#I went through so many wiki pages making this

[noxiatoxia]

So, when Danganronpa S was released (and V3's UTDP but I'll get to that later...) Hinata and Komaeda were given noticeably different versions of their pre-existing sprites for their swimsuit versions:

If you struggle to see a difference, note Hinata's wider mouth in the swimsuit ver., and Komaeda's narrower eyes and more outlined smirk in his swimsuit ver.

I, along with many people, always wondered, why? Why change these already perfectly fine sprites and, honestly, make them worse? What gives?

Then, I stumbled across something. Back in 2012, before the Japanese release of Super Danganronpa 2, you could play an online monomono machine to win little goodies like desktop backgrounds and profile pictures. Please note these pre-release desktop backgrounds for Hinata and Komaeda:

...So, wait a minute. The sprites used in Danganronpa S aren't new edits, but beta sprites? Older than the ones featured in the original SDR2? Turns out, this website features desktop backgrounds using beta sprites for nearly every character that otherwise never saw the light of day.*

I'm going to go through them one by one, gif comparisons included. This won't be the only post, either! UTDP also has some very interesting likely beta art used in it, too. As well, some of the other sprites featured in Danganronpa S may also be reused beta sprites!

As such, this log will be broken into three parts. This is part 1.

[Part 2 - UTDP (not made yet!)] [Part 3 - DRS (not made yet!)] [Part 4 - Dangan Island (not made yet!)]

*with the exception of UTDP in some cases, as well as some other things I will get to in Part 4.

As said, semi-flashing gifs will be included in this post. They are meant to swap between the beta and final sprites at a fast pace to illustrate the differences (2 frame, half a second each). Be cautious if you have epilepsy.

Also, because of Tumblr's stupid image limit, this post will have a reblog with the rest of the sprites! So please check this post's reblogs, it should be the first one!

Firstly, how do we know these are actually beta sprites? These images are sourced from the Danganronpa fandom wiki, and while I generally trust the wiki's credibility, it's always imperative to fact-check. So, I went ahead and searched Danganronpa's old website on the Wayback Machine and uncovered this:

A character intro page for Hinata, using this same beta sprite. Now, granted, the only capture of this page is from 2015. Still a year before V3 and a few more before S, but still, it's not the 2012 original. That said, a character intro page for Mioda circa early 2014 looks exactly the same, including the usage of her beta sprite.

And, when you click on the button that says スクリーンショット(Screenshot)...

You're offered a very obviously beta trial shot. As is common with Danganronpa trials, in development, the actual character portraits are not put in until later, and to substitute, their art reference photos are used, as seen on the left.

With that out of the way, I think it's safe to say these sprite we are about to look at are indeed betas.

It's only fair, then, we focus on Hinata first.

(Please note for all the comparison gifs I had to manually size the final sprites to get them as close as possible in aspect ratio. Very minor size difference between sprites is likely a result of this and not an actual detail change.)

A lot is revealed with a simple gif. Hinata's entire face shape was changed (including ears), not just his mouth. In fact, not just the shape of his face, but the face itself is drawn very differently in the end. The neck of his shirt was raised, as well as tie being redrawn (you can actually see where the new part begins somewhat sloppily). Less notable but still apparent are his bangs being redrawn and shaded differently.

Keeping with consistency, let's check out Komaeda next.

Yet again, the differences are striking when flipped back and forth. Komaeda's face shape and ear was redone much like Hinata, but not to nearly the same dramatic extent. As well, his entire face was redrawn, notably erasing the black shading under his chin and shortening his eyelashes. Less noticeable, the hair touching his neck is shortened a bit, and the crease line on his hood is more well-defined. They also slightly changed the line art for the first fold in his shirt, the neck at the back of his shirt, as well as his leftmost bang. Interestingly, they either forgot or didn't care to fix the shading to reflect the new placement of these lines. His jacket also has some changes in line art weight.

With Hinata and Komaeda out of the way, let's touch on Kuzuryuu.

This one honestly shocked me. Besides the added detail of him spitting, I didn't notice any difference right off the bat until I overlayed the images, but the differences are night and day. His eyes are made to be less mean and more skeptical. His mole was shrunk and his nose is more 3-dimensional. Extra detail is added to his ear while his hair is redrawn in whole, including it being slightly shorter. What's most interesting is the fact the body was sized up and moved down several pixels, I imagine to change the perspective. Some minor line changes are made to the white undershirt of his suit.

It would be improper not to do Pekoyama next.

Again, just like Kuzuryuu, I didn't notice half of these changes at first. Pekoyama's whole face is slimmed. The outer outline of her hair remains the same, but almost every outline inside of it, including her bangs, changes. (Although, her right twin-tail has a slightly longer end to it.) Her outfit receives minor touch-ups, including a clothes fold on her breast and darker shading by her collarbone. Speaking of, her neck muscles and such have been redrawn. Most interesting to me is the fact Pekoyama's outline is noticeably thicker with action lines in the original beta sprite, but lack them in the final sprite as if somebody used the magic wand tool to edit the background out, editing away some of the jagged black lines in the process. She is the only character where this happens.

Since she is a major character, let's do Nanami now.

I wasn't surprised to find Nanami has virtually no difference about her. Her design was pretty much set in stone early on. That said, it's not entirely the same. Though very minor, the thickness of her left eye was increased at the top. As well, shading across her pinky finger was removed. There is also a chance her body is slightly bigger, but that's more likely to be a result of me failing to perfectly match up the two images.

I want to focus on Souda now as he was the first one I did this test with.

You know, when I first played SDR2, I thought Souda looked kind of scary. His beta is even scarier looking! I can see why they changed it...Every detail on his face is redrawn including his chin, notably his pupil was enlarged and his eyebrows were quirked. Funnily, it seems the clip on his beanie was redrawn, but like Komaeda, they didn't edit the color layer to match the new outline. Some minor line art changes were made to his back hair. The lines for his neck and collarbone were lessened, and the jacket zipper is made more three dimensional. His thumb was fixed too, as well as the lines on his hand.

Also, here's a fun little thing I noticed while replaying SDR2 just a few days ago!

The sprite used for Souda in the Dangan Island opening is the exact same as the beta sprite! This would be the only time Westerners would catch a glimpse of some beta sprites until UTDP, as keep in mind, these wallpapers were exclusive to the Japanese Danganronpa website.

In fact, Souda isn't the only one with a beta sprite in the Dangan Island opening. I will also be covering that in part 4.

Moving on...

I guess it's only natural we look at Sonia's sprite next.

Changes like these ones are very interesting to me, because if you did not do a side-by-side like this, you may never see how many minor details were changed. A lot of Sonia's line art was redrawn to be more detailed, such as more lines in her hair, thinner outlines for her braid, and redrawn creases in her shoulders and bow (as well as a redrawn button). Her face is interesting as some very minor changes were made. Some detail is added to both ears (thicker outline on the right, changed line art on the left) and her left eyebrow is slightly edited. She was also given extra eyelashes on both sides. When it comes to such minor changes, it makes you wonder why they bothered at all. I wonder what the development looked like.

Anyways, please check the reblog for the second part! That's where the rest of the characters will be!

[emptymasks]

Old Web European Musical Sites

So this post started because I was looking through the waybackmachine on the Internet Archive for the old Disney Fairies site for a friend, and remembered I'd backed up some old musical related sites a couple years ago on the waybackmachine just to archive them.

Which made me remember how recently I saw someone on here, I don't remember who, asking if there were interviews either about Elisabeth das Musical or specifically with Uwe Kroger (the actor who originated the role of Der Tod/Death) in English to which someone had answered no but there are some quotes and fragments in other posts on here. Which made me remember an old website I'd found that did have interviews on and I went out to find it. After I found it, I tried to find another website I'd found that had nice old photos of Uwe on that I'd save for I'd never seen them anywhere else, but sadly can no longer find the site and I hadn't bookmarked it or archived it. But, in doing so I did find some others.

So, come along with me as I find some ye olde websites based around European Musicals and Non-English Musicals, all of which I am archiving using the waybackmachine and can be found on my archive.org account @ wennli3b3 under the 'web archives' tab on my profile.

What is old web? The aesthetics wiki describes it as "Essentially consisting of screencaps and gifs, Old Web is an aesthetic utilizing traditional web design elements combined with aspects of poetry and self-expression. This also includes GIFs, video games, and clip-art. This aesthetic expresses nostalgia for Internet culture of the early 1990s to early 2010s." Think of old GeoCities and AngelFire websites, the pre-2010s internet where it wasn't uncommon for anyone to make their own little website for anything and the internet wasn't just social media. There's just such a charm for me about these old sites and the work people put into customising and decorating their sites, often just as a fun project for themselves or a way to document things they loved. Therefore the websites we'll be looking at are from the 90s up to the late 2000s, 2010s and onwards websites don't count for this list.

What is the waybackmachine? The waybackmachine is hosted on the Internet Archive, it's a digital archive of websites that lets you visit websites as they were during the past if they've been archived there.

[Note: this post won't have clickable links because that can make Tumblr unhappy and either hide or soft-block my post, so sadly no clickable links, but I will write out the links with spaces in the hopes that won't hide the post and you will just have to type them in for yourselves, and I will link my web archive page in the replies to this post. I am also not claiming to be the first to back these sites up or discover them, some of them have already been archived in past, but doing them all under one account means you guys can have an easy list of them all in one place. Some of these sites no longer exist and are only accessible via the waybackmachine, in those cases I will save those sites to my web archive so they are all listed on one page.]

1. musicalvienna . at

Staring with a website some of you will be familiar with and while in it's current 2023 form doesn't count as old web and is easily accessible, we're going back in time with the waybackmachine to see how the site looked and what information it had about old current productions in 2000-2008. And frankly I don't know what to do with the information that at some point in 2000 there was a 'vampire museum' inside the Raimund Theatre that had what appears to be a wax figure of Steve Barton in his original Graf von Krolock costume. I. What??

2. eljen . net / kroeger

A fansite dedicated to Uwe Kroger, the actor, that was run seemingly from 1998-2002 that old photos, links to music that no longer work, but most important to me is the 'Press' page that has many articles and interviews with Uwe that have been translated into English! The site is also available in German eljen . net / kroeger / deutsch. A special shoutout to Uwe's own drawing of himself as Der Tod.

3. eljen . net / elisabeth

Run by the same person as the first site, in fact it is technically the same site however if you go to the root eljen . net there is just a blank page with a link to the /kroeger site, there's no direct link to the Elisabeth site, you can only find it through googling or having the direct URL.

4. iukc . de

The Uwe Kroger fanclub webite seems to have started around 2000 but it was taken offline sometime after October 2021 as going to the URL now leads to a 404 error page, but the site is still accessible using the waybackmachine. On a 2019 capture of the website it states this fanclub was dissolved on December 31st 2019 and was advertising the uwe-kroeger-community . com website as a new fanclub. Some of the pages are available in English and Japanese, but all of the pages are only available in German. The site includes information about the fanclub, as well as lists of Uwe's work, discography, and more.

5. gudrun-kauck . de

A site that as far as I can tell is run by someone just documenting their life and things they see, and that happens to include many musicals. Down the left side of the site there are pages for The Phantom of the Opera, Tanz der Vampire, Ludwig, Concerts, Musicals and Actors. Here there is so much information, interviews, photos, screenshots, transcriptions of scripts and lyrics, articles, and more. This site is a real treasure trove. It's been updating since at least 2004 and it's most recent update was in 2023. This site is in German.

6. jimsteinman . com

The Tanz der Vampire page on Jim Stienman's website has links to lots of articles, interviews and photos for the original 1997 Vienna production and the 2000 Stuttgart production. This site is in English.

7. carpe-jugulujm . com

Another site that is no longer active and can only be accessed via the waybackmachine, it was online by 2006 and taken offline between late 2021 and 2023. It has information on productions of Tanz der Vampire between 1997 and 2009 and is one of the few if not the only place I've found information about the 2000 Estonia production. This site is in English.

8. geocities . ws / mymusicalworlds

This website is all in Chinese, however parts of it are in English and German. It lists information on different musicals, actors, and has lyrics for songs, and photos. It also has midi files but, as with almost all of these old sites, the download links no longer work.

9. theatre-musical . com

This website started around 2002 and was closed some time in 2016, if you go to the website now all you'll get is a message saying the website has been closed, however the old pages are still accessible via the waybackmachine. There's pages for many musicals with lots of information about each show and each of these musical pages has a link to a page that lists other sites, official and fanmade, that are about this musical. There's many more sites to find via

10. elisabeth-fanclub . de

A fansite dedicated to Elisabeth das Musical, more specifically the 2001 Essen production and 2003 Vienna Revival. This site includes information and photos about these productions. It was online by 2004 and was taken offline some time after 2007 and is only now available via the waybackmachine. This site is in German.

11. sisi-net . de

While this site is more dedicated to the actual real Empress Elisabeth, it also has a page dedicated to Elisabeth das Musical which includes several articles and interviews for the 2001 Essen production. There is also some information on here about the Ludwig musical. This site is in German. It was online by 1999, in 2008 the site was empty and "'"under construction" and after 2008 seemed to have either had it's domain sold or hacked and became used for something else, and by 2019 was offline.

12. geocities . com / broadway / 8851

Another site that is dedicated to the real person Elisabeth, but also has information about multiple productions of Elisabeth das Musical. The site was started in 1996 and is no longer online as GeoCities no longer exists as a website hoster, but can be accessed using the waybackmachine. This site is in English.

13. elisabeth-musicpage . de

A German fansite for the 2001 Essen production of Elisabeth das Musical that contains information about the show, merchandise, photos, etc. The site was online by 2002, went under construction in 2005 and after 2006 went offline and only accessible via the waybackmachine. This site is in German.

14. elisabeth-das-musical . de

The old official site for the 2001 Essen production of Elisabeth das Musical. It's only accessible via the waybackamachine however all I could access is this homepage as the site seems to require flash player which no longer exists. The site was made in 2001, by 2006 it was redirecting to a different website that no longer exists, and by 2008 it was just offline.

15. sissi . nl

The official site for the 1999 Dutch production of Elisabeth das Musical. The site went up in 1999 and is no longer online and only accessible via the waybackmachine.

16. marloes . info

A site where someone cataloged every musical they saw between 1996 and 2004. Some of these listings link to their reviews of the musicals and pictures they took (the pictures of Elisabeth das Musical really interest me because they went on a night where Jesper Tyden was understudying for Der Tod (he usually played Rudolf) in teh 2001 Essen production).

17. danceofthevampries . com

The official site for the 2002 Broadway production of Tanz der Vampire. Whilst we all have... feelings about this production, the site's design is very of its time. It has information on the (re-written) plot, cast, downloads for the original English demo recordings (that no longer work), and more. In 2002 the cast page lists the Broadway cast, after the shows closure in 2003 these pages advertised the 2003 Hamburg cast, and by 2006 it now advertises the 2006 Berlin cast, and then even by 2012 that page was no longer being updated. This site is now only accessible via the waybackmachine, I don't know when exactly it went offline but I remember being able to acccess it back in 2020. This site is in English.

18. tanzdervampire . de

The official site for German-lanuage productions of Tanz der Vampire from 2000 to around 2004, mostly the 2003 Hamburg production. Some pages of the site sometimes redirect to musicalwelt . de, like the 'galarie' page that links to a page of many paintings by Mike Schöbs of the original 1997 Vienna production. The site is only accessible via the waybackmachine, sometimes I have difficultly loading the pages, and sometimes the pages on later dates redirect to stagegholding . de which no longer exists or works.

19. tanz-der-vampire . de

A fansite for the 2003 Hamburg production of Tanz der Vampire that is still online. It has info about the musical and this production. The page I found the most interesting is the info > links page. It has a list that includes screenshots of websites from around 2003 with official and fanmade sites for different actors from the musical (such as Marjan Shaki, Maike Switzer, Aris Sas, Thomas Mülner, Jens Janke, Ian Jon Bourg, Kevin Tarte and more) most if not all of these sites are on the waybackmachine (and I'm saving them to my own web archive page rather than listing them all here, Tumblr has a text limit and an image limit and we're already running close to it).

20. fuer-sarah . de

A fansite dedicated to actors who played Sarah including understudies, alternates, swings, and dancers who played Sarah/Solo Female Dancer in the dance sequences in Tanz der Vampire. This site is in German and is only available via the waybackmachine and was active between 2001-2005.

21. musicalland . de

A fansite dedicated to musical theatre with some more specific pages dedicated too Elisabeth das Musical, The Phantom of the Opera, 42nd Street and Mamma Mia. The site is still online and stopped updating in 2010. This site is in German. The link to the Elisabeth das Musical page no longer works, but can still be accessed using the waybackmachine.

22. old-hickory . demon . co . uk / jim

A fan page for composer Jim Steinman that has pages about his non-musical work as well as his musicals Tanz der Vampire and Whistle Down the Wind. The Tanz der Vampire pages include lyrics in German and English, as well as the entire original 1997 Vienna libretto translated into English, as well as the 2000 Stuttgart production's programme fully translated into English that includes information and interviews. The site is in English and only accessible via the waybackmachine.

23. romeojulietmusicals . com

A fan site for the French musical Roméo et Juliette that has pages dedicated to many different language productions with cast lists, information, lyrics and lyric translations. There are galleries on the site but the images on longer load. This site is in English and was online between 2004 to 2008. There is a 'related links' page that contains so many more links to other musical sites.

24. compat . tf1 . fr

A fan site for Roméo et Juliette for the original 2000 Paris production containing images of the cast, and video interviews and behind the scenes with links that no longer work. This site is in French.

25. mozartbudapest . hu

The official website for the 2003 Budapest production of Mozart das Musical. This website is only accessible via the waybackmachine, it contains the cast list, a bio of Mozart (the person), but sadly most of the image no longer work. I mention it here only because when i opened it I was surprised the original logo animation and music still played. This site is available in English and Hungarian.

26. notredameonline . com

During 2000-2001 this URL was for the French musical Notre Dame de Paris and you can see this via the waybackmachine. The site then went offline after 2001 and the domain was sold and since 2006 has belonged to the University of Notre Dame. I really like the design of this site, sadly most of the links open pop-ups that no longer work. The site is available in French and English.

27. notredamedeparis . it

The official site for the 2002 Italian tour of Notre Dame de Paris. It has a lot of information about the musical and this specific production. This site is in Italian and is only accessible via the waybackmachine.

28. geocities . ws / dreamcatcher182004

A fansite dedicated to a few musicals that was last updated in 2003. It has pages for Chicago, Les Mis, Miss Saigon, The Phantom of the Opera and Tanz der Vampire.

.

So yeah, that was a list. I hope that was interesting or for anyone wanting to find more information about these musicals for research, essays, or just for fun, that this post was helpful or interesting in some way. There are a lot more websites than just the ones on this list, however Tumblr has both a photo and a character limit for text posts. If you want a larger catalog you can look at my Internet Archive (archive . org) page @ WennLi3b3 and go to my 'web archives' page, this lists both pages I myself have archived and pages other's have archived and I have bookmarked. Hope someone found this interesting. I just like making lists.

[aroaceleovaldez]

the show chb logo was also ripped from fandom, like in the past decade all the official chb shirt had the logo without the circle and then the fandom started doing and the show went for it, sorry your tags reminded me of that

[Link to post/tags in question]

Yeah, I know Delphi Strawberry Service has done more circular-based CHB shirt designs for ages, and I've seen the more circular-based designs floating around for awhile. I think Magicbysab's circular-based CHB shirt designs also predate the show design? Those are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head. I understand on a level that if they did base it off fandom designs, particularly if they're basing anything on widespread fanon or fandom-based concepts, it can be difficult to pin down credit or may even seen unnecessary. But if they're going to be doing that I feel like at least they could hire like, a fandom consultant of sorts? Instead of just ripping off from the fandom, hire someone from the community who produces that already so at least there's some recognition and acknowledgement of where it originated.

Heck, in some instances if you ask around in the fandom it's not hard to pinpoint who specifically popularized certain concepts! I could talk for ages about Cherryandsisters being a driving force behind photokinesis!Will, or Saberghatz with plague!Will (tbh between the two they spearheaded a ton of early Will/Solangelo fanon), and I swear Drksanctuary alone is behind like 50% of Alabaster fanon, etc etc etc. People in the fandom know these things! Heck, we know ReadRiordan company knows how to do that kind of thing! They commissioned Viria for the official art, and the UK Riordan newsletter reaches out to fans all the time to feature their work (with credit, they're one of the better ones)! Though in Rick's book tours he did showcase Viria's art (at least with credit) without asking before she got commissioned, and during the Tower of Nero book tours they actually straight up stole a solangelo edit from Pervysloth with completely zero credit (link is to my canon url readriordan parody blog).

I think it doesn't help as well that Rick and his editor allegedly use the fandom wiki in place of a series bible. The PJO wiki is notorious for putting inaccurate information or fanon onto pages at random and having no sources. (What I wouldn't give for the PJO wiki to have frequent book/page sources a la Warrior Cats wiki...) There are what, now almost 18 books in the main series alone? Of an extremely renowned best-selling series that's 20 years old and now being adapted for TV? And they STILL don't have a series bible? That's like, step 1 of writing a series. This kind of reliance of the fandom for resources and concepts definitely isn't new for them.

It just feels so bizarre as to what it says about how the ReadRiordan company views the fandom and the creatives within it. I understand that trying to figure out how to give credit to the concept of "CHB shirt design, but circular!" is difficult, if you even can find out who did that first or popularized it. But if you're going to rip things from fandom, at least find somebody to try and credit? Show that you put in even the tiniest amount of effort? And if you get it wrong and people know, they'll correct you and that's that! But ReadRiordan just keeps trying to actively obscure these kinds of things, even with their own media, not ripped from the fandom, which makes it feel all the worse when it gets pointed out. And a lot of the time the whole reason those concepts get popular is because they're filtered through big names in the fandom! The fandom is a community! We know these people! We can point to them and explain exactly what they popularized! Remember how Velinxi popularized long haired Piper with the heart-shaped flyaways? Goodness only knows how many fandom designs are heavily influenced by Viria and Minuiko and Burdge (and Indigonite and Fuocogo and Ikimaru and Thecottonproject and Joker-ace and Sixofclovers and Vikingmera and Saber and Cherry and and and-). If you are in the community this stuff is easy to find. But Rick and the ReadRiordan company clearly being ~5 years behind with fanon pretty obviously tells me that they're not in the community at all, and aren't bothering trying.

[sleepyfan-blog]

Serious Research

Author's note: This is the next fic in Mer!Trai's story! First. Prev. Next

warnings: none! please ask me to tag something if it bothers you

tagged: @egrets-not-regrets @the-pure-angel @whorety-k @gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan

@kit-williams @bleedingichorhearts

Summary: Trai uses one of Ancient Terra's "laptops" to better research how to properly woo his lovely, bonded human.

It had taken weeks of diligently working alongside some of his fussier Cousins to finally convince one of them to allow him use of the Ancient Terran equivalents to a dataslate - while they did have tablets, which were touch-based on top of the device to use it, but he found that it was much easier for him to use the laptop versions of the computational devices, as well as the desktop versions. The laptops were more easily portable and after some trial and error on Trai's part, the Word Bearer had figured out how to use the keyboard without accidentally causing damage to the device with his claws. It was very important to him that he learn how to use this device, as it was connected to the Ancient Terran version of the Noosphere - which was called The Internet at this time.

He had many questions, and while most of his cousins were content to answer the questions that he had with varying degrees of patience and amusement, Trai wanted to do some independent research… Besides, he didn't want to endure the usually playful teasing that he was likely to suffer if they found out that he wasn't sure how to court you, his wonderful bonded human without coming off as too intense, or potentially cause an awkward cultural clash. If he learned more about your culture, he hoped to have at least a bit better of an understanding as to your likely reactions to what he was going to do. That and he knew that humans courted each other during this time period. They probably had advice and tips on how to date each other that he could probably use. Which was what he was also after.

Trai clicks on the icon for the internet browser, humming a little to himself as it took a couple of seconds to load up, remembering the internet safety rules he'd been instructed on - and that not everything on the internet was truthful, which meant that he would need to try and cross-check any "facts" he found online with other sources to hopefully figure out what was actual truth and what was either a lie or a fancible fable.

Several weeks had passed since Zedkiel had met his fellow caretakers to the Primarchs. While he couldn’t say that he would be able to get along with all of them under normal circumstances 

The first question that he started with was perhaps a little bit basic, but he felt that:

What do humans like?

Was a sensible first question to ask. After all he desperately wanted to make you happy and to smile at him regularly. There were a bunch of articles about the psychology behind why humans like what they liked. 

What is Psychology?

The first couple of links were to acquire psychology degrees of some kind - either through online methods or links to physical training centers. How fascinating. Those links didn’t really explain what psychology was, so he continued to search, finding the answer to be fascinating. It made sense to study oneself and others around them mentally. It was a subject of study in the far future as well. But now he’s gotten off track, and went back to his search. His next inquiry was:

How do I woo a human?

He huffed a little as he sees a couple of links pop up, followed by several suggested questions. He still felt decidedly masculine, so it wasn't as if he was a woman trying to court a man… Nor was either you nor he underage, so questions about boys and girls didn't make sense to click on.

He found several more linked sites:

A wiki page suggesting a little over twenty different flirting tips, a place called Reddit on the r/dating… Thread? Community? Something. There were several links to "dating" sites. But it wasn't as if he wanted to date just anyone - which seemed to be the preferred term to wooing.

He read through the flirting tips, all of which boiled down to; ask questions about the person you're interested in, give them genuine compliments and find ways to touch their shoulders/arms/hands that didn't make them uncomfortable. There was conflicting information about eye contact - some humans liked a lot of eye contact, others found it intimidating or insulting.

Trai huffed a little and erased his previous question before putting in:

How do I date someone?

There was another link to the how to flirt page, but he'd already read that. There was also some stuff about being honest; he'd tried honesty and had spooked his human. Maybe there was a balance between being honest with one's potential love match and not saying all of what you hoped would happen all at once up front? But how did someone do that? It was another question to ask, once he'd read through the search results of this.

There were other helpful-ish suggestions. To be present in the moments that you spent with your loved one, and to be open to the dating opportunities around you… But Trai was determined to date you, not just any human who might be interested in being courted by and courting an Astartes. Maintain Independence… He could hunt and fight just fine, he simply stayed in the research aquarium that you worked at because this was the easiest way for him to keep contact with you. And he could help you with some of your work tasks!

There was also a link about woohooing one’s partner in amongst the other links about dating. Trai had no context for the term, but as he murmured “Woohoo.” To himself quietly, it was a fun word to say, and hopefully it would make sense?

Ohhhhh… It was related to a game… And in order to do so, the make believe person a mortal was playing needed to use romantic options on the target sim. Hugs, and Flirting… Asking if the sim was single and pick up lines. Also something about having a higher friendship level helped to.

Did Friendship Levels exist on Ancient Terra as well? Or was this only a thing in this sims game? What exactly was this sims ga-

No. He was getting off track again. And apparently if one had a good friendship level with the target sim, one didn’t necessarily need to also use romantic options in some versions of this sim game.

… Maybe he should look into this game, to get some practice in how to flirt and interact with baseline mortals in M3? Something to look into, at least. But later. He was a mer on a mission.

What is a pick up line?

Ah! They were a mixture of verbal ice breakers and ways to signal one was romantically and/or sexually interested in the person they were saying the pick up line to. He began to look up specific pick up lines… Groaning a little as many of them were really terrible, at least to his sensibilities, but many of them were partially meant to flatter the person they were being told to… But some of them were borderline if not outright rude, crass or demeaning.

One of the other suggested questions puzzled Trai, so he clicked on it.

How do you date in real life?

As… As opposed to what? Daydreaming in one's mind about who one wanted to date? Trai had done plenty of that already, as well as silently pining over your beautiful soul and lovely body. He wanted to act, not just daydream and silently wish. Human lives were so short, especially on Ancient Terra.

Apparently there were ways to date a person on this version of the noosphere? Trai couldn't imagine wanting to do that. The Noosphere was maintained by the Adeptus Mechanicus and heavily monitored by them and the loyalists. He shuddered internally at the thought of such a private part of him being documented for any curious mechanical maniac to read and chuckle over. He had enough teasing from his Cousins over his first fumbling attempt thank you very much.

He clicked on the wikihow site, as it had several different articles pertaining to dating.

One of the wikihow titles jumped out at him: How to get bitches: a comprehensive guide.

Wait.

What. What was a bitch?

He was unfamiliar with the word and quickly typed in the question. A small frown appeared on his face as he read through the different explanations as to what the word was. Using the term bitch in this context made him a little uncomfortable and wary that the tone that it struck in the title meant that the entire article was probably slanted in a mildly to moderately insulting manner to those being pursued. Still, he did click on the pejorative title. Perhaps it was meant to be provocative on purpose?

… Stalking, emotional blackmailing and manipulation and badgering someone over and over again until they gave into you and agreed to a date so you'd stop bothering them didn't seem… Like the most auspicious or loving start to a relationship. Still, he supposed these were things to watch out for?

You did seem to enjoy spending time with him, at least. Maybe if he set up a date idea, and then asked you to go on one with him, you'd say yes, and he could prove just how great a partner he would be? Yes. That sounded like a great idea. Which was why he typed into the question bar:

First date ideas

… Wow, that was a lot to take in all at once. there were dozens of articles with hundreds of ideas on them. But many of them required the use of local currency, of which Trai had none, so he altered the search term to figure out what free date activities he could suggest for you and he to go on. Or wait. He knew that many humans seemed to like sand dollars and other shells, especially if they were intact!

How to trade shells for money or other objects?

... Oh. Now he was reading articles about how the seashell trade was causing a great deal of devastation to the local mollusc and other shelled fish populations. Or at least, it had been until some of his pushier cousins had stepped in and started causing trouble for the large companies who were sending people out by the hundreds to collect shells, leaving none behind on many beaches. Still... If he harvested the shells sustainably, maybe he could get some of the local currency? But you worked in sea life preservation, and trying to court you with money he'd gotten with the blood of sea life felt... Wrong somehow. So he typed in:

Free first date ideas

There were fewer search results, but that honestly was less overwhelming for him to read through. While some of these first date ideas required items or materials he didn't have and probably wouldn't be able to easily barter access to, there were several things that he could do. That and he really liked the idea of sharing a meal with you, if you were amenable. He was an expert hand at hunting and foraging, and had learned the food safety standards for baseline humans on Ancient Terra, and was confident that he could create a meal that wouldn't make you sick.

Now all he had to do was to work up the courage to ask you out.

[texasdreamer01]

Atlantis Expedition: Science Division Departments

"Many of the scientists on Atlantis are organised into departments, each with their own department head. Dr. Rodney McKay was head of the Science and Research Division which most likely meant he was in charge of all of the science departments. Dr. Radek Zelenka was also the head of his own department. The various science departments on Atlantis are:

> Physics

 » Astrophysics

> Biology

 » Microbiology

 » Astrobiology

> Oceanography

> Botany

> Medicine

> Anthropology

(SGA: "Remnants", "Grace Under Pressure", "Suspicion")"

From <https://stargate.fandom.com/wiki/Atlantis_expedition#Departments>

---

As I'm working my way through worldbuilding headcanons on the expedition, I figured I ought to start with the science division first. Above is my starting point: the canonical information at hand, to flesh out and give it some real-world reliability.

When I looked at it again, I realized it was, to put it politely, ill-thought-out crap that was only looked upon when the writers needed some random scientist around for episode material.

So, what considerations would an expedition like this actually need to take into account when hiring people?

At the very bare bones of it is "how many people can I fit through a wormhole in twenty or twenty-five minutes, plus supplies?". I went back and forth, prevaricated for a bit, and settled on 200 people if you really want to hoof it.

(Why 20-25 minutes? It's SGC's first stable-ish wormhole to another galaxy that's powered by a ZPM. They don't even know how much of a success that would be, or if they're just shoving people into a glorified shredder. Gotta pick and choose who you're maybe putting through the billion-dollar shredder. Y'know. Just in case.)

My initial rough estimations were about an even split between scientific and military personnel, which I kept on hand as napkin math to sanity check myself. This would be approximately 150 scientists.

What departments would there be, and how would it be divided? Who makes the priorities, and why?

The canon data is a mess, and as I worked through things, canon kept getting folded and refolded into different configurations because there's two competing priorities: the IOA/SGC, and Rodney's approach to pragmatism.

What was everyone expecting to see on the other side of that wormhole? Definitely not a city ship sunk into the ground of an ocean, and definitely not isolated from others (the Athosians were an unexpected godsend that kicked off the reason to have a plot in the first place). Whatever the IOA or SGC had in mind will quickly get thrown out the window, but needs must, and the departments were likely arranged long before the shipping manifest was decided.

I poked around the uniforms, because everyone is colour-coded, and there's five sections:

> Red (civilian, leader) - Worn by Dr. Elizabeth Weir, Teyla Emmagan, Colonel Samantha Carter and Richard Woolsey.

> Blue/dark blue or purple (scientist) - Worn by Dr. Meredith Rodney McKay and Dr. Radek Zelenka.

> Yellow (medical) - Worn by Dr. Carson Beckett and Dr. Jennifer Keller.

> Black (military) - Worn by Lt. Colonel John Sheppard and Major Evan Lorne.

> Green (technician) - Worn by Chuck and Amelia Banks.

This information is listed in both the "List of Atlantis personnel" and "Atlantis expedition uniform" pages on SGCommand.

Thus far that gets me two and a half departments in my hand: Scientist, Medical, and Technician (that's the half).

What would the SGC and IOA want the expedition to prioritize? Technology, and lots of it. This means that, probably, there's going to be more engineers than you can shake a stick at, and not a lot of pure sciences. Remember, it cost money to fire up the gate, and flinging people into another galaxy is an unfathomable amount of (international, at this point) taxpayer funds. You're going to want as much applied science as possible, and as much overlap in disciplines as possible.

(Unfortunately this does leave little room for error, so anyone that dies is capable of leaving a hole in potential research.)

Therefore, how would a top-down order of technological research look like? My assumption was this:

> Engineering of the city of Atlantis itself

 » ZPMs, auxiliary and/or complementary power sources

 » Materials and material manufacturing

 » Design specs of different technologies (jumpers, yes, but also anti-grav, shields, climate controls)

> Biological sciences

 » ATA gene therapies

 » Whatever the Ancients were working on regarding ascension

  ⇛ Helpful with the Ori once Atlantis is informed of that issue

To wit, neither addendum on the biological sciences bullet point is pertinent at the time of department formation, as Carson invented the ATA gene therapy after arriving in Atlantis, and the Ori weren't an issue for a similar reason.

Ergo, all non-biological engineering fields would have had higher billing, and thus more of them hired. The only exception would be medical, and I'm sure the SGC had the forethought to bully the IOA into its relevancy and make sure that department was as fully-stocked as they could manage.

Now what about practical considerations? Plans are nice and all, but rarely survive contact with reality, so some adjustment might be needed. This, I believe, the SGC considered, given their own history of needing to rapidly adjust on the fly.

Rodney, as Chief Science Officer (CSO), would be the one to not only make these kinds of decisions, but also to listen to the head of the expedition as to what needed to be prioritized. As the show has demonstrated, there can be a significant amount of shuffling around of employees based on the needs of a minute, and hour, a week, a month - for an indefinite amount of time? Basics are what gets the job done.

So what things would Rodney need to consider, or be directed to consider by Elizabeth?

> Oh shit this can sink

 » Rodney's main work - keeping the ZPM working and get as many new ones as possible

> Oh shit everything's so far away

 » Rodney's other main work - making sure the gate works as ordered

> Oh shit we're in another galaxy

 » Food

  ⇛ Getting, keeping, preserving, maybe the occasional growing

 » Utilities

  ⇛ Luckily they don't have to pay for it lol

  ⇛ But also oh shit lighting, water, sewage, air filtration, general life support

   ⟹ Rodney's third main work

   ⟹ This poor guy

 » Medicine

  ⇛ Rodney delegates the hell out of this

  ⇛ Good luck making potions, guys!

 » Bullets

  ⇛ Also other things the military needs

  ⇛ Fun times re-inventing the wheel I mean gunpowder

  ⇛ Good work for bored soldiers, and possibly also any scientist Rodney puts in time-out

 » Clothes

  ⇛ Ha, thread

  ⇛ Also needles

  ⇛ Experiments in sewing machine making

   ⟹ Watch the fingers

  ⇛ How to replace fabric?

  ⇛ Off-duty clothes

  ⇛ Also medical clothing (scrubs for staff, patients)

 » Miscellaneous

  ⇛ Entertainment, I guess

Internal monologue included because I think it's funny.

Anyway.

While Rodney's spending his days with Benny Hill music playing in the background trying to get all of those priorities done on top of actually delegating work and doing whatever else Elizabeth (and John) want him to do, other people actually need to have some work to get done. So what are they doing?

It depends on who already does what, frankly. So in the above combined interests (amount of people that can fit through an intergalactic wormhole, competing IOA/SGC interests, realities of living in Atlantis), I'm proposing this set-up (commentary included):

Medical Sciences Department

Head: Carson Beckett (later, Jennifer Keller, later, whomever)

Contains: Surgery, psychiatry, physical therapy

Function: Maintaining health of expedition members

Examples of function: surgeries, medical prescriptions, recuperation from injuries, mental stability

Personnel quantity: 1 (Head) + 10 (surgical team) + 5 (nurses) + 1 (psych) + 1 (phys. therapy) + 1 (anesthesiologist) = 19 total

A/N: Nurses have training in medications and physical therapy, surgical team also doubles as general practitioners.

Life Sciences Department

Head: OC

Contains: Earth biologists, bio- & biochemical engineers, astro/xeno-biologists, botany, environmental chemistry, zoology, microbiology

Function: Auxiliary to Medical Department needs

Examples of function: pharmaceutical synthesis, analysis of unknown species, biological database creation, gene therapies (pharmaceutical adjacent)

Personnel quantity: 1 (Head) + 2 (Earth biologists) + 2 (bioE & biochemE) + 1 (astro/xenobio) + 1 (botany) + 1 (envchem) + 1 (zoo) + 2 (microbio) = 11

A/N: Both biologists also have training/specialization in genetics/gene mapping (assists both Carson and Katie), some input in requesting gate missions based on in-house needs.

Field Sciences Department

Head: OC

Contains: Linguistics, historical geography, cartography, ethnography, sociology, oceanography, hydrology, atmospheric physics, planetary physics

Function: Research pool for gate teams and any assigned missions

Examples of function: Preservation of refugee cultures, scouting for trade planets, analysis of back-up sites for establishment

Personnel quantity: 1 (Head) + 3 (linguistics) + 1 (histgeo) + 1 (cart) + 1 (ethno) + 1 (socio) + 1 (oceano) + 1 (hydro) + 1 (atmophys) + 1 (planphys) = 12

A/N: SGC duplicate all shoved into one department, mostly ignored in-house but their brains are picked for background dossiers when it comes to mission planning. Linguists trained in xenolinguistics, from the SGC, can cover the various anthro fields if necessary, also various training in structural linguistics. Main scientist pulls for gate team assignments, if something critical isn't needed (i.e. Ancient technology).

Applied Sciences Department

Head: Rodney McKay (or perhaps Radek Zelenka?)

Contains: Electrical/technical engineering, nuclear physics, civil engineering, astrophysics, laser/optical, chemical engineering

Function: Study, synthesis, and adaptations of Ancient technology

Examples of function: ZPM analysis with intent to duplicate, experimental duplications of Ancient technology materials, study of gate physics and construction with intent to duplicate, study and experimental duplication of other Ancient technologies (i.e. hyperdrives, cloaks, weapons, etc)

Personnel quantity: 1 (Head) + 3 (electreng) + 6 (techeng/gate techs) + 1 (nucphys) + 1 (astrophy) + 1 (LZ/opt) +  3 (chemeng) = 16

A/N: The people Rodney are yelling at most often, because mistakes mean kablooey. Also a lot of the people running around in an emergency. 1 nuclear physicist because Rodney pulls a lot of intellectual weight, and same with the astrophysicist and laser/optical person (mostly they're there as on-paper hires and back-ups/assistants for him for his own research).

Gate Technicians

Head: ??? Joint custody

Contains: Gate technicians

Functions: Auxiliary to Applied Sciences Department, interacts with the gate and the gate only

Examples of function: dialing, searching database for addresses, maintaining mission logs and planets visited, basic repair and maintenance of the gate, technical drawings as required by others

Personnel quantity: Chuck, idk +5 for full shift overlaps = 6 total (listed in Applied Sciences department as techeng/gate techs)

A/N: Technically nerds but are active duty, probably loans from SGC (maybe also Russia because of the DHD debacle?).

Gate technicians are, although folded into the Applied Sciences department, listed separately in order to better articulate their duties (and the fact that they get the green shirts). Shout-out to @spurious for enabling the idea that gate techs would do technical drawings 😁

Sum Total of Science Division Personnel

Medical: 19

Life Sciences: 11

Field Sciences: 12

Applied Sciences: 16

Total total: 19 + 11 + 12 + 16 = 58

This isn't anywhere close to my initial estimate of 150, but I think it adequately covers all the preconceived and actual responsibilities that the science division would need to handle in the expedition. Possibly I might update these numbers as I develop this headcanon further, but that would end up in a new post.

Further elaboration on headcanons about each department will be in their own posts, with links updated here as they're posted for ease of reference.

Science Department Breakdown Posts

Medical Department (posted 14 May 2024)

Life Sciences Department (posted 29 May 2024)

Field Sciences Department (posted 30 May 2024)

Applied Sciences Department (posted 10 June 2024)

Chief Science Officer (posted 18 July 2024)

Chief Medical Officer (posted 20 July 2024)

Science Department Heads (posted 20 July 2024)

[sarnai4]

New Families

I read the latest Yona chapter and began thinking about Mundok. I have so many questions surrounding this man and the Wind Tribe in general. According to the wiki page, he had two sons and a wife who died. Their names were Sor-On, Tan-Seh, and Kikuri. I've never heard them mentioned in the show or seen their names in the manga, but it adds to a headcanon of mine.

What if after Mundok's family died, he went into this really dark, deep depression? He stopped fighting with the same spunk and vigor he used to have. This is when he gets that scar over his right eye, but he still doesn't even care because it's not like he can use his eyes to see his loved ones anymore. Then...just as Mundok is almost ready to give up on everything and just let himself be killed so that a new general of the tribe can be selected, he finds an orphaned toddler? Despite being so small, this boy has a fierce look in his eyes that tells Mundok of his strength. He hadn't seen a look like that since his family died. It does something to him.

Suddenly, Mundok has someone to fight for again. He has someone else who has gone through the pain of losing family and even though the child is so young, the man can tell that he feels it. The general takes out the enemies who killed the child's parents. As he does, it's like he's avenging both of their families. When he's done, he comes to a realization. He knows the boy has no one, so he brings him back and raises him as his own. Hak's now the grandson that Mundok never was able to have since his sons died too soon. The title that he was never able to pass down can now be given to someone just as worthy as the rightful heir would have been.

Hak can fill the hole in the man's broken heart. He can make Mundok happy enough to share this with another orphan. It seems like Hak can do it all. The only thing he cannot do is die, which is why Mundok cultivated Hak's natural skills so much. He could not lose anyone else. He needed to create someone who could not be killed. He needed a Lightning Beast.

[purpleglitch]

Hi this is a post where I go crazy over stuff I read on c!george's dsmp wiki page 😁👍

Under the read more because it gets a bit long, this is a very unserious analysis(???) ^_^

King george I never moved on from you,,,,,, and he also never moved on from his kingship, I didn't get to add something because of the image limit but in a introduction to a new character much much later in the lore, the wiki says he introduced himself as "the king of the dsmp still" like GIRLLLL, and that days after the dethronement he was asked about his feelings on it and he said he didn't care about it...... so what's the truth.... ☹️

Also pig george I'm crying icb that's a thing in the wiki agshshdhjfjf, he's just a little guy

C!George was so based they silenced him....

Hello, he should've stayed in a team with c!dream since the beginning, they had the same goals hello.... Also underrated lore was politician c!gnf, swag2020 was better prepared than pog2020 but because everyone watched from their povs, george and q were seen as the bad guys. Can we talk about how it was c!george the first one to say the whole thing about wanting the server to be one big happy family, I'm crying

THIS IS WHAT I WAS SAYING HELLOOOO GEORGE PLEASE LET ME STUDY YOU UNDER THE MICROSCOPE

"George took pride in being king and enjoyed his title" he loved being protected by dream and how he did everything for him, they were both freaks in that arc oh my god.... dorry.

c!george's apathy and carelessness were such great parts of his character I'm so serious. Like on one side he doesn't care about anything so he's going to sleep through every drama, but at the same time he cares about everything so he's going to participate and instigate conflict and he just wants his friends...

I'm not breathing. Can anyone hear me. Can we talk about this. He wanted to visit. Hello. He impulsively went to visit dream. He was angry c!dream was in prison hello. He wanted to go in so badly he risked it all and broke a block from the prison instead of going in and asking c!sam like normal and then he was banned from ever going in

do you think one of the reasons he later was seen standing in front of the prison but never going in was that ban??? I mean, besides the guilt and pain that brought him thinking about c!dream. Is this why on his last lore stream where he dreams about meeting dream post prison and being confronted about never visiting him and george saying he didn't know he could've asked was because Sam threatened him??

That whole stream where tubbo, ranboo, foolish and george were gambling with XD for items could be seen as not canon lore but think about how funny it would be, like so many streams XD is in are so random (mainly because dream wanted to goof around the server without pulling his mc character out of pandora but shhh) they all could be taken as dreams from c!george or other characters like c!foolish

C!DNF couple goals being both stuck in prisons (c!dream in pandora, and c!george in a bedrock box). also the dethronement already happened by this point but dreamXD proclaming c!george the king of chaos is making me cry so much, what's up with cc!dream giving george the king title again..... idk im gonna overthink this a lot

"It was given to George by Dream himself and was George's only highly valuable item." let's take a second to process this- c!george's most valuable item was a non enchanted shield that c!dream gave him, in the image it doesn't show but the shield had the blue brick pattern because it represented the obsidian wall c!dream built around new l'manburg after c!george's house was vandalized. AND IT'S HIS MOST PRECIOUS ITEM HELLOOOOOOOOO, it was the only thing he had left of c!dream and it was his most valuable item over his weapons, beckerson and the netherite armor XD gave him...... ok.

This one is really interesting because the relationship tab is not really accurate with the descriptions lenghts so i find really interesting how they made c!dream's description the longest one while c!sapnap's description was like 2 lines long 😭😭

Ok but this description is so sad, "They stuck by each other's side. [...] But as time flew by, they seemed to get more distant." I don't agree that the dethronement was "spontaneous" because c!dream did say that he did it because he cared about c!george and he didn't want him to keep losing his stuff to assasination attempts and because of the danger of being associated to c!dream... plus the other reasons of c!george not staying neutral to the dsmp faction.

It haunts me that they never got to talk to each other once c!dream got in pandora and their relationship was left like that in "bad terms" because of the dethronement but the way they both thought about each other with c!dream wanting gnf to visit him and talk, and c!george dreaming about dream leaving the prison and being a team together again..... idk c!dnf my doomed yaoi..........

Also cgeorge seeing XD as a stand-in for cdream is the funniest thing he misses him so much he dreamt god looks and sounds like his ex imghjhdkjfhdkfhkghk

"me and the bad bitch i pulled by being whimsy and heartbroken (im scared of him but dont tell him)" -c!george, probably.

again there's stuff i didnt put because of the image limit but reading the wiki was so crazy there was stuff i didnt remember that are now feeding my cgnf brainrot, he's such a silly guy i really like his character :( aaaa feel free to send me asks to talk about him or dsmp lore in general, i probably have bad takes on other stuff but whatever,,, i stay silly

[bangtanloverboys]

four seasons, for love // kth

summary - the monks had taught taehyung to detach himself from the world so his spirit could be free. he would keep no worldly possessions, only what he truly needed, and never form any true romantic attachment. he was a monk after all. yet as taehyung made his way across the world once again, he found you in his path

pairing - air nomad!taehyung x earth kingdom male!reader

genre - fluff, minor minor angst; avatar the last airbender au

word count - 5.4k

warnings - pov swaps, minor injuries, BALD TAEHYUNG RIGHTS GODDAMMIT, some inaccurate air nomad culture i did the best i could, sky bison!yeontan, they don’t say they’re in love but they are, kissing, kinda bitter sweet ending but its cute, this takes place i wanna say end of kyoshi era-beginning of roku

author’s note - DEADASS TOOK ME TWO YEARS TO WRITE THIS. I REWATCHED ATLA MANY TIMES, SCOURED THE ATLA WIKI PAGES, AND MANY MANY YOUTUBE VIDEO ESSAYS ONTHIS SHOW AND ITS RESEARCH. was it all necessary? no. am i autistic? yes

collection masterlist

Traveling was one of Taehyung's favorite and least favorite things to do. He found the wind blowing in his face and whistling past his ears as he flew through the air was a wonderful way to calm his nerves. But he hated traveling alone though, despite having his bison Yeontan with him as company, he did miss other people. Which granted he would soon see again within a few days. 

He was returning from a visit to the Eastern Air Temple and was on his way back to the Northern Air Temple. While Air Nomads were, as the name suggested, nomadic; Taehyung always felt a strong pull to the Northern Temple. It was where he grew up, it was where he went though most of his training, it was where he even earned his mastery tattoos, all in all, the Northern Temple was home to him. It was a sentiment he would never say aloud though. Air Nomads were supposed to let go of their ties to the world, freeing their spirit. Taehyung wouldn’t be a monk if he called a place his home. Yet something deep in his soul told him that that’s what he wanted, to have an attachment. 

Having just flown over the great city of Ba Sing Se, Taehyung figured there were only a few days left in his journey back. Over the wind, he could hear - and feel - Yeontan groan, signaling to Taehyung that he was tired after traveling for so long. “Okay buddy, we’ll land soon.” He said as he patted the head of his companion. If he recalled correctly, there was a river not far from where they flew in the skies, so Taehyung started flying in that general direction.

As he got closer and closer to the river, he noticed a few figures making their way towards the river. Once Yeontan got close enough to the ground, he noticed the figures were Earth Kingdom soldiers and they were chasing after you. He debated quickly as to whether or not to jump in and separate the fight, but upon watching further, he saw you jump into the river and began to swim frantically away. The soldiers halted as you struggled to swim across the wide river, maybe you weren’t gonna make it?

All hopes of you making it seemed to be dashed when a soldier pulled out a bola, and started swinging it in the direction of you. “No-” Taehyung started to call out to try and stop them but it was too late, the soldier swung the weights and with the lucky shot the bola wrapped around your leg, slowly but surely you were sinking.

“Yeontan, get closer to the river!” He called out to his bison as he jumped from his spot on his head to dive into the water. As he got closer to you, he saw as you struggled to stay afloat. 

“Help!” You gargled out before you sank beneath the water. Behind Taehyung, he could hear the soldiers yelling at him, telling him to mind his business but he paid no mind to them. Taehyung submerged himself beneath the waves and looked around until he could see your figure a few feet behind him still struggling. 

Quickly, Taehyung swam closer to you and watched as you slowly stopped struggling. He needed to work fast, he wrapped his arms around your torso and started kicking towards the surface again. Once he broke the surface of the river, he looked around and spotted Yeontan, who was floating not far from where he and you were. 

Although it took a bit of struggling, Taehyung managed to pull your dead weight over to the tail of his bison. Once the two of you were on, he called for Yeontan to lift his tail, to which he followed and he was able to pull you on to the saddle. “Yip yip!” Taehyung belted out and his bison started to rise from the water and back towards the skies. All while the soldiers were yelling at them to come back. 

Once they were up in the air, Taehyung focused his attention on you, currently laying unconscious in the saddle. He brought his head to your chest and could hear your heartbeat, as well as feel your chest rise and fall. You were still alive, to which that was a relief. He then saw your left leg, which was still entangled with the bola. Carefully as he could, he undid the tangle, but he could see there was still a lot of damage done to the limb. While he wasn’t very skilled in healing, he knew the basics to help. Now if only he could remember what Monk Ruen taught him. . .

A dull aching pain seared from your left leg woke you. You tried your best to ignore it as every other muscle in your body begged to continue sleeping, but the pain only grew and grew until you were groaning loudly. Within an instant, a cool hand was placed over your forehead in an attempt to soothe you. You tried to push away from the stranger’s grasp, but they held you down. “Hey hey hey, it’s alright. You nearly drowned, you’re gonna be okay.” A deep voice echoed in your mind, consoling you.

“My leg-” You cried out as you opened your eyes to see the stranger. Your vision was blurry, either from sleep or the tears you were holding back, but there was no mistaking who your savior was. Above you was the figure of an air nomad, the signature blue arrow rested over his forehead and ran over the top of his clean shaven head. You blinked up at him, your vision clearing up and you could see his grey eyes were laced with concern as you squirmed in pain.

“Your leg was injured by a bola. A healer will be able to help more, but I did the best I could.” The monk chuckled nervously as he gestured to your splinted shin.  

Following his hand, you took notice of your poorly splinted leg. Judging from spots of blood that was seeping through the cloth, the wound was still fresh and open. You let out a huff as you let your head fall back to the soft ground. . . impossibly soft ground. The pain of your leg distracted you from realizing that you were not even on the dirt. Instead you were splayed out on a large saddle of sorts. Even above you, the skyline and the trees looked different from the village you once called home. Where were you?

“We’re several miles away from the river, those soldiers won’t be able to find you here.” The nomad explained. “I’m Taehyung, by the way.”

“Y/N.” You slowly lifted yourself to a sitting position, trying your best not to move your leg too much. 

Taehyung was silent for a few seconds, eying you carefully. You felt unnerved under his grey eyed stare, like he was looking into your very soul. “If you don’t mind me asking, why were those soldiers after you?”

Suddenly you remembered how you got into this situation. You were caught stealing food from some soldiers. But only because you had too! You had no money and the food looked so good. . . food you didn’t even have any more considering you dropped it somewhere in between the village and the river. You avoided eye contact with the nomad for a split second, should you lie? Was it morally okay to lie to an air nomad? You remembered hearing something about how the air nomads were good fortune. . . Not willing to risk it, you huffed out your confession. 

“I was caught stealing food.” Gnawing on your lip nervously as you gaged his reaction. “I wasn’t just stealing it because I could! The mayor has this massive tax, we don’t have any money and I was starving!” You didn’t realize you were shouting at him until your words echoed into the forest. Gulping, you kept your eyes trained on the nomad before you, praying to whatever spirits could hear that he would spare a spit of kindness your way.

His eyes softened. Taehyung placed his hand on your shoulder. “Are you still hungry?”

Opening your mouth to respond, but your stomach growled loudly, answering for you.

With a chuckle, he pulled himself away from you digging into his bag that was secured off to the edge of the giant saddle. With his back turned to you, you shifted in your place. “Thank you, for saving me by the way.”

Turning back with some circular yellow cookies, handing them to you.“Nonsense! I couldn’t stand back and watch you drown!” Taehyung looked at you, as if the concept of not helping you was outrageous. “All life is precious, that includes yours. It was the right thing to do.” You felt your cheeks burn at his statement; you’ve heard that air nomads did hold that philosophy but coming from Taehyung, it had butterflies stirring in your stomach. “Now eat and get some more rest. It’s getting late. There’s a town nearby with a healer I know of. I’ll fly us over-”

“I’m sorry, fly?” You cut him off as Taehyung stood up in the saddle, a big boxy grin on his face. 

“Watch this!” In the blink of an eye, he jumped up, propelling himself into the air. You watched in awe as he landed not too far from where you sat, his bald head only peeking out from the end of the saddle. “Yeontan, yip yip!” He shouted and suddenly the entire saddle groaned and rumbled. Then with a loud thump coming from behind, slowly you noticed how you were getting higher and higher, until you broke through the branches of the tree tops and into the open air of the sky. You were flying!

“Woah!” You exclaimed as you looked over the ends of the saddle and noticed you were on the back of a sky bison! How could you have forgotten that airbenders almost always travel with a bison? You heard Taehyung laugh at you over the wind as you watched with wide eyes over the height you were growing to.

“Rest! The town’s not too far from here! We’ll be there soon!” The air nomad called out to you. You were exhausted, you’re unsure if you’re going to be able to sleep completely. You lean back against the end of the saddle again and keep your eyes trained to the sky, watching the clouds as they float alongside you. 

He doesn’t know how long it was since he started flying, but the next time Taehyung looked over his shoulder, he saw you resting peacefully. He smiled to himself, happy that you were at least safe and he was taking you away from a bad situation. He knew the town nearby was good and if you accepted his help, maybe he could help you get a job? He was unsure though, he just wanted to make sure you were more or less okay before continuing his journey back home, to which his fellow monks would definitely be concerned with how late he’d return, but he supposes they’re used to some people going off track and being late by now. 

Taehyung hummed to himself as he kept his eyes trained on the horizon, watching as the sun started to dip below it. It wasn’t too long before he saw the smoke trail of the village appear in his line of sight. Turning his head over his shoulder, he called out to you, “Y/N! Wake up! We’re here!” 

He heard the low groan of your voice as you began to wake up. “Hmm wha- what the monkey feathers!” Taehyung heard you shout, getting a good chuckle out of him as you became more lucid.

“We’re about to land in Naizong Village,” he explained as he heard you shuffle closer to look over the side of the saddle. “It’s an easy landing, but I do suggest you hold on!” He smiled at you over his shoulder, only to see you enthralled with the sight of the world coming closer and closer. As Yeontan neared the ground, Taehyung saw a handful of people gathering just outside the village. “Gently, Tannie!” He instructed his bison as he landed on the dirt.

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite nomad!” A voice shouted from the small crowd. Squinting his eyes, he managed to spot the owner of the familiar voice.

“Leni!” Taehyung beamed as he hopped off Yeontan’s head. Leni was the Naizong healer and a friend of his guardian, thus making her his friend too. He grew up visiting her often whenever they made their way back towards the Northern Air Temple. “It’s so good to see you!” He wrapped his arms around the elderly woman.

“It’s good to see you too, Tae! How’s my boy doing? And how’s Ruen?” She questioned as she raised a hand to his face, pinching one of his cheeks.

He opened his mouth to answer, but before he got a word out, your voice from above called out. “Sorry to interrupt, but a little help here?”

“Oh, sorry!” Taehyung pushed himself up into the air, landing softly next to you in the saddle. Ever so carefully, he got you standing before wrapping an arm around your waist. You in return placed your arm over his shoulder. Gently, he propelled the two of you up in the air. Your grip on him tightened as you began to hover midair, eliciting a small smile from him, “I got you,” he said as he started the descent back to solid ground. “There you go,” he kept his arm loose around your waist, letting you use him as a crutch. 

“Oh, child! What happened to you?” Leni questioned as Taehyung continued to keep you upright. 

“This is Y/N, I rescued him from uh. . .” turning his head to you, he saw a flash of fear in your eyes. He knew then he couldn’t tell Leni the outright truth, as thief was a brand worn forever, no matter what they were stealing. Not wanting to ruin your chances of a second chance, he made up an excuse for your injury. “From a platypus bear trap. Pesky things. I tried to fix him up as best I could, but I’m no healer.” He laughed nervously to himself as Leni looked at you with a sorrowful face. 

“I’m sorry dear, let's get you fixed up.” She gestured over to her home over her shoulder and started to head in that direction. 

“No, I don’t want to intrude-” You began to protest before Leni shushed you.

“It’s no problem, at all. Any friend of Taehyung is a friend of mine. I can fix up your leg and get you some supper. Come on now.” She assured you as she led the both of your towards her cottage. “Taehyung, Yeontan can help himself to the barn.” 

He chuckled at her comment, “She must’ve restocked on hay. Normally she tells him to stay away from the barn.” He remarked to you as you hobbled along next to him. Taehyung stopped walking, moving his arms to pick you up. “Here let me-”

“I’m fine,” you insisted as you attempted to stop him from lifting you up.

“Leni’s house is a bit of a walk and dare I say it, she’s getting ahead.” He chortled at you. “Let me, it’s no problem really.”

Silently, you agreed, moving your hands to wrap around his neck as his arm went beneath your legs. Taehyung was able to catch up fairly quickly to Leni. He was able to catch a few glances down at you while you all made the walk to Leni’s house. Taehyung was quick to notice how you kept your eyes away from his face, focused on the trees or other passing villagers. There was a light blush across your cheeks whenever you seemed to catch him looking at you, but you never said anything. 

Upon arriving at Leni’s place, he placed you down seated at the table while your hostess went to fetch her first aid kit. The two of you sat in an awkward silence as you waited for her to return. 

“Thank you, by the way.” You said as Taehyung sat himself next to you, he gave you a puzzled look before you continued. “For not telling her about. . . you know.”

“It’s no problem at all,” he replied, scratching the back of his neck. “Do you uh, think this is a good place for you? To start over?” He questioned, curious as to your thoughts and getting away from your old village. 

“I think it’ll work just fine,” you smiled at him, “it’s a good place for a fresh start.”

Taehyung moved to speak again when Leni returned with her kit, “Now, let’s see how badly Tae-Tae messed up your leg.”

The air nomad stepped back, standing in the doorway as he watched Leni carefully re-wrapped your leg, which looked a lot better than his poor attempt at it. All set in place, Leni told you to sit tight as she went to grab you some food to eat. Despite your protests of being fine, it wasn’t hard to hear your stomach grumbling, leaving you no choice but to sit and wait until the elderly woman returned. 

“She’s nice,” you muttered, giving him a small smile.

“Yeah, she’s really sweet.” He agreed, nodding. A silence fell over you both yet again, unsure of what to say. “Leni can help you get everything in order for you, I uh, I should get going-“

“Taehyung, you will do no such thing.” Leni scolded as she returned to the table, a few bowls of soup in hand. “It’s late, have supper. You can leave at first light.”

“You’re leaving?” He couldn’t help but detect a sense of hurt in your voice.

“It’s just- I mean- I said I’d arrive at the Northern Air Temple in a few days time, I’m so close.” He mumbled, feeling torn between his word and the sense of responsibility he harbored for you. 

“Well I’m sure Ruen will understand if you arrive a day late.” Leni said, pushing the bowl towards him. “Now eat. You’re so scrawny.”

Not wanting to argue anymore, he reached for the chopsticks, ready to eat. The meal was eaten in a comfortable silence. When the three of you had finished, bellies full, Taehyung stood up, ready to help Leni clear the table, but the old woman slapped his hand away.

“I can handle the dishes, Taehyung. You can help our guest towards the guest room.” And without saying another word, took the bowls and headed away, leaving Taehyung with no choice other than to help you. Taehyung looked at you sheepishly as you covered your mouth, stifling a laugh. 

“Come on, best we listen to her,” he sighed playfully as he stood up. Extending an arm out to you, he helped you rise to your feet, once again offering himself as a crutch. Graciously, you accepted this time, allowing him to lead you further into the house and towards one of the spare rooms. 

“Who is Ruen? Is he like your father or something” You asked offhandedly.

Taehyung winced at the question, “Uh, no, he’s my guardian.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?” You furrowed your brows

“No, air nomads aren’t raised by those who gave birth to them,” Taehyung responded cordially as he approached a door, pushing it open. 

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Your face fell as he helped you into the room.

“Whatever do you mean?” 

“I mean, I know what it feels like to not know your parents,” you said, your voice lowering to a softer tone.

Taehyung frowned as he got you seated down on the bed. “I knew who my parents were, they just weren’t who raised me.” Granted, he rarely ever saw the people who conceived him, all Taehyung ever truly knew was Monk Ruen. He taught him everything he knew; how to cook, clean, and play pai sho. If that was what a father would teach his son, then Ruen would be the closest to that. 

Your eyes grew wide in embarrassment. “I-I okay- rats, I’m-”

Taehyung stopped you before you could start to tumble over your words even further. “It’s okay.” With that assurance, your shoulders dropped in relief. An agreed upon silence falling over the two of you. With you under Leni’s roof, he knew you were set for a fresh start. You were going to be okay. Unsure what else to say, Taehyung backed away from the bed. “I’ll let you rest now. Good night.”

“See you in the morning?” You asked out. 

Taehyung knew he shouldn’t leave any later than sunrise, but perhaps he could stay a bit longer. He sees Ruen more often than Leni, and now there’s you as well. He should say goodbye to his new friend. “See you in the morning.”

True to his word, Taehyung did see you in the morning to say goodbye, albeit it was only for a few moments, he did have to reach the Northern Air Temple before the end of the day. Your hair was tousled from sleep, and your eyes were bleary. He felt oddly endeared by the sight as you, with the help of Leni, tiredly made your way over toward Yeontan.

“Good morning!” He smiled at the pair of you. Leni was obviously more awake than you, as you grumbled out a response. 

“Good morning, Taehyung,” the elderly woman responded. “I have something for you and Ruen,” she said, a ceramic pot in a netted bag. Taehyung didn’t even have to open it to know what was inside, egg custard tart. Bowing in thanks, he carefully took the bag, securing it amongst his other things. 

Leni helped set you down near a hay bale beside the sky bison, leaving you to watch as Taehyung finished making sure everything was secured and ready for take off (as well as watch Yeontan nibble on some hay that was set aside for him). Once he had finished, he hopped down to Lenoi, hugging her goodbye. 

“Take care of yourself,” she said as she pulled away from him. “And give my love to Ruen.”

“I will, Leni.” Free of Leni’s grasp, he turned to you. You’d risen from your spot on the hay bale, carefully keeping your weight off of your bad foot. “It was wonderful to meet you, Y/N.”

“Likewise,” you smiled, standing there awkwardly. 

Taehyung hesitated for a moment, unsure of whether or not to hug you, before ultimately deciding he would. He wrapped his arms around your shoulders, pulling you into him. You stiffened for a moment, but relaxed into his touch, returning the hug. After a few moments, it was you that broke away from the embrace.

“You should probably go. I’ve already made you late enough,” you said, chuckling nervously.

With a small laugh, Taehyung propelled himself up into the air, gently landing on Yeontan’s head. “Take care!” Grabbing the reins in his hands, he gave them a soft snap, “Yeontan, yip-yip!” With that, his sky bison flew off into the air. Looking over, Taehyung watched as you and Leni shrunk down into the size of ants, before completely disappearing from his sight. Yeontan groaned beneath him. “I know, buddy, I like him too.”

After returning to the Northern Air Temple, Taehyung’s mind could not be rid of you. Despite your quick meeting, you had left quite an impact. He thought of you as he cooked fruit pies, between matches of air ball, he couldn’t even meditate as all his mind would center on was of you. Your reactions to his jokes, his food, what you might even think of the temple (although it was forbidden to bring outsiders). If any of the other air nomads had noticed his sudden attachment, they said nothing, and he could only hope they wouldn’t find out.

As the seasons changed; summer into fall, and fall into winter, Taehyung found himself once again, ready to leave the temple for the next. However, he was certain he was going to make a stop to see you again.

After Taehyung’s departure, Leni gave you ample time to heal. But your ankle was permanently damaged, the thick wire of the bola dug deep into your muscle, leaving you with a slight limp. Leni had given you a staff to assist you with walking, helping you adjust. 

She’d even let you stay with her, so long as you helped her with her herbalist shop in town. You’d learned a great deal from helping her, with all the sick and injured villagers that would come to her, seeking remedies. 

Every morning before breakfast, you’d wake up just around sunrise. You’d make your way out of the house, and sit beside the barn, eyes facing the north. It was obvious that you were anxious to see Taehyung again, yet with each passing day, you grew less and less hopeful to see the sky bison flying in the horizon. He never did say if or when he’d return, but you’d hoped it would’ve been sooner rather than later.

“He won’t be back for a while, you know that right?” Leni’s voice pulled you from deep thought, having followed you out one morning. “I’ve been friends with Ruen since we were both young, and I've only seen him no more than ten times in my life. The air nomads are detached from the world, so a friendship with them is a great honor and blessing. But they never come more than once every few years.” You deflated upon hearing that, but it didn’t stop you from waiting. Something in you knew that Taehyung would return.

However, Leni had begun to tell stories of her time with Ruen and Taehyung: how she’d first met him, some of the many pranks they pulled together as kids, and when Ruen became Taheyung’s appointed guardian. With that came special stories about the air nomad you’d found yourself fond of; hearing tales of him as a child, his own troublemaker years. What was especially heart warming was apparently after Taehyung had earned his mastery tattoos, he’d made a beeline for the Naizong Village, wanting Leni to be the first person he told as he made his rounds across the world again. You could only hope that he would hold you in the same regard one day. 

The days grew colder and nights grew longer, signaling the changing of the seasons. You’d grown up in an arid town, close to the Serpent's Pass, miles away from the walls of Ba Sing Se. Being farther north than you’d ever lived before, you were in awe of the thin layer of snow that had covered the village. You’d begun to slightly stand out amongst the other villagers now, bundling up in layers, unused to the cold. While the others weren’t wearing as many layers as you, perhaps only wearing longer sleeves instead. 

Per your routine, you woke up at sunrise, making yourself a pot of tea to keep you warm as you stared off into the northern skies. The brisk morning air nipped at your cheeks, slowly waking you more as you sipped on your tea. You blew out a puff of air, your hot breath visible in the chilly morning air. You’d found yourself doing that a lot lately, imagining yourself an airbender, how far your breath would go if you could send it farther than possible. Taehyung had also come to mind, would he find your musing entertaining?

Taking another sip of your tea, a loud yet familiar roar was heard in the distance. Your head shot up, sloshing the tea over your fingers. You hissed, but pushed away the pain, focusing on the fact that a sky bison was heading your way! The beast landed near the barn, and its owner jumped up from their place. While it had been months since you’d last seen his face, you recognized him instantly. Taehyung had returned!

“You’re here! You’re actually here!” You shouted happily as you practically ran over to the nomad, throwing your arms over his shoulders. 

“Woah, did you miss me or something?” He laughed as he returned your hug, wrapping his arms around your torso. He was still wearing the same robes from when you’d met him, with no additional covering to keep out the cold. But despite coming down from great heights, his body was warm to the touch, you almost didn’t want to let him go. 

“Somewhat,” you muttered. With the sound of the door opening, you’d finally released him, allowing for Leni to make her move to hug him.

“Two visits in one year? Well, I must be dreaming.”

“You aren’t, Leni.” Your heart softened at the sight of them. Even though you’d seen them reunite before, knowing what you know now of them, made your heart squeeze. 

With Taehyung back, and unsure how long he was going to stay, you attached yourself to his side. In the back of your mind, you feared he would push you away, wanting his space. But he didn’t, in fact, he welcomed your presence. Every morning, he’d brew you a cup of tea for you to drink whilst he fed Yeontan. During the day, with nothing growing in the cold it left you and Taehyung free to roam the woods. He’d show you some airbending moves, which would knock down the snow that was gathering on the branches. One time the snow landed on you, falling down the back of your shirt, ice cold wetness sliding down your spine. You yelped, but all Taehyung could do was laugh at you.

But the most favorite thing the two of you would do was as just before sunset, Taehyung would help you up onto Yeontan, and he’d take you for a ride. You were asleep that first time you rode the sky bison, not able to fully enjoy the experience that was flying over the world. With the sun slowly falling below the horizon, it turned the sky a magnificent orange. Painting the clouds in red, yellows, and purples. It was a sight to behold, and one you certainly never wanted to forget. 

Above the clouds, it was as if it was only you two in the entire world (well, the two of you plus Yeontan). Taehyung sat so close to you, and suddenly the cold winter air no longer disturbed you. Tentatively, you rested your head on his shoulder. You felt him stiffen, and you almost pulled your head back up to apologize, but he relaxed, feeling his chin rest on the top of your head. 

“I really like you, Tae,” you whispered, your voice barely audible over the winds. But Taehyung had heard you, his hand finding yours and lacing his fingers with yours. 

“I really like you too.”

Gnawing on your bottom lip, you lifted your head up to look at him, eyes occasionally flickering down to his lips. His brows furrowed at your sudden decision to stare, but before he could question you, you pressed your mouth to his. Taehyung made a small noise of surprise, but he melted into the kiss, hand still tightly grasped in yours. Meanwhile, your free hand crawled up to the nape of his neck. The skin of your palm was met by the smallest of fuzz, barely even grown in.

You pulled away momentarily, his breath fanned across your face, the sensation similar to a fresh spring breeze. “You need to shave,” you murmured against his lips. 

“What if. . . what if I didn’t?” His words left you frowning. “I’ve never felt this way before, but I know I shouldn’t. Ijust. . . I can’t be without you.”

“You’re. . . suggesting you leave the Air Nomads?” The words had your heart fluttering and your stomach drop. The realization of the consequences had you reeling. “No, those are your people-”

“I love my people,” Tae cut you off. “But I know that forming an attachment like this? They wouldn’t- I would be exiled either way. This is my choice.” His other hand came up to grapes your chin, forcing you to meet his gaze, waves of comfort and reassurance flowed through him.

Smiling at him, your hand that has rested on his neck moved, dragging over the tattooed skin of his head. Barely you saw him shiver at the sensation. “You’d look nice with long hair.”

[lulu2992]

Hey there!

After reading your great insight on what to keep in mind when, say, writing the Seed brothers in fanfiction, I was wondering if you wanted to cap things off on what to keep in mind when writing Faith?

You don’t have to do it immediately, just when you have the time.

Hi! Sure, let’s conclude this “series” with the last member of the family, Faith Seed :)

First, while she’s referred to as a/the Siren by Dutch, a couple of NPCs, and in promotional material, this isn’t her official title in the Project. And as you probably know, Faith Seed’s real name is actually Rachel. However, unlike what the Far Cry Wiki claims, I’m quite certain her full name was never Rachel Jessop. Unfortunately, the biography on her Wiki page is partly made up and based on that incorrect assumption, so I really don’t recommend trusting it. This advice goes for all Far Cry characters, and I don’t think the Far Cry 6 Season Pass is a good reference, either, since the DLCs were written with the help of the Wiki.

In Far Cry 5, in addition to the story cutscenes, she has three sermons (here, here, and here), four answering machine messages (here, here, here, and here), and can also be randomly encountered in the Henbane River region as a “specter” (term used in the files). When she appears, she either hums the song “Oh The Bliss” (here and here) or talks to the Deputy. I think what she says really is worth listening to and adds a lot to her character. @teamhawkeye has done a tremendous job recording and compiling all her appearances in 9 videos (1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9)! As for Marshal Burke’s “apology video”, in which Faith also appears, it’s here.

I wrote a summary of what other characters say about her here (masterpost here), and all the NPCs’ comments about the Seed family are available here and here.

Faith isn’t in Far Cry Arcade and doesn’t have the same “combat lines” as most other characters, but you can still listen to everything she says during the final fight against her here.

Her deleted lines are here, and she has even more here. Most of them probably aren’t relevant anymore, but they’re still interesting and make me wonder what they originally had in mind for the character!

If I’m not mistaken, there’s only one note in Far Cry 5 written by Faith: the “Note for Tracey” (Hope County Jail). The note “A Confession” (Throne of Mercy Church) was also written by “Faith”, but it seems to me the author is one of Rachel’s predecessors.

Indeed, in-game evidence indicates Rachel wasn’t the first woman who took on the role of Faith Seed. There were at least two others before her, Lana and Selena, but we barely know anything about them or why they were replaced. Two letters, written by people who knew and loved them, can be found in the game in the Horned Serpent Cave and the King’s Hot Springs Hotel, but that’s pretty much it.

There was another note written by Faith, apparently cut from the game but still available in oasisstrings. It was supposed to be in her bunker, Faith’s Gate:

To my guardians, Because we have each other, we are already strong. But when the Collapse comes, this gate will need to be the heart of our strength. Guard it with your lives, knowing that any sacrifice you make will be for the future of humanity's greatest ideals and dreams. Jacob and Joseph have chosen you to guard this gate. You should be very proud. I know you serve me with love, but never forget that this will be your home, too. If you falter from this purpose, remember the bliss is there for you. With love, Faith

It’s worth noting that, in the game’s files, Faith (or the Henbane River) is sometimes referred to as “Selena Seed”. To me, this suggests that her identity and her backstory went through many changes during the development of Far Cry 5, and that might explain at least some of the grey areas surrounding the character.

Since she isn’t the Seed brothers’ biological sister and they weren’t raised together, The Book of Joseph doesn’t give a lot of information about her life before Eden’s Gate aside from what the game already tells us: she was a broken person, addicted to drugs, and was “adopted” by Joseph as his sister and Herald. When she joined the cult, since drugs are forbidden by the rules, she first had to overcome her addiction, and the book says she succeeded with the help of scopolamine (basically Bliss). It’s also explained she then worked with a geneticist named Peter, probably on developing Bliss. That said, in the game, he’s never mentioned, cultists never use the word “scopolamine” (always “Bliss”), and nothing clearly indicates it can be or has ever been used as a substitution treatment, so I’m not sure what’s still canonical...

Faith also appears in the short film Inside Eden’s Gate (not entirely canon to me but still good) where she’s played by Mackenzie “Kenz” Lawrén Johnson. I must admit Faith is my favorite Herald in the film; I really like Kenz Lawrén’s interpretation as well as her opinion on the character, which she gave in this interview!

Weirdly, Faith has often been referred to as the “half-sister” by the game’s main writers (such as here or here) even though she isn’t related to the Seed family in the game. It’s possible that she used to be but that was changed at some point. According to the Lead Writer, “Maybe she isn’t liked by the other two brothers as she didn’t grow up with them” (which is hinted at by NPCs and John himself in Far Cry 5). In a now-deleted interview for GameCrate, he also described her as “more of an outsider” and “probably the most fervent believer in Joseph”.

Greg Bryk, who co-created and played the Father, said he believed he needed Faith because “the maternal aspect of the feminine energy is missing” in his life even though it’s something “essential for Joseph to have”. He thinks there have been several Faiths because “when [Joseph] would lose faith, [he] would find another Faith.” And according to him, “she doesn’t need to have a specific energy because there’s something of an essence that [he needs] as opposed to a person”, and she almost has a “mother earth energy”.

While she does give a bit of information about her past life as Rachel in the game, saying she was “ostracized by her community”, “bullied by friends”, “abused by her family”, and “wanted to die”, it’s not always easy to know what’s true and what’s not when it comes to Faith because she’s known for being a master manipulator; lying is canonically part of her modus operandi. In a way, because Faith Seed is a role, I would say she’s also always performing. Unlike what a few NPCs claim, I don’t think that means she never tells the truth, but she’s still undoubtedly “very skilled at twisting the facts and turning any situation to her advantage”, as the game’s Narrative Director put it.

Although the details are unclear, I believe it’s true Rachel was “lost” and “broken” before she arrived in Hope County and joined the Project. It’s also true that, as Faith Seed, she’s now powerful, dangerous, and not innocent anymore, as her former best friend Tracey Lader, who knows her very well and witnessed her transformation (but was unable to stop it), warns the Deputy. I neither mean nor think the situation Faith is in is normal, healthy, or the best thing that could have happened to her, but I do think saying she’s unhappy with it, helpless, in danger, or that she only wishes she could run away from the cult really is a misunderstanding of the character. Faith knows what she’s doing, and she’s very good at doing it. To me, she’s the most powerful Herald.

Since the lore is a bit inconsistent, we’re not entirely sure how the Bliss works and who created it, but we know it’s an almost magical, hallucinogenic and pacifying drug made from “bliss flowers” (heavily inspired by Datura stramonium) that Faith is immune to, can control, and uses to brainwash people. “The Bliss” is also a place, but once again, the details are unclear. It could be her bunker, or maybe just a distorted version of reality that individuals who are exposed to the drug “live” in. Wherever or whatever it is, most people never truly come back from it or fully break free from Faith’s influence, as seen with the Marshal in the game…

In the Project, Faith’s role is to lure (hence the nickname “Siren”) people into the cult and convince them to follow the Father, often with the help of Bliss. If they keep resisting or are “too full of fear and doubt”, high doses of the drug can be administered to them and turn them into Angels, who are comparable to zombies according to some characters. Bliss irreversibly damages people’s brains, and those who become Angels unfortunately can never be saved. Faith and her followers seem to think they’re beautiful creations because they’re faithful to the Project and unable to sin. It seems she has the power to control them (at least partly), and the cult doesn’t hesitate to use them as “shock troops” or “slave labor and beasts of burden”, as NPCs say. They’re indeed very docile and resistant... as well as hard to kill.

Again, there are some discrepancies regarding what happens to potential converts in the Henbane River region, but it seems people first have to walk along the Pilgrimage path and, at the end of it, take a literal leap of faith from the statue of Joseph, just like Faith explains she did (even though whether or not the statue already existed at the time is a bit uncertain). As unbelievable as it sounds, NPCs confirm it’s entirely possible to survive the leap. After walking the Path, some pilgrims become Angels, some simply join the Project, and others don’t survive, either because they don’t make it to the end or die when they jump (maybe because their faith isn’t strong enough, I’m not sure how that works).

In the Family, Faith can be described as “the favorite child” (and I think that makes John jealous), who saw Joseph as her savior when they met and wants others to experience the same feeling, by force if necessary. Just like her brothers, she basically weaponizes her trauma and makes people relive a sublimated version of her life story: she targets the most vulnerable individuals, gives them drugs to ease their torment, and sometimes takes their minds away from them. Even though Faith is fully capable of thinking for herself, isn’t mind-controlled, was a drug user before she joined the Project (not after), and left her old self Rachel “in the darkness” willingly to be reborn as Faith Seed, she still became a new person for the Father and expects the same from anyone she converts, even if that means she has to completely brainwash them.

In conclusion, we don’t really know much about Rachel and her backstory, simply that she was broken, saw Eden’s Gate as a chance to start anew, and happily took it. Since she was young, desperate, and therefore suggestible when she met Joseph, one can wonder if Faith is simply a manipulated, brainwashed victim; a poor, helpless soul devoured by a cult. But although that situation is far from ideal or normal, she and other characters confirm that she too has teeth, and she doesn’t hesitate to use them. Rachel should theoretically just have been a victim, but as Faith Seed, she’s transcended this status. She’s found purpose, power, and is committed to her beliefs. Not everyone in Hope County precisely knows who she is, but now, she does. She’s a multifaceted mystery whom people tend to underestimate, and it’s something she likes to cultivate because that’s how she gets them. She’s a Siren, but in my opinion, also a Phoenix, who was consumed completely and rose up from her own ashes to be born again. Rachel was broken, but Faith is strong. Rachel lost herself, but Faith was found. Rachel was nothing; Faith can be anything.

[dailyexo]

[INTERVIEW] Baekhyun - 230223 W Korea: “Days With Baekhyun”

Returning after two years, Baekhyun used the word “comfort” often.

Baekhyun’s only wish is to sing heart-felt, timeless songs for us. Baekhyun talked about the days spent with us and the days ahead of us.

How many days has it been since you were discharged from the military?

Today is precisely the third day since I’ve been out.

You have finally gifted flower shoes to the fans. (‘Giving flower shoes’ is a Korean phrase that means returning to the significant other who had been waiting for their partner to return from military service.)

I know. Before I left for the military, I told the fans that many things could change in a year and nine months. How could I make them wait? I told them to focus on their own lives but come back if they feel like it when I return. I said, if anything, I would try to win them back again.

So, you recently did a live show to celebrate discharge. Seeing you’re still as bright and youthful, fans recalled the time you promoted your second solo mini-album, “Delight,” released three years ago.

Honestly, I was super worried. But I was relieved to see their warm reactions. I’m grateful to my parents. Haha.

You talked about your time in the army during the live show.

Most of my training campmates were born after 1999, except for a few. I was the eldest there. Everyone followed me like their older brother. I still keep in touch with the friends I met then. Recently, I got a call from one of them. He said, “I am working out at the gym right now.” He was a skinny one, and every single day at the training camp, I told him to work out.

Baekhyun, as we know, was the life of the party among the EXO and SuperM members. Your bubbly personality would have shined in the army training camp.

There was no exception. I didn’t let anyone fall behind. Whenever I saw someone wanting to give up, I said, “You can’t lose to things like this,” “If you keep giving up, this becomes your habit,” and, “Real life outside is much harder than this.” I don’t let my friends give up or fall behind. I pull them together.

I presume the past two years have been a time to realize and reassess who Byun Baek Hyun really is as a person, not just Beakhyun from EXO.

Yeah. My MBTI changed during the break from ISFP to ESTJ. I’ve been known as a homebody for a long time among my friends. But I’m actually an extrovert and a very active person. But when I look back on my childhood, I barely had time to spend at home. To the point where my mother always said, “How come I see my son only for breakfast?” I felt like I went back to my real self during the break.

Was it also a time to realize again what your fans mean to you?

Of course. I still have a long way to go to learn about the fans thoroughly. There’s something I learned this time, though. The fact that our existence to each other is a lot bigger than what we think. During the first year of my alternative military service, I looked back a lot. I watched a lot of the past concert videos. At concerts, I had a lot of fun with them. There were times when I saw my facial expression on the stage and thought I really did bust my butt to pull everything. Also, sometimes I felt really empty and felt this unfillable void. At one point, I thought, “Will they still be there?” while listening to the cheers of fans in those videos. They are like a really good teacher who would grade me and encourage me. They inspire me to do my homework. They have had me run, take lessons and become a better person. I want to do well to hear their acknowledgment. If they didn’t exist, I probably would not have tried so hard to come this far.

Your Namu-wiki page has a “Fan Love” section. As we read through the things you’ve said to the fans, we thought even a real boyfriend couldn’t say such sweet things.

Haha. Definitely my mom’s influence there. She speaks so gently. She is the sweetest person, really. And I am the youngest in the family. My family poured sweet love on me. Sometimes, fans ask me how I can speak so nicely. To be honest, I don’t know. I feel it’s nothing special, to me, a very ordinary and everyday thing.

It seems like fans could rarely feel the army break. You filmed 20 pieces of YouTube content ahead of time and released them during the break.

I know how hard it is to wait. Even when we did the EXO concert tour, we couldn’t release an album during that time. So it had been a long-standing concern about how to fill the vacancy. In particular, no one was trying to do something special to fill the vacancy during the military break. At first, I thought about making a small game instead of a video. Like the Tamagotchi game, fans can foster ‘Baekhyun’ from level 1 for 641 days while I am away. Feed him, water him. Haha.

The background in planning the pre-created YouTube Content was to give fans something to calm their longings, but also in some parts, wishing your fans would not forget you by watching these videos, right?

Yeah, that is pretty much it. Actually, I was swamped when we were filming the YouTube videos. I had a hectic schedule. It was just around when my third solo mini album Bambi came out, and on top of that, SuperM’s promotion overlapped. But after filming them, I felt so indescribably proud.

The 2021 album Bambi leaves much to be desired in some ways because it had no official activities due to your military service. Nonetheless, it recorded high sales, enough to bring the double million-seller title. It was also the album released in the year of your 30th birthday, showcasing your finest skills as a vocalist.

Bambi was created strictly with my own needs and vision. I tried everything I wanted to do without looking at anyone, and I wanted to free my mind by doing so. You are right. I put in everything I could as a vocalist. I first rearranged my vocal tone around the time of my first solo mini-album City Lights in 2019, and I wanted to see how much I had grown since then. I became very dedicated because I thought I could make a better sound than two years ago. I tried the vocal ranges that I wouldn’t have chosen in the past because I was too nervous. I purposely chose difficult music because I wanted to experience both failures and trials.

In particular, the title song "Bambi" seems to have been a regular song for the music school entrance exam that year. It’s perfect for showing off your vocal skills going back and forth freely with your falsetto, modal, and head voice.

Well, I don’t really recommend it. It’s a high-risk song, the beat and rhythm are tough. It’s a pretty challenging song to sing well.

With the release of Bambi, Baekhyun’s genre and brand have become more apparent. "Baekhyun" reminds us of groovy R&B beats from "UN Village" in the album City Lights and "Candy" in Delight.

R&B is a genre that I’ve been attached to for a long time, so I’ll continue with it. However, I also want new challenges. I want to try this and that without being too picky. I want to be an all-rounder. I’m interested in singing-rap these days.

Which musician are you paying attention to as a reference these days?

I’ve gotten closer to Colde recently. I like his singing style, and it’s fabulous that he pulls off the melody rhythmically as if he’s rapping. I’ve requested songs from Colde. I don’t know what kind of work will come out yet, but we’ll work together soon.

As a musician, there’s no more valuable experience than getting a “response” to your song. All three solo albums released so far have recorded respectable sales. Did you expect such success?

Not at all. It exceeded my expectations. This record was possible thanks to the efforts of many K-pop singers ahead of me. In particular, the sales volume of the second album was the highest in 20 years of Korean pop music history.

Delight became the first solo album to achieve the million-seller title, and you became the second artist to hold such titles for both the group and solo albums, following after Seo Tai-ji.

Yes, but it’s all thanks to the dedication of so many Korean musicians. As K-pop became more known worldwide, more people started paying attention to K-culture. The Korean artists before me had already paved the roads and I just got to piggyback on them.

I don’t feel any guilt when I listen to your music. Maybe it’s a complete anachronism, but there’s still a certain prejudice regarding idol music. Similarly, some idol music is referred to as a ‘hidden masterpiece.’ But when I listen to Baekhyun’s solo music, I feel like I’m just listening to really good music.

Thanks. I indeed paid a lot of attention to that. I chose a lot of genres that wouldn’t come from SM. SM prefers strong and intense sounds, but I wanted to focus on easy-listening music. It was partly because of my preference and strategic choice to differentiate between EXO and solo activities. Seeing that many of the tracks from my solo albums are still receiving a ot of love, I think it was a good decision.

It is common to spot excessiveness in solo albums by Idol group members. It was rather unique that Baekhyun has an easy mood, as you’ve just said.

I pushed for that. I kept thinking, ‘I’ll make more easy-listening music,’ ‘The music should not change in the middle,’ and ‘The melody should flow as expected.’ I wanted to minimize statement sounds and focus on the lyrics. There was even some feedback from the company that it fell short. But I kept pushing. My motto was to do something that sounds easy to people’s ears, like passive music, even if it may not feel ‘sophisticated or innovative’ for some.

What you just said seems connected to the question of, ‘what is good music to me as a musician?’

Probably. In a way, I’m making music that’s pleasant to listen to. But I don’t usually listen to a lot of music. My ears are so tired. Since I’m a singer, I need to know a lot of songs, but when I find one I like, I listen to it over and over. There’s something in common when I look at the songs I’m hooked on. It’s not too much, and it just has one or two significant factors.

For example?

I especially like old-fashioned pop songs. Fibo Bryson’s "Why Goodbye" is also a song that I love, for example. If you listen to it, there’s a particular section once in the bridge, once in the chorus, and once in the verse. You can listen to it comfortably, and the sound is completely filled with only vocals.

What is the vocal tone you pursue?

If I could have a voice that doesn’t go out of date, I couldn’t ask for more.

It’s also the most challenging thing.

I know. I once imagined, “Will Baekhyun’s episode of ‘Hidden Singer’ come out?” I don’t think so. Because my voice doesn’t have a distinctive feature. But it’s definitely a voice that can give you some comfort. A good tone depends on the time and taste. It’s something that keeps moving without being fixed. So I just want my voice to be peaceful and stable. I hope I can make the sound warm enough to relax your body. That’s all I want.

It’s been 11 years since your debut, and you’re still taking vocal lessons every week, right?

Yes. I have a big desire to evolve. I thought about it when EXO received a lot of attention with Growl in 2013. ‘Why are so many people going crazy? Am I really that good? I don’t think so. If the heat goes away, they will see me.’ That’s why I kept trying. I always criticize myself more than others do. It’s not a matter of high self-esteem and low self-esteem. I’m just continuing to make up for my shortcomings because I know my weaknesses better than anyone else.

To me, Baekhyun is not a person with low self-esteem but one who constantly and carefully self-censors himself.

Yes, that’s right. Maybe I am a perfectionist, and I hate it when there’s no complete ending. If I don’t think I can finish something properly, I don’t even start. I tend to get extremely disappointed with myself if I don’t do something perfectly at work.

A perfectionist who pursues easiness… It sounds hard. Haha

Haha. As a musician, I want to be an easy person who can blend in with the public. I don’t want to be a musician who is so cool that people admire and want to follow. I want to be someone people can talk to easily when they meet me on the street while listening to my song.

The only regret for Baekhyun as a solo musician is that he had little opportunity to tell autobiographical stories in music. What kind of stories do you want to tell through your music as 32-year-old Baekhyun?

I want to deliver encouraging lyrics. And deliver the message that you shouldn’t give up easily and try to face more challenges. I think the disappearance of the “Jeong” culture played a role in making people get easily tired these days. In the past, when a neighbor moved in, we used to make steamed rice cakes. If the next door neighbor cooks a lot of food, they would share it with others. But living in a disconnected world without affection, people seem to think only of themselves. I want to put a hopeful message in my song that we can all unite in harmony again.

It’s been two years since W Magazine and Baekhyun met—, since the cover of the March 2021 issue, right? Throughout today’s shoot, the staff said you were sexy. Baekhyun’s “soft sexiness” that you’ve shown in your solo career seems to be reflected in today’s shoot.

Sexy… Haha. I don’t think the sexiness that I have is the sexiness that’s full of intense emotions. It’s more like this. Sometimes you play with your friends, and you feel unexpectedly sexy. I think I have the sexiness to make people a little curious about me. Haha

Today’s shoot was with Cartier’s Tank Frances Watch and Icon Collection. These are pieces that have been called Wannabe by many artists for their timeless classic aesthetic. Regardless of timea and nationality, who is the greatest artist for Baekhyun?

Michael Jackson! Michael Jackson was the only artist who stood still on stage for a few seconds or minutes and people couldn’t stop cheering. His songs have made many people cry for a long time, giving them joy and happiness. So just seeing him standing still on the stage makes them tear up. There isn’t an artist who can beat Michael Jackson.

Still, what would be your secret weapon that you could win over Michael Jackson?

Hmm… My gentle way of talking? Haha.

EXO recently announced the news of EXO’s 11th-anniversary fan meeting. What would it look like if you were to compare EXO to family?

Children who were raised by a strict father but had an infinitely sweet mother? Maybe the stage is our dad. We work hard on stage until it feels like our bodies would break literally. But when we get off stage, we act like kids. Not one friend is rude, and everyone is so kind. When we talk to each other, there’s no difference from when we debuted 11 years ago or when we were trainees.

What are the three things Baekhyun is focusing on these days?

I’m into golf. Out on the golf field, my arms got so tanned, dark enough to leave a watch mark on my wrist. I feel very relieved when I go rounding and see the open space. The second one is the direction of the vocals. And for the third, I was going to say exercise but I’m going to change that. (Kim) Jong-kook, whom I became close with through workouts, said, “It’s time for you to focus on your back.” But hip workouts are too hard. Haha. The last one is EXO’s comeback. We will return as soon as possible with a high-quality album this year.

Photo links: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23

Credit: W Korea.

[ericaportfolio]

Disney's The Gremlins Over the Years

Chapter 1: Gremlins (Part 1)

Due to the recent events with Epic Mickey Rebrushed, I thought of making a series of posts dedicated to Disney's infamous characters from the canceled WWII movie The Gremlins. The character designs of these guys have changed many times during the concept art process and over the years. Today, this is a collection of male Gremlin designs. The female Gremlins were called the Fifinellas, which I will get to them in the next post. For those discovering this, in summary, Disney was making WWII movies and shorts for the war effort. They were going to adapt Roald Dahl's first book about these guys, and several things like people getting tired of war movies and figuring out how to make the movie, which was canceled. I'm making these posts for fun and to help give artists ideas for their OCs and fanart. I would post some sample pictures and a minor breakdown in each post. I might miss some because there is so much, so this is just a handful of pictures and photos I collected over the years. We really need to make a Disney Gremlin's Wiki.

Fun Fact: Bill Justice, a Disney animator and engineer, created many concept art and book illustrations. These posts are dedicated to him. Anyway, let's get started!

Early Concept Art: Bill Justice's early versions of the Gremlins that were later used for the Cosmopolitan version of the story. Shout out for ZOLTAR'S FORTUNE on eBay posting the Photocopies.

Cosmopolitan Magazine (1942): The earliest release of "The Gremlin" story was in the December 1942 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine. Someone posted the full article on the site, but I might do another post for each illustration. So stay tuned for that!

Concept Art of the guys we recognize: These would eventually be the final book and promotion designs.

The (Controversial) Life-Saver Ad (1943): AKA the ad Roald Dahl hated, but Walt Disney thought differently.

Dell War Heroes (April 1943): This is a sample from a six page adaptation of the story that was featured in a Dell War Heroes comic book. The writer and artist are unknown.

Disney's The Gremlins Book (June 1943): Here is one of Bill Justice's colored paintings from the book. I highly recommend looking through all the paintings from the book because Bill Justice does justice to these guys!

Walt Disney Comics and Stories #33 (June 1943): In this two page adaptation, a new group of pilots believed the Gremlins were fairytales. Jokes on them since what they said enraged the Gremlins that they mess with the guys.

King Features Syndicate: In this one page story, this comic is a quick introduction to the characters, the Gremlin, and why they're attacking the Royal Air Force setting up the story. (Comic found in chroniquedisney)

Donald Vs. The Gremlins (July 1943): The Crossover we would get years later by Walt Kelly.

Walt Kelly's Comics (July 1943-1944): For a year, Walt Kelly would make 8 comics about Gremlin Gus or both Gremlin Gus and two widgets getting in trouble at the airfield.

Storyboard Short (1943): This is a sample of a 1943 storyboard when the production went from feature film to short film.

Disneyfied Gremlin: This is a Model Drawing showing how far into production they were getting before getting scrapped. Later on, concept art was made of the Gremlins to have more of a Disney style. I even noticed the design in the storyboard, too. I'm glad we didn't get this style of characters. But I do love the poses.

Part 2 Coming Soon...

[mayberrycryptid]

So, some days ago I noticed your tags about Quinn, how nice it would've been if they had at least gave her some specialty, some peculiar skill. Dunno, like Kono being a natural-born sharpshooter. Duh, I guess we expected too much from such writers. Anyway, this reasoning prompted another one: I know I watched the OG H50 when a child, just like I did with Starsky&Hutch or Hazzard or Chips or A-Team....but of course it's too many decades ago to remember the details! Anyway, looking on the wiki page about the OG show, they literally say that Danny "From a shaky beginning, when he nervously defused his first bomb, following instructions shouted to him through the office door, he progressed to become Hawaii Five-0’s resident bomb expert, and was called upon to neutralize several more bombs during his career with the unit. Williams was an expert marksman whose sharpshooting skill was utilized on many occasions. He was also acknowledged as a handwriting expert." .....And I fucking. Wonder. WHY. They never gave him any kind of special skill. Sure, since Kono had to be THEE expert marksman, so that was out of question. But can you imagine your resident bomb expert ending up targeted by a motion-sensing bomb in 3x06?? How much more impactful it would've felt?? Knowing you're the one who can solve the problem but just CAN'T?? And the handwriting expertise?! It takes patience and a keen eye to gain such skill, so why making him look like your local resident idiot for anything tech-related, instead?? Such wasted potential. And honestly, it would've only enhanced Steve's decision to have him gain H50, with such sharp intellect, surely not diminished Steve's one-mand-band-superhero-gary-stu portrait.

I still don't understand why Show didn't do a better job of giving each character specific skill sets.

For example, what if Chin had the bomb/detonation skills? That would've changed the tension/stakes in several episodes. Also (this is awful) what if his issues with other HPD officers came from a bomb situation that went sideways? That would have created a more interesting background and so much more potential for storylines.

Or what if Danny had experience with the different mob/mafia groups? The jopok (Korean mob) are also in New Jersey, so that would've been an easy way to tie his old cases to his new job with H50. and that would have also created hooks for jopok or Triad episodes so it wasn't always Yakuza this and Yakuza that. Also, imagine if Danny really could speak Russian😳

And then there is Quinn and Lori and Catherine and Jenna. They all should've had specific skill sets that added to the team and also created new storylines, but nope.

Heck, we barely got anything from the pro surfer scene in the seven seasons Kono was on. She had both background and know how in that world and ... crickets. Instead we kept getting Doris and the stupid Yakuza🥴

So I guess this is my very long winded way of saying I totally agree. also? I would've killed for an episode where Steve discovers he is useless. Everyone else has the right skill sets for the case, but his usual skill sets are not needed. Steve would've been so frustrated😂

[cloudcountry]

fuck i literally realized a lot of this is due to how much I relate to him IM SORRRYRYRYRYRY but i just wanna talk about him today (i have no fun insights this is just yapping... URGGBSHGRFYGH I RELATE TO AND LOVE HIM SO MUCH SOBS ON UR DOOR STEP)

im sorry, i believe a little warning for the first paragraph i bring up my own dead sibling cause I wanted to get that out of the way

This is decently specific to me: I have a younger dead sibling and idia is just i can relate just so hard to bc of that one fact, (gets out the idia journal) we were around the same age when our siblings died we think we both got them killed through harmless fun comments and just having someone so close to you as your younger sibling die at a young age kinda fucks with you and stuff idrk whats going on but something is

we both have social anxiety i don't think mine is as bad but if i had the option to just talk through a tablet i would, especially in certain situations where i'll freeze up (aka talking to any waiter ever) I genuinely a lot better when im there for someone else that has so we could have a symbiotic relationship for social situations

+ I NEED TO REASSURE HIM HIS DAMN IMAGINARY AUDIENCE ISN'T ACTUALLY REAL NOT EVERYONE HATES YOU YOU DON'T HAVE TO ACT LIKE IT IM RIGHT HERE I LOVE YOU SM :((

Okay funny silly time: love of cats omg cats i love cats he loves cat give him cat he would be unsure how to treat it exactly bc he never had a childhood cat but he has done so much research on cats that he probably could info dump on the cat on why it so cool and the best thing ever "Awww did you know you get a lot of your water from your food bcuz you're a dessert animal and you avoid still standing water due to your prey possibly contaminating the water" please let him see those stray cat cams in china he would love donating food to them,, he would be spear heading naming everyone and making sure they all get a wiki page

OKAY ENOUGH ABOUT IDIA AND CATS BUT HE WOULD SEE IF HE COULD GET THE FUNDS TO OPEN A CAT SHELTER AND FEED SO MANY STRAY KITTIES MOVING ON

baby noooooo,,,, :(( yes im looking back on his after overblot dialogue as a reference even though i just read it anyways,,, Idia will never be able to have his own life separate from his family, since yk cursed and shroud, it's basically a path that was bricked in for him. its like his life path is a long corridor that leads to the same road no matter what he picks. Especially since his unique magic locks him into working for STYX since he can just open a very vital thing and idk almost take over the world. if the shrouds acc got unique magic i think idia could have actually went on to lead a decently good life whether he was STYX head by choice or something else (game dev)

hes so passionate about the things he enjoys, there is so many examples of this, he's into so many things and loves them all with his whole heart it's so endearing (also uhsn dfbghrg bonding over media is the best, hes probably so fun to talk to about media... but he might lord knowing so much over you >:p ily just let me put my two cents in you can keep info dumping idia) OUGH (ignore me doing the hand thing PLEASE I LOVE IDIA I LOVE ORTHO IM ENJOYING WRITING THIS SM) OKAY ANYWAYS aww okay reading over idia's dialogue like im writing you an argumentative essay or something,, STAR ROGUE! the idia of idia (wtf r u writing edie) HIS SILLY ASS SLANG HRGBHRBGVLRHG "OUR LEGEND, POP OOOFF!" Anyways idia just recounting everything about star rogue without second thought he loves it sm he probably played it sm he knows the opening by heart (IDIA AND ORTHO SAYING THE TAG LINE TOGETHER THIS IS KILLING ME AUBURN)

hes heard so often that he was genius when he was really young it was just hardwired for him to think he was the best in the room especially with the advancements he has made from the ages of 10-12. like building ortho is genuinely a feat and he did it and two years definitely he's going to let that go to his head. ngl i feel that his parents were not too great probably absent most of the time since he can just lock himself in his room and work on something that no one knows about for two years. probably fucked him up developmentally too, he was NOT properly socialized the internet was his parents for the entire time probably

he wants to be FUCK THIS SHIT ACC OMG CRIES IN A CORNER SADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD HE JUST WANTED TO BE A COOL ADVENTURER HERO GUY HE DIDN'T KNOW THAT WOULD HAPPEN!!!!! WHAT WENT WRONG IS NOTHING YOU WERE JUST A TOO SMART KID,,, IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT AND NEVER WILL BE YOU DIDN'T KNOW THAT WOULD HAPPEN OMG. DFGVJKDHJHBCBSHFBSFBSFR

it's like 12:30 right now my mental state is deteriorating this is stupid opinions for the most part i tried my best im sorry if this is bad but YOU SAID GUSH IN YOUR INBOX SO I MADE THAT HAPPEN???

-- with lots of love Edie

EDIEEE MY FAVORITE IDIA KISSER‼ THANK U FOR SHARING YOUR THOUGHTS READING THEM WAS SO INTERESTING!!

first of all holy shit im so sorry about what happened to your sibling. i totally get why you'd find him comforting because of that but Oh my gosh. im so sorry.

i think having social anxiety is something a lot of people can relate to with him, even myself. identity actually brought this up but seeing him being pushed into situations where he is ABSOLUTELY not comfortable makes me want to run in there and help him GET OUT. like i may not like this man that much but nobody should feel pressured or panic over entering a social situation they dont want to be a part of.

AH YES THE CAT CARD

RIGHT YEAH its so SAD how he will never get to live his own life and THATS one of the things that ive thought about a lot concerning him. like it would suck to actually have your fate predetermined no matter what. like he's just going to be stuck there with nobody else except for like ortho and his employees(?) but actually. yk what thats how he spent his school days which is even sadder hello

"the idia of idia" HELLO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN

actually! you bring up a good point about idia always being considered a genius since he was young and how that affects his self esteem and how he interacts with people now. i have literally never thought of it that way but it makes a lot of sense.

THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR THOUGHTS EDIE <3 I LOVED HEARING THEM!!

[zenithabovemarshland]

Astrology of Zettelkasten

An example of adapting to oppositions in the birth chart

What is Zettelkasten?

I went into a deep dive about zettelkasten yesterday. If you havent heard of it, it's a system of knowledge-keeping. It contains one idea on an index card that links to other cards (like a wiki). It's an information collection system with the primary aim of connecting ideas into knowledge (1).

A famous user of the zettelkasten was the sociologist Niklas Luhmann.

Luhmann's Astrology

In his essay "Communications with Zettelkastens", Luhmann personifies his zettelkasten and calls it his "communication partner" (2), which is interesting to me because it implies an emotional relationship to... information. And sure enough, Luhmann has Moon in Gemini (3) (sense of security and goodness in the collection of many ideas).

His Moon opposes a Sun-Saturn conjunction in Sagittarius (instinct to establish structure in meaning, one that can adapt to changeability).

On this point, I like this quote from his Wikipedia page: "Luhmann himself described his theory as "labyrinthine" or "non-linear", and claimed he was deliberately keeping his prose enigmatic to prevent it from being understood "too quickly", which would only produce simplistic misunderstandings." (4) A great example of the control and imposition of Saturn, and how the Sun contradicted the Moon in his work. But it's also an expression of his Mercury-Neptune square--obfuscation in communication.

Luhmann's Moon is conjunct the North Node, and the Sun is conjunct the South Node. This is really interesting because the comfort point (South Node) opposes his comfort planet (Moon). Suggests a dominance of the Sun, frequent shedding of meaning-making strategies (he was a sociologist who developed social theories; checks out), and learning to value intellectual dabbling (which perhaps he does in the zettelkasten). (Subordination of the Moon is also supported by the Mercury-Neptune square, which could also indicate a relinquishing of thought, or a cutting-off from one's own thoughts for some period of time. Because Mercury rules his Moon, the same detachment applies to the Moon.)

A few other interesting, first-glance configurations to think about: Jupiter conjuncts Uranus Rx--big innovation. The Mercury-Mars conjunction suggests a more physical expression of thinking. It also suggests his knowledge should be actionable. Both of these are principles of the traditional zettelkasten system. And the Mercury-Mars trines the Jupiter-Uranus--one facilitates the other, and vice versa. These configurations, in my opinion, lend to his staggering production of literature--Luhmann wrote 70+ books and 400 articles (according to Wikipedia (4); other sources cite 50 books and 600 articles (1)) in his career, which he credited to his use of the zettelkasten.

I'll digress to discuss my favourite thing in Luhmann's chart: Pluto Rx in Cancer. Since my interest is in generational and ancestral astrology, this is so interesting to me because the Pluto in Cancer generation had the imperative to redefine "home"--family and nationality; things "within bounds"--particularly the how secure they were as social structures. The ruler of his Pluto, the Moon, is in Gemini, so he did this by collecting and thinking through ideas. He was a social scientist who worked (among other fields) in systems theory, a theory that studies social groupings!

(He was also conscripted as a child soldier in WWII and taken as a prisoner of war at 17 (4), which is a very sad but apt manifestation of Pluto Rx in Cancer inconjunct his Sun. I wish we had a birth time for him so we could see the houses, but alas.)

Luhmann's Story Exemplifies Adapting to Oppositions

Balancing "Neuropathways"

What I find so fascinating about Luhmann's chart is how the zettelkasten system seemed to have resolved the opposition in his chart. And we can see how the zettelkasten system not only suited his Gemini-Sagittarius opposition, but that it also suited the other configurations in his chart.

I like to think of the birth chart a bit like a map of neuropathways, the ones that are easy and immediate for us and others that are less preferred. In this case, the Mercury-Mars and Jupiter-Uranus configurations are only loosely associated with the Moon-Sun opposition--so loosely that I personally wouldn't bother to bring it up in a consult. But even so, it helped resolve the conflict between the Moon and Sun.

One way to relieve a grand cross in a birth chart is by getting in the middle of the chart--balancing the influences by finding the common ground between the planets. T-squares are the same, but because they're missing a planet to oppose the apex planet, sometimes they need to look outside of themselves to resolve the tension. And this brings me to the other thing I find so interesting about this example: the synastry between Luhmann and the guy who invented zettelkasten.

Synastry

Wikipedia says the commonplace book is the predecessor of the zettelkasten method, but a guy by the name of Conrad Gessner came along in the 16th century and started using cards instead of a bound notebook (5). Looking at Gessner's birth chart (6), it doesn't surprise me that he brought his ideas into a form that he could touch, reposition, and map out--he is very likely a Virgo Moon (comfort in material tidbits, organizing, and fiddling).

I wonder about being able to use one's birth chart to describe one's works' influence (to an extent) (because 'to know the artist, look to their art' and all), and so we'll experiment with that now in a synastry chart.

Luhmann's Moon-Sun opposition is suddenly given an out from its tension: Gessner's Aries Mercury is sextile Luhmann's Moon and trine his Sun and Saturn (7). With this, instead of grappling with the subordination of the Moon in the opposition, he can rely on the externalized Mercury to bridge the discord.

We know in Luhmann's chart how his Mercury-Mars conjunction is afflicted by Neptune. But in this synastry chart, Luhmann's Moon is (likely) trine to Gessner's Aquarius Mars. This does a few things: first, it brings in a reliable fixed quality to Luhmann's very mutable chart (and zettelkasten is a singular system of knowledge that is meant to last a lifetime; Luhmann had 90,000 cards in his system when he passed (1)); and second, it creates a stronger pathway to his natal Mercury-Mars aspects, because Gessner's Mars sextiles Luhmann's Mercury-Mars conjunction.

Discussion

In this synastry, Luhmann acquires relief from ambiguity, too-muchness, and the tendency to undermine his own thoughts. Zettelkasten is a tool that gives him access to a way of thinking and doing that he normally has to struggle through Neptune to get to. It does all that, but then still connects him back to himself with more clarity.

I've picked out some of his points about (his experience with) zettelkasten from his essay (2).

First, he stresses the importance of imposing a structure on the system, which makes it capable of "communication" (meaning: understanding your own thinking process). This is Gessner's Mercury connecting Luhmann's Moon and Saturn: the trine between Saturn and Mercury is an imposition of structure, and the Mercury in sextile with the Moon is an easy flow of communication.

He talks about the zettelkasten mimicking the processes of our own cognition, which is signified by the Moon, Mercury, and Saturn, all. Second, a few points he makes suggest to me that with this system he's able to experience his Moon. He argues that when trying to make connections between ideas, there is an element of something like chance. There is a kind of "right timing" in the epiphanies, which is very Moon-ish He also calls his zettelkasten "a second memory", and memory is a signification of the Moon. In the synastry chart, Luhmann suddenly has access to his Moon through Gessner's Mercury.

Last, he talks about the importance of keeping a "permanent address" for each index card, like a little ID code, so that it can be referred to forever. When you try to create a hierarchical order to your cards, you trap yourself into a singular system of thinking for life. You want your zettelkasten to be fixed, but still adaptable and responsive to the ways your thinking changes through a lifetime. Which is a perfect explanation of Gessner's Moon in Virgo, Mars in Aquarius. But it's also hinting that Luhmann relies on the fixed Mars sign he acquires in their synastry.

Discussion of Issues and Implications

So I don't think the whole synastry part of this write-up is a very reliable argument. It's an experiment on my part; I'm just playing "what if". But it makes me wonder about our systems and methods of doing things. We know that we're attracted to people and things that light up our birth charts in interesting ways. And looking at both Luhmann's and Gessner's charts against my own, I can see how the zettelkasten method could be really helpful to me. So maybe I'm not so far out in left field as I think I am.

What I find really compelling about all this is the resolution of Luhmann's natal opposition. Remediation can be complicated, but this is a great example of how external guardrails can facilitate the remediation, and maybe help us find ways to anticipate what a successful technique is more likely to be for us.

I was talking to a friend about remediation options for her own chart and she seemed disappointed to hear that manipulating our environment is a strong option, maybe because she didn't feel like external changes are good enough, permanent enough or authentic enough. (I'm speculating; I don't know why she seemed disappointed.) But the zettelkasten method to Luhmann was something that was very much a part of him. In this essay it sounds like it was his best friend. It was a huge part of his career. And it was something that came from outside of him. So this could be an example of how remediation techniques are lasting and authentic.

Another issue with this whole thing is of course that I used a lot of Wikipedia. It's also too bad that we don't have birth times for Luhmann and Gessner and can't do more to see how the charts moved over time.

Anyway, if you read this whole thing I am sending you twenty-five spiritual dollars :p Thanks, and let me know what you think! Do you have any examples from your own life of stuff like this?

Lazy References

(1) Extensive blog on the zettelkasten system (2) "Improved Translation of "Communications with Zettelkastens"" (3) Niklas Luhmann's birth chart (4) Niklas Luhmann's Wikipedia page, retrieved December 28, 2023 (5) Zettelkasten Wikipedia page, retrieved December 28, 2023 (6) Conrad Gessner birth chart (7) Synastry chart between Niklas Luhmann and Conrad Gessner

[nondienary]

i saw this post sharing designs of the infinights in GL2 and it inspired me to share my own! enjoy (i guess)

and obligatory spoilery rambling warning because character design makes me so happy

starting off strong with kyborg!

details i enjoy- his blue hairties and gold ear cuff are inspired by the ones he has in the picture on the home page of the stinky dragon wiki. im especially happy with the ear cuff because it turned out way better than i expected.

i also really like the arm (and yes i know he doesnt have the diagem in it anymore but it needed some pizazz! said pizazz made me temporarily hate myself because it used up his 4th face accessory slot but i don't even remember what other face accessory i wanted for him anymore :P)

also his boots. idk why but i like them

his hair!! i went through a bunch of styles and chose this one and i'm glad i did because this is a pretty accurate representation of how i imagine his hair, including the color! his mom was a redhead so ya boi is a strawberry blond (ish)

details i do NOT enjoy- the fact that gl2 doesnt have a hip quiver :( because i had to add the quiver to his back but that took up his second cape slot so he couldnt have his cloak of many fashions. and also even if i could give it to him w the back quiver i would still want a hip quiver because i imagine him with a hip quiver! because you can't do somersaults barrel rolls with a quiver on your back!

anyway

i probably should have made these separate posts but oh well you signed up for rambling and rambling is what you get!

next up: mudd!

loml

details i enjoy: his cloak, i spent ages on it because i was overthinking what to do with his cloak of billowing vs his cloak of the secret garden (?) but i'm very happy with what i settled on

the detail in the undercut drove me crazy because again, characters are limited to 4 cace accessory and i was using one for the runes in the undercut. which i obviously changed but that brought me so much pain and misery /lh

im so happy with how his face, especially his eyes turned out because again, i struggled with them for some time. but now his face is SO perfect. except the lack of sideburns.. maybe something with the side hairs? i keep forgetting that's an option in this game

the little daisy earring. spur of the moment addition, so glad i did it.

details i do NOT enjoy: his outfit :( for all the others i knew what i was going for but with mudd i had no clue other than the cloak. it's based off his puppet outfit because i legitimately couldn't think of what he'd wear. i like the shoes and choice of belt but between this and the sideburns mudd is definitely next in line for a redesign

ok someone who was just redesigned is gum gum!

details i enjoy: his face. that is such a gum gum face. wish i couldve added bigger tusks though. and the lil smudge of dirt on his cheek!!!

silly almost easter egg i added is that each of the colors of the rainbow is in his design at least once because dia's whole thing is rainbows and light and stuff. at first i just had it in the accessories and his whole outfit was blue pretty much but i looked at bart after completing all the accessories and i was like GODDAMMIT he has all the colors. and it's actually incorporated into the outfit AND it looks really good.

the fact that vee and i both designed his hat nearly exactly the same completely independently of each other is so epic.

i originally came up with the shoulder flower while working on mudd but i was like "oh wait gum gum's the flowers guy mudd's the animals guy." and gave it to him instead. and i'm very glad i did it fills in that space in the cloak very well.

speaking of the cloak, i very much enjoy it

things i do NOT enjoy:

honest, nothing comes to mind! maybe it's because he was the most recent to get revamped but its so wonderfully gum gum.

and last, and maybe least in stature but not in much else, bart!

things i enjoy about this design: the little thigh dagger. bart is totally the kind of man to strap a dagger to his thigh instead of just attaching the sheath to the belt like a normal person

i made him VERY visibly part dragonborn because it's honestly hilarious. because gum gum has known bart since he was a baby, he knows bart's just Like that. kyborg hadn't interacted with another person in like 30 years before he met them and mudd had probably never seen a halfling in his life, and even if he had, he wasn't just gonna have his first conversation with the guy be "i don't believe you when you say what race you are." tbh mudd's probably applies to kyborg as well. and bart assumed its just because of the different subraces of halfling. he's a stout halfling, alleve is a lightfoot halfling, no wonder she doesn't look like him!

also the hem of the pants is so fun and piratey and i love it and it's perfect.

i also gave him a crystal resembling his diagem, i haven't decided what's going on with that yet. i didn't give mudd one because no way in hell am i trying to make a ring WITH a diagem in it. how about no :3

things i do NOT enjoy: gl2 doesn't have enough curly hair options, specifically for rear hair. so bart's hair in this is not as accurate in this to my mind's eye as the others. its alright it does look good regardless

and that's all ive got in terms of commentary, please enjoy me talking about my silly little hyperfixation guys. byebye!

[fnafs-ex-boyfriend]

Undertale fans. They’re annoying.

Wow, big shocker. But I’m here to discuss this very annoying problem that the UTDR fandom has in general that most other fandoms don’t have.

(Disclaimer: This post is not targeting all UTDR fans, just one annoying subset. And if the takeaway of this post is that I don’t like the Undertale fandom, you would be right. Undertale is a great game, though. Also if you are offended by this, you’re the problem, it’s you.)

I recently just learned about “Let Papyrus Say ‘Fuck’ Day”, which if you don’t know is a fanart protest internet holiday against the people who think that Papyrus is some cutesy little angel innocent baby who doesn’t have complex thoughts and emotions. Which is absolutely ridiculous. Papyrus isn’t stupid and he’s not some little innocent child. And Papyrus isn’t the only UTDR character who gets wildly misinterpreted. I could talk about Sans here, but that’s hard and I don’t wanna. So I’m gonna talk about Berdly instead.

Why did people think Berdly was an incel? Or transphobic or homophobic? The incel one is a bit more understandable, as they’re at least some evidence you could interpret, but it’s still just blatantly incorrect. In the neutral route of chapter two, not even the secret route or anything, he blatantly says out loud near the end of the route that he NEVER HAD A CRUSH ON NOELLE/WAS AFTER HER ROMANTICALLY. He literally says that he was acting so annoying to her because he thought that she had a crush on him and he was acting accordingly because he’s a socially inept teenager who doesn’t know how someone with a crush acts. So the fact that some fans would insist that that was true was so infuriating to me.

Now here’s my epic theory about how so many people misinterpret massive amounts of the games that they claim to be experts in: I think that a lot of UTDR fans haven’t played the games. Or, at least, not fully. The thing about TobyFox’s games is that he leaves a lot of lore and storytelling in very discreet, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it ways that someone who only runs through the game once will miss massive amounts of the story. And, especially with Undertale, you practically experience none of the story if you just play the game once. So my theory goes that a lot of the UTDR fans saw one playthrough online, or played a little bit of it, or watched an animated fan AU online and got really into it, leaving them vastly disconnected from the original source material.

I’m not saying this is an invalid way to get into something. For example, I’ve never played Poppy Playtime, but I still consider myself a fan! (Not of EnchantedMob, though. I have standards.). The big problem with this in the UTDR fandom is because there are SO MANY FANS like this, these people tend to act like the authority on the game, and it infuriates me as someone who’s played through both games many, many times. It’s like someone reading “My Immortal”, then went on a Harry Potter forum to say that “actually the characters wouldn’t act like this because they’re all goffic and edgy”. This makes me so annoyed I hate it so much. I’ve read every wiki page and played each game countless times but SURE, go off about how Papyrus totally wouldn’t act like that because of some edgy AU you saw.

Ugh, I’m done. This makes me so annoyed. Let me know if any of you find this irritating as well.