#there are a lot of things that can attribute to aging quickly

[llannasvsp]

I don't know if I've ever mentioned this here, but I cannot express how irrationally upset the pillow mint scene in Seabound makes me. And the reason is so stupid and I'm aware of that. At first, I didn't mind the scene, and I LOVE when people use that scene to talk about how Lloyd loves mints. That's how I took that scene at first.

But THEN the people who are like "OMG MY INFANT BABY MENTALLY NINE YEAR OLD LLOYD AND HIS MINTS OMG THIS IS PROOF HE'S STILL MENTALLY A BABY" got a hold of that scene and use it to "prove" he's still mentally nine and it now makes me mad.

GROWN MEN CAN ENJOY MINTS. I need them to watch Sons of Garmadon again and tell me how he's mentally nine. Because if he's mentally nine in that season then there would be a LOT of issues with that season. Namely the fact that Harumi is like fourteen/fifteen/sixteen (I don't really know). So. Do with that what you will.

LLOYD IS A GROWN ASS MAN IT'S 2025 PLEASE LET HIM GROW UP.

[workingonasongbird]

It breaks my heart how quickly Haymitch saw Louella when he looked at Katniss.

There's the obvious things like how they're both from the Seam, wear braids, and that Haymitch calls them both sweetheart, but it takes ages for those things to be mentioned (Haymitch doesn't call Katniss 'sweetheart' until Chapter 8, and Peeta mentions Katniss' hair being in two braids like Louella's even later).

The thing that makes the connection so instant is the immediate words Haymitch uses to describe them both.

“Look at her. Look at this one!” he hollers, throwing an arm around my shoulders. He’s surprisingly strong for such a wreck. “I like her!” His breath reeks of liquor and it’s been a long time since he’s bathed. “Lots of . . . ” He can’t think of the word for a while. “Spunk!” he says triumphantly. - The Hunger Games

I feel sick. Louella McCoy lives three houses down from me, and a smarter, spunkier thirteen-year-old doesn’t exist. - Sunrise on the Reaping

If we all agree not to be immature for a moment, then we can appreciate that in Haymitch's introductory statements about Katniss and Louella, he uses the exact same adjective to describe them both. 'Spunky' is not a common descriptor (at least not in media I've come across), so Haymitch immediately attributing it to both of these characters is unlikely to be coincidental.

[doodlenoodleboi]

Senku l. (before & after the stone)

Headcanons, sfw,nsfw, suggestive…

Author’s note: Senku is a fictional character he is canonically 15-16 in the beginning of the series and 17-18 by season 3 not taking account for the manga which he is older. If in the future I make works on characters you deem unfitting for the roll of nsfw fiction or suggestive works of while aged up feel free to block me! Also a reminder that this is a fictional character, made up of lines/pixels. Do not waste your time writing petty hate comments which I will remove and are a waste of your life which you will not get back. I choose to be delusional about fictional characters for my own satisfaction, good day!

Word count: a lot

Before the stone

Sfw

Senku is a bit more less responsible before the stone as he is allowed to act like a kid. He often spends his time in the school lab or at home and can be seen with is small group of friends. (Taiju Oki and Yuzuriha Ogawa.)

Love and romantic relationships are something Senku has found himself uninterested in his teenage years. Dedicating himself to his craft and love for science.

You can take science away from the man but not the science from the man. (You really can’t do either)

Senku has found people conventionally attractive to a specific statistical standard but not to him personally and probably won’t ever given he doesn’t have a common attraction to physical attributes.

Though through statistics he can still find someone who he would be generally attracted to physically. Someone with glasses, makes their interests obvious ex: paint on body all the time, a lab coat or constantly wearing something of their special interest would be people he gravitates towards.

(As someone who is neurodivergent in the worst ways I think half the cast is autistic or a Shokunin if you will a person deeply dedicated to their craft.) So someone as such will attract Senku not romantically of course but they will be bound to cross paths.

There are a multitude of ways you could meet you might never meet but to keep it simple I’m going to give you a multitude of possibilities to have rot in your head.

Being apart of the school’s science club is one way always spending time with him constantly in the science room after school.

Being a dumbass needed tutoring friends with one of his friends but not with Senku directly, or competing for higher grades, a good enemies to lovers. Maybe you’re even apart of the school’s science club making you and Senku acquaintances if anything.

Senku doesn’t back down from competition when it comes to brains but quickly when it comes to fights. Being rivals to Senku is a good asset in the stone world getting you to be one of the first few people to be revived truly testing if you’re book smart (can do it in theory on paper in school) and street smart (do it for real and faster than the time given in school).

Senku was hesitant more than he ever has been getting in a relationship with you. Being shy was simply not an option for him, he thought it was a waste of time often making him coming off as stiff and blunt.

A relationship of romantic interest with Senku will never be said nor be official. He will never say he loves you or that he likes you even give he believes actions speak louder than words. If you give him time you will see through subtle ways that he is attracted to you. 

He will ask you about things that don’t matter much: like should I choose this or that color the small things…

He’ll allow you to touch his hair if your one for pda, he won’t reciprocated often at most leaning into the touch out of pure comfort. He won’t push you off understanding that this is a love language (that did take him a while to understand.)

Senku’s love language is quality time and gift giving. This is more often seen in the stone world but it expressed as well before hand even more so if you’re a science nerd along with him.

He’ll be willing to conduct experiments with you along with share materials with you which is a rare thing for him being an only child never having to share much of anything.

I believe that Senku is aroace or at the very least ace. He can still have platonic love and relationships but isn’t fond of romantic ones being in a romantic relationship from his perspective is his treating you like a best friend practically treating you like a mixture between yuzuriha and Kohaku.

Suggestive

Anything remotely romantic would have to be initiated by you and 9/10 you’re going to either get pushed off. Or he just sits there waiting for you to get over with it. Something like the (kohaku kissing Senku scene in season 3)

For your sake he has experimented once or twice before with make out sessions or kissing to get you to do something (like get you to do an experiment with him.) any kind of physical touch from him romantic wise once again if not initiated by you. 

He’s a responsible enough person to know better than to have sexual intercourse at his age nor is he interested enough to risk it not that questions about it don’t cross his mind but we’ll explore those much later down the line.

Though he’s more likely to tease you occasionally and lean his arm atop your head if you’re short. Expect this more often if you have curly hair

If you have 4c or curly hair in general he will be near you more often especially if you’re a foreigner. Have issues finding hair products for your hair type in Japan? He got you give him a couple strands of your hair next thing you know he has a whole list of products for your hair and product sample packets surrounding him.

Nsfw

Sorry there is none Senku was not interested in sexual acts before the stone nor very much after.

Though he will ask you a lot of “inappropriate questions” but i promise you he’s just genuinely curious. And he’s not trying to infer anything he promises.

After the stone

As I said Senku’s love languages are gift giving and quality time. This becomes more apparent in the stone world. If you had something you held close best believe he will try his best to make it for you. If you’re an artist he’s make brushes and paint etc…

He’s a bit kinder and softer after the stone. People he has known longer therefore care for more he unconsciously takes them on more missions with him around or in a safe space.

If he knew you before the stone you’re likely to be one of the first people out of stone. Though if not you are an important asset and he sees you for your skills and talents so be grateful for that.

If you’re a creative type expect to be paired with Yuzuriha often. A martial artist or athlete expect Kohaku and Taiju.

What Senku appreciate most is people interested in his work, he loves experimenting and explaining his process even to those a who don’t understand so please entertain him for a while if you expect at friendship let alone a romantic relationship.

People who are aroace can have relationships but they can often be on sided in the romance department. It’s not that they don’t love platonically you they just don’t know how to react to that romantically or don’t want romance.(yall can choose if Senku is aroace or not) As long as you’re ok with that your relationship with Senku will be fine. (I’ll just write him as dense to love for yall though.)

Senku if he does love you will occasionally indulge in your romantic behavior and take this a complent if it was a last resort he wouldn't be against procreating with you. (it took him a lot to admit that so you better take it.)

Romantic relationships are often seen as an inconvenience given he doesn't see the need for them and doesn't think he could would be the best fit for something like that.

He true for the most part but he is able to be in a romantic relationship. It may not be as romantic as a you like but if he has an interest in you he will unconsciously do these things. Don't expect any hand-holding and kissing though.

The only way you could get him to hold your hand is for technical reasons like you not getting lost.

Suggestive

I do agree with the fact that Senku would experiment on his significant other and I think this would be more common before the stone but in small ways.

An unexpected romantic act to see how you respond.

He will use this advantage if gen tells him you like him or something for free labor but we won’t abuse it he’s not that mean.

The only way I could see a “relationship forming” Is Senku using you for labor and “paying you” with physical touch. Kisses, hugs and stuff, he likes you platonically but as time goes on he starts experimenting with you first it’s his far will you go for each type of affection. Then it’s soon how will you react to this or that. He says it’s not you that he loves but the reaction you make like a chemical reaction in your mind. Knowing his autistic ass it might be true but the way he acts makes you unsure.

Or maybe finding a girl smarter than him would rial him up he might see you as arrival at first. You guys could be partners, he swears he doesn’t love you, but the science you create the knowledge you know, that wrinkly brain of yours.

He tends to have a love for things rather than people in a way he loves science and the things people are good at their talents but maybe not themselves, he swears but he does establish relationships with characters like Gen and Chrome as friends so I’m sure he can establish a romantic relationship if we take this route.

Then I could actually get into how Senku would “experiment” with his “friend” this would create an friends with benefits kinda situation but it’s not like Senku sees it like that he just doesn’t have time for labels and probably wouldn’t care about it. Just don’t call him pet names because he doesn’t like it. The relationship would be private so the villagers don’t make a fuss, for as far was that would last with Gen around.

NSFW - ish

Let’s talk about Senku’s experiments

Of course you consented to this but you might know what your getting into 100%

It’s basically just a very handsy check up while he asks you questions you may or may not be able to answer.

Ex: “Are your breast sensitive? There is a high concentration of nerve endings present in that area, making them one of the most sensitive parts of the body. While he’s over here playing with them in every way imaginable. He’s going to continue to do this for every inch of your body and take an analysis writing how painful each part is and or sensitive.

So I’ll let you guys imagine that

Thank you for reading!!

[sunderwight]

Demon Shen Jiu is such a fun idea though.

Especially if he himself doesn't know. Like imagine, Yue Qi finds this abandoned baby and the baby is REALLY OBVIOUSLY not human. But this also enables Shen Jiu to survive being abandoned at such a young age -- a human baby would die without adequate nutrition or care, but demons are a little more resilient. Baby Demon SJ has a way more forgiving digestive system and can move under his own power from a much earlier age. By the time he's a year old he's hunting his own rodents and small birds, and has to be stopped from biting and mauling anyone he doesn't like. Which is most people. Qi-ge develops amazing reflexes.

Why do the slavers tolerate a demon baby hanging around? Maybe it's really not all that uncommon. Demons come across the borderlands from time to time, and are as liable to abandon their kids or die or etc as anyone else. It's maybe an open secret among slavers that demon-blooded kids are a better investment, even, because they can survive for longer on less. The only downside is if they don't ever look human enough to pass as human, because that limits potential buyers, but that's only relevant when the slavers are trying to sell them. For the purposes of having a network of street kids stealing and grifting and spying and etc, it's fine. A lot of the slavers themselves started out as demon-blooded street kids with no other options.

But in SJ's case, he pretty quickly starts passing as human. Mostly because he's quite strong, and he's convinced that he's the same as his Qi-ge, so he makes himself the same. Makes his hands look the same and his teeth look the same and etc. It's largely subconscious, and once he starts doing it, it becomes automatic. SJ forgets that he's a demon in the way that most people don't retain their earliest childhood memories -- although he remembers that some of the slavers were demons.

Then of course there's the question of why didn't the Cang Qiong cultivators notice?

A few options. One is that whatever kind of demon SJ is, it's really good at mimicking humans. Another is that he's only part demon, and like Luo Binghe, fully capable of handling both kinds of cultivation. So once he starts learning spiritual cultivation, even from a heretic like Wu Yanzi, he doesn't seem different from any other recruit with a patchy education on the subject. Anything else odd about him could be easily attributed to his exposure to Wu Yanzi and his wicked practices.

Although full demon SJ is a fascinating idea. (Also, it could contribute to all those qi deviations -- he's trying to cultivate AND "fake" human cultivation at the same time, I doubt Qing Jing's techniques are totally compatible with everything going on there even without the psychological turmoil.) Like I'd imagine Airplane wrote that SJ was abandoned on the streets as a baby, and the system was like "hmm he probably wouldn't survive that?" and then in some nine billionth wife arc, Airplane also creates a variety of demon that can fully pass as human (for some identity conflict with a prospective wife), even to the point of fooling human cultivators and demon-detecting tools. So the system just ties these two disparate pieces of world-building together in order to patch a critical plothole (Airplane doesn't know anything about babies). Which has the side effect that Shang Qinghua doesn't even know that SJ became a demon!

And SJ himself doesn't know. The only person who knows is Yue Qi.

Obviously this wouldn't come up much in PIDW, but it could be pretty funny in the SVSSS timeline. YQY just sitting there through the whole Luo Binghe being a half-demon reveal, wondering if he should say something. Subsequently being the most absolutely chill about the whole demon reveal thing anyway. Like he's definitely not upset that Luo Binghe is a demon, or part demon, and the multiple people who try to make a point about it just run afoul of his impenetrable smile and get nowhere.

Then eventually Yue Qingyuan decides that he should probably tell Bingqiu that Shen Qingqiu is a demon. For like, safety purposes if nothing else. He's kept the secret so long also for safety purposes (even if someone put Shen Qingqiu under a truth compulsion he wouldn't be able to admit to being a demon, because he himself doesn't know!), and he's done tons of stuff to prevent anyone ever finding out (although Xiao Jiu is so talented that he didn't have to do much), but Luo Binghe is the demon emperor. That changes things. If Shen Qingqiu is going to be visiting the demon kingdoms regularly then there's a chance something could reveal the truth unexpectedly, and that would probably be worse.

So Yue Qingyuan sits down and has a very serious discussion with Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe about how Shen Qingqiu is actually a demon, was just the cutest little demon baby in fact, here he drew a picture from memory of what Xiao Jiu used to look like before he learned to look more human, and also how a lot of slave kids and slavers and people who fall through the cracks in society have demon ancestry, some more recent than others, and Shen Qingqiu always retained a certain discomfort around his own kind because of the adult slavers who sold him off, and etc etc.

[e-vay]

The Shadora Horde - 2023!

Here are all the ShadowXAurora kids I've made (so far hahaha!). As I always mention, I'm always open to Shadora fankids that you guys make. I can never have too many Shadora babies. I made changes to the original 5 so they're now closer in age and I also balanced out their powers more. Some of them were a little OP originally but I think I've fixed it. I have super detailed descriptions of each character below the cut!

PIPER

Birthday: 11/12 (1st Born)

Role: Leader

Powers: Combustion, Weapon Summoning

Weaknesses: Disorder

Dream Voice Actor: Brittany Snow

Theme Song: “Smile” - Wolf Alice

Piper is the first born in the first litter of Aurora and Shadow and is the natural leader of the group. She is generally sweet and respectful but is very proud of her pedigree so can be a little judgemental at times. She is a perfectionist to a fault and will become easily aggravated if things don’t go her way. Though she can be cocky, she is overall a caring and loving person and is quick to help those in need. Piper has naturally wild bangs and a large patch of fluffy fur on her chest. These traits drive her crazy! She always has her bangs pinned down to the side and her chest fur covered up. In her teen years she takes up motorcycle riding and it helps loosen her up and embrace her more wild side. 

Piper is capable of harnessing the power of the Chaos Emeralds to perform Chaos Blast and Chaos Control. Without the need for Chaos Emeralds, Piper has combustion powers. Piper can incinerate objects with a snap of her fingers. She has excellent mastery and precision of this skill. She was given the task to train Cinder to control his combustion powers, but the two tend to get frustrated with each other since control comes so naturally to Piper and it’s incredibly foreign to Cinder.

Piper is naturally drawn to Amy’s hammer wielding abilities and grows up admiring it. Though she isn’t allowed to use the Piko Piko Hammer, Amy trains her in good hammer-form with the use of props. IF Mammy Amy ever decides to retire, she will bequeath her hammer to Piper. The hammer’s design will change based on Piper’s personality.

-

ZANE

Birthday: 11/12 (2nd Born)

Powers: Super Speed

Weaknesses: Arachnophobia 

Dream Voice Actor: Robert Buckley

Theme Song: “We Are Young” - 3OH!3

Zane is the second born in the first litter of Aurora and Shadow. Zane is a daredevil and an extreme extrovert. He is most like his Pawpaw Sonic with his quick wit and high energy. He does not like emotional confrontations and will go out of his way to avoid uncomfortable situations. Even though he’s mostly easygoing, he butts heads with his dad a lot. 

Zane is a huge flirt and frequently develops intense crushes on people, but due to his short attention span, he’ll move on quickly (think Romeo with Rosaline). Zane is very fond of children and enjoys being the center of attention. Even though Piper is the leader of the group, the younger siblings tend to follow whatever Zane is doing. Lucky for Piper, he mostly listens to what she says.

Zane is capable of harnessing the power of the Chaos Emeralds to perform Chaos Control. Without the need for Chaos Emeralds, Zane has super speed. He wears special shoes that can transform based on his needs, but he prefers the motocross boot style when he’s not running.

For hobbies, Zane likes to do extreme stunts and attend/throw parties. He has dreams of being a DJ with his brother Nova. 

-

NOVA

Birthday: 11/12 (3rd Born)

Powers: Plasma (Ionikinetic Combat)

Weaknesses: Laziness

Dream Voice Actor: Josh Keaton

Theme Song: “Weirdo” - K.Flay

Nova is the third born in the first litter of Aurora and Shadow. He is very peaceful in nature and would rather find roundabout ways to solve problems than coming to blows (though he attributes this to knowing he would cream his opponent due to this strong bloodline). He’s a bit of an oddball but he embraces his quirkiness instead of being concerned about how others think of him. He often comes off as aloof and is rather lazy.

Nova is capable of harnessing the power of the Chaos Emeralds to perform Chaos Control. Without the need for Chaos Emeralds, Nova has plasma/Ionikenetic powers. He can shoot radioactive plasma at his enemies which can burn or dissolve material on impact. Nova does not like using his powers because they are so destructive. 

Nova is very close with his brother Zane and will go along with his schemes, even if his heart’s not entirely in it. He is artistic and tends to live a very messy, disheveled lifestyle. He loves to collect things and can be considered a packrat. 

-

ASTER

Birthday: 4/8 (4th born)

Powers: Telekinesis, Telepathy

Weaknesses: Codependency 

Dream Voice Actor: SungWon Cho [x]

Theme Song: “Despair and Traffic” - SOFT PLAY

Aster is the first born in the second litter of Aurora and Shadow. Though he seems rough on the surface, he’s actually the most academically intelligent of all his siblings. He is loud and passive aggressive but can appreciate the beauty in peace and quiet when he chooses. He is very theatrical and enjoys making a huge spectacle out of his battles, including saying poetic catchphrases and even coining the term “Prepare for the Blitz-Aster Disaster!” He is secretly a romantic at heart.

Aster is rarely seen without his sister Blitz. He is the brain to her brawn. Though he’s the more level-headed twin, Blitz’s dominant personality tends to direct their fighting strategies. He does not know how to be independent, which can be used against him.

Aster is capable of harnessing the power of the Chaos Emeralds to perform Chaos Control. Without the need for Chaos Emeralds, Aster shows early signs of telekinetic and telepathic abilities. He hasn’t mastered many techniques yet, but with some proper training it’s possible he could become a force to be reckoned with. If only Blitz would shut up for 5 minutes so he could concentrate!

Aster enjoys challenging mind games, like chess. 

-

BLITZ

Birthday: 4/8 (5th born)

Powers: Energy Blasts (“Chaos Spear”)

Weaknesses: Codependency, Impulsivity

Dream Voice Actor: Jessica DiCicco [x] [x] OR Chloë Grace Moretz [x]

Theme Song: “God Complex (Mojo)” - poutyface

Blitz is the second born in the second litter of Aurora and Shadow. Blitz is brash and forward but can be a little spacey. She has a short attention span and is easily bored. She considers fighting as a form of playing. She is very proud of herself and her heritage and isn’t afraid to namedrop to get her way. 

Blitz is rarely seen without her brother Aster. She is the brawn to his brain. Blitz’s dominant personality tends to direct their fighting strategies despite her brother’s concerns. She is very theatrical and enjoys making a huge spectacle out of her battles, including saying poetic catchphrases and even coining the term “Prepare for the Blitz-Aster Disaster!” She is very codependent and hates doing anything without Aster.

Blitz is capable of harnessing the power of the Chaos Emeralds to perform Chaos Control. Without the need for Chaos Emeralds, Blitz has the natural ability to perform Chaos Spear which can dagger her enemies with energy.

Blitz loves fashion and is a huge trendsetter. She would love to be a fashion designer if world domination doesn’t work out (She’s just kidding – relax already!)

-

Cinder

Birthday: 2/18 (6th born)

Powers: Combustion, Stellar Tantrum

Weaknesses: Migraines, Short Temper

Dream Voice Actor: Michael Daingerfield [x] [x]

Theme Song: “Tantrum” - Ashnikko

Cinder is the first born in the third litter of Aurora and Shadow. He has a very short temper and is incredibly impatient. He is the most like his father in that he is not very talkative and would rather be left alone than socialize with others. His outbursts of rage can often be used to his enemies’ advantage by being misdirected to his siblings and teammates. He is also terrified of himself, which makes him constantly on edge. 

Cinder is NOT capable of using Chaos Emeralds and instead has to rely on his natural abilities. Cinder has combustion powers, but unlike his sister Piper, his powers are based solely on his emotions so he has a very hard time commanding the direction and radius of his blasts. Piper was tasked with training Cinder to better manage his combustion powers, but the two tend to get frustrated with each other since control comes so naturally to Piper and it’s incredibly foreign to Cinder. When Cinder goes into a blinding rage, his fur and eyes change color and sparks of energy will fire off randomly around him. When in this form, he can perform a move called “Stellar Tantrum.” This move is highly destructive and will incinerate any and all objects nearby. He has absolutely no control over this power once it’s unleashed.

As a child, Cinder was more outgoing but still prone to crying outbursts. However, during one particular fight with his sister Diamond, he accidentally unleashed a Stellar Tantrum and severely burned her. Luckily Boon was able to use his healing powers to reverse it, but Cinder has never forgiven himself and has never been the same ever since. Cinder requested a special Inhibitor necklace be made to help dampen his powers, but it’s not very effective. It works more as a placebo than anything else. He keeps everyone at a distance whenever possible and thinks there’s something evil in him, despite his parents’ reassurances. 

Cinder doesn’t like to discuss his hobbies, but he actually loves baking and reading books.

-

DIAMOND

Birthday: 2/18 (7th Born)

Role: Tank

Powers: Brute Strength

Weaknesses: Poor eyesight, Light sensitivity

Dream Voice Actor: Kimberly Brooks [x] [x] [x]

Theme Song: “Cleopatra” - Nova Twins

Diamond is the second born in the third litter of Aurora and Shadow. She has a sweet disposition and is very polite, even to her opponents. However, she can be a smart ass at times and is quick to make jokes. She is highly dedicated to physical training but outside of the gym she’s very easy-going. Diamond was born with Oculocutaneous albinism. Due to her albinism and nystagmus, she is sensitive to light and has very poor eyesight. As a baby and toddler, Diamond mostly clung to Aurora whenever outdoors as she could bend the light around Diamond and protect her from UV rays. As Diamond got older and grew more independent, Tails’ Workshop crafted a special brooch that acts as a light shield when activated. Diamond never leaves home without it.

Diamond is NOT capable of using Chaos Emeralds and instead has to rely on her natural abilities. She has incredible strength and is physically the strongest of all her relatives. 

As a child, she and her brother Cinder got into a fight where he accidentally unleashed a Stellar Tantrum and severely burned her. Luckily Boon was able to use his healing powers to reverse it. She has completely forgiven Cinder and has never held it against him, but he continues to be distant with her to this day.

She enjoys training in the Shadora Home Gym to better perfect her fighting skills and she is almost always found sporting earbuds so she can listen to her favorite punk rock and metal bands.

-

Boon

Birthday: 2/18 (8th Born)

Role: Support

Powers: Healing, Mood-Boosting

Weaknesses: People-pleasing

Dream Voice Actor: Ben Schwartz [x] ← Please watch this whole interview, it will leave you grinning ear-to-ear the whole way through

Theme Song: “Smile” - Dami Im

Boon is the third born in the third litter of Aurora and Shadow. Boon is the embodiment of a ray of sunshine and has 10000% charisma. He genuinely loves everyone he meets and enjoys putting smiles on people’s faces. Boon is very silly and has a very childish sense of humor. He also has a lot of energy and has a habit of rambling without realizing it.

Boon is NOT capable of using Chaos Emeralds and instead has to rely on his natural abilities. He has incredible healing abilities and can heal the wounded, but it takes a lot of energy from him so can only do so much at a time. He cannot revive the dead. Boon also has a “mood-boosting” ability, where he can positively affect the emotions of others. This can only be done by making direct contact with someone and the effect only lasts temporarily. Boon’s powers positively affected Aurora’s pregnancy, making her third litter the easiest and stress free of all her pregnancies (Thank you, Boon!)

Boon wears special rocket boots so he can quickly fly to anyone in battle who needs assistance. His boots have a button on the heel to activate them, and he likes to click his heels together to turn them on. Though he never complains about his duties, Aurora often worries about Boon’s need to please others and reminds him that he can’t help others if he doesn’t help himself. Aurora and Boon are the most alike of all her children as both are prone to singing outbursts, goofy jokes and harmless pranks to make people laugh.

—

All Shadora kids are mortal and did not inherit Shadow’s immortality. However, they do heal faster than the average Mobian.

—

Want to get more of a feel for the Shadora kids? I've made a Spotify playlist dedicate to their theme songs, songs that make me think of them, or general music they would listen to. You can listen to it here, but be warned it contains explicit songs.

—

A NOTE ABOUT SHADOW’S “AGE”

Shadow is immortal so therefore he doesn’t age. However it’s been long debated in my Shadora stories whether or not he will give up his immortality to live a normal life with his family. I have him in these drawings as still being immortal, especially because I like the angst and challenges that comes with (ex: how are your rebellious teenagers supposed to respect you when they are seemingly “older” than you?) but I haven’t actually decided when he will decide to be mortal. 

BUT if you ever draw me fanart or write me fanfics and you want to have become mortal at an earlier point in his life I’m totally cool with that! I’m flexible.

—

A NOTE ABOUT AURORA’S AGE

Mobians don't seem to age the way humans do, and it's gotten all the more confusing since SEGA redacted everyone's ages. I put a rough estimate of what Aurora's age range would be around this time, but it's not exact. The important thing to note is that she'd be approaching "middle-age" by the time her children would be considered "adolescent."

[dailyrothko]

Hi! I’m already drawn to Rothko’s art so much just by looking at his paintings on my tiny phone screen. But it is quite unlikely that I’ll get to see his paintings irl, at least not for a few years. Would you mind sharing your experience of looking at a Rothko? Thank you for putting in the work on this blog :)

Hi, I'm sorry I didn't answer this sooner but Tumblr has not been notified me that I have messages and I forgot to check. I've had a coupled of weeks of insomnia so you may have to forgive some languid prose.

In my early viewings of Rothko, I think my reactions were fairly standard exchanges with modern art when you're getting acclimated. Among these, were how big the paintings were, and I duplicated this surprise in my viewings of a couple of other abstract, expressionist painters, notably in my mind, Franz Kline, Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner along with Rothko.

I think there's a hand in the hand reaction about the size that then you are aware the paintings are not hard edged, the way, say an Ellsworth Kelly painting would be. There's a plastic look effective in pop-art that Rothko strenuously avoided. They are undeniably sensual, almost romantic.

Once you get the size, you can really appreciate this because when you read art monographs or look at the internet, the lens is so reduced, one tends to get a constricted notion of color squares like you would see in a color theory book. However, the face-to-face confrontation reveals quite the opposite feeling of that kind of art.

It's a little hard to describe, but it's not that the paintings are completely soft. They have a lot of minor details, brushstrokes, stray lines and bits of splattered paint, but none of those colliding forces interfere with an overall limitless impression of the form that makes it very different from hard edge or gestural painting (like de Kooning). Part of what's hard to describe, is how it is not soft, but rather translucent, not vague, but flowering out to infinity.

I find with Rothko in particular that when you start looking, you want to keep looking. I suppose one of his detractors might say you're doing it because you're looking for something where there is nothing, but my experience with art is that, where there is nothing you quickly move on. Rothko might be equated in some minds with an Antonioni movie (Certainly Antonioni himself thought this) where it has a quality of nothingness but not one of no meaning. We read meaning into everything we are exposed to, it's part of how our brains process things, but perhaps Rothko's great skill is inviting you to look. i would not be the first to think so.

My tendency to invest in things I like leads me to unconsciously test myself as if from the outside, making sure that I am not fooling myself as to the merit of it (who wants to be a sucker, right?) and, I've seen a couple over the years that I felt didn't age well, maybe, something about them didn't look as alive, not the color combinations, but possibly something with the paint dulling overtime. I don't think galleries like to talk about it because the artist so valuable as an investment, but you do see, if rarely, paintings would you feel maybe age got the better of. Much of this, though can be attributed to the way light works with Rothko. The public tends to gripe when a gallery is not brightly lit, but Rothkos tend to wilt under bright lights and lose depth. This has a lot to do with the fact that Rothko painted in dim light like El Greco, and voiced his paintings to speak this way.

When they do work, which is quite often, it's pretty vivid, and I feel, entrancing. When I first got really interested in Rothko in my late teenage years, I did not know a single person who was interested in it among my group of friends and I bought a poster from the cover of Bonnie Clearwater's works on paper book and I hung it on my wall. It was a conversation starter because nobody liked it! I suppose that's the age where some people are geared towards something more classically punchy.

My feeling of the paintings, especially early in my life, remind me of an effect one might feel from music that you've never heard before, much like the response I had from the early rural blues music of the late 1920s. I didn't know how much I loved it exactly, I only knew that it was powerfully beckoning me to return. And, as one returns, you participate in a communion. You relax into it and the feelings you have rise to the surface, sometimes framing emotionally charged interchange between you and the art. I think that's a lovely thing to get from whatever kind of art you like.

Now, I am kind of an old hand at seeing Rothko paintings, but I rarely cease to be surprised by them and that maybe that is their finest attribute.

I can't imagine this helps much, but I hope that when you do see one in person, you will write and share your impressions, because after all, they are the ones that count

[theheartmold]

The Wigmaker Job

Notes and Thoughts - Part 5

pt1 | pt2 | pt3 | pt4 | pt5 | pt6 | pt7 (FINAL)

DISCLAIMER: These posts I'm doing are my own analyses and are done with the intentional eye to examine the relationship between Lucanis and Illario. I try to source all my assertions from what the text is giving me. This is not Lucanis critical nor should it be taken as such.

"bad timing, mia cara" ← why did he say that. i mean i get the whole bad timing thing but why the pet name. oh Illario…. anyways. i did pick up in the middle of the scene because we have a lot of ground to cover. Lucanis is the one who takes note of the really bad state poor Effe is in

She doesn't know her own age, severely underweight, her hair has been ripped out—bad just bad. Lucanis is the one who tells her to go on her way, seething with rage all the while.

Illario protests, saying that she's seen their faces and thus the contract is compromised. Lucanis bets of her bluffing for them, and she asks if he's a Crow. Lucanis admits this… Illario chides him for doing so. They let Effe go on her way.

"Never known you to have a soft heart," Illario murmured. Lucanis's right cheek muscle twitched. "She won't talk." "This isn't Antiva. We're not heroes here." "We're not heroes anywere, cousin."

Before I jump into the next bit, I want to talk about this! I worry that people falsely attribute the 'we're not heroes anywhere' quote to Illario, but it is LUCANIS who says that! Illario is the one who seems to imply that they may already have a sort of patriotic reputation in Antiva—a reputation that is the one Teia builds on in Veilguard!

Lucanis is the one who points out that the work they do isn't heroic. It's mercenary and fueled by coin. I still think it's interesting that he's the one who says that because he's still at odds with what an assassin should be concerned about. Illario says that he hasn't known Lucanis to have a soft heart—he let a witness walk free.

Illario rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. The Venatori already have your name. If they learn your face—" "I'll grow a beard," Lucanis smirked. "They'll never see me coming." Illario's frustration deflated. He grinned reluctantly. "That cavalier attitude's going to get you killed." "It's served me well so far."

I'll grow a beard… the infamous Veilguard beard reference <3 really charming to me that they did pick it up from the book lol

I had thoroughly underlined the 'grinned reluctantly' part of this passage. I don't think Illario's frustration is genuinely fading, more so he's putting it aside to focus on the job and the situation. The fact he points out that Lucanis's cavalierness is going to get him killed…

I think it's a link to the conversation at the end of the short story. Lucanis does not care about the right things—he cares about people, and slaves, and justice, but those aren't things an assassin needs to care about. He needs to care about the risk and where he stands with the Crows, and he needs to start CARING about how Caterina is pitting them against each other. But Lucanis ignores all of that.

Anyways. We move to the next scene, where Lucanis and Illario are on their way into the room with the slaves.

Lucanis went first, showing Illario where to place his feet.

Remember that line for later. We're going to come back to it with The Wake analysis.

The slaves are in fucking horrid condition. I'm not going to be recounting it here because it's a bit graphic but you can read along in your own books <3

Lucanis stumbled back, his mouth dry. Something inside snapped. 'Death's too good for this bastard'. Illario touched his arm. Only then did Lucanis realize how quickly he was breathing. He closed his eyes. 'Remember your training', he told himself, and suddenly, he could hear the tapping of his grandmother's cane, the hard elegance of her voice. 'There is no place for emotion in killing. It's sloppy. File it down. Make it useful.'

Pausing here so we can pick apart at this passage for a second. We start with Lucanis reeling back in anger at the horror of what he is seeing. He's incensed on behalf of the people that Ambrose is harming. What surprises me here is how vastly different his reaction is to Illario's.

Illario, ostensibly, seems level and unfazed, or at least he is masking it better than Lucanis. To the point where Illario puts a hand on him to bring him back to center! I also love the insight that we get into Caterina here… she tells the boys there's no place for emotion in killing.

But also to file it down and make it useful? I don't think she's saying they need to be emotionless but rather that they need to control their emotions, stay aware of themselves. We don't have the insight into Illario but I don't think that Lucanis is NOT doing that. I'd argue everything he does from this point on is emotionally led.

That doesn't mean I think every decision he makes in this story is a good one—morally, yes, but pragmatically? No. I'm getting ahead of myself, though, there's the next part of this passage I want to peek at.

'Make it useful', he repeated to himself. With slow, controlled breaths, Lucanis flushed the rage pumping through his veins until he could think clearly. Ambrose would die—that was certain—but he couldn't walk away from these people.

My above points stand.

"What are you doing?" Illario whispered. "Breaking their shackles." Illario stared. "That's not the job." "Fuck the job."

Notes I scribbled around this specific part of the passage incoming:

'Once again, Lucanis is pushing past the terms of the contract without consulting Illario.' 'Is Illario following or being dragged?' and 'He's risking the contract to do this, but he's the favorite. Does Illario even have room to say no?'

"That's not the job" & "Fuck the job" respectively are almost the thesis of the story in and of itself—Illario wants a plan, a solid follow-through, whereas Lucanis is taking twists and turns until it's not about killing on a contract but freeing slaves and killing for vengeance. It's really an interesting dynamic from this point out because it widens a gulf between them.

Red lyrium note later in this passage which really does not come up in Veilguard like it did in previous installments of the game.

Sensing thinness in the Veil again—really would have liked to have gotten more details in Veilguard about Lucanis's abilities but Spite took precedence. Which is… fine, but it means we do see a disparity between this book and the game release.

Lucanis grabs Illario's wrist and hits the pressure point at the base of it to get Illario to drop his dagger. Insane move—I see why Lucanis was doing this (he had a different plan to handle the kill, re: the Fade orb in the room) but I would be so pissed if I was Illario lmfao. He let Ambrose get away! Their contract!

Illario wrenches his arm free. "Have you lost your mind? We had him!" "He doesn't deserve a quick death."

Objectively shouldn't matter what he 'deserves'. They're assassins and they are paid to kill. Illario knows this, Lucanis has been set up and shown to be more emotional and sympathetic to the point of interference.

"Did you forget the mess you left upstairs? What do you think will happen when Ambrose finds his bodyguards slaughtered?" "Hopefully he panics. I want him scared." "He'll flee," Illario asserted. "And this contract will be forfeit. Your life will be forfeit."

Two things I want to note here: One, that Lucanis is confident he can still kill Ambrose even with the situation shifting the way it has, and two—Illario's concern for Lucanis. If Crows fail a contract, as has been stated and confirmed consistently, they are eliminated as operatives for the House of Crows.

Interesting that the focus is on Lucanis's life—was anyone else aware that Illario was also on this contract? Or because it is Lucanis who accepted it, it is only his life on the line, regardless of assistance from other Crows? Fascinating to consider.

"Don't worry, cousin. He'll die. But in the right way."

Literally should not be Lucanis's place to determine this. They had a shot and they didn't take it—he wants the perfect vengeance, Illario wants the job done.

Illario threw his hands up. "Death is death! There's still time to chase Ambrose down. But we need to leave. Now. Magic isn't my forte, but even I know red lyrium is bad news. It infects people's minds. Lucanis!" Illario pressed. "We can't help these people." "No, but we can give them vengeance."

Once again I wish red lyrium was as important in Veilguard as it used to be <3 I know they explained it to us in the lore reveals we got but also that shit fucked people up so bad for so long and we saw… none of that lol. I would've even been down to see an Illario corrupted by red lyrium more than venatori in his villain arc who said that

I love that Illario talks with his hands btw go off pookie

I've made previous points about the vengeance talk with Lucanis and I'll say it again: he is a fucking assassin. He is getting lost in the inhumanity of the situation. They are not paid to care, to get vengeance, to do all of these extra steps that he wants to take. Illario, in this moment, is the only one focused on the job.

"What are you doing?" Illario called out. Lucanis took the dagger from his mouth and positioned it over the artifact. "You'll see." Illario groaned. "I really wish people would stop saying that."

By "people", he means Lucanis.

and end scene.

Quotes are either paraphrased or taken directly from The Wigmaker Job, written by Courtney Woods.

[broodwoof]

Mythal and Elgar'nan's Relationship

as usual, pls don't add ship/character/game hate on this post, ty! <3

To be fair, I don’t really have any one cohesive interpretation of things, and my interpretation has changed dramatically with the reveal that all the Evanuris (possibly barring Ghilan’nain) were originally spirits. Prior to that being confirmed, I was in the marriage of convenience camp where the Evanuris (with the possible exception of June and the definite exception of Ghilan’nain) were the literal, biological children of Elgar’nan and Mythal. 

I think my primary interpretation at this point in time is that Mythal has never cared for Elgar’nan in any romantic or even really platonic capacity. I also don’t think that she really pretended she did, even to him. More than anything, I think she respected his strength, both physical/magical and his strength of will, and very possibly could have developed a physical attraction to him. And I think that he was probably satisfied with that. He may have wanted her love, but I think he would be satisfied with her respect. However, I do think they cared about one another in some particular way… but it might have had more to do with recognition and a sense of familiarity than anything else, honestly. 

Now, I know that Elgar’nan desires love. The only reason I think he didn’t need it from Mythal is that he doesn’t seem to need it from the Evanuris in general. I cannot recall any point in which he discusses matters of love – romantic, platonic, or familial – with any of the Evanuris except Ghilan’nain. To quickly touch on that, I have two main thoughts about their relationship: first, that he was so close to Ghilan’nain because she was not a spirit, she was an Elvhen who was uplifted to the ranks of the Evanuris. I think he has a bond – possibly a one-sided bond – with the Elvhen, and seems to consider himself connected to them in some deep way. At the same time, the bond is not such that he reaches out to the modern elves or tries to improve their lot in life. As with Solas (who would hate this comparison lmao), I think that Elgar’nan is connected far more with the ancient Elvhen rather than with modern elves (although being blighted and imprisoned for ages is obviously a factor here as well). The other view is that their relationship grew and deepened situationally, as they were the only two Evanuris remaining in the prison at the end.

Now, back to the main point. The way Elgar’nan speaks of Mythal when talking with Solas could, of course, be attributed to many things. Whatever their original dynamic was, it has been changed by what he might have perceived as a betrayal from her, by her murder and any feelings he might have had (or not had) surrounding that, and by Elgar’nan and the others becoming blighted. So I think it’s certainly possible to read them as romantically involved despite the language used in that argument with Solas. But yeah, the way I see it, it was more that Elgar’nan was extremely powerful, and Mythal was the closest to his power. He wanted them together. So they became the de-facto leaders of the Evanuris due to them being the firstborn and their comparative strength (which may actually have a relationship to the order of emergence of the Evanuris, now that I’m thinking about it).

The way I tend to depict their relationship is that it is one where Mythal supports Elgar’nan, but also tries to soften him. Especially early on, I do not think he was inherently brutal, but he is powerful. That power needed to be tempered. It’s kind of like a human to an insect. Without being delicate, a human can easily crush a bug without intending any harm. Obviously the Elvhen, whatever their origin, are a fully realized people and not comparable to insects, but I think in terms of power differentials it’s not an inaccurate comparison. Elgar’nan is unbelievably powerful, even amongst the Evanuris, who are already unbelievably powerful. 

This is also where I think Mythal’s “protector” role comes in – she tries to be a shield, tries to stand between Elgar’nan’s ever-burning flame and those who would be incinerated by it. She is still burned by it, but not destroyed. I’m being figurative and not literal here, but we know that spirits/”demons” are entities composed of emotions, and I don’t think it’s unrealistic to assume that they might be… I suppose “volatile”, especially when pushed outside the bounds of their original nature. Elgar’nan becoming frustrated and moody could have consequences; perhaps intentional and uncaring, or perhaps purely accidental. Perhaps accidental originally and uncaring eventually. Perhaps many things. But I think this dynamic was originally more delicate and mutual, but over time grows more corrupted.

Mostly, I don't believe in "evil" or "good" people. I don't think Elgar'nan is pure evil, but I think he's complex and flawed and became increasingly flawed, in part due to his nature, yes, but also due to his choices.

I also think there was a sexual component to their relationship, but that’s largely because I believe the Evanuris – as spirits-turned-into-physical-beings – were very physical, sensory creatures, and I think that sex was commonplace and not necessarily tied into romance or established relationships. 

But I think the fact that Mythal could affect his behavior seems to indicate a certain mutual respect. If it was entirely one-sided, her respecting him, the entire time they knew each other, I don't think the Dalish would have the legends they do, of Mythal tempering Elgar'nan's wrath. Of course there's room to interpret that this particular legend was entirely flawed, that's just not my personal view.

So, I suppose the tl;dr answer is that I see their relationship as being one of mutual respect and some very particular form of caring for each other. Not romantic, not platonic, not familial, but more a sense of familiarity/recognition. But also that this relationship was not deep enough or necessarily stable enough to prevent him killing her, although his particular reasoning for this action remains uncertain. It could have been that he was already being impacted by the blight or that he was trying to protect this source of power, it could have been that he felt a personal betrayal, it could have been that he thought she would ally with Solas and turn against the Evanuris, or it could have been something else entirely.

[scribbing]

Veilguard Review and Final Thoughts

All in all, I enjoyed myself well enough while playing this game and I've replayed it a few times all the way through and haven't had a drop in enjoyment while playing. Its a fun little popcorn playthrough.

I will say I think that a lot of balls were dropped. There were choices made that absolutely were at odds with previous games (ie: Crows are just fun and family led freedom fighters) and the absolute lack of the right tone or atmosphere for a Dragon Age game.

I also have a major issue with Rook. Namely that Rook is not the main character of their own story. They're the water guy on the sidelines of the team just there to shout praises and prop up the actual players. This was something that did irritate me early on, that lack of being anything but The Nice Guy with no real ability to push back/challenge/disagree or do anything really. You are just...a nice guy (or gal). But Rook to me had zero substance and never rose up out of that situation. Why is Rook in charge? Why isn't Harding? What about Rook is special enough to make everyone divert to their leadership? In my opinion, absolutely nothing. Rook has no real meat to them at any point in the game. Rook is overshadowed in their own faction by whatever companion comes from it. Rook has nothing special other than I guess Solas being trapped in their head which is absolutely not enough to hold a game's main character. Not to mention, I have no ability to make Rook stand for anything, make a statement on anything or various other options.

Now that's not to say that I don't enjoy more solid 'this is who they are' RPG characters because Commander Shepard of Mass Effect absolutely is Shepard, regardless of what I do. But even in that I feel more in control and more like this character has a viewpoint, has beliefs and has the ability to not be liked by everyone and make bad choices and refuse to be sorry for them.

Not to mention the companions....were not it. All of this 'they're going to be the most flushed out companions! It's all about the companions!'....no? Baldur's Gate did it a thousand times better. I was allowed to disagree with my companions, dislike them, hate them even, argue with them, have them 1000% disagree with me and hate me. Veilguard? If you talk to them they like you at the end of the conversation. If you bring them with you, they like you more regardless of what you're doing. To do a side quest is to make them love you. It's not good and it absolutely is not great character writing.

Also some choices were just....why? Why is Bellara falling over herself every other conversation to be depressed and sad and feel guilt for everything? In my mind I'm guessing that its meant to be sort of unresolved trauma from blaming herself for her brother but I'm not going to lie it started to get too much too quickly. Her needing to 'feel guilty over the gods, over the elves, over Solas and the Titans, etc.' was just more than I could take at certain points. Taash? Taash was not well handled in my opinion and there was SUCH a story to be had there. So much opportunity for nuance and raw emotion. As a mixed child of two completely different cultures? Heck yes I can identify and understand the story of struggling with the parent figure and learning to find yourself in a world that demands you pick one or the other and doesn't allow anything else. That was an AMAZING opportunity even without all of the extra options Taash had going for her and yet...it falls so flat. We don't get to tell her who she is...but actually no we will tell her who she is...multiple times.

Neve? Holy shit Neve had so much POTENTIAL!!! I'm literally foaming at the mouth at all the things she could have been!?! A literal Sherlock Holmes/Noir Detective going around and solving cases? I love mysteries and I loved Neve's baseline character design...in honest playing though it just...was meh. And at times almost...stupid? Which should never be something attributed to a character design like Neve's? (Her pretending to be a venatori will forever be the most eye rolling and pathetic dialogue scene ever). But also Minrathous? So many opportunities?!? Slavery, mages abusing power, politics, etc - and instead we get...none of that? No issues with elves or QUNARI?!?

Don't even get me started about the lack of Andraste and all that? We get a scene 'did we just disprove all of Andrastrianism?' and then immediately get 'oh but we should keep this to ourselves because you know they might hate on elves' like what the actual hell?

Davrin and Emmerich were perfect. No comments there. Just kidding, would have loved to delve more into their own situations and belief systems and just more? Emmerich's fears regarding death, Davrin's belief system and his need to have a cause and his connection and distance from his own roots. So many options!!!

And Lucanis...Lucanis. The guy I thought I'd love the most and I really can't tell him apart from a piece of soggy bread. His romance option was so painful, you're throwing everything at him and he's just ignoring you. Past that he's just...silly? Even not as a romance option he's a CROW, he's THE CROW...but oh its more important to know how he loves coffee...and how he cooks I guess? And Spite....WHY DID THEY MAKE SPITE THAT WAY?!!?? Spite had so much potential to be a threat, to be dangerous, to be something. Instead he's a joke. Lucanis is a joke. The whole thing with his pathway is an obvious joke. I'm still salty.

Also, I would have loved more Solas. More interactions with Solas. More engagement with Solas. And I might be a minority but less 'Solavellan' because there's something that irritates me that a strong, powerful, secure woman like the Inquisitor spent what ten years moping about a crush? They were never in a real relationship, he cut it off before that. TEN YEARS?!?! And she's still simping after this guy and willing to give up her own world to help hold his hand and pat him on the head? No. That needed to have been handled so much better. Plus Mythal. You tell me Mythal is this wise, ultimate judge and then you give me....none of that. Why was Solas so loyal to her? We needed more, we needed SO MUCH MORE to make it work.

And Harding? It's hard for me to say something bad about Harding but also hard to say something good. Harding is just...there? I don't know why she fell so flat for me when back in Inquisition I literally looked forward to seeing her at the opening of each new area and even had my Inquisitor romance her a time or two? But DATV Harding is just...meh?

So for a game so concerned with the companions and so hyped up about them - absolutely none of them really held up to the hype? Is there plenty of space for fanfiction? Yes. Is there any real volume to it without it? Not really.

Also, Elgar'nan and Ghil? The most bland bad guys to bad guy. That Solas spends so long warning you about them, Elgar'nan in particular, and then that's the final battle - that's the dude...I'm staring into the distance with an absolutely unimpressed look.

[valentine-cafe]

˖⁺. ﹙ the abyssal angel. ﹚:  orion .𖹭 ݁

. . . take the hand of darkness !! 🍒 : “ the rain falls quietly up above many surfaces, but here, we have the crystals to give us their magic dust, floating like stars. . . yet none of it will ever compare to your beauty, aein ”

꒰ verse ꒱ of the abyss

꒰ species ꒱ abyssal angel, half dragon ( does not identify with dragon heritage )

꒰ ethnicity ꒱ korean-chinese

꒰ age ꒱ unknow ( millennia )

꒰ gender ꒱ male

꒰ mbti ꒱ infj

꒰ alias ꒱ the angel who cried stars, the void , eyes of the abyss, void daddy ( zhào jìngyí 9948e ).

꒰ story ꒱ 

silently, and with sharp eyes piercing through the thickest darkness of the abyss. the reknowned eyes of the realm itself overlooks the wastelands and cavern rubble that surrounds the walls outside the city of the king. his stoic expression remaining and wings all extended out with their eyes looking to all corners with him.

many dangerous things lurk within the home of this realm. and it is his duty to assure none get through the city or out.

and though longing to pass through the streets of the city on his way home, he enjoys his work. he loves the feeling of the vapor of this damned domain rushing through his dark wings.

it isn’t a feeling he will ever be able to get rid of, it’s only a matter of time before he can feel it all over again, is it not?

 

꒰ appearance ꒱

long long, jet black hair with stars shimmering by his ends

pale skin with golden veins that flow into a gentle amethyst ombre, shimmering just like the crystal itself

stands at the height of 7’9” ft ( 236.22 cm ) with an athletic, lean and toned build.

has six pairs of void black wings, with golden tips by the end of his feathers

long, dark and flower robes. usually wears hanfu or hanbok, but at times also dresses to the usual abyssal fashion. which is composed of long, dark mesh robes, that show the gentle outline of the body and are dorned with lots of crystals and jewellery

a combination of masculine and a few feminine features, that give him an ethereal look from all lighting and angles

has gold and black draconic scales running down his forearms and the surface of his hands, along with a few on his cheeks

soft, golden brown eyes, with a piercing gold slit in the middle of them, that only dilates when he senses danger

keeps his hands clean from rings most of the time due to work, but he has his wedding ring on, composed of abyssal crystals and onyx. while his nails are painted gold and are long. they cannot be cut too far, due to draconic ancestry ( aka, it will hurt )

only really wears eyeliner, but at times, he enjoys prettying himself up with lots of gold and bronze colors, especially for formal events

he has standard lobe piercings and upper lope piercings on both ears.

has several eyes concealed by magic. ( all around his body )

 

꒰ personality ꒱

very calm and serene, and is quite reserved

the quiet kind, rarely speaks due to the fact he gets intimidated by the consequences of words that may come out.

extremely caring with those he holds dear and wouldn’t hesitate to smite someone if they were hurt

a gentle soul who can quickly turn stern and disciplined should the matter arise for such

a strategic warrior and commander, he knows what he is doing. don’t interfere unless there’s a good reason

deceptive and secretive, more than some would imagine

kindhearted and very empathetic — he understands many burdens that people go through and work tooth and nail to help them

extremely intelligent and wise, sharp at mind and good at pointing out ulterior motives of others

despite all of these attributes, this man can also be quite the trickster. loves sending people into a shy flustered state and then leaving them confused

he has a tendency to fall in love with what most people consider scary or dark. finding beauty in it and sharing it to those willing to see.

is quite poetic and enjoys letting a few confusing riddles roll off of his tongue every now and then and see who gets them right.

has a bit of a dark side to himself he doesn’t like showing either, sometimes getting consumed by greed when he sees something he likes and wants.

 

꒰ with a lover ꒱

teasing, he loves getting a rise out of you and seeing your face go all shades of red. and he especially likes when you cling onto him after.

is touch startved and often searches for your hand or your back to hold onto. with gentle and delicate touches, that display so much love for you and all that you are, caressing your body or face — whatever he can get to.

really enjoys taking you around the prime city of the abyss, telling you of it’s history. and if you are not a history enthusiast, he will take you to all of the best view spots and restaurants that he knows. sometimes dragging you to cafés to taste the unique pastries of the domain.

one of his love languages are words of affection. when he speaks to you, it is with such love that is from way beyond the bounds of his heart, but instead his soul. each and every word are meant to comfort and ease you.

loves to take you out for flights, holding you tight and close as he flies the both of you across the realm. though, always careful and avoidant of the more dangerous and dark areas he knows you shouldn’t be.

has a thing for doing your makeup. he likes experimenting new looks or looks he finds interesting on you. don’t like makeup? he’ll do it on himself so you can give him your own input! anything to have you close is good for him. he loves talking with you, especially when he feels his spouts of wanting to interact verbally

likes waking you up in the morning and whisking you off to eat breakfast with him. soft kisses and tired but fond glances shared back and forth. his feathers tickling your face and hands as he beckons you to brush them.

really enjoys when you preen his wings. and sometimes teasingly gives them a little flap so you jolt back a bit and fuss at him.

massages you all the time, he wants to assure your muscles are all eased up and not tense. any knots or tender areas are a big no no. he wants your body to feel good just as much as he wants you to feel good mentally and emotionally.

a bigger flirt than he seems. he doesn’t mind carelessly pushing you up against a random wall or piece of furniture, whispering sweet nothings and some of the purest filth into your ears. it all adds to his shamelessness, if people watch, let them.

will immediately take you away from any place or event that makes you feel overstimulated and overwhelmed, so that you do not end up spiralling down a path that makes you tired and exhausted. and when you feel ready, the two of you can go back together.

 

꒰ strengths ꒱

draconic eyesight: has advanced eyesight that extends into night vision

advanced strength: enhanced strength both in his stature and wings

enhanced agility: advanced agility and reflexes

enhanced senses: advanced senses, apart from his eyesight that might dwindle a bit in light areas

advanced flight: has six pairs of wings which enhance his flight greatly. he is very fast

shadow magic/darkness manipulation: as an abyss angel he is able to manipulate darkness and mould it into a form of magic

light magic: the ability to cast spells, rituals and other light magic aspects

advanced combat abilities: has an advanced knowledge of combat and is able to execute it exceptionally. his experience as one of the oldest angels plays a part in this as well

tactical mind: able to come up with strategies very quickly

dragon morphing: the ability to morph into a dragon form

healing factor: the ability to heal from injuries and wounds

divine banishment: able to banish malicious beings back to their place of origin

 

꒰ weaknesses ꒱

iron: an allergy to iron, depending on the concentration

black magic: as both a water dragon and an angel, black magic tends to affect him quite badly

heat: too much heat drains water dragons and makes them weak. this can be dire in states of dehydration

light areas: his vision gets hazed because he is adapted to the darkness of the abyss

 

꒰ relationships ꒱

rinfier mith’andrel: husband, king.

dakila: husband, work partner 

rishen aryielus: SON

 

꒰ extra ꒱

has the ability to shift his gender and appearance like most angels

he is one of the first abyssal angels and thus holds quite the high rank

he is omnilingual

has a familiar woodpecker named jazz

knows all sign languages

[rigelmejo]

There's some Chinese grammar points that just didn't click for me until I read a LOT, and finally found grammar explanations that made it make sense to me.

I read some of this book Side by Side Chinese and English Grammar by by Feng-hsi Liu, Rongrong Liao, Xiaozhou Wu, C. Frederick Farrell. And one point it really helped me grasp was the variety of ways de 的  is used.

I quickly grasped the idea of 的  as a possessive like English 's. Wo de ma. shen wei de beizi. (my mom, shen wei's cup).

And de as an attributive like hongse de zixingche 红色 的 自行车 (red de bike). Here's an All Set Learning Chinese Grammar Wiki article about those aspects.

But 的 can also be used to mark a clause. So for English, we have some sentences where the descriptive part of a sentence is in the middle. Here is an example:

The baker's son, [the person who bought from me last week], is coming in today to pick something up.

In Chinese, the middle clause might be moved to the front and then followed by a 的:

[person-who-bought-from-me-last-week] de baker's son is coming in today to pick something up.

These cases confused the fuck out of me until I read Side by Side Chinese and English Grammar. I thought the de always was just doing the attributive 'last week de bakers son' function in these sentences, and could not figure out that the whole first clause of the sentence was tying de to the following piece of the sentence. De is kind of serving as the comma , in English. And the clause order is different than the order in English. I think maybe this grammar point is like when a phrase is connected to the next bit with de.

We don't always put a comma in, to separate our relative clauses in English, but sometimes we do. I try to think of the de 的 like the commas we can use to separate relative clauses and identify them in English.

I am trying to find an All Set Learning Chinese Grammar wiki article on this particular grammar point, I'm not having any luck. This is the closest I can find "的 (de) can also be used to link a whole phrase to a noun".

The grammar point I really mean is when de is used to connect a relative clause.

Like in this example below I got from Google: "那个刚走进店里的男的" (nà ge gāng zǒu jìn diàn lǐ de nán de) translates to "the man who just walked into the shop," where "刚走进店里" (gāng zǒu jìn diàn lǐ) is the relative clause modifying "男的" (nán de) (man)."

You can see how in English it would be: The man, who just walked into the shop, [next part of sentence]...

In Chinese, instead it is: The-just-walked in-shop de guy [next part of sentence]...

This grammar point is incredibly common when reading things. It tripped me up for ages.

[vasito-de-leche]

Could we have some Zima relationship headcanons :]

;R1999 ZIMA - Relationship Headcanons

Compilation of headcanons about Zima in a romantic relationship.

ofc you can nonnie, ty for the request! Zima was the other character that got me into the game so he's very dear to me

also also, I'm not sick anymore so I have some steam to work on requests, hehe <3 still working on the sleepy fics though, don't worry yall!

I haven't done a proper analysis/HCs post on Zima yet, so as usual I'll be talking a little about his character before getting into the whole relationship aspect of things!

The portrayal of Zima as a stereotypical, shy introvert feels extremely reductive to me, especially when it's all attributed to his speech pattern - the pauses, the stuttering... None of it is an indication of timidness. We have to remember that Zima's native language, like many other characters, is not english and he struggles when speaking it. That's the reason he speaks in such a way, there's a language barrier he's constantly fighting against in order to communicate with others and yet he's clearly trying.

There's an emphasis on loneliness, isolation and avoidance in his character that is impossible to ignore, which seems to add to the whole portrayal of Zima as a "shy baby". But again, this is something that comes from an important part of his life - the exile he went through. Him being socially inept is a result of a punishment, years of being alone with no one but animals to keep him company. It doesn't come from a sense of inferiority or insecurity such as Charlie, but an absolute lack of human contact.

When examining his voicelines, we also see that he's opinionated - criticizing the Tsar and the poor living conditions of the people, speaking of the beauty of nature and so on and so forth. He explicitly writes poems on any surface like trees, rocks and snow, even if he knows they'll be washed away overtime.

I understand that it's extremely easy to dismiss Zima when it comes to romance because of all of these details, his isolating ways and all, but he's a poet first and foremost.

While he may not be romantic in the more traditional sense we're used to, he's extremely insightful and takes a lot of care to appreciate the small details that often go overlooked, but that make life feel more lively and rich. In the context of relationships, given his age and his lifestyle, Zima would bring a completely different type of vibe - for comparison, most of the characters I talked about already lean towards high emotions, the fun of discovering love for the first time, etc etc...

Pavia's love is a whole rollercoaster on his own because there's always the chance of either getting hurt or having the time of your life, Forget Me Not's feels exactly like being hungover in the morning. But Zima's love is more like coming home after a long trip, knowing there's a warm meal waiting for you. It's familiar and calm.

On the subject of Zima falling in love.

Zima is used to introspection, so I genuinely believe he has a strong sense of self and a good grasp on his emotions. He quickly realizes when he's fallen for someone and he accepts it easily, despite the lack of romantic interactions in his life. This is because the object of his affections is, most likely, someone he already cherishes, and who puts the effort into maintaining a good friendship with him - so the idea of being in love with them feels natural!

I can't see Zima pursuing romantic relationships with strangers and/or those outside his close circle, not even a surface attraction beyond artistic appreciation for someone's looks. He strikes me as the type who can only fall in love with those he trusts and knows.

And even then, his behaviour wouldn't change much!

It's obvious that he lacks friends, so the very few people he does have are extremely important to him - even so, Zima does not need to constantly orbit around them and will gladly spend days (and weeks if you don't actively seek him out) without seeing them, content to catch up with them whenever their paths cross. He shares what little he has to offer with everyone, practical things and knowledge. Zima is 100% that friend who disappears for months and returns as if nothing happened.

When it comes to you, it's the same. Sure, if you ask him to stay a little longer then he'll oblige you. And if you're the chatty type or find his work interesting, then he'll put the effort into having a conversation with you despite the language barrier. But that's about it, the changes aren't noticeable no matter how much he loves you, because all of that happens when no one is looking.

If you happen to stroll around in the wilderness, getting lost in the forest and all, then you might find your name carved on trees along with many, many poems. If you don't speak or read russian, then all you'll be able to recognize is your name - the very first thing Zima taught you in his native tongue - but these are all declarations of love.

The animals are kinder to you, curious even. They follow and treat you like an old friend, as if they knew you, because everything they've heard from you comes from Zima himself. They speak about everything and anything with him, after all.

Zima lacks the initiative to confess or even consider being in a proper relationship with you - I insist, he's genuinely content with being a close friend - but he also lacks the restraint to keep his feelings to himself and thus puts them on display in the only way he knows how: as a poorly kept secret between himself and the nature that surrounds him.

Not many think of him as a romantic because of how stoic he is, but when Zima is in love, he sees you in every flower, in the snowflakes that fall and kiss his nose. You're the gentle summer breeze and the crystal clear rivers once winter ends. You're right there beside him in spirit when he sees little chicks take flight for the first time, or when all the other forest critters wake up after hibernating. Zima finds beauty in every aspect of nature, and he sees you everywhere he looks.

That said, there's no way he'll take the first step. That's entirely up to you, to pick up all these things and confront him about it - that's the only time he'll be open and direct about his feelings. Because you already know how much you mean to him!

Zima would love to teach you his native language.

This is partially me projecting because english isn't my native language either, but I do like to think that Zima's english is all self-taught. He understands when others speak english, but isn't as fluent when speaking himself. And that's why it's sooo infuriating and frustrating for him, as a creative person and poet.

Not only because it's harder to communicate with others, but because his work and poems - the most important part of himself - can't be fully understood. Therefore HE can't be fully understood. Some translations, while good, can't even come close to their original meaning. As his partner, Zima wants you to understand the full depth of his affections and thoughts.

I do think that the process of learning would also be quite organic, starting with Zima simply pointing out at things and teaching you the way they're named in russian, basic stuff he does unconsciously. If you pick up things on your own from his work and his translations, Zima will be over the moon and would ask you to repeat yourself to make sure your pronunciation is right and because he loves the way his language sounds with your accent.

But if you approach and ask him to properly teach you? He's gone, instantly overwhelmed with emotion and thoughts racing in his head, trying to organize a million different things - what would be the best way to teach you? Should he start with the alphabet? You want to learn this brand new language to understand him better, that simple gesture is a huge deal for him.

Once you have a pretty good grasp on the language, at least enough to have basic conversations with him, it will feel like Zima has gotten a little bolder - addressing you with pet names, being generally more blunt and talkative... But in fact, he's just finally able to express himself in his totality.

This also goes the other way around - Zima would love to learn your own native language, whether it's english or something else. It's yet another language he can use to express himself, so it's a win-win. And I know that it's common for us multilingual people to start confusing and mixing all the languages we speak, but I think Zima would have an easy time keeping them apart, so to speak!

On the subject of Zima and how he acts when he's in a relationship.

You two were close friends before you were lovers, so Zima doesn't feel any sort of pressure to live up to some dating standards like fancy dates, gifts or grandiose displays of affections - once again, it's all about what feels natural. You two know each other more than enough to simply fall into a comfortable routine that works out for both.

He does make the effort to drop by more often, to find a middle ground until he feels more comfortable and used to being around large groups of people. But he would also insist that you accompany for his walks in search of inspiration for his work!

When it comes to showing affection, I think Zima might be a little touchstarved - casual physical contact such as someone hugging or patting him on the back as a greeting still catch him by surprise, but affectionate gestures with those he trusts and loves is a novelty that leaves Zima starry-eyed.

He has a lot of things that he needs to slowly get used to again now that he's not exiled in the middle of the woods, but having you shower him with affection is something that he grows to like rather quickly. When you pet him, pepper his face with kisses, hold his hand when walking or hug him - it doesn't matter, Zima will always stand there, fascinated with the way you make him feel, so very warm and safe.

He would appreciate a warning before being touched, and he always makes sure to ask before initiating anything himself - it doesn't matter how many times you tell him that you're fine with this sort of contact, he's going to ask for permission anyway. Just out of politeness. Personal space is important, after all.

I think Zima would try to stick to a routine he can follow without overwhelming himself, especially if you're the type to need more attention (again, Zima will literally disappear for weeks if left to his own devices). It's more of a short list of things he needs to remember to do before the day is over, the two most important ones being greeting you in the morning and wishing you goodnight.

As for more general aspects of a relationship, I don't think there's much to say! Arguments with him rarely happen because he's patient and careful with his words, he communicates his needs and boundaries as well as he respects yours and all. Zima isn't that talkative, but his more "eccentric" traits are something you're probably used to on account of that initial bond and trust.

[daisyychainssj]

Absolutely nobody was wondering my opinion on this but I wrote this out in my drafts last night at like 4am so here is my order of the eggs heights! It’s very real and canon and I will not be taking any criticism (I’m kidding please tell me your thoughts and opinions if you’d like to! 🤲🏻🩷)

First of all, to me, the eggs are still young so when I’m saying any of them are “tall” I mean tall in comparison to their siblings not in comparison to the adult islanders. I think at best the taller of the bunch reach a bit above their parents waists. They’re still babies to me 🤏🏻

🎩 Dapper - T A L L for his age. I like to think this is because of the hc that bad, being a demon, is intimidatingly tall but is able to change how tall he appears like in front of the eggs for example as to not scare them. Also the hc that the eggs take on physical attributes of their parents so I like to think dapper has taken on bad’s height

🥀 Tallulah - This may be controversial to some people but she’s a Tall Girlie™️ to me. She was VERY small when Wilbur found her in the attic due to being malnourished. However, when she began being cared for properly, eating and sleeping correctly she began to grow pretty fast! Also spending all of her first couple of days out of the attic around Wilbur and becoming quickly attached to him she took on a lot of his attributes, noticeably his height

🐼 Leonarda - Kinda on the tall side but is pretty much the expected height for her age. Had a growth spurt earlier than most of her siblings so was the tallest for a while but when her first growth spurt ended her siblings’ began and now she’s happily average height wise which she doesn’t mind because she likes being small enough to be her pa’s (ONLY) baby but also she likes being tall enough that the younger ones remember that she is older and was here first!

⚙️ Ramon - Baby boy made in heaven by god himself has always been a little shorty among the original eggs. He’s never minded and still doesn’t. Fit assures him that he’s still got plenty of time to grow! Which is true! they’re all still young but he’s not stressed about it either way. Being smaller means he can sneak into places others can’t to have a snoop around and get into the smaller areas of his machines and projects

🐥 Chayanne - WAS the tallest of the original eggs and Tallulah, Richas and Pomme when they showed up but eventually his siblings hit growth spurts faster than he did. He’s not super upset about it and still feels like he needs to and is still able to fulfil his role of big brother even if he is smaller than them now. Apart from Richas who he is still taller than and he will absolutely happily point it out to him every opportunity he can

🍎 Pomme - Small but mighty! Pomme hasn’t really had any noticeable growth spurts yet. She’s petite but boy can she wield ANY weapon with confidence no matter how big or heavy. She puts on the front that she doesn’t like being on the smaller end of the scale compared to her siblings but truthfully she kinda likes that her parents can pick her up and hold her like they were able to when they first found her. When times were simpler and she didn’t have to constantly be paranoid and anticipating the next bad thing that’s going to happen and carry the weight of the world on her little shoulders and feeling like she has to protect everyone she loves. So yeah she’s short but she doesn’t really mind at all

🐮 Richas - Wants to be tall SO bad but the poor little eggy just isn’t. Shortest of all his older siblings and absolutely furious about it. If anyone brings up the fact that he’s short he WILL throw a tantrum about it and will probably kick you in the shin but that’s what you get for saying he’s small when he so clearly isn’t!!! (he is)

~ The New Babies ~

💎 Sunny - Small lil baby compared to the older eggs but taller than both of the newer eggs. They just give me the energy of being tall for their age but not by a lot ya know just like a bit above average for her age bracket

🥞 Em - Tiny baby, little baby with pancakes on her head. So small but will slap you upside the head with her frying pan so don’t be deceived by her littleness. She’s hoping she’ll grow a bit soon because she’s tired of having to ask her mum’s to pick her up to reach hard to reach places in her room whilst decorating

🍿 Pepito - Just the absolutely tiniest baby. Could fit in the palm of my hand, the tip of my finger even. No Pepito has ever been as small as this Pepito

[kyrajolie]

How to Write: Geniuses

The portrayal of genius in mass media is so awful. It is basically fetishized. So, there is a lot of passion here because it comes from a place of irritation.

I'm also tagging the Ghost Hunt fandom on this one because I write for that community and people have asked me where I get my take on Naru from.

Okay, definition time!

Due to mass media representations, most people do not really understand what the word genius means and typically use the term when they are describing a “gifted genius”. So, before anything, let’s break this down.

IQ

This stands for Intelligence Quotient and is determined through a series of tests. There is a growing trend away from using IQ as a measurement of intelligence. This is because IQ tests are inherently designed to be biased against people with any sort of disability (like dyslexia or ADHD) or anyone who does not already have a moderately high level of education. They also tend to test only towards very specific types of thinking and ignore others. As such, I will not really be referring to IQ from here on out.

Intelligence –

This is "the ability one has to acquire and apply knowledge". Typically speaking it really refers to the speed of learning and application rather than the amount of knowledge total. An individual of moderate intelligence who has lived a long and varied life may have a great deal more knowledge than someone of higher intelligence. So, especially in education, we refer to being highly intelligent as being a quick and accurate learner.

Genius –

An individual of much higher than average intelligence. There is typically an IQ number associated with it, but in practice, a genius is a person who learns at a much faster pace than others and is able to apply that knowledge as needed.

Gifted –

This is a term that is very misunderstood outside of the world of education (and, honestly, even inside of it). A gifted individual is someone who is able to take knowledge and make connections to other, seemingly unrelated, pieces of knowledge. They are also marked by their curiosity. Gifted individuals are more likely to ask follow-up questions, again for seemingly unrelated parts. Finally, gifted has no real correlation to intelligence nor is someone guaranteed to be gifted in all areas. Someone may be gifted only in science or only in literature.

Gifted Genius –

This is an individual who both has high intelligence and is gifted. They learn very quickly and are able to make connections to all aspects of their knowledge as they learn. These are the individuals that are associated with genius in media.

Things to know when writing gifted geniuses

Okay, with all of that out of the way, here are some things about gifted geniuses that can help with characterization.

Distrust of Authority

Many gifted geniuses have a deep distrust of authority. This is because they are more likely to have been disillusioned by adults at a much younger age than other children. This may have been from realizing that adults do not know as much as most children think, because they are more able to catch adults out on their lies, or because they have consumed enough learning to be able to understand that adults are humans and are fallible.

Antisocial Tendencies

Many gifted geniuses have antisocial tendencies. While mass media loves to attribute this to autism, the truth is actually sadder than that. The reality is that as children, many of them learned that they think differently and understand the world differently than their peers. This puts a barrier up between them that can be hard to cross without serious effort.

Additionally, they also can find it difficult to explain their own thinking, even to adults. It is not uncommon for them to ask questions about the world around them only to have the people around them not even understand the question they are asking, much less have the answer.

This inability to communicate their thoughts can make all social interactions feel like a trial. They may feel that it is pointless to try. This leads to a withdrawal from most social interactions overall until they either learn to communicate better or find people they find worthwhile.

(And obviously, Gifted Geniuses have the same chance of being on the Autism spectrum as anyone, but, again, not to the degree that media loves to show.)

Not Typically Judgy

However, this does not mean they judge people harshly. While it is common in media to see gifted geniuses as jerks who look down on others, for the most part, they do not. They are as aware of their different-ness as the others around them. Most are likely to accept that they are the strange ones and that it is not fair to judge others around. While they may find it irritating, they are not likely to treat their peers as being lesser.

They are, in fact, more likely to be accepting of different types of people since they are frequently more introspective or have exposed themselves to a wider variety of thought.

Not to say that they can't be trolls. They just aren't as often as media portrays. (People are people.)

Genius does not equal Maturity

Being a gifted genius does not equate to maturity. A 17-year-old gifted genius is still a 17-year-old. While they may have been able to grasp the world around them faster, they still are limited by their life experiences. In fact, they have a greater chance of being more immature than their peers if they have been encouraged to spend more time with academics. (Especially since, again, antisocial tendencies are common.)

Nor does maturity come upon them any faster than their personality allows. Some people are always going to be a bit immature no matter their age, gender, or intelligence level.

Crappy Grades

Gifted geniuses often have really bad grades. In education, this is one of the things addressed most frequently in gifted trainings. Since they learn so quickly – or may have already learned the topic due to their own interests – they are frequently bored or find it hard to be engaged in school.

This is especially true for subjects where the same things are taught year after year in increasing levels of depth. If they found the topic interesting, they may have investigated it on their own during their first time learning it and now every time the topic is covered, it is repeated information. Gifted geniuses have been known to fail out of classes or do not complete their homework and skate by on assessment grades.

Reality Sucks

The real world doesn’t do gifted geniuses any favors. While television and movies portray smart people as being able to easily get ahead or receiving a lot of respect – even if they are assholes, the reality is that they have as much of a chance of being successful as the next person. Since many of them do not have great grades, they are not even as likely to earn scholarship as higher performing students with lower intelligence and more dedication.

Socially and professionally, they can be discriminated against as people give them higher than usual expectations or assume that they are looking down at them. Because of the near fetishization of genius, most gifted geniuses find it easier to cope with the world by not displaying their intelligence.

Ones that do succeed in utilizing their abilities are likely able to do so because of outside influences, like wealth, social privilege, or connections. This can often lead to them having a very cynical and bitter world view as they watch others with lesser abilities be able to succeed more easily or as easily as they do which becomes frustrating over time, even if they do not wish to think in that way.

Genius means less when you are older

Also, being a gifted genius means, again, that you learn more quickly and can make connections faster. Past a certain point in life, this becomes significantly less important. A gifted genius with 15 years of work experience is about the same as someone with average intelligence at 20 years. Experience is not something you can bypass by learning quickly. Additionally, if they work in fields where knowledge outside of a certain area isn't needed, they aren't learning anymore and can quickly be surpassed by those who still do.

And the world just also doesn't find an older individual with high intelligence to be as special or amazing as a young person. Child geniuses grow up to be adult geniuses and are, typically, forgotten. That may sound sad, but the reality is that it can be nice in many ways as they finally feel like they are among peers, sharing the same experience and knowledge that they have.

Being Honest = Bragging

Finally, one of the most frustrating aspects of being a gifted genius is that owning up to it is perceived as bragging or being uppity. Because human nature is comparative. One person saying "I am smart" is often heard as "I am smarter than you." It is a very subjective interpretation, but also a very common one. People do not like to feel dumb so when they encounter someone open with their intelligence, they are likely to react negatively.

This can even happen when the genius is trying to be helpful. "Hey, I am really smart. Let me help you in this situation" sounds like "Hey, I am smarter than you so I am going to do what you can't." It can also be inferred.

This is something that worsens anti-social behaviors over time as many gifted geniuses feel the need to, if not hide, not acknowledge their own abilities. This can make social interactions feel very disingenuous and it gets even worse when someone "finds out" about their intelligence later on. Those conversations can become accusatory or even shift the relationship into one where the "friend" now becomes the "user" who tries to take advantage of that intelligence for their own means.

[ceilidho]

Do you have any advice or tips for writing dialogue? It's what I struggle most with 😩😩😩

haha I wish I did 😩 honestly this one sucks the most for me because I truly feel like I don't understand how people talk, or like, I'm really only beginning to get it. I remember spending most of my teenage years (I started writing fanfiction around age 13 or so) really not understanding how people talk to each other and being supremely confused about it.

Once again, the biggest help you're ever going to get is just watching a lot and reading a lot and paying attention to how people talk. I mentioned this in my other writing advice ask, so I'll just reiterate below and add some other observations I have on how people speak:

If you're writing fanfiction, watch or read the source material as much as possible, until you can almost hear the way the character sounds in your head. Take time to understand things like their accent and how they speak (do they talk a lot or very little? do they use slang or enunciate everything? do they speak quickly or slowly?). Here, you just want to concentrate on the cadence of their speech / their speech patterns. If they speak plainly or use lots of proverbs or turns of phrases, that sort of thing. If you have that down, you've honestly done half the work. Even I often reread my work and go "fuck, all of these people SOUND the same even though they're saying different things".

A super important point I should make before anything else is that dialogue is intrinsic to character. If you have a taciturn, sullen, aloof character, they probably won't be a very emotional or heartfelt interlocutor. The things (the content of their dialogue) they'll want to speak about will also reflect this - they might complain more often, might not offer praise as readily. They won't ask for help or share vulnerable parts of them.

A more positive character will be the exact opposite of that. They might be more eager to offer advice or praise. They might feel nervous or uncomfortable about confrontation or calling someone out if they're doing something the character doesn't like.

Essentially, when you're not sure what a character would say, think about:

Who is this person? What are their core attributes?

What is their end goal from this conversation? (or, if it's just chatter / conversation for conversation's sake, what kinds of topics might they be interested in?)

If there is a goal, how would this particular character achieve it (or would they be unsuccessful if they're too timid or mean about it)? Would they be blunt, circumlocutory, deliberately confusing, manipulative - would they get frustrated with themselves because even the character isn't able to say the thing they want to say?

Another thing you have to understand about the way people speak, even if this is VASTLY frustrating when writing because it takes you longer to get to the point, is that people rarely just outright say what they want. Sooommeeee people do, but even in your personal life you'll know those kinds of people to be blunt, straight forward, etc. Most people aren't like that. If you need to take the extra chapter or couple paragraphs to wrangle the truth out of someone, that's pretty natural.

I try to avoid clichés or anything corny in my dialogue unless it makes sense for that character (for instance, Price might be more likely to use like generic white guy colloquialisms like "you're barking up the wrong tree" or "let's rock and roll" lmaoo).

Anyway, I don't have much advice for dialogue because I also struggle with it, but one thing to keep in mind is that readers are very aware of characterization, even subconsciously. Don't sacrifice good characterization even if it means you need to redo a scene or take longer to get to something.

[fidesvirtusobsession]

Souta Takahashi

Age: 17

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Occupation: High School Student

Class: 2nd Year

Role: Childhood Friend

Appearance

Height: 5'10" (178 cm)

Hair: Dark brown, messy and slightly tousled

Eyes: Brown

Build: Lean and athletic, with an easygoing posture

Clothing Style: Typically wears the standard academy uniform but often pairs it with casual elements like jackets or sneakers for a more laid-back look

Distinguishing Features: His playful smile and mischievous glint in his eyes, coupled with a constant air of nonchalance

Personality

Souta Takahashi is a laid-back and sarcastic individual with a sharp wit. He often teases and mocks his friends, especially his childhood companion [Y/N], but underneath that playful exterior lies a deeply caring and loyal friend. He doesn’t like to show vulnerability and often hides his protective instincts behind humor and sarcasm.

While he can come across as aloof and indifferent, particularly to outsiders, those closest to him know that Souta is fiercely loyal and protective—especially of [Y/N]. He’s been there through thick and thin, and even when he doesn't outwardly show it, he’s deeply invested in their well-being.

Souta is also a bit of a strategist, using his quick thinking and wit to navigate situations. His protective nature can come across as overbearing at times, though, especially when it comes to defending [Y/N] from rumors or threats. His internal conflict often lies in trying to balance his desire to protect with his desire not to smother or be seen as overbearing.

Attributes

Strengths:

Excellent problem solver

Quick reflexes and strategic thinking

High emotional intelligence, can easily read others’ emotions

Fiercely loyal and protective to those he cares about

Weaknesses

Has difficulty expressing vulnerability

Tends to be dismissive or sarcastic when he's upset

Can come off as emotionally distant

Avoids confrontation and deep emotional conversations

Skills

Skilled at diffusing tense situations with humor

Sharp observer, can assess people and situations quickly

Good at sports and enjoys competitive games

Master of sarcasm and teasing, often using it as a shield

Likes

Video games, especially strategy games

Pranking his friends, especially [Y/N]

Competitive sports, particularly soccer

Hanging out with friends in casual settings

Spontaneous adventures or challenges

Dislikes

People who take things too seriously

Those who mess with his friends or [Y/N]

Being seen as weak or vulnerable

Anyone who causes harm or spreads rumors about [Y/N]

Habits

Rubs the back of his neck when feeling uncomfortable

Runs his hand through his hair when nervous or annoyed

Has a tendency to make sarcastic remarks when things get too serious

Enjoys zoning out or going for long walks to clear his head

Backstory

Souta and [Y/N] have been friends since childhood, growing up together in the same neighborhood. Their families have been close for years, with both sets of parents being long-time friends. This strong familial connection led to the two spending a lot of time together as kids, and their bond naturally deepened over time. Whether it was family gatherings, weekend trips, or casual hangouts, their families were often intertwined, making their relationship feel even more like family than just friendship.

As they grew older, Souta and [Y/N] started to form their own individual identities, but their shared history and close-knit upbringing kept them inseparable. Souta’s protective instincts toward [Y/N] began from a very young age, especially as he noticed the deeper connection between their families. He grew up understanding that their bond wasn’t just a random childhood friendship—it was something that had been passed down through generations.

Souta’s feelings for [Y/N] have always been complicated. While their relationship has always been a close friendship, he’s struggled with deeper feelings that he often tries to hide behind his teasing demeanor. He’s also hyper-aware of how much their families are intertwined, and sometimes, the weight of these expectations makes him act out or grow frustrated with his own feelings.

Despite his tendency to mask his emotions, Souta is deeply invested in [Y/N]’s well-being. When rumors about [Y/N] started circulating, he became even more protective, determined to stand by them no matter what. He’s still navigating the complexity of his feelings for [Y/N], but one thing is certain: He will do whatever it takes to protect them, even if it means putting himself in the line of fire.

Relationships

His role in [Y/N]’s life has been unwavering, even though he often hides his true feelings. He’s grown increasingly frustrated with his inability to fully express how important [Y/N] is to him, especially as rumors swirl around campus. Despite his playful demeanor, Souta harbors a deep sense of responsibility to protect [Y/N], even if he doesn't always know the best way to show it.

[Y/N]: Childhood friend and the person Souta is most protective of. He constantly walks the line between teasing them and caring for them deeply. Souta’s feelings are a mix of friendship, loyalty, and something deeper that he often struggles to acknowledge.

Miyu: Though she can be clingy and demanding, Souta sees her as an ally, though he sometimes becomes frustrated with her overprotectiveness when it comes to [Y/N].

Ren Kuroda: Souta views Ren as someone who is constantly on the lookout for [Y/N], but he can’t shake the feeling that Ren might have his own agenda. Souta’s rivalry with Ren is subtle, driven by his protectiveness over [Y/N].

Trivia

Souta is known for his ability to stay calm under pressure, even when others around him are panicking.

He enjoys pulling pranks on his friends, particularly [Y/N], but his jokes are never mean-spirited.

Although he may not show it, Souta is fiercely protective of his friends and would go to great lengths to ensure their safety.