aroacemisha - Tumblr blog

[aroacemisha]

[Retired Leaders AU]

Thought I'd post a portion of the info post, specifically the basics and part of the characters section. I'll use "[...]" where there is more stuff within the sections I included, but I cut it out.

----

The Basics:

It's a "Good Uncle" kind of AU, where Belos is a better person. He actually tried to unite the realms, because he believed it would be beneficial for both, but it was doomed from the start and went horribly wrong. He has publicly admitted to and apologized for his wrongdoings and resigned from his position, and the Coven System was abolished. His family occupied leadership positions within his Coven and also left those roles behind, hence the AU's title.

I refer to the family as the Wolf Fam. It consists of Belos, Steven, Hunter and Kiki, along with their palismen. They all live together in a newly built house.

The Characters:

This isn't a list of all characters that exist, just the Wolf Fam and a handful of others, mostly OCs.

Belos Wittebane (he/him; mid 410s): Former Lord of the Boiling Isles; now a palisman carver; husband of Steven.

Steven Bellamy (he/him; 53 y/o): Husband of Belos; former Head of the Lord's Coven; now a P.E. teacher at Hexside.

Hunter Wittebane (he/him; 17 y/o): Nephew of Belos, raised by him and Steven; former Golden Guard; now mainly focused on pursuing his interest in engineering and tech.

Kikimora Volk (she/her; mid 20s): A sort of adopted daughter to Belos and Steven and adopted sister to Hunter; former Secretary; now works at a history museum.

Crescent (they/them): A floating snow leopard palisman belonging to Belos.

Ash (he/him, they/them): A dark gray wolf palisman belonging to Steven.

Waffles (she/her, they/them): A winged red wolf palisman belonging to Hunter.

Grusha (she/her): A spotted hyena palisman belonging to Kiki.

[...]

[...] One thing to note is that the Collector doesn't exist in this version.

And you may have also noticed that "Steve" is a little different. I created this version back when we only had one scene with Steve and had no idea he was going to get a face reveal and more canon info, and I just chose not to change the name after that happened. So Steve technically exists, but it's not canon Steve. They do have some similarities though.

----

The full post will include more characters, a few paragraphs summarizing the story, and some extra info I thought was worth including.

Btw in case you're wondering if Steven is related to Matt, yes, he's Matt's uncle. Matt's dad is Steven's half-brother. I made this change/addition sometime after the face reveal of canon Steve.

[aroacemisha]

Forgot to post this here earlier, but I got an idea for how the ship Nadya (past Lev) was on in 1957 sunk:

I'm thinking, since mermaids and sirens are a thing in this universe, and there's specifically deep ocean ones, perhaps a handful came up to the surface (possibly triggered by something the ship did, or just by its presence), and one of the guys on board, assuming they were hostile, shot at a mermaid, injuring it, which angered the group and they sunk the ship with their water powers.

Nadya tried to apologize and calm them at first, and yelled at the guy who shot, but it didn't work, and the mermaids sunk the ship - though Nadya, in trying to create a shield around herself and the ship, accidentally froze both instead, and they weren't found by humans again until 2007. (I'm still debating on whether the crew survived, or if only Nadya did)

Those mermaids wouldn't have had much contact with the human world, in part because of how deep down they live - they just don't cross paths, and they'd have no reason to seek out other humans to report this situation to, because why would they?

They were attacked, and who knows, other humans might attack them as well; plus in any case, they had no reason to believe this ship was special, sunken ships weren't new to them, and they wouldn't have known how significant Nadya was in the human world. They might have noticed that it was a bit unusual for a human to use such powerful magic, but again, wouldn't do anything about it for reasons stated above.

As for reasons why that guy would've assumed they were hostile, 1) simply based on the fact that they look different, humanoid but not human; 2) they are Big; 3) if they're sirens and were singing, if he initially got hypnotized, but then broke out of it, he might have assumed they were trying to kill him (even if that's not the sole reason sirens sing). 'Cause you know, mythology/folklore about sirens still exists, and may have presented them as more malicious than they actually are.

Also, I've come up with what mission Nadya and the ship were on before they got sunk.

I'm thinking maybe the rumors of the existence of the magical island were becoming more substantiated, and the Soviets heard that the country on it was supposedly a socialist one, so they sent a diplomatic mission to try and find the island and potentially establish diplomatic ties or even some kind of alliance.

Nadya was brought on both as a defensive measure in case they were met with hostility (either by the country or by someone else trying to attack the ship), and also in hopes that the presence of a magic user on board will somehow influence the ship's ability to reach the island, like maybe it will either bypass the enchantment keeping it hidden, or at least Nadya would sense the magic and know they're somewhere close.

But on the way, as I said, the ship encountered sirens, and then one of the crew members angered them, so they sunk the ship.

[aroacemisha]

I just realized that Zhenya would probably vibe with Laios from Dungeon Meshi.

[aroacemisha]

Evening dress by Jacques Doucet, 1893-96, France.

[aroacemisha]

Evening dress by Jean-Philippe Worth, 1900-05, France.

[aroacemisha]

Modified Thai ensemble by Pierre Balmain worn by Queen Sirikit to the Rattanakosin Bicentennial at Bang Pa In Palace, 1982.

[aroacemisha]

Good Traits Gone Bad

Exploring good traits gone bad in a novel can add depth and complexity to your characters. Here are a few examples of good traits that can take a negative turn:

1. Empathy turning into manipulation: A character with a strong sense of empathy may use it to manipulate others' emotions and gain an advantage.

2. Confidence becoming arrogance: Excessive confidence can lead to arrogance, where a character belittles others and dismisses their opinions.

3. Ambition turning into obsession: A character's ambition can transform into an unhealthy obsession, causing them to prioritize success at any cost, including sacrificing relationships and moral values.

4. Loyalty becoming blind devotion: Initially loyal, a character may become blindly devoted to a cause or person, disregarding their own well-being and critical thinking.

5. Courage turning into recklessness: A character's courage can morph into reckless behavior, endangering themselves and others due to an overestimation of their abilities.

6. Determination becoming stubbornness: Excessive determination can lead to stubbornness, where a character refuses to consider alternative perspectives or change their course of action, even when it's detrimental.

7. Optimism becoming naivety: Unwavering optimism can transform into naivety, causing a character to overlook dangers or be easily deceived.

8. Protectiveness turning into possessiveness: A character's protective nature can evolve into possessiveness, where they become overly controlling and jealous in relationships.

9. Altruism becoming self-neglect: A character's selflessness may lead to neglecting their own needs and well-being, to the point of self-sacrifice and burnout.

10. Honesty becoming brutal bluntness: A character's commitment to honesty can turn into brutal bluntness, hurting others with harsh and tactless remarks.

These examples demonstrate how even admirable traits can have negative consequences when taken to extremes or used improperly. By exploring the complexities of these traits, you can create compelling and multi-dimensional characters in your novel.

Happy writing!

[aroacemisha]

my favorite thing about senshi is whatever the heck this is called

[aroacemisha]

[aroacemisha]

I love how Dungeon Meshi has so many heartfelt little group interactions that usually you’d only get from fanworks. Like what do you mean that “Chilchuck is good at braiding hair because he would braid his daughters’, so he braids Marcille’s hair when she’s too depressed to take care of it” isn’t from a fanfic??

[aroacemisha]

Dress, 1825.

[aroacemisha]

Chung Thanh Phong Pre-Fall 2023

[aroacemisha]

I just realized that I could share this flash game ad I saved off of MySpace in like 2005 to tumblr.

It’s so important to me. It makes me feel like I’m losing my mind even after 20 years.

[aroacemisha]

Man's tailcoat, 1800-30, USA.

[aroacemisha]

The thing that really gets to my heart about how Laios’s autism is portrayed in his conflict with Toshiro is that his pain is centered and sympathized with.

How many dozens, hundreds of stories have we gotten about that obnoxious side character who just won’t take the hint and get lost, plaguing the main character who is never up front about their actual feelings but we’re supposed to relate to? How it’s played for humor half the time, a lighthearted burden on the main to make them roll their eyes before the Big Challenges of their story, with no thought to the pain and loss of the side character investing so much emotion into caring for someone who finds them a nuisance?

I think it’s even more poignant that Ryoko Kui is writing from a Japanese perspective that puts Toshido’s approach even more in the default, culturally enforced norm, but still asks “what about the feelings of the person who doesn’t have that all-important knack for ‘reading the room’ and picking up on all those invisible messages never said aloud?” and encourages us to care

[aroacemisha]

Velvet evening dress, 1930s.