#but it's difficult enough to get people together for rp

[centaurianthropology]

Why C3E51 worked so well (a DM’s perspective)

I have seen a lot of absolutely bananas critiques of C3E51 (thankfully not nearly as many around here, far more on Reddit, which I should not have visited).   And the ongoing theme of those critiques is that Matt should not have imperiled former PCs, and if he brought them in should have either done lengthy side-bars with those characters or let them win the fight against Ludinis and have a chance to take him out themselves, since they’re ‘god tier’ or ‘high level’ and that makes ‘logical sense’.  What these critiques really boil down to, IMO, are people who were really invested in the former campaigns upset that their faves didn’t get to do cool things, treating it more like a TV show than a game.  But even as a TV show, that would have been disappointing from a narrative perspective.  Because even in a TV show, this is a sequel spin-off show, starring new characters.  The story is about THEM.  And more importantly, the game is about the players and about telling their story.

So let’s break this down from a DM perspective.  How do you build a Kobiashi Maru situation for your characters?  For those of you who aren’t familiar, the Kobiashi Maru is a Star Trek term for a scenario designed from the jump to be unwinnable (Kirk beat it by creativity, but later admitted that he missed the point of it).  In Star Trek this was done to test what a future officer would do if faced with certain failure.  In a D&D game it’s a little more complicated.  Part of it is to set up the BBEG, put their plan in motion, and set the stage for the next leg of the game.  But it’s also to give your players, who are clearly into it, a darkest-hour scenario.  Not every player group is going to be into facing down the Kobiashi Maru, and it’s clear from the aforementioned critiques that a lot of them are on Reddit.  Power-gamers who always want to win are not going to enjoy this sort of storytelling, but players who are really into RP and working through difficult times and failures will eat this stuff up.  And this is absolutely the sort of table playing on Critical Role.  There is a level of trust there that can only be built after years of working together, and this was finally the moment when Matt could pay off years of planning and campaign-spanning set-up.

Matt carefully plotted the structure of this episode out to give maximum agency and impact to a party of dramatically under-leveled characters.  And they knew going in they were under-leveled.  This wasn’t a surprise, but a potential suicide run by people who knew they weren’t the heroes they needed to be, but were the only heroes in the right place at the right time to try anything.  So they came up with as good a plan as they could, and executed it fairly well, all things considered.  

They knew they couldn’t take on Ludinus directly (and this was a great way to demonstrate exactly how much he had planned and how long, to bring in elements from C2, hints we’ve had for years about Ludinis, only to reveal it went deeper than any of the characters could have imagined), so Matt gave them some winnable objectives.  This is a great way to keep the characters invested in an unwinnable scenario: the ultimate outcome may be beyond the characters, barring some insane genius or incredible rolls, but they can still help.  They can do something that will have a tangible impact on events and hinder the baddies enough to give them another chance at a rematch and a way to stop the apocalypse when they’re higher level.  So Matt gave them the batteries: take out as many as you can.  While this would not stop the ritual, I suspect that the more they took out the more Ludinis would have to drain his own power to make the key work, and the longer the process would take.  Knocking out the feywild key, as well as multiple power sources turned what would have been an instantaneous event if they had done nothing into a more drawn-out affair which, I suspect, could be stopped or even reversed.  It gave them a window to come back and demand a rematch.

Then we have the high-level PC allies, and how to play with those sorts of characters without pulling focus from the PCs.  Matt handled this very well, by having the players roll for their former PCs, taking the specifics of their actions out of his hands and letting the dice of the former players decide.  He also revealed that Keyleth’s involvement, and baiting Vax with Otohan’s permadeath poison, was key to Ludinis’ ritual, which was why she couldn’t just dive in and clean everything up.  But again, because of this story, it ties less back to Keyleth and more back to Orym.  That was the point of the attack on Zephrah, to get her attention by getting her to look into who did it and then coming to get some payback, but the little guy on the ground has always been caught in the middle.  Orym has been Ludinis’ unwitting pawn from the off, his family’s deaths merely a means to an end, and that is vicious and amazing set-up for character growth for him.  

Beau and Caleb had to be there by the logic of the story.  It didn’t make sense that Caleb would sit out a world-ending event orchestrated by a Cerberus Assembly member after spending years trying to take them down.  Beau would obviously go with him.  It also made sense that they would be the only two there, because they were scouting when Ryn got taken down, and after that were trying to keep a low profile.  Shit accelerated too fast for them to call in reinforcements.

Which is the in-story reason for them to be there, but isolated and vulnerable, making them useful allies and wildcards (who likely could have been more useful if ultimately failing as well, but failed early thanks to Liam and Marisha’s rolls).  But they were still outmatched.  I have no idea what the challenge rating of Otohan, Leliana, and Ludinis are, but we know Otohan was considered ‘beatable’ back in Bassuras.  That indicates she’s the lowest CR, particularly with the glowing weak-spot on her back.  But she can still wreck a level-20 PC if she gets the jump on her, which she did.  And that meant that she remained a massive threat.  Caleb and Beau were playing it smart, keeping to the shadows, but still got caught by Leliana.  Between dice rolls, careful planning, and some great enemy design, Matt really set up a team that could take on high-level players and win.  And he made it clear that Ludinis did not leave this to chance.  He has the best people he could muster after 1000 years of planning.  Nothing short of a miracle could have truly stopped them.

Which is why we cut back to Bells Hells.  Because ultimately this particular story isn’t about Keyleth or Vax or Caleb or Beau or any other former PCs.  This is about the current party being caught up in events much larger than them and having to rise to the occasion.  This is the story of the schmucks sent in to take out the batteries, but who have personal beef with the big bads.  Ludinis orchestrated the plan to attack Zephrah to bait Keyleth and draw out Vax, and Otohan carried it out.  And he used Orym as a pawn throughout all of it.  This makes taking them down, but especially taking Otohan down, the cornerstone of Orym’s personal quest.  Letting an NPC take her down would be taking away a critical part of his motivation and goals, which is an absolute no-no for a DM.  NEVER bring in a god-tier NPC and take away player agency or story beats.  Especially never have them resolve important player goals and backstory events!  Every NPC, even the powerful ones, are there to support the story the players are telling.  So of course Keyleth wasn’t going to take out Otohan.  Of course she wasn’t going to stop the ritual.  Beau and Caleb might have been able to do something more if Liam and Marisha hadn’t rolled so badly for them, but ultimately, they had to get caught or fail in another way.  

For the sake of gameplay, Bell’s Hells had to be the only functional team.  They had to be the ants that were beneath Ludinis’ notice long enough to really accomplish something.  And as much as it feels like they failed, they had minor victories: Laudna and Ashton took out more batteries, making Ludinis drain his own power to kick off the apocalypse.  They only failed to take out Otohan’s backpack by 2 HP, which showed them that she was an achievable goal in the future.  If they had rolled a little better, they probably could have taken her out entirely, which would have felt like a big accomplishment for them.  Imogen made her mother pause in her assault before doubling down.  This leaves open very interesting future beats for their interactions.  Can she ultimately redeem her mother or would she have to take her out?  Every step that Matt set up in this episode, from the reveals about Ludinis’ plans and Orym’s past, to Imogen’s interactions with her mother, to Chetney and likely Ashton finding themselves staring down their own backstories after the party split, was focused on this party, on getting them ready to step out of low-level play and advance.

And that’s the point of E51.  It’s not a climax of the story, but the ultimate set-up.  It’s putting all the pieces onto the board in a way that all the characters can now recognize.  Yes, unless the players came up with something genius, the apocalypse was going to kick off, but their actions slowed everything down to a place where it could be combatted.  Yes, the god-tier former PCs were always going to get neutered, because this is Bells Hells’ story, and you cannot have NPCs fix PC problems.  They might have been able to do a little more before this happened, but the dice rolled.

And it’s honestly good for the PCs how things turned out.  They have a clear objective, but are split up.  This gives them great incentive to level up, explore character backstory, deal with their personal shit, get stronger, and then come back to kick the asses of all three of these villains (or possibly redeem one, we’ll see).  Their powerful allies are now temporarily side-lined.  Keyleth is badly hurt and will need time to recover.  Caleb is collared and will need time to get that removed.  Beau is likely up and moving now, but will need to safeguard Caleb for a while.

The Bells Hells are on their own.  The Darkest Hour has come, and it’s time for them to rise up and go from nobodies to heroes.  This is their true call to adventure.  And as a DM, it was so cool seeing how Matt set up all the pieces over the campaign, only to pay them out in such a satisfying and motivating way in this episode.

[wickjump]

GRAHHHH HOLY FUCK

THANK YOU FOR TALKING ABOUT THIS???????? IT'S ALWAYS BEEN ON MY MIND BUT I NEVER KNEW I WAS ALLOWED TO LIKE

ACTUALLY NOT LIKE IT

AAAAAAAAAA

gnawing on the bones of the passage of time rn brb

NO CAUSE LIKE, 2016 UT FANDOM COME BACKKK, I CAN ACTUALLY MAKE SHIT NOW?? I CAN ACTUALLY APPRECIATE YOU PROPERLY NOW GRAHHH

lowkey i miss all the amino ads/spondorships now lmao, at some point it just felt like amino sponsered every single undertale content creator jshsjs/positive

it had it's issues no doubt but fuckkkk, it feels like the atmospheres then and now are so different it doesn't even feel like the same fandom anymore if that makes sense? 

ngl i kinda miss the sans fangirls? they were such a staple part of the community back then grahhhh (help i still remember when almost everyone was laughing at the fangirls that, just in general, new/young artists got dragged in too? ugh i dunno, i never really watched those 'cring comps' but i wasn't a fan lmao /lighthearted)

it felt like such a community, it *was* a community

when did everything get so divided

can we all just rp 2016 ut fandom for the rest of our lives

ugh now that i see another person talk about it, my brain just opened the floodgates and im speedrunning the grieving process JHSHSJHS 

"it'll never be the same anymore" okay and sure i could be graceful about it but also what if someone has to drag me kicking and screaming

GRAHHHHHHHHH (love you sm for this op, KEEP SPEAKING YER TRUTHHH!! RAHHHHHHHH)

THANK YOU!!!! i will forever speak my truth thank you anon

things got divided and genuinely it doesn’t feel like the same fandom at all. the fandom on twitter feels nothing like the fandom on tiktok or on tumblr. and because so many people don’t have tumblr now, despite how tumblr is the utmv fandom’s medium, it’s difficult to get the people together like they used to. someone could be famous on tumblr, everyone knows their name and their ocs, but on twitter nobody knows who they are. tiktok has plenty of tumblr reposts but theyre also in the dark a lot of the time. it’s disconnected.

the community would be a lot better if we just. migrated back to tumblr again and stopped the callout posts, because honestly i don’t care what someone said that was mildly rude to someone else or anything of that silly nature. it’s not that serious!!!! it’s driving us apart!!!!!!!! we can’t be together if we don’t make an effort!!!!!

i want people to start being communal again. i want rp sessions. i want a new loveball. i want roleplay blogs and silly cringe and especially edgy ask blogs. i want the same level of cringe 2016 had. i want it so goddamn bad. but in order for that to happen, people need to put in an effort, and to do it, and enough people need to do that. which feels like it just won’t happen, im not that influential to make that happen, and as previously mentioned, so many communities don’t know i exist either, nor so many tumblr figures!!!!!! the real ones are the people that have accounts on all platforms and post the same things on each 🙏 thank you for being a rare link

honestly we’re hated enough as is. I mean i literally just scrolled past a yt video called “undertale and it’s FOUL community”. people outside it ain’t doin us any favors, trying to say “we’re good now” ain’t doin shit!!!!!! let’s just have fun and go back to enjoying ourselves instead of trying to be “better”. because im not having as much fun as i know i wouldve years ago as a content creator and i want to have that fun!!!!! and my goal at this point is to let people know they can have that fun. im going to spread this like the gospel mark my words

[theworldreturning]

Intro Post

Hello! I'm participating in @pkmoth's askapalooza event! So here's just some general stuff to know bout how this blog's gonna go!

Info under the cut!

About The AU:

Nothing too special about this AU, really, I think it's a concept everyone's come up with at some point. It's a post story AU after Mother 3's ending where the world is reformed after Lucas asks the dragon to give the planet and humanity another chance.

As a side effect, a good amount of people have come back and/or changed to be allowed that second chance (mainly those who had some form of regret in the old world). Some folks are very different to allow for this to happen, and as such have changed memories and lives, but most remain unchanged from how they were when the world ended and reformed.

The new world takes place in an alternate post Mother 2 universe, but now the Nowhere Islands exist alongside everything else (Though now on maps and such, they're known as the Dragon's Rest Isles). Due to this timeline change, while the folks from Mother 1 are here, they're older now.

So who can you ask?:

You can ask most anyone important from the games! Though if you want more specific people/groups you have:

Claus, Lucas, and Fuel. Who are currently still living in the Dragon's Rest Isles.

They all retain memories of the previous world, but mostly try to put it behind them. For now they're trying their best to retain some sense of normalcy and get used to how things are going to work in their new life (much like everyone else in New Tazmily).

As a point of note: Due to what physically happened to him in the previous world, Claus may not be fully able to answer some questions (may be beyond his scope of vocabulary, or too difficult to understand). In those cases, Fuel or Lucas will probably answer for him. ( Yes, Claus is still a chimera. Yes this affects his behavior.)

The Chosen 4 from Mother 2 (plus Pokey and Picky). Back at home after their journey.

Though the chosen 4 went their separate ways after their journey, they're still good friends and come to visit often. Also due to the world being given a second chance, Pokey is back to being Ness' neighbor, but this time has accepted friendship (mostly, he's still a bit of a prickly kid.)

As a huge note: While the chosen 4 remember the previous world, Pokey and his family DO NOT. Their memories are rewritten to have allowed for Pokey to get a second chance! (Their behaviors are still similar to the previous world though.)

Ninten (And the main party of Mother 1). Now grown up and living their lives in relative peace.

This cast is grown up now (they're in their 20s, minus teddy who is in his late 30s early 40s). While we'll mostly only see Ninten around, the others can answer asks! Also due to proximity (since he moved), Ninten and his cousin Ness can also answer some things together from time to time!

General Asking Rules:

For the most part, at least for now, the casts from the game are mostly separate. The only exceptions are the M1 and M2 casts, who either visit often or are in close enough proximity that they're semi-aware of each other. They'll all meet eventually (at least that's my hope), but for now they remain separate.

No NSFW asks, of course. Most of the casts are still minors. I'll also apply no shipping asks into this. It's not a main thing I wish to focus on, any ships that happen are just there and not the biggest focus.

Don't spam the same asks, it'll just lead me to not answering them. (This doesn't apply if you happen to ask the same question as someone else! If enough people ask the same thing, it may eventually make it to an OOC FAQ post!)

I will TRY to answer with at least a black and white sketch, but I am a working man, so my time is sometimes quite limited. I apologize in advanced.

Due to the above, I may also take a bit to answer some questions! Please do be patient, I will try my best to answer them all!

I will also answer RP-type asks, but they may remain short or more spread out in between normal asks as I'm not the best at roleplaying.

You can be mean to characters, but don't push it too far!! If you sent an ask that I found overly aggressive and you never see it answer, assume it was a bit too far.

Lastly, What About The Future of This Blog?:

If I have fun manning this blog through the month, and people still seem decently interested, I may continue it past the askapalooza! But that all depends on the future, so don't hold me to it! Just know that whatever the decision, I will have appreciated everyone taking the time to just look or even interact with these guys!

[crash-bump-bring-the-whump]

Whumpril 2024 - Day 22 - Stoicism Breaks

I've been threatening to send Mariano to therapy so here we ARE! I reference a little RP I had with @comfy-whumpee that's been swirling in my brain ever since we did it c:<

TWs: self harm mention, suicide mention, anxiety mention, talk of a shooting, talk of captivity, this is real cathartic though I promise it's not bad

Ex-military, spent most of his twenties in foreign federal prison, history of anxiety, suicidal ideation, and self-harm. Stoic, highly traumatized, closed off, slow to open up. Hesitant to talk about intense experiences, needs reassurance. Overly concerned with others' needs.

Mary Barlowe looked over her notes before walking into the latest session with Mariano Cross. He wasn't her most difficult patient to talk to, not by a long shot. She never had to worry about calling security, or convincing him to leave when time was up. He was polite, punctual, and friendly.

But he was challenging in his own way.

He'd had a full decade of people telling him that he was an irredeemable monster, and he'd taken it all very seriously. Discussing anything heavier than everyday troubles was approached with the same caution that stray dogs approached an outstretched hand. He barely seemed to have even a basic connection to his own body or emotions, sounding detached whenever he spoke about them. They were things he needed help with, of course, but it was clear that there were things buried deeper than that.

The small, quick smile he gave her when she entered was a fantastic sign. "Good afternoon, Doctor Barlowe." He was already seated, back straight, both feet flat on the floor, and careful hands folded and resting on his leg.

"Good afternoon, Mariano." She returned the greeting easily, taking her own seat in the comfortable chair opposite his. "You mentioned wanting to talk about something difficult today, did something happen?" She knew the answer to that. He'd missed a few sessions due to being hospitalized from a robbery gone wrong.

He hesitated, dark eyes darting to the table between them. "Yes. I...there was something that happened." He seemed to close in on himself, just so, hands still clasped firmly together. She could feel the tension that crept into his voice. "But I understand if we can't."

There it was, the familiar beginning of withdrawal. "Why wouldn't we be able to talk about it?" She leaned forward, a small smile on her face. She kept her features soft, her posture relaxed. "You're paying to have a space to talk about the difficult things."

"I am, yes." He trailed off, not quite meeting her eye yet. "But it was...graphic. I don't want to overstep. I've accidentally done that before, and I...I don't want to find a new therapist. I like you."

"Oh?" Mary's voice softened. "Mariano, let me reassure you: You are not the first former prisoner I've worked with, or the first soldier. If I need a moment after hearing something then I'll let you know, but you're not going to destroy me by just talking.

"You deserve to feel safe enough to say what's on your mind. I'm sure it gets heavy holding it in, doesn't it?" She saw something in his jaw tense, the hold he had on his own hand growing tighter.

Mariano swallowed, nodding, eyes on the tissue box between them. "...It does. I have dreams about it sometimes."

"I'd imagine so." She said. "What happens in those dreams?"

When Mariano spoke again, his voice was barely louder than a whisper. "I can't call for help after I'm shot, and I wind up dying." He took a deeper breath, the sound just barely trembling. "It always feels...very realistic."

"Were you alone when it happened?" Mariano didn't move. His eyes never left the tissue box. "Mariano?" She had a feeling that he wasn't thinking about whether or not he needed a tissue.

He looked up at her, tension tight around his eyes, jaw set, and shoulders curled in on himself. "I...I don't want to hurt you."

"Have you hurt someone by talking about this before?" She spoke to him like he was backed into a corner, cowering away. He was, in a sense. It was like he was waiting for her to snap at him.

Mariano nodded.

"Can you tell me about it?"

Mariano hesitated, his grip shifting to his own elbows. He looked even smaller in the soft, pale green chair. "One of my friends asked me what happened, and why people weren't applying to the ad we put out for more managers. I said that I got shot during a robbery and almost died, and that it had gotten publicized--I don't think I went into detail, but he said that I...ambushed him?"

Mariano's breath caught. "I don't want to overstep again." He repeated. "He's a therapist and...I tried to keep things civilian friendly. It was why people hadn't been applying, and I tried to keep it brief, I...I don't really know what I did wrong. I didn't want to ask him to explain if I'd already hurt him."

A frown ghosted across Mary's face. "I see. Well, you don't have to worry about that, here. I have my own therapist, and I come to work expecting to hear about hard things."

She pushed the tissues closer, leaning forward to catch Mariano's eye. "And I think that I would've answered similarly, in your shoes. Maybe your friend was just having a hard time himself, and didn't communicate that well.

"But most people wouldn't consider that an ambush, just like you wouldn't consider it one if you asked a friend how they'd been and they said that they'd broken their leg recently, or lost a pet." She smiled softly when Mariano continued looking at her. "I think you'd just consider that surprising and unfortunate."

Mariano's jaw trembled. His eyes shone in the mid-afternoon light that streamed in through the window. "...I would."

"This hour is yours, Mariano. I'm not going to get upset at you." She plucked a few tissues and offered them over. "I've seen you for a while now. You don't have to be vigilant like that with me."

Mariano took them, holding them tight.

"Let me help you set some of that heavy stuff down." Mary offered. "You don't have to hold it all in on your own. You won't hurt me with it. It's safe."

Mariano's shoulders shuddered as he crumbled face-first into the tissues. A sob crawled out of him, escaping into his palms. It sounded agonized, like he'd been holding it in for months.

It was the most emotion he'd shown the entire time she'd known him. "It's okay to let people help you. You don't have to be a one man army anymore."

When Mariano had collected himself again, minutes later, Mary listened as he told her about the night that he almost died.

@whump-captain @whumpr @whumperofworlds @lektricwhump @cyberwhumper @bxtterflystxtches @inscrutable-shadow @honeybees-125

[grislyintentions]

SHIPPING INFO. Answer the following for your muse(s) so people know how shipping works on your blog.

What’s your OTP for your Muse(s)?

Geto/Gojo (current brainrot) but tbh i have a lot frfr

What are you willing to RP when it comes to shipping?

Where shipping is concerned, I'm generally rather down to explore different ideas/plots. With the exception of: infidelity, pregnancy (breeding kinks are fine just not actual carrying of children), constant relationship angst with no reprieve and break ups.

I struggle heavily with Bipolar 2 + Cluster B comorbidity and certain themes make emotional regulation really difficult.

How large does the age gap have to be to make it uncomfortable?

Anything past 10 year age gap** And even then I'd personally prefer for the characters to be above 25 y/o if the age gap is going to be an important factor of the thread.

Are you selective when shipping?

Yes. I prefer to go off of chemistry between the characters portrayed + if I am able to have an healthy line of communication with my writing partner. It's really important to me for my writing partners to feel comfortable with discussing boundaries or if they've changed their mind/are no longer interested. Especially with the nature of what I write (Yaoshi etc)

Shipping, and by extension rping as a whole, is a collaborative experience. I would rather prioritise being able to have fun doing so.

How far do steamy moments have to go before they’re considered NSFW?

Anywhere between getting handsy to dry humping counts I think?? ^^;;

Who are other muses you ship your muse with?

I'm pretty flexible with that as long as our portrayals have chemistry together. I don't mind crackships, unlikely ships etc as well.

Does one have to ask to ship with you?

I am unfortunately pretty dense when it comes to picking up on other people's shipping interest 😭so please give me a sign. Like a "hey i think they'd be neat!" type of message is enough. Most of the time, I observe the threads until potential is made obvious before I approach to discuss bc I just...do be dropping balls left and right OTL.

How often do you like to ship?

Not as often as I'd like 💀

Are you multiship?

Yes. Verses are all kept separate unless planned otherwise.

Are you ship obsessed or ship more-or-less?

I think I'm a ship more-or-less in my own eyes? I love writing shippy stuff but honestly slice of life, comfort and goofs are what commonly appears here. Or...yknow degenerate crimes but dw about that.

What is your favorite ship in your current fandom?

Kafka/Blade, Kafka/Sunday, Wriothesley/Clorinde/Neuvillette, Candace/Dehya, Candace/Cyno, Cyno/Tighnari, Sampo/Natasha, Sampo/Gepard, Natasha/Serval, Xiao/Traveler, Wanderer/Layla, Wanderer/Traveler, many many more tbh

Finally, how does one ship with you?

Write with me! Send me stuff, tell me about your ideas and I'll do the same.

Tagged by: @soliloquics (thank u!! ^^)

Tagging: @memovia @rvinfall @reversescale @shallliveoninsong @shining-gem34 @maskednihilism @reallyrandomtj @astrclvoyages @souldanced @soulsbetrayed @sercphs @draconicfool and whomstever wants to yoink! No pressure if you don't wanna do it though. ^^

[despairforme]

SHIPPING INFO. answer the following for your muse(s) so people know how shipping works on your blog.

What’s your OTP for your Muse(s)?

HM!! Very difficult question to answer. I was fortunate enough to write Nnoitra / Grimmjow for several years on here with Lexie, so that ship is dear to me, but I don't see myself writing them together again because yeah, Lexie's Grimmjow was just the perfect fit for Nnoitra. Unfortunately I haven't been able to get in contact with Lexie for a few years now, but I'm still forever blessed to have written this ship with them.

So, I don't really have an OTP for Nnoitra. His most popular canon ships, Nnoitra / Nelliel and Nnoitra / Tesla are not OTPs for me, but I'm still open to writing them if our muses click.

I honestly prefer either crossover-ships, OCxCANON or rare-pairs. I want interesting dynamics that I haven't thought about or tried before.

What are you willing to RP when it comes to shipping?

I'm open to anything, as long as it's in-character for Nnoitra. It's pretty difficult ( or should I say impossible? ) to have a healthy ship with Nnoitra, as he is a very toxic person, so writing toxic ships is my jam. I'm fine with writing non-con ( Nnoitra's canon, hello? ), abuse, manipulation and so on and so on. The only things I will not write are things that I consider OOC for Nnoitra, such as him being the submissive in the relationship, any type of feminization-plot. I also won't write prefect lovey-dovey ships because that's just not Nnoitra.

How large does the age gap have to be to make it uncomfortable?

No age gap limits, but Nnoitra is not interested in minors. I also won't write ship with mods who are under 20. I'm in my late 20s and considering the sort of dark material I write and how toxic Nnoitra can become in a relationship, I feel more comfortable if my writing partner is older than 20.

Are you selective when shipping?

YES. I'm very selective when shipping. Mostly because it takes Nnoitra a good while to form that sort of bond with someone. I also like for things to develop "naturally". I don't do pre-established romantic relationships. I want Nnoitra to fall in love on his own, without me pushing him along.

How far do steamy moments have to go before they’re considered NSFW?

I typically tag things as "suggestive //" right away if there is a sexual or graphic tone to the post. Nnoitra is a crude person so this can happen easily. I would only tag sex or foreplay as NSFW.

Who are other muses you ship your muse with?

At the moment, I have no active ships for Nnoitra ( he's sleeping with a couple of people though, win for him fjfjfjf ). I really miss writing ships for Nnoitra, so I'm writing a few crossover ship fanfics for him (Nnoitra/Atsushi and Nnoitra/Kōtarō), but this is just self-indulgent because I want to see him happy from time to time ahaha.

Does one have to ask to ship with you?

No, you don't. It's absolutely cool to tell me if you want to try and explore a ship between our muses though! I'll be onboard for exploring, but please note that there is never a guarantee that Nnoitra will grow attached to your muse. We can set them up on a date ( Nnoitra is actively trying to find dates these days ), but again, there are no guarantees. If your muse has feelings for Nnoitra, feel free to tell me!

How often do you like to ship?

RARELY! Like man oh man, haven't had a ship on here for 200 years at this point. I would like to ship more, but at the same time it's Nnoitra who decides when he falls in love, and that is a slow process. I'm just hitching along for the ride.

Are you multiship?

No, I consider my blog selective few-ship. I also will only have one ship per verse. I'm looking for a few ship partners ( or just one, I'm up for being single ship ) who I can write deep and dedicated plots with.

Are you ship obsessed or ship more-or-less?

I'm not ship obsessed by any means, since it's been many years since I've written a ship for Nnoitra. I AM currently searching for a ship for him, because I do miss writing that sort of thing, but if it doesn't happen, then it doesn't happen. All good.

What is your favorite ship in your current fandom?

Byakuya / Renji . Aizen / Shinji . Mayuri / Kisuke .

My three BLEACH OTPs! I do have other ships (rare-pairs mostly) that I enjoy, but these three are my favorite.

Finally, how does one ship with you?

Tell me that you're interested in exploring this type of dynamic between our muses, and we can set them up on a date, or put them in a setting where they can get to know each other. Please note that there is no guarantee that Nnoitra will form an attachment.

tagged by : @avaere , thank you for the tag aven!

tagging: @fiorserpen , @3katanas , @pinkminxed , @gildinbainas , @godkilller , @knightshonour , @adelha-mathilde .

[prince-liest]

This may be an odd question, but I believe you mentioned you got into writing because of rp(or at least into fanfiction?) And I was wondering how you transitioned into writing solo? Most of my writing is/was with a partner, but I've been trying to write on my own, and I've found it incredibly difficult. I'm told that what I write is still good regardless, but I've a hard time both finding enthusiasm for it without a partner to bounce off of or finishing whatever I'm working on.

This might just be a me thing and more to do with being self-critical, but if you have any advice, I'd really appreciate it. I just want to figure out how to enjoy writing again without jumping through weird hoops for motivation.

(You may have already been comfortable writing even before rp and if that's the case, feel free to disregard this question.)

I'd tried to write a bit of fanfic before my RP days with limited success motivating myself, so it really was very much RP that got me the skills and ability to be able to write full-form fics!

But more than mechanical skill, mostly I think the issue you face is very similar to what I struggled with for a while when swapping to writing fanfic, which is that a lot of the reason RP is so easy and rewarding is because it's such a profoundly social activity. You write a few paragraphs and then you get social feedback immediately from your RP partner in the form of chatting about it and/or the RP response you get! With fanfiction, you have to write a whole damn piece or chapter, post it, and then hope that you get comments if you want engagement - and then those comments are inevitably going to be a little bit less personal if, like me, you RP OCs that you put a lot of yourself into rather than pre-existing characters!

The problem with doing things for the sake of extrinsic motivation is that it kills your intrinsic motivation to do those things. This isn't a moral flaw, it's a documented psychological effect! Nowadays I write primarily because I want to see the things I put into the world, but that's fucking easy for me to say when I also have a large reader base and really enthusiastic commentors, isn't it? And it took me a hot minute to figure out how to transition to motivating myself that way rather than because I wanted interaction.

My suggestion is, honestly, to find folks that hype you up! I kinda crested that barrier by getting possessed by writing demons and pounding out like 60k words of insane Hawks-centric character study in one month during the 2020 quarantine, and I was lucky enough that people really liked it and immediately flooded my notifications with the kind of really lovely, long-form comments that my writing style encourages, which isn't really a typical experience. Those folks that hype you up, it is LOVELY if they are your friends, but sometimes what you really need to do is find the small social circle of freaks that are really into whatever niche thing it is that you are writing, and infiltrate their Discord. Ship-specific groups are really good for this! (Especially for rarepairs.)

But a lot of it is really going to be finding the balance of finding supportive people who will feed into your excitement, and also finding that part of yourself that finds the process of writing to be fun. Social activity is still 100% just a necessary part of the human experience, and I myself post snippets of my writing online and on Discord all the time for the little dopamine hit of "Yay! We're enjoying this together!" but it's become something I do because I want to share the joy I already get from writing, not because I'm writing to share it!

Which also means that you should write things that you enjoy writing. ;) Write things you are actually excited about - not just things you want to read, but things you think would be fun to write, and if there are boring parts that you're getting stuck on? Fucking skip them! I am not kidding! You think anybody thought it was a loss that I literally never even mentioned how radiostatic got together for the first time in 666? If they did, nobody's mentioned it, because it wasn't necessary to the story I actually wanted to tell. Literally so goddamn many of my fics start with cold opens because I don't like to bother with exposition until things have already gotten rolling. Fanfiction especially is GREAT for this because people are already familiar with the world you're writing in!

You are writing to entertain yourself! If it's not entertaining, don't fucking write it! Or figure out what about it is boring you, and then write it differently. This will have the splendid side effect of teaching you how to write transitions and also making a fic that is more fun to read. >:)

Anyway, this has gotten quite long, so: I'm sorry that I wasn't able to offer a great deal of advice, because I relate deeply to what you're experiencing but I basically got to speedrun the transition phase. I hope that it was at least a little bit helpful!

[canmom]

mmo rp is kind of fundamentally not so different from RPing in any messaging program, something we've been doing since the days of IRC. the story you co-create is primarily driven by what's written in the text box. no matter how well made the emote animations are, they are not communicative enough to really tell a complex story, so you always fall back to prose. your character's voice will be limited to a handful of nonverbal expressions - a laugh, mm-hm, uh-huh. you are constantly having to reinterpret bits of game jank as you construct your mental version of the 'real story'. and yet

these visual aids do make a really substantial difference in how you experience it i think. to honestly a kind of surprising degree. of course having a character design on screen helps avoid writing tons of descriptive prose - but there's also a lot that can be done with simple movement through space, like a character positioning themselves besides another, retreating to sulk, getting up to dance.

like in visual novels and manga, you have essentially a set of codified, symbolic expressions - but in FFXIV, every race has its own set of very charming and polished animations for nearly every emote, which adds a huge amount of info in how you interpret that character (and slot them into the otaku database). a roegadyn will by default be loud and brash, a viera refined and dreamy, a lala mischievous and childlike. a mi'qote is a cat. since all of these are chosen by the player, they act as a strong signal of what your character's deal is - their body language comes across even if it's not like the actual scene fully acted out.

and what's fascinating to me is that even when i know what the player looks like irl, i still find myself responding to their game embodiment in how i think about them, i don't picture them irl... but also, having the embodiment helps me get into character. I have two alts, and with each one i feel drawn to a different style of roleplay. just like a list of prompts in a ttrpg sourcebook, the embodiment you've chosen gives you something to bounce off when you're improvising.

roleplaying is very similar to improv comedy, and many of the same analysis concepts - 'offers', 'yes, and' - apply. we're essentially improvising a digital puppet show. building up an RP venue and customising our model is a way of laying out props to help that process roll smoothly.

i often dream about an mmo animation system that would be less janky - more control over camera placement, better handling of interactions between player characters and characters with their environment, more ability to plan out timing and blocking and so on - essentially trending towards multiplayer source filmmaker.

the problem is that such a system would probably have way too much cognitive overhead to be usable in real time improv. i think what something like ffxiv shows is that even very simple elements - besides the emotes, your character looks towards your target and moves their lips when you talk, you can adjust their expression and there's animation hooks all over the place line chairs you can sit on - can actually be a very expressive palette and people are pretty good at filtering out the jank when they want to create a story together.

indeed, it becomes a skill - knowing what animations you have, how to reinterpret them, how to line yourself up with other players. and in the end you don't remember the time spent shuffling forwards and typing /hug again and again, or standing up and sitting down repeatedly until it lines up right. you remember the cute sight of your character sitting beside your friend, looking fondly at each other.

there's also another angle which is like... i find real life 'going out' very difficult - usually hitting a point of information overload very quickly in a pub environment, and while music is easier to manage than a wall of conversation, i never really learned how to interact with strangers at a club, concert, convention. I'm not good with alcohol. when i try to a pub, i usually end up retreating into myself and ducking out. in mmos, though... i find prose much more easy to be expressive in, and the limits of the animation system kind of level the playing field a bit in terms of The Autism when it comes to body language and the like.

still, sometimes it feels like a very sad existence - i rely on this simulacrum, pretending i am being intimate and social with people i can't touch through a computer program that draws triangles. everything in an mmo is muted, blunted by the medium - which makes it 'safe', but also tinges it with a loneliness that can't really be broken. but for now, i guess the simulacrum is all I've got, you know? and i can appreciate how it's put together, all the effort that has gone in from devs and players alike to realise this alternative channel for connection.

but yeah. i guess it comes back to this again... there's a reason my online 'face' is a low poly approximation of an animal!

[pathetic-gamer]

okay here's my hot take: D&D is a game about dungeons not the hero's journey.

Mechanically, it's about dungeons. This has been true from the very beginning, and remains true, regardless of what WotC says in their marketing. The culture can shift, and the goals and expectations players have when they gather a group and sit down to play can be anything under the sun and that's good, that's great, I want people to have fun!

None of this changes the fact that the rules of the game are designed to facilitate combat encounters (and traps and riddles and puzzles and such that you would find in a classic rpg dungeon). And it's not really a rules-light system in the first place ("smh noob, 5e has nothing on 2e with THAC0-" shhh, its okay. take my hand. let's make space vehicles in GURPS 3e together.), people just have a level of cultural familiarity that makes them think it is and thus that they can get by without reading the PHB when the extent of their knowledge is actually just "roll the big one to do stuff."

Of course you can tell a good story while you play! Of course you can have fun! It doesn't have to be nothing but rules and arithmetic all day every day - what I'm saying is just that vast heroic fantasy narratives are secondary.

So what do I mean when I say it's about dice-rolling?

I mean that the same thing that keeps combat interesting (a single d20 leads to lots of volatility and means crits are uncommon enough to be exciting, but common enough that someone at the table is almost guaranteed to get at least one in any given session) makes role-playing difficult sometimes (doesnt matter how persuasive your argument is - a nat 1 persuasion check is a nat 1 persuasion check).

I mean that at the end of the day, whatever funky character work you want to do has to work with the game's mechanics. As fun and interesting as it would be to play a sneaky little trickster of a cleric, you simply will not have the dexterity or charisma to successfully steal that plot-important key while seducing the innkeeper.

I mean that the mechanics of the game, especially for DMs who aren't professional actors or improve comedians, are meant to support and reward clever fighting, not clever debates. Skills, abilities, class features - all of these assume your energy will be focused on fighting. It takes a lot of flexibility, homebrew, and house-ruling to move around that.

There are other games that are meant to facilitate really good rp, though! There are rule systems that are elegantly structured around soft skills and encourage cleverly handling social encounters, or systems with much more class flexibility to enable something like a trickster cleric to exist from day one.

So anyway. I say all of this as someone who loves lot of different ttrpgs, D&D 5e absolutely included, but you'll have so much fun exploring the vast world of ttrpgs if you would just let a game's rules inform how you play, and find a ruleset that matches your goals.

[calidrisminuta]

Long personal ramble incoming.

I hate it when I have extreme introvert days. Every so often, I'll just go through a phase where it takes me ages to warm up and be sociable online - like, mid afternoon is when I actually feel like I can get the energy together to hold a conversation. I'm timid to begin with, an introvert through and through, but it was never this difficult.

I always wondered why, and then I realised: it's probably because of earlier experiences online.

Back in the early 2000s, I was a member of several nerdy forums, mostly for fantasy, but some sci-fi too. I was a regular in most places and was having fun, but... I always seemed to attract people who did not respect my boundaries.

It's possibly because there weren't a lot of women in those boards, or because I was polite, but these people always seemed to try too hard. I'd get questions that went far beyond anything I was comfortable with. Over-familiarity or being patronized. Another forum regular even went around DMing all the women in the forum asking to do "adult RP" with them, which I firmly refused but you always, always feel bad about afterwards because it feels like you're being rude. I shouldn't have felt bad, but at the time, I just felt like avoiding the place.

Everyone else just said to tell him to **** off, but he only got a warning from the mods and AFAIK he's still there today.

Anyway, between that and other matters I lost a lot of my confidence, built up my walls, and eventually drifted away. By that point, social media was just emerging so it felt like a natural progression and I kept my walls up, for that reason.

It's possible the people involved didn't even realise they were doing it. Still, that was over fifteen years ago and it just wasn't talked about back then.

Fast forward to today, and I'm finding it so, so hard to break my own walls down from the inside. Moreover, it's hard to know when to keep them up. I've found similar of these people on Twitter as well, so it tends to be difficult to relax on any form of site where you're interacting with people.

I know that all the people currently around me online are good people, but it's really difficult to let myself relax, and that's the exhausting part. That's why it takes me so long to become accustomed to new places and warm up enough to be myself.

I know that people get far, far worse treatment than this online. This isn't a comparison: this is just my explanation for why I seem quiet at times (or overdo it at other times). I might delete this later, but I thought my mutuals at least should know why it might seem like I'm being aloof or too timid. I just don't know how to break down my own walls - or at least put a little door in them.

I'm working on it. :)

[sansloii]

Name: Hollis! ( though, i go by Marshy as well and have for about 6 years )

Pronouns: she/they

Preferred comms: discord because tumblr ims are questionable at best. i also uninstalled the app because of how often it would just randomly crash for little to no reason so.... if you want to reach me, disco is the safest bet

Name of muse(s): I have eight wonderful creatures of varying temperament. Batch 1 was Mikah. Batch 2 was Penelope, Wynn, Evan, Dakota, and Joseph. Batch 3 was Roderick and Andris. I also am working on fleshing out Vega properly but he's not quite done yet.

Experience in RP: in about 2012-ish, i was into f.andomstuck and i had an oc for that until like.... 2014-ish? it was baby's first blog and i didn't really know what I was doing. I had fun, while it lasted, but i also knew some of the people in this community ( like they went to the same high school as me ) so any issue we had on tumblr would translate into lunchroom confrontations. I didn't enjoy that part so much and my interest for it fizzled out by the time i graduated. then, i jumped over to the fire emblem fandom and made an oc for fire emblem awakening! i think i stayed in that rpc until 2016/2017 and i had two ocs, a mother and her son from the future, that i still very much adore. there were ups and downs and i feel like i was taught.... multiple frustrating lessons during my tenure there. it did help me develop my writing a lot and i have to say that i'm honestly better off having taken the chance to do it.

lastly, i ended up here in 2017 and i'm not leaving. i also have another massive oc blog i'm slowly reworking but i'm trying not to stress myself out lol.

Best experiences: it's very difficult to put specific experiences into words because most of it, for me, is vibes. my best experiences have been interactions and plots with people that I not only get along with but like... you know--we understand each other. like if i decide that i'm not going to rp on tumbles for a month and maybe just stick to headcanons, i can do so without fear that you think i'm wasting your time. or that we can pick up where we left off and it's okay if you respond to the months old thread you had with me. or! we can just stay up until the wee hours of the morning talking about ideas or blorbos or getting really into a discord rps. like it's the vibes that i can come to you like a fart in the night with a gifset or image like "hey this is our muses" and, likewise, you can do the same with me.

to those of you who i vibrate at the speed of light towards at any given moment, you know who you are. thank you for being patient with me and giving me the space to vibe with you :)

Pet peeves / dealbreakers: i feel like every time i open my mouth about pet peeves i have, i sound like a crotchety old person that always has something negative to say deep down ... but w/e. it's my soap box.

i've noticed that since i've come back, it feels like i have to be the one that's chasing some people for interactions or plots more often. or like. right out the gate, they wanna jump from A to Z and be best buds and whatever so we can speedrun everything. or... i'm expected to or have to do most of the work because they're quite literally doing none of it after expressing interest. and like some of that isn't inherently bad! i'll be the first to admit that if we're friendly enough and progress something enough to where it's like... an established thing? we can have something going faster than the speed of sound after that. we can have multiple ships, a dedicated au, a whole slew of worldbuilding shit together and i won't care because i know said person on some level. and that took time + a whole slew of back and forths.

however, it doesn't feel great to express that "hey i want to plot something but it'll take time and like... if we're shipping on top of that, it'll take double that amount" and watch, in real time, as that person just... eventually leaves you on read. and/or just doesn't interact with your content anymore. and i can tell the difference between being preoccupied/ having not great week/taking a break from tumblr entirely/being slow and being put on a shelf/ barely acknowledged very clearly. i shouldn't have to feel like i'm competing for a slot or something, which is the vibes i got sometimes and ( as you would expect ) didn't like.

this isn't directed at anyone i'm currently following, ofc. i know i am not perfect but i also know that i am an extremely patient person, which is how I want to be treated. It's very frustrating to try and try and try again only to get the bare minimum from people i genuinely wanted to interact with. but c'est la vie--such is life--and i move on. i, like many others, have limited time to be on here and if something doesn't bring me joy after a month, two months, three months, I'm more than willing to part with it. there has to be effort on both ends in some way and if you want me to pat your ass, pat my ass too.

Muse preference ( fluff, angst, smut ): you cannot make me choose. now, does that mean that I write them all in equal amounts? certainly not. but it really depends on my mood. sometimes, all i wanna do is talk about soft moments. other times, i want to put my muses in a blender and watch them process what's happening to them. occasionally, i'll let them roam free and be as horny as they like. the key is to always cycle through the three so you don't get burnt out on any one of them.

Plot or memes: uuuuuhhhh it depends? plots are my fucking jam and i like having a general storyline to follow when writing and then figuring out the little details when we get to them. it's a long process but i enjoy the wait and the buildup more than i enjoy air so djsfdvdfvd--

buuuuuut i also think memes are a valueable, valueable springboard into interactions. and plotting straight outta the gate can be intimidating for some. plus, if you want to plot but your head is empty atm, finding and sending memes with the same vibe as the plot point you wanted to discuss is helpful! i'll admit that i'm not great at sending in memes but it's not for lack of wanting to. it's more not knowing what to send and picking a muse to send along with it that trips me up. Plus, not being here most of the day tends to mean i miss a lot of meme reblogs orz

Long or short replies: long replies but i do trim them shorter or rewrite portions of them. sometimes, i will write what i deem to be "too much" for a reply ( e.g: my partner has like 350 words and i'm sitting at like 625 words ) and i'll go back and edit it down to 450-500 if i find stuff that doesn't really move anything along or is just needless padding.

Best time to write: it used to be late night but i pass out too often for that to be effective anymore ( because of my sleep schedule for work ), so i tend to favor late mornings and early afternoon. if i'm writing late at night, it's because i didn't have time during the day to do so.

Are you like your muse(s): n...not really in most cases. like we share some traits here and there but for the most part, my personality, sense of style, and morality deviates from most of them.

tagged by: @rexpyre tagging: @arcxnumvitae @gunrising @royaletiquette @nezumivc103221 @bonesofchaos and anyone else that wants to.

[cassius-blackwood]

[ Closed RP ]

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Cassius had been invited to go out tonight by Jacob, who had pretty much been his only friend since he'd moved to Forks a few months ago. The guy had been desperately trying to get him to come meet some of his friend group, although Cassius wasn't thrilled about the idea. He was the introverted type, preferring to be by himself to recharge — things like video games, movie nights in, and smoking a few bowls to relax brought him a sense of peace. Alternatively, he found himself anxious and sometimes more aggressive in larger crowds, loud places, and with people he didn't know well.

Needless to say, it made making friends a bit harder for someone like him — not that he cared much to do so to begin with, mind you, as people tended to drain his energy quickly. Every once in a while, however, he would find someone he could spend endless days and nights with, someone that seemed to understand him for a brief moment in time. Most of the time, they would move on with their life and drift away, the connection fading back into the vast streamline of energies in the world. Cass didn't mind anymore, as he'd grown used to that over the years, but it made it difficult to find any point in befriending anyone anymore.

He sighed quietly to himself as he moved about his home, getting ready to meet Jake — and most likely his friends — out at Third Beach in La Push. They were having a bonfire, he recalled Jacob explaining; he had been told he didn't need to bring anything, that his 'presence would be enough.' He'd heard that all his life, that he didn't have to do anything but show up. Still, Cassius often couldn't bring himself to arrive, and it wasn't because he didn't want to go. More than anything, Cass wanted to connect again, to not feel so... empty. Hollow. Alienated.

It took him a little while to get dressed and make sure he had everything together. Phone, wallet, keys — the works. The skyline was already a soft rose color, shades of plum and aureate swirling into one another behind massive and sporadic gray clouds. La Push was about half an hour outside of Forks, and so by the time Cassius had arrived at Third Beach, the sun had just dipped below the horizon and on the sand, there were four silhouettes against the fading light.

He sat in his car for a long moment, his pulse picking up lightly as he observed the boys. Cass pursed his lips briefly and then gradually climbed out of his car. Crisp, salty and smoky air greeted him, enveloping him in a hint of uncertainty and anticipation. It didn't take long for Jake to notice him, who had been waiting for his arrival.

As he joined them on the beach, two of the boys were still horsing around and didn't seem to realize what was going on. Jacob half jogged over to meet Cassius, a wide grin on his face. He gave a small smile in return, his gaze flickering toward the other guy that had accompanied Jake, then back to meet Jacob's gaze.

"Hey, Cass," he said warmly, practically picking Cassius off the ground as he hugged him. Jake was warm and the scent of pine, firewood, and a hint of musky cologne clung to him, causing Cass' smile to widen a little more. The familiarity eased some of his awkwardness and evident discomfort, and Jacob went on as he released Cassius and took a step back. "Glad you could make it, man. This is Embry," he introduced, gesturing to the guy that stood a few feet away.

"Nice to meet you," Embry chimed in, his demeanor laid back and a friendly grin on his face. He gave Cass a small nod, lifting his chin to acknowledge him. "Jacob's been talking about you nonstop, you know. We were beginning to think he'd made you up."

Cass shifted his weight slightly, his gaze flickering between Jake and Embry for a moment, arching his brow imperceptibly at the unexpected comment about being discussed with the group. Jacob, on the other hand, shot Embry a look and rolled his eyes, grinning once more as he returned his focus to Cassius. His cheeks were tinted a faint pink as he shook his head, meeting Cass' gaze, "It's not a big deal, really — don't mind Embry, he'll blow it up into something it's not. Let's get you settled in."

He followed Jacob and Embry back toward the bonfire, where large driftwood logs encircled a pit dug into the sand. The flames were dancing and crackling, combining with the waves that crashed against the rocks further out and adding a soothing ambiance to the area. Cassius took a seat next to Jake, while Embry sat on the opposite side of their mutual friend. While they got comfortable, Cass glanced up and observed the other two figures that were racing across the beach, though he couldn't quite make out what they looked like as it was getting dark.

"That's Paul and Jared," Jacob informed him gently, his gaze switching subtly between the two silhouettes and Cassius, "They should be joining us shortly. Are you hungry or anything?" He gestured toward the small cooler next to Embry, which had metal pokers sat atop of it. "I can make it for you, if you want. We've got hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken — we also have marshmallows, if you're looking for something sweet instead."

Cassius shook his head a little in response, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He knew that Jacob was trying to take care of him and make sure he was situated, and he appreciated it, but he was still on edge about being there. "I'm good for now, thanks," came his reply, his voice soft and tinged with a hint of appreciation. Jake shrugged lightly, and after a few moments, Jacob and Embry had struck up a conversation, giving Cass a bit of space to process and get adjusted to the new energies.

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[kindlistener]

(The meme is not by me.)

If you fancy learning more about me and my writing, feel free to venture below the cut.

KindListener/ArcaneChariot are the main usernames I go by on Tumblr/AO3/X/etc.

I write for many, many, many pairings, such as; Borsalino/Taro Midori (OC), Cap Hatfield/Theodore Stanhope (OC), Don Pierce/Kurt Ackerman (OC), Dorian Grey/Basil Hallward, Eli Klaber/Stephan Wolff (OC), Shang Tsung/Liu Kang, The Corinthian/Alistair Moreau (OC), Viktor Vector/V as well as a whole bunch of /Reader stuff and that's just scratching the surface! Recently, I've been writing Henry Christmas/FTM!Reader/George Moody, Herbie (Gypsy)/M!Reader, Nicky Frazer/M!Reader, Tristan Farnon/Gordon Abram (OC) and other pairings involving Petey characters.

Honestly, I don't read all that much that isn't my work because I'm usually writing, studying or planning to write.

I've always been a writer, even back before I was on the internet, back in the olden days. 👴🏻👴🏻 I once made a TA cry after I unknowingly wrote a gorefic when I was 11. I still feel bad about that...

The first fic I wrote and posted was actually a gift for my brother. It was a Dorian Grey fic because we were both into the movie at the time.

My favourite fic is difficult. I've written a lot that I'm very proud of, such as this Don Pierce fic, this Miracle Guy fic (don't knock it til you try it) and my most recent Trissy fic. But, honestly, I take pride in my art and I try to give people the best content possible.

I couldn't really say which one has been my hardest fic. Honestly, I just kind of give the fic a starting point and some themes/plot-beats and then I let it run it's course. The hardest, I suppose, might be 'The Angel and the Preacher' because it made me question my own spirituality and morality which was quite intense.

Hmm... Research... Honestly probably either 'Safe Haven' or 'The Angel and the Preacher' because you may not realise it but there's a lot to giving birth/being a priest who struggles with his faith/etc. I remember watching so many videos on labour and giving birth and just frantically writing down notes. Still, they were interesting fics to write.

Honestly, the fics most near and dear to my heart tend to be ones I work on with friends; whether that be RPs (like I've done with @the-broken-quill and Lu) or fics that have had art drawn in tandem (like 'The Angel and the Preacher' with @bludpudding's beautiful, beautiful stained glass artwork). I really like sharing my hyperfixes with my friends and making art together. 💛💛

My favourite trope (if you could call it that) would probably be writing trans/intersex characters, usually FTM. As a FTM person myself, I can write from the perspective of a trans person (of course, not all experiences are the same but I tell it from my perspective) and I enjoy getting to get those thoughts and feelings down on paper because it's definitely not represented enough in the fanfic community. However, if we're talking about kinks and things that tend to come up in my work, it'd probably be giving oral or face-fucking or like a daddy kink or something. ISAOJVISAJVVUSDJ

This is detailed on my Caard but I don't write straight, necro, rape, scat or underage content (even though I've been asked to write these previously). F/M content; I don't write straight stuff because I can't really relate to straight people RIP. Necro; I feel it's disrespectful. Underage; just no. Scat; is gross (sorry, scat fans). And rape/SA; I have personal experience with so I don't enjoy sexualising/glorifying it. I have written rape recovery stories, like with this Campion fic, but otherwise I can't stand it.

I couldn't tell you about my favourite scene but I do enjoy the scene in this fic where the Second Corinthian returns to the grave of one of his victims and is approached by the victim's brother. It's a scene about redemption and it was really nice, expanding on the Souvenirs comic like that.

I get my inspiration from many different places. Sometimes it just kind of pops in your head and you're suddenly planning out dialogue for a specific scene and sometimes it's just little scenes like this (where Tris is pretending to be a dog and, of course, I get thinking about pet play)...

The hardest scene I ever wrote... It may be the beginning of this fic, where Devon (my OC) gets the idea to pick up a homeless person and dress them up for a gala they're going to, in order to keep themselves from being forced out of their rich family. It's difficult juggling the struggles of not being accepted by your family, disability and homelessness. Of course, none of them are equal and all are horrible issues to have but trying to keep the main character sympathetic in such a situation is definitely difficult.

My favourite characterisation might be in 'Safe Haven'. Seeing Don Pierce go from being this rough, tough mercenary to the caring father of twins was definitely a journey that I had to go on with him.

God, I want to write continuations to so many fics. The first choice would be writing a continuation to 'The Angel and the Preacher', which is in the works but it's a very emotion-heavy work so it requires absolute concentration and I'd be scared of it not being as good as the first chapter. Possibly a sequel to this fic but, again, I'd be scared of it not being as good as the first part.

This is all my OC work ever. Because OCs take a lot of getting used to and a lot of characterisation and a lot of lore-building, I feel like a lot of readers just want something they can pick up and instantly know what's going on. But I'm also guilty of being lazy and not wanting to do all the world-building and character design and lore so I'm just as bad. But, whenever I post a Character/OC work, I'm always scared that my views will go down and that's definitely reflected in my stats. Still, when I do write for my OCs, I really enjoy it.

"Mmmnn... You're not a shark, you're a puppy, but I can work with that. I'll make you the cruelest, most devious mutt at the firm... Soon enough, you'll be able to rip your colleagues apart and you'll thank me for it. Isn't that what you want?" (from an unposted Callahan WIP.)

'WOW that was amazing! the story, the characters and of course the second part. i was giggling and blushing like a little innocent girl. thank you very much it's a great work!' Honestly, it's the little things. People don't have to pour their hearts out to me and gush about my work. Just little comments like that make my day. 🥹🥹

I have so many WIPs and discontinued works, whether that be from just switching hyperfixes or being booted out of a fanbase. 🥲🥲 But, for the most part, I manage to finish my fics, even if it's like getting blood from a stone...

Personally, I'm subscribed to bludpudding, FanFicReader01, QuoteMyFoot and ZeroEchoBravoSeven.

I would recommend some fics but I just spent ages doing the links and Tumblr didn't like it so like just here's the link to my bookmarks. Go wild.

This was really fun! I hope you got something out of this and maybe even added a couple fics to your reading list.

If you got this far, I love you and I hope you have a wonderful day. 💛💛

[thaumatology]

Behind the Muse meme.

tagged(sorta) by @esotericjerks

Name: Nate

Age: 27

How old were you when you first started RP-ing: I'm pretty sure I started at 15, maybe 16. (That was a mistake btw, I do not recommend it.)

Height: 6'3"

OC’s or Canons: OCs, though I have a couple OCs who started out as borderline expies of canon characters just because I liked their vibe but I am allergic to actually playing canons because I feel like I will get them wrong.

Prefer to play females or males: I think if you looked at all the characters I have ever created there would probably be a slant towards male, but in terms of my currently active characters it's a pretty even split (though Colin still gets more of my attention than any of the others.)

Favorite faceclaim to play: I don't really use faceclaims, at least not directly. I'll often pick an actor with a similar facial structure to use as a reference when drawing a character from different angles, but I'm usually not trying to recreate them 1 to 1.

Least favorite faceclaim to play: N/A, see above.

Worst RP experience ever: Hard to pick. I've been in a lot of different rp communities and most of them have ended up eventually melting down over some OOC drama and it sucks every time.

Fluff, angst, or smut: Any and all as long as its interesting! (and tbh I'm kind of a sucker for domestic fluff even when its not.)

Most overused FC: I don't engage with the concept enough to know.

First character you ever made: God I don't know. I was making characters years before I ever started rping and I can only remember a fraction of them.

Worst character you ever made: If we're talking in terms of personality and morals then its probably my version of Beelzebub. The man responsible for Colin's birth and childhood is pretty up there too, but he at least had an (arguably) noble goal when he set out, he just lost it in the ends justify the means thinking.

Favorite type of plot: I love long term slowburn shit (not just in terms of shipping) that builds up on stuff established in previous threads over time. In terms of themes I really enjoy taking two characters where at least one of them is initially distrustful and having their relationship build into friends or lovers.

At what time of day is your writing the best?: In terms of actually putting things together, mid day. in terms of coming up with little tweaks that elevate what I've previously written? Just after I go to bed unfortunately.

Are you anything like your muse?: Oh for sure. A lot of my characters get little bits and pieces of my personality through osmosis, and Colin got more than most. In particular one thing I drew heavily on when writing him was how growing up with autism made it really difficult to relate to a lot of the experiences my peers were having, and while he is probably not autistic, he experienced a similar thing due to his condition.

Worst thing about RP (in general or on Tumblr): Imposter syndrome. I will spend like two hours writing up a starter or a reply and think I really cooked with it and then my partner will respond with something that feels like it just completely blows my stuff out of the water. I have to constantly remind myself that if someone is choosing to rp with me it means they probably enjoy my writing.

To end on a good note — best thing about RP?: Meeting people with similar interests and getting to see all of your writing (and especially worldbuilding for those who have it, please share your worlds with me I want to learn about them!!!). So many people here are super talented and creative and it's a joy to get to write with you all.

Tagging: Anyone who sees this and wants to do it!

[starrook]

PLOTTER / SHIPPER

taken from: my claude and lukas blogs :) which were taken from a jcink pokemon rp’s shipper section

tagging: the person reading this

1. CONNECTIONS

write about how our muses could connect with each other! ex. what does your muse like to do that other people would be involved in? do they have interests that other people might share?

He is a Knight of Seiros and doesn’t advertise his prince-status, he wants to be treated like a normal person that doesn't need any special treatment.

It might be a surprise to other muses that he is a prince of Brodia and Diamant’s brother. Not sure if it's enough for a full thread but might be fun for a short interaction. I mean Alcryst won't have fun but it's okay.

Consistently tries to push himself to try new things, willing to go out of his comfort zone and do something he’s never done before. In between Engage’s end and arrival in Fódlan, he finished his formal education, but still takes seminars on topics that he's interested in.

The problem is that he doesn’t have much in the way of hobbies. Trying to fish more but it’s not usually something he does by himself. He's the kind of guy that will want to try something new but only if there's a friend by his side.

Loves learning about new places! I think if the school had cultural festivals he’d be all in. 

2. PLATONIC

Write about your muse and their concept of friendship. Ex. how is your muse like with friends? Do they make friends easily or do they find it difficult to connect with others?

Alcryst's biggest barrier to making friends is, unfortunately, himself. He's pretty shy and awkward due to low self-esteem, so it's rare for him to make a good first impression with people. In spite of that, "other people" are specifically listed as one of his likes and he wants to make meaningful connections with everyone.

So here is my bold take: Alcryst is a (shy) extrovert. He's uncomfortable being in the center of attention, he struggles at intense parties... but at the same time he enjoys the company of others, he goes out of his way to meet new people and wants to connect with them. Yes he calls himself a bit of an introvert in his Seadall support but I've decided that he's wrong so there 😂

It takes a while for Alcryst to get comfortable with a new person, but once he is, he's really a different person from how he usually is. He's a lot more relaxed and comfortable, and he's less prone to self-deprecation if he's shooting the shit with his friends. Mainly because Alcryst tends to keep the focus more on others than himself. He's the kind of guy that goes out of his way for the people he cares about, observant of their emotions and desires and always trying to lift their spirits, make them happy. For better or worse, he's a people pleaser and cares about what other people think.

3. ANTAGONISTIC

Write about your muse and the conflicts they have with other people. Ex: who are they on bad terms with, what kind of people do they not get along well with, how do they act around people they don’t like

Alcryst is NOT conflict-averse and very much willing to start fights if he believes the other person is in the wrong. See: him about to throw hands with Ivy post Chapter 10, still being hostile in her C support like "you know what you've done", treating Alear and Hortensia as enemies when he believes them to be a threat (to the point of almost shooting the Divine Dragon's head off, whoopsies!). It comes from a place of wanting to protect the people he cares about, the kingdom of Brodia as well as his family. From his Camilla Bond A convo:

Camilla: I feel like we’re quite similar. Like how we’re both kind, but can be cruel on the battlefield… Alcryst: Me? Similar to you?! I’m completely unworthy! Though…we do work well together in battle. Alcryst: Perhaps because we give our all to defend our allies and show no mercy to the enemy.

I think Alcryst starts out as having a black-and-white view of things, like a very Us-vs-Them mentality that he grew up with. Elusians are a threat because they worship the Fell Dragon (bad), and Brodia keeps them in check by conquering their territory and undermining the kingdom (good!). If you're not with us, will that make you a threat in the future? That sort of thing. I imagine he'd still be wary of people who are unable to commit to a cause or switch sides as it pleases them. They would be considered unpredictable, not someone to trust. It's absolutely not something Alcryst is proud of, he gives himself a lot of grief about it and is trying to "be more like Diamant" in that regard.

4. ROMANTIC

Write about your muse and their relationship with romance. Ex. are they searching for love or not interested in it in the slightest, what’s their dating history like, how do they act around crushes, how would they treat their partner if they were in a relationship.

As Citrinne puts it, he's not that clever 😂😂😂

Alcryst is kind of oblivious. He doesn't think anyone would like him, so if someone tried to flirt with him he would think that they're either joking or he's misunderstanding the situation. Unfortunately you'd need to drop very loud and obvious hint for him to get it, and even then he'll second-guess himself and wonder if he's reading too much into it. "Diamant, xyz said that I'm hot, that they would date me given the chance, they give me lots of gifts and say that they love every part of me. I'm not sure if this means that they're actually interested in me, help."

His dating history is nonexistent: when your brother is the most eligible bachelor in Brodia you don't tend to get a bunch of marriage proposals your way. Why aim for silver when you can potentially win gold?

As a prince of Brodia, Alcryst has pretty much accepted that he's likely going to get married for political purposes rather than "true love". However he still has reservations about it, as he does not want some poor girl to end up miserable with him just to make a power move. Whether there is romantic attraction in the marriage or not, Alcryst would still prioritize having a happy and harmonious relationship with his partner. If Diamant ordered him to marry someone he did not choose, Alcryst would do so: duty commands it, and it's expected of him to follow through.

Because of that, Alcryst tries not to act upon his crushes. I like to think that he's the kind of guy that gets all kind of crushes easily, mainly because he wants to get to know them better. He'll just as easily try to talk himself out of them and convince himself that it'll never happen, though. Alcryst is much of the same around his crushes, maybe more nervous (but he's always nervous).

While I was writing this, I ended up asking myself this fun question question: Does Alcryst think he deserves love and romance?

I don’t play him as thinking himself as abominable scum of the earth that deserves nothing, ever, he has some self-respect. Maybe doesn’t see fairy-tale romance as something that would ever happen for him. 

Is he worthy of being loved? Struggling with that. Maybe that’s why he’s not totally opposed to political marriage, he doesn’t think he deserves love so he tries not to yearn for it? Or really place that much focus on finding it. His existence in the Brodian royal family is a mistake so it’s fine if they use him as a political pawn.

Doesn’t need to be in love with them, but doesn’t want to be miserable with them either. He puts his all into what he does, wants to be committed.

[rejuvenatingbeginnings]

▼ INFORMATION DESK ▼

╰┈➤ Welcome, ###########.

“What is this place???”

- This is one of them classic ask blogs. Particularly for the A-Gang of Pokemon Rejuvenation; Aevis, Aevia, Axel, Ariana, Alain, and Aero.

Ana and Crescent are also available, though more as guest appearances.

Heavy spoilers will be tagged depending on the chapter!

We try to stick as close to canon as possible. With a little hcs sprinkled in, as a treat,

considering we haven’t seen much direct interaction between the gang ingame yet save for a few scenes.

In technicality, a slight AU, but aren’t all ask blogs basically that???

╰┈➤ ASK RULES

- No nsfw. Please. Children are here. Also it’s just Weird. You’ll probably be blocked.

- RP accounts interacting is ok! Just don’t get snappy if something we respond with doesn’t match up with a part of the character’s verse (particularly if OC).

- The general DNI applies. If many people have you on this list, it’s probably for a valid reason!

- Art submissions are ok too but like...? You’re better off just posting regular fanart to the main tag lol. If it’s art for a specific interaction on the blog, that’s ok though.

- Do not spam the inbox. Do not also spam the inbox with questions asking why your question or previous spam isn’t answered yet. Try to keep it to five current asks at a time please! Shouldn’t be too difficult.

- When asking, PLEASE specify WHO of the group you’re asking. I can’t read minds. Sometimes I wish I could. But then I see what some people say just on main and think maybe it’s for the best.

- shipping asks are ok. i guess. don’t try to make it become the focus of this place though.

- do not ask about the next version. We are not giving any answers. It is progressing. That’s all you need to know. <3

╰┈➤ About the characters, I guess!

( All of the gang have all of the Pokemon given to them across all modes. The only canon teams are the Base [NORMAL] Mode teams. The other inclusions are for pure fun. )

--- Aevis (He/him)

BRAVERY. Aevis is a confident young man with a natural affinity for leadership. He does his best to keep the gang together even in rough patches. The type of guy to drop everything to help you out, and always has advice when you need it. He’s on the academy’s volleyball team, and may as well be their ace player! Aevis’s signature Pokemon are Decidueye and Lucario.

--- Axel (He/him)

CHAOS. Axel is the most mischievous of the group, no doubt about it. One could compare him to that of an Impidimp in personality. Always up for a joke, beloved by all. He’s very fond of his sister (who will often be the subject of his pranks.) Due to his excellent acting, he’s actually in the academy’s theater program! One day Axel’s chaos may be his own demise, and he often has some difficulty reading the room, but overall cares deeply for his friends as much as he pokes at them. Axel’s signature Pokemon are Feraligatr and Grimmsnarl.

--- Ariana (She/her)

HAPPINESS. Ariana is very peppy, and very scholarly. Her spirit shines brightly, and her optimism helps to lift the mood of any friend who may be down or such. You might think the pep would make you weary, but that tends to be quite the opposite. She’s always open to her friends who need help, and is on the academy’s cheerleading team! The main organizer of any group outings, whether that be to the mall or wherever else! Maybe she needs to take a bit for herself sometimes too. Ariana’s signature Pokemon are Blaziken and Altaria.

--- Aevia (She/her)

TRANQUILITY. Aevia is a little timid and anxious. She prefers to have her space, or only share it with people she’s familiar with. She gets rather nervous around new individuals-- enough to accidentally smack on instinct or such, apparently. Aevia is insanely talented- particularly in music. She knows how to play the Piano extremely well-- and bake excellently too. She has some issues... but she’s very sweet. Aevia’s signature Pokemon are Samurott and Lapras

--- Alain (They/she)

WRATH. Alain is rather scary to most. They’re rather aggressive to practically anyone at first, but once you get close to them, they tend to soften up a lot more (reluctantly, she may claim.) They are extremely protective of those she cares about, and will quite literally physically fight anyone who harms them. They’re actually rather creative. Their other talents include skateboarding/skating and graffiti art-- and are most often found sitting in silence with Aero. Best to give them their space. Alain’s signature Pokemon are Tazer (Partner-Pika) and Kangaskhan.

--- Aero (They/he)

STRENGTH. Aero is quite studious and cool. Rather laid back. They tend to prefer their space a lot, yet he’s a pretty strong people magnet regardless. People feel safe in their presence, and that is no different when they’re with their friends. Strong and silent, the popularity is to his chagrin. They just wanted to live their life with Alain. Aero took up being the academy’s star boxer, and is the strongest trainer of the group. Strength, however, comes in both physique and heart. Aero’s signature Pokemon are Delphox and Salamence.

--- Ana (She/her)

MERCY.

...

Signature Pokemon; Magne(mite)zone and Magearna.

--- Crescent (She/they)

KARMA.

...

Signature Pokemon; Gothitelle and Roaring Moon

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