interested in being accessible in any way. While these three values are pretty hard to attain, and difficult to define, they are pretty important to me, at least some of the time - and especially in any discrete intellectual task I want to complete.

I think our tritype is especially gifted with calling it’s fundamental beliefs into constant question. You’ve got 4’s emphasis on self-creation and thus change, the 5’s emphasis on clear perception, innovation, curiosity, and the 8 that confronts and challenges. There is always a readiness to undermine ourselves with an aim at change, but shows us what crap each construct we hold at every stage of growth really is and there is always the correct suspicion that whatever construct we hold in the present is simply a construction.]

5-4-8: more reactive and temperamental, such Fives find it harder to control their emotions than other tritypes. They are basically sensitive, reclusive and ingenious, occasionally indulging in (romantic) day-dreams and fantasies, but once in a while their fierce, visceral side reveals itself explosively and gets to surprise people who don’t know them well. These Fives are usually selfish and whimsical, considering themselves entitled to special treatment which they will sometimes claim aggressively. They are prone to mood swings and rage outbursts. typical subtypes: sexual, self-preserving, 5w4 similar tritypes: 5-8-4, 4-5-8 flavours: innovative, temperamental, egocentric and intense

5-8-4: original, rebellious, temperamental and highly individualistic and independent, these Fives are can be extremely self-focused and mostly unconcerned with other people’s feelings and wants. They are often inspired and have great vision which they strive to turn into reality – they have a practical side which helps them. Although brilliant and resourceful, others may find it hard to deal with their self-important, narcissistic behavior and their oversensitivity to frustration – their violent reactions can be scary.

typical subtypes: sexual, 5w4, 5w6 (counterphobic wing)

similar tritypes: 5-4-8, 8-5-4

flavours: resourceful, defiant, visionary and reactive

[tvandenneagram]

Scandal: Jake Ballard - Type 6w7

Jake is loyal, obedient and paranoid. Jake desperately wants to be loved and does many questionable things in service of different people. 

At his best, Jake is better able to understand his own feelings and make his own decisions. For example, when he goes to the island with Olivia, he is finally doing what he wants and has moved on from his past.

At his worst, Jake is destructive and extremely reactive. Jack often listens to the wrong people and does many horrible things for these people. As he gets into the lower levels of health, he begins to get into power struggles and becomes very disloyal (disintegrating to 3). For example, in s7 he betrays Olivia because he wants to have more power over the White House.

Jake is always looking for something to believe in and for someone to follow. He becomes a B6-13 agent under Eli/Command and was extremely obedient to him. Jake felt like he didn’t have a choice, as prior to meeting Eli his life was quite troubled. When he meets Olivia, he shifts his allegiances because he is in love with her and thinks that he is a better person than Eli. However, his loyalty gets him into trouble sometimes. For example, he has done so many bad things for the people ‘in charge’ 

Jake is extremely loyal to those that he cares about or his authority figures. Firstly, he pledged his allegiance to Eli and didn’t dare betray him until meeting Olivia. He cared very deeply about Olivia and would do anything for her, even though she never full reciprocated his feelings. However, Olivia’s relationship with Fitz always led to tension between the two of them, especially as Jake could become quite jealous.

6s often are too dependent on other people, and rely on them to guide their decisions and beliefs. Jake never really knew who he wanted to be, hence his obedience to Eli and Olivia. This was always a sore point for him, as he feels he is never really in control of his own life. 

He shows his wing 7 as he is much more emotionally expressive than a wing 5 would be. He is also more impulsive than a 6w5 and sometimes does things without thinking.

Tri-type: 6w7 - 2w3 - 9w8

Some quotes to describe Jake’s motivations

“I've gone from being his bitch to yours.”

“How does someone as brilliant, as accomplished as you, not know what you are, who you are?”

“B613 is gone. Command is in jail. I have delivered you home safe and sound. My mission is complete. And it has been my pleasure. Take care, Liv.”

“Say the word. I will stop trying to find your father. We can pack up and leave all of this behind. We can close Pandora's box and go back to the sun.”

“You could let me rot in here. Be easy. Solve all your problems. I mean, I did tell him that you loved me too, but I was just messing with his head. All you have to do is just turn your head and then you and that Fitz guy can just dance off into the sun.”

“Jake is what my friends call me. You're not my friend, Mr. President.”

“I could sit here and rattle on about being framed and your father being behind the whole thing but really that's just my word and why should you trust my word? I've been lying to you ever since we met, right? My word's not going to change anything, it can't. We both know in the end you're not going to choose me. That's okay, Olivia I want you to know I need you to know, not choosing me is okay.”

[fly-sky-high-bug-games]

Zeeke of Highgrove

Species: beetle

Design based of (but might be adjusted): Atlas beetle

Growing up in Highgrove and part of the rich family, he had everything served to him on a silver plate. Even if his family was small, making of his older grandmother and younger sister Lotus only, they held the transport business in all of Highgrove. Being a kingdom with a lot of levels, platforms and climbs depending on traffic of flying bugs to carry the public and nobles where ever necessary, it is a very profitable business.

His family was also one of the few rich ones that supported and witnessed the overthrowing of king and queen, making a deal with rising Magnolia family to secure their position and offer full loyalty to the new rule of Lady Magnolia. While not officially part of their faction but stayed as their own strong and influencing family, Zeeke’s grandmother still kept good connections with Magnolia until her passing. With Zeeke taking over, he knew how to benefit from the fact that their business was crucial for functionality of Highgrove and managed to secure even more money for him and his sister but the connection with Magnolia family was lightly shaken. Now they are only keeping things mutual on business level and no other.

Zeeke now has his own unit of guards and people to lead his business. Lolo is constantly left on the side to live the life of luxury and hidden loneliness. While Zeeke cares about her well being, he always failed to learn about her and get too close to his own sister, always being more focused on finances, benefits, business, money... He is certain he is giving her the best life he can.

Years ago, sometime when members of Magnolia and other nobles from Highgrove visited Hallownest, he stumbled upon a small, wandering vessel. Through their stay in the kingdom, learning about the Hollow Knight and digging out more information, he learned what vessels were originally meant for. Zeeke hid them and taken them back to Highgrove, knowing that the discarded treasure of a king was rare and precious and that he could use it himself. If the vessels were built to serve with no will, mind or voice, then he would give this one a purpose to serve him...

Eventually named Trail by Lolo, Zeeke payed and provided for what ever was necessary for the vessel to grow strong and skilled while also making sure it stayed loyal, perfectly obedient and reactive to any of his commands. He thought Trail that, as a vessel discarded by their father and king for being impure, they should still have a use and serve those who still find themselves bellow the kings and queens like them. While seeming with good intentions to Trail at first, they cling onto this purpose, later learning fear that they might be discarded once again. This put pressure on Trail to never act out of line or fail at tasks given by their master Zeeke.

With Trail, Zeeke happily spent earnings on travels to other kingdoms, finding what could be different treasures, items and alike to put in good use. It helped Trail grow into a very skillful fighter as well, spending time training with different masters but also fighting in rings and such, which Zeeke found amusing and productive. He could do anything with money.

Returning to Hallownest for the Trial of Fools where Trail lost to God Tamer, he learned that there are more vessels seen around the kingdom. Not liking the idea of someone else potentially having something as strong as Trail, he set himself a new mission to either take in small ones he finds to train if cooperative and if not to just have them killed.

An encounter with Yonna and Pilgrim the vessel at the Colosseum ended up in a dispute, causing a problem that alarmed even God Tamer who chased Zeeke and his guards away from the place. Zeeke lost an eye to Yonna while Trail, for the first time ever, disobeyed their master by refusing to kill Pim, playing it off as too busy saving their bleeding master before fleeing the scene...

After locating the troublesome group at the crystal mines, Zeeke ordered an assassination on them while using Trail to draw out Pim and Trav. While others barely escaped death and dying in flames after the place was set on fire, Trav suffered injury from both Zeeke and Trail and Pim was kidnapped. Zeeke’s plan was to train and introduce Pim to Lolo, who visited Hallownest shortly after. He planned them as a gift, a pet or a useful companion for Lolo so she would leave Trail be when training, not considering the friendship the two built.

Soon, they were located within the city by Yonna, Silva, Trav and Mugo and Lolo was held hostage by the moth. Zeeke was furious but also terrified for his beloved sister. Trail could only surrender and beg to follow along as the group used Lolo as a way to escape with Pim. Lolo was reunited with Zeeke later, but not before learning the truth about her brother... she confronted him, demanding he stopped the nonsense with the vessels and hurting people. While frustrated, Zeeke loves Lolo too much to lose her. He is afraid of loneliness. He complied, and the two returned to Highgrove without Trail...

Zeeke as also arranged a meeting with the leader of White Magnolia, having an information to spare about a certain moth the dragontail butterfly might be interested in...

---

Characteristics:

Zeeke: +: Smart, strong, organized, leadership skills -: Obsessive, vulnerable, emotionally detached, arrogant n: Stubborn, wealthy, influencing

Inventory:

Zeeke:

A lot of money: either from his home currency or the local one

A weapon: (TBA, due to current events, possibly the pictured charged lumafly nail)

The Training Whistle (currently to be replaced as the original is in Pim’s possession atm): Certain blows mean different commands that only Trail knows and responds to with amazing speed and accuracy.

Whispering Dread Charm (installed on left eye): Awakes fear and doubt within enemies if looked at, intimidating the enemies.

“They are just tools!”

Zeeke uses ‘it’ instead of “they/them” to refer to vessels. It’s rude and it objectifies them, discarding their capability to hold personality or emotion.  

A BIT MORE ON ZEEKE

[abri-chan]

I saw you talking about X Reader fics and trying to write for Giorno, what would you say are your biggest pet peeves when it comes to Giorno x Reader fics or just general Giorno based fics? I'm trying to write for Giorno for a fic. that pairs him with a female OC and I check other fics for inspiration apart from the manga and purple haze feedback, and it seems like there are specifically three different versions of Giorno that show up in fics

I’ll be honest the xReader fics I read are smut (yeah I know I don’t write smut myself but hey I need my porn). The fic I’m writing for Giorno is actually a somber one kinda and is about him and Dio, so no reader or OC in that one.

Also, I kinda approach readers as OCs a lot, so we’re similar there. (I do have actual OCs tho!) I would like to know more about what you think the three versions are.

I’m rambling here, and not all may be useful. These include xCharacter, xReader, or just Gen.

Submissive Giorno. I’m separating top/bottom and sub/dom here. I feel like Giorno is always ultimately in control. I kinda HC Giorno as being a thot like Dio, in that he will not hesitate to use charm or sex to get what he wants. But even though Giorno could be fine with humiliation I think even that is calculated. There were some nice examples in abbagio fics where physically it seems Abbacchio was in charge: he was getting payback for Giorno’s behavior, but emotionally it was Giorno that drove him into getting rough with him. I joke that the D in Don Giovanna stands for Dom, but I believe Giorno is always in control of how the situation unfolds, bedroom or not.

Innocent, childlike, or melancholic Giorno. This is a big one. I’ll admit I ship Giorno into what could be considered incestuous because I think his dynamics with other Joestars are interesting (he’s partly Dio after all). I used to consume giotaro/giojota/giodio for a while. Great art by some artists, but the fics I’ve read... not the best. I feel giobru falls under this category too. Not that the stories the fics tell are bad per se; it’s the characterization of Giorno that is off. It seems when Giorno is paired with an older character or manlier character he comes off either as overly naive or overly depressed. (I believe Giorno would fuck over any other Joestar except maybe Jolyne) While as far as we’re shown (through behavior, never thoughts) Giorno manipulated his capo (Bruno) and became Boss in 14 days. You can argue that maybe if Giorno falls in love he’d wear his heart on his sleeve and I don’t quite buy it because it would be too much of a drastic change. IMO Giorno kicked melancholy in the face when the nameless gangster gave him hope-- he seems “a look towards the future kind” of guy.

I’m not saying he doesn’t have any feelings or thoughts on the sacrifice of his comrades, and I do believe Giorno grew a lot in what a leader should be (specifically the opposite of Diavolo): value loyalty (Narancia, Abbacchio), be open to what your subordinates think (Mista in Ghiaccio’s fight), pay people by their worth (the entire La Squadra fiasco could have been avoided). But I think Giorno sees them as a testament or sacrifice to a bigger vision: his bigger vision. So he looks at the bad aspects with respect and awe instead of depression or melancholy. Which brings me to the fourth point.

Give power when power is due. After Giorno becomes Don describe a Don lifestyle. Don’t have Trish just walk into his room anytime or Giorno lazying around. Don’t have him friendly with Mista or Fugo, because they’re not on the same level-- there’s a huge power imbalance and idc how much Giorno values them, he needs to maintain order and hierarchy. Yes he may be 15 in some fics but he never even acted 15 in the actual story. I feel being Don forced him to mature faster-- think of how helicopter parents force their children to perform adult feats in academics (taking college classes) or arts (child prodigies in music). You’d have to deal with the ramification of a character never having a childhood and not being allowed to have one. 

Especially if you want to explore romantic relationships, you’d have to deal with how a huge power imbalance comes into play. I honestly wouldn’t even be surprised if Giorno didn’t intend to fall in love but instead planned for it. He’d task a trusted subordinate one day to find him a suitable wife (using wife since your OC is female). How would love unfold for someone that has it planned on how it should be and things don’t go according to plan?

(fourth point) There’s something wrong with Giorno. And I don’t know what it is, but I feel a good characterization would be able to capture it (if not in words in events or overall feeling it conveys). A lot of fics are not even wrong, in the sense that: yes Giorno would be overly romantic and prince charming. He’d also be unforgiving and cruel. But he’s somewhat never quite here or there. Maybe there’s something to be explore with Golden Experience Requiem: you chase a personality trait Giorno may have and realize you have return to the starting point without quite pinpointing it (just like Diavolo can never quite die).

I haven’t read PHF, only skimmed a bit, but there were some points where it gave off this vibe. For example, if I remember correctly Sheila was Giorno’s bodyguard. But then he just sends her away to find Fugo and the question is why? I mean the Don does need a bodyguard and especially trusted people-- you’d have to find another person to replace Sheila if something went wrong. You can read it as Fugo was important because Purple Haze is a dangerous stand, so Giorno must send his best wo(men). But the disturbing way I read it was that Sheila resembled Narancia’s devotion to Bruno in her devotion to Giorno. I think Fugo comments on how he thought Sheila was just as naive as Narancia at first. Did Giorno actually do this on purpose, because he knew what Sheila would remind Fugo of? That’s twisted, and I don’t know if PHF touches on that, or if it was just a coincidence: the author went for a character that resembles Narancia but not with the extension of how it would make Giorno look (this was emergent). There were also fans that screamed ‘fugio canon’ but idk did Giorno say those words (there’s this nice scene towards the end) to manipulate Fugo?

---

By the way isabelbuccellati has done very nice characterizations of Don Giovanna. Unfortunately she only has one public fic up on AO3 (it is nsfw so check at your own risk). I think the way she writes him has some depth you don’t usually see in his characterizations (these writings aren’t public tho).

But you can hop over to her tumblr and ask about Giorno, she’s a very nice person. She’s also one of the few people I’d trust to write smut of my fics.

---

Another advice would be to not be afraid to write a strong OC, because that way you can explore the characters around them through reactivity. You may end up putting Giorno in a situation that throws light into some hidden aspect of his personality.

I don’t mean strong in the sense of “great powers” or “great personality” or “role model”. I mean strong in the sense that she has presence in the story: for good or bad, with all the virtues and flaws, someone could definitely say “This is a person. This is a believable person.”

[psychofactz]

8 Signs That You May Be A Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)

Susan Cain’s book Quiet was a catalyst for the introvert movement that helped bring awareness towards personality types with a greater need for solitude and less stimulating environments. With one third to half of the world’s population made up of introverts, it’s great that we finally began to acknowledge and talk about their unique set of traits and tendencies. Along with introversion, sensitivity has also made the headlines and been widely discussed. The personality trait was first researched by Dr. Elaine N. Aron in 1991. All of her important findings have been published in various articles and in her book The Highly Sensitive Person.

Although it’s a trait being acknowledged more, Aron states that sensitive people are still often considered the “minority” of the population. She emphasizes that culture plays a large role towards how sensitivity is valued. Aron writes, “In cultures where it is not valued, HSPs tend to have low self-esteem. They are told ‘don’t be so sensitive’ so that they feel abnormal.” We want to raise this issue and help promote more acceptance towards highly sensitive people. Approximately 70% of the introverted population is made up of HSPs. Not all introverts identify as HSPs, but there seems to be an overlap between the two traits that are too important to ignore. Are you an introvert wondering if you’re also highly sensitive? Here are 8 signs you’re a highly sensitive person (HSP):

1. You feel deeply and tend to be more emotionally reactive. Have people often called you “deep” when you provide your insights? Then, you may be an HSP. HSPs tend to feel things more deeply and are more naturally inclined to react emotionally towards situations. Dr. Ted Zeff, an author of The Highly Sensitive Person’s Survival Guide, writes, “They like to process things on a deep level. They’re very intuitive, and go very deep inside to try to figure things out.” Overall, HSPs are empathetic and care a lot for others when they are having a tough time. Since your emotions run deep, when others suffer, you can also feel their pain. This helps you stay open-minded when you can easily put yourself in the shoes of another and understand what that person is going through.

2. You prefer to exercise alone. Highly sensitive people often avoid team sports because they are uncomfortable with an audience watching their every move. According to Dr. Zeff, the majority of HSPs gravitate towards solitary sports, such as running, hiking, and bicycling. This allows time for you to reflect and get away from overly stimulating environments as you simultaneously work on reaching your fitness goals. However, in some circumstances, HSPs may enjoy playing in team sports if they were brought up by parents who provided a supportive environment that made it easier for them to get involved. If you were encouraged by a nurturing family and good friends, then you may find yourself flourishing in team sports, too. Nurturing one’s sensitivity is the key to helping them grow comfortable with activities they may not be naturally inclined to enjoy because it allows them to feel safe to take risks.

3. It takes you longer to make decisions because you are concerned about making a “wrong” or “bad” decision. When you’re sensitive, it takes you more time to make decisions, even though there may not be a right or wrong decision. For instance, it may take you longer than others to choose what you want to eat from a restaurant menu. This is because you have a tendency towards weighing all the options that are provided. Even if you already have a good idea about what you want to choose from the menu, you can’t help but think about the what-if’s and explore the possibility of other dishes based on their descriptions. As a result, when it comes to making big, life-changing decisions, such as where you want to move or what career you want to work, you may often feel paralyzed and overwhelmed by the various potential outcomes you imagine from each possibility.

4. You pay attention to subtlety and small details in general. You’re sensitive to changes in your immediate environment and the people who surround you. You may notice the small details, such as the new color someone paints their nails or the tiny crack on someone’s lamp that wasn’t initially there. When you identify as a highly sensitive person, it’s hard for you to miss subtlety, because you’re prone to reading between the lines. Generally, as someone who has a lot welling up inside of you, you make it a habit to notice things, because everything affects you strongly.

5. You are highly conscientious and have extremely good manners. When you’re highly sensitive, you care a lot about the way you present yourself and how your own actions may affect others. You tend to be considerate towards others’ needs and want to do things in a way that creates convenience, rather than causing trouble for them. You put a lot of effort in even the smallest actions, such as making sure you put an item back where you got it from as you’re shopping to prevent troubling a staff member to do it. You’re the type of person to always thank your waiter at the end of the night for their service and leave a generous tip. It leaves you feeling uncomfortable when you’re not exhibiting polite mannerisms to the best of your ability.

6. You are prone to having anxiety or depression, especially if you’ve had many bad past experiences. As an HSP, if you experienced a lot of negative events in your life, you may have developed anxiety or depression over the years. According to Dr. Aron, this is because your nervous system often operates in an anxious mode when you don’t feel safe in your environment. Your nervous system is meant to alert you to potential danger, so when it’s used to doing that in abundance, it causes you to stay on edge for long periods of time. This is why it’s crucial to have parents who nurture your sensitivity with just the right amount of care. If they make you feel ashamed for being sensitive, it prevents you from understanding and using your sensitivity in a productive way that can help you grow. But if they protect you too much because of your sensitivity, then it may cause you to have difficulty making transitions in life and adapting to new situations.

7. Violent/horror movies are not your cup of tea. This is one that I strongly resonate with. As a child, I couldn’t stand being pulled into the same room and forced to watch scary movies. As a result, I’d always stay wide awake because certain scenes would replay again and again in my head that prevented me from falling asleep. When you’re highly sensitive, you are overly stimulated by violent/horror films that sensation-seekers often get a good adrenaline rush from. Realize that there’s nothing wrong with turning down horror movies. Your nervous system will be much happier that you did what’s best for you.

8. You work well in team environments. When you’re highly sensitive, you tend to be a deep thinker. This makes you a valuable person in team settings because you’re able to analyze situations and figure out how everyone’s strengths and talents can be used to help the team work more efficiently. In addition, you can also identify many of the pros and cons when it comes to decision-making. However, you may not be comfortable with being the person in charge of making the actual decisions. Instead, you may like to play the role of someone who negotiates and helps facilitate discussions, rather than the person who has to take action. Still, with the right amount of encouragement and good practice, HSPs can make exceptional leaders with their ability to empathize with their coworkers and having an open mind when problem-solving.

(via psych2go)