#he’s intelligent + well-spoken + charismatic <3

[dollsuguru]

demure yet alluring suguru… you have Bewitched me

[lagoonalake]

P1HARMONY IDEAL TYPE

THEO

Personality: 3 of cups, 6 of cups, 5 of swords

He wants to be friends first with his partner, he might want to start the relationship platonically so he can bond on a deeper level with his partner, not just based on attraction, but true intimacy, understanding and friendship. He wants an emotional connection with his person, someone who has a lot of depth, caring and sensitive, someone who would keep his secrets. Someone connected to their inner child, who reminds him of home, of the past. He wants someone who he can be comfortable with, who can share activities with him, who has similar interests. He also wants an intellectual connection, someone who is interesting, intelligent, he wants to have heated debates with his partner. He wouldn’t mind if the person has different opinions from him, he enjoys the mental challenge. All water signs, especially cancer and pisces, aquarius, gemini

Appearance: 6 of swords, queen of swords, 10 of swords

More than looks, it’s the personality of the person that matters the most. He would like someone who seems intelligent, that he would be able to tell has a lot going on in their mind. He could like the intellectual style. Someone who looks like they have a high education. Could also like someone who looks like they went through a lot in life, who seems more mature or is a bit of an overthinker and it shows on their face. Someone who is well spoken, eloquent, charismatic and charming. Could like a foreigner or someone who speaks a lot of languages.  gemini, aquarius, virgo, mercury

Turn offs: 4 of wands, the empress, the hierophant

Someone too conventional, the idea of marriage itself, codependency, someone too traditional, passive, someone that everyone finds beautiful (he finds it a bit boring XD), someone trapped in the structure, in their environment, family, people who are too cuddly, touchy, PDAs (he is much more interested in the mental and emotional connection). taurus, libra, virgo

KEEHO

Personality: page of coins, 8 of cups, 7 of coins

He may prefer someone outside of the kpop industry. A simple type of person, humble, who he can have a rather simple life with. Someone who may have been in the industry before but stepped out of it (this is very similar vibe to Felix’s ideal type). Someone who was brave enough to step out of their comfort zone/the easy way in order to grow and find something healthier, better for themselves and that matches their beliefs more. Someone with emotional depth who has worked on themselves. Someone observant, patient, who could be interested in slow life, more alternative lifestyle. Someone interested in environmental issues. Someone close to nature and animals. A healthy, fresh, positive person. He wouldn’t mind if it’d take a while for this person to let him in as he values caution in relationships too. virgo, saturn, pisces, aquarius, scorpio

Appearance: knight of wands, judgement, 6 of cups

Someone who would make a strong impression on him. Big presence. Looks a bit wild, who enjoys the outdoors, athletic, strong, full of energy, short height, youthful round face, cute and fierce at the same time, the color red, orange, fiery looks, messy hair, grunge style or more simple outdoorsy practical style. Bigger striking features, full cheeks. Louder voice, big laugh, very straightforward, honest eyes. Joyful. sagittarius, mars, aries, cancer

Turn offs: the devil, king of swords, the magician

Manipulators, I feel like he may not like a lot of people in the industry (the people pleaser vibe is a big turn off for him), someone in power who he is obligated to please, this could be a specific energy, un anwanted attention in his life. Someone detached, calculating, pulling all the strings, someone who could be into business, who is very ambitious. Someone who is addicted to substances, someone trapped in their environment. air signs, especially gemini, capricorn, scorpio

JIUNG

Personality: 6 of swords, ace of cups, 2 of wands

Someone different, he wants to discover something new. He wants to connect on a raw emotional level. So he wants someone deep, spontaneous and adventurous, who has intense feelings. Someone he’ll have a strong chemistry with. Someone not necessarily too serious, he doesn’t want something long term for now. The kind of person that he can have a moment with and it’ll be intense and fun, passionate and unforgettable. Someone who lives in the present moment, wants to experience life at its fullest. Someone who is always in motion, stimulating, interesting, active, lively sort of energy. Someone who follows their heart. aries, sagittarius, pisces, aquarius, gemini

Appearance: queen of swords, temperance, knight of cups

Someone sophisticated, elegant, who could look a bit cold or unattainable at first sight, with balanced, well designed, refined, symmetrical features. Sculptural, slender, flexible body, could like a very artistic, ornated style, lots of accessories, elaborate make up and jewelry, someone into fashion. Someone who has a romantic, seductive look, intense eyes even though the rest of the demeanor is very calm, a siren sort of look. The color blue, turquoise, green. The color of the sea.  A clear voice.  libra, scorpio, pisces

Turn offs: queen of cups, 8 of cups, the star

Someone who gets attached, clingy, possessive, too lovey dovey, too much of a homebody, someone who wants to go too deep in the relationship, someone who invasive, who tries to understand him too deeply or asks him too many private questions when he doesn’t want something that deep, someone who acts like his therapist or his mom, someone oversensitive, dramatic, someone who is a bit delusional and thinks they have chance with him. He really doesn’t want anything too serious or long term, at least for now. cancer, pisces, scorpio, neptune, pluto

INTAK

Personality: 8 of pentacles, strength, temperance

Someone talented at what they do, very hard working and a perfectionist, he likes to see someone dedicated to their task and passion. Someone disciplined, who always delivers. Someone very patient, mature, meditative, relaxed even in stressful situation. Very level headed. Someone he would admire and respect. An artist, could be a dancer and someone crafty, creative, inspiring. Could be someone who is into sport too, like yoga, martial art, or ballet, something that requires a lot of dedication and patience. Someone who has an eye for detail. Someone who is quite dignified and proud.  virgo, leo, libra, capricorn, taurus

Appearance: the wheel of fortune, high priestess, 3 of wands

Someone who would make a strong impression on him, that the moment he’d see them, he’d know, someone who he’d stare at across the room and feel the fated connection, someone with a hypnotic presence, reserved, quiet but powerful energy. Eyes could be dark, shining brightly, would lure him in, seductive but not too revealing, leaving things to the imagination. Could like a strong, flexible body, could like a dancer. Artsy style, “exotic”, sleek, clean, sophisticated, long limbs. Dark blue, black, silver, diamonds. Deep low voice.  virgo, scorpio, pisces

Turn offs: the moon, the hermit, queen of swords

He is kind of turned off by what he is attracted to, which is pretty common, the dark side of his type. Someone who is too secretive, who lacks clarity, is too vague, who doesn’t want to put a label on the relationship, someone who makes him wait too long, is such a loner and has so many barriers that they are impossible to approach, someone who seems too distant, unattainable, lost in their own world, someone too shy, too remote, who never talks, uptight, who seems annoyed by his presence. Someone cold, detached, emotionally unavailable.  negative virgo, pisces, capricorn, saturn

SOUL

Personality: 3 of swords, judgement, 4 of pentacles

He tends to be attracted to or attract partners who are very possessive, people who are a bit insecure, have abandonment issues and become very jealous. The type that isn’t able to trust him and would check his phone to see if there is anything suspicious in it. People who could spy on him, or even if they wouldn’t go that far, people who just aren’t able to trust him. People who have a very intense energy and are all or nothing, who kinda imagine a new life with him, wants to change his life completely and may even become a bit bossy and controlling. There could be a reason he attracts people like this, maybe he makes false promises but in the end he may not seem too invested. scorpio, capricorn, cancer, pluto

Appearance: king of wands, knight of wands, 6 of wands

Very loud sort of appearance, someone who is very proud or their looks and not afraid to show off, revealing outfits, dramatic fashion, flashy bright colors, just very visible. Someone who has an expressive body language, could be an athlete or have an impressive physique, features that really stand out, bigger features, wider mouth/nose, fierce eyes, very good posture, prominent chest, tall, or even if not tall, really commanding presence. Speaks loudly, resonant voice. Charismatic. Popular. Visibly successful. leo, aries, sagittarius

Turn offs: 10 of pentacles, king of cups, 8 of swords

He’s not interested in something long term, so someone who is all about commitment, making plans for the future, settling down, someone a bit boring, who follows the same routine. Having to meet his partner’s family, becoming a constant in someone’s life and vice versa. Someone very intuitive and who sees through bs, someone who could read him, see the vulnerable side of him, someone very emotionally intelligent and mature. He also doesn’t want to have to deal with the insecurity of the people he deliberately picks, even though it’s something that he is (subconsciously?) drawn to.  scorpio, cancer, taurus, virgo

JONGSEOB

Personality: 2 of wands, 10 of cups, the tower

Someone quite explosive and passionate, but who is also very loyal and committed. He wants intimacy and passion in his relationships. He is the type who likes to do a lot of things with his partner, he wants the two of them to function as a team, to work together even. There could be a bit of idealism and codependency in his relationships. Could be someone who wants to move too fast (both his partner and him), but in reality they are not ready yet and everything fall apart. And he could be the type to be on and off with the same person, someone intense that he loves a lot, with very high highs and very low lows. Very transformative relationship and partner. Enterprising, artistic partner, could be a musician, a creator. Very passionate about their art, a bit obsessive. scorpio, pluto, aries, cancer, pisces

Appearance: page of cups, 2 of swords, 5 of cups

Darker colors, black hair, darker or tanned skin. Someone a bit melancholic, with soft, full features, full lips. Innocence but at the same time that touch of gothic. The color white and blue. He’s not that picky with looks, but he has a type. Dreamy artist. Wavy or curly hair. Round face.  cancer, scorpio, capricorn, pisces

Turn offs: 6 of wands, 5 of wands, 10 of wands

People who are too competitive, aggressive, fierce, attention seeker, someone who is never calm or quiet, always in movement, cannot sit still, always a bit angry or annoyed, hot headed, always trying to provoke or dominate others, to prove that they are the best, the number one, people who are full of themselves, people who are exhausting, loud and invasive. negative mars, all fire signs especially aries and leo 

[vantablackstudios]

//hi!! <3. putting this here for a starting place for the clan's story. using some of the beginning characters to create some new lore for the clan!

year 0 lineup:

sootstar: a masked grey tabby tom with green eyes, 42 moons old. sootstar is the kit of guppypaw, and the brother of cinderscreech. from a young age, he's been told many stories of the lives of the clans, and through his adult life, he's helped his mother follow starclan's will to begin a new clan. he is a doting father to his two kits, fernpaw and dewpaw, and misses his mate rosymeadow horribly.

traits: righteous, great climber, lore keeper

echorain: a masked black bengal and white tom, 55 moons old. echorain was a kittypet before meeting guppypaw's group. he was one of the later entries of the group, and after recieving visions of pawprints leading to the tidepools, and starry cats swimming under the waves, he decided to join the clan under sootstar's leadership. he was made deputy as a result of his logical mind and fighting prowess, and vows to work with sootstar to enforce the warrior code.

traits: responsible, unusually strong fighter

apprentice: dewpaw

scarletpoppy: a ginger, single-striped she-cat, 85 moons. scarletpoppy is the clan's medicine cat, a skilled healer and prophet. she was a nomadic, traveling healer in her youth, but as she got earlier, she sought a secure community to settle down in. she was the first cat to join guppypaw's blossoming clan, after receiving a vision of an injured warrior in need of her help. her friendship with guppypaw blossomed here, and she chose her friend's son, sootstar, to lead the clan. she's a wise influence, and is her leader's most trusted advisor.

traits: faithful, trustful advisor, connection to starclan

batheart: a white tom with dark-grey spots and blue eyes, 117 moons. batheart is an older tom, glad for a home to settle down. he's a faithful cat, and felt lost in his spirituality. he'd spent so long alone, wandering with no goals in life, which made him question whether there really is a purpose to living. when he met guppypaw and her developing clan, he realized that there really was a force, starclan, that had destined him to become a warrior in the new guppyclan. he's determined to prove his worth in this new group, and to achieve his true purpose in life.

traits: charistmatic, den builder, good hunter

carpglide: a golden, smokey she-cat with bronze eyes, 68 moons. carpglide is a headstrong, fiery, and ambitious warrior, willing to take risks if it means keeping her clan safe. she was part of a rather rough and tumble group of rogues in her youth, but was intrigued by the structure and community that came with being a warrior. she's become good friends with the cats in her clan, and wouldn't have it any other way.

traits: daring, trusted advisor

apprentice: fernpaw

cinderscreech: a dark-grey tabby warrior with hazel eyes, 42 moons. cinderscreech is sootstar's sibling, and they're rather brash. though they know they wouldn't be an effective leader, they find themselves endlessly jealous of their brother. cinderscreech knows they are abrasive and often unfriendly, but he can't help but wish he had the power and influence that their brother has.

traits: daring, good hunter

foxwhistle: a marbled, ginger tabby she-cat with gold eyes, 12 moons. foxwhistle was found as a kit, abandoned and alone on a sandbar. she was raised by the whole clan, and grew up among many wise warriors. as a result, she's rather intelligent and well spoken. many cats admire how much of a smart young cat she is, and believe she'll grow up to do great things.

traits: charismatic, good storyteller

dewpaw: a dark grey, smokey tom with pretty eyes, 6 moons. a little troublemaker, dewpaw is a rather immature young cat. he gives his mentor plenty of sass, and thinks that he could become a warrior right now with little trouble. he believes that since he's sootstar's son, he is obviously next in line to be leader. all of this big-headedness gets lots of laughter and head-shaking from the older warriors.

traits: childish, splashes in puddles, quick witted.

mentor: echorain

fernpaw: a black she-cat with a white splash on her chest, 6 moons. fernpaw is a much more reserved apprentice, much quieter than her brother, at least. she wants to make carpglide and her father proud, and is a dutiful worker. she is an avid daydreamer, though, and often needs to be shaken from her imagination to focus on work.

traits: oblivious, quick to help, careful listener

mentor: carpglide

guppypaw: a grey, smokey she-cat with yellow eyes, 125 moons. guppypaw was a mediator apprentice, well on her way to becoming a mediator. on her final assessment, a trip to mediate relations with another clan, a storm ravaged the beach, sweeping her far away. after a long journey, she became a loner. she eventually began seeing visions from starclan, destining her to establish a new clan. after many moons, she is so proud of her kits, her grandkits, and the cats they've met along the way that have formed her clan. she is honored to be guppyclan's namesake, and is happy to spend her retirement in her new home.

traits: nervous, good speaker, fast runner

i'll hooopefully try and update every few moons or so. ill try and draw some scenes from the clan too, just to practice drawing cats.

thanks for reading <3

[floralbeautysweet]

ذكرى سنوية 28 لمختبر دكستىر | Happy 28th Anniversary to Dexter's Laboratory

العربية:

منذ 28 عامًا، ظهر مختبر دكستر لأول مرة على كرتون نتورك في 27 أبريل عام 1996، وهي أحد مسلسلات كرتون نتورك المفضلة في التسعينات.

وبمناسبة الذكرى السنوية الثامنة والعشرين للمسلسل، فهو أحد المسلسل الأولى كرتون نتورك. لديهم رسوم متحركة ممتازة، وقصة مثيرة للاهتمام، وشخصيات ودودة وجذابة كفتيات القوة الأصلية هو ولد صغير وذكي يحب الاختراع ولكن عند محاولة اختراع شيء ما تفشله أخته دي دي وهو عبقري هو بالفعل ذو عقل مثالي ونظيف أيضا يشعر أحيانا بالكره تجاه دي دي لأنها تخرب مخططاته بغباء لكن هو أيضا يخفي حبه لها لأنها تساعده في أكثر الأحيان عندما يقع في المصائب نتيجة اختراعاته. شقيقته السعيدة الحظ دي دي دائما تفشل مخططاته باللعب بشكل عشوائي في المختبر، مما يتسبب في حدوث فوضى مع اختراعات دكستر. على الرغم من أنها تبدو قاتمة، إلا أن دي دي، وهي أيضًا راقصة باليه موهوبة، يمكنها أن تتفوق على شقيقها وتقدم له نصائح مفيدة. شاهدته في كل حلقة من حلقات الموسم الأول والثاني على قناة كرتون نتورك بالعربية وستارديما وموقع أرابيك تون أيضًا. قمت برسم حلقات المواسم 3-4 من مختبر دكستر بأسلوب المواسم 1-2.

ونعم في الدول العربية تم عرضه لأول مرة على قناة سبيستون بين الأعوام 2005 بدبلجة سورية ولكن في عام 2008 بدأ بث دبلجة جديدة (كانت لبنانية) على قناة mbc3 والتي ظلت تبثها مع قناة أجيال وتم إطلاقه على قناة كرتون نتورك العربية في 10 أكتوبر 2010. لذلك أفضل الدبلجة اللبنانية للمسلسل وعيد ميلاد 28 سعيد لمختبر دكستر!!

English:

28 Years ago,  Dexter’s Laboratory made its debut on Cartoon Network in April 27th in 1996 it's one of my favorite 90's Cartoon Network shows On the occasion of the show’s 28th anniversary, It's one of Cartoon Network's first show They have excellent animation, interesting plot, friendly, charismatic characters like The PowerPuff Girls Original. Dexter is a bespectacled boy-genius who, behind a bookcase in his bedroom, conceals a secret laboratory, which can be accessed by spoken passwords or hidden switches on his bookshelf. Though highly intelligent, Dexter often fails to achieve his goals when he becomes overexcited and careless. His Happy-Go-Lucky sister Dee Dee delights in playing haphazardly in the lab, wreaking havoc with Dexter's inventions. Though seemingly dim-witted, Dee Dee, who is also a talented ballet dancer, can outsmart her brother and even give him helpful advice. I watched it every episode of seasons 1 and 2 on Cartoon Network Arabic, Stardima and Arabic Toons as well, I’ve drawn seasons 3-4 episodes of Dexter’s Laboratory in seasons 1-2 style And yes, In the Arab countries it was aired for the first time on Spacetoon in 2005-2007 with Syrian Dubbing a.k.a. Venus Centre dub But in 2008, a new dub (which was Lebanese) began to be airing on MBC3, which continued to broadcast with Ajyal TV and It was been launched on Cartoon Network Arabic in October 10, 2010. So I prefer the Lebanese dubbing of the show and Happy 28th Anniversary of Dexter's Laboratory!! Dexter’s Laboratory©️ Genndy Tartakovsky  Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Network Cartoon Network بالعربية WarnerMedia Turner Broadcasting System Image Production House from Beirut, Lebanon

[pastel-player]

Round 1 Results

ALRIGHT IT’S TIME

A few of these results really surprised me! Others did not in the slightest. But either way, it is time to reveal the losers of Round 1!

MATCH 1: Scarlet Amin is Eliminated!

Scarlet Amin a wealthy and charismatic business woman, known for her energetic personality and love of mystery! She revels in filling her home with secret passageways and hidden compartments. She is the girlboss to her husband’s malewife. Speaking of which...

MATCH 2: Ronin Amin is Eliminated!

(Art by https://twitter.com/_Cinnaart_?t=06fAdEVxEb7Fo7Rb5ulueg&s=09)

Ronin is, simply put, sopping wet. He’s much more shy and timid compared to his wife, and tends to handle the paperwork of the business. Yes, I have a favorite, what about it? He’s quite gentle and is known for his caring demeanor. He and his wife also own the mansion a certain OC story of mine takes place in ;D

MATCH 3: Burst is Eliminated!

Art by @samthecookielord​

Burst is a Paper Mario OC, inspired by Origami King! Basically I decided that Bobby deserved a boyfriend. Burst is highly energetic, always jumping to new opportunities! He is acutely aware of his mortality and strives to do as much as he possibly can in the time he has. Love this little guy. Funnily enough, speaking of Paper Mario...

MATCH 4: Twiss T. is Eliminated!

(It’s Sam again)

Twiss T. is another Paper Mario OC, based on the older games this time! He’s meant to be an antagonist- not outright evil, but he definitely doesn’t prioritize his morality. He’s a theatre kid through and through- though he’s dying to play a villain. He is so so willing to be manipulative, love that for him. His only loyalties are to the stage and to his pride <3

ROUND 5: Nightlight is Eliminated!

(It’s Sam. Again.)

Nightlight is the mother of one of my more well known OCs- Nightcap! She works at a library reading out stories, as well as writing kids books in her spare time! She’s very kind and gentle, though she very much has a sense of humor. This woman would have a Tumblr account.

ROUND 6: Misery Wizary is Eliminated!

(Take a guess.)

Misery Wizary is my necromancer save from West of Loathing! She started with a somewhat warped sense of morality- having far too much confidence in herself as a good person, and far too quick to assume the worst of others. This lead to her learning necromancy, through the idea that the person most skilled in it should at least be a good person. She ended up hiding away after an Epiphany TM followed by The Guilt. And then she was pulled out by a strange little child name Romy who is now her son. Love this woman.

ROUND 7: Storm is Eliminated!

(Take. A. Guess.)

This one sorta devastated me ngl. Storm is a teenager with arguably the most complicated origin of any of my OCs! What’s important is that they’re part of (in at least one timeline) the Omori Deltarune AU! They’re one of Halkinna’s best friends- they can come off as edgy, but they have soo much love in they heart. They also enjoy writing angst.

ROUND 8: Arthur Morris is Eliminated!

(picrews are: https://picrew.me/image_maker/1706331 and https://picrew.me/image_maker/1414503)

Arthur Morris is one of my Shadows Over Loathing OCs- specifically my Cheese Wizard save! He’s very intelligent and rather soft spoken. He loves learning about various forms of magic, as well as their history. He also had an.. interesting dynamic with Noel, since he just simply could not match her energy. Oh yeah he also a crush on Charles, love to see it. He’s actually part of a duo- wonder if the other is somewhere around here ;D

That’s the end of part one cause this got very long lol, part two of the results should be soon

[da3drat]

Hello hello and welcomeeeee to my blog. I'm Sea and this is my elder scrolls sideblog. If you need me on main you can find me @un-sea-lie !

Commissions: CLOSED

Ko-fi

Main OCs:

Nerevarine: Meridian tag | vibes tag | playlist Hero of Kvatch: Celeste tag | vibes tag | playlistLast Dragonborn: Dusk tag | vibes tag

Additional Tags worth noting:

my art Ayem <- she gets her own tag<3 martinxceleste <- martinhok posting meralexia <- almalexia/nerevarine posting

Glossary of OCs: [4E oc list incomplete]

3E:

Meri Birth Date: 30 Hearthfire, 3E 391 (36 y/o at the time of Morrowind) Birth Sign: The Lady Gender/Pronouns: Woman, she/her Sexuality: Bisexual Dunmer/Imperial Personality: Quiet, authoritative, diplomatic, insincere, bookish, burnt out/emotionally detached. Hobbies: Alchemy(special interest), reading and collecting nonfiction, sketching, playing the lyre Dislikes: Condescension, authority, crowds, tight or scratchy fabrics. Combat: Unarmored, spear, throwing knives, light on her feet and always just out of range.

Celeste Birth Date: 14 Morning Star, 3E 410 (23 y/o at the time of Oblivion) Birth Sign: The Ritual Gender/Pronouns: Horse Girl, she/her Sexuality: Bisexual Imperial Personality: Sweet, devoted, self sacrificing, manipulative, protective, gentle, brave Hobbies: Horses (riding/training/care), sparring, chatting with friends Dislikes: People worrying about her, being wrong, sleeping outdoors, selfishness. Combat: Restoration, heavy armor, longsword and shield, defensive fighting, 1vAnything (come at me bro)

Elissia Rian Meri's daughter Birth Date: 1 Sun's Dawn 3E 408 Birth Sign: The Lover Gender/Pronouns: Weird little girl, she/her Death Date: 19 Hearthfire 3E 418 (age 10) Dunmer/Imperial/Bosmer Personality: Wild, inquisitive, opinionated, funny

Caldara Caprenia Celeste's mother, Meri's adopted sister. Birth Date: 15 First Seed 3E 389 Birth Sign: The Lord Gender/Pronouns: Popular Girl, she/her Sexuality: Heterosexual Imperial Personality: Self righteous, benevolent, impatient, passionate

Aerin Caprenia Celeste's father Birth Date: 3E 390 Death Date: First Seed 3E 418 Imperial Personality: Relaxed, mischievous, doting, friendly

Tacita Caprenia Celeste's Eldest sister, Alain's identical twin Birth Date: Sun's Dusk 3E 405 Birth Sign: The Atronach Gender/Pronouns: Programmer Socks, she/her Sexuality: Lesbian Imperial Personality: Boisterous, charismatic, laid back, affectionate

Alain Caprenia Celeste's only brother, Tacita's identical twin Birth Date: Sun's Dusk 3E 405 Birth Sign: The Atronach Gender/Pronouns: Just some guy, he/him Sexuality: Bisexual, Ace Imperial Personality: Wallflower, pleasant, mischievous, ambitious

Julia Caprenia Celeste's younger sister Birth Date: 3E 414 Gender/Pronouns: Snot Nosed Kid, she/they Imperial Personality: Self absorbed, abrasive, loud, complimentary

Eloe Caprenia Celeste's youngest sister Birth Date: 6 Hearth Fire 3E 418 Birth Sign: The Lady Gender/Pronouns: Fine Young Lady, she/her Sexuality: eh Imperial Personality: Silly, detail oriented, determined, graceful

4E:

Dusk Birth Date: 3 Rain's Hand, 4E 182 (19 y/o at the time of Skyrim) Birth Sign: The Serpent Gender/Pronouns: Knowledge seeker, she/her Sexuality: Aroace Redgaurd Personality: Intelligent, arrogant, well spoken, spoiled

[noirapocalypto]

Profile - Info - Trivia

The Basics

Name: Judah Sébastian DuBois

Nicknames: --

Age: 29

Pronouns: He/Him

Sexuality: Bisexual

Gender: Cis Male

Birthday: August 3

Zodiac Sign: Leo

Languages spoken: French, English, Italian, Spanish

Born in: Toulouse, France

Resides in: Downtown, City Center

Lifepath: Corpo

Occupation: Chief Operating Officer of Argent Media Corporation, managing and running the West Coast division in Night City.

Appearance

Hair Color: Dark brown

Eye Color: Naturally blue, uses silver optics

Notable Features: Judah has delicate silver cyberlines running down his neck, chest and torso as well as his face. Some of this is cosmetic, the other for an unknown function. He also has dainty silver facial piercings (nostril, eyebrow and lip) that he removes while working.

Height: 6'0" (183cm)

Weight: 196lbs (88kg)

Tattoos: None

Personality

Positive Traits: Hardworking, charismatic, intelligent, seductive, confident

Negative Traits: Arrogant, cruel, sociopath, delusional, spoiled

Description: As a child, Judah was soft-spoken, sweet natured, rather meek child. He was a bit timid and often cried for his mother, much to his parents' dismay. His childhood was a rough one, emotionally and mentally taxing as his family used whatever means necessary to 'toughen' up a young Judah and mold him into the cold blooded, cold hearted Corpo he is today. On the outside, he is arrogant, vain and considers him above everyone else. He revels in chaos, often creating uncomfortable situations just to watch others squirm in discomfort. He has very little consideration for the feelings of others. No situation or individual is safe from his wisecracks, jokes and teasing that often crosses the line into bullying and verbal abuse. He uses people for his own gain and for his own pleasure. He was taught to hone in on a person's weakness and exploit them for his own advantage. He's quite the silver tongue and doesn't have difficulty charming others. Judah thrives in the corporate environment, enjoying the luxuries his wealth and family name bring him. However, on the inside, Judah is extremely insecure, anxious and constantly trying to seek approval and validation. Because of his low status within his family, he is constantly in 'competition' mode, trying to gain the upper hand among his siblings just to earn a sliver of love and affection from his parents. He is a lonely individual, having no genuine friendships or relationships formed on an emotional level; each have been purely superficial or financially motivated. He craves love and affection, from anyone that will give it to him; although, he refuses to admit this and even denies it. Judah is terrified of his mother and father, yet he harbors deep resentment towards them. As an adult, he has become somewhat estranged from his family--especially after relocating to Night City. There’s a dryness when he speaks to his parents, as well as some snark. He began to grow bitter towards his family, though still manages to retain a sliver of compassion for his siblings. They were victims just as much as he was. Because of his upbringing, the various abuse he faced, and being deprived of any sense of love, Judah built up a thick, unbreakable wall around himself. There is still a small shred of the child he used to be inside him. There is still a piece of him that will love and cherish anyone who shows him any amount of affection. He desperately wants to keep this part of himself safe from harm and refuses to let his guard down.

Relationships

Family: Mr. Dubois (father), Mrs. DuBois (mother), Killian Rainer DuBois (older brother), Camille Albine DuBois (younger sister)

Affiliations: If you're a Corpo and are familiar with Argent Media, then you might be familiar with Judah.

Friends: --

Enemies/Rivals: --

Significant Other: --

Background

Judah was born into a wealthy, corporate family in Toulouse, France. He is the middle child out of three. His older brother, Killian Rainier, is the heir apparent for the DuBois mega media-corp empire, while their younger sister, Camille Albine, also surpassed Judah in the hierarchy.

Despite their immense wealth and quite literally whatever their hearts desired, Judah's childhood was not a happy one. His parents considered him the weak child and took it upon themselves to 'adjust' their son to fit their ideals of what their child should be, someone who would fit very well in their toxic, corporate world. Unfortunately, his brother and sister were not spared from this same abuse and were often victims of mental and emotional manipulation to keep them in line. However, it was Judah that was often the scapegoat and suffered the most abuse.

The older he became, the more Judah began to develop into exactly the person his parents intended him to be. By the time he was eighteen, he had quite the reputation of being a cruel bully who enjoyed to torment others. Around this time, he attended one of the best universities his money could get him into--most of his time, he spend engaging in hedonistic partying and enjoying his brief independence from the strict rule of his parents.

Post graduation, he was given a job within his family's business. He was assigned various executive mentors that took him under their wing and taught him the ins and outs of their trade. Despite his immature approach, Judah learned quite a bit and began to show promise. He excelled in leadership skills and had just the right amount of charisma to pitch ideas and strategies.

Despite the positive praise his mentors relayed to his parents, it wasn't enough for them. Judah would never truly be an actual contender for ownership of their corporation. To keep him busy, he was assigned the position of Chief Operating Officer of their west coast branch out in Night City, which was already not exactly showing good promise. His parents were close to pulling the plug, finding Night City not worth their time and money. However, why pass on the chance to send Judah away? To them, it would just be something to keep him out of their way.

Judah was fully aware of this and was determined to prove them wrong. Moving to Night City, he went straight to work on revamping the entire division. With much pleasure and glee, he fired anyone he deemed unfit to work for him and hired those that would do exactly as he instructed. It was a slow process, involving many late nights flipping through paperwork and coming up with various strategies that were a hit or miss. It was hard work, but Judah was determined to succeed. Failure was not an option.

Several years later, Judah had done the impossible and managed to completely rebuild the entire NC division into a prosperous and beneficial addition to his family's empire. It even earned him a 'good job, son', that Judah still holds very near and dear to his heart. Now that his branch was saved and running smoothly, he began to focus his endeavors on other pleasures, such as escorts, luxury getaways, and various other investments.

Miscellaneous

Trivia:

Silver is the color associated with the DuBois family. Every member has silver cybernetics. Even their corperation is named after the color.

Judah and his family are heavily based on the show Succession.

Judah is one of the only two OC’s (the other being Salem) that offer gigs to other mercenaries.

Pinterest Boards: [Judah]

Face Claim: Mitchell Wick & Michael Yerger

[ info subject to be added, removed and tweaked at will, he's constantly growing and evolving ]

[ladiesoftheages]

Top 5 favorite Tudor women. I would be interested in knowing why you like them as well

I assume, by “Tudor women” you mean women of the general Tudor period and not just the women of the Tudor family.

Also, you didn’t specify this, but since this is an Anne Boleyn blog, it should be pretty obvious that Anne is my number 1 forever, so how about I do my top 5 besides Anne Boleyn?

And these are in no particular order

1. Anna of Cleves —um need I say more? Coming to England must have been pretty terrifying for her and even staying in England after the annulment I’m sure wasn’t easy and yet, she seemed to take it all in stride. And I also really love how she wanted to be Queen and wanted to please Henry and the English people—but not in like a naive people-pleaser kind of way. And she clearly succeeded because it seems like the only person who didn’t love her was Henry himself—which is entirely his own fault really.

2. Jane Foole and Will Sommers — I’m putting them together because I like them for the same reasons. Disability history is really important to me and I really wish that more people knew about Jane and Will. There’s not much information about either of them, but the little we do know really shows how Tudor people viewed the disabled. (Also, for the record, Will Sommers has been depicted in media before and he’s never been shown as being disabled...so obviously that’s disability erasure and that’s a huge problem that needs to be fixed)

3. Margaret Beaufort — Uh yeah she was awesome and people only hate her because they hate to see a girlboss winning

4. The whole Boleyn family — they’ve all been so unfairly maligned or just portrayed totally wrongly. Thomas was a good person and a good father, Elizabeth was obviously a girlboss, Mary was adventurous and fun and bold and not some delicate little flower who was mistreated by her family. George was intelligent and charismatic and maybe a little arrogant but a great brother and son and a wonderful, caring husband. And Jane...everything points to Jane actually getting along with her in-laws very well and caring about them as if they were her own family. And I 100% believe she genuinely cared about George and even grew to love him.

5. Bessie Blount — this girl deserves so much more love. And also some reconsideration. She’s often portrayed or thought of as being sweet or shy or soft-spoken but like...she had an affair outside of wedlock...with a married man...who was the King. That tells me that she was bold and adventurous and maybe even a bit feisty; and that she was intent on living her best life regardless of social conventions. Also, her second husband was 14 years her junior and their marriage was viewed as very scandalous, but did Bessie give a shit? No. Because she loved him and he made her happy and they remained married until her death (and even had 3 children). Oh and I only just learned this but apparently Bessie briefly served as a lady-in-waiting to Anna of Cleves. I think Bessie deserves to be thought of beyond just being Henry’s mistress and the mother of FitzRoy.

[emy-loves-you]

Sanders Sides AU-gust Day 18: Bodyguard

When Logan signed up to be the bodyguard of a wealthy (and questionable) man’s son, he thought it would be an easy job. Just sit in the background and make sure the kid doesn’t get killed. He didn’t expect the kid to be his age. Or flirty. Or dating his ex. Logan POV, eventual Analogince with parental Moxiety

Day 17 | Masterlist | Day 19

Logan sighed as he twirled the ballpoint pen between his fingers. He was sitting in the middle of a cafe, filling out a crossword puzzle. He took a sip of his chamomile tea and bit back a grimace. It was exceedingly bitter; the coffee shop he normally went to served much better drinks. But he wasn’t here because of the drinks. He briefly looked up from his crossword to quietly observe the real reason he was here. On the other side of the cafe, scrolling through his phone while he sipped on an iced coffee, sat Virgil Tempest Sanders, son of Patton Sanders and heir of Sanders Financing.

Logan thought back to everything leading up to this moment. Before this, Logan was commonly hired to take out corrupt politicians and gang leaders. So when he got a call from Patton Sanders to be a bodyguard, he was shocked to say the least. Patton Sanders was seen as the epitome of goodwill; he frequently donated to charity, has never spoken ill will towards anyone, and always had a smile on his face. So it was extremely odd for him to contact an assassin who was frequently hired by much more sinister individuals. But apparently Logan’s skills impressed Mr. Sanders enough to provide Logan a more permanent (and well-paying) job.

The job was simple: shadow his son any time he was out of the house. Virgil was kept on an extremely short leash after he was ‘kidnapped’ 5 years ago. He was only gone for a few months, but it was enough to essentially put him on house arrest. Virgil was only allowed to be out of the house between 10 AM and 5 PM. Mr. Sanders paid Logan to watch Virgil during these hours. When Logan had first learned about the job, he’d nearly scoffed in disbelief. He didn’t want to be babysitting a child! But after hearing about what wages he’d earn, Logan quickly changed his tune.

It was also shocking to learn that Logan actually wasn’t babysitting a child. Virgil was 23 years old; shockingly close to Logan’s own age. The age surprised him for several reasons. First of all, why was Virgil kept on such a short leash at 23 years old? Sure, he was kidnapped for a few months (which Logan doubted was an actual kidnapping. It was more likely that Virgil ran away) but that still didn’t warrant such restrictions for an adult. Second of all, Virgil still looked like a teenager. He had an extremely youthful face, with large brown eyes hidden beneath an oversized purple hoodie. He was actually quite attractive, almost as attractive as-

Logan figuratively shook the thought away, attempting to focus on the crossword puzzle. There were a few words that he was stuck on, but he was most likely going to stay here for a while. One of the perks to this job was that Virgil only tended to go to four places: this cafe, the local library, a small music store on the other side of town, and the local park. Still, Logan had been following this pattern with Virgil for the past two months. A small part of Logan, the part that smiled slightly when he managed to shoot someone directly between the eyes, wished that something would happen to spice things up-

“Amir.”

Logan looked up and was surprised to see Virgil leaning over his shoulder, staring at the crossword puzzle. “What?”

Virgil smirked. “‘First name that can mean ‘prince.’’” He took the ballpoint pen from Logan’s hand, which he had been lightly nibbling on. Logan bit back a gasp as Virgil deliberately ran the pen against Logan’s bottom lip before using it to write ‘AMIR’ on the crossword.

Logan examined the paper and was surprised to see that it was the correct answer. He blushed as he turned back to Virgil, who had a smug look in his eyes. “Th-Thank you, Mr…?”

Virgil smiled, settling down in the seat across from Logan. “Call me Tempest. And you are?”

Logan smiled at the use of Virgil’s last name. He felt like he should at least reciprocate. “Adstrum.”

Virgil smirked. “Glory. Immortality.” He gives Logan a once-over before practically purring. “Divinity.”

Logan blushed at the implications. “I’m sure my parents meant ‘star’ when they named me.”

Virgil laughed before his expression darkened. “So, how much is he paying you?”

Logan put on a faux-innocent expression, but on the inside it felt like his blood had turned to ice. Mr. Sanders specifically said that Virgil couldn’t know about Logan unless absolutely necessary. Logan thought he’d been subtle and inconspicuous. “Who is paying me, exactly?”

Virgil sighed. “My father. Look, you almost fooled me at first. If I wasn’t always watching my back, you would’ve fooled me. But nobody ever visits this cafe because their coffee’s shit.” He gestured to Logan’s tea. “And I’m guessing the tea is too judging by how much you face screws up when you drink it. You could’ve been just a regular customer, but I’ve seen you at the library and the park, and I don’t doubt that you were at the record store too. And the people around here get really gossipy, so I knew that you were only here on the days that I showed up.” He leaned back in his chair, a smirk on his face. “So I’ll ask again: how much is he paying you?”

Logan looked him in the eye before sighing. “Too much to say no.” He carefully folded up his crossword puzzle. “Though I’m quite uncertain as to why this job exists in the first place. You obviously have no intention on running away again-”

“Running away?” Logan looked up to see Virgil confused and slightly angry. But Logan had dealt with enough people to see the acting for what it really was. “I was kidnapped and held against my will!”

Logan scoffed. “Kidnapped?” He straightened his tie as he spoke. “You disappeared in the middle of the night from a building whose security rivals the White House. There was no sign of struggle, nor was there a ransom note. Either your kidnapper was an extremely intelligent individual who wanted more than just money from Mr. Sanders, or you left on your own free will. And judging by my observations and personal experience, I’m inclined to believe the latter.”

Virgil stared for another moment before laughing. “Well, would you look at that! You’ve got a brain to match your bark. And I assume you bite, too. Because there’s no way you’re some random civilian. So, what’s your real job?”

Logan coughed. “I must admit, I’m not used to having my job description be, ‘keep client alive. ’”

Virgil blinked, and Logan suddenly felt like he’d said something wrong. “You stressed the word alive. ” Now it was Logan’s turn to blink. “You wouldn’t need to stress it unless there was something specific about keeping them alive.” His eyes suddenly lit up. “Are you an assassin?!”

Logan blushed. “Essentially. But now I am your bodyguard.”

Virgil vibrated in his seat. “How many people have you killed? Do you usually kill good people or bad people? Or does it only depend on the money? I wouldn’t blame you for that. The economy sucks.”

Logan chuckled. “I mainly target corrupt politicians and gang leaders. I turn down any jobs that involve families or children.”

Virgil mouthed the words ‘corrupt politicians and gang leaders’ before gasping. “Do you know Logan Croft?”

Logan blinked. “How do you know that name?”

Virgil gasped again, stars in his eyes. “Are you Logan Croft?” Logan decided to nod his head. Virgil already knew about his job, and his father was paying Logan. It wouldn’t hurt to give out his name, just this once. “Oh my gosh, you’re the guy who killed Jacob Smith four years ago! How did you do it? They say he was impenetrable behind his gang and-” Suddenly his phone ringed. “One moment, please.” He pressed the phone up to his ear, and Logan could hear his boss’ muffled voice on the other end, though he couldn’t understand what he was saying. “Hey, Dad. Yeah, I’m at a cafe. Yeah, I can come home for lunch. See you then. Bye.” He turned back to Logan with a grimace. “Sorry, I’ve gotta go. Maybe we can have a full conversation next time?”

Logan nodded. “I ask that you don’t tell Mr. Sanders about our conversation, or that you know about having a bodyguard. I’m afraid he might fire me if you do.” Or expose me to the world.

Virgil nodded. “Of course!” He stood there awkwardly for a moment. “Well, you know where I am… see ya, bye!” And with that, Virgil walked out of the cafe. Logan waited a few minutes before following. It was just to make sure that Virgil got home safe. It was part of his job, after all. It wasn’t because he found Virgil interesting and funny and cute-

Logan frowned, shaking away the thought. He would not get attached to Virgil. It would only serve as a cruel reminder of Roman. Roman and Logan had met in middle school and dated for several years. But Roman had fallen in love with another man a few years ago. And while Logan is polyamorous, it was dangerous enough to be attached to one civilian. So, they broke up on friendly terms. Logan had never felt so… empty, after leaving Roman. It had felt like Roman had taken Logan’s ability to be happy. Logan hadn’t fully smiled or laughed since their breakup…

Except for today, when he’d talked to Virgil. Virgil reminded Logan of Roman. He was charismatic, sarcastic, and funny. And with every butterfly that formed in Logan’s belly, a new knife stabbed him through the heart. Being with Virgil would only remind Logan of what he could no longer have with Roman. So, Logan would keep his distance (even if he could no longer do so literally).

---------------------------------------------------

When Virgil got home that day, he had a brief lunch with his father before retreating to his room for the day. Once he got there, he immediately pulled his phone out of his pocket and started texting his boyfriend.

V- (3:05 PM) Hey, your ex’s name was Logan Adsrum Croft, wasn’t it?

R- (3:06 PM) Yeah, why?

V- (3:06 PM) Guess who my hot new bodyguard is ;)

[ukiyoeunoia]

information and statistics for julian austere

including an in-depth personality analysis

BASIC INFORMATION

Full name: Julian Austere Nicknames: Julian, Julius Age: 7,017 years old  Date of Birth: Unknown Hometown: Unknown Current location: Salem, MA  Ethnicity: Caucasian  Nationality: None  Gender: cisgender male (he/him)  Sexuality: Bisexual, Biromantic  Religion: Buddhist  Political Affiliation: Leftist progressive Occupation: Mayor Languages spoken: English, Spanish, French, Italian, Greek, Romani, Farsi, Latin, German, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Mandarin, Hindi, Swahili, Yoruba, Ancient Egyptian, hieroglyphics Accent: British

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Face Claim: Tom Ellis Hair Colour: Black  Eye Colour: Varying shades of red, usually so dark it looks like mahogany Weight: 187lbs  Height: 6′3  Build: Athletic /Lean Tattoos: TBD  Piercings: TBD

PERSONALITY

Label: The Godly  Positive Traits: + intelligent, determined, charismatic, supportive, loyal, passionate  Negative Traits: - overworked, possessive, vengeful, stoic, quick-witted, abrasive  Goals/Desires: to protect those who need protecting, to help supernaturals rise from the bottom  Fears: losing his humanity (again), failing those he loves Hobbies: cinema, theater, classical music, literature, varying martial arts

FAMILY

Father: unknown  Mother: none  Sibling(s): none Children: macaria austere (4). marcella austere-hall, simon austere, rihannon austere. 2 open slots (20s-30s).  Pet(s): 8 doberman dogs. agatha, berenice, mayve, titan, kinsley, otto, aro, delilah

EXTRA

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio - “Scorpios are strong, enigmatic, independent characters who crackle with an intensity and charisma that makes them un-ignorable. For all of that power though, they often remain un-knowable to others, because they guard themselves and their private lives fiercely.You can bet there’s something juicy going on, under the wraps, though, because Scorpios like extremes, challenges, danger and darkness. They are, because of their planetary ruler Pluto, drawn to the outliers of human experience.”  MBTI: ENFJ-A - The Protagonist. “Protagonists are natural-born leaders, full of passion and charisma. Forming around two percent of the population, they are oftentimes our politicians, our coaches and our teachers, reaching out and inspiring others to achieve and to do good in the world. With a natural confidence that begets influence, Protagonists take a great deal of pride and joy in guiding others to work together to improve themselves and their community.”  Alignment: Lawful Good - “A lawful good character acts as a good person is expected or required to act. He combines a commitment to oppose evil with the discipline to fight relentlessly. He tells the truth, keeps his word, helps those in need, and speaks out against injustice. A lawful good character hates to see the guilty go unpunished. Lawful good is the best alignment you can be because it combines honor and compassion. However, lawful good can be a dangerous alignment when it restricts freedom and criminalizes self-interest.” Enneagram: Type 1 - The Reformer. “We have named personality type One The Reformer because Ones have a “sense of mission” that leads them to want to improve the world in various ways, using whatever degree of influence they have. They strive to overcome adversity—particularly moral adversity—so that the human spirit can shine through and make a difference. They strive after “higher values,” even at the cost of great personal sacrifice.” Celtic Tree: Reed - “Reed people easily grasp the complex. They're great friends and leaders, but need to curb their jealous streak. They tend to be quite proud and do well when faced with challenges. Their inner strength is so great that at times they need to remember to do the right thing.” Temperament: Melancholic - “The melancholy temperament is a rule follower. They can be cautious and tentative in unfamiliar environments, but they can also become aggressive when faced with an unfavorable situation. They are private and introverted.This temperament is factual, logical, and analytical. To function without anxiety, these people need to have a solid plan for action and follow it to the letter.”  Hogwarts House: Ravenclaws - “Ravenclaw House prizes learning, wisdom, wit, and intellect in its members.Thus, many Ravenclaws tend to be academically motivated and talented students. They also pride themselves on being original in their ideas, and methods.” Primary Vice: Wrath - “According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the neutral act of anger becomes the sin of wrath when it is directed against an innocent person, when it is unduly strong or long-lasting, or when it desires excessive punishment. "If anger reaches the point of a deliberate desire to kill or seriously wound a neighbor, it is gravely against charity; it is a mortal sin.” Primary Virtue: Hope - “Hope being a combination of the desire for something and expectation of receiving it, the virtue is hoping for Divine union and so eternal happiness. While faith is a function of the intellect, hope is an act of the will.” Element: Wood - “You’re a lifelong student, always challenging yourself to learn and grow. Wood people are action-oriented, and do best if they feel in charge of their own destiny and have a sense of forward momentum in life.”

[whiteheartlight]

OKAY that is IT I am going OFF here’s my hot take:

Vakama should not have been the leader of the Toa Metru.

Now hold up hold up don’t get me wrong: Vakama?? A lil angel. Did he commit some sins?? Yes, many. Was he a little evil there for a hot minute?? For sure. We know this. But I have nothing in my heart but forgiveness and affection for him he’s perfect don’t @ me

But should he have been the leader of the Toa Metru?

Perhaps not.

Why?? Okay let me ramble a little.

1.     From the beginning, Vakama demonstrated serious anxiety, insecurity, and stress at the idea of being the leader of the Toa Metru. Now I am all for “greatness thrust upon them” and “rising to your destiny” sort of things, but this is not what that was. Vakama voiced self-hatred, insecurity, and sometimes outright panic every time he failed to be the leader the others were expecting him to be. In the movies, his siblings pile the Great Disks that failed to impress “Turaga Dume” into his arms, symbolizing the weight he carries as their leader.

Okay maybe that’s me reading too much into it but oh my goodness his sad lil face.

From the beginning he was having breakdowns about his inability to lead – “I’m just a cross-wired freak wasting everyone’s time” – and here’s the thing: he never really stopped doing that. His anxiety began to turn into rage and ferocity, causing him to bitterly embrace the weight his siblings put on him by giving brash, stupid orders, which again got them into trouble, causing another breakdown – “I’m sorry I failed you all” – and then another – you know, that whole Visorak thing?

We got to see Vakama realize that his siblings still wanted him around despite his failures because of Matau’s forgiveness, but that doesn’t automatically erase the fact that Vakama never really seemed to find a way to cope with the weight of leadership.

Compare Vakama with a natural (if REALLY AGGRESSIVE AND LOUD AND BRASH) leader like Tahu, who sometimes expresses anxiety or fear over the thought of failing his brothers, but doesn’t tear himself completely apart or break down after failures such as the Toa Nuva’s defeat at the hands of the Skakdi. That particular defeat just gives him a clearer perspective on the situation and allowed him to make better leadership choices, like sending Jaller’s team to Mahri Nui instead of his own, while Vakama seems to make worse and worse choices the longer he’s pressured to lead.

(Side note: I wish we could have seen more of Jaller’s reaction to Matoro’s death, because I think he may have shared many parallels with Vakama after the death of Lhikan. But that’s another essay.)

In my opinion, even at the end of their arc, Vakama seemed sad more than accepting and maybe even lonely. He embraced his leadership in a very quiet, tired way, speaking to Norik in soft tones in the scene where they prepare to leave Metru Nui and then giving up his Toa powers without speaking a single word to his siblings, just accepting his fate.

2.     And that’s especially bad and dangerous because guess what? Vakama was traumatized as hell at the end of their arc!!!!!!! He was!! So traumatized!! Get this boy to a therapist!! How do we know this? Well, not only was Vakama already an anxious, shy Matoran, but he was also in a deep grief over Lhikan’s death, which was clearly traumatic on its own because of his serious mood swings and personality changes. We could guess that the incident with the Visorak would be a second trauma even without confirmation, but we know for a fact that it is because, years and years and years later, he still can’t even fully tell the story to the Toa Nuva because of how deeply it affected him.

Vakama’s trauma was deeply intertwined with his duty as a leader – not only did Roodaka convince him to join her with the promise that leadership would come easy to him if he lead the Visorak instead of the Toa, but every time something went wrong in his time as a Toa, he blamed himself for it for failing Lhikan, failing his siblings, and failing the Matoran. This is not a Toa who should have been forced back into the position of leadership just because Matau was able to reassure him that they still wanted him around. It would have taken pressure off his shoulders and allowed him space to heal without being isolated from his siblings by his responsibility if he could have had a chance to recover without that pressure. Shoving him back into the situation that caused him so much stress in the first place would not be helpful even if the others all admitted they should have been more understanding about what he was going through. That still doesn’t solve the problem that Vakama never seemed to know how to deal with some of his siblings, command the team in general, or bring everyone’s ideas together into one cohesive whole instead of just all of them throwing themselves into situations and hoping for the best. That doesn’t solve the problem that he blames himself for small mistakes and lets them eat him alive. He didn’t need a fourth chance at figuring this shit out on his own – he needed collaboration with his team and time to process his recent and past trauma!

I wish we could have seen more of how Vakama recovered from what happened!! Like I got my Matau and Vakama moment, but I would have loved to see him and Onewa make up too since they fought so much. Honestly?? I would have loved to see him form loving relationships with… well, really anyone. It was clear that Nokama and Matau both loved him and were willing to show him that, and I really believe from the way the Turaga all became friends in the end that the others would be his friend and help him heal too, but we never really got to see that. Like what would Vakama’s relationships with the others even look like if he ever got a chance to not be the leader or the visionary, but to just be their brother? I’m getting off track. Cause here’s the third thing:

3.     Vakama never really demonstrated that many leadership skills.

I’m SORRY, okay, really I am!! But seriously. At the beginning, he only lead because he was a visionary and that is no way to choose a leader, especially since he so badly wanted to not be the leader at that point! Before the personality changes I associate with his grief over Lhikan, he showed himself to be nervous, insecure, shy, soft-spoken, unwilling to take control, not particularly communicative, reserved… these aren’t bad things, but they’re not necessarily shaped for leadership. He lacks confidence and a willingness to lead.

To be fair, he does have a lot of good leadership qualities too. He listens well to others, he’s intelligent and kind, and he’s very quick on his feet and good at putting puzzles together and figuring out how to destroy things like talking demon plants. This makes him a very good boy and also someone very good to have in a fight. But that’s a strategist, not necessarily a leader. He takes failures much too harshly, doesn’t command the others well, never shows any real interest of his own in leadership imo, and needs to be coaxed and comforted into making many real decisions.

The exception, of course, is that angry, hurting Vakama who snaps at all of his siblings and makes bad choices to try and convince himself that he’s a good leader. Remind me why we put that much of a burden on this lil dude?

(I actually have thought about that some – did the others see Vakama as the leader because they perceived Lhikan as seeing Vakama as the leader? Or, as I suspect, was it more tied to the apparent tradition of fire-spitters being expected to be the leaders? If Vakama was expected to lead because of his nationality, this could contribute to his anxiety over being expected to lead – is he a bad Toa of Fire just because he struggles with leadership? Did he know from the beginning that everyone would expect that of him? Even as a Matoran, did he feel less like a Ta-Matoran because he never met the stereotype of a commanding, confident, charismatic fire-spitter? I don’t know the answers to these questions, but I love thinking about them because Vakama is 11/10 and other Fire Toa like Jaller and Tahu have struggled with similar insecurities and the struggle of trying to be good leaders and Fire Toa, reflecting on the expectations placed upon them, like when Jaller feared that he was fighting with Matoro because of their elements and when Vakama asked Tahu to admit that he was afraid of failing the others and leading them into harm.)

Okay, and yes, Vakama did seem to be a better leader by the time he was a Turaga. But honestly, from what we saw of them in meetings and moments, Vakama doesn’t particularly stand out as the leader. They all redirect each other when they’re getting off-topic, they all coax each other into telling stories or doing what needs to be done, they all go “NOKAMA tell me you did NOT show Gali that cave” and things like that lol. And that’s great!! Because they learned to be equals!! Incredible!! But in that case, there was no reason for Vakama to lead them as a Turaga, and if they had continued to be Toa, I really think they would have needed another leader.

 Here’s my proposition: Vakama should have been given space to heal. The others welcomed him back and accepted his leadership during the battle with Roodaka, but he didn’t actually do much beyond the obvious, which was “shoot her, guys!” And it was great. But it doesn’t make him a good leader necessarily. I think it would have been good for him to be able to step back from the expectations and the stereotype and to just spend some time adjusting to what happened and learning to rely on his siblings as his support system and family instead of the people always tearing him down for not being what they need him to be. He wouldn’t have had to abandon the leadership skills that he was beginning to develop because he would still have been the Turaga of Ta-Koro. He could have had some time just to learn his own leadership style: not shy or timid, not aggressive and brash, but rather embodying the things he does do well, like giving others chances to use their talents, listening patiently to their concerns, and then working to reign them in when things go wrong or certain Av-Matoran wander into danger too many times in one day. Managing Takua would be enough leadership responsibilities for any Turaga, that’s all I’m saying!

 Who do I think would have been a better leader for the Toa Metru? Easy. Obvious. Nokama.

She always should have been.

I don’t believe that Vakama would ever have become the leader of the Toa Metru if he wasn’t a Fire Toa and a visionary. Ever. He would have backed up, said no thank you, and I think it would have been better for him. Nokama would have been a great commander for him, cause guys?? She fucking loves her brothers. She loves Vakama when he’s breaking down, when he hates himself, when he fucks up, and she tells him that. She puts a hand on his shoulder and whispers encouragement and she defends him when the others turn on him. She protects him. She loves him. She fucking loves her brothers. She loves Matau when he’s annoying her, when he’s being goofy, when he’s fucking up too. She loves Nuju, trusting him with her secrets and being warm to him no matter his aloofness. She loves Onewa, seeing past his anger and flaws. She loves Whenua. Okay I can’t think of any examples on that one right at this moment cause I don’t have my books out but here’s my source: dude trust me.

She always sees the best in them, always supports them, always gives her heart to them. She is supportive, caring, kind, considerate. She’s Nokama. She’s really, really, really good.

But of course that doesn’t make her a leader. That could even make her a pushover. But honestly if you know anything about Nokama, you know that word could never be used to describer her.

This is a Toa who commands respect. Nokama is powerful, gaining swift control of her powers and later showing an interest in sparring with Nuju and improving on her fighting, trashing her fair share of enemies along the way and surviving serious injuries without complaint. When she does, you can see how much her bickering brothers are willing to come together to look after her, all of them pretty much shutting up and working together to protect her, all of them united in their worry for her. Nuju respects her independence enough to let her go jumping off the ship to explore the water in Voyage of Fear without telling anyone, and this isn’t the only time in her life Nokama makes a decision about what needs to be done and what should be done and then does it. She shows Gali the carvings in the cave without asking for permission. She goes to Jaller and tells him about the disappearance of the Great Spirit against the others’ wishes because she knows what’s right and she’s going to do it no matter whatever anybody else says. That’s taking command. That’s strong decision-making. That’s accepting responsibility and being able to deal with it. I love her.

Additionally, she’s rarely flustered and replies coolly to both flirtation (“And I thought Vakama had strange visions…”) and sniped comments from grumpy siblings (“Save the lessons for your class, teacher!” “Look, we’re here for a reason”) and she asserts herself when she thinks something needs to be said (“This is not Vakama’s fault!”) What’s more, the others actually listen to her.

That may not sound like a big deal. But this is the Toa Metru we’re talking about. So let me say that again: THE OTHERS ACTUALLY LISTEN TO HER OH MY GOSH WHY DIDN’T YOU GUYS ELECT HER QUEEN LIKE IMMEDIATELY? Her brothers are always fighting – she’s even fighting, sometimes! – but you think Nuju’s really going to ignore Nokama? You think Matau’s not going to put in the effort to work with her? You think Onewa’s going to throw a fit at her and that the others are going to let him get away with it? You think Vakama’s not going to feel calmer letting her take control? Why do I keep leaving out Whenua I’m so sorry I love him too but anyway –

Guys she just would have been such a good leader. She just really would have. She really, really would have. Like you look at that conversation where everybody’s like “well maybe I should be leader instead of Vakama!!” and you just… you have to laugh. Are you guys joking. Let’s look at the other options.

1.     Onewa: Don’t even start. His temper… oh my goodness. And Tahu has a temper too, but Tahu is not like Onewa. While Tahu seems to take pride in the chances he gets to lead his team and command the others effectively, Onewa is like this bitter little porcupine always fluffing his quills up at the others. Honestly, he would have HATED being leader. That would have required him to deal with his horrible family all day!!! Onewa I love you never change but you need a lot of alone time and very few people annoying you you little angel. He would have gotten really stressed and frustrated and lashed out at everybody. Also, you remember that time he didn’t feel like he had time to explain a plan, so he just mind-controlled Whenua to make him do it for him? His whole leadership would have been like that. He would try to do everything for himself because honestly, he’s really independent and proud and would be just a tiny bit evil with that mask of his <3

2.     Whenua: Okay mostly a nice boy. But he’s just really stuck in his head a lot of the time. That’s his and Nuju’s whole thing, right? He’s stuck in the past and he’s a really deep thinker. Nobody has time for that in an emergency. What’s more, Whenua’s people skills are not particularly strong. Like Vakama, he isn’t a very commanding presence, or at least once you get past the deep, booming voice he isn’t. Also he isn’t really a compromiser. He’s stubborn and I don’t think he would have done well at incorporating other people’s viewpoints into his own – especially Nuju’s!

3.     Nuju: this is a joke right. He would literally be so annoyed if he had to lead. He has less than zero interest in leading. Everyone would be like “what should we do, Nuju?” and he would just be so uninterested in explaining his thought process to these idiots or, worse, having to listen to their dumb-ass ideas and arguing and then having to work with those dumb-ass ideas. Don’t be confused, this isn’t the same as Kopaka. Kopaka is “you’re all so dumb I have to eventually step up and do something about it” which is why this poor sucker ends up as Tahu’s deputy despite his best efforts at being a loner. Nuju is “you’re all so dumb I’m going to go over here and do my own thing and if you need something, I’d rather you just trust me to handle it.” Literally this man is so disinterested in communication that he speaks a random-ass bird language just so nobody can talk to him without having to go through a translator. He is trying so hard to make his whole existence a “fuck you” to his siblings. I adore him. And, as a side note, Nokama could always handle him despite that. She was never even daunted by it.

4.     Matua: you know what?? I don’t think he would have been all that terrible if he was given time to mature and explore the role a little and stuff like that. There’s a reason the Le-Matoran adore him!!! But also, you know he can be goofy and sometimes too flippant and fun-loving, and I don’t think most of his siblings would fall into line for him… at all hahaha. Nuju taking orders from Matau?? Onewa?? Even Vakama, I think, would dismiss Matau as a joke. I think he really proves himself as a mature and capable young hero the moment he risks his life just to make sure that Vakama knows that he’s sorry and he still wants him as a brother. I think Matau would be a good deputy. But at the beginning of the story, seriously I think Nokama would have been so much more functional as a leader than any of the others.

Geez they’re just such a disaster team. I’m filled with so much love for them. Maybe nobody should be their leader. I think they found the best compromise in the end – that equality we see in books like Tales of the Masks. Teasing each other, holding each other accountable, pushing each other to be better versions of themselves, equals in their story circle. They just went through so much and it was so hard but I think really the strength of that team, in the end, is the intimacy with which they come to know each other’s weaknesses… and then learn to love each other despite them. They told the Toa Nuva stories that made them look like such assholes sometimes, haha, but you know they were all sitting together in that circle, making even laughing about something mean Nuju said or about how much they fought, though they always go quiet and somber for the moments of real grief, taking the time to sit with the truth of each other… To know each other’s flaws. To love each other anyway. To see each other temperamental, headstrong, goofy, cold, stuck in the clouds, and maybe just a little bit cross-wired, and then to see, even more clearly, all the ways that that makes them just, determined, joyful, protective, wise, and truly and earnestly good.

I don’t know. I guess I’m just thinking about the things I love about the Toa Metru, and I think Nokama was the one who saw those things first. She loved them. She supported them. Maybe she was never officially their leader, but I will always think that she could have played that role the best because she was someone who helped to show her brothers that all the parts of their team that they thought made them broken were really the parts that made them so wonderful and worthwhile.

And maybe Matau as her deputy, just for the moments where you need someone to shout at you about just how important and valuable and loved you are. And then you rescue him with this wicked spider-web bungee-cord and it’s SICK, FUCK YEAH.

Thank you for reading my complete ramblings (I didn’t double-check my facts and haven’t read the stories in a long time, so go easy on me if there’s small inaccuracies or things that you disagree with! But hey I’m always down to talk about just how great the Toa Metru are :)).

[translightyagami]

for the ask meme: kiyomi and misa pls ❤

uhhh sure sure. character ask meme

kiyomi

do I like them: yes! i mean, she seems cool. 

5 good qualities: oh geez uhhh okay. intelligent; observant; cunning; poised; well-spoken.

3 bad qualities: mmm aesthetically motivated; bad at sudoku (huh? what? i’m guessing); jealous.

favourite episode/etc: i love the episode where she hires an all woman body guard team and its like “oh okay. gay.” kiyomi surrounded by butch women and then being like “oh i am straight and love light yagami for sure lol”

otp: if i have to do canon characters, probably kiyomi/halle. a little criminal/law-person dynamic where halle lies to get her out of the Kira charges and they run away to America where Kiyomi gets a high ranking job at Fox News and she and Halle are like...weird second amendment Republicans who are like tuxedo lesbians the queer community hates.

brotp: Kiyomi doesn’t have friends, i do not think.

ot3: uh no also sorry.

notp: i guess kiyomi and light because shipping those two gay people together in seriousness is homophobia

best quote: when she looked to camera and said “I am dating Light because he has the soft mouth of a woman i was in love with during my junior year of university.”

head canon: OH RIGHT she’s a lesbian that’s my headcanon.

misa

do I like them: this is a hard question because i like her fine but i find the fandom interpretation of misa grating to b honest

5 good qualities: stylish; determined; self-motivated; clever; charismatic

3 bad qualities: arrogant; spiteful; disloyal

favourite episode/etc: i really like her intro episode and all the episodes where she does a lot of costumes. its very funny to think that a hidden detail of Misa is she’s just flush with wigs and fake glasses. like babe why’d you have those BEFORE you had to spy on some 18 yr old, huh? what’s up with your wigs?

otp: fudge dude i unno ... misa/mogi is cute. i don’t rllllly ship her w/ ppl.

brotp: misa and light but only bc they already know all the gross stuff abt each other so they aren’t “friends” but they are each other’s emergency contact.

ot3: nah.

notp: don’t like misa/rem. misa has big straight woman energy but you’re tricked because she has a lot of lush products and listens to t.A.T. u 

best quote: when she told L that they can just be friends when he jokingly said he could fall for her like lol get him 

head canon: eats hot cheetos with chopsticks so she doesn’t have stained fingers.

[faultyconscience]

wes bennett

Basic Information

Full Name: wesley bennett

Nickname(s): wes

Age: 46

Date of Birth: july 24

Hometown: grosse pointe farms, michigan

Current Location: detroit, michigan (verse dependent, i’ll throw him anywhere but that’s his ‘canon’)

Ethnicity: jewish american

Nationality: american

Gender: male

Pronouns: he/him

Orientation: bisexual/romantic

Religion: raised jewish but does not practice religion/is atheist 

Political Affiliation: democrat

Occupation: doctor 

Living Arrangements: flat in corktown

Language(s) Spoken: english, some spanish 

Accent: american 

Physical Appearance

Face Claim: adrien brody 

Hair Colour: dark brown/black

Eye Colour: dark brown 

Height: 6′1′’

Weight: 170

Build: slender, athletic 

Tattoos: tba

Piercings: both ears are pierced 

Clothing Style: when working, business formal w/his lab coat, otherwise casual but nice. dressy casual. nice clean jeans, usually with a nice boot. ‘preppy’ sweaters usually. or button ups depending on the weather. very rarely seen in sneakers/athletic wear unless actually exercising. 

Usual Expression: friendly, inviting, welcoming

Distinguishing Characteristics: tba

Health

Physical Ailments: n/a

Neurological Conditions: n/a

Allergies: n/a 

Sleeping Habits: gets little sleep in his job due to being on call a lot but is generally an early-riser. a ‘morning person’. is most productive in the morning hours. 

Eating Habits: he’s a healthy eater. knowing the risks of not eating well, he tends to be very serious about what he puts in his body. 

Exercise Habits: daily. plays on a recreational soccer team, skis often during the winter 

Emotional Stability: 7

Sociability: wes is a very social person. 100% an extrovert. he likes to be the center of attention, he is very at home speaking to strangers either in a close, personal setting or in front of a crowd. 

Body Temperature: cold-natured 

Addictions: n/a

Drug Use: nah but he smokes 

Alcohol Use: sometimes 

Personality

Label: the chameleon 

Positive Traits: charismatic, intelligent, friendly, calm, funny, quick-witted, witty, 

Negative Traits: arrogant, impulsive, narcissistic, crude, cold, callous, hypocritical 

Goals/Desires: to be powerful, to be respected, to be admired 

Fears: getting caught, humiliation, being outshone, 

Hobbies: skiing, soccer, piano 

Habits: chain smokes when he’s thinking hard about something, fidgets/feet tapping, etc. 

Favourites

Weather: winter 

Colour: green 

Music: jazz, motown, r&b

Movies: drama, true-crime

Sport: soccer

Beverage: red wine 

Food: lobster but he won’t say no to a coney dog either 

Animal: fox 

Family

Father: tba

Mother: tba

Sibling(s): older sister jessica 

Pet(s): he has a husky-australian shepherd mix that he adopted from a shelter

Family’s Financial Status: wealthy

Extra

Zodiac Sign: leo 

MBTI: entp

Enneagram: type 3 - the achiever 

Temperament: sanguine 

Hogwarts House: slytherin 

Moral Alignment: lawful neutral 

Primary Vice: pride

Primary Virtue: fortitude

Element: fire

[ofmatchsticks]

We opened the gates to the seelie court for KOSMO REYES and we are curious to see how the SHADOWHUNTER, that is often described as the daredevil, will contribute to the new era ━ Will they stand with the Clave, or against them? We will find our answers in due time and until then, we hope that they can keep their little secret from getting exposed. It could be dangerous if everyone knew what we know…

YES HELLO AND WELCOME TO MY TRASH SON, I’M O. AND HERE U CAN FIND SOME BASIC INFORMATION, SOME HEADCANONS, AND SOME WANTED CONNECTIONS OF KOSMO <3 <3 if you would like to plot pls like this post or just hmu in the PMs yo 

Basic Information

Full Name: Kosmo Ángel Reyes

Nickname(s): Kos

Age: 21

Home: Mexico City, Mexico

Current Location: Seelie Realm

Gender: Male

Pronouns: He/Him

Species: Shadowhunter

Orientation: Bisexual

Language(s) Spoken: Spanish, English

Personality

Negative Traits: Manipulative, Selfish, Stubborn, Loud, Rude

Positive Traits: Charismatic, Intelligent, Loyal

Goals/Desires: Power

Favourites

Weather: Rainy

Colour: Black

Beverage: Milk

Food: Cinnamon Rolls

Animal: Tiger

Family

Father: Francisco Reyes

Mother: Silvia Reyes

Sibling(s):           - Oldest sister (WC!!)          - Middle sister (WC!!)          - Youngest sister (WC!!)

Headcanons

Kosmo doesn’t really have a tragic backstory. He grew up in one of Mexico’s strongest Shadowhunter families, and what can u do, they love each other! He is the youngest of 4 children and having three older sisters who are good at their own individual areas of work, Kos definitely developed a bit of an inferiority complex.

He was never as good as any of his sisters, not while training to become a Shadowhunter, and not after he became a full fledged one. 

He works for the Mexico City Institute, but he had jobs in the LA Institute many times. 

HE IS A LIL SHIT!! He loves starting fights, and he usually ends up getting his ass beat for his big ass fucking mouth! He tends to have bruises and blood stains here and there very often. (cuz fuck iratze amirite)

He doesn’t work well in teams.

He doesn’t have a parabatai, and he never will. Why? Read THIS. 

He sleeps around with everything that moves, be it Downworlder or mundane, or anything inbetween or not inbetween. He doesn’t care!

BUT ALL IN ALL, he just has a rough exterior, and a very soft and attention seeking, needy little interior. All he really wants is attention and someone who understands him and is patient with him!

HE IS ACTUALLY PRETTY SHORT HE’S LIKE 5′6 (168 cm)

He had a pretty bad stutter as a kid. It still comes back every once in a while, though.

CLICK HERE FOR THE MOST RECENT UPDATE ON HIS CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

Wanted Connections:

Exes: His relationships don’t go longer than a couple of months, five at the longest. He’s bad at expressing his feelings, so these can either be bad, violent or emotionally draining break ups, or chill breakups

            -Most recent break up with: Vala @angclfvce                  -Kai @nwbrnfangs 

Ppl he teaches hand-to-hand combat to!!!: Cirilla @wickedxlovely

Friendos: Or just people who tolerate him

Enemies with Benefits: Someone who beats his ass, and also eats his ass I can’t believe I wrote that down jesus christ

Crushes: cuz they cute 

People whom he worked with, or crossed paths with during a job in the past 

Someone who always gets his ass out of trouble??? 

Someone who saved his life once??? 

[laneymeadows]

Hey is that [SYDNEY SWEENEY]? No, that’s just [DELANEY ANGELICA MEADOWS]. They’re [TWENTY-THREE], and have spent [TWO WEEKS] in Dayton. I hear that they’re kind of [LOYAL AND INTELLIGENT], but also [UNRELIABLE AND SELFISH]. Did you hear their vices are [PROMISCUITY AND COMMITMENT ISSUES]? Can’t wait to see [HER] at the next party! 

( TW: MENTIONS OF ABUSE AND NEGLECT. )

full name: delaney angelica meadows

nickname: laney, lane, angel, angie, d.

age: twenty-three

date of birth: november 26th

place of birth: nowhere, ky

zodiac: saggitarius

gender: cis-female

nationality: american

sexual orientation: pansexual

romantic orientation: panromantic

relationship status: single 

PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES.

height:  5′3′

weight: 119 pounds

hair color: blonde

eye color: blue

need glasses/contacts? yes

tattoos: sagittarius tattoo star constellation just above the bend of her elbow, lotus on the other with a free flying bird leaving a sitting flock from her left to right shoulder, leaving stardust in it’s wake

distinguishing marks: signs of healed scars across her upper thighs and a couple on her wrists. 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION.

hometown: nowhere, ky

current residence: dayton, ca

past residences: las vegas, nevada. eugene & portland, oregon. seattle, washington.

living arrangement: apartment 

spoken languages: english

financial status: enough to get by but still getting settled

education level: finished high school at 17.

occupation: stripper at plan b

FAMILIAL INFORMATION.

father: wade meadows. 58. doesn’t remember much but the abandonment has weighed on her.

mother: farrah meadows. 56. hates her and hates even more that she’s become a carbon copy.

siblings: jamie & ryleigh meadows (twins, 21) aiden o’connor (brother, 31)

children: none

other: n/a

pets? dog named tank

PERSONALITY.

positive traits: adventurous, independent, loyal, easy going and charismatic.

negative traits: reckless, unreliable, selfish, detatched, aloof, irresponsible.

likes: sex, ecstasy, no strings attached, cocaine, tequila and taking her clothes off without a second thought, tik tok, money && freedom.

dislikes: relationships, being held down, being told what to do, people putting their hands on her unless she’s calling the shots and being responsible for someone else’s well being.

quirks: talks to herself when she’s trying to figure something out (she got it from her brother), pulls herself away the moment feelings get involved or she gets too comfortable, gets blacked out everynight and wakes up with someone she doesn’t know, not knowing where she is, loves being on her own and having her quiet space to herself.

moral alignment: lawful neutral/sometimes lawful evil.

If you were to ask Delaney Meadows what she wanted, she’d simply stare, a glint of hope in her eyes as a mess of a smile sputtered across her lips, a blunt between her fingertips and the once word that slip between them would be “free”. Ever since she was younger, she’d never quiet... fit. Maybe it was the fact that her father hadn’t been present, chalking it up to the typical daddy issues trope before letting the thought slip into obscurity until the next time someone asked what the fuck was her problem. Nowhere, Kentucky; the name alone weaved the truth of what her life’s course had taken her, constantly drifting through as the ones that were supposed to car most simply slipped between her fingertips. An afterthought, that was the cursed middle syndrome main essence had been, hadn’t it? Always left to be the one thought of last, or at least, that’s the way it’d felt. Mom and dad, well, they hadn’t hung around long. Dad took the first chance he’d had to run for the hills, and mom well -- the shit show that Laney had become herself was enough of a storybook. 

It was never meant to turn out this way, her brother being her caretaker, a teacher taking the place of a father, and where was she? Floating. Doing what she could to bust her ass and take care of as much slack that was left behind as she could. She loved Aiden, really. He tried with her, but the more he reeled her in, the harder she fought against the line he’d cast out. So much potential, wasted. A smart girl, graduated at 17, one of the highest SAT and ACT scores in the country, acceptances to colleges with scholarships some would sell their newborns for and where would she take it? Anywhere but here. That life wasn’t for her, college and all this mundane bullshit. It was the last fight, that had been the main catalyst for her departure in the same cold manner as their parents, the one where she’d brought a boy home, nothing new, except this time, she’d gotten caught; that was the last time. If you’re so grown, get a job, get a hotel. The words played like a symphony on a never ending loop, so, that’s what she did -- except this time, she didn’t turn back.

Hours turned to days, days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, and months turned to a year. All she had was a brain, her body, and a boy. One who’d taken every chance he could to remind her exactly what she’d been worth, the bruises on her body the proof of the so called love he’d shown her. But even through it all, she knew better. She’d suffered, yes. Experienced the anguish and the pain, but not out of love, out of convenience. Out of mere circumstance. A fast car, some cash -- it was your typical Bonnie and Clyde, except she wouldn’t let that tragedy unveil, so she did what she did best the moment she hit eighteen, she escaped his grasp and ran for the nearest club she could find. One where they’d welcomed her with opened arms and a plethora of suitors. It was perfect, really. But no matter how she’d tried to block that year from her memory database, the scars left their painful reminder, keeping her up at night and she swore -- if she stood in one place for too long, she could feel them flare in searing pain. So, she ran. Oregon was nice, peaceful and quiet -- what a fucking joke, then, Seattle. Better, but still, her heart yearned for California, whispers of a certain town that had a history of sin woven into it’s core called out to her. It was her mission, so she worked. 

She should’ve been happy, a bird finally breaking free of it’s flock, flying in it’s own direction, but still, the thought of her mother and father plagued her memories, the blows itching at her until it had turned her numb and fuck, all she wanted to do was feel again. Feel pain, feel anger, feel hopelessness even, but it was all for not. The drugs, the alcohol rolled in, rolling through her body as they breathed life back into her once more. Then came along Dayton. She wasn’t proud of how she’d gotten there, proud of the things she’d done on the side of bearing her naked body in the small quarters of the VIP rooms, but -- fuck it, survival of the fittest. Plan B was her, well, Plan B and she’d tell you to call her Angel, though she knew it was the furthest from the truth, though still it wiped behind the past she still begrudgingly left behind with nothing more than a series of letters and ignored calls. And even now, to this day, if you asked her what she’d aspired to be in her life, with a mind so full of potential, she’d simply smile, though the glint of hope dying with each moment -- she’d still whisper to you... free.

[tanadrin]

Notes on the Taurahe Language

by Loremaster Surazh Sher'an, of the Royal Society of Silvermoon

Published in the Journal of the Royal Society, in the 6853th Year of the Sun and 5th year of the Regency (619 K.C., 27 A.O.D.P.)

Since the Third War and the reestablishment of diplomatic and trade contacts with the peoples of the western continent of Kalimdor, several new frontiers in natural philosophy have been opened up to the scholars of our Society, in areas botanical, historical, thaumaturgic, and, not least of all, linguistic. Though the tongues of the Eastern Kingdoms have been well-covered in the scholarly literature, and even those of Draenor have had several monographs published on them since the Second War[1], the languages of Kalimdor remain woefully understudied. The most tentative work relating Thalassian to the Darnassian languages has been undertaken[2], but of the other Kalimdorean tongues, nothing substantial has been written.

In the interest of attempting to make my own modest contribution to the study of the Kalimdorean tongues, I would like to offer the following preliminary analysis of a language entirely unstudied by our loremasters at present and, I believe, spoken nowhere in Quel'Thalas, and in precious few places in the Eastern Kingdoms. I refer, of course, to Taurahe, the tongue of the Shu'halo, or, as they are known to outsiders, the Tauren. The Taurahe language is most interesting, being related neither to the tongues of Draenor nor of the Easter Kingdoms, and seeming to have no antecedent in any of the ancient mother-tongues of Azeroth, like Proto-Troll, Proto-Vrykul, or Ancient Kalimdorean. Furthermore, it is a language currently in flux, insofar as the way of life of the Shu'halo has changed enormously since the arrival of the Orcs in Kalimdor and the incorporation of the Tauren into the Horde. Although I cannot capture either the complexity or dynamism of this language in a brief article, I hope to pave the way to more extensive future analysis.

1. Taurahe in Context

The Shu'halo are a tauroid race of bipeds, native to eastern Kalimdor. First encountered in the dry coastal regions around Bladefist Bay, in what is now Durotar, an alliance was formed between Warchief Thrall and Chieftain Cairne Bloodhoof of the Bloodhoof Tauren in 6833 YS, during the Third War. At that time, all Tauren clans[3] were nomadic; after the tumultuous events of the war and the defeat of Archimonde at Mount Hyjal, the Bloodhoof Tauren and a portion of the other clans settled at Thunder Bluff in Mulgore, with several satellite towns like Bloodhoof Village being founded nearby. Many seasonal Tauren campsites have been converted into permanent settlements, like the Crossroads and Camp Taurajo, facilitating trade with Durotar and supporting a larger population of Tauren.

Despite the adoption by some of a settled lifestyle, many Tauren remain nomadic or semi-nomadic, some for political reasons[4], others simply out of tradition[5]. Because of the hunting lifestyle of the Tauren, and the number of rites and rituals which center around hunting, the creation of permanent settlements and urban centers has not been widely welcomed in Tauren society. Much of the shift in Tauren culture is down to the charismatic leadership of Cairne Bloodhoof; though his authority nominally extends only over the Bloodhoof Tauren, he is highly regarded by the other Tauren clans, and holds considerable influence in Tauren society at large. It remains to be seen whether these new developments in Tauren society, and the importance of Thunder Bluff as a political and economic center, will outlast their chief architect.

As is to be expected, Taurahe vocabulary centers primarily around the historical Taurahe way of life: terminology of the natural world, of geography, travel, hunting, and hunting- and pathfinding-related technologies is quite extensive. The Tauren have traditionally been a shamanistic people, like the Orcs, and so have an extensive vocabulary of shamanistic and natural thaumaturgy. Lacking an understanding of the arcane, or of other planes, their vocabulary for arcane thaumaturgy is limited, and most of their vocabulary around these kinds of sorcery has been borrowed from Orcish and, more recently, Thalassian. Of some influence also has been the Night Elven tongue[6], since the Tauren have a long history of intermittent contact with that people. Almost all vocabulary related to metalworking, alchemy, wheeled conveyance, shipbuilding, and large-scale warfare is directly borrowed from Orcish, with a small subset of loanwords from the language of the Darkspear Trolls.

Taurahe is not a unified language; each sub-clan has its own dialect, resembling most other dialects within their clan, as clans have historically tended to migrate together and to maintain close ties in marriage and trade. Any clear geographical distribution of the dialects has been substantially confused by many centuries of migration, and the spreading of various features and loanwords between migratory clans and sub-clans. Even so, not all forms of Taurahe are mutually intelligible; furthermore, the prestige form of the language has often varied according to the internal politics of the Tauren clans, with the emergence of a preeminent leader or tribe altering the lingusitic center of gravity of the Tauren people. Since the establishment of Thunder Bluff, the Bloodhoof dialect spoken there has been treated as the de facto standard, both among Tauren and within the rest of the Horde; therefore, it is the Thunder Bluff dialect that shall be treated here.

2. Writing System

Taurahe has not traditionally been a written language. Tauren society has historically been based extensively on oral traditions, which supply everything from legal and ritual formulae to history and mythology, which, based on the study of different versions among different clans, have remained remarkably constant over centuries or even millennia[7]. Although the Tauren have had contact with literary societies such as the Night Elves for many centuries, they have generally eschewed writing for most culturally significant applications, ascribing far greater prestige to orally transmitted traditions. Most Tauren elders have committed the equivalent of dozens of volumes of history and poetry to memory; some, such as Hamuul Runetotem, are said to be able to recite what would fill a hundred books in any Orcish library.

Nonetheless, Tauren have some knowledge and respect for runic sorcery, and have applied it to the totems they wield in battle and use for ritual purposes. These "runes" seem ultimately to be of Night Elven origin, despite no extant tradition of their use in Night Elven society. Potentially, they date from before the Sundering, given their similarity to arcane runes used in Quel'thalas and the contemporary aversion to arcane magic among the Kaldorei.

Almost all written forms of Taurahe found now in Kalimdor are, however, recorded using the Orcish writing system. Orcish uses a combination of phonetic and logographic symbols, having descended from an earlier logographic stage[8] some two centuries before the opening of the Dark Portal. Foreign languages, when recorded in Orcish, typically use only the most common logographs, relying instead on extensive use of the phonetic symbols normally reserved for inflection and particles. The syllabic nature of phonetic Orcish, however, renders it a poor fit for Taurahe, which has a completely different phonetic inventory. Therefore, in this article I have preferred to rely on the superior Thalassian alphabet to transcribe the sounds of Taurahe, which are in fact quite simple for the Elven tongue to pronounce.

3. Phonology

Taurahe forms generally CV syllables, making it at least phonetically one of the less vulgar languages of the Horde. It rarely admits consonant clusters, only occasionally permitting certain syllable-final glides and certain syllable-initial affricates. The fifteen consonants as transcribed into Thalassian are as follows:

p b t k m n s sh h ch (a velar or glottal fricative) l r w y (a palatal semivowel) ts (affricate)

Taurahe has five vowels, which may be either short or long; in most dialects, although not Bloodhoof, the long consonants are in fact diphthongs, and even when speaking Bloodhoof, Tauren tend to preserve those diphthongs if present in their native dialect. The five primary vowels are /a e i o u/; the long vowels are most usually realized as /a: ei i: o: au/. Less common are /au/ and /ai/ or /ie/ for /a:/ and /i:/. Grimtotem Tauren has a completely different system of long vowels, /ae ei ie oa ue/.

4. Noun Classification

The declension of the Taurahe noun is only for four cases--the nominative, the objective, the locative, and the relative--but is greatly dependent on the classification of the noun, based on what appears to be both an animacy and social-role hierarchy. The former is not unlike the animacy classification of some Zandali languages, while the latter bears a (passing) resemblance to the "gender" categories in human languages, but both should probably be treated on their own terms, as the Tauren system is both distinct and more regular than either. Roughly speaking, Taurahe noun classification is between inanimate or abstract, sessile or natural, dynamic-animate, fully sapient, and elemental or divine nouns on the one hand; and provider/loremaster, hunter/leader or shaman/spiritwalker on the other. The social role classification is somewhat more difficult to understand as a regular process among the less animate nouns, and is also not fixed: one noun may migrate between all three categories according to circumstance and usage, without the reclassified noun necessarily being considered a new lexeme. Inflecting a noun according to another animacy category is, however, a standard part of new noun formation.

There are at least six or seven distinct declensions of Taurahe nouns; my Tauren interlocutors have not been able to agree on the precise number, and it may be that comparison to the Thalassian system of declensions is in fact entirely inapplicable here.

5. Verb Nuclei

The Taurahe verb is formed from affixes attached to a single root, a "nucleus" which may be built up with both prefixes and suffixes and even, in some cases, infixes. Roots generally encompass a single semantic concept, which affixes may extend and alter in ways which would, in most other languages, necessitate the derivation of a new word. For example, "kuto," "fight" with the telic, transitive affixes forms the verb "karutoha," "to win [against sb.]", while with the impersonal affix forms "ukuto," "to fall into disarray." The impersonal form can be further modified by the personal, passive affix, "uma'ukuto," "to be routed in battle," which despite the presence of the impersonal affix alters the valency of the verb. All told, Taurahe has perhaps one-tenth the verbal roots of a language like Orcish or Common Human (to say nothing of the refined Thalassian tongue), but dozens, and possibly hundreds, of verbal affixes. Few of these affixes are truly exclusive of one another, and a deeper syntatic analysis is required to determine how, exactly, the valency, tense, and aspect of the final verb are determined.

6. Taurahe Words and Phrases

The following phrases are taken from interviews with my Tauren interlocutors. I traveled to Thunder Bluff and Bloodhoof Village for a period of eighteen weeks and interviewed approximately a dozen Tauren of four different clans. This is but a small sample of the corpus I used for my analysis, and with the aid of an colleague who has been transcribing Taurahe lore from Orcish to Thalassian script, I hope to soon begin work on a more complete grammar of the Taurahe tongue.

Vocabulary

-she/-sha: Affix denoting natural phenomena, celestial bodies, and the divine, cf. "An'she," the creator-sun. shu: Clan, tribe, political grouping. Cf. "Shu'halo," the Tauren people. halo: 1st person plural pronoun. We, ourselves. apaa: watch, guard ro: path, road apa'ro: the Waywatcher, Malorne -ah: augmentative affix por: lore, wisdom, custom, law por'aa: ancient wisdom, longstanding (and therefore inviolable) custom alo: within, inside ne[e]: to be (cf. "ishnee," "let be," or "ichnee," "to remain, to always be") pawne: spirit, soul owa: to dash, to bolt, to run tanekaa: blue; cf. Taunka "taunka," "winter," and the Taurahe idiom "bluest [i.e., coldest] of winters" manii: to shake laata: to shake; with the causative infix cf. "Laakotamanii," "the Earthshaker." isha: grave, serious, deep awaak: doom, ill fate, misfortune eeche: white ala: to walk mo: dream ala'mo: druid, i.e., one who walks in dreams haurakemani: the Earthmother shu'halo: a Tauren, the Tauren ahee: language; to speak

Phrases:

Pawne chi owako lehe "[May the] spirits guide you"

Ya shu'kushaa "For the Horde"

Namak'ehe shu "Victory or death"

Chi shu'ma'hewa "I've been expecting you."

Lehe shu'po'halo wota'ano kuu "May my ancestors watch over me"

Rek'ala'mo ya kusho'ake ne "Cat druid is for fight"

Notes:

[1] See especially Magister Thoradiel's "On the Orcish Tongues" and its follow-up, "The Draenei Dialects." Loremaster Harran of Dalaran's groundbreaking work, "The Eredar-Draenei Family" dissects the relationship of the demon-languages of the Twisting Nether to the Draenei tongue, but N.B. that possession of this volume is forbidden in Dalaran, Orgrimmar, Thunder Bluff, and Stormwind owing to its extensive analysis of demonic incantations; the nearest available copy is to be found in the Black Library of the Royal Apothecary Society, in the Undercity.

[2] Magister Gal'an's "Some Darnassian-Thalassian Cognates", Notes of the Royal Society, 6851 Y.S., issue no. 3.

[3] Taurahe "shu," variously translated as "clan," after Orcish usage, or "tribe." A "shu" is any extended kinship group, and the term is sometimes applied to large political groupings of any kind, e.g., "Shu'kaldo," the Night Elves, or "Shu'ekate," the people of the east, i.e., the Alliance.

[4] Most notably the Grimtotem who, while having diplomatic relations with Thunder Bluff, are not technically part of the Horde.

[5] E.g., most of the Wildmane Tauren.

[6] Now called Darnassian after its principal dialect, but functionally the same as Proto-Kalimdorean.

[7] The consistency of Tauren oral traditions is bolstered by analysis of their (admittedly scant) attestations in Night Elf histories. Several important entries are found in "The Annals of Kalimdor," vols. XLIV to LXX, currently held in the Sentinel Archives. The author acknowledges that the currently strained diplomatic relationship between Quel'Thalas and Darnassus may make consultation of these codices difficult.

[8] "Old Orcish Pictographs," Proudmoore, Jaina. Journal of the Linguistic Society of Dalaran, vol. 53, no. 2.