#...and the one trait is often actually ooc or just taken so far out of context and...

[neon-moon-beam]

I've lost any interest in Submas because of what the fanbase did to Volo, stripped him of all his redeeming qualities to turn him into a Ghetsis clone. And yet no matter how many times I see it, my heart inwardly screams "LOOK HOW THEY MASSACRED MY BOY".

Oh my god yes. Volo has been done dirty so badly by the Submas fandom and other people who enjoy him to the point of it being the default.

Volo is a fairly complex character. He can’t be reduced to “unhinged and will hurt people when given the chance lol” or whatever else the fandom likes to do all for the sake of making things angstier, especially when it comes to Submas. In-game, he’s in more of a grey area and comes off as a character with issues having a bad moment, not an overall bad person. I'd put him somewhere around the same level as Archie and Maxie in terms of how much of a villain he is:

-Not entirely a bad guy, just bad ideas, bad solutions to problems (that might only be a personal problem for him or a select few, we know he had a rough life but we aren’t told how or why, but it has created his entire worldview and motivation)

-Might not have actually followed through with his plan anyway (he does have things he genuinely cares about, and say what you will about salty and rude Togepis in Hisui but he had high enough friendship with one to get a Togekiss)

-His feelings of being wronged in life and wanting to hold someone or something accountable, get answers, maybe an apology or to make things right is a fairly common human experience. He just lives in a world with magical monsters where confronting one with the ability to instantly change things is a definite possibility.

-Unlikely Arceus would have listened to him, Giratina did not want to listen to him (and Giratina is the failsafe when Dialga and Palkia are out of commission), so even though he appeared to have the means to reshape the world, he really did not

-Accepted the player character defeated him, stopped antagonizing, and probably left Hisui to sort out his issues

-Also is NOT responsible for Ingo being in Hisui (I did make a huge in-depth post about how he could have gotten there, and the evidence does NOT stack up in favor of Volo being the cause)

Sometimes it feels like people didn’t interact with PLA in any capacity and just go with whatever the fandom says about these characters, or else just don’t care about canon whatsoever, and that can be really alienating to other fans. Especially when other fans do like the canon characterization and all they can find is ooc depictions, bad takes, and anything else where it's essentially Volo in appearance only.

I know some people have said they never want to see Volo interact with Submas ever again, and I agree. Cr*zytr*inshipping and tr*inwr*ckshipping are built on ableism, the idea that mental illness is “scary”, and grossly mischaracterizing Volo, and at least Emmet (not sure about Ingo because I refuse to bother with content containing these ships or even interactions between these characters).

Volo deserves so much better. I’m sorry fandom spaces are not kind to him.

[raayllum]

not sure where i’m going with this yet but bc it’s something i’ve seen in a few fandoms (largely star wars, voltron, atla, and a couple of others) but i’ve recently realized is also - slightly?? - relevant for tdp

you ever see shit when people take something one ship canonically has and then just copy and pastes it onto the ‘rival’ ship they prefer, with no mind to any of the characters’ canon personalities or backstories?

this was most common in the voltron fandom with debates over which character, keith or lance, should get to be the black paladin (leader) of the group, ignoring that shiro was already the canonical and clear leader. other aspects that often got handed to those two despite shiro (or other characters) actually having set up or these components in their backstories: being taken prisoner for angst, having a cool robot arm, having major survivor’s guilt or self sacrificial tendencies, etc.

for star wars, it’s the way the canon source material took finn/rey’s dynamic from the first movie and then pasted it over kylo/rey’s dynamic in the last movie in particular: running to rey, who has fallen, and cradling her in their arms, even though in the first film, finn did so because kylo had slammed her into a tree so hard she went unconscious, amid other copy-and-pastes. 

i could get into how, for many years, the zu.tara fandom assigned zuko either traits he doesn’t have to make him more desirable or just flat out took things aang has/offers, while ignoring the ways aang relates to katara in ways zuko never could (i.e. being mutual survivors of genocide, both waterbenders, a desire to travel the world, etc. etc). 

and i’m not saying this is widespread thing in TDP. it’s not, hence why it took almost four years to notice, but i do think the areas i’ve noticed it’s in is interesting, hence why i’m sharing it. that said: feel free to ignore everything i say in the section below & it is not meant to be a generalization

that all being said

tdp femslash ships — basically janaya & raydia — have a Weird tendency to borrow a lot from rayla/callum as a couple without the JA or RCl shippers tending to... seemingly realize?

for example: i have seen people say they would prefer raydia (or sorayla) to rayllum bc it’d be “enemies to lovers,” as though rayla and callum weren’t / isn’t. and while rayllum is still very much friends to lovers more than those ships would likely be, they did start out as enemies. it’s a core consideration of how amazing it is that they became friends so quickly. 

another example would the one raydia oneshot i read where claudia - for some reason - had to save rayla from a very aggressive corvus. despite being vaguely ooc (and honestly kinda falling back on racist stereotypes, bc s1 ensures that corvus isn’t an ‘aggressive black man’ by any means) it’s like. if you wanted a human mage helping to save rayla from a dangerous threat, uh...

got bad news about what side claudia has been & realistically will be on. 

or even - bc i don’t read that much fic, even for rayllum - the few times i’ve read janaya oneshots i couldn’t quite relate. too often i felt like they would lean heavily on janai 1) caring too much for amaya too quickly or 2) have HCs of janai not really having any friends. nothing in canon points this way (if anything it leans towards the opposite of her having Good camaraderie with her soldiers and her bio has said she’d rather be a general > than a princess exalted above people, hence the path she chose until s3 came long). 

but canon does have hints that rayla, possibly, didn’t have a lot of friends before the boys

i’m not saying for sure that rayla was a lonely, largely friendless kid growing up - “bloodmoon huntress” could prove me wrong and i’d love to learn otherwise, even if i also love my current headcanons that she was. but the point still stands that canon at least gives me a reason to read into it as a headcanon rather than trying to force a ship that, thus far, has mostly indicated the opposite to be truth, of a square peg into a round hole.

and rayla also starts caring for her human love interest who saved her “too much” in her own canonical words

i have also seen people read rayla’s willingness to self sacrifice and some of her other traits onto janai, despite the fact that while they have similarities, janai and rayla are exceedingly different characters at their core. and, furthermore, if either half of janai/amaya was going to have super strong self sacrificial tendencies, it’d amaya - and i think amaya gets ignored bc she has her nephews to live for, in many ways, and we know she’s had close friends like gren and corvus. it’s easier to give janai a lonely backstory that’s a clean slate than to write her as having had a full life before amaya showed up in many ways, including her family and her troops

and although i don’t talk about it often, i also haven’t made it a secret that the dark magic stan (aka dark magic is Good viren is just misunderstood) and the JA corners of the fandom are the ones that i have the most ‘issues’ with.

the weird thing to me is that on the one hand, i get the rayllum-janaya comparisons. i’ve even made them myself! JA’s relationship development follows very similar steps to rayllum’s, just with less time and less varied emotional weight (by that i mean, rayla and callum have been through multiple losses and hard events together, including grief, whereas ja have only been through a couple. additionally, RC has everything that JA offers, emotionally, but JA doesn’t offer anything that RC doesn’t, emotionally, in terms of thematic explorations, events they’ve been through, etc). 

for example, yes janai and amaya’s displays of trust (janai trusting her in regards to viren, amaya trusting janai with the light) are big. but rayla and callum were having those, with rayla and callum saving each other’s lives (1x05) and callum trusting rayla with ezran and over claudia (1x03, 1x06), too. 

but the weird thing is that JA shippers have a tendency to be hard on rayllum. call it rushed or boring or that they get dumb, redundant arcs... and then turn right around and try to apply those exact same arcs to JA despite the fact canon thus far hasn’t supported those parallels.

i also see this play out sometimes with harrai, who once again, have a Lot of rayllum parallels all over the place in some pretty prominent ways

this is a very long winded way of saying that ship comparisons are normal and natural, but i don’t get disliking the development of one ship that is more in depth thematically and in terms of screentime, only to try to copy and past that development to your - technically, comparatively - more ‘shallow’ preferred ship. i just don’t

basically: tdp is a very well written show that purposefully parallels these relationships and if you don’t understand how they all contribute to the core themes in meaningful ways you just... have bad media literacy, bub

[coollyinterferes]

What would you consider is the most challenging aspect that comes with writing your character?

unprompted asks 【always accepting】

Hi, anon!! First of all, sorry to have kept you waiting (rl has been getting in the way a bunch as of late on top of my usual slowness orz)!! And I also apologize bc this is gonna get Long, so I hope that's okay! There's also gonna be some inevitable salt in some parts, so I hope that's alright, too ;v;

There are some aspects I still find kinda difficult, even after the years I've been writing for this dork tbh. One of them is probably the fleshing out of all those sides Speedwagon's character has and that a big chunk of the fandom sometimes completely forgets about or even pretends they don't exist at all for a variety of reasons. Same with the fleshing out of PB as a whole, too, as it's directly connected to the character in different ways, and the many things we didn't get to see on screen but that we were told that actually happened (or didn't happen in some cases). Much like with many other jojo characters, people tend to reduce Speedwagon's entire character to One Trait, though in his case its usually a trait taken from wrong ideas they got from all those "haha kono dio da funni amirite" memes, which is why you often see him being labelled as the "uwu soft and pure ball of blushu blushu virginal sunshine boi who can do no wrong and will never do it either uwuwuwuw" by a lot of people even when Robert is a ruthless criminal from the worst part of London in canon, and taking his actual heart of gold and twisting it into "absolute and immaculate purity UWU". Basically, he gets woobified a shit ton by a big chunk of the fandom, with certain aspects of his personality getting twisted waaaaay beyond recognition sometimes or just entirely made up or taken completely out of context for a variety of reasons. All of this is one of the main reasons why I've always put a lot of effort into showcasing all those sides of his that we were shown and/or told about in canon. Showing all his traits, yeah, but also making sure to always show his many MANY flaws and those dark and sour sides there are to his character (many of which he retains even in his older years, with some of those traits/flaws most likely being 'passed down' to Joseph, i.e), since people tend to forget that not only Speedwagon comes from literally the same shady place as Dio, having lived there for twice as long than Dio did, no less, but people also forget that he was also some ruthless gangleader who hard-earned the respect of dozens of other criminals and violent thugs and who are now under his command, ready to kill whenever he orders them to.

With all this said, in general, the most challenging part I think would probably be keeping some kind of balance in all that and not overdo or leave out one or the other since all parts are just as important to his character and to that personality that we were given in canon, and keeping all those hideously ooc fanon takes as far away as possible. All this while also doing research as much as necessary on Victorian stuff like terms, speech, customs, gay culture, and everything else that plays a role in Speedwagon's character (as a fun fact: no kidding, I legit knew NOTHING about the Victorian era when I first got into JJBA, so it's thanks to this dork that I started digging into that era and learning everything I now know about it xd).

As far as the side muses go, I think Tattoo and Li are more challenging right now in the sense that I don't write them as often, so I'm still trying to get a better hang of their personalities overall, their flaws and traits and so on. As for Jonathan, I've written him in the past a bunch of times for both rps and fics, but I haven't fleshed him out "a lot" rp wise yet, so I always worry about getting him right and close to his canon since, just like Speedwagon's case, Jonathan gets woobified a fuck ton by the fandom, too, for a variety of reasons.

Pretty sure I rambled a lot, but I hope all this stuff made sense ;;;; And thank you so much for sending this in, anon! I love this type of asks (and p much all types of asks, too xd), so please keep them coming any time~ Hope you're having a wonderful day!! ♡♡

[angeloncewas]

to be fair, the south park fandom does tend to make their portrayals of characters very ooc, even with the leeway of them not being That Deep and what's canon being up for debate. like, this is actually part of the reason why i dont like creek bc the way the fandom portrays it tends to make me uncomfortable?? they infantilize tweek for being very obviously neurodivergent and/or neuroatypical, depending on how you wanna look at it, and they make craig out to be a badass with a soft spot for tweek when he's canonically just a nerd with a lot of neurodivergent traits (ie low empathy, trouble with tone delivery, skipping out on things to watch his favorite cartoon everyday at the same time) so like. both portrayals of these characters, while not neccesarily the worst thing, are ooc, especially on tweeks behalf, which sucks bc in canon he's pretty cool, just very anxious and paranoid.

i think it is definetly a lot more fun to write/indulge in characters who you can mostly do whatever you want to since they arent that fleshed out or whatever, speaking from expierence in both writing fics for characters with a lot of depth who are often mischaracterized and writing for characters who you kinda cant mischaractized bc they lack character to begin with, but in the case of south park some people take "you can interpret these things in a bunch of different ways/these characters arent that deep, just have fun" to a level that borders on ableist, which sucks. idk where i was really going with this tbh, i just have a lot of issues with ships in south park and creek is probably like my number 2 issue (right after kym*n which is just. morally wrong on so many levels) just because the fandom has taken them so far from the canon personalities they had, and, while it's gotten a little better in recent years, i still see the same shit where craig is soft only for tweek and babies him when canonically like. tweek doesnt need to be babied, he's very capable of taking care of himself and craig liking tweek isnt a "soft spot" when he is literally just a child who likes watching his racing show everyday at the same time, playing with his guinea pig and being able to flip people off, which isnt even something he does to look cool or be an asshole, it's something literally his entire family does 😭😭

idk, like i said before, i dont hate creek and im fine with it in canon, i do think it's an interesting pairing, i just really hate the fandoms most popular portrayal of it.

—🦷

"Infantilize one and badass-with-a-soft-spot the other" is like every fandom's favorite ship dynamic I stg. Especially with mlm ships (in my experience) - but yeah I totally understand why that would make you uncomfortable, both on the level of underlying ableism and as a fan of the show.

I have some respect for ooc characterizations (I swear the HP fandom is a self-governing entity at this point, nothing is canon because JKR can suck it) and I get the stress when a fandom is really focused on canon characterizations (like this one) but when the way the fandom goes detracts from the characters as people instead of adding to them, it's a little >.>

I get why Tubbo likes Tweek now though LOL. Although I guess he did before those kinds of parallels so it's just a meant-to-be situation.

Stop being ableist, people. (I say, to nobody. Probably like 3 South Park fans follow me - BUT TUBBO treat him with respect.) (My response is kinda short but I really liked reading your ask so ty <3)

[e-vasong]

Can I ask about your writing process?

Huge fan of your TUA fics here - the way you just GET the characters is incredible - its almost like reading a novel written by the actual show writers!

How do you go about your characterisation and your drafting process? Any tips on nailing the complexities of the characters (specifically five)?

Thanks!!!

:') This is literally so nice I don't know how to respond, oh my goodness. I wish I had, like, life-altering writing wisdom for you here, but I honestly feel like my entire process is kind of a mess. I'll share it with you anyways, though, just in case you can glean anything helpful from it. I’ll tuck it below a cut, but here it is (ft. some of my specific characterization notes on Five, since you asked :D).

Pre-draft: Concept stage! This can be a variety of things -- sometimes it's a specific scene. For me it's usually a challenge of some sort. I like to take things that I think are unlikely for a character (under what circumstances would [x] character ever become a bad guy? How would [x] character’s secrets get revealed if they never talk willingly about their emotions?) Then I build out from there. I outline sometimes now, but I’ve been winging all my pieces for so long that it’s pretty tough for me. 

Draft one: Throw things at the wall. If I let myself, I will spend way too long agonizing on making every word perfect on the first go around, and I’ll never write anything. So draft one has permission to be as bad as it needs to be: sentence fragments, OOC dialogue/actions, clunky word choice, the whole nine yards. The most important thing is getting the words/scenes on the page.

Draft two: What sticks? Everyone is different -- I find it easier to edit than to write in the first place. So here’s where I look over my work from draft one. Is my sentence structure variable enough? How are their voices? Their actions? Does the narration work with the POV I’m using for the scene? 

Like, okay. I’m working on chapter two of the end of the war right now. Currently, it includes this line:

“How did you even—” Five starts, then shakes himself.  Absolutely not.  He isn’t entertaining this.  “Luther.”

In retrospect, I’m not wild about it. It doesn’t sound in character to me. I’m not pulling out receipts right now or anything, but the more I think about it, the more that I feel certain that Five rarely expresses surprise unless really shocked. Part of this is likely the contrast between him in his siblings (all the stuff about the Apocalypse and time travel is familiar to him and new to them, so the show has a lot of “Five explains [x] to his siblings while they look flabbergasted by him.”)

Anyways, it doesn’t sit right. So maybe, instead:

Five frowns, taken off guard. He could ask, but--quite frankly--he’s starting to think that he doesn’t want to know. He does, however, know what this is a preface to -- Luther is going to meddle. 

“Luther,” Five says it like a warning. Luther either doesn’t hear it or doesn’t care.

Anyways, rinse and repeat step two as much as necessary, and you basically have my entire drafting process.

Characterization, though, I have a more thorough process for!

Fanon and meta is super, super helpful, but I definitely prefer to look at canon first and foremost. I find it easiest to build characterization by asking myself questions about the character! I mean, don’t get me wrong. The first step is just to...get your own read on their personality? And there’s no trick to that. Everyone comes away from watching a show/reading a book with a slightly different interpretation of a character’s personality. But when building off of that to write them, I find questions helpful. They vary from fandom to fandom, but, like, here are some of the questions I’ve asked myself while writing Five.

What motivates them? For Five, this is a super easy one. He literally says it at multiple points throughout the show. He’s motivated by his family. To the point of wanting to save the world because they’re a part of it. Five troops through injury and pain and discomfort, but one reference from Handler about a deal to save his family is enough to coerce Five into 1 - working with her when he doesn’t want to and 2 - taking a job that he doesn’t seem like he wants to take.

How far are they willing to go to get it? For Five, he’s willing to do pretty much anything.

Are there any contradictions in their characterization? This is a weirdly specific question, but! People are inherently contradictory. Sometimes in TV or movies or books, it’s just bad writing. But sometimes it’s because people are complicated. So, in TUA, Five is consistently a big-picture thinker throughout the series. He seems to view his job at the Commission with apathy because he knows that it’s part of maintaining the timeline and necessary for him to get back home and stop the Apocalypse. He plans to kill an innocent person because he believes the butterfly effect of their death could stop the end of the world. He is, in many ways, a utilitarian -- the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. The greater good sometimes requires a lesser evil. Pull the lever in the trolley problem, and kill the one to save the five. Unless that one is one of Five’s siblings. 

For instance, his dialogue with the Handler in season one seems to imply that he is willing to give up fighting the Apocalypse if and only if she can guarantee his siblings’ safety (though this admittedly turns on how honest you think he was being with her -- I think he was honest, but smart enough to know she’d never follow through, but a fair argument can be made either way.) There are a million ways to read this, and the fun of playing with characterization is that you get to experiment with them! I read it as proof that Five is so driven by his desire to save his siblings that he actually places their wellbeing above his own moral compass (whether his moral compass is right or wrong is a whole other debate.)

What are they like at their best vs. at their worst? At his best, Five is strategic, driven, independent, determined, loyal, and protective. At his worst, he’s controlling, suspicious, bloodthirsty, temperamental, and obsessive. Of course, most people don’t just switch between these two extremes, and these traits frequently coexist, interact, and manifest in milder ways.  Five being suspicious usually manifests as him being cautious until he’s confronted with a character (in season two, Lila) that strikes him the wrong way. Him being obsessive is often just a side product of the fact that he is determined, loyal, and protective.  The fact that he can be controlling is connected to how independent he can be -- the same reason that Five tries to keep Diego in the mental hospital, never tells people that he’s injured, and hides things from them is the same reason he’s so quick and effective at getting things done. This is just a handy way of compiling a flaws/virtues list, and I like to look at it in terms of the potential extremes because I think it makes it easier to see how they interact to create the middle ground where the character actually exists.

How do they talk? Arguably the most important question for actually getting their voice, and the easiest way to nail this down is to just...look at the canon dialogue. Does the character use really big words? Do they talk in long gusts or in short, clipped sentences?  Do they use contractions more or do they not shorten things? This is the hardest part of writing Five for me, because my first impulse is to make him talk like an Intellectual (tm) and Very Erudite Adult. Like, I default to that when writing him, and it’s a horrible habit (in my opinion) because...while he does speak that way sometimes (usually when explaining things to his siblings) that’s not actually how he talks most of the time.  (Like, for instance, I tend to default away from Five using contractions in my first drafts of things. He actually uses contractions a lot, and frequently shortens words--”got to” is “gotta” for Five, “because” becomes “‘cause”, etc.) 

Other examples:

Five: Billions of people are about to die tonight. You can change that.

The Handler: Tonight, tomorrow. So little difference in the scheme of things. Don't you remember the Commission's raison d'etre? What's meant to be is meant to be, or, as I like to say, que será, será.

Five: It's bullshit in any language.

I love this exchange so much :D. And it establishes some great things about the way Five talks! He doesn’t dance around the issue or debate her or try and prove her wrong. He just tells her he thinks that that opinion is dumb, obviously.  He’s blunt, straightforward, and honest. (This seems to tie into the thing I was saying about Five and contractions -- he picks the most straightforward way of saying things unless he’s giving a technical explanation.)

Five: Okay, Luther, but be careful. I mean, I've... I've lived a long life, but you're still a young man. You got your whole life ahead of you. Don't waste it.

Five talks like an old man. Not all the time (though there’s a wonderful gif set out there somewhere of Five using old timer slang -- wait, I found it here.) He doesn’t use the old-timey slang all the time -- and I personally like the idea of mixing up Five’s slang habits and including slang from all sorts of eras because he’s a time traveler whose primary source of interaction after four decades alone was other time traveling assassins. But! He also talks in a way where he shows his age. 

Regardless of where you think Five’s psychological age falls (I have my own Opinions on this), he seems to unilaterally view himself as the Big Sibling, and by a very large margin at that. That’s reflected in how he talks. Not always, since not every line of dialogue is relevant to his age. But stuff like this, or related to it, crops up a fair amount. He counsels his siblings on their problems (as when he comforted Diego post-Eudora’s death), and there are little moments like the quote above, where the point is that Five has indeed seen many more years than his siblings and has the perspective to reflect that.

Well, this is way too long now, and it’s really late where I’m at. I feel like the comprehensibility of this post has been steadily declining the whole time, but if other writers have tips that they want to add onto this, please go ahead! 

[cfosborns]

would you look at harold osborn roaming around the avenger’s tower! they’re supposedly harry and work with oscorp, identifying as a civilian. they are around here often, so i wonder what’s got them here today. it’s  been said that they’ve been acting off for one month, so maybe it has to do with the tower. lets just hope the new york times doesn’t have much to say about them in the future.

( @rewrittenintro questionnaire and about under the cut! )

statistics:

name: harold theopolis “harry” osborn age: 23 faceclaim: gavin leatherwood  alias: harry powers/skills: harry has no powers, but is pretty intelligent, currently getting a graduate degree in chemical engineering. he’s skilled in science, math, and law, but his skills are almost exclusively academic. he also has money alliance: none threat level (out of ten):  three - harry is intelligent and has influential power through his family name, but lacks the physical powers and/or tactical gear to be a true threat. he’s also currently still a civilian, meaning he hasn’t taken on his father’s mantle (in fact, he’s completely unaware of it, if it even exists yet) history file  (link wiki):  1, 2, 3 notable changes from 2012 to the timeline they were pulled from: his dad’s been acting really strange lately, putting strain on their relationship. harry’s not sure what’s going on or why his father is acting this way, but their constant tension is really putting a toll on harry. last memory before ending up in nyc, 2012: getting ready to sneak into his father’s office, trying to find out what he’s been hiding from him.

questionnaire:

How are you feeling? Physically and mentally. “Well, I woke up hungover, if that tells you anything,” Harry joked, resting his head in his hand. “But in general, pretty alright. Classes are tough, but I wouldn’t exactly expect anything less.”

Where are you living? The same place you lived in 2012, or displaced to a random apartment? Explain to the best of your ability. “I’m living in an apartment near school. My dad originally wanted me to stay home, but it’s not like we can’t afford a place of my own, you know? Besides, he’s busy with work, I’m busy with school. It’s not like we would have seen each other, anyway.” His last sentence contained an almost bitter note to it, but the way Harry folded his arms across his chest indicated he wasn’t going to delve any deeper than he already had.

What do YOU think we should do about the situation at hand? Try to go back home? The original mission of stopping Thanos? Rewrite the entire story? Harry blinked in surprise. “What do you want me to do about it? I don’t know! I’m not like Spider-Man or anything. My specialty’s in air pollution, not doomsday, so time travel isn’t exactly my forte. Stopping Thanos would be nice, though.

What will you DO about the situation at hand? “Again, what am I supposed to do about it?” he asked incredulously. “I don’t have that kind of equipment. Honestly, I’m gonna get a head start on the work that took me years to finish, and hopefully by the time the Avengers figure this out, we’ll return to a much less polluted New York.”

Is there anything that you think needs to be done? “I don’t know. The physics of time travel or whatever weird space-phenomenon did this is outside my wheelhouse. I don’t know the first thing about what happened, let alone what’s going on.”

If need be, would you be willing to team up with the government and SHEILD to recoup and help the situation at hand? Harry scoffed, averting his eyes from the conversation. “I’m not the right Osborn to be asking that question to.” His dad had plenty of hands in the pockets of government agents, but whether he would offer Oscorp’s help, Harry wasn’t sure.

What are your worries? That I’ll fail mom. That dad will keep pulling away, or that he’s doing something stupid. That he won’t accept my research. All of these thoughts flooded Harry’s mind at first, but he didn’t dare say them out loud. All he answered, with a low voice, was, “That things could get worse.”

What do you think are the pros about this situation? “I mean, if there is a bright side, it’s that I have the knowledge to get my research done sooner.” Harry finally smiled. “I know it sounds selfish, but the sooner I can get this right, the sooner we’re on our way to a New York not plagued by air pollution. Is that really so bad?”

Anything else? “Yeah, have you seen Peter? I think I left my keys at his place. Or, I hope I did, otherwise I’m screwed.”

about:

harry osborn is the only child of norman osborn, founder and ceo of oscorp, an industrial giant with fingers in just about every pie, from the medical field to up-and-coming technology. 

his mother, emily osborn, was an environmental lawyer, who harry looked up to for her strong convictions and her compassion. she died when he was thirteen from oshtoran syndrome, a rare genetic disease. harry worries he might have the same genes, and hopes they remain dormant.

had some acute lonely rich kid syndrome growing up, but this got better as time went on and he went to college aka got more autonomy

his mom is part of the reason he was inspired to pursue an advanced degree in chemical engineering. his current focus is on finding a way to decrease/eliminate air pollution in NYC

this is part of what’s been causing some strain on his relationship with his dad, who harry is realizing might not be on board with harry’s ideas (for selfish reasons)

is also interning at oscorp while he's in school (and being groomed to take over for his father)

harry is also unaware of his dad’s true intentions or identity (aka if norman is currently/becomes the green goblin, harry has no idea)

still wants to fix his relationship with his dad because he’s the only family he’s got (if anything happens to his family he Will Go Apeshit because he already lost his mom when he was young he can’t lose his dad too) 

has yet to realize he’s actually good at/big into revenge (a trait he got from his dad, but he’s yet to be in a situation where that’s really required on a dangerous scale)

doesn’t realize his blindness to the feelings of others (and thus his potential to hurt others depending) when he’s blinded by his own strong emotions

has yet to uncover his father’s identity, spider-man’s identity, or feel blindsided by both. there’s definitely potential to take on his father’s mantle, or maybe this time around, things will be different. but the apple never falls far from the tree...

ooc:

( this harry is pulled from a few different sources of media, mainly comics, the spider-man ps4 game, and the 00′s spider-man films. some creative liberties were taken since he isn’t an extremely fleshed-out character in the modern adaptation he’s in and he’s had many different arcs throughout the comics )

[voiddaysrp]

Name: Days

Gender: Female

Age: … Very old, she lost track long ago (she is however 18 physically like me ooc) 

Species: Human-dragon hybrid Height: 6’2 in/ft | 187 cm

Other measurement things: Wingspan is about 12’3 in/ft or 374 cm (likely varies because i dont know what is actually “accurate”). Tail is about 6 feet long or 182 cm. 

Personality: Quiet and contemplative, Days is not the most social person in the world- she's usually off doing her own thing unless someone else puts her to a task. These things of her own are often building- she’s not great at the creative aspect but she puts focus into practicality at the very least, expect her to have her nose in a book as she makes an exp farm that no one probably actually needs at that point in time. She is also one for experimentation, having a scientific mindset towards things- sometimes she may even go too far without realizing it, she rarely means bad by it but empathy is something that has left her mind long ago. 

Due to her unique circumstances Days is not particularly in tune with her mob traits- she learned things in her time stuck in the End but there are some things that just… happen, for instance she often finds comfort in obsidian pillars, is drawn to end crystals, hates beds and often starts vibing around endermen in the overworld without really thinking. She tries not to think about how she has lost half her humanity, it’s not a pleasant thought. 

Once upon a time she used to be a very adventurous sort of person- prone to going out on long trips and then taking five years to come back, down to earth but enthusiastic nonetheless (basically, my ooc personality). However… after her long fall in the void and then being trapped in the end even longer she has changed considerably, her emotions are incredibly dulled in many aspects which she sometimes tries to overcompensate for (you want melodramatic speeches? That’s how you get melodramatic speeches). She may often come off as rude, when usually she’s just trying to be honest. 

Sometimes she does get the urge to explore though… hey, looking at that mansion may be good research… 

Background: 

Once long ago there was a wandering girl named Days, she lived out on her own- her family was god knows where and boy did she… not think about how to get back to her spawn when she started wandering out. Oops. It’s fine though… eventually she came upon a savanna village and in exchange for helping with basic work she took up one of the empty houses and lived among them (based on my singleplayer world). 

But… that wasn’t enough for her, she wasn’t great at building pretty things, nor was she good in a real fight, and if she ever tried redstone she’d likely fail miserably… yet, there was one thing she knew she was good at. Exploring, seeing the unknown and taking note of it, perhaps bringing riches back home for those around her. 

So she made a habit of it, going out for weeks seeing what lies in one direction of the vast world they lived in- making notes of what she sees, of what others could use and perhaps along the way she could find something to bring home with her…

Along the way she actually begun to see other people, adventurers like her. From them she heard a curious tale, one of “The End”, about how a dragon is said to live there and killing it could bring riches to those present… and what got Days’ attention was a rumor that the dragon’s breath could be collected and used in potions. Now wouldn’t that be something unique to bring home? 

With this in mind she decided to follow a group to a stronghold they had found, they were mainly there for the fight it seems… and that was good, Days had no intention on trying to fight the dragon herself so they could do that for her, she just needed to get close enough to use those bottles she had on hand. 

When they arrived well… Days had no words for the realm, it wasn’t like anything else she had ever seen… and boy was being around that bottomless pit of the void anxiety inducing. This was the hard part, she stuck close to the more combat trained players, as they got in range of the dragon. 

Oh.

Oh that’s a large mob. 

Maybe she had gotten in over her head but it’s fine… right? 

She waited, and waited (maybe she should have also brought a pumpkin)- the opportunity had to come soon… and she saw it, the dragon flew close to the ground and attacks her current comrades with that strange purple breath. 

Okay, there it is. She ran out and got as much of it as she could carry in her arms before running like mad back out of the way. 

She heard a loud noise sometime after, like the crackling of a firecracker. What was that…

Erm. 

Where did everyone go?

Slowly moves out of her hiding spot, no one around aside from a sea of enderman and a… that has to be the portal back yes? 

… And another portal, suspended in air. What is that? Where did that lead? Curiosity overrode the basic sense of safety she should have been following and with some careful building she got up to it. It’s too small to crawl into… a pearl could do the trick though! 

So she did…

But... 

An odd feeling overcame her when she appeared on the other side, on a platform overlooking an expanse of islands. The view wasn’t what was on her mind though… her body was moving on it’s own, like some unknown force had taken control of her limbs and pushed her into the backseat. 

There was no time to truly react until she had already stepped off the edge. 

Like some sort of sick joke it was only at this point did she regain control of her body, when she was face to face with the abyss that surrounded the realm. She tried to in her panic send another pearl but it didn’t land, leaving her without anything she could do. 

This wasn’t… this wasn’t how she wanted to die. What else could she do? She had a few seconds to at least try to see if she had anything else on her…

The bottles… she had never heard of using dragon breath on it’s own, it seemed more like it’d be an ingredient than anything else but… 

She’s desperate, dragons live here right? Maybe it could do something. So she chugged it and hoped for the best. 

Well. 

Death never came to her. 

But, she just kept falling…

...And falling…

...And falling…

...And falling…

Had she just locked herself into a fate worse than death in her attempt to survive? It came to a point where she couldn’t even see land anymore. 

…

She didn’t know how long she had been there, there was no distinction of day or night in the End. Yet… there was a point she felt herself go eerily calm, no panic, no sadness. 

She was just numb. 

The void was an odd thing, at a glance it was only a silent empty space but at some point she heard… things. She didn’t know what it was saying, it was speaking a language she knew nothing of yet whatever presence it represented it seemed to overtime envelope her- not like the force that had forced her off the edge though, something more… benevolent? Was that even accurate? Either way that feeling corruption only grew over time. 

Something had changed. An unfamiliar weight upon her back, an instinct she most certainly didn’t have before. 

Fly. Get out. Home. 

When faced with that after ages seeing nothing but fuzzy black there was no other option but to act right? 

With that she… flew. She had wings. Where did that.. 

…

She can think on this later, her mind was mostly set on finding land. It took a long time, and by the time she managed to grip onto the edge of an island she was utterly exhausted. 

But, she was a step closer to home. 

Or was she already home?

It wasn’t until some hours later did she realize she had passed out, dragging herself up as she properly took in her situation. Not only did she find those wings but also a long tail, distinctly draconic but in colors of white and silver, some scales shining in an almost holographic color. 

… She was no longer entirely human that’s for sure, was it the potion combined with the void that did something? She’ll… have to look into that. For now she had to get out. 

How though? The islands were vast and she had been moving for who knows how long. She past by odd structures (cities?), many endermen and vast amounts of just… nothing. The only thing that kept her remotely grounded were old books she had in her bag, now that she could actually read them without fear of dropping them straight into nothing. 

Years of being alone with creatures that couldn’t understand you was a terrible thing for the mind. She hadn’t realized it but at some point she has practically shut down aside from her singular goal of leaving. 

It was that single mindedness that eventually got her back to the original island (what state was it in? Who knows that’s up to the greater lore people), thankfully the portal was still open for her to get the hell out.

… Uh…

Where--

Is she on a table?

… And that’s several different people just looking at her. 

Oops.  

[yeaahishowedupatyourparty]

Zara’s Truth Booth.♥️ You can read this as OOC or an IC interview, I really don’t mind!

GENERAL QUESTIONS 1. Please state your full name: “Zara Belle Calloway.”
2. Does your name(s) have any kind of meaning? If so, what is it?: “I’ve literally never asked and I doubt there’s much thought behind it. By the fourth child, you probably just pick a page in the baby name book and go with it.” 
3. Do you have any nicknames?: “No - I refuse to accept Zar or Z.” 
4. Where were you born? And in which country?: “I was born in South Kensington, London…England.”
5. What is your date of birth?: “13th of December 2001.” 
6. Of course, the following question; what is your Zodiac sign? “Sagittarius.” 
7. Do you believe in Zodiac signs? “I think so? I relate more to my moon sigh, though - a Cancer.”
8. Where do you live? “Lilac Heights…Violet Springs. In the most beautiful house. I love it.”
9. What is your home situation like? (ex. do you live with your family? Your partner etc.?) “I live in my own house, most of the time. Sometimes with Danny, sometimes without - hopefully more with in the future. I do go back to the hotel sometimes too, in London. Not as much.” 
10. Do you have any siblings? “Three older sisters…Yeah.” 
11. Do you have any kind of allergies? “Fish, which is just as well. I don’t like it.” 
12. Do you own any pets? If so, what kind of pets are they? “I have two dogs; Pumpkin and Tank.”
13. Why did you apply to St Jude’s? “To build up my career, I guess.”
14. Did you had to go through a lot audition rounds? “Not really. I already had three sisters here and also a lot of work I’d done myself by the time I got to eighteen. I did one round of auditions which I’m proud of.” 
15. What is the current course you’re following? “Acting and Directing.” 
16. If you can switch courses, which one would you switch to and why? “I wouldn’t, I’m fully dedicated to this career I have now.” 
17. What is your proudest project you’ve done? “Euphoria, easily. I wrote it, I directed every episode, I casted it, I bought it all to life and helped develop the characters. It will always be my baby and I’m so happy with how it was received.” 
18. What is the proudest project that someone’s else has done? “Singular Act I. That’s my baby…Or Little Women, that’s my other baby.”
19. Do you like FanCons? “I love FanCons.”
20. What do you like about FanCons? “Meeting the fans! It never gets old and they’re always so enthusiastic and kind. It reminds me how lucky I am, for sure. There’re some I know by name now and I’m more excited to see them than them me.” 
21. What don’t you like about FanCons? “The competition? Does that make sense. It shouldn’t matter who loves who more…I feel like on the fans part it can get quite aggressive when really they’re all there for the same reason.” 
22. A fan memory that always stuck with you? Can be positive or negative. “I feel like I’ve been put on the spot! I don’t know…” 
23. Your favorite event so far? “I loved the Summer FanCon Tour. That was so amazing.” 
24. What kind of event would you like to see in the future? “More events where we get to be silly - fundraisers and challenges. Sometimes it gets too competitive or serious with the award based ones, or talent based ones.” 
25. Would you recommend St Jude’s to friends, family. etc? “For sure.” PERSONALITY QUESTIONS 26. What are your positive traits? “I hate this question, don’t make me answer that.”
27. What are you negative traits? “I’m probably a little too hot-headed and emotional.”
28. What would other people describe you as? “…I don’t know.”
29. What are your pet peeves? “Being spoken to like an idiot, or like I don’t understand things. I’m not silly or incapable at all.” 
30. What makes you happy? “My friends.”
31. What makes you upset? “Oh, anything! But mainly seeing people down on themselves.”
32. What is something you love? “When somebody is so comfortable with you, that they open up and talk about all of their passions. I love when people are talking about what they love in general.”
33. What is something you dislike? “People who behave like they’ve never made a mistake and don’t let others move on from theirs.”
34. What are you strengths? “Again, I hate answering questions like this…Maybe that I’m good at - eventually - admitting when I’m wrong? Or, a good listener?” 
35. What are you weaknesses? “Anything with chocolate on or in it. I’m a simple person.”
36. A misconception people often think of you? “I know a lot of people think that I’m maybe like, how do I put it nicely? A home-wrecker…or, promiscuous, I guess? I’m not. I’ve had maybe 3 boyfriends in my whole life and I’m 20.” 
37. Do you have any fears? “I’m really scared of being alone - like literally and on a deeper level.”
38. What scares you the most? “Deep open water. Yikes.” 
39. What do you do to entertain yourself? “I don’t - I seek out the closest person to annoy until they entertain me.”
40. What is your MBTI? “I’m an INFJ. Most people are shocked at the I part.” 
41. How do you deal with stress? “Cry. Or eat. Or both.” 
42. Are you a determined person? Are you a stubborn person? “To an extent, I’d say so.”
43. Do you consider yourself selfish? “No…”
44. Would you like to be different? “I guess so…Sometimes I wish I was more likeable because I get the sense people aren’t that fond of me.” 
45. Are you more introverted (focused on your inner world) or more extraverted (focused on other people and the outer world)? “Introverted.” ROMANCE QUESTIONS 46. What is your sexual orientation? “I’m bisexual.”
47. Current relationship status? “Taken…Happily.”
48. When was your first kiss? “It was for a random television series and I was like 14. My first real kiss though was only a year and a bit ago.”
49. Do you remember your first date? If so, with who was it? What did you do? “I don’t remember it. Oops.” 
50. Have you ever experienced heart-break? “Yes. Not necessarily through a break-up.” 
51. Have you ever been in love? (If yes, skip to question 53) “Yes.” 
52. If no, how so? 
53. How do you know when you’re in love? “For me, everything becomes about that person. Even songs that I listened to long before I knew someone, or films I watched way before I knew they existed, I manage to tie everything back to one specific person. And, I’m definitely not a subtle person either - I think if I’m in love with someone, they’ll know before I do if they’re observant.”
54. What would be your ideal date? “I always feel like it’s more a question of who; I’d rather do something really simple like staying at home, cooking and watching a movie with someone I’m really comfortable with and like…Instead of going somewhere really extravagant with somebody I know who’ll make me uncomfortable.” 
55. What is your perspective on marriage? “It’s not the ultimate declaration of love. There are plenty of married people who aren’t in love anymore…And if you look into the roots of it, it’s kind of…messed up? I don’t know. It’s nice but not necessary.” 
56. (only for non-virgins) Are you a sub, dom or switch? “…I feel like I can switch it up. It depends on whatever the person I’m with prefers?”
57. What do you think of relationships? “I’m conflicted because there is so much more to life, but I’m not anti-relationship, obviously. I feel like they’d be better and more enjoyable if there wasn’t such a pressure on people to have been in a relationship before a certain age. If you’ve not found the one at 55, why is that so bad?” 
58. What do you think of one-night stands? “I’ve had them. They’re not for everyone, though.”
59. Are you still a virgin? “No.” 
60. Most attractive trait in a different person? “Patience. Especially if I’m talking about specifically attractive to me - I tend to jump to conclusions and get sad or mad or annoyed really quickly. So, people who bear with me, that’s attractive.”
61. What matters most to you when it comes to a relationship? “Genuine chemistry. As soon as that goes, nothing else really matters. Like, if there’s no chemistry for one person but loyalty is there - it almost feels like a job.” 
62. Are you comfortable with PDA? Or would you be comfortable with PDA? “Yeah.” 
63. Are you more of a type to be asked out or the type to ask the other out? “A bit of both. I think I’m probably bold enough to ask people out but it is nice to be asked.”
64. How do you express love to the other? “Pay attention to what they say, make sure they’re happy, tell them everything…Kiss them, cling on to them…Become painfully annoying until they can’t stand it. It’s a cycle.” 
65. Who is your celebrity crush? “Danny. My boyfriend. I don’t even care that it’s the cliche answer, haha.” GETTING DEEP QUESTIONS 66. Do you regret anything? “…Yes.”
67. Is there something you woule like to re-do? So, start all over again? “Yes.”
68. What is something you would never share with anyone? “For sure…I’m uncomfortable!” 
69. When was the last time you cried? Why did you cry? “…I’m trying to think, maybe a week ago or so? I just felt down and missed somebody.”
70. Most memorable event that happened in your time in St Judes? This could be anything: “That’s really tricky! I’m not sure, to be honest. I wasn’t here when all of the crazy stuff went down, like the cruise ship? I’m really unsure.”
71. One thing you wish you could do all over? “My childhood…but with my 20 year old mind.”
72. Someone you miss? “I’d rather not.” 
73. Something you wish you could forget? “I don’t like these questions.” 
74. Who has the biggest impact on you? “Probably my family - not necessarily in a good way.”
75. What is your perspective on love? Is it beautiful? Does it scare you? “It’s beautiful and being loved is the best feeling in the world, I’d be lying if I said I don’t crave it.” 
76. What has hurt you in the past that you don’t want others to go through? “Losing somebody that is like, your other half. Or actually, losing somebody you really love without much explanation at all. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.”
77. What is something you have gained, something you have lost and something you let go of during the past year? “I’ve gained…more self-esteem, I’ve lost a lot of time I’m not going to get back - I think and I’ve let go of some trust issues, I think.”
78. Have you ever lost a friend? do you wish you would still be friends? “I have. I lost a friend because she dated my ex after claiming they were just friends - I don’t because it hurt and all she had to do was be honest.”
79. Do you have any triggers? What is the history behind these triggers and are they related to any disorders or mental illnesses? “I don’t think that’s appropriate.” 
80. If you could meet your 16 year old self, what would tell them? “That things do pass..They don’t necessarily get better or easier, but they pass and you learn to deal with things in a more productive way. I’d also hug her - tight.” RANDOM QUESTION ROUND 81. Summer or Winter? “Summer’s weather but winter’s overall vibe and celebrations.”
82. Cats or dogs? “Dogs, sorry.” 
83. Beach or mountains? “The beach.” 
84. Phone calls or texting? “Facetime. I’m that friend.” 
85. Have you ever skipped class? “Yes.”

[spnfanficpond]

November 2019 Pond LiveChat Recap

We had a great time chatting with @tricia-16, today! Thank you so much for joining us and giving us your thoughts!

We had a great time today chatting about keeping characters true to what we’re used to seeing on screen, even when we’re writing them into an AU. How do you decide what traits are sacred and what you can or should change when you take our beloved boys out of the hunting life and into other worlds? A rundown of the chat, as well as general Pond new, is below the cut!

For those who don’t know her, Tricia is not (yet - I’m gonna work on her!) a member of the Pond, but she is a popular Destiel writer on AO3, and a force for good in the fandom on Twitter. Most of her stories are AUs, with a couple of canon stories, so she has experience in both types. Her current WIP is called Light Me Up, and it’s based around Dean and Cas discovering that Lisa had a child after a fateful night with the two of them. Lisa has recently passed, and gave joint custody of her son, Liam, to Dean and Cas together. The prequel, Why’s It Feel So Good? is simply hot, Hot, HOT, and shouldn’t be skipped! She updates every Monday, which helps to fight off the Garfield in all of us and make Mondays something to look forward to.

We started off talking about side characters.

Q: (@loudenswainfangirl​ (Michelle H.) How do you create that AU version when you don't have a lot of canon content to draw from? For instance, Donna. Canon gives us some in sight to her character but there is also a lot we don’t know. I've been working on a fic with Donna as the main and I'm having a difficult time putting my own interpretation on her. Inner thoughts, hang ups, struggles, that sort of thing.

Tricia: Michelle, I have no idea how you do that with the side characters who don't have a lot to go on. I think that's why in my stories they tend to focus more completely on Cas/Dean than the surrounding characters. I think in a lot of cases they end up more like an original character with a familiar character's face, in my head. If you're talking AU, I'd create almost an entire new character with Donna's personality. Write down how she grew up, her likes/dislikes, her personality flaws and strengths. You'll get an idea of who she is, which should help influence her dialogue and motivations behind why she acts how she does within the story.

Q: Have you gotten any backlash for side characters not sounding right or being OOC?

Tricia: I don't think many people read my stories for the side characters, so I haven't gotten a ton of feedback on them. I know people didn't like Charlie's big mouth in Start of Something Good, but I think she'd be super forward like that to try to help Dean so it didn't bother me.

Q: Which do you find easier, AU or canon?

Tricia: AU, without a doubt. And it's for the simple reason that I think there's more wiggle room when it comes to keeping them in character that way. While a lot of the big character traits will remain the same, there's wiggle room to change some things up depending on the world I create. A big one is family life. If Dean grew up with both parents in a loving home, I find it easy to believe he wouldn't be quite as emotionally unavailable as he is on the show, for example. @katehuntington​ (Kate): I get that, I can relate to that. I find both comfortable, but with AU’s I feel like I need to establish where I wanna go first, and then think how Dean (for instance) would get there and how it would affect him. AUs also create situation that wouldn’t be possible in canon, like certain side characters interacting with each other. That’s what I like about it. Michelle H.: That's what I love about AU, Tricia. Creating a different background opens up so many possibilities. An AU is, essentially, your world. I feel more people will be more critical and have higher expectations with canon based fic.

Q: What do you do when you're afraid you've maybe taken a character too far outside of their usual character?

Kate: Say their lines out loud if it’s dialogue, checking if I can hear that character say that. And it depends on the background. I’m honestly not worried that often. Guess with two or three betas on board who would tell me if it’s OOC, you build that kind of confidence. So what was said earlier: if Sam or Dean for instance grew up in a stable environment, they would respond differently than they would canon. @mrswhozeewhatsis​ (Mrs. Michelle): Betas help a LOT. Talking it out with other fans is HUGE, sometimes. (If you’re looking for a beta, check out this list of betas here!) Kate: Going over scenarios with people who know your story, your style, etc, is really helpful! Michelle H: You think so? Because that's what I want to do and have so far but I'm afraid of backlash. Mrs. Michelle: Never be afraid of backlash. If someone else doesn't like your interpretation, they don't have to read it. And if they're rude enough to comment, they're just RUDE. Michelle H: Good point. I guess because I write rare pairs I have so little exposure and I'm afraid to chase away those I do have. Tricia: If you can explain WHY your character is the way that she is (even within the story or outside of it in comments, etc) you shouldn't face much backlash. They might not like the choices you make, but that's on them, not you.

Q: What are the easiest and hardest parts of staying true to SPN characters when writing AUs for you?

Tricia: Easiest is the big things. Dean loves pie, drives his car, loves rock music. Sam's a nerd, Cas doesn't know much about pop culture/doesn't get a lot of jokes. Those are the things I feel should stay the same in any universe. (Imagine a world where Dean doesn't like his car? WHO IS HE?) Hardest is getting Dean to talk about his feelings. We know him to be closed off and anti-emotion, so to make him open up enough to fall in love while still remaining in character is always a struggle. That's why so many of my fics are from Dean's POV. Without access to his inner thoughts, he'd come across completely different than he does with them. Kate: Easiest parts for me is taking there personality traits, analyse where they come from and if you can, use those traits in favor of your story. Hardest part for me is when you wanna make certain changes for the sake of the AU, but feel like it’s not in character. That’s the hiccup I experience most. For instance (for the people who know Ride With Me) Dean on the show can’t really play guitar and his singing isn’t great either. For my country boy/cowboy AU, I added that, even though it’s not of significant importance to the story line. It just felt good. I go on gut feeling a lot personally.

Q: What changes to their character might you first consider when you're coming up with a new story line? Are there any traits that you immediately considering changing without question, and conversely, are there any traits that are sacred? For example, you've already discussed how Dean is different when he's had a stable family. Is that a common starting point for you, or does it depend on the story?

Tricia: This might seem like an obvious answer, but Dean and Cas's sexuality is always a big one. Do they know they're attracted to men when they meet? Are they purely attracted to men, bi, do they think they're straight? Dean "getting around" sexually is almost always part of my stories. I can't imagine a prude-ish version of Dean. Kate: For me Dean’s self worth (or the lack of it) and his kindness for the people who need it, are traits that I won’t ever let go of.

Q: Besides pie and Baby, are there any other traits of Dean and Cas that you feel are sacred and shouldn't be touched?

Tricia: Dean's fierce protectiveness of Sam is the first thing that comes to mind. I think I tend to write Cas as seeing Dean as almost... perfect. He refuses to give up on him, forgives him even when he shouldn't, and that's all based on who he is on the show, too. 

Q: Has there ever been a story line or story element that you've loved, but ultimately decided to ditch because it was too OOC, even for an AU?

Tricia: When I wrote Molting Expectations, there's a scene where Cas was basically going into "angel heat" and I actually wrote Dean giving into temptation and something physical happening between them when Cas clearly didn't know what he was asking for. And once I wrote it, I read it over, and immediately went, "Nope. Dean's stronger than that." And I ditched the whole scene.

Q: On those occasions where you wrote in canon, you obviously have to be more strict about changing things. How do you decide what's sacred and what can be shifted? Basically, what’s your barometer for “I’ve gone too far this time”?

Tricia: I think for me, it comes down to my interpretation of the characters. Some die hard fans would tell you that Dean is 100% straight and nothing can convince them otherwise. I believe there are moments of episodes that imply he's not 100% straight, so I feel justified in making that more explicit in my stories. Dean admitting he likes chick flicks makes me think maybe he's a bit softer inside than he wants to present a lot of the time, so I can almost exploit that about him in canon fic, for example. But more than anything, I think, it's the dialogue that I struggle with in canon fic, and after reading it back, it's a gut feeling. There's a lot of tweaking individual words, changing the way I make my characters talk to the way Dean/Cas actually talk. I do that by looking at transcripts of episodes. That's actually how I wrote Donna's dialogue in Light Me Up, even though it isn't canon, because I haven't written her character very much. I looked at the words she repeats in all of the episodes she's in to get a sense for how she spoke. I wrote a big love confession from Dean during Don't, and then scrapped it all because I couldn't see him actually saying that out loud. (And it frustrated me because it was SO GOOD and all things Dean was thinking, but I knew in my gut they were words he'd never say out loud.) Mrs. Michelle: I've noticed that the characters in this show we love really don't talk much. Any time I've written a long paragraph of one of TFW talking, I've always cut it down to a third of it. They rarely make speeches. @girl-with-a-fandom-fettish​ (Kaisha): Those are Winchesters for you, as few words as possible!  Tricia: They also use each other's names 100 times more than regular people in regular conversation! LOL Kate: I go on gut when it comes to taking a character too far. And also remember that it’s your story. If you believe that Dean or Sam would respond a certain way under these circumstances, then write it.

Q: Dean and smoking: In character or not? And why or why not?

Tricia: Smoking seems self-destructive enough (with the benefit of soothing nerves, or so I've heard) that I could see Dean smoking. The only reason I can think of why in canon it wouldn't be in character is because of the cost. Especially when the Winchesters didn't have the bunker, would Dean always have the money to buy a pack of smokes? I would guess probably not. Michelle H: I would think he'd rather use the funds for whiskey. Mrs. Michelle: I could see Dean stealing smokes. Like, back in the olden days when they weren’t kept locked up. Of course, the first time he got winded, and therefore injured by a monster, he might decide to quit.

To wrap up, we all kind of agreed that when we’re questioning if a character is OOC or not, we try to imagine the character in canon doing or saying what we’ve written and we go with our gut. If we’re still unsure, we ask friends and beta readers for help. As always, Betas make everything betta!!

Next month we’re going to talk about structuring long plots with @jhoomwrites​ on 12/7/19 at 5PM Eastern time! Mark your calendars!

General Pond Updates and Reminders

What we’ve got cooking up next: Not much, at the moment, since everyone is busy, so we’re just trying to keep up with the day-to-day at the moment! Our to do list is still long, though, and will not be neglected forever! Next up is organizing the tagging system on the blog to make it easier for readers to find the stories they’re interesting in and for writers to find the help they’re looking for!

Reminders:

Angel Fish Award nominations are accepted all month long! No need to wait to tell us how much you liked a fellow Fish’s work!  IF YOU HAVE SENT IN A NOMINATION, BUT HAVE NOT RECEIVED A PRIVATE MESSAGE CONFIRMING WE RECEIVED IT, WE DIDN’T GET IT. Be sure to use Submit instead of Ask!

Don’t forget to submit your stories to be posted to the blog! When your stories are on the blog, then they are easier to nominate for Angel Fish Awards!

Say hi to October’s New Members! (If we missed someone, let us know!)

Check the Pond CALENDAR to see when Big Fish will be in the Skype chat room/discord general channel and other Pond and SPN events are happening! Know of something that’s not on the calendar, send us an ask or submission with the deets info details!  The calendar offers a lot of features, such as showing you when things are in your own timezone! Since we’re an international group, that’s a definite plus!! 

We’re looking for a guest speaker for January to talk about RPF! If you know of an RPF writer that you’d like to hear from, let us know!!

[vermiculus-incipiens]

OOC INFORMATION:

What’s your name? Kay!

Preferred pronouns: she/her

Timezone: Arizona/MST/GMT -7

IC INFORMATION:

Character Name: Andromeda Eirene Black Tonks - She has always felt that her name was particularly fitting for herself. Andromeda, the chained maiden; she always felt trapped in her family, even if she couldn’t identify the feeling until she was older. Trapped by her family, by their reputation, by the weight of expectations. Eirene - meaning peace, a trait she has always attempted to embody. Even at home, as much as she tried to be unseen by the rest of her family, she equally tried to bring peace when there was conflict. She has left behind her maiden name, choosing to shed her Black identity as easily as she shed the expensive gowns that she left behind. Instead, she revels in being Andromeda Tonks. Ted has and always will embody all the good that she sees in the world and she wants nothing more than to attempt to imitate him to the best of her ability.

What’s a hobby or pastime that your character enjoys? Andie began learning to cook after she married Ted; before, she never needed to cook. So with Ted, she learned to cook the Muggle way and discovered that she loves working with her hands in that way. She cooks herself as much as possible, and loves any type of cooking. Her favorite thing is to bake cookies with Dora but whenever she’s worried, she’ll disappear into the kitchen to cook and alleviate her stress that way. (A controlled outcome, something she can predict and determine, is very important to Andie. Relinquishing control is very hard for her, and there is very little that she can control anymore.)

Do you have any preferred ships or anti-ships? I am and always will be a Tedromeda shipper. I think they have the most beautiful love story and I always have enjoyed the chance to write it. The changes she goes through in order to be with him are so fascinating and compelling to me. (Sorry, this has deviated a little from the actual question but long story short: there is no other ship that I can see for Andromeda.)

What do you think your character’s Boggart would be? If their greatest fear isn’t something that could easily take a solid form, what is it? Why? Andie is most afraid of her sister Bellatrix. She doesn’t want to see her other family members (well … Narcissa, maybe, because the only guilt Andie has ever held for her choice to be with Ted is the fact that she had to abandon her younger sister to be happy) but there’s far more fear of her older sister than anyone else. She has no doubt that Bellatrix could and would hurt her if given the chance, and Andie will do everything in her power to protect herself - and more importantly, her new family. So her boggart takes the form of her oldest sister, attacking Andie’s family.

What’s your character’s biggest pet peeve? Sloppiness - whether that’s the form of an actually dirty house or room, or just someone looking ill-kempt or slovenly. It is not unusual for her to be found moving around the room when there’s an Order meeting at the Tonks home, tidying up after their guests even while they are in the middle of the meeting. She doesn’t go so far as to make them remove their shoes (although it’s thought that has been given a lot of consideration) but she’ll pick up glasses and set coasters under them, or run a rag over a sticky spot on the table during the meeting (not even a glare from Moody himself is enough to stop her; he’s not that intimidating, not compared to Cygnus or Bellatrix Black. She will stop at a look or comment from Dumbledore, of course).

What would you consider to be an eccentricity of your character? Andie is very particular about the aspects of Muggle culture that she takes into her life. For example: cleaning and cooking the Muggle way is acceptable and enjoyable; Muggle travel is totally out of the question, except when it’s absolutely necessary. She finds Muggle money absurd, and has little wish to be in Muggle cities, but she loves Muggle fashion and prefers it to anything she wore as a Black. The wireless is fascinating, and the cinema (she loves watching films), and the television, but she doesn’t like or understand the need for a telephone. And don’t get her started on pens or pencils; quills are highly preferable and she consistently refuses to use any of Ted’s writing utensils except in extreme circumstances.

What is/was your character’s favorite subject in school? Why? Andromeda always liked potions. It was a controlled form of magic, something where she could predict the outcome. Follow the steps, make the potion. She also got along fairly well with Slughorn and enjoyed that aspect; not all the professors were as easy to befriend and while she never disliked a class because of a professor, liking her professor helped a lot.

What time of day is your character’s favorite? What time of year? The best time of day, in Andie’s opinion, can be divided into two specific moments of the day. First, the very early morning when she and Ted are up together, making breakfast or just sitting and enjoying their tea, before Dora joins them. It’s important to Andie that she and Ted have moments to themselves, to remember their relationship apart from their daughter. But she also loves the early evenings, when she comes home with Dora and together they start making dinner. She loves to hear everything Dora has to say about her day and what she’s done. Her favorite time of year is summer, when she and Ted and Dora have longer hours to do things in the evenings after dinner. She doesn’t particularly like being bundled up for the cold and revels in the chance to wear shorts or dresses without added layers.

What’s your character’s Patronus? If they can’t conjure one, what would it be if they could? Why? Andie’s Patronus takes the form of a tiger. She conjures it with the memory of the first time Ted told her that he loved her. (The tiger symbolizes an independent person who doesn’t like to show weakness to others and is a bit cynical due to their past, all of which Andie embodies. Information found here.)

What is your character’s biggest vice (bad habit or immoral craving)? Andie is arrogant. It’s a bad habit, and one she has tried to break, and also one that only affects certain things (for example, she doesn’t view any group of people as better than others; she isn’t the sort to think she’s better than Muggleborns, for example) but it’s certainly there. She grew up being told that her family was the best and that’s a hard lesson to shake off, no matter how false she knew it to be. So even though she knows she isn’t better than anyone else, she’s still shaking off that arrogance that seems to be born into the Blacks.

Is your character an introvert or extrovert? How well do they handle social situations? Andie is an introvert. She prefers to be at home with her family rather than out with other people. She learned how to handle herself in social settings though - she didn’t like all the attempts to teach her how to be a pureblood lady, but she learned them very well. Now, it’s extremely rare for her to let on how badly she wants to be alone when she’s surrounded by people. If they’re at her house, she wants them to leave, and if she’s out, she wants to go home. She can circulate and make small talk with the best of people though, so no one would know her inner turmoil.

What is your character’s diet like? What’s his or her favorite food? Andie has worked very hard to learn how cook healthy meals for her family (and encourage Dora to eat and enjoy them, although she settles for just seeing Dora eat the food at this stage in life). Their meals are almost always homemade, as Andie turns her nose up at most restaurant meals (with the exception of a few places, or the times Ted really works to sweet-talk her into a family night out.). Meals are also quite varied, as she likes a challenge in the kitchen and is always looking for something that her daughter will enjoy. She’s never really sat to think about her favorite foods though. However, Andie loves popcorn and often pops some for her and Dora and Ted to enjoy after dinner.

How do you think your character’s psychological issues have manifested and changed your character up to this point? Andie is becoming more and more brittle as the war progresses. She is, at heart, a soft person, the kind with seemingly endless optimism and hope for the future, who can forgive and love and welcome people into her life with open arms. However, much of that was ruthlessly squelched under her family’s influence, and now is fading even more as the war progresses. Andie values her poise above almost everything else; she sees a lot of self-worth in how well she can handle a crisis without falling to pieces and the thought of actually cracking under the pressure she feels is unbearable. Where she was once more cheerful and hopeful, she has become more fearful and pessimistic. She hides it as much as she can, and her spectacular poise means it’s hard to see past the polite expressions to the true turmoil underneath. Perhaps the hardest part is the distance she feels from Ted now; at Hogwarts, she felt like they were inseparable, that nothing could ever come between them, that she could go to him with anything and that he felt the same way. But she’s seen his struggles and though she’s waited for him to come to her, he withdraws instead. Andie has never handled rejection very well, and seeing his withdrawal only makes her withdraw as well. She wants to turn to him and be supported and offer support, but she doesn’t know anymore how to bring it up. It’s starting to wear on her, and Dora is starting to realize something is different at home. She’s empathetic but it means that she has taken a very heavy burden during the war (one of the reasons she couldn’t work at St. Mungo’s was because the weight of working with all those people would be too much for her; it’s easier to work privately, offering aid as she can to a select group of people).

Give us a headcanon for your character. Anything is acceptable. Andie is a clean freak. She has always kept her things tidy, and when she left her family and joined Ted, she learned that cleaning the Muggle way (much like cooking the Muggle way) is very rewarding. She has a strict schedule for cleaning their house (it isn’t very big, but Dora generates a lot of chaos and mess) and rarely deviates from the schedule. When she’s especially stressed, she can often be found scrubbing the baseboards or beating a rug, something that requires more exertion from her. It is not unusual these days for her to wake in the middle of the night and turn to cleaning when she can’t fall back asleep.

[ambitionsource]

001 for Maggie!! About Rucas!

werk werk werk lets go lets go lets gooooo!

Riley & Lucas James

When I started shipping it if I did: okay so like… technically I cannot answer this question because I… like… made the show so fkdsjhgkjdfgd BUT. interestingly enough i’ve actually said before that if I were a viewer of AAA and not the creator, i would be very cautious about RL. like i think it would take me a while to warm up to the possibility of them (as well as lucas, bc i think the “seemingly broody snarker with a heart of gold and is secretly soft” can be HORRIBLY done), but i think around 103 i would start to change my opinion about lucas (and then would be definitive about him after 105 from the way he is with isa), and then i think i’d really lock into RL at the end of 107 with their convo in the aud where she’s like “maybe you don’t have to do everything alone” and hes like “… no maybe not.” that’s my genuine honest feeling on how i’d approach it as a viewer

My thoughts: many thoughts… many thoughts head empty… i guess like the entire show are my thoughts FJDSKLGFDG but i will say i’m very excited for the rest of S2 for them, as well as going into the next season. it’s gonna be really fun to see y’alls reactions and hopefully we’ll come out on the other side together ✊🏻

What makes me happy about them: oh so much… how riley is so skilled at catching lucas off guard and seeing through his defenses from like day 1 (and evidenced early on i.e. the way she just plops down at their lunch table and he literally stops eating gkfdhgkjdsfh), how deeply they respect one another and see the other for what they are capable of rather than how they view themselves with all these imperfections and limitations, how lucas encourages riley to stand up for herself and be empowered and not downplay herself, and conversely how riley is slowly but surely changing lucas’s perspective on the world and what he deserves from it and that romance can be real, touch can be soft and non-threatening, love isn’t inherently a weakness to be taken advantage of but something delicate and lovely and a source of power (i.e., i think that lucas’s growth and interactions with riley also influence how he reevaluates his friendships with like dasher and stuff like that – something you’ll definitely see evidence of in 209)… could go on probably

What makes me sad about them: oh well like. how self-destructive lucas is at this point and how he literally cannot fathom that people care about him – let alone romantically that’s like a whole other ballpark. how their own insecurities allowed external opinions to detour their dynamic, although understandable. the trickiness that exists currently where riley, just being a generally forgiving and optimistic person, is constantly being told that she needs to give up on lucas and that there is a sort of question she and probably us as viewers start to wonder of like… is it even worth it? whether lucas deserves riley’s devotion is certainly up for debate, and it’ll be interesting to see if he addresses the mess of the last few months moving forward… but then it’s tricky too, because much like the position dylan was put in, i think in some ways riley does need to still have faith in lucas, because if she doesn’t then who will, and it’s kind of like… very complex. very messy, much to analyze and pick apart and perhaps account for at the end of the day… but that’s the kind of complexity i love in relationships (provided steps are taken to amend them to the best of their ability and respect always remains intact), so it’s no surprise they have all this fkdshkfjdhgkjdfshdh. 

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: well obvious fanfic doesn’t really exist, but i’ve been in fandom long enough to be able to say EXACTLY what would happen if ambition were a huge fandom like tw, glee, etc. the first thing that would annoy me the most would be an exaggeration of rl’s worst traits to make them like a pairing that they aren’t – key being making lucas more aggressive, dominant, and like genuinely disrespectful, and then making riley like an innocent wallflower pure goody two shoes or whatever. like that kind of characterization really strips down their complexity as characters (and is also like just wrong FDJSKFDSLG like one thing i’m excited for in S3 is the chance to really explore what they’re actually LIKE when like… depression isn’t warping their personalities FJDSKFLDSGJ and also how they bring out certain traits in one another). i also feel like any sort of like… overt tooth-rotting romanticism would feel really ooc for them; they are quite romantic in how they treat one another and see one another, but both of their personalities in a relationship together i think create a romance built more on realism and appreciation and a sort of grounded display of love than anything even remotely Cheesy. that’s one thing that really changes about riley from The Former Source Material to AAA is that she’s far more grounded given how her parents have… spun out let’s say

Things I look for in fanfic: i do think often about how nice it would be to just go on ao3 and scroll the ambition tags… find a good rl zc or da fic to peruse… oh there’d be garbage undoubtedly but the good fics… i would like to see it 😔anyway lmao i think if i were looking for rl fics in aaa i would look for ones that a) retain their core character traits and b) strike that perfect balance of grounded yet uniquely soft in the way rl are with each other that they aren’t with anyone else – i wouldn’t want to see their integrity thrown for the sake of being uber fluffy. but that’s like just a complete personal pref.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: hmm… obviously this is all conjecture, but in terms of CANON, i cannot see lucas ending up with anyone else. like i just do not think it’s on his radar at all – it wasn’t before riley showed up, and if she floated away, he’d go back to just forgoing it entirely (it’s not entirely a joke when we joke around that lucas is rileysexual fkjdhsgk). riley i think like, zay would treat her nicely if they were ever to go past best friends. fanon wise just going by dynamics and personalities, i have a really special place in my heart for lucas x charlie (oh, and how fun it will be to share that dynamic with y’all in the future bc reading that rn i’m sure y’all are like HUH JFGDKLJGFLKSJHKLDSJHLJFDHL valid!!). could also probably enjoy a riley x isa fic or two. i also love digging into the relationship between lucas and asher (especially given that asher was lucas’s first crush… he he he) but as for them actually being a relationship i couldn’t because i’m 10000% sure they’d kill each other. even dylucasher wouldn’t work romantically, because as nice as it all is if lucasher didn’t kill each other, dylan would end up killing them both after mentally Snapping from playing mediator one heckin time too many. so. yes. fDSJKGLDFKLHFKLDH

My happily ever after for them: i can’t really say specifically because spoilies!! but i just want them to feel… settled. they’re constantly in worlds of turbulence right now, and i can’t wait for the day that they can just be together and get away from the city (because i firmly believe lucas hates living in the city) and just. start a life on their terms. that will be so beautiful :’)

Who is the big spoon/little spoon: i’m inclined to say lucas is the big spoon, but i don’t think it’s set in stone at all. like you know, if there’s a particularly rough day and lucas really needs that Comfort, then riley will by all means be the big spoon and hug him real tight. it’s what they both deserve!!

What is their favorite non-sexual activity: i love that this question specifies non-sexual specifically FDJSKFDKLSGJFLDKH like are there couples who truly enjoy sex with one another above all else…………. but i will say i think one thing that is nice about RL is the most important thing to them is just being together. like i think they’ll happily spend hours in the booth together not like, actively doing anything and focused on their own things (homework, production work, what have you) but just the other person’s presence there with them is comforting. you kind of see this in 109 when riley takes refuge in the booth, and i think this is core to their relationship. they don’t need to be talking or actively doing much – just maybe like, riley is tapping her foot against his knee absentmindedly or has her feet up in his lap. if they’re sitting closer, lucas is rubbing her knee with his thumb. you know what i mean? presence and the knowledge that they’re together is more important than any sort of sense of Action if that makes sense. but some others to list would be getting out of the city and going exploring in the Fresh Air away from… everything and everyone else lmao, and going to the animal shelter!!

send some winter hiatus asks !! :)

[the-energon-hole]

TFP Ultra Magnus, Ratchet and Wheeljack sharing a sweet moment with his human crush/charge, the moment he realises he’s in love basically

((A/N - I got stuck on what to write for Wheeljack honestly, it’s hard to write deep emotions for characters that are traditionally stoic, it happens a lot to me. Apologies for any OOC stuff.))

❗Long post, continued under “Read More” tag❗

Ratchet

-He wouldn’t describe himself as a romantic kind of Mech- he felt he never had time for trivial things like love, sometimes there wasn’t time in his schedule to show compassion either, but some kind of switch went off in his processor when he finally came to the conclusion about how he felt about you. He always felt this kind of twinge of warmth in his frame whenever he was around you, but he always just chalked it up tp you being a good companion to have- you were always interested in what he was doing, and you were always willing to learn from him and listen to what he had to say. The others instead wanted short and quick answers, you wanted to know about the finer mechanics of things just as he likes to have a deep understanding of the tasks that he was doing. It took him awhile, but as that twang of warmth began to grow and grow, and become less of a twang and more of a pulse, his spark finally let him know in no uncertain terms that you were truly the one to be his other half he didn’t even know it was missing. It was more than just comparable personalities, considering you two often argued and fought about silly things like how to fix something or how to handle a situation- you were your own person and weren’t afraid to speak your mind and tell it like it is. Maybe that was what he liked, the slightly crass and straight forward personality you held, maybe it was the way he can see the passion flare up in your eyes when you were determined to learn everything you would about something complicated, or maybe it was the way that behind a gruff exterior you were a compassionate and caring person that would do anything to protect their friends… kind of like how he would. You did it your own way though, and always challenged his way of thinking in a way that he actually appreciated- maybe that’s why his spark was clamoring for your attention.

-Or maybe it was when time seemed to suddenly stand still as you turned to look over your shoulder at him and let out a tantalizing little chuckle when you were ecstatic that you figured out how to rebuild an old car engine. He remembers how soft and flush your face looked as small little lines formed around your lips as you stretched them out far to give him that genuine smile that you gave whenever you were able to solve a complicated puzzle that had been nagging at the back of your mind for so long… he loved that special smile. It reminded him of your tenacity, your inability to give up on something complicated- at first he found it irritating, but now he can see the appeal in always being able to pick oneself up again after failing to complete a task the first time. “I told you I could do it, Old Man!” You laughed as your hair began to tousle around in a messy manner- he always wondered what it was like to touch it, was it as soft as it looked? Cybertronians didn’t have anything close to what human hair was, so there was always a curiosity about what it would feel like under his digits- and if it wasn’t soft, would it be a slick type of feeling? Not completely unpleasant but rather unexpected and alien, kind of like you are to him… not unpleasant in the slightest, in fact he would even dare to say endearing, but completely alien and foreign to him and his ways. Your smile began to pan down as you explained what it was that you were stuck on with your combustion engine project, but he wasn’t really listening, he was watching how your lips moved as you formed words and sounds that before he arrived here probably would have thought was an ugly language- nothing like the revs and subtle vibrations that it takes to speak Cybertronian. You made it sound good though… Everything you do is good in his optics it would seem. There is no more maybe, not even a matter of why anymore, but the enigma of what to do next.

Wheeljack

-Bulkhead might have been the reason he stayed on this planet, but honestly, you were the reason he hasn’t taken off to fight the Cons on his own again. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that he has a certain issue when it comes to authoritative figures, Primes included, so when he was “assigned” to you there was a rather natural deep feeling of resentment and anger- He knew in his processor that the Prime didn’t trust him, and was just planting a little human spy in his lap to watch him and make sure he doesn’t defect or whatever. He has run into this scenario before, and with the way the Autobots treat him he almost felt like a Decepticon- like he was an untrustworthy monster. He wasn’t shy about showing you disdain at first, treating you with disrespect and acting aloof and standoffish anytime he would have a conversation with you, but as time went forward, and the more you stood up to him… the more he realized that you weren’t some pawn of the Prime- you were an actual person who was just stuck in the same situation as he was. You had problems with authority as well, and you would make him laugh sometimes telling him about some of your old rebellious stories about how you stood up to coos who tried to bring you down because they wanted to be on a power trip. It reminded him of how often he would poke and prod at the elite guardsman back before the war began, he always hated those pompous and stuffy bots that thought they were superior because they had special training and held high positions. He appreciated how you can agree with him that some people and bots just need to be taken down a peg- especially when they use their power to put others down. Maybe that was when he noticed you more and more as the days passed into months, but when you asked him when he was going to take off again he genuinely did not have an answer- after you two had bonded he hadn’t really thought about it. His spark actually physically hurt whenever he thought about taking off again, and it took him awhile to realize that it was because of you that he found himself more grounded and becoming a part of this team in ways he never thought he would.

-He didn’t realize that strange tug and pulse in his spark anytime he was around you was it clamoring and begging for your attention until he began to grow a little bitter and jealous when he saw you laughing and joking with the former elite guard member by the name of Smokescreen. He never thought himself to be a jealous mech, but watching the way you laughed so hard you nearly snorted made his energon boil a little. It made toxic thoughts run through his processor as he began to accidentally size up the young mech, but as you laughter cut through his murky thoughts he couldn’t help but think about all the things he found incredibly quirky and attractive about you. It was the cute and endearing traits that he saw in you that ways gave him pause before he decided to fly off the handle- the way you would laugh so hard you would make a snorting noise that would cause your hands to fly up and cover your plush looking lips, the way you were so animated when you told epic stories that sometimes your hands would go flying in all kinds of directions and you would knock into things and get upset about it, and the way you were passionate about things you believed in so deeply that you would do even the extremely drastic to make a change were all things that always kept him listening to your ranting and raving- even if he didn’t understand what you meant half the time. He loved the way you were- rebellious nature and all. He kept his cool throughout his spark screaming at him to deck the little guardsman, though he ignored those feelings as he casually implanted himself into the conversation when you looked over and waved at him- you all but beamed at him as you continued to feverishly wave at him to come into the conversation. As you asked him to tell Smokescreen one of your favorite heroic stories of him about the time he had to protect a group of Neutrals from the wrath of angry Decepticons all by himself with nothing more than sheer will power and a metal rod for a weapon. He obliged to tell the tale as he felt the jealousy begin to quell- you were talking about him and for some reason that selfish desire he had began to be satisfied, and as you listened to his words with as much intensity as he listened to you he felt his spark swell with pride. He wasn’t sure this would work out, but so long as you will tolerate him, he isn’t going anywhere without you.

Ultra Magnus

-He tries so hard to be the perfect soldier, an absolute machine that lacks any kind of emotional attachment or any kind of life beyond his duties as the weapon that he was, but his whole persona was beginning to fall apart before his optics. He had mixed feelings about it, which only further infuriated him, because as a soldier he needs to be able to keep a stoic exterior so that anything he does that might be regrettable can be justified later in his processor as him just following orders. He found himself gravitating towards you in a way he never thought he ever could, it was rare for him to meet someone just as he was, someone whom has been hardened by years and years of physical abuse and trauma and had to deal with the fallout of pretending one was a heartless machine that wasn’t susceptible to the side effects of the bad things that happen to them. During a moment of weakness when the two of you just sat in the middle of the desert watching the sunset and the cold air begin to set in as the only warmth began to dip under the horizon, you told him of all the things that had happened to you- things that were mostly out of your control and things that made you a victim. He related to all of it, he had experienced similar things in his time as a new recruit, but you didnt let it affect you like it affected him. You were so much stronger than he was- you let yourself feel and you let yourself think, you didn’t let what everyone else do to you make you feel as if you weren’t allowed to be a normal person. Sure, you were hardened just as much as he was, but here you were showing kindness and compassion to the children that were thrown into this hectic situation. It was in that moment as the two of you sat in the dirt just talking about past experiences and how they shaped you as a person did he finally understand why it was that Optimus made him your guardian. He saw the similarities between the two of you, but it was deeper than that as the Prime was trying to teach Magnus a lesson, a lesson that has long since been overdue to be drilled into the thick processor he had inside his helm. You were teaching him that there was no point in fighting in a war unless you explicitly had something worth fighting for- before he met you he was just simply following orders and doing what needed to be done for the greater good of the Autobot command, but now, now he finds himself thinking of you every time he has to go face to face with a con that could potentially do harm to you and this world should he fail his mission to protect his new home.

-He kept most of these feelings to himself, but he was fairly sure that you and Optimus knew what he was already beginning to experience, after all you were the one that told him about the time you finally decided that living a life of a cold heartless machine was lonely and not worth the heartache it brought with it. You were the one that made him feel as if his spark was going to burst through its chambers in an attempt to try and become physically close to you. Primus, he hasn’t felt a pulse in his spark in years, and it was all because you shared one tender moment of weakness with him in the coarse and rough desert outside of your hometown in Nevada. He tried so hard not to cling, but you couldn’t help but poke fun at his new found fondness of you, but it was short lived as you placed your soft and tender hand on his leg as a way to let him know you were just teasing. You reassured him that this was a normal step in finally being able to find himself in all of the noise that was his past abuse at the hands of other bots in situations that was out of his control, you did the same thing when you clung to a friend who was helping you rediscover how to be a normal person and experience normal things. You knew he wouldn’t admit to wanting to having you around quit yet, but you reassured him that you weren’t going anywhere so long as he needed someone to lean on- he just grunted in response and crossed his arms over his chassis and turned around to walk away, but what you didn’t get to see was his servos shaking as he clutched his arms underneath his grip as he tried to stop himself from becoming overcome with raw emotions. He appreciated the sentiment more than you would ever know, and he swears with every piece of his being that he will protect you and your way of life no matter what, because even if you can’t be together romantically he knows for a fact that the universe would be a darker place without someone like you to light the way for bots like him.

(02/07/19)

[ritsuknoltros]

The Wanderer

IDENTIFICATION —

Full Name:  Ritsu Arlow (married name Knoltros.)

Pronunciation:  R-EET-SU KNOL-TROS

Pseudonym: N/A

Nicknames:  Ritz (a more ooc nickname than IC) 

Age:  29

Name Day: 3rd Sun of the 4th Umbral Moon

Birthplace: Gridania 

Guardian: Oschon, the Wanderer

Residence: A home she shares with her husband out in Lavender beds. 

REFERENCES —

Motto:  “I will never waiver.”

Theme Song: For the Wandering Tonberry, “Dragon Tales” (I have a whole opening in my head I would do it I could.) For Flynt & Ritsu, “Come Away with Me” It reminds me of their first date out in the rain.  I have a big playlist for Ritsu, even split it into songs & instrumentals. “Whatever It Takes.” 

Face Claim: N/A

STATS —

Gender:  Female

Race: Elezen, Wildwood. 

Height:  6'5’’

Weight: 160 ponze 

Eyes:  Stunningly pale blue, almost silver looking. Very eerie looking. 

Hair: Brunette. 

Skin:  Pale

Build:  Lean, but with some muscle definition. She is an archer by trade, often running & swimming to keep her form. 

Scars: N/A

Tattoos/Marks:  N/A

At First Glance (+5)

♢ Eerie eyes, almost as if they pierce right thru.

♢ Earthy scent, pine. As if she is someone who spends a lot of time in the woods. 

♢ Well dressed. despite prefering to be out in nature, her upbringing still lingers with her. She usually is wearing fine clothing.

♢ Appears cold, standoffish. Ritsu never was one to seem friendly. She was once known as the “Ice Queen” with how cold of a woman she was. 

♢ Disinterested. Falls in with her cold appearance. Ritsu is generally polite to strangers, but there is also an air of disinterested. It isn’t intentional, just how she ends up coming off. 

FACTS —

Occupation: Ritsu owns the Wandering Tonberry lodge with her husband, Flynt Knoltros. 

Specialities: Archery. 

Skills: Archery with a hint of magic (BOW MAGE! but really, she is kind of similar to a Red mage that uses a bow.) Ritsu not being fond of magic, tends not to use it even though she has some natural talent for it. Mentioning it will either get her flustered or angry. Sewing, not on a professional level, but she does make outfits for her children and does needlework in her idle time. 

PROFICIENCY —

Education: Ritsu had the finest of tutors all her life. Music, dance, writing, everything a fine young woman would need to be a prefect wife. Her father made the error of teaching her archery, which she fell in love with. 

Favored Weapon(s): Ritsu has two bows she favors. One made by her father that she has had for ages. Another a more recent gift from her husband. (Pictured with her fathers bow)

Secondary Weapon(s):  Ritsu CAN wield a sword, thanks to Roger Holmes teaching her. Flynt and Roger were both worried what would happen if she was in close combat, so her education with a sword began. She isn’t great with one, but in a pinch she can defend herself with one. 

Magic Abilities: Elements. Something that rarely comes up as she despises this side of herself. Since she has no formal education with it, things can get very dangerous and out of control if she tries to use them. 

Magic Strengths: Fire & Ice are her stronger/favored elements. 

RELATIONS —

Sexual Preference: Heterosexual.

Romantic Identification:  Monogamous

Relationship Status: Bonded.

Sweet on: Flynt Knoltros

Alignment:  Lawful Good. 

Allies: Those at the Wandering Tonberry, Merrick (since that butt isn’t official), Karin, Sirius, Chappa, those at Ul’dah’s Centurio Office.

Enemies:  Canis. 

FAMILY —

Maternal: Ophelia, a black sheep of a noble woman from Ishgard that was sent to marry Ritsu’s father. Ophelia was always outlandish, one of the reasons Ritsu has such a strange name. She ran away from her family when Ritsu was just a child after a tragic accident. Ritsu did meet her in later years as an adult. She died from illness about a year after they reconnected. 

Patrental:   Genma Arlow, Genma is taken name.  Daurault being his birth. The man wished for a more interesting handle for his craftsmanship name. Daurault wished for finer things and worked his way up for them. He eventually became a man who made the finest of bows. (now retired) 

Siblings: Karin. Ritsu very much takes after her father where her sister Karin very much takes after their mother. Karin is very eccentric, often leaving her sister shaking her head. 

Children:  Ritsu has two wee ones. One of her own, Kai. Elezen in appearance, however much smaller than a child born of two elezen. And Wade, adopted. Wade is actually Roger’s child. He was dropped on Rogers doorstep when the mother no longer wished to take care of him. Roger uncertain on the day to day care asked Ritsu for help. Ritsu took to the child just as the child took to her. Now Ritsu handles Wade’s day to day care while Roger still has his rights. Wade is miqo’te in appearance, sharing some coloring with his hyur mother. 

Associates: Roger Holmes, she is her right hand man. 

MENTALITY —

Social Level: On the low side. Ritsu tends to be on the quiet side, however she likes to attend dances, plays and such in her spare time. She isn’t one to approach another, however she is polite if spoken to.

Optimistic View(s): Ritsu is VERY determined and does not like to lose. This pushes her thru any hardship. 

Pessimistic View(s): Her determination doesn’t allow for much pessimism. Even if the odds were completely unbalanced she wouldn’t give in. 

One  Positive Personality Trait:  Loyal.

One Negative Personality Trait: Stubborn.

One Personality Warning: Ritsu is cold. Which can come off as very uncaring. However, the reality of it is she is a pretty carrying person. Just wrapped in this shroud of bitch. 

Random Quirk: Ritsu is prone to wandering off. 

Hobbies: Needlework, reading. 

Addictions: Tea? The woman likes her tea.  

Habits:  Being blunt, wandering off, wording being off. 

Pleasures: The ocean or the waters by her home. Waterfalls, hot baths with oils/bath bombs, a fine glass of wine. 

Appreciates (List 5+)

♢ Her children, Ritsu loves her children more than anything. 

♢ Her husband, Flynt. 

♢ Fine wine. 

♢ Hot bath

♢ A starry night. 

Dislikes (List 5+)

♦ Void, she is very anti-void. 

♦ Dishonesty. 

♦ Cruelty. 

♦ Mocking.

♦ Raik breaking her walls. 

Strengths (List 5+)

♢ Sharp shooter. Ritsu is very skilled at her trade. She has been doing it since she was old enough to hold a bow. 

♢ Very loyal.

♢ Good tracker. While she prefers to hunt beasts, she always can hunt “man”. 

♢ Survival. Ritsu knows basic survival techniques if she happened to get stuck out in the woods longer than she intended to. 

♢ Peace mediator. Surprising right?! While her husband and many at the lodge are willing to strike and ask questions later. Ritsu can be much more subtle about it. She is often more willing to talk things vs her company. She is also a better person to go to over her husband since Flynt can be quick to anger. 

Weaknesses (List 5+)

♦ Vanity. 

♦ Pride. 

♦ Flynt & her children. She will do things out of character to protect them. 

♦ Close combat. While she has learned to defend herself,

♦ Reading people's feelings. 

Fears (List 5+)

♦ Losing. Period. She doesn’t like to lose. 

♦ Losing her loved ones. 

♦ Losing the lodge. 

♦ N/A 

♦ N/A (she doesn’t have many fears really..since she feels one way or the other she will get thru them.) 

FAVORITES ––

Favorite Food(s): A fine cut of aldagoat steak. 

Favorite Drink(s):  Tea.

Favorite Scent(s): Roses.

Favorite Colors: Greens. 

TRIVIA -

♢ Ritsu is a YOUNGER sister. Karin is actually the elder Arlow, but Ritsu tends to act more mature, often mistaken for the elder of the sisters. 

♢ Ritsu doesn’t use contractions. 

♢ Ritsu never will call someone miss, sir or lady ect. 

OOC -

Server:  Balmung

Timezone: EST

Mun:  Umm..Hi, I’m Jess!

Experience:  I did tabletop ages ago. As far as MMO RP, ffxiv was my cherry. I have been rping for about 3-4 years now? I tend to write short as I feel it makes the back and forth go more quickly. However, I tend to write as much as I feel is needed.

Type of RP:  Generally speaking I am open to most kinds. Romance..maybe less so. My two mains are very happily taken and I don’t feel right tieing anyone to an alt I am not on much. However! If you need a date RP partner for an event or such, I may be able to do that.

Looking for: I am open to other things, but more than likely things to do with the lodge, such as clients, hunters. Business/hunt RP will more than likely include her husband as well. Couple friends, friends, possible acting as mentor for those that wish to learn archery. She is in the early stages of being with child, so soon she will be more confined to light RP for a couple months. 

[nelrunari]

❖ AND THE DREAM CALLS: NERO SANTANA

❖ Character Section ❖

Character Name: Nero Santana

Pronouns: He/him

Age: 24

Trigger Warnings: child harm, murder, body horror implications (cyber implants)

Appearance: Nero has brownish-black, curly, chin length hair and an athletic build. He usually throws on the first thing that he sees, and he doesn’t spend much time on fashion in general. He has a great posture. He’s decorated with scars, having one on his cheek, above his eyebrow and a few on his neck. His eyes are a bright gold.

Personality:

+ Resilient: Nero’s been through a lot. It’s hard to get him to back down or give up on something, and he’s able to take a lot of mental strain before he collapses.

+ Intuitive: While he doesn’t have much in the sense of book smarts, he can pick up on things easily and doesn’t miss most social cues after years of having to read faces and body movements.

+ Confident: Nero has confidence in every single thing that he does, which is probably why he’s made it this far. He does not hesitate and he does not regret, he only moves forward and assures that everything he does had to be done, whether it was just or not.

- Standoffish: He refuses to be tied down to people who will only burden or betray him, so he keeps his distance from everyone. He has been alone for so long that being lonely has become a positive feeling for him. Small talk is the best you’ll get out of him.

- Anti-social: Adding onto the previous point, it’s been so long that he just isn’t used to talking to people. He’s never been too good at talking anyway. He’s a machine-person, not a people-person.

- Spiteful: He despises those that are in better standings than him and take it for granted. He’s much more likely to be blunt and rude to someone who’s public about being royalty than he is to someone who’s been in his position. In general, he is just extremely envious.

Because of all of these traits combined, he often comes off as antagonistic and in blunter terms, a callous asshole. It really isn’t a wrong assumption, not at all, and nothing can excuse just how rude and uncaring he tends to be. He swears it’s because he wants to be alone. It’s hard to get close to him, but it isn’t impossible. When you’re close to him, he’s actually very affectionate and sweet, there’s just a lot of ice to get through.

Background:

Nero was born into a family that’d been robbed of all stability. His mother, as hard-working and stern as she was, often struggled to make ends meet when it came to money, especially because she was doing everything alone. She was an ex-criminal, but there was no such thing as reform or redemption in a city like Seattle. She was an ex-felon to anyone that could see her, and because of that, not even her child was able to get a chance.

Because of the lack of a stable income, he found himself taking small illegal jobs on the streets to get enough money to make ends meet. This started as small deliveries to large-scale assassinations, and he began to make a name for himself on the streets. There were other people in his same situation that flocked to him, making a sort of a make-shift gang of people who had nowhere else to go. It was normal for someone in this “gang” to disappear, but everyone knew better than to ask where they went. It was just normal at this point.

There was only one employer that retained interest in him, a stubborn kid who refused to communicate well. He offered more dangerous hits for more money, and much to his mother’s chagrin, he immediately abandoned all other clients to go to him. He was barely 17 when this employer asked him if he truly loved his mother. If he truly loved his mother, then he would let her install cyberware into his body, he’d be the perfect weapon.

Nero cared about his mother than anything. His lack of hesitation impresses her, to the point that she offers him more choices in what he wanted installed than she’d previously planned. The cyberware implanted in him isn’t as complex as deltaware, but it was certainly a step above normal cyberware. The salary from that employer was stable enough that he cold forgo his life on the streets entirely and keep his mother happy for the rest of her life.

Little does he know, his mother only cares about his happiness. Money and gifts mean nothing to him, and as long as he spends his life unhappy and angry, she will continue to be disappointed.

Memento:

Survival Knife - A standard Bowie knife, as sharp as when it was first bought. It’s very simple, but Nero likes the feel of it more than anything else he’s tried.

Natural Abilities:

Cyber Implants: Nero has had quite a few implants in order to efficiently carry out duties given out to him. These are just apart of him, but can be safely taken out by someone experienced. His legs have very minor upgrades to help with jumping longer distances.

Wired Reflexes - He is faster and stronger than the average human, and can react to things a lot faster than a mundane human can. It certainly isn’t as potent as the more expensive installs, but it’s enough to make him a clear cut above the mundane.

Enhanced Vision and Hearing: His ears and eyes have been completely replaced with implants. He can see in the dark with ease and has intelligent dampening with hearing. His eyes function as a built-in camera and he can display his thoughts/any pictures he’s taken through an external hologram.

Multi-Purpose Hands: Arms are also completely synthetic. His left hand has 5 simple tools built into them. His right hand has a built-in revolver that can only have 5 shots loaded at a time. (What’s he going to do when he runs out of bullets? Who knows)

Toxic Exhaler: Lets him exhale poison through a throat implant. Also means he’s immune to common poisons.

Power History: N/A

Extra:

he’s back and as stupid as ever. maybe a little bit nicer since i made him less edgy

he has a lot of experience with machinery and can fix himself up just fine, he likes to tinker with stuff and does it often.

❖ Nelrunari Section ❖

Ward: Circinus

Player Tag: Here

❖ OOC Section ❖

Name/Alias: Lucian

Contact: @siriusgibson

Age:  19

Pronouns: He/him

[realrhythmskrp]

DISPATCH, (06/24/17): Kaleidoscope Records has officially released information about main dancer, lead rapper, and maknae, Im Rihwan, on A-TEAM′s official website! Rihwan is a ‘00 liner and has been beloved by fans since his debut in 2015. Find out more about Rihwan below!

I, IM RIHWAN, have read and understand the terms and conditions as my position of MAKNAE and agree to honor the standards that are to be expected of me as an employee of KALEIDOSCOPE RECORDS.

OOC INFORMATION

Preferred name: jemi

Pronouns: she/her

Timezone: gmt+8

Other muses: N/A

IC INFORMATION

Faceclaim: NCT’s lee jeno

Name: im rihwan

Stage name (if applicable): N/A

Idol concept: rihwan is a-team’s “evil maknae” who’s known for being the older members’ favorite to “playfully” smack. with that he’s also considered the “maknae on top,” the youngest who could probably rule the entirety of south korea if he wanted to. rihwan’s playfulness certainly makes him fit for the part, but what most people overlook is his subdued maturity. in the way he speaks, the way he interacts with his members, he always knows he is accountable for whatever he does— that’s probably why he’s settled with his image— and whatever he does to the annoyance of his members he always apologizes for it at the end of the day. he usually uses this concept to his advantage to make the other members do his bidding, but rest assured, only up to a certain level.

Birth date and age: february 1, 2000 (17 years old)

Company name: kaleidoscope records

Group Name: a-team

Group Position: maknae

Strengths: dancing is his main strength, and he is also able to choreograph and teach choreography. he also raps quite a bit in their songs, and is trying to develop that skill as much as he can. having done several commercials as a child, he is also experienced in front of the camera and is capable (and wants to do more) of acting. within the group, he is also capable of cheering the other members on, a role even an “evil” maknae has to possess. with that, he’s also a very good listener and confidant.

Weaknesses: he isn’t much of a singer yet, and is very aware of that. rihwan’s insecure of his singing voice, but he’s able to carry a tune, at least. he also has a bad habit of comparing himself to others, which can make him feel very down about what he lacks. of course, as the youngest of his team he is also quite whiny—this goes for when his members don’t follow him or when he finally gets bossed around—but it isn’t overbearing.

Positive traits: committed, diligent, cunning, dependable

Negative traits: impatient, manipulative, insecure

PERSONAL HISTORY

bright lights and big cameras have stopped fazing him years ago. no stranger to the entertainment world, rihwan has almost never stopped working since he was four years old. people who know him say his mother’s to blame for this, and some other people also say he’s overworked. honestly, rihwan just wants to keep going. rihwan is far from tired, and believes that his real work is only beginning.

despite being a rookie in the idol world, rihwan isn’t an unknown face to many. a lot of people know him as the “angpang boy,” a little boy from that one seoul milk commercial for their kids’ variant called angpang. four-year-old rihwan made his mark as a korean household name, and has since then been working as a commercial actor. he still remembers his first shoot— the director loudly calls out a word he can barely understand as the lights are switched on. scanning the small crowd around him for a familiar face as he squints to adjust to the light, he finds his mother standing off to the side, giving him a reassuring smile and nod while mouthing, “rihwan, good luck.”

at four years old, he isn’t sure if he finds comfort in that. before he could respond to her, someone kneels down in front of him, speaking slowly and simply. instructions are fed to him, he nods, and everyone gets out of his way. when he gets asked if he’s ready, he replies with a loud yes, just like what he was told to do by his mom when she told him he would be on television. the cameras start rolling and he starts waddling with his bedroom slippers across the wooden floor like how they rehearsed at home, recalling hearing his little sister crying for food in the background. it’s honestly easy for him, despite his young age, to follow the script and everyone’s instructions. he knows what to do, but needs a little help on how to do it. multiple takes are spent redoing shots to get the right one, and as soon as they got that shot of him gulping down milk and wiping his lips on his sweater sleeve before showcasing a picture perfect smile, the lights go off as everyone claps and he’s brought back home holding his mother’s hand.

when he gets home he asks his mother if it would always be like this. his mother sets down his dinner plate in front of him as she sits beside him, and she replies with something along the lines of “if you want to.”

at five years old, a year later, he finds himself in a similar situation. in front of a couple cameras, given a few instructions—same old. after his first shoot, the kids at his kindergarten ask if that was him in that one milk commercial on TV. he just replies with, “maybe,” coyly but at the same time obviously flattered. this time it’s a shoot for some sort of food? rice? he doesn’t really know. all he knows was that he needs to whine and cry. he goes through with filming and when it finishes his mother wipes the tears he cried for the shoot away. “you did well today,” she says, and he responds with a nod.

it’s difficult to understand everything happening around you at just five years, and rihwan was feeling that insecurity and detachment from everything around him. for some weird reason, though, he enjoys it. being in the limelight feels right for him.

still, his life in show business wasn’t free of struggle. being the son of a working mother and a father working abroad he had to take care of his siblings growing up as well. this doesn’t mean his mother didn’t take care of all of them well—but he always knew he’s his mother’s favorite, being the firstborn. so he constantly figures he should spend time while he can with his sister who’s two years younger than him and his brother who’s three years younger.

at seven years old, when he isn’t at shoots, young rihwan spends time with his siblings, and the family dog, of course. their time is often spent by the pond at the park near their house, which doubles as a wishing well despite all the agitated koi fish. rihwan firmly believes in the power of his hundred-won wishes, holding his sister’s hand with his left and using his right to throw coins. the year he spent off working has a year of him studying, given, but it was also the year he started to frequent the wishing pond. now back into work, rihwan wishes he could do more cool things on camera to make his family (pet dog included) proud.

at almost ten years old, he realizes he’s gotten more than he bargained for. after seeing his face on so many CFs, entertainment companies have taken notice of his potential as a future idol visual. his second disappearance from commercials was short-lived, and soon he gets plunged into more auditions for more commercials after his mother gets her work life back together and rihwan does well enough in school. initially reluctant to accept offers to take rihwan in from companies, his mother figures it would be better to leave his management to people who, in her opinion, know better than her about managing kids. and so begins rihwan’s journey as a kaleidoscope trainee, the company out of the handful whose name mrs. im has heard about the most.

at eleven years old, he realizes that maybe his hundred won coins were well spent. half a year he has spent so far under kaleidoscope records has been tiring, to say the least, but hey, he’s been learning how to dance and he finds that a lot of fun. he’s still doing commercials, and also, he’s sure to get into that performing arts high school when he gets older. he does miss his family though, and wonders if his siblings are taken care of. living away from home is rough, but he trusts in the people around him enough to carry on. at that age he has started to process how things work in the industry. he realizes he can’t succeed if he doesn’t put in the work. so he works, and he works hard.

at twelve he finds that his passion for dancing has grown. the initial plan of him being a visual was overthrown by his rapid grasp of dance. after being surrounded by people who genuinely think “dance is life” he’s grown to love dance, and even performing in general. he misses filming for commercials, but then he also wants to focus on what his life is hopefully going to lead up to: becoming an idol. it was never in his plans—acting might have been, but never singing and becoming an idol. he finds the serendipity slightly funny. who knew he could actually make it? not his siblings, for sure, the ones who often joked about him ending up like the idols they saw on sunday afternoon music shows when they were young. well, even younger.

however, at fourteen years old, he gets tired. tired of waiting. he knows he’s still too young to debut, but at the same time, his almost three and a half years of training have been all too long for him. he still loves performing, and in fact has been dabbling in different dance styles and trying his hand and creating his own dances. his hunger to debut is strong, although he’s held back by his insecurity in singing. typically he skips intensive vocal training by chatting up his instructors or using dance practice as an excuse, but never does it on purpose. or so he likes to think. he’s secure in his dancing ability, and often resorts to avoiding singing by learning rapping and immersing in hip hop, which is useful in dancing, too. lately he’s been hearing talks of a new boy group being formed, and all his fingers are crossed.

he sends his sister text messages regularly, reminding her to toss at least three coins into the wishing pond for his speedy debut.

at fifteen, he finds himself being selected to debut as one of the members of “a-team,” kaleidoscope’s newest fresh-concept boy band. ecstatic, rihwan sure is, but just as scared. he’s trained with a lot of them before, but now being in a team with all of them is different. as the youngest of the bunch, he has to be taken care of but at the same time he has to be reliable. after all, he can’t be the weakest link. he doesn’t want to be.

seventeen and well into his work, he has settled into his niche in the group as the playful, impish youngest member of the team, but is still cautious about how his members feel. it’s funny how his (and his siblings’) coin tosses has gotten him to where he is now, enjoying a good amount of success as an idol— who would’ve thought? the child who has been working since almost birth is now an older child working even harder. rihwan’s career is only beginning for him, and he plans to take this ride as long as he can.

[projectmedusarp]

Here is the second of our admin auditions. Jessica will be playing the role of Thalia Winsor, taking the power of Healing Touch.

{{ PLAYER INFORMATION }}

NAME: Jessica

AGE: 26

TIMEZONE: GMT

PRONOUNS: She / Her

ACTIVITY LEVEL: My activity time will be limited to weekday evenings and weekends. Given that I’ll also be admining that may also mean that my activity isn’t daily for replies. I will always aim to post something of substance, reply to starters etc. whenever I’m online and will frequent the OOC blog too.

PREVIOUS ROLEPLAY EXPERIENCE: I’ve been roleplaying for 13 / 14 years on a number of different platforms. I’ve been roleplaying on Tumblr for about 6 years and hosted a multitude of literate roleplays too. In the last year I’ve also gotten into cos-roleplay alongside literate roleplaying. 

PERSONAL TUMBLR CONTACT: Link Removed

TRIGGERS: Rape // Self Harm // Abuse etc.

{{ CHARACTER INFORMATION }}

CHARACTER: Thalia Winsor

PRONOUNS: She / Her

AGE: 28

FACE CLAIM: Sarah Gadon

POWER: Healing Touch

QUOTE: “I’m through with accepting limits ‘cause someone else says they’re so. Somethings I cannot change, but until I try I’ll never know.”

PERSONALITY: 

Compassionate: Thalia is a gentle soul and greatly cares for people. She is greatly sympathetic and tries her best to help those who need it most. Whether it’s in her day to day work as a nurse or just trying to assist those she’s encountered since going on the run. She is kind and well meaning in most aspects of her life, the thought of putting herself first when there are those who need it more is one often overlooked.

Sincere: She’s honest, sometimes to a fault. If she gives a compliment or opinion it stems from genuine beliefs she holds, equally if she’s critical her words aren’t often softened by sugar coating it. Thalia is a terrible liar and struggles with deception, both attempting it and when it’s done to her. She greatly dislikes those who lie without a guilty conscious. 

Well Mannered: Soft spoken and polite, she uses dulcet tones and polite compliments to diffuse an otherwise awkward situation. She was brought up with a silver spoon in her mouth and as such was forced to adhere to a strict set of rules surrounding etiquette. This was only enhanced during her training as a nurse and now her bedside manner is impeccable. She sometimes when meaning those with lesser manners, not quite knowing how to engage or communicate as effectively as she might like.

Insecure: Psychologists would deem her childhood, riddled with moments where she was told she wasn’t good enough, as the main factor in her insecurities. Though in truth Thalia has never helped herself out of the spiral either. She is very self conscious of both her appearance and achievements in life. The way others perceive her is very important because the way she perceives herself is often very negatively. Whilst her insecurity fuels her worse habits, it is also a one of the main reasons she tries her best to be a good person.

Passive: She is non-confrontational to an extreme fault. When flight or fight kicks in she will almost always run away from a situation. This carries over into less extreme moments of her life too; failing to stick up for herself, people pleasing, resenting those more assertive and bottling up feelings in favour of ensuring others aren’t hurt. 

Envious: Thalia is often resentful of those who have what she does not; a happy family unit, the attention of someone she is attracted to, the ability to be assertive or fight when the moment calls for it. Whilst she often admires the good traits in others she also finds herself dwelling on them too, wishing she herself could hold them. Her insecurities are fed by her envious nature and the vicious cycle continues to battle on behind her pretty smile.

BIOGRAPHY: Thalia has only lived alone in New York city for 18 months. Prior to that she was rooming in dorms at New York University and went home during the holidays. Her knowledge of the city is limited at best as her years studying for a nursing degree left her with little free time, and her job left her with even less. Her studio apartment, luxurious by most standards, is a far cry away from the white paneled manor back in Suffolk County that she called home for most of her life. In truth she had never felt more right than the moment she took a job in the inner city and the keys to the tiny apartment, much to her parents disapproval.

Her parents were affluent enough to fund both private school and pay her college tuition, though this is were their generosity stopped. Neither her mother or father were the affectionate type and between her overly critical, cold mother and harsh, short tempered father her relationship with them is strained at best. Her aunt, whom she was closest to above all else, was her only anchor at home but coinciding with Thalia’s permanent move to the Big Apple she left to travel. Severing all ties with Suffolk, her parents and the stuffy country club she spent far too many weekends at.

To say she knows little about New York is an understatement. Her years studying left her with little free time and her now full time position leaves her with even less. Wonky working hours makes for an unactive social life. However she’s managed to find a foothold for her most beloved of passions; dancing, in a quant dancing studio a few blocks away from her apartment. The installation of a new vending machine there is actually what lead Thalia to consume the tonic water, regularly. For the first few weeks she wasn’t seen without a bottle in her bag, she even got into the habit of toting around the bottle at the nursing station. 

Then the changes happened, nothing overtly flashy at first - no breaking the bathroom sink with super strength or flying in her sleep. In fact for the first two weeks it was hard for Thalia to notice her powers at all. Whilst the patients she visited and helped tend to were recovering, she had no reason to suspect it was anything other than the medicine the doctors had prescribed. One morning she was carrying out her morning rounds, her first stop of the day was with an elderly gentlemen known well by the nurses and doctors alike in the ward. He was a terminal case, or so they thought. One gentle pat on the shoulder from Thalia as she moved to fluff his pillows and ask about his nights sleep and his eyes lit up. He removed the breathing apparatus, much to her horror, and looked around the room as shocked and bewildered as she did. The tests over the next 3 days confirmed the impossible. He was cured and on the mend. 

It was following this incident that Thalia started to piece the clues together and began experimenting. It was also in this time that others took notice, a building full of extremely intelligent people wouldn’t have taken long to string together the fact that all the patients recovering in miraculous ways were all tended to by the same person. Thalia had become careless in her attempts to help and explore her new gifts. The disappearances of people deemed ‘crazy’ by local news, one man believed he could fly whilst the other had declared he could change appearances, caught her attention. If others like her were going missing then surely she would be next.

The letter through her mailbox at the end of the week sparked her need to leave. The board was calling on her attendance to an ‘unofficial meeting of standards and practices’ and the red flags shot up. In her paranoia she packed her valuables, changes of clothes and everything else she could reasonably carry, and fled. Her missing persons report went up along the dozens of others, the trend in missing people has risen and she’s smart enough to know it’s not a coincidence. 

Strange men in suits always seem to be just a few days behind her, Thalia never was exactly an expert at going on the run, and her safe houses have been all but burnt out. She is staying on the lookout for others now like her who might need her help in running too and trying to figure out the exact mystery behind the events that have completely changed her life.

HEADCANONS: 

Dancing Queen - Thalia has always been an avid fan of dancing, whether it be basic ballroom, jazz or something more contemporary. Since moving to the city she’s had the opportunity to sign up to various classes in her free time to expand her passion. On the rare nights she goes out, it’s usually with the intention to find a fun place to go dancing.

Sleeping Beauty - Working at a hospital often leads to a wonky sleep schedule, but Thalia always had a tendency to sleep until noon on her days off long before her time in scrubs. She’s a heavy sleeper naturally and often unhappy to be woken up for anything short of an emergency. 

Alcohol Intolerance - She’s just simply never enjoyed the taste of alcohol. Her aversion to drinking has only been bolstered by the fact she’s often drunk one glass in, and no one enjoys embarrassing themselves at the start of an evening. Perhaps if she drunk more wine and less water she wouldn’t be in this mess to begin with.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: I’ve created a Thalia aesthetic here and her blog has a short ‘about me’ page with a few extra face which is linked here.